The Gonzo Crawler

I started making an "Appendix LP" playlist after the supplement Iron Falcon 75 by Chris Gonnerman dropped at the end of December 2022. It's hard to describe this module without spoilers. Roughly I think an elevator pitch might be Stranger Things, but with adults in the 1970s. The content itself, unsurprisingly, takes place in 1975. Why 1975? Because that's when we have the thief from the Greyhawk OD&D supplement. I found it really inspiring, both the concept and the setups in the book and found myself wanting to be able to run a great campaign, and part of this was finding music to go along with it. Imagine a semi-finished basement in the Midwest. It is the end of summer 1975. The nicotine stained wood paneling, like the shag carpet underfoot, is a medley of earthy oranges and browns, each thread bears witness to countless family gatherings, holding tight the remnants of RC Cola "pop" stains and the occasional cigarette burn. If there was a TV it probabl...

Inappropriately loud and intense metal theme song Talk about anything but the subject of the episode for the first 25 minutes Worst quality mic you can find At least one host is sick or has articulated being unprepared for the episode Weird loud laugh 

I've recently been reading about Radioactive Diamond Batteries , and of course my first thought is always straight to Gamma World and Sci-Fi TTRPGs.  This tech is a gammavoltaic, powered by the radioactive decay of the nuclear waste housed within. Why diamonds? Diamonds are excellent semiconductors, and they also do a good job of containing the radioactive material so it doesn't leak out. Think of the diamond as both the conductor and the protective shell of the battery. The games that pop in my head every time I run across an article about these cells are Gamma World, Mutant Crawl Classics, and even Mothership. Nuclear waste leans hard into the irradiated science fantasy settings, and the long life is well suited for a functioning technological artifact. And frankly, it's got GAMMA in the name! There are limitations to this tech that keeps it from being "game breaking", and that is while the batteries last a very, very long time (up to 28,000 years!). They are ex...

Behold: The Zero Level Statblock! As a player, I recently found myself stuck without character sheets, and coincidentally, the playtest I was participating in had only two players, including myself. Consequently, I found myself managing eight zeroes without my usual comfortable Purple Sorcerer generated sheet in front of me. As switching windows and tabs was rather ineffective and causing me to slow down the play, I began writing down the most frequently used stats that are called upon. It turned out that the template I came up with resembled the monster statblock since the DCC statblock is famously pared down to just what is necessary to run the monster. As a result, I have created the following template for zeroes that I play with, whether as a player or a Judge: Zero: Init +0; Atk weapon +MOD melee (1d4) and weapon +MOD missile fire (1d6+1); AC 10; HP 4; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0; AL We are leaving out a few things that all zeroes share (HD 1d4; MV 30'; Act 1d20;). In this exa...

General Take Lawful Lawful characters see themselves as aligned with order, the forces of justice, and authority and may consider others who do not as "chaotic" Despite the tendency of subscribing to ideologies such as humbleness and respect, they may knowingly, or otherwise, express distain for others who hold beliefs that do not align with thier own Appendix-N literature includes the Crusades series by Harold Lamb which heavily influenced the chivalric self-identity of the forces of "Law and Order" Chaotic Chaotic characters might not describe themselves as chaotic, much like you could imagine pagans would not identify with how monotheists portray or characterize them Chaotic alignment includes a plethora of different ways of thinking, being, worshipping, and behaving Chaotic ethics may be characterized by attention to the self and one's achievements, as well as an idealization of personal freedom and power Chaotic characters may actively oppose the establishe...

The Sun Baby Init +0; Atk heat ray +5 ranged (1d8); AC 16; HD 3d6; MV 25’ (floating); Act 1d20; SP blinding light, searing flare, thunderous laughter; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3; AL C. Special Abilities: Blinding Light: Once per day, The Sun Baby can unleash a blinding burst of light that affects all creatures within a 20-foot radius. Creatures caught in the blast must make a Reflex save (DC 13) or be blinded for 1d4 rounds. Searing Flare: Once per day, The Sun Baby can channel the power of it's sun to unleash a devastating beam of heat and light. This attack deals 3d6 damage to a single target within 100 feet. The target can make a Reflex save (DC 15) for half damage. Thunderous Laughter: Once per day, The Sun Baby can unleash a booming laugh that reverberates through the surrounding area. All creatures within a 30-foot radius must make a Will save (DC 13) or be overcome with uncontrollable laughter for 1d4 rounds. All actions are at -2d for the duration TV-Chubby Init +1; Atk hu...