Dax Bane, the Shadow Centurion of Information

Below you'll find a villain for Spirit of the Century, the Pulp Pick-up game of non-stop action by Evil Hat Productions. In particular, you can use good old Dax here to bring the Nazi's into the game a little earlier than World War II. He works well as part of a secret sect of the National Socialism Party (Nazi) with resources on par with (Beware: link contains spoilers) Neville Sinclair from the Rocketeer. Well, without further ado, I give you Dax Bane the Shadow Centurion on Information.

Dax's Background

Dax was born in Germany on December 31st, 1900, (to be exact just before the clock struck midnight) to a brave German soldier and his elegant wife. He was their second, and last, child. His parents wasted no expense in seeing Dax educated, and his gift for knowledge was astounding so great in fact that he was invited to study at Cambridge (in Britain) at the age of 13.

Of course, the Great War started not long after. And when Dax was able to finally return to Germany in 1919 it was to discover that his father and brother died in battle, and his mother of heartache shortly thereafter. It was to find his great homeland in shambles, shackled with the financial duty to pay for the war. For Dax, it was the end of one life, and the doorway to the next.

Dax grew disgruntled and angry as many German were. But Dax had a knack for gathering people, Dax had a gift for finding things out, and Dax's unique talents landed him a spot in the new National Socialism party.

Today Dax works for the Nazis finding rare arcane lore and uncovering salacious information about the party's political foes. Dax dreams of the return of a grand German Empire, and with the resources of his party, and his unique talents for uncovering and retaining knowledge he may have all the pieces he needs.

Dax Bane, Fascist Spy
Shadow Centurion; Nazi Spymaster
Significant Aspects: "I Know a Guy" * German * Natural Leader * "For the Fatherland" * Eavesdropper * The Nazi Party * Social Chameleon * Well Traveled * Great Expectations * Death in the Family

Skills
Superb____Contacting
Great_____Deceit, Empathy
Good_____Investigation, Leadership, Rapport
Fair______Alertness, Fists, Guns, Resources
Average___Burglary, Intimidation, Resolve, Sleight of Hand, Stealth

Stunts
Academics: Linguist
Deceit: Clever Disguise, Mimicry, Master of Disguise
Leadership: Personal Conspiracy, Minions x2, Reinforcements

Minions
Dax has a number of minions at his disposal, but he tends to work alone, only bringing in the minions when he expects a fight.

Stress
Health: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Composure: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Fate Points: 10

Using Dax Bane in your Game
Dax Bane makes a great hidden villain with his Master of Disguise skill (which allows him to be any nameless character in any scene by spending a fate point). He has a fair number of minions at his disposal, and call on a member of the Nazi party for assistance as well which means that he has more than enough assistance if he finds himself at odds with the Century Club.

Dax is perfect for bringing a little Nazi into your game, after all IGN did rate them the number 1 most memorable villain.

The Samurai Class for Pathfinder

I run a bi-weekly game here for my local group using Monte Cook's Dungeon-a-Day campaign. Now that Pathfinder is out (and it has made a significant attempt at stopping the 10-minute adventuring day) I've decided to switch on over to that from 3.5 edition D&D. This would be a seamless transition, especially since Jason Bulhman himself has been doing conversions over at the Dungeon-a-Day blog, but of course I have a snag.

One of my players has himself a Samurai. Hiro is an important part of the group, and an interesting part of the game. Sadly the Fighter and other Pathfinder classes just don't have the right flavor for Hiro. I'm sure the guys over at Paizo will get around to doing an oriental adventure supplement, but for now I have a passion to play Pathfinder and a player who has a passion for his blade wielding knight from the eastern lands.

To that end I've rebuilt the Samurai for use with the Pathfinder ruleset.

Samurai

In the east great warriors rise up, dedicated to justice and honor these courageous warriors serve their culture as knights and lords. Masters of the katana, the symbol of their office, samurai refine the act of taking lives into a beautiful art. Able to excert enough force to strike foes at distance and sever an opponent in two with a single swipe of their magnificient blades the samurai strikes fear into the hearts of their opponents. In their homeland the samurai is an unbeatable force, striking a powerful blow for order.

Role: Samurai are powerful melee combatants. Able to call upon their powerful resolve to see themselves through the most deadly of battles the samurai serves her allies as heavily armored warrior so skilled with the blade that they often defeat a foe before that enemy ever has a chance to strike back.

Class Skills
The samurai's class skills are Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis).
Skill Ranks per level: 2 + Int modifier

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Sword of Office, Kiai Shout 1/day
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	Battojutsu Savant
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Art of the Draw
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Menace +2, Kiai Shout 2/day
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Bonus Feat
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Deadly Draw
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2	Kiai Shout 3/day
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	Menace +4
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3	Mass Menace
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Kiai Shout 4/day, Bonus Feat
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+3	Lethal Draw
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4	Menace +6
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4	Kiai Shout 5/day
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+4	Ki Shockwave 7d6
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5	Bonus Feat
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5	Menace +8, Kiai Shout 6/day, Ki Shockwave 8d6
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Fatal Draw
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	Ki Shockwave 9d6
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	Kiai Shout 7/day
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	Menace +10, Bonus Feat, Ki Shockwave 10d6

Class Features:
All of the following are class features for the samurai.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Samurai are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), but not with shields.

Sword of Office (Ex):
Samurai have a symbol of office known as the odachi (masterwork greatsword). Samurai receive an heirloom odachi at 1st level. Because samurai train extensively with the blade, they receive Weapon Focus (Odachi) as a bonus feat.

Kiai Shout (Ex):
Once per day a samurai can give a great cry that bolsters his resolve. When the samurai shouts (a swift action) he can add his charisma bonus (minimum 1) to his attack and damage rolls against his foes.

In addition, while kiai shout is in effect, the samurai gains a bonus to his Fortitude and Will saves equal to his Charisma modifier (if any).

The kiai shout ability remains in effect for a number of rounds equal to the amount of levels the character has in the samurai class. At 4th level, and every three levels thereafter, the samurai may make one additional kiai shout per day (to a maximum of seven at 19th level).

Battojutsu Savant (Ex):
At 2nd level the samurai has learned the art of the draw, gaining Quick Draw as a bonus feat, but only when he draws the odachi.

Art of the Draw (Ex):
At 3rd level and every level thereafter, when a samurai begins combat with his odachi sheathed he gains the benefit of the Improved Initiative feat.

Menace(Ex):
At 4th level a samurai's mere presence is enough to cause opponents to falter. A samurai gains a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks made to demoralize an opponent. At 8th level and every four levels thereafter this bonus increase by +2 (to a maximum of +10 at 20th level).

Bonus Feats: At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter the samurai gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be chosen from the following list:

Blinding Critical, Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Critical Mastery, Deafening Critical, Double Slice, Exhausting Critical, Great Cleave, Improved Critical, Intimidating Prowess, Lunge, Power Attack, Sickening Critical, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical, Tiring Critical.

Deadly Draw (Ex):
At 6th level the Samurai is able to produce an incredible amount of force with a single cut, gaining the Vital Strike feat for free even if he does not meet the prerequisites, but only when wielding the odachi.

Mass Menace (Ex):
At 9th level the samurai has cultivated such prowess and fame that his presence can make even large groups of enemies falter in his presence. As a standard action the samurai can use intimidate to demoralize all opponents within 30ft.

Lethal Draw (Ex):
At 11th level the samurai learns to focus his chi along his blade. While wielding the odachi the samurai is treated as having Improved Vital Strike even if he does not ordinarily qualify for the feat.

Ki Shockwave (Su):
At 14th level, while under the effects of the kiai shout and not fatigued a samurai may swing his blade with such force that he can attack enemies far outside of his reach. The samurai may send a shockwave (a standard action) through the air towards an opponent who must be within 20ft. This attack deals 1d6 damage per half your samurai level. The enemy receives a reflex save for half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your samurai level + your Charisma modifier. Using this ability ends the effect of a kiai shout after which the samurai is fatigued for a number of rounds equal to his half his class level.

Fatal Draw (Ex):
At 17th level the samurai can exert a superhuman amount of force behind his attacks. While wielding the odachi the samurai gains the Greater Vital Strike feat even if he normally does not meet the prerequisites.

Alternative Samurai Abilities

To play a samurai more akin to the 3.5 version use the table and class features below:

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Sword of Office, Kiai Shout 1/day
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	Two as One
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Iaijutsu Savant
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Kiai Shout 2/day, Menace +2
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Bonus Feat
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Two-Swords Adept
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2	Kiai Shout 3/day
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	Menace +4
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3	Mass Menace
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Kiai Shout 4/day, Bonus Feat
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+3	Two-Swords Sensei
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4	Menace +6
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4	Kiai Shout 5/day
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+4	Ki Shockwave 7d6
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5	Bonus Feat
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5	Kiai Shout 6/day, Menace +8, Ki Shockwave 8d6
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Daisho Kensei
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	Ki Shockwave 9d6
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	Kiai Shout 7/day
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	Menace +10, Bonus Feat, Ki Shockwave 10d6

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Samurai are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), but not with shields.

Daisho Proficiency (Ex):
Samurai have a symbol of office known as the daisho. A daisho is a set of two swords, the katana (a masterwork bastard sword) and the wakizashi (a masterwork short sword). Samurai receive an heirloom set of daisho, at first level. Because a samurai is trained in their use, he gains Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword) as a bonus feat.

Kiai Shout (Ex):
Once per day a samurai can give a great cry that bolsters his resolve. When the samurai shouts (a swift action) he can add his charisma bonus (minimum 1) to his attack and damage rolls against his foes.

In addition, while kiai shout is in effect, the samurai gains a bonus to his Fortitude and Will saves equal to his Charisma modifier (if any).

The kiai shout ability remains in effect for a number of rounds equal to the amount of levels the character has in the samurai class. At 4th level, and every three levels thereafter, the samurai may make one additional kiai shout per day (to a maximum of seven at 19th level).

Two as One (Ex):
At 2nd level the samurai has gained such skill with his daisho that when wielding only a katana and a wakizashi he is treated as having the Two-weapon Fighting feat (even if he doesn't meet the prerequisites).

Iajutsu Savant (Ex):
At 3rd level the samurai has learned the art of the draw, gaining Quick Draw as a bonus feat, but only when he draws the katana or wakizashi.

Menace(Ex):
At 4th level a samurai's mere presence is enough to cause opponents to falter. A samurai gains a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks made to demoralize an opponent. At 8th level and every four levels thereafter this bonus increase by +2 (to a maximum of +10 at 20th level).

Bonus Feats: At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter the samurai gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be chosen from the following list:

Blinding Critical, Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Critical Mastery, Deafening Critical, Double Slice, Exhausting Critical, Great Cleave, Improved Critical, Intimidating Prowess, Lunge, Power Attack, Sickening Critical, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical, Tiring Critical.

Two-swords Adept (Ex):
At 6th level the samurai's mastery of the wakazashi and katana have increased to the point that he is treated as having Improved Two-Weapon Fighting even if he doesn't have the prerequisites. He must be wielding both a katana and wakizashi for this ability to function.

Mass Menace (Ex):
At 9th level the samurai has cultivated such prowess and fame that his presence can make even large groups of enemies falter in his presence. As a standard action the samurai can use intimidate to demoralize all opponents within 30ft.

Two-swords Sensei (Ex):
At 11th level the samurai's daisho are a natural extension of his soul. While wielding a katana and wakizashi the samurai is treated as having Greater Two-Weapon Fighting even if he normally does not meet the prerequisites.

Ki Shockwave (Su):
At 14th level, while under the effects of the kiai shout a samurai may swing his blade with such force that he can attack enemies far outside of his reach. The samurai may send a shockwave (a standard action) through the air towards an opponent who must be within 20ft. This attack deals 1d6 damage per half your samurai level. The enemy receives a reflex save for half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your samurai level + your Charisma modifier. Using this ability ends the effect of a kiai shout after which the samurai is fatigued for a number of rounds equal to his half his class level.

Daisho Kensei (Ex):
At 17th level the samurai has mastered the two-sword school style of martial arts. When using a wakizashi and katana he has no penalties on attack rolls due to wielding two weapons.

I'm Back

Hey all, I'm back from my trip and ready to hit the design process again. I'll be posting regularly again, although the schedule has changed. I've also got some new things lined up for the next few months and I'll be delving into some games that aren't Dungeons and Dragons. This doesn't mean the D&D love is jumping ship, only that I'm adding a few new spices to our wonderful brew.

First on the agenda, the new schedule. With school back in session and me trying to get used to the changes that will cause in my personal life I'll be putting up new posts on Saturday and Sunday every week. I'll also be posting other tidbits throughout the week, but anything I post on other days is just icing on the cake. You'll be seeing a little bit of variety in the posts I make in the coming months. I'd love to offer up a few more advice/tips articles like Alley Oop, join in a few more Blog Carnivals, and even offer my opinion on some of the games I've seen and what I've learned from them. The new variety pieces will not count against the Saturday and Sunday posts, those will still be new mechanics and content for your games.

Speaking of posts that don't count against the weekend quota Mariah will continue to post her Zelda related articles for some time into the future. If you missed her work I suggest you check out her post of Twinrova, which looks like one amazing encounter for your 4th edition game.

While I have been known to talk up how great 4th edition D&D is, and how much fun I have designing for it, I do have a number of other games that I also enjoy and would love to share what I'm working on with you. For instance, I'll be running a Mutants and Masterminds game soon and I'll have plenty of material to go with that, and I'm updating my 3.5 game to the Pathfinder rules and I'm currently working on a samurai class for the new system.

So, to recap Gen Con was great, and I'll be posting about my experiences there soon. My posting schedule has changed, and you'll be seeing material at least every Saturday and Sunday, with a few other pieces throughout the week. As for those other posts, many of them will break convention, covering unique uses of mechanics, what unique things I'm learning about the games I'm playing, and for the Nintendogs in the audience Mariah will continue posting her 4th Edition Zelda game content.

Thanks to everyone who reads this, and thank you to Mariah for picking up the slack so I could take a vacation.

VG Meet DnD: Sorceress Sisters Twinrova from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The "Sorceress Sisters Twinrova" or just Twinrova, refers to the iconic boss battle including the evil witches Koume and Kotake and their fused form Twinrova from the Spirit Temple in Ocarina of Time. Considered one of the best by fans of the series, Koume and Kotake use their opposing Fire and Ice abilities which must be reflected back unto them. What makes the battle so memorable, however, are the little nuances in the witches personalities which come alive while fighting them. From their opening cryptic words, Twinrova's embarassing wink, to their petty bickering at their defeat, these characters make great villains and an epic solo battle. The stats below (using Koume and Kotake followed by Twinrova) make up a solo level 15 encounter.

Koume

"With my flame, I will burn him to the bone!"

Koume is an ancient evil witch with powerful fire magic. Along with her twin sister, Kotake, they are collectively known as Twinrova.

Koume Tactics

Koume will want to remain in the air on her broomstick, as she is old and slow on the ground. In addition this will keep her out of harm's way from powerful melee fighters and allow her to manuever around freely to use her Flaming Pool power. She will want to use her Brainwash power on a weak willed but physically strong character. When Koume and Kotake are utilizing their Sister Soul hit point pool, both witches will physically flinch when one is attacked, as it is damaging both. Koume may also use her high Bluff skill to try and trick the party and feign surrender, using her high Stealth to launch a surprise attack.

*Larger Koume Monster Card*

Kotake

"With my frost, I will freeze him to his soul!"

Kotake is a decrepit evil sorceress with potent cold magic. Along with her twin sister, Koume, they are collectively known as Twinrova.

Kotake Tactics

Kotake prefers to take to the air for better maneuverability and to stay out of reach of melee combatants. She will use her Ice Sheet power whenever possible to keep her enemies still and make better targets for Koume's Flaming Pool. Kotake will use her Brainwash power on a weak willed foe soon after Koume as she will become jealous of her sister's slave and will want to make one of her own. Kotake may also use her acute Insight to play on her enemies' fears followed by Intimidate or Diplomacy to get her way.

*Larger Kotake Monster Card*

Koume and Kotake Lore

A Character knows the following with a successful history or religion check

DC20 Koume and Kotake are ancient witches known for trying to resurrect evil deities to do their bidding. It is said that the two could raise massive armies of brainwashed men and women.

DC25 The two witches were often referred to collectively as Twinrova in historical/religious texts

A Character knows the following with a successful arcana check

DC20 Koume and Kotake are powerful sorceresses commanding the powers of fire and ice, respectively. It was thought that the two could merge into a more powerful ultimate being using their dark magic.

DC25 The amalgamate form of Koume and Kotake was called Twinrova

Twinrova

Twinrova is the result of Koume and Kotake's Double Dynamite Attack. She appears as a large, much younger woman, wielding a rod in each hand: one of flames and one of frost.

Twinrova Tactics

Twinrova may begin the battle using any of her abilities, depending on the formation of her enemies. If they are scattered around in all directions she will use either her Chain of Flames or Winter's Succession powers. If they are surrounding her closely she will drop to the ground to use her Flame Dancer power. Finally, if they are all in front, grouped closely together, she would use her Rain of Hail. Once her Flame Dancer and Rain of Hail powers are expended she will attempt to recharge them using Chain of Flames and Winter's Succession. Keep in mind her Fire Against Ice which will switch her resistances and vulnerabilities based on which type of attack she last used. The party may figure this ability out after a few trial and error rounds and use it to their advantage--if she is hit by the type she is resisting she will brush the attack off quickly but if she is hit by her weakness, she will cry out sharply.

Twinrova Lore

A Character knows the following with a successful history check

DC25 Twinrova is the fused entity of Koume and Kotake. The two witches are said to don this form only when they have no other choice. According to legend, Twinrova is impossible to defeat because of her shifting weaknesses and strengths.

A Character knows the following with a successful arcana check

DC25 Twinrova is the fused entity of Koume and Kotake. She uses both fire and ice magic and is said to be more powerful than the two witches are separately.

*Larger Twinrova Monster Card*

Using Twinrova in your 4th Edition DnD Campaign

Koume and Kotake, with their oddball personalities and penchant for brainwashing innocent bystanders, make a great recurring villain for a heroic-paragon campaign. The characters may first encounter the witches at a lower level where they fight one or both of them for a while before the witches flee into a portal, cackling with glee. The witches' ultimate goal may be to resurrect an evil deity or aspect of a deity, such as Orcus or Nerull. A close friend of the party may become brainwashed by the duo or could have been brainwashed from the start. Finally, at 15th level the party will be able to take care of them, feeling a great sense of accomplishment from defeating an ancient evil.

**The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo

VG Meet DnD: The Rope from The Legend of Zelda

The snake-like Rope first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda for NES, and has been used in all the top view 2D Zelda games. The Rope is a great minion for DMs who use a grid battle map in their games. Its linear attack pattern lends itself to a variety of unique encounters and situations either by themselves, or in a group with other monsters.

Rope

The rope looks like a normal snake but is the size of an average humanoid. When they sense an enemy they swiftly charge their aerodynamic forms in a straight line at the creature. They are generally weak, but their tendency to be found in dungeons in large groups makes them dangerous to the inexperienced adventurer.

Rope Tactics

The rope is able to attack a nearby enemy as soon as it moves into range with its unswerving charge power. However, a group of ropes attempting to ambush a party may delay their attacks until they can surround the group. As per usual, a rope may only charge enemies that are at least 2 squares away, and may only charge enemies in a straight square line (*see diagram below). When it is next to enemies it must rely solely on its bite power.

Rope Lore

A character knows the following with a successful Dungeoneering check

DC15: Ropes are snake-like creatures usually found in groups in large open rooms, waiting for an enemy to cross their line of sight so they can quickly charge their prey.

*In order to best explain the limitations of the unswerving charge power I have provided a sample battle situation

Here an adventuring party enters an open room and we will assume do not spot the enemies. Let the R counters be the ropes. Now, all ropes that are able to use their unswerving charge power will do so, interrupting the characters' movement. The charge being made by the ropes is represented by the black arrows. The ropes that do not qualify to use the move will not act until their initiative.

Now we have the setup after the ropes' immediate interrupts have gone off.

As you can see you could combine ropes with different shaped rooms to achieve certain goals, such as trapping the players in a narrow hallway, or pushing towards a more dangerous foe. You could always take a tip from Zelda and simply fill a room to the brim with them for a higher level encounter. The possibilities are endless so enjoy!

**The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo

VG Meet DnD: The Peahat from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Peahat is one of the most unique and widely used enemies in the Zelda series, appearing in at least eight different games. My favorite incarnation is the large, larva spewing Peahat from Ocarina of Time, which you will find below converted to a 4th Edition DnD monster.

Peahat

The Peahat is a common sight in large flat expanses of land, giving them plenty of room to fly around and patrol their territory for invaders. At night they root deep into the ground but will still attack if provoked.

*Larger Monster Card*

Peahat Tactics

Once it senses that outsiders are near, the peahat will spiral out of the ground using its generate larva power to damage the foes and summon its minions. It has little regard for the welfare of the larva and will use its destroy larva power whenever possible. When an opponent scores a critical hit on the peahat it has effectively attacked its unprotected roots, which are usually well protected by its rapidly spinning, propeller like blades.

The peahat larva will try to surround a foe to increase their chances to hit using their circling strike power. The peahat will use destroy larva on the one not flanking an opponent.

Peahat Lore

A character knows the following with a successful Nature check.

DC15: Peahats are common in flat fields and

are very territorial. Once disturbed they will germinate larva to help defeat the intruder.

DC20: Peahats can spawn an endless supply of larva and will not cease until they are destroyed or the outsiders have left the area.

*The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo

Dungeon Brew is now on Twitter! And Other News

Great news, you can now follow Dungeon Brew on Twitter (username DungeonBrew) for live tweets when new articles are posted! In addition, Francis will be tweeting live from Gen Con in Indianapolis this week, giving you fun little tidbits on his experiences.

So you might be wondering, if Francis is at Gen Con, who is writing this post? My name is Mariah and I'll be doing a series of guest VG meet DnD articles this week focusing on one of the most popular and successful game series of all time: The Legend of Zelda*. My eventual goal is to create an entire 4th Edition campaign with unique races, paragon paths and monsters straight from the Zelda universe. For now, I'll have to whet your appetites with a few monster articles I'll be posting starting tomorrow.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to follow Francis' adventures at Gen Con on Twitter!

*The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo

VG Meet DnD: The Boomer from Left 4 Dead

[Below you will find a new 4th Edition Monster converted from the popular game Left 4 Dead]

The Boomer

As the shadar-kai who live there know, the Shadowfell is a realm filled with a spiritual malaise that poisons the soul. On some occasions, this disease of the soul reaches through portals to the material plane and infects those who come into contact with it. Those who are greatly affected rise again when they die as undead, with the worst symbol of this taint rising as the vile corruption corpse (see the Monster Manual for further details).

Or so it was thought. Recently a new type of undead has risen up, bloated on the corrupt energies of the shadow fell these odious undead are known as "boomers". Manifesting the affliction of the Shadowfell as putrescent green bile, they soak their enemies in gruesome layers of vomit.

Boomers appear as obese humans in an advanced state of decay, the lower portion of their mouth and parts of their unclean forms bursting from the pressure of the corruption within. Fingernails on both hands have become elongated and their large bellies ripple like disturbed water as they hobble about on
stout legs.


Boomers and Atmosphere

In the game Left 4 Dead you almost always know (and therefore dread) when a boomer is on its way. You can also evoke this sense of apprehension by catering to their sense as a boomer approaches. For instance "As you round the corner an acrid stench of decay assaults your nose and you can hear a faint sloshing sound followed by a strangled gurgling sound. ".








Boomer Tactics
Boomers like to work in concert with a large amount of undead allies in particular they prefer to surround themselves with throngs of zombie rotters (Monster Manual) and their lesser cousins the putrescent zombies (Open Grave).

When they assault a group the boomer opens up with boomer bile and then moves into and along with any undead allies concentrates its attacks on the weakest member who succumbed to the blinding bile. If it recharges boomer bile it will try to target anyone who has either saved from or was not affected by the blinding condition.

Finally, the boomer will gladly throw itself into a prime position for its posmortem explosion if it is running low on hit points.

Boomer Lore
A character knows the following with a successful Religion check.

DC15: Boomers are undead created when mortals die near areas tainted by the presence of the Shadowfell. They channel that corruption into a blinding bile that they spew at their opponents.

DC20: Upon the death of a smoker they explode damaging and blinding those around them.

VG Meet DnD: The Smoker from Left 4 Dead

[Below you will find a new 4th Edition Monster converted from the popular game Left 4 Dead]

Chances are if you have an Xbox 360 you've heard the buzz around Valve's latest game Left 4 Dead. In the game you take on the role of 1 of 4 survivors who have to work together to overcome the dangers of an environment wrought with hordes of zombies.

The real charm of this game however comes from the multiplayer game type "Versus" where two teams take turns alternating between survivors and a group of special infected.

These special infected are zombies with unique abilities that allow them to better acquire their lunch, namely a survivor sandwich. Today I'm taking a look at converting one of these menacing foes to the new 4th Edition D&D stats.

I'd like to introduce the smoker. In Left 4 Dead this deadly critter has a lengthy tongue that it uses to ensnare prey and constrict it while its buddies beat on the hapless survivor. It gets its name from the cloud of viscous smoke that seeps from its body, a cloud that remains even after the smoker's death.

The Smoker
Life outside of the bright safety afforded by the towns and cities can be a dangerous affair. Farmers and others who live on their own can expect the occasional attack by roving monsters and bandits.

Some particularly cruel bandits have a habit of locking their victims inside their homes while they take everything of value. Before they ride off they light the houses aflame. The victims of these raids often die due to the roaring flames or the choking smoke.

The former often become Blazing Skeletons (see the Monster Manual) while the latter occasionally rise to become the dreaded Smoker. Smokers exist to share their pain and misery by choking the life from living beings.

A smoker resembles in many ways the humanoid it used to be albeit with scorched clothes and flesh. The most obvious feature of the smoker is a seeping green gas that emanates from within its rotting corpse. Although their faces are often hidden by the smoke, those who view past the concealment can see eyes ablaze with malevolence.



Smoker Tactics
Smokers prefer to hide in the shadows or behind cover until a time to strike presents itself. Although largely unintelligent they are possessed of a feral cunning that allows them to ambush unsuspecting prey.

A smoker usually waits for the majority of a group to engage enemies and then tries to maneuver into range for a tongue snare on a target not engaged in melee. They then follow up with a constrict attack. At the start of their next turn they like to use smokescreen followed by two more constrict attacks.

Smoker Lore
A character knows the following with a successful Religion check.

DC15: Smokers, undead created from the victim of asphyxiation from smoke, are powerful zombies with the ability to ensnare and choke enemies with their powerful tongue.

DC20: Upon the death of a smoker they explode leaving a viscous gas that obscures vision.