#ROLL 2 MORE D6!!!!

[bisexuel]

laura only picked up 6d6 please...

[foone]

I read this bdsm story where the sub was told to roll some dice and the they'd have a reward of punishment based on the number rolled, right? Not that weird of a premise for this sort of thing.

EXCEPT they used two d6s! And I am too much of a tabletop gamer to let that shit slide.

That's not how you do it! You roll a d12 or something so that each possibility has a roughly equal likelyhood.

But 2d6 and 1d12 have completely different probability curves! Look, here's a meme:

See? The punishment/reward most likely is gonna be the one at 7.

Although, I mean... I guess you could argue that this let's you weight the results? Like make 2 and 12 the biggest punishment/reward, so they only rarely roll, whereas smaller punishments/rewards around 7 are more likely.

But I don't know. It seems you'd want to explain that if you did.

Ugh. Another bdsm scenario ruined by unrealistic statistics.

[pomrania]

Fairy vs Walrus: the game

You are a fairy and a walrus, travelling together bound by that most sacred of pacts, "wouldn't it be hilarious to prank some humans". However, you both have different ideas of how to go about your journeys.

(This is a variant on a game I'd partially written up yesterday; this morning I realized that not only could I adjust it to be about this subject matter, but that would solve one of the problems I'd had regarding end conditions.)

Requirements: two players, one to be the fairy and one to be the walrus; two d6s for each player; the encounter table, below, or make up your own

Here's a basic summary of the gameplay loop. Both players roll their dice. They each say a feature of the scene, and then determine which feature the fairy and walrus go to. If that doesn't conclude the game, then it starts again at a new round; there may or may not be a minor time-skip between rounds.

Encounter Table 1. a depiction of your kind 2. a tasty treat 3. an obstacle you'd need the other party to help you get past 4. a street performer singing a song you like 5. the setup for a stupid pun 6. a human's doorstep (All entries on this table are subjective to each party rolling; an obstacle for a fairy looks very different to an obstacle for a walrus.)

At the start of a round, roll both your dice in secret. One result will correspond to an entry on the encounter table; the other result is how much power you have to go there, whether by force of argument or simply going in that direction until the other party decides to follow instead of getting left behind. You can assign the dice as you choose; so, if you rolled a 3 and a 1, that could mean entry 1 on the table and a 3 for power, or it could mean entry 3 on the table and a 1 for power.

Once both of you have assigned your dice, share the feature from your table’s entry. Figure out together what the scene looks like, such that both elements are present; for example, if the fairy had entry 2 and the walrus had entry 1, this would mean a scene that involves both a depiction of a walrus, and something a fairy would consider a tasty treat. Then, reveal your other dice result, the one for power. If your dice value is higher, then the fairy and walrus go to the feature you'd rolled; the other player describes what happens.

In the event of a tie, where both parties had the same result for their power roll, reroll both dice, and use the new results to compare power. The exception is if the tied results were both 6. In that case, both the fairy and the walrus feel so strongly about going in a certain direction that they do it without regard for the other party, get far enough from each other that the bond strains, and the magic fades; the humans realize that there's an actual walrus among them, and the walrus becomes limited to normal walrus movement. Decide whether you want to end the game there, or continue playing; in the latter case, the fairy arrives in time for the magic to come back, and a bunch of humans are left wondering why they all hallucinated a walrus.

Assuming you don't get too far apart, the game concludes when you manage to show up on some human's doorstep. Describe which of you the human is more surprised to see.

[omomancer]

omomancer's ultimate dice holding challenge!

so, inspired by @tanyapiankova12 's dice holding challenge, i decided i wanted to make my own that's more suited to my own tastes. its a little meaner if you want something a little harder/more punishing!

you'll need water (obviously), a D6 (a virtual dice roller works best if you dont have one!), clothes youre okay with wetting/leaking in, and diapers (these are optional, dont worry if youre not into that!)

start by rolling the Drink table one or two times. i recommend waiting until you can feel your bladder starting to fill before starting rolls. once you start, unless otherwise instructed, roll your dice every 10-15 minutes!

Firstly, roll one d6 for the table below- afterwards, roll another d6 for the results on the table! the game ends when you either get permission to pee, or, you know, wet yourself.

if you leak without permission, or have an accident, roll the corresponding leak or accident tables. finally, if you do this challenge, feel free to message or ping me in a post and tell me how it goes! <3

as with any holding challenge, listen to yourself and your body! if you start to feel sick, or hurt to the point its not enjoyable, stop immediately! make sure to stay safe!

First Table;

Drink

Wait

Challenge

Clothing

Tease

Relief

Drink;

Drink half a cup of your choice of fluid

Drink a full cup of water

Drink a full cup of diuretic (tea, soda, coffee, etc.)

Drink 2 cups of water

Drink 2 cups of diuretic

Unlucky! Drink a cup and a half of water and diuretic each.

Wait;

Wait an extra 10 minutes before your next roll

Press on your bladder for 30 seconds per minute until your next roll

Wait 30 minutes before your next roll

Roll Drink table, then wait an extra 10 minutes before next roll.

Keep your legs spread until your next roll

No waiting, roll again immediately.

Challenge;

Relax your muscles entirely until your next roll; squirming, holding etc. is fine, but your muscles must not be tensed.

Take an ice cube, or something else frozen, and leave it ontop of your bladder until your next roll.

Place something firm underneath you, and lay with your bladder pressed onto it until your next roll.

Listen to water noises until your next roll.

Squat for a full minute, pressing on your bladder for 5 seconds while you do.

No holding yourself or crossing your legs until your next roll.

Clothing;

Strip to just your underwear. Let out a one second leak- if it hits the floor, you're not allowed to take your underwear off at all for the rest of the challenge.

Put on tight bottoms that squeeze your bladder.

Add an extra layer ontop of what you're already wearing.

Put a diaper ontop of what you're already wearing. If you're already wearing a diaper, double up. If you don't want to wear a diaper or don't have any, put on two layers of pants.

Use a belt, or something similar (rope, string, etc.) to tie your bottoms to yourself. Make sure it's pressing into your bladder. You cannot remove this until the end of the challenge, or to place extra layers on when instructed.

Strip completely nude. If you prefer wetting clothing, or have failed #1 previously, re-reroll this table.

Tease;

Edge yourself once before your next roll.

Rub yourself slowly with your legs spread until your next roll.

Post a detailed description of how you're feeling right now- how your bladder feels, if you're wet or dry, how turned you are. etc.

Hump the nearest soft object to you until your next roll. This can be a pillow, a plushie, a rolled up blanket or towel, etc.

If you have one, hold a vibrator against yourself until your next roll. If not, re-roll this.

Bring yourself to the edge, then roll this table again. If you get 6 again, you can cum. If not, edge.

Relief;

Leak for 2 seconds into whatever you're wearing.

Fill a cup with water, then slowly pour it into the toilet. Doesn't that feel better?

Take a bottle cap, and pee into that. If you overflow, roll leak punishment table.

Sit on the toilet until your next roll, then flush and wash your hands as if you used the bathroom. Do not pee.

Leak until a wet spot appears on the outer layer of your clothing. If nude, leak one second.

Roll this table again. If you get this again, spread your legs and press on your bladder, letting out a 5 second leak. If you manage to stop it, roll this table again. If you get this a third time, congratulations! You have earned permission to pee. Try not to have an accident on the way to the toilet <3

PUNISHMENTS

Leaking;

Post a detailed description of how you leaked, and write about how pathetic you are for failing to control your bladder. Then, roll Drink table.

For the rest of the challenge, you must have something constantly pressing into your bladder. Be it a belt, or something pressing against you while you lay on your stomach, or your hand. Get creative. But your bladder must always be squashed.

For the rest of the challenge, you must listen to loud water noises.

Sit on the toilet fully clothed, and turn on your bathroom sink. Press on your bladder until your next roll. If you leak during this, press harder.

Turn on your bath or shower, and stand next to the running water until your next roll.

You are banned from using the toilet for the rest of the challenge. No matter what, you are going to have an accident. Stay dry next time, and maybe you'll get your toilet privileges back.

Accident;

You failed to hold it, and now you're soaking wet. Clearly, someone needs to teach you a lesson.

For the next 24 hours, any time you need to pee, you must lay down a towel or puppy pad, kneel on it, and pee on it through your underwear. Post about it every time you do.

Roll 1d6. This is the amount of days you are banned from the toilet entirely.

For the next 48 hours, you must hold it until you start to leak before running to the toilet. If you don't make it, post about it.

Clearly, your potty training has failed. For the next 24 hours, any time you feel the urge to pee, you must immediately wet into either your pants or a diaper.

For the next 24 hours, you must hold it until you have an accident every time you need to pee.

Do not pee before bed tonight. When you wake up, you must get permission from someone to pee. If you have an accident before you get permission, or wet the bed during the night, post about it and roll this table again.

[tabletopresources]

Image credit "Fishing" By yonaz

So in last night's 3.5 edition D&D game, my players had a chance to do some ice fishing and one player called out for one of my ad hoc mini-games (I do this a lot haha). I wanted something simple, a combo of character skill and some luck, and so in short order ended up with this very quick mini-game you can easily employ.

:

Quick Disclaimer: These fishing mini-game mechanics may not be entirely original and could resemble systems from other games I just can't recall. For my part, I'm posting this FOR sharing. Feel free to use, adapt, or modify them in your own games as you see fit. No ownership or exclusivity is claimed over this idea—enjoy and share as you wish!

:

Fishing Mini-Game (D&D 3.5 Edition)

Step 1: Build the Fishing Pool

The player rolls a number of d6 equal to their relevant skill modifier (Survival or Profession (Fisher)).

Example: A character with a +10 in Survival rolls 10d6 and sets these dice aside as their "Fishing Pool".

Fishing Pool Example Roll: 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6.

Step 2: Perform the Fishing Check

The player then rolls 5d6 as their "Fishing Check" for one hour of fishing.

Example Roll: 1, 2, 4, 4, 6.

Step 3: Match for Combos

The player now attempts to match the dice results from their Fishing Pool with their Fishing Check results to form combos. The number of dice used in the combo determines the size of the fish:

Small Fish: Match 2 dice from the Fishing Pool with the Fishing Check.

Medium Fish: Match 3 dice from the Fishing Pool with the Fishing Check.

Large Fish: Match 5 dice from the Fishing Pool with the Fishing Check.

Example Combo:

If the player's Fishing Pool has dice showing 1, 2, 4, 4, and 6, they could match all 5 dice with their Fishing Check, catching a Large Fish.

Step 4: Fish Weight and Rations

Once the fish is caught, the total weight of the edible parts of the fish is determined by summing the values of the dice used in the combo.

Example: For a Large Fish (1, 2, 4, 4, 6), the total weight is 1+2+4+4+6 = 17 kg.

To calculate the number of rations provided by the fish:

1 kg = 2,000 calories (or half a ration).

Rations Formula: Divide the total weight of the fish by 2.

Example: 17 kg / 2 = 8.5 kg or 8 rations (we round down).

Step 5: Continue or Stop

After catching a fish, remove the dice used from the Fishing Pool.

If the player still has at least 2 dice left in their Fishing Pool, they can attempt to catch another fish using the same Fishing Check results. Otherwise, they are done for that hour.

That's all that we did and they loved it!

But since then we've considered how future games or others might expand on it with special roll combos, items, locations, setting conditions, Aid Other, etc. So here are some...

Optional Add-Ons and Considerations

Multiple Attempts Per Hour:

If the player rolls exceptionally well on their Fishing Pool, they may be able to attempt fishing multiple times in an hour. To keep this simple, I'd say if they are able to clear the first Pool entirely, they get a brand new roll, a whole new Pool as if starting fishing over, but they keep their previous catches.

Modifiers and Conditions:

You could introduce conditions that affect the Fishing Pool or Fishing Check rolls:

Good Fishing Spot: +1d6 to the Fishing Pool.

Bad Weather/Overfished Area: -1d6 (or more) to the Fishing Pool or disadvantage (see 5e, we use this idea quite a bit even in our 3.5e games) on Fishing Check rolls.

Magic/Luck Items: Grant rerolls or bonus dice to the Fishing Pool or allow rerolls of the Fishing Check.

Special Fish Combos:

Occasionally, you could allow rare or magical fish (or larger species) that provide bonuses or other effects; perhaps these are possible if the combos use specific die results:

Giant Fish: Requires a match of dice with identical values, but double the weight result (ex: a medium fish that used 5,5,5 would be a Giant of its type, and grant 15x2 or 30 kg of edible parts!).

Magical Fish: Grants temporary bonuses, like extra HP or special buffs, when consumed. (ex. A combo of sequential rising values, like 1,2,3,4,5, would grant a Magical Large fish)

Fishing Tools and Bait:

Fishing equipment or bait could modify the rolls:

Better Rods/Lines: Allow rerolls or add extra dice to the Fishing Pool.

Special Bait/Lures: Increases chances of catching better or more fish (ex. set any one die result to 6; or allow player to select the value of any one die, etc.).

Aid Other

Another player can choose to assist Player A if they are proficient in the same associated skill (Survival or Profession (Fisher), etc based on your setting):

Player B (helper) rolls for the associated skill.

If the result of their skill check (rolled like any other skill check) is 10-19, Player A gains 1 extra die in their fishing Pool.

If the result of their skill check is 20 or higher, Player A gains 2 extra dice in their fishing Pool.

Player A can then use these extra dice to help form better combos when matching against their Fishing Check.

Let me know if you use this mini-game in your D&D sessions, or revamp it for the tabletop rpg/edition you play!

I'd love to hear your stories of the biggest catch, or lamenting that one LEGENDARY CATCH that got away!

And check out Tabletop Gaming Resources for more art, tips, and tools for your game!

[anim-ttrpgs]

Wolfman Player Character Rules in Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy

Eureka has six playable "monster" types, and about ten total supernatural character options all together. Each supernatural trait is taken basically as if it is a normal trait like the ones you have been seeing us post. You cannot give a character more than one supernatural trait--and from what you are about to read, you probably wouldn't want to. Playing monsters is recommended for "advanced" players only, people who like a lot of "crunch" in their games, as require you to keep track of a lot more mechanics than playing a normal human.

Here is the Wolfman Trait. This is going under a Read More because it's long as hell but we really hope that you will check it out and comment. This is, like, the whole entire ruleset for playing a wolfman in Eureka.

Wolfman/Loup-Garou (Monster Trait)

[Snoop: A snoopette with wolf ears and tail. snoopette so that people will not think that a wolfman has to be a man literally.]

The wolfman, or loup-garou, is a creature often referred to as a werewolf. While this is not an incorrect assessment (the term “loup-garou” just means werewolf, and in fact the term “werewolf” just means man-wolf), Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy uses the terms to make a distinction between two similar but different variants of the legend. The “werewolf,” found on page XX as a Mage Power, refers to the werewolf or warwilf of ancient and medieval Europe, while we use wolfman or loup-garou refer to what most people from the present day think of as a “werewolf,” a societal conception which owes a small part of its origin to legends from French Louisiana and Quebec, and the rest to Hollywood films.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Despite the misnomer, most wolfmen will probably just call themselves werewolves. 

Like with other monsters in Eureka, becoming a wolfman is not as simple as just being bitten or scratched by one. It may be something which runs in one side of the family, or for some a whole new affliction which one will have to learn and deal with on their own. In the worst of cases, it is both.

Transformation

Every wolfman has three forms, which they can shapeshift to and from at will when not debilitated by a weakness. This counts as a supernatural ability and in combat it takes an Action.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Inside you there are two wolves...

Unless forcibly transformed by the full moon or total loss of Composure, the wolfman still remains in control of themselves while in any form.

Human Form

This is the default, “normal” form of the wolfman. They appear to be a regular person. The only abnormality is a +1 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving smell.

When the wolfman is in this form, in each new Scene, the wolfman’s player rolls a hidden D6. On a 6, they will privately message or signal the Narrator, and the Narrator will call for “The Creeps” at the next available opportunity, without revealing that it is the result of having a wolfman present. Players and investigators alike will wonder what is so anxiety-inducing about this clean office building or peaceful elevator ride. Add +1 to any The Creeps Composure roll by investigators who are friends with the wolfman and are aware of their wolfmanism.

Anthropomorphic Wolf Form

During character creation, choose one of the following four options. This will always be your wolfman’s anthropomorphic form.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] A deadlier form has many advantages, but also means deadlier rampages when the wolfman inevitably loses control. 

Anime Wolfgirl

This form most resembles a “normal person,” except for the wolf ears and tail. They also have claw-like nails[3], and sharp canine-like teeth inside an otherwise normal-seeming mouth, allowing them to deal Penetrative Damage with unarmed melee attacks.

In this form, the wolfman is considered to have superhuman strength, has a +2 Base bonus to Athletics, a +1 Base bonus to Stealth and Close Combat, a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing, and a +2 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving smell. Superhuman strength, and the Athletics, Close Combat, and Stealth bonuses are lost when debilitated by a weakness, though they are still capable of dealing Penetrative Damage with unarmed melee attacks due to their claws.[1][2][4] 

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] This form allows the wolfman to walk around in public while still reaping the benefits of transformation. Most people will just think they’re a bit weird. They can wear a hat and tuck the tail into their pants if they want to attract even less attention.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] Small children or particularly childish adults may try to pull the tail.

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] A steel file is required for filing these nails down, they tear up lesser files.

[4 off to the side in the final formatting] One disadvantage of this form is that, should the wolfman rampage like this, their crimes could be more easily linked back to them, since they maintain their identifiable human face.

In this form, the wolfman can keep their lupine features, such as their wolf ears and wolf tail, hidden under clothing such as under a hat or tucked into their pants. Whenever a wolfman in this form has a meal, or is on the receiving end of a successful Comfort roll, they must make a Full or Partial Success on a Reflexes or Stealth roll to suppress the urge to noticeably wag their tail.

The pointed teeth are quite easy to spot for anyone looking directly into the wolfman’s mouth, especially when they speak. Wolfmen may want to cover their mouths when they speak directly at someone, disguising it as scratching their nose or some other innocuous action.[1] Of course, they could also easily pass them off as well-made dental prosthetics.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] The wolfman’s player should mention this in descriptions but not draw too much emphasis to it.

When the wolfman is in this form, in each new Scene, the wolfman’s player rolls a hidden D6. On a 6, they will privately message or signal the Narrator, and the Narrator will call for “The Creeps” at the next available opportunity, without revealing that it is the result of having a wolfman present. Players and investigators alike will wonder what is so anxiety-inducing about this clean office building or peaceful elevator ride. Add +1 to any The Creeps Composure roll by investigators who are friends with the wolfman and are aware of their wolfmanism.

Buff Anthroform

This is your more typical Hollywood werewolf. A wolf’s head, hair all over, but otherwise mostly human body structure. This form will typically be at least a foot taller than the wolfman’s human form, and cannot speak human language.

This form has 9 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form, the wolfman is considered to have superhuman strength, has a +4 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a +1 Base bonus to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving both hearing and smell.

The wolfman also has claw-like nails in this form, and a large and powerful jaw. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, they automatically take 2 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed. The wolfman can still perform other actions while Grabbing a target with their jaws and, so long as the target is smaller than them, their movement is unimpeded.

This form maintains opposable thumbs, and can manipulate objects and use tools and weapons just as a regular human could. However, the shape and size of their hands confers a -1 penalty to Firearms and Close Combat when using weapons.

Lupine Anthroform

This form is more grotesquely proportioned than the Buff Anthroform, and more closely resembles a human-like wolf than a wolf-like human. In this form, the wolfman primarily moves on all fours, but is still capable of walking upright if necessary. This form will typically be at least a foot taller than the wolfman’s human form when standing at full height, and cannot speak human language.

This form has 9 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form, the wolfman is considered to have superhuman strength, has a +3 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Stealth and Close Combat, a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving both hearing and smell. Due to their lengthened tendons and legs, they also have a +4 Acceleration bonus.

The wolfman also has claw-like nails in this form, and a large and powerful jaw. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, they automatically take 2 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed. The wolfman can still perform other actions while Grabbing a target with their jaws and, so long as the target is smaller than them, their movement is unimpeded.

This form maintains opposable thumbs, and can manipulate objects and use tools and weapons just as a regular human could. However, the dramatically altered shape and size of their hands confers a -2 penalty to Firearms and Close Combat when using weapons.

Monstrous Anthroform 

This form resembles and moves like the Lupine Anthroform in shape, but at a massive scale. Were they to stand upright at full height, they would measure at least twelve feet head-to-toe, and cannot speak human language.

This form has 13 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form, the wolfman is considered to have superhuman strength, and has a +6 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a -2 penalty to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving both hearing and smell. Due to their lengthened tendons and legs, but also their tremendous weight they have no Acceleration bonus.

The wolfman also has claw-like nails in this form, and an enormous and powerful jaw. This form’s claws deal 2 Penetrative Damage rather than 1, and 4 Penetrative Damage when superhuman strength is factored in. This form can also make a Vehicle Attack using their Athletics divided by 2 (rounded up) instead of Driving.

In this form, the wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, if the wolfman chooses, they automatically take 4 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed. So long as the target is human sized or smaller, The wolfman can continue to perform other actions while Grabbing a target with their jaws and their movement is unimpeded.

Rather than deal the 4 Penetrative Damage, if the wolfman is Grabbing a target of human or smaller size in their jaws, they may make a Hold attack to simply eat them whole.[1] For a target swallowed alive, depending on the context and circumstances, the Narrator may simply declare them as good as dead and not make any rolls. If a wolfman tries to shift to a smaller form with a whole person in their stomach, the person is just dead if they weren’t already, and the wolfman makes an Athletics roll. Don’t worry about this if it’s been more than 4 Ticks since ingestion. 

Full Success: Wolfman takes 4 Superficial damage per person.[2]

Partial Success: Wolfman takes 8 Superficial damage per person. 

Failure: Wolfman takes 4 Superficial damage per person. 

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] If you’re wondering how many whole human bodies they can stomach at once, the answer is several, but also within reason. 

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] If the wolfman is shifting into a form that has damage reduction, then this damage can be reduced. Otherwise, if they shift into regular human form, they take the full damage.  

If it makes the most sense to actually roll this out, apply the Drowning/Suffocation rules to the swallowed target. While in the stomach, they count as Held. If armed with a small piercing blade or a small firearm, they can attempt to attack the wolfman from inside, dealing normal damage. In this case, a Partial Success on a Firearms attack will still hit for full damage, and a Failure would fail to correctly operate the firearm and pull the trigger under these conditions. To escape, a victim will have to succeed at two Escape attempts, the first to reach up to the wolfman’s mouth and count as Grabbed, and the second to escape the jaws. Attacking or trying to Escape will count as exertion for the purposes of the Drowning/Suffocation rules.

This form maintains opposable thumbs, and can manipulate objects and use tools and weapons just as a regular human could, at least if that regular human was gigantic. However, they gain no benefit to damage from utilizing melee weapons that are meant for human-sized hands, and cannot operate human-sized firearms at all due to their size. Apply a -3 penalty to any attempt to use weapons.

Full Wolf Form

During character creation, choose one of the following four options. This will always be your wolfman’s full wolf form.

Ordinary Wolf

This form is an ordinary wolf, standing about 3 feet at the shoulder. This form has no thumbs, and can not speak human language.

In this form the wolfman has a +1 Base bonus to Close Combat, a +4 Base bonus to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing and smell. This form also has +4 Acceleration.

This firm’s only effective means of attack is with their jaws. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, they automatically take 2 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed.

This form does not have superhuman strength, but their bonuses are not lost upon being debilitated by a weakness.

Bigger Wolf

This form resembles an ordinary wolf, but much bigger than is natural, standing about 5 feet at the shoulder. This form has no thumbs and cannot speak human language.

This form has 9 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form the wolfman has superhuman strength, a +2 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a +2 Base bonus to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing and smell. This form also has +4 Acceleration.

This form’s only effective means of attack is with their jaws. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, they automatically take 2 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed.

Even Bigger Wolf 

This form resembles an ordinary wolf, but far, far larger than is natural, standing about 7 feet at the shoulder. This form has no thumbs and cannot speak human language.

This form has 13 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form the wolfman has superhuman strength, a +4 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a -2 penalty to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing and smell. This form also has +2 Acceleration.

This form has two effective means of attack, a Vehicle Attack using their Athletics divided by 2 (rounded up) instead of Driving, and their enormous jaws. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, they automatically take 4 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed. As long as the target is smaller than them, their movement is not impeded.

Biggest, Baddest Wolf

This form resembles an ordinary wolf, but enormous, standing about 9 feet at the shoulder. This form has no thumbs and cannot speak human language.

This form has 17 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form the wolfman has superhuman strength, a +6 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a -4 penalty to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing and smell.

This form has two effective means of attack, a Vehicle Attack using their Athletics divided by 2 (rounded up) instead of Driving, and their enormous jaws. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, if the wolfman chooses, they automatically take 4 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed. So long as the target is of human size or smaller, the wolfman can continue to perform other actions while Grabbing a target with their jaws and their movement is unimpeded.

Rather than deal the 4 Penetrative Damage, if the wolfman is Grabbing a target of human or smaller size, they may make a Hold to simply eat them whole.[1][2] For a target swallowed alive, depending on the context and circumstances, the Narrator may simply declare them as good as dead and not make any rolls. If a wolfman tries to shift to a smaller form with a whole person in their stomach, the person is just dead if they weren’t already, and the wolfman makes an Athletics roll. Don’t worry about this if it’s been more than 4 Ticks since ingestion. 

Full Success: Wolfman takes 4 Superficial damage per person.[3]

Partial Success: Wolfman takes 8 Superficial damage per person. 

Failure: Wolfman takes 4 Superficial damage per person. 

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] If you’re wondering how many whole human bodies they can stomach at once, the answer is several, but also within reason. 

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] Wolfmen who have been eating people while in any of their larger forms should think about the contents of their stomachs before they revert back to a smaller form. Shifting straight from the massive wolf form to the basic human form with a bunch of half-chewed bones and body parts inside could cause massive damage to the wolfman’s insides! Better to at least spend some time in the partially transformed state, which has the muscular strength and resiliency to handle such contents taking up so much space inside. 

[2.1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Crunch!

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] If the wolfman is shifting into a form that has damage reduction, then this damage can be reduced. Otherwise, if they shift into regular human form, they take the full damage.  

If it makes the most sense to actually roll this out, apply the Drowning/Suffocation rules to the swallowed target. While in the stomach, they count as Held. If armed with a small piercing blade or a small firearm, they can attempt to attack the wolfman from inside, dealing normal damage. In this case, a Partial Success on a Firearms attack will still hit for full damage, and a Failure would fail to correctly operate the firearm and pull the trigger under these conditions. To escape, a victim will have to succeed at two Escape attempts, the first to reach up to the wolfman’s mouth and count as Grabbed, and the second to escape the jaws. Attacking or trying to Escape will count as exertion for the purposes of the Drowning/Suffocation rules.

Scent Tracking

While in any form except Human, wolfmen are capable of Scent Tracking. (See p.xx “Scent Tracking”.) 

Just Built Denser

The weight does not seem to entirely add up, but wolfmen are still a whole lot of wolf wrapped up in a human package. In any form including Human, once per Scene, the wolfman may “no-sell” an incoming attack (or some other source of damage), reducing the amount of Superficial Damage they take from any source by 6. Alternatively, instead of reducing Superficial Damage, they may instead choose to ignore an effect that would physically move them (such as a shove). This does not protect at all against Penetrative Damage. If a wolfman “no-sells” an attack by an investigator, that investigator must immediately make a Fistfight Composure Roll. For an NPC, this would be -1 Morale. Being the biggest person around does have its drawbacks, though - in any situation where weight or size would be a problem (such as squeezing through a tight passageway or crossing a delicate rickety bridge), this character automatically fails (e.g. they can’t squeeze through the passageway or cross the bridge without breaking it).[1] In addition, this density makes them liable to sink like a brick in water. Apply a -3 penalty to any roll that involves trying to stay afloat in water.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] A wolfman with the Just Built Different Trait can do these things twice per Scene.

Super Sniffer(?)

In all forms including human, wolfmen gain +1 additional Investigation Point for any Investigative Roll involving the smell of something.

Additionally, in any form except Human, the wolfman is able to engage in Scent Tracking. (See p.XX) [move the scent tracking stuff from vampire into chapter 7 later]

Unstoppable

In any form except Human, wolfmen take half-damage from all damage sources, the only exception being HP that results from loss of Composure. If a wolfman wears armor that protects against whatever is dealing the damage, this damage is halved again, for one quarter damage, rounding up. Apply a -2 modifier to attacks against the vampire from 1-damage weapons.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] A wolfman’s Flesh is extraordinarily dense and durable.

Healing

Unless the person performing first aid is a veterinarian or something, apply a -2 modifier to any Medicine rolls to heal any wolfman form except for Human and Anime Wolfgirl.

In any form except Human, so long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, a wolfman’s flesh will regenerate.[1] They recover 1 point of Superficial and Penetrative HP once a day, so long as they are not debilitated by a weakness.

[1  off to the side in the final formatting] They also regain 1 Superficial HP per night of rest just like mundane characters.

Additionally, so long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, if they took damage to either HP type during an instance of combat, they restore 1 HP of the same type as soon as the combat is resolved.

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, a wolfman may take 1 Action to reattach a severed body part at the stump and have it work again good as new after 1 turn.

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, if a wolfman’s Penetrative HP is full, instead of recovering Penetrative HP from any of the above rules, they recover from one Grievous Wound, permanent or not.

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, a wolfman may spend 1 Eureka! Point to instantly recover all Superficial and Penetrative HP, and from all Grievous Wounds. This takes 1 action.

Unkillable

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, if a wolfman is reduced to 0 Penetrative HP, they do “die” instantly, but they will not stay “dead” permanently, barring specific circumstances. (See: How to Kill a Wolfman p.Xx) Their body will regenerate within a matter of days or weeks. A “dead” wolfman investigator is removed from the current adventure same as a regular dead investigator, but may return and be played in any subsequent adventure.

A wolfman whom has been reduced to 0 Penetrative HP does not heal from first-aide or any of the other rules mentioned under “Healing.”

Revival

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, a wolfman that has been reduced to 0 Penetrative HP and “killed” for the adventure may spend 2 Eureka! Points to revive with 1 of both types of HP, but only once a minimum of 5 Scenes have passed. A wolfman may instead spend 3 Eureka! Points to revive instantly, so long as they have been “dead” for at least 1 round.

That Time of the Month (Wolfman True Nature)

[Snoop: A snoop with wolf ears and wolf tail hunched over transforming beneath a full moon.]

Wolfmens’ sleep is not particularly restful; they regain no Composure Points from sleeping. However, they will still take Flat Composure Damage if they do not sleep. Wolfmen will take Flat Composure Damage normally if they skip meals, and eating three meals a day will still regain them Composure Points like normal. 

Flat Composure Damage from Skipping Meals = Yes (lose 1 extra Composure)

Composure restoration from Three Meals a Day  = Yes

Flat Composure Damage from Skipping Sleep = Yes

Composure restoration from Full Night’s Sleep = No[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Disruption of regular sleeping patterns can bring out the worst in people, and greatly exacerbate existing mental conditions.

The wolf inside wolfmen has a ravenous appetite and a taste for human flesh. While in any form except Human, whether voluntarily or not, making a meal of a human will restore 1 point of Composure. This will restore 2 points of Composure if the victim is alive for all or most of the ordeal.[1] All or most of the body must be consumed in one sitting in order to restore this Composure, otherwise it doesn’t do any more than normal food.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Wolfmen may also voluntarily transform and hunt humans if they want to sate their hunger and avert the risk of a random rampage, or if they just enjoy it.

Normal Food

If a wolfman skips a daily meal, they lose 1 additional point of Composure. Additionally, in any form, wolfmen must eat an exceptionally large amount of food to sate their hunger. Apply a -2 modifier to any Wealth roll to buy food for a Wolfman. Food budget for a wolfman costs 2WP instead of 1WP.

Rampaging

When a wolfman reaches 0 Composure under any circumstances, they will involuntarily transform and go on a rampage, repeatedly attacking and devouring any living thing in their path. The wolfman will feel the need to constantly be on the move and seeking out new prey. The Narrator makes the decisions on where the rampaging wolfman goes and what they do, but it is the wolfman’s player who will describe it and roll any necessary dice.[1][2][3]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting.] This is really more like a Weakness but we are putting it in the True Nature category just to even things out.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] They may unconsciously attempt to seek out familiar places. 

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] This is one of the only times where it is appropriate for a Narrator to determine the actions of an investigator. However, for any attacks or skill checks made, the player of the investigator must still roll the dice. 

While rampaging, all Base bonuses granted by the wolfman’s current form become Contextual bonuses.

Involuntary Transformation

When the wolfman is involuntarily transforming, regardless of what form they are already in, roll a D6. On a 1-4, the wolfman will rampage in the larger of their two wolf forms. On a 5-6, they will rampage in the smaller of the two.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] If you aren’t sure which form is larger, consider the Full Wolf Form to be larger.

Resisting Rampage

For any Skill check rolled while the wolfman is rampaging, 1 or more of their Eureka! Points may be spent, adding an extra D6 for each Eureka! Point spent. Drop all but the two lowest dice instead of the highest.

For 3 of their Eureka! Points, a wolfman may force themselves to run in a particular direction of their choice.

Snapping Out of It

Wolfmen will rampage non-stop for a period of 24 hours or 20 Ticks, until they are restored to 7/7 Composure, or until they are Fully Incapacitated. Afterwards they will pass out, and wake up in Human form. They will have only a hazy recollection of what they have just been through, but will have to make a Death Composure roll with an exacerbating factor if they killed anyone.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Don’t worry about how much human meat a wolfman can stomach in one rampage, the answer is a lot. They have very fast metabolisms, which go into overdrive when transformed.

Full Moon

Once per Scene, when their eyes are exposed to direct moonlight,[2] the wolfman must make a Composure roll with a modifier decided by the phase of the moon and intensity of the exposure.[1]See the chart below.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Most people are very sensitive to changes in ambient light levels at night. It can affect one’s quality of sleep.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] It is very unlikely that wolfmen have any magical connection to the moon, but very likely that they assume they do.

Add +1 to this Composure roll if the wolfman is wearing something to shield their eyes, such as sunglasses.

Add +1 if the night sky is cloudy.

At the start of the adventure, roll 2D12. This will be the number of nights until the full moon. The full moon will last for 3 nights in a row.

Nights Until Full Moon

25-27 Nights -3

22-24 Nights -1

19-21 Nights +1

16-18 Nights +3

13-15 Nights No Composure roll.

10-12 Nights +3

7-9 Nights +1

4-6 Nights -1

1-3 Nights -3

Full Moon -5

Wolfing People Down

If a wolfman’s forms include one or more of the following forms, at the start of each adventure the wolfman’s player may choose to roll 3 times on the Monster Stomach Contents Table.

Buff Anthroform

Lupine Anthroform

Monstrous Anthroform

Bigger Wolf

Even Bigger Wolf

Biggest, Baddest Wolf

The results are leftover objects accidentally swallowed while ravenously devouring their last several victims. Write these items in the wolfman’s inventory but mark that they are in the stomach. In any form except Human, the wolfman may attempt to spit one of these objects out with a Full Success on an Athletics roll with a -5 penalty applied. Regardless of success or failure, this causes the wolfman 1 Superficial Damage and takes an Action.

Bane of Wolves (Wolfman Weakness)

Silver

In any form including Human, silver causes burning and irritation to the wolfman’s skin on physical contact, as well as weakening and debilitating them, rendering them unable to benefit from any power or ability denoted so above. They also have a -4 penalty applied to all Skills.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Remember that while transforming is a supernatural power, merely existing in a transformed state is not. Contact with silver does not cause a wolfman in a transformed state to suddenly become human, in fact, it means they can’t.

Silver Bullets

Silver is a particularly soft metal. A bullet made of silver, or even just plated in silver, when penetrating a target at high velocity is likely to shatter within the body and leave small pieces of silver residue behind.[1] Each time this character is shot with a silver bullet, look at the physical dice that were rolled. If they are both odd numbers or both even numbers, the bullet does leave a bit of silver in the body and the character is considered to be in physical contact with silver for all rules purposes until these pieces are dug out.[2][3]

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] Silver can also kill a wolfman. See p.XX “How to Kill a Wolfman” below.

[1 off to the side in final formatting] At the time of writing this, a single, fireable, professionally manufactured silver bullet costs $150+Shipping.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] To be perfectly clear, this is not about modifiers or cumulative value of the dice. If you roll the dice and see two odd numbers or two even numbers on the physical dice, that is when there are bits of silver left in the body. For D12s, silver is left in the body if any D12 in the roll shows an 8 or a 9, even if that specific die did not cause a hit–so long as another D12 in the same group did cause a hit. 

Silver Hollow Points

Silver hollow point bullets will always leave what counts as a single piece of silver stuck in the body.

Silver Pellets

Silver shotgun shell pellets, flechettes, or other weapons which hit with numerous pieces of silver at once will always leave silver stuck in or clinging to the body.

Silver Melee Weapons

Silver melee weapons must be stuck in and left in the wolfman’s physical body in order to fully debilitate them.

Digging Silver Out

Silver lodged in the wolfman’s physical body will obviously be in contact with them and debilitating them indefinitely until it is removed. These can be carefully surgically removed with professional medical aid, or dug out hastily by the wolfman (or someone else) on the spot. For a wolfman to rip or cut silver out of their body on the spot, they must take an Action and cause 1 Penetrative Damage to themselves to remove a single piece, or 2 Penetrative Damage to remove every piece at once in the case of multiple pieces, such as silver shotgun pellets.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] This damage is not reduced by their innate damage reduction, the values present already account for that.

Wolfsbane

Aconitum, also known as aconite, monkshood, and wolfsbane, is a poisonous purple flower which is dangerous to humans but particularly potent to wolfmen. In extremely, extremely low doses, it may have minor therapeutic benefits, but anything more can turn deadly. If ingested or added to the bloodstream, it will cause Lethal Poison to regular humans and wolfmen alike, but wolfmen will take 1 additional point of damage per instance of damage from the poison, and the damage is not affected by their damage reduction.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Wolfsbane may also cause Non-Lethal Poison if a small dose is absorbed through the skin.

Irritant Weapons

Irritant weapons, such as pepper spray, will immediately impose a (Superficial) Injury roll upon Wolfmen, regardless of the actual damage done. The result of this Injury roll will always count as one degree of success lower than the actual result.

How to Kill a Wolfman

While in Human form, anything that would kill a normal human will also permanently kill a wolfman.

In any form, poison from wolfsbane can permanently kill a wolfman.

In any form, if the final blow to a wolfman’s Penetrative HP is done with a silver weapon, or done while the wolfman is otherwise in physical contact with silver, then death will be permanent.

Decapitation will kill a wolfman permanently.

Total incineration or otherwise complete destruction of the body will render a wolfman permanently dead.

A wolfman with the Not Finished Yet Trait will die permanently at the end of the adventure if they go below the Penetrative HP threshold as stated in the Not Finished Yet Trait.

Misc. Tells

Smell

Wolfmen will have to go to great lengths of hygiene to not always smell like a wolf.

Tapetum Lucidum

A wolfman’s eyes will appear normal at first glance, but under low-light conditions, they will reflect light like an animal’s eyes.

[villadiodatis]

Fantasy High Junior Year: level 10

As psyched as I am for the jokes and character moments we'll get with FHJY, I am a mechanics nerd at heart, so! Here is a preview of what awaits the Bad Kids when they hit Level 10. This assumes no one multiclasses into a new class.

Adaine

Adaine's level up is relatively simple: as a level 10 Divination wizard, she gets an ability called The Third Eye. Once per long rest, she can use her action to gain darkvision (not useful, since she already has it as an elf), see into the Ethereal Plane, read any language, or see invisible creatures/objects within 10 feet. This lasts until she is incapacitated or takes a short/long rest.

She will also learn an additional cantrip and get another 5th level spell slot, and she can add two new wizard spells of level 1-5 to her spellbook.

Fabian

Fabian could hit level 7 in fighter or level 4 in bard. At level 7, Battlemaster Fighters get an additional maneuver and superiority die, plus a feature called Know Your Enemy, which allows him to determine if other creatures he interacts with outside of combat are his equal, superior, or inferior in terms of ability scores, AC, level, and HP.

If he takes another level in bard (remember, he dances now!), he'll get a new cantrip, another 2nd-level spell slot, a new 1st or 2nd level spell, and an ability score improvement or feat. There are a million directions he could go with an ASI or feat, so I won't speculate here.

Fig

Fig will be either level 9 in bard or level 2 in warlock. As a 9th-level bard, she gets an additional 4th level spell slot, her Song of Rest goes from a d6 to a d8, and the big one: she gets a 5th-level spell slot. There are a few options here, but some that I think Emily could be absolutely devastating with are Dominate Person, Geas, Mislead, Scrying, Seeming, or one that I've seen make a lot of trouble in other actual plays, Modify Memory.

If she takes another level in warlock, she gets an additional warlock (1st-level) spell slot, another 1st-level warlock spell, and two Eldritch Invocations. There are also some that would be incredible for Fig--some that do things like strengthen her Eldritch Blast, but particularly Mask of Many Faces, which lets her cast Disguise Self without using a spell slot, or Misty Visions, which lets her cast Silent Image without using a spell slot. Fig may be getting more comfortable being herself, but she's still gonna find a way to cause trouble.

Gorgug

Gorgug could hit level 9 in barbarian or level 2 in artificer. If he goes with barbarian, he gains Brutal Critical, which means he gets to roll an extra damage die (d12 with his Heavy Metal Axe) whenever he scores a critical hit. Additionally, his Rage Damage bonus increases to +3.

If he goes with artificer, things get more complicated, and very fun. Level 2 artificers get Infuse Item--basically, he can create magic items. He'll be able to pick 4 infusions off of the table, and can have 2 infused items at a time. Some options that catch my eye: Enhanced Arcane Focus, Enhanced Defense or Weapon, Homunculus Servant, or Replicate Magic Item, which would let him make items like a bag of holding or rope of climbing.

Kristen

In addition to a second 5th level spell slot and a new cantrip, Kristen Applebees will get access to an incredibly exciting feature that I would bet money on Ally using in an insane, perfect story moment: Divine Intervention. By rolling a d100 and getting your cleric level or lower (so 1-10 for Kristen, a 10% chance) (D20 has done this as hitting a 19 or 20 on a d20), Kristen can ask Cassandra to intervene on her behalf in a way that Brennan decides. If you've seen The Seven, you may remember Ostentatia's successful Divine Intervention, when Logren shattered the aspect of fire, put a vein of mithral under Elmville, and ended Charity Blythe's Greater Invisibility. I am very eager to see what happens with it.

Riz

Riz's next level is very simple, but brings a lot of options. At level 10, rogues get an ability score improvement or feat. There are a lot of useful feats for rogues, and ASIs are always helpful, so frankly I won't even begin to speculate.

And of course, they may go in an entirely new direction, whether with homebrew, multiclass, or something I haven't thought of! I'm so excited to see where this goes, and I can't wait to see where the players bring these characters.

[thisisnotthenerd]

misfits & magic ii stat tracking: episode 1

the spreadsheet, for all to see

it's aabria autumn again, and she's back with with never stop making magic. this series will include both the progressive notes throughout the season as well as my commentary on the mechanics of the system as it's been adapted from KOB and NSBU. the tag is #mismag ii stat tracking, if you want to follow along.

we're just starting out and there's been a ton of fun little details: the pedal pub, tabby (carlos luna), where the characters have been over the last 3 years, the carvings, the orrery, the handles, the new stat trackers with the metal beads, it's all so fun. the art department said yes to carving out the middle of the table this time. i'm waiting for the trackers to do something interactive or have hidden messages or something, like the clipboards did in burrow's end.

this season already feels much more like a traditional fantasy adventure than a school novel. they're traveling, following an esoteric map to the center of a storm, facing old and new foes, human and monster alike. The emphasis is on community and bringing magic to fit the world as it is now, not as it was before the pilot program.

mechanical notes:

all stats have been adapted to have names that start with m:

fight -> melee

brains -> mind

charm -> magnetism

flight -> maneuver

brawn -> matter

grit -> mettle

a secret 7th stat called mark has been added, to cover notice rolls, which no longer fall under mind/brains

magic still exists, and works on a graduated explosion system adapted from nsbu. i'm assuming they get magical artifacts or something of the like when they bounce back down to d4s from d20s.

the common fucking sense die no longer exists, as they are out in the real world instead of whimsical wizard land.

each character has a motive--when they act meaningfully toward or away from that motive, they move along their track. this is adapted from the reputation trackers from acofaf, which came from good society. the progression grants mechanical benefits with significant moves.

the characters start each session with two motes of magic--these replace the adversity tokens. whenever they fail a roll/attempt magic, they add one to the pile, to be used as needed.

each character has a mangle track that tracks the harm to them. death is a possibility, with 6 injury levels that they can take. presumably these come with mechanical penalties as they take injury, i.e. higher costs for magic, higher dcs, etc.

the players got to make some alterations to their stats; they either got more modifiers across the board, or they chose die improvements with fewer modifiers overall. jammer and k lean more towards modifiers while sam and evan changed more of their die values, though the latter two retain their high modifiers in magnetism and melee respectively.

whitney jammer:

teamwork

melee: d10 (+1)

mind: d6 (+1)

magnetism: d6

maneuver: d12 (+2)

matter: d20 (+1)

mettle: d10 (+1)

mark: d4 (+1)

magic: d6

k tanaka:

network

melee: d6 (+1)

mind: d12 (+1)

magnetism: d12 (+1)

maneuver: d10 (+1)

matter: d4 (+2)

mettle: d20 (+2)

mark: d4 (+1)

magic: d4

sam britain:

community

melee: d8 (+1)

mind: d4 (+1)

magnetism: d20 (+3)

maneuver: d20

matter: d6 (+1)

mettle: d12

mark: d6

magic: d4

evan kelmp:

belonging

melee: d20 (+8)

mind: d20 (+2)

magnetism: d4

maneuver: d6

matter: d6 (+1)

mettle: d10

mark: d8

magic: d4

[plethoraworldatlas]

In reading Marcia's review of her experience with Shadowdark, I contemplated on how I run my own OSE games. This is also fresh on my mind because I am running Miranda Elkins' fantastic Nightwick. Its all about distilling things down to the interesting choice and eliminating the non-interesting one.

Basic Equipment: I am thinking about charging my players a flat rate for all basic dungeoneering equipment that is rolled into weekly expenses-- so 7sp a week for expenses plus ~3-5sp for pick of equipment

Not interesting:  Cost of equipment, especially down to coppers

Interesting: Scarcity (what if there is no 50' rope this week?) and how many slots PC dedicates to basic equipment

Light: Due to torch cost and number per slot, it is easy to carry a lot of torches.

Not interesting: Carrying enough light to last 12-24 turns- easily done

Interesting: When torches extinguish-- like in the middle of a fight or when the goblins you are negotiating with get mad; how many hands in the party are occupied by torches

This is why I prefer to use the overloaded encounter die to simulate inopportune moments when a torch is snuffed out- gust of wind, dripping slime, bucket of sand thrown by a sneaky goblin. And with regards to hands, holding a torch potentially lowers AC, removes a weapon, or makes spell casting delayed (need both hands). One saving grace: torches are an improvised weapon that do 1d4 dmg and are on fire.

Stuck Doors: I now commonly interpret the 2-in-6 chance as a basic surprise roll. If they players fail it, they make a loud noise and alert anything on the other side of the door, but open it next round.

Not interesting: Rolling a d6 over and over again to see if PCs finally break down a door

Interesting: Seeing if PC get surprise on whatever is on the otherside; if additional equipment is brought to deal with doors

I usually like the idea that a crowbar allows and additional 1d6 rolled per individual with one.

Rations: This is similar to the situation with light, its easy to carry enough food/water for 2-4 hours which is more likely the time frame of a dungeon delve-- not a camping trip.

Not interesting: Tracking both food and water separately for nominal circumstances

Interesting: How many PCs carry rations; will rations be used for other things (like distracting monsters) or saved to avoid fatigue

For me the nature of rations are both food and water abstracted. So if a player want to use food as a distraction, mark off 1 rations. If a player wants to douse a small fire, use 2 rations as you frantically empty out a water skin and try to put out the fire consuming the spell book.

Secret Doors & Traps:  Two dungeon features that are opposite sides of the same coin. Really I think Chris McDowall has written some of the best bits on this that boil down to "traps are puzzles" and not really "gotcha".

Not interesting: Situations where the PCs have to pick the exact right spot and roll a 1-2 in 6

Interesting: Adding in environmental clues or other sources of information that allows discovery by players investigating the fictional environment

Now, I will keep both rolls as a back-up for either PCs not having a good idea and/or a back-up for perhaps me being unable to convey the fictional environment properly in the moment.

Weapons: I've yet to find a really good way to do weapons simply outside of 1d6 damage for all types. I don't mind BX's variable weapon damage. And I do like some old rulesets sorta "first strike" if your weapon is larger than an opponents other wise smaller, lighter weapons strike first in subsequent arounds.

So here is what I have got so far: Using a weapon two-handed is a +1 to damage, using an off-hand weapon is +1 to-hit, and a shield is of course +1 AC. I do like that fighters with bows can shoot twice if they did not move and the "cleave" ability.

Not interesting: Weapon factors that are so extensive they require a separate rules discussion, trigger player obsession, and/or orient the whole of gameplay to combat

Interesting: What PCs chose to do with their hands: more armor, more weapons, or more light

So that is it for now, if you'd like to see more of my house rules here is my post on the Serpent Song Hymnal. I hope to have a sorta player version created sometime soon but I'm still trying to dial-in what my go-to "french vanilla" D&D is like.

[thydungeongal]

Introducing the party

So, to pass the time I'm going to be playing some Old-School Essentials solo with the help of Hexroll.

I have done it a couple of times and am already aware of some of the workings of Hexroll, but I eventually realized that since 1st-level characters are so squishy true solo play is very swingy in Old-School Essentials. So I outsourced some dice rolls from the community and got a huge number of characters. For now I've made six. And here they are!

Jimothy @public-trans-it Str 13 Int 11, Wis 10, Dex 10, Con 9, Cha 11 Fighter 1 8 hp Neutral Leather, war hammer, hand axe, rope (50'), grappling hook, crowbar, backpack, tinder box, 1 torch, waterskin, 5 rations, 8 gp

Montgormery @treasonagainstatyrantking Str 9 Int 9 Wis 7 Dex 4 Con 10 Cha 16 Fighter 1 2 hp Neutral Plate mail and shield, war hammer, silver dagger, rope (50'), sack (small), backpack, tinder box, 5 torches, waterskin, 6 rations, 11 gp

Theophany @theresalwayspeng-blog Str 4 Int 9 Wis 17 Dex 10 Con 11 Cha 13 Cleric 1 5 hp Lawful Leather, staff, mace, wolfsbane (1 bunch), holy water, holy symbol, backpack, tinder box, 1 torch, waterskin, 5 rations, 9 gp

Chuckles @arcanehobo Str 8 Int 7 Wis 12 Dex 13 Con 15 Cha 12 Thief 1 3 hp Neutral Leather, sling + 20 stones, war hammer, lantern + 3 flasks of oil, sack (small), thieves' tools, backpack, tinder box, 4 torches, waterskin, 3 rations, 9 gp

Theodore @casualeviliris Str 9 Int 9 Wis 18 Dex 9 Con 7 Cha 15 Cleric 1 4 hp Chaotic Plate mail, mace, sling + 20 stones, stakes (3) + mallet, lantern + 3 flasks of oil, backpack, tinder box, 6 torches, waterskin, 2 rations, 8 gp

Stevelyn @professorscrublord Str 13 Int 9 Wis 7 Dex 10 Con 7 Cha 12 Fighter 1 1 hp Lawful Chainmail, pole arm, silver dagger, hammer (small) + 12 iron spikes, stakes (3) + mallet, backpack, tinder box, 2 torches, waterskin, 5 rations, 8 gp

I modified some stats according to the rules of OSE (a character's prime requisites may be increased by taking away points from other stats at a rate of 2 to 1, but the only stats that can be lowered are Str Int Wis and they can never be taken below 9) and for the equipment I used the quick equipment method from one of the Carcass Crawler zines. I then switched around some equipment between the characters to make it more thematically appropriate (Montgormery feels by his stats to be a nobleman's failson gone adventuring, so it made sense to give him the plate and shield and silver dagger I'd originally rolled for Jimothy, so I switched their weapons and armor rolls around.)

I also rolled alignment randomly by rolling a d6: 1-2 Lawful, 3-5 Neutral, 6 Chaotic

As these idiots meet their untimely deaths I will be replacing them with more characters rolled in that thread. But for now, let's see what happens!

Also, if everyone has a good idea for a tag I could use for this, let me know. EDIT: Have decided to go for "thysologirl"

[tales-from-the-aether-ttrpg]

Have you ever been playing dnd and found yourself wishing you could experience the full immersion of mechanics for brewing potions, charting maps, picking locks, or enchanting items that were more than simply chucking a d20 and hoping for the best?

In addition to an expansive combat system that favors player exploration and expression, Tales from the Aether encourages players to explore more facets of the fantasy and adventuring genre. Some fun examples are the Chef’s Tools and Climbing Tools mechanics.

Chef’s Tools

These tools are used to make delicious and nutritious meals that are far superior to simple rations. In order to make a nutritious meal that last the whole adventuring day, you must use at least 4 lbs of food stuff such as meat, vegetables, or roots per individual you wish to feed.

You gain a number of d6s equal to your Nature or Knowledge score. You only need to roll one dice to make a successful meal but can gamble for additional bonuses. If you roll doubles on anything other than 1s, your meal grants an additional bonus. Any effects granted from the meals lasts until your next long rest.

If you roll anything other than a 1, the meal is a success and grants a temporary increase to Hit Point maximum equal to your Nature or Knowledge score.

If you roll a 1, the meal is just an average meal with no additional benefits.

If you roll multiple 2s, the meal grants a +1 Bonus to Stamina.

If you roll multiple 3s, the meal grants a +5 to Speed.

If you roll multiple 4s, the meal grants a +1 Bonus to Awareness and Security checks.

If you roll multiple 5s, the meal grants a +1 Bonus to Diplomacy, Deception, Intimidation, and Performance checks.

If you roll multiple 6s, the meal grants double the increase to Hit Points.

Climbing Tools

Climbing long distances is a dangerous sport and can be nearly impossible without the proper tools. With these tools, a misstep may lead to a minor panic attack, not a fall to one’s death.

You gain a pool of 5 dice (1d4). For every 100 feet you climb, you must use these dice to reach a DC of 10. If you fail to meet this DC, you gain 10 points of Stress but make the distance.

The dice you get to roll is increased depending on your Skill Rank. Novice grants a 1d6, Apprentice a 1d8, Journeyman a 1d10, Expert a 1d12, and Master a 1d20.

If you are climbing with multiple people, you can share your dice to help your companions out. For example, if one member of the group is an Expert and passed the DC with 2 dice, they can share their last 3 dice with members of the group that are less skilled in Agility or Strength.

This is just a taste but there is much more to be found. If such exploration of different mechanics interests you, give a follow to keep up to date with Tales from the Aether’s progress! I may be inviting more people to the discord to take a look at the 250+ page document once its V1.2 is completed ;p

[payphoneangel]

Supernatural: The Showrunner's Challenge

A writing challenge/exercise

I saw this post and thought it would be really fun to make a SPN specific version. Some of these I tweaked from the OG post, some are the exact same, and others are brand new. If you like this, please give the OG post some love for the creators great idea!!

Think you can write better than the showrunners of Supernatural? Let’s find out! This prompt is a writing exercise/challenge to create a ‘season’ of Supernatural via fanfic. Each chapter functions as an episode.

Prompt:

To start, think of what you would change about SPN if you were its showrunner. Would you scrap everything and start from new? Keep the series going with a new season? Pick a spot in the show and diverge from there? Ignore all the plot and play dolls with your favorite characters? 

Write a chapter that works as the Pilot of the show you want to see. At the end of each episode, roll a d12 to see what you must include in the following episode:

Roll a d12:

1. Everything at once: Roll twice, use both. If you get 1 again, keep rolling. Your only way out is to stop getting 1s. 

2. TMWWBK: Give every character in the previous chapter a number. Using a dice roll/random number generator, the character whose number is selected is now the main subject and POV of the next episode. 

For a greater challenge: include any character mentioned by name and any character with dialogue. (i.e. If Sam mentions Bobby, give him a number. If the waitress at a diner talks to Dean, give her a number)

3. Fan favorite: Your most recently mentioned character (or named object) is now beloved by the audience. You must give them a bigger part in the story, a special destiny, or an important new romance or friendship. 

If you roll 3 again; the character must get killed off to motivate their friends/allies/love interest or to serve the plot.

If you roll 3 a third time; either start over OR they come back from the dead.

4. High Concept Episode: Due to plot/MOTW/meddling gods/whatever, the characters are trapped in a different genre than usual. Roll a d6. 

High Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Apocalypse/Alternate Reality 

Time Travel/Time loop

Sit-com/Meta

Crossover/Stuck in a video Game

Slasher/Death Game

5. Filler episode: The next chapter must be completely low stakes and set you at ease. 

For a greater challenge: Flip a coin for each main character. 

Heads: Their filler is full of thoughtful inner world building and characterization

Tails: They are interrogating the milves (i.e. doing something silly and stupid)

6. Mothership: The next chapter must include the characters making references to/listening to/arguing about/having a feelings jam accompanied by... Classic Rock. 

Bonus: If you roll three 6’s in a row, introduce a Lucifer plotline (If you were ALREADY writing about Lucifer.... kill him).

7. Fallen Angels and Special Children: If the last character mentioned in the previous episode has special abilities, they lose them. If that character does not have special abilities, they gain them.

8. The Focus Group: The execs created a focus group to see if audiences would like more romance in the show. Flip a coin to determine the outcome:

Heads: The audience is into it and so are the execs! The next episode needs to involve a deep, sappy confession of either love or admiration between two characters that have not previously been romantically involved. 

Tails: The audience is into it but the execs aren't so sure... The next episode needs to introduce a budding romance between two characters that is only ever alluded to, but never stated outright.

If you roll 8 again:

If you got Heads on the previous flip: The characters have a messy breakup/divorce.

If you got Tails on the previous flip: One character dies right after outright stating their romantic feelings for the other.

9. Familiar Faces: A character from a different season is (re)introduced and becomes plot relevant. (ex: if you’re writing early seasons, include Kevin, Rowena, Ketch, Dagon, ect. If you’re writing late seasons, include Rufus, Cassie, Ava, Bela, ect.)

For greater challenge, assign characters a number and select via dice roll OR

Use a tumblr poll to have followers select

10. J2 Fallout: The two most recently mentioned characters' actors have, IRL, gone through a VERY messy divorce or friend breakup. You cannot put them in the same scene, but they must both remain relevant to the show. 

If you roll 10 again, they reconcile. 

11. Deep Analysis: Roll a d6. The next episode must include the theme of:

Grief

Bodily Autonomy

Family don’t end in blood

Family is Hell/Absent Fathers and Absent Gods

What makes a monster monstrous

Love

12. Are we ever really done? The most recently mentioned character's actor has decided to leave the show. Kill off their character. 

If you roll 12 again for another episode, the character returns.

There's a few bonuses to a character returning, so if you so choose, Flip a coin. 

Heads: the actor chose to come back and the character looks the same. 

Tails: the actor did not reprise their role so the character has a "new vessel." 

The other bonus flip:

Heads: upon return, the character is on the side of the protags 

Tails: upon return, the character is working against the protags

Have fun and happy writing <3

Please feel free to tweak this game however works best for you. And if anyone does actually end up writing and posting something based off this, PLEASE tag me bc I wanna see lmao

Tagging a few writing buddies who might get a kick out of this: @kerryweaverlesbian @shallowseeker @bloodydeanwinchester @gryptids @kingflups

[the-griffons-saddlebag]

💎 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺! Cerberus Whistle
Wondrous item, rare ___ This whistle has been carved from a soot-stained imp bone. While holding the whistle, you can use an action to blow it. The whistle can be heard out to a range of 300 feet, but only by fiends and tieflings. The whistle has three dog heads carved into its end. When found, the dogs’ mouths are closed. When you blow into the whistle, oen, two, or three of the mouths open (your choice each time). The harder you blow the whistle, the more of the dogs’ mouths magically open. For each mouth that opens as part of blowing the whistle, a hell hound is magically summoned to a random space that you can see within 30 feet of you. Each hell hound remains for 1 minute or until it’s reduced to 0 hit points. If you are a fiend or tiefling, the hounds are friendly to you and your companions. Otherwise, each hounds’ disposition is random: use the table below to determine the nature of each hound. | d6 | Disposition | — | 1 | The hound is hostile towards you and your companions. It uses its action to attack you first.| | 2–3 | The hound is equally hostile towards all creatures. It prioritizes the nearest creature to it that isn’t a fiend or tiefling.| | 4–6 | The hound is friendly to you and your companions. It becomes hostile if you or one of your allies does something to harm or threaten it.| Roll initiative for the summoned hounds as a group, which has its own turns; hounds that are friendly to you go first. While the hounds are friendly to you, they obey your verbal commands (no action required). If you don’t issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions. One of the dogs’ open mouths closes each day at dawn. ___ ✨ Patrons get huge perks! Access this and hundreds of other item cards, art files, and compendium entries when you support The Griffon's Saddlebag on Patreon for less than $10 a month!

[lynxindisguise]

Universe 413: Dungeons and Dragons

“It doesn’t hit.” James groans. “Iolanthe?” Lily bounces Harry in her lap. “What should we do, Harry?” “Fireball!” “You heard him.” John smiles. “Can you roll three d6 for me?” She gives one to Harry and rolls the other two: a 2, a 3, and a 5 (Harry's). John consults his own dice, then makes a few notes in his journal. “One of the spider’s legs bursts into flame and disintegrates. It thrashes wildly but is unperturbed. Sirius?” From what he’s read, his character’s main attribute is speed—he’s not particularly useful for anything more than minor blows. With the battle against the giant spider looking grim, his character would probably run. But he has something to prove.

Start from the beginning.

Multiverse jump!

[calicobigamy]

I can't be only one, right...?

I wanted to finish the game and then write this post but I gave up. I put in 100 plus hours and just could not go on once I got into act three. Maybe no one will hear my pitiful cry from the void, but I must scream for the sake of my sanity.

I was completely and utterly disappointed by Baldur's Gate 3. 

It had huge maps like an open world game yet I had no desire to explore the settings despite their beauty. It had hours of dialogue as an RPG would and yet I found myself skipping characters' responses. The game mechanic structure was inspired by DnD, a story-telling game dictated by some rules, lucky rolls and the extent of players' imagination, yet I was strong-armed into fighting impossibly stacked battles. A story-telling game dependent on the players’ attachment to their and their teammates' characters and yet this game lacked any kind of narrative consistency or depth of feeling. 

Larian wanted to make an open world RPG, based off of DND mechanics and somehow did the worst version of all three. The studio touts that Baldur’s Gate 3 has 17,000 possible endings and 2 million words, but to what end? What did this game have to say about what happens when people rise to the challenge and become heroes despite their circumstances or fall into the dark and become the monsters they were supposed to fight? What did it suggest might happen when fate deals you a bad hand but in doing so also helps you find true friends or love with the other? Ultimately, nothing. 

BG3 is so large that it ends up being incoherent. No writing or game structure decisions were made to keep the narrative tight and on theme. It urges players to choose a moral alignment, but most decisions, good or bad, seem to end up having little effect in the end. To play the game at all you have to resort to save scumming and that in turn deflates the possible impact of so many plot points of the narrative overall. 

Forcing players to save scum in order to progress through the game is terrible design in general. Statistically speaking the bosses make impossible critical hits again and again. I was playing in the game’s “casual mode” and found myself struggling to get through confrontations with bosses that were at a lower level than my own. If you are reading and thinking oh well you are probably not using tactics or spells well, etc., let’s do a little experiment…

Take your d20 (https://rolladie.net/roll-a-d20-die if you don’t have one in person). In the third act of BG3 I had an AC of 13 as a sorcerer with 100 plus HP. Roll your d20 ten times or more. How many times out of ten would your character have gotten to hit mine successfully? Unless an enemy is extremely lucky it should be unlikely that an enemy could hit my character every turn they get. And even if they do they would have to roll for damage which is only a single d6, d8, d10 or d12 plus a modifier at lower levels depending on your class. Again an enemy would have to have an extremely lucky roll to hit me every turn AND deal significant damage. During an in person DnD session that is just a bad night for my character. In a video game on casual mode that is significantly suspicious. 

So what you might say. You've made and enjoyed the fanart, memes and etc. You got your $61 worth of playtime. So many other people were fine with the game, what is your problem? 

I love video games. They blend so many artforms and tell stories in ways never done before. It is a medium unique to our current century and when historians look back they will view video games as an insight to our culture. 

It frustrates me to no end that Baldur’s Gate 3 is considered the next gold standard. Too many games have done open world and RPGs in a fantasy setting far better for Larian (Swen Vincke) to have made the design and writing choices they did with BG3. There are so many podcasts and shows that have written better stories through the DnD format. I am embarrassed for the medium as an artist and frustrated as a player. Players and the industry deserve better than to have artists, actors, engineers etc. burn themselves out creating maximalist behemoths like this game. A game that is beautiful but basically unplayable, narratively, nihilistic and incoherent. 

[anim-ttrpgs]

🌤️ Share your favorite mechanic from a game you’re working on.

I have a lot of mechanics in Eureka that I really really really love and have hardly seen anything similar to them anywhere else, but for the purposes of this ask I’m going to be answering with one of the unique ones that we haven’t talked about on here yet: The Woo Roll.

The Woo Roll is a special roll named in honor of director John Woo, well-known for his bombastic and extravagant use of practical effects in shootout scenes. Eureka boasts exciting and realistically dangerous firearms combat, and what better way to make deadly firearms combat more exciting in a theater-of-the-mind or grid-based shootout than by adding flavor and flare that emulates Hardboiled?

Firstly, it should be noted that it’s actually relatively hard to hit a target in Eureka firearm combat, doing so requires a fairly high roll. That means that participants are going to be doing a lot of missing. Besides just having a higher Firearms skill, the best way to increase one’s chance to hit is by firing more bullets in a single turn in the hopes that at least one of those shots will roll high enough to hit, which is why automatic weapons are more powerful than others: It usually only takes one single bullet hitting to disable a human target, so even with a low Firearms skill, firing more bullets at once greatly increases the chance that at least one will hit.

However, realistically, most shootouts in Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy will be done using semi-automatic pistols, which are only capable of firing a maximum of 2 shots per turn. We don’t want to make our combat be just and endless boring montra of “shoot, miss, shoot, miss, shoot, miss”.

So, how do we make missed shots fun?

The answer is the Woo Roll.

The Woo Roll is one of the few rolls in Eureka that doesn’t use 2D6, it only uses 1 D6.

(Quick note for those unaware: While Eureka is NOT a PbtA game, it does use a similar system of “Failure, Partial Success, and Full Success”, three possible outcomes of a dice roll instead of just Success and Failure.)

When firing a gun, all bullets fired that turn are rolled separately (we have a special speed-rolling system for when you’re firing more than 3 bullets in one turn but that’s a different post). A Full Success(10+ on a 2D6 roll) is required to hit the intended target with any given bullet, a Partial Success(7-9) and a Failure(2-6) both miss. But this is where the Woo Roll comes in.

I’ll let the actual Eureka rulebook take it from here.

As you can see here, missed shots in Eureka still have some effect on the environment and situation, even if they do not kill their intended target. This ensures that a roll in firearm combat will always do something even if it is a miss, and reminds the players of one of the fundamental rules of gun safety: Don't just be sure of your target, be sure of what's behind your target! High-velocity lead doesn't stop being destructive just because it flew a little too far to the left!

The fact that a Woo Roll is much more likely to have a negative result if the shoot was a Failure vs a Partial Success means that handing someone a gun who has no idea how to use it can be more of a hazard than a benefit, but it's not impossible for them to get that one lucky shot that makes the difference. Likewise, a Woo Roll made from a Partial Success still has a small chance to cause disaster, so even very skilled shooters have to consider whether it's worth the risk to start firing bullets all over the place at all.

We also have tables the Narrator(Game Master) can roll on just in case the shootout runs out of Woo Roll Elements or it happens in place where no Woo Roll Elements would realistically be. Here's a sneak peak at the table for Negative Woo Rolls.

Note also that this is a 2D6 table, meaning that the results closest to 7 are much more likely than the results farthest from 7.