New Old School Games & Art
Dec 30, 2022
WotRP Map - Eccentric Residence
More experiments with weird maps designs to try and get an alien feel. This was using some curve tools while drawing the shapes. Seems like this would be a nightmare for the mapper. I'm trying to imagine being a DM and describing the dimensions and shape of some of these rooms. Fun!
Dec 29, 2022
Bookmark Dungeon - Dim Oratory of Epix the Unholy Hedge Knight
Found some time to do a color version.
What is the OSR?
Unless you've been living under a rock you have heard of ChatGPT, powered by the OpenAI technology that uses Generative AI to answer any question, or to describe virtually anything you can ask it. I posed the question of just what is the OSR? And here was its response:
OSR stands for "Old School Revival" or "Old School Renaissance," and it refers to a movement within the tabletop role-playing game (RPG) community. The OSR seeks to reclaim and celebrate the play styles, game mechanics, and aesthetics of early tabletop RPGs, particularly those that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The OSR movement has spawned a variety of games, supplements, and other resources that are designed to evoke the feel of classic tabletop RPGs. Some popular examples of OSR games include Dungeons & Dragons (particularly early editions such as 0e, 1e, and 2e), as well as various retroclones and independent games that are inspired by those early editions. The OSR community is known for its focus on player creativity, improvisation, and the "old school" approach to gaming.
Not too bad a definition really. It misses all the nuance, which I think is common to all the questions I've asked it. But as a base level this technology is impressive and a window into what the future holds from our tech overlords.
Odious Bug Man
Odious Bug Man
Medium Beast, Neutral, Underworld
No. Appearing: 1d4+1 (1d6+1)
Armor Class: 17
Hit Dice: 4+2 (18hp)
Move: 90’ (60’)
Attacks: 1 bite or 2 claws
Damage: 1d6+1 piercing, 1d4+1 slashing
Save: 15
Morale: 6
Treasure Type: Nil
Intelligence: 12
XP Value: 75
Odious Spray: 3 times per day the creature can emit a spray in a cone 30’ long, 1’ at the base to 10’ wide. Victim sprayed must Save vs poison or be covered in odious fumes. This odor alerts and enrages other bug men giving them +1 to attack the victim.
Related to Noxious Bug Men, these creatures cohabitate in the same hive. They will often guard larval chambers. They are non-reproducing drones.
Dec 26, 2022
PotRP Design Diary #37 - Korad Facilities Building Map
A more extensive map of a building in the ruins of Korad, a once grand and beautiful city built on a bay that was once a major port, it is now dry, crumbling and mostly occupied by Tharks and White Apes.
This is a facilities building. What does that mean? I leave that up to you.
Dec 23, 2022
Mystery Map: Misty Enclave of Awutulik the Haunted Corpse
Awutilik was buried in an impenetrable tomb with false coffins to confuse any would be grave robbers. Each guarded by an undead sentinel. Every door was sealed with a riddle. His true coffin was hidden in a cave underneath the elaborate tomb. If disturbed his haunted corpse may be awakened.
Dec 21, 2022
PotRP Design Diary #36 - Korad Building Map
I no doubt have mentioned just how many maps I am drawing for the Princess of the Red Planet adventure. Well, it's a lot. So between various illustration work and writing I take a break and draw another map. The goal is to convey the unique alien architecture and still provide a useful milieu for adventuring in.
Many of these I've drawn are based on a mandala with multiple points radiating out from the center. While this particular one is fairly simple, some of them get quite elaborate.
Dec 8, 2022
Devotion - Turning Alignment into a Stat
It looks like the next edition of DnD will get rid of Alignment.
Alignment is such a core part of DnD, going all the way back to Chainmail, it is hard to imagine the game without it. The Sword & Sorcery and fantasy genres that inspired the early campaigns in general are rooted in the struggle of good and evil. I'd like to propose an alternate alignment system that will preserve its place for older fans and make room for new generations to embrace the game.
This is a system that preserves the idea of alignment while opening up the system for any ideas to come. This should satisfy established players of the game as well as be welcoming to new players who may not hold the same views.
Devotion
Devotion is your character’s life philosophy, cause, or religious beliefs and how devoted they are to it. Your character’s dedication to their beliefs is their devotion stat. This may be used to resist temptation, or to disobey mind control if being forced by dark magics to do that which is contrary to their beliefs. Each character starts with a Devotion stat of 10, this may be adjusted by class, ancestry, level, and behavior.
3-8: weakly holds to their ideals
9-11: moderately holds to their ideals
12-15: strongly holds to their ideals
16-17: very strongly holds to their ideals
18+: near fanatical devotion to their ideals
There may be temporary modifiers to a character’s devotion score. An influential and charismatic leader can increase devotion or even change beliefs.
There are many philosophies in the world. Law & chaos, good & evil are core elements of the swords & sorcery genre. Some want everything to have an order, to obey the will of the gods or of the king. Others want to indulge in anarchy, unbeholden to any man or god. Your character may hold compassion to be the highest ideal. Or you may believe that the god of war is the most powerful and the only one worthy of worship who all should bend the knee to. If the character violates his or her devotion then the GM may penalize them or reduce their devotion stat. Characters may also evolve and develop different devotions through game play.
By default the character is either Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic, but there is no limit to the different possible devotions a character may hold and a player may work with the GM to make one up that fits their character concept. Some example are described here:
Law: the character holds the rule of law to be the highest ideal.
Neutrality: the character does not want to take sides
Anarchy: the character rejects all forms of coercion by force of law, hierarchy, and order.
War: the character believes that conquest and war is the only way to unite the people and bring peace.
Compassion: the character feels deeply for others and wants no harm to come to anyone.
Nihilism: the character rejects all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless and there is no point to the world.
Stoicism: the character believes in reigning in passions. “Fear does us more harm than the things of which we’re afraid.”
Good: the character is morally excellent, virtuous, and holds righteousness as the highest ideal.
Pious: the character is devoted to the commandments of his or her deity.
Evil: the character is self centered, immoral, wicked, and of ill nature. Of course no one thinks they are evil so they will call their philosophy by another name such as
This was inspired in part by this old post on Alignment: https://dungeoneering.blogspot.com/2010/11/concentric-alignment.html
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