Free RPG Day was a flub

I checked out the comic/game store near me, no free rpg's. They have had them the last few years. Blah.

I did pick up some freebies from Vigilance Press over at RPGNow. If you like Icons, Bash, or Mutants & Masterminds, they have a supplement for you free.

"Godwin" is facetious crap

Anytime anyone on a forum starts spouting fascist bullshit, you aren't allowed to call him on it without someone crying "Godwin!". This is a ridiculous meme that has completely infiltrated most, if not all, of the internet. It allows fascist ideas to be promulgated everywhere, and if anyone tries to compare what is being said or done to historical fascist activities that are exact mimics of the current crap being spouted, they are immediately dismissed out of hand.

If I was a nazi, I'd LOVE this. Hell, I'd be calling "Godwin!" all the time. It desensitizes people to what is actually being said, so they allow the same fascist crap to be repeated ad nauseum on sites that should damn well know better (RPGNet Tangency is really big on this, for example). Of course, the nazi wannabes say, "I'm not a fascist! No way! I'm a socialist! We're the good guys!". And then he continues with the same fascist rhetoric that's been in use since the 1920's.

Another prime example is the recent fight on some OSR blogs where someone claims to represent all of rpg gamers, and saying games like Lamentations of the Flame Princess should not be allowed to be published because they are morally bad, thanks to some pretty nasty art scenes in the books. It's the same kind of puritanical crap that has caused so many of our freedoms to be removed on a daily basis. Don't allow this kind of rhetoric to stand unchallenged!

People, you need to wake up and confront fascism in all it's forms, and not run away afraid just because of the word Godwin.

edit:
“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power” - Benito Mussolini

If you really want to learn a ruleset

Try and write a supplement for it. You'll be cross-checking all kinds of things that you otherwise would not think of. Instead of just reading from page 1 to 180 or whatever, you'll be flipping through the index, trying to find that one bit of information that is important for your current encounter, spell, or character ability that you want to add in.

I have found this situation really makes me focus more, and I actually learn the rules better overall. You don't need to publish your supplement, just have it for home games. But, by the time you have finished writing it, you will have a much firmer grasp of the ruleset than you did before.

Dungeon Crawl Classics Character Generator

Got this link to a great DCC Character Generator from A Paladin in Citadel. I'm still not completely sold on the game, but this generator definitely helps Goodman's cause. It makes a letter-sized, one-page pdf with 4 small character sheets on it. Each is a random 0-level character. I think it will be incredibly useful for players and GMs.

D&D Fencing

Why it doesn't work to go into a dungeon with a rapier or epee.
*CLICK FOR GIF*

Holystone - The Phantom Cryer

The Phantom Cryer

The Phantom Cryer is a ghost that manifests during heavy fog. It appears in the Docks, the Wharf, and Fishtown, always at a crossroads.

The Cryer looks like a boy in a heavy coat. He waves pamphlets in the air, and shouts out the news. The news is always from Highsun, around 30 years ago. He is believed to have died at that time, though no one knows the cause. A couple investigations of the time show several newsboys going missing, but no criminal was ever found.

While he has scared many of the locals once they realize who he is, the Cryer does not attack the city folk. Some of the taverns place bets about where he will appear whenever it gets foggy out.

There have been stories of the Phantom Cryer coming to the aid of newsboys who are being attacked in some way. Apparently, he appears between the newsboy and his attackers, and begins to howl. In every case, the attackers have run away in fear.

If adventurers say that they are going to hunt down the Phantom Cryer, the locals will do what they can to prevent it. They view the phantom as one of their own, and do not want him destroyed.

Local clerics have attempted to communicate with the Phantom Cryer. While they have had no real success, they have determined that he is not malevolent.

The Phantom Cryer

Armor Class: 19

Hit Dice: 3*

No. of Attacks: 1 howl

Damage: 1d4

Movement: 30’

No. Appearing: 1

Save As: Magic-User 3

Morale: 9

Treasure Type: none

XP: 175

The Phantom Cryer can only be hit by magical weapons. He can be turned as a ghoul. Three times per day he can howl in a 30’ cone. Anyone caught in the cone must Save vs. Spells or run away in fear for one turn.

Holystone - Witch Hunters

Witch Hunters

Witch hunters make their living rousting out mages and accusing them of various crimes. They often catch demon cultists, necromancers, and other evil mages. However, they will happily catch a hedge wizard that is healing the locals, if they are in a bad mood. They operate legally in the city.

Witch hunters kill the mages they capture, often after a big show trial. They perform the execution in a public place, and either burn the witch at the stake or behead them. 

Clerics of Luna, the goddess of magic, do not like witch hunters at all. They might use them to find cultists, but that’s the extent of their relationship. If a witch hunter gets too sloppy, killing off relatively harmless mages, the Lunar clerics will send for the Silent Sisters and have the witch hunter eliminated.

Witch hunters tend to be either Fighters or Thieves. They almost always have a number of followers, including warriors, thieves, and some laborers or craftsmen.

A witch hunter generally sends in a spy or two to all of the surrounding villages or city districts. These people keep an eye out for any magical activities. If they see anything flagrant, they will report back to their master. A few days later, he will arrive with a contingent of followers and attempt to capture and try the identified mage. 

Witch hunters have been known to fight each other. If they feel their territory is being impinged upon, they will accuse the other hunter of witchcraft and attempt to capture and kill him. This often leads to small skirmishes between each group of followers, with many killed. 

Not all witch hunters are in it for the fame and rewards. Some actually are trying to do good, being very careful to only capture real cultists. They are in the minority, though. A successful witch hunter becomes something of a hero to the uneducated, and can expect free lodging and gifts in most locales.

Local Witch Hunters

Aric the Magehound (T7) – Aric has a villa in the North Ward. He is retired. He was very successful at his work, but he was also very meticulous about only going after evil mages. He is a minor celebrity within the city.

Zeke Strongprow (F4) – Zeke has a residence in South Harbor. He has spies throughout the lower portion of the city, and considers it to be his territory. He is definitely in it for the money. The Silent Sisters may be dispatched to end him soon.

Sara Goodfellow (T4) – Sara lives in Tent City. She watches over it and the surrounding farmlands. She tries to do good work, but has eliminated a few relatively harmless mages when she was low on funds.

Torrence (F3) – Torrence lives in The Triangle, and he has had some success killing evil mages. He has also eliminated some non-mages for the gangs, using his profession as a cover for murder. Zeke would love to kill him, but the local gangs protect Torrence.

There are no witch hunters active in the Lord’s City. If they tried to work there, the local nobles would kill them.

Holystone - Silent Sisters

The Silent Sisters

The Silent Sisters are a branch of Luna’s Church. They operate as assassins and spies, removing enemies of their goddess. They have a cloister in the Merchant Quarter, disguised as an herbalist shop. Rosemary the Gardener (C3) works the front of the herbalist shop. She is a normal cleric who can talk with customers. Her “helpers” are Sisters. 

The Lunar Priestess uses the Sisters to remove demon cultists, witch hunters, and other enemies. They also spy on the locals, looking for signs of demon worship, thieves who steal holy items, and similar folk.

Silent Sisters have their tongues removed at an early age, and communicate through a secret sign language known only to themselves and select Lunar clerics. They are classed as thieves, and use twin daggers on their missions. 

For day-to-day wear, they dress as normal citizens or Lunar clerics, depending upon her cover story. On missions, they wear dark leather armor and masks. Due to her divine faith, if a Sister is killed in action, she cannot be summoned back to be questioned by a Speak with Dead spell. She can be resurrected by a Lunar cleric, if it is warranted.

No one in the city knows about the Silent Sisters other than Lunar clerics directly working with them. Even low level Lunar clerics don’t know about their existence. A cloister is located in every major city with a Church.

Holystone - cemeteries

Cemeteries

The Count’s family has a tomb located beneath the Keep. Only the Counts and their immediate families are buried there. The Archbishop blesses the tomb every year during the Rite of Remembrance. 

The Nobles Cemetery is just southeast of the Cathedral. It is a large, fenced-in area with many tombs. Nobles and knights are buried here. Holystones are buried in a separated section next to the Cathedral. Most noble families have a large tomb with many of their ancestors placed within. Knights attached to the noble houses are buried in the land surrounding the family tomb. The cemetery is patrolled by clerics and city guardsmen in an effort to prevent undead from appearing or escaping into the city.

The largest cemetery is located to the south of Tent City. All commoners are buried here. Clerics and knights of the Order of the Blazing Sun patrol the cemetery infrequently. Every year or so, an undead or two rises and causes problems in Tent City or even inside the city walls.

The dwarves and halflings of Cliffside and Hilltown share a cemetery just south of Hilltown. The cemetery has a five foot high wall surrounding it, with dwarves buried in ornate stone tombs and the halflings buried in small earthen plots. The Hilltown Cemetery is well-patrolled by dwarven and halfling warriors and clerics. 

Unbeknownst to anyone, a dwarf vampire, Brock Ironbones, lives in an older, apparently undisturbed, tomb. Every few nights, he makes his way into the Triangle and kills someone. He knows that if he limits his kills to the people there, no one will be looking for him. He is careful to dispose of the bodies so that they do not appear to have been drained of blood. He also makes sure none of his victims become undead.

There is a sect of the Church of Sol that cremates all of its members. They feel that burning the body is more respectful to their god.  They keep the cremated remains in their homes or in local churches instead of cemeteries. Bishop Jonston is a member of the sect, and is trying to make cremation more mainstream throughout the city. He often mentions that cremated remains don’t rise as undead when he brings the subject up with non-clergy, appealing to their pragmatism.

Holystone - Sewer Encounters

Once per turn while exploring in the sewers, roll 1d6. On a 1, roll on this table.

Sewer Encounters

1. One large albino crocodile that got into the sewer system years ago. It had previously been an attraction at Marshall’s Menagerie.

2. A scouting squad of four ratmen, one ratter, and eight giant rats.

3. A lone ghoul, munching upon the remains of some citizen.

4. A work crew of eight men and two guards. They will happily stop to chat and will point adventurers in the direction of known dangerous sections of the sewer.

5. 1d4 giant leeches. They float in the sewage, and gain surprise on 1d4 on 1d6.

6. A nest of 3d8 stirges is located in a room with intersecting passages.

7. A squad of five ratmen brutes.

8. A pair of thieves making their way under the city. They will run away if they can.

9. A green slime floats in the sewage. It gains surprise on 1d4 on 1d6.

10. A work crew of eight men and two guards. They are defensive, and will try to chase the characters away.

11. A group of four drow agents. They will attempt to ambush if possible.

12. A squad of five ratmen and one ratman brute.