Spes Magna Games

I love Dave’s Mapper. If I weren’t already very happily married until death do we part, I’d marry Dave’s Mapper. Well, I’d least ask, and if rejected, I’d write romantic fanfic and post it to a blog bordered by broken hearts.

If you don’t know Dave’s Mapper, you need to, especially if you’re a GM who likes dungeon crawls. Here’s how Dave’s Mapper works:

First, go to the site. I put a convenient link in the first paragraph above. Notice the two frames. The left side of your screen has some helpful buttons, such as the big New Map button. Click it. Click it again. Notice that the map changes each time. Excellent.

Scroll your eyes down the leftmost frame, and you’ll see a list of contributing artists (including yours truly, but I don’t have too many geomorphs uploaded. Yet.) If you click an artist who’s already checked, it unchecks that artist and removes that artist’s geomorphs from those randomly selected for your map. Clicking an artist without a check reverses the process.

Now look at the rightmost, bigger frame that holds the map. There are several buttons along the top. These let you export maps as PNGs, change the map size and arrange of geomorphs, add or remove a grid, and switch from different types of geomorphs (to include a smaller selection of city geomorphs great for generating a neighborhood or two).

Thanks to Dave’s Mapper, you never have an excuse for not having a dungeon map again.

Tags: Dave's Mapper, dungeon crawls

Yes, you too can now partake vicariously of the Chance Family experience and get some free game crunch at the same time. Download your own PDF copy of A Gamer Goes on Vacation today. This 9-page PDF offers such excellent features as:

* A day-by-day narrative of my recent family vacation to East Texas.

* Informative links to Interweb sites related to what we saw and did in East Texas.

* Full color photography.

* Crunch for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, including two new traits, a new magic item, a new haunt, a new simple template, and a new extraordinary ability for tigers.

This PDF was originally written (sans pictures and links) for Game Geek 19, now available for free at this link.

Tags: Game Geek, Summer Vacation

Many years ago, TSR put out a module in which a powerful curse transforms the PCs into doddering, aged coots. Great fun. The curse of the chibi is a variation on this idea. The undead bane poison is a retooling of some work I did for Fantasy Flight Games’s Traps & Treachery back in 2001. Also, because things aren’t scary enough, let’s add some contagious cancer to the natural world. Inspiration: Contagious cancer: The evolution of a killer by David Quammen.

Curse of the Chibi
Type curse; Save Will DC 17
Effect transform into adolescent

Description This ancient, rare curse transforms the target from an adult into an adolescent of its race. Apply a Size decrease of one category, reduce natural armor by -2 (minimum +0), and reduce both Strength and Constitution by -4. Damage dice are reduced due to the size decrease when applicable as well. The curse is negated by remove curse or break enchantment (DC 17).

Undead Bane
Type poison, injury; Save Will DC 15
Frequency 1/round for 3 rounds
Effect 1d4 Cha damage; Cure 1 save
Cost per Dose 120 gp

Description The undead are immune to poison with the sole known exception of undead bane. This thick liquid is distilled from holy water and the ashes of a saint or good-aligned outsider.

Devil Tumor
Type disease, contact or injury; Save Fortitude DC 15
Onset 1d3 days; Frequency 1/day
Effect 1d3 Dex damage and 1 Con damage plus target is sickened; Cure 2 consecutive saves

Description Devil tumor is a type of contagious cancer. It attacks the skin and superficial muscles, those muscles which occupy the layer closest to the body’s surface. This results in painful lesions, swelling, and secondary infections.

Got more done than anticipated. The revised Latina Facta & Versatile Performance Redux is now available at Paizo.com and DriveThruRPG. Revision I of this 14-page, printer-friendly PDF contains great game crunch:

* 15 feats inspired by Latin sayings. Stare down foes with Caro Putridas Es! or inspire your allies with Morituri Te Salutamus.

* 18 bardic arts divided into acting, music, and dancing categories. Boost an allied bard’s abilities with Chorus, get into character with Affective Memory, or stun an enemy with your Snake Arms.

* 7 new bard spells, one for each level 0 through 6. Bamboozle enemies with deceptive cadence and turn an ally into a whirlwind of pain via fouetté en tournant.

And all of these bombastic bard bonuses are still only $0.99.

I was surfing Interwaves recently and came across a couple of lengthy blogposts about some of the stupider monsters that have popped up in various versions of the world’s most popular roleplaying game. Some the stupidest have been monsters that combine normal animals. Since I don’t want to be left out of the stupid combo-animal carnival, I humbly submit the catbirdopus, which combines a domestic cat, a hawk, and an octopus.

Catbirdopus
CR 1/2; XP 200
N Small animal (aquatic)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5

DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 9 (2d8)
Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +1
Defensive Abilities ink cloud

OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (average), swim 15 ft., jet 100 ft.
Melee 2 talons +5 (1d3-2), bite +5 (1d3-2 plus poison), tentacles +3 (grab)
Special Attacks poison (Fort 11)

STATISTICS
Str 7, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Base Atk +1; CMB -2; CMD +1 (cannot be tripped)
Feats Multiattack (B), Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +5, Escape Artist +8, Fly +12, Perception +5, Stealth +13; Racial Modifiers +2 Climb, +5 Escape Artist, +4 Perception, +6 Stealth

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Ink Cloud (Ex): A catbirdopus can emit a 10-foot-radius sphere of ink once per minute as a free action. The ink provides total concealment in water, and persists for 1 minute.

Jet (Ex): A catbirdopus can jet backward once per round as a full-round action, at a speed of 100 feet. It must move in a straight line while jetting, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when it does so.

Poison (Ex): Bite – injury; save Fort DC 11; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1 Str; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.

ECOLOGY
Environment temperate and hot water
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none

Catbirdopus Companions
Starting Statistics: Size Small; AC +1 natural armor; Speed 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (average), swim 15 ft., jet 100 ft.; Attack 2 talons +5 (1d3-2), bite +5 (1d3), tentacles +3 (grab); Ability Scores Str 7, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6; Special Qualities jet, low-light vision, ink cloud, scent.

4th-Level Advancement: Attack bite (1d3 plus poison [frequency 1 round (6), effect 1 Str damage, cure 1 save, Con-based DC]); Ability Scores Str +2, Con +2; Special Attacks poison.

Tags: Pathfinder monsters