Over the past few months I’ve been debating back and forth about whether I wanted to dive into the deep end of the pool and create my own rules. There are so many great rulesets out there that I love and am inspired by; why do I need to create a whole new ruleset? The more I pondered and tried to fight of the muse to do so, the more I thought about it. I really started examining all this over the year of playtesting Going Medieval on Yo’ Ass and seeing the niggles in the system/issues my players were having…
Needless to say- I am creating a DIY RPG Rules system. This system will truly be Powered by the Middle Finger.
I started a thing of Dev Notes on my MeWe DIY RPG Productions community page. Come feel free to join the community. Also feel free to hit me up for a friend request on MeWe now that G+ is shitting the bed. I’ve decided to move the posts to a blog format as MeWe doesn’t put the posts in chronological order, so if someone comments on an older post, it puts it right back up and the top and that’s annoying. I’m still going to post ideas, thoughts, and chat (if people are interested), but the bulk of stuff will be here.
The first few posts will be me putting the stuff that’s already been on MeWe on the blog.
Thoughts on Designing
Several key components have been at the forefront of my brain when I’ve been pondering/working on DIY RPG Productions rules.
It must be:
Rules-lite.
Accessible to new players. 2a) Enticing for casual gamers who don’t want to learn stuff.
OSR(ish).
Hackable.
Exciting for veteran players.
Great for one shots, Con games, and long term play. 6a) For long term play, not suffer from massive bloat.
Be able to handle a wide range of genres for my books (from DitNP all the way to BotRE to an eventual Cyberpunk game).
Forever be DIY!
I love Into the Odd and The Black Hack. They are fantastic systems created by great designers, and from their games I’ve learned quite a bit of what I want as a designer and a GM.
When Chris and David both announced they were working on new projects, Electric Bastionland and The Black Hack 2e, respectively, I almost immediately started getting messages and emails asking when I was going to update my rules to the new editions… and the honest answer was, “fuck if I know.”
I have Barbarians of the Ruined Earth, Orcs (a 3rd level Hubris adventure), High Noon: A Gritty Western for White Box, Going Medieval on Yo’ Ass (Fantasy DitNP), and The Forever Dungeon all in stages of development- I don’t want to start thinking about new editions of stuff…
And that’s when I really pondered what I wanted from my groups. I’ve been running DitNP (Into the Odd system) and Barbarians of the Ruined Earth (uses TBH) or other TBH stuff for two years now- so at this point I have a pretty damned good idea on what I want from a rules-lite system… What feedback I got from groups from hours and hours of playing, etc.
I want these rules to run through many of my projects (same mechanics, barring setting/house rules) for ease of use for those who enjoy them. And with the goal of being hackable- if you don’t like my rules, you can say fuck all to them and use whatever system you enjoy.
I’ll post more about the mechanics and decisions soon.
Aside: I have no plans on rewriting Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure to these rules currently. I love DCC and feel that Hubris fits the system perfectly. #diy_productions_rules_dev_notes
I love the critical hits and fumbles mechanics in Dungeon Crawl Classics. It keeps criticals and fumbles exciting and fresh throughout a campaign! Combat can get bogged down with constantly referencing the book or notes, however.
As I look at what I want to incorporate in my DIY system, I knew I wanted that excitement on criticals and fumbles as found in DCC, but I didn’t want to have to look in a book for the results. I decided to create a die drop chart instead.
When a critical/fumble is rolled, simply roll 1d4 on the die drop chart (pic below) and consult the number on the die with the column in which it lands.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the best games I’ve played in a decade, if not ever. The game rewards exploration and experimentation with weapons, abilities, items, etc. that I haven’t really seen in another game.
Anyways, I could gush on the game all day- but if you’re interested in it, here’s a great review by Previously Recorded (these dudes are part of Red Letter Media).
Anyways, I was taking a shower and washing my bits and baubles (nice image there) and started pondering how I would handle damage and HP if I wanted to capture that feel of Zelda mechanics.
Here’s the rough idea (completely untested).
Attributes
I’d use the standard attributes from D&D: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Players would roll 2d6+5 for each stat. This would result in more competent characters than traditional OSR, but hey- this is Zelda.
Hit Points
Traditional hit points are gone. Instead each character starts with three hearts. These hearts, as per normal hit points, represent your vitality and how much damage you can take. Hearts have three levels: Full, Half, and Empty. When you reach zero hearts, you are dead. More on damage below.
Mechanics
I’d like to keep it simple- roll under, same as The Black Hack or Into the Odd.
Things I Can Do
A character can take two actions per round. They can move twice, attack twice, move and attack, look through their pack and take a potion, use an ability from an item twice, etc.
Initiative
Roll 1d20. Who ever gets the lowest result goes first. Then proceed in numerical order.
Combat and Damage
For melee attacks and defense, the player would need to roll under their Strength. For ranged attacks and defense, the player would need to roll under their Dexterity.
Weapons would be broken down into five categories: Small (dagger, throwing star/knives, shiv, etc.: 1 die); Light (short sword, bow, club, boomerang, etc.: 2 dice); Medium (long bow, bastard sword, crossbow, warhammer, etc.: 3 dice); Heavy (two-handed: great axe, great sword, falchion, spear, halberd, etc.: 3 dice); Large (weapons for larger creatures- must be held in two hands, giant axe, giant sword, etc.: 4 dice); Siege Weapons and Explosives (ballista, catapult, bomb arrow, bombs, etc.: 5 dice).
When a target is hit by an attack, roll a number of d6’s indicated by the weapon type. If the result is even, that means 1 full heart of damage. If the result is odd, that means 1/2 heart of damage.
For Example: Link is wielding a longsword and a shield and in combat with a bokoblin and successfully rolls under his Strength, meaning he rolls three 1d6’s for damage. Link’s player rolls 3d6 and gets: 4, 1, and 3; meaning that the bokoblin takes two full hearts of damage (out of four).
Powerful Foes
Some enemies are super beefy (bosses, magically enhanced creatures, etc.) and pack more punch. After a Powerful Foe rolls damage, they can pick up any dice that are an odd number and reroll them, attempting to get an even number. This can only be done once per attack.
Armor
Armor offers protection against damage from a foe’s blade. The heavier the armor, the more damage can be potentially absorbed. However, the heavier the armor, the slower the characters moves or perform delicate tasks). Armor is broken into three categories: Light (Absorption: 1 die; Move: Normal; Dexterity Penalty: None); Medium (Absorption: 2 dice; Move: -5 ft; Dexterity Penalty: +1d6); Heavy (Absorption: 3 dice; Move: -10 ft; Dexterity Penalty: +1d8).
When struck by an attack, roll a number of d6’s indicated by the armor being worn. Compare the results to the attackers. Each Even and Odd cancels out one of the attackers.
For Example: After Link successfully attacked the bokoblin, it quickly retaliated, hitting Link with its jagged club (3 dice of damage). The GM rolls 3d6 and gets: 4, 4, and 1, meaning Link would suffer 2 1/2 hearts of damage (out of his five). However, Link is wearing medium armor, meaning he gets to roll 2d6, getting a 4 and 3. One of the bokoblins even and odd rolls are canceled out! Link only suffers 1 heart of damage.
The Armor Penalties
The heavier the armor, the more it impedes your character in several ways. First, you move slower. Characters can move 30′ per round (or 90′ with a full sprint). Second, armor makes it harder to move around and perform delicate tasks. When attempting to sneak, climb, pick a lock, etc. you roll 1d20 + the Penalty Die and attempt to get under your attribute. This penalty die is added to initiative rolls. The penalty die does not affect Dexterity rolls for attacks and dodging.
Starting Gear
Into the Odd has a great character starting package. I’d do something similar to that- give each character a goal, quirk, one single special ability, and starting gear. Then it’s go time.
Leveling Up
There would be zero traditional leveling up in the game. Everything would be earned through exploration and playing. Going through mazes, shrines, etc. would grant boons from Priests, monks, etc. gaining hearts or increasing an attribute.
Magical items would increase attributes while worn (or consumed), grant special abilities, and so on. All the rewards would be given through these means rather than through an arbitrary experience system.
Money would be important for new gear, arrows, etc.
Cooking Food
Food and potions would be paramount to healing, staving off diseases, etc. Everyone can attempt to cook. Ingredients would be separated into: Poor (Odd result only); Normal (1 Die); Excellent (2 Dice).
When cooking the player rolls the number of dice indicated by the ingredient category. If the result is Odd, that heals half a heart; Even, a full heart. The character can toss up to five ingredients into a pot at once.
If a character has seasoning salt (or whatever the fuck you want to call it), after the result of the roll has been determined, the character can pick up any dice that are an odd number and reroll them, attempting to get an even number. This can only be done once per dish.
For Example: Link has two apples (poor), flour (good), and honey (excellent). He throws them in a pot with seasoning salt to simmer. The player rolls 3d6 (for the good and excellent ingredients) and gets 1, 1, 4 (plus the odd result for the apple), resulting in 2 1/2 hearts that would be restored by this dish. However, because of the seasoning salt, Link’s character can reroll the two 1’s in the hopes of getting even numbers.
In Conclusion
This all popped in my damned head this AM while showering and turned into this as I was jotting down notes… Heh, I think I gotta a little carried away. Hope ya enjoyed it!
Whew- it has been a crazy couple of months for me. Summers are always busy with RL activities, but this summer was packed. Between Gen Con and the awesome Demon City kickstarter, then I had to shift gears to start the process for setting up our huge charity event at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, The Sale, which I oversee (I’m the Director of Operations for the organization). The Sale concluded last week! It was quite an undertaking, building this from the ground up, but my volunteers were amazing and I couldn’t be happier or prouder with the outcome.
In other news, I had to disband my online gaming group due to low attendance, schedule changes for some of the players, and constant cancellations… so that was a bummer. Hopefully we’ll be able to game again in the future, but right now that just isn’t a reality.
Needless to say, aside from gaming at Gen Con, I hadn’t RPG’d from July until last week! Nor have I really had any time to write in about six months… which is why I haven’t posted much in recent months.
I’m hoping my schedule evens out now and I can get some gaming in!
THE FUTURE
Even though I was busy, I was able to do some serious pondering about DIY RPG Productions, where I want my company to go/how I want to do business, etc. and I think I’ve course-corrected things before it spiraled into something else. By and large this does not impact much for people who enjoy the books I have released, it’s more I want to make sure I’m happy with the direction I am going before it became something else.
I also stole time to jot down notes on my projects and how I want to move them forward.
Demon City is currently in layout and moving along nicely! Shawn is killing the layout and Zak’s art and writing are always exceptional.
Matt Hildebrand recently sent me a few layout samples for Barbarians of the Ruined Earth and we nailed down where we are going with the book. The Kickstarter for BotRE will launch in January(ish).
Here is a sample page for BotRE! By Matt Hildebrand- art by Matthew Adams!
Death is the New Pink: Going Medieval on Yo’ Ass is cooling off while I ponder mechanics of my own DIY RPG Productions system that I’ll be using for many of my publications in the future (gotta finish writing it and playtesting it).
Kelvin Green is plugging away at drawing rooms for the Forever Dungeon!
Fiona Giest and Jarrett Crader have finished the first pass of proofs for Orcs: A High Octane Adventure (3rd level module for Hubris).
High Noon is also on the rack until I figure out my DIY ruleset or if I just want to publish it as Whitebox. We shall see.
Anyways… I figured I’d put out a class I’m working on for a BotRE supplement: The Terramancer.
Terramancers are an ancient order with the ability to harness and manipulate the energies of the earth, be it nature, beasts or the very elements themselves. The forces they wield are truly powerful, rivaling those of Sorcerers. Terramancers prefer their own company or that of animals and many are reclusive, solitary beings. Although not often encountered, those of the order will leave their solitary domains to defend Mother Earth or fight and protect those they deem worthy.
“I am one of Mother Earth’s chosen guardians. I harness Her nurturing touch to heal, to guide and to protect. I call forth Her wrath to hinder, attack, and destroy those that would harm Her, the innocent, or those of my order.”
Starting HP: 1d4+4
Hit Points Per Level/Resting: 1d4 HP/lvl
Weapon and Armor: Light Armor, All Shields, Daggers, Clubs, Short Swords, Short Bows, Staves, Slings, and Blowgun
Weapon Damage: 1d4/1 Unarmed or Improvised
SPECIAL FEATURES
The Ways of the Terramancer: Terramancers can harness the raw power of the elements and nature. Starting at 1st level a Terramancer can utilize the power of the various “Ways” twice per day. They gain the ability to use the power of the Ways an additional time every odd level (max of 6 at 9th level).
Natural Recharge: Once per day a Terramancer can rest for an hour. Roots grow from their legs and feet and arms and hand, burrowing into the earth (or water) to draw revitalizing nutrients into their body. During that time they are immobile. At the end of the hour the Terramancer makes a Luck roll. If successful they can utilize an additional Way.
Way of the Form
The Terramancer causes their body to take on the attributes of an element. The Terramancer must test their WIS to successfully transform. A player is more than welcome to come up with their own creative powers using the elements. Below are a few suggestions/examples. The Terramancer can stay in this form for 1 round plus a number of rounds equal to half the Terramancer’s level (round down).
Stone/Metal: The Terramancer’s body becomes dense, heavy stone. The Terramancer gains an armor of 4 and they can attack with their fists for 1d6 damage. A Terramancer can opt to be thrown at a target (say be a Beastman) and transform while on the way, they must make a DEX test with Disadvantage to successfully hit the target. If successful, the Terramancer deals 2d10 damage. Terramancer’s are extremely slow in this form, gaining only a movement or attack action per round.
Lightning: The Terramancer’s body becomes a crackling force of electricity. While in this form the Terramancer can shoot lightning bolts at targets, making two attacks per round (one with each hand). If the Terramancer makes a successful DEX test, the target suffers 1d6 damage. If the target is hit, the Terramancer is allowed a Luck roll. If it favors them, the target is stunned for 1 round. The Terramancer can travel up to Not-so-Nearby per round.
Air: The Terramancer’s form becomes nearly invisible. While in this form the Terramancer can fly at a rate of Nearby per round. They do not suffer any damage from attacks, save for from magical attacks (Sorcerer, Death Priest, another Terramancer, etc.). The Terramancer can seep through cracks in walls, keyholes, under doors, etc.
Alternatively, the Terramancer can transform their arms into mini-tornadoes. The Terramancer must make a DEX test to engulf a large or smaller target in the tornado. The tornado spins around, keeping the target trapped for 1d4 rounds before dissipating. The target suffers 1d4+1 damage each around they are in the tornado. Once both tornadoes are used, the Terramancer’s arms return to normal.
Water: The Terramancer’s form becomes water. They can breathe in water and swim at a speed of Not-so-Nearby. Fire does no damage to them (except large wild fires, magma, etc.) and they gain an armor of 2 against normal attacks. Electricity does an additional 1d6 damage and stuns the Terramancer for 1 round.
A Terramancer can use their form to spread out and douse flames. They can dose up to a 10’x10’ room (roughly 100 square feet).
Alternatively, the Terramancer can summon forth a large gout of water from both hands at a target (large or smaller). If the Terramancer succeeds at a DEX test, the target is knocked prone.
Ice: The Terramancer’s form becomes ice, waves of cold mist drifting off their body. Any target that physically attacks them suffers 1d4 cold damage. The fists of the Terramancer deal 1d6 damage. While in this form the Terramancer gains an armor of 2 against all attacks, except magical and fire. Fire deals an extra 1d6 damage. The Terramancer can shoot out a thin blanket of ice on the ground in a 5’ radius. All targets large or smaller fall prone. If the target is allowed a DEX save, they can attempt to succeed to avoid falling.
Fire: The Terramancer’s form becomes wrathful fire. Any target that gets within ‘5 of the Terramancer suffers 1d6 damage. Combustible objects have a 1-in-6 chance to catch fire. If the Terramancer touches the object (i.e., a bookcase), it catches fire the next round. The Terramancer can throw fireballs from their hands at a target, by making a successful DEX test. A target that is hit suffers 1d6 damage and has a 1-in-6 chance to catch on fire. Water deals an additional 1d6 damage to the Terramancer in this form.
Way of the Elements
The Terramancer summons the power of the elements to create powerful and devastating effects. The element the Terramancer wishes to utilize must be present in some form. The Terramancer can utilize two forms of this ability: Minor and Focused.
Minor
The Terramancer can summon a gust of wind to slam doors or propel a small sailboat (basically a rowboat with a small sail) for a few extra feet (1d100+100), bring forth a flame whip to attack a target, heat an attacker’s sword, summon rain in a small area to create a slippery muddy field, cause a tree to grow, roots to entangle an enemy (or group of enemies), call down lightning to strike a target, bring bitter cold to freeze a target in place, etc. The Terramancer must test their WIS to successfully use a Minor Way of the Elements.
The player describes what they wish to accomplish and through discussion with the GM they determine if it is acceptable or not. As a rule of thumb, any element that results in damage deals 1d6+Tecnnomancer’s level. If it is an element that will stun or freeze a target (i.e., a small ice storm), it stuns for a number of rounds equal to half the Terramancer’s level +1.
Focused: The Terramancer brings for the full might of nature to their call. This is not done lightly as it costs the Terramancer dearly. Focused powers range from releasing a destructive tornado, summoning magma from volcanic fissures, bringing forth a hurricane, creating a pillar of water that tosses a ship about (possibly sinking it) or pushes a ship faster through the water, summoning a powerful earthquake which devastate the country side, etc. The player describes what they wish to accomplish and through discussion with the GM they determine if it is acceptable or not.
When a Terramancer casts a Focused Elemental power, they must have access to the element they desire to enhance/manipulate. Immediately after the power is summoned the Terramancer must succeed at a Con save or permanently lose 1 point of Constitution. Regardless of whether successful or not, the Terramancer is drained of vitality, having their Constitution reduced by half (minimum of 5- A Terramancer that has a CON below 10 does not have the endurance to use summon the might of Focused Elemental Powers), which recovers at a rate of one point per day with rest.
A Terramancer can summon a Focused Elemental power as a ritual and store it in their staff for a later use (BotRE, pg XX).
Way of the Beast
The Terramancer can use their link with nature to show creatures they mean no harm. This soothes beasts that are riled and spooked or lessens hostile intentions. The creature must be natural (hybrid animals count as natural, BotRE pg XX. No mutated creatures) and have no higher than animal level intelligence to work. The Terramancer must succeed on a CHR test. If successful the creature’s mood is affected for 10 minutes and will calm down and go off on their own, leaving well enough alone. If one of the Terramancer’s companions attacks the creature, the effect ends immediately. If a 1 or 2 is rolled on the CHR test, the beast will accompany/fight for the Terramancer (if the PC desires that option) for 1 hour before leaving.
A GM is free to rule that a creature of 1-2 HD will permanently become an animal companion of the Terramancer. A Terramancer cannot have more than one animal companion at a time.
When a Terramancer is testing their CHR against a creature, remember the Powerful Opponent rule (BotRE, pg XX).
Way of the Healer
The Terramancer uses the power of the elements to fight against sickness, injury, and corruption. The Terramancer must test their WIS to summon the energies needed for these abilities.
Heal: The Terramancer heals a target for 2 HD of HP.
Purify Food/Water: The Terramancer causes fetid water or spoiled food to become safe to eat and fresh tasting.
Nullify Poison: The Terramancer causes a single poison affecting a target to cease.
Remove Disease: The Terramancer removes a single disease affecting a target.
Reverse Mutation: The Terramancer touches a target that just gained a mutation, allowing the target a second roll to resist the effect.
Specializations
Terramancers all harness a deep link to one particular Way of their order. At first level a player chooses one of the Ways as their specialization and gains the benefit listed below:
Way of the Form: The Terramancer can transform into a form an additional time per day. When testing their WIS to successfully transform, they roll with Advantage.
Way of the Elements: The Terramancer can use a Minor Way of the Elements an additional time per day. When testing their WIS to successfully utilize the ability, they do so with Advantage. Once per day, if the Terramancer fails their CON test when using Focused Way of the Elements, they can reroll.
Way of the Beast: The Terramancer can speak to beasts if they make a successful CHR test. This is an empathic link and the conversation is limited by the animal’s intelligence. The Terramancer gains the ability to transform into a beast.
Animal Shape: Once per day the Terramancer can transform into a small or medium creature (no larger than a wolf, boar, or cougar, and no smaller than a dog, cat, eagle, etc.) While in this form the Terramancer can track by scent (rolling under WIS with Advantage), move as the creature would (Swim, fly, etc.), gains their ability to breathe (fish or frog can breathe underwater, etc.), a bite attack (and possibly claw attacks at a d6 as well- GM’s call), gains 1 armor (this does not stack with any other armor), and can see in a Far Away radius in the low light conditions. The Terramancer cannot communicate with other people while in animal form. This effect lasts until canceled.
Way of the Healer: The Terramancer can use one of the healing abilities an additional time per day. When testing there is to successfully utilize the ability, they do so with Advantage.
Leveling Up:
Roll all Attributes to see if they increase, roll twice for WIS or CHR
STARTING EQUIPMENT
WEAPONS*: Staff and sling
ARMOR: None
ADDITIONAL ITEMS: Ammo for ranged weapon if taken, rations (d6), waterskin (d6), bedroll, torches x6 (d6), and healing salve (1 HD of HP restored).
*All starting weapons are made of wood, bone, or stone. For each weapon, there is a 15% chance it is made of metal (i.e., the arrowheads, the sword blade, etc.).
INTERESTING TRINKET (roll 1d6): 1) A fossilized acorn; 2) A dagger made of the strongest ivory; 3) A cloak of badgersnake hide; 4) A pristine safari hat; 5) A bottle of fine Ancient Earth whisky; 6) Ancient Earth 3-person tent.
LIFE EVENT (roll 1d8): 1) You were a slave and escaped; 2) A fiery apparition appeared before you, describing your powers; 3) You watched your mentor battle a Sorcerer and lose. You hid. You escaped; 4) You defended an ancient grove from a band of Pig Raiders single-handedly; 5) You befriended a large bear who traveled with you for several years; 6) You were found by your mentor in the crook of an ancient tree; 7) You have sailed on the ocean and battled pirates; 8) You became a recluse after the love of your life was swallowed whole by a gigantic bloodworm.
Also- don’t forget the character sheet is available for free!
Note: If you have already purchased the PDF on Drivethru, I will be sending you a link, via the email you’ve provided to Drivethru, so you can purchase the POD at the bundle price, if you’re interested!
Here’s a killer video David Lewis Johnson did for his book!
This is a fantastic module that has received several great reviews already!
QUOTES FROM REVIEWS
“The thing I really dig about this module, is there are no rooms in it that are empty. Every room has a chance for roleplay, a fight, and or a deadly trap. In other words this isn’t a vanilla dungeon with safe words!” – Shane Ward, 3 Toadstools Publishing
“If you enjoyed Gathox Vertical Slum then you need to get this product. Quake Alley Mayhem is a fun adventure to unleash at a con to show people how wild and crazy adventuring in Gathox can be.” – Brutorz Bill, Green Skeleton Gaming Guild
“The gonzo setting and weird gangs gives the whole enterprise a Heavy Metal magazine feel, or at least a Heavy Metal gloss on a grindhouse film. It’s a very fitting approach and a strong answer to the question “what do you do with Gathox?”” – Trey Causey, From the Sorcerer’s Skull
“Quake Alley Mayhem is compact and punchy. Every room in the dungeon contains something of interest, such as a trap, puzzle, enemy, or all of the above. As was the case with Gathox Vertical Slum, the writing quality is descriptive without being verbose, and appropriately weird for the setting. The artwork is sketchy, grimy, and punk as hell – perfect for the tone of the book. There’s just enough to get the imagination flowing without feeling like it’s just there to take up space between the text sections. Overall, the quality of the book, both writing and illustration, is top notch, and there’s enough to feel substantial for a small tournament module.” – Jesse Goldshear, Yenemvelt: Another World
One of the many projects that I am currently working on is a Death is the New Pink zine (that will come out whenever I plan on releasing)- total punk rock-style!
Note: There’s a killer character sheet for DitNP here.
When I was writing stuff for a DitNP session I was listening to Lone Digger by Caravan Palace (see the video below) and dug the feel of it for a glitzy dive bar. Also I was watching season 1 and 2 of Killjoys. I love the character, Pree. He’s funny and rambunctious and a badass.
I wanted to steal that zest for the bartender/owner for my DitNP location.
Pree was a big inspiration for the character.
Anyways, when I decided to start writing the first issue of the zine, I wanted to include the bar. I also wanted to make the character transgender.
Instead of me writing a transgender character, being a straight white CIS male, I wanted to hire the awesome Gennifer Bone to do so!
So here is her art and words! Enjoy!
Bar Nowhere
Siouxsie Khan by Gennifer Bone
On the outskirts of Scratchtown, hugging the wall that separate the dangerous wilderness of the Wasted World from the “civilization”, you can find Bar Nowhere. Built within the shell of a concrete dome, the Bar has no sign, though you can always identify the place by the garish neon light shining through the single window. Bar Nowhere is typical for a Wastlands pub- a bar, some chairs, a smattering of scrounged and home-brewed hootch. An old jukebox plays eccletic tunes. It’s the lady behind the counter, backlight by the huge “Bar” sign, that makes Bar Nowhere different.
She’s a tall, strong woman of Asian desent. She’s never seen without perfect hair, perfect makeup, perfect clothes, and her signature pipe. She’s Siouxsie Khan. A smart and well-connected woman, she’s known for either having the info you need, or knowing who to talk to to get it. A pleasant, charismatic sort, Siouxsie is a consumate bartender. She turns down any propostions with a wink and a smile.
Some newcomers stare at her broad shoulders, or comment on her deep voice. These newcomers get one warning- “Siouxise Khan is who and what she says she is.” Continuing to comment (or worse, laugh) is trouble- she’s an excellent fighter, backed up by the Clairance, the bouncer. (A huge man wearing a metal mask, who rarely speaks)
Siouxsie only talks about her trans*(MtF) status with people she trusts.
Siouxsie runs a good bar, a peaceful bar. All the locals know that Bar Nowhere is neutral ground- no fighting. One time, a trio of bandits decided to throw down in Siouxsie’s place. With a press of a button, they were ripped apart by drone guns hidden in the walls. Then she had their friends clean up the mess.
As the local’s say, “Nowhere’s like Nowhere”.
Hooks and Rumors
1) Siouxsie Khan has decided that she’s ready to match her body to her identity. The Meat Bags are hired to travel to a far Medical Research Lab, to retrieve a robot device- the Bio-Remix-Transmographier (B.R.T., or Bert). It has the ability to remake any living thing, so changing Siouxsie’s physical sex should be easy. The journey will not be easy, and when the Meat Bags finally get their, they will find that Bert, who has the mind and personality of a child, has been using it’s abilities to make “friends”. Some truly gnarly mutants wander the lab.
If sucessful the Meat Bags will be well-compensated, Siouxsie closes the bar for a week for the gender alteration(she won’t look any differet, she likes her looks, after all), and Bert does a brisk business altering Meat Bags for profit(gender alteration is free to select customers).
2) Nobody knows how Siouxsie gets her infomation- she rarely leaves Bar Nowhere. There are a few who would pay well for her secret. (Her secret is a military-grade radio\descrambler and spy drone comp in a chamber deep below the bar)
3) A persistant rumor claims that Bar Nowhere sits above an underground military bunker, full of weapons and supplies! (Looks to be true, but the way in behind the Radio Room was blocked off by a cave in years ago)
4) Siouxsie loves gifts. Meat Bags may want to search the ruins for a suitable gift, or are hired to find one. (she loves beauty supplies and fine dresses, both a rarity in the Wastes). She is willing to trade valuable information for quality goods.
5) Siouxsie’s estranged family have come calling! A ruthless, well-organized band has appeared, demanding that she “return home, and cease this shameful life”. Naturally, her allies rally to her defence- This looks like all-out war! Meat Bags may be hired by Siouxsie, to protect the bar, or by the Khan family, to assult it. They may even be called upon to mediate between the two parties!
