AGE of Tamriel - Spells Preview (Illusion, Mysticism, Restoration)

And here are the finally three schools of magic; Illusion, Mysticism, and Restoration. << PDF Link >>

AGE of Tamriel - Spells Preview (Destruction)

Today's post is another spell preview is the Destruction school of magic: << PDF Link >>

Out of all the schools of magic in AoT, Destruction has the largest list of spells. Most of the spells are elemental in nature, and many of them are just variations on base spell form (X Weapons, X Storm, Wall of X, etc). While that made it easier to write, it also made the school feel rather bland. So, I tried looking at the earlier Elder Scrolls games for ideas for non-elemental spells. From what I have read, most of the earlier spells also fell into that variation-on-a-spell trap. But I did add a few unique spells into the mix, so at least there is some variation within the school.

AGE of Tamriel - Spells Preview (Alteration and Conjuration)

Quick post about my AGE of Tamriel project.

It is coming along okay, if a bit slow. Spent most of the time writing out all the spells for each school of magic, as well as tidying up the specializations. I have also added some small rules for item durability and repairing items. Plus the usual minor edits here and there.

Anyway, here is a preview detailing the spells for magic schools of Alteration and Conjuration.

<< PDF Link >>

Tools & Coconuts: A Laser & Feelings hack

Ever wondered about what it would be like to be stranded on a tropical island? Of course you have. We all have! Well, today you are in luck. Because now you can play out that little thought-experiment with:

(Link to PDF)

What is Tools & Coconuts? Tools & Coconuts is a hack of Ray Otus's Sorcerers & Sellswords (which itself is a hack of John Harper's Lasers & Feelings) that whisks you away to survive on a tropical island. Will you last long enough to be rescued? Or die from exposure, starvation, dehydration, a wild animal, or a poisonous plant? Play and see!

---

So...yeah.

Tools & Coconuts is the product of a night spent reading over Lasers & Feelings, Sorcerers & Sellswords, Tactical Waifu, and few other L&S hacks. During that time I kept imagining quite a few different ideas for my own L&S hack. Even as I lied in bed, I still was having game ideas; an Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider hack, a Redwall hack, Disney's Gargoyles.

When I sat at my computer this morning, I decided to write out one of my ideas: a L&S hack about wilderness survival. But as I started writing, I focused on the tropical island scenario rather than an all-encompassing survival hack. T&C uses much of the text from Ray Otus's Sorcerers & Sellswords. Except for how you create a character and rules for sorcery, T&C pretty much uses the text from Ray Otu's Sorcerers & Sellswords, just re-written to better fit the theme of surviving on a tropical island.

For a good idea on what I was going for, try watching the tv show Gilligan's Island, and the movies Cast Away and Six Days, Seven Nights. Or if you are particular to video games, try playing Stranded Deep.

5th Edition - Zaheer (Re-post)

It has been brought to my attention that I am missing my old Zaheer character write-up for 5th Edition D&D. A little over a year ago, my original site had some issues with it and I lost everything I posted. Well, the posts for my old blog, I still have earlier drafts of everything I've posted. So I spent the morning re-writing Zaheer. I also created a PDF as well.

Screenshot from Nickelodeon's “Avatar: The Legend of Korra".

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Zaheer

Disciple of Guru Laghima, Member of the Red Lotus

Chaotic Evil Human Monk of the Elements 11

Medium Humanoid (human)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armor Class. 15.
Hit Points. 69. Hit Dice. 11d8.
Speed. 60 ft. Initiative. +3.
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STR 10 (+0), DEX 16 (+3), CON 12 (+1).
INT 12 (+1), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 12 (+1).
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Proficiencies. Proficiency Bonus +4.
• Saving Throws. Strength +7. Dexterity +7.
• Skills. Acrobatics +7, Insight +6, Persuasion +5, Religion +5, Stealth +7.
• Tools. Artisan's tools (Calligrapher's supplies).
• Armor. None.
• Weapons. Simple weapons, Shortsword.
• Languages. Common, Celestial, Draconic, Elvish.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feats. Athlete, Mobile, Polearm master.
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Immunities. Disease, Poison.
Senses. Normal. Passive Perception 12.

Actions

Attack. Can attack Twice with the Attack action, using the following:
• Quarterstaff. Melee attack +7. Damage 1d6+3 bludgeoning (versatile 1d8+3).

• Martial Arts. Melee attack +7. Damage 1d8+3 bludgeoning.

Racial/Background Traits

• Human (variant). Ability scores (+1 Dexterity, Wisdom). Bonus skill (Persuasion). Bonus feat (Athlete).

• Acolyte (background). Skill proficiencies (Insight, Religion). Languages (choose any two). Feature (Shelter of the Faithful).

Monk Class Traits

• Unarmored Defense. Armor Class 15 when wearing no armor, nor using a shield.

• Martial Arts. When unarmed or wielding a monk weapon:
— Can use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls while unarmed or with monk weapons.

— Unarmed damage is 1d8.

— After using the Attack action with an unarmed strike or monk weapon, can make one unarmed strike attack as a bonus action.

• Ki. Points 11. Ki Attack +6. Ki Save DC 14. Can spend Ki points on the following abilities:

—Flurry of Blows. After using an Attack action, can spend 1 Ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.

—Patient Defense. Can spend 1 Ki point to use Dodge as bonus action.

—Step of the Wind. Can spend 1 Ki point to use Disengage or Dash as a bonus action, and double jumping distance.

• Unarmored Movement. When not wearing armor, nor using a shield, Speed increased by 20 ft. Can move along vertical and across liquid surfaces without falling.

• Way of the Four Elements (monastic tradition). Can spend up to 4 Ki points on a spell. Elemental disciplines are:
—Elemental Attunement. Can spend 1 Ki point to briefly control elemental forces.

—Fists of Unbroken Air. As an action, can spend 2 Ki points and have one enemy within 30 ft. make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, target takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage, plus an extra 1d10 damage for each additional Ki point spent, and push target 20 ft. away and knock it prone. Takes one-half damage on a successful save and not knocked prone or pushed back.

—Ride the Wind. Can spend 4 Ki points to cast the fly spell on self only.

—Rush of Gales. Can spend 2 Ki points to cast the gust of wind spell.

• Deflect Missiles. When hit by a missile from a ranged weapon attack, can use Reaction to reduce damage by 1d10+11. If damage is reduced to 0 and missile is small enough to hold in one hand and have one hand free, can spend 1 Ki to make a ranged attack with the caught missile as part of the same Reaction. Treated as a monk weapon for the attack.

• Slow Fall. As a Reaction, can reduce falling damage by 55 ft.

• Extra Attack. Can attack twice with the Attack action.

• Stunning Strike. After hitting a creature with an unarmed strike or melee weapon attack, can spend 1 Ki point to attempt a stunning strike. Target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be Stunned until the end of next turn.

• Ki-Empowered Strikes. Unarmed strikes count as magical for purposes of resistances and immunities.

• Evasion. When subject to an effect that allows a Dexterity saving throw for one-half damage, on a successful save no damage is taken instead and only one-half damage on failed save.

• Stillness of Mind. Can use action to end one Charmed or Frightened effect on self.

• Purity of Body. Immunity to disease and poison.

Possessions

Air nomad robes, Quarterstaff.

Creation Notes

Starting Ability Scores. 15, 13, 12, 12, 12, 10.

AGE of Tamriel - Special Materials

Been spending the last few days going over the rules for special materials, not to mention which materials from the Elder Scrolls games I wanted to include. Initially, I tried to give flat modifiers, but with how minimal Fantasy AGE details arms and armor, I found it quite difficult to make each material feel unique. After some time thinking (and looking into FA's magic rules), I decided to try to connect each material to a combat stunt, leaving flat bonuses to those the most powerful, or I didn't have a good idea for.

With all that said, here is what I have currently settled for:

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Special Materials

The Elder Scrolls setting has several unique materials in which arms, armor, and other items can be crafted from. These special materials can be used to create Masterwork items, items that are superior to your everyday items.
Special materials come in four grades; Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Legendary. An item's grade determines how hard it is to craft, a character must have an equivalent degree in the Master Crafter talent to work with the material. The only Legendary material is Daedric, it cannot normally be crafted by characters, it is included here for completeness. Outside of crafting, Uncommon and higher Masterwork items should be acquired as loot during adventures, or as rewards.

AGE of Tamriel - Birthsigns

This passed Thursday, my internet went out for day and a half after an afternoon of a heavy rain and real strong winds. So I spent that Friday and first-half of Saturday working on AGE of Tamriel, bouncing around between magic talents, spells, specializations, alchemy, enchanting, and birthsigns. I ultimately spent my time on a variant rule for birthsigns. This variant rule makes birthsigns are a special talent that can only be taken at 1st level (and only with GM approval).

In designing these talents, I used the wikis for Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and the Elder Scrolls Online as a starting point. And as I'm constantly concerned about power-creep, I tried to steer clear of giving out flat bonuses. I tried relying on granting ability focuses, using unique stunts, re-rolls for a specific focus, and other benefits.

That said, I still feel like many of these talents are outright overpowered or too combat focused, while others will never seen much game-time or are just boring. Perhaps I will visit this variant rule again later on, but for now here is a PDF on what I have for birthsigns so far. I also have another idea for birthsigns, treating them like the racial benefits table. Each birthsign will have a table that you roll 1d6 on to determine your random birthsign benefit.

<< Birthsigns PDF >>

Tidying up and adding old files

Spent the morning tidying up the static pages for 5th edition, Fantasy AGE, Basic fantasy, and the Other Games, adding back links to some of the missing game materials that I've previously had around here.

One thing I have also had added a long time ago but never made a mention of (I think), was my attempt at bringing the Stargate setting to True20. To fix that, here is a link to the PDF. Enjoy.

Edit ---

I've also gone and added lot more old files that I once had on my website long ago. These files are OLD! Old enough for me to feel kinda guilty about how bad they look and read. But, at the time I was having a blast writing up all those things. Still wished I had that kind of enthusiasm and energy back then, would post more often here if I did.

I've added...

... four PDFs detailing my long-forgotten Aliens vs Predator project for Alternity; covering character backgrounds, the Colonial Marines, the Yaujta, and Xenomorphs.

... a PDF detailing set of guidelines to creating starship identification codes for Alternity's Star*Drive setting.

... two PDFs detailing an insectoid race called the Waspfolk. One for True20 and one for Alternity.

... a PDF with new True20 options for adept characters.

... two PDFs detailing two monsters for D20 fantasy. The pettrin, a large flightless bird (possibly a conversion from a Dark Sun creature?), and the spider demon (basically a re-branded xenomorph).

... two PDFs concerning the divine for True20. First is the Avatar template for divinely-empowered mortals, and second is the Deity template for true divine beings.

Current progress on AGE of Tamriel

It has been nearly a year since the last time I put up the preview PDF for my AGE of Tamriel project. It is kinda crazy that it has been that long and I feel like I haven't gotten any closer to finishing this thing. With this project I have seen a tiny amount of the work required to seriously write something, let alone trying to make it look pretty. Much respect to those who do this for a living or as a hobby.

Since that update a year ago, I have made many minor tweaks here and there, had made major rules changes, and created a few more rules. What follows is a small list of the major changes since the last update:

• Completely new color layout.
• New weapon group, items, and basic rules for special materials.
• New/revised talents.
• Written the game benefits for most/all specializations.
• Created alchemy rules.
• Beginnings of the enchanting rules similar to alchemy.
...and
• Tons of frustration in dealing with the magic rules!

And with that list, I feel like I really haven't done much in the past year. Guess I should go back to working on it.

< Preview PDF >

Fantasy AGE - The Inkvasion has come!

As I was writing up the miqo'te for Fantasy AGE, I spent time looking though my old files and trying to see if I had already done so. As I was looking I ran across my notes for a “squidian” character race. This character race was written purely for fun and not meant to be remotely serious. And I thought it would be interesting to see people think of it.

Squidian

Standing four-foot-nothing, squidians are a small humanoid race that dwell under the seas and oceans of the world. They resemble half-sized humans with tentacles for hair and other traits similar to squids.

If you choose to play a squidian, modify your character as follows:

• Add +1 to your Strength.
• Amphibious: You can breathe both in and out of water. However, you have a -2 penalty on Constitution tests when in a dry and/or hot environment, like a desert or in a hot spring.
• Bio-Luminescence: You can produce a bio-luminescent light from your body. Your normal state is a dull glow, but with a Minor action, you can raise its intensity to light up a 6-yard radius for 1 + Constitution minutes. If you are under stress or subject to a jump-scare, you have to make a TN 13 Willpower (Self-discipline) test or temporarily lose control of your bio-luminescence for 1d6+1 rounds. Regaining control requires another Willpower (Self-discipline) test. If you are knocked unconscious or otherwise incapacitated (or sleeping), your bio-luminescence drops to a dull glow.
• Ink Jet: You can spew forth an inky liquid. When underwater you can produce a 6-yard radius cloud of inky darkness that obscures sight for anyone inside. Outside of water, you can blind an enemy with ink to the face for 1d6+1 minutes. This is a ranged attack that uses Accuracy (Ink jet) focus against the enemy's Defense, and has a range of 4/8. While Blind, they automatically fail Perception (Seeing) tests and have a -2 penalty to Defense and attack rolls, but they can remove the ink with a Major action. However, each time you use this ability you lose 5 Health.
• Underwater Dark Sight: You can see in the dark out to 20 yards while underwater.
• Natural Swimmer: You start with the Constitution (Swimming) focus.
• Speed: You have a Speed of 10 + Dexterity (minus armor penalty if applicable) while on land, but have a Swim Speed of 12 + Strength (minus armor penalty if applicable).
• Tentacle Hair: Your hair is really tentacles! With a Major action, you can stretch out your tentacles to manipulate an object or perform a brawling attack out to 6 yards. When using your tentacles in this manner, you suffer a -2 penalty to any ability tests made. If used in combat, your tentacles have a Defense equal to yours -2, and Health equal to one-half your total Health. When your tentacles reach 0 Health, you cannot use them until they grow back in 1d6+1 days.
• All-Thumbs: Living underwater isn't like life on land, so you suffer a -2 penalty on Communication tests when interacting with non-squidians, and on any ability tests when dealing with more complex non-squidian technology (cars, computers, etc). Gaining the Communication (Non-squidian) focus eliminates the Communication penalties, while the Intelligence (Non-squidian lore) eliminates the technology penalty.
• You speak and read Squiddle and the Common Tongue.

Fantasy AGE - Final Fantasy XIV Miqo'te

( Image Source: http://sandracharlet.deviantart.com/art/FFXIV-Gally-329637161 )

Miqo'te

The Miqo'te are a humanoid race with feline characteristics that immigrated to Eorzea during the Age of Endless Frost, a time when the seas turned to ice and passage over them became possible. Since their arrival, the Miqo'te have diverged into two physically distinguishable groups: the diurnal Seekers of the Sun and the nocturnal Keepers of the Moon.
The miqo'te have diverged into two separate ethnicities: the Seekers of the Sun and the Keepers of the Moon. While the diurnal Seekers of the Sun worship Azeyma the Warden with their culture revolving around the sun, the nocturnal Keepers of the Moon prefer the shroud of night and offer their piety to Menphina the Lover.
Comparatively few in number, miqo'te maintain an insular mentality within their clans, tending to avoid contact with the other races. Many individuals lead isolated lifestyles, even when living in the more populous cities.
The Seekers are widely regarded as quickwitted and prone to action, and many bore easily. The Keepers are known for their reticent and brooding personalities, but are also respected and sometimes feared for their tenacity.
Their natural dexterity and quick wit makes them outstanding archers and pugilists.

Seeker of the Sun

The self-proclaimed Seekers of the Sun are the diurnal clan of the Miqo'te race. Their preference for the warm light of day pervades all aspects of their culture, as is apparent in their devout reverence for Azeyma, the Warden, goddess of the sun.
Though relatively few in Eorzea, a small number of them have been accepted into everyday life by the other races in the port city of Limsa Lominsa. Others are known to make their home in the region of the Sagolii Desert.

Playing a Seeker of the Sun

If you choose to play as a Seeker of the Sun, modify your character as follows:
• Add 1 to your Dexterity.
• Pick one of the following ability focuses: Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Perception (Hearing).
• Your Speed is 12 + Dexterity (minus armor penalty if applicable).
• You can speak Miqo'te and Common Tongue.
• Roll twice on the Seeker of the Sun Benefits table for additional benefits. Roll 2d6 and add together. If you get the same result twice, re-roll until you get something different.

SEEKER OF THE SUN BENEFIT TABLE
2d6 Roll   Benefit
------------------
   2       +1 Willpower
  3-4      Weapon Group: Bows*
   5       Focus: Perception (Seeing)
   6       Focus: Constitution (Running)
  7-8      +1 Perception
   9       Focus: Communication (Persuasion)
 10-11     Weapon Group: Spears*
  12       +1 Constitution
* If the class you choose provides this already, you can take the appropriate weapon focus instead.

Keeper of the Moon

The nocturnal among the Miqo'te have dubbed themselves the Keepers of the Moon. Shying from the garish light of day, they revel in the shroud of night, with most offering their piety to Menphina, the Lover, goddess of the moon. The Keepers of the Moon have a custom of applying war paint to their faces, as it is believed the vivid colors grant lunar powers.
Their tradition of hunting in the thick woodlands of the Black Shroud have for years thrown them into conflict with the forestfolk of Gridania, who condemn them as poachers. Of late, however, many Keepers of the Moon have found some small peace with the Gridanians, and taken to living within the city.

Playing a Keeper of the Moon

If you choose to play as a Keeper of the Moon, modify your character as follows:
• Add 1 to your Perception.
• Pick one of the following ability focuses: Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Perception (Hearing).
• Dark Sight 20 yards
• Your Speed is 10 + Dexterity (minus armor penalty if applicable).
• You can speak Miqo'te and Common Tongue.
• Roll twice on the Keeper of the Moon Benefits table for additional benefits. Roll 2d6 and add together. If you get the same result twice, re-roll until you get something different.

KEEPER OFF THE MOON BENEFIT TABLE
2d6 Roll   Benefit
------------------
   2       +1 Willpower
  3-4      Weapon Group: Bows*
   5       Focus: Perception (Tracking)
   6       Focus: Dexterity (Stealth)
  7-8      +1 Dexterity
   9       Focus: Intelligence (Natural lore)
 10-11     Weapon Group: Light blades*
  12       +1 Constitution
* If the class you choose provides this already, you can take the appropriate weapon focus instead.

Fantasy AGE - Expanded Rules for Shields

A month or so ago I ran across a thread on the Roninarmy.com forums talking about rules for shield bash attacks. At the time I was going to write my own set of rules and post them, but I got side-tracked, as usual. However, today while writing the AoT rules concerning special materials like skyforge steel or dwarven iron, I kinda hit a snag.

Shields in Fantasy AGE have only one identifying trait, their Defense Bonus. This makes it rather difficult to create rules for special materials because it there is only one trait you can modify. My approach to handling special materials is similar to Dragon Age*. Each special material modifies the base stats of the item (minus granting talent levels). I also didn't want to the materials to grant stunt bonuses, either. Then the idea hit me, treat them as weapons! Treating them as weapons made it easier to make each special material unique between shields, as well as giving me an idea on how to handle shield bash attacks.

* Geez, I get so many ideas from Dragon Age. Maybe I should just switch to that system instead?

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Expanded Rules for Shields

Here are my expanded rules for shields in Fantasy AGE.

WEAPON GROUP

Shields now are their own Weapon Group. However, it is not a "true" weapon group in that Warriors cannot pick this as one of their starting weapon groups at 1st level.

SHIELDS GROUP (FIGHTING)
Weapon          Defense   Damage    Mn. Str.  Cost
----------------------------------------------------
Light shield      +1      1d6-1       -1      15 sp
Medium shield     +2      1d6          1      30 sp
Heavy shield      +3      1d6+1        2      60 sp
Shield spikes*    --      +2          +1      +10 sp

* Shield Spikes can be added to any shield for an additional cost.

ABILITY FOCUS

Fighting (Shields): Proficiency in using shields as off-hand melee weapons. This ability focus is only used when making shield bash attacks.

TALENT

Shield Mastery Talent
Classes: Rogue, Warrior.
Requirement: None.

You have trained to use your shield as a proper melee weapon.

• Novice: When armed with a shield you can perform the Lightning Attack combat stunt for 2 SP, instead of the usual 3 SP. This extra attack comes from your shield.
• Journeyman: When armed with a shield you can perform the Knock Prone combat stunt for 1 SP, instead of the usual 2 SP.
• Master: You can counterattack an enemy's poor melee attack. When an enemy makes a Melee Attack against you and misses by 4 or more, you can make an immediate shield bash against them as a Free action. However, this counterattack cannot generate stunt points, and you only add half your Strength (rounded down) to the damage roll. You can only perform one counterattack in a single round.

Warriors: Warriors add this talent to the list of starting talents from which to choose from at 1st-level.

Fantasy AGE - Welcome to Hadley's Hope!

Spent the morning watching my favorite movie ever, Aliens! I have seen the movie so many times that I can picture what is happening on-screen exactly from the dialogue alone, and have most of the lines memorized. Such a good action movie!

Anyway, about halfway through I wondered on how the drones would look like in Fantasy AGE. So, I wrote them up. I flipped through the rulebook and the Bestiary to see if there were any monsters that kinda resemble the xenomorphs. And I think the werewolf from the Bestiary fits pretty well, both have that "killing machine" vibe.

Even before finishing the drone I decided to write up the rest of the xenomorph life cycle; facehugger, chestburster, drone, and queen. Now these stats were not playtested at all, so I am sure any game balance is non-existent.

Maybe after finishing AGE of Tamriel, I might come back and do a proper write-up for the Aliens vs Predator universe.

But enough of that, onto the stats!

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FACEHUGGER, XENOMORPH

ABILITIES & FOCUSES
3 Accuracy
0 Communication
4 Constitution
2 Dexterity -- Stealth
2 Fighting
0 Intelligence
4 Perception -- Hearing, Tracking
4 Strength -- Climbing, Intimidation, Jumping
3 Willpower -- Courage, Morale

SPEED      HEALTH     DEFENSE    ARMOR
 12          15         12         2

ATTACK         ROLL           DAMAGE         NOTES
Pounce         +3 melee       -- See description --
Strangle       --             2d6+4          Grappling only

ATTACKS
Pounce (+3 melee; See description)
Strangle (Grappling only; 2d6+4 damage; See description)

SPECIAL QUALITIES
— Favored Stunts: Skirmish, Seize initiative.
— Acidic Blood: When subject to an attack that pierces the body, acidic blood sprays from the wound, inflicting 1d6+3 damage to anyone within 2 yards of the creature (4 yards if the attack is an explosion or similar effect). A successful TN 13 Dexterity (Acrobatics) reduces damage to 2 penetrating damage. See "Acid Damage Rules" below for more information.
— Blind Sight: Xenomorphs do not have any visible eyes but can still "see", even in total darkness.
— Embryo Implantation: When the target is reduced to 0 Health and unconscious, the facehugger begins to implant an embryo into the target. This takes one hour. After 1d6+1 hours, the embryo emerges in a bloody messy as a chestburster, killing the host. Removing a facehugger requires an Advanced TN 13 Intelligence (Healing) test with a Threshold of 15 and ten minutes per test. Each failure brings the target closer to death as the facehugger tightens its grip; the target dies after three failures. The removal of an implanted embryo has an Advanced TN 17 Intelligence (Healing) test and the same effect on failure.
— Pounce: Facehuggers main method of attack is latching themselves onto their target. A pounce attack is treated as a Charge action. If the attack succeeds, the target must make a Strength (Might) test against the facehugger or become Strangled (see below).
— Stealthy: Xenomorphs are very stealth. They can re-roll failed Dexterity (Stealth) tests, but must keep the result of the second test, even if it is worse.
— Strangled: When a facehugger successfully grapples a target, they begin strangle the target, dealing damage automatically every round. This damage is non-lethal, rendering the target unconscious at 0 Health.
— Wall-Crawling: Xenomorphs can crawl along walls and ceilings at their full Speed.

THREAT: Minor

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CHESTBURSTER, XENOMORPH

ABILITIES & FOCUSES
2 Accuracy -- Bite
0 Communication
3 Constitution
2 Dexterity -- Stealth
2 Fighting
0 Intelligence
4 Perception -- Hearing
3 Strength -- Jumping
3 Willpower -- Courage, Morale

SPEED      HEALTH     DEFENSE    ARMOR
 12          25         12         0

ATTACK         ROLL           DAMAGE         NOTES
Bite           +4 melee       1d6+3 pen.     Grappling only

SPECIAL QUALITIES
— Favored Stunts: Mighty blow, Seize initiative, Skirmish.
— Acidic Blood: When subject to an attack that pierces the body, acidic blood sprays from the wound, inflicting 1d6+3 damage to anyone within 2 yards of the creature (4 yards if the attack is an explosion or similar effect). A successful TN 13 Dexterity (Acrobatics) reduces damage to 2 penetrating damage. See "Acid Damage Rules" below for more information.
— Blind Sight: Xenomorphs do not have any visible eyes but can still "see", even in total darkness.
— Bite: Chestbursters only real means of defense is their bite, but they can only make bite attacks while grappling.
— Stealthy: Xenomorphs are very stealth. They can re-roll failed Dexterity (Stealth) tests, but must keep the result of the second test, even if it is worse.

THREAT: Minor

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DRONE, XENOMORPH

ABILITIES & FOCUSES
4 Accuracy -- Bite
0 Communication
5 Constitution -- Stamina
4 Dexterity -- Stealth
6 Fighting -- Claws
0 Intelligence
4 Perception -- Hearing, Tracking
6 Strength -- Climbing, Intimidation, Might
3 Willpower -- Courage, Morale

SPEED      HEALTH     DEFENSE    ARMOR
 16          35         14         4

ATTACK         ROLL           DAMAGE         NOTES
Claws          +8 melee       1d6+6
Bite           +6 melee       3d6+6 pen.     Grappling only
Tail stinger   +4 melee       1d6+4 pen.     Reach 4 yards

SPECIAL QUALITIES
— Favored Stunts: Mighty blow, Overwhelm (3 SP), Seize initiative, Skirmish.
— Acidic Blood: When subject to an attack that pierces the body, acidic blood sprays from the wound, inflicting 1d6+3 damage to anyone within 2 yards of the creature (4 yards if the attack is an explosion or similar effect). A successful TN 13 Dexterity (Acrobatics) reduces damage to 2 penetrating damage. See "Acid Damage Rules" below for more information.
— Ambush Predator: When a xenomorph attacks a target that is unaware of them, they deal +1d6 damage with their first attack and the target's armor rating is halved (or ignored entirely with the Pierce Armor stunt).
— Blind Sight: Xenomorphs do not have any visible eyes but can still "see", even in total darkness.
— Bite: Xenomorphs have a secondary, extendable inner jaw that is extremely strong and capable of punching through tough materials. Xenomorphs can only make bite attacks while grappling.
— Exoskeleton: Xenomorphs have a natural armor rating of 4.
— Frenzy: Xenomorphs can make two claw attacks in a single Attack action. However, only the first attack may generate stunt points.
— Overwhelm: A xenomorph have access to a unique combat stunt, Overwhelm. For 3 SP, the creature knocks its opponent prone and pins it, giving the xenomorph a +2 bonus to further attacks as long as the victim remains pinned (this includes the usual +1 for attacking a prone target). The pinned character must make an opposed Strength (Might) test against the xenomorph to escape, which requires a minor action and leaves the character prone. The victim’s allies can also attempt this test, but they must spend a major action to do so.
— Stealthy: Xenomorphs are very stealth. They can re-roll failed Dexterity (Stealth) tests, but must keep the result of the second test, even if it is worse.
— Tail Stinger: Xenomorphs have a thick, bony tail that ends with a spike. They can lash out with their tail, allowing them to make a melee attack out to 4 yards, using Accuracy (Brawling) for the attack roll.
— Wall-Crawling: Xenomorphs can crawl along walls and ceilings at their full Speed.

THREAT: Moderate

---

QUEEN, XENOMORPH

ABILITIES & FOCUSES
3 Accuracy -- Bite
0 Communication
8 Constitution -- Stamina
3 Dexterity -- Stealth
4 Fighting -- Claws
4 Intelligence
5 Perception -- Hearing, Tracking
9 Strength -- Climbing, Intimidation, Might
6 Willpower -- Courage, Morale

SPEED      HEALTH     DEFENSE    ARMOR
  8          80         13         6

ATTACK         ROLL           DAMAGE         NOTES
Claws          +6 melee       2d6+9          Reach 4 yards
Small claws    +6 melee       1d6+5          Grappling only
Bite           +5 melee       4d6+9 pen.     Grappling only
Tail stinger   +3 melee       2d6+4 pen.     Reach 6 yards

SPECIAL QUALITIES
— Favored Stunts: Knock prone, Lethal blow (4 SP), Overwhelm (3 SP), Pierce armor (1 SP).
— Acidic Blood: When subject to an attack that pierces the body, acidic blood sprays from the wound, inflicting 1d6+3 damage to anyone within 2 yards of the creature (4 yards if the attack is an explosion or similar effect). A successful TN 13 Dexterity (Acrobatics) reduces damage to 2 penetrating damage. See "Acid Damage Rules" below for more information.
— Blind Sight: Xenomorphs do not have any visible eyes but can still "see", even in total darkness.
— Bite: Xenomorphs have a secondary, extendable inner jaw that is extremely strong and capable of punching through tough materials. Xenomorphs can only make bite attacks while grappling.
— Exoskeleton: Xenomorphs have a natural armor rating of 6.
— Secondary Arms: The queen has a pair of small arms, allowing her to make two small claw attacks while grappling. However, only the first attack may generate stunt points.
— Tail Stinger: Xenomorphs have a thick, bony tail that ends with a spike. They can lash out with their tail, allowing them to make a melee attack out to 6 yards, using Accuracy (Brawling) for the attack roll.

THREAT: Major

---

ACID DAMAGE RULES

The acid found within the xenomorph is very powerful, capable of eating away most materials very quickly. Any time a character makes a melee attack with a non-acid proof melee weapon, the weapon automatically takes acid damage with each successful hit. Any time a character is subject to the acid splash from a wounded xenomorph, any acid damage negated by their worn armor will damage their armor by a like amount. Any object within the splash radius of a wounded xenomorph will take acid damage. Under most circumstances, any object can take up to 10 acid damage before being destroyed. Fragile items can only take up to 6 acid damage, while more durable items can take up to 20 acid damage before being destroyed. Acid-damaged items cannot be repaired without a proper workshop, materials, tools, and time. There are some acid-proof materials around that are immune to the xenomorph's acidic blood.

AGE of Tamriel - Magic sucks!

Ugh! The Fantasy AGE magic system sucks for Tamriel!

Image by: Konstantin Vavilov (DeviantArt link)

AGE of Tamriel - Alchemy Rules

( PDF link )

So I've been spending many hours slowly writing AoT. For a good while I was wracking my brain on the magic chapter, dealing mostly with how to handle magic spells. Should I follow how they are handled in the basic rules, with spells tied to arcana levels? Or should I go with how Dragon AGE does it? Where you can pick-and-choose your spells, and some spells require you to know one or more spells before you can learn them.

I spent lots of time trying to find a solution, that eventually I noticed I was getting pretty burned out on the AoT project, and Fantasy AGE in generally. To counter this burn-out, I put AoT aside and played around with other things. I kept coming back to it every now and then, but never spending more then an hour at a time writing.

I recently decided to skip the magic chapter for the moment and focus on something else; alchemy. My initial idea was to follow how alchemy was handled in Skyrim and the Elder Scrolls Online; I kinda like the idea of having many reagents and there various interactions with each other. However, in keeping with my goal of trying to not introduce unneeded rules, I trimmed it back to something that resembles how alchemy already works in Fantasy AGE, with a additions.

The highlights to my rules are:

* Your level in the Alchemy Training talent determines what level of items you can create.
* Each alchemy item is its own separate recipe.
* Characters learn recipes through talents, training (with trainers or buying recipes), or through experimentation.
* You only need to make one (maybe two) tests when creating an item.
* Alchemy revolves around reagents, which come in three types; Common, Uncommon, and Rare.
* Reagents can be bought or harvested.
* Harvesting reagents takes an Advanced test; the TN and Threshold are based on the tier of the reagent.
* Harvesting reagents may also pose a threat with Hazards. Hazards are negative effects that can affect a character if they fail at harvesting a reagent.
* There is a Master Alchemist specialization that grants additional recipes, a unique stunt when harvesting reagents, and a bonus to avoiding hazards.

Now, my alchemy rules (and much like everything else I write) has not been playtested in the least. I do try and think of how the rules will affect gameplay, but without actually doing so, all I am really doing is guessing.

PS. This is also a preview of a newer look for AoT. The original was inspired by the manual for Morrowind, with its red and tan colors. But the newest look is inspired by the Skyrim manual, having blue on white. I find this change much easier on the eyes when reading.