Spes Magna Games

First, some news: I’ve released the playtest version of The Grimm’s Fairy Hack via DriveThruRPG. It’s listed as Pay What You Want with a suggested price of $2. Of course, as a purchaser (even if you choose to purchase the game for free), you’ll automatically receive updates to TGFH, to include the final, for-sale version. In TGFH, a based on The Black Hack roleplaying game, the players take on the roles of children from our real world who find themselves lost in a dangerous, magical realm. These playtest rules include all the information you need to get started exploring your own versions of grim tales.

And now a monster inspired by an entertaining film starring Finn and half of Firestorm.

Teeth in the Darkness
Frequency: Very rare
No. Appearing: 5-30
Armor Class: 6
Move: 12″
Hit Dice: 2-5
% in Lair: 35%
Treasure Type: O, P, R
No. of Attacks: 3
Damage/Attack: 1-4/1-4/1-6
Special Attacks: Add 1/2 HD to damage rolls
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Low to Average
Alignment: Neutral evil
Size: S to M (2′ to 5′ at the shoulder)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/X.P. Value: 60+2/hp (2 HD); 110+3/hp (3 HD); 185+4/hp (4 HD); 290+5/hp (5 HD)

Found in caverns and ancient forests, the teeth in the darkness are intelligent predators that run in packs, hunting much like wolves. These creatures lope about most of the time on all fours, and they are skilled climbers but do not swim well. Their forelegs are longer than their rear legs, giving them an appearance somewhat like an gorilla. The teeth in the darkness have no eyes (and are consequently immune to attacks and illusions that affect the sense of sight). They have highly developed olfactory senses as well a form of echolocation that uses clicks, grunts, snarls, and surprisingly human-like screams; some of the teeth in the darkness’s vocalizations cannot be detected by normal hearing. The teeth in the darkness use these same sounds to communicate with each other. Due to their unusual senses, the teeth in the darkness are surprised only a on 1 (in 6), and they track prey by scent like a bloodhound.

In the dimly lit and shadowy conditions, these monsters are almost impossible to see as long as they keep their mouths closed to conceal their bioluminescent fangs. They move silently with cunning. In the dark when they cannot be seen, they surprise foes 5 in 6 times. Even in lighted conditions, they still surprise foes 3 in 6 times due to their stealth. The size of these monsters (and HD) varies with age and sex. Males are generally larger when fully grown. Regardless of size, they are quite strong. Add one-half the monster’s HD (round up) to damage rolls with its bear-like claws and glowing fangs. Their fur is blacker than black, and it does not reflect light. This makes it difficult to accurately judge their position at distances farther than 15 feet, especially when they are moving; this trait imposes a -4 penalty on “to-hit” rolls with ranged attacks.

Tags: AD&D, monsters, TGFH

If you’ve never checked out The Public Domain Review, you should. It’s nifty. Keen, even. The two illustrations that accompany this post come from Iconographie descriptive des cactées, ou, Essais systématiques et raisonnés sur l’histoire naturelle, la classification et la culture des plantes de cette famille by French botanist Charles Lemaire (for more information, check this out).

Many dangers exist in the radioactive deserts of the mutant future.

Erinaceus
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 30′ (10′)
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d4 (plus 3d6 poison)
Save: L2
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: None
XP: 245

Mutations: Projectile Thorns (Class 3 Poison), Unique Sense (“Smell” Water [60 feet])

An erinaceus is a roundish, predatory cactus with a thick, tough exterior. It rolls slowly by shifting water stored in its tissues toward the direction of travel. This plant senses water, to include the natural moisture stored in most creatures’ bodies, via an olfactory sense analogous to the sense of smell. An erinaceus brings down prey by means of its projectile thorns. These thorns have the same ranges as a thrown dagger, and each packs a powerful toxic punch (save for half damage permitted). Once its prey is down, an erinaceus rolls to it and uses its roots to extract the prey’s blood.

Hexadres
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: None
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks:
Damage:
Save: L6
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: None
XP: 1,070

Mutations: Fragrance Development (Plants), Neural Telepathy, Teleport

A hexadres is an intelligent, telepathic cactus. Inoffensive and contemplative, a hexadres prefers to simply teleport away if molested. Of course, a hexadres is often protected by various creatures that have fallen victim to the plant’s enticing scent. A hexadres communicates via telepathy.

Tags: monsters, Mutant Future

Now that I’ve finally finished The Four Color Hack, it’s time to finish The Grimm’s Fairy Hack, my second spin-off from The Black Hack. I’ve got one more section of essential rules related to the dark fairy-tale setting, and then the playtest rules are ready for upload to DriveThruRPG. This final section includes some special rules applicable to the fairy-tale world of TGFH along with some sample creatures, such as the Evil Tree below. After the Evil Tree comes rules for Temptations.

Evil Tree

The wild, wooded places between walled villages threaten travelers in a variety of ways. Even the trees themselves may seek to grab, tear, and crush.

Hit Dice: 7
Damage: 2d8
Special: An Evil Tree appears very much like a normal tree when it wants to (roll with Disadvantage to spot). It doesn’t move quickly, but its branches and roots have an extensive reach (attack anyone Nearby). An Evil Tree fears fire and axes (roll with Advantage when applicable). Some Evil Trees possess magical powers, such as the ability to animate normal trees or swallow a creature whole.

Temptations

Temptations abound in the fairy-tale world. Temptations exist to lure the unwary and thoughtless into danger. Temptations take a variety of forms, anything from delicious apples to piles of gold to beautiful ball gowns. No matter it’s form, a Temptation has four parts:

* A HD Equivalent: Temptations do not have HP, but they do impose a penalty on Stat checks to resist them.
* A Preferred Target: Temptations are often targeted against a specific type of character.
* A Preferred Stat: Temptations target a specific Stat that is used to resist the Temptation.
* An Effect: What happens if a character fails to resist the Temptation. This effect can range from something as simple as “The character opens the door” to powerful magical effects like “The character turns into a talking frog.”

For example, while traveling along the road, the characters sees stylish sunglasses resting on a fence post. The sunglasses are a Temptation.

Sunglasses (3 HD; Popular; Upbringing): The character takes the sunglasses and wears them all the time. The sunglasses allow the Goblin King to know the character’s whereabouts.

There is often a way to undo the effect of a Temptation. The method for undoing the Temptation may be simple or complex, easy or hard. In the case of the sunglasses, another character may take them away and break them, for example. On the other hand, perhaps a character transformed into a talking frog may regain his original shape only by receiving a willing kiss from a princess who holds a lilypad retrieved from the Marsh of Lost Heroes.

Tags: monsters, TGFH, The Black Hack

At long last, the for-sale version of The Four Color Hack arrives at a virtual store near you. The revised, improved rules include streamlined, flexible ways to use Hero Dice to better simulate comic book action. Eleven villains make their debut in the rules as well.

If you’ve previously downloaded TFCH, you should have received an e-mail about the update. If not, the game sells for $3 US, but you can get it for $2 US by using this discount link (which expires at the end of July). Before the start of next week, I’ll also have updated Battle in Jurgen Zeeger Park, a short scenario for TFCH. If you’ve downloaded Zeeger Park, you should receive an e-mail about the updated file when it’s updated.

Here’s a new villain for TFCH suitable for a WWII-era setting:

Eisenmann
Level 5 Villain

Quote: “I will crush you!”
Real Name: Bernd Kalbfleisch
Identity: Secret
Place of Birth: Essen, Germany
Height: 6 ft. 2 in. (7 ft. 2 in. in armor)
Weight: 200 lbs. (600 lbs. in armor)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown

Hit Points: 30 (5 Vigor)
Base Damage: 1d12
Powers: Jet-Assisted Leap d10, Mechanical Genius d10, V-2 Eisenmann Power Armor d12 (7 protection, 2d12 damage)

Bernd Kalbfleisch was an early and avid supporter of the Nazis. After Adolf Hitler was appoint chancellor in 1933, Kalbfleisch quickly rose to prominence thanks to his mechanical genius and zeal to help rebuild Germany into a formidable military power. To his end, Kalbfleisch designed and built his Eisenmann Power Armor. In order to prove its effectiveness, he donned the armor himself and used it to crush resistance to the Nazis, operating in conjunction with the Sturmabteilung. Once the war started in September 1939, Kalbfleisch unveiled his second design. Now a member of the Schutzstaffel, Kalbfleisch splits his time between his laboratories and the field, where he aids the Wehrmacht under the code name Eisenmann.

Kalbfleisch’s armor greatly augments his strength, enabling him to lift about 25 tons. It also protects him from harm. The powerful jets built into the armor’s legs and feet permit jet-assisted leaps of about 320 yards. Kalbfleisch is a brilliant mechanical engineer, and he often field tests new devices. Use the d10 from Mechanical Genius as a Hero Die to “purchase” new devices to use against the heroes, splitting the d10 into at least 2d8.

Tags: NPCs, TFCH

For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived, then we can overcome him, and take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, they will not overcome me. (Jeremiah 20:10-11)

The Dread Warrior fights to defend holy causes against infidels, scoffers, blasphemers, and other evil-doers. He lacks the raw power and martial skill of the Warrior, but his righteous devotion grants him the ability to inspire dread in those he faces.

Dread Warrior
Starting HP: d8 + 4
HP Per Level/Resting: 1d8
Weapons & Armor: Any and All
Attack Damage: 1d8 / 1d4 Unarmed or Improvising

Special Features
Once per hour while in combat, a Dread Warrior can regain 1d6 lost HP.

When confronting evil-doers opposed to the Dread Warrior’s holy cause, the Dread Warrior inspires fear using his Dreadful Mien Usage Die, which starts at a d4 at 1st level. This fear affects a number of Hit Dice of enemies equal to the die’s roll plus the Dread Warrior’s level. For the next few minutes, the Dread Warrior rolls with Advantage against those foes.

The Dread Warrior rolls with Advantage when resisting effects that affect his emotions or loyalties.

Leveling Up
Roll to see if attributes increase. Roll twice for STR and CHA.

Every odd numbered level, step up the Dreadful Mien die.

Tags: Catholic, Character Classes, The Black Hack