New Blog

As promised, here's a link to my new blog. It's rather bare at the moment, but I'm planning to ramp up content over the next few weeks.

Closure

Well it's been five months since the last real post here, I guess it's time to officially close the doors. What was originally intended to be an extended summer vacation stretched into a long hiatus, and at this point my gaming is not really matching up well with the stated goals of this blog. A few things:

• I have no plans to take down the blog, and I don't think Blogger removes inactive sites, so there's no need to panic if you're using something here as a reference. It should remain for the foreseeable future.
• I'd like to extend a big thank you to the various folk who have followed and commented upon the stuff I've posted here. Feedback from readers was always a big motivator for continuing this project. THANKS!
• I have a vague plan to start a new blog with a broader focus sometime in the near future.  It'll cover traditional RPGs as well as MMOs, computer games, and various other forms of entertainment and media. Once I figure out what I'm doing I'll post up a link here for anyone that might wish to check it out.

That's about it. Thanks for reading! Good gaming!

Mark

The Black Seed

The creation of a fanatical order of dark druids intent on preserving the wilderness at any cost, the Black Seed can be a terribly destructive force. It is a small cylinder carved from some unknown wood, its surface pitted and scarred with bore marks and burls. A ring of gray stone is affixed to one end of the cylinder, and attached to this is a thin black leather thong which allows the cylinder to be worn as an amulet. If examined for magical properties, the Black Seed radiates Epic nature magic. An Epic test of divination magic will identify the power of the object, though it may not reveal the consequences of using this power.

The Black Seed has a singular power, thrice per day its owner can call forth a half-dozen tiny black seeds that trickle forth from the various burls and wormholes in the object. When cast upon the ground these seeds instantly bury themselves and begin to grow at a tremendous rate. Unplanted seeds vanish after one hour.

Each seed sprouts into a creeping weed-like plant that sends forth runners and shoots both above and below ground. These magical plants twist and bind around any cultivated plant they encounter, choking root, stem and branch in twisting, jagged tendrils. A single plant matures in a few hours, covering ten or fifteen square feet. Once mature, the plant blooms and goes to seed in the space of half an hour, each plant producing dozens of seed pods that pop open and spray their seeds up to thirty feet away, beginning the cycle anew.

Once it has cast its seed each mature plant metamorphoses into a secondary phase. Rigid, bamboo-like trunks shoot up from the ground, each sending forth dozens of thorn-lined, angular branches in all directions, creating a nearly impenetrable barrier. These plants are quite tough, requiring a heavy axe blow to sever a branch. Even fire is of little use against them, as it sears the surface but does not penetrate the plant's hard green trunks. This phase of growth culminates in a dense tangle of thorny growth, a dozen feet high, covering a vast area.

These spiky plants mature in the space of a single day, each sending forth dozens of massive blossoms that fill the air with a nauseating stench. Anyone exposed to the smell must make a Great test of toughness or be driven away, overcome by illness. These blossoms last a few hours, then quickly go to seed. Much like the original weed-like plant these seeds spray forth to cover a large area, though they are much less malevolent in nature. Each pod produces a dozen or more seeds of different types, each a species native to the area. These seeds root themselves among the creeping weeds and spiky hedges, then grow at an accelerated rate for one day before reverting to a more natural growth pattern.

A single seed will spread to cover up to a square mile before the potency of its magical growth fades. As the natural plants begin to grow the tangle of weeds and spikes begin to wither and die, collapsing into an organic sludge rich in nutrients. In as little as three days cultivated farmland can become a tangled scrub of wild grasses, underbrush and small trees, well on its way to becoming native forest.

Needle-kin

These foul nature spirits inhabit desolate pine forests in the cold reaches, preying on any living creature that passes through their domain. Each Needle-kin is a about two feet in height, resembling nothing so much as a whipcord thin, fur-less monkey covered in hundreds of dead pine-needles. Their eyes gleam with an evil yellow sheen and they are armed with both fangs and claws. They move through the trees of their domain with unnatural speed and grace, easily keeping pace with their prey.

Needle-kin form loose packs, each inhabiting an area of two or three square miles. Any living creature passing through their territory is hunted down and slain with brutal efficiency. Needle-kin hunt both by sight and sound, herding their victims into dead ends and impassible terrain, then attacking in force. They have the following abilities and characteristics:

• Great climbing ability - Needle-kin can traverse trees quickly enough to keep up with a running man.
• Superb endurance - These foul spirit creatures are tireless in their pursuit.
• Great vision and hearing - Their supernatural senses easily detect any prey within their territory. Their senses give them Great tracking ability.
• Good claw and fang attacks - Needle-kin swarm their foes, inflicting bleeding wounds on anyone they strike. A successful bite attack requires the victim to make a Fair test of toughness or be Chilled, reducing movement speed by one rank for three rounds.
• Good toughness - Despite their small size and apparently lack of protection, Needle-kin have tough, bark-like skin. Their partially magical nature grants them Good resistance to magical attacks, though Fire-based magic inflicts an extra rank of damage.
• Flesh-needles - Each Needle-kin can launch the pine needles that cover their skin at foes like tiny missiles. each Flesh-needle inflicts Fair damage when it strikes, and the victim must make a Fair test of will or suffer a round of dizziness and disorientation. Needle-kin can fire up to three such missiles at a single target per round, and have an unlimited supply.

Curse of the Spilled Bag

This annoying curse was originally created by priests of a lost order who were constantly cheated by the local merchants and lords. Unable to compete on the secular side, they chose a form of divine retribution instead.

This curse has a rather subtle effect. Anything carried by the victim has a tendency to slip out of whatever container it is stored in and drop to the ground. The curse's magic conceals any fallen items from the victim as they fall, making it likely they will be long gone before they are missed. The curse activates itself randomly 1d4 times per day. Each activation affects 1d10 like items (coins, foodstuffs, etc.)

The curse is subtle enough that it requires a Superb test of divination magic to reveal its presence. Once detected it requires a Great test of dispelling magic to remove it.