Bits & Bobs X

Hex Maps are a perennial topic in the OSR, and there are a lot of generators out there, but if you want to make your own maps in Gimp or Photoshop, the hex icons made by the randomwizard will probably help you out.

I love everything about this version of the gargoyle, especially the art!

One of the most potent abilities a thief has, in any edition of the game, is backstabbing. Unfortunately in older editions it’s often very difficult for a thief to be able to pull it off. Tenkar has a few ideas/houserules to help with that.

Dave Taylor does a lot of fantastic stuff with minis, and given the number of mini painters who have recently acquired 240+ Bones, this tutorial on how to paint a brassy bronze is a must read.

Last year (going back a ways...) Christian of destinations unknown ran a 3.5 campaign called Quest of the Sorcerer King. While 3.5 material isn’t usually of great use to someone playing an old school game, Christian’s NPC write ups are worth the read.

One of the best things about old school megadungeons are the “special” entries. They’re a great way to add all sorts of crazy stuff for characters to risk their lives playing with. The Probability "Cooker" by Billy (who goes to Mordor) is a fantastic example of a “special” that would fit right in. It basically will transform one item into another, generally similar item.

Ghost towns are a very traditional location for adventure, but what if the ghosts are only a byproduct? What if it’s the town itself that’s the real terror?

Of course you don’t need a whole ghost town, sometimes a simple abandoned house will do as Konsumterra of Elfmaids & Octopi shows on his d100 Strange Lonely Old Houses post.

Talysman over at The Nine and Thirty Kingdoms has been working on undead monsters that scale things like ghosts, mummies, and skeletons from level 1 up to name level and beyond. The original idea was for undead monsters as PCs, but I think it works just as well if you want to have only spectral undead, or only mummies in your games no matter the level of your PCs.

Charisma, what’s it good for? In the OSR it’s for hirelings. But if you’re willing to pay stupid money, why does that matter? Really, you should be able to hire as many as are available if you want, just so long as you’ve got the gold. So if you go with that theory, what do you use charisma for? Contacts!

Magic Swords are probably the most versatile of all magic weapons, capable of having a wide variety of powers, but for all the charts to help roll that up, there’s a serious lack of magical effects which don’t necessarily have any mechanical effect.

Jeremy, of People them with Monsters has some disturbing things to say about the classic Berzerker.