Blackwood: This Wasn't Always Our Shape

 Whether they're the playthings of fey that got away, vicious seductresses who fall in love, immortal tricksters, or men becoming beasts to hunt/fight better; animals transforming into people and people transforming into animals run deep in folklore around the world. They echo in modern media with films like Green Snake, Sorcerer and the White Snake, and Brave.

Here's transformed animals for the Blackwood's elf haunted wilds for Errant Deeds (Forged in the Dark) and the OG Savage Worlds setting. I'm calling them Shapestrong to avoid "skin walker" and other loaded terms.

SHAPESTRONG FOR ERRANT DEEDS:
If you select Shapestrong as your culture, then choose an animal for your ancestry. You can briefly manifest that animal's qualities in exchange for Stress.

0-STRESS - Minor abilities that don't directly impact the game in a significant way. Example: Follow tracks using keen sense of smell (dog). Adopting a surefooted stance on a narrow ledge (goat). Subsisting on spoiled food with your iron gullet (pig).

1-STRESS - Abilities that are temporary and require concentration or exertion to summon.
Example: Manifesting a scaled hide to resist a crushing blow (snake). Rapidly regrowing teeth as you gnaw through rope and steel wire restraining you (rabbit). Sprout a prehensile tail for a third hand swing through the branches (monkey).

2-STRESS - Abilities beyond the ken of man. If it only allows you to take an action, roll an additional die or increase the effect.
Example: Plow through a solid wall (ox). Shout across a city (rooster). Slip through a narrow crack (rat).

These are reskinned xenos abilities from the excellent game, Scum & Villainy.

SHAPESTRONG FOR SAVAGE WORLDS:
If you select Shapestrong as your culture, then choose an animal for your ancestry.

My Other Skin Is A... - Spend a Benny to temporarily gain an Edge (you must meet the requirements) or 3 points of Racial Abilities that reflects your animal ancestry. It lasts for a scene.

Example: Screw your courage to the sticking place and facedown an elf with the Brave Edge (tiger). Run incredibly fast for a time with the Fleet Footed Edge (horse). Dash up the surface of the sorcerer's tower with Wall Walker while sprouting Claws (dragon).

Hello My Fellow People - Shapestrong are acutely aware of their heritage and how that agitates  superstitious folk. To compensate they adopt an annoying behavior to blend in. Because people are annoying. Treat this as the Habit (Minor) Hindrance.


The 7 Errants are a fellowship of heroic martial artists and wanderers for Eli Kurtz' Blackwood setting - a mash-up of Wuxia action and frontier fairy tales. You can find the book for sale here and a free quick start bundle here. 

Card Captor of Many Things

If you don't know - I'm a member of the Minionworks podcasting collective and I run most of the games. February 1, 2019 was our 5th year anniversary, in celebration we decided to go back to the game that brought us together - Dungeons & Dragons. The gang dusted off their old 4th edition characters and converted them into 5th edition. 

Similarly, I adapted Madness at Gardmore Abbey to the most recent edition. The encounters were pretty straight forward, cherry picking the most memorable/interesting parts. Most of the work was leaning into the module's core conceit - the Deck of Many Things has been split up and you can use their powers with some degree of safety while the Deck is disassembled. In 4e, you can use the Cards of Many Things and fill a space on the board with the specific card's encounter power.

You can find the episode here.

CHAOS CARDS - You can call upon the individual cards in your possession and wield their power. Unless specified in parentheses they require a Use Item Action.

SOUL EATER - Divided as it is, the Cards are no longer fueled by the havoc they cause. You can recharge expired cards by feeding them dying breaths. The bracketed number is how many sapient creatures the card needs to feed from in order to recharge. (You have to allocate the fallen to each card.)

You can also increase the effects of the cards by feeding them your Hit Dice. Each Hit Dice expended increases the attack bonus, damage, and duration by 2.

Vizier - [2] (bonus action) You have advantage on your next attack rill and deal 5 extra points of damage.

OO

Sun - [4] You heal 4D6+4 hit points and become invisible to everyone.

OOOO

Moon - [5] Instantly recharge another card.

OOOOO

Star - [special] You gain advantage on all rolls until either you fail one or 5 minutes pass. This card can only be recharged by the Moon.

Comet - [10] If you single handedly defeat the next encounter, you (singularly) gain Experience Points enough to gain one level.

OOOOOOOOOO

The Fates - [4] (reaction) If an enemy’s attack hits you, force them to re-roll it. They have to take the second result.

OOOO

Throne - [X] You gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill, and double your Proficiency Bonus to that skill. In addition, you gain rightful ownership of a small keep full of monsters. Who can say where? This card does not recharge until the Deck is fully restored.

Key - [4] You teleport 50 feet and take 2D6 points of damage. The card gets your shape mostly right.

OOOO

Knight - [6] You gain the service of a Knight (see Monster Manual) who appears in a space you choose within 30 feet of you. They belonged to a knightly order that's relevant to the plot.

OOOOOO

Gem - [special] You can take an extra action, which includes a bonus action, this turn. A body part transmutes into gemstone after your additional turn ends. It’ll be fiiiiine. This card can only be recharged by the Moon.

Talons - [4] Make a ranged attack with a +11 bonus against a single target. If successful, the target is Restrained for 2D4 turns.

OOOO

The Void - [4] Make a melee attack with a +11 bonus against a single creature. If successful, both of your souls are drawn from your bodies and contained in an object in a Far Away place, guarded by one or more powerful beings. While your soul is trapped, your body is Incapacitated. A wish spell can't restore your soul, but the spell reveals the location of the object that holds it.

OOOO

Flames -[4] All creatures within 30 feet of you have to make a Dexterity save DC 16. If they fail, they take 4D8 fire damage and 5 ongoing until they can put out the fires.

OOOO

Skull - [4] Make a melee attack with a +11 bonus against a single creature. If successful, they fall unconscious.

OOOO

Idiot - [4] Make a melee attack with a +11 bonus against a single creature. If successful, they are Stunned for 1D6 turns.

OOOO

Donjon - [4] Make a melee attack with a +11 bonus. If successful, remove 1D4 creatures from play until the end of your next turn.

OOOO

Ruin - [4] All creatures within 30 feet of you have to make a Constitution save DC 16. If they fail they take 4D10+10 damage and suffer the Poisoned condition.

OOOO

Euryale - [3] Make a ranged attack with a +11 bonus against a single target. If successful the card's medusa-like visage curses your target. They have disadvantage on Saving Throws while cursed in this way and their speed is halved as their extremities petrify.

OOO

Rogue - [4] Make a ranged attack with a +11 bonus against a single target. If successful, the target is Charmed for 2D4 hours.

OOOO

Balance - [4] Make a melee attack with +11 bonus. If successful, deal 4D12 damage to one target and heal that much.

OOOO

Fool - [4] (reaction) If an enemy hits you with a melee attack, deal 2D10 psychic damage and they fall prone.

OOOO

Jester - [4] (reaction) After being hit, you move 10 feet away without provoking an opportunity attack.

OOOO

Savage Worlds: Square Up

MOMENTUM
Similar to Conviction in SWADE, Momentum is a new resource that only available to one Wild Card at a time. You gain Momentum when you hit with a Fighting Attack and you lose it when you're hit by one. When you have Momentum, the Multi-Action penalty becomes a bonus (-2 becomes +1, -4 becomes +2, -6 becomes +3). This bonus applies to Attacks (Fighting and Shooting), Grappling, Pushing, Tricks, and thematically appropriate Powers.

ZONES
For larger maps you  might abstract movement from strict unit measurements to zones. If you do, then you need to decide if characters are slippery or sticky. If characters are slippery then you can move from zone to zone without risking Free Attacks from other characters in the zone. If fighters are sticky, then characters are considered in combat when they enter the zone. When they try to leave then they can decide to you escape \Clean or Messy.
Clean- Roll your Running + Wild Die, if you succeed then you avoid Disengaging Strikes.
Messy- Roll Athletics + Wild Die, if you succeed then you avoid Disengaging Strikes but bring all opponents into the next zone with you.

SCALE 
Scale conceptually models mid and final boss characters, denoting martial mastery and power rather than perpetually raising Traits. Higher Rank = high Scale. You lose your Wild Die when you attack a higher Ranked Wild Card (ex: Novice vs Seasoned) and they treat you as an Extra when they strike back, requiring one Raise to take you out.
So save your Bennies.
This also goes the other way, lower Ranked Wild Cards lose their Wild Die when they attack you. When you attack them, you treat them as Extras. Opposing Wild Cards without an Experience Rank are treated as below your Rank.

Sunhome's Shadows: Izzet League

"The only action worth taking is one with an unknown outcome."

Daniel at Detect Magic laid out Mouse Guard's game structure for generalized use and posted an example adaption for a crew of thieves. I'm applying it to the guilds of Ravnica, maybe I'll make it through all 10. I started with the military police force known as the Boros Legion, now following up with the mad scientists of the Izzet League.
 

MISSIONS - Choose 1, should also include field testing some dangerous equipment.

1.  Acquire - A member of the Izmundi is leaning on you. By hook or by crook you've gotta get the power source, dragon egg, or rare material; otherwise you're never gonna get free. That's how that works, right?
2.  Repair -Whether an alchemical fire fed by water, a turbine breaking free, or the shattered laws of gravity; Ravnica hosts disasters beyond the usual authorities' abilities. That's when they call you. Maybe you need to contain an industrial accident from getting any worse.
3.  Sabotage - Maybe they're researching weird containment, experimental metallurgy, or temporal stitching; no way the rival research team rolls out their research project first. The fastest fix is throwing a wrench in their works. Copy it before you destroy it, never know when it'll come in handy.
4. Observe - The World City is far from fully explored and catalogued. Plumb the Undercity and soothsay the Restless Tomb, or infiltrate the High Halls to transcribe the sphinxes' existential riddles to distract the Firemind. You're only temporary but knowledge is eternal.

ENCOUNTERS - Choose 2

1.  Bounty Hunters -The Senate, the Legion, and the Conclave could all have good reasons to bring you in and get answers for your... unapproved urban remodeling.
2. Collectors -Maybe you needed to supplement the research grant with a bit of jingle or pry some secrets from a rival's head since they don't write anything down. Either way, your shady connection is here to collect with interest.
3. Raid -The Clans and the Cult both like to smash stuff up. Unfortunately they often target the utilities because the way havoc ripples outward.
4. Interlopers - The League thinks big, often parallel to the Combine's behemoth dreams and the House's dagger-sharp secrets. All three treat intellectual pursuits as a zero-sum game with one winner and 9 losers. They've sent someone to hobble you.

EXAMPLE DOWNTIME ACTIVITIES

• Research - The League's practical purpose is to push the limits of knowledge and find out more, more, more, about how the plane works. Get your head in the lab and
• Schmooze - In an organization as egocentric as the League, it's important to associate with the right people, attend some salons, and be seen in orbits of influence. Remember that chaos is a ladder and you might find yourself uniquely positioned.
• Community Service -If you mess something up you can always turn around public perception with some gladhanding and performative humility. Doesn't really matter how bad the accident is, memories are short.
• Recovery - Knowledge work is still work. Sleep in. Sip some fine brandy. Kick your feet up. Whatever it takes to forget the lab and the toxic gas leaking into the neighborhood.

Sunhome's Shadows: The Boros Legion

"When I meditate I see the world as it should be. All that does not fit, I remove." 

- Alovnek, Boros guildmage

Daniel at Detect Magic laid out Mouse Guard's game structure for more general use and an example adaption for a crew of thieves. I'm going to adapt the structure for Ravnica's various guilds, starting with the military police - the Boros Legion. I also included some example downtime activities.

This is a conceptual warm up for the 5e Ravnica game I'm running tonight for some of my fellow Minionworks members.

MISSIONS - Choose 1

1.  Investigate - Uncover a spy in your midst, trace a Legionary who's skipped duty, or probe the neighborhood after a crime. Spice it up with murder and/or body snatching.
2.  Arrest - Gruul raiders, Orzhov racketeers, and Rakdos demagogues sow disorder and discontent among the Guildless. Bring 'em in and adjust their attitude.
3.  Intervention - Whether it's elementals amok, rioting, disaster or Selesnya beautification outta hand; sometimes you gotta suit up and get involved.
4. Cover Up - Absolve a fellow Legionnaire or yourselves. Steal evidence, intimidate witnesses, and cut backroom deals if you have to.

ENCOUNTERS - Choose 2

1. Rowdy Citizenry - Vigilance committees, guild affiliated gangs, and guildless hooligans all threaten the Boros' Guildpact mandate on legitimized violence. Don't let them skate.
2. Rival Officers - The Legion, the Senate, and the Syndicate all pursue the same thing - Order. They just don't agree how to establish it.; violently, preemptively, or economically. Hold the line.
3. Wilderness - Giants, beasts, and unnatural weather. Ravnica is so close to being tamed by urban planning that the remaining wilderness fights back with tusk and thorn. Prune the hedge.
4. Interlopers - Take the wrong turn and you stumble onto something you shouldn't have. Maybe the Shattergang Brothers or the Cult of Yore. Maybe House Dimir, the mythical tenth Guild. Straighten them out.

EXAMPLE DOWNTIME ACTIVITIES

• Ongoing Investigation - Maybe someone killed your mom and it was closed to no conclusion. Maybe you're haunted by the look in the deceased's eye. Maybe your mentor killed himself and you need to know - why?
• Getting Out - You've seen one bad thing too many and the Legion doesn't like to let go. You'll need leverage if you want out of their grip.
• Unwinding - After a long day of training for war that will never come and putting boots to asses, you need to let you hair down; grab a drink, catch a show, or play some cards.
• Getting Even - Someone screwed you over and no one gets away with screwing you. Likely suspects are: an Azorious arrester beating you to a collar,a Golgari findbroker refusing the release evidence, or a Simic honeypot who's blackmailing you. Maybe an advokist won't leave you alone for using excessive force last month.

Mixed Bag

 

****Quick Update****

Bad News: I haven't been actively blogging since mid-January because I lost my job and for the past two months my computer has solely existed to submit job applications. That hasn't changed, I'm still looking. You can ease my financial stresses by buying the Monster of the week Tome of Mysteries out in May. You can read about it here and buy it wherever RPG products are sold.

Good News: The Monster of the Week Tome of Mysteries is being published! It's out in May!
I've already mentioned two-three times in this blog post but it's still kinda unreal to me. It's pretty cool. I'll also start blogging again with regularity, Google+'s absence will be felt.
I'll probably post something about that.

tl;dr: I'm not dead, just sidelined. But I contributed to a book coming out in May. You can learn more about it here.

Blackwood: The Elf Who Would Be King

Out past the safety of Hedges and Lanterns’ light, the Blackwood stretches beyond distances measurable: the miles contract and dilate without regard for the surveyor’s art. Dense with trees and boggy ground, boughs hide the sky and obscure the hour, travelers off the beaten path rarely find their way home once they’ve stumbled into the Elven Deeps. Hostile to farming and static settlement, the Pagan clans live by hunting, gathering, banditry, and war.

Each clan is part of a larger whole, quilt work confederacies united by shared history and Elven worship. Some of these confederacies were bound in the ashes of Wulf Ember-Eye’s madness and only the worst crisis could sunder them, while others have the permanence of mist. Liable to explode into blood feud at the slightest provocation or dissolve from momentary inconvenience. This volatility frustrates the self-styled Lord Manu's royal ambitions. 

Through force and guile he acquired all the things a king should: a legendary blade from the Winter Kingdom, a castle, elite men-at-arms, a prodigal knight, and a betrothed. An army, a horde is all he lacks. So that's what he'll build. Few outside the Errants and woodkin would hear the rumors and portents- a double rainbow heralding a rival power, forsaken totems scorched in bonfire ashes, fallen champions on gruesome display, and Howlers walking on their hind legs as men. All hint at a gathering storm.

LORD MANU, CERYNEIA'S BETROTHED & WOULD-BE KING
WILD CARD
STATS - Strength D10 Agility D10 Vigor D10 Smarts D8 Spirit D8
SKILLS - Fighting D12, Intimidation D6, Knowledge (Battle) D8, Notice D6, Persuasion D8, Riding D6, Taunt D8
SIZE 1 PARRY 10 TOUGHNESS 11 (3)
EDGES- Aspiring, Worthy, and Master of Stone Lion, Block & Improved Block, First Strike, Leaf Step, Trademark Weapon, Improved Trademark Weapon (Calendirwine), Sweep
HINDRANCES - Arrogant (Major, ), Driven (Major), Vengeful (Major)
ATTACKS
CALENDIRWINE, KING OF STEEL - +2 to hit. STR + D10+2 Damage, Reach 2". Additional damage dice from Raises and die explosions are D12s. The fabled blade of the Winter King, lost to legend and now in Lord Manu's grip.
HORNS - STR+D6 Damage. Manu can make a Horns attack against an adjacent enemy at no penalty.

POWERS
REGENERATION - While in contact with Watergiver, Lord Manu benefits from Regeneration per the Savage Worlds core rulebook.

Lord Manu has 30 PP and knows 9 of the 11 following powers: blind, deflection, dispel, fear, greater healing, invisibility, smite, speed, summon ally, teleport, warrior's gift

THE WATERGIVER
Lord Manu's personal mount, a great fanged stag fed a steady diet of Great Root, red python hearts, and stag antlers. Pagan stories say the stag freed the rivers from the grasp of a selfish dragon. The fight shattered Watergiver's antlers so he took the dragon's fangs as a trophy,.

(per the Stag in the Blackwood Codex with the additional abilities and Edges: Aspiring, Worthy, and Master of Boar School and Leaf Step Edges from the Blackwood Codex, Regeneration and Venom monster abilities from the Savage Worlds core rulebook. Yes, the deer knows kung fu.)
  
The 7 Errants are a fellowship of heroic martial artists and wanderers for Eli Kurtz' Blackwood setting - a mash-up of Wuxia action and frontier fairy tales. You can find the book for sale here and a free quick start bundle here.