The holiday season with the Specials...

On this date 45 years ago, 2tone greats The Specials appeared on the British music program Top of the Pops, wearing holiday sweaters and turning in this great performance!  (Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's mimed; I still won't call it anything but great...!)

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LATE EDIT:  It isn't sitting well with me that I didn't tie this into gaming and the slowly growing list of material meant for the Monstrous Heartbreaker and its related games.

SO...here's a link- and callback when I turned to these fellows from Coventry for help in shaping a sound to be cast by classes capable of wielding rude magic...

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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.

Geeky SKAturday: Arcade Allstars

After posting a couple weeks ago that JER's ska rendition of the Ghostbusters theme was a no-brainer inclusion for the nearly random collection of items that make up this blog, I knew that this band would also make an appearance before long.  When considering what angle to take in presenting them, however, I realized that the Canadian band Arcade Allstars are a great match for all that is Monstrous Matters, on multiple fronts:

1.  Just look at that album cover!

I knew there were tabletop gamers in the band after one of the members responded on Reddit to one of my nerdy ska threads (about either the Rudie class or the Agents of SKA...and in which I learned that they refer to their D&D party as the Arcane Allstars 😂), but they really outdid themselves with the cover of their recent album Destined 4 Disaster.  The band members themselves as the miniatures being used in a game by fantasy characters is just...well, basically I hate that I didn't think of it, and now I won't feel like I should use it on the off chance I have an album in need of a cover at some point in the future. 😅

2.  They belong on a gaming soundtrack

I've been meaning to post at some point about ska songs that would make up a nice soundtrack for gaming in the absurd world of the Agents of SKA, where ska bands travel through the timestream preserving its integrity for future (and past) generations.  D4D has a track that definitely belongs in that group:

My assumption is that the title is a reference to the character select screen of a fighting game...and perhaps specifically some edition of Mortal Kombat...

...and it's possible, in fact, that this tune is actually a cover of some well-known video game theme that I'm just not familiar with (as someone who hasn't invested much in video games since 1995 or so).  I'm assuming (there I go again) it's an original, though, and it definitely captures the feel of 1990s video game action.  It would similarly be a great background track for the daring exploits of the Agents of SKA.

3.  Superman makes an appearance

There was a time when songs referencing Superman were a feature on this blog (as much as just about anything could be called a "feature" here)...and the Arcade Allstars have (at least) one as well!  Here's a live rendition of "Blue Collar"...

4.  They've influenced a spell...

...or, as I call them for the Rudie class, a sound.  Filling out the potential repertoire of the sound-wielding adventurers that take part in an Agents of SKA campaign is something that I have unfortunately neglected, even while writing this year about the exact sort of RPG campaign where they would make the most sense.  So...here's one to address that, along with the song it's based on.  (And truly...no disrespect is meant to anyone with mutton chops, 44 years old or otherwise...!)

Mutton Chops

1st-level Sound

Range: Touch

Duration: 24 hours

One creature gains mutton chops and advantage on Charisma checks for the duration of the spell.  The target may attempt a saving throw if they choose; if successful, they only grow one mutton chop, with the side of the face determined randomly.  (If the target creature doesn't have a face, the mutton chops manifest as whatever seems like the closest analog possible for a being of their physical form.)

5.  I'm sure there's more...

Truly, I'm certain there is.  This crew appears to have a solid nerd core (although not to be confused with nerdcore, of course), and based upon the pleasant interaction I've had with their saxophonist Cody on Reddit, it seems that they may also be nice folks to boot.  I'd be surprised if this is the last time the Arcade Allstars come up on this blog...

Geeky SKAturday SKAliday: Oi to the World!

Next in line for ska songs that should probably be enjoyed every holiday season:  "Oi to the World!"

I only first heard this one when No Doubt covered it on a Christmas album in the late 90s, but I would later learn that it's actually a cover of a 1996 song by SoCal punk band the Vandals.  I like this song a lot, and I also have thoughts about it, so first I'll just share the video No Doubt made for it, and then if you want to see some of my thoughts (and I bet you'll have some of the same ones), you can read on.  I promise I won't go on for too long.

Okay, that was pretty fun.  Now, No Doubt is a band that's sure to elicit plenty of eyerolls among ska fans the world over.  However, their early years saw them much more connected to the fairly insular ska scene than many people realize, even finding their way onto some ska compilations around the late '80s/early '90s...and back then, comps were HUGE and among the major ways for ska bands to get their name out there, maybe even more than zines and shows.

And despite exploring a spectrum of new wave-y and punk type sounds...and wtf is wrong with that, btw...No Doubt began out of love for 2 tone bands, and my memory of guitarist Tom Dumont shouting out to the Specials and Fishbone on MTV back in the '90s was a tiny formative memory for me.  Although I have to acknowledge, at 47 years of age, that I might not even remember that correctly.

Now...it must also be noted that part of the modern view of No Doubt is shaded by shifting views toward lead singer Gwen Stefani, and this video isn't a bad example of that.  I'll say it up front...the bindi seemed like a much better idea for a white California lady back in the '90s than it does today.  I can't even completely put my finger on all the reasons why, but that video just oozes cultural appropriation (not to mention I'm not sure how to feel about the use of the elephant).

Part of this is, admittedly, connected to ska itself, and its weaving with punkrock.  As I think I've mentioned before, when I dressed up to go to ska shows in the '90s, I was basically cosplaying late '70s British kids who were cosplaying '60s Jamaican tough guys and sharp dressers.  And with this song (and it's discussed nicely here in a lengthy analysis on the Kerrang! website), you also have the white California lady putting on a tiny bit of a British accent (a punk tradition, of course), but that's because it's a cover from a California band that really went out of their way to be British in the original version:

The theme of the song is undeniably positive.  Unity.  Oi to the world.  Drink some bourbon with your new mate!  It also sounds like the kind of anti-racist story I would have found much more meaningful as a 19-year-old in south Georgia than here and now, as the complexities of racism around the world and throughout history have thankfully become a bigger and more nuanced part of the conversation.

It's just so simple...those racist skinheads such as Trevor "liked the music, but not the unity," and it just took standing up to them and ultimately being kind to change the ways of at least one of them.  I guess it also took a few well-placed oi!s, but we did it!

It's also just too convenient to rhyme "turban" with "bourbon," and I can't help but think that the reference to Indiana Jones (arguably a really stupid line, btw, but it entertains me) makes the whole thing a little more problematic, since those films aren't exactly known for their cultural progressiveness, and the fact that "Haji had a sword like the guy in Indiana Jones" seems a little like a Sikh caricature that I probably shouldn't pretend to be qualified to evaluate in terms of sensitivity.

BUT...

Y'know what...

This song also reminds me that I should probably be okay sometimes just accepting a hokey anti-racist vignette for what it is.  In this world where a growing recognition of the complexities of racism has made the conversation all the more difficult at times, we've somehow allowed blatant racism to come to the forefront again and gain acceptability in forums far wider than I would have expected.  I think I should just be happy to enjoy a song where a narrow-minded white dude ends up as a drinking buddy to a presumably brown dude who wears a turban.  That's still a win, especially in today's world.  We can still worry about all the complexities, but until this simple message is actually the fucking baseline we're building from, I'm not gonna hate too hard on something like "Oi to the World!"

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Now...No Doubt deserves at least one or two sounds to be cast by those who are able to harness the power of Rudeness...in OGL games or using Monstrous6 magic.  I couldn't decide which song would be best to use, so here are two.  One is among the best-known tunes by the band (and it's a good one!) that also retains a heavy dose of their 2 tone roots; you'll probably recognize it as a common D&D spell, very thinly reskinned for Rudies.  The other is a pretty early No Doubt song that made its way onto some ska compilations back in the day, as they say...

Spiderwebs

2nd-level Sound

Casting time: 1 action

Range: 60 ft (20 ft cube)

Duration: 1 hr

Saves: Dexterity/Strength

You conjure a mass of thick, sticky webbing at a point of your choice within range. The webs fill a 20-foot cube from that point for the duration. The webs are difficult terrain and lightly obscure their area.

If the webs aren't anchored between two solid masses (such as walls or trees) or layered across a floor, wall, or ceiling, the conjured web collapses on itself, and the spell ends at the start of your next turn. Webs layered over a flat surface have a depth of 5 feet.

Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them during its turn must make a Dexterity saving throw vs. your magic save difficulty. On a failed save, the creature is restrained as long as it remains in the webs or until it breaks free.

A creature restrained by the webs can use its action to make a Strength check vs. your magic save difficulty. If it succeeds, it is no longer restrained.

The webs are flammable. Any 5-foot cube of webs exposed to fire burns away in 1 round, dealing 2d6-2 fire damage to any creature that starts its turn in the fire.

Everything's Wrong

3rd-level Sound

Casting time: 1 action

Range: 60 ft (10 ft sphere)

Duration: 1 min

Save: Presence

This sound causes all willful creatures within its area of effect to second-guess everything they do for the duration of the spell.  Once the creature determines what it will attempt for the turn, it must succeed on a Presence saving throw vs. your magic save difficulty or be rendered confused and unable to take any actions for that turn.

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The Monstrous6 Magic System

From the PDSH wiki entry for John Force, Magic Agent

Well, I had a "Real Monstrous Matters" post that I was working on, as I've been enjoying putting one of those together each week if I can.  For some reason, this one started morphing from my established pattern of "this is some cool science, now here's a monster" into speculation on the subjective experiences of starfish.  So, that one will wait until next week when I can get a little bit of a handle on what the heck I'm trying to say with it.  In the meantime, as I've been building the "Monstrous6" rules system, tiny piece by tinier piece, with my posts on here, I figured I'd go ahead and lay out what I'm imagining as the default magic system for the game (and for the Monstrous Matters campaign).

I want something that will feel at least a little different from Vancian spellcasting.  Shadowdark and Dungeon Crawl Classics have given us some nice variants that keep a lot of the Vancian bones in place, so I looked to them for inspiration but tried to give it a little spin that would feel unique to this 2d6-based system.  Here's what I came up with; I've only been able to test it once so far but hope to get more under my belt soon...

The Basics:

1)  Monstrous6 is essentially a skill-based system, so Magic is a skill and is given a value just as other skills are.  Different types of magic are connected to different skills and potentially to different underlying attributes.  The spells cast by a wizard, for example, might use the skill Arcane Magic (or perhaps a different skill for each school) and use the Knowledge attribute, while those of a cleric are resolved with Divine Magic (or specific domains) and Presence.  Christmas Elves have Holiday Magic (Presence).  Rudies have...Rudeness, I guess...?  (Also Presence...)

2)  Starting characters can learn one spell for each point they have in the attribute that governs their specific type of spellcasting.  More may be learned as play progresses.

3)  Spells are roughly the power of those found in most OGL games.  So, OSR spells will work, or 5e spells with some adjustments to the dice used.  (I like to use d6 in the place of both d6 and d8, then have the other die sizes represented by d6 +/- the appropriate value.)  Also, advantage/disadvantage will need to be turned into bonuses or penalties.  Spells still have levels, just as they do in d20-based games.

4) To cast a spell, make a magical skill roll [2d6 + Attribute + Skill] vs. the spell’s difficulty, which is found by adding [10 + (spell level) + (number of times you’ve attempted to cast a spell today, including the current one)]. If you meet or exceed the difficulty value, the spell is successful.

5) For spells requiring a saving throw, those difficulties are calculated by [8 + Attribute + Skill]. (For both saving throws and the magical skill rolls in #4, as with most rolls in Monstrous6, a 12 is always a success, and a 2 is always a failure.)

6) If your magical skill roll results in both dice landing on the same face (rolling doubles), you can feel the vibrations of magical power escaping your grasp for the day. You may continue to cast spells on the current day by “paying” 1 point of your magical attribute. You may do this as many times as necessary but may not drop below a value of 1. This loss impacts all rolls for that attribute until the point is regained. All of these points in the attribute, along with the daily spell counter, are reset after a long rest. (Alternatively, you may choose not to pay the attribute point after rolling doubles; in that case, you are simply unable to cast further spells of that type until you take a long rest.)

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More to come on this.

Geeky SKAturday: It's "Christmas Time Again"! (Bad Manners)

December is here.  It's Christmas time again!

I think I'll share some of my favorite holiday ska tunes this month.  Here's one I've posted before that is always worth revisiting, from the band that is probably the goofiest and maybe my favorite of the 2 tone era...

No notes.

And while I definitely have a big interest right now in turning Christmas songs into spells...that's a whole different project.  Instead, here's my favorite Bad Manners tune and a sound to accompany it...

Special Brew

2nd-level Sound

Casting time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Duration: 1 hour

Save: Presence

This sound targets one being that can see you and has a Knowledge score of at least 1.  On a failed save, the creature regards you as their best friend.  We're talking soulmate type feelings, although no romantic notions are necessarily involved.  They know that you want to spend all your money on them.

When the spell wears off, the target will remember what has occurred but will not necessarily feel deceived unless you have coerced them into doing things contrary to their usual wishes.  You will simply be regarded as a former friend.

Geeky SKAturday: Nazi White Trash (Leftöver Crack)

Happy weekend all!  Today's Geeky SKAturday is presented in celebration of Punch a Nazi Week, as presented this past week by Justin over at Halls of the Nephilim.  There's no sense in not getting in on the antifascist fun a little bit!

First, to be crystal clear about it before I'm assumed to be promoting violence, I am not actually in favor of punching Nazis...except, I guess, if it's necessary for the safety of others.  I'm a pretty old school peacenik, anti-violence perhaps to a fault, and I just believe that as humans, we are meant to be better than that.

With that said, any Nazis that do get punched had it coming to them.

Here's one of my favorite anti-Nazi tunes, from the band Leftöver Crack.  I share it with the obligatory acknowledgment that, from what I've heard and read, this band's frontman may not be a very admirable guy himself.  I certainly encourage you to learn what you can about that if it is of concern to you.  However, it doesn't change the fact that Leftöver Crack and the band they grew out of, Choking Victim, are tremendously influential ska/punk/crust/core acts, borderline legendary, and their "crack rock steady" sound absolutely blew many of us away back in the day.  Some of their tracks are still just unforgettable anthems.

Alright, sorry about all the caveats today.  Time to skank.  This one isn't about punching, but there's certainly some ill will wished upon them.  Here's "Nazi White Trash":

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I'm not sure that's the tune I want to turn into a sound for a Rudie to cast, though.  So, I'm gonna go back to the first song I heard from this crew, back when I was introduced to the band Choking Victim on Hellcat Records' first Give 'Em the Boot compilation, a crucial piece in many kids' musical journeys, almost 30 freaking years ago.

I love this track.  This is "Infested"...

Infested

2nd-level Sound

Casting time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Duration: 10 minutes

Save: Strength

This sound infests the target's body with lice.  A failed Strength save when cast means the target is treated as if it is Restrained (cannot move from current location, +1 to attacks targeting it, -1 to its attacks and any actions requiring Dexterity).  The target may reroll the save at the beginning of each turn.  With any successful save, the target is treated as Restrained but retains its normal ability to move for the duration of the spell.

If the spell remains in effect for the full 10 minutes, the target makes one final Strength save as it disappears.  If failed, the target takes 1D6-1 Rash damage, which can be healed as any other damage.

Geeky SKAturday: Rudie Can't Fail (The Clash)

So.

That happened this week.

I'm taking some time to enjoy really positive things at the moment.  I think this song qualifies.  It's sort of about a struggle against a system, but it strikes me as both appropriate and hopeful right now.  Even the title is about as positive a statement as one can put together!

Personal note of interest to few beyond me:  I first heard this song thanks to the awesome Grosse Pointe Blank soundtrack.  That film came out at a critical point of musical exploration for me and some of my friends.  I can actually remember when Father Josh (then just...Josh) told me I had to hear this one.  It really is a top-notch tune, and definitely a strong contender for any desert island mix I would put together.

I guess I wouldn't necessarily even describe "Rudie Can't Fail" as wholly a ska/rocksteady/reggae song, but it's clearly very strongly influenced by Jamaican music.  And the fact that it's about Rudie...well, it fits the trend of these Geeky SKAturdays perfectly...

Another personal note of interest to few:  I would pay good money to hear Joe Strummer's take on the United States right now.  He had a good eye and a way with words.  Actually, you know what?  Just thinking about this song right now...I have to kind of wonder if part of what got us to this point is right here in these lyrics...

I went to the market to realize my soul

What I need I just don't have

So...here's the sound...

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Rudie Can't Fail

1st-level Sound

Casting time: 1 bonus action

Range: Self

Duration: 1 minute

This sound makes your next action very likely to succeed.  The next time you roll a skill check, magic check, attack, or save, you can reroll if the first attempt fails.  You can also reroll if the second attempt fails.  That's it, though!  Just three chances, and you have to use it within a minute of casting the sound (in-game time)...

Geeky SKAturday: RxPxOxS (Fishbone)

Fishbone was one of the most popular American bands playing ska back in the 80s.  They're certainly legends of the genre, although they are probably known more for their eclecticism and unique high-energy blend of funk, metal, soul, punk, reggae, and on and on and on.

They unexpectedly released a new song on Thursday.  It is political and timely.

Let me be clear, because I know not everyone is going to like it...I truly want civility in political discourse.  I have cult members in my family and don't want to dehumanize anyone.  I believe in peace, probably to a fault as judged by most people...as in I believe there is power in peace, and in the cases where there are clearly more powerful forces at work, those are our chances as humans to give peace power.  BUT (I know you knew one was coming) I do occasionally need folks around me to be blunt enough to remind me that there's a lot going on in America right now that should not be normalized, and that there are ultimately convictions that matter.  In a world where I have been threatened and called a "liberal piece of shit" by a guy standing in my own backyard, I'm obligated to still try and recognize when things are...well, not okay.

Stay safe, everybody.

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Alright, let's lighten things up by giving the Rudie a sound from Fishbone.  How about the one that might be rudest of all of their rude stuff?

Skankin' to the Beat

1st-level Sound

Casting time: 1 bonus action

Range: 60 feet

Duration: 3 rounds

This sound gives all friendly creatures within range who dig the rhythm a boost to everything they attempt for the next 3 rounds.  When rolling for any skill check, magic check, attack, or save, they roll an extra 1D6 and add the result to the total.  Crits/bomb-outs/automatic successes or failures still count as usual.

(Too powerful?  Eh...good ;)

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:

Geeky SKAturday: The Toasters

Last weekend, we got to go to This Is Not Croydon Fest, a ska festival near Philadelphia.  Good stuff; we're lucky to get to go and I'd love for it to happen every year.

One of the highlights was getting to see ska veterans The Toasters, who I always enjoy.  Here they are last Sunday taking on maybe my favorite Toasters song, "Thrill Me Up."  (I love recording video at shows but realized lately that instead of capturing 20 seconds apiece of like 7 separate tunes, I should maybe try to get some complete songs.  This is one toward that effort...)

The Toasters are especially interesting to me for a couple of reasons.  For one, they've been doing this a long time.  Well...their guitarist and lead singer, Robert Hingley aka Bucket...has been doing it a long time.  He came to the United States to run the Forbidden Planet comic shop in NYC, founded the Toasters in 1981, then founded legendary label Moon Ska Records in 1983.  It would not be an overstatement to say that Bucket may have had a greater impact on the spread of ska in the U.S. than any other single person.  And...he put my old band on a ska compilation album back in 2003 and will always have a special place in my heart for letting us amateurs take part in something so awesome.  He's a really nice guy who still works the merch table and talks with fans!

Second...the music of The Toasters represents a lot of what I find intriguing about the idea of ska as an RPG theme.  You know what...the more I think about this, the more I think I should probably spend a whole post on it sometime, but I'll just note that the musical and visual aesthetic they've grown over the years kind of feels like an adventure story...AND the fact that they're OGs in the American ska scene helps to minimize the worry that indulging in those themes unfairly caricatures things other people hold dear.

Okay...finally, a Sound for the Rudie.

Great song here.  Gonna straight up lift a well-known D&D element for it (from White Box FMAG)...

Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down

1st-level Sound

Range: Self

Duration: 1 hour

The caster creates a magical field of protection around themself to block out all evil monsters, who suffer a -1 penalty “to-hit” against the caster, and the caster gains +1 on all saving throws against such attacks.  (What makes them "evil?"  Well, if they're the bad guys, of course...)

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.

Geeky SKAturday: Keep Him Away (The Slackers)

Another sound for the Rudie to cast...

(Active for like 30 years straight, the Slackers are one of my favorite bands.  I'm lucky enough to now live within close proximity to their native NYC that I can go to their shows about as often as I want to, and they never disappoint.  This song is often used to kick off their sets.)

7" cover, seen HERE

Keep Him Away

1st-level Sound

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Duration: 10 minutes

You choose one target creature within range.  For the duration of the spell, an invisible force (claimed to feel like a pair of strong arms) prevents that creature from getting within 10 feet of you.  If the creature is 10 feet away and you move toward it, the force will gradually pull them in the opposite direction until at least a 10 foot distance is established again.

Image from HERE

Geeky SKAturday: Pick Yourself Up (Stubborn All-Stars)

Stubborn All-Stars (who I've always called The Stubborn All-Stars, and only realized in looking at their Wikipedia page now that maybe that "The" isn't supposed to be there) were (are?) a trad ska supergroup assembled in '90s NYC by King Django of Stubborn Records.

They are one of the greats of the era, IMO.  "Pick Yourself Up" apparently got some airplay on MTV back in the day (again, I am informed by Wikipedia about this).  It comes from their album Back With a New Batch and serves as a rejuvenating sound for Rudies...

Image from HERE

Pick Yourself Up

1st-level Sound

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Duration: Instantaneous

You remove all levels of exhaustion from a character within range.

And what the heck...here's another performance by the Stubborn crew...this one from the fairly short-lived program Oddville, MTV, back in around 1997...the really fun tune "Tin Spam" (dig that Victor Rice bass groove!)...

Geeky SKAturday: Sell Out (Reel Big Fish)

Alright...here's the first new sound to be invoked by a character of the Rudie class!

This one comes courtesy of Reel Big Fish.  I think RBF has a bit of a "love 'em or hate 'em" reputation among ska fans due to their pop-punk approach and general jokey nature, neither of which sit well with some ska purists out there.

On the other hand, they're catchy as hell and a lot of fun.  To some listeners, they are probably THE ska band.  And then to some listeners, they're hated because they are THE stereotype of late-90s ska punk.

I like 'em.  A lot.  And while I've become a bigger fan of ska that's more traditional than their poppy riffs, RBF's album Turn the Radio Off was definitely part of my gateway into the genre as a whole, so I like having this one to kick off this feature.

Okay, enough talk...

Image from HERE

Sell Out

1st-level Sound

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Duration: 1 hour

You attempt to make a single decision that is being considered by a creature you can see within range.  The creature must be capable of reasoning and having a belief that it is the correct decision (even if it's outlandish).  The creature makes a single Wisdom saving throw.  If it fails, it will make the decision you choose and believe that it is the correct decision for the duration of the sound.  When the sound's effect ends, the creature will be able to reason normally regarding the topic.

At Higher Levels: When you invoke this sound using a sound slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 1st.  The creatures must be within 30 feet of each other when you target them.

Geeky SKAturday: The Rudie class for OGL gaming

The Specials from Michael Ochs Archive, stolen from The Guardian

Okay, how to explain the "why" of this one...?

Around 25 years ago, I was obsessed with ska and dreamed about (1) playing in a ska band, and (2) creating a ska zine, as there were some that I absolutely loved at the time (Ska-tastrophe, anyone?).  I did the first but never the second.  I did think about it a lot, though...what my angle could be to stand out...maybe a specific sub-subgenre to focus on or - inspired by seeing the punkrock/golf magazine Schwing! - maybe tackling ska plus some other topic of interest in the same zine.

So...fast forward 20+ years.  Zines are on my radar again, but this time for RPGs rather than music.  At a show one night, I'm struck by how fun it sounds...in my head...to create a zine that combines ska and RPGs.  I enjoyed thinking about the possibility of filling out a world to game in with the characters, ideas, and conflicts found in many of the songs I like.  I mean, for a lot of us, I think at least a little part of ska's appeal is that it has narratives that accompany it, both within songs and in the more meta sense of the historical development of the genre.  It was easy for a geek like me to completely geek out on it (still is).  And once I started trying to dress the part, with a skinny black tie and some two-tone shoes...well, that isn't very far removed from cosplay, is it?

And this is as good a time as any to point out that where I'm going with all of this may be perceived as culturally tone deaf to some.  There's a lot of discussion to be had regarding the Jamaican musical diaspora and cultural appropriation.  When I dressed up as a "rude boy" in the sense of "one who loves ska," I was sort of cosplaying 70s British kids who were in turn cosplaying 60s Jamaican tough guys.  What do I know about growing up on the streets of Kingston?  (I'm a middle class American white guy, in case you don't know...)  At any rate...if someone wants to take up a dialogue regarding all of this, I'm certainly game!

The thing is...I do genuinely love this music, and this is a point upon which I'm willing to ignore some of my fears as an unashamed progressive in order to more fully take part in this thing that I love.

Okay, so...where was I?  Oh yes, a ska zine!  Well, there was no way I was going to end up following through on that in a meaningful way.  If you need proof of this, take a gander through my history on this blog and note all the projects I've begun with excitement only to abandon when the next "best idea ever" takes hold of me.  I don't regret them, as I love getting absorbed by ideas I enjoy.  But a lot of the time, I just don't get the results I start out hoping for.

However...I had started this little Geeky SKAturday "feature" (in that I posted it more than once) here at Monstrous Matters...and I could probably make something happen semi-regularly if it had a clear structure and goal.  And so, in 2024, I plan to make good on realizing my little ska/RPG crossover.  Most of it will probably just be posting songs I like and giving them a tenuous connection to game mechanics.  And it all starts here...with the Rudie character class.  (It's for the rules I'm formulating to be the "house system" here at MM...basically full - or very close to full - compatibility with the fifth edition of the world's most popular roleplaying game, with enough ambiguity that it can also be used in OSR approaches.)

I'd love to know what you think!  Unless you hate it.  No, actually...let me know if you hate it.  Either way, I hope I'll keep on wasting my time on it...!

Rudie

HD: d8

Proficiencies

Simple weapons

Any 3 musical instruments OR handguns and any 2 musical instruments

Any 3 skills

 

Level	Features	Cantrips Known	Sounds Known	Sound Slots per Spell Level
				1st	2nd
1	Soundcasting, Pick It Up	2	4	2	-
2	Ska’d for Life	2	5	3	-
3	Rocksteady	2	6	4	2
4	Ability Score Improvement	3	7	4	3

Soundcasting

Rudies can channel the energy and spirit of ska to affect the world in profound and arguably magical ways.  Specific capabilities are known as Sounds and follow the general rules of spellcasting by other classes.  Cantrips (0-level Sounds) and Sounds known per level are on the Rudie table (above).

Pick It Up

The upbeats give you life!  On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d8 + your Rudie level.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

 

Ska’d for Life

[Rules still to come...lemme know if you have ideas, please...!]

 

Rocksteady

[Same...]

Ability Score Improvement

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. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Sounds (examples):

A Message to You Rudy (Cantrip) - You point your finger toward a creature within range and whisper a message. The target (and only the target) hears the message and can reply in a whisper that only you can hear.
You can cast this spell through solid objects if you are familiar with the target and know it is beyond the barrier. Magical silence, 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood blocks the spell. The spell doesn't have to follow a straight line and can travel freely around corners or through openings.

Ball of Fire (Cantrip) - You hurl a ball of fire at a creature or object within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 fire damage. A flammable object hit by this spell ignites if it isn't being worn or carried.

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Okay...I hope to post some characters (and Sounds) as the weeks roll on...and maybe work them into the bigger Monstrousverse as far as I'm capable.  I'm gonna make as many Saturdays as I can into SKAturdays (your groans don't phase me, by the way).

Enjoy your holidays, everyone!