30wizards - Baron Baron

Baron Baron of Baronia

HD 2+2 - arrogantly low

AC 13 - quite unnecessary

Atk 1d6 - sharp and to the point

Hat trick wizard and summoner of rabbits of Arrgh, tips the Hat of Conjuration to you. With the Cape of Night and the Black Pince-Nez of Rainbows, how can you stand against his magnificent thinness?

• Pince-Nez of Rainbows - summons rainbows and holy divers. May avert evil eye (4 in 6).
• Cape of Night - Night is still looking for it. Inverts circadian rhythms. Causes insomnia. Is a very dark white. Protects against sun burn.
• Hat of Arrgh - summons Beast of Arrgh. Does not come with instructions. HD 1+1, AC 20, Atk 2d6 vorpal.
• Barron’s Ballistic Bunny - rodents fear a spell that accelerates them in ballistic trajectories. 
• Get Real Thin - reduces body volume while maintaining mass by a factor of up to π.

Complaints in the Court of Confusions

1. My neck fell off.
2. It’s right there, sir. Are you mad?
3. It must have been the purple lotus!
4. There are myrmidonoborgs in the Iron Machine of Mulachi that make new ones!
5. Why do you want mine? It’s still attached!
6. The new caryatid cravats will be the rage of the season, just ask Lady Flightshade.
7. And inside was this pearl choker. Perhaps it will convince the Silver Priestess to go to the Feast of Fools with me?
8. My dumnorian iron dwarf servant is Rusty. It’s just a bad joke. The red-haired dwarf still has no soul. Does it eat children?

30wizards - First Wizard

First Wizard Tentaclebeard

HD 7 - elegant

AC 7* - untouchable

Atk 2d7 - sparkly

Slayer of the Scumbag Sorcerer, Defeater of the Douche Demonist, the Evil Elementalist and the Wanker Wizard.

• Scarf of the Tentabeard - stops hearts with its touch and charms cephalopods.
• Eary Robe-hat of Sparkles - imbued with magic by the Mad Arch-Imp ‘Cat’ Cheerdrums.
• First Wizard’s Misrule - a cursory spell that inspires drunkenness and wild partying.
• Orb of Rubber - bounces and brings the bouncy back
• My other house is a cake-shaped crypt.

Who Will Rid Me of this Self-Absorbed Fairy Princess?

1. She ate all my cross-pies!
2. Those were priceless experiments, not imp-cakes!
3. I will not be humiliated and sparkle in daylight again!
4. He said he was a princess!
5. There is now a temporal vortex in my lavatory. Ah.
6. How dare she turn my snakes into socks?!

There is a filthy goblin in the basement playing checkers with a ghost in her head.

The Stratometaship: A Patreon Vote Your Own Adventure

If you've been following this page for any length of time, you've noticed that I occasionally draw.

I've also got too many different, partially overlapping social media accounts - not least of which patreon (https://www.patreon.com/wizardthieffighter) - and I've been tossing around different ideas for what to do.

At one point, I thought to myself. Maps. But ... those are covered.

Then I thought ... adventures. But they're also covered.

Then I gave up for a bit and just chucked up a tip jar and said, "support pictures."

And that was fine for a while.

A pinkish moon rose and fell.

And I had an idea ... I don't know when/where I'll finish my first illustrated adventure OSR DND game supplement thing. But I realized I'll be drawing all the way till there ...

... and there should be something fun to do with patrons, that doesn't actually involve me doing bonus special extra features. I hate those. I want patreon to cover my papers and pens and things like Adobe CC subscriptions and the like, while letting me keep doing what I love: draw and paint surreal trippy DnD stuff.

So ...

... you're still reading?

Well, patrons get to participate in the stratometaship "vote your own adventure" and contribute to the journey taken.

And yeah, if, when, maybe the book comes out, of course they might get .pdfs and the like. ;)

So, that's the gist of it for now!

STRATOMETASHIP

and related materials also appear here:

• https://www.instagram.com/lukarejec/ - overlaps with cute penguins and non-dnd art.
• https://www.facebook.com/wizardthieffighter/ - just starting up, a facetube alternative to G+.
• https://plus.google.com/collection/ozEE2 - the Art of WTF collection, currently the largest receptacle of stuff for WTF.

WTF Character Sheets tailored to Character Classes

I'd often thought to myself ... each class in D&D should have its own character sheet. After all, the classes do pretty different things. After making the three sheets that my WTF hack requires, I understand why there are not more class-specific character sheets.

Time. It takes time.

On the other hand, they look pretty. And I also understand more clearly why more adventures don't have infographics outlining the games for the enterprising lazy DM. Enjoy.

(should also be compatible with 3rd level 5E characters)

And for the Generics.

Improved Information Presentation for Dungeon Masters and the Slumbering Ursine Dunes

The Golden Goats (our D&D party) has chosen (on the basis of insufficient information and DM nudging) decided to (of their own free will) hit the Slumbering Ursine Dunes. This is not a review of that adventure, but I will use it for illustration.

Like many dungeon masters (referees, game masters, whateverees), I have stacks of adventures at my disposal. Infinite modules and adventures, games galore. From the OSR classics like Death Frost Doom to Zak Sabbath strangenesses like Red & Pleasant Land to the gargantuosity of Blue Medusa to short things like Gus L's Tower of the Hated Pretender and the subsequent Dread Machine and Patrick Stuart's Deep Carbon Observatory. Seriously, google those and check them out. They are good.

I've come to really appreciate pre-made adventures, because they provide me with

1. the skeleton of an adventure to run, useful when short on time, 
2. and encounters that I didn't make up myself, which is great because they challenge me when running them, expand my experience, and leave me completely indifferent to outcomes.

But one thing I have run into in every one of these adventures is the challenge of information presentation.

The information I need from an adventure as a DM is different from the information players need, furthermore I function as a medium for this information, filtering it for the players. So, the information flows a bit like this: Author (Adventure) ---> DM ---> Players. Every one of those steps is open to entropy, distortion and information loss.

But the big difference is in how information is (or should be!) presented to different audiences.

How Players Receive Information During a Game

A player receives information in a linear fashion from the DM. For example:

DM: There is a great stork in front of you. About 60 feet high. It grabs a merchant and swallows him whole.

PC: Is it blue?

DM: No.

PC: Damnit, my Arrow of Blue Slaying won't work. Can I jump on it?

DM: If you climb a nearby building or tree, it could work, but it'll be dangerous.

In this way, a player's experience is a bit like reading / playing a piece of interactive fiction with a real-live fictomancer (aka. storyteller) and dice to provide random events.

How DMs Receive Information From an Adventure

The same way. In a linear fashion.

Most adventures are laid out and written as though I, the DM, am an invisible, floating, incorporeal, somewhat mind-reading eye or spirit exploring the adventure step-by-step.

1. The sands here have been compacted by generations of ritual blood-letting by the troglocactus people. A golden cow is buried under the semi-animate dragon statue. A smelly path leads south. A sweet path leads east.
2. 1d3 orco-agave slaves are here working. Great clay bowls pock the canyon here, where the troglocactus people deposit their sappy discharges to make the delectable nectar known as peopltle. Peopltle causes a buzz and gives advantage to speaking to animals or plants and a 20% chance of seeing a vision familiar (see p. 59). A paved path leads to the adobe hut of the ogro-saguaro chief red-knocker to the west and a dirt track leads to the orco-agave slave village further south.
3. 40% chance Red-Knocker is here. The adobe hut is fine and decorated. There is always a spiny ant-eater-umber-hulk crossbreed here. She is named Mary-Louise and likes checkers. Can find rumours. Red-Knocker has blown all his gold at the Gamblehouse of Sweet Nectar Slim in Migarro, so there is no loot.

And this is kind of fun. It's like a make-my-own adventure game in some ways. I end up rooting for the Clan of Poo werebear circus performers. I chuckle at puns.

What PCs and DMs Do With Information

The player immerses herself in her own story in a linear fashion, knocking down one door after another, until she discovers the prince is in another castle. And yes, I've done that. She doesn't need to know what is (or could be) behind the window, under the hidden trapdoor, in the background or in the mind of the extra-corporeal corner-demon Pelutho who is tossing bread crumbs into this reality to fish for the souls of men (but not women, for Pelutho is not that kind of tosser).

The DM mediates the adventure to the PCs. The DM is like the adventure's Search and Map and Random Seed and Dice Rolling system mashed together with some bad voice acting and terrible theme music for fight scenes. Oh, also, while generally conducting the party like a master of ceremonies (because a good game of D&D is a party).

And therein is the problem.

As a DM during play I need a synchronous overview of the adventure at multiple levels. I need both higher and lower-level overviews, and I need more information density than a player ever experiences. Adventures try to deal with this, and many recent OSR adventures are taking steps, but they're not there yet. The essence is still linear, even in the Blue Medusa.

Information Presentation (the Example of the Slumbering Ursine Dunes)

I'm going to break-down the SUD based on the information being presented.

• p. 1 - Welcome to the Dunes - an introduction and some guidelines (not using it during play)
• p. 2 - Dunes History - dropped it, as I slotted it into Rainbowlands
• p. 3–p. 8 - Faction Behavior - this is important, but at 4 pages, I don't have the time to review it as I play. In practice, this means my rendition of the SUD diverges at the first NPC encountered.
• p. 8–9 - Rumor Table - yay! But let's hope I spot it more often. (R&PL has an interesting approach, where all the tables are (repeated?) at the back, which I like. Another cool option would be a bonus .pdf of just the tables to keep them available).
• p.9–10 - Wandering Critter Table - important. See above.
• p. 10 - Using the Map - honestly, ignored this in play.
• p. 11 - the Map - I refer to this constantly. It now has a flap, marking it in the book. This is one of the most important references in the adventure, unfortunately, like on many maps, the locations are simply numbered, not named. Maps are an area of information presentation for DMs that I think present one of the best chances for improvement in future products.
• p. 12–20 - 25 Point-crawl locations - all the "level 1 locations". A key problem is that there are two key adventure/dungeon locations, which are not marked as such on the map and require "redirection" from p. 16 to pages 20 and 30. Also, several of the small locations do also conceivable break down into smaller sub locations. Linear!
• p. 20–40 - Actually, three large dungeons, containing 3 of the factions. Together they add an additional 25, 14 and 18 locations, respectively. Each comes with specific local environment settings and encounter tables, but their maps are only at the end of the adventure. And, again, numbered. Linear!
• p. 41–43 - Chaos Index - a fun tracker-based mechanism to modify the environment based on party activities. However, notice it's location: slotted in the middle.
• p. 44–55 - Bestiary - ok, reference. It can be here, I probably won't manage to check during play, though!
• p. 55–56 - Spells - as above.
• p. 56–59 - Bonus Classes - as above.
• p.60–61 - NPC hireling pre-gens.
• p. 64–65 - maps for p. 20–40

At its core, the SUD is a location-based adventure with 4 factions, 4 location areas each with its own encounter tables, a total of c. 85 location objects + additional character and treasure objects, and several global tables and trackers (chaos index). This is an approximate information architecture of the whole adventure:

SUD information architecture: I want stuff like this when I run an adventure.

SUD does its job pretty well, but it's quite classic in that the only non-linear tool is a map, the rest of the adventure presentation is linear.

Ideas on Adventure Information Presentation for Running a Game

That quick information architecture? That's a top-level overview for a DM. Slightly below that, is a diagram breakdown of the different moving parts (objects: locations, characters, treasures, traps, tricks, etc.) and how they pertain to each other. I generally make one for every game I run (here's the DFD example. It has pictures, too.) — assuming I have at least a bit of time.

If I have time, I may try to hammer something like this out for SUD, because it's fun and I'm in the process of running it. When I run a game, I want to have the information presented to me in a dense yet visual format, that I can use to grasp what is going on and stay on the ball ... sort of like a good infographic.

This is how I envision it:

1. top-level adventure track = adventure info architecture + factions track + chaox index + key tables (this is basically a table of contents cross-pollinated with DM screen, I guess!)
2. adventure diagrams = crossbreed of map + key facts about each location (NPCs, treasures, challenges) - these should correspond to the individual adventure levels, so SUD would have four - but the level 1 (pointcrawl) should mark the entrances to sub-levels.
3. location details = this is basically an index-style presentation of the individual locations. What we already have.

I suspect every DM does some level of self-architecting before running an adventure, but my hunch is that several handout style one-pagers would make running most adventures much, much easier. If I'm write (I'll find out soon enough), a 60 page adventure like SUD really just requires 5 stand-alone .pdfs to make it ridiculously easy to run.

And now, a picture.

See the Red Dunes? Just south-west of Sfera?

Classy XP for Wizards, Thieves and Fighters

WTF the 5E light game doesn't really do XP, but maybe it should. So, here's a simple system. Based off this a bit. Hey, we're heading back to the Rainbowlands, so it's cool.

When you perform "deeds" and return to a safe haven and boast of them / prove them you gain XP as a die that you roll on the relevant XP table.

1. Discover ancient and forbidden lore - roll on the Seeker of Secrets XP table (Wizard table).
2. Retrieve treasure and loot from a 'dungeon' - roll on the Treasure Hunter XP table (Thief table).
3. Defeat / study a nemesis or new type of creature and bring back a trophy - roll on the Warrior table (Fighter table).
4. Invest proceeds in carousing / study / temple parties / foolish business ventures - i.e. the character's wealth gold is gone save for some change (Goldburner table).

Ideally, the difficulty / glory of the deed would determine the die. Basically, the deed has to be cool enough that telling the tale in a tavern would at least get the "heroes" a round of drinks and bed for the night. Something like this might work.

• Drinks are on the house - 1d4
• Hero of the hour - 1d6
• Memorable - 1d8
• They shall sing songs - 1d10

In practice, this is overcomplicated, so just a roll a 1d10, and the result also shows how impressed the townsfolk are.

Seeker of Secrets XP Table (Wizard)

1. +1 to arcana or science or medicine, 
2. +1 to religion or history or insight,
3. learn new spell (1-3: 1st level, 4-5: 2nd level, 6: 3rd level),
4. +1 to DC of one spell or +1d4 to effect of one spell,
5. +1 to Intelligence or Wisdom or Charisma,
6. +1 spell slot of (1-3: 1st level, 4-5: 2nd level, 6: 3rd level) or double scope of one spell,
7. new familiar or increase die of one spell,
8. learn new spell (1-4: 4th level, 5-6: 5th level),
9. gain 1 bonus spell per short rest,
10. +1 proficiency

Treasure Hunter XP Table (Thief)

1. +1 to acrobatics or athletics, 
2. +1 to perception or deception,
3. +1 to mechanics (thieves' tools) or sleight of hands,
4. +1 to investigation or stealth,
5. +1 to Dexterity or Intelligence
6. +2 to hp or sneak attack damage
7. new expertise or +1 to AC in light armor
8. gain advantage on surprise checks or +1 to hit with daggers or pistols
9. gain 1 bonus action per short rest
10. +1 proficiency

Warrior XP Table (Fighter)

1. +1 to acrobatics or athletics, 
2. +1 to animal handling or survival or an additional inventory slot,
3. +1 to one save (roll 1d10: 1-3: Str, 4: Dex, 5-7: Con, 8: Int, 9: Wis, 10: Cha),
4. +2 to attack or defence vs. one enemy type,
5. +1 to Strength or Constitution,
6. +4 to hp or +1 to damage with one weapon type,
7. +1 to hit with one weapon type or +1 to AC in medium or heavy armor
8. gain additional second wind
9. gain 1 bonus action per short rest
10. +1 proficiency

Goldburner Table (To Do)

1. acquire a random and unusual potion (think purple lotus powder) or gain a boon that gives advantage to 1d6 checks with an ability of choice.
2. +1 to a random save
3. acquire a property, it is (1: a house, 2: an apartment, 3: a farm, 4: a house boat, 5: a house wagon, 6: a deed to a ruin)
4. acquire a loyal henchperson (1: a wizard, 2: a thief, 3: a fighter, 4: a slave, 5: a fop, 6: an intelligent animal or plant)
5. become inducted into a secret society of (1: inept amateur magicians, 2: corporate rogueish merchants, 3: dashing heroes, 4: underhanded navigators and adventurers, 5: local nobles, 6: local revolutionaries)
6. acquire a masterful and possibly magical (1: weapon, 2: armor, 3: book, 4: steed or vehicle, 5: trinket, 6: toolkit or dice)
7. +1 to a random stat
8. acquire a stake in a business such as a (1: local brewery, 2: local food joint, 3: local metalworker, 4: local alchemical shop or druggist, 5: local protection racket, 6: local affiliated corporate security outfit)
9. obtain a promise from a local shady cult of a (1: free reincarnation, 2: greater metachemical healing, 3: stored clone body, 4: teleportal intervention when you break this totally safe gas-filled bauble, 5: a one-use summoning figurine, almost certain to summon a demon under your control, 6: a single-use ten-hour sanctuary amulet)
10. gain a bonus HD for hit point recovery or acquire a bonus feat or an additional bonus fatigue rank.

Healerrior - The Healing Warrior

A player joined our group and asked to play a healing warrior. So we made one. These were the notes:

HD - like thief
Armor & Weapons - like warrior
Spells - like wizard, remove one ... (2nd level) - 3 cantrips, 4 level 1, 2 level 2 - spell slots: 3, 3, 1

Spells cost: 2 hit points, cantrips count as level 1

subtype - rustumani leveller / breaker of chains
no chains,
chosen weapons: hammer and sickle

spells

Now lets turn that into the ... Healerrior?

Class Features:

• Hit Dice: 3d8
• Hit Points: 16 + 3 * Con modifier
• Spells: cost 2 hit points or ability points per spell level, cantrips count as level 1 for cost, rituals vary.
• Spells Known: 3 cantrips, 4 L1, 2 L2
• Spell Slots: 3 cantrip, 3 L1, 1 L2

• Armor proficiency (roll d6): 1: light and shields, 2: light, shields and medium, 3: all organic armors and shields only, 4: all metal armors and shields, 5–6: all armors and shields.
• Weapon proficiency: all weapons.
• Tools: healer's kit and (roll d6) 1: barber's kit, 2: herbalist's kit, 3: surgeon's kit, 4: scribe's kit, 5: thief's tools, 6: musical instrument (1d4: 1: bongo drums, 2: flute, 3: harmonica, 4: lute).
• Saving Throws (roll d6): 1–3: Con and Wis, 4: Str and Wis, 5: Str and Con, 6: Dex and Wis.
• Skills (roll d6 twice): 1: History, 2: Dialectics (Persuasion), 3: Insight (Clairvoyance), 4: Psychological Opiates and Religion, 5–6: Medicine and Opiates.

Class Features:

• Fighting Style (roll d6): 1: archery (+2 ranged), 2: defense (+1 AC w armor), 3: dueling (+2 dmg with 1h weapon and no shield), 4: great-weapon fighting (reroll 1 and 2 with 2h weapon), 5: protection (reaction to Disadvantage an attack against an adjacent target), 6: two-weapon fighting (add ability mod to second attack damage).
• Forbidden Weapons by the Grace of Reason and Faith (roll d6): 1: blunt weapons, 2: edged weapons, 3: chain weapons, 4: ranged weapons, 5: melee weapons, 6: magic weapons.
• Chosen Weapons (roll d6): 1: hammers and sickles, 2: quarterstaffs, 3: swords, 4: pistols, 5: great axes, 6: scythes and polearms — grant (roll d4): 1: +2 to hit, 2: +1 AC, 3: +2 to damage, 4: greater critical range (19–20).
• Healing (roll d6): 1: kiss, 2: touch, 3: whisper, 4: bite, 5: strike, 6: blood. Functions as Lay on Hands (PHB p.84), restore 15hp per long rest. Neutralize poison or disease = 5 hp.
• Second Wind: self heal for 1d10+3 hp once per short rest.
• Action Surge: take additional action 1/turn, use twice per short rest.

Level Up (roll d20):

1. +1 proficiency,
2. gain 2 hp,
3. gain 2 hp,
4. gain 3 hp,
5. gain 3 hp,
6. +1 cantrip spell slot
7. improve 1 ability score by 1,
8. improve 1 ability score by 1,
9. extra attack,
10. gain +1 L1 spell slot,
11. gain +5 to healing pool,
12. learn new skill or become expert in existing skill,
13. learn new weapon,
14. gain +2 to hit with existing weapon,
15. d6: 1–4: +1 level 2 spell slot, 5–6: +1 level 3 spell slot
16. gain +1 AC with armor type (light, medium or heavy)
17. gain one feat (see PHB),
18. improve 1 ability score by 2
19. healthy as a mule, gain advantage on all saves vs. poison and magical disease, gain immunity to regular disease,
20. healing discharge: every time you use a healing spell, an additional 2 + spell level hit points are restored to you or another adjacent creature of your choice.

How Death Frost Doom Was Won

I ran Death Frost Doom for my party (approx. sessions 49 to 53). Death Frost Doom is for many the original negadungeon. I ran a printout of the .pdf version 2, the one revised in 2014 by Zak S of Playing D&D With Pornstars (great blog, go read it).

It has reviews like,

"It's very atmospheric and mysterious, but the mystery doesn't give the players any clues to solve it. In the end, if they do the right thing it will by chance ..."

And:

"the "winning" scenario is damn near impossible."

I am sad to say these reviews were wrong. I was quite unable to execute a TPK. Not only that, all the PCs survived mostly unharmed and with their macguffin in hand!

Spoilers follow.

...

The Set Up
Because I'm lazy sometimes, I followed the instructions on the set up:

If this adventure is a part of a campaign (LR: well, if you can call my improvisations a campaign, sure): feed the players stories of inconceivable wealth hidden in the mountain, inside the shrine of an ancient death cult. If the players are in search of a special book, sword or other storied trinket it is rumored to be there (and is—probably in Area 22—but don't tell them that yet).

Ok, so ... the PCs have killed the pepper pot defense units (daleks), taken over Facility Zero, activated the Cryogi®™, and found out that to fully activate it they need to refuel the Facility Main Core. After successfully merging personalities with the mummified remains of Jane Smith, the Facility Administrator, in the Modified Ur-Reality Development Expansion Recreator™, Adobe Suttle accessed the lower level Builder Subroutine, which identified a location where an intact radiothermal barrel had been stored.

In the Mouths of the Meat Mountain of Madness™.

I believe the name of the location successfully alerted the PCs to the ridiculous potential lethality of this location.

I also outlined the whole adventure for myself to help run it in my notebook:

The Approach & The Cabin

The Shrine. Notice the Thumbworm of Doom.

...

The Play Through
DFD has a rather simple structure: Approach / Cabin / Shrine.

The Approach, which can be run as pretty much atmospheric. I added some random encounter tables, including a snow demon in the snow because Longwinter 2. The PCs ran from all encounters (saving those precious, rare hps), treated the rustic PC very kindly and generally did fine here.

The Cabin is a creepy, haunty cabin. The PCs mucked around with everything, and got useful information from much that was there. They were generally careful and nobody died terribly. The purple lotus powder was very popular. But again, nobody died. Hint: the painting shows the altar, which is where the holy radiothermal barrel was also displayed! With a pictomancer who can pass through paintings / walk into paintings, this was really harvested for information. The mad wizards also took samples of all the liquids and strange things they found for "later study".

The Shrine is the biggest part of the adventure and home of the death cult. It thematically splits into three interconnected sections: the cathedral and priest quarters (but the priests are long dead), the tombs of the greater dead (with lots of role-play opportunities here), and the crypts of the thousands of cult sacrifices.

First comes the cathedral and quarters. All the skulls and creepiness do give the game away, but the organ is a great toy and temptation a great mistress. Quinn and Todd played with it a lot, and ended up ageing 20 years each. Salami stole the offerings and was cursed with a disadvantage on all attack rolls. They explored the quarters thoroughly and found the connecting shaft to the tombs.

In the tombs they discovered the interrogator, and dispatched it, then next opened the tomb of the architect. There they had long discussions with the architect and learned about the praetor-pontifex. This was enough for them and they decided to first clear out the cathedral, while temporarily blocking the shaft.

After carefully going through everything that was left, they entered the crypts. There they found the the countless mummies. They methodically burned the priest and warrior mummies, collecting the melted jewellery afterwards. Going forward, they came to the parasite and became very, very careful. Quinn matched the parasite's song and Doc Odd gingerly removed the radiothermal barrel from the altar using the floating cheshire cat. They also tested one of the globes, and found it awakened a commoner mummy.

At this point, they sealed the commoner crypts and walked away.

And that was that! One interrogator killed and a couple of thousand sleeping mummies burned. One radiothermal barrel recovered.

...

The Summary
DFD is one large, scary, set bear trap. Everything else in the adventure is predicated on the PCs poking stuff.

A careful group that doesn't treat each adventure as a slaughter-yard / monster-hunting expedition should do fine. There are no "trick" gotchas - right from the get-go, the adventure makes clear how lethally dangerous things _can_ be. If a PC ignores the skulls, the curses, the warnings, and still picks up protected items, well, a PC suffers the effects.

OK, there is one "trick" in the dungeon that isn't explained well for players: the big skull countdown timer. It's not actually linked to something coming alive and hurting them, but to how much time they will have to escape once / if they awaken the dead horde.

When running the adventure, I was clear in the descriptive warnings and up front about risks, e.g., "the skull altar looks menacing," "the black water is dank and has an evil smell," "curses and warnings are depicted on the walls", "walking over the sleeping parasites looks like it will be very hard and there are so many spheres you might crush some of them," "the ice around the mummies of the warriors, in this second crypt, has already melted a bit more than the ice around the priest mummies."

Overall, I had a lot of fun running DFD. I think the players did, too.

One thing to keep in mind: if you have a game system that makes it hard to create new characters, neither the referee nor the players will want to see characters die! This is bad! Make character generation faster, and the games will be more fun!

...

Poking At Details

1. the map should have page numbers on it for faster reference.
2. white text on dark background doesn't leave space for notes.
3. I lost the printed out handout maps at some point.
4. I'll think of some more, but those are it for the moment.

...

The System
I run a 5E D&D game - more or less. You can find more about it here. I don't use backgrounds, bonds, inspiration, feats (mostly), and limit the maximum power range of characters to about levels 5–6. Individual spells, items, abilities, can exceed this by a lot, but hit points are generally low. I generally use morale (2d6), re-roll initiative each round, more lethal death rules (on 0 save or die, option for healer to rush in and use heal check instead of failed save), longer rests.

I had no problems converting the module on the fly.

...

Dramatis Personae (characters in italics present for most sessions).
Doc "Odd" Todd the Dentist Wizard / Mad Scientist, his Stage Coach, his Cheshire Cat Demon Familiar,
Salami Rocquefort the Gunslinger / Rogue, his henchman "Hi" John the Weed Cultist,
Adobe Suttle the Pictomancer AND Jane Smith, Facility Administrator Purple Class
Quinn Medicine Warrior the Warrior, her Goat Crystal Stardust, her Cat-Xenomorph Splice Jones
The Finisher, Saloon Brawler and Martial Artist,
Lem Goh, the Dwarf Technomancer who believes himself a golem,
Rod the Speed Freak / Fighter,
a few others that I forget right now ...

Session 50: Paranoia and Pyromania

A mad scientist dentist, a barroom brawler known only as "Finisher", a bearded pistolero, a bearded golem, a charlatan alchemist and a skinchanger gentleman explorer walk into Death Frost Doom. "On the walls are depictions of Duvan'ku priests leading the innocent to unholy sacrifice. The priests all wear balloon pants, fashionable vests and statement tall hats." Gentleman Explorer, "Can't touch this." "Yes, the Duvan'ku are all indeed wearing hammer pants." ... "The crypts of the priests are full of mummies, liquid time ice sublimating away." "How many are there?" "You estimate more than a thousand." "We should burn them." ... Smoke rises from the top of the mountain, as the party systematically torches the mummies. Bless the PCs' dark, paranoid little hearts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummy_paper#Other_industrial_uses_for_mummies

WTF Character Sheet v2

Building a character? Make your own sheet. Or grab this ultra-basic variant.

It might look like I haven't been up to anything ... but the last few months have seen me drawing copiously. Thanks for your patience!

Calendar of Longwinter2

One of the challenges of Longwinter is that time is limited and with the slow healing rules (long rest = 1 week, short rest = 1 day), time passes quickly. At first I thought I'd generate the weather completely, using a few complex weather tables. After a single play test, it turned out to be a rather silly idea. :'(

Instead, I'm pre-building the time table for the icebox. The reason it's a bit spread out is because I'm going to layout the whole thing as pages for taking notes on what the PCs are doing. Eventually.

It is the month of Rawearth

Week 1 - first light snows fall, Christmas wonderland, cool air, birds in trees (1: light breeze, 2: gentle snow, 3: rain and mud, 4: clear and cold, 5: wind with the smell of raw earth, 6: overcast and menacing). - 30% chance rain or snow makes tracking difficult.
Mon:
Tue:
Wed:
Thu:
Fri:
Sat:
Sun:

Week 2 - the soils harden, weak sun rays melt some of the snow, frosts and mists in the mornings, the last leaves fall (1: calm and cold and damp, 2: depressing drizzle from an overcast sky, 3: sudden, short flurries of snow, 4: clear with the smell of wood smoke, 5: an odd rumbling thunderstorm over the mountains, 6: a cold and grim day). - 50% chance sodden mud and slush makes tracking easy.
Mon: - Firstday of the Tsar's Mass when the Blue Pig shall be shanked.
Tue:
Wed:
Thu:
Fri:
Sat:
Sun:

Week 3 - the days brighten, then a snow starts to fall. First light, then heavier. Soon it is snowing without cease until all is white (1: bright and cold, 2: bright and warm, 3: light snow, 4: heavy snow, 5: blizzard, 6: white out). - heavy snow makes travel and tracking difficult, fresh snow makes tracking easy.
Mon:
Tue:
Wed:
Thu:
Fri: - Potnik Solstice, celebration of the Grey Walker,
Sat: - Tsarist Solstice, celebration of the unvictored Son, Feast of the Lower Line, the Black Sabbath that rekindles the Fire of Life.
Sun:

Week 4 - the snowfall ends, the landscape is blanketed in white and silence, an eagle flies soundlessly (1: calm and cold, 2: a vicious cold snap, 3: in a sudden warm spell a snowdrop blooms, 4: light snowfall and a rainbow haze, 5: dark clouds gather and press in close, 6: hazy clouds and an eclipse of the sun) - cold snaps makes survival checks difficult.
Mon:
Tue:
Wed: - St. Douglas' Day when the Fir is celebrated.
Thu:
Fri:
Sat:
Sun: - Eve of the Holy Pig when the pork is smoked.

It is the month of Glowgrow

Week 5 - the weather seems to hold its breath, ice and frosts sparkle on the trees, sleighs with bells jingle in the streets (1: morning frosts, 2: heavy hoar frosts beard the trees like old men, 3: calm and clear, 4: cold and windy, 5: light rainbow fog, 6: clouds gather above the mountain peaks like a flock of storm crows) - on frosty days tracking is easy.
Mon:
Tue:
Wed: - Shkraeti Solstice of the Darkened Heart
Thu:
Fri: - First Levelsday of Rustum
Sat:
Sun:

Week 6 - howling banshee winds bring dark clouds racing from the Cold Dwellings of Father Frost (1: rushing gales set shutters flapping and snow flurries flying, 2: amidst strong winds a sudden hailstorm hits, 3: unusual red lightning strikes the ridges, 4: sleet falls in dour sheets, 5: rolling like a wall, the cold pushes fog and frost before it, 6: sudden silence and snow that falls, seeming without end) - in wind, ranged attacks are difficult, in sleet or snow tracking, travel and survival checks are difficult.
Mon:
Tue:
Wed:
Thu:
Fri: - Second Levelsday of Rustum
Sat:
Sun:

Week 7
Mon:
Tue:
Wed:
Thu:
Fri: - Great Levelsday of Rustum, start of the 36 days of Peregrination
Sat:
Sun:

Week 8

It is the month of Icicles

Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12

It is the month of Littlegrass

Week 13
Week 14

Week 15
Mon:
Tue:
Wed:
Thu:
Fri:
Sat: - Wintersdead Eve
Sun: - New Year's Day

Week 16

Crowning the Rainbow King?

d110 Pseudo-Magical Tomes

Transported to WTF from Cauldrons & Clerics (my less amusingly named former blog), a cullated list of tomes with great help and motivation from the G+ OSR Community (looking at Grey Knight, Chris Tamm, Keith J Davies and Noah Stevens in particular).

1. Teobaldik's Necrologicon – a book on the theory of necromancy.
2. The Voerrecian Interpretations of the Ancestors – a book on necromancy.
3. Childred's Vivifective Sourcebook – a book on reanimating the dead.
4. Forma Pelluriana – a book on shape shifting.
5. Philip's Draconiforma – a book on shape shifting with an emphasis on dragons.
6. Miscellania Pyrologica – a book on miscellaneous fire magics.
7. Onin's Elementary Pyrotechnics – a book on explosive and elemental spells.
8. Anthologia Cryomantica – a book on ice spells and weather forecasting in winter.
9. Nevan's Codex Nevens – a book on snow magic.
10. The Collected Scrolls of the Chapter of Susurrations – a book on snake magic.
11. Principia Velenosa – the principles of poisons.
12. Childred’s Resurrected Works – a book on raising the dead.
13. Echo’s Soothing Chrestomathy – a book of healing and cleansing spells.
14. Indra’s Waters of Life – a book on healing draughts and rains.
15. Iz Sidri’s Manual of the Protection of Sacred Life – a book on hunting the undead.
16. De Aque Sancte – a book on holy waters of different sorts.
17. Jillian’s Phantasmagoricystica – a book on phantasmal spells.
18. Derigeur’s Mirror of Smoke – a book on illusion spells.
19. Salic’s Lex Sanguifecta – a book on the law of blood magic.
20. The Diary of a Leech – a book on blood magic and healing.
21. Piniped’s By the Sword of the Gods – a book on holy weapons and enchantments
22. The Crusade of the Interstices – a book on holy battle magic and travelling the Paths of the Voids.
23. Ulrik’s Monographia Insomniae – a book on nightmare magic.
24. The Umbral Tome – an anonymous book on shadow magic.
25. Iz Kronske’s Theoriae Petromantiae – on the theories of rock magic.
26. 2nd Principia Geomantica – the higher principles of earth magics, anonymous.
27. Hydromantia of Laurent od Sushotsk – an introductory tome of water magic.
28. Elementaria Aquatica – on water elementals.
29. Encyclopaedia Phytomantica – a compendium of plant spells.
30. Shrub Wizard for Life, by W. E. Bos – an overview of shrub and tree magic.
31. Portando il fine – anonymous book of death magic.
32. Lilander’s Entropia – a book of death and entropic magic.
33. De Rarum Daemonicum – a book on daemons and their summoning.
34. The Excorcist’s Cookbook – a book on fighting daemonic possession.
35. The Fires of Hell, by E. Quimble – a book on hellfire.
36. Codex Contegatiae – a collection of works on protective spells.
37. The Golden Armour of Nilnamur – a book on protective magic.
38. Magnifica Abjuratica – a poorly spelled book on more protective magic.
39. Filinda’s Tricks and Traps – a book of magic tricks and camouflage tips.
40. Der Doppelganger – a book on doppelgangers and the changing of faces.
41. Petra Alchimistica – a book on the philosopher’s stone
42. Solvents Versal and Universal – a book on acid magics.
43. The Arrow of Acid and Other Elixirs – a book on acid arrows and various odd elixirs.
44. Miffle’s Meta-metallurgica – a book on meta-metallurgy and alchemy.
45. Iota’s Energia Mystica – a book on spells of force.
46. Theresia’s Telekinaesthetics – a book on telekinetics.
47. Cooking Clerics, by W. Itch – a book of potion recipes for the budding witch.
48. De Orbis Malefex – a book on curses and evil eyes.
49. Tellurian’s the Mastery of Puppets – a book on voodoo and curses.
50. Riding the Lightning, by I. Stormborn – a book of electric spells and magics.
51. A Rare Light, by McFilinda – a book of light spells.
52. Principiae Lucens en Spectrals – a book on spells of the electromagnetic spectrum.
53. Channelling for Chumps, by U. Krum – an advanced book on war magic.
54. The Death Dealer – a semi-autobiographical book on battle magic.
55. Hippie Hexen Herbarium – a compendium of herbal potions and decoctions.
56. Opus Herbata – more herbal spells.
57. The Clock of Fate – a book on trapping elemental souls in clockwork cages.
58. Vaporous Layaboutry – a book on steampunk magic.
59. The Clockwork Goblin, by S. Tubbins – a book on automata.
60. Origen’s Exothermonomicon – a book on magical bombs.
61. Shilben’s The Perversions of the Mind – a book on psionic spells.
62. Handel’s Tabulations of the Razor – a book on domination and mind control.
63. Sachsen’s Magic Axe – a book of heavy metal bard spells.
64. The Thunder of the Gods – a book of loud sonic spells.
65. Karver’s Resilience of Rust – a book on the rust monster and the replication of its powers.
66. Cyclopedia Golemica – a book on the manufacture of golems.
67. I, Golem – a semi-autobiographical magic book on golem programming.
68. Wyrding for Women – a book on divination.
69. The Scissors of Life – a tome on astrology and curses.
70. The Seven Forbidden and Hidden Tomes of Unknown Contents: the Skin Book of Innumerable Eyes, Ulrik’s Gazes Beyond the Void, the Six Tongues of the Fast Stars, Origen’s The Stars Like Dust, Curiosites of de Vooid, Handel’s Calculations of the Immortal Mind, Krasius’ Rips in the Sail of Time.
71. The Perpidexicon of Knaardge - insane geometry and esoteric poetry (Chris Tamm)
72. Mysteries of True Form: A pamphlet on the regular solids and their magical connections to higher planes of existence. (Grey Knight)
73. Agamu's Matters Relating to the Care of Rulers: A carefully-worded treatise useful for those wishing to become an éminence grise.  Without going so far as to directly state anything incriminating, to the discerning reader the tome gives tips on controlling from behind the throne, including some subtle spells which superficially appear beneficial to the recipient. (Grey Knight)
74. A Booke of Babie-Catching - a lavishly illustratted twoe kolor toom desined fore de expert midwyf hoe woudde improewe haar skilles with severale jusefull spelles and ointments for Healing, de Easing off Paines, de Blessinge of Chinderens ande de Skaring Awaye off Eville Spiritts. (LR)
75. Deringle's Spelling in Spelles: a treatise on the importance of properly archaic spelling for maximum magical magnificence. (LR)
76. On The Discovery of Changelings : a worn folio illuminated manuscript describing the methods of finding out children and adults whose forms have been replaced by faerie creatures. None of the spells actually work or do anything. The book radiates subtle magic a la Nystul's Magic Aura (Noah Stevens)
77. Riobalt's On the Permutations of the Elements - a weighty alchemical tome on ways to transmute gold into other, less valuable metals and ores through the application of time and effort. (LR)
78. This collection of scrolls is marked with an ancient glyph for PROTECTION, and, on the inside, the words for BANISHING and DESTRUCTION in beautiful illuminated script. It seems at first reading a series of instructions for managing safety from various entities ranging from bothersome to evil. Upon closer reading, it is just that, only it's talking about ways to effectively secure your house from a variety of household pests and nuisances. Some of the suggested tactics are magical, others mundane. (Shoe Skogen)
79. Kaasandra's Tome of Prophecies Ignored - a pseudo-autobiographical work detailing the woe that befell those who did not heed the prophecies of Kaasandra of Nuurt. Among the dross are several useful spells for making people forget small things, like where they left the keys yesterday, as well as a rare version of the ancient Sumoninge of Sockes, which is a curse that removes one sock, never a pair, from the target's luggage, baggage, chest or wardrobe. :) (LR)
80. Fulster's Transnominacon - a tome with a lot of name magic, including spells for permanently altering the true names of other wizards, weakening their spellcraft. (LR)
81. Cereth's Manual of Nothing: creative uses for voids, holes, and absences of things.  Includes instructions on how to build your own "hole box", with which to collect holes from things.  Cereth recommends taking the keyhole from your house with you when you go out — you can even leave the key behind to confuse burglars a bit more!  Advanced topics include how to sew several holes together to make a net. (Grey Knight)
82. Zuiker's Pyscathonomica Profunda - seventeen different fish based magics and a guide to how to catch a fish without actually cheating very obviously. (LR)
83. The Loosening of the Arrow - a mystical work that describes archery and its practice, as well as several enchantments and evocations that aid the teaching and firing of arrows from a bow. (Noah Stevens)
84. Il Sas Domine by Peotra the Second - a tome on the properties of divine stones and the uses of standing stones in divine magic. (LR)
85. Beyond the  Studies of the Vermicelli Mentali or Mind Worms, sometimes translated as Mind of the Flying Spaghetti Monster  - those magics so corrupting that merely reading them lodges them in the magic users brain, where they corrupt him and drive him toward malign Kaos. (LR and Keith J Davies)
86. Lo! Apprehension of the Great Noodley One – a book of magic tricks, biology and numerology. (LR and Keith J Davies)
87. Biblia Pastariffica - over thirty-seven fully fledged pasta based magics, including the ritual for summoning Tensorio's Floating Plate of Pasta, capable of carrying up to 33 pounds of pasta, as well as Pelatio's Instant Pesto, which automagically transforms available ingredients into a thermally treated purée perfect for adding to cooked pasta. (LR) Teratic/Mythos version: including living creatures... but you are compelled to eat heartily. (Keith J Davies)
88. Kompendio Kompetitivo de Mensen Pugnalant - a compendium of spells to incite greater competitiveness in testosterone fuelled competitors, written in execrable vulgate by the Ringmaster Iu Dauron. (LR)
89. Movements of the Ents and the Magical Properties Thereof : a work in low Entish, or perhaps Sahaugin (in the 2nd edition) that describes a single spell that may be learned by studying the prolonged mating dances of Ents that sometimes take up to a thousand years to observe in their entirety (Noah Stevens)
90. The Temporal Compendium to the Movements of the Ents - includes a short discourse on trans-temporality and a spell for the chronopetrification of the participant, allowing him to observe an entire entish mating dance in the form of a petroglyph inscribed upon a cliff or other large, flat surface. (LR)
91. Zwibli's Schweinmenschen und Vogelfrauleinen - a short volume on defensive polymorphication and the determination of compatible animal forms for opponents.
92. Ariog od Tamakau's The Way of All Flesh - a grossly padded and voluble volume detailing magics for the creation of flesh golems and electrick zombies.
93. Sambana's Swordes of Soursery - a fascinating volume on all the different magical swords you will never possess as well as a recipe for crafting a sword +1½.
94. Elrick's of Yon Coult of de Blaue Oeyster - a treatise on planeswalking, limbo, black blades and the summoning of coultosauroses.
95. Historie of Daemons & Wizards, an Illustrated Compendium - a guide to different daemon summoners and what happened to them, also includes a do-it-yourself summoning ritual. Guaranteed safe or your money backe.
96. De Waggone Withoute Horses - a story by the half-mad wizard Necropius dealing with time-travel and meeting the "ghost in the shell".
97. Visshalt's Kompendium Delique Portee - a tome on the portals into the fae realms and certain fae spells.
98. Oeilburforse's Vilis a Levioribus Tractandis Hora Prandii - dealing with rapid and effective spells against liches as well as magic to keep dinner warm while you go adventuring.
99. Oot's Giokando Per Vintere - a tome of wine magic and how to regularly win while gambling, forbidden in most casinos.
100. Piniped's Eminently Useful Tome - a magical tome of numerous spells for dealing with poisons, digestive issues and other similar afflictions. Comes with fifty magically replenishing empty, thin, soft sheets of paper in the back of the book.
101. Bursting of the Chest - a guide to the many ways that the heart may break through love.
102. Two-hundred Names for Snow - a book that purports to summon the soul of snow.
103. A Tale of a False Horse - a tome dedicated to the transmogrification of the horse into the false horse.
104. The Naming of the Wrom - a collection of scrolls penned by the half-dyslexic wizzard Monomorphos of Mestemium, which may help bind a worm to the summoner.
105. The Bonding and the Beast - a treatise on the creation of an inhumane bond between warrior and warbeast, akin to the link between wizard and familiar, but more profoundly manly and warrior-like.
106. The Blade-Book of Mechthonos - a chtonic codex engraved on thirty-three copper daggers dedicated to the arts of blade-ah-sutra.
107. Nirvana for Nyarlhotep - a short collection of binary beads that provide enlightenment to extra-prismatic beings descending to the third dimensional plane.
108. The Zen of Motor Maintenance - a magic tome that teaches a cycle-wizard to power their cycle through sheer will, even after the body of the cycle has died.
109. Kolok's Cockles by V. Twine - a strange book on the soul-cycles of the common cockle vendors of the port of Kolok.
110. The Eleventh Age and the Comportment of the Psychopomps - a guide to how to behave around the guides leading the soul into the twelfth age. 

More Fighters (bit by bit)

In the post entitled, succinctly, "The Fighter", I described the basic Fighter of WTF and a few subtypes. I'm adding another subtype here.

Speed Freak
The speed freak's mind is like a compass, stopping at nothing. He's got fire in his pocket and he's lit up like a rocket, veins ablaze with the scurrying, urging, demanding need for speed.

• HD: 3d10
• HP: 20 + 3 * Con modifier
• Spells: cost 3 hit points or ability points per spell level, cantrips count as level one, rituals vary.
• Armor proficiency (roll d6): 1: light, 2: light and medium, 3: light and shields, 4: light, medium and shields, 5: shields only, 6: metal armors and shields only,
• Weapon proficiency: all weapons with a single damage die (so no great swords, they deal 2d6),
• Tools (roll d6): 1: mechanic's tools, 2: instrument (drums, bass guitar, trumpet or harmonica), 3: tinker's tools, 4: carpenter's tools, 5: gambling tools, 6: druggist's tools
• Saving Throws (roll d6): 1–2: Str and Dex, 3: Dex and Con, 4: Dex and Int, 5: Dex and Wis, 6: Dex and Cha,
• Skills: as per PHB (p. 72)

Starting abilities:

• Fighting Style (roll d6): 1: archery (+2 ranged), 2: dueling (+2 dmg with 1H weapon and no shield), 3: two-weapon fighting (add ability mod to second attack damage), 4: spear-fighting (+2 to hit with polearms), 5: dirty fighting (+1d6 sneak attack damage as thief), 6: pistolero (+2 dmg with pistols).
• Second Wind (as PHB 72) - self heal for 1d10 + 3 hp per short rest,
• Super Surge - two additional actions in a round, 1 times per short rest,

Speed Freak abilities:

• Faster and Faster - every time the speed freak rolls maximum damage on damage dice (e.g. 4 on a 1d4 or 13 on a 1d13), the speed demon gets an extra attack.
• Death Shot - can use reaction to make one final attack on being dropped to 0 hp, the death shot is an automatic critical if it hits.

Level up as fighter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7tTZTF2CyY