New Dungeon Starter: Black Pearls & Black Water
New Dungeon Starter: Black Pearls & Black Water
“The world is fixed, we say: fish in the sea, birds in the air. But in the mangrove swamps by the Niger, fish climb trees and ogle uneasy naturalists who try unsuccessfully to chase them back to the water. There are things still coming ashore. ” ― Loren Eiseley
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7cav44145d9TThUbWNSNFljejg/view?usp=sharing
Zothique
Zothique
Clarke Ashton Smith(CAS), along with Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft, was one of the founders of american pulp fantasy. He had a profound influence on the development of the fantasy genre and, while Gygax himself was not much affected by CAS, Tom Moldvay wrote the classic Castle Amber as an homage to Smith (much as The Lost City was an homage to Howard). Likewise, Jack Vance might be called his modern heir.
While my favorite writer in this group remains Fritz Leiber, I am fond of CAS, particularly his short stories. I have always felt his material is as inspiring for Sword & Sorcery as for Call of Cthulhu RPG horror. Xenopus in the J.E. Holmes “Blue Box” Sample Dungeon was inspired by CAS stories and that was my very first RPG adventure. I’ve been thinking of doing a CAS inspired Dungeon Starter for some time and while researching the idea came across the superb Eldritch Dark website (http://www.eldritchdark.com/) which had this little rpg gem (http://www.eldritchdark.com/files/articles/criticism/zothique-d20v1.pdf) posted on the site. it is is a d20 supplement describing the CAS Dying World of Zothique, simple to convert to Dungeon World.
Christmas morning!
http://www.eldritchdark.com/files/articles/criticism/zothique-d20v1.pdf
Dying Earth Dungeon World Sources
Dying Earth Dungeon World Sources
Dungeon Keepers who like my Dying Earth Dungeon Starter:
(https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7cav44145d9OUdDYnBKck9fWG8/view?usp=sharing) might be interested in the Vancomancer, a “Dying Earth” style wizard playbook for Dungeon World. (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/125796/The-Vancomancer-A-Dungeon-World-Playbook?filters=0_2130_44819_0_0 )
DCC’s The 998th Conclave of Wizards (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/169644/Dungeon-Crawl-Classics-88-The-998th-Conclave-of-Wizards) seems very Vance inspired to me.
Pelgrane Press has a RPG full RPG devoted to this world with multiple supplements; although the line seems currently inactive. (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/11946/The-Dying-Earth-RPG?term=dying+earth&test_epoch=0&it=1)
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/11946/The-Dying-Earth-RPG?term=dying+earth&test_epoch=0&it=1
This starter draft was inspired by the Dying Earth stories of Jack Vance, who was a Gygax favorite and inspired…
This starter draft was inspired by the Dying Earth stories of Jack Vance, who was a Gygax favorite and inspired D&D’s “Vancian magic system”. The evil lich “Venca” was a tribute to Vance.
The stories Jack Vance’s of the Dying Earth series are set in the distant future, at a point when the sun is almost exhausted and magic has reasserted itself as a dominant force. The Moon has disappeared and the Sun is in danger of burning out at any time, often flickering as if about to go out, before shining again. The various civilizations of Earth have collapsed for the most part into decadence and its inhabitants overcome with a fatalistic outlook. The Earth is mostly barren and cold, and has become infested with various predatory monsters (possibly created by magicians in a former age).
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7cav44145d9OUdDYnBKck9fWG8/view?usp=sharing
Ioun Stones
Ioun Stones
The Ioun Stones comes from Jack Vance’s Dying Earth series, which is where the “fire and forget” spell casting of D&D came from too, as well as some of the spells such as prismatic spray. The stones are harvested from the core of neutron stars that are being sliced away by the Nothing at the edge of the universe and are therefore rare and difficult to obtain. Their origin is dealt with in the Dying Earth collection Rhialto the Marvelous.
They were introduced in Issue #1 of Strategic Review (no author given, although there is a reference to Vance approving the design/inclusion and he and Gygax corresponded) and first made their way into the rulebooks with the original DMG.
These crystalline stones always float in the air and must be within 3 feet of their owner to be of any use. When a character first acquires a stone, she must hold it and then release it, whereupon it takes up a circling orbit 1d3 feet from her head. Thereafter, a stone must be grasped or netted to separate it from its owner. The owner may voluntarily seize and stow a stone (to keep it safe while she is sleeping, for example), but she loses the benefits of the stone during that time.
Ioun stones have 1 hit point, and an Armor of 5. The powers of each stone vary depending on its color and shape.
Example stones include:
Amber stone: adds 2 to armor class
Crimson spindle: grants user Infravision
Mirror pyramid: immune to petrification
Yellow sphere: sheds light (as per the rote)
Green star: immunity to poison
Green disc: you require no food, water or air
Red cube: immune to normal fire damage
Blue triangle: immune to charm and sleep spells
Dark blue rhomboid: you can never be surprised
Pale orange ellipsoid: feather fall (no damage from falling)
This is the third of my “subgenre starters” for Dungeon World.
This is the third of my “subgenre starters” for Dungeon World. I’m sick, my mom’s sick and i find writing these comforting I guess. Really inspired by the Swordbreaker fanzine on genre; its my two cents that Dungeon World can handle a good many of the subgenres of fantasy.
“We have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us — the labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.” –Joseph Campbell
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7cav44145d9c05lLVdCcURZT3c/view?usp=sharing
New Dungeon World Starter: Lovecraftian
New Dungeon World Starter: Lovecraftian
I had to give my Gibbering Ooze a good new home…
“We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”
-H. P. Lovecraft
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7cav44145d9elhJcnlnSmtPR2c/view?usp=sharing
Hey guys just to inform everyone:
Hey guys just to inform everyone:
I recently posted another Dungeon World Adaption of Goblin Gully on my site and on the Tavern.
However, I happened to read Dyson’s text which indicate to my knowledge a change of policy on the issue of his copyright rights.
To quote:
“Just to be clear about these adventures – they are the Copyright of Dyson Logos.
While I encourage you to take my maps and use them for your non-commercial uses including posting them to your blogs, my adventures are 100% under my copyright. So if you want to modify or reformat one of my adventures for your own use, that’s totally cool, but they cannot be republished in this edited / reformatted format.
In other words: If you want a version of one of my adventures in PocketMod format, or re-statted for use with GURPS Magic or another system, go ahead and do it but do NOT post it to the internet, to your blog, or wherever else.
If you have a book where my adventures have material released under the terms of the OGL, you will note that the adventure title remains Product Identity, as do the maps. So if you want to use the OGL to republish my adventures, then be sure to include a new map and title.”
Therefore I am deleting all copies of my adaptions of Goblin Gully from my blog, the Tavern, etc. If you have a copy feel free to use privately but PLEASE do not post on the internet. Thanks.
Logan Howard strikes again!
Logan Howard strikes again! And this is more of an Empire Strike Back than the traditional sophomore slump! So go download this “precious” before the Centipede God devours you then your party….maybe not in that order…Did I mention it is Pay What You Want? I can hear the legs stomping forward…the legs..HURRY!
Check out Logan Howard’s new free Dungeon World zine, he’s obviously a blazing new talent (he listed me as an…
Check out Logan Howard’s new free Dungeon World zine, he’s obviously a blazing new talent (he listed me as an inspiration, wise soul). Seriously, it is a wonderful bit of Dungeon World goodness, PWYW and what are you waiting for?
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/206544/Sword-Breaker-Issue-No-1–The-Tyrant-Machine
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/206544/Sword-Breaker-Issue-No-1–The-Tyrant-Machine