tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41595748673920564272024-02-19T01:41:19.206-06:00Anarchy DiceI've been gaming since 3.5e and started blogging during the 5e playtest. Electrical engineer by trade but crafter, gamer, and philosopher for fun. You can probably just ignore all that anarchist stuff unless you're into that kind of thing.AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-80264921994798669212015-08-16T19:36:00.000-05:002019-08-05T16:50:19.782-05:00A Step Forward: My Own Domain![Edited 8-5-19] I figure I should edit this post for anyone still finding this old site, but I have moved a second time. My new-new website is <a href="http://anarchydice.wordpress.com/">anarchydice.wordpress.com</a>. I found it wasn't worth the extra cost and hassle of running a dedicated site so I stepped down to a free wordpress site. All my old posts should be imported there, notwithstanding the occasional broken image or link.<br />
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Sometime Friday night, I hit an astounding 10,000 views! While it may not be much, I am encouraged to keep at this blogging thing. Stepping up to the challenge, I am launching my own website, <a href="http://anarchydice%2Cwordpress.com/">anarchydice.com</a>. Head over there and resubscribe with that handy little 'W' button in the upper left tab.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new logo!</td></tr>
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Thank you so much for patronizing my humble blog, and I hope you found something written here valuable. There are grand plans in the works, and I feel that its time I start investing in my own domain and website. As big thank you, I'll be doing a third blog post a week on Fridays.<br />
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Part of those grand plans includes branching out. My first step is to create a couple <a href="https://www.fiverr.com/anarchydice">Fiverr gigs</a> where you can purchase some custom content. Your views and comments have been really appreciated. I cannot overstate how excited I am with where this whole thing can go!AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-81889286122521240122015-08-13T19:19:00.000-05:002015-08-13T19:19:15.402-05:00House Rules Evolved: Better Battle Tactics<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="line-height: 28.7999992370605px; white-space: pre-wrap;">With a new campaign in the works, I am kicking my <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2014/08/house-rules.html">house rules</a> <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/07/house-rules-evolved-language-and-fluency.html">update</a> into high gear. Combine that with a big change coming up in the next week and I am getting a ton of things done.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Original Rule:</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">What started as a noble drive to make combat more interesting, dynamic, and fun ended with a sputter. The fighting mechanics, I believe, are solid but would be better suited to game focused on </span></span><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;">dueling</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and moment to moment tactics. In short, Better Battle Tactics was strangled by its own red-tape. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu5n78_PdYFcbbDun44t0K-Xqv9UpPkdxvsY_HvsAjjtre0SxVndusa9gkhNjTvs2nbVZdcVc9LM1mi_xEWFElZ2olwiGySZLDhWRCZtcW4NErhaWI167aD2oMrGR3RDpBHr8IeEyMd07/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu5n78_PdYFcbbDun44t0K-Xqv9UpPkdxvsY_HvsAjjtre0SxVndusa9gkhNjTvs2nbVZdcVc9LM1mi_xEWFElZ2olwiGySZLDhWRCZtcW4NErhaWI167aD2oMrGR3RDpBHr8IeEyMd07/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">The momentum behind my attempt at this rule remains. I want combat to offer more sound options than the usual bash-them-to-death. Sure, those rules are in the game, but you have to give up an attack, something that is hardly worth it in a world where the action economy is king. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>The problems:</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://connectivitycounselling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/flow-chart.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://connectivitycounselling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/flow-chart.gif" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Too many choices. It is overwhelming to pick from all the options available. Players have to learn this new fiddly subsystem and I have to track it for the hordes of monsters I toss out. This results in decision delay at best and analysis paralysis at worst. The new mechanic cannot have too many options, moving parts, and choices. Research shows smaller numbers of choices to be ideal (links?). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Not often used. Most of the time, even with the only minor attack and damage penalties listed, it made more sense to just make a normal attack. Intuitively, this makes sense. Alternative attacks and tactics are going to be useful only in the outside cases. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to create an overarching, complex mechanic just for a few outside cases. Another point for simplicity and a point for a general mechanic that can handle wildly disparate cases.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Too limiting. Even when used, the ideas of players often went outside the 13 actions listed in the Better Battle Tactics. If I had to ad-hoc a ruling to resolve outside cases, then my rules were not generic enough to really promote a wide variety of tactics. If I want to really meet my underlying goals, I’ve got to be able to handle every case.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/6517197/il_570xN.309764424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/6517197/il_570xN.309764424.jpg" width="258" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-Not realistic. A simple penalty to attack and damage was too abstract to really give any weight to the decision on whether or not to use it. It basically traded one type of damage for another. It boiled down to putting a different story on what happens when a monster drops to 0 hit points. I want the choices to mean something, even when they aren’t successful. Better Battle Tactics should apply throughout the whole battle and not just change the ending.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>The Changes:</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcA97MrQ6TOhyVbWC3TDvDRe9vcQSD98Gzr1UVqY1-cUSLPgdRJMOsQRBrhM3BJZPX__VchScMb_fCx8xiXgLWOfb-hCwkEgCzJYKfYLGl5BuK1ywvQPstdwcFE3vm0LPtaoRD2N_5r0H3/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcA97MrQ6TOhyVbWC3TDvDRe9vcQSD98Gzr1UVqY1-cUSLPgdRJMOsQRBrhM3BJZPX__VchScMb_fCx8xiXgLWOfb-hCwkEgCzJYKfYLGl5BuK1ywvQPstdwcFE3vm0LPtaoRD2N_5r0H3/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My explicit goal is to accommodate every combat choice without requiring players to get left behind in the action economy. This has to be simple, without being overly abstract, and should be interesting regardless of the outcome.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A player wants to add some new aspect or action to their attack. They make their attack twice. If both attacks would hit, they make their attack and the action happens. If only one attack would hit, the attack either misses or it hits but the player has to choose a downside. If both miss, the attack misses and the DM chooses the downside.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This mechanic keeps it simple, as the players already know how to make attack rolls and can certainly count to two. What about those downsides? We should keep that list short so it is easy to read and can be meaningfully remembered. We also do not want to railroad the object of the action, so their should probably be a save on their part to resist its damaging effects. Also, complex things should still require the appropriate skill check to be resolved so players can’t skirt around difficult DC’s.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Standard DC is 5+attacker’s attack bonus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This DC is low enough that enemies can realistically resist but it will scale with attacker skill. This might include things like a morale check, dodging out of the way of a toppled statue, avoiding being disarmed, and more.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Downsides:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-<b>MY PETARD! IT IS HOISTED! </b>The penalty happens to you (unless you make the save).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-<b>IT WAS AN ACCIDENT I SWEAR.</b> The penalty happens to an ally within reach (unless they make the save).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-<b>WIDE OPEN.</b> One of the targets gets a free attack on you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-<b>LIVE DANGEROUS.</b> You cut things a little too close, take damage equal to your attack bonus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-<b>KARMA.</b> DM gets one d20 they can give before you roll to give you disadvantage on that roll.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-<b>PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT.</b> Equipment wear and tear or mental wear and tear, depending on the THING.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The downsides are where things get really interesting. As players try more of these alternative tactics, they risk exposing themselves and their allies to the dangers they were foisting on their opponents. I kept the list short to be easy to remember but long enough to provide suitable penalties for all attempts. If you don’t have any sort of wear/tear or insanity system, the last option could be worked out as broken equipment, penalties to all rolls, or other long-lasting penalties.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While this new system will require some interaction between DM and player to resolve, I feel that it gives mechanical backing to a whole host of options. No longer are players required to give up their attacks to attempt something with a decent likelihood of failure. Now, they can take on some extra risk for a chance at cleverly punishing their foes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It isn’t perfect. It has the quantized effect of something like intimidate having no effect until suddenly the monster flees from failing a save. It doesn’t mechanically take into account other factors like how worn down a monster is like the previous system. A DM can always insert situational modifiers to saves, if and when this becomes important. Overall, I am excited about the overhaul. Stay tuned for action reports from the field.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Battle_of_Bosworth_by_Philip_James_de_Loutherbourg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Battle_of_Bosworth_by_Philip_James_de_Loutherbourg.jpg" height="481" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So go forth and have some sweet battles!</td></tr>
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AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-86796600327091288942015-08-11T20:31:00.000-05:002015-08-11T20:31:25.275-05:00Mythoard: Adventure Forth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;">Just got my July </span><a href="http://www.mythoard.com/" style="text-align: start;">Mythoard</a><span style="text-align: start;"> </span><span style="text-align: start;">in the mail, and I'm enjoying it while I sip some delicious homemade Umeshu (not included). I defitely needed this, as I've had some busy days moving furniture and getting a ton of my to-do list finished. </span></div>
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With a slight USPS related mix-up last month, David <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/07/mythoard-ill-get-to-it-inn-bit.html">promised</a> to toss something extra my way this month to make up for it. He kindly tossed in that second undercroft book and two more magnetic flat minis (as far as I can tell). What a stand-up guy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8flkC8GjulOUr7JhewMn6MbED891JWH38Z6tqyMnlY1ojGgqXDCrFIm3yMGK5_wDRZmPsLooEYuUDyEjfEP_74wUHyX5uvgiNnQNSI0w3CpvkdpP_y96uVXlOWrGdfhldSMw0LCnqfHgv/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8flkC8GjulOUr7JhewMn6MbED891JWH38Z6tqyMnlY1ojGgqXDCrFIm3yMGK5_wDRZmPsLooEYuUDyEjfEP_74wUHyX5uvgiNnQNSI0w3CpvkdpP_y96uVXlOWrGdfhldSMw0LCnqfHgv/s320/IMG_0253.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Tunnels & Trolls adventure, Rat on a Stick, has probably my favorite meta-trap, the players have to save or sit around the stuffed-couch filled room. It even mentions rolling for wandering monsters, but that those monsters might succumb to the effect as well!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhbtpSkRMOQFBs8SV7HHvQYbJnpsXZJ99mWR7rmcsQC_xuafc04cz1wkE_ajHaipeAut4AuhGLi6CudPH74TFq07uohIeA5OpdAzDIjHnKi_8wb-HGu2-Eg13n6f2oHgc-YZS8MtQbNTF/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhbtpSkRMOQFBs8SV7HHvQYbJnpsXZJ99mWR7rmcsQC_xuafc04cz1wkE_ajHaipeAut4AuhGLi6CudPH74TFq07uohIeA5OpdAzDIjHnKi_8wb-HGu2-Eg13n6f2oHgc-YZS8MtQbNTF/s320/IMG_0254.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Red Mausoleum is a solid, creepy-at-times adventure with a creepy Michael Jackson looking lich. This guy alone makes me want to run this adventure.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jcB0-li7KM2HOrUVO7omNqxEcuw65W20hgQljfdvmNqjV6GwG6pWZRe3aiMZ3cPMSrnMRThAERFvg0YpyixNKy-QWbPHXiWcLdM25hqVugIgCQK1aifHvAKr9g2uvnza1uoACj3pl954/s1600/IMG_0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jcB0-li7KM2HOrUVO7omNqxEcuw65W20hgQljfdvmNqjV6GwG6pWZRe3aiMZ3cPMSrnMRThAERFvg0YpyixNKy-QWbPHXiWcLdM25hqVugIgCQK1aifHvAKr9g2uvnza1uoACj3pl954/s320/IMG_0255.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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My favorite half-page binder map so far out of all the Mythoards. This ship-wrecked necromancer adventure has so many compelling hooks and story, that it feels like you're interrupting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0WuPmIa79Wz97mlSStJeE_85u1htnYr4ZC3p3SwZF7TooPqW3nQjjaSabz9KKg9DDVw9HYvHSfQYRMnZ64VOIiYzJ4cRv1NJ4Lw7pTDn1Vm2GtWFA0xHazZ2JNerpiKoLOfqHv8ocHop/s1600/IMG_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0WuPmIa79Wz97mlSStJeE_85u1htnYr4ZC3p3SwZF7TooPqW3nQjjaSabz9KKg9DDVw9HYvHSfQYRMnZ64VOIiYzJ4cRv1NJ4Lw7pTDn1Vm2GtWFA0xHazZ2JNerpiKoLOfqHv8ocHop/s320/IMG_0256.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Ancient Odysseys quick guide looked fun from the short read I did. I will be looking through some of its mechanics that caught my eye and possibly stealing them. We'll see. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WQ5YqMXgDN_ewFof8v0l4l1dHI4jc0LLVLzNKp3y9ciDOPJPfIdpnX85w5lrWPInCWHxI-CIk4c4yooJ86ci0BvsvsxIvwp-GmaVw0ByPBuHwjT4ZX8g5qf3IxzIbEty18sVWTIdvLcv/s1600/IMG_0257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WQ5YqMXgDN_ewFof8v0l4l1dHI4jc0LLVLzNKp3y9ciDOPJPfIdpnX85w5lrWPInCWHxI-CIk4c4yooJ86ci0BvsvsxIvwp-GmaVw0ByPBuHwjT4ZX8g5qf3IxzIbEty18sVWTIdvLcv/s320/IMG_0257.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's a handful of blank, dungeon-morph coasters. The front side hosts 3"x3" tiles and the opposite is 1/4" x 1/4" gridded. Sitting on top is a handy little campfire plastic token and the two magnetic minis David threw in. I may touch the campfire up with some paint highlights, but it's cool!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1-ieigt02c8JkNMbGnoWYnXTm4mdI7vy88x9I_10o3i7rLcIIDq49Xpn4UzP9aWSwCqht2ZYvbMV3fdqadfeMsUGtCjIXsW9Mn3VQbZC1tzKMtar3WEtUui6gfueMTsfnBA8oaRvGor2/s1600/IMG_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1-ieigt02c8JkNMbGnoWYnXTm4mdI7vy88x9I_10o3i7rLcIIDq49Xpn4UzP9aWSwCqht2ZYvbMV3fdqadfeMsUGtCjIXsW9Mn3VQbZC1tzKMtar3WEtUui6gfueMTsfnBA8oaRvGor2/s320/IMG_0258.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Flipping through the Undercroft booklets and Mr. Scissor Beard here caught my eye. Who doesn't like it when a scissor muzzle dives down your throat to do your breathing for you? Items, organizations, places, and people just as gonzo/creepy as this fill this book. I will be reading these two many times.</div>
<br />AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-83788146157242116732015-08-06T21:19:00.002-05:002015-08-06T21:19:41.224-05:00Single-Use Substances and Spelljunk (Part V)<a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/07/single-use-substances-and-spelljunk-IV.html">Part IV.</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Escape Plan</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">750</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What appears to be a normal button fastener can be snapped open with purposeful force. The hollow button contains a powerful mix of abjuration and vapor stimulants. Broken, it releases a faint garlicky vapor that invigorates the user. The Escape Plan obscures the wearer by 50% and grants a 50 foot speed boost. The obscuring effect fades by 10% each round and with each attack the user makes. The speed boost lasts for 1 minute and by 10 feet for each attack made.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/residentevil/images/3/33/Leech_Monster_in_RE_Outbreak.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20101201230142" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/residentevil/images/3/33/Leech_Monster_in_RE_Outbreak.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20101201230142" height="320" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't overdose</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Essence of Life</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A black and white spiral shell houses a squirming, ten-tentacled leech responds to a warm-blooded touch. Held up to the mouth, the Essence of Life steals the user’s hit points, 1d6 hit points each round. When it is cracked open, the foul, rotting salty smell of its organs restore as many hit points the Essence has consumed. The Essence of life digests 1 stored hit point each hour. After consuming a total of 100 hit points, the Essence of Life buds off into ten larval mollusks. These mollusks, if they survive predation, will grow into Essence of Life in 1d3 years. </span></div>
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<a href="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs13/i/2007/028/9/b/One_Eyed_Tentacle_Beast_Fin_by_Scpaps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" src="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs13/i/2007/028/9/b/One_Eyed_Tentacle_Beast_Fin_by_Scpaps.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Evard's Black Bomb</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">650</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Squirming, tickling black koosh-ball explodes with a loud squish when it hits a hard surface. Thrown up to forty feet, it expands like a coiled black snake into a rude mass of black tentacles. Thick strands of mucus string between the waving pseudopods. Any creature that enters within a 10 foot radius of the center trigger a grapple attempt with a +5 strength bonus. </span></div>
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/Lingg_bomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/Lingg_bomb.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Explosives, Crude</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">400</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crude Explosives are a small ceramic barrel shrapnel bomb made with a combination of alchemical and magical processes to launch a burst of stone and metal offal. It deals 4d6 damage to creatures within 30 feet but only ¼ damage to objects. A Dexterity save (DC 14) for half damage. Crude explosives detonate 1d6 rounds after the fuse is lit.</span></div>
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Explosives 1000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inside the lantern-sized wood barrel lies a deadly payload. A massive shrapnel burst of sharpened metal bits and jagged rocks deal 8d6 slashing damage to all creatures in a 50 foot radius but only ¼ of that damage to objects. A Dexterity save (DC 15) will reduce the damage by half. Creatures receive one point of ongoing bleed damage for every 5 damage taken from the blast. Those that failed their saves get a -2 penalty on their death saving throws until their bleed damage is healed. The explosives go off 1d4+1 rounds after the fuse is lit.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Explosives, Refined 5000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A deafening explosion precedes a cloud of sharpened ceramic needles and sharpened metal coils bursting from this fist sized metal canister. 1d3+2 rounds after the fuse is lit, the explosive deals 15d6 slashing damage to all creatures in a 60 foot radius. Objects only take ¼ of this damage. The magical shrapnel inside will curve around cover, negating everything short of total cover. A Dexterity save (DC 17) reduces the damage by half. The deep, vicious wounds from this bomb inflict ongoing bleed damage equal to one quarter the damage taken from the blast. Bleeding creatures have disadvantage on their death saving throws until their bleed damage is healed.</span></div>
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feather Token</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feather tokens originated from the moltings of Harzus i’Otun, demi-god of birds of prey. Every thing he ate became a feather on his gargantuan, four-winged form. Most feather tokens today are recreations. Harzu i’Otun’s feathers are mostly found near great craters, the remnants of towns and mountains swallowed up. It is rumored that his brightest and largest feathers hold mighty beasts, artifacts, oceans, and continents.</span></div>
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<a href="http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk198/beckyboo72/102513866_tp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk198/beckyboo72/102513866_tp.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feather Token Fan</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 100</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This tiny white-grey feather transforms into an elaborate wooden handled ostrich feather fan that can create a continual minor wind within a 30 foot 90 degree arc or single, strong blasts of wind in a 60 ft line every 1d6 rounds. Each new activation of the fan has a 1 in 20 chance of irreparably destroying the fan.</span></div>
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<a href="http://orig06.deviantart.net/e0f2/f/2007/042/5/d/appa_fanart_by_kaek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://orig06.deviantart.net/e0f2/f/2007/042/5/d/appa_fanart_by_kaek.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feather Token Air Buffalo 8000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A beige feather bears upon it a wide brown arrow. If the user breaks the feather and stands back, a Huge, saddled giant beige buffalo will grow forth. This buffalo has the inexplicable ability to fly with average maneuverability and can carry up to four tons. It has enough space for 5 medium sized creatures to ride comfortably. It won’t attack in combat but can slam and gore attackers to defend itself. It will only go inside with a very difficult handle animal check (DC 25), and even then will still be ornery. Each day, the Air Buffalo must be kept fed and well groomed, costing 50 in supplies each week. Failure to keep the buffalo happy means the buffalo will get grumpy and leave. HD 5 (60), Huge, AC 15, Slam/Gore, +7/+6 (2d6+3,1d8+2), Move 30 ft/ Fly 60 ft. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.athomeinsussexcounty.com/.a/6a01053657c83c970b0120a52a470b970c-500wi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.athomeinsussexcounty.com/.a/6a01053657c83c970b0120a52a470b970c-500wi" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feather Token Boat</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">500</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This large white feather transforms into a lightweight but sturdy swan feather boat complete with long stemmed feather oars. The boat can hold up to 2000 pounds yet it weighs only 5 pounds.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feather Token Great Bird</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10000</span></h1>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c9bf465b-05f0-8b60-5d37-3f625221c11d"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cracking this pebble-grey feather causes it to transform into a loyal dove the size of a horse. With The dumb, but well meaning bird can carry a small creature easily and a medium creature at half speed. It take orders like a small child, and can relay basic scouting information, albeit with a simple version of charades and cooing. HD 3 (20), Large, AC 14, Beak/Talon x2, +4/+2 (1d6+2,1d4+1), Move 10 ft/ Fly 80 ft. </span></span><br />
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Part VI.AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-52822816836504625162015-08-04T21:27:00.000-05:002015-08-04T21:27:51.638-05:00The Art of Being a Monster: Illithid<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;">
Wait for a little longer, what I'm working on is going to be awesome (at least from my perspective). In the mean time, here is another type of monster laid out in crystal clear, rational strategery.</div>
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<a href="http://api.ning.com/files/agg6MtdmQC3i7vNFu4RgkG1jjEpGkC5Yrc-skkLrQtPjRDILiaDbXDL*E7-JEqbIfUHCDGR82k45DazO4lXsZFg15uwa2ABi/IllithidRulers.jpg?width=750" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://api.ning.com/files/agg6MtdmQC3i7vNFu4RgkG1jjEpGkC5Yrc-skkLrQtPjRDILiaDbXDL*E7-JEqbIfUHCDGR82k45DazO4lXsZFg15uwa2ABi/IllithidRulers.jpg?width=750" height="540" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-art-of-being-monster.html">Illithid</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the deep dark, dangerous places of the world, your kind does not hide from the world. The world and all its light and heat hide from your psionic powers and cunning minds. This guide will serve to reaffirm what you already know and humbly put forward variations of your existing plans. Your psionic gifts and mental dominance is assured, whatever your path to domination might be.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often, adventurers and surface folk will seek you out to slow or stop your plans. These enemies will be well trained and prepared for your tactics. You must at all times keep your wits about you and assume nothing about your opponents. Pride has been the downfall of many weaker psions and Illithids. Keep every terrain advantage, minion strength, and psionic ability between you and your opponents. It is imperative that you be free to move about the battlefield and strike where you please. There is no shame in retreating if it means that you win when it really matters, in the final battle.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">F: When against the melee focused enemy, unleash your psionics while keeping out of reach. Turn them against their allies with mind control or simply lock them down with disabling effects. Minions and terrain can be put to great advantage by screening your attacks and movement from their reach. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T: The flanking, sneaking enemy will require you to stay close to terrain and your minions. They can screen out the thief's flanking attacks, engage a thief directly, and give you breathing room. They are a minor threat compared to other enemies but will suffer easily from mental attacks.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R: A ranged enemy will be a grave threat if you are stuck out of cover or stay in one place. Keep behind cover and force them to fire at any other target than you. Like the fighter, they are very useful if mind controlled, but the ranger is still a priority to keep disabled. Be wary of stepping out of cover predictably as they may delay their arrows until you move from cover.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://media.tumblr.com/f05c24a85701e30e343f0ac4217af80b/tumblr_inline_n25ihpflVY1r0zz7o.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.tumblr.com/f05c24a85701e30e343f0ac4217af80b/tumblr_inline_n25ihpflVY1r0zz7o.png" height="320" width="276" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">W: The enemy spellcaster is the most dangerous enemy. Tactically position your minions and psionic effects to screen out the wizard’s allies. Once the path is clear, move in close. Blast them with close range effects and any unused minions melee attacks. If their spells prove troublesome or your minions clustered dangerously, be ready to interrupt their spellcasting. A particular joy is sending the wizard’s allies to do this job under mind control.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Illithid’s Refined Machinations</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nothing below is anything new to the wise psionic creatures reading this guide. What is presented below will be a helpful reminder for an Illithid’s minions, allies, and thralls. These points will be the methodology that will be followed to avoid unnecessary delays and setbacks in ones plans.</span></div>
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/24/52/c9/2452c994fa75c224e00723db4c284db8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/24/52/c9/2452c994fa75c224e00723db4c284db8.jpg" width="152" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not stop and devour enemy brains or energies before destroying the other enemies. I will double-check all bodies to make sure they are dead.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Never will I allow my minions or thralls to wear helmets. My traps and minions will attack </span><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;">head-wear</span><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in my lair where possible.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it is menial to search the minds I control, I will never remain in the dark about my minions’ states of mind. In order to ensure that secret betrayal is not looming, I will take precautions to randomly sweep their minds at unpredictable intervals.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not assume my control is flawless or permanent and I will plan accordingly.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">The true extent of my powers will not be measured or explained. No one will ever be truly sure the exact nature of my powers as I will routinely use new tactics and psionics. Research will be vital in this role.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not rely entirely on my psionics. Mixing in mundane items, alchemy, and other magics will round out my power and ensure I am not easily defeated by those prepared to fight psionics.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">My neighbors will not be ignored or denigrated. I will keep good and regular contact with others. This contact should be mutually beneficial.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">My psionics are not perfect and I will supplement mind control and mind reading with more mundane hypnosis, diplomacy, motive sensing, and other psychological skills.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">No one will be entirely sure what will happen to those I have mind controlled when I die or lose control. I will spread terrifying rumors to this effect so it is easier to convince my opponents to spare me in exchange for their allies’ minds.</span></li>
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<a href="https://m2.behance.net/rendition/pm/5496807/disp/6c65ef14beb4083f385bcf33ab6b7f47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://m2.behance.net/rendition/pm/5496807/disp/6c65ef14beb4083f385bcf33ab6b7f47.jpg" width="279" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">No matter how useful they are for fighting other psions, I will not keep psionic immune or psionics cancelling minions or artifacts nearby. I will not contract with anti-psionic mercenaries.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">I cannot assume there will be sufficient time to rest after any combat and I will not expend all of my mental energies immediately in any combat unless necessary.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not mistreat or denigrate my minions or thralls. I will reinforce my mind control with mundane kindness, illusions, and aligning our goals where possible.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pride is not worth my life. I will never risk my life just to defend my pride. Who cares what lesser beings think of me if I win in the end?</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not wait until I fight my opponents to discover if they have brought anti-psionic weapons. I will bait out their attacks with psionic minions, illusions, and traps in my lair.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Under no circumstances will the traps in my lair be able to kill me by accident. I will never assume them to be disengaged or expended.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">It shall not be easy to kill or capture me without well thought out plans. I will keep active psionic, magical, or mechanical effects that attackers know will end upon my kill or capture.</span></li>
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<a href="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lydgrqSQTF1qmlmz6o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lydgrqSQTF1qmlmz6o1_500.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">My masterpiece, doomsday machine, or psionic opus will not be easily destroyable. Illusory copies, defensive mechanisms, and decoys will all be applied where appropriate.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not retain projects, experiments, or minions whose goals do not align with mine in some way. They will be sent away, in kindness, when our paths differ. Mercenary work is a tenuous shared goal at best.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not lair entirely in a stereotypical locale. I will branch out to new environs to expand my impact, broaden my power base, increase my stability, and control places unaccustomed to psionic influence.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not anger my neighbors where possible. Enough ants can still eat a bear.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keeping your due </span><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;">diligence</span><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in commanding your lesser thralls to keep in line with these guidelines. The world will bend at your will and you will enjoy the delicious minds of every sentient creature. Fail in this diligence and your rivals will best you.</span></span></div>
AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-91491941568531817952015-07-30T20:26:00.002-05:002015-07-30T20:26:49.700-05:00Inkwell Ideas: Citymorphs. A kickstarter recievedI got my Inkwell Ideas City/Village morph dice last week and I've been toying around with them. Not only will they make on-the-fly village generation easy in my games, but they are quite fun to keep in a desk drawer!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttbw7_92Qg9sva0gW4G29Zvn67IUoOHrVtlGd4HXl6CLcJ3GOHeDZTZwdAqzKXTKb2kKby0WRSUOEdushDma8PjSQAds09_afKX1ypLf0J8fAqPqFfG-KlLwSPWfJYJp0H2ggT4ZyTOAV/s1600/IMG_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttbw7_92Qg9sva0gW4G29Zvn67IUoOHrVtlGd4HXl6CLcJ3GOHeDZTZwdAqzKXTKb2kKby0WRSUOEdushDma8PjSQAds09_afKX1ypLf0J8fAqPqFfG-KlLwSPWfJYJp0H2ggT4ZyTOAV/s320/IMG_0240.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's everything I <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inkwellideas/dungeonmorphs-2-cities-and-villages-map-generator">backed</a>, two sets of the city/village dice and a set of the ruins dice. From the kickstarter rewards, I got a few extra dice, the 3x3 holder, and a sample pack of Inkwell's encounter and monster cards. I'd say that was a pretty good haul.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-X_nf6vlID_cnjFZQiaaozEnjsqZfivgsMT9Dr9gXLkfI42C29aJu9VTpOw1FvlvtwpaLtb4OHDn1tJUZB49MlkiONMZiHZfh7CrhEbq4Ch7sG38lXBlgMZdZLoahrr70FpBiE9q1V80/s1600/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-X_nf6vlID_cnjFZQiaaozEnjsqZfivgsMT9Dr9gXLkfI42C29aJu9VTpOw1FvlvtwpaLtb4OHDn1tJUZB49MlkiONMZiHZfh7CrhEbq4Ch7sG38lXBlgMZdZLoahrr70FpBiE9q1V80/s320/IMG_0242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The detail on them hits just the right middle ground between being too small to see and too large to have interesting details.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGS5hJ1XchjpieWCpnDlYD68UDqQfr1zX28TUteQOigX17wiyyrk5H7sOb5WIi4HUG9giOepV-ROVzaKv7xqo-694N4WtiaubsSxbxdNlvGshChvzojkdSLf81jbQo2mDVqieKXrWuSHA7/s1600/IMG_0241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGS5hJ1XchjpieWCpnDlYD68UDqQfr1zX28TUteQOigX17wiyyrk5H7sOb5WIi4HUG9giOepV-ROVzaKv7xqo-694N4WtiaubsSxbxdNlvGshChvzojkdSLf81jbQo2mDVqieKXrWuSHA7/s320/IMG_0241.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mezkar City has a forbidden quarter. Cartographers caught mapping it will have their hands removed. Those giving directions or telling tales of it will have half their tongues removed.</td></tr>
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I rolled everything I've got into a large city or maybe a whole quarter of a metropolis? What's in the missing area in the middle? Maybe its a block perpetually covered in darkness or a sewage pit. The possibilities with these dice are endless! I can't wait until <a href="http://inkwellideas.com/2015/07/inkwell-ideas-at-gencon-new-villagescitiesruins-dungeonmorph-dice-cards-rpg-card-decks-giveaways/">Inkwell gets back</a> from GenCon and publishes the high quality .PDF's so I can digitally save and modify some maps.</div>
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Overall, I see it being a useful tool especially for sandbox games where players may run far off course. If these .PDF's are anything like the <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/145198/DungeonMorphs--Dungeon--Cavern-Geomorphs-PDF?term=dungeonmorphs">last ones</a>, they should be exactly what I need to run whatever towns my players come across.</div>
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<br />AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-20846611633170754452015-07-28T21:21:00.001-05:002015-07-28T21:21:18.141-05:00Geomorph Design Contest: Returning in 4...(3)...2...1...With <a href="http://inkwellideas.com/2015/07/inkwell-ideas-at-gencon-new-villagescitiesruins-dungeonmorph-dice-cards-rpg-card-decks-giveaways/">Inkwell Ideas</a> taking a break from the Geomorph Contest before and during GenCon, I am going to use the down time to do a little practice and try out some new techniques. This week, I wanted to try and fill out my geomorph cache with four less intense rooms, two side rooms, and a corner. See my previous entry <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/06/geomorph-design-contest-traps.html">here</a>.<br />
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I am planning some big changes around here in the next week or so. Stay tuned!<br />
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The first few I hit the wall space with sharpie and I have to say I am a fan of this. It is easier than millions of fine, criss-crossed lines and it handles thin walls better. It does have a very high contrast and I will have to fill in more carefully in the future.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-VW1IDwtGCFGI3N5-ZjV7cFR1W7-rMyGLcIPglLLO2Ex7SAhjcUgVdBqeMFJOznBEozREeHIRGvoRUkwqeuDRn-Zg4dFrIYrZvds3xPsVWCN4nDpQPECkblkzXHbG46slSN58wMi19_H/s1600/scrap+geomorph+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-VW1IDwtGCFGI3N5-ZjV7cFR1W7-rMyGLcIPglLLO2Ex7SAhjcUgVdBqeMFJOznBEozREeHIRGvoRUkwqeuDRn-Zg4dFrIYrZvds3xPsVWCN4nDpQPECkblkzXHbG46slSN58wMi19_H/s320/scrap+geomorph+1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cozy burial temple. Great location.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFMrWhB55Qye5ah88n7mgtRPXw-6t4TcxKRIFByGuzq-p5z__rvTVG_ZgTp6tCUbQ3KVW-g4jgaoyIUqcdrDiaX-7NxGW9D_3Kd2sKuTFsva8w3OG5B1r_mODmOP7ZaO6G3LV1fK4ggU5/s1600/scrap+geomorph+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFMrWhB55Qye5ah88n7mgtRPXw-6t4TcxKRIFByGuzq-p5z__rvTVG_ZgTp6tCUbQ3KVW-g4jgaoyIUqcdrDiaX-7NxGW9D_3Kd2sKuTFsva8w3OG5B1r_mODmOP7ZaO6G3LV1fK4ggU5/s320/scrap+geomorph+2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooh! Free ladder!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVW68Da92jtnUtkKk1CgeyyXyBg87re7EzSZUT4mJTJh75VKOMpPcb0ytmBKCyuiFeLvmjjmsHdHmTAbZEyonUD1ZLYcvx_PKj5PnRUE8UV2SjRC24ggHxYp8RHEasbQzU9n0A2U1s379W/s1600/scrap+geomorph+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVW68Da92jtnUtkKk1CgeyyXyBg87re7EzSZUT4mJTJh75VKOMpPcb0ytmBKCyuiFeLvmjjmsHdHmTAbZEyonUD1ZLYcvx_PKj5PnRUE8UV2SjRC24ggHxYp8RHEasbQzU9n0A2U1s379W/s320/scrap+geomorph+3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's a biggun.</td></tr>
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The next four are outlined in sharpie with interior wall space hatched with sharpie. This works best on larger spaces, especially with caves, IMO. It is much easier to mess up than shading the entire wall space.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqBBCqQR_v1vjg1dEB6ipe2qhWjcmPVIKANtR-fCd9YaRQPwVjh29GrVMPA5mv1ASaTQPP9NKEpPMsII2LfZ_NqGL-Q4zjbYeLw6pIYXTBj21jHKAVPu2HzDkbfL6KnnvZtRoIxTJuNad/s1600/scrap+geomorph+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqBBCqQR_v1vjg1dEB6ipe2qhWjcmPVIKANtR-fCd9YaRQPwVjh29GrVMPA5mv1ASaTQPP9NKEpPMsII2LfZ_NqGL-Q4zjbYeLw6pIYXTBj21jHKAVPu2HzDkbfL6KnnvZtRoIxTJuNad/s320/scrap+geomorph+4.png" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are those claw marks fresh?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJV_Dm5K_oDlov_ipQgSnuMcE3JCXLSQq82Z52UjD3RYeS5q_v1EAMTTL9AqQtedvKl063QWZcbp5mzZCu6aJngwM2vggRZuGPW2xpm6sCZt-QY2IzONJGJIIqS0qBm_QtRE5OMhJ1cpO4/s1600/scrap+geomorph+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJV_Dm5K_oDlov_ipQgSnuMcE3JCXLSQq82Z52UjD3RYeS5q_v1EAMTTL9AqQtedvKl063QWZcbp5mzZCu6aJngwM2vggRZuGPW2xpm6sCZt-QY2IzONJGJIIqS0qBm_QtRE5OMhJ1cpO4/s320/scrap+geomorph+5.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stare into the void and it stares back.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfMsmkOL6CYyKKdH8MCw0-4fg1eIwrkGb6AzDGUNkN__TJwdsKTpGpP2QrFTbTnDmcnj175l0AcEjL_NJ265alhOtV5VjjkbE9_qiHRmO2TA7gcI7Y9xZ5waWm8jJljMmP3zXUh6DKNsg/s1600/scrap+geomorph+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfMsmkOL6CYyKKdH8MCw0-4fg1eIwrkGb6AzDGUNkN__TJwdsKTpGpP2QrFTbTnDmcnj175l0AcEjL_NJ265alhOtV5VjjkbE9_qiHRmO2TA7gcI7Y9xZ5waWm8jJljMmP3zXUh6DKNsg/s320/scrap+geomorph+6.png" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This room would be so much nicer if they hadn't put in that stupid closet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTWeileEgtgNlzdZvlmREaS_pN4Y8u7qAV8xDx98LXiRVg-yQOzH7s80KcN2-0anzAdx5Y3LU1U6DC_iVNv28te_v1zZKFXp3A3pyket_WFxmPChxHjMwphC5GaSnJ0KHXYau9vH6f28W/s1600/scrap+geomorph+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTWeileEgtgNlzdZvlmREaS_pN4Y8u7qAV8xDx98LXiRVg-yQOzH7s80KcN2-0anzAdx5Y3LU1U6DC_iVNv28te_v1zZKFXp3A3pyket_WFxmPChxHjMwphC5GaSnJ0KHXYau9vH6f28W/s200/scrap+geomorph+7.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curl up with a good book.</td></tr>
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<br />AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-22899782723324037592015-07-23T20:30:00.003-05:002015-07-23T20:30:54.520-05:00Anarchist Towns: Anarcho-PrimitivistYou often see lists of random towns with everything from hamlets to cities run in all ways: monster theocracies to run of the mill monarchs, and everything in between, except for anything without a government. Well, I suppose they are included, unless you mean the crazy, violence filled 'anarchy' a la Mad Max. As an anarchist myself, I do have to say that this is more than a little inaccurate. Let me blur the line between anarchy and gaming a little bit.<br />
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<a href="http://www.eco-action.org/dt/gifs/primpic.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.eco-action.org/dt/gifs/primpic.gif" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
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3. <a href="http://www.eco-action.org/dt/primer.html">Anarcho-Primitivist</a><br />
If I am being honest, this form of anarchy was the most mysterious and unknown to me. Far from meaning that this town was hard to write, I was very curious to read about anarcho-primitivism. My understanding of this is that the foundational thinkers of <a href="http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/ted-kaczynski-the-truth-about-primitive-life-a-critique-of-anarchoprimitivism">primitivism</a> see other forms of anarchy as striking at the branches (albeit large ones) of the problems facing modern society. To a primitivist, the whole foundation of modern society is based on the fundamental hierarchy created by division of labor, agricultural practices, and denial of access to land. Ancient societies formed for the benefit of the few at the expense of the many. A truly free society must rework everything from the foundation up to break the people free from rulers and hierarchy.<br />
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Not but two generations ago, a wave rolled through this town. A revolution was afoot. It wasn't fought with violence or with demands, but with a peaceful change of thought. After the noble family perished, the people of the town began to understand a philosopher's words and decided to fundamentally reorganize. No matter how the surrounding lands have organized themselves in the past, they always suffered and felt oppressed. They cut back the roots of oppression, destroying the very fundamental problems of society, civilization as it was currently known. Now they organize for common good, freely, and without the root problems associated with hierarchy and the denial of land.<br />
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<a href="http://cdn.goodshomedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Yurts-Living-in-the-Round.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.goodshomedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Yurts-Living-in-the-Round.jpg" height="182" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is no economy or structure as would be understood in the normal terms. People here work collectively to supply what they can to the common good. No one is denied access to land, food, or necessary resources as was used as the building block of hierarchy in every other society. The folks that live here value social equality and memorable experiences. It isn't uncommon for people to give away skillfully crafted goods or to rotate into other jobs as needed. The town is rich in what matters, satiated people free to explore self-actualization.<br />
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While the traditional family structure is not necessary, large extended families (both by blood and by friendship) are quite common. The primitivists value the company of others and having a large social network is a way for them to hedge against misfortune.<br />
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Communes of nearby families meet regularly to host festivals, gatherings, and to design solutions to problems they face. Outsiders that wrong a primitivist or want to trade usually have to get approval or face judgement from these communes. The center of the territory hosts a communal longhouse and granary for the storage of common food, goods, and lodging. There is always someone around maintaining or improving the structure and visitors are welcome.<br />
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<a href="http://www.primitivism.com/wildman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.primitivism.com/wildman.jpg" height="317" width="320" /></a></div>
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Criminals are easily forgiven if restitution is made for any damaging crime and repeated offenders are warned off or attacked as a last resort. With no need for hierarchy, weaponry is heavily focused on powerful stunning and disabling techniques like sleeping powders, flash powder bombs, and tangle-vine bolas. It is rumored that they have special defensive techniques that repels and move metals at a distance.<br />
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Currencies and trade goods are useful here, but only in so far as it facilitates trade and betters each party. The accumulation of wealth outside those necessary to safeguard against misfortune is frowned upon.<br />
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People here live in an eclectic mix of carefully maintained stone architecture, mobile yurts, and cozy brick houses. With none of their efforts being spent towards a central coercive hierarchy, the people take great pride in their infrastructure, houses, and community lands. The lands are kept as nature friendly as possible, and other life forms only killed in a kind, sustainable manner.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wakingtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Tesla-Borderlands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wakingtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Tesla-Borderlands.jpg" height="126" width="320" /></a></div>
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d6 People you'll meet<br />
1. A doddering, cane-leaning old man is hunched down singing a mumbled tune to a crying infant. He turns to a bashful child and beckons him over to kiss the bump in the infants head.<br />
2. Around this broad shouldered woman's waist hang three different children as a dozen others run around her yurt. She lets out a light-hearted sigh, offers a hurried greeting, and extends an invitation to stay for dinner.<br />
3. The patchwork jacket of this young, stumbling man is stuffed full of vegetables and beans. Through a full mouth, he launches into bawdy song describing the utopia he has found here.<br />
4. A 'poof' and a cloud of smoke forces this scrawny, middle-aged man out of his yurt. As he extends a hand in greeting, a small clump of powder flies out of his sleeve. As it lands it explodes in a loud 'POP'. He apologizes and returns coughing into his yurt, mumbling about farm equipment.<br />
5. Outside the yurt, a well-dressed young man is handing out scrolls. He loudly and boisterously exclaims that this place is the answer to all of this worlds problems. The first player to catch his eye will have significant trouble getting him to leave, as he is convinced he can convert the player.<br />
6. A loud sigh comes from behind the players, where they see a woman sitting heavily on a stump. She says nothing but shrugs her shoulders in response to any questions and sighs. If pressed, she will explain that even this town still relies on the oppression of the world to survive.<br />
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<a href="http://ensemble.va.com.au/Treister/HEXEN2/TAROT_COL/TAROT_Sun-AnarchoP-PLA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ensemble.va.com.au/Treister/HEXEN2/TAROT_COL/TAROT_Sun-AnarchoP-PLA.jpg" height="320" width="194" /></a></div>
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d6 Things that might happen<br />
1. Two families argue loudly, while drunk, about the nature of property and possessions. Each side wants to use the ox to help with their tasks over the next week and each family thinks it has a better claim for its use.<br />
2. A broad-shouldered woman shoos a patchwork jacketed young man out of her house. He stomps his feet on the way out, while the woman shakes her head before returning to playing with her children.<br />
3. A mid-season festival is getting setup and a family is on their way to the central long-house. It will be a great party, great food, and free love. Too bad when the players finally wake up, the people have cleaned up and left, but the players beds are left behind as a gift. Each player should make a save or remember that they gave substantial gifts to the people last night<br />
4. A council is meeting to give suggestions of ways people can help as eager young boys and girls are looking on from the trees. This is most likely just a bunch of normal tasks and chores but may have some more difficult tasks the players are needed for.<br />
5. A monocled prospector is trying to claim land near the central longhouse. He is storming off, threatening to return with the deed and armed enforcement. A robed, formal young man looks extremely worried about this turn of events. When he sees the players, he will ask for their help in showing the prospector the truth of anarcho-primitivism.<br />
6. An empty cart rolls by, being pulled by a roughed up man. He asks, slowly and with a stutter, if he heard right that this would be a good town for him and his family. A single tear rolls down his cheek before he goes quiet. Investigation will reveal that he is from a far away town.AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-59622238910784624092015-07-21T21:11:00.000-05:002015-07-21T22:44:45.169-05:00Mythoard: I'll Get to it Inn a BitJune has been a good month for <a href="http://mythoard.com/">Mythoard</a> (and for me personally, #humblebrag). During a week long orientation for work, I got an email from David Shaw at Mythoard telling me my package came back due to a zip code number being left off. Thanks USPS for not figuring out the address with a simple google search for my city, state, and street. David took care of the issue and even offered to send a little something extra with it! He's a great guy and I wouldn't have even noticed the delay as I was out of town. Well, he did forget to actually put it in the box, but now he's going out of his way to add some 'extra extra' to my package next month. I haven't had any reason to doubt Mythoard as a reputable business before, and now I've got a solid experience in the positives I can point to.<br />
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This month seemed to be quite heavy on inns and taverns. Maybe I am reading a pattern there that doesn't exist, but I've been thinking up NPC's and towns recently. That probably has nothing to do with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC3LzET8P_5T2Df3NJOhDkEmZGT8hqM6uPAwVyT3dlrCRz1FQmor-yr2ePfpw7j-GGIBf8mnxrBNXLPrOQME_hXwRjGvdgQPJLhvEPD8QA9PCfgO4ZHekUWrZ1CJj4RjxtNYRP_rBZ60d/s1600/IMG_0217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC3LzET8P_5T2Df3NJOhDkEmZGT8hqM6uPAwVyT3dlrCRz1FQmor-yr2ePfpw7j-GGIBf8mnxrBNXLPrOQME_hXwRjGvdgQPJLhvEPD8QA9PCfgO4ZHekUWrZ1CJj4RjxtNYRP_rBZ60d/s320/IMG_0217.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Dodo has an apex predator for a cousin and he is making a mess of things in the Bird of a Feather Dungeon Module TS1 by <a href="http://lessergnome.com/">Lesser Gnome</a>. There is a whole ecosystem and plenty of maps with encounters up and down the whole cave system. The artwork throughout is fantastic and I will be stealing the encounters, maps, and monsters. A cool thing about Lesser Gnome is that they also produce miniatures, and included the Rhacob on the front cover. A minor nitpick, but the thin legs were quite bent and the feather had snapped off. This miniature may benefit from being cast in a more flexible plastic.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljsN5bemJ3-beEaItMORDWGPlDORvvKuxO2KlpeN2fkCA0r_390t0AkcQLLgQISn3paY6Beph58nYAQtZ-OLkCnkcAEGgs7-es-f3dYpbFmRHP9Rd2d8qa5EW0x9R3T2iBWiusmNH2dYm/s1600/IMG_0218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljsN5bemJ3-beEaItMORDWGPlDORvvKuxO2KlpeN2fkCA0r_390t0AkcQLLgQISn3paY6Beph58nYAQtZ-OLkCnkcAEGgs7-es-f3dYpbFmRHP9Rd2d8qa5EW0x9R3T2iBWiusmNH2dYm/s320/IMG_0218.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Exquisite Corpse Dungeon is a collection of maps built as a collective map by a bunch of mappers including <a href="http://megadungeoncomic.wordpress.com/">Billy Longing</a>, <a href="http://gmatlarge.tumblr.com/">Scott Aleric</a>, <a href="http://nates-notes.blogspot.com/">Nate Marcel</a>, Jens Larcsen, <a href="http://meeplespeak.blogspot.com/">Scott Slomiany</a>, <a href="http://gameofthought.blogspot.com/">Nate McD</a>, <a href="http://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/">Dyson Logos</a>, <a href="http://swordpeddler.com/">Cecil Howe</a>, <a href="http://boreders.com/">Paul Baldowski</a>, <a href="http://davesmapper.com/">David Millar</a>, Kevin Campbell, and <a href="http://rthorm.wordpress.com/">Rodger Thorm</a>. It is an amazing map that I now have to figure out how to sneak into my campaigns (I've also got some new blogs to peruse).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIfT78h4Cc9NGm6pGZ_OAMVDkV2mJvj5h8vLN4I6Df5rZC5ILPb_WIo3LpV7_eoi_R2LgqkRpjQlDbxMkNuwQElnW4dbtkc9PrN98cO2O23XyQuVal-APwX-ii-eBxDMhXDatFmqTsoHT/s1600/IMG_0219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIfT78h4Cc9NGm6pGZ_OAMVDkV2mJvj5h8vLN4I6Df5rZC5ILPb_WIo3LpV7_eoi_R2LgqkRpjQlDbxMkNuwQElnW4dbtkc9PrN98cO2O23XyQuVal-APwX-ii-eBxDMhXDatFmqTsoHT/s320/IMG_0219.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lesser Gnome has tossed out a nice postcard sized, beautiful map. The back has a 50% off coupon for digital adventure products and figurines.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTW88DD1JlvG863CzUqv7Hbr8xF7y8DEiphVixlmVHUfRz1jvvTTxzoM0DWLc9jaE6nIcfpEsfevu9nNAxRT3RTR5Py-qOvy-XUiTF4oRrMGRXOME4UJIiTFRk23f5LYMY1rqNaZrJM-E/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTW88DD1JlvG863CzUqv7Hbr8xF7y8DEiphVixlmVHUfRz1jvvTTxzoM0DWLc9jaE6nIcfpEsfevu9nNAxRT3RTR5Py-qOvy-XUiTF4oRrMGRXOME4UJIiTFRk23f5LYMY1rqNaZrJM-E/s320/IMG_0220.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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A quick half page with a map and nice table for empty gravesite looting. Tim Shorts is <a href="http://gothridgemanor.blogspot.com/">over here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjahY3ljDuvhVSf3i_KsEWeliei6RWYUMMm653MO4TcTxb7VcTlDdhcltNmSiadNX2diFctrpj2Q5K4pCp6vloxlabUo8ZOHXGmhrpfeVg5i2uqWvbpFRcPO96akCZK0iaAZ7pRSMlhmfm/s1600/IMG_0221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjahY3ljDuvhVSf3i_KsEWeliei6RWYUMMm653MO4TcTxb7VcTlDdhcltNmSiadNX2diFctrpj2Q5K4pCp6vloxlabUo8ZOHXGmhrpfeVg5i2uqWvbpFRcPO96akCZK0iaAZ7pRSMlhmfm/s320/IMG_0221.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://roanstudio.ca/">Roan Studio</a> put out a wonderful adventure module, The Haunt of Crow Gulch, built around a creaky fishing town at the base of a dangerous mountain. Encounters litter the environment that are tied in and others that are totally unrelated to the central plot points. My favorite part is this gnome's shack, which reminds me of a mainstay NPC in my games. That recurring NPC is a kind-hearted elderly witch that takes a liking to the players and whose house is larger on the inside.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0W8UIi0HAm5srkk9-lETe0S5eJmFyytcg7hAw7YmgIB75ygZqtnoN5oihWdmFrOmTapU5ZWm52JotJO7h1nM9WtlDpbnI5jnBc8EAIzlnVe0atdOARRIhUIBn27HrkatmLQZjgMVH_df/s1600/IMG_0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0W8UIi0HAm5srkk9-lETe0S5eJmFyytcg7hAw7YmgIB75ygZqtnoN5oihWdmFrOmTapU5ZWm52JotJO7h1nM9WtlDpbnI5jnBc8EAIzlnVe0atdOARRIhUIBn27HrkatmLQZjgMVH_df/s320/IMG_0222.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Broken Tree Inn by Rudy Kraft is an older magazine centered around a unique little inn and is well adorned with fantastic (for the limited magazine printing tech of 1979) art like the well nourished fellow above. I love reading the NPC's of old and getting a feel for the older tropes before they became tropes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK9M6EzRbHb6o5fiMCFJMukBjtpO9uCPMS1rrhJZOAUww2K-rpxSuHRT6pJ_GBYVRHMRFRS65Q5epjWqXo_xqLl4Upvh2QTLt4tqrQKLHld5VfoXJq9uPUvibb43X1IKWfjoHo5YpgFrq/s1600/IMG_0223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK9M6EzRbHb6o5fiMCFJMukBjtpO9uCPMS1rrhJZOAUww2K-rpxSuHRT6pJ_GBYVRHMRFRS65Q5epjWqXo_xqLl4Upvh2QTLt4tqrQKLHld5VfoXJq9uPUvibb43X1IKWfjoHo5YpgFrq/s320/IMG_0223.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Lastly, a pair of tiny potion bottles to use as props. I may be handing these out as part of a treasure horde, as my players try to sort out myth from fact about these mysterious and legendary drafts. Thanks <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tabletop-Gaming-Center/376504015857297">Table Top Gaming Center</a>!<br />
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I can't wait for next month.AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-38476677465815164832015-07-15T20:50:00.000-05:002015-07-15T20:50:17.919-05:00On the Surface of Things: A quick break this week.I've been out at a work orientation at the company headquarters this week. As I only have this slow surface to use, it is too difficult to put out a blog post of the sort of quality I would feel comfortable with in my hours at the hotel between working and sleeping. I really should spend time making friends with the other new hires too... So here's a picture of a pelican. Get it? I pelican't write a blog post this week. I'll stop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgkMY81j44OMQhng4d8V3_QttlM9P4Ew3OTe5Chd-CrZG8D3GXSKdKjJiS11i533MKzT2Hp__uknxeDQl6bZmfT9H-Wqh6mUkqY11dOpv2YS_-L2qWIGj3_pHPlgKdb8qYZKFnJbdxLaK/s1600/IMG_0189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgkMY81j44OMQhng4d8V3_QttlM9P4Ew3OTe5Chd-CrZG8D3GXSKdKjJiS11i533MKzT2Hp__uknxeDQl6bZmfT9H-Wqh6mUkqY11dOpv2YS_-L2qWIGj3_pHPlgKdb8qYZKFnJbdxLaK/s320/IMG_0189.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-29444450353619487242015-07-09T20:15:00.000-05:002015-07-09T21:05:52.567-05:00House Rules Evolved: Language and Fluency<br />
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<a href="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/fquvmw7rfjmw0j6hob0l.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/fquvmw7rfjmw0j6hob0l.png" height="241" width="320" /></a></div>
While I am waiting for this month's Mythoard and slacking off on working on my rationalist monster series, I got sidetracked. I have been thinking on a few of my <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2014/08/house-rules.html">houserules</a> and the way I have been using them at the table. Let me take a whack at fleshing them out, slimming them down, and making them more fun. This post is going to go over my language and fluency hack.<br />
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<h3>
The Original Language and Fluency Houserule</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilp9eQjbQSNROJILPsSaiVMTtkXUAHqdEUuOVqeK1tg9Rjd0iumuOQpBvJBBuReMTHn92T_GoqQ_k1B8QSEf72uBCdRAnj-jG4Akb3KGcVglW7-stUwcBvSEJKSDScgF7hHJs_aZRqcjo/s1600/old+languages.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilp9eQjbQSNROJILPsSaiVMTtkXUAHqdEUuOVqeK1tg9Rjd0iumuOQpBvJBBuReMTHn92T_GoqQ_k1B8QSEf72uBCdRAnj-jG4Akb3KGcVglW7-stUwcBvSEJKSDScgF7hHJs_aZRqcjo/s320/old+languages.PNG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Languages are fluid, living beings that bleed into one another. We can see this everyday all throughout the world, from Portuguese conversing with Spaniards, to Japanese appropriating all manner of words. I wanted to create a system that copies this, to replace the usual system in D&D. D&D has a binary system of know-it-or-you-don't, check the box, style of fluency. This doesn't map to the differing levels of proficiency that real world people and presumably their monster counterparts would have.<br />
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Catalandialects.png/300px-Catalandialects.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Catalandialects.png/300px-Catalandialects.png" width="264" /></a></div>
Other games I've played in have had complex system of skill ranks to mimic levels of fluency in multiple different languages. These had the problem of too much complexity for very little payoff, as the bonuses and penalties were usually purely mechanical or story-related. Unless the system took on a massive overhead, it did little to copy the real world. In the real world, languages aren't cohesive blocks. Catalan sits right between french and Spanish. Some dialects understand their mother tongue, but can be mutually miscommunication with other dialects.<br />
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My solution was to create a simple, four step system. Each language, above, was put into its own family and given connections to other similar languages. These are based on my own interpretations of course. Characters for the most part are either fluent or not fluent in any languages based on the usual language choices at character creation. Based on these fluencies, the character also gets some fluency of related languages. This allows the DM some flexibility as well for specific character backgrounds to get partial fluency or give some in-between stages for characters learning a new language.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Fluency means you talk normally in character and NPC's talk normally to you.</li>
<li>A direct connection to a fluent language indicates a basic fluency based on language similarities. <b>No complex sentences and only one verb per sentence.</b></li>
<li>Any language in the same family as a fluent language means the character has passing similarities in some words and sentence structure. <b>No verbs.</b></li>
<li>No fluency whatsoever means that the character can only recognize proper nouns that carry across all languages as well as gestures. <b>Only proper nouns and gestures allowed.</b></li>
</ul>
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<h3>
<b>The Problems:</b></h3>
While players would be initially interested, actual use of this houserule would fall off rather quickly. It would always start with forgetting to limit myself to the rule and then having to revise my statements. Doing this enough times would start to burn me out, as I would have to essentially translate my NPC's on the fly.<br />
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I was never consistent enough with this to feel okay with pressuring the players when they messed up. This became a very vicious cycle that saw us not using languages.<br />
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It was nice for the players to be able to 'game' the language system to spread out their fluency. They could strategically pick languages for family and related bonuses, which was nice. I did enjoy rewarding these choices where normally unusual languages would have gone unpicked and been totally foreign.<br />
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<h3>
The changes:</h3>
Both the players and I enjoyed the creation system. Keeping in line with normal fluency made picking languages easier. The family and related bonuses were icing on the cake for the players without making them mechanically more powerful. Therefore, I will keep this system, but I would like to add more language choices to make choice more meaningful.<br />
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The main problem was the way the speech mechanics worked in game, so I want to smooth those out. I do not want to be translating anything mid-sentence, so the complex sentences stuff is out. A word limit is pretty easy to do. NPC's just get cut-off unless they are purposefully trying to 'translate'. Players get to try and be creative, sometimes with unintended consequences. This all happens without having to 'translate' things into simple sentences with only one word. I think this is different but maybe it actually isn't? Time (and possibly your comments) will tell. I like the rule of proper nouns and gestures only, so that stays.<br />
<ul>
<li>Fluency stays the same: both sides talk normal.</li>
<li>Semi-fluent from a direct connection to a fluent language. <b>Ten words or so each 'round' of speaking, not including proper nouns.</b></li>
<li>Barely-fluent from a fluent language in the same family. <b>Three words each 'round' of speaking, not including proper nouns.</b></li>
<li>No fluency. <b>Only proper nouns and gestures allowed.</b></li>
</ul>
With the goal of allowing for more languages, I'd like to add a way for scholarly characters to better invest in languages as well. This system should also accommodate dialects distinct enough from their mother tongue.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Dialects and sub languages are considered a direct connection to their mother language and sit in the same family.</li>
<li>Greater fluency is for scholars, diplomats, and other language-skilled individuals. This would come from specific training, class abilities, or specialized character backgrounds. <b>The player is considered fluent in all connected languages to their greater fluent language.</b></li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://www.empowerlinguatranslation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/bad-translation-engrish-1-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.empowerlinguatranslation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/bad-translation-engrish-1-300x225.jpg" /></a></div>
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Now that I think about it, I want to make the non-fluent option even sillier to encourage the language system sticking around.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Non-fluency can also be aided by the player or NPC saying their language name with whatever inflection and body language they want. Ex: "Goblin goblin GOBLIN GOBLIN GOBLIN FREDRICK GOBLIN*!!!"</li>
</ul>
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With my newfound GIMP skills, I was toying with drawing up a fancier looking language map.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Throw me some languages you would like to see in the next version.</li>
<li>What dialects do you use in your games?</li>
<li>Send me your favorite info-graphics and graphs, just because.</li>
<li>Maybe a cool tree graphic...</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://noethics.net/News/images/stories/goblin5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://noethics.net/News/images/stories/goblin5.jpg" height="200" width="151" /></a></div>
*Fredrick Goblin is her shaman given name. This makes it unfortunately hard for non-native goblin speakers to understand when she is being talked about. Misunderstandings like this elevated her to a minor footnote in history texts when she inadvertently negotiated a surrender from an army on the verge of eradicating all goblins. Another misunderstanding about her name got her captured and killed in a case of mistaken identity not three weeks later.<br />
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<br />AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-21950311297063724392015-07-07T21:43:00.001-05:002015-08-06T21:09:24.499-05:00Single-Use Substances and Spelljunk (Part IV)<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/06/single-use-substances-and-spelljunk-III.html">Part III.</a></span></h1>
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<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dawn Powder</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">500</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finely ground glowing powder that when burned in a normal light source, that light source is treated as if it were true daylight. One use can be mixed with one pint of lamp oil, one torch wrapping, or mixed in to the wick of many candles. Larger or smaller light sources will use up a single portion of Dawn Powder proportionally faster or slower. (30 ft radius-hours). When imbibed, the powder lets its user automatically succeed on the next two death saving throws that they would fail within the next minute. Poured into the mouth of a creature that died in the last minute, that creature returns to life, dying, with two failed death saving throws. Weirdly, this was first discovered as a sedimentary waste created during a distillation of a blindness poison. Some have posited that the light produced by the powder is the stolen light that would be seen by the blind victims. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></h1>
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<a href="http://himalayansaltlamp.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/8/8/23884590/1959585_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://himalayansaltlamp.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/8/8/23884590/1959585_orig.jpg" /></a></div>
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dimensional Salt</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1500</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One a creature’s person or ingested, Dimensional Salt causes any and all teleportation attempts by the creature to fail. The salt only lasts for ten minutes once exposed to air or water before it breaks down. The light pink grains can be ground into a fine powder or mixed into an oily paint to likewise block teleportation through the covered surface. When mixed this way, the salt will last twice as long before oxidizing and can cover up to twenty square feet. The substance is the refined substrate left behind when gods move between planes.</span></div>
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Divine Incense</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Divine Incense is an amalgamated wax made from the melted down clippings, trimmings, hairs, nails, and skin flakes of demi-gods. A delicate balance is required in the choosing of materials, too weak a godling and no power can be gleaned from the incense. Too strong a god would leave potential users in a permanent coma. A properly tested Divine Incense, when burned, provides a temporary boost of one additional spell slot of each level. If multiple creatures inhale the smoke, a five foot radius, they all draw from the same pool of bonus spell slots. Each additional creature that inhales the smoke ensures that a little less of the smoke goes to waste, adding 1d3 additional spell levels worth of spell slots to the spell slot pool. Creatures gain no benefit from bonus spell slots of levels they could not normally cast. These bonus spell slots are lost once they are used or when the character has a dream or nightmare. </span></div>
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dragon Bile</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">200</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Collected stomach juices from a properly ripened dragon organ, Dragon Bile is a devastating acid. The chunky, black-green substance will eat through any substance at a rate of 3 inches per minute, consuming up to 1 cubic foot of material. Only precious metals and gemstones are unaffected. If it is, unadvisedly, spread on a weapon to attack, it adds 2d6 acid damage to each hit. The acid also deals this damage to the weapon on each hit and each round.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></h1>
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<a href="http://timboyle.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/anatomyofthedragonsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://timboyle.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/anatomyofthedragonsm.jpg" height="269" width="320" /></a></div>
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dragon Bile, Refined</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sufficiently old dragons may grow a second, more intense stomach to deal with a diet high in heavy metals, bones, and magic. This mucusy, yellow-green acid devours any substance it touches except for pure gold or flawless gems. Refined Dragon Bile is stored in a pure gold vial capped with a flawless diamond. The acid eats through 1 foot of material each minute, consuming up to 20 cubic feet of material. The acid eats too quickly through any weapon to be applied to anything except gold. On gold, the acid adds 5d6 acid damage on the first hit and depositing the acid on the struck target. Needless to say, do not chip the vial stopper.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dread Mummy Dust</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5500</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This glass jar contains a dry, light purple dust collected from risen mummies. Anyone who inhales the gas must make a constitution save (DC 16) or contract mummy rot.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Drow Poison</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">75</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A name given by ignorant overworlders for the myriad of different underdark poisons that all cause the same effect, horrific, blinding pain. Any creature injured with this poison must make a constitution save (DC 12) or fall unconscious from the searing pain for 2d6 rounds. At the end of this duration, the creature must make a Wisdom save (DC 10) or remain in a trance-like state for the next 2d4 hours as their body tries to soothe the pain.</span></div>
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<a href="http://static2.artfire.com/uploads/product/7/547/65547/6765547/6765547/large/vintage_golden_hourglass_pendant_on_upcycled_avon_chain_with_pearls_d706fded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static2.artfire.com/uploads/product/7/547/65547/6765547/6765547/large/vintage_golden_hourglass_pendant_on_upcycled_avon_chain_with_pearls_d706fded.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dying Hourglass</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2500</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Worn on a thin chain, the Dying Hourglass is a small oak hourglass with fine white sand inside. The hourglass, when turned, will require a full minute before the last sand grain drops. When broken, the hourglass returns its wearer to where they were one minute before. They are returned to the same state they were in at that time, with time winding in reverse, as time stands still for a split second. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elixir of Truth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">500</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elixir of Truth is made from the tears of the confessed sinner, blessed by a priest whose god values truth. Creatures that imbibe this potion must make a Wisdom save (DC 13) or be forced to tell the whole truth to any questions they are directly asked. Such a creature may not embellish, mislead, or intentionally obscure the truth, to their best knowledge, while under the effects of this potion. The effects last for 1 hour. If the affected creature is purposefully lied to, and knows it is a lie, that creature gets a new save against the elixir’s effects with disadvantage.</span></div>
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<a href="http://ancientpoint.com/imgs/a/e/q/b/n/victorian_glass_tear_catcher_scent_perfume_bottle_vial_etched_gold_guilt_antique_1_lgw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ancientpoint.com/imgs/a/e/q/b/n/victorian_glass_tear_catcher_scent_perfume_bottle_vial_etched_gold_guilt_antique_1_lgw.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elixir of Vision</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">150</span></h1>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-f9e9fcbc-6b81-199b-92e3-17605a73a922"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Splashing this slightly salty elixir into one’s eyes grants increased vision for 30 minutes. The Elixir of Vision improves a creature’s vision by one step: normal vision to low-light vision and low-light vision to dark vision. The creature has advantage on vision based checks and has their sight range doubled. Once the elixir wears off, the creature's eyes become red, bloodshot, and dry. This causes the creature to gain light sensitivity for the next hour. This duration can be cut short by ten minutes spending an action to hold their eyes open until they tear up, requiring a Constitution save (DC 10).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/08/single-use-substances-and-spelljunk.html">Part V.</a></span></span></h3>
AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-83606239723706390182015-07-02T21:12:00.001-05:002015-07-02T21:12:43.236-05:00The Art of Being a Monster: Harpy<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="font-size: 24px; line-height: 28.7999992370605px; white-space: pre-wrap;">After discussing the format with a few other people, I am going to slim down the monster posts to fit more in line with my original inspiration of the 'Intelligent Overlord' list. Instead of doing 20 paragraph sized entries, I'll do 20 bite sized sentences. This will force me to condense my thoughts down into concise points and make the writing easier.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/037/f/5/harpy_by_kafabest-d5u04ss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/037/f/5/harpy_by_kafabest-d5u04ss.jpg" height="640" width="468" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-art-of-being-monster.html">Harpies</a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This section will go out to all those creatures, the clever and wise, who set their magical abilities and fierce-some physiques to ambushing humans. Whether it is for power, lust, gold, or flesh, the monsters guided herein will find their strategies bolstered: harpies, lamias, hags, sirens, medusa, and others.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it comes to your greatest foes, adventurers, it is imperative that you prepare well for combat. Keep the terrain in mind where possible, preferring environs that offer good mobility and concealment, and disengaging when it is disadvantageous. Lock down any threats while staying concealed, moving, and covered. Utilize enchanted enemies as cover and protection, always assuming they could break free at the worst moment. Engage enemy flanks directly and dispose of them quickly with magic, fang, or claw. Hunt down any remaining enemies from strategic ambushes. Always keep terrain in your favor and retreat under a barrage of covering fire of enchantments and ranged weapons. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">F: Against well armed melee combatants, stay out of reach. Keep hidden and protected while slinging mind controlling enchantments or other debilitating magics their way. Use those spells to disable them or turn them on your enemies. If those things fail and you have no backup traps or minions, retreat.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T: Skulking thieves will be a good match for the mobility and stealth tactics you will attempt. These enemies will be the first to spot you. Keep an eye on the thief, but save your magic and traps until having dealt with the fighter. If they become troublesome or the other threats are pacified, take out the thief directly.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R: Under the direct fire of a ranged enemy, your tactics can easily be spoiled. Keep moving and put cover between you and this enemy. Particularly clever or powerful rangers may warrant some return fire of your magic or tricks. Using minions, enchanted foes, and cover you should be able to diffuse the ranger's combat prowess.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">W: As an agile, magic-resistant creature, a wizard's spells will be hard pressed to win them any advantage against you. However, they may be able to free others from your spells and will resist your own magic more effectively. Maneuver around the wizard's allies to engage them directly if they show signs of being a nuisance. If they are too well defended to engage, force them to waste spells and resources fighting you by staying behind cover and repeatedly slinging weak enchantments at their allies. Wizards make a fine target for your minions or enchanted adventurers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Avoiding One’s Own Siren Song</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the goal to live long, eat delicious flesh, and savor in the suffering and dominance of humans, only a fool would ignore the advice recorded below. Easy victories and pride have led to the most brutal deaths of your kind. This is twice the insult to your dominance as these demises are so easily averted.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not keep live captives for any longer than absolutely necessary.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not linger in my hunting patterns or get too comfortable and predictable in my style.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wherever I take up residence, I will note other monsters and possible monsters that live or could live nearby. Where possible, I will ally or maintain neutrality with those creatures. Those that will not ally will be destroyed. If I cannot destroy them, I will move.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My prey’s relatives can hold grudges. I will not taunt family members or give them reason to mount a rescue.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any creatures I ally with or keep as pets will never be put in a position to usurp my power nor trusted to keep my plans secret.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If something precious to me is taken, never will I rush to regain it. Calm, level-headed thinking is necessary to retrieve what I want without risking ambush or losing what I seek.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will make sure to discover other creatures and human hunters of similar dispositions as me to build a network of defensive alliances. </span></div>
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<a href="http://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/smite.gamepedia.com/thumb/f/f2/T_Medusa_Default_Card.png/250px-T_Medusa_Default_Card.png?version=c4535e77e047b880c84aab20e85ea8b9" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/smite.gamepedia.com/thumb/f/f2/T_Medusa_Default_Card.png/250px-T_Medusa_Default_Card.png?version=c4535e77e047b880c84aab20e85ea8b9" height="320" width="242" /></a></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mirrors and reflections have turned many a spell on their owner. I will take great care with where I target my magic, and I will make sure to have a way to save myself from its effects.</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Curses and magical compulsion can be useful in getting what I want but I will not use them as my standard way of interacting with others. I will make clear my goals and reasons for any curse I use. </span></div>
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Any prophecy I hear will be granted no greater weight than the careful predictions I make of my enemies and environment based of observation.</div>
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I will disguise many of my victims as having died of natural causes to dissuade monster hunters and adventurers seeking me out.</div>
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If I must take up residence in ancient or historical ruins, I will absolutely research their histories and keep aware of those who may want to explore the ruins.</div>
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No matter the temptation, if I want to torture humans or watch them frantically try to escape I will instead capture lesser animals. Lesser animals cannot escape and return with vengeance.</div>
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When larger and more powerful creatures begin claim my territory or move in, I will not get territorial. I will take the opportunity to gather my things and move to less dangerous territory: whether from the monster or the increased attention they will bring.</div>
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If I manage to convince, enchant, or compel a stronger creature to fight for me, I will make every effort to make the results beneficial to the both of us. An angry bodyguard may turn on me after devouring my weaker enemies.</div>
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Magic is mysterious. I will assume that any enchanted or controlled creature could break free of my spell at the worst possible moment. I will have backup plans.</div>
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I will cultivate tales of my vanity, allowing my enemies the false confidence of appealing to or insulting a false image of my vain behavior. This also serves as a tragic backstory in order to be spared if worst comes to worst.</div>
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While delicious, I will never harm nor hurt children. Humans take particular affront when harm comes to children, but most couldn't care less if I tortured an entire regiment of soldiers or the poor.</div>
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Unless absolutely necessary, I will not trick, goad, or insult my enemies, especially adventurers. Those haughty adventurers like nothing less than being misled and lied to.</div>
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I will never get arrogant about my accomplishments or if I will succeed. If I am that certain of my plans and abilities, I will take a step back to reanalyze what I think I know.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px;">By modifying your hunting patterns, you will become a legendary predator. Few will know your name and even fewer will know what you can do. May your prey be delicious and may you never end up as a pelt on someone's wall.</span></span></div>
AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-86267284887918225682015-06-30T19:23:00.000-05:002015-07-28T21:22:12.593-05:00Geomorph Design Contest: TrapsIn order to <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/06/geomorph-design-contest-water.html">avoid missing the deadline this time</a>, I got my entries done a bit early... only to find out the deadline had been pushed back. Better early than late, right? I am starting to get the hang of using different layers to backup my work from dumb mistakes, using selection tools, and some of the editing tools in GIMP. Going forward, I think I'll try to find a new technique to try for next week to keep pushing my boundaries.<br />
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Go check out the other entries <a href="http://inkwellideas.com/2015/06/dungeon-geomorphs-traps-contest-entries-deadline-extended/">here</a>!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYXT5GaC9-j8VaN01rm6EKU76yFAHBO-8DHZJRYobS9bf4GK-J6cmelaY8AoIhXTRPCxTtIa5vt0GIOUqHNH22j5fTeMS8_9kf77c0jmkS2fEj412R50RG2WmtBM0JUMp1ERfoUsH32rx/s1600/Give+It+a+Whirl+Welk+anarchydice.blogspot.com+cc-by-nc-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYXT5GaC9-j8VaN01rm6EKU76yFAHBO-8DHZJRYobS9bf4GK-J6cmelaY8AoIhXTRPCxTtIa5vt0GIOUqHNH22j5fTeMS8_9kf77c0jmkS2fEj412R50RG2WmtBM0JUMp1ERfoUsH32rx/s320/Give+It+a+Whirl+Welk+anarchydice.blogspot.com+cc-by-nc-4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Give It a Whirl"</td></tr>
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This is part one of a two-part geomorph that rotates and changes walls. The trap in it is when a character attempts to get themselves inside the treasure room. They may then find they have no way out, pounding on the walls and shouting to be let out. It looks like an unfortunate adventurer found this one out the hard way.<br />
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The bottom left bears a statue of a man whose head bears four faces orthogonal to each other. The head rotates along with the room: smiling, sneering, crying, and surprised.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiluUra3zzMNuw_zBjzsXivCJ5KbCyvu6T8hiS-f_jRjN18mHZ7tIwDTOLqBMJIFq48hhbI-V_NoUWgCoebJVGBFAUHBzwhdurg53Juwrlgo7E7PGd-bJb7J48SxscgYSSiOhmw7KvbdC/s1600/Twist+and+Shout+Welk+anarchydice.blogspot.com+cc-by-nc-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiluUra3zzMNuw_zBjzsXivCJ5KbCyvu6T8hiS-f_jRjN18mHZ7tIwDTOLqBMJIFq48hhbI-V_NoUWgCoebJVGBFAUHBzwhdurg53Juwrlgo7E7PGd-bJb7J48SxscgYSSiOhmw7KvbdC/s320/Twist+and+Shout+Welk+anarchydice.blogspot.com+cc-by-nc-4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Twist and Shout"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMMmaODez7pUy_eHCn4jFvmiAYt3pvC17fo-Fe-K1-btfBWku8J9SAHd8o6zrJL61kkKeiikq_BXFISEyxC1_iafpvNtxAWs1Fdo-LgAZ594zO0x_pXRGpG0ZgFgxctj89qbCGHKk6dyH/s1600/Jump+Around+Welk+anarchydice.blogspot.com+cc-by-nc-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMMmaODez7pUy_eHCn4jFvmiAYt3pvC17fo-Fe-K1-btfBWku8J9SAHd8o6zrJL61kkKeiikq_BXFISEyxC1_iafpvNtxAWs1Fdo-LgAZ594zO0x_pXRGpG0ZgFgxctj89qbCGHKk6dyH/s320/Jump+Around+Welk+anarchydice.blogspot.com+cc-by-nc-4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Jump Around"</td></tr>
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Wall sconces light up a few areas of these rooms, with one remaining unlit as a red herring. The portals here teleport whatever is on top of them every minute, swapping what sits on the paired portals. The only exception to this is the green portal which is unidirectional, leaving the creature stuck. An arcana check could temporarily reverse the teleporting circle, or at least some mining equipment could break a creature free. The stone tablet in front of the green and orange portals reads "Those who pursue life will only find death. It is those who stoop to enjoy the small things will find life.". Below, a connecting corridor is made dangerous by a trio of three angel statues that shoot forth continuous blasts of elemental energies. These can be disabled with using the hidden switch inside the secret room off of the orange teleportation circle. The desk and bookcases contain various arcane texts and a few scrolls of appropriate level. A thorough search will reveal a book on teleportation circles that will give the players advantage on arcana rolls relating to knowledge about where the teleportation circles lead, how to modify them, and identifying them.</div>
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AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-452293530484891392015-06-25T20:11:00.000-05:002015-06-25T20:11:47.120-05:00A Review from the Grave: Book of Challenges<br />
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With the store credit I earned from an astonishing third place win in the one page dungeon contest this year, I purchased the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Challenges">Book of Challenges</a>. The store credit was to <a href="http://www.waynesbooks.net/">Wayne's Books</a>, and Wayne has a pretty astonishing collection of tabletop books for sale.<br />
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My initial impression of the book was fairly good. I flipped through some interesting traps that each have interesting twists on the usual trap formula. Each trap comes with a small, black and white map to help flesh it out further. The first few maps I flipped to had a fun premise and would be fun to run.<br />
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Flipping more in depth through the book now to write this post and my impression of the book has dropped significantly. While the initial charm of new traps and puzzles got me at first, it really starts to wear thin. They never run out of original ideas. If anything they are too original.<br />
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Many of these look like a major headache to run and would definitely break my immersion in the game if I encountered them from the players' side. The convoluted setups, architectures, or shear wastefulness of the traps and puzzles means that most of these are entirely out of place in anything but a crazy wizard's tower.<br />
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Take, for example, a convoluted spiral filled with untriggered traps that all reset once the party reaches the middle. Who would ever build this? Even if your death room kills the thief after the first trap, eventually, enough minions could ostensibly retrieve whatever treasure you spent absurd amounts of money to protect. If the goal is to have it retrievable only by the right person, guards and locks do a much better job than expensive, repeatable magic traps. If the goal is to lock it away forever, encase it in stone in the middle of nowhere.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even a dozen pictures like this would have made the book so much better.</td></tr>
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A second effect of having elaborate, tricky traps and puzzles is that even after reading some of them over a half-dozen times, I still couldn't understand what was going on. Maybe I'm an obtuse idiot, but if I can't understand them, I would never try to put it in front of players who will nit-pick and tear apart any cobbled together understanding I might make. Questions like, "How does this mechanism function" or "What happens if I do this random action?", will leave me turning pages while my players die of boredom. Maybe if the traps, puzzles, and encounters included more specific art instead of vague and generic room layouts. A book with half as many encounters but with meticulous trap mechanisms drawn out in black and white sketches would be amazing even if all its traps sucked. It would still be a cool coffee-table book. I suppose there's a <a href="http://projects.inklesspen.com/fatal-and-friends/asimo/grimtooths-traps/">different sort of book</a> for that. Alas, the only art that isn't a basic, grey room is art borrowed from other wizards of the coast books.<br />
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The book isn't all bad, it does have some neat ideas like a trio of giants so heavily diseased and cursed that characters can handle them much before they are able. The idea of scaling down monsters in this way is neat. Likewise, there are some novel aspects of traps included here like animated walls in a maze or a honeycomb of rooms to fight teleporting enemies. An interesting purchase, but I am glad I did not spend any of my own money.<br />
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<br />AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-335096823896975882015-06-23T20:48:00.001-05:002015-06-23T20:48:49.222-05:00Anarchist Towns: Anarcho-Capitalist<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">You often see lists of random towns with everything from hamlets to cities run in all ways: monster theocracies to run of the mill monarchs, and everything in between, except for anything without a government. Well, I suppose they are included, unless you mean the crazy, violence filled 'anarchy' a la Mad Max. As an anarchist myself, I do have to say that this is more than a little inaccurate. Let me blur the line between anarchy and gaming a little bit.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. Anarcho-Capitalist</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a form of anarchy I should know the best and understand the most. I will be trying to present this from a fresh angle so I do not give too biased or rosey a picture. Let me attempt to cover this type of anarchic town from the same perspective as all the others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">The people that live here long ago realized that beaurocrats and nobles were the least responsive and most abusive. It was the local shopkeepers, hard working merchants, and regular folk that had the most to gain from helping and being kind. Whether it was a violent revolt or a peaceful disbanding, the government </span><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;">disappeared</span><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and has since been replaced by completely private and voluntary interactions. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/004117405/111250630_Non20Watermarked20Anarcho20Capitalist20Flag_xlarge.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/004117405/111250630_Non20Watermarked20Anarcho20Capitalist20Flag_xlarge.jpeg" height="200" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">The town's 'laws' are based on private arbitration between dispute resolution companies. These companies are set up to voluntarily bind people to the generally accepted rules of conduct like not murdering or stealing. Those that violate have their punishments, as well as the systems of judging, enshrined in a contract they agreed to. Breaking a contract is a dangerous thing to do here, as it makes it hugely unlikely that one can get any other party to offer a new one, except at a steep premium. Starving criminals and scoff-laws of house, food, and even water. Most citizens are not afraid to defend themselves. Citizens are wary of anyone without any sort of contract stating agreement to common law.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">The economy will be a varied mix of small and large businesses. Companies here will often re-invent themselves and the whole town is innovating towards best serving their customers. This has resulted in a lot of diversification of every manner of service, however the vast majority of this is directed at those just poor enough to have money to spend but not much in the way of taste. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Organization on a larger scale takes place between neighborhood, block, and land owners coordinating through magical contracts to fund mutually beneficial projects. Some of these even offer to pay for crime protection services for those too poor to afford them in order to keep crime low in their property. The wealthy often seek to absolve their guilty consciences before death, granting portions of their estates to fund orphanages and homeless shelters in town.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://psmedia.playstation.com/is/image/psmedia/ps3-game-6502-ss62?$MediaCarousel_Original$" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://psmedia.playstation.com/is/image/psmedia/ps3-game-6502-ss62?$MediaCarousel_Original$" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the word capitalist would lend the idea that the architecture and stylings would be gaudy and expensive, the town is usually quite the opposite. Without tax subsidies and free land usually granted to the wealthy in other societies, grand buildings are too expensive to be commonplace. Buildings will be well designed and easy on the eyes, due to the need to please the desires of tenants, but only gaudy or opulent for the most successful innovators with high profits and little fear of competition in the short term while their competitors catch up. Most places are trying to find a balance between the appearance of good design and expense and the actual cost of the building. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone here is looking to get a quick buck, but most of them realize that the only way to do that is by providing value to someone. This leads to people falling over themselves to help others. Usually this means offering a free service that is then offered to be continued for a fee.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anarcho-capitalist towns make no alliances, as they have no one who could claim the power to speak for everyone in town. While this could seem to make them easy targets, the lack of authority also means an expensive occupation for any conqueror. Any would be ruler must thereby setup their own tax collection, resource extraction, and policing over a very hostile and armed population. Trade and social events are the main relationships that an anarcho-capitalist town will maintain with its neighbors. Often, these towns and cities will be left alone both for the cost of invasion and the benefit their trade will bring. Anarcho-capitalists hope to use this trade leverage to slowly work their fellow common-folk away from their oppressive governance.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.france-voyage.com/visuals/props/museum-medieval-innovation-83177-3_w1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://www.france-voyage.com/visuals/props/museum-medieval-innovation-83177-3_w1000.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are looking for innovative, interesting, or cheap goods, look no further. These towns will have the most impressive marketplaces, the most niche shops, and very grand festivals. People here are free and take full advantage of their liberty.</span></span></div>
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There are good jobs to be had here. Lots of valuable goods come in and out, looking for protection, sellers, buyers, and raw materials hunters. Magistrates here will often contract out evidence discovery and for help in retrieving scoff-laws. Take care not to get involved in disputes, as it may make the party liable to the litigant.</div>
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d6 Encounters in an anarcho-capitalist town</div>
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1. Insurance Salesman! A press-gang of insurance salesmen wait near the gate, and seeing the new faces of the party peddle their wares. The players are offered over a dozen different policies at varying prices and durations, but the salesmen are all talking over each other. Soon they start to get rough and a fist fight breaks out. A peace officer eyes them while chuckling to himself.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. An unscrupulous litigant runs into the party and fabricates a claim of offense on the party. He is willing to settle out of court for a small fee. If the players complain or begin to investigate, enough people will come forward to finally convince a magistrate to get rid of the jerk. The players can get charged a small fee or make a moderate fee in reparations from the magistrate.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. An orphan who takes advantage of outsiders' opinions of capitalism crawls to the party in dirty rags. Begging for food, water, and coin, the attractive young woman is pulling one over on the party. If they come to the town often, they may see her in fancy clothes and drinking expensive wines at the taverns in town at night. She may attempt to bolster her story of the town's uncharitable nature by showing how little regard the townsfolk give for her, saying they claim she isn't really poor and just doesn't want to work.</span></div>
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<a href="http://climateandcapitalism.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/06/Kapitalismus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://climateandcapitalism.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/06/Kapitalismus.jpg" height="271" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. A well heeled young man sees the wealth the players are carrying and demands proof of ownership. If they hesitate or blow him off, he will fetch a peace officer claiming they stole from him. He assumes out-of-towner’s will be unfamiliar with the system and will settle for reparations when brought in front of a magistrate. Contested with actual proof, he will break down. He is actually just a desperate business owner looking to stay afloat after his cobbling business started getting out-competed by another cobbler across the street that grows shoes on trees. </span></div>
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<a href="http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/090622/GAL-09Jun22-2204/media/PHO-09Jun22-166618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/090622/GAL-09Jun22-2204/media/PHO-09Jun22-166618.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Peddling from a garishly purple cart, a snake oil salesman is offering a miracle tonic that will heal wounds, improve beauty, lengthen your life, or sharpen your wits. His claims are actually true and if the players do not act quickly he will be sold out soon. His prices are high, but reasonable for what is offered. The tonic can do any of those things but each use can only do one at a time; whichever the imbiber wants most when drank. If the players come around often</span><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">, he will offer to hire adventurers to gather more raw materials for the next batch in return for some tonics.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. P</span><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">layers come up on a going out of business sale, where a frumpy old woman sells the last of her goods out of her old adventuring goods store while a gleaming young woman inspects the store with new signage under one arm. The old woman rests comfortably behind the counter, counting up her retirement savings. The players found it right as the sale started, so the prices are good and most things are still in stock.</span></div>
<br />AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-5649114031295168962015-06-18T20:36:00.000-05:002015-07-07T21:43:41.554-05:00Single-Use Substances and Spelljunk (Part III)<div style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I just got a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Firefly-Game-Breakin-Booster-Expansion/dp/1940825008/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1432571064&sr=8-2&keywords=firefly+board+game">Firefly</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gale-Force-FIRE004BFM-Firefly-Pirates/dp/1940825016/ref=pd_bxgy_21_img_y">expansion</a> for my fiance for her birthday, and I'm rather excited about it. If all goes well, I may do a quick review of it as a supplement to my current Tuesday-Thursday posting pattern. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you play board games, what sort of games do you like? Which ones would you suggest I try?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333339691162px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 25.6000003814697px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/06/single-use-substances-and-spelljunk.html">Part II.</a></span></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black Powder Vial, Crude</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">400</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A poorly refined powder of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur, Black Powder is highly flammable. Thanks to either cheap ingredients, an incorrect recipe, or improper storage, this powder is fairly weak although still explosive. This vial can be used to instantly start fires in windy conditions using negligibly tiny pinches of the powder. Compressed and ignited, it will explode for 2d6 damage in 10 feet and 1d6 in 20 feet. A Dexterity save (DC 13) halves this damage. With an engineering check, the explosion ignores the hardness of a structure and deals maximum damage. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black Powder Vial 750</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The strong rotten egg odor of this pitch black powder belies the dangerous nature of the rocky mixture. The powder can be used to start fires or when lit in a closed container, explode. The explosion deals 4d6 damage in 15 feet and 2d6 in 30 feet. A Dexterity save (DC 15) halves this damage. If the user places the explosive with an engineering check, the explosion will ignore the hardness of a structure or object and deal maximum damage. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></h1>
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<a href="http://www.backcountrychronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/measure_black_powder3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.backcountrychronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/measure_black_powder3.jpg" height="300" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Refined Black Powder Vial</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fine black grains of the Refined Powder are the result of carefully guarded, secret recipes of mad or genius alchemists. The grains of this powder are so fine that they repel water, and can be lit in any place with enough air, regardless of the conditions. In a compressed container, the powder will explode violently after ignition. The explosion will cause 8d6 damage within 20 feet and 4d6 damage in 40 feet. A Dexterity save (DC 17) halves this damage. A saboteur-minded individual can set the explosive in such a manner, with an engineering check, to ignore the hardness of all objects and structures in the blast radius and deal them maximum damage. This check is harder the more objects the saboteur targets.</span></div>
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Gal_gromadzenie_urobku.jpg/220px-Gal_gromadzenie_urobku.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Gal_gromadzenie_urobku.jpg/220px-Gal_gromadzenie_urobku.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bottled Mine</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like its cousin, the Bottle Bar, this large jar contains a doll-sized version of its namesake. Inside is a tiny mine, complete with uniformed foreman, shadowy miners, and enough heavy equipment to keep them working. Uncorking it creates a mass of equipment needed to run a fully functional mine: tools, carts, foreman’s shack, a storage shed, a crane, track, and a dozen shadowy figures lead by a uniformed shadow-foreman. The foreman will obey the commands given by the last holder of the bottle. The foreman’s desk has a large drawer that will fit the jar perfectly in its velvet lining. The shadows act as ‘unseen servants’ and can mine as much, total, as a single professional miner could. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Camp in a Bottle</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">500</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Opening this glass flask’s waxed cloth stopper and dumping its tiny contents on the ground creates a fully stocked camp with a dozen tents and bedrolls in available space in the thirty feet surrounding the opener. A small, waterproof chest with two dozen dried rations and waterskins grows to full size at the user’s feet. Two oil soaked logs drop from the flask next to the chest. These can be burned as a normal campfire, worth a day of fire each. Once it is emptied of its miniaturized campsite, the flask loses all magical properties. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></h1>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://medievalotaku.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/1336937170375.jpg?w=640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://medievalotaku.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/1336937170375.jpg?w=640" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like a pike square in your pocket</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cavalry Spikes</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">250</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike normal caltrops, these four inch balls of iron have six evenly spaced depressions along its surface. If these are given the command, “Pike Formation!”, the six depressions rapidly extend forth four foot pikes. The tetrahedral points of the Cavalry Spikes ensure that three pikes always point out and up while the other three form a secured base. Any creature that makes a charge, second move, or similar hasty movement will be struck by the pikes. Such a creature takes 3d6 damage and must make a Dexterity save or have their movement stopped (DC 15). Mounts that are stopped suddenly may throw their riders. Cavalry spikes can be thrown quickly, even as a reaction. Cavalry Spikes can only be used once and remain extended, having expended their sizing magic.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Choking Powder</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">40</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While Choking Powder can come in many containers: purple cloth bags, rolled in wide blue leaves, or thin white ceramic jars. A tossed container of Choking Powder creates a thick cloud of purple-black smoke. The cloud has a ten foot radius and moves freely with any air currents. Any breathing creature starting their turn in the cloud must make a Constitution save (DC 13) or lose their action coughing and sneezing. The cloud lasts for three rounds or until dissipated. Used underwater, the cloud of choking powder only lasts for one round before becoming inert.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Refined Choking Powder</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">100</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fine, iridescent purple powder is irritating enough to make one’s eyes water and respiratory organs become agitated just by holding an open container of Refined Choking Powder. When smashed open or tossed, the fine powder becomes a 20 foot cloud of nearly invisible powder. Any creature that starts its turn in the cloud must make a Constitution save (DC 15) or that creature may only take a single move action to move at half speed. This affects any living creature that breathes or has exposed, sensitive mucous membranes such as eyes, mouths, or other similar biology. The creature spends that turn writhing in severe irritation. The cloud lasts for five rounds or until dissipated. Warnings are often listed on the container, as many a user has found themselves inside the nigh-invisible, noxious cloud when the wind changed. Used underwater, the powder will dissolve into a similar cloud 30 feet in radius that only lasts two rounds before becoming inert. Pouring milk on the affected areas of a creature cures them of its effects and grants advantage on saves against the choking powder for one minute.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dudeliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/cloud-lamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://dudeliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/cloud-lamp.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It <i><b>will </b></i>find a container to return to.</td></tr>
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<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cloud in a Bottle</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Uncorking the swirling, cloudy vortex in this clear wine bottle will expel a blast of strong wind in the direction of the opening that lasts for 1 minute. If outdoors, the weather will become one step cloudier within 12 hours and lasting for the next week. This has a corresponding effect on other types of weather related to the cloud cover. When released indoors or underground in an insufficiently large space for weather to take place, the strong gusts rush back into the bottle or another suitable container and re-cork themselves.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2013/11/19/1226762/935867-eced6be6-4ff3-11e3-9447-447e09e048d9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2013/11/19/1226762/935867-eced6be6-4ff3-11e3-9447-447e09e048d9.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Give no alms to the black eyed children.</td></tr>
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<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dark Shroom Oil</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21.3333333333333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4500</span></h1>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-d121334e-0962-68a2-2545-ff64c51f3831"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harvested from thin stalked mushrooms hidden in the base roots of jungle trees, Dark Shroom Oil is a fermented and torturous poison. As an oil, the poison can be applied in food, on a weapon, rubbed on as a contact poison, or heated into a noxious gas. Whatever the method of the deliver, one trait is shared, the poisoned creature that fails a save against it will be struck permanently blind and even those that successfully save will still have their sight reduced to 1/10th its normal distance for 1 minute as their eyes fill with the dark oil. When ingested, the victim must make a save each day. Each failed save results in a random limb turning black and becoming unresponsive. Three successful saves means the victim has metabolized enough poison to no longer suffer further ill effects. When inflicted with a weapon, the poison causes the wound to fester and rot, requiring a save. Failure results in an ongoing 3d6 poison damage with a new save each round allowing the victim to reduce the damage by 1d6. Success on that save still means that the creature cannot heal the damage the weapon dealt for 1 week. As a contact poison, the victim only has to worry about a one time save against the base blindness effect of the inky oil. When inhaled as a gas, the Dark Shroom Oil grants the victim a euphoric high for 1 hour and requires a save or the victim will fall into a euphoric coma for 1d4 days. Success on this save means the victim merely gains a minor manic compulsion. Any creature that has been blinded by the Dark Shroom Oil, even if they regain sight, never loses the ink-black eyes and is forever immune to its blinding effect. It is rumored that some afflicted by the Dark Shroom Oil cry a liquid that can be fermented into more poison, leading some depraved souls to purposefully inflict children and keep them captive.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/07/single-use-substances-and-spelljunk-IV.html">Part IV.</a></span>AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-71329768226838188922015-06-16T18:59:00.000-05:002015-06-16T18:59:34.764-05:00Geomorph Design Contest: Water Well, I was a big dumb and cannot perform basic calendar math so I did not get my three entries in on time. Even though I am ineligible this week, I still accomplished my goal of practicing my mapping skills, trying new techniques, and messing around with GIMP. Check out my three entries and tell me what you think.<br />
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I'm looking to get more involved in the OSR and RPG blogging world. Comment below or message me with any good forums, blogs, or other spaces you would suggest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mLe4Sv90vkUd7Yw8eh_U77OIorkp-zAy_2QorfavTxYrjsEU9cxB50miaGocdBoDRnO4wM_D-kpkFjfqwoZaqPxKnLwbrEzyofW52WJ7nP3-G6MLoeQQadygH7sRcICusRY9ATf8ihEs/s1600/Do_Not_Open_Welk_anarchydice.blogspot.com_cc-by-nc-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mLe4Sv90vkUd7Yw8eh_U77OIorkp-zAy_2QorfavTxYrjsEU9cxB50miaGocdBoDRnO4wM_D-kpkFjfqwoZaqPxKnLwbrEzyofW52WJ7nP3-G6MLoeQQadygH7sRcICusRY9ATf8ihEs/s320/Do_Not_Open_Welk_anarchydice.blogspot.com_cc-by-nc-4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Contents Under Pressure"</td></tr>
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Sandbags emplacements climb halfway up the eight foot ceilings of these rooms, while water leaks through crumbling wax stuffed between the wooden beams of the center room. A deadbolt at the top and bottom of each of the doors or bent and curved while the mounting strains under the pressure. A secret room, accessible from above, controls the drain in the center of the room and shut off the magical pumps filling the room. The watertight chests hide a secret treasure in the pressurized, watery room.<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKko79E2PwjjHj9a6tvHOPohYOgXtR2ynrQerBzKY5fM91HFG8oEC3XxK6uwrCNm75T1cTso1SjLAAogTkx3vkRpHIvWqEzYrm4hEMEu7X9HNIn7NrBxbAJOdj-Qkc9yogP2RWNG4lQP4L/s1600/Sharktopus_Welk_anarchydice.blogspot.com_cc-by-nc-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKko79E2PwjjHj9a6tvHOPohYOgXtR2ynrQerBzKY5fM91HFG8oEC3XxK6uwrCNm75T1cTso1SjLAAogTkx3vkRpHIvWqEzYrm4hEMEu7X9HNIn7NrBxbAJOdj-Qkc9yogP2RWNG4lQP4L/s320/Sharktopus_Welk_anarchydice.blogspot.com_cc-by-nc-4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sharktopus"</td></tr>
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Now I'm not saying there is or isn't a vicious mutant in that pool, but I do see that golden chest across the way. Let's draw straws to see who goes in first.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj75ZzFfiL0ovGXeOJ0NFoTmKwQYI5eQv521RXr_gG7m4esa1t163NeaJcnqQVwrygWffMElkhntGQrvI8YdO5ZXK2SoiY6Wjm0S0injC7Q1UxFkw4UzJQleD7sNvTGKSOG52WOCoqwGcI/s1600/Storied_Crossing_Welk_anarchydice.blogspot.com_cc-by-nc-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj75ZzFfiL0ovGXeOJ0NFoTmKwQYI5eQv521RXr_gG7m4esa1t163NeaJcnqQVwrygWffMElkhntGQrvI8YdO5ZXK2SoiY6Wjm0S0injC7Q1UxFkw4UzJQleD7sNvTGKSOG52WOCoqwGcI/s320/Storied_Crossing_Welk_anarchydice.blogspot.com_cc-by-nc-4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Storied Crossing"</td></tr>
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The room is cool and moisture hangs in the air while swift waters crash below. A faint whiff of sulfur can be picked up by sensitive noses.<br /><br />AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-9756660097161165862015-06-11T20:21:00.000-05:002015-06-11T20:21:32.820-05:00The Art of Being a Monster: Giant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/castleage/images/f/f5/Monster_glacius_large.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110423021226" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/castleage/images/f/f5/Monster_glacius_large.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110423021226" height="402" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-art-of-being-monster.html">Giant</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your greatest advantages are the integral nature of your size and strength, which will grant a stiff combat advantage against all but the largest foes. A less obvious gift to your prowess in battle is your long lives that will grant you wisdom that more temporally disadvantaged creatures could only wish for. Use that time wisely to keep appraised of tactics, technology, and conventions of modern combat and other creatures. Maintaining this tactical edge makes your brute strength into much more than a simple club to bludgeon your foes with.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">F: The fighter’s combat abilities to dodge, block, parry, or absorb your attacks will be the most dangerous for a typical, physically focused giant. Fighters will have access to disarming, disabling, or just plain powerful attacks that can break through your toughness. Use your long reach and let them come fight you in the open. Keep feigning a re-positioning retreat to both instill false confidence and force the smaller fighter to come through your long reach many more times. Doing this will give you a defensively powerful position and many free opportunities to strike at the fighter before they can strike you. This tactic is only made more effective if their team mates attempt to flank and lend credence to this false tactic of feigning retreats. If their allies do not attempt to flank, keep re-positioning towards their allies to keep them threatened and unable to act freely while holding off the fighter. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T: With the thief’s poor reach and the difficulty they will have effectively flanking you, thanks to your reach, they are the lowest level of threat. They can quickly become a threat if they start climbing on you or get into a position you cannot easily attack. If they climb on you, drop to the ground and roll, jump in water, or perform any other actions you would normally perform to extinguish a fire or kill swarm of bugs. Do not try to waste time or risk accidental damage by attacking them or grappling them. Use their flanking maneuvers to feint defensiveness and move into position to threaten their more dangerous allies. For ranged thieves, toss a few ranged attacks their way as they have low health and will not survive trading blows with you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R: A ranged foes tiny attacks are nearly harmless. Only the most dangerous of archer would start to become a threat by targeting your most vulnerable points like your eyes, joints, or vitals. Your large size usually means that your chosen battlefields offer many open terrain and places to snipe from. If possible, utilize cover, but it is not a priority. For those rangers that become a problem, it is easy enough to shut them down by getting within reach and threatening them with melee strikes or to trap them in their hiding spaces with large objects.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">W: With you being a lone target with a strong fortitude against magic, the wizard will be hard pressed to become a dangerous opponent. Their spells are most effective against many clustered enemies or those with poor defenses against magic. Your long reach means that you can easily maneuver around their defenders to keep them threatened and unable to easily cast spells. Although your typical terrain offers them good lines of sight for their magic, it also means you can easily end a troublesome mage with a few ranged attacks or thrown boulders. Keep them from position well by continually feinting around their allies to keep them within reach. They cannot survive a direct assault so they will likely retreat every time.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 18.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Giant’s Constant Vigil</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The life of a giant requires constant watch against the quickly changing world. Just a few centuries ago, the rivers were shallower and the mountains were taller. While the world changes quickly, the regiment below will never become obsolete and is powerful wisdom that any venerable giant should take heed of.</span></div>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Osmar_Schindler_David_und_Goliath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Osmar_Schindler_David_und_Goliath.jpg" height="200" width="144" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will not underestimate opponents by size. No matter how many smaller foes have been utterly squashed, there are enough tales of the underestimated and smaller opponent winning that they will keep trying. If they are willing to fight, they have a reason, whether it is desperation or they actually believe they can win. Always assume that they have a reason to think they could win and treat them as such.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Keep regular contact with your surrounding realm and avoid becoming a recluse. I will do this to make sure I have allies, stay appraised of any changes occurring, and I will have someone that will notice if I die, making it less likely that I will be targeted and killed. My dangerous opponents will most likely be meticulous planners and will have to accommodate any allies I accumulate, decreasing the risk to reward ratio for attacking me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will not keep treasure and my valuable ancient tools in convenient places for looters. This will attract thieves and reward adventurers that steal from me. I will invest my treasure into non-easily removed architecture, buildings, artwork, etc and I will keep the treasure I do not want taken separated and disguised to look less valuable. My tools and conveniences that could be seen as valuable will be made to appear less expensive where possible or will be cursed to inconvenience any who take them from me without permission. Even minor curses make most items lose their value. These curses will be obvious and will bear similar markings or magical effects as those items I do not curse or give different strengths of curses.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-When I sleep, I will be sure to set methods that will wake me if interesting events are occurring or anyone enters my protected areas. Too many giants have had their long slumber under hills or in the mountains disturbed by glory seekers ready to take advantage of them. This will have fail-safes that make sure I am not disturbed unnecessarily by things like wildlife. I will safely investigate any repeated intrusions that attempt to repeatedly disturb my sleep to weaken me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Despite the speed and inanity of the cultural changes of smaller species, I will keep up to date with the basics of what the current standards of warfare, technology, commerce, and general political or cultural trends so that I can understand my enemies, allies, and neighbors. I will not allow myself to ignorantly cling to an incorrect assumption of how others will act.</span></div>
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<a href="http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/101/r43_219x164_17607_Column_Cyclops_2d_fantasy_concept_art_monster_giant_character_creature_warrior_mythology_cyclop_pictur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/101/r43_219x164_17607_Column_Cyclops_2d_fantasy_concept_art_monster_giant_character_creature_warrior_mythology_cyclop_pictur.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will cross cultural lines and befriend other giant-kind. This will improve my diplomatic standing, earn me new allies, and most importantly open access to abilities that I would not otherwise have. Even giants who are inferior in every way can still offer me benefits in that they can spend their time working where the have the smallest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_advantage">comparative disadvantage</a>, and we will both end up better off than not working together. This might mean offering protection to weaker giants in return for food harvests or even just mutual calls to aid. With stronger giants the reverse applies, meaning I have something to offer even the greatest giant. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Dwarves and other smaller races are well trained at fighting my kind, having many generations of instilled fear and practice. I will not engage them in a manner that fits their training. I will learn the tricks and ways tactics they use to fight my kind so that I can subvert their training when it is advantageous for me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-My lair will not have access points or servant tunnels that I cannot access or utilize. If I must have these, I will ensure that such positions are an impediment rather than a refuge to any who would use them to attack me. This can include the architecture of the space, the design of its entrances, the presence of traps, or being an inconvenient shape to fight from.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-In the area surrounding my lair, I will leave misleading clues as to my size and strength. These will include things like footprints, hand prints, or tool marks that would leave my opponents guessing as to my size. Having many sizes can also fool the unwary into thinking there are more giants with me than are truly there. They may even be convinced to spare me, should I lose against all odds, by tricking them into thinking that I am the enslaved underling of a larger, crueler giant. I will never willingly give up information related to what type and size of giant I am to any person unless I want my foes to find out that information.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will not follow my opponents into a small space or enclosed area that I have not investigated. Too many of my kind have fallen prey to traps and such in small enclosed spaces. Low ceilings, closely grown trees, hidden pits, and other such traps can remove my ability to maneuver or use my long reach in combat. If I must go into such a situation, I will enter with a backup plan for when I lose the fight.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will keep on hand size changing magic to surprise foes and attack from angles and places that are unexpected. Opponents who think they are safe in small areas and opponents expecting a normal sized giant will be hard pressed to deal with further size changes, either from a smaller giant attacking from unexpected places or from a larger giant with more strength than prepared for. The size changing magic also works well to conceal my true size and avoid traps set to deal with a giant in mind.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.onelight.com/hollow/giant/myth/cyclops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.onelight.com/hollow/giant/myth/cyclops.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will not employ slaves of any smaller creature or humanoid. They will be too knowledgeable about my lair and slavery will build a lingering hatred of me that will make them easy to bribe or coerce into working for my enemies, no matter how much fear I think I have instilled. If I must have slaves, I will never trust them to be loyal and always assume that they can and will betray me at the worst possible moments, leaving appropriate contingencies for such a thing. I will not leave any crucially important task in a position they can interrupt.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-If I keep prisoners or smaller humanoids for food or other uses, I will make sure that they see a mixture of actual plans and traps in my lair as well as false traps and plans. This will ensure that they cannot discern which is which if my enemies get access to my prisoners. I will hide both my true and false plans from them, making it less obvious that I am creating false plans.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will seed and propagate stories about giants that feature giants as both terrifying, ancient behemoths and as a gentle, kind folk of unusual size. This ensures that adventurers can never typecast me into any role while allowing me the flexibility to adopt either, neither, or both as it suits my purposes. I can take on the intimidation inherent in years of terrible stories or the compassion of a simple, long-lived giant to match my needs. The risk of a dangerous giant keeps away peasants and cowards while the boredom of a simple, gentle giant diverts the foolhardy and greedy to more interesting and rich prey. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will not use tests of strength or riddles to confront adventurers. They often display properties outside of their appearances and if I use the same test on many people, they will come prepared to pass my test. Should I want or need to use such a test for a disguise or peaceful diffusing of conflict, I will have a battery of different tests and riddles ready that I can deploy with a high likelihood of winning or losing. It will never be obvious which I intend to do based on the challenge I present.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will keep my head protected at all times. Too many giants have taken their size advantage to think that opponents cannot damage their head, when in reality it is one of our most vulnerable points. If an opponent tricks me into smashing my head on something or gets up on my shoulders I would have a long way to fall.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will not be goaded to anger. Being enraged means I can and will make stupid mistakes. It does not matter how much my enemies have harmed me, enslaved my family, or done wrong, goading me will not be allowed to be effective. I may sometimes fake breaking this rule if my opponent can be tricked into underestimating a supposedly ‘angered’ giant. This is a benefit of having many allies as they can often keep me in check from rage-fueled actions, encouraging level-headedness. I will do the same for my allies, minions, and supporters as well.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.wizards.com/magic/images/cardart/CSP/Jotun_Owl_Keeper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wizards.com/magic/images/cardart/CSP/Jotun_Owl_Keeper.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will keep and employ allies, minions, and pets of very small sizes. These will compliment my strength and size with precise, tiny, flanking combatants’ attacks. Utilizing a counterbalance of attack types in my plans will keep my foes from being able to plan their tactics to fight me. They will be forced to protect against disparate types of attacks, as most attacks effective against large creatures fail against the very small and vice-a-versa.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Flight, teleportation, and mobility effects will be very useful to surprise my enemies who will be expecting a slow, landlocked, and inflexible giant. I will keep magic and minions with access to such abilities as I would do well to cover a weakness that most opponents don’t even recognize giants have, being limited to large, open, ground. This also serves well to counter any ground based tactics, especially those of the fighter or thief types.</span></div>
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<a href="http://i.livescience.com/images/i/000/026/804/iFF/gloomy-stonehenge.jpg?1335967498" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.livescience.com/images/i/000/026/804/iFF/gloomy-stonehenge.jpg?1335967498" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-The mysteries and ancient origins of my people are a source of power. I will seed stories that obscure my physical origins in favor of elusive origin stories, ancient tales of giants forming the natural world, and attributing grand phenomena to giants’ interventions. This will keep the small folk guessing as to the true extent of my powers while also making me seem peaceful and related to the natural world. There is little glory and wealth perceived to be had in fighting against a generally benign force of nature, meaning I will have fewer enemies. Superstitious folk are good allies in this, as they will not want to disturb the natural order and if I establish myself as part of that order, my enemies will find little purchase among superstitious types, and maybe even outright hostility. I will treat such folk with a mixture of kindness and intimidation to apply both the carrot and the stick to this relationship.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-49d4ce71-e552-cf5b-aa7f-e00176b555e4"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any giant who keeps these thoughts in their mind every day will live to have a long vigil in this world. </span></span>AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-80773456600418460502015-06-09T20:38:00.000-05:002015-06-09T20:38:09.211-05:00Mythoard: Loot Behind Every Door<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeIpaehq5JimNuw_xIRzYel4IaP4A4kheLZTqAhjM45B5f23NypULr6lN6U0phxkk3jeviCavkczdCEWXMENH7tz6Eja6MG_4DkFeZcnBItGtmcp__IcW0kB0aDotEq8FxFaKLisy4dM_/s1600/IMG_0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeIpaehq5JimNuw_xIRzYel4IaP4A4kheLZTqAhjM45B5f23NypULr6lN6U0phxkk3jeviCavkczdCEWXMENH7tz6Eja6MG_4DkFeZcnBItGtmcp__IcW0kB0aDotEq8FxFaKLisy4dM_/s320/IMG_0114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This month is a pretty good haul, if I do say so myself (as if I had any say or input in the actual things going inside it, ha). I got a lot of things I will use that I didn't even know I wanted. This is what you sign up for a subscription box to get!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSRsSSEMyPXK7xDCQ50tpYHw-YXrbfRZ8V8E1WNEUjW4hvUydsHkpMMJpSNovZlXEciieNxSwdNXxXonWO0XlRgKb2ypbY4x-q93QfX22dLyvWbRlk0nuogejX5-_0dndDseSOkq1UAGR/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSRsSSEMyPXK7xDCQ50tpYHw-YXrbfRZ8V8E1WNEUjW4hvUydsHkpMMJpSNovZlXEciieNxSwdNXxXonWO0XlRgKb2ypbY4x-q93QfX22dLyvWbRlk0nuogejX5-_0dndDseSOkq1UAGR/s320/IMG_0117.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Keeping up with the last few boxes, this one has a 'zine filled with all sorts of tables, adventures, house-rules, etc. I did like the Leprechaun's Rosary magic item, which has a sort of Rod of Wonder table with it. I'm not the biggest fan of the magazines, but there is some good stuff in there *grumble* *grumble*. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqVUyWwLmWYOKL_ZNFPszgYsYk3vfWd3ijrgY8tPJ8MaMIDnjvylUMOLLrVedBc6vVMYC4uNn3wOEIfQOgVHiTDsL4v8kSkbi9W7yFO6a6uv43gucIUZAat98paSZ8AKzqtxWv8oNSKF1/s1600/IMG_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqVUyWwLmWYOKL_ZNFPszgYsYk3vfWd3ijrgY8tPJ8MaMIDnjvylUMOLLrVedBc6vVMYC4uNn3wOEIfQOgVHiTDsL4v8kSkbi9W7yFO6a6uv43gucIUZAat98paSZ8AKzqtxWv8oNSKF1/s320/IMG_0118.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's a 1 inch magnetic monster token on top of a printed tavern. I'm thinking of cutting this up and making it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/theDMsCraft">2.5D</a> to drop down as a pre-finished house when I need overland structures. Chop off a few walls, glue the whole thing to some foam core or cardboard, add some trim around the sides, and bam. Maybe I'll make a quick post doing just that...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAG89-OF5cGG26JVcblovx9CfBNWneEGf_A_BYDGcwI-XBFCnZsElTfiRwv4sSOl7r62KSc5NEmSi98JlolwGWBNSbgwwIOz2lvwDUyeBrW4S38veJ7S5B-kY-cKQyaKJ7wDVZcOuLVBZC/s1600/IMG_0119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAG89-OF5cGG26JVcblovx9CfBNWneEGf_A_BYDGcwI-XBFCnZsElTfiRwv4sSOl7r62KSc5NEmSi98JlolwGWBNSbgwwIOz2lvwDUyeBrW4S38veJ7S5B-kY-cKQyaKJ7wDVZcOuLVBZC/s320/IMG_0119.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's the white box Omnibus Player and Referee Options for use with the Swords and Wizardry rules download. I have no opinion on this as I have not ever played S&W, but this will give me a free opportunity to read up on it and maybe try it? It has a few modules to run as well as the basic rules, so there's nothing standing in my way to give it a go.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHfqW9TWbfi1QXvCtsgth9uvPe2Ne01fwqCQX_sc2xbTFyswkseKAyAi3B1CqsC2DolvT582yWiSdtvRdLouGr1wcqQmd7UcjdDkg5xXSNI-1PpVLOD0RgWo18e_ka0_BNe5_33YxbM4Z/s1600/IMG_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHfqW9TWbfi1QXvCtsgth9uvPe2Ne01fwqCQX_sc2xbTFyswkseKAyAi3B1CqsC2DolvT582yWiSdtvRdLouGr1wcqQmd7UcjdDkg5xXSNI-1PpVLOD0RgWo18e_ka0_BNe5_33YxbM4Z/s320/IMG_0120.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Last but not least, my three favorite items from this month. The red dice are a nice complete set that are visually distinct from my usual dice colors. That makes them easy to lend out or add to my usuals when I need an extra d8 or d4. The little notebook is a perfect pad for jotting down quick notes or, as the skull and crossbones indicates, monster hit points. I have always just used a corner of a page here, a notebook margin there, so having a nicely sized page pad like this is something I didn't even know I wanted. I hate having my DM space be cluttered (hence why I coded up my printed pages of random tables, but don't look at it, <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2014/06/your-own-personal-gming-program.html">my programming is not great</a>). The last of the three musketeers is the random door deck, with types of doors and modifications on each card back. Now, I won't have to fumble and make up a door type when asked, I can draw from this handy card pile! </div>
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All in all, I was quite impressed with the selection of goods this month. Congratulations on your six month, <a href="http://www.mythoard.com/">Mythoard</a>! Their website seems to be filling out nicely too, it got a face lift since the last time I looked over there.</div>
<br />AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-72124886422691248952015-06-04T20:25:00.000-05:002015-06-23T20:48:40.426-05:00Anarchist Towns: Anarcho-MonarchyYou often see lists of random towns with everything from hamlets to cities run in all ways: monster theocracies to run of the mill monarchs, and everything in between, except for anything without a government. Well, I suppose they are included, unless you mean the crazy, violence filled 'anarchy' a la Mad Max. As an anarchist myself, I do have to say that this is more than a little inaccurate. I'll be starting a series hoping to impart my impressions of various anarchist flavors into town structures you can use in your games. Let me blur the line between anarchy and gaming a little bit.<br />
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<a href="http://dev.bukkit.org/media/images/41/299/monarchy3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://dev.bukkit.org/media/images/41/299/monarchy3.png" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
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1. Anarcho-Monarchist: Let me apologize first, as this is one of the forms of anarchy I understand the least, so I hope I put together a fairly decent representation of it. Here <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2010/11/anarcho-monarchism">are</a> <a href="http://anarcho-monarchism.com/">some</a> <a href="http://www.anarcho-distributist.org/pdf%20Documents/On%20Anarcho-Monarchism.pdf">sources</a>. I can certainly see the appeal to the basic tribal instinct inherent in having a regency to represent you, your community, and your very way of life.<br />
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The people here revolted from their republican or oligarchic past to return to a chosen monarch who will protect their way of life. It is both their tradition and expectation that any monarch who fails to uphold their beliefs will be ousted to maintain their way of life.<br />
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Their choice in monarch is voluntary, and every person is given the free choice in supporting any of the noble families on each decennial Regency Festival or leaving the town. Those who leave are free to take one year's earnings plus the value of their land.<br />
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<a href="http://cdn1.anarcho-monarchism.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Christian_anarchism-440x300.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn1.anarcho-monarchism.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Christian_anarchism-440x300.png" height="218" width="320" /></a></div>
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The town's laws will be heavily based on their culture, and defending their traditions. Outsiders who approach will be confronted to make sure they understand what sort of city this is and a vague idea of what rules lie within. This action is the way that the townsfolk absolve themselves of harming any outsiders who do not consent to their way of life. This core part of their belief makes them incredibly proud of their heritage and 'better' than the uncultured lands surrounding them.<br />
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The town's economy will revolve around the traditional and specialized economies of the people and region. They are not backwards and will readily adopt new techniques and tools, but will run such things through a series of noble families, regents, or the monarch. Prices are set yearly by the monarch and the monarch occasionally sets labor practices in accordance with the good of the realm.<br />
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The monarch is expected to and limited by the will of their subjects to uphold the kingdom, rather than any singular monarch's power or wealth. As long as the monarch maintains their side of the bargain, the people follow the edicts, rules, and laws to the letter. Those who break the laws are given one appeal to the monarch before they are expelled. Expelled individuals who return are killed.<br />
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The architecture of the town will be very conservative and traditional. Such builders put great emphasis on strong defensive designs, able to outlast and defeat aggressive warlords and countries that surround an anarcho-monarchist society.<br />
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Anarcho-monarchists have no problem allying with others if it benefits them, but most kingdoms do not respect the anarcho-monarchists' domain out of principle (believing that the peasants are beneath them, rather than part of a mutual relationship), other anarchist hate them for their ruler, and other forms of governance generally do not trust them. Often, anarcho-monarchist towns will cluster near each other as a result of people leaving one city to form their own monarchy. Most surviving monarchies of this type result from multiple anarcho-monarchist towns allying together against outside forces, with singular towns often getting swallowed up. These towns often see new towns branching off to form new monarchies. The people greatly enjoy the rivalries, betrayals, and diplomacy between anarcho-monarchic societies. Wars between anarcho-monarchic towns only result in diplomatic concessions such as humiliation, extravagant gifts, or nominal land exchanges. These concessions are out of respect to the belief in the people's right to choose their ruler.<br />
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If you are looking for good historians, anarcho-monarchies will have the grandest libraries and the most enthusiastic scholars: Maesters, historians, scholars, librarians, history buffs, students, teachers, mentors...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or is the whole thing REALLY voluntary?</td></tr>
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Anarcho-Monarchies<br />
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d6 Encounters in an anarcho-monarchy<br />
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1. King/Queen Day! Everyone is celebrating with the traditional gold and purple pastry made with oats and honey. If the players join the celebration, they may end up drinking the free ale. Joining the festivities might mean meeting some cute or handsome villagers who will be disappointing that the party won't stay and join their town. The King/Queen would surely find a great place for such powerful adventurers. There would be plenty of quests and treasure too...<br />
2. The players have unknowingly broken an archaic rule! Something having to do with garter belts on Tuesdays or maybe with stepping on chipped cobblestones without visiting a cobbler... The players better read up on the laws of this town because they are about to have an audience with the monarch. Better hope they can talk their way out of this, or maybe they wanted to meet the monarch already.<br />
3. Small children run up and ask the players about their own rulers back home. They ask who they voted for last, and are confused if the players don't understand voting. If the players try to explain their governing body, the children chide in worried tone "why can't the people choose for themselves?" or another similar line.<br />
4. A kindly old couple stop the adventurer(s) in the street and ask how them how they are doing. They are honestly curious about the adventurers, the outside world, and try to tie the topic back to their hometown (which is nearby one of the players' villages). If asked, they moved to this kingdom, found happiness, and were unsuccessful at bringing their relatives along. They suggest the players retire here when they are done.<br />
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<a href="http://www.artsunlight.com/artist-photo/Ilya-Repin/portrait-of-dmitry-ivanovich-mendeleev-wearing-the-edinburgh-university-123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.artsunlight.com/artist-photo/Ilya-Repin/portrait-of-dmitry-ivanovich-mendeleev-wearing-the-edinburgh-university-123.jpg" height="320" width="267" /></a></div>
5. A man in patchwork robes drunkenly stops the party to argue the finer points of anarcho-monarchy. If the players agree with him, he thinks they are mocking. If they disagree, he thinks they are stumbling buffoons. Either way, any response will send him into a drunken rage where he will attack the party with song and sword, revealing he is a moderately powerful bard whose drunkenness imposes a 50% failure on all of his abilities.<br />
6. A young adult runs past the party holding a bag, dropping jewelry all over the road, as armored guards slowly walk towards him. He has rejected the current monarch but refuses to leave, and the guards unhappily must remove him from the town. Does the party step in to let him keep his home and jewelry business or will they side with the rules of the town that he agreed to for most of his life?<br />
<br />AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-35019332577317015002015-06-02T21:20:00.000-05:002015-06-18T20:36:07.997-05:00Single-Use Substances and Spelljunk (Part II)<div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
This week has been a rather good week for me. I just started a cool new job with a great company (I've never gotten along so well with people at an interview, and this is coming from someone who usually aces interviews). I somehow managed to get a third place finish in the <a href="http://www.onepagedungeon.info/">one page dungeon contest</a> with <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/04/one-page-dungeon-contest-2015-race-to.html">this entry</a> winning me a $25 gift coupon to <a href="http://www.waynesbooks.net/">Wayne's Books</a>, which I used to buy the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Challenges">Book of Challenges</a> as it caught my eye and is something I could easily port over to 5e (expect a review when it comes in). Holy crap I've never won anything like this before so it is amazing to see my skill has improved so much since my embarrassing <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2014/04/one-page-dungeon-contest.html">first entry</a>. Maybe I can pull a hat trick and win this weeks geomorph contest?</div>
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Enough bragging, I sincerely appreciate your page views and hope you find what I do here valuable. If you do, please consider +1's, shares, and following me on your chosen RSS feed.</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_746933064"></span>Part I.<span id="goog_746933065"></span></a></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beast Bomb, Lesser 500</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When this cluster of beige fuzz balls are tossed to the ground, they transform into a swarm of tiny animals. A beast bomb can be tossed up to 10 feet and turn into a 5 foot swarm of diminutive fuzzy creatures appropriate to the terrain that cause all creatures that begin their turn in the swarm to take a -1 penalty to all rolls. The swarm obeys the simple verbal commands of the thrower, can move up to 10 feet each round, can climb, and will last until the swarm takes 10 damage. After five minutes, the swarm will disperse.</span></div>
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<a href="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/f/fa/Kirk_surrounded_by_Tribbles.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090530212257&path-prefix=en" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/f/fa/Kirk_surrounded_by_Tribbles.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090530212257&path-prefix=en" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beast Bomb</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The beast bomb is a bundle of a half dozen balls of brown hair. Tossed up to 20 feet away, the beast bomb transforms into a swarm of tiny animals fitting the current environment. These animals take up ten square feet and deal 1d6 damage each round to any creature that begins their turn in its space. Those creatures also take a -2 penalty to all rolls. The swarm obeys the simple verbal commands of the thrower, can move up to 20 feet each round, can climb, and will last until the swarm takes 20 damage. After five minutes, the swarm will disperse.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beast Bomb, Greater</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Greater Beast Bomb is made up of over a dozen wiggling ovals of coarse black hair, and is typically held in a net. This beast bomb creates a swarm of small animals fitting the local environment when it is thrown up to thirty feet. The swarm occupies twenty square feet and deal 3d6 damage each round to any creature that begins their turn in the space it occupies. Those creatures also make their rolls with disadvantage. The swarm Larger beast bomb with large and more dangerous animals. The swarm obeys the simple verbal commands of the thrower, can move up to 30 feet each round, can climb, and will last until the swarm takes 50 damage. After one hour, the swarm will disperse.</span></div>
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<a href="http://worth1000.s3.amazonaws.com/submissions/313500/313743_22c2_625x1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://worth1000.s3.amazonaws.com/submissions/313500/313743_22c2_625x1000.jpg" height="320" width="221" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beauty Balm</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">100</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Opening this small ceramic jar greets the opener with the light scent of lemon and sea salt. The face cream inside temporarily makes the wearer more beautiful and confident according to their own beliefs about beauty: Orcs might get cool scars, Dwarves might get a thicker beard, etc. This grants a +2 bonus on all social interaction checks for 1 hour or until the user’s face gets wet. If the user wears it for the entire hour, it begins to run and stain, imposing a -2 penalty to social interactions checks for the rest of the day. </span></div>
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<a href="http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/067/f/5/bird_explosion_by_chickensandducks-d4s5117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/067/f/5/bird_explosion_by_chickensandducks-d4s5117.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bird Bomb</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">300</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thin jewelry wire formed into this bronze cage is filled to its brim with grey and white feathers. Smashed open or tossed up to 30 feet away, the Bird Bomb explodes into a flock of tiny birds fitting to the local environment. Hundreds of nervous birds scatter in every direction in a cacophony of bird calls. This grants total concealment to everything within 20 feet of the explosion for one round and concealment for 1d4 rounds following. The birds quickly scatter but not before knocking down any unattended objects and any creature within 60 feet that fail an easy strength save (DC 10).</span></div>
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/XQvwRaM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/XQvwRaM.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bird Feather Token</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 300</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Made of finely carved pine, this huge wooden feather transforms into a five foot bird when broken. The bird will take on the coloration the user has in mind when it is summoned. It can carry up to 100 pounds and obey simple verbal commands. The bird will become aloof and fly away after one hour.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blood Mites</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">200</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The inside of this glass jar is smeared with small lines of red as a thick layer of dark brown writhes at the bottom. The Blood Mites inside the jar will attack the first creature they touch when released, poured out, or spread on a weapon. Each jar has enough mites for three uses. A living, material plane creature inflicted with blood mites will take 1 damage each round to a maximum of 1 damage per hit die they have. Once the ticks deal their full damage, they become engorged and fall off to hide and lay eggs. The Blood Mites can be stuck to a weapon using the thick animal blood in the jar, but if the attack misses the mites will attack the first creature to tough the weapon they were put on. If thrown, the mites will attack up to three creatures in a five foot burst. A creature may spend their action to kill one group of mites attacking them.</span></div>
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<a href="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5490/12213481634_abfaa413ce_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5490/12213481634_abfaa413ce_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bone of a Heretic</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As an attack, touching a divine spellcaster with this blackened thigh bone will force them to make a save using their spellcasting stat (DC 12) or lose a random spell. Each use of the bone in this manner weakens the bone, and its durability die must be rolled each time. The bone starts with a d20 die and decreases in die size each time it is rolled. On a result of a ‘1’, the bone’s fractures become too much and the bone splinters. If the bone is broken, on purpose or accidentally, it negates all divine spells of 4th level or lower in a 100 foot radius and all divine casters must save (DC 18) or lose their 2 highest level spells. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bone of a Saint</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8000</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Using this pearlescent femur as a focus when casting a non-hostile divine spell on another creature has a 1 in 10 chance of keeping that spell in memory even after it is cast. Each use of the bone in this manner weakens the bone, and its durability die must be rolled each time. The bone starts with a d20 die and decreases in die size each time it is rolled. On a result of a ‘1’, the bone’s fractures become too much and the bone splinters. Breaking a Saint’s Bone will cancel all curses and hostile spells within 100 feet that are level 4 or below. Each creature freed from such an effect regains hit points equal to the total spell levels negated.</span></div>
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<a href="http://clutchmov.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/toy-and-doll-dollhouse-tavern1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://clutchmov.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/toy-and-doll-dollhouse-tavern1.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bottled Bar</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2000</span></h1>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-00aec7b4-b730-a860-23b8-e392debe8f70"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Bottled Bar is a large glass jar containing a miniaturized tavern complete with flickering lights in the windows and moving patrons. Uncorking the jar will rapidly grow the internal tavern, manifesting it in the space around the opener. This creates a permanent tavern in this location, filling what space it can in the surrounding 30 foot cube with a fully stocked tavern. This includes fuel, firewood, food, drink, fireplace, tables, beds, interior walls, etc. A single ‘unseen servant’ tends this tavern under the command of the last holder of the bottle, which has a convenient mount above the fireplace.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/06/single-use-substances-and-spelljunk-III.html">Part III.</a></span>AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-55407036258518268702015-05-29T17:41:00.003-05:002015-05-29T17:41:53.319-05:00Geomorph Design Contest: TombsHere are my three entries for this <a href="http://inkwellideas.com/2015/05/shrine-geomorphmapcontest-winners/">bi-weekly geomorph design contest</a> with the secret ingredient of tomb or tombs. I tried my hand at a few more GIMP tools and I am becoming quite happy with my improving mapping and image modifying skills. Check out my geomorph skill progress over time <a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/search/label/Geomorph">here</a>.<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDclXppLv_J1EV9-FOE8dURORGnhLq6hzov5Jnfhs6LzQF8wq1OKKygHGoJsIbdBJHCCcaZStWpatPFIWL05WkejCTkUAb5BTCJwzKGqmaDSIxx6Iw87K4bTjzHsVyiTrSyMn3XLQCtFy/s1600/Welk-6-01-Tomb-1-Colored.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDclXppLv_J1EV9-FOE8dURORGnhLq6hzov5Jnfhs6LzQF8wq1OKKygHGoJsIbdBJHCCcaZStWpatPFIWL05WkejCTkUAb5BTCJwzKGqmaDSIxx6Iw87K4bTjzHsVyiTrSyMn3XLQCtFy/s320/Welk-6-01-Tomb-1-Colored.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Chill In the Air"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQAFQb-60x-VCAv5-uFKbLm7pRiCtEUDoOai9k03Sid0SuWqAz5VWi3QaAxT7Udt3Fy2i0RIuIBOLNV9BJoL9slwpNqXrl_GF216q5CSfqRUoD4bLVTk-SNidnJj5p1fkIw8lxi91gmZN/s1600/Welk-6-01-Tomb-2-Colored.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQAFQb-60x-VCAv5-uFKbLm7pRiCtEUDoOai9k03Sid0SuWqAz5VWi3QaAxT7Udt3Fy2i0RIuIBOLNV9BJoL9slwpNqXrl_GF216q5CSfqRUoD4bLVTk-SNidnJj5p1fkIw8lxi91gmZN/s320/Welk-6-01-Tomb-2-Colored.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Do Not Open"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLILx5OC6q71dqzmcx6CMbXBfAv0Mw9zJ1sZkg1NEpZDKqBtgrWRW0PsqYFpOt4qSkyeHHuRWciZqC6-Ui9kl8ByWVd2aSmO3DlHBGH0xJe-aOHgTM9OwBkU0YShSpUpkv84K1MkYt0rd4/s1600/Welk-6-01-Tomb-3-Colored.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLILx5OC6q71dqzmcx6CMbXBfAv0Mw9zJ1sZkg1NEpZDKqBtgrWRW0PsqYFpOt4qSkyeHHuRWciZqC6-Ui9kl8ByWVd2aSmO3DlHBGH0xJe-aOHgTM9OwBkU0YShSpUpkv84K1MkYt0rd4/s320/Welk-6-01-Tomb-3-Colored.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Taken Too Young"</td></tr>
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If you like the content I create, take a moment to add me to your favorite RSS feed, comment, and share. If you do share it, I'll show my appreciation by letting you pick a blog topic or map/magic item/design idea to write about!<div>
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AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-68557894291532389542015-05-27T16:15:00.002-05:002015-06-02T21:11:27.560-05:00Single-Use Substances and Spelljunk (Part I)<h1 dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now it is finally time to finish out my custom world of magic items with the disposable, one-time use magic items. I am going to be returning to a 10 item-per-post format to try to get myself to blog more regularly without worrying about finding enough time to work on long posts (like those</span><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-art-of-being-monster.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Art of Being a Monster</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> posts that have been getting longer and longer). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am also working on this series because I need to brush up on my giant lore to come up with better giant-specific advice. Coming up with 20 solid pieces of advice for giants has been nearly impossible, I just do not know enough about cliche giant behavior. Please comment below if you've got a cool giant story or folk-tale you remember.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2014/07/envisioned-eldritch-equipment-etc-part-i.html">Envisioned Eldritch Equipment</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2014/11/worn-and-weaponized-witchcraft-part-i.html">Worn and Weaponized Witchcraft</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/01/thaumaturgy-trinkets-and-tools-part-i.html">Thaumaturgy, Trinkets, and Tools</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://wowwiki.wikia.com/Polymorph:_Rabbit"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2sJeW8gyMt2JYCp202QFyceRVPGYkIdYAaDMJZU-tljjq6Q_deEVq4-9FAhSeB3FL7XTuZu8DZJN1W2h7wYKSK4i1RLH2fZuWc7N-nasmlOLKHqtSnzC1gUaIQB9la2u-2r78Ogh8E-u/s320/PolymorphTCG.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aberrant Powder</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">900</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A nice mix of purple and green-yellow powders squirm inside a small ceramic pot or leather bag. When throw, the powder explodes into a 5 foot sphere of smoke for 1 round. Any object or creature that begins their turn inside the smoke must make a Wisdom save (DC 15) or be polymorphed. Objects only save if held or magical and are randomly polymorphed into another object of similar size while creatures are transformed into either a random animal, a random magical creature, or a random creature of their own category (demi-human, humanoid, demon, etc). This effect lasts for 2d6 rounds. A willing participant instead must make the save to choose which category their polymorph is chosen from.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acid</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">25</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This fluorescent green bottle holds a potent acid made from distilled stomach acid from various breeds of monsters. When thrown, the glass jar will smash open into a 5 foot burst of acid for 2d8 damage and, on the following round, evaporate into a 10 foot cloud of droplets dealing 1 acid damage to any creature that starts its turn in the cloud. Rubbed on a weapon along with some paste from under the lid, the acid deals 1d6 damage on each hit it makes and it also damages the weapon at the beginning of each round. The acid lasts until it is wiped off or deals a 5 total d6’s of acid damage (this includes the damage done to the weapon).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alchemist’s Fire</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alchemist’s Fire is a heady, oily mix of pitch and carefully guarded powders typically stored in a ceramic urn split into two parts. When the container is broken or the parts mixed, the pitch will catch fire. Smashed or dropped, the Alchemist’s Fire will spread into a flaming pool 10 feet across, dealing 1d6 fire damage each round to any creature that begins its turn in the fire. Smearing the pitch on a weapon before igniting it will add 1d6 fire damage to the weapon’s attacks. The weapon also takes 1d6 damage each round. The fire lasts until extinguished or it has dealt 6 d6’s of fire damage (including the damage dealt to the weapon).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ambrosia</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">250</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thick, golden nectar swirls inside this crystal vial. Downing this sweet honey heals the imbiber for 2d8 hit points, removes two levels of fatigue, and offers an additional save against a single ongoing mental effect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anchor Token</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Snapping this thin, ironwood, doll-sized anchor in half will cause it to rapidly grow in size and weight, turning into a real iron anchor with a 100 foot iron chain. The anchor weighs 50 pounds and is approximately four feet tall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Antitoxin</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The thick, curdled milk-like liquid in this brown ceramic jug will help protect against poisoning. Downing the chunky white liquid requires an easy Constitution save (DC 10) to avoid vomiting up the other contents of one's stomach. Regardless of whether the user vomits or not, the potion lines the stomach to grant advantage against any ingested poisons for the next six hours. Additionally, the neutralizing agent it contains grants a +2 bonus on all other types of poison the drinker is exposed to for the next 3 hours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Appearing Dust</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">750</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fool’s gold dust mixed with pixie dust reveals any corporeal, invisible object it is dusted on. Tossed in a pouch, it will explode into a cloud of dust that will coat everything in a 10 foot burst. Objects coated in Appearing Dust are both made visible to the naked eye and also given a slightly phosphorescent outline, like the </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Faerie Fire</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> spell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Armory in a Bottle</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3000</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An Armory in a Bottle holds a pile of miniature weapons, shields, weapon racks, and tools. Smashing this bottle causes it to explode open, as the innumerable glass shards coalesce into a mess of scattered swords, shields, spears, javelins, bows, armors, tools, etc sitting neatly upon appropriate racks and shelves. These will form non magical equipment of whatever type and distribution the smasher has in mind. If nothing in particular is chosen the equipment will be random. The Armory in a Bottle can only create 1500 SP worth of equipment. The bottle will always generate the appropriate tools and scrap materials for sharpening, maintaining, and resizing the equipment created.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Balding Ointment</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">75</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Applied to the hair of a creature, this oily gel causes hair to fall out. The ointment has an overpowering juniper-mint smell. The skin the ointment is applied to will not regrow any hair for 1d3 weeks. Each jar can make a small creature completely hairless or enough for 4 medium sized heads of hair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Battlefield Caltrop</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">65</span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Battlefield Caltrops, when inactive, are 4 inch spheres of iron. With the command word, ‘Defend’, the sphere will be ready to deploy when dropped. Upon hitting the ground when active, six, four-inch blades spring from the sphere and it waits on the ground for a creature to move next to it. If any creature other than the activator steps within 5 feet of a Battlefield Caltrop, the caltrop spins to life and jumps at the enemy. The caltrop makes a reaction attack with a +5 bonus for 2d4+2 damage. Battlefield caltrops deal double damage and attack with advantage against a creature that has moved more than half its movement speed. After sitting idle for 1 minute without making an attack, the blades withdraw, the magic spent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/06/single-use-substances-and-spelljunk.html">Part II.</a></span>AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159574867392056427.post-26396561830710352082015-05-20T16:03:00.000-05:002015-05-20T16:03:22.377-05:00The Art of Being a Monster: Fiend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://anarchydice.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-art-of-being-monster.html">Fiend</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The weak, spindly, lowly, conniving fiends need not read any further. This manual will be of use for the great lords, the ambitious demons, and the powerful evil entities from the pits below. This manual will suffice only for those with the grandest and most despicable plots. While your physical forms and strengths vary according to your kind, all fiends share basic traits: powerful attacks, devious magic, and minion summoning. In all battles, it is best to use your minions and summoned demons to break up enemy formations and block them from engaging yourself directly. Use this freedom of movement to focus your attacks and magic on the toughest foe. Without minions, use the terrain and your magic along with your own tactics to accomplish the same goals as below.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">F: This enemy will be the most adept at engaging your minions toe-to-toe, so you should keep them in defensive formations that limit the number of attacks the fighter can make against you while keeping the fighter engaged in combat to limit their maneuverability. Unless the fighter is well equipped to overcome your resistance to man made weapons, they fall behind the wizard in terms of danger and are mostly dangerous for your weaker minions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T: The thief may be equipped to deal with your resistances or may simply be able to strike a weak point, but in either case they have very little staying power. They should be separated and flanked by your minions or tactics to negate their combat abilities. If they show competence or are particularly prepared for fighting you, they are weak enough to destroy quickly. Make sure your minions are not out flanked by the thief.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R: The ranger will fare poorly against minions that threaten them directly. While they most likely will not fall to minions’ attacks, they will be unable to focus their fire on you while so distracted. Even if they manage to direct their ranged fire at you, ranged attacks will be hard pressed to penetrate your weapon resistances. Through all of that, your toughness will allow you to weather most projectiles.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">W: A magic user will be the greatest threat to you and your minions in combat. They often have abilities for dealing with demons or extraplanar creatures and will definitely have magic to damage many minions at once. If allowed to work freely, they can destroy swathes of minions and break up your tactics. If possible, direct your minions delay and attack during their spellcasting while working to keep them apart from the rest of their group. Engage and destroy the spell-caster as quickly as possible. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Unstoppable, Dapper Demon</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With enough time, even the lowest fiend could learn the tactics above to become a passable combatant. Those demons that intend to dominate the material world would do well to take heed of the grander points below. These will lay out the loopholes and pitfalls so that you may tighten your defenses and continue to outmaneuver and out-think your lesser opponents.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will treat my summoned demons well and ensure that they are compensated appropriately for their time, effort, and abilities. Paying them less than they are worth or treating them poorly will only ensure my opponents an easier time convincing them to betray me. Worse, it will actively hamper my own recruitment of allies and traitors if it becomes well known that I treat my employees badly.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-A ban on plotting and betrayals amongst my minions would be nearly impossible to enforce. I will not try to stop my underlings from their own plots. Instead, I will encourage this behavior by offering occasional support for their plots as long as they keep me regularly informed of their plotting. Not only will this reduce the effort I must spend on clamping down on their weak plots, I will also gain an early warning of betrayal if their plots suddenly change or if they stop informing me of their plots. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will keep on hand easy ways to counter spells specifically created to combat fiends such as protection against alignment and banishment spells. This is an obvious weakness, so it may be beneficial to invest in protection methods that seem to work and allow my opponents to lull themselves into a false sense of security. Additionally, I will prepare for such targeted weapons by investing my lair and minions with traps and abilities that will detect or draw out the usage of anti-fiend abilities. </span></div>
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<a href="http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s20/puppit-god/demon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s20/puppit-god/demon.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Evil cults and demonic organizations are well known cliches of the human world. They all share one thing in common: they were all defeated. I will not repeat the mistakes of lesser demons and I will make my human minions work in a noble seeming cause or goal, or better yet, attach myself to an existing one. Open evil attracts opponents and adventurers, while twisting a kingdom or church slowly, but undetectably, into evil purposes can bring those opponents to do my bidding instead.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will never trust that my traps or minions have actually killed a hero or foe. I will ensure their death personally once any immediate danger has passed. I will keep magic on hand to ensure it is very difficult to revive or restore defeated foes. While it may be tempting to keep them alive and trapped where I can see them, dead and disintegrated is better as it requires expensive magic to reverse and doesn’t leave my foe alive, plotting their revenge. All unconfirmed kills will be treated as active threats.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Many demons and fiends will discard any kind solutions to their problems out of hand. I will force myself to perform kindnesses and think of solutions to my problems that involve using generosity and goodness. This will not only keep an aura of plausible deniability in my disguises (and give practice for future disguises) but it will also make sure that I am thinking through all possible solutions purely on the basis of effectiveness. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S81NfRYCouA/TmxWBb-elXI/AAAAAAAAI6Y/owtddYLACJM/s800/Angelic%252520Demon%252520-%252520Evil%252520Creatures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S81NfRYCouA/TmxWBb-elXI/AAAAAAAAI6Y/owtddYLACJM/s320/Angelic%252520Demon%252520-%252520Evil%252520Creatures.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Corruption and the spread of evil are my ultimate goals, but I will not mistake that fact for thinking that every step along the way must be made in the direction of evil. Pure evil is often mistaken by weaker demons as requiring every action to be made in malice. I shall not refuse to work with good or neutral creatures and entities for ideological reasons. In fact, alliances with pure hearted creatures may help disguise my true motives and goals.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will keep in regular contact with all of my minions, especially those in critical positions. I will establish this so that the absence of communication will become suspicious and alert meto betrayals or defeats earlier than I might otherwise notice. The frequency and schedules will fluctuate so my enemies cannot predict them. I will never ignore a report from a subordinate, even if its ridiculousness warrants further investigation, and I will never punish a minion for having delivered bad news. I want to encourage every minion to be open and honest with me about my tactics and effectiveness.</span></div>
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<a href="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/kuroshitsuji/images/0/0e/Claude's_Contract.png/revision/latest?cb=20100806170822" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/kuroshitsuji/images/0/0e/Claude's_Contract.png/revision/latest?cb=20100806170822" height="175" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Loyalty in my organization will never be perfect, but it is important to invest in. I will build loyalty in my minions and followers by regularly working to advance a random individual’s goals on a lottery system weighted by their effectiveness in their role. This will cost me little but encourages a heirarchy-wide increase in effectiveness and loyalty, as each minion puts in a disproportionate amount of effort in the hopes of winning your favor. Their goals are much smaller in scope than your own and will likely be of a miniscule scale compared to the power you wield.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will discourage all backstabbing and betrayal within my ranks. Any minion caught sabotaging or betraying another shall never be advanced, rewarded, or encouraged. Anyone suspected of betraying me will be dealt with by me. I will never rely simply on the word of others who may be the actual betrayers or misinformed. Jumping to conclusions would only benefit my enemies, allowing them to drive wedges between me and my most useful minions. Obviously there are exceptions to this when time is of the essence, but I will always investigate claims of betrayal.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Considering that adventurers will often seek out patrons for their quests and pay, I will seek to become a host of adventurers. I will look to hire similarly talented individuals at above market rates under pseudonyms in order to keep appraised of the local, regional, and worldly talents that may be hired or sent to fight against me. The tasks they will be sent on will be on missions of varying importance against a random selection of both my enemies and allies so as to further misdirect the source of the quests. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will have a strong fall-back base in whatever plane or area I return to after being defeated on another plane. The minimum that should be included in that base is a way to return to the plane you were on, ways to contact my organization, and methods to gather tools that will give me an advantage over the foe that defeated me. This base will remain a personal secret that no one else knows about.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I wlll often engage in plots with goals that are unrelated to each other or have no relation to my main purpose. This will ensure that my enemies can never be sure what plots and minions are of critical importance and which are a waste of time. I will not try to deviate in terms of cost or stated importance in any way from my other goals. No matter how tangential, these false schemes will increase my power. This will ensure that foes that discover the link between me and this plot will think themselves intelligent for having uncovered a secret without wondering whether it is a secret I truly cared to hide. This combines well with figuring out my enemies’ strengths and targeted abilities well before they can impact me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will keep a strong network of informants to use when enemies become apparent to me. I will also use these on random individuals and on generally powerful or interesting people. This will disguise any single person’s importance to my spying activites while also having a chance of uncovering secrets or blackmail. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Plots and schemes are prone to many points of error and misunderstanding, especially if performed without practice. I will engage in drills and emergency plans, testing them for effectiveness and noting any problems. My minions and systems will never be used untested or unpracticed and my minions will always know what to do.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will never give out any information I am not comfortable telling my worst and most powerful enemy. It does not matter if I will kill the listener afterwards or think that the listener is my most loyal minion. This is a world of magic and my minions are already the types to be working for a demon.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will be wary of other monsters and creatures in the regions I operate in. It is important to make sure to leave as little evidence of my activities in areas with higher concentrations of other creatures. Counter-intuitively, more creatures will be more likely to draw attention to a region, making it more likely I will be discovered and pursued rather than less likely by blending in with the ‘crowd’. The density of mysterious happenings and intrigues draws more adventurers exponentially, not linearly. The exception to this rule is that an absolute lack of mysterious events is as obvious as bird silence in a forest or no flames in hell.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Either destroy enemies or befriend them. The worst possible way to keep my enemies is with only minor defeats and harms. This will enrage them and keep them actively plotting against me. I will swallow my pride and make peace or utterly destroy my foes. I will sometimes do so even against enemies I can defeat easily so that it is impossible to tell which enemies I made peace with out of weakness and which I make peace with from a position of strength.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will not mess with deities. Even if I think I am prepared and have my own gods behind me, I still will not mess with gods or godlings. They have infinitely more resources and practice with plotting than I do. At best, I am just a minion or a pawn in a grander fight by entities I cannot comprehend. If I must engage with a god, I will remember this fact so that I can make sure to work for a god that treats me in a way in concordance with these rules so that I have the best chance of coming out alive and profiting.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-I will make a note of not seeking out or listening to prophecies. I will ignore them and treat them all as the vague predictions they are. Treating them as true will force me to endeavor to avoid ones that harm me or overreach to bring about ones that advance my causes. Prophecies make me too predictable and encourage tactical mistakes with the belief that fate is on my side. On the other claw, I shall not treat them as automatically false and likewise make tactical mistakes. Basing tactics on assumptions is always a mistake. I will take the time to seek out supporting evidence and constantly reevaluate my assumptions. A secondary mistake I could make is to seek out evidence to confirm an existing prophecy that has been given. This is almost a worse mistake to make because it then allows me to think that I have thought through my assumptions while I am still sitting in error by granting special privilege to an existing assumption rather than working from a neutral standpoint.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-8ee114fe-7316-cbb1-d9c4-08570054dd60"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep these points as your own contract with yourself and you will never be caught in a position of weakness. You will advance evil and bring your foes to their knees.</span></span>AnarchyDicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.com0