Horrorscapes [The Vault #19]

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Dream vistas twisted by alien intelligences of frightening power. Environs out of Nightmare. Lands inimical to the continued life of thinking races. All these and more dwell in the provinces of the Horrors. Many have been catalogued by brave and foolhardy wizards. Some have only been spoken of during palaver with the Fae and the shades of the Dead. Few have been survived. The Codex of ibn Al-Kazad relates twenty such locations:

1. _Cloud Castle_ (#CC) Large, black, and ominous... > Perception :ranged: :roll:s must be made each cycle around the table. Failure means the :adventurer: falls through a thinness in the cloudfloor or wall, suffering 3 hp of damage OR 1 Persona loss.

2. _Deathlight Spire_ (#DSpire) The darkness beaming from it's pinnacle steals the minds from all things it touches. You watch a flock of birds cease their flight and plummet... > Approaching the Spire is difficult and must be done between the cycling of the deathlight. An athletics :melee: check of 13+ is required or 1 Persona is lost. If Persona hits minimum the mind of the :adventurer: is stolen by the light, as their body crumples into coma.

3. _Crystal Caverns_ (#CCaverns) Stalagmites as large as humans litter the floor. Twisted simulacrums of the adventurers leer from their surfaces. > On a failed Persona check a simulacrum of the victim leaps from the crystal. It has half the hp of the :adventurer: and uses 1 ability drawn at random from the type(s) known by the :adventurer:.

4. _Spore Halls_ (#Spore) A long corridor covered in fungal blooms. > Make a Perception :ranged: check. For every multiple of 5 draw 1 :magic mushroom: encounter cards. They take -1 damage and deal +1 damage while in the Hall.

5. _The Writhing Plains_ (#WPlains) Spoken of by the surviving members of The Shining Band before they were committed to an asylum. They related a tale of a farmer's field, covered not in stalks of corn, but in grasping tentacles. > Passage through the plains requires 3 successful Athletics :melee: checks of 10+. Each failure results in loss of 1 Loot OR 2 hp.

6. _Sucking Sands_ (#SSands) Stand still for any length of time and you're dead. It is as though something follows beneath the sands, but at a pace just slower than one can walk. > Traversing the sands requires 3 successful Endurance :melee: or :music: checks of 8+. Failure results in being sucked below the sands for 4 hp damage and combat with a foul horror.

7. _Hairy Hole_ (#HH) The Devil's Navel, some call it. It quivers at your touch, but you see not what lies below. > Make a Persona :roll: of 11+. On failure you're compelled to enter and lose 1 Persona. On success it belches forth 1 random Loot item.

8. _The House of Hieronymous_ (#SHouse) A vast shell, large as a small castle, now vacant. Lesser creatures live inside it now... >

9. _Serpentskin Tunnel_ (#SS) You realize you're not in a tunnel adorned with glistening mosaic walls. Rather, this is the molted skin of a vast, dread serpent! > Make a Persona check or enter a trance induced by the glittering scales. Suffer -3 to all checks until you take damage. If combat is initiated, entranced :adventurer: s must attack another adventurer on the first round.

10. _Dreadhome_ (#Dhome) An immense cube floating in the sky. Every few decades cyclopean stones move and shift along its surface. Sometimes things exit to bedevil the world, or plummet to gory and enigmatic deaths. > On the approach to the Cube, make a Notice :roll: of 9+. On a failure, you are attacked by 2 :nightgaunts: for each person who failed the :roll:. On a 1, the :adventurer: is also struck by a falling body (or flying body parts from impact) for 3 hp damage.

11. _Incubation Plain_ (#IPlain) Barren plains scorched by sun and salt crystals, hatched eggs as tall as two and three story houses litter the flats. One remains, surrounded by a tentscape of adoring cultists. A ritual is about to take place atop "the One". > If the :adventurers cannot stop the 5 :Acolytes: from completing the ritual in 5 rounds, a :Cthulhi: comes forth.

12. _The Sloar!_ (#Sloar) It's not a smoking cavern. It's the belly of a terrible beast. Like the Keymaster said, "Many shubs and zools knew what it was like to be roasted in the depths of the Sloar that day, I can tell you!" > Every round in the Sloar one suffers 1 hp of damage. Two successful Climb :melee: checks of 11+ must be made to escape back up it's gullet.

13. _Horror Flats_ (#HFlats) The flat landscape is pocked with holes the size of wagons. Gore lingers at the edges of some. Something came from below... > Whatever foe you encounter while traversing the Flats gets a free attack against the adventurers (resolve no abilities the first round).

14. _HellMist Hall_ (#HMHall) A venerable manor, shrouded in mists without and within. Where are they coming from? Why won't daylight dissipate them? Why do you feel so...odd? > The mists distort :music: abilities. Failure on their :roll: is treated as a "1" :roll: instead.

15. _The ShieldWall_ (#SWall) It stands higher and thicker than a skyscraper. What was it meant to keep out? Luckily the lifts still work...for now.

16. _The Annihilation Arch_ (#Arch) Majestic and horrific at once, sacrifices are thrown from it into the mouth of a vast, sleeping terror far below. If it could be held against it's fanatical worshipers, the terror below might be starved to death...

17. _Webwoods_ (#WebW) If only those that spun them were spiders... > Any :roll: of 5, 10, or 15 results in the adventurer being ensnared in a web. Next round they take 1 extra hp in damage and suffer -3 to ability rolls.

18. _The Voidswamp_ (#Void) An unnatural vacuum above the swampy surface makes all breathing impossible. > No sound travels in the void. :Music: abilities do not function here, and :magic: abilities suffer -3 to rolls.

19. _The Trackless Dream_ (#Dream) In this place all objects return to their prior form. Nothing inanimate can be truly destroyed here. > Any :loot: spent or destroyed mysteriously re-forms two rounds later.

20. _The Quaking Caverns_ (#QCaverns) They are constantly moving and shifting, perpetually threatening to bury anyone traveling through them. > Two Perception :ranged: checks and two Athletics :melee: checks of 9+ are required to come out of the caverns. Each time a Perception :ranged: check is failed the adventurer who failed is separated from the party and must fight a Tier I Encounter card. Each time an Athletics :melee: check is failed, the adventurer suffers 2 hp damage from moving walls and falling stone.

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Lovecraftian Lyricism [The Forge #8]

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"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." --H.P. Lovecraft, "Supernatural Horror in Literature"

What are the elements of Horror or Mystery? How does one distill the essence of the genre and infuse it into a crafted Quest? This week we're not going to spend time with scripting in the Quest Crafter, but on the techniques that endow your story with the aesthetics of Horror.

Should you wish to see a detailed examination of all the elements, I strongly recommend reading the entire 30 page essay from one of the masters himself.  I hyperlinked Lovecraft's article above ("Supernatural Horror in Literature"). 

But if you want the footnoted version, I shall endeavor to abbreviate some of his insights below. Incidentally, focusing on many of these suggestions will improve non-horror stories as well. 

1. Keep Secrets. Secrets create tension. Secrets beg to be discovered. They wait like a treasure chest, just asking to have their locks sprung. All quests should have a secret. The best have a secret with a twist (I prefer moral twists). For example, "commoners" have hired the adventurers to destroy a nest of zombies outside of town. What they haven't revealed is the zombies are actually protecting the townsfolk from them, for they are secretly bandits wishing to prey on the town.

2. Use Suspense & Foreshadowing. Hint at the dark terrors that may await, but use a light touch. This is the most difficult thing to do in many stories, and spoiling things early on will certainly do much to ruin the mood. To do this well almost requires you to psych yourself out. Even better, hint at more, but don't reveal the totality of secret. Create fragments of history. Leave gaps in the puzzle for players to fill from their own imaginations. Consider leaving certain questions unanswered completely (at least in your first "episode"). Fortunately a Quest need not be linear...each and every possible outcome and terror can be a possible path and ending. For example, in my quest "Dark Gifts" (Worldbreaker #2) player choices determine who the real kingslayers are...the identity of the villains is not set in stone, but determined by player choices, and *SPOILERS* even allows for a party member to be the assassin. This leads to the next point.

3. Create False Trails. Make false allies. Make false enemies. Twist things. You might even allow the adventurer(s) to choose to be the villain, but never force adventurers to be evil (remember, we have kids playing with their parents).

4. Make the Adventurers' fears mirror those of Players. The best Horror connects us with the characters in the story either because we associate with the personalities of the protagonists or the fears addressed resonate with universal human fears. Visual horror can appeal to instinctual biological impulses (jump scares, creepy images or sounds). Written horror must appeal to psychological fears. Social Alienation. Damnation. Meaninglessness of personal actions or efforts (or existence itself--though a well grounded person will find such suggestions empty and uncompelling). Poverty. The best horror or suspense imparts us with a sense that our actions DO matter, but that we ever teeter on the brink of failure, and a poor choice will result in disaster.

5. Set Atmosphere. Make Places into People. Look at how Stephen King perpetually personifies the inanimate in his works. The Dome is intelligent. Black House is capable of motion and intent. The Dark Tower looms throughout a series of novels like a monolithic foe. In the aforementioned and linked essay, Lovecraft wrote, "Atmosphere is the all-important thing, for the final criterion of authenticity is not the dovetailing of a plot but the creation of a given sensation." (Emphasis added.)

I would like to think my commissioned Horror quest, "Raventree Manor" does all of these at some level. I spent 40 hours listening to Lovecraft's stories in audiobook format to try and get it right. That leads to my last point:  Borrow brilliance from others. Learn from the masters. Get inspired. 

Wikipedia has a pretty good write-up of some scholarly analysis of Horror elements. We'll leave you with a quote from that entry with some good parting advice:  "Sometimes a story intends to shock and disgust, but the best horror intends to rattle our cages and shake us out of our complacency. It makes us think, forces us to confront ideas we might rather ignore, and challenges preconceptions of all kinds. Horror reminds us that the world is not always as safe as it seems, which exercises our mental muscles and reminds us to keep a little healthy caution close at hand." --Elizabeth Barrette's "Elements of Aversion"

Happy quest writing!

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Malevolent Mysteries [The Vault #18]

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"The Horror" is upon you!  Most of you have it in your possession as I write. If not, it lurks, waiting to take you unawares! Of course this means some of you may be pricked with the peculiar madness to craft your own horror-themed quests. Yesterday's "Forge" entry should help with that, and we're not going to stop there. Provided below are 20 plot seeds for your Horrific protagonists:

1. _Parasitic Peril_ (#Peril) During the greatest Feast Day in the kingdom, infected meats risk making many commoners hosts to larval horrors.

2. _Predictable Prophets_ (#Prophets) A mad prophet wielding fell powers has enthralled and terrified a village.

3. _Pharaonic Family of Ra_ (#Ra) A cult of inept dandies seeks to summon a divine being. They awake a Horror instead.

4. _Sky Beast_ (#Sky) It lives, tentacled, in the clouds. Poisonous rains are the only warning and herald of its approach.

5. _Minister of Madness_ (#Minister) All he wants to do is teach, and his students have grown to be many. Some are even old associates of the adventurers.

6. _Dark Deals_ (#Deals) With the adventurers on the verge of death in battle, a horror rips them out of time and space to propose a way out. For a price.

7. _The Ancient Door_ (#Door) Cyclopean and foreboding, it has stood unopened since the foundation of the city. Now, though, a crack has appeared in the door, terrible light spilling out. Most the light touches become dangerously homicidal. What will occur if it springs fully wide?

8. _The Offer_ (#Offer) A strange, mighty, and unknown magus instructs the adventurers in the ways of power. The price of such power is sanity, forfeited one bit at a time.

9. _Unhinged_ (#Unhinged) A riddle keeps driving sages and scholars insane, but leaving it unresolved could cost the kingdom everything.

10. _Personality_ (#Personality) A pacifistic leader is impregnating his willing followers, with twins, but one of each pair may not be human.

11. _Dark Waters_ (#Waters) Something from the depths keeps visiting, taking others back to the deep with them. Curiously, it always leaves its victims' left hands behind on the shore.

12. _The Bower_ (#Bower) They want to make their home here, in the greatest Tower constructed by man. Closed doors seem incapable of keeping them in or out...

13. _Terraforming_ (#Terra) "Invasive Species" threaten to overtake the area, one bulbous, mold encrusted tree at a time.

14. _Communion_ (#Comm) The adventurers manifest strange powers, but with each use the fabric of reality frays.

15. _Eaters of the Dead_ (#Eaters) The local cemeteries are being defiled, bits and pieces of the exhumed dead left behind. Their eaters are slowly becoming more human, with all the memories of the eaten. To what lengths will people go to be reunited with departed loved ones?

16. _The Thousand Young_ (#Young) A cavern has been found that contains enormous eggs. No one knows the species, or what may come out if they hatch.

17. _Trojan Tentacles_ (#Trojan) Judging by the custodian's remains and the shattered glass case, the ancient and foreboding statue in the museum may not have been a statue. That means all the companion statues in the excavated city being unearthed nearby may in fact be an army. What set the first loose? How can the others be contained?

18. _The Legacy_ (#Legacy) The adventurers unearth evidence that the monarchs of most countries are not entirely human, and some may be in the service of more ancient, even less human masters.

19. _Dreamstalker_ (#Dream) People are dying in their sleep, horrific marks appearing on their bodies from out of nowhere. Can the adventurers find the dreamstalker and stop them?

20. _The Triangle_ (#Triangle) A shipping lane once vital to the commerce of many nations has been swallowing up all ships that brave its waters. Can the adventurers find the cause and stop it?

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Have an idea for the next Quest Crafter or feedback on how we can make it more useful to you? Email us at Authors@Fabricate.io or leave a comment below.

Drinking to Horror [The Forge #7]

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We received a few community requests for this one, so here it is...Many of Lovecraft's characters turned to the bottle to deal with the terrors they'd uncovered in the dark. Ultimately, it didn't help them much, but here is a simple mod to make Expedition a drinking game. If you're 21+ and capable of drinking responsibly, you may want to toast to the spirit of "The Horror" this month. Every time you see the word "horror" (while playing Expedition with friends), you have to drink.  Whenever your adventurer loses a Persona point, you drink.  

But that's not all we've got for this week's Forge...you have it in your hands...a dark compulsion to play tickles your psyche, hinting at thrills and terrors to come. Here are some suggestions for enhancing your Horror-themed quest. 

Adding Art

With the Kickstarter for "The Horror", we were able to allow addition of art to the Quest Creator. There are two ways you can do this...

Below is how you script for custom art you may have made yourself as a PNG file (note that at this point we will have to add it to the database first). There is a little bit more to this process--and I am not a graphic artist--but perhaps in the future our staff artist might be able to give pointers as to what colors work in the app. 

In the Quest Creator,  you'll want to have the normal Card prompt _Gardener and Hound_ (#Caretaker), then the [raventree_manor_png_full] produces the following picture in app.  You won't want to include any text if you're using a picture like this, given the size of phone screens, so do add that _continue_ to kick it over to the next screen. 

There is something that might throw you, though, if you're using the Art Repository we've created. You won't put the _png_ for existing art.  The script at the bottom for the [hound_of_tindalos_full] accesses that existing art. Here is a link to the icons available, and another for the PNGs available.  And we see how "little Tindy" looks in app to the right. 

Most of our default icons are in black font, so if you are scripting something that is going to appear in the Combat Simulator of the app (which has a black background), you'll want to make sure you enable the white font.  Here is how you do that:

Instead of :roll: (which would give us a black font on black background), we script :roll_white: .

You can see the difference...

You can also get white text for ability and encounter icons ( :magic_white: , :beast_white: , etc.). 

Finally, you've seen the Persona mechanic...In the course of several hours of playtesting, allow us to offer the advice that when you play, if you want to make full use of the Persona boosts, be sure to play multiple adventurers that have Influence abilities.  If only one member of the party has one Influence ability, it may be difficult for you to bump the Persona up to ever get Max.  Authors, be sure when writing "Horror" themed quests to allow for skill checks or choices that can increase Persona, not just those that decrease it.   

Of course, players could institute a House rule that any critical success (roll of 20) automatically increases the Persona of the adventurer who rolled it by 1. 

We can't wait to see what you come up with and happy questing! 

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Bandits' Abodes [The Vault #17]

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Whether a pirate ship,  Thieves' Forest, or hive of scum and villainy in a galaxy far, far away, the elements of subterfuge and lurking danger have been keys to adventure since time immemorial.   So far your Bandits have probably been fighting on your turf or the open road.  Let's take the standard highwaymen and let their trickery truly shine with 20 intriguing iterations that give them a little "home field advantage"... 

Alternatively (and as suggested in last week's Vault, "Tools of the Trade") a clever GM or author could allow some of these to be used by adventurers preparing to withstand a siege or defend a village. 

1. _The Narrow Pass_ (#Narrow) It's like fitting a camel through the eye of a needle. > Only 1 adventurer with a :melee: ability can attack at a time. Of course, that also means only one non-Archer :bandit: can as well.

2. _Trapdoor_ (#TrapD) Ackbar saw it coming... > A Notice :ranged: :roll: of 11 or above detects its presence. It either conceals a Tier II :loot: item or allows one enemy or obstacle to be circumvented.

3. _Spiked Pit_ (#SPit) Finding one is often the beginning of a bad day. > An Athletics :melee: :roll: of 13 or above is necessary to leap over the pit. On a 12 or below suffer 4 hp of damage. On a 1 also lose the next action due to impalement.

4. _"Guard" Shack_ (#GShack) Theft is worse when the government is the thief. > On the first round of battle up to two :bandits: suffer -1 from all damage.

5. _Toll Bridge_ (#TBridge) Pay the toll or face the troll! > Cleverly concealed :bandits: surround the party from both sides, forcing them to take either +1 to damage this round or -3 to ability :rolls:.

6. _Pillared Pathways_ (#PPath) The path to the next room takes you over a dark pit. You'll have to cross a dozen narrow wooden pillars to get there. > Make an Athletics :melee: :roll: of 7 or above to cross. If you fail, you perish.

7. _Cistern_ (#Cistern) The bars preventing swimmers through to the castle's well look like they're old and ill-tended. > Make a :melee: attack successfully and two Swim/Hold Breath :music: :roll: s of 8 and 10 or above to gain entry.

8. _The Impressive Vault_ (#Vault) Just look at the size of her knobs! > A Pick Lock :roll: of 12 or above cracks the code on the vault. Countless treasures (and perhaps a few traps) await you inside.

9. _Supply Wagon_ (#SWagon) Drive it like you stole it... > If chasing the wagon, an Athletics/Ride :roll: of 8 or above gets you near enough to board it. On a 1 you fall off and suffer 2 hp damage. If driving the wagon and being pursued, a :roll: of 13 or above evades pursuit. Failure results in combat with two random Tier I humanoid enemies. A 1 on the :roll: adds a Tier II encounter card.

10. _Palisade Screen_ (#Screen) Portable, spiked wooden screens have been set in your path. > Jump the palisades with a Ride :melee: :roll: of 9 or above. On a failure you're thrown for 3 hp damage.

11. _Spider Hole_ (#SHole) This one is figurative, not literal... > On a Notice :ranged: :roll: of 8 or above you see the ambusher and deal +1 damage this round against it's occupant. On a failure take +1 damage this round.

12. _Dank Alleyway_ (#DAlley) It's dark, and nasty...hey, does someone smell patchouli? > An Intimidate :influence: :roll: of 10 or above can frighten away the lurking ne'er do wells. Failure emboldens them. Add an extra Tier I Bandit to the encounter.

13. _Drinking Hall_ (#DHall) Designed for revelry and contests of skill. > Axe Throwing. Darts. Gambling. Drinking contests. Pick your selection of role playing fodder or skill checks. Start a brawl if you want to.

14. _Campfire_ (#Camp) They thought they'd gotten away. Show them differently. > During combat, on all rolls of 7, one of the Bandits stumbles into the fire and suffers 2 damage. On all rolls of 13, the same happens to an adventurer.

15. _Forest Hideout_ (#Hideout) A camp camouflaged and hidden in the treetops. > All :bandit: Archers deal 1 extra damage each round and take -1 damage from :ranged: and :melee: abilities. If an adventurer makes a Climb :melee: :roll: of 9 or above, they can inflict +1 damage in future rounds with :ranged: attacks.

16. _Tunnels_ (#Tunnels) They twist and wind...it'd be easy to get lost in here. > Unless a successful Knowledge :magic: :roll: is made of 11 or greater, you get lost in the tunnels or your quarry escapes.

17. _Dead End Chamber_ (#End) There's only one way out... > The confined chamber hampers any retreat and any :magic: abilities that damage more than one target also damage an adventurer on odd rolls (1, 3, 5, etc.).

18. _Pitchblack Cavern_ (#Pitch) There's no light here, and the dripping water quickly drenches you and dowses torches. > Unless a Perception :ranged: or :magic: check of 10 or above succeeds in the first round, the difficulty of all ability :roll: s is increased by 3.

19. _False Floor_ (#FFloor) With a swift yank on a lever, the bandit makes the floor collapse beneath you. > An Athletics :melee: :roll: of 10 or above allows you to absorb the fall. Below a 10 and you suffer 2 damage.

20. _False Wall_ (#FHall) Reinforcements come screaming out of the fake wall panel! > Add two Tier I :bandit: s to the Encounter.

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Quick Questing (GM Mode) [The Forge #6]

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A recent community survey found that 17.4% of you would be interested in playing Expedition with a Game Master (GM) if you had more rules for doing so.  Only 3.4% of you said you'd never consider playing with a GM, so in this installment of The Forge, we're going to provide you with an idea to enable quick crafting of a quest by a GM, without the need to use the Quest Creator app.  

Many people find writing the introduction to a quest to be the most difficult part of the process.  You have the action and climax in mind, but how to start that “Journey of a thousand miles”? How do you take that difficult “single step”?

How do you explain how the adventurers have come together and why they’ve made common cause against the villainous antagonist?

This week we’re introducing a mechanic based on a classic childhood game: The Mad Lib!

Mad Lib Intros (MLIs) give you a quick and easy way to craft an adventure on the fly.

We’re hoping these MLIs help draw in your gamers, make the stories more interactive by involving them in the creation of the entire quest and thus give them more of a stake in the play.  Plus, as we all know, Mad Libs can be downright hilarious.  Welcome to the first MLIs.

MLI #1:  The Heist

Your party has been contacted by (Name #1), (Official/Title) of the (Community Type#1).  It appears the community’s supply of (Loot Card #1) and (Adjective) (Item) has been stolen by the nefarious forces of (Name #2), the (Adjective) a (Encounter Card Tier III or IV) of considerable (noun).  Desperate to recover the (Loot Card #1/Item) before word of this scandal gets out, the (Community Type#1) has contacted your band of (Adjective describing you) Adventurers.  They believe the minions of (Name#2) the (Adjective), a raiding party of (Tier I-III Encounter Card) and (Tier I-III Encounter Card) have fled back toward the (medieval building).  Can you intercept them before they arrive?  Dare you brave the treacherous (Color) (location) so as to arrive at (medieval building#1) before them and lie in ambush?

So let’s see how this MLI might play out in two different scenarios, one humorous, another more serious.

MLI #1: (Comedic Tone)

Your party has been contacted by Olaf the Scurvy, Captain of the ship the “Sea’s Bride”.  It appears the community’s supply of Rope and sacred pork rinds has been stolen by the nefarious forces of Jim the Leprous, a Giant Rat of considerable vulgarity.  Desperate to recover the rope and sacred pork rinds before word of this scandal gets out, the Sea’s Bride has contacted your band of smelly Adventurers.  They believe the minions of Jim the Leprous, a raiding party of Zombie Hands and Giant Spiders have fled back toward Castle Firewick.  Can you intercept them before they arrive?  Dare you brave the treacherous Chartreuse Forest so as to arrive at Castle Firewick before them and so lie in ambush?

MLI #1: (Dramatic Tone)

Your party has been contacted by Mayor Marbrand of the Town of Bildenstein.  It appears the community’s supply of Sparkstones and precious ore has been stolen by the nefarious forces of Azcalon the Black, a Lich of considerable bloodthirstiness.  Desperate to recover the Sparkstones and ore before word of this scandal gets out, the Town of Bildenstein has contacted your band of resolute Adventurers.  They believe the minions of Azcalon the Black, a raiding party of Zombies and Skeleton Swordsman, have fled back toward Castle Firewick.  Can you intercept them before they arrive?  Dare you brave the treacherous River of Sorrows so as to arrive at the abandoned Fort before them and so lie in ambush?

Interested in seeing more MLI as seeds for your quests? Let us know by commenting below...

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Tools of the Trade [The Vault #16]

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Bandits have "a very particular set of skills. Skills they have acquired over a (sometimes) very long career. Skills that make them an annoyance for people like" our adventurers (to borrow some lines from Taken)...Those skills have led to the development of twenty tricky tools, which we detail below. As we have before, we can use them against the adventurers or give them to them as specialized Loot. One might also  give them to besieged heroes defending a location or castle as options to fortify their position (for the Gears of War fans that want RPG Horde!).

1. _False Bottom_ (#Bottom) There might be a hidden compartment somewhere...> On a Notice check of 12 or above, the adventurers uncover a random :loot: item.

2. _Superior Lock_ (#Lock) The latest in mechanical security. > Requires a Lockpicking :roll: of 15 or above. On success the door or chest is opened. On failure, lose 1 Persona.

3. _Lockpicks_ (#Picks) Illegal in most principalities. > These clever little picks and hooks grant a +5 to Lockpicking :roll:s.

4. _Wrist Sheath_ (#Sheath) Every villain should own one. > The element of surprise the hidden weapon affords grants a +2 to one :melee: ability :roll:.

5. _Poisoner's Ring_ (#PRing) Let's shake hands! > Reveal after a social interaction. On a :roll: of 7 or above, the little poisoned prick administers the subtle substance (we will be publishing an episode of The Vault with 20 poisons soon. It will be linked here once we do).

6. _Tripwire_ (#Trip) You wish you'd seen it. > On a Notice :roll: of 12 or below, you take a hard fall. Suffer 1 hp of damage and -3 to the next ability :roll:. If you rolled a 1, you lose the next ability action you'd normally take.

7. _Tracking Dart_ (#Dart) The fusion of magic and malice. > Fire into an object or person with any successful :ranged: ability :roll:. On success it deposits a magical powder that allows one to track the victim for the next 24 hours.

8. _Invisibility Potion_ (#Potion) A favorite of pilferers and pervs. > Makes one invisible for one round. Gain a +2 to your ability :roll: and subtract 2 from any damage suffered. The potion doesn't work against :beast: encounter cards if the adventurer :rolls: 8 or less on their ability this round.

9. _Sneak Shoes_ (#SShoes) Padded silken slippers. > Gain a +3 to Sneak checks.

10. _Golden Garrote_ (#Garrote) You appreciate that they're killing you in style. > Play a :melee: ability and expend this card. On success, add a +3 to damage of the ability.

11. _Manacles of Malice_ (#Manacles) For torture or recreation? > On a :roll: of 8 or above deal 1 extra damage this round or reduce the damage you suffer by 1. Duplicate these results for two additional rounds.

12. _Pit Trap_ (#PTrap) Someone's been working hard... > Roll a Notice check of 13 or above to avoid the Trap. On a failure suffer 3 hp damage and -3 to :melee: abilities next round.

13. _Net Snare_ (#Snare) It'd be relaxing if you weren't surrounded by villains. > Roll to Escape Bonds on a 13 or above. On a failure you cannot use :melee: abilities for 2 rounds. All other abilities suffer -3 to rolls until you escape (takes 2 rounds to cut free).

14. _Caltrops_ (#Caltrops) Ooohh! Shiney! > Roll an athletics check to avoid suffering 1 hp damage and -1 to the next ability :roll: If used as :loot:, use to inflict 1 hp of damage on up to 3 targets.

15. _Sap_ (#Sap) Time to drop the curtain on them. > Make a :roll: with a risk/difficulty equal to the target's current hp. If the :roll: is greater, the adventurer cannot use an ability this round. If an Encounter card is the target, it's Tier is reduced to 0 (for purposes of calculating damage) for one round. If this is a surge round, it also doesn't surge.

16. _Bottomless Bag_ (#BBag) This magical pouch is excellent for storage and kidnapping. > The user need only think of the contents they wish to summon before opening the bag. If it's in there, it will appear (though it may not be alive or cooperative). Getting people in may be a more difficult matter!

17. _Scroll of Safety_ (#Safety) More a scrap of paper than a scroll, really... > When this scrap of paper is crushed, the bearer is teleported to the location written on it. Often used to retreat.

18. _Doorjamb_ (#Door) Used to jamb doors and delay pesky pursuers. > If in a building, may be spent to jam a door and give adventurers one round to heal or perform another action {there must be another room to flee to first}.

19. _Spyglass_ (#Spyglass) It lives up to the name. > Gain a +3 to Search :rolls:.

20. _Marbles_ (#Marbles) A child's tool that becomes dangerous in a fight or chase. > On a :roll: of 9 or above, up to 2 ground-bound foes stumble and take 1 hp damage. On a :roll: of 1, the user or an associate stumbles and suffers the damage.

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Righteous Role Playing [The Forge #5]

Click Here for a Master Index of “The Forge” and “Vault”!

A recent community survey on the role playing elements of Expedition has shown that 62% of you would welcome more robust role playing as part of your Quests. This installment of The Forge hopes to give you ways to do that, whether you are an author writing a quest or a group of players playing a pre-written quest. Authors, you can use these to outline/plan quests. Players can use these on the fly. 

Four common things that provide grist for role playing are Backstory, Complications, Consequences, and detailing Description. 

Backstory

Unrevealed backstory is often used to hint tantalizingly at greater revelations. When used appropriately (as a tease) it retains that element of mystery keeps us watching movies and reading books, for there is suspense not only in the unresolved future, but the tension of events already past. As you are playing a quest, adventurers can role play and help create the backstory. 

You may object, "What if we create a backstory that the quest later contradicts?"

It doesn't matter so much if during the unfolding of the quest we're told the backstory really isn't what we thought it was. After all, Luke Skywalker found out the narrative given him about Vader by Obi-Wan wasn't accurate. There are lies we sometimes tell ourselves, too. 

1. Why is the villain doing what they're doing? (Stealing X, Attacking Y, etc.)

2. Why are the adventurers getting involved?

3. What does this quest mean to each adventurer as an individual?

Notice that #2 and #3 may seem the same, but they often are not. The adventurers may be getting involved to stop the Lich's undead army from conquering the realm, but for different reasons. One might fear for what will happen to his wife and children in the city under seige. Another may know the magecraft he practices will be outlawed should the Lich take power. The mobster in the group may only want the Lich kept at bay out of selfish financial interest (you can't sell drugs to the undead). 

Some other elements you can use to craft the backstory:

1. What type of relationship do the adventurers have with the victims or characters in the story?

2. What type of history/relationship do they have with the Antagonist (Enemy)?

3. How does the Antagonist feel about the adventurers (if they know of they even exist)? Do they hold them in contempt? Secretly fear them? Have crossed paths (and swords/spells) with them in the past?

All of the above questions will probably be answered/role played in the opening phase of the quest. Here are some likely to come up in the middle and end phases of a quest:

1. How do the characters in the story feel about the adventurers' actions. If we find out later the quest tells us those things, it's okay. Maybe our adventurers' initial impression was wrong.

2. What do characters do about the adventurers actions.

Complications

Complications are the challenges or conflicts the heroes must overcome to succeed.  They may also be things that happen to the Antagonists or their minions that make things funny, more interesting, or easier for the adventurers.  

1. What happens that makes the quest or part of it unexpectedly difficult? For the adventurers? For the Villains?

2. During Combat? Outside of Combat?

Here are some examples of complications:

• The henchmen of the Bandit Captain have fled with the contents of the Royal Treasury. Perhaps one of their wagons has broken down, allowing the adventurers to attempt a Sneak check to attack with surprise while they try to repair the broken axle. This is a complication for the villains a one or two person party can inject to make a quest easier.

• As the battle against the Dark Wizard grows more desperate for the adventurers, they opt to introduce a complication against the Wizard...the battle is happening in the Wizard's chamber, with magical Loot all around. A Notice check allows them to grab some Loot to use in the final stages of the battle.

Consequences

At the end of the adventure we're probably given a surface level explanation of what we've done (defeated the Lich, saved the realm, etc.), but what does it really mean? This is a great place for players to help craft the story and tack on a more personalized ending to the quest. 

1. How do people feel about the outcome or adventurers?

2. If they were victorious, there may be a very important but involved. Ex. We defeated the army of the Dark Wizard, but we did a lot of property damage that the citizens of the Kingdom aren't too happy about. We may have to lay low for awhile.

3. What were the moral consequences of everyone's actions? Ex. Those guards we killed when we could have snuck by had families to feed. Maybe one of their relatives has sworn vengeance against us.

Descriptions

Quests provide the body of a story, but there is almost always room for you to dress that body in some interesting clothing. The locations and individuals may not always be described or named. The party can do this collectively. We recommend such role-playing have some limits, for the sake of not extending quest length too long:

• One sentence is probably good.

• Anything longer than a short paragraph may "break' something coming later in the story or take too much time.

Examples: We enter the Copse of Candlelight and are told "the profusion of fireflies makes it difficult strike a target or find one's way."

A player wishes to add some further ambiance...

"The fireflies are attracted to their reflection off the polished armor and steel of our armaments. They gather around us like iridescent halos and out spirits are lifted."

Maybe the party thinks the description is appropriate enough to warrant the player raising their Persona by 1 as a reward for the role playing.

We hope we've given you some ways to enhance and deepen your enjoyment, social interactions, and role playing!  Happy Questing!

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