Philosopher GLOG

    This is a GLOG hack inspired by some things, fresh and untested. Enjoy.

Let lead and gold be the essence
Let my mind be the foundation
Let arise a bastion against the world

Let the seven metals crown my brow
Let the seven cults uphold my honor
Let the seven planets align my thoughts

I hereby declare
Your spirit will serve under me
My soul shall be your sword
Submit to my resounding call
Answer!

An oath shall be sworn here!
I shall attain the aspect of Heaven and of Hell
Come forth from your restraints
Heroic spirit!

And something answered.

The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford - Campaign Pitch

Chance Dudinack

The Pitch (in six sentences)

1. Something tragic has occurred in the idyllic forest town of Brandonsford.

2. A few weeks ago, a group of hunters were attacked by a dreadful dragon, black of scale and temperament.

3. The townsfolk are terrified by rumors of the dragon.

4. Merchants and craftspeople are refusing to journey to Brandonsford, leading to a decrease in wealth and industry for the town.

5. The ruler of the town, Lord Eric, desperate to resume trade, has put a bounty of 1000 silver on the dragon's head.

6. You are travelers, outcasts, and wanna-be heroes attracted to Brandonsford by the bounty and the rumor of a fantastical hoard of gold that the dragon guards.

The System

    The main system is the GROG by Vayra, with a few changes. The first change is combat. All attacks automatically hit and deal damage. Armor reduces damage equal to the amount of Inventory Slots it takes up, but will be worn down by repeated blows.

    The second change is XP. You gain Experience by doing things within the game world and engaging with the narrative. 10 XP is required for level 2, 30 XP is required for level 3, and 60 XP is required for level 4. Here are some rough XP values, subject to GM modification:

• You gain 1 XP for each important or interesting roleplaying encounter you complete.
• You gain [x] XP for killing a monster, where [x] equals the monster's HD.
• You gain 1 XP for spending a moderate amount of recovered treasure.
• You gain 2 XP for each unique magic item you recover.
• You gain 2 XP for each unique location or area you discover and interact with.
• You gain 1 XP by roleplaying your character's flaws and ideals.

    The final change is retainers. You can start with a number of retainers equal to your CHA score. Talk to me about what you want them to be and we can figure things out. These retainers can be used as back-up PCs in case your original character dies. Retainers gain 1/2 the XP for all of the values above.

jason scheier

The Characters

    You have four classes to choose from:

• The Zouave, a veteran of many campaigns.
• The Thief, a stealthy rogue. (Note: I am planning on not including any archetypes, but if you can convince me otherwise...)
• The Ranger, a woodsman and hunter.
• The Wizard, occult and mysterious.

    More classes may be unlocked through play.

Who Can Know the Heart of a Dragon (Class: Dragonblood)

source unknown

    You remember them as a normal parent. They might have been a little off (their smile was kind of scary) and they might have smelled weird (something old), but they were a pretty good role model. Then, there was a nasty fight between your caretakers, or a strange man with feline eyes showed up at your door, or a peculiar song drifted through on the wind. No matter what happened, one of your parents disappeared.

    That day, you found out you were a dragonblood. The caretaker who disappeared was a dragon walking in the shape of a mortal. You are their legacy. With a glint in your eye, you grew up, reached maturity.

    The world trembled.

A: Blood of the Dragon, Fury, +1 HP
B: Powerful Exhalation, +1 HP
C: Instant Fury, +1 HP
D: Restoration, +1 HP

Blood of the Dragon
    Your eyes are oddly vibrant, your fingernails preternaturally sharp, your smile draconine. Within your heart beats the primordial blood of a dragon. Your kind is regarded with fear, awe, wonder, and hatred in equal measure.
    Choose a dragon species from below. This informs some of your abilities.

Fury
    When your fury is roused, you are truly dangerous. You may expend 2 HP as an action to access one of the below benefits for [template] rounds. This can be done [template] times every Rest.

• +1 To Hit. Your eyes alight, you can see the weaknesses of your foe.
• +2 AC. Your skin hardens into scales.
• +20’ Movement. You move with supernatural swiftness.
• +1d4 damage. Your muscles flood with burning power.

Powerful Exhalation
    You may expend 2 HP to breathe the element determined by your dragon species. This is described in the dragon species descriptions. This breath bypasses Armor Class and does [template] damage.

Instant Fury
    You may now spend 2 HP without it consuming an action. In addition, if you are to die because of HP lost to Fury, you explode in a blast of your dragon species energy, dealing damage equal to the HP lost to everything within 15’.

Restoration
    Legends persist of the healing properties of dragon’s blood. Sometimes, legends are right. You heal 2 HP per round. Lost limbs, including the head, can be restored over 1d4 weeks as long as your heart, the seat of your soul, is intact.

Dragon Species

    Black Dragons inhabit the cold north. Black Dragonbloods can breathe freezing ice in a [template] x 10' line.

    Red Dragons inhabit the dry east. Red Dragonbloods can breathe burning flame in a [template] x 10' cone.

    Green Dragons inhabit the verdant south. Green Dragonbloods can breath hypersonic wind in a [template] x 10' line.

    Gold Dragons inhabit the idyllic west. Gold Dragonbloods can breath scalding acid in a [template] x 10' cone.

Design Notes
    This class was inspired by the thought "What if HP was a currency that you traded in for benefits?" Some other influences were Exalted's Terrestrials and deus' Monk. Happy gaming.

Best GLoG Posts of 2021

    Inspired by the Salties and the 2021 GLOGIES, I reviewed and read most of the GLoG posts of 2021 and tried to pick out my favorites. These are my personal opinions, which means they are absolutely right. All images are from the mentioned blogposts.

---

BEST ADVENTURE: Brewing Bears in my Stomach by Phlox

    This is the OSR adventure/scenario that I had the most fun running in 2021. I played it on Halloween, so I switched out the bears with werewolves, but kept the basic essence of the scenario. My players had a blast! They climbed to the top of the fort and rescued Bela, killed one of Pheloc's beastly guards, and promptly fled town when Pheloc was splashed with lots of potions and turned into mega-ultra-super-werewolf.

    I also incorporated Phlox's Pumpkin Knight, who was arrogant and dangerous. The players skirted out of his way, avoiding a long speech about the terrors of the town.

BEST MECHANIC: GLOGtober Day 4: Domain-Level Locks and Keys by TheFirstGokun

        This article is an interesting way of incorporating metroidvanias, which I like, into a RPG game. The system is very easy to implement, with a simple Lock → Key → Reward structure. The examples given are very cool and suggest a world I would play in or run. Thus I award it the 'Best Mechanic' status of 2021.

BEST SETTING: FIRMAMENT by Locheil

    

    This one was a close one. It was either going to be Black Star of the Cannibal Kings or FIRMAMENT, but Locheil's evocative setting ultimately won due to the unique ideas he presented for nations and classes. A tyrant Sun King? Cool. Demigod knights? Totally. Astrologer-as-class? Definitely on board. I am excited to see what comes next in the FIRMAMENT series.

BEST SYSTEM: Wizards with Guns by FifthDragon

    Wild West + Wizards! The combination seems obvious. FifthDragon manages to not only make a flavorful world that is fun to explore, but also an elegant word-based freeform spell system. I feel like Wizards with Guns catches some of the essence of fantasy and can't wait to shoot people and die in the Untamed Lands.

BEST SIMPLE CLASS(ES): Very Leetle Mountain Classes by Vayra

    I agree with Vayra when she says that sometimes Mountain classes are too big. That is why I really appreciate her leetle Mountain classes, which strip down the archetypes to their core essence and powers. In fact, they inspired me to start making my own simple classes, which I might share sometime soon.

BEST NON-CASTER CLASS: Champion by Locheil

    The best Greek mythology RPG setting is Eikonokosmos, created by Locheil. The first post in the series is the Champion, the fighter-type for the world. It has a cool FATE mechanic, a few excellent archetypes, and a Violence Dice system (which I stole). The class was based on the question: What if masked cleric but fighter? I think this is an exemplary answer.

BEST CASTER CLASS: True Witch by Vayra

    Vayra's Mountain setting has always intrigued me. This is the best caster class, although close seconds are deus ex parabola's Alienist and Locheil's Magos. With a list of twenty spells, four doom lists, four subclasses, and a list of 20 witch-friends, this is packed with content to use and steal, although I personally think the below entry is Vayra's best.

BEST FLAVORFUL CLASS: Sacred Alchemist by Vayra

    Well, I love alchemy, in both its fantastical and real-life aspects. So, when someone came out with an alchemist class focused on the seven six sacred metals, I was excited to read it. The class is packed full of flavor and spells. I like the different alchemy mechanic because of its simplicity, but especially appreciate the varied alchemist orders.

Alignment, Part I - THE ONLY THING THEY FEAR IS YOU

 

CosmicSpaceWhale

“Let’s play a game: which body part do you need the least?”

- Ramsay Bolton, Game of Thrones

"With blood and rage of crimson red,

Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,

Together with our hellish hate,

We'll burn you all--that is your fate!"

- The Red Lantern Oath, DC

"In a galaxy at war, Savage, there is only one way to get the attention of the Jedi. Slaughter of the innocent. Mercilessly and without compromise."

- Darth Maul, The Clone Wars

-

    Some things just aren’t fair. Long ago (or maybe a few seconds ago, you can’t really tell), you lived a normal life. You woke up, ate, went to work, and slept. You were the definition of Ordinary. Then, due to fate or merely some bad luck, your reality fractured into innumerable pieces.

    Your brain ruptured and oozed neural juices, overloaded with the Truth of the world. You, your mother, your father, and indeed everyone in the world, were just pawns of greater, more primordial Things. Uncaring creatures whose forms drove you to make bloody ribbons of your eyes. Your body broke itself down in despair, bones cracking, muscles spasming, and flesh bleeding. And only one emotion remained in your poor ruptured skull: Rage.

    This was not supposed to happen. You were Ordinary and you were content with that. And then, everything got fucked up. You were dying now, bleeding out of all of your normal orifices and several new ones. ‘Fuck the world’ you screamed with your raw vocal cords. Nothing mattered and that fact made you really mad.

    This anger at the world, at life, at your existence, attracted one of those Things. It built your body back up, giving you a new flesh bag to rip and tear. Of course, your body was built back wrong, for the Thing had no true comprehension of human anatomy. It gave you throbbing muscles, sharp teeth, and wickedly long claws.

    Its name was the sound of a death-scream and of blood spilling from a fatal wound. You were to be its servant in the Cosmic Slaughter of the other Powers. It filled your grasping, feeble mind with images of viscera and a feeling of unending wrath. If nothing truly mattered, you could kill whoever the fuck you wanted and vent your rage at your position.

    Your first act? Pick up a weapon.

spaghettibastard

Class: FIGHTER

Starting Equipment: 2 Large weapons, both covered in fresh blood [2d6 +STR damage, 2 slots each]. 1 Medium weapon, stolen from a victim of yours. [1d8+STR damage, 1 slot]. Some tattered rags OR no clothes at all.
Starting Skill [d6]: Combat [Swords], Combat [Axes], Combat [Hammers], Combat [Maces], Combat [Spears], Combat [Tridents].

Level 1: Born for Battle, Murderous Intent, Kill Dice
Level 2: Clear Mind, +1 Attack per round, +1 Violent Deformity, +1 KD
Level 3: Sudden Death, +1 Violent Deformity, +1 KD
Level 4: Wrath, +1 Attack per round, +1 Violent Deformity, +1 KD

Born for Battle
    War changes a person, in your case physically. Let your body grow and change to fit the needs of the Thing that controls you. After all, what can you do to stop it?
    Every level, you gain a Violent Deformity, which are found in the list below. If you run into a repeat, keep going up until you reach one you don't have.

1. RIPPED MUSCLE. Your muscular system is clearly visible beneath your thin layer of skin. +2 STR.
2. UNBROKEN SINEW. Ligaments and tendons are as tough as leather. +2 DEX.
3. IRON FAT. Bulging with fat, it is hard for you to feel the weak blows of your enemies. Damage reduction of 2.
4. RIPPING CLAWS. Your fingernails grow, twist, and harden until they're shiny black talons. Your fists go up a damage die.
5. WINGS OF DEATH. Wings painfully burst from your back, scarlet and magnificent. You gain a flying Speed of 30'.
6. ARM REACHING FOR HELL. Of course you need a third arm! Another hand to hold a weapon. You gain a third hand and all that implies.
7. EYES OPEN. Your foes wonder how you can see them in the darkness of night. Little do they know, you have eyes in the back of your head. You can never be surprised.
8. SCALES OF STEEL. Skin as tough as steel protects you. +2 AC.

Murderous Intent
    The basic act of murder can be done with anything. All you need is will. Weapons you wield, even improvised ones, deal 1d8 base damage if they would normally deal less. If you have a STR penalty, it no longer applies to your attack or damage rolls.

Kill Dice
    You have [level] Kill Dice (KD), which are d6s. You regain all your Kill Dice on a Rest. You can gain extra dice from dealing maximum damage or from killing a creature with more HD than you. Dice gained from dealing damage can go over your maximum amount. Extra KD that you gain dissipate whenever you go one round without fighting.
    You can roll a Kill Die whenever you deal damage and add it to the regular damage of the attack. You can do the same when you take damage and subtract the value of the die roll. KD are expended on a 4-6 and return to your pool on a 1-3.

Clear Mind
    You’re immune to magical effects that would affect your mind.

Devon Kennedy

Sudden Death
    Weapons on your person can be drawn instantly even if you were wearing them on your back, or hiding them in your boot, or were tied up and couldn't possibly have reached them. Your fists go up a damage die.

Wrath
    WRATH. WRATH. WRATH. WRATH. WRATH. Your weapons never break unless you want. When you choose to break a weapon, you automatically hit with that attack and deal double damage.

GLoGtober '21 Day 5 - Green is What is Left When Ardor Fades, When Passion Dies, When We Die

    For the GLoGtober conversion prompt. Inspired by the movie The Green Knight.

Knight of Spring

Pierre Droal

Starting Equipment: A bronze battleaxe [described below]. The Horn of Springtide [described below]. A set of plant-covered chainmail armor [+4 AC, 4 slots]. A direram mount [described below].
Starting Skill [d6]: Botany, Alchemy, Geography, Chivalry, Animal Handling, Survival.

Level 1: Fae Immortality, Superiority of Arms
Level 2: Greentongue
Level 3: Thirst for Blood
Level 4: The Storms of Spring

Fae Immortality
    You used to be human, but are not so now. You left your humanity behind in your reliquary. The reliquary itself is a small bronze-bound chest of living wood containing your bones. You sacrificed your bones to the Thousand Gods for eternal life and power. In place of them, you have a structure of living wood that can only be broken by a knight.
    Every time you die, after 1d8-[level] days, you will return fully healed from the earth near your reliquary. You do not regain lost equipment with this feature.

Superiority of Arms
    Any weapon you wield, even your fist, has its damage die scaled up one. For example, a light weapon would deal 1d8 damage, while a medium weapon would deal 2d6 damage. When a heavy weapon is scaled up one, it is 3d6 damage.

Greentongue
    You can speak Root, the language of plants, trees, and flowers. This can be used to converse with them but it can also be used to command them. [level] times, you may utter in Elderspeak a command to the plants within 30' of you. Some example greentongue commands are:

1. Grow: Plants equal to your [level] grow up to 30 extra feet over the course of d6 rounds.
   
2. Ensnare: Roots burst from the earth and trap your opponents for [level] rounds if they fail a DEX Check of 11+[level].
3. Ripen: Plants equal to your [level] grow large fruit, even if they couldn't before. These fruits count as [level] days of rations.
4. Sunder: A single plant explodes, dealing [level] piercing damage to all within 10'.
   

    Some ways to regain your greentongue abilities: make a large sacrifice to the Thousand Gods, awaken an ent, kill an enemy knight, restore a fairy ruler to power, etcetera.

Thirst for Blood
    You can now attack twice per round. You force Morale Checks on all 1 HD minions who see you. Your name is whispered throughout the land, for all the good and ill that brings.

The Storms of Spring
    You rival the power of some of the Thousand Gods. You have 5 points to distribute across your character sheet. They can increase any stat. People will worship you and try to slay you in equal measure.

Adam Glazer

The Armaments of Springtide

1. A bronze battleaxe. A two-headed bronze battleaxe with a haft of living wood. Deals 3d6+STR damage and takes up 2 Inventory Slots. Can be thrown 20' and returns magically to its wielder's hand.
2. The Horn of Springtide. A great instrument of ram's horn. 1 Inventory Slot. The horn itself is engraved with Elderspeak runes detailing the Maiden of Spring. If an action is spent blowing it, the Wild Hunt appears the next round. The hunters are composed of 1d4+1 faery knights, 1d6+1 faery huntsmen, and 2d6+1 direwolves. The horn can only be used once before it has to recharge again. To recharge, dip it in the blood of a king.
3. Direram Mount. A regal direram. 3 HD ram with an Armor Class of 12. Has a 2d6 gore attack. Can speak to all animals in their native tongues and is quite persuasive.

GLoGtober '21 Day 4 - Traincrawl Engineward Entries

    Traincrawl. I never thought I would be writing about trains on my game blog given my dislike of train games, but here I am. I am working on the engineward portion of the Immortal Train, while my collaborator theisticGilthoniel is writing the coldward portion.

    The Traincrawl is a depthcrawl. When you enter a new car, roll a d6 on both tables, adding the distance in number of cars from your starting car (so the first car you explore will be +0, the second +1, etc.). Every car has a 2 in 6 chance of being semi-permanently inhabited, and each inhabited car has a 50% chance of having a party and a 50% chance of having a murder mystery. If the car cannot be feasibly inhabited by humans, dwarves live there.

Car

1. Boxcar
2. Seating Car (six seats wide)
3. Seating Car (four seats wide)
4. Dining Car
5. Sleeping Car
6. Observation Car
7. Tavern Car
8. Prison Car
9. Slave Car
10. Torture Car
11. Mine Car
12. Tomb Car
13. Arena Car
14. Eugenics Car
15. Ritual Car
16. Engine Car
17. Assembly Car
18. Angelic Car
19. Beacon Car
20. Locomotive Car

Details

1. Empty
2. Hot
3. Dirty
4. Burning
5. Industrious
6. Ruined
7. Dead scrappers
8. Dead dwarves
9. Unstable
10. Massive exposed silver train-wheels
11. Protruding machinery
12. Massive orrery
13. Lava pools
14. Clumps of iron
15. Bloodstained
16. Dead angel
17. Smoke-filled
18. First generation murals
19. Heavily guarded
20. Ominously silent

Encounters

1. Empty
2. Outgoing scrappers
3. Returning scrappers
4. Pacifistic, but hunted, cyborgs
5. Fire cultists
6. Dwarf soldiers
7. Drunk dwarves
8. Imprisoned slaves
9. Slave village
10. An angel torturer and tortured slaves
11. Dwarf miners
12. First generation tomb
13. Blood-sport arena
14. Angel gene-manipulator and its mutant servants
15. Engine cult
16. Grand Enginepriest
17. The Assembly Master
18. The Lord-Ophanim
19. Sentient chained star
20. The Conductor