In Observance of World Otter Day

We just learned that it's World Otter Day. We love otters, and if Black Cat wasn't already our unofficial mascot here at NUELOW Games, it would be an otter. With that in mind, here are two artifacts (otterfacts?) for your d20 System and Open D6 games! (All text in this post is released under the Open Game License. Copyright Steve Miller 2018.)


RINGS OF THE OTTER
These rings were recovered by occult investigator Marion K. Bassett on the site where legend holds that Atlantean Otter Mages used to meet. Their true origins remain unknown, but Bassett hopes to someday come across a ghost ancient enough to know their origins and what magic powers they may contain.

Ring of the Wet Otter
This ring raidiates a faint aura of water magic. It is silver and is inset with a piece of obsidian carved to look like a smiling otter face. It grants the person wearing it increased abilities while in water.
  D20 System: Gain a +6 bonus to all Swim skill checks. Gain a +4 bonus to all Craft and Perform skills used while floating or swimming in water. (These bonuses are only gained in water that's deeper than 1/2 the character's height.)
  OpenD6 System: Gain +1D to all Swim checks. Gain +1 to all Perception and Mechanical skills used while floating or swimming in water. (These bonuses are only gained in water that's deeper than 1/2 the character's height.)

Ring of the Nimble Otter
This ring radiates a faint aura of alteration magic. It enhances the dextrousness of the character wearing it. It is silver and is inset with a piece of obsidian carved to look like a smiling otter face that is winking.
   D20 System: Gain a +2 bonus to all Dexterity-based skill checks and Reflex saves.
  Open D6 System: Gain +1D in the Dexterity attribute.

Both Rings
In addition to the benefits decribed above, when either one of these rings is worn, the character is surrounded by an aura of cuteness. It detects as protective magic of a weak and unspecific sort.
  D20 System: +1 bonus to all Charisma-based skills, except for a -6 penalty to Interrogate and Intimidate and skill checks. These modifier double when both rings are worn.
  OpenD6 System: +1 bonus to all skills intended to entertain and amuse others. -1D to skills intended to scare or force others to reveal information to you that they want to keep to themselves.

A d20 System feat for our time: Magnificent Mustache!

All text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced according to its terms. Copyright 2018 Steve Miller.

NEW FEAT!

Magnificent Mustache [General]
You have spectacular display of hair on your upper lip!
   Benefit: Gain +2 bonus to all Buff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate skill checks. The bonus increases to +4 if the character is female.
   Special: If you fail a Buff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate skill check. You may immediately attempt to recover, and you may re-roll the check with a -4 penalty. If this second skill check fails, you suffer a -4 penalty to all Intelligence- and Charisma-based skill checks for 24 hours.
If your mustache is shaved off , you lose all benefits of this feat. It takes 1d2+2 weeks for your mustache to return to its former glory and regain the feat's benefit.

This feat was inspired by the events leading up to the cancelling of the US/North Korean Summit, as well as NUELOW Games' announced tie-in ROLF!: For the Love of Cake. 

Who Killed the Radio Star?

Roland Mann's voice was known to millions, and the news and rumors and just plain weirdness he discussed on his award-winning radio show amused, outraged, or angered those who listened for four hours every week day. But his voice has been brutally silenced. Forever.
Roll 1d12 against each of the tables below to randomly generate an outline for a murder mystery adventure that you can flesh out for the player characters in your campaign to solve.

WHERE WAS HE FOUND?
1. On the roof of the broadcast center.
2. In the recording studio.
3. In the engineering booth.
4. In the program director's office.
5. The parking garage.
6. Onboard his yacht.
7. In his living room.
8. In his backyard.
9. In the trunk of his car.
10. In his ex-wife's bedroom. (Roll for which ex-wife: 1-3. #1, 4-6, #2, 7-9, #3, 10-12, #4.)
11. In his agent's office.
12. In his lover's condo.

HOW WAS HE KILLED?
1. Electrocuted.
2. Stabbed 1d12 times.
3. Shot 1d6 times.
4. Hanged.
5. Strangled with a microphone cord.
6. Head bashed in with with one of his Radio Personality of the Year awards.
7. Poisoned.
8. Drug overdose.
9. Suffocated.
10. Beaten to death with a 1-5. baseball bat, 6-10. hammer, 11-12, bare hands.
11. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling any results of 11 and 12. Both means of attack caused his death. If you roll the same result twice, the killer was REALLY throrough.
12. Roll three more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling any results of 11 and 12. All three means of attack caused his death.

WHO KILLED HIM?
1. His Wife.
2. His Ex-Wife. (Roll for which ex-wife: 1-3. #1, 4-6, #2, 7-9. #3, 10-12. #4.)
3. His Lover. (Roll for which sex. 1-8. Female, 9-12. Male.)
4. His Agent.
5. His Producer.
6. His Chief Rival.
7. The Television Producer.
8. The Investigative Reporter.
9. The Senator.
10. The Retired FBI Agent.
11. The Drug Dealer to the Stars
12. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling any results of 12. If the same result is rolled twice, it indicates just one character, but he or she is being framed for the murder. Everyone BUT the indicated characters were involved with committing the murder.

WHY WAS HE KILLED?
1. Hatred.
2. Jealousy.
3. Lust.
4. Greed.
5. He broke a promise to the killer for the last time.
6. He was blackmailing the killer.
7. He was going to reveal the existence of a cult and had to be silenced. (Roll for the nature of the cult. 1-3. World domination through demon worship and subliminal messages in broadcasts, 4-5. Personal wealth and power through demon worship, 6-10. Eternal youth through human sacrifices, 11-12. World destruction through the worship of the Old Ones.
8. He was going to reveal the existence of a child sex abuse ring.
9. He was going to unmask the killer as being a foreign agent devoted to sowing distrust and discord among the American people.
10. To be a sacrifice to a demonic entity.
11. He was going to tell the world about his status as a foreign agent dedicated to distablizing American society, and the killer was his handler.
12. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling results of 12.

Who Killed the Dealer?

To a few, she was Lady Luck personified. To most, she was merely the one who dealt the cards and took their chips. Now she's dead.

Melissa Blacktongue has been murdered, and the players in your game can solve the mystery surrounding her death. The basics of the case can be generated by rolling 1d12 against the tables below, and you can develop them into an adventure for your campaign.

WHERE WAS SHE FOUND?
1. In the Pit Boss's Office.
2. At the Back of the Cash Cage.
3. In the Casino's Vault.
4. On the Casino's Loading Dock.
5. In the High Roller Suite at the Casino's Hotel.
6. In the High Roller Suite at a Rival Casino's Hotel.
7. In the Casino Hotel's Swimming Pool.
8. On the Ancient Indian Burial Ground.
9. In Her Living Room.
10. On a Remote Desert Highway.
11. Behind the Strip Club.
12. In the VIP Lounge at the Strip Club.

HOW WAS SHE KILLED?
1. Strangled.
2. Stabbed 1d12 times.
3. Shot 1d6 times.
4. Skull crushed by 1d6 blows.
5. Beaten to death with 1-5. a baseball bat, 6-10. a hammer, 11-12, bare hands.
6. Poisoned.
7. Drug Overdose.
8. Sulphuric Acid Poured Down Throat.
9. Slender Spoke Driven Through the Left Ear and Into Her Brain.
10. Electrocuted.
11. Throat Slit.
12. Roll two more times on this table, re-rolling any results of 12. She was killed by a combination of the indicated methods.

WHO KILLED HER?
1. The Pit Boss.
2. The Degenerate Gambler.
3. The Illusionist.
4. The Exotic Dancer.
5. The Prostitute. (1-6. Male, 7-12. Female)
6. The Gangster.
7. The Con Artist
8. The Drug Dealer.
9. The Thief
10. The Private Detective.
11. Her Ex-Lover. (1-9. Male, 10-12. Female)
12. Her Current Lover (1-9. Male, 10-12. Female)

WHY WAS SHE KILLED?
1. Hatred.
2. Lust.
3. Greed.
4. Revenge.
5. The murderer thought she was having an affair with his/her spouse. (Roll two more time on the  WHO KILLED HER table to see who the spouse is. If the same result comes up again, they share professions/descriptors but there are still two people. If the spouse result is rolled twice, the Dealer was having an affair... if it doesn't, she was not cheating with the spouse.)
6. She tried to blackmail the murderer because he was having an affair. (Roll again on the WHO KILLED HER table to determine who he/she was having the affair with. If the murderer is rolled again, ignore and re-roll.
7. She discovered the killer was planning to rob the casino. (Roll three more times on the WHO KILLED HER table to determine who else was in on the plot. Do no re-roll duplicate results.)
8. She shared a plan to rob the casino with the killer, who killed her and took it.
9. She discovered the casino's game's are rigged.
10. To stop her from revealing the killer's dark secret. (Roll on the WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET table to determine what it is.)
11. She was the illegitimate child of a billionaire who left her a sizable protion of his fortune. The killer is also an heir, and he/she would get the her portion if she can't be located by the estate alive.
12. As above, except the killer frames the Private Detective for the murder. (He had identified the dealer as their heir but had not had a chance to notify the estate or make contact with her yet.)

WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
1-2. The killer is about to complete a ritual that will reanimate 1d12+12 of the dead in the ancient indian burial groud and cause them to attack the living. (Use wight statistics, or whatever other undead creature is suitable in your game system.)
3-6. The killer is looting a cave of Spanish gold and other artifacts that belong to the Native American tribe on the reservation.
7-10. The killer is a corrupt federal agent who has been helping the mob rig the casino games and steal winnings.
11-12. The killer raped and murdered the dealer's sister.


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Who Killed the Banker?

Peter Davis Blane's small bank was known for its fairness in giving loans, and even for sometimes being generous with extensions if a debtor fell behind in payments... but he never let kindness threaten the profitability of his business.  He ran his bank like he ran his life--efficiently and with a velvet-covered iron fist on the tiller. And now he's dead.


Can the player characters catch the killer in the dramatic adventure that can be created around the outline that can be randomly generated with these tables?

WHERE WAS HE FOUND?

1. In the bank vault.

2. In his office.

3. In his bedroom.
4. In his misstress's bedroom.
5. In the Impressionists gallery at the art museum.
6. In the VIP lounge at the strip club.
7. Behind the orphanage.
8. In the crackhouse.
9. In the sauna at the health club.
10. In the kitchen of his beach house.
11. In the park.
12. On a dock at the marina.


HOW WAS HE KILLED?
1. Decapitated.
2. Stabbed through the heart with a gold-plated letter opener.
3. Shot in the back of the head, execution style.
4. Shot 1d6 times.
5. Stabbed 1d12 times.
6. Suffocated.
7. Choked by pages of Das Kaptial shoved down his throat.
8. Broken Neck.
9. Drug Overdose.
10. Skull Crushed with a Heavy Object.
11. Beaten to Death with Fists.
12. Forced to Drink Bleach.

WHO KILLED HIM?
1. His Wife.
2. His Mistress.
3. His Drug-Addicted Son.
4. His Rebellious Daughter.
5. His Secretary.
6. The Professional Hitman.
7. The Bankrupt Business Owner.
8. The Foreclosed-on Farmer.
9. The Anarchist.
10. The Terrorist.
11. The Bank Robber.
12. Roll two more times on this table, re-rolling any additional results of 12. The first result is being framed for the murder. The second result is the actual killer.

WHY WAS HE KILLED?
1. Greed.
2. Jealousy.
3. Hatred.
4. Revenge.
5. He refused to cooperate with the killer in robbing the bank.
6. He refused to cooperate with the killer in embezzling money from the bank.
7. He cheated the killer out of his full share of money stolen from the bank.
8. He took money from a account belonging to a dead person that he thought no one knew existed.
9. The killer was hired by someone else. (Roll again on the "Who Killed Him" table, as well as on the Dark Secrets table to learn why the killer wanted the banker dead.)
10. He was going to come clean to the world about his own dark secret, and the killer had to stop him. (Roll on the Dark Secrets table to determine what the secret was.)
11. The murderer is insane, and will kill the other people on the "Who Killed Him" list every three days until the party stops the slaughter. (All the victims knew both the banker and the killer.)
12. As 11, but roll on the Dark Secrets table to see why the murderer is on a killing spree.


WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
1. The bank is funded with Nazi gold (and the same is true of the banker's personal fortune).
2. The bank's main business is laundering money for a drug cartel.
3. The bank's main business is to manage CIA black budget funds, including all expenses relating to black-bag torture sites.
4. The bank's main business is funneling money to terrorist groups and "rogue regimes".
5. The killer comitted rape and the banker covered it up.
6. The killer comitted rape and got tired of paying blackmail to the banker, who had witnessed it.
7. The banker operates a child pornography and sex slave ring.
8. The killer was sexually abused by the banker years ago.
9. The banker could no longer bear keeping the secret that he (1-8 accidentially, 9-12 intentionally) killed the murderer's best friend years ago.
10. His mistress was pregant with their child.
11. He forced his mistress to abort their love child.
12. The banker killed a girl while in college, and killer had been blackmailing him about it. He was going to turn himself and the killer in to the authories.

A d20 System feat in observance of Mother's Day!

And its text is presented under the Open Game License, so you can republish it accordingly. Copyright Steve Miller 2018.

MOM VOICE [General]

You can make people knock that crap off with just a few words.

   Prerequisite: Mom

   Benefit: Roll a Bluff or Intimidate skill check. All beings with an Intelligence of 3 or higher must roll Will saves with a target equal to your skill check +6. Those who fail the saving throw must immediately stop whatever they're doing for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus, during which time you may attempt to reason with them using Diplomacy or Bluff.

    Those who save against the Mom Voice suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus. If they attack a target who didn't save, the target may attack back with the same -2 penalty.

    All initiatives must be re-rolled at the beginning of the round following the use of Mom Voice.

    Special: Targets of the Mom Voice must be able to hear the user, but they do not need to understand the words spoken; the tone is universal.

The Artifacts of the Sharp-Dressed Man (for d20 Modern)

How this collection of artifacts came into existence is unknown. They were first documented by paranormal investigator Marion K. Bassett when she was hired to inventory the belongings of occultist Ulysses Sheltner. Like most of the magical items that had been owned by Sheltner, they were stolen soon thereafter. The whereabouts of the artifacts are currently unknown.


CUFFLINKS OF PRESTIDIGITATION
This matched set of gold cufflinks, engraved with the initials U.S., give the wearer a +2 bonus to all Open Locks and Sleight of Hand skill checks, as well as a +1 bonus to all other Dexterity checks that involved manipulating small items and delicate equipment or machinery.


DIAMOND RING OF PERCEPTION
This broad, gold pinky ring with a diamond inset gives the wearer a +2 bonus to all Search and Spot skill checks.


FAT WALLET
This bulging alligator skin billfold increases the Wealth score of the person carrying it by 2.


POCKET WATCH OF TIMELINESS
This ornate pocket watc--with a flip-cover that sports a highly styalized pentagram and a face featuring small roman numerals--is on a 10-inch gold chain that must be fastened to an item of the character's clothing. When the watch on the chain is spun rapidly in a clockwise direction for a round, it puts the wearer under the effects of a haste spell for six rounds. When spun rapidly in a counter-clockwise direction, all other creatures within a 12-foot radius must roll Will saves of be subjected to the effects of a Slow spell for six rounds. The watch can only evoke a magical effect once every 12 hours, but it tells perfect time.


STICK PIN OF PERSONALITY
This golden stick pin has a small ruby in a sunburst-themed housing at its top. It provies the wearer with a +2 bonus to all Charisma-based skill checks.
   The stick pin also can be used as an improvised weapon that deals a base of 1 point piercing damage. For purposes of resistances, it is a +1 weapon.


TOP COAT OF PROTECTION
This black overcoat grants the wearer a +1 bonus to Defense Rating, as well as a +2 bonus to all Fortitude saves made against damage from any elemental source (like the fireball or ice storm spells).




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