Wishing you happiness on the American holiday that happens today...

Thanksgiving is kind of a tricky one, eh?  I mean...I don't think there's anyone out there saying it's a bad idea to take some time and reflect on the things you're thankful for in life.  And obviously, celebrations of the harvest have a pretty solid standing in the history of humanity.  But...over time (and potentially right from the start of the modern tradition, since it was apparently a bit of a propaganda move on President Lincoln's part), we've built a mythology around the holiday that is undoubtedly problematic when placed in in the full context of the United States' first couple centuries (and especially its treatment of the land's native inhabitants).

Now, I actually think that this mythology can be helpful, as we can build on aspects of it that we hold dear with a modern perspective and lessons learned over many more decades of the "American Experiment."  And I'm definitely not looking to hinder the holiday vibes of anyone who wants to take the opportunity on this one Thursday every year to appreciate their blessings.  Unfortunately, it seems that another tradition has developed among many Americans, in which any attempt to place the story of the holiday within an honest historical framework is treated as a challenge to America's core values (about which we also seem to agree less and less by the day).

And yeah, it's weird that the holiday's most enduring symbol is the turkey, whose role in the festivities is to become the main course.

Lincoln was also the first president to pardon a turkey, a tradition that was later ramped up by Reagan and enshrined as an official presidential act by Bush the elder.  This image (swiped from Roadside America) shows a monument to Jack, the bird spared by Lincoln in 1863.  I could really get behind a holiday that was all about pardoning turkeys...

Despite the fact that I'll probably never be able to unlearn the things that force me to see Thanksgiving as a nuanced American holiday (not that I'd want to unlearn pretty much anything) rather than a controversy-free celebration of how God has Blessed America, I'll probably always have a soft spot for a lot of the day's traditional imagery.  This can almost certainly be traced, at least in part, to a specific memory from 1982 when...fresh off of Halloween and apparently of the belief that every holiday should be a reason to cosplay at school...I decided to attend kindergarten dressed as a "Thanksgiving Pilgrim."

Sadly, no, I don't still have this outfit.

(And speaking of being thankful, I should be forever grateful for having a family that indulged my ridiculous wishes enough to help me put together things like this costume...)

In a way, I guess it is sort of a shame that I can no longer have a blind appreciation for what I represented in that outfit.  But...I also guess that's an inevitable result of being open to changing one's opinion as new information and perspectives are encountered.  I'm good with that.

Now, to shake off the seriousness and potentially invalidate anything of value that I managed to articulate, here's a silly RPG class:

----------

The Pilgrim

Image source

Hit Die: d12

Alignment: A Pilgrim must be of lawful alignment.

Proficiencies
Weapons: Simple weapons, firearms

Armor: Light armor
Saving Throws: Constitution, Wisdom
Skills: Religion (INT), Survival (WIS)

Borne on the Mayflower
At 1st level, you gain advantage on all checks related to seafaring.

"By God's visitation, reigned a wonderful plague..."

Also at 1st level, you gain advantage on all rolls to resist disease.

Signature Smoothbore

Beginning at 2nd level, you get a +3 expertise bonus and +1 to damage rolls when firing a musket or blunderbuss.

Image source

Blessed
Starting at 3rd level, whenever you roll a 1 on a d20, you may choose to reroll that die.  You must use the result of the reroll.

Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.

Damn the Heretics and Horrors
At 5th level, you gain an enhanced ability to thwart the will of those who oppose your God.  This works as a Cleric's turn undead ability that affects not only undead creatures, but also creatures of any Witch or Warlock class.  You may use a cross or Bible as a holy symbol.  (As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer censuring your enemies. Each undead, Witch, and Warlock that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes any damage.)

----------

ChatGPT seems to have opinions about the sort of games I want to play

I've been continuing my experimentation in using AI to code games/game aids by playing around with a character generator for the various threads of gaming that bounce around in my head.  The main games and settings I'd like to establish by the end of the year (fingers crossed but yeah right) are the Monstrous Matters setting, my own little fantasy heartbreaker (and an associated setting...?), and People of Adventure (POA), my take on skirmish gaming using action figures, with rules rooted in the RPG mechanics of the first two.  And then, beyond that, I'd eventually like to have something concrete in place for Agents of SKA, Underground Elemental Beastfighting, and probably 100 more that I wrote about one time and promptly forgot about.  Anyway, as I (use ChatGPT to) build the generator, those first three plus Agents of SKA are the campaigns I've included to form the skeleton to which I can add other settings later.

So, of course, in the midst of making adjustments and returning code to me during our conversation, ChatGPT decided these should be the campaigns I make characters for:

Classic Dungeons

Underworld

Skyward Isles

Vault Raiders

Mutant Frontier

Agents of SKA

Generic Fantasy

Post-Apocalypse

Science Fiction

Wha--?

Now, to be fair, I'm running with three different systems for the characters — 5e, my Monstrous Heartbreaker, and a system neutral option — so I think the really generic choices on there can be chalked up in part to the AI "wanting" campaign names that it finds very appropriate to associate with "5e" and "System Neutral."  Still, though...I truly don't get why chatbots will occasionally change things up like this out of nowhere (it's made a similar call for my species and class choices, as well as the general layout of the generator)...almost as if they think they know better even on matters of opinion, intention, and creativity.

And...well, maybe that's true, as when called out on it, ChatGPT first apologized(!), then went on to say, "That’s the version I included in the code above — these are your intended campaigns, right?"

Oh, okay...trying to tell me something, ChatGPT...?

We did get this little misunderstanding worked out, but it didn't take all that long for it to contribute some campaign options once again, with the choices becoming:

Agents of SKA

Underworld

Epic of Elaria

At this point, I started to wonder if maybe this AI has its own fantasy heartbreaker that it's looking for a chance to bring into being.  I asked it to create a cover for an Epic of Elaria RPG book and got this...

...so I guess it's pretty much generic fantasy, but the elves have one really long ear that they use for...making precise measurements...?

I'll post more here if I find out more about what happens in this Epic, or in any of the other campaigns toward which I'm being guided...

The last skill list I'll ever need...

...because it'll work for everything!

Fantasy?  Check.

Historical?  Of course.

Modern?  Yup!

Superheroes?  Absolutely!!

TRON-style interprogram conflict within a computer system?  Uh...

Maybe not everything.  I guess.  But I do want to have one that I can apply across most genres I'll be playing...and potentially mixing into the games that sprout from my fantasy heartbreaker.

Well...I wanna create stats for Mutt from the G.I. Joe team, right?  So let me think through this...

The core of the game is D&D Fifth Edition.  It has 18 skills, which were kept identical in the transition from the 2014 to 2024 editions and which are used as-is by the 5e-forked rules of Tales of the Valiant.  They're a solid set for fantasy and in general hit a nice level of broadness (breadth? too weird a word for this use...).  Some of the really specific choices from 3e/3.5 have been absorbed by others, and we're left with a selection of nouns that feel more specific than ability/attribute descriptors, but that all could also be subdivided into more specific tasks.  So...no Use Rope.  They should all stay; here's our base:

• Athletics

-----

• Acrobatics
• Sleight of Hand
• Stealth

-----
• Arcana
• History
• Investigation
• Nature
• Religion

-----
• Animal Handling
• Insight
• Medicine
• Perception
• Survival

-----
• Deception
• Intimidation
• Performance
• Persuasion

And vehicles, FWIW, are treated as Tools, so a different kind of proficiency entirely.

Now, I consulted with a couple of modern takes on 5e to see how they deal with the skill list -- Everyday Heroes and Ultramodern5.  They're both worth looking at!  And since both games are pretty open and have SRDs just a search away, I think it's probably safe to talk about their skill selections pretty...er, openly.

So...both end up with 22 total skills.  Ultramodern5 does this by just adding four more on top of the 5e list: Computer Use, Demolitions, Engineering, and Sciences (all designated for use with Intelligence, although I'm not TOO concerned with that yet, as I think it might be best to just let every skill check have its associated ability determined at the time of the check).  And vehicles, once again, are handled by a proficiency separate from skills.

Image from DriveThruRPG

Everyday Heroes, meanwhile, also has a list of 22 but goes about it in a different way.  For one thing, as you might have imagined I would get to by my mentions of them above, Vehicles is a skill in itself.  The rules also drop Arcana, History, Nature, Religion, and Animal Handling.  Arcana is arguably gone just to fit the modern setting better.  It's also possible that it is simply taken up into the new skill Social Sciences, much as History and Religion must be.  Natural Sciences can then absorb Nature.  (Getting rid of Animal Handling is a little bit of a head-scratcher for me, though.)

Image from DriveThruRPG

The other additions are Endurance, Computers, Mechanics, Security, Arts and Crafts, and Streetwise.  (Oh...and if it matters, Medicine is moved from Wisdom to Intelligence as the standard base ability.  I do like it better with INT...)

As I mentioned above, I want to take the Ultramodern5 route and just keep the basic 18 from 5e, adding on what's necessary.  So, from what I see here...what's necessary?  Both games have a computer skill...that's a good one.  Demolitions?  Nah...I definitely had a phase where I thought Demolitions made sense as a skill, but that just seems so...specific.  It can be a Talent/Aptitude/whatever I end up choosing to call the proficiencies that work kind of like Tools but don't have to be tools.  Same with Security from Everyday Heroes.

I'm fine with just one Sciences skill and letting Nature hang around as a related but not identical set of knowledge that someone may have.  After all, quantum mechanics seems to be at the root of how nature works, but that's not what we mean when we say someone has an understanding of Nature.

Arts and Crafts?  It's broad enough to fit the theme, but just seems...unnecessary.  And do we need Streetwise when we already have Insight, Perception, Survival, and all the skills that describe characters' impact on those around them?  (I don't think so.)

Engineering and Mechanics hit a similar note for the games, and I'm definitely tempted to run with one of those...there is something a bit different about these approaches as compared to the more theoretical angle of the Sciences.  That's a tough one, though...especially since we so often think of the scientists in a story/RPG as the ones who come up with all the gadgets.  I'm leaning no, but with these and Endurance, I could still be convinced either way.

----------

Alright...uh, drumroll please...?  The WIP skill list for the Monstrous Heartbreaker stands at (and please feel free to check my math on this):

• Athletics

-----

• Acrobatics
• Sleight of Hand
• Stealth

-----
• Arcana

• Computers
• History
• Investigation

• Medicine
• Nature
• Religion

• Sciences

-----
• Animal Handling
• Insight
• Perception
• Survival

-----
• Deception
• Intimidation
• Performance
• Persuasion

----------

I think it might work.  And I'm definitely up for whatever criticisms you may have to send my way...!

Celebrating Fourth Wing...a Dragon Rider class for 5e and heartbreaking fantasy gaming

As I mentioned when I reviewed the novel Fourth Wing a couple of days ago, I wanted to also share a fairly simple Dragon Rider class.  This should be suitable, for the most part, for 5e games and is designed to work with the classes of the ever-developing fantasy heartbreaker I'm trying to follow through on.  While the dragon rider trope has varying characteristics depending on the universe you're drawing from, this one is very much based on the warriors of Navarre...

----------

The Dragon Rider

Image from Pixabay

Hit Die: d10

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, all shields
Weapons: All simple and martial weapons

Saving Throws: Dexterity, Constitution
Skills: Athletics, Perception

To represent your experience up until Level 1, choose one additional Skill and one Talent (a competency not directly represented on the Skill list) proficiency.

Equipment

Begin with a set of campaign-appropriate equipment (per DM).  You do not necessarily begin with a dragon mount, although this class assumes you have gained the abilities that accompany having one.

You Can Ride Dragons!

At 1st level, you gain proficiency on all checks that involve dragon riding.

Channeling the Dragon’s Power

Beginning at 1st level, you are able to achieve some feats of magic with the help of your dragon.  Your beginning Dragon Rider knows the cantrip Mage Hand and the following new cantrips:

Trustworthy Pen – A quill or pen that you control writes with a consistent and smooth line and does not run out of ink.

Sphere of Privacy – You may establish a sphere of up to 20 feet in diameter, centered on you.  Sound cannot pass into or out of this sphere.  (However, creatures can move through this barrier as normal.)  The sphere lasts for 10 minutes or until dispelled or eliminated by another creature’s magic.

Signature Power

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to cast a Level 1 spell from any spell list that can be accessed by a Mage in your world.  Per the DM, this spell may be chosen or determined randomly.  It is okay to rename and tweak the flavor of a spell in order to fit a slightly different theme; e.g. Witch Bolt may simply become Bolt for a character who is able to cast lightning.

You may cast your Signature Power a number of times per day equal to your Dragon Rider level; this is replenished after a long rest.  It is always cast as a Level 1 spell (unless its enhanced version is selected at 5th level as your Ultimate Power).  Wisdom is the ability you use for all spellcasting checks.

More Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to also cast the following spells:  Knock, Arcane Lock, and Haste (Self) (which functions like a Haste spell that can only be targeted at yourself).  Whenever you cast one of these spells, it uses up one of your Signature Power slots for the day.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.

Extra Mounted Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn while you are riding a dragon.

Ultimate Power

At 5th level, select a Level 3 spell from any of the Mage spell lists.  This should be related to the spell that defines your Signature Power (at the DM’s discretion).  If your Signature Power spell has an enhanced version for casting at Level 3, you may use this instead of choosing a new spell.  In addition to the spells you can already cast a number of times per day equal to your Dragon Rider level, you may cast this Ultimate Power spell once per day (it is also replenished after a long rest).

Happy Friday the 13th! Here's a minimalist, untested, overpowered 5e Slasher class...!

Hey, it's Friday the 13th!  I don't know that I've ever posted anything on here related to that most ominous of preludes to the weekend (other than pointing out a product or two that became available on the special day), so I figured I'd correct that now.

And with my mind on constructing a fantasy heartbreaker, it seemed like it'd be fun to see if I could put together a really simple Slasher class that fits the "trimmed-down 5e" vibe I'm working with.  So...here we go...!  I'm sure this has been done plenty of times over...and probably even somewhere that has been linked from this very blog, especially when you consider friend-of-MM and prolific game content creator Pun Isaac's penchant for slasher flicks, as well as the excellent horror material put out by his friends at Bloat Games.

But...I mean, that's not stopping me from making a fantasy RPG...so why would that stop me here?

Image from Wikipedia

The Slasher

Hit Die: d12

Proficiencies
Armor:  None...you don't need it.
Weapons:  Knives, machetes, chainsaws, hooks, gloves with metal claws...really, anything with a blade, a point, or a portion capable of bludgeoning someone.  And all improvised weapons, too.  (Not guns, though.)
Saving Throws:  Constitution, Charisma
Skills:  Deception, Intimidation

What are your character’s interests and hobbies? What have they done with their life up until this point? Choose one additional Skill and one Talent or Weapon proficiency to represent these.

Equipment
Begin with a set of campaign-appropriate equipment (per DM).

Unkillable
Beginning at 1st level, whenever damage would reduce your hit points to 0 or below, your HP instead become 1, and you lose one round of action.  At the beginning of the next round, you gain 1d6 HP.

A Slasher always regains 1 HP per 10 minutes of in-game time until their maximum HP is reached.

Or, y'know, if you don't feel like dealing with all the bookkeeping, you could probably just ignore hit points altogether...just make sure you occasionally take a story-appropriate round to regroup so those kids can get away...

Getting the Hang of It

At 2nd level, you choose one specific type of weapon to be associated with your infamy.  You get +1 to all attack and damage rolls using this weapon.

Two Beheadings Are Better Than One
Beginning at 3rd level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, as long as the attacks are each directed at a different victim target.

Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.

They Had It Coming

At 5th level, you gain the ability to quickly assess any group of people and determine who among them would please a hypothetical audience the most by dying.  (This is determined by the DM; if there's no way of knowing which one of those folks is actually an arrogant MFer who makes fun of old people and probably tortures animals, determine this randomly.)  If you subsequently kill that character, you may immediately take another round of action.

----------

Have a great weekend, all!  Stay safe out there!

Related side note that this is the only place it'll probably ever make sense to share on here...where I live in Jersey, I'm near this state park and obviously think about a certain character every time I pass it or a sign for it...

Meta Monday: Doki Doki Panic and the greatest(?) NES game of them all

The article feed on my Google Chrome home page (do we call that a chromepage? and if not, why not?) shows exceptional insight when it comes to understanding what will get me to click and read.  I know a lot of us have had moments where it seemed like an algorithm channeled via our phones -- whether for ads, or news, or autofilling our sentences -- must have had access to our verbal conversations.  Occasionally, it seems like that access extends to my thoughts.

Yesterday, I was thinking about what I would like to post for Meta Monday today.  Realizing that my likely subject would lead me to talk about the 1988 Nintendo game Super Mario Bros. 2 (hereafter SMB2), I started thinking about where I could place it in my list of NES favorites.  Because it might be my favorite.  I know that the third entry in the series gets the most ink as the greatest NES game of them all, and the first is always referenced in Top X lists because of its immeasurable influence on the industry.  I never got a lot of experience with 3, however, and the classic Super Mario Bros. -- while certainly way up there for me (and maybe my favorite when it comes to setting) -- just can't QUITE compete with the upper, upper echelon of games in my memory (that'd be The Legend of Zelda, Punch-Out!!, Dr. Mario, and Double Dragon for anyone keeping score).

SMB2, though...it's up there.  So I definitely had a little "no way...!" go off in my head when this article (with this photo) popped up in my feed:

Darn you, Google...even your clickbait apparently works on me, because I should have known that the list would include #1 and #3, but my precious SMB2, which 11-year-old me paid an insane forty-five of my own 1989 American dollars for so I that could experience the adventures of Mario and his friends in the dream world of Subcon, is nowhere to be found.  Underrated!

The article isn't bad, though.

I got my NES for Christmas 1988, which was also the holiday season that SMB2 was burning through toy aisles.  I don't think I even laid eyes on a copy of it until that fateful day the next year when I happened to be at the right store, at the right time, to pay whatever was asked of me to get it into my hands.  There were aspects of it that really were revolutionary to me at the time.  Being able to select different characters, with different capabilities, just seemed brilliant.  You could play as a Mushroom Retainer!  And apparently, his name is Toad!  AND the princess FLOATS!!  It was worth every penny.

From this r/nostalgia thread

I don't think any of us knew it at the time, but it's a well-known Nintendo factoid now that Mario 2 was released in Japan as a completely different game, Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic.  There are lots of internet sources that can provide a much better summary of this history than I am qualified to give.  (You can check it out its page at the Nintendo Wiki here, should you be so inclined.)  In short, though...it apparently began life as a tech demo that was influenced by -- and perhaps was even intended to be used for -- the Mario series.  It would then be developed in coordination with Fuji Television as a game accompanying their event known as Yume Kōjō '87 (Dream Factory '87).  When the game released in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2 was deemed too difficult and not innovative enough to satisfy the American market, Doki Doki Panic was reskinned into a Mario game.

A character comparison between the two games; found this on Pinterest.  Many other changes are also documented here.

(A note before I forget: I would not be surprised if there's something about the presentation of the Arab family in Doki Doki Panic that, with the benefit of almost four decades' worth of reflection, is less culturally sensitive than many -- including me -- would prefer.  Not what I'm getting into here, although please feel free to let me know if you have any insight in this area!)

Now...what exactly makes it meta?  Well, even when we got the game here in the States, there was still a meta element to it, as the instruction manual's intro explained how Mario and his buds ended up in a world that he originally saw in a dream...

The whole manual is at the Internet Archive

In Doki Doki Panic, however, the meta stakes are taken up to another level, as the characters actually make their way into the Land of Dreams through the pages of a book!  Here's the game's intro:

(In a more realistic art style, that would actually be at least a little creepy.)

Visiting the worlds of the tales we tell...that's the guiding motif of these Meta Mondays, and I actually think that SMB2 -- and, even more so, its original implementation as Doki Doki Panic -- not only matches this theme...it also might be the greatest NES game ever while doing so.  It's definitely up there.  Although maybe I just need to spend some more time on SMB3.

----------

Now...because I'm doing a reasonably good job of keeping this a sort-of-focused tabletop gaming blog, let me tabletop-game-ify something from SMB2!  As I noted, I really dug getting the chance to play as different characters, and Toad was especially fun.  Not only was it cool as hell to play a Mushroom Person, but being the fastest and strongest also meant that he was great at pulling up shrubs to get coins that gave me a shot at extra lives.  Since I'm trying to figure out this Monstrous Heartbreaker thing...and since the species in the game will likely be VERY 5e-based (especially since I've discovered I even like 5e species builds in OSR-based games)...why don't I take a crack at the Toad (as a species) for 5e?  I'm sure it's been done already, probably many times, but maybe not this quick and dirty before...

Toad (the species)

Image by Shigehisa Nakaue, found at Wikipedia

Toad (Mushroom People) Traits

Your Toad character has unique traits based upon their (possibly) fungal origins and lifestyle.  (Remember, the mushroom cap is part of their head, not a hat...)

Ability Score Increase:  Your Strength score increases by 2. Choose one additional ability score to increase by 1.

Age:  Toads seem to age at about the same rate as humans.

Size:  Adult toads are generally 3-4 feet tall and weigh around 40-50 pounds.  They are usually classified as small.

Name:  Toad seems to be a really common one...but don't let that limit you!

Speed:  Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Loyalty:  Toads have advantage on all attack rolls against an enemy who is engaged in combat with one or more of their (the Toad's) friends.  They also have advantage on all ability checks and saving throws related to tasks that will save a friend.

Languages:  Toads are fluent in the common language of the game world (often English), but are also sure to know at least one other language that originates somewhere in the Mushroom Kingdom.

----------

Slowly rolling out my fantasy heartbreaker: The Warrior

I've given enough lip service to the idea of creating my own fantasy heartbreaker on this blog that it's time I finally start to to officially chip away at it.  I don't want to go to my grave thinking, "One day I'll get the Monstrous Heartbreaker put together, and from that point on, I'll have my default RPG ruleset...!"  Heck, why not go to my grave with a copy of the Monstrous Heartbreaker in my hands??  And...did I just channel a prophecy?  (Anyone who reads this and sees me going to my grave, please take note of what's in my hands, just in case I've been a seer this whole time.  It'll be a bit late to capitalize on it, but cool nonetheless.)

Okay...I'm already off topic.

Hrm.

So, my fantasy heartbreaker...

No, this one isn't mine, but it's one of the first games designated as such (cover image from the Fifth Cycle Wikipedia page)

First, if you're unfamiliar with what I mean by that (and it is a fairly loose term), you might want to read this essay by Ron Edwards on The Forge.  I'm not sure if the term originated there, but I'm pretty certain that this specific essay is why the term is so widely used today.  Now...it's been a while since I've read anything substantial from that work, and I can't say for sure that I've ever actually read the whole thing.  I know that Ron Edwards is a bit of a divisive voice in the RPG hobby...but I also don't know if most manifestations of that divisiveness have been in the words of those for whom divisiveness is a key element of their presence in the community.  I guess that if you know any of the specifics I might be alluding to...cool, hopefully I'm making sense...but in general, I'm just saying that I'm not necessarily vouching for Edwards or any of his views.  But that term...fantasy heartbreaker.  It's a good one.  And while it's intended to be pejorative, I think it's time for all of us to claim it as a decidedly positive approach to the hobby.

To me, a fantasy heartbreaker is simply one individual's personally houseruled D&D.  It represents what its creator looks for in a fantasy RPG, and thus, to an extent, it represents its creator.  But it's also representative of that creator's specific takeaways from the meta-experience of D&D...the circumstances that have led to their likes, dislikes, and quirks.  It's about both the personality of the individual AND the ways in which they have been shaped by the community.  Is it innovative?  Maybe.  If its creator wants it to be.  But it doesn't NEED to be...D&D has been "good" from the moment it was created, and it's all about shaping it to individual tastes and needs at this point.  And so, by calling one's own take a fantasy heartbreaker, you're acknowledging that it's simultaneously a window into the soul of a single creator AND that it's not to be taken too seriously.  And personally...I like that.

I'll get into some of the details of what I want out of my own take in future posts.  For now, I'm just gonna start at the most basic point I can think of:  a fighting class.  The fighting class.  But not a fighter.  In the Monstrous Heartbreaker, it is...

Artwork for the MTG card Ghor-Clan Wrecker (taken from the wallpaper art at its Cards Realm page)

The Warrior

Hit Die: d10

Proficiencies
Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: All simple and martial weapons
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Athletics, Intimidation

What are your character’s interests and hobbies? What have they done with their life up until this point? Choose one additional Skill and one Talent to represent these.  (Talents basically work like Tools in 5E...I just think the term Tool is more limiting than it should be for what it represents...)

Equipment
Begin with a set of campaign-appropriate equipment (per DM).

Beginning Warrior Bonuses
At 1st level, you get a +1 Class Bonus to all attack and damage rolls.

Weapon Expertise
At 2nd level, you choose unarmed combat OR one class of weapon (e.g. Swords, Bows, Handguns) and gain Expertise with all attacks that fit that category. This provides an additional Expertise Bonus of +2 on all attack rolls. (This stacks with the Class Bonus.)

Self-Preservation
Starting at 3rd level, you become better at defending yourself in the heat of the action. You get a +1 Class Bonus to AC.

Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

----------

Hopefully I'll be back to stat out one or two class representatives before the week closes out...!

The Real Monstrous Matters: A Saber-Toothed Kitten in Siberia

I mean, poor kitty...but man is this cool.  A formal description and analysis has just been published for the frozen mummy of a saber-toothed cat cub that was found in Siberia in 2020.  The paper appeared in Scientific Reports on November 14 (open access, so it's free to check out!); the Science homepage also ran a nice summary article here.

Compared to a modern lion cub; from the paper

Radiocarbon dating places it at about 35,000 years old.  The fact that scientists are actually able to write, with experience, on the softness of the fur of an animal that lived that long ago is mind-blowing.

The coolest discovery?  Actually, no, I bet there are cooler ones here; this one just really struck me as something very basic and neat that can only be seen when you have soft tissue preserved like this.  This specific saber-toothed cat is missing a carpal pad (that fifth "toe bean" on your cat's front paws).

See there at the top?  It's missing a toe bean (#2 at the bottom)!  Although I do love that the authors describe the ancient cat's metacarpal pad as "bean-shaped"...so maybe it isn't missing one...?  Anyway...from the paper.

The authors chalk this up (along with the wide paws and the shape of their pads) to adaptation to walking on snow...which makes a ton of sense considering the cat's home, both geographically and temporally.

In case you're wondering, this isn't the famous Smilodon, the icon widely known as a "saber-toothed tiger."  This little tyke is actually from the genus Homotherium, which are more specifically designated "scimitar-toothed cats" (vs. the "dirk-toothed cats" of Smilodon).  Still freaking cool and I dare you to argue otherwise!

Anyway, here's a saber-toothed cat for Monstrous6.  I'm gonna try to convert directly from a 5e critter and see if it makes sense, as one goal with the system is to be able to do that pretty easily.  So here goes.  (Also, I find it a little odd that D&D hasn't changed to calling the Saber-Toothed Tiger a Saber-Toothed Cat...although I think it might have been called a Smilodon in 2e...?  At any rate, I'm going to take that liberty...)

From Pixabay

Saber-toothed Cat

Scale: --

Handling Difficulty: 14

35 HP, 12 Defense

Strength 5

Dexterity 4

Knowledge 1

Presence 2

Skills: Detect (smell) +3

Attacks: Bite (+6, 1d6+6 piercing damage) or Claw (+6, 2d6+5 slashing damage)

Special: If a saber-toothed cat hits with a claw attack after moving at least 20 feet straight in the direction of the target, the target must save [STR (Balance) 14] or fall prone.  If the target falls, the cat may immediately take a free bite.

Geeky SKAturday: Cupid (Amy Winehouse...among others...!)

Hey, it's still SKAturday!

It may not be proper to note Amy Winehouse in the title up there (vs. the other artists that have taken on this classic), but it's her cover that inspired this post by being in regular rotation for me lately.   (If you've never checked it out, Amy's ska stuff is really good...)

Here's her take:

"Cupid" was written and originally released as an R&B song by Sam Cooke in 1961...

The song has seen a number of outstanding cover versions over the years, some of which sit happily enough in a Rudie's wheelhouse to earn it a place in the canon of ska.  Johnny Nash, the American singer-songwriter who perhaps most famously gave the world the song "I Can See Clearly Now," released a rocksteady version in 1969:

American ska mainstays the Slackers covered it on their collection Lost and Found and regularly played it live for quite a while...

And the version that introduced me to the tune was performed by the Usuals, a Florida ska band that released it on a really cool red, heart-shaped record back in 1998 (which also included the incredible song "Hey Boy," and was very kindly given to me long ago by my buddy Jake):

So...let's make it a sound for a Rudie!

I figure a Charm spell plus a love connection should probably be tougher than Charming a Person but easier than Charming a Monster...so maybe 3rd level?  Then, we can add in an element of a Philter of Love...removing the "if a gender you're usually attracted to" clause because really, if we're going to the level of creepy where we're forcing amorous feelings on a character, why would we put a gender restriction on it?

Cupid

3rd-level Sound

Range: 30 feet

Duration: 1 hour

Save: Presence (Wisdom)

You call for Cupid's arrow to be targeted at a creature you can see within range.  If it fails the saving throw, it is charmed by another being of your choice for the duration of the spell and will regard that being as its true love while charmed.  When the spell wears off, the creature will remember the events of the previous hour and, if sufficiently intelligent, know that it was emotionally manipulated.

Geeky SKAturday: Moon Hop (Derrick Morgan)

In preparing my magnum opus, I'm trying to nail down a simple yet flavorful way to handle spellcasting.  My approach for now (in addition to looking at how it's handled in games like Mini Six and FIE, I SAY!) is just to develop ideas I've had for the 5E Rudie class I wrote about a while back.  If I can make it work for the spell-like Sounds of a Rudie, I'm pretty sure I can make it work for the stuff a wizard or cleric would cast.

So here's more low-hanging fruit, reskinned and rephrased from that SRD we all know so well.  The song is Derrick Morgan's 1969 classic "Moon Hop," which celebrated the moon landing (is that obvious? apologies if so).  It might be a bit more well known to many through the variant performed by Symarip, which apparently became a hit in the UK in like 1980 on the heels of 2tone's popularity.  And of course, the place I heard it first (and which I would imagine is the way many people learned of the song) was the Specials' incorporation of it into their sets during the height of their popularity.  (I heard recordings; I didn't see those sets.)  All three of these versions are below...

The disclaimers:  (1) Yeah, it really isn't a ska song (other than maybe the Specials' version), but it is certainly in the very-closely-related early reggae style.  (This is often called skinhead reggae, of course...I just avoid that term sometimes, depending upon the audience, since the term skinhead has taken on a very different and very problematic meaning for many people.)  And (2) I know an accusation came out toward Derrick Morgan about a year ago that is also pretty terrible.  Obviously this doesn't impact the quality of his music from 55 years ago, but for some reason I feel like it has to be said, and for what it's worth, I haven't seen any resolution to the issue that makes me believe it has to be true.

Wow...okay, that was way too long...here's the Sound and the songs...!

Moon Hop

1st-level Sound

Range: Touch

Duration: 1 minute

One creature's jump height and distance are tripled for the duration of the sound.

The original:

Symarip's version:

The Specials' take:

(Pocket) Monstrous Monday: Scyther

I've had a soft spot for Scyther since pretty early in my journey with Pokémon.  I'm sure this was partly influenced by how universally valuable its card from the Jungle expansion used to be (seriously, it could go in every deck)...but I also like mantises...and Scyther are just cool looking.  And they're like ninjas!  What's not to like?

I also recently had a Scyther buddy named Slash in Pokémon GO.  He's a Scizor now, but we had some good times while he was growing up.

I hope he avoids the beastfighting pits, but if he ends up there, his fighting will probably play out something like this...

Slash at work with me

Scyther

(4'11, 123 lbs., DEX +2)

HD 2d8, AC 14
Actions:  Swords Dance (Slash attack deals double damage next round); Slash +2 (1d6 slashing damage)

Weakness: Fire

Resistance: Fighting

Geeky SKAturday: Blank Expression (The Specials)

Image from HERE

I recently saw it reported that 2024 will bring the premiere of This Town (the source of the still above), a TV series from the Peaky Blinders guy set during the 2 tone era in the UK.  I'm excited!

I was going to feature them anyway, but that's still another good reason to turn my attention to the Specials for today's Rude sound!

Image from HERE

Blank Expression

1st-level Sound

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Duration: 8 hours

Attack/Save: WIS save

You choose one target creature within range.  If that creature is familiar with you, they forget who you are and their history with you for the duration of the sound.  The creature may still be aware that someone of your name and description exists, but they are unable to make that connection to you.  A successful save negates the effect.

(Pocket) Monstrous Monday: Jigglypuff

While Pokémon has come up a fair amount on this blog, I think I've somehow managed to not even mention the one that I keep coming back to as my favorite (although I guess I do have a lot of "favorites"...some of which I've talked about previously).

This favorite is...

.

.

.

.

...Jigglypuff!

This amazing crocheted 'Puff was a gift from my talented friend Judy!

(And Wigglytuff.  And Igglybuff.  And I guess Scream Tail too.  The whole Jigglypuff line and lineage, really.)

So, obviously, that means I want to put one in a pit for brutal combat vs. other 'mons.  (It's just the way of the world, right?)  And it would probably look something like this...

Jigglypuff

(1'8", 12 lbs., CHA +2)

HD 2d6 (6 HP), AC 13
Actions:  Lullaby (all within earshot must make a Wisdom save or fall asleep); Pound +4 (1d4 bludgeoning damage)
Weakness:  Fighting

A final note: If you are in the United States and have the day off, I hope you enjoy, and either way, I hope we'll all take at least a moment today to be inspired by the dedication, courage, service, and sacrifice of Martin Luther King Jr.  (Kinda felt like I need to at least acknowledge what day it is if I'm going to take the opportunity to put up a silly game post...)