Clone (A d20 System feat for your sci-fi or conspiracy games)

Random ideas? We gots 'em here at NUELOW Games! (And for this one, all the text in this post is presented under the Open Game License. Copyright 2018 Steve Miller.)

Clone [General]
You've been cloned!
   Prerequisite: 4th level or higher
   Benefit: Just before this feat is chosen, make a copy of the character gaining it. This is a clone of the character. How a clone came to be is something that's left up the GM or the player (with GM approval) to figure out; perhaps this feat is offered as an option at the end of an adventure. (Maybe we'll do a random table as a companion to this feat at some point).
   While the clone is superficiously identical to the character, there some differences.
   First, the clone is one level lower than the character, with an XP total that's 1d2x1000 points short of gaining another level.
Second, a random attribute of the clone is different than the original character. Use the following table to determine which attribute by rolling 1d6 and then rolling a second time to see if the indicated attribute is higher or lower than that of the original character.

1.Strength (1-4. 1 attribute point lower; 5-6. 1 attribute point higher)
2. Dexterity (1-3. 1 attribute point lower; 4-6. 1 attribute point higher)
3. Constitition (1-4. 1 attribute point lower; 5-6. 1 attribute point higher)
4. Intelligence (1-3. 1 attribute point lower; 3-6. 1 attribute point higher)
5. Wisdom (1-4. 1 attribute point lower; 5-6. 1 attribute point higher)
6. Charisma (1-3. 1 attribute point lower; 4-6. 1 attribute point higher)

The clone's stats are adjusted as indicated by the die rolls, and any changes to attribute bonuses or skill points must be applied as well.

The clone can be used in a few different ways. Here are a few suggestions.
   * The player can set it aside and keep it in reserve for if or when the main character dies. Then, the clone steps into that character's place and the world may never know what happened. (Again, the GM and player can decide where the clone is kept in the meantime and how it awakens once the original character is dead. The clone enters play at the level it was created at.)
   * The player can alternate between the original character and the clone at will (or when the GM rules it makes sense for the two to swap). Each gains their own XP according to the adventures they take part in, and the clone advances like any other character. What sort of living arrangement the clone has, whether its existence is a known factor, and so on, are details to be worked out by the players and the GM.
   * The clone can be a temporary character used by new players who want to try out the game.
   * Whenever the player can't make a session, the GM runs the clone is his or her place.

Who Killed the Easter Bunny?

The kick-off for the annual Easter Egg Hunt was delayed when celebrity Easter Bunny J.J. Arrutza didn't show. He was soon discovered dead. But who killed him and why? That's up to the player characters to discover when you put them through the adventure you create from this randomly generated outline!

WHO KILLED THE EASTER BUNNY?
Roll 1d8 against each of the following tables to randomly generate the bones of a muder mystery!

WHERE WAS HE FOUND?
1. In the mulberry bushes.
2. Behind the garage.
3. In the garage.
4. Behind the strip club.
5. In the strip club.
6. At home, in his bedroom.
7. At home, in his bathroom.
8. In a seedy motel room.

HOW WAS HE KILLED?
1. Stabbed.
2. Electrocuted.
3. Multiple blows to the head.
4. Beaten to death.
5. Strangled.
6. Drowned.
7. Suffocated with Peeps.
8. Shot 1d8 times.

WHO KILLED HIM? (This is also a list of suspects.)
1. The Mall Santa.
2. The Playboy Bunny.
3. The Surly Teenager.
4. His Lover. (Roll an additional 1d8. 1-4 it’s his ex-lover.)
5. His Wife
6. The Christian Fanatic.
7. The Animal Rights Activist.
8. The Zoology Professor..

WHY WAS HE KILLED?
1. So he couldn’t reveal a dark secret to the world. (Roll on WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET? table.)
2. For sullying the true meaning of Easter.
3. Jealousy.
4. Revenge.
6. Hatred.
7. As a blood sacrifice to the goddesss Ishtar.
8. Roll again on this table. Both reasons apply for why he was killed. Ignore repeated results.

WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
1. Cadbury Eggs are filled with an alien substance designed to make humanity more pliable to mind control by alien invaders.
2. A cabal of Furries is working to prevent the Rapture.
3. A cabal of Mall Santas are planning to perform a massive, coordinated terrorist strike this Christmas.
4. His Wife is possessed by the spirit of the True Easter Bunny, and she will murder and eat three children this Easter.
5. He was working on a tell-all book that would reveal many, MANY dark secrets of Mall Santas, Easter Bunnies, and costumed sports mascots around the world.
6. The 1-2 Playboy Bunny, 3-4 Christian Fanatatic, 5-6 Animal Rights Activist, 7-8 Zoology Professor. is a Russian assassin, and his or her secret had to be protected.
7. Roll again on the WHO KILLED HIM? table. His death was supposed to be fake and the indicated person was to have been framed for his murder, but the killer took advantage of the plan and made the murder real.
8. He was the member of a Satanic cult, and every year, one cursed Easter egg would cause the child who found it to die (months or weeks later, seemingly by accident) and their soul to be devoured by Satan himself.

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The Power of the Finger Gun!

They've been suspending kids for making "finger guns" at school. We have the Minor Power feat and talent tree to explain why. (This d20 System material is presented under the Open Game License. Copyright Steve Miller 2018. It was designed by L.L. Hundal & Steve Miller.)

FINGER GUN [Minor Power]
Your imaginary gun is deadly.
Benefit: Make a gun-shape with your hand and point at a living target. Roll a ranged attack as if using a weapon you’re proficient in. If you hit the target, it suffers 1d6+2 points of damage. Making a finger gun is a free action. Using your finger gun is a standard attack action. The range increment is 20 ft.

FINGER GUN TALENT TREE
Your imaginary gun is versatile and potentially very deadly.
   Finger Cannon: Make a gun-shape with your hand and point at a living or inanimate target. Roll a ranged attack as if using a weapon you’re proficient in. If you hit the target, it suffers 2d6+4 points of damage. Making a finger cannon is a free action. Using your finger cannon is a standard attack action. The range increment is 60 ft.
   Prerequisite: Finger Gun Minor Power feat.

   Finger Flame Thrower: Make a gun-shape with your hand and point at a living target. Roll a ranged attack as if using a weapon you’re proficient in. If you hit the target, it must roll a successful Fortitude (DC12+your Will bonus) or momentarily bursts into flame, suffering 2d6+2 points of fire damage. If the save is successful, the target takes half damage. The range increment is 20 ft.
   Prerequisite: Any Minor Power feat.

   Finger Stun Gun: Make a gun-shape with your hand and point at a living target. Roll a ranged attack as if using a weapon you’re proficient in. If you hit the target, it must roll a successful Fortitude (DC12+your Will bonus) or fall unconscious six rounds. If the save is successful, the target is disoriented and loses all actions for the rest of the round and must re-roll initiative with a -2 penalty on the following round.
Making a finger gun is a free action. Using your finger gun is a standard attack action. The range increment is 20 ft.
   Prerequisite: Any Minor Power feat.
  Two-Finger Firing: You attack as described in other Finger Gun feats, but you make gun-shapes with each hand. Gain an extra Finger Gun attack at your full attack bonus.
   Prerequisite: Any one talent from the Finger Gun Talent Tree. 

Who Killed the Ballerina?

World famous ballerina Diana Ashton has been found dead on the very day her latest performance was to premiere. It's up the the player characters to sort through the suspects and find those guilty of ending her life.

We present another randomly generated mystery adventure seed to spur your imagination and set you on the path to an exciting game with your players!

WHO KILLED THE BALLERINA?

WHERE WAS SHE FOUND?
1. On the stage.
2. Above the stage, hanging from the light riggings.
3. Below the stage in a storage area.
4. In her dressing room.
5. In the theatre manager’s office.
6. At home, in her bedroom.
7. At home, in her shower.
8. In the rehearsal studio.
9. In the alley behind the theatre.
10. In the cemetery
11. In the park.
12. In a VIP longue at a nightclub.

HOW WAS SHE KILLED?
1. Drug Overdose.
2. Stabbed.
3. Hanged
4. Garrotted.
5. Suffocated.
6. Strangled.
7. Multiple blows to the head.
8. One blow to the head.
9. Wrists slit, bled to death.
10. Shot once through the back of the head.
11. Shot once in the chest.
12. Shot 1d4+1 times.

WHO KILLED HER? (This is also a list of suspects, .)
1. The Choreographer.
2. The Understudy.
3. Her Husband.
4. Her Male Lover. (Roll an additional 1d12. 1-6 it’s her ex-lover.)
5. Her Female Lover. (Roll an additional 1d12. 1-6 it’s her ex-lover.)
6. Her Twin Sister.
7. Her Father.
8. Her Dance Partner.
9. The Older Ballerina She Replaced.
10. The Drug Dealer to the Rich and Famous.
11. The State Senator.
12. Roll again on this table. The first result is being framed for the murder by the killer; the second result is the actual killer. Ignore repeated numbers, except for #4 or #5. In such cases, it’s either a current or former lover, whatever is the opposite of what was indicated before.

WHY WAS SHE KILLED?
1. So she couldn’t reveal a dark secret to the world. (Roll on WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET table.)
2. To protect the killer’s dark secret. (Roll on WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET table.)
3. To protect a secret organization.
4. To protect a government cover-up.
5. Jealousy.
6. Revenge.
7. Hatred.
8. To destroy the show she was starring in.
9. Because she dared to perform the Dance of the Lost Souls.
10. As a sacrifice to an Elder God.
11. It was a mistake. The murderer was trying to kill 1-4 the Understudy; 5-8 her Female Lover; 9-12 her Twin Sister. Roll on WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET table to determine why the intended victim was a targeted.
12. Roll again on this table. Both reasons apply for why she was killed. Ignore repeated results.


WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
1. A child sex trafficking ring is being run out of the theater. Roll on WHO KILLED HER to determine who is in charge of this evil enterprise. If it’s a different person than the killer, both characters are involved in the ring, but the leader might not know who the murderer is.
2. A Satanic cult is operating out the theatre, and the show currently being performed is secretly one big ritual. Roll on WHO KILLED HER to determine who is in charge of this evil enterprise. If it’s a different person than the killer, both characters are involved in the ring, but the leader might not know who the murderer is.
3. A terrorist and kidnapping-for-ransom cell is operating out the theatre. Roll on WHO KILLED HER to determine who is in charge of this evil enterprise. If it’s a different person than the killer, both characters are involved in the ring, but the leader might not know who the murderer is.
4. The theatre is being prepared as the point where an extra-dimensional gate will open and allow aliens to arrive and begin their conquest of Earth. Roll on WHO KILLED HER to determine who is in charge of this evil enterprise. If it’s a different person than the killer, both characters are involved in the ring, but the leader might not know who the murderer is.
5. The State Senator raped and killed a staffer.
6. The main dances in the current performance were stolen… and the original creator has already been murdered to cover it up.
7. She was the heiress to a massive fortune, but was abducted as a young child. Her identity had been traced, and she was killed by those who have been benefitting from what should have been hers.
8. She was a master of black magic, and whenever she danced, she was being paid to cast deadly curses.
10. She was working on a tell-all book that would reveal many, MANY dark secrets gathered by herself and her sister.
11. Her 1-4 Husband, 5-8 Male Lover, 9-12 Female Lover is a Russian assassin, and his or her secret had to be protected.
12. Roll again on this table. The two results are intertwined in one monstrous conspiracy. Ignore repeated results.

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Pho fo' yo'!

There's a Vietnamese eatery not far from NUELOW HQ. It served as the inspiration for these magic soups!

Pic 'borrowed' from GoodyFoodies.

Go Pho
Spend at least 1d6+1 minutes consuming this tasty soup. For the next hour, gain a +1 bonus to all initiative rolls and a 10 percent increase to your base movement rate....

Mo Pho
Spend at least 1d6+1 minutes consuming this bowl of tasty soup. For the next hour, add an additional 1d4 points of damage to any damage-dealing attack.
 
No Pho
Spend at least 1d6+1 minutes consuming this bowl of tasty soup. For the next hour, gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws and skill checks made to avoid damage from attacks.

So Pho
Spend at least 1d6+1 minutes consuming this bowl of mediocre soup. For the next hour, you wish you'd spent the extra money for a better-quality bowl of soup and are distracted, taking a -1 penalty to Initiative rolls, but gaining +1 to damage dealt as the frustration consumes you over your lackluster meal.

(The text is this post is presented under the Open Game License. Copyright Steve Miller 2018.)

Who's Haunting the Old House?

Here's another random adventure idea generator. We hope you enjoy!

THE HAUNTING OF THE OLD HOUSE

Although saddened by the passing of Aunt Millie, the Pleasantons (mother, father, high-school age daughter, grade-school age son, infant son) were thrilled to move into the isolated old house she left them in her will. At least they were until it turned out to be haunted.

Roll 1d8 on the tables to randomly generate a Dark Old House ghostbusting adventure seed and set the PCs about getting to the bottom of it all!

Art by Lee Elias

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE HOUSE? (Roll 1d8)
1. Strange lights and sounds are waking the family up at night.
2. Items are being moved around and drawers are being emptied and the contents scattered.
3. Food in the fridge is spoiling and all liquids in opened containers (such as milk and juice) are evaporating overnight.
4. The baby keeps disappearing from her room, but is always found safely in some bizarre part of the house.
5. The plumbing keeps going haywire with strong blasts of scalding or ice cold water, sinks and tubs backing up and causing flooding, or small fires keep erupting in the living room and bedroom.

6. The daughter keeps feeling a presence near her and she has even caught sight of a dark figure following her home from school. Someone has even torn up her clothes in her closet.

7. All electrical devices suddenly start turning on and off at random and eventually the circuit breakers trip.
8. Roll twice on the table, re-rolling any Eights or repeated numbers.


WHY ARE THE SPIRITS RESTLESS? (Roll 1d8)
1. They aren’t. A greedy real estate developer (and supposed family friend) is trying to scare the family from their home.
2. They aren’t. A crooked antique dealer (and supposed family friend) is sneaking into the house and searching for treasure that, according to old records he found, is hidden in the walls.
3. They aren’t. The angry lover of the husband (1-4)/wife (5-8) has used a magic ritual to bind a minor demon to the house to harass the family.

4. They aren't. A kid from school has become obsessed with the daughter and is stalking her.
5. The daughter and a friend played with a Quija Board and 1d8 poltergeists now inhabit the house.
6. When the old well at the bottom of the backyard was unsealed, elemental and nature spirits were awakened and released.
7. Children playing in the back yard awakened the cursed souls of cultists sacrificed by their leader to appease their dark god (and to prevent his discovery by the authorities).

8. Roll twice on the table, re-rolling any Eights or repeated numbers.

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Why does Donald Trump want a Space Force?

Donald Trump is the presidential gift that keeps on giving as far as we here at NUELOW Games is concerned: We've gotten more mileage out of him than we've gotten out of Bill Clinton and Barak Obama combined, and his presidency isn't anywhere near to being over yet!

This time up, we have a random table for you. Admittedly, we're not sure how useful it is, but maybe it can serve as an inspiration for ROLF! battle scenarios that pit Donald Trump against the Commies and/or Girl Scouts from Jupiter.

WHY IS DONALD TRUMP PUSHING FOR A SPACE FORCE? (Roll 1d12)
   1. He's too ill-formed to know that the United States Air Force Space Command already exists.
   2. The alien symbiote that passes for his hair wants to go home, but there are hostile forces between here and there.
   3. The alien symbiote that passes for his hair wants to go to war against the Martians
   4. The alien symbiote that passes for his hair wants to prepare the world for an attack by the Girl Scouts from Jupiter.
   5. He wants his face carved on the moon.
   6. He wants his buttcheeks carved on the moon.
   7. He wants to be a real Space Cadet.
   8. The Decepticons must be stopped!
   9. He knows the truth about the aliens and the Visitors are not our friends!
   10. Flash Gordon has retired and he wants to be the new Savior of the Universe.
   11. He wants to build a moon base to impress his pals Putin, Kim, and Ming the Merciless.
   12. Roll two more times on the table, ignoring other rolls of 12 and repeated numbers. Both results are true.