Coalition States Technical Officer MOSs and Adventure Hooks [Rifts]

The CS Technical Officer OCC is perhaps the most diverse O.C.C. in the game. It can cover everyone from the Combat Engineers to the CSNET cybercops to the speechwriters in the Ministry of Truth. While the front-line fighting force is made up of grunts, if they can still fire their weapons, they're going to be thanking a CS Technical officer. Almost every non-combat job, and more than a few combat jobs, are filled by the Technical Officer O.C.C..

The key to the Technical Officer's flexibility is the wide variety of M.O.S.s (Military Occupational Specialties) that he can take. Each M.O.S. represents an area of special training that the Technical officer has had; carried far enough, one could almost call the Coalition Grunt O.C.C. a Technical officer with the M.O.S. of combat infantry, or a RPA pilot someone with the Piloting M.O.S.. Members of the Technical Officer O.C.C. go through basic training just like everyone else, but they are recognized, both by their drill instructors and by the battery of tests that they undergo during training. Those who show aptitude for technical fields are separated out during certain portions of the training and given additional tests. Those who pass are sent to advanced training after basic, where they learn their M.O.S.. Those who fail wind up having to work twice as hard during the rest of basic training to make up for it.

Move as the Spirits Move Ye... [Palladium Fantasy]

A class for the Palladium Fantasy RPG, 2nd Edition

The tent was dark, and the cloying scent of perfume and burning incense only made the oppressive atmosphere seem heavier. A wizened old dwarf woman sat at the table, looking hopefully at the beautiful human girl who sat across from her, eyes closed. The human began to speak, her eyes still closed as she looked at places the dwarf could never hope to see.

"Darkness... all I see is darkness... to my left, a light appears... I turn towards it. I see your husband, Widow Gretchen. He is well, and wishes to speak..."

Suddenly, the human stiffened, her body twisting slightly, then standing tall, like a man. The voice that issued forth was not one of a young human, but rather of a strong dwarven man. "Gretchen, it has been so long. I watch over you, still, but you need to know where I hid the chest. Look three steps south of the tree we first kissed under. I'll be waiting there for you, Gretchen. I will always wait there for you."

The girl collapsed, exhausted. Her eyes shining with tears, the Widow Gretchen placed a handful of coins on the table. She knew where her man was... and, almost as importantly, the gold he'd saved for a rainy day.

The Spiritualist is perhaps one of the oldest psychic classes in existence. Much like Shamans, their skills are directed towards dealing with the nebulous spirit world and its denizens. However, unlike Shamans, their skills come from no God, only from their own will and inner strength. While most _true_ spiritualists use these skills conscientiously, a few are many rogues who will fake a possession in order to dupe innocent people out of their money. Thus, travelling spiritualists must be careful that they are not mistaken for (or caught being) one of these con men. Those who play with the emotions of people (and fail to get away) are not likely to live very long.

In order to contact the spirits of the dead, the Spiritualist uses a mastery of many common psionic powers. Their focus allows them to use these powers in ways not available to less specialized psychics. The most important of these is Commune with Spirits, which allows them not only to speak with the dead, but to ask them for favors and information. This can make a Spiritualist a dangerous opponent, if one wrongs one (or skips a payment).

Good Morning, Weathercock [Palladium Fantasy]

An item for the Palladium Fantasy RPG, 2nd Edition

A Magical Item of Meager Means

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The Weathercock is an iron weathervane, shaped to resemble a rooster, and covered with runes and arcane symbols (though these will only be visible from close up). Created only recently, it was a gift from a young alchemist to his brother, who owned the family farm and had supported him through school. The design was fairly simple to make and rather innocuous in use, so it was widely disseminated in the East, and has now found its way across the continent, and is available from most alchemists (though usually must be special ordered, as it is too expensive for the common farmer, and beneath the notice of the usual customers of alchemists).

The device is imbued with a very simple intelligence (IQ 5), that is focused towards a particular person's land (that person's name, a piece of hair, or a similar connection must be included in the device), and its sole purpose is to improve the quality of his harvest. Towards that end, it has several magical abilities that it can use, though they are very focused in their use.

Resist Cold (Once a week, protecting crops from snap freezes)

Protection From Energy (all lightning strikes, even magical ones, on the protected property are redirected to harmlessly hit the weathercock)

The abilities of a Summon Elemental Forces circle, but directed by a very simple and benign intelligence.

Cost to make: 400gp

Cost to buy: 1000gp

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Campaign Uses

1) While in combat, none of either side's Call Lightning spells will hit anybody... it turns out that its because someone has one of these set up about half a mile away, and all the spells are being diverted to there.

2) One of these goes berserk, and using all of those summoning circle abilities to completely trash the surrounding country side.... can you imagine having to fight an idiot who is practically invincible and controls the weather?

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Healing Spells for Wizards [3e WD&D]

The Healer's Grimoire

Back in late November/early December of 2000, I got into a very large argument on the WotC message boards; specifically, RPG.DnD.Core_PH.Spells, about wizards and healing magics. I maintained that Arcane magic was just as capable of healing as Divine magic, cited several examples, and expected the rest of the world to bask in my brilliance. I won't rehash the arguments here, but let it suffice to say that I was largely shouted down. People, for some reason, were unwilling to give wizards Cure Light Wounds and related spells.

The arguments, however, did produce some useful results: a set of several Wizardly healing spells, operating on slightly different principles from the WotC usual "infusion of Positive Energy bolsters your life force." I came up with most of these based on the arguments placed against me, others by stealing from Ars Magica, and a few from simply extrapolating a combination of magic and medieval medicine. So, here are a few spells that can be added to wizardly grimoires, to provide a few more options for the masters of magic.

Scouring the Old Website

So, I remembered that I used to actively maintain a website, with hand-coded HTML, that I've had since college... 20+ years now, still hosted by a friend. For my own amusement, I've gathered a few of the articles off that page and will be reposting them here. Some, I may update to new editions or rules, but I'll try to post them "pure", as well. They won't be tagged in any special way; this is just to explain to people who have been following my blog why a whole bunch of old shit just got posted.

Mandalorian Armor and its Stages [d6 Star Wars]

"Mandalorian Armor" covers a variety of different concepts. At its core, it is battle armor with distinctive styling, most notably the T-shaped visor on the full blast helmet, usually paired with a cuirass, pauldrons, vambraces or gauntlets, boots, and cuisse (thigh protectors). Ideally, this armor will be made of beskar, but that has become rare and valuable, and so relatively few suits will be made out of the metal. Such suits are usually unpowered, but may mount a variety of accessories and built-in weapons, according to the tastes and credit balance of the individual Mandalorian.

"Beginner" Mandalorian Armor is a blast helmet and a blast suit; approximately 800 credits, it provides +1D protection against physical attacks, and +1 against energy, while providing coverage to the entire body. This version lacks significant plating (there is no cuirass, but densiplast strips are used to deflect blows). The suit is typically about 800 credits.

A full suit of Mandalorian armor (with a cuirass, pauldrons, vambraces, and greaves made of densiplast or similar common materials, layered over the traditional blast suit) protects the head, torso, arms, and legs, and provides +2D protection against physical attacks and +1D against energy attacks, and provides no dexterity penalties. It costs 1500 credits for a full suit, plus 500 credits for the underlying blast suit; a helmet can be had for approximately 500 credits.

Beskar is a particularly rare metal, smelted by Mandalorian metallurgists, which greatly increases the protection of armor. Any part of the body with beskar plating increases to +4D v. Physical and +3D v. energy. It is beyond price.

This looks workable, and is line with a lot from the Holocron. The "Beginner" suit is just a Blast Helmet and Blast Vest, with another 200 credits on the blast vest to account for it covering the full body. The "full suit" is about three times the cost of Cresh Luck Armor (q.v.), without even including the underlying blast suit. The helmet is, obviously, a separate thing; you can't just layer things on to a blast helmet and get a better helmet. As for the stats of beskar? I compared Boba and Jango Fett's armor to Jodo Kast's armor.

Gnome Titans Revisited [Hackmaster]

I think the gnome titan race got the short end of the stick, design-wise... that 10% XP penalty is a doozy... so I made a couple changes to the standard Gnome Titan to bring them up to speed, as it were; two bonus skill purchases, one more cheap talent, and a change if they roll for a quirk/flaw.I still think the 10% XP penalty is a doozy, though. 

Gnome Titans at a Glance
Ability adjustments
-1 Strength
+2 Constitution
-1 Charisma

Gnome Titan Pros
*Considered size Large for knock-back purposes when fighting giants and giant-kin (trolls, ettins, Cyclopes, bugbears, grevans, gnoles and ogres); gain additional +6 Defense bonus versus giants, ogres and trolls
*Gain the Attack Bonus of next higher level in class (i.e. a 1st level Gnome Titan uses the Attack Bonus of a 2nd level Fighter)
*Low light vision
*+4 defense bonus
*+1 Attack bonus vs. Goblins and Kobolds
*Groin Stomp proficiency
*One free purchase of Resist Persuasion and Intimidation

Gnome Titan Cons
*Poor reach (effective weapon reach is -1 foot)
*Character’s native language is Gnomish (must purchase any additional languages)
*Size small with regard to HPs (i.e. 5 hp + CON + class roll)
*Size small for knock-backs
*Due to their stature, gnome titans move at only half the rate of humans
*Inappropriate Sense of Humor Quirk
*Only earn 90% of any experience points awarded

Preferential talent access
May purchase the following Talents at 50% BP cost
Attack Bonus, Damage Bonus, Parry Bonus or Swiftblade (only for short swords or Warhammers), One-Upmanship

Altered Quirk/Flaw Table
A gnome titan who rolls the Quirk “Coward” may choose to forgo that quirk, and instead take the flaw Myopia, gaining the usual BP for that flaw.

Class Costs
Fighter: 20 

Fighter/Thief: 30 

Thief: 40 

Assassin: 50 

Fighter/Mage: 50 

Ranger: 50 

Rogue: 55 

Mage/Thief: 60 

Cleric: 75 (Serabal/Old Man 50, Klarrbapo/Powermaster 60)

Mage: 75 

Barbarian: n/a

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Rationale: Gnome Titans are supposed to be stubborn and fighty; Resist Persuasion and Intimidation are in line with that. A combination of their martial training and emphasis on Honor means that One-upsmanship should be natural for them. Lastly, few gnome titans will be cowards, but most gnomes have Myopia. Since the gnome titan subrace is only a couple generations old, this makes it very unlikely that a gnome titan will be a coward, but a lot more likely they'll have vision problems.