d10 Items of Mystery

I was making some updates to my adventure and item generator and one of the test runs spit these out, so I decided to post them as a short random table:

1. The Toxic Bronze Box of Infinity

2. The Bark Haversack of the Obscene

3. The Eternal Hood of Life

4. The Lurid Kilt of Aging

4. The Ruby Flail of the Bloodthirsty Poet

6. The Secret Onyx Decanter of Mists

7. The Plasmatic Sapphire Tunic of Delirium

8. The Gigantic Star-Metal Chisel of the Spiny Warrior

9. The Glistening Gorget of Beguiling

10. The Jade Mail Coat of Protection

Free Conan RPG Quickstart Rules!

Modihpius, which will be publishing the upcoming Conan RPG has put the Quickstart rules up on DriveThruRPG.com, and they are free!  It looks like the Quickstart contains an introduction to the rules, 7 pre-generated characters and an adventure.  I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but I will admit to being curious as to how their 2d20 system works.  For those interested in the full game, the Kickstarter for the full game is still ongoing, and can be found here.
Being a huge Conan fan, I've downloaded the Quickstart and will post more on it later when I've had time to look through it.

Terrain Tuesday

I've long wanted some stairs that could be used to handle miniatures at varying elevations.  The stairs that I have from Dwarven Forge are very nice, but really only represent miniatures at three elevations.  So, with this weekend, the weather being snowy and cold, I set about making my own foam board stairs to go along with the other dungeon terrain that I've been making.  I think that I could have done a better job smoothing the sides, but I'm generally pleased with the results.

Miniatures Monday

A just completed well monster.

I started assembling this Well of Doom miniature from Reaper Miniatures back in November of 2008.  Here is one of the original assembly photos.

I had been planning to do a step-by-step assembling and painting article on this one, but then nearly seven and a half years got in the way.  I had it primed and partially painted early on, but wasn't comfortable with my ability to paint the water, so it languished on my shelf until just a week or so ago, when I finally decided to suck it up and finish it.  Overall, I think it turned out a bit better than I was expecting it to.

Nothing good can come of this...

The most recent version of my random item generator spits out some rather uncomfortable sounding pieces of clothing:

The Burning Loincloth of the Maliciously Fanged Maw

There's not enough Gold Bond on earth for that. :-)

d100 Table: Items of Wonder and Woe (Free PDF)

I've put together a d100 table of Items of Wonder and Woe.  It's up to you to stat them out for your particular game system, but the next time you need a goofy sounding item to foist upon your unsuspecting players, feel free to try one of these.  Also, if anyone does use any of them, I'd love to hear how it turns out!  :-)

So near, yet so far.

I start painting a lot of miniatures, and while I finish a decent number, a few tend to languish in a perpetually semi-painted state.  I collected a number of those partially painted miniatures for this photo.  Most of these could be finished in under an hour.  Many of them would take less than half an hour, and a few could probably be completed in about 10 minutes.  Somehow though, other miniatures keep jumping in front of these in the queue.  Who else finds themselves with a collection of mostly painted miniatures that don't ever seem to get finished?

If this isn't a real thing, it needs to be.

Thanks to +William Beegle for sharing this with me.

Weird Adventure Idea Wednesday

On a wintry day you chance upon a diseased astrologer lying beside the road.  The astrologer motions to you to approach and when you do, he tells you an intriguing tale.  He says that 3 weeks journey to the northwest, within the Shadowy Wastelands of the Graven Idols, was built the Shimmering Stronghold of the Burning Warrior.  It is believed that there is hidden the Skull Adorned Casket of Golden Decay.  But beware, for the astrologer tells you that it is thought the Stained Slime Beast of Ill-Omen dwells there!

Miniatures Monday

In a dark forest, well hidden from prying eyes, lies an ancient circle of stone.  Many horrific rites have been enacted in this dreadful place...

And if the blood on the dagger is any indication, some of those rites seem to have been quite recent.  The miniature of from Reaper and is part of a set that also includes two cultists and a sacrificial victim which are still works in progress.

All of my new Terrain pieces in action

Just another shot of all of my new terrain pieces.  I've sealed them, and they are now ready for use!

My first foray into homemade dungeon terrain

     Ever since completing some basement remodeling about five years ago, I've been holding on to a bunch of foamboard insulation scraps.  I've aways intended to use them to make gaming terrain, but as with many things, I wasn't convinced that I'd do a good job, so I didn't bother to try.  Finally, the other day inspiration stuck, and I decided to have a go at it.  These three pieces are the results.  While they would never compete with Dwarven Forge, I'm fairly pleased with how they came out.
     I did the stonework by scoring the foam with an X-ACTO knife, then widened the gaps with a pencil.  I got the texture, but breaking what has always seemed to be a rule when working with foam and used a light coat of Rustoleum spray paint.  The spray paint of course melts the foam, but when used in the right amount, I found that it melts a nice texture on the stone, and it widens the gaps a bit more giving the stones better definition.  Then I coated all of the pieces in back craft paint and dry brushed them with grey.
     I'm happy enough with the result to try some more pieces.  Maybe I'll try a stairway next.

Weird Adventure Idea Wednesday

This week's weird adventure idea:

On a chilly spring morning you cross paths with a one-eyed enchanter at a seasonal festival.  The enchanter tells you a curious tale that 4 weeks ride to the east, deep within the Gorge of Extinction, can be found the Polluted Caverns of Endless Waters.  It is told that hidden in those forgotten tunnels is the Hellish Jade Flute of Crucifixion.  Many have dared to search for that damned instrument, but beware, for the enchanter cautions you that the Sickened Lord of Burning Iron dwells there!

I imagine that these would be a lot cooler if I could actually draw. :-)

If you enjoy Weird Adventure Idea Wednesday, be sure to check out these free resources:

1,001 Weird and Wacky Adventure Ideas

and

1,001 More Weird and Wacky Adventure Ideas

Miniatures Monday

MagnaGuard with a little rigor mortis.  A recently completed IG-88 miniature from Star Wars imperial Assault, by Fantasy Flight Games.  I don't own the base game, but the miniatures for it are very nice and will be cool if I every try running Edge of the Empire again.  Not a difficult miniature to paint as IG-88 was almost entirely metal.  I'm including a link to the video for IG-88's Chevy by MC Chris, because I really enjoy it.  For those of you not familiar with the song, you might not want to listen to it at work or with kids around.  It's awesome, but not particularly family friendly.

I got a kick out of this

It makes me want to play some Astrosmash.