Tome of Tomes

 This one ties in with Advanced Adventures #10: The Lost Keys of Solitude.

A History of the Keepers of Solitude
Author: Peever Orrow
Race: Human
Dimensions: 8x8x1
Weight: 8 lbs.
Materials: Leather-bound, woodboard, parchment
Rarity: Very rare
Fields of Study: Humankind
Special Knowledge Categories: History
Value: 25 gp

Written by the last abbot of the Keepers of Solitude, the history details the preceding 16 abbots as well as the history of the founding of the magical prison of Solitude. Deep within the Garvian Mountains, the monks labored for generations protecting the prison, but they eventually failed to a concerted hill giant attack. The history ends right after the accounts of the attack and shows a deeply callous attitude concerning the monks trapped below the surface of the abbey. Although of extreme rarity, the book is of little value to all but the most ardent specialist.

Eat the Rich

Ah Motorhead.... good for the soul.

Blacktop Snail

 The idea of this creature pleases me to no end. I think its because I imagine Gary the Snail in the role... :)

Blacktop Snail
Mutated garden snail (Basic)
C4 A-2 S8 F12 R-4 I-4 W2: Ego 4: Health 44: Fortune 16
Movement 1/9

Description & Information: These gigantic snails often reach 12 feet in height and weigh several tons. Their brown and gray shells are several inches thick and damn near impenetrable by anything other than heavy guns or armor piercing rounds. Blacktop snails are omnivorous, but survive mostly on plant matter. Blacktop snails gain their name from the thick, black slime they excrete. This black slime hardens in a few hours, turning into a resilient asphalt-like substance. In this way, blacktop snails are biological road builders and some communities keep a single snail for just such purposes. Their “roads” are about six feet wide and an inch thick.

Blacktop snails are not very aggressive when encountered in the wild and pose little threat to a mobile target. When injured, they usually retreat into their shell and wait until the danger passes. They are most active during the night and it is in this way that travelers occasionally end up on the blackstop snail menu. They are surprisingly quiet for their size.

Intrinsic Powers
• Blacktop snails move slowly and quietly, requiring a successful rank 10 sense conflict to detect them by sound.
• Immune to toxic attacks.
• Reduce all physical damage by 5 points per hit. Reduce all physical damage by 40 when hidden in shell.
• A blacktop snail deals +12 bludgeoning damage and a +4/rank 4 combat condition.

Aerosquid

Aerosquid
Mutated Humboldt squid (Basic)
C3 A3 S1 F2 R-4 I2 W2: Ego 4: Health 18: Fortune 9
Movement 9/80 flying

Description & Information: Sometime in the recent past mutagens created a new type of predator: the flying squid, a 3-foot-long rapacious predator. These nocturnal creatures hunt in large migratory shoals of up to 100 individuals. They hunt small mammals and reptiles, but occasionally cooperate to take down larger prey. They are nocturnal hunters, lairing up in caves, ruins or among tree branches during the day. They avoid direct sunlight, as their sensitive eyes are designed for excellent night vision. Aerosquid nests are typically found deep within dark areas.

Intrinsic Powers
• Possess night vision greater than human, +6 to sense conflicts. Day vision is at -4.
• Immune to radiation.
• The aerosquid’s rubbery body reduces blungeoning damage by 2 points per hit.
• An aerosquid deals +6 slashing damage and a +4/rank 2 combat condition.

Limited Use Powers
• Radioactive Ink Spray (2 per day): Twice per day, an aerosquid can squirt radioactive ink to a range of 15 feet. It hit, a creature must succeed on a rank 4 Fortitude conflict or become radiated. This is a toxic attack

Sunday Un-seriousness

The Riddle of Anadi Cover

Below's the cover for Advanced Adventures #20: The Riddle of Anadi. Another fine module by James Boney, Anadi will prove a challenge even to experienced players. At on point when I was first reading over the module, I literally laughed out loud at the fiendishness of one part of the adventure! The art is done by John Bingham and Daisey Bingham. John does the inks and Daisy does the colors.

Formula Folio

Two more in the ink formula series.

Remove Fear
For the ink required to scribe a clerical remove fear scroll

1 oz. of giant squid sepia
1 oz. of holy water
1 scruple of lion’s blood
1 small piece of lapis lazuli, powdered

During morning’s dark on the longest day of the year, mix the lion’s blood and the powdered lapis lazuli in a golden vessel upon the holy alter and decant to a crystal container. Place the container in the sunlight and remove just before sundown. Decant to a silver vessel and mix in squid sepia and holy water. Return to crystal container and bury in consecrated soil for a fortnight. Makes enough ink for 2 scrolls. Any special quill is suitable.


Resist Cold
For the ink required to scribe a clerical resist cold scroll

1 oz. of giant squid sepia
1 oz. of holy water
1 gallon of melt water
1 oz. of bear’s blood
1 small ruby, powdered
1 pinch of sulphur

At midnight during the shortest day of the year mix all components into a cast iron pot and bring to boil over a pine wood fire. Reduce until a single oz. remains. Let cool and decant into a crystal container. Makes enough ink for 2 scrolls. Any special quill is suitable.

Gamma Moss

Gamma Moss
Mutated moss (Basic)
No statistics

Description & Information: This moss is only found around radiated areas. Its unique yellow and magenta color makes it easy to identify for a knowledgeable observer. Gamma moss slowly consumes radiation from the environment, and if given enough time, can cleanse a previously polluted area. Gamma moss is quite poisonous if eaten and many plots below the shattered moon center around poisoning a hated enemy with gamma moss extract placed within his food. Some creatures seem immune to this poison however, most notably the morlock.

XRP OSRIC Tourney at Gen Con

Our OSRIC tourney's been approved and assigned a location by Gen Con. This year we have 3 tables, so up to 30 players. I put all the pertinent facts up at the OSRG blog to keep all the Old-School gaming at a centralized location.

The Vulture Men of Waukegan!

Below is the cover for what I’ve been working on recently. I’ve got about 7k words done and am expecting around 18-20k. It’ll be out for Gen Con and available at the OSRG booth as a 20 page supplement to Sorcery & Super Science. I’m really enjoying writing it and like the gazzateer style that I’m using - just detailed enough to be useful and just open enough to act as a springboard for GM-specific campaign modification.

Granger Warbot XR24

And sometimes you need a warbot...

Granger Warbot XR24
Adaptive Robot (Ultra)
C25 A12 S18 F20 R10 I4 W8: Ego 84: Health 150: Fortune 97
Movement 40/352
Components: (A) 10, 15, 20, 20, 20; (U) 2, 4, 5, 5; solar cell (U) 5, bio-mass cell (U) 1.

Description & Information: A minor warbot, but one very common in the wars at the end of the 21st century, the XR24 is roughly twice the proportions of a normal human male. It has full manipulative ability, possessing hands like a human. The XR24 is designed for infantry-replacement services. As such, it lacks the real heavy weaponry of the true warbots, but it is still far from a pushover when it comes to firepower and is armored strongly enough to ignore light arms.

XR24s have two .50 caliber machine guns, one mounted on the shoulder/upper arm area on each side of the chassis. On the back of the robot is an armored ammo storage area that looks like a large backpack containing 2,750 specially-designed armor piercing rounds. Unlike normal .50 caliber ammo, the XR24 .50 caliber ammo ignores 25 points of armor instead of the normal 20. The XR24 can use normal .50 caliber ammo as well as its special ammo.

Besides the ammo supply, the armored backpack also contains the solar cell array of the warbot. It is normally retracted when facing potential enemies. The XR24 additionally features one of the first bio-mass cell power sources ever produced. Its rather voracious appetite earned it the nickname “Granger Locust” from the mobile infantry units it first supported.

Intrinsic Powers
• XR24s have incredibly good senses and possess a +4 to sense conflicts. In addition, they have a +1 to extraordinary sense conflicts. They can see twice as well as a human in the day and 10x better at night, effectively possessing full night-vision.
• Regenerate 10 additional Health per day. They also regenerate from any permanent injuries in a week’s time. Both require access to suitable food : grasses or wood.
• Reduce all damage (except ego) by 30 points per hit.
• Powerful hand-to-hand combatants, their punches deal +12 bludgeoning damage per hit and +4/ rank 8 combat condition.
• The XR24 can make two .50 caliber attacks on two separate targets per turn, dealing +16 to damage, +4/ rank 10 piercing in single-shot mode. At normal firing speed of 30 rounds per turn an XR24 deals +28 to damage and a +4/ rank 12 piercing combat condition. At burst speed (100 rounds per turn) it deals +40 to damage and a +4/ rank 16 piercing combat condition. Damage from the XR24’s .50 caliber machine gun ignores the first 25 points of damage resistance or armor of the target, or the first 20 points of damage resistance if normal .50 caliber ammunition is used.

Security Robot M6a

Everyone needs some security now and then.

Granger Security Robot M6a
Adaptive Robot (Ultra)
C12 A12 S12 F10 R4 I4 W4: Ego 44: Health 92: Fortune 58
Movement 20/176
Components: (A) 20, 20, 20; (U) 1, 1, 2, 4, 8; solar cell (U) 10

Description & Information: The foremost example of security robots manufactured by Granger Robotics, M6a has an adaptive artificial intelligence and is quite capable of using it. It’s hard to trick or fool and follows security protocols without error. Expensive when built, only locations of significant importance were guarded by M6as. Groups of 5 or 6 M6as were designed to work under a single human supervisor, but were quite capable of performing adequately even without human direction. M6as feature “human-like” anatomy and are intimidating in appearance without being scary like a warbot. They are typically programmed with a basso voice. M6a robots are masters at non-leathal incapacitation, during which they take DNA samples which they process for evidential purposes.

Intrinsic Powers
• M6as have terrifyingly good senses and possess a +30 to sense conflicts and can make extraordinary sense conflicts.
• Can self-repair at a rate of 5 point of Health damage per day.
• Reduce all damage by 6 points per hit.
• M6as deal +8 bludgeoning damage and +8/ rank 8 combat condition. However, they more typically rely upon their incapacitation power listed below unless such is unavailable.

Limited Use Powers
Incapacitation Attack (20 per day): M6as use an electromagnetic pulse gun with a range of 200 yards to incapacitate their targets. Any creature hit by the pulse must succeed on a rank 20 Fortitude conflict or be knocked out.

Sunday Un-seriousness

Woke up this morning with this in my head... (What would you want with a wa.....bbit?)

OSRG wins a Gen Con Fellowship

Great news on the OSR front! The Old-School Renaissance Group has won a Gen Con Fellowship entailing a booth upgrade and a highlight in the convention's program book.

8th Anniversary Sale Thanks

Just want to say thanks to everyone who purchased something during our 8th Anniversary sale! It was a rousing success and it's always nice to have underestimated a sale's response. I hope all of you enjoy your purchases and that they see table-use at your games.