What Y’all Know About A Jive Hand Turkey?!

Thanksgiving has past here in the States, but this is the first time I've been on a computer since Wednesday, so I still want to share. The Lone Bards did a special pay-what-you-want Thanksgiving release this year. With artwork by Josh Beckelhimer and writing by your's truly, the Jive Hand Turkey is a hilariously disturbing new monster for your 5e and Vigilante City games. Grab it here.

Feast of the Gobbler (5E) Review

Feast of the Gobbler is a Thanksgiving themed update to a Necromancer Game 3.0 adventure. Originally available through Indiegogo, you can now purchase the pdf for Swords & Wizardry, Pathfinder 1.0, and 5e (which I will be reviewing). It is for tier 2 adventures (which I'm not a hundred percent sure what that means).

The adventure centers around the tension between the settlers of Maywood and the indigenous people known as the Grass Sailors. Unbeknownst to both sides, a third faction, followers of the dreaded Gobbler, is behind the kidnappings that have set the neighbors against one another. In the adventure, the party must navigate through a dangerous forest, fight advanced versions of axe beaks and human/axe beak hybrids, and finally face the Gobbler's high priest.

This is a fun and challenging adventure. It's got a perfect holiday theme, but be warned, unless you like some cheekiness and bad puns in your game, you might want to reskin and rename a few things. Here are just a few of the goofy food-related names:

• Hillshire's Farm
• Punkin's Spice
• Fort Buterbal
• Yambling Mound
• Matuar Klukar

There are several new monsters and monster variants in this book: archer bushes, axe beak variants, dirty birds (human/axe beak hybrids), Killer Cranberry Bushes, Matar Klukar (were turkey servant of the Gobbler) and the Gobbler himself.  There are also new magic items: horn of devouring and cornucopia of gluttony, and semi-magic feasting rules. 

I really like the Gobbler. He's a super gluttonous Vrock who's nearing Demon Prince status. I think he's a great BBEG and would be a nice addition to games (especially if you're looking for non-standard foes). The thing that bothers me though is that he's only a challenge 7. Yes, this makes him scale to the adventure, but how is this guy nearly a Demon Prince, when so many non-named demons could squish him. I justify this by saying the stats listed or for an Aspect of the Gobbler. 

If you want a fun and weird Thanksgiving adventure pick this one up from the Frogs. 

Show Your GM You Care

My friends at Sinopa Publishing LLC have a new week long Kickstarter, Game Master Holiday Post Card Campaign. The campaign has a small goal, $100 which pays for printing and shipping. There are two tiers, $3.00 and $8.00.

With both tiers your Gamemaster will receive a post card with the art featured below and a hand written message. The GM will also receive pdfs of Sinopa's Glenfallow Regional Maps. If you back at the higher tier they'll also receive the 5e pdfs Whispers of Persephone and The Steel Road.

Zombie Doom Slayer

I recently finished 2016's Doom. It was an absolutely fantastic FPS. The story is cool. The graphics and demon designs are phenomenal. Heavy metal guitar rifts propel combat to an awesome level. The sequel, Doom Eternal, comes out next March and it's going to be badass. There are some new Doom Slayer skins for that game, including the Zombie Doom Slayer. I decided to take this particular skin and stat the undead Doom Slayer out for 5e. He'd make a great ally or even foe for a Baldur's Game: Descent Into Avernus game.

Succubus Sunday

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24 Hours of Chopping Mall

ShoutFactory TV is doing something brilliant this year. For 24 hours on Black Friday they are streaming the "classic" Chopping Mall. I did a super short review of it in February that you can read here. It's not a great movie, but it is fun and this is bloody fantastic!

More STZ2E Weapons

Here are some more new weapons for your Survive This!! Zombies! 2nd Edition game.

Wrestling Championship Belt

With the popularity of wrestling in Romero valley, it's not surprising that champion gold has been used to smash some zombie skulls.

Damage 1d6 ROF 1 Range — Ammo — Weight 5 Cost Priceless

Note: This weapon is considered an unarmed attack for the purposes of a Wrestler's bonuses.

Power Drill

Power tools are great makeshift weapons. A drill bit will go right through a deadhead's brainbox.
Damage 1d6 ROF 1 Range — Ammo — Weight 4 Cost 99

Note: After getting hit with this weapon, living targets take 1 point of damage from blood loss each round until the wound is bound. This effect is not cumulative. Like ranged weapons, Power Drills have a usage die.

Aerosol Flamethrower
It's not the safest weapon, but you can't ignore the results.

Damage 1d6, ROF 1, Range 10' Ammo see below, Weight -, Cost 2

Note: Catches targets on fire (unless a successful DEX check is made) for 1d6 damage per turn until put out. Usage die must be used after each round this weapon is used. On a critical failure (natural 1 on the die), it explodes and deals 1d6 damage to the wielder and catches them on fire.

Shiv
Easy to conceal and brutally effective in close quarters.

Damage 1d6-1 ROF - Range - Ammo - Weight - Cost -

Note: +3 on rolls to conceal, unlike other melee weapons, the shiv has a usage die that starts at d6

Survive This!! Zombies! - The Wrestler

As I mentioned in this post, I'm working on a STZ2E setting: Romero County, WV. Because of my love of wrestling (and that I know wrestling is big in rural parts of WV), I'm making that a part of the setting. For that reason, I've created a Wrestler class for the game. This is a very early draft. Let me know what you think.

Wrestler

It may come as a surprise, but wrestling survived Z-Day. Strong and agile survivors often take up the role of Wrestler. While it seems silly to grapple the undead, wrestling style can be an effective style in close quarters or against singular undead. Whether fighting other Wrestlers or zombies, these tough sob's battle to entertain other survivors. With their unarmed skills, Wrestlers also excel keeping the peace without the use of firearms, so often serve as law enforcement in conclaves.

ATTRIBUTE BONUS: +1 to Con and Str OR Dex and -2 to Wis

EQUIPMENT: Tights/Costume, Gym Bag, gimmick item

ABILITY BONUS to d20 Rolls:
+3 to Unarmed Attack Rolls
You get +1 to this each time your level up.

Special Ability: You are trained in the Wrestling skill and your unarmed attacks do d6+Str damage. You also choose one of the following special abilities.

Garbage Wrestler: You can hit people really hard with foreign objects. You can use any object you can pick up as a melee weapon with no penalty and do an additional +1 damage with melee weapons. This bonus increases every even level. You also have a Lucy.

Grappler: You get a +1 to Grab attacks. This bonus increases each time you level up.

High Flyer: You gain a +3 to Basic Athletics. You take no damage from falls less than 20 feet and reduce damage from other falls by 1d6 damage. You can Kip-Up from the prone position without using any of  your movement.

Killer Frogs!

Frog God Games is upping their monster game with Tome of Horrors 2020 (in its last few days on Kickstarter). This full colour manual of monsters will include of 250 nasty creatures to help flesh out your games. The Frogs always do a great job with monsters, so this is definitely a cool project.

To help promote it, they've released a full encounter/mini adventure featuring one of the beasties. You really need to check it out. It's called Killer Frogs and was written by my homie at Planet X Games, Levi.

Succubus Sunday

I placed that image there so that the preview doesn't show anything lewd. 

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5th Evolution - WWII: Mystery In The Sahara Review

5th Evolution: WWII #1 lets you take your 5e game out of a traditional fantasy setting and into an alternate history where a brave American tank crew encounters powerful ancient magic in WWII.

The book contains 47pages of content. This is an adventure and rules supplement for 5th edition. You need the core books, basic pdf, or the srd to use it.

Like all 5Evo books, this starts with a comic. In the deserts of North Africa a tank crew encounters an ancient Efreeti and his lava scorpion minions (as well as a group of Nazis). Again, like all of the 5Evo books, the artwork is astounding. I'm not really into war comics, but I would read the further tales of this group.

After the comic we're presented with the scenario. The characters are there to stop a group of Afrikacorps who are in the desert to awaken and ancient evil. They do so and that's were the evil genie comes into play. In the adventure they will encounters the Nazis and their commander, an evil genie, giant magma scorpions, an anti tank gun, skeletal guardians, and a mummy.

The party is made of up four different members of the tank crew and the tank itself (which they each share a role in running). It's an interesting idea and I need to run this to see how it plays out. Just reading the rules it seems pretty solid.

This information is followed by what you need to make your own WWII adventures. There's a one page primer with a timeline and info about the homefront. There are two pages for character creation. You should background and advanced training, which is what really sets you apart from your brothers in arms. Characters are roughly the equivalent of secondary characters (though are a lot more powerful in their tank. This is followed by rules for running a game set during WWII and several pages with firearms rules and lists of equipment. These are really cool, because they are broken down by nationality. There are also a few pages with other vehicles. Finally the book ends with some npc stat blocks (Bedouin Tracker, Raw German Recruit, Heavy Shotgun, and German Officer).

After reading this book again, I think it would be a great way to play something like Overload. There's some great stuff in the Tunnel of Terror book for this (including contagious zombie stats). You could also use this for flashback setting adventures in a Carbide City game. The players could take on the roles of soldiers that dealt with something related to a villain.

Currently only backers of the Kickstarter (like me) have print copies, but you can pick the pdf here. Better yet, you could back their new Kickstarter, 5Evo Whitechapel and get it and the original three (including this one). 

Phantasmagoria #2 Review

I recently picked up the second issue of Apollyon Press's Phantasmagoria from Exalted Funeral. You can read my review for the first issue here. Whereas issue 1 was mainly player material, issue 2 is definitely for the judged.

Spicing up ship combat we are given maneuvers to do. These are special actions that can be taken by ships if you meet the requirements. They really missed out though, because they didn't include one of the greatest starship maneuvers, listing lazily to the left.

There are several little item related entries that help flesh out your game. This includes d30 artifacts, alien poisons, and prosthetics (mundane and magical). I really like what they've done with the prothestics. There is a new spell that allows you to create the magical variety. The poisons are a nice touch too, because in solar assassin worth its ilk, is going to use them.

There are several pages of stellar system generation and monster generation. This ends with a brief chart on how folks get around in certain area and a bit of errata from the first issue.

The author did a great job with all of this material and its ready to go. While a part of me would like to see an established setting, that doesn't really fit the DCC model. When you combine this with with the first issue, you have everything you need to run a fun swords and planet game. You can roll up your star systems and sail the cosmic waves. These could also be used to expand something like Leopard Women of Venus (currently on Kickstarter).

Create Your Own Stories In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

I've read nothing but praise for Disney +'s The Mandalorian and I know it's got a lot of folks wanting to roll some dice and make their own Star Wars adventures. If you're going to do so (and don't already have them), I recommend downloading White Star and the White Star Companion (both of which are pay what you want) and snagging this awesome custom character sheet created by David Okum.  While you're at it, considering backing David's patreon.

Help Your 5E Game Evolve

Have you ever wanted to try something different in your 5e games? Wonder who'd win in a fight between a WWII tank and a red dragon? Want to terrorize some 80's teens with an ogre? How about throwing a team of superheroes against a beholder? If any of these things sound badass to you, then you should really check out the Kickstarter for 5Evo Whitechapel.

The newest 5Evo book it focuses on 1888 London and Jack the Ripper's reign of terror. It's presented as an easy addon to D&D 5e and you can mix and match it's content with the core books. Additionally, with a few of the pledged you can snag the previous 5Evo books and add all of the craziness I mentioned above to your games.

I have reviewed Tunnel of Terror and Carbide City. I've not reviewed Mystery in the Sahara, but I think I'll do that tomorrow. I can't wait to add Whitechapel to the mix. These are quality books and you should take a look at the project.

Music Monday - Savages

My favorite band Ice Nine Kills recently released a video for this Texas Chainsaw Massacre-inspired song, Savages. The video is fun and gory

And just a reminder I statted out Leatherface for 5e D&D last month.

Succubus Sunday - Graz'zt

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Homemade Weapons for STZ2E

I am making a setting for SURVIVE THIS!! Zombies! 2nd Edition and I wanted to include some homemade and makeshift weapons. Here are a few I've come up with.

Lawn Mower

While it can be quite unwieldy, a push mower can be a deadly weapon and shield.

Damage 2d6, ROF 1, Range —, Ammo —, Weight 90, Cost 160

Note: Must use two hands to wield, attacks made with disadvantage, face-to-face attackers must make DC 10 Dexterity check or take 2d6 damage when taking wielder

Lucy

A Lucy is any large bludgeoning weapon that has been reinforced with nails, bolts, barbed wire, or other metal to make it particularly brutal. The name was coined by a particularly brilliant, but vicious survivor leader. 

Damage 1d6+1, ROF 1, Range —, Ammo —, Weight 5, Cost Special

Note: Lucies have a base cost of 10, but must be specially crafted. Each one is individualized by its user. Any non-zombie hit by a Lucy, must make a DC 10 saving throw or suffer an additional 1 point of damage on it’s next turn from bleeding.

Makeshift Sword 

Any large blade can be turned into a weapon, be it a paper cutter or a lawnmower blade. They are easier to attain than a traditional sword, but also break down faster.

Damage 1d6+1, ROF 1, Range —, Ammo —, Weight 5, Cost 10

Note: Unlike other swords, these have a usage die (which starts at d10).

Potato Cannon/Spud Gun

These simple ballistic weapons can be created from a variety of pipes and either pneumatic force or flammable gas. Unlike most firearms, ammunition for a potato cannon is whatever you put in it.

Damage 1d6, ROF 1, Range 500, Ammo —, Weight 5, Cost -

The Haunted Doll

The first release from The Lone Bards since Cade's Big Book O' Booze is live. The Haunted Doll is a short pdf featuring a new horror-themed follower for 5e. It's heavily inspired by the sidekick rules in The Essentials Kit and was originally supposed to be released last week (though obviously that didn't happen).

Zombie Flash (SURVIVE THIS!!)

Keeping with the zombie mood I've been in I decided to stat out this terrifying (and amusing) piece of art. If you want a reason for a zombie plague to spread fast in your setting, look no further.

The Flash (The Fastest Zombie Alive?)
Armor Class: 18
Hit Dice/Points: 11 (56 HP)
Move: 58 (290 when running)
Actions: 5
Attack: Claw (1d6-1) or Bite (1d4)
Special: Zombie, +5 toughness when running, pinball attack, super speed
Bonuses: +7 to attacks, +5 to damage (when running), Athletics: Basic +5
Morale: 10
Terror: 14
HDE: 12

• Zombie - Immunity to Poisons, Diseases, Toxins, Fear, Mind Probing, Mind Control, Pain, Surprise Attack damage, and Critical hits. Anyone bit or scratched by Flash must make a Poison save or they will become infected. If infected they are at -2 on all attack and skill rolls, lose 1/2 their movement, and lose 1 HP a minute until they die, at which point they become a zombie with these this special abilities. If used in STZ use the Infection saving throw instead. 
• Pinball Attack - May attack 10 different enemies within 20' and then move at half movement away. Can only be used as first action of the round and uses up all of the Flash's actions. 
• Super Speed - Can move run over water, holes, pits, and gaps, can run up walls and structures, all attacks against him are at Disadvantage (except for Super Speedsters of level 10+

Night of the Living Dead and the Public Domain

I know because of an error that the film Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain. However, does that mean the IP can be used to create other media? One of the reasons this came to mind is that I was reminded that CMON is doing a licensed Zombicide Night of the Living Dead

CMON just finished their extremely successful Kickstarter for Zombicide 2nd Edition (which I backed). This one will launch soon and wasn't a part of the of the just completed one because of licensing things.

Did CMON need the licence to make this or did they talk to the estates and film makers to make this look more official? I'm not a copyright law expert (or even novice) so I really don't know. The reason I'm asking is that I think it would be great for someone like Bloat Games to release a supplement purely based on the movie. I also thought about doing a standalone game in zine format based on it. I'm just not sure of the legality.

Looking on DriveThruRPG I see an art pack and an adventure that expressly say Night of the Living Dead. I snagged the adventure using some credit and it has pics from the film and basically recreates that. I'm curious if anyone knows the legality of this.

5Evo - Venom (Movie Version)

The recent 5th Evolution: Whitechapel Kickstarter by Limitless-Adventures has me looking at my 5Evo books again. The books are a simple but brilliant idea and have been masterfully executed. The comic book style (and comic lead-in) are phenomenal. You should really check the original books and the new Kickstarter out. In honor of my revitalized zeal for the line, I'e decided to stat some characters out for their Carbide City (supers) book. 

Since I watched Venom again this weekend, I thought I'd start with Tom Hardy's version of that character. The stat block was created using D&D Beyond (which put a few limitations on things).

Music Monday - We Happy Few

We Happy Few is a meh game with an amazing idea behind it. Check out this live music video JT Music did for it. Even if the game is disappointing, this is pretty entertaining.

Succubus Sunday - Wonder Succubus

If you like this design, you can get it in shirt form here.

Witch I Might Be

This started out as a joke, but I'm so glad Tim decided to fully flesh it out and make it something more.

The Basic Witch: The Pumpkin Spice Tradition is the latest in a long (and amazing) line of OSR witch books by Tim over at The Other Side Blog. Like all of these books, there's some familiar elements and other content that's totally unique.

The pdf is 66 pages. The interior is black and white and the art is a mix of modern rpg and classic public domain. This really fits well with the theme of the book.

The book starts with a short introduction that discusses what exactly a witch is and how it compares to clerics and wizards in game terms. This section is very similar to other witch releases Tim has, but it only takes up a few pages, so no biggie if you've got the others.

The second part of the book details the witch class for Basic  versions of D&D. The overall class itself is the same as the version presented in The Witch: A Sourcebook for Basic Edition Fantasy Games. The major difference is this book includes the titular Pumpkin Spice tradition. Witches that follow the Pumpkin Spice tradition are more self aware and urban, that witches of other traditions. They are also a much newer tradition. While these aspects can cause some traditional witches to sneer and judge, Pumpkin Spice witches really don't give a damn.

A vast majority of the book is taken up by spells and rituals for the tradition (and other witches). These are very flavorful and while there is a bit of crossover with previous witch books, there's plenty of new content here. There are many that play on modern "basic bitch" stereotypes and Tim does an amazing job of turning these into usable content. Here are some of the more comical sounding spells:

Oh My God, Becky!
Witch Slap
You Can't Sit With Us
Live, Laugh, Love
Cougar's Kiss

The next section includes a plethora of new monsters associated with witches and Halloween.  Of note, one of my favorites is the Children of Twilight Vampire... which yes was inspired by Twilight. It's just such a perfect fit for this book and I'm glad Tim added it.

This section is followed by several new magic items associated with Pumpkin Spice witches. My favorite has to be ugly boots, an obvious reference to Uggs.

The book ends with three unique witches of the Pumpkin Spice tradition. They represent the Maiden, the Mother, and Crone. First you have young Becky, who likes to pretend she's not as smart as she actually is so others underestimate her. She is trying to find herself. Next you have the no-nonsense Karen. She's blunt, she tells you what she thinks, and if you don't take her seriously she will want to talk to whoever is in charge. Finally you have the cougar, Carol. Carol's husband ran off with a younger woman and now the witch is living her best life, growing in power, and taking younger lovers.

This books is a wonderful collection of modern witchy goodness. If you want something a little different from you witches (or just really love Fall and Halloween like me), you definitely need to check this out.