[D&D 40th Anniversary Bloghop] The Plunge is Taken

I may regret this, but I'm gonna jump in on this one. Mostly to throw a little karma into the celebration of D&D's 40th Anniversary. The challenge lasts only through the month of February 2014 and the list of topics is largely your "firsts" in the game/hobby/lifestyle.

Click here to jump aboard or at the bottom of the Linkylist below. Hurry, you only have a few days left to be an "official" participant...if that matters to you.

And here's what the list of daily topics looks like.

[Tall Tale Tuesday] The Chronicles of Azarr, Part I

I've got to get back into the habit of some true creative writing. Law school--all those many years ago--put a major hurt on my creativity. Each year of practicing The Law bleeds me just a little bit more. It's what I want to do and what I really enjoy, but I can feel my skills starting to atrophy and vanish with disuse. For personal reasons I've had to take the last couple years off from the self-induced Hell of NaNoWriMo. That has left me a little bit more out of practice. So, I've decided that I'm going to subject you all to a bit of it, now and then. Just a bit. A couple of paragraphs; a page, maybe. I have an outlet here, after all. If I'm going to blog, I may as well do a bit of creative writing at the same time, from time to time.

If you want, feel free to leave some constructive criticism; all I ask: if you do, be honest.

Please note, however, that my dear friend, Azarr, speaks in a rough patois, a mix of Dwarven and Common. I already know that it can be hard to read; my biggest concern is that it be somewhat consistent. Also, I've included the Common translations immediately following the first use of the Dwarven word (and the first word only), bracketed as shown here: {example}. (Any suggestions on how to show the translations, without becoming unwieldy, would be welcome. This was my best solution.)

And now, without further ado:

Being the Chronicles and Journals of Azarr Stonetower
by his own hand

Lousy barkeep. All I did was ask him one simple question and he goes and tries to gut me. Well, we showed him and his lackeys. Put him right to sleep, I did. O'course, sometimes I don't know me own strength. Might o' cracked his skell as far's I know.

But I’m gettin’ ahead o’ meself. I should start from the beginning.

I’m not sure how long ago it was; all the time in the Dunolor {Everdark} is somewhat hazy. I'd been in exile from me clan for two seasons when the slavers grabbed me and dragged me off. I'd just about given up all hope o' ever seein’ a blue sky again--I have no problem with rock and tunnels; I just happen to prefer the open. The group marchin’ us along, they were attacked. Me chain-mates and me took our chance and ran, led by the olv. {elf} Bein’ at the end of the chain, I had to struggle to keep up. The slavers, y’know, had me there on purpose: they thought havin’ a dwar at the end o’ the line would keep the others from runnin’ as fast. I could run just as fast as the others. That wasn't me problem; I just couldn’t see where we was goin’. So I just ran. That is, ‘til I slammed me face into the abat {arse} in front of me; danged hurm gundlin!. {human bard}

I had to peer around the hurm chained in front of me to see what had stopped the olv’s progress. It was a large, swirlin’ mass o’ colors, he saw; you could tell right off it was magical. Treebrother--chained right behind the olv--said it was a portal o' some kind--didnae matter t'me, 'cuz anywhere’s better than here, I thought. We must've all had the same idea, because we moved toward the portal almost as one. We hadn’t taken three steps, o’course, when we were surrounded by hurm with bows drawn. These weren't the slavers, though. These hurm were all heavily armored and much more disciplined.

They hauled us off, back to their abbey, and threw us into another cell. They called it the "Abbey of the Sword." Well, a sword’s not a nyr {axe} but any church that reveres a good weapon isnae too bad in me mind. Besides, I saw a couple o’ horm {clerics} carryin’ axes; granted, they weren't none of ‘em carrying’ a proper kuld {greataxe}, but they were still nyr, nonetheless.

I’m not exactly sure what all happened at the Abbey, aside from too much talkin’ and not enough arglary {butchery} for me taste. The olv and Treebrother did a lot of quiet talking with the horm. Essentially, we were spared spies’ deaths only because we agreed to do some work for the horm. They still kept us under guard and obviously didnae trust us. They let us outfit ourselves with gear from their storehouses and armory, ours havin’ been lost to the slavers. They didnae have a decent kuld, though, and I had to settle for a hurm nyr.

I did find that there were other dwar at the Abbey, crafting weapons and armor for the horm, an’ they agreed to make me some armor. I only talked with ‘em for a short while; they were uppity dwar, bein’ used to hurm ways and turnin’ their noses up at me roughness. As if it were me own fault that me people were the way they are. I didnae have time to wait for them to finish up the armor, though, 'fore the horm had us ready to leave.

The horm wanted us to travel to this village they called Ana'us, and told us to look around for “anything strange,” they said, an’ didnae give us much choice in the matter. We had just left the Abbey’s gate, when one o’ the horm came runnin’ out to stop us. He was carryin’ a kuld of all things--as he came closer, I could tell it wasn’t just any kuld . . . it was me very own kuld, Arak! Arak was certainly a welcome sight; like part of me arm, she is, and to have her back, safe from the slavers--well, it makes workin' for the hurm almost painless. He said one o' the horm had found Arak in the hands of a slaver; took it from the slaver's corpse, he did, and knew it for dwar make. Somehow, when he saw me, he knew it was me own and sent his man to return it t'me 'fore we'd gone too far.

The trip to Ana'us was uneventful; I spent most of it sharpenin' Arak. Ridin' the Tel-cursed frulbraut {horse}, though, wasn't much fun at all. Me abat may never be the same again. Barr, the gundlin, just laughed when I told him that; told me I was sittin' on me wrong parts, then. He tried to tell me that it wasn't anythin' that a pint or two o' auraun {ale} wouldn't mend. Normally I wouldn't disagree, but I doubt this town's local brew will be anythin' more'n flavored water.

The smell in the tavern did nothin' to change me mind, either. "The Noble Troll," indeed! More like the Stinkin' Rotten Troll Corpse. Why a hurm would name his tavern after an arauach {troll}, I will never understand. I have to admit I was wrong about one thing: the auraun didnae taste like colored water. It tasted like abataun {urine} from an arauach instead. I said as much to Barr; mayhap I said it too loud, for it was shortly afterwards that the lousy hurm barkeep tried to empty me guts on the floor.

Angry hurm came from everywhere, it seemed. Mayhap it was me arauach abataun comment; more likely it was me question about the town that set the hurm to frenzy. Whatever it was, ten of 'em came from all over, swingin' their fists, clubs, whatever they had to hand.

We managed to overwhelm the hurm in short order; they didnae seem t'be more'n simple thugs. But then, Points--that's what I call the olv 'cuz it makes him mad--Points said he heard more o' them comin' down the stairs. Guess them things on his head ain't just pointy--they work pretty well too. Although truth be told he's pretty scruffy-lookin' for a pointy-ear olv. Most olv are a bit too rrinklankhun {prissy} for me own tastes. Not Points, though. Not in the least.

Anyways, easiest way t'stop them hurm from comin' down the stairs? Puttin' one o' them big tables in front of it--that'll give us some cover, too. Good plan, but I hadn't figgered on all the spilt auraun and torlaun {blood} still on the tabletop. Me hands slipped right off of it. Coulda sprained somethin' too, with as much back as I put into it . . . I'll feel that in the mornin', no doubt. I didnae have much time to moan about it, though, 'cuz now I could hear 'em on the stairs meself.

**--To be continued--**

[A to Z April] Sign Up Day!

Whelp. I've done it. I've committed myself.

I just didn't realize that this would be year #4. Wow.

What am I talking about? Well, today just happens to be the first day to sign up for the A to Z April 2014 Blog Challenge. This is one of my favorite blog challenges and has forced me to produce some of my most favorite content. If you haven't ever participated and/or don't know what A to Z April is, keep reading. Otherwise, feel free to skip down a bit.

The A to Z April challenge was originally the brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out; I discovered it thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh. Essentially, the idea of the A to Z Challenge is to commit to posting on your blog every day in April except Sundays. Since that leaves 26 days, it matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. So, on April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C.” I'm pretty sure you get the idea from there. It doesn't matter what you write about, whether it's an overarching theme or simply random subjects, just so long as you match the alphabet for the day.

They also suggest that you keep the posts short, turn off Word Verification on comments, and to visit 5+ of the other blogs in the challenge, beginning with the one after yours on the list. This helps you write quicker and post more often, as well as provides exposure to a lot of different-themed blogs.

As I said before, this marks the fourth year that I've entered. After the first year, when I was inventing posts on the requisite day, I've started to map out/calendar my posts. There's nothing in the rules that says this can't be done and I find that it's really helped me focus and prepare better posts.

Now, I will say this: there are a lot of bloggers that detest this kind of thing, and this challenge in particular. I don't hold that against them--just don't hold my participation against me, OK? I won't say that this is the end-all, be-all of blogging existence. I simply recommend it for myself because it motivates me and forces me to produce. It can be painful, because I don't want to just post a one- or two-line nonsense garbage throw-away post. I also tend NOT to visit the other blogs too often because I don't want to accidentally absorb an idea or two and re-use it on my work, and thus be (at least personally-convicted) guilty of plagiarism.

So: Jump aboard. Join me on the list (I'm #139, in case you're interested) and join me in planning out April 2014 posts.

C'mon. It'll be fun.

[Map Monday] The Pyre Lagoon

For Map Monday, a little something I jotted on a 3x5 card during a break at church. Welcome to The Pyre LagoonAfter thinking about that escape route from The Raven and Jackal from last week, I decided there needed to be an exit for that passage. At least, one possible exit. I'm guessing there is probably at least one other exit, a dry land/cavern exit. We'll have to see whether we can find that passageway.

This exit runs out at a little subterranean lagoon, nicknamed The Pyre Lagoon by the Jackal and his crew. The Jackal keeps a 20-foot skiff moored here, counting on the tricky currents and hidden rocks in the channel to keep this exit secure. Just off the edge of the map is a well-concealed, well-secured secret door to secure the passageway from sight-seers...and the city guard.

The channel itself leads directly to the coastline on the west side of Coldtreath. In case of emergency, the Jackal and his minions can easily outstrip any pursuit once they reach the skiff. Upon making the coast, they can mix with other traffic and be well ahead of the law.

The usual applies to this image: free to use, just drop me a note to let me know if, where, when, and how it was used. The PDF can be grabbed HERE.

Disease Types, Causes, and Other Nasty Stuff

After yesterday's post on Disease Names, I was kinda stuck for a topic for today. Then, this morning, as I was riding our local version of the Mobile Germ Dissemination and Incubation Unit (otherwise known as "public transportation" or "light rail") I was suddenly somehow gifted with inspiration. So, without further ado, I present the expanded set of Disease Tables. Disease Table 1: Disease Names was presented yesterday.

Disease Table 2: Disease Attributes

d12 Roll	Attributes
1	Fatal
2	Near-fatal
3	Maiming
4	Minor
5	Mundane
6	Arcane
7	Divine
8	Curable – Mundane Only
9	Curable – Magical Only
10	Curable – Mundane / Magical
11	Incurable
12	Roll again for two total attributes (re-roll duplicates)

With every disease, you need to know what part of the body is affected, right? Well, there’s a table for that, too. Just roll 1d4 first to find out just how much of the body is affected.

Disease Table 3: Area of Effect

d20 Roll	Area of Effect
1	Eye
2	Ear
3	Nose
4	Mouth
5	Throat
6	Head
7	Face
8	Skin
9	Arm
10	Hand
11	Leg
12	Knee
13	Foot
14	Stomach/Guts
15	Arse
16	Genitals
17	Chest or Back
18	Blood
19	Brain
20	Hair

When your PC slaps his forehead and says, “Fine. Lay it on me. What’s the sickness cause?” you can quickly respond with a side-effect or two (or three) for their gaming and role-playing pleasure.

Disease Table 4: Side-Effects / Presentation

d20 Roll	Area of Effect
1	Swelling
2	Peeling skin
3	Pus / Pustules
4	Scaling
5	Deafness
6	Loss of voice
7	Bleeding
8	Coughing / Suffocation
9	Vomiting
10	Rotting / Liquification
11	Growths / Hump
12	Sweating
13	Chills
14	Dizziness
15	Loss of body part (Roll on Table 3)
16	Uncontrolled blushing
17	Shaking
18	Muscle / Joint Aches
19	Roll again for two total effects (re-roll duplicates and 19-20)
20	Re-roll twice for three total effects (re-roll duplicates and 19-20)

And you’re going to need to know just how long it takes for that first PC to succumb to your deadly little case of the gomboo, right? Never fear. I have you covered.

Disease Table 5: Incubation Period

d10 Roll	Incubation Period
1	1d6 hours
2	1d12 hours
3	1d20 hours
4	2d12 hours
5	1d2 days
6	1d4 days
7	1d6 days
8	2d6 days
9	1d12 days
10	2d12 days

The next thing you know, the sniffle-suffering PC is going to ask just how long this little bug is going to hang around his system slinging snot. At least, under normal circumstances. What are you going to tell him?

Disease Table 6: Duration of Disease

d12 Roll	Length of Illness
1	1d6 hours
2	1d12 hours
3	1d20 hours
4	2d12 hours
5	1d2 days
6	1d4 days
7	1d6 days
8	2d6 days
9	1d12 days
10	2d12 days
11	1d30 days
12	Lifetime

Disease Name Table

I made my first dice purchase of the new year. A d30. I have a handful of d30s in my collection already and Heaven knows I don’t use them often enough to warrant another one. This one, however, caught my eye. It is, perhaps, the ugliest die I’ve seen. Certainly it rivals the ugliest in my collection, at any rate. It was so ugly it called out to me, asking me–nay, begging me–to pick him up and take him home. He was desperate to avoid the lengthy, lingering, rotting death most likely awaiting him in the “random” dice bin ignored and shunned by passers-by for years to come. Lest you think I’m exaggerating, I’ve attached a picture of the poor homely waif.

Now, did I lie?

In his honor I cobbled together a quick d30 table. I say “in his honor”–this is the truth. Based on his nauseating ugliness, the d30 table below is an aid to the sandbox DMs out there for creating disease names on the fly. It was a quickie, and admittedly, will create some fairly ridiculous results at times, but it beats sitting behind the screen resorting to “the Plague” once again when your players ask you what disease afflicts the sickening, deformed NPC on the street in front of them.

Just roll your d30 three times and combine the results. Feel free to share your favorites–or ideas for an expanded table–in the comments below.

Disease Table 1: Disease Name

d30 Roll	Initial Descriptor	Secondary Descriptor	Tertiary Descriptor
1	Serious	Limping	Rot
2	Tender	Oil	Crud
3	Depressed	Tin	Mold
4	Obese	Cracked	Discharge
5	Lethal	Flowering	Pustule
6	Hesitant	Smoky	Cough
7	Creeping	Stretched	Boils
8	Bloody	Hairy	Vomit
9	Full	Soupy	Snot
10	Crouching	Slippery	Sneezing
11	Sharp	Rolling	Slopes
12	Malicious	Grotesque	Scourge
13	Languid	Spotted	Consumption
14	Charming	Sweeping	Scales
15	Hushed	Craven	Death
16	Lush	Pale	Shakes
17	Screeching	Broken	Weights
18	Wretched	Fiery	Crack
19	Moaning	Sticky	Rays
20	Deep	Snotty	Blood
21	Conscious	Tiny	Flesh
22	Mindless	Messy	Jelly
23	Little	Laughing	Stops
24	Rampant	Falling	Obstruction
25	Confused	Red	Pox
26	Fluffy	Weeping	Rolls
27	Steady	Gripping	Weakness
28	Sloppy	Dry	Dysfunction
29	Lazy	Grey	Warts
30	Cloudy	Glistening	Malaise

**Edited to add table name and number.**

Who's Who: Diamond Spayd [NPC]

Very little is known of the Tiefling known both as Diamond Spayd and The Jackal. Certainly nothing is known of his background or history prior to his coming to Coldtreath three decades ago. Most of what is known since that time is the speed and power with which he rose to become one of the most powerful, most respected, and most feared Thief Lords in the city’s history.

He owns and operates the gaming hall named The Raven and Jackal. The gaming hall is frequented by the upper-class and nobility of Coldtreath and is widely known as a clean and honest institution. The Jackal’s skills at thievery are such that no one suspects just how much money is actually lost at the tables in the hall.

There are few outside Spayd’s inner circle that understand the reference in the gaming hall’s name to “the raven.” When Spayd was an infant he was gifted a silver raven statuette; this figurine had a magical aspect and the summoned creature is a life-long friend and companion named Aelekan. Spayd reveres the creature sufficiently that he named the hall after himself and his magical animal companion.

His easy life has led to him becoming somewhat paunchy, although he still retains his athleticism and muscle under the paunch. His love of food and wine has given him a ruddy face and thick lips. His jade green eyes are bright and watchful; few notice his sharp gaze, however, as they are distracted by his wild ash brown hair and his unkempt moustache.

Deep down inside, Spayd is motivated to find a new, young rogue to mentor and train up just as he was tutored and raised. Something in his past has made him withdrawn and paranoid, burdened with a sense of abandonment. His bad temper, while frequent, is mild and dissipates quickly. In contrast, he has a great love of jokes and riddles, gesticulating constantly when he talks.

Diamond Spayd CR 18

Tiefling Rogue 18
Neutral Evil Medium Outsider
Init: +7
Senses: Darkvision 60; Listen +13; Spot 0
Languages: Common, Infernal, Draconic, Elven
____________________________________
AC 20, touch 15, Flat-footed 15
hp 63
Resistance: Cold 5, Electricity 5, Fire 5
Fort +6, Ref +18, Will +5
________________________
Speed: 40
Melee: +2 Rapier (Anarchic, Ghost Touch) +17 (1d6+3 / 18-20)
Ranged: +2 Shortbow, Composite +24 (1d6+4 x3)
Full Attack: +2 Rapier (Anarchic, Ghost Touch) +17/12/7 (1d6+3 / 18-20) or +2 Shortbow, Composite +24/19/14 (1d6+4 x3)
Space/Reach: 5/5
Base Atk +13/+8/+3; Grp 14
Special Actions: Crippling Strike, Evasion, Improved Evasion, Opportunist, Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Trap Sense, Trapfinding,
Combat Gear: +2 Rapier (Anarchic, Ghost Touch), +2 Shortbow, Composite, +2 Leather, Studded
Spell-Like Abilities: (CL 18): Darkness 1/day
_________________________
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 19 (+6), Con 11, Int 4, Wis 9, Cha 13
Feats: Armour Prof Light, Dodge, Point Blank Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Shot, Run, Simple Weapon Prof., Weapon Focus (Rapier), Weapon Focus (Shortbow, Composite): +1 attack rolls
Skills: Appraise 2, Balance 9, Bluff 3, Climb 15, Craft (Traps) 2, Diplomacy 1, Disable Device 23, Disguise 1, Escape Artist 7, Forgery 2, Gather Information 22, Hide 35, Intimidate 1, Jump 15, Listen 13, Move Silently 28, Open Lock 21, Ride 7, Search 23, Spot 0, Swim 1, Tumble 30, Use Magic Device 22, Use Rope 18
Possessions: Combat gear plus Medallion of thoughts, Boots of striding and springing, Cloak of elvenkind (+5), Gloves of dexterity (+6), Figurine of wondrous power (Silver raven)

**Many thanks to WotC's "PC Portraits" Archive for the image.

Libram Mysterium Vol. 1 Now Available!

When we opened up the call for submissions in July, none of us knew what to expect. Finally, though, we have a product. Libram Mysterium Volume 1 is now available, either by clicking here or by heading over to DriveThru Fiction. Currently we have the PDF available for download. However, a proof copy has been ordered for review and perusal, with the anticipation that a hard copy of the Libram Mysterium Volume 1 will be available for order soon.

Spread the word. Pick up a copy for yourself. There's some good, gritty fantasy in here. The final product definitely exceeded my expectations.

[Map Monday] The Raven and Jackal

Yeah, it's Tuesday, but the Stronghold Minions had Demi-Human Rights Day off yesterday. They've got a great union.

Today's offering is a little something I jotted off over the weekend: the gambling den known as The Raven and Jackal. The map is free for download, with the request that you let me know when and how you use it in your respective gaming worlds. I'm offering a keyed and unkeyed version of The Raven and Jackal.

The Raven and Jackal is one of the better class of gambling dens in Coldtreath. The wealthy, the politicians, and the high clergy all gather here to game and associate in privacy and neutrality. It is owned and operated by the Tiefling Rogue-lord named Diamond Spayd, a.k.a. The Jackal, who is more than happy to take advantage of the upper class, taking their money equally and with impunity. He lives on on the premises; his minions and employees take turns boarding on site several days a week.

KEY:

1. Entry Hall: The highly secure front door allows admission to The Raven and Jackal, after verification of identity (or submission of passwords) through a narrow, concealed speakeasy. The hallway itself is lined with murder holes, through which the Jackal's minions can fire their repeating crossbows into the hallway. At the far end of the hallway is another speakeasy door.
   
2. Foyer: Stools and small chairs line this room. A heavy curtain separates the foyer from the gaming hall proper.
   
3. Gaming Hall: Round tables fill this room, at which various card games and other games of chance are operating every hour of every day, except for the nine-day celebration of Rour. (Rour is a solemn holiday celebrated on the second full moon of summer. It commemorates a deception and is associated with disagreement, luck, and loyalty. Oddly, it is traditionally celebrated with games of chance. The Jackal prefers to let his minions take their winnings from his rival gaming dens, taking his percentage after the nine-day holiday.)
   
4. Inner Hall: The inner gaming room is reserved for VIPs.
   
5. Rest Lounge: A 4-seater toilet is hidden behind a curtain on one side of the lounge. On the other, is a doorway hiding a deadly pit traqp for those who seek to mine the hidden depths of the den for nefarious purposes. A well-hidden secret door--locked and trapped--separates the public sections of The Raven and Jackal from the private rooms.
   
6. Kitchen: Drinks and snacks for the public and for the employees are prepared here. Two secret doors allow entry to the Jackal's quarters and the operation rooms of the den.
   
7. Storage Room: Ale, wine, breads, and cheeses are stored here.
   
8. The Jackal's Room: The Jackal's private quarters. A bed, chest, table, and bookcase are here holding the Jackal's private possessions and records.
   
9. The Barracks: Eleven cots are here and are rotated among the various minions and employees of the den. A hallway on the east provides access to room #10. A hidden trapdoor provides a means of quick egress from the den. The hallway on the west provides access to the most secure portions of The Raven and Jackal.
   
10. Watch-hall: Murder holes provide a view into room #1, the Entry Hall. Minions and employees can securely fire into the entry from this hallway for security.
    
11. Counting Room: This appears to be the counting room for the den, where all the winnings and takings are counted and stored. An enormous set of shelves swings outward to reveal a secret door, leadcing to room #12.
    
12. Vault: The Jackal's treasure room. The bulk of the financial holdings of The Raven and Jackal are locked here.

PDFs of the map can be found here: KEYED and UNKEYED.

[From the Mailbag] Gifts from the Golem

Back in November, I received a couple of promotional e-mails from Paizo. They were gearing up for what they called "the Great Golem Sale." (Hint: their logo, if you didn't know, is a golem. See?)

This sale was a chance, so they said, to make room in their warehouse by discounting their backstock: magazine back issues, board games, maps, books, accessories, even miniatures and plush figures. The sale was to run throughout November and would feature "over 900 gaming products...at up to a 90% discount!" The catch was that these items could not be combined with pre-orders, back orders, or subscription shipments if you wanted the discount.

So, I looked and looked. Nothing really grabbed my eye. Plus, with Christmas coming up, it was hard to devote much money in a month with no Paizo subscriptions to fund; all that discretionary money was going to go to Christmas.

Noble ideals, right?

Fast forward to November 30. One final look at the Sale List. Then I saw it. The Babylon 5 RPG Second Edition Handbook. Marked down from $49.95 to $3.00. $3.00! Being such a huge B-5 fan, and having already started to collect some Sci-Fi RPGs, I thought this was a perfect conjunction of planets. I confess, I picked up two copies: a reading copy, and another copy for...well, honestly, I'm hoping to run into a convention someday where the remaining cast members are present and I could get some signatures.

Whether you want to say that find primed the pump or that it burst the dam...either way, IT WAS ON.

I swept through Paizo's library of B-5 materials, adding them to my cart. Then I started on Pathfinder maps and found a couple that I really wanted. I moved from the maps, to the Pathfinder Chronicles and Modules. Somehow I'd missed all this stuff the first time I'd gone through the lists of merchandise. What the heck, I'll pull out my list of missing/loaned-and-never-returned Dragon Magazines; Lo! and Behold! They had a couple on my list. And then I found a miniature that I'd been watching for several years. Now it was on sale. Once the dust cleared and the ORDER button pressed, I was a bit embarrassed with myself. Although, I would have been much more embarrassed to have paid full price. I mean, really.

The wait began.

I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally I had to call Paizo and ask about my order; I was told that they were filling orders as fast as they could. I received an e-mail telling me that one of the maps was out of stock. And I waited. And waited. Another call, another promise that they were filling the orders as fast as they could, that the response was much greater than they'd anticipated. Oh, and "by the way" my order was being held up because they were waiting to receive the miniature from the manufacturer. So I told them to cancel the mini from my order. And I waited. I finally contacted the head of Customer Service through the Paizo website; it was the weekend before Christmas and they were still filling pre-Thanksgiving Great Golem Sale orders.

Then on the 23rd, I received an e-mail telling me that my order had shipped. It's a good thing that nothing I ordered was a Christmas gift. Why? Because I received the order a week later, on the 30th. Still, even with all the hassle and waiting, it was still worth it. This was the haul I received for just over $50.00. (Shipping, of course, hit me in the shorts, but that's always the way, isn't it?) That's a mighty stack, ain't it? I really should have put a ruler up to the side of that stack for reference.

What's even more impressive is the sight you see when you spread it all out. My kids walked in while I was taking the picture; they hadn't seen the order out of the box yet. They all stopped and stared and then cheered.

I've got great kids. It made me grin. And feel a little proud. Like I'd done my job as a role-playing father.

And you remember the Inn I mentioned in the New Year's post? The map that inspired me, and that I used for the Inn, is here at the upper right-hand corner of the stack. It turns out that it's a page-size pull-out from a Dragon Magazine (apparently, although I don't remember seeing it in MY collection) and folds out. to be 17" x 22".

All in all, I'd say it turned out well. Even though the shipping process made me gripe, I'm going to chalk it up to a larger-than-expected sale and give them the benefit of the doubt. And hope it doesn't happen again. I'm certainly going to keep my eyes open for a re-run of the Great Golem Sale this year. And maybe plan on ordering just a bit earlier than the 30th.

[From the Mailbag] One More Snatched from Kickstarter Hell

Yes, I'm one of those stupid, unlucky souls who pledged towards the ever-in-Kickstarter-update-hell Dwimmermount. Add to that my stupidity and lack of luck that caused me to also pledge toward the fallen-off-the-Kickstarter-update-cliff Nystul's Infinite Dungeon. I've had a fairly good track record with Kickstarters, but these two are the infected boils on my Kickstarter butt. I'm not going to grouse any more, or get on a soapbox. I'll send you over to Tenkar's Tavern and elsewhere. Tenkar, especially, does an excellent job of outing and excoriating RPG products that are caught in Kickstarter Hell.

Tuesday night, when I got home, I found a nice little package. One I've been anxiously awaiting for quite a while. In all honesty, it funded back in July 2012 and was slated for delivery in September 2012. The explanation: "We learned a lot about the process. You guys helped us transform our business and I'm eternally grateful. Each time we learned to do something better, we redid it all for the Bleeding Hollow. Needless to say, we now have our ducks in a row and can put out adventures like the Reaping Stone.... This project single-handedly transformed our company from amateurs to a real publishing company." Now, normally this is something that Tenkar would be all over like white on rice. However, I've bought a lot of material from TPK Games, and I've had plenty of interaction with Brian Berg to know that he and TPK are stand-up, reputable entities. Their reputation was the biggest reason that I was patient. Second reason was their traditional high quality. I knew that Brian and TPK would come through. I've already sent in a pledge on a new TPK Kickstarter project. THAT'S how highly I hold TPK.

Of course, that self-professed patience ran out as soon as I heard that the books had shipped. Then I became what Brian likely feels was "a pest." I couldn't help it and hopefully he'll forgive me. I was just really, really eager to see what they had been able to do. A year and a half worth of teasing and I had to wait Just. One. More. Day? Really? ARGH! Kudos to Brian for not ignoring me, or simply blowing his stack and screaming at me to "just sit tight and wait for the mail to come in it's own good time. @#$%!!!"

They're purty, ain't they?

Both are designed for use with the Pathfinder system. Reaping Stone is a nice sturdy paperback while Bleeding Hollow is a really heavy-duty hardcover. I haven't cracked Bleeding Hollow open yet, because I want to take the time and savor them in order of occurrence. I'm already about halfway through a first reading of Reaping Stone, and I. AM. IMPRESSED. I've already started sorting out miniatures in my mind for some of the encounters. This is one Evil (yes, capital 'E' Evil) ... one Evil little creation. Sections of it are truly diabolical. In fact, it's so Evil that on the title page credit is given to Tom Phillips as Designer and Writer, followed by "(Tom is a sick, sick man...)" THAT'S how Evil it is.

Even the "standard" monsters are tweaked to be just a bit different from the norm; the new critters are scary good. In at least one instance, TPK did something I really liked: a minimal stat block for a warren of kobolds, with the following note to the DM: "The kobold warrens are not mapped and their lack of development is intentional. GMs should feel free to expand on the kobold warrens at their own discretion." A nice touch, I thought. And if Bleeding Hollow is anywhere near this quality, it's going to be a ripping good adventure as well.

Also included in the Kickstarter package were two miniatures, characters from the Bleeding Hollow. One's a spellcaster and the other is a werewolf. Really good quality and great sculpts (despite the poor quality of the picture). I particularly like how the werewolf's extended claw seems ready to grab a PC's head and crush it. Now I just have to find the time to sit down and actually paint them.

All in all, I'm getting excited to get back behind the DM screen and throw these adventures at my group. There's enough there to keep us going for months. My final verdict would be 5 out of 5 hammers. My only complaint? My only complaint has nothing to do with the product or with TPK Games. Despite great packaging and plenty of bubble wrap (the minis took me 5+ minutes to unwrap from the bubbles), the great and vaunted United States Postal Service still managed to mangle the corner of the last 26 pages and the back cover of Reaping Stone; they also managed to break--yes, BREAK the corners of both front and back covers of the hardcover Bleeding Hollow. The Reaping Stone I can put inside some clamps, straightening and flattening out the corners of the pages. Not sure I can do much about the Bleeding Hollow. Fortunately, none of the damage will keep me from using the books to kill some PCs for some great gaming.

So, grab these titles as soon as you can. In fact, grab everything you can find from TPK Games; I have yet to find one of their products with which I'm less than pleased. (In fact, I've recently picked up Rawr! - Volume 2: Flame & Wrath, a volume of options, variations, and modifications for dragons, dragon-kin, etc. I'd highly recommend that one too.)

Family Game: Session Recap--New Year's Edition

So, time to dust off the keyboard and get back to posting. I'm hoping to build up some momentum so that I can get somewhat regular again. "Blogging fiber" shall we say?

[Aside: Speaking of fiber, has anyone else seen the new television commercial featuring the animated graphic of the purple poo slipping its way through the intestinal tract? ~shudder~ WAAAAY worse than the "blue liquid poured out onto the 'pad' from the glass representation of the female reproductive system" commercials. I'm not even sure what the commercial was advertising. The phrase 'slippy-slidey purple poo' was much used over the holidays in my house, though. End aside.]

So, for New Year's Eve, the kids all clamored to play a little D&D. Several years ago we started a campaign using the WOTC 3.5 Beginner's Box. At the time, it was a convenient way to present the game to them. For those who may have never seen it, it comes with individual Players' Handbooks for each of the four pre-generated characters, explaining basic abilities, stats, equipment, etc. It also comes with some nice map tiles, a set of polyhedral dice, and some basic minis. The basic adventures included are geared to get the characters to 2nd-level and include an encounter with a young blue dragon. (You can read a bit more about the Basic Set at my previous post HERE.)

Unfortunately, we don't get to play as often as I would like (or as often as the kids would like) but we've had some great sessions over the past few years...the most memorable were sitting in our trailer, late at night, in a hidden meadow in the mountains of Idaho. There were some other relatives there in other camps, and all I could think of was how cozy and familial it was to sit there and play, surrounded by my children. That and what shock and horror my conservative relations would feel if they peered in at the windows, blazing with light.

Anyway, I digress. Two year's ago on New Year's we had started playing through Dyson’s Delve. (Again, reference HERE for details of that game.) In the intervening time, the home-made battle mats/maps had been destroyed and lost, I was tired and didn't feel well, so I wasn't up to picking up where I left off. So--and I ask you all to forgive me for this--I used a trite-and-foolish trope: the "wake up in an inn and realize everything that you remember from the last session was a dream." I honestly felt a little dirty about it. But it gave me a chance to use a new map I got just after Christmas (more on that later), an old map from Dragon Magazine of the "Sleeping Dragon Inn." (I got it for half off during the Great Golem Sale in November (again, more on this later).)

Wow. Digressions are afoot this morning.

Cast of Characters
Lanin: elf wizard (17-year-old daughter)
Carn: human rogue (15-year-old daughter)
Regdar: human fighter (13-year-old son)
Dothal: dwarven cleric (9-year-old son)

Plus, my 6-year-old daughter wanted to play, so I quickly statted up a halfling "bard-type" character. She wanted to play a "Hobbit" and to use magic. I asked her if she wanted to be able to "sing her magic" and she got really excited. Then as I was looking for a good mini for her, I came across a halfling outrider mini: a halfling riding a mastiff and carrying a spear. Bingo. Threw her a little bone by giving her a +1 frost burst spear and had everything ready to go: Zarra the Halfling Bard and her trusty mount "Ted" were born. Yeah, it gave her a little bit more "oomph" than her siblings, but I wanted her to be able to do something "fun" that would grab her attention and hang on to her.

The characters all awoke in the inn and wandered downstairs, where they were met by the inn's owner, Bob. I had wanted to use as my basis for the encounters the Pathfinder module: Hollow's Last Hope, mostly because I had run it before and knew it reasonably well-enough that it would balance out my poor health. The basis of the adventure is a quest to find ingredients to cure a plague infesting the town. Well, Bob and the adventurers were apparently the only ones in the inn that were NOT infected. Bob showed them into a private dining room where they were served breakfast; the kids ran into Bob as they explored the inn. Well, they found him slaughtering the pig in the kitchen, actually. My poor kids weren't quite sure what to do. My oldest boy went and talked to some of the sick townsfolk in the common room while my younger boy proposed to go up and look through some of the other rooms. I had to gently ask him what HE would do if some stranger opened up his bedroom door and started rummaging around. He thought for a moment and then said, "Oh. Right. Umm. Never mind. I'll go talk to Bob too."

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!! (And to my Players: this means STAY OUT.)

Once the kids got their bearings, and got some information about the two healers in the town, they set about on their search. They told me their plan, and I warned them about splitting the party. To no avail: half of them went to the herbalist's shop while the others went to visit the local cleric at the temple. The cleric was ineffectual at healing the plague, so my son's questioning offended the cleric. When they met back up at the herbalist's place, my oldest daughter assumed he had screwed up and went to the temple herself; her meddling made the cleric even MORE upset. Meanwhile, the herbalist told them there were three ingredients she needed--strange ones--and that they could help her by finding them. One was to be found near the oldest tree in the forest, one at an old dwarven monastery to the north, and one at a witch's home deep in the forest. My oldest daughter immediately wanted to split the party and send one group to the old tree and the other to the monastery (which is intended to be the climax of the adventure). I asked her if she was sure, and she replied that it was the most efficient use of time. I decided not to pull my punches; I'd already warned them.

The group heading to the monastery ("Group A") traveled deep into the forest before they had a random encounter: a kobold zombie. My littlest one had the highest initiative roll and immediately charged the kobold. She hit first, then the dog savaged the kobold a bit. Then the other two kids in Group A missed their attack rolls and Zarra attacked with her spear again. Well, I'm a bit proud of myself; the image just came to me. This is what I described to them:


Just imagine a cloud of ice crystals coming up from that turkey, and you'll have it exactly: a partially-frozen, completely rotten kobold zombie being burst open. You cannot imagine the gleeful horror expressed! Oohs, aahs, and "Oh, gross"-es. My littlest one started cackling. I felt like a successful dad at that moment. (They had just seen it before Christmas...I knew the scene had made an impression on them and was still fresh in their minds, so I ran with it.)

Group A made it to the monastery grounds just at twilight where they were attacked by two wolves. They dispatched the wolves fairly quickly, again with the help of the halfling and her doggie. She was definitely the star of the night.

Group B, meanwhile, traveled to a logging camp and endured some verbal abuse from the loggers and the foreman before speaking to a woodsman who knew the locations of the tree they were seeking as well as the witch's home. He drew them a map and promised whatever other help he could give; his nephew is suffering from the plague and he was anxious to help the adventurers find a cure. Shortly thereafter, Group B was ambushed by a bugbear. Our rogue got hurt and broke her bowstring (with a natural 1, of course) while the fighter soon dispatched the bugbear with ease.

And that's where we had to leave it, as it was close to midnight. When we pick back up, Group B is in for a nasty, nasty shock when they run in to one of my new favorite critters. Group A will also have a bad surprise when they meet the current residents of the monastery. In both cases, I think they'll learn the wisdom of keeping the party together. I'm just worried that I'll be looking at a TPK.

I'll give you some updates when we manage to play again. Hopefully by this weekend.

Final Purchase for 2013

Mostly I want to wish all my friends and readers a Happy New Year. May your 2014 be a dang sight better than your 2013.

I also wanted to share and boast a little. Figuring that 2013, for the most part, was so crappy...I'd finish it off with what I consider to be the best dice in production. I've one single Gamescience d20, but this is my first full 7-piece set.