Dungeon Fantasy Nordlond #23: “The Last”

Old enemies, and then even older enemies. “We’re not all elves, buddy!” Zen archery. Octopus air support. A reminder of the other uses of a harp-bow. Tactics and trickery. A sunbolt that was visible from space. Old friends, badly singed. Last minute wizardry from an unexpected source. All good things. Requiescat in pace.

Spoiler Warning: The campaign (which started here; the whole saga can be found here) is set in Nordlond, Gaming Ballistic‘s Norse-themed campaign setting. Today’s session carries on with a scenario taken from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 4: Two-Page Dungeons, from Steve Jackson Games’ GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge Kickstarter, but with some tweaks. Nevertheless, beware spoilers!

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Steampunk Monster Hunters #7: “Oh, The Humanity”

We skipped a month, there, due to various illnesses and troubles, but this time, we had a full house. With Esmerelda, the changeling, captured and taken by the fae last session, we see the return of an old friend…

On the character development front, Mercy has been saving up for Ritual Adept, and Margaret invested a chunk of points in Magery and Path of Crossroads. We’re digging deeper into Ritual Path Magic, after a long time dabbling.

Who’s Who

• Lucretia Gasser Buttersnaps, Philanthropist Commando, American gunslinger
• Margaret Anne Chapman, Accidental Hero Sleuth, snoopy apprentice witch
• Mercy Patton, Philanthropist Sage, nanny to the supernatural
• Nayler H. Knuer, Philanthropist Techie, lapdog of evil
• Octavious Buttersnaps, Hired Gun Psi, last seen on a quest to handle a werewolf bite
• Tommy Nine, Operative Experiment, undercover mechanical man

What Happened

The dispirited survivors of last session’s defeat sailed through the night aboard Nayler’s oversized balloon, as he tended Margaret’s wounds from the fight with the lamia. They returned to London, docking at Mercy’s townhouse, where they met Mercy and Tommy Nine.

Tommy had only just returned the night before from a mission to the Continent, helping track down a faerie smuggling ring operating between the Middle East and Britain. His team had discovered clues pointing towards a connection with Russia, which was being followed up by other members of his organization. Due to his status as no more than a coveted piece of equipment, no one particularly noticed either his absence or his return.

Steampunk Monster Hunters #6: “Diplomacy”

We return to the game after the holiday hiatus! A couple of players weren’t able to make it, and their absence was truly felt…

Who’s Who

• Esmerelda Wagstaff, Accidental Hero Inhuman Changeling; learning how to apply her inhuman powers to make her way in the human world
• Lucretia Gasser Buttersnaps, Philanthropist Commando; rough-and-ready American gunslinger and proud of it!
• Margaret Anne Chapman, Accidental Hero Sleuth; “World’s Greatest Girl Detective” and aspiring witch
• Nayler H. Knuer, Philanthropist Techie; half Sir Richard Francis Burton, half dissipated ’70’s rocker… with a balloon

What Happened

Mid-July, 1851, about a month after our heroes’ previous adventure, the group gathered on the beach at Brighton to meet with their contact from the Association, Charles Dickens. Lucretia brought along a giant wicker basket full of top-shelf wines and liquors, in case supplies ran low. Margaret brought along her Uncle Byron, who always enjoyed an opportunity to meet Mr Dickens. Taking advantage of the beach setting, Nayler wore his new, experimental bathing outfit. (He had taken advantage of downtime to come up with a couple of new inventions, including a concealed kerosene-powered backpack flamethrower and a holy water sprinkler.) Esmerelda, unsure of her place in the human world, chose to keep a low profile, and wrapped herself in glamour to appear as a remarkably large crab.

Mr Dickens raised his glass. “God save the Queen!”

Most of our heroes, Mr Dickens’ security entourage, nearby servants, and passers-by in all directions: “God save the Queen!”

Lucretia: “God bless America!”

Home-brew Monster: Raposalada

One of the kids drew me a picture, knowing that I’ve been looking for monsters lately. Thus, the world of Tembladera gains a new creature…

Faerie
ST 15	HP 15	Basic Speed 5.75
DX 12	Will 12	Basic Move 5
IQ 10	Per 10
HT 11	FP 11	SM 1
Dodge 8	Parry 9	DR: 0 (face 4)
Tail Lash (12) 1d cr; reach C, 1 Lightning Bolt (12) 1d burn surge jet, range 10 Mask (special) Enchanted with Fascinate (see M135), always on
Traits	Acute Hearing 2; Animal Empathy; Appearance (Beautiful, Androgynous, Universal); Blindness; Curious (12); Dependency (Mana; Constantly); Discriminatory Hearing; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Double-Jointed; Flight (small wings); Fur; No Fine Manipulators; No Legs (Aerial); No Sense of Smell/Taste; Para-Radar (360º, Penetrating); Plant Empathy; Regeneration (Regular: 1HP/Hr); Resistant (Mind Control college spells; +8); Social Stigma (Monster); Supernatural Durability (vulnerable to magical electricity); Trickster (12).
Skills	Aerobatics–12; Body Sense–11; Innate Attack (Beam)–12.
Equipment	Face mask (DR 4), fine, ornate (+1), enchanted with Lighten x50% and Fascinate (always on) at 15. $21,102; 0.75 lbs.

The raposalada are a rare faerie race from the jungles of the New World. They take the shape of a faceless, winged hybrid of fox and serpent. Sensitive about their missing faces, the raposalada invariably wear ornate masks, decorated to match their fur in color and markings. They are about man-sized, but with their long, snakelike bodies, they are SM +1.

Being faceless, the raposalada are naturally blind, and have no sense of taste or smell. They make up for these deficiencies in two ways. First, their sense of hearing is particularly acute. In fact, they mainly identify each other by the sound of their voice. Second, they possess a sense of perception with a base range of 200 yards, which extends in all directions and can sense within objects. This sense can resolve small objects, but isn’t sufficient to recognize faces without a PER roll.

Raposalada masks appear to be decorative, but are actually quite rugged. More remarkably, they are enchanted with the “always on” version of the Fascinate spell, at a minimum skill of 15. More powerful, experienced, and wealthy raposalada might have masks with a higher skill level, or additional enchantments. Since they cannot make eye contact, they are immune to the magic of their masks. Note that these masks come without eye-holes, limiting their usefulness (and resale value) for most buyers.

They take damage like normal, but can only be killed by magical electricity. This includes their own lightning-bolt attack, which strikes forth from their chests in a thirty foot jet. Summer duels among the clouds between young raposalada are sometimes mistaken for heat lightning. When they are injured, they recover amazingly quickly.

While not terribly strong-willed, the raposalada are highly resistant to spells from the Mind Control college.

The raposalada are curious tricksters, constantly getting themselves into the business of those nearby. They often ally themselves with neighboring tribes of elves. Some exceptional individuals learn the ways of the druids or bards.