A long time ago, I began to cobble together some GM aids that put all of the pertinent rules of ACKS into a 7 or so page document. Don’t get me wrong, ACKS uses OD&D as its base and is hardly a complicated game. The crunchy bits it introduces to that rules set are all things that I enjoy, such as clear mechanics for hiring henchmen and mercenaries. However, the book’s organization is a wee bit scattered, and I found myself flipping around more than I would have liked. Some of that will go away with experience, of course, but I’m now very motivated to finish said GM aid.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Wednesday Dwimmermount: A Few Thoughts on Running the Game (Session 1)
A long time ago, I began to cobble together some GM aids that put all of the pertinent rules of ACKS into a 7 or so page document. Don’t get me wrong, ACKS uses OD&D as its base and is hardly a complicated game. The crunchy bits it introduces to that rules set are all things that I enjoy, such as clear mechanics for hiring henchmen and mercenaries. However, the book’s organization is a wee bit scattered, and I found myself flipping around more than I would have liked. Some of that will go away with experience, of course, but I’m now very motivated to finish said GM aid.
Wednesday Dwimmermount: Session 1
Next, they wandered into a room where a group of 7, pig-faced humanoids [orcs, they presumed] were making camp. When the humanoids rose in menacing fashion, Zazik attempted to parley with them. Luckily for the heroes, the biggest of the creatures seemed to speak Common [I gave it a 2-in-6 chance] and was willing to accept some of the cured meats he was carrying as a bribe [Zazik had insisted on buying the highest quality iron rations he could find]. The monsters, now assured that the party feared them, waved their axes in great, menacing gestures as the party made their escape.
Next: Thoughts on Running the Game
Running Adventurer Conquerer King System (ACKS)
With my oldest two sons getting out of school early every Wednesday, I decided to run a few games that have been sitting on my shelf just collecting dust. One game I’ve always wanted to give a try is Adventurer Conquerer King System, a “neo-clone” that takes an OD&D base and adds some cool house rules, new classes, and a neat system of economics and domain management. It’s cool stuff and I may write at length about why I was drawn to ACKS to begin with.
- Dwimmermount was the home of a number of portals to other worlds. A place filled with magic portals is unlikely to be totally sealed to the outside world. There must be more than one way in.
- The Thulians, an ancient human empire tied with the history of Dwimmermount, were capable of hiding powerful curses in written words. Beware anything written on the wall!
- It is further written that the Thulians somehow removed Dwimmermount from the sight of the gods. Cleric magic is likely weakened within the fortress.
- Dwimmermount was mentioned in a list of the lineage of various dragons, suggesting that an entire brood of dragons may still nest there.
Next: Wednesday Dwimmermount, Session 1
Friday, October 10, 2014
Puzzle Box
The Puzzle Box
During a recent session of Rise of the Runelords, an attempt to teleport from a remote region back to Sandpoint went awry. According to the rules, the misfired spell was supposed to send the PCs to a similar area, defined as “an area that's visually or thematically similar to the target area.” As they were aiming for the Rusty Dragon Inn, it seemed clear that they should be in a tavern somewhere, but where? I pulled out the Inner Sea World Guide and had them generate a random number using some wacky zocchi dice. A few rolls later, we determined that the hapless adventurers had somehow landed in the city of Katheer, the capital of Qadira (gateway to the east). What would a startled, pseudo middle-eastern barkeep do if a few adventurers materialized in his business? Try to sell them something, of course!
When I was in Turkey, one of my favorite memories was browsing through the wares of the various shops in the area known as “the alley” just outside the Air Force base there. So, adapting my best Turkish accent, I began to recreate that experience at the game table. Recovering quickly from his initial shock, the friendly merchant launched right into a sales pitch. While his son brought hot tea to these new customers, the man began to demonstrate the quality of his many fine, hand-carved puzzle boxes. I must have done a fairly convincing impression, because one of my players immediately gave up some of his hard-won gold for his own, authentic, Qadira puzzle-box.
Presented below are the stats for the item, more a curiosity than a useful hiding place. The flavor text is written for my own home-brewed world of Terren. For a Pathfinder campaign, assume these items come from Qadira rather than Hzar. There are two versions below, with stats for different rule sets.
D20 VERSION
Puzzle Box: This carved wooden box can only be opened using a specific combination of twisting parts, hidden buttons, and sliding panels. Puzzle boxes are one of the many exotic wares for sale in the Hzari caravans that travel the great trade route merchants call the River of Spices. The overall complexity and number of steps required to open each box varies, from two steps for the simplest puzzle boxes to hundreds for particularly intricate versions. Most puzzle boxes are of the five-step variety, as the Hzari consider five to be the luckiest of all numbers.
Opening a puzzle box requires one or more rounds and a successful Disable Device check, as shown below. A character makes this check with a +10 bonus if he knows the correct pattern for that specific box.
Complexity |
Disable Device |
Time to Open |
Cost |
Simple |
DC 10 |
1 round |
25 gp |
Moderate |
DC 20 |
1d6 rounds |
50 gp |
Complex |
DC 30 |
2d6 rounds |
250 gp |
5E VERSION
Puzzle Box: This carved wooden box can only be opened using a specific combination of twisting parts, hidden buttons, and sliding panels. Puzzle boxes are one of the many exotic wares for sale in the Hzari caravans that travel the great trade route merchants call the River of Spices. The overall complexity and number of steps required to open each box varies, from two steps for the simplest puzzle boxes to hundreds for particularly intricate versions. Most puzzle boxes are of the five-step variety, as the Hzari consider five to be the luckiest of all numbers.
Opening a puzzle box requires one or more rounds and a successful Dexterity check, as shown below. A character makes this check with advantage if he knows the correct pattern for that specific box.
Complexity |
Dexterity Check |
Time to Open |
Cost |
Simple |
DC 10 |
1 round |
25 gp |
Moderate |
DC 15 |
1d6 rounds |
50 gp |
Complex |
DC 20 |
2d6 rounds |
250 gp |