Why does the mummy walk?

A random adventure idea generator for your horror RPGs! (For a more complex tale, roll twice on the "Why Does the Mummy Walk?" table. There can be one mummy with multiple motivations or two different mummies (or one fake mummy and one real mummy) shuffling along in the shadows.)

WHO IS THE MUMMY THAT WALKS? (Roll 1d12 and consult the list below).
1-3. A priest (or priestess) cursed by the gods for betraying vows.
4-6. A prince (or princess) cursed for betraying a spouse or lover.
7-12. A wizard (or sorceress) cursed for protecting a spouse or lover.


WHY DOES THE MUMMY WALK... AND KILL?! (Roll 1d12 and consult the list below)
1. It has sensed the reincarnated spirit of a loved one, and wishes to be reunited.
2. It wants to protect a person (whose mummy is also present, or is nearby, alive and reincarnated) it cared about in life.
3. It wants to recover an object it valued in life.
4. It wants to avenge the defilement of the tomb.
5. It has been awakened by a spell and is being commanded by the caster.
6. It has been awakened by a spell and is seeking the caster in order to gain its total freedom (and immortality).
7. An accidentially triggered enchantment awakened it, and now its gathering the components for a ritual that will grant it immortal life.
8. It is a guardian who is protecting an item that is in a different museum.
9. The Stars Were Right, and it is has awakened to bring together cultists and unleash the Black Pharaoh upon the world.
10. It seeks to trigger the Zombie Apocalypse.
11. An ancient curse has caused mummies world wide to reanimate and go on murderous rampages.
12. It doesn't. It's a hoax, carried out by the (1-3 museum curator; 4-6 disgruntled Egyptologist; 7-9 tabloid reporter; 10-12 creepy ex-cop turned insurance fraud investigator) in order to (1-3 drum up publicity; 4-6 cover up murders; 7-9 cover up a theft of an ancient artifact; 10-12 distract from a ritual that will awaken another mummy for real).

Random Sex and Gender Generator (for any RPG)

They say that gender is as inborn a trait as sex. To reflect that, here's an add-on to any roleplaying game that let's you randomly generate both your character's sex and gender. A third optional step that lets you randomly generate what your character presents as--does he or she prefer to live as a male or female, regardless of sex or gender--is also included. (Frankly, it is our opinion that the third table should be a player decision made as part of the roleplaying process and not rolled randomly.)

These tables assumes the character is a baseline Human with no genetic abnormalities. These tables also assume that the society in which the characters exist value gender identities as part of cultural and social interaction--otherwise, the whole gender thing is pointless.

WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S SEX (Roll 1d10)
1-5. Female
6-10. Male

WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S GENDER (Roll 1d10)
1-4. Female
5-6. Fluid (Roll on the "What Is Your Character's Sex" table whenever it's relevant to determine your character's gender at the time.)
7-10. Male

WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER PRESENT AS? (Roll 1d10)
1.4. Female
5-6. Fluid. (The character is equally comfortable in the dress and roles of either gender.)
7-10. Male

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If memory serves, we've included rules for characters who can change their sex in Lady Satan 2004 and/or Dynamic Man. We'll have to check--it was considered for one or both, but at the moment we (well, me actually) can't remember what the final decision was. If we didn't... well, it's another excuse for a random table or two for the blog!

For other tables that will infuse more inclusivity into your RPG's character generation system, we refer you to the one that lets you randomly roll your character's sexual preference, your character's race, and the one that lets you generate a disability (can we still use that word?) for the character with a deck of cards.

Random Sexual PreferenceTable (for any RPG System)

Continuing our quest to become a respectable game company and to forever be patting ourselves on the back over how inclusively diverse their products are, NUELOW Games brings the world yet another element that can be added to to the character generation process of any table-top roleplaying game where the designers HAVEN'T been diverse in their inclusivity and thus have come up with a biased game that isn't properly representational of its player base.

WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S SEXUAL PREFERENCE? (Roll 1d10)
1-6. You prefer relations with the sex opposite your own.
7. Bi-sexual, with leanings toward the sex opposite your own.
8. Bi-sexual, with leanings toward the sex same as your own.
9. Bi-sexual, with no particular preference whatsoever.
10. You prefer relations with the sex same as your own.

For even more diversity it your game, be sure to add this to its character generation system, too. (You can randomize race by rolling a d6 and comparing it to the list.)

Sci-Fi RPG Subplot Idea Generator (for any game system)

Here are a couple tables to randomly generate subplot ideas for your sci-fi campaign. Roll first on Why is the Android Behaving Strangely?, then on Who's Behind It?

WHY IS THE ANDROID BEHAVING STRANGELY? (Roll 1d6)
1. A flaw in the programming. (Don't roll on "Who's Behind It").
2. A hacker is trying to control it via a remote uplink.
3. Adjustments to its programming intended to 1-2, make it more efficient; 3-4 make it more human-like in its reactions; 5-6 make it eventually turn on its owners.
4. A virus uploaded into its programming matrix is gradually causing it to 1-2 shut down; 2-3 become a spy-bot; 5-6 become a killing machine.
5. A disembodied alien entity has taken over its personality maxtrix and is now in control.
6. The android is unchanged. The player characters have been shifted to an alternate universe similar to their own.

WHO'S BEHIND IT? (Roll 1d6)
1. No organized force; it's just one of those things.
2. An old enemy.
3. An agent of a galactic mega-corp trying to get the PCs under his or her control.
4. An old friend trying to secretly reach out for help.
5. A mercenary group trying to establish their reputation by taking down the player characters.
6. An alien invasion force that wants to distract or neutralize the player characters so they won't get in their way.

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d20 Supers: The Reports of My Death Were Exaggerated!

A couple superpower feats, yet more parts of the d20 Supers game that we may or may not ever produce. This pair of feats exist to explain how certain characters can come back from the dead over and over and over. (As always, these are released under the Open Game License. Copyright Steve Miller 2017.)

LUCKY [Minor Power, Meta-Gaming]
You lead a charmed life.
   Prerequisite: One attribute above 12

   Benefit: Once per game session, you may declare a single attack roll, skill check, or saving throw that faled to be a success. The success is never a critical.
   Special: This feat can be replaced with The Reports of My Death... under the right circumstances. See The Reports of My Death... for more details.


THE REPORTS OF MY DEATH... [Minor Power, Supernatural]
You were dead... but you got better!
 Benefit: If the character dies (reduced below -10 hit points, disintegrated, blow to tiny bits, lost and drowned at sea, eaten by rabid weasles--any death, no matter hor mundane or terrible), this feat allows them to instantly return from the dead. The character reappears somewhere out of harm's way, with 1/4 of his or her hit points and a semi-plausible explanation of how he or she survived (the GM or player may invent something).

Art by Everett Raymond Kinstler

     The feat can only be used once. After the character has miraculously (perhaps literally) escaped death, the feat must be replaced by one of the following (with all prerequisites needing to be met): Attentive, Better Lucky Than Good, Cautious, Dodge, Lucky, Never Say Die
   Special: There is no benefit from this feat until the character dies. If the character possesses the Lucky feat, the character can replace it with this feat after he or she is killed, essentially getting a two-for-one on rising from the dead.
   If the character replaces this feat with Lucky, the cycle can repeat itself.

You can see the first parts of this game approach here, and everything on this topic that's been posted here. Much more (and refinements of these posts) have also been featured in many of our comics/rpg hybrid releases.

Another bit of d20 Supers: Spider Power!

Here's another entry in the ever-growing collection of d20 System feats and talent trees designed to incorporate superpowers into campaigns. Someday, we'll actually get around to doing a base class (all that will be needed is one--two at most), and collect all the d20 Supers material into a NUELOW Games release. 

Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy this latest bit of material; and we're sure it's obvious where some of the inspiration came from. As always, your feedback is welcomed, and the text is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced according to its terms. Copyright Steve Miller 2017.

You can see the foundations of this system here and here. The whole collection of posts so far can be read here.

Protection of the Spider [Minor Power]

You suffer no harm when injected with natural venoms, such as those delivered with spider or snake bites.
   Benefit: You are immune to all venom, as well as harmful compounds derived from them.

The Astonishing Spider Queen! (Art by Kinstler)

Kin of the Spider (Super Power Talent Tree)
Whether gained through magic, mutation, or the bite of a radiated arachnid, you have spider-powers! (Note that unlike most superpower talents, Gift of the Spider requires specifically the Protection of the Spider minor power feat).

   Gift of the Spider: You have a +3 bonus to all Balance, Jump, and Climb skill checks.
   Prerequisite: Protection of the Spider minor power feat
   Spider Sense: You have a +4 bonus to all Sense Motive and Spot skill checks.
   Prerequisite: Gift of the Spider

   Call of the Spider: Make a successful Concentration skill check as a full round action (DC12) while thinking of a target within your line of sight. The following round, dozens of spiders begin to emerge from cracks and crevices, swarming toward your chosen target. On the next round, they deal 1 point of damage to the target. Spiders keep arriving for the next three rounds, with the damage inflicted increasing by 1 each round. (The target may roll a Fort save for half damage.) On the 5th round, the spiders withdraw, although you may call them again if you choose.
   Prerequisite: Any one Minor Power feat
   Spider Growth: Focus your will upon a spider within your line of sight. Make a successful Concentration skill check (DC12) as a full round action. With the beginning of the next round, the spider transforms into a Giant Spider and attacks a target by your command on your initiative. Commanding the spider is a free action. It attacks for four rounds (after which it reverts to normal) or until slain.
   Prerequisite: Call of the Spider
   Salvation of the Spider: If you are reduced to -5 or fewer hit points (but not -10), a spider-web like substance excretes from every pore of your body, encasing you in a thick, impervious cocoon. This process takes one round, and any person or creature in physical contact with you is forced away and suffers 1d4 points of slashing damage.
   The cocoon remains for 48 hours, during which time you heal 4d20+8 hitpoints, recover any lost attribute points and regrow any severed limbs, up to your fully-healed state. The cocoon dissolves into a fine dust at the end of the time period, and, although you are unconscious while in the cocoon, you are immediately fully alert and ready for action.
   Prerequisite: Gift of the Spider

Body Wraps of Dimension Travel

Here's a magical item for use in your just about any roleplaying game.

Body Wraps of Dimension Travel
Found in sets of three, nine, and twelve, they are tightly wound spools of six-inch wide strips of a silken fabric. They can be of any color. If inspected with a detect magic spell or ability, the cloth radiates transmutation magic, and an Atlantean symbol becomes visible every six inches.

The Body Wraps of Dimension Travel were created by Atlantean Witches as a means of letting non-witches, non-spellcasters, or spellcasters unable to traverse dimensions to join them on jaunts to other universes and planes. Each set is pre-enchanted with a specific destination and users are transported to that location with unfailing accuracy, regardless of any wards or anti-magic fields that may be in place at either end of the journey.

Each spool contains enough fabric to wrap a large human completely from head-to-toe; it is virtually impossible for a person to wrap themselves, as they must be wrapped so tight that they are unable to move and no part of their body must be exposed. No clothes or items of jewelry or external body piercing can be worn under them if the wraps are to function.



Art by Murphy Anderson

When the command word is spoken (the symbol on the fabric), wrapped characters are shifted from their present plane and location to the destination enchanted into the wraps. The wrap is consumed during the transfer, so the characters arrive naked. (Typically, the point of arrival is a chamber within a base of operations established by Atlantean Witches. It contains robes, sandals, and other basic equipment.)

Since the destruction of the Atlantean outposts on Earth, the secret to creating Body Wraps of Dimension Travel on our world has been preserved by the magical heirs to the Atlantean legacy, the Witchkind. Using the wraps is a one-way trip, although if users arrive at a location still inhabited by Atlantean Witches, or which has been taken over by the Witchkind (or can otherwise locate them), a return trip may be facilitated.

You can read more about the Witchkind and Atlantean magic in Love Witch (by Marv Wolfman and Steve Miller, with art by Ernie Colon and Don Heck) and Secrets of the Witchkind (by Steve Miller, with art by Bradley K. McDevitt).