The Planar Battle For Tau Seti IV - Fantastic Heroes and Witchery Actual Play Event

The Void Ship Vengeance sailed this evening on a mission of extreme urgency at the request of the grand council of Atlantica. The ship was crewed by a band of desperate pirates and planar outlaws in the Outer Darkness who were on a mission of extreme danger. A Demon Whale  was leading an Abyssal demonic horde to tear one of the trade partners of Atlantica Tau Seti IV. A 11:00 hours the crew engaged the horror and its demonic horde. The battle went on for over two hours rolling in the darkness between dimensions the Vengence engaged the enemies and was nearly destroyed as the creature summoned foul magicks from the darkness between the stars. The ship launched torpedoes and was able to fend off the beast's compatriots. 

Now comes the matter of tracking the demonic crews and ships that were shadowing the beast during the whole incursion. After some time an other fleet of void ships responded to the hails of the Vengeance. 

Above the heart of the fight was the banishing of the whale back to Outer Darkness. This was accomplished by the sacrifice of the magus Zaruzu from Torath 8th level grey wizard. The whole event was witnessed by an Imperial Elven battle ship from a distance. But why? 

Now begins the clean up of the hordes of the Abyss and this is no easy feat at all. What does this adventure event hold for the Neo England crew and party? 

Background On The Battle For Tau Seti IV 
I was called in last minute to run a game of Fantastic Heroes and Witchery with an almost but not quite Spelljammer vibe. Fortunely I've had an adventure written up from a few months ago using my Accursed Atlantis setting written up using conversion notes I'd done using The Mythos Society Guide To New England by Clint Staples. One of his overflow monsters makes an excellent boss monster for a horde of Lovecraftian demons. The demon whale makes an easy fit into the background of other dimensional space pirates especially since I mixed in some of the elements from Space Pirate from Planet Comics. You can find a ton of Clint's bonus content right over HERE . 


A bunch of material is straight out of the Fantastic Heroes and Witchery rpg itself with that great Law vs Chaos bit going on right in the backdrop of the game. This allows me to plug and play the elements that I happen to love right into the background.


Finally Revelry-in-Torth and  How to Game Master like a F$#@ing Boss by Venger Satanis gave me those last few elements I was lacking for tonight's game. All in all I pretty much pulled out what I needed for my players last minute. It wasn't a bad game but with seven players and getting called in on a Sunday night to DM took me by surprise!
Thankfully it all worked out in the end. Cheers until next time! 

100 Oddities for a Wizard's Library From Skirmisher Publishing For Your Old School Campaigns

100 Oddities for a Wizard's Library,is the third in the 100 Oddities series from Skirmisher Publishing and the timing of this product couldn't be better for me. When your party finally reaches the top of the wizard's tower or the laboratory strong hold what are they going to find? The 1st edition DMG has a boat load of reference material but many players know that stuff like the back of their hand. Here's a resource that can be used for any edition or any game for that matter. All material here is straight up brand new and there are over a hundred random entries.


Grab It Right Over
HERE

This is a well done resource and clocking in at twelve pages is wall to wall weirdness perfect not only for a D&D style game or any old school campaign.  But  for a game where you've got an occultist pluming the depths of the supernatural and you need some bit of set dressing or plot hook for your PC's to stumble upon.
This book can also be used as a perfect supplement for your wasteland warriors to stumble upon the lair of a sorcerer or wizard whose left behind a bolt hole or hide away in the middle of some god forsaken wilderness.
The book is also perfect for those weird ruins of universities and libraries where wizards have come to make a lair in within them. Think about Sokurah the magician from the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, he moves into the dungeon works of island of Colossa. This book is perfect fodder for what a party might find left behind after such a vile villain departs. 
There are certain entries with a vague and sinister air of the Cthulhu Mythos about them. These can easily lead adventurers into the machinations of a local cult or cast of vile villains who have traded with or done business with the wizard in question or is the wizard who owned the items actually the leader of such a cult? Which brings us to to another possible use for 100 Oddities for a wizard's library.
This book can be used for Call of Cthulhu,Runequest, or any supernatural or occult hideout as well. Reading thought it I'm reminded of the abode of Zenobia from the classic 'Sinbad and The Eye of The Tiger'. In that film we get a glimspse inside her lair. And I always wondered what else was there. Well wonder no more. With a few toss of he dice you've got a lair of supernatural wonder fit for a wizard of sixth level or better.
This book could easily fit the bill for investigating the ruins of a certain classic wizard school as well out in the world of the supernatural.
The end of uses for this product is pretty much limited only by your imagination. The entries are well thought out by the Skirmisher crew and reflect a really well done twist on the usual style of these supplements.
Clint Staples, William T. Thrasher . Thrasher, and the Skirmisher Game Development Group do a great job with the layout and artwork as well. I can see myself using this for some lost world wizard or even in a campaign world like my recent Thundarr games where the uneasy mix of relic technology  & magic has made things very interesting for adventurers.
All in all this is one of my favorite recent entries by the Skirmisher crew and its easy to see myself using this material in a wide variety of campaigns. Anyplace where a wizard has his lair is the perfect place to use 100 Oddities for a Wizard's Library. 

An Abridged Volume - A Call of Cthlhu or Old School Horror Adventure Encounter For Your Old School Campaigns

Recently a selection of volumes of  Magia Naturalis (in English, Natural Magic) twenty volumes came up for auction in an estate sale. These parituclar volumes were vary dangerous due to the annotations and notes written within them by a monster hunter and sorcerer. Sir Charles Baptist was an  amateur hunter and adventurer of renowned who had acquired these volumes from his old family mansion in the upper part of New York state. These volumes dated back before the forming of America itself, and the family's interactions with legendary creatures including the Mythos but these volumes also contained wards, counter spells and weird incantations dating back centuries. Some of them quite dangerous to the soul &  sanity of their caster.
More about Magia Naturalis can be found right over HERE

Henry Wallis was an naturalist and occultist of some repute who lusted after these volumes for years and had a friendship with Sir Charles who contracted a deadly jungle disease after a particularly harrowing experience in the bush of Africa.

Wallis managed to secure the volumes of 'white magic' and pre-Baconian science, one paritcular aspect of these volumes was the the tales of Wha Baccuum, a dark and dangerous primordial world in another dimension. This world of incredible beauty was only surpassed by the viciousness of its prehistoric inhabitants. Wallis managed to open a dimensional rift to this world and for his troubles the experience killed him. The rite was cast at a near by lake and a Chaousarou of dangerous aspect was summoned. The creature not unlike others of its kind quickly adapted to its environment and has begun to feed on locals and some live stock. It is quite clever in its feeding patterns and bares an almost uncanny malicious intelligence. 

The PC's are called in as 'experts' by the local police knowing that they are in far over their depth. The characters are well known as 'experts' in matters of the occult and such. Wallis's corpse has been found near the lake shore still dressed in his robes and surrounded by accutraments and instruments of the occult. A single volume of  Magia Naturalis lays near by covered in close cropped cryptic writings that the Baptist family used. There is a very uneasy feeling surrounding the area as if something dark and dangerous is watching. 

Photo by (WT-en) TVerBeek 

The police have Wallis's apartment coordinated off and the PC's can get first crack in. The apartment is a fairly standard 1920's flat and for a raging occultist's residence is fairly well kept accept for the kitchen table which is covered in volumes of  notes practically thousands of close worked handwriting similar to the type found within Magia Naturalis. The books themselves are scattered about as well, stuffed with hundreds of notes & scribblings. There is also a diary by Wallis written in archaic Dutch that has the cipher key written within it including his mad plans. 

Reading all of the ravings of this mad mind will cost 1d10 points of sanity as Wallis's mind breaks under the strain of  the occult concepts of  dimensional walls and insane passages to primival worlds. Places where the Elder Things still might hold complete sway over the passage of life and death. 

Wha Baccuum is such a world and a source of incredible magickal  power. Wallis thought that using the dark powers in charge of this world would make him like unto a god. 

The Chaousarou will have killed eight to ten people by the time the invesigators come across the rite to return the horror to its world. Eventually after the third new moon, the dimensional shift will hurl the monster back to its own space time but who knows how many people it will have killed by then. Gain 1d10 minor spells and rites as well as the correct spell to banish the Chaousarou back to its home world. 

STR 36

CON 30

SIZ 40

POW 15

DEX 8

Move 10 Swimming

HP 35

Damage Bonus: +4d6

Weapons:

Bite – 95%, 2d6 + Damage Bonus

Armor: 6 points

Skills: Watery Stealth 65%, Spot 55%, Listen 70%.

Sanity Loss: Lose 1d2/1d6 Sanity Points on seeing A Chaousarou.

Capsize – A Chaousarou can spend an attack action to capsize a rowboat, canoe or other small watercraft by rolling its SIZ or less on D100. If it succeeds, the boat is overturned.

Death Roll – A Chaousarou that scores a special hit with its

To learn more about the Chaousarou, visit Clint Staples blog right over HERE
Or pick up the Mythos Society Guide To New England for a ton more solid old school Call of Cthulhu information.
 Available right HERE

Note that this adventure encounter could easily be translated into a wide variety of horror retroclones with little issue. 

1d10 Random Encounters From The Cold Apocalypse Table For Your Old School Campaigns & The Pod Cast At Ground Zero!

There are worlds of frozen cold and adventure where the snows of another Ice Age have taken swatches of existence away and where the survivors scratch out an existence in the frigid ice covered landscape. Doorways through the para elemental planes sometimes open at certain points when the snows and stars are right. Here the dimensional doors and the veils are thin & who knows what horrors may come through to harry and harm your adventurers!

1d10 Random Encounters From The Cold Apocalypse Table

1. A pack of 1d8 blood thirsty Yeti hell bent on hunting down a meal of wanderer or traveler. 
2. A pack of 1d6  mutant frost wolves scavenging and hunting. 
3. 1d10 Morlock humanoids adapted for cold looking for artifacts and parts. Armed with primitive machine guns and pistols.
4. Double hit dice Ice elemental on a small rampage looking to add a bit of blood to the mix.
5. A werewolf pack out moving dens. 
6. 1d10 Ice trolls awakening from the activity of a family of mutant forgers and wanderers.
7. 1d6 winter satyrs eating and frolicking in the snow. 20% chance of playing pan pipes and trying to gain followers and objects of lust. 
8. 1d10 Giant Mutant snow snail scavengers and hunters looking for a quick meal and slaves. 
9. An ice caravan trader with goods to trade and perhaps ammo 10% chance. 
10. Ice Jabberwock with claws that catch and a hunger for some adventurers! 

This entry inspired by the podcast at Ground Zero!
Tune in, turn on, and glow in the dark!
Have a cup of hot chocolate for this one folks!

For the 38th episode of Podcast at Ground Zero the topic will be the Cold Apocalypse.

On this week’s show we are going to talk about the end of the world being brought on by the cold. We’ll cover the usual movies, books, etc. as well as our thoughts on possible “real live” cold apocalypse.

Returning to join us in the conversion will be special co-hosts and friends of the show Clint Staples. Clint Staples is a writer, game designer and miniatures sculptor. So join Scott, Clint and I through our trek thru the Cursed Earth we think you’ll enjoy the company.

You will be able to watch the podcast live right here and on the blog or our other social media sites.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PodcastatGroundZero

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/podcastatgroundzero

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Podcastatgroundzeroshow

You can find our blog here http://pcagz.com/ or http://podcastatgroundzero.com/

And for the record this subject needs to be an issue of Wisdom From The Wasteland's issue. 

'Beyond The Silver Threshold' - A Supernatural Horror Adventure Encounter For BASH & Call Of Cthulhu On The Dark Corner Blog

An artifact has been uncovered among the dusty shelves of a New England museum and has been spreading a blood curse of terrifying power causing blood shed and supernatural horror wherever it goes but this is just the beginning. The terrible power it represents will cause all who come in contact with it to have their lives altered forever. A horror adventure encounter for the BASH or Call of Cthulhu system based upon the creations of Clint Staples the author of the Mythos Guide To New England!

Photo by Johnbod 

Right Over 

HERE