Church of St.Margaret (Threads of Fate, Session I Recap)

Earlier in the week while walking my dog I was struck with the insatiable urge to run a Lamentations of the Flame Princess game. I contacted my regulars, asked if anyone was down and got a good response. I didn't want to disturb our bi-weekly home game (currently a Mutants & Mastermind game my sibling is running) so we decided on Discord to run LotFP on the off-week.  I'm using a official LotFP module mixed with some homebrew and Vacant Ritual Assembly #1, I would name said module here but my players are gonna read this and I feel it'll spoil too much so please bear with me.  I also promised I would starting writing up recaps again for my games since my players seem to enjoy them.

House Rules:

1. VAM/EC Rules, M-U's start with (1)1st level spell of choice & 1 randomly determined spell from the entire list.
2. Player's who sent me a vid of them rolling their character's stat gen(instead of using the online generator) got a special randomly determined bonus.

This new impromptu campaign shall hence be named "Threads of Fate". Set in spring of 1689, a group of vagabonds received a odd job from London antiquities dealer Vespero. The job entailed the descendants of St. Margaret of Nonsbeck requesting help resolving a "civil matter".

The Employer Vespero

The Cast

Cillian McCleary, Specialist 1:
Irishman in a hostile land.

Aki Ashina, Fighter 1:
A young woman hailing from the far eastern lands of Japan. Wears a eyepatch, speaks broken english and is looking for something or someone...

Otto Kuchin, Fighter 1:
Nobleman's son, turned sellsword, turned monster hunter. From Prussia.

Richard Islands, Fighter 1:
Ex-soldier, now poor mercenary. Looking for work.

Mildred Hubble, Magic-User 1: 

A horny 12 year old girl from a very secretive school for young spellcasters.

Our party arrived in scenic Nonsbeck after a week's journey from London. The chapel on the hill grew as the party made their way up the road towards the hamlet's smithy. The sound of hammer against metal echoed while seemingly matching their steps. Otto the pragmatic went to sponge some intel from the blacksmith and was greeted to a tall lanky young man appropriately named Tall Fridolin. Fridolin was the Smith's apprentice and was currently filling in for his master who was off reshoeing some horses for a local. Small talk was exchanged before Otto asked the boy the whereabouts of the saint's descendants using Vespero's job confirmation letter but unfortunately Fridolin is illiterate. Annoyed the party sets off to the local inn after questioning their employer's cognitive functions for not bestowing a address for the clients. (Ref's note: Vespero, the character's employer is an old quack. Think Professor Farnsworth from Futurama. No address was given for the clients just that they lived in a hamlet called Nonsbeck. For more on Vespero check out Vacant Ritual Assembly #1)

An old well sat ominously between some nearby stables and the inn. The stench of said stables mixed unpleasantly with the wafting aroma of freshly baked bread from the inn. As the group huddled in front they noted the worn plaque above the door, the Laughing Ox, and the sounds of merry making inside, then entered. They're greeted to a quaint inn, quite homely in fact. It smells of home cooked food and the straw underfoot is fresh and easy to walk on. Sunshine that radiates through glass windows near the ceiling keeps the inn well lit and cheery. The owner a German fellow named Boserd waves them in and calls to his wife; a portly woman named Mama Duretta to sit and serve the party. The party takes note of four farmers sitting at another table across from them, laughing at some inside joke between friends. They exchange nods before the farmers return to their jokes and drinks. The party is suspicious of them but seems to relax after they notice the farmers pay them no mind. Mama Duretta takes their orders, mostly alcohol, warm milk for little Mildred, and a meat pie for the strange foreign woman Aki who only pointed at the hand drawn menu art. (Ref's Note: Aki is Japanese, in 17th century England. I let her roll to see if she's fluent in English. She's not.) After finally taking everyone's order and being flirted with quite vicariously by the self proclaimed monster hunter Otto, Mama Duretta giggles politely and returns to the kitchen. If her husband notices the gaul and disrespect to his wife he does not show it. 

The party converses amongst themselves and are eventually told by the owner Boserd that the family they're looking for frequents the Laughing Ox and may make an appearance tonight but will not give out their address to strangers. Frustrated the party plans to march up the hill to the church and get these people's address no matter what. Some time passes and their food & drink is brought out by a eye catching young woman named Fraulein. She has jet black hair, pristine skin and vibrant blue eyes. She is set upon almost immediately by the womanizing Otto. Only after Boserd slammed his musket on the bar top does the relentless flirting cease. “Please, leave the child be” he says. Apologies are cast and Fraulein delicately places their orders on the table, red faced. Seeing the failure of her comrade, the child witch Mildred makes a pass at the teenager but her flattery is mistaken for female kinship and only a demeaning head pat is received. The party notices the waitress walks back to the kitchen with a pronounced limp(jokes at her expense are had) then eats, drinks, and leaves the 3sp bill with poor Aki. Our adventures begin their trek up the hill ignoring my attempts to lure them to the nearby stables to introduce my Stable Boy NPC.

The party makes it to the church on the hill and notes the cemetery surrounding it. They spend a turn searching the graves for anything weird but don’t find anything of note. They enter the church and meet Father Cristof a decently handsome man marred by a single hairy wart on his left cheek. (Austin Power jokes are dusted off) Little Mildred sits in one of the back pews and kicks her feet over the ground since they don’t quite reach while sitting, it's super creepy. Half the party admires the beautifully made stained glass that adorns the west & east walls. Each pane depicts the church’s patron Saint Margaret in different scenes and poses, under each is a chapter number from the bible. The other half of the party attempts to extract the location of Margaret’s descendents from the holy man. Only after explaining they were hired to perform a job and presenting the confirmation letter does the priest tell them where their client can be found, a farm a couple miles east of Nonsbeck. The party is relieved and eager to leave before Father Cristof offers to recant the tale of St.Margaret, they pass and quickly vacate the church.

(Ref's Note: If your like me and wondering what part Cillian & Richard play in this adventure, well you and me both. Though it's about now in the adventure that I'm reminded that Cillian is Irish. Not a good time to be an Irishman in England right now. Hopefully the next session those two will have more input but this was only a short test run with Discord so I put no pressure on anyone except poor Aki. Ha.)

After a short walk the characters arrive at their destination, a small farm east of Nonsbeck supposedly home to St. Margaret's descendants. The farm sits in the middle of a small forest, a dozen cows graze lazily in the cool spring sun. It's a little before 3pm. Playing amongst the cows is a small orange haired girl wearing a long white dress and sandals. She sees the party coming up the road and hides behind a cow. Aki slowly approaches the child and pulls a vibrant blue flower not native to this land from one of her flowing sleeves. The child gasps at its beauty and runs up to Aki who is now crouching at her level holding the flower for the girl to see. The girl comments on its beauty and Aki offers it to her, the girl gasps again and thanks the strange woman putting the flower in her hair to display. The party asks where an adult can be found and she points to the house up the road. They continue, unbelievably suspicious and on guard. They arrive at the house which has no strangeness to it. It's just a normal house for the time if not a little run down. They knock on the door. A muffled woman's voice answers a moment after, "who is it?" And sounds slightly annoyed as if interrupted. The party states they were hired for a job from this estate. Silence for moment, then "give me a minute!" A minute passes. A tallish petite woman maybe around 30 with long orange-red hair and dull green eyes opens the door. "A job? Oh right. Well, come on in." The party looks at one another with hesitation but enters.

The house is neat but doesn't have enough furniture for the whole party to sit comfortably so most stand. Introductions are exchanged and the woman now named Lonna explains that her Great, great, grandmother was St. Margaret of Nonsbeck and that their job is to retrieve her mummified talking monkey from the thieving folk of old Nonsbeck. The party is perplexed but a job is a job and the pay is discussed. "Oh, didn't your employer tell you? We have no coin but Nonsbeck has agreed to offer an old manor outside of town as compensation." (Ref's notes: I swore I could hear the creak of raised eyebrows over the player's near spontaneous moaning.) After tons of what's wrong with it questions the party agrees to take the job only after inspecting the manor for themselves. Lonna approves and returns to her chores outside after pointing the party to the estate's location. Lonna's younger sister Cremilia, the one given the flower earlier is nowhere to be found. The parties suspicion grows.


Once out of earshot of Lonna the party immediately discusses what kind of monsters the sisters are, vampires? Demons? "No way two young women can run a farm by themselves with no men", Otto says to the approval of his comrades. After about 20 minutes of walking the party arrives at the manor to find it A) actually exists and B) "Isn't that bad", my words. The party enters, tries to feel out if its haunted but nothing feels off. In fact once the curtains are opened the place is quite, and I've used this word alot tonight, homely. More raised eyebrows but the party is satisfied for now and returns to Lonna to inform her they've accepted the job and are off to old Nonsbeck to get their family heirloom back. She tells them it probably rests in old Nonsbeck's church crypt with St. Margaret's remains. When asked why St. Margaret is buried in old Nonsbeck and not new they're told she wished to be buried at her birthplace but new Nonsbeck only agreed if they got to keep the monkey. Somehow Old Nonsbeck took the monkey too. After being wished good luck they're off on the road again. 

A small nod to my favorite game

~3 days travel passes with no random encounters rolled to my disappointment.~

The party arrives at Old Nonsbeck and alarm bells are immediately raised. The town has a smith, stable, and church just not on a hill. They quickly try to pass the Smith and see who runs it expecting to see a doppelganger of the teenage apprentice from New Nonsbeck but are relieved to see an older bald gentlemen who greets them kindly. Some words and prices for goods are discussed and party heads to the inn named the Yawning Wolf. A burly Russian woman mans the bar and ushers them in. One thing the party notes is how seemingly dull and lifeless this hamlet compares to new Nonsbeck. The party attempts to get a free stay and succeeds after playing their trump cards, Aki the esoteric foreign woman with a +1 CHA mod and the adorable dough faced witch girl who the barkeep is immediately smitten with.

And that was where we ended it. The players told me they plan to scout out old Nonsbeck and learn the inhabitants routines before the next Session which I'll roll for. They want to gather enough info before they try and steal the mummified talking monkey. Which is fine, my players are the planning type and I want to start off the next Session with some action since now I'm more comfortable with Discord.

Oh and also they plan to cut off the monkey's paws which surely must have wishes to grant.

Treasure Gained: 0
Bonus XP: +100 for Session Attendance.

Read Session II here!

Noob Drawing Week 01

So I decided to start learning how to draw. I go through phases where outta nowhere I'll want to try something new. Learning to draw is mostly motivated by me wanting to do art for my zine & I've always wanted to draw some manga/anime stuff. I'm gonna post a weekly segment every Sunday called Noob Drawing Week where I post my weekly progress. I have no training or practice whatsoever. Everything I've done this week has been learned from Google and YouTube. Be warned there may be some "provocative" stuff.

Favorite Link from Majora's Mask

Idk wtf this is or why I drew it. 

Tried to draw the Pishtaco.

Here's where I learned about human sizes.

Found some Pokemon TCG art and tried to copy their poses.

More practice with standard person length.

First faces ever.

That's it. Not really ttrpg related but whatever. I thought it might be good/intresting to record my progress somewhere. This is probably 4hrs of practice over 2 days. Let me know what you think and if you have any tips.

Pishtaco, Fat Eater

I remember watching a episode of Supernatural where a pair of fat eating monsters open a very successful weight loss clinic. Only after one of the monsters starts greedily taking too much fat and killing people do they draw the ire of hunters. I really liked that idea and after doing some research it turns out the monsters, called a Pishtaco, is a local legend from the Andes region in South America. If you want the history & lore check out the wiki here. I'm going to be taking the skeleton of the monster and changing it to better suit what I want it to do.

Here’s the stats real quick:

Pishtaco/Fat Eater
Armor 16, Move 60′, 5 Hit Dice, 22hp, Big Nasty Knife 1d8 then Fat Suck, Morale 9. Fat Suck, the victim makes a Save vs Paralyzation, a failure means they're pinned. At the start of each round a pinned character takes 1d6 Constitution damage and the Fat Eater gains that much hp back as a animated intestine erupts from the Pishtaco's stomach and sucks the fat from the knife wound. At the end of the round the pinned character may make another save to escape.

The Pishtaco looks like a morbidly obese person(usually caucasian) dressed in the local fancy attire. It travels in a carriage with a entourage of followers that wants the “healthy” look the Pishtaco has. The Pishtaco travels town to town offering its services to those who can pay.

The Pishtaco Services

• The Pishtaco can transfer fat from one person to another. When the Pishtaco steals the fat from humans it can't digest it completely and it forms a kind of ambergris in the gut. Once enough fat is gathered it can extracted via vomiting or opening up its stomach upon death. The ambergris can be mixed with water or alcohol(masks the horrid taste) to make a high caloric cocktail. Consuming one pound of Pishtaco ambergris adds 25 lbs of weight once digested and adds 1 Point of Constitution to a maximum of 18. 
• Consuming too much ambergris at once usually leads to heart attack. Save Vs Poison or die for each pound consumed more than twice a day. Note:Make sure to add encumbrance to characters who become overweight.
• Additionally the ambergris has an odd curative effect. If made into a poultice and spread onto a wound it will heal faster and not scar. In game terms a PC heals at twice the usual rate. 
• Candles made with Pishtaco Ambergris last twice as long.

1 lb of Pishtaco Amergriss is worth 500sp to the right people or can be bought from the Pishtaco for a service or some fat, just a bit.

A Key to One's Heart

A Key to One’s Heart
Magic-User Level 1
Duration: Permanent
Range: Touch

Casting this spell requires a favored item of the targets' such as an old toy or family heirloom that is consumed during the casting.
Once cast this spell conjure's an ethereal key in the likeness of the consumed item that allows one to unlock the target’s subconscious. The key remains on the material plane until dispelled, the caster dies, or the target dies. The key is used to "edit" a unlocked mind with one or more of the following effects:

1. View any memories the target possess when asked a question.
2. Remove one memory.
3. Fabricate a false memory and force the target to believe it as true.
4. Make a suggestion the target must comply with.

The suggestion can be as simple as changing the target’s favorite food to as complicated as making them believe a once loved family member greatly wronged them(if the suggestion is done well). Any memories viewed are done so by looking into the target’s eyes. If the target has no eyes viewing memories is not possible. The key holder may make multiple edits but doing so allows the victim to make a Save vs. Magic for each extra edit to break the lock, permanently closing their mind to this spell.

This spell was made for the Henry Clarke project posted by Cavegirl's Game Stuff and is CC BY 4.0

The Gambler

"I thrice had a name, twice a face, and once a soul but lost each to myself."

The Lore

The Gambler is an ancient cursed gamer(self-professed King of Games) that wagered it’s identity* against an old god and lost. Now it wanders the globe eternally cursed to lose any sense of self it may regain.

*Identity consists of a person's Name, Appearance, & Soul.

The Gambler's outward appearance varies based on the local fashion at the time. For example if encountered in the default 17th century period LotFP uses it wears a fresh white doublet beneath a pristine buff coat with fashionable trousers and speckless black leather boots(all won from bets). Where skin would be seen are worn bandages with most assuming the Gambler is a leper. A simple wooden mask conceals its featureless face. Beneath the Gambler’s bandages is a mannequin-like body of a sculpted marble human. A strong minty scent wafts off the Gambler due the peppermint it rubs in the cracks of its skin to keeps fairies from collecting a debt it owes. The Gambler speaks in a low almost whispering voice and is well mannered(a bit dull personality wise) but fiercely competitive and will grow frustrated with each loss though never to the point of violence.

Location & Rules

The Gambler is well known in the underground gambling scene and those there will point to its last known location or current one, for a hefty price. The Gambler stays in one place until it gains a few new identities then goes on to quickly lose them attempting to win back its original self to the same god that cursed it. The Gambler can also be found at Vacant Ritual Assembly's Ghoul Market.

When encountered the Gambler will introduce itself as the King of Games and offer to play a game of its choice with a wager. If the players demand to choose the game and/or wager the Gambler will offer to flip a coin for it. If the PCs win, they can choose the game & terms. The Gambler knows how to play all traditional games and will quickly learn new ones once explained. It has a near infinite supply of treasure to wager with though not all on its person.

The games it chooses to play should reflect the time period. The Gambler's current games of choice are Veintiuna(21) & Liar’s Dice which were popular at the time(I also know how to play them!). If you don't want to play a board/card game  or don't have/know any on hand, offer to play these:

1. Staring Contest
2. Arm Wrestle
3. Rock, Paper, Scizzors
4. Thumb War
5. Hangman
6. Charades

If you want to narrate the game and use a dice to determine the outcome have the players roll a d6 and add any relevant modifiers, then have the Gambler roll a d10. Highest number wins.

The buy in for the first game is 100sp(or higher if the players are ballsy) for each player participating. Winner gets the pot. The Gambler will accept and explain essence* in lieu of coin. Once the first game is over the Gambler will offer to play another round with the bet doubled each time. If the player's tire of playing for coin, the Gambler will offer magic items, or valuable information. The Gambler WANTS/NEEDS identities, its desperate to get its old self back and become human again.

*See Vacant Ritual Assembly #1 for Essence.

Any coin/treasure won from the Gambler counts as XP once the encounter is over. This should keep the PCs coming back for more punishment. If the PCs rack up a debt and cannot pay immediately(no talking their way out of this one) the Gambler will nonchalantly offer to erase it in exchange for their identity. If asked what that entails, the Gambler just says “It shan't be missed”. If they refuse to pay up then the Gambler will forcibly take it by removing its mask and sucking their identity through a small hole where its mouth should be. An eerie whistling sound is heard when this transpires. Should the PCs turn to violence, the Gambler will defend itself with rapier & pistol, & Identity Theft if the requirements are met. See stats below.

The Gambler, 8 HD(30HP)
AC 18(Marble Body) Movement as Human
Save as Fighter = to HD
Morale 10
2x Attacks: 1x Rapier Attack & 1x Pistol Attack(has 4 loaded hidden in Buffcoat)
OR
Identity Theft: (Once per round)
If the target/character owes any form of debt to anyone, the Gambler may suck out their identity. No save.
Losing your Identity:

• All your Ability Scores become 10.
• Everyone forgets you existed(except you & the Gambler).
• Your body becomes featureless & mannequin-like.
• Pacifism: you lose your fighting spirit & flee this battle. Save vs Magic each new combat to avoid fleeing. 

Gambler's Loot:
3d6 x 500sp, 1d4-1 Minor Magic Items*, 1d4 worth of identities it can burn Essence with.
*I really liked Bernie the Flumph's Ghoul Market Items, so I would use those for the Minor Items.

*Me when I introduce the Gambler.

Notes

• Defeating the Gambler causes all currently held identities(1d4) to return to their owners. This also pisses it off.
• The Gambler is cursed to gather identities eternally and thus will respawn 1d4 weeks in a corpse buried in a shallow grave closest to where it died. It regains its marble body and will track down the PCs for a “final game”, death.
• If the PCs encounter the Gambler a couple of times & pay their debts without hostility, the Gambler will offer to trade identities from its current stock as a show of goodwill. Doing this allows the PCs to trade their current identities for a new one. This entails a new Name, Appearance, and Soul(Reroll all Ability Scores).
• Becoming besties with the Gambler gives them its backstory & info on the god of Gambling that cursed it. Perhaps a Quest to aid the Gambler in regaining its identity?

Let me know if you use this thing and how it goes!

O Povo do Buraco #2 [Review]

Last month I wrote about Brazilian LotFP fanzine O Povo Do Buraco #1 and today we'll be looking at Vol #2.

Summary

O Povo Do Buraco #2 is a 48 page zine written by Carlos Silva, Tertoleone, Diego Santos, & Caleb Benjamin. With Illustrations done by Diego Santos, Rafael Balbi, & Diego Bassinello. The zine has four sections, an adventure named "Harvest", a section of torture implements called "Inhuman Instruments of Pain", a magic item section aptly named "Tools of Mayhem and Chaotic Destruction", and finally a toolkit called "Hunters Wanted."

Usability

The zine's layout is the typical two column spread, simple but useful. The adventure presented as "Harvest" takes place in a middle of nowhere village that's fallen on hard times and is beset with crop failures, weird grasshoppers and a demon lurking behind the scenes. Pretty good stuff, each main NPC has a their own original portrait of art, again this one of the main strengths of this zine. The adventure gives a timeline of events to happen and leaves the ending up to you, as it should. I never really liked prewritten endings D&D is too unpredictable for them. Moving on to the next section, a two page spread of art regarding torture implements. No stats are given but everything is shown how it works using the art, which  makes it very easy to use at the table. Just like Vol #1 the magic items are really fun and weird for example: The Grills of Satanic Doom a set of sharpened gold teeth that cause intense bleeding and transmutes blood to gold. Fucking sweet. I'm not a huge fan of the last section which is just a kind of, guild? Merc group? Basically your part of a group called Black Hounds and you get paid to take contracts and get some perks. Its a meh for me. I did enjoy the item list for the Hounds at the back that has a fucking Gunblade?! Anyways Vol #2 of O Povo Do Buraco is a big step up in terms of usability and content compared to Issue 1, definitely check it out.

Entertainment Value

I really enjoyed this Zine it had me laugh out loud a couple times and was just a fun read in general. I really wanted to talk about the art real quick and how the creators use put it to good use. There is A LOT of art for a free zine, good quality art. My favorite pieces are the demon used in the adventure followed by the magic items that each have their own pieces done in a stained glass style. It makes them feel special, something I hope to see in any following issues. That said I was definitely entertained by O Povo do Buraco #2 and I'm looking forward to future issues. Download Vol #2 Here(its Pay What You Want), and make sure you throw the authors some monies for their work, art isn't cheap! 

*Notes* Should I call these reviews? I'm not sure, it's more of a spotlight-talk about something kind of thing. Let me know in the comments if I should rename these "reviews".