Monday, August 27, 2018

MCC Recap - You're in Rubble



Last Wednesday I ran the another session of my monthly(ish) MCC game.

Meet the Seekers:
  • Sinclair, the Mutant (Chitinous armor) (level 2)
    • Played by Andrew Lyon
  • Bo Goodboy, the Yorkie Manimal (level 1) and Ricki the Dog Manimal
    • Played by Jon Hook
  • Winona, the Beaver Manimal
    • Played by William Keller
  • Ratfinkle, the Rat Manimal (level 1) and Flic-Flak the Sentinel (level 2)
    • Played by Alex Perucchini 
Have you gotten a tetanus shot recently?

The tibbar were now dead, and the ruins quiet. The seekers took a moment to assess their situation and decide on next steps. Ratfinkle, proud owner of one of the tibbar's strange weapons, decided to put some time into figuring out just how to make use of it. Unfortunately the manimal was not well prepared for such introspective tasks and in the process of attempting to figure out the workings of the cadmium rifle he loaded a shell into the wrong end of the barrel and then fired the weapon. The resulting explosion killed the manimal and when his companions tried to roll the body the found there was little enough left to even bury.

Deciding to open the door at the back of the room the seekers found it locked and the only apparent means of unlocking, a small square of ancient material. They attempted hands and faces, both their own and those of the fallen tibbar, but to no avail.

Bo Goodboy, bored of the repetitive testing of the lock, moved out to investigate the courtyard area alone. As he approached the ruins of one of the fallen towers he spied the fallen form of another tibbar, one that they had not killed. Cautiously approaching Bo was at least partially prepared when a giant mutant mantis sprang up from the rubble near the corpse and slashed him with it's wicked serrated claws. His flesh rent in a nearly fatal first attack he swung his stone axe up and over his head and cleaved the creature's head from its body. After taking a moment to collect himself he looted the tibbar and found a fully charged c-cell! Almost a worthy reward for the damage incurred.

Meanwhile Sinclair was frustrated by the lock, and swing his massive club into the square of strange material destroying it and receiving a nasty shock. Annoyed the group decided to see in there was a way in from outside the ruin, and moved out to search for a window. They found that the tower did have windows but that the closest was two dozen feet above the ground. Using their skills as gatherers two of the team made rope using the local vines and tied them to a section of rubble. Wenona used her teleportation mutation to place the rubble beyond the window to act as a grapnel and Sinclair climbed up the rope and into the tower.

Within he found that there was a hole in the roof and that time and water had destroyed all the tower's floors except a small section he now stood on. Looking down into the tower he spied the other side of the door they could not open and beside it a long desiccated and decayed corpse. Searching the corpse Sinclair found a small hexagonal badge in silver with a white bird, five shiny discs, and, searching the remains specifically, a strange mechanical implant in the skull of the body.

Sinclair fiddled with the hexagonal badge enough to get it to stick to his clothing and unlock the door allowing him to exit the tower's ruins back into the room of the tibbar slaughter. The seekers then decided search the last room within the ruin, a largely collapsed pile of rubble that quickly collapsed as they searched. Sinclair was pulled in and Bo grabbed his arm but was unable to prevent himself from being pulled inward as well. Wenona was quick to grab Bo but likewise fell into the collapsing rubble. Flik-flac reached out to try and help his friends but failed to grab hold of Wenona and then followed the other seekers into the mess. In the end they all fell into the pit created by the collapsed rubble, taking many cuts from the shattered glass and twisted metal. As they pulled themselves out the found that Bo, already weakened by his encounter with the mantis had bled out from all the cuts he took from the glass. They could not rouse their freind and had to mourn his loss.

At last the seekers had had enough, they took the rest of the day and rested, using the tents the tibbar had left behind, and regrouped in the morning. They decided to check the small ruin at the overlook before pushing deeper into the ruin. Investigating the nearly destroyed structure the group found a ring of gold and red stone and another hexagonal badge, this one in gold and white, but only after defeating a quartet of giant centipedes that ambushed them from the rubble. Flik-flac quickly used the remains of one of the centipedes to fashion a manica for his arm out of the segemented chitin while Riki gather the remaining plates up with the intent of getting the village craftsman to fashion it into a suit of armor.

With all the external ruins explored the group turned their eyes on the passage into the mountain, and the ruins within ....

In Memoriam: 
  • Ratfinkle, blown to smithereens by his own cadmium rifle
  • Bo Goodboy, falling into a pit of glass

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

The Alphabet of Outer Beings - U is for Unholy

Image Source: https://www.deviantart.com/chadmichaelward/art/Unholy-Trinity-106868752

U is for Unholy

The clerics of most deities have the ability to channel divine energies to rebuff, damage, and even destroy utterly, entities that their deity considers anathema. Deemed "unholy" by their mortal worshippers these abominations in the sight of the gods are often used as targets for questing knights of holy orders, and are often rare to find within the domains of followers of such deities. Deities often take offense to the existence of multiple creature types, but some may focus their enmity on fewer, or even single creature types. A cleric of such a deity will find their ability to "turn unholy" especially effective in such cases.

Table U1: Number of Unholy (roll 2d4)
  • 2: A single creature type is truly abhorrent to the deity to the exclusion of others. (skip Table U2
    • When turned, these unholy suffer a turn effect three steps/levels/results worse than the normal effect.
    • Roll 3 times on Table U3 and gain +3 for each benefit rolled.
  • 3: Roll 2+1d3 creature types on Table U2
    • When turned, these unholy suffer a turn effect one step/level/result worse than the normal effect.
    • Roll 2 times on Table U3 and gain +2 for each benefit rolled.
  • 4-6: Roll 5+1d3 creature types on Table U2
    • Turned as normal.
    • Roll once on Table U3 and gain +1 for the benefit rolled.
  • 7: Roll 2+1d3 creature types on Table U2
    • When turned, these unholy suffer a turn effect one step/level/result worse than the normal effect.
    • Roll 2 times on Table U3 and gain +2 for each benefit rolled.
  • 8: A single creature type is truly abhorrent to the deity to the exclusion of others. (skip Table U2
    • When turned, these unholy suffer a turn effect three steps/levels/results worse than the normal effect.
    • Roll 3 times on Table U3 and gain +3 for each benefit rolled.
Table U2: Types of Unholy Creatures (roll 1d12 as indicated by Table U1) 
In addition to the unholy rolled below, Lawful and Chaotic deities automatically gain all creatures of opposing alignment as unholy.
  1. Undead
  2. Demons and/or Devils 
  3. Magical Constructs (golems, homunculi, etc.)
  4. Unnatural Creatures (slimes, molds, gelatinous cubes, etc)
  5. Humanoids (roll 1d10 to determine species)
    1. Dwarfs
    2. Elfs
    3. Halflings
    4. Humans
    5. Goblins
    6. Orks
    7. Trolls
    8. Ogres
    9. Lizardmen
    10. Serpentfolk
  6. Natural Animals
  7. Dragons
  8. Hybrid Creatures (such a chimera, griffins, manticore, sphynx, etc.)
  9. Monsters (basilisks, phase creatures, hydra, etc.)
  10. Fae/Fairies
  11. Celestials/Angels
  12. Shapeshifters (lycanthropes, changelings, etc)
Table U3: Special Benefits Against Unholy (roll 1d8 as indicated in Table U1)
  1. Your deity's holy symbol repulses the Unholy and their powers passively; your bonus applies to all saving throws against Unholy powers. 
  2. Your training makes you especially adept at combat against the Unholy; your bonus applies to attack rolls against the Unholy creatures. 
  3. Your deity has bond with a key substance (such as water, oil, silver, etc.) that takes their blessing strongly and reacts to Unholy creatures; when using a blessed item of that substance against Unholy creatures your bonus increases the result of the blessing accordingly.
  4. Your faith acts as a symbol for those who follow you to rally around; your allies gain your bonus to their Will saves against the Unholy. 
  5. Your faith acts as a shield against the Unholy for those who follow you; your allies gain your bonus to their AC against the Unholy. 
  6. You faith strengthens your allies against the Unholy; your allies gain your bonus to their Fortitude saves against the Unholy. 
  7. Your deity's servants are especially quick to answer your pleas for aid against the Unholy; you gain your bonus for any attempts to summon such servants to aid you against the Unholy. 
  8. You deity's holy symbol burns the Unholy like a brand; you may wield your holy symbol as a weapon dealing 1d6 plus your bonus as damage. 

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

MCC - New Mutation - Machiavellian Mind


Machiavellian Mind

You see other residents of the world as pawns and possess the ability to convince, cajole, or intimidate them into doing what you want.

Type: Passive
Range: N/A
Duration: Permanent
Save: None

General:  The mutant is unnaturally persuasive.

Manifestation Roll 1d4: (1) The mutant’s eyes are deep set and piercing; (2) The mutant’s body tall and thin allowing them to look down on their peers; (3) The mutant’s hair is strangely wispy and looks like a dead animal sitting atop their head; (4) The mutant’s skin is a strange orange tone.

Check Results
  • 1 Failure, mutation replaced by defect.
  • 2-11 Failure, mutation results in cosmetic change only; the mutant steeples their fingers when they think.
  • 12-13 The mutant’s Personality score is increased by +1.
  • 14-17 The mutant’s Personality score is increased by +2.
  • 18-19 The mutant’s Personality score is increased by +3.
  • 20-23 The mutant’s Personality score is increased by +4; the mutant may roll an additional 1d3 when attempting to convince or persuade another sentient, including non-Patron Artificial Intelligences (includes AI Recognition rolls).  
  • 24-27 The mutant’s Personality score is increased by +6; the mutant may roll an additional 1d5 when attempting to convince or persuade another sentient, including non-Patron Artificial Intelligences (includes AI Recognition rolls).  
  • 28-29 The mutant’s Personality score is increased by +7; the mutant may roll an additional 1d6 when attempting to convince or persuade another sentient, including non-Patron Artificial Intelligences (includes AI Recognition rolls).  
  • 30-31 The mutant’s Personality score is increased by +8; the mutant may roll an additional 1d7 when attempting to convince or persuade another sentient, including all Artificial Intelligences and Patron AI (includes AI Recognition rolls).  
  • 32+ The mutant’s Personality score is increased by +9; the mutant may roll an additional 1d8 when attempting to convince or persuade another sentient, including all Artificial Intelligences and Patron AI (includes AI Recognition rolls).