NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty-Four

Merry Christmas everyone! Whether you celebrate it or not, we here at NUELOW Games hope that the next couple of days are as happy and bright for you as if Brigid the Christmas Dragon had shown up on your doorstep wanting to spend it with you!

And speaking of Brigid and Christmas, here's a little bit about...

BRIGID'S FIRST CHRISTMAS

Some music to set the mood...

 

 

It was the year 803AD. Brigid had been walking among humans, cloaking her true nature in a form that appeared harmless to them, as they evolved from cave dwellers to builders of mighty towers and beyond. Of all humanity's creations and quirky habits, it was their Winter Festivals that she loved the most. Over the past many decades, these Winter Festivals were increasingly transforming into Christmas, and Brigid was growing a bit anxious that humanity might abandon something she loved about them.

 

But, on Christmas Eve of 803AD, Brigid came to the defense of a small Christian village in southern Jylland that a Viking chieftain had marked to be a blood sacrifice (and grand gift) to Odin for Yule.
After defeating the Viking attackers--briefly abandoning her human form to do so, she was invited to join the Christmas celebration. They asked her to join them in thanks, despite having witnessed her true form and her terrifying destructive powers. From that day forward, Brigid was in love with Christmas.

Here's a table to randomly generate the threat that ruins the heroes' Christmas. You may not have time to run it this year (unless you actually know what the Twelve Days of Christmas are), but maybe next year. Or maybe for "Christmas in July"!


WHAT RUINS THE HEROES' CHRISTMAS? (Roll 1d12)
  1. An old foe they thought long gone returns for revenge.
  2. An old foe they thought long dead returns at the head of an army of zombies.
  3. An old foe begs for their help to stop an even worse evil.
  4. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions, and fire elementals escape onto the Prime Material Plane.
  5. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and reanimates the Christmas meal as a fiery, murderous beast-zombie.
  6. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and causes everyone gathering for the Christmas dinner (and the entire house they're in) to be transported to Hell.
  7. Santa has been kidnapped by vengeful Martians, and it's up to the heroes to save him and Christmas!
  8. Santa's Daughter, Sugarplum, has been kidnapped by her crazed ex-boyfriend and Santa has come to the heroes for help.
  9. Cultists have summoned Narlahohohotep--the Caroler Out of Space--at Nakatomi Plaza. Brigid the Christmas Dragon comes to the heroes for help in stopping the end of the world.
 10. Santa's Reindeer have been stolen.
 11. A serial killer is on the loose!
 12. Roll two more times on the table, ignoring and rerolling duplicate results and additional results of 12. Both things converge to ruin the heroes' Christmas!


And while the heroes may feel like they're Two Steps from Hell, it's Christmas! So everything will hopefully turn out right in the end!

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty-Three

When Jesus got together with Santa for their annual pre-Christmas lunch meeting, Jesus not only brought a gift for Santa--surprising old Saint Nick who is always giving but never getting the gifts--but he revealed his plans for this year's Night of Good Cheer: "I am going to bring gifts to those who are perpetually on your naughty list. I will also bring them forgiveness!"

This year, the Son of God is...

PUTTING THE CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS

Jesus decided to begin his trek at the furthest point from Heaven--Hell. Here, he gave gifts to demons of various kinds, including the succubae.

He ventured into the Dreamrealm, a dimension that overlaps with ours, and brought gifts to some of the darkest beings that exist there and haunt the nightmares and infest the more twisted side of mortals' imaginations.

 
  

 

He then moved onto slightly less evil beings--politicians!

  

From the politicians, he sought out a Mad Scientist and the blood-thirsty, time-traveling android she created (and that than immediately ran wild).

 

 
He then sought out the strange and legendary creatures that live on the fringes of human society... and which often prey upon the unwary.

He met Bigfoot...
 

 

... he faced (sort of) the Slender Man...

... he got his feet wet with the Maiden of the Moon Pool...

... he brought a smile to the face of the Swamp Beast...

... and he calmed the fury of the Wolfman. All through the joy of Christmas

 
 

 

Finally, he has the gift of comfort and joy to YOU, the readers and gamers who enjoys what NUELOW Games has to offer.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty-Two

It was rare that someone surprised him, but she did. Twice.

First, she was so quiet and still that he didn't notice her standing in the corner as he emerged from the fireplace to put gifts in the stockings that had been hung with care. She was also so stunningly beautiful as she emerged from the shadow while saying softly that she has hoped this night would come for many, many years. So beautiful, in fact, that she almost made him wish he wasn't a happily married man.

Second, she was so inviting in her demeanor that she convinced him to take a break before the presents were doled out and share some eggnog and cookies with her. He had never deviated from his routine for as long as he could remember, but she made him feel like he was about to receive gifts. Oh, how he wished he wasn't happily married.

But then, it happened...

 WHAT INTERRUPTS THE MOMENT 

BETWEEN SANTA AND THE VIXEN?

Roll 1d8 to determine what happens between Santa and the mystery woman.

    1. Nothing. They have a nice time together, during which she tells him how much she loves Christmas.

    2. Her jealous, mixed martial arts champion boyfriend bursts in, raging with jealousy and ready to beat Santa to death! The Vixen flees.

    3. Her jealous boyfriend bursts in and starts taking pictures of Santa and the Vixen. He angrily declares that he is going to ruin both their reputations by posting the pictures 

on various sites and platforms around the internet. Santa seeks out the PCs and begs them to prevent the boyfriend from ruining an innocent lady's reputation.

   4. Santa finishes the eggnog and cookies and reluctantly leaves the Vixen and her cozy home. But, once outside, he discovers that his sleigh and all the reindeer have been stolen. When he rushes back inside, he finds the Vixen has vanished as well! Santas seeks out the PCs to help retrieve his sleigh before Christmas is ruined!

   5. After a couple sips of the eggnog, Santa begins to feel dizzy... and then passes out. When he awakens, he is on a spaceship headed for Mars! Meanwhile, the Vixen, now free of Martian mind control, seeks out the PCs to help get Santa back before Christmas is ruined!

    6. Santa drinks the eggnog. The Vixen then tells him has been poisoned and that he has 24 hours to live. He will get the antidote to the poison if he signs his workshop and the elves who work there over to MegaToy Inc. Santa goes to teh PCs for help.

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NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty-One

Here's a Christmas-flavored adventure idea for a modern setting that contains magic.

THE ELF ON THE SHELF MASSACRES
Someone is murdering the families of witnesses against Papa Jambo, the reputedly magic-using crimelord who is currently on trial for multiple murders. Despite heavy police protection, the assassins are still managing to infiltrate the homes and murder the families in their sleep; in one case, they even killed one of the officers on the protective detail.

After these shadowy assassins kill a pair of evidence technicians at a crime scene, the player characters are called in to help the investigation. Upon inspecting the crime scenes, they find one thing in common: Each home has an Elf on the Shelf doll in it... and at one point, one of the characters is attacked by one of the toys after it animates. (Use Kobold stats, 1d4 points of damage with a knife or some other sharp household object).



With some investigation, the characters discover that the Elf on the Shelf dolls were all sent to the family from the same downtown address, even if the packages all appeared to come from a variety of hard-to-contact relatives.

Upon visiting the warehouse, the party is attacked by 24 murderous Elf on the Shelf dolls. They attack in groups of 1d6+1 until all are destroyed. Further investigation of the warehouse reveals other addresses to which killer dolls were sent that morning, as well as the following (roll 1d4):

   1. That Papa Jambo's apprentice is animating the dolls and that he has moved to a different location with 48 more... which will be sent to judges and other law enforcement officials if he has the chance.
   2. That one of Papa Jambo's rivals are trying to frame him for the murders--and that rival is an even stronger and more evil sorcerer than Jambo.
   3. Family members or loved ones of the player characters have been targeted to recieve killer Elf on the Shelf dolls... and that they may already be in their homes!
   4. The Papa Jambo on trial is a look-a-like impostor and that the real crimelord is at a secret location, plotting a monstrous revenge that will turn Christmas Eve into a bloodbath!

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty

THE SIX ARTIFACTS OF SANTA CLAUS

For a number of centuries, a set of related magical items believed to be the property of Santa Claus has been changing hands and drifting through the underground market for supernatural items. Only rarely have they been collected in one place, and it is the goal of many collectors to own all six items in the set. Some, like Brigid the Christmas Dragon, want to acquire them so they can return them to Santa as a present, but most want the bragging rights.

   Below, we present the Six Artifacts of Santa Claus as viewed through the lense of the d20 Game System. (The descriptions of the six items are released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its term.)

Giant Candy Cane of Peacemaking: This giant candy cane functions like a great hammer and deals 1d12 non-lethal bludgeoning damage. There are no bonuses to hit or damage rolls, but a target that is struck must make a successful Wisdom saving throw (DC22) or be frozen in place. The target is aware of everything happening around them, but unable to move in any way other than to breathe. The target is held in place until the wielder of the candy cane releases him or her from the enchantment (with a standard action), until dispel magic with a 20th level effectiveness is cast on the target, or until 12 hours have passed from the moment the target failed the Wisdom saving throw.

Santa’s Bag of Christmas Gifts: This is a bag of holding with 600 lbs. of weight available. Gifts can be taking out of the bag as a free action. The gift is always something the person it is intended for wants or needs.

Santa’s Boots: These heavy black boots paradoxically provide the wearer a +4 bonus to Stealth skill checks, at will the wearer can choose to leave no tracks in snow. The boots resize to fit whoever puts them on.

Santa's Hat: This red, fur-lined bobble hat appears like one of the most iconic symbols of Christmas. It grants the wearer the ability to unerringly identify the current location of a being whose true name is known to him or her, as well as the place that being considers its home.

Santa's Overcoat: This red long coat provides the wearer immunity to natural cold temperatures or from getting cold from being wet. When fully buttoned, Santa's Overcoat also grants a +2 bonus to AC/DR, +1 bonus to most saving throws, and a +4 bonus to saving throws made to resist air- water- and cold-based spell-effects and spell-like abilities.

   Santa's Overcoat is made for a tall, broad-shouldered, corpulent man, but it adjusted slightly if a smaller person wears it... but it still appears to be ill-fitting on anyone but Santa himself.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ITEMS

In reality, the six items described in this article were actually made by Brigid the Christmas Dragon because she wanted to fill in for Santa Claus if he ever needed help. The items were stolen from her original lair in France, on Christmas Eve of 1792 when it was penetrated by revolutionaries as the Reign of Terror was taking shape. She has been trying to recover them ever since, not because she necessarily wants to give them to Santa, but because she thinks he will laugh at them if her creations were ever put side by side with the spectacularly wondrous magical items he uses to deliver gifts and happiness all around the world.

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Nineteen

HE KNOWS WHO'S BAD OR GOOD... 

BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE TRYING TO KILL HIM! 

The world's leading assassin, Madam Satan, is hired to kill Santa Claus. Confronting St. Nick awakens memories of Christmases long gone, and, in turn, brings a long-dormant part of her soul back to life. She turns from predator to protector... but will she be able to save Santa and the very heart of Christmas itself from the 12 killers that were brought in by the client to replace her?

NOT SINCE DIE HARD HAVE YOU SEEN 

A MORE ACTION-PACKED CHRISTMAS MOVIE!

COMING ONLY TO THEATERS DECEMBER 25, 2024...

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Eighteen

Dozens of centuries ago, a red dragon who is known as Brigid fell in love with the human winter festivals that eventually became Christmas. She continues her love affair with Christmas, and she has taken to spending some of her time creating magic candles that she secretly places in places where people of good cheer and kindness gather. Humans, when they notice them, have taken to referring to these mysterious magic items as candles of peace.

 

Brigid also uses the candles herself, placing them all over the part of her lair that is visible to humans. She sometimes invites heroes (such as the player characters) and disadvantaged children to spend all of Christmas Eve waiting up for Santa with her... and there's a 1d6 chance that he shows up slightly before dawn to visit with his biggest and oldest fan and those she think are worthy of getting gifts from him.

The rest of this post is presented under the Open Game License, and it presents rules for candles of peace for use in the d20 System and D&D compatible games.

Candle of Peace
Candles of Peace are found in churches and shrines to good-aligned deities. No one knows how they are created or by whom. They just seem to appear in dark corners  bundles of 2d4+4, on random festival days for the deity a given shrine, church, or temple is devoted to. If subjected to detect magic, candles of peace radiate faint auras of divine magic, but nothing more specific can be determined. Roll 1d6 to determine what color the candles are: 1-2 red; 3-4 white; 5-6 green.
   When lit, a candle of peace provides a +2 bonus to Will saves to resist fear effects, and a +2 bonus to Fortitude saves to resist disease, venoms, and poisons (magical and non-magical) within a 10-foot radius and sight of the candle's flame. Each candle can burn a total of 48 hours before completely expended. It can be lit and extinguished any number of times during that period. (Each time it is lit, the GM can assume that a minimum of 1/4 of an hour  of burn time is spent.)
   A candle of peace cannot be wet or submerged in water to work. It can be used to ignite flammable materials and substances. It can be extinguished by any means that would extinguish a normal candle.
   Up to four candles of peace can be lit at the same time and their benefits will stack, for a maximum bonus of +8. They cannot be more than 4 inches apart for the bonuses to stack. The radius of the effect never expands beyond the 10-foot radius.



Best Holiday wishes from your friends at NUELOW Games! Here's Mike Oldfield's fabulous version of "Silent Night" to help set the mood!