The Flumph for QAGS! [Flumph Friday]

We continue Flumph Friday by adapting the flumph for QAGS from Hex Games! 

Flumph

Body: 9

Brain: 14

Nerve: 12

HP: 9

YY: 3

WWPHITM?: A muppet
Tagline: "May the serenity of the High Ones guide you."

Job: Alien Priest (13)

--A flumph may use its Job to perform ritual magic as described in Hobomancer and Magic Rules!

Gimmick: Chemical Defenses (12)

--The flumph's alien innards allows it to produce a variety of chemicals that it can excrete or spray in self defense. Usually this either a noxious, nauseating slime (target must roll Nerve vs. the flumph's Gimmick to do anything but retch and vomit for a number of rounds equal to the difference in rolls), or a spray of corrosive acid (roll Gimmick to hit, with a Damage Bonus of +4).

Weakness: Pacifist (12)

--Unless it is physically wounded, if the flumph wants to attack a living creature, it must make a Weakness roll. If the roll succeeds, the flumph cannot bring itself to attack.

Skills: Healing +3, Meditation +2, Space Lore +1

Flumphs are strange alien creatures that resemble slightly-flattened, floating jellyfish with rubbery yellow-green hide, dextrous tentacles, and inquisitive eyestalks. They speak the languages of Earth in whispery sing-song voices. Since their home planet, Flumphsylvania, was destroyed in an intergalactic war 3000 years ago, flumphs have been cast adrift into the universe, looking for a new home. A small rocket ship carrying a coterie of flumphs crashed outside Waldo, Ohio in 1897. They have done their best to make a new life for themselves ever since.

Despite their bizarre, inhuman appearance, these aliens are peaceful and friendly. They prefer a life of quiet, religious contemplation away from the prying eyes of humanity. Small groups of flumphs will use their acidic excretions to carve out swirling underground caverns of alien design and form small “monasteries” dedicated to the High Ones.

Flumphs in Hobomancer: As cosmic drifters without a home of their own and a mystical disposition, flumphs feel a particular empathy with the hobomancers. They can use their “Alien Priest” Job to tap into the songlines and perform acts of ritual magic. If they can earn their trust, a group of flumphs could make powerful allies to a crew of hobomancers. Hobomancers refer to flumphs as "Flying Flapjacks."

Flumphs in M-Force: Flumphs as a whole do not represent a threat to humanity, and are not listed on the government's Official Monster List. A flumph's knowledge of the horrors of outer space might prove useful to the right M-Force office.

Flumphs in Fort High: Flumphs reproduce asexually, but they still have offspring. In an attempt to adapt to human culture, many flumph's send their spawn to Paradigm schools, where they tend to excel at math and chemistry.

The Skull Witch! [Dungeon World]

The Lair of the Crimson Necromancer was pretty well received, and it got some people asking for more information about the Skull Witch. When I initially drew up the map, I didn't have any solid idea about who the Skull Witch was, I just thought the name was evocative. Of course, it's up to individual GMs to develop her as they see fit, but here's the Skull Witch as I envision her. Stats for Dungeon World!

The Skull Witch

Intelligent, Magical, Solitary

Evil Eye: (1d10 damage, ignores armor) close, near, far

16 HP

4 Armor

The Skull Witch (her true name is lost to history) was a foul sorceress in Times of Old. Upon her death she was rejected from Death's kingdom for being too unpleasant. She eventaully became mentor and lover to Radmanthus the Crimson Necromancer. When the necromancer was destroyed in his failed attampt at lichdom, the Skull Witch was heart-broken. Now she resides Radmanthus's former sanctum, lamenting her lost love and lashing out at interlopers. 

The skull witch is always attended by her collection of flying skulls. 

Instinct:  To bring misery.

• Bind nether-spirits to her will.
• Curse with a word.
• Tear your skull right out of your head!

Flying Skulls

 Horde, Tiny

Gnasty Gnawing Teeth: (1d6 damage) hand, messy

7 HP

0 Armor

Special Qualities: Flying

After the Skull Witch removes the skull of a victim, she binds into it a foul spirit from the Darkest Nether. The skull gains an evil cunning and vicious temperament  Flying skulls will swarm the Witch's enemies, biting, gnawing, and tearing at them with sharp, hungry teeth.  

Instinct:  To protect the Skull Witch.

• Gibber horrendous blasphemies.
• Dart through the air at dizzying speeds.
• Gnaw your face off!

In the City on the Night Side [Stars Without Number AP]

It's interesting where game ideas come from. Most recently I found the seeds of adventure and setting in the form a song, specifically “Night City” by The Sword.

Running scared through endless night
Too afraid to put up a fight
They shackle her wrists
It's too late to resist
Scanned for weapons and transmitters
Sold at auction to the highest bidder
That's the way it goes
Now you know...
You can find us on the Night-side
In the shadows where the killers and the pirates hide
Come around if you think you can survive
in the city on the Night-side

It's a fairly basic story of a kidnapped princess sold into slavery, but I found it nicely evocative. Also the song's just bad-ass. This weekend I ran a Stars Without Number one-shot, and when I needed an adventure idea, this song gave me enough seed ideas to work with.

So... The PCs are low-ranking members of the Red Banner Mercenary Company. The debutante daughter of a VP of Titanomachy Technology was kidnapped by pirate slavers while on a pleasure cruise. She's been listed for sale at a slave auction in Night City, an outlaw human settlement on Las Diablas. The PCs need to rescue here by any means necessary, while keeping Red Banner's name out of it.

Las Diablas is a desert badlands planet. Because of the tilt of its axis, the northen pole is in perpetual night. It's the home to killers, outlaws, smugglers, pirates, and slavers. It's pretty much an equal mix of Deadwood, Mos Eisley, and Bartertown. A nice dangerous place.

When the PCs landed outside of Night City, they (half-jokingly?) insisted that I draw a map of the town. (“You said it was small. You can draw that!”). They've been spoiled by Monsterhearts, where we keep drawing the map of their town as we play. But no worries, we took a break, and I drew up a quick map. Couple of roads, market here, power plant there, slave market here, lots of spaceships parked around the perimeter. “There should be an arena,” said a player. Oh hell yes, we need a Thunderdome... right here!

The City on the Night Side!

The adventure itself was fun. As I do nowadays, I didn't have any preconceived idea on how the heroes were supposed to complete the adventure. I came up with a situation, I decided what the major NPCs wanted, and I figured out what would happen  if the PCs did nothing. That's all I need to drop the PCs into the action and let them figure out solutions for themselves.

I wasn't disappointed. The PCs went undercover as a couple of rich rubes and their bodyguards, looking to buy slaves. After discovering that the debutante had already been sold to an infamous gang boss (Magnus Thorn), they are forced to fast-talk their way into the boss's manse, then rescue the debutante in a running gun battle.

Some highlights...

• The Stars Without Numbers mechanics are dead simple, and combat is wicked fast and tense!
• The female engineer disguised herself as a pregnant woman, hiding guns and grenades in her fake boobs.
• The noble-born psychic-healer with no combat skill disguised as a bodyguard and loaded down with weapons he can't use.
• Wheeling-and-dealing with the alien slave-broker to purchase the other survivors from the debutante's kidnapped party.
• Smooth-talking Magnus Thorn's Hochog lieutenant into letting them to have one of their women fight in Thorn's gladiator ring, thus getting an invitation to the manse.
• Ignoring that plan and purposely(?) getting captured to get themselves into the heart of Thorn's manse.
• A running gun battle, punctuated by blowing up an elevator with grenades, and exploding badguys' heads with the psychic's cancer-gun.
• Making it to the roof and having the engineer hack into the manse's defense towers, blowing away opposition with cannon-fire.
• A successful rescue as the PCs ship (The Private Dancer) flew them back into space.
  

We may very well come back to Stars Without Number after we're done with Monsterhearts.

Lair of the Crimson Necromancer [Mini-Map Monday]

Add caption

When Radmanthas the Crimson Necromancer failed (spectacularly) at his attempt to become a lich, his undead minions took up residence in his cliff-side estate. Guard towers and baroque statues flank the entrance to the columned antechamber. An underground river leads to a whirlpool where Radmanathas drowned villagers in sacrificial rites.

(EDIT: I somehow accidentally deleted the map from Photobucket. Consider that problem fixed!)

What's on My Gameroom Walls?

Tim Snider over at The Savage Afterworld has started a new meme. Most people who have a room dedicated to gaming has a variety of interesting decorations on their walls. This decor offers an interesting insight into the people who spend while away their hours exploring imaginary worlds in these rooms.

My game room was supposed to be a dining room, but we never eat at the table, so it's pretty much become a dedicated gaming room. Ivy (my wife) can't stand bare walls, so she made certain the room was filled with "cool things." There's a lot of shelves, knick-knacks, and crafts hanging on these walls--the flotsam and jetsam of a pack-rat's life.

This is a papier-mache lion mas my sister made for a play. It always gets a lot of attention when new people come over.

Ivy collects masks of various styles. She especially likes these kind of Mardi-Gras looking ones. We have them scattered all over the house. These are a few hanging in the game room.

The cats came from different parts of Asia and Africa. The benefit of the Internet is that we've made friends all over the world. When they go to cool places, they send us stuff. The cat on the left was from a friend who went to Kenya to study birds. I purchased the Captain America sculpture from a guy at SPACE who sold these awesome/adorable hand-made superhero models. I love it.

This is the Egyptian corner. The papyrus prints on the right I got from my mom, who got them from her old boss, who wa from Egypt. The little brass camel and incense box are things my grandparents picked up on their honeymoon in Egypt. And that little maquette of Dante Hicks in the center? Well, he's not even supposed to be here today.

Themysciran Heritage [Smallville]

Josh's first crush

This was originally posted on my Stegosaurus Studios site some time ago. I figured I'd share it here on the new RPG-centric blog, because I think it's pretty cool.

My game group has been quite enjoying the Smallville RPG from Margaret Weis Productions. After a couple sessions, my wife has become enamored of the idea of playing a Themysciran. Themyscira, of course, is the native home of Wonder Woman. I like the idea, too, so I banged out a new Heritage Distinction. Give it a look-see!

Themysciran Heritage

Themyscira (also known as Paradise Island) is an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea. Its all-female population is descended from the Greek gods and are known in legend as the Amazons. Thousands of years ago, the Amazons grew tired of the corrupt and warlike nature of “Man's World” and hid their nation with powerful magics and weird science. After centuries of isolation, Themyscira has recently begun to send emissaries to the outside world, curious to discover if the world is ready for Amazonian enlightenment. Divine ancestry and specialized training have given Themyscirans powers that rival Kryptonians and Martians, but they lose their powers if tied up or otherwise bound.

d4: Earn a Plot Point whenever you Choose to show open disdain for or ignorance of “Man's World.”

d8: Add a d6 to the Trouble pool to use a Special Effect from a connected ability you do not have.

d12: Spend a Plot Point to increase your Insecure or Injured Stress pool.

Connected Abilities: Flight, Regeneration, Super Senses, Super Speed, Super Strength

Limits: Binding

The Flumph for Dungeon World [Flumph Friday]

To kick off Flumph Friday February, I proudly present the Flumph as adapted for Sage Latorra's Dungeon World!

Flumph
Group, Small, Organized, Intelligent
Acid-Laced Spikes: (w[2d8] damage, +3 piercing) ; Hand, Close
8 HP
1 Armor
Special Qualities: Floating

While the strange flumphs originated on a bizarre and distant world, they have since made a home for themselves on Dungeon World. These quiet, peaceful creatures resemble floating jellyfish with rubbery yellow-green hide, dexterous tentacles, and inquisitive eye stalks. They speak the language of men and elves in airy, sing-song whispers.


Flumphs have a contemplative, monastic lifestyle. Small groups will congregate in remote grottos or alien spires to contemplate their weird alien gods. If assaulted, flumphs will try to blind or repel attackers with a steam of strong, noxious ichor. If pressed, they will call upon the magic of their gods for defense. Only as a last resort will they attack with the needle-sharp, acid-laced spikes hidden within their tentacles.

Instinct: To contemplate the wisdom of the High Ones

• Disable with noxious chemicals.

• Float in absolute silence.

• Call upon the blessings of the High Ones.