Dabloons and Hint Merchants for Heroes of Cerulea

I've been given this power and am about
to make it everyone else's problem

Howdy, Farmhands!

    Blackfisk Publishing released the 3rd Party License for works based on Lucas Falk's "Heroes of Cerulea," ahead of the game's public release and promised Itch.io Jam. I'm already super in love with the base game, and cannot wait for there to be additional content to fill out the empty spaces of it's overworld map. So much so, that I started working on this project the same day my kickstarter backer physical copy finally arrived at my door!

    The issue was in finding a foothold for which to insert anything new. Heroes of Cerulea is a game that flirts with being a Capsule Game, where both the game mechanics and campaign setting are cleanly laid out for you with limited room for expansion. There really isn't much the game system NEEDS outside what's already offered, barring those un-written squares on the World Map. I've chosen to come at this from the other direction, then. Instead of asking "What does this video-game adaptation need to be a better ttrpg", I'm wondering "What does this ttrpg need to be a better video-game adaptation?" 

    Heroes of Cerulea wears it's inspiration as a badge of honor, emulating the screen-crawly dungeon games of the 8 bit era. A time before internet and google, with secrets shared across the school yard at recess with no way to vet any of the information other than trying it out for yourself. I've decided to try and re-create the experience of having little but some cryptic dialogue from an in-game npc and your own common sense to try and figure out the game world.

    One thing before I begin, though- *ahem*

 This is an independent production, unaffiliated with Lucas Falk and Blackfisk Publishing, published through the Heroes of Cerulea Third Party License. Heroes of Cerulea is copyright Lucas Falk and Blackfisk Publishing.

Until next time,

    Farmer Gadda

Rubberwho, a Player Option for The SANIC Hack

Howdy, Farmhands.

    This was sitting almost complete in my drafts for two months, just waiting for someone to complain loudly enough that I hadn't posted anything about the Sanic hack in a while.

    This one's for you, whiny little baby.

Till next time,

    Farmer Gadda

RUBBERWHO

RUBBERWHO

Rubberwho are a group of vibrantly colored, cartoonish folk. Their bodies are extra pliable, with skin like rubber and limbs that can streeeeeeeetch! Their physique and properties allows them to be incredibly mobile, with architecture built for primarily Rubberwho societies featuring long lengths of tubes, slides, and trampolines that would give other Kinds trouble. Despite the number of large family units choosing to settle among human-centric cities on the mainland, Rubberwho are adaptable enough to live comfortably anywhere that isn't too cold, and it isn't a stretch (heh) to find solitary Rubberwho happily added to a Furkind's pack.

 

NAMES 

Rubberwho traditionally retain strong familial ties, with a single naming convention being adapted into the names of every additional member. This could mean a shared surname, similar to Humans, or a phonetic syllable repeated across multiple forenames. Solitary Rubberwho may choose names that, when combined, create a sort of pun or word association. 

(I.e. The Smiths; Mac, Jack, and Plaque; Trom Bone)

 

COLOR AND SHAPE

Rubberwho can mold their bodies into almost any shape they want, choosing their form based on personal preference. Most tend to stick to simple geometric shapes, but some give themselves pseudo hair, ears, or other facial features. Sure, people read into their choices, make some assumptions about who they are based on their appearance, but are they accurate to the person inside? (That is, in fact, the joke.)

How do you choose to let the world PERCEIVE you?

d6	Color	Shape
1	Red The color of Power and Passion. Red Rubberwho are known for their aggression and short tempers. They may come across as irrational and difficult, or easy to mislead.	Ball The most common shape of the Rubberwho, simple to maintain and easily recognizable. They appear soft and nondescript, making an individual easy to overlook in a crowd.
2	Orange The color of Stability and Warmth. Orange Rubberwho are called the homemakers of the world, always ready to listen and offer comfort. As an extension of their gentle nature, it's said that Orange Rubberwho are uniquely skilled at handling children and wild creatures.	Cube Sharp right angles and smooth, even planes make up all 8 corners of a Cube Rubberwho. They have a reputation for being stubborn and difficult to talk to, and it's said that an opposing group of them are impossible to negotiate with.
3	Yellow The color of Youth and Joy. Yellow Rubberwho are seen as childish or naive, with cutesy personalities. They may appear to be unknowledgeable about complex topics, or unable to remember details.	Objectual Usually an offshoot of Ball or Cube shaping, Objectual Rubberwho emulate a physical object as a form of self-expression. It can be as simple as including a "leaf" to look like an Apple, or adding bumps and divots to replicate a computer monitor. This decision is considered quirky and trendy by most.
4	Green The color of Safety and Success. Green Rubberwho are considered trustworthy, but shrewd. It is commonly believed that any bet taken by a Green Rubberwho is sure to have a modest return.	Humanoid While every Rubberwho has qualities comparable to Humans and Furkind, some take it a step further by replicating Human physique. This appears in the presentation of a more detailed torso, a head separated from the main body by a proper neck, and extraneous body parts like ears and hair.
5	Blue The color of Melancholy and Calm. Blue Rubberwho have long been known for their emotional stability and ability to help shoulder burdens. Their coloration symbolizes rain in many cultures, so a soothing nature that washes away worries is expected of them.	Quadruped An inverse of Humanoid, many Rubberwho take inspiration from creatures, adding features like snouts, tails, and ears. Most choose to emulate an animal that exists within their local environment for efficiency purposes. Unfortunately, these forms come with the expectations of behavior similar to the creature being emulated, with Quadruped Rubberwho being labeled wild or feral.
6	Purple The color of Prestige and Refinement. Purple Rubberwho are assumed to have a strong sense of duty, with an air of authority to back it up. Being natural leaders in society, their taste in quality is never to be doubted.	Conceptual Rarest, but most notable, Conceptual Rubberwho base their appearances on ideas over objects, attempting to express themes such as 'Dreams' or 'Hope' with their shape. These Rubberwho choose vague designs for their bodies, emulating the fluffiness of clouds or the shining points of a star as part of their overall presentation. The Rubberwho themselves frequently describe this practice as freeing, but outsiders describe them as pretentious.

TECHNIQUE

•     All The World's A Stage - You play into the perception of people around you, triggering a new Reaction Roll from any NPCs nearby. Roll 1d4; your DM will inform you of the results if you were to add or subtract that number from the Reaction table result, and you choose which you take. This Technique only works once on any given group of NPCs per day.
  

BLESSING

Unlike Furkind, who's blessings are chosen at the whims of the planet, Rubberwho inherit their special abilities from their ancestors, rarely deviating from generation to generation. This means that their pranks and bits can be iterated on for decades, with each successive Rubberwho continuing the work of their forefathers.

What BLESSING have you inherited from those who came before you?

d6	Blessing (Refer to This Blog Post)
1	Reach
2	Form
3	Iron Stomach
4	Cloud
5-6	Elements

There SHOULD only be One - Exclusive Class-as-Hirelings Options for OSR Games

 

Considering a third of this image is "blue haired anime guy with sword",
it might not be the most appropriate to the topic but oh well.
-Fire Emblem Heroes Official Art

    Not So Recently, I read SandroAD's blogpost, "Hirelings as Specialists." It's less of a gameable system, and more of a proof of concept for turning existing fantasy game skill sets into hireable NPCs, and thus allowing Players to access those abilities without needing to be of that class themselves. Slightly More Recently, I went down a bit of a Rabbit hole, beginning with Joshy Mcroo's blogpost, "A Campaign Where There Is One Of Anything." As the title suggests, it posits a fantasy world in which concepts, classes, monsters and the like are singular and rare. It's part of a longer discussion among multiple blogs, some helpfully listed at the end of Mcroo's post, about the nature of Monsters, the banality of 'generic' fantasy concepts, and ways to mitigate those issues. With both of these blogposts rattling about in the empty space where my brain should be, they were bound to eventually collide, which is where I find myself today.

   In a game where There Is One of Anything, especially if Player Options are also uniquely limited, there comes a question of how literal that One is. Having The Bard doesn't mean there are no other sassily homoerotic lute players roaming the lands and getting gigs at taverns. Having The Witch doesn't mean the concept of a full Coven is an alien one. The impetus on creating a world Where There Is One of Anything is a matter of focus. Yes, there are "Paladins", knights that swear oaths to a higher power and follow a code of conduct. But for the purposes of your adventure? Your characters? Your party? There is only one that truly matters. Only one whose purpose and goals are truly divine in nature, and who's decisions will alter the path of history (or at least, do so where your players can see them).

    Expanding on SandroAD's concept of placing class features into a hireable npc to feature multiple classes is fairly simple. The Specialist Point system they posit would need tweaking and balancing, but the base concept is sound. Each Hireling has a set of abilities with a point cost, which the players can trigger once a Dungeon Turn by paying it. There are a handful of passive abilities that make just having the Hireling come along a good choice, even if you never use their Point abilities in that specific dungeon. I could open any edition of DnD, blur my eyes, and come up with a bunch of these in one go.

    For a DM who runs multiple campaigns, especially those with overlapping players, this system might already sound like an utter wash. Do you just make 12 NPCs, one for each core class, and reuse those over and over? Isn't that??? Boring? And to that I say no, not really. For starters, while Sandro details a specific Thief in his blogpost, none of the mechanical abilities are tied to that character's species, personality, or toolkit. I think this should be left alone on purpose. By keeping the mechanics the same (i.e. all thieves across games have the same abilities), but changing the context in which those abilities came to be, you create a familiarity with the Rules and their use, while creating a new social challenge for your players to overcome in order to attain them. Rannie the Human Thief may actively want to work for the Party in one game, while Yoseph, the Dwarf Thief might actively dislike a member of the party in another game. If the players already know what they will gain by convincing Yoseph to put aside their differences, they may choose to invest more time in that character in the hopes they can add his abilities to their toolkit.

Gotcha'! - Capture Monster Friends for Old School Gaming

 

Life's just better with friends at your side.
Doubly so if they're Magical Pets.

    Recently, I read Dwiz's blogpost, The Genres OSR Can't Do. I must admit, I sort of expected a listicle of weird media that have nothing in common with european medieval fantasy, with the unspoken reasons they wouldn't work within the expected framework of OSR left for the reader to assume. Gaze upon me, for I am Boo-Boo the Fool. A better blogger than I, Dwiz instead specifies what each genre offers that might intrigue a ttrpg player in the first place, detailing what he feels sets them apart from other genres in an appreciative tone. Sure, the OSR as is probably can't support it without crossing it's eyes a little and unfocusing, but that's no reason to build a wall and forever cordon them off from your tables. Even with the examples Dwiz puts forth, there have already been instances in the ttrpg scene where individuals attempt to make OSR Hacks to emulate those genres.  

 

    To me and my twisted little gremlin mind, this almost sounds like a challenge. Also, God is dead and Life is short, so why not give it a shot. 

    To that end, I decided to take something I'm fairly familiar with, and take a swing at jamming it into an OSR/POSR/NSR-ish experience: Magical Monster Buddies and How To Catch Them. I'm a big Digimon fan, and you can't be one of those without also being intimately aware of how Pokemon works, so I'd say I'm pretty well-rounded. Goblin Punch took a swing at putting the Pokemon experience into a Wizard-ish Class, which certainly is a way to do it; but I'm imagining something a smidge more modular, something to be placed over your system's existing mechanics and procedures without replacing them directly.

 

RELIC/ARCANA/MAGIC ITEM: "GOTCHA PAWN"

very best dot gif

 

    A hollow sphere made of a marble-like material that separates into equal halves. Magically stores or summons a single Bonded Creature at will. While inside the Pawn, Bonded Creatures are placed in a pseudo-stasis, aware of external events, but stabilized in time until summoned. Should a Bonded Creature fall to or below Zero HP at any time, they will be instantly stored within the Gotcha Pawn, stabilized until medical help can be offered.

 

    To bond a creature to a Pawn, the creature must be a Sentient Non-Humanoid capable of consenting to the ritual. Once completed, both the Creature and it's Bonded PC can activate the storage or summoning function of the Pawn at will. The bond will be broken should the Pawn ever be destroyed, freeing both members from its responsibilities, unless a new Pawn is used to reinstate it.

BONDED CREATURES 

Monsters rule, actually

    Stat as Hireling. If your system of choice includes armor and weapons, roll their values into the base creature's abilities. Choose 1 thematic beginner level spell, the creature can cast it innately. While not requiring payment, like most Hireling rules suggest, Bonded Creatures instead require an equivalent amount of daily rations to keep happy.

 

    Creatures should not be capable of using weapons and tools, though they should gain the positive effects of armor they wear. If using a game with a Slot-based Inventory system, halve the expected number of slots for a PC. 

 

Orders & Quick Orders

    On your Turn in Combat, you may use your Main Action to give a simple Order to your Bonded, which they will attempt to complete to the best of their ability. (i.e. "Run Away!" is easier to follow than "Dodge under his legs and escape out the North door")

You may instead use your Movement or Free Action (talking) to give a Quick Order, however it won't be as commanding. The DM will roll the Bonded's response on their Obedience Die.

 

Obedience Die 

    If a Bonded Creature is given an Order that is too complex or hurried, the DM will roll a die and compare it to the table below. The value of this die begins at a d6, but may be increased to a higher die size via a Downtime Action.

 

Result	Effect
1	REBEL/INVERT
2	IGNORE/BE DISTRACTED
3	RETREAT/FLEE
4	REPEAT PREV. ORDER
5+	OBEY ORDER

 

  DMs should feel free to temporarily lower your Obedience Die Sizes in relation to behavior at the table. Using your pikachard as a meat shield too often will naturally make it less likely to listen to you.

 

 DOWNTIME ACTION: CREATURE TRAINING 

I refuse to raise an uneducated 'mon

    For Downtime spent primarily on Training your Bonded, roll a WIS save against the Creature. On a success, the Obedience Die is temporarily increased 1 Size until the next Downtime. After 3 successful Downtime Actions, the increase becomes permanent.

    Creatures may also gain the benefits of Downtime Actions available at the table, such as Stat Improvement, Learning Spells, and Carousing. (please don't lead your pikachard to drink) 

EVOLUTION: 

IMMA' MOTHER FUCKING TEEEEEEE-REX!!!

     At a Milestone, Bonded Creatures gain a new form unattainable in the wild.

•     Roll 1d20 against each Stat, increasing them by 1 on a success.
•     Learn to innately cast 1 thematic Spell of the PC's choosing.
•     Decrease the Obedience Die by 1 Size.
•     If the Evolution occurs mid-combat, heal the Bonded Creature by the difference between their previous and new Max HP values.

    What constitutes a Milestone depends on the system at your table, but in the abscence of a leveling mechanic or story-based progression, consider the first time a Bonded Creature's Obedience Die is permanently increased to a d10, d12, and d20 as milestones.

Extra Notes

    The availability of Magic Items in your system/setting greatly determines how accessible any of this is. Are Gotcha Pawns purchasable? Expensive? Lost Relics of which only a few remain? Perhaps the Bonded Creatures in your setting are limited to Elemental Spirits, prebonded to a Pawn and waiting for a Hero to find them?

    I personally would limit the available Gotcha Pawns, filled or empty, to 3 to a PC. Being able to only issue a single Order per Round balances out the convenience of a magical pet in combat, but trying to keep track of more than 2 positions on a grid will slow down the game considerably.

    As Evolution potentially increases a Bonded Creature's stat, Evolution is triggered by a Milestone tied to the Obedience Die, and increasing the Obedience Die requires a Downtime Action Save against a Bonded Creature's stat, there SHOULD be a slight, but noticable increase of time/difficulty in achieving further evolutions. I personally wouldn't go any granular than this, but as with anything you find in an OSR blogpost, feel free to season to taste.

Daggerheart: The Beta: The Twitch Thread: The Blog Adaptation: Part 1

 

As logos go, it's fine.

Howdy, Farmhands.

    There is a non-zero chance that if you are reading this blog within a reasonable time of it's debut, you have found me specifically because I read the Daggerheart Playtest Document and live-twote my reactions. My meager audience of just shy of 400 followers ballooned to 700+ in a five day period, simply because the SEO Gods (cruel and fickle as they are), saw fit to put my dumbass ramblings in front of thousands of people. This was a mistake, and led to the creation of this very blog.

    Confetti and noisemakers all around.

    Unfortunately, those stream of conscious ramblings are, again, originally to be found on Twitter. And while it's death is a slow and agonizing one, it's one I'd be stupid not to preempt by repoasting my content elsewhere. Therefore, today, I will be taking my megathread and compiling it here, editing for readability and not much else. They've already released the next patch notes. So now I have to read those too.

God fucking damnit.