Spes Magna Games

Endangered innocent bystanders have long been a staple of comic book action. All those civilians caught in the middle of that alien invasion or smackdown between titans serve certain narrative functions. They help create a sense of danger, of empathy. They give villains a convenient way to distract the heroes. Who can forget this evil exchange?

General Zod said, “This ‘super-man’ is nothing of the kind; I’ve discovered his weakness.”

“Yes?” said Ursa.

“He cares. He actually cares for these Earth people.”

“Like pets?”

General Zod said, “I suppose.”

In big team battles against earth-beating threats, getting innocent bystanders out of the way also gives less powerful heroes something to do while the group’s heavy hitters tackle the main menace. For example, Thor and Hulk go toe-to-toe with the Leviathan while Black Widow and Captain America race to get the civilians to safety.

One way The Four Color Hack handles this sort of action is through the use of Elements. At their most basic level, Elements serve to grant advantage or impose disadvantage, depending on the narration of the action. Consider Cloud of Dust as an Element. A hero could use this Element to hide his movement, thus gaining advantage on an attempt to remain hidden. In a similar way, the Element could impose disadvantage on a hero’s energy blast since he can’t quite see his target.

A more serious Element, however, can have stats, pretty much as if it were a villain. Consider this example:

Huge and Fiery Explosion
Level 2 Element

Hit Points: 16 (2 Vigor)
Base Damage: 1d6
Powers: Collateral Damage d6

On this Element’s turn, the Editor should describe how someone is imminent peril. He then asks a hero, “What do you do?” The hero’s response to the peril is treated as defending against an attack from the Element. Should the hero fail, the Element’s damage (2d6) represents the level of harm the hero faces. Since hit points represent more than physical damage, proximity to the threat is not particularly important. The Element can be “fought” during a hero’s Panel, but the Element’s hit points are not its resistance to actual damage. Instead, they represent the level of danger to bystanders, buildings, et cetera. Once the Element has 0 hit points, it is no longer a threat.

Imagine a player running the fiery speedster Hot Flash in a scene like that shown in the picture above.

Editor: “The fireball expands with a roar and a blast of heat, lifting vehicles into the air. Hot Flash, you see a man behind the wheel of a truck, arms locked, mouth open in a scream, as his vehicle flies into the air. What do you do?”

Hot Flash: “Faster than the eye can see, I race forward, running up bits of debris as if they were stairs toward the cab of the truck, and then a smash through a window and out the driver side door, carrying the man to safety.”

Editor: “Excellent. Roll DEX with a +1.” (The +1 comes from the difference between the Element’s level and Hot Flash’s level, and it is a penalty in TFCH’s roll-low system.)

(A die clatters on the table.)

Editor: “Ooh. That’s a failure. You race up the bits of debris and smashes through the window to pull the man to safety, but not without being pelted with shards of street, glass, and other bits of shrapnel.” (More dice clatter.) “You take 9 points of damage. Your turn. What do you do now?”

Hot Flash: “After leaving the man in an alley, I race back, unconcerned with these minor cuts. I use my Fire Control to funnel the flame from the explosion up into the air where I hope it’ll dissipate harmlessly.”

Editor: “Clever. Roll INT with a +1.”

(Clatter, clatter!)

Hot Flash: “A one! Critical success!”

Editor: “Roll for double damage.” (Hot Flash scores 19 points of damage.) “Excellent! You’ve defeated the fireball. Narrate the results, please.”

Tags: elements, TFCH

A few days ago, I posted D&D 5E stats for the sacred bundle and the thunder bird from the AD&D Deities & Demigods. Today, I return that tome and venture into the Arthurian Mythos for inspiration.

Also, to digress just briefly, it’s the last days of the Spes Magna Games 25th Wedding Anniversary Sale. Huzzah!

Carnwennan
Weapon (dagger), legendary (requires attunement)

White leather wraps this finely wrought dagger’s hilt. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. Against evil creatures that cast spells, Carnwennan deals an extra 2d6 slashing damage. When this dagger is held, it shrouds you in shifting shadows. Attackers have disadvantage on attack rolls against you, although attackers who do not rely on sight are immune to this effect.

Excalibur
Weapon (longsword), artifact (requires attunement by a good fighter, paladin, or ranger)

This remarkable blade belongs to the Lady of the Lake, an extremely powerful seelie queen. Its most famous wielder was King Arthur.

Excalibur is a magic, sentient longsword that grants a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. It has all the powers of a sword of sharpness (DMG, p. 206).

Random Properties. Excalibur has the following random properties.

* 1 minor beneficial property
* 1 minor detrimental property

Leadership. While Excalibur is on your person, you have advantage on Charisma checks and saving throws.

Sentience. Excalibur is a lawful good weapon with an Intelligence of 12, a Wisdom of 16, and a Charisma of 15. It has hearing and normal vision out to a range of 60 feet. The speaks, reads, and understands Common and Sylvan. Excalibur has the Destiny Seeker special purpose. It is convinced that it and its wielder are destined to rule justly and wisely.

Destroying Excalibur. It does not seem that Excalibur can be destroyed, but it can be removed from the Material Plane by slaying its wielder and tossing it into a lake within a pristine, sylvan setting. The Lady of the Lake then takes the sword back to her realm.

Excalibur’s Scabbard
Wondrous item, artifact (requires attunement by a good fighter, paladin, or ranger)

Decorated with jewels and skillful embroidery, Excalibur’s Scabbard also belongs to the Lady of the Lake.

The scabbard will hold only Excalibur. No other blade can be sheathed in it. Anyone who attempts to sheath a weapon other than Excalibur in the scabbard must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. On a successful save, the wielder takes 3d6 radiant damage, and the offending weapon is thrown 1d6x10 feet in a random direction. On a failed save, the wielder takes the same damage, and the offending weapon vanishes into the realm of the Lady of the Lake.

While carried, the scabbard protects its owner, who gains resistance to piercing and slashing attacks and to necrotic damage. The owner also gains advantage on saving throws against effects that cause necrotic damage.

Random Properties. Excalibur’s Scabbard has the following random properties.

* 1 minor beneficial property

Destroying the Scabbard. It does not seem that the scabbard can be destroyed, but it can be removed from the Material Plane by slaying its owner and tossing it into a lake within a pristine, sylvan setting. The Lady of the Lake then takes the scabbard back to her realm. If Excalibur is not with the scabbard when this occurs, then Excalibur vanishes from its location and returns to the Lady.

Merlin’s Staff
Staff, artifact (requires attunement by a druid or wizard)

Merlin’s Staff appears to be nothing more than a snarled length of wood, crudely sanded and devoid of decoration or lacquer. It was wielded by Merlin, perhaps the most powerful spellcaster who ever lived. Stories vary on its origin. Some say Merlin made it himself, while others claim the staff was a gift to Merlin from his infernal father.

Regardless, this artifact acts as a staff of striking (DMG, p. 203) that functions up to three times per long rest as if the wielder had expended 3 charges. (Merlin’s Staff itself has no charges.)

Random Properties. Merlin’s Staff has the following random properties.

* 2 minor beneficial properties
* 1 major beneficial property
* 1 major detrimental property

Spell Absorption. When holding the staff, you have advantage on saving throws against spells. You can use your reaction when another creature casts a spell that targets only you. If you do, Merlin’s Staff absorbs the magic of the spell, canceling its effect and gaining a number of points equal to the absorbed spell’s level. You can use a bonus action when you cast a spell to expend a number of points equal to the level of the spell you’re casting. If you do so, you do not expend that spell slot. Merlin’s Staff can never have more than 18 points stored at any given time. If absorbing a spell would cause Merlin’s Staff to exceed this limit, the spell is not absorbed and takes effect normally.

Spell Storing. Merlin’s Staff can store up to 5 levels worth of spells at a time. Any creature can cast a spell of 1st through 5th level into the staff by touching the staff as the spell is cast. The spell has no effect, other than to be stored in the staff. If the staff can’t hold the spell, the spell is expend without effect. The level of the spell determines how much space it uses. While holding Merlin’s Staff, you can cast any spell stored in it. The spell uses the slot level, spell DC, spell attack bonus, and spellcasting ability of the original caster, but is other treated as if you cast the spell. The spell cast from the staff is no longer stored in it, thus freeing up space.

Destroying the Staff. Merlin’s Staff can be destroyed by taking it to the Shining Forest on Olympus. There the staff must be planted and watered with seven gallons of holy water from each the Sacred Springs found on the Seven Heavens, the Twin Paradises, Elysium, and the Happy Hunting Grounds. This opens a portal to the infernal realm ruled by Merlin’s father, after which the staff must be ground to sawdust beneath the eighty-one wheels of the Hellgrinder.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, magic items

Introducing Amok for The Four Color Hack. Amok is one of the Sinisters, a villain group I originally called the Sinister Six. Back then, Amok was known as Ogre.

Amok
Level 6 Villain

Quote: “Amok smash!”
Real Name: Ian Caldwell
Identity: Public
Place of Birth: Los Alamos, New Mexico
Height: 7 ft.
Weight: 650 lb.
Eyes: Glowing yellow
Hair: None

Hit Points: 38 (6 Vigor)
Base Damage: 2d8
Powers: Atomic-Powered Body d10 (6 protection), Devotion to Volt d10, Super-Strength d12

Young Ian Caldwell, up-and-coming high-school football player, always seemed to have more muscle than brains, but he had a good heart. His father, Sean, had been a constable until his death in the line of duty, and Regina, Ian’s widowed mother, did her best for her son. Ian understood loyalty, whether to his mother, to his team, to his friends. After his junior year at Los Alamos High School, Ian got a summer job driving a truck for Clean Sands, a company that handled waste transport and disposal. The money was good, and Ian was so proud to be able to help his mother.

Unfortunately, Clean Sands fell short of the up-and-up. A blown tire put Ian’s truck in a ditch, and drums full of illegal toxic waste ruptured. Ian crawled through this waste, dragging his co-driver away from the wreck. Both men suffered terrible chemical burns atop the injuries suffered in the crash. Worst of all, the toxic waste interacted with latent, mutated genes in Ian’s DNA.

Ian Caldwell, loving and loyal, transformed into a hulking brute driven by fear and rage. He tore his way free from the military hospital into which he been admitted after his body had started to change. During his rampage across the military base, the military police vehicle transporting Regina to Ian’s location in the hope that Ian’s mother could calm him down got too close. Without realizing Regina was in the vehicle, Ian lashed out. The vehicle was destroyed, and all of its occupants died. Ian escaped into the New Mexico wilderness.

Volt, leader of the Sinisters, found Amok some time later. The tortured youth responded to Volt’s calm, subtle manipulation. Now known as Amok, Ian serves Volt and the Sinisters with the same devotion he once served his family and football team.

Amok possesses immense strength. He can lift 25 tons, and his physical attacks are devastating (2d8+1d12). His Atomic-Powered Body is highly resistant to injury, and Amok never seems to get tired. He also recovers from injury at an accelerated rate. Amok has a child-like intelligence, but his intense Devotion to Volt makes him difficult to manipulate.

Tags: supervillains, TFCH

This morning on FaceBook, Scott Denman asked, “Can a devil and modron have offspring??”

The answer is, of course, “Yes.”

Theirs was a forbidden union, an erinyes and a rogue pentadrone, and Pentastrife, their only child, is a fearsome creature. Pentastrife resembles a tall human of indeterminate gender. It has five arms, five legs, and five great fleshy wings. It has five eyes, five mouths, and ten each nostrils and ears, arranged in rings around its bald head.

Frequency: Unique
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 2
Move: 12″/15″
Hit Dice: 60 hit points
% in Lair: 20%
Treasure Type: R
No. of Attacks: 5
Damage/Attack: By weapon (x5)
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: 15%
Intelligence: Very
Alignment: Lawful evil (neutral tendencies)
Size: M (6-1/2′ tall)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defens Modes: Nil
Level/XP Value: IX/7,610

Pentastrife fights with all five arms at once, wielding whatever combination of weapons it has available. For example, it might wield a longbow with two arms and three long swords with its other limbs. Regardless, Pentastrife always makes five attacks per round, whether wielding one weapon or five. It is also quite strong, possessing an 18/51 strength (apply +2 to-hit and +3 damage bonuses where appropriate). Instead of its weapon attacks, Pentastrife may spew a stream of paralyzing gas from one of its five mouths, doing so no more than once every 5 turns up to 5 times per day. The gas forms a cloud 3″ long, 2″ wide, and 1″ high. Any creature caught in the cloud must make a save versus paralysis or remain immobile for 5 rounds.

Pentastrife cannot be affected by illusions or magic that affects the mind (beguilement, charm, domination, hold, hypnosis, sleep, et cetera). Fear and other emotion spells have no affect, nor do attacks based in the Positive or Negative Planes (including life-draining or life-stealing). Cold, gas, and acid attacks against Pentastrife are always at -2 per die of damage. It cannot be harmed by nonmagical weapons, fire attacks, or by iron weapons (even magical ones). Pentastrife has potent magical powers, usable at will, once per round: animate dead, cause fear, charm person, detect invisible, illusion, invisibility, know alignment, locate object, polymorph self, produce flame, suggestion, and teleport (no error).

Pentastrife has double human senses and double normal infravision and ultravision (180 feet and 200 yards, respectively). It cannot be surprised by visible creatures.

Tags: 1E AD&D, monsters

Presenting the Snail Monster for both Mutant Future and the third edition of RuneQuest.

The dreaded snail monster is a monstrous mollusk, easily twice the size of an adult African elephant. It fleshy body is not especially resistant to harm (AC 7), but is covered with a viscous slime that acts as a Class 6 poison (6d6 damage but save for half). An attacker seeking to avoid contact with this toxic goo must either use a weapon or else attack the shell. The spiked shell (AC 3) lacks pain sensors, blood vessels, et cetera. Non-energy Attacks against the shell inflict only half damage. The shell is impervious to poison.

If provoked, the snail monster attacks twice per round, using some combination of its powerful bite, its blinding eye beams, or a project shellspike. The eye beams project out to 30 feet and blind for 1d4 rounds. A shellspike has a maximum range of 1,500 feet. Shellspikes regenerate with remarkable speed.

Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 45′ (15′)
Armor Class: 7 (3 for shell)
Hit Dice: 12
Attacks: 2 (bite and/or eye beams and/or shellspike)
Damage: 2d8 (bite), blindness (eye beams), 1d12 (shellspike)
Save: L6
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: None
XP: 4,400

Mutations: Dermal Poison Slime (Class 6), Gigantism, Optic Emissions (bright eyes), Spiked Shell

———

STR 8D6+32 (60)
CON 4D6+20 (34)
SIZ 6D6+24 (45)
INT 5
POW 2D6+6 (13)
DEX 2D6+3 (10)
Move 2
Hit Points 53
Fatigue 94

Hit Location (d20/Armor/Hit Points) Left Eye Stalk (1-2/3/9), Right Eye Stalk (3-4/3/9), Head (5-7/3/9), Upper Body (8-10/3/14), Lower Body (11-13/3/18), Shell (14-20/8/22)

Weapon (SR/Attack%/Damage)
Bite (9/45%/2D8+5d6
Eye Beam (6/75%/blindness)
Shellspike (6/35%/1d8+3d6)

Notes The snail monster may fire its eye beams or a shellspike and bite in the same round, against one or two opponents. The attacks take place 3 strike ranks apart. Creatures hitting the snail monster with a natural weapon (such as a claw or fist) somewhere other than the shell take dose of POT 10 poison. A target hit by the snail monster’s eye beams is blinded for 1d4 rounds. A shellspike as has the same range as a heavy crossbow (55/300).

Skills Listen 35%, Scan 65%

———

In other news, there’s about a week left in the 25th Wedding Anniversary Spes Magna Games Sale.

In bigger news, I’m also, I hope, not much more than two or so weeks away from bringing The Four Color Hack to print-on-demand. I’m working on a final edit and adding some more content. I’m not sure how much the POD version will sell for, but it will include the PDF as part of the purchase, and I’m certainly planning to send out a discount code to people who’ve already purchased the PDF version. Stay tuned. The Four Color Hack will be the first POD Spes Magna Games publication ever.

Huzzah.

Tags: monsters, Mutant Future, RuneQuest, TFCH