Halls of the Nephilim

Dungeon Crawl Classics - Assault on the Bloody Grove

2012-03-19T11:18:00.001-07:00

Yeah I know it has been a while since I've posted. Life... that's all I'm going to say about that.

I'm looking forward to the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (pre-ordering my copy next week). I'm getting ready to run a game using the beta playtest and the Free RPG Day adventures released last year.

After "The Portal Under the Stars" I'm running my players through my homebrew continuation of the adventure "Assault on the Bloody Grove." Following the rumors of a dryad, the characters will head northeast to the Kenning Woods. There they will fight the wood's infamous ice wraiths (actually canabilistic snow elves) and face the mistress of the forest, Artesia the Stained.

Below are my write-ups for Artesia and the "Snow Wraiths." This is my first attempt at this game so I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

Artesia the Stained, Dryad of the North

Init +2; Atk Claw +5 melee (dmg 1d8) or Vine Whip +3 melee (1d6 plus DC 14 Ref save or be entangled); AC 15; HP 25; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +3; AL Chaotic

Artesia the Stained is the bloody mistress of the Kenning Woods. Though she has contempt for all “breathers,” she views the Querralvis as her personal guard. Her grove is a macabre sight filled with the remains of the Querralvis kills.

In combat Artesia typical stands tries to entangle foes while her servants bring the pain. It should also be noted that Artesia takes an extra 1d6 damage from attacks with fire.

Ice Wraiths (Querralvis, “People of the Long Shadow”)

Init +2; Atk sword +2 melee (dmg 1d8+2) or longbow +2 range (1d6, range 70/140/210); AC 12 (leather); HD 1d8+2; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP infravision 60’; SV Fort - 1, Ref +1, Will +1; AL Chaotic

“Ice Wraiths” are spoken of in hushed tones among the northern folk. Contrary to legends the malevolent creatures are not ghosts, but cannibalistic elves. Long ago they were a peaceful race but desperation and hard times has led them to the path of flesh eating.

Nothing is more frightening than being stalked by a patrol of Ice Wraiths. Normally silent, they keen and wail when closing in on their prey.

Not true cannibals, Ice Wraiths (or Querralvis as they call themselves) refuse to dine on the flesh of other elves. Elves captured in their forest are given a choice, join the tribe or die a quick death.

New Posts Coming Soon

2012-01-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

Wow, it’s been a long while since I’ve posted. Lots of personal stuff has happened and gaming has been put on the back burner. However, I’ve decided that I want to start doing regular gaming posts again so I hope to have some new material up soon.

Mutants and Masterminds 3rd Edition - Spectrum

2011-07-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

I've been a Green Lantern fan since I was a kid. When I was in elementary school Kyle Rayner was introduced and he became my Green Lantern. As I got older and I started reading older GL comics. While I like Hal, after Rayner, Killowog and Guy Gardner (yeah I'm a Guy Gardner fan) became favorites as well. While it seems strange and convoluted at times I'm also a fan of the different Corps. So I decided to make a PL10 M&M 3E/DC Adventures character tied to the Corps, but not a Lantern (which is hard to do at PL10).

I'm still coming up with a detailed orign for Spectrum (I named him before I realized that Marvel already had a GL pastiche named Doctor Spectrum). Here's what I've got so far:

He's a young hero that has a variety of powers based on DC's emotional spectrum. I've built him with an array. Basically he can be powered by one emotion at a time. While being empowered his mood and emotional state matches the part of the spectrum he's using.

He's also an ancestor of the Legion of Substitute Heroes member, Rainbow Girl (who I didn't know about until researching ideas for this character.
____
Avery Ryan aka Spectrum - PL 10

Strength 2, Stamina 2, Agility 2, Dexterity 2, Fighting 8, Intellect 4, Awareness 4, Presence 2

Advantages
Defensive Roll 4, Jack-of-all-trades, Throwing Mastery, Uncanny Dodge

Skills
Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+14), Deception 4 (+6), Insight 4 (+8), Investigation 2 (+6), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Throw 4 (+6), Stealth 4 (+6), Treatment 4 (+8)

Powers
Emotional Spectrum (Array)

Avarice
(Advantages: Assessment, Seize Initiative)
Mimic: Mimic 3

Compassion
(Advantages: Interpose, Leadership, Trance)
Teleport: Teleport 18 (Linked; 1000 miles in a move action, carrying 50 lbs.; Affects Others [12 ranks only]; Activation 2 (standard action): standard action, Tiring)

Fear
Affliction: Affliction 10 (Linked; 1st degree: Dazed, 2nd degree: Stunned, 3rd degree: Incapacitated, Resisted by: Will, DC 20)
Enhanced Trait: Enhanced Trait 5 (Linked; Traits: Intimidation +10 (+12))

Hope
(Advantages: Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless, Inspire, Teamwork)
Healing: Healing 13 (Linked; cosmic)

Love
(Advantages: Attractive 2, Fascinate (Persuasion))
Mind Control: Mind Control 7 (Linked; cosmic, DC 17)

Rage
Enhanced Trait: Enhanced Trait 30 (Linked; Traits: Strength +7 (+9), Fortitude +4 (+10), Will +2 (+6), Dodge -2 (+8), Parry -2 (+8), Toughness +4 (+10), Intimidation +4 (+6), Advantages: All-out Attack, Chokehold, Diehard, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Takedown 2)

Willpower
(Advantages: Fearless)
Immunity: Immunity 30 (Linked; cosmic, Will Effects)

Life Support: Immunity 10 (Life Support)
Space Flight: Flight 7 (Speed: 250 miles/hour, 0.5 miles/round)

Offense
Initiative +2
Affliction: Affliction 10, +8 (DC Will 20)
Grab, +8 (DC Spec 12)
Mind Control: Mind Control 7 (DC Will 17)
Throw, +6 (DC 18)
Unarmed, +8 (DC 17)

Complications
Quirk - Emo: Avery's essence is tied into the emotional spectrum. He is easily caught up by the emotion tied to the power he is using.
Secret - Krona's "Child": While the other Corps suspect Avery's ties to the emotional spectrum, only Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan know that Avery was created by Krona.

Languages
English

Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 6, Toughness 6/2, Will 4

Power Points
Abilities 52 + Powers 61 + Advantages 7 + Skills 16 (32 ranks) + Defenses 14 = 150

Hero Lab® and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.comMutants & Masterminds, Third Edition is ©2010-2011 Green Ronin Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

Scott Pilgrim vs. Cinematic Unisystem

2011-07-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is one of my all time favorite movies. It makes me feel nostalgic for my undergrad days. Epic battles, music, video games, hot hipster chicks...

Since I've been on a Quicksheet kick, I decided to make one for the movie version of Mr. Pilgrim. I'd like to note that while I don't think Michael Cera is attractive, Scott gets the chicks so I gave him a 1 rank of it.

The Re-Animated Revisited

2011-06-22T08:18:00.001-07:00

I finalized which style I'm going to use for the quicksheets and made a quicksheet for my favorite horror character, Dr. Herbert West. I've also made some quicksheets for example Re-Animated and Re-Animated Appendages. Click on the pictures to go to my Google docs for larger versions you can download.

But, shouldn't we aspire to be the Hero? Yes, unless we be a band of goblins that want to loot fireworks.

2011-06-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

You’re no hero.

You’re a small animal crushing Reta Bigbad, pustular sneak Chuffy Lickwound, Poog of Zaongel (who's not good at riding animals but will stab you with a knife if you point that out), and Mogmurch, goblin who makes stuff go BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! You seek fireworks. No gold. No glory. Just fireworks for His Mighty Girthness Chief Rendwattle Gutwad.

If you can't tell, I really like the Paizo offering for Free RPG Day, We Be Goblins. It's a nifty little Pathfinder adventure that puts the party in role of a group of 1st level goblins, seeking fireworks. It is relatively short, but provides a lot of opportunity for some fun unique roleplaying. If you weren't able to get the print version, you can download the pdf for free.

I can't wait for my next trip back home, because I know my group will love this one.

By the way, the blog title is just my playful tribute to one of Tim Brannan's recent blog posts. I meant no offense sir.

Buffy Quicksheet Test

2011-06-20T03:58:00.000-07:00

So I've finally got back in the swing of using photoshop and I've been messing around with some Buffy quicksheets. These are some early tests and I'm posting them in the order that I made them. You can tell an improvement as I progress. Cassie Myers was the (npc) Slayer of our group. She was a high school rocker and the love interest to my skater werewolf (who was also in her band). It was the classic they've been friends forever, he realized he had a thing for her, but she sees him as a friend. Thrust into the position of the Slayer she witnessed her Watcher sacrificing himself and was dominated by a wish empowered vampire. Combined with other stress, this put her in a coma.

As far as the quicksheet is concerned, I just used Times New Roman for the font. It looks okay, but you can see my spacing issues. The second to last session we played, my character Kyle, fought his doppleganger in the hospital to save Cassie. He then left to clear his head and as of the last session, she was still in a coma.Donna Taylor was a nice, but somewhat typical high school cheerleader. She just cared about her boyfriend and looking good. That was until her boyfriend was killed. Then things got worse when she was accidently killed by a Al, demonling member of the cast. However, another of the cast members, Reggie, was obsessed with ger and stole one of the Watcher's tomes to use a spell to bring her back. It worked, sort of. Because he used his blood (lots of it) in the ritual, Reggie and Donna are tied together. As long as she gets regular blood and ritual transfusions from him she looks human. However, if she goes too long without getting her fix, the lizard part of her brain starts taking over and she becomes more animalistic and obsessive. In addition during this time her body releases pheremones that drive men to find her extremely desirable.

With this quicksheet I used a font on the web I found called "Buffied." I really like it, but it is hard to read. You can see I figured out text position a bit better in this one. Also, the last little part in her background never came into play, but when we restart the series the guy playing Reggie said he wanted to add this bit of info, which is a nod to the movie Zombie Strippers. Danielle Pfeiffer was a misfit that the cast suspected of being the cause of deaths around the school. Upon investigation they learned that she was trying magic to make herself lose weight. It's not that Danielle is truly heavy, but she doesn't conform to the idealized female form in pop culture so she felt that she was fat and ugly. The fact that she had the nickname Danielle "The Heffer" Pfeiffer, didn't help her self-esteem much. The party soon realized that she was naive, but not dangerous. She then began to stalk my character Kyle, until she was shown some kindess by another cast member, Billy the Hunter (the character mentioned in my last post). Billy and Danielle dated until his untimely death.

I think this is the best looking of the quicksheets. The text seems aligned correctly, I use the Buffied font, but it's also readable because I use Times New Roman on most of it. When the series starts back up she'll be a bit more unhinged and it'll be up to the cast to keep her grounded.

So what do you guys think? Should I use the third format?

The Hunter Quality

2011-06-19T16:11:00.001-07:00

A few years ago I was involved in a short lived, but very memorable Buffy game. One of the players (who was a big reason the game ended when it did) wanted to basically play Blade. The director said no. Then he asked if he could play a male Slayer. The director decided to let him be a Hunter, which was basically described as a male anti-slayer (and had the same stats as a Slayer, with the exception of a few changed Adversaries). It could have worked and the director came up with some great background stuff that would've made for a great game, but the player didn't like to roleplay and basically got himself and the other hero killed. This pretty much ended the game. I'm talking with the director of the game and one of the other cast members to start it back up, where we left off with myself as the director.

So I've recently started playing the God of War games again. For those of you unfamiliar it's a machismo fueled action series thats full of blood, boobs, and guts. It's kind of the anti-Buffy. Still for some unknown reason I got the idea of recreating the Hunter quality and tying it into the God of War games. So here you go, this is my Hunter quality. I realize that its very similar to the Slayer quality, but there are a few differences.

Hunter (16 Pont Quality)

Created during the days of ancient Greece the supernatural imbued men known as the Hunters could be referred to as the anti-Slayers. Legends say that they were created by the god of war, Kratos. It is said that the once mortal god was influenced by dark spirits to create his own servitor, one to rival that of the Slayer, who had received the blessings of Artemis. A young soldier was chosen and imbued with a bit of Kratos essence. Soon after, the god was betrayed by Zeus and engaged in warfare with most of the Greek pantheon. While the god battled, the demonic conspirators corrupted the god’s servant and took control of the essence that empowered it. They dubbed their new servant, the Hunter (to mock Artemis), and unleashed it upon the land. The first Hunter was an absolute killing machine who cared for little but spilling blood. However, a seed of rebellion was planted into the Hunter upon Kratos sacrifice and gift of Hope to the world.

At least that’s what the ancient tomes say…

The Hunter is the dark mirror of the Slayer. He is a young man chosen by fate to wield demonic power. Instead of protecting mankind, he is a servant of evil. There can only be one Hunter at a time. When one is killed another is imbued.

Knowledge of the Hunters is rare and considered apocryphal by the Watcher’s Council. However, there are some that know of the Hunter’s existence and seek to guide him to path of righteousness, knowing that he is still mortal and has been gifted the same hope by his creator that all men and women were given. They may be rare, but a rogue Hunters are not unheard of.

• +3 to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. They also receive a These bonuses can raise the Hunter’s Attributes above the human maximum of six. Also, none of the Hunter’s physical Abilities can be lower than four after bonuses are applied. It should be noted that Hunters are not imbued with supernatural Willpower like the Slayers. This is because they were created to be pawns, not knights.
• Fast Reaction Time, Nerves of Steel, and five ranks of Hard to Kill (an additional five levels can be purchased on top of that). However they get an automatic Adversary (Slayer and Watcher’s Council) worth five points. The duties of a Hunter count as a 3-point Obligation Drawback. Rogue Hunters lose their adversary (Slayer and Watcher’s Council), but gain Adversary (Demons) worth five points. This isn’t to say that Watchers and Slayers that know of the Hunter trust him, but they don’t attack him on sight. Violence is in their nature so they gain the Antisocial Impulses (Violence) drawback for two points (See Angel Corebook for this drawback).
• +2 free levels of the Crime, Getting Medieval, and Kung Fu skills (they must spend at least one point a piece on those skills, for a minimum beginning level of three in each).
• Damage is regenerated at a rate of one Life Point per Constitution level, every hour. Hunter’s recover from injuries unnaturally fast.
• For reasons tied to their creation, all Hunters gain full fluency (reading and writing) in Greek and all of its dialects (including dead versions).

Though infused with demonic magic, Hunters are human. Hunters cannot take any package qualities that involve physical training. For obvious reasons, Hunters may also not be Watchers.

Happy Father Dagon's Day

2011-06-19T07:08:00.001-07:00

I just thought I'd wish all of the other papa's out there a happy Father Dagon's Day.

I should have a real blog posting up in the next day or two. Also, I now have a seperate blog that is specifically for my post apocalyptic creations and ramblings, A Nuclear Winter Wonderland.

Wilmington Star Wars Game

2011-06-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

I'm hanging out with an old friend of mine this weekend and I'm planning on running a solo Star Wars Saga Edition game for him.

I've always been a big Star Wars fan and though I don't like everything that's been done to my beloved franchise, I can't complain too much.

I used the crawl creator on Starwars.com to make this to set the game up.

I may use this one instead:

B/X - ManBearPig

2011-06-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

Earlier I read Digital Orc's Pig-Men post and it made me feel a little mischevious. So I present to you, South Park's ManBearPig statted out in B/X format.

ManBearPig
Armor Class: 4           No Appearing: 1 (Unique)
Hit Dice: 6            Save As: Fighter 5
Move: 120’ (40)’             Morale: 10
Attacks: 2 Claws/ 1 Bite      Treasure Type: B
Damage: 1-8 each         Alignment Chaotic

The dreaded ManBearPig is a super serial threat to mankind. Created by chaotic demon magic to be a true blight on mankind, the creature is half man, half bear, half pig. He stands over 8’ tall and weighs 1500 pounds (15,000 coins). He has a foul temper and prefers to attack humans over all over targets. If both claw attacks hit the same target in one round, ManBearPig will “hug” for an additional 2d8 points of damage. ManBear Pig roams the wilds, looking for manflesh to slash and devour.

-----

So yeah he's basically just a beefed up owlbear, but I thought someone might get a kick out of him. Also, sometime this weekend I'll post 4E stats of him (using a picture of him from the Imagination Land trilogy).

Red Dead Redemption - Bolters

2011-06-02T07:02:00.001-07:00

Anybody that's played Undead Nightmare knows that bolters are a pain. They run on all fours and they will catch you.

Bolters

Str: 2 Dex: 3 Con: 2
Int: -2 Per: 2 Wil: 2
DPS: 15
Strength: Dead Joe Average (0), Claws D6(3)*2 (AP/Slashing) (+8)
EPS: n/a Senses: Like the Living (+1)
Essence: 6
Sustenance: All Flesh Must Be Eaten (0), Who Needs Food? (+8)
Spd: 18 Intelligence: Animal Cunning (+4)
Skills: Brawling 2 Weak Spot: Brain (+6), Fire (-5)
Getting Around: The Quick Dead(+10) Power: 25

Spreading the Love: No matter who or what the zombie is, it infects the living in the same way. People who are bitten must make a Constitution Test, with a +2 bonus for a scratch or a light wound (9 points or less), no penalty for a deep bite or wound (more than 10 points of damage), and -1 for severe injuries (more than 20 points of damage). The Zombie Master may wish to make these rolls in secret. If infected, the victim suffers a wasting disease which imposes a cumulative -1penalty per day to all Tasks or Tests (i.e., -2 on the second day, -3 on the third day, etc.). After (Constitution + willpower)/2 days, the character dies. If a character is killed by a zombie bite, he will rise up as another undead in 3-30 minutes (3D10).

Background:Bolters move about much more quickly by scampering on all fours making them hard to target. Their main attack is biting and clawing at the player in a rapid succession, making them extremely dangerous when in packs. Bolters appear to be small, and frail looking, and they walk like they have a limp until they see you, ironically making them the slowest Zombie as well if they are on just their legs. They are usually easy to spot from a distance. They emit high pitched screeches.

Red Dead Redemption - Basic Undead Nightmare Zombie

2011-06-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

I've aleady posted stats for two versions of John Marston and Nigel West Dickens, so I thought I'd start posting stats of the antagonists of Red Dead Redemption - Undead Nightmare. I'll start with the basic zombies. The basic zombies seem to be vulnerable to fire and don't really seem to have a weak spot. The other undead creatures have specific weak spots, the basic hordes take full damage no matter where they're hit.

Undead Nightmare Zombie
Str: 2 Dex: 2 Con: 2
Int: -2 Per: 1 Wil: 2
DPS: 26 Strength: Dead Joe Average (0)
EPS: n/a Senses: Like the Dead (0)
Essence: 6 Sustenance: All Flesh Must Be Eaten (0), Who Needs Food? (+8)
Spd: 4 Intelligence: Dumb as Deadwood (0)
Skills: Brawling 2 Weak Spot: All (0), Fire (-5)
Getting Around: Life-Like (+3) Power: 6

Spreading the Love: No matter who or what the zombie is, it infects the living in the same way. People who are bitten must make a Constitution Test, with a +2 bonus for a scratch or a light wound (9 points or less), no penalty for a deep bite or wound (more than 10 points of damage), and -1 for severe injuries (more than 20 points of damage). The Zombie Master may wish to make these rolls in secret. If infected, the victim suffers a wasting disease which imposes a cumulative -1penalty per day to all Tasks or Tests (i.e., -2 on the second day, -3 on the third day, etc.). After (Constitution + willpower)/2 days, the character dies. If a character is killed by a zombie bite, he will rise up as another undead in 3-30 minutes (3D10).

Background: Traditional undead are typical zombies, but actually quite fast corpses and will make up the bulk of the undead hordes. These zombies seem to be the only kind of zombie to grapple. This is possibly because they hold no other special characteristics unlike the other types.

MC Frontalot - Mutants and Masterminds 3E

2011-05-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

Like many of my friends, I love the father of nerdcore hip-hop, MC Frontalot. I found a picture of "steam punk" Iron Man armor and it reminded me of Frontalot. This gave me the idea to include Front in my Mutants and Masterminds game.

MC Frontalot - PL 8

Strength 5, Stamina 6, Agility 2, Dexterity 2, Fighting 4, Intellect 8, Awareness 2, Presence 4

Advantages
Beginner's Luck, Eidetic Memory, Fascinate (Expertise), Improvised Tools, Inventor, Jack-of-all-trades, Skill Mastery: Expertise: Music, Taunt

Skills
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Deception 4 (+8), Expertise: Music 6 (+14), Expertise: Popular Culture 4 (+12), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 8 (+12), Ranged Combat: Braggadacio Mark IV Power Suit 7 (+9), Technology 6 (+14)

Powers
Braggadacio Mark IV Power Suit (Removable)
Enhanced Ability: Enhanced Stamina 4 (+4 STA)
Enhanced Ability: Enhanced Strength 3 (+3 STR)
Enhanced Trait: Enhanced Trait 4 (Traits: Parry +2 (+6), Dodge +2 (+7))
Power-lifting: Power-lifting 5 (+5 STR for lifting)
Protection: Protection 2 (+2 Toughness)
Repulsor Ray: Blast 5 (DC 20; Accurate: +2)
Flight: Flight 5 (Alternate; Speed: 60 miles/hour, 900 feet/round)

Offense
Initiative +2
Grab, +4 (DC Spec 15)
Repulsor Ray: Blast 5, +11 (DC 20)
Throw, +2 (DC 20)
Unarmed, +6 (DC 20)

Complications
Fame: Geeks love Frontalot. He also has a cult following among younger heroes.
Reputation: Some older and more traditional heroes view Frontalot as a show boat and believe he's wasting his potential.

Languages
English

Defense
Dodge 7/5, Parry 6/4, Fortitude 8, Toughness 8, Will 6

Power Points
Abilities 52 + Powers 30 + Advantages 8 + Skills 21 (41 ranks) + Defenses 9 = 120

Created With Hero Lab® - try it for free at http://www.wolflair.com!

Background:

Damien Hess (aka MC Frontalot), is the father Nerdcore and Metacore (not to be confused with Metalcore) hip-hop.

Front was the first to start dropping rhymes about capes and has a cult following, especially among younger heroes. Being mentioned in a Frontalot song is considered a badge of honor to some. Still there are those in the superhero community that believe Damien is wasting his talents and should focus more on fighting the good fight and less on his career.

In addition to being a hip-hop master, Frontalot is also a world class inventor. He has been known to unleash his nerd on crime in his Braggadacio Mark IV Power Suit. While he's not in the same league as someheroes, Damien is more than capable of handling street-level threats.

And here's a sample of Frontalot's music for those of you not familiar with him. Warning some language not appropriate for work.

New Buffy Creature - Loveland Frog Men

2011-05-30T18:44:00.001-07:00

One of my pet projects is to run a Buffy game set in a fictionalized version of my hometown of Portsmouth, Ohio. There are quite a few ghost and cryptid stories surounding Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky. While the game is at least two months away, I've decided to go ahead and stat up some of the creatures and spirits from the area. First up we have the Loveland Frog Men. I decided they needed to have a demon name and I decided to go with my favorite frog creature, the D&D's gripli.

Name: Gripli (Loveland Frog Men)
Motivation: Swim, remain hidden
Critter Type: Aquatic Demon
Attributes: Str 4, Dex 6, Con 5, Int 3, Per 3, Will 2
Ability Scores: Muscle 14, Combat 16, Brains 12
Life Points: 46
Drama Points: 3
Special Abilities: Amphibious, Attractiveness -5,
Swimming

Maneuvers
Name Score Damage Notes
Dodge 16 N Defense action
Jump Kick 16 18 Bash
Spear 16 15 Slash/Stab
Wand 16 35 Electricity

Gripli are an ancient race of peaceful aquatic demons. They are known to populate the Ohio River and the various rivers and tributaries that branch from it. They are more likely known by their “cryptid” name, Loveland Frog Men. There have been three recorded incidents of these demons interacting with modern society, all around the city of Loveland, Ohio. Gripli wield “Lightning Wands,” remnant technology from the gripli’s elder demon creators. Normally peaceful, gripli quickly form warbands when news of their ancient enemies, the Deep Ones reach their ears.

For more speculation about the creatures check out American Monsters – Loveland Frog Men

Red Dead Redemption - Nigel West Dickens

2011-05-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

For your pleasure, I introduce you to Nigel West Dickens. Mr. West Dickens is a tonics peddler and gentleman. He's also a wonderful npc to add to any western unisystem game.

Mr. Nigel West Dickens
Type: Norm

Strength 1 Intelligence 4
Dexterity 2 Perception 2
Constitution 2 Willpower 3
Life Points 34 Speed 6

Endurance Points 23 Essence Pool 14

Qualities: Hard to Kill 4, Photographic Memory, Resistance (Poison) 2

Drawbacks: Honorable 1, Adversary (Former Customers) 2

Skills: Acting 2, Cheating 1, Craft (Tonics)5 , Demolitions 1, Dodge 2, Driving (Wagon) 2, Gambling 1, Guns (Handguns) 1, Haggling 2, Humanities (Literature) 2, Humanities (Philosophy) 2, Language (Latin) 1, Riding (Horse) 1, Science (Chemistry) 2, Science (Biology) 1, Smooth Talk 2

Gear: Horse, Wagon, Derringer, Various Tonics, Zombie Bait (5 Vials)*

*Zombie must make a Difficult (9) Willpower test or be distracted by bait for 2d6 turns.

Background

Guest Stars - Big Bad Wolf's Derek and Sam

2011-05-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

Big Bad Wolf is by no means a great werewolf movie. The effects are cheesey and the werewolf looks Buffy tv series lame. He was evil and had a lot of bad one lines though, so he did entertain me. What made me like the movie was the two main protagonists, Derek (the akward college kid) and Sam (the cute tomboy-ish obvious love interest). The cinematic unisystem write-ups below contain a few spoilers from the ending are based what I pictured happening after the movie.

Name: Derek Cowley
Motivation: Protect Sam and control the beast inside
Critter Type: Werewolf
Attributes: Str 2/6, Dex 4/6, Con 2/4, Int 2, Per 4, Will 2
Ability Scores: Muscle 10/18 , Combat 13/15, Brains 10
Life Points: 41/65 Drama Points: 5
Special Abilities/Qualities: Hard to Kill 5, Good Luck 1
Drawbacks: Werewolf, Misfit, Honorable 1, Love
Maneuvers
Name Score Damage Notes
Bite 18 12 Slash/Stab
Claw 18 12 Slash/Stab
Dodge 10 None Defense Action
Grapple 10/18 None Resisted by Dodge

Name: Sam Marche
Motivation: Help Derek find a cure
Critter Type: Human
Attributes: Str 2, Dex 2, Con 3, Int 2, Per 3, Will 4
Ability Scores: Muscle 10, Combat 13, Brains 13
Life Points: 45 Drama Points: 10
Special Abilities/Qualities: Hard to Kill 5, Nerves of Steel, Attractive 1
Drawbacks: Misfit, Love, Honorable 1
Maneuvers
Name Score Damage Notes
Dodge 13 None Full Defense
Pistol 13 12 Silver Bullets
Wrench 13 6 Bash

Guest Stars - Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie's Dallas and Wayne

2011-05-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Dallas and Wayne are a couple of "celebrities" from my hometown of Portsmouth, Ohio. They are the stars of the documentary Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie. It's an entertaining movie and an instant view on Netflix. The flick is really about these two men and is a pretty good glimpse what it's like live in rural Applachian Ohio.

I keep throwing around ideas of setting a cinematic unisystem game in a fictionalized version of my hometown. There are quite a few ghost and monster stories around southern Ohio and northern Kentucky. I also want to know that the quicksheets below are for the fictionalized versions of Dallas and Wayne.

Name: Dallas Gilbert
Motivation: Prove Bigfoot’s existence, be a better friend
Critter Type: Human
Attributes: Str 1, Dex 2, Con 2, Int 2, Per 3, Will 3
Ability Scores: Muscle 8, Combat 10, Brains 12
Life Points: 31 Drama Points: 5
Special Abilities/Qualities: Hard to Kill 3, Contacts (Bigfoot Hunters) 1, Occult Library (Minimal) 1, Sorcery 1
Drawbacks: Resources (Hurting) -4
Maneuvers
Name Score Damage Notes
Dodge 10 None Full Defense
Spell 12 Varies By Spell

Name: Wayne Burton
Motivation: Prove Bigfoot’s existence, redeem his name
Critter Type: Human
Attributes: Str 2, Dex 2, Con 3, Int 2, Per 4, Will 2
Ability Scores: Muscle 10, Combat 12, Brains 13
Life Points: 41 Drama Points: 5
Special Abilities/Qualities: Hard to Kill 5, Contacts (Bigfoot Hunters and Backwoods Occultists) 2, Natural Toughness, Photographic Memory
Drawbacks: Resources (Below Average) -2, Love
Maneuvers
Name Score Damage Notes
Dodge 12 None Full Defense
Baseball Bat 12 8 Bash

Dracula - Mutants and Masterminds 3E

2011-05-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Despite the oversaturation of vampires in movies and books recently, I still love them. I plan on using some of them in my Mutants and Mastermind games and decided to stat up the King of Vampires himself.

Tim Brannan's Mutants and Masterminds 2E post was my main inspiration, though this isn't a direct 2E to 3E conversion of his write-up. Also, I haven't actually tested this yet, so he may not work quite the way I think he does.

Dracula - PL 13

Strength 8, Stamina -, Agility 5, Dexterity 5, Fighting 10, Intellect 2, Awareness 4, Presence 7

Advantages
Animal Empathy, Artificer, Assessment, Attractive 2, Benefit, Wealth 3 (millionare), Chokehold, Connected, Daze (Deception), Diehard, Fascinate (Deception), Fast Grab, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Instant Up, Jack-of-all-trades, Languages 2, Minion 6, Ritualist

Skills
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+15), Deception 13 (+20), Expertise: History 8 (+10), Expertise: Magic 5 (+7), Expertise: Tactics 5 (+7), Expertise: Theology and Philosophy 8 (+10), Insight 5 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+15), Investigation 8 (+10), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 13 (+20), Sleight of Hand 5 (+10), Stealth 10 (+15), Treatment 3 (+5)

Powers
Fortitude of the Dragon Immunity: Immunity 30 (Linked; Fortitude Effects)
Impervious Defense: Impervious Toughness 14
Protection: Protection 14 (Linked; +14 Toughness)
I am Eternal Immortality: Immortality 1 (Linked; Return after 2 weeks; Unreliable (roll))
Immunity: Immunity 1 (Linked; Aging)
Like a Spider: Movement 1 (mystic, Wall-crawling 1: -1 speed rank)
Look Into My Eyes: Mind Control 7 (mystic, DC 17; Sense-dependent: Visual)
King of Vampires: Mind Control 10 (Alternate; DC 20; Limited: Only affects Vampires, Fades)
Mist Form (Activation: Standard Action)
Concealment: Concealment 0
Flight: Flight 0 (Speed: 2 miles/hour, 30 feet/round)
Immunity: Immunity 0
Insubstantial: Insubstantial 0 (Incorporeal)
Suffocation: Suffocation 0 (DC 10)
Swarm of Bats (Activation: Standard Action)
Flight: Flight 0 (Speed: 2 miles/hour, 30 feet/round)
Immunity: Immunity 0
Insubstantial: Insubstantial 0 (Incorporeal)
Movement: Movement 0
Vampire's Kiss Regeneration: Regeneration 10 (Linked; Every 1 round)
Weaken: Progressive Weaken 10 (Linked; mystic, Affects: Constitution, Resisted by: Fortitude, DC 20; Progressive, Increased Duration 3: continuous)
Weather Control: Environment 3 (mystic, Cold, Impede Movement (1 rank), Visibility (-5), Radius: 120 feet)

Offense
Initiative +9
Grab, +10 (DC Spec 18)
King of Vampires: Mind Control 10 (DC Will 20)
Look Into My Eyes: Mind Control 7 (DC Will 17)
Throw, +5 (DC 23)
Unarmed, +10 (DC 23)
Weaken: Progressive Weaken 10, +10 (DC Fort 20)

Complications
Addiction - Blood: Dracula must feed constantly. For every week he doesn't feed, he loses one point of INT, as his mind becomes more feral. Once fed, Dracula's INT is instantly restored.
Enemy: Dracula has many enemies, including most heroes that know of his existence and the decendants of Abraham Van Helsing and his band of fearless vampire killers.
Power Loss: While not destroyed, Dracula loses all of his powers (with the exception of Protection) when exposed to direct sunlight.
Weakness: Dracula is the King of Vampires, and suffers many of the weaknesses of his people. Dracula is weakened when in the presence of garlic. Mirror's reveal his true nature. In addition, he can be repelled by holy items and holy weapons ignore his Impervious Toughness.

Languages
English, Latin, Romanian

Defense
Dodge 12, Parry 12, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 14, Will 10

Power Points
Abilities 72 + Powers 162 + Advantages 29 + Skills 54 (108 ranks) + Defenses 15 = 332

Created With Hero Lab® - try it for free at http://www.wolflair.com!

Conan of Cimmeria

2011-05-24T22:07:00.001-07:00

I'm working on a homebrew setting for an upcoming Basic D&D game. I'm using different modules and homebrew things to populate it. One of the npc's that will serve as a foil to the party (and potentially a replacement or fill-in pc) is going to be my amalagam of Conan. My inspiration for the build came from this post on B/X Blackrazor's blog.

Conan of Cimmeria
Alignment: Neutral
Class: Thief (Sharper)
Level: 6

AC: 4 (Leather, Dex, RoP +1)
HP: 38

Str: 16 (+2 hit, dmg, opening doors)
Int: 9 (Reads/Writes Common, Neutral)
Wis: 9
Dex: 17 (+2 hit missile, +1 Initiative)
Con: 18 (+3 HP/die)
Cha: 16 (+1 reaction)

Poison: 11
Magic Wand: 12
Paralysis: 10
Dragon Breath: 13
Spells: 12

Special Skills: Open Locks 45, Remove Traps 40, Pick Pockets 45, Move Silently 45, Climb Sheer Surfaces 92, Hide in Shadows 36, Hear Noise 1-3, Read Languages 80, “Striking Unnoticed” (+4 to hit, damage X2)

Attacks: Short Sword (+2, 1d6+2)

Equipment: Leather Armor, Short Sword, Ring of Protection +1, Bag of Holding

History/Background: Conan is a Cimmerian, northern barbarians from across the Bloodsalt Wastes. Born on the battlefield, even at a young age, his prowess was obvious. As a teenager, he left his tribe and became a wandering mercenary, bandit, and pirate.

Recently Conan has left his homeland and passed through the Bloodsalt and settled in the Borderlands. Here he preys primarily on the humanoids, though a few border fortifications and settlements have been his victims as well.

Tactics: Those that have seen Conan fight (and lived to tell the tale) compare him to a silent predator. He moves with the grace of a panther and strikes with the speed of cobra.

Roleplaying Notes: Conan is not an evil man, just an opportunistic and sometimes self-serving one. He possesses a barbaric code of honor and is extremely loyal to those that have proven themselves friends. He has a sly wit and is quite charming, despite his brutish frame.

Old School

2011-05-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

I started playing 2nd Edition D&D in the mid-90's. I was in 3rd grade and my new best friend, Chad Stump, told me about this awesome game that his brother was teaching him to play, D&D. Well we started by looking through the books and playing D&D with our action figures. Soon though, we were rolling dice and saving princesses (because that's what heroes do). Since that time I'm branched out. I played 3.0/3.5, Pathfinder, and 4th Edition. I've branched out and played other systems (Unisystem and Call of Cthulhu being two of my favorites).

I wasn't around when brave heroes first entered the Caves of Chaos or took the fight to the Slave Lords. I was four or five when 2nd came out. I always see these OSR (think I'm using the right abreviation) debates on blogs and I don't understand them. Play what you like and let others play what they like.

Still there is a part of me that is a bit nostalgic for the simpler D&D times when I was a kid. I know you can't go back (and Hell I never was even there in this case), but I've recently stated picking up some Basic D&D and 1st Edition stuff. I get most of it at Half-Price Books (there are 5 in and around Columbus Ohio) and haven't paid more than six bucks for any of it.

This is the pride of my collection:

I've also picked up these books:
Fantastic Treasures II (Role Aids)
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords
Greyhawk Adventures
Castle Greyhawk (the tongue in cheek Castle adventure, I picked it up just for the name and I did get a few laughs I suppose)

I also have d-Infinity issues 0-2. These multiplatform game supplements are fantastic. They have Labyrinth Lord/Mutant Future material (which can be used with Basic D&D), Pathfinder, 3.5, 4th Edition, and other gaming material. If you haven't checked d-Infinity out, do it now.

Guest Stars - Lesbian Vampire Killers

2011-05-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

While I know it's a bad movie, I'm a big fan of the British vampire flick, Lesbian Vampire Killers (released on DVD as Vampire Killers in the US). The movie centers around a couple of friends, Jimmy and Fletch, who go backpacking in the English country side to help Jimmy get over his ex. They stumble onto a town that is connected to one of Jimmy's ancestors, a curse, and of course Lesbian Vampires.

The movie is goofy as are the effects, but I really like this movie. In my game (that by gods I'm going to run one day), the trio continue their hunting. Lotte and Jimmy get married and Lotte joins the Watchers. I've attched pdf quicksheets I've statted up of the trio (and the Sword Daeldo).

Jimmy (and the Sword of Daeldo)

Lotte

Fletch

Red Dead Redemption - Zombie John Marston

2011-04-15T11:20:00.001-07:00

Without giving away any spoilers, at some point during Undead Nightmare, you gain control of a zombified John Marston. As a zombie, John's a beast, but a good one. I built him using the Core Rulebook, Fistful O' Zombies, Coffee Break of the Living Dead, and Enter the Zombie.

John Marston
Type: Zombie

(Basic Zombie Attributes/Powers +11)
Strength 5 Intelligence 2
Dexterity 5 Perception 2
Constitution 6 Willpower 2
Dead Points 30 Speed 22
Endurance Points -
Essence Pool 6

(+14)
Qualities:
Fast as Hell 1, Fast Reaction Time 2, Hard to Kill 5, Nerves of Steel 3, Number One With a Bullet 1, Situational Awareness 2 (-2) Drawbacks: Honorable 1, Minority (Good Zombie) 1

(Basic Zombie Skills +37)
Skills:
Brawling 5, Demolitions 2, Dodge 2, Driving (Stage Coach/Wagon) 1, First Aid 2, Gambling 1, Guns (Handgun) 5, Guns (Rifle) 4, Guns (Shotgun) 2, Hand Weapon (Knife) 3, Lasso 1, Riding 3, Stealth 2, Survival (Desert) 2, Throwing (Tomahawk) 3, Tracking 2

Zombie Aspects:
Weak Spot: Brain (6)
Getting Around: Life-Like (3)
Strength: Dead Joe Average (0)
Senses: Like the Living (1)
Sustenance: Daily (0) ; All Flesh Must Be Eaten (0)
Intelligence: Long-Term Memory (5), Problem Solving (15)
Spreading the Love: Nobody Loves Me (-5) [Coffee Break of the Living Dead]
Special: Dr. Doolittle (5) [Coffee Break of the Living Dead]
Power: +30

Gear:
Dynamite (3 sticks), Holy Water (3 Vials)*, Large Knife, Lasso, LeMat Pistol, Pistol Ammo (100), Rabbit’s Foot, Rifle Ammo (100), Tomahawk (5), Winchester ‘76 Rifle, Undead Horse, Zombie Bait (5 vials)

*Acts as Corrosive Poison Str 5 against zombies, Marston and other zombies with similar origins are immune.

Zombie Marston Background

Red Dead Redemption - John Marston

2011-04-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

Red Dead Redemption is one of my favorite video games of all time. The game is all kinds of fun (except for the horse shoes mini game). The protagonist, John Marston is a great character that as a player you actually care about. Last October, Undead Nightmare, a zombie theme dlc pack was released for the game. I thought it'd make a fun All Flesh Must Be Eaten deadworld. Well I've started playing the game again so I've decided to stat up some of the characters and creatures using Fistful 'O Zombies and the All Flesh Must Be Eaten core book. If material is used from any other unisystem suplement I will note it.

This is my attempt to stat up the protagonist, John Marston. I built him using the Suvivor character creation rules from the core book. I would say this is John after his initial encounter at Fort Mercer. I've added some of the DLC content to his equipment (Tomahawks, Warhorse, and Explosive Rifle). BTW, I've never statted up a weapon before and I know the Explosive Rifle is beefy, but anything shot with it in the game turns into a bloody spray.

John Marston

Type: Survivor

Strength 3 Intelligence 2
Dexterity 5 Perception 4
Constitution 3 Willpower 3
Life Points 49 Speed 16
Endurance Points 32 Essence Pool 20

Qualities:
Fast as Hell 1, Fast Reaction Time 2, Hard to Kill 5, Nerves of Steel 3, Number One with a Bullet 1 , Resistance 3 (Fatigue) Resistance 2 (Heat), Situational Awareness 2, Status 1, True Grit 3

Drawbacks:
Adversary 2 (Dutch’s Gang), Adversary 4 (Blackwater Agents) Honorable 1

Skills:
Brawling 2, Demolitions 2, Dodge 2, Driving (Stage Coach/Wagon) 1, First Aid 2, Gambling 1, Guns (Handgun) 5, Guns (Rifle) 4, Guns (Shotgun) 2, Hand Weapon (Knife) 1, Lasso 1, Riding 3, Stealth 2, Survival (Desert) 2, Throwing (Tomahawk) 1, Tracking 2

Gear:
Dynamite (3 sticks), Explosive Rifle*, Explosive Rifle Ammo (5)*, Large Knife, Lasso, LeMat Pistol, Pistol Ammo (100), Rabbit’s Foot, Rifle Ammo (100), Tomahawk (5), Winchester ‘76 Rifle, Warhorse (use Warhorse stats from Terra Primate if available)

*Explosive Rifle
Range: 10/25/75/150/300
Ground Zero General Effect Maximum Range
Damage: D6 x 10(30) D6 x 8(24) D6 x 3(9)
Cap: 1 EV: 8/4 Cost: $500
Availability: (Extremely) Rare

*Explosive Rifle Ammo $10/1

Character Background

Tremors Netbook and an Update

2011-04-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

I always have delusions of grandeur about blogging and such and it never seems to pan out. I just don't have the will or something to blog and keep up on my projects. Not a big deal, I'll still use this site to post my occasional idea and find, but I'm not going to lie to myself and anyone that actually reads the blog. I was looking through my files and I found a Tremors Netbook for cinematic unisystem. It's from 2003 and I'm not the author, but I thought I'd share it with anyone that stumbles across this blog. It's based on the first three movies and the short lived (but entertaining) tv series. If you want to expand your Buffyverse and add a free cryptid type monsters, this netbook is a nice edition. Plus, Burt Gummer is the man!

Mutants and Masterminds 3E - I'm Lovin' It

2011-02-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

So not that I think it's a perfect system, but I'm in love with DC Adventures/Mutants and Masterminds 3E. While I'm sad that there aren't more books in print yet, I love Green Ronin's pdf releases for the game so far.

Every wednesday (new comic book day), GR has been releasing a new villain pdf for .99. The pdf's are broken down as one page that looks like an AEGIS report about the character, two pages of background, description, and stat block, and one page of legal stuff. While it would be nice to have a physical book with a bunch of villain write-ups, I really like this approach. It means that every week I have a new M&M product to look forward to.

In addition they will be releasing a monthly adventure path style pdf. These are going to be around 24 pages for 3.99. The exception is that the first month (which is supposed to come out at the end of the month) will be a bit smaller. However, this is becaus they released the prologue for free. I ran a couple of Saturdays ago and my group had a blast. I highly recommend checking it out.

Finally GR has released ten free pre-made characters (background and all) for M&M3E. The characters, The Sentinels, are a pre-made team and each character even comes with a villain option (so if worse comes to worse GR gave us 10 free villains).

In other 3E news, I've picked up Vigilance Press's first 3E release, The Eugenics Brigade. It's a pretty neat collection of super Nazis (and I mean who couldn't use more super nazis). I've also picked up the Hero Machine pack for 3E. I'll admit that I'm more of a story telling/ having fun kind of guy and stat blocks and crunch aren't my thing. That's why I LOVE this product. It makes character creation a lot easier.

Wraith - Stats

2010-12-22T22:18:00.000-08:00

Here you go, keep in mind this is our first go with the M&M 3E rules.

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Wraith
PL: 10

Strength 4 Agility 5
Fighting 5 Awareness 3
Stamina 6 Dexterity 2
Intellect 7 Presence 4

Skills: Acrobatics +6, Athletics +5, Close Combat (Hand to Hand) +9, Expertise (Biochemistry) +10, Expertise (Forensics) +10, Insight +6, Intimidation +7, Investigation +11, Perception +5, Ranged Combat (Thrown Object) +4, Stealth +10, Technology +10, Treatment +11

Advantages: Benefits (Alternate Identity, Wealthy 3 [Millionaire]), Defensive Role +5, Equipment 2

Powers:
Wraith Form - Insubstantial 4 ([Weakness Electricity], Affects Corporeal, Phase Others, Attack, Continuous, Precise)
Concealment 4 (Visual)
Flight 3 (250 ft/round)

Super Senses (Visual, Penetrate Concealment 4)

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +14, Close Damage 4 (Can affect incorporeal)

Defense:
Dodge +5
Parry +5
Toughness +6/11/15
Fortitude +7
Will +3

Equipment:
Headquarters - “The Crypt” - Basement of Emerald Isles (Diminutive -2, Concealed, Computer [Forensics], Gym, Communications)
Bullet Proof Vest
Utility Belt (Forensic Gear)

Complications:
Secret Identity: Wraith goes by the alias Erik LaRoux, but was born Nick Masters

Relationships: Wraith’s identity is known to his bartender friend, Jerome Collins. He’s also attracted to his pub’s assistant manager, Katie Jordan.

Motivation: Wraith is seeking redemption from his past indiscretions.

Weakness: While it was the catalyst for his powers, Wraith’s abilities are negated by electricity.

The Origin of the Wraith

2010-12-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I posted a video my friend made for his new character. Well enjoy the origin story he wrote for Wraith. Tomorrow I'll post the character's stats.

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So about six months ago, I became a superhero. I was in this accident while undergoing this new treatment I had invented. You see I was a student at the city’s university studying Medicine and Criminal Justice. I was always a big fan of CSI, and decided early on that that’s what I wanted to do. And don’t ask me which one either. As far as I’m concerned there’s only one. And it’s definitely not the one with the Johnny Cash wannabe who likes to take his sunglasses off and put them back on while saying ironic, clever lines like he’s so much better than everybody else. That guy’s a douchebag. Where was I? Oh right Superhero. Let me back up to the very beginning.

My parents were great people. My dad was a doctor, and my mom was a soldier. Dad was always big on teaching me about medical terminology and great remedies for just about anything. He loved to talk about how to assess a situation and deduce the answer to the problem. Mom insisted that I learn self-defense and self-discipline. They were always so proud of me, their only child, Nick Masters. They also loved working for the Peace Corps when they could, and tried to teach me about what it means to help others. They were part of the wealthy upper class, just a few billion short of rivaling the Wayne and Queen families. Michael and Mary Masters were some of this city’s… no, this world’s greatest philanthropists.

Unfortunately, when I was about 13, I was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My parents, as great as they were, didn’t know how to react. Neither did I really. I started acting out. Picking fights, stealing things. After a couple of years, I started breaking and entering, just to see if I could. I loved the thrill of sneaking into places I wasn’t supposed to be. My parents thought I would be dead by the age of 18, so they never really said anything to me. They also started taking more jobs with the Peace Corps. I think they just couldn’t stand to actually look me in the eye and know that despite all they had ever done, and all that they were capable of doing, there was nothing that they could do for me. Unfortunately, I never got to discuss it with them.

When I was 18, they were both caught up in a firefight between two rival extremist groups. They were on another of their Peace Corps missions, delivering and administering a vaccine to a village in Rwanda. The radicals both wanted the vaccine for themselves, and neither was willing to sit down and negotiate. Go figure. When the bullets stopped flying that day, there were 257 dead; only 23 of them were the radicals. Two of them were my parents. I became determined to carry on their legacy somehow, and help bring monsters like the ones that cut them down to justice, but the tumor growing in my brain stood in direct opposition to that. To add even more survivors guilt, a friend of mine agreed to drive me home one night afterI had had a bit too much. Even though I was being responsible, someone else wasn't. We were ironically hit by a drunk driver. I made it out, but my friend didn't. Here I was dying, and he, who was perfectly healthy, was taken away. It had to mean something...

When I hit college, I devoted my studies to Criminal Justice and Biochemistry. I spent long nights in the labs, sometimes alone except for the rats and the custodians, sometimes spending “study time” with the super hot TA (hey, I wanted to be a hero, not a saint). I concocted a new serum designed to help break down and separate the tumor in my brain. In my senior year, I finally perfected the drug. I started taking my Magic Milkshake twice a day (maybe a bit much, but I could feel my time drawing closer by that point), and after a month’s worth of self-medication, I decided to see how it was working. I set up an appointment for an MRI. While I was in the machine, something happened that would change my life (cliché I know, but what do you want me do? It’s what happened). Somehow a bolt of lightning struck the power generator, sending a massive surge of power to the machine, overloading it. The magnetic force being put out by the MRI had an unforeseen reaction to the chemical that was now coursing through my body. The concoction worked exactly as I had intended, but it applied itself to my entire body. My molecules broke down and separated, but somehow maintained a connection. I passed out from the intense energy, and woke up three days later. The MRI had actually exploded, but I had remained unharmed.

I tried to look at myself to see if I had been hurt, but I couldn’t see myself. Neither could any of the cleanup crew. I staggered out of the room by way of the only remaining wall… and went right through it. I was seriously freaking out now, and so were the people who heard me screaming, but couldn’t see me. After a few moments, I calmed down and gathered my wits. I realized that what I thought was walking was actually floating. I wasn’t actually making contact with the floor. I could just will myself in any direction. And since I wasn’t bound by gravity or solid objects anymore, I flew up and out of the hospital. It was an incredible sensation. I actually found myself laughing and enjoying this new freedom. I also realized that I could still see into the hospital below me. It was like the roof was flickering in and out of existence. I focused on it for several moments and suddenly the entire thing vanished, and I was looking at a bunch of skeletons walking around. I relaxed my vision and everything went back to normal. I had X-Ray vision, how cool was that! As I was starting to contemplate the usefulness of this at the next Phi Kappa Gamma mixer, it dawned on me that it might be all for not. Was I dead? And if not, was this state permanent?

I found an old abandoned building, some sort of old brick storefront with a basement. I glided down and into the building’s basement where I wouldn’t be disturbed by anyone. The flying was slow going, but I got the feeling that the more I worked at it, the faster I would be able to will myself to move. I concentrated on pulling myself together. The more I concentrated the faster I could feel my body coalescing back into its natural form. In a few minutes I was back to normal… except all I had on was my hospital gown. While it probably wouldn’t be the first time that the cheeks had made a public appearance (ok definitely not the first time), I figured that I should find a change of clothes, and until I did it might be better to stay invisible. That and of course, I wanted to see if my transformation was a one time deal or not. It took me a little while, but eventually I learned how to throw it in reverse and I watched as my body dissipated like fog on a summer morning. I decided to exercise my other new found ability, and x-rayed the surrounding area. I found an old set of clothes in the dumpster behind the shop. I floated up through the street and into the dumpster. On a whim, I tried to see if I could phase the clothes like I had my body. I found that when my molecules were in contact with the other material, I could actually sense how they were connected. I was pretty sure that if I took the time to understand how they were connected, I could figure out how to separate them. It took me a while, but eventually I managed to make it work. The clothes weren't too terribly dirty, and I managed to get them cleaned up enough to not look like a bum. About this time, I realized that I hadn't gotten an answer to the question that had started this whole ordeal. What was the status on expiration date? After some scrounging in my newfound hideout, I found a reflective surface, and tried x-raying my head. It made me a little dizzy, but it worked. And that wasn't the only thing that had worked. The tumor was gone. Completely cured. I had been given a new lease on life. Well, kind of. I found a newspaper that reported on the accident. Much to my surprise, I had been declared dead. It just figures, I finally had a clean bill of health, and now I was legally dead.

Three days and no body had been found. They thought that the explosion had vaporized me along with the majority of an entire wing of the hospital. At first I was ready to march into police headquarters and demand a retraction, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to think that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea for Nick Masters to be dead after all. I had been given a second chance. Not just a second chance, but also a great gift, and up until then, I hadn’t exactly been someone that my parents could be proud of. Maybe it was better to let Nick Masters die, so that a true hero could be reborn from his ashes.

My next step was to check on my accounts. As sole heir to my parents’ fortune, I could easily have set myself up as whatever I wanted, but I had to make sure it was still there first. My standard accounts, which had the bulk of the fortune, were frozen, but the off shore accounts which couldn’t be traced back to my name still had millions available. I pulled what I needed to get myself set up with a new identity, and I decided to buy the old building that had been the site of my rebirth. I remodeled it and turned into the Emerald Isle Pub, a great place to pick up information from people just by keeping your ears open. I sealed off a section of the basement and turned it into my own personal hideout. I equipped it with gym equipment to keep up on the training my mother had started me on, and state of the art forensic computers.

Next, I set about creating a new life for myself. I started by solidifying my new identity. I cut off my shaggy hair, and shaved off my stylish beard fully immersing myself in my new role of Eric Leroux (a name adopted and adapted from one of my favorite books). Then I turned my attention to my hero persona. The ghostly way I phased in and out led me to choose a phantasmal look to my uniform (which I also layered with Kevlar just in case, after all I’m just as vulnerable as anyone else when I’m solid). It didn’t take long before my exploits picked up public notice, and my designing efforts weren’t lost on the tabloid journalists who took to calling me The Wraith. I liked it. I liked it a lot. So much so that I decided to run with it and dubbed my hidden headquarters The Crypt. But I wasn’t about to go overboard. No Ghostmobile, or Ghostplane. I mean come on who am I? Green Arrow? Please. I’m at least a little original. Besides, after the whole car accident thing, vehicles made me a little nervous. And who needs to ride when you can fly? Unfortunately, running a business and busting baddies was getting complicated. I needed people I could trust to make sure the Emerald Isle wouldn’t turn into a money pit. I had a decent waiting staff, but I needed managerial material. I found two people that I could feel completely safe entrusting.

First was Kat Jordan. She had me from the moment she walked into my office. She was beautiful, and had one of those no nonsense attitudes that’s so contrasting with my own attitude, that I knew she would drive me nuts. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was in love at first sight. She blew me away even more when I found out she was a single mother. Her gem of a boyfriend knocked her up when she was eighteen, and then went and got himself arrested for dabbling in the drug trade leaving Katie and Tommy, her now 4 year old son, on their own. For a moment, I questioned her ability to make decisions based on prior experience, but I saw someone who needed a chance to prove herself. Not to me, not to her son, not to her parents, but to herself. Someone just like me. I hired her on the spot.

Next was my head bartender. Jerome Collins had been in and out of juvie since he was kid. He grew up the true definition of a street rat. Not a bad kid, just always in the wrong place because he had nowhere else to be. One night, that place just happened to be my pub. Jerome had broken in because he needed a quick hit to pay off some people who were threatening his brother. Just in case any of you find yourselves in a similar situation, you might want to make sure the place you decide to rob isn't a superhero's hideout. Needless to say, Jerome got busted. He told me his story. A B&E job gone bad had landed himself and his little brother in hot water. He was looking to turn things around so that he could be the kind of role model his little brother Jamal deserved, but he co couldn't until he got these thugs off his back. Once again, I saw something in him that put me in the mind of what I was trying to accomplish. So Eric Leroux took care of Jerome by giving him a legitimate job, and The Wraith paid a little anonymous visit to these thugs, and made sure they got put away for a long time. Jerome was so grateful for the opportunity, and so eager to prove himself that he even stayed after closing to do inventory one night a few days after he was hired… without telling me. I wasn’t entirely in the full swing of the hero mode, and didn’t think to scan the basement where we keep our supplies before leaving The Crypt. And besides there wasn’t supposed to be anyone down there anyway. But regardless, I walked right through the wall and found myself face to face with my new bartender. Once he recovered from his initial shock, he enthusiastically offered his services as my side-kick. While I’m not all that into having a younger guy running around in tights in my basement, I did decided it could be useful to have an assistant who was in on the gag for emergency situations. I haven’t regretted that decision at all. Jerome has been great at covering for me when I have to make a quick exit to do my ghost thing.

So I’m a sucker for a sob story. But how can I turn away those looking for redemption if I ever hope to find it for myself. I prowl the streets now, watching for my chance to help those who can’t help themselves. I am the ghost of this city. I haunt its streets like the black shadow of its darker half, a constant reminder to those who would do harm to others that no one can escape the wrath of The Wraith.Does this make me a hero? I don't know... but I'm going to keep doing it. And who knows… maybe someday I just might earn redemption for what I’ve done.

Wraith - Music Video

2010-12-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

One of the players in my upcoming Mutants and Masterminds game put together a music video about his character. The song was overplayed when it came out, but I think Josh did a great job putting this video together. Stats and background for the character are coming soon.

My Horror Idol

2010-12-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this last month (when it was taken), but never got around to it. My father-in-law did the coolest thing for me this year. As my Christmas present he took me to the Horror Hound Weekend (this one was near Cincinnati, Ohio) and gave me some spending money. Malcolm McDowell (Clockwork Orange, Rob Zombie's Halloween), Julian Sands (of Warlock fame), Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Johnathan Breck (Jeepers Creepers), and some of the special effects guys from the Ghostbusters movies were also in attendance. As a side note, Johnathan Breck, who plays the creature from Jeepers Creepers, is actually kind of a handsome charismatic guy. Not what I expected from a guy that played a movie monster like that. While that's cool, that's not why I was so excited to go.

The big draw for me was the fact that my all time favorite actor, Jeffrey Combs was at the convention. I'm a huge fan of Jeff. His work as Herbert West got me into horror movies. In addition he's great in The Frighteners and well damn near everything he's in. In addition, his voice acting as The Question in Justice League Unlimited was inspired. I had him sign my copy of Beyond Re-Animator (the first in the series that I'd seen, though the last of the movies) and had my picture taken with him.

He was a great guy and seemed really nice. He did a panel with (nearly all of) the cast from the first Re-Animator and an actress from the second. You can find my cinematic unisystem write-up of Dr. West here.

I spent some money on gaming things too. Twilight Creations, the makers of Zombies!!!, Humans!!!, and Martians!!! were there and I finally picked up a copy of Zombies!!! I also bought some zombie Christmas cards, and a few other random bits. The experience was great and I can't wait to go to the next Horror Hound convention (which is in Indianapolis and will have appearences by the main stars of The Boondock Saints).

Rolling Dice and Feeling Good

2010-10-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

It feels so great to be able to play in a normal D&D game again. It's been a while since my group has got together and ran a regular weekly/bi-weekly game. James has taken up the mantle as DM and is running his take on Mongoose Publishing's Ruins of the Dragon Lord (which can be found at many of the Half-Price Book Stores in Columbus for 5 bucks or less). He's making the game his own of couse, and not running it straight out of the box. For one, he's set it in the Forgotten Realms, near the Unapproachable East. Another interesting thing that James is doing is the use of props, which I've never done myself. He and his father have been using their woodworking skills to make chests that he uses for loot. James also purchased campaign coins at Origins a few years back and when we find a chest of gold in the dungeon we litterally have a chest with coins in it to open up. He's making other props to and while it may seem goofy to some, it really adds a fun element on the game.

I'm playing Gren Tealeaf-Tosskettle, a young adventurer related to two clans of halflings that have been played by myself and my friend, Wirty. I'm really getting into the character and using my best Scots-Irish brogue (which isn't all that great and has ocassional slips into pirate). Gren is a strongheart halfling (hate to say I picked it over lightfoot for the extra feat) who is currently a second level rogue, first level fighter. I'm working on taking the Whisperknife prestige class from Races of Wild. Boring stuff (stats and such aside), Gren is a fun character to play. He's adventuring to gain the skills to be a better chef than his Grandpa Ollo, a world famous (at least among halflings) chef and retired adventurer. In addition he's also seeking presents for his various family and kin.

Gren travels with Glorin Goodhammer, gold dwarf cleric of Moradin, and Jasper, a mysterious dragonblooded sorcerer. In addition the group has recently been joined by a young hound archon (that doesn't speak common and Gren doesn't fully trust) and an unusually intelligent wolf.

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Update: After having a falling out with a friend of mine, I'm no longer playing in this game.

Long Time, No Post

2010-09-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

I realize it's been waaaaaaay too long since I've had a new post on here. School and Grayson have had most of my focus in the last month or so. I hope to have some new stuff up soon.

On the plus side, I'm playing in a 3.5 game and it looks like I might be running a monthly (all day session) Mutants and Masterminds game (not sure what edition to use).

Fallout: Factions of the 'Mouth

2010-08-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Before the Great War the city of Portsmouth was a small urban port and manufacturing center on the Ohio River. It was protected from the river by its infamous floodwall (which politicians were always trying to beautify with murals and things). During the Great War a group of Chinese commandos and Communist sympathizers attacked the USEC Uranium Enrichment Plant in a nearby county. This caused a meltdown and bathed the surrounding counties in radiation.

Many died in the war or were unable to survive its aftermath. Humanity (and the mutants that came from it) found ways to survive. While the port of the ‘Mouth may not be that busy anymore, there are still survivors in the city and its surrounding areas. Notable settlements outside of the city include Rotway, The Burg, Little Beijing, and Blood Gravel.

These are some of the major factions and groups of the Glowhio River Valley and The ‘Mouth. Not everyone belongs to one of these organizations, but many do.

Glowing Bears - The Glowing Bears are a collection of ghouls that live in the remnants of the city’s university. Because the school is next to the floodwall (which is why it was referred to as Floodwall Tech before the Great War), radioactivity is hire here than in other parts of town. The group has a large number of scientists and inventors, though most of what they create is impractical, useless, and/or dangerous. The group is lead by the Dean and allied with the United States of Hancock.

The People - The People like to think that they are the last bastion of civilized humans in the world. In reality, they’re a collection of uber-conservative bigots descended from the old money of the city. Well the leaders of the People are at least, the group has all sorts of cronies who do their dirty work in order to get back to the “good old days.” The group teaches that moral values and having the biggest guns are the proper path to salvation. While not necessarily openly violent to other factions, members of the group often have superiority complexes and can be hostile to other natives of the ‘Mouth, especially ghouls like those in the Glowing Bears. A majority of the leaders of the group live in the nearby gated community of Burg. However, the leader of the group Mr. Hayes (aka the Voice of the People) and his most trusted followers and cronies live in the Marting’s Tower in the heart of the ‘Mouth. It should be noted that the People also have several docks along the river.

The United States of Hancock - This group is a collection of freedom lovers. Founded by a descendant of the original John Hancock, the USH fights to better society. To do this they often gather junk and components for the scientists of the Glowing Bears. In addition, the leader of the group has a “fight hard/play hard” attitude and the group is just as likely to search an old vinyard for wine as they are to mount a raid against a hostile raider camp. A very open minded group, the USH counts non humans among its numbers, including two domesticated deathclaws, Lu and Cammy, and a robot, Skeets. While not officially a citizen of the “nation,” the DJ known as Livewire is a great supporter of the group.

The Crabtrees - Even before the fall, the area surrounding the ‘Mouth was a pretty rural place. The were many backwoods families, but none were as prolific as the Crabtrees. Strangely enough, the family has thrived since the fallout of the Great War and has expanded its territory. Much of the land to the northwest of the ‘Mouth is “owned” by the Crabtrees. An odd mix, the family contains humans, FEV, and even a super mutant or twelve. Some think that the government used part the family to test mutagens and that this made the group resistant to the radiation. The family is dangerous and has many subclans. Some of these families like to trade with outsiders, while others like to steal husbands and wives to add to the breeding stock. Most denizens of the ‘Mouth try to stay clear of the group (though there is a descent minority of the urban groups that have Crabtree blood in their veins). While many of the subclans rules themselves, all defer to Pa Crabtree, the clans patriarch. As a note, the group is perhaps infamously known for its Radshine. This homemade drink is made from distilled corn, local flora, and water straight from the Glowhio (which helps ferment the drink and gives it the delightful glow, even when it’s in your stomach). The USH loves the stuff (as do some of the People, at least secretly).

The Red Dragons - The Red Dragons are the descendants of the original Chinese commandoes and the American sympathizers that attacked USEC. The survivors fled south and eventually “conquered” the small town of Lucasville. The group intermarried with their captives from the town and renamed it Little Beijing. The group then sought to establish themselves a new niche in the post apocalyptic world. They have become traders and their heavily armed caravans travel far and wide. They have even made a deal with the swamp dwelling Crabtrees that live in the “Bottoms” of Little Beijing. While there are some that still blame the group for the state of the world (especially the Voice of the People) others realize that they are just people trying to survive like everyone else. The town has no official leader and despite the fact they’re traders, still have a very communist society, where things are shared among the people.

Blood Gravel Slavers - While there are many raiders and raiding group in the area, the Blood Gravel are the most organized and least hostile. Rivals to the Red Dragons, the members like to think of themselves as business men. However, they are slavers and raiders, in general. They maintain the settle of Blood Gravel, which is located in an out of the way quarry. Here they sell their “merchandise” and hold gladiatorial games, including mutant cockfighting.

The Working Girls - The working girls are a small but notorious group in the ‘Mouth. They are local prostitutes that also serve as assassins and mercenaries. Led by the beautiful, Goldy L., the group maintains neutrality and works the streets of the ‘Mouth.

Fallout: Glowhio River Valley

2010-07-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

To say that I’m super excited about Fallout: New Vegas would be a gross understatement. Anticipation for the game has brought me back to a game I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’m also going to give Ronin78 credit because his All Flesh meets L4D post really got me thinking.

I want to use the Classic Unisystem rules to run a Fallout game set in the area that I (and most of my gaming group) grew up in., Scioto County Ohio. Scioto County is a very rural area located on the Ohio River, across from Kentucky. The area is very hilly (unlike the rest of Ohio) and forested.

Like a lot of people, I have a love/hate relationship with my hometown. Culturally, it often seems like the area has more in common with the rural South than it does with the urban North. I cold go on and on, but I won’t.

Here’s the idea. I’m calling the game Fallout: Glowhio River Valley. It’s corny I know, but I dig it. In the Fallout 3 expansion, the Pitt, it is mentioned that they Ohio River is irradiated. In addition, there is a Uranium Enrichment plant (ironically built on a minor fault line), one county away. These things have caused the river to be luminescent, hence the name I chose for the game.

I’m still working out the particulars but I’ve got a few communities in mind. The primary settlement will The Mouth (the remains of the county seat, Portsmouth). I’ve got all kinds of ideas, though a lot of them won’t be funny to anyone not familiar with the area.

As far as antagonists go, I think the area would be full of mutant rednecks, angry ghouls, giant catfish, and mutant opossums and deer. Less crab-like, more crayfish-like Mirelurks would be appropriate. In addition, I know that cockfighting goes on in the area, and I think the idea of killer mutant chickens is a fitting one.

All Flesh Must Be Eaten and Terra Primate will be my primary gaming resources. In addition, I found an amazing Fallout Netbook on Unifans. I’ve uploaded it to my google docs and you can find it here.

As I stat things out and flesh out the setting more, I’ll post things here on the blog.

DC Adventures! Sign me up!

2010-07-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

The DC Adventures: Hero's Handbook... words can't express my excitement when it was announced on the Mutants and Masterminds website. DC is celebrating it's 75th anniversary and wanted an RPG. They wanted their own rpg, not a supplement for another system. The DC Adventures game is going to be a stand alone game. However, it is also going to be pretty much the exact same rules system as Mutants and Masterminds 3rd Edition.

The marriage of my favorite supers game (and one of my favorite rpg's in general) and my favorite comic book company. I know there are a few out their that are leary of a new edition of M&M or what a liscence with DC could do with that, but I'm going to have hope. The DC game is going to have a limited run. A core rulebook (which is rules-wise the same as the soft-cover soon to be released M&M 3rd Edition, but hardcover and with some DC specific material), two character books, and a full on setting book.

The core book already has my approval because it's going to have Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Tim Drake) stats. For those of you that don't know, I named my son Grayson, so Nightwing's got a special place in my heart.

GR has a great deal going on now too. If you pre-order the book, you can be a copy of the pdf for 5 bucks, instead of 20. Plus you can look at the pdf, NOW. You learn more by going to the Mutants and Masterminds homepage. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to get my copy until school starts back up in late August.

Also, if your interested in previewing a few character write-ups, GR has posted a few. You can take a look at Aquaman, Joker, and Black Avenger (a character from M&M's Freedom City setting).

Call of Cthulhu - My First Session as Keeper

2010-07-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Recently my gaming group in Columbus has reunited to game on a regular basis and expand. One of our gang met a pretty cool cat at Origins. He's got similiar gaming interest so we've brought him into the fold. To get back in the swing of things (and figure out what game we want to play on a regular basis), we decided to each volunteer and run a few sessions of different games. Three of us came up with this really complicated way, involving another game and a d10.

I got first dibs (or something like that) and decided to run Call of Cthulhu, because Erik has always been the Keeper and never actually got to play.

I thought I was ready. I wasn't. I'm familiar with the rules and mythos, but running CoC is an entirely different monster. I ran a scenario (A Little Knowledge) from one of the older editions of Arkham Unveiled. I spent a good portion of the night figuring out how to get a librarian, a parapsychologist, an artist, and a psychiatrist together. The first two were characters who'd previously investigated together, so no sweat there. However, I just seemed to flounder in my attempt to draw the other two in. This has lead me to believe that an interesting and useful Call of Cthulhu scenario supplement would be one that focuses on bring characters together in the first place.

We didn't finish the scenario last night. We'll finish it next week. I'll leave you with some of the better comments and quotes from the night:

Me: "Make an idea roll."
Steve: "I succeed."
Me: "Okay, you just really want to shake the hell out of her."

Me: "You've even heard rumors that she even dabbles in the black arts."
Erik: [sarcastically] "You mean... like jazz?"

Guest Star - Dr. Herbert West

2010-07-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

I've decided to have a semi-regular posting on my blog entitled "Guest Star." These posts will character write-ups that can be inserted into cinematic unisystem games. Some of the characters will be from popular (or cult media), while others will be my own creation. I'll also include some possible uses.

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For your gaming enjoyment, here's one of my favorite movie characters, Herbert West. If you've not seen the Re-Animator movies and you're a B horror movie fan, watch them. I admit that they aren't masterpieces (especially Beyond Re-Animator), but there's something about Jeffrey Combs and Herbert West...

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Name: Dr. Herbert West, the Re-Animator
Motivation: Conquer death, perfect the serum
Critter Type: Human
Atributes: Str 2, Dex 3, Con 2, Int 6, Per 5, Will 6
Ability Scores: Muscle 10, Combat 12, Brains 16
Life Points: 41 Drama Points: 20
Special Abilities: Re-animation serum, Hard to Kill 5, Nerd, Doctor 5, Science 6, Super Scientist 6

Maneuvers
Name Score Damage Notes

Scalpel 12 5
Big-Ass Syringe 12 2 Re-Animation Serum
Grapple 14 - Dodge Resists

The Re-Animation Serum itself is more of a plot device than anything else. It is how Dr. West gets his undead minions. It has been shown to kill humans and re-animate them in the films. What it's effects on supernatural creatues is up to the director. If a mortal cast member gets injected there are a few options: you can create some sort of dangerous ritual that will cleanse the serum or you can do my favorite option (and one I plan on using in one of my games) kill the player and bring him and then bring him back from the dead (with the zombie quality from Monster Smackdown).

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Re-Animated - All of the core cinematic unisystem books have stats for some sort of zombie and/or skeleton. Any of these can work for the re-animated.

Re-Animated Limb - If you want to send some sort of detached limb and/organs after you cast, I recommend using the stats of the "Evil's Hand" quick sheet in the Army of Darkness Corebook.

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Here are some plot hooks on how to use Herbert West in the various cinematic games. He can be used for a single episode, a subplot, a re-accuring villain, or even a Big Bad with little work:

Ghosts of Albion: This version of Dr. West is much closer to the original Lovecraftian version. He is an American doctor obsessed with conquering death.

Army of Darkness: West has already tangled with Ash in the comics. In an AoD game, West could turn to the Necronomicon to help perfect his serum. The serum could even supercharge deadites, making them the equivelent to the Iradiated Deadites in the "It's Bad, Really Bad" setting.

Angel/Buffy: The best option for West in the Whedonverse is to make him an instuctor at a local university or medical school used in the series. He could even serve as a character's contact or mentor for a time. This is a great way to show a character the danger's of obsession.

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Finally, for a Re-animator themed laugh, check out this video. The video is just bad, but entertaining in some twisted way.

South Texas Gothic

2010-07-09T23:40:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, my friend Stew started running a Buffy: The Vampire Slayer game. We played five or six sessions before everything went to Hell, due to some really stupid decisions made by some of the players. The game was put on hiatus for a bit, half of the players were dropped and we decided to do a reboot/sequel (set ten years later). It fell through, much to my chagrin, after one session. I loved and miss the game. The video I posted is the credits for the ten year reboot.

Our series was set in Texas and called "South Texas Gothic." It was set in Meadowborn, Texas (a fictional town, and the modern incarnation of Apocalypse, Texas [a town mentioned in The Slayer's Handbook]). Meadowborn was a sort of dimensional airport.

One day I'd like to revisit the town in game.

Punverse - Hack Barnstormer

2010-07-09T22:00:00.001-07:00

This post is going to be devoted to a hero created by my good friend John Hancock. Hack Barnstormer is his creation and JC's actually got an entire supers world designed for Hack. Being the cool cat he is, he's allowed me to used elements of it in the Punverse. The following is an abridged Pun-ified version of Hack's story thus far.

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Hack was developed in a black book underground government facility located in rural Nebraska. The fascility was dedicated solely to producing self-propelled flaying commandos, and Hack was the first successful prototype of these flying soldiers. He is able to fly by harnessing the chemical reaction the human body produces when exposed to certain poisons at a cellular level. Soldiers in this project are designed to consume and burn a fuel created in the government lab specifically for this project. This allows the soldiers to fly at peak efficiency, but any poison, fuel, or alcohol will allow the soldiers to be fueled up and and attain flight. Hack was genetically-engineered for enhanced strength, stamina, and speed. His agility, gross motor dexterity, and eye-hand coordination were also enhanced to allow for navigation at high speeds in the air. These traits are between enhanced and super levels. Hack's bones are designed to be denser than regular bones and to heal at a quicker rate. Hack is also able to convert oxygen at much more efficient rates than normal humans to allow for breathing while in flight and while at higher altitudes. Soldiers in this program were also designed to have photographic memories in order to memorize numerous targets, rendezvous points, contigencies, and routes for each flight mission.

Hack was taken from the facility by a member of a religious cult who believed he was the prophesied hero who would "save an evil city and maintain moderation and balance." This occurred when Hack was 10 months old. The cult member was tracked down and killed, but not before he had placed Hack in an RV. The man who was drving the RV didn't find Hack until he was several states away. The man reported finding Hack to children's services and was told he could take care for Hack until his parents or suitable foster family was found. Nobody was ever found for Hack, and so he was raised by the man, Del Hartlage. Del called Hack because the only item Hack had with him was the tattered remnant of a maintenance worker's jacket reading "hack" (the government facility being the Shacklesberg Development Site). Del never officially adopted Hack because he never wanted Hack to give up hope that his real family would come for him one day. As a result, Hack never had an official last name. Hack had been homeschooled and excelled in learning due to his enhanced memory. Del passed away when Hack was 15 and because Hack had already graduated high school and college (1st degree in Chemistry) he was declared an emancipated minor by the court and allowed to live on his own. Hack bounced from degree to degree for the next five years (bachelors in sociology, American literature, and physics; masters in public policy and quantum theory; doctorates in biomechanics and law) and began drinking heavily. He discovered he had a general dislike for gainful employment and took work as a cropduster and flew a biplane in air shows on most weekends. During an air show, Hack fell from his plane while slightly inebriated and his powers of flight were activated.

Soon after he was contacted by the members of the Church of Moderation about his destiny to save Las Vegas. Hack scoffed at this idea, but became caught up in a lengthy adventure which resulted in his gaining numerous allies among the superhero community and making even more enemies in the supervillain and mercernary community. During this adventure, Hack learned of various other genetic offspring from the project that created him. Most notable of this group is Version 6. Version 6 works to be the greatest hero (Standard Bearer) and most ruthless villain (Blight), so he can control both sides od the equation. Version 6 is a more advanced and complete version of Hack.

Shortly after Hack discovered his powers, he was contacted by the Supervisors (a committee of supers who regulates (as best they can) the supers community). Highbrow was his contact, and she informed Hack that he must take an approved name. Hack chose Barnstormer out of respect for Del. Del's favorite hero was a non-powered hero of the 1920's called Barnstormer. Barnstormer had be dead for over 25 years, so Hack was allowed to assume his name. Hack had no official last name, and took on Barnstormer. This makes Hack one of the few persons in the supers community who doesn't have an alter-ego.

Hack is an expert in alcohol brands, mixed drinks, airplane models and maintenance, video games, hip hop, Chinese cuisine, 80's cartoons, photography, junk food, and westerns

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That ends the write up that JC sent me about Hack. The following section deals with Hack and his story in the Punverse

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The black book governmet project that created Hack is just one of many that has created super soldiers in America.

The original Barnstormer sacrificed himself by crashing a comandeered space craft into the heart of the Kalzan Hordes mothership, during the same invasion that saw the founding of the Guard.

Version 6, in both of his guises, has been active in the spotlight and behind the scenes.

After proving the prophecy true (sort of), Hack decided to mover further west and has become affiliated with the Five City Saints. He's been spending time with Old Glory II, the grandaughter of a superhero that helped mentor Hack.

Powers: Flight, Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Constitution, Photographic Memory, Super Dexterity, Immune to Poison, Regeneration

PL: 10

Archetype/Source: -

Cinematic Unisystem Resources

2010-07-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

I know I've been scouring the net for great unisystem websites since I first started playing Buffy, so I've decided to post some of the most useful cinematic unisystem pages I've found (or at least my favorites). Some of these pages haven't been updated in a while, but they still have great stuff.

Eden Studios - I have to post the unisystem home page, right?
Eden Studios Discussions Boards - For obvious reason, the official discussion boards are one of the best places to go. There are conversions for just about anything you could want (and a lot of things you don't want, hehe).
The Other Side Blog - This is Tim Brannan's blog. I've been following Tim's stuff since my days on the Eden Studios board and I have to say it is top notch.
Grey-Elf's Lair - Jason Vey, another unisystem writer, created this page for his Nocturnum game. There are some great ideas and resources on here, my favorite being the Cthulhu Unisystem netbook.
Grey Angels: The Series - A campaign (sorry I guess the term is series) page, the Grey Angels series has one of my favorite fan opening credit videos and cast for that matter (I love Dax Shepard).
The Astounding Mr. Goodner's Amazing Electric Widgets - There's some interesting stuff on this page in general, but I really like the unisystem stuff (though it was posted a few years ago).
Morgan's Cinematic Unisystem Page - This site has some write-ups for some of my favorite movies, notably Big Trouple in Little China. It's also cool to see some fan Army of Darkness stuff. Not much of that going around on the net. Also, Morgan's page has a great list of unisystem links (though some of them are outdated and no longer work).

If anyone has any more they'd like to mention, just send me a message and I'll add it.

Cinematic Unisystem - My Whedonverse

2010-07-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

I love the Buffyverse and the cinematic unisystem so I've decided to do some posts about my version of the Whedonverse. Set after the final seasons of Angel and Buffy, my setting mostly ignores the comics, since I didn't like them. As far as game systems, I'll be using all of the cinematic unisystem games. So along with the demons and slayers of Angel and Buffy, the wise-cracking promised ones of Army of Darkness fight alongside the various casters of Ghosts of Albion.

Here are a few background bits I'd like to note about the setting.

Giles, Andrew, and Xander have been working for the past several years to rebuild the Watcher's Council. The group works to recruit or at the least make ties with various supernatural hunters, occultists, and friendly supernats. Because of the influx of so many hunters, the new Watcher's Council is much proactive in its approach. There are some traditionalists that believe the group should only observe, but they are a vocal minority. To better train the new Watchers, slayers, and supernatural allies, various schools and academies have been established, such as the Belmont Academy in upstate New York.

Due to Buffy's battle with the First Evil and the calling of all the slayers, there has been an influx of supernatural energy into the world. Hellmouths and other portals beyond human comprehension have opened all over the world. The council works to guard these places, but they aren't always successful.

The most notable case is Hellmouth Shinjuku. A fallen arcane warrior named Levih Rah attempted to open a permanent portal to the dark dimensions to fuel his powers. While the dark warriors plans were stopped, a Hellmouth was opened in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, causing a massive earthquake and flooding the district with demons. Efforts to reclaim the area have failed. The demons unleashed stay within their "Demon City" and no sane person enters the area.

The influx of arcane energies have also re-energized the ley lines and mystic places of earth. New protector's are being called to serve as magical stewards to these lands. In addition, the fey are are returning to the world.

Increased activity and events like the "Shinjuku Incident" have caused governments to take notice. The US Supernatural Initiative Network has stepped up its game. Various black-book programs have joined forces (such as the infamous B.P.R.D. and the F.B.I.'s Special Affairs Division) and the goverment is taking a more agressive stance against supernatural threats. Other governments have created similiar organizations, like Japan's Strike Force Zero.

So this is the state of the world, The supernatural has become more common, the the general popluace still see these incidents as natural gas deposits exploding and street gangs on PCP.

---

So now, in addition to my Changeling Redux and M&M Punverse postings, you can expect to see some various Cinematic Unisystem post. Also, I'm going to give credit where it's due. Timothy Brannon, who's blog can be found here, is a big inspiration. Though he tends to focus on witches, and I'm more of a mortal/werewolf, kind of guy, he stuff is great and I plan on using some of his builds in my setting (whenever I finally get to run it).

Punverse - Heroes of the Five Cites (Part 2)

2010-07-06T10:14:00.001-07:00

Today, we'll take a look at some of the other "Saints."

----

"Let those who worship darkness might, beware the light of the Beacon!"

Beacon (Ariel Perkins) - Ariel Perkins is the latest in a long line of sorcerors charged with protecting the Spark. Ariel never had much of a personal life and has been groomed for her role since birth. Raised in a mystic commune, she learned incantations from spirits and faeries, while other children were playing games.

Ariel's changed when the entire commune she'd grown up in was razed and slaughtered by Yellow Lama and his minions. Distraught, and filled with survivor's guilt, Ariel moved from city to city until coming into contact with Reveler. Somehow the spritely heroine seemed to ease Ariel's pain and she decided to stay in Five Cities.

Powers: Magic, Flight, Staff of the Beacon
PL: 10
Source/Archetype: Instant Superheroes pg 45 - "Mystic"

"You're about to get a hardcore, lucha smackdown!"

El Hijo de Lobo Loco (Name Unknown) -Everyone in Mexico thought that Loco was going to grow up and take his father's mantle as champion of the LLM (the Lucha Libra Meta-Humano, the premiere metahuman wrestling league in Mexico). He most likely would have, if not for the death of his father at the vice-like hands of El Panico Verde and El Operador Suave. At the urging of his father's closest friend, El Lucha Pequeno of the Vengadores Justicia, Loco left his beloved Mexico for Five Cities. Shamed by his inability to to save his father, Loco has thrown himself head first into crime fighting. A fiery young man, Loco, often gets in over his head. Luckily for him, the Saints are never far away. Recently, Loco has started noticing that he has feelings for the capricious Reveler. However, he often tries to hide his feelings behind classic Lucha Libre machismo.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Constitution, Enhanced Agility, Leaping
PL: 10
Source/Archetype: -

"First you see stars, then you're going to be wearing stripes."

Old Glory II (Rebecca Munroe) - Rebecca Munroe is the granddaughter of the original World War II patriotic supersolider (and sidekick to the Fighting Yank), Old Glory I. Her father didn't inherit any powers from the super soldier process, and it was assumed that Rebecca wouldn't either. However, after surviving being hit by a drunk driver at a young age, it was soon apperent that Rebecca was more than human. Rebecca grew up with tales of her grandfathers exploits and always wanted to be a hero. However, she respected her parents wishes and attended Los Lobos University and attended a degree in law and focused on metahuman law. She probably wouldn't have ever donned the tights of a hero, had it not be for the death of her grandfather in the the Vegas Incident. Hearing of her grandfather's death, Rebecca got in touch with some of her metahuman contacts and had them design a patriotic costume and shield and now she patrols the streets of San Andreas as the patriotic legacy, Old Glory.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Constitution, Enhanced Dexterity, Nova Romana Steel Shield
PL: 10
Source/Archetype: Instant Superheroes pg 63 - "Super Soldier"

"...but as an expert at math accounting the how the Five City Saints O\/\/nZz j00r aZz."

MC Frontalot (Damien Hess) - The Damien Hess of the Punverse is much like his real world persona. However, in the Punverse Damien is not only the father of Nerdcore, but he is also the father or Metacore (not to be confused with Metalcore) rap. Front was the first to start dropping rhymes about capes and has a cult following, especially among younger heroes. It's considered a badge of honor to be mentioned in a Frontalot rhyme. Another major difference is that the Damien Hess of Five Cities is also a gifted metahuman inventor. While he normally leaves crimefighting to the other Saints, he's been known to unleash his nerd on crime in his Braggadacio Mark IV Power Suit. While he's not in the same league as some of the members, Front is more than capable of handling street-level threats.

Power: Super Intelligence, Enhanced Charisma, Braggadacio Mark IV Power Suit.
PL: 6
Source/Archetype: Street-Level Archetypes pg 7 - "Powered Armor"

Hack Barnstormer - For more information on Hack, check out the blog totally dedicated to him.

Punverse - Heroes of the Five Cities (Part 1)

2010-07-04T10:59:00.001-07:00

One of the differences between our Earth and the Earth of the Punverse is that LA and San Fransisco don't exist in the Punverse. They have been replaced by Five Cities, a consildated city created by the basic merging of the fictional cities Neuava Toledo, San Andreas, San Dios, Los Lobos, and the subterranean Titan City and their suburbs. The heroes of the area are known as the Five City Saints, an intentionally ironic name. The team doesn't really have an HQ and is a loose affiliation.

---

"This looks like fun."

Reveler (Real Name Unkown) - Reveler claims to be the daughter of Loki (and he's never denied the claim). Clad in an everchanging jester's outfit, Reveler dispenses justice and wisdom through chaos and humor. She always hints at having unique powers, but no one knows if she's even a paranormal. Reveler fights with her custom set of juggling pins (made of Xaos matter) and various gadgets. The six-armed simian Spider-Monkey is always at her side.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Xaos Matter juggling pins, various martial art styles, various gadgets, possible powers
PL: 10

Source/Archetype: -

"Eek eek, ook ook."

Spider-Monkey - Not to be confused with the Rumble Squad's aquatic simian, Sea Monkey, Spider-Monkey began his life as an ordinary primate, until he was captured by scientists working for Dane Industries. His DNA was combined with that of the brown recluse and other poisonous spiders by the villianous doctor, M.O. Reau. The process also increased his intelligence, which enabled him to escape. He was found by Reveler, who's become his closest friend.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Six arms, infared vision, poisonous bite, prehensile tail

PL: 5

Source/Archetype: -

"For the horde, dude."

MMO (Jeffrey Pardo) - Many natural metahumans find that their powers first manifest during times of extreme stress. This was not the case for Jeff. An avid player of the Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game, World of Neverquest, Jeff became frustrated that he could only play on one server at a time. This frustration caused his latent metahuman powers to manifest and he found himself sitting beside... himself. Excited by the possibility of being a real hero Jeff began to train and test his abilities. Now calling himself MMO, Jeff can now "Summon the Horde" as he calls it and make numerous duplicates of himself to fight crime with.

Powers: Some martial arts and weapon training, self duplication

PL: 9

Source/Archetype: Instant Superheroes pg 23 - "Duplicator"

"I like this pizza substance."

Gaea - The being known as Gaea is one of the newest heroes in Five Cities. The androgynous plant/elemental based hero is actually a sprout from the World Tree, Yggdrasil. He was discovered by Professor Alex Moore of San Dios University. On a hiking trip the professor found a mysterious seed in the Lobos Mountains. He placed the football-sized seed in the univerity's green house and made sure it recieved the nourishment it needed. To his amazement, the seed sprouted and turned into a small child. Moore kept his discovery secret, but decided to raise the child, whom he named Gaea, as his own. In a years time the seed had grown to the size of an adolescent. A lover of the International Hero Video television channel, Gaea has decided that he wants to become a superhero. Gaea posses the mystical earth stone, which gives him geokinetic powers as well as the ability to sheath himself in stone. He knows that their are three more stones (each coresponding to one of the other cardinal elements) and he believes that becoming a superhero will help him find them.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Earth Stone (Geokinesis), Temporary life support, regeneration
PL: 10
Source/Archetype: Instant Heroes pg 25 - "Sentient Plant"

Punverse - Nowhere Kids

2010-07-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

I've talked about one of the "big name" team with a long history, now here's an example of new team.

---

The Nowhere Kids, as they've taken to calling themselves, formed a few years ago. Mr. Rage, a psychotic second generation villain, kidnapped various paranormal teens and children, for a secret Dane Industries program. Project Nowhere's purpose was to create expendable youth assassins. Most of the "recruits" where runaways and orphans, so no one would miss them. The project would have succeeded if not for the strong will of Mr. Rage's younger brother, the "trainee" codenamed Emo. Emo rallied his fellow captives and they made their escape. Since that time the group has traveled across the states, helping the poor and forgotten citizens of the world. The group has recently gained two new members, Goblyn Girl and Kid Nephilim. Due to Goblyn Girl's involvement, the group has gained a sense of stability, as they now have the backing of Nolan Industries and Kid Nephilim's adopted family the Guard.

"This ain't a scene..."

Emo (Kyle Dunn) - Kyle is the son of the silver age villain, Dr. Phobos, and silver age heroine, Mercy. Kyle is your typical "scene" kid, except he has enhanced charisma and the ability to influence emotions. Kyle was thrust into the role of leadership, but he's taken to it quite well. One of his current goals is to make more contacts among the metahuman world.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Emotion Control, Enhanced Charisma
PL: 8
Archetype/Sources: -

"*silence*"

Nil (Name Unknown) - Nil was the first child captured by the Project. Much of the programming had already been ingrained in her by the time Emo lead his rebellion. Because of this Nil is an excellent sniper and has little memory of her past.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Superhuman hearing and vision, nightvision, "Thrill Kill" Omni-Rifle with "Eagle Eye" Omni-sight.
PL: 7
Archetype/Source: Mecha and Manga pg 21 - "Child Assassin"

"I'd take acne over horns any day."

Gore (Logan Conners) - Logan was once a happy carefree boy. Then the scientists of Project Nowhere Kids turned him into a monster. Unable to return to his normal form and understand what has truly happened to him, Gore, as he is now called, protects his new family, especially Nil, whom he has a crush on.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Super Strength, super constitution, cold resistence
PL: 8
Archetype/Source: Street-Level Archetypes 2 pg 5 - "Misunderstood Monster"

"Split ends are the worse."

Locks (Jane Locksley) - Jane's father weas a low level thug that ocasionally worked as a henchman for Mr. Rage. To save his own hide after a botched job, her father offered her up to Rage. Mr. Rage put her in Project Nowhere and killed her father. Jane is a beautiful, assertive girl and few suspect her powers lie within her golden locks.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Prehensile Hair
PL: 6
Archetype/Source: Freedom City: Street-Level Archetypes pg 7 - "Superpowered Orphan"

"This little girl's going to kick your ass."

Goblyn Girl (Lily Stone) - Goblyn Girl is the latest to bear the name Goblyn, and like her predecessors she works alongside the Demon. Lily isn't one of the original member of the Nowhere Kids, but joined recently. Once a very stoic girl, Lily has started to let her hair down and act like a kid, now that she's found true peers.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Advanced Martial Arts Training, various gadgets
PL: 8
Archetype/Source: Hero High pg 31 - "Protege"

"It's smitin' time."

Kid Nephilim (Ryan Grayson Lane) - Ryan is another recent addition to the team. Ryan is 1/4th angel and the son of the former Guard member, Wandering Nephilim. Ryan has inherited his father's abilities and started fighting crime recently. He met Emo at an MC Frontalot concert and the two imediately hit it off. Ryan hasn't officially joined the team, but he hangs out with the team on the weekend.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Constitution, Wings, Empathic Healing, Nephilim Armor, "Smiter" (Wandering Nephilim's Holy Sword)
PL: 10
Archetype/Source: -

Punverse - The Guard

2010-07-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

In this post we'll take a look at the good guys' heavy hitters, the Guardians of Tarae Prime (the Guard).

----

The Guardians of Tarae Prime were formed in the late 1950's. When the Earth was attacked by the Intersteller Horde of Kazla they found themselves helpless to fight back. McCarthyism drove most heroes went into hiding, retired, or worked solo (because it was harder to be caught). However, the aging patriot, the Fighting Yank sent out a call that was answered by some old friends and new allies. Not wishing to see their ancestral home wiped out, a group of Legionanaires of the Nova Romana Empire aided the heroes and drove back the Horde. This Legionnaires charged the group with protecting Earth and dubbed them the Guardians of Tarae Prime (the group is more aften refered to as the Guard). Yank stayed on as the leader of the team, until his son Bruce Carter IV took up his father's mantle and became leader.

The group has the reputation of being the foremost team of paranormals on the planet. While not officially sponsered by any government (at least not on Earth), the group operates across the globe. The team currently has two main headquarters. The first is the Guard Mansion in NYC and the second is the Castellum, the groups satellite fortress. The group recieves donations from various governments, companies, the Nova Romana Empire, and the Fighting Yank's friendly rival, the Demon.

Current Roster:

"Let me show you what dad used to do to the Nazis."

The Fighting Yank (Bruce Carter IV) - Patriotic legacy hero, son of the original Fighting Yank and descendant of the revolutionary hero, Bruce Carter I. Yank's powers come from a mystical green cloak created by one of his ancestors. He is truly a hero's hero.

Power/Equipment/Abilities: Mystic Cloak (allows flight, super strength and endurance)

PL: 12

Archetype/Source: Adventures Into Darkness pg 12 - "The Fighting Yank"

"I will atone for my father's sins, if it takes me a life time."

Astral (Jordan Dane-Carter) - Jordan is the daughter of the corrupt mogul, Dominic Dane (of Dane Industries). Ignored by her father at a young age, she discovered her psyhic abilities. Using her powers, she learned of the her father's misdeads and decided to become a costumed heroine and make up for his evils. Astral is the voice of compassion for the team and married to Fighting Yank.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: ESP, precognition, postcognition, mental blasts, astral projection

PL: 12

Archetype/Source: Silver Age pg 63 - "Psychic"

"*laughs* He reminds me of a Blue Gauzip from Aries Maximo. Hopefully his blood will be easier to clean from my blade."

Praetorian (Cassius Titanos) - Cassius is the son of a Nova Romana senator. An idealistic young soldier, he has recently be assigned to watch over Terae Prime. His position on the Guard was required by the Empire in order to gain their continued support.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Praetorian Shield and Gladius, advanced alien fighting techniques

PL: 10

Archetype/Source: Mecha and Manga pg 35 - "Warrior"

"Okay, the next guy that makes a comment about seeing my lucky charms is going to be in traction by morning."

Shillelagh (Brigid McManus) - Brigid is the sole survivor of an attack by the Irish terrorist cell, Balor's Brood. She was charged by her mythical namesake to heal the terrorized and downtrodden. She's hotheaded, and not as wise as her namesake, but she has the heart of a warrior poet.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Super Strength, Super Constitution, Life Support

PL: 12

Archetype/Source: Instant Superheroes pg 47 - "Paragon"

"By the Virulent Spheres of Yuggoth!"

Nodens (Ronald Williams) - Professor Williams was a British scholar and archeologists that stumbled upon the Trident of the Nodens. The mystic artifact transformed him into an avatar of the diety. Nodens soon started using his new found powers to fight the Third Reich. Recently with the death of his spiritual namesake, Nodens is in the process of ascending to true godhood.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Trident of Nodens (summon Nightgaunts, magical ability, superhuman strength, superhuman constitution, life support, flight)

PL: 15

Archetype/Source: Adventures Into Darkness pg 19 - "Nodens"

"For the ritual to go off without a hitch I need a vial of water from the Nile, three ounces of crushed diamond, and a bag of catnip. I need to be relaxed for this one."

Akh-tu-Men - The black cat, Akh, is actually the reincarnated priest of Amon-Ra. During the 40's and 50's he traveled with the Scarab. When his friend passed on to the next life, he became Nodens' "familiar." Akh nows serves as a mascot and source of knowledge for the Guard, a role he boths cherishes and is annoyed with.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Magic

PL: 5

Archetype/Source: Adventures Into Darkness pg 21 - "Akh-tu-Men"

"Please, give me a reason to use excessive force."

Sea-Devil (Michael Marsh) - Michael is the product of a one-night stand between the long-lived Deep-One Hybrid gangster, Devilfish, and an Atlantean sorceress. He left Atlantis at the age of 21, following a mysterious longing to travel to the coast of Massachusetts, he discovered an ancient city. His father then revealed his true heritage to him. He served his father faithfhully for nearly five years until he mysteriously decided to go on the straight-and-narrow path. Despite serving on the Guard for two years, there are still those that see him as a wild card.

Powers/Equipment/Abilities: Amphibious, Super Strength, Enhanced Constitution, Magic Sense, Claws

PL: 12

Archetype/ Source: Silver Age pg 56 - "Amphibian Warrior"

Punverse - Magic

2010-07-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

In its most raw form, all magic is the same. It comes from an interdimensional source known as "The Spark."

However, since the dawn of creation their have been creatures that tap into this source and bend it to their will. Magic can normally be defined as one of the following.

Infernal/Unholy - corrupting magic used by evil gods and demons
Divine/Holy - protective and "righteous" magic used by the good gods and angels
Primal Nature - "Earthly" magic tied to the elements, used by the fae
Preternatural - Cthulhu-esque magic that perverts nature
Hermetic - "vanilla" magic used by all magic-users
"True Magic" - this magic is untainted by its users. It's powerful and dangerous.
Technomancy - this is a new style of magic that is a blending of science and the mystic

Earth has always been protected by a "Dream Master." This is the powerful sorcerer who serves as a mystic guardian. No one is sure how the Dream Master is chosen, but all know that he's needed. Rarely these guardians have fallen, and when they do they spell trouble for mankind.

There is another mystic source of protection on Earth. The Golden Dawn is the latest incarnation of the the Society of Sorcerers, an ancient self-policing society of good and neutrel mages.

Here a few evil arcane groups:

The Graveyard Gang - To call the GG evil, may be an overstatement. They are definately chaotic though. Led by the goth teen , Livia Dark, the group is made up of outcast creatures of the night, such as the King (think vampire Elvis), Abra Cadaver (vaudville skeleton), and Otis Ra (Livia's mummy slave).

Circle Seven - Circle Seven is the most brutal death metal band EVER! The bands rise in popularity and power is related to an infernal bargain. The band basically has diplomatic immunity, do to its horde of money and army of infernal lawyers.

The Blood Kings - The Blood Kings are an ancient, international aristocracy of vampires. They portray themselves as noble sovereigns (and a very few are), but they are predominantly cold monsters.

The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign - cult surrounding a strange mystic, the Yellow Lama, and served by the degenerate Tcho-Tcho's of the Himalayan Mts.

The Thule Society - group of dark sorcerers tied to the Knights Templar and later the Nazis.

Nyaralathotep and the Avatars - the devious "group" of villains is maded up of various avatars of the Crawling Chaos and his worshipers.

---

Since the gods exist publicly in my universe they have their own organized religion. However, despite the fact they've returned to Earth, they aren't as strong as they once were (due to the "War of the Gods" with the Lovecraftian Outer Gods). The group refer to themselves as the Pantheon. The most vocal members of the group are listed below:

Bast
Nodens (mortal ascended to the god's power)
Hypnos
Hephaestus
Hercules
Baron Samedi
Quetzalcoatl
The Monkey King

On a less serious note, a few of the more free spirited gods (at the urging on the Monkey King) have banded together and embraced the youth and counter cultures. They are a sort of Jackass/Viva La Bam-esque crew. Notable members are:

Hermes
Loki
Eris
Pan
Dionysus

Punverse - The Basics

2010-06-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've decided to create my own supers setting. Of course, I'm going to borrow (or steal) some things, but overall I'm going to put it together my way. The first blog is just going to be a list of some of the basics.

Throughout time, different races (alien and extra dimensional) have "influenced" mankind.
Ancient alien races were present on Earth since its creation. Traces of their technology still exist today, notably in Subterrania and Primate City.
Mythic beings, such as gods exist.
Lovecraftian horrors exist. These beings have been known to do battle with the gods.
Other dimensions exist, the dimension that has the most connection to Earth is the Dreamlands, home of the gods and other mystical creatures.
All origins exist in the Punverse. Supers get their powers from science, magic, aliens, radiation accidents, and any other event one can imagine.
While paranormals have existed since the dawn of time, metahuman mutations became alarmingly common after the Tunguska Event of 1908.
WWII was the start of the super soldier phenomenon.
The world went through the basic progression of real world comics, Pulp, Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Platinum Age.