Saturday, November 21, 2009
Planet Algol Player Artwork
Thragg the Skyman by new Planet Algol Campaign participant Lester/B. Portly.Hopefully Wesley and Douglas will soon provide digital copies of their wonderful character portraiture for display on this blog!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Character Class - The Mind Wizard
EDIT: The revised version of the Mind Wizard class is viewable here.
THE MIND WIZARD
(magic-user subclass)
(magic-user subclass)
Armor: none (may not use disciplines while wearing armor)
Shield: none
Weapons: any (dagger or staff in standard D&D)
Oil: Yes
Poison: Yes
Starting Gold: 2d4 x 10 gold pieces
Weapon Proficiencies: as Magic-User
Starting Age: 24 + 2d8 years
Attack Matrix:: Magic-User
Saving Throw Matrix: Magic-User
Requirements: Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma 15, the other two ability scores must be 12 or higher. The highest of the three abilities must be 17 to use 6th level disciplines and 18 or higher to use 7th level disciplines.
Prime Requisite: Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma (+10% to earned experience if all are 15 or higher)
Mind Wizards develop their psychic abilities are able to use Disciplines, which are similar to spells but do not require verbal, somatic or material components. Disciplines are subject to casting times and interruption as ordinary spells. A Mind Wizard can use any Discipline they know without having to memorize them. They use the illusionist table to determine how many Disciplines they can use their day. A Mind Wizard knows one Discipline of the appropriate level for every Discipline they can use per day. A Mind Wizard with sufficiently high enough ability scores can use bonus Disciplines, cross-reference the lowest of their Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma score with the Wisdom table to determine this.
Mind Wizards are otherwise identical to magic-users. They use the Paladin table to determine experience points required per level. While they do not gain any bonus to armor class due to dexterity score, however they have the same armor class as a Monk of the same level.
MIND WIZARD DISCIPLINES
| 1st Level | ||||||||||
| 1 Animal Friendship ** 2 Change Self **** 3 Command * 4 Comprehend Languages *** 5 Detect Evil * 6 Detect Illusions **** 7 Detect Invisibility **** 8 Detect Magic *** 9 Hypnotism **** 10 Identify *** 11 Invisibility to Animals ** 12 Magic Missile
13 Phantasmal Force **** 14 Predict Weather ** 15 Resist Cold * 16 Spider Climb *** 17 Unseen Servant ***
|
* as Cleric spell of same level ** as Druid spell of same level *** as Magic-user spell of same level **** as Illusionist spell of same level | |||||
The Expeditionary Journal of Xarnagan Vrokk: Sage and Scholar of Societies, Structures, and Stars
Here I sit in the dampening mist, scrawling on a bit of back paper. I have traveled here, into this Forbidden Mist Valley, knowing full well of its hidden and hideous dangers that lurk and loiter in the thick shadow of the Bornite Mountains. In order for my sovereign to have landed in such a place I will let you know that I have followed this band of mercenary ruffians led by a dandy-ish Tikalg man and the lack-bearded, cloud-minded Hobab of the Lhoyg.
The gentleman Hobab, whose interesting story is truly what led me here, has been leading us in circles for what would seem a parsec to a gas giant but an eternity for any sane Agogite who can remember which way to buckle his boots in the morning. What interesting story pray'd he? Well, that of a fallen ship. Yes, the at first seeming earnest Hobab had seen a ship enter this valley, take samples and then fly away only to become somehow compromised and fall from the sky into this aptly named Forbidden Mist Valley. And now it seems Hobab's memory has become compromised as well! Nonetheless, we have had some very interesting encounters so far. On our way here through the Prismatic Wastes, I spied quite a large quantity of Prismatic Ore. I aptly noted its location immediately. This small fortune will definitely add to the fund of my future manse, library, and Cosmotorium. Other than this thrilling find, our journey through the Prismatic Wastes proved rather uneventfull. We were however, detoured toward the Melted City.
It seems the party had a fallen member amongst the debris of some Gargoyle warren and found it integral to retrieve said man. Hobab and Vroomish, the Tikalg man, were rather in a huff over this, but the party's bargaining skills won out in the end. After a short while of trekking we came to the lair amongst the glass shards and multi-coloured melted monoliths where the Gargoyles were said to reside. At once the party was set upon by the stone-skinned beasts. Nary a moment after much sword flashing and claw ripping that Rodan the Scrounger fired a few laser pistol rounds and was taken down by a mighty blow. At that moment Kalervo withdrew a curious object from his person. In his hand he held what appeared to be a bronze sphere, he fingered a depression within the object and in an instant a field of impenetrable force seemed to surround the cactoid Kalervo, Buzz Brazelhatch, the halberd swinging Nightbreaker and others. The party then took to crumbling the Gargoyles one by one.
All in the meantime Dickie Dee the bone-man sorcerer and the metal-nosed child soldier Radar O'Reilly snuck off into the lair. It was there that they found their fallen comrade Monster Monagin and brought him back to life with yet another Eye of the Ancients. Awakened and within his magical armor, Monster Monagin and companions tore the lair apart in search of any meaningful object. Brutes. I would have taken the time to carefully catalog the whereabouts and placement of each item in such a strange place. Knowledge, my friends, is the silent, sturdy companion of life's many journeys.
Their ransacking proved fruitful, however. They came trotting out of the lair happily holding three new items of some substance. One, a copper scroll endowed with the power to protect those wielding it from the undead, the second treasure was that of a spired crown of green jewels, and the third, the most wondrous of all, a glowing sword with the ancient tongue spelling out "Sorcerer Slayer" down its blade. The crown and sword were put into a common bag for later dispersal; I took the scroll for safe keeping.
We then began our journey in earnest. The Bornite mountains loomed ahead in the distance. We traveled safely through several hillock and across many a mountain foot. All the while the sounds in the distance continued getting slightly stranger. It wasn't until we trekked through a tight spot in the Bornites that we found ourselves here in this Forbidden Mist Valley full of fungus! Yes, all with two ears had better hear that there are strange species of fungi in these damp places.
It was but our first few steps in that I and the party spotted the strange beings known as the Mulg; infamous among the moving fungi as beings whose sensory motives are direct and immediate, but lacking in true wit. I communicated this information and Nigel Nightbreaker took it into his mind to shoot an arrow off and away into the mist. The tentacle-headed lumbering fungi immediately began shuffling toward the spent arrow and we casually passed by. I took the moment to make a few quick sketches of them in my notes here, the chiaroscuro in these parts is akin to priceless elixir and must be savored, evr'y drop!
Our adventures passed as time did like-wise. Once we saw quite a large crystalline cube slide along the moss and through the mist; Oh the magic of the Wilds! Then, in the most recent of memory, we came across quite a large fungal creature; beget to us by the generous wanderings of Hobab. The striking thing took quite a toll on some of the party members, but they fought bravely and genuinely. Even Hobab put up a brave battle before he got wollaped by a thick tentacle and lost his cup-full of gumption. The bruises and bleedings were many, the spoils though, are quite wonderful indeed; yes, three purple and iridescent sporous puffballs were seen in the mass of fungal pulp left post-ravage. I have taken the time to identify two as such so far, using up the last of my precious incense and herbs: One seems to be endowed with the ability to shrink a being, the Other seems to possess the power to control animals and beasts. When my strength is regained from slumber, and I am able to meditate and draw upon the power of the dark moon Thoggyu (Greatest of Moons, Sultan of Satellites), I will then try and identify the Third of the sporous, and now seeming perhaps naturally sorcerous, puffballs. Most likely I will have to put patience to the test and wait until I can manifest sufficient efflorescent greenery for said identification work.
Oh, where will Thoggyu find me now?
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Post 100: d24 Earth Man on Planet Algol Origin Table
Although the majority of Earth Men on Planet Algol are there as a result of being a member of the crew of a rocket-ship expedition to Beta Persei, some are there as a result of preternatural means. These Earth Men are from any time period on Earth, up to the early 22nd century. Others are from different Earths located in parallel universes.
The below table assumes the use of a 24-sided die, if you do not possess one I suggest rolling a d12 and any other non-d12 die. If the non-d12 die has an odd result, such as 1 or 3, add 12 to the result of the d12.
01 Archaeological accident
02 Disappeared at Hanging Rock, Australia
03 Is dreaming
04 Is experiencing an out of body experience
05 Is in a drugged stupor
06 Unintentional consequence of occult experiment
07 Unintentional consequence of scientific experiment
08 Unwilling subject of occult experiment
09 Unwilling subject of scientific experiment
10 Willing subject of occult experiment
11 Willing subject of scientific experiment
12 Was abducted by aliens
13 Was abducted by deros
14 Was cursed by a mystic
15 Was deceased and and bodily reincarnated on Planet Algol
16 Was in Stonehenge at the wrong solstice
17 Was in a tornado
18 Was in polar expedition seeking the hollow earth
19 Was lost in a subterranean labyrinth
20 Was passenger, crew or pilot of an aircraft that flew into strange clouds
21 Was passenger, crew or pilot of vessel that sailed into the Bermuda Triangle
22 Was separated from tour group in the pyramids
23 Was shipwrecked
24 Was struck on head or seriously injured and is in a coma
The below table assumes the use of a 24-sided die, if you do not possess one I suggest rolling a d12 and any other non-d12 die. If the non-d12 die has an odd result, such as 1 or 3, add 12 to the result of the d12.
01 Archaeological accident
02 Disappeared at Hanging Rock, Australia
03 Is dreaming
04 Is experiencing an out of body experience
05 Is in a drugged stupor
06 Unintentional consequence of occult experiment
07 Unintentional consequence of scientific experiment
08 Unwilling subject of occult experiment
09 Unwilling subject of scientific experiment
10 Willing subject of occult experiment
11 Willing subject of scientific experiment
12 Was abducted by aliens
13 Was abducted by deros
14 Was cursed by a mystic
15 Was deceased and and bodily reincarnated on Planet Algol
16 Was in Stonehenge at the wrong solstice
17 Was in a tornado
18 Was in polar expedition seeking the hollow earth
19 Was lost in a subterranean labyrinth
20 Was passenger, crew or pilot of an aircraft that flew into strange clouds
21 Was passenger, crew or pilot of vessel that sailed into the Bermuda Triangle
22 Was separated from tour group in the pyramids
23 Was shipwrecked
24 Was struck on head or seriously injured and is in a coma
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Orion Slave Girls and the Slaad of Planet Algol
Yes, the above Star Trek clips have Nothing to do with the subject of this post...aside from Green Skin...
I am quite fond of China Mieville's creation Bas-Lag, despite Dickensian Leftist fantasy not being my regular cup of tea (I'm more a fan of contemporary leftist reality), and I especially loved the Weavers.
"Large, multidimensional spider-like beings who regard life on Bas-Lag as an ongoing work of art. They use their considerable powers to interfere with events according to their individual sense of aesthetics, and seem to appear primarily before major events. Weavers speak in a disjointed, babbling flow of half-poetry, and are totally unpredictable. The Weaver who appears in Perdido Street Station has an absurd fascination for scissors, however this fascination is only the most recent in a series (it is mentioned that the Weaver was previously interested exclusively in chess sets), and can change radically without notice. Their minds, when read, seem to be in a constant state of dreaming. A Weaver also appears in Iron Council. It is unclear whether it is the same Weaver or a different one, but it advocates social and economic revolution, sparking the train strike and the eponymous union that the book centers on."I found the babbling insane multidimensional arachnid genius quite charming, and I knew that I would have to have a race on Planet Algol that rips off...I mean that is inspired by them.
While going over candidates for the Elder Races it struck me that Charles Stross's contribution to the Fiend Folio, the highly magical chaos-infused Slaad, were a perfect fit for the role of "Planet Algol's Weavers."
They're chaotic, alien, magical, extra-dimensional and geniuses...
Actually Blue and Red Slaad are Low intelligence, Green Slaad are Average, Grey Slaad are High and only the Death Slaad are Geniuses; There goes my Slaad/Weavers idea?
Nope, the Blue, Red, Green and Grey Slaad are juvenile Slaad. Reds are infants, Blues toddlers, Green children and Grey are teenagers. When Slaad reach adulthood (which takes thousands of of years) they are the real Slaad- the capital-S Slaad, the insane, multidimensional, babbling, eccentric geniuses. Most juvenile Slaad frolic in "The Pond", a pocket dimension of chaos energy where the young Slaad-lings frolic and sport. Sometimes they get lost and wander onto Planet Algol, sometimes their "elders" summon them. But they're children; Incredibly powerful, dangerous, and insane children.
Contrary to their name and depiction, Death Slaad are not brooding bad-asses. They are eccentric collectors that speak in a babbling wordplay. They have goals inscrutable to mankind and spend millions of years fulfilling these goals, which are their equivalent of a recreational hobby, albeit an obsessive one.
There's no description of what color they are in the Fiend Folio, they're whatever color they want to be! Scarlet, purple, black, pink, garish patterns. Adult Death Slaad display the same variation in colors and patterns that real life frogs and toads do, except with an insane chaos psychedelic style.
Death Slaads are not malicious. They get their name from the fact it is especially easy to meet your death while dealing with them, but in most cases it is an accident, a misunderstanding. It's hard for the Slaad to remember how fragile other beings are while they are in the frenzy of their obsession. Besides, there's millions more of the small mammalian insects with such brief lives.
The Slaad may have evolved on Earth in the Devonian Period or on Planet Algol in a similar era. They were originally a species of frog-like being who were exposed to immense magical radiations that kickstarted them onto a path of accelerated, multidimensional evolution. Now the universe is their playground. Make that play-pond.
ZAP!!
Watch out Zap Johnson, that's actually a shapechanging salt-vampire...
Shoot, now I need AD&D statistics for classic Star Trek creatures... (Stares at the Internet Hard)
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