The Daemon Tells His Tale

The Daemon Tells His Tale

By Jason Zavoda

Your world is cold and plain as the skin of a virgin stretched on a drying rack. What I can tell you of the places beyond thought and behind reality would make you cry tears of blood, make you scream till your throat was stripped raw, pleasure you beyond pain and understanding.

Can you see the colors of death? Can you taste the sublime flavors of damnation or hear the unending chorus of those trapped between the veil of life and the curtain of eternity? You would have me rip a handful of threads from the weave of fate and place them in your grasp though each strand would flay your soul. Truly I would laugh at such a sight and bask in the radiance of your torment.

Would you sail with me on the boat of dreams past the boundary of the sane? Take bleeding wings sewn with the severed silver thread that binds your spirit safe to Earth?

The mystic heavens have no place for mortal travelers. To hear of what far fabled lands reside beyond the birth of the moon and the far reaches of the outer dark will set you on a path that will forever take you from the world of man.

There is no safety in words. They will not shield you from the horror of the empty dark. The words are a doorway, a gate to fear and wonder, that once opened can never be closed.

I will tell you of places unreachable filled with the nameless and the unimaginable from which there is no return.

Wormy's World - Characters - Dudly - #33

Wormy's World - Characters - Dudly - #33

Dudly

On their way to the Ogres with snookerball in hand Dudly and Frank are set upon by some of the more rowdy diners (and survivors) of Irving's dwarf-burger stand. The three monsters, Goblin, Wereboar and Wererat all have torches in hand to deal some permanent damage and Frank urges Dudly to break open the snookerball and let the little blue demon loose. Dudly doesn't agree and tries to fend off the Goblin and Wererat. A stream in the woods gives him some protection from the burning torches and gives the Wererat a good smash in the head as it jabs its torch at him, but also makes Dudly drop the snookerball in the water. After leaving the Wererat face down and blowing bubbles Dudly manages to catch the Goblin with a good smash in the face from his mallet but takes a burn from the jabbing torch.

Wormy's World - Characters - Wormy - #32

Wormy

Wormy has an idea about the origin of the Snookerball Demons and while Irving is busy poking at the roasting fowl in the fireplace Wormy tells him his theory and works at proving it. With a chisel and a hammer Wormy is able to split the broken snookerball in two and one looks inside the shell at the demonic writing inside his theory goes to Hell.

Characters - #1 Rolfr

Characters

#1) Rolfr - HouseKarl - Northman

- Ftr 7th Lvl HP72 AC(9) {0 in +3 Chain Shirt} [-1 with +1 Shield]

RuneHelm - The runes for clear vision are inscribed on Rolfr's helm. The helm itself is dwarf-forged steel but the enchantment is good skaldish work. Wearing the helm allows Rolfr to see through fog and minor spells that would alter perception (up to 3rd level and thereafter giving him a +3 save against higher level spells where allowed). He also gains a +3 save against attacks that would cause blindness and increases his general eyesight by 20ft as well as allowing him to see that much greater in dim light or moon light. These runes were crafted only for Rolfr and the helm is only well crafted steel to anyone else.

Arrowcatcher - This shield gives a +1 bonus to armor class but it also draws any normal arrows, slingstones or darts to be attracted to it and bounce off harmlessly. Enchanted projectiles are unaffected.

Silk-Metal - This chain shirt was crafted by an elvish people beholding to Rolfr's kin. It is a family heirloom and will be ransomed if seized in battle. If not ransomed then it will be the object if quests and bounty to have it returned. It provides a +3 bonus to armor class and has the texture of silk against the skin of the wearer as well as weighing only as much as a shirt of the same material.

Drawn Blood - is a bastard sword of elven origin but altered by a Northern songsmith of the Eastern lands. It bears an enchantment that allows it a +2 bonus to hit but the songsmith made sure that any wounds would bleed for an addition 1d6 damage with a 20% chance that the wounded would swoon from blood loss and suffer a -2 AC and -2 to Hit penalty for the next round of combat.

The Green Cloak - Allows Roflr to ignore enchantments that might slow or trap him.

The Red Pants - these pants absorb 1 HP of damage for every damage dealing attack against Rolfr. If an attack only causes 1 HP damage then Rolfr is unharmed.

Wormy's World - Characters - Irving - #32

Wormy's World - Characters - Irving - #32

Irving

Always a dab hand with a pitchfork, Irving is busy standing in the fireplace and poking at a trio of roasting fowl while Wormy examines the broken snookerball from which one of the blue demons appeared. Wormy has a theory that the sharp-clawed puffs of blue smoke might be Hellish inhabitants but Irving doesn't remember them from his own time in the Abyss. With a little effort Irving scales the table to see what Wormy is up to but remains mystified even as the broken snookerball revels its secrets.

Some thoughts on roleplaying...

The Raid - Post 1

The Raid

Inspired by the zine Mystic Pangolin's "Port of Call - Haefod" I've begun a project to create an adventure mixed with a random encounter system that uses decks of cards instead of the more traditional paragraph system found in Solo adventure books such as Fighting Fantasy or Lone Wolf.

This is a crude map of Wealstown on Sea, a port often stopped at by traders and small merchants who ply the coast or cross the Straight Sea for nearby foreign ports. It is known for its fishing and the loose virtue of its tavern wenches. Unfortunately it has also been espied by a band of Northmen who are currently plundering the town.

The adventurers have lodged for the night in a dock-side tavern only to be awoken by the smell of smoke and the sound of screams.

The cards will represent encounters and events. Map locations will be numbered and lettered with both set descriptions and random card draws. Some cards will have unique descriptions and will be discarded or kept for reference while others will be returned to the deck.

These posts will showcase the work in progress but hopefully I can work out a solo random card adventure system that can also be used by a DM with a little alteration as a more traditional adventure scenario.

Space Hulk 2014 - Mission 1: Beachhead

Space Hulk 2014

Mission 1: Beachhead

At the last moment the hulk shifted. The ancient and rotted metal of the nameless ship which formed the outer edge of this section of the twisted and warp-melded merging of a dozen human and xeno vessels leapt as if it were some feral hound rather than an artifact technology. Instead of breaching the center protruding round of some interior chamber the boarding torpedo tore into a lightless corridor to its right. With a shriek of metal and an explosion of gas into vacuum sergeant Lorenzo lead his squad into the interior. To his right was an ancient valve, to his left the corridor opened into the chamber they torpedo had been aiming for with another closed doorway just before it. He could see another corridor and at its end another door. Turning quickly he faced the door close on his right and a glance at the movement display at his wrist he saw the greenly pulsing blips of the enemy just beyond. He stepped forward and faced the door, raising his bolter and putting himself in overwatch as his squad emptied from the torpedo behind him.

Beachhead is the first Mission for Space Hulk. I haven't played the game since Space Marines had beaks but the rules are simple and straightforward. I love the look of the new minis but my slop and go style of painting will not do them justice.

The scenario is simple and you are given two squads of Marines while the Genestealers are limited to 16 blips. 10 at start spread all over the place and 6 reinforcements that are dribbled out 1 at a time from turn 4 through turn 9. Each blip is 1-3 Genestealers so the Marines are outnumbered only about 2 to 1. They have guns and the Genestealers don't. This was my big mistake on my first play through.

The victory conditions are Take and Hold the six chambers of the map for the Marines without losing more than 3 figures and the Genestealers just need to kill Marines. My first game was an embarrassingly easy  Marine victory. I frittered away my limited supply of Genestealers when I need to concentrate them and wait for the right moment to pounce and overwhelm.

It is a fantastic game and I plan on replaying mission 1 again to try out some different tactics. I do feel that Mission 1 is a bit weighted in the Marines favor but a few replays should tell me if it is true.