Rosie the Riveter punched out a mob boss

I'm incredibly excited about the latest warrior to join my cast of heroes.

The player has never done anything like roleplaying games before but she's friends with everyone in the group and wanted to see what all the commotion was about.

We play villains and vigilantes with a mix of power selection and random rolling. I'm more interested in the players developing a central concept they're comfortable and excited with. So when I asked the newbie what she wanted to play I was thrilled to here Rosie the Riveter.

The idea is just too cool to me. We decided that she isn't just a vigilante using the symbol of Rosie, but instead is the physical embodiment of people's belief in that symbol. I've said before that my game is much more magic based, so I'm cool with it.

Rosie is incredibly skilled with mechanics and helped a star ship for the groups use. She also possesses super strength, heightened endurance, lightning powers, emotion control: motivation, and devitalization ray (we've flavored this as her removing motivation from her enemies). In her last mission she also obtained a hammer from the goddess Shiva that can remove obstacles (disintegration).

RPGs kick ass!

Guiding the Dead

If your psychic characters are looking for a new tool to play around with I've come up with a little something they might enjoy.

It's fairly vague and not to heavy on crunch. What it can do exactly I'll leave up to you since I'm not sure what all would come up in your campaign and I'm sure you know better than I do.
 I tried to write it fairly system agnostic but there might be some villains and vigilantes specific terms in there since that's what I play.
Full disclosure, a lot of this is borrowed from the Farscape character Stark.

I've been watching the show a lot lately.

Psychopomp: The character has a natural connection to the dead and dying.


This ability can be used to see the souls of the recently deceased as well as spirits that roam the earth and refuse to leave.

Ghosts, ghouls and other haunts can hide themselves from the psychopomp but he can find them with a detect hidden check, an attack as mind control, or whatever search system you prefer.

Psychopomps are able to detect when a person is close to death and can guide a dying person to their afterlife if they are in close physical proximity.

This does not hasten the dying process but instead gives the individual spiritual peace and a death without pain. In return the Psychopomp receives a spiritual "echo" from the person. This echo is a limited copy of the person's essence and has their thoughts, memories, skills and emotions compounded. Psychopomp's can access these echoes for their own means. Not everything in the person's mind will be available however and generally the better a Psychopomp is at guiding the person to peace the more likely they will find what they want in the spiritual echo.

The full limits of a Psychopomp's abilities are unknown. They are often highly skilled at exorcising spirits still haunting the earth, dealing with all kinds of intangible enemies, and finding the shortcuts that connect between the realms of the living and the dead.

Due to their connection to death, Psychopomp's have been known to experience mental trauma when close to mass slaughter.

Flames of the Phoenix

Any attempt at gaming this summer is still on hiatus, but today I had an interesting idea of how phoenixes might fit into my campaign. The result is a bit of lore as well as a new toy for the players to get their hands on.

The Lore: Phoenixes are capable of taking on three separate forms. The first is a large bird of prey with scarlet feathers. This more traditional form has healing properties in both its feathers and tears but they are rarely given up easily.

The second form is a humanoid appearance with tanned skin and bright red, feathery hair.

Its most destructive form is of pure fire and light. This can theoretically be in any shape but often forms something resembling its human or bird shapes.

In either of its physical forms a phoenix can manipulate and produce flame and is capable of learning other types of spells as well. It can remain in its human or bird shapes indefinitely but taking on its firey form can burn up its supply of magical energy unless it takes time to rest.

Symbolizing destruction, death, rebirth, and life, phoenixes are notoriously difficult to kill. If one is hit with a fatal blow (or even dies of old age or starvation) its body erupts in fire and light. This engulfs its surroundings and often any foes responsible for the phoenix's death. After its body burns up, the remains restore themselves in a new body. This carries the phoenix's consciousness and the most of its personality, but the physical form is all new and resembles someone different (much like Doctor Who style regeneration).

The only known instance of a true phoenix death was in a near vacuum. Without oxygen, the creature was unable to produce its death fires. If the old body is not burned up, it is theorized a new one cannot take its place. Phoenix fire seems capable of burning the oxygen molecules in water however, making drowning a less likely option.

The Toy: Enchanters have been able to capture the life restoring phoenix fire in certain pieces of jewelry such as pendants. If someone wearing one of these is about to die, the pendant activates, wreathing the person and their nearby surroundings in flames.

The individual's body is cremated while they are still alive (this is understandably unpleasant) but then is restored with the same mind in a new body (just like a phoenix).

It is said no one ever willing goes through this process twice. The trauma of being burned alive stays with them in their new life. They live deathly afraid of all forms of fire and would almost always choose death over that experience again.

The World and living in it

 So Display Name over at the villains and vigilantes forum I check out every once in a while asked people a couple of questions about the how each gm's world deals with the societal and legal issues of an earth filled with superheroes. My world is more modern fantasy than superhero, but I took a crack at things.

1) What are powered beings called?  If there had to be a blanket term for all beings above normal human ability it would probably be 'Supernaturals' maybe like 'Supes' for short. Paranormals would also probably fit. While many are heroic, they rarely fit the bill of Superheroes, most people would probably call them vigilantes.

2) Do your paranormals require registration?  What are the general rules you have for paranormals that wish to operate as vigilantes? There's a government institution called ESPER that tries to deal with all things paranormal like magic, extraterrestrials, or super-science. They often recruit various Supernaturals to work for them temporarily or permanent. Though they keep a rough form of registration it's far from accurate and it's very difficult for them to keep track of everything. There are plenty of heroic supernatural vigilantes who operate outside the government (like the players for instance).

3) Do you use jurisdiction with vigilantism?  County, state, federal?  International?  If you *do* use any kind of jurisdiction, what are the general rules for this?  Especially international. Since most vigilantes operate outside the law there is no clear cut rules on jurisdiction. Some might consider cities or regions their turf (similar to a street gang). ESPER probably has international ties, though to be honest I haven't thought much about it. The players have yet to leave America accept to visit other dimensions.

4) How does the general public view paranormals?  Do your players simply stop by McD's when they get hungry?  Or are they viewed as a "menace"? The existence of magic and all supernatural activity is rarely acknowledged by the general public. Even if most ordinary people see a paranormal in action they do their best to ignore it or soon forget. Roughly 20 percent (this is a rough estimate) of Earth's population know and accept magic's general existence, but most of these people are further divided into their own groups like different types of wizards, vampires, were-whatevers, etc. so there's no sense of solidarity and at best these groups become a kind of counter-culture. Each of the players can pass for human and they actually have stopped at a diner for a quick rest.

5) The Marvel universe considers a vigilante uniform to be equal to military dress during formal occasions (Avengers #332).  Just thought I'd throw this out. Most don't have a uniform or costume. I didn't let my players start with one. They have the option to try and find some or make them but they'd rather keep there actions somewhat in the shadows and not attract the attention that a lot of superheros do. There actions aren't always noble and though they can act heroic, overall they're probably morally grey.

6) What percentage of the population are paranormals?  This is getting pretty in depth, here, so I don't really expect much of an answer for this one. I guess I already answered this one with 20 percent, but really I'm not too interested in specifics. Really there's as much as I need for the plot of a given adventure and my players are fine with it.

I will say that more of Earth is starting to take notice of magic and the dark things that lurk at the corners of their vision. Paranormal activity is becoming more prevalent, magic more powerful (as it was in the old days), and recently the players fought off an enormous extra-dimensional entity that destroyed a lot of New York City. It's getting harder for the general public to turn the other way, ignore what's happening around them, and bury their heads in their mundane little lives.

12 Spells of a Fiery nature

You know one day I'm going to get the hang of this whole blogging thing and I'm going to update way more frequently. Anyway today's post comes from the fact that my girlfriend's character has had a book of fire spells since like game one of the campaign. She found it and just assumed all it would be good for is making a few fireballs (this is what I was thinking as well) but Doug's character is deathly afraid of fire so she hasn't touched the thing. But she wants to and after sharing her concern with me I realized, "why should fire magic be all about the burning? It's a diverse element of life and purification and stuff"

So I made a couple of Fire School spells that I hope are a bit more unusual. Since I use the villains and vigilantes system, spells that do not take a superpower slot require some kind of component usually. I'm not really sure how system agnostic these things are but I hope you find something from them.

1- Flashbang- After reciting this spell, the caster must swallow a gold coin. For the next 1d4 hours they will be able to produce a bright flash and spark whenever they snap their fingers. This is with any snap of the fingers. (one full tern to cast, cost is 5 power to cast, 1 for each finger snap)

2- Purifying Flame- The caster must burn a freshly cut plant at least a year old while casting this spell. If done correctly this will produce a green fire that can be used to purify a living thing of poison. It can alleviate the symptoms of most diseases but likely isn't a permanent cure. (on full tern to cast, cost is 5 power to cast)

3- Bottled Fire- This requires a fireproof vessel of some kind. The caster channels any kind of flame into the vessel to be used later. Most fires preserved this way do not require fuel until released. (one full tern to cast, 1 power to cast)

4- Fire's Protection- A significant chunk of metal must be melted as part of casting this spell. The caster can place a fiery aura on one individual around them. This lasts 1d6 rounds or minutes (This essentially gives them Fire Power Defense and can burn those physically touching them, what qualifies as significant is up to the GM, minor action to cast, 2 power to cast)

5- Fiery Tongues- The caster bestows a language to someone around them for 1d6 hours. A blue flame will also manifest above their heads. How good this person is at this language will depend on some kind of roll by the caster. A significant amount of written text in the specified language must be burned as part of this spell. (What is considered significant is determined by the GM, minor action to cast, 1 power to cast)

6- Fire's Rage- The caster channels a burst of fiery energy. This must be directed at a foe and it must be someone the caster has some level of animosity towards (GM's discretion but in general someone trying to kill you will work regardless of the situation). The caster must give up their anger towards that person. The greater the negativity, the greater the attack (again kind of up to the GM but the player should be able to make some kind of case) The damage can range from regular fireball up to three or maybe four times normal. Also further fighting the foe will be more difficult in someway (to hit penalty?) because the caster's heart won't be in it (one action to cast, 5 power to cast).

7- Edible Fire- The caster must burn a pound of food while casting this spell. They will then be able to absorb heat and flame as sustenance for the next 1d4 rounds (maybe?) This gives them a significant defense against fiery attacks and they can convert it into power (5+ depending on the flame, minor to cast, no power to cast).

8- Extinguish Flame- The caster must produce some amount of water while casting this spell. The more water, the more effective. The can also use water vapor (if there is ample amounts) or their own bodily fluids though this will leave them dehydrated and weakened. (minor to cast, 5 power to cast).

9- Eyes of the Dragon- This allows the caster to see in the infrared spectrum for 5 minutes or at least an entire session of combat. They must first rub ashes in their eyes which leaves blind for at least a round before and after the caster has the Eyes. (minor to cast, 2 power to cast)

10- Gate of Fire- This opens a portal to the realm of fire. At the very least this will scorch the surrounding area without some kind of magical or mundane protection. Without knowledge gained before casting there is little chance the caster will know what is on the other side of the portal, what might come through, or what might get sucked in. (action and 10 power to cast).

11- Commune with Fiery Being- The caster is able to telepathically communicate with fire elementals in the surrounding area or even reach a specific one on the Plane of Fire. There are many kinds of fire elementals and who the caster is able to get a hold of will depend on their Lore. Through this spell they will be able to barter with a creature for services. Combined with Gate of Fire they will be able to summon a Fiery Being to them through the realm of fire. (minor and 5 power to cast).

12- Heatwave- This spell moves matter to the next most energetic stage (solid to liquid, liquid to gas, gas to plasma, etc.) It does this without true heat however so there is usually no rise in temperature. By using this spell the caster begins to recognize strange connections and transitions between things in the universe. They must make a will check of some sort or act crazy for like a turn (action to cast, 2 power to cast)

Villainous

Kiel over at the awesome Dungeons & Donuts blog came up with a pretty interesting villain questionnaire. He said it was more D&D focused but I found it fairly system agnostic which is good because that's not what I've been running recently.

My campaign has a couple of villains I'm fairly proud of. Many of them more of a threat and possible more interesting than the guy I talk about below, but he's coming up sooner so I've thought about it more recently.

1. What's her/his name?

Nicholas R. Nero

2. What's her/his race and class?

He's a human CEO of the Nero Corporation. A New York based company with ties in all sorts of black market magic. He's also a Wanderer, a wizard with time and space magic who collects realities to use as weapons.

3. What, if anything, inspired you to create said villain?

I knew I wanted a power hungry corporation for the players to deal with. I wanted the leader to represent everything about the corporation: ambitious, strange magic, eccentric, and a little sadistic.

4. What was her/his main goal? Did she/he accomplish it?

To awaken a group of extra-dimensional titans called the Slumberers. But that's really just a side effect of summoning  and attempting to enslave Eschaton

5. What in their history made them pursue "evil"?

Most people look at everything the worlds have to offer and are filled with awe, Nero looked at it all and got greedy.

6. What was their relationship like with the PCs?

They've yet to actually meet him but he's going to be their opposition. Probably for a while too since he's much more powerful than they are. It could be interesting though if they manage to kill him.

7. What, if any, was one of their fiendish plots that stands out in your mind? Also, how did the PCs overcome it?

Again this hasn't happened yet, but the players are planning to break into his corporations main headquarters while they are having a fancy masquerade party. He's going to turn the building itself into a Slumberer while they are in it.

8. How did your villain dress/talk/present themselves?

Nero is well dressed, but flashy and kind of tacky. He's so full of himself and fairly crazy that his fashion sense is a bit extreme. Think like a brightly colored suite and wearing a lot of rings. He speaks loudly and moves with purpose

9. What was your villain's greatest secret or weakness?

There are definitely ways to exploit his insanity and his magic is rather unstable. The players can find ways to make it all backfire if they seek them out.

10. If applicable, how did your villain die?

The players blow stuff up a lot so that seems likely.

The Gods are Watching

Shrines to various Gods are built throughout the world. These serve as overlaps between our world and the next one. A crossing point of divine power.

Those who pray at a shrine can enter into a contract with the God there- receiving a temporary benefit based on the God's domain in exchange for service, sacrifice, or obedience.

The God of war may help your success in a coming battle but he may ask for you bloodstained weapon afterwards or to taste the heart of your foe. Likewise, running from a battle while under his guidance will not only remove the benefit but could result in moral backlash from the divine. Expect further loses as the fate of your fights turn against you.

Mechanically speaking the boons can vary from straight bonuses to different die rolls, the ability to reroll unfavorable results or it could something more interesting like being able to use mundane items as effective weapons, never being without light, or really anything.

Generally speaking the Gods do not prefer those who ask for too much or too often unless the person is very loyal. The greater the boon the greater the cost and, as the petty things they are, Gods often refuse service for past transgressions or working for their rivals. Divine characters who are devout to the particular God will have an easier time negotiating but will also suffer a greater backlash if they go back on their word.

Finally, here's some shrines. I was going to make this a multi-level chart with items that can mix and match, but I'm tired so that might come later. Feel free to use these to dress up your dungeon a little.

Instead:

1- A trickster God, one must put on a jester's hat and say there prayers in the forms of jokes in this shrine.
2- A statue of the God/Goddess of love, lust, and sex. Prayer consists of sexual favors to be performed on the statue.
3- A statue with a gaping mouth represents the God sustenance. One must "give back" to the God by vomiting their stomach contents into the statue before prayer. Where the vomit goes, no one knows.
4- A shrine of the God of drink and brewing- do not even think of entering here sober. Be prepared to do shots. Feel free to pair this with 3 since people will probably be puking anyway.
5- The God of flame is represented by a bonfire that must never go out. Staring at the fire allows one to enter into communion.
6- Killers who enter into the God of life's shrine must have their hands and faces painted red for a day before entering the shrine so all may know of their deeds.
7- The God of death does not enjoy birth, those with children must cut their hands on his scythe.
8- Those praying to the God of the hunt must shoot targets while doing so.
9- They say the rain God's shrine can only be found while water falls from the sky and sometimes just afterwards while the air is filled with petrichor.
10- The God of conquest also doubles as a prison. Those there are actually praying and submitting themselves to their lords will. They do not know when they will be released and must trust him.
11- The Goddess of the wilderness does not enjoy shrines. But any hallowed tree is said to house her. Her followers often prayer there and leave her gifts.
12- You will never walk out of the shrine of the God of change the same.

Yup, you only get twelve right now because I'm going to go to bed.

"This sounds like an epic dream."

This is what a friend of mine said when me and my girlfriend first introduced her to our game.

It was really difficult to tell her about it as well. Not a single adventure could really be explained simply, there was always more to talk about. We had to talk in a breaking and self-interrupting fashion so that she could understand everything the party had gone through. All that they had achieved, and lost.

As a GM this is possible the highest compliment she could've given me and she didn't even realize she did it. Until she said that I never realized this is pretty much exactly how I want my game to be.

Of course I have my players to thank for that. Obviously I couldn't even run a game without them, but they do so much more than act as an audience for whatever I've created. They're just as responsible for many of "the plot's" twists and turns. Their decisions make the game so much better than if it was just me writing out events.

I want my game to be fun (of course) but also cool, and extreme. It should be bizarre, beautiful, creepy, deadly, and rewarding.

I've wanted to achieve all of these things in past games I've ran, but I've never been satisfied with how it played out. Until now.

I'm not sure if it's my current group, the different system, the different genre, reading so many blogs, or my growth as a GM. I don't really care though, I'm really happy with how things are going.

This is the best campaign I've ever ran, and I feel blessed because of it.

Answers for Zak

Zak, who you've probably heard of, posted some questions for GMs to answer. Here are my answers.

1. If you had to pick a single invention in a game you were most proud of what would it be?
The Road Tripping table for modern fantasy games. It's not perfect but it creates fun.

2. When was the last time you GMed?

Friday the 13th, January 2012

3. When was the last time you played?

Sometime early January 2012

4. Give us a one-sentence pitch for an adventure you haven't run but would like to.

The St. Louis Arch is secretly a trans-dimensional gateway that cultists are trying to open.

5. What do you do while you wait for players to do things?

Sometimes I'm hooked with suspense. Other times I roll on random tables or think about what is likely ahead.

6. What, if anything, do you eat while you play?

Pizza mostly, but also sandwiches and all kinds of junk food. 

7. Do you find GMing physically exhausting? 

I used to but not so much anymore. I find it depends on the group and their collective attitude that day.

8. What was the last interesting (to you, anyway) thing you remember a PC you were running doing?

I had my guy chop off one of his own fingers to confuse a bunch of cultists. Look it's kind of a long story, it did grow back though.

 

9. Do your players take your serious setting and make it unserious? Vice versa? Neither?

They do both. Things that threaten them they usually take seriously but not always.

10. What do you do with goblins?

Goblins haven't showed up in my current game and I'm not sure if they will. In the past I've had them ride giant insects and fight with poison.

11. What was the last non-RPG thing you saw that you converted into game material (background, setting, trap, etc.)?

I guess this would either be the weeping angels from Doctor Who (an instant puzzle monster) or the secret-door magic from the Chronicles of Chaos.

12. What's the funniest table moment you can remember right now?

One of the players switched genders, there were jokes about it for the rest of the night.

13. What was the last game book you looked at--aside from things you referenced in a game--why were you looking at it?

Vornheim, it even works for modern cities and the players are in New York.

14. Who's your idea of the perfect RPG illustrator?

As much as I love good drawings I don't have too many opinions on the subject I guess. But if I could get Kevin O'Neill from League of Extraordinary Gentleman to illustrate some books that'd be awesome.

15. Does your game ever make your players genuinely afraid? 

 One of my player's, Katie, I'll often overhear saying, "That's so scary!" so at least sometimes. My group is also terrified by any old woman in my game. Though based on their experience this is probably a good thing.

16. What was the best time you ever had running an adventure you didn't write? (If ever)

I definitely prefer writing my own. I've definitely had good times with pre-mades but as a GM it's so much fun for me to watch players succeed or fail against things I've made.

17. What would be the ideal physical set up to run a game in?

I want one of those custom game tables where everyone has slots and stuff to keep their own stuff. I've always wanted to play outside on a nice day with no wind. Or how about a holodeck from star trek?

18. If you had to think of the two most disparate games or game products that you like what would they be?

GURPS has like a bunny supplement I've always wanted to try. Also Nobilius seems pretty interesting.

19. If you had to think of the most disparate influences overall on your game, what would they be?

American history and geography and old world myths (Greek, Norse, the Bible, it's all good)

20. As a GM, what kind of player do you want at your table?

Someone who is smart and pays attention. They cooperate well with other people and they are willing to try new things. 

21. What's a real life experience you've translated into game terms?

 Various road trips and my time spent working at a newspaper for creating investigation-based adventures.

22. Is there an RPG product that you wish existed but doesn't?

A product I've made. I should probably get on that.

23. Is there anyone you know who you talk about RPGs with who doesn't play? How do those conversations go?

This used to be my girlfriend but she's an active player now. Both of my brothers often listen to me and give me ideas about games but I can't get them to play for some reason.

Entropic Adaptation

Note: This entry is specific to Villains and Vigilantes rules which consists of players rolling random powers anyway. Those who don't know or play that system may find it still useful especially if they have or are considering a supers game.

Upon rolling this power the player rolls a different ability from the Power list (or some other list if you like) and makes the decisions concerning it as normal.  The next time they go rest for the night (6 hours or more) they lose this ability and awake to find a new power in its place (roll again).

For groups who do not wish to stop in the middle of a game for the player to work out how exactly their new power will work (such as chemical power, size change, or poison/venom) they can have the player roll each game session rather than each night of rest.

If the player rolls an ability they already have they can either roll again or strengthen their power as per the normal rules.  This ability is intended for player's who wish to play a hero with random if sometimes unreliable powers.

If player's wish for their abilities gained through Entropic Adaptation to be more specific the GM should be encouraged to come up with new charts more tailored for that character's 'theme'.

So energy characters could have something like this:
1-10: Power Blast
11-20: Disintegration Ray
21-30: Flame Power
31-40: etc.
and so on...

or animal characters:
1-10: Natural Weaponry
11-20: Poison/Venom
21-30: Pet
31-40: etc.
and so on...

Depending on what other powers are available to the player they may wish to tie this ability to death such as the Resurrection man.

Steampunk Dice

 

These are so cool!

11.50 seems relatively cheap for something with such fine detail, but it's also only for a single die. It'd be amazing if they had all the polyhedrons required for standard adventuring dice. If my group were to ever do a steampunk setting (at least seriously) I think I might have to get at least one of these.

Season 2 and stuff I plan to do

So break is winding down and I'll be getting back to school soon. This means a lot of things but one of the things I'm looking forward to is picking up with the gaming group I've set up there.

We left off on a pretty epic, holiday-themed adventure. It kind of served as a season finale episode and I was pretty happy with it.

But now we're coming back so I thought I would list some things I want to introduce or move forward with. I find it nice to have some clear goals to keep campaign momentum going.

• Their Modern Fantasy adventure is heading to New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the world. I'd like the magic their to reflect that. There should be magic from all kinds of cultures.
• A few places in the city should reflect this magic taking hold. This can get weird, strange gravity, mutations, people talking backwards, whatever. Everything's strange but no one notices. It's a dark secret people sweep under the rug. Like stereotypical New Yorkers when most normal people see something strange they ignore it and keep on about their business.
• The player's are investigating a dark and mysterious business called the Nero Corporation. I should make ways for them to infiltrate the place. Something like a fancy party filled with intrigue, masks, and assassins.
• I kind of want the players to get betrayed, arrested, and taken down by someone with no visible powers but can exploit their weaknesses. Maybe all at once? hmm...
• There's a drug called Läesh they've run into before. It has varying effects, one of which is boosting the crap out of supernatural abilities at a cost. There should be something with this in the bad parts of New York, or the good parts.
• One of the players has a weeping angel trapped in his visual cortex so that's gotta change. Maybe he can make a deal with it?
• Another player has a burning hole of the apocalypse in her brain. This has to do with the Nero Corporation as well so that can probably come up then.
• Maybe something with New York's art scene?
• All the players just got new powers which they still need to pick.
• I might be getting a new player, she wants to be a belly-dancing Gypsy pirate which sounds like it could be the coolest thing ever.
• One of the players wants someone from her past to show up. She's an experienced treasure hunter and ship sinker (siren) so maybe something like from Indiana Jones where they are allies/rivals/enemies all simultaneously for the same artifact.
• One of the players has family in New York, they are not on good terms, something about stolen technology.
• I think some sort of fish king might show up demanding the fish-person in the party be his bride.
• The mad scientist should show up again.

Okay that is a lot. More than I expected I guess, I've got some planning to do. But I'd love to here your thoughts.