Good news everyone!

Prepare for more gonzo space adventures in...

The Harvester from Outer Space !!!

It's conveniently in time for Christmas gift giving through the expedient space-age sorcery of the internet! Buy one for yourself and one for a loved one. Or keep the one for the loved one for yourself and buy him/her another one (so three in total). Nothing say 'blessings of Christ upon thee and joy to all the world' like an old school p&p adventure filled with slimy aliens, weird thaumato-scientific equipment and of course, fun on the holodeck.

Not yet convinced? Here's what some people have to say about The Harvester from Outer Space:

* I can guarantee it's the best module penned by me that you'll read all year! (disclaimer: that might have been said about a previous module already, but that was a lie.) - me

* The Harvester from Outer Space is a delicate study into relevant social issues as isolation, Existenzangst, Weltschmerz and provides the reader with a sobering narrative of the human condition as viewed through an old-school compatible pen & paper module - me

* Stop writing about disgusting slime monsters and take out the trash. - unnamed girlfriend

Outer space adventures

Level 1 (though it's called beta, oh delicious irony) of the map is complete. The adventure will take place on a spaceship, beginning with the abduction of the hapless players.

Within the Radiant Dome review

Within the Radiant Dome, written by Gavin Norman, is the second module in Geoffrey McKinney’s Psychedelic Fantasies line, which focuses exclusively on original adventures filled to the brim with new monsters, spells and items. The modules are home printed and devoid of any artwork, keeping the cost down, though a map of the Radiant Dome is featured on the inside of the detachable cover.

 

Fairness compels me to state that a) Gavin is my friend and GM of several years and b) I’ve recently written a module of mine own for the Psychedelic Fantasies line, so obviously I’m not going to be trash-talking either! So why write this review? Two reasons. Firstly I genuinely believe Within the Radiant Dome is an original and most importantly fun module that you should pick up, you’re missing out every minute that you don’t! Secondly I can write this review from the unique position of having played through the adventure twice with the author, which has given me a good feel for how the module can be/is intended to be played. How much enjoyment you get from any role-playing session is of course dependent on the people you play with and the quality of the GM; but reading through the module afterwards it’s clear to see Within the Radiant Dome is just a very well-thought-out product! Now on to the review proper shall we? A warning for my more erudite readers: this is a module designed for use with any basic (clone) D&D ruleset, and not, as the title would suggest, a Percy Bysshe Shelley pen & paper game!

Any adventurer worth their salt has heard of the Radiant Dome, a fabled place filled with riches that on certain occasions materializes in the earthly realm for a brief period of time. Some enterprising adventurers return as very wealthy men and women, some never return at all... tying it all together are rumours of a wizard that had a hand in the construction of the Dome.

The Dome features three distinct levels, each with their own feel and unique encounters. Some of these can be rewarding, others quite dangerous, but they’re all exciting and once you get your head around the oftentimes weird logic of the place, clever players who enjoy puzzles and a different approach to dungeons than simply loot/smash/kill should have a field day. There are quite a few social encounters, something which is always a nice change of pace in a dungeon crawl, which put the player characters’ alignments to the test.  I think it’s possible to run the module more ‘straight’, but playing and reading it I very much got a funhouse dungeon vibe. Your enjoyment of the module may vary depending on how much you desire ‘realism’ in your D&D game. As anyone reading this blog may have noticed, I’m a fan of wacky fast-paced adventures and all things gonzo, so for me it is an excellent fit.

Once the party makes it way down to the lower levels of the Dome, they start running into a variety of the more dangerous inhabitants of the Dome. I felt the combat encounters work well and are quite memorable thanks to the monster design. Players will do battle with a necrotic flesh golem, happen upon clockwork automata, flush a fetid fecal fiend back to the nether realms and run into a nasty beastie which the locals worship as a god. The adventurer who braves these perils will find him or herself rewarded with a number of interesting magical items which you could easily incorporate in other science fantasy games.

A minor gripe for me was that there are one or two instances where the adventure as written does not allow a save to prevent something from happening, something which I would change if I’d run the module, but on the scale of “screwing players over” it still registers quite low, and as it is easily changed to your personal preference it doesn’t matter much. Also as written there are occasions where the adventure might go off the rails if the players were to decide to take certain actions (i.e. boarding a space ship prepped for departure). Such eventualities should be prepared for beforehand, but otherwise the adventure is ready to be played out of the box, so to speak.

In conclusion, if you’re still reading this and haven’t already rushed over to Psychedelic Fantasies to get your copy of Within the Radiant Dome this instant, then I advise you to take the rest of the day off to do some soul-searching and find out why you hate fun so much, you poor creature.

Psychedelic Fantasies module #3

In the spirit of shameless self-promotion I'm very happy to announce module #3 in the Psychedelic Fantasies line by Geoffrey McKinney, author of Supplement V: Carcosa among other things. If you like the sort of thing that has appeared on this blog over the last few years (disclaimer: some of the monsters already posted here show up in the module again), you might also like The Fungus that Came to Blackeswell: a tale of a small subterranean village suddenly overrun by aggressive fungi. I can guarantee it's the best module penned by me that you'll read all year!

A-Z Blogging challenge

X is for the X-th dimension

The X-th dimension is a postulated extradimensional realm where, according to some pseudo-scholars and doomsday cults, a massive army of alien creatures is being raised to carry out an invasion of the known planes. Proponents of this theory believe only a finite numbers of alternate dimensions exist, the X-th one being as of yet unexplored or unreachable by commonly practiced aetherial magick. This has however not stopped various self-professed prophets and other supernaturally or narcotically inspired soothsayers to make unverifiable claims and write esoteric treatises concerning the nature and particulars of the hypothetical X-th dimension.

Of considerably greater value and importance on said topic are the writings of the renowned sage Paronax, who theoreticized on the subject in his Catalogica Planorum, the definitive work on aetheromancy and portal summoning. In his magickal calculus Paronax assumed the existence of an X-th dimension to compensate for the unexpected and inexplicable discrepancies that his otherwise sound arithmetic produced. He deduced that if one were to use a sufficiently powerful source of energy, one could penetrate the border between this world and the X-th dimension. Such a feat would require extraordinary amounts of power however; something only a few known artifacts would prove capable of, and the risk of irreparable harm to it would be great. The costs of conducting a practical experiment thus were considered too high, and decades after Paronax wrote his Catalogica his theory remains untried.

A-Z Blogging challenge

U is for the Underdelve



The Underdelve is a large network of natural caverns, branching out from under mount Ombelikos in the northern hills, interconnected over the centuries by carefully dug tunnels by way of the hard labor of countless dwarven miners. In the current age it is one of the largest dwarven settlements in the realm. Two centuries ago, before the dwarves came, claimed the caves for themselves and renamed them the Underdelve, they were called the Tenebrara, the shadow caves, inhabited by small tribes of earthmen, kobolds and a few gnomish clans. Dwarven merchants, conducting trade with the original inhabitants, soon became aware of the unexploited mineral wealth of the caverns, and their exaggerated stories of precious stones the size of a small boy's head quickly spread among their greedy brethren, and an assault on the caves was planned. Unprepared and ill-equipped, the besieged tribes didn't stand a chance, and the fiendish dwarves gave no quarter to those who tried to surrender. It is even rumoured that when an entire gnomish clan laid down their weapons, the dwarves rounded them up and drove them into one of the many chasms that cut across the caves, a story that does little to improve the historically troubled relations between the two races.



Once the meagre resistance was put down, the dwarves set to work. At first mining shafts and simple housing for the miners were dug out, but soon entire living quarters and the elaborate palaces of the wealthy merchant lords were carved from the living stone. The unabated industriousness of thousands slowly transformed the dark, quiet caves into a bright stone city, rivalling the beauty of the great dwarven holdfasts in their native realm. Despite its remote, inaccessible location, the Underdelve has become a prime destination for human trade caravans from the major cities, trading rare ores, gems, stones and dwarf-crafted jewellery for luxury products such as spices, foods and textiles.

A-Z Blogging challenge

O is for Oratorium

Oratoria are tall, slender stone towers constructed according to the secret specifications of the Guild of Aethereologists, allowing nearly instantaneous communication over very large distances. As the costs of building an oratorium are exorbitant, only the largest cities can afford one, and for a city to boast one brings with it undeniable prestige. In addition, a handful of wealthy nobles and merchant families have commissioned the guild to erect a private oratorium on their estates in the last three centuries, though this private ownership is very rare indeed. Depending on the size of the oratorium, one to eight apprentice Aethereologists are expected to be present to maintain the complex devices in the top of the tower, called the machinaria, as well as perform the necessary mathematical calculations to establish the two-way communication. This of course brings with it even more expenses. City-owned oratoria are usually reserved for the affairs of the town council and public servants, though in many cases well-to-do citizens can schedule an appointment for the use of the structure, rates depending on the requested time slot and duration. Certain rich ladies are known to talk with friends and relatives in distant cities in this fashion on a daily basis.

The exact workings of the oratorium are a jealously guarded secret of the Guild, though it is speculated that the process is of a mechanical nature, rather than magickal. Through a series of precisely calibrated convex metal disks, the vibrations of sound are carried through the Aether at a much higher acceleration than in ordinary circumstances; an array of attuned concave disks on the receiving end capture the message and disperse it throughout the turret room. The resulting dialogue is not unlike having a conversation with an invisible interlocutor in a hall of echoes. The nature of the process, however, limits the communication to previously determined points. Each machinaria can only send and receive to one other attuned location; if one desires to talk to another location, both ends must align themselves accordingly. This request is usually send through conventional means, such as couriers or carrier birds, though in emergencies a message can be sent through the network of oratoria, each location relaying the request for direct communication to the ultimate recipient. To combat this problem, large oratoria can house up to four different machinaria, each one directed at a different location.

Understandably, the attendants of the Guild are obligated by their employers to take an oath of secrecy, as valuable information that could make or break fortunes and cities passes within earshot of one of them every day. Though the confidentiality provided by the Guild is legendary, the Aethereologists have indirectly benefited from their foreknowledge on many occassions, and become powerful and wealthy in their position as information brokers.

A-Z Blogging challenge

N is for the Narcothetium

The Narcothetium is a small building complex in the city of Forge, devoted to the trade in and various forms of consumption of narcotics and hallucinogens. It houses a collection of merchant shops along a roofed gallery, a storehouse and a warren of many private chambers, functioning as public houses, houses of pleasure, temples and shrines.

On the street level, the commercial center, the majority of the city's trading in these substances takes place. Master craftsmen have their workshops and stores here, selling both the local public and shipping to wealthy customers in other cities. The fierce competition between the artisans allows only the very best to flourish, and the quality of their products is without equal, though more expensive than the merchandise one can get from other markets.

The establishments on the lower level, on the other hand, are mainly concerned with consuming the wares produced above. Luxurious little salons cater to customers of means, while rougher drug dens entertain the lower castes. Some aim to enhance their clients' pleasure by offering an additional array of products and services, spanning the range from fine foods and spirits to decadent orgies that last several days and nights. Not only hedonists seek out the Narcothetium however, as many religious beliefs involve the ritual consumption of narcotics in some fashion. Some worships encourage the use of psychedelics to draw closer to the divine, while in others the faithful attempt to induce hypnotic trances to commune with the spirits or the afterlife. The resident oracles are known to consume various sorts of mushrooms, causing them to speak in tongues, from which the listeners hope to glean knowledge of their futures.

A-Z Blogging challenge

A is for the Archivarium

Part of the renowned Universitas Magicka, the Archivarium is the Empire’s foremost library and center of study for the magickal arts. Located in the old town district of the new Empire’s capitol city, Forge, the Archivarium is an architectural marvel of graceful archways, beautiful stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings and a platinum-plated dome that towers over much of the city. The building, maintained by the steep enrolment fees would-be magick-users must needs pay the university for such a privilege, is divided into four distinct areas, access to which becomes progressively more restricted as one approaches the innermost chambers of the Archivarium.

Entering from Fountains’ Square, one must first pass through one of two sets of heavy, dark oaken doors, magnificently decorated with the carved figures of prominent scholars and magick-users from the Empire’s past, as well as a slew of bizarre mythological creatures. Continuing through a series of small antechambers, one emerges into a very large, open room, spanning the width of the building, called the Vestibulum. On the tiled steps here the intellectuals of the city meet daily to ostentatiously discuss politics, the arts and philosophy, as well as more understatedly display their education and wealth. Though officially open to all citizens, beggars and those not belonging to at least the middle class (the two usually considered one and the same by the more affluent), are pressed a copper in their hand and gently but firmly escorted back out.

Directly giving out on the Vestibulum is the Librarium, where the world’s largest collection of scrolls and tomes await the curious and oft times not-so-curious students. The collection deals solely with mundane topics and once again is officially open to all, the requisite ability to read already an insurmountable hurdle for most.

Through a set of small, green bronze double doors at the end of the Librarium one enters into a mirror copy of the previous rooms, called the Praxicum. Here the shelves and book cases are stocked with treatises on magick, scrolls scribbled with arcane runes and spell tomes dealing with the applied manipulation of the Aether. Access to this part of the library is allowed only to apprentices at the university. On arrival, a scribe seated at the entrance of the Praxicum will peruse a large ledger, the Matriculate Magickalis, to determine whether the supplicant has indeed enrolled at the university at some point in the past.

From the center of the Praxicum an ornamental, stone spiral staircase descends to the lower level of the Archivarium, the Ulteria. Entrance to this part of the complex is admitted only to members of the Roughspun Order and, by rare exception, their petitioners. Apart from the accommodations of the Order, the Ulteria more importantly houses several rooms filled with arcane tomes which have been deemed too dangerous to be consulted by mortal practitioners of the magickal arts; and scrolls of extradimensional origin which, if read, would simply render the reader insane with their eldritch knowledge. To safeguard these volumes, the Universitas Magicka instituted the Roughspun Order, so called for their humble dress, a group of blind monks of extreme mental discipline, always numbering six. Indeed, the members of the Order are regarded so highly in scholarly circles, that when word of the death of one of them surfaces, overzealous applicants have been known to purposely blind themselves to be considered for the honor.

While the secrets of the Ulteria are not meant for mortal eyes, in certain rare conditions - more often than not coinciding with unusually generous donations to the university - a petitioner is allowed inside, to consult a tome of his or her choosing. Blindfolded this person is led to a small study, furnished only with a simple chair and table. The desired book is pthen laced in front of him or her by one of the monks, the risks of opening the book once more stated, and finally the blindfold is removed. Oft-requested is a volume called the Tome of Ephemeral Sagaciousness, which is rumoured to have been at the source of the large fortunes of several merchant families of Forge, and the steady influx of patients at the Asylum, as only seldom people prove prepared for omniscience, no matter how brief.

Abullah Azeek's Mystical Emporium of Magickry

While travelling, one may on occasion witness an adventurer, while locked in fierce battle with his or her opponent, frantically call out the following words: Keeza! Keeza! Keeza Halluba! The invoker of this cant then seems to wink out of existence momentarily, to reappear a split second later, frequently observed to now hold a scroll, flask or wand of some kind, which the adventurer subsequently puts to good use in besting his or her foe. After some inquiry you may learn that this dwimmer is well-known among those of the adventuring profession; a trade secret as it were.

Uttering these exact words projects the speaker to a pocket dimension, home to Abullah Azeek’s Mystical Emporium of Magickry: a small shop dedicated exclusively to miscellaneous ingredients, scrolls, consumables and various other magickal items the discerning adventurer might have need of while plying their trade.

The Emporium consists of one medium-sized, rectangular room. Three walls are linked with book cases and shelves filled to the brim with scrolls; potions, draughts and other concoctions; dozens upon dozens of different ingredients bottled in small jars, bearing labels written in an illegible scrawl; ancient-looking statuettes, relics, talismans and charms of every kind; crystals, semi-precious stones and shells; incense and candles in every colour imaginable, both tallow and wax; skulls of at least a score of different creatures, including a few human ones. Dried herbs, strings of colourful feathers and beads hang from the rafters. In the center of the room is a long rectangular table, covering almost the entire length of the shop, which is likewise stacked with similar wares. At the far side of the room is the counter. The wall behind it has an enormous apothecary cabinet placed against it, which reaches almost up to the ceiling. Next to it is a small door leading off to a smaller back room; this is the only door in the shop, as there is no discernable exit. Customers are not allowed in this back room; what it contains is a mystery (more exotic merchandise, angry creatures, the bodies of troublesome customers, are but a few of the possibilities).

The eponymous proprietor, Abullah Azeek, is a small, scrawny man of advanced age, dark-skinned, extremely wrinkled, and completely hairless but for a few bristly white chin hairs and thick eyebrows. No matter his mood, he always seems to walk around with closed eyes and furrowed brow. Though Azeek will not volunteer such information of his own accord, he is a seventh level magic-user, with a variety of charm, hold and sleep spells to deal with unruly customers. Azeek however does not like to be bothered needlessly, and every customer in his shop is expected to buy something before leaving. The prices he charges for his wares range from expensive to exorbitant. He accepts all forms of currency, rare ingredients of spell components and valuable magickal items. If a customer has no means of paying, Azeek will put a geas on him or her, tasking the person to return the first magickal item of appropriate value to him. After the purchase is completed, Azeek will dismiss his customers from the shop with a gruff “Thank you, come again!”, returning them to the exact location where they called for his services. No matter how much time passes in the Emporium, to the outside observer the dimensional shopper will only appear to have vanished for a fraction of a second.

Should Azeek be killed, the pocket universe containing the Emporium will collapse on itself. Unless those trapped inside have a means of leaving, such as dimension door, they will be unable to escape; this could mean they vanish along with the shop into oblivion, reappear in their dimension in a random time or place, or any other effect of the LL’s choosing.