Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Latest Release - Flynn's Guide to Azri Drakara: Republic Starships...

Good Morning, All:

Another week of hard work and here we are, another Samardan Press publication! Please feel free to check it out, and consider it for your favorite Traveller fan this holiday season!

Enjoy!



Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: Republic Starships is a campaign resource and sourcebook for Traveller that describes starships common to the Dracosian Republic. This book provides an overview of the use of starships within the Republic (including a hierarchy of military vessels, the proper use of distress signals and an alternate approach to the Ship Shares material benefit), detailed descriptions for 18 different space vessels, and a complete set of space encounter tables and rules.

Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: Republic Starships is another product in our outstanding Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara series. This series provides details on the Azri Drakara sector, a region in space where Referees and players can engage in all manner of science fiction adventuring. Although designed for use with the Traveller system, the Azri Drakara setting can be used with any science fiction roleplaying game!



You can find this product in PDF format at both RPGNow and Lulu:
Flynn's Guide to Azri Drakara: Republic Starships on Lulu.com
Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: Republic Starships on RPGNow.com

You can also pick this product up in hardcopy via Print-On-Demand at Lulu:
Flynn's Guide to Azri Drakara: Republic Starships Print-On-Demand on Lulu.com

Watch for future releases of the Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara series from Samardan Press in the coming months!

With Regards,
Jason "Flynn" Kemp

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Latest Release - Flynn's Guide to Azri Drakara: A Primer...

Good Afternoon, All:

After a week of illness and another week of hard effort, I wanted to announce that Samardan Press released a new product today, Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: A Primer. This product was inspired by a reviewer's comments over on RPGNow.com, so I felt it might be appreciated.

Enjoy!



Out towards the rim of the Milky Way galaxy, a thousand parsecs away from Old Earth, far from that little yellow sun called Sol, lies a region of space known as the Azri Drakara sector!

Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: A Primer is a campaign resource and sourcebook for Traveller that introduces a complete game setting which can be used with the Traveller system, or even other science fiction rules sets. This book provides an overview to the setting, including a history of the Dracosian Republic, a map of Azri Drakara sector, an introduction to 11 different interstellar polities that exist within the sector, details for 15 intelligent species (both human and alien) frequently encountered within Azri Drakara sector, and some design notes providing a behind-the-scenes peek at some of the elements included in this new Traveller campaign setting.



You can find the PDF version of this product on both Lulu and RPGNow:
Flynn's Guide to Azri Drakara: A Primer by Jason Kemp in Games
Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: A Primer - Samardan Press | RPGNow.com

You can also obtain a physical copy of this product via Print-On-Demand from Lulu.com:
Flynn's Guide to Azri Drakara: A Primer by Jason Kemp in Games

Please check out future releases in the Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara series from Samardan Press in the coming months!

With Regards,
Jason "Flynn" Kemp
Samardan Press

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Latest Release - Flynn's Guide to Azri Drakara: Rodan Subsector...

Good Afternoon, All:

I simply wanted to make an announcement that Samardan Press released Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: Rodan Subsector today.


Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: Rodan Subsector is campaign resource and sourcebook for Traveller that provides a complete game setting which can be used with the Traveller system, or even other science fiction rules sets. This book focuses on the 40 primary worlds located within a single subsector on the frontier of the Azri Drakara sector. It provides astrography maps, world data, library data, rumors and a number of patron encounters to help you begin your next science-fiction campaign among the borderworlds of the Dracosian Republic.

Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: Rodan Subsector is the first product of the Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara series. This series provides details on the Azri Drakara sector, a region in space where Referees and players can engage in all manner of science fiction adventuring.

Watch for future releases of the Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara series from Samardan Press in the coming months!

You can find the PDF at both RPGNow and Lulu.com:
Flynn's Guide to Azri Drakara: Rodan Subsector by Jason Kemp in Games
Flynn's Guide To Azri Drakara: Rodan Subsector - Samardan Press | RPGNow.com

You can find the Print On Demand version at Lulu.com:
Flynn's Guide to Azri Drakara: Rodan Subsector by Jason Kemp in Games

Enjoy,
Flynn

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Latest Release - MyD20 Lite Bestiary: Common Creatures...

Good Afternoon, All:

MyD20 Lite Bestiary: Common Creatures, the latest release from Samardan Press is now available!

Running a game of MyD20 Lite just got a lot easier!

The MyD20 Lite Bestiary: Common Creatures is intended to provide the Referee with a basic list of more than sixty different monsters that are common to many fantasy campaigns, some of which have multiple stat blocks for variant monsters, leading to almost seventy-five different unique monsters ready to populate your adventures! In addition, you'll also find rules on how to create your own monsters in the MyD20 Lite system!

MyD20 Lite's small, spartan rule-set frees up your creativity to create a fantasy role-playing experience without the hassles found with larger, more complex gaming systems.



You can find the eBook/PDF at Lulu or RPGNow:
http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/myd20-lite-bestiary-common-creatures/18167675
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=95870

You can obtain a physical copy via Print-On-Demand at Lulu:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/myd20-lite-bestiary-common-creatures/18172392

Please check out the MyD20 Lite Player’s Guide as well!

With Regards,
Jason "Flynn" Kemp

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Change of Plans: MyD20 Lite Referee's Guide...

Good Morning, All:

At the moment, I am preparing to release my next MyD20 Lite product, which I am calling MyD20 Lite Bestiary: Common Creatures. It is a small collection of more than sixty monsters that can be used with any MyD20 Lite campaign. A majority come from the work I've done on the Referee's Guide, some from Hammersong's Legacy (updated to MyD20 Lite, of course), and some are introduced just to cover some of the bases regarding common creatures. This 40-page supplement should be available before the end of the week, in both PDF and Print-On-Demand.

In essence, I'm looking at breaking the Referee's Guide up into smaller parts so that I can get more of it out there now, and then add the parts that are still missing as I go along. Expect to see a Treasure supplement in the next few weeks, as well as Referee Advice. Other bits and pieces will follow, and eventually, I'll compile them all into a single book, once I've finished everything. While this doesn't give the MyD20 Lite fans a complete book all at once, at least it gives them something that they can use right now. Eventually, I may even create my own version of the D&D Rules Compendium and bring it all together into one giant hardcover book.

Of course, if the MyD20 Lite stuff doesn't sell well, then I know that the material isn't in high demand and I can stop beating myself up about not getting it done. If that's the case, I will wait until I have an actual MyD20 Lite gaming group instead of the Savage Worlds game I'm running right now before I finalize the whole system. Since I tend to write more for things that I can use in my game, in one form or another, that will probably be the biggest motivator toward getting things done. Right now, though, my Savage Worlds game is going strong, and I'm really enjoying it, so I wouldn't expect that additional external motivation just yet. But if there are a significant number of people waiting, I'm more motivated to get it finished and out there where it can be used and enjoyed.

Hope This Helps,
Flynn

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

World Consolidation: The Kingdom of Synovia...

Good Morning, All:

One of the first kingdoms to define in this project is also one of the kingdoms that has appeared in some form or other in the most campaign worlds that I've created, the Kingdom of Synovia. In fact, a friend and fellow GM liked the name so much that he started using it in his campaign worlds. I originally came up with the name back in my college days, while studying for Anatomy and Physiology. (The fluid of the knee joint is called synovial fluid.) From its beginning, Synovia has typically been a city-state with an Ancient Greek flavor, albeit often with heavy medieval elements mixed in as a result of being the central hub of a classic D&D-esque fantasy setting.

Synovia, Kingdom of
The Kingdom of Synovia is actually a walled city-state that governs and protects all lands within fifty miles of its gates. Having survived the apocalyptic Dark Times, the kingdom may yet fall as varying factions vie to put an heir on the recently vacated throne.
Capital: The City-State of Synovia is the capitol of the kingdom.

City-State of Synovia (Large City, Pop. 20,000): Aristocracy (House of Lords, made up of influential Noble Houses, nominally led by a patrilineal king); Reaction To Outsiders: Indifferent; Resources: Processed metal goods; Important NPCs: Sir Andrus Phaetren (heroic male human warlord and heir apparent to the throne), Lord Nigritus (dour male human admiral and lifelong rival of Sir Andrus), High Magus Ravenwolf (jovial male human elementalist).

Population: 100,000, with 20,000 living in the City-State of Synovia proper, roughly 10,000 among the major townships that support Synovia and the remainder in the villages and farms on Synovial lands. The population is predominately human, with a significant minority of dwarves and valefolk.
Common Language(s): Trade, Synovial and, to a lesser extent, Duar and Vaelic.
Society: Based on Ancient Greek society, with the use of medieval British terms to make it more accessible to gamers. Synovia is a classic starting point for many campaigns.
Government: Synovia is ruled by its aristocracy, the House of Lords, who are comprised of the lords of those noble houses that hold both wealth and political power, with a patrilineal monarch as its nominal ruler. Most political decisions are made in the High Courts.
Diplomatic Relations: Synovia is traditionally at odds with the Slavic-influenced country of Pasalovakia, and on good terms with a nearby dwarven kingdom (usually a variant of the Duar Triumvirate).
Trade & Commerce: Synovia deals primarily with raw ores and processed metal and ceramic/pottery goods. It can survive on what its farmlands grow, but imports exotic foodstuffs.
Military: Synovia has a standing army of about 10,000 soldiers, many recruited from farms and villages under Synovia’s protection as part of the land’s taxes. During times of peace, the military actively patrols the local lands to protect its citizenry. During the tumultuous times following the recent death of Synovia’s sovereigns, some Houses have used the military to extort more taxes than usual from the citizenry to support the city dwellers in the aftermath of the Dark Times.
Major Settlements: In the consolidated version of Synovia, there are three major townships that support the kingdom.

Greenfell (Township, Pop. 1000): Lord-Mayor (appointed by the Synovial King); Reaction To Outsiders: Friendly; Resources: Lumber; Important NPCs: Lord-Mayor Volus of Greenfell (loyal male human mercenary/aristocrat), Solarius the Tailor (jovial male human spymaster). Greenfell is the closest township to the neutral trading camp/tent-city known as Trader’s Point.

Newport (Township, Pop. 2000): Town Council (voted by populace); Reaction To Outsiders: Indifferent; Resources: Port city; Important NPCs: Amandrea (stoic female Cyclops oracle), Father Claudius (pious male human cleric of Joven), Johanus the Hawk (alert male human commander of the guard). Pilgrims sometimes come to Newport to seek the advice of Amandrea, the Oracle that lives on the largest island in Newport Bay. The Temple of the Three Graces houses the greatest healers, magical and non-magical, in the kingdom.

Silverdale (Township, Pop. 1500): Town Council (Lord-Mayor appointed by Synovia King, remainder voted by populace); Reaction To Outsiders: Friendly; Resources: Silver mines; Important NPCs: TBD. Silverdale is a day’s travel from the most commonly known entrance to the Vaults of Celebrus, making it a popular city for adventurers and mercenaries seeking their fortune in the ruins.

Major Organizations: Bandits have taken advantage of the turmoil in the city to harass the outlying villages, leading to the formation of the Synovial Rangers, who are comprised of and protect the citizens of the threatened regions. The Thorns of Alonna, an order of holy warriors devoted to the goddess of nature, have a high presence in the rural lands in and about Synovia.
Symbol: Synovia’s current emblem is a golden dragon rampant on a crimson background.

One of the things that I learned from this experience is that the template above requires a lot of work to fill out. I may have to simplify it even further. Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.

With Regards,
Flynn

Monday, September 26, 2011

World Consolidation: The Kingdom Template...

Good Evening, All:

As you may well have noted, I haven't been very diligent in updating my blog over the last few weeks. Part of that has been a hectic workload, but general life issues are as much to blame as anything else. In hopes of sparking some internal interest in getting back into the blog, I've decided to return to my personal World Consolidation effort. For the immediate future, I'm working specifically on the kingdoms in my Consolidated World, and will be writing up a number of them in a simple format so that I can gather it all together in one location.

For the moment, the template I've created to capture this information can be found below. It combines some elements from my Settlement data template with elements from my Interstellar Polity data template, and should give me sufficient information to capture the rudiments of a kingdom on a single page. Further work can be done on specific examples, but for the core of my Consolidated World, this basic template should suffice.
KINGDOM NAME
Brief description of kingdom.
Capital: The capital city of the kingdom.
Population: Numbers and brief description of the kingdom's people and where they live.
Common Language(s): Languages commonly spoken within the kingdom.
Society: This section discusses the common mindset held by the general population of this kingdom, as an aid to Referees during gameplay and adventure design. This section should address both citizens and outsiders, if the roles are different.
Government: Who rules and how they rule. Also includes any publicly known political goals of the kingdom's government.
Diplomatic Relations: This section details the kingdom's general trends in diplomatic relations with its neighbors.
Trade & Commerce: Businesses and commercial drives for the kingdom.
Military: Guard, militia, and other defenses of the kingdom.
Major Settlements: Important settlements in or under the influence of the kingdom.
Major Organizations: Important groups in the kingdom.
Symbol: Description of the kingdom's symbol or flag.
I contemplated adding a simple Rumor table at the end of the template, but then decided against it. I'm going to have a difficult time keeping each kingdom to a page as it is. Why add additional stress to the whole process by adding a mandatory Rumors table on top of the work detailed above?

Additionally, since the above template can also be used as a handout if need be, I should probably mention that I want to have a separate section in another part of my setting bible that includes major secrets in each region and such which can be discovered over the course of adventuring. If I were to include it above, I'd probably put it at the end. Sadly, I couldn't use the page as a handout if I did so, and I'm trying to be practical here.

Your thoughts on the template above would be appreciated. If anything, I'd rather err on the side of minimalism, just to keep the size of the workload reasonable. Any comments or suggestions you have will be given the consideration they are due.

With Regards,
Flynn

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Adventuring In A Dead Goddess's Dreams...

Good Evening, All:

As one of my players will not be available for gaming for two weeks, the others have asked that I run an adventure set in Dreamland. In my version of the Madlands Campaign, the goddess of dreams is the one who died in battle, and the party has become involved with her spirit/soul/essence over the course of the last year of gaming. With a player out who is pretty prominent in the main adventure, they sought an adventure idea that would help develop the background of the game a little bit, and then one of them suggested this fantastic idea. I've taken it and started to run with it.

I'm using the Dreamland adventure as a means of demonstrating elements from three of my primary story arcs. In essence, it ties these arcs into one inter-related storyline, but aside from these elements that exist because of a common point in history, the arcs still stand alone. My players seem to really enjoy these opportunities where I can share some of the secrets behind the campaign setting, and I thought that doing so would also be a great way to provide clues on how to move forward toward a resolution of one or more of these major threads.

I'm also looking forward to providing interaction with various monsters that I haven't exposed to the group yet, but will feature in some of the upcoming adventures. Most of these will be "mook level" encounters, but they paint a picture of what lies ahead in pursuit of these storylines. With these experiences under their belt, I hope to give them clues that may make future adventures a little easier. If you know what to expect from these monsters, then you can prepare for them.

Finally, given that this is a Dreamland adventure, I get to provide the characters with a different yet flavorful environment, complete with elements based on their major fears and desires. This will let me explore a little bit of the horror aspects of the setting, as well as tailor an experience directly to the past and future of the characters in a more blatant manner than the usual fantasy fare might.

I'm currently pulling my thoughts together into a set of adventure notes. Tomorrow, I'll stat up the monsters and nail down some of the final encounter elements so that I make sure the rules emphasize the flavor of a dead goddess's dreams. Have you ever wondered what the restless spirit of a dead goddess dreams of? This week and next, my players get the chance to play through one answer to that question. If all goes well, it will be the kind of game people talk about years down the road. If not, at least it will be a fun adventure, right?

With that in mind, what would you suggest? How would you tackle this kind of adventure? I obviously have my thoughts, but they aren't yet set in stone (as it were.) I'm definitely not above borrowing the better ideas and suggestions that come my way, and incorporating them into the adventure I'm crafting for my players. Thanks in advance for any assistance you might be willing to offer.

With Regards,
Flynn

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Campaign Development: Background Abilities...

Good Afternoon, All:

I've observed a relatively new phenomenon recently due to my participation in the Kingmaker adventure path by Paizo, as well as reading through the War of the Burning Sky adventure path by EN Publishing and the Neverwinter Campaign Setting by Wizards of the Coast. In all three cases, the Player's Guide for the adventure path provides additional starting abilities that players can select which tie them into the campaign setting. They get their background ability for free, and along with it comes some character connection to the campaign world and the adventures as a whole. While Paizo's implementation has been a little less immersive than the examples implemented by EN Publishing or WOTC, it still captures the concept well enough that I'm tempted to pursue something like it for my next campaign.

These abilities are rarely anything overpowering. Instead, it's like a bonus granted to players who choose to connect their character to a developed storyline or campaign element, and thus enhancing their investment and immersion into the campaign. Plus, I think it gets people asking about the setting and figuring out some of the basic character roles that you want to see as a GM within the game. Usually, it's something like a +1 on a D20 roll within a limited context (such as +1 on attack rolls with axes due to cultural training), or a +2 under certain circumstances. You may also start with some kind of specialized equipment (such as a mount for a clan of horseriders, or armor for a military organization), or just a little extra cash (to reflect a better social position).

If I were to create these for my current Madlands campaign, I'd probably look at the elements that emphasize exploration in the Madlands themselves, and build some backgrounds around them. For example, I'd probably create something for the Seekers of Truth, who are trying to recover and preserve lost lore; the Order Elysia, who gain magical power by draining it from extraplanar creatures; the Circle of Mithril, a mercenary guild common to the area; the Shadow Syndicate, a rogue's guild with grander plans; and perhaps one or two other organizations with a vested interest in exploration. I'd want to make sure that I covered all of the main character types (from a "character class" perspective) in terms of applicability, and added one or two more, just for fun. Each option would be open to more than one character type, as well, to allow people to travel together who are bound by a common background, should they so choose. I'd definitely want to keep the number of options low, though, aiming for either five or seven. While it could be stretched higher than that, I would want to make sure I didn't exceed twice the number of people at the gaming table, and I'd much prefer no more than one or two more options than chairs. This creates a tighter focus, in my opinion.

I also think these would be campaign-specific. In other words, I would want to create them at the beginning of each new campaign, simply to reflect the direction of a given campaign. Next time around, even if the new campaign is set in the same location as a previous game, the focus would be different, and the background options should reflect and support that.

Until Next Time,
Flynn

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Savage Kingmaker: Building Kingdoms...

Good Morning, All:

What follows are my thoughts on the Savage Worlds basic rule conversions for Kingdom Building as found in Paizo's Pathfinder #32, "Rivers Run Red", from the Kingmaker adventure path. If something is not listed here, assume that it follows the rules found in the original article listed above.

Kingdom Statistics
All kingdom checks (Economy, Loyalty and Stability) are based on the Ruler's Knowledge (Statecraft) skill, which is based on Smarts. Much like the resolution of Mass Battles, characters in specific roles may make an appropriate skill check to assist in one of the three kingdom checks for the month.

Alignment: As Savage Worlds does not have alignment, kingdoms do not recieve any bonuses to kingdom checks based on alignment.

Size: A Kingdom's size remains equal to the number of hexes comprising the kingdom. Kingdom checks suffer a penalty equal to half the kingdom's size, rounded down.

Leadership: Penalties to kingdom checks for missing a particular leadership position are halved from the article itself. (i.e. if the kingdom has no Councilor, then the Loyalty kingdom check suffers a -1 penalty.) Instead of granting bonuses to a kingdom check based on a statistic, each leadership role is allowed to make a single skill check to aid the appropriate kingdom check each month (+1 with a success, +1 per Raise). The skills for each leadership role are defined in the Skill By Leadership Role table below.

Table: Skill By Leadership Role
Leadership RoleSkill
CouncilorKnowledge (Statecraft)
GeneralKnowledge (Battle)
Grand DiplomatKnowledge (Linguistics)
High PriestKnowledge (Religion)
MagisterKnowledge (Arcane)
MarshalKnowledge (Battle)
Royal AssassinIntimidation
SpymasterStreetwise
TreasurerKnowledge (Statecraft)
wardenKnowledge (Battle)

Other Bonuses and Penalties: All other circumstances that impact a kingdom check provide a bonus or impose a penalty that is half that described in the article, round toward the most negative number. Thus, a -1 penalty in the article still grants a -1 penalty, while a +1 does not grant a bonus to the kingdom check, and a +3 only grants a +1 bonus on the kingdom check, etc.

Kingdom Check: Stability
The Ruler makes a Knowledge (Statecraft) skill check in Step 1 of the Upkeep Phase, modified by the kingdom's size as discussed above, the Stability check modifiers as determined per the article (and modified herein) and the skill check results of the appropriate leadership roles. If successful, he reduces Unrest by 1 (or gains 1 BP if Unrest is at 0). On a failure, Unrest increases by 1; on a result of 1 or less, Unrest increases by 2.

Kingdom Check: Loyalty
The Ruler makes a Knowledge (Statecraft) skill check in Step 2 of the Income Phase, modified by the kingdom's size as discussed above, the Loyalty check modifiers as determined per the article (and modified herein), the skill check results of the appropriate leadership roles, and half the BPs being withdrawn, rounded up. On a failure, Unrest increases by the number of BPs withdrawn.

Kingdom Check: Economy
The Ruler makes a Knowledge (Statecraft) skill check in Step 3 of the Income Phase, modified by the Economy check modifiers as determined per the article (and modified herein), the skill check results of the appropriate leadership roles, and an additional penalty based on item rarity (-4 for moderate items and -8 for major items). On a failure, nothing sells. With a success, the Ruler increases the kingdom's treasury by 2 BP (minor items), 8 BP (moderate items) or 15 BP (major items.)

In addition, the Ruler makes a Knowledge (Statecraft) skill check in Step 4 of the Income Phase, modified by the kingdom's size as discussed above, the Economy check modifiers as determined per the article (and modified herein) and the skill check results of the appropriate leadership roles. On a success, increase your kingdom's treasure by a number of BP equal to 1 for every 2 points on the trait check result above the base of 4.

Kingdom Checks: General
In addition, certain events call for kingdom checks in order to minimize or remove any negative impact. Those are simply a Ruler's Knowledge (Statecraft) check, modified by the kingdom's size as discussed above, the Economy, Loyalty or Stability check modifiers as determined per the article (and modified herein) and the skill check results of the appropriate leadership roles.

I think the rest of it could stand as is, at least for the time being. Some experimentation would be necessary. If I had a group interested in carving out a kingdom within the Madlands, I'd definitely try this out. If someone else gives these thoughts a try before I'm able to, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

With Regards,
Flynn

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Savage Kingmaker: Exploring Hexes...

Good Morning, All:

Sorry for the side trek, but I felt the need to chat about something else for a post or two. I've been playing most of the summer in a Kingmaker campaign using the Pathfinder rules. While I've enjoyed the experience, I still find the D20 System, even in its Pathfinder incarnation, to be overly complicated. While I'd run MyD20 Light if I had to Referee a D&D-like system again, right now my gaming group prefers Savage Worlds. Being the itinerate tinkerer that I am, I have recently been considering how to convert the basic experience of exploration and kingdom building to Savage Worlds. Below are some of my initial thoughts, in case you are interested.

Travel Times
While Pathfinder breaks down travel times by the party's speed on multiple levels, I prefer the more simplified approach promoted by Savage Worlds. In essence, I'd probably do something like this:

Table: Travel Times
Terrain (Obstacles)Cross The HexExplore the Hex
Grasslands/Plains/Road (Unobstructed)1/2 Day1 Day
Forest/Hills (Average)1 Day2 Days
Mountains/Swamps (Difficult)1 Day3 Days
Note: Characters moving at less than Pace 6 must make a Vigor roll to avoid taking a level of Fatigue from pushing themselves to make that distance. Characters (or mounted characters) moving at a Pace of 9 or higher may half the time listed in the table above.

Order of Exploration
Whenever characters explore an unknown region, I would suggest the following order of operations.

  1. Entering The Hex: When entering the hex, the characters should become aware of any landmark sites. These are sites that can be seen at a great distance on the horizon, such as cities, sizable geographic landmarks or even large structures. The landmark site can be avoided or explored at the explorers' desire.
  2. In addition, the GM should check for Wandering Monsters upon entering a hex, as well as every day or night spent exploring or camping in the hex. (Alternately, you could use a Survival check to avoid such encounters, if you prefer that system, which I personally do. For details, check out Fantasy Flight Games' Wildscape.)
  3. Exploring The Hex: If the characters take the time to explore the hex, the characters should automatically become aware of any standard sites. Standard sites are somewhat secluded, but are immediately identifiable when the explorers come within bow shot range, if not sooner.
  4. In addition, if the characters succeed in a Notice skill check while exploring the hex, they discover any hidden sites that might exist in the hex. Hidden sites are those that are very secluded or hidden, and thus not immediately obvious, even when within bow shot range.

I have yet to tackle "savaging" the Kingdom Building rules, but I've got some thoughts. I'll probably post something later if my thoughts coalesce. In the meantime, enjoy!

Happy Savaging,
Flynn

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sword & Planet Bestiary: The Kandor...

Good Morning, All:

One of the first beasts that I wanted to introduce to my Sword & Planet bestiary is the kandor, a creature that has been domesticated by the sentient races to assist with working and hunting, as well as provide general companionship. The monster entry follows:

Kandor
The kandor is a common creature that has been domesticated by the sentient races to assist with working, herding, hunting and protection, as well as providing general companionship. The kandor can be found in both pet and feral varieties, and are territorial pack hunters in the wild. Well-muscled, the kandor is a vicious predator with six legs, a dog-like body and a rat-like head, standing about four feet tall at the shoulder. The kandor's coat covers most of its body (save for the inside of its large circular ears and its long whip-like tail), with a color that varies from white through grays to black, and browns that range from light (tan) to dark ("red" or "chocolate") in a wide variation of patterns. The kandor is a very social creature, using hisses, barks and squeaks as well as body language to express a wide range of information to its packmates and/or owners.

Kandor: AC 6 [13]; HD 4; Atk: 1 bite (1d6); ST: 13; SP: None; MV: 18; CL/XP: 4/120.

In essence, the kandor are simply osquip on a larger scale, but should prove to be pretty fun as a replacement for dogs or wolves in a Planetary Romance setting. Just imagine a giant wolf-rat coiled beside its master when the party encounters a lone woodsman in their travels, or a pack of these predators tearing through the underbrush chasing them down as they flee from an enemy's stronghold. If your players are uncomfortable with rats, feel free to play up that aspect of their appearance. After creatures get to be of a certain size, a large group of them is no longer considered a swarm; instead, we tend to call such a group a pack. Despite that, though, you can describe their charge as having a swarm-like quality about it, particularly if the PCs observe them attacking a much larger creature such as a dinosaur.

Hope This Helps,
Flynn

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Sword & Planet: Some Thoughts On A Bestiary...

Good Morning, All:

In thinking about developing a Sword & Planet bestiary, I wanted to start with some basic concepts. As a GM, I've noticed that the more I touch on common or shared experiences between gamers, the less time I have to take explaining things and the easier it is for gamers to accept the details of the scene and immerse themselves in the world and the storyline that we are creating together. In terms of a bestiary, this is no different.

Looking at the Swadesh list, I can easily see that there are five animals that are identified. This means that these animals are part of the 200 concepts most commonly communicated in languages. These animals are:

bird
dog
fish
fly
louse

Of course, you can't really do a lot with that list. There's simply not enough options to explore. However, there's a Universal Language List project, that expands on the idea behind the Swadesh lists, which one can assume also includes creatures that are common enough that most people can use them and move on. Looking through the list, I found the following forty-six creatures identified in the list of animals as common concepts that cross cultural boundaries and thus lend themselves well to shared experiences and more immersive gaming:

ant (insect of family Formicidae)
caterpillar
cricket
grasshopper
mantis (insect of order Manteodea)
cockroach (insect of order Blattaria)
worm (broad category of insect larvae)
bee (member of genus Apis)
butterfly
firefly
fly (small winged insect)
mosquito
lizard
snake (reptile of suborder Serpentes or Ophidia)
turtle (reptile of order Testudinata)
dragon (winged serpent with crested head and large claws)
fish
lobster
whale (large marine mammal of order Cetacea)
frog (web-footed tailless leaping amphibian)
spider
cow/bull, cattle (bovine animal of either sex)
donkey, ass (Equus asinus)
elephant
goat (animal of genus Capra)
horse (Equus caballus)
pig (mammal of family Suidae)
sheep (Ovis aries)
bear (animal of Ursidae family)
deer (animal of family Cervidae)
lion (Felis leo)
tiger (Felis tigris)
fox (member of genus Vulpes)
wolf (Canis lupus)
monkey, small primate
rabbit (animal of family Leporidae)
squirrel (rodent of family Sciuridae)
mouse
dog (Canis familiaris)
cat (Felis catus)
bird (egg-laying feathered animal with wings)
chicken
duck
turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
crow
sparrow

Therefore, when developing creature concepts for a Planetary Romance game, I am going to make an effort to describe the appearance and/or behavior of the beasts in terms of these common animals listed above. Sometimes, the inability of a player to visualize the world described by a GM gets in the way of enjoying a non-standard gaming experience, and as the Sword & Planet genre is not strictly Fantasy, we can safely say that we may need every bit of help we can get to help players enjoy the game.

What are your thoughts? Do you have any other suggestions to offer?

With Regards,
Flynn

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sword & Planet: A Campaign Story Arc...

Good Morning, All:

Early on in my discussion of the Planetary Romance genre, I mentioned a quote from Wikipedia regarding the common conventions of the first book of a Sword and Planet series, which I'll repeat here for the sake of easy reference.

"Burroughs established a set of conventions that were followed fairly closely by most other entries in the Sword and Planet genre. The typical first book in a sword and planet series uses some or all of the following plot points:

A tough but chivalrous male protagonist, from Earth of a period not too distant from our own, finds himself transported to a distant world. The transportation may be via astral projection, teleportation, time travel, or any similar form of scientific magic, but should not imply that travel between worlds is either easy or common. The Earthman thus finds himself the sole representative of his own race on an alien planet. This planet is at a pre-modern, even barbaric stage of civilization, but may here and there have remarkable technologies that hint at a more advanced past. There is no obligation for the physical properties or biology of the alien planet to follow any scientific understanding of the potential conditions of habitable worlds; in general, the conditions will be earth-like, but with variations such as a different-colored sun or different numbers of moons. A lower gravity may be invoked to explain such things as large flying animals or people, or the superhuman strength of the hero, but will otherwise be ignored. (A Princess of Mars, however, when it was first written did loosely follow the most optimistic theories about Mars - e.g., those of Percival Lowell who imagined a dying, dried-up Mars watered by a network of artificial canals.)

Not long after discovering his predicament, the Earthman finds himself caught in a struggle between two or more factions, nations, or species. He sides, of course, with the nation with the prettiest woman, who will sometimes turn out to be a princess. Before he can set about seriously courting her, however, she is kidnapped by a fiendish villain or villains. The Earthman, taking up his sword (the local weapon of choice, which he has a talent with), sets out on a quest to recover the woman and wallop the kidnappers. On the way, he crosses wild and inhospitable terrain, confronts savage animals and monsters, discovers lost civilizations ruled by cruel tyrants or wicked priests, and will repeatedly engage in swashbuckling sword-fights, be imprisoned, daringly escape and rescue other prisoners, and kill any men or beasts who stand in his way. At the end of the story he will defeat the villain and free the captive princess, only to find another crisis emerging that will require all his wit and muscle, but will not be resolved until the next thrilling novel in the adventures of...!."

As I had mentioned in that earlier post, this gives us a nice blueprint to use for the first few adventures in a Planetary Romance setting. Using something like the screenwriter's Nine Act Plot Structure as the basis for a campaign story arc, it occurs to me that you could easily use something like the following to help launch a strong Sword & Planet campaign.

Act Zero
Over the course of the campaign, we reveal the background of the campaign arc through small scenes and insights. As this is not a formal scene within the screenwriter's plot structure, neither is this an actual adventure for the players.

Act One
The characters arrive via some mysterious means on a distant world, which will be the setting for the entire campaign. Just as they begin to familiarize themselves with their new environment, they find themselves caught in the middle of a struggle between two different factions, and must choose sides. Obviously, as a beautiful woman needs saving, they will side with the faction that rescues her.

Act Two
The party must prove themselves to their would-be compatriots, and protect the woman from the barbaric ways of the natives. This starts off with some political/social machinations, possibly with duels or combat to help establish the players in a new social position. As the party relaxes and begins to enjoy their newfound position, a jealous or vengeful second in command, displaced by the party due to their arrival and success, kidnaps the woman and flees with her into the night.

Act Three
Following the kidnapper, the party comes upon the enemy of the woman's people. These enemies happen to desire the woman as well, given that she is a Princess and the daughter of their enemy. Their first encounter with the enemy warlord defines his arrogant manner, and displays his position of power within the world, a position that the players will not be able to overcome at first, simply because they didn't grow up on this world. The enemy warlord and the kidnapper will leave the site of that first encounter, and the players will be left alive to lick their wounds and plan the next step in their quest to rescue the Princess.

Act Four
Following the enemy warlord, the party travels across wild and inhospitable terrain, confronting animals and monsters, before arriving at the capital city of the enemy's empire. Upon entering the city, they immediately hear that the enemy warlord will be marrying the Princess, and be elevated to the Right Hand of the enemy emperor as the governor of the Princess's homeland, to rule in the emperor's name. The party must stop the wedding.

Act Five
Having decided to stop the wedding and save the Princess, the party must identify the ways by which they can enter into the palace, execute their plan and rescue the woman. Every complication encountered as they proceed toward their goal is harder and harder, challenging them to be creative and action-oriented whenever possible. They barely succeed in fighting to save the Princess, only to have to flee into the subterranean dungeons beneath the enemy city. The Princess then demands to be taken back to her native city to warn her father of the impending attack on her homeland.

Act Six
In travelling through the underground ruins in search of an exit, the party risks being captured by cultists that have captured prisoners, including children, to sacrifice to the monster they worship as a god. One of the prisoners will offer to show them the way out, if they will free the prisoners and help them to escape as well. Upon leaving the dungeons, they will come upon the enemy warlord's flagship in the upcoming invasion, a small flying warship that they can use to escape.

Act Seven
The party makes for the Princess's homeland, the enemy close at their heels. There may be an encounter or two with advanced scouts, enough to slow down the party long enough for the enemy warlord to catch up. The prisoner that originally helped the party escape the dungeon offers to sacrifice himself by crashing the flagship into their enemy, leaving the party to cover the short remaining distance to the Princess's homeland and warn her people. As the party watches, though, the flagship is taken out by the enemy warlord's more powerful vessel, giving time for the party to barely make it to the city and raise the alarm.

Act Eight
The party escorts the Princess to her father, only to find that the kidnapper is in the Great Hall and is about to poison the greatest warriors of the land with bad wine. The party takes care of the kidnapper, explains the situation, and fights the good fight. The final fight scene should involve the party and a handful of warriors against the invading enemy warlord and his soldiers, in a final climactic battle atop the greatest towers of the city, where all can see the results of this battle. If the Princess can be in the clutches of the enemy warlord and be rescued as a result of the fight, so much the better.

Act Nine
There is much rejoicing. If a party member is interested and has played up the romance well all the way through, this is the point where he might become betrothed to the Princess, otherwise that honor goes to an NPC. Either way, there's a large celebration taking place at this point as honors and awards are laid upon the heroes for their part in all of this. Just as the wedding ceremony starts, the party is whisked away by some mysterious force, either to return to Earth or perhaps to be sent elsewhere on the world by powers beyond their ken...

It needs a lot of work, of course, but this should make for the start of a great campaign. I'll likely spend more time polishing the story arc up, adding some more elements here and there, and removing some of the railroady factor from parts of it as I continue to work on this concept. Of course, any thoughts or suggestions you might like to share would be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Sword & Planet: An Equipment List...

Good Afternoon, All:

In regards to the Sword & Planet genre, equipment tends to be much less of a concern to the characters of the stories than most RPG characters hold it. In keeping with that tendency, we've already introduced the concept of Defense Bonuses to replace the need for armor. However, we can further emphasize the lack of importance for detailed equipment lists by simplifying the manner in which characters gain equipment. Toward that end, I propose the following rules suggestions. Bear in mind that these are only thoughts, not finalized rules, but should demonstrate the kind of approach one might use for characters in a Planetary Romance campaign.

Starting Equipment
All characters begin adventuring with the same basic list of starting equipment, plus a number of equipment "picks" equal to two plus their character level. A "pick" is simply a choice of equipment from one of the lists below. Some items are worth more than one pick, typically based on its relative importance, comparative rarity and general game impact compared to more common items on the list. The basic equipment common to all characters is:
  • Harness: Every character needs something to hang their other equipment on, and harnesses are the most common item for that purpose as described in Planetary Romance novels. With GM permission, this may be replaced with a belt.
  • Cape: Every character needs some manner to keep warm at night while adventuring. While sleeping furs are more common for settled characters, adventurers rarely stay one place long enough to make a collection of furs worthwhile, so a cape will have to do.
  • Dagger or Quarterstaff: The world that serves as the setting for a Planetary Romance story is often a dangerous place. Everyone needs some kind of protection, even if it is just a simple dagger or quarterstaff. More powerful weapons require the expenditure of one or more equipment "picks", as shown below.
  • Waterskin: It's important to stay hydrated when fighting the swordsmen and monsters common to a Planetary Romance adventure. Also, there always seems to be a need to give a dying man a sip of water so he can communicate that last piece of information he has before he dies in the arms of the hero.

Table: Mundane Equipment
Item"Picks"
Climbing equipment (rope, grappling hook, etc.)1
Craft tools (specific to a given craft)1
Glowstone or lantern (by setting)1
Healer's kit (acupuncture needles, mortar and pestle, poultice jars, etc.)1
Manacles1
Mystic focus1
Rations, one week's worth1
Reference tomes, per topic1

Table: Transportation
Item"Picks"
Mount, riding or draught1
Mount, war-trained2
Cart or wagon1
Flying mount2
Flying vehicle, 2-man3
Flying vehicle, 6-man4
Water vehicle, 2-man2
Water vehicle, 6-man3

Table: Weapons
WeaponDamage"Picks"SizeNotes
Axe, throwing1d41TRng 3/6/12
Axe, hand1d61S 
Axe, battle1d81M 
Axe, great2d62 (1 for Warriors)L 
Axe, huge2d62HReach
Bow, short1d61SRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands
Bow, long1d81MRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands
Bow, great2d62 (1 for Warriors)LRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands
Bow, huge2d82HRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands
Club1d61S 
Club, war1d81M 
Club, great2d62 (1 for Warriors)L 
Club, huge2d82HReach
Crossbow, light1d61SRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands; Reload 1
Crossbow, heavy1d81MRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands; Reload 1
Crossbow, great2d62 (1 for Warriors)LRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands; Reload 1
Crossbow, huge2d82HRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands; Reload 1
Dagger1d41SRng 3/6/12
Javelin or spear, half1d61SRng 3/6/12
Net*1MEntangles target; requires a Difficult (DC 20) Dexterity-based saving throw to avoid or escape; Reload 2
Polearm2d62 (1 for Warriors)LReach
Polearm, huge2d82HReach
Quarterstaff1d62 (1 for Warriors)L 
Radium or crystal pistol1d82SRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands; Shots 10; Reload 1
Radium or crystal pistol, heavy2d62MRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands; Shots 10; Reload 1
Radium or crystal rifle2d83 (2 for Warriors)LRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands; Shots 10; Reload 1
Radium or crystal rifle, heavy3d63HRng 12/24/48; Requires two hands; Shots 10; Reload 1
Spear, short1d81M 
Spear, long2d62 (1 for Warriors)LReach
Spear, huge2d82HReach
Sword, short1d61S 
Sword, long1d81M 
Sword, great2d62 (1 for Warriors)L 
Sword, huge2d82HReach

Table: Armor
ArmorDEF"Picks"Notes
Light+21 
Medium+523/4 movement; -4 to Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks
Heavy+833/4 movement; -6 to Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks
Shield+21-2 to Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks

As you can see, armor is not generally a viable option in a Planetary Romance campaign, but I've offered it as an option here, just in case some might want to use it in their games. The Class Defense Bonus concept protects our heroes, while keeping more to the flavor of the settings described in this genre.

Hope This Helps,
Flynn

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Sword & Planet: The Mystic's Fifth Level Powers...

Good Morning, All:

The following eight Mystic powers comprise the list of 5th Level powers that Mystic characters may choose from. With this list, the Mystic powers are complete, and I can move on to other interesting topics. Please review them at your leisure and give me your thoughts.

Mystic 5th Level Powers
  • Dominate Person: Controls humanoid telepathically.
  • Fear: Subjects within cone flee for 1 minute.
  • Phantasmal Killer: Fearsome illusion kills subject or deals 3d6 damage.
  • Raise Dead: Restores life to the recently deceased through the sacrifice of other creature(s).
  • Scrying: Spies on subject from a distance.
  • Telepathic Bond: Link lets allies communicate.
  • True Seeing: Lets you see all things as they really are.
  • Waves of Fatigue: Several targets become fatigued.

Power Descriptions

Dominate Person
Level: 5
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 2 Weeks
Once per rest, the Mystic can attempt to establish telepathic control over a single humanoid target within range. If the target fails a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw, the Mystic gains complete control over the target's actions. Any action against the target's nature, including self-destructive actions, grant the target another attempt at the Wisdom-based saving throw with a +2 bonus.

Fear
Level: 5
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 1 Minute
Once per rest, the Mystic can instill panic into the minds of up to four targets within range. With a successful Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw, a target is shaken and suffers a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks and ability checks for one round. If the target fails the saving throw, however, they suffer the same penalties for one minute, and flee from the Mystic as quickly as possible for the duration of the power or until they are out of sight of the Mystic.

Phantasmal Killer
Level: 5
Range: Medium (150 ft)
Duration: Instant
Once per rest, the Mystic can create a mental illusion of the most fearsome creature imaginable to the target. The target may attempt to Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to avoid the effects of extreme mental distress. If the target fails, then he must immediately attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Constitution-based saving throw. If this second save is successful, the target only suffers 3d6 damage from the mental distress of confronting one's greatest fears. If the saving throw fails, however, the target dies from a heart attack brought on by the intense fear.

Raise Dead
Level: 5
Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
Once per rest, the Mystic can restore life to a sentient being that has been dead less than one week. This requires the sacrifice of a sentient creature with more hit dice than the target of this power. If multiple sentient creatures are sacrificed, the number of hit dice from the sacrificed creatures must exceed one and a half times the hit dice of the target of this power. If the target's soul is unwilling or unable to return to its body, the power does not work. Creatures recently returned from death have only one hit point and are unable to move under their own power or function until they have been completely healed. Any creature that is raised from the dead loses one point of Constitution permanently. Any creature with 0 Constitution cannot be raised from the dead by this or any other means.

Scrying
Level: 5
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 10 Minutes
Once per rest, the Mystic can extend his mental senses to spy on a specific target from any distance, unless the target succeeds in a Average (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw. If the Mystic knows the target personally, the difficulty of the saving throw increases to Very Difficult (DC 25), whereas someone the Mystic has never met before only has to succeed at an Average (DC 15) saving throw.

Telepathic Bond
Level: 5
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 1 Hour
Once per rest, the Mystic can choose one creature per level within range, and establish a telepathic bond between these creatures that exists for the next hour, even if the creatures move beyond the initial range of the power. This bond exists between all of the creatures in this bond, so the Mystic does not have to relay messages from one target to another, unlike Lesser Telepathic Bond. In addition, this bond is not restricted by language barriers. A thin sheet of lead, a foot of stone or three feet of wood or dirt can block this connection.

True Seeing
Level: 5
Range: Touch
Duration: 10 Minutes
Once per rest, the Mystic can confer the ability to see all things as they actually are. The target sees through normal and supernatural darkness, notices secret doors hidden by mysticism, sees the exact locations of creatures or objects hidden by illusory effects, sees invisible creatures or objects normally, and sees through mental illusions. The range of true seeing conferred is 120 feet. Note that this ability does not penetrate solid objects, nor can it be used in conjunction with other Mystic powers.

Waves of Fatigue
Level: 5
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: Instant
Once per rest, the Mystic can create waves of mental energy that render all living creatures within range fatigued. This power has no effect on a creature that is already fatigued. This fatigue can be recovered normally.


Enjoy,
Flynn

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Sword & Planet: The Mystic's Fourth Level Powers...

Good Morning, All:

The following eight Mystic powers comprise the list of 4th Level powers that Mystic characters may choose from. Please review them at your leisure and give me your thoughts.

Mystic 4th Level Powers
  • Bestow Curse: –6 to an ability score; –4 on attack rolls, saves, and checks; or 50% chance of losing each action.
  • Clairaudience/Clairvoyance: Hear or see at a distance for 10 minutes.
  • Heroism: Gives +2 bonus on attack rolls, saves, skill checks.
  • Rage: Subjects gains +10 temporary hit points, +2 to attack and melee damage rolls, +1 on Wisdom-based saving throws, –2 to DEF.
  • Ray of Exhaustion: Ray makes subject exhausted.
  • Remove Curse: Frees object or person from curse.
  • Suggestion: Compels subject to follow stated course of action.
  • Tongues: Speak any language.

Power Descriptions

Bestow Curse
Level: 4
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent (or until removed)
Once per rest, the Mystic can curse a target, who may resist the curse with a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw. The Mystic may choose to inflict one of the following effects on their target: –6 to an ability score; OR –4 on attack rolls, saves, and checks; OR 50% chance of losing each action. (Alternately, the Mystic can invent his own curse, in keeping with the general power level of these examples.) In addition, the Mystic must define the means by which the curse may be removed (with GM approval); in addition, the target is released from the curse when the Mystic dies.

Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
Level: 4
Range: Long (800 ft)
Duration: 10 Minutes
Once per rest, the Mystic can spy upon a distant location up to 800 feet away, for up to 10 minutes. The Mystic can either hear or see (his choice) as if he were standing in that location.

Heroism
Level: 4
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 Hour
Once per rest, the Mystic can imbue a single creature with great bravery and morale in battle. The target gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks.

Rage
Level: 4
Range: Medium (150 ft)
Duration: 1 Minute
Once per rest, the Mystic can instill up to four subjects within thirty feet of each other with a blinding rage. Subjects gains +10 temporary hit points, a +2 bonus on attack and melee damage rolls, a +1 bonus on Wisdom-based saving throws, and –2 to DEF.

Ray of Exhaustion
Level: 4
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 10 Minutes
Once per round, the Mystic can draw physical energy from a single target within range, rendering them exhausted (-3 penalty to all attack rolls, Dexterity-based saving throws and any Strength-based or Dexterity-based skill checks) for the duration of this power. If the target is already exhausted, this power has no effect. If the target succeeds in a Difficult (DC 20) Constitution-based saving throw, then the target is only fatigued (-1 penalty to all attack rolls, Dexterity-based saving throws and any Strength-based or Dexterity-based skill checks).

Remove Curse
Level: 4
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Once per rest, the Mystic instantaneously removes all curses on an object or a creature.

Suggestion
Level: 4
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 12 Hours (or until completed)
Once per rest, the Mystic can influence the actions of the target creature by suggesting a course of activity (limited to a sentence or two), which must be worded in such a manner as to make the activity sound reasonable. Asking the creature to do some obviously harmful act automatically negates the effect of the power. The suggested course of activity can continue for the entire duration of the power; if the suggested activity can be completed in a shorter time, the power ends when the subject finishes what it was asked to do. The Mystic can instead specify conditions that will trigger a special activity during the duration. If the condition is not met before the power's duration expires, the activity is not performed.

Tongues
Level: 4
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 Hour
Once per rest, the Mystic can grant the subject the ability to speak and understand the language of any intelligent creature, including unusual dialects, for the duration of the power.


Enjoy,
Flynn

Friday, July 29, 2011

Sword & Planet: The Mystic's Third Level Powers...

Good Morning, All:

The following eight Mystic powers comprise the list of 3rd Level powers that Mystic characters may choose from. Please review them at your leisure and give me your thoughts.

Mystic 3rd Level Powers
  • Aura of Unnoticeability: Target goes unnoticed for 10 minutes or until they attack, rendering them effectively invisible.
  • Calm Emotions: Calms creatures, negating emotion effects.
  • Detect Thoughts: Allows "listening" to surface thoughts.
  • Dousing: Detects desired object within 300 ft.
  • Hold Person: Paralyzes one humanoid for one minute.
  • Location Reading: Discern information about the location you are in.
  • Vampiric Healing: Transfers vitality from one or more unwilling donors to your target (1:1 from a single target, or 3:2 from multiple targets), save halves.
  • Whispering Wind: Sends a short message to a group up to 10 miles away.
Power Descriptions

Aura of Unnoticeability
Level: 3
Range: Touch
Duration: 10 Minutes
Once per rest, the Mystic can render someone unnoticeable for ten minutes or until they attack, effectively making them invisible. If the target makes any significant noise or acts in such a way as to draw attention to themselves, others will know that the person is nearby, but be unable to see them unless they succeed at a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw.

Calm Emotions
Level: 3
Range: Medium (150 ft)
Duration: 1 Minute
Once per rest, the Mystic can calm all creatures within a 20ft radius, negating all emotion-based effects (such as rage or fear) for the next minute. Targets may not make any violent actions or do anything destructive, unless they are attacked or otherwise harmed, or if they succeed in a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw.

Detect Thoughts
Level: 3
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 10 Minutes
Once per rest, the Mystic can extend his mental awareness and detect the surface thoughts of others within close range, unless the target succeeds in a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw. This power can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.

Dousing
Level: 3
Range: Long (800 ft)
Duration: 10 minutes
Once per rest, the Mystic can concentrate on a specific object (or the nearest example of a general item), and determine the direction to that object if it lies within 800 feet. The Mystic's mental image of the item must be clear and accurate; unique items require firsthand experience with the item before they can be located. A thin sheet of lead can block mystical detection.

Hold Person
Level: 3
Range: Medium (150 ft)
Duration: 1 Minute
Once per rest, the Mystic can mentally paralyze one humanoid within range, freezing them in place. Every round, the target may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to break free of the mystical hold placed on them.

Location Reading
Level: 3
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Once per rest, the Mystic can learn something significant about an area in which he stands. Go through this list, in order; the first bit of lore the Mystic does not know, he learns through the use of this power:
  1. When the location was created (if man-made, otherwise skip).
  2. Name of last creature to pass through location, if any (other than the Mystic).
  3. Race of last creature to pass through location, if any (other than the Mystic).
  4. Name of the location’s creator (a natural location, like a glen, was created by nature).
  5. Race of the location’s creator, if any.
  6. Name of the location’s longest occupant, if any.
  7. Race of the location’s longest occupant, if any.
  8. Name and race of the current owner or master of the location, if any.
  9. Brief description of the most significant event to happen in the location.
  10. Mystical or supernatural property of the location, if any (random if more than one).
Multiple uses of this ability allow the Mystic to gain multiple bits of information. If the Mystic know all of the above information, this ability reveals nothing to the Mystic.

Vampiric Healing
Level: 3
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Once per rest, the Mystic can mystically transfer vitality from one or more adjacent "donors" (willing or unwilling) to a touched target, healing one hit point for every hit point donated by a single donor or healing two hit points for every three hit points given by multiple donors. Donors do not have to be willing, but if they do not wish to give up their vitality, they may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to suffer only half the number of hit points taken (with an appropriate reduction in the amount of hit points healed by the target as a result).

Whispering Wind
Level: 3
Range: 10 Miles
Duration: 1 Round
Once per rest, the Mystic can send a short message of twenty-five words or less to all creatures within a small 10-ft radius area located up to ten miles away.


Enjoy,
Flynn

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Public Service Announcement: 25% Off At Lulu.com...

Good Evening, All:

My apologies for the recent lack of posts, but my end of the Internet has been down for the last few days, or at the very least, the part that touches my house. ;)

However, today I found a free app called HTC Wifi Router, which turns my Windows Mobile phone into a wifi hotspot. With that, I'm back online, at least in short, limited bursts.

Tonight's important announcement: If you want to order something from Lulu.com, such as print or electronic copies of anything from the Samardan Press webstore, as an example, you can get a great discount. Simply enter coupon code TIME305 at checkout and receive 25% off your order. This only lasts until midnight on July 29th, so don't spend too long thinking about it.

More Later,
Flynn

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Sword & Planet: The Mystic's Remaining Power Lists...

Good Morning, All:

Before I continue with describing the Mystic Powers, let me provide the list of powers for the last three levels. Please take a moment and give comment on them if you are so motivated. The actual descriptions will come up in the next few posts.

Mystic 3rd Level Powers
  • Aura of Unnoticability: You go unnoticed for 10 minutes or until you attack, rendering you effectively invisible.
  • Calm Emotions: Calms creatures, negating emotion effects.
  • Detect Thoughts: Allows "listening" to surface thoughts.
  • Dousing: Detects desired object within 300 ft.
  • Hold Person: Paralyzes one humanoid for 1 minute.
  • Location Reading: Discern information about the location you are in.
  • Vampiric Healing: You transfer vitality from one or more unwilling donors to your target (1:1 from a single target, or 3:2 from multiple targets), save halves.
  • Whispering Wind: Sends a short message up to 10 miles.
Mystic 4th Level Powers
  • Bestow Curse: –6 to an ability score; –4 on attack rolls, saves, and checks; or 50% chance of losing each action.
  • Clairaudience/Clairvoyance: Hear or see at a distance for 10 minutes.
  • Heroism: Gives +2 bonus on attack rolls, saves, skill checks.
  • Rage: Subjects gains +2 to Str and Con, +1 on Will saves, –2 to DEF.
  • Ray of Exhaustion: Ray makes subject exhausted.
  • Remove Curse: Frees object or person from curse.
  • Suggestion: Compels subject to follow stated course of action.
  • Tongues: Speak any language.
Mystic 5th Level Powers
  • Dominate Person: Controls humanoid telepathically.
  • Fear: Subjects within cone flee for 1 minute.
  • Phantasmal Killer: Fearsome illusion kills subject or deals 3d6 damage.
  • Raise Dead: Restores life to the recently deceased through the sacrifice of other creature(s).
  • Scrying: Spies on subject from a distance.
  • Telepathic Bond: Link lets allies communicate.
  • True Seeing: Lets you see all things as they really are.
  • Waves of Fatigue: Several targets become fatigued.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Friday, July 22, 2011

Random Chart: Quick Slavic Name Generator...

Good Morning, All:

My apologies for being non-responsive of late. I am being hit by a heavier than usual workload, accompanied by the fact that I just got a new Android tablet PC that I'm trying to set up for use at Gen Con. The first sucks, and the second rocks, but together, they've eaten up my time, leaving me without a few regular posts this week. I still need to make one more post tomorrow to bring myself up to three for the week, and then I'll be back in the saddle again. Gen Con in a few weeks will be my next major challenge, but I don't imagine it will be any worse than this week has been.

With that in mind, I apologize for not continuing the Mystic power posts on a regular basis, and I'll get back to that ASAP. In the meantime, please accept the following Random Chart as a peace offering.

This chart allows for quick Slavic Name generation, which should work well for anyone playing in the Kingmaker adventure path, as the locale has a somewhat Slavic feel to it. Using this chart is pretty easy. You simply roll once on the Prefix table and once on the Suffix table, putting the results together to make the character's name. The Prefix and Suffix tables are both d66 tables. Those familiar with this blog already know how to create a d66 roll. For those that aren't, roll two d6s and read them similar to percentile dice. The first d6 represents the tens digit, and the second d6 represents the ones digit. For example, rolling a 2 on the first d6 and a 6 on the second d6 would create a result of 26.

So, by way of demonstration, let's create a random Slavic Name. I make two d66 rolls, which are, in this example, 26 followed by 21. That gives us a prefix of "Fed" and a suffix of "ava", or the name Fedava. That could work.

This table was generated by parsing a list of Slavic baby names pulled from the web, and stripping down the resulting list of prefixes and suffixes by frequency and by flavor to arrive at the 36 best choices for each.

Table: Slavic Name Prefix
d66Prefix

11

Al

12

Aleks

13

Alex

14

Anast

15

Andr

16

Bor

21

Dal

22

Dan

23

Dobr

24

Dor

25

Dus

26

Fed

31

Gabr

32

Jul

33

Kaj

34

Kat

35

Kol

36

Kryst

41

Luk

42

Mar

43

Mik

44

Mil

45

Mir

46

Nad

51

Nast

52

Nik

53

Rad

54

Rost

55

Svetl

56

Ter

61

Val

62

Vas

63

Vit

64

Vlad

65

Yul

66

Zor

Table: Slavic Name Suffix
d66Suffix

11

a

12

an

13

ana

14

ar

15

as

16

av

21

ava

22

aw

23

awa

24

ei

25

ek

26

el

31

ena

32

eta

33

i

34

ia

35

ian

36

iana

41

ich

42

ik

43

ika

44

il

45

ila

46

im

51

in

52

ina

53

ita

54

iy

55

iya

56

o

61

omir

62

on

63

or

64

y

65

ya

66

yna

Enjoy,
Flynn

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Sword & Planet: The Mystic's Second Level Powers...

Good Morning, All:

The following eight Mystic powers comprise the list of 2nd Level powers that Mystic characters may choose from. Again, these were selected to create that "pulp mysticism/mentalism" flavor so prominent in the Planetary Romance genre. Feel free to review them at your leisure and share your thoughts as you are so moved.

Unlike the 1st level powers, which were "per round" powers, these are "per rest" powers. In other words, once you use one of these powers, you can't recover the power and use it again until you have rested for one hour (which involves nothing more than conversation and light activity.)

Mystic 2nd Level Powers
  • Cause Fear: One creature flees for 1d4 rounds.
  • Charm Person: Makes one person your friend.
  • Command: One subject obeys selected command for 1 round.
  • Disguise Self: Changes your appearance.
  • Doom: One subject takes –2 on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks and ability checks.
  • Empathic Healing: You transfer hit points from one or more willing donors to your target (1:1 from a single target, or 3:2 from multiple targets).
  • Hypnotism: Fascinates 2d4 HD of creatures.
  • Remove Fear: Suppresses fear or gives +4 on saves against fear for one subject + one per four levels.

Power Descriptions

Cause Fear
Level: 2
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 1d4 Rounds
Once per rest, the Mystic can make a single creature frightened. With a successful Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw, the target is shaken and suffers a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks and ability checks for one round. If the target fails the saving throw, however, they suffer the same penalties for 1d4 rounds, and flee from the Mystic as quickly as possible for those rounds or until they are out of sight of the Mystic.

Charm Person
Level: 2
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 6 Hours
Once per rest, the Mystic can make one person regard him as a trusted friend and ally (treat their reaction as Friendly toward the Mystic.) The target may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to overcome this compulsion, with a +5 bonus if they are attacked by the Mystic or his allies.

Command
Level: 2
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 1 Round
Once per rest, the Mystic can mentally force its target to obey a single word command on its next action. The most common examples of such as "approach", "drop", "fall", "flee", and "halt". The target may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to overcome this compulsion.

Disguise Self
Level: 2
Range: Personal
Duration: 1 Hour
Once per rest, the Mystic can craft a mental illusion that changes his outward appearance. Should someone interact physically with the illusion, they may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to recognize it as such.

Doom
Level: 2
Range: Medium (150 ft)
Duration: 10 Minutes
Once per rest, the Mystic can curse a single target, imposing a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks and ability checks for the duration of this ability. The target may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to overcome the curse.

Empathic Healing
Level: 2
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Once per rest, the Mystic can mystically transfer vitality from one or more willing adjacent donors (including himself, if so desired) to a touched target, healing one hit point for every hit point donated by a single donor or healing two hit points for every three hit points given by multiple donors. As this requires willing donors, there is no saving throw for this ability.

Hypnotism
Level: 2
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 1 Minute
Once per rest, the Mystic can fascinate up to 2d4 HD of creatures. Targets stop and stare blankly for the duration of the power, during which the Mystic may make one reasonable request of the target(s). While the target is fascinated by this power, it reacts as though it were two steps more friendly in attitude. This allows the Mystic to make a single request of the affected creature (provided he can communicate with it). The request must be brief and reasonable. Even after the power ends, the creature retains its new attitude toward the Mystic, but only with respect to that particular request. The target may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to overcome this compulsion, with a +2 bonus if this is attempted in combat. Failure on the saving throw indicates that the target does not remember being hypnotized.

Remove Fear
Level: 2
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 10 Minutes
Once per rest, the Mystic instills courage in one subject, plus one additional subject per four levels. This power suppresses any currently existing fear effects and grants a +4 bonus on saving throws against fear for the duration of the power. The target may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to overcome this effect, if for some reason the target may so desire.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Friday, July 15, 2011

Sword & Planet: The Mystic's First Level Powers...

Good Morning, All:

I presented the Mystic character class in an earlier post, but did not define any of his special powers. This is the first of several posts to provide that information to you. As you can see, the powers are defined in such a way as to emphasize the "pulp mentalism/mysticism" flavor of the Planetary Romance genre.

The following eight Mystic powers comprise the list of 1st Level powers that Mystic characters may choose from. Please review them at your leisure and give me your thoughts. Bearing in mind that most encounters only last three to four rounds, on the average, allowing unlimited use of these powers should not create any complications in terms of the game experience. If that proves to be a problem, then feel free to limit "per round" powers to a maximum number of uses (in total, not individually) equal to 4 + the Mystic's CLM + the Mystic's Wisdom Modifier. These are reset at the end of each period of rest. (As an aside, this is the only level at which "per round" powers are granted. All Mystic powers above 1st level are "per rest" powers.)

Mystic 1st Level Powers

  • Daze: Humanoid creature loses next action.
  • Distract: Target is distracted for next round.
  • Dousing, Lesser: Detects desired object within 30 ft.
  • Guidance: +1 on one attack roll, saving throw, or skill check.
  • Object Reading: Discern information about an object by touch.
  • Telepathic Bond, Lesser: Telepathic conversation at a moderate distance.
  • Tongues, Lesser: You understand one spoken language of a touched creature.
  • Touch of Fatigue: Touch attack fatigues target.

Power Descriptions

Daze
Level: 1
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 1 Round
Once per round, the Mystic clouds the mind of a humanoid creature so that it takes no action and thus loses its next round. The target may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to negate the effect.

Distract
Level: 1
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 1 Round
Once per round, the Mystic can mentally distract a creature, causing it to suffer a -5 penalty to Perception skill checks for the next round. The target may attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom-based saving throw to negate the effect.

Dousing, Lesser
Level: 1
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 1 Minute
Once per round, the Mystic can concentrate on a specific object (or the nearest example of a general item), and determine the direction to that object if it lies within thirty feet. The Mystic's mental image of the item must be clear and accurate; unique items require firsthand experience with the item before they can be located. A thin sheet of lead can block mystical detection.

Guidance
Level: 1
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 Minute or until discharged
Once per round, the Mystic can bestow minor insight on a subject, granting them a +1 bonus to a single attack roll, saving throw or skill check made within the next minute.

Object Reading
Level: 1
Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
Once per round, the Mystic can learn something significant about an object he is handling. Using the list below, the first piece of information the Mystic does not know is learned through the use of this power:

  1. Age of object.
  2. Name of last creature to touch the object, if any (other than the Mystic).
  3. Race of last creature to touch the object, if any (other than the Mystic).
  4. Name of the object’s creator (a natural object, like a rock, was created by nature).
  5. Race of the object’s creator, if any.
  6. Object’s purpose.
  7. Material(s) that makes up the object.
  8. Location of the object’s creation.
  9. Name of the most recent owner of the object, if any.
  10. Mystical/unusual property of the object, if any (random if more than one).

Multiple uses of this ability allow the Mystic to gain multiple bits of information. If the Mystic know all of the above information, this ability reveals nothing to the Mystic.

Telepathic Bond, Lesser
Level: 1
Range: Medium (150 ft)
Duration: 1 Hour
Once per round, the Mystic can choose one creature per level within range, and establish a limited telepathic bond with these creatures while within range. This bond only exists between the Mystic and the creature, so one target cannot communicate with another target directly. This limited bond communicates words only, and thus does not circumvent language barriers. A thin sheet of lead, a foot of stone or three feet of wood or dirt can block this limited connection.

Tongues, Lesser
Level: 1
Range: Close (30 ft)
Duration: 1 Hour
Once per round, the Mystic can touch a target and understand its spoken language due to a subconscious telepathic connection. So long as the Mystic remains within thirty feet of the target, he can continue to understand that language for the duration of this ability. This ability does not grant knowledge of written languages.

Touch of Fatigue
Level: 1
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 Minute
Once per round, the Mystic can draw physical energy from a touched target, rendering them fatigued (-1 penalty to all attack rolls, Dexterity-based saving throws and any Strength-based or Dexterity-based skill checks). If the target is already fatigued, or if the target succeeds in a Difficult (DC 20) Constitution-based saving throw, then this use has no further effect.

You will note that there's some superficial similarity to the 4E concept of class powers. However, I would like to remind my readers of the Ritualist character class I proposed many months ago. That class was based in a 2nd Edition AD&D concept from Mayfair Games' old Role-Aids product line, the Demon Campaign Setting, and the Mystic is based on the Ritualist.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Sword & Planet: The Mystic...

Good Morning, All:

This is the third of three posts that describe the basics of the character classes I'm proposing for a Planetary Romance campaign. This particular post describes the Mystic, this being a character who resolves challenges through the use of mentalism, mysticism and applied willpower. The rarest of the character concepts, there are still a good number of Mystics present in various Planetary Romance series, particularly the Dray Prescot of Antares/Kregen series by Ken Bulmer.

The Mystic
As a Mystic, you dabble in strange and unusual powers, harnessing forces of the mind that others cannot or dare not pursue. You may hold any of a number of positions in or along the fringe of society, but your mystic powers set you apart from your fellow man.

Prime Attribute: Charisma, Wisdom
Starting Hit Dice: 3d6, +(3x Con modifier)
Hit Dice/Level: 1d6/level (gains 1 hp/level after 7th)
Armor/Weapons Permitted: None/Any one weapon group (see Warrior for details).
Saving Throw Bonus: Mystics gain a +2 bonus on Wisdom-based saving throws.
Skills: 2 + Int modifier

Table: The Mystic
LevelHDBABDEFSpecial
13d6+1+3Profession, Mystic powers
24d6+2+3 
35d6+2+3 
46d6+3+4 
57d6+3+4 
68d6+4+4 
79d6+4+5 
89d6+1+5+5 
99d6+2+5+5 
109d6+3+6+6 

Table: Mystic Powers Known
Level1st2nd3rd4th5th
12
22
33
431
542
6421
7532
85321
95432
1054321

Special
The Mystic's core special ability is Mystic Powers.

Mystic Powers: A Mystic gains mystic powers which are selected from the Mystic power list. Each power defines how often it can be used, and these powers are not forgotten by the Mystic once they have been used. A Mystic’s selection of powers is extremely limited. A Mystic begins play knowing two 1st-level powers of your choice. At each new Mystic level, he potentially gains one or more new powers, as indicated on Table: Mystic Powers Known. These new powers can be common powers chosen from the Mystic power list, or they can be unusual powers that the Mystic has gained some understanding of by study. The Mystic can’t use this method of power acquisition to learn powers at a faster rate, however.

Upon reaching 2nd level, and at every even-numbered Mystic level after that (4th, 6th, and so on), a Mystic can choose to learn a new power in place of one he already knows. In effect, the Mystic “loses” the old power in exchange for the new one. The new power’s level must be the same as that of the power being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level Mystic power the Mystic can use. A Mystic may swap only a single power at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the power at the same time that he gains new powers known for the level.

Profession: At 1st level, the Mystic selects one of the following professions. He immediately gains the profession's special ability, as weill as the profession's skill as a bonus skill.

  • Adept: The Adept is a mystic whose mastery of mysticism derives from the efforts of his own mind and body as they work in harmony.
  • Cultist: The Cultist is a student of long-lost lore which might best be left unknown.
  • Doxologist: The Doxologist derives his mystical power from the inner peace he derives from his religious practices.
  • Oracle: The Oracle is gifted with incredible insight into the future.
  • Pretender: The Pretender disguises his true mystic talents behind the banter and pageantry of a carnival act or side show.

Table: Mystic Professions
ProfessionSkillSpecial
AdeptAthleticsBody Mastery: Once per rest, the Adept can spend an action to heal himself for 1d6 hitpoints, plus his CLM and his Wisdom modifier.
CultistLorePsychic Vampirism: Once per rest, the Cultist may spend action to "steal" the vitality of someone whom he touches to regain another use of an expended power. The target must succeed in a Difficult (DC 20) Constitution ability check or suffer 1d4 hitpoints of damage per level of the Mystic power that is being renewed. This drain counts as a non-lethal or subdual attack. If the target succeeds, he loses no hitpoints and the Cultist does not regain another use of the expended power.
DoxologistPersuasionCalm Single Creature: Once per rest, the Doxologist may spend an action to mystically calm a single agitated creature within thirty feet, suppressing any extreme emotion such as rage, fear or joy for three rounds. The affected creature cannot take violent action or be destructive until attacked, although the creature is allowed to attempt a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom ability check to resist this effect.
OraclePerceptionMinor Divination: Once per rest, the Oracle may take one minute to consult a divinatory tool (runes, cards, dice, bones, entrails, clouds, etc.) for some hint as to the outcome of a particular action that will be performed within the next half hour. If he succeeds in a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom ability check, the Oracle knows whether that act will bring good, bad, both good and bad, or neutral results.
PretenderBluffMental Illusion: Once per rest, the Pretender may spend an action to create an illusory image within the mind of a single target within thirty feet. The mental illusion lasts only three rounds, is silent, and cannot exceed ten feet long in any direction. If the target succeeds in a Difficult (DC 20) Wisdom ability check, they can see through the illusion and are not affected.

Once again, I've chosen the professions based on iconic character concepts from Planetary Romance novels. These are not intended to reflect common character options from a fantasy setting, but you always have the freedom to expand the list in that direction if you so desired. Please let me know what you think.

With Regards,
Flynn