tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21277688386256257442024-03-18T16:20:08.785-05:00Venger's old school gaming blogThis blog is an eldritch melange of savagery, super-science, and sorcery!
Are you a devotee of neo-OSR, paper and pencil, tabletop roleplaying games like Call of Cthulhu, Vampire: the Masquerade, Hollow Earth Expedition, The Mutant Epoch, Encounter Critical, WEG Star Wars, Dark Conspiracy, Marvel Super Heroes, Paranoia, and all the retro-awesomeness of the original fantasy RPG, then come aboard. Let this be your virtual home away from home.
Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.comBlogger912125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-62599231857927260892024-03-10T14:47:00.001-05:002024-03-18T16:19:36.897-05:00Mysterious Qada'ath [CHA'ALT campaign, session 9]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTl-96O3yKTs22wuOYrTwSP77msLJKkSebSlcaIYljShHMg_vlJU0nAYJpY18Fa_HonJJynjDLsMUGiq8tChLNwQZtYRBJMz-7Rf3Iu001il8FUd_qEbXRaNBISDkR9dl2Kna7nQyCId19dr0K0j5ZJ3eAkwd12uxODI9oMc5sANmCTavLNd4rJs0FJ0A/s4000/GIUF0-DW0AAZ9IR.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTl-96O3yKTs22wuOYrTwSP77msLJKkSebSlcaIYljShHMg_vlJU0nAYJpY18Fa_HonJJynjDLsMUGiq8tChLNwQZtYRBJMz-7Rf3Iu001il8FUd_qEbXRaNBISDkR9dl2Kna7nQyCId19dr0K0j5ZJ3eAkwd12uxODI9oMc5sANmCTavLNd4rJs0FJ0A/s320/GIUF0-DW0AAZ9IR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Never before in the anals of history (and if you haven't taken anal history with Ms. Tush, I highly recommend it) has there ever been a shot like the one that blasted the Ark of the Covenant into... well, let's just roll the tape so you can see for yourself.</p><p>We begin with three players, and their characters were Drogon the human/banana sorcerer, Nix the demon/clown/banana thief (we discussed Nix's look before getting underway - big long yellow banana nose that squeaks when squeezed, bright Bozo-red hair and goatee, white face paint, and plaid pants), and Juan Tifrifo the crystalline/banana warrior. Yes, at the end of last session, they had just been turned into banana-men after Juan removed a neon banana sign from the cave wall.</p><p>Behind the neon banana sign was an 18-inch crack running vertically in the cave wall. Peaking in, they could see a cave aglow with large colorful crystals and in the center was a golden pylon. Immediately, Juan used his blaster to make a bigger entrance and then they entered to look around. The pylon didn't have its familiar pyramidal key above the currently non-existent door, but they had Nix and Nix had his trusty crystal-rimmed jaccard.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw82M0ugD0jwodxQ0-dd4re-PxKO25ZkdpTpGGOF8rRohv_Djrj1uGeM7G_coInx01_nHO3G648pF6CGhG2jNs9g6bXUtnsArCEqrl8Pmd3XJKa3w0HyFxbM6h12jr15mN-EW4d5qaJwGZKci9QSonbcAwv_JLqnSWWBxDYQYLcEbNw0x-OYGFVLO_NVs/s650/161LU02_Pylon-Crystals.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="555" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw82M0ugD0jwodxQ0-dd4re-PxKO25ZkdpTpGGOF8rRohv_Djrj1uGeM7G_coInx01_nHO3G648pF6CGhG2jNs9g6bXUtnsArCEqrl8Pmd3XJKa3w0HyFxbM6h12jr15mN-EW4d5qaJwGZKci9QSonbcAwv_JLqnSWWBxDYQYLcEbNw0x-OYGFVLO_NVs/s320/161LU02_Pylon-Crystals.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><p>Rolling a natural 20, Nix opened the door before his crystal-rimmed jaccard even touched the locking mechanism. It opened into blackness, so Drogon asked Ta'anzo (his spider familiar) if he would check it out... and he did. It was safe for his master and his master's companions. </p><p>Stepping into the black void interior of the gold pylon, the PCs brushed up against a beaded curtain and saw shag carpeting, black lights, velvet paintings, banana-shaped lava lamp, mood music playing in the background (most likely Fuchsia Floyd), an end-table displaying pet rocks next to an elaborate glass bong, coffee table containing an open book, and paisley couch.</p><p>Juan Tufrifo shaved some of the shag carpeting and sliced the banana lava lamp in two. Nix ripped a bong-hit that was pre-filled with a chartreuse powder. Drogon took a look at the book on the table - it was a magical tome instructing sorcerers in the use of a special kind of glyph... slut glyphs! With the help of this book, a sorcerer could learn how to create, energize, and stimulate a sexually suggestive magical symbol onto a woman's lower back, the most powerful slut glyphs are capable of sexually enslaving their nubile vessels. </p><p>Before leaving, Drogon decided to cast detect magic to see if there was anything else they should be paying attention to. With his sorcerous eyes, Drogon sensed something under the couch. The crystalline-banana warrior sliced the couch in two as his companion gazed at what was hidden underneath - a poster (although, now I'm picturing it as more of an oversized scroll than something I would have hung on my wall as a teenager) of a banana. The closer they examined it, the more obvious that the banana was a sticker that could be peeled away to reveal... a flesh-colored tentacle. The tentacle was puffy and squishy and slimy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-9KDIpkxn3XKd7EdzvnbbuiR-vrPl5oubfB_xWAiU64mq6zJkSUNUONR7XezwXRoyDX0HdgLRsX8OphE2FYQ6oOk7jBbTeM9CcnwduexwmfVOavyxeX8lr2t7pk8DsxcbngY45_iDT1qXEHQUnXYBEM9JcbYz6sGDQc5jG09REG_Io6ny_EgnqF44bk/s1000/51YdwRcxDfL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="761" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-9KDIpkxn3XKd7EdzvnbbuiR-vrPl5oubfB_xWAiU64mq6zJkSUNUONR7XezwXRoyDX0HdgLRsX8OphE2FYQ6oOk7jBbTeM9CcnwduexwmfVOavyxeX8lr2t7pk8DsxcbngY45_iDT1qXEHQUnXYBEM9JcbYz6sGDQc5jG09REG_Io6ny_EgnqF44bk/s320/51YdwRcxDfL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><p>Since it was magical, they rolled it up and took it with them. Upon exiting, they came across a dozen pig-faced orcs who were taking the clown-gangbang woman to their lair (since the PCs had focused on the pylon and a little on the crystals, they completely neglected a small tunnel at the back of the cave leading to the orc lair. </p><p>The woman was unconscious, and the PCs were probably going to let the orcs go so they could put the woman in their giant stew-pot and eat her in peace. But then the two other freed prisoners appeared and the orcs threw metal collars and chains on them so they could also be eventually eaten. The human slaves pleaded with the adventurers to be saved (again), so the trio of anti-heroes complied. Mostly because Juan got bored and fired his blaster several times down the tunnel as some of the orcs had already started walking back home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAygrKCgIRVr0_Mg2s_TRj0KSARk1kg1Lf0RaI1mSoNNZ64i9-W1JOKsKjMe-CHArOEuvHlsnNaEfkK3XBoSLOJGVIMrqn-kq2hTWemMLWX3b4_vAeTxrmNolklwn29XPG7unbwxx7f9QEjaMD8nHgb9wHtatSbx-P8K1YXS1V8yPS3-JCYRiu_UnNhQ/s600/29abebsm0xda.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAygrKCgIRVr0_Mg2s_TRj0KSARk1kg1Lf0RaI1mSoNNZ64i9-W1JOKsKjMe-CHArOEuvHlsnNaEfkK3XBoSLOJGVIMrqn-kq2hTWemMLWX3b4_vAeTxrmNolklwn29XPG7unbwxx7f9QEjaMD8nHgb9wHtatSbx-P8K1YXS1V8yPS3-JCYRiu_UnNhQ/s320/29abebsm0xda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>After taking significant damage, the PCs had slaughtered the remaining orcs. Drogon's player missed by 1 during combat, and I reminded him of the new optional rule in <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/451651/advanced-crimson-dragon-slayer" target="_blank">Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</a>. He performed the tentacle "ritual" and got his +1.</p><p>They decided to rest off their wounds in the pylon (Nix discovered a way to lock it from the inside without the key). Meanwhile, the adventurers discovered that the woman, Samantha, had a slut glyph tramp-stamp on her lower back (that read "open for business"), so they asked her about it. She confirmed their suspicion - the sorcerer who lived here in this pylon had manifested the slut glyph on her body. He was on some kind of shamanic-walkabout and would eventually return.</p><p>Samantha, in true Heavy Metal movie style, asked if there was anything she could do to repay the adventurers for saving her. One or more of the party was interested, but opted to wait until after their rest so they could utilize the sleaze-factor 5 bonus more effectively. However, Samantha had some jellybeans (wild blackberry) secreted in her love-pocket. She gave them to Nix as a way of saying thanks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoZVrrGOtzADx1ZiY2N8E87E0Mx7-zJ13vo-Ui_GO8TrAai-R5yDOPWDce6FFDX411g7jHD41qLa-FCxtzJrLyyeYzvfata9uHEUPXyRsF4E3P8erUkZyohJYmdijrufgQ7rgXT3BaFsWo9F9qj7sBc3j3nDuHLYV5T7LDrzglZ7He6N7FHicR108Kjs/s1344/vengersatanis_PeeWee_Herman_as_tan_robed_sorcerer_shaman_with_b_8689ebbb-1e5f-4023-9190-609c928f7b10.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoZVrrGOtzADx1ZiY2N8E87E0Mx7-zJ13vo-Ui_GO8TrAai-R5yDOPWDce6FFDX411g7jHD41qLa-FCxtzJrLyyeYzvfata9uHEUPXyRsF4E3P8erUkZyohJYmdijrufgQ7rgXT3BaFsWo9F9qj7sBc3j3nDuHLYV5T7LDrzglZ7He6N7FHicR108Kjs/s320/vengersatanis_PeeWee_Herman_as_tan_robed_sorcerer_shaman_with_b_8689ebbb-1e5f-4023-9190-609c928f7b10.png" width="213" /></a></div><p>3 hours of rest and relaxation later, the glyph guru came back, looking like PeeWee Herman in tan robes and a cookie crisp pointy wizard's hat and matching wand with a cookie that's had a bite taken out on the end (not sure what Midjourney was thinking, but this is the best of 8). He restored the PCs to their non-banana state - "Expiritu returnum sancti!" Nix had a choice of remaining a night-clown along with his demon heritage or to have that reversed, as well. Nix preferred to stay both clown and demon. </p><p>The PCs got their remaining HP back, as well, and then left to let the glyph guru and Samantha do what they want in the pylon. Those shrimp cocktail jellybeans would go well with the tuna wormhole he was about to devour. </p><p>Leaving the subterranean ex-zoo dungeon (with the photon torpedo), the PCs found Johnny Transport sleeping in the driver's seat. They got in and drove towards the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice. On the way, they were fired upon by a Federation hover-tank. Drogon's missile command intercepted the missile that almost blew them up. Johnny Transport ejected to safety, leaving them without a driver - but one of the NPCs jumped to the wheel and made sure the transport was stable (the photon torpedo had been ensconced with blankets in the trunk). </p><p>They couldn't outrun the hover-tank and decided to make a last stand, parking it sideways and using it for cover. The hover-tank shot several holes into it before a half-dozen Federation soldiers got out to charge them. A few laser blasts and a crit later, the soldiers were dead, but there was still one in the hover-tank as it fired on the converging red-shirt NPC who was running up there with a laser-sword as Ta'anzo scuttled his way up onto the hover-tank and into the cockpit. At this point, the SLEAZE Cha'alt X-Card was stimulated.</p><p>Calling upon his master's sorcerous vitality (costing Drogon 1 hit-point), the spider jacked all over the console which released and temporarily solidified the massive amounts of porn stored in the hover-tank's computer. Suddenly, there were tentacled whores everywhere. The pilot was distracted enough for Ta'anzo to pick up his blaster and shoot him in the back. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEkRCn61OybUTMhAWDfRk5FntlIgdFxqpfQcQnx9Wvz7SSfYvmUvjLLX01ZrM3lqmulCaaDfiO5x2MWnx6nSYy2SdC0Bn3yl7VHpG-go9mRr0D1b5x85pwBSj-voef16uH1d-5RGht6Lm-FA8ylIBTGtCm5TJhbcqPhGkif9avE9tE1gc1JyXF2HDn9c/s736/7980bd9a3d5f5b12573685e6eccfab48.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="736" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEkRCn61OybUTMhAWDfRk5FntlIgdFxqpfQcQnx9Wvz7SSfYvmUvjLLX01ZrM3lqmulCaaDfiO5x2MWnx6nSYy2SdC0Bn3yl7VHpG-go9mRr0D1b5x85pwBSj-voef16uH1d-5RGht6Lm-FA8ylIBTGtCm5TJhbcqPhGkif9avE9tE1gc1JyXF2HDn9c/s320/7980bd9a3d5f5b12573685e6eccfab48.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Taking the photon torpedo with them, the PCs drove the hover-tank to the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice. On the way, they saw that guy with the purple-stained hand hitchhiking so the NPC driver (who hadn't been vaporized into a pink mist) pulled over to pick him up. The dude's name was Zacharia, and he admitted to being a part of the prophecy.</p><p>BTW, the PCs realized they could take one of their fist-sized ka'alaxian crystals, break it in half and replace the crystal power source for their laser-swords with that. It super-charged their laser-swords from 3d6 to 3d8. </p><p>Approaching the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice, the PCs saw Gonzo and his entourage on one side and the 111 humanoid sacrifices on the other, being detained by several Federation soldiers. Nix's player stimulated the POST-APOCALYPSE card as, I believe, Drogon's player stimulated the SCIENCE-FANTASY Cha'alt X-Card - double stimulation!! - and together we decided that this whole area was full of massive bones - sandworm skeletal remains and those of alien dinosaurs... making it a natural sandworm hangout. That, combined with the Ark of the Covenant's power, was drawing sandworms to the area.</p><p>Now, the PCs knew that Gonzo most likely couldn't be harmed because of the Old Ones' protection (since Gonzo possessed the holiest of holy weapons or X'queeu residing inside the Ark). Also, Zacharia told them that even if they used the photon torpedo to destroy the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice, its remnants might still be usable to fulfill the prophecy.</p><p>Before getting out to speak with the apocalyptic priests who had gathered on the Crimson Rock outskirts, Zacharia gave the PCs a purple powder to snort. They did and it took their consciousness on a trip to the Purple Labyrinth. There, the PCs wandered purple corridors until they happened upon a purple chamber containing Gonzo, his entourage, and the Ark... but out of phase with consensual reality.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3ADaeTPmn0S21KzXprPhjW0dfiw_Sc0EHm2Wz9xwxSJP95A_2LW_YdTtKexd_zSijE6BXoiTTw0Ty660pZgrJrddhZ9WPK4akDbnXAK4N4Exszjto5ohs7fiByN-z-xiYIfsf3Yuzi7mlsQbwnAcc4P31R43FpTdzL-tDz3Y_ltaEp5kPz7i5ZRUPso/s718/47716e13f295f3f8fba79439b8349940.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="638" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3ADaeTPmn0S21KzXprPhjW0dfiw_Sc0EHm2Wz9xwxSJP95A_2LW_YdTtKexd_zSijE6BXoiTTw0Ty660pZgrJrddhZ9WPK4akDbnXAK4N4Exszjto5ohs7fiByN-z-xiYIfsf3Yuzi7mlsQbwnAcc4P31R43FpTdzL-tDz3Y_ltaEp5kPz7i5ZRUPso/s320/47716e13f295f3f8fba79439b8349940.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><p>Drogon consulted the slut glyph book and attempted to trace a glyph on Gonzo's lower back that would attract sandworms. He rolled well, the slut glyph was created and stimulated. Then, the adventurers returned to "reality." In order to complete their disruption of the ceremony, they drove up the side of the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice. Juan Tufrifo took the laser cannon controls in his crystal hand, quieted his mind, focused his energy, used the force, aimed at the Ark, and squeezed a shot off.</p><p>This was an important roll. He picked up the d20 and rolled... a 5. There was talk of spending a point of Divine Favor or using Fuchsia Burn, but Juan's player decided to use one of his lavender demon-moon dice of destiny, and, inexplicably, a <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/466155/gilded-die-of-satanis" target="_blank">gilded die of Satanis</a> (referred to by Nix's player as "the humiliation die"). Both d6s came up 6!!!</p><p>So, that's a critical success on the lavender moon die and critical success on the gilded die. One of the things I like about the come-up-with-stuff-on-the-fly systems we have in place is that it forces me to spontaneously create in that reality based solely on prompts and occasional player suggestions - this is the <span style="background-color: #04ff00; color: #ff00fe;"><b>PSYCHOCOSM</b></span> your mother never warned you about during the Satanic panic. After a few seconds of contemplation, I decided that the Ark of the Covenant was blasted off the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice and into the mouth of a sandworm - as several had now converged on their location, all the more urgently due to Gonzo's slut glyph tramp-stamp.</p><p>But what's the humiliation of Juan Tufrifo? Moments after swallowing the Ark, the sandworm pooped it out - and for God only knows what reason, the turd looked exactly like the crystalline warrior himself. The PCs decided to scoop up the poop-encased Ark of the Covenant with plans to let it petrify until it was needed in the future.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8-Q39_rjH2M9nUbZK2vnjiHZonnyKLzMCx6oBd22wmbUgdsP-Mjua9C3OYUtsoIIoPVYdqJjQUyZT6sXl1W7b1VQ1AJPg3v5kfIDWKdp3y7Osb2EBglVn3xYXQNI2ggJOPtRWrPCt6lIG5WGAkatAontCg4AYtvp3LxxiupAutJuqH3HIEWPwrT_pVo/s640/sandwormcropped.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="640" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8-Q39_rjH2M9nUbZK2vnjiHZonnyKLzMCx6oBd22wmbUgdsP-Mjua9C3OYUtsoIIoPVYdqJjQUyZT6sXl1W7b1VQ1AJPg3v5kfIDWKdp3y7Osb2EBglVn3xYXQNI2ggJOPtRWrPCt6lIG5WGAkatAontCg4AYtvp3LxxiupAutJuqH3HIEWPwrT_pVo/s320/sandwormcropped.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p>The session ended about 30 minutes early as we were all emotionally spent after that dramatic climax and there was no way of topping it. </p><p>Now that this arc (no pun intended) is complete, time to start thinking about what's next for the campaign. Good stopping point because we won't reconvene for 3 weeks as I have my eldest daughter's birthday party next weekend and GaryCon the weekend after.</p><p>A lot of great quotes were heard around the table...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"You get that familiar tingling sensation."</li><li>"I love the idea of slut glyphs, that's such a great concept. It's even fun to say... slut glyph!"</li><li>"Banana glyphs? Ok, let me research that."</li><li>"Do we still have our original... equipment down there?" To which I responded, "You don't have banana junk perse, but it has taken on a banana-like influence."</li><li>"Instead of tea-totaler, what about the phrase zoth-totaler? Too old-timey?"</li><li>"Sandworm poop smells like cinnamon."</li><li>"Marsupial spider-satchel."</li><li>"I'm like an avenging clown angel of chaos."</li><li>"Banana shadows."</li><li>"Samantha, you're in for a treat!"</li><li>"Federation soldiers are like the stormtroopers of Cha'alt."</li><li>"Nix, surely a master-thief," to which he responded, "I am a master-thief, but don't call me Shirley."</li><li>"Remember to gently peel back your banana-skirt, you don't want to bruise."</li><li>"Coochie jellybeans."</li><li>"When it comes to prophecies, it's not so much the letter of the law as the spirit."</li><li>"Your moon dice moment is a verse from the song of your own life."</li><li>"I got my +5 [sleaze factor bonus]. See you later, THOT!"</li><li>"Yeah, we'll just call him Johnny Transport. That's good enough."</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Ok, I'll blog again between now and our next session - Saturday, March 30th - but the next stop on the <b>Cha'alt</b> train is Gary Con! Looking forward to it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>VS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>p.s. Want your own hardcover <b>Cha'alt </b>trilogy? <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">Order it here</a>, and thank you for supporting independent RPG creators... rather than woke corporations that don't give a damn about the hobby. I'll keep reminding you guys, <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">VENGER CON III</a> this July in Madison, WI. Come game with us!</div><div><br /></div><p></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-8253366579705286442024-03-04T06:54:00.006-06:002024-03-04T08:29:19.233-06:00Mysterious Qada'ath [Cha'alt campaign, session 8]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHIBgg3ipqDlJK6moqpxHTl_8DakNpWhZRAtqi5lA8PweABcnB9dZthIsSljaU0-jY4EAMQTTJ3c3s69-QHTeDWbxnJeIasUSHZtasJidzA3PVXnSnuKT5jeBZ40d8hNciu8UMa_HDGCnwYeheda-MF33hVa9EG4lKcAJX7Y2jclywzsqXgczGqlH8sY/s4000/GHwZCwpWoAAp89R.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHIBgg3ipqDlJK6moqpxHTl_8DakNpWhZRAtqi5lA8PweABcnB9dZthIsSljaU0-jY4EAMQTTJ3c3s69-QHTeDWbxnJeIasUSHZtasJidzA3PVXnSnuKT5jeBZ40d8hNciu8UMa_HDGCnwYeheda-MF33hVa9EG4lKcAJX7Y2jclywzsqXgczGqlH8sY/s320/GHwZCwpWoAAp89R.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Finally, we are back from our unexpected hiatus. Thanks for tuning in. I think you'll be pleased to read about this particular game... it was bananas!</p><p>We returned with 4 players - Drogon the human sorcerer, Nix the demon thief, Juan Tufrifo the crystalline warrior (and blue glass pusher), and Gorra the grog (sand construct) priest. All 4 <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/451651/advanced-crimson-dragon-slayer" target="_blank">Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</a> classes were exhibited - the most important kind of representation!</p><p>Before I forget, I opened the door as the first player arrived to see a package at my front door. It was the fake squishy banana that I had ordered from Amazon just 2 days prior. So, that was a prop I kept on the game table throughout the session. And you can bet your bottom-dollar I'll be bringing that motherfucker to Gary Con with me!</p><p>The party started at the Quick Stop convenience store in the Outer Settlements of Qada'ath. They needed a place to plan their assault on the cantina after discovering that Gonzo had taken over the 2nd floor apartment above the desert watering hole (that had been newly renovated to include a strip club with jacuzzi, dance floor, etc.) upon claiming the Ark of the Covenant for himself.</p><p>While the other three PCs discussed the merits of sneaking around vs barging in with guns blazing, Juan Tufrifo was in the back alley (still within earshot due to a small window of the convenience store) offering free samples of his blue glass leeches. This attracted the attention of a spicy little number with big boobs, lavender skin and crimson splotches (part moon-elf, part blood-elf, all tramp). She (just realized we forgot to give her a name - oops, let's call her Qua'anita) decided to show her appreciation with her mouth, thus becoming the crystalline warrior's new girlfriend.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5hRQy7QZYoyzFDCNcWAtbQUaybx8GBeCRDMUioIRkfY4kTHzfUhyphenhyphen7eXDCNIqocdC5ZYTSYNURABbiQkief1ewu45SOPmKMrzj3ZEP5lePsDST8hHBaKW6DFFuf__L9Cb-MGqQf6xGe5xgx8hhEixCSxDFB8hin9MA4VAStnPD3tn-_5r_AH30g4hmXQ/s1344/vengersatanis_a_purple-stained_hand_8K_6b5648db-c049-4f6c-b03a-fca2ef2a9c73.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5hRQy7QZYoyzFDCNcWAtbQUaybx8GBeCRDMUioIRkfY4kTHzfUhyphenhyphen7eXDCNIqocdC5ZYTSYNURABbiQkief1ewu45SOPmKMrzj3ZEP5lePsDST8hHBaKW6DFFuf__L9Cb-MGqQf6xGe5xgx8hhEixCSxDFB8hin9MA4VAStnPD3tn-_5r_AH30g4hmXQ/s320/vengersatanis_a_purple-stained_hand_8K_6b5648db-c049-4f6c-b03a-fca2ef2a9c73.png" width="213" /></a></div><p>After the details of their scheme were set, Drogon turned Nix invisible so he could sneak in. Gorra became sand and looked into the upstairs windows before following Nix inside, Tufrifo distracted the tough-looking mercs surrounding the cantina by trying to sell them blue glass. And Drogon's spider familiar, Ta'anzo, was also creeping inside and giving his master telepathic impressions of what was going on.</p><p>Meanwhile, all 4 PCs saw a man wearing tan robes. His outstretched hand was stained purple. Only Tufrifo interacted with him. All he said was "Soon..."</p><p>Inside Gonzo's apartment, they found a man imprisoned. This turned out to be Va'angoosh, an arcaneologist from A'agrybah who's studied the ancient texts and knows the prophecies and esoteric lore of Cha'alt. They also stumbled upon a peanut butter and jelly room that soon released a peanut butter demon and two jelly fiends from the raspberry pit. Gorra, who had to become sand-humanoid in order to not be stuck to the floor, was smacked by the peanut butter demon, took a little damage and made his saving throw to keep his sand free from the slick oil of his peanut buttery foe.</p><p>Nix attempted to backstab Gonzo, but just as he began to slice and dice, a small portal opened. A tentacle quickly exited the portal and blocked Nix's attack before disappearing. Apparently, Gonzo was favored by the Old Ones due to his possession of the Ark of the Covenant.</p><p>Everybody got the Hell out of there as Nix threw a photon detonator between the legs of the peanut butter demon. It exploded, sending pieces of mercenary, drywall, flaming peanut butter and molten raspberry jelly all over the place. Meanwhile, they could hear Gonzo scream his disappointment and threats of revenge.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY9yczjD8Brfs3QwvmiRJGIaOY9_pUU2WX0qrKBJSpqs5rjvwM62sf82OxqvQHxAQv0rRdMqY9RVMRZT72Yt0dcuODDtE1SCWYqa8Yn6YQ4CzS5hgCbmnJaOQiVfKjS_t_y02ce-NYPoVifL3db-zY54YitXZdmgKTHI7ySmiGvuJOv2epxn2Zhk6i00/s1024/430045180_10212277190602673_9012809123303715406_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY9yczjD8Brfs3QwvmiRJGIaOY9_pUU2WX0qrKBJSpqs5rjvwM62sf82OxqvQHxAQv0rRdMqY9RVMRZT72Yt0dcuODDtE1SCWYqa8Yn6YQ4CzS5hgCbmnJaOQiVfKjS_t_y02ce-NYPoVifL3db-zY54YitXZdmgKTHI7ySmiGvuJOv2epxn2Zhk6i00/s320/430045180_10212277190602673_9012809123303715406_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Talking to the arcaneologist a bit more, Va'angoosh told the PCs that there were 3 prophecies connected to the Ark of the Covenant. The first revealed that a Federation officer named Holt would officiate a ritual involving the murder of 111 humanoids at the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice, then Yog-Soggoth would appear and grant a Greater Wish [which means no limits, as opposed to the 6th level sorcerer's spell which has various limitations and restrictions]. In this case, the planet Cha'alt would implode. The second prophecy states that Cha'alt would be saved by a rag-tag group of adventurers who are strangers in a strange land. There was also a third prophecy where something akin to grape soda, possibly Purple Prizm, was spilled upon the scroll. All that can be known about this third revelation is that it involved the Purple Islands.</p><p> They met back up at the Quick Stop as Tufrifo's ex-girlfriend had words with his current squeeze. It quickly became a cat fight as the clerk, Dante, said that kind of thing was unacceptable - unless done inside the kiddie pool full of mud. So, the girls fought as the purple-stained hand guy came in to buy a pack of smokes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAnpL_6d8h_NRHxskbewekhgsyhD44DBEGH02iRJO03T932h4cW1gjbZcEv8tTDqSQZcjMAzT_sYI7-5nauggdk0KBOoi9E-JUyUbVPYH0ogsZeIVqelrri_zB0QoLJruFl19KJ8BBYdZXf3ppukWei2WlrfEt97a0O0xiczauSTF2TDCLOYioHc-8qA/s1024/vengersatanis_red-stained_desert_rock_bridge_formation_with_fuc_13e6d91d-d5a2-4d71-9f29-5d4c090cb18f.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAnpL_6d8h_NRHxskbewekhgsyhD44DBEGH02iRJO03T932h4cW1gjbZcEv8tTDqSQZcjMAzT_sYI7-5nauggdk0KBOoi9E-JUyUbVPYH0ogsZeIVqelrri_zB0QoLJruFl19KJ8BBYdZXf3ppukWei2WlrfEt97a0O0xiczauSTF2TDCLOYioHc-8qA/s320/vengersatanis_red-stained_desert_rock_bridge_formation_with_fuc_13e6d91d-d5a2-4d71-9f29-5d4c090cb18f.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Dante told the PCs that about this time of day a customer usually comes in, and has his own transport. He could take them across the S'kbah desert to the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice. </p><p>They asked and that sounded good to him. The driver was re-fueling his transport and challenged Gorra to a game of 17-dimensional chess. This involves a random table I'd been working on. The very first move, dude sitting across from me rolls a 17, winning the game. Like Teddy KGB, transport guy (Again, no name that I can remember... let's call him Slade) felt so unsatisfied. So, they played again. </p><p>This game took longer, but Gorra eventually won that one, as well. So, the PCs got a discount on the ride and Slade also told them about where they could find another laser-sword + photon torpedo (which makes a photon detonator look like a jagged rock). Tufrifo's crystal eyes lit up at the sound of that.</p><p>Slade drove them to a ruined temple halfway between the Outer Settlements and Crimson Rock of Sacrifice. A banana was found laying on the ground at the temple's entrance, next to a broken pillar and crumbling Cyclopean stones. Tufrifo squished it under foot. Inside were stone steps leading to a network of caves and tunnels that had, at one time, been modified into a zoo. The stench of lion B.O., monkey poop, and tentacled turtle-worm piss still saturated the subterranean "dungeon."</p><p>Nix scouted ahead, and soon found clowns. Nix had always seen night-clowns as rather pathetic, cringe-inducing folk (which would soon be ironic - keep reading). This trio of clowns were reenacting scenes from a movie whose poster was up on a cave wall - Police Academy 2. I liked the visual of a clown putting on a martial arts style headband that was actually a skinny balloon and miming the poorly-dubbed language of kung-fu films.</p><p>Instead of killing them, Nix got the information he needed and let them be - the location of laser-sword, photon torpedo, and that they were being guarded by a tentacled clown-worm. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1BovbULpc1ccfNjdHda6bECSttRDKV8IsFKI5c5qYObikUnQyrbgXtzh0zX7MNqQNPENtQmJU9mmsSesCVvH7o5wwe1VfKNlDOWVggsuotv-HyAutaUoWxFVlqch9HPkAPNdpyrncV1kg5gVakrB73CFfHG3Eyqi5VPjBvHDpWh6G1NwVleHCpRSNnQ/s1728/il_1140xN.3126338364_gve4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1140" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1BovbULpc1ccfNjdHda6bECSttRDKV8IsFKI5c5qYObikUnQyrbgXtzh0zX7MNqQNPENtQmJU9mmsSesCVvH7o5wwe1VfKNlDOWVggsuotv-HyAutaUoWxFVlqch9HPkAPNdpyrncV1kg5gVakrB73CFfHG3Eyqi5VPjBvHDpWh6G1NwVleHCpRSNnQ/s320/il_1140xN.3126338364_gve4.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p>The rest of the party moved around to find another virtual reality game like the one they used originally to enter Cha'alt. This one was called Metebelis-3 and the promotional sticker-posters on the game showed blue light, a spider leg, and terrified humans. Ta'anzo the spider familiar tried it, and then Drogon and Gorra decided to strap themselves in as well. </p><p>They appeared on an alien world, got some weapons, and Gorra attacked his fellow humans as giant demon flying spiders swooped down to attack everyone. Drogon wanted to test out the limits of the game by jumping onto a swooping spider while trying to mount it, sexually. It looked as if he might be successful as the Metebelis-3 game lost power due to low battery, and shut itself down.</p><p>Ta'anzo knew how excited his master, now way beyond arachnophilia, had gotten in the game (Juan Tufrifo called this "spooge sense") and offered to finish Drogon off. The spider familiar took out a small bottle of zoth-based lube from his satchel (or possibly a built-in spider pouch due to an evolutionary quirk) and went to work.</p><p>"How are you going to clean up all that mess?" another member of the Crimson Bastards asked when he was finished. That jogged (spider-jacked?) my memory - the PCs all had Tyrian purple sexkerchiefs from that A'agrybah noble who the PCs had helped a few sessions back. So, the post-coital cleanup was easy enough.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtst3uOzOhGyQpFnGr7M4xOMlY7Y2wc1xoFPaJutbNyGHn6VUb_Oz4UZ7eJ37a-avSyyfhU0W6YOcLlKIaL-NVHLoqTsH8ii1PerGUfexfJ33jlV5cZuESXoqcfvBbpC_U4pBONf-7e9NG5hwW8iILpswT4PrargRXSC_OHti93sOAg-HsU8ZCF_0Lvk/s500/artworks-000162333309-yjowa3-t500x500.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtst3uOzOhGyQpFnGr7M4xOMlY7Y2wc1xoFPaJutbNyGHn6VUb_Oz4UZ7eJ37a-avSyyfhU0W6YOcLlKIaL-NVHLoqTsH8ii1PerGUfexfJ33jlV5cZuESXoqcfvBbpC_U4pBONf-7e9NG5hwW8iILpswT4PrargRXSC_OHti93sOAg-HsU8ZCF_0Lvk/s320/artworks-000162333309-yjowa3-t500x500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Moving on, the PCs encountered a larger cave where 20 or so clowns circled a woman getting gangbanged. She seemed to be enjoying it as the clown-slut took on a couple of dudes in the front while a third was behind her pulling out brightly colored scarves [note to self: next time, go with cream pie trick and/or banana in the tailpipe]. Tufrifo plied has trade as a scummy drug lord (acquiring lots of jellybeans, night-clown currency) as Nix's player wondered if I could possibly make this scene even sleazier, so he stimulated the SLEAZE card (<a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/458143/cha-alt-x-cards" target="_blank">Cha'alt X-Cards</a>), and I'm ashamed to say it only took me a second or two to come up with the following.</p><p>Another clown took out a dozen or so candy-colored balloons, pressing each one up to the woman's vagina as she queefed enough air into the phallus-shaped balloons, inflating them to a size good enough for sticking into their clown bottoms. As the PCs witnessed this utter depravity, they could hear a nearby clown humming 99 Queef Balloons (in the original German). Dear Lord, what kind of degenerate filth game is this?!? Lol.</p><p>Soon, the adventurers made their way to the southeast corner of the dungeon, passing a cage containing 4 humanoid prisoners who'd been captured by the night-clowns while they were sleeping and expected to be sold into slavery soon. Not sure if they should free the prisoners now or later, they opted for now... cannon fodder and such.</p><p>Finally, they arrived at a massive cave that contained the tentacled clown-worm. Drogon started things off with a fireball, but rolled a 2, and then opted for fuchsia burn since Gorra had a Divine Favor fuchsia stone from the previous session and Nix just earned his by stimulating the SLEAZE card.</p><p>60 whopping points of damage right off the bat. Then, blasters and the crystalline warrior's laser-sword cutting a swath across the worm belly and eventually penetrating internal organs as juices of darkest periwinkle sprayed him and everyone else in the cave.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2nZ384bV7zYll4ufRL3odDvlf6hTB2uYPzqIKKFMm8GeOEN_yx_ZObv2gGEc6KhqCrHYBZOiIP5f00LHvS4AApapCzwTkCed2xJ8-AFYhtBS4QLIcW2SjJr2IsOWl-3ExVLhzcApEsmKEe4pZgYwUkIc0dMp6bqDPnzoiFIeKL4XxsHLMDp6CMCabsE/s614/vengersatanis_a_drawing_illustration_of_a_tentacled_clown-worm__1e49f1c8-bea0-41bd-9b0a-a7b45a4e9dbe.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="614" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2nZ384bV7zYll4ufRL3odDvlf6hTB2uYPzqIKKFMm8GeOEN_yx_ZObv2gGEc6KhqCrHYBZOiIP5f00LHvS4AApapCzwTkCed2xJ8-AFYhtBS4QLIcW2SjJr2IsOWl-3ExVLhzcApEsmKEe4pZgYwUkIc0dMp6bqDPnzoiFIeKL4XxsHLMDp6CMCabsE/s320/vengersatanis_a_drawing_illustration_of_a_tentacled_clown-worm__1e49f1c8-bea0-41bd-9b0a-a7b45a4e9dbe.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p>A couple of the humanoid prisoners were crushed to death, Gorra was minorly injured, but then just before the godlike creature expired, it critted on Nix, bringing him down to half his usual health, and requiring a saving throw. He failed; then I remembered the new optional rule in <b>Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</b> that allowed Advantage on saves if the player recounted a memory from his character's life, perhaps something relevant to the current situation, something that might give the PC inspiration or solace in his time of need? "Like a flashback," another player replied. Yes, exactly!</p><p>Wasn't long before Nix was reminded of the spawning pits where infants were dropped into the fiery domain by... the Great Old Ones or possibly Demon Lords (I was too busy writing to hear and remember all the details) and these babies had to crawl their way up to safety, which meant that only the fittest would survive, thus ensuring the strength of their species.</p><p>Apparently, this was something that the player had in his mind for awhile but just hadn't articulated until now. And it might never have seen the light of day (or dark of night) if not for that new optional rule. So, I gave him 2 more chances to succeed in his saving throw (Nix should have joined in on the gangbang, I guess), but never made it to that hard to reach 17+ threshold as a 3rd level character.</p><p>That meant he was becoming a clown himself! By the battle's end, Nix was powdering his nose and craving jellybeans. </p><p>In that last cave was a large stone altar where the 4-foot long by 1-foot across photon torpedo rested (a transparent aluminum window allowed one to see the orange photon energy going every-which-way inside. On a stone pedestal was the hilt of a laser-sword. And at the back wall of this cavern hung a neon banana sign. One player misheard and thought the laser-sword was banana-shaped... I loved that idea, so we went with it. Tufrifo took the neon banana sign down off the wall and was about to put it in his knapsack when its radiant energy burst - turning everyone in the area into banana-men.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSeVh1uNfIUtN3uAS7FJonnCgf2QHIhRwG50TqIl9OjTdrstFwBXKU67xdHiQ3N4mCx5jvk6SACqrZHLHl8vILSK8sZIj5OEmfg0TGknyA1T8ucB7VcKaU6qdANa8Dt2COad4C8Pm7jAsXE7aTJ3yxpTkQIBO_bkuRbjRuwCio5wmvYeZTLP4hjowolE/s1000/51mwOcV+uBS.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSeVh1uNfIUtN3uAS7FJonnCgf2QHIhRwG50TqIl9OjTdrstFwBXKU67xdHiQ3N4mCx5jvk6SACqrZHLHl8vILSK8sZIj5OEmfg0TGknyA1T8ucB7VcKaU6qdANa8Dt2COad4C8Pm7jAsXE7aTJ3yxpTkQIBO_bkuRbjRuwCio5wmvYeZTLP4hjowolE/s320/51mwOcV+uBS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>By this time of the game, Gorra's player had to get changed for work and people were picking-up their dice, going to the bathroom, etc. So, I don't think everyone heard or knew what was happening. Usually, for significant events I make sure that everyone is present at the table and paying attention when I describe those sorts of things. </p><p>However, I thought it was more appropriate for this to be a more private moment focusing on Tufrifo and his reaction. If this were the final moments of a TV show, after the initial credits there's sometimes an extra minute of post-climax story that happens before the episode concludes. And I could imagine the inadvertent actions of one character affecting everyone in dramatic fashion, without the others even being aware of what happened... and the curtain closes.</p><p>That it. Thanks for reading. There is no campaign like a <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign. Next session is already this coming Saturday because I'll be busy with family stuff the following Saturday, and the Saturday after that I'll be running games at Gary Con!</p><p>Enjoy,</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. Why should we have all the fun? Get your <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">hardcover Cha'alt trilogy</a> now! And game with us this July in Madison, WI because it's <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">VENGER CON III</a>, motherfucker!</p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-21485520869898959402024-02-28T18:37:00.004-06:002024-03-03T07:08:12.963-06:00LEAP DAY - Biggest CHA'ALT Sale<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoVz4EdWU-cebcQTf9njEtsPp_Ny2dc8aFhHSGXYr2W4f3twAwneJZsuRg_yTKS6Do9ynGvHJZufqR7rOHsP9IVJgVzwSf1pYsX9ejk-Jp-AeA1XHS0r0u9rp2HXyf8nL5J6zFIj_gOa-IhjfF_oeQiqF3OEQn3-0ukJfQVN_ScCAflbrp5N8nMxf0KI/s4000/GHYBepZWAAAeM_U.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoVz4EdWU-cebcQTf9njEtsPp_Ny2dc8aFhHSGXYr2W4f3twAwneJZsuRg_yTKS6Do9ynGvHJZufqR7rOHsP9IVJgVzwSf1pYsX9ejk-Jp-AeA1XHS0r0u9rp2HXyf8nL5J6zFIj_gOa-IhjfF_oeQiqF3OEQn3-0ukJfQVN_ScCAflbrp5N8nMxf0KI/w200-h150/GHYBepZWAAAeM_U.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p>Aside from my 5 children, <b>Cha'alt</b> might just be my greatest accomplishment.</p><p>For one unbelievable day [extended through Sunday, March 3rd]... February 29th, Leap Day, I'm selling the gorgeous, professionally printed, signed and numbered <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcover book for only $20 + $5 shipping/handling.</p><p>What is <b>Cha'alt</b> (in case you were sent here by a friend of a friend)? It's my eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse, humor, sleaze, pop-culture, exploitation grindhouse campaign setting. It's a system-neutral OSR and 5e compatible tome of lore, factions, new races, adventures, locations, monsters, magic items, high tech, and features <b>The Black Pyramid</b>, a darkly weird megadungeon funhouse that's like nothing you've ever seen.</p><p>Check out the reviews, testimonials, vlogs, word of mouth, and hushed whispers of lurid illumination, unutterable chanting, and that foul piping music interspersed with foreboding drums! According to the RPG Pundit, <a href="https://youtu.be/2J8PhoJP1Uw?si=5QV9qPc0I-hgODTe" target="_blank">[link here]</a> <b>Cha'alt</b> is a masterpiece of stupid gonzo fantasy!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbbS2QQ-lI5XeekibFIubTyoMP9xj1wz3QFbnZ7J3xTWbPqy0x4osdmQl60lF_ix3eNoUnVEFmuJyCe8jZBHl_bbXg3ZZuM0kCU6VUi38fXiuouewROQ5_1d_QMmQHQOxidqbYFs3jyuolUvymJTraThLCH0Poxqt0XhHzeUyycciu-8s_G0yMiWoK08/s4000/GHYBepZW8AAZwC4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbbS2QQ-lI5XeekibFIubTyoMP9xj1wz3QFbnZ7J3xTWbPqy0x4osdmQl60lF_ix3eNoUnVEFmuJyCe8jZBHl_bbXg3ZZuM0kCU6VUi38fXiuouewROQ5_1d_QMmQHQOxidqbYFs3jyuolUvymJTraThLCH0Poxqt0XhHzeUyycciu-8s_G0yMiWoK08/w200-h150/GHYBepZW8AAZwC4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>After the last sale and Kickstarter, I only have about 300 left to sell. Want your book by this time next week? Paypal me the $25 [USA only; foreign shipping is $60 for book + shipping] at...</p><p>Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com</p><p>People have been asking, so I'm also going to include a special price for the entire <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcover trilogy - $90 for all three (that includes USA shipping; if you live outside the country, add $60 onto that). </p><p>It comes with the PDF, if you don't already own it. But guess what? Today, that PDF is absolutely FREE!!! <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/284600/cha-alt" target="_blank">This is the link, hoss.</a></p><p>Folks have seen the <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcover for sale in the wild going for $200, and that's what some people are charging on ebay! Grab yours now for an eighth of that price.</p><p>Thanks, enjoy, and have a terrific Leap Day, hoss!</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-39330369602300529912024-02-26T14:10:00.000-06:002024-02-26T14:10:34.911-06:00Game Master to the Rich & Famous<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08HA3KdjbcYCD3YrH-Oo7OqgU8cWbT-yIWJU7fxxsmSlsSl2ur7rVBkUc7REMQ_9DbQNgUBn0jagQSm471UdiBk6ALH-sItHCgrBeusG7G1PMMf00dksJZOBZCpjndkYR3MwRLcZgS1uT6W_GcM_6HFdLV6gGX486UXGXKbQR6dyaDWk4vJcrkxa2fyE/s4000/GHIXQMgWgAAn0E6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08HA3KdjbcYCD3YrH-Oo7OqgU8cWbT-yIWJU7fxxsmSlsSl2ur7rVBkUc7REMQ_9DbQNgUBn0jagQSm471UdiBk6ALH-sItHCgrBeusG7G1PMMf00dksJZOBZCpjndkYR3MwRLcZgS1uT6W_GcM_6HFdLV6gGX486UXGXKbQR6dyaDWk4vJcrkxa2fyE/s320/GHIXQMgWgAAn0E6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I should be blogging about the prior weekend's <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign, but alas only 2 of the 6 players could make it. So, I had to cancel.</p><p>Not a total loss because I got to spend even more time with my Mother, who turned 85 on Saturday.</p><p>So, now that I have a window in my blogging schedule, why not write about something that's been brewing in the PSYCHOCOSM mind-space for a few months? </p><p>This was an idea just on the borderline of breaking through at the beginning of the 2nd <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign, when Colin was still around. The game was so good (and it's still excellent, even with his absence, though I must confess, ever so slightly diminished - pouring a vial of zoth out for my tentacled-homie... wherever he might be), that I wanted to share it. I wanted others to feel the <b>Cha'alt</b> experience, beyond my faithfully recorded session reports.</p><p>I also wanted to monetize the well-oiled (well-zothed?) machine we had going because, let's face it, Kort'thalis Publishing pays the bills, but that's pretty much it. It's a hobby-business. If I'm lucky, it pulls in about $10K a year. That's not nothing, but it's 2024. There have been a number of life changes recently, and it's time to think big.</p><p>I'm ready to take the GM-for-hire thing to the next level. </p><p>$50K for the <b>GOLD-LEVEL CHA'ALT CAMPAIGN</b>. Your one-year contract for an every-other-week (26 sessions total), 4-hour game, up to 7 players (minimum of 3), within a 45-minute drive of the Sun Prairie / Madison, WI area. As per usual, I'll be running my own world, <b>Cha'alt</b> [eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse, humor, sleaze, pop-culture, and exploitation grindhouse] with <b>Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXslwMvtPopgvrdCYC4Aiovvluw1HWxVSq1OpBxQ5M4hh3BNZgskKvGHtobw_9Txe8FJqT3zXxwdvnvIvqTE09BMuyNZm9KSeGCNCVooaRG-eqvLeY_hVNa60G2Rf1wuIwLbbHJ9usqw-bg4C9XeSGro5jvHuKMiKyEYa4JfQHVdotcyGY7rY6zokiBZ8/s2944/VS%20demonface%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXslwMvtPopgvrdCYC4Aiovvluw1HWxVSq1OpBxQ5M4hh3BNZgskKvGHtobw_9Txe8FJqT3zXxwdvnvIvqTE09BMuyNZm9KSeGCNCVooaRG-eqvLeY_hVNa60G2Rf1wuIwLbbHJ9usqw-bg4C9XeSGro5jvHuKMiKyEYa4JfQHVdotcyGY7rY6zokiBZ8/s320/VS%20demonface%20.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>My style is immersion-centric, rules-light, fiction-first, theater of the mind, rule of cool, 18+ for mature content, and noob friendly. I have over 40 years of experience with RPGs, that include designing and self-publishing countless books, Game Mastering sessions wherein several players have honored me with the title greatest GM in the entire world. I view this calling as somewhere between a culture-building, performance-based artform and self-actualizing religious vocation.</p><p>Modern-day radical-leftism would have us "eat the rich" or march them to the guillotine, owing to their hateful and ignorant Marxist agenda. Instead, why not exchange goods and services for money so that everyone benefits? America is a capitalist nation, democratic republic, and (for all its current problems) the greatest country in the world!</p><p>Yes, $50,000 sounds like a lot of money. In fact, it is a lot of money! However, I'm betting that an individual able to afford a personal chef or company willing to shell-out for woke anti-white training seminars can afford it. Share the cost with players or write it off as an extended team-building work retreat. Maybe after all these years, you've come to realize that golf isn't your thing and would rather ditch the country club? Or perhaps money's no object when it comes to a deeply immersive, transformative thrill-ride like the <b>Cha'alt</b> experience?</p><p>With the <b>GOLD-LEVEL CHA'ALT CAMPAIGN</b> (if both parties agree, the contract is renewable at the end of the year + 10% increase), you're basically leasing a private, exclusive multiverse, which you and your buddies get to explore, interact with, and adventure in - like virtual reality but even better, it exists in our collective imagination, and the GM isn't A.I. but organic... conscious - infinitely superior to a machine... Venger Satanis, in the flesh.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1h_VeqX_B9l-qFu_kpdBQDw0B7jTaTiJVpa3Wb8D607ahddLoA41DGOcy995e9bNR_lm76cTDBzbEWdWCn0TEEg-2sT9R7f8sLJff0g-7nmY50V_VDMI8IZiwtmn7iwOZKxKUh4VWhNiH5qdbsaR2VkzYnEuX4b-wv8R4g5j9jbwBv1R5C-BWxZyKaA/s1280/Fuu34GfWYAESDlK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1h_VeqX_B9l-qFu_kpdBQDw0B7jTaTiJVpa3Wb8D607ahddLoA41DGOcy995e9bNR_lm76cTDBzbEWdWCn0TEEg-2sT9R7f8sLJff0g-7nmY50V_VDMI8IZiwtmn7iwOZKxKUh4VWhNiH5qdbsaR2VkzYnEuX4b-wv8R4g5j9jbwBv1R5C-BWxZyKaA/s320/Fuu34GfWYAESDlK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Finding such will not be easy, and I don't plan to have this operation up and running until at least this fall, maybe January of 2025, but that's my mission. </p><p>If scheduling permits, a couple one-year contracts would probably be the most I could handle at one time (while still keeping my primary home game). So, if you live in the greater Madison, WI area, get ahold of me ASAP to lock-in your <b>GOLD-LEVEL CHA'ALT CAMPAIGN</b> one-year contract. Three-hour introductory trial-sessions start at $500.</p><p>The marketing for this new business venture won't begin until after <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">VENGER CON III</a>, as I don't want anything to distract me from this July's convention - also in the Sun Prairie / Madison, WI area.</p><p>Thanks for reading,</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Venger As'Nas Satanis<br /></b><b>High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing<br /></b><b>Arch-Duke of the Old School Renaissance</b></h3><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-38033207406658119062024-02-17T19:03:00.002-06:002024-02-17T19:03:29.067-06:00The Curse of Venger Satanis<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMYMKBeBg1guuf6y_7a5YPyEReGuePQiYcsxO6c_ehhY_R8ZE6IkBAUMkVxCp79pSBYhKwr5tZgvKSQR_BGvmqmYgIc-vpFDne1z3p03p2SSlvfpmWhyphenhyphens0CC6kwuS2TXaTaY0dOVlR774NckFAXBdRWM0kQrZOdJkD-mNMbJCHgLWbko7Qx4p0L9hits/s2944/Venger%20CHAALT%20full%20circle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMYMKBeBg1guuf6y_7a5YPyEReGuePQiYcsxO6c_ehhY_R8ZE6IkBAUMkVxCp79pSBYhKwr5tZgvKSQR_BGvmqmYgIc-vpFDne1z3p03p2SSlvfpmWhyphenhyphens0CC6kwuS2TXaTaY0dOVlR774NckFAXBdRWM0kQrZOdJkD-mNMbJCHgLWbko7Qx4p0L9hits/s320/Venger%20CHAALT%20full%20circle.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I somehow accidentally stumbled upon this blog post from 2016 where someone was reviewing one of the worst RPGs ever made, <b>Empire of Satanis</b>, written by me... and the blogger included my curse upon RPG.net. </p><p>Specifically, the curse was directed at those trashing EoS. Which seems weird in retrospect because it deserved to be trashed. It's awful. But some of those trashers were pretty nasty about it, and most of them turned out to be radical-leftists. Even though I was using their negativity to fuel my power and magic, I could see that many of them were horrible, miserable people who deserved everything that was coming to them.</p><p>Did my curse nudge The Big Purple towards its incestuously Commie demise as thee place to discuss woke, SJW, critical race transgenderism? Yes, perhaps.</p><p>Without further ado, here's my curse...</p><p><br /></p><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><b>Hail Satan! Lord of the Pit! King of Hell! Ruler of the Earth! Master of the Abyss! I open the unknowable doorways and touch the violet flame, drink the revitalizing blood and break the skulls of those who cross Him or His brothers. I call upon the most vicious demons of Hell to intervene. From this night forth, you will be plagued by self-doubt, weakness, failure, hopelessness, hunger, pain, loss, insecurity, and envy. Nothing can save you and no one will come to your aid. All who have befriended you will now desert you in your hour of need. </b></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><b>In the name of the Ancient Ones, I curse those who tear down Empire of Satanis! May Satan have no mercy whatsoever upon your miserable souls. </b></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><b>Hail Satan! </b></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><b>So it is done! </b></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><b>Venger As'Nas Satanis </b></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for reading,</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. I wrote that before I took up the name Venger Satanis. Also, get your hardcover <b>Cha'alt</b> books <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">here</a>. And now's the time to grab your <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">weekend badge</a> for <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> in Madison, WI this July.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-19890403520861254172024-02-11T22:39:00.005-06:002024-02-12T08:16:08.674-06:00Mysterious Qada'ath [Cha'alt campaign, session 7]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZGinTgZXTYaglHN6pa71RsWU7DWUIrRR980JByI42wYP7Afq0MI4LQVGBe4n0WdzW9SYcItsXq39kZWwh0cC05mzGc7zq0JgjTon3rxXe5DwvR97hKW_WhyphenhypheniWod5jV62Zi_DHf6-cjhektDiOsi_ieOzM5VHmSSeupP5gX380gSQrP3tY1C1kzTmJHk/s1344/vengersatanis_Larry_David_choking_Elmo_as_Will_Wheaton_wearing__0d032ee5-8163-4ffd-a11c-513b1003f701.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZGinTgZXTYaglHN6pa71RsWU7DWUIrRR980JByI42wYP7Afq0MI4LQVGBe4n0WdzW9SYcItsXq39kZWwh0cC05mzGc7zq0JgjTon3rxXe5DwvR97hKW_WhyphenhypheniWod5jV62Zi_DHf6-cjhektDiOsi_ieOzM5VHmSSeupP5gX380gSQrP3tY1C1kzTmJHk/s320/vengersatanis_Larry_David_choking_Elmo_as_Will_Wheaton_wearing__0d032ee5-8163-4ffd-a11c-513b1003f701.png" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p>Huzza'ah for the bare minimum! I have a personal rule that I don't run virtual games for less than 2 people and live, in-person games for less than 3. So, I was thankful that we had 3 players for yesterday's game.</p><p>An interesting line-up, as well. We had the grog (sand construct) priest and two sorcerers - Morningwood and Drogon (who started out the campaign as a priest, but converted at the beginning of last session). That means no warriors and no thieves.</p><p>After banging the gong and catching Morningwood's player up on what happened last time (can you believe he didn't read my blog post session report? Outrageous!), the PCs continued to explore the system of caves and tunnels beneath Qada'ath.</p><p>Morningwood, being a pixie-fairy, turned himself invisible and flew around the cave containing a warlord named Skull-Face, a dozen soldiers armed with spears, and a trio of sex-slave harem women. He heard two interesting pieces of conversation. Something about x'queeu being uncovered and that these guys were planning on conquering as much of this "dungeon" as they can in just a few hours.</p><p>Gorra the priest called up his demon friend who lives in the Outer Settlements of Qada'ath to see what was going on. Apparently, Gonzo has been acting strange. He burned his own house down, stole the Ark of the Covenant, and was looking for the PCs.</p><p>They kept searching in other caves. Halfway down a tunnel, they found a humanoid citizen of Qada'ath eating a sandwich in the dark, trying not to be seen. He recognized Drogon who denied being himself. The guy pulled out his communicator and showed video footage of the Crimson Bastards (that's what I'm calling the PCs - it was their adventuring party name in the last campaign - until they come up with a better name) doing stuff they actually did (killing some guards and sand-blades) along with stuff that they didn't do (but probably wanted to), like blowing up the blue glass factory and barging into the executive offices of Supreme Councilor Kra'ang and shooting him point-blank in the head. Just before dying, the pink little squishy guy muttered "X'queeu."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp8qGjhNJ2pz0fQLhFJNGFWJ0NIoGcO8XdPgAKh2RbPKJ_7pE40vipkcbUNT53AyBOP8b_UxmcpMYNNBHbe07h6Bey7JMBMYRAoAss56Fv9n2eUgiCwvQ4Ce8HfhsDU4jGsa9EQ7VrY4-Vo7UE2WDptTqNqvCxL19QytvUWG7piqZE1ua35R8Ep7Dde8/s1344/vengersatanis_factory_exploding_at_night_with_heavily_armed_cyb_4663039f-6539-47d1-a79d-c1b491722947.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp8qGjhNJ2pz0fQLhFJNGFWJ0NIoGcO8XdPgAKh2RbPKJ_7pE40vipkcbUNT53AyBOP8b_UxmcpMYNNBHbe07h6Bey7JMBMYRAoAss56Fv9n2eUgiCwvQ4Ce8HfhsDU4jGsa9EQ7VrY4-Vo7UE2WDptTqNqvCxL19QytvUWG7piqZE1ua35R8Ep7Dde8/s320/vengersatanis_factory_exploding_at_night_with_heavily_armed_cyb_4663039f-6539-47d1-a79d-c1b491722947.png" width="213" /></a></div><p> Drogon knew that word due to his priest and sorcerer combo-background. The word x'queeu means holiest of holy weapons.</p><p>Apparently, they were public enemy #1, and denounced as terrorists. Believing most of the footage was doctored by The State, the PCs filed this information away, and kept going (after Drogon autographed the dude's sandwich receipt from Jimmy Ja'ans).</p><p>They kept going down the tunnel and found an old, gray-haired, balding, rough-looking mercenary choking a small red muppet named Elmo as a red-shirt alien humanoid and crew member of some starship was huddled at the back of the cave in a fetal position crying. Yeah, I know, but... I couldn't resist.</p><p>The PCs discovered that the merc was hired by Gonzo to kill the Crimson Bastards. So, the PCs tricked the merc into giving up Gonzo's location by telling him that the Crimson Bastards were hiding out among the dudes in Skull-Face's cave, reassuring not-Larry David that they would be his backup as soon as he entered the cave blasting.</p><p>Then the PCs explored two other caves - one containing a portal and 4 neo-templars from another dimension who were dead-set on destroying the Ark of the Covenant and its dread contents - the x'queeu! The neo-templars explained that the holiest of holy weapons was an artifact that could pierce the veil between dimensions, allowing the Old Ones free reign throughout the multiverse. </p><p>These neo-templars were looking for Gonzo, so the PCs made a deal with them. They would take them to Gonzo in return for help (if they needed it) getting out of these caves and back to the Outer Settlements and one of their magic weapons the neo-templars wielded. </p><p>Gorra took a morning-star +1 that could manifest a hurricane once per day. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04M3wrifdNFXWwUfZZsRYuw5151QU_IyX-bASJaeZU8emA2epFUNPGT3paGmGrkKQ5thi2EETXKKbRFGxjvuck-yRQbQ5rVDeCK77JCINdr3MI_u-nBDrAyp5S3Qt3PRj8hckAIdcrUL2clvr05NbxfCiJZ_AsIWx-wbE7SBEuGsaGIUPsDjQL8Gpvpk/s1344/vengersatanis_massive_translucent_crystal_sitting_on_a_stone_pe_182db241-5c83-4198-91f5-c9f82686b269.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04M3wrifdNFXWwUfZZsRYuw5151QU_IyX-bASJaeZU8emA2epFUNPGT3paGmGrkKQ5thi2EETXKKbRFGxjvuck-yRQbQ5rVDeCK77JCINdr3MI_u-nBDrAyp5S3Qt3PRj8hckAIdcrUL2clvr05NbxfCiJZ_AsIWx-wbE7SBEuGsaGIUPsDjQL8Gpvpk/s320/vengersatanis_massive_translucent_crystal_sitting_on_a_stone_pe_182db241-5c83-4198-91f5-c9f82686b269.png" width="213" /></a></div><p>The other cave contained cannibals with glowing green eyes who were swarming around a massive crystal. The CHUDs were chanting "Meequay denza'an irikais," which means... once the artifact is released, our redemption will be at hand (or tentacle). </p><p>Drogon wanted a better look at that crystal, so he fireballed them. Unfortunately, he rolled a 1 for the d6 fireball table in <b>Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</b>, which would have backfired on them. So, he spent a point of Divine Favor and re-rolled - getting another 1. There were 2 polished fuchsia stones (representing points of Divine Favor) remaining on the table, so Drogon decided to employ fuchsia burn, using them both to achieve a critical success.</p><p>All the cannibals were smoldering husks, but the crystal absorbed some of the spell's super-charged magical energy, allowing me an opportunity to roll on the weird, wild spell after-effect table in <b>Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise</b>. I rolled a 73, which, as it happens, is usually everyone's (and by everyone, I mean reviewers) favorite. The sorcerer's head falls off, and gross stuff pukes out his neck, growing tentacles and an egg hatches that produces a miniature sorcerer who slowly grows to full size. </p><p>In the massive crystal, the PCs saw a vision of one possible future - the Ark being loaded onto a Federation military transport as Gonzo looked on. Then, a map of Cha'alt showing a red line - Indiana Jones style - the transport making its way across the S'kbah desert to the Crimson Rock of Sacrificed. Finally, the planet Cha'alt imploding into a hundred-million fragments!</p><p>Now, the PCs were extra motivated. So, they bypassed a crystalline dragon (though Gorra broke a tiny piece of it off, in case he had a chance to clone himself a crystal dragon at some later point), and found the cave containing ka'alaxian crystals that could reshape reality itself with a sorcerer's ritual - the primary reason why the PCs came down to these caves in the first place. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRpDj8y4bZxlofd-6Ah-wznXvccTxwAdj69zayDXnkY8GTGa-Kd1quflP0lyb3oYs-IwbIcgeufpil-sT0O7TDhNdRyK282Ypb2F_syBl16eeRNsL2qsS8oc6qcZdz4gMTebkCfXIFMPjyYEFHpLZEx4vTePzbuY2VCIzJ2Bopw7Lz7Jn_6C18rMGkfo/s1280/Fuu34GfWYAESDlK.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRpDj8y4bZxlofd-6Ah-wznXvccTxwAdj69zayDXnkY8GTGa-Kd1quflP0lyb3oYs-IwbIcgeufpil-sT0O7TDhNdRyK282Ypb2F_syBl16eeRNsL2qsS8oc6qcZdz4gMTebkCfXIFMPjyYEFHpLZEx4vTePzbuY2VCIzJ2Bopw7Lz7Jn_6C18rMGkfo/s320/Fuu34GfWYAESDlK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>There were a couple scholarly humanoids studying the glowing chartreuse crystals. The PCs noticed silky, translucent spider webbing all over the ka'alaxian crystals. So, they bade one of the scholars to touch a crystal in hopes of triggering any trap or alarm or whatnot.</p><p>Interrupting this, Drogon's player decided to stimulate a <b>Cha'alt X-Card</b> - HUMOR. And he had his own idea, explaining to the table that maybe those translucent strands was jizz, rather than spider silk. Very well, I said... these sticky strands are spider splooge.</p><p>BTW, I talked about this whole encounter and even created a D100 "Spider-Jack" random table group project for anyone who wants to participate between now and Valentine's Day. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/RWoW9kN0XaE?si=r-0EuSJANLJi2PmB" target="_blank">Here</a> is the <b>Inappropriate Characters</b> YouTube episode. I'm hosting the D100 table over at <a href="https://www.therpgsite.com/" target="_blank">TheRPGsite.com</a> in the Design, Development, and Gameplay board. See what we've got so far and submit your own entry!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJnA2XhnqJdYKaEJWiHwCIjii3jduQto1gIe0I0RNZZxHvmzmPrWCXwwC1NA2tAfs7dcrElGAvYPeQxsQFunIReVG67SpfeQ_n_cCDJO7nF5kGym4t3oI8YnqmjQafZmcnjdRwHEPZGXLeog6DtXtVkWfoNKRev6nVKNnwwTKW4ETU01xVBRQkgKC8tk/s639/Astral%20Spider.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="639" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJnA2XhnqJdYKaEJWiHwCIjii3jduQto1gIe0I0RNZZxHvmzmPrWCXwwC1NA2tAfs7dcrElGAvYPeQxsQFunIReVG67SpfeQ_n_cCDJO7nF5kGym4t3oI8YnqmjQafZmcnjdRwHEPZGXLeog6DtXtVkWfoNKRev6nVKNnwwTKW4ETU01xVBRQkgKC8tk/s320/Astral%20Spider.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Sure enough, a 3-foot portal opened in mid-air above the PCs. The giant spider (the size of a medium-sized dog) sat on the edge of the portal, jacking off - as interdimensional, crystal-coveting spiders often do.</p><p>The PCs managed to pry a ka'alaxian crystal loose and Drogon wished to use its energy to destroy any giant spider army that might be behind the one seen and close the portal to their dimension. To seal the deal, Drogon chose to call upon a lavender demon moon of destiny, and inexplicably, decided to roll a gilded die simultaneously. "This I gotta see," I said while leaning in with anticipation.</p><p>He rolled a 5 on the lavender moon die, resulting in success, but then a 6 on the <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/466155/gilded-die-of-satanis" target="_blank">Gilded Die of Satanis</a> - holy shit, a critical-success + something awkward, embarrassing, or cringe as the cherry on top.</p><p>I determined that Drogon closed the portal with a blast of eldritch energy, shooting the spider perched on the portal's edge towards the sorcerer's crotch. As the spider was already in jack-mode, he began jacking Drogon off while the ka'alaxian + crit-bonus manifested a bewitching beauty made flesh, or a close approximation, for the sorcerer to slide into (with the help of the spider, who now saw Drogon as his master).</p><p>It was one of the craziest, fucked-up things I've ever GMed, and we were all here for it.</p><p>Soon after, the PCs found a door out of the cave system, but this hand-print looked a bit different than the last. Being suspicious, they insisted the red-shirted crying starship dude (Wesley) put his hand on the imprint pad. One failed saving throw later and Wesley's hand disintegrated. The party's priest Gorra immediately tried to heal his hand back - which only produced a tiny hand growing out of the stump, like Kristin Wiig's SNL character with the tiny hands.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZYI00PAhc-m8x19UZLwnmRkZnxx2eSoxVpkhDLfkPh1lM75LyyTWCaZCsy6JQHZbaCdzAnfk2mqsFR3VWd17cNeVKYGrDXqf8fRvQJbN_Yw_4oWtLqBjpcZIzPkuB3f4w7fzEIBet55bxYjK8PHvlslbQxbPkSNGSX1E42jJPJd4PTnJc8rZ4Up-f2c/s300/3.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="266" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZYI00PAhc-m8x19UZLwnmRkZnxx2eSoxVpkhDLfkPh1lM75LyyTWCaZCsy6JQHZbaCdzAnfk2mqsFR3VWd17cNeVKYGrDXqf8fRvQJbN_Yw_4oWtLqBjpcZIzPkuB3f4w7fzEIBet55bxYjK8PHvlslbQxbPkSNGSX1E42jJPJd4PTnJc8rZ4Up-f2c/s1600/3.png" width="266" /></a></div><p>I suggested that Morningwood's player, who suggested the SNL sketch reference, stimulate the POP-CULTURE <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/458143/cha-alt-x-cards" target="_blank">Cha'alt X-Cards</a> in order to get the Divine Favor bonus. He did, and that little hand made Wesley cry even harder.</p><p>Now, outside in the hot desert air under fuchsia sky with twin suns, the PCs + neo-templars began the hour-long walk back to the Outer Settlements. 20 minutes in, a hover-limousine pulls up. A tinted window descends as a high-end escort asks the PCs if they want a ride.</p><p>They all pile inside the hover-limo as 3 sexy escorts start telling the PCs how awesome and strong and manly and handsome they are. The girls start touching them while offering them blue dreamers (a designer sex drug) - without ever discussing money! I even had them roll a sort of insight check to determine if this was fishy. Drogon's spider pet/minion, Ta'anzo, was suspicious and Morningwood's player rolled a natural 20, so he definitely felt a disturbance in the force. </p><p>Earlier in the session, I bugged the pixie-fairy's player about the scepter he acquired a couple sessions ago. He's been a player in my D&D one-shots and campaigns, off and on, since the late 90s. I had forgotten some of that guy's quirks. One of them being, if he's got an item with a variable effect, his risk adverse nature will usually prevent him from utilizing it. Also, he's afraid of losing HP, which is just simply an occupational hazard for a sorcerer, using my <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/451651/advanced-crimson-dragon-slayer" target="_blank">Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</a>.</p><p>Apparently, my ribbing was enough to get him to use the rainbow scepter - he rolled a 6 on a d8 - indigo (psionics). Morningwood started to receive telepathic impressions from the girls... how Gonzo had hired them to kill the Crimson Bastards and how the girls had gotten their pimp to inject poison into the blue dreamers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-KbQARN_vqvyk5kWacakcEcomg5Eyv50Q0GSz_1NJlxEqNvpzU89uh6-O9y6VPKGqCBoP4KgrYqLWqTCP2mhORkIYYpxEMdNQOr9VPYUl_qvVo2LJanmKyv_r_6c8SduHSbhJNr_zTblxOuWA7CstqUkGIQyu-T7tTYiecsiYSy_eKanQz_S6oBcPfs/s900/07.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-KbQARN_vqvyk5kWacakcEcomg5Eyv50Q0GSz_1NJlxEqNvpzU89uh6-O9y6VPKGqCBoP4KgrYqLWqTCP2mhORkIYYpxEMdNQOr9VPYUl_qvVo2LJanmKyv_r_6c8SduHSbhJNr_zTblxOuWA7CstqUkGIQyu-T7tTYiecsiYSy_eKanQz_S6oBcPfs/s320/07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Bound and gagged, the escorts were no longer a problem. The driver took the PCs straight to where Gonzo was living now, in a rent-controlled apartment above the cantina. By this time, it was about a half-hour from our usual end-time, and I knew coming face to face with whatever was behind the door to Gonzo's apartment would be lengthy and a major set-piece (from a design standpoint). Plus, my kids were getting antsy and wanted my attention. So, we ended things there.</p><p>Hopefully, all 6 players will be able to make the February 24th game. I'll leave you with a few choice phrases from this session...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"I will keep my ear to the sand."</li><li>"Be careful and watch your tentacles!"</li><li>Jimmy Ja'ans</li><li>"It doesn't pay to be rude in Cha'alt." - after that merc told the PCs to get the fuck out of the cave, they shot him. Lol</li><li>"Do I get that sleaze factor bonus because I talked about gonzo-style porn to those neo-templars?"</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading, hoss!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>VS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>p.s. The <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcover books are on sale - <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">right over here!</a> Also, weekend badges are available for <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> - <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">grab yours now!!! </a></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-68494862067007301652024-01-28T13:13:00.001-06:002024-01-28T13:13:15.300-06:00Mysterious Qada'ath [Cha'alt campaign, session 6]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuA_fW_fi-BxeD_RzEPIiRrF8absJPeO4HJKMunHbF5cKhU0XrGHaTsR2yLhXj70WZTuP7wPDS0EhyphenhyphenmMrNJjmzxTpyWmcK_FKMvzUlq4pbpCBWc1m9lRhZPmAwKdZBZWGXLoL195d4IJGvsJftF9OT6cSFwuuEfJ6yu7upXoKORGhvMyQSfXw1_kjpx4/s1344/vengersatanis_A_gargantuan_but_flat_starfish-like_creature_with_4e34c6db-c376-4d0b-9cd9-7bc80985dabd.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuA_fW_fi-BxeD_RzEPIiRrF8absJPeO4HJKMunHbF5cKhU0XrGHaTsR2yLhXj70WZTuP7wPDS0EhyphenhyphenmMrNJjmzxTpyWmcK_FKMvzUlq4pbpCBWc1m9lRhZPmAwKdZBZWGXLoL195d4IJGvsJftF9OT6cSFwuuEfJ6yu7upXoKORGhvMyQSfXw1_kjpx4/s320/vengersatanis_A_gargantuan_but_flat_starfish-like_creature_with_4e34c6db-c376-4d0b-9cd9-7bc80985dabd.png" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p>This was a fun-filled session. It's important to remember that fun should usually go hand-in-tentacle with immersion... not always, but most of the time. </p><p>Same goes for movies. There are movies I love without a drop of humor or fun, films that don't bring a smile to my face, but they're admirable all the same. And yet, the vast majority of my favorite movies have me laughing and shouting and reveling.</p><p>Keep that in mind, GMs, when you're pondering thy orb and plying thy trade. If you can exchange deep levels of resource management for the frolicsomeness of There's Something About Mary, The Hangover, or Dodgeball, do it. No matter how many experts, reviewers, grognards, newcomers, or casual onlookers tell you otherwise, that's a wise trade. Sure, you can attempt to go for both... but if it's going to be either one or the other, you'll know where my zuleks are going, hoss.</p><p>I'm refining my session prep since that's going to be part of the book I'm currently writing, <b>The Cha'alt Experience, Designing Worlds Like A Fucking Boss</b>. In practice, it went extremely well. In fact, I don't know the last time I was able to generate that much content in such a short time. So, this book is already paying dividends - sweet!</p><p>4 players - the crystal warrior who actually has a name, now - Jua'an Tufrifo, Nix the demon thief, Gorra the grog priest, and Drogon makes a reappearance... because of his long absence and the party's lack of wizardry, I convinced the player to swap out his half-orc priest for a sorcerer of the human variety (the human was his idea). "He fell into a portal," is the gist of how we're explaining the change. Most likely something to do with the purple labyrinth and Drogon's consciousness inhabiting another dimension-traversing humanoid.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5nCzdx0sgiGpxJtXsDVqjNKQ114dvEcU3J5Smv-mFws1QH5XnmkoC7oWu8AxtwnAUHdNKUjhlLtlnrUq6T-Eeeq064blOUgzK8qM-6pH0ZBGuqx1X4icu2oKSp6i8S1HhIUDYcMzxa1OhgFsrIIRggb0xXm9INigZgHWUjDL-wICPrjMq9SSQ6z-6jM/s840/goldenchilddragonladylibrarianwidescreen.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="840" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5nCzdx0sgiGpxJtXsDVqjNKQ114dvEcU3J5Smv-mFws1QH5XnmkoC7oWu8AxtwnAUHdNKUjhlLtlnrUq6T-Eeeq064blOUgzK8qM-6pH0ZBGuqx1X4icu2oKSp6i8S1HhIUDYcMzxa1OhgFsrIIRggb0xXm9INigZgHWUjDL-wICPrjMq9SSQ6z-6jM/s320/goldenchilddragonladylibrarianwidescreen.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>It was just after mid-morning in the dreaming city of Qada'ath, the twin suns not yet high enough in the fuchsia sky to be blotted-out by the Great Old One floating above. The adventurers were walking around, thinking about lunch. Occasionally getting looks or comments directed at their fancy wristbands (which they stole) indicating they were part of the citizen elite and would be able to have pretty much anything they wanted to eat + healthcare. </p><p>Just then, a labor-grade citizen ran up to Gorra and stole his wristband, then darted down a dark alley. The PCs ran after, shooting the thief and taking him down. Gorra recovered his wristband and swiped the gray one belonging to the thief.</p><p>While they were standing around the alleyway, they noticed a few curious shops they'd never seen before... there was the Wind Chime Tea House, a cloning facility called The New You, Happy Ending Massage Parlor, and some kind of shop called Touch Grass. To my delight and amazement, they tried them all...</p><p>If you've seen The Golden Child in the last few years, you'll remember the snake-lady oracle behind the paper screen. Well, the tea house's basement had pretty much that exact setup. The snake-lady was named Ka'ala and the PCs paid the liaison and got their fortune (along with a tea-voucher)...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkJgqZ_ZfHguSWKXZC9q2LoMAifIYaKQKyfw5hKFTmnhPayuIBWdJC9s0AMOBuNW5iKoYWI97SZXxXbpy7Zs6ctUHJSzdx5oy-iIO0SAVvAE43hpNiJSRoPHLGx0coOUr4IqUMuW741KjOMYwNw-jjAD64rKXO9722yGkhXZS6xf3s4OtHC1cGfh2fkE/s540/VId2jG5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkJgqZ_ZfHguSWKXZC9q2LoMAifIYaKQKyfw5hKFTmnhPayuIBWdJC9s0AMOBuNW5iKoYWI97SZXxXbpy7Zs6ctUHJSzdx5oy-iIO0SAVvAE43hpNiJSRoPHLGx0coOUr4IqUMuW741KjOMYwNw-jjAD64rKXO9722yGkhXZS6xf3s4OtHC1cGfh2fkE/s320/VId2jG5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Jua'an Tufrifo decided, inexplicably, to roll the gilded die of Satanis while getting his fortune read. As Ka'ala told him about risk and reward and temporary gain, (<a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/466155/gilded-die-of-satanis" target="_blank">the gilded die</a> did not disappoint) the snake-lady passed her liaison a small scroll which was handed to the crystalline. It was a message from Jua'an's ex-girlfriend telling him that while they were together, she never had an orgasm. He got a point of Divine Favor for that.</p><p>The rest of the party got theirs... Nix had the most ominous - don't buy any blue bananas (translated into our world, that would be green bananas).</p><p>The cloning facility allowed for people to, you guessed it, clone themselves. Lots of upgrades and upcharges, such as full memory implants and 6-pack abs, getting rid of unwanted biological quirks such as allergies or motion sickness. Basically, if you want to feel like yourself but an idealized version like Ryan Gosling in the Barbie movie (yes, I finally did see it... and kind of liked it, parts, anyway), you're looking at about 1,500 nu-talons per clone. The PCs didn't have the money for much of anything right now, but definitely earmarked the place for a return visit in the future.</p><p>The massage parlor went as you'd probably guess. Everyone picked a masseuse and got their high-five bonus as per <b>Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</b> (still a free <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/451651/Advanced-Crimson-Dragon-Slayer" target="_blank">PDF</a> on DTRPG).</p><p>Touch Grass, however, was a bit different. As the attendant, (after going on a bit about the deep-immersion, hyper-realistic super-simulation that is this world) showed them into a stone room with a raised circular platform containing 8-feet around of lush green grass, the 3 original PCs physical selves reverted back to Earthly humanity, part of the Two Jacks Detective Agency from 1929 Chicago... with accompanying original memories flooding through - the Golden Dragon Palace Chinese restaurant, the Egyptian Theater, James Archibald, and that creepy extradimensional portal). Only the sand-construct Gorra was unchanged. Everyone touched or played in the grass and left, resuming their "normal" Cha'alt selves. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlV3iEeybrHboTJL90TqoF8Ayl7tdM_lwe585d-lUCOtqJSCG0DM4lNJXcoOVbHQ-g61RfgZjqa6r7TOvtN65LGQqCZTUNVGRzQ1Ek1l4z7kECKalJglr-u2AIhuxkLRWii9aI7phwJzjn5pBTp4ZIzf99Kh4UWnfWpNtipiWwjqtlfDLZpLfsPAzisI/s1344/vengersatanis_translucent_neon-pink_organic_slimy_gelatin_creat_a72538ed-b056-4083-b45f-d79d09b29493.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlV3iEeybrHboTJL90TqoF8Ayl7tdM_lwe585d-lUCOtqJSCG0DM4lNJXcoOVbHQ-g61RfgZjqa6r7TOvtN65LGQqCZTUNVGRzQ1Ek1l4z7kECKalJglr-u2AIhuxkLRWii9aI7phwJzjn5pBTp4ZIzf99Kh4UWnfWpNtipiWwjqtlfDLZpLfsPAzisI/s320/vengersatanis_translucent_neon-pink_organic_slimy_gelatin_creat_a72538ed-b056-4083-b45f-d79d09b29493.png" width="213" /></a></div><p>They each got a point of Divine Favor, and started walking back downtown. A tongueless prophet covered in blood ran up to Nix and handed the demon a rock covered in parchment - it was a scroll describing there's more where this can be found in a network of tunnels and caves below Qada'ath. The rock had a brilliant and shimmering green vein which Drogon identified as ka'alaxian crystal or "wishing stone" to the layman. These rare and powerful crystals (introduced in the prior <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign last year) can be used by sorcerers to warp reality.</p><p>Oh yeah, after passing the scroll and rock to the adventurers, the tongueless prophet was shot in the back by either a sand-blade or assassin who soon disappeared into the crowd.</p><p>The entrance to this subterranean location could be accessed near the black glass tower at the epicenter of Qada'ath. So, they headed towards the city's center where the Supreme Council resided, inside a tower made of black glass. Before they could find a way inside, a couple of sand-blades sauntered up to the PCs and asked them to turn around so they could put one of those translucent, squishy, neon-pink, tendril-having little guys on the back of their head. I reminded them that those are the things put on the subjects strapped-down in their chairs and forced to watch that disturbing film-reel at the Citizen Orientation Center last session. The viscera'az (which is what they call it) somehow conjures and concentrates dark vibrations, which usually makes people scream in terror.</p><p>Jua'an Tufrifo was having none of it, deciding that it was worth the trouble to blast both sand-blades, instead. Being the shenanigan daredevil he is, he rolled a d20 to attack and a gilded die - natural 20 and 6, motherfucker! Two laser beams and two dead sand-blades later, Gorra put on one of their sleek black uniforms and the entire group headed for the place where they could get down to that cave.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6mixrCZ05PBXM1OPO3-yFDFNmPBLpB7nR57KGMPpicywlKJCljot3pGZxLhvhs65Rss2_JtNucBzHVPyWtdpUZRF2xawEsFlZrRZpe9s4SDk3PqEffoNaGQGWo87486PiZusiuCZii-OzYd4mgo-k20OLtiYW3AEkVa-CtdUKGnJNONFQ5gLrGohR_s/s1344/vengersatanis_Purple_Rain_Prince_as_a_jedi_knight_with_laser-sw_fe87e4b6-1e8f-4aad-ae89-3498407dff16.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6mixrCZ05PBXM1OPO3-yFDFNmPBLpB7nR57KGMPpicywlKJCljot3pGZxLhvhs65Rss2_JtNucBzHVPyWtdpUZRF2xawEsFlZrRZpe9s4SDk3PqEffoNaGQGWo87486PiZusiuCZii-OzYd4mgo-k20OLtiYW3AEkVa-CtdUKGnJNONFQ5gLrGohR_s/s320/vengersatanis_Purple_Rain_Prince_as_a_jedi_knight_with_laser-sw_fe87e4b6-1e8f-4aad-ae89-3498407dff16.png" width="213" /></a></div><p>After descending 30-feet of spiral stairs, they came to a mirrored door with hand-print opener. They remembered a notation on the scroll that said, "Do not approach the threshold empty-handed." The PCs decided Gorra, being made of sand and could stretch his arm out, was their best chance of getting through unscathed. Just to add another layer of protection, since that warning was a bit vague, Gorra held the viscera'az in his hand while trying the hand-print.</p><p>Good thing he did - a dozen or so 2mm spines went into the slimy pink thing, killing it. The door opened and the players felt like they were back in Cremza'amirikza'am with all manner of weird shit, idiosyncratic individuals, factions, monsters, etc. </p><p>I won't go into exhaustive detail, but they found... </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A cryo-pod (thanks to Gorra's player stimulating a post-apocalypse <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/458143/cha-alt-x-cards" target="_blank">Cha'alt X-Cards</a>, for which he got a polished fuchsia stone of Divine Favor). Jua'an rolled the gilded die yet again while blasting, this time his blast ricocheted off the cryo-pod door stuck to the mutant monstrosity's crab claw and struck his belt-buckle, which made his pants fall down. The crystal warrior's solution was to stretch the dead viscera'az into a new belt... support helped by a chork's leather tunic which basically looked like poorly made and ill-fitting ass-less chaps. </li><li>Killed some pig-faced and bird-feathered chicken-orcs or chorks, fireballed some more chorks who were in a cave with a large crystal that contained a holographic message about finding a group of shamans far below the surface from before the apocalypse who came up with an antidote when the Federation first tried to subdue the native population with drugs 80+ years ago.</li><li>Met a zedi knight from the purple labyrinth who was looking for just the right sized crystal to charge his laser-sword (which the PCs coveted).</li><li>A pit belonging to a suckered abomination requiring 7 humanoids sacrificed to it (instructions for summoning, banishing, and calling it were written on the cave wall in ancient glyphs).</li><li>Found a device with a logic puzzle that eventually granted them access to some woman's OnlyFans account (3 days absolutely free).</li><li>A group of humanoids from the freedom fighter group Scarlet Dawn looking for a way out (they know a secret codeword to get into the Federation military base) and told the PCs where the rest of their group are hiding... in case they don't make it.</li><li>Humanoid slaves mining crystals (but not the really good kind) with a giant, open-mouthed, stone head that transported them to Hell. This conflict was also fireballed, but for reasons I can't fathom, the sorcerer's player wanted to roll the gilded die along with the d6 determining the fireball's blaze intensity and radius. The gilded die did its job and just before the flames engulphed the entire area, they could hear one of the miners call out, "Look what I just found - an origami unicorn - that must be worth a bloody fortune!"</li><li>The cave of ka'alaxian crystals that was polluted by toxic runoff from neon-pink fluid from above, dripping down the walls of the cave (the nearby population were all strange looking mutants).</li><li>And finally a huge cave full of soldiers and sexy green harem girls led by a humanoid named Skull-Face.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNazYFaWYxSxKX6-b40WkuTkljlFFsQbXQhP4Td-k4-cqTMZAH_J-6vUIoI4W8sgjaqj1rg6biwB8Uh0QSFV1M_Zx8ZFu7sT2SaHBUXIl2s5HjiokNPrQuN2UNzYnU10ANq5WMIeJUBafXh8fBrKoOvw4gnNKeYKBZQi2zQMzD4e5KvwZjZxRv4BTiJRA/s1344/vengersatanis_Skeletor_dressed_in_black_but_found_on_a_strange__93291c86-aca1-46b6-8c77-cb08b4731d09.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNazYFaWYxSxKX6-b40WkuTkljlFFsQbXQhP4Td-k4-cqTMZAH_J-6vUIoI4W8sgjaqj1rg6biwB8Uh0QSFV1M_Zx8ZFu7sT2SaHBUXIl2s5HjiokNPrQuN2UNzYnU10ANq5WMIeJUBafXh8fBrKoOvw4gnNKeYKBZQi2zQMzD4e5KvwZjZxRv4BTiJRA/s320/vengersatanis_Skeletor_dressed_in_black_but_found_on_a_strange__93291c86-aca1-46b6-8c77-cb08b4731d09.png" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div>And that's where we stopped the session. It was a fun-filled time and nudged the PCs towards another leg of their journey - a way to stop the Federation from oppressing Cha'alt as they rob the planet of its precious resources.</div><p></p><p>The gilded die got so much playtesting time (as opposed to the one for Cha'alt X-Cards) that I feel even more strongly that it will objectively improve your games (assuming you're looking for more Douglas Adams and less J.R.R. Tolkien).</p><p>Below are some amusing bits of dialog I hastily scribbed down between moments of laughter and exciting action...</p><p><br /></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"We have a plan, it goes kaboom... as most of our plans do."</li><li>[This isn't a quote, just something I thought of] If you're obsessed with blue glass, then you've got blue brain. If you're a habitual user of the drug, you're a glass head.</li><li>"Clean-up... aisle Cha'alt!"</li><li>"Brain drain animal"... [he was referring to the viscera'az]</li><li>"It's about the man upstairs. Gotta serve the greater evil." [points to Uma'at-Allah, the Great Old One floating above Qada'ath]</li><li>"She's a serpentine charlatan."</li><li>"Jua'an Tufrifo's new nickname shall be crystal cheeks."</li><li>"Feed 'em to the worms!"</li><li>"What if Tha'anos was a drug manufacturer?" [wondering aloud if making blue glass should be combined with population control]</li><li>"The crimson bastards were born in dark alleys."</li><li>"It's freaky Friday all over again!"</li><li>"Did you take some bad glass?"</li><li>"I have cock-rings bigger than you!"</li><li>"Origami unicorn."</li><li>Pig-faced orcs with yellow and teal feathers... part orc, part chicken... why not call them chorks?"</li></ul><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0ixA-Hzqb-M2k6CHNrpakqQP52-0kes6ZcPpIHzGT0YHtqnDbVx1lP4AxWH-hENiFPc7z6GPZEeBNVDOWPHfONRfGrzrI-V4tccK4W5LW3mjCLn9Idww3MjC6LXGqbrEfRdbLb2SGT9nhiDjIUv40VjhMiuReaoR5b6H6u7rxpTj0C_06e7YBBu7GIM/s574/Orion_slave_girls.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="574" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0ixA-Hzqb-M2k6CHNrpakqQP52-0kes6ZcPpIHzGT0YHtqnDbVx1lP4AxWH-hENiFPc7z6GPZEeBNVDOWPHfONRfGrzrI-V4tccK4W5LW3mjCLn9Idww3MjC6LXGqbrEfRdbLb2SGT9nhiDjIUv40VjhMiuReaoR5b6H6u7rxpTj0C_06e7YBBu7GIM/s320/Orion_slave_girls.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div>Yep, an epic session. The newish player said how weird and different this dungeon was, and the rest of us laughed because to someone that hasn't been through the prior <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign, he's right - there's probably nothing quite like what he's just experienced. </div><div><br /></div><div>But for those who've been along for Venger's wild ride last year, this felt a lot like Cremza'amirikza'am. Yeah, I have a type... moving on!</div><div><br /></div><div>Next session should be in 2 weeks - February 10th. See y'all then.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>VS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>p.s. If you don't already own the <b>Cha'alt</b> trilogy in hardcover, I've got you covered - <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">details right here</a>. Believe it or not, there are still a few weekend badges available for this July's <b>VENGER CON III</b> in Madison, WI - <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">grab it now</a>!</div><div><br /></div><p></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-42192486132527813932024-01-25T10:08:00.005-06:002024-01-25T10:10:37.823-06:00Calling All Gamers For VENGER CON III<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1giJRTJtIiL3IG-wbYoFjtM25ZOn1SSYj0V7if4Xwny_QkOQzur8zyFbIOH3uu_O8vrQIRKhUhG9RjbuHpIbkUc_3v9fQ55qPO3rqzOev5KkzGeMMJewIZgh-Hp2r3b46RgQYxkNoTNddI_HSrmKyN4wYXrvRaxcSQxmMOnME0tza42lyWHTfQMMLk4/s4000/Zeemoaar.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1giJRTJtIiL3IG-wbYoFjtM25ZOn1SSYj0V7if4Xwny_QkOQzur8zyFbIOH3uu_O8vrQIRKhUhG9RjbuHpIbkUc_3v9fQ55qPO3rqzOev5KkzGeMMJewIZgh-Hp2r3b46RgQYxkNoTNddI_HSrmKyN4wYXrvRaxcSQxmMOnME0tza42lyWHTfQMMLk4/s320/Zeemoaar.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>It's that time, hoss. </p><p>July, especially for those of us surrounded by ice and snow, seems like a long ways away... but really it's only 6 months from now.</p><p>I really want <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> to be even better than the first two conventions. Knowing what you want to run and what you want to play will help enormously. So, speak up and give me your proposed schedules, wish-lists, and tentative desires.</p><p>You can email me at: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com</p><p>I'll be running a combination of <b>Cha'alt</b>, <b>Alpha Blue</b>, and whatever weird old-school, OSR, or traditional RPG attendees want me to run. In fact, let me know what bizarre, odd-ball RPG one-shot you'd like me to run during <b>VENGER CON III</b> and y'all will eventually get a chance to vote for the top nominees. Whatever you want (but if it's not rules-light, I'll probably hack it or handwave it)!</p><p>And if you haven't already, grab your weekend badge <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">right over here</a>.</p><p>Big spaces, limited attendance, laidback & easy going structure, new hotel, nice rooms, not having to shout to be heard or lose your voice talking over the noise, meet fellow gamers and actually get to know them over the weekend, hang-out and game with me (will start out at least one morning of the convention with an Ask-Me-Anything Q&A) and other awesome folks, along with this year's guest of honor Scott from the Diversity & Dragons YouTube channel.</p><p>Last but not least, <b>VENGER CON</b>'s demon mascot Zeemoa'ar! He'll be there at the convention as I open each day of awesomeness by sounding the gong. The whole weekend will be unbelievably epic, and I can't wait to share those experiences with you guys this July (when Wisconsin gets warm again).</p><p>Thanks,</p><p><b>VS</b></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-34366596172948145272024-01-15T09:01:00.000-06:002024-01-15T09:01:13.350-06:00Mysterious Qada'ath [Cha'alt campaign, session 5]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6lhgd1h0db7MVZqPphQV3Wg0vcdw00t59RmzR36EgfFi3Rzgy-oJdvXQ0pNUFwp2dNzW_73y1DoSYM3JyL3lGAKX1Hz9BztIdYzbjLpcjzzfU4oK1-n54SKcr3cvjLktuywL0s7dnQiDzX0ocwAIkzQoxHNVu-F4cvOVsxlhWj-_tzHQDTdZ1YXC-cQc/s4000/20240113_175953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6lhgd1h0db7MVZqPphQV3Wg0vcdw00t59RmzR36EgfFi3Rzgy-oJdvXQ0pNUFwp2dNzW_73y1DoSYM3JyL3lGAKX1Hz9BztIdYzbjLpcjzzfU4oK1-n54SKcr3cvjLktuywL0s7dnQiDzX0ocwAIkzQoxHNVu-F4cvOVsxlhWj-_tzHQDTdZ1YXC-cQc/s320/20240113_175953.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Sometimes, I run meandering, stream of consciousness sessions, other times they're dungeoncrawls or standard sandboxes of wandering around and the PCs find adventure where they can.</p><p>This was a linear (but not railroad, as the PCs always had a choice and I never forced them down, nor would I force them down a particular path) scenario.</p><p>Before I forget, in 2 or 3 days from now, I'll be asking for <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> GMs and players to give me their tentative schedules and wish-lists, respectively. So, come back soon for that blog post. I know a lot of gamers are already looking forward to this July's <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">VENGER CON</a> in Madison, WI. Time to start planning in earnest.</p><p>Ok, back to the session report. One of my favorite players returned after 2 months of dealing with personal matters, so he came in with a brand-new character... and now that I look back at my notes, I have no idea what that character's name is. But he's a warrior and made entirely of crystal.</p><p>Nix the demon thief, Gorra the grog priest, and Ha'agly Morningwood the pixie-fairy sorcerer rounded-out the adventuring party. 4 is a good number of players, so away we go!</p><p>I meant to take a before and after picture of the 3D printed "dice display" thing, but I do have an older picture that I'll try to link or show here in a minute. But you can see pics I took of the new paint job. The color scheme is pure Cha'alt, and even one of my daughters, before the game, said "That's your aesthetic, Dad."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitX2rl-Ew7Ucypq9_8OwtmKf-S6nPRwanr5WR3UKuYxUfIqNvkF7ZQWEWW-Nb_3KifJJdaKmjW6J5JuA43JVrswTFwdERqfzSH5T-FvpeCPZDD8anCXlL58krb-AG43yUlqVR8iTIHOi40a4bkciQZLWwYPWoK8u3jeXr4gFVVHgXff2sENjCbNtf-1DE/s500/sky-blue-sea-glass-bulk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitX2rl-Ew7Ucypq9_8OwtmKf-S6nPRwanr5WR3UKuYxUfIqNvkF7ZQWEWW-Nb_3KifJJdaKmjW6J5JuA43JVrswTFwdERqfzSH5T-FvpeCPZDD8anCXlL58krb-AG43yUlqVR8iTIHOi40a4bkciQZLWwYPWoK8u3jeXr4gFVVHgXff2sENjCbNtf-1DE/s320/sky-blue-sea-glass-bulk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>What's it for? It keeps your dice in one place, so when you need to roll that d12, you know exactly where it is, perched atop its little spot upon slime-flesh mountain! ;)</p><p>Anyway, I suggested the PCs should already be together, but asked the crystalline warrior's player how he would have met them. In line at the leech store. That must have been after explaining the method of getting high off blue glass. You melt it down, have a leech suck it up, and then press the leech's mouth into your skin as it secretes the liquid blue glass into your system. It's a debilitating and all-consuming euphoria not unlike heroin (whereas the Federation-made drug fuchsia malaise was more like marijuana... a mellow, feel-good laziness). </p><p>As the PCs walked down the streets of the fantasy cyberpunk (i.e. Shadowrun) dreaming city of Qada'ath, they saw drones with mechanical arms drop down from the fuchsia sky (though beneath the Great Old One floating above the city), pluck humanoids from the orange labyrinth, and deposit them deep into the interior of the city.</p><p>Meanwhile, a dissident was shouting warnings to anyone who would hear, "Stop taking the blue glass! The Supreme Council doesn't serve Uma'at-Allah (the Old One overhead) but themselves!" </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeBM1GRzskLJbr_1U5Lu7cn6b5ybBnfCKPYKFRKKuzPRAy9nrQ7nHHkDqRGMpGtwI3hYFqMz8jl6Sv2ZTpOKG5MIR-V9Y1R2AjP8BPn7oUSdi9IeVx6PPYVriw9vsjE9vRlpjyWWxy_zoaI2-YLMx3fX0dkesz5yxlPw7j3foiznzop5tm7gWO4VTWoc/s4000/20240112_103247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeBM1GRzskLJbr_1U5Lu7cn6b5ybBnfCKPYKFRKKuzPRAy9nrQ7nHHkDqRGMpGtwI3hYFqMz8jl6Sv2ZTpOKG5MIR-V9Y1R2AjP8BPn7oUSdi9IeVx6PPYVriw9vsjE9vRlpjyWWxy_zoaI2-YLMx3fX0dkesz5yxlPw7j3foiznzop5tm7gWO4VTWoc/s320/20240112_103247.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Before he could reveal any more about the blue glass drug, a black-clad city guard known as a sand-blade arrived to shoot him point-blank with a laser rifle. As the crowd dispersed, another sand-blade asked the PCs where their wristbands were? No wristbands? Off to the Citizen Orientation Center! They went inside a little hover-van that contained a couple other humanoids waiting to be processed. </p><p>Skipping ahead... </p><p>However, I do want to highlight a spontaneous exchange between Crysta'ar [I'm just going to start calling him that] and another guy in the waiting room who bought the deluxe Chevy-grade package of blue glass leeches with the full warranty - even though Qada'ath gives away free drug paraphenalia like it was 2022 San Francisco...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uKpIBP-S6bMFxaoziLhSitPn2v0YVutp8nlr9Sw5VNbIVb6yw55vTIUhvx1QV2Me9fUGhh_d7S575p7JGinmYuncLeB0evQELKGnBJ_URdB4Qr9Xh3Oj-VyuO-rdU5QAZE5I5HBsGUmGrb_ZV3xwKYnSx9qwfHhJ50GttKXMyW2DC7vNYGPaE-zavLM/s4000/GDz9EWpXAAAh2zf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uKpIBP-S6bMFxaoziLhSitPn2v0YVutp8nlr9Sw5VNbIVb6yw55vTIUhvx1QV2Me9fUGhh_d7S575p7JGinmYuncLeB0evQELKGnBJ_URdB4Qr9Xh3Oj-VyuO-rdU5QAZE5I5HBsGUmGrb_ZV3xwKYnSx9qwfHhJ50GttKXMyW2DC7vNYGPaE-zavLM/s320/GDz9EWpXAAAh2zf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The PCs got inside a locked area of the facility where people were strapped down to a chair watching an alternate version of The Wizard of Oz with ultra-violence, suicide, and animal cruelty (remember, these are the bad guys) as a clipboard and lab coat guy occasionally affixed one of those translucent, neon-pink organic slimy things to the back of someone's head - which made them scream bloody murder. Apparently, the lab coat guy explained, that little pink squidgy thing transferred dark emotional energy as if a nightmare was asphyxiating you... anally. </p><p>The PCs convinced lab coat guy to give them wristbands so they could wander around, pledge allegiance to Uma'at-Allah, and leave the Citizen Orientation Center. Everyone realized it was weird that no one was murdered and nothing was stolen, but that's the way it goes sometimes.</p><p>During the allegiance pledge part of the processing, I had each player roll a d20 for their character. Both Crysta'ar and Morningwood rolled a Gilded Die of Satanis, and sure enough, the result came up a 1 or 2. Morningwood started squealing like a fangirl at a Taylor Swift concert and Crysta'ar was uncontrollably vibrating which made his voice wobbly.</p><p>After, they were approached by a violet-skinned elf named Z'quiro. He was employed by a guy who wanted to know how blue glass was made. A guard at one of the manufacturing factories was already bribed, so all they had to do was slip in, find out, and relay that information back to Z'quiro. The PCs asked, so the violet elf told them his boss wanted to create a competing product.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPylq5ghm0bEoQ6nvnTa463Fl-Ez1Map_I9tFzZxNCVoKypDd5fngx3mMfoDuG8ZlQQ79NHDSSf2YT3yY0f1jTQ1bKQRTZIZAH5VwpU7nP77lPyDTgDwuMzadvQU8CSKbbdcpHjBpIE9YalqVl3k3E8RZtR0OgM21KboSmm_V2xAwgM7gtSbe0o6ErWU/s1452/il_1140xN.5162179841_tlb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1140" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPylq5ghm0bEoQ6nvnTa463Fl-Ez1Map_I9tFzZxNCVoKypDd5fngx3mMfoDuG8ZlQQ79NHDSSf2YT3yY0f1jTQ1bKQRTZIZAH5VwpU7nP77lPyDTgDwuMzadvQU8CSKbbdcpHjBpIE9YalqVl3k3E8RZtR0OgM21KboSmm_V2xAwgM7gtSbe0o6ErWU/s320/il_1140xN.5162179841_tlb1.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><p>So, the PCs snuck into the factory through the door manned by the bribed guard - "The sandworm always sings thrice." - and they killed another interior guard, saw beds full of 32 people resting and watched as humanoids were taken to some ritual chamber. 3 priests used their spiritual powers to change humanoids placed upon an altar-stone into sheets of blue glass. Cue one of my favorite actors Charlton Heston - "Blue glass is people! It's people!"</p><p>Finally, the adventurers get some satisfaction the old fashioned way, killing everyone who stand in their way. The first two priests died quickly as Crysta'ar and Nix had blasters (Gorra's player had to leave 20 minutes before the session's conclusion). The third priest gesticulated in an eldritch manner and a supernatural light emanated from his hands as a factory worker was turned into a Lovecraftian abomination. </p><p>At one point, Crysta'ar's player rolled another gilded die and got the result he wanted, sliding across the freshly mopped floor - face first straight into the open robes of a dead blue glass priest. The pixie-fairy sorcerer who's afraid of casting spells rolled with his mini-blaster accompanied by a gilded die - that came up 6. So, he succeeded, but then a ceiling vent blew him into the tentacled creature, and Morningwood's pants got stuck to the tentacle slime, ripping off and leaving him half-naked.</p><p>Morningwood got another decent shot off, but was 1 point away from hitting. I hadn't mentioned it before, but this idea was swimming in my head for weeks... if players made the sign of the tentacle while intoning "By His loathsome tentacles," they'd get a +1 on their roll [usable for each player, once per session]. So, the pixie-fairy's player did that, and that resulted in a hit... for 2 points of damage. Before the creature was blown apart by the others, it slapped a massive tentacle at Morningwood, putting him down 10 HP and Nix 6.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdaa0eTV7_3I-hFGzGUfgfIy1RVwB58nH5R8ApVDukreyN0ObFaEbRJjmKAyw1uAUh4hzGjMkFheahntlW2MvXPz-dQf-I-8wu6VxIlddkvA-XeUSw4VIxgFFeGWWsKrFKig3w9aNELPUmRk3qKXUnxJnXrN-vhNaIrBSWomQPAGsEyYm5OPhggunMco/s4000/GDz9EWpXMAAL_Zx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdaa0eTV7_3I-hFGzGUfgfIy1RVwB58nH5R8ApVDukreyN0ObFaEbRJjmKAyw1uAUh4hzGjMkFheahntlW2MvXPz-dQf-I-8wu6VxIlddkvA-XeUSw4VIxgFFeGWWsKrFKig3w9aNELPUmRk3qKXUnxJnXrN-vhNaIrBSWomQPAGsEyYm5OPhggunMco/s320/GDz9EWpXMAAL_Zx.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>On the way out, they broke-up sheet of blue glass and filled their pockets. That's where we ended the session.</p><p>No one stimulated a <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/458143/Chaalt-XCards" target="_blank">Cha'alt X-Cards</a>, unfortunately... but at least the <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/466155/Gilded-Die-of-Satanis" target="_blank">Gilded Die of Satanis</a> got quite a bit of playtesting - and it was all positive. I have another idea for some far-fetched meta-narrative mechanic, but won't reveal that until next session.</p><p>Below are some great quotes from the game...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"That might be poetic justice, but the real poetry is in the bloodshed."</li><li>"In this version, the flying monkeys are the good guys."</li><li>"Sausage Candy giving out sandy handies."</li><li>"Chili's baby-back leeches."</li><li>"I yearn for something weird!"</li><li>"Yes, that ceiling vent has always been there."</li><li>"Sand powers, activate!"</li><li>"Please, leech responsibly."</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the PCs are aware of a major secret of Qada'ath, the supreme council, and Federation, things will start heating up. I'm also experimenting with campaign arcs, a concept I heard about on YouTube where you break up the campaign into three-session chunks, rather than running it episodically or as one continual season. </p><p>Looking forward to the next game on Saturday, January 27th. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, please comment and share with others!</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. Only 6 days left to go on <b>The Cha'alt Experience: Designing Worlds Like A Fucking Boss</b> <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vengersatanis/the-chaalt-experience-designing-worlds-like-a-fucking-boss/" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a>. If you haven't already, grab your weekend badge for <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">right over here!</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-21453472487816867762024-01-06T09:17:00.002-06:002024-01-06T09:17:36.993-06:00Lore24 Like A Fucking Boss<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoZ3lKeQekzhBYmWpBGzcAvYxtlRQZ_r3QzegVddFldUsYlLU7-DRmUxLNBFaDxOO3pd1ChwhhJA_O5C9J8rnL0eh0r_8WPvNaL4RAXNMKFh993Ratl2JACaiMMGlgQ5tGGx5OZF24uN4IoCRq46slyi1mxa242Ryi7VM5bXM4x01lexZ7PZhIgmDB8Y/s1344/vengersatanis_Venger_Satanis_as_a_dark_sorcerer_wearing_black_r_2a5de334-3331-47b2-ba78-31311d72e776.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoZ3lKeQekzhBYmWpBGzcAvYxtlRQZ_r3QzegVddFldUsYlLU7-DRmUxLNBFaDxOO3pd1ChwhhJA_O5C9J8rnL0eh0r_8WPvNaL4RAXNMKFh993Ratl2JACaiMMGlgQ5tGGx5OZF24uN4IoCRq46slyi1mxa242Ryi7VM5bXM4x01lexZ7PZhIgmDB8Y/s320/vengersatanis_Venger_Satanis_as_a_dark_sorcerer_wearing_black_r_2a5de334-3331-47b2-ba78-31311d72e776.png" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p>I noticed that Lore24 was something the RPG bloggers were doing this year. Last year was the megadungeon-23 project. So it goes...</p><p>And it just so happens that world building is the subject of the book I'm working on right now - the kickstarter still has about 2 weeks, and it's almost funded. Check out <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vengersatanis/the-chaalt-experience-designing-worlds-like-a-fucking-boss/" target="_blank">The Cha'alt Experience: Designing Worlds Like A Fucking Boss</a>.</p><p>Coming up with ideas is one thing (it's amazing, really, and I'm not trying to downplay that); however, synthesizing those ideas into a world that's going to be your campaign setting for the next few weeks, months, years, or decades is another matter... and that's where I come in. I'll show you how.</p><p>Now, I'd like to turn my attention to a product I just released on DTRPG called <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/466155/Gilded-Die-of-Satanis" target="_blank">Gilded Die of Satanis</a>. It's a genre and system-neutral game mechanic sort of inspired by the gilded dice in Candela Obscura. But I Vengerized it beyond recognition.</p><p>If, like me, you're a degenerate weirdo who sometimes wants his sword & sorcery to include moments that could only happen in sit-coms like It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia or movies like Step-Brothers, Beerfest, Waiting..., Dodgeball, or Tropic Thunder, then <b>Gilded Die of Satanis</b> is for you.</p><p>It's quick and easy, and players always have the choice if they want to engage with the gilded die or not. So, check it out and see for yourself.</p><p>Well, it's a new year. I don't know what 2024 will bring... but it will most assuredly be a wild ride. Hopefully, this will be the best year any of us have had for awhile. A lot of it is beyond our control, but we can still strive for excellence. </p><p>Onwards and upwards, hoss!</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. If you want the <b>Cha'alt</b> trilogy in glorious hardcover (before my wife burns what's left in the backyard come 2025), get them through <b>The Cha'alt Experience</b> kickstarter. If you want to game with me, Diversity & Dragons (the guest of honor), and dozens of other hardcore old-school, OSR, and traditional gamers in Madison, WI this July, get your weekend badge for <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">VENGER CON III</a>.</p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-67554492774095157922023-12-31T17:04:00.006-06:002023-12-31T18:41:13.170-06:00Mysterious Qada'ath [Cha'alt campaign, session 4]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOs0B8-zHn1lTOS_b8rIBCKuwMaoUzitsKTFlLpIYtxWEoVnArtbgJD1dg2HUpXKTltkocmofmtM9pKKr1DzTi4-PDVjxEaJEgkh3ThhX9qAlvK25WzocxUICjOA0_jhqOGfpqM6k6vVFIl2TJSkpPB8lUXX-hxCAuNRsUVt-D7ilHV8UH8Vu4ZkQYGs/s3200/Dune%20worm%20dont%20tread%20on%20me.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2134" data-original-width="3200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOs0B8-zHn1lTOS_b8rIBCKuwMaoUzitsKTFlLpIYtxWEoVnArtbgJD1dg2HUpXKTltkocmofmtM9pKKr1DzTi4-PDVjxEaJEgkh3ThhX9qAlvK25WzocxUICjOA0_jhqOGfpqM6k6vVFIl2TJSkpPB8lUXX-hxCAuNRsUVt-D7ilHV8UH8Vu4ZkQYGs/s320/Dune%20worm%20dont%20tread%20on%20me.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>This session was managed with a skeleton crew. Myself and 3 players did what we had to do in order to keep the campaign going through this God forsaken holiday season.</p><p>A lot happened but I'm still going to try and keep this short because every 20 minutes or so one or more of my kids yell for me to come and deal with something.</p><p>We had a brand-new player who decided to play a grog (sand construct) priest of the Great Old Ones named Gorra (male). The other two were Ha'agly Morningwood the pixie-fairy sorcerer and TX-1139 aka Uppgrade the droid warrior.</p><p>Before I continue, let me remind everyone that I have a new Kickstarter for <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vengersatanis/the-chaalt-experience-designing-worlds-like-a-fucking-boss/" target="_blank">The Cha'alt Experience: Designing Worlds Like A Fucking Boss</a>. Check it out and back if you can, hoss! It's a great way to get the <b>Cha'alt</b> trilogy in hardcover, as well!</p><p>The usual adventurous activities which I had prepared shortly after our last session wouldn't do since most of the party was MIA, so I improvised.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GBGEO8mv0LiI2qn6eWJglvT1SHEZBexfZWfNRaErzR-vwTpB3DJWl3EUBVa4qqjNV53FigYAIhJSpsqo6-wDy0gmZHR-r22t0UsTXWhAw2Ewi4KeS2kAnArxnNbkTtdEcPXFobeIuJsD06ZNci4yAhj55YSs3Z00_8S5OWsr5lxVolCSPNEiy_nSD1c/s2048/750d3285dc195668a09c0956a0f76547_xl.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GBGEO8mv0LiI2qn6eWJglvT1SHEZBexfZWfNRaErzR-vwTpB3DJWl3EUBVa4qqjNV53FigYAIhJSpsqo6-wDy0gmZHR-r22t0UsTXWhAw2Ewi4KeS2kAnArxnNbkTtdEcPXFobeIuJsD06ZNci4yAhj55YSs3Z00_8S5OWsr5lxVolCSPNEiy_nSD1c/s320/750d3285dc195668a09c0956a0f76547_xl.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p>The PCs were at the Quick Stop, spontaneously buying some supplies from the two black-robed drug dealers hanging outside the convenience store (Jack and Heat-vision Bob), and then snacks, oil, and information from Dante the clerk and Quick Stop manager. </p><p>Morningwood got himself a little "squirt gun" sized blaster that was powered with this little crystal that turned it into something almost like a disintegrator (but after use it takes an hour to recharge). </p><p>Once inside, Gorra asked where the party was at, and Dante told him to go to a cantina called Casa Zoth around 9:30. It didn't take Gonzo too long before he sauntered in and asked when the PCs could get their black van and Ark of the Covenant out of his garage. They took Jack and Heat-vision Bob along with.</p><p>The Federation had a transport check-point and the PCs wanted to risk going through, knowing that if the shit really hit the fan, they could take care of those Federation soldiers themselves. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfqd8O74nWX-cJoYUXM7rgjaxdU3jUrwVAu7RM27t73Gx9A1taSr90chopDW2FpwzlU6oxetp2jT00XFW6GDagLFOVHVSqsc9-WjzFbi90QpAqdzWujKfGpeoud8h9CKUXFmNagJj0HCm3GPXXIUHMWAa1wnONqHZJIJip0qGROXLItumLnICd2Y8Z6TI/s251/sand%20dude.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfqd8O74nWX-cJoYUXM7rgjaxdU3jUrwVAu7RM27t73Gx9A1taSr90chopDW2FpwzlU6oxetp2jT00XFW6GDagLFOVHVSqsc9-WjzFbi90QpAqdzWujKfGpeoud8h9CKUXFmNagJj0HCm3GPXXIUHMWAa1wnONqHZJIJip0qGROXLItumLnICd2Y8Z6TI/s1600/sand%20dude.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><p>The sorcerer used a glamor spell and Gorra decided to give an impromptu sermon. At the start of the session, I had explained the new game mechanic we were playtesting (first time we tried it was last session), the <b>Gilded Die of Satanis</b> (product releasing on DTRPG later this week).</p><p>He rolled a standard d20 along with a gilded d6. The gilded die came up cringe (2 in 6 chance), but he also rolled a natural 20 - that meant Satanis Gold! He managed to be such a zealot that his religious oratory got their black van waved through. Additionally, his Yog-Soggothothery ended with a Howard Dean "yeehaw-scream" that embarrassed himself and everyone in the vehicle. And for his trouble, earned a point of Divine Favor.</p><p>They got through, went inside Gonzo's garage, and looked at the weird writing engraved on the Ark. Turns out, they're primordial glyphs, an older and darker form of language which eventually developed into the eldritch-infernal glyphs which every sorcerer worth his zoth already knows.</p><p>Luckily, Jack knows a demon who can read primordial glyphs. So, the pixie-fairy writes it all down on a scroll and they take it to the demon, while also taking the van, along with the Ark of the Covenant (it has an aura of gravitas) out of Gonzo's garage.</p><p>They come up to a cafe where the demon was sitting on the patio. He asked TX-1138 to get him a drink while he translated what was written on the scroll. Also, Gorra played a game of 17-dimensional chess with another cafe patron while the demon prepared the translation (Gorra won - I'll include the rules for 17-dimensional chess in another blog post next year). </p><p>Here's the translation...</p><p><i><b>"This Ark contains a power so terrible and fearsome that the Old Ones' servants hid it away - Do Not Open! Ever!!! Furthermore, those in possession of the Ark of the Covenant are assumed to be its protectors, and must guard the Ark from revealing its secrets."</b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIP7ZikhoMTGBJiqlVL4QYUPoK6lFeY4SBX6SwblbX2HSGH-jMN-dPvLaCjM6Ha2UNJKy3MezzszUh9GE9YmlT8d-cLFasDVck03-aXBpFQq7tUwWlG5pMF6AQnnTdyGUjfPRpd8GkAbzFihs0wQPVvN7w9VJ7R8GSquCrLulr1Tc29j7Bc8ZnBAaqHIY/s2127/TGOO2019_Band_Landscape_small_Joel_Queyrel.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1593" data-original-width="2127" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIP7ZikhoMTGBJiqlVL4QYUPoK6lFeY4SBX6SwblbX2HSGH-jMN-dPvLaCjM6Ha2UNJKy3MezzszUh9GE9YmlT8d-cLFasDVck03-aXBpFQq7tUwWlG5pMF6AQnnTdyGUjfPRpd8GkAbzFihs0wQPVvN7w9VJ7R8GSquCrLulr1Tc29j7Bc8ZnBAaqHIY/s320/TGOO2019_Band_Landscape_small_Joel_Queyrel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>So, they stash the Ark away in another dude's garage, and decide to head to Casa Zoth. The PCs got to the cantina early and saw that hardly anyone was there. To kill time, they went across the street to a gun store. A strip club was also in the vicinity.</p><p>After perusing, buying, and special ordering various weaponry and ammo, the adventures heard a commotion outside. Three Federation soldiers were behind a barricade, shooting at a couple of civilians just inside the door to the strip club.</p><p>Quickly deciding to get involved and help the strip club patrons, TX-1138 waded near the Federation, believing that his former Federation droid body would allay their suspicions. And he was right. The soldiers didn't suspect he was a danger until TX-1138 open fired on them, wounding one.</p><p>Morningwood used magic missile, Gorra used his new hot-pink blaster (it was cheaper), and TX pulled out his bazookoid and rolled a crit. Basically, that finished them off. </p><p>The two guys in the strip club were grateful and bought the PCs a round, including TX's little cyber-demon companion growing out of his magical wound, named Downgrade. "Tequila, por favor." I still don't know why this little kuato guy is Mexican, but he is.</p><p>Once inside the strip club, they heard about a legendary stripper named Sausage Candy. She's known far and wide as "the good luck lap dance" stripper. They all got a lap dance, but only Gorra paid extra for the Champaign Room. When he came out, there was a post-coital bonus waiting for him, and Sausage Candy had glittery sand all over her face.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KF99MVgVdd3IeWPyw0WpzpFQ2OZgs5-oNN0Len4j4hZWHmNEnQ4CABK8im3dBbYdQ0tdXFRgnzkFVPktmEU8wqqVUk_HUKwRGRoSm20E99-BLNSyWcB9g8pYjOyaaPKb4AfmASkKLS060alQj9lR6mI12D_O_YbuIrpjPa1Ay00cRlGXAArZDbJ2DRA/s723/8a18c1dfa87c564a4bf4a199c856de89.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KF99MVgVdd3IeWPyw0WpzpFQ2OZgs5-oNN0Len4j4hZWHmNEnQ4CABK8im3dBbYdQ0tdXFRgnzkFVPktmEU8wqqVUk_HUKwRGRoSm20E99-BLNSyWcB9g8pYjOyaaPKb4AfmASkKLS060alQj9lR6mI12D_O_YbuIrpjPa1Ay00cRlGXAArZDbJ2DRA/s320/8a18c1dfa87c564a4bf4a199c856de89.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><p>As the PCs were leaving, they eavesdropped on two low-lifes and a tall fancy man wearing expensive robes and an impressive hat. They were talking about a shipment coming in. The fancy man paid the low-lifes with an ornate box, and both parties departed. The scum went to Casa Zoth (TX and Morningwood followed) where they opened the box to find a sticky, organic, pink, fleshy thing. The PCs had no idea what it was, but the low-lifes were pleased.</p><p>Meanwhile, Gorra shadowed the man with the fancy hat. He went to a disused star-port (a nicer, newer, and much bigger star-port was recently built several months ago just a few streets away) and received a shuttle containing strange cargo - it looked like blue crystal. </p><p>The blue crystal went into a truck which the fancy hat man and his little humonculous sidekick eventually (after some car trouble created by Gorra when he turned into sand and screwed with the power-coupling) drove outside The Settlements and to the Federation Wall about 10 miles away.</p><p>They know this because the PCs stole the shuttle after putting the dock workers to sleep. Getting close enough for a visual, they saw the truck unload its cargo by Federation soldiers and then load it onto a hover-tank on the other side of the wall. Then, the hover-tank went away from the wall, north... possibly to A'agrybah. </p><p>Perplexed, the PCs considered what was happening and then their options. Finally deciding to take the stolen shuttle over the orange labyrinth and into mysterious Qada'ath.</p><p>They landed safely and went out to explore. The PCs were astounded to see that it looked like Shadowrun. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3WANuVgohDpJ-SANcgO5KNCcBsVc42isMY1iC9_vZVavruW6bELDmhsjAAxTgwswhk8IAV6IQmKLaBLBkCD8Jmo07eSG7LtFIpuQx1N9PpZD_dgBK7mM2VBVy9g2JNujcI7PznpWXKQUmfwO75R3BM-O6-3H83Zm75MGKwAhlzHO8dhAnr8U2X0GTuw/s1884/shadowrun.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1884" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3WANuVgohDpJ-SANcgO5KNCcBsVc42isMY1iC9_vZVavruW6bELDmhsjAAxTgwswhk8IAV6IQmKLaBLBkCD8Jmo07eSG7LtFIpuQx1N9PpZD_dgBK7mM2VBVy9g2JNujcI7PznpWXKQUmfwO75R3BM-O6-3H83Zm75MGKwAhlzHO8dhAnr8U2X0GTuw/s320/shadowrun.webp" width="238" /></a></div><p>Choosing to head downtown, they walked - eventually coming to a nighclub that was next door to someplace that manufactured that same blue crystal. Although, in Qada'ath, they call it blue glass. </p><p>Turns out, it's a drug [hey, it's 4:20 as I type this... the prophecy!]. What you do, and the PCs watched it happen, is break off a piece of blue glass from a glass sheet, melt it down, use a little creature (kind of like a leech), to suck it up, then you put the elongated creature on your skin and it secretes the drug right into your bloodstream. And it gets you fucked up, like, tripping balls!</p><p>Gorra was brave enough to try it (curious to see how it affected a grog or sand-construct), so I had him roll. He decided to roll his d20 along with a gilded die, and the gilded die came up a 1 (or possibly a 2). The grog started to feel something, then foul smelling clay gushed out of his bottom - clearing the dancefloor. Yeah, that was cringe, but hilarious!</p><p>By then it was almost 6pm and my GMing muscle felt like a wet noodle. So, we ended the session there.</p><p>Thanks for reading, hoss! There's a 1% chance I'll be staying up until midnight tonight. It's now 4:34pm and I'm already yawning. See ya on the flip side...</p><p>Happy New Year!</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. If you don't yet have your weekend badge for <b>Venger Con III: Revenge of the OSR</b>, <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">Grab it now!</a> You won't want to miss an entire weekend of old-school, OSR, and traditional RPGs in Madison, WI this July.</p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-48717658928060320942023-12-22T12:28:00.000-06:002023-12-22T12:28:05.612-06:00The Cha'alt Experience [Kickstarter]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMk9ylNo_qPU9Js_4YIct3k6gJ4skOl-9vr7tXAKIXRUDo05rybcwqyiD2F810_ciY63zBz5SveNMRK2FEjZ_7fEEzFac8ITKgz5Sb0K_ZOkv1AX5-CGTsd7IFRM9kRa8brcTkfn1ZHnkA6cFfZhUxy1aPfhvB3D3m3MOnPohQQdkO8qpio3sKhcBAOLw/s4400/Monstark_Dark-Side-Pyramid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4400" data-original-width="3400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMk9ylNo_qPU9Js_4YIct3k6gJ4skOl-9vr7tXAKIXRUDo05rybcwqyiD2F810_ciY63zBz5SveNMRK2FEjZ_7fEEzFac8ITKgz5Sb0K_ZOkv1AX5-CGTsd7IFRM9kRa8brcTkfn1ZHnkA6cFfZhUxy1aPfhvB3D3m3MOnPohQQdkO8qpio3sKhcBAOLw/s320/Monstark_Dark-Side-Pyramid.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><p></p><p>It's been a little while since I've launched a Kickstarter campaign. Well, now's the time to fund <b>The Cha'alt Experience: Designing Worlds Like A Fucking Boss</b>.</p><p>Here's the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vengersatanis/the-chaalt-experience-designing-worlds-like-a-fucking-boss" target="_blank">link</a>. It's already doing pretty well, but I hear that a bigger first day helps with the algorithm. So, do what you can to pledge early, raise awareness, and spread that url around like manure.</p><p>So, what is it? I've had such an amazing time creating <b>Cha'alt</b> (first as a world, then as a living, breathing, undulating campaign setting) that I wanted to share my experience, showing you what worked, what didn't, and how you can create your very own world... or simply adapt an existing world to you and your unique preferences. </p><p>This is a subject I know well, so help me unleash my dark wisdom upon an unsuspecting universe and watch it tremble, quivering with involuntary glee!</p><p>If you have a question or comment, post something down below...</p><p>Thanks,</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcover books are part of the backer rewards, but now's the time to start thinking about VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR - <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">info and weekend badges</a>. </p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-6813742731438873202023-12-17T10:27:00.000-06:002023-12-17T10:27:45.887-06:00Mysterious Qada'ath [Cha'alt campaign, session 3]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirs8GS2r4os6acFCZLeFk2Z0ZQjQTLBbrOYCHyZtNmdHxzURpwAiU39iqn5bLubvb2qIhbF7z9f__eqDC052iCxKkbFwYshXa0BTqGWqz_jMK1S7pG0vN0sqnsgbCv7PeNxOg4fS3LTj1JP-DpM8o_5MCieuIWcBk_qtOadsgd1-NI73PwfuaQUGO4Mno/s626/silhouette-woman-with-long-hair-standing-front-pink-sunset_893012-207226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="626" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirs8GS2r4os6acFCZLeFk2Z0ZQjQTLBbrOYCHyZtNmdHxzURpwAiU39iqn5bLubvb2qIhbF7z9f__eqDC052iCxKkbFwYshXa0BTqGWqz_jMK1S7pG0vN0sqnsgbCv7PeNxOg4fS3LTj1JP-DpM8o_5MCieuIWcBk_qtOadsgd1-NI73PwfuaQUGO4Mno/s320/silhouette-woman-with-long-hair-standing-front-pink-sunset_893012-207226.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>We're back again with another session report because our normally scheduled gaming would have put us too close to Christma'as...</p><p>Regardless, the holidays (and other unfortunate events) reduced our player pool to only three. We had Nix the demon thief, Ha'agly Morningwood the pixie-fairy sorcerer, and TX-1138 the droid warrior.</p><p>After sounding the gong, which opened the way, we resolved <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/11/downtime-between-adventures.html" target="_blank">downtime pursuits</a>. Ha'agly had fetched the spider-droid guy with his brain in the jar, Gerald, from that cave in the Vault of Tahqeez. TX-1138 was fine-tuning his targeting computer, for which I gave him a point of Divine Favor so he could use that during combat. And Nix had been trying to find out more about Tyrian Purple. I didn't have a ton of news on that front, other than the hue symbolized a connection to the divine, which meant the Great Old Ones, in most peoples' eyes.</p><p>I wrote down what the pixie-fairy's crystal scepter could do. It had one charge per day (again, we've instituted a new rule that will be forthcoming in the next <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/451651/Advanced-Crimson-Dragon-Slayer" target="_blank">Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</a> update - Divine Favor can also be spent to get another use out of a limited or temporary special ability that one would normally have access to under more favorable circumstances).</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>The Gift</u></b></h2><p>I informed the adventurers that Dante's Quick Stop had become a frequent hang-out of theirs, when they weren't laying low at their base of operations / whore house. And the manager handed them a gift that had been left there, a black box with gold ribbon, bow, and letter attached. The letter was from Lord Ada'alo, saying how much he appreciated the PCs' effort, that they were welcome in A'agrybah as his guests anytime they wished, and Ada'alo's tailor was able to turn the trimmings of that Tyrian Purple death-shroud into sexkerchiefs embroidered with the phrase "Eenta A'agrybah veelo den Cha'alt," which means... as A'agrybah goes, Cha'alt follows suit.</p><p>What is a sexkerchief, you ask? A sartorial article, traditional to Cha'alt, for cleaning oneself, partner, possessions, toys, clothes, sheets, etc. after sex. And being Tyrian Purple, they look really snazzy, regal, and in fact, holy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xGQqxdXbAmm3PMPSxSKr0z6Ma_WGrxanmE3XyJDgCqzFC32Yw4QW5dDrH-jvyd8f1cx3jBQxl6nyIawJk4xRbAogi1Mhembb5skuF9e_GBueFU4Vuwbn5VcKYubV0Vw8HyUzOU0arp2ewDi_nR2rdwc2nXWx5DsvdUUZHaqNMBoGEEhdN9fDYBzKXMA/s1920/26170909-0dfd-4211-bc99-15bc1936ccc1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xGQqxdXbAmm3PMPSxSKr0z6Ma_WGrxanmE3XyJDgCqzFC32Yw4QW5dDrH-jvyd8f1cx3jBQxl6nyIawJk4xRbAogi1Mhembb5skuF9e_GBueFU4Vuwbn5VcKYubV0Vw8HyUzOU0arp2ewDi_nR2rdwc2nXWx5DsvdUUZHaqNMBoGEEhdN9fDYBzKXMA/s320/26170909-0dfd-4211-bc99-15bc1936ccc1.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p>Pleased with the appreciation and lavished with a present, the PCs got caught up to speed on what else had been happening in the region since their last adventure. Apparently, a 3-mile section of the Federation's border wall was blown-up by a terrorist group (Cha'alt natives would call them freedom fighters). This meant that Federation soldiers were picking people up, stop & frisk, interrogations, detainments, etc. Speculation pointed to the Federation having a secret military base nearby.</p><p>Back at the PCs' quarters, Keke, an aqua-skinned elf prostitute, just got back from that secret Federation base where she'd been servicing the troops. She came back to the whore house to get more instructions from her pimp. The PCs informed her that they were now in charge of the house and prostitutes, but decided to make Keke the madame, who's really like a hooker manager that takes care of all the details.</p><p>TX-1138 and Keke went out to that secret base to get an idea of what was in store. 2 guards, remote controlled platform lowering into the base, shift change every 6 hours or so. </p><p>After being reunited with the group, they went back to the Quick Stop and sought information from Dante on that alternative route into Qada'ath, allowing them to avoid the orange labyrinth. He revealed that months ago, a man staggered into his convenience store, clutching in his bloody hand a key-card. Before dying right there on the tile floor by the chilled spider-milk, the man said that this [indicating the key-card] got him into the undercity of Dha'arma.</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>The Undercity</u></b></h2><p>Since Nix had found that locked entrance some time ago, the PCs decided to pounce on this idea. They took the black van they confiscated from that failed robbery / execution to the site. Unfortunately, the door was blocked by two sandworms having a territorial dispute. It had been going on awhile, drawing a small crowd. </p><p>Oh yeah, while they were driving, Ha'agly stared out the window at the endless dunes and had some kind of vision where he was moving through this black space giving way to fuchsia sinew and oozing tissue, an organic realm that felt endless, but also finite... even claustrophobic. Eventually, he opened his eyes, realizing he was floating in a bacta-tank. Seeing inside the tank's reflective surface and then looking down, it became clear that he was in Kra'ang's little pink, tendrily body. A doctor looked at him, wrote something down on her clipboard, called for another doctor to look at him... then he was startled into wakefulness by the ululation of sandworms.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWqLrL9B2O8gihyphenhyphenhXFuwEXqM1H1EX-8zwE1idqJXSlPtiM4_AYSo9Ih3v1gqalchV2rFyjsx8wilmytZ6EAhaIptlh5oryeApW5dhLF62897Euh44gvbLp-GnWQWthj7wGfttj424XnVV7TH_zfnVARrMW2F22Dgdn3ZHcsRPxlvBXFKouxQVkT7hfpo/s802/Bactatank.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="802" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWqLrL9B2O8gihyphenhyphenhXFuwEXqM1H1EX-8zwE1idqJXSlPtiM4_AYSo9Ih3v1gqalchV2rFyjsx8wilmytZ6EAhaIptlh5oryeApW5dhLF62897Euh44gvbLp-GnWQWthj7wGfttj424XnVV7TH_zfnVARrMW2F22Dgdn3ZHcsRPxlvBXFKouxQVkT7hfpo/s320/Bactatank.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p>This was a continuation of the 1st session where Ha'agly's player rolled a critical-success on his lavender moon die of infernal destiny. Somehow, his consciousness is connected to that of Kra'ang.</p><p>Up until now, we had neglected TH-1138's little Kua'ato dude that manifested from his wound last session in the vault. "I would like a cerveza," he said. I don't know why that popped in my head, but we went with it. One of the spectators had a red and white cooler filled with beer, so the droid went over to ask if he could have one. The guy said sure, and the little guy (who I think we were calling Downgrade at this point) guzzled that beer.</p><p>There was another bystander wearing rags, barefoot, and covered with eldritch glyph tattoos. He told the PCs that they didn't belong here, that their consciousness didn't belong in those bodies, that they were parasites, of a sort, inhabiting these flesh vessels. This harkened back to the start of the campaign when the PCs were actually members of the Two Jacks Detective Agency in 1929 Chicago, and went down into that tunnel below the mausoleum and into the cave with that massive device where each sat as the technology launched them into another dimension.</p><p>After chatting some more, and Downgrade volunteering nuggets of wisdom such as, "I was there... a thousand years ago, when the sandworms sucked the Great Old Ones' dicks," the tattooed guy (who had been a scribe for some prophet who died years ago in a rebellion against the Federation) offered to distract the sandworms for a price. </p><p>5 gold pieces was paid and the guy ran off some distance jumping up and down while yelling. I wrote-up a little d4 random table right there to determine the effectiveness of his plan...</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Gets eaten</li><li>Sandworms don't budge</li><li>Sandworms move, but they attack him</li><li>Sandworms move; success</li></ol><div><br /></div><div>I rolled a 4. It worked, and no one was harmed. Then, the PCs went through. Beyond the door was a long, dimly lit corridor. It looked like the inside of some kind of factory, warehouse, or 3rd world prison. Wasn't long before they were shot at. TH-1138's blaster ran out of juice (he rolled a 1 on his attack), and they weren't getting any farther without taking some hits. Most being 2nd level, they realized they wouldn't stand a chance and so retreated. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLWdWt0lGFvcnZSWOOqvTUH7NzDJaywLav-zIgzshsyoE9CKWHPR9NevK17vZrC5uNUk12H4EowKE8dZFJ35ZsZXyMnQ4ysOsv8NOk7IJTn4k-3aGgdSbGWHsPi01q5HZgdAuTuu7QaG5A5X6n-NPatftaLWSEwHsceJjOYopeY6Hce_yJ4KHQdvkX3s/s870/308651327_440965428134608_3372753323123673223_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLWdWt0lGFvcnZSWOOqvTUH7NzDJaywLav-zIgzshsyoE9CKWHPR9NevK17vZrC5uNUk12H4EowKE8dZFJ35ZsZXyMnQ4ysOsv8NOk7IJTn4k-3aGgdSbGWHsPi01q5HZgdAuTuu7QaG5A5X6n-NPatftaLWSEwHsceJjOYopeY6Hce_yJ4KHQdvkX3s/s320/308651327_440965428134608_3372753323123673223_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div>Ha'agly, being so small and able to fly, stayed behind to surveil the area. A guard put a couple of steel bars across the door, so even with a key-card, intruders would have a tough time getting in. Several corridors each led to a locked door and more guards. Eventually, Ha'agly slipped out through a tiny ventilation hole, reuniting with his companions. </div><div><br /></div><div>Disheartened, the party went back to their own base and saw that it had been ransacked! Keke hid in a closet and told them that only an hour ago, Federation soldiers came in and turned the place over.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pissed at the violation, the PCs went back to the Quick Stop where a player stimulated the GONZO Cha'alt X-Card. I think that same player suggested that maybe Gonzo himself (from the Muppets) could be there. I loved the idea and ran with it. Gonzo was talking to Dante about the logistics of shooting himself out of a cannon in order to get into Qada'ath. Dante was reminding him of airspeed ratios and that he'd probably never make it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nix interjected that the Great Old One hovering over the city would probably just grab him with a tentacle and eat Gonzo. This got them talking more about the Federation and overheard plans. Something big was coming! So, the PCs asked Gonzo to come along, but not before the fuzzy purple whatever was able to find Gerald a new body [cue another player stimulating the POST-APOCALYPSE <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/458143/Chaalt-XCards" target="_blank">Cha'alt X-Card</a>] the large, animatronic ferret from Willy's Wonderland that had been recovered after the bombs fell. Yes, Nic Cage!</div><div><br /></div><div>After outfitting Gerald and loading up on weapons, they went back to the secret Federation base.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oFWIhCB8iMb2LVRwH7q3u_5TYD8RRxQ6_m7ryZeLoocn46opaCl712rXYEJxRq8_bGYbACeGGmx2koiM7QoqacOZB9QewzOVLD_Za-CPJtEMxXXF3GB39P9fMzWR1nSQhiUaZkraxRHQL1BZn1wAXwtG8BgraNmgQFQCuzxgeIKR3v_gHlA_ZE-90Yk/s1280/MV5BZDFjNThhYzMtOGM2My00OGU1LWJmN2QtY2I2Zjg1NTUzNmI4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTc1NDA1MTc@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oFWIhCB8iMb2LVRwH7q3u_5TYD8RRxQ6_m7ryZeLoocn46opaCl712rXYEJxRq8_bGYbACeGGmx2koiM7QoqacOZB9QewzOVLD_Za-CPJtEMxXXF3GB39P9fMzWR1nSQhiUaZkraxRHQL1BZn1wAXwtG8BgraNmgQFQCuzxgeIKR3v_gHlA_ZE-90Yk/s320/MV5BZDFjNThhYzMtOGM2My00OGU1LWJmN2QtY2I2Zjg1NTUzNmI4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTc1NDA1MTc@._V1_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Secret Federation Base</u></b></h2><div><br /></div><div>Nix used a lavender demon-moon die after failing his surprise rolls on the two guards, eventually killing them both and electing to level-up right then and there (the extra HP would definitely come in handy).</div><div><br /></div><div>They went in and I'll montage this to save time... </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>They released the prisoners (two of which were aquaintances of the PCs - Zara magenta skinned tentacled woman and Ninsk the elf with gold geometric patterns all over his skin).</li><li>Morningwood accidentally ricocheted onto a urinal cake and skidded around the room like he was in a pinball machine.</li><li>Rescued a woman who the Federation suspected was part of the terrorist / freedom fighter group Scarlet Dawn.</li><li>TH-1138 used his own lavender moon die of infernal destiny but rolled a failure, so he "borrowed" another player's Divine Favor fuchsia stone while that player had gotten up to get a beer from the fridge, and thankfully rolled a success, killing all but one of the guards - a guard who was about to take an experimental weapon off the wall and use it on the adventurers until the party's sorcerer blew him to smithereens with missile command. </li><li>They took a bunch of weapons as firefights were breaking out all over the subterranean complex. Eventually, everyone got out, but not before Nix took blaster fire to the chest, saved by his extra HP, and a few other NPCs were minorly damaged by stray lasers... but no one was killed. </li><li>Finally, they got back in their van which the pixie-fairy had brought up to the platform that got stuck halfway (Federation soldiers had killed the power), and took off.</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBF_yGrjezO3AVV_3tXsBmd1nhF6Voufspc9oEmQCLpsFcOBs77kJLdoUnIKvT-1ouQmtfjAYRMqUc2AO0CaCLR1eyBvYNjM1iIi975IP5Jw6ylqtu05yDczGTDyuatNcgjAP2Cw8RP5pHVkHF24-WfFV8WD9zcVkXR9Qc3tRV7BVNDaCs5wsRhWYwVRw/s1280/V3wbEEatsgcLQRt9Rmu4je.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBF_yGrjezO3AVV_3tXsBmd1nhF6Voufspc9oEmQCLpsFcOBs77kJLdoUnIKvT-1ouQmtfjAYRMqUc2AO0CaCLR1eyBvYNjM1iIi975IP5Jw6ylqtu05yDczGTDyuatNcgjAP2Cw8RP5pHVkHF24-WfFV8WD9zcVkXR9Qc3tRV7BVNDaCs5wsRhWYwVRw/s320/V3wbEEatsgcLQRt9Rmu4je.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>They put their black van (with artifact - see below) in Gonzo's garage. Oh yeah, so the R&D experimental weapons armory contained the following things which the PCs took... a bazookoid (4d6 damage - armor piercing shells), hand-held photon detonators, and (at this point I stimulated... in my mind... a POP-CULTURE <b>Cha'alt X-Card</b>) revealed they had the Arc of the Covenant. It was heavy, but the droid and another NPC were able to lug it up to their van.</div><div><br /></div><div>They didn't have time to investigate beyond noticing that the Arc was hermetically sealed shut. The rest went back to their base of operations which they decided to call The Chicken Coop, and hope Federation soldiers wouldn't track them down.</div><div><br /></div><div>At that point, we only had 5 or so minutes to spare before the session's end-time. We talked about what the PCs would do for their next bout of between-session downtime... Nix wanted to make contact with that Scarlet Dawn group, Ha'agly wanted to find a nearby property where they could hide if The Chicken Coop got exposed, and the blank section next to TH-1138 tells me that whatever he said wasn't clear, he forgot to tell me, or the Gods of Cha'alt just don't want me to know.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from the continued playtesting of the <b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b>, which were back to being awesome as Hell - there's another mechanic that I was really psyched to try out. As you can <a href="https://youtu.be/XRZntvHMWyg?si=swYv3r_itNq0OySl" target="_blank">watch right over here</a> it relates to the gilded dice of Candela Obscura, but I've deconstructed it and remade it into something different and 7-fold more awesome! I can't say too much more about it because the big reveal will be tied to my next Kickstarter happening in a week or two, but I got some extremely valuable insight that's helped me tweak my design. I'm really happy with it and in a few months from now, it will work itself into an Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer update.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, thanks for reading!</div><div><br /></div><div>VS</div><div><br /></div><div>p.s. If you don't already own the <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcover trilogy, <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">now's your chance!</a> Also, get your <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> weekend badge <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">hither and yon</a> (I'll be asking for GM and player gaming wishlists next month, so don't delay).<br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-47791295520022438962023-12-16T08:32:00.000-06:002023-12-16T08:32:53.174-06:00CHA'ALT Webcomic - Under Fuchsia Ska'ai<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QBNWfJCVDbSKEK4zWNYxFgIVGHqIKbL-EFJNCgp0hRZGYLd8wzgXyZcSPRVd52hfAUYv361QfwMFyAS6SeIUZdl5JWCnTTba5ZtKF_sYvrErQGFfpmH1xpYeB0qmtyp_MyGtVATrGtA58FgedmDzj1xVGO24YQMWhiIRthOdWkMLw4_UusezQ3FO5b8/s637/Chaalt%20Under%20Fuchsia%20Skaai%20LoRes%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QBNWfJCVDbSKEK4zWNYxFgIVGHqIKbL-EFJNCgp0hRZGYLd8wzgXyZcSPRVd52hfAUYv361QfwMFyAS6SeIUZdl5JWCnTTba5ZtKF_sYvrErQGFfpmH1xpYeB0qmtyp_MyGtVATrGtA58FgedmDzj1xVGO24YQMWhiIRthOdWkMLw4_UusezQ3FO5b8/s320/Chaalt%20Under%20Fuchsia%20Skaai%20LoRes%20Cover.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><p></p><p>Yes, it's out! You can get it <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/463200/Under-Fuchsia-Skaai" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Going into this project, I never could have guessed all the time and energy that went into this thing. Specifically, I'm talking about the phenomenal artwork of Jae Tanaka. He did a masterful job!</p><p>This thing is broken into (for the most part) 13 "issues" that are each about one page. Like adventures in a campaign, each issue is meant to be self-contained and also part of a greater story.</p><p>Thanks to the Kickstarter backers who helped make this thing possible!</p><p>Additionally, I released <b>Cha'alt-GPT: Purple Islands Majesty</b> (<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/461957/ChaaltGPT-Purple-Islands-Majesty" target="_blank">right over here</a>). It's scripted dialog between 3 players and a GM in the vein of something like Chat-GPT. It's funny and weird and awesome! The first <b>Cha'alt-GPT</b> title is <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/444347/ChaaltGPT" target="_blank">a free PDF</a>.</p><p>I've got another little gem on the way, but the upload hasn't yet been OKed by DTRPG yet (and I need to send it to backers this weekend). Soon...</p><p>Thanks,</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. I've got <b>Cha'alt </b>hardcover books for sale - <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">get 'em while they're gonzo!</a> And you'll be kicking yourself with your own tentacle if you miss gaming with us at VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR this July in Madison, WI. <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">Weekend badges on sale NOW!!!</a></p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-78172858748807029252023-12-11T10:21:00.003-06:002023-12-11T10:21:59.417-06:00Mysterious Qada'ath [Cha'alt campaign, session 2]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxsH0X0XpeurHol_EbHIJ4Xt4PspBek0sbD2QqfN6A34GUoB7Q5Uct8jDUxk0mMTWoaABy3bAuBjARwUzs8_wQASSkrWx2-DcjR5XVnA1xjdcJyciP4ZQNpfjfXzfC7WpgpQAzh4MyAovz2n9FFnhfVyIbC0ynzMaWnXbcj7IIQKIBGb3Qe6xahZOcGU/s1344/vengersatanis_outer_settlement_post-apocalyptic_desert_tent_cit_68c785d0-adb6-4435-b9f3-26ad0683f307.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1344" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxsH0X0XpeurHol_EbHIJ4Xt4PspBek0sbD2QqfN6A34GUoB7Q5Uct8jDUxk0mMTWoaABy3bAuBjARwUzs8_wQASSkrWx2-DcjR5XVnA1xjdcJyciP4ZQNpfjfXzfC7WpgpQAzh4MyAovz2n9FFnhfVyIbC0ynzMaWnXbcj7IIQKIBGb3Qe6xahZOcGU/s320/vengersatanis_outer_settlement_post-apocalyptic_desert_tent_cit_68c785d0-adb6-4435-b9f3-26ad0683f307.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>There's so much to talk about regarding yesterday's game [two days ago, now, because it took me awhile to find all the art + editing the blog post] - session two of the Mysterious Qada'ath campaign set in the eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic world of Cha'alt.</p><p>5 players, so we had one of our recurring players return for this session, but that still leaves 1 player unavailable due to family commitments.</p><p>The incoming player had his choice of classes since all of the 4 core were spoken for. He decided another warrior would come in handy, and the current droid warrior convinced him to also be a droid... so now the adventuring party looks like this: two droid warriors (Talis and TX-1138), a demon thief (Nix), pixie-fairy sorcerer (Ha'agly Morningwood), and half-orc priest (Drogan).</p><p>An important detail is that TX-1138 was an old Federation droid who'd been reprogramed and broke away from his former masters, eager to start a new life on Cha'alt.</p><p>Next, I talked about a small rule modification. When a lavender moon die of infernal destiny has been rolled, that player may choose to level-up early. If they do, they get max hit-points instead of rolling their hit-dice. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2noftQSzIyx4HZ8gmS-KhcqxeSjCyyJ0Xo3KMdczDrBNdM3NM_RvxUQWLZMDqAujqotHUwfNox9F8zF_w7ww16d0xWLuSBfCLtxZaFq3Y_dTIKKBDJ8JU1QIdNW9qBPSSxLAZDziIveOeSvV0FmGCya-GR2Y_S_DGyTZX9jZ8anCk5IVCewHaNLv6IeE/s711/Hkconcept.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="625" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2noftQSzIyx4HZ8gmS-KhcqxeSjCyyJ0Xo3KMdczDrBNdM3NM_RvxUQWLZMDqAujqotHUwfNox9F8zF_w7ww16d0xWLuSBfCLtxZaFq3Y_dTIKKBDJ8JU1QIdNW9qBPSSxLAZDziIveOeSvV0FmGCya-GR2Y_S_DGyTZX9jZ8anCk5IVCewHaNLv6IeE/s320/Hkconcept.webp" width="281" /></a></div><p>Since the pixie-fairy sorcerer, Ha'agly, had used one of his lavender moon dice at the end of last session, he got to jump to level 2 ahead of the others (who would all level up at the end of this session because I just do every other session advancement... no XP, no milestones).</p><p>Then, I had everyone roll for their downtime pursuits <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/11/downtime-between-adventures.html" target="_blank">as per this random table</a>. Drogan wanted to figure out high-tech healing so he could apply that Federation salve to non-organic lifeforms, like the party's two droid warriors. Nix wanted to find an alternative way into Qada'ath, other than traversing the orange labyrinth, Talis and Ha'agly wanted to keep tabs on the Federation. Everyone succeeded. I took a couple minutes to describe what they'd accomplished since last time we met.</p><p>Now, onto the actual game!</p><p>The players were in the section of outer settlements where they made Tyrian Purple. They saw a noble, surrounded by his men and droids sit cross-legged, watching the city... as if he were meditating. Meanwhile, a midnight-elf woman and her pale female concubine were seductively dancing in the streets.</p><p>It turns out that Mistress Midnight and her female friend had sex with the makers of Tyrian Purple, jumping the line when it came to getting what she wanted dyed that particular shade, rather than the noble, Lord Ada'alo. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4Mc_71NCB9x4z70ZDjP0jN-EiS4UEV2hw6mQP9fGd31esiuGPrfa9WA78tSTqrUTq0o61pfTJqjG7RvQDqh36Fx_d9AiW5P5rAqam08byFcTwQUnF7loxqGu1gV7Vk0GbDq9uIjtjvwWX3KDkpx8gwWw3_UWuD4Z8SsLWFx7m67nnmGUK1Cwdrg_s3E/s637/d04-5a-066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="637" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4Mc_71NCB9x4z70ZDjP0jN-EiS4UEV2hw6mQP9fGd31esiuGPrfa9WA78tSTqrUTq0o61pfTJqjG7RvQDqh36Fx_d9AiW5P5rAqam08byFcTwQUnF7loxqGu1gV7Vk0GbDq9uIjtjvwWX3KDkpx8gwWw3_UWuD4Z8SsLWFx7m67nnmGUK1Cwdrg_s3E/s320/d04-5a-066.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The noble invited the PCs to his hover-skiff to discuss business. He explained his need - his brother would be at the Annunciation where a new King of A'agrybah shall be chosen. His brother intends to nominate a Federation oligarch. There's a saying on Cha'alt, "Where A'agrybah goes, so goes Cha'alt." Lord Ada'alo requires a sash of nobility dyed with Tyrian Purple in order to replace his brother and make his royal nomination.</p><p>This is definitely a thread I want to come back to before long. In fact, it would be hilarious if the whole campaign was geared towards exploring and interacting with the city of Qada'ath... and then the PCs never actually set foot inside it. Lol.</p><p>A couple plans were suggested. Either get rid of the midnight-elf who wanted her pallid concubine dyed Tyrian Purple, or loot the vault of a dead sorcerer named Tahqeez who was rumored to possess another sash of nobility, just the like the one Lord Ada'alo was trying to have made.</p><p>Ada'alo knows the whereabouts and password that will present the vault of Tahqeez, so he planned to take the PCs to the location the next night. As it happens, this night the assassination droid Talis agreed to work the nightshift at the outer settlement's Quick Stop. The manager needed someone to find out who was stealing the porn off his magazine rack, and he offered all the Thirst Mutilator 2-liters he and his friends could drink as payment/reward.</p><p>Talis and Nix hung out at the Quick Stop while the others went to look for a base of operations in the outer settlements. They found an abandoned house that was home to a pimp and three of his whores. Colin stimulated the SLEAZE Cha'alt X-Card, so it was decided that a particular John (bald out-of-town merchant resembling Die Hard 3 era Bruce Willis named France Bacon) was going to be driving by the house very soon, looking for female entertainment.</p><p>Eventually, TX-1138 barged in and started blasting. After trading blows, the pimp ran out of the house. Texas Instruments followed, trying to shoot him in the back. He rolled a 1, and a stray shot hit a Federation soldier out on patrol. The Federation guy shot back, disabling TX-1138. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuA-dEQSbne431hc43r6HMZWS483dn8KkLmjTtNMhYHGnb3F7zNWM7ZVAz0dzMGSymPR910O9uG6lsFfPR4rc-HjoY5xceOC4_DeQE8ZN7GvrqvQ7jjmJEjGEgWlCc25JG9utKDRwrT47KCUR4_MhM4vZCk4assa9ZI_nZb5_gtb8m8Kql2amyYv6nVFw/s640/abc_brothel_mj_120307_wmain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuA-dEQSbne431hc43r6HMZWS483dn8KkLmjTtNMhYHGnb3F7zNWM7ZVAz0dzMGSymPR910O9uG6lsFfPR4rc-HjoY5xceOC4_DeQE8ZN7GvrqvQ7jjmJEjGEgWlCc25JG9utKDRwrT47KCUR4_MhM4vZCk4assa9ZI_nZb5_gtb8m8Kql2amyYv6nVFw/s320/abc_brothel_mj_120307_wmain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Since TX-1138 looked like a Federation droid (and the droid claimed his targeting computer was malfunctioning), they repaired him, fitted him with a restraining bolt, and released him back onto the street. </p><p>Meanwhile, several annoying customers came into the Quick Stop buying random stuff and asking stupid questions. One interesting fellow came out of nowhere and didn't have any idea where he was... even the planet Cha'alt didn't ring a bell. His name was Surge Danger Montgomery... and he will appear again sometime soon.</p><p>A mantis-folk was skulking back by the magazine rack, so Talis kept a watchful eye on him. Suddenly, 4 hoodlums jumped out of a black van wearing ski masks and held the convenience store up. The same player stimulated the GRINDHOUSE EXPLOITATION Cha'alt X-Card, so I described how one of the robbers had a suitcase that opened when it hit the ground after Talis' head-shot. Inside the suitcase were gold coins, a thermal detonator, and a wallet belonging to Dweezil Jackson with Bad Motherfucker embroidered onto the front. </p><p>Why was one of the robbers carrying such a suitcase? One of the players asked that, and I didn't have a great answer... but I'm working on something. Honestly, of all the sessions where we've playtested the Cha'alt X-Cards, this one was the least fruitful, but that's ok. Not every mechanic (any mechanic?) works beautifully 100% of the time. Hey, I'll take 90% any day of the week!</p><p>Once everything had died down that night, I did a screen-wipe that got us to the hover-skiff of Lord Ada'alo at dusk the next evening. He took the PCs to one of those stone markers with the eye in the triangle that the PCs had encountered the previous Cha'alt campaign. </p><p>From there, the PCs took the appropriate number and direction of steps and spoke aloud the 3rd moon of Cha'alt. There appeared the entrance to Tahqeez' vault. The stone double-doors were etched with a curious seal. Glyphs on the outer edge spelled out the following (which only the sorcerer could read)...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-wph-bcpjSaRzxFSSHhP88KOYyH5oksSGZJTZcEh1sDbP-knqo-fXzOIY66qvNcucUTi6TFNtPbo5_XUlkXtXkYeA1Slc-lgEZNor2hrI_-pYxuYpaXMGP_vu4sHqvkKtmrlb2wTDor6RkwWJRchzDZ2HgLARLV1obJyl3ltXgoqyt7SNMagcabTOAs/s1080/Lich%20Seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-wph-bcpjSaRzxFSSHhP88KOYyH5oksSGZJTZcEh1sDbP-knqo-fXzOIY66qvNcucUTi6TFNtPbo5_XUlkXtXkYeA1Slc-lgEZNor2hrI_-pYxuYpaXMGP_vu4sHqvkKtmrlb2wTDor6RkwWJRchzDZ2HgLARLV1obJyl3ltXgoqyt7SNMagcabTOAs/s320/Lich%20Seal.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>"The Old Ones, in their infinite wisdom, have blessed us with many wonders, but the greatest of these is zoth."</p><p>Eventually, they decided to try splashing some zoth on the seal and it opened. Inside, the caves and tunnels were dimly lit by tiny crystals covering the walls, floor, and ceiling of this subterranean vault.</p><p>From there, the PCs fought a few skeletons, giant scorpions, Nix got some alone time with a demon girl bathing in a pool of black liquid (securing for himself the high-five bonus), and they encountered an almost identical seal, but instead of the final glyph being zoth, it was "vyzvra'akna" which means unutterable darkness, frequently translated as cosmic horror. Wisely, they decided against activating this seal.</p><p>The PCs found a brain in a jar attached to a spider droid. This was Gerald whose body had been burned away by the sorcerer whom he served. Gerald explained that the dead sorcerer Tahqeez had become a lich. In exchange for the promise to help him find a new body, Gerald told them the lich's weakness. </p><p>Finally, the adventurers bypassed a trap and ignored some strange shadows before reaching the jeweled sarcophagus of Tahqeez the sorcerer. They opened the lid and saw the dead sorcerer. Nix tried to yank its Tyrian Purple death-shroud, but the lich held on and then swung his magical sword wreathed in black flame.</p><p>I really should have made that last room either a bit deadlier (with additional monsters and such) or prepared with gizmos to deactivate high-technology. A few shots of laser (I think both warrior droids had a critical hit) and Drago using one of his lavender moon dice to really spectral-blast the shit out of Tahqeez, the lich didn't last more than 2 rounds.</p><p>Once vanquished, the PCs recovered the loot that was there and even found a hidden compartment that contained a scroll - it was an explanation of that other seal with an invoice paperclipped to it for 1,000 gold pieces that was never paid. Colin joked that the lich probably intended to "outlive" the seal maker and so he didn't have to pay.</p><p>That other seal, the "cosmic horror" one would have triggered a TPK if they'd splashed zoth upon it, shadow tentacles erupting throughout the vault, tearing everything alive to bloody shreds. So, good thing the PCs avoided it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYMhXNqRA1gDWQxlEY8SeGSnRRFeYEOxzcqsHy-bS3ToqmsfheVcTHF050o_uxJvsEzyRJrmqmhu1oe0uowOKRO7MTPfzG4KMaPo0hyphenhyphenDdRTyfys-JL6JqZX59k27AQj7NhEo8eoISkibJfcUURiZ2D0tLu6HjTJth5p6oCGaKavWvERCFA3IABtmHyGc/s541/eee325f35d133e080a84e7f52ec42a83.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYMhXNqRA1gDWQxlEY8SeGSnRRFeYEOxzcqsHy-bS3ToqmsfheVcTHF050o_uxJvsEzyRJrmqmhu1oe0uowOKRO7MTPfzG4KMaPo0hyphenhyphenDdRTyfys-JL6JqZX59k27AQj7NhEo8eoISkibJfcUURiZ2D0tLu6HjTJth5p6oCGaKavWvERCFA3IABtmHyGc/s320/eee325f35d133e080a84e7f52ec42a83.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><p>The PCs really searched all over the place for that sash of nobility dyed Tyrian Purple, but all there was in that hue was the lich's death-shroud. So, they gave their patron, Lord Ada'alo that, and kept the rest for themselves (in addition to each earning 36 zuleks from Ada'alo himself. He acquired them from some recent off-world adventure)...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The lich's magical sword named Zorvra'an, which means black flame. It does 2d6+1 damage (on a crit the sword does an additional 1d6 damage of obsidian fire that can only be put out by some sort of dispel magic or anti-magic field.</li><li>A Ring of Power +1 that grants the wearer a +1 to all their rolls (assuming the character wants it).</li><li>Elsewhere in the vault, the pixie-fairy scored a prismatic crystalline scepter (I've got a general idea about what it can do, but will save that for next game). </li><li>7 Lich sarcophagus gems </li><li>The aforementioned 36 x 5 zuleks</li><li>TX-1138 started using an ivory demon's horn javelin +1 that had skewered him during the skeleton warrior attack. If it wounds someone who survives, that wound becomes a little demon. Since TX-1138 is a droid, I thought it appropriate to turn his wound into a little mechanical demon - will have to feature that next session as it'll be fully grown by then.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>The hover-skiff took the PCs back to their whore house headquarters and they made plans before trying to find their way into Qada'ath next session...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3EsMTrMBKJWlfodyhb_1Tat55j_Cka8EZ30vkvSEBAUxGy0Kf4tnOtGj5cmJfEW0AAJb31MHTonhODzbsPsC4jLo7hThLO99p3UEr1rC8ylCHg0sfdngfJoIPAFmVeZRMZmdNTfSLEk8ls9jsP7ZHRY-3DAV0cWfv2QCegFQLyv5g3FuQWZwbRK-o7M/s610/Giant-Eastern-Murex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="610" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3EsMTrMBKJWlfodyhb_1Tat55j_Cka8EZ30vkvSEBAUxGy0Kf4tnOtGj5cmJfEW0AAJb31MHTonhODzbsPsC4jLo7hThLO99p3UEr1rC8ylCHg0sfdngfJoIPAFmVeZRMZmdNTfSLEk8ls9jsP7ZHRY-3DAV0cWfv2QCegFQLyv5g3FuQWZwbRK-o7M/s320/Giant-Eastern-Murex.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>Drogan wanted to talk to the Gods about his new power ring, Nix wants to find out more about Tyrian Purple, Talis wants to establish/remodel their "whore base," Morningwood is going to sweet talk Dante (manager of the Quick Stop) so he spills the beans about getting into the city, and TX-1138 was hoping to do some diagnostics on his targeting computer (I should have asked him about that since I'm not sure what he meant... we had just wrapped everything else up and I got distracted by parting words, blowing out the ceremonial candle, scribbling the last of my notes for that session, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh yeah, the pixie-fairy's player texted me after the game to say they'd forgotten about Gerald, but he wanted to go back and recover the brain in the jar. They never ended up using the lich's weakness since they had enough raw (and enhanced) firepower.</div><div><br /></div><div>Colin prefers non-dungeon adventures, and he'll get his wish soon. The intrepid adventures (they're still working out a group name for themselves) should reach Qada'ath by the 2nd half of next session... probably. From then on, it'll be a series of urban-crawl sandbox shenanigans and Shadowrun type scenarios. But I'll still adhere to the three pillars of exploration, social interaction, and combat. </div><div><br /></div><div>Because of the impending Christmas holiday, the next session will actually be this Saturday, December 16th... and then we'll be back again on Saturday, December 30th.</div><p></p><p>Thanks for reading, hoss!</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. I've got hardcover <b>Cha'alt</b> books for sale - <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">details here!</a> And now's the time to get your weekend badge for <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> - <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">check out the convention page!</a></p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-90118798240347547212023-11-27T10:19:00.000-06:002023-11-27T10:19:34.328-06:00Mysterious Qada'ath [Second Cha'alt Campaign]: The Pilot<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_YMv9UgWyGpWZw6HTJfim8eTIz87FWhrQPMBF1cW9vFwIMdr45aM7vMnATHfgLGVVCZs5A8UPBrac6813MG59BQuneWO01K9Wa6gWtT_pA9A8HLij2mkqLOX86K4-IQN01g6d8Sjx-nELX5Ld4b2ooO9tSD0QUkuFTaqBWRVVH7YXFdT9-x88-0yvGk/s750/401803508_855649819595218_679222240382910497_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="750" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_YMv9UgWyGpWZw6HTJfim8eTIz87FWhrQPMBF1cW9vFwIMdr45aM7vMnATHfgLGVVCZs5A8UPBrac6813MG59BQuneWO01K9Wa6gWtT_pA9A8HLij2mkqLOX86K4-IQN01g6d8Sjx-nELX5Ld4b2ooO9tSD0QUkuFTaqBWRVVH7YXFdT9-x88-0yvGk/s320/401803508_855649819595218_679222240382910497_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>We're finally back in campaign mode. It's weird, I thought that after the first <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign ended that I'd be relieved to go back to one-shots and mini-campaigns involving other RPGs... but nope. Turns out I really missed both <b>Cha'alt</b> and the joys of campaign-style play.</p><p>So, back we are. I really want to invest in this new campaign and use the material gathered during Mysterious Qada'ath in book 4 of the <b>Cha'alt</b> trilogy (which is why I've postponed kickstarting the 4th book until December of NEXT year). </p><p>I spent the last 3 weeks compiling my thoughts, notes, random tables, lists, sub-systems, crude drawings, and mechanics into a fancy spiral-bound sketchbook that I got cheap at either Michael's or Hobby Lobby. I'll be honest, I felt a little bit silly at the start, when I only had 3 pages of this giant blank book completed. Like, why on earth would I need 160 pages? That's so overkill.</p><p>But now, I've got about 20 - 25 pages filled and one session in, it makes sense. If this sketchbook is going to be my campaign bible, I'm probably going to need at least 100 pages of it so I have everything all in one place. The disparate in-game notes, adventure summaries, random tables, explanatory lore, and just all of it spread out over several notebooks, loose pieces of paper, and written on the back of envelopes was insane. Everything pertaining to the Mysterious Qada'ath campaign is going in this sketchbook.</p><p>Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah, session one, which Colin and I almost immediately started referring to as "the pilot." </p><p>Even though I invited all 6 players, two last-minute cancelations got us down to 4... which I feel a little bad about only because another guy from my gaming past (and he played in exactly 2 of the previous campaign's 17 sessions) asked if he could join us for yesterday's game (with the caveat that he probably couldn't make it most Saturdays - I think because he has his kid(s) on the weekend) but I told him the table was full. Which it was, until... yeah. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHv8E47Mr1JlVHQQZ1q-5DLD_GBPh2ijKZJiySgeyg19iciOTyl-l93w5jQ26_lM9fX_3qT4Rfv4GcFg01M1r9pc0c046D-_Eb3Q7s6Vg6zA614y7cRR8lbKulVZWB1HGMvOeVnU8BPShwEppiuIVe17MlrJwTmZBItG-F5ZG8N0yZiq2sDclbkuiPB4E/s500/135154c63b0be20cb051a55933e2baab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="500" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHv8E47Mr1JlVHQQZ1q-5DLD_GBPh2ijKZJiySgeyg19iciOTyl-l93w5jQ26_lM9fX_3qT4Rfv4GcFg01M1r9pc0c046D-_Eb3Q7s6Vg6zA614y7cRR8lbKulVZWB1HGMvOeVnU8BPShwEppiuIVe17MlrJwTmZBItG-F5ZG8N0yZiq2sDclbkuiPB4E/s320/135154c63b0be20cb051a55933e2baab.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Call it self-indulgence of the Game Mastering variety, but for whatever reason I wanted to tie the previous investigative horror two-shot into this new Cha'alt campaign. So, there was a strange and possibly awkward segue from 1929 Chicago detectives to Cha'alt natives. I'm actually going to incorporate that into the campaign later, so there's a method to the madness. But from the players' perspective, it probably just seemed like a long way to go for the veneer of showy transitional competence. </p><p>While the Two Jacks Detective Agency employees were enjoying a nice dinner at their favorite Chinese restaurant, the Golden Palace or something like that, they got a phone call telling them they'd been accepted into a coveted spot of this enigmatic game. Meet at Swan Point Cemetery that very night.</p><p>The PC investigators went and saw a chartreuse effulgence [Venger reluctantly puts the thesaurus down] in a crumbling mausoleum. They go in and see masked diggers breaking through the floor into a subterranean tunnel. A masked overseer urges them down through the tunnel to an attendant maintaining some giant machine with built-in chairs in the middle of this cave. The attendant serves them each a vial of glowing chartreuse liquid. He hooks them up to the machine and then weird lights and sounds go off until everything went black and the PCs wake up in the desert under a fuchsia sky with twin suns. Not as themselves, but other people... individuals who the players generated before we actually started playing.</p><p>So, 4 players and the 4 basic classes in <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/451651/Advanced-Crimson-Dragon-Slayer" target="_blank">Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</a>. Groups don't always take one of each when faced with such a choice, but they usually do. And this case was no exception...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Drogan - half-orc priest</li><li>Nix - demon thief</li><li>Talis - droid warrior</li><li>Ha'agly Morningwood - pixie-fairy sorcerer</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>This session report is already running long, so I'm going to get right to it.</p><p>The new PCs are wandering the desert and soon come to a barrier, something like the Great Wall of China, except more high-tech. I didn't actually plan for that, that just sort of came to me during play. But I like it. I mean, how else would the Federation get to have checkpoints where they could ask for your papers, frisk you, question, hassle, and insult you, and probably solicit a bribe?</p><p>I needed a pejorative slang word or phrase that the Federation would have for Cha'alt natives and didn't have anything at the tip of my mind, so I asked around the table. Drogan's player came up with "sandies" which I really liked, so we went with it. I'll need more before too long and was considering possibilities earlier today while shoveling snow off our driveway. I was thinking about Police Academy and Mahoney being called "dirt-bag" by one or more assholes. Then I came up with "silt-bag." Sand-bag didn't seem to work, plus I'm already using sand for sandies. So, now I've got two good ones for when Federation soldiers want to be offensive.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2ri6tCqzKaGyUmPuoh_FTIIB8khdSuuL_Ri0HDVJWUCDuCNxXYpkm9bFKbQddrutxWyyfDcTi58BJgvdrhN9c4LM2hvKVxkrYJ5itP9dd7qFE1aqkWXvpN10s8GEYduYDyOgyMHSMDIPrX5Pj5cgy2Z3E_Jbwup6C2xXInHMfoPdj6CP4VXYMs3AodU/s800/purple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2ri6tCqzKaGyUmPuoh_FTIIB8khdSuuL_Ri0HDVJWUCDuCNxXYpkm9bFKbQddrutxWyyfDcTi58BJgvdrhN9c4LM2hvKVxkrYJ5itP9dd7qFE1aqkWXvpN10s8GEYduYDyOgyMHSMDIPrX5Pj5cgy2Z3E_Jbwup6C2xXInHMfoPdj6CP4VXYMs3AodU/s320/purple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I assume woke SJW GMs and players don't spend time coming up with in-game offensive terms, but they should. They really, really should. Being purposefully offensive is part of the human experience.</p><p>Anyway, the Federation checkpoint was nearby. The party's pixie sorcerer flew over the wall to survey the area. Just a couple of workers on a lunchbreak, two Federation guards and a third in a sand-speeder about 100' away.</p><p>Two other NPCs were in front of the party, being subjected to Federation scrutiny. Eventually, they went through, after one of the soldiers took the NPC's crystal-rimmed jaccard (everyone laughed at the in-joke because such a weird device surfaced multiple times in the previous <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign).</p><p>Next, it was the PCs, minus the pixie-fairy who was still flying out of sight. The Federation were about to confiscate the assassin-droid's retractable vibro-blade when the droid instinctively decided to blast the shit out of him, instead. After seeing that violence was the way to go, Nix took his twin-daggers and stabbed the other Federation soldier in the back, killing him. </p><p>The third was in their sand-speeder, but the droid aimed and took his shot at Disadvantage because of distance. He managed to hit and did quite a bit of damage, so all three were dead before the second round. They gathered up blasters and valuables, got in the sand-speeder, asked the two NPCs if they wanted to come along for the ride (they did), and started heading south to the mysterious city of Qada'ath.</p><p>Before reaching Qada'ath, they arrived at a settlement filled with tents and adobe-like structures. They parked and searched around for answers, local intel, and a cool drink. I believe one of the NPCs mentioned that getting inside the city would be tricky since it was surrounded by something called the orange labyrinth.</p><p>The PCs found a cantina and put the word out that they were looking for work. The bartender put them in touch with someone at the outer settlement's Quick Stop convenience store who had a job for the adventurers. Assassinate a politico from Qada'ath who was making life hard for the outer settlements and who was only going to be here for a limited time.</p><p>While Talis did the lion's share of finding gainful employment, Nix eavesdropped on cantina patrons to see what was happening. Turns out that a swanky caravan had just slithered into town in order to pick up some purple. "Purple... what's that?" Nix inquired. He found out that the outer settlements was famous for it's manufacture of something called Tyrian purple - a unique shade of purple fiercely desired by lords, ladies, aristocrats, nobles, sorcerers, royalty, and priests. For many, Tyrian purple was worth more than gold!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5yHO5nfmESUBpVhyj-CvtN1lRe4L09fek5W8IqCwCSoFa6fDNMFBEHmE8TuLYqzCHdtnUXlD4AKSquYj2E8GF2m-cw1kvrSRP5cRsJTNRRMJbDWhckZ_823OM5TavxnTXYIdRQ511NuqT2QwwJZytQWhNIbnU-7Sht0b_tjRMe0uXeeVr4oGOrgCkWA/s1000/2k16krang.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="1000" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5yHO5nfmESUBpVhyj-CvtN1lRe4L09fek5W8IqCwCSoFa6fDNMFBEHmE8TuLYqzCHdtnUXlD4AKSquYj2E8GF2m-cw1kvrSRP5cRsJTNRRMJbDWhckZ_823OM5TavxnTXYIdRQ511NuqT2QwwJZytQWhNIbnU-7Sht0b_tjRMe0uXeeVr4oGOrgCkWA/s320/2k16krang.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p>Meanwhile, more Federation troops moved into the outer settlements area where the PCs parked their sand-speeder. Some thief had taken the communicator belonging to one of the dead Federation soldiers. So, Feds were questioning people, getting leads, rounding up the usual suspects, putting up wanted posters, etc.</p><p>At the Quick Stop, the two NPCs thanked the adventurers for their help and hoped they'd all eventually meet up again in Qada'ath but decided they couldn't follow them down this path of assassination-for-hire. They were going to find their own way into the city.</p><p>Nix already used his natural demon ability of persuading people to do things in his best interest for the day, but I ruled (and this is going to carry forward henceforth in the campaign... and beyond) that a point of Divine Favor can also be spent to (re)use a limited special ability that had already been expended.</p><p>So, the PCs are between going in and blasting this little pink squidgy guy named Kra'ang or convince him to hire the PCs to be his new bodyguard / entourage, thus getting them into the city and living on easy street. </p><p>Nix uses his persuasion to get past the guard and into the administrative building, which they do. They barge in and start talking to Kra'ang who rides around in a "convertible dalek" surrounded by bodyguards. Talis does his best to convince Kra'ang that he's the best assassin droid this side of the galaxy. And Kra'ang says, "Prove it." So, Talis shoots Kra'ang in the face, nearly killing him.</p><p>It was such a perfect set-up that no one, even Kra'ang looking back on the situation, could hate on the assassin droid for taking the shot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACo2dh41u_qHXb_3WyV-hjhnhK2khevdWlz68KrFgJ5WqCshAXgdJeq82KEg2A-6Pzad6gHXa_ibGP6Kv9eQvB2eZDBIykKJVXiGosqNjGK4odlnTavT7S4ZgoteJUOiJCOBcVCZoKxGDlQrkvaGSdvlEORa7Aw7s-EtteAymc7mbMnXmdiorvpcvpZ0/s4000/Chaalt%20x-card%20(sleaze).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACo2dh41u_qHXb_3WyV-hjhnhK2khevdWlz68KrFgJ5WqCshAXgdJeq82KEg2A-6Pzad6gHXa_ibGP6Kv9eQvB2eZDBIykKJVXiGosqNjGK4odlnTavT7S4ZgoteJUOiJCOBcVCZoKxGDlQrkvaGSdvlEORa7Aw7s-EtteAymc7mbMnXmdiorvpcvpZ0/s320/Chaalt%20x-card%20(sleaze).jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>As the PCs dealt with the bodyguards, they heard a flushing sound (wondering aloud if someone had been in the restroom the entire time). Talis distracted one of Kra'ang's goons to get a free shot, but missed. All three other PCs killed a bodyguard, and the last one left was on Drogan, but he missed, and had already used his Divine Favor. So, he had a choice (assuming he didn't want to just wait another round)... he could Fuchsia Burn or stimulate a Cha'alt X-Card.</p><p>He chose the "HUMOR" Cha'alt X-Card and stimulated it, suggesting something with the toilet flushing since that had already been established and would be ripe for additional humor.</p><p>I could have said, "Ok, let's put that on the back burner while I deal with the combat at hand." As you can see, the GM isn't forced to create something in that specific moment when a <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/458143/Chaalt-XCards" target="_blank">Cha'alt X-Card</a> is stimulated... he's well within his rights to take his bloody time and let the Cha'altian trope inspire him on his own terms - something which many critics don't take into consideration.</p><p>However, whenever possible, I like to combine the various story strings together, tying them into a narrative knot of interconnection.</p><p>So, Drogan uppercuts the last bodyguard who slipped on the neon-pink toilet water where Kra'ang was sitting in his convertible dalek. Boom, cracked skull! But that flushing sound had been Kra'ang escaping somewhere. Only one person in the party was small enough to fit down there - Morningwood the pixie-fairy. So, he went down on the urging of the PCs. I had him roll to not drown in the neon-pink toilet water, but the rolls were not kind. After exhausting the last Divine Favor, the other players convinced Morningwood's player to roll a die corresponding to the lavender moons of destiny. </p><p>"This is exactly why the infernal destiny dice were invented," Colin stated. And I could not disagree. So he rolled with one of my specialty custom-painted dice that I had on hand for such occasions, and rolled a motherfucking SIX! He made it through, landing inside a low-ceilinged smooth black pod; Kra'ang at the miniature controls. Being a pixie-fairy sorcerer, his bow and arrow only did one point of damage, so I had him roll a d4 to determine how many times he shot him before Kra'ang managed to press the eject button and send Morningwood flying out of the ship. FOUR!</p><p>After being ejected, Kra'ang's black ship went over the orange labyrinth and into the city, just below the hovering Great Old One that covered Qada'ath. Now, because those moments in a character's life are meant to reverberate (creating outward ripples that keep going), I have something special planned between Kra'ang and Morningwood, based on that critical-success of the destiny die. But that won't be revealed until next session.</p><p>Before the end, the other PCs ransacked the administrative building and then went into hiding among the outer settlements.</p><p>Now, there was one last thing to do. I came up with something for downtime between sessions over <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/11/downtime-between-adventures.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and wanted to give it a go. Below is what each PC chose...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Nix wanted to find a secret way into the city, which he had overheard was a possibility.</li><li>Drogan sought understanding of high-tech medicine used my the Federation [after the last fight and Talis was wounded, we learned/decided that priests using their supernatural gifts can't heal droids].</li><li>Talis wants to hunt the hunters, taking the seek-and-destroy to the Federation, instead of waiting for the Federation to get the PCs.</li><li>Ha'agly Morningwood also wanted to keep an eye on the Federation and find an alternative into the city... so, basically assisting Nix.</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>At the beginning of next session in 2 weeks, I'll roll to see how well everyone did, which will push the story forward. As Roger suggested in a comment on that blog post, it's a way of making narrative sense why a certain PC isn't around if that player can't show up for whatever reason. Let's say that Nix's player can't make it. Well, his search for that hidden way into Qada'ath is a perfect reason why he's not with the rest of the group for the subsequent adventure.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGFljjyRhPBKt-amsM8aNxHkc8dSzER82OIUKSEgh-Hzy0CBe3RdskSQtfyl_kpCrO2v3PJyWOTwuKyYR0_qvQeM3o96B-WbM2HRNvci5yZoifhyZZlKRs1T2AUCtPdFeVn0Za8iJYzAAgn8ilZRQ5JonUjdefXFdblqYPGqdg-t8ipl_AjNNjN_EtPM/s1024/Federation%20troopers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGFljjyRhPBKt-amsM8aNxHkc8dSzER82OIUKSEgh-Hzy0CBe3RdskSQtfyl_kpCrO2v3PJyWOTwuKyYR0_qvQeM3o96B-WbM2HRNvci5yZoifhyZZlKRs1T2AUCtPdFeVn0Za8iJYzAAgn8ilZRQ5JonUjdefXFdblqYPGqdg-t8ipl_AjNNjN_EtPM/s320/Federation%20troopers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>At the end of the day, we should ask ourselves... was <b><span style="background-color: #ff00fe; color: #04ff00;">PSYCHOCOSM</span></b> achieved? And if the answer is yes, the game was demonstrably successful because immersion is key to roleplaying games and <b><span style="background-color: #ff00fe; color: #04ff00;">PSYCHOCOSM</span></b>, the willed blurring of lines between fantasy and reality, is key to immersion. It's a process you can plan for, hope for, set yourself up for success, but first and foremost, it's about you. <b><span style="background-color: #ff00fe; color: #04ff00;">PSYCHOCOSM</span></b> is in your tender hands... or tentacles; manifested by your willpower.</p><p>That's all, folks! It did feel like the pilot episode for a new TV show - airing now on skin-a-maxxx! So, I'm looking forward to seeing how everything develops. So far, all the groundwork put into the ruleset (<b>Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</b>) and world (all 3 <b>Cha'alt</b> books + the previous campaign) and new stuff (all my sketchbook stuff, downtime thing, etc.).</p><p>I do want to take the time right now to WARN MYSELF OF POTENTIAL IMPENDING DOOM if I have too many wild threads loose and going all over the place. I have a tendency to do that, I've noticed, so want to consciously reduce the amount of threads and tie up some loose ends (at least to the point where I know where they are, where they're going, and closure is within reach) before introducing a whole new bundle of open-ended, anything goes story threads. It's fun to pile on more (like buying new miniatures before you've painted the ones you already own), but I won't allow myself to be reckless about it.</p><p>Now, we put it all together and see what works. We're running this campaign on a session by session basis, but also per campaign-length stride. It's not about anything as abstract and unattainable as "perfection" but what kind of remarkable juice we can get out of each momentary squeeze. </p><p>Thanks for reading,</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. Still a few more days to take advantage of our BLACK FRIDAY SALE - <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/11/black-friday-chaalt-hardcover-sale.html" target="_blank">details here</a>. Don't have your weekend badge for <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> yet? What are you waiting for, hoss? Game with the best! <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">info and badge acquisition here</a>.</p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-46669405206178192412023-11-24T10:15:00.001-06:002023-11-24T10:15:59.562-06:00Downtime, Between Adventures<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikurQZ25JGDp74o4pvSYMeK_WvVWIrUtRwKgOGtFXqAzj8cBoAwcfTWeiIfOLmD1S8L-IGATgyt-EHC6lwg2F8hOoR-ecQF-LZ4RV70jhZj6-jqDjQWflGq6x5pzwDzcJyshx6kaY2k12i9vfxCRNuZxIsWwGt2nOzdLdt4dKujggQljrxROzvBf8879Y/s1024/more%20of%20this.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikurQZ25JGDp74o4pvSYMeK_WvVWIrUtRwKgOGtFXqAzj8cBoAwcfTWeiIfOLmD1S8L-IGATgyt-EHC6lwg2F8hOoR-ecQF-LZ4RV70jhZj6-jqDjQWflGq6x5pzwDzcJyshx6kaY2k12i9vfxCRNuZxIsWwGt2nOzdLdt4dKujggQljrxROzvBf8879Y/s320/more%20of%20this.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>This is a topic that many game designers and GMs have tackled before, but I had a few ideas and wanted to get them down to see how they looked from a distance greater than inside my own head.</p><p>Since I'm about to embark upon the second <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign, mysterious Qada'ath, I'm trying to push myself to even greater heights!</p><p>At the close of a session (assuming it's not a cliff-hanger where we pick-up right where we left off last session), PCs tell me what they intend to pursue. If anyone wants to spend their downtime helping another PC, that pursuit will get Advantage (you'll see what I mean later). </p><p>If what they're trying to accomplish is feasible, I write it down and wait until next session... probably giving each pursuit a little think in the meantime.</p><p>Next session, we start by addressing whatever the PCs were pursuing. They each roll on the following random table to see if they were successful or not. As mentioned, if a PC was attempting to do something and another PC helped that come to fruition during his own downtime, the roll gets Advantage (roll twice, take the higher result).</p><p>After the rolls, we talk about what happened, briefly weaving a collective story that makes sense based on the circumstances. This will undoubtedly affect individual sessions and the overall campaign.</p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><b>Downtime Pursuits</b></h1><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Failure + complication, setback, or reversal</li><li>Failure</li><li>Partial success</li><li>Success</li><li>Success</li><li>Success + fringe benefit</li></ol><div><br /></div><div>My hope is this will be a good opportunity to move the campaign forward, allowing PCs to get small things done between sessions, while also providing additional characterization and background color for the world of <b>Cha'alt</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks in advance for any comments, critiques, and feedback!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>VS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>p.s. For the next few days, the <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcover book is enjoying a BLACK FRIDAY SALE. Details <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/11/black-friday-chaalt-hardcover-sale.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Also, get your badge for the best independent OSR, old-school, and traditional RPG convention in the Midwest. Yeah, I'm talking about <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</a>.</div><p></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-69379645362916627472023-11-21T15:13:00.001-06:002023-11-21T15:17:41.668-06:00Black Friday CHA'ALT Hardcover Sale!!!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8n23L-dx_xOUisx9Jfmino_onzjehyphenhyphenSgDcZpkoCZa-AxN6DYQ0IUuPatTZWGxBMW2mzWemokM-KlHxH6Jl4tR0_08hld9VIob0g_DPkMiwaAp-8tAzBUQ0n3w59fukKYFzL9tu3b1ywbrjLLSkSjjW3BtL8CLcvkgn2E2GVLxpefi3MNuVgOXFStrEY/s857/efed68857e8867dee487fb9db8a67987_original.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8n23L-dx_xOUisx9Jfmino_onzjehyphenhyphenSgDcZpkoCZa-AxN6DYQ0IUuPatTZWGxBMW2mzWemokM-KlHxH6Jl4tR0_08hld9VIob0g_DPkMiwaAp-8tAzBUQ0n3w59fukKYFzL9tu3b1ywbrjLLSkSjjW3BtL8CLcvkgn2E2GVLxpefi3MNuVgOXFStrEY/s320/efed68857e8867dee487fb9db8a67987_original.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><p></p><p>$25 <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcovers... WTF?!?</p><p><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/284600/Chaalt" target="_blank">Cha'alt</a>? Yes, it's my own eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse campaign setting with humor, sleaze, pop-culture, and grindhouse exploitation! Fully compatible with any RPG resembling D&D, but definitely of the old school renaissance.</p><p>Basically, if you combine bits and pieces of Dark Sun, Carcosa, Tatooine, Dune, Mad Max, Beastmaster, and Blake's 7, you'll have some idea what <b>Cha'alt</b> is like.</p><p>I still have a significant number of <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcover books (I originally ordered two-fucking-thousand of them after seeing how well that blue maze book sold just the year before <b>Cha'alt</b> came out).</p><p>Incidentally, I've heard from dozens of people over the years that <b>Cha'alt</b> and its Black Pyramid are superior to Maze of the Blue Medusa.</p><p>So, without further ado, the lowest price <b>Cha'alt</b> ever! This deal is only good until the last day of November...</p><p>$20 + $5 shipping/handling (within the United States). If you live outside the USA, the shipping is going to be $30. Sorry, but it's super expensive and I can't just eat that cost.</p><p>You get a signed and numbered book along with the PDF (if you don't already own it).</p><p>Paypal me the funds at Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com</p><p>Got a question, just ask!</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. Have summer gaming plans? Want to game with Venger Satanis, High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing and Archduke of the OSR? Attend <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> this July in Madison, WI. A whole weekend of nothing but old school, OSR, and traditional RPGs.</p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-12747896217940885252023-11-09T10:07:00.000-06:002023-11-09T10:07:09.554-06:00Cha'alt Primer<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjoZz1vQgoY59CgcubbfZ1KpTaaocd4tUau_-yq76uSPwkFH8eV3xiKvDSqioZeMdp3HsxEBUyhPKVKZ-ef8am4agdO_QONSx5ZBZOL18wROED6NmatpgWpA9yLqJhOzty3b25K5b9MIq_JU-7skJYv2OkuedJA-9L0OtjxtJ03cGf7yQYG7BTBxY6wE/s2048/Fu4_Px5agAESfUt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjoZz1vQgoY59CgcubbfZ1KpTaaocd4tUau_-yq76uSPwkFH8eV3xiKvDSqioZeMdp3HsxEBUyhPKVKZ-ef8am4agdO_QONSx5ZBZOL18wROED6NmatpgWpA9yLqJhOzty3b25K5b9MIq_JU-7skJYv2OkuedJA-9L0OtjxtJ03cGf7yQYG7BTBxY6wE/s320/Fu4_Px5agAESfUt.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Sure, I've drilled-down the aesthetics of Cha'alt, the tropes that make the campaign setting what it is, thanks to my latest (free PDF) product <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/458143/Chaalt-XCards" target="_blank">Cha'alt X-Cards</a>, but what about general knowledge about the world for noobs?</p><p>I was inspired by a Twitter post of this Hyperborea Primer, basically a bullet-point outline of what the native PCs would already know about where they lived.</p><p>This is one of those simple, useful RPG things that most people (including myself) just don't do. I'm now kicking myself for having neglected it. So, without further ado...</p><p><br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><b>Cha'alt Primer</b></h1><p>All player-characters who've lived on Cha'alt for at least several months will have general knowledge about the world they inhabit. Consider the following general knowledge.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The word Cha'alt means triumph by way of suffering; the kind of victory that is only achieved after long periods of struggle and hardship.</li><li>Cha'alt's terrain is predominantly radioactive, inhospitable desert dotted with many small, tribal settlements and a few major cities, the largest of which is A'agrybah, closely followed by Kra'adumek... city of the purple, alien, demon-worm (both located in the northern hemisphere).</li><li>Currency in urban areas is predominantly the talon, a triangular metallic coin. Three talons equal one gold piece, which is the standard currency outside of cities (the Dome City uses colorful plastic shapes).</li><li>The sky is fuchsia, turning deep-purple at midnight. Cha'alt has twin suns and seven lavender moons, each having its own lunar cycle and are said to influence the destiny of men.</li><li>The most valuable substance on Cha'alt is a viscous, glowing, chartreuse ichor known as zoth, and is the actual blood of Great Old Ones who've died - many perishing in the apocalypse that occurred 80+ years ago.</li><li>The humanoid culture of today has been built upon millennia of demon civilizations that existed before humanoids "evolved" from primitive creatures, raised by tentacles of the Great Old Ones. Self-interest, for example, is not just a commonplace notion or "necessary evil," but something to take pride in or celebrate, just as Cha'alt natives take pleasure in the cruel treatment of those different than themselves.</li><li>Zoth is the ultimate substance, a super-science liqueur of transcendence. It fuels magic, heals the sick, those afflicted with curses, and supernatural alterations. It is raw, primal energy. When refined, zoth is key to travel amongst the stars by folding space and granting access to the multiverse. It's a religious sacrament, allowing brief communication with one or more Gods. Drinking it is both an aphrodisiac for women and "power potion" for men.</li><li>Crystals can be found all over subterranean tunnels and caves of Cha'alt, as well as, inside dimension-hopping pylons. They are said to have collected the soul-energy of departed Old Ones, giving them spiritual properties. However, the Federation uses these crystals to power their starships and high-tech weaponry.</li><li>The Federation have repeatedly tried to colonize Cha'alt, but the natives have always proved resistant, forcing the Federation out when too many off-worlders try to steal the planet's natural resources.</li><li>Even though Cha'alt has never been fully colonized, due to weakness, greed, and moral corruption, shadow politicians have instituted enough Federation-backed puppet regimes in order to change societal norms, culture, and living conditions. Various aspects of the Federation cannot be questioned or criticized. Mandatory vaccines allegedly preventing the outbreak of extraterrestrial contagions are disseminated quarterly. On certain days, water is rationed, people are forbidden from worshiping the Old Ones, trafficking with demons, gambling, eating meat, or imbibing worm-wine and other hallucinogenic drugs. In their place, State-sanctioned orgies of unrestrained sexual freedom and drugs specifically engineered for their effects of apathy on Cha'altian nervous systems (such as Fuchsia malaise) have pacified the masses. </li><li>A plurality of humanoids worship the Great Old Ones (Yog-Soggoth being the most prominent), though each God has his own unique vision for Cha'alt, if and when he should awaken. But nearly as many people worship the New Gods, eschewing the ancient ways of infernal individualism and familial bloodlines for collectivist revolution subservient to The State who prefer alien culture (lots of weird sex stuff) and technology over sorcery and esotericism. </li><li>A lot of strange things happen on Cha'alt, which has led to various paradigms attempting to describe reality on this particular world - what is reality and how does it functions? Leaving many to speculate that perhaps Cha'alt isn't real at all but some kind of holographic super-simulation or dream within the collective imagination of a Demon-God pantheon?</li><li>The city of Qada'ath, known as the tangerine veil under fuchsia sky, is a rising metropolis built upon the secret of organic, arcane flesh-technology or flesh-tech known only to the civil authority of Qada'ath. The tangerine veil is currently the fastest-growing city in Cha'alt's southern hemisphere.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading and sharing. If you'd like to comment, I value your feedback.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>VS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>p.s. Attend <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> this July in Madison, WI. Details about the basest RPG convention and grabbing your weekend badge is <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">here</a>. Want your own <b>Cha'alt</b> trilogy in luxurious hardcover? <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">There you go</a>. </div><div><br /></div><p></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-76121249737643803522023-11-03T18:10:00.006-05:002023-11-04T07:34:11.135-05:00Divine Fallacy [random table]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLECdNT6H41FEsiBO0va1y5APTEOmuOYFnLlKnBlEh0A2M0aBh9sLvzLoNjRpDbj6ucpZOtJBhzidIKgWgUgM1dFk24_p6m1nHazFpGiWgd7IAUhbFJXRRU6G8qBhBW2IqIVNi2PJFzZv9jaBuJ-o2L-eJalvkAJN0Nm1KwWhcSJ_rvbxUzOn18LeQ_k/s1000/flood%20it%20again%20shepherd.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLECdNT6H41FEsiBO0va1y5APTEOmuOYFnLlKnBlEh0A2M0aBh9sLvzLoNjRpDbj6ucpZOtJBhzidIKgWgUgM1dFk24_p6m1nHazFpGiWgd7IAUhbFJXRRU6G8qBhBW2IqIVNi2PJFzZv9jaBuJ-o2L-eJalvkAJN0Nm1KwWhcSJ_rvbxUzOn18LeQ_k/s320/flood%20it%20again%20shepherd.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>As the video shows [<a href="https://youtu.be/K44kMlAlqps?si=5fw2srKIOvAB7tUP" target="_blank">the video</a>], I've decided to make a random table that better replicates actual creation. When human beings attempt to play God, it usually goes awry.</p><p>We tend to think of things logically and from a top-down perspective. What's the shortest route between two points? But human beings, emblematic of creation, doesn't work like that. We are not machines to be programed, hacked, and placed within the greater whole, nor are we beasts of flesh driven by desire, chemical reactions, and hormones. </p><p>Not only would this go great with my eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse, humor, sleaze, pop-culture, and grindhouse exploitation campaign setting <b>CHA'ALT</b>, but similar RPGs and settings.</p><p>Roll on the following table to determine just how things have gone pear-shaped...</p><p><br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Substitute Gods</u></b></h1><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Bureaucracy! Whatever it is needs an extra layer of complication to circumvent. </li><li>As it stands, the thing lacks a true connection to the divine. It's missing God.</li><li>Too religious; it's just overly preachy or self-flagellating or superstitious.</li><li>Byzantine to the point where obscurity and labyrinthine misdirection become the point.</li><li>Humanoids are not islands, we are social creatures, as well. It lacks any sense of community.</li><li>It's driven by social contagion. Rather than performing its primary function, it has become merely a social outlet.</li><li>This thing fails to account for self-sabotage. It's become an exercise in repeatedly kicking oneself in the nuts.</li><li>Three steps forward, one step back. Constant progress is impossible. If things are always "getting better" that usually means that somewhere, somehow things (big, important things) are actually getting worse.</li><li>Self-loathing. It's easy to forget that we are sometimes our own worst enemy. Most people fail to see that we hate ourselves and it shows.</li><li> The Gods secretly hate us. They never grant a benefit without taking something else away from us.</li><li>Everything comes down to sex. If it can be used to fuel our lust and degeneracy, it will be.</li><li>Nature curves - eventually, ideas, concepts, and principles in favor of "A" will, one day, be ferociously against "A."</li><li>People are motivated by fear - whatever they're most afraid of will soon become their master.</li><li>High levels of intelligence and wisdom are rare. It's more likely that a calculation error was made at the very beginning... making the entire thing erroneous. </li><li>Betrayal! Just as Jesus had Judas and Caesar had Brutus, so too will someone towards the top come along and betray the group or just the leader. Either way, one person's actions will be the thing's undoing.</li><li>Progress moves too quickly creating a slippery slope... what seemed impossible at the beginning is now all too real.</li><li>It goes too far - the initial concept was good, but it managed to throw the baby out with the bathwater.</li><li>The old ways are best - but not always! Sometimes, actual progress is at hand, yet conventional wisdom and/or conservative values simply get in the way.</li><li>Humanoids like to put their faith in false Gods; the idols of high-tech, science, artificial intelligence, or anything that tries to prove something one way or the other turns out to also be a bad idea more often than not.</li><li>Roll twice!</li></ol><br />Well, there you have it, folks. A random table that both replicates the divine and human attempts to mirror the divine. Basically, it's a miracle the human race has survived at all.<p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Thanks for reading,</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>VS</b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-36946529406094525432023-10-31T09:50:00.005-05:002023-10-31T09:59:10.425-05:00Cha'alt X-Cards<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKR7hVw5e1gC4WpX4oFh9V_wyNNGIRPJeH3UOKxH12MbHWtSAcc3jHJN9JDBHUrkkiu1mUoBOpfJBnxkmYJWCP4s_KwcFNkvBSeebFWGKuAfBtcr57O2hU9PoMl1zFrtEQM9n6UxiB6jN3RfcuMgverxgqnuC5eOBYEm3Ygs_IEBs5RsqlydXgKgv3zQ4/s647/Chaalt%20X-Cards%20Cover%20LoRes%202023-10-27.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKR7hVw5e1gC4WpX4oFh9V_wyNNGIRPJeH3UOKxH12MbHWtSAcc3jHJN9JDBHUrkkiu1mUoBOpfJBnxkmYJWCP4s_KwcFNkvBSeebFWGKuAfBtcr57O2hU9PoMl1zFrtEQM9n6UxiB6jN3RfcuMgverxgqnuC5eOBYEm3Ygs_IEBs5RsqlydXgKgv3zQ4/s320/Chaalt%20X-Cards%20Cover%20LoRes%202023-10-27.png" width="247" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b> have arrived!!!</p><p>The idea happened, we playtested it, and now it's a thing on DriveThru (for FREE)...</p><p><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/458143/Chaalt-XCards" target="_blank">Here's the PDF on DriveThruRPG.</a><br /></p><p>As a friend on Facebook said, instead of "No spiders," it's more like "More sleaze, please!"</p><p>Imagine empowering players to make the game more awesome just by holding up a card - without disempowering the Game Master. </p><p>This is a way of creating Cha'altian sessions that could all too easily revert back to vanilla D&D. I know... I created <b>Cha'alt</b> and even my imagination sometimes falls back into the comfortable rut of standard fantasy tropes.</p><p>And remember, you don't have to use <b>Cha'alt</b> itself to benefit from those Cha'altian vibes. Use <b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b> with Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland, or any game that values eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse, humor, sleaze, pop-culture, and grindhouse exploitation!</p><p>In my estimation, this is even bigger than forever improving D&D combat with <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/372213/Crimson-Escalation" target="_blank">Crimson Escalation</a>... this is a concept that takes the hobby of roleplaying games in exciting and new directions. </p><p>Fiction first... for real!</p><p>It's a free PDF, so I hope you give it a try. I'm currently busy custom-making <b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b> for friends, fans, and supporters of my work.</p><p>Enjoy,</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcovers are <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Details and weekend badges for <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> are <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">here</a>. And if you want a tentacle-made set of <b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b> by yours truly, paper is $15 and wood is $20 + $5 for shipping for one or multiple sets: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com</p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-15622823026226493272023-10-29T14:28:00.000-05:002023-10-29T14:28:03.394-05:00His Arduous Journey Into Night<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgb7TiII8khih57PNQgtdxuX9xVVNcaQIbGZLSafzLAAiW8n0XtPJBXb_DrHrn4TetBvp_Njcfgj7BOdwQeXgJK8CBKfEKVNp3__PAzqiZwVEyPk3RGjnol4IDKc-eJbkDn3QNcEjdGWgxGk9-M0SklJlrFaDzOGuzV9eHpaJXSd1Q_KkGy3sZ0OUckE/s1000/56_ftqp-1024x684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1000" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgb7TiII8khih57PNQgtdxuX9xVVNcaQIbGZLSafzLAAiW8n0XtPJBXb_DrHrn4TetBvp_Njcfgj7BOdwQeXgJK8CBKfEKVNp3__PAzqiZwVEyPk3RGjnol4IDKc-eJbkDn3QNcEjdGWgxGk9-M0SklJlrFaDzOGuzV9eHpaJXSd1Q_KkGy3sZ0OUckE/s320/56_ftqp-1024x684.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Ok, I was wracking my brain trying to think of what I should run for yesterday's game. </p><p>Very soon, I want to create some kind of <b>Cha'alt</b> + Wretched New Flesh scenario, running it for my group and then self-publishing it through The Red Room... or letting them publish it themselves (I don't really care, as long as it gets out there to fans of both <b>Cha'alt</b> and Wretched New Flesh).</p><p>A few interesting details came to mind, but the stuff that was supposed to gel in order to fashion an entire adventure just wasn't coming. Time was running out, unfortunately, so I didn't think I'd be able to get a Call of Cthulhu type scenario ready by the game. It's Halloween season and with my 5 kids, there are so many activities happening that free time is precious few at the moment.</p><p>But then the night before the game, I buckled down because I knew I had to get something on paper as time was running out. And then an idea for another investigative, Lovecraftian horror scenario entered my brain and I feverishly wrote it down.</p><p>That's what we played yesterday. Well, sort of... I have my own <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-call-of-crimson.html" target="_blank">Call of Cthulhu hack</a> that's perfect for a rules-light D20 Game Master like myself.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H6tjJp-ATbTHzCOseiszFjn9_QBHoXCnxRLnTFGd9_rRWep3QpsUohBtQ_ylMb8tLXBrgSjXGirwNbfIaiqKRxzWMjfmDZplDFeax0jAR1_MUKbDqtwZQDOxDnvJo8q8UX2AOJIrfoctA6wDYyKHTOsq-pUm7fxGBiMI-84yGK36stoT8YJfF-hKqAQ/s1344/VengerSatanis_portrait_of_a_young_Jeffery_Combs_as_H.P._Lovecra_d65da7b1-e659-4ae8-ba58-655068966e55.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H6tjJp-ATbTHzCOseiszFjn9_QBHoXCnxRLnTFGd9_rRWep3QpsUohBtQ_ylMb8tLXBrgSjXGirwNbfIaiqKRxzWMjfmDZplDFeax0jAR1_MUKbDqtwZQDOxDnvJo8q8UX2AOJIrfoctA6wDYyKHTOsq-pUm7fxGBiMI-84yGK36stoT8YJfF-hKqAQ/s320/VengerSatanis_portrait_of_a_young_Jeffery_Combs_as_H.P._Lovecra_d65da7b1-e659-4ae8-ba58-655068966e55.png" width="213" /></a></div><p>Same characters. We lost one player, but picked-up two more. Here's the roster of PCs...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Aleister Bird</b> - artist who dabbles in the occult, really good with his hands and capable of stabbing people with his paint brushes.</li><li><b>Jack Hawkins</b> - ex-cop turned private eye who's a marksman</li><li><b>Ha'akeem</b> - the son of a wealthy Arab diplomat who consults for Two Jacks Detective Agency, knows sleight of hand, likes to gamble, and wears a turban.</li><li><b>Billy "Knuckle Samich" Cannoli</b> - low-level mob enforcer who provides security and drives the investigators around in his car.</li><li><b>Finneus Smythe</b> - university professor and amateur parapsychologist who wears a fedora and pencil-thin moustache. His sexuality is questionable. </li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>I'm not going into a ton of detail for this scenario, <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/10/call-of-cthulhu-one-shot-session-report.html" target="_blank">similar to last session report</a> because I'll be self-publishing these two adventures. I also came to another decision that I'd been waffling over... what to run for this March's Gary Con? </p><p>I keep being pummeled between the twin forces of consistency and variety. I don't want to run all one thing the entire con, but I also think running a wide variety of stuff during my six-session shift is a mistake. </p><p>On Saturday morning, I'll be running the first scenario, and Saturday evening I'll be running the second. The other days, I'll either be running <b>Cha'alt</b>, <b>Alpha Blue</b>, or a mix of both!</p><p>The situation is as follows - last month, a person was murdered on each night of the full-moon (I'm going by standard Buffy/Angel full-moon cycles that last three consecutive nights). This month, the full-moon phase has just started and the person murdered the previous evening was a friend to the investigators - Finneus Smythe's player took it upon himself to engage with this bit of roleplaying, suggesting that he had a somewhat closer relationship with the deceased. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOcLpj_VX5gYl1Q6ucsJDaAwKm5bcT-2abAgreZUuF4cpq2LMRtQqqEhSmqSFiXjYD6BPpLb5hYxCdQvBbaGjVqs-cgknS4bgfzWmPPzO1hrF4aHAtJKVCj4roGiSdzYn6IIXNaqHCRJ6ERWSKVXkaV3Giq34mhU_eoUgiHsQoOm4G1fEsejgC0fr-kU/s4000/F9KEMHiXkAAUdQj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOcLpj_VX5gYl1Q6ucsJDaAwKm5bcT-2abAgreZUuF4cpq2LMRtQqqEhSmqSFiXjYD6BPpLb5hYxCdQvBbaGjVqs-cgknS4bgfzWmPPzO1hrF4aHAtJKVCj4roGiSdzYn6IIXNaqHCRJ6ERWSKVXkaV3Giq34mhU_eoUgiHsQoOm4G1fEsejgC0fr-kU/s320/F9KEMHiXkAAUdQj.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>So, the PCs took up the adventure, and began their investigation. Same as before, Chicago 1929. I didn't forget the sanity checks this time! And by the scenario's end, there was a whole lot of shaken, not stirred going on.</p><p>When I run these scenarios at Gary Con, I'll have not only revised them slightly but will provide some period color in the way of props (or at the very least, pictures). I almost included some non-plot related period action, but decided against it due to not having foreshadowed it from the beginning. Something I'll rectify when I'm running it at Gary Con.</p><p>All in all, the game was a success. It was nice diverging from <b>Cha'alt</b>... and yet I feel myself being drawn back into my eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse, humorous, sleazy, pop-culure, grindhouse exploitation campaign setting.</p><p>Speaking of which, I decided to put the <b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b> [<a href="https://youtu.be/cMMr7l_SFQ8?si=odrORCQcGkOpC0HI" target="_blank">info about that here</a>] on DriveThruRPG. It should have final approval and be available to download for FREE tomorrow.</p><p>Thanks for reading,</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. I've still got <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcover for sale - <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">get a deal here!</a> And, of course, there's July's <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b> in Madison, WI - <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">grab your weekend badge here!</a> If you're inquiring about getting your own custom, tentacle-made set of <b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b>, email me at: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com</p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-34193942013742294452023-10-27T19:27:00.003-05:002023-10-28T14:04:21.041-05:00The Call of Crimson<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKvgqx2bPV13SbWGb05rXxHh68usMs7tj4AP7iVRcQzHYDfZVu2XHz2N3tl6t7wJtM0o2PTdkHsZUv6uHEoDr5AH5ZC2-2IRjWdBleZ_VysWs1k-mvIrSBelChiiRQlgV5LALEJT-Lz4Cy5dZbXgA5jgq9qsHGCjoSYYakzEJX2CSd8hNggqRBl8__Dw/s1280/VengerSatanis_character_portrait_from_the_Dune_movie_but_in_the_3414693f-694b-43ae-8817-a73355ca29e0.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="928" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKvgqx2bPV13SbWGb05rXxHh68usMs7tj4AP7iVRcQzHYDfZVu2XHz2N3tl6t7wJtM0o2PTdkHsZUv6uHEoDr5AH5ZC2-2IRjWdBleZ_VysWs1k-mvIrSBelChiiRQlgV5LALEJT-Lz4Cy5dZbXgA5jgq9qsHGCjoSYYakzEJX2CSd8hNggqRBl8__Dw/s320/VengerSatanis_character_portrait_from_the_Dune_movie_but_in_the_3414693f-694b-43ae-8817-a73355ca29e0.png" width="232" /></a></div><p></p><p>A few of my gamer buds online have been asking me about my d20 hack of the Call of Cthulhu RPG...</p><p>Well, here you go! Do this, and you'll be playing a rules-light investigative horror RPG worthy of H.P. Lovecraft himself.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Every PC gets 10 HP per level (if this is a one-shot with medium to high challenge, make the PCs 3rd level). You're unconscious at zero HP and lower, up to your level in negative numbers. Go beyond that, and you're dead.</li><li>AC for normal, unarmored humans is 10.</li><li>Every PC gets 1 point of luck per level that can be spent throughout the scenario. Spending a point of luck allows that PC to re-roll his failed die result.</li><li>Choose an individual special skill that has nothing to do with your character concept.</li><li>When attempting an action, favorable circumstances yield Advantage (roll twice, take higher result) while unfavorable circumstances yield Disadvantage (roll twice, take lower result).</li><li>The target # for skill checks is 15 (assistance yields Advantage).</li><li>When attempting an action, roll a d20. If your character would have that skill (you may have to justify it with a recollection from your character's past), add your level to the roll. </li><li><b>Sanity</b> - if a person sees something unbelievably shocking or just plain scary, make a saving throw (your save is 20 - character's level). Each failed save means the PCs gets worse... 1st failed save means character is visibly shaken; Disadvantage on all rolls for the next hour. 2nd failed save means he's developed a lasting phobia (choose as appropriate), as well as, some kind of off-putting mannerism or tic. 3rd failure means permanent insanity and unable to function as an investigator.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Ok, that's all I've got so far. If something else comes up during play, I'll add it to the list.</div><div><br /></div><div>Again, nothing revolutionary. Just my attempt to make Call of Cthulhu play like <b>Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>VS</b></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-11363088632762056372023-10-17T23:12:00.000-05:002023-10-17T23:12:11.158-05:00Call of Cthulhu one-shot [session report]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-y3HmLQKT5T86e2O3_XKf0Xd8zG6cI4WlAPlM0c_pZsVN3j01iAe4wog84xRXjMaPQaowUHAwDiyLmMxtOyaDgOM8YjIdk01o056vlC4-5zX9Xcz10g7RUgwQIO89Q2WR5W3OG5npiXXhyICICbPB2n3TPpMQP9hGhRoV8Tm74jVcJkDnFprfZlZBQc/s1344/VengerSatanis_portrait_of_young_Matthew_McConaughey_as_investig_68759370-9603-47e3-9cd4-deec3cdeeb3d.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-y3HmLQKT5T86e2O3_XKf0Xd8zG6cI4WlAPlM0c_pZsVN3j01iAe4wog84xRXjMaPQaowUHAwDiyLmMxtOyaDgOM8YjIdk01o056vlC4-5zX9Xcz10g7RUgwQIO89Q2WR5W3OG5npiXXhyICICbPB2n3TPpMQP9hGhRoV8Tm74jVcJkDnFprfZlZBQc/s320/VengerSatanis_portrait_of_young_Matthew_McConaughey_as_investig_68759370-9603-47e3-9cd4-deec3cdeeb3d.png" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p>Well, it finally happened. I ran something other than Cha'alt for my face-to-face gaming group.</p><p>This time, especially considering the season, I decided to run Call of Cthulhu. Except, it was my own rules-light, O5R hack of the game using <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/451651/advanced-crimson-dragon-slayer" target="_blank">Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer</a> as a model.</p><p>In a 3.5 hour game, I think each player rolled maybe 4 or 5 dice. So, the system was virtually invisible, which is exactly what I wanted.</p><p>Instead of the usual character creation which can burn up to 30 or 40 minutes of game time, I opted for pre-gens. After all, this was a one-shot (or was it?) and why bother the players with character generation if they're never going to play these characters again?</p><p>Last Gary Con, I decided to make my life easier by coming up with a one-page list of available characters - each having 3 or 4 sentences describing that character's concept (including name, class, race, background, etc.) along with relationship ties to both the setting and other PCs. </p><p>I gave every player a sheet containing all the possible characters. Since I made more than enough characters, there was not only a decent amount of choice, but if something happened to one of the PCs, it was assumed that the non-chosen PCs were sort of hanging around in the shadows and could be played in a pinch, so no one had to sit out for even a short period of the game.</p><p>Worked fantastic for Cha'alt at Gary Con, but I think it makes even more sense for something like Call of Cthulhu. There was a 7-person investigative team that formed Two Jacks Detective Agency. Some investigators were part-time consultants, so it makes sense for only a handful of agency personnel to tackle any particular assignment.</p><p>I had 4 players and each chose a pre-generated character with instruction to invent some little character detail on their own, that wasn't written down for them. This gives players some creative control while allowing for customization and future roleplaying opportunities.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74xHMYXJ-AWCPcB2jd-ndcp32xC5SuTuLXncc8USGsV9yYJpN-KSvZ-7BmyzpXAZEiWr-Myj1isGHqkbp2ljr9SlEyh3MOEqfCqCCO4Q7DFsjrb9ELQ6NrjUpVdHici9_CuFAR0c2gu0LefXwwDLv-XOzzEXqNvaGPraCt697Dnat9ozLQfQaJOzd76k/s1376/VengerSatanis_young_Roger_Delgado_as_The_Master_from_early_1970_dcbf5cf6-12ae-4007-a722-cfcb29b7b328.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1376" data-original-width="880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74xHMYXJ-AWCPcB2jd-ndcp32xC5SuTuLXncc8USGsV9yYJpN-KSvZ-7BmyzpXAZEiWr-Myj1isGHqkbp2ljr9SlEyh3MOEqfCqCCO4Q7DFsjrb9ELQ6NrjUpVdHici9_CuFAR0c2gu0LefXwwDLv-XOzzEXqNvaGPraCt697Dnat9ozLQfQaJOzd76k/s320/VengerSatanis_young_Roger_Delgado_as_The_Master_from_early_1970_dcbf5cf6-12ae-4007-a722-cfcb29b7b328.png" width="205" /></a></div><p>The PCs included (this is the truncated version)...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Jack Hawkins</b> - Private eye and co-owner of Two Jacks Detective Agency + marksman </li><li><b>Jack Princeton</b> - Private eye and co-owner of Two Jacks Detective Agency + plays the piano</li><li><b>Billy "Knuckle Samich" Cannoli</b> - Mob enforcer and hands on security + good cook</li><li><b>Finneus Smythe</b> - University forensics professor and amateur parapsychologist + took boxing lessons from Billy</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>I started writing this homebrewed scenario the day after our last game and it took me until the morning of our actual session for me to say that it was "done." Something like 6 pages of notes, descriptions, key NPCs, eventualities, clues, timeline, and so on.</p><p>It was literally double )in some cases triple) the amount of preparation that I'd spent on any session of the <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign, but that's the nature of the beast with RPGs like Call of Cthulhu. If there's a way to "wing it" and still have a reliably satisfying investigative horror game, I don't know what that looks like. If you do, teach me!</p><p>I might release my house-rule hack for Cthulhu as a free one or two-page PDF sometime down the road. And since the adventure is already written, it's a no-brainer to self-publish the thing in the near future as a system neutral scenario. Would go well with <a href="https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/154781/the-outer-presence" target="_blank">The Outer Presence</a> of any Lovecraftian investigative horror RPG.</p><p>The scenario took place in 1929 Chicago. It involved the mysterious disappearance of a retired shipping magnate. I'm a huge fan of Masks of Nyarlathotep, so this adventure was reminiscent of that campaign. I suppose if a group had already experienced the first session or two of Masks but not the rest and wanted to give it another try (sometimes, groups break up at inopportune moments), this could be a satisfying re-introduction. </p><p>I won't go into too much detail, but I felt it went well and everyone seemed to have fun. After the adventure was over, the players told me it was a success, so that was encouraging. Shaking off the cobwebs, I suppose I still have the knack.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFbnnJmtoPMs5QNz5i3U_x99ielluDKb896mX_a7Jy-k51VK41RDHvfwhT5B9-CjDePlmCZCRrg0qSU3uaaNYu576AnLxW5yU5sMgW-U24a7J7wtnaArow_0VtlEXfthWpVZScd4-0Y3FGoihKmDnyS_JZuF7YPnQy8cF_WJ6ntOdEhrRAcL08bR76b4/s1344/vengersatanis_double-sided_purple_tentacle_tentacle_on_both_end_73c40c68-cdaa-4396-b3db-56efe95a1a19.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFbnnJmtoPMs5QNz5i3U_x99ielluDKb896mX_a7Jy-k51VK41RDHvfwhT5B9-CjDePlmCZCRrg0qSU3uaaNYu576AnLxW5yU5sMgW-U24a7J7wtnaArow_0VtlEXfthWpVZScd4-0Y3FGoihKmDnyS_JZuF7YPnQy8cF_WJ6ntOdEhrRAcL08bR76b4/s320/vengersatanis_double-sided_purple_tentacle_tentacle_on_both_end_73c40c68-cdaa-4396-b3db-56efe95a1a19.png" width="213" /></a></div><p>Towards the end of the session, things started to get weird. That's when I should have asked for a sanity check or two, but in my slow descriptive build-up, I forgot to pull the trigger and only realized the missed opportunity when things were back to normal.</p><p>There were a few moments where we stopped to view what was happening through a <b>Cha'alt</b> lens... "Now, if this were Cha'alt, we'd just start lapping up the milky-green goo dripping off those tentacles," or some such. Good times!</p><p>Predictably, there was a civil disagreement about what to do with the evil cultists at the end - hand them over to police or deal with them ourselves? I remember that hotly contested dilemma from back in the day when I was running my Call of Cthulhu campaign almost 20 years ago.</p><p>In two weeks, I'm going to run something else in the horror vein... and could possibly continue the Cthulhu game with the same players + new people since I'll be hosting that meetup game at the local library, instead of my house. I did that specifically to give some new meetup folks a chance to game with us.</p><p>If I did stay with my own take on Call of Cthulhu, I would write another scenario for the same cast of characters. The revolving PCs inside a fledgling detective agency just worked too well to abandon the idea.</p><p>Ok, that's it. Thanks for reading!</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. Yeah, it's not until July, but my Madison, WI old-school RPG convention, <b>VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</b>, is currently <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">selling weekend badges!</a> Also, I still have <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">Cha'alt hardcovers for sale</a> - I need to sell a couple dozen more trilogies before kickstarting Book 4 of the <b>Cha'alt </b>trilogy. So, order yours today. </p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127768838625625744.post-89812308177120939872023-10-09T09:52:00.001-05:002023-10-09T13:30:01.572-05:00"Prophecy Mine" [Cha'alt one-shot session report]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vcD65952alDJCo3Ifnxtjx9Ik1FILovbHpPJu05jzk2f5tmKHBkEUtjJMJsNaKkMVmW6qXpKVzBOy1neiXmP90PEfJoWyGM7XmUaY-26QCV8J0OL8zkhueNolxi0ZttJ8Y5y3KtsPZUvVnMfIvMczQNYD4Lt0RyEGAczp2XyP53UreImVI4epFKA6Bg/s4000/Chaalt%20x-card%20(eldritch).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vcD65952alDJCo3Ifnxtjx9Ik1FILovbHpPJu05jzk2f5tmKHBkEUtjJMJsNaKkMVmW6qXpKVzBOy1neiXmP90PEfJoWyGM7XmUaY-26QCV8J0OL8zkhueNolxi0ZttJ8Y5y3KtsPZUvVnMfIvMczQNYD4Lt0RyEGAczp2XyP53UreImVI4epFKA6Bg/s320/Chaalt%20x-card%20(eldritch).jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I'm so glad that I ended my Crystals of Chaos, 9-month and 17-session <b>Cha'alt</b> campaign before leaving for vacation. After 3 weeks, I come back to only two players being available... which wouldn't have worked. And not sure about next week, either, but I'm going to schedule a session.</p><p>Between inertia and analysis paralysis, I chose to run more <b>Cha'alt</b>, which upon reflection, just seems stupid. That's like being on a cheesecake diet for most of the year and then when you're off the diet, you decide to eat cheesecake.</p><p>I mean, there's literally dozens of RPGs I own that I could have run, that I probably should have run. On the other hand, I do love cheesecake... and <b>Cha'alt</b>. So, here we are. Another <b>Cha'alt</b> one-shot, but this time in-person (as opposed to the virtual one-shots I run once or twice a month on Roll20).</p><p>Oh yeah, a small but deciding factor was my custom, hand-made <b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b> [<a href="https://youtu.be/sMIJiCpwXUM?si=l6zXFIaUmDk08nAX" target="_blank">YouTube video showing all 8 of the finished cards</a>] which would be finished by game time (Saturday afternoon). We ended up only using 2 of the 8, but that playtest experiment was fruitful, as I believe you will see by the end of this session report.</p><p>Ok, my two players started the session with new 3rd level characters - Nix the salty and crusty, chaotic, ambidextrous demon thief and Ha'arumph the half-orc, also chaotic, always positive but a bit dim warrior with a giant spoon-shaped weapon named Soulnier the Castrator in which Ha'arumph can project his smoldering, volcanic intensity. Once the half-orc's player, Steve, started voicing the character, I saw him as an orcish Simple Jack from one of my favorite comedies, Tropic Thunder!</p><p>Both PCs lived in Kra'adumek and had been day laborers, recently promoted to troubleshooters by the Purple Priests of that city-state. This halfling with a gimpy leg ushered them to the Great Temple where they were blessed and told of their mission - explore an old crystal mine. All the crystals were gone, but signs and portents indicated that something strange may be happening in the caves and tunnels of that old mine. </p><p>While in the temple of the Purple Priests, they noticed a "holy water" font filled with zoth and a familiar saying carved just below one of many Lovecraftian Gods - "Where there's fuchsia, chartreuse cannot be far behind." This is something the PCs had heard throughout their lives.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA43MaxHqERuPMMcEaSpHQkhVDNvCWY6EiHm7VM8sVfPY6WT90K-sumePKFTObiVtzA5DKVSfCIjPoLxLix_cWOrSjRJhutePI86HJq2kSAc__yL7_HX2YabbQvfqoAIqrAIs80CDlFFQQLtD5scq_a4HsnV2ztqOuzXiEXYMXn2NRuxpJWJvSNgHjz5g/s1344/vengersatanis_character_portrait_of_post-apocalyptic_demon_elf__ee26d052-51cf-48ac-89de-346b9f516bb4.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA43MaxHqERuPMMcEaSpHQkhVDNvCWY6EiHm7VM8sVfPY6WT90K-sumePKFTObiVtzA5DKVSfCIjPoLxLix_cWOrSjRJhutePI86HJq2kSAc__yL7_HX2YabbQvfqoAIqrAIs80CDlFFQQLtD5scq_a4HsnV2ztqOuzXiEXYMXn2NRuxpJWJvSNgHjz5g/s320/vengersatanis_character_portrait_of_post-apocalyptic_demon_elf__ee26d052-51cf-48ac-89de-346b9f516bb4.png" width="213" /></a></div><p>The adventurers hired a couple of reptilian riding spiders which cut their time in half. I don't roll for it often, but decided to check and see if the Fuchsia Putrescence (borrowed and slightly altered from The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence) would be seen overhead. Sure enough, it was. </p><p>The PCs narrowly avoided getting scooped up by a tentacle and devoured by the gargantuan floating thing above.</p><p>Shortly after, they made it to the mouth of the cave. It soon forked, and the thief scouted ahead, noticing 3 humanoids who were using advanced technology (a sort of ultra-vibrational tuning fork device) to pry a particularly large and hard to get at purple crystal from the wall. </p><p>Just before the PCs made their presence known, everyone heard a female cry for help coming from the other tunnel. The PCs hid, hoping the humanoids would pass by without noticing them. Sure enough (since I rolled a 1 for the NPCs' perception check), they didn't see shit.</p><p>That's when the PCs decided to dig that ostrich-egg sized purple crystal the rest of the way out, using the warrior's sharpened spoon weapon that he could heat up. It eventually popped out just as they heard even more insistent screams from a woman.</p><p>Taking the crystal with them, the PCs checked it out. They found a woman stuck halfway in a smaller tunnel. And the 3 humanoids had pulled the female's pants down (she was still wearing her underwear) and who knows what would have transpired if not for their timely intervention.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Fw2cgcphR1jz3KQZT4AU0jfBM-63E_vIffvunYn1vjypgZqJq335JUK-YNQBfCX-N0XwTosnF11DoBg2YVAXJffIHy1WFP56Z9IfvM8waqtZd-zFoXOE-4JevLpmnW_s2j1MsOTQfLmCemxocx6_qdVALXEEWbNve5YUPzLL1D9UfyENz0aSZ8ojQ2s/s759/simple%20orc.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Fw2cgcphR1jz3KQZT4AU0jfBM-63E_vIffvunYn1vjypgZqJq335JUK-YNQBfCX-N0XwTosnF11DoBg2YVAXJffIHy1WFP56Z9IfvM8waqtZd-zFoXOE-4JevLpmnW_s2j1MsOTQfLmCemxocx6_qdVALXEEWbNve5YUPzLL1D9UfyENz0aSZ8ojQ2s/s320/simple%20orc.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><p>With a quip and flashing blades, the battle commenced. Wounds were taken on each side, but Nix and Ha'arumph easily prevailed. Then, they unstuck the woman and got to hear what she was about... a recently escaped slave who noticed a glowing banana about 9-feet inside a smaller tunnel.</p><p>Using the smaller Nix and the spoon weapon, they fished out a novelty, banana-shaped crystal rimmed jaccard. Nix took that, being a thief [it's so unbelievably useful that a crystal rimmed jaccard grants the thief using it Advantage when employing the tools of his trade], and gave the woman, Parev, the 40 talons they took off the dead NPCs. Parev wanted to join their little band, hoping strength in numbers would allow her to survive.</p><p>On their way to check out her screams, the PCs had bypassed another tunnel to the north. So, they backtracked to see what was down there. A slumbering creature covered in tentacles! They left it alone, proceeding to other areas.</p><p>They found a pool of zoth with several humanoids (the slavers who Parev escaped from, in fact) around it. The leader, Blood Beard, about to plunge his sword into the zoth in order to enchant it with ichor of the Great Old Ones. The PCs went in another direction before engaging with them. They found a petrified worm and just around the corner two braziers making the entire area fragrant with peach incense. That system of tunnels and caves terminated with a fuchsia door. </p><p>Nix and Ha'arumph spent a decent amount of time on that door, trying various ways to open it. Some techniques were so ingenious, I almost caved, but there was a specific way of getting that fuchsia door open.</p><p>Eventually, they guessed... or at least assumed that zoth might open the fuchsia door. Not wanting a direct confrontation with the humanoids in the zoth pool cave, they devised a plan. One of them would lure the humanoids out, and the other would draw the sleeping Lovecraftian creature down the tunnel so the two would intersect. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kSc7QxwyOMJzkE9yGlvdYtvST6N_pnyPk8tYgVv3xx_l4cXm1zbfukX_AqKoLHFWVj6oD_1fzNBzeu9qwY6ov3AV_jPmFzd_9071ZACC7gfFJtq9p7tjlN2YEdKuSRCAK8OCIBFbGbvRbuqLnVaIYY97DJuPnU3G1Tdn7FnKj8KImTf9DqcRFPgcn4Q/s666/1wcwxk.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="666" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kSc7QxwyOMJzkE9yGlvdYtvST6N_pnyPk8tYgVv3xx_l4cXm1zbfukX_AqKoLHFWVj6oD_1fzNBzeu9qwY6ov3AV_jPmFzd_9071ZACC7gfFJtq9p7tjlN2YEdKuSRCAK8OCIBFbGbvRbuqLnVaIYY97DJuPnU3G1Tdn7FnKj8KImTf9DqcRFPgcn4Q/s320/1wcwxk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I had each PC roll a d6. If a 1 was rolled, their plan would breakdown at some point leading to potential disaster. Steve, usually the worst roller at our table, did not disappoint. He rolled a 1, but I reminded him that if he tapped one of the Cha'alt X-Cards, that would yield a point of Divine Favor so he could re-roll. He pulled the eldritch card, and rolled a 3 to counteract the critical failure.</p><p>I described how the sleeping tentacled thing's psionic-shadow rose and followed him as the half-orc attempted to mind-meld with it. Then, as planned, the two factions made contact. I wasn't sure how to adjudicate the battle between mythos spawn and NPC slavers; so, I had each player roll a d20. Nix's player rolled slightly higher. I described the head-slaver, Blood Beard, as the sole survivor, withdrawing his glowing magical blade from the shadow thing.</p><p>It only took a couple rounds for the PCs to dispatch Blood Beard, since he had been wounded by the creature. Then, they looted the bodies. Aside from some gold and a set of miniature thieves tools, there was a cerulean ring, it's jewel dancing in the faint light of torches and mystic crystals. The PCs didn't have a sorcerer, nor time to discover it's magical nature, but it makes water taste like fine worm wine to the ring-wearer.</p><p>Having the overgrown spoon weapon dripping with zoth, Ha'arumph hit the fuchsia door again, and this time zoth droplets were visibly absorbed into the door, it shimmered, and opened. Inside, all was blackness. </p><p>They walked through and found themselves exiting a nearly identical door into a nearly identical cave which they'd just left. However, this door was chartreuse. And instead of peach incense, the braziers issued a citrus lemon-lime fragrance. Oh, and the petrified sandworm was no longer petrified. Wisely, the PCs decided to creep past it with ludicrous success - to the point where we all speculated if the worm might be blind.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr9x8Dl7Cp7w-4c2S_uMACcgn2u0TH3Jp9Lr6rw4BWN8vlCaUKcgmXugHCujx48TBi_Y4JR3-QrPHUk1N7w4kmodmlDotG_h7i9cNzPMNxnTfCatzsC0SS18ugo4NmA0iIBCN64Fkv4TDtDdbi3n8No5KRsjnA_V8JnwZ9U_p4Aojl-tMNZt6IzspwGM/s1200/Azathoth_the_blind_idiot_god.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1200" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr9x8Dl7Cp7w-4c2S_uMACcgn2u0TH3Jp9Lr6rw4BWN8vlCaUKcgmXugHCujx48TBi_Y4JR3-QrPHUk1N7w4kmodmlDotG_h7i9cNzPMNxnTfCatzsC0SS18ugo4NmA0iIBCN64Fkv4TDtDdbi3n8No5KRsjnA_V8JnwZ9U_p4Aojl-tMNZt6IzspwGM/s320/Azathoth_the_blind_idiot_god.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p>Realizing this was some kind of parallel universe, the adventures retread their steps to see what else was different. Their first inclination was to see if another crystal was there. It was, but this time, it was a fuchsia crystal. So, they liberated that and kept going north to find a couple of cultists guarding a malevolent entity summoned by their High Priest. For now, the monstrous demonic creature was trapped inside a magic circle.</p><p>Nix and Ha'arumph surprised the cultists, but had difficulty finishing them off, mostly due to Steve's infamously terrible rolling. I suggested maybe drawing another <b>Cha'alt X-Card</b> from the pile, and he obliged. This time he drew sleaze and described how Ha'arumph quickly stripped Parev's clothes and pushed her into the cultist - who was so shocked that he involuntarily grabbed her naked breasts and proceeded to motorboat them as the half-orc warrior hacked into him from behind.</p><p>Not wanting to be left out of the sleaze-making, I described how the summoned creature's tentacle went through the backside of a distracted cultist standing near it... into his ass and out his mouth. It took a round to shake the dead cultist from its tentacle. If Colin had been there, I know I could have wrangled a "gross" out of him. ;)</p><p>Realizing how formidable the summoned creature probably was, the PCs made an expeditious retreat. The cultists pursued the PCs all the way back to the chartreuse door... where the sandworm was waiting. They discretely snuck past (they originally rolled so well - two natural 20s and a 19, so I had no problem letting them sidestep the worm). However, the High Priest and his cultist companion weren't so fortunate. The sandworm ate the High Priest and I believe Ha'arumph decapitated the cultist. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYYI0P2VgfKYNRTkwmpVTonCmicBopIgutzauRQRlMPpJBGiwy9nwjw-g7i-sQ1kWwPIy4dhdHeCVcjgkTQKjEEuiarsgk36jaWWb8zaEaFT2OyLYimA9_iR_zPm_Y9wp-kYtTo2PwbSVWL7Lo9RiOhNN1JAOQ_N9x0i8eL5KNwaoP9V9V7yJDSB1fj8/s976/arion-art-arion-apr-01-publish.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYYI0P2VgfKYNRTkwmpVTonCmicBopIgutzauRQRlMPpJBGiwy9nwjw-g7i-sQ1kWwPIy4dhdHeCVcjgkTQKjEEuiarsgk36jaWWb8zaEaFT2OyLYimA9_iR_zPm_Y9wp-kYtTo2PwbSVWL7Lo9RiOhNN1JAOQ_N9x0i8eL5KNwaoP9V9V7yJDSB1fj8/s320/arion-art-arion-apr-01-publish.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Oh yeah, either just before or during the PCs' retreat, the half-orc used the purple and fuchsia crystals to mind-meld with the demonic thing trying to break out of the magic circle. Steve rolled a 19 (in 17 sessions, no one had ever seen him roll anything higher than that), so not only did he repel the demon's psychic force (that I was fully prepared to let a disastrous roll crush the half-orc's already simple mind), but also glean an insight as to how they might get home, in case it wasn't obvious.</p><p>By now, I would hope that several of you might have guessed the solution - hold the fuchsia crystal up to the chartreuse door. That's what the half-orc did, and the door opened, allowing them to return to their own universe.</p><p>Getting back and being "home free" was pretty much the ending. I didn't have anything beyond that planned. We got a late start, so that was a three-hour session.</p><p>Delving into the <b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b> some more, instead of earning a point of Divine Favor (which appeared from that session's vantage point to be "the middle man")... the end result was diverting failure into a more prosperous direction. Both times Steve played a <b>Cha'alt</b> card, he attempted to turn a bad roll (or result) around. As it should be. Sure, an anti-climax may be possible, but shouldn't that be the exception, not the rule (all things being equal, at 3rd level, most straight-up rolls are 50/50). </p><p>Essentially, if we decided to continue along that route (doing away with the Divine Favor's re-roll), the "cost" of finding a silver lining to the current situation's cloud was coming up with a way to make the game more eldritch, sleazy, etc. </p><p>After all, what is Divine Favor if not the gods of <b>Cha'alt</b> nudging reality in a way that's favorable to the adventurer implementing it? Since I, as Game Master, step-in to the role of <b>Cha'alt</b> gods, it's ultimately up to me to decide just how much help to give the PCs and what that looks like when the smoke clears.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGf2IwBpXJ7ntkYEj2QAvSmg1Zp070ykqo2EkEqO2-fRWTdQW5uDboAzhPthGHwY0ky9kFZNLdXqeex7H8LoqHZPO0aTFnfkX-ZSsKn9KuYMuxtYDzcmwZSXHy72_nDIQRgmv0IT5_lR0g04UinXVvVdGZB6Q1No-jDQTghVvuXLQbWa6uK8IsgQhxpvA/s4000/Chaalt%20x-card%20(sleaze).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGf2IwBpXJ7ntkYEj2QAvSmg1Zp070ykqo2EkEqO2-fRWTdQW5uDboAzhPthGHwY0ky9kFZNLdXqeex7H8LoqHZPO0aTFnfkX-ZSsKn9KuYMuxtYDzcmwZSXHy72_nDIQRgmv0IT5_lR0g04UinXVvVdGZB6Q1No-jDQTghVvuXLQbWa6uK8IsgQhxpvA/s320/Chaalt%20x-card%20(sleaze).jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Just the way it was organically used in the session took <b>Cha'alt X-Cards</b> in that direction. I'm excited to see what happens the next time we use them. Now that I'm aware of that possibility, I'd be happy to forgo Divine Favor (and the resultant re-roll) instead of offering a celestial offramp that mitigates whatever failure that PC is currently wallowing in.</p><p>Basically, what I'm trying to say (at least partly) is that even if a Divine Favor reroll was unsuccessful, an aspect of my GMness feels bound to give the PC a leg-up. And if that's the case, then the Divine Favor is rather superfluous. It may not be what the PC or player intended, but something good will no doubt come from altering the fabric of reality via <b>Cha'alt</b> card narrative influence.</p><p>Hey, at least I'm consciously aware of my bias. Favoritism, like privilege, isn't a dirty word. And neither is "design." As in, this is the way I've designed my game, my adventure, my campaign, the way I Game Master. It's tailored to my specifications.</p><p>I feel like so many GMs are pushed and pulled, swayed this way and that by their unconscious mind... unaware of why they make the rulings they do. Oh sure, we all have dice to fall back on, but if I may quote another favorite movie John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness... "He lives in the smallest parts of it. In the atoms... smaller... invisible... he lives in all of it."</p><p>By that I mean, even with clearly defined parameters and success or failure determined by rolling, the GM has too much power, too much control to remain absolutely neutral. Over time, absolute neutrality is an impossibility. </p><p>In fact, I would caution GMs from clinging to the falsehood of neutrality in favor of consciously helping to create the type of experience they'd like to see. We're not the sole author (don't forget the players are there, too). However, it is our story. In this case, I feel the need to clarify that "our" means GMs take an active part in it, and are most likely the prime creator - but that doesn't mean the GM owns it fully or that other narrative contributions are meaningless.</p><p>Did someone say <b><span style="background-color: #ff00fe; color: #04ff00;">PSYCHOCOSM</span></b>?!?</p><p>Even though I would have liked a break from <b>Cha'alt</b>, I'm happy we went back there, into that world. But I can almost guarantee that the next time we play, it'll be a different game. No matter how much I love cheesecake, I still crave other desserts - and this week, it's apple-cider donuts!</p><p>Thanks for reading,</p><p><b>VS</b></p><p>p.s. Do you have your weekend badge for <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/venger-con-iii" target="_blank">VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR</a> yet? If not, don't wait. You do NOT want to miss an entire weekend of non-woke gaming with some of the most outrageous, controversial, and awesome gamers in the hobby today! Additionally, I've still got <b>Cha'alt</b> hardcovers for sale - <a href="https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/08/hardcover-chaalt-sale.html" target="_blank">details right over here.</a></p><p><br /></p>Venger Satanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447932700800930510noreply@blogger.com0