Mandy Morbid recently spoke out on her Facebook about her previous relationship with Zak S. Read her post, or the whole thing is transcribed below.
Sexual Violence and Abuse Warning Below
Home of the atmosphere breaching Gas Geysers!
Through the Stars Playlist
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| From the Spelljammer setting for 2e |
Prepping for my games, I kinda get distracted by the music I listen to. So I decided it would be best to get distracted by music I think fits the games I'm running.
Currently, I run a science fantasy game in DCC inspired in many ways by Spelljammer, Treasure Planet, Star Wars, and the pop-culture fantasy of being a merry band of hobos. The tone is pretty light and relaxed, but there are moments of weird and fucked up stuff injected every so often for contrast.
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| My party before their funnel, basically. |
Here is the playlist I made, in case anybody else is interested. Have any songs that you think would fit? Let me know!
Music in the Voids of Space
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| Beholders tend to have pretty bad hearing. Its awkward stare is.. well, yeah. Because of that. |
Let's make an Adventure I guess: Tome of Adventure Design
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| From Frog God Games |
So late last year I had the impetus to draft up an adventure. Some friends were jonesing for a
one shot, and I had some of my scant free-time free in that busy 1st semester of my college
career. Though I didn’t end up needing it (scheduling conflicts), Lo and behold, I remembered
that I own the wonderful Tome of Adventure Design from Frog God Games. And so I rolled
anyway! Huzzah. Let’s see what we can come up with.
one shot, and I had some of my scant free-time free in that busy 1st semester of my college
career. Though I didn’t end up needing it (scheduling conflicts), Lo and behold, I remembered
that I own the wonderful Tome of Adventure Design from Frog God Games. And so I rolled
anyway! Huzzah. Let’s see what we can come up with.
Book One - Starting Point
1-3 Type of Mission: [64] Location
1-6 Location Mission: [8] Assault
1-1A Location: [58] [38] [83] [7] Fertile Edifice of the Scarlet Assassin
1-8 Patrons and Targets: [47] Animal Trainer (unusual animals)
1-9 Patron Motivation: [26] [81] Gain status over spiritual leader
1-10 Hooks and Motivations: [34] [3] Gain forgiveness or pardon for prior actions. A person
offers to trade information about the opportunity in exchange for money
offers to trade information about the opportunity in exchange for money
1-11 Master Table of Villainous Plans: [5] Concealment
1-12 Villainous Concealment: [10] [93] Concealing itself from another villain via a secret identity
(learning)
(learning)
{Note: I decided to roll on Table 1-1A instead of the second half of Table 1-6, since that is more
in-depth and evocative to me than a one word description, and that makes me more interested
in cobbling together an adventure.}
in-depth and evocative to me than a one word description, and that makes me more interested
in cobbling together an adventure.}
So, what jumps out at me first is that somehow the party came into conflict with someone who
gives a shit about assaulting the Scarlet Assassin. I think most authority figures would be
opposed to the Scarlet Assassin on principle of it being an assassin. Coming into conflict with
the law is absolutely in the purview of any party, so we’ll stick with that for now.
gives a shit about assaulting the Scarlet Assassin. I think most authority figures would be
opposed to the Scarlet Assassin on principle of it being an assassin. Coming into conflict with
the law is absolutely in the purview of any party, so we’ll stick with that for now.
Someone is willing to sell the party this lead, so they would need to be aware of the party’s
need or already be selling it for some other reason. Maybe the assassin has a bounty on their
head? A shady bounty hunter could certainly sell their lead! Maybe the hunt for the Scarlet
Assassin was too intense for them? Maybe this bounty hunter’s party got fucked by the Scarlet
Assassin? I can certainly imagine the sad sack drinking alone, the party approaching to ask
why, and that leading one way or another to getting their lead on the Scarlet Assassin.
need or already be selling it for some other reason. Maybe the assassin has a bounty on their
head? A shady bounty hunter could certainly sell their lead! Maybe the hunt for the Scarlet
Assassin was too intense for them? Maybe this bounty hunter’s party got fucked by the Scarlet
Assassin? I can certainly imagine the sad sack drinking alone, the party approaching to ask
why, and that leading one way or another to getting their lead on the Scarlet Assassin.
This bounty hunter then leads the party to the true patron: an unusual animal trainer, with
spiritual ambition! Weird. What constitutes an “unusual animal” depends on the setting, but
my mind went to standard European hills and forests, so that’s what I’ll assume. Monkeys,
Tigers, Elephants, or maybe odd and magical beasts are definitely foreign to not-europe! I may
roll on the monster tables in this book later to hammer this out. Spirituality and Animals
immediately brings to mind druids, so lets further assume two things: 1) that this patron is a
standard d&d druid and 2) the Scarlet Assassin is a rival or rebelling druid. So this patron of the
party is probably looking to take out the Scarlet Assassin so that they can move up in their
druidic circle.
spiritual ambition! Weird. What constitutes an “unusual animal” depends on the setting, but
my mind went to standard European hills and forests, so that’s what I’ll assume. Monkeys,
Tigers, Elephants, or maybe odd and magical beasts are definitely foreign to not-europe! I may
roll on the monster tables in this book later to hammer this out. Spirituality and Animals
immediately brings to mind druids, so lets further assume two things: 1) that this patron is a
standard d&d druid and 2) the Scarlet Assassin is a rival or rebelling druid. So this patron of the
party is probably looking to take out the Scarlet Assassin so that they can move up in their
druidic circle.
I can’t shake the visual of a bipedal flower sort of creature, so perhaps a future post will be on
fleshing out the details of the Scarlet Assassin? I’m not sure. Mostly I just want to get this
framework out there, on the blog.
fleshing out the details of the Scarlet Assassin? I’m not sure. Mostly I just want to get this
framework out there, on the blog.
Why would this Scarlet Assassin be concealing itself? And whom is it concealing itself from? I
think its easy to say it is concealing itself from this druidic circle hiring the party. Likely, selling
out druid magic for assassination missions is frowned upon, and it is due for consequences.
think its easy to say it is concealing itself from this druidic circle hiring the party. Likely, selling
out druid magic for assassination missions is frowned upon, and it is due for consequences.
What is the Fertile Edifice? I imagine a cave, teeming with moss and life. Sun and moon drip in
through cracks, as the bulk of the cave is close to the surface. Its probably not overtly
dangerous if the Scarlet Assassin didn’t live here, but druid magic can make every blade of
grass a frightening question: Did they recruit this blade? It isn’t, like, a godlike druid or
anything necessarily, but I think playing up some of the weirder druid stuff you see from
Arnold K and real world history would make this a fun dungeon. Throw in some weird animals
or plants to guard the joint and you’ve got a delve!
through cracks, as the bulk of the cave is close to the surface. Its probably not overtly
dangerous if the Scarlet Assassin didn’t live here, but druid magic can make every blade of
grass a frightening question: Did they recruit this blade? It isn’t, like, a godlike druid or
anything necessarily, but I think playing up some of the weirder druid stuff you see from
Arnold K and real world history would make this a fun dungeon. Throw in some weird animals
or plants to guard the joint and you’ve got a delve!
Why do I keep saying it? I imagine the Scarlet Assassin to be a kind of monstrous humanoid
rose. That’s what immediately sprang to mind when I saw that combination of words, and I'm in!
rose. That’s what immediately sprang to mind when I saw that combination of words, and I'm in!
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| From Legend of the Cryptids |
So, in summary, we have a Druidic Circle willing to pardon the party (or just hire them if you
were to drop this into a game ongoing.) if they destroy the Fertile Edifice that houses this Scarlet
Assassin. If they can kill or otherwise handle the rogue druid too, gravy. All said this probably
took me like 15 mins of rolling and thinking to come up with. I could easily expand on this and
make it into something polished and usable out of a pdf (which I may!) This is pretty fucking loose, but I enjoyed rolling up a situation with this book. I think I agree with
the illustrious Michael Bacon that this book could be the only thing you ever need to run a killer
game. Of course, I’m gonna have more, but I could suffice with just this one! If you’re in the
market for a book bursting with gameable ideas and material, give this a look.
were to drop this into a game ongoing.) if they destroy the Fertile Edifice that houses this Scarlet
Assassin. If they can kill or otherwise handle the rogue druid too, gravy. All said this probably
took me like 15 mins of rolling and thinking to come up with. I could easily expand on this and
make it into something polished and usable out of a pdf (which I may!) This is pretty fucking loose, but I enjoyed rolling up a situation with this book. I think I agree with
the illustrious Michael Bacon that this book could be the only thing you ever need to run a killer
game. Of course, I’m gonna have more, but I could suffice with just this one! If you’re in the
market for a book bursting with gameable ideas and material, give this a look.
Secret Santicorn 2018: The Lich Who Saved Christmas
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| Made by yours truly |
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the land
Not a creature was stirring, and fate was at hand;
Trees of pine, bushes juniper, and tall pillars of oak
Occluded all vision as a near-dead-man awoke;
My children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of bereavement danced in my head;
And I in the snow-banks, their cold downy drifts,
In the forest hounded by bandits and robbed of my gifts,
When out on the horizon a motion was made,
I sprang from the dune, braced for a second raid.
Away from sight I dove in a flash,
huddled by a tree, face covered in sash.
The moon on the breast of the old-treaded snow
Gave a ghastly light to objects below,
When, what to my worrying eyes should appear,
But a gaunt figure astride and was quickly near,
His face was split by the gash of his teeth,
Nothing else was shown through his hair, nor beneath;
He had a sunken face, and withered black nails,
and he drug quite a path with his long coattails.
In the grip of his claws, he held fast a small toy,
the very same stuffed bear I'd picked out for my boy;
A widening of craw and a crane of his head,
Soon gave me to know I was as good as dead;
He spoke not a word, but gestured straight for my home,
And filled me with longing; A fool I was to roam,
now prone shivering at the feet of this beast,
this last gift I knew would survive me at least;
The creature's dread grin faded, slowly melting adieu,
And his crimson robe bled through the solid white view;
But I heard him cackle, ere he moved out of sight,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!
Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Pelznickel. He is truly named Zinigol of Immortal Sorcery, The Two Right Handed. In times immemorial, Zinigol undertook the ancient rites and became a Lich; a being of eternal life and rotting form. Centuries past by from his Hyperborean birth, and Christmas arrived. It was beginning to peter out (relatively) soon after its creation when Zinigol took notice.
In the jolly, red-clad figurehead of the holiday, Zinigol found an opportunity for cover. If he were to relocate to the North Pole, spend a year or two delivering gifts, and turned away any investigators with illusory spells, he could pass as Santa Claus and have a base of operations that no wily adventurers would seek out. It was foolproof!
Sadly for Zinigol, he was too careful in his work. Time's passage is harder to perceive when one reaches as advanced an age as he, and immortality distorts the view even further. Years of gift-giving quickly became decades, and decades became centuries, and on and on. A millennia later and Zinigol's withering old mind was bent out of shape.
He is Santa Claus, now. Except more like the Futurama S.C, where he'll kill you dead if he ever lays eye on you. His standards were already made up, now they're completely distorted. Gifts and baubles are devilish. No treats, only tortures. Christmas was saved, and ruined, by the same man.
LotFP: Armor 18, Movement 200', 9th level Magic-User, 100 hp, gnarled claws 1d10+paralysis(as ghoul) or magic, Morale 16.
DCC RPG: Init +4; Atk claw +7 melee (1d12+3) or magic; AC 18; HD 12d12; MV walk 50'; Act 2d20; SP un-dead traits, paralysis(as ghoul), phylactery, spells as 9th level wizard; SV Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +2; AL C.
By this point in his un-life, Santa Claus' phylactery has become something new.. something different. Most are physical vessels for soulstuff that direct the reassembly of matter into a new form for the Lich. Santa's phylactery has shifted over his loooonnnggg life to be the very Spirit of Christmas itself. So long as children and childish persons believe in him, he will reform at his base of operation; a ruined Soviet drifting station in the Arctic Ocean. Its machinery has been refitted to churn out diabolic devices of torture and mayhem painted in a thin veneer of childish glee.
(Merry Crustmas, TLN! I hope this satisfies what you imagined when you thought of the Lich who Saved Christmas. Thanks so much for all the wonderful posts and inspiration since I found your blog! This monster man was a lot of fun to think around. I'd love to run a modern-day fantasy thing someday. This would certainly be that world's Santa Claus!)
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