Sunday 26 July 2020

English Eerie 2nd edition coming soon


I'm releasing a brand new edition of English Eerie, my narrative game of rural horror set in the English countryside. Patrons can download it right now.

English Eerie allows you to create your very own tales of terror based on English folklore and the horror writings of writers like Algernon Blackwood, M.R James and Arthur Machen. The Eerie Engine powers the system, using story element cards and scenario prompts to create a narrative. Whenever a Grey Lady is drawn the tension rises. The higher the tension, the more goes wrong for the protagonist. Simple resource management gives some strategy to the game, deciding how to spend your Resolve, knowing that the ending is determined by your resources.


The new edition is expanded and tweaked from the first, with a shared focus on both solo and group play. Not only are there more scenarios, there is a section on creating your own. Plus, the game is being released under a creative commons license meaning anyone can make English Eerie games and scenarios.

There will be a pdf and print edition, along with a special English Eerie Story Deck that will be available from DrivethruRPG.

Look out for further details in the near future.


Thursday 23 July 2020

The Black Knights of Castle Cart


In Romance of the Perilous Land there isn't just a single Black Knight - there's a host of them, all serving Queen Eleanor of Eastland. These are the elite of the elite - Knights that can best most of Arthur's lot.

The Black Knights are unnatural beings. They don't need sleep, nor food or water. There are many stories of where the Black Knights came from. Some say they are beings of the Otherworld, warriors of the Unseelie Court. Others believe they are undead - an army of revenants somehow bound by Eleanor.

The truth is much worse. Taken as children, Black Knights are subject to magic that rids them of their earthly needs - hunger, fatigue, love. They must undertake a strict, gruelling training regime. Only 10% of trainees survive. They are torment incarnate - their personalities and future destroyed. Now they are shells that exist for war and to serve their queen.

Black Knight
HD 9 (19)
HP 40
AP 11
Attacks: Longsword/Longsword
Damage: d10+9/ d10+9
Special: The Black Knight regenerates d6 HP per round as long as it has over half its initial HP left.




Sunday 19 July 2020

Adventure site: The Chapel Perilous


With that he saw by him there stand a thirty great knights, more by a yard than any man that ever he had seen, and all those grinned and gnashed at Sir Launcelot. And when he saw their countenance he dreaded him sore, and so put his shield afore him, and took his sword ready in his hand ready unto battle.

The Chapel Perilous is a doomed place. Once a building of sanctity, dedicated to the healing god Nodens, a place where travellers could rest their weary legs, is now a corruption of stone. The witch Hellawes now resides here, cast out from Camelot for attempting a spell of lust on the knight Lancelot. In her exile she has grown cruel and all around her callous roots grow and brambles slither around wretched stone. She has made a deal with Arawn, the ruler of the underworld, that should he give her a retinue of warriors, she would bring him Knights of valour. True to his word, the monarch of the spirit realm gave Hellawes a group of warriors to aid her on her foul quest.

The Chapel also serves as a final resting place for Sir Gilbert the Bastard, entombed in the lower level with his sword and wrapped in a crimson shroud. Legend says that the sword and shroud can be used in tandem to heal the gravest of wounds.

Locations

1. The Chapel Yard

A grave site and haunting place of two spectres (see ghost for stats), sisters who died after deserting their post when battle went sour. Two shields hang from a withered tree. Cutting a shield down reduces the HP of a spectre by half.

2. Chapel entrance

Within the entrance hall are two lit braziers, emitting an eerie green glow. Three Warriors of Arawn stand guard here, their eyes hollow and their tongues blackened. They are mindless for the most part and will attack intruders.

Warrior of Arawn
HD 5 (15)
HP 22
AP 6
Attack: Mace (melee)
Damage: d8+5
Special: Bladed weapons do half damage to a Warrior of Arawn.

- Wytchfire Braziers: When a Warrior of Arawn hold their mace over a Wytchfire brazier, the mace becomes a Wytchfire Mace. The next time the mace deals damage, the Warrior regains that much AP. After this, the mace becomes mundane again.

- Font of Blessings: A stone font containing corrupted water. Usually this would be used to heal, but touching the water does 1d3 damage, burning the hand.

3. Sanctuary

Lined with stone pews long lost to the grasping vines of the wood. Hellawes often waits at the altar for her prey, sensing their arrival and preparing herself. Stone columns hold up the cracked ceiling etched with tales of those who the chapel has healed. Two more Warriors of Arawn guard their mistress. Two Wytchfire Braziers burn close to the alter.

Hellawes will attempt to seduce her opponent, usually going for the strongest-looking in the party or a caster.

Hellawes
HD 7 (17)
HP 29
AP 7
Attack: Dagger (melee + ranged)
Damage: d8+7
Spells prepared: Restrain as if with Invisible Rope, Imbue with a Miraculous Enchantment, Conjure Fire from the Air
Special: Twice per day as an action Hellawes can attempt a magical seduction on one target she can see. The opponent must make a Mind save or be unable to harm Hellawes for 10 minutes.

4. Tomb of the Bastard

A door near the altar (locked - tough difficulty) leads down into the cold tomb. There are several coffins nested into the walls. At the end is a sarcophagus, the lid carved into the likeness of a praying knight. Herein lies Sir Gilbert with his shroud and sword. From the coffins crawl two Leanashes who speak of hungering for new flesh.

Sir Gilbert's Sword
Damage: d8 (d10 against undead)
Special: When placed on the skin of the wounded with Sir Gilbert's Shroud, the wounded person heals 2d8 HP. This can be used once per day.

Sir Gilbert's Shroud
Special: When placed on the skin of the wounded with Sir Gilbert's Sword, the wounded person heals 2d8 HP. This can be used once per day.




Saturday 18 July 2020

Romance of the Perilous Land: Rhongomiant

Rhongomiant is Arthur's spear (shortened to Ron), forged in the celestial fires of Gofannon's forge when the world was younger. The spear passed to Constantine, who used it in the Petty Wars at the beginning of the Age of Camelot. In turn it was given to Uther, who kept it locked away in the castle vaults.

Ron is a weapon of the valorous. In order to use its abilities, a valour point must be spent each daytday activate them for 24 hours. Otherwise it becomes a regular spear until a valour point is spent. Ron had the following properties:

Type: Spear
Damage: 1d8+1
Armour points: 2
Special: Ron ignores armour when dealing damage. When it's it's owner calls for it, the spear will return to their hand as long as it's within 100ft unhindered.