[4E] Magic Halloween Candy

Posted by Jonathan | | , | 0 comments »
October 31, 2009

This post originally appeared Oct 31, 2008.



Halloween is finally here, and so I give you 19 new types of consumables for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons - Halloweeny Candy! You can mix these candies with any of your usual, non-magical candies and make bags of candy for each of your players as gifts. Each bag of candy might contain 2d4 pieces of candy per tier (2d4 for Heroic, 4d4 for Paragon, etc). Your players can trade them back and forth, and surprise their opponents with all sorts of new tricks and treats! Better yet, a mob of trick-or-treating kobolds or goblins might show up with bags and bags of candy, passing themselves off as kids in costumes! Oh what silly fun...

 2d10
Magic Candy
2


Creepy Peepers - These small, fleshy eyes are cream-filled (don't ask) and smell a bit like salted fish. Consuming a Creepy Peeper gives a +5 bonus to Perception Checks until the end of the encounter.
3


Boogymen Lollis - These lollipops are made from poached goblin dwarves which have been dipped in a sugar glaze. They come in many colors, but blue is a favorite. Licking these lollipops as a minor action gives +5 bonus to Stealth skill checks until the beginning of your next turn.
4


Bloodwyrms - These stringy, gum-like "wyrms" come in a variety of colors including red (fire bloodwyrm), blue (ice bloodwyrm), and black (deathwyrms). Each color grants whomever consumes the worm Resist 5 to one type of attack, depending on the wyrm's color. Only one type of bloodwyrm can be in effect at any time.
5


Precious Eel Zappers - These tiny, sqaure eel eggs are a type of hard candy that are usually found in cartridge like dispensers filled with 3d6 of them. Each P.E.Z. gives a +2 electrical bonus to their next attack. Using the P.E.Z. dispenser is a minor action.
6


Finger Pops - These are prized by rogues everywhere. Finger Pops are made from crushed spiders and monkey livers rolled in granola and dipped in a dark Theutotian chocolate. Consuming a Finger Pop two minor actions, but once done they grant a +5 bonus to Thievery skill checks until the end of the encounter.
7


Zombrains - These small silvery packages are covered with strange runes that shimmer in the light. Inside is a spongy like yellow ball that is slightly damp to the touch, and smells of fetid ochre. Consuming this repugnant mess reveals a surprising delicious bouquet of flavors that rush into the eater's mind: lemon, lime, cinnamon, raspberry, vanilla. Quite refreshing - Zombrains also grant a +5 bonus to Arcana skill checks until the end of the encounter.
8


Rat-on-a-Stick - A Halloweeny Classic! These savory, hairless beasts come in three flavors (BBQ, Honey Dijon, and Salt'N Vinegar). Consuming one is a standard action, but once finished the PC immediately gains a number of temporary hit points equal to their healing surge value. 
9


Chocolate Espresso Bean Rat-on-a-Stick - A visionary, new type of candy for this year's Halloweeny celebration! The chocolate version of the Rat-on-a-Stick classic grants a +2 bonus to the PCs next move and they gains 6 temporary hit points in the process.
10


Teefcrunchers - Made from the shells of Artribidge Crabs, this hard candy is meant to be savored and not crunched (or you'll shatter your teeth). For every round a PC savors a Teefcruncher in their mouth (as a minor action), they gain Regeneration 2. One Teefcruncher lasts until the end of the encounter or for 5 minutes.
11


Beetlesnaps - Tiny brown and black beetles are meant to be thrown down on the ground (DO NOT EAT!). Thrown correctly (Dex vs. Reflex), these beetlesnaps burst with load pop and target creature is forced to attack the thrower of the beetlesnaps until the end of their next turn. They are just soooooo annoying!
12


Nailbiters - Tiny sticks of hard-bread baked into the shape of nails are dipped in chocolate or a heavy sugar glaze (sometimes both). Eating one of these as a minor action gives a +2 bonus to your next melee attack roll. Eating more than your constitution modifier's worth of these in a single day has some terrible, foul-smelling side effects...
13


Death Mints - Well.. Halloweeny is "Trick or Treat!" right? Well, Death Mints are more the trick part of things. These tiny mints often look like Precious Eel Zappers or Teefcrunchers, but of course are not. Once eaten, they cuase ongoing Necrotic 2 damage (save ends) and the victim starts uncontrollably moaning like a ghost.
14


Pumpkin Bombs - A classic from days long past, Pumpkin Bombs are back! These fist-sized pumpkins have been stuffed with the best in Gnomish (or Kobold) engineering: explosives! They can be accurately thrown at any square within 6 squares, have a Burst 3 effect that includes a fiery explosion for 3d6 points of damage.
15


Chocolate Treant Bark - The brittle slivers of chocolate are made with chips from real Treant bark.  Once eaten as a minor action, they grant a +2 bonus to armor class until the end of your next turn.
16


Glow Pops - These tiny lollipops glow once unwrapped for 5 minutes or until the end of encounter. The light they shed reaches out to 3 squares, but if eaten the light can be focused from the PCs mouth like a bulls-eye lantern with a range of 6 squares.
17


Wax Lips - The faux lips come in two colors: red and black. The red lips, if eaten, grant a +5 bonus to Diplomacy until the end of the encounter or for 5 minutes. The black variety grants a +5 bonus to Insight until the end of the encounter or for 5 minutes.
18


Grey Ooze Pouch - Yuck! Handle with care! This leathery pouch contains a small grey ooze! Once released, it will dissolve locks and other metal objects it is applied to within 5 minutes, leaving nothing behind. What you do with the ooze once it is done is up to you!
19


Weasel Pops - Similar to Rat-on-a-Stick, these feral pops grant a +5 bonus to Acrobatics skill checks until the end of the encounter or for 5 minutes. Eating one is a standard action.
20


Black Pudding Pouch - Trick! This looks just like a grey ooze, but once opened the Ochre Jelly within slithers out and immediately attacks anyone adjacent to it.

Well, that's it! Let me know if you use any of these items in your game! I had probably too much fun putting this list together.


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I am a gamer... The Final Post

Posted by Jonathan | | , | 16 comments »
October 26, 2009

Well, I guess this is it. One year of blogging for The Core Mechanic and this, my friends, is the last post.

What can I say?

It's been an incredible year of gaming and blogging goodness for me. I am a gamer, and I always will be. I've made some incredible friends in the blogosphere; and had some interesting "real-life adventures" as a result. I guess I have all of you to thank for all the fun I've had. A year ago I would have never thought I would have written 311 blog posts about RPGs, published an anthology of RPG blogs, and started a company with partners I've never even met. To say it's been a crazy year would be a huge understatement.

I've made so many new connections I can't even count them. I've learned a mountain's worth about an industry I would have never guessed I would have had so much interest in. There's so much more I could say -- but for once, I'll be short on words. To the RPG blogging community, and to the readers of this blog, YOU HAVE MY THANKS!!!

I'll leave you with the results of the I am a Gamer RPG Audio Montage Project I announced last week. The following responses were collected by email, twitter and comments to this blog. The I AM A GAMER mp3 audio file can be downloaded here, or you can listen to it directly in your browser using the Google gadget widget below. The voices are myself, my wife, Berin Kinsman, and three other anonymous people. At exactly 4 minutes, I hope you enjoy it.







Farewell! And don't forget to stop by Nevermet Press on July 6th! It's first day NMP will be posting new content compatible with ANY roleplaying game. Our RSS feed is available today, so please head over there and add us to your feed reader!

Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment and let us know what you thought of the I am a Gamer RPG Audio Montage. If you missed out -- leave your own "I am a gamer..." comment below!


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I am a gamer ...

Posted by Jonathan | | , | 20 comments »
June 21, 2009

As many of you know, I'll stop posting on The Core Mechanic on July 1st, since I'm going to be focusing all my efforts entirely on Nevermet Press. So, I've been giving a lot of thought to what my last post will be - and what I've come up with is a sort of an audio montage modeled somewhat like the NPR "This I believe" project. I think, if we can pull it off, it would make for a great last post.

So, I have less than two weeks to collect as many responses as I can. I'm looking for any one of the following, all of which should begin with the phrase "I am a gamer...":

  1. An .mp4 or similar audio file, edited however you want but under 15 - 20 seconds in length.
  2. Send me a link, or leave a link below in the comments, to your own blog or to the location of your audio file on the net somewhere.
  3. Write it out in the comments below and I'll have it read aloud by one of my Fey Minions. Please keep it less than 5 or 6 sentences.
  4. Tweet me  @thecoremechanic with something short and readable using the hash tag #IAMAG
If you are a blogger, please spread the word about this. Links from your own blog, pointing your readers here would be great! The more voices and viewpoints we get, the better. It would be awesome to get dozens or hundreds of readers viewpoints and voices together and share the reasons behind our passion for gaming. I'm also working on getting a few "figures in the industry" to participate as well.

Once the project is done, I'll make the file available for download as part of my last blog post.


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We got 78 responses to our Old School analysis survey which is just awesome! I can't thank you guys enough for your input which is really really interesting. We definitely have some trends that can be examined though I think in hind sight I should have made the first question: What sort of games do you prefer?
Which would have been infinitely valuable to me as a game designer because if all I have to do is include some randomly generated background tables to make 62% of gamers get that nice old school twinge of nostalgia, then I'd do so in a flash because really, that sort of thing doesn't compromise setting or system integrity and GM's never really have to use them.

So without further adieu, the Results!

CHARACTER LEVELS
Old School 24 31%
New School 7 9%
Not Old School or New School 36 46%
Antiquated and Obsolete 6 8%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 5 6%
Other 0 0%

This first result was really interesting, the fact that 6 people said character levels are antiquated and 5 people said they're fundamental is fascinating to me. I personally think they're antiquated but I understand they have their up-sides. I'm not sure what to make of people saying character levels are new school, though the fact that almost 10% of the voters do is telling... maybe they are people who are used to point-based systems and see level advancement as a carry over from computer games. The Old School and "Neither" results are about what I expected, but they really do showcase the differences in opinion on what Old School is very well.

Randomly Generated Character Backgrounds
Old School 48 62%
New School 2 3%
Not Old School or New School 20 26%
Antiquated and Obsolete 6 8%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 1 1%
Other 1 1%

These are pretty much clear cut. The vast majority of you guys believe that randomly generated character backgrounds are Old School, which I agree with. Not a lot of people consider them obsolete but I'd be guessing that those people that do are fairly strong narrativist gamers. I think this is an important result for any game designer looking to create an old school product because there isn't a lot of agreement at all on what defines old school but this is one of the few items there's a majority agreement on.

Open-Ended Variety of Skills/Abilities
Old School 13 17%
New School 23 29%
Not Old School or New School 32 41%
Antiquated and Obsolete 6 8%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 3 4%
Other 1 1%

These results surprised me because this is a trait all the games I consider Old School have. To me the idea of finite and set abilities is a new thing but I'm in the minority. This is a tough question and one I don't know if I asked correctly, it certainly could warrant another post to explain further and get more feedback.

Hit Location Mechanics
Old School 23 29%
New School 8 10%
Not Old School or New School 42 54%
Antiquated and Obsolete 5 6%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 0 0%
Other 0 0%

Another interesting result. As a medic I'm a big fan of hit location because I honestly believe it models damage better, but it is an extra level of clunk so not very good in a game that's meant to be played fast and loose. I think this question could benefit especially from a question of people's preferences as well.

Random Encounter Tables
Old School 62 79%
New School 1 1%
Not Old School or New School 8 10%
Antiquated and Obsolete 5 6%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 2 3%
Other 0 0%

These show another obviously Old School consensus which I agree with. Personally I feel that Random Encounter Tables have some value in exhibiting the common wildlife in a region but they rarely represent the actual behavior of such animals. Thus I find the balance between a realistic system of encounters and one that's actually playable lies in the "just leave it out and make it GM's discretion" territory. For those of you who disagree please leave your flames in the handy comment box at the bottom.

Crit Tables
Old School 33 42%
New School 4 5%
Not Old School or New School 36 46%
Antiquated and Obsolete 4 5%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 1 1%
Other 0 0%

These results are fairly odd, if I could hazard a guess I'd say the even divide between the Old School and "Neither" results are from people that have only played versions of D&D and no other games and thus marked Crit Tables as "Neither" being some oddity other games had, and the other crowd that remembers all those old games with the crit tables and figures they're old school and voted accordingly. I could be wrong, but that's my only explanation for such weird results.

Detailed Example Adventure Module
Old School 8 10%
New School 12 15%
Not Old School or New School 33 42%
Antiquated and Obsolete 1 1%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 24 31%
Other 0 0%

I've noticed in more than one pet peeve questionnaire that "lack of an adventure module" is usually mentioned several times so game designers need to take heed there. As a side note I think that game supplements that are just one adventure storylines have a distinctly old school feel to me.

Boxed Sets
Old School 47 60%
New School 0 0%
Not Old School or New School 20 26%
Antiquated and Obsolete 9 12%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 1 1%
Other 1 1%

If I could find a cheap manufacturer of for a line of boxed sets you can bet your mother's apple pie that I'd go that direction.

Multiple Core Books
Old School 10 13%
New School 20 26%
Not Old School or New School 36 46%
Antiquated and Obsolete 4 5%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 7 9%
Other 1 1%

The validity of multiple core books ultimately depends on the setting and game design principles in my opinion.

Highly Detailed Maps
Old School 19 24%
New School 9 12%
Not Old School or New School 37 47%
Antiquated and Obsolete 1 1%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 11 14%
Other 1 1%

I think that some maps have a more old school look than others. I love maps. Game books don't have enough of them.

Social Interaction Mechanics
Old School 5 6%
New School 49 63%
Not Old School or New School 19 24%
Antiquated and Obsolete 4 5%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 1 1%
Other 0 0%

This is perhaps the most obvious but also the biggest surprise for me. The idea that social mechanics are decidedly new school is pretty much the universal consensus it seems... but the fact that only 1 person called them fundamental surprises me greatly. I consider social systems extremly important for a balance role-playing experience. But I'm a simulationist. Makes me wonder if I could do a gamer political satire article about how Old schoolers are the gamer equivelant of Libertarians, Narrativists are Liberals, and Simulationists are Republicans... I must dwell on this further... I think there is much humor to be made there.

Emo Elves
Old School 4 5%
New School 39 50%
Not Old School or New School 22 28%
Antiquated and Obsolete 8 10%
Fundamental in All Games Old and New 4 5%
Other 1 1%

The species Ellifus Saddius - or "Emo Elf" as it is colloquially known - is an offshoot of the Ellifus Gaius which originated in the Tolkeen novel The Hobbit, both of which are far removed from their distant cousin species the Ellifus Chrismatica.

The first sighted Ellifus Saddius was in a dark hole depicted in a R.A. Salvatore. Dark places are the Emo Elf's natural habitat, though they do venture into the light occasionally to gain further Emo'ness because sunlight makes them sad. They gain an especially sublime sadness from sunrises and sunsets.

The primary food of the Emo Elf is goblin guts seasoned with the Emo Elf's own tears, though the Ellifus Saddius is also known to derive sustenance from Orc's frost giants, and demons, never humans or other Ellifus genii.

Emo Elves can interbreed with normal humans, the offspring of such unions is always an Anime or Manga protagonist. It is believed that these offspring are sterile, but this cannot be proven because none have ever been witnessed actually breeding.


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Today, Nevermet Press is sad to report the departure of one of our founders: Quinn Murphy (aka gamefiend). Quinn has decided to strike out on his own as a game designer, and to continue the development of his excellent RPG blog At-Will. If the quality of his blog, and the rapid expansion of his ambitious 4Etopia community forums is any indication of his future success, his future looks as bright as ever. The reasons for his departure are not the result of any internal conflict or "issues", but more that he simply wants to focus on his own personal development as a game designer and author. His input, opinions, and suggestions were pivotal in helping shape the core values underlying Nevermet Press, and we would be lying if we didn't say this came as a surprise. Needless to say, we are disappointed to see him go. We wish him all the luck and success we can and hope to continue working with him in the future.


"Good Luck, Quinn! We will miss you! And we hope you find your hearts desire!"

Now, for everyone who is looking forward to Nevermet Pres, this news does not in any way affect NMPs future! We will continue to push forward and launch Nevermet Press on schedule in July. We've already gathered over 20 highly enthusiastic writers and artists and are always looking for more. One of the cornerstones of Nevermet Press is community development and engagement. So, if you are an RPG blogger who wants to get involved, please contact us!

Jonathan Jacobs & Michael Brewer
Nevermet Press


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