Campaign Chronicles

Transformers exist on Earth-218 . Not in great numbers but they are there  so it stands to reason that there are those who would have knowledge of the Universal Greeting.  Feat: Universal Greeting [General] Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong Benefit: You know and are able to use the Universal Greeting. It is used to express peaceful intentions when a language barrier is present. It also conveys knowledge of the accompanying hand gestures and (optional) dance. The speaker gains a +2 bonus to Diplomacy checks with non-terrestrial lifeforms when using the Greeting. However, there is a 50% chance that the Greeting has the opposite of the intended effect and causes listeners to attacker the speaker instead. Normal:  Simply speaking the words has no effect beyond making the speaker seem mildly deranged.

Post-March 1942 Sumatra has fallen to the Japanese! Allied forces have been driven before the Imperial invaders. With its western flank threatened, the US, British, Australian, and Dutch militaries desperately search for an island stronghold from which to launch a counter-offensive. After months of exploration, scouts have located an island at the center of an area of magnetic anomalies and violent storms. High Command has given the party orders to conduct a reconnaissance survey of the island to determine the feasibility of establishing an airfield and supply depot in support of a bomber squadron and its fighter escorts. The party boards a submarine and sails to the island. They are sent ashore and soon find ancient ruins. Chief among them is a mighty wall that divides a lone settlement from a thickly forested jungle. Enormous stone buildings, their original builders lost to antiquity, dwarf the crude mud and stick homes of the hostile, cannibalistic natives. Beyond the wall, a moun...

  "This is Jesse Mach, an ex-motorcycle cop, injured in the line of duty. Now a police troubleshooter, he’s been recruited for a top secret government mission to ride Street Hawk, an all-terrain attack motorcycle designed to fight urban crime, capable of incredible speeds up to three hundred miles an hour, and immense firepower. Only one man, federal agent Norman Tuttle, knows Jesse Mach’s true identity. The man, the machine, Street Hawk." Jesse operated as Street Hawk for five months in 1985. Cost overruns for the Street Hawk project, collateral damage, and a changing political landscape brought the project to a close. Jesse and Norman, the designer and technician who performed all of the maintenance on the motorcycle, have been trying to get the project reinstated ever since. Street Hawk (Jesse Mach): old male Human Fast Hero 3/Daredevil 1/Speed Demon 3 CR: 7     Medium Humanoid (Human) HD: 3d8 plus 1d10 plus 3d8     Hp: 33  ...

The World's Most Comfortable Chair is a green leather armchair with a cut-out area to provide support for the user's head and neck. Anyone who sits in it is subjected to the greatest level of comfort they have ever experienced. This sense of relaxation is so intense that those seated lose interest in anything beyond sitting in the Chair, abandoning all plans in the process. June 14, 1953 - The first person who ever sat in the chair (Experimental Subject #1), announced it was comfortable and that sitting in it was the best thing he had ever done. He remained in the chair until September 20, 1976 (23 years, 3 months, 6 days).   Those who sit in the Chair must make a Will save (DC20) or become so comfortable that their only desire is to continue sitting in the chair. While seated, they speak in a drowsy, disconnected manner. They may attempt additional Will saves to escape from the Chair's influence but many choose not to unless inspired by outside forces.

Not much happens in in Fort Wayne, Indiana . In fact, there are so few diversions that the town consistently ranks in "The Top Five Most Boring Towns in the United States" lists. It is because of this that a visit to Louis Gardner's combination miniature golf and petting zoo qualifies as a pretty wild night on the town. Or at least that's what Martin Davis was hoping when he picked Patty Johnson up for a date on a Saturday night. Martin's plan was a simple one: impress Patty with his golfing skills and then woo her with the adorable animals at Putt Putt Pet. There was just one slight problem. Patty was a masterful golfer but Martin had never made it past that cursed windmill obstacle on the second hole. He needed help. So, early Saturday morning he paid a visit to Ursula Tsoros, a woman rumored to be a gypsy living in a garishly painted Volkswagen van often parked on the banks of the St. Mary River, to beg for her help. At first, she refused but Martin was so pa...

Paranoia was/is a role-playing game set in a dystopian future. An unspecified disaster occurred at same point in the setting's past and the citizens of Alpha Complex live in a constant state of conflicting directives overseen by "The Computer". No mention of what kind of disaster exists in any of the game books I own, nor is the location of Alpha Complex ever discussed. I, therefore, propose the following.... While working on a d20 version of RoboCop for my current campaign , I was bouncing back and forth between assorted wikis and came across an article on S.A.I.N.T. S.A.I.N.T. is an Artificial Intelligence that is meant to oversee Omni Consumer Products’ City of the Future, Delta City. S.A.I.N.T. however is corrupted by hackers before it is brought online and is driven “insane”. Still, it is cognizant enough to carry out tasks enabling it to meet its objectives. After the events of RoboCop 3 but before all of OCP’s assets can be seized or liquidated, S.A.I.N.T. tra...

Crosswind is a character in my campaign . Because Earth-218 has Transformers, it stands to reason that the inauspiciously-named Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Cambombya must also exist. Situated on the northern coast of Africa between Libya and Egypt, Carbombya stands as a caricature of anti-Middle Eastern stereotypes. It is occupied by xenophobic, unstable, religious extremists who stand in opposition to the West. And that's exactly what they want you to think. Carbombya has vast reserves of high-quality oil and natural gas. It combines these resources with a weak military, low population, and Ill-defined borders. Realizing that they are operating from a position of vulnerability, the nation's leaders have decided that their best defense is to play the role of the buffoon. Abdul Fakkadi is the nation's "Supreme Military Commander, President-for-Life, and King of Kings". In public, he acts erratically and comes across as both pompous and in...

So.... it's been over six months since I last posted. I've been fine - no grand tragedies, no worrisome health issues, nothing dramatic. I simply haven't been writing. My wife had a baby at the end of January and, yes, a lot of time has been dedicated to raising (and being entertained by) him. The biggest change (as far as gaming goes) has been my job. In May 2019, I left two jobs in favor of one. I work less and make more. I am off evenings and weekends. I have paid holidays. You would think that with all of this free time, I'd be writing more. Not so much. You see, before, I would most of my writing at my second job (front desk at one of the local hotels). From the end of October's third weekend until Memorial Day (with the occasional exception for snowmobilers or hockey tournaments), I was pretty much getting paid to just be there. Start a load of laundry... I'd have about 30 minutes to write while the washer did its thing. Pull stuff from the wash to g...

Day Five of the Odinsleep; 7am (Sunrise) The giant armored figures elicit "kabob" and "meat on a stick" jokes from both Shadow and Cedron while Raz'iir asks if the group should simply attack. Cedron replies that it would be wiser to learn more first.  Shadow remarks that he has never heard of anything like these giants but that if they were to remove their halls he might be able to identify them. Grotto adds that since the brutes have bodies from both sides of the battle that perhaps they could be persuaded to create a distraction for the group once they reach Loki's tower. Cedron nods, "Alright then! Cover me!" he shouts. The minstrel-priest utters a quiet prayer to Malazzarr , God of the Progress, that will allow him to speak any language and nudges his sleipnir into a descent. Shadow follows, remaining above and behind Cedron and his steed. The two close in on the thirs of the spike-armored behemoths that Kysek spotted and Cedron calls out...

16 Feb 1371 07:00:00 (2621 Shou calendar) The spearmen rush toward Hansuke and the three travelers. The tattooed monk breaks into a sprint and calls upon his Abundant Bù Zhòu technique, vanishing instantly and reappearing less than a moment later mere feet from the volatile holy man. With a shout of "TATSUMAKI SENPOKYAKU!", he leaps into the air. The heel of his foot connects with the priest's jaw, snapping the man's head sideways and sending him staggering in a circle. The opposing samurai swings his tetsubo at Hansuke. The tattooed monk's hand comes up, striking the underside of the iron-studded staff, pushing it up and away from his head while simultaneously ducking the blow. The monk Geylan intercepts the soldiers closing on him, the fingers of both his hands curled to resemble claws. He slashes with his hands, taking two men across the face while kicking a third in the knee. Jug leaps into the fray, parrying a pair of spear thrusts bef...

18th Day of the Month of Sunsebb 573 CY calendar Jamaros and the wraith face each other. The undead barbarian's mind swirls with thoughts of violence and murder but he knows that even his most heavily enchanted weapons won't have much effect on the spirit so, begrudgingly, he decides to try diplomacy. He chokes down his anger and repeats, “I am Jamaros Many-Battles. The Ghoul King has named me general of his army and sent me to carve out his domain. I need to know the location and disposition of our enemies as well as the forces at our disposal.” The hollow voice of the wraith echoes back at him, “And I am still Marquis Folggnaw, master of this city.” The incorporeal entity's vaporous form shifts, swirling black smoke backlit by the glowing joints of the armored figures behind him. Folggnaw continues, “Very well.” He gestures to some guard concealed behind the barrier, “Open the gate. The general and I have much to discuss.” A moment later, Jamaros hears the “...

Description of the Scarlet Marpenoth The Scarlet Marpenoth is a submersible vessel designed by a pair of gnomish inventors employed by the Coberal Trust Company in 1365 DR. The submersible hull itself measures 15‘ long by 8‘ wide by 7’ tall. When surfaced, the ‘ Marpenoth has approximately 18” of freeboard. The submersible itself resembles a large barrel with a smaller barrel serving as its nose. Three fins and a number of appendages are attached at various points along the outside of the vessel. A small circular hatch provides access to the interior cabin. The Scarlet Marpenoth requires a crew of two small-sized operators; one to steer and manipulate the vessel’s appendages and one more to provide thrust and braking power. The cabin is watertight to a depth of 100’ and has a maximum sustainable dive of 400’ before the hull begins to collapse. A pair of silver mirrors has been enchanted with Continual Flame spells and mounted on the roof of the canopy to provide lig...

Day Five of the Odinsleep; 7:00 am (Sunrise) After passing over the bulk of Loki's army and avoiding a fee boulders thrown at them by the Frost Giants, the party soars through the air on flying horses. Some of the riders allow their thoughts to wander, taking a few moments to find pleasure in minor fantasies for a future they may or may not have or, in Grotto's case, remain mired in guilt and shame. As the sun rises on the party's left, Raz'iir can barely contain his exuberance and shouts out, "Yippie-Kai-Aye Motherf..." although the end of his cry is carried away on the wind. Cedron's thoughts form a short poem that he shares with those close enough to hear. "Horses dance in clouds. To our certain death we ride. Adventure we seek!" Kysek and Arthur scan the ground below. While many features pass by in a blur, the two adventurers catch a brief glimpse of the dawn's light glinting off steel. At first, it seems like n...

Day Five of the Odinsleep (6 am, 1 hour until sunrise) Shadow breathes a sigh of relief when the Valkyrie stops him from plunging the dagger into his eye. "Great. I really like both of my eyes - not sure which is my favorite but I hope to keep both until I die." The drow then winks at her, first with his left and then his right eye. Grotto nearly vomits as he watches Shadow press the tip of the dagger against his eye. The terror bubbling up inside of him and the sudden relief as the cruel test comes to a merciful end leaves him feeling weak. Shame burns in the pit of his stomach with the sure knowledge that he himself could not bear another disfigurement. He fishes for his pipe and packs the bowl, lamenting, "I fail myself, I fail Hanseath. But you, you never fail me." He lights the bowl and inhales deeply. Gradually, the shame of his cowardice fades replaced once more by comfortable numbness and the scarred dwarf stumbles back to rejoin the party. ...

When I first converted Turbo Teen into a character for my campaign , I started wondering about the kind of adventures he would go. The type that most often came to mind were of the "Reluctant Hero crossed with The Fast and the Furious or Baby Driver" variety. Brett remains the central protagonist of the story with Pattie serving as his team's primary investigator, Alex being their Tech Guy, and Brett Jr being the audience stand-in who ends up on the receiving end of the exposition. Possible plot lines include the Return of Turbo's nemesis Dark Rider, Dark Rider (or Alex Jr) gaining powers similar to Brett's, and other adventures based on (or paying homage to) any movie centered around car chases or races. There are a couple of scenes that keep coming to mind: The first is the arrival at Alex's house after Brett, Pattie, and Brett Jr give their initial pursuers the slip. Bunch of wrecked Trans Ams along both sides of Alex's driveway, a cras...

Road Gators appear to be bits of Tire Treads that have separated from the tires on heavy trucks . These steel-reinforced pieces, which look like an alligator's back can the 8 to 10 feet long and weigh more than 70 lbs. Most often, these creatures can be found lurking on the shoulders of haunted or cursed highways . Road Gator CR: 4     Medium Construct     HD: 3d10 plus 20     Hp: 40 Init: +3    Spd: 20' (can't run) Def: 15 (+3 Dex, +2 Natural), t: 12, ff: 13 BAB +1/Grap +4); +3 Slam: 1d6+3 plus Improved Grab SA: Constrict, Improved Grab SQ: Construct traits, Darkvision 60', Immune to Bludgeoning and Piercing damage, Low-Light Vision AL: None     Saves: Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +1 AP: 0     Rep +0 Str: 17, Dex 17, Con - -, Int - -, Wis: 12, Cha: 2 Skills: None Feats:  None Possessions: None (incidental tr...

I was just starting a new chapter of my long-running campaign - a chapter that would mostly focus on maritime adventures. One of the characters owned a ship and the majority of his party would be the officers and some veteran characters from earlier portions of the campaign. Knowing that ship to ship combat and hand-to-hand fighting during boarding actions would play an important role in the game, I spent the afternoon laying on the floor with pencils, Sharpies, scissors, and poster board drawing deckplans for various ships. A Caravel - this was the primary type of vessel in the campaign. Foremost among them was the Blazing Cutlass with the Siren's Reach , Ethereal Blaze , and Wayfarer serving alongside the flagship. (Left to right: fore and aft cabins, main deck, passenger deck, cargo deck) The group eventually established a lumber camp on the Chultean Peninsula to support a shipyard they had built in Tethyr . They constructed massive barges to haul ...