Succubus Sunday

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101 City Encounters

 This past week I received A Strange Night at the Pint'n'Pony and 101 City Encounters from Studio 9 Games. Both are quality DCC products that were Kickstarted, but today I'm going to talk about 101 City Encounters.

The book is 19 pages of urban gaming goodness. I love the Emrikol inspired cover done by C. Aaron Kreader (who also did the entire artwork. 

101 City Encounters introduces a new Fame and Infamy system related to many of the encounters. PC actions will affect these scores positively or negatively. There are several types of fame to track. Town, Guild, Noble, and Holy are all varieties. Each temple has it's own Holy score. The Judge is encouraged to customize these to the factions in their game. There is an awesome illustrated Infamy & Reputation Tracker at the end of the book. 

The encounters themselves are all well written an interesting. I love this and if The Lone Bards ever release a city source book, there will be a section in it like this book. Honestly, while written for DCC, I recommend this for any fantasy game that takes place in a city. 

This book makes me wish Goodman Games would release a Punjar DCC boxed set. I don't play Lankhmar and Punjar seems to be the only urban DCC setting that's appeared more than once. 

You can purchase the pdf here.

Succubus Sunday (NSFW)

Swords & Saturdays - Deathstalker (1983)

Plot

A mighty warrior, Stalker, is tasked by witch to retrieve an item of great power and defeat the evil wizard, Munkhar. 

Review

This is Roger Corman first Conan cash-in. The protagonist, Stalker, is not a hero. Upon his introduction he kills some degenerate humans, an attempted rapist, and then proceeds to have his way with the rapist's intended victim (though she gets away). That's not the only problematic treatment of women in this flick. There are bare breasts EVERYWHERE! They are treated as eye candy and prizes. Even the heroic warrior woman that joins Stalker on his quest is topless in her introductory scene.

The plot doesn't make much sense. Stalker has to gather three items for ultimate power. I really don't know why anyone would trust this guy with it. One of these items grants him protection from death. 

Its many flaws aside, this is one of those, so bad it's good flicks. It's one of the better Conan knock-offs. This is one of those flicks that a hormone-addled teenage geek would get a kick out of. I can't say I recommend the flick, but if you want to watch it, it's free to view on Tubi.

If you have the time, watch this wildly entertaining review. 

Pig Face

Medium humanoid, Chaotic  evil

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Armor Class 12 (studded leather, dexterity)

Hit Points 47 (5d8+25)

Speed 30 ft.

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    STR     DEX     CON      INT        WIS        CHA

20 (+5)   9 (-1)    20 (+5)   10 (-0)   10 (+0)      8 (-1)

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Saving Throws Strength +8

Damage Resistance bludgeoning

Skills Athletics +8, Intimidation +8

Senses darkvision, 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages Common
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

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Arm Ripper. If Pig Face rolls a 20 on his unarmed attacks his target his to make a DC 15 Strength Saving Throw or have their arm ripped from their body. 

Fearsome. Pig Face can use his Strength in place of Charisma for Intimidation checks.

Actions

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Multiattack. Pig Face makes two unarmed or severed arm attacks.

Unarmed. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+5) bludgeoning damage.

Severed Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+5) bludgeoning damage and 3 (1d6) psychic damage. This action can only be used if Pig Face has successfully used his Arm Ripper feature.

Pig Face is a vile and blood thirsty raider that was cursed with porcine features by an angry wizard. He revels in violence and the thrill of feeling his foes perish at his bare hands (or their own).

Being Inclusive Is Important

 Though some would argue it's killing geek life, it's important to be inclusive. That's one of the reasons I absolutely love the Combat Wheelchair by Sara Thompson. You can check out the inspiration for it and stats for free by going to this link. You can also support Sara on her Patreon. 

Music Monday - CMFT Must Be Stopped

I love this track and video. Corey Taylor (of Slipknot and Stone Sour) is one of my favorite vocalists and also one of the few guys that I can handle cockiness from. With this track he sings and raps over rock music and has Kid Bookie and rap legend, Tech N9ne verses). The video features numerous cameos from folks I love, hot alt chicks, and has a wrestling motif (with the CMFT belt, which will get game stats below).

Here's a list of cats that have cameos:

• Tom Savini (who has designed masks for Corey and Slipknot)
• Corey Gaves and Baron Corbin (WWE)
• Chris Jericho (AEW and Fozzy)
• BABYMETAL
• Ben Bruce (Asking Alexandria)
• Benji Webbe (Skindred)
• Ronnie Radke (Falling In Reverse)
• Rob Halford (Judas Priest) 
• Lzzy Hale (Halestorm)
• Scott Ian (Anthrax)
• ZillaKami 
• Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue)
• Matty Matheson (Vice's Munchies)
• Caleb Shomo (Beartooth)
• Marilyn Manson 
• Nergal (Behmoth... not the Chaos Realms)
• Griff Taylor (Corey's son)
• John 5 (guitarist that's worked with Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and other bands)
• Otep Shamya (Otep)
• MAXIMUM THE RYOKUN (MAXIMUM THE HORMONE)
• Steel Panther
• Lajon Witherspoon (Sevendust)
• Lars Ulrich (Metallica) 

CMFT Belt

This wrestling belt has been imbued with the power of rock. It can be used as a weapon that deals 1d6-1 damage and gives a +1 AC bonus when worn. In addition, the bearer of this title gains a +4 bonus on rolls related to music and boasting.  

The Green Knight

I'm really looking forward to A24's The Green Knight. Like many movies it's release has been delayed by the ongoing global bastard. That's one of the reasons I was excited when The Green Knight: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game - A Quest For Honor Starter Set. 

The starter set is a sturdy green box. It comes with a barebones map of the setting, 5 character sheets, a d20, and a 30 Gamer Master's Guide. The GM's guide contains the classic one page of "what is an rpg?", four pages of rules for the game, and a four encounters that mimic the plot of the film. The back inside cover has three one-paragraph quest/challenge ideas based on other A24 movies (Uncut Gems, Midsommer, and The Lighthouse).    

The game is rather simple mechanically. Characters have an honor score. This number is used to determine success and failure. When you reach 20 honor your story is over. There are no hit points and the purpose of the game is storytelling and questions of honor. The rules are lite and not really my thing, but I could see some folks enjoying them. This boxed set is marketed as a Starter, but I have a feeling it's a one and done thing. Not really sure how you could expand it too much.

My honest opinion of this game is that it's overpriced and doesn't have enough content for the amount A24 is asking for it. That being said it looks great and is an awesome collector's piece for movie buffs. I'm disappointed in the game itself, but I feel okay about the purchase overall. If you want to snag this expensive, but geeky piece of movie ephemera you can get it here. 

Succubus Sunday

Death in Freeport 20th Anniversary Edition

 I was beyond excited to find out that Green Ronin has released a 5e update to their classic adventure Death in Freeport. I also felt strange because this meant that 3rd edition came out 20 years ago. Long time readers will know that I love Freeport! The Freeport Trilogy is one of my top 5 all-time favorite adventures. It's the perfect mix of fantasy and horror and is Pirates of the Caribbean meets the King in Yellow. Plus, Freeport can be easily dropped into just about any setting. 

The pdf is roughly 40 pages (which is about 10 more than the original version if I remember correctly). They layout and art are all fantastic, which is a staple of Freeport releases. 

Ther pdf is broken down as follows

• Freeport background - 4 pages
• Adventure - 14 pages, for levels 1-3 
• Appendix - 16 pages

I won't go into too much detail about the actual adventure. In part one the characters face pirate pressgang slavers and get a job offer. In part two they do some investigation that leads them to the Temple of Knowledge and an orcish pirate ship. The final part leads them to the layer of a secret cult! The party are left with things to do to tide themselves over until the update of Terror in Freeport.

There's quite a bit of new material in the appendices. There are several npc stats and a new humanoid race (with two variations and a pc option). There are also two new magic items. For players there are four new archetypes. The Valor Domain allows clerics to be champions and bastions of bravery and courage. The Buccaneer lets fighters become feared pirates.The Alley-Rat is a rough and tumble urban rogue.Finally the Serpentkin is a sorcerous origin that ties the character to the serpent god, Yig. There are four pre-gens that are built around the four archetypes. Because only the acolyte is in the SRD, there are three new backgrounds: Privateer, Historian, and Street Knife.

The adventure is currently pdf only, but Green Ronin has said a POD version is in the works. You can grab the pdf on DriveThruRPG or GR's site.

Swords & Saturdays - Outlander (2008)

 This is the first of a semi-regular feature I'm starting up. My plan is to review swords & <insert subgenre> flicks and provide some new 5e content based on them. I'm going to start with Jim Caviezal's vikings vs alien flick, Outlander.

Plot

Kainan is a man from beyond the stars who finds himself stranded on earth with a monstrous alien bent on revenge. He is captured by a viking village. He soon becomes an accepted member of the clan and seeks to aid them in defeating the "dragon" that took everything from him. 

Review

This weeks was the first time I'd watched this flick since it first came out. Good "D&D" movies are hard to come by and I think I appreciate this more now than I did then. While it's not quite as on the nose as The Thirteenth Warrior, there are definite shades of Beowulf here. The village is Heorot and it's lead by King Hrothgar.

While Jim Caviezel isn't exactly the most charismatic lead (something to say about he man who played the best known theatrical depiction of Christ), he's a solid stoic lead. I really enjoyed the rest of the cast. Sophia Myles is delightful as the fighting princess, Freya. John Hurt plays his classic, no long for this world, wise leader. Jack Huston did a phenomenal job as the cocksure rival turned friend, Wulfgar, and Cliff Saunders was great as comic relief character, Boromir. 

One of the things I liked about the film is while the creature is a man-eating monster, it actually has a legitimate reason to do so. Genocide of a species seems like a legit reason to be pissed. The Moorwen, itself, was a decent looking CGI alien. It was really original looking, but the mood ring glow was cool and honestly, you mostly saw it in the dark.

Ultimately, while I don't think this is a great movie, it's a fun sword flick and one I don't mind rewatching. 

Moorwen, Adult

Large monstrosity, Neutral evil

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Armor Class 15

Hit Points 88 (9d10+18)

Speed 40 ft.

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    STR     DEX     CON      INT        WIS        CHA

20 (+5)   15 (+3)    16 (+3)   10 (-0)   13 (+1)   8 (-1)

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Damage Resistance fire

Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical or adamantine weapons

Skills Stealth +6

Senses darkvision, 60 ft., passive Perception 11

Languages Moorwen
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

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Spider Climb. The moorwen can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an abilities check.

Actions

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Multiattack. The moorwen makes two tail whip attacks.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 31 (4d12+5) piercing damage.

Tail Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10+5) slashing damage.

You can  learn more about the Moorwen here.

Love's Labour's Liberated

Today I received my physical copy of Love's Labour's  Liberated. Written by Egg Embry, John McGuire, and Leland Beauchamp, the zine is a look at chivalry and love in 5E. Being a book of love, the authors dedicated to the special people in their lives. Four backers pledged at levels that let them dedicate to their loves, as well. 

I have many positive things to say about this one, so I want to get the negative out of the way up front. The project is a month shy of being a year late. Egg and crew have apologized several times and I say later is better than not at all. A wonderful poem at the beginning dedicated to the project's supporters that is reminiscent of Puck's final monologue from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The zine has a wonderful selection of art which was edited by Egg. This is is spread throughout the work and there is just the right amount. There is a nice introduction to the cover artist too.  The authors discuss who the zine is for, consent in gaming, and sexuality in gaming. One of the extra's with the zine is the X-Card. This is a nice agreement among GM and players and while some might not see it as necessary, I think it's a nice addition to games. Now on to the actual gaming content.

The Cavalier of Love is a new fighter archetype that uses their devotion to protect those they love. I'm not sure of the overall balance, but it doesn't seem too crazy. The Enchanter/Enchantress is a new arcane tradition. While this seems like a weird addition to the game because there is already a School of Enchantment, it's pretty dope. This tradition relies on subtly and manipulation to get things done. While this sounds a bit malicious Merlin and Galadrial are examples of those that follow it's principles. The zine gives us four new enchantment spells and eleven magic items. We are also given six adventure hooks and one sandbox adventure for levels one to three.

There is some quality content in this zine. You can really tell that a lot of love went into it. Hehehe, see what I did there? All joking aside, this is a nice addition to any heroic 5e game and if copies become available to the public, I recommend you pick one up. I know I'll definitely be using it in my next game. he zine begins with 

Ash Wednesday - Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (5E)

Today's Ash Wednesday is not mine. These stats and their high quality layout were created by Ben Djinn. You can get a pdf of them here.

Double-Double Cross

This is a wonderfully animated and pretty amusing short for Legends of Runeterra, a game set in the world of League of Legends.

If you want 5E content based on this setting check out Dark Tides of Bilgewater, which I reviewed here.

October Horror Movie Challenge List (Draft 1)

It's August which means that it's Pre-Pre-Halloween. That means it's time to start prepping for The October Horror Movie Challenge. While the challenge isn't as widespread as it was when I started, I still love doing it. The basics are that you need to watch 31 horror movies during the month of October. At least half of these flicks should be new to you. I tend to watch way more than 31, but I always make sure at least half are new.

I will definitely be watching the following Halloween flicks that I've seen dozens of times each:

Trick R Treat (2007)

Tales of Halloween (2015)

Terrifier (2016)

In addition, I've decided that I will make a list with all of the unwatched Horror blu-rays and dvds in my collection. My plan is after I watched the first three listed above, I'll roll a die/random number generator and select one from this list (which will be updated as I probably pick up more flicks before then).

1. The Boy (2016)
2. Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1965)
3. The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)
4. Frankenstein Created Woman (1966)
5. Astral (2016)
6. Nosferatu (1926)
7. Phantom of the Opera (1925)
8. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
9. Relic (1997)
10. Up From the Depths (1979)
11. Piranha (1978)
12. Demon of Paradise (1987)
13. Magic (1978)
14. Urban Cannibal Massacre (2016)
15. Pinata Survival Island (2002)
16. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)
17. Final Girl (2014)
18. Legend of the Phantom Rider (2003)
19. The Funhouse (1981)
20. Sssssss (1973)
21. Lumberjack Man (2015)
22. Harpoon: Whale Watching Massacre (2009)
23. Alone in the Dark (1982)
24. Sleepwalkers (1992)
25. Cemetery Man (1993)
26. Beyond the Darkness (1979)
27. Screamers (1995)/Screamers: The Hunting (2008) 
28. Screamers (1995)/Screamers: The Hunting (2008)
29. Werewolf: The Beast of Among Us (2012)
30. Elfie Hopkins: Cannibal Hunter (2012)
31. Husk (2010)
32. Starry Eyes (2015)
33. Death Valley (1982)
34. Popcorn (1991)
35. The Mansion of Madness (1973)
36. Don't Panic (1988)
37. The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
38. The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)
39. The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)
40. Insecticidal (2006)
41. The Devil's Tower (2009)
42. Devil's Gate (2016)
43. Animosity (2017)
44. The Blob (1988)
45. Christine (1983)
46. The Seventh Sign (1988)
47. It's Alive (1973)
48. Species III (2004)
49. Nocturna (2014)
50. House Shark (2018)
51. Devour (2005)
52. The Plague (2006)
53. Wind Chill (2007)
54. Insanitarium (2008)
55. Vinyan (2008)

Succubus Sunday

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Debbie Does Demons

Debbie Does Demons is a schlocky horror comedy currently on Indiegogo. Judging by the pedigree of those involved it's going to be a wonderful goofy gorefest. Let's be honest, with everything going on in the world we need more movies that are just plain silly fun. I can't say much more than this sounds like a lot of fun and you should consider donating to the project. 

Seriously.... 

Debbie Does Demons

That is the perfect movie title and I'm surprised it's not been used before.