martedì 27 dicembre 2016

Adventure seed: The Thirteenth Solstice

Far, in the deep north, a new divinity has been worshiped for the last thirteen years. Worshiped, and feared.
Gryla is her name, lady of glaciers and mountains. Eater of infants.
A giant she is, tall as three man and strong as three oxen. Dressed with a black mantle woven with gold and silver.

Every year, on the winter solstice, a child between 5 and 10 years old is brought to the Sneffels Mouth over a cart filled with coal to be sacrificed to the goddess. A column of black smoke rises from the Sneffels Mouth, then: the coal has been lit, the flesh is burning, a life is extinguished.
The goddess is appeased a for another year.

"ice cave" by sancient; text added by me

But the goddess do not asks for any life, for she wants the most evil child of the three villages. As evil as a child may be, at least. And every year the decision is made, the child chosen and sent to his death.
For thirteen years this sacrifice has been made under the threat of the death of many. Yule, a giant beast with a fur darker than death, only once drew his claws on a bloody night thirteen years ago, after its owner's command. Since then, the sacrifices begun.

This year, however, the old sage of the three villages Arne Saknussem decided to seek for help. No more children will die.
Once arrived to the villages many rumors will be heard regarding Gryla. Many conflicting theories and fantasies. Which one is true, though?

1 Gryla does not exists: in fact no one has ever seen her. No one from the three villages is able to point out in which one the goddess showed herself for the first time on that night thirteen years ago. But then, what are these sacrifices for? Who lights the cart and the coal, and more importantly: what happens to the children?
2 Gryla is not a giantess, but a human sorceress. With her magic spells she created the illusion of her appearance and of the Yule beast. She does not eat children, instead she uses them to make obscene experiments that transforms them to slaves of her magic. They are still alive, but nothing remains of them but empty shells. The cart filled with coal is just a staging.
3 Gryla is really a child-eater giant, but she's not a goddess. Once the cart is brought to the Sneffels Mouth, it is lit while the child is still alive, and the "goddess" feasts with his juicy flesh. The Yule beast protects her home when he's not hunting in the surrounding forests for itself and its giant owner. After all, children flesh is just Gryla's once-in-a-year whim for the winter solstice.
4 Gryla is really a goddess that needs evil children to appease her. The coal in the cart is part of a complex ritual that transforms the sacrificed child to a slave creature that works for her during the whole year, until he deteriorates and dies on the winter solstice, day in which Gryla replaces him with a new child.
5 Gryla is a very, very lonely giantess. Even if the Yule beast is fond of its owner, it is an independent creature and it usually stays by itself. Furthermore, Gryla has always dreamed of a family of her own, and she's trying to make herself one with the children of the three villages. However, she may be persuaded to give them back if she is given the opportunity to become a real mother...
6 Gryla is a giantess mage that does not eat infants, but instead she tears their souls from their bodies in order to try to give life back to her daughter, who died fourteen years ago. Every year, during the winter solstice, the stars align and the moment is propitious to make the ritual. Unfortunately to this day she never succeeded in her attempt, and her daughter still lies in her ice coffin, dead for all these years. The children souls are lost during the ritual.

Grýla (2009), by Þrándur Þórarinsson

The inspiration for this adventure idea came from the Icelandic Christmas tale of the Grýla, a giantess who eats misbehaving children, his Yule Cat and her thirteen Yule Lads.

This adventure has been originally written in Italian for the Facebook page "L'Avventuriero Precario", dedicated to memes and articles of various kinds about rpgs and card games.
The page name could be translated as "The Temporary Adventurer", as a reference to the "temporary employees" so common in Italy.

mercoledì 30 novembre 2016

62 Domande che ti verranno fatte prima di donare il sangue

Lei è
  1. Un non-morto (zombie, vampiro, lich, ghoul)?
  2. Un demone (abissale, infernale, diavolo, elementale)?
  3. Di razza semiumana (elfica, nanica, halfling, orchesca)?
  4. Di una delle razze minori (goblin, uomini ratto, lucertoloide, hobgoblin)?
  5. Un mezzo-sangue (orco, elfo, halfling)?
  6. Un sangue di demone?
  7. Un cyborg o un replicante?
  8. Un'alieno da un altro mondo?
Negli ultimi dodici mesi lei
  1. Ha avuto rapporti sessuali con entità extraplanari?
  2. Ha avuto rapporti sessuali con creature aliene?
  3. Ha avuto rapporti sessuali con demoni/diavoli/abissali?
  4. Ha avuto rapporti sessuali con membri di razza diversa dalla sua?
  5. Ha ricevuto trasfusioni di sangue per acquisire i poteri magici del donatore?
  6. È venuto un contatto con sangue di qualcun'altro (causa duello, battaglia, ferita, esplosioni di corpi)?
  7. È venuto a contatto con sangue di qualcos'altro (animale o altra creatura non infetta)?
  8. È venuto a contatto con sangue di razza diversa dalla sua?
  9. È venuto a contatto con sangue di zombie o altro non-morto?
  10. È venuto a contatto con sangue alieno?
  11. È venuto a contatto con fluidi della putrefazione (da cadavere o non-morto)?
  12. Ha vissuto con un necromante?
  13. Ha vissuto come servo o amante mortale di un vampiro?
  14. Ha avuto servitori zombie o altri non-morti?
Negli ultimi sei mesi lei
  1. Ha partecipato a sacrifici rituali o di sangue?
  2. È stato vittima di sacrificio rituale o di sangue?
  3. Ha partecipato a evocazioni con utilizzo di sangue o carne?
  4. Ha partecipato a messe nere con presenza di sangue o altri fluidi?
  5. Ha partecipato a battaglie o scaramucce?
  6. Ha partecipato a duelli?
  7. Ha bevuto il sangue dei suoi nemici dai loro teschi?
  8. Ha mangiato la carne dei suoi nemici per acquisirne i poteri o la forza?
  9. È stato parzialmente mangiato da cannibali?
  10. Ha fatto uso di droghe intravenose per incrementare i suoi poteri o abilità?
  11. Ha fatto uso di droghe intravenose per acquisire temporaneamente nuovi poteri?
  12. Ha fatto uso di altre droghe (loto purpureo, ossa di saprofago, anagatici, skooma)?
Negli ultimi quattro mesi lei
  1. È stato resuscitato?
  2. Ha ricevuto ferite aperte? Se sì, la ferita è stata curata tramite magia o chirurgia?
  3. È stato colpito da un incantesimo del sangue?
  4. È stato colpito da un incantesimo di disintegrazione della carne?
  5. Ha subito la separazione di un arto dal corpo? Se sì, l'arto è stato riattaccato tramite magia o chirurgia?
  6. Si è sottoposto a tatuaggi magici o runici?
  7. Ha ricevuto cicatrici rituali?
  8. Si è sottoposto a trapianti atti ad incrementare i propri poteri?
  9. Si è sottoposto a miglioramenti corporei tramite biotecnologia o impianti cibernetici?
Nell'ultimo mese lei
  1. Ha bevuto pozioni curativi di origine incerta?
  2. Ha bevuto pozioni riscontrando effetti indesiderati? Quali effetti?
  3. Ha bevuto pozioni trovate in dungeon, rovine o castelli abbandonati?
  4. È stato morso da un vampiro?
  5. È stato morso da un licantropo (o altra bestia mannara)?
  6. È stato morso da zombie o altri non-morti?
  7. È stato morso da animali selvaggi (lupi, cervi, orsi, pipistrelli, tartarughe di fuoco)?
  8. È stato morso da animali esotici (alpaca, elefanti, struzzi, giraffe, lama)?
Ha mai
  1. Contratto la peste nera?
  2. Contratto la malattia Corprus?
  3. Contratto la peste scarlatta?
  4. Contratto la febbre da Lich?
  5. Contratto il Lupus?
  6. Stretto un patto di sangue?
  7. Eseguito o subito una smaterializzazione e conseguente rimaterializzazione?
  8. Firmato un contratto con il proprio sangue?
  9. Stretto un patto con un demone o un diavolo?
  10. Spezzato la sua anima in due o più parti?

62 Question you will be asked before donating blood

Are you
  1. An undead (zombie, vampire, lich, ghoul)?
  2. A demon (abyssal, infernal, devil, elemental)?
  3. A demihuman (elf, dwarf, halfling, orc)?
  4. A lesser race (goblin, ratmen, lizardmen, hobgoblin)?
  5. A half-blood (orc, elf, halfling)?
  6. A demon-blood?
  7. A cyborg or replicant?
  8. An alien being from another world?
In the past twelve months have you
  1. Had sexual contact with an extraplanar entity?
  2. Had sexual contact with an alien creature?
  3. Had sexual contact with a demon/infernal/abyssal?
  4. Had sexual contact with member of a different species than yours?
  5. Received a blood transfusion in order to acquire the donor's magic powers?
  6. Come into contact with someone else's blood (by duel, battle, wounds, body explosions)?
  7. Come into contact with something else's blood (animal or other non-infected creature)?
  8. Come into contact with blood of a different race than yours?
  9. Come into contact with zombie's or other undead's blood?
  10. Come into contact with demon's/infernal's/abyssal's blood?
  11. Come into contact with alien's blood?
  12. Come into contact with putrefaction fluids (from corpse or undead)?
  13. Lived with a necromancer?
  14. Lived with a vampire as servant or mortal lover?
  15. Had zombie or undead servants?
In the past six months have you
  1. Participated in a blood or sacrificial ritual?
  2. Been the victim in a blood or sacrificial ritual?
  3. Participated a summoning involving blood or flesh?
  4. Participated a black mass involving blood or other fluids?
  5. Participated in a battle or skirmish?
  6. Participated in a duel?
  7. Drank the blood of your enemies from their skulls?
  8. Eat the flesh of your enemies to acquire their powers or strength?
  9. Been partially eaten by cannibals?
  10. Used intravenous drugs to increase your powers or abilities?
  11. Used intravenous drugs to temporary acquire new powers?
  12. Used any other drug (purple lotus, scavenger bone, anagatics, skooma)?
In the past four months have you
  1. Been resurrected?
  2. Received an open wound? If yes, has the wound been healed by magic or surgery?
  3. Been hit by a blood spell?
  4. Been hit by a flesh disintegration spell?
  5. Had a limb separated from your body? If yes, has the limb been reattached by magic or surgery?
  6. Had a magical or runic tattoo?
  7. Had received ritual scars?
  8. Had a transplant in order to increase your powers?
  9. Augmented your body with biotechnology or cyberware implants?
In the past month have you
  1. Drank a curative potion from uncertain origins?
  2. Drank a potion with adverse effects? Which effects?
  3. Drank potions found in dungeons/ruins/abandoned castles?
  4. Been bite by a vampire?
  5. Been bite by a werewolf (or other werebeast)?
  6. Been bite by a zombie or other undeads?
  7. Been bite by a wild animal (wolf, deer, bear, bat, fire turtle)?
  8. Been bite by an exotic animal (alpaca, elephant, ostrich, giraffe, lama)?
Have you EVER
  1. Contracted the Black Plague?
  2. Contracted the Corprus disease?
  3. Contracted the Crimson plague?
  4. Contracted the Lich fever?
  5. Contracted Lupus?
  6. Signed a blood pact?
  7. Dematerialized and consequently rematerialized?
  8. Signed a contract with your blood?
  9. Signed a pact with a demon or devil?
  10. Splitted your soul in two or more pieces?

mercoledì 16 novembre 2016

20 Atti infami che hai compiuto prima di diventare un avventuriero

Il tuo passato è oscuro, come gli atti che hai compiuto.
Forse non è stata tua la colpa, né avevi l'intenzione di fare ciò che hai fatto. Ma non si può tornare indietro.

Ora vivi con l'ombra delle tue azioni, ti segue di continuo, non ti abbandona mai.
Ti disprezzi per ciò che hai fatto? Oppure non te ne preoccupi, e giustifichi te stesso?
Dopotutto, era l'unica cosa che avresti potuto fare. O la cosa giusta da fare.
Forse, se avessi l'opportunità, lo rifaresti senza ripensamenti.

Ma cos'è che hai fatto?

Lancia un d20 e riporta a galla il tuo oscuro passato. E non rivelarlo per nessun motivo ai tuoi compagni... potrebbero non essere così comprensivi come potresti pensare.

1 Hai ucciso tua madre. Quella vocina nella tua testa ti ha detto che se non l'avessi fatto, non avresti mai potuto andare via da casa.
2 Hai fatto parte di una setta o un culto satanico, o comunque malvagio. Probabilmente alcuni di quegli orribili rituali li hai compiuti tu stesso.
3 Tuo padre stava soffrendo, morendo di una malattia terribile. Avresti potuto salvarlo, ma hai invece deciso di lasciarlo soffrire per tutto il male che ti aveva causato.
4 Hai rapinato una banca una volta, ma solo per divertimento. Tu sei l'unico che è uscito vivo da lì.
5 La guardia che ti ha fermato mentre stavi derubando quel mercante... c'era davvero bisogno di cuocere e mangiarti le sue budella?
6 Tu e i tuoi compagni avete fatto un'ottimo lavoro quella volta. Ma tu li hai traditi, lasciandoli morire.
7 Salvasti una bambina una volta. Era affamata, e le desti da mangiare. Aveva freddo, e la scaldasti. Era perduta, e le mostrasti la via. Era sola, e la vendesti per denaro.
8 Una volta eri sposato. Poi, lei morì. Non ti avrebbe mai più detto cosa avresti dovuto e cosa non avresti dovuto fare.
9 Hai ucciso così tante puttane che ne hai perso il conto. Dopotutto, chi vuole davvero fare la puttana? Tu le hai salvate. Dopo aver approfittato dei loro servizi, ovviamente.
10 Non hai idea di quanti figli bastardi hai per il mondo. Hai smesso di ucciderli prima di contarli tutti.
11 Nella tua vita hai spezzato molti cuori. Non sarebbe una cosa così rara, se non fosse che ogni volta sei fuggito con il denaro.
12 Tua madre non ti ha mai fatto nessun regalo, così l'hai venduta per potertene comprare uno da solo.
13 L'ultima volta che hai sentito parlare del tuo miglior amico, aveva bisogno di te. Tu lo hai aiutato ad affondare ancora di più nel suo problema.
14 Il tuo lavoro stava andando alla grande, poi hai iniziato a rubare al tuo capo. Ora non gli rimane nulla oltre la sua stessa vita, e a te rimane poco più.
15 Sei venuto a conoscenza del segreto di un tuo caro amico. Hai giurato di non rivelarlo. Ma lo hai fatto. Ora lui si trova in un posto terribile, in catene. La morte sarebbe stata meglio.
16 Prima rubasti dalla tua famiglia. Poi rubasti dai tuoi amici. Dopodiché osasti rubare dai tuoi nemici. Infine, rubasti al tuo paese. Ora non hai nulla, tranne coloro che vogliono rubare da te.
17 Combattere era il tuo pane quotidiano. Il sangue, la tua acqua. Il dolore era il tuo miglior amico. Fino a che non combattesti per l'ultima volta. Ora tutto è andato, tranne vecchi, mortali debiti.
18 L'ultima volta che li vedesti, stavano affogando, e la nave stava affondando. La tua zattera avrebbe potuto ospitarli, ma loro ti avrebbero poi impiccato.
19 Tua sorella era una giovane bella e pura, amata da tutti coloro che la conoscevano. Ora bella e pura non lo è più, e la colpa è tua. È ancora amata da tutti, ma per amarla devono pagare.
20 Quando fosti venduto eri così giovane che non rammenti la prima volta che ti frustarono. Poi sei cresciuto. Hai iniziato a frustare a tua volta. Quando la rivolta fu sedata, li hai frustati a morte. Poi, sei fuggito.


mercoledì 26 ottobre 2016

20 Strange things you may find in a public toilet

...or in your best friend's basement or in that creepy abandoned house down the alley or whatever the place you prefer.
But we're talking about strange things, and public toilet is a strange place enough for this.


1 A syringe with a blood stained needle, still full of its content. On the side of the syringe, a first person name is written with a red marker.
2 A mummified cat. It has been recently mummified by someone that did a very good job.
3 A lot of black feathers scattered across the floor. They are so many, they could easily be the whole lot a big bird had.
4 A pair of well-worn good quality shoes. The size of the shoes is strangely very different between each other, though.
5 An orderly pile of newspapers, freshly printed, but with the date and the news of 10 years ago, the same day as today.
6 A powered on desktop computer, connected to a toilet wall socket. It has no monitor, mouse or keyboard.
7 A bible, soaked with water. The pages contain strange symbols and formulas written in latin with a black marker. The holy book must be dried before being able to open it.
8 A plastic bottle of a common water brand filled with a bright red liquid. In the liquid, floating mid-liquid, a pair of glass eyes.
9 A surveillance camera mounted on the ceiling directly over the toilet. It is pointing directly into the toilet hole.
10 An authentic renaissance painting, depicting a bearded man with a large hat looking towards whoever enters the toilet. It has no author sign.
11 A jukebox that starts playing music every time you flush the toilet, or open the water tap. The music is old and awful. There's no way to change or stop the song.
12 An old leather-bound diary. The owner is apparently dead, since his last written words, stained with large drops of blood, are "I'm dying right now." It has no name or signature.
13 A box of old floppy disks. All of them have the phrase "Key Code 24" written on the label. Each of them contains nothing but a text file with a single syllable as the only content.
14 An old wall mounted pay phone that starts ringing after a minute you enter the toilet. If answered, the phone will be silent. It will start ringing again after another minute.
15 A Magic 8 Ball. If shacked, the first answer will be "Right Behind You." Every time the ball is shacked, it will deliver creepy or unsettling answers.
16 A plaque dedicated to a man who died inside the toilet some time ago. There are scratches on the wall keeping track of the days passed since the death. Near these marks, there's a phrase scratched on the wall: "LET ME OUT".
17 A box with big red mushroom-like button on the top attached to the wall. The label says "Warning - Emergency Detachment".
18 An ventriloquist puppet inside a dark battered suitcase. The puppet is in good conditions. Inside its mouth a note with a telephone number has been hid.
19 On the wall a large yellow mold has formed. It is in the shape of a symbol you already saw, but right now you can't remember where. If touched it retracts, as if alive, and releases an hallucinatory dust in the air.
20 There's no door in the inside. The door you entered the first time is not there anymore. The toilet hole is big enough for a man to easily enter, though.

20 Strane cose che potresti trovare in un bagno pubblico

...o nello scantinato del tuo migliore amico, oppure in quella inquietante casa abbandonata giù nella via, o dovunque tu preferisca.
Ma stiamo parlando di cose strane, ed un bagno pubblico è abbastanza strano per questo.


1 Una siringa con l'ago macchiato di sangue, ancora piena. Sul lato della siringa vi è scritto un nome con un pennarello rosso.
2 Un gatto mummificato. È stato mummificato di recente da qualcuno che ha fatto un ottimo lavoro.
3 Sul pavimento sono sparse un sacco di piume nere. Sono così tante che potrebbero essere facilmente tutte quelle di un grosso uccello.
4 Un paio di scarpe di buona qualità molto usate. Tuttavia c'è una grossa differenza di taglia tra le due.
5 Una pila ordinata di giornali appena stampati, ma con la data e le notizie di 10 anni fa, allo stesso giorno di oggi.
6 Un computer fisso acceso e ronzante, collegato ad una presa a muro. Manca di schermo, tastiera e mouse.
7 Una bibbia zuppa d'acqua. Le pagine contengono strani simboli e formule in latino scritte in pennarello nero. Il libro sacro deve essere asciugato prima di poterlo aprire.
8 Una bottiglia di plastica di una marca comune d'acqua, riempita di un liquido rosso brillante. Nel liquido galleggiano a mezza altezza due occhi di vetro.
9 Una telecamera di sorveglianza montata esattamente sopra la tazza del gabinetto. Sta puntando direttamente dentro la tazza.
10 Un autentico dipinto rinascimentale. Rappresenta un uomo barbuto con un largo cappello che guarda chiunque entri nel bagno. Non è firmato.
11 Un jukebox che inizia a suonare non appena qualcuno tira la catena o apre un rubinetto. La musica è vecchia e pessima, ma non c'è modo di fermarla o di cambiare brano.
12 Un vecchio diario di pelle. Il proprietario è apparentemente morto, visto che le sue ultime parole sono "Sto morendo proprio adesso." Non ha né nome, né firma.
13 Una vecchia scatola di floppy disk. Su tutte le loro etichette c'è scritto "Codice Chiave 24". Ognuno di essi contiene un singolo file di testo con solo una sillaba come contenuto.
14 Un vecchio telefono pubblico a muro, che inizia a suonare un minuto dopo che sei entrato. Se si risponde, non si sente nulla. Dopo un altro minuto inizia a suonare di nuovo.
15 Una Palla Magica 8. Se scossa la prima cosa che apparirà sarà "Proprio dietro di te." Se consultata altre volte continuerà a rispondere con frasi inquietanti.
16 Una placca dedicata ad un uomo morto in questo bagno qualche tempo fa. Sul muro ci sono segni che contano i giorni trascorsi da quando quest'uomo è morto. Affianco ai segni una scritta è stata incisa: "FAMMI USCIRE".
17 Una scatola con un grosso bottone rosso attaccata al muro. L'etichetta recita "Attenzione - Distacco di Emergenza".
18 Un pupazzo da ventriloquo dentro una valigia scura ammaccata. I pupazzo è in buone condizioni. Dentro la sua bocca è stata nascosta una nota con un numero di telefono.
19 Si è formata una grossa macchia di muffa gialla sul muro. La muffa ha la forma di un simbolo che hai già visto da qualche parte, solo non ricordi dove. Se toccata si ritrae come se fosse viva, rilasciando nell'aria una polvere allucinogena.
20 Non c'è nessuna porta all'interno. Quella dalla quale sei passato non c'è più. Il buco della tazza del gabinetto, però, è grande abbastanza da farci passare comodamente un uomo.

lunedì 3 ottobre 2016

Tabella di Equipaggiamento Completo per LotFP e altri giochi fantasy

Questa tabella nella fattispecie permette di generare con un solo lancio di tre dadi l'equipaggiamento completo di primo livello di un personaggio per il gdr Lamentations of the Flame Princess (gratuito qui) oppure di altri giochi fantasy.

Ma questo è possibile solo perché non è una tabella casuale classica.
Per chi non lo sapesse, le Die Drop Tables o "Tabelle a Caduta Dadi" (nome coniato da me) sono tabelle casuali sulle quali invece che andarci a guardare il risultato corrispondente ai valori ottenuti lanciando dei dadi, ci si fanno letteralmente cadere i dadi sopra.
La combinazione tra dove cadono i dadi ed i loro valori fa ottenere un certo risultato casuale.
Sono divertenti, spesso artistiche, e a volte più veloci a generare i risultati rispetto alle cugine più comuni, come in questo caso.
E niente paura, questa tabella può essere usata anche in maniera classica!

Potete scaricarla cliccando sull'immagine (che tra l'altro è l'esempio di come funziona)


La tabella andrebbe stampata, ma siete liberi di far cadere i dadi sullo schermo del vostro tablet, o del vostro monitor mettendolo in orizzontale. Non mi assumo la responsabilità di eventuali danni!

**
Questo è il mio primo tentativo di una tabella a caduta dadi. La mia è complicata (ma solo a vedersi) e ci ho studiato parecchio sopra per ottenere il risultato migliore possibile lanciando il minor numero di dadi e utilizzandoli al meglio. Credo di esserci riuscito, ed inoltre grazie ai numeri affianco ad ogni voce è anche possibile utilizzarla come tabella classica, senza doverla stampare.
La reputo piuttosto versatile: potete tirarci fuori un mucchio di cose, dall'equipaggiamento completo a oggetti casuali al numero di guardie che vi attaccano e come sono armate!

Spero vi piaccia e vi sia utile!

giovedì 15 settembre 2016

20 Infamous Acts You Did Before Starting Adventuring

Your past is dark, like the actions that obscure it.
Maybe it was not your fault, or your intention to do what you did. But. You. Did.

Now you are living with the shadow of your acts behind you. Always following and never leaving.
Do you despise yourself for your actions? Or do you simply not care or justify yourself because "it was the only thing I could have done"? Or even "the right thing to do"?
Maybe you would repeat it again, given the opportunity.

But what have you done?

Roll a d20 and remember your dark past. And never reveal it to your new companions. They could be not so sympathetic as you may think.

1 You killed your mother. That tiny voice said that if you wouldn't have, you would have never been able to leave home.
2 You used to be part of a satanic or otherwise evil sect or cult. Some obscene rites or action you may have did them yourself.
3 Your father was dying and suffering for a terrible disease. You could have saved him, but instead decided to leave him suffering for all the pain he caused to you.
4 You robbed a bank once, just for fun. You were the only one who left the place alive.
5 The guard who stopped you from robbing that merchant? Was there a reason to cook and eat their entrails?
6 You and your companions did a great job that time. But then you betrayed them, and let them to die.
7 You saved a child once. She was hungry, and you fed her. She was cold, and you warmed her. She was lost, and you showed her the way. She was alone, and you sold her for money.
8 Once, you were married. Then, they were dead. They will never tell you no more what you must or must not do.
9 You killed so many whores, you lost the count. After all, who did really wanted to be a whore? You saved them. After receiving their services, of course.
10 You don't know how many bastard sons you have around the world. You stopped killing them before finishing counting.
11 In your life you broke a lot of hearts. That would be not so uncommon, except every time you fled with all the money.
12 Your mother never bought you a present, so you sold her to buy yourself one.
13 Last time you heard of your so-called best friend, they were in your need. You helped them sink deeper in their problem.
14 Your job was going great, then you started to steal from your employer. Now he has nothing left but his life, and you just slightly more.
15 You came to know a dear friend of yours' secret. You swore not to reveal it. And you did. Now he's in a terrible place, in chains. Death would have been better.
16 At first you stole from your family. Then you stole from your friends. After that you dared to steal from your enemies. Finally, from your country. Now you have nothing but people that want to steal from you.
17 Fights were your daily bread. Blood was your water. Pain was your best friend. Until you fought for the last time. Now, all is gone except old, deathly debts.
18 When you last saw them, they were drowning, and the ship was sinking. Your boat could have hosted them, but then the would have hanged you.
19 Your sister was a fair and pure maiden, loved by everyone who knew her. Now she's fair and pure no more, and the fault is yours. She's still loved by everyone, but they must pay to love her.
20 When were sold you were so young you cannot remember the first time you were whipped. Then you grew up. Then you started whipping yourself. When the revolt have been sedated, you whipped them to the death. Then you fled away.


domenica 7 agosto 2016

Traveller - Interesting Misjumps Table

[You can now download the printable pdf version of this tables HERE]

Here you have a nice table for throwing your Traveller players' bad luck to a higher level.
Just start with rolling a d6 on the first table and follow the descriptions.
Use at your own risk! (or the party's...)

Are you ready to jump?

Table 1 - Interesting Misjumps (1d6)
1 The ship remains in jumpspace for 3d6 days more than usual
2 Wrong place at the wrong time: roll on Table 2
3 "Define "interesting"": roll 2d6 twice on Table 5
4 Psionic manifestations aboard the ship: roll on Table 7
5 Nothing bad happened... or so it seems: roll on Table 6
6 Combo! Roll again and combine the results.
If this result is rolled again, you are very, very unlucky...

Table 2 - Wrong place in the wrong time (1d6)
The ship exists jumpspace...
1 1d6 x 1d6 parsecs in a random direction
2 In the heat of a space battle! Roll on Table 4 to see involved ships (optional)
3 2d6 days before the day it jumped. Back in time!
4 In an immediate collision route with... (roll on Table 3)
5 Inside a big enough... (roll on Table 3)
6 At the immediate moment after it jumped, but with a major universe change: roll on Table 6

Table 3 - Big Spacey Things
"That's no moon..."
1 Wreck or remnant: roll again to know the kind.
If this entry is rolled again, it is truly an odd wreck!
2 Spaceship: roll on Table 4
3 Space station or colony
4 Big chunk o' rock
5 Ancient artifact
6 Space whale

Table 4 - Ship Type (1d6)
Roll for "Friend or Foe" if appropriate: (1-2 friendly 3-4 neutral 5-6 hostile)
1 Warship
2 Pirate ship
3 Prison ship
4 Generation ship
5 Colony ship
6 Freighter
5 Scout or Survey ship
6 Mining ship
5 Passenger ship
6 Science and Research ship
5 Yacht, Safari or other civilian ship
6 Alien ship (unknown type or purpose)

"Last time I heard about them, they were going to Jump at -8..."

Table 5 - "Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?" (2d6 twice)
The ship integrity is compromised: roll 2d6 twice to count the damage
2 Single Hit
3 Two Single Hits
4 Double Hit
5 Three Single Hits
6 Two Single Hits, Double Hit
7 Two Double Hits
8 Triple Hit
9 Triple Hit, Single Hit
10 Triple Hit, Double Hit
11 Triple Hit, Double Hit, Single Hit
12 Two Triple Hits

Table 6 - Major Universe Change (1d12)
Changes that affect ships, technology or people do not affect the ship that jumped and the characters aboard it.
1 Star systems are moving in the opposite direction (but not the ship when exiting jumpspace)
2 Distances in space are different (1-3 distance is doubled 4-6 distance is halved)
3 Gravity manipulation is not possible
4 Jump technology is capped at Jump 2
5 Star systems positions are switched between each other
6 Psionic powers do not exist
7 Everyone has psionic powers
8 Energy weapons have not been invented
9 There's no human race
10 There are no alien races
11 Nothing changes, but the characters are convinced it did. Just point constantly out that the characters find things strange, or out of place, or they seem different from what they used to be... but never tell them what it is. Because nothing has, actually, changed.
12 Jump torpedoes are widely used

Table 7 - Psionic Manifestations (1d10)
All manifestations last 3d6 days and will happen both in normalspace and in jumpspace.
1 People will start hearing voices and screams aboard the ship.
2 The ship doors will start to behave strangely: they will open or close at random, will be locked without help but to wait until they unlock, will be unable to be operated both manually and digitally etc. Just hope the hull doors stay shut...
3 Sensors will detect things outside the ship. However, nothing's outside there...
4 Sensors or alarms will detect things aboard the ship that should not be there. Nothing will be found when the place will be searched.
5 Things will disappear and reappear at random aboard the ship: every time you need an item roll 1d6: 1-2 the item is where it's supposed to be; 3-4: the item is somewhere else on the ship; 5-6 the item cannot be found for 1d6 hours.
6 You can see figures outside the windows both in normalspace and in jumpspace. Creatures, people, ships, planets, landscapes... sensors, however, will detect nothing.
7 A violent death happened on the ship long ago. You can see and hear it happen again as an echo in front of your eyes.
8 A random person will start hearing the starship's breath, her heart rhythmic pulsations, her guts shifting and moving, her muscles stretching and relaxing, her lamentations as her hull is stressed while flying through the atmosphere, her cries of pain as micro-particles and debris hit her when travelling in space.
9 A random person aboard the ship will be haunted from voices of people of his past asking for the help he never gave them, accusing him of his betrayal, remembering him of his dark deeds he strongly regrets.
10 Random people aboard the ship will have visions or vivid dreams of themselves having consensual sexual intercourses with another passenger or crewman, and will remember them as if being real. In the visions the partner will always be the same person, the one found more sexually attractive. This doesn't mean this partner will have the same vision, or any vision at all. Failing an Intelligence check (Difficult, +2) means the affected people will believe these intercourses really happened.

Did I really have sex with you last night?

sabato 2 luglio 2016

Mimes are not to be trusted: a LotFP Class

No one take Mimes seriously. That's because Mimes are those silly looking and moving guys who, instead of behaving and living like normal people do, prefer to imitate them.
And everyone knows imitation brings nothing but fake hopes and dreams, and fake lives full of lies, an that's what Mimes all have.
And this may be even true for most of them... but only because most of them are not true Mimes.

Mimes are considered magical by some, and probably they are somehow right, since most of the Mimes' abilities are tricks so elaborate and convincing that the Reality itself is bound to fall for them, and will obey them. Or so they will tell you if you ask them.

Others say Mimes are touched by the Chaos, and can touch the Chaos itself, and by it they can reach the Reality inner cords and twist them and bend them to their will and imagination, making true and tangible what is fake and thin like air. Unlike spellcasters, who canalize the magic through their bodies to make it flow to the Reality at their will, Mimes change the Reality itself.

That's why Mimes are usually hated by The Fey Folk: no one should ever change the Reality at his will, because along this path lies what they call the Blasting Solitude of Doom and the destruction of the fabric of Reality itself. Mimes of course do not care and do it anyway.

No one can become a Mime, if they aren't already. This means that no one can become a Mime, and those few who are, always have been.
There's no school of Mimes, as Mimes are as rare as tree leaves in a desert of salt.
Very seldom there will be a Master and an Apprentice but, more often than not, at some point only one will continue their path as their companion's corpse will be rotting and being eaten by flies.

Mimes are extremely jealous of their secrets and their tricks, an will tell lies and even kill to keep them secure.
Mimes are also not very trustworthy, and you can quite never tell when they're behaving as themselves or if they're imitating someone else. Few people get to really trust -and know- a Mime companion or even friend.

Mime by Kristoff-Kristoff on DeviantArt
***

Mimes have Hit Dice and Saving Throws as Specialists, and use the Fighter Experience Table. They are Chaotic in Alignment.

Abilities: they have a +1 bonus to Dexterity and Wisdom due to their particular agility and their ability to trick other beings and the Reality itself; they also have -1 to Strength and -1 Constitution because they are not used to carry much equipment and weapons or do physical work.

Attack Bonus: Mimes have a natural +2 when attacking with a mimed weapon because there's no weapon to be seen by their opponents.

Encumbrance: since Mimes are not used to carry much equipment, they suffer Encumbrance more than other classes. They will be Lightly Encumbered with 1 Point, Heavily Encumbered with 2 and Severely Encumbered with 3 Points.

Tricks

Mimes, except for very few exceptions, have little practical skills. However, with their ability to bend the Reality they manage to do things other people must spend years of training on.

Their tricks system is very similar to that of the magic system for spellcaster classes, but instead of memorizing spells, they memorize skills.
These skills (called "tricks" from now on) are the same of the other classes (Architecture, Stealth, Climbing etc.) plus the unique Pantomime.
They have a base of 1 point on any trick as every other class, plus a number of points they can distribute between them with the rules below.

Practicing Tricks
A Mime must rest for six continuous hours before practicing tricks. After resting, the Mime must practice the tricks for a number of hours equal to the total points of the highest trick being prepared.
A Mime can only practice tricks once every twenty-four hours, otherwise the fabric of Reality will tear apart along with the Mime himself.
The number of trick points that can be distributed on any level follow the progression below:

Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Points 2 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 +2

Brokenjaw wants to distribute 5 points between Tinkering and Stealth, respectively with 2 and 3 points raising them to 3 and 4 points.
She will need to practice for 4 hours before being able to use these tricks.

Mimes cannot perform tricks if they are more than lightly encumbered, but do not need any equipment.

The only trick that works differently from the others is Languages, as described later.
Mime also get the unique skill Pantomime.

Languages
Mimes can talk like anyone else, but choose not to, because they believe that not talking sharpens their miming abilities in the same way a blind man sharpens his hearing. Apart from this Mimes use the standard language rules, also when coming in contact with them the first time.
Mimes mostly use their pantomime to communicate.

Pantomime
Their main "language" is the pantomime, a form of communication transmitted entirely by miming.
The pantomime is such a versatile skill that, other than being perfectly understandable to any sentient creature that knows the same languages as the Mime, can be comprehensible to different languages even from different cultural groups.
When practicing your tricks if you want to assign points to Pantomime you must declare for what languages you want to practice this trick, and how many points you will assign to these languages. You will then have more Pantomime skills, one for every language you have chosen.
You can only assign points to a language you don't know, and only if you already came in contact with it.

When pantomiming, you must roll for every concept you want to communicate, with the same modifier for the Languages skill used when coming in contact with a new language.
Pantomime cannot be used to understand other languages nor to communicate detailed information, but only to communicate simple concepts and ideas.

Chimpkiller wants to assign 5 points to Pantomime. When practicing skills he declares he will assign 3 points to Japanese (getting Japanese Pantomime at 4) and the remaining 2 points to Italian (getting Italian Pantomime to 3).
When trying to communicate a concept to a Japanese speaker, he will roll with a -2 penalty being Japanese an exotic language, but he will not have penalties when pantomiming the Italian language if it is from his same cultural group.

The picture that inspired this madness

Fighting

When fighting Mimes use a special technique called "mimefight" consisting on miming the use of weapons, being them melee or distance or firearms, but causing real damage as if really brandishing them.
They can choose the weapon to mimefight with, but they can choose only one weapon at a time until level 3 and two weapons until level 9.
When choosing a weapon, a Mime must practice with the mimefighting technique related to that weapon in a similar way spell-casters prepare their spells.

When mimefighting Mimes heavily exaggerate their movements, leaving more openings to their opponents than those who use real weapons. Because of this Mimes get a penalty to the AC equal to half the damage die of the chosen weapon.
If the weapon has a setback (like the Rapier) the AC penalty is decreased by 1, otherwise if the weapon has an advantage the AC is increased by the same amount.

Both a Medium Weapon and a Rapier deal 1d8 damage, giving AC -4. However, since the Rapier has a setback, its AC penalty is decreased by 1, giving only AC -3.
Both Shortbow and Longbow deal 1d6 damage, giving AC -3. However, since the Longbow has an advantage (a longer range) its AC penalty is increased by 1, giving AC -4.

Option: if using personal initiative, in case of a tie not solved even with the Dexterity modifier, the Mime always acts last.

Mimefighting Practice
Before being able to mimefight with the chosen weapon, they must practice the technique following the same rules for practicing Tricks.
They must practice for as many hours as the highest damage die of the chosen weapons.
If the Mime wants both to prepare Tricks and practice mimefight, the total time spent is the sum of the two.

Carrot, a level 3 Mime, wants to practice mimefighting both with a Rapier and a Bow. She must therefore practice for 8 hours, since the Rapier damage die is a d8.
If she also wants to practice his Climbing trick raising it to 5 of 6, Carrot must practice for a total of 13 hours.

Shields
Mimes can mime a shield when mimefighting, with the same advantages as a real one. When miming one, however, they cannot perform Special Tricks and of course cannot mime two handed weapons.
To mimefight with a shield they have to declare it when practicing their weapon. If they initially practiced mimefighting without a shield, they must practice it again spending half the time they would spend practicing their chosen weapon.

If Sweatmeat has practiced mimefight with a Rapier for 8 hours, and now he wants to mime also a shield when fighting, he must practice mimefighting again for 4 hours.

Special Tricks

Mimes have Special Tricks they can use also when mimefighting.
Mimes cannot perform Special Tricks if they are more than lightly encumbered or when they are mimefighting with a shield, being it real or mimed.

Invisible Wall
If the Mime spends an entire combat round to mime the presence of an invisible wall, any sentient being who sees them must save against Magic (plus the non-magic save modifier). If the Save is failed the being will firmly believe there's an actual, although invisible 8' tall and 5' wide wall between him and the Mime. This belief will last until it is demonstrated in any way that the wall is actually not real.
If during the miming the Mime is interrupted the illusion will not work.
For every round the Mime spends miming the wall without interruption, they can "increase" its length by 5' feet.
This Special Trick can be used to mime other objects, and the same rules apply.

Invisible Box
Works the same way as the Invisible Wall, but the illusion breaks as soon as the Mime moves outside the area of the box. While inside that area, however, opponents who fell for the illusion will not try to attack them, believing it useless.

Draw Attention
With his annoying and exuberant manners a Mime can draw the attention of any sentient being who can see him. They can choose to draw the attention of one or more sentient beings by taunting them, miming them or by just distract them.
When using this Special Trick all targets must save vs. Magic (plus their non-magic save modifier) or stare at the Mime scratching their heads or even charge at them angry to be taunted.

Tangible Illusion
Once per day a Mime can create a tangible, although invisible, illusion that will last 1d6 x level rounds by reaching the Reality inner cords and twisting and bending them at their will.
If the Mime is interrupted, this Special Trick will not work for the next 24 hours due to the risk of tearing apart the Reality fabric already weakened by the first attempt.
The Mime must mime the illusion in the necessary detail before this trick can work.
Bonus points if the player mime the illusion themself!



Prossimamente in italiano »

sabato 4 giugno 2016

Set di Equipaggiamento Rapido per Lamentations of the Flame Princess

AGGIORNAMENTO: ho creato un'altra tabella decisamente superiore a questa che oltre a generare la lista di oggetti, genera anche armatura, armi, razioni e denaro iniziale, il tutto con un solo tiro di tre dadi. Potete trovarla qui!

Anche se la creazione dei personaggi in Lamentations of the Flame Princess (o comunque di qualsiasi gdr OSR) è di base molto rapida, c'è sempre la terribile fase della scelta dell'equipaggiamento che pensa a ritardare l'inizio di una qualsiasi sessione.
Siccome con LotFP faccio principalmente one-shot e vista l'alta mortalità dei personaggi, per me è molto importante riuscire a creare un personaggio giocabile nel minor tempo possibile.
Per questo ho creato questa lista di Set di Equipaggiamento.

Una cosa che cerco nelle mie sessioni è l'inventiva dei giocatori nell'utilizzare gli oggetti che hanno, e questi Set riflettono proprio questi.
I Set vanno da quelli legati alle professioni più comuni come Cittadino, Lavoratore o Cuoco, a quelli più specializzati o esotici come Tombarolo (dotato della famosa Asta di 3 metri), Cacciatore di Streghe o Arcanista.
Sono anche inclusi due Set "alternativi", cioè il Set di Pozioni, contenente appunto vari liquidi interessanti ma non il modo in cui produrli (mica è il Set del Piccolo Chimico!), ed il Set Ricco, con vil danaro in più e due fedeli Servitori. Fedeli, almeno, per due settimane... dopodiché mica lavoreranno gratis!
E gratis solo per oggi un Set Bonus è incluso!

1. Equipaggiamento Base: ogni personaggi inizia con i seguenti oggetti:
Coperta, Otre, Zaino, 2 Sacchi
  • I Chierici iniziano con un Simbolo Sacro Ligneo
  • Maghi ed Elfi iniziano con il loro Libro degli Incantesimi
  • Gli Specialisti iniziano con gli Strumenti da Specialista

2. Armi ed Armature: scegli come preferisci (o come l'Arbitro preferisce che tu faccia!) ma personalmente suggerisco di usare i Chart A, B e C con i relativi modificatori dal post Random Starting Equipment: LotFP Weird Fantasy RPG di +Chris Kutalik. È un metodo davvero figo e casuale!

3. Set di Equipaggiamento: se si inizia a Livello 1, scegli un pacchetto o tira per esso, altrimenti scegline due o tira due volte.
Nota che ci sono sei "sotto-categorie" in questa tabella, corrispondenti ai dadi dal d4 al d20, che vanno dai lavori più comuni a quelli più specializzati o esotici. Scegli te se usarli o meno.

1Cittadino
Strumento, Lardo, Scatola Accendifiamma, Mazzuola, Simbolo Sacro Ligneo, 2d4 Candele, Cucchiaio, Tazza, 10 Chiodi, Pipa
2Lavoratore
Borsa, Mazzuola, Piccone da Minatore, Trapano, Piede di Porco, 2 Lucchetti, 50' di Corda (15m), Carrucola e Paranco, 5 Spuntoni di Ferro, 10 Spuntoni di Legno, Manciata di Chiodi, 2 Sacchi
3Portatore
Mulo, 5 giorni di Foraggio, 2 Otri, 2 Borse, 50' di Corda (15m), 5 Sacchi, 4 Sacchi da Sella
4Portalanterne
Scatola Accendifiamma, 4 Torce, Lanterna, 3 Fiasche d'Olio, 10 Candele, Fischietto
5Cuoco
Pentole per Cucinare, Attrezzi da Pesca, Scatola Accendifiamma, Lardo, Sacchetto di Farina, 2 Teste d'Aglio, Pugno di Sale, 5 Cucchiai
6Guida
2 Cani, 2 Giorni di Foraggio, 2 Catene da 3' (90cm), Lanterna, Fiasca d'Olio, 50' di Corda (15m), Mappa Locale, Fischietto
7Chierico
Libro Sacro, 1 Fiala di Acqua Sacra, Indumenti per Rituali Sacri, Simbolo Sacro di Ferro, 4 Candele, 10 Bastoncini di Incenso
8Soldato 
Tenda Personale, Borsa, 4' di Catena (1,2m), Vanga, 2 Sacchi, Simbolo Sacro Ligneo
9Medico
Diario Medico Personale, Scatola Accendifiamma, 2 Fiasche d'Olio, Lanterna, Bottiglia di Spirito Forte, Bottiglia di Laudano, Inchiostro, 3 Candele, Sapone, Aglio, 6 Fiale Vuote
10Studioso
3 Libri di Conoscenze a scelta, Diario Personale, Libro Vuoto, 2 Contenitori per Pergamene, Mappa del Regno, Inchiostro, 10 Fogli di Carta, 4 Candele
11Tombarolo
 Asta da 10' (3m), Piede di Porco, 50' di Corda (15m), Scatola Accendifiamma, 3 Torce o Candele, 5 Gessi, 3 Sacchi
12Esploratore 
Tenda Personale, 2 Torce, Scatola Accendifiamma, Attrezzi da Pesca, Pentole per Cucinare, 3 Sacchi, Mappa Locale o del Regno, Inchiostro
13Ladro
Trapano, Sacchetto di Triboli, 50' di Corda (15m), Rampino, Piede di Porco, Manette, Fiala di Laudano, Indumenti da Ladro
14Moschettiere
2 Corni da Polvere pieni con Polveri da Sparo differenti (grana fine e grossa), Borsa di Proiettili, Borsa, Kit di Pulizia per Armi da Fuoco, 1m di Miccia.
Sostituisci inoltre un arma a tua scelta con Pistola o Archibugio, e sostituisci Armatura di Cuoio con Giacca di Bufalo (più un Elmo Morione se invece si sostituisce una Cotta di Maglia)
15Cacciatore di Taglie 
10' di Catena (3m), 50' di Corda (15m), 2 Manette, Lanterna, Fiasca d'Olio, Sacchetto di Triboli, Rampino, Tabacco, Mappa Locale, Pipa, 4 Sacchi, 5 Spuntoni di Ferro
16Nobile
Cane, Diario Personale, Libro, Tabacco di Qualità, Specchio di Vetro, Borsa, Inchiostro, Sapone Profumato, Pipa Intarsiata, Profumo, Pinza d'Argento per Braci
17Set Ricco 
Vestiti Costosi di Buona Fattura, due Servitori già pagati per due settimane (oppure uno per un mese), inoltre tira di nuovo sul Denaro con modificatore di +2
18Set di Pozioni
Una Fiala di Veleno Debole, Veleno Potente, Veleno Paralizzante, Sonnifero, Veleno della Demenza, Veleno delle Budella Brucianti, Pozione della Verità. Due Fiale di Antidoto, una di Panacea.
19Arcanista
Libro di Conoscenze Arcane, 2 Fiale di Acqua Sacra, 2 Contenitori per Pergamene, Inchiostro, 10 Fogli di Carta, Pugno di Sale, Aglio, Sacchetto di Gemme Polverizzate, Aconito, 5 Candele Rosse, 2 Gessi, 2 Pezzi di Carbone, Pennello
20Cacciatore di Streghe
4 Fiale di Acqua Sacra, Mazzuola, 3 Torce, Scatola Accendifiamma, Libro di Occultismo, Borsa, Simbolo Sacro di Ferro, Aglio, Aconito, Sacchetto di Sale Benedetto, 10 Spuntoni di Legno di Frassino, 2 Spuntoni d'Argento
BonusSet del Matto
Se hai una o più tabelle casuali di oggetti ed equipaggiamento non magico puoi tirare su una o più di esse a scelta fino ad un totale di 8 volte. Tieni tutti i risultati, anche se ripetuti.

4. Razioni: quanti giorni hai prima di doverti preoccupare per il cibo?
Per quanto riguarda le razioni personalmente preferisco la regola ufficiale di LotFP, ossia uno slot di equipaggiamento per Razione giornaliera. Questo fa in modo che i giocatori debbano preoccuparsi della gestione delle risorse, che è una cosa che a me piace molto. Ovviamente se non interessa si può gestire in altri modi.

1 Nessuna razione
2-3 1d4 Razioni Standard
4 1d6 Razioni Standard
5 1d4 Razioni Durature
6 1d6 Razioni Durature

- Le Razioni Standard devono essere cotte per un Turno prima di poter essere mangiate, e vanno a male dopo una settimana (o prima, dipendendo da dove e come sono conservate). Sono praticamente cibo fresco.
- Le Razioni Durature possono essere mangiate senza doverle cucinare e vanno a male dopo mesi, se conservate correttamente. Sono composte da cibo secco o comunque duraturo.

5. Denaro: tira 1d6 x 5 sp, con modificatore di +2 per ogni livello a cui si inizia sopra il primo.

6. Equipaggiamento in Eccesso: se finisci con troppo equipaggiamento, puoi scegliere o di non tenerlo, o di acquistare un Mulo e Sacchi da Sella (ed eventualmente un Carro) per trasportarlo. Questo, ovviamente, se te ed il tuo gruppo potete permettervelo.

Landsknechte

Ora siete pronti per andare a cercare ricchezze e morire in maniera brutale e improvvisa... con almeno la sicurezza che sarete velocemente rimpiazzati da un altrettanto valoroso avventuriero!

E se avete qualche suggerimento, commento o Set tutto nuovo, i vostri commenti sono i benvenuti!

mercoledì 25 maggio 2016

Quickstart Equipment Packs for Lamentations of the Flame Princess

UPDATE: I made a greatly superior table that generates the complete equipment with also armor, weapons, rations and starting money. You can find it here!

Even if Lamentations of the Flame Princess' character generation is really simple and quick, it always comes to a grind when the time of equipment choosing comes.
Since what I'm doing right now with LotFP is one-shots sessions, I want to start playing as soon as possible but equipment always gets in my way.

What I also would like in my games is some inventive from my players in using the items they have, and the packs I made reflect this.
The packs here go from the most mundane professions as Cook, Citizen or Laborer to the most exotic and adventurous ones like Dungeoneer (equipped with the infamous 10' Pole), the Witch Hunter or the Arcanist.
Included are also two "special" packs, namely the Poisons Pack which has, as the name suggests, different poisons but no item to produce them (this isn't the Poisoner pack after all), and the Rich Pack, which gives you more money (don't you say?) and two loyal Servants. Loyal for two weeks, at least. After that you'll have to pay them... loyalty costs money these days.
Only for today a free bonus pack is included!

1. Basic Equipment: every character starts with the following items:
Bedroll, Waterskin, Backpack, 2 Sacks
  • Clerics start with a Wooden Holy Symbol
  • Magic-users and Elves start with their Spellbook
  • Specialists start with Specialist's Tools

2. Weapons and Armor: choose as you prefer (or as your Referee prefers you do!) but I suggest to use Chart A, B and C with the stated modifiers from +Chris Kutalik's Random Starting Equipment: LotFP Weird Fantasy RPG. They're so cool and random!

3. Equipment Packs: if starting at level 1 choose or roll for 1 pack, if starting at a higher level choose or roll for two.
Note that there are four "sub-groups" in this table, corresponding with the dice from d4 to d20, ranging from the most mundane jobs to the most specialized and exotic. Yours is the choice to use them or not.

1 Citizen Pack
Instrument, Lard, Tinderbox, Mallet, Wooden Holy Symbol, 2d4 Candles, Spoon, Cup, 10 Nails, Pipe
2 Laborer Pack
Pouch, Mallet, Miner's Pike, Drill, Crowbar, 2 Locks, 50' Rope, Block and Tackle, 5 Iron Spikes, 10 Wooden Spikes, Handful of Nails, 2 Sacks
3 Packbearer Pack
Mule, 5 days of Fodder, 2 Waterskins, 2 Pouches, 50' Rope, 5 Sacks, 4 Saddlebags
4 Linkboy Pack
Tinderbox, 4 Torches, Lantern, 3 Flasks of Oil, 10 Candles, Whistle
5 Cook Pack
Cooking Pots, Fishing Gear, Tinderbox, Lard, Bag of Flour, 2 Garlic Heads, Handful of Salt, 5 Spoons
6 Guide Pack
2 Dogs, 2 Days of Forage, 2 3' Chains, Lantern, 1 Flask of Oil, 50' Rope, Local Map, Whistle
7 Cleric Pack
Holy Book, 1 Vial of Holy Water, Holy Ritual Garments, Iron Holy Symbol, 4 Candles, 10 Incense Sticks
8 Soldier Pack
Personal Tent, Pouch, 4' Chain, Shovel, 2 Sacks, Wooden Holy Symbol
9 Medic Pack
Personal Medical Journal, Tinderbox, 2 Flasks of Oil, Lantern, Bottle of Strong Spirit, Bottle of Laudanum, Ink, 3 Candles, Soap, Garlic, 6 Empty Vials
10 Scholar Pack
3 Knowledge Books of your choice, Personal Journal, Blank Book, 2 Scroll Cases, Kingdom Map, Ink, 10 Sheets of Paper, 4 Candles
11 Dungeoneer Pack
10' Pole, Crowbar, 50' Rope, Tinderbox, 3 Torches or Candles, 5 Chalks, 3 Sacks
12 Explorer Pack
Personal Tent, 2 Torches, Tiderbox, Fishing Gear, Cooking Pots, 3 Sacks, Local or Kingdom Map, Ink
13 Thief Pack
Drill, Pouch of Caltrops, 50' Rope, Grappling Hook, Crowbar, Manacles, Vial of Laudanum, Thief Robes
14 Musketeer Pack
2 full Powder Horns of different Gunpowder (fine and coarse), a full Shot Bag, Pouch, Gun Cleaning Kit, 1 m Match Cord.
Also replace a weapon of your choice with a Pistol or an Arquebus and replace Leather Armor with a Buff Coat (plus a Morion Helm if you have Chain Armor instead)
15 Bounty Hunter Pack
10' Chain, 50' Rope, 2 Manacles, Lantern, 1 Flask of Oil, Pouch of Caltrops, Grappling Hook, Tobacco, Local Map, Pipe, 4 Sacks, 5 Iron Spikes
16 Nobleman Pack
Dog, Personal Journal, Reading Book, Fine Quality Tobacco, Glass Mirror, Pouch, Ink, Perfumed Soap, Engraved Pipe, Perfume, Silver Ember Tong*
17 Rich Pack
Fine and Expensive Clothes, two Servants already paid for two weeks (or one for a month), and roll once more for Money with a +2 modifier.
18 Poisons Pack
One Vial each of Weak Poison, Strong Poison, Paralysis Poison, Sleep Poison, Dementia Poison, Burning Guts Poison, Truth Poison. Two Vials of Antidote, one of Panacea.
19 Arcanist Pack
Arcane Knowledge Book, 2 Vials of Holy Water, 2 Scroll Cases, Ink, 10 Sheets of Paper, Handful of Salt, Garlic, Pouch of Pulverised Gems, Wolvesbane, 5 Red Candles, 2 Chalks, 2 Charcoal Pieces, Brush
20 Witch Hunter Pack
4 Vials of Holy Water, Mallet, 3 Torches, Tinderbox, Book of Occultism, Pouch, Iron Holy Symbol, Garlic, Wolvesbane, Bag of Blessed Salt, 10 Ash Wood Spikes, 2 Silver Spikes
Bonus Madman pack
If you have random non-magic items table(s) you can also choose to roll 8 times total on those you wish (or on the same) and keep everything even if its rolled again.

4. Rations: how many days you have before you have to worry about food?
Here I prefer the LotFP vanilla rule, that is one ration per equipment slot. This gives the players more worries about resource management, which is a think I like. Of course you can always dismiss this point if you don't care.

1 No rations
2-3 1d4 Standard Rations
4 1d6 Standard Rations
5 1d4 Iron Rations
6 1d6 Iron Rations

- Standard Rations must be cooked for one Turn before eating them, and spoil after a week (or sooner, depending how and where they are kept). They are basically fresh food.
- Iron Rations can be eaten without cooking them and spoil after months if kept in good conditions. They are dried and durable food.

5. Money: roll 1d6 x 5 sp, +2 modifier for every level the character starts over the first.

6. Equipment Surplus: if you end up with too much equipment, you can either drop it, or buy a Mule with Saddlebags (and a Cart if you like) for carrying it. This, of course, if you or your party can afford it.

I hope you like this, and if you have suggestions or new packs, please tell me!

Landsknechte