Quick Note - They're Ready to Believe You!

Found a few things out among the wilds of the web recently that are really awesome. The first is this set of Paranormal Exterminators and their gear from Crooked Dice. Really awesome designs that would go great with the franchise kit recently released by the Nerdy Show. Both of these things of course would go great with Easy as PIE and a certain pdf release that will be shared tomorrow!

So go check these things out and get to busting! 

Quick Note - The Genius Loci Great Ebay Sale!

So as almost anyone who has read the blog knows I lost my job back in August. Since then my family has managed to stay afloat through a combination of my freelance work, my individual sales, my wife's pay and my military disability (gained through getting hit by a wrecking ball moving at 20mph) .

Unfortunately things have taken a bad turn ... I won't go into details, but suffice it to say I need have gained a bill I didn't know would exist. As such I have put up the vast majority of my roleplaying game collection on ebay ... right now it is mainly my 3.5 stuff, but it will grow in the coming days.

I ask only for a look to be taken and if anything I have up interests you or someone you know then please bid or spread the word.

Thanks!

ebay auctions

Quick Note - Halloween Adventure Voting has Closed

The Genius Loci Samhain adventure voting has closed and the winning adventure is: A New Basic Modern Adventure with 47% of the vote!

I'm already working on the outline and I should have this up for Thursday next so that you can all run it by Halloween Weekend!

Breakdown:

A new adventure for Basic Modern	8	47%
A Sci Fi tell on a derelict Ship (Explorers)	4	24%
A Fantasy Tale of Vampires and Crypts (S&W)	7	41%
A new adventure for Basic Modern	8	47%
Nothing, take a break you damned workaholic!	2	12%

Patron Supported 5-Minute Adventures - Easy as Pie

With Halloween right around the corner and the release of The Nerdy Show's Franchise Kit earlier this week I decided to whip out some old .pdfs, look over a Anti-Paladin's Mini Six system and hit the bricks running ... away from some ghosts!

Typically my Patrons would get this 24 hours ahead of the blog, but today ... well, today is not going so well and I wanted to maybe make some people out there happy (they do still get the cleaner pdf version though!)! So strap on your proto ... I mean Electron Blaster and bust some Ghos ... Paranormal Entities!

Easy as PIE

A frighteningly Fun Adventure for 4 to 6 Characters!

Setting Introduction and Rules modification.

Ghosts, demons and the things that go bump in the night are real. They're out there, their in your closets, under your beds and in your breakfast cereals. Some place in the world have high concentrations of the paranormal, some have almost none, but everywhere from the forgotten sewers of New york city to the cult infested wastes of Siberia have some paranormal activity. That is were we come in … and maybe, you. We are a loose consortium of franchises started nearly 30 years ago by the original Paranormal Investigations and Extermination team or PIE for short. Since that time, the organization has spread out across the world and has founded dozens of franchisees, and now it is your turn. For as little as $50,000 USD you can become a part of this consortium and fight the good fight against the evils that haunt, terrorize and just plain creep the living out.

Remember, if someone or their family has seen a spook, specter, or ghost, we believe them.

P.I.E. is a game of paranormal horror comedy, a realm in which ghosts and ghouls exist and want nothing more than to scare the living crap out of normal humans … when they're not trying to bring total destruction upon the world … and it is up to you to do Something about it. You are equiped with the proper gear, you have the will to be the one to stand up and do the Something everyone wants. The question is, can those people pay and is will enough when you battle the unknown and have no clue what it is you're supposed to do?

P.I.E. uses the Open d6 rules variation Mini Six and is capable of being played with nothing more than that single pdf. However, as it is with most things there are alternate and variations on the rules presented in Mini Six.

• Dice cannot be split into individual pips. Its all or nothing.
• Everyone starts with 20 hero points. These points can be spent to add an extra dice to any action. However, hero points are lost on any “wounded” or above attack. If a player runs out of hero points he or she is considered too exhausted to continue on.
• Since there are no pips allowed, CP can only be spent in the manner or increasing the total number of die. To this the player needs to spend 10 x Dice# in the skill or attribute he or she is attempting to increase.
• The wild Die always s has a negative result. The severity of that result depends on how well or bad the player who rolled the dice rolled.

There is also new equipment that P.I.E. team members have access to.

Electron Blaster – A special piece of equipment that allows the PIE. member to interact with and harm nearly any paranormal entity. If the PIE member successfully hits(Range from blaster +5 Difficulty) a paranormal entity (PE) with the Electron Blaster the PE losses 1 tether.

Paranormal Entrapment Device (PED) – A large, disk-like device that can successful capture and contain a PE. When the PE is brought to 0 tether it can be trapped. For the trap to work the PE most be harnessed by at least two electron blaster beams.

Detector – The Detector is a small, hand-held device that allows the PIE member to locate the general direction and power-level of a PD.

The Adventure

The P.I.E. team has been called in to investigate an old gas station off of route 6 in the backwood of the area. The report claims that the small gas station has been experiencing more then a few weird occurrences. The sluishe machine will turn on but none of the slush ever hits the floor, it merely vanishes. Customers have complained that items they pick up are gone by the time they reach their vehicle, and more than once an employee will walk in and find the entire store has been rearranged; Typically by way or sticking (through some means) everything to the ceiling. While these events have been going on for months the owner has ordered his employees to just deal with the issues as they appear. That changed last night when a young employee named Steven was nearly drowned by his own mop bucket.

When the players arrive at the gas station they find a place that should have been condemned and burned into the bowels of hell itself years ago. The windows are dirty, the neon glow of the beer advertisements are barely noticeable under the decades of grime. Most telling however, is that a single vehicle rests in the parking lot of the gas station and a huge “Closed” notice can be seen tapped to the door of the station. Once the players leave their vehicle, the door of the black SUV will open and a large man wiggles out and walks toward the players.

Lewis Digby's family has owned the station for two generations and have seen it through depression, war and the downfall of the coal towns. He is large and somewhat nervous looking, his Hawaiian shirt and shorts slightly too tight for the man's large girth. As he approaches the players anyone who succeeds a Moderate Wits Challenge will notice that Lewis' forehead is beading with sweat and he is looking around nervously. Just as the large man opens his mouth to speak to the players the four gas pumps flare up and catch fire and a roars erupts into the night as the fire start to swirl together.

Paranormal Fire – Might 4 (Brawl); Agility 3 (Throwing); Wit 1 (Search); Charm 1(Intimidate); Perks (3) Heat Wave (all within 5' range must succeed a Moderate Agility Check or suffer 1D damage); Insubstantial; Scare (Succeed a Difficult Charm Check or suffer a Complication for 1 round); Weaknesses (2) Fire; Complex Thought; Attack (1) Fireball (1D damage if successful); Tether 4

The Paranormal Fire seem solely intent on Lewis and unless harmed by the players will ignore them in favor of the large man. Lewis is for one round completely terrified and is only able to babble incoherently. After the first round Lewis will attempt to run back to his car and if successfully run away.

Once the Paranormal Fire is extinguished and if Lewis is still in the area he will offer the PIE team anything if they can remove the threat from his business. If Lewis has vacated one of the PIE team will get a phone call from him stating the same. Either way, after the Paranormal Fire is defeated an eerie fog will encompass the station, emanating from within the station itself.

The unnatural fog is itself a paranormal entity, but not one that has a will, purpose or mind of its own. Any player who makes a successful Moderate Wits check would know that the unnatural fog are the protozoa of the spiritual realm, a near ambient spiritual energy that follows any significant encroachment upon reality. While in the fog the players have a stronger than normal chance of getting separated and lost in the fog, requiring Moderate Wit Check to not do so. The unnatural for extends in a hundred yard radius from the station

The Station

There are three entry points to the station. The main glass doors which stand open and inviting, the garage door (Area 6) which appears to be bolted into the ground and requires a Very Difficult Might Check to open and a rear emergency exit (Area 4) which appears to be torn open, the door itself resting half buried into the sheer rock of the hill behind the station.

The Shop (Area 1)

The convenience area of the gas station is small compared to larger chain stations and features only four aisles, a refrigeration unit and a rack dedicated to adult entertainment. If any of the players happen to use the Detector the device will go “off the charts” and begin to overheat. If the player is not quick enough to turn the Detector off it will catch on fire in their hand.

After exploring the area for a bit the players should find nothing out of the ordinary, if and when they attempt to leave the entire room should begin to shake and get more violent with every step toward an exit the players make. After a few moments of this the items in the convenience area will begin to shoot off the shelves zipping toward the players. Further the sluishe and fountain drink machine will begin to pour onto the floor from its fountain.

The Bathrooms (Areas 2 & 3)

While relatively normal looking rest stop bathrooms, the rooms have been subtle changed by whatever presence is haunting this place. Whenever a player looks into the mirror of either bathroom the mirror will attempt to scare the player requiring a Difficult Charm Check. The toilet paper (to which there seems an infinite amount) will attempt to wrap around and suffocate any player that steps within 5' of the toilets, helping to trip up the players for attack by the Possessed Toilets.

Possessed Toilets – Might 4 (Brawl); Agility 0 (Dodge); Wit 0; Charm 0; Perks (1) Swirly (On any attack that would result in the target losing a Hero Point the Possessed Toilet can force the head of the target into its bowel and flush, causing the target to temporarily lose 1 Charm for the session); Weaknesses (2) Complex Thought; Stationary; Tether 1

Storage (Area 4)

A long narrow corridor jammed on either side with foodstuffs, trail-sized medicines and sodas. The left side of the area appears to have been savaged and all that remains are the shredded boxes and containers that once peacefully existed here. The back emergency door to the station appears to have been ripped open and thrown into a nearby hill.

A Very difficult Wits check will reveal an old news paper clipping from a year ago. Must of the clipping is unreadable due to various stains and rips but what is legable states:

“The recent tragedy at the Digby Family Gas Station has left the community in shock as mechanic Jack Umbrige is mourned and local investigators search for answers in the station's garage where Jack was fou …. “

Freezer (Area 5)

The metal freezer room houses the ice cream, cold drinks and other things in need of freezing and refrigeration. When the players enter this area the door behind them will lock(Very Difficult Might Check to force open) and the freezing mist will grow, cutting visibility down to a mere three feet. The Temperature dips causing the need for a Difficult Might Check. If the players fail the take a -1D penalty to an Attribute of their choice.

The Freezer has become the home of a Personification, a type of PE that is the personification of an emotion, thought-type and so on. In this case the Personification is that of Gluttony. The PE has no eyes, no nose, nothing but a semi-spherical bod, an over-sized mouth with razor sharp teeth and four overly long spindly arms. The PE will ignore the players unless the players attempt to interact with it or any of the foodstuffs in the Freezer.

Ice Cream Glutton – Might 2 (Brawl); Agility 3 (Dodge); Wit 1; Charm 2; Perks (3) Insubstantial, fly (60 ft/round); Slimed (target must make a Moderate Charm Check or suffer -1d penalty to Charm for the scene); Weaknesses (1) Salt (Burn away 1 Tether on unsuccessful Very Difficult Wit Check); Tether 3

If the Personification is defeated the freezing mist will dissipate and the door will naturally unlock, freeing the players from the freezer. If the players decide to investigate the freezer a Moderate Wits Check will reveal a half frozen brown lunch lunch bag containing a half eaten bologna sandwich, three Oreos and an apple. There is also a handwritten note with several hearts drawn on it stating “I can't wait for our vacation! Lara xoxoxo” In large block letters the name Jack is written on the outside of the bag.

The Garage (Area 6)

At first glance the garage looks to be the most normal thing about the gas station. The clean floor sports relatively few stains and all the tools have been neatly polished and sit in regular rows. Aside from the tools and implements of the mechanic's trade the area is empty. A Very Difficult wits investigation will reveal the five pentacles that have been smeared on the garage's four pillars and back wall.

After a few minutes of investigation the garage will shake requiring an Easy Agility Check for the players to remain upright. When the garage stops shaking it will look different. Three cars are on lifts about ten feet from the ground, while a third lift only has part of a car on it, the back end of the car is on the ground, a man's body pinned under it, struggling to move as a pool of black blood forms around him.

“He killed me” A voice booms through out the garage as the scene plays on.

Lewis Digby walks through one of the players from out of the shadows and kneels down next to the figure. “I'll never understand it.” The man says, his voice strangely high pitched. “You could have been a partner Jack, could have been rich in your own right.” Lewis pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lights one, putting it to Jack's grimacing lips. “Just had to keep quiet about it and I would have cut you in … but telling the feds ...” Lewis shakes his head.

“I didn't think he'd find out.” The voice booms. “Thought I could do the right thing and get enough to bet Lara and I out of here.”

“Well, I own the local cops … or their women … you'll be a tragic accident, nothing more and the case … poof,” Lewis empathizes this by blowing out a whiff of smoke. “All gone, like smoke in the wind.” Lewis turns to leave. Oh, and don't worry, I'll take care of that pair of legs you keep around.”

“I JUST WANTED TO DO THE RIGHT THING!”

The cars begin to shake and contort, the sound of tearing metal strikes the air. In a moment of impossibility the cars slam together meld and change into the form of a giant machine ape.

The players can try to talk Jack down but it is too late, he has been too overcome by his own hatred and need for retribution that all he knows now is the destruction of the man who killed him.

Car-Golem Jack – Might 6 (Brawl); Agility 3 (Dodge); Wit 1; Charm 2 (Intimidate); Perks (2) Armored (+3 to Electron Blaster Difficulty); Scare (Succeed a Difficult Charm Check or suffer a Complication for 1 round);; Weaknesses (1); Tether 8

When Jack is defeated the cars will come crashing down but before they hit the room will return to normal. An investigation of the station will show that everything is back to how it should be (save the mess the PIE team made). Any readings from the detector will come back negative as the spiritual energy that soaked the station has dissipated.

Concluding the Adventure

The PIE team now knows what truly happened to Jack, but have no concrete evidence to pull against Lewis Digby. If the players should confront Lewis with this new information he will attempt to buy their silence for a thousand dollars a month. If the players don't bite he'll attempt to have them killed. Alternatively the players could keep their mouths shut and just accept the payment offered for their services.

The adventure leaves a few questions hanging in the air. Can a ghostly crime scene count as evidence? More importantly, who or what ripped off the rear door to the station? Was it connected to the current case or something else that was drawn by the large amounts of spiritual energy that had soaked into the station since Jack's death. 

Quick Poll - Halloween Incoming!

First I would like to say that I really, really wish that Google +'s new poll feature would be integrated into blogger. However, there is no use to lament what is not so I have instead created a survey VIA Google Forms!

Remember folks, Samhain is coming!

What should Genius Loci Do for Samhain?

Quick Note - This Grand World

This morning I played a quick game of "Grand World" with 3 other people who will remain nameless. 

What is Grand World? 4th Edition D&D basically but used as a subsystem. Esentially Grand World is a Fantasy MMO in which is "leaking" into the real world. The players are normal MMO gamers who have been affected by the leaks and are now investigating them in game while still trying to be "normal" MMO gamers. 

Today's game was a micro-dungeon located in the fields of Gloomwood, the last place the Half-Elf Bard was before a TPK that ended with her waking up in a real-world hospital with elf ears. The party found the Dungeon Boss and discovered it was out of synch with the game granting it far more power than normal for a low-level Boss. The session ended with the Defensive Fighter getting hit by a critical and finding himself wounded in the real world.

So far I've found this to be a wonderful way of using 4e because it maintains the tactical aspect of the system while also inviting roleplay from the players in a meta-game kind of way.  If I was truly interested I think I would delve deeper into this idea. As it stands though it is a fun way to spend an early Saturday morning before my family wakes up.

Now, here's the big question: How the hell am I still awake after +Robert Quintero's utterly awesome 5e game kept me up to 0115 this morning and "Grand World" started at 0430?

Quick Note - We Need a Thunder Rift Appreciation Day!

The more I delve into TSR's Thunder Rift setting for Basic D&D the more I fall in love with it. This is understandable as my young self was the target audience for this setting back in the early 1990s. So as I read Knight of the Newts and the Thunder Rift setting guide the more I want to run a game in that setting and so off to the internet I go ... only to find a lot of dislike for it. Over at Dragonsfoot the consensus seems to be that it is a flawed and unplayable setting and while there is an entire forum dedicated to the setting it is small and hasn't been used in nearly a year.

So I have decided to say that we need to have a Thunder Rift Day! A Day in which we can all go "hey look! This is pretty damn cool!" a day of stories from game sessions long past, a day of NEW sessions in old modules ... or mayhap new modules ... to relive or rekindle interest in a smaller setting.

So, what say you OSR? What say you Dungeons & Dragons gamers? Shall we do this thing?

Quick Note - Gazetteer 13 - The Shadow Elves released & Other News!

Should have played the Dwarf

Gazetteer 13 - The Shadow Elves is probably the one Mystera Gazetteer that I have been waiting on since WotC started releasing the Basic edition Gazetters last year. Back in my non-gaming days, when video games ruled the world for me, the Sahdow Elves of the Capcom Mystara Games were the most intriguing part of the story to me. They were also the part that I couldn't just nudge into one of my Tolkien corners of understanding. They were different and cool just a people who were left wide open for me to ponder and imagine about.

Phantom Tribe, Emoing the Emo before there where emos.

Eventually the Shadow Elves began to form in my mind as the Phantom Tribe from El - Hazard and when I began roleplaying with 3.5 back in the early 2000s it was these Shadow Elves that made appearances in my Mystara (I talked about my Mystara back when I talked about Gaz1).

At the moment obtaining the book is a bit of a no-go f
or me but it is there in my wishlist ready and waiting for me to grab it and read it so that I can finally learn how much my Shadow Elves and the official ones differ!


Gazetteer 13 - The Shadow Elves was released yesterday on DnDclassics.com for $4.99.

In other news I received a package in the mail yesterday with no return address and no information regarding who sent it. So, to whoever sent me the Dark Matter Adventure "The Killing Jar" I have to give a huge thank you to you!

The collection is almost complete!

Now if only WotC would fulfill my two wishes of Alternity stuff on OBS sites and POD of classic books!

Patreon Supported Adventures - Torture Chambers of the Inquisitor

The Torture Chambers of the High Inquisitor

Background

In a medium sized trade city a large number of homeless have gone missing. The local governor would normally pay no mind to this as it relieves the city of what he considers to be riff-riff. However, the people of the lower districts have come together to appeal aid and have unwittingly caused a ruckus in the noble districts in the process. With no recourse but to investigate or throw the noble district into chaos the governor has sent out a missive to any foolhardy enough: Find and stop whatever is taking the homeless and if need be rescue those who can be saved.

Adventure Hooks

Missive of the Troubled Governor. The missive of the governor has reached the party and eager for the reward (500 gp) and agree to the quest.

An Old Friend. One of the party members once journeyed with and formed a fast friendship with an old dwarf named Bomgi. After the two split to go on their separate roads Bomgi ran into some troubled times and ended up as one of the homeless forgotten on the streets of the city. Only recently did the player discover their old friend's fate but before they could make it to the city Bomgi was among the many who vanished.

An Old Wound. The party's cleric or paladin (or both if they serve the same god) receive word from their order about the recent activity in the city and request that they investigate. The letter tells the sad story of a Church Inquisitor who fell to darkness. The Order believes that someone has found the Inquisitor's dark secret and is copying the fallen Inquisitor's final, horrible acts. The Church requests that the copy-cat be eliminated and that any link to the Church be removed.

Book of Secrets. It is rumored that long ago a great dark mage created a book that in its pages held every dark secret of any individual alive or dead. All the owner of the book had to do was whisper the name of the person and that person's secrets would be theirs to know. The dark mage supposedly vanished from the city ages ago, leaving behind all his worldly goods except for the Book of Secrets.

Adventure Set-Up

The Torture Chambers have a grand total of seven areas. The seventh area is locked away until the players find the five keys to unlock it. The halls connecting the chambers are patrolled by the victims of the Inquisitor. Every 500 feet the characters have a 3 in 6 chance of encountering one of the following:

Roll (D6)	Encounter
1	2d4 Pyre Zombies
2	2d8 Skeletons
3	1d10 Leper Zombies
4	1d6 Guests
5	1 Shadow
6	2d8 Zombies

Area 1. The Stairs

This area is a stairway that leads up into the sewers of the city and a door that is locked by five keyholes arranged into the shape of a pentagram. Once the characters have the five keys those keys must be placed in the corresponding holes to the rooms the keys were located in. Should a character not put the keys in correctly they will be struck by a lightning spell trap.

Area 2. The Room of the Hanging Coffins

Dozens of hanging metal coffins dangle from the ceiling of this area and lay on their sides upon the ground. The floor and some of the cages have ancient moldy bones. A single living homeless person, a dwarf named Bomgi, is trapped in one of the hanging coffins. When the players enter he will tell them to run. As soon as he finishes speaking four of the coffins will attack the players. Should Bomgi survive the attack and is freed by the players he will request that he come along to aid them (treat as hireling by rules of choice)

Enemies – Hanging Coffins(8): HD 4: AC 2[18]; Atk Slam 1d6; Move 6; Save 14; CL/XP 5/240; SPC on a successful attack the Hanging Coffin has a 4 in 6 chance to attempt to capture its target within itself (save negates). While trapped the target receives ½ the damage the Hanging Coffin does from any attacks. While trapped the target cannot move or make any actions that are not vocal.

Treasure – Approximately 25 gp worth of gold and jewels litters the ground.

Key Location – rear wall being held by a skeleton.

Area 3. Room of Desperation.

A richly appointed chamber with fine carpets and tapestries. A side board against one wall has liquors of ever y variety available to drink as the players please. However, these bottles are laced with a poison that will magically over hydrate the drinker's body until they explode. When the character's enter this room they are enchanted by a spell that rings the door. This spell causes them to be overly thirsty. Any supplies they may have do not sate the thirst they feel. The effects of this spell last twelve hours. If a character succeeds a saving throw against either spell three times in a row he is disenchanted and cannot be re-enchanted in that way for twenty-four hours.

Enemies – None

Treasure – None

Key Location – Resting on the sideboard.

Area 4. Room of Impalement

Large narrow spikes cover nearly every inch of this chamber. Hundreds of bones line the floor and a few more recent bodies slowly rot on the spikes. Once the characters are in the room the spikes come to life and writhe like snakes as they try to impale the characters.

Enemies – Living Spikes (50): HD 4: AC 2[18]; Atk Stab 1d4; Move 0; Save 14; CL/XP 5/240 spc on a to-hit roll of 20 or better the target is impaled on the spike and receives 2d4 damage per round until he is removed from the spike.

Treasure – Approximately 50 gp worth of gold.

Key location – On the floor carelessly dropped among the bones.

Area 5. Room of Giant Rats

This large pit of the room is a squirming mass of giant, rats who have grown large and dangerous in the centuries they have been used as instruments of torture and death. At the mere scent of human or demi-human flesh the two dozen or so giant rats will fly into a frenzy and attempt to devour the nearest character.

Enemies – Giant Rats (24): HD 3; AC 6[13]; Atk 2 claws (1d3), 1 bite (1d6); Move 12; Save 14; CL/XP 3/120; Special: 5% are diseased.

Treasure – None

Key location – Stuck in the gap of a Giant Rat's teeth.

Area 6. Room of the Wheels

This room is a giant sphere made up of five-foot wide sections of alternately moving wheels. Each wheel has 30 blunt, metal shafts extending from it at a distance of fifteen feet. The rooom itself spins as well at a rate of every three minutes, turning to a different angel. If hit by a shaft the player is knocked off balance for 2d6 damage and must succeed a saving throw or fall helplessly into the device and receive an additional 2d6 damage for every round he fails a saving throw.

Enemies – None

Treasure – None

Key location – Stuck against the center most shaft.

Area 7. Inquisitor’s Quarters

This room is richly appointed. The walls are covered in a velvet wall paper and tapestries. From the five walls of the chamber a single faucet breaks through the wallpaper and various other tapestries. If any of these should be turned on it will issue forth blood not water. The Inquisitor is no where to be found until the character have explored the whole room. Once this has occurred the players will be overcome by fog that well be sucked into the form of the Inquisitor. While happy to talk to the characters he soon grows tired of it and attacks.

Enemies – The Inquisitor (Vampire)

Treasures – 250 gp worth in jewels and gold. The Book of Secrets found in a false drawer.

Concluding the Adventure

Should the players be fully successful in their mission they will find that the city has released a breathe it did not know it was holding. The Governor reluctantly pays the characters and sends them on their way with a promise of future employment if their services and talents are needed again. If the characters rescued Bomgi he will beg for the adventurers to take him on as a faithful retainer. The book, while evil, is of little use unless the owner rolls a critical success. Otherwise the book lies.

With the Inquisitor dead the questions that still remain are simple. Why did the torture chamber exist at all, especially if it truly belonged to a good god or goddess. Further who or what turned the Inquisitor into what he was in the end?

Monster Index

Giant Rats: HD 3; AC 6[13]; Atk 2 claws (1d3), 1 bite (1d6); Move 12; Save 14; CL/XP 3/120; Special: 5% are diseased.

Guest: HD: 2+2; AC: 6 [13]; Atk: Touch (1d4+level drain); Move: 12; ST: 16 Special: Fear, Level Drain CL/XP: 4/120

Hanging Coffins: HD 4: AC 2[18]; Atk Slam 1d6; Move 6; Save 14; CL/XP 5/240; SPC on a successful attack the Hanging Coffin has a 4 in 6 chance to attempt to capture its target within itself (save negates). While trapped the target receives ½ the damage the Hanging Coffin does from any attacks. While trapped the target cannot move or make any actions that are not vocal.

Leper Zombie: HD 1; AC 6[13]; Atk 1 claw or bite (1d6); Move 9; Save 17; CL/XP 3/60; Special: Disease, those slain animate as leper zombies

Living Spikes: HD 4: AC 2[18]; Atk Stab 1d4; Move 0; Save 14; CL/XP 5/240 spc on a to-hit roll of 20 or better the target is impaled on the spike and receives 2d4 damage per round until he is removed from the spike.

Pyre Zombie: HD 2; AC 8[11] or with shield 7[12]; Atk 1 weapon or strike (1d8); Move 6; Save 16; CL/XP 3/60; Special: Immune to sleep and charm, immolation.

Shadow: HD 3+3; AC 7[12]; Atk 1 touch (1d4 + strength drain); Move 12; Save 14; CL/XP 4/120; Special: Drain 1 point str with hit, hit only by magic weapons.

Skeleton: HD 1; AC 8[11] or 7[12] with shield; Atk 1 weapon or strike (1d6) or (1d6+1 two-handed); Move 12; Save 17; CL/XP 1/15; Special: none

vampire abilities varient 5e

Last night I went to see +Dracula Untold with my wife (a review tomorrow on Fili Archives) and found the movie a heck of a lot better than any of the reviews that came out on Friday claimed it to be. Yes it was a bit rushed in some places and drawn out in others, but over all it was pretty wicked.

One of the coolest effects in the film was Dracula's ability to become a horde of bats and reassemble at will in an almost instantaneous fashion. This gave the fighting scenes a wonderful constant momentum where the action was always moving forward and never bogged down. To me this is a cool replacement/combination of the traditional mist form/shape change found in a lot of vampire fiction.

The following replaces both Misty Escape and Shape change in the 5e edition of Dungeons & Dragons for Vampires (MM p. 297). 

Colony of Bats. If the vampire is not in the presence of either direct sunlight or running water it can use its action to shift in a colony of Hive-Mind bats. While in this form the vampire can move a rate of 5 feet or 60 feet flying and its stats remain unchanged. If the Colony of Bats attacks a target during this time it counts as a bite attack.

Primal instincts. If the vampire is dropped to zero health points he will shift into his Colony of Bats form and attempt to return to his coffin. During this time he is at disadvantage for all rolls and cannot attack.

Note: post created from my tablet while at my daughters' gymnastics practice. Please forgive any style or spelling issues as this is a rather strange way of doing this.

Note 2: it is perfectly possible to use these variant abilities in OSR material. I would suggest adding a saving throw for a successful Primal Instincts.

Maps - Torture Chambers of the High Inquisitor

For an almost done patreon ... a patreon with a huge back log!

This one will be for Swords & Wizardry and is technically a 1-Page Romp.

Quick Note - Still Alive

This past week has been pretty interesting: minor house fire that killed the oven my son getting a pretty nasty fever and my wife's new schedule as a department head. Obviously, this has put a bit of a dampener or pretty much everything going on at Genius Loci Games ... which seems to happen every year at this time ...

That all said I should be back up and running at normal rates this week. I have 3 one page romps in the works an outline for my Halloween adventure that will be my second Basic Modern Adventure and have plans to do layout and mark-up for the September anthology this week.

Never seems to be enough time in the world.