They Met at a Tavern 25: It's Beetle-riffic!

The Unusual Band of Suspects:

• Rick: Bjorr, 1/2 orc Paladin
• Chris: Thorn, dwarf Wizard
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Callista: Erol, elf Priest
• Roger: Drom, dwarf Desert Rider

The party returned to town, dirty and bloody from their excursion into the Sealed Tower(tm). Recovered loot is converted to booze/carousing, and all repeating PCs bump to 3rd level (I'm not keeping close track of xp, more vibe-advancement). The paladin had been off doing paladin things, and the desert rider returned from a fruitless ziggurat search.

slightly clearer map

Erol noted side-eyes from the citizenry, before being told by a priest of Madeera that the Terragnis sect was generally blamed for the city's misfortunes after the demonic betrayal of Brother Taran Trudheon. She pointed to an overgrown vacant lot - the site of the former Temple of St. Terragnis. The party's ability to enter the tower was a mystery - perhaps the seals were weakening, or the party had some unknown attribute that allowed them entrance. Either way, a mystery to solve.

Some business was conducted, and Bjorr traded his dragon's egg for some mithril chainmail. It was decided to see if the merchants of House Zulad may have any clues or tasks suitable to the party. The unnamed family representative (he of the Rasam's Shop incident) met the party and (random roll on Unlikely Treasures) said that, yes, there was an item of some value that the family would like. The "Scroll of Esoteric Artwork" - a device that would aid in the identification of alchemical and magi-tech items. Something to give them an edge in the relic market. Especially since Rasam was... indisposed. It's in a jade scroll tube. Oh, and we'll put in a good word for you, help clear up that whole Rasam association.

Where was it? Word had it that it was in some old shrine or barrow (because my players lllooovvee barrows). 

And off they went.

Revenant Resurrection

To recount from before...

So, your colleague got themselves dead. Not a problem, you've got the coin to donate for a resurrection. Problem is, there's no local temple with a priest powerful enough to raise the dead. And the body is getting a bit ripe.

What about that necromancer? You know, the woman with the unsettling stare and jars of preserved body parts? I'm sure she can do the job. Can't hurt to ask.

“Oh, certainly!” the necromancer says, her eyes scanning your deceased comrade. “Just like those god-fearing clerics do it, just without the pesky religious bits!” She meticulously checks the dead's eyes and wounds. She pokes at fingers and toes with needles seeking galvanic reactions. She accepts the payment.

“Oh, yes, just like the clerics!” She shoos you off, and giggling, retreats with your friend's body into a chamber filled with stinking reagents, clinking glassware, and rattling retorts.

In a week, your comrade is back.

In a manner of speaking.

Source

Revenant Resurrection*

You've been resurrected, untimely ripped from the afterlife via a necromancer's dark magics and possibly alchemical reanimations. You were not called back through the holy powers of a cleric and their congress with the divine. So you may not have gotten back with all of your soul.

You are not quite undead, but you have undead qualities.

The Positive:

• Undead resistances against mental spells and powers.
• You may subsist on half rations.

The Negative:

• Reduce your CON by 1d3 with each revivication. No more revivication at CON <= 3. 
• Having cheated death by these cheaty methods, you lose all divine connection. If you were a priest/cleric/divine class, choose new class (at Level -1).
• That said, no healing by divine methods. Natural healing or potions only.

Them's the breaks.

Oh, and extra rolls on the Reincarnation Side Effect Tables (One, and/or Two).

*This resurrection effect isn't dependent on any specific spell or other methodology, more a thought experiment (and possible flavor) for a PC brought back to life by means other than the divine. Enjoy. 

***

Oh, and Samuel Taylor of 3x5arcana.com made a call-out to my "Build-A-Bear" concept for monster generation in reference to their own 3x5 card-based simplified version. Thanks!

D66 Items Found Found in the Sewers

So, I'm working on a funnel adventure for Shadowdark. Might as well post up part of the work in progress. The most important part of said adventure - the D66 random items to find while slogging through the slop...

source

I mean, these are 0-level rat-stickers and clog-clearers. There have to be some perks of the job...

No. No, there are really no perks to these jobs... 

source

Anyhow, without further ado, a lovely list of valuable and useful items floating among the other floaters...

They Met at a Tavern 24: When the DM Mentions Something in Passing, Part II...

Better get this written down before I forget details of the chaos...

The Miscreants:

• Wayne: Pharan, human Sea Wolf
• Chris: Roult, human Basilisk Warrior
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Callista: Erol, elf Priest
• Mike: Merrick, human Bard
• Mark (first timer): Irir, elf Thief

First of all, bumped a couple of the Repeat Offenders to 3rd level, since they keep showing up.

The returning crew from last week was heading back to Bettiholm, when they chanced upon a couple of adventurers (Merrick and Irir). The pair looked shady, so were welcomed to join the crew. The group then caught up with a small caravan carrying a mixed selection of supplied and curiosities for delivery to town. Some haggling went on, but the party was unsuccessful. 

The caravan parked outside of town at the caravanserai, and the party headed in to catch up with gem dealer Delmar. Perhaps to find a more reputable broker, since they suspected that Kashmi Rasam had double-crossed his buyer, and they didn't care to be associated with that. In the meantime, they had to dodge "Chicken Day" where the mayor was handing out food donations to the downtrodden of the city. Of which there were plenty. It's a good thing that the caravan included chickens among its cargos.

Somewhere in this, the DM produced a rough map of town and pointed out some features that the party had visited, as well as other landmarks:

Cat not included 

The Sealed Tower (upper RH corner) drew them like moths to flame... Well, it was sealed by multiple methods after Bad Things Happened, of course. Perhaps it's associated with the city's curse and loss of significance. What would have instigated it (question to players) - diabolic dealings and summoning. Always a classic. 

The party ventured to meet the mayor (Fabio Hegewald) as he was washing his hands after a day of handing out foodstuffs and (eeww!) touching the citizens. The mayor and advisor indicated that the sealing occurred after a priest of Terragnis had violated his vows and called up demons in a gamble for power. Can we get into the tower? No, its been sealed, although there might be alternate paths. Have other adventurers explored it? Yes, and they never returned (dramatic music). 

Well, ok - let's get some rest, resupply, and look at things in the morning (i.e. no carousing). Of course, they were met at their inn by representatives of House Zulad, the Dissatisfied Customer from the prior relic sale. Of course, they wouldn't have known of the double-cross, but their reputation was now suspect. And yes, we caught Rasam on his way out of town with a number of items, including the inner workings of the Orb. Of course, it wouldn't do to just kill him, as he has knowledge and talent (big reveal)...

RPG Blog Carnival: Small Souls in a Big World! - 3DIE6 RPG

 

Happy Spring. And this month's RPG Blog Carnival transitions from the Very Big, to the Very Small, thanks to Errant Thinking.

Back in '21 or so, I pledged to a little game produced by Deeply Dapper Games as part of that year's Zinequest: 3DIE6.

And playing as a tiny ant-thing is about as small as you'll get in an RPG. Because, as far as I know, no one has developed "Tardigrade, the RPG" yet.

First of all, the game, as you might have intuited, is a d6 system. In 3DIE6 (and its sister games), the three d6's are either combined into a 3d6 additive roll (skill tests) or as three individual dice with individual values (combat) - these being "attack," "defense," and "effect."

But first, the setting. 3DIE6 takes place within "The Shimmer," a subterranean labyrinth of fungus-illuminated tunnels and warrens. Your PC is one of the Roan, an insect that may be a bit human, or alien. We're not sure... 

It's a dangerous and deadly land for a tiny arthropod such as yourself. So much so, that it's good to bring along a friend. Or two. Not as companions, but in your own head. Because each Roan is actually three personalities, selected from the six base archetypes of the game: Brutal, Clever, Nimble, Precise, Resilient, and Vicious. The archetypes are designed not to be across the board equivalent to our familiar basic PC classes, but to overlap or be more setting-specific in our ant-world. And as archetypes, each has its strengths and limitations. 

an example character

So what's up with the three-in-one character? Each Roan is inhabited by three selected archetypes, and may switch in three situations: after a rest (referred to as cocooning), the primary or active personality is killed, or under duress during an encounter (although with penalties for the latter two cases). The idea was born from the system/game originally being designed as a solo system, so an individual player could have access to a "party" of different skills. Regardless, it's also useful for one-on-one play, or a limited party of just a couple of players. Think of it as resource management including the three PCs in your body...

The setting, The Shimmer, has a number of post-apocalyptic undertones. The Queen is fading in virility and power, which allows the Roan to break from their natural hive-mind and explore, seeking resources and propping up their decaying City and Queen. Or striking out on their own.

As a subterranean world, there are plenty of foes: rogue Roan, fungal beings, giant boring worms, spider things, and probably real ants. Combat with the d6 system is fast and fatal.

The zine includes setting background, character creation, the d6 mechanics, a handful of statted foes, and a brief "Tunnel Master" section with some game advice and lightweight random tables for plot, tunnel generating, and loot.

In addition to the 46 page zine version, a 135-page expanded core rulebook is also available. A Second Edition is pending on Kickstarter.