Successful Adventurers Returning to Town (NPCs)

Saw this picture over at the OBI Scrapbook Blog -

And I couldn't resist trying to write these guys up as a group of NPCs.  I'm a bit of a minimalist, but these should work just fine in any old school game.

• A =  Adelfre the torchbearer. 

• B = Brigeorferd the torchbearer.  Actually quite proficient with the shortsword.  

• C = Jadat the Quiet.  Useful to have around.  Good with a knife and doesn't mind the sight of blood.  Knows how to brew a virulent poison that causes the victim to feel like they are burning inside.

• D = Dakim the fighter.  Wears padded mail.  Prefers the mace to the sword.  Uneasy around the monkey-wizard, but is a mercenary through-and-through.  The monkey pays well.

• E = Ernie the halfling ranger.  Quite good at tracking and has an affinity for animals in the wild. Can read the runes on the standing stones.  Seems nigh impervious to magic and this irritates Kan-lac to no end.

• F = Frish the bearer.  Won't fight, but is quite happy carrying things.  Doesn't mind if a few little things make their way into his pockets during the trip.  

• G = Gando the fighter.  Proficient enough.  Spies on Kan-lac for the Wizards Guild of Thray.

• H = Hardgarl the oaf.  Not too bright, but strong as an ox.  Loyal to Kan-lac.  Is actually quite amazed by the talking monkey and will do anything it says.  Has magical chainmail under his threadbare coat.

• K = Kan-lac the monkey wizard.  Transformed by a permanent polymorph spell, Kan-lac uses his size, speed and appearance to his distinct advantage.  He is extremely intelligent and knows many charms and enchantments.  Wears a ring of protection.  

• L = Limbar the halfling footpad.  Best friend to Hardgarl.  Keeps him out of trouble.

NPC Traits from Griffin Mountain

Saw this post about Griffin Mountain (I am a big original Runequest fan) so I did a little digging on the interwebs.

As I was giving the module the once over, I discovered this graphic in the NPC record section.  I had a thought --

When an NPC is asked to perform one of these actions, which is to say an action along the continua represented within this chart, roll 2d6 and mark the number down.

Low numbers represent a tendency toward the trait on the right, while high numbers represent a tendency toward the trait on the left.  Let me give an example --

Here's a partially fleshed out NPC.  In social situations, where he might need to be out going he is very likely to be INTROVERTED.  When posed with a problem, he is likely to favor a PHYSICAL solution.  He is very much a FOLLOWER.

Once the numbers are established, just roll 2d6 and compare the result to the number shown.  If the number is greater, look to the right.  If it is less, look to the left.  If you roll the number exactly; pick one or pick the more likely or roll again.  Your call.  :)

If you roll a 2 or a 12 for the trait -- the NPC always acts as described.  2 = right, 12 = left.

In the example above, the NPC is always a follower and will not lead. 

This is just an untested idea.  YMMV.  I just thought I'd share.  :)

EDIT:  A gentleman by the name of Alex Chalk created a random generator based upon my crazy idea.  Thanks Alex!

Random Wizard Powers 2

Being an inveterate tinkerer, I've devised a new version of the sheet.

Here's a shot with the changes -

Once again, it's based on this post by Zak.  :)

Section A, I've added some calculations and text that appends to spells in the B Section.  This stuff dynamically changes by level, according to my own personal tastes.  YMMV.

You can see in Section C that I've got some seed numbers that I use to drive Section A.

I wasn't happy with Zak's S (Sleep) and X (X-Ray) so I replaced these with some variable powers based on level.  You can see those at D.

Here's a 5th level version of this wizard, you can see how the powers change...

Anyway, download it if you'd like.  It's crude.  It's a beta, but if it works for you -- great!

Random Wizard Powers

Some time ago, Zak created a list of magical powers that your NPC magic users/evil baddies could use based upon the characters in their name.

I thought this was a grand idea, but I never implemented it.  I don't want to remember to memorize spells for my evil spellcasters.  I don't want to remember spell descriptions.  I just want to run the evil wizards/spellcasters as easily as possible.  Even though Zak made the power match the initial, I still had trouble remembering it and/or being consistent.

Today, I knocked out a spreadsheet that does the work of listing those powers for you.  It's crude, but it does the job.

Here's how it works --

Section A contains all the entries from Zak's table.  You can edit these however you wish.  The letters at the beginning have no bearing on the lookup -- I was just too lazy to remove them.  The column to the left, a to z, is the lookup column -- Don't change that one.

Section B is where you type the name of the wizard.  Right below it, you can see a crude set of fields that break the name down into its component letters.  It then does a VLOOKUP against the letter and puts the power in the column.

Section C contains the Level of the wizard (in this case 10) and a calculation for D below.  I divide the level by 3 in this case.  If you want fewer tick boxes you can divide by a higher number; if more, divide by a lower number.  Whatever number or calculation appears in the box below the level is the max number of boxes to appear in D below.

Section D contains little "tick boxes" randomly determined between 1 and the calculation in C.  In this case from 1 to 4.  When the evil wizard uses a power, mark it off.

So, just type in the wizard's name -- print out the sheet and put it in your DM binder.

Here's a link to the spreadsheet.  Download a copy if you'd like.

Let me know what you think.

Boggle Character Generation

Now, I'm not going to tell you that 3d6 in order -- or 4d6/best3 -- are difficult methods for generating characters.  They are not.  But occasionally my brain takes me on little side trips and I feel compelled to see where they go.

Sometimes, I like to share these ideas with those of you who are good enough to read this blog.

Here's my idea -- use a Boggle game tray to generate a character in one whack.

Here's a pic --

Take 16d6 and put them in the Boggle tray.  3 of them should be a different color -- in this case green.  Shake liberally then set down.  If the dice don't fit exactly, minor rearrangement may be necessary.  Your character is now generated.

One possible advantage to this method would be when generating NPCs.  You could shake the dice and set them aside.  Maybe you only need to know their STR right now.  Fine.  Read it off the dice.  At the next lull in the game, you can jot down all their other stats into your notes.

If you prefer 3d6 in order, here's the way I'd read the dice --

The stats would be -

STR - 9, INT - 15, WIS - 9, DEX - 9, CON -  8, CHA - 12

If you prefer 4d6/best3, here's the way I'd read the dice -

The stats would be -

STR - 10, INT - 17, WIS - 10, DEX - 13, CON - 12, CHA - 12

In either case, I would give 80 gp to Wizard characters, 100 gp to all others.

What do you think?

NPC Graash [Rapscallion Registry]

If you'd like to contribute a PC to an OSR version of the "Rogues Gallery," click this link.

Graash, Lizardman Cleric

In my Q1 adventure where the characters fought against the Evil Temple of Fraz Urb'luu, the PCs rescued a lizardman from the dungeons.  That turned out to be Graash.

Graash was a valued member of the party at low levels.  His healing was about all the healing the party had, outside of healing potions.

I actually bought and painted a mini of Graash.  Probably one of my earliest paintjobs and it was an NPC.  :)

NPC Doorknob the Daring [Rapscallion Registry]

If you'd like to contribute a PC to an OSR version of the "Rogues Gallery", click this link.

Here's the next NPC --

Doorknob the Daring was a lot of fun to play.  He was tough and capable and he was always willing to fight.  Brash, Sharky and Skanderbag all came to rely on him for opening doors and leading the battle against any humanoids the party encountered.  His sparse talking style was easy to roleplay and it was fun to be "in character." 

I remember a moment when Sharky picked him up by the doorknob on his helm before he could charge into combat against a band of norkers.  Priceless.

NPC Harry Furryfoot [Rapscallion Registry]

Happy Festivus everyone!

If you'd like to contribute a PC to my OSR "Rogues Gallery" please click this link.

Here's my next NPC --

Harry Furryfoot (yeah, I know, not original) was a stealthy sidekick to Brash Blunderbuss.  He was a little bit of comic relief and he was the only one who could find and remove those pesky traps.  I didn't run him as a DM pet; the PC's had to almost direct him when they needed him to do those "thiefly" things.

The "Gold Dragon Elf Charm" was a magic item in my campaign where you roll 2d6 for an extra saving throw in dire circumstances --

• I'm falling off the top of a tall building
• I'm falling into a pit of acid
• I've just been immolated by an ancient red dragon

If you roll a 7 or 11, some miraculous, unbelievable coincidence saves you.

• There's a haywagon at the bottom of the wall
• An acid snake looms up out of the acid and you grab it by the fangs
• The dragon sputters and belches out smoke instead of fire, giving you an opportunity to scramble to safety

The circumstances you find yourself in aren't always better, but you are still kicking.  Works twice per day.

Queston NPCs and ALL CALL

TL:DR -- I share NPCs and I call for submissions for the "Rapscallion Registry" a new, OSR version of the old TSR "Rogues Gallery"

In 1983, I started my Queston campaign world.  It was a mish-mash of bad puns, some clever ideas and a lot of fun.  I always think of Queston as a funny, slightly silly world where the comic heroes face real, dark horrors and evil.  In any case, I think that most who adventure there enjoy it.  I know that I enjoy running games there.

My recent CotMA campaign has added to the mythology by fleshing out parts of Whair (a large island to the East) and continues to be great fun.

Back in 1983, however, most adventures took place on the central continent with its dominant Fyrkingdom.  (hat tip to Ralph Bakshi's Fire and Ice)

Anyway, in the spring of 1983, I turned 16.  I got a car (thanks Dad!)  He gave me his old Buick Electra 225.  It looked like this, but the Arizona sun had pretty much ruined its paint.

With a car came responsibilities and a job.  With a job, came cash!

I started working that summer at a golf course -- for $3.35 an hour! -- and eventually I got a job as a cook at KFC.

I paid for my insurance and my gas and I started buying gaming stuff, most of which I still have today.

One item I purchased was the Rogues Gallery.  I really used this product a lot for on the spot NPCs.  I also REALLY love the section of characters from the original games.  That section is where this product really shines.

I set about writing up NPCs for my Queston game and I put them in a ring binder for use in my games. Here's the first one.

Brash was an NPC that had a friendly rivalry with Sharky Dangerthorn in my game.  He was always trying to one-up Sharky.  Usually, Brash was able to bed the tavern wench whereas Sharky would win the big pot at the local Orcish Nod game.  Brash was the literal "wall that walks like a man" and was valuable for keeping the tiny party of PCs (two) alive during adventures.  We just didn't do hirelings back in the day...

Now, if you'd like to contribute a favorite PC from any of your games -- please fill out the form below. I'd love to compile all the PCs of days gone by into a book, like Rogues Gallery, that could be purchased from Lulu POD.  Many thanks in advance for your contributions!

DIY Rig for Priming Minis

I'm not an expert mini painter, but I do enjoy it.

I like to primer my minis; plastic or metal, with white or black flat spray paint.  I can usually get it for about $1 a can at my local hardware store.

Anyway, I built this rig out of a 2"x2" piece of scrap, 4 wood screws, 4 washers, 4 finish nails and 4 small binder clips.

I think you can see how it's made.

You attach the binder clips to the 2x2 using the wood screws.  The washers are there to keep the binder clips from slipping off.  The nails keep the binder clips from rotating.

Here are a few pics.

The binder clip has a good grip on classic lead bases like you see above. or on the "slot" part of a more modern "slottabase" mini.  

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you *might* recognize these four fine adventurers as the group I rescued from the Wilds of Eee'bhay.

I will be painting them up as an homage to these fine characters --

Of course, for a couple of these, the gender is reversed...  

If I had to do it all over again, I'd move the clips to the center of the 2x2 so that I could have a handle on each end of the scrap wood.  Some day, I still might do just that.  

I went ahead and moved the clips to the center of the board.  I added one; I'm up to five clips now.  Perfect for this squad of old school beakie lead Space Marines!

These guys are so cool.  I especially like the one with melta gun and plasma pistol.  :)

DM Prep Page [2+3 of 9]

Originally, my 9 page DM Prep document was only 8 pages.  Recently, I had to retool my NPC names page because I was having trouble with Chris Pound's Name Generator.

Well, on a lark, I reached out to Chris and he gave me some helpful advice about linking to his page.  Suffice to say that I still have my alternate names page, but I like Chris's names A LOT better.  Here's a shot of that page:

Here's a closeup of the top section:

On the left, is a hyperlinked list of Chris's names from his site.  OpenOffice refreshes this list every 30 minutes and right when I launch the file.  This gives me a random list of names each time.  I have some RANDBETWEEN cells driving some VLOOKUP functions so that I get about 30 (?) different NPCs. Chris's generator has 250 names during each iteration, so I don't come close to using them all.

I honestly don't remember where I got the data for the other columns.  I found it online or I generated it myself or something.  I have some random scripts that drive that data too.

The bottom section looks a little different:

This section has a rumor that may or may not be true.  I don't remember where I found those lists either.  :(  Over a couple of weeks, I was pulling data off the interwebs and pouring it into the spreadsheet.  Then I set up all the random functions and viola!  DM Prep page.

Some random names that I've pulled off these lists that developed into NPCs in the game --

• Uri the Bear -- a strong orc warrior that was charmed by Biata.  Served her well for a long time until he was killed.
• Boltoff -- human mercenary, member of Red Faction and friend to Yuri.  He's not always been the most loyal, but he seems to have a healthy fear of Oryx, so he hasn't crossed the party.  Much.  
• Brogan White-eye -- Blue Faction lieutenant that the party rescued from Gnolls on Level 6.  Has given them information in the past.  Seems like a fair minded fellow.
• Sennett Silkhands -- Archmage at the Ravenport Wizards Guild, friend and occassional companion to Kalen.
• Grim "Tinblade" Broadaxe -- dwarven weaponsmith.  Tasked with reforging the Frostbrand of Errol using the Everfrost.
• Yuri the Seeker -- Former owner of a magical shield known as "The Bastion"
• Gavril the Hawk -- elf.  Friend of...
• Lathan Sapphiremoon -- also an elf.  Archer.  Romantic interest and clansman to Vera Diamondtree.
• Endira of the Yellow Hand -- strange alien enforcer for the Arena Games on CotMA Level 4.  

Endira of the Yellow Hand

There are many more.   Having names and other details at your fingertips to choose from is very valuable.

RIP Knand

DnD is a funny game.  I know, I know, I'm currently playing Labyrinth Lord, but this game will always be DnD to me.

Anyway, it's a funny game.

If you allow the dice to be "oracles," you never know what will happen and that's the beauty of it all.  The game can still surprise you.

The randomness of the dice allow for an "emergent narrative" that just happens.  It's not a railroad.  It's not a fixed plot-line.  Events transpire and the dice help determine what takes place.

Well, last night, a loyal henchman died.  Sometimes those surprises can be bittersweet.

Trouble is, he didn't die at the hands of a vicious enemy.  He wasn't incinerated by a dragon.  He wasn't killed by fell magic.

He died at the hands of a trusted ally; victim to a fumble.  A random accident.  A one in 2400 chance.

Knand was an NPC that entered our game as the result of a draw from a Deck of Many Things.  You can read a bit about that episode here.   Hanuman was lost to the Donjon and ended up in a cage, suspended above a cavern, with his loyal 4th level fighter Knand.

They adventured together and escaped back into the world and were inseparable.  Knand owed Hanuman his life.

Hanuman grumbled a bit about how fat Knand was, but they relied on each other.

Today, Hanuman, in the heat of battle, accidentally snapped Knand's neck.  He died.

RIP Knand.  You will be missed.

UPDATE:  Here's a link to a remembrance of Knand.  

Polyhedral NPC Matrix (Part 4)

So, Telecanter told me in a comment that he thought dropping the Scrabble Tiles onto a map was a really good idea.  If he thinks so, I have to give it a try.

I got the old Judges Guild Tarantis City Supplement a long time ago on RPGNow.  It has a great map in the back.  It's big with a lot of possibilities.

So, I took a picture of my "tile map" with my phone.  I used GIMP to cut out all the circles and make them a little transparent.  I overlayed this onto the Tarantis map.  I stretched the circles a little to spread them out across the city a bit.

Here's the map:

Looking where the circles are on the Tarantis map, I made some determinations about what my NPCs are doing there.

Here's that chart:

The coolest thing here is the serendipity of it all.  The randomness tells a story, more than you'd get if you made it up on your own and you get to be surprised by it as it happens.

For example,

• Steinthor the Dog works for the Wizard on Quikling Row.  Did the wizard set him up with that symbiotic arm?
• Apparently Weasel lurks around the Temple on Firdausi Lane.  Does he masquerade as a priest? Does he do work for those at the Temple?  Does he have sanctuary there?
• Julian the Barbarian hangs out in the Bazaar.  Why?  Is he looking for a job?  Does he have merchandise to sell?
• Galan, our Bard, frequently performs at the Weeping Willow Inn.  How does he get along with the proprietors?  How many of their famous "Zombie" drinks can he handle?

Great stuff!  More plots and possibilities to be found as I read through the selections in more detail.

Polyhedral NPC Matrix (Part 3)

On my previous post, Telecanter suggested that I use a bunch of Scrabble Tiles to make the NPC Matrix.

Excellent idea.  Thank you!

Keith Davies further suggested that "blanks" might have some special connotation when the tiles were thrown.

Another excellent idea!  Thank you!

So, I liked these ideas SO MUCH that I gave it a try.  I honestly don't know where to go from here.  I have ideas and I'm thinking about it.  I want to show you the maps I made.

I selected all the tiles.  These aren't Scrabble but from Bananagrams (?)  A friend (RF in my CotMA Campaign) gave these to me.

I threw them down on a large sheet of paper from an IKEA art roll I have in my office.  A few tiles bounced off the table (I was perhaps a bit too enthusiastic...) so I just picked them up and flipped them back onto the paper.  This is what it looked like at the end.

Now, none of my tiles are "blank" as Keith suggested, but a large number are upside-down.  I figure that tells me *something* about those NPCs.  Maybe they are good or maybe they are evil.  Maybe they all have a secret...  I don't know, but I want to make sure I remember which ones were upside-down.

I began by circling the upside-up ones in RED.  Here's what that looks like:

I wrote the letter inside the circle.  There's still *a lot* of room to scribble more notes on here when the time is right...

Then, I circled the upside-down tiles in BLUE.

So, there's the map.  What does proximity mean?  If the letters are close together, are they allies?  Are they an organization?  Do they have a common goal regardless of their "alignment" or alliances?

What if they are all alone on the periphery.  What does that mean?

This method bears a striking resemblance to the excellent ideas Telecanter shared about making caves, caverns and dungeons with dice and condiments!

At first glance, this looks like a map.  If this was a city, you could overlay this onto a map and perhaps find out where all of them "live."  Alternately, you could print up a city map (or regional map) and throw the tiles onto it.  The location of the tile would show where they "live."

I'm going to ponder this map awhile and see what pops into my head.  Of course, I appreciate any suggestions or ideas you might have.  Please share them in the comments.

Polyhedral NPC Matrix (Part 2)

On Tuesday, I posted about using a Scattergories d20 to make an NPC matrix.  Go here to read it.

I decided I wanted to flesh out my matrix with some relationships and motivations.  Finding nothing readily available in my existing resources (I didn't look everywhere...) I mocked this up:

The results of my 1d6+2d6 rolls transformed my NPC Matrix thusly --

It's a start!

Polyhedral NPC Matrix

A few weeks ago, I saw this great series of posts about Polyhedral Pantheons at KJD-IMC.  It got me thinking about dice and how you could make a matrix connecting NPCs within a campaign.

Then I remembered that great party game Scattergories.  It has a d20 in it that has various letters of the alphabet instead of 1 through 20.

Seems to me, you could look at the die and create a matrix -- each face touches three other faces at the edge.  You could create a list of names (using each letter) and you could randomly create some information about each NPC.

Here's my list of names.  I used Chris Pound's Name Generator for the names.  I just picked off the list based upon the letter.

I rolled in the back of my Wilderness Alphabet to randomly generate characteristics.  I wanted each NPC to have a unique role, so I re-rolled occupations.  I also stopped rolling "noses" after about the third or fourth one.  :)

Here's a matrix of how the NPCs know (or are connected) to each other.  Further fleshing out during the game will be necessary.

Depending upon the granularity of your game, you might have a separate matrix for the Wizard's Guild, the Thieve's Guild and the Merchant's Guild.  Or, you might just have one matrix for the city/town/hamlet as a whole.  You can decide.

Now, when the characters are looking for information (or whatever) you can grab that big d20 and roll...

"Oh, a 'G', I guess that Galan Odonsson, the Muttering Bard, knows something..."

"Who else is after the Scarlet Cloak of Eldradiss?  'J'  Julian Slightthoughts, the dimwitted barbarian..."

"Who hired the assassin?  'H' Harald Catfoot - heck, maybe he IS the assassin..."

You get the idea.  :)

You can order replacement Scattergories d20s here for $2 each.  I faxed my order in on a Thursday and I received my d20s on Monday.  No shipping either!

Adventuring Party Rescued from the Wilds of Eee'bhay

I have a saved search on eBay that looks for cool stuff for me.  One of those searches is "Grenadier Miniatures."

This morning, a lot of four minis popped up on my list so I gave it a look...

the caption includes "Female Thief, Female Mage, Rogue Adventurer and Barbarian Hero"

The packs looked to be in good condition, so I made the seller an offer on all four, which he accepted within two minutes.

:)

These four adventurers will be arriving at my house sometime soon where they will be freed from their acrylic prisons.  They will be reunited at my game table as a party of NPC adventurers...

... their saga is just beginning!

Oh, PS, if you'd like to offer me some cool names for this group, I've created a Google Form here.  Many thanks in advance for your suggestions!!

Ode to Jeff and Telecanter

Jeff Rients posted a pic of this guy over at his blog.  I saw it and I couldn't resist giving it the Telecanter treatment, so here he is.

Special thanks to both of those fine gentlemen for being such inspirations to us all!

Swashbucklers

Over at  GoDeckYourself.com, I built a deck of 12 Swashbucklers.  I got the images from the Wizards website and I used the Labyrinth Lord Character generator to cut/paste in some random traits.

If the traits were normal/average -- I deleted them for space reasons.

You can get the cards here.

Old School Gamer Bling - NPCs - Dwarves (pt 1)

Here's a different version of the Old School NPC Cards.

In this one, I took the exported file and brought it into GIMP.  I deleted all the empty fields to make the face of the card larger.  Then I imported each picture separately and scaled it to the card.

The result is a larger picture with still a little bit of room at the top for name and other info.

See if you like it...

click to embiggen / dowload