Superman and Spider-Man for Fate Accelerated

I am currently putting together a superheroes campaign for the Monkeys Took My Jetpack podcast. One of my stated goals with this game is to see if I can run superheros with FAE as written with no rules changes. I think it will work. (The Station53 blog has been very inspirational.) The only tweak I've made, so far, is requiring a "background" Aspect that relates to either the hero's origin or their current "day job."

As an example for my players, I statted out Spider-Man and Superman (at least the way I would play them). I think they look pretty good.

Spider-Man (circa 2014)

High Concept: Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man
Trouble: With great power comes great responsibility
Background: Radioactive avatar of the Spider Totem
Other Aspects: R&D Engineer at Horizon Labs, “My Spidey-Sense is tingling!”

Approaches

+3  Quick
+2  Flashy
+2  Clever
+1  Sneaky
+1  Careful
+0  Forceful

Stunts

Because I am a webslinger, I get +2 when I Cleverly Create Advantages using web constructs.

Because I'm a scientific prodigy, once per session I can automatically add or remove an aspect on a character thanks to some handy gadget I have on my person.

Because I my Spider Sense is tingling, I get +2 when I Quickly Defend against physical attacks.


Superman (sans 80 years of milestones)

High Concept: Last son of Krypton
Trouble: Big blue Boy Scout
Background: Mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet
Other Aspects: Truth, justice, and the American way; "You're much stronger than you think you are. Trust me."

(While “Vulnerable to magic, kryptonite, and red sun radiation” would certainly be an adequate Trouble aspect, all these weaknesses of Kryptonian physiology are covered by “Last Son of Krypton.”)

Approaches
+3  Forceful
+2  Clever
+2  Quick
+1  Flashy
+1  Careful
+0 Sneaky

Stunts
Because I am the Man of Steel, I get +2 when I Forcefully Defend against physical attacks.

Because I am a symbol of heroism to all the world, I get +2 when I Flashily Create Advantages relating to hope and courage.

Because I am more powerful than a locomotive, I get +2 when I Forcefully Overcome Obstacles using my superhuman strength and endurance.

Temple of the Shark God [Mini-Map Monday]

A friend of mine asked me to draw a dungeon map for his monthly sword & sorcery campaign:
"This is a small dungeon, a dozen or so rooms, and I'm thinking its on an island that raises from the bottom of an inland sea when the stars are right."

Vulvatron Fan Art

I drew some fan art of GWAR's new frontwoman, Vulvatron, because of course I did!

The full image is below the break, because boob-spew.

Pangloss (Version 2) [Mini-Map Monday]

Not really so mini...

While watching Dana Gould's newest comedy special this weekend, I redrew and inked the Pangloss map I posted earlier. I made a few small changes here and there. Some of the names and shapes have changed, and Oneiroi, the earthly home of the High Elves, is now a floating island. The different city icons are more detailed. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. Now I just need to get a 5th Edition game off the ground.

Click it to big it!

Sanctum of Sharpie the Sword-Mage [Wini-Wap Wednesday]

Sharpie the Sword-Mage (who is, by all credible accounts, quite insane) makes his extradimensional home in the Plane of Blades. In his secret sanctum he continues his study of martial magics and thick black lines.

LotFP "Summon" Spell in Carcosa

I've got Carcosa on my mind lately...

I've been playing in an online Carcosa campaign for about a year now. For most of that time I've played a sorcerer. It's been fun, but to be honest, my PC never felt very sorcerous. A Carcosan sorcerer is, for the most part, just a fighter with a higher XP requirement, some slightly different saving throws, and the ability to maybe, maybe, cast one or two rituals over the course of their career. The ability to read the language of the Snake Men is occasionally useful, and my GM gave sorcerers a "Lore" skill that was handy, but without the ability to cast spells, sorcerers don't feel very magical. Sure, a sorcerer has access to rituals, but given the complex and specific conditions required to cast a single ritual even once, I can't imagine PC sorcerers ever get to use much actual sorcery.

So, how do we fix this while still keeping the right flavor for our Carcosan sorcerer?

We could let them cast spells like a regular D&D Magic User, but I don't like that. I don't envision The Fate of Eternal Midnight tossing fireballs and magic missiles like Raistlin. The magic rituals of Carcosa specifically deal with summoning, binding, and banishing horrible monsters and alien beings.

Well now, that certainly sounds like the Summon spell from Lamenations of the Flame Princess, doesn't it?

A sorcerer dedicates himself to learning how to manipulate beings of terrible alien power. But before they can master these powerful rituals, a sorcerer must start small. The Summon spell lets a sorcerer call up a minor servitor of the Great Old Ones and (if he's lucky) bind it to his will for a short time. Ritual sacrifice makes this spell easier, which gives the neophyte sorcerer plenty of practice in being professionally unpleasant. 

My Proposal: A Carcosan sorcerer can cast Summon a number of times per day equal to his "Lore" skill (or half his level, rounded down, if there is no such skill in your campaign). This will allow a PC sorcerer to actually sorcer once in a while. It lets them feel like more than just a learned fighter, and justifies their high XP requirements. 

Given the inherent dangers of the Summon spell, a GM might decide to allow sorcerers to cast the Summon as often as they like. A sorcerer is very likely to get eaten before he breaks reality. 

As an aside, if you're going to use the Summon spell (in any setting) I highly recommend +Ramanan S's Summon Spell Web App. It cuts down on a lot of rolling.

Pods of the Python People [Mini-Map Monday]

They're probably up to serpentine shenanigans...