Month: December 2010

Tycho Brahe – Warrior Astrologomage!

/ jstater / 6 Comments

Man, I love this weird world we live on! Here’s an article on Tycho Brahe, a duelist, astronomer, mathematician (who says fighting-men have to be stupid) and minor nobleman who had a pet elk and dwarf jester who was supposedly clairvoyant (he made is psionic powers roll!). Oh, and Brahe had a prosthetic nose made of gold and silver because his own was sliced off in a duel that may have been precipitated by an argument over mathematics or astrology. Since I would like to believe that every earthbound weird-o from our glorious history has a free, all-access pass to live on in NOD after they slip their mortal coil, how about some game stats!

[Note – edited for a couple great idea in the comments.]

Tycho Brahe, Fighting-Man Lvl 1, Magic-User Lvl 6*: HP 21; AC 9 [10]; Save 10 (8 vs. spells); CL/XP 6/400; Special: Spells (3rd). Rapier (1d6 damage), silver dagger, spellbook, prosthetic nose of silver and gold (worth 150 gp).

Tycho’s Spellbook contains the following spells: 1st – Detect Magic, Light, Read Languages, Read Magic, Sleep; 2nd – Detect Evil, Detect Invisibility, Knock, Locate Object, Mirror Image, Strength; 3rd – Dispel Magic, Hold Person, Lightning Bolt, Suggestion.

Jepp, Dwarf Assassin Lvl 4: HP 16; AC 8 [11]; Save 12 (11 vs. death & poison, 8 vs. magic); CL/XP 4/120; Special: Decipher script, disguise, sneak attack x2, skullduggery, poison, clairvoyance (3/day). Jester’s outfit and cap, pig bladder on a stick, three hidden daggers, vial of mercury (treat as slow poison – save or die in 1d4 days).

Tycho’s Elk: HD 4 (19 hp); AC 6 [13]; Atk 1 gore (1d6); Move 15; Save 13; CL/XP 4/120; Special: None.

Johannes Kepler, Magic-User Lvl 3: HP 7; AC 9 [10]; Save 13 (11 vs. spells); CL/XP 2/30; Special: Spells (2nd). Scholar’s robes, parchment and quills, horn of ink, vial of mercury (was it him or Jepp? Or both?).

Johannes’ Spellbook: 1st – detect magic, light, read languages, read magic, shield; 2nd – continual light, levitate, phantasmal force.

* Yeah, we could make him a sage, but where’s the fun in that.

Below is pictured Uraniborg, Tycho’s stronghold. The gardens are planted with medicinal herbs and flowers. Each of the guard towers is guarded by 4 men-at-arms supplied by his royal patron, men wearing breastplates and armed with pole arms, daggers and light crossbows.

Deviant Friday – Dario Carrasco Edition

/ jstater / 3 Comments

Dario, Darry on DeviantArt, is a comic book guy – and if I’m being honest he mostly draws characters I’m unfamiliar with. This isn’t a knock on Dario, because my comic book reading days are waaaay behind me – Batman and Captain America were still alive (wait, are they still dead at the moment? Maybe they should resurrect the characters in each others bodies as a company cross-over event!), Spider-Man was still married to Mary Jane, Venom was still cool, Hulk was in a grey period, etc. In fact, Dario’s renditions of these characters pique my interest in them, so good on him. Dario has a nice selection of work, from fantasy to steampunk to pulp-style heroes – enjoy!

No Sonja or Dejah this week, but we do have a Sonja-esque Blood Rayne and another half-naked character of ERB
Enjoy ladies – and never let it be said that I don’t look out for my female audience (assuming I have one – let me hear from you ladies if you’re out there!)

Huzzahs Duly Distributed

/ jstater / 8 Comments
I’m as good as my word …
And lest I forget my first …

Print these babies out and keep them in your wallets – there’s nothing better for picking up chicks!

Thanks everybody who has followed, stopped by and looked, commented, downloaded or purchased – it’s been quite a year in the Land of Nod, and I hope to have many more.

Dolls of the Apocalypse and Other Things

/ jstater / 5 Comments

Okay – suitably odd blog post title. Just found some post-apocalyptic dolls designed by Yeon Guun Jeong/BHEAD that I thought might be of interest to the Gamma Inclined. Found via Super Punch, my one stop shop for stuff on the interwebz.

If we could be guaranteed girls like this, I think more of us could get on board with the apocalypse.

 

 

 

Makes me think a post-apocalyptic early 20th century Europe embroiled in a never-ending Great War could be a very cool setting for Gamma World. Remnants of the Great Powers and their armies, guys in jodhpurs slashing at fleshy-headed mutants with their cavalry sabers, wandering undead produced by the mass slaughter of trench warface and unable to go quietly into the afterlife (and a good excuse for Van Helsing-style clerics in a Gamma World setting), chemical mutants (remember, before the a-bomb most super powers came from accidents involving chemicals – stupid upstart radioactive superheroes) scouring the bleak and broken landscape for sustenance – clearly a good time would be had by all.

In other news – finished writing Hexcrawl #2 last night – huzzah! Now I just need to finish up NOD #6, write my quarterly reports (work related – check them out if you have an interest in commercial real estate in Las Vegas) and then start delving into Mystery Men! and sketching out the three cities that will appear in NOD #7 (Lyonesse, Antigoon and Blackpoort) and Hexcrawl #3, a sort of bleak zombie-land of basalt hills, ashen plains and slow, oozy rivers. But no major deadlines staring me in the face for a few weeks after NOD #6, so time to party!

Oh – and Aeons & Auguries is getting lonely in the Megacrawl – for cryin’ out loud, somebody write a comment.

Oh Oh – and 99 followers – whose going to take the Land of Nod into triple digit territory? The 100th follower will receive a personalized HUZZAH fit for framing.

Edit – 101 followers reached – thanks folks! Also, the setting sketch above is getting some attention, especially from JD Jarvis who has already started mapping HERE. Those who like the idea of such a setting might want to check out artist Keith Wormwood – he’s doing some work lately that would go well with such a setting.