Who's Poisoning American Vegans?

Here's a random adventure outline generator ripped from the headlines! Roll on the following tables to generate the skeleton of a mystery adventure for your player characters in a modern-day or near-future setting to solve.

THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has warned all Americans to not eat Romaine lettuce, citing a severe danger from e.coli. But is that all there is to it? Are people being sickened from supposed e.coli bacteria just the beginning? It's up to the player characters to investigate and get to the bottom of the mystery... only they can learn if there's a hidden hand and agenda behind the outbreak, or if it's just one of those things.

OPTIONAL: HOW DOES THE PARTY GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
   1. It's their job; they are investigators for the CDC.
   2. It's their job: they are reporters for the Weekly Weird News.
   3. It's their job; they are investigators for the Kolchak Institute of Paranormal and Cryptid Research
   4. A loved one of a party member, who was a Vegan, died from a mysterious ailment that resembled an e.coli infection.
   5. A one-time foe (1-3)/old friend (4-6) contacted them about having discovered a monstrous conspiracy and he wanted to them about it. When they arrive where they were to meet him, they find his dead body, half-eaten. An autopsy shows his internal organs and veins were strangly swollen. Go  to WHAT IS THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY.
   6. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling results of 6 and duplicated results. Both reasons apply.

IS THERE A CONSPIRACY TO POISON LETTUCE? (Roll 1d6)
   1-4. Yes. And more. Go to WHO IS BEHIND THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY.
   5-6. No. Go to WHAT IS THE REAL REASON LETTUCE IS MAKING PEOPLE SICK.

WHO IS BEHIND THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY?
(Roll 1d6)
Whatever result is indicated below, people who eat some green leafy vegetables (like lettuce) are falling ill, those who eat lots of the stuff are being poisoned, and those who live entirely off vegetables are dying in a horrible fashion: their internal organs and blood veins swell and they develop a high fever that cooks their innards even as they are crushed against their own skeleton.
   1. A rogue element within the U.S. government is testing a bio-weapon by spraying it on green leafy vegetables. When it reaches critical mass in the person's body, they die an agonozing death.
   2. As above, except its terrorists backed by Iran (1-2)/North Korea (3-4)/Russia (5-6) spreading the bio-weapon.
   3. A demon cult has been selling plants and seeds infused with demonic to American farmers through Morning Glory Agriculture, and the souls of those who eat too much of the tainted greens are immediately damned to Hell.
   4. As above, except Morning Glory Agriculture is a front for the extremist group Stop Plant Abuse Today. They hope to scare Vegans into eating fewer fruits and vegetables.
   5. Morning Glory Agriculture's genetically modified romaine lettuce is killing people. The company is working on a solution, and in the meantine, they will want to silence anyone who discovers what's going on. Including the player characters.
   6. Venusian are in the final stages of preparing to invade and take over Earth. They are testing ways to turn Earthlings into the perfect food source... and they like the taste of the pure Vegan flesh.


Artwork by Bryan Baugh

WHAT IS THE REAL REASON LETTUCE IS MAKING PEOPLE SICK?
(Roll 1d6)
1-2. It's e.coli, plain and simple. Sometimes shit happens.
3-4. An alien strain of lettuce has arrived on Earth via a meteor, and those who eat too much of it will become AstroZombies!
5-6. Roll on WHO IS BEHIND THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY, because, contrary to appearances, there IS a conspiracy to kill American Vegans. Just as the party thinks they've figured out it is indeed just a massive e.coli outbreak, they are given information that hints at the conspiracy.

Let's talk Turkey ala ROLF!

It's the time of year when Americans gather for Thanksgiving celebrations, and in many households time is spent watching football games.

But what if you don't football? What if there are several family members who don't like football? WELL, what you need to do is to gather those family members and convince them to play ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game with you! And we have just the introductory package for you to do that with!

The ROLF! Thanksgiving Feast Bundle includes the basic rules and three Thanksgiving/turkey-themed battle scenarios (Day of the Turkey, Turkey Shoot, and World War T), each of which include pre-generated characters for near-instant play and additional rules. Also Turkey Shoot includes some comics for added entertainment value (even if they may not be entirely family friendly... but, hey, we DO have a reputation to uphold here at NUELOW Games). You even save some money, as this bundle is offered at a 50% discount of what it would cost to buy the four booklets individually.

Get the ROLF! Thanksgiving Feast Bundle today from RPGNow or DriveThruRPG!

(We offer this special package every year around Thanksgiving. Unless we forget... which we did last year. Whoops!)

The Curse of the Watery Shroud

Here's another series of random tables to let you generate the outline for an adventure that was partly inspired by a drawing from Bryan Baugh.

THE CURSE OF THE WATERY SHROUD
The Whitehead family has been suffering under a curse since 1688 when the Angelina, the eldest daughter of Lord Elwyn Whitehead drowned mysteriously in water overflow tunnels beneath Castle Whitehead on what was both her 17th birthday and the celebration of her betrothal. Ever since then, if the eldest daughter of the Whitehead family has been unmarried on her 17th birthday, she has come to a tragic end by drowning.

This curse last asserted itself in the Spring of 1918, and it was ruled an accident. Now, just over 100 years later, another girl carrying the Whitehead family blood, Ashley Whitehead, has died in the waterlogged tunnels under Castle Whitehead. Is the curse real? And if so, what's behind it? Can the player characters solve the mystery and save a life... because Ashley's twin sister Emily has yet to fall victim to the curse!

OPTIONAL: HOW DOES THE PARTY GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
   1. They are friends of Emily.
   2. There were friends of Ashley.
   3. They are hired by the family to figure out what happened and save Emily.
   4. They are brought in by a contact in law enforcement.
   5. A contact in the paranormal investigation community asks the party to solve the mystery.
   6. One of the characters is a distant relative of the Whitehead family, and there have been mysterios deaths of teenaged girls in his family as well.


IS THE CURSE REAL? (Roll 1d6)
   1-3. Yes. Got to WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE CURSE
   4-6. No. Go to WHO KILLED ASHLEY


WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE CURSE? (Roll 1d6)
   1-2. Angelina committed suicide to avoid her forced nuptials. Ever since, her restless and bitter spirit is killing to stop other Whitehead girls from having the happiness she never did.
   3. Angelina was murdered by a jealous and jilted suitor whom she managed to kill even as he murdered her. His restless and evil spirit has been hunting and killing Whitehead girls ever since.
   4. Angelina hated the man she was being forced to marry. She conducted a dark ritual that called for a water demon, but instead of killing her would-be husband it killed her. And it's been claiming the lives of virginal Whitehead girls who don't marry young ever since.
   5- 6. Lord Elwyn made a deal with the Water Elemental Lord: He would be unaging until the life force of 333 girls of his line were claimed by creature as virgins on their 17th birthdays.

HOW CAN THE CURSE BE LIFTED? (Roll 1d6)
   1. A temple to the Water Elemental Lord at the center of the water-logged tunnels beneath Castle Whitehead must be destroyed, possibly collapsing the castle in the process.
   2. The water-logged tunnels underneath the castle must be excorsized of water elemental spirits, as well as the hate-filled ghost of Angelina (1-3), the man who murdered Angelina (4-6).
   3. Lord Elwynn Whitehead, who has been made unaging by the life force of each girl killed must be brought to the temple to the Water Elemental Lord under Castle Whitehead. Here, the angry ghosts of victims will destroy him and the curse will be lifted.
   4. The restless ghost of Angelina must be destroyed.
   5. The spirits of all the dead girls must be rescued from the grip of the Elemental Water Lord.
   6. Roll twice on this table, ignoring and rerolling results of 6. Both steps must be taken to lift the curse.

WHO KILLED ASHLEY? (Roll 1d6)
   1. Her secret boyfriend who got her pregnant and didn't want a scandal.
   2. A madwoman who believes she's the rightful heir to the Whitehead fortune if the twins are gone.
   3. A cultist who wanted to summon the legendary Water Elemental Lord and used her as a human sacrifice.
   4. Her psychopathic older brother wants to turn the castle into a "supernatural tourism" destination, and he murdered his sister to revive the legend of the Watery Shroud.
   5. Ashley isn't dead--Emily is. Ashley killed her sister and took her place.
   6. The butler did it. Ashley discovered he was replacing family art treasures with forgeries.

Ghostbusting: The Haunting of Mary-Anne Sanders

Here's another post partially inspired by a drawing by Bryan Baugh. This one includes tables for randomly generating an outline for a "ghostbusting" adventure plot, as well as a starting occupation that's equally useful in settings where the paranormal is reality or fantasy.
   The player characters become involved with the events because they are either connected to the victim of the haunting, or because they are paranormal investigators/ghostbusters.

THE HAUNTING OF MARY-ANNE SANDERS
For weeks, Mary-Anne felt uneasy in her own home. First, she thought small things were being moved ever so slightly. Then, she kept feeling like someone else present, watching her, even though she knew she was alone. Soon after that, she started seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, no one was there. Two nights ago, she was laying in her bed when something swept through the room and she felt cold hands pawing at her, tearing open her nightgown. Then, invisible iron talons locked around her and she was flung violently from the bed. As she struggled to her feet, she saw an indistinct shape at the head of the bed... indistinct aside from glowing eyes and twitching claws. As it faded away, she began to scream...

OPTIONAL: HOW DO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS GET INVOLVED?
(Roll 1d6)
1-2. Mary-Anne calls them for help.
3-4. A mutual friend reaches out to one of the player characters.
5. One of the player characters hears about what's happening to her, and it sounds like a case that's worth investigating.
6. A clue uncovered during another case leads the player characters to Mary-Anne.

WHO IS MARY-ANNE TO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. An old friend or lover to one or more of them, but has been out of touch for years.
3. A one-time associate of a rival or enemy, but she has parted ways with that nefarious figure.
4-5. There is no prior connection.
6. She is (or formerly was) in the same line of work as one or more of the player characters, but is known to them by reputation only. (Roll 1d6: 1-2. Favorable reputation, 3-4. Negative reputation, 5-6. Dangerous reputation.)

WHAT DOES MARY-ANNE DO FOR A LIVING? (Roll 1d6)
1. Widow raising 1d3 children, living off proceeds of a tech company sold years ago.
2. Police detective.
3. Call girl.
4. School teacher.
5. Paranormal Investigator.
6. Social Worker.

WHO IS HAUNTING MARY-ANNE? (Roll 1d6)
1. The ghost of an ex-lover.
2. The ghost of a stalker.
3. The ghost of a former occupant of the home.
4. A spirit bound to a knickknack she recently bought at a thrift shop.
5. An evil spirit summoned by local cultists who want revenge on Mary-Anne. Roll on WHAT IS MARY-ANNE'S SECRET? to learn why.
6. It's a hoax. An 1-3 ex-lover (1-3) rival (4-6); is trying to embarrass her (1-2) drive her insane (3-4)  discredit her (5-6). Roll on the table again, ignoring and rerolling results of 5 and 6 (or use a d4).
   Roll on the table again. A few days after the hoax is revealed, Mary-Anne's terror begins again. There had been a real haunting that had gone unnoticed due to the hoaxter, and the party still has a ghost to put to rest. If 6 is rolled again, Mary-Anne is now haunting herself; the previous experience drove her insane.

HOW IS THE HAUNTING STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. Discovering the ghost's identity and convincing it to move onto the next plane, possibly burying its body in a proper grave.
3-4. Destroying or binding the ghost through usual Ghostbusting methods.
5. Discovering the ghost's identity and bringing a living relative and mutual acquaintance of the ghost and Mary-Anne to speak to it and tell it all is forgiven. Roll on WHAT DOES MARY-ANNE DO FOR A LIVING? to see who this person is.
6. Discovering Mary-Anne's dark secret and revealing it to the public (or, at the very least law enforcement). Roll on WHAT IS MARY-ANNE'S DARK SECRET? Ignore and re-roll results of 6; the result is actually the ghost's dark secret, and it wants Mary-Anne to reveal it, so those it hurt in life can have justice. Mary-Anne has been too frightened to tell anyone what she discovered shortly before the ghost died.

WHAT IS MARY-ANNE'S DARK SECRET? (Roll 1d6)
1. She killed the ghost by accident and covered it up.
2. She's a serial killer.
3. She's a "talent scout" for a slave sex ring.
4. She's the leader of a cult that practices human sacrifice.
5. She's a retired assassin.
6. She doesn't have any serious dark secret; she is the victim she appears to be.
--

NEW STARTING OCCUPATION 
(for OGL Modern and other d20 System Games)
The rest of the text in this post after is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms.

Paranormal Researcher
Prerequisite: Age 16+, Charisma 12+
Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he or she receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Craft (electronics), Gather Information, Knowledge (arcane lore, behavorial science, history, physical sciences, technology, theology and philosophy), Research, Sense Motive, Search, or Spot.
Bonus Feats: Choose one of the following feats to gain as a bonus feat. All prerequisites must be met before the feat can be selected. Alertness, Ectoplasmic Dominator, Ghost Spotter, Ghost Whisperer.
Wealth Bonus: +1

The Terror of the Ouija Ghost

Here's a randomly generated horror plot based on a drawing by Bryan Baugh. It's purpose is to provide a framework and spur your imagination to create an adventure of your own, for whatever game system you prefer.

OPTIONAL: HOW DO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. One or more of the Ouija Ghost's victims were friends or family of a party member.
3-4. The party has been tracking the cursed items that are rumored to cause the Ouija Ghost to manifest.
5-6. One of the player characters witnessed his or her friends be murdered by the Quija Ghost as a teen and he or she recognizes the pattern of its attacks.

THE TERROR OF THE QUIJA GHOST
A group of friends spend the night with some food, some alcohol, and a Quija board. They awakened something terrible, and the player characters must discover what and return it where it came from.

WHO PLAYED WITH THE OUIJA BOARD? (Roll 1d6)
1. 1d3+1 Cheerleaders
2. 1d3+1 Sorority Girls
3. 1d3+1 Supermodels
4. 1d3+1 Goth Chicks
5. 1d3+1 Baristas
6. 1d3+1 Ballerinas

WHY DID THEY PLAY WITH THE OUIJA BOARD? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. For spooky fun.
3-4. To talk to the spirit of a recently deceased friend.
5-6. To scare one of their number who is a believer in spiritualism.

WHERE DID THE OUIJA BOARD COME FROM? (Roll 1d6)
1. The attic of a family home.
2. A pawn shop.
3. Abandoned on a rainy street.
4. A store specializing in occult items.
5. An antique store that was going out of business.
6. Found in the hallway; each girl assumed one of the others brought it.

WHAT IS THE QUIJA GHOST? (Roll 1d6)
1. A vengeful spirit, specifically after the girls.
2. A manifestiation of the curse upon the Quija board.
3. A manifestation of the curse upon the planchette.
4. A demon that took advantage of the game.
5. An urban legend made real through the psychic powers of one of the girls (and her secret hatred and jealousy of another member of the group).
6. The spirit of a serial killer that's been returned to the world.


WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GIRLS? (Roll 1d6)
1. All but one were driven insane.
2. All but one were brutally murdered; survivor driven insane.
3. All have vansihed without a trace. (1-3, they can found alive; 4, 1d3-1 can be found alive; 5-6, they can be found dead.)
4. One girl brutally murdered, the others injured but alive.
5. They are all comatose, the life mysteriously slowly draining from them.
6. 1d3-1 girls brutally murdered, the others missing. Those missing are now puppets of the Ouija Ghost.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE OUIJA GHOST ISN'T STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1. Each night, 1d2 friends or families of the girls who played with the Ouija board are brutally murdered.
2. Roll on WHO PLAYED WITH THE QUIJA BOARD. 1d2 girls of the indicated group are brutally murdered each night.
3. Each night, 1d2 additional girls of the kind originally rolled on WHO PLAYED WITH THE QUIJA BOARD are brutally murdered.
4. One of the surviving girls, becomes possessed by the Ouija Ghost 1d3 nights later and goes on a killing spree. (If the girls had vanished without a trace, one reappears each 1d3 nights to brutally murder innocent people until the rest are found and rescued.)
5. Once the surviving girls are dead, the Ouija Ghost will start to target the player characters and their loved ones.
6. Roll two more times on this table, rerolling any results of 6. If the same result is rolled twice, then it is the only one that applies.

HOW IS THE QUIJA GHOST STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1. The Quija board must be reduced to fine ash in a sanctified place.
2. The planchette must be ground into fine dust and scattered on the grave of a murderer.
3. The truth about how it came to be a ghost must be revealed.
4. The Quija board and planchette must be destroyed with the horn of a unicorn.
5. A Jew, and Christian, and a Muslim must perform an anient ritual over the Quija board, forcing the Quija Ghost to go dormant again.
6. Roll two more times on this table, rerolling any results of 6. If the same result is rolled twice, then it is the only one that applies.

WHAT IS THE SURPRISE TWIST? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. There isn't one.
3. The Quija Ghost wasn't destroyed. It was spread into 13 different random Ouija boards within a 666 mile radius of the original killings.
4-5. There never was a Quija Ghost... it was all the work of one of dead or vanished girls who's a very clever, very psychopathic killer.
6. There never was a Quija Ghost. It was a ruse by a Satanic cult that sacrificed the girls and staged the Quija Ghost situations to lure the player characters to their deaths.

It's all you need: Magic Weed!

The next release from NUELOW Games will, in all likelihood, be a little thing titled d20 Potheads. Here's a little bit of what may appear in the booklet...

MAGIC WEED
Originating on the Demiplane of Whifty, and brought back to Earth by the dimension hopping Witchkind, when rolled in a blunt, stuffed in a pipe, or packed in bong and smoked for 1d6 mnutes, the user enjoys one of the following random benefits for 1d4+4 hours.

Magic Weed Effect (Roll 1d12)
1-2. -1 initiative roll, +2 to Wisdom bonus
3-4. -1 initiative roll, +8 to rolls to resist Fear and intimidation
5-6. -1 initiative roll, +4 to Bluff and Sense Motive skill checks
7-8. -1 initiative roll, +4 to Research and Spot skill checks
9-10. +2 inititiave roll, +4 to Fortitude saves
11. +2 initiative roll, -2 to all skill checks
12. Roll again. If the same result comes up again, double the indicated affects, except 12. If 12 is rolled again, all who have smoked the Magic Weed are immediately transported to the Demiplane of Whifty.

Right now, we're trying to decide if we should include the Magic Weed, which you can read about below, a revision of the Magic Bongs described in this post, or both.

If you want to tell us what you think, you can comment here or on our Facebook page!

Social Justice Warrior Starting Occupation

It's been entirely too long since we've engaged in a demonstration that will curry favor with the important people in the hobby game business-- the Guardians of Everything Pure and Good and Politically Correct and Socially Acceptable. Since we crave acceptance, we hope this post will make up for that oversight, with a new starting occupation for OGL Modern/d20 Modern!
All text in this post is presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright  2018 Steve Miller.

STARTING OCCUPATION: SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR
Even before you became an adventuring hero, you fought a relentless battle against Evil. You are a morally superior being who isn't afraid to let the world know it. Even if you have to punch someone because you don't like what they have to say or how they talk or how they dress or the color of their skin.
     Prerequisite: Age 15+
     Class Skill: Choose one of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he or she or ze or it receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Computer Use, Knowledge (arcane lore, art, behavioral sciences, current events, popular culture, or theology and philosophy), Perform (dance, percussion instruments, or sing), Research.
     Bonus Feat: Pick three feat to gain as bonus feats. You must meet any prerequisites before selecting a feat. Alternative Fact, Detect Fascist, Do As I Say Not As I Do, Perpetually Offended, Portable Safe Space, Protest, Righteous Mob, Shameless, Specialty Martial Artist, Understand "Dog Whistle", Venting Your Righteous Anger
   Special: Characters with this starting profession may select any of the bonus feats listed above in place of bonus feats earned when advancing in their class.

NEW FEATS 
The following feats are among those that are available to the Social Justice Warrior as bonus feats. Details on others can be found by clicking on the links in the Bonus Feat list above.

DETECT FASCIST
 You know a fascist when you see one!
    Benefit: Pick someone you don't like--the reason doesn't matter. Declare that person a fascist. Gain a +2 bonus to melee attack rolls.

DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO
You say things others should live by.
   Prerequisite: Cha 15
   Benefit: +4 bonus to all Bluff and Intimidate skill checks.

PERPETUALLY OFFENDED
No matter who you're dealing with, what is going on, or where you are, you can find something to be offended by.
   Prerequisite: Maximum WIS score of 10.
   Benefit: Pick a reason and a target. Gain a +4 bonus to skill checks (such as Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate) and attack rolls and damage rolls directed at it for a number of hours equal to 1/2 your character level. For example, if you take offense at a book you see for sale online (like this one), you gain a +4 bonus to your Craft (writing) skill while posting online about how you want a boycott of the horrible item, and a +4 bonus to Intimidate when you post to the Facebook page set up by fans of the work you hate.

RIGHTEOUS MOB
You gain strength from being around those who, like you, are pure of heart and righteous in deed.
    Prerequisite: Detect Fascist
    Benefit: Gain a +1 bonus to melee attack and damage rolls against someone who has been declared a fascist. The bonuses are in increased by +1 for each character who possesses the Righteous Mob who are within a 15-foot radius of each other.

SHAMELESS
You keep your cool in situations where most others would either be ashamed, embarrassed or painfully self-aware.
    Benefit: +2 bonus to all Bluff and Perform skill checks.
    Special: If the character has 5 or more ranks in Perform (acting), this feat grants a +2 synergy bonus to Diplomacy skill checks.

UNDERSTAND "DOG WHISTLE"
You hear the secret messages contained in the utterances of fascists, no matter how cleverly they attempt to hide them from the uninitiated.
   Prerequisite: Detect Fascist, Perpetually Offended
   Benefit: Once you've targeted someone with the Detect Fascist feat, you may, as a free action, declare anything they say to contain a hidden fascist message that only fascists (and perhaps Nazis) can hear. Roll a Will save (DC11) to convince yourself that what you are saying is true and gain an additional +2 bonus to melee attack and melee damage rolls directed at the target, as well as a +4 bonus to Intimidate skill checks made against anyone within the sound of your voice.
   Special: Characters possessing the Righteous Mob feat ignore the bonus to Intimidate gained from Understand "Dog Whistle".



Rules to bring diversity to the "d20 Modern" character generation system can be found here. Use them.