Spes Magna Games

If you’ve still not checked out Dyson Logos’s excellent maps, you owe it to yourself to do so. For example, check this one out.

Doesn’t that just scream awesome? Doesn’t it make you want to use it for a game? The answer to both questions is, “Yes. Yes, it does.”

In keeping with the second affirmative, I cobbled together a short, one-page Swords & Wizardry adventure based on Dyson’s Smith chart map. You can download it as a PDF by clicking on the picture that accompanies these words. Perhaps “adventure” is too big a word for what I’ve done, but it could at least be a part of a larger adventure.

By the way, if you dig Dyson’s work, check out his goodies over at Lulu and RPGNow.

Tags: dungeon crawls, Dyson Logos, One-Page Dungeon, Swords & Wizardry

When Andrej Cherno married outcast harridan Vilma, the newlyweds dedicated themselves to Seskoe*, the goddess of winter, witches, and creation. Andrej and Vilma have three daughters: Mária, the eldest; Anastázia, the middle girl; and Dorota, the toddler. All members of the Cherno family thrive on murder and terror. Andrej and Vilma plan atrocities as creative undertakings designed to both honor Seskoe and encourage the twisted development of their wicked daughters.

In order to protect their identities, the Chernos wear bizarre disguises when on their family outings. These outings include such foul deeds as arson, murder, abductions, and acts of terrorism. Andrej and Vilma are careful to ensure that their daughters all have a chance to contribute to the family’s activities.

Seskoe has granted special powers to the Chernos as rewards for their service:

• Andrej’s melee attacks are vampiric, inflicting an additional 1d4 points of damage. Andrej gains one-half of this additional damage as hit points, healing his injuries and even permitting him to increase his hit points beyond their normal amount (up to a maximum of 44 hit points). Andrej’s bonus hit points fade at a rate of 1d4 points every turn.

• Vilma can use Charm Person, Darkness 15-Foot Radius, Invisibility, Polymorph Self, Sleep, and Suggestion once per day each. Also once per day, she can summon an 8-HD ice elemental.

Ice Elemental: HD 8; AC 3 [16]; Atk 1 strike (2d8 plus Slow); Move 9; Save 8; AL N; CL/XP 9/1100; Special: immune to cold and non-magic weapons.

• Mária can transform herself into a cloud of chilly mist. In this form, she can fly, albeit slowly (speed 3), as well as flow through small spaces.

• Anastázia’s gaze paralyzes those who meet it. Her own family members are immune to Anastázia’s gaze.

• Dorota can backstab for double damage like a thief. She hides in shadows and move silently with a 75% chance of success.

*Seskoe turns water to ice, rain to snow, and sorrow to callousness. She is served by witches who seek to swallow life’s warmth. At the same time, Seskoe represents creation, but devoid of the light of inspiration. She creates without originality or love for her creations.

For Swords & Wizardry:

Andrej
Hit Dice: 5+4 (26 hit points)
Armor Class: 4 [15]
Attacks: 1 weapon (1d6 plus 1d4 vampirism)
Saving Throw: 12
Special: Vampirism
Move: 12
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 6/400

Vilma
Hit Dice: 5+4 (22 hit points)
Armor Class: 4 [15]
Attacks: 1 weapon (1d8)
Saving Throw: 12
Special: Magic use, regenerate 1 hp/round
Move: 12
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 7/600

Mária
Hit Dice: 4+3 (20 hit points)
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Attacks: 1 weapon (1d6)
Saving Throw: 13
Special: Gaseous form
Move: 12
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 5/240

Anastázia
Hit Dice: 3+2 (16 hit points)
Armor Class: 6 [13]
Attacks: 1 weapon (1d6)
Saving Throw: 14
Special: Freezing gaze
Move: 12
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 4/120

Dorota
Hit Dice: 2+1 (10 hit points)
Armor Class: 7 [12]
Attacks: 1 weapon (1d4)
Saving Throw: 16
Special: Backstab x2, stealth
Move: 12
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 3/60

Tags: horror, monsters, Swords & Wizardry

It’s been a while since I posted a new spell. As I’m going down a list of randomly generated Vancian spell names, here’s what’s next:

Biderukic’s Dense Salamander
Spell Level: Magic-User, 5th Level
Range: NA
Duration: 6 rounds

The caster summons 1d4 dense salamanders, who serve him until slain or until the duration of the spell expires. The dense salamanders do not appear immediately; there is a delay of 5 rounds before they appear.

Dense salamanders are sluggish, somewhat intelligent creatures of the elemental planes of fire. They appear to be large snake-like beasts with tough scales that give off dangerous heat. The very touch of a dense salamander deals 1d4 hit points of fire damage, and they wrap their tails around foes to cause an additional 1d4 points of crushing damage per round as the victim writhes in the deadly heat of the serpentine coils.

Dense Salamander: HD 2+2; AC 4 [15]; Atk touch and constrict (1d4 + 1d4 heat); Move 9; Save 16; AL C; CL/XP 4/120; Special: constrict, immune to fire, heat.

Tags: monsters, spells, Swords & Wizardry, Vancian magic

The great city Busara, long a center of culture and learning, gleams like a precious jewel on the western shore of Donao, that vast salt lake of unfathomable depths. Centuries ago, Busara was little more than a fortified library built by the warrior-monks of Zazic*, the goddess of knowledge. Today, that library has grown to become a vertiable city within a city. Thousands of Zazic’s faithful investigate every field of human knowledge, and scholars from across the world make pilgrimages to Busara for a chance to study and learn.

Of course, mere mortal reason cannot sufficiently grasp all that there is to know. If Knowledge is a tower, then mortal efforts are a ladder that cannot reach the top. In her mercy, Zazic does not leave her faithful trapped by the limits of their own intellects. The scientist-prophet Isaija Paskal received a series of architectural visions from Zazic. He also received a compulsion to transform these visions into reality. Thus, Elimungazi was built.

Workers excavated an enormous pit in Busara’s eastern park adjacent to the ancient library, and builders contructed a series of walkways and stairs running from the porticos above to the cobblestone floor below. When confronted with ineffable questions, Zazic’s faithful may receive permission from the hierarchy to meditate, ascending and descending the stairs according to Zazic’s prompts. Only the most spiritually attentive seekers can “hear” all of Zazic’s instructions during this meditative stair-walk. Success unlocks great secrets, and even failure may still yield partial knowledge.

*Zazic collects and collates everything that can be known. She reveals the patterns within disciplines and the relationships between fields of knowledge.

Tags: place of power

Last week, we teachers of 4th and 5th graders field tripped our students to the Texas Renaissance Festival. The highlight of the Texas Renaissance Festival for me is always the Mud Show. I especially adore Billy Billy VonBilly. How much do I adore him? Enough to turn him into a Swords & Wizardry monster:

The mud sprite, a creature of joy and mischief, dwells in muddy places such as a swamp or a pig-cote. They are often encountered in troupes that love to perform low-brow comedy acts for rewards of money, beer, and food. Mud sprites appear human, but they are diminutive, invariably filthy, and often quite hairy. These fey creatures can breathe water and can hide in mud or muddy areas (75% chance of success). When forced to defend themselves, they melee with daggers or throw balls of mud. A target struck by a mud ball must make a saving throw or be blinded for 1d4 rounds.

For Swords & Wizardry:

Hit Dice: 1d6 hit points
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Attacks: dagger (1d4)
Saving Throw: 18 (14 vs. elemental effects)
Special: Breathes water, hide in mud, mud ball
Move: 9 (Swim 12)
Alignment: Neutrality
Challenge Level/XP: 2/30

Tags: Billy Billy VonBilly, monsters, Mud Show, Swords & Wizardry, Texas Renaissance Festival