GaryCon V Recap Post- Part III: The Weekend

Ladies and gentlemen, sorry about the delay. This is Michael here, and I kinda agreed a while back to write up my last two days of GaryCon to get the lead-in to Dave's last two days. Sadly, I've been having a host of issues, so I've kept things delayed... a few months. I really need to finish this up. SO! Where were we?

Saturday started pretty well honestly. It was the one day Dave and I were going to be sharing two games, and the first game was Mutant Future. Or to be more accurate, using the Mutant Future setting to play out an episode of THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN! Ah, nostalgia and kids' shows. And the GM honestly rocked. ( +Tim Snider of The Savage Afterworld- Dave) I won't go too heavy into details, god knows Dave might want to, but this was a GREAT game, with the GM playing up the motif with the opening credits played on his laptop, as well as a commercial break. Lots of fun, imaginative playing of the setting, and honestly we really abused some of the opportunities we got. Great game and great start. I think we kinda beat it a bit early, got handed free settings books for if we wanted to do Thundarr ourselves, and went off to eat some before our next game. (Long story short, I managed to quadruplicate Ookla to defeat the enemy. -Dave)

Again, that was intended to be our first game, and I was looking forward to my second as well. See, the followup was a game of Dungeon! I really love that game, and I do need to get a copy of it myself. (I got one! -Dave) Wizards of the Coast did a reprint of the game so if you like board games, pick it up. Again, it was hosted by the creator of the game, who's name escapes me, Dave will probably correct it in. (David Megarry -Dave) And he told again the story of the game, showing the first edition and the tables it was originally played on. Very cool stuff. Sadly, I got to feeling unwell by the time the history was told, and had to excuse myself. So I got to miss out on the actual game itself. Went back to my room and rested most of Saturday away, using my laptop to keep in contact with people online and post some in forums. Even sick, I did some role-playing. Shush.

And that takes me to Sunday, and the last game on my list. The one I'd been looking forward to all con. Call of Cthulhu. Honestly, I'd never played it and I'd wanted to for SO LONG. I love the Lovecraftian setting and I really had been looking forward to it. By the time I got there, there were about five other players waiting, and more showing up as we settled in to talk and chat. Friends and people I'd met from prior cons, I was really looking forward to the game!

And the GM never showed up. Nobody knew what happened to him, where he was. Talked to the con staff, they had no idea what was going on. Table was bleeding players as people went to try and see if there were openings in second pick games when yet again the awesome con staff came through. There was someone with some experience in Call who was willing to GM for us. Great man, I REALLY wish I could remember his name (I am HORRIBLE with names) (Don't ask me, I was playing Traveler at the time- Dave) who more or less ran us through a condensed form of one of his basic sessions. Dave came along during the game, his own game plans kinda shot, and he sat to watch a good deal of the fun as we tried to investigate through a mysterious death and tragic murder. (No, my game went pretty well actually -Dave) All of it looked to lead up to an occult conspiracy and a plan to summon an elder god, and two of our impromptu group got captured by cultists and held in a prison under their base. The rest of us came in, not knowing they were trapped, and confronted the leader of the cult...

And I will admit part of this was my just being kinda tired and feeling ready to head home, but... When the cult leader asked us if there was anything he could say to get us on his side? I sold everyone out, kinda. I'd been hired, NOT paid, and had been working this nonsense without any hope of recompense. I think it rather tickled the GM that I was more than happy to be paid off, and my detective left the rest of them behind to cash his check and get on the first ship he could find to France, get as FAR away from all that nonsense as he could. Honestly? Great end to my last day.

Dave and I had already packed up the car so, we left. Got lunch at a nice out of the way place with... Crap. Dave, tell the rest of the story, my brain is pudding for names.

Afterwards we hung out with +Christopher Stogdill, +Carolyn Stogdill, +Paul Raasch and +Scott Schwartz at Hogs & Kisses in Lake Geneva for lunch before heading home. Overall, it was a great time.

In related news, GaryCon VI has officially been announced for March 27-30, 2014. For more information go to garycon.com

50 Days Till GaryCon! Yesterday, Today and B1.

By now everyone has heard about DnDClassics.com, yes?

Like most everyone else in the OSR that has heard, I also grabbed a free copy of Module B1 In Search of the Unknown. I never had a copy of the original when I started playing D&D. Or if I did it has been long lost and forgotten. But I also have a PDF copy of B3 Palace of the Silver Princess, that I got for free from Wizards of the Coast back when they offered it on their site, and I noticed something interesting about the two modules. They have a lot of instances where they expect the GM to fill in the details of the module themselves.

This is one of those things that I believe separate the OSR from modern games. In the OSR, there is a pretty big 'do-it-yourself' mentality when it comes to gaming, and especially GMing. The idea that a Dungeon Master could take a published module and stock it with monsters, traps and treasures in a completely different manner from another GM is one that seems to call to the old-school gamer and horrify the new generation. For those of us that started in the 70s and 80s it was our game. By that I mean that regardless of the rules, published modules and magazine articles, in the end you were the one responsible for creating the world you ran and/or played in. No rules on how to resolve a particular issue? Make something up. The module you purchased isn't set in your campaign setting? Move it to your campaign and change a few words to make it fit. Party is too high level for the adventure, beef up the monsters for a greater challenge.

Nowadays, too many gamers want something 'official' before they will use it. Creativity has been stifled in the name of uniformity. Somehow, gamers have become afraid of the companies that produce their favorite games rather than seeing them as a provider of resources for their own home game. Any challenge must first be approved by the Powers That Be lest it force the new gamer to think and grow. Players have gone from recalling the time they traveled to the Barrier Peaks to ticking adventures of a to-do list so they can reach the next level and make sure it's been reported in the proper online database.

Pfft. I'm a gamer. I game to have fun. I game to be challenged and to offer challenges myself. To think. To learn. To grow. Give me something I'm not expecting. Give me something me and the other gamers can laugh about for years to come.

I'm in search of the unknown. Give me that.

GaryCon 2012 Catalog is up!

Apparently, the event catalog for GaryCon IV went up last weekend. Sign-up for events start on the 29th. Just a reminder that I am running an open event on Thursday, "Last Varmint Standing" (number 110602). So be sure to stop by the table and take your turn at Aces & Eights. See you there!

New Monster: Clockwork Lich [Engines & Empires]

Image from Marvel.com

Hey, John Higgins! I got another monster for you.

Practitioners of magic aren't the only ones that try to cheat death. Occasionally, a wily inventor finds a way to extend his life in ways that would turn most peoples stomach. Through a combination of chemical treatments, mechanical enhancements and various medicines, the inventor becomes effectively immortal. However, the result is nothing more than a brain in a jar of chemicals operating a mechanical analogue of a human being. The inventor's voice becomes nothing more than a series of phonograph tubes playing different sounds in a hollow mockery of speech. His senses are now dulled due to the replacements not being as effective as living sense organs. Between the extreme loss of humanity and the alienation of others due to the inventor's horrific appearance, it is no wonder that these beings eventually go mad. These cyborgs, called "clockwork liches" by some, typically reside in their old laboratories as they focus on the only thing that keeps them going, their work.

Clockwork Lich

No. Appearing: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 300' (100')
Armor Class: 0
Hit Dice: as technologist class, minimum of 21st level
Fighting Ability: as technologist class
Damage: 1d10 + special
Save: as technologist class
Morale: 10
Intelligence: High
Hoard Class: Special

The clockwork lich attacks with it's mechanical hands for 1d10 damage plus a special effect depending on what the inventor's primary class. Physicists inflict an electrical shock that stuns the target for 1d4 rounds if a saving throw is failed. Chemists inject a psychotropic compound as per the 2nd degree ability. Biologists inject an anaphylactic agent that causes paralysis for 1d6 rounds unless a saving throw is made.

Clockwork liches are immune to cold, electricity and gasses. Their mechanical bodies are sturdy enough that they can only be damaged by weapons of +1 or greater. Contrary to their misnomer, they are not undead and cannot be turned. Curative magic cast on a clockwork lich will heal it as they do retain biological components. All clockwork liches are built using the kinetic engine degree, which accounts for the creatures movement rate and unarmed damage.

Being technologists, they can an will use technological degrees available per their level. It is not uncommon for clockwork liches to have 1d6 automatons that it can summon via radio. These machines arrive in 2d20 rounds. In a pinch, a clockwork lich may use it's own body to jury rig a device. This can inflicts 1d8 damage to the clockwork lich and can only be used three times a day before risking damaging the clockwork liches subsystems.

Important GaryCon IV News!

The new website for GaryCon went up last week, and with it came a couple of important announcements.

First, if you register for the event before December 31st, the cost for a 4-day badge is only $30 instead of $40.

Second, if you are staying at The Lodge at Geneva Ridge for the convention, the special rate for the hotel goes up from $79 a night to $89 a night on January 1st. Get your room before the end of the year, and don't forget to mention that you are staying for the convention to get the GaryCon Special Rate.

Finally, The Pathfinder Society will be running games at GaryCon IV. This is going to be interesting.

I'll probably get registered next weekend, as well as deciding what games I am going to run. I'm leaning towards an open Aces & Eights Shootout and possibly another go of my intro adventure for HackMaster Basic. I'll let you know what they will be next week.

[September of Short Adventures] Day 25: The Sky is the Limit

Woohoo! I actually completed this thing! Even after deleting four days worth of posts and starting over! Yay me! My next task will be to go through all the other blogs and check out their entries. I intentionally avoided checking out the "competition" for fear that I might either be unfairly "influenced" or "discouraged" from writing whatever popped into my head. One thing that helped with this strangely enough was my cellphone. If I got an idea for an adventure, and I wasn't at my laptop, I just opened my phone's "Notes" app and jotted a brief description of the adventure down. I think I had between three to five ideas written in it at a time.

Well, it's not over yet. It's time for the last adventure that just popped into my head a few minutes ago.

The Sky is the Limit

Synopsis: Two days ago, a sizable group of birdmen flew down from the mountains and into the manor yard of Lord McElroy, wounded some of his men and flew off with two horses. The birdmen claimed that they had every right to attack McElroy's home, and acted justified in stealing the mounts. McElroy claims that the attack was unprovoked, while he has sent men up into the mountains before, they have always steered clear of the birdmen and their homes. McElroy asks the party to deal with the birdmen and prevent any future attacks.

Background: McElroy is telling the truth in that he has never done anything to intentionally provoke the birdmen, and goes out of his way to avoid them. However, he has angered them nonetheless with one of his more greedy and gluttonous actions. Having grown accustomed to having guests at his estate, McElroy has taken to lavishing them with fancy meals. Recently, he has taken to having his cooks serve a remarkable breakfast feast. The main dish in this meal is a set of omelettes... made from griffon eggs.

Once a month, Lord McElroy sends his men up the east mountain to a griffon nest to take one or two eggs for this meal. On the last expedition, a group of birdmen spotted them and decided to seek justice on the griffon's behalf. The horses were taken as they are a griffon's favorite food. Though griffons are unintelligent, the birdmen see all winged creatures as kindred spirits.

Monsters: Birdmen (24)- AC: 7; HD: 2 (2 hp); Dmg: 1d6 (spear or bow); Save: F2; Morale: 8; Alignment: N; Exp: 30; Notes: Can fly 120' (40')

Griffon- AC: 5; HD: 7 (30 hp); Dmg: 1d4/1d4/2d8 (claw/claw/bite); Save: F4; Morale: 8; Alignment: N; Exp: 450; Treasure in Nest: A saddlebag with 4,000 ep

[September of Short Adventures] Day 24: The Old Fort

The Old Fort

Synopsis: The party arrives at an old abandoned fort. According to the people in the nearby town, the fort was the setting of an epic battle between the allied elf/human forces and an oncoming horde of orcs. By the time reinforcements arrived, the battle was over, but neither side survived. Legend has it that once a month, the ghosts of those involved rise from the dead to continue the battle until one side decisively wins.

Background: While the story of the final battle of the fort is true, the legend is not. Though that hasn't stopped a group of bandits from exploiting the legend for their own benefit. Once a month, they dress up in costumes and make enough of a racket to keep people from coming to the fort. In reality, they use the fort as their staging ground for raids and store the majority of their stolen loot there. They even have a few low-level spellcasters to through a few illusions to complete the charade.

The bandit horde is an eclectic , but balanced, group (one of each character class, including a dwarf, elf and halfling). If the PCs investigate, the bandits will attempt to trick them into thinking they are powerful undead. If that doesn't work, they will use their knowledge of the old fort to divide the party and kill them off one by one.

Monsters: A band of seven 1st level NPCs, four humans, one dwarf, one elf and one halfling. The magic-user and elf tend to use spells like darkness, floating disc, hold portal, light, and ventriloquism when attempting to scare off nosy people. Between the two of them, the also know charm person and magic missile (divide spells evenly between the two). Their treasure horde contains 4000 cp, 3000 sp, 5000 gp, assorted jewelry worth 2400 gp. The fighter carries a long sword +1. The cleric has a scroll with cure light wounds. The halfling wields a club +1.

[September of Short Adventures] Day 23: The Hunt for Justice

The Hunt for Justice

Synopsis: The crime lord Vargas Despondieu has escaped from prison and is on the run. The last sighting of him indicated that he was heading towards the caves in the north where a tribe of hobgoblins live. It is believed that Despondieu has an arrangement with the hobgoblins to fence any goods they steal from travelers. Vargas still has information on the criminal element of the city, so there is a reward to bring him back alive, and only for bringing him back alive.

Background: Vargas has been getting sloppy as of late, and that is what led him to getting captured the first time. After years of getting away with all manner of theft, extortion and occasionally murder, he began to see himself as invincible. This allowed his lieutenant to set him up to be arrested after a "routine" shakedown of the local merchants. Vargas' successor has also made a new arrangement with the hobgoblins so that they will see a bigger cut of the fenced goods in return for killing Vargas. This will ensure that the new leadership can operate without fear of Vargas ratting them out.

Vargas Despndieu- Level 3 Thief; AC: 7; 8 hp; Dmg: 1d6+1 (short sword +1); Save: T3; Morale: 5; Alignment: Chaotic; Gear: leather armor, short sword +1, potion of healing, 10gp

Hobgoblins (12)- AC: 6 (3 for leader); HD: 1+1 (5hp, leader has 7 hp); Dmg: 1d8 (longsword); Save: F1; Morale: 10; Alignment: Chaotic; Exp: 15; Gear: Leader wears chain mail and has a shield +1. In the lair are 5000 sp, 4000 gp, 7 gold chains (700 gp), potion of animal control, and a spell scroll with haste and feeblemind

[September of Short Adventures] Day 22: Support Your Local Werewolf

Game System: This adventure is intended for the Engines & Empires supplement for Labyrinth Lord. Unfortunately, it appears that John Higgins has deleted his blog. But you can still get a copy of E&E or his other game Retro Phaze at his lulu.com site.

Synopsis: It's Election Season in the coal mining town of Orc's Gulch in the Lemurian Frontier. As more people come into the town looking for work, there are also a growing need for a sheriff to keep the town safe from ruffians and bandits. The two main candidates are Artemis Chemung, a former soldier turned notary who keeps to himself when he's not working, and Mortimer O'Doul, a rough rancher who many claim has ties to the local bandits. While Chemung is promising to keep the town safe and to keep the travel routes safe for business, O'Doul is promising to rid the town of a monster that has been attacking cattle once a month. Things are starting to get heated as there are reports that some of O'Doul's men are starting to extort votes for their boss and spreading rumors about Chemung. Chemung has been sighted around some of the mines at night, but no one knows why.

Background: O'Doul is a thief and a ruffian, no doubt about it. His men are responsible for ambushing trade wagons and causing trouble for other ranchers. The only things that are keeping him in check are his political opponent and a creature that attacks cattle at night. What he doesn't know is that they are one and the same.

Artemis Chemung is a werewolf, cursed to take lupine form under a full moon and ravage the cattle ranches of his neighbors. As the town's notary, he has learned that there may be a vein of silver within the coal mines, and is concerned for his well being. He opposes O'Doul because he believes that as sheriff, he would be in better control of any silver that comes out of the mine, and as far away from Orc's Golch as possible. Also, while Chemung is a monster once every full moon, he sees O'Doul as a monster all of the time.

Mortimer O'Doul- Level 4 Expert, AC 8; 16 hp; FA: 2; Dmg: 1d8 (revolver); Save: 7; Alignment; C; Skills: Civics 3, Outdoors: 3, Perception: 3, Stealth: 3; Special: Critical hit on 19-20 for 3x damage; Gear: revolver w/ 12 rounds, knife, 40 sp and 5 gp

Artemis Chemung (human)- Level 4 Fighter; AC: 9; 21 hp; FA: 4; Dmg: 1d8 (revolver); Save: 8; Alignment: L;  Skills: Civics: 2, Diplomacy: 2; Knowledge: 3; Special: Focused Strike 1/battle, Whirlwind Attack 1/battle; Gear: revolver w/ 6 rounds, sabre, chainmail +1 (in storage), 50 sp

Artemis Chemung (Werewolf)- AC: 5; FA: 4; Dmg: 2d4 (bite); Save: 8; Alignment: C; Special: only harmed by silver or magic, summon 1d2 wolves in 1d4 rounds, transmit lycanthropy through bite.

[September of Short Adventures] Day 21: The 4th Annual Trapbuilding Festival and Pig Roast.

The 4th Annual Trapbuilding Festival and Pig Roast

Synopsis: The city is holding it's annual gathering of amateur and professional trapbuilders to demonstrate their engineering prowess in creating traps to protect people's goods from those that would take them unlawfully. The traps are tested by sending a live pig in. The pigs that aren't killed via poison traps are then cooked for the pig roast. However, some of the contestants have been injured or gone missing since the festival began. The PCs have the option to either be judges for the competition, or enter the contest themselves with their own invention.

Background: Trapbuilders are a competitive bunch. The bragging rights won at this festival means that the winner will be the one chosen by kings and wizards to protect their domiciles. Needless to say, some of the competitors have chosen less scrupulous ways to turn the odds in their favor. Jaron the thief has been sabotaging the other traps, particularly if he knows that the trap's creator is coming to do maintenance, in order to create an "unfortunate accident". The wizard called Patrek has been using magic to do his dirty work, by polymorphing some of the competition into pigs to be used for testing, and the later roast. Neither man is working together, and may find themselves in each other's sights.

Jaron- 8th Level Thief; AC: 8; 23 hp; Dmg: 1d4 (dagger); Save: T8; Morale: 6; Alignment: Chaotic; Gear: leather armor, dagger, ring of invisibility, theif's tools

Patrek- 7th Level Magic-User; AC: 9; 16 hp; Dmg: 1d6 (staff); Save: M7; Morale: 8; Alignment: Chaotic; Gear: staff, spellbook; wand of polymorphing (5 charges left); Spells: GM's choice.

[September of Short Adventures] Day 20: Chaos from the Sky

Synopsis: Two days ago, there were reports of a shooting star and a loud thunderous noise from the woods. The following day, there were sightings of unusual creatures appearing. Hideous monstrosities, gigantic animals, creatures with abilities unlike what they normally possess. The townspeople are convinced that the gods have sent these beings down to punish them. Though some people muse that the shooting star has actually brought something of great power to be exploited.

[September of Short Adventures] Day 19: The Wand of Anything

The Wand of Anything

Synopsis: There are rumors amongst the arcane circles that the wizard Akelos has a wand of unusual power. Unlike most magic wands that hold a single spell and are rendered useless once they run out of power, Akelos' wand supposedly can be charged with any spell imaginable, and can be recharged as often as Akelos wishes. The PCs are hired by one of the city's mages to retrieve the wand for them.

Background: Akelos found what he calls the "Wand of Anything" on one of his adventures long ago. It at first appeared to be a low-powered wand of magic missiles until he discovered that it also has a hold person spell inside it. Doing some research, he discovered the wand's true abilities. Akelos usually uses the wand as a repository of spells that he might need in an emergency on adventures, but normally keeps it hidden in a special safe in his tower in town.

Akelos: Level 9 Magic-User; AC: 5; 19 hp; Dmg:1d6+1 (quarterstaff +2); Save: M9; Morale: 8 (10 in his tower); AL: L; Treasure: 100 gp, bracers of AC 5, quarterstaff +2, potion of flight, ring of fire resistance, wand of anything

Spells:
1st Level: charm person, magic missile, protection from evil
2nd Level: entangle, invisibility, wizard lock
3rd Level: dispel magic, fireball, protection from normal missiles
4th Level: ice storm, polymorph self
5th Level: hold monster

Wand of Anything
The wand of anything is a 12 inch long mahogany rod about the thickness of a pencil. The wand's main ability is to store arcane spells to be used later similar to a ring of spell storing. By casting a spell into the wand, the magic-user may store that spell in the wand until he or she wishes to cast it. Up to twenty levels of spells can be stored in the wand at any time. The wizard can cast the spell from the wand at any time, which opens up the spell slots for another spell to be stored.

[September of Short Adventures] Day 18: Raldor's Folly

Raldor's Folly

Synopsis: The party comes upon a man from a nearby kingdom desperate to purchase goods. Unfortunately, all he has are paper notes issued by his liege King Raldor. Within Raldor's kingdom, the papers are the equivalent of currency, but not other kingdom will guarantee their value. According to the man, Raldor has outlawed the use of precious metals as coinage, except for coppers, and in turn has "purchased" all the coins in the kingdom with the notes. No one knows why Raldor has done this, but it began shortly after losing some land to Horace, a nearby Prince.

Background: Raldor and Horace have had a rivalry over a long stretch of land between their two kingdoms. In recent years, Horace has been gaining the advantage due to making new alliances and just plain better planning. Raldor was at wits end until his vizier introduced him to a sage that suggested striking at Horace at a distance with a "death ray". The ray is a gigantic parabolic mirror that focuses sunlight into a beam of burning energy. Buying into this idea, Raldor has been seizing all the silver, gold, electrum and platinum to plate this giant mirror. The "death ray" won't work for a variety of reasons, but Raldor is to blinded by hatred for Horace to care. As a result, the economy of Raldor's kingdom has been suffering as his paper currency has no value outside the kingdom. The PCs mission will be to discover and expose Raldor's folly to the rest of the kingdoms.

[September of Short Adventures] Day 17: The Cobbler's Competition

The Cobbler's Competition

Synopsis: Daral, the town's cobbler has some new competition on his hands. A man named Farag has started his own leatherworks business and has been doing incredible business. Despite working alone, Farag has been able to do twice the volume of shoes and leather goods as Daral and his two sons. Daral suspects that Farag is up to no good, and has hired the players to investigate the competition.

Background: Before he was a cobbler, Farag was a magic-user of small import. However, he did have the wherewithal one day to capture a faerie creature that he exploits for his personal gain. Day and night, the faerie works without rest on all the goods that Farag sells and repairs. Farag uses what few spells he has to keep the faerie in line. Farag is naturally, very secretive about his slave. The PCs will have to be clever to discover the clues to the faerie's existence.

Monsters/NPCs: Farag- Level 4 Magic-user, AC: 8; 12 hp; Dmg; 1d4 (dagger); Save: M4; Morale: 7; Alignment: Chaotic; Exp: 200; Spells: charm person, sleep, detect invisible, wizard lock; Items: dagger, spellbook, 250 gp, potion of healing, ring of protection +1

Azala the Faerie- AC: 5; HD: 1+1 (6 hp); Dmg: 1d2 (fist); Save: E1; Morale: 9; Alignment: Lawful; Exp: 19

[September of Short Adventures] Day 16: Across the Ice

Across the Ice

Synopsis: During the winter, the PCs are hired to escort a caravan across a frozen lake to deliver supplies to a remote fort.

Background: Fort Hagar was built long ago on the other side of a valley to protect against invaders from the north. Since it was built, a natural levee broke away and caused the ravine to flood. When the waters subsided, the ravine became a lake that exists to this day. The lake makes it difficult, but not impossible to get supplies to the fort. From spring to autumn, boats are used. But during the winter, the lake freezes deep enough to allow a caravan to drive across. These winter trips are dangerous, as some parts of the lake have not frozen deep enough. In addition, the wintry weather brings foes from the north that normally are not seen in the lands.

A small band of frost giants and their polar bear pets have decided to ambush the caravan. It is up to the party to protect the caravan while braving the dangerous ice road. The combined weight of 3 frost giants plus a party of armored adventurers and a caravan laden with goods is stressing the ice to beyond its capacity. Every combat round, there is a cumulative 1% chance that something will break through the ice and fall into the icy waters to a frigid, watery grave. A check should be made for each active combatant as well as the caravan carts.

Monster: Frost Giants (3)- AC: 4; HD: 10+1 (46 hp); Dmg: 4d6 (giant axe); Save: F10; Morale: 9; AL: C; Exp: 1900; Treasure: 5000 gp, Basic Concepts in Mountaineering (270 gp); 2 sticks of incense (32 gp)

Polar bears (2)- AC: 6; HD: 6 (27 hp); Dmg: 1d6/1d6/1d10 (claw/claw/bite); Save: F3; Morale: 8; Al: N; Exp: 275; Treasure: None

[September of Short Adventures] Day 15: The Ship of Terror

The Ship of Terror

Synopsis: While traveling on the high seas, the skies above start to get cloudy. The temperature drops suddenly as a feeling of dread overcomes the ship. Members of the crew begin to display a foul attitude and the whispers of mutiny fill the air. And on top of it all, an overall feeling of dread comes over the party. Something is not right.

Background: During some rough waters, an ornate vase decorated with Oriental artwork and symbols overturned and the lid came off. The vase is actually an urn of phantom trapping, and contained a supernatural creature known by those who trapped it as an oni. The oni is a demon that operates on the Prime Material Plane by possessing an individual and using it's powers through its host. It lives to sow misfortune amongst mankind.

The oni has taken possession of the ship's captain, and has been using this disguise to take the ship off course as well as sow dissent with the crew through the overuse of punishment for the smallest offenses. To the party, the oni has been cordial. This way the PCs would be more likely to suspect the most vocal member of the crew as the wrongdoer. If the captain is killed, the oni will simply jump into the next nearest person and continue his work. The only way to stop the mutiny and the eventual deaths of everyone on the ship is to find the possessed individual, force the oni out, and re-trap it in the urn of phantom trapping. If discovered, the oni will run to the cargo hold to retrieve it's kanobou +2 for the final battle (see below).

Monster:

Oni

No. Appearing: 1
Alignment: Chaotic (Evil)
Movement: 240' (80') as an incorporeal spirit, otherwise as host
Armor Class: 0 as spirit, otherwise as host with a +2 bonus
Hit Dice:8
Attacks: 1 (by weapon)
Damage: By Weapon with bonus due to Strength (See Description)
Save: MU 8
Morale: 9
Intelligence: High
Hoard Class: None
XP: 1000

An oni is a demon that lives to cause misfortune. On the Prime Material Plane, the oni appears as a hazy, incorporeal monster standing 8 feet tall with a horned head, fangs and either red or blue skin. In this form, it can do little besides use its summon weather power or to possess a host using an ability similar to the magic jar spell, only the oni does not need an inanimate object to store it's life force.

Once in possession of a body, the oni grants its host incredible strength (18, or 18/00 if your rules uses exceptional strength). In this form, the oni gains access to it's other magical abilities. Once per round the oni can use the following spell-like abilities: cause fear, darkness, putrefy food and water, warp wood and resist fire. Once per turn, the oni may use cause disease, bestow curse, call lightning and control temperature (with a 100' radius). Once per day the oni may use insect plague, control winds, lower water and move earth. If forced into melee combat, the oni prefers to use a large two-handed iron -shod club called a kanobou that does 1d10 damage plus the host's bonus for exceptional strength.

An oni can be forced out by a cleric of at least 8th level. Oni, like undead, can be turned and are treated as vampires for such purposes. A separate turn attempt is needed for exorcising the oni from a host before turning it again to banish it.

[September of Short Adventures] Day 14: Earthquake!

Earthquake!

Synopsis: An earthquake causes a local mine to collapse, trapping some miners inside. The PCs have been brought in as part of the rescue efforts. Their help will be necessary as the quake has not only cut off parts of the mine from the surface, it also has opened the mine to an orc lair.

Background: The orc lair opens up to a separate cave in a hidden area in the hillside. Whether or not the PCs face the orcs from the mine or seek out the orc lair entrance as an alternate means of egress, they will have to deal with the orcs.

In addition, there are still tremors affecting the mine. One every turn, if the GM rolls a 2 on 2d6, then another tremor rocks the cavern, forcing a Dexterity check to avoid falling rocks (1d6 damage) and to stay standing.

Monsters: Orcs- AC: 7; HD: 1 (5 hp); Dmg: 1d6 (club); Save: F1; Morale: 8; AL: C; Exp: 10

[September of Short Adventures] Day 13: The Undercity

The Undercity

Synopsis: People have been slowly disappearing from the capitol city. At first, only beggars and the poor went missing. But over time merchants and artisans began disappearing as well. With businesses in the city disappearing, and along with them tax revenue, city officials have posted a reward for anyone that can find out where the missing people have been taken. Meanwhile, rumors of noises from beneath the streets have been popping up.

Background: Long ago, there was a different city where the current one now stands. An earthquake buried the old city, upon which a new one was built above. Over time, memories of the old city became a faint memory. But access to the old city remained in small areas of the city. Originally, the city's homeless population used the old city as shelter against the harsh winters. Over time, a small underground market popped up where the poor and homeless traded goods without the city taking it's cut. Eventually, merchants who grew tired of the oppressive taxes in the city realized that they could  literally go underground and make a living without having to give a copper to the crown. City officials suspect that there is a black market going on and want proof so they can make an example of the people.

Whether the players see themselves on the side of the oppressed merchants or the lawful tax collectors, they will have to deal with the city bureaucracy. Oh and by the way, the reward is considered "taxable income" by the city.

[September of Short Adventures] Day 12: Mark of the Wild

Mark of the Wild

Synopsis: Reports of a "demon bear" attacking travelers appear around the same time a woman with a mysterious bear claw-shaped  birthmark on her right wrist.

Background: Once every 100 years, a person is born with the destiny to be a slayer of lycanthropes. They are immune to the disease of lycanthropy and possess special senses and abilities to fight them. This woman, Shalla, is the current "chosen one". She has successfully slain many monsters, and in turn, they have decided that they need to eliminate her immediately. Since her mark is in the form of a bear claw, they decided to send a werebear after her as a form of cruel irony. Some people have mistaken this mark as a sign that she is in league with the "demon bear". Whether or not the PCs make this same mistake remains to be seen.

Monster: Wearbear- AC: 2; HD: 6 (30 hp); Dmg: 2d4/2d4/2d8 (claw/claw/bite); Save: F6; Morale: 10; AL: C; Exp: 500

Shalla- Level 5 Fighter- AC: 4; 28 hp; Dmg: 1d8+2 (silver longsword +2); Fave; F5; Morale: 10; AL: L; Special abilities: Immune to lycanthropy, true sight vs lycanthropes only; May raise Strength, Constitution or Dexterity to 18 for one turn once a day; Gear: chainmail +1; sliver longsword +2; wolfsbane, potion of healing; 200 gp

[September of Short Adventures] Day 11: The Vengeful Dead

Edit: I've decided to shelve the "Environment as Encounter" Series to do something a bit more conventional. It wasn't turning out the way I wanted. I'm going to go back to regular adventures and revisit the concept at a later date.

The Vengeful Dead

Synopsis: A man is constantly being pursued by zombies which hunt him relentlessly. Even in broad daylight, they go after him. But strangely, they ignore everyone else they encounter.

Background: The man, Alann, is a serial killer. The zombies in question are the reanimated corpses of all of his victims. They pursue him in search of justice for the horrible crimes he committed against them. Despite being walking abominations of life, the zombies are not seeking to kill Alann, but to subdue him and bring him to the proper authorities. The local constabulary knows that there have been a rash of killings, but not who the guilty party is. There is a chance that someone may recognize one or more of the zombies as murder victims, shedding light on why they are chasing Alann.

Monster: Alann- Level 5 Thief; AC: 6; hp: 19; Dmg: 1d4+1 (dagger); Save: T5; Morale: 6; Al: C(E); Exp: 200; treasure: Leather armor, dagger, ring of protection +1; 12 gp, 6 sp; 15 cp

Zombies (12)-  AC: 8; HD: 2 (16 hp); Dmg: 1d8 (subdual damage); Save: F1; Morale: 12; AL: L(N); Exp: Nil; Note: Treat as Specters for purposes of turning.