NUELOW at Christmas: Day Nine

Psychostick and NUELOW Games want to help supercharge your Christmas Spirit with this Rammstein parody. Or... maybe not. You be the judge!


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(Our resident Christmas Aficionado, L.L. Hundal, said. "Are you kidding me?!" when she first started watching. Then she began to laugh. Christmas Cheer Unlocked!)

The Members of Pyschostick wish you a happy Christmas!

And speaking of Christmas Cheer, here's something that's offered for you enjoyment under the Open Game license and it can be reproduced according to its terms.  Copyright 2024 by L.L. Hundal and Steve Miller.

Bobble Hat of Christmas Good Will (for d20 System games)
This unique artifact radiates a faint magic aura from December 1 to January 5. During this time, it causes the wearer to radiate cheerful Christmas energy--but there is a price to pay should he or she abuse the status as an incarnation of the Christmas Spirit.
     d20 System Game Mechanics: Grants the wearer a +2 bonus to all Charisma-based skill checks. In addition, the wearer gains a +1 supernatural modifier to AC/DR and a 1 point per die of damage dealt by an attack, because those that would harm the character are hesitant to do so. If the wearer uses Bluff or Diplomacy skills to defraud or cause trouble for another person, all benefits of the Bobble Hat of Christmas Good Will are lost and the character comes under a curse that results in a -4 penalty to all Charisma-based skill checks. The only way the curse can be removed is through the power of a god, or by the character giving a Christmas gift to his most hated enemy, as well as giving away the Bobble Hat of Christmas Good Will to a more worthy owner.

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Eight

Today we present d20 System game statistics for a pair of Christmas artifacts that reportedly gained their power from the birth of Jesus Christ. 

The Little Drummer Boy's Drumsticks (aka the Drumsticks of Bethlehem)

These appear to be a set of well-used drumsticks carved from oak wood. When they are checked for magical aura (though the use of spells, devices, or abilities), they radiate faint abjuration magic or a divine nature.
   Powers: Reported to have been touched by the Christ Child and his mother days after his brith, these drumsticks are a single artifact in two parts. When separated, they have no apparent magical function. Each stick radiates magic, is seemingly indestructible, and can used as improvised piercing weapon that deals 1d2 points of damage. While the item can be considered an enchanted weapon at +1 level, it does not grant bonuses to hit or damage.
  When the sticks are carried by the same person, he or she gains a +1 bonus to all saving throws. He or she gains a +6 bonus to all Perform (drums) skill checks when using the Drumsticks of Bethlehem. Once per day, the character may designate a target and cast a sleep spell upon it while playing the drums using the drumsticks.
   Drawbacks: Whenever carrying the Drumsticks of Bethlehem, the character must roll a Will save (DC18) whenever idle, or near a cute baby. If the save fails, he or she is gripped by an urge to start using the drumsticks on any available surface. If there is a snare drum available, the save is against DC24).
   Destruction: The Drumsticks of Bethlehem can only be destroyed by being tossed into the fires of Hell itself.


The Little Drummer Boy's Drum (aka The Drum of Bethlehem)
This item appears to all inspection to be a well-used and extremely well-made tabor-style snare drum. It does not appear to be magical, but attempts to break or destroy it fail. The word "Bethlehem" is painted onto the drum's head in Aramaic script.
   Powers: When a character with 5 or more ranks in Perform (drum) plays it, he or she gains a +10 bonus to any related skill checks. If the performance is done using the Little Drummer Boy's Drumsticks, the bonus increases to +15. Additionally, the performer can designate one target within 60 feet to be subjected to an affect similar to a sleep spell. The target receives a Will save equal to the character's Perform (drum) skill check. If the saving throw fails, the target falls into a magical slumber that lasts a number of hours equal to the character's total Perform (drum) skill. (The first power--the bonus to the Peform skill--is evident to both the user and those witnessing the performance, The second power is only evident if an identify spell, or similar means, is used to examine the drum while it is being played with the Little Drummer Boy's Drumsticks.
   Drawback: None.
   Method of Destruction: The Little Drummer Boy's Drum loses all enchantment if its head is pierced with one of the Little Drummer Boy's Drumsticks. It can then be destroyed without problem.
   Note: Despite its name, this drum is not the one that legend holds was present in the manger where Jesus Christ spent his first few nights on Earth. It was created in 1612 by Maltorn MacRae, a Scottish wizard who had come into possession of the Little Drummer Boy's Drumsticks and desperately wanted a drum worthy of those precious items. If someone should damage the Drum, it can be repaired using MacRae's original enchantments... if his book of notes describing them can be located.

And, to close out today's post, a nifty arrangement of one of my favorite Christmas tunes.

All text in this post is presented under the Open Game and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2024 Steve Miller.

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Seven

It's time for another Christmas-related mystery for the player characters to solve before Christmas is ruined for everyone!

WHY ARE PEOPLE RIOTING DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON?

As Christmas approaches, the news is suddenly filled with reports of mobs of holiday shoppers going on rampages in stores and shopping malls throughout Christendom. There isn't looting going on--just violent, destructive rampages that destroy all Christmas decorations and businesses, and even claim dozens of lives. The rioters detained by authorities offer no insight into the cause, claiming that one moment they were shopping, the next the just filled with blind rage and an urge to destroy everything Christmas related.

   Roll 1d6 against the following tables for some random adventure elements you can create a scenario around.

What is the Cause?
1. Roll twice on the table, re-rolling any additional results of "1". Both 

    indicated causes are in effect, as is an unholy union between

    two forces that hate Christmas!

2. The Society for Men Acquiring Power, Prestige, and Earthly 

     Domination (SLAPPED) is testing their network of mind-control

     satellites. They hope to trigger worldwide chaos on Christmas Eve.

3.  Extreme environmentalists are pumping a gas that drives people

     temporarily insane, because they want to cause Christmas to be

     outlawed so no firs will be cut down just to be put indoors.

4. Evil cultists are summoning demons that temporarily drive people

    insane with the goal of ruining Christmas.

5. The secret magical society Mages Against Revolting Holiday Cheer

     (MARCH) has put cursed magic items in the Christmas decorations 

     in stores and malls around the world. They trigger them with a ritual

     at their secret Sanctum Sanctorum, and crowds go insane until the

     item is smashed.

6. A mad scientist has infected Mariah Cary's "All I Want for Christmas 

    is You" with extra-dimensional sub-sonics that drive humans who hear 

    it into animalistic fury. He hates that song and wants it gone.

Here's the theme song for this adventure!

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Six

Today, we set the theme with a bit of Christmas music (and the illo that the post opened with, of course)!

 

IT'S A ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS!

This is a random generated adventure outline with zombies being home for Christmas! Use a six-sided die to determine some basic elements of the plot.

Set Up

On Christmas Eve, whether celebrating together or not, the player characters are each attacked by 1d6 zombies. If one or more of them get overwhelmed and killed... well, new character time! Merry Christmas!

   Once this encounter has ruined Christmas, the real adventure begins.

What's Going On? (Roll 1d6)

1. Hell is full, so the dead walk the Earth.

2. A necromancer (either hired by an enemy of the PCs or a direct enemy 

    of the PCs) has cursed the player characters and their close friends 

    and family. Every day until January 6, 1d6 zombies will show up to attack 

    every one of them. If killed, the PC or other slain characters join the 

    zombie forces.

3. A grieving father has used a powerful artifact to capture Death 

    (aka the Grim Reaper), so now anyone who dies immediately becomes 

    a murderous zombie.

4. Everyone who has been deemed "naughty" by Santa Claus has returned 

    to take revenge upon the world.

5. The Grim Reaper is on strike until Santa Claus considers his daughter 

    as a candidate to join Santa's Helpers, so the dead walk.

6. The Spirit of Christmas has been captured by the evil anti-Christmas forces.

As the PCs battle zombies amidst the Christmas decorations, they will pick up hints and leads as to who or what is the root cause of the rampaging zombies. Once they have enough information, they are ready to save themselves, their neighbors, and maybe even salvage a little bit of Christmas, from the zombies!

How Can It Be Stopped? (Roll 1d6)

1. The PCs must find and recruit Santa to help, as only his all-encompassing 

     knowledge of who's naughty and nice will let them locate the cause behind 

     the zombie rampage.

2.  The PCs must find their way to the Realm of Death to find out why the

     Grim Reaper isn't finishing his job and fix the problem -- or find a temp

     to take over.

3.  The characters must identify a lead zombie in each group and give it

     a pile of pages containing Christmas carols. It then passes sheets to 

     each of the other zombies and all of them start singing Christmas carols.

4.  If exposed to Christmas music, the zombies freeze in place. If they are 

     left alone, they become corpses as the sun rises on Christmas Day.

5.  A character must become a living vessel for the Spirit of Christmas.

     He or she must confront the groups of zombies and wish them 

     Merry Christmas, at which time they die a final death.

6.  The cause of the zombies rising must be found and (if needed) put to 

      an end. Then the zombies all have to be killed the old fashioned way.

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Five

Miriam knows in hindsight that she should have realized something was up. She really should have questioned it when a small-time country baron offered her twice the money that the Duke of Holstfel had to perform at his holiday feast last year.

Well... maybe the doppelgängers will let her go when she's done performing. After all, it's clear that the Baron told the truth when he said they were all big fans--everyone in the feast hall has taken on Miriam's appearance and many guests are singing along in perfect harmony with her. It's as if she's performing to a hall full of herselves. (Although she may give that one over there some tips if he/she --what are the preferred pronouns for doppelgängers? -- is going to impersonate her... she's not THAT fat and her hair is not that scraggly!)

--

And because it wouldn't be a NUELOW at Christmas post without some d20 System content or a random table,

IS THE OFFER TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

The player characters are approached by a trusted contact or someone else who is known for finding lucrative and/or suitable assignments for individuals and groups like the player characters. It's a simple one-night job and they're getting paid five times their normal fee because the client wants to pay for the best performance from the best he knows.

   But is this bit of Christmas season generosity too good to be true? What might be going on behind the facade here? Roll 1d8 to find out and see if you can make a scenario out of the set-up! (Hey, you might even send it NUELOW Games' way, and we might publish it!)

d8         Result

1-2.       The job is legit. The client really wants the best from the best for 

            the assignment. Money is no object.

3-4.       The job is legit, but somewhat morally questionable and probably

            illegal. The extra money is to buy discretion and post-job silence.

5            The job is doing something highly illegal. The whole thing is a 

            set-up concocted by a foe of the player characters. The authorities

            have been tipped off and they are watching and waiting. 

6.           The job is fake. A hidden society of doppelgangers that dwell in

            tunnels beneath the city want the player characters to teach them

            the various things they are good at. The doppelgangers are being

            oppressed by a new evil ruler and they want to overthrow him.

            They also warn the PCs that their evil leader is going to break the

            centuries long peaceful co-existence of the doppelgangers and

            the humans by preying upon the surface dwellers.

7-8.        The job is fake. Santa Claus has been captured by operatives 

             working for the evil alliance of Martians and the "activist group"

             People for the Reduction of Idiotic Christmas Expenses (PRICE).

             Santa's daughter, Sugar Plum, desperately wants the PCs to save

             Santa... and Christmas itself, before time runs out!

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Four

Every December. the Spirit of Christmas roams the land, touching bottles, cartons, and jugs of eggnog, imbuing them with magic of the Holiday Season beyond that which the beverage already possesses. This article describes this special eggnog in terms of the d20 System and how you can bring it to your game.

"Stay Noggy, my friends."

EGGNOG OF POWER FOR THE d20 SYSTEM!

Whenever a character comes into possession of a container full of eggnog during the Holiday Season, the GM rolls 1d20. On a result of 20, the eggnog has been touched by the Spirit of Christmas! (All other results mean the eggnog is not enchanted, but still super-tasty.
   But! If the eggnog has been enhanced by the Spirit of Christmas, the GM rolls 1d6 to discover what magic powers are granted those who drink a cup of that container. Upon rolling, the GM consults the following list:

   1. Eggnog of Cheer that grants +2 bonus to morale checks and +2 bonus to Charisma-based skill checks.
   2. Eggnog of Might that grants +1 to melee and unarmed attack rolls and damage, and a +2 bonus to all Strength-based skill checks.
   3. Eggnog of Fortitude that grants a +2 bonus to all Fortitude saves and Constitution-based skill checks.
   4. Eggnog of Christmas Harmony that makes everyone within a 60-foot roll a Will save (DC30) or lose all desire to fight, but instead join together and sing Christmas songs. If one person is attacked (say by someone who has made a successful Will save), then all those under the influence of Christmas Cheer will turn upon the attacker.
   5. Eggnog of Christmas Partying that grants a +4 bonus to all Perform (Dance) and Perform (Sing) skill checks, as well as the ability to point out that someone is standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe without being slapped or kicked in the groin.
   6. Eggnog of Generosity that fills consumers with the desire to bring happiness and security to others in this Christmas season. They can do anything from donate to charities to taking the fight to the mobbed-up slumlords.

A typical container of eggnog contains 8 cups and a character must drink at least one cup to benefit from the Christmas magic. The effect lasts for 24 hours and cannot be dispelled by anything short of the power of a god.
   Once a container of Eggnog of Power has been opened, it spoils within 1d10 days. If a character drinks spoiled eggnog, he or she must roll a Fortitude Save (DC18) or become very ill, suffering -4 to all attack rolls and skill checks for 24 hours. If the save is successful, the penalty is only -2.

THE EGGNOG RANDOMIZER

If the GM wants to make the magic eggnog even more mysterious and unpredictable, roll 1d6 on this table whenever a PC drinks magic eggnog this holiday season.

   1. The character feels extra cheerful, gaining a +4 bonus to all Charisma checks.

   2. Roll on the Eggnog of Power table above.

   3. The character is seized by a sudden hatred of the holidays, gaining a -2 to all Charisma checks.

   4. Roll on the Eggnog of Power table above.

   5. The effect lasts for 48 hours.

   6. Roll twice on the Eggnog of Power table; the character gets both indicated benefits. If the same result is rolled twice, the character gets the indicated benefit with no changes or adjustments.

(The preceding text is released under the Open Game License. Copyright 2024 Steve Miller )

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And here's some multicultural Christmas music that'll get almost everyone into a proper mood!

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Three

The Christmas-hating mad scientist Dr. Stephen Nicholas and his faithful assistant Holly have unleashed their latest scheme to destroy the Season of Good Will and Cheer--cursed candy canes!

Using ancient rituals and Atlantean magi-tech, they infused thousands of candy canes with dark magics that places those who consume them under a curse. These candy canes have been mixed in with non-cursed ones and will soon be distributed all across the United States and Canada!

Will the heroes be able to stop this evil, or will Dr. Nick and Holly finally meet their evil goal?!

(The rest of this post is released under the Open Game License, and the text may be reproduced in accordance with its terms.)

CURSED CANDY CANES

The Cursed Candy Canes can be distinguished from normal candy canes, because they emit a faint magical aura of an undeterminable type or school. Characters with a natural ability to detect magic, or those using spells or magic items to do the same, can identify the Cursed Candy Canes.

   The magic of the Cursed Candy Canes is only active from the stroke of Midnight at the beginning of December 1 to the final moment of January 5. 

    The following tables determine the size of a cursed candy cane and what effect it has on the character who consumes it. These rules are suitable for use with all d20 System games, as well as all OSR game systems.

   First, roll on "Size of Candy Cane" and then roll to determine what curse it bestows upon those who consume it.

Size of Candy Cane (Roll 1d10)

1-8. Mini Candy Cane (must be completely consumed for curse 

       to take effect)

7-10. Regular Candy Cane (only half needs to be consumed for curse 

       to take effect; can be split between two characters)

The Curses (Roll 1d10)

1.  The character can only communicate by singing Christmas songs 

      and carols.

2.  The character becomes enraged whenever he or she hears music 

     and attacks the nearest person for 1d4+2 rounds.

3.  The character's teeth begin to rot rapidly and they all fall out within

     1d6+2 days.

4.  The character can't sleep. Whenever he or she closes her eyes, terrifying 

     visons gigantic, semi-humanoid sugar plums oozing a strange, sparkling 

     substance haunts him or her.

5.  Whenever the character sees an image of Santa Claus, or someone 

     dressed in a Santa outfit, he or she is terrified and must flee the area 

     at maximum movement rate. The character remains terrified for a

     a number of rounds equal to 10 less his or her Wisdom bonus.

6.  The character must naked whenever he or she stands or passes below

     mistletoe.

7.  The character becomes semi-insubstantial, appearing ghostly and 

     translucent. The character does not need to eat or drink, is immune to 

     all harm, but cannot pass through solid matter.

8.  The character becomes a werewolf whose transformation is triggered by

     the physical presence of a decorated Christmas Tree. The transformation 

     lasts until the next sunrise.

9.  The character becomes a vampire, but needs to consume 1/2 gallon of 

     eggnog each day instead of blood. Just like a vampire's need for blood, 

     the character has an insatiable desire for eggnog. If he or she does not 

     consume enough eggnog, the character suffers a temporary loss of 

     1 point of Strength and 1 point of Intelligence until the hunger is cured.

10. The character becomes enraged whenever he or she sees a wrapped 

      wrapped Christmas present. He or she must destroy the presents. 

      The rage lasts until the presents are all destroyed. The character attacks 

      anyone who tries to prevent the destruction.

ENDING THE CURSE

A curse can be ended by a bless or remove curse spell cast upon the sufferer by a 12-level caster (or from an item or scroll with the same power-level), or if the sufferer eats 1 pound of Fruitcake over the space of 30 minutes. The curse also ends automatically at the stroke of Midnight on January 5th, the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

   (For victims of #3, the curse may feel like it becomes worse: Their teeth grow back over the next 1d6+3 days, with severe pain as the baby teeth grow, fall out, and are replaced by a new set of adult teeth.)