Spoonsingers - A Mon-astic Order for Into the Oddish

Everybody WAS Kung-fu fighting! (wow)
"Alola Alakazam Fighting Type" by LoganCure on Deviantart 

You can read this post and find links to my other works over on my static site!
 Farmhands pledging $1 or more over on patreon got to read this a week early!  

Spoonsinger

    Of the Martial Orders founded since the fall of Humanity, there are few as powerful and dedicated as the Spoonsingers. Masters of both Fighting and Psychic techniques, Spoonsingers forgo the common belief that training one's mind or body are exclusive goals. By harmonizing their physique with their honed wills, they have learned techniques of both types that blend and blur the physical and spiritual domains.

    To be a Spoonsinger, a Pokemon must be a Psychic or Fighting Type. Upon commitment to the order, the opposite Typing will be gained as a Second Typing. Gaining an additional typing in this way is irreversible. 

• Role: While Spoonsinger Order maintains temples and training grounds to their teachings, most trained members choose to wander the region in search of new techniques and young Pokemon who show traits of Psychic or Fighting prowess. They do this by seeking out sources of strife and attempting to calm them, either through words or actions. They act as diplomat and one-mon army in turn, upholding their belief in balance and insuring the continued teaching of future generations.

• Weapon Proficiencies: Spoon

• Recommended Skills: Dancing, Etiquette, Juggling, Singing, Tumbling, Weaponsmithing.

• Equipment: A Spoonsinger is always identifiable by the order's weapon of choice; the Spoon. Recognizable as a tool once employed by Humans, Spoonsingers will smith variations of it's shape and size to better suit the individual's fighting style. Such an item is always polished, enhancing the Spoonsingers appearance in battle.

• Distinctive Appearance: Not only are they easily identifiable by their weapon of choice, Spoonsingers don a set of loose robes, colored to match their respective Temple. Each Temple has a distinctive palette, closely related to the nearest Human settlement, all of which were once known by colorful names. These robes frequently include an outer and inner set, the heavier hooded coats giving protection from the elements, and the lighter inner robes allowing for freedom of movement in combat.

• Special Benefits: Spoonsingers benefit from the harsh training afforded any acolyte, as well as the combined resources of the Temples dotted across Kanto.

1. As a result of the harmony between mind and muscle, Spoonsingers move with a supernatural grace, almost dancing across the battlefield. This trance-like state is known as Spoonsong, and is accompanied by a hum of psychic power interrupted by the clang of their Spoons as they strike in time. This display is both beautiful and haunting, and triggers a Morale save for the group once the first opponent falls to half health.
   
   
2.  Spoonsingers may find shelter and supplies at any Temple, regardless of minor ideological differences. It is not unheard of to find a Spoonsinger from the border of Johto taking supper at a Temple on the coast of Lavender town. Parties who have allied with a Spoonsinger are welcome, though only temporarily, unless they wish to become members of the order themselves.
   
   
3.  Accomplished Spoonsingers may choose to retire from wandering and become Temple Masters, taking the position over from their Elders or choosing to found a new Temple of their own. While any Spoonsinger can share the basic tenants and foundational trainings, most believe the art of Spoonsong can only be learned properly from a Temple Master. Their skills are kept sharp by the frequent challengers from both within and without the order; Trained Pokemon who have completed the Gym Battles of the region choose to test their skills against greater warriors, and the Temple Masters willingly oblige.

• Special Limitations: Spoonsingers are expected to follow a set of restrictions in their daily lives, failure to do so could mean ejection from the Order. 

1. Not only must they attempt to advance the outreach of their Temples at all times, they must also lend aid to any Pokemon in need, unless that Pokemon is proven to be an enemy to the Spoonsinger way of life. 
   
   
2. They may not use TMs/HMs. To develop a technique without the use of your own training is counter to the core of the Spoonsinger Order; while non-members are not begrudged their choices, committed practitioners think of the practice as a disgraceful grasp for unearned power.
   
   
3.  Spoonsingers do not wear protective gear or finery other than their traditional robes, though held items that enhance their Psychic abilities are generally overlooked. This is both cultural expectation and  a matter of efficiency, as holding a shield or wearing armor interferes with their acrobatic fighting techniques, and clothing of any value goes against the tenent of limited wealth.
   
   
4. Temples offer a small stipend for purchases wandering Spoonsingers must make during their journey, though it is largely understood that this money is primarily to maintain their weapon of choice. Additional money and treasures found during their adventures is assumed property of their Temple of origin, and is to be gifted to it's accounts upon the Spoonsinger's return. This means that most Spoonsingers survive off the generosity of the Pokemon settlements they travel to, or by temporarily joining Adventuring parties to clear dangerous dungeons and fund the next leg of their journey.

After becoming a Spoonsinger, Players gain an additional list of Moves they can learn at the end of a battle. The player may roll before choosing which list they would like to learn from. 

1d20	Move
1-3	Vacuum Wave - The user whirls its fists to create a wave of pure vacuum that it sends flying at targets. Moves first in combat regardless of Dexterity save results. Deals 1d4 Fighting-type damage to the target. Usage: Unlimited
4-6	Psyblade - The user rends the target with an ethereal blade. Deals 1d8 Psychic-damage to the target. Usage: 1x per encounter
7-8	Aura Sphere - The user lets loose a pulse of aura power from within its body. Deals 1d8 Fighting-type damage to the target. Usage: 2x per encounter
9-11	Zen Headbutt - The user focuses all its willpower into a fierce headbutt. Deals 1d8 Psychic-type damage to the target. If rolling multiple dice and any two match, the target flinches and misses their next turn. Usage: 1x per encounter
13-15	Psycho Cut - The user launches blades formed by psychic power. Deals 1d8 Psychic-damage to the target. The attack is a Critical Hit if it rolls a 7 or 8. Usage: 2x per encounter
16-17	Psyshield Bash - Cloaking itself in psychic energy, the user slams into the target. This also boosts the user’s Defense stat.  Deals 1d10 Psychic-type Damage. On a Critical Hit, the user's ARMOR is increased by 1 (max 5) for the duration of the battle. Usage: 1x per day
18-19	Focus Blast - The user heightens its mental focus and unleashes its power in the form of a spiritual bullet. Deals 1d10 Fighting-Type Damage. On a Critical Hit, the target's ARMOR is decreased by 1 (max 5) for the duration of the battle. Usage: 1x per Rest
20	Secret Sword - The user pushes psychic energy into their weapon, extending it as an ethereal blade. This odd power is solid to touch. Deals 1d10 Fighting-type damage, bypassing ARMOR. Usage: 1x per day

 Sources: x, x

Vitamins - Stat Gain for Into the Oddish

 

It whispers to me like the Green Goblin mask. It says... "Pikachu... Pika pika." 
Which I think translates to either "Drink from me, Gadda" or "oh god i'm a disembodied head".

 You can read this post and find links to my other works over on my static site!
 Farmhands pledging $1 or more over on patreon got to read this a week early! 

Howdy, Farmhands!

    Into the Oddish handles Pokemon Evolution in a very interesting way. Gone are the traditional methods of experience and levels, as Into the Odd does not handle advancement with those mechanics. One might still be surprised by this design choice because Pokemon very much hinges advancement on those mechanics specifically. 

     Here's how it works - Once a player Pokemon reaches a set requirement, usually having completed a number of "dangerous expeditions" or gained a number of Gym Badges, they are allowed to evolve. Evolving increases HP, Armor, and rollable Stats by an amount set by the specific evolution, usually with a die roll relative to how the Pokemon's stats would change in the original video game. Ivysaur gains 2d4 Hp, while Venusaur gains 2d6. Charizard gains 1d8 Dexterity, while Blastoise only gains 1d4. This setup does a couple of things- the first is incentivizing specific playstyles. "Dangerous Expeditions" means "go into dungeons and come back out alive." Gym Badges means "Engage with combat, specifically in organized competition." Either way, this is pretty clear direction for what the game assumes the player will be doing, without demanding they do both. 

    On top of that, the guided increase in stats using die rolls keeps a level of randomness in play while still making individual Pokemon different enough from each other; it's possible to roll 1 for every stat when you evolve, and you're stuck there. But it's also possible to roll max value and come out with the best odds for whatever you do. You're still better off being a Pokemon that naturally has better odds of rolling those higher numbers, but even the mightiest of Mons could suck shit with bad enough RNG. Notably, these stats do not translate into your ability to inflict damage as each Move has it's own specific damage die assigned to it. Adventuring in search of the TM that will let your Pokemon rise above it's peers is still viable for even the unluckiest of saps.

    The problem, if it even is one, is that once you reach your final evolution, this advancement stops. You can't evolve past your final stage, and while your Move pool can be changed via TMs and HMs, your stats become static. Only Pokemon with three stages are statted out as player options in the core book, but one of you fucks are going to homebrew in the remaining 103 eventually; Two-stage Pokemon will have the chance to change their fates Once, while Single Stage Pokemon are just fucked. The limited triggers for advancement, along with the chance that things could go horribly wrong with no recourse in the rules as written had me thinking. Weren't there mechanics in the original pokemon games to slightly nudge your stats in a certain direction? Something that required input from the player, performing specific actions that slowly but surely enhanced the stats on top of the already set in stone numbers related to a specific monster? ...Wait. Oh god no, I'm thinking of-

EFFORT VALUES 

    No, I'm not hacking EVs in 1 to 1, that'd be fucking insane. However, I did spend time researching exactly what this mechanic looked like during Gen 1 in particular, to see if there was something here I could use to guide my adaptation. You can read the entire article on bulbapedia here, but as a very quick tl;dr, "Stat Experience" as it was called in Gen 1 and 2 was a secret data set every pokemon had. When defeating another Pokemon, the value of their base stats were converted into points that were quietly applied to the relevant stat of the Pokemon that defeated them. When said Pokemon leveled up, the amount by which that stat increased was altered based on the amount of effort points they'd quietly accrued. This system was never meant to be player facing, but a way to simulate Pokemon being living creatures that weren't 100% under control by the player, and honestly it sounds pretty neat on paper. Obviously the mechanic has been dissected and hardcore competitive players know how to play it like a damn fiddle, but that's not what we're doing here today. Adding secret XP bars for individual stats will not work in a game like Into The Oddish. 

    On top of gaining these effort points from combat, there were a handful of items that could be purchased and given to your Pokemon, known as Vitamins. These items, when given, increase a relevant stat's EV by a set amount, though the equivalent items that affect HP and PP have different math due to their focus. Games in  Generation 3 and onward set this amount at 10 EV with a total cap of EV's acquired through vitamins to prevent abuse, but in Gens 1 and 2, each Vitamin could be used up to 10 times per stat, making cramming them down your Pokemon's gullet the mathematically best way to set them up for success. 

    What does this have to do with our relatively rules light elfgame adaptation of the Pokemon franchise, though? How can we use this to make our make believe better? Here's my completely untested pitch.

 

VITAMINS

    Rarely in the ruins of Human homes and convenience stores, bottles of liquid with strange markings can be found. Those Pokemon who remember walking side by side with Human trainers may recognize the labels, each marked with the name of a Nutrient humans had isolated to keep their Pokemon healthy. They don't taste good, being un-refrigerated and well past their expiration date, but the effect is still the same.

    Pokemon who drink a bottle of Vitamins gain Advantage with the relevant stat for 1 full day, after which the effect ends.  The Player should mark down, in order, the last six Vitamins their player Pokemon has drank. When Advancing, the player gains additional stats as listed in the core rule book, but must also roll 1d6 against their list of drank vitamins. Landing on an empty listing gains nothing, but landing on an entry with a Vitamin grants them an additional 1d4 to the relevant stat, after which all entries are to be cleared. No Stat is allowed to go above 20, and Armor caps at 5.

    Because the entries are wiped after a successful use of a Vitamin to permanently increase a stat, but are kept when landing on a blank entry, Players will have a level of tactics wrt their usage of these items. Drinking one drink gives you a 1 in 6 chance of that boost. Drinking two increases that, but costs twice as much. Do you drink every Vitamin you find the moment you find it, or do you purposefully only drink one specific type, so that when you DO hit a result, it's exactly what you want to be increased? These items are rare and dwindling, and if they appear in shops at all should be relatively expensive.  

    "Advancing" in this scenario, includes Evolving as written, or, after exhausting your Evolution options, completing Dangerous Expeditions equal to the previous advancements' requirement +1, earning Gym Badges/Accolades equal to the previous advancements' requirement +1, or defeating 1 Legendary Foe. For a fully evolved Pokemon like Venusaur, this means they can advance and potentially gain the benefits of drinking Vitamins at 8, 14, and 23 Dangerous Expeditions, 5, 9, and 14 Gym Badges/Accolades, or by defeating in Combat, in any order, Mew, Mewtwo, Articuno, Zapdos, or Moltres. Weaker Pokemon that evolve faster as written, such as Butterfree, will have laxer requirements, making late game advancement more attainable, should you survive the lower level of play. You will note how daunting some of these numbers are, but keep in mind that the average game of Into the Oddish may not even result in players finishing their Evolutionary lines in the first place. This blogpost assumes there is a need for continued, long term play. It also, unfortunately, requires players maintain the math for each advancement, so they can calculate what their next goal is. 

    Assuming a table uses the standard Kanto setting with 8 official Gym Badges, the Elite 4, and 1 Champion, the number of chances to advance using the Gym system caps out at 13. Dangerous Expeditions can scale until the heat death of the universe, or until the Pokemon Master runs out of Dungeons, whichever is first. Including Legendary Foes as 5 additional goals to strive for outside of the previous two methods of advancement alleviates things somewhat, and will surely work as a grand final quest to cap off a campaign. Maybe once I actually play test this system, I'll have a better method of organizing these milestones that isn't just writing out a big table for every playable pokemon.

     Speaking of tables, add these to your Dungeon Loot or PokeShop lists if you'd like to include them.

Item	Cost	Use
Protein	980	Grants Advantage on STR checks for 1 day
Iron	980	Grants +1 AMR for 1 day, max 5
Carbos	980	Grants Advantage on DEX checks for 1 day
Calcium	980	Grants Advantage on WIL Checks for 1 day
HP UP	980	Grants 1d4 HP for 1 day, does not affect HP for the purposes of learning moves
PP UP	980	Grants 1 additional use of a Move for 1 day, within the limits established by the move

There's been some rumblings of someone making printable cards for ItOish stuff, so here's my pitch for one you could keep off to the side until it's needed, or you can just write yourself a little list, whichever floats your boat.

 

Until Next Time,

    Farmer Gadda 

Omegamon, A Foreign Deity for Into The Oddish

 You can read this post and find links to my other works over on my static site!
 Farmhands pledging $1 or more over on patreon got to read this a week early! 

Howdy, Farmhands! 

     This post is a parody of Deities and Demigods and it's later rewrite/reprint Legends and Lore, a resource for AD&D that statted up historically significant and/or religious figures for reference at the game table. I strongly considered simply paraphrasing it's DM guidance for running Gods as the only explanation for this post, but worried that the joke would be lost without an explanation. Then again, jokes requiring explanations aren't terribly funny. Alas, I am choosing to err on the side of clarity.

    Deities and Demigods' stated purpose was to provide guidance for using such figures in your games, with stats for those who wish to battle them and historical background for those who wish to have them present but untouchable. Whether or not this intent was successfully understood was dependant on the reader, and debate about godlike beings having stats at all has continued across time. In that spirit, I have statted this over powered being despite how it breaks the rules of Into The Oddish, allowing the Pokemon Master to perform the expected combat procedures even though every single move is a 1 hit kill for all but the strongest of player characters. You may choose to ignore said stats and remove the normal combat procedures entirely if your table is known to be foolhardy.

    Digimon and Pokemon both present worlds wherein the supernatural and mundane live in relative harmony, with one existing only through collaboration with the other. Digimon has questioned this relationship multiple times, and even attempted stories where Humans are completely removed from the picture (to questionable results), and the stated setting of Into The Oddish is a fantastic excuse to apply the same scrutiny to the Pokemon franchise. Not all tables will be interested in finding answers for Humanity's disappearance, or even really examining what it means that humans were once there and now are gone. For those who are intrigued by this premise and wish to dig deeper, this entry allows for a perspective from outside their world's confines to offer information, ask probing questions, and mourn what was lost.

Until Next Time,

    Farmer Gadda 

Bibarel, A Giant Beaver for Into The Oddish

Art generously donated by HODAG, key artist of Vileplume Mountain and many other OSR works!

 

You can read this post and find links to my other works over on my static site!
 Farmhands pledging $1 or more over on patreon got to read this a week early!

BIBAREL, THE BEAVER POKEMON: These simple Pokemon are 3 feet long when fully grown (1 meter) and weigh 69.4 pounds. Fur coloration can vary, but dark brown is the most common. Like their cousins within their Egg Group, Bibarel will generally take to the water if danger comes their way. Their moody nature means they normally flee any attack, but will fight fiercely if cornered or if their Dam is in danger. They build great dams in order to create ponds in which to build their thick-walled mud and wood "lodges." Entire communities live in this single dwelling, and when the alarm is sounded (a tail slap in the water), all Bibarel rush to defend it and their young. They can be persuaded to build dams and other earthworks in exchange for Water Stones, Pokedollars, or gourmet Berries if there is water near the building site for them to work from. 

Bibarel
STR 13, DEX 11, WIL 8, HP 15, ARMOR 1. Type: Normal/Water Resistances: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel (Whatever That Is) Vulnerabilities: Fighting, Grass, Electric Immunities: Ghost

1d20	Move
1-7	Water Gun: Deals highest 1 of 2d4 Water-type damage to the target
8-12	Headbutt: Deals highest 1 of 2d8 Normal-type damage to the target. On a Critical Hit, the target flinches and misses their next turn
13-16	Yawn: Target rolls a WIL save at the start of their next turn. On a failure, they gain the Sleep status.
17-20	Bite: Deals highest 1 of 2d6 Normal-type damage to the targer. If rolling multiple damage dice and any damage dice match, the target flinches and misses their next turn

Cold Tolerant: Bibarel fur repels water and is also a fantastic material for heat retention. - Pokemon Legends Arceus (2022)

Hold Breath: Bibarel can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to STR before it risks drowning.

Natural Lumberjack: It busily makes its nest with stacks of branches and roots it has cut up with its sharp incisors. - Pokemon HeartGold/Pokemon SoulSilver (2009)

Skills: 

• It makes its nest by damming streams with bark and mud. It is known as an industrious worker. - Pokemon Diamond (2006) 
• A river dammed by Bibarel will never overflow its banks, which is appreciated by people nearby. - Pokemon Black/White (2010)
• While its movements out of water are sluggish, it can swim as fast as any Feebas. - Pokemon Pearl (2006)

Carrying Capacity: A light load for a Bibarel is up to 1 Slot; a medium load, 7 Slots; and a heavy load, 13 Slots. 

Training: Although intelligent enough, Bibarel remain unaware and require training before they can act as a Ride Pokemon. To be trained, a Bibarel must have a friendly attitude toward the trainer (this can be achieved through a successful WIL save). Training a Bibarel requires six weeks of work and a saddle. A Bibarel can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a DEX save.

Climate/Terrain: Lakes, Rivers, Swamps/Marsh 
Organization: Solitary or Lodge (4-40)
Treasure/Possessions: 1-5: Oran Berry, 6: Sitrus Berry, 7-10: Nothing

Sources: x,x,x,x
Art Credit: Bibarel, Bibarel(Gen 1 Custom Sprite)

BIDOOF, THE PLUMP MOUSE POKEMON: Bidoof are worth 350 P apiece on the open market. 

 

Missing? No! - Absent and Misplaced Content from Into The Oddish

 

...Well? It ain't gonna fill itself!

 You can read this post and find links to my other works over on my static site!
 Farmhands pledging $1 or more over on patreon got to read this a week early! 

Howdy, Farmhands! 

    Into The Oddish, written by Prismatic Wasteland, is a heist-funded parody hack of Chris McDowell's "Into The Odd", using the chassis of the system to emulate (and poke some fun at) the Pokemon Franchise. It takes the classic dungeon-crawling fantasy and plops it directly in the center of the Kanto Region, in an era long after all Humans have mysteriously disappeared. Despite being a parody (or maybe this elevates the bit, idk) the game is fully functional and playable. The core book comes in two versions, Red and Blue. They are identical except for the Pokemon listed within it- of which only 1 of the player options changes between books. Of course I bought both, the joke isn't funny unless I did. It's only "official" adventure, "Vileplume Mountain" leans much heavier into parodying Dungeons and Dragons, specifically the module "Whiteplume Mountain", with the joke being that it retains much of the jank of the original adventure and also Pokemon are there. Isn't that fun? Isn't that hilarious?

    Yes, but unfortunately, Prismatic Wasteland has created a bit of a (pocket) monster. You see, Pokemon is an expansive series, and while Gen 1 is most definitely OSR, it's ALSO highly documented, based around completing a static collection, and incredibly formative for all the autistic millenials who might consider picking up a copy while the print run lasts. This means that when there's an omission, someone is going to notice.

     Hi, I'm someone.

    The format of the core books being what they are, there are Pokemon missing from their pages, either due to version exclusivity (which is very funny and part of the joke), or because actually printing all 151 pokemon's statblocks would balloon the size and price of the print (understandable but maaaaaaan). Similarly, while the core books have an impressive list of Pokemon moves, adapted for the system and easily referenced, there are still plenty of Moves from Gen 1 that have yet to be adapted. I like lists and completing tasks, and so I sat down to note every Pokemon that has yet to be converted, as well as every Move that is still missing. Not because I wanted to point out a flaw in the books I recieved, but as a starting point for anyone wanting to make use of Warren's incredibly permissive third party use policy:

Here is some legalese you can put in your adventure: “This is an unofficial adventure scenario for Into the Oddish, but what would make a scenario official anyway? You want me to get some certificate? My mom said I was allowed to post this and her brother works at Nintendogs.” - Prismatic Wasteland 

    I WILL however be pointing out the oversights I encountered while working on this resource. During my work, I noticed that many Moves that were "missing" from the Move Lists were actually in the books! They simply existed solely in Statblocks of specific Pokemon, meaning they could be completely missed when scanning for them. I will not be reprinting any of the Moves' mechanics, simply listing in which book and statblock they can be found. 

    Without Further Ado-

MISSING CONTENT 

LIST OF POKEMON THAT LACK CONVERSIONS 

• Bulbasaur (and evos)
• Squirtle (and evos)
• Charmander (and evos)
• Caterpie (and evos)
• Weedle (and evos)
• Nidoran (both genders and evos)
• Clefairy
• Clefable
• Wigglytuff
• Vileplume
• Venomoth
• Poliwag
• Poliwhirl
• Abra (and evos)
• Machop
• Machamp
• Victreebel
• Geodude
• Graveler
• Magneton
• Doduo
• Dodrio
• Dewgong
• Electrode
• Exeggcute
• Exeggcutor
• Marowak
• Lickitung
• Chansey
• Tangela
• Kanghaskhan
• Seadra
• Seaking
• Starmie
• Tauros
• Lapras
• Porygon
• Dratini (and evos)
• Mew

    The Kanto Starters, as well as Caterpie, Weedle, and Nidoran families are in the books, but as playable options. Their "stats" are formated very differently from the enemy/wild statblocks of the rest of the 151. This may or may not make converting them easier, depending on your take. 

     Also, this list only includes the Pokemon that appeared in Gen 1, ignoring future additions to their lines. As I will add later, the books themselves do not hold TOO closely to ONLY adapting Gen 1 content, but until someone writes up a Johto expansion, I'm not going to presume such data is needed, this is about completion.

LIST OF MOVES THAT LACK CONVERSIONS

• Barrage 
• Bone Club
• Clamp
• Comet Punch
• Constrict
• Conversion
• Dizzy Punch
• Haze
• Headbutt
• High Jump Kick
• Ice Punch
• Jump Kick
• Light Screen
• Lovely Kiss
• Mist
• Roar
• Rolling Kick
• Sharpen
• Sing
• Smog
• Soft Boiled
• Sonic Boom
• Spike Cannon
• Splash
• Spore
• Superfang
• Thunder Punch 

EXISTING BUT ODDLY PLACED CONTENT 

 LIST OF MOVES THAT EXIST IN VILEPLUME MOUNTAIN, BUT ONLY IN STATBLOCKS

•  Aurora Beam (Seel)
• Crabhammer (Kingler)
• Fire Punch (Poliwrath)
• Guillotine (Pinsir)
• Hyper Fang (Raticate)
• Minimize (Muk)
• Leech Life (Zubat)
• Poison Gas (Grimer)
• Pound (Grimer)
• Screech (Voltorb)
• Sludge (Muk)
• Smokescreen (Koffing)
• Stomp (Kingler)
• Vise Grip (Krabby) 

 LIST OF MOVES THAT EXIST IN THIS BLOGPOST, BUT ONLY IN STATBLOCKS

• Thundershock (Magnemite)
• Transform (Ditto)
• Peck (Spearow)
• Meditate (Hypno)
• Glare (Arbok)
• Drill Peck (Fearrow)

 AND HERE'S ONE LAST GEN 1 MOVE THAT WAS ADAPTED BY MITCHELL DAILY IN ONE OF HIS TRIFOLD ADVENTURES, "MIME HOUSE". THANKS MITCHELL THAT'S REAL NICE OF YA

• Barrier (Mr. Mime)

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST 

Despite being primarily based on Pokemon Generation One, a number of Moves listed across ItOish come from later in the franchise. This isn't a BAD thing in the slightest, but may be a stumbling block for people attempting to complete things, so I'll list them and their locations here.

• Calm Mind (Vileplume Mountain, Gen 3)
• Heat Wave (Vileplume Mountain, Gen 3)
• Razor Shell (Vileplume Mountain, Gen 5)
• Whirlpool (Vileplume Mountain, Gen 2)
• Wood Hammer (Vileplume Mountain, Gen 4)
• Infestation (Mime House, Gen 6)
• Trick Room (Mime House, Gen 4) 

 And last but not least, there's a Move that is not only not from the Gen 1 List, it's ALSO only printed as part of a statblock- Flail (Gen 2) in Sudowoodo's entry. 

OK SO NOW WHAT?

    Again, I did not do this research and make these lists as a form of critique or to tell you not to pick up the game. I, frankly, adore these books and plan to run them in relatively short order. This post exists as a quick reference for folks who may want to create more adventures and supplements, to quickly guide them to where stuff still needs some work, or for GM's who may not even notice that something that's "Missing" from the reference lists that were included in the print product they're holding. Since writing this post, I have been informed that I completely overlooked the Held Items included in Vileplume Mountain, opening the door to everything related to them being up for a list. I won't fucking be doing that here. You can do it, since you're so smart. I look forward to hearing of works that let me whittle this list down, eventually. 

    As for me, I have a couple ideas in mind for supplemental stuff I could write; mostly with regard to items that were left behind from the original video game. The cool part about this game using Into the Odd as it's chassis is that I've already been writing additional mechanics and such for games that build off the same framework since the beginning of my blog. I've got a bit of a leg up, though the specifics of ItOish's rules require a little extra care to make work. I'm not here to BREAK things.

    Until then,

        Farmer Gadda 

A Matter of Systems

You lot, after reading the clickbaity title. You are correct to do so.
Pull the trigger, Piglet. 

 You can read this post and find links to my other works over on my static site!
 Farmhands pledging $1 or more over on patreon got to read this a week early! 

Howdy, Farmhands!

    In 2024, I made a post titled "The Realms I Never Knew," in which I had a bit of an epiphany wrt setting design after reading Dwiz's Knight At The Opera blog series about the history and vibes of DnD's primary settings throughout the editions in quick succession to reading Seba "Moss Hut"s trio of Tri-folds efficiently adapting Knave to run adventures in The Forgotten Realms and Barovia. Neither of those two things exist on the internet anymore, so I'm having to start this follow-up/spin off from scratch. God fucking damnit. 

    To be fair to both authors, I have no right to their work, nor do they have any responsibility to continue offering me access to said work. I greatly miss the works now that I can no longer gesture towards them for others to experience, though I've long since personally archived both for private re-reading. It's simply a shame that the topic that's wormed itself between my ears builds off my previous arm flailing in their direction with the conclusion that I didn't know what to think about them, just the sense that there was something there. You can read it if you like, knowing the things it spoke about are inaccessible for context, or just pretend everything after the cut is a post on it's own.

    This will eventually sorta kinda not really be about Deathbringer, by the way. Skim this duology of blogs by Magnolia Keep to get yourself up to speed before I get there.

What's Gadda Up To? - Spring 2026

 

 

This, mostly.

Howdy, Farmhands!

    This January, I posted a year-in-review to cover what I'd accomplished (or neglected) in 2025, as well as posited what I'd learned. The big lesson was that blogging every single week wasn't for me, that I should focus on making good posts over frequent posts, something I immediately took to heart. You'll notice I didn't post but once between January 9th and last Friday.

    The break was good for me, all told, and gave me the chance to get some IRL needs in order as well as focus on some other personal projects. I returned to streaming, restarting the HEY!!!Craft project as HEY!!!Tale, with the launch of block game darling Hytale. The Digimon Fancomic is once again updating, with the chapter coming to a close by summer, I think. As evidenced by the 30 minute highlight above, link here in case it doesn't render right on your device of choice, I've gotten into a coding project to create an overly detailed reference for myself in the making of said fancomic. 

    Very little of this is easily bloggable-about, I'm afraid, and March marks the start of a hiatus for me wrt playing Tabletop rpgs. Bloggies season simply burned me out on the hobby, so taking a break to focus on other shit it is. I'm hoping that by the end of April, my energy will be back, and I'll start feeling strongly about elfgames again. This doesn't mean I'll be entirely absent, mind you. I do, in fact, have two fairly large blog projects in the works. 

    The Sonic SATAMdaptation Project has been kicked off, with both myself and Adam Seats (you might know them) working together to watch through the entire series and convert our thoughts on them into blogs. I will openly admit that I was responsible for more than a month's delay between our initial watch weekend and the publishing of our posts. Again, IRL stuff happened. We haven't set a dedicated release schedule, as finding time for us both to get into a discord call and have the verbal discussion is difficult. This project will be ongoing however, so you can look forward to them popping up from time to time. 

    The Neopets TTRPG died horrifically, and if you've been following me on Bluesky, you'll know I got embroiled in it. Here's a 4 hour recap back when the debacle was fresh for my full breakdown of what was wrong with it, before it's bombastic implosion with the license holder pulling the cord entirely. Much has happened behind the scenes that I've become privy to, and I'm working on a full writeup of what i've learned, my personal experience with it, and my thoughts on what went wrong where. The draft for that is currently at 5000 words. I've scheduled interviews. I'm doing a full on Journalism here. I have no idea when it will be done. 

    So yeah, that's a rundown of everything I've been up to for the last 3 months. It's been wild, and stressful, and definitely made it harder for me to blog about anything of value. What I should have done, and frankly, already learned once before, I can and should just blog about anything. I can't make promises that I won't just completely zone out and forget to update again for another month, though.  

    Until Next Time,

        Farmer Gadda 

Sonic SATAMdaption - Episode PILOT & #1

He's Way Past Cool

THE PREAMBLE -

    Being an aspiring micro-celebrity on the internet is fun. The majority of the effort needed to accrue an adoring public involves making oneself accessible to them, and they to your hilarious skeets on bluesky. My longest running endeavor to curate a space for all Gadda, all the time is my beloved Discord Server, which has never created problems or been a distraction for my writing process. Adam Seats, who you may very well know, pinged me in broad daylight to pitch an idea they'd had. We would watch the 1992 DiC cartoon, "Sonic The Hedgehog", and attempt to adapt concepts and elements of them into ttrpg blogposts and release them as a sort of cross-marketing technique to trick our audiences into giving attention to the other. Struck by the sheer gall needed to stop praising me with the rest of the masses, I instantly accepted. Not only would this be a fantastic project to share with a blogging peer I admire, it would give me a chance to rewatch what is still considered by many fans to be the high point of Sonic's animated outings. The rest of you masses can go on praising me, though. The Gall thing won't work on me again. 

    "Sonic the Hedgehog," known by it's more googleable nickname "Sonic SATAM" (as it aired on Saturday mornings, you see), was one of two animated series produced by the same Canadian company in the same year as it's sister series - "The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog". AoSTH focused more on Looney Tunes-style slapstick and comedy over SATAM's darker and plot driven action. SATAM featured the titular Hedgehog as a member of a guerilla rebellion of other woodland critters, fighting against the oppressive regime of Dr. Robotnik, who threatens their existence with urban development, pollution, and most horrifying of all, the complete stripping of their minds and bodily autonomy via a process called "Roboticization" which replaces organic material with robotics, converting victims into mindless slaves. Jim Cummings voiced the Doctor, and they added a sick reverb effect that makes him sound all encompassing and inescapable. One of the best to ever do it, ol' Jim.

    Sonic was in a bizarre place in the early 90's. Sega capitalized on the success of the video games and merchandise sales by essentially offering the liscence up to anyone willing to pay, and were relatively hands off in the adaptation process. The video games having a fairly loose setting, along with a lack of oversight of it's American branch's shenanigans lead to vastly different interpretations of the character showing up across media. SATAM and AoSTH being on tv screens concurrently, despite the different tones, is the best example of the extremes the Hog could go to.

    It is in this fertile ground that we shall dig deep for nuggets of inspiration to apply to our imaginary elfgames in a series of blogposts that will continue until we run out of material or otherwise get bored. There's only 26 episodes in this thing, but who knows? Maybe I'll have the chance to subject Adam to Sonic Underground. (Nobody tell them it's a musical)

THE ACTUAL BLOGPOST -

    We chose to watch the first two episodes for this first duo of blogposts, the Pilot, "Heads or Tails", and the actual first episode to air, "Sonic Boom." 

    S1 EP13: HEADS OR TAILS

    For some reason, despite all the elements of setting being established here, this episode wouldn't air on television until the very end of Season 1, thus being officially labeled as Episode 13. Thankfully, the playlist we're working off of places the episodes in -intended- order, as opposed to chronological release. A couple of other episodes have similar issues, but it's been 30 years, so they're well documented.

    The key bits are as follows

    - Dr. Robotnik has essentially won, taking over the world(?) and building a massive city called "Robotropolis." He converts people into robots with the previously mentioned "Roboticization" process. He even did it to Sonic's pet dog, Muttsky, which is wild.

    - He REALLY hates Sonic the Hedgehog, to the point of his illogical fixation on killing him distracting him from anything else. The episode doesn't do anything to explain why this is the status quo, just that it is.

    - Sonic and his crew live in the Great Forest, a massive wood that is apparently too large and dense for Robotnik to properly search to find them. They live in a location called "Knothole", which is hidden by a log slide in a specific tree. The tv show has this location in the open air, but other media places it as being a system of underground tunnels. I prefer that, but what can ya do.

    - Sonic alone can make use of a power-up called a "Power Ring," which emerges from a small pond within Knothole. I believe the show better establishes this later, but I remember the rings being limited to 1 a day, making them a consistant but scarce resource. 

     The actual plot of the episode is light, acting as an excuse to highlight the setting details more than anything. There is a chemical weapon Robotnik intends to deploy to kill off the trees of the Great Forest, exposing Knothole. The Freedom Fighters anti-air weaponry (A bunch of wooden catapaults) keep breaking, leaving them open to attack. Sonic makes a supply trip to Robotropolis for the scrap resources required to fix them, and learns of the Chemical attack. He is discovered, and must use the Power Ring to escape. There is a showdown where the weapon, escorted by a bunch of airborne Buzz Bombers, approaches the forest, and Sonic uses himself as bait to divert their course into range of the Catapaults.  

 S1 EP1: SONIC BOOM 

     The first adventure proper, and surprisingly dark when compared to the more slapstick vibe of the pilot! The episode begins during a stealth mission into Robotropolis to sabotage the launch of a fleet of aircraft, though what makes them important enough to take preemptive measures is never explained. While working within the computer system, Princess Sally discovers coordinates labeled with the childhood nickname her father, the missing King Acorn, used to call her. Attempting to learn more distracts Sally from the mission, which ends with the team being discovered and splitting up to reconvene elsewhere. During the escape, a member of the team realizes how close they are to being captured and chooses to use himself as bait to lure their pursuers away from the Princess. There is a scene where Jim Cummings has an absolutely banger line, hissing with menace that Robotnik has "-machines of all kinds. Marvelous machines; they can do things you would not believe." heavily implying an off-screen torture session. 

    Jesus Christ.

    Sonic is presented with two scenarios and must prioritize. Princess Sally is adamant on following the coordinates to a known dangerous location called "The Dark Swamp" in search of her father, but Cat is missing and presumed captured by Robotnik. Sonic chooses to rescue Cat, and then join Sally in the swamp. He finds Cat in a prisoner cell, but is warned before he can bust him out - Robotnik is aware of where Sally is going, and intends to ambush her at her destination. Unable to save Cat in that moment, he chases after Sally.

    There's some generic adventuring in the swamp and the abandoned prison structure within it, the bridge breaks with them on it, there's a robot guard that attacks them, standard fare for this kind of tv show. What they gain is evidence that the King was once held there, and a computer system that contains a display of the full blueprints of Robotropolis and it's surrounding geographic features, including cave systems that neither the Freedom Fighters or Robotnik were aware of. Using this information, and that day's power ring to destroy the robot guard, the team manage to return to the hangar with the aircraft, complete their original mission, and escape. Sonic returns to the prison cell to find it empty, and it is implied that Cat has been roboticized. The character will never return.

    There is a final good feelings moment, as the aircraft are launched and subsequently exploded, with Sonic using one of Robotnik's surveilance drones to directly call out that the action was revenge for Cat. Who is, again, functionally dead offscreen after presumably being tortured.

    Jesus fucking Christ. 

    THE DIGESTION

    After watching both episodes, Adam and I conferred via discord, sharing our thoughts about the episodes and throwing ideas for what our respective blog posts would be about. Adam suggested a number of systems that would be successful at emulating the sort of adventures shown here, however, my love and attention always circles back around to Elfgames and the uses thereof.

    The entire time I spent watching these episodes, especially during episode 2, I couldn't help but think of Dodecahedron's Old School Rebellion, a series of blog posts I like so much, I've printed them out into booklets so I can read them again and again. The premise of these posts is a theoretical reframing of elfgame/osr procedures to be about revolutionary forces aimed at liberating peoples and resources that have been consumed by an encompassing empire instead of more traditional elfgame experience of value extraction from holes in the ground and the people living in them. It's a good trilogy of theory posts, with links to others who have investigated similar avenues of elfgame design, and I highly recommend them. 

    Among the many great ideas within is the concept of an exposure clock- where actions taken raises the amount of attention the group gains from the powers that be, and measures how much longer they can act in one location before the weight of the tyrrany is pressed down on them, forcing them to flee and leaving the locals to suffer the empire's wrath. Balancing the need to do good without attracting too much attention is a fascinating element of Rowan's theorycrafting. That's not quite what we see in Sonic Satam, as the fuzzballs are region locked to one location for a couple reasons.

    FINALLY, THE POINT 

    There is a familiar and sound game cycle in most OSR campaigns. The Dungeon/Wilderness/Underground is a dangerous location you delve into, risking going deeper while your resources hold out, and returning to The Town/The Surface/Society and thus, safety, with your goods to prepare for another delve. The assured protection of being In Town is key to the gameloop, as resources can be expended in the Dungeon without consequence on the way back. I don't want to argue with this, but as with the inverse of power dynamics in Old School Rebellion, so too does the concept of safe zones shift.

    The Power Ring is a recurring resource, but a limited one, that acts as the final safety net before the characters are completely on their own. It's use is functionally a win button, but it's limited application (only Sonic can truly make use of them) and the window of their use is narrow (the invincibility and speed boost seems to only last moments, after which it is expended). Not only that, but it's only produced in one physical location, which cannot be moved, meaning that losing it would effectively mean losing the war. This is a seperate but equal concern to the potential loss of Princess Sally, who the show establishes as being the figurehead and primary tactician of the surviving populace. As with the risk of losing their tactician, Sonic is himself a limited resource. No other member, except maybe Bunnie Rabbot, who we'll see more of later, is capable of superhuman feats. His speed, and Robotniks fixation on him, are quite literally the strongest tool the rebellion has, and deciding where and when to deploy him is crucial to their continued survival. In Episode 1, Sonic being torn between two important missions requires him to prioritize the safety of the Princess over the life of another Freedom Fighter, a trade that Cat understood and willingly took earlier in the episode. Sonic could have used the Power Ring to blast Cat away, but we, the audience, are aware that without it, Sally would have presumably been killed by the Robot guard later that same day. 

    The idea that not only can your resources be expended inefficiently, but the very ability to acquire those resources in the future being something you risk every time you step away from it, is a fascinating one. Do you, the heroes with magic and shit, leave the city defenseless while you go out for whatever reason? Can you afford not to? In the Pilot, Sonic leaves Knothole for materials, leaving it essentially undefended, because not having the air protection the catapaults provide would make defending it in the future even harder. Can the safety of Knothole be assured without the tactical mind and morale Princess Sally brings to the table? Is another Freedom Fighter's life worth sacrificing to preserve her use to the cause? An attack aimed at deforesting the only bastion they have is on par with total destruction, while torture and death of an individual the heroes know by name and presumably have history with is a cost that the individual himself was willing to pay. How many of these choices can they make while still believing themselves to be morally just?

    And for our purposes, what on earth would all of this do to an Elfgame campaign? Placing an irreplacable resource within a region who's safety is in question would completely upend the traditional game loop in a way that could be fantastic or horrible depending on how prepared the table is to deal with these questions. Going forward, I want to keep this in mind as we watch and adapt more episodes of this silly cartoon show for children.  

    Wait, shit, there was something else I was supposed to do here wasn't there. What was it... OH FUCK RIGHT, ADAM MADE A POST ABOUT THIS TOO HOLY SHIT GO READ THAT NEXT 

    Until Next Time,

        Farmer Gadda 

Gadda's 2025 (A Year In Review)

You vs the guy she tells you not to worry about

     Should old acquaintence be forgot? Nay, I say. This retrospective blogpost might be a week late to actually matter to anybody, but if you'll give this simple country farmer a moment, I'd like to look back at what all I've gotten up to in the year of 2025 before I turn my sights to that bright and shiny tomorrow. For old time's sake, if nothing else.

    Howdy, Farmhands. I'm glad to see us all still here.

    About this time in 2024, I made a grand announcement. For the latter half of that calander year, my creative output had been waning. I still was publically considered a Vtuber, with my appearances on stream becoming less and less. I tried to return to the screen in grand fashion a couple of times, but always fell off any semblence of a schedule due to issues with my dayjob and problems with my Beautiful Wife's health. We became foster parents for a succession of dogs, we cycled through roommates, and the structural integrity of our bedroom floor failed, leading to months long construction efforts that were required to fix it. By the time 2024 was coming to a close, my 5 years of being a Twitch streamer felt more like a far off memory than an active aspiration. That December, I decided it was time to officially retire and move on to a new passion of mine. Blogging.

PART 1: I BLOGGED

    This didn't come out of nowhere. I'd already spent most of my tenure as a funny internet man who played minecraft with a virtual puppet waxing poetic about the tabletop roleplaying game hobby, spending hours yelling about discourse on twitter and slowly but surely accuring a collection of books and zines from various kickstarters. I'd tried on occasion to include my enjoyment of ttrpgs in my streamed content, but never truly managed to meld the audience I'd grown around the aforementioned funny minecraft stuff. I'd been blogging since February of 24, but only as the spirit hit me, and with really just for a place to put my Sanic Hack musings that wasn't Twitter. With my Twitch tenure coming to an end, I entered 2025 with the goal of blogging full time, weekly, even.

    This, dear reader, was a mistake.

    I'll get the obvious out of the way. Blogging does not pay the bills. Twitch streaming, for the hours I put into the production and performance, was not a viable second job. However, there were highs and lows of the added income, and recieving a few hundred dollars quarterly on top of donations was a very nice boost to my less than fantastic financials. Of the audience I'd accrued being a silly minecraft man on the internet, few were interested in following me to this new venture. Of those that WERE interested in supporting came a new stressor I hadn't anticipated- while offering subscriptions for entertainment that could be measured in hours of footage and chat logs made sense, asking for money in exchange for words I would work on sporadically, to be read in maybe 20 minutes at best felt... off. I struggled to find a reasonable balance of effort in producing the work with the amount of Stuff my paying readers could read. This lead to me scouring my folders for old wips, pushing out articles before I personally felt satisfied with them, and so many d20 roll tables that i wasn't even properly in love with, all in the name of getting SOMETHING for them out to read. 

    For anyone who's followed me on the internet for a reasonable amount of time, this probably sounds familiar. It is a known character flaw that I throw myself into whatever I start with a ton of gusto, only to realize i've overpromised my capability and peter out within six months. Completely ending my existing, ongoing creative output, and expecting to replace it with an entirely unreleated hobby as if the two were interchangable was never going to work out as I envisioned. If this year has taught me anything, it's that I can write some good posts*, but perhaps man cannot live** on blogging alone ***.

*(when I give myself the time to properly develop them)

** (express myself creatively)

*** (daddy needs some short form content)

     That said, there ARE projects and posts I'm proud of! 2026 will feature more, longer posts that I allow myself the room to properly settle before hitting send, is all. I'd probably have more glowing things to say about this year if it weren't for-

PART 2: I DIDN'T MINECRAFT 

    There's a Genocide happening in Palestine, and while it certainly didn't START in 2025, a significant amount of details pertaining to who financially supports it and how became public information. Microsoft and by extension it's purchased game developer, Mojang, were added to a list of targets by the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions National Comittee for... well, boycott, divestment, and sanctions. As someone who, even after retiring from performing on camera, was the maintainer of a Minecraft server for other Vtubers, known as Hey!!!Craft, this news led to some awkward choices. I could not, in good faith, continue to support the company that profited off what is essentially free advertisement for their video game, but multiple other individuals who had joined the project I headed used the server for their own video creation- pulling the plug would screw them over. Thankfully, everyone on the team was on the same page as I, and the server was put into permanent hiatus.

    This was sort of a Big Deal for me personally, as Minecraft has been something I've played almost daily since discovering it way back in 2010, during the Alpha versions of the game. I met my Beautiful Wife on a minecraft server! And, more important to this blog post, I had begun a project I called The Nether Depthcrawl, that I was very excited about. This boycott, which I was very keen to participate in, did take the wind out of my sails, as I'd been writing a not insignificant amount of work in private drafts, waiting for just the right moment to start releasing it in chunks so as not to overload my audience with posts. 

    The suspension of Hey!!!Craft, and the end of production on the Nether Depthcrawl cleared my dance card, but left me without a project to direct my attention towards, right at the very beginning of my self ascribed year of blogging. To spoil what comes next a smidge, I do spend most of this year being relatively aimless where once I felt great purpose. Ah well.

PART 3: I JOINED A NEWSLETTER

    Have you read Carouse, Carouse? It's a monthly Newsletter where a bunch of bloggers share their favorite posts from across the ttrpg blogging hobby, as well as produce bespoke new articles for our dear readers to enjoy. I won't tell you where the majority of my effort went, if only to keep the magic in our relationship alive. I do feel like I didn't give the project as much of my attention as I could have, however. 

    In my haste to increase my output to match my previous production capacity as a Vtuber, I actually spread myself too thin across platforms, with my contributions to Carouse, Carouse being minimal. I treated it like a second blog to maintain, without increasing the time I spent on writing to make up for the added workload. Things I planned either shipped unfinished or not at all, and I am quite regretful about that. My hope is that with my more lax approach to my primary blog, I will be able to properly offer more to the newsletter; the folks working on it are all great and deserve the world.

PART 4: I WAS PUBLISHED IN SOMETHING

    I was a kickstarter stretch goal in 2024, somehow. That zine was completed early this year. It was my very first time working with an existing publishing group and having to adjust my writing to better fit their house style- I'm proud of the final result and thrilled to have had the experience. I wonder if I should make a stronger effort to collaborate with people this year, pitch a few projects, get more credits under my belt. 

PART 5: I STARTED A DIGIMON FANCOMIC

    The launch of both Digimon Story: Time Stranger and Digimon Beat Break has been a boon for one of my favorite childhood franchises, and as a result, a ton of my friends from childhood are indulging in both nostalgia and new appreciation for our shared youthful obsessions. A few of us decided to get back into making Sprite Comics featuring our OCs, and I couldn't help but join in.  For my part, I intended on using the setting and assets from my favorite entry into the video game franchise, Digimon World 3. Only, as I began collecting resources, I became aware that said assets were less than accurately documented publically! This led me down a rabbit hole of emulators and github repositories to try and acquire the graphics I needed to bring my story idea to life. I've managed, somehow, but this little diversion became a month-long fixation for me, and I'm only 20 pages in!

PART 6: THESE ARE GETTING SILLY I DON'T NEED TO KEEP MAKING NEW PARTS FOR 1 PARAGRAPH

     Sanic Hack had a couple of new entries, but to be honest, they were mostly proper blog versions of ideas I'd had in 2024; no serious development went into the ruleset.

     Had a congaline of vehicle-related troubles. A torrential rain washed my road away and we had to team up with the neighbors to get it fixed. Car almost exploded due to a malfunctioning air compressor.

    I moderated the Discord Server for R.R. Slugger's Summer of Slug! Technically I do this year round, but every summer the server gets a boost of new folks, and this year was pretty tame!  

    We adopted our Foster dog, Wendy, only to learn that she had a tumor that would become inoperable within 4 months. She was a very good girl who deserved so much better.

    I played and 95% completed Pac-Man World Re-Pac, which I didn't blog about but DID have a few brain blasts about mid-tier platformers and their lack in the current gaming ecosystem.

    I started and then paused an IRL homegame, the first I've been able to run since 2021! The previously mentioned road issue put a massive hamper on that.

    I started my own static site instead of relying entirely on blogger! You might even be reading this on that platform now! It's very basic and I'm not very good at making it pretty, but it does the job! 

PART 7: PLANS FOR 2026 

    While I firmly believe that had 2025 not been so absolutely horseshit for literally everybody I could have met my goals, 2026 is going to have to be significantly dialed back. Having these expectations for myself and being unable to meet them due to outside forces sucks, and I ought to be kinder to myself while the world continues to burn. With that in mind, here are my plans for the coming year.

    1. Blog When The Moment Hits. Forcing a weekly schedule just caused problems, and I do better work when I have an idea, start a draft, and whack at it slowly over time instead of trying to rush it out. I cannot keep treating myself like a content machine, it's unfair.

    2. Focus on existing projects. Digimon Comic and Carouse are the main ones, but also getting Sanic Hack into a playable state. I let these go in favor of trying to do it all, but they're what really bring me joy and I shouldn't let myself be distracted.    

    3. A Secret Third Thing. You'll know about this later next week probably.

    And that's the long as the short of it. Now I can sit back and wait for that ball to drop, kiss my beautiful wife and sleep in on this, Janurary Firrrrrrrrrrrs-Eighth. Janurary 8th. 9th if you're not a member of my patreon.

    Hmm.

    Until Next Time,

        Farmer Gadda. 

Jaw-Break Shore - A Hex

 

Jaw-Break Shore (0706)

A Hex for Prismatic Wasteland's
 Merry Hexmas Blog Bandwagon 

Warning: This Post is a WIP, and will be updated as surrounding Hexes are filled in by other participants in this project! 

    A stony, barren shoreline at the edge of the Swirly Twirly Sea. The weather is permanently somber and overcast; slightly too cold to be enjoyable, slightly too warm for any snowfall to stick. The sugar that washes ashore crystalizes into delicious balls of candy, coated in a rocky shell. It's difficult to determine what's a jawbreaker and what's just gravel. 

Adjacent Hexes 

North: 0705 - The Rime Ridge

North-East : 0805 - Eostre Fields

South-East: 0806 - TBD

South: 0707 - TBD

South-West: 0606 - Swirly Twirly Sea

North-West: 0605 - Swirly Twirly Sea 

Encounters

 1d6

 1 : A Giant Ant-Lion (Stat as Bear) rests at the center of a 30 foot wide gravel pit, waiting to consume any creature that falls down into it's maw. Each turn a PC spends inside the pit, they must make a DEX saving throw or be moved 10 ft closer to the center against their will. Any use of magical fire will begin to melt the hidden jawbreakers amongst the stone, sealing the creature inside a cooling shell of candy.

2 : A beached gumdrop ice-berg. 2d6 Seagulls, dyed vibrant colors from their diet, swarm to carve sustenance from the gloop. If approached, they will become violent and attempt to chase the party away from their prize. (1 in 6 chance it's hallucenigenic and the birds are high as balls)

3 : 1d2 Defectors, Rabbitfolk (Stat as Soldiers) attempting to escape the civil war to the east. 50% chance of being either from Irontail or Cottontail forces. Are traveling with documents that detail potential secret tunnels into their respective side's primary fortress, in the hopes they can barter for their safety should they be found by the enemy. They will give the clothes off their backs if the party can grant them safe passage on a vessel out into the Swirly-Twirly sea.

4 : 2d4+1 Feathered Fiends (Stat as Wolves) Vulture-like creatures, with bare necks and heads and oily black feathers. Aggressive if eye contact is made. There is a 1 in 10 chance of the ringleader being capable of speech, who will share that they're really here because they like the shores' dreary vibes more than actually wanting anything. 

5 : A trio of Elves, Toddy, Toady, and Ted, scheme methods of convincing the Molefolk miners away from their Quarry, intent on taking it for themselves. Their plans range from silly (disguising themselves as leprechauns looking to sell their gold mine) to the outright loony (pretending to be a band of roving Donkey Polishers.) Toady is the smart one. Ted is the dumb one. Toddy is the greedy one, and the only reason the other two are doing any of this. They are just as likely to try to swindle the party as they are to ask for help swindling the Moles. They don't want to sell the Motherload as the Moles do, instead wishing to eat it once it's uncovered.

6 : A gnarled tree with a knot like a screaming face, and one branch outstretched like a grasping hand. If encountered twice, the tree is clearly not in the same place the party last enountered it, but otherwise immobile. Any magic Item placed into it's grip will be drained and rendered inert, but return the Winter Wizard to human form. He was once the Witch-King in Blue, eons before Santa arrived, and seeks to reclaim his throne. He despises Christmas and anything Jolly. Stat as Arch-Mage and give a bunch of Ice spells.

Locations

Sugar Geode "Mine"

    More a hole in the ground than a proper mine. A Quarry, at best. Worked by a trio of Molefolk who toil all day to fill their minecarts with delectable chunks of stone that, when cracked open, reveal layers of colorful candy, the flavor of which changes as you suck. Unfortunately it's a toss up determining what's candy and what's just rock, (3 in 6 chance of it being edible) 

    The Molefolk firmly believe that there is a large deposit of sugar at the bottom of this hole, compressed over years into a single, massive Sugar Geode. This Motherlode is their primary reason for digging, though the loose gravel around them seems to refill the hole as quickly as they can dig. Any attempt to streamline the efficiency of their production will win the party a promise of shared profits once the chunk is obtained and sold. (After one in-game week, notice will be sent out that 1-2: The new system has actually made things worse, and the Molefolk are demanding the party return to try something else, 3-5: Their productivity is up, and they'll surely find the Motherlode any day now; they'll send another letter in a week, 6: They've successfully extracted a large sugar chunk, and have enclosed 1,225 gold pieces for the party.)

Dream Circus 

    A large, green and red striped tent surrounded by festive balloons and covered in tinsel. A large crowd of folk from across the Pole have gathered to watch the show in the three rings below the stands. The performances in the rings feature exotic creatures and stunts unlike anything the party has ever seen, and each act claims to be performing for "One Night Only." The party can locate any previously met NPC from any other Hex within the crowd, though they can never seem to reach them, should they try. 

    The Ringmaster is an androgynous child dressed in deep purple furs and an oversized, twin tailed jester hat, accompanied by a swarm of twinkling sugarplum fairies. Gravity appears to be a mere suggestion to them, and they flit about the tent while juggling a collection of round ornaments in festive colors. They will call for members of the audience to join in the performance; should the party do so, encourage the players to come up with an act, and ask for a few skill checks. Regardless of the results, the audience will cheer, and the Ringmaster will award them one of the baubles they juggle. 

    ITEM: Christmas Memoria - A glass bauble of red, gold, or white, decorated in gold. Once a day, a memory or dream of the night previous may be inscribed inside, appearing as a faint glowing light if inspected closely. The memory can be replayed to an individual holding the bauble and closing their eyes, as if it were their own, or to a large group by destroying the bauble. Once destroyed, the Memoria cannot be fixed. 

    Should the players incite violence against the performers or audience, complete a performance and gain a bauble, or entertain the notion that this circus is a dream, the party will wake up unharmed in the middle of a jawbreaker gravel pit, with the circus nowhere to be seen. 

    Ways to Reach the Circus

    After encountering it once in this hex, the Dreamscape of the circus is accessible by any who slumber in the Pole, though the method of doing so purposefully is unknown. Should the party wish to return, either for another Memoria, or to speak with the Ringmaster, they will need magical help of one form or another. Perhaps a strong enough wish would do?