Free RPG Day Loot

I went to my FLGS (Dragon's Lair in Austin) today for Free RPG Day. I'm glad I got there early; by noon, they were almost out of their freebies. Here's what I scored, in no particular order:

• Cosmic Patrol: Quick-Start Rules and The Eiger Agenda
  A cute little 24 page, staple bound book about 4x8 inches.
  This one looks like tremendous pulpy fun.
• Pathfinder: We Be Goblins, Too!
  A follow-on to the previous goblin-centered adventure, this time your "heroes" (and I use the term very loosely) are trying to impress a new tribe of Goblins by chasing of an ogre and his unsavory companions. Assumes you know how to play Pathfinder.
• Castles&Crusades: A Pot of Broken Bones (for 3-4 adventurers, 3-8th+ level)
  They're confident enough of their product not to include any rules primer.
  The adventure looks pretty good, and clocks in at around 10 pages of scenario. I'll probably use it for a Pathfinder game.
• Swords&Wizardry: Hall of Bones
  I was happy to see S&W representing; I think the game is virtually unknown here.
  There are about 6 pages of scenario and maps, and the rest includes a rules overview and a few pages of "Old School Philosophy". So, a very nice introduction to S&W, but definitely an introduction.
• Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Better Than Any Man
  This one is even marked "Ages 18+, Explicit Content".
  No rules, but 96 (yes, 96) pages of setting, adventure and some disturbing artwork.
  This one is fascinating but probably has a very limited audience. Set in the 30 Years War during the Swedish Intervention (yeah, sue me, I'm kind of a history dork too), though this is a D&D based fantasy game, the setting is very realistic, except that there is something horrible going on. (I mean, aside from the viscious wars of religion.)
  I'll probably write about this one once I've had the chance to read it.
• Star Wars: Edge of the Empire
  Fantasy Flight Games' new SW game, though not with any of the fancy dice.
  40 pages of rules intro, pregenerated characters, and a multi-part scenario. I'm not sure about the game system yet (I've only skimmed it), but the presentation is good.
• A double-sided book that has Battletech&Shadowrun RPGs in it by Catalyst Games
  Like the SW one, this is well produced, but on initial skim, I'm not excited by the rules of either game (they're different). To be honest, I'm more into Mekton's "Mech RPG" system, though I do rather like BTech's history. (BTech is actually what got me into miniatures so many years ago.)

I'm hoping to play either "We Be Goblins Too" or "Cosmic Patrol" tomorrow with my kids. LoTFP:BTAM (now that's an acronym) is on my short list to read. Pot of Broken Bones will get converted to Pathfinder and inserted into my campaign. The others I'll get to as time allows.

Jala Stormborn, Pathfinder Sorceress

Here's my latest version of the Jala Stormborn, an Ulfen Sorceress with an Air Elemental bloodline. This version is similar but not identical to the one I put up a few days ago. The statblock below was generated with HeroLab, which I find indispensable for making Pathfinder characters.

(I'm trying to build a Half-Orc Barbarian who might be her travelling companion, but I'm having a little trouble getting his concept right, so his stats will have to wait.)

Jala Stormborn
Female Human (Ulfen) Sorcerer 1
CG Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +1

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Defense

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AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex)
hp 7 (1d6+1)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +2

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Dagger +0 (1d4/19-20/x2) and
   Spear +0 (1d8/x3)
Special Attacks elemental ray (6/day)
Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 1):
1 (4/day) Feather Fall (DC 14), Color Spray (DC 14)
0 (at will) Mage Hand, Open/Close (DC 13), Detect Magic, Drench (DC 13)

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Statistics

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Str 10, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 12
Feats Arcane Strike, Eschew Materials, Persuasive
Skills Bluff +7, Diplomacy +6, Intimidate +9, Perception +1, Use Magic Device +7
Languages Auran, Common, Skald
SQ bloodlines (elemental [air])
Combat Gear Oil (2), Sunrod (2); Other Gear Dagger, Spear, Backpack (15 @ 17.5 lbs), Bedroll, Belt pouch (1 @ 2.5 lbs), Candle (5), Chalk (5), Flint and steel, Mirror, Silk rope, Soap, Trail rations (5), Waterskin, 117 GP, 2 SP, 6 CP

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TRACKED RESOURCES

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Dagger - 0/1
Elemental Ray (6/day) (Sp) - 0/6
Spear - 0/1
Sunrod - 0/2
Trail rations - 0/5

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Special Abilities

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Arcane Strike As a swift action, add +1 damage, +1 per 5 caster levels and your weapons are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Elemental (Air) You may change any energy spell to use [Electricity] energy.
Elemental Ray (6/day) (Sp) Ranged touch attack deals 1d6 Electricity damage
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.

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Jala is the daughter of an Ulfen merchant, born at sea during a particularly violent thunderstorm. Always slight person and pale even by Ulfen standards, Jala has always known that she is different from her friends.
(ed: she does not yet have Appraise skill even though it fits her background; she'll grab it next level.)

Jala channels her elemental power into a quick temper, and she is not without the legendary Ulfen forceful will and competitive spirit. Though she is capricious by nature, she respects honor and honesty, and if she does take an oath (an unlikely event - like the wind, Jala will not be bound), she will hold to that oath.

Though many find her sense of humor odd, Jala is an accomplished diplomat, able to bluff or intimidate her way through any situation her Diplomacy fails her.

In combat, Jala fights with a lightning-charged spear, and always has a dagger on hand to handle dangerous situations in her down time. She will seek to engage at range with her Elemental(Lightning) Ray when possible, and will use Color Spray to incapacitate groups of opponents whenever possible. Her Ulfen pride does make her inclined to "play fair" with singular opponents, but she is aware of her physical limits and will not easily be tricked into a losing melee situation. ("How is me using magic any different from you using your muscles?")

As a novice sorceress, Jala mastered a handful of electrical and air disciplines, She has the greatest affinity for air transmutations and pattern illusions, though she also understands conjuration and divination to an extent, especially when the conjuration relates to air or rain.

Jala delights in using her powers (especially her cantrips) and can be a bit of a show-off. In public, She would sooner use Mage Hand or "Open/Close" than her own hands, and she has been known to use Drench to deal with problematic social encounters.

Beneath her playful displays and bravado though is a deep fascination with magic, and a drive to understand her connection with the elemental plane of Air. She knows full well that her soul and fate are entwined with the elements, and she eagerly seeks out new knowledge of the mystic realms which she believes will one day be her home.

Conquest of the Bloodsworn Vale, Day 3

Days 1-2 were taken up by the party's foray against the Rose King.

Upon returning to Forth Thorn, Sir Tolgrith tasked the players with seeking natural resources, investigating a reported Owlbear lair and determining the cause of a strange, monthly pollution in the nearby river, scheduled to happen again in roughly a week.

The players decided to seek out the reputed Owlbear nest, though the Catfolk Rogue decided she would rather stay back at the fort, as she'd heard a rumor of a particularly fine cream being served. (CN rogues played by 9yo's are not reliable party members.)

The remaining players (A fighter, Wizard and their Cleric NPC) decided it would be faster to take a raft down the stream. Which it was, but going back later proved to be a chore. ;) I had them make some Survival rolls to figure out how to control the boat and a Fort save to avoid becoming fatigued. They made it to within a few miles of the foothills they believed to be the owlbears' likely home, and grounded their raft to rest and eat.

The Bloodsworn Vale is not a civilized place however, and their meal was interrupted by the angry snort of a Dire Boar, intent on defending his beach and maybe eating the cleric (a gnome). The wizard combined Arcane Strike and Hand of the Apprentice to good effect, keeping his distance from the brute, whereas the fighter tested his fancy new Adamantine blade on the beast's skull. Though it fought on well beyond wounds that lesser creatures would have succumbed to, in a few rounds the boar was bested, and the party set of towards the foothills.

Their progress was unimpeded, and after a few rather astute observations, they located a likely cave. Steeling themselves and saying a prayer to Desna, they crept into the darkness.

Rounding a corner, the fighter discovered that they had not been as stealthy as he had believed, and two of the great beasts were waiting for him. The wizard was the least startled of the group, and lobbed a fireball into the cave beyond, gravely wounding all three resident owlbears. The owlbears were far from finished though, and immediately charged the fighter, who found himself nearly dead and grappled by one of the great beasts. Being no slouch at melee though, the fighter worked his way free of the beast's clutches and downed a potion to regain his fight. The wizard meanwhile had summoned a flaming sphere which he was directing to good effect against the owlbears. The cleric, not a strong combatant, nevertheless managed to position herself behind the largest of the beasts, and even inflicted a few minor wounds on his backside, providing support to the (frankly overmatched) fighter, who was once again suffering the effects of numerous bites and claws.

The wizard's sphere of flame dispatched one of the owlbears, giving the cleric an opening to radiate healing energies to fortify her comrades and herself (selective channeling feat - very handy in a melee) as the fighter cleaved across the two remaining owlbears, critically wounding one of them and dispatching the still burning one to his right. Another chop, and the three owlbears were finished. The wizard managed to avoid any damage (as wizards often do), but the cleric and fighter were badly beaten, requiring the remaining powers of the cleric to heal up before they dared continue on.

The party soon discovered why the owlbears had fought so fiercely - three owlbear chick/cubs were in a room to the back, shielded from the fireball which opened the combat. Recalling "sleep", the wizard pacified them, allowing the party to bind them and carry them back to the raft. Additionally, they discovered that the pups/peeps had been feasting on the body of a lost scout, whose medallion they claimed to take back to the keep, and whose equipment they took, as per their employment agreement with Sir Tolgrith. (You can keep anything you find outside the walls, but you will need to follow the law inside the walls.)

They buried the scout's remains and poled their raft back up the river, arriving well after sundown, tired, dirty but victorious.

Now they have three owlbear cubs to sell if they can find a buyer, a new cloak of elven kind and a masterworked longsword they plan to give to the armory to curry favor with the quartermaster.

When given the choice between S&W and Pathfinder....

...the kids prefer Pathfinder, while my wife prefers Swords & Wizardry.

I probably shouldn't be surprised, and it may be as simple as the fact that the Pathfinder campaign is about 5th Level right now, whereas the S&W campaign is on the tail end of 1st Level. And really, who doesn't like playing more powerful characters?


S&W of course follows the OSG convention that characters start off being n00bs, and are barely less inept than peasants. They frequently have to hire people (meat shields and torch bearers) to accompany them, and those hirelings often run afoul of the "Save or Die" traps that most OSG dungeons seem to have. But my players (also not surprisingly, given their ages) think that's "mean" and (more thoughfully) that getting too many hirelings killed will anger the people in the town(s) from which they're hiring people. Kinda hard to argue with either point, except that the hirelings knew the dangers when they signed on, and if you give their cut of the reward to their families, you'll at least get the reputation of an honorable party. Though that may come at the price of a reputation for being the kind of party you really don't want to be invited to join...


Pathfinder characters start off pretty tough though, even at first level. Not as tough as 4e characters, but certainly not the sort of people an average peasant or even city guard would want to mess with. And with all those feats and skills, you can make some pretty spectacular themed characters, as long as you don't mind ignoring the whole "min/max" aspect of 3e gaming, and just choose powers to fit your concept.

For fun, I rolled up an Air/Storm Elemental bloodline Sorceress (loosely based on a miniature I have), whose statblock I've included below for illustrative purposes. Her stats are fairly average, and only the racial +2 for any stat pushes her over into heroic territory. I don't remember, but I suspect I used the "Roll 4d6, drop lowest" method, and arranged my results in order of preference. I'm intending to introduce her as a friendly rival and sometimes ally to my party, but like many characters I make, I find that I'm now anxious to play her in a campaign. :) Maybe someone I know will start a Pathfinder game I can get in on sometime later in the year.

It must also be said that HeroLab makes creating new Pathfinder characters exceptionally easy and fun. If only they supported all the games I play. I don't think I'd enjoy making characters for d20-based games very much without software support. (Which, of course, is why I like S&W. Sigh.)

Jala Stormborn
Female Human (Ulfen) Sorceress 1
CG Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +1

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Defense

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AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex)
hp 7 (1d6+1)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +2

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Offense

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Speed 20 ft.
Melee Dagger +2 (1d4/19-20/x2) and
   Spear +0 (1d8/x3)
Special Attacks elemental ray (6/day)
Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 1):
1 (4/day) Color Spray (DC 14), Shocking Grasp
0 (at will) Mage Hand, Open/Close (DC 13), Breeze, Jolt

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Statistics

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Str 10, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 12
Feats Arcane Strike, Eschew Materials, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics -1 (-5 jump), Bluff +7, Climb -3, Diplomacy +4, Escape Artist -1, Fly -1, Intimidate +7, Perception +1, Ride -1, Stealth -1, Swim -3, Use Magic Device +7
Languages Common, Auran, Skald
SQ bloodlines (elemental [air])
Other Gear Dagger, Spear, Backpack (21 @ 27.1 lbs), Bedroll, Candle (5), Chalk (5), Explorer's outfit, Mirror, Rope, Trail rations (5), Waterskin, 120 GP, 3 SP, 7 CP

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Special Abilities

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Arcane Strike As a swift action, add +1 damage, +1 per 5 caster levels and your weapons are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Elemental (Air) You may change any energy spell to use [Electricity] energy.
Elemental Ray (6/day) (Sp) Ranged touch attack deals 1d6 Electricity damage
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.

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Jala is the daughter of an Ulfen merchant, born at sea during a particularly violent thunderstorm. Always slight person and pale even by Ulfen standards, Jala has always known that she is different from her friends.

Jala channels her elemental power into a quick temper, and she is not without the legendary Ulfen forceful will. In combat, she fights with a spear, and always has a dagger on hand to handle dangerous situations in her down time.

Though many find her sense of humor odd, Jala is an accomplished diplomat, able to bluff and intimidate her way through many situations, and her fascination with magic has lead her to an understanding of magical constructs and their proper operation.

As a novice sorceror, Jala has mastered a handful of electrical and air disciplines, as well as Color Spray and Unlock - to talents she has found useful when adventuring for gold.