CHIBI WORLD
Anime/Chibi Style Table Top Miniatures & RPG.
A Chibi World Campaign
Chibi World is a role playing & table top set of rules I wrote for Impact Miniatures as part of their 2015/16 dungeon Chibi (heroes and monsters) Kickstarter campaign. The rules are dedicated to enjoying fantasy adventures... using 28mm Anime style "Chibi" models. Not just those made by Impact, but also the whole host of wonderful miniatures produced by other great companies such as Soda Pop Miniatures & Ninja Division`s Super Dungeon Explore and The Forgotten King, plus any of the expansion miniatures currently available.
The material I write about on this site for my Chibi World campaign, features the lovely Chibi style models made by Tom Anders over at Impact Miniatures (and anything else I fancy adding) to play with alongside my (at this stage, rather vast) collection of Super Dungeon Explore miniatures, in the unique board game and table top role playing experience that I fondly call The Frozen Shards of Ostalya
Chibi World is a role playing & table top set of rules I wrote for Impact Miniatures as part of their 2015/16 dungeon Chibi (heroes and monsters) Kickstarter campaign. The rules are dedicated to enjoying fantasy adventures... using 28mm Anime style "Chibi" models. Not just those made by Impact, but also the whole host of wonderful miniatures produced by other great companies such as Soda Pop Miniatures & Ninja Division`s Super Dungeon Explore and The Forgotten King, plus any of the expansion miniatures currently available.
The material I write about on this site for my Chibi World campaign, features the lovely Chibi style models made by Tom Anders over at Impact Miniatures (and anything else I fancy adding) to play with alongside my (at this stage, rather vast) collection of Super Dungeon Explore miniatures, in the unique board game and table top role playing experience that I fondly call The Frozen Shards of Ostalya
Candy & Cola : Guardians of both Crystalia and Elyana
Part 1: The Frozen North
Please note that this is my game world version. It is totally my own material, written for Impact Miniatures, based on the rules set I originally created for Impact Miniatures. Additional unofficial material covers the Super Dungeon Explore miniatures, yet is designed to be used alongside my own Chibi World game, and is in no way meant to replace the views of Soda Pop Miniatures or Ninja Division.
However, my rules work very differently from the official SDE game. I merely keep the `essence` of the original characters and monsters from that game. The rest is mine.... merely using the lovely miniatures to play a set of rules more to my own choosing.
The Tale of Vorisax
So the old men say....
Once Upon a Time, there was a beautiful green land, full of light, warmth, and innocence. Elves, wood nymphs, and all the `children of the forest` danced and made merry in the lush forest glades, and water spirits glided nimbly through the chuckling streams and rivers that fed the tall and happy trees.
The Chibi Lands of Elyana and Crystalia are a vast matrix. From the Frozen North of Ostalya and the Inner Central Lands of Mónaa; to the Western Marches of Walassa, across to the Eastern Orient of Arbony, Heliopsos, and Barshanar; the world of Elyana is a rich tapestry of wonders, from the mundane of everyday life, to the weirdly exotic of legend. While the diverse expanses of Crystalia stretch from Celestria and the Glauerdoom Moors in the West, across the Dragonback Peaks, to The Fae Woods of the Central Lands, reaching down to the Shores of the Clockwork Cove, to the Eastern Arcadian Dunes, The Wandering Monk Mountains, and the Frostbyte Reaches of the Far South. But it is with the continent of Elyana that this tale begins. Here the mountains, hills and valleys throughout, form a myriad of settlements. Towns and villages grew up along the edges of these fey enclaves and along the coastal waters of the "Colonial Coasts." These were inhabited by the humans of the world, ruled by lawful Kings and Queens, who were ever mindful to keep the peace and goodwill of all mankind, a vow, foremost in the hearts of all their merry subjects.
Dwarves mined precious, metals in the hills, trading peaceably with all the free peoples of the land. Their Steam Clocks, and household mechanical devices were a wonder to behold... and at "Yule Time", their intricate little toys and tree decorations were the joy of all who marvelled at their sight. The Dwarven River Barges were a regular sight, puffing up and down the rivers and canals of the "Inner Reaches."
In the Mountains, the Wise Men and Sensei Masters would accept the brightest and most promising neophytes into their Monastic Orders, to learn the ways of "The Land" so that they may spread the words of the Gods to those who chose to listen, and pay their respects to the "Heavenly Celestials."
And then everything changed!
A cold wind blew down from the North, and with it came the howling lament of "The Dead."Indeed, from the North, came "The Abominations" .... Wraiths, Lich Lords, Vile Unwholesome Eldritch Monsters, Witches and Warlocks... and Others, intent on ruining the world. "The Dead" followed in their wake, armies of Skeletons, Zombies, Mummies... "The Puka" himself, so the old men say.
With these followed the monstrous legions: Orcs, Goblins, Bugbears, Packs of Dire Wolves, Ogres, Trolls, and dozens of other equally evil humanoid kin; all intent on wreaking havoc on the innocent unpreparedness of mankind.
From the Frozen North, a united voice awoke... and it was hungry.
With these came the Dragons; abominations which should never have trodden the earth. Behemoths intent on the wholesale destruction of all that stood in their path. Their intense lust for blood was an unabated perversion which resided, like a cancer, in their cruel and evil hearts. The northern lands were torn apart in a terrible war that lasted a hundred years. And the suffering of the innocent was like the mournful count of tears, immeasurable to the eternal seeds of time.
As the years rolled by... it looked as though the blight of evil was close to achieving the complete annihilation of all that stood against it. Yet, always where a spark of goodness remains, there is hope. The very last measure of valour, united, in the form of a desperate fellowship. Brave and resolute in their determination to prevail.... to save all they held dear. The very last hope for salvation rested in their hands.
With mighty prowess, and with a combined collection of skills only true Heroes possess, this fellowship, through stealth and guile, made their way through many dire and unsung perils, until they came at last upon "The Master of Pain" an old Ice Drake called "Vorisax", intent on putting this terrible ancient evil to the sword.
This mighty Drake went by many names: "The Quick Death" "Cold Bite" "The Frost of Winter" and "The Eater of Souls," he had names for all his dreadful deeds, but "Vorisax" or "Vorisax the Hater" was his most common title.
Into the one hundredth year of the war, Vorisax was the most powerful leader of the Blighted Army of the Frozen North. If the Heroes could destroy this unholy creature, it was believed the alliance which rallied around him would crumble in his wake. Taking the Dragon by surprise as it slumbered....The Heroes struck with deadly intent; and their goodness and their skill prevailed, and Vorisax was slain. Yet even as he fell, screaming, in terrible pain and rage, he struck a curse upon the land.
The Dragon hit the ground and splintered into a thousand shards of Ice. Some were slithers, no bigger than a splinter... but anything they hit and penetrated became cold and hard and cruel, and corrupted by a darkness within. Some shards of the ice were so large and flew for hundreds of miles through the air, that they destroyed whole towns and villages where they fell.
... but the most evil blight of all, was the thing that had been the Dragon`s heart. The coldest stone of all: it flew apart into several pieces that scattered throughout the many Kingdoms, yet no one knows but where they fell. The surrounding lands then became as frozen as Verosax`s heart had been, a blight which crept across the face of the earth like a creeping shadow of pain - ever spreading in a dwimmer vortex ice induced storm.... and the world will one day be devoured by the spread of this deep, creeping... biting cold, so the old men say.
The armies under Vorisax did indeed break apart and scatter after the Dragon`s demise, back and back... driven deep into The Frozen North to cower in their cold, bitter homes. But the damage was done. The northern world as the free peoples of the lands had known it, was forever changed. Where once was light, laughter, warmth and cheer, now had changed into a frozen wilderness of cold cruel biting chill.
Pockets of humanity do still exist, thought sadly nowadays, in ever dwindling numbers. But magic, holy light and the grace of the Celestials does still endure. These last bastions of might.... havens of hope, are the life blood of Northern Ostalya, and the "Time of Reckoning" will begin here - so the old men say.
Yet the threat of spies, of betrayal, of winter attacks is a very real and dire risk the `refugees` have to face as an almost daily challenge. Not all is as it should be within the hearts of men, and no one can ever be sure when a stray Shard of Vorisax has clouded a human heart.
Where once had been light, now whole lifeless villages lay under a blanket cloud of icy mist and snow; such places are where the Were Creatures are known to roam at night.
In corrupt mansions of madness, perched precipitously upon high fog shrouded mountain ranges, Vampires reside to worry the fearful night and haunt the innocent; those poor souls who fall astray to the lifeless hunger that never sleeps by night.
Throughout the lands, once so fair, Monsters creep forth once again, as the north struggles on the verge of extinction, trying merely to survive the madness of the times, unable any more to keep the borders safe and sound. A corruption has entered Ostalya, and the once brave hearts of men are, perhaps, forever doomed.
Or so the old men say.
Vampire Lord Ludwig Von Lieberwitz "Le Compt de Sain Geeste" & his evil servant, the Mad Hag Witch, Giselle La Tres Salle.
The Lands of Mónaa
Chibi Mo stood looking from the high, precipitous cliffs overlooking the secret valley way below.
Ivaldi was her home: her haven from all the troubles of the world. It was here, the residents had kindly taken her in when she stumbled upon this isolated little community of people. The little Barbarian girl had been semi delirious, driven half out of her wits with some unnameable horror, was cold, hungry, and alone; yet they never once stopped to consider, this child might have spelt danger to them all... what if her sudden appearance among them had been a ruse to infiltrate the village: a spy, sent before a main horde of Northern Barbarians, to sack and pillage Ivaldi of its few meagre supplies? No, the community has simply seen a girl in need of their help, and they had followed their hearts without a thought to their own self preservation.
Mo had grown up in this green hidden valley... had become a part of this isolated little community. Gentle nature magic kept the frozen snow and ice at bay, and here, nestled peacefully within the heart of the tiny Kingdom of Mónaa, lay a haven of peace... a taste of what the world was once like.
Mo had grown up in this green hidden valley... had become a part of this isolated little community. Gentle nature magic kept the frozen snow and ice at bay, and here, nestled peacefully within the heart of the tiny Kingdom of Mónaa, lay a haven of peace... a taste of what the world was once like.
But now these people, whom she had grown to love as dearly as though they were her own family.... were in danger! The fast approaching winter had bought the Kobolds down from the Northrust Hills, in search of supplies to see them through the biting cold that was nearly upon them, and the Kingdom of Mónaa was ripe for the picking. Not that the tiny Kingdom had much of value within it; but when starvation threatens to come calling at your door, even a little is better than nothing, and imminent hunger.
The attacks had started small, throughout several villages in the area. A sheep, a goat, a fine plough horse from up Cutters Way... some sacks of grain from the Mill House store sheds in Meeplestown. But then people had started to go missing too! First a small child, snatched from an open window.... an old shepherd minding his precious flock upon the Grey Heath Moor; and then a pair of courting lovers who failed to return home from their walk together in the Whispering Woods.
Kobold footprints were everywhere, and they all pointed to a trail leading back towards their awful underground homes: The Caves of Ironfels, deep within the Northrust Hills.
Only yesterday, Ivaldi had suffered its first abduction... Cassi Miller the farmer’s wife, while out in the fields milking the cows. Concern over the missing wife was paramount; but a few of the wise folk were already silently wondering to themselves... how had the Kobolds found their way into the little hidden village?
This was all too much for Mo. This was her chance to repay the village, in part, for all their kindness to her over the years. She would venture into the hills and rescue the missing people.
Looking one last time down into the peaceful valley below her feet, sniffing the air for the familiar scent of wood smoke puffing gently from the cottage chimney stacks... she allowed her eyes to search out her own little haven: the humble little attic room within the Grapevine Inn, perched within the central ring of the village. It was nothing much really beyond an old pile of stones and wood. But Mo loved it with all her good and generous heart.
The Barbarian girl gave a tender sign, whistled to her `Chibi Puppy Pixie` to follow, then turning northwards, she began her dangerous solitary climb along the narrow cliff shelf path which would lead her safely out and away from the hidden valley, then further... ascending into the cold hills beyond. A half remembered memory entered her head. This is the way she had once been! Traversing this precipitous trail in a blinding blizzard.... she had found Ivaldi. Stumbling through the blanket of snow, so many years ago now. This was the way she had come.
The attacks had started small, throughout several villages in the area. A sheep, a goat, a fine plough horse from up Cutters Way... some sacks of grain from the Mill House store sheds in Meeplestown. But then people had started to go missing too! First a small child, snatched from an open window.... an old shepherd minding his precious flock upon the Grey Heath Moor; and then a pair of courting lovers who failed to return home from their walk together in the Whispering Woods.
Kobold footprints were everywhere, and they all pointed to a trail leading back towards their awful underground homes: The Caves of Ironfels, deep within the Northrust Hills.
Only yesterday, Ivaldi had suffered its first abduction... Cassi Miller the farmer’s wife, while out in the fields milking the cows. Concern over the missing wife was paramount; but a few of the wise folk were already silently wondering to themselves... how had the Kobolds found their way into the little hidden village?
This was all too much for Mo. This was her chance to repay the village, in part, for all their kindness to her over the years. She would venture into the hills and rescue the missing people.
Looking one last time down into the peaceful valley below her feet, sniffing the air for the familiar scent of wood smoke puffing gently from the cottage chimney stacks... she allowed her eyes to search out her own little haven: the humble little attic room within the Grapevine Inn, perched within the central ring of the village. It was nothing much really beyond an old pile of stones and wood. But Mo loved it with all her good and generous heart.
The Barbarian girl gave a tender sign, whistled to her `Chibi Puppy Pixie` to follow, then turning northwards, she began her dangerous solitary climb along the narrow cliff shelf path which would lead her safely out and away from the hidden valley, then further... ascending into the cold hills beyond. A half remembered memory entered her head. This is the way she had once been! Traversing this precipitous trail in a blinding blizzard.... she had found Ivaldi. Stumbling through the blanket of snow, so many years ago now. This was the way she had come.
Solo modules are always fun to play, allowing the reader to familiarise himself or herself with the rules, and lets you get to grips with and soak up the atmosphere of a new game. Besides which, solo games are often the most intense and easy to set up. Chibi World is perfect for this, because Solitaire Rules are already included in the rules manual.
Browsing through the pre-made Hero Kits, there isn't really one that suited my needs for this 'on the fly' scenario I was about to make up. As I still hadn't yet gotten round to painting my Impact Miniatures Chibi Barbarian I knew the Barbarian miniature from the Super Dungeon Explore boardgame was the ideal miniature for me to use, but I still needed some stats for her.
Browsing the relevant section of the manual, I decided to use the "Chibi Warrior Red" stats for Movement, Weapon Attacks, Iron, and Hits. Then I moved onto Traits, and started to choose a few I thought would work well for my little Barbarian woman.
I should point out here that any games I play within the realms of Elyana, employ my own Chibi World rules engine. The game rules work well, and I enjoy playing Super Dungeon Explore and games using my own rules with equal satisfaction. Super Dungeon Explore is a game I am deeply immersed in, and I relish and treasure each new aspect of the game as more and more expansions and Kickstarter projects come out for this truly marvellous gaming experience. However, for a more free flow role playing experience, I tend to turn more to my own Chibi World rules. This gives me the best of both worlds.
Crystalia when playing the Super Dungeon Explore miniatures board game.... and Elyana when I want to use and combine all my Chibi miniatures to play a full blown role playing game.
Browsing through the pre-made Hero Kits, there isn't really one that suited my needs for this 'on the fly' scenario I was about to make up. As I still hadn't yet gotten round to painting my Impact Miniatures Chibi Barbarian I knew the Barbarian miniature from the Super Dungeon Explore boardgame was the ideal miniature for me to use, but I still needed some stats for her.
Browsing the relevant section of the manual, I decided to use the "Chibi Warrior Red" stats for Movement, Weapon Attacks, Iron, and Hits. Then I moved onto Traits, and started to choose a few I thought would work well for my little Barbarian woman.
I should point out here that any games I play within the realms of Elyana, employ my own Chibi World rules engine. The game rules work well, and I enjoy playing Super Dungeon Explore and games using my own rules with equal satisfaction. Super Dungeon Explore is a game I am deeply immersed in, and I relish and treasure each new aspect of the game as more and more expansions and Kickstarter projects come out for this truly marvellous gaming experience. However, for a more free flow role playing experience, I tend to turn more to my own Chibi World rules. This gives me the best of both worlds.
Crystalia when playing the Super Dungeon Explore miniatures board game.... and Elyana when I want to use and combine all my Chibi miniatures to play a full blown role playing game.
The Chibi Master schemes and plans her next game session.
Anyway, back to creating Chibi Mo....
Well, I don`t see her as much of a ranger or a hunter, so I should dispense for now with any need to give her a Ranged Attack ability. If I was proved wrong in this, I knew I could always assign her a Ranged Attack later on. If she earned enough Gold during her adventures, she would be able to buy this ability for herself one day, if she really wanted to.
I decided Charge would be very useful. Mo also would have Barbarian strength, so Knockback would augment her prowess in melee quite considerably. Wild Frenzy Attack was a given, considering she was a Barbarian, and I can just see her going into a berserk rage when she enters battle... this suited my mind`s eye image of her perfectly. After some consideration, I decided to finish off her character creation with Cunning Fox, effectively giving her an edge with all initiative rolls... each turn from now on when it comes to who goes first during the turn.
There... five minutes tops, and my Chibi Barbarian Mo was created and we were ready to start play. Mo`s loyal hound was easy to invent: I simply used the "Chibi Dire Wolf" stats and then boosted its Hits by a few more points, to give the dog a final Hit points total of 6. Reasonable, I think, for our Heroine`s faithful, mute, companion. I decided to remove the generic "Chibi Dire Wolf" Trait Pack, as it really didn't apply to this animal. However, I didn't miss the fact that with Mo and Pixie both possessing the Cunning Fox ability, as this Trait is stackable, this would afford the pair a +4 initiative bonus every turn they are together in a game.... awesome! Zoom would give Pixie the edge in speed should she need to be somewhere fast.
So we end up with:
Chibi Barbarian Mo
Movement - 4. Weapon Attacks - 2D8, Iron - 6, Hits - 20.
Traits: Knockback, Charge, Cunning Fox, Wild Frenzy Attack.
Chibi Puppy - Pixie
Movement - 5, Weapon Attack - 2D6, Iron - 4, Hits - 6.
Traits: Cunning Fox, Zoom.
Chibi Barbarian Mo.. casual "chill time" mode.
The Game
The slog through the exposed heathland and the biting, bitter, cold winds of The Ash Heath was a miserable ordeal for the young Barbarian woman, but her steadfast determination burned like a fire in her soul. Onwards she travelled, reaching ever deeper into the heathlands. Until, eventually, she started to climb... steadily she clambered up the bare, rugged exposure of The Northrust Hills. Her assent was ever beset by cruel winds, precipitations of sweeping icy sleet, hail and blinding snow. At night, she would build a camp fire for herself in whatever shelter she could find... sometimes no more than a slight dip in the ground.
Hugging the fire close and rubbing her arms, as though no warmth would ever remove the chill from her aching limbs; Pixie was her only comfort in the night, a warm blanket of doggy fur, to chase away the terrible deadly cold.
Mo was not afraid of her camp fire being detected on those starless nights. Visibility was so bad; she doubted anyone could have spotted the flames of her shelter from further than a few meters, even if life itself had depended upon it.
The slog through the exposed heathland and the biting, bitter, cold winds of The Ash Heath was a miserable ordeal for the young Barbarian woman, but her steadfast determination burned like a fire in her soul. Onwards she travelled, reaching ever deeper into the heathlands. Until, eventually, she started to climb... steadily she clambered up the bare, rugged exposure of The Northrust Hills. Her assent was ever beset by cruel winds, precipitations of sweeping icy sleet, hail and blinding snow. At night, she would build a camp fire for herself in whatever shelter she could find... sometimes no more than a slight dip in the ground.
Hugging the fire close and rubbing her arms, as though no warmth would ever remove the chill from her aching limbs; Pixie was her only comfort in the night, a warm blanket of doggy fur, to chase away the terrible deadly cold.
Mo was not afraid of her camp fire being detected on those starless nights. Visibility was so bad; she doubted anyone could have spotted the flames of her shelter from further than a few meters, even if life itself had depended upon it.
Three days and three nights she travelled through the hills. Until eventually, just as the murky blanket of dawn was supplanting the dark mantle of night; she came to the dreadful portal, wherein the Caves of Ironfels lay. Its two huge wooden doors rested slightly ajar, leading ominously into the yawning black, silent abyss beyond.
Respite from the freezing cold drove Mo, immediately, to venture inside. But her companion, Pixie, was more than a little unhappy at the thought of crossing the threshold and venturing into that dreadful Stygian darkness... yet follow her Mistress, she did.
The pair did not have to journey far into the complex before they came upon an architectural feature of note... and it was here that Mo got a very lucky break!
Situated in the centre of the passage, was a large stone built well shaft.
Judging by the disturbance of the dust, and the multiple scuff marks on the ground, Mo thought it likely these marks had been made fairly recently.
Oh joy of joys! Suddenly, the Barbarian spotted some writing, roughly scrawled into the stone on the side of the well. Who ever had attempted this must have written in a great hurry... lest they were detected by their captors, and no doubt, at great personal risk to themselves. Mo desperately hoped, that the brave soul who had left her these signs had not paid too dearly for their boldness.
*gasp!* But wait... there is more. On the inner lip of the well shaft, Mo discovered the crude but unmistakable mark of an arrow, pointing down... down the shaft. Beside the arrow was a sigil... the mark of the Master Artisan Bakers Guild. Mo smiled to herself, stroked her puppy hound, and said, almost to herself. "I could kiss her, I really could" The mark. the writing, it was all Cassi Miller`s hand. Good, she was still alive. Least-ways, she had been when she wrote this.
Mo has no specific Tracking skill, so I assumed a basic knowledge of survival, based on her character type; and given the background from whence she came living on the edge, where food is scarce, in a hidden community, with the threat of danger ever present and lurking just around the corner it was a small logical step to assess the situation called for a 60/40 snap decision to be made, by myself - playing solo, for my Heroine Mo.
60% chance of a YES in favour that Mo spots the disturbance on the ground by the well. Using the percentage dice (D100) I rolled a 07: yep, a very clear success from Mo... and possibly thanks to Pixie too; sniffing about and alerting Mo there was something there.
Next, I rolled again = 49, Yes, Mo spots the scrawled markings on the stone.
Situated in the centre of the passage, was a large stone built well shaft.
Judging by the disturbance of the dust, and the multiple scuff marks on the ground, Mo thought it likely these marks had been made fairly recently.
Oh joy of joys! Suddenly, the Barbarian spotted some writing, roughly scrawled into the stone on the side of the well. Who ever had attempted this must have written in a great hurry... lest they were detected by their captors, and no doubt, at great personal risk to themselves. Mo desperately hoped, that the brave soul who had left her these signs had not paid too dearly for their boldness.
*gasp!* But wait... there is more. On the inner lip of the well shaft, Mo discovered the crude but unmistakable mark of an arrow, pointing down... down the shaft. Beside the arrow was a sigil... the mark of the Master Artisan Bakers Guild. Mo smiled to herself, stroked her puppy hound, and said, almost to herself. "I could kiss her, I really could" The mark. the writing, it was all Cassi Miller`s hand. Good, she was still alive. Least-ways, she had been when she wrote this.
Mo has no specific Tracking skill, so I assumed a basic knowledge of survival, based on her character type; and given the background from whence she came living on the edge, where food is scarce, in a hidden community, with the threat of danger ever present and lurking just around the corner it was a small logical step to assess the situation called for a 60/40 snap decision to be made, by myself - playing solo, for my Heroine Mo.
60% chance of a YES in favour that Mo spots the disturbance on the ground by the well. Using the percentage dice (D100) I rolled a 07: yep, a very clear success from Mo... and possibly thanks to Pixie too; sniffing about and alerting Mo there was something there.
Next, I rolled again = 49, Yes, Mo spots the scrawled markings on the stone.
Mo rummaged about in her small leather bag, and produced a length of fine rope, which she proceeded to tie to the metal bars which criss-crossed the shaft. It was only after she had tied the rope that she realised there was a hinge which opened and closed the metal bars for easy access... but the Barbarian was not big, and found no problem squeezing between the bars and lowering herself down carefully.
Pixie licked her lips and looked mournfully at her Mistress.
"Pixie.... go look for another way down, baby. I can`t carry you down here with me. Go Pixie... go seek! Find another way to me; there`s a good puppy."
Pixie finally seemed to comprehend, and wagging her tail furiously, she licked her Mistress once on the nose as she climbed down, then scurried away into the darkness... eager to re-join her beloved owner, as fast as her furry legs could carry her.
Descending to the bottom of the shaft... way, way down to the bottom; Mo did not have to wait long for events to heat up.
Dropping silently to the floor like a cat, she quickly took in the situation around her.
She was in some sort of large chamber, its original use was now lost to time, but the heavy scent of mushroom spores hit the back of her throat, and she was aware of a cloying, mouldy dampness in the air. A set of stairs climbed into the darkness, ahead and on her right... and directly in front of her, at the far end of the room, were a group of four Kobolds. They seemed to be cooking mushrooms over an open fire, and they were paying no heed to her, or anything else for that matter. Good, this gave her an edge over them!
Mo was aware of muffled sounds coming from a small side chamber off to the left, half way between her and the Kobolds. Through the gloom, the Barbarian woman was vaguely aware of movement... humans, a young boy, a pair of youths tied back to back to each other, and a woman holding a tiny baby.... yes.... that was Cassi; and the baby cradled in her arms must be the one that had gone missing weeks ago.
Advancing slowly, Mo placing a finger to her lips as she looked momentarily at the gagged and trussed up captives. Then her eyes were back on her enemies, as she tip-toed her way stealthily towards the filthy Chibi Kobold Warriors.
Pixie licked her lips and looked mournfully at her Mistress.
"Pixie.... go look for another way down, baby. I can`t carry you down here with me. Go Pixie... go seek! Find another way to me; there`s a good puppy."
Pixie finally seemed to comprehend, and wagging her tail furiously, she licked her Mistress once on the nose as she climbed down, then scurried away into the darkness... eager to re-join her beloved owner, as fast as her furry legs could carry her.
Descending to the bottom of the shaft... way, way down to the bottom; Mo did not have to wait long for events to heat up.
Dropping silently to the floor like a cat, she quickly took in the situation around her.
She was in some sort of large chamber, its original use was now lost to time, but the heavy scent of mushroom spores hit the back of her throat, and she was aware of a cloying, mouldy dampness in the air. A set of stairs climbed into the darkness, ahead and on her right... and directly in front of her, at the far end of the room, were a group of four Kobolds. They seemed to be cooking mushrooms over an open fire, and they were paying no heed to her, or anything else for that matter. Good, this gave her an edge over them!
Mo was aware of muffled sounds coming from a small side chamber off to the left, half way between her and the Kobolds. Through the gloom, the Barbarian woman was vaguely aware of movement... humans, a young boy, a pair of youths tied back to back to each other, and a woman holding a tiny baby.... yes.... that was Cassi; and the baby cradled in her arms must be the one that had gone missing weeks ago.
Advancing slowly, Mo placing a finger to her lips as she looked momentarily at the gagged and trussed up captives. Then her eyes were back on her enemies, as she tip-toed her way stealthily towards the filthy Chibi Kobold Warriors.
Winning the initiative two turns in a row, Mo is able to position herself quite close to the Kobolds before they spot her presence amongst them.
Meanwhile, Pixie bounded through the Caves, instinct, intuition, and scent guiding her onwards towards her beloved Mistress. But, oh no!
Suddenly, rounding a corner, standing in front of her, side by side.... fangs barred and deep growls of anger emitting from their throats, two Chibi Dire Wolves barred Pixie`s way. These are her kin, wild wolves of the Frozen North... but they are nothing like her. They could smell the scent of human flesh on Pixie`s fur and they despised it, even as it excited pangs of hunger deep within them.
The stand-off seems to last an eternity. Pixie barred her teeth and growled from deep within: "You`d better not try and stop me" she growled in canine. Thunderous sounds fill the tunnels as the Dire Wolves and Pixie pared off against one another.
"Well, well, look what we have here" one of the Wolves... the elder of the pair... growled back.
"Look, its a little runt, a pathetic puppy, and it stinks of HUMAN" the second Wolf responded.
Pixie saw there was going to be no easy way out of this situation, she had to get past these creatures, and she was not going to let two mangy mongrels stop her. "You have been warned... now step aside and no one need get hurt." She growled fiercely.
The eldest Wolf laughed gutturally, it emitted from his throat as a long spine tingling howl: "Listen... whelp! The only one going to get hurt around here is YOU. Now prepare to be ripped apart, you traitorous human loving PET."
But Pixie had lost enough time already, and was by now bored of this conversation. Her Mistress needed her, and she had to get moving. Leaping forward with a wild war howl of her own, she lunged between her two foes, snapping first left, then right, with her long sharp fangs.
But Pixie had lost enough time already, and was by now bored of this conversation. Her Mistress needed her, and she had to get moving. Leaping forward with a wild war howl of her own, she lunged between her two foes, snapping first left, then right, with her long sharp fangs.
But the Dire Wolves were fast... faster than she was, and older and nastier.
Pixie`s teeth crashed down on... air!
The Wolves howled in glee. "You`ll have to do better than that... Puppy."
And as one, they both snapped at Pixies flanks, tearing away large clumps of fur and flesh into their bloodied mouths. Pixie yelped in pain, but lowered her head ominously, standing her ground bravely. The fight was on, and a whirling, martial duel of death ensued.
Pixie`s teeth crashed down on... air!
The Wolves howled in glee. "You`ll have to do better than that... Puppy."
And as one, they both snapped at Pixies flanks, tearing away large clumps of fur and flesh into their bloodied mouths. Pixie yelped in pain, but lowered her head ominously, standing her ground bravely. The fight was on, and a whirling, martial duel of death ensued.
They were Ice Kobolds, just as Mo had suspected. Evil and corrupt creatures at the best of times, driven now by the pangs of winter hunger, they were a very formidable foe indeed.
Suddenly! Looking up and sniffing the air, a Kobold half turned and spotted the Human woman, and shouted a bestial warning to its companions.
But the Barbarian was among them, far more quickly than they could respond, and her axe clove a whirling arc in the air, weaving an unstoppable pattern of death in its wake. Out of the corner of her eye, Mo spied a ball of fur bound down the steps to her right, then hurl itself into the fight... by her side. A low growl emitted from its throat. But to the Barbarian woman, who knew better, she recognised it as a howl of anguished delight and ecstasy at being, once again, reunited with her Mistress.
Her fur was matted with freshly flowing blood, one of her hind legs trailed behind her lamely and looked painful to place weight upon... and one ear hung limply over her eye. But her spirit and her strength remained perfectly intact. Mo smiled happily, and with pride. She started to sing a loud, discordant song of the wilds. A berserk rage was rising deep from inside her; and as she sang, her puppy too, howled gleefully in happy canine disharmony.
And when the song was finished, every last one of the Kobolds lay strewn about the chamber, dead and bleeding on the ground.
Suddenly! Looking up and sniffing the air, a Kobold half turned and spotted the Human woman, and shouted a bestial warning to its companions.
But the Barbarian was among them, far more quickly than they could respond, and her axe clove a whirling arc in the air, weaving an unstoppable pattern of death in its wake. Out of the corner of her eye, Mo spied a ball of fur bound down the steps to her right, then hurl itself into the fight... by her side. A low growl emitted from its throat. But to the Barbarian woman, who knew better, she recognised it as a howl of anguished delight and ecstasy at being, once again, reunited with her Mistress.
Her fur was matted with freshly flowing blood, one of her hind legs trailed behind her lamely and looked painful to place weight upon... and one ear hung limply over her eye. But her spirit and her strength remained perfectly intact. Mo smiled happily, and with pride. She started to sing a loud, discordant song of the wilds. A berserk rage was rising deep from inside her; and as she sang, her puppy too, howled gleefully in happy canine disharmony.
And when the song was finished, every last one of the Kobolds lay strewn about the chamber, dead and bleeding on the ground.
In the battle against the two Chibi Dire Wolves, Pixie had been reduced to within 2 Hits of death. She sustained another Hit during the reunited encounter with the Kobolds as she stood shoulder to shoulder with her Mistress. She teetered on the brink of destruction, but prevailed, as all true Heroes do.
Chibi Barbarian Heroine Mo lost 9 of her 20 Hits in that fight.
All round, quite a close call, really. Luckily for our Barbarian and her Puppy, this was a simple little "dungeon" and fairly straight forward to navigate and complete in a single sitting. Ideal for a starting Hero to take on solo.
Chibi Barbarian Heroine Mo lost 9 of her 20 Hits in that fight.
All round, quite a close call, really. Luckily for our Barbarian and her Puppy, this was a simple little "dungeon" and fairly straight forward to navigate and complete in a single sitting. Ideal for a starting Hero to take on solo.
An Introduction to Chibi World
When I started writing a set role playing rules for Chibi Fantasy RPG, I knew three important things, right away, from the very start.
First of all, I knew the rules had to support the miniatures first, and the role playing part was going to have to fit into this premise. Effectively making it a table top war-game, with lots of role playing elements included within it.
Secondly, I wanted the game to be simple.... easy to learn, yet highly enjoyable to play; with plenty of replay value and the intuitive depth of possibilities for additional content.
Thirdly, I knew I wanted to avoid the trap of feeling I needed to write a set of rules which covered every eventuality... a rule for every conceivable situation the players were likely to find themselves in.
The first was easy. Chibi World, from the word go, was written to be a table top miniatures based game. To some, no doubt, the war-game aspect would be paramount to their gaming needs. A set of conditions which allows them to play with their treasured Chibi collections, within the complete yet flexible framework of a consistent set of rules. Many gamers would want their rules to allow for a lot of role play potential, and this is highly encouraged in Chibi World, as I think the two styles of play should go pretty much hand in hand with a good table top style miniatures game. Play your battles and play your fight scenes... allow your Chibi Heroes to be truly dynamic on the table top. You have, after all, just taken ages lovingly painting your miniatures with master-stroke precision. But let your Heroes live and breath as well, within the highly enjoyable and constructive realms of role play and make believe.
First of all, I knew the rules had to support the miniatures first, and the role playing part was going to have to fit into this premise. Effectively making it a table top war-game, with lots of role playing elements included within it.
Secondly, I wanted the game to be simple.... easy to learn, yet highly enjoyable to play; with plenty of replay value and the intuitive depth of possibilities for additional content.
Thirdly, I knew I wanted to avoid the trap of feeling I needed to write a set of rules which covered every eventuality... a rule for every conceivable situation the players were likely to find themselves in.
The first was easy. Chibi World, from the word go, was written to be a table top miniatures based game. To some, no doubt, the war-game aspect would be paramount to their gaming needs. A set of conditions which allows them to play with their treasured Chibi collections, within the complete yet flexible framework of a consistent set of rules. Many gamers would want their rules to allow for a lot of role play potential, and this is highly encouraged in Chibi World, as I think the two styles of play should go pretty much hand in hand with a good table top style miniatures game. Play your battles and play your fight scenes... allow your Chibi Heroes to be truly dynamic on the table top. You have, after all, just taken ages lovingly painting your miniatures with master-stroke precision. But let your Heroes live and breath as well, within the highly enjoyable and constructive realms of role play and make believe.
Many sets of rules nowadays (and especially role playing rules) tend, to me, to be way over complicated. A rule for everything. Many of these same sets of rules claim to be `simple` and easy to learn. But it is my experience that when you start feeling the need to include rules to cover... everything.... simplicity ends up as a mere footnote, lost to the addictive power of completism.
Indeed, customers nowadays seem to need and expect their weighty tome purchases to comprise several hundred of pages of material. Have we been nursed too long into thinking everything has to be done for us? I can remember a time when role playing was very different. The world only knew two or three sets of commercial rules (like when television sets were all in black and white, and we had two channels to choose from), and there were no computers back then, no magazines, no blogs, a mere handful of available books you could buy in the shops... indeed what shops? There simply were no game shops back then.
We literally had to struggle through our purchased, badly written, typo ridden, loose collection of rule ideas, and try to make a game up as best we could with the material available.
Were our games terrible back then? No, no more than some games nowadays might be terrible... that's really down to the game host, or Dungeon Master. No indeed, the majority of our games were amazing. Most of us who were playing back then, in the early retro or old school days now look back at that time with nostalgic fondness. Our games were simply fantastic, we used OUR IMAGINATIONS a lot more, and we literally, truly, created whole worlds to lose ourselves within.
Do we need complicated rules to be classed as `playing the game`.... no, no we really don't. A good game is about being imaginative, and a good game host is one who can weave a wonderful tale of mystery, intrigue, and adventure, leading his or her players into realms full of suspension of disbelief. Being a game host is not about knowing what's on page 377 of Manual 3 of "The Game Hosts Guide To Awesome Greatness."
Chibi World harkens back, in a way, to the `old school` way of thinking. What is written in the manual is a framework... a guide to help you play a really good game. But the bulk of what you need to make your own games come alive, already resides in your heads.
Read the rules... read them, and learn them well. But what makes this game really amazing, are all the little bits and pieces that are not written on any page; the bits between the lines, where YOU fill in the magic, the atmosphere, and the subtle nuances which truly make role playing into the living breathing pleasure scape of entertainment it can and should be.
There is a truism about Game Hosting (or being a DM). The more you put of yourself into a game, the better the game will become. No amount of rules, no 500 pages of information will make your game better.... however, spend as much time creating your world as you would trying to learn rules, and your games will be that much more intense for players to enjoy themselves in.
Indeed, customers nowadays seem to need and expect their weighty tome purchases to comprise several hundred of pages of material. Have we been nursed too long into thinking everything has to be done for us? I can remember a time when role playing was very different. The world only knew two or three sets of commercial rules (like when television sets were all in black and white, and we had two channels to choose from), and there were no computers back then, no magazines, no blogs, a mere handful of available books you could buy in the shops... indeed what shops? There simply were no game shops back then.
We literally had to struggle through our purchased, badly written, typo ridden, loose collection of rule ideas, and try to make a game up as best we could with the material available.
Were our games terrible back then? No, no more than some games nowadays might be terrible... that's really down to the game host, or Dungeon Master. No indeed, the majority of our games were amazing. Most of us who were playing back then, in the early retro or old school days now look back at that time with nostalgic fondness. Our games were simply fantastic, we used OUR IMAGINATIONS a lot more, and we literally, truly, created whole worlds to lose ourselves within.
Do we need complicated rules to be classed as `playing the game`.... no, no we really don't. A good game is about being imaginative, and a good game host is one who can weave a wonderful tale of mystery, intrigue, and adventure, leading his or her players into realms full of suspension of disbelief. Being a game host is not about knowing what's on page 377 of Manual 3 of "The Game Hosts Guide To Awesome Greatness."
Chibi World harkens back, in a way, to the `old school` way of thinking. What is written in the manual is a framework... a guide to help you play a really good game. But the bulk of what you need to make your own games come alive, already resides in your heads.
Read the rules... read them, and learn them well. But what makes this game really amazing, are all the little bits and pieces that are not written on any page; the bits between the lines, where YOU fill in the magic, the atmosphere, and the subtle nuances which truly make role playing into the living breathing pleasure scape of entertainment it can and should be.
There is a truism about Game Hosting (or being a DM). The more you put of yourself into a game, the better the game will become. No amount of rules, no 500 pages of information will make your game better.... however, spend as much time creating your world as you would trying to learn rules, and your games will be that much more intense for players to enjoy themselves in.
From the author`s private collection:
{originally painted and used by him for the Impact Miniatures 2015 chibi heroes and monsters Kick-starter. This wad the evil Lich used in the Chibi World A1 Adventure Module}
{originally painted and used by him for the Impact Miniatures 2015 chibi heroes and monsters Kick-starter. This wad the evil Lich used in the Chibi World A1 Adventure Module}
Learning to Play by Watching a Game
The heroes descend into the under croft of Grick Hall
The best way to learn a new game is often just to watch someone who already knows how to play. Watching what they do and listening to them explain everything to you, will most definitely give you a real feel for things, so much more than if you just sat and read the rules by your lonesome.
Let me be your guide throughout a simple adventure, as I lead you through a rather dark, damp and dusty little castle, owned by a vile nosferatu who calls himself “The Skin Stitcher.” I promise I`ll try and keep you safe as we weave our way through the old manor house, and attempt to hunt this vampire down and dispatch him in his lair.
It is still light, the sun shines in the sky>> erm << okay its beginning to sink behind the distant hills, but we still have plenty of time. Stay behind us, but stay close. Don`t wander off or get separated from the party, and you will be safe.
.... I`m Candy by the way! Your narrator for this adventure.
Who exactly is the vampire we are about to face? Good question.
Hmmm, let’s see:
He is fairly young for a vampire anyway: Kessel Von Dara is pretty `newly made,` created by a far more ancient and evil demon; none other than Von Drakk himself. Poor Lord Kessel was bitten less than a year ago, upon a Slayer`s Moon, the Lord was on the trail of an elusive deer in the Glauerdoom Forests, and yet (unbeknownst to him) he was not the only hunter abroad that night: and by the time the Dark Lord Von Drakk was finished `playing` with his prey, there would soon roam another crazed, ever hungry, and soulless monster, left only half alive, to plague the unhappy world.
Lord Kessel Von Dara is the second cousin of Lady Lucarta Von Wilder. The vampire`s young Wilder relative has looked far and wide for her once beloved cousin, intent on finding him, and finally granting him eternal peace. Lucarta has tracked down the fiend to a long deserted mansion – this one. It is indeed a haunted place of great unrest, if only half the local tales be true.
A Paladin, a wandering storyteller and her strange animal companion
*Candy strokes her pet a moment* a pretty brave local tavern Cook, and the famous Lady Von Wilder herself. Entering the haunted under crofts of Grick Hall. And all are united in this dire purpose. Enter the Dungeon. Evade or kill anyone who gets in our way. Find the evil lair. Kill the Vampire. Nothing could be simpler!
Heading down the cold stone steps
And so, this is the setting for my simple little tale!
A basic adventure really doesn’t need to be too specific: especially if playing the game solitaire (solo) as I am doing now. I wanted to show you how to play a game of Chibi World. On the fly, on your own, and with everything made up as you play, allowing the A.I. (built into the rules) to determine all the difficult random decisions for me while I just sit back, run my heroes through the story, and watch the adventure unfold.
I am running four heroes through this adventure. But I could easily have made the number just one or two. However, I really wanted to reveal the full dynamics of the rules.
At the bottom of the steps, standing in front of the huge wooden doors, the party hesitates for just a moment. Allowing their courage to find its sticking place, before proceeding with intrepid hearts and minds.
Let’s just take a quick look at our heroes a moment.
Chibi Paladin
Movement - 4, Weapon Attacks - 2D6, Iron - 6, Hits - 20.
Traits - Blessed, Charge, Holy Chant, Holy Power, Luck*, Pure.
*{a special trait that allows you to re-roll an entire dice roll, once per game}
You can’t go far wrong with a Paladin can you. Strong, virtuous, loyal and intensely brave. He is the ideal front man to take on the mindless hordes, should they indeed appear to trouble the living.
Mistress Candy
Travelling far and wide, Candy and Cola search out high adventures; creating a living song to narrate into bardic tale: epic stories for the annuls of history.
Movement 6 - Weapon Attacks 3D10: Ranged 1D8-7 - Iron 5 - Hits 15
Apothecary, Avoid Trap, Dexterity, Luck*, Open.
For the duration of this game: Pet Cola is not represented by a Wonder (separate Miniature). The creature just shares her Mistress`s base. But provides no special bonus to the game}
Marie-Claude Bourbonnais
Originally from the small town of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière up in the Northern Reaches, this cool frying pan and rolling pin wielding, platinum blonde pastry cook, is a little bundle of dynamite. After her community was savagely destroyed by the walking dead, this woman has sought ceaselessly to forget her dreadful past. Travelling far, she turns to the thing she`s really good at - cooking. However, when Lady Von Wilder came into her local village a few nights ago with talk of hunting down a terrible vampire; Marie-Claude realised she couldn’t hide her head in the sand any longer. Besides which, she really is good at handling herself with a frying pan - in more ways than one.
Movement 6 - Weapon Attacks 3D14 - Iron 6 - Hits 15
Charge.
Lady Lucarta Von Wilder
Generations ago the Von Wilders saw the destruction of their family and a curse put upon their entire line... by the Baron Von Drakk. The family`s fate was meant as a grim warning to any noble family who dared oppose the Baron. Now, sworn to the life of a slayer, successive generations of Von Wilders travel the land searching for clues that will allow them to remove their curse and end Von Drakk`s blighted reign over their homeland.
(as Von Wilder)
Movement 6 - Weapon Attacks 2D6 - Iron 5 - Hits 13
Restore.
In Shifter Form (Were Form):
Movement 8 - Weapon Attacks 2D14 - Iron 6 - Hits 17
Charge, Knockback, Massive Damage successful Hits cause double damage (Hit X2), Restore.
Shifter: If the Hero is a shape shifter. At the start of any Attacker`s Action Phase, the Shifter may attempt to change into a Were Monster. To Shift, the wielder needs to roll the attack dice (this is not melee, it is just to determine success). A double on any two attack dice means the Chibi has shifted into a Were form. To change back again, simply roll a double as before to reverse the process. Successful shifting replaces all other actions for the turn.
They open the heavy doors and press forward.
I created my dungeon table ahead of time, simply by using the Random Dungeon Layout system described in the Chibi World rulebook. For filling the rooms and chambers with items and `thematic purpose` I turn (as I always do) to my “D30 DM Companion” which is one of the most useful game books I have ever had the pleasure and good fortune to come across. It is simply my gaming bible, and I`d be lost without it. Written by Richard J. LeBlanc, you can find a nicely priced soft bound cover copy from Lulu Publishing or a PDF really cheaply on line at Drivethrurpg.com. This little darling of a book will literally stock your dungeon for you, minimise the amount of time you need to spend planning, and actually allow you much more time to get playing.
Although I knew in advance the layout of my dungeon, I deliberately left the contents unknown to myself. Only when the heroes enter any new section, will I check the D30 DM Companion, and check on the Chibi World Random Monster Table to generate any Monsters that might (or might not) appear. Yes that’s right, as you read this now, I actually have NO ideas what`s round the next corner, or what might happen at any given moment. The experience really is solo gaming in its purist, unadulterated form.
Pressing into the first chamber, the game begins thus:
The heroes sweep into the chamber, taking in the details as swiftly as they can.
First thing I do is set up the room contents. Randomly, using the D30 DM Companion. The results are as shown in the photos Next, I Roll 3D6 as I check for any Monster encounters in the room, the result of the three dice are: a 1 a 3 and a 5. Not a six is rolled, so no Monsters in here.. not this turn anyway.
A door ahead, and onother on the right hand side stand firmly shut.
A wooden bookcase rests tight up against the right wall. A few dusty old tomes sit upon the shelves. Barrels are stacked close by.
An iron furnace produces little heat in the chilly room, though a small fire does actually burn within. A stone well stands in the middle of the room.
door ahead and on the left, which was slightly ajar, suddenly slams shut - maybe caused by the heroes opening the huge doors into the complex.
Slow burning torches rest in sconces on the stone walls, and produce low spluttering light and many shadows throughout the chamber. Two wooden chests have been placed on the floor – one close by the book case, a second sits heavy between the two closed doors on the far wall. A rickety set of winding stairs (on the left of the chamber) climbs into the darkness; and seems to vanish into the brick ceiling overhead. A few dusty, deeply rusted ornaments are placed upon a table and a container over by the furnace. In front of the heroes’ feet, there is a very small wooden trap door in the floor. It looks like it is both closed and unbolted. Chairs in front of the table are covered in cobwebs. It looks like no one has sat there for a while.
Turn 2 & 3
“Fan out, and be careful. This place is evil.” Lady Lucarta cautioned to her companions. With stealth like that of an animal, she traced a path around all the obstacles in the room and made her way towards the central well.
The Paladin followed the Lady, but more slowly, his stiff old joints were suffering in this terrible chill air. He looked to his right and saw the Bard woman Candy head straight towards the book case. He wrinkled his aged nose in disdain: “nothing good to be found in an evil place like this.” He muttered under his breath.
“I will check this trap door.” The pretty Cook spoke quietly in her clear spoken, yet soft exotic accent. She studiously ignored the nearby chest sitting on the floor.
Actually, I have a personal house rule I like to use when I`m playing solo. Normally you would be checking before the Attacker`s Action Phase of each and every turn to see if any new Monsters are spawned. But what I do is, when my heroes are alone in a room and exploring, I allow them to take 2 turns (to move about and explore) and only check for Monsters on every third turn. So move and explore once: move and explore twice: and then check for Monsters just before allowing the heroes to move and explore a third turn. Of course, if anyone opens up a new area (opens a door etc) then ignore everything I just said.
The Paladin followed the Lady, but more slowly, his stiff old joints were suffering in this terrible chill air. He looked to his right and saw the Bard woman Candy head straight towards the book case. He wrinkled his aged nose in disdain: “nothing good to be found in an evil place like this.” He muttered under his breath.
“I will check this trap door.” The pretty Cook spoke quietly in her clear spoken, yet soft exotic accent. She studiously ignored the nearby chest sitting on the floor.
Actually, I have a personal house rule I like to use when I`m playing solo. Normally you would be checking before the Attacker`s Action Phase of each and every turn to see if any new Monsters are spawned. But what I do is, when my heroes are alone in a room and exploring, I allow them to take 2 turns (to move about and explore) and only check for Monsters on every third turn. So move and explore once: move and explore twice: and then check for Monsters just before allowing the heroes to move and explore a third turn. Of course, if anyone opens up a new area (opens a door etc) then ignore everything I just said.
Fanning out into the chamber.
Candy sees an old rusty ornament on the large oak table as she makes her way to the book case. The metal thing has a strange shape that looks unwholesome and unpleasing to the eyes.
Lady Lucarta seems fully focussed on the well shaft, and steadily makes her way towards it, her deadly whip raised in front of her and at the ready.
The Paladin follows doggedly behind the Lady, one eye mindfully checking the rickety wooden stairs as he passes close by.
Marie-Claude approached the trap door and squatted down on the floor beside it. She spotted a heavy iron bolt, and pulled it firmly across the bar. Nothing was coming up from that direction. Though for a moment, the Little Cook wondered just what may lie down below. She heard a muffled but steady drip... drip of water in her ears, and she shivered as the darkness from below almost beckoned her to unbolt the trapdoor, and come play!
The trap door!
The bookcase.
Candy scrutinises the book case for any hidden academic delights. Ever mindful of lost treasures just waiting to be discovered by the intrepid adventurer: rescued from oblivion and bought safely to her favourite library in the capitol city of Crystal Home.
I roll 2D6 and throw an 8 on Treasure table 1: and finds 250 gold tucked away inside a small cloth pouch. The bag had been squeezed between two mouldy old books. Also a small bottle containing a single Health Potion. Mmmmm, lucky find. An 8 also means I get to roll again once on Treasure Table II: I throw a D20 and roll a 14. Wow, how amazingly fortunate:
Blessed Holy Water and Garlic:
For the duration of this game, no Chibi Vampire can come within 2 squares of a Hero who consumes this garlic.
The Holy Water is a weapon against any form of Undead: Range of 4 squares with a Weapon Attack value of 5D6-4.
Could that have been a better chance find? Wooohoooo!!!!!
Lady Wilder peers over the rim of the well and into the murky depths below. Though this woman is brave beyond measure, she cannot stop the sudden shiver of dread that rises through her body.
{I roll three dice again, but not a single six! No Monsters appear on the proceeding turn}.
The search of the chamber continues.
Turn 4 & 5
Turn 4 & 5
The heroes explore again, for the next two turns.
And now things begin to get a little interesting. This is how I resolved the situation within my own game. As there are still no Monsters within this chamber, and the heroes are still obviously still exploring the room pretty thoroughly, I decided to maintain my house rule and allow the heroes to make a double turn. That`s double movement and `explore` (remember you have to be at least adjacent to a space to explore an object within that square). So my heroes all spread out and each did their own thing, as you will see in a moment, but then at the beginning of the third turn, I rolled 3 dice for Monsters and threw two 6`s.
Checking on the Random Spawning Table, I got 6 Billmen (my Random Spawn Tables are tailored to my own game preferences, and I do not use the default table shown in the Chibi World rules) and I rolled an Elemental Water Lord on my second roll.
This dungeon didn’t seem to need any of the Super Dungeon Explore spawn points; and instead I made it that wells, trap doors and iron floor grates would act as spawning points in their own right. And I check to place one for any new room of the dungeon if (A) the heroes open a door to a new room or (B) Monsters need to spawn due to a random roll. This room by default already has a well and a trap door in it. But I also decided here to check the door in the far wall on the left to see if there was also a spawning place beyond that door as well.
A roll of 4, 5 or 6 on a D6 indicates yes there is a spawn point in the next chamber. The roll is a 4, so YES. Now I have three choices for these Monsters to appear from, and so I decide to do it randomly.
1, 2 the well: 3, 4 the trap door near the dungeon entrance: 5, 6 a trap door or grill/grate within the next chamber.
First I check for the Elemental Water Lord, and I rolled a 2. So with a gushing gurgling sound, like a tidal flash flood from a sink hole, a Water Elemental of gigantic proportions rushes up, out of the well and attacks..... well we`ll come to that in a minute. For the Billmen I threw a 5. Right, so we know they will be appearing out of a floor grate in the next room.
Now to back track a moment. On the two turns previously the heroes explored the room they are in. On the beginning of the third turn, THEN we begin to place Monsters and we will also need check for turn initiative as well.
Now, let us backtrack a moment to the point where the heroes are exploring.
Lady Lucarta Von Wilder moved as gracefully as she was silent across the chamber to the portal on the far left hand side, and stood listening for any sounds on the other side. This was the door which has slammed shut only minutes earlier when they had entered the dungeon. The Paladin followed behind her and stood back a little to give her space.
Candy skipped over to the door on the far wall parallel to the one Lady Lucarta was listening at, and listened at her door as well. Marie-Claude followed Candy at a discrete distance behind her. When she got to the barrels lined up along the wall she turned her head slightly and sniffed the air.. uugh, Sour! The Cook had worked enough tavern kitchens to know the taint of bad wine when she smelt it. This stuff here was rancid vinegar to her nose, and probably highly unhealthy for any stomach even to sip at.
Lady Lucarta Von Wilder listens at the door.
Candy listens at the door. Marie-Claude sniffs the air and smells bad wine coming from the barrels.
Candy listens at the door but hears nothing. Cola pet sucks on a fizzy sweet.
All of a sudden, the room erupts into a whirl of motion. From the well a rushing gurgling noise funnels up the shaft, and a huge bout of water shoots up and out of the hole in the floor, and rapidly begins to take shape. A gigantic Elemental Water Lord is in their midst, right amongst the heroes! It looks for the nearest intruder in its home... decides momentarily between the Paladin and the Cook, then rushes, like a tsunami, towards Marie-Claude. The woman just has time to turn to face the Monster before it is upon her.
Simultaneously, Monstrous frog like creatures in rusty plate armour pour up out of a grate in the floor from behind the portal Lady Von Wilder is listening at. They assemble then run down the passage towards the door. Lady Von Wilder tenses when she hears the many, many rapidly approaching feet. Over her shoulder to the Paladin she whispers fiercely:
“Prepare yourself, Knight. We have company.. lots.”
The Paladin immediately takes up a squat defensive stance: “Then lots will die!” He cries, fearlessly unperturbed.
And now we are at the stage where we need to check who wins the initiative for the next turn. Will it be the Frog like Bill Men, crashing open the door in front of the startled Van Wilder... while the Elemental tears into Marie-Claude, barely giving her time to react. Or will the heroes win the round and get to act first? This next turn is important to both sides. Both need to win the round and act before the other.
“Prepare yourself, Knight. We have company.. lots.”
The Paladin immediately takes up a squat defensive stance: “Then lots will die!” He cries, fearlessly unperturbed.
And now we are at the stage where we need to check who wins the initiative for the next turn. Will it be the Frog like Bill Men, crashing open the door in front of the startled Van Wilder... while the Elemental tears into Marie-Claude, barely giving her time to react. Or will the heroes win the round and get to act first? This next turn is important to both sides. Both need to win the round and act before the other.
Six monsters pour out of the floor grille. Who will win the next turn initiative?
turn 6
turn 6
Both sides throw a D20 to see who wins initiative: the Heroes roll a 12, and the Monsters roll a 19.
The Monsters win the Attackers Action Phase for this turn.
WOW!! the Elemental Water Lord rolls 7 attack dice and achieves: a 1, two 5`s, and four 6`s. Out of seven attacks that’s an impressive six hits. Now let’s see if any of those hits can put a dent in Marie-Claude`s Iron value of 6. She`s a real tough cookie that girl. Rolling the six successes again, the Elemental Water Lord manages two 2`s, a 4, two 5`s and two 6`s. That’s two palpable wounds on Marie-Claude. Bringing her down from her starting total of 15, to a current Hit value of 13 points. That stung her alright, but she brushes off the pain with practised ease.
The Water Elemental slams into her like a fist, for a moment almost knocking the girl off her feet. But the little cook weathers the onslaught and stands defiantly before her foe.
Over in front of Lady Von Wilder, the dungeon door is flung open and a wave of green skinned frog men try to rush in and attack. But the woman has positioned herself in front of the portal and almost totally blocks easy access into the room, ensuring that only one Billman at a time can come at her with its nasty looking pole axe. The lead most creature lunges with its single attack: but it possesses the Trait Pack, which means it gets one additional die for each other of its kind adjacent to it. Two Billmen stand adjacent to the attacking frog, and so it rolls 3 attack dice in combat against the woman standing boldly in its path. Two 4`s and a 5: so one successful blow finds its mark. We reroll that success and score a 5, which inflicts a single wound on Lady Von Wilder, bringing her start total of 13 down to 12 Hits. The Monsters attack phase is over. Now it is the heroes chance to respond in their Defender`s Shooting Phase {incidentally, I am using the Super Dungeon Explore optional rule which allows Defenders to move, but not take any other actions, during this phase if they wish to}
The Paladin moves as close as he can towards the Elemental. But remember he can`t move adjacent during this optional defender`s movement phase. He moves as close as he can, hoping the heroes win initiative next turn and can come to Marie-Claude`s assistance. Marie-Claude herself swings her rolling pin and batters the watery Monster in a sweeping double barrel attack with her frying pan. She can`t use her Charge Trait as she is already adjacent, but she does get to roll her standard 3D14 attack roll. 13, 13, and a 7: that’s three solid successes so far (remember a 5 or a 6 always lands the initial blow). And again to see how many of those hit.... 9, 12, and a 13. Three hits woohooo!! Bringing the Elemental down from 7 to 4 remaining Hit Points.
I really do love using the Degree System and getting to roll these nifty unique dice.... D14`s, D16`s, and D18`s: it feels so special somehow.
Marie-Claude`s starting character kit of 3D14 Combat Attack Dice really does makes her a little power house in melee.
Von Wilder is not quite so lucky, and in her (non werewolf) human form, gets to attack with her somewhat lesser 2D6. She rolls a 1 and a 4. That`s simply not enough to land a hit on the leading Frog Billman.
Candy pulls away from the door she is listening at and rushes over to Marie-Claude`s aid. Getting as close as she is allowed during her movement phase.
Turn 7
Initiative: Heroes roll 17: Monsters roll 9. The Heroes lead the turn.
The Paladin uses Charge and slams into the Elemental for a free full dice attack of 2D6. Scoring a 3 and a 4: uuugh!!! Candy rushes in too, and places herself beside Marie-Claude, toe to toe with the Monster.
Von Wilder can feel the rage starting to build within her, and closes her eyes a second to focus on speeding up the wild changing process happening to her body. Rolling her 2D6 attack dice she rolls a double... bingo! She successfully manages to become a Were. Good, this means we now replace Lady Von Wilder with her Werewolf miniature; effectively making her much more powerful in melee.
{{Note that Von Wilder does not have the Lycanthrope Trait, her ability to change to and from a Were is purely dependent upon rolling a double on the attack dice (which we check for, even if we don’t want to, at the beginning of each turn}}.
Von Wilder, now in Shape Shift Were-Monster form, cannot use Restore this turn, but that’s not a problem for her anyway. What she does now have in her arsenal is a Combat Attack of 2D14, Knock-Back and Massive Damage . Moving on smoothly to the melee phase, let’s start with this Lady shall we!
That`s a 2 dice attack, Massive Damage, and a Knock Back (slamming the frog to a bloody pulp, due to the impeding ranks of its kin hemming it in from behind). The first Billman is removed from the fight.
I decide to play Dungeon Master (or Chibi Master as it is called here) and think about things for a moment. What would the Monsters actually do now? They are not excessively brave these creatures, especially as they not being led by anyone, or anything, of especial worthy note at the moment. They have just seen their foe transform into a massive werewolf, then tear and rend the front most of their kin into a bleeding mass of pulp, and then almost disdainfully, with contemptible ease, swat the creature with a thud of (already well and truly broken) bones, back into a wall of other frogs. What might these Monsters do next I wonder?
The choice was really pretty obvious to me. They would turn tail and flee; that’s what they would do next! Now, you will not find any of this in the rules, but I find, especially when playing solo, the thematic approach is very often the best one to take.
The combined attacks of Candy 3D10, Marie-Claude 3D14, and the Paladin`s 2D6 plus his Holy Chant (providing the heroes each with an additional attack die) was more than enough to destroy the evil Elemental Water Lord. Unable to hold its own cohesion any longer once the chaotic spirit was driven out, the thing dissolved onto the floor with a loud watery splosh!
I decide to play Dungeon Master (or Chibi Master as it is called here) and think about things for a moment. What would the Monsters actually do now? They are not excessively brave these creatures, especially as they not being led by anyone, or anything, of especial worthy note at the moment. They have just seen their foe transform into a massive werewolf, then tear and rend the front most of their kin into a bleeding mass of pulp, and then almost disdainfully, with contemptible ease, swat the creature with a thud of (already well and truly broken) bones, back into a wall of other frogs. What might these Monsters do next I wonder?
The choice was really pretty obvious to me. They would turn tail and flee; that’s what they would do next! Now, you will not find any of this in the rules, but I find, especially when playing solo, the thematic approach is very often the best one to take.
The combined attacks of Candy 3D10, Marie-Claude 3D14, and the Paladin`s 2D6 plus his Holy Chant (providing the heroes each with an additional attack die) was more than enough to destroy the evil Elemental Water Lord. Unable to hold its own cohesion any longer once the chaotic spirit was driven out, the thing dissolved onto the floor with a loud watery splosh!
The heroes unite to destroy the Elemental.
Suddenly, the coast is clear again, and all is still, except for the sounds of running feet as the frog men retire deeper into the dungeon.
Turns 8, 9, 10, and 11.
Not a single Random Monster materialises at the beginning of these turns, leaving the heroes free to explore the next corridor and the chamber beyond. It looks like some sort of guard room, but its specific purpose could not be accurately ascertained. Von Wilder at the lead wasted no time in thundering towards the next discernible portal.
Candy managed, as she walked past, to "nab" a book that was lying on the table. She stuffed it into Cola's backpack. She would read that another time.
Looking up, she was just too late to stop Von Wilder reaching for the door ring in front of her.
“Lady Lucarta, NO!!!” But it was too late. With a thunderous explosion, the portal came apart, bursting into a thousand tiny shards of sharp needle like splinters. The fireball alone enveloped the hero and she howled in agony as fire.. and shock.. and pain coursed through her body. Dozens of stakes of wood embedded themselves in the woman`s body and she fell backwards onto the floor.
“.... the door may be trapped!” Candy finished her sentence.
{{The door had a “?” Trap on it. And then bad, bad, bad luck rendered a result of a 6 followed by another 6 on the trap chart. The result in the rule book reads: “automatically brings the Hero down to 1 remaining Hit - Ouch!”}}
End of Part 1
As you can see, there is still a long way to go in this mini adventure.
Watch for the concluding second part.. very soon.
Learning to Play by Watching a Game:
The 2nd and Concluding Part
The Swamps of Eternal Phart – with Grick Hall in the distance: looming like an evil ancient spider.
Oh woe betide! The Lady is down!!! Her howls of bestial rage, her sharp fangs and flailing razor like claws, make it impossible for her companions even to dare try get close enough to her that they might administer proper aid upon the Were-changed woman... the now dying mistress of the wretched and cursed, one time noble, House Wilder!
Candy and Marie-Claude stood about helplessly while the dread Lady, their unspoken leader, lay mortally wounded at their feet. But where is our brave intrepid Paladin? Indeed, while these unfortunate events were transpiring over at the far end of this old disused guard chamber, the Paladin had been busy with a little side quest of his own, and was still oblivious of events transpiring elsewhere.
When the party had rushed through the doors in fruitless pursuit of the horrible frog men, The Paladin had held back a little, and chanced to spot the hole in the floor where the frogs had, he reasoned, most likely originally appeared from; and then equally swiftly vanished down again when they grew fearful in the face of that terrible Were-creature. The Paladin figured, being water creatures, they might well be indigenous to the sewers below... and judging from the strong smell assaulting his keen nose and the drip, drip of water in his ears: this way down in the floor seemed their most likely access point.
That was when the whispering started. “What`s that?” he startled.
Thinking at first the voice was all around him. It came again, just an elusive slur of words, but... was it just in his head? The Paladin looked up a moment and was about to call his companions over, but they had moved on ahead of him. Kneeling down suddenly, he lifted the hatch and peered down into the darkness. Something seemed to be compelling him to do so.
{{At this point I would like to reveal something I had decided at the stat of the adventure. If ever one of the Heroes stood adjacent to or upon a trap door of any kind, I consider this a built in intrinsic condition of the dungeon. Therefore if a Hero stood alone (outside of any zone of control of another friend or foe) the trap door... or more accurately, the unearthly pull from below, would make the Trap Door into a sort of physical Trait: namely Control. If any hero standing alone were to roll 5 or more on a D6, then the dungeon effectively lures its victim down, down, down into the deeps. Marie-Claude shrugged off the feeling earlier on (with a 2 on the die), but the Paladin succumbed to the whisperings in his head with a solid 6 on the die. Ouch! Poor guy. There was no helping him now; he was in the thrall of dire magical energies, and right now that evil seemed more powerful than his own willpower}}
When the party had rushed through the doors in fruitless pursuit of the horrible frog men, The Paladin had held back a little, and chanced to spot the hole in the floor where the frogs had, he reasoned, most likely originally appeared from; and then equally swiftly vanished down again when they grew fearful in the face of that terrible Were-creature. The Paladin figured, being water creatures, they might well be indigenous to the sewers below... and judging from the strong smell assaulting his keen nose and the drip, drip of water in his ears: this way down in the floor seemed their most likely access point.
That was when the whispering started. “What`s that?” he startled.
Thinking at first the voice was all around him. It came again, just an elusive slur of words, but... was it just in his head? The Paladin looked up a moment and was about to call his companions over, but they had moved on ahead of him. Kneeling down suddenly, he lifted the hatch and peered down into the darkness. Something seemed to be compelling him to do so.
{{At this point I would like to reveal something I had decided at the stat of the adventure. If ever one of the Heroes stood adjacent to or upon a trap door of any kind, I consider this a built in intrinsic condition of the dungeon. Therefore if a Hero stood alone (outside of any zone of control of another friend or foe) the trap door... or more accurately, the unearthly pull from below, would make the Trap Door into a sort of physical Trait: namely Control. If any hero standing alone were to roll 5 or more on a D6, then the dungeon effectively lures its victim down, down, down into the deeps. Marie-Claude shrugged off the feeling earlier on (with a 2 on the die), but the Paladin succumbed to the whisperings in his head with a solid 6 on the die. Ouch! Poor guy. There was no helping him now; he was in the thrall of dire magical energies, and right now that evil seemed more powerful than his own willpower}}
The Paladin feels compelled to check the hole in the floor.
The Paladin found himself stepping into the deep chasm of darkness, and finding easy purchase on a rusty old iron ladder.. he descended into the mantle of night. In a few moments he stood on an entirely new level of the dungeon.... the sewer level. He shook his head, confused: unsure why he had come down here. He now stood alone, and the darkness pressed in all around him. The gurgling of the foul water reached into his ears, and the reek of unwholesome detritus assailed his nostrils in ever increasing waves.
Above his head, he heard a muffled sound, like an explosion and then cries of surprise, roars of anger... and then the bellowing guttural growls of pain. Suddenly the Paladin`s head cleared: it felt like waking for an elusive dream: making him momentarily sluggish and slow to respond. He knew he needed to return to his companions. They needed him; he could hear the distress in their shouts and calls. He heard his own name being called. “Help us” his friends shouted.
“I.... I'm coming!” The Paladin called. The echo of the tunnels made his voice echo.
“Coming... coming... oming... ming... ing... ing... ng.”
Suddenly! From the gloom, there was movement. Figures were shambling towards him out of the darkness. They came on silently; and all of a sudden The Paladin realised his plight.
The Dead were coming!
All about him, in front, behind, even on his flanks, crawling out of the water: the skeletal like zombies threatened to suffocate his sanity, closing in on him like a wall of silent death.
The Dead were coming!
All about him, in front, behind, even on his flanks, crawling out of the water: the skeletal like zombies threatened to suffocate his sanity, closing in on him like a wall of silent death.
The Paladin felt, rather than saw, the presence of a Death Knight. The vile undead were being led by a monstrosity from the pits of hell itself.
And all at once the Paladin knew he was now in the most dangerous position of his entire life.
And all at once the Paladin knew he was now in the most dangerous position of his entire life.
The Death Knight used his deadly Trait: Pull, and a snotty white arm of ectoplasm, extended from the darkness... from the Death Knight`s plate mail gauntleted fingers, latched onto the Paladin and pulled him bodily, at supernatural speed, right into the clutches of the evil lifeless knight... who sneered mockingly at its living foe.
He felt hands clawing and raking at him, and fettered breath teeth reached desperately hungry for his warm succulent throat.
{{each zombie has Pack. This means each zombie not only gets its own 1D6 attack die, but one additional die for each adjacent companion. In this case, that is five extra dice. 6 total. That means that each zombie in the melee also gets this Pack trait bonus. As there are six zombies in contact with The Paladin. That makes 30 combat attack dice against our Hero.
The Zombies throw 30 dice and achieve a staggering 19 hits. I make things easy for myself and simply time this by two (X2) because they win initiative twice in a row. Saves time and I figure any hits the Paladin makes will, sadly, be pretty irrelevant anyway.
The zombies then roll for actual damage and inflict a stunning 15 wounds on our beleaguered Hero. This brings him down to within just one point of death. But the Death Knight has the ultimate pleasure of the final coup de grâce.
Almost nonchalantly, the creature waved its hands and cast Hex upon its target, inflicting an automatic wound. Sending the Paladin wheeling into the pits of oblivion. There is a lesson here - for the Heroes of any game of Chibi World. It’s not usually a good idea to allow yourself to get separated. Even the lowliest of minions can literally take you apart a piece at a time if you ever become complacent about your own prowess}}.
The last thing the Paladin knew before oblivion overtook him - was regret. For the first time in his life, he knew regret. Regret that he had failed! Then the searing pain overcame his senses, and he knew no more....
... while ever hungry dead feasted upon his still warm flesh.
He felt hands clawing and raking at him, and fettered breath teeth reached desperately hungry for his warm succulent throat.
{{each zombie has Pack. This means each zombie not only gets its own 1D6 attack die, but one additional die for each adjacent companion. In this case, that is five extra dice. 6 total. That means that each zombie in the melee also gets this Pack trait bonus. As there are six zombies in contact with The Paladin. That makes 30 combat attack dice against our Hero.
The Zombies throw 30 dice and achieve a staggering 19 hits. I make things easy for myself and simply time this by two (X2) because they win initiative twice in a row. Saves time and I figure any hits the Paladin makes will, sadly, be pretty irrelevant anyway.
The zombies then roll for actual damage and inflict a stunning 15 wounds on our beleaguered Hero. This brings him down to within just one point of death. But the Death Knight has the ultimate pleasure of the final coup de grâce.
Almost nonchalantly, the creature waved its hands and cast Hex upon its target, inflicting an automatic wound. Sending the Paladin wheeling into the pits of oblivion. There is a lesson here - for the Heroes of any game of Chibi World. It’s not usually a good idea to allow yourself to get separated. Even the lowliest of minions can literally take you apart a piece at a time if you ever become complacent about your own prowess}}.
The last thing the Paladin knew before oblivion overtook him - was regret. For the first time in his life, he knew regret. Regret that he had failed! Then the searing pain overcame his senses, and he knew no more....
... while ever hungry dead feasted upon his still warm flesh.
Meanwhile, up above, several things happened at once. For the second turn in a row the Heroes failed to win initiative, and the Monsters got to act first. In this case, there were no Monsters present and twice in a row the Monsters failed to produce any new spawns from the Random Tables. BUT as it was the Monster`s active phase, I figured it was time to call in a few thematic fillers to keep the Heroes occupied. What self respecting Chibi Master would I be if I missed a good chance to hassle the dratted Heroes and make their lives as difficult as possible by loading more and more stress onto their feeble spirited minds?
Break... break! you loathsome, uninvited pesky Heroes. Get out of my dungeon.
{{Okay *coughs shyly* that`s enough of me enjoying myself as the Chibi Master, back to the Heroes again}}
Things started flying about the chamber, items seemed to be thrown by invisible hands, and things appeared to float and spin in the air. The sounds of muffled cries could be heard, tones of anguish and distorted by terrifying anger. The clank of chains and footsteps coming even closer, yet ghostly and insufficient: these things assailed Candy and Marie-Claude. Perhaps the worst of all was that the walls seemed to weep thick red blood from between the bricks, and the very walls seemed to be breathing in and out with an audible wail of macabre other worldliness. The effect of all this meant that no one was able to concentrate on healing the wounded Were woman.. and her inflictions remains, for the present, unattended.
Lady Lucarta Von Wilder chose just that moment to roll a double and unable to hold her form any longer, changed back into human form. The woman slumped on the ground, groaning from a dozen wounds.
The Heroes were in a bad place, and needed to turn this around - and quickly.
But the dungeon was contriving to make this very difficult for them, intent on either killing them all, or at the very last driving them out of its home. The end of turn 13 was perhaps aptly numbered. Behind the three Heroes, the first of the zombies climbs out of the floor grate, and shuffles towards them - more follow.
Turn 14
Initiative: Monsters 1, Heroes 18. Heroes finally win a phase and get to act first for the turn, instead of just responding to the Monsters` well co-ordinated rallying assaults.
Holding up Lady Von Wilder between them, the Heroes push through the remains of the splintered door, moving as fast as they are able into the next chamber.... deeper and deeper into Grick Hall. Pet Cola hands up a potion to her Mistress, ever in tune to her needs. As they stumble forward, Candy manages to administer Apothecary on their injured friend. Uuugh!!!! Everything they do goes ill. Candy rolls a D4 to see how many wounds are healed and throws a 1. Von Wilder`s Hits go up by a single point, bringing her to a meagre 2 Hits. Not enough I fear. Drat. It seems this whole place is ill fated. Perhaps the local villagers are right. The Hall is cursed. Next turn she will use her health potion on the Lady.
The chamber is strange, almost looks like an antechamber to a larger hall beyond. Indeed there is what might once have been a beautiful ornate pool of water sitting in the middle of the room. Its central fountain long ago snapped off and despoiled. Now the entire water feature simply looks foul and unnatural. Torches splutter in sconces about the room giving it the usual shadowy unhealthy pallor, same as found throughout the rest of the place. A door sits stout and shut within the right hand wall, probably leading back into the entrance chamber whence they came. But ahead of them, a huge portcullis bars their way.
Whatever lies beyond is hidden in a deep concealing darkness.
A winch system is attached to the brickwork, and a large wheel protrudes from the wall. This seems likely would operate the portcullis, if manned and turned. the wheel would probably raise the heavy gate allowing access to what lies further into the complex.
But it is at this moment that the slimes appear throughout the room, some slithering out of the murky blue pool of water, others dropping down from the ceiling and landing with a heavy plop! On the floor near the girls. Citrine and Emerald splodges of goo start to slither their way towards the terrified women.
{{all rolled this turn on the Random Monster Table}}.
“Where is that Paladin?” Marie-Claude enquires breathlessly. “We need him!”
“I.... I don’t know, but we need to get out of here,.... fast!!!” Candy looked around frantically.
{{she ushers YOU the reader to stick close}}.
She looks at the badly injured woman they are carrying between them and asks her urgently: “Lady Lucarta, please.. is there anything you can do.. quickly, they are nearly on us?”
Initiative: Monsters 1, Heroes 18. Heroes finally win a phase and get to act first for the turn, instead of just responding to the Monsters` well co-ordinated rallying assaults.
Holding up Lady Von Wilder between them, the Heroes push through the remains of the splintered door, moving as fast as they are able into the next chamber.... deeper and deeper into Grick Hall. Pet Cola hands up a potion to her Mistress, ever in tune to her needs. As they stumble forward, Candy manages to administer Apothecary on their injured friend. Uuugh!!!! Everything they do goes ill. Candy rolls a D4 to see how many wounds are healed and throws a 1. Von Wilder`s Hits go up by a single point, bringing her to a meagre 2 Hits. Not enough I fear. Drat. It seems this whole place is ill fated. Perhaps the local villagers are right. The Hall is cursed. Next turn she will use her health potion on the Lady.
The chamber is strange, almost looks like an antechamber to a larger hall beyond. Indeed there is what might once have been a beautiful ornate pool of water sitting in the middle of the room. Its central fountain long ago snapped off and despoiled. Now the entire water feature simply looks foul and unnatural. Torches splutter in sconces about the room giving it the usual shadowy unhealthy pallor, same as found throughout the rest of the place. A door sits stout and shut within the right hand wall, probably leading back into the entrance chamber whence they came. But ahead of them, a huge portcullis bars their way.
Whatever lies beyond is hidden in a deep concealing darkness.
A winch system is attached to the brickwork, and a large wheel protrudes from the wall. This seems likely would operate the portcullis, if manned and turned. the wheel would probably raise the heavy gate allowing access to what lies further into the complex.
But it is at this moment that the slimes appear throughout the room, some slithering out of the murky blue pool of water, others dropping down from the ceiling and landing with a heavy plop! On the floor near the girls. Citrine and Emerald splodges of goo start to slither their way towards the terrified women.
{{all rolled this turn on the Random Monster Table}}.
“Where is that Paladin?” Marie-Claude enquires breathlessly. “We need him!”
“I.... I don’t know, but we need to get out of here,.... fast!!!” Candy looked around frantically.
{{she ushers YOU the reader to stick close}}.
She looks at the badly injured woman they are carrying between them and asks her urgently: “Lady Lucarta, please.. is there anything you can do.. quickly, they are nearly on us?”
{{Things don`t always go the heroes way. In fact, it can be quite a learning curve to know defeat; lick your wounds and accept past mistakes. There is always next time.... assuming you even manages to get out alive to have another day. Anyway, lets continue on}}.
Dungeons truly are dark and desperately dangerous places.
Surrounded!
Lady Lucarta Von Wilder, realises the situation is impossible, reaches to touch a pendant around her neck. “Where is The Paladin?” she mumbles woozily, her head still spinning in pain.
No one replies at first. But Marie-Claude shakes her head. “We do not know, we did not see... he is gone, I think.”
Lady Lucarta nodded back in understanding. “Take my hands both of you.”
There was a sudden violent flash of rainbow light, as the pendant around the Lady Von Wilder blazed with pure light. The room lit up like lighting for a moment, and when it was gone again, all the torches in the room had gone out. Gone too were the three woman.
The magical teleportation device within the pendant had activated, and they were transported far, far away, to a hearthstone on an ancient hill, deep within the vast Wilder Estate. They had failed their mission. But they were safe.... minus one of their number.
The End
No one replies at first. But Marie-Claude shakes her head. “We do not know, we did not see... he is gone, I think.”
Lady Lucarta nodded back in understanding. “Take my hands both of you.”
There was a sudden violent flash of rainbow light, as the pendant around the Lady Von Wilder blazed with pure light. The room lit up like lighting for a moment, and when it was gone again, all the torches in the room had gone out. Gone too were the three woman.
The magical teleportation device within the pendant had activated, and they were transported far, far away, to a hearthstone on an ancient hill, deep within the vast Wilder Estate. They had failed their mission. But they were safe.... minus one of their number.
The End
A "Come Play With Me" Live Theater Presentation:
coming soon to a game seassion near you.
coming soon to a game seassion near you.