Spes Magna Games

When I started Spes Magna Games back in 2009, I also started Quid Novi?, a twice-monthly e-mail newsletter of gaming goodness that eventually became a monthly PDF of gaming goodness which has now fallen by the wayside. The Quid Novi? Collection includes the 10 individual PDFs as originally published.

About 80% of the content in the Quid Novi? Collection is for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. You get two short adventures, and curses, diseases, magic items, haunts, monsters, giant lilypads, spells, and a Psionics domain for clerics. The other 20% of the collection was written for Old School gaming, and includes two short adventures as well as curses, magic items, prismatic mists, monsters, deadly mushrooms, and spells

Caveat emptor: If you were a Quid Novi? subscriber, you’ve got no reason to buy this collection. You already received all of these PDFs for free. The zipped file for sale includes 10 separate, bookmarked PDFs.

With this special discount code for DriveThruRPG, you can get The Quid Novi? Collection for $1.50, half off its regular price.

Tags: Old School gaming, Pathfinder RPG

If you’re already signed up for Quid Novi?, it’s not secret that I botched the deadline for issue two. February was a bit on the rough side for me. I’m still working on issue two, the main part of which is “Garrison of the Gargoyle Gerent”, a short Swords & Wizardry adventure for 3rd-4th level characters. There will be also be, of course, a new magic item (or two), a new spell (or two), a new monster (or two), et cetera, with the strong possibility that material for Stars Without Number will end up in the mix as well.

At the same time I’m finishing up issue two, I’m planning issue three. After all, I do have Spring Break coming up, and I’ve got nothing better to do (as far as I know). With issue three, information about Clockwyse will start to appear. I want to detail this town for use as a game location suitable for most fantasy campaigns.

Well, I’m not sure “detail” is the right verb for my infinitive, but I at least want to provide fuzzy outlines. Regardless, I think I have some good ideas for Clockwyse. Probably not good enough to expect people to pay money for them, but certainly good enough to spend my time on in order to provide Quid Novi? subscribers some free stuff.

Of course, if you’re not a Quid Novi? subscriber, you’ll miss out on all of this upcoming gratis gaming goodness. If you’d like to remedy this potential problem, look to the left for the link to the Quid Novi? subscription page.

(Dig all that alliteration!)

Tags: place of power, Swords & Wizardry

I’m gearing up for a new year of Quid Novi?, my (allegedly monthly) newsletter. This is the fourth year I’ve been writing this gaming resource, and I hope to do a better job with it in 2013 than I did in 2012. The focus for Quid Novi? is shifting away from Pathfinder/d20 System to old school RPG clones with special emphasis on Stars Without Number and Swords & Wizardry.

Quid Novi? will feature an assortment of, well, features, including:

* Awful Afflictions: New curses, diseases, and poisons to torture your players’ characters.
* Bazaar of the Bizarre: New items to augment your villains and reward victorious heroes.
* Chance Encounter: New monsters to claw/claw/bite those who try to steal their stuff.
* Treacherous Terrain: New terrains and traps to befuddle your players’ characters.
* Words of Magic: New spells for casters of all classes.
* Recommended Reading: New links to some of the best RPG blogposts I can find.

Subscribers also get a 33% discount on all Spes Magna Games PDFs purchased at Paizo.com. Free subscriptions to Quid Novi? can be processed at this link.

February’s Quid Novi? featured some more free content for Pathfinder. Here’re some excerpts, the first two having been written by Shane “Alzrius” O’Connor.

A New Oracle’s Curse

Clumsy: You are terribly uncoordinated, and tend to trip over your own feet. Whenever you take more than a 5-foot step, you must make a DC 10 Dexterity check or fall prone at the end of your movement; you may not take 10 on this check. The DC rises to 12 if you make a double move or withdraw action, or 15 if you run. You may stand up as a swift action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. At 5th level, you ignore rough terrain. At 10th level, you gain evasion. At 15th level, you are under a permanent freedom of movement.

A New Feat

Hurl Weapon (Combat)
You can throw weapons very far.
Benefit: You can throw weapons up to ten range increments.

About this feat, Shane wrote, “Pathfinder inherited the bow’s status as king of ranged weapons. While there are specialized builds that help make other distance-weapons usable, I was surprised that nothing had been done to let thrown weapon-wielders close the gap in terms of available range increments. I was initially going to set a Strength prerequisite on this feat, the pretext being that you needed to be strong to hurl a weapon so far. However, that seemed too punitive with regard to alchemists and other characters that are likely to have thrown weapons but not necessarily a high Strength. Given that thrown weapons have shorter range increments than projectile weapons, and how few ranged combats take place at more than five range increments anyway, it seemed like a good idea to give this feat the broadest availability possible.”

If you like Shane’s stuff (and who wouldn’t?), check out his great blog, Intelligence Check.

And now for some of what I wrote!

Bazaar of the Bizarre – You Look Mah-velous!

Froderick was an illusionist with a reputation for insanity that varied between whimsical to dangerous. This item is an example more on the former end of the spectrum. It appears to be a fabulously colored feathered boa of the type worn by certain exotic dancers. Its gaudy appearance hides potent magical powers.

Froderick’s Beauteous Feather Boa
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th
Slot shoulders; Price 7,800 gp; Weight 1 lb.

Description: This fashionable feather boa has two properties. When worn, it provides a +2 enhancement bonus to Charisma. Treat this as a temporary ability bonus for the first 24 hours the belt is worn. Upon command, the feather boa animates to fight as Medium animated object with the grab and constriction special attacks.

The feather boa can maintain its animated status for only 24 hours per week, but the duration need not be continuous. If the feather boa is broken or destroyed in its normal form, it is forever ruined. All magic is lost; its power departed. If slain in animated form, the feather boa simply reverts to an item of apparel that can be used again at a later time.

Construction Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, animate objects, eagle’s splendor; Cost 3,900 gp.

If you want your very own copies of Quid Novi? via email, visit here and sign up.

Tags: Pathfinder RPG

In its full splendor, the pleasure garden was a wonder to visit. Townsfolk once congregated there regularly to enjoy the various entertainments presented in the small concert hall or upon one of the several bandstands. The cleverly trimmed topiaries delighted children, and the centerpiece, a hedge maze, provided fleeting privacy for young lovers to steal a kiss or two. All of this was before the tragic fire in the concert hall that claimed the lives of several townsfolk. One of those killed was a gnome lass betrothed to an emotionally unstable illusionist. The couple had argued earlier that day. The lass went to the pleasure garden alone while her beau sulked at home. When he found out his love had died, the illusionist was inconsolable. He took his own life in the center of the hedge maze a couple of days later. His anguished spirit now jealously guards the decaying pleasure garden.

Haunted Pleasure Garden
CR 12; XP 19,200
CN persistent haunt (60-foot-radius pleasure garden; on the map, this is everywhere within the blue circle)
Caster Level 12th
Notice Perception DC 25 (shadowy robed figure)
hp 54; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 hour

Effect: The haunt uses material from the Plane of Shadow to shape quasi-real illusions of one or more creatures, objects, or forces. The haunt can mimic any sorcerer or wizard conjuration (summoning) or conjuration (creation) spell of 6th level or lower. These shadow conjurations are three-fifths (60%) as strong as the real things, though creatures who believe the shadow conjurations to be real are affected by them at full strength. Any creature that interacts with the spell can make a Will save (DC 20) to recognize its true nature.

Spells that deal damage have normal effects unless the affected creature succeeds on a Will save. Each disbelieving creature takes three-fifths (60%) damage from the attack. If the disbelieved attack has a special effect other than damage, that effect is 60% likely to occur. Regardless of the result of the save to disbelieve, an affected creature is also allowed any save that the spell being simulated allows, but the save DC always equals 20. In addition, any effect created by haunt’s shadow conjuration allows Spell Resistance, even if the spell it is simulating does not. Shadow objects or substances have normal effects except against those who disbelieve them. Against disbelievers, they are 60% likely to work.

A shadow creature has one-fifth the hit points of a normal creature of its kind (regardless of whether it’s recognized as shadowy). It deals normal damage and has all normal abilities and weaknesses. Against a creature that recognizes it as a shadow creature, however, the shadow creature’s damage is three-fifths (60%) normal, and all special abilities that do not deal lethal damage are 60% likely to work. (Roll for each use and each affected character separately.) Furthermore, the shadow creature’s AC bonuses are just one-fifth as large. A creature that succeeds on its save sees the shadow conjurations as transparent images superimposed on vague, shadowy forms. Objects automatically succeed on their Will saves against the haunt’s shadow conjurations.

Unlike most haunts, this haunt has a sort of innate cunning. It selects effects with intelligence, preferring to divide and conquer groups of trespassers. For example, it might use walls of iron to separate party members from each other, followed by summon monster VI to send shadow creatures after weaker targets while relying on acid fog to slow down and harm others. Of course, the haunt is limited to one effect per round.

Destruction: The bones of the gnome illusionist and his love must be brought to the center of the hedge maze and blessed.

Tags: haunts, Pathfinder RPG