Aieeeeee! The Teeth!

Swarm of Teeth: Init +5; Atk swarming bite +0 melee (1d5); AC 14; HD 4d8; MV fly 30’; Act special; SP swarm (attacks all in a 20' x 20' area with 1d20, half damage from non-area attacks); SV Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +0; AL C.
 

The Flaming Head Again!!

Flaming Head: Init +2; Atk ray of flame +3 ranged (1d6 + fire); AC 18; HD 1d6; MV fly 60’; Act 1d20; SP flame (Ref DC 10 or catch fire, 1d6/round until save succeeds), immune to fire, mundane weapons that strike it are destroyed; SV Fort -2, Ref +8, Will +5; AL C.

Who can say what the flaming head wants? All that we know for sure is that Robert keeps missing it...perhaps Robert's head goes wandering at night?

Then a Huge Croco-Tiger Charges Up....

Huge Croco-Tiger: Init +4; Atk claw +2 melee (1d4+3) or bite +5 melee (1d8+3); AC 15; HD 5d8+10; MV 40’ or swim 50'; Act 2d20; SP can use an Action Die to charge up to 80' (+4 bonus to bite attack and damage, -4 penalty to AC until next action); SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1; AL N.

Gary Con Events I'm Hosting

 

Characters for Spawn of Cyclops Con will go out this Wednesday. In other news, here are the events I am running for Virtual Gary Con. I have the Thursday and Friday off as well, so with luck I will also get to play in some games!

The Inn in the Forest!

From the mind of Daniel J. Bishop comes a dangerous adventure that pits players against monsters, nature, and even time itself.

You spy a semi-ruined inn on the road ahead, promising shelter from the dark woods that close in around you. But the inn is not deserted. Haunted by phantoms of the past, creatures of the present, and a malignant entity with dark designs for the future, you slip between all three timelines. As these timelines merge and horrors from the past slip into the present, you find yourself confronted by a dark and wild future that you may not be able to avoid. Worse, a future you may have helped to create!

The Kickstarter has now officially launched!

What is The Inn in the Forest?

The Inn in the Forest is a DCC RPG long-format, time-traveling, horror adventure by Daniel J. Bishop heavily influenced by the darker side of the Brothers Grimm, the moody ghost tales of M.R. James and William Hope Hodgson, and the horror stories of Robert E. Howard.

Providing multiple nights of eerie entertainment as a stand-alone adventure or as a persistent part of a larger campaign, The Inn in the Forest is perfect for any medieval or modern DCC or OSR setting, including Weird Frontiers, Shudder Mountains, Crawlthulu, OSRIC, and Labyrinth Lord.

As a player, you take the part of an unwitting traveler seeking shelter for the night. Whether drawn this direction to search for the lost magic of Zauberer the Hexmaster or following up on rumors of the innkeeper’s dark practices, what you encounter is so much worse. Sometimes making it to dawn means success, other times it may just mean trading your companions’ souls to gain the power the Waldgeist grants!

As a Judge, you will be running a unique adventure, where time is not static. Phantom shifts allow you to tell the story of the inn during its heyday as well its current state. As the PCs interact with the haunting of the inn’s past, the very real threats of its present seek to destroy them. Rules on phantom shifts, as well as new monsters, items, artifacts, and rituals, are included to bring new dimensions of gameplay to your ttrpg.

Mystery of Ilusion

The next album cover on my queue is Chastain's Mystery of Illusion. And, yes, that last link will take you to the full album. 

Although released in 1985, that cover looks like something from the 1970s Heavy Metal Magazine. Nude woman. Evil looking dude on an evil looking horse. Hazy background like something from a Ralph Bakshi film. You would have, at most, three statblocks of material here, and the woman looks more like victim than active entity.

Luckily, when I stat out these album covers, I also like to take the lyrics into account if I can. 

Herein, we have the tale of a sorceress queen, who seeks to kill the king and take his place. She sees a soldier of fortune, the black knight, as the tool she needs to accomplish this end, and sets him against the king.

In return, the queen becomes his consort. The knight, believing that she will be loyal to him, allows her to cloak him in illusion, freeing him to become the tyrant through which she acts. In the end, though, the soldier of fortune escapes, leaving the queen desolate in the ruins of her kingdom.

Or, at least, that is how I read it. And, given that reading, this album cover will not be a snapshot of just the image, but a progression from one state to another. Yes, that means that the characters will level up and change over the course of the album, and it means that judges looking to get the most use from this material will have to use it over the course of campaign years. 

I am not sure how you feel about that, but it pleases me!

Home at Last

This album cover clearly references The Odyssey - but a version of The Odyssey that has gone severely wrong. As a result, the image would fit pretty well into a Pax Lexque campaign, which is how I am going to frame this. It should be fairly easy for a judge to modify the history to fit their own campaign!

Hellena in Pax Lexque is an elven nation, so our un-dead argonauts will come from Thracia. According the the Pax Lexque Campaign Guide: 

"Thracia and Macedonia had been at each others’ throats for centuries before they were absorbed by the Roman Empire. After that, they were perpetually Rome’s problem children, frequently needing to be brought to heel. It was no surprise that they both tried to get the upper hand by the use of magic in the wake of the War of Fire. As the years marched on, both kingdoms pushed the envelope with magical research, actively trying to outpace each other in the magical arms race. From time to time, the tension would break out into cross­border skirmishes, which they would try to resolve before Rome would yank the leash. The tension was reaching a boiling point when the Wars of Darkness began."

History and Legend

Long before the War of Fire, Odysseus fought in the siege of Troy, a city now ruined and lost to the sands of time (unless the judge arranges for it to be found - this might be a good opportunity to rework B4: The Lost City or its OAR version). After over a decade of strife, Odysseus and his crew sailed homeward, toward the city of Enez.

Odysseus had many adventures on his journey home, after offending the sea-goddess Procella by dallying with her daughter, the cyclops-nymph Circulla, before blinding her and escaping. In the defense of Odysseus, it is said that Circulla caused men to take the form of animals, and in that form she devoured them.

Judges wishing to expand on these adventures should consider riffing off of Homer's original work, combining and reworking the material to match the aesthetic of whatever campaign milieu they are using. The final adventure of Odysseus and his crew, in life, is known - sailing between the many-armed sea monster Charybdis and six-headed Scylla, the red-painted war galley entered a portal to the domain of Mordines, god of death, where it was said to sail forever on blood-dark seas.

So much for history and legend. Centuries passed, and scholars began to doubt the very existence of Odysseus, of Troy, or even of the elven Gilmar, who had chronicled Odysseus' adventures until thrown from the vessel on that final, fateful voyage. 

But these things actually did happen. Death itself kept Odysseus and his crew hostage, and the perils they faced in death were greater even than those they had overcome in life. Odysseus was famed for his prowess, his cleverness, and his eloquence. Although it took centuries to do, he was able to outwit Mordines himself, deliver to that dread god something that bought back access to the sunlit realms, and sailed again upon the Pisconian Sea for Enez.

Odysseus, Un-dead Lord of Enez: Init +5; Atk claw +5 melee (1d3+3) or short sword +7 melee (1d6+3) or long bow +5 ranged (1d6+3); AC 15; HD 10d12; hp 66; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP un-dead, half damage from piercing and slashing weapons, immune to cold, regenerate 3/round until slain, d7 Deed Die; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +7; AL L.

Mighty Odysseus knows nothing of Rome when he first reaches Enez, and contests the mastery of others now as he did in life. He has become no less clever for being un-dead, and continues to use his wits to outmaneuver his foes. The coalition he seeks to build in Thracia upon his return may be directed at Macedonia initially, but it will not take long for Odysseus to deem Rome the greater threat. Eventually, Rome will have to send the Hand of the Law to deal with him.

Odysseus regenerates 3 hit points each round, so long as he has even one hit point remaining. He can perform Mighty Deeds with a d7 Deed Die, but this does not add to either his attack rolls or damage. Odysseus has a long bow that can only be strung or drawn by creatures with a 18 or better Strength, but it increases damage by +3.

Skeleton Crew: Init +2; Atk claw +2 melee (1d3+1) or short sword +3 melee (1d6+1) or spear +3 melee (1d8+1); AC 13; HD 2d12; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP un-dead, half damage from piercing and slashing weapons, immune to cold, regenerate 1/round until slain, absolute loyalty; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +5; AL L.

Other skeletons may be "brittle bones held together by eldritch energies", but the skeletal crew that follows Odysseus are more hardy. By the end of his voyage, 72 of these creatures passed from the dark seas in the land of Mordines. None of them began the voyage with him, but where picked from among the shades on islands beyond the knowledge of the living. None can be turned from Odysseus; all owe him absolute loyalty.

Gilmar's Ghost: Init +2; Atk incorporeal touch +2 melee (1d4 XP); AC 10; HD 2d12; hp 9; MV fly 40’; Act 1d20; SP un-dead traits, immune to non-magical weapons, bless weapon; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +6; AL C.

There have been those who have claimed to see the ghost of an ancient elf haunting the shores of Thracia near to Enez. These stories go back for centuries. Indeed, such a spirit does exist, all that remains of the elf Gilmar, who chronicled the adventures of Odysseus in life and now seeks to prevent his return and ascendency in death. As such, Gilmar can only be put to rest by the destruction of Odysseus. The ghost may thus be a boon to those who would act as agents of Rome, or a bane to others who might wish to see Thracia rise.

The ghost can fade into the ether at will, and will usually avoid combat. Its touch, however, bypasses all armor, and permanently drains living victims of 1d4 experience points. In the case of non-classed NPCs, the judge should assume that the target has 4 XP per Hit Die, and when XP reaches 0, the target dies.

For those characters who seek the downfall of Odysseus, Gilmar's ghost may bless their weapon, a condition that lasts for seven days and seven nights. A weapon blessed by Gilmar causes damage that Odysseus and his crew cannot regenerate. As they cannot heal naturally, this damage is permanent unless magically removed.

You can listen to/watch the music video for Home at Last here.

The Giant Hand

The Giant Hand: Init +0; Atk flick +3 melee (1d6 plus toss) or grab +2 melee (1d8+2 plus constrict); AC 12; HD 4d8+8; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP toss, constrict; SV Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +0; AL C.

The Giant Hand can flick an opponent, and unless the opponent succeeds in a Reflex save (DC equal to attack roll), they are tossed 5' away from the Hand per point of damage taken. Falling damage applies to tossed opponents on the basis of 1d6 per full 10' tossed (Reflex save for half, DC 10 + 5' increment tossed). The Hand cannot toss creatures larger than an ogre.

It can also attempt to grab an opponent. A grabbed opponent takes automatic damage each round, until it escapes with a DC 20 Strength check. If the Hand has an opponent in its grasp, it can make no other attacks and can only move 5' per round (using its little finger) on a 1 in 3 chance.

Crimson Renegade

In honor of Weird Frontiers, I have selected Redwest's Crimson Renegade as the next album cover to give the "Raven Crowking DCC" treatment to.

In this case, we have the titular gunman, those goggles, and that machine pistol to stat out. Also, why has the sky turned completely red? I am sure we can come up with some sort of half-baked but fun answer!

The Crimson Renegade

A legend along the Weird Frontiers of the West, the Crimson Renegade is said to be a fallen angel, a demon from the dark side of Paradise, walking the world in mortal form. Some say that the Crimson Renegade, sickened by the horrors of the Seven Days of Night, tried to leave the Path of the Damned and walk the Path of the Righteous. 

How successful that change of paths has been depends greatly upon who you ask. Violence follows the Crimson Renegade wherever he goes. Behind his angelic features is a soul drenched in whiskey, gambling, the pleasures of the flesh, and a river of spilled blood. If your hombres meet him, prepare for Hell itself to join in the dance.

The Crimson Renegade: Init +7; Atk bowie knife +4 melee (1d6) or machine pistol +6 ranged (1d8); AC 19; HD 5d10+10; hp 55; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP immune to fear/madness, healing, dead speak, side-step, death throes; SV Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +4; AL POD +2. Crit Die d12; Fumble Die d8.

The Crimson Renegade is immune to all fear and madness effects, and never needs to make a Grit Check. 

He can heal others with a touch, but only by taking their wounds upon himself. Each round he can heal 1d8 damage to a single living creature, but then takes that damage (and identical wounds) upon himself. He can cure poisons, diseases, broken bones, and paralysis by remaining in contact for a longer period, but likewise takes those conditions on himself by doing so.

The Crimson Renegade can speak to the dead as can a Calavera.

He can also side-step in a manner similar to that of a Sin Eater but at much higher cost. Instead of Personality damage, attempting to enter the spirit world causes the Crimson Renegade to weep blood. The Crimson Renegade makes his attempt with a +8 bonus to his d20, but takes damage equal to the total of the roll, whether it succeeds or not.

When the Crimson Renegade dies, his death throes depend upon what he was doing at the time. Either a shaft of light pierces the clouds, giving him a look of peace as he fades away, or the earth swallows him to the sounds of malicious laughter and cries of pain coming up from below. The judge should decide depending upon circumstances, or just determine randomly. What do you believe in more, Redemption or Punishment?

McTinker's Goggles

Let's say you catch the Crimson Renegade in a talkative mood, and you ask him where he got those fancy spectacles from. He might just tell you about a Bedlamite called McTinker. Or he might tell you some other tall tale because, truth be told, McTinker sounds like a lie, doesn't it?

Either way, the wearer of the Goggles can stare at the sun unblinking, or count the spots on a bluebottle's arse across a smoky saloon. By which I mean to say, nothing stays hidden from the wearer  of these Goggles and trying to hide will do you little good. If you're lucky, they might even stick around when the Renegade dies, instead of being caught up in his death throes.

The Machine Pistol

This beauty isn't even magical, just a thing stuck in this world way before its time. The machine pistol takes .36 ammo with a 20 shot load and a 6 shot rate of fire. It does 1d8 damage with a range of 15/50/80. There is a -1d penalty to concealment, and the weapon is beyond price. Although you can't fan the hammer with this weapon, for some reason the Crimson Renegade likes to pretend that you can. I mean, look at him in that picture; that ain't no single-action weapon!

The machine pistol takes 5 full rounds to reload. If damaged, a Bedlamite might be able to repair it. Hell, a Bedlamite might even be able to reproduce it, or something near enough, but the judge should set the cost and complexity DC high.

The Red Sky

There's an old rhyme that says

Red sky at night, sailors delight

Red sky in morning, sailors take warning

A little less well known is the third line

Red sky at noon, Death coming soon

When the sky looks like it is awash with blood, even under the noonday sun, that is a sure sign that something unnatural is walking the earth. The judge can feel free to introduce any adventure they want, and maybe this is the time for something especially wicked.

Saddle up.

You can listen to the full album here.