D is for Direscents

Today's entry in the "A to Z Blogging Challenge" is a bit of a cheat. It's a description of magical plants that's been revised from a piece written a decade ago. (There may be a second, all-original item posted later too, and if you want to participate, send an item to stevemillermail@gmail.com.)


All text in this post is considered Open Gaming Content and is published under this license. If you wish to reuse this material, please give credit and copyright acknowledgement to NUELOW Games and Steve Miller.

Direscents (By Steve Miller)

Direscent plants are a genus of deadly, flowering vines often found in the vicinity of alchemist's laboratories, sorcerer's homes, and certain temples devoted to gods whose portfolios include aspects relating to unspoiled wildernesses.

The origin of these plants is disputed, with some records claiming the direscent varieties are the result of a magical botany experiment gone wrong, while others hold them to be the creation of the goddess Fahlarene, the Guardian of Wild Places. Even the most dedicated scholars have been unable to discern the truth, Fahlarene as usual can't be bothered with petty questions from scholars and other civilized folk, so it is not likely that the true origin of direscents will ever be known to mortals.

The plants are recognzied by their large pitcher-shaped flowers and broad pollen fronds hanging from the center of the flowers. (Picture a flower somewhere between a lily and a tulip.) On average, there are 1d6 blooming flowers within each square foot of direscent patch. The plant's magical origins first became suspected when people noticed these flowers bloomed on bimonthly cycles, even through winter, if the beds were kept exposed to the sun. In fact, many towns planted direscents without knowing the dangers because they wanted flowering plants in their gardens or along their fences all winter. Still, the plant's hardiness aside, the dangers from the flowers lie in the pollen fronds.

All the direscent varieties have a dark green, ground crawling stalk with waxen leaves similar in shape to a cloven hoof. The stalks crawl along like ivy, sometimes covering the exterior of a tower, hanging over roof edges, and creating a curtain of vines, etc. These stalks are tough, and require at least 3 points of slashing damage to sever them. Even if severed, direscents root where they fall, if possible, and they can spread and carpet whole areas.

Further, any human or humanoid skin (any flesh without scales, a thick hide, or heavy fur protection) that comes into contact with the oily leaves or stalks of a direscent becomes irritated and breaks out in a rash. While not fatal, if left untreated by washing with soap or treating with a cure disease, the affected skin breaks out into minor blood boils and the afflicted person suffers a high fever (onset time 1d8 hours, lasting for 2d12 hours; 1d4 points of subdual damage during affliction).

Lastly, the oils on direscent leaves and stalks have a deteriorating effect on leather. While leather gloves can be used to protect one's hands from their effects, the oils react with the curing agents in leather products and render the leather rotted and useless within 48 hours of contact. Leather armor lasts slightly longer, but within 96 hours, said armor is likewise rotted at any point of contact with the plants' oils.

Three primary varieties of direscents exist, known by color and by various colloquial names assigned by their effects. Note that direct contact with the plants shakes loose the pollen in a 10-foot diameter cloud in that round and the cloud expands an additional 10 feet in each direction the following round. Also, if wind or other forces are used to shake pollen loose, the pollen's most dangerous effects are only viable within 25 feet of release from the plant. Any pollen drifting farther away from the plant is too widely spread to cause more than a mild skin irritant without any measurable game effects.

Orange Direscent / "Flamebloom": While most direscents do not compound their effects, the orange flower does. If exposed to the pollen from less than a dozen flamebloom, the living being must make a Fortitude Save at DC 14 or fall comatose for 2d12 hours. However, if a being comes into contact with pollen from more than 12 orange flowers, the Fortitude DC becomes 18; if successful, the victim suffers the comatose fever as above, but if it fails, the victim's skin erupts in flames. The pollen and skin oils react violently and inflict 1d8 points of fire damage. GMs can mitigate or expand this damage depending on the amount of skin exposure on a victim (deal with clothing and exposed skin using the Cover rules).

Red Direscent / "Stenchrose": This flower is the most dangerous of the direscents, as any living flesh that comes into contact with its pollen has its pheromones and base scent grossly magnified. While most humans would only notice a rise in the person's normal body odor, anything with a sensitive nose -- such as those creatures having the Scent feat -- would be able to detect or track this person easily. Hiding and other attempts at remaining unnoticed are reduced by half, and any attempts to track said victim increase by 50% as well. The person's scent remains escalated for 3d12 hours, even after immersion in water. The only antidote to this is an alcohol bath, which can wash away the pollen-impregnated skin oils. For quick on-the-road fixes, it takes the contents of three full wineskins to totally wash away the pollen on a Medium-size humanoid.

Purple Direscent / "Mage-bane": The pollen of the purple direscent immediately acts as an allergen upon any physical contact (Fortitude save at DC 12 or the victim is treated as being stunned, due to sneezing, coughing, watering eyes, etc. for 2d4 minutes) but also has hidden dangers for any spellcasters, divine or arcane. Exposure to the mage-bane pollen also forces a Fortitude save at DC 14 to avoid blindness and severe itching for 2d4 hours.

Beyond these effects, the hidden danger is that if this second save is successful, the first spell cast by the victim causes the pollen to conduct the energies away from the casting and disrupt the spell. Any spell cast within 3d12 hours of exposure has a 50% chance of total failure versus normal spell activity. This fine pollen can be washed away by alcohol, like the red direscent pollen above. (Some wizards are said to be cultivating black direscents to increase the lethality of the purple bloom's pollen, hoping to make magic feedback on the caster or force any active magic to be disrupted by the pollen. Luckily, such plants are only rumors, not yet reality.)

Cultivating Direscent Plants

Characters who wish to cultivate direscent plants have to harvest and transport their own plants. Few merchants carry actual direscent seeds or live plants, as followers of Fahrlarene have been known to curse those who do as these nature priests hold the plants sacred.

Direscent plants grow low to the ground and spread in patches, like strawberries. They can survive in virtually any climate where there is at least one inch of precipitation per year and plenty of sunshine. The grow best in mineral-rich soil, but have been known to take root anywhere they receive direct sunlight for at least two hours every day.

While direscent plants bloom all year, their stalks only grow during the warm months. Careful cultivation can expand a direscent patch by 10 square feet per growing season in arctic climes; 25 square feet per growing season in temperate climes; 50 square feet per growing season in subtropical and tropical climes; and five square feet per growing season in a desert environment.

The growth of the plants can be hastened by druids or through the use of appropriate magic and skills. Direscents respond to such activities as normal plants would.

Direscent Pollen as a Weapon

The glass vials that are used to collect and store direscent pollen can be used as grenadelike weapons. In larger cities, arms-merchants who cater to adventurers or less-than-honorable fighting men and women sell vials of direscent pollen for use as ranged weapons. The vials have the same range as a throwing dagger. They typically sell for 100 gp each. The potency of the pollen fades after six months unless magically prepared or treated. Still, one vial, depending on the rarity of direscents in the area, could sell for much more than the price given above.

C is for Cudgel of Peace

Here's today's entry in our month-long A to Z Blogging Challenge series. If you want to participate by providing an item of your creation,, drop us an email at stevemillermail@gmail.com with your own original creations.

All text in this post is considered Open Gaming Content and is published under this license. If you wish to reuse this material, please give credit and copyright acknowledgement to NUELOW Games and Steve Miller.


The Cudgel of Peace (By L.L. Hundal)
The kingdom of Reylar had for most of its long and bloody history been ruled by the Warrior-Priests of Vom, God of war and wealth, and they had made the kingdom rich through raids and conquest. But when several neighboring lands united their forces and conducted a unified invasion of Reylar, the final chapter of the kingdom's bloody history was written.

As the last of his temples were consumed by fire, a weeping Vom found refuge in the simple home Shim, godess of agriculture and the seasons, She convinced the broken god to turn what had been the symbol of his priesthood's power into a tool that would ensure the survival of the remaining Reylar by turning them from the path of war and revenge to one of peace and cooperation. This created perhaps some of the strangest "cursed" weapons to ever come into existence.

OGL d20 and OpenD6 System Stats
A cudgel of peace appears to be a flame-blackened club that is filigreed with gold and platinum that provides a +4 bonus to attack and damage rolls when wielded. However, the moment its wielder chooses a target to attack, all creatures within a 30-foot radius must roll Will saves with -2 penalties or fall victim to an effect similar to a permanent  charm monster spell  Creatures so effected view everyone under the spell as their dearest friends and allies and will under no circumstance continue to fight against them.

B is for Bridget's Whip

It's April 2, so here's B for the A to Z April Blogging Challenge. (NUELOW Games isn't an official participant, but we're playing along anyway!)

Here's another artifact for use in OGL d20 and OpenD6 system games. If you want to participate, drop us an email at stevemillermail@gmail.com with your own original creations.

All text in this post is considered Open Gaming Content and is published under this license. If you wish to reuse this material, please give credit and copyright acknowledgement to NUELOW Games and Steve Miller.



Bridget's Whip (By Steve Miller)
Lady Bridget of Fairwater Crossing was an evil and twisted woman who enjoyed inflicting pain almost as much as she enjoyed being subjected to it. The day she beat a maid who was much-loved among the other servants to death, the rest of the staff put an end to her as well. Whether she died shrieking or laughing, none could say, but as the butler struck the killing blow with the silver-covered handle of her bullwhip he thought he saw insane glee in her eyes.

The servants looted the house of its valuables and scattered to the four winds. The butler kept the whip and eventually became infamous as a particularly brutal leader of a gang of bandits. The end he eventually came to was very similar to that of Lady Bridget--he was slain by his own underlings after they got tired of taking the brunt of his sadistic ways. Almost every person who has possessed Bridget's Whip over the decades has some to a similar violent end.

OGL d20 and OpenD6 System Stats
This black and silver bullwhip radiates magic and appears to give a +2 bonus to damage. In truth, the weapon deals double damage on a successful hit (roll normal whip damage and multiply the result by two). In addition, whenever the whip inflicts maximum damage, it inflicts such a deep and terrible gash that the target loses 1 hit point per round following until he receives first aid or magical healing.

Drawbacks: Whenever a character wields Bridget's Whip, he or she must roll a Will save with a Difficulty of 15. If the saving throw fails, the character immediately becomes a gleeful sadistic maniac who goes out of his or her way to torment helpless people and animals. Whenever he or she encounters a character who is higher level, that character must roll a Will check with a Difficulty of 18. If the check fails, the higher level character will become dedicated to destroying the wielder of the whip

A is for Amaterasu's Cloak

Although we're not an official participant in the A to Z Blogging Challenge, we here at NUELOW Games will nonetheless partipate by posting a different item for use in d20 System, d6 System, or ROLF! RPGs every Monday - Saturday this month, or until we run out of letters in the alphabet. (If you want to participate, drop us an email at stevemillermail@gmail.com with your own original creations.)

All text in this post is considered Open Gaming Content and is published under this license. If you wish to reuse this material, please give credit and copyright acknowledgement to NUELOW Games and Steve Miller.

Amaterasu's Cloak (Design by Steve Miller)
Reported to having been spun on the loom of the sun goddess Amaterasu, this cloak of fine golden threads, and rich red and orange silks was first discovered floating on a sea in the aftermath of a wild winter storm. When draped over the shoulders of a medium-sized humanoid, it gives the wearer the ability to channel the power of the sun itself.

D20 System and D6 System Stats
This artifact has two effects that each can be activated by the wearer once per day through an act of will. (One former owner was known to say "Here Comes the Sun" when activating the cloak, but that was just a personal flourish.)
:
Effect 1: Radiate sunlight, illuminating up to 120 feet area around him or her. Creatures who are weakened or harmed by sunlight suffer as if they are exposed to the actual sun. This effect lasts for three hours or until dismissed by the wearer.

Effect 2: Radiate intense heat that deals 4d6 points of damage to creatures within melee range, 2d6 points of damage to creatures within a 10 feet radius, and 1d6 points of damage to creatures more than 15 feet away but within 25 feet. Easily flammable objects and substances catch fire within 15 feet of the wearer's location.

Drawbacks: As soon as the character wears the cloak, he or she begins to suffer from night blindness. All attacks and detail-oriented actions at night are subject to a +4 modifier to difficulty ratings in both the D20 System and D6 Systems. Even if the character stops using the cloak, the night blindness persists until he or she personally returns to cloak to its rightful owner--Amaterasu herself.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

If you need a last-minute time-filler for any St. Patrick's Day gamer gatherings, you can't go wrong with our Irish-themed ROLF! supplements!

There's St. Patty vs. The Snake where Ireland's own superhero must stop her two greatest foes, The Snake and Tee-totaler, from turning all the world's beer into apple juice and all redheads into Spaniards.

Click here to see previews or download a copy.

And there's Jennifer vs. the L, where Conan O'Brien and Jennifer Aniston must fend off the Monster o' the Irish! (BTW, it's the 20th anniversary of Jennifer Aniston's first major  role in the original Leprechaun film. Click here to read more about that landmark movie series.)

Click here to see previews or to download a copy.

Horror Feats, Part One

As you may or may not know, NUELOW Games's Steve Miller used to write for the famous Ravenloft gothic horror setting for AD&D and D&D Third Edition. He also contributed to a couple Storyteller products from White Wolf. And he loves watching and reviewing horror movies, as he demonstates weekly at the Terror Titans blog. With that in mind, here are some feats that will let you bring some horror movie and slasher movie vibes to your OGL Modern games. (They compliment any product in the Modern Basics or Modern Advances series.)



(The rest of this post is Open Game Content, as defined by the Open Game License v1.0a. If you should wish to make your OGL d20 game products, please include "Horror Movie Feats, Part One by L.L Hundal. Copyright 2013 Steve Miller and NUELOW Games" in the copyright section.)

HORROR MOVIE FEATS, PART ONE

By L.L. Hundal (with a friendly tip-of-the-hat to Steve Miller for outloud design musings.)

Danger Sense [General]
You have an uncanny ability for sensing trouble just before it strikes.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to all Spot and Sense Motive checks.

Survivor [General]
This feat is suitable for monsters and victims alike. It makes them exceptionally hard to kill.
Prerequisite: Too Cute To Die
Benefit: When the character drops below half of her full hit points, she instantly recovers 2d6 hit points. Whenever the character suffers damage while below half of her full hit points, she recovers 1d6 hit points after the damage has been resolved. This benefit only applies if the character is between zero and half their total hit points.
 When the character drops below 0 hit points, she rolls a Fort save with a +4 bonus. If the save is successful, she instantly regains 2d6 hit points.

Too Cute to Die [Genera]
You are either so funny, cute, or sexy that it sometimes seems as if you are deathproof.
Prequisite: Cha 15 or higher.
Benefit: You add your Charisma bonus to your Defense Rating and Reflex saving throws.



(If you enjoyed those feats, please check out NUELOW Games's OGL d20 Sysetm products. Click here to see previews at RPGNow, or to even buy copies.)

On the cutting edge for 20 years!

It has come to our attention that a certain d20 OGL-based RPG is being prasied as the ultimate roleplaying game because it features overtly gay NPCs and is therefore the most "inclusive" RPG in the history of universe.

While we congratulate the designers and developers and marketeers behind the "ultimate roleplaying game" for the buzz they're generating we feel here at NUELOW Games are scratching our heads in bemusement that gay themes suddenly seem to be something gamers are celebrating. We've been including gay characters and game mechanics in our games for 20 years--since the very earliest days of the NUELOW game series--and no one has ever celebrated us as "celebrating diversity."

Similarly, our current flagship line, ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game, seems to be more of an ultimate ultimate RPG, as from its earliest edition not only featured a "gay iconic character," but even allowed for the creation of overtly gay player characters. (Check out that hoary classic for free by downloading it here.) To this day, we regularly feature gay characters in ROLF! supplements--and they're not just there so we can proclaim how "diverse" we are to the world.. Hell, in ROLF!: Black Kitten vs, June Collyer we were even quietly turning Golden Age Superheroes gay well before DC Comics decided to make a marketing stunt.

But maybe that's where we went wrong. We should have been jumping up and down and shouting "Hey! Hey! Look at us! We've got gay characters!"... and maybe NUELOW "Fairies!" would have been the ORIGINAL ulitmate RPG! In fact, we are so casual about including gay characters in our products that we can't even remember which ones has them and which ones don't, with the exception of one mentioned above and ROLF!: The Breast Hope for Peace.

Yes... we're jealous. We are, first and foremost, attention whores here at NUELOW Games--inept attention whores obviously, but attention whores nonetheless. We need to jump on this "ultimate inclusive RPG" band-wagon before it becomes worn and tattered, and L.L. Hundal has come up with the perfect way for us to do it.

For your enjoyment (and our ability to say "hey... we're inclusive, and we've been inclusive since Nineteen-bloody-Ninety-Two! and we're still inclusive and full of diversity and ultimateness") here are some OGL d20 feats that will let gamers turn ANY OGL d20 game into an ULTIMATE RPG that's even more inclusive and ultimate than the ultimate RPG that triggered this post (and our envy and desperate need for attention)!!

Take it away, Ms. Hundal!

(Everything in this post below here, apart from the image, is Open Game Content, as defined by the Open Game License v1.0a. If you should wish to make your OGL d20 game products into ULTIMATE OGL game products, please include "Everyone's Gay! by L.L Hundal. Copyright 2013 Steve Miller and NUELOW Games" in the copyright section.)

MODERN BASICS: FEATS OF DIVERSITY AND ULTIMATENESS

Feats to make any OGL d20 system into the Ultimate RPG

By L.L Hundal

Gay [General]
Your character has a sexual preference toward his or her own gender/sex.
  Benefit: You receive a +2 bonus to all Craft and Perform skill checks.
  Special: You receive a +2 bonus to Will saves when resisting charm person and all other mind-effecting spells and extraordinary powers and abilities from a character or monster of the opposite sex. If no saving throw is normally allowed, you may roll a Will save with a -4 penalty.

Gaydar [Social]
Your character can recognize other gay characters across a crowded room... across time and space even!
  Prereq: Gay feat.
  Benefit: Upon making a successful Spot skill check (DC12) the character can identify other characters who have the Gay feat within a 60-foot radius. If detected characters are out of line-of-sight, your character has a vague sense that there is another gay character nearby. If a target is hiding their gayness, the DC is the "closeted" characters's Disguise skill check.
  Special: Characters with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (literature) Knowledge (history) or Knowledge (conspiracy theories) may roll Spot checks to recognize gay persons in history or fiction.

Ghey [Social]
Your character is a bit of fool who is likely to write articles titled Feats of Diversity and Ultimateness.
  Prereq: Wis 10 or lower, Cha 10 or lower.
  Benefit: You receive a +2 competency bonus to all Bluff checks.
  Special: Characters with the Ghey feat are inherently cowardly. They receive a -2 penalty to Will saves to resist intimidation and peer pressure..

(If you enjoyed those feats, please check out NUELOW Games's other OGL d20 Sysetm products. Click here to check them out. Heck, you might find that Feats of Seduction and Subterfuge will fit right in with your game if Gay and Gaydar work for you.)