Almost April, Ending March

April begins tomorrow with a day of tricks and misdirections, as deception is not my specialty do not expect anything clever from me on the morrow.

The origin of the name of the Roman month Aprilis is unclear, it may refer to the opening (aperire) of buds and flowers as Spring arrives or in some way to the goddess Venus, to whom it is a sacred month.  Not much to build a theme around, but it is also Blogging from A to Z Challenge Month, which I will be using to do bits and pieces of the Sea of Stars.

Work continues on the Sea of Stars Campaign Setting, let me know if you have any questions.

March, 2015, saw the following posts here:

Tuesday Magic Item – Massacre Blade

Voddick turned the corner, stopped suddenly and slowly backed away.  “Golloan,” he whispered, “we need to find another way.”

“What is it?” his friend asked, quickly peaking around the corner.  A man stood there, framed by the light of an open door, blood dripping from the blade of his sword into the pool of it around his feet.  His head jerked around as if he hear something.

“Don’t let him see you,” hissed Voddick.  “He is in the midst of blood madness, he will try and kill anything he comes across.  I have seen it before.”

“But he will kill everyone inside.”

“True,” sighed Voddick.  “We should try and stop him then.  If we can catch him by surprise, it will go easier.”

Golloan quietly unsheathed his sword.  “The life of a hero is not an easy one.”

Massacre Blade

While it is possible to create such a weapon deliberately, they usually are formed by being used in terrible acts against the innocent but one who enjoys such cruelty.  At first glance, they seem to be normal weapons, but a closer look shows that the blades have been stained by the blood they have shed.

Dark Future Ahead 11 – News from the ‘Net of a Cyberpunk bent

Generating power from water mains, clever.   Not surprised that Portland, OR, is in the lead installing these but they could show up all over the place.

And speaking of power generation, in the fragmentation of Lebanon, people are hostage to the “generator mafia” for power.  Useful for understanding what life might be like in the abandoned areas, barrens and under-cities.

How the Disney MagicBand system works and the implication it has for the future.  They know where you are, where you and going and what you want (probably).

So, Prince has a secret vault full of unreleased songs.   Someone will certainly want those songs.

Are we approaching the end of farming?  Could factories replace factory farming?

Japan is constantly rebuilding and remixing the America of the past.  There has to be some gaming potential there.

Review – Shadowrun: Run Faster

Shadowrun: Run Faster provides a wealth of options and tools for character development and customization, broadly expanding the choices available for metatypes, qualities and more while also provides background information on the world that can be used to enhance roleplaying.  While it is a little disorganized, overall Run Faster is an immensely useful sorcebook primarily for players but GMs will find much to use as well.

Shadowrun: Run Faster, is a Core Player Handbook for the 5th edition of Shadowrun, so what does that mean?  It means that this book is full of character options, discussions and variant systems to all for greater customization and understanding of the character and their role in the Shadowrun world.

Tuesday Magic Item – Forward Lightning Chakram

The trio of elite Tiger Guards worked in precise unison, their chakram leaping from their hands to wound the bandits before flying back to be caught and used again.

When the bandit leader finally appeared, the Tiger Guard moved from harassment to all out assault.  With a shout they threw their chakram which flew with great force into the warriors surrounding the leader and then, in a flash of light, the Tiger Guard appeared gripping the chakram!  Taken by surprise the warriors were cut down and the bandit leader threw himself to the ground, begging for mercy.

Forward Lightning Chakram

These hardened steel chakram are decorated with magical glyphs and stylized representations of lightning in copper and gold.  When handled, they will occasionally spark with electricity.

Campaign Pitch – Rokugan SRIU (L5R RPG)

A potential short campaign I am seeing if people are interested in.  Using a variant of my campaign statblock.

Rokugan – Special Road Investigation Unit

You have . . . made mistakes.  Fallen now from your once noble place in the Celestial Order.  There is a flaw in your characters, one you could not overcome before but you will, this time.  You must.  Someone in your Clan has decided that your are worthy of one last chance, but only one.  If you fail here, you will have to shave your head, walk Exile’s Road or perform the three cuts.  This is your final chance to redeem yourself.  Will you?  Can you?

You are now under the authority of an Imperial Magistrate, Doji Akira, the infamous Cat.  Who know what favors were exchanged for your post as his yoriki?  You must serve and serve well, the alternative is unthinkable.

Shadowrun 2070-71 Campaign Report and New Seattle Scream (#47)

This update seem to be running about quarterly recently (the last one was in October) , sorry about that.  At least I have been fairly good about keeping up with the adventure of PinkCat (latest one here) in NorCal.   Shadowrun gaming has been continuing here, though the shared campaign has slowed considerably, with just the NorCal branch regularly advancing (though we got in one game in Chicago).

Turnout was been fairly good for the monthly game, except for January when only one player showed up (and thus no game).  Had some new players and some good adventures, both the Seattle Scream articles in the left hand column reference recent games, while the Moonshadow one in the lower right references the latest NorCal game (will link the report when it is up) and so on to the latest issue of the Seattle Scream (#47)!  Enjoy.

Magic Item – Troyl Spear (D&D5 version)

The Spear-dancers of Xekellea are small in number but heroes to their community as they act as protectors against bandits and tyrannical rulers both.  Usually trained by an experienced Spear-dancer, their styles tend to be personal and eccentric, shaped by the music, training and rival combatants they have experienced.

Only a lucky view of the Spear-dancer have acquired a Troyl Spear and those that have are among the most skilled -and dangerous- of their number.

Troyl Spear

These spears are beautifully crafted, a masterpiece of the weapon makers art.  The spear head is decorated, usually with inlay precious metal, and the shaft will be carved or inlaid and ribbons or other decorations are common.  They feel light and are easy to maneuver but still hit with great force.

Tuesday Magic Item – Troyl Spear

With a backflip, the lightly dressed warrior dodged a blow from the hulking brute to the cheers of the crowd. The ribbons on his spear fluttering and snapping.

Then using the spear to vault forward, the warrior dashed behind his foe.   As his foe tried to spin to face him, a killing thrust drove through the larger fighter’s back.  The brute staggered and fell, with dramatic slowness, to the ground.

“Told you,” said Golloan.

“Your eye for the winner is remarkable,” Voddick said glumly.  “I should have bet more on the spearman.”

“I always bet on style over strength.”

Troyl Spear

These spears are beautifully crafted, a masterpiece of the weapon makers art.  The spear head is decorated, usually with inlay precious metal, and the shaft will be carved or inlaid and ribbons or other decorations are common.  They feel light and are easy to maneuver but still hit with great force.

Review: The Monster Hide series by Asparagus Jumpsuit

The Monster Hide series by Asparagus Jumpsuit, which means by Berin Kinsman, provide pre-generated monster statblocks for Pathfinder and, as the subtitle “classic monsters reskinned” implies, presents a new take on the role of each these humanoids in a campaign world.

The basic structure of all of the Monster Hide books is the same: cover, 1-page introduction to why Kinsman wrote the series and some background on Asparagus Jumpsuit, then a discussion on how the races fits into the Desteon campaign, Kinsman’s campaign world, and how they vary from the norm and suggestions for their use in a campaign.  Next is the core of the product, a set of five statblocks with the interesting parts all hyperlinked to the appropriate parts of the d20PFSRD.  Each ends with a copy of the OGL as you would expect.  There are a smattering of errors scattered through the works but nothing that cannot be easily sorted.

Bugbear Hide, (Fuzzy) Goblins Reskinned, these bugbears are swamp-dwelling tricksters and friends of bears.  It is a good role for them and the bugbears here are quite fun,  the bugbear cubs, who operate in adventurous packs, and the champion who is a mistress of traps and misdirection, look especially useful.