Castle Rat - Wizard

© The Weirding, 2025

The Flats II: The Black Hat Book Now On-Sale (Black Friday, 2025)

The sequel, or really second-half, of The Flats is on-sale now at DriveThruRPG. This sequel details the enemies of PCs and New Residents alike, including Trollkin, Naga, Ratlings, and more. It further details Thrull Ulroog and the Bloodtooth Orc Clan, as well as the (allegedly) Goblinoid-run UltraWorx zaibatsu; introduces several new Martial Arts styles, magic items, spells, and colleges; and much more.

As I've noted before, I plan to support The Flats for the immediate future, and have at least one adventure/mini-campaign in mind for which The Flats II: The Black Hat Book will be necessary. As usual, this sequel was written using a lot of the HERO line, so there may be other books needed for play. Dark Champions, Ninja HERO, even Horror HERO was used in the development of this setting. While not strictly necessary, these books will greatly enhance your game.

Part of my purpose in dividing the book in two was to keep it affordable; I really tried hard to keep this volume under $5.00, but original art and labor costs drove it just above that. Now is your chance to get it at around the actual, intended price for a limited time. It makes a great Christmas gift for the Champions fan in your life!

NOTE: The book as it stands right now has some errors that the revision fixes. I have decided to wait until after the sale to update the files so that everyone who has purchased it, or does purchase it, gets the updated file and no one gets lost in the shuffle.

© The Weirding, 2025

The Flats: Life on the Margins On-Sale (Halloween, 2025)

The first entry into my dark future, urban fantasy campaign setting for HERO is on sale for Halloween (2025). The Flats: Life on the Margins details a world torn asunder by a rift to The Other Time, dominated by zaibatsu, and overrun with Ratlings and other refugees. This wave of refugees includes Elfs and Dwarfs, Trolls and Orcs, Ratlings and Goblins, and many more - all provided in The Flats and The Flats II: The Black Hat Book.

There are also new spells, a new magic college, new Kung-Fu styles, new professions like the Cybermancer, new items, and much more. In addition to all of this is a Black Market system which helps determine what characters can find on the streets; an Events system to randomly determine local and worldly events for months and years to come; and stats and information on how to create, establish, and run your own campaign in The Flats.

For a limited time, The Flats: Life on the Margins is available for a discount price on DriveThruRPG. I will continue supporting this line of products in the future. Be sure to check it out, and thanks!

© The Weirding, 2025

The Flats: Life on the Margins (for Champions 4th-Ed.)

Life on the Margins

I guess that, since I wrote the book, this is kind of a sponsored post, but hear me out:

The Flats is my Shadowrun by way of HERO attempt, redeveloped to better reflect a more realistic portrayal of the world and environment. To be certain, the results bear little resemblance to either game. The Flats is developed for Champions 4th-Ed.

It is a full campaign setting for modern day urban fantasy games. Magic is mundane at the beginning, but spells can be extremely potent. Likewise, starting characters are unlikely to be able to afford much cybertech, but they can save-up and buy all they want until they go cyberpsycho and have to be put down.

You can play an Elfen Cybermancer, a Dwarfen mercenary, a Troll Street Samurai, and so much more. The Flats exists outside any major city, so it should be easy to drop into existing campaigns, though the rules provide the random tables and guidelines you need to create an entirely new campaign set directly in The Flats. In fact, you can be anything you want since you can stack as many packages as you can afford (but you can only have one racial package).

All rules and rules changes are optional, but help to set the tone and atmosphere of day to day survival on the mean streets. More humanoids pour over from The Other Time daily and no one knows how to stop it. It is only now that the Goblin Horde has begun attacking truck shipments and lone travelers that anyone seems to care. 

I not only have several supplements planned for the series, I am already halfway through the sequel, which contains all the baddies and the lore surrounding them. Time permitting, I am also available to actually run the game!

Although The Flats works with nothing more than the Champions core book, you really need Dark Champions, CyberHERO, and a few other supplements to get the most out of it. Power gamers and collectors rejoice! This is a Wild Heroic setting with Average Magic, widely available cybertech, and no dearth of fantasy races.

Follow the link above to check it out!

To celebrate Free RPG Day, be sure to visit the website for a free PDF covering creating and maintaining cities in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and UniSystem Roleplaying Games. You can also find a link to The Weirding in the sidebar. Happy gaming!

© The Weirding, 2025

Days of Endless Adventure (2025)

I can't tell you what this is, other than a book. It is a D&D tie-in, although to what I have no idea.

© The Weirding, 2025

BtVS Fantasy Campaign Design Notes 4: Times and Places

Army of Darkness begins in modern times, recapping the end of Evil Dead II in which Ash is swept into a vortex and deposited into a Medieval-style fantasy realm with all manner of deadites, demons, and warrior skeletons. In the Angel TV show, Connor and Fred were held captive on a world very similar to this, albeit with more cultural details. Put these two concepts together and we have Pylea, the setting for our fantasy UniSystem campaign.

Army of Darkness RPG from Eden Studios (2008) focuses mostly on this era, so we already have the rules we need, and Pylea is detailed in supplemental materials for Angel RPG. Although this information is sparse, and Pylea is only the focus of the TV show for one or two episodes, I have enough to go on if I use another third-party source to flesh-out the rest (I simply do not have time to create another entire fantasy world from scratch). I also need a fantasy bestiary, which The Arcanum provides. This means I only need to change some things and not create everything from whole cloth.

I haven't gotten into the meat and potatoes of it yet, aside from what I have published, but making Pylea the center of my fantasy campaign keeps everything streamlined and organized in my campaign world. A Buffy/Angel future still exists on the Prime Material Plane, and interdimensional travel makes adventuring in Pylea a real option for modern day characters. Deadites are all but just another demon clan with which Slayers must contend, yet no less harrowing when they appear on our realm.

Humans, trolls, and the Deathwok and Gathwok Demon clans are the major races on Pylea, but I have added Fairies to better round-out the fantasy elements. These are found in Lawyers, Gods, and Money, which also contains Centaurs. Snake folk and Naga round-out the playable races.

I was wrong about all the portals back and forth between dimensions; Pylea and Earth are one thing, but even those portals are rare. Those to Quortoth are almost all one-way and there are few of them. However rare, such portals do exist and interdimensional travel between these dimensions is possible if not available.

© The Weirding, 2025

Campaign Design Notes 3: Pylean Trolls and Humans

I'm not sure that players should get to decide their heritage if they are humans coming from Pylea. Obviously, if they are not from Pylea, they are there as slaves. Perhaps a random chart would do good for character creation, and those who are slaves receive the Disadvantage(s) associated with that.

1 Slave
2-3 Rebel
4-6 Freeman

 

 

Pylean Human
4-pt. Quality

Natural Toughness (AV 4) +2
Nerves of Steel +3
Mild Cruelty -1
Humorless -1
Minority -1
Getting Medieval 2

Pylea is a beautiful world whose horror only becomes apparent when things like the Drokken (Encyclopedia Demonica, p.67) are near; otherwise, it is very much like Earth. There is a very good chance that I will use Talislanta for Pylea. I am definitely using The Arcanum for a lot of system conversion and mixing-and-matching (although I am also using the SRD5.1_CC).

I haven't made-up my mind on the other races and species available to PCs, but I'm thinking the Bast is a good one (WitchCraft). There is also an Archetype for a Troll Hunter in one of the main books and Trolls are a 6-pt. Quality detailed on pp.138-139 of Monster Smackdown. 

In fact, Trolls should closely mirror their society of that of the Gathwok and Deathwok Clans, using their Trollhounds the way the 'wok Clans use their Hellbeasts (Encyclopedia Demonica, p.13). Now that the Gathwok Clan has lost most of its power - make no mistake, they are still in charge for now - Trolls and their society will gradually shift and morph into whatever they make of it. Despite their obviously non-human appearance, they too have been enslaved for many years without having realized it, and may find more in common with other races than they ever had with the demon Gathwok Clan.

Catching and taming Trollhounds, to the extent that they can even be tamed, is a noble profession amongst Trolls and one of the most likely ins to a Trollkin character and Trollkin society. Even without the influence of the Gathwok Clan, this will remain a staple of Trollkin society for some time to come, as they cling to few "traditional values" to create a tapestry of culture from whole cloth.

Hopefully, eating humans is a tradition they can let go of quickly; they do not need to feast on human flesh to survive the way a vampire or some demons do, it is just a bad habit they picked-up (as a species) along the way. Few Trolls are born with the impulse to eat humans, although the somewhat justifiable rumors persist.

Trolls, as a rule, have little interest in reading although they do produce shamen (Witch Doctors). Their stunted Intellect, as a race, precludes serious high-level study, although it does not preclude a superhuman Intelligence; Troll magi and CEOs are rare. From a meta-perspective, Trolls work best as tanks and heavies, although nothing strictly limits them to these roles.

© The Weirding, 2025

Campaign Design Notes 2: Pylea

By this time, I may be done with at least part of my reading - at least, that's the plan - but I had some other notes I wanted to jot down.

Pylea is the Medieval fantasy Hellworld on which Army of Darkness takes place. Humans are a minority and were used as chattel and referred to as cows, but that has since changed (even if only slightly and only in some areas). The realm is ruled by the demon Gathwok Clan whose fighters comprise the Deathwok Clan, along with the Deadites, and small settlements and kingdoms both human and non-human. Both Conner and Fred managed to survive in Pylea over many years, although both were in captivity.

The Monstrum Index has a good starting list of fantasy critters and Adversaries. Although this all seems disconnected from Angel/Buffy, everything ties together; S-Mart is the Wal-Mart of our setting, for example, and is where Ash worked before he was transported to Pylea by the Evil Dead. A lot of Angel and Angelus' early vampiric adventures take place throughout the Victorian Age, which is the period covered by Ghosts of Albion. They also tended to have taken place in London, which is amply covered by Ghosts of Albion, as well.

Humans can also be born in Pylea; they are not only taken from other dimensions - a practice which has, again, dramatically diminished in recent times. Fey Folk are another minority subjected to the whims of the Gathwok, though they too are finding newfound freedoms within the realm. Trolls are another minority that makes Pylea their home. And while demonkin are the primary threat to be found on Pylea, all manner of fantasy creatures and critters exist with all manner of disposition. These days, it is not unusual to go for many miles before encountering a demon, but it would be unusual to go far without encountering something.

Although primarily on a hybrid barter system throughout the realm, Pylea uses a gold standard. Most amenities and regular necessities will cost 1sp - from a meal to a night's stay at an inn. The latter of which may be hard to come by for minorities, including humans and Fey, who can take the Minority Disadvantage (-1 Angel, p.42). Slavery, though now frowned upon, is also still practiced and minorities are still at threat of being captured or Shanghaied by slavemasters, both demonic and otherwise.

Remarkably similar to our own world, one of the few tell-tale signs that you have crossed-over into Pylea is its two suns. It is a 4-point Quality to play a Gathwok (Encyclopedia Demonica, p.13) demon. PCs can be from Pylea, but must take two levels of Hard to Kill (H2K) and the Drawback, Humorless (-1) for a Total Cost of 1. I will cover Pylean Humans in an upcoming post.

© The Weirding, 2025

Investigation is the Combat

Sanity is to games like Buffy the Vampire Slayer what HP are to games like D&D; where you worry about your health in Dungeons & Dragons, you fear for your sanity in games like Angel RPG. This is not Shock nor is it Stress, as both of those are covered by Fright; this is pure, abject Fear that unravels your common senses and ability to deal with everyday situations - ergo, your mental health, or Sanity (SAN).

Likewise, Investigating and Researching is to these games what exploring and combat are to AD&D. "Only fools rush in" is a wise adage to keep in mind when playing TTRPG in which the Occult is at-play all around you, all the time. Often, these attempts can be handled just like Combat is in games like D&D, but with longer stretches of time taking place between rolls. Although ample opportunity for roleplay exists, the long stretches of time needed to Research and Investigate are usually better handled by Skill checks.

For instance, it can take a few weeks to properly Research a book, and it might turn out to be the wrong book to Research - something you cannot know without spending the time to find out. One missed swing after another would tell you that you're not ready for that monster standing in front of you in a more combat-heavy game, and that would happen in a matter of in-game seconds. However, you are warned not to rush these things, as the center of attention is shifted from Combat to Investigation in games like Chill.

Horror and Investigation games are about solving puzzles: Investigating strange crimes because you have a hunch that there's something more sinister afoot. But, is there really or have your experiences just made you a jaded, paranoid Investigator who now sees the threat of The Dark in everything? There's no way to know without going through the motions.

Horror and Investigative games are primarily "theater of the mind," although many can be very tactical, especially once Combat begins. However, technicalities aside, the monsters involved outweigh the PCs by a lot, and are likely to wipe the floor with them unless they come overly prepared. Just imagine thinking you are facing a Demon and showing up with a lot of silver daggers and zero wooden stakes, only to encounter a cunning vampire! The best you can hope for then is an early escape...

In a more Combat-focused game, your crew is likely to have a good balance of Combat-oriented envoys with a myriad of contingencies either on paper or put together by the group. Games like Call of Cthulhu usually feature brainier, untrained PCs that fight only because they have to, knowing full well that any fight could be their very last - and probably should be, given the monsters' panoply of powers.

I try to run these games as though the Tomes to be Researched and the Crimes to be Investigated are the dragons of the scenario: The Big Bads to be defeated along the way to the Ultimate Bosses (the actual monsters they're likely to have to fight). The big rolls are not going to be Combat-oriented, but Skills and Abilities associated with Research and Investigation. And actions like going undercover, infiltrating the Bad Guys, and learning more about what they believe, how they behave, and what makes them do the things they do, replace buying better weapons and stacking bonuses for quicker, better kills.

Even the structure of rising action stays the same, as one book leads to another, one clue leads to the next, and the bigger picture slowly comes into focus; not unlike clearing-out low-level trash mobs in a dungeon to clear the path toward the BBEG at the end.

Although the flow and structure remain, at the foundation, largely the same, these are two very different styles of games for which not everyone is suited. Players of dark fantasy and horror games tend to have more tolerance of the gruesome and dark aspects of adult fare - of which Horror definitely is. You need to be an adult and behave like an adult to play in one of my adult games (in which romance and sex are almost never mentioned, but a lot of death and violence loom perpetually large). 

The focus of the adventure might die before you can save her, or might already have died when the investigation started even if you don't learn that until the end. (Seemingly, at least) Supernatural complications arise all along the way as the Big Bads try their best to throw you off their trail, runaways and ne'er-do-wells make great victims because their disappearances rarely rouse suspicion except among their own kind, and having an affinity for Mystery and Horror entertainment tends to be a hallmark of the gamers who play these types of games.

Those who have only ever played D&D might not make the best fit for these types of games, as they often have trouble converting to the different style. So, I'm writing these as primers or guides to the games before you play, just so you can prepare for a different (although similar) experience.

And be aware that not everyone runs their games the way I do, so your mileage will definitely vary!

© The Weirding, 2025

Monstrum Index for Buffy/Angel RPG

Monstru Index

I do not like most of Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG's write-ups for non-vampires, and so have changed (or am changing) most of them. Let's face it: Their Balthazar and Sid, the Talking Puppet, are simply uninspired - just to take two examples off the top of my head. Furthermore, that dragon belonged in Charmed and still makes no sense in Buffy. I'm glad they included it, though, given that Army of Darkness is a good introduction to d10 Medieval. Regardless of that, the dragon leaves a lot to be desired, too. This list includes the vampires, and is merely a page index where you can find all of these Menaces. I even threw-in the Dragon!

Ghost - Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game (BRPG), p.184
Dark Ones Cultists - Army of Darkness (AoD), p.222
Zombie - BRPG, p.184; MS, p.62-63
Werewolf - BRPG, p.181; MS, p.65
Basic, Strongarm Toughguys - Monster Smackdown (MS), p.75
Mummy - MS, p.61
Poltergeist - MS, p.57
Wendigo - Slayer's Handbook (SH), p.79,83-85
Snake Warriors - SH, p.101
Goblins - Ghosts of Albion, p.183
Hobgoblins - Ghosts of Albion (GoA), p. 183
Spriggans - GoA, p.183
Pixies - GoA, p.184
Troll (6-pt. Quality) - Monster Smackdown, pp.138-139
Olaf, the Troll - Monster Smackdown, pp.118-119
Troll
Trollhound
Big-Assed Spider

Vampires - Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG Core
Brand-New Vampire, p.169
Vampire Mercenary - Director's Screen, p.52
Vampire Minion, p.170
Vampire Veteran, p.170
Vampire Lieutenant, p.171
Vampire Heavy, p.171

Deadite - AoD, p.161
Demon Gangsta - Angel the Roleplaying Game (ARPG), p.80
Demon Thug - ARPG, p.197
Flying Deadite - AoD, p.162
Flying Demon - AoD, p.221
Fyarl (Brute Demons) - MS, p.40-41
+ Natural Armor AV 2

Dragon - MS, p.39-40
+ Natural Armor 10, Breathe Fire 35 LP (Major), Claw 35 (Major), Tail 20 (Minor), Flight

Basically all (with the possible exceptions of Monstri like Mummies) speak Monstrum, which is Common for Menaces, also known as the Dark Tongue. Each has a 35% chance of Lang: Ancient except Dragon, which has Lang: Ancient. The Fyarl and Dragon also have 1 Lore: Dæmonology.

© The Weirding, 2024

Zelda's Flophouse for Dark Conspiracy 1st-Ed.

Part of the 55-year-old alcoholic's problem is that Zelda is too soft on the bad ones, and she never knows which ones the bad ones are—at least, that's what she tells herself. The truth is that she is too soft on the bad ones, but she knows which ones they are. Her problem is that she won't stay away from them, and so finds herself in the middle of other peoples' problems too often for the law to leave her in peace.

Zelda's house on the outskirts of Robinsville has been turned into a halfway house or flophouse where PCs can find a rundown hole-in-the-wall to use as a bolthole or in a pinch. The rent is taken daily and is $100, flat. Zelda doesn't mind company, but she wasn't born yesterday, and it's $100 for each extra person after 11:00pm. There's a 40% chance of law enforcement patrolling the house overnight, but only a 10% chance during the day. The lot is overgrown, so Concealment of 25% is automatic. PCs stand a good chance of evading is the point.

The TV is constantly on; Zelda likes "the company." The radio in the kitchen is constantly on and tuned to the local talk radio station, WXPO, just in case any in-game exposition needs to be delivered or the players need to be reminded of their characters' latest exploits. There are a lot of wastebaskets and a lot of empty beer and wine bottles, there are also ashtrays everywhere. As she used to be a reader, piles of old magazines are fanned on coffeetables and surfaces around the house.

True to her nature, there is a 30% chance of a stray dog or cat on the premises that Zelda is feeding. It may not stay long or it may stick around, it just depends on how long the characters stay. There are also ants and some cockroaches, though only a few mice. Sadly, the carpet is shag and sticky. The kitchen linoleum is hopelessly stained and badly in need of mopping, but the entire house is covered in a layer of dust and grime that would take a team to remove.

Zelda can be fun to drink with, but only to a point; after that, her mood swings sharply depending on the subject being discussed, the music that's playing, the atmosphere... she is an alcoholic with few redeeming qualities, but not a bad or mean person. She has a pretty firm rule against hard drugs and trafficking, and will immediately eject anyone she discovers engaging in such activity.

Finally, there is a 35% chance of d3 other NPCs co-habitating Zelda's Flophouse at the same time. Draw a card for their demeanor and give each one attribute at 3-4 and one stand-out skill at 1 or 2. Their RES should match their demeanor, but give each only one random Treasure roll plus pocket loot.

Zelda 9♥

EMP 1
CHA 3
Business 1
Human Empathy 1

Brunette, Curly, Mid-length
Slight, Aged (Alcoholic, Smoker)
Dentures, Worn Clothes usually T-Shirts and Sweatpants with Sneakers
Little Make-Up
Phone contains d3 Contacts (Bounty Hunter, Law Enforcement, Factory Worker)
Purse contains Pocket Loot (Random)
Zelda still wears a ring a former boarder and ex-lover stole for her, she is still in love with him even though he is long dead 25¥
She has d100¥

PCs should be dissuaded from dispatching Zelda; they can pilfer whatever they want or need off of her after she passes out. Getting her blind drunk is easier than killing her. She makes a great Contact/Information Source (T) and leads to many other good Contacts, including Bounty Hunters, Law Enforcement, and Proles.

Other NPCs you might possibly encounter include local homeless and pr*stitutes, both of whom visit even when they aren't utilizing Zelda's flophouse.

---
COPYSCAPE NOTICE: I have previously written-up Zelda's Flophouse: It appeared in a sidebar on The Weirding dot Net for more than 15 years. I do not wish to lose it, and I hope others can use it for whatever system they are running.

© The Weirding, 2024

Treasure for Buffy, Chill, and Dark Conspiracy RPG

Random Treasure in Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG, Chill, and Dark Conspiracy

Using Dark Conspiracy's NPC card-based Demeanor system (p.168) to determine the general RESources an NPC or Critter is likely to possess gives us a starting point for determining what one might find on an NPC, critter, or at a location. The latter of which depends largely on what the location was being used for and by whom.

♠: Spades, Ambition. Clearance Pass, ID, d4 credit cards with (d10x10k¥) limit. Roll twice.

♣: Clubs, Batons, Violence. Weapon, Hand Weapon, (d3x100¥) cash. Roll once.

♥: Hearts, Social. ID, Contact Book/Phone, (d6x100¥) cash, d2 credit cards 10k¥ limit. Roll once.

♦: Diamonds/Jewels, Greed. d6 credit cards (d10x100k¥), (d10x100¥) cash, d6 x Jewelry. Roll three times.

Values do not only refer to actual cash worth, but also the difficulty of accessing the item. Thus, the Eye of the Drake is actually a rather gross and ugly necklace, but it is worth an awful lot because it is magical and difficult to acquire. These prices do not replace AVAIL codes in Dark Conspiracy or Empyrean, but items of magical/Darkling nature are generally unavailable on any market, and thus don't usually have AVAIL codes.

Random Treasure Table (Start)

1. Nothing

2. Pocket Lint - STOP.
   

3. 20¥ pocket change, Roll Again.
   

4. Key d6: 1-2 Door in room, 3-4 Car outside, 5-6 Lockbox in room

5. 50¥ pocket change

6. (d10x100¥) pocket change

7. Debit/Credit Card (d10x1000¥) limit

8. Jewelry 1-2 Ring, 3-4 Necklace, 5 Bracelet, 6 Anklet, 7-8 Toe Ring, 9-10 Earrings Value (d10 x 1000¥)

9. Lighter and Cigarettes (Ceramic case, 135¥)

10. Roll Again

Weapon
Dark Conspiracy/Buffy/Chill

1. Ammo 9mm d6/12 LP/SR 5

2. Ammo .22 d6/12 LP/SR 5

3. Ammo .38 d6/12 LP/SR 5

4. Ammo .45 d6/12 LP/SR 5

5. Beretta d6/9 LP/SR 5

6. Desert Eagle .44 3d6/18 LP/SR 7*

7. Standard .45 d6/12 LP/SR 6

8. Rifle, Shotgun d6/18 LP/SR 8

9. Scope +1 Aim/To-Hit, +10% Telescopic optics.

10. Repeating X-Bow d6/16 LP/SR 5

* Big-Ass Pistol

Hand Weapon

1. Fist Pack +1

2. Big-Ass Brass Knucks +d6

3. Big-Ass Knife d6/(3xSTR)/SR 4

4. Big-Ass Sword d6/(5x[STR+1])/SR 6

5. Baton d6/(3xSTR)/SR 3

6. Garrote 2d6/(3x[STR+1])/SR 4 **

7. Hand Tool d6/(d3xSTR)/SR 3: Hammer, screwdriver, heavy wrench, et.al.

8. Chainsaw 2d6/(6x[STR+1])/SR 5

9. Roll on Enchanted Items

10. Roll on Magickal Items

** Must score Headshot.

Enchanted Items

1. Nothing

2. Nothing

3. Timeless Watch PL 1: A watch that never needs winding nor batteries.

4. +1 Athame (Knife, q.v.) PL 2

5. +1 Ring of Protection (+1 WPR vs. Spellcraft, Ritual Magic, Darkling EMP, EWS) PL 2

6. +1 Cauldron of Brewing: Enchanted Copper Brewing Gear. PL 2

7. Ghostlight PL 2 (As Light of Guidance - Magic Box, p.71)

8. Cloak of Invisibility (Roll vs. PCN -2) PL 3

9. Energy Blaster PL 3 (STR x SL)

10. Screamer PL 3 (WPR x SL): A Darkling mouth screams incessantly. Can be stuck to anything.

Magickal Items

1. Nothing

2. Nothing

3. Nothing

4. Nothing

5. +1 Athame $1000, 1500¥

6. +1 Cauldron/Pot of Brewing $600, 1200¥: Copper brewery in low-magic worlds.

7. +1 Ring of Protection: Eye of Agate $1100, 1700¥

8. +1 Augur of Scrying: Bloodstone $1500, 3500¥ See following.
   

9. Eye of the Drake: Necklace $11k, 25k¥  See Following.

   10. War Trophy $50k, 50k¥ See following.

---

8. +1 Augur of Scrying 

Chill 

+10% Fortune Telling, Ritual Magic, Contemporary Religion¹
---
¹Must have Faith 1+

Scry
(Pot.) PL 3
15-minute scrying ritual using an augur which must be at least 100¥ in value (usually a crystal of some kind).
2d10 WPR Fatigue

Locate person or object. To search for Supernaturals or magic use, the character must have The Sight (Angel RPG, p.58), and traces of magic from items and places where magic has been present will appear as false positives. Test (Ritual Magic -12, Fortune Telling and Contemporary Religion¹ -27). PC needs a PCN 60 in Chill to cast this spell (d10 WPR Fatigue). Augur is made from materials worth 1000¥+ (as is the case with the +1 Augur of Scrying). 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game 

Scry is resolved using Witch-Fu vs. 12 in Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG.

1 Success = General planetary region
2 Successes = General Province/State region
3 Successes = General City
4+ Successes = Specific Location 

Ritual: Scrying up to 15 mins. +2; Mats: Augur 100¥ +3; Assist: 0 +1;
Sub: Ritual Magic +10 +2
         Fortune Telling -15, L +4
TOTAL: 8, 10
Range: Planet +9; Dur: +1; Area: Planet. +10; Fat: 2d10 WPR +4
DETECT Pot. 3
TOTAL: 27

9. Eye of the Drake
PL 5
Dark Conspiracy

Eye of the Drake comes from a Demonground drakken and allows the bearer to scry into Dæmonground—areas that do not show up when normally scrying. This Divination tool also adds +1 Psionic Scan. The drake that lost it wants it back and it is a much vied-for magickal item, so it isn't something you should be showing-off. +1 XP, Hunted by Underworld (amongst whom this item is particularly popular). Bearer does not need INT of PL to employ the Eye of the Drake, but does need to know the Scry spell or have Psionic Scan.

Chill

-3 Hunted (EWS 110-120, Underworld - 110-120 point NPC)

Eye of the Drake allows the holder to scry into pocket dimensions normally out-of-bounds. This includes the Land of Nod, et.al.

Buffy/Angel

Supernatural Senses: The Sight (3-pt.)
The bearer can see traces of Magic and the Supernatural. ARPG, p.58. 

-2 Adversary (Underworld, Champion)

In all cases, Hunted/Adversary is necessary because the Eye of the Drake (although there is more than one) are much sought-after by spellcasters and the Underworld.

10. War Trophy
        PL 7

As per the WarMagus Spell (Empyrean):

-3 Adversary (WarMagus, Veteran)
-2 Adversary (Law Enforcement, et.al.)
-1 Adversary (Underworld, Investigator)

The WarMagus who created this War Trophy wants it back, if he can find it.

Allows the possessor to instantaneously travel to and from a pocket dimension at the center of all time. All planes and realms of existence are within a finger's distance, allowing the owner full travel of the multiverse, coming and going, at the speed of thought.

War Trophies are grisly things—the human lampshades and fallen soldiers' remains -level of grisly—and thus, should remain hidden. Law enforcement agencies, including historical departments and organizations, might be looking for them and would definitely be interested if they find a War Trophy.

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I recently acquired Ghosts of Albion, so I will revisit this post, especially the spells.

If the Nu-Yen symbol is not showing after the values above, I went with that instead of dollars because I used a lot of weapons from Shadowrun. I am using an economy, so the dollars price is about one-half the Nu-Yen value, or current market. You may want to raise those a bit to further restrict access to some items. Rank and Renown may also play a part in accessing certain, if not all, items.

© The Weirding, 2024

Lore of the Wampyr (Buffy, Angel / Empyrean)

Only two have been uncovered so far, and one went "missing" in the S.A.V.E. fire of the late 1980s (Core, p.145); the other is at the College for Modern Thought at Vincent. It is not on display and, even if the players know the name, it is not for personal perusal; however, it is available once the PCs build-up a rapport with the director, workpeople, and general staff. 

They can attempt to purloin it, but that shouldn't be easy. It is in a back room that is kept locked and dark, cool and entirely disconnected from the rest of the library and campus. Several other important and valuable works reside alongside it, though there's no room for them here. No one is watching the room, but the lock requires 5 SL Crime (Lockpicking); if the party tries to break it or destroy it to get to the book, it may damage it (which it does if the lock takes more than 20 LP in a single attack). The lock itself has 30 LP, 4 AV (Armor). 

(Buffy has no STA equivalent, though Conspiracy X includes Endurance Points, which are equal to the character's LP and are determined the same way [STR + CON] on LP Table. Now, decrease all damages by d6 LP; instead, the first d6 of all damage is EP, Bash/Bludgeon does EP only, and all Unarmed Melee does EP only, as well. If you choose to play Angel as-is, ignore EP and the damage changes.)

Likewise, INT and Will cross-referenced on the LP Table gives you the character's ψ (PSI), which is expended during the course of spellcasting, being scared (FFS), suffering stress, employing Psionics, and similar situations. This is important, as Lore of the Wampyr contains at least one spell (Let There Be Light).

The book is leatherbound with metal backing on the cover and spine. The title has been burned into the front of the book, possibly with a woodburner. The Lore of the Wampyr has Armor 2 (Leather). Armor has to be bested in one hit and soaks damage equal to its value, thus the tome can be scratched nearly to shreds but not destroyed without doing at least 2+ LP in one attack.

Lore of the Wampyr (Empyrean/UniSystem kitbash - Stricter Chill2e write-up) 

PL: 6

PCs must accrue the PL in SL rolling (Occultism+INT) against the PL (6+9=15) for comprehension (DC 15). This may take some time, but failure simply means another test must be made after one night's rest (Full Rest, D&D). Once completed, the reader gains +3 DP [Resolve] vs. Vampires, +1 Thaumaturgy, +3 Occultism, and learns the spell, Let There Be Light PL 4.

Let There Be Light
PL 4

PC's (INT+Sorcery) must be PL(4) or higher to cast this spell. Let There Be Light costs 4 PSI and 1 LP to cast and requires the character mix just under $100 worth of assorted herbs and chemicals before her. The ingredients burst into a ball of flame which lasts only a second but lights the entire room for a solid minute per SL as though it were bathed in sunlight. The light itself acts as sunlight to plants and the Undead, et.al., including high-level Evil Way Menaces vulnerable to Holy Aura, Holy Light, religious relics, Radiance, or sunlight. The Duration can be increased by one minute per 1 PSI or SL.

(Ritual 2: 15 mins.; Mats 3 $100; No Assist; Gen Test vs Chemistry Sub 3; Rng 1 Same Room; Dur 1 min.; Area 2 Sm. Room; Fatigue 1)

This spell does not exist in The Tome of the Living Flame nor is it known by its believers. Let There Be Light has been copied and included in many magickal works, mostly aimed at vampires and the Undead.

GMs might include Hellbolt but are warned against it.

PL/DV to be beaten are reduced by 5 for Magic Factor, but only under certain circumstances, such as proximity to Ley Lines, whether or not the spellcaster has read specific Tomes, or attended the Lyceum Arcanum.

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We are unaffiliated with Chill or the owner(s). The Lore of the Wampyr, and the attendant rules and rules changes, work under Mayfair's 2nd-Ed. Chill, and should work under other versions but have not been playtested under other versions. This is an original creation made for Chill 2e and converted to UniSystem.

© The Weirding, 2024