Category: RPGS

Creature seed: The New Saxony Silk Rat.

Blame this.

the-new-saxony-silk-rat-rattus-sericum-google-docs

The New Saxony Silk Rat

(rattus sericum)

 

This species of domestic rat appears to have been cultivated for its wool for at least six thousand years.  It is somewhat larger than a Norwegian rat: feral specimens average about a foot and a half long, and about three pounds in weight (a fully-bred Silk Rat is a bit larger).  The species is fully domesticated, and make affectionate, intelligent, and loyal pets.  The wool of the Silk Rat can be gathered or sheared without harming the rat, and is particularly valuable for its uncanny resemblance to silk. Depending on the location, in fact, Silk Rat wool is either openly sold as a silk substitute, or it is passed off as actual silk. The species is typically kept in check by local predators; most carnivores find them tasty snacks.

Continue reading Creature seed: The New Saxony Silk Rat.

Tweet of the Day, @Arbys Has A Credibly Geekish Social Media Wing edition.

This is remarkably well-played. Shoot, Arby’s social media people apparently even have a small budget. Or at least somebody good at cutting up cardboard.

GURPS Skill: Astral Nap.

Blame this.

astral-nap-will-hard-google-docs

 

Astral Nap [Will/Hard]

Default: none

 

This skill is useless unless the user has some way to visit the astral plane (such as either the Astral Travel power or the Planar Visit spell).  A successful roll will allow the user to carefully balance his astral form so that it and his physical body are effectively ‘orbiting‘ each other; this allows the caster to stay in astral form for a total of eight hours without spending more FP/HP, or re-rolling.  However, the user may do nothing else except ‘sleep;’ he may not even lucidly dream.  Also, the user is hideously vulnerable while in this condition: no active defenses may be used at all, and any damage done will mentally Stun him for (20-IQ) seconds, noncumulative.

Continue reading GURPS Skill: Astral Nap.

Adventure Seed: The Sanditon Enterprise.

I… I don’t know why either, folks.  Sometimes I just don’t have a choice.

the-sanditon-enterprise-google-docs

The Sanditon Enterprise

The book is privately printed: the title page claims that it was written by Jane Austen in 1818, and revised by her in 1824. This would immediately indicate that it’s a fake, of course; but it’s a contemporary fake, because everything about the book suggests Nineteenth Century construction.  The book does not particularly appear to be esoteric or otherwise unusual.  The contents, however… well.

Continue reading Adventure Seed: The Sanditon Enterprise.

The Ebony Tarn of Alberta [The Day After Ragnarok]

In case it isn’t obvious, I’m trying to finish up and clean up some stuff that’s been lurking in my hard drive for a while.  Way overdue, honestly.

the-ebony-tarn-of-alberta-google-docs

The Ebony Tarn of Alberta

[The Day After Ragnarok]

 

Not every effect of the Serpentfall was supernatural: in Alberta’s case, the mere shifting of tectonic plates was enough to bring its existing vast reserves of oil even closer to the surface. The countryside from wendigo-haunted Edmonton to new-walled Calgary has been transformed to a natural oil seepage, and the stubborn stay-behinds who refused to move after Alberta rang like a bell have discovered that the men in far-off, safe, warm Vancouver will pay good money for the suddenly accessible crude (and largely clean) oil while not asking too many questions. The province now has teams of wildcatters feverishly and roughly exploiting the new oil supplies, with whatever equipment they can find (or steal, or rob).  In exchange, back East comes survival goods, luxuries, and new immigrants.   Continue reading The Ebony Tarn of Alberta [The Day After Ragnarok]

The Louisiana Death Bayou [The Day After Ragnarok]

I hope that this game line comes back soon; the world is a heck of a lot of fun to write in.

the-louisiana-death-bayou-google-docs

The Louisiana Death Bayou

[The Day After Ragnarok]

Looking for adventure in this post-Serpentfall world?  Visit the romantic Louisiana Death Bayou!  

Continue reading The Louisiana Death Bayou [The Day After Ragnarok]

Creature Seed: L.E.M.M.I.N.G.S.

lemmings-google-docs

Linked Emitting (Magic/Mental) Interplanar Navigation Guidance System

(L.E.M.M.I.N.G.S.)

 

Ten million million possible alternate dimensions that the first Pathfinder teams could have accessed, and they manage to find one where at least some of the locals could laugh at the acronym.  What are the odds, huh? …Don’t actually try to calculate the odds.  The Pathfinders get oddly superstitious about anything that looks like it might be magic, and amateur statistical analysis is high up on the list.  At the absolute minimum you’re supposed to ground yourself first.

Continue reading Creature Seed: L.E.M.M.I.N.G.S.

Item Seed: The Divje Babe Flute [Night’s Black Agents].

So I checked with Pelgrane Press, and they’re cool with noncommercial fan material for Night’s Black Agents that doesn’t violate copyright.  Which is what I figured, but it never hurts to check, right? Especially when you may not know what, if anything, may be going on with ’em elsewhere. Anyhow:

the-divje-babe-flute-google-docs

The Divje Babe Flute [Night’s Black Agents]

The original form of this supposedly forty-three thousand year old flute was found in a Slovenian cave in 1995; and it was allowed to stay in the hands of mundane researchers for about a decade or so. It might still be in researchers’ hands if a forensic analyst with Poland’s Internal Security Agency had not correlated the positioning of the holes on the flute with a particular half-burned manuscript dating from the 8th Century AD.  Said manuscript told the tale of a powerful pijavica that had been warded off by the playing of ‘the Flute of Nebuchadnezzar:’ and the one drawing that survived more or less matched what pictures were available of the Divje Babe Flute. So the Flute was thus duly stolen, and surreptitiously replaced with a duplicate.  From there it was merely a matter of waiting until 3D reconstruction and printing was up to the task of ‘repairing’ the item.

Continue reading Item Seed: The Divje Babe Flute [Night’s Black Agents].

Item Seed [heh]: Deathcorn.

deathcorn-google-docs

 

Deathcorn

 

Oh, those wacky guys in the OSS and SOE. The things that they could come up with, once they were in a place and time where nobody asked them inconvenient questions, like “Is that a practical idea?” or “How much is that going to cost the government?” or even “Did they ever happen to call you ‘mad’ at university?”  Amazing how much leeway people get when it comes to punching Hitler.

Continue reading Item Seed [heh]: Deathcorn.