Campaign Chronicles

I had posted this character class meme on Instagram a short time ago… It got me to thinking about The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight from the Tick cartoon and, like so very   many times before , I had to convert the character into an NPC for use in my campaign .   If you wanted to use The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight in a “standard” campaign, he would still function in much the same way he does in the show – as an unstable maniac the adventurers or the City Watch has to deal with. This is what I came up with (AD&D stats at the end) .   I hope you enjoy. - - - - - - The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight (Real Name unrevealed) CR: 1 Male Human Expert 1 CN Medium Humanoid Init: +1, Senses: Listen +1, Spot +1 Languages: Read/Write and Speak English AC: 12 (Costume, +1 Dex); t: 11, ff: 11 Hp: 6 (1HD) Immune: - - Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +3 ...

"Hit the Road, Jack" was playing on the radio this morning.  I caught just enough of the song to send a cavalcade of "Jacks" streaming through my head...Jack and Diane, Jack Daniels, Captain Jack Sparrow, Wolfman Jack, Jack-in-the-Box, Jack Jack, Kangaroo Jack... no, random thoughts, don't stop there!  Keep going...! Too Late. I guess I'm writing about Kangaroo Jack today... SPOLIER ALERT! Kangaroo Jack, despite what the trailers would have you believe, has more in common with “Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag” than a movie like “Babe” or “The Incredible Journey”.   The movie is a pretty bad organized crime “comedy” (I use quotes because comedy in this case is highly subjective).   The talking kangaroo that is so prominently featured in the preview is pretty much limited to a single hallucinated scene and another one near the end of the film.   (We will not be touching the animated sequel at all for purposes of this article). To be clear, t...

I was at work this morning and out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a “thank you” card hanging on one of the bulletin boards.   From where I was standing, I could make out the words, “Thank you, The Chamber…”   That was all I could see but I laughed to myself as my mind substituted words and arrived at the abovementioned title.   I started thinking about what the Chamber of Commerce could be in a classic or modern fantasy RPG and I would like to present two of the options below.   Enjoy!   Chamber NOUN chambers (plural noun) a large room used for formal or public events. synonyms: assembly room, hall,  auditorium (archaic) a private room, especially a bedroom. synonyms: bedroom, bedchamber, boudoir, room, bower   Commerce N OUN the activity of buying and selling, especially on a large scale. synonyms: trade, trading, buying and selling, business A chamber of commerce (or board of trade ) is a form of busin...

Rocketeer II (Herman Kampfmueller, Major) Male Human LN Expert 1 Init: +1, Senses: Listen +1, Spot +1 Languages: Read/Write and Speak English, French, and German AC: 12 (Leather Jacket, +1 Dex); t: 11; ff: 11; -0 ACP Hp: 10 (1HD) Energy: 15 Immune: - - Fort +3,Ref +2, Will +2 Spd: 30’ (6 squares), fly 180’ (good) (36 squares) Melee +3 Unarmed Strike: 1d4+3 (20/x2) Ranged +1 Pistol: 2d6 (20/x2, 20’) Combat Gear: Mauser C96 Pistol, Cirrus X3 Rocket Pack Str: 17, Dex: 12, Con: 14, Int: 14, Wis: 12, Cha: 14 SA/SQ: Class Abilities Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike (b), Nimble Fingers Skills: Bluff +6, Climb +6, Diplomacy +6, Disable Device +8, Hide +4, Move Silently +4, Open Lock +7, Pilot +5, Search +6, Sense Motive +5, Sleight of Hand +5, Swim +6 Possessions: Insulated Leather Flight Jacket (provides +2 circumstance bonus to save vs cold weather), Khaki Pants, Blue Shirt, Leather Boots, Mauser C96 “Broomhandle” 7.63 mm Pistol (w/ two magazines with 10 rounds...

Day Five of the Odinsleep (5 am, 2 hours until sunrise) With the arrival of Idunn and the Valkyrie Hildr, the rest of the group begins rising from their slumber. Drax awakens refreshed and ready for the day’s trials. He gathers his gear, checking all to ensure its readiness before whispering the words to two different spells – both meant to ward against the divinations of potential enemies, “غير كشف” which will turns aside scrying spells and “محاذاة غير قابلة للكشف” to conceal his allegiance to order, chaos, good, and evil. Cedron takes a deep breath as his eyes fall upon the goddess and his heart soars, filled with vitality and smiles as he replies, “Mischief thrives on innocence and simplicity brought by common expectations. Odin is wise, and I believe we are here because we are neither innocent nor predictable. So perhaps we do not need to find Loki, but to act in a way so unpredictable, that his curiosity brings him to us. What we must determine ...

I was watching YouTube today and a documentary on the man-eating lions of Tsavo popped up in my feed. It was pretty fascinating and while I had seen “The Ghost in the Darkness” way back whenever, I had forgotten much of the story. Still, what I watched today gave me some ideas on how to incorporate the lions into an ongoing campaign. For my  game , I was thinking about a one-shot sequel to my  Western .  The characters, having finished their original story arc have moved on with their lives , started businesses or families and are generally enjoying what amounts to an early retirement when a friendly NPC contacts them from the Tsavo River Valley in Kenya.  Two lions have been preying on railroad workers and have managed to evade all attempts to hunt them down.  This ally is requesting help. It turns out that the cats are under the influence of a native druid who opposes the British presence in the area.   Some of the adv...

Day Five of the Odinsleep (5 am, 2 hours until sunrise) Grotto and Niklas both rise before dawn. The sky has only just begun to take on a silvered-gray hue of the coming day. Several inches of snow fell overnight but by now, both have learned that by noon, the blistering heat of summer will be upon the land. They do not train together but the courtyard is not so large that they are out of each other’s view.    Niklas focuses on his grip and the breathing techniques Raven was telling him about the day before while Grotto revels in powerful swings that stretch his muscles and warm his body (and burn through the remaining haze of his alchemical sleep aids). Cedron, Drax, and Morn all remain asleep while Ra’ziir takes some time to enter the Reverie, replenishing his mind and focusing his spirit. Kysek gives the group a passing glance before retreating to a private alcove to cast a spell of Sending to enable him to send a message to his w...