So here’s a question for all your Planarch GMs out there (and Jonathan Walton especially, of course)

So here’s a question for all your Planarch GMs out there (and Jonathan Walton especially, of course)

So here’s a question for all your Planarch GMs out there (and Jonathan Walton especially, of course)

When the living city of Dis starts “devouring” a plane, what does that look like, in your mind? What exactly is happening to the plane and its inhabitants?

Monsters of madness! This time brought to you by http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haeckel_Cystoidea.jpg

Monsters of madness! This time brought to you by http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haeckel_Cystoidea.jpg

Monsters of madness! This time brought to you by http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haeckel_Cystoidea.jpg

CUCKOO SHELL (Solitary, Large, planar)

tentacles(1d8+1 damage) close, reach

16 HP 3 ARMOR

The Cuckoo Shell would be just another mindless ravaging beast, no more (or less) dangerous than, say, a rabid owlbear, but much as undead are powered by the energies of the Black Gates of Death’s Kingdom, so too is it a creature powered by the White Gates of Madness’s Kingdom, and such creaturess are never simple or straightforward foes.

Anyone who identifies as a member of a specific group or organization will perceive the Cuckoo Shell as a fellow member of that organization. It is not that it will appear human (or elven or whatever) to them, rather, the mind will gloss over the geometric carapace, long segmented tail, and squirming mass of tentacles unless something causes them to specifically focus on the details, instead seeing only “a fellow member of my thieves’ guild” or “a tribesman from my homeland”. This can quickly complicate a Cuckoo Shell’s attack. especially in populated areas, as a paladin who sees a “fellow” member of her order attacking townsfolk may assume those townsfolk are cultists or monsters in disguise (even as said townsfolk wonder why one of their neighbors has gone mad as is murdering them), and guardsmen witnessing adventurers attacking one of their “colleagues” will almost invariably leap in to their defense.

Instinct: To rampage mindlessly

Moves

– Entangle someone with tentacles

– Confuse someone into fighting alongside it

– Twist magic used against it with the touch of madness

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haeckel_Cystoidea.jpg

For the Thrice-Damned Manual of Madness:

For the Thrice-Damned Manual of Madness:

For the Thrice-Damned Manual of Madness:

FLUTERS OF THE UNNAMABLE (group, small, planar)

Fluters of the Unnamable are often called forth in response to a botched summoning spell or teleportation ritual, and can also be found clustered in small swarms around “naturally” occurring holes in reality. Sages believe they hail from the Dimensional Vortex, where they act as symbiotes to far more powerful and terrible beings, but, as much related to that unfathomable place, this is largely a matter of conjecture.

What is known is that their presence upsets the natural order of reality: within the sound of their shrill piping blood flows from walls, clocks run backwards, animals behave unusually, glass ripples, writing rearranges itself into strange symbols, etc, etc.  This ‘softening’ of reality is occasionally used by wizards in their mystical rituals, or by certain more unhinged arcanists purely for atmospheric ambiance.

Mad piping (d6 (see below)) close, near, far

9 hp, 4 armor

Qualities: Floating, Vortexspawn

Instinct: to herald a greater threat

Moves:

 – entrance someone with alien harmonies

 – give rise to unnatural phenomena

 – widen the cracks in reality

The mad piping of Fluters Of The Unnamable deals sanity damage, if that rules option is being used. If not, consider it to be armor-ignoring (psychic) damage.

(For visual reference see image 9 of http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Haeckel_Polycyttaria.jpg)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Haeckel_Polycyttaria.jpg

So, the recent post about goblin weddings got me thinking about the Wedding Compendium.

So, the recent post about goblin weddings got me thinking about the Wedding Compendium.

So, the recent post about goblin weddings got me thinking about the Wedding Compendium. Anybody actually used this in play? I’d love to hear stories!

http://www.latorra.org/2012/07/06/the-dungeon-world-wedding-compendium/

Little idea I had at work: for GMs comfortable with improvising:

Little idea I had at work: for GMs comfortable with improvising:

Little idea I had at work: for GMs comfortable with improvising:

Dungeon Seeds

The demon lord Anarazel delights in greed, bloodlust, and recklessness that adventurers so often fall prey to, and so fashioned these items to give them endless opportunities to practice said vices. They appear as small coins of an unknown black metal, polished to a mirror finish. If a word is spoken to one, and it is buried in the earth, some time later an entrance will emerge to a dungeon themed by the word in question: “fire” will produce a fire dungeon, “spiders” will produce a spider dungeon, etc.

Most coins produce relatively small dungeons: a single level with 5-7 rooms in them. Roughly 1 in 6 produce greater dungeons: 5-7 levels deep, and 1 in 6 of those (or 1 in 36 overall) will produce megadungeons consisting of 5-7 full dungeon “branches”. Small dungeons will take a few minutes to “grow”, greater dungeons will take a few hours, and megadungeons will take a few days. Almost all dungeons will result in thematically appropriate monsters, traps, tricks, and treasure. Usually, any treasure will be commensurate with the risk involved: a “harmless” dungeon might only have a few copper coins scattered through: contrariwise, attempting to cash in with the word “gold” might result in a dungeon filled with lethal golden constructs and deathtraps.

So… I just noticed something.

So… I just noticed something.

So… I just noticed something.

Clerics are explicitly said to not be able to prepare spells higher level than they are. So a second-level cleric couldn’t prepare a third level spell despite having three spells to work with.

Wizards don’t have this note, however! Accidental oversight? Deliberate difference?

So, I thought to myself, “Hmmm, I wonder what Planescape’s Outer Planes would look like as parishes of Dis?” And…

So, I thought to myself, “Hmmm, I wonder what Planescape’s Outer Planes would look like as parishes of Dis?” And…

So, I thought to myself, “Hmmm, I wonder what Planescape’s Outer Planes would look like as parishes of Dis?” And then a few slow days at work conspired to create this. Merry Christmas!

I worked these tables out for personal use, cause I love random character generation. And figured I’d share!

I worked these tables out for personal use, cause I love random character generation. And figured I’d share!

I worked these tables out for personal use, cause I love random character generation. And figured I’d share!

Roll a d6 for your highest stat (16):

1 – Strength

2 – Constitution

3 – Dexterity

4 – Intelligence

5 – Wisdom

6 – Charisma

You now have five unassigned attributes: Roll a d20 and assign your 15 and 13, respectively, to:

1 – 1, 2

2 – 1, 3

3 – 1, 4

4 – 1, 5

5 – 2, 1

6 – 2, 3

7 – 2, 4

8 – 2, 5

9 – 3, 1

10 – 3, 2

11 – 3, 4

12 – 3, 5

13 – 4, 1

14 – 4, 2

15 – 4, 3

16 – 4, 5

17 – 5, 1

18 – 5, 2

19 – 5, 3

20 – 5, 4

You now have three unassigned stats. Roll a d6 and fill them in as follows:

1 – 8, 9, 12

2 – 8, 12, 9

3 – 9, 8, 12

4 – 9, 12, 8

5 – 12, 8, 9

6 – 12, 9, 8

For bonus points, also considering choosing your class (and/or race, name, look, alignment, gear, and bonds) at random as well.

Just wondering, since it wasn’t mentioned in the most recent backer update, what’s the status of the color pdf?

Just wondering, since it wasn’t mentioned in the most recent backer update, what’s the status of the color pdf?

Just wondering, since it wasn’t mentioned in the most recent backer update, what’s the status of the color pdf? Where in the order of “omg things that need to get done” is it?