Spes Magna Games

I say again, welcome to Penance, Texas!

That’s right. My Patreon site has been transformed and relaunched. The first Patron-only PDF has been uploaded and can be downloaded by Defenders, Avengers, and League Members.

You might ask, “What is this PDF?”

Well, it’s Putty: The Malleable Menace, a Penance-born super villain. In a few more days, I’ll also release a new scenario entitled Putty in Her Hands. Available to Avengers and League Members, this scenario gives your heroes a chance to thwart not only Putty but also a mysterious femme fatale.

If you’re thinking about being a League Member, there’s something just for you as well, specifically a way to get The Four Color Hack print-on-demand rulebook for printing costs plus shipping & handling.

Tags: Spes Magna Products, TFCH

Some time next week, I’m relaunching my Patreon site as a support platform for The Four Color Hack. I’ll be writing up new villains, new heroes, new Elements, city details, situations that can be used for adventures for your game’s heroes, et cetera. All of this will revolve around Penance, Texas. What is Penance, Texas, you ask? Read on.

Welcome to Penance, Texas. Penance with its population of 455,000 sits on the Gulf Coast in the South Texas region. Penance’s history reaches back to the early 16th century, but long before the Spanish settled the area, the Kómaháyika lived in the area. Little is known of these people except that they had an evil reputation among both the Karankawa and the Spanish. Long-time residents of Penance say that whatever the Kómaháyika did must have cursed the ground the city stands on, for it seems as if Penance’s yesterday and today have always been caught in a struggle between evil and good….

As a setting, Penance, Texas, combines superheroics with elements from genres closer to true crime and Lovecraftian horror. Material released via Patreon will fall into the categories of The City, The Supers, The Scenarios, and The Rules. Patrons can choose from three tiers: $1 a month to be a Defender, $3 a month to be an Avenger, and $5 a month to be a League Member. Each tier includes Patron-only access to PDFs written specifically for the Patreon site. In short, Defenders get The Supers PDFs, Defenders get that and The Scenarios PDFs, and League Members get everything, plus other perks, such as getting me to write specially requested villains, et cetera.

Speaking of The Rules for TFCH, the ones for creating villains don’t have to be used for just villains. They can be used to create just about anyone or anything that the heroes may encounter, and that includes heroic allies.

The Builder
Level 3 Heroic Ally

Quote: “Can we fix it?”
Real Name: Bob (last name unknown)
Identity: Secret
Place of Birth: Somewhere in the United Kingdom
Height: 4 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 90 lb.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown

Hit Points: 16 (3 Vigor)
Base Damage: d6
Powers: Machine Control d10, Telekinetic Drill d8, Tool Belt d8

Background: Little is known about Bob’s background. Based on his accent, he’s probably from somewhere in the United Kingdom, mostly likely from Birmingham, England. He’s been an active superhero for a few years, which is remarkable primarily because of his age. Bob can’t be much more than 10 or 11 years old. Who his parents are, where he goes to school, et cetera, are questions about which there is much speculation, but no definitive answers. The media took to calling Bob “The Builder” early on in his heroic career, and the name stuck. As the Builder, Bob does not operate as a traditional crime fighter, although he has tangled with criminals on more than one occasion. Most of the time, the Builder uses his powers to aid first responders in emergency situations.

Powers: The Builder’s main power is his ability to control machines. This ability appears to be psionic in nature, but it could be the effect of super-technology. With Machine Control, Bob can control the movement and operation of mechanical devices. He can even “program” a machine to operate semi-independently by splitting his Machine Control die to create a lasting effect, such as a Debris-Clearing Tractor d8. So far, the Builder has no shown the ability to change the form or function of a machine. He cannot, for example, make a pick-up truck fly like an airplane. The Builder uses a variety of tools, the most prominent being his Telekinetic Drill. With it, he can manipulate up to 5 tons of material within 80 feet. The Builder has used his Telekinetic Drill to repair damaged objects and to jury rig structures, as he did that the time he manipulated a load of PVC pipes to trap an aggressive dog in a PVC Cage d6. The Builder’s Tool Belt holds an assortment of high-tech devices, such as his Climbing Spike Screwdrivers d6 that he uses to scale buildings.

Tags: Spes Magna Products, TFCH

Earlier this week, J. Todd Scott emailed me with both praise and questions about The Four Color Hack. What follows is the bulk of my response to Todd, posted with his kind permission:

Question 1: So now that the villain is locked into the d12 bubble, what does that really mean?

Keep in mind that TFCH should always start and end with the narration. So, when the villain’s turn comes around, he’s trapped in a Positronic Bubble d12. That means, among other things, he’s not moving too far. He’s also not attacking through the bubble with effects that can be blocked by a Positronic Bubble. For the sake of clearer examples, let’s assume the villain is Chimera, and that Professor Positron is level 1.

Question 2: How does that d12 come into play?

In addition to the narrative effects, the Positronic Bubble d12 has 7 protection and 1d12 Hit Points. The player rolls 1d12, and gets a 6, so the Positronic Bubble d12 has 6 hit points. Effects blocked by a Positronic Bubble, such as Chimera’s claws, must get through the Positronic Bubble before Chimera can attack anyone else.

Question 3: Let’s say that villain now wants to attack Professor Positron, and Positron (the player) needs to defend and roll under his DEX of 10. Does that d12 affect that defense roll in anyway?

So, that means Chimera has to deal with the Positronic Bubble before he can attempt to tear apart Professor Positron. Since the Positronic Bubble is static, I’d rule it doesn’t get a defense roll unless Positron’s player can narrate something otherwise.

In the first case, Chimera would simply inflict damage against the Positronic Bubble. (And now I notice that Chimera’s base damage is missing from his stat block; grrr.) Most simply, this means Chimera inflicts 2d10 points of damage against the Positronic Bubble (1d10 base damage plus 1d10 Transmorphism). If Chimera does 13+ damage, he destroys the Positronic Bubble. If he does 7 or less damage, he failed to hurt the Bubble at all.

As GM, however, I’d more likely run the exchange like this:

GM: “Chimera’s arms transform into a monstrous crab claws, and he attacks the Positronic Bubble. How do you defend against this attack?”

Professor: “I focus on the Positronic Bubble, attempting to alter its shape so that Chimera’s attack is ineffective.”

GM: “That sounds like some clever quick-thinking. Roll against INT with a +3 because the level difference.”

If the player rolls under INT, Chimera’s attack fails; otherwise, Chimera damages the Bubble, possibly destroying it.

To further wrinkle the situation, Chimera can use his Power Dice pretty much just like a hero can, which brings me to the next question.

Question 4: Similarly, what about a character or villain with a Luck d8 ability or a Precognition d10 ability (like Chimera from TFCH) If Chimera can see effectively into the future, that’s something that could affect the TO HIT roll, rather than the amount of damage, right?

Here we have a six of one, a half dozen of another situation. I’d treat Precognition d10 as 6 points of protection in most situations. If this reduces damage to 0, then Chimera saw the attack in sufficient time to dodge it entirely. The GM could also rule that Chimera’s Precognition d10 enabled him to completely evade the attack. This would downgrade the die one step in terms of how many more times Chimera could just automatically succeed.

Question 5: If I’m the player and I’m rolling to dodge away from a villain with Combat Master d8, how does that die affect my defense roll? And if I’m rolling to hit that villain, how does his Combat Master d8 die affect my attack roll? Or is all this stuff just considered damage reduction?

In general, dice attached to powers don’t affect d20 rolls. The ability to use a Hero Die to achieve an automatic success takes this into account. My goal was to simulate that situation in a comic book where Spider-Man, for example, just can’t be hit. He uses his Amazing Agility against Doctor Octopus, dodging one attack after another, at least for a few panels. Eventually, however, Spider-Man’s luck runs out, and Doc Ock clouts him from behind with a tentacle.

Tags: TFCH

Spes Magna Games has been in business since December 2009. In that time, I’ve published more than 50 PDFs for various game systems. About two years ago, I released The Four Color Hack. At the time, I had vague plans of eventually releasing TFCH as a print-on-demand game.

Well, eventually has arrived, and TFCH is officially Spes Magna’s first real book.

You can get TFCH as a 6-by-9-inch 80-page black-and-white softcover for $10.95 (not including shipping and handling). The softcover includes the $3 PDF. If you’ve not checked out TFCH yet, start with the PDF. If you like what you see, and you want the book, use this link right here to get the print-on-demand version for $7.95. Caveat: The discount link in the previous sentence expires at the end of September 2018.

Ms. Jessica Dow deserves a big “Thanks!” for picking up the dropped ball of formatting TFCH for print-on-demand. I hope to work with Ms. Dow again on another print-on-demand job in the near future.

But enough of that. Let’s head back into the Chinese Mythos from the AD&D Deities & Demigods. Today, we meet Mu Yuan, the 70-foot-tall killer of the gods, for use with 5E D&D.

This monster has 3 eyes in his tyrannosaurus-shaped head, and has 4 large humanoid arms. He has the strength of a storm giant…. He also has a powerful magical device shaped in the form of a small triangular piece of stone that has the power to turn into any weapon [Ma Yuan] wishes, magical or otherwise. (Deities & Demigods, page 40)

Ma Yuan
Gargantuan monstrosity, chaotic evil

Armor Class 24 (natural armor)
Hit Points 615 (30d20+270)
Speed 60 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 60 ft.
Ability Scores STR 29 (+9), DEX 10 (+0), CON 28 (+9), INT 13 (+1), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 13 (+1)

Saving Throws INT +9, WIS +10, CHA +9
Skills Religion +9
Damage Resistances fire (due to Morphic Stone); bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-legendary attacks
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Abyssal
Challenge 28 (120,000 XP)

Amphibious. Ma Yuan can breathe water and air.

Frightful Presence. Each creature of Ma Yuan’s choice that is within 120 feet of him and aware of him must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Ma Yuan’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Ma Yuan fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. Ma Yuan has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magical Weapons. Ma Yuan’s weapon attacks are magical.

Siege Monster. Ma Yuan deals double damage to objects and structures.

Actions

Multiattack. Ma Yuan can use his Frightful Presence. He then makes up to five attacks: one with his bite and four with his claws. He can make a Morphic Stone attack in place of one or two claw attacks, depending on whether the Morphic Stone takes the form of a one-handed weapon or a two-handed weapon.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 48 (6d12+9) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 22). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and Ma Yuan can’t bite another target.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d8+9) slashing damage.

Morphic Stone. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 37 (8d6+9) slashing damage plus 14 (4d6) cold damage. As an action, Ma Yuan can transform the Morphic Stone into any melee weapon, magical or otherwise, that he wants to wield. Quadruple the weapon’s damage dice since Ma Yuan is Gargantuan. The preceding attack and damage values reflect Ma Yuan using a Gargantuan greatsword frost brand.

Legendary Actions

Ma Yuan can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary option can be used at time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Ma Yuan regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Change Morphic Stone. Ma Yuan can change the Morphic Stone into a different melee weapon and then attack with that weapon.

Move. Ma Yuan moves up to half his speed.

Swallow (Costs 2 Actions). Ma Yuan makes one bite attack against a Large or smaller creature it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target takes the bite’s damage, the target is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside Ma Yuan, and it takes 49 (14d6) acid damage at the start of each of Ma Yuan’s turns.

If Ma Yuan takes 60 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, Ma Yuan must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of Ma Yuan. If Ma Yuan dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 30 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, monsters, TFCH

It’s been more than a month since I wrote anything that converts content from the AD&D Deities & Demigods for use with 5E D&D. (If you missed those other posts, you can check them out here.) Since I left off with the Celtic Mythos, it’s time to move across the Atlantic and into ancient Mexico for a look at the Central American Mythos.

When we start our look, we find eleven deities and two heroes. Six of those deities are evil, which makes sense given the mind-boggling lust for blood that was part of Aztec life. Of the five remaining deities, two of them are good-aligned. Also, there’s a dearth of material for conversion. I’m not converting deities into 5E versions. I am willing to give it a go with the two heroes, the twins Hunapu and Xbalanque, but I’m going to save them for a later post. So, that leaves me for this post with the last paragraph of the introduction to the Central American Mythos, that explains why “[f]irst level clerics must choose a compass direction for their own (east, west, north or south)”.

Facing the Sacred Direction

A 1st-level cleric that serves a deity of the Central American Mythos must choose a compass direction (east, west, north, or south). Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. The cleric prays and meditates facing his sacred direction. Failure do so means the cleric regains no spells after resting. Each day, when the cleric starts off to adventure, he must travel at least four steps in his sacred direction before moving in any other direction. Failure to abide by this requirement incurs the deity’s displeasure. At some time during the day, the cleric is sure to experience bad luck (roll with disadvantage on any single attack roll, saving throw, skill check, or ability check of the GM’s choosing). Furthermore, the cleric’s sacred direction dictates the color of his vestments: red for east, yellow for south, black for west, and white for north. These vestments must be worn in plain sight, or else the cleric either suffers disadvantage with spell attack rolls or else his target’s gain advantage on their saving throws against the cleric’s spells until a long rest is spent that includes proper supplications and abasements.

In exchange for these restrictions, the cleric enjoys these benefits when casting a spell while facing his sacred direction:

* The cleric makes spell attack rolls with advantage.
* The cleric’s targets make saving throws against the cleric’s spells with disadvantage.

In situations where the cleric’s facing may not be immediately obvious, simply roll 1d4: 1 equals east, 2 equals west, 3 equals north, and 4 equals south.

******

In Spes Magna news, I’ve ordered the second proof copy of the print-on-demand version of The Four Color Hack. I should have the book in my hands in about a week. If it looks good, the POD version will go on-sale as quickly as possible.

I’ve also released Map Collection II, which presents thirteen hand-drawn maps, including two decades-old campaign maps, one for a historical-fantasy world and the other for a post-apocalyptic world. There are also eleven other maps, including isometric dungeon maps. Each map’s minimalist style maximizes your ability to customize the dungeons. Print a page, and add your own key and encounters for your favorite game. These maps aren’t fancy, but at a about dime each, they’re a bargain. Also, they’re all released under the terms of the AttributionShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Tags: 5E D&D, Deities & Demigods, Spes Magna Products, TFCH