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Daily Punch 12-28-15 DCC Funnel in Shadow of the DemonLord

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We’re back from our extended break, and let’s start off with a big one!  I love the DCC RPG Funnel, and I love the Shadow of the Demon Lord system.  Let’s mix this peanut butter and chocolate together!

 

The Shadow of the Demon Lord Funnel

Players: Instead of creating and choosing one first level character, randomly roll a d6 (d8 with the Demon Lords Companion) four times to generate four characters.  Follow character generation rules as normal for each character.  Also, when a character drops to zero or fewer hit points, that character is dead!  No rolls for you!

GM: Instead of running a zero-level adventure, instead run a level one adventure.  Run the adventure as hard as normal, and players will drop like flies!  At the end, players will most likely be left with one character each.  That person gets all the experience points the would normally get putting them up to first level with a hell of a story!

 

Roll Race
1 Human
2 Changeling
3 Clockwork
4 Dwarf
5 Goblin
6 Orc
7 Faun
8 Hafling

Ring Side Report- RPG Review ofDemon Lord’s Companion

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Product-Demon Lord’s Companion

System– Shadow of the Demon Lord

Producer– Schwalb Entertainment

Price– $ 10 here http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/168258/Demon-Lords-Companion?src=slider_view&affiliate_id=658618

TL; DR-The best DLC I’ve downloaded all year! 100%

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Basics-OPTIONS!  Have you already gotten tired of all the options in the core Shadow of the Demon Lord book?  Odds are not, but here is a new book with races, master and expert paths, new items both magical and mundane, magic traditions, and even more rules for parts of the game not covered in the basic book like vehicles.

Mechanics or Crunch-This is an amazing book for what it adds.  Every one of these pages is crunch.  From the new spells to the rules for how to drive in this game, no space is wasted that doesn’t add to the world.  New races are added such as halflings and fauns, new traditions such as alchemy are added, and tons of new items are brought into the world. This might be one of my favorite splat books to a system I’ve read in a long time. 5/5

 

Theme or Fluff-Now I don’t expect much from a splat book in terms of theme, but this one delivers!  Let’s look at two things to drive home this point.  First are story complications.  These are new character additions that provide a detriment and a bonus.  They almost function like zero-level feats.  You get horrific problems for bonuses that directly come from this problem.  An example is you might be ever-so-slightly possessed, but you can also talk to that demon to get bits of lore and knowledge.  That’s pure Demon Lord’s Shadow right there.  Second, let’s look at azeen.  Azeen are foot long worms, that you place in your face or another large orifice and let it crawl/tare inside you.  It gives you a whip that you can spring from your hands as an attack.  Randomly, in the next 20 days you will crap your pants as the worm violently dies and is violently shot from your body.  This is a new forbidden item with strong benefits, horrific complications, and a corrupting influence.  Again, this is mainline Shadows of the Demon Lord with full descriptions of horror building up the mechanics  with solid storytelling.  Absolutely beautiful! 5/5

Execution-This book only comes out as a PDF currently.  However, what makes this interestingly is the price, pictures, and writing.  Comparing this book to other splat books, DLC is hands down the best I’ve seen in awhile.  This book is 50+ pages for 10 bucks.  That blows Paizo out of the water!  I get a book full of character options, game rules, and monsters that is layed out properly, reads quickly, and is fun for less than half of some other books. 5/5

Summary– I didn’t ask for more options for Shadows of the Demon Lord, but I have wondered about some specific content.  And this book delivered on all of it.  Want some more steampunk?  Well we’ve got airships and even guns now.  Want more magic?  Well now there is fauns and other magic traditions.  Heck, you want to get some Kung Fu in your Demon’s Shadow?  Now you can. Crouching tiger, hidden demon away!  Everything fits in this book.  It’s all from the very mouth of the Dark Hobo himself.  It’s a great value, full of pictures to inspire, and quick pleasure to read.  This book is well worth your time and money. 100%

Daily Punch 12-9-15 Transfusion spell for Shadow of the Demon Lord

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I’ve been thinking about this spell for Shadow of the Demon Lord for a bit. Should it be alchemy or should ti be technology?  How about it being a spell both could take?

 

TRANSFUSION                                        TECHNOLOGY/ALCHEMY  UTILITY 1

Target Two creatures within reach

________________________________                  

You quickly pull a connected series of tubes, needles, and vials from your pockets, jam one needle into one target and then another into the other.  One target loses hit points equal to its healing rate.  The other target gains gains hit points equal to double its healing rate.  Roll a d20.  On a one, instead of one target healing double, it loses hit points equal to its healing rate as the process works incorrectly and that character is racked with pain from a bad reaction.

Daily Punch 12-7-15 Conjure Clockwork Servent spell for Shadow of the Demon Lord

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You know what I want in my Shadow of my Demon Lord?  I want some Star Wars!  Let’s make C-3PO!

 

CONJURE CLOCKWORK SERVANT TECHNOLOGY UTILITY 3

Area A cure of space, 1 yard on a side, originating from a point within short range and resting on a solid surface

Duration 1 hour_______________________                  

You  creature a medium mechanical servant within the area.  The servant cannot attack, but it can take its own actions, if directed to do so.   It unerringly obeys all commands, but may do so in its own way or comment as it and the GM feels necessary.  The servant speaks all the languages you know but also know two more then you do.  The servant has the following stats:

CLOCKWORK SERVANT

size 1

Perception 15 (+5); darksight

Defense 15 Health 20

Strength 14(+4) Agility 12 (+2) Intellect 15 (+5) Will 13 (+3)

Speed 10

Immune gaining insanity, blinded, asleep, fatigued, charmed, diseased, frightened, poisoned, stunned

ATTACK OPTION

NONE

Permanence if you spend rare ingredients worth 1gc when you cast this spell, the effect instead lasts until you complete a rest.  If you cast the spell this way each day for one month, one week, and one day, the clockwork servant becomes permanently alive.

Daily Punch 12-4-15 Goggles of Sight spell for Shadow of the Demon Lord

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Let’s keep the hits rolling for Shadow of the Demon Lord

 

Extra Hand         TECHNOLOGY UTILITY 2

Duration 1 hour___________                  

With a flick of the wrist, you turn on the goggles.  They burn out quickly, but they do provide some interesting benefits before they do.  These googles give you darksight, and the ability to see just on the other side of some solid objects.  You can see up to 10 feet on the other side of an object, and solid objects you can see through appear to be smokey and hazy.  Two feet of wood, 1 foot of stone, or 1 inch of metal block this enhanced vision.

 

Thoughts?

Daily Punch 12-3-15 Extra Hand spell for Shadow of the Demon Lord

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I’ve been reading lots of Schwalb lately, and I have fallen in love with the tech spells.  Let’s build on them!

 

 

Extra Hand         TECHNOLOGY UTILITY 1

Duration 1 hour___________                  

You build a robotic hand that you strap to your body and responds to your thoughts.  The hand cannot help you attack, but you can use the hand to help you with some tasks.  When the spell is cast, choose one stat.  You gain 1 boon for all non-attack checks with that sate for the duration of this spell.

 

 

Thoughts?

 

Ring Side Report- RPG Review of Tales of the Demon Lord

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Product-Tales of the Demon Lord

System– Shadow of the Demon Lord

Producer– Schwalb Entertainment

Price– $ 10  here http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/163527/Tales-of-the-Demon-Lord?term=tales+of+the+demon&affiliate_id=658618

TL; DR-Lean, mean adventure! 90%

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Basics-Starting with a small series of death in the far flung town of Crossings, this adventures takes players from starting, zero-level character to master character who have to ultimately face down and prevent the arrival of the Demon Lord.  This adventure is a whole campaign in itself introducing a section of the world called Crossings to the players and the GM.  Will you be able to face the horrors of things touched by the Demon Lord’s shadow?

 

Mechanics or Crunch-Shadow of the Demon Lord is it’s own system through and through, and this self contained campaign has the math for the system clearly down.  What’s here works well.  However, the campaign doesn’t give too much away to the novice GM.  I like what’s here in terms of encounters, rewards, combats, and exploration, but I’d like a bit more behind the game’s curtain.  This is the first full campaign, so this adventure will serve as the game’s best guide.  However, I’d like a bit more to help me get all the expertise I and other GM’s need to better run this system.4.5/5

 

Theme or Fluff-  Schwalb writes an awesome story from the ground up.  The book starts by building its own town called Crossing and then builds out.  In terms of story, it’s a swift story that’s a great way to get players into the world.  Also, this book has a ton of variety from simple go here/kill people, small hex crawls, and even hardcore roleplaying.  Every player will get a bit of fun out of this adventure, and every GM will have a blast running this one.  5/5

 

Execution– Of all the good stuff in the book, the execution is the most lacking.  The execution is by no means bad, but I may be a bit to spoon fed by other publishers when it comes to published material.  There is almost no box text.  Have gamed with the master himself, I know he writes awesome descriptions, but this book will ask you to write most of your own.  Furthermore, Shadow of the Demon Lord adventures are short.  From the get go, SotDL adventures are designed for about a four hour experience after which players level.  That is not bad by any stretch, but the transition and the brevity of the writing is strong change for some GMs.  There are breaks in the text.  But, I’d like a bit more art, and I’d like the art that’s here to be a bit larger.  It’s hard to get those maps to the table and make them a size that looks nice.  The adventures do read quickly and easily, and the simple descriptions are enough to get you gaming quick.  But, keep in mind that the simplicity of the write ups are there to make the games run fast and with no down time and limited prep time. 4/5

 

Summary– Tales of the Demon Lord is a phenomenal adventure for SotDL.  It’s a full campaign unto itself that covers several different adventure types and play styles.  It’s well written, and simply executed.  However, this is not a hand-holding product.  Tales of the Demon Lord aims to be a campaign, not your paint by numbers GMing guide.  It’s several adventures that tell a story, but it doesn’t teach you how to write or design adventures if you’re only passively playing or running this adventure.  It’s fun, but don’t expect verbose, cookie-cutter explanations for you to read your players.  Expect a lean, mean adventure that you can run quickly and efficiently with minimal prep, memorization, or GM brain loading time.  If you get past a bit of shock of how spartan SotDL adventures are presented, then you will really enjoy what’s here. 90%

Daily Punch 12-1-15 Sonic Shove cantrip for DnD 5e

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I’ve been designing spells for something secret and reading the Sword Coast Adventurers Guide.  Let’s combine those two.

 

Sonic Shove

Evocation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 5 feet

Components: V, M (a weapon)

Duration: Instantaneous

As part of this action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell’s range, otherwise the spell fails.  On a hit the target suffers the attack’s normal effects, and a sonic boom infuses the area.  That creature must make both a Strength and Constitution saving throw.  If it fails the Strength saving throw, the creature is moved 5 feet away, knocked prone, and you are no longer considered engaged if the creature does not have reach to attack you with one of its melee weapons.  If it fails the Constitution saving throw, the creature is dealt an extra 1d4 thunder damage.

This spell’s damage and thrown distance increases when you reach higher levels.  At 5th level, the spell’s thunder damage increases to 2d4 and the thrown distances increases to 10 feet.  The distance increases to 15 feet and 3d4 thunder at 11th level, and to 20 feet and 4d4 thunder at 17th level.

 

Thoughts?

Daily Punch 11-30-15 Song Maestro feat for DnD 5e

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Bladesingers seem cool (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide p 141), but we can make it better…

 

Song Maestro

You are a master of music, and that song pours into your soul, sword, and your enemies.  Gain the following benefits:

  • You may spend two uses of your Bladesong at once.  If you do, increase your bonus to AC to double your Intelligence modifier and double your Song of Victory class feature bonus to damage.
  • Instead of using your Constitution modifier to determine extra hit points per level, recalculate your hit points using your Intelligence modifier instead.
  • Increase the bonus damage reduced by your Song of Defense class feature to six times the spell slot spent instead of five.
  • Gain one extra use of your Bladesong ability per rest.

 

Thoughts?

Daily Punch 11-27-15 Trained by Another feat for DnD 5e

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Some of the most interesting things from the Sword Coast Adventurers guide were the number of new class archetypes that were only for one particular race.  Let’s change that.

Trained by Another

You’re one in a million.  Among all the races of the realms, you found a way to train with another group.  Most there don’t like you and maybe a few there tolerate you, but at least one sees something special in you.  This one has trained you in the secret traditions of there race.  Gain the following benefits:

  • Choose a class path that you normally could not take due to race restrictions.  You can now take that class’s path, and count as a member of that race for other feats and abilities.  This feat does not give you any race specific abilities.
  • Gain 1 in one of the stats a member of that race would increase at character generation to a maximum of 20.  This bonus may be either in the primary stat gained by all members of that race, or in the bonus gained by a subgroup of that race.

Thoughts?