Propnomicon is an amazing resource for Call of Cthulhu players, and any gamer that likes to use props in their game. Along with several articles related to CoC gaming, Propnomicon has an impressive list of Mythos-related websites displayed on its main page. CoC gamers, LARPers, or any gamers that use props to enhance their role-playing experience will find something useful on this site.
Archive for Gaming
Amazing resource for Call of Cthulhu players
Posted in The Crafty DM with tags Call of Cthulhu, Call of Cthulhu Props, CoC Props, Crafts, Gaming, Larp, Lovecraft, Propnomicon, RPG, Useful Websites on August 4, 2010 by boccobsblogTwo web shows every gamer should watch
Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 4e Content, Gaming News with tags Boccob, D&D, D20, Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog, Dungeons and Dragons, Felicia Day, Gaming, Gen Con, GURPS, Larp, Legends of Neil, Miniature, Pathfinder, RPG, Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, The Guild, Useful Websites, Wizards of the Coast, World of Darkness on August 2, 2010 by boccobsblogThe Guild
The Guild, follows the exploits of a group of online gamers deeply entrenched in WoW-parody MMO. The show’s spot-on depictions of online gamers and hilarious scripts have made the Knights of Good an overnight web sensation. Fans of Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, will recognize the show’s star and head writer, Felicia Day, along with Effinfunny.com creator, Sandeep Parikh. The Guild has just started its fourth season (and can be seen here).
The Knights of Good
Legends of Neil
If you’re like me, then you have often wondered what would happen if you got drunk, and auto-erotically asphyxiated yourself with a Nintendo controller all while playing the original Legend of Zelda. Well, my hung over, sticky palmed friends wait no more, because Legends of Neil takes on such deep philosophical issues in the funniest, adult-themed Zelda parody show about an alcoholic gas station attendant on the web. The Legends of Neil can be found (for free) in its entirety on Effinfunny.com, or by pressing this link.
Both The Guild, and Legends of Neil are completely hilarious, completely free and a great way to spend an hour of your boring workday.
Two handouts that should make your life easier
Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 3.5e DM Content, D&D 4e Content, The Crafty DM with tags D&D, D20, DM Content, Downloads, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, GURPS, Handouts, Larp, Pathfinder, RPG, Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, Wizards of the Coast, World of Darkness on July 30, 2010 by boccobsblogGM screens can be useful tools. They are covered in somewhat useful information, and you can use them to shield your rolls and your miniatures. That said, there are some things that a GM’s screen doesn’t cover. Have you ever been in a game where this happens? :
DM: The blacksmith, a grimy dwarf with a long scar on his face, smiles as he hands you the newly forged sword.
Player: Cool, what’s his name?
DM: Um… (looking around the room), Table…Tablemen…yeah…his name is Tablemen.
Player: Did you just look at the table and name him Tablemen?
DM: Um…roll initiative.
Sound familiar? How about this one?
DM: With a flourish of your sword, you slay the last orc in chamber. What would you like to do?
Player: We search the orcs and the chamber for treasure.
DM: Um… (scrambles for a DMG)…you find something, I’ll roll it later.
Player: But, we could find something that would be useful in the rest of the dungeon.
DM: Fine. (Game comes to a halt for the next ten minutes and any momentum is lost)
These are scenarios that I have encountered multiple times, both as a player and as a GM. In an attempt to prevent scenes like these from happening in the future I have created two handouts that should help. The first is a sheet of names for each of the standard fantasy races(26 names per gender, per race). The second is a list of treasure in order of challenge rating (three entries per CR, 1st-20th).
These handouts aren’t meant to be used during the planning phase of your adventure (you would go through the treasure and names quickly), instead reserve them for those instances when your players ask you the name of an NPC you didn’t deem important enough to warrant a name, and for those time when your players wander into an encounter you didn’t expect (and therefore didn’t roll treasure for).
I hope you find them useful. Print them out, paper clip them inside your GM screen, and never be caught off guard again.
-Andy
Darksun set to release on August 17th
Posted in D&D 4e Content, Gaming News with tags AD&D, D&D, Darksun, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, RPG, Wizards of the Coast on July 26, 2010 by boccobsblog
This summer Wizard’s of the Coast will release its next 4e campaign, Darksun. For those gamers that weren’t active in the hobby during second edition, Darksun was a wildly popular setting released by TSR in October of 1991.
Darksun takes placed on the horrifying desert planet of Athas and is vastly different from anything else in the D&D family. While a great deal of D&D lore is a retelling of Tolkienian archetypes and western mythology, Darksun is an intentional departure from the well-worn paths of sword and sorcery fantasy gaming.
When you play in Darksun you have to leave your expectations behind, for example, halfings aren’t cute hobbit rip-offs, on Athas, halfings are crazed cannibals that kill and devour anything that wanders onto their path. Along with the altered core races Darksun offers new options like the mantis-like Thri-Kreens, half-giants, and the dwarf-Human hybrid called Muls.
Along with the new races, players will be surprised a change in the religious aspect of the setting. There are no gods in Darksun, all the deities have forsaken Athas, and in their place the planet is ruled by despotic sorcerer kings, tyrannical beings of immeasurable power.
There are more aspects to Darksun than are possible to explore in a single post, but if you’d like more info on Darksun, or simply can’t wait until the release date (Aug 17th) to play; Wizard’s is currently using Darksun in their D&D Encounters campaign on Wednesday nights at your local game store.
If you’re looking for a savage, alien setting, Darksun is for you.
image found at Wizards.com/dnd
Use your illusion II
Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 3.5e DM Content with tags D&D, D20, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, Pathfinder, RPG, Wizards of the Coast on July 24, 2010 by boccobsblogLevel 5- While the SC gives us the Illusionist means of quick travel with shadow fade, and the PHBII gives us the classic friend to foe spell allowing the illusionist to manipulate the battlefield. A very utilitarian spell is the PHB’s shadow evocation. Consider it like a mini-wish, yes the 20% effect with a failed will save can diminish the potency but the versatility of choosing any evocation spell is pretty handy. The enemy is in that perfect straight line which is perfect for a lightning bolt but you don’t have that spell… you could really use a gust of wind at that moment to push the blackguard of the cliff.. you got it.
This is how my Phantasmal Killer would appear...
Level 6- While distraction is the illusionist’s forte, mislead is the perfect combination of magics wrapped into a tight bundle. You create an illusionary copy of yourself, while at the same time placing yourself in greater invisibility. You could have the double perform a variety of tasks, such as attempt diplomacy, or pretend to cast a spell (then vanish), while you place yourself in the perfect spot for further spell casting all while remaining invisible. Not to mention many enemies want to open up with their most effective attacks on a spell-caster and with this spell, they would be likely to waste it on your illusionary double.
Level 7- If you are an illusionist who can cast simulacrum you can create the army of icy copies of doom! When you kill that mighty red dragon, why not make a half hit die copy, which is at your beck and call (Or how about half a dozen). Or a couple of half powered doppelgangers of yourself which can buff you for combat before casting invisibility on themselves and making their way to safety. The possibilities for this spell are really quite endless.
Level 8- Just when your DM has squashed greater invisibility antics with a bunch of see invisibility endowed enemies now comes the paramount invisibility, superior invisibility (SC). The end all be all of invisibility. It prevents detecting the character through any other weird sense, scent, tremors etc. and is not subject to the see invisible spell. So once again, your illusionist can reign spells down upon their enemies while being completely cloaked.
"For my final plague...I cast weird!
Level 9- The top tier of magic does not present us with many options for illusion. At first glance weird seems like an aoe version of phantasmal killer, which is not too bad.. but then again not seemingly earth shattering until you look at the target area, “Any number of creatures, which cannot be more than 30 feet apart.” When put to practical use this is a pretty frightening concept… you know that army of 10,000 bugbears seeking to level the capital city, well now they all must make a save or die. Imagine if cast in a city environment? How many targets can be chained 30 feet apart? In a small dungeon, every encounter could be less than 30 feet apart and they would have to confront their greatest fear or die. For mass slaughter, few spells do better than weird. Meteor swarm may be flashier but then you have to worry about catching allies and collateral damage, weird is surgical. It allows the caster to choose who in the area will be subject to a horrific death on a biblical scale.
Overall- Illusion is a school of magic that really is as useful as the player is crafty. While party members might berate the illusionist for his lack of magic firepower, the right illusion can be a party saver. The right spell for the right situation is always a subject of circumstance. What the spells above illustrate are some illusion spells will make the illusionist much more than just a source of distraction, but a master of fear, shadow, and deception.
-Ben
Use your illusion I
Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 3.5e DM Content with tags D&D, D20, DM Content, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, Pathfinder, RPG, Wizards of the Coast on July 23, 2010 by boccobsblogIllusionists, in 1st and 2nd edition, were always the cute and cuddly spell-casters who could make the orc you were fighting grow bunny ears, and whose best option in a scrap was to disappear only to reappear when he whiffed with his puny dagger +1. No more my friends, the illusionist of third edition is the undisputed master of the shadow plane. In this article, we will look at each spell level and the best options available for the illusionist who wants to be more than the party charlatan. In this article we will make use of the Player Handbook (3.5), the Players Handbook II, and the Spell Compendium, as each of these books has a plethora of useful new spells and are a must have for any 3.5 edition DM’s collection.
Turn this...
Level 0- One should not overlook the usefulness of zero level spells. While ghost sound is the only PHB option for illusion spells. However, the spell silent portal from the spell compendium could have its uses. One could use this spell on a door that the party thief is picking, covering up the noise. Or it could be used to prevent any makeshift alarm traps on a door. For a zero level spell, it has options, if you are looking for a change in place of your typical ghost sound.
Level 1- If your illusionist can tolerate the mockery of his party( about being a leprechaun, for example)the best 1st level illusion spell is, hands down, color spray. While its uses fade for higher-level spell casters, a first level spell that has four different status effects that is pretty tough to beat. I have seen this spell used on my party at low levels and it practically incapacitated the entire group. In fact out of the first level offensive spells color spray is probably one of the best spells overall. Even though it gives a save, its area of effect is a cone.
Level 2- Invisibility is the bread and butter utility spell, which has dozens of uses and most likely will be memorized by an illusionist as soon as he can access 2nd level spells, but what if I were to tell you that by casting a second level spell twice you could kill 90% of monsters of any hit die that you could encounter… because that is what phantasmal assailants (spell compendium) can do for you! This spell inflicts attribute damage not penalties meaning with a failed save they take 8 wisdom and dexterity damage. This in itself is useful in making the target easier to hit ( by lowering dex) and easier for your spells to take effect ( by lowering wisdom) but if a second spell is casted within the duration, that is 8 more in attribute damage. 16 wisdom or dexterity loss will incapacitate most foes and if not make them sitting ducks for future mind-breaking illusions. Keep in mind the spell does have a duration, and at the end of which the spell will have no use, but if it is casts consecutively, it could lead to a potent combination.
Into this...
Level 3- Displacement is a very useful defensive buff but let us place another potent combination into our grimoire. Suspended silence. Silence is always a useful spell-caster bane. This version gives us a command word activated ability. Imagine casting this on one of your ranger’s arrows and having him pelt the lich with them; you speak the command word basically eliminating most of his offensive capabilities. Or using a bit of subterfuge (invisibility perhaps) you cast this spell on the enemy wizard’s favorite magic item. When combat breaks out you utter the command to leave them spell-less, they must then make the choice to discard the item or go silent. Plus one would imagine if it were a wand or staff they would be unable to activate it because you have silenced them.
Level 4- Greater Invisibility is the lynchpin of mages everywhere, as they cloak themselves to reign death upon their enemies with little recourse. Yet after annoying several DMs with this tactic, eventually more and more enemies will gain the ability to see the invisible, which is when the crafty wizard implements the ever-useful greater mirror Image (PHBII). This spell not only creates more images than the second level companion, but also makes new images over time. This makes the wizard practically as protected from attack as invisibility, but it is much harder to counter.
-Ben
(Next time, we’ll look at level 5-9)
Content Poll
Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 3.5e DM Content, Poll, Uncategorized with tags D&D, D20, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, GURPS, Larp, Pathfinder, Poll, RPG, Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, World of Darkness on July 19, 2010 by boccobsblogHow to Make Tokens for Any Game System
Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 3.5e DM Content, D&D 4e Content, D&D 5e, D&D Fifth Edition, D&D Next, Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, The Crafty DM with tags Crafts, D&D, D&D Tokens, D20, DM Content, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, How to, How to make D&D tokens, Larp, Pathfinder, RPG, Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, Tokens, World of Darkness on July 16, 2010 by boccobsblogIt is hard to match the coolness of gaming with 3D miniatures and terrain, but miniatures can get expensive. A cheaper alternative to miniatures is 2D tokens. Tokens have two major advantages over miniatures: they are much cheaper, and you can create a token to accurately match any creature in your game regardless of system or genre. Best of all, tokens are very simple to make.
Materials List
Time and patience (seriously) Circular paper punch
Photo paper Chipboard
Glue stick Wax paper
Digital images
Step one
Select the images that you want to make tokens of. You can find anything you need by simply running a Google image search. I take my images directly from Wizards of the Coast. You have to search around (or click this link), to find them, but all the art from all the 3.0/3.5 books can be found free of charge. (That is one problem I have with 4th edition, most of the art galleries require a DDI subscription)
Step two
Once you have the images that you want, paste them into a Word or Publisher document. I have seen other sites mention fancy token making software and Photoshop programs, but you don’t need any of those. Simply paste your images onto a MS Word document placing them in even lines. By double clicking the image on the page, you can adjust its size, color, etc.
For some large pictures, you may want to crop the portion that you intend to use. Again, you don’t need fancy software, your computer’s Paint program will work just fine. Make sure the image is larger than the token. For example, a tiny, small, or medium token will be a one-inch circle, so make you image 1.25 – 1.5 inches to ensure you don’t lose any part of the image when you cut it.
Also, don’t bother trying to make a fancy border around your picture, they are hard to cut out and take up valuable space.
Step three
Once you have your images arranged on a Word document, you’re ready to print them out. Use a high-grade photo paper. It costs more, but the added quality is worth the cost.
Learn from my mistakes. In the past I have tried several different paper types, sticker paper (don’t cut cleanly, and the image is grainy), various cardstocks (any images will be low quality) to name a few, photo paper is your best bet.
Step four
Once your images are printed out, you’re ready to cut. (Note: the printer ink will likely still be wet on your photo paper, so be careful and allow it an hour to dry before messing with it)
Save yourself a world of trouble and purchase a circle cutter from your local scrapbook store. They come in various sizes, and you will need a 1” punch for tiny, small, and medium, a 2” for large, a 3” for huge, a 4” inch for gargantuan, and a 6” for colossal (but you will use this one so rarely you can skip it and cut out squares if you like).
By using these punches, you will save yourself a great deal of trouble and frustration. I started out with just a 1” punch and tried to cut the larger monster into squares. The end product (regardless of the tools used), was not high quality. The circle punch will give you a perfect cut every time and look amazing.
Marvy or EKsuccess brands work well
Step five
Next, you will need to glue the circle onto a sturdier material. Some sites recommend washers, but that can get costly, take up more room and weigh a ton. Just use chipboard (thin cardboard) that you can get for next to nothing at the scrapbook store where you bought your circle punch. Punch out several chipboard circles. Glue your photo paper images onto the chipboard circles with glue and you’re nearly done. (Note: don’t try and save time by gluing the photo paper to the chipboard and then trying to punch out the images, the photo paper/chipboard combo will be too thick and you’ll get ragged cuts)
Final step
Place your tokens on a flat, hard surface, cover with a piece of wax paper, and place several heavy books on top. Leave the tokens to dry for several hours.
Magic 2011 released this Friday
Posted in Gaming News, Magic the Gathering, Product Review with tags Boccob, Collectable Card Game, Gaming, Magic the Gathering, Wizards of the Coast on July 14, 2010 by boccobsblog
Magic the Gathering’s latest core set is will be released this Friday, July 16th. This 249 card set will feature creatures, spells, and artifacts from Magic’s 17 year history. This black-bordered set is visually stunning, and M11’s lands are some of the most beautiful to date. Visit Wizards.com/magic for more details. And for those of you that have been away from the game for a few sets and need to reacquaint yourselves with the rules, detailed rulebooks can be downloaded for free here.
Image found at Wizards.com/magic
Gygax Memorial Fund
Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 4e Content, Gaming News with tags D&D, D20, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, Gary Gygax, GURPS, Gygax Memorial Fund, Larp, Pathfinder, RPG, Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, World of Darkness on July 12, 2010 by boccobsblogLast week we ran an article about the new Tomb of Horrors. That discussion got me thinking about Gary, and his massive impact on millions of people. After I posted the article regarding ToH, it dawned on me that I should have mentioned the memorial fund working to honor Gary with a bronze statue in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I would like to take that opportunity now.
The Gygax Memorial Fund is a non-profit organization led by Gary’s widow, Gail Gygax. You can make a donation on the fund’s website or by writing to Gail directly (her address can be found on the fund’s site). So take a moment and check out the site, and be sure to read some of the testimonials of gamers explaining how much D&D has improved their lives.
If you have it to spare, give something to honor the man who gave us all so much.
-Andy
Boccob's Blessed Blog 