I checked over at The Secret DM for an update on the Super Secret Happy Birthday Gary Gygax Giveaway Bundle Extravapalooza. There were only 12 entries for the contest (including mine). That seems like a low number to me for a chance to win some great prizes, including copies of the 1E AD&D books recently reprinted by WoTC.
On the plus side, I’m guessing my odds of winning are better with only 12 entries. Probably not 1 in 12, since it seems likely that I’m facing some stiff competition. I mean, while I’m not mathematician, it stands to reason that if someone else’s entry is twice as good as mine, then I have zero chance of winning. Right? It’d only be a 1 in 12 chance if all of us entrants were equally awesome.
Huge props must be given to Christopher Mennell for hosting this contest, as well as other impressively sized props for all the folks helping with the judging, extra prizes, et cetera. It makes me want to get off my metaphorical rear end and do something similar.
Tags: The Secret DM
Hey! All you old school grognards!
Check out this excellent contest sponsored by the Secret DM. Grand prize includes one each of the 1E rulebooks recently reissued by WoTC. Here’s what you go to do to win:
“During the month from July 27th, 2012 through August 27th, 2012, you must submit a set of 10 to 20 room descriptions that evoke the feeling of a 1st edition dungeon crawl. The specifics are entirely up to you, and may include whatever traps, monsters, treasures, etc. you feel necessary. Each entry will be reviewed by a panel of judges, and an overall winner will be declared based on quality, originality, fun, and 1st edition-ness.”
Speaking of contests, my much more modest monthly What Is It? contest is back in the swing of things. Check it out as well. The winner of this contest receives a $5 gift certificate to DriveThruRPG.
For the last Quid Novi? of February, I just had to do another haunt. I’m intrigued by the idea of haunts, a sort of cross between an undead monster and a trap. I’ve taken a few liberties with the haunt rules when creating the Deadly Doll.
The Deadly Doll
NE haunt (effect limited to humanoid creature who touches the doll); persistent
CR 5; XP 1,600
Caster Level 9th
Notice Perception DC 18 (the doll whispers to the holder)
hp 22; Weakness triggered by touch; Trigger touch; Reset 1 day
Effect The haunt is triggered by picking up the doll. The target must succeed a DC 17 Will save or be dominated as per the spell dominate person. The dominated person must use the doll to lure a child and then murder the child.
Destruction The doll must be burned after succeeding with a remove curse against DC 20. Otherwise, the doll will reappear 1d6 miles away from the burn site after 24 hours. Casting break enchantment against DC 20 can free a creature from the dominate person effect.
Background Once upon a dark time, an evil man crafted toys in order to lure children into his deadly clutches. Eventually, the outraged and vengeful community upon which the evil man preyed uncovered his wickedness. He suffered horribly at the mob’s hands before dying. Unfortunately, his death did not end his terror. The evil man’s basest desires survived death, infecting one of his many dolls. The Deadly Doll now serves as a focus for the evil man’s monstrous appetite for murder.
In other news, the new What Is It? contest for homebrew monsters lairs over at this EN World link. Also, voting for What Is It? 2 takes place here. Monsters for What Is It? 1 and voting results are here.
It’s time for another What Is It? Contest. This time the prize is unlimited bragging rights for having the best monster as judged by the votes of your peers plus any one PDF from my catalog. The picture for WIIC2 comes from Reginald Scot’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584):
The rules are simple:
1. One submission per entrant.
2. Post a complete stat block and fluff text for the creature depicted above in the ENWorld thread linked to above using the standard format for PF monsters. Also, include at least two plot hooks for the monster.
3. Your work must be your own and cannot use anyone’s Product Identity or Closed Content material.
4. The deadline is 3 March 2011. After this, all entries are considered final.
5. A winner will be chosen via a poll set up in another thread. This poll will remain open until approximately 10 March 2011.
6. All entrants retain rights to their submissions.
The Prizes
1. The winner chosen by poll gets to brag about awesome his or her monster is.
2. The winner will receive a copy of any one PDF from my catalog. Reception of the PDF is contingent on me having a valid email address for the winner.
Take some time to check out Troll in the Corner. They’ve got some intriguing content on their website.
I was first clued in about this company via a Pathfinder book giveaway contest. It’s sort of an Internet honey-do list. Visit here. Like this. Follow that. Complete the instructions, and you get a chance to win nifty Pathfinder stuff, including three hardback books: the bestiary, the core rule book, and the GameMastery Guide. You can read all about this spiffy contest by clicking on this sentence.
If you’re not into contests, I heartily recommend you check out the World of Aruneus patronage project. This looks like some good zombie-smashing fun. Makes me wish I had a full-time job so that I could jump in at least the $10 level.
