RPGs
Mechanics
What you'll find here is a cross between fluffy expansion on the settings that I enjoy and the crunchy mechanics of the various rule systems. Game mechanics will cover anything from classes, races, feats, and/or skills. Check how an article is tagged to see if it's for the system you're looking for. It might not be, but can hopefully be adapted easily.
Setting Expansion
What follows is the result of a lot of discussions, years of gaming, and running campaigns. If I came up with a unique location, be it a city, faction, guild, or other such fictional group, you'll find details in the following articles.
Archetypes
Archetypes for a variety of characters and settings can all be found here. Genres range from fantasy to science fiction settings and everything in between.
Allies & Adversaries
The style of these characters varies wildly from a quick paragraph and basic stat block to full-blown character sheet. The reason is that some are actual characters I've played (or planned to play and never got the opportunity) and others were NPCs that I used during the course of a campaign, but there was never any direct conflict so full stats weren't really necessary. I find it handy to have a bunch of names and basic backgrounds on hand during a session because, inevitably, a player will ask what the shop keeper looks like even when it's not really relevant. Far from a bad thing, but it's caught me off guard.
Adventures
What follows are simple Hook/Line/Sinker adventures, complete campaign story arcs, or minimal nuggets that have popped into my head as the result of some player action. Some I have used, others I never got around to, but all could serve as some inspiration for your own campaigns.
Setting Expansion
Queen's Ranch & the Town of Oasis
Queen's Ranch is a small homestead controlled by Mathias Queen and his three children. It lies nearly a week's journey south of the Great Barrier Wall - what was once known as the Mogollon Rim - near the western edge of the Valley of the Coyote. Before The Great Death, the city of Phoenix and it's…
Mechanics
Shape Shifter Feats
I originally posted these on the Google+ Breachworld community (RIP) as one way to handle shape shifting and introduce some horrific elements to the game. I opted to make the Shape Shifter an advanced class with access to a special category of Aether feats. Here is the complete list and the shape…
Mechanics
Advanced Class: Shape Shifter
I.. I don't know, sir. It was a man when he charged us, an enormous, bipedal wolf when it tore out Baker's throat. I just ran after that.- Sergeant Damian Shaw, 2nd Recon Group, New Caldera Expeditionary Forces Court Martial Hearing It's been difficult to pin down the exact origin of the Shape…
Setting Expansion
Ustalav Factions
The powers that be in Ustalav are many. Roaming bands of orcs and gnolls fight for space in the Tusk Mountains, while the lizard tribes are increasingly coming to blows with the humans of Lepidstadt over what has traditionally been their territory. The shadows of Ustalav, and County Lozeri in…
Setting Expansion
Key Places in Ustalav
During a recent Pathfinder campaign, I used several key locations. Here's a few of them for use in your own campaign. Neplyuev Stones The Neplyuev Stones is a small circle of stones located in the the Shudderwood border marshes at the eastern edge of Vieland County. The massive stones bear a…
Allies & Adversaries
Personalities of Ustalav
Here are a few key personalities from a recent Pathfinder campaign set in Ustalav. Lev Mokashev Dwarf, Ftr7/Exp4 A stout dwarf native to Vieland, he retired from adventuring early after suffering a permanently withered right arm. Lev grew up in Lepidstadt, his family working as a liaison between…
Adventures
Secrets & Riddles
This campaign is set in Ustalav, a fog-shrouded land infested by all manner of horrific creatures. In Vieland, the northwestern-most county, a gray sky pelts the ground with a steady rain and a thick mist dulls the echo of footsteps on cobblestone avenues. Our story begins at the University of…
Allies & Adversaries
Isarn of Burok-Torn
Isarn was recently accused of murder in Hollowfaust. Though later proven innocent, his incarceration left him shaken. He departed Hollowfaust on the pretense of returning home to Burok-Torn, but the scars he carries may guide him in other directions. As of the 19th or Corot, 150 AV, Isarn travels…
Setting Expansion
The Black Hands
The Black Hand is an assassin's guild operating in Timiro and Land of the South Winds, though they have recently begun to expand their operations thanks to help from a, virtually unknown, force in the Land of the Damned. The Black Hand is a very secretive organization and the fact that an…
Allies & Adversaries
Ventik Corliss
Corliss is a character I'm playing in the Threat of the Empire game in the Campaign Center. This is my first experience with the d20 version of Star Wars, but my second run-in with the RPG (I played the old West End Games version some time back). My boss let me borrow all his Jedi-related stuff so…
Adventures
Adventure Seeds
The following are very basic, undeveloped ideas that have crossed my mind for possible Dragonstar campaigns. Dragonstar is a very cool sci-fi game using the "classic" races from D&D. It's published by Fantasy Flight Games and is, IMO, one of the best d20 products out there. As I write this, I…
Adventures
The Return of Nogrustru
This campaign is based out of the Timiro Kingdom and the Old Kingdom (and could lead to adventures in a number of other regions in the world). I've actually got a bit more to this, but it was becoming very specific to my own campaign world. What is presented here is a more basic version that should…
Setting Expansion
Royal Timiro Calendar
I ended up completely laying out the Timiro Calendar during some of my Palladium Fantasy RPG campaigns years ago. Current Year: 1782 TR (Timiro Record), 5823 WR (Western Record), 18,223 EC (Elven Calendar), 71,345 DC (Dwarven Calendar) Hours of the Day 1: Hour of the Tiger 2: Hour of the…
Setting Expansion
Monastic Orders
Monks come in all varieties. There are those that promote peace and scholarly pursuits, represented by the Monk Scholar O.C.C. (see Book 2: Old Ones, p.14 for more information on this O.C.C.), and those of a militant nature who seek to destroy evil, represented by the Warrior Monk O.C.C. (see the…
Setting Expansion
The Watchers of the Unspoken
A secret society headquartered in the city of Destiny Point (for a complete description of the city, see Book 13: Northern Hinterlands, p.148), the Watchers of the Unspoken have been investigating myth and legend for centuries. The organization was formed after the disappearance of the Order of…
Adventures
Adventure Seeds
The following are very basic, undeveloped ideas that have crossed my mind for possible D&D 3rd Edition (3e) games. Should I ever actually start playing 3e, I'm sure I'll catch some flak from someone about this (if anyone knows what I need to include on my page to cover WotC copyright notices,…
Setting Expansion
The New German Republic Revisited
When I first bought Triax and the NGR, I expected it to contain information much like the other books. Government information, notable NPCs, and city descriptions. What I found was far different. The book contained weapons, equipment and power armor, but no information on the cities of the NGR. It…
Allies & Adversaries
A'kosh the Assassin
Despite his impoverished childhood and adolescence, A'Kosh always envisioned something more. He grew up in the slums of Upper Kighfalton, avoiding the constant purges by the Emperor and the regional Overlord to rid the region of the subterranean races such as Ratlings, Goblins, and Ratton. Somehow,…
Allies & Adversaries
Lord Devis Amodus Azalon
Since he was an infant, Devis was born and raised in the royal court of the new "Kingdom of Elves." Being the youngest of five, Devis was not in line for any succession and was instead deemed to inherit the position of diplomat. Unfortunately, it always seemed he was unable to be polite to guests,…
Allies & Adversaries
Jaya
Jaya is a human monk -- member of the Order of Claren Elian on Krynn. After being forced in the middle of the war with the Dark Queen, he has found a new calling, and reason to revise the order's ways. Here are Jaya's history and stat block. Background Orphaned at a young age, he was sent to a…
Allies & Adversaries
Nym Tarnruth
Nym is a half-elven ranger I'm currently playing in a local D&D group I recently located. Nothing spectacular at the moment since we're just needing to get a few levels before we start the primary adventure campaign -- The Return the Temple of Elemental Evil. Here's Nym's history and stat…
Setting Expansion
The Elven Noble House of Azazel
The House of Azazel is an ancient Elven house, one of the few still in existence due to the Elf-Dwarf War. Though members of this house have altered their surname over time, its traditions have survived the ages. History Azazel nobles can trace their lineage back to Lictalon himself, even to the…
Allies & Adversaries
Augustus Fairchild
Augustus Fairchild is the character I am playing in my current Rifts campaign. It's a great game so far, so here he is... My name is Augustus... Oh, bloody hell. You won't be able to tell anyone. You're a criminal and no one would be likely to believe you. My name is Marcus Cole. I am an Amaki…
Allies & Adversaries
Pedro Salazar
Pedro was born and raised in Omagua. He lived in the slums all his life and dreamed of becoming rich and living the good life. He eventually worked his way out of Omagua, sneaking away into the jungle late one night. He wandered west for a time, treading cautiously around the Arkon territory, north…
Setting Expansion
The Order of the Serpent
This is a little something I cooked up sometime ago and happened across on my hard drive while looking at some older files for Palladium Fantasy (I've also located some others that I'll be revising and posting during the next few months). I'm currently planning to make up some of the characters…