2 December 2009

Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net

ROGUE FEED SKU: RGG 1777

Price: $12.99
[Colonial Gothic] March ISBN: 978-09796361-8-9

Release
DEC 01, 2009 08:17P.M.

We have a lot of cool things in store for you next year. From Thousand ROGUE FEED
Suns to Shadow, Sword & Spell. Today, I want to share with you a
new release for Colonial Gothic, which will be in stores March 2010. Initiative
What is this new release? Read on. DEC 01, 2009 01:15P.M.

One of the key advantages of OD&D is its simplicity, which makes it very
easy to modify. One of the areas I’m thinking of modifying is initiative,
because I’m not really happy with any of the systems I’ve tried over the
past year. I’d like something a little more complex, or at least that better
takes into account things like weapons used, armor worn, and Dexterity.

As luck would have it, Judges Guild’s Ready Ref Sheets already provides
a system very much like this. As written, the system provides for a static
initiative number for each combatant based on several factors but not so
many as to make it difficult to re-calculate if, say, an archer drops his
bow and starts wielding a sword. My only beef with it is that there’s no
random factor and I don’t much like that, for reasons of both “realism”
and esthetics. I’m tempted to add a small random factor (1d6?) to ensure
that the initiative sequence isn’t absolutely identical each round.

Here’s my re-working of the JG tables:

Colonial Gothic: Gazetteer

The conflict between the American colonists and the British Parliament Initiative Score
has come to a head at Boston. War seems inevitable. Behind the war,
unseen hands move unknowing pieces, manipulating events according to Weapon/Action
ancient plans. Beside the war, ghosts and monsters walk the land and
ancient curses run their course. 1

Welcome to the Thirteen Colonies. Read Scroll

In this book you will find maps and information covering each of the 2
Thirteen Colonies, plus the Province of Maine and local native peoples,
plus a short ready-to-play adventure, A Surprise for General Gage. A Spell (Levels 7-9)
glossary explains unfamiliar terms both native and colonial, and a
bibliography points to more detailed information on the colonies and 3
their inhabitants.
Short Weapon (Dagger, Hand Axe, Mace)
Written by Graeme Davis and with maps by Jeff Preston and Gabriel
Brouillard, Colonial Gothic: Gazetteer is your guide to the original 13 4
Colonies.

1
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 2 December 2009

Medium Weapon (Sword, Hammer, Battle Axe) or Touch +1

5 9-11

Long Weapon (Morningstar, Flail, Pole Arm, Halberd, 2H Sword) Plate

6 -

Very Long Weapon (Mounted Lance) 4-8

7 Encumbered

Spell (Levels 4-6) -1

8 3 or lower

Extreme Weapon (Pike)

9 Dexterity

Missiles Initiative Adjustment

10 3-5

Spell (Levels 1-3) -2

11 6-8

Breath Weapon -1

12 9-12

Gaze 0

13-15

Armor Worn +1

Initiative Adjustment 16-18

Speed (for Monsters) +2

As usual, Initiative is counted backwards from highest to lowest. In the

+3 case of ties, the actual Dexterity of the combatants is compared. For
monsters, I assume no adjustment due to Dexterity unless the creature is
18+ either notably agile or I want to mix it up and grant a +1 or +2 bonus due
to the creature being an exceptional example of its species.
Non-Metal

+2

12-17

Metal

2
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
Dwimmermount, Session 24
DEC 01, 2009 09:23A.M.
Faced with the prospect of not just one zombie horde, but two others
lying in wait beneath the city-state of Adamas, the party decided to go
spelunking in the sewers to locate their hidden crypts. Naturally, they
sought out Saidon, archivist of the Temple of Typhon, to look at old
maps of the city to determine the most likely places to start their
investigation. The characters identified three likely locations: beneath
the ruins of the old temple to Turms Termax, beneath the main temples
of the city-state, and beneath the necropolis outside the city’s walls.
Brother Candor suggested they look beneath the active temples first, as
he thought it best to ensure that no army of the undead rise up under
them and thereby eliminate the party’s best allies in Adamas. Vladimir
the dwarf’s knowledge of stonework — even inferior, man-made
stonework — enabled the party to find a place in the basement of the
Temple of Typhon that looked as if it might lead underground. With
pickaxes in hand, the party battered the walls and entered what appeared
to be an “undercity” — an older portion of Adamas upon which the
current version had been built in ancient times.
Because of fallen rubble, natural decay, and deliberate attempts to fill in
this undercity, navigation was difficult in places, but the PCs
nevertheless managed to find their way. The discovered evidence of an
active cult of Turms Termax in the undercity and wondered who might
be involved, speculating somewhat wildly about the various persons of
importance in Adamas. Pressing forward, they found a chamber guarded
by many eldritch bones, which Brother Candor took as evidence that they
were close to where they needed to be.
Vladimir’s skills again proved invaluable and he located a secret door
that led into a series of crypts very similar to those beneath the
necromancers’ cabin in the elven vale. There was one big difference,
however: the presumed leader of the sleeping undead was already awake
and appeared to be a lich, or at least a lich-like being. The creature did
not recognize the PCs but did not attack them either. He simply asked,
“Is it time for me to assume my duties?” Naturally, the party tried to
convince him otherwise but he demurred, saying, “I know they are close;
I can hear them.” Brother Candor took this to mean that this lich-thing
sensed the presence of the other zombie horde and would soon awaken
his own army to attack Adamas.
The party was accompanied by porters with casks of oil and other
incendiary devices they’d procured from the Senate of the city-state.
While Brother Candor continued to engage the undead commander, the
others started spreading oil around the crypts, preparing to set the place
alight. Just before they did this, Dordagdonar decided to attack the lich-
thing with his bow, which enraged the creature and combat ensued. At
first, the undead being used magic to create a wall of fire to protect
himself, which led to the party throwing corpses into the wall, as
Dordagdonar informed them that the spell did extra damage to the
undead.
3
2 December 2009
This only infuriated the lich-thing more and he ended the wall of fire,
just in time for Brother Candor to cast silence upon him. Bereft of his
magic, the creature employed a wand of cold, nearly slaying
Dordagdonar in the process, bring Vladimir to within seconds of death,
and killing the shield-maiden Henga. Surprisingly, the elf sought revenge
for the demise of his henchmen and, together with his companions,
destroyed the undead commander. His destruction, however, triggered
the awakening of the zombies, which began to shamble to life. The party
then set the whole crypt ablaze and beat a hasty retreat, leaving behind
yet more burning casks of oil to prevent the zombies from escaping to the
surface.
On the surface, the Temples of Typhon and Tyche were suffused with
black, choking smoke from the underground fires. Saidon and his
acolytes did their best to protect the temple’s precious archives and the
PCs helped as best they could. However, they also knew they had to move
quickly. There was still one more crypt hidden somewhere beneath the
city and Brother Candor was now more convinced than ever that it was
beneath the ruins of the old Temple of Turms Termax.
As it happened, he was correct. The party found the crypts — but they
were empty of sleeping zombies. There was evidence of a great fire
having raged here at some time in the past. All the corpses were reduced
to ash and bits of bones. The crypts were empty except for its lich-like
guardian, who made no effort to attack them. Using his helm of
comprehend languages, Dordagdonar learned that this undead being’s
name was Pharaxes and he was once a sorcerer in the cult of Turms
Termax. He had volunteered to be placed in the crypt so that he might
achieve immortality as an undead being. He explained that his regular
consorting with demons — an important part of the cult, it seems — had
convinced him of “the truth,” namely that there nothing after this life,
only oblivion. The gods and any dreams of an afterlife are but human
fairy tales without any basis in fact. Better for one’s consciousness to live
on, even in an undead shell, than to have it die with the body after so
brief a span of years.
Pharaxes added that he had destroyed his own army out of concern for
his continued existence. He doubted that he would survive leading his
undead troops into battle and figured the best way to preserve himself
was to ensure it would never awaken. In this way, he could remain
forever beneath Adamas, free to study and to think — and continue to
exist. Dordagdonar confessed that this was the first ephemeral he’d ever
met who seemed to have a proper perspective on things and he said he
might return one day to converse with him further. Since no other
member of the party could understand Pharaxes (he spoken in ancient
Thulian), they knew nothing of what he said other than what
Dordagdonar told them. He told them most of it, but not all, keeping
Pharaxes’ claims about the gods and the afterlife to himself, as he did not
feel his companions would be able to accept it.
With that, the party had fulfilled their tasks for the Senate and returned
to them to report what had happened. The Senate was pleased to learn of
the destruction of the slumbering zombies, as that meant the city was
(mostly) safe. The downtown temples were in some disarray and it would
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 2 December 2009

be a while before their clerics could return to them safely. The Senate
then asked if the PCs had any further business in the city-state and not
so subtly hinted that they leave and not come back for a very long time, if
ever. Though grateful that the mess the PCs had created was resolved,
the Senate nevertheless was not ready to forgive them for their
foolishness.

The party paid a visit to Morna, high priestess of Tyche, who seemed less
bothered by recent events than the Senate. She reassured Brother
Candor that he was indeed doing the Lady’s will out in the wilds and that
he should continue to do so. Dordagdonar, uncharacteristically, asked
that Henga be restored to life, arguing that it takes so long to properly
train an ephemeral that he could not bear the thought of having to start
over with a new henchman. Morna acceded to his wishes and Henga was
returned to the party, seemingly no worse for the experience. This raised
a few eyebrows among the elf’s companions, but no one said anything to
him, as they were pleased to be leaving the city and returning to
Dwimmermount.

As they left, a courier arrived, bringing news that the original zombie
horde had been defeated by the army of Adamas. The courier also
brought a note, sent from Muntburg and intended for Brother Candor. It
read simply: “It is done. -C” And with that, they left the city.