Sunday, November 22, 2015

One More Iron Spike. And Stuff


This is what happens when I don't write down my ideas and forget a list item:

Previously

17. Trepanning Spike: When driven into the skull of a victim of demonic or extra-planar possession, the possessing spirit will be expunged.  If the spike is left in place, it acts as insurance against future extra-planar attacks or possessions, as well as incorporeal attacks.  However, there are potential side-effects:

  1. Periodic debilitating migraines (5% chance per day), -2 all actions
  2. Short-term memory loss
  3. Personality change - Lawful/chaotic shift
  4. Loss of eye-hand coordination/dizziness (permanent -2 DEX) 
  5. Partial vision loss, or tunnel vision
  6. Speech impediments or loss of language skills
  7. Intelligence loss (permanent -2 INT)
  8. Erratic behavior - may include loss of empathy, mood swings, inappropriate outbursts, etc.
  9. Ringing in ears (inability to make listening checks, may not be able to hear whispered speech, or in loud environments)
  10. Fatigue/difficulty sleeping (25% chance of not regaining rest-based HP)

In other news, I won the last installment of Inkwell Ideas' Geomorph Map Contest, and got a swell set of Dungeonmorph dice, and copies of a couple collections of Matt Jackson's Moleskin Maps.  Thanks, guys!

And now back to cobbling something together for my Secret Santicore 'gift' request....

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Bag of Iron Spikes:

A Bag of Iron Spikes:

Scattered among the adventuring world's piles of mundane, utilitarian spikes, are a few that have been enchanted with exceptional abilities.


So, a dozen spikes, plus a few more:

1. Undead Control – Will allow command of an undead when driven into the body.  Doesn’t work on skeletons, for the practical reason that there is nowhere to embed it:
   D12:
  • 1-6 - up to 2HP
  • 7-9 – up to 4 HD
  • 10-11 – Up to 6 HD
  • 12 – Up to 8 HD

Legends exist of spikes capable of powers over vampires or liches, but these would likely be nearly unique items.

2. Teleport – Allows the bearer to teleport themselves once per day, unfortunately the spike has to be embedded into the body of the user to be effective

3. Tree-spike – When driven into a forest's aged methuselah-tree, it will kill the forest within a ½ mile radius.  The bane of druids and forest elves.

4. Armored Door - When used to spike a door, it acts acts as wizard lock.  Alternatively, it could increase any door's damage resistance to be equivalent to a 2’ thick stone wall.

5. Lost Trail – When driven in a path during pursuit, the spike will act similar to confusion, diverting or misdirecting pursuit.

6. Mountain-climber – The spike, when driven into a sheer surface, will multiply to a line of pitons, up to 60 feet.  The line of spikes disappears by removal of final piton/spike.

7. Builder – When driven into a sufficient pile of wood or lumber, the spike will self-construct a cabin up to 10'x10'.

8. Ringer – When driven into stone, the spike creates a resonance that will allow a miner to detect veins of valuable stones or metals within 100'.

9. Bind Incorporeal – Holds an incorporeal being (up to 5HD).  Allows damage with non-magical weapons.

10. Water from Stone – When driven into rock, this will yield 1 gallon per use per day.

11. Mental Block – Secures a 50' radius area with ‘forgetfulness’ Useful for hiding large objects, up to small to moderate-sized buildings.

12. Long Pole – Converts to 10-foot pole, because why not?

13. Three Questions – When driven into a corpse, the bearer is allowed to ask three questions. However, the longer the corpse has been deceased, the user will be limited to simpler questions, and/or will receive more ambiguous answers.

14. Black Spike – When driven into the heart of a sacrificial victim, it will call one of the Unspeakable Gods for a period of one hour. The spike must not be disturbed during this time lest the Unspeakable inhabits the caller and terrorizes this plane of existence.

15. Stonewalker – When driven into a statue, it will rise and act as caryatid column.

16.  Fence - Creates a 20' long by 8' tall section of wrought-iron fencing.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Geomorph Contest - Buildings

Four entries this week for Joe's Geomorph contest, the theme this time to incorporate buildings:

A city market square - dominated by a huge enclosed market building, where vendors can drive their wagons and goods for sale within its shelter.  The building is surrounded by livestock pens, and a fountain dominates its front facade.  The square is surrounded by guild halls and the residences of the city burghers (inspired by Krakow's Cloth Hall).


A city's temple square, dedicated to the Cobalt Warrior, the city's legendary protector.  A blue ziggurat stands, flanked by massive statues of the Warrior and his leonine mount, the Siban.  Priests to the warrior's legacy-cult make sacrifices in his memory, and run races and other contests of skill in the arena facing the temple. Flagstone-paved boulevards surround the temple, and fruiting trees and flower gardens line promenades along the streets.


An outpost-village at a rural crossroads.  The crossroads is overlooked by a small motte-and-bailey, and is surrounded by a number of homes roofed in thatch or slate.  Several ancient dolmen flank the north road, and are thought to protect the village from evil incursions.  They glow bright blue under the Harvest Moon, but their true purpose has not yet revealed itself.


An arboreal village among the trees inhabited by a clan of affable wood elves.  Their treehouse village is connected by rope-bridge walkways over several forest paths.  The elves patrol the area against forest despoilers, and guide the lost back to their intended routes.

Update:  I won!