Why the hell not?

Against my better judgement, I've been tinkering around with my very own OSR type RPG.  I've just finished the first draft of the alpha version.  It's weak, there's not much there, and it breaks a few old school D&D conventions, but it's a starting point...

Those interested in taking a look and providing feedback would be doing me a service.  Nothing has been set in stone; it's all malleable.  Actually playtesting what I have so far would really be going above and beyond!

Send me an email and I'll reply back with a PDF:  Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

I have no idea what to call it at this point, so I'm going with The Crimson Dragon Slayer Critical Mayhem RPG.

Thanks,

VS

p.s.  Artwork by HELMUTT, owned by me.

No Reason Not to Play a Demon

As you can tell from reading my review, I'm into Fantastic Heroes & Witchery.  Rather than wait to use it or let it sit on my shelf, I decided to run yesterday's game with FH&W.  Because reading a rule book isn't the same as using it, this account should be just as valuable as my first impression.

The session was scheduled for 4.5 hours, plenty of time to make characters.  Especially since A) I didn't have any pre-made - I've fallen way behind since coming back from vacation, and B) character creation is one of the best parts of FH&W.  Here's what the players came up with...

• A tiefling half-elf warlock named Zatar, steeped in black magic, in service to dark forces, and aligned with Chaos.  His goal was to seek out forbidden lore which would make him a more powerful warlock.  At the game's start he was a cult of one but desired to have followers.
• A halfling rifleman named Otus, wearing full plate and carrying a laser pistol, as well as, an automatic pistol.  Could that character be anything except comic relief?  Time will tell...
• A tainted human who had spent far too many hours peering into the void, where the Great Old Ones anxiously bided their time.  Always on the lookout for supernatural horror, Abigail became a savant (scientist and gadget/tinkerer).
• Bakki was a tiefling dwarf, kicked out of his dwarven community on his 100th birthday for showing his demon blood, the Gothi (religious and political leaders) was determined to wipe out all dwarves in retribution for his excommunication.  
• Last but not least was a winged folk thief named Shara, an outcast from her people.  

It probably would have taken two or more hours if I'd let each player pour over the book, reading each race and class entry.  So, I briefly went over the pros and cons of each.  Actually, there were very few cons - just different pros.  Some options had more pros than others.  

For instance, you got to roll three times on this table of special demonic powers if you picked a tiefling (half-demon template which can be added to any "parent" race).  Besides having a hell mark such as horns or a tail, there weren't any drawbacks I could see.  That's why the party had two tieflings.  And I'm a little surprised there weren't more.  

BTW, I think every single player availed themselves of the racial name suggestions provided in the appendix.  Nice touch!

Not only was my first experiment with FH&W, it was also the initial playtest of Revelry in Torth.  After a little backstory and tangential encounters, the PCs made their way to Aryd's End, arriving as their festival of masks was at its apex.  The masked festival was part drunken orgy, part Edgar Allen Poe / Thomas Ligotti excuse for esoteric villainy.  

Oh yeah, before we began, I created a short list of rumors and had each player roll to see what they'd heard about Torth or Aryd's End...

1. The Great Vault of Torth is a repository of lost knowledge, scientific and technological, as well as, magical.
2. Dragons return to the skies every seven years to feast upon the innocent souls of Torth.
3. Sorcerers are bound by an unholy blood oath, their immortal souls consigned to the devils with which they traffic.
4. The Festival of Masks is an old tradition dating back to the Age of Dragons.
5. There's an insidious link between demon worshiping wizards and the scourge of the skies - dragons.
6. A secret society lurks in the shadows of Torth, rising in power until capable of conquering the land.
7. Once, all of Torth was ruled by a three-headed dragon.
8. The super-science beneath Torth still lives and breathes.  

As you can see, there's a lot of dragon stuff going on.  Assuming the kickstarter funds, parts 2 and 3 of the trilogy will focus more on the draconic aspects of Torth.

True to its sandbox nature, Revelry in Torth became what the PCs made of it - a hunt for treasure... gold, specifically.

Weapon proficiencies, ability scores, and player-character flavor were the only distinguishing factors between combatants.  At 3rd level, I believe every single PC had a +1 attack bonus.  Probably would have been different if someone had chosen a fighter, but, really, how could they, when there are dozens of classes to choose from?

The rules themselves, went much like any modernized old school D&D game.  Most of the mechanics were relegated to the background. There was a welcome synergy of old school and latter edition ingenuity. 

Oh yeah, the spells... I know Dominique Crouzet, the author, had re-written pretty much all of them and then placed them in either a white, grey, or black domain, but I had no clue how strange, powerful, and dark they were.  I'm talking about black magic, specifically, since both spell casters had demon blood and loved Chaos.  There was demon summoning, some sort of death blossom, and a fiend conjured for the sole purpose of robbing either a rich man or 100 peasants within the city.  And we're just talking 1st and 2nd level spells.  Definitely added to the dark flavor of the game.  

Without giving too much away, the PCs saved the city (and their own skins). It was a good session and I was quite impressed with FH&W.  Asking for feedback at the end, the one comment echoed by multiple players was how unbalanced (meaning straight up awesome) tieflings were.  Balance isn't necessarily a great thing for an old school game, so that's up to the GM.  If, like me, a GM's more interested in taking his game to the dark side than standard medieval fare, there's no problem at all.

VS

p.s.  That session inspired this article over at Draconic Magazine.

Old School... something or other

Funny, I was thinking of the topic for this blog post halfway through my vacation.  Then I get back and read Tenkar's Tavern and RPGPundit's blog to find out they're talking about something similar.  But let's not put the horse before the cart, guys.

For a few weeks (this was about three years ago), I was fuzzy on what it meant - not realizing that would be a hallmark of the OSR itself up until the present.  I believe I kept calling it Old School Revolution.  Then, a month or so later I guess someone clued me in to the word Renaissance.  Intervening years have brought up Revival, Rules, Roleplaying, and probably a half-dozen others.

Maybe it's me.  Yes, it could very easily just be me, but I can't get past the fact that we don't have a universally recognized name.  I mean... it's the name.  It's in the title, for godsakes!

Let's not even get into what the OSR movement means to an individual, let alone the world before we hammer down what the "R" refers to.

I assume there's at least a little bit of consensus out there in cyber-land.  Most of us have come to the OSR later than when it was forged.  At most, a small handful was there actively participating in its origin discussion.

I don't care if we go with their original intent or pick something else.  It would be nice to have something to say when people ask - without being "corrected" by the blogger down the street.  You know, an actual definition of what those letters represent.

On the other hand, it could simply remain a revolving door of "r" words.  Nothing set in stone, subjective, flexible, do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.  But if that's the way it's going to be, I think it would be great to have a consensus on that direction.

Obviously, we're not going to get 100% on anything.  We're human, after all.  Nevertheless, I believe it's time to look that "r" square in the eye, deal with it, and move on to greener pastures.  Agree, disagree, just want to put in your two cents?  I want to read what you have to say, so comment!


VS

p.s.  Yeah, I'm not sure why I chose that particular image to adorn this blog post.  It came up in a google image search for "Old School Renaissance".  The box is from 1981 and I remember owning it or a similar set with those little plastic figures.  Ah, good times...

RPG.NET reviews The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence

It never rains but it pours.  And on the islands, that downpour is purple, slimy, and polarizing!

I was fortunate enough to discover two reviews on rpg.net this morning.  The positive one is here.  The negative one is there.  I found them both enjoyable in their own way.

The divergence of opinion shouldn't surprise anyone.  People have wildly opposed views about almost everything.  Thankfully, more people "get it" than don't.


VS


p.s.  I'm going on a family vacation starting tomorrow.  Probably won't blog again until October 1st.  Have a great gaming week, everyone!

The Second Wave of Draconic Magazine

Even though there aren't "issues" per se, I think readers will see a pattern.  A flurry of activity followed by a lull week so that new content can be properly digested; crests and troughs.

That means wave #2 is crashing upon the rocks of tabletop fantasy roleplaying!  Below is a list of recent articles...

• Q&A about noticing secret doors and skill checks.
• A new spell called Singing Spheres of Yogsoggoth.
• Trade-offs for investigative scenarios.
• A video review of The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence.
• A new character class for ex-paladins who fall into a really, really bad crowd.
• A new monster called the Verge Fungoid.
• The 1st weekly advice column from Kodarr the barbarian!
• An article on becoming a better GM.
• A new magic item called the rainbow shadow cloak.
• An article on looking back at plain old failure.
• An amusing vignette about a chaotic halfling.
• And a suggestion about what to do with those expired character sheets.

Whew, that's quite a bit of new stuff in the last couple weeks.  Thanks to +Shane Ward, +Shawn Hartnell, Savage GM, and +Grand DM for their help.  The second wave wouldn't have been as strong without you guys.

If anyone else wants to submit an article or some artwork, please let me know.  More content coming next week!

VS

2 more Purple reviews

I knew there'd be two The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence reviews coming back-to-back, so I decided to link them both in a single blog post.

This is from +Justin Kowalski and that is by the hand of +Patrick Henry Downs.  Thanks, guys!  May putrescent entities of a fiendishly familiar purple hue come for you in the night...


VS

The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen

There's a lot of stuff out there.  If you know where to look, you can't throw a poison-tipped dagger +1 without accidentally critting a dozen different RPGs (1d4 of them old school), as well as, a plethora of adventures, campaign settings, and gaming aids (might as well get out your percentile dice).

The signal to meh ratio is about average, meaning gamers need to focus on keywords and names (because artwork alone can't tell you if something is awesome or sucky).  Anything that might clue them in to discovering off-beat adventure, bizarre encounters, and crazy hi-jinks.  Or you could read a review...

Well, Mark Taormino reached out to me, asking if I'd take a gander at his first, homemade OSR module called The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen.  Sure, I said.  It took me a few days to actually open the PDF up and start reading.

This book is something quite different, a rare blood diamond tournament-style scenario crossing Tomb of Horrors with a Vampirella comic book.  It reads like a choose-your-own-adventure in the vein of Tales from the Crypt.

It started with a kickstarter campaign.  You can see the author's passion for this work.  You can also see, he's no slouch.

Ok, so why do I love The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen so much?  Let's do this in bullet points...

• Great hook!  This bloodsucking bitch has you imprisoned and for some strange reason (you'll find out later) she challenges a small band of the worst (or best, depending on your point of view) prisoners to escape her dungeon.
• Cinematic feel!  The writing draws you in, chock full of sensory details and lurid visuals.  As a GM, you'll be excited to read the next boxed text, surprising your players with smells, sights, and far-out goings on.
• It's sexy as hell!  From the cover and interior art to the description of the PC's erotic host.  I really enjoyed the lascivious moments - really brought the Player's Background section to (un)life!  Used sparingly, Hanging Coffins hits the right notes of exploitation. 
• The rest of the artwork is also cool.  Personally, when I get to see a Minotaur rip a man's arm off - everybody wins!  Except the armless man, I suppose.
  
• It's for high-level characters.  10th - 14th level characters and the dungeon is deadly enough to need at least 8 of them.  
• A blue map - just like we used to get decades ago!  Also old school: the aforementioned boxed text, a rumor table, pre-generated characters, a section of new monsters, and familiar references to 80's D&D (with plenty of unexpected twists).
• A sense of humor!  Oh man, does this hobby need it.  Not just gamers, human beings of every stripe take themselves very seriously.  More laughter, less rage.  Anton LaVey said that anyone without a sense of humor is too pretentious to be a good magician.  I believe the same holds true for an RPG author, especially if he's going for an old school vibe.
• Non-standard encounters!  Each room feels special.  There's nothing cookie-cutter about this module. 

As a small critique, I noticed a few typos, some of the wandering monster stats referenced page numbers in the OSRIC book, and a few items of treasure had ridiculous appraisals - 6,000 gp estimated value for a non-magical medallion - really?  I also wish the Author's Note section had been much longer.  But, hey, that's my opportunity to interview him when Hanging Coffins becomes available on DriveThruRPG.  At the moment, you can only get it here.

Those minor quibbles aside, this was surprisingly fun to read.  It made me want to run it super bad.  As far as ratings go, it gets the highest possible - upon finishing the PDF, I laid out cold, hard, electronic cash for a physical copy.  The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen shares my aesthetic wavelength.  Can't wait for his sophomore effort!  I'm just glad there are a few fresh voices out there in the dungeon wilderness, shredding the paper walls of conformity.

VS

Badass Tricks, Maneuvers, and Stunts

What might seem like a no-brainer to one GM may be a revelation to another... or idiotic drivel.  Depends on the GM.

This idea was born from a discussion I had with another gamer on EnWorld.  I'm sure you're familiar with this song and dance, it goes a little something like this...

"AD&D is boring, especially if you're playing a fighter because all you can do is attack (swing your sword or whatever).  While in a game like 3.5 you've got a ton of options."

"Balderdash!  In AD&D, you're not restricted to any specific maneuver.  You have the freedom to make it up as you go, roleplaying the action alongside the DM.  If you want to do a flying kick or somersault slash at the Orc's ankle, there's nothing to stop you."

To which the original guy responds, "You might do it that way, but most DMs don't.  With them, it's by the book, etc, etc."

For the last couple years (it's difficult to remember exactly what I allowed or was ok with back in High School or even games 5 years ago), I've tried to encourage players to describe their attack before rolling whilst keeping an open mind about the possible outcome.  Of course, with the right (or wrong) player, this can get out of hand.  If a majority of DMs did this, abuse would rear its ugly head.  Where's the potential downside of attempting a trick move or fancy stunt?

I've come up with this...

1.  Player states he wants to attack the foe before him.

2.  GM asks (especially if this is the first session or two you're introducing the concept - if you've been this awhile, then it's up to the player to state how he wants to differentiate his attack), "How do you want to attack him?  What, specifically, are you doing?"

3.  "I try slicing off the wizard's hand - the one holding that wand."  (could be thrusting his sword into a Troll's eye, whatever).

4.  GM assesses the difficulty on a range of 1, 2, or 3.  The more difficult the maneuver, the higher the number - to a max of 3.  Whatever the number is, that's both the penalty on the to-hit roll [*] and natural roll critical fail.  

Let's say the stated action is a 2.  "Alright, that's going to be fairly challenging (holds up two fingers).  Roll your standard attack minus 2.  If you hit, you accomplish what you had in mind.  If you miss, then you failed to connect with your target or it just didn't have any appreciable effect.  However, if your attack roll comes up a natural 1 or 2, then it's a disaster, epic fail.  Your foe gets a free attack or the next guy to hit you does max damage or your weapon gets knocked out of your hand... something like that."

5.  "Fair enough."  The player rolls an 18, which is above his target's AC considering all the bonuses and penalties involved.

6.  "Awesome!  The wizard's decrepit hand is lopped off by your flashing blade.  He screams in anguish and won't be able to use his wand until after he picks it back up.  Roll standard damage."

7.  Hi-fives all around.  The GM turns to Larry, "What does your cleric want to do on his turn?"


So, there you have it.  Any character can try anything (within certain limits) but there are two drawbacks: a -1, -2, or -3 to the to-hit roll, as well as, the chance of crit fail on the roll of a natural 1, 2, or 3 (depending on the difficulty set by the GM or negotiated between the GM and player.

If it's a move that would be customary for the particular character (based on class, level, and so forth), then the difficulty and potential downfall will usually be a 1.  If it's really specific (as in targeting a small area) or kind of tricky but definitely not impossible, then it might be a 2.  If it borders on astounding but still within the realm of believability, give it a 3.

+Thaumiel Nerub brought up a couple good points.  Thanks, Thaumiel!

1.  The environment should always be taken into account.  If one is in the desert, there's going to be sand to throw in someone's face versus an ice cavern that might collapse, bringing glacial chunks down on enemy heads.  Those who pay attention to their environment and use it creatively to narrate their actions should be rewarded.

2.  A player can't demand some kind of auto-kill like decapitation or piercing a villain's heart with an arrow... even with a to-hit penalty and 15% chance of critical failure.  GMs should keep in mind that cutting off a giant's head is the intended end-result; however, the action is hacking at the giant's neck.  Big difference.  

GMs, don't be afraid to negotiate with your players.  Maybe both of you can meet in the middle if you're at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Please, feel free to critique this.  Rip it apart, find a better way of doing it, add something on, take something else away, whatever.  This idea came to me while driving in my car this morning.  It hasn't been playtested or anything.  Just thought it was pretty cool.


VS

[*]  Or you could simply determine that attack at a disadvantage instead of a -1, -2, or -3 on the to-hit roll if you're playing 5e.  Totally up to you.

p.s.  You probably can't tell, but this ninja is giving you the finger... ninja style!

p.p.s.  The to-hit penalty was added later (7/1/14 to be exact) after reading a few similar critiques on various RPG message boards.  Much appreciated, guys!

Unification Through Diversity

Can you imagine a two year delivery?

The creation of fifth edition was like childbirth.  I imagined those frustrating early stages, glimmers of hope and dread, small victories but miles and miles to go before anyone gets to sleep.  The screams, crying, shouting, pain, blood... everything.  Where in the fuck is my wife's epidural?  I wanted to be a part of it, to be there from beginning to end.  I wanted to know, and yet I didn't want to put myself through all that.  Not for two or more years.

So, that's why I only started paying attention these last couple months, finally allowing myself to get excited about what was just three pushes away from arrival.  Dungeons & Dragons s is coming!

Just to recap, this has been the OSR consensus regarding fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, based on the feedback from my last couple blog posts...

• The OSR had an enormous impact on 5e.  This makes sense because there probably wouldn't have been an OSR (as we know it today) without the missteps of 4th edition.
• The OSR isn't going anywhere.  It still has meaning and value.  It's a type of gaming, a style, an aesthetic... a feel.  It's many things to many different people.  A new version of D&D isn't going to eradicate it, but 5e will undoubtedly have an influence.
• Since 5e is pretty darn old school (at the very least, OSR compatible) the majority of OSR gamers plan on trying 5e at some point (especially since the basic version will be available for free online) and from there will decide on one of the following:  1) incorporating bits and pieces from 5e into their established RPGs (like S&W, DCC, LotFP, AS&SH, etc.).  2) adoption: switching over to the point where their primary RPG of choice is 5e (while possibly incorporating bits and pieces from the aforementioned OSR games).  3) decide against continuing with 5e in any form. 

My personal belief is that roughly half the gamers who try 5e will fall into one of the first two camps.

For those who ask, "Why would I want, let alone need, another edition of D&D if I'm happy with what I already have?  Isn't 5e supposed to be like AD&D 2nd edition minus Thac0, plus feats?"  Good question(s).  If you haven't been keeping on Next news, it's easy to be swayed to one side or the other based on rumors and hearsay.  

I've been reading Mike Mearls' articles on the game design process for Next / 5e.  This new version of the game will be radically different than what we've known while still feeling like home. Sure, it incorporates a lot of things that we love about all the previous editions (yes, including a few bits from 4th) while ditching odds and ends that hold the game back.  And 5e does a great job of that.  However, it brings a lot of fresh, innovative choices to the table (choices, options, and support for DM cherry picking are huge in 5e).  Things that D&D fans have never seen outside of home-rules and Dragon magazine!

Here's a brief rundown of what I've found...

• Magic item attunement.  Appendix N readers may recall some of their favorite fantasy characters possessing magic items which are somehow tied to them.  That's in 5e.
• Backgrounds.  Character history, including contacts, ties to places and NPCs, ideals, and flaws was an important part of the 80's 90's gaming sessions I was involved with... but a small part, unfortunately.  From a rules-standpoint, backgrounds were definitely in the background (no pun intended).  Writing out a personal history on the backside of a character sheet isn't the same as having options hardwired into the core rules.
• Armies battling.  D&D has its roots in miniature wargaming.  Admittedly, I don't know too much about how D&D handled large forces fighting each other on the battle field in the last couple of decades but its being addressed now.
• A smarter, more intuitive option for leveling the party.
• Rolling 2d20 and taking the lower of the two when at a clear disadvantage and the higher when at a clear advantage.  This replaces all the +1 bonus for this, -2 penalty for that, and +3 bonus for the other thing.
• Concentration for magic-users (it's cool, but I'm not going to explain it here).  And an option for using spell points instead of the traditional Vancian magic!
• Apprentice feel for 1st and 2nd level characters for either campaign introduction or system noobs, as well as, rules for starting established characters and veteran players at 3rd.
• Inspiration:  in-game bonuses for good roleplaying!

There will be more, of course, when 5e is released.  This is just a taste based on Mearls' Legends and Lore column.  A fascinating read!  I'm still waiting on a friends' last playtest material for more info on how 5e will look and feel.

Am I excited for D&D?  Oh, Hellzzz to the yeah!  It means I can easily run or play in an old school kind of D&D session which can handle a Tiefling alienist sorcerer or a Warforged warlock/fighter who loves tactical combat while accommodating a Halfling thief who performs shadowy murders for the city's high priest of K'tulu because of his sordid past. Or keep things as fundamental as possible by allowing only wizard, rogue, fighter, and cleric.  All this without having to remember what true roleplaying is about from a prior edition or slavishly adhere to a thousand fiddly rules that are supposed to counterbalance each other into infinity.

Those who don't share my eager anticipated are free, as always, to hate (or simply ignore what's coming).  It's cool.  Alternatively, those who want to bathe in the afterbirth may do so as well.  Either way, I'm interested in reading whatever it is you want to say.  Speak!

VS

Voyage to the Purple Islands

Zerrett waited in the Library of the Ancients for his master's return.  As time passed, Zerrett's mind wandered back to his old life.  He wondering what a swordsman of his stature was doing here, away from the battlefield.  He remembered all the days of preparation, overturning wagon wheels until his body felt like a quivering newborn.  It took him over a year of strength training to effectively wield his mighty Dwarven war-axe, Ivarrol.  Perpetually black with blood and runes, faintly glowing like unhallowed doom as it hacked his foes into pieces.   Zerrett had been killing the enemies of S'kyrn even before he was strong enough to hold Ivarrol over his head.  It was a way of life.

Now, the warrior's axe leaned against a corner of his bedroom, collecting dust instead of gory crimson strands.  Zerret imagined the weapon restless, yearning... his soul the same – crying out for the once familiar sights and sounds of combat.

"What am I doing in a place like this?"  He said to dust and shadows.

As Zerrett paced back and forth, a book fell from the decrepit stacks.  It opened to an illustration of a Snake-Man slicing through a human's chest with a scimitar.  The image fascinated him; Zerrett didn't expect to enjoy it so, but he did.  The curving steel death ripped the man down his center.  It made Zerrett long for the crusades of his youth.  

Zerrett had only seen Snake-Men a handful of times, in drawings and in dreams.  They were said to have lived aeons ago in subterranean cities.  He’d been taught some of their history, part of an oral tradition passed down from his father.  The serpentine folk were conquerors.  They knew the exquisite beauty of slaughter just as they knew the dark secrets of sorcery.

"I see you've been reading."  Said Master Lynd.

"No, it fell open to that page."  Zerrett said, cradling the withered volume in his hands.  "I was just admiring the artwork."

Master Lynd considered his charge for a moment.  S'kyrn had fallen in the great war, just as the Dwarven kingdoms fell centuries ago.  Though not technically a slave, Zerrett wasn't a free man.  After the fall of S'kyrn, Zerrett's people were assigned to the Asgochians.  It was a slow and painful process to reeducate the S'kyrnians.  Many could not shake their ancestral bloodlust, Zerrett being a prime example.

"Thousands of years ago, the Snake-Men ruled this world, brutally.  The heavens thick with Wyrm Riders..."  Lynd's voice trailed off as he remembered something black and formless like the void.

"Ancient history."  Zerrett said.

"Not according to the prophecy.  Upon some accursed night of this very aeon, the Snake-Men threatened to return and assume their rightful place.  Not just deep within the mountains and below the land but everywhere."

"If they return, we shall destroy them."

"Many will try.  Of course, there will be a few who choose the opposite, those drawn to Chaos.  Thankfully, the realm is in short supply of wizards."

"Some of my people call the Snake-Men fiction."

"I'm not surprised.  Your kind are little more than barbarians from our perspective."

"What do you know of S'kyrn and its men... beyond what I've told you?"

"Do you know where the name of your country comes from?  S'kyrn was the name of an emperor, a Snake-Man."   Lynd noticed the young man silently scoff.  "It's true."

"I doubt that."

"Nevertheless."

Zerrett placed the book back upon the stone shelf.  “Do you believe in prophecy?” 

“The Snake-Men did.  But then, they believed in all sorts of strange and blasphemous things.”  The Asgochian studied the library's crumbling stacks until he found the right book.  “Here it is... the purple islands.”

“I’ve heard of them.”

“And what have you heard?”

“Purple sand along the beaches, so dark they look almost black from a distance.”

“What else?”  Lynd inquired.

“Isn't that where the Snake-Men are from?”

“No, it’s where the last of them died.  We're setting sail for the islands tomorrow.  I wanted to surprise you."

"Very well."  Zerrett sighed.

"I thought you'd be more excited.  After all, there's sure to be plenty of battle.  A chance for you and that giant axe of yours to become reacquainted."  His charge beamed with anticipation.  Lynd returned the smile.

Three Swordsmen

It's come a little early, but my old school fighter classes PDF is available on DriveThruRPG here.  It's free, so please check it out.  I hope it adds something awesome to your games.

Let me know what you think by posting comment here, writing a short review over there, or both!


VS


p.s.  Also wanted to give a big THANKS to the artists who contributed their work:  Tom Isaksen, Zarano, Dario, Boniburini, and SOLIDToM.  Much appreciated, guys!