D is for Dog (WIP)

In the last session my players started to plan the expedition to Under. One of the players wanted to buy a dog, and of course he or she can buy a dog, but I got a feeling that the rules or the way we use dogs are not the way I want.

The dog is a mans best friend and all, but it is still only an animal. They can be more usefull than many henchemen but we talk about the arse-sniffing and ball catching creatures with a will of their own and all.
And the better the dog, the bigger the pricetag.

oh, and we are not talking small poodles or something but we talk about ten diffrent breed of trained killing machines and usefull dogs. Not that kind you put in your purse or anything.

step 1 - decide the number of available dogs in town.

Not everyone wanna part with their dog of course but a few dogs at least could be available.
Availabe dogs are at no price adjustment, "ex" are exclusive dogs with a loving owner whom can part with their dogs only because they feel that the money are really needed in their life right now,

Traders camp: 1t3-1 available, 1t3-1 ex.
small hamlet: 1t4 available dogs and 1t3-1 ex.
Village: 1t6 available dogs and 1t4-1
Small town: 2t6 dogs, and 1t6-1 ex.
Sprawling city: 2t8 dogs, and 1t8-1 ex.

Step 2 - Make a note of the basic values for a dog

Basic values, the untrained puppy stats
MD (Morale dice (Aenglum)/ Hit dice (other systems)): 1 (1d6)
Life: 4
DV (Defense value (Aenglum)/Armor class): 10
Attack:  #1, +0, bite 1t4
Movement: 6 sq (other systems: 12 )
Personality: None
Abilities: Good senses (+2 on smell/listen rolls, harder to surprise)
Order Difficulty: 14 (The difficulty to make a dog do what you want it to do. A roll made with your charisma modifier. The difficulty can be modified depending on some factors.)
Price: 10 Aengels

Step 3 - Roll the race of the dog

10 diffrent races of dogs in Aenglum. If they are at a breeders house there should be a 1-4 chance on a d6 that one dog share the same race as one of the other dogs.

1, Eizenheimer warbred. 
The Eizenheimer warbred is a big mastiff dog from the cold north. It is bred for war and a rough life in the northern wastes. It is big as a dwarf and have jaws from hell. It is considered the most intelligent of all dogs and like to have his own will in any group even tho it can't talk.
MD: +1 (2d6+2), Life: +4 (8), DV: +2 (12), Attack: #1 +2, Damage: bite 2d4+1
Racial ability: Dog of war (is a tough son-of-a-dog)
Order Difficulty: -2 (12)
Price: +20 (30)

2. Draengherder.
The Draengherder is a common dog in the borderlands used mostly by farmers and hunters. They are mostly double coated with a tan body with a black sadle colouring. It has a good reputation for its good temper and obidience.
MD: +1 (2d6), Life: +2 (6) DV: +2, Attack: #1 +1, Damage: 1d6
Racial ability: 
Order Difficulty: -4 (10)
Price: +15 (25)

3. Alkenhaerth hound.
The Alkenhaerth is a dog used primarily by hunters and scouts. It is known to find its way around the wilderness and is a favourite to any rangers of the wild.
MD: +1 (2d6), Life: +0 (4), DV: +3 (13), Attack: #1 +1, Damage: 1d6
Racial ability: Guide (is really good to know its way around the wilderness)
Order Difficulty: -2 (12)
Price: +10 (20)

4. Lirdian Sheepdog
Used mostly by farmers and herders. This white long-haired beast likes to play but have a good way of combining this with following most commands.
MD: +1 (2d6), Life: +0 (4) DV: +2 (12), Attack: #1 +1, Damage: 1d6
Racial ability: Herder (is very usefull to encircle prey and drive them in the right direction)
Order Difficulty: -4 (10)
Price: +5 (15)

5. Hjaelmengard.
The Hjaelmengard is a large molosser dog used most often in the Haergard army. This big black and mean dog is great for guard duty. Outside of the hard and diciplined life in the army it is known to misbehave and need a sturdy hand to keep it in order.
MD: +1 (2d6+2), Life: +1 (5) DV: +3 (13),  Attack: #1 +2, Damage: 1d6+1
Racial ability: Guard (almost impossible to suprise)
Order Difficulty: -0 (14)
Price: +15 (25)

6. Imperial Lostrian.
The Imperial Lostrian is a dog that came with the imperial fleet at the landing. It is a huge dog of golden colour and is valued very high. It is often found in imperial bastions in the south. 
MD: +1 (2d6+2), Life:  +2 (6) DV: +3 (13), Attack: +2, Damage: 1d6+1
Racial ability:
Order Difficulty: -0 (14)
Price: +20 (30)

7. Lenjin Strongnose.
The Lenjin Strongnose are very popular among bounty hunters. 
MD: +1 (2d6), Life: +0 (4) DV: +2 (12), Attack: +1, Damage: 1d6
Racial ability: Tracker (is very good at tracking someone)
Order Difficulty: -2 (12)
Price: +10 (20)

8. Romphin Minepaw.
The dwarven dog of the underworld. As short and sturdy as their masters this grumpy dog is used to living in the dark.
MD: +1, (2d6) Life: +0 (4) DV: +2 (12), Attack: +1, Damage: 1d6
Racial ability: Stone sense (good at finding secret passages, detecting traps and navigate underground)
Infravision (these dogs can see in the dark, at least a few feet)
Order Difficulty: -0 (14)
Price: +10 (20)

9. Haestrinn buch-hound.
The Buch-hound is a common dog among the villages in the swamps of the south. They are known to turn on their masters at times and even themselves. If you want a shit-eating big angry unpredictable killing machine you would want a Haestrinn buch-hound.
MD: +1 (2d6), Life: +0 (4) DV: +2 (12), Attack: +1, Damage: 1d6
Racial ability: Unpredictable
Order Difficulty: +2 (16)
Price: +5 (15)

10. Midlander Thucker.
These large long-legged mastiff dogs are well reputed in the midlands and are seen as great companions. The long legs make them as high as the Eizenheimer. They often have an harlequinn coating (White with black spots)
MD: +1 (2d6+1), Life:  +1 (5) DV: +2 (12), Attack: +1, Damage: 1d6
Racial ability: loyal
Order Difficulty: -2 (12)
Price: +10 (20)

Step 4 - How trained is the dog?

1. Trained by a sadist.

Some people should not get an animal and this poor beast have been trained into a world of hate, fear and bloodlust. It gets +2 on order difficulty and have a 20% chance of biting an innocent, bark at children and missbehave. If the sadist sell you this creature you will have to pay 5 Aengels extra but if there is a normal person selling tou this it will come with a warning and a discount of 10 Aengels.

2. Poor training

This dog is not finnished with his training. It will have an order difficulty of +2.

3-5 Normal training

This dog is propperly trained and ready for adventure.

6. Good training

The dog is trained very well and has an Order difficulty of -2, and +1 MD (HD in other systems) The price is at +1d10 Aengels.

7. Very good training

This is exemplary training and the order difficulty is at -4, and +1 MD (HD in other systems). The price on this dog is at +2d10 Aengels

8. Trained by the best!

This dog is extremly well behaived and trained.  The order difficulty is at -6, and +1 maximum MD (+1 HD with maximum hit points in other systems). The price at +25 Aengels.

Step 5 - Quirks for the dog

1. Fat & Clumsy 
This dog may have been some hero-dog once upon a time but it has been left lazy for to long and is now an overweight and clumsy joke-of-a-dog. The price goes down by -1d10 Aengels. as do a MD and -2 on movement.
2. Small & Weak
It may happen that this dog is loyal and well trained but it is really small for its race and have less muscles. It lose 1 MD and does a damage die less (d6 become d4, a d4 become a d3) One get 1d10 discount.
3. Short legs
This dog has short legs for its breed. it get -2 in movement and can jump shorter distances, -4 on jump checks. you get a 1d10 discount.
4. Holy teeth of the inqusition 
This dog is great for hunting the undead and have +2 damage against them.
5. Hungry
If one doesn't feed this dog regulary it will have an order difficulty of +4. It will have to make a Willpower (wisdom in other systems) check every 2 hours or have an 1d4 morale damage.
6. Bad temper
This dog is temperate and like to bark at people and seem upset. It has a +2 order difficulty.
7. likes to play
This dog likes to play and if someone take their time and play around with it he will get a -2 order difficulty for the next two hours. The dog regenerates morale (HP in other systems) while playing.
8. Ghast Sniffer
This dog has a knack for finding ghost and other unseen horrors. He will bark at invisible things.
9. Pure Breed
This dog has an ancestry and are the purest of his kind. He will cost an additional 1d10 Aengels but has an additional strong attribute consistant with his race.
10. Mixed breed
This dog is a mix of two diffrent breeds. There is a small chance that this other mix is of a magical or otherwise supernatural sort.
11. The jesters companion
Some jester must have trained this animal as it is very good at tricks and can balance stuff on its nose.
12. Magical Sensitivity
This dog can sense magic and will bark at magical items.
13. Witch hunter
This dog can sense the smell of corruption and will bark at witches, wizards and deamons alike.
14. Scary looking
This dog may have a white eye and scars. Well something makes it very scary and it has a fear attack each combat. 1d6 morale damage against weak opponents. (a morale check in other systems)
15. Torch bearer
This dog is not afraid of fire and is trained to carry a torch.
16. Fast
This dog is very fast and have a base movement of +2
17. Hunter
This dog is trained in the art of hunting and can track and hunt at +2
18. good climber
climbs with a +2 modifier
19. Mans best friend
this dog really attach to another being and this being get +3 on Order Difficulty. The first person who succeed on a charisma check at difficulty 20 is this dogs best friend. Each person can only try one time each day. The person who want to charm this beast must really make an effort to make the roll.
20. the Holy dog of the gods
This dog is chosen by the gods as it will seem. Once per day the dog can cast the miracle of the god.
1d6 1. Aeidmar - light 2. Haergmor - cone of cold, 3.Laeendur - Heal 4. Dyince - pass without trace 5.Elmendar - bound by faith 6. shield against the corrupt

A is for Art

Mentioned earlier this week that you must get the next issue of the manor. +Tim Shorts posted some Art for this issue today where yours truly are featured among the other great illustrators.
Head over to Gothridge Manor and have a look and read all the other crazy stuff Tim can think of.

"You are not getting any younger" - in a Manor near you

TFE #6: There is no place like home

The 6th session of the warming up of the expedition got to be a hot story. 

Some background leading up to this sessions start:

First of all are the PCs all new to the lands. They have all travelled for one reason or another up to the north part of westforge (in the local tounge "Västhärd") and come to the village of Teirums Ro.

One of the characters, Mortissa Nibeling, a young blackling necromancer, had by her father gained the owners slip to the house called, "Rosbacka", or "Rosenhill Vineyard". It is in this house all the characters can gather and start to feel at home.

In their first adventure (#2-4 I think) they met this gathering called something like, "the cult of Sirtissa", that had kidnapped some locals and transported them up to this place in the north called the "theatre of eternal night".  The cult was lead by Boldazar who were some nobleman in the area.

He had recruited both the foreman of the local sawmill and Gabor, the captain of the village guard, and these two were the liutenants in the cult whom otherwise consisted of local peasants.

Teirums Ro

If it weren't for the small fingers of the thief Raksen, in the group they hadn't found evidence so fast. The guards captain Gabor, a very warm and friendly man in nature, came up to the vineyard, who is located up on the hill looking out over Teirums Ro, and he spoke to them about the newly kidnapped daughter of some harbourmaster. Raksen looked into the bag of the captain and stole a silver mask.

Needless to say that the local cult wore these silver masks, and Boldazar had the most exclusive one, an artifact of great corruption.

The Cults hangout were some hours to the north under an old burnt out mansion.

The cult of Sirtissa secret temple

In the end Boldazar escaped with the kidnapped daughter with the boat on the underground river. They made themselves an enemy and nemesis who will haunt them another day.

How did "There is no place like home" play out?

The session starts with the following lines,

"You wake up! There is something not quite right, drowsily you watch around the dark room, and you sit up on the edge of your bed. Then you suddenly feel that faint smell of smoke, feet walking across the floor, and hear the crackling sound of flames that grabs the wood! Are you under attack? Is Rosbacka on fire? You rush out of bed ... "

All the characters are located in Diffrent rooms in Rosbacka (Rosenhill Vineyard). There is bandits placed at diffrent locations around the house, most likely in corridors. They think that the characters are "magically" asleep and will be surprised to see them awake when they run into eachother.

Rosbacka, 1st floor

Rosbacka, 2nd floor

The first thing to explain is that they have only six seconds (or whatever your combat round is, usually 6-10 seconds) to describe what their characters will do.

I told them the only things they needed to know for now, you can move 6 squares, it will cost you half your movement if you stay to pick something up, it will cost all of your movement if you pick several things up and your movement ens at doors and windows.

As soon as they see a fire, I explained the rules of fire. first their is the players turn, then the enemy has their turn and after this their is a fire turn and then last a smoke inhalation damage turn.

A fire in a square had a number from 1 and up. 1 meaning that it was very weak and easily extiguishable and each strength after tgat made it harder and more dangerous.

If player X saw a fire I let that player roll the dice for that fire in the fire turn.

Fire 1d6 (+ 1 if the fire has reached a strength of 4 ) .

1. loose  -1 str
2. nothing happen
3. Spread in one direction (1t8, 1. SW, 2. W, 3, NW, 4. N, 5. NE, 6. E, 7. SE, 8. S.) If a fire spread to a square allready on fire the str is raised by +1
4. burns stronger with  +1 str + spreads in one direction as on 3.
5. +1 str and spread 1 direction (see 3)
6. Lesser explosion, spread in two directions, see 3, and roll two times.
7. Greater explosion, spread in all directions.
8. Fire tongue. fire jumps in one direction (3) but 3 squares away.

I had rules for navigating through fire, smoke inhalation, and stuck in the fire but never got to use any of these in my session. My players had to much respect for fire after seeing one henchman in an earlier session burn to death after a small jump. This fire were a bit more harmless tho but maybe I failed to explain that? We had fun anyways in the end.

One character died this night. RIP Raksen, the most greedy badger one could find in the kingdom, but he was polite and helpfull.

All in all, the players were shaken and stirred, and NOW they are on their way to UNDER for the first time. This campaign has the name "Under: The first expedition" so now it will finnaly make use of its name in a correct sense! ;)

the Superhero Sexchange

Me and Josefin discused the sexchange of the god of thunder and was thinking we should do it with everyone. She went wild with the pencil and here is the result right now...

Gambit - A girl with a gambling habit

Storm - This man has no complexions

Wolverine - A real slicy heroine with a temper

Black Cat - This man is intimidating in his leather suit

Under: TFE, There's no place like home

I'm really looking forward to the next session of Under: The first Expedition. The group have to this time been searching for adventure but this time adventure will be searching for them. To realise that Rosehill wineyard all of a sudden is a dungeon crawling adventure and not the safe home it used to be.

And the best thing is that I can tell all of you some details and spoil it all, and it will not change anything. You can't be prepared for this.

This adventure start before you have your boots on.

Isn't the manor #7 a must buy?

+Tim Shorts posted an article on Gothridge Manor about The Manor #7. 

I got to have the honor of making a couple of illustrations for the next issue including the above cover. There is a great couple of people in the line up and I am looking forward to see how it will all come together.

+Simon Forster "one of the map masters of the OSR " is in this issue which is nice and I can bet you that you will see us two in some other future projects as well. The Osquip bind our threads of destiny!? I look forward to reading his trouble down the well micro adventure.

In the end I think Tim is a bit to nice to me, but then again the above cover is kick ass! :)

Art of Today: The unghouly Ghast

Inspiration by a childrens book illustrated by Erica Henderson. All children need their first mythos.

Under: Leucrotta

The fifth play session is done and today they faced this creature...

The Leucrotta is a formidable opponent and the Aenglum version is no exeption. The group had to see the most loving dwarf in history get it's throat cut by razor sharp claws. RIP Gwomir, a most formidable priest of Laaendur, love of god, sex and healing.

And now you wonder when the Leucrotta got claws? Aren't they supposed to have hooves? Well, in Aenglum everything is a bit more awsome. ;)

(Art by +Josefin Magnusson  )

Art of today: The Cyclops searching

Me and my wife both like to illustrate, and now and then we help eachother out, and she really helped me out with this piece and elevated it a bit further. Thank you +Josefin Magnusson, Love you!

Under: The Blacklings (Svartlingarna)

Once the Blackling race were a proud and powerfull people together under the banner of their mighty empire. They were an ancient people full of magic and wisdom and the borders of their realm stretched far and wide. But then "something" happened and they almost faded into oblivion.

One day the human empire were in urgent need of help from the Scorned Blackling remnants and they struck a deal that come to change the role they once had and what then came to be.

Blackling

Now the Blackling population live among the humans. Still they are very much distrusted and treated with suspicion and xenophobia. This has lead to the Blacklings withdrawing into isolation, and this isolation is treated with even more false rumors and distrust from the humans.

The Blacklings usually live in small clusters in greater human settlements. Each blackling family/clan hiding inside the walls of their old mansions and households with not so much insight from the outside world. These families have, during their long lifespans, gathered a lot of riches and collected many old ancient artifacts.

No greater incidents have yet occured between the human-blackling populance, but the grudges are still brewing under the surface, and who knows how long they will respect the non-aggression treaties of old?

Blackling Elder

The Blackling characteristics; Str +2, Dex +3, Con +2, Wis +3, Int +5, Chr +3

The Blacklings are foremost among the greatest minds among the people of Aenglum.

Racial abilities and disabilities:

Innate magical ability. Once a day the Blackling can use this spell-like ability.

Natural Resistance to mind affecting spells.

Stealthy. The Blacklings are nimble creatures and move very gracefully.

Ancient Blackling Family names

First sentance (start)

1. Dharia (The black)

2. Dhum (The ancient)

3. Arn (the young)

4. Lhar (the mystical)

5. Thar (the eternal)

6. Rhinn (the red)

First syllable (second word)

1. Drag - (Dragon)

2. Nag - (Serpent)

3. Flor - (Flower)

4. Grigor - (Watcher)

5. Malak - (lord)

6. Ilea - (moon)

8. Iol - (crown)

9. Irinn - (Sword)

10. Mihael - (Wings)

Second syllable (ending)

1. - antin (of the west)

2. - inia (of the night )

3. - iliar (in the shadow)

4. - aurdir (of time)

5. - iandirr (of all)

6. - asiuss (hidden)

7.  - dorr (of the gate)

8. - dhar (of the immortal)

9. -Idhia (of dawn)

10.  - heer (of dusk)

Under: The first expedition. Dungeon One.

Our adventurers of the first expedition cleared their first dungeon this past friday. Hence can I now share it here for all yer pleasure.

The dungeon is placed beneath the burnt out ruins of an old mansion. Part of the mansions cellar are included into the natural caves of the evil druidic occult order of kidnappers that inhabit them.

I used the d30 adventure generator for the plot and stuff and I must say I am a big fan of the D30 stuff out there.

Art of today: The Jotun Giant

Stumbled upon the Jotun Giant and got inspired to make a illustration out of one. Thanks to Svarte Grim I played around with a bit of perspective to. :)

Busy but bored

Lately I have made quite a lot of drawings, I have met many new people, got to play RPG's, PS3 and had a lot of fun, but I always get this feeling that I work to slow and don't get anywhere with most of anything. The "to do" list is long and maybe it is all the unfinnished buisness I have that is gnawing at me.

I am to write an adventure to Klosscon, write on my own campaign, make the mega dungeon "Under" and work 100% on this and be a good father hopefully. Then I must work for the super-secret project  and some  fanzine or two,I am keeping them secret too.

Hurgoth, now super secret