CROSS PLANES

Marvel Monday: Silver Surfer for Superpowered!

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:50:00 +0000

Silver Surfer for Superpowered!

Combat 3

Knowledge 2

Physical 4

Social 1

Stealth 0

Superpower 4

Technology 0

Endurance 26

Lifeblood 54

Move 10m; Fly 50m

Weakness Protect the innocent

Traits: Hardy, Immunity, Tough

Origin Former Herald of Galtactus

Powers:

Common - Armor; Blast; Evasive; Flight; Willpower

Cosmic - Awareness;

Speed - Fast; Faster Than You; Insubstantial

Attacks: Blast 3d AV 2d; Unarmed 2d

Armor 2d Protection

Dragonbane: Rion's Pendant from Conan the Barbarian

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 03:27:00 +0000

Rion's Pendant for Dragonbane

Amor Rating: --

Cost: --

Supply: --

While wearing the pendant gain 4 HP and reduce the STR requirement of any weapon you wield by 3.

Gammabane: Hoop for Dragonbane

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:59:00 +0000

HOOP for Dragonbane

Movement: 10 Damage Bonus STR: +D4 HP: 14

Typical Armor: Studded Leather (2) WP: 10

Skills: Awareness 12, Evade 13, Sneaking 12

Abilities: Lightning Fast

Typical Weapons: Light Crossbow (Skill level 12, damage 2d6), Broadsword (skill level 13, damage 2d6+d4).

Thundarr Tuesday: Mok Kin for Dragonbane

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:16:00 +0000

MOK for Dragonbane

Ability: Mighty

• Willpower Points: 3

The number of dice rolled for a STR-based melee weapon's damage is increased by one (i.e. 3d6 instead of 2d6). Activating this ability does not count as an action.

Dragonbane: Conan's Helmet

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 19:05:35 +0000

Conan's Helmet for Dragonbane

Amor Rating: +3

Cost: --

Supply: --

Boon on AWARENESS rolls.

Ork City: The Community of Bloomindale

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:28:00 +0000

Welcome to Ork City!

"This world was different once. Spirits tell us this was the greatest city in the world before the Ungods woke up. They brought death to our world as a prisoner and unleashed him as their weapon. It took them less than a week to wreck the Old World and killing billions. Humans thought their weapons made them gods but they were wrong and even their "nukes" had little affect on the invaders and their armies of Unmen. We are lucky we found Bloomindale and each other."

--Librarian Boggs, leader of Bloomingdale, a safe haven in Ork City

Bloomingdale's entire community is centered around the Bloomindale Library. It gave shelter and knowledge to those survivors that found it and hope to those that came after. Four-Hundred souls call Bloomindale home now and at times the peace of the place can all most make you forget about the hellscape that surrounds it.

The Librarians, Enna Boggs (5th Level Human Sorcerer), Uther 17 (3rd level Warforged Rogue), and Maria Estevez (3rd level Human Wizard), are the ruling council currently in charge. They hold debates on the three nights of every full moon and every soul has a voice if they so choose.

Unlike many communities Unmen are welcome and they account for about 15% of Bloomindale's population.

While religion is frowned upon there are small sects worshiping Saint Jerome, Tenjin, Thoth, and Deneir.

The Library has proven invaluable to the success of the community and its citizens have fortified the area extraordinary well. The largest threats tend to come from ratlings, dire bats, and monstrous predators that the Ungods have unleashed upon the region.

Each member of the community is trained to use weapons for hunting and self-defense as members of the Guard.

A coven of Green witches helps to train students in the mystic arts and mundane ways of medicine. It is led by Wilhelmina Snow'Owl (3rd level Human Cleric), a half-elf and the wife of Librarian Boggs.

The Blue Sun is a secret society that existed in the Old World and it has access to information and technology from that era. Agents operate covertly in separate cells, with no knowledge of each other, providing monthly reports to their Leaders through dead drops. Bloomindale has two agents operating in the community which is unusual.

Mickey Irskin (2nd Level Human Ranger), is a blacksmith in his late forties that has lived in Bloomindale for nearly thirty years. He has four children but his wife passed on last winter and while he maintains his duties to the Sun his heart is barely in it.

The second agent if Phiona Hammerfall (1st Level Halfing Rogue), a dwarven newcomer, who arrived about a year ago. She is aware there was a Sun agent in the community but was led to believe they passed on and she replaced them.

The denizens of Bloomingdale are guarded yet kind. They protect their home fiercely while allowing traveling merchants, pilgrims, or refugees in their midst though they are heavily supervised at all times.

The Commander of the Guard is Tawny Brandywine (4th Level Halfling Gladiator), halfling born in Bloomindale. She is a skilled warrior, even better scout, and the primary instructor for the Guard.

Rumors (1d12)

1. A werespider lurks in the ruins of an apartment two blocks from the Library. (True).

2. Mickey Irskin's youngest son, Bruce, has been seen having conversations with animals. (False).

3. K'kell (2nd Level Half-Orc Fighter), the community's half-orc veterinarian and the husband of Librarian Estevez, is having an affair with Phiona Hammerfall. (True).

4. Four blocks away is shop that has wall safe that holds a treasure in jewels if someone can crack it. (True).

5. Years ago, a dwarven warrior fell to ratflings eleven blocks away in the Subway and his magical hammer still lies there. (False).

6. A giant albino alligator has a lair in the Subway. (False).

7. Iago Mortenson (1st Level Half-Elf Warlock), the community's Glyphscribe of Deneir, has discovered a copy of the Necronomicon and it is slowly corrupting him. (True).

8. Librarian 17 has a pet parrot named Laverne that is three-hundred years old. (True).

Staturday: Captain Freedom for Superpowered!

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:49:00 +0000

Captain Freedom for Superpowered!

Combat 1

Knowledge 1

Physical 1

Social 1

Stealth 0

Superpower 1

Technology 0

Endurance 21

Lifeblood 42

Move 10m; Fly 20m

Traits: Strong

Origin Agent of the Sons of Liberty

Powers: Common - Agility, Flight, Willpower

Attacks: Unarmed 1d

Armor 3 Suit

Mighty Thewsday: Conan's Zephra for Barbaric!

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 21:46:00 +0000

Zephra for Barbaric!

Immortal weretiger. Stamina 20, Defense 9+,

Move 20m/round, Armor 1, Claws and Teeth

(melee, 2d6 damage each, claws are slashing and teeth are piercing), Physical 2, Combat 2, Stealth 2.

Marvel Monday: Nighthawk for Superpowered!

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:59:00 +0000

Nighthawk for Superpowered!

Combat 2

Knowledge 0

Physical 2

Social 1

Stealth 2

Superpower 1

Technology 1

Endurance 17

Lifeblood 36

Move 10m; Fly 20m

Weakness Seeks the limelight

Traits: Assassin; Blind Fighter; Pugilist

Origin Alchemy

Powers:

Common: Wealth

Only available at night: Agility; Evasive; Strength

Technology: Blast (Wing Guns); Flight; Signature Weapon: Claws

Attacks: Wing Guns 3d AV 2d; Claws DM+2, 3d AV 1D; Unarmed 2d

Armor 4 Protection

DC Day: Booster Gold & Skeets for Superpowered!

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 02:33:00 +0000

Booster Gold for Superpowered!

Combat 1

Knowledge 0

Physical 2

Social 2

Stealth 0

Superpower 2

Technology 1

Endurance 28

Lifeblood 41

Move 10m; Fly 20m

Weakness Arrogant

Trait Empath

Origin Time traveller from the future

Powers (All powers come from his suit)

Common (Armor, Blast, Flight, Sidekick*)

Force (Protection, Shield)

Attacks Blaster Gloves: 3d AV 2d; Unarmed 1d

Armor 2d Protection

*Skeets - Rank 3

Knowledge 3

Physical 0

Social 0

Stealth 0

Superpower 1

Technology 3

Endurance 20

Lifeblood 30

Move Fly 20m

Weakness No appendages

Trait Savant: History, Mathematics

Origin Time traveller from the future

Powers

Common (Armor, Blast, Flight)

Attacks Optic Blast: 3d AV 2d

Armor 2d

Thor's Day: The Rook for Superpowered! and the Quantum Engine

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:14:00 +0000

A few years ago I discovered Stellagama Publishing's variations on the Cepheus Engine one of which, the Quantum Engine that powers Barbaric! and Superpowered!, really spoke to me. For one reason or another I moved away from it to the Cypher System, TinyD6, and Savage Worlds but, I've recently rediscovered it and have taken a shot at making some superheroes and supervillains as I ramp up for a new campaign set in DC's Opal City.

The Rook for Superpowered!

Combat 2

Knowledge 0

Physical 1

Social 0

Stealth 2

Superpower 0

Technology 0

Endurance 18

Lifeblood 41

Move 10m

Weakness Activation of Powers takes 1 turn

Trait Blind Fighter

Origin Mystical Avatar

Powers Weapons (Defense, Dervish, Signature Weapon: Pistol)

Attacks Pistol: DM +2 4d AV 1d; Unarmed 1d

Armor 2 (Cloth)

Michael Sloane and his husband Leo were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary at the Prism club when the gunman opened fire. Michael was shot in the throat but he barely noticed as he watched Leo's corpse slump to the dance floor. Screams of anguish and pain mixed with gunfire as Michael's whole world was violently ripped apart by vicious lunatic. As he sank down on his knees, with each heartbeat bringing him closer to oblivion, an angel in black appeared to him and offered him vengeance. They told him it would give him the power to make his city a better place for all. There was no hesitation as Michael Sloane died and the Rook was born.

The angel Raguel is the Rook's mentor and has provided him with a new face and identity. He is now Peter Carthage a community activist in Opal City which provides the Rook plenty of information on who is being preyed upon so that he may turn the predators into his next kills.

Mighty Thewsday: Conan's Keepers of the Crypt for Barbaric!

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 03:30:00 +0000

Keepers of the Crypt for Barbaric!

Undead guardians. Stamina 16, Defense 8+, Move 10m/round, Armor 4, Swords (melee 2d6 slashing damage), Physical 2, Combat 2.

Spotlight on Pocket Barbarian

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:46:00 +0000

I didn't get into Traveller or the Cepheus Engine until a few years ago. Looking into it I discovered Stellagama's Cepheus Faster Than Light and then their Cepheus Quantum/Quantum Engine and it really captured me. Quantum uses 6-7 Skills, things like Combat, Lore, Sorcery, etc. There are not "Attributes" in the game but it does have Traits that work like Feats in d20 games. I really dig how Omer Golan-Joel, the owner of Stellagama, and his collaborators have expanded the Quantum Engine into horror, superheroes, sword and sorcery, and the post-apocalyptic genres.

I'm a big fan of what they publish and recently picked up Pocket Barbarian a 4 page sword and sorcery RPG. PB uses 2d6 plus Skill with the following results: 6 or less is a Failure, 7-9 is a Partial Success, and 10 or higher is a Full Succes. Skills function more like Attributes in other games and they are Combat, Lore, Physical, Social, Sorcery, and Stealth and you allocate 5 points among them with no more than 3 points in any of them. You then pick an Archetype, which has similar design space to Traits, that grants you Advantage on your die rolls if they apply. Unlike Quantum PB uses a wound system instead of Life Blood and Endurance.

The game also includes Monsters and Spells. Spellcasting is a roll using Sorcery and you lose access to the spell for the rest of the day on a failed roll which reminds me of Shadowdark.

This whole package is $1 and I cannot recommend it enough. I have enjoyed everything Stellagama has published over the years and always look forward to new releases.

Thundarr the Barbarian #1 from Dynamite

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:21:00 +0000

This is the main cover but there are about a dozen to choose from.

I remember seeing Thundarr the Barbarian for the first time on Saturday Morning as a kid. It was this really cool blend of Star Wars, Conan, and Tarzan. It never made sense to me why there weren't action figures.

The first issue from Dynamite came out Wednesday and it's pretty good. Jason Aaron is the writer and we get a tight story that leads into what looks to be a steep battle between Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla the Mok and a bunch of Sorcerers including Gemini. I hope we get an origin story at some point but I'll take what I can get. My biggest grip is that Dynamite comics tend to feel a bit light on pages compared to Image or DC.

Head to your local comic store before the Demon Dogs get #1.

Hexenburg Session 3: A Megadungeon for Shadowdark

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 04:36:00 +0000

The session opened with the characters take a bit of time to check on "astrological frequencies" after their weird trip to another Plane last session. Things looked normal so they entered the wizard school.

They started moving South and West since they had not explored those areas yet.

As an aside, I've been a member of Mike Mearls' Patreon for awhile. Over the years he's been working on new math for building Encounters and redesigning monsters, a 5E variation called Odyssey, a 5E version of B/X called Moldvay, and an alternative system for high-level play for 5E. One of the subsystems of Moldvay is his Threat System. Every 10 minutes of real time you roll a d6. If a 6 is rolled something happens. If a 6 isn't rolled that die is set aside and rolled when the next Threat timer sounds off. I used this for the first time this week and combined it with the Torch Timer. I rolled the d6s out in the open so the players could see.

As the group encountered a hive of stingbats I got a 6 on the Threat timer so two goblins entered the scene and were chasing a Wizard's familiar a fight ensued. The characters defeated the goblins and the cat ran off. The characters then debated tracking down the cat when the Threat timer went off again and a different group of adventurers moved into the area.

The character's negotiated with the other group and learned of a second entrance to the school through a local cave that led into the 3rd sub-basement.

At this point the characters, who began to react when the timer went off, started moving faster and with more purpose. One last fight with goblins saw the Threat timer go off and introduce a few more goblins while their torch and the light spell went out. That was the most tense fight of the session with one player focusing solely on lighting a torch for 2 rounds. No one died but they were battered and nervous.

Soon after they decided to leave the school to regroup.

As a DM sometimes things slip my mind and I can easily get caught up in the momentum of play. The Threat Timer really helped me focus and the alarm ratcheted up player tension and reminded me to check for random encounters. When it would go off I'd just make a tick so that on the 6th Threat Timer I'd also remember that lights went out.

I've designed Hexenburg with donjon.com and while I appreciate the map I think I'm going to move to a more abstract model that probably is best described as a point crawl. I tend to think more in set pieces so I think this will suit me better.

I'd Really Like to Know D&D's 2026 Schedule, Wouldn't You?

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 20:22:00 +0000

It's January 2026 and currently we do not know what Wizards of the Coast is releasing in 2026. We think Dark Sun is on the way but we don't know for sure. I've seen some discussion of this on ENWorld where people are saying, "Its not that unusual", but this is like entering 2026 without knowing what DC was going to do with Batman or Marvel was going to do with Spider-Man.

I don't want to apply anything sinister to this because, sadly, the people running Hasbro and WotC just aren't great at marketing. They are great at making money and laying people off but not marketing and especially not understanding the DnD consumer.

I've run a Wizards Premiere Network store since 1999 (we opened in 1981) and DnD fans are far more responsive to unpopular decisions made by WotC than Magic players. DnD Fans will very quickly take action to demonstrate those feelings (like cancelling DnD Beyond subs during the OGL fiasco).

I hope we know something by February and I'm looking forward to know stuff especially after truly enjoying the new DnD starter box and both Forgotten Realms books.

Hexenburg Session 2

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:24:00 +0000

Art by Scott Ferguson

Yep, it took this long for the second session of my Open Table Megadungeon for Shadowdark because I chose to start it in December. We were only missing one player from the first session so I view that as a good sign.

We have a Wizard, Cleric, Plague Doctor, Warlock, and 2 Fighters.

Things took a turn because Mike Mearls has a Patreon where he is designing a Basic version of 5E he's calling Moldvay and we got a bunch of playlets material for last week. He talked about his secret is that he makes things he likes so I worked up a minidungeon inspired by Gamma World, Kamandi, Thundarr, and Masters of the Universe. I ran Moldvay with it on Friday night with that group and I decided to give it a run using Shadowdark but made some modifications to the floor plans.

To facilitate this, Zebulon of Thane the expedition's sponsor warned the Characters that strange astrological phenomena occurred in the last few nights and it could have an effect on the magic school because of. how much magic saturated the location.

Sure enough, when the entered Hexenburg the came to a corridor completely unfamiliar to them. The stone was worked and had a pale white color and their torchlight reflected off of it to shed light out to double near. The first room the went into had a very flattering stature with a placard depicting a well-muscled human dressed a lot like He-Man but he had a third eye. One of the players touched it and a secret door was revealed.

Let me take a minute to share that I used Donjon again and while I love it I need to get more comfortable building my own because even with the modifications that secret door took them almost immediately the dungeon's master Osh Keldar, the Mind Mage of Mal'Mordo. A much older Keldar was almost unrecognizable as his much older head was attached to a warforged's body and it looked like it had seen better days.

I don't know who was more curious, the Characters or the Mind Mage. They ended up eating dinner with him where the met his Thri-Keen bodyguards, and his staff who all wore shock collars to prevent them from leaving his Sanctorum. The Warlock read the mind of the halfling woman who manage the kitchen and alerted his comrades that this guy was bad news. Keldar was very curious how they got here and where they were from and mentioned that he was charter member of the Rings of Saturn and was shocked to find out they were unfamiliar with any of them. They also learned that this world was nearly destroyed by an "Atomics Exchange" a millennium ago and the Rings ruled this region with their own fiefdoms.

The Characters got lucky and killed Keldar quickly and discovered that everyone who served him were under his psionic control or had shock collars. From there things became a rescue mission while looking for any treasure and books per Zebulon's request. Keldar had a Ring that grants a +1 to AC and once per day can reduce all damage from one source to 0 and the Wizard now wears it. They also found three books: The Filbeau Verses a survivors account of the Great War that ravaged the planet one-thousand years ago, the Inquest of Amber Dogstar, the file of the investigation of her death, and a children's book, Calliope the Scallop Missed Her School Bus.

The characters were glad to see if they could find their way home when they left the dungeon and once they reported to Zebulon he had many questions for them.

This adventure helped expand my ideas for the Friday game and will have some lingering effects for Hexenburg because I want to communicate that the school is saturated with Arcane energy and is unstable in many ways. It also gave me a new faction for the game.

The characters hit 2nd level at the end of the first session and are about halfway to 3rd. I'm thinking I'm going to slow things down as I work out the ins and outs of the XP system, carousing, and downtime system.

We are schedule to play next Saturday.

Here is How I handle Skills Now

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 21:35:00 +0000

For most of my time as a Dungeon Master calling for Skill rolls was my default position, it wasn't until the last few years that I began to take the good advice in many RPGs and apply it to my Dungeons and Dragons and OSR campaigns.

It started simple enough when a Rogue asked about information related to a nation and rolled a 2 on their History check. We all groaned and laughed but then the player said, "I live here and am trained in History shouldn't my character just know that?"

I'm going to assume that this argument very well could have begun the moment a player failed a check the DM asked them to make going all the way back to Braunstein. We've all been there, right? Excitement for a scene and then a bad roll blunts momentum. Sure, you can blame the rules or you can take a good hard look at how you run your game.

The Rogue's player had a point and honestly, there was no reason for them not to know that information, in fact, looking back how often did I muddy the waters on something I wanted or needed the players to know because of a failed die roll? How much extra work did I create for myself and the players? Or worse, how often did I dampen a player's excitement in my game?

The next time the Rogue asked a question related to their History Proficiency I said, "there is no need to roll because your training means you know X". The player was happier and the game didn't hit a speed bump, in fact, I made it became my default assumption if Proficient and things were going really well.

But if something's going really well that means I have to analyze it right? I can't just let it be. If I was willing to eschew failure and default to success and other modern RPGs were dealing with quality of success could I emulate that as well?

The next next time the Rogue asked a question related to their History Proficiency my answer was "You know X but if you want to know Y roll for it".

Hexenburg: A Shadowdark Megadungeon

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 02:53:00 +0000

The Hexagon has become Hexenburg and I've run the first session. I built the Ground Floor of the dungeon using Donjon.gin.sh and I learned that the Player version of a level INCLUDES Secret Rooms so I've definitely learned a lesson there. The players made it about a quarter of the way through the Ground Floor before discovering a short cut to a sub-level (the Enchantment School Lab four levels below) but were scared off because they encountered a Hook Horror and an Umber Hulk fighting each other viciously.

Session 2 will pick up with them returning to the Ground Floor.

The expedition is being organized and financed by Zebulon of Tane who worked at the Library of Davion on the border of Ving and Borgia. He is looking for any and all books the delvers find and 30% of any treasure. Several member of the group are suspicious of him.

I had seven players and I think most will return for the next session in January.

The Hexagon for Shadowdark: Why Am I Building a Megadungeon? I'm Glad You Asked!

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 20:00:00 +0000

I blame Undermountain for my love of megadungeons.

The other day I posted about the Hexagon, a megadungeon I'm designing for an open table using Shadowdark. It dawned on me I could chronicle its development to showcase what I was thinking and why.

There are plenty of published adventures that I find myself wanting to run but then I start to read them and my eyes cross and I get bored or distracted and I check out. I want to be clear that I'm not throwing shade at anyone who has published an adventure it's just that the reading and rereading part doesn't work for me. My brain checks out if an adventure is more than about fifteen pages.

My brain likes very succinct adventures I can process easily, broad thumbnail sketch stuff not room by room detail. Robert Schwalb is great at writing these for Shadow of the Demon Lord and Shadow of the Weird Wizard. I can grab one of his adventures and be ready with ten minutes of prep if I have too. Joseph R. Lewis' Dungeon Age line falls into this category too. I've run a ton of their adventures over the last 6 years and heartily recommend them.

I've been trying to push myself creatively too. I'm intimidated by designing an adventure for publication so I'm facing that anxiety head on. I look back at the early years of the blog and I don't know that I recognize that person from a design and storytelling perspective. I want to get back there, at the very least.

As a local game store owner I have a ton of customers that want to play DnD, but not many that want to run it and I only have so many hours in the day for in-store play. I'm hoping that developing Hexagon for open table play will allow me to serve more of those customers and maybe teach some of them how to GM. If they have played the Hexagon and enjoyed it I can hand them a fully formed dungeon to use and let them know I can give them help because we are working with a common module.

My ultimate goal is a successful in-store campaign and a product I can distribute other to play.

The Hexagon for Shadowdark: Pyreskulls

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 20:19:00 +0000

Pyreskull for Shadowdark

"What is a Pyreskull? Well a Flameskull is an undead guardian created by a necromancer from the skull of a dead wizard. It is some evil shit, but here is the thing...sometimes powerful magic, really nasty evil necromantic stuff can transform a wizard at the moment of its death into hat type of undead without the ritual. Thankfully, we don't see that too often unless you like dungeons...then...well, your odds of encountering one improve dramatically. How can you tell a Pyreskull from a Flameskull? I'm still working on that...but you should either blow one up or run when you see either of them."

-- Elgin Prawn, the Third Greatest Bard in the World

AC 14, HP 18, ATK 2 spit fire +4 (1d10), MV near (fly), S -1, D +2,

C +2, I +4, W +1, Ch +0, AL N, LV 6

Animate Dead (INT Spell). DC 13.

Dispel Magic (INT Spell). DC 13.

Hold Portal (INT Spell). DC 11.

Fearless. Immune to morale checks.

Fire Bad. They are as bright as a torch in the Shadowdark.

Fireball (INT Spell). DC 13.

Mirror Image (INT Spell). DC 12.

Speak With Dead (INT Spell). DC 13.

Hexagon for Shadowdark: So I'm building a Megadungeon...

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 03:22:00 +0000

Even though this blog is well over a decade old and I've been a Game Master for more than thirty years the idea of creating a module to publish has always intimidated me. So I've decided to face that head on and I have begun work on a megadungeon featuring the Hexagon, a nearly forgotten school of the arcane arts on the outskirts of a trading post named Pwent. When it was in operation it was known as Hexenruul and educated wizards, both famous and infamous, for over seven-hundred years.

These days the Hexagon is a gigantic six-sided monolith in the Shieldlands between Ockland and Hekatun. The Library in Brinhold is in need of numerous repairs and it doesn't have the coin to pay for them, but a young librarian named Hollister Wimble has managed to get his superiors to sponsor an expedition to the Hexagon to confirm it is the location of fabled Hexenruul. To make sure he doesn't die, they have assigned a veteran librarian, Opal Wintercrest, and the mercenary Topher Hume to accompany him.

Everyone but Hollister are surprised that his theory was right and now his team are recruiting adventurers to head into the Hexagon and (hopefully) exit with fortune and maybe even fame.

And that is where the players come in.

I'm designing it for Shadowdark.

I've finished the first level and about half-way done with the second level.

Starbarian: The Scarlet Citadel for Dragonbane

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:33:00 +0000

Starbarian is the working title of a Dragonbane setting inspired by Thundarr the Barbarian, Jack Kirby's work on DC Comics' Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth, and Palladium Book's Rifts.

The Scarlet Citadel appeared via Wyrmhole, unpredictable gateways between worlds, nearly a century ago. Its name comes from the way its stone glows red under moonlight. It is situated in the area known as the Kentucky Bend, along the Mississippi River. The leader of the Citadel holds the title of Scarlet Sorcerer.

The Citadel became a haven for mages and Wyrmbound, those who had become stranded here via Wyrmhole when the Psalm of Earth, human supremacists out of what used to be Nashville, began a pogrom of genocide as it marched north.

The Psalm's defeat at the hands of the Citadel gave hope to other settlements in the area and established it as a force to be reckoned with within the region. It also caused the Psalm to abandon its northern conquest.

The current Scarlet Sorcerer is Fibbio Maladroit, an ogre from Livid, formerly known as Joplin, MO. They have mastered Mentalism and Elementalism and are proficient in Animism. Maladroit is seeking the Siege Perilous in the hopes of freeing Merlyn from Morgan Le Fay's captivity. The ogre is a longtime admirer of the legendary mage and hopes to recreate Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table here.

The citadel is home to about 1200 sentient beings from all over the Polyverse and currently has about sixty students studying under the Scarlet Sorcerer. Due to its study of magic and its diverse population, the Citadel is mostly self-sufficient and rarely trades with or maintains diplomatic relations with other settlements in the area, such as Covenant, Skunkape, or Lexing Towne. The current Scarlet Sorcerer was exiled from Livid twenty-four years ago for unlawful magical research resulting in zero contact between the two settlements. Many citizens believe the Psalm has spies within the Citadel and relations with the Swarmmmm, to the north, and Coal, to the east, are chilly at best. The Citadel's only official ally is the Free-City of Syzygy, which is located among the ruins of Indianapolis, IN. Syzygy has a full-time ambassador stationed at the Citadel named Jonen Qross, who is an accomplished knight and animist. It is well known that Qross has a keen interest in stories of Camelot, and rumors link him romantically to the Scarlet Sorcerer. Over the last decade, the Citadel's greatest threat has come from the Night's Templar, a murderous horde based in what used to be Jefferson City, MO and is led by the demon Baphomet.

Adventure Hook 1: A bard named Tiger Lily, a karkion from Western Gate in what used to be Topeka, KS, has a map for a dungeon, the ruins of A.R.E.S., about a two-day ride south from the Citadel.

Adventure Hook 2: Ezekiel Parliament, an ogre from Livid, claims to have proof that the Scarlet Sorcerer is innocent of the charges that exiled him from his home. Ezekiel claims to represent an insurgency within Livid that wants to topple its current ruler, Maladroit's Aunt Phinika Femur. The players need to escort Parliament from Livid to the Citadel while staying ahead of the Night's Templar, who were hired by Femur.

Night's Templar Harrier

Mov.: 10 Damage Bonus: AGI: +D4 HP: 15

Typical Armor: Micromesh* 4

Skills: Awareness 12, Bushcraft 11, Evade 9

Typical Weapons: Laser Sword** (skill level 13, damage 2d6)

Bolt Rifle*** (skill level 13, damage 2d8 + 1d4)

*Treated as Chainmail

**Treated as Broadsword

***Treated as Heavy Crossbow

State of the Planes November 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 23:28:00 +0000

Although I aimed for 31 posts last month, I actually finished 25, which is much better than any other month this year. At the beginning of the month, I was creating new material, but the last posts were reposts.

I'm currently playing DnD 2024 as a Thief Rogue in the Vecna campaign from a year or two ago. We are at 9th level. We've lost a couple of people, and schedules are becoming more challenging, so we'll see what we can achieve.

I ran a Deadlands by Gaslight 3-paeter and demos of Pathfinder for Savage Worlds and Dragonbane in the last six weeks, and those went pretty well.

I have been running a Swords and Wizardry game for my DnD Campers (we've been playing together for over a year), and we did a special one-shot for Halloween where they made characters based on their costumes, and it was an absolute blast. It is amazing to watch these kids hang out together and build a community.

I've spent the last few months testing out Shadowdark, Savage Worlds, and Dragonbane, and I think Dragonbane is my preferred game going forward. I need a break from the d20 system, and while I love SW, Dragonbane is easier to teach IMO.

I'm working on a setting for it that is a total rip-off of Thundarr the Barbarian and Kamandi.

I'll use the Bestiary's Ogres and the various Anthropomorphic races...maybe Dwarves too.

31 Nights of Halloween: The Phantasm's Sentinel for Cepheus Quantum/the Quantum Engine

noreply@blogger.com (Cross Planes) — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:21:00 +0000

The Sentinel for Cepheus Quantum

The Sentinels are spherical metal devices used by the Tall Man for various purposes, primarily enforcement. They are best known for their ability to jam into a human skull and suck out the blood, thus killing the victim. Through unknown propulsion, they float in the air.
The Tall Man typically amputates the minds of his victims by placing their brains within the Sentinel devices, thus creating Lurkers and Sentinels simultaneously. The Silver Sentinels patrol the Tall Man's territory and seem to attack mainly on instinct, as they are capable of harming the Tall Man himself if he is caught offguard. The Silver Setinels also double as keys in the Tall Man's lair. Which has doors that can be only open through a special lock in the shape of concave hemisphere with two slits to fit the prongs.

5/10, Move 60m/round, Armor 4, Blades (melee 5D, piercing). Combat-2.