As All Hallows Eve ends October, Tomorrow is All Saints Day and November

Welcome to All Hallows Day and Eve all!  Tomorrow is All Saints Day and the beginning of November, the ninth month of the Roman calendar, and -in the traditional Irish calendar- the start of Winter.   Tomorrow also sees the beginning of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which I will be participating in, as usual, though casually mostly as an additional spur to writing.

In light of that, and seeing no obvious theme to November I will just write about whatever inspires me.   However, if you have any requests, anything you would like to see or any theme you would like me to expand upon, please let me know and I will try to fit it in.

October, 2017, saw the following posts here:

Tuesday Magic Item – Monster Mask

“I do not like festivals with masks,” grumbled Voddick.

“They are just having fun, trying on a different face,” said Gollaon taking another swig from his bottle.

“I expect people to wear the same face.  There is a reason why two faced is an insult.”

“Well, surely for just one night it is alright.”

“Maybe.”

Monster Mask

These masks can be simple, just painted wood or decorated cloth, but the more powerful they are, the more elaborate they are.  Some are decorated with foil of precious metals and some, the most magical, are set with semi-precious gems.

Superstitions in and of the the Sea of Stars

A last minute inclusion for this month’s RPG Blog Carnival, the theme of which is Superstitions and hosted by of Dice and Dragons.

The Sea of Stars is vast with many unique, mixing and often contradictory traditions and beliefs.

Here are a selection of superstitions from across the lands:

Seeing the Moon indicates change is coming.  The Moon, as the last free god, has gone quite mad and when she is seen smiling in the sky, there is usually mischief and chaos afoot.

Since the death of the gods, it is ill-luck to speak the names of the gods.  By the modern era, most of the names of the gods have been lost and in the rare cases they are referred to, it is by their aspect (the Warrior, the Law Lords, Prince of Mercenaries and so on).  Now, this superstition may have less to do with the metaphysics of the death of the gods and more that many dragons actively rooted out believers in the aftermath of the Sundering.

Speaking the Empress’ title attract her gaze.  As the Empress is known just by her title it is intimately associated with her being, she does has a personal name but it is not widely known and even less used.  Most people refer to her obliquely, “the Highest Queen”, “The Great Ruler”, and such like.  The Imperial Breaucracy and the Draconic Houses do not subscribe to this superstition as a rule.

Destiny is written in the Stars.  Many in the Sea of Stars follow their horoscopes and seek advice from astrologers, this is not necessarily wrong.

Dragons will not eat X and rubbing yourself in X (or the fat/oil of X) will keep you from being attacked by them.  This in one of the sillier ones and occasionally surfaces when a group decide to oppose a dragon.  What X is varies from place to place and usually has to do with the eating habits and preferences of the local dragon.

Drinking dragon’s blood will give you magical powers.  This one is not entirely wrong, though dragon’s blood is more of an enhancer for existing magic, especially for wielder of natural magic.  Though the real challenge is getting it.

If a dragon’s shadow passes over you, your death is near. This one is self-explanatory I would think.

It is good luck to make a Visse laugh.  This may be just getting on the good side of someone who is likely to be a member of the bureaucracy or there may be more to it than that.  In any case, the Visse are delightful when they are amused.

Notes: Photo by “a dancing cresent moon” by Seán A. O’Hara is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Review – Shadowrun: the Complete Trog

Shadowrun: The Complete Trog is a runner resource for Shadowrun and this makes it unusual at it is a player facing book in many ways, providing world information to make playing orks and trolls deeper and more tied to the setting. It provides considerable, if scattershot, information for ork and trolls and how they fit into the Sixth World. For any campaign that features orks and trolls (and their struggles) prominently, it will prove to be a vital resource.

Shadowrun: The Complete Trog, is the first of the Shadowrun Runner Resources for the 5th edition of Shadowrun, this particular book is all about how orks and trolls, and their variants, fit into the Sixth World of Shadowrun.

After a short introduction to what is in the book, we get two fiction sections, and then starts with a section entitled What Are You? Which is an in-game look at being a trog with commentary from others. This gives an interesting, and fairly nuanced, view on what life is like in the Shadowrun world, at least the American section, for those who are orks and trolls.

Living as a Trog in . . .

Tuesday Magic Item – Breaker Orb

Gollaon ducked as the projectile passed over his head and shattered against the building with a terrifying roar, tearing apart part of the wall.  He grabbed a javelin and tossed it at the creature that emerged from the blast.

A swift strike from Voddick brought the creature down before it could attack his friend.  “Where did that come from?” ask Voddick as the creatures corpse started to melt away into blue-black smoke.

“More magic, breaker orbs, they shatter releasing magical energy and a creature,” said Gollaon.

“Delightful,” said Voddick.  “And nothing we can do about it except destroy those catapults.”

“A task for the cover of night.”

“Duck!”

Breaker Orb

These heavy and crudely cast glass orbs are filled with a swirling liquid that occasionally almost formed into the shape of a creature or part of one.  One propelled with force, the orb breaks easily, releasing a terrible burst of noise and energy and some sort of creature from another realm.

New Monster – Guardian Companion Template

“That cat is fantastic!” said Voddick looking back down the alley.

“I am glad it is on our side,” agreed Gollaon.

“She has watched over my family for generations,” said the child.

“I’ll buy it a kipper,” said Voddick heading on.

“And a dish of cream,” added Gollaon falling in behind.

Guardian Companion
Guardian Companions are the spirits of loyal animal companions that can briefly manifest in the physical world to protect the person to whom it is attuned. These beings tend to loyally follow and guard a family line until irrevocably destroyed.

CREATING A Guardian Companion

Tuesday Magic Item – Guardian Companion Amulet

Golloan gestured to an alleyway and hissed, “Quick this way.”

Voddick hustled their charged down the alley only to pull up short as three masked men blocked their way.

“Give us the child!” demanded the tallest and best dressed of the masked trio.  “You need not die today mercenaries.”

“Bugger that!” replied Voddick with a vicious punch to the groin to the masked speaker.

“More behind us!” shouted Gollaon flinging a rock at them.

“I can help,” said the child, grasping her locket.  A shimmering in the air resolved itself into a large, glowing cat which launched itself at the remain two masked people in front of them (the leaded having collapsed in pain).  The other two flinched aside from the slashing claws and tearing fangs of the spectral cat.

“Run!” shouted Golloan grabbing the child.

Guardian Companion Amulet

These lockets are made of love and grief, with a portrait of a companion animal and a token from them (usually fur or a tooth) inside, imbued with the spirit of the animal at the time of its death.  The spirit remains bound as long as it is held by those who love and care for it, the bonds of love, kindness and duty are important to maintaining the binding magic.

A Cat Shaped Hole in My Heart

Normally, I only post about gaming related things here, but this is about my personal life.

Aeolif in happier times

Our oldest cat, we have . . . had three, Aeolif the Jungle Princess went west today.  She was fifteen and a half and had fought off cancer four years ago but not this time.  She was eased into the next world by the kind people at the Animal Wellness Center with myself and my wife standing as honor guards.  I will miss that little kitty.

We found Aeolif in a tree overhanging our driveway, she was just a tiny kitten and we never found out where she had come from but she was there.  I got a chair and stretch up to rescue her from the branch and she was purring as soon as she was in my hands.  Laura took her off and bathed her, saying the water looked like weak coffee sprinkled with black pepper afterwards.  We confided her to the bathroom and started trying to find if anyone had lost a kitten.  It was a little later that same day that we received news that out dear friend Jess Hanna and her two children had been killed in a car accident.  Since no one claimed her, we poured our love and sorry into the little kitten who we named Aeolif after one of Jess’ D&D characters who was also very good (metaphorically speaking) of getting into but not out of trees.

Last photo of Aeolif at the AWC

Several years later, Aeolif managed to get treed by a local dog, ending up at the very top of a forty-ish foot tall pine.  Even after the dog’s owner, our neighbor, confined the dog (who was just being a dog, no malice there) we could not coax her down but we could hear her sad meows for hours until she finally just showed up at the door again.

After her cancel treatment, she became more withdrawn, and was usually down in the basement only coming up to ask for food and occasionally company.  But we loved her and visited when we could.  And now she is gone and there is a cat shaped hole in my heart whenever I think of her.

Go with my best wishes and love, wherever you end up, my dearest little cat.  Goodbye and fare the well, Aeolif.

 

PinkCat: Running in the Shade “Rat Trap” (A different sort of SR campaign report)

To understand what is going on here, you had best read the first PinkCat: Running in the Shade post, but short summary, this is a campaign report for our Shadowrun campaign set in NorCal through the filter of a cartoon made by one of the team members.

Episode Thirty One: Rat Trap

Guest Starring: BB and Double Up.

Pink and Glitter are in the cafeteria when a scream rings out from the school kitchen, they run it to see it overrun by debil rats (like devil rats but cuter).  The school wants to exterminate them but the Environment and Vegetarian Clubs want to save them.  Pink and Glitter volunteer to try and humanly capture them.  Cue increasingly Rube Goldberg-esque traps to capture the rats who become increasingly militant and the school janitor (Mr Carl, a off-kilter veteran ala Bill Murray’s character in Caddyshack) who gets involved wanting to exterminate the rats.   It ends with all the debil rats loaded up in a contained that is then dumped on an abandoned desert island.  Pink and Glitter end the episode in the school’s pool where they watch a debil rats in water wings swim by.

What really happened:

Kickstarter – J E Shields Stock Art and Paper Minis (with Update)

Some of his work

The artist J.E . Shields (whose work I mentioned here) is having a Kickstarter for stock art and paper minis made from that stock art.  For $10 you can get the complete set of fifty paper minis while stock art packages start at $25 with a commercial license included!  You even get to suggest artwork (or get a guaranteed piece at the higher levels) that will be included.

And if the project raises its first $1,000 by Friday (less than $200 to go), James will add another five pieces of stock art to the collection at no extra cost!  UPDATE: This was met!  Next goal is $2,000 by end of Monday for five more extra illustrations.

So, if you are in need of stock art (like I am) or paper mini, consider signing up!  And please do so soon so we can get those extra five pieces of art.

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