R.W. Van Sant's Blog, page 21
July 6, 2018
July 4, 2018
June 28, 2018
Nightmarish Trapper BeastA free monster for the EZ RPG game...
Nightmarish Trapper Beast
A free monster for the EZ RPG game system
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J58E44A/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
https://www.rwvansant.wixsite.com/rwvansant/e-z-rpg
This spider-like creature is a truly nightmarish aberration of nature. Although it appears to be arachnid in origin, its body is the size of a large dog. Its spindly legs stretch a full three yards (meters). The monstrosity can climb up sheer surfaces or squeeze into tight dark places. They are typically found underground coming to the surface only to hunt. They rarely attack from the open, preferring to stalk prey at night when they are alone. They are very fond of human flesh and often make their homes in the dark woods or mountainous caves near the places of men or near their travel paths.
When attacking, they can lash out with their legs, which are capable of delivering a spear like piercing wound, or by shooting out a sticky web, that has a strength of 3 and stickiness of 2. If it wins a contest of strength, the victim is pulled toward its gaping maw filled with rows of sharp teeth. These arachnid horrors are adept at laying traps to get their food. The webs are transparent and difficult to see at night adding a -1 to any detection rolls to avoid the trap.
Strength: 1 Agility: 1 Toughness: 0
Intelligence: -1 Psyche: 0 Personality; -3
Movement: 4 Armor: Carapace 2
Attacks
Legs: Damage 1 range 3
Bite: Damage 3 range 0
Skills and Powers: Stealth 2, Traps 3
Abilities: Leaping: 10 years (meters), can climb at full movement speed, web (see description)
Use in a game setting.
Swords and sorcery: The Nightmarish Trapper Beast is good for the monster that terrorizes a village, the thing in a deep dark wood or cave, or a hideous monstrosity summoned by means of evil magic.
Horror Game: The Nightmarish Trapper Beast is good for supernatural demonic presences, science-gone-wrong, or mutant monsters.
Science Fiction: The Nightmarish Trapper Beast is good for alien monsters, space invaders, and the thing that got loose in the ship.
June 27, 2018
Laser HandgunGame Rules for the EZ RPG Role-playing Game...
Laser Handgun
Game Rules for the EZ RPG Role-playing Game System
https://www.rwvansant.wixsite.com/rwvansant/e-z-rpg
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J58E44A/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Laser handguns are a staple of classic science fiction. These high-energy weapons do damage by burning into or cutting through their targets. Wounds caused by a laser do not result in blood loss and have no impact. They also have very little stopping power, but are highly effective at cutting through objects and obstacles and inflicting damage at long ranges very accurately. They work in all atmospheres types or none at all. In denser atmospheres, however, their range is diminished. One drawback to this type of weapon is that the beams can be reflected away harmlessly away by highly polished or mirrored surfaces. Also when traversing a medium, space to atmosphere, atmosphere or water, the beams naturally diffract, making attacks across such mediums much more difficult to target. Hitting such a target suffering a -1 to -4 to attack rolls depending on the density differences.
Weapon Statistics
Small, Non-Bulky, Concealable.
Typical weapon damage 0. Some high powered models may deliver +1 damage.
This weapon is just as likely to deliver a harmful wound as an average weapon. This means that anyone struck with the weapon rolls their survival roll with no modifier.
The type of damage inflicted is determined by the way the weapon uses the laser beam.
A pulse penetrates deep into the target and major, or critical wounds will require surgery to repair the damage.
A beam cuts across the surface of the target and a major or critical wound results in deep cutting wounds or severed limbs.
Range base: 50 meters or yards.
Power types:
Power pack: A large battery pack worn on the back of the user. Provides 100 shots before needing to be recharged. This is the earliest technological type of power source. These packs increase the size of the weapon making them cumbersome and nearly impossible to conceal.
Capacitors (Caps): This is an early attempt to make the weapon more portable. The small caps are pre-charged and release a large amount of energy at once, allowing one high-powered shot. Depending on how bulky the weapon is, the weapon can have up to 10 caps in a reloadable magazine chambered in the handle to as not to interfere with quick use.
Power Magazines (Mags): These batteries become standard after the invention of mega high power rechargeable batteries. The mag is located in the handle or along the barrel (in high powered weapons larger mags are located on the barrel) and provides up to 10 shots before needing to be replaced, or the unit recharged.
Recharge units: The weapon has a self-recharging power unit capable of providing 10 shots and recharges 1 shot per minute, usually carries back up mags for heavy firefights.
Standard accessories/modifications:
Painter: the weapon can emit a harmless beam showing a red dot on the target prior to firing. This beam can then be intensified to lethal levels. This gives the user a +1 modification to their attack rolls.
Predictor: A computer sights system that predicts target movement. This gives the user a +1 modification to their attack rolls.
Night vision: Removes negatives resulting from low light conditions.
Stun: The weapon has a wide angled, low-intensity setting that causes the targets body temperature to rise suddenly. The target must make a survival roll or become unconscious.
June 26, 2018
Unrelenting NightmaresA sample spell for use with the EZ RPG...
Unrelenting Nightmares
A sample spell for use with the EZ RPG Role Playing Game System
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J58E44A/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
reat for use in the game Legacy of the Dragon Slayer
Spell Level 2
Initiative Penalty:
-2 if cast in a tactical or combat situation
Time to cast:
2 rounds per target (20 minutes per target if using the ceremony)
Power Required:
As a 2nd level spell.
Range:
10 x intelligence mod in yards or meters. The caster must be able to see the victim. (If the spell is cast in a ceremony, it will affect a target or targets anywhere within a city, castle, space station, or general region, so long as an object belonging to the victim are used. Seeing the victim is unnecessary as the personal item provides the necessary magical conduit.)
Duration:
1 night x intelligence bonus (If the caster uses a ceremony with a personal item from the victim, the duration increases to 1 week x intelligence bonus.)
Strength:
1 (3 if the spell is cast using a ceremony and a personal object belonging to the victim)
# of targets affected:
1 x Intelligence bonus (To perform the ceremony, a personal item for each victim is required.)
This spell curses the victim with dark and disturbing nightmares, pulled from the darkest part of their imagination. These dreams prevent the victim from resting or falling into more than a fitful sleep. Because of this assault, they do not get the benefits of sleep; healing, renewed endurance, and reset of daily powers, or spell points. Each night that the spell remains unbroken, the characters suffer a day of sleep deprivation expressing itself as the inability to concentrate. The victim suffers a -1 modifier to all Intelligence and Agility-based skill rolls, powers and magical use rolls until the victim can break the spell and get a full night of uncursed sleep.
When this spell goes into effect, it fills the target’s mind with horrific visions whenever the character attempts to rest or engage in rest, relaxation, the deep concentration or meditation required for magic, psionics, music or scientific endeavors. These activities suffer an additional -1 modification to these activities while the spell persists. Furthermore, after the first night of sleep loss, the victim’s nerves are strained, and all reaction rolls to react to unexpected events are subject to a -1 modifier.
The spell can be used in tactical situations. The victim will suffer a -2 modifier to any roll for the round the spell is cast (or the last round of the ceremony). The remainder of the day, the victim will suffer a -1 modifier to all activities requiring concentration or meditation. The actual sleep-depriving nightmares will come when they try to rest. The next day they suffer the full effects of sleep deprivation.
Resisting and breaking the spell.
The victim must make a psyche roll vs. the spell power as modified by casting roll when the spell is successfully cast. If the victim fails their resistance roll, they suffer the effects and must roll each night. Once the victim succeeds in their psyche roll they have broken the spell, it is over. The GM may allow bonuses to this roll for aid from priests, psychics, magicians, medication, psychiatrists, etc. if they feel such assistance fits the games genre and setting.
This spell is extremely potent when it is cast as a ceremony, gaining additional strength and duration. The ceremony requires that a special place be prepared for casting such spell, drawing of magical symbols, burning of candles, incense or other ingredients and a personal item from the victim (hair, fingernail clipping, blood sample, or something they have kept with them for months or years or that has sentimental value). The GM may subtract power levels from effect for items they feel does not meet the standard of ‘personal item,’ ( a picture, dirt from a footprint, and so forth).
Success or Failure
Absolute success: The target of the spell not only resists the spell handily, but gains insight into the mind of the caster. They instantly learn their identity and their current intent or plan. They also gain +1 bonus to all further attempts to resist the mind-affecting spells to intelligence or psyche based contests with relation to the spell caster.
Major Success: The target of the spell not only resists the spell, but gains insight into the mind of the caster gain +1 bonus to all further attempts to intelligence or psyche based contests with the spell caster..
Major failure: The target of the spell utterly failed to resist the spells power. The nightmarish visions appear as full-blown hallucinations and the victim must roll contest vs. the spell’s power to distinguish between them and reality. The victim must make a psyche save each night to avoid becoming suicidal and attempting to end the visions the hard way. (If the roll fails the GM and player can get creative about the form that the suicide attempt will take.) Party members can assist and add bonuses to suicide save roll. If the victim fails the roll, he or she must make a survival roll modified by the degree of failure of the roll and type of damage based on nature of suicide attempt.)
Absolute Failure: The victim is completely unable to cope with the horrific visions, and either has a mental break or heart attack GMs choice. An old character may have a heart attack and a younger one; an intellectual one may become catatonic. The victim must make a survival roll for either psyche or toughness with the negative modifier equal to the level of the spell. Regardless of the result, the victim is bedridden for 24 hours unable to move. Any attempt to resist the spell suffers an additional -1 and duration is permanent until dispelled or broken.)
Genres:
Horror: Witch or Cultist spell, cursed item or place.
Science Fiction: Techno-mage spell, disease or psychic power. Unusual special effect.
Sword and Sorcery: Necromantic, witch, or dark mage spell. Cursed item or place.
June 23, 2018
Trumps border wall
Trump is building his wall along the border!
He is building it with words of fear, terror, and hatred.
On the other side of the wall, he has put the criminals, rapists, murderers, drug dealers, and gang members. In short, on the other side of the wall swell subhuman monsters that must be stopped from entry or they will kill us and our families.
It is a wall so high that many cannot see the truth over it, that the subhuman monsters are just people who love freedom even more than we do. The monsters are children who just want to live a life with their families free of fear.
It is a wall so thick that humanity and charity cannot pass through it, it stops justice, freedom, and hope. It stops us from seeing the truth, that there are no monsters on the other side.
The monsters are fear, terror, and hatred that make us treat those outside as the enemy, the danger, the threat. And we have locked that monster inside the wall with us.
When they have grown tired of the wall, they will build another inside the first to lock out other monsters, and then another, and another.
June 20, 2018
staff:
People of Tumblr, we’re throwing up the Bat Signal.
Though this Administration has vowed...
People of Tumblr, we’re throwing up the Bat Signal.
Though this Administration has vowed today to sign an executive order that would end the separation of families at the border stemming from its “zero tolerance” policy, we must continue to apply pressure and do our part. Families should have never been separated in the first place.
Here are five ways that you can help:
1. Call your Senator and let them know that immigration reform is still needed. Call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Senator’s office.
2. Donate to organizations that are providing support to immigrant families being held in detention centers all over the country:
The Florence Immigration Project - The Florence Project is providing free legal and social services to migrants being detained in Arizona.
The Texas Civil Rights Project - Lawyers in Texas have banned together to fight for “equality and justice in and out of the courts.”
ACLU of Texas Border Rights Center
RAICES Bond Fund - This fund provides money to release parents from detention centers so they can look for their kids.
CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project - CARA provides legal representation for families in detention centers.
KIND - Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) provides legal representation for unaccompanied minors in detention centers. They’ve also provided other ways for you to help oppose family separation here.
CARA Pro Bono Project - Help alleviate the cost of housing for volunteer lawyers, as well as sending coloring books to those children in detention centers.
Refugee Caravan - Donate what you can to help detained immigrants make phone calls to their families and lawyers.3. Contact the Immigration Justice Campaign if you, or someone you know, are fluent in Spanish and can assists lawyers at the border over the phone as an interpreter.
4. Contact Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and volunteer your services as a Spanish-speaking interpreter or as a lawyer for those parents who have been sent to the state of Washington without their children.
5. If you’re a lawyer, law student, paralegal or Spanish-speaking interpreter, contact the Dilley Pro Bono Project for a week-long shift as a volunteer in Texas.
Let’s do what we can to right this wrong because children and families should never have to suffer these kinds of irreparable trauma.
We cannot allow our nation to go down this dark and twisted path. To do so would be to lose our national soul. That path leads to tyrany and fascism.
