Tuesday, November 21, 2017

B/X Dungeons & Dragaons & OSR D&D Rules Encypclopedia Campaign Commentary

So I'm looking through my Dungeons & Dragons rules cyclopedia again doing a cross comparison between monsters, PC classes, etc. for research purposes for my  Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea second edition/Adventurer,Conqueror, King hybrid campaign.
There's an old thread on Dragon's foot about B/X Vs Rules Cyclopedia D&D 

but the truth is that the Rules Cyclopedia isn't really complete in one package. That is all of the demons, underworld, plane jumping stuff that I love so much isn't in there.
 


So what the heck I'm I going to do? Well its not as much of an issue as one my think with the OSR to the rescue! Blacky the Blackball years back created Dark Dungeons a complete retroclone version of the Rules Cyclopedia with everything I'm looking for. Planes jumping, demons, high level material that I want to incorporate into my 'Old Earth' campaign setting. I consider this a far more 'Weird Tales' setting then a standard fantasy one. Because of this I'm pulling far more from the science fantasy sided but with a more Michael Moorcock Eternal Champions feel. Dark Dungeons has several elements within that fit the bill to a tee but more on those later on. Dark Dungeons is a 'pay what you want' book on Drivethrurpg.




What really started this off is wanting a mid tier Clark Ashton Smith style villain for my world, since I'm using Adventurer, Conqueror, King as the main system & AS&SH second edition as the world resource book so to speak I began to look into the ACK's Player's Companion for NPC options.



The one that caught my eye was the classic & underutilized Anti paladin! These servants of evil gods & the ruin of kingdoms hearken back to my days of reading Dragon magazine & pull at the dark cockles of my black dungeon master's heart! A perfect compliment to a Sword & Sorcery campaign world especially 'Old Earth'. So here's what I came up with off for a mid tier campaign NPC villain.


Ezra Lin fallen Amazon daughter of Thasaidon lord of the seven Hells. Fifth level anti paladin & leader of the Legion of the Wretched. She is working with the raiders outside the lands of Lomar in the service of her dark lich king masters. She carries a sword containing the soul of her former husband & a piece of his demon preserved  flesh as part of the sword's guard. The magical sword's power at this time is unknown. She has the scalps of twelve Hyperborean commands adorning her armor.



More on Ezra Lin as she develops but that's a brief thumb nail sketch of this NPC presence at this time. There's lots more to come.

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