Tales of the Scarecrow - Revision history

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1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Books */

2020-04-21T21:47:50Z

The Books

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:47, 21 April 2020
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	===The Books===		===The Books===

	The first book, ''Malleus Deus'', is a top-secret tome, known to every magic-user and cleric in the world as something that rends order and understanding from the world. It contains a huge array of spells, which magic-users can learn, and all but one of them of each level is actually a cleric spell~~, only a cleric spell~~ a magic-user can cast. If a magic-user learns such a spell from the tome, and uses it in the presence of a cleric who notices what it is and what they have done, that cleric must save vs. magic or lose the ability to cast that spell ever again. If ~~it's~~ of a higher level than the cleric can currently cast, they lose the ability to ''~~ever~~'' ~~cast~~ cleric spells ~~of any kind~~ again. And if they describe what happened to another cleric, ''that'' cleric must save or lose that spell / all spells. Probably as close to the typical "fuck you for trying" as we get.		The first book, ''Malleus Deus'', is a top-secret tome, known to every magic-user and cleric in the world as something that rends order and understanding from the world. It contains a huge array of spells, which magic-users can learn, and all but one of them of each level is actually a cleric spell that a magic-user can learn and cast. If a magic-user learns such a spell from the tome and uses it in the presence of a cleric who notices what it is and what they have done, that cleric must save vs. magic or lose the ability to cast that spell ever again. If they fail this save for a spell of a higher level than the cleric can currently cast, they lose the ability to cast ''any'' cleric spells ever again. And if they describe what happened to another cleric, ''that'' cleric must save or lose that spell / all spells. Probably as close to the typical "fuck you for trying" as we get.

	Because of the potential of this book to unmake all clerical magic forever, every religious organization in the world has pegged owning, or even being aware of the existence of a copy of this book as a capital crime, worth any amount of horror, expense, and collateral damage to find and destroy or contain. The best thing to do, is just to leave it where it is and never mention it again... but, well, while both cleric and magic-user players know the insane lengths the authorities will go to to get rid of it, they don't actually know what it does, do they? And Richard, who knows not what he's found, paid a handsome sum for it and wants to bring it back to his mystery buyer...		Because of the potential of this book to unmake all clerical magic forever, every religious organization in the world has pegged owning, or even being aware of the existence of a copy of this book as a capital crime, worth any amount of horror, expense, and collateral damage to find and destroy or contain. The best thing to do is just to leave it where it is and never mention it again... but, well, while both cleric and magic-user players know the insane lengths the authorities will go to to get rid of it, they don't actually know what it does without experimenting, do they? And Richard, who knows not what he's found, paid a handsome sum for it and wants to bring it back to his mystery buyer...

	The second book, ''Tales of the Scarecrow'', kicks off the game mechanic that gives this module its name. The GM / Referee stops the game, explains that it is an anthology of spooky folklore stories about scarecrows, and then lays out the mechanics of what's going to happen next. Each player will, secretly and without collaboration, propose what powers or abilities the scarecrow will have, and in the end, the most-dangerous one will receive a random experience point reward (potentially meaning they gambled giving it some deadly power for a naff payout). Said dangerous set of powers and abilities will then become true. The game recommends transparency on this point, and further lays out that it doesn't ''just'' have to be the scarecrow, but could be something to do with the cornfield or the area inside it. It also points out that such proposals should work within the context of a book of spooky tales, and not single out individual other PCs or classes for punishment.		The second book, ''Tales of the Scarecrow'', kicks off the game mechanic that gives this module its name. The GM / Referee stops the game, explains that it is an anthology of spooky folklore stories about scarecrows, and then lays out the mechanics of what's going to happen next. Each player will, secretly and without collaboration, propose what powers or abilities the scarecrow will have, and in the end, the most-dangerous one will receive a random experience point reward (potentially meaning they gambled giving it some deadly power for a naff payout). Said dangerous set of powers and abilities will then become true. The game recommends transparency on this point, and further lays out that it doesn't ''just'' have to be the scarecrow, but could be something to do with the cornfield or the area inside it. It also points out that such proposals should work within the context of a book of spooky tales, and not single out individual other PCs or classes for punishment.

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Farmhouse */

2020-04-21T21:45:03Z

The Farmhouse

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:45, 21 April 2020
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	===The Farmhouse===		===The Farmhouse===

	The outside of the farmhouse has a pump that produces disgusting, thick water. If drunk, the drinker is infested with parasites, which first make them require twice as much nourishment each day, and then, after two weeks, start showing up in their urine (ew) and sap 1d3 points from a physical [[Ability Score]]. Again, surprisingly, given the author's prior work, it ''can'' be fought off by a player's immune system, but failure to do so makes these losses permanent. There're also a lot of dead and eaten horses lying around, riddled with puncture wounds from the tentacles, ~~containing~~ a bill of sale for Richard Fox, which is supposed to somehow tie this module into an existing campaign.		The outside of the farmhouse has a pump that produces disgusting, thick water. If drunk, the drinker is infested with parasites, which first make them require twice as much nourishment each day, and then, after two weeks, start showing up in their urine (ew) and sap 1d3 points from a physical [[Ability Score]]. Again, surprisingly, given the author's prior work, it ''can'' be fought off by a player's immune system, but failure to do so makes these losses permanent. There're also a lot of dead and eaten horses lying around, riddled with puncture wounds from the tentacles, whose saddle bags contain a bill of sale for Richard Fox, which is supposed to somehow tie this module into an existing campaign.

	Inside, there's a lot of dilapidated furniture, two corpses, and a single living man. This man, Richard Fox, has, naturally, given the author, resorted to cannibalism to scrape by, but only after his friends all died from natural causes, and is otherwise a surprisingly decent person, if obviously rattled by his experience and desperate for food and water. If given provisions, he admits to being wealthy, and offers to pay a reward if they can somehow escape. He also admits to having purchased a number of magic items nearby, though he doesn't know what they do, and while he won't pick a fight while trapped by murder-corn, he will press legal charges if the PCs steal any of the cool magic items he paid handsomely for. He is also, surprisingly, a friend to the end, and will attack the PCs or attempt to undermine their efforts to escape, no matter the consequences to himself, if they try to loot or desecrate the bodies of his dead friends.		Inside, there's a lot of dilapidated furniture, two corpses, and a single living man. This man, Richard Fox, has, naturally, given the author, resorted to cannibalism to scrape by, but only after his friends all died from natural causes, and is otherwise a surprisingly decent person, if obviously rattled by his experience and desperate for food and water. If given provisions, he admits to being wealthy, and offers to pay a reward if they can somehow escape. He also admits to having purchased a number of magic items nearby, though he doesn't know what they do, and while he won't pick a fight while trapped by murder-corn, he will press legal charges if the PCs steal any of the cool magic items he paid handsomely for. He is also, equally surprisingly, a friend to the end, and will attack the PCs or attempt to undermine their efforts to escape, no matter the consequences to himself, if they try to loot or desecrate the bodies of his dead friends.

	Both friends ''do'' have a lot of valuable swag on them, and one of them was a thief, unbeknownst to his friends, who'd swallowed his ill-gotten gains - though how the PCs are supposed to figure that out from the fact that he's chipped a tooth on a gold piece is beyond the scope of this article, to say nothing of opening him up like a freshly caught trout in front of his traumatized buddy to get at the loot in his guts. There's also a valuable harpsichord in the farmhouse, inexplicably untouched by time and the elements. It's worth a lot, and while a skilled player plays it, the tentacle monster won't attack, so it ''can'' theoretically be a way out... but, again, how the players are supposed to figure that out is unknown. ''Especially'' since, if an ''unskilled'' player plays that harp, it whips the monster into a frenzy instead, giving it extra attacks.		Both friends ''do'' have a lot of valuable swag on them, and one of them was a thief, unbeknownst to his friends, who'd swallowed his ill-gotten gains - though how the PCs are supposed to figure that out from the fact that he's chipped a tooth on a gold piece is beyond the scope of this article, to say nothing of opening him up like a freshly caught trout in front of his traumatized buddy to get at the loot in his guts. There's also a valuable harpsichord in the farmhouse, inexplicably untouched by time and the elements. It's worth a lot, and while a skilled player plays it, the tentacle monster won't attack, so it ''can'' theoretically be a way out... but, again, how the players are supposed to figure that out is unknown. ''Especially'' since, if an ''unskilled'' player plays that harp, it whips the monster into a frenzy instead, giving it extra attacks.

	In addition to a couple of books, Richard Fox's magical swag includes a neat magic sword that hits all foes as if they were armor class 14, but on a total attack roll of 16 or 17 hits a random other target instead, rerolling the damage on such a strike and "banking" it until the next attack if no other targets are in range. The book, with uncharacteristic generosity, describes a few ways which players can turn this to their advantage without ordering the GM to punish their creativity. That said, again, taking it means robbing ol' Richard, who won't be crazy about it after paying a fortune for this sword and those books.		In addition to a couple of books, Richard Fox's magical swag includes a neat magic sword that hits all foes as if they were armor class 14, but on a total attack roll of 16 or 17 hits a random other target instead, rerolling the damage on such a strike and "banking" it until the next attack if no other targets are in range. The book, with uncharacteristic generosity, describes a few ways which players can turn this to their advantage without ordering the GM to punish their creativity. That said, again, taking it means robbing ol' Richard, who won't be crazy about having his magical swag swiped after paying a fortune for this sword and those books.

	You know, so far, while unnecessarily cruel and weird, this module's almost been tame, by Raggi standards. Maybe ol' James is mellowing out a little?		You know, so far, while unnecessarily cruel and weird, this module's almost been tame, by Raggi standards. Maybe ol' James is mellowing out a little?

1d4chan>LGX-000 at 22:26, 24 July 2019

2019-07-24T22:26:49Z

Show changes

1d4chan>LGX-000 at 22:23, 24 July 2019

2019-07-24T22:23:30Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:23, 24 July 2019
Line 37:		Line 37:
	Inside, there's a lot of dilapidated furniture, two corpses, and a single living man. This man, Richard Fox, has, naturally, given the author, resorted to cannibalism to scrape by, but only after his friends all died from natural causes, and is otherwise a surprisingly decent person, if obviously rattled by his experience and desperate for food and water. If given provisions, he admits to being wealthy, and offers to pay a reward if they can somehow escape. He also admits to having purchased a number of magic items nearby, though he doesn't know what they do, and while he won't pick a fight while trapped by murder-corn, he will press legal charges if the PCs steal any of the cool magic items he paid handsomely for. He is also, surprisingly, a friend to the end, and will attack the PCs or attempt to undermine their efforts to escape, no matter the consequences to himself, if they try to loot or desecrate the bodies of his dead friends.		Inside, there's a lot of dilapidated furniture, two corpses, and a single living man. This man, Richard Fox, has, naturally, given the author, resorted to cannibalism to scrape by, but only after his friends all died from natural causes, and is otherwise a surprisingly decent person, if obviously rattled by his experience and desperate for food and water. If given provisions, he admits to being wealthy, and offers to pay a reward if they can somehow escape. He also admits to having purchased a number of magic items nearby, though he doesn't know what they do, and while he won't pick a fight while trapped by murder-corn, he will press legal charges if the PCs steal any of the cool magic items he paid handsomely for. He is also, surprisingly, a friend to the end, and will attack the PCs or attempt to undermine their efforts to escape, no matter the consequences to himself, if they try to loot or desecrate the bodies of his dead friends.

	Both friends ''do'' have a lot of valuable swag on them (and one of them was a thief, unbeknownst to his friends, who'd swallowed his ill-gotten gains, though how the PCs are supposed to figure that out from the fact that he's chipped a tooth on a gold piece is beyond the scope of this article, to say nothing of opening him up like a ~~fish~~ in front of his traumatized buddy to get at the loot in his guts~~), and there~~'s also a valuable harpsichord in the farmhouse, inexplicably untouched by time and the elements. It's worth a lot, and while a skilled player plays it, the tentacle monster won't attack, so it ''can'' theoretically be a way out... but, again, how the players are supposed to figure that out is unknown. Especially since if an ''unskilled'' player plays it, it whips the monster into a frenzy instead, giving it extra attacks.		Both friends ''do'' have a lot of valuable swag on them, and one of them was a thief, unbeknownst to his friends, who'd swallowed his ill-gotten gains - though how the PCs are supposed to figure that out from the fact that he's chipped a tooth on a gold piece is beyond the scope of this article, to say nothing of opening him up like a freshly caught trout in front of his traumatized buddy to get at the loot in his guts. There's also a valuable harpsichord in the farmhouse, inexplicably untouched by time and the elements. It's worth a lot, and while a skilled player plays it, the tentacle monster won't attack, so it ''can'' theoretically be a way out... but, again, how the players are supposed to figure that out is unknown. ''Especially'' since, if an ''unskilled'' player plays that harp, it whips the monster into a frenzy instead, giving it extra attacks.

	In addition to a couple of books, Richard Fox's magical swag includes a neat magic sword that hits all foes as if they were armor class 14, but on a total attack roll of 16 or 17 hits a random other target instead, rerolling the damage on such a strike and "banking" it until the next attack if no other targets are in range. The book, with uncharacteristic generosity, describes a few ways which players can turn this to their advantage without ordering the GM to punish their creativity. That said, again, taking it means robbing ol' Richard, who won't be crazy about it after paying a fortune for this sword and those books.		In addition to a couple of books, Richard Fox's magical swag includes a neat magic sword that hits all foes as if they were armor class 14, but on a total attack roll of 16 or 17 hits a random other target instead, rerolling the damage on such a strike and "banking" it until the next attack if no other targets are in range. The book, with uncharacteristic generosity, describes a few ways which players can turn this to their advantage without ordering the GM to punish their creativity. That said, again, taking it means robbing ol' Richard, who won't be crazy about it after paying a fortune for this sword and those books.

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Setup */

2019-07-24T21:40:44Z

The Setup

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:40, 24 July 2019
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	===The Trap===		===The Trap===
			{{Spoilers}}


	So, turns out, there's a monster under that thar cornfield. It obeys a ridiculously-specific set of rules which essentially boil down to "attacking anyone who isn't in the clear circle around the house, within 20' of the scarecrow, or actively walking from the outside of the cornfield to the center." Also, it allegedly attacks anyone it can perceive, and somehow can only perceive people who're standing still or walking away from its center, but ''also'' knows when they get to the center and closes the "corridor" through the corn when they arrive. And the corn is so densely packed that anyone trying to pass through it moves at 3/4 speed, and while it ''can'' be cut down or blown apart with magic or gunpowder, it grows back within minutes.		So, turns out, there's a monster under that thar cornfield. It obeys a ridiculously-specific set of rules which essentially boil down to "attacking anyone who isn't in the clear circle around the house, within 20' of the scarecrow, or actively walking from the outside of the cornfield to the center." Also, it allegedly attacks anyone it can perceive, and somehow can only perceive people who're standing still or walking away from its center, but ''also'' knows when they get to the center and closes the "corridor" through the corn when they arrive. And the corn is so densely packed that anyone trying to pass through it moves at 3/4 speed, and while it ''can'' be cut down or blown apart with magic or gunpowder, it grows back within minutes.

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Books */

2019-07-24T21:31:17Z

The Books

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:31, 24 July 2019
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	The first book, ''Malleus Deus'', is a top-secret tome, known to every magic-user and cleric in the world as something that rends order and understanding from the world. It contains a huge array of spells, which magic-users can learn, and all but one of them of each level is actually a cleric spell, only a cleric spell a magic-user can cast. If a magic-user learns such a spell from the tome, and uses it in the presence of a cleric who notices what it is and what they have done, that cleric must save vs. magic or lose the ability to cast that spell ever again. If it's of a higher level than the cleric can currently cast, they lose the ability to ''ever'' cast cleric spells of any kind again. And if they describe what happened to another cleric, ''that'' cleric must save or lose that spell / all spells.		The first book, ''Malleus Deus'', is a top-secret tome, known to every magic-user and cleric in the world as something that rends order and understanding from the world. It contains a huge array of spells, which magic-users can learn, and all but one of them of each level is actually a cleric spell, only a cleric spell a magic-user can cast. If a magic-user learns such a spell from the tome, and uses it in the presence of a cleric who notices what it is and what they have done, that cleric must save vs. magic or lose the ability to cast that spell ever again. If it's of a higher level than the cleric can currently cast, they lose the ability to ''ever'' cast cleric spells of any kind again. And if they describe what happened to another cleric, ''that'' cleric must save or lose that spell / all spells.

	Because of the potential of this book to unmake all clerical magic forever, every religious organization in the world has pegged owning, or even being aware of the existence of a copy of this book as a capital crime, worth any amount of horror and ~~expense~~ to find and destroy or contain. The best thing to do, is just to leave it where it is and never mention it again... but, well, while both cleric and magic-user players know the insane lengths the authorities will go to to get rid of it, they don't actually know what it does, do they?		Because of the potential of this book to unmake all clerical magic forever, every religious organization in the world has pegged owning, or even being aware of the existence of a copy of this book as a capital crime, worth any amount of horror, expense, and collateral damage to find and destroy or contain. The best thing to do, is just to leave it where it is and never mention it again... but, well, while both cleric and magic-user players know the insane lengths the authorities will go to to get rid of it, they don't actually know what it does, do they? And Richard, who knows not what he's found, paid a handsome sum for it and wants to bring it back to his mystery buyer...

	The second book, ''Tales of the Scarecrow'', kicks off the game mechanic that ~~makes~~ this module its name. The GM / Referee stops the game, explains that it is an anthology of spooky folklore stories about scarecrows, and then lays out the mechanics of what's going to happen next. Each ~~of them~~ will, secretly and without collaboration, propose what powers or abilities the scarecrow will have, and in the end, the most-dangerous one will receive a random experience point reward (potentially meaning they gambled giving it some deadly power for a naff payout). Said dangerous set of powers and abilities will then become true. The game recommends transparency on this point, and further lays out that it doesn't ''just'' have to be the scarecrow, but could be something to do with the cornfield or the area inside it. It also points out that such proposals should work within the context of a book of spooky tales, and not single out individual other PCs for punishment.		The second book, ''Tales of the Scarecrow'', kicks off the game mechanic that gives this module its name. The GM / Referee stops the game, explains that it is an anthology of spooky folklore stories about scarecrows, and then lays out the mechanics of what's going to happen next. Each player will, secretly and without collaboration, propose what powers or abilities the scarecrow will have, and in the end, the most-dangerous one will receive a random experience point reward (potentially meaning they gambled giving it some deadly power for a naff payout). Said dangerous set of powers and abilities will then become true. The game recommends transparency on this point, and further lays out that it doesn't ''just'' have to be the scarecrow, but could be something to do with the cornfield or the area inside it. It also points out that such proposals should work within the context of a book of spooky tales, and not single out individual other PCs or classes for punishment.

	The module then ends, with the party still stranded in a house surrounded by a cornfield full of hungry tentacles, having dropped an incredibly-important world-shattering artifact into the players' laps and instructed them to play chicken with one another and the GM regarding how hard they want to be fucked, and with how much lube.		The module then ends, with the party still stranded in a house surrounded by a cornfield full of hungry tentacles, having dropped an incredibly-important world-shattering artifact into the players' laps and instructed them to play chicken with one another and the GM regarding how hard they want to be fucked, and with how much lube.

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Books */

2019-07-24T21:27:32Z

The Books

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:27, 24 July 2019
Line 50:		Line 50:

	The second book, ''Tales of the Scarecrow'', kicks off the game mechanic that makes this module its name. The GM / Referee stops the game, explains that it is an anthology of spooky folklore stories about scarecrows, and then lays out the mechanics of what's going to happen next. Each of them will, secretly and without collaboration, propose what powers or abilities the scarecrow will have, and in the end, the most-dangerous one will receive a random experience point reward (potentially meaning they gambled giving it some deadly power for a naff payout). Said dangerous set of powers and abilities will then become true. The game recommends transparency on this point, and further lays out that it doesn't ''just'' have to be the scarecrow, but could be something to do with the cornfield or the area inside it. It also points out that such proposals should work within the context of a book of spooky tales, and not single out individual other PCs for punishment.		The second book, ''Tales of the Scarecrow'', kicks off the game mechanic that makes this module its name. The GM / Referee stops the game, explains that it is an anthology of spooky folklore stories about scarecrows, and then lays out the mechanics of what's going to happen next. Each of them will, secretly and without collaboration, propose what powers or abilities the scarecrow will have, and in the end, the most-dangerous one will receive a random experience point reward (potentially meaning they gambled giving it some deadly power for a naff payout). Said dangerous set of powers and abilities will then become true. The game recommends transparency on this point, and further lays out that it doesn't ''just'' have to be the scarecrow, but could be something to do with the cornfield or the area inside it. It also points out that such proposals should work within the context of a book of spooky tales, and not single out individual other PCs for punishment.

			The module then ends, with the party still stranded in a house surrounded by a cornfield full of hungry tentacles, having dropped an incredibly-important world-shattering artifact into the players' laps and instructed them to play chicken with one another and the GM regarding how hard they want to be fucked, and with how much lube.

	==Conclusion==		==Conclusion==

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* Conclusion */

2019-07-24T21:25:31Z

Conclusion

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:25, 24 July 2019
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	==Conclusion==		==Conclusion==

	On the whole, this module is a bit of a mess. It presents a situation that's a ridiculous contrivance and more of an exercise in putting together a meat-grinder trap to slaughter PCs than anything sensible; most of the treasure is ~~either~~ gated behind common decency and/or will only be found by doing horrible things for no reason; most of the "escape hatches" are obtuse and weird; and it throws a magical item an entire campaign could be based around in as an ''afterthought''.		On the whole, this module is a bit of a mess. It presents a situation that's a ridiculous contrivance and more of an exercise in putting together a meat-grinder trap to slaughter PCs than anything sensible; most of the treasure is gated behind common decency and/or will only be found by doing horrible things for no reason; most of the "escape hatches" are obtuse and weird; and it throws a magical item an entire campaign could be based around in as an ''afterthought''.

	In other words, it's probably one of the better modules James Raggi's ever written.		In other words, it's probably one of the better modules James Raggi's ever written.

	Seriously, while the ''situation'' is pure dick, and occasionally confusing, the advice it gives the GM / Referee, outside of instructing them to entice their players into the deathtrap of a cornfield and the weirdness involving examining the scarecrow, mostly revolves around transparency and respect, and the times it tells them to fuck with the players are in situations where said players richly-deserve to be fucked with. ("Just not noticing" that the magic-user is throwing around cleric spells; are you shitting me?) And it tones down many of his worse impulses by, for example, making the poisoned corn and parasites potentially detectable and less lethal than they could be, or making the corn grow back in minutes rather than seconds so a party could blow and chop their way out with the right tools and spells.		Seriously, while the ''situation'' is pure dick, and occasionally confusing, the advice it gives the GM / Referee, outside of instructing them to entice their players into the deathtrap of a cornfield and the weirdness involving examining the scarecrow, mostly revolves around transparency and respect, and the times it tells them to fuck with the players are in situations where said players richly-deserve to be fucked with. ("Just not noticing" that the magic-user is throwing around cleric spells; are you shitting me?) And it tones down many of his worse impulses by, for example, making the poisoned corn and parasites potentially detectable and less lethal than they could be, or making the corn grow back in minutes rather than seconds so a party could blow and chop their way out with the right tools and spells. It even gives the GM some tips on ways players might manipulate the downsides of one of the magic items it has lying around to their benefit ''without'' ordering they be punished for their clever thinking.

	And while that "design the finale" bit isn't perfect (as presented, it works only on a meta, not an in-game level), it's not a terrible idea on paper, [[Wraith: The Oblivion\|in a "pick which fist I hit you with and how hard" kind of way]].		And while that "design the finale" bit isn't perfect (as presented, it works only on a meta, not an in-game level), it's not a terrible idea on paper, [[Wraith: The Oblivion\|in a "pick which fist I hit you with and how hard" kind of way]].