New Labyrinth Lord Magic Item: The Impossipotions

These strange magical potions are always found in sets of three, and are reputed to have been originally created in the lost city of Ralay Hoa, which is said to be in the unexplored territory of the barbaric tribes of Hana.

They follow the standard rules for potion onset and duration, activating upon the round they are drunk and lasting for 1d6+6 turns. Only one of these potions may be drunk by an individual at a time. If mixed they will cancel one another out.

Potion of Liquidation: Upon imbibing this oily greenish fluid, the user becomes capable of transforming into a liquid state, which can flow through any opening that water can pass through. They can flow along at a rate of 60' (20'). If they choose to remain still, they are indistinguishable from a puddle of slightly greenish tinted water. While the potion is in effect, the user can switch between states at will, and gain a Save vs. Spell in combat to avoid being struck by weapons by spontaneously liquifying. All equipment worn or carried by the user upon drinking the brew will liquify along with them, but any objects picked up or acquired while it is in effect will not. While in liquid form, the user cannot lift or move anything but the lightest, most buoyant objects.

Potion of Coiling: This thick, purplish liquid brings on a strange transformation in the user's limbs when quaffed, causing them to shorten by about 5" and become like tightly coiled steel springs. While under the potion's effect, the user may make leaps of 20' high, or 50' distance, or may move at a rapid, springing gait of 240'(80') if unencumbered. They may also extend their arms out to 50', allowing them to attack distant foes with melee weapons or punches and kicks. The fully extended arm/leg span is 100'. The user may also choose to make a constriction attack, doing 1d8 per round if they manage to successfully grab a foe with both arms. (This requires two separate melee attacks.)

Potion of Multiplication: This murky, reddish tincture allows the drinker to will up to four duplicates of themselves into existence. These doubles act in concert, commanded by a single will. Each has 1/4 the hit points of the original. If slain in combat they vanish instantly. By some strange factor in the potion's magic, in a combat situation the original is always the last to take damage or fall, unless all are subject to an area effect. Any magical devices carried by the user won't be duplicated with enchantments, and will only function as mundane versions of whatever they are. Spellcasters who drink this potion do not gain additional spell uses, but the duplicates can cast different spells from the original's daily allotment. (i.e. A 2nd. lvl wizard with 2 1st. lvl. spells could have one duplicate cast one spell and another cast the other one, using up their memorized spells for the day in a single round)

New Labyrinth Lord Magic Item: The Bladeless Sword of Justice

Created by the Astrodukes of Fahr to stem the tide of evil, these magical weapons appear as the bronze hilt of a sword lacking a blade of any kind. If casually handled that is all it will seem to be, and it can be easily kept in a belt pouch or pocket.

When wielded with intent by a Lawful being, a blade of invisible force manifests that functions as a +2 magic weapon. Against Chaotic enemies, the blade is razor sharp and does 1d8+2 damage. Against Neutral foes, it becomes more like a blunt rod that does 1d6 damage. Against a Lawful opponent the blade will not manifest.

The length of this unseen blade is variable based on the desires of the wielder, and can be anywhere from dagger to pole arm length with no appreciable change in weight.

When the hilt is handled by a Chaotic being, there is a 20% that the blade will manifest itself, cutting or stabbing them for 1d8+2 damage.

In certain dens of evil where these weapons are known, it's possible to bluff those denizens of lesser intelligence, putting them to flight by brandishing a simple sword hilt bereft of its blade. Such is the fear that the Bladeless Sword engenders in the dire and darksome.

All Hail the Whistle Pig!

Happy Ground Hog Day!

(Click the song link, you won't regret it. Plus, there's a reference to 10' poles, so it's gaming related!)

The Continuing Adventures of LL at Paul's

Just a quick shout out to a new blog chronicling the wacky hijinks in my buddy Paul's Labyrinth Lord campaign, which time and distance now precludes me from joining in on.

You can read all about it here, courtesy of ExitSanity. a.k.a. Bazil the Dancing Mage.

So check it out.

Stop SOPA and PIPA. It's important!

Obviously if you're on the internet, you've heard about these things a lot. I'm not planning on doing anything particularly flashy here, I'm just gonna give my opinion.

The problem with these pieces of legislation is that they're vaguely worded and draconian, allowing for arbitrary enforcement based on how much political pull can be applied. They would make running a website rather like playing Russian Roulette, especially for smaller operations that don't have the money or manpower to chase down every link that might contain infringing material.

The enforcement of this act also abrogates due process, and tramples on a site host's constitutional 1st. Amendment rights.

The classic definition of censorship is making it illegal to say something. Making it prohibitively expensive, or making your message impossible to reach, is just as insidious a form of censorship, and it allows those in authority the cover of technically not making the message itself illegal. SOPA and PIPA are built to allow just that sort of abuse.

I exhort my fellow Americans to contact their Senators and Congresspeople. If you go to Wikipedia today and type in your zip code, you'll get contact info for your representatives. I got my reps' phone numbers and called them all, and left messages assuring them that if they vote YES on these bills, they will NOT be receiving my vote in the next electoral cycle.

And finally, while I hope that public outcry will force the sponsors of these bills to back down, bear in mind that this will at best be a temporary victory. The film and music industry have deep pockets, and until the current old guard in positions of power in those industries have been replaced by generations who've grown up with the web and understand its potential, SOPA & PIPA will reappear in some new form. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and VOTE.

Thanks.

The Siege of Bridgefair

So yesterday I had the opportunity to join my old gaming cronies Paul and Delta in an awesome game of Delta's magnum opus, Book of War.

Whenever there's a city in one of Paul's campaigns, sooner or later somebody's gonna want to come and wreck it, as evidenced in 2010's disastrous defense of Restenford. This time around it was an undead army, aiming for the walled city of Bridgefair. Our forces were Paul's excellent selection of eeny meeny 10mm minis from Pendraken Miniatures.

About five members of Paul's gaming group at his job were playing the defenders, so I threw in with Delta and Paul on the side of the attackers. I also served as the session photographer.

I was given a unit of skeleton archers, a unit of skeleton fighters, a unit of zombies, and a siege tower, and formed kind of a detachment from the main force. My big role in the fight was tying up the Bridgefairies' heavy cav, and keeping them off our main force and our necromancer. I managed to get my siege tower up to the wall too, which was cool.

In the end, the dead guys lost big time, being ground down from a massive wave of animated bodies to just one disgruntled necromancer, who vanished in a puff of formaldehyde vowing revenge. A greatly reduced force on the side of the living lived to fight another day.

Hooray!

As usual, Delta's rules play like a charm, and we got in 15 turns in about 3.5 - 4 hours. I'll leave it up to Delta and Paul to give a better play by play, because I was really too busy taking photos to commit the events to memory.

Paul has posted his in depth account of the fracas here.

Delta's report is here. Read them! Experience them!

Thanks for running a great battle, guys!

D&D V

This is what I think.

And neither do you, when it comes to what I think about it, probably.

On a related side note, though, you could market the ka-rap out of "D&D V". Just that assembly of letters could yield countless awesome visual statements. Like have a gigantic V with a dragon wedged in it or something. It's like a big box full of birthday presents for any graphic designer upon who's desk it may land...

So it at least has that going for it.