The Metal Bard

Unlocking Character Races I like the idea of unlockables --things you can get through adventuring. In Symbion I have four core phenotypes (think races)   that each provide a simple bonus to attributes during character creation. Then, I have eight more phenotypes that give something more: better bonuses or small special abilities. These eight are not available at the start of an adventure but must be unlocked in some way, although I wasn't entirely sure how. A couple of sessions ago, the question came up.  -"How can we unlock the arachnid phenotype?"  asked a player. -"Adventuring, of course."  I said,  "Look for a way to get transformed." They learned from local rumors that a giant spider deep in the woods could have the powers to transform someone into an arachnid humanoid. But the spider is always hungry and would require an offering. The Company bought an old racing pig from a local farmer as the offering. The pig was called Piggy Smalls, as a joke ...

Monster Generator Golden Skull Skeleton As I continue to develop the monsters for Symbion , sometimes I need a catalyst to jog my imagination. It doesn't have to be complicated, something as simple as a color or body feature can help move things forward. To help during those times, I created a table with some terms and features that when put together can give synergistic ideas. Maybe it can help you develop your own monsters too. Generate Monster Table of Entries 1d12 Head/face 1 Head/face 2 Body structure Body details 1 Body details 2 Appendages 1 Appendages 2 Major color Minor color Wings 1 humanoid gaping mouth vaporous clothed finned a barbed tail spider legs emerald lime insectile wings 2 wolf skull amorphous crystal armored venomous stingers insectoid limbs cerulean aqua feathered wings 3 spider glowing eyes bipedal jelly chitinous gnashin...

  Nightblade's cover      Nightblade is a pay-what-you-want micro-RPG that distills the essentials of fantasy adventuring into a tightly packed experience. In just three pages there are: three classes, eighteen special abilities, and six monsters with additional rules for making minions and elites. Below I describe  briefly   things I found interesting. Condensed character information: Each character has three attributes: Force, Skill and Mind, which affect rolls and defense. You will be able to choose from three Kin (equivalent to races) and three classes, each offering six Knacks (special abilities) making your character useful in unique ways. For instance, while weapon attacks target Force, the Runeweaver’s Rune of Control targets Mind instead, which for a Goblin is only 9!   The condensed design seems like it could facilitate learning the game while leaving enough room for creative play. Static target numbers for checks: Roll a D20 and add ...

Random List Generator Illustration by  Silex Art Studio      Nicodeme III, a wizard, is carrying 3 bundles of ropes, 4 flasks of oil, 1 lantern, 15 torches, 3 potions, 1 lockpicking kit, 2 vials of acid, 1 extendable ladder, 2 leather armor, 4 daggers, 1 short sword, 3 bows, 1 quiver, 50 arrows, and 15,000 coins. There is no squeaky door, dark corridor, pit, or padlock that stands in the way of Nicodeme III. He is ready for anything and will be even more ready next time he visits the general store. Sorry Nicodeme III, you’re going to have to drop some stuff, it’s too much. I believe that encumbrance can be useful as a mechanism to encourage creative thinking. If a character is lacking a rope, it may have to get creative or take a risk to descend down a slippery cave. And, of course, if there is too much treasure in a dangerous dungeon, then being unable to carry it all in one trip may encourage new strategies or preparation. For those of us that lik...

This is a session recap (26 July 2024) for the new system I'm testing called Chrono-Delve . I'm running an open table every week to continue testing and developing the game. Join the discord here . A company of four adventurers stood on the main road of Redwood as dusk settled. Every door and window were locked, for the village was built above a dungeon full of dangerous beasts that emerged at night. But as the beasts came out, adventurers went in. Equipped with torches, rope, and empty sacks set out ready to find treasure. Descending stairs of hewn stone led into a pitch-dark room. Eustice, an aspiring shaman, lit the first torch, revealing a three-way split deeper into the dungeon. “There are droppings of a mid-sized beast going east,” said Ziok, an apprentice wizard. “Perhaps we should go north.” The north corridor was narrow and damp, forcing the adventurers to move in single file. rioN, a knight, led the way. Not far in, she noticed an iron-banded oaken door on the western...

Inventory Management Methods - Poll Results Recently, I have been testing parts of a table-top role-playing game (TTRPG) system that I'm developing by running a dungeon of mine ( Pyramids of the Death Worshippers ). This has been incredibly helpful by allowing me to see mechanics in action from different angles. One of those mechanics is slot-based inventory management. As many other TTRPGs, inventory management is a central part of my game. In my opinion, having a finite number of carrying capacity can set interesting challenges, from having enough rope to being able to carry all of the treasure you just found. There are various methods of managing inventory in TTRPGs, and ultimately it comes down to preference. Yet, it got me thinking about what method different groups are implementing. To get an idea, I ran four polls across TTRPG subreddits, including r/OSR, r/Shadowdark, r/RPG, and r/DnD (herein referred to as OSR, Shadowdark, RPG, and DnD, respectively). A table with the...