Month: May 2021

Ring Side Report-RPG Review of Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Operation Vanguard

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ 2 Comments

Product– Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Operation Vanguard

System- Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20

Producer– Modiphius

Price– $6.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/355128/Achtung-Cthulhu-2d20-Operation-Vanguard?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR– Almost perfect but not what I wanted.  97%

Basics–  Time to go, soldier!  You just stopped a Black Sun ritual, so now it’s off to stop more Nazi shenanigans!  What could they be doing off at sea?

Mechanics or Crunch-Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 does almost all the things I want and does them right, and this adventure has that as well.  Solid monsters and encounters lead you through a stealth to destruction mission with lots of fun along the way.  Just well done crunch if you like the 2d20 system.  5/5

Theme or Fluff– The theme/fluff/story is where I have my one major problem.  The story itself is great.  Investigate Nazi base, destroy, stop bad guys-all the fun things players want to do in Pulp Weird War II.  But, this was billed as the sequel to the starter adventure, and it is, but it’s just a second adventure after the first.  They are not connected in any real way.  It doesn’t tell as much of a continuing story aside from “go destroy more weird stuff.”  Go destroy the weird stuff is honestly 90% of A!C 2d20, and that’s why my players and I are here.  But, I wanted the escape from France of the last adventure.  My players LEVELED the castle in the last one as nothing stops evil like 40 TONS of stone to the head.  So my expectations were slightly let down.  If you don’t have the same expectation, you will have a blast.  4.5/5

Execution– PDF? Yes.  Hyperlinked?  Yes, extremely well done.  I LOVE THIS PRODUCT.  A page with pictures to cut out to give to players for handouts, hyperlinks EVERYWHERE, easy to read, nice stat blocks, and TWO VERSIONS as a less graphics intensive one makes my tablet run better all make me a happy GM.  This is how I want books made.  5/5Summary– Oh A!C 2d20… you make me so happy.  It’s a well done, slick system, and this is a well done slick adventure for it.  I just wish this was more “direct sequence” and less “continuing adventures”, but oh well.  If you don’t have my singular crazy obsession with continuity, then you will absolutely LOVE this book.  From crunch, to story, to just general production, I’m glad to have this one. 97%

Daily Punch 5-27-21 HUD eye augmentation for Starfinder

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I pay way too many video games with heads up displays. Time for that in Starfinder!

Heads Up Display Ocular Implant

Item Level 5; Price 2,825; System Eyes
This small implant is placed into your eye but leave most of your eye intact. You gain access to your computer at all times assuming that you have linked the computer to this augment. You can move the display in your vision to be full view or occupy a small area. This does not distract you but you must still use normal actions to interact with your display. This enhancement can be linked to any non-archaic weapon you have to also allow you to gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls as you network and analyze your attacks with telemetric and biometric data with your weapon and computer.

Thoughts?

Daily Punch 5-26-21 Shikigami familiar for Pathfinder 2nd Ed.

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Have my future ability, here we go!

Shikigami

Construct
Required Number of Abilities 4
Granted Abilities flier, skilled (stealth), Precognition

This small paper doll flies around like it is controlled by the wind. This small spirit helps those it chooses to, but can lead others to their doom..

Constructed

Source Pathfinder Society Guide pg. 123
Your shikigamis immune to bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, and unconscious. It can recover Hit Points only via the Repair action and other methods that fix items, not from any form of Hit Point healing. It’s destroyed at 0 HP.

Flammable

Source Pathfinder Society Guide pg. 123
Your shikigamis paper body make it particularly vulnerable to fire. It gains weakness to fire equal to your level. You can spend an additional familiar ability, either permanently or on a per-day basis, to reinforce the poppet’s construction, removing this weakness.

Daily Punch 5-25-21 Precognition familiar ability for Pathfinder 2nd ed.

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Building my paper doll familiars and here is a power they need! This is a master ability you can gain for a familiar.

Precognition: Your familiar helps by giving you hints of the future. Choose a saving throw. Whenever you attempt that save, if your familiar is nearby, it gives you a small mental image of the future. This grants you a +1 circumstance bonus, or +2 if you’re a master in the save.

Thoughts?

Daily Punch 5-24-21 Shikigami creature for DnD 5e

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Lots of anime lately, but how about a new familiar from it?

Shikigami)

Tiny constrcut, unaligned

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 1 (1d4 – 1)
Speed 10 ft., fly 50 ft.

STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
1 (-5)16 (+3)8 (-1)6 (-2)14 (+2)4 (-3)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +6
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages –
Challenge 0 (10 XP)

Special Traits

  • Blessing. Shikigami that have a master warn them of danger. Once per day, a shikigami can grant a +1 bonus to an check or save before the roll.

ACTIONS

  • Paper Cut. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target. Hit: 1 slashing damage.

ABOUT

This paper doll is roughly in the shape of a person with its arms wide. It flutters through the air looking like it is carried by currents, but it actually moves under its own volition.

Daily Punch 5-19-21 Lexicon of Learning Wondrous Item for DnD 5e

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How about another item to help you learn really fast at a cost?

Lexicon of Learning

Wondrous item, rare

This small folio printed on silvery parchment with near indisipheral text. You must have training in survival, religion, history, arcana, medicine, or nature. If you spend an hour reading the text, a portion will start being something you can understand but that will fade and another section will be compressible. If you spend that time, you choose one of the listed skills you have, lose proficiency in that skill, and gain proficiency in a different skill from the list. This last until you spend another hour using this book again.

Thoughts?

Daily Punch 5-18-21 Swing Through Fighting Style for DnD 5e

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I like the Swing feat in Pathfinder 2nd ed. Let’s build in DnD 5e.

Swing Through

When you are engaged with two or more opponents, when you make a melee attack, you can make a second attack as part of the same action against a different opponent than the first. The second attack is made at disadvantage. When you gain additional attacks, you can make additional attacks from this fighting style for each attack you gain but the attacks form this style all occur at disadvantage.

Thoughts?

Ring Side Report-RPG Review of Dungeon Crawl Classics #66.5: Doom of the Savage King

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Product– Dungeon Crawl Classics #66.5: Doom of the Savage King

System- DCC RPG

Producer– Goodman Games

Price– $6.00 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/129075/Dungeon-Crawl-Classics-665-Doom-of-the-Savage-King?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR– Appendix N shoot first ask questions never? 97%

Basics–  Time to kill the unkillable!  Doom of the Savage Kings starts out deep in the action as the players come upon a local lord tying a young woman to a pole to be eaten by a beast to sate its bloodlust.  What happens next is completely up to the “heroes”!  Save the girl?  Serve the Lord?  Either way there is an unkillable beast that needs slaying if the sacrifices are to stop.

Mechanics or Crunch-This is an early one for DCC RPG, and it shows a bit.  The mechanics are fine, but sometimes the Judge may have to tone down the challenge for the players to survive.  Especially mine, as my players never met a situation where certain death deterred them in the slightest!  It works well for higher player counts, but lower ones will need a bit of adjusting.  Doom of the Savage Kings mechanically is an early very deadly, very fun adventure.  4.5/5

Theme or Fluff–  This adventure is PURE Appendix N.  Village sacrificing people to save the rest like “The Lottery” and an ancient tomb where weapons will slay not-Grendel?  FANTASTIC!  This adventure is gonzo fantasy that makes DCC DCC.  5/5

Execution– PDF? Yes.  Hyperlinked?  Yes, basically.  This has what I need to run this adventure.  Maps, quick rundown, and detailed enough encounters.  It reads fast as my initial read through was five minutes before the game and my players had a blast completely abandoning the adventure’s basic path within five minutes.  If you like the basic layout of DCC, then you will like this layout.  Like always, Goodman Games DCC modules read like the old modules you used to get with some art in the middle, maps at the end, and a summary at the start.  Since I’m living an era of gaming I wasn’t part when it came round the first time, it’s a blast to be part of it this time as the editing has massively improved the experience!  5/5

Summary– Doom of the Savage Kings is classic DCC RPG.  It’s a bit harder than it needs to be so maybe some love from a Judge will save the PCs from their bad rolls if not their stupidity.  The book itself is well laid out, and the plot is top notch.  Players will have a blast saving a town, delving into old crypts, and killing the monster stalking the helpless in the fog.  If you need your Boewulf fix but want to do it with some crazy DCCRPG rules, this is hands down a fantastic adventure to get into.  97%