Dragon Age Hardcover

I'd call this a definite upgrade. I've had the Dragon Age Set I for a few years now. I finally decided to pick up the hardcover collection (which also contains material from the second and third sets). This book is gorgeous. It's 400+ plus full color pages. The system is very simple. You pick a background (which determines your race) and a class (warrior, mage, or rogue). Eventually you get to pick a specialization which is where you really start differentiating yourself from others. The game does a good job of translating the video game into a table top. After I get a better handle of the game, I'll probably stat my heroes from the video games into table top characters. There's also the real cool Dragon Effect fanart, that's begging to get the tabletop treatment.

The Midnight Society

Vampires.

I love them, though there are times I wish I didn't. About six months ago, while sitting at a friend's house, I was looking through his Magic: The Gathering cards. He had quite a few from the Innistrad block. These sets were gothic horror themed and reminded me of Hammer flicks and Ravenloft (two of my loves). One card in particular stuck out to me. It was an instant or sorcery (can't remember which) called "Defanged." Here's the artwork and the flavor text.

Once vampires are disarmed they're given wooden swords and forced to assist in the training of Midnight Duelists.

Fast foward to a couple of nights ago. I'm trying to talk my friend Sarah into giving B/X a shot (she's not played D&D in a long time) and to do so I'm pushing for her to play a vampire using Tim Brannan's class. Her favorite D&D character was turned into a vampire and locked into a coffin the last time she played. While trying to persuade her I thought about the Innistrad set and was inspired. I plan on incorporating into a game whether I talk Sarah into playing or not. 

The Midnight Society

History
The Midnight Society was founded five hundred years ago during the Century of Twilight. During this (literally) dark time the Sun God was captured and a dark spell kept the world in eternal twilight. This allowed the creatures of the night to run unchecked. During this time, even angels despaired. However, not all was lost. One angel decided to fight. He gathered brave men and women and taught them the techniques to fight back against the night. He made various pacts with men, spirits, and others to gather resources and build a fortress. He and his followers became the Midnight Society. 

After many battles and lives lost the group finally ended the Century of Twilight. However, they knew that the vampires and their allies still dwelt in the shadows so they refused to disband.To this day, the Midnight Society fights to keep the darkness at bay.

Organization

There are several subgroups within the Midnight Society:

Midnight Duelists: The brave men (and demihumans) are the hunters and soldiers of the organization. Their elite warriors are armed with Heartwood Spears (see below).

Nightweavers: Next to the Midnight Duelists these are the most commonly encountered members of the Midnight Society. Knowing the power of knowledge they go about towns and cities spreading tales, hoping to arm the common man. It should be noted that they're stories must be approved by the leaders of the society in a special ritual that normally starts out, "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story..."


The Defanged: Not every vampire found by the society is destroyed. Some are "recruited" into the organization for training purposes. These vampires have their fangs forcibly removed,are given wooden swords, and forced to train new recruits. Some Defanged are full of rage, others are more like beaten pups, but all are considered dangerous and watched closely. Stats for an average "Defanged" can be found below.

Requiem Angels: These servants of the Sun God despaired when he was captured and inadvertently sewed much despair during the Century of Twilight. As it was said, "When angels despair, what hope can remain for mortals?" As penance for their lack of faith, many of these angels have allied themselves with the Midnight Society. While they only hunt the most dire of foes, they often provide healing and guidance for members. 

The Heartwarders: The Midnight Society's fortress was built around an ancient sentient tree. This tree, simply known as the Heartwood, and the druids that serve it pledged to help the society in its original mission. They continue to do so today. Occasionally the Heartwood will spawn a sapling that grows into an intelligent plant man. These children join the duelists on their hunt, as their natural magic seems to be quite effective against vampires. Upon their deaths their bodies undergo a special ritual and are turned into Heartwood Spears (see below).  

The Tenders: These are the "normal" people that support the society. They are the cooks that feed the duelists and the blacksmiths that make their weapons. They also take care of of the family of giant weasels that seems to be allied with the society. Beyond their tasks they also have the important job of providing comfort and fellowship the duelists.

Okay so that's a brief description of the Midnight Society and its members. I'll leave you folks with stats for the Defanged and Heartwood Spears.

----

The Defanged

Defanged (B/X)
AC: 4, HD: 2d12, HP 16, #AT: 1 D: 1d8+2, MV 120' (40'), 180' (60'), SV: F2, ML: 10, AL: N
Equipment: Wooden Sword

Defanged vampires have some of the abilities of their free bretheren. They are immune to sleep, charm, and hold spells. In addition they are immune to poison, have darkvision, and have 99% Move Silently. Finally they regenerate 1 HP a round.

However, like other vampires, the Defanged have several weaknesses. They can be turned as Ghouls (2 HD), sunlight will destroy them, they must be invited into a home, and they are repelled by a strongly presented holy symbol. 

Defanged (AGE)


Abilities
1 Communication (Persuasion)
2 Constitution
1 Cunning 
3 Dexterity (Bite, Initiative)
2 Magic
1 Perception
3 Strength (Claw)
1 Willpower (Self-Discipline)

Combat Ratings

13 Speed, 30 Health, 13 Defense, 0/2 Armor Rating 

Attacks
Weapon                             Attack Roll           Damage
Fangless Bite                           +5                   3
Claw                                       +5                   1d6+3
Wooden Sword                         +3                   1d6+3 

Powers

Favored Stunts: Pierce Armor, Thirst (see below)


Blood is Life A Defanged that bites an unconscious or recently slain enemy can regain 2d6 Health by drinking blood. If used on an unconscious foe, the bite counts as a coup de grace.The vampire can choose to only regain 1d6 Health. If they do the attack isn't considered a coup de grace. If they choose to feed on the victim again before the victim regains Health then they only regain 1d6 Health and the attack is considered a coup de grace.

Dark Vision: Defanged can see in the dark as if it were daylight.

Sunlight Weakness: For every round of direct sunlight the Defanged is exposed to it takes 1d6 points of penetrating damage.


Thirst: If a Defanged hits with its bite attack it can perform a special stunt costing 3 SP. It regains Health equal to the targets Constitution + 1.

Unholy Flesh: While weaker than a normal vampire, the unholy energies infusing a Defanged's flesh grant them an Armor Rating of 2. This ability doesn't function during the day.

----

Heartwood Spears (B/X)
While not technically magic, these spears can hit a vampire as if they were. In addition once per day, the spear may be used to locate vampires up to 120' away in the same manner as the 2nd level Magic-User spell (ignoring the normal no creature restriction).

Heartwood Spears (AGE)
The ritual infusing this spear allows it to ignore a vampires "Unholy Flesh" ability. In addition the wielder is considered to have the Perception (Searching, Tracking) focuses for the purposes of finding vampires (if the wielder already has these focuses they get an additional +2). Finally the wielder can perform the Pierce Armor stunt for 1SP instead of the normal 2SP required.

AGE of Fangs - Dracula

For my second AGE of Fangs npc post I decided to stat up the king of vampires. For Bathory I took a tenth level rogue and applied my vampire template. For Dracula I did something similar and applied my template to a 10 level warrior. He is truly a combat monster. Note that the way I wrote him that Dracula is a bit weaker during the day (he loses his armor rating). However if he is expecting trouble he can still wear armor, so he's not defenseless.

Dracula

Abilities
3 Communication (Leadership)
7 Constitution
4 Cunning (Heraldry, Historical Lore, Military Lore, Religious Lore)
6 Dexterity (Bite, Initiative, Riding)
2 Magic
3 Perception
7 Strength (Claw, Intimidation, Might, Spears)
5 Willpower (Courage, Self-Discipline)

Combat Ratings

17, 17 (Fly) Speed,  120 Health, 16 Defense, 0/5 Armor Rating 5

Attacks
Weapon                             Attack Roll           Damage
Bite                                        +8                   1d6+7
Claw                                       +9                   1d6+9
Two-Handed Spear                    +9                   2d6+7 

Powers

Favored Stunts: Creatures of the Night (see below), Dual Strike (only costing 3 SP), Mighty Blow (only costing 1 SP), Thirst (see below), Threaten (only costing 1 SP)

Blood is Life: Dracula can bite an unconscious or recently slain enemy and choose to regain 2d6 Health by drinking blood. If used on an unconscious foe, the bite counts as a coup de grace. Erzsébet can choose to only regain 1d6 Health. If she does this the attack isn't considered a coup de grace. If she chooses to feed on the victim again before the victim regains Health then they only regain 1d6 Health and the attack is considered a coup de grace.

Creatures of the Night: Dracula can perform a special stunt costing 5 SP. He can chooe to summon 1d6 Blood Crows, 1d6 Giant Rats, or 2 Wolves (use Mabari War Dog stats)

Dark Vision: Dracula can see in the dark as if it were daylight.

Expert Strike: As level 9 Warrior ability

Final Rest: No one is sure how to permanently destroy Dracula. She has been "killed" many times but she always seems to find a way to return. 

Flight: Dracula has a Fly speed equal to his regular speed.

Mist Form: As a major action Dracula can turn into a cloud of mist. He ignores the effects of terrain and can be harmed by magical attacks. Other attacks simply pass harmlessly through her. He can return to their normal form as a minor action.

Thirst: If Dracula hits with its bite attack she can perform a special stunt costing 3 SP. She regains Health equal to the targets Constitution + 1.

Unholy Flesh: The unholy energies infusing Dracula's flesh grant him an Armor Rating of 5. This ability doesn't function during the day.

Talents: Armor Training (Journeyman), Champion (Master), Thrown Weapon Style (Novice), Two-Hander Style (Master)

Weapon Groups: Bows, Brawling, Axes, Heavy Blades, Spears

Thanksgiving Mayhem - AGE System

While I didn't get to stat up monstrous fowl for all of the systems I wanted to, I have created monsters for AGE, Dungeon Crawl Classics, and B/X. Maybe next year I'll write up some new monsters/npc's for Mutants and Masterminds, Unisystem, and Mutant Future.

To my fellow Americans I'd like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and give you warning, beware the Gluttonous Gobbler.

Gluttonous Gobblers

Abilities

3             Communication (Bargaining, Deception)

5              Constitution (Drinking)

2              Cunning (Demonic Lore)

2              Dexterity (Beak)

6              Magic

3              Perception

4              Strength

4              Willpower

Combat Ratings

 12 Speed,  50 Health, 12 Defense,  Armor Rating 5

Attacks

Weapon               Attack Roll            Damage

 Beak                     +4                       1d6+4

Powers

Favored Stunts: Pierce Armor, Gluttonous Aura (special)

Demonic  Flesh: The mystical energy that infuses the demonic turkey give it an Armor Rating of 5.

Gluttonous Aura: Gluttonous Gobblers can perform a special Gluttonous Aura stunt for 4 SP. All enemies within 6 yards take 1d6+Magic penetrating damage as the Gluttonous Gobbler absorbs their essence.

 Magic
Spellpower 16, Mana 45

Spells
Flame Blast, Mana Drain, Weakness

Settings
Dragon Age: Gluttonous Gobblers, otherwise known as Festival Feasters, are fowl possessed by Hunger Spirits from the Fade. They are commonly found in Ferelden. Despite their animal appearance  the creatures are quite intelligent and delight in corrupting mortals.

Other Fantasy: In other fantasy settings Gluttonous Gobblers are demonic servants of the Gobbler. 

AGE of Fangs - Erzsébet Báthory (Updated)

I'm going to be honest, I'm more than a bit obsessed with Elizabeth Bathory. Maybe it's my love for bad girls, maybe it's because I'm a bit twisted in the head, but there's something about the legends that appeals to me. I even joke that she was a lover in my past life. For this reason I chose her to be the first vampire I statted up using my new AGE vampire template. For more information on Bathory you should check out Tim Brannan's blog posts on her.

I present to you the Bloody Countess, in all her unholy glory. 

(I realized that my original write-up didn't take into account the vampiric weakness to the sun so I made some changes. - JI)

Erzsébet Báthory

Abilities
5 Communication (Etiquette,Persuasion, Seduction)
3 Constitution
4 Cunning (Cultural Lore, Evaluation, Heraldry, Historical Lore)
6 Dexterity (Bite, Lock Picking, Stealth)
2 Magic
2 Perception
5 Strength (Claw, Intimidation)
2 Willpower

Combat Ratings

16 Speed, 85 Health, 16 Defense, Armor Rating 5

Attacks
Weapon                             Attack Roll           Damage
Bite                                        +8                   1d6+5
Claw                                       +7                   1d6+7

Powers

Favored Stunts: Pierce Armor (only costs 1 SP), "That Makes Me Wonder" (only costs 2 points), Thirst (see below)

Backstab: As level 1 Rogue Ability

My favorite action figure...

Blood is Life: Erzsébet can bite an unconscious or recently slain enemy and choose to regain 2d6 Health by drinking blood. If used on an unconscious foe, the bite counts as a coup de grace. Erzsébet can choose to only regain 1d6 Health. If she does this the attack isn't considered a coup de grace. If she chooses to feed on the victim again before the victim regains Health then they only regain 1d6 Health and the attack is considered a coup de grace.

Bluff: As level 3 Rogue ability

Dark Vision: Erzsébet can see in the dark as if it were daylight.

Dirty Fighting: As level 7 Rogue ability

Final Rest: No one is sure how to permanently destroy Erzsébet. She has been "killed" many times but she always seems to find a way to return.

Lethality: As level 9 Rogue ability

Mist Form: As a major action Erzsébet  can turn into a cloud of mist. She ignores the effects of terrain and can be harmed by magical attacks. Other attacks simply pass harmlessly through her. She can return to their normal form as a minor action.

Rogue's Armor: As level 1 Rogue ability

That Makes Me Wonder: As level 6 Rogue ability

Sunlight Weakness: For every round of direct sunlight Erzsébet is exposed to she takes 1d6 points of penetrating damage.

Thirst: If Erzsébet hits with its bite attack she can perform a special stunt costing 3 SP. She regains Health equal to the targets Constitution + 1.

Unholy Flesh: The unholy energies infusing Erzsébet's flesh grant her an Armor Rating of 5. 

Wall Crawling: Erzsébet  can walk up walls and even on ceilings.

Talents: Assassin (Master), Contacts (Novice), Dual Weapon Style (Master), Thievery (Novice)

Weapon Groups:

Bows, Brawling, Light Blades, Staves

AGE of Fangs: Vampires for the AGE System

Recently I've found myself becoming a big fan of Green Ronin's AGE system (which at the moment can be found as the Dragon Age tabletop).One of these days I'm going to get around to running an AGE of Freeport game, but until then I'm going to tinker with the system and see what I can make.

One of my favorite rpg monsters is the vampire.Sadly I haven't seen any vampire stats in the Dragon Age books (because there haven't been any vamps in DA) or Kobold Quarterly's AGE releases. By the gods we're gamers though, so if we don't have official stuff, we'll make our own. Below I've created a base vampire template and then listed other suggested powers for vampires.


BaseVampire Template

Focuses
Dexterity (Bite), Strength (Claw)

Attack
Bite 1d6
Claw 1d6+2

Powers

Blood is Life A vampire that bites an unconscious or recently slain enemy can regain 2d6 Health by drinking blood. If used on an unconscious foe, the bite counts as a coup de grace.The vampire can choose to only regain 1d6 Health. If they do the attack isn't considered a coup de grace. If they choose to feed on the victim again before the victim regains Health then they only regain 1d6 Health and the attack is considered a coup de grace.

Dark Vision: Vampires can see in the dark as if it were daylight.

Thirst: If a vampire hits with its bite attack it can perform a special stunt costing 3 SP. The vampire regains Health equal to the targets Constitution + 1.

Other Suggested Vampire Powers

Creatures of the Night: The vampire can perform a special stunt costing 5 SP. He can chooe to summon 1d6 Blood Crows, 1d6 Giant Rats, or 2 Wolves (use Mabari War Dog stats)

Flight: The vampire gains a Fly speed equal to its regular speed.

Frenzied: The vampires blood thirst overpowers its sense of self preservation. The vampire automatically passes any Willpower (Morale) test it is required to take.

Mist Form: As a major action the vampire can turn into a cloud of mist. It ignores the effects of terrain and can be harmed by magical attacks. Other attacks simply pass harmlessly through them. They can return to their normal form as a minor action.

Shape Change: As a major action the vampire can take the form of a large bat or monstrous wolf. Use the Blood Crow for statics for the bat form and the Blight Wolf  for monstrous hound. The vampire Heath total, Cunning, Magic, and Willpower aren't changed, otherwise it uses the statistics of the creature.

Unholy Flesh: The death magic that gives the vampire life grants resilience to its flesh. The vampire gains an Armor Rating of 1-5.

Wall Crawling: The vampire can walk up walls and even on ceilings.

Porcelina and her Marionette Men

I can't help it. I am a sucker for tragic love stories. In Green Ronin's "The Pirate's Guide to Freeport" there is a pirate legend that is both horrifying and tragic, the tale of Porcelina. I plan on using her in my AGE of Freeport game, so I decided to stat her up.

---------

Selina Armand was a beautiful privateer that sailed the waters around Freeport. Many men wanted her, but Selina's heart belonged to a quiet toy maker named Robert. During one of her travels she contracted a horrible wasting disease. No cure could be found, so her dearest Robert made a bargain with a demon. He would make a doll for Selina's essence to be transferred in to, then demon would turn it to flesh and blood. The demon had other plans. Waking, and possessing inhuman strength, Selina went mad, killed her beloved Robert, and fled into the night. 

She sails the seas to this day. In her madness she's convinced herself that her Robert is still alive. She constantly is "reunited" with her lost love, but once she realizes it isn't Robert, she kills the man, and turns him into one of her marionette men. She still sails the seas around Freeport aboard her ship, Robert's Regret, as the dreaded Porcelina.

Porcelina

Abilities

0              Communication (Leadership)

1              Constitution

2              Cunning (Navigation)

5              Dexterity (Acrobatics, Light Blades)

2              Magic

3              Perception

4              Strength

3              Willpower

Combat Ratings

 16 Speed, 45 Health, 15 Defense,  Armor Rating 3

Attacks

Weapon               Attack Roll           Damage

Last Kiss                +7                 1d6+7

Throwing Knife       +7                 1d6+4    

Powers

Favored Stunts: Knock Prone and Lover’s Embrace (see below)

Immortal: Porcelina is immortal. While she can be killed (and her ship and crew) will return on the next full moon. The only way to permanently put Porcelina to rest is to somehow convince her that Robert is dead (or find some way to reunite her with her dead lover).

  

Lover’s Embrace: Porcelina can make a crippling attack as a special stunt for 3 SP. The target suffers a –2 penalty to attack tests and damage, and has their Speed halved. The penalty to attack tests and damage expires after three rounds, but the movement penalty persists until the target is able to take a breather.

Porcelain Flesh: Porcelina’s magic hardened porelain skin gives her an armor rating of 3.

Touch of Madness:  Porcelina has been made insane by her ordeals. She automatically passes any Willpower (Morale) test she is required to take.

Weapon Groups: 

Light Blades

Equipment

Last Kiss (see below), 5 Throwing Knives

-------

Last Kiss

Selina's unholy transformation also affected her trusted rapier.The infernal energies and Selina's sorrow have imbued the blade with magic essence. If the blade deals as killing blow the wielder immediately regains 2d6 health. 

--------

Marionette Men

Abilities

0              Communication

1              Constitution

1              Cunning (Navigation)

2              Dexterity (Light Blades)

1              Magic

3              Perception

2              Strength

1              Willpower

Combat Ratings

 8 Speed,  24 Health, 14 Defense,  Armor Rating 5

Attacks

Weapon               Attack Roll               Damage

 Rapier                    +7                        1d6+5

 Throwing Knife      +7                        1d6+2   

Powers

Favored Stunts: Pierce Armor, Skirmish

Marionette  Flesh: The marionette men have magically infused flesh. There artificial flesh is stronger than Porcelina’s but it also makes them slower and less dexterous.

Touch of Madness:  Porcelina’s touch on the Marionette Men has left their minds broken. They  automatically pass any Willpower (Morale) test they are required to take.

  

Weapon Groups:
Light Blades

Equipment

Rapier (DA Set 2), 5 Throwing Knives

AGE System - First Impressions

Yesterday my new Wednesday gaming group started playing. For our first foray we're entering Ferelden with the AGE system. These are the characters:

Reevus (City Elf Rogue): Reevus is the son of a pair of city elf adventurers. He was raised on a farm by his parents' human friends. Reevus left his village to join up with a group of bandits, but left them when he found that they didn't just rob their victims. He's hunted by a mysterious group that was searching for a relic that his temporary allies had. [Reevus is played by JC, who doesn't like the Dragon Age video games. JC's main roleplaying experience is with Mutants and Masterminsds 2E.]

Falos Brunwyn (Dalish Elf Rogue): Falos grew up in a Dalish tribe of "hunters." Most people just referred to them as knife ear assassins. Falos, an especially greedy elf, left his tribe and now sells his services to the highest bidder. [Falos is played by my friend's little brother Trevor. I think he's played the video games, but his only tabletop experience is a bit of 3.5 and Pathfinder]

Blake (Ferelden Freeman Warrior): At one time Blake was an up and coming templar-in-training. That was before his lyrium addiction took it's toll on his mind. Unstable, Blake left the group before the extent of his addiction was discovered. Despite his issues Blake thinks of himself as a noble and attempts to live by high standards. Though he's young, only 17, he looks much older and world-weary. [Blake is played by Stew, who like me is a big fan of the Dragon Age video games. Also like me, Stew's got 15+ years of rpg experience with various systems]

So yeah I ended up with two elven rogue archers and a human warrior. I'm running the group through the quickstart adventure,  An Arl's Ransom. It can be found here. We played for about 3-4 hours and made it halfway through the adventure. This was the first time any of us had played the system. These are my impressions of the system thus far:

• Character creation is quick and simple. Pick a background and a class that can take it. Roll your stats, pick a focus or two, a couple of talents and you're done.
• The action resolve mechanic feels natural. I've played a lot of d20, so rolling 3d6 and trying to get at least a certain number feels natural (AGE calls it TN instead of DC).
• The Dragon Die mechanic is fun. The stunt points you get from them adds a nice little chaotic and descriptive element to the game.I was afraid the stunt mechanic would take up too much time but after a few rounds of combat, we had all picked "favored stunts."
• Combat didn't take long to pick up, other than remember that Armor Rating is the equivalent of D&D damage reduction.
• Combat can get deadly, really fast. The genlock alpha used the Lethal Blow stunt on Trevor's rogue and hit him hard (more than half his life total).
• Bows suck against armored foes. The elves were barely doing any damage to the genlocks they fought.
• Looking at monsters, it is a little bit rough not having a Challenge Rating system..

So far I really like the system. If it continues to be this fun I'm going to run an AGE of Freeport game using a plot line i was going to use for my eventual Freeport Pathfinder game.

Great AGE Resource

This is just a little heads up for fans of the AGE system. The Dragon Age Oracle page is a great resource. It has various "hacks" that let you use the system for different settings. In particular, I like the looks of the Star Wars: Age of Rebellion material.

Kobold Quarterly has regular articles for AGE in it's publication. Various articles have been posted on their website as well. I am going to have to use the Krampus this holiday season.

Also, if you love Felicia Day and play AGE, don't forget that Green Ronin released stats for her character Tallis a while back. And just because I love Miss Day, I figured I'd post the trailer for the webseries the character is from. Also, if you're wanting to get a taste of what the age system is like, check out the quickstart for it.

Ferelden, Here We Come!

I finally have a place of my own! Long story (that none of you care about), but I bring it up because it means that I'm going to start running a weekly game again. Ultimately I want to run Mutants and Masterminds Emerald City Knights, but I'm going to wait for the release of the Emerald City boxed set for that.

So for now I've decided to run a few mini campaigns. The first game I'm going to run a Dragon Age game. I'm a huge fan of the video games (I have both and all of the DLC). They're flawed, but I love the setting and the story.

I've heard good things about the AGE system. I own Dragon Age Set 1, and I've picked up the Midgard Bestiary 1 (AGE System) and all of the pdf exclusive Green Ronin AGE releases (Dragon Age or not). I've yet to actually play or run it though.

 I plan on setting my first session before the first game. I'm thinking I may have a cameo by a few of the game's npc's (which will be much younger at the time and shouldn't outshine the pc's). I'll let you guys know how the games go.