Why do you have a "only one way" goal in the scene in the first place?

What was the goal of this adventure?

1) If they are supposed to stop the bad guys from using a gate, there probably should have been some indication that the bad guys were trying to open the gate and clearer path for the Heroes to be stopping it. You might have set the scene better. I don't want my group of Heroes stumbling into a room that includes the secret gate to unlock the evil hoards like someone might stumble into a convenience store looking for a snack. Not very adventurous!

2) I've read a few of these posts from you, and I have some friendly advice as a 30+ year GM (yes, I have the scout badge...). Please take my advice with the understanding that a) I've probably made one of these mistakes myself MANY TIMES b) I'm not perfect and c) I'm only trying to help;

2a) You're too subtle. You're trying to be that smart guy with the tricky adventure that is really brilliant and the envy of everyone at the Mensa luncheon. Yeah, you should probably stop that. It's an adventure and it's supposed to be fun. It's not about you, it's about the players. If they are constantly falling into a string of "gotchas" in your adventures you are probably creating more frustration than fun. Have you read the Worlds section of Fantasy Craft? Are you crafting your adventures on that advice? It's actually SUPER BRILLIANT adventure creation advice (I mean this, seriously, it's amazing). Organize in scenes. Figure out objectives. WRITE DOWN hints and clues and cross them off your list as the character's discover them. Make sure they discover them! Just make it fun and not TOO easy, but stop being so subtle about it. Also, check out how the adventures are done in Time of High Adventure. There's some great adventure outlining there.

2b) You are conducting a choo-choo train. Your adventures sound railroad tight. You need MORE options for the characters to choose. They should be able to make a minimum of TWO solid choices at most junctures, with several options to complete the objective. The character sheets should be in front of you when you're designing an adventure the solutions to those objectives should be based from what you're seeing on those sheets. If I'm over here reading your description and asking myself "what are these people doing here?", you're players must be wondering the same thing. Especially after they open the gate to hell and unleash the end of their world. If the Mage was curious about the gate, great! Next time make him MORE curious about CLOSING it.

2c) You probably run railroad tight adventures because you're afraid to improvise. Most GMs who fall into this pattern are afraid to improv. It's fine. Prep 20 NPC names (10 male and female) with room in your notes to add details. Prep a couple Foes outside the ones you planned for in the adventure. Just in case you need a quick encounter where the PCs turned left instead of right. Keep things moving when you get stumped. Have the fair maiden and her entourage hit up the PCs for tales of their adventures, let them witness a crime in action or a burning building with people to save, or let them stop some bandits on the road and make some new friends! Just keep things moving, don't worry about it.

If you ever find yourself asking "why are my PCs so {dumb - stubborn - stupid - oblivious - not doing what I would do - not doing what I WANT them to do}" STOP. Count to 10. Then repeat this - "I am GMing for my players. I GM to make a fun game for THEM". Now, ask yourself would you want this to happen in an adventure you were playing? No? YOU are in control of what gets PRESENTED to the PCs. How you presented this scene led to how the PCs reacted to it.

Just my two cents...

...
In exchange I'd create oils and fuels with similar effects (How about some nitro additive to boost those reflexes)

This is a fantastic idea! I would allow Potions, Oils and Elixirs to be designed specifically for Unborn.

To add a more complicated bent on the setting, I might even consider that these things must be customized to only be used based on Type (folk, beast, construct, etc.). This adds some flavor. I would tie this in with Studies focused on type, so there would likely be Alchemists and Shaman focused on their type, with some fringe "wise people" who may know a thing or two about several or even ALL Types outside their own.

...
I hope it doesn't seem like I'm dumping on you.  I think you've asked some really excellent questions.  It's just these questions only seemed to get asked when a character is combat oriented.

Not at all! I wasn't responding to him posting a combat character (lot's of characters generally have something useful to do in and out of combat), I was responding to his own comment about how he might not allow this character into play. :-)  He could be challenged in many ways! So it's not all about the numbers.

Is this person a celibate crusader or are they married? Children? Parents? Family?

What are they crusading for?  Why do they crusade?

Are they putting down roots to defend a territory or building reputation within the warrior-caste?

Who are they allied with?

Who are their enemies?

I would allow this character at the table. You would need to explain to me why you wield a Katana, where you learned to fight, and what motivates you.

If you had sufficient hooks to challenge and inspire this character, your awesome numbers wouldn't be a huge issue.

_____________________________

A crashing sound awakes your Crusader. He looks around the rubble of his home when he hears the terrified screams of his wife and daughter. As he makes his way through the dust, smoke and fire he emerges from the Dojo to catch an enormous Great Dragon, each impossibly large clawed hand clutching his loved ones. You know this foul beast to be Lightning, the Great Wyrm of Blossom Spire!

"If I see you even close to the base of my domain warrior, your wife and child die!" you hear across the thunder and lightning that cracks around the great beast.

"Now, go forth and destroy the child emperor's beloved Samurai so that his reign will be cut short and my dynasty can begin!" (queue evil diabolical dragon cackle)

GM Looks across the table at you:  "Massive Damage that".

____________________________________

A game should always be so much more than the numbers...

Thanks!

EDIT: I forgot, in the GURPS section I have all the maps for download on my site. I the CC2 files are there as well.

I made all the world maps for GURPS Dominion Cross (a shared world).  The spinning globe was made with Fractal Terrains, then I export to CC and build the flat maps. There's a link on the right hand side for the world maps, these include things like rainfall, climate, elevation, etc. This is designed as a free open-source shared world, so feel free to use them for you games!

You can download a free map off my website - please ignore all the test articles, I upgraded my software and am testing across platforms this week. More content will be placed back up there once I know everything is working. The downloads section is not formatted perfectly, but you should be able to nab the file. This map is free to use for your games!!

These maps were one of my first attempts with CC2, so I'm confident my next will be much better! :-) CC3 is more powerful, so it FT3. I'm also becoming more proficient with Photoshop and Illustrator, so I can export in layers and touch up as needed.

I don't do free, because I believe you get what you pay for. :-)

I am a huge fan of Campaign Cartographer. The new Tomb of Ultimate Mapping will get you up to pro speed with a regimen of lessons well worth the investment. (I am an affiliate and if you use the link above I get a little kick back if you buy this awesome software...).

I also dig Hexographer. It gives me that tingly classic feelings of yore. :-) You can make some awesome sandbox stuff with these tools. This software is hardly expensive, I think 24.95 for Hex, or 49.95 for all their tools.

You can poke about the Cartographer's Guild and they have vast forums of advice, tools, and ideas.

As an aside, you shouldn't ask people for "torrent-able" software. Generally, that's an inference that you're looking for pirated software. The dudes who program tools for us RPG nerds are far and few between. They sell to a niche group of people and don't make piles of cash for doing it. There's absolutely NO REASON to not support them. Save up some dough, and invest in your hobby. This is what keeps the hobby alive. Rewarding creative people with our cash so they can keep making awesome stuff we enjoy!!

Good luck with your Cartography!

...

What's wrong with Killing Conversion and Soul Drain? I think that models what the Shadow is doing very well, and you don't need AD at all.

[Shadow]

...

I think trechriron's point is less about the effect and more about the point of making a player choice redundant and a waste simply because it's doing it's job. I could always be wrong, though. ...

Generally. However, I have some new thoughts...

I'm just not finding this advice helpful. ...

You're right. It wasn't helpful. I should have been paying more attention to what you're trying to do, not advocating for system compliance. There's a lot of options in FC, and we should be tweaking things to our tastes, not shoehorning previous paradigms. My apologies.

After reading the description of the Shadow, I think I have an angle on what the purpose of the creature is. In 3.x D&D 1d6 STR damage is incredible. The creature gets you down to 0 and you die (that's one important part). Then you become a new Shadow under the creature's control (that's the other important part). In 3.x d20 it's another way of damaging PCs without worrying about level-based number advancement. Your Ability Scores don't rise much, so it's a static health meter. It's designed to make this creature super powerful because the only defense against this is magic and tactics (or fleeing or luck...).

Looking at how Attribute Drain works in FC, I think FC wants to use AD with a different focus than 3.x d20. AD in FC is tamer than 3.x d20. It's more like a "poison" a creature might deliver as it weakens their opponent. At 1 point per attack, a creature with Attribute Drain is NOT going to be killing you with it in the time period inferred by the 1d6 Str draining attack listed in the d20 SRD. Giving you some penalties sure, but not death. This is where your problem lies. The Shadow is not trying to weaken you it's KILLING YOU. Fast. And making more Shadows. It's like one of those vampire aliens in the movie Lifeforce. Only uglier.

The Shadow is an undead spirit with an unrelenting need to destroy the living thereby increasing the undead spirit army. Taking that as the concept, I think we can make this puppy fly (literally). There are some perfect NPC qualities that give us a WAY better Shadow than using Attribute Drain (IMHO, YMMV, etc.).

Here's my version of The Shadow for FC:

Shadow
    The Shadow is an undead spirit of pure evil bent on the destruction of all life; its unending purpose to kill the living and turn them into more Shadows. Falling to the Shadow’s Hands of Undeath causes the unfortunate victim to rise moments later as another Shadow under the control of their murderer.
    A formidable stalker, the Shadow lurks in dark places at night to surprise the unaware. Nearly mindless, the Shadow is not easily affected by Turning nor is it easily dissuaded in battle. Many seemingly stalwart champions have been cowed with fright or gone nearly mad trying to stop the onslaught of one of these creatures. Once a Shadow has claimed several victims, the resulting hoard of undead spirits can strip a kingdom of all life before anyone can raise a defense.

    Shadow (Medium Undead Spirit Flyer – 144 XP): Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 13; SZ M (1x1, Reach 1); Spd 40ft. flight; Init V; Atk V; Def V; Res V (+3 Will Saves); Health V; Comp V; Skills: Blend V, Notice V, Sneak V; Qualities: Achilles Heel (Divine Damage), Killing Conversion, Darkvision II, Dread, Fearless II, Fearsome, Feat (Iron Will), Nocturnal, Tough II, Treacherous , Unnerving
   Attacks/Weapons: Claws III x 2 (dmg 2d6 lethal; threat 18-20), Hands of Undeath (soul draining attack V: Fort DC 30 or die (standard character), lose 1 action die and 10 max vitality (special character); upgrades: supernatural attack(claw) x 2)
Treasure: 2C, 2G, 2L, 1M

The Math:

Size: Medium (0 XP), Type: Spirit (+5 XP), Undead (+5 XP), Mobility: Flyer 40 ft. (+10 XP)
STR: 10, DEX: 14, CON: 10, INT: 6, WIS: 12, CHA: 13 (9 XP)
Traits: Initiative: V, Defense: V, Attack: V, Resilience: V, Competence: V, Health: V (+30 XP)
Signature Skills: Blend V, Notice V, Sneak V (+15 XP)
NPC Qualities: Achilles Heel – Divine Damage (-2 XP), Conversion – Killing Conversion (+5 XP), Darkvision II (+2 XP*), Dread (+2 XP), Fearless II (+4 XP), Fearsome (+2 XP), Feat (Iron Will)(+2 XP), Nocturnal (-1 XP), Tough II (+10 XP), Treacherous (+5XP), Unnerving (+2XP)  *-upgraded Undead quality.
Standard Attack: Grade III Claws x 2 (+12 XP)
Special Attack: Draining, Soul grade V + Supernatural Attack x2 (29 XP)
144 XP = Serious Threat.

That should sufficiently scare the hell of out a group of stalwart PCs. Should play out like a popular Japanese horror film. You know, the ones where the spirits EAT YOU AND YOU CAN'T STOP THEM.   Again, pawsplay, my apologies for being a bad Crafty-citizen, I will try to be more helpful in the future.

There are four background options for Unbreakable; Ogre origin, Human talent Stern, and Miner and Warden Specialties. Four out of a PILE of background options. It shouldn't be terribly common. The current arrangement of the rules doesn't personally bother me.

As our hero's companions start to become less effective, that WILL impact the fight. This creature probably has alternate attacks, and would realize its ability drain was not impacting our resilient comrade, so he would target him with spells or other forms of attack. Don't make the creature a one trick pony!

I think Mister Andersen's feat solution is a solid option AND will make your creature frightening! You should be careful. Your player may have taken one of those backgrounds for the option to avoid ability drain. Maybe they hate it? If you come up with a custom rule to screw them, they probably won't be too happy about that. I think player's choices in character creation communicate to us what they want to see (or not) in play. I would highly recommend if you are going to introduce that new feat into play, you discuss it first. It would be a good way to gauge where your Ogre/Stern/Miner/Warden is coming from. :-)

While unbreakable does create a problem...
(snip awesome sauce)

1) If you hurt the characters, taking a couple out, and one is left standing to fight alone, that just makes the encounter scarier. :-) You can't (and probably shouldn't) design every encounter with the idea "how can I beat all the heroes down". I would make your monster scary and fit a role in your setting, and if one PC has a way around one that creature's features, great! That's the stuff legends are made of. The other PCs are not going to forget the encounter anytime soon. Neither will our new legend.

2) That feat is awesome.

A crit on a drain attack should probably do 2 pts of damage as well.

That's a splendid idea.

Good idea. I nabbed those, Thanks!

I really dig these sheets, very well done!!

First - a hearty THANKS! to Michal E. Cross for making these character sheets. They are gorgeous!

Not only are they organized super well, but include the action dice and combat actions on the sheet! This is super handy. Also, I absolutely love the injuries section, really great way of putting it together.

The B&W version 1.4 is missing the combat actions on page 2. They are present in the color version. I don't see any layers enabled to turn them on.

What will it take to convince you to update this sheet? Perhaps I could entice you with an internet reward of ONE MILLION BROWNIE POINTS (redeemable anywhere brownie points are accepted...)?!?!?!?  I want to use this one in my upcoming games!! The B&W one is perfect for saving some ink.

Again, my kudos to you.

(P.S. how do we pronounce your name?)

I would also look for post here: http://www.vegasgamers.org/ as they are the primary RPG organization in Vegas and some of the founding members helped start NeonCon when it was running.

That URL should be redirecting to the Meetup Group's page in the near future. Ning is not treating those said founders very well. It's expensive and touchy. It's so irrating when computers get touchy. I mean, they should be doing [redacted]

MR. BERGERON WILL RETURN AFTER SOME ATTITUDE READJUSTMENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.

[Dark Portals]

(Here's my advert all about the Intertubes... Posting here to share and perhaps to catch the eyes of any locals)

Dark Portals

Nothing will be the same.

The coming of the Horrors was heralded by the sound of a trumpeting. Not a real musical instrument per se, but a mistuned harmony of low humming and echoing hollow sounds that cut deep to your core. The alien sounds crept from nowhere and everywhere leaving only a feeling of fear and uncertainty. The wisest and smartest worked feverishly to determine what the trumpets heralded. The knowledge, it if was ever to be found, evaded the brightest elders from your lands.

By the time your people realized what was happening, the Horrors were everywhere. Rending innocents, corrupting the weak, destroying the very places you called home. Darkness spread across the sky and an unstoppable blight spread ruin across the land. As the last remnants of civilization barricaded themselves holding fast against their impending doom, the world-walkers found you. Before your eyes, a portal appeared, and the remaining few of your world were saved before the Horrors crashed in to take you.

The warmth of a new sky and unfamiliar smells of a new place overwhelm your senses. From the top of Gateway Spire you look across the vast sprawling city of Infinity, the last refuge for a million lost souls. The guides explain your predicament. How the Horrors have taken your world and you must live here now amongst the other displaced from many other worlds. The Portal to your world has gone dark. None may return there.

For most, the loss of home and loved ones is too much to bear. They will make do in this new place, and eke out a living as best they can. You are not like most. You will not sit idly by while the Horrors take world after world. You approach one the world-walkers. He sees you and a knowing look appears on his fast as he meets your eyes.

"I understand where you heart is." he states warmly, bringing a calm to your angry chest. "I will introduce you to someone. Someone with a plan. Someone who wants to take back the dark worlds from the Horrors as much as you do."

The brave world-walker leads you from the spire to a large cathedral where you stand before an impossibly old man.

"I am Saul. High Elder of The Order." The old man begins, with a strength of voice that belies his age.

"We protect Infinity. We harness the ancient Portals for the good of Imkind. We collect the knowledge of a thousand worlds. We seek the end of the reign of the Horrors. Join us. You will have your revenge."

-----

D&D Fantasy Craft Game - Looking for players!

Experienced GM (30+ years) seeks fun-focused players who want to get involved in a longer-term campaign. Get in on the first sessions!

System: d20 D&D variant called Fantasy Craft - if you're familiar with D&D you'll pick up on this game in no time. A super fun system! Learn more here --> http://www.crafty-games.com/product_catalog/fantasycraft

Setting: I am writing a setting to publish called Dark Portals. This is the scrawl you read at the top. :-) You play refugees and displaced heroes from one of the dark worlds - a place taken by the Horrors. You are part of an order that protects Imkind ("all people") from the Portals and the Horrors. The order seeks knowledge from other worlds to learn about and eventually combat the Horrors. As a world-walker, you travel to undiscovered worlds, explore them, open new avenues of trade and contact, plumb the depths of long-forgotten ruins, and gather as much magic and knowledge as possible in hopes that someday the order will learn how to stop the Horrors.

Date/Time slot 1: SAT 6pm - 12am (the "longer" game)
Date/Time slot 2: SUN 5pm - 9pm (the "shorter" game).

Slot 1 seats: 5 available! (total of 5 players)
Slot 2 seats: 2 available! (total of 4 players)

Contact me ASAP if you're interested in a seat. I give new players a couple sessions for us to try each other out. Then we decide if we're a good fit.

The game room is pet free, smoke free, and drama free. I allow electronic devices at the table as long as they don't distract (no ringers or beeps, no surfing the interwebs). Wi-fi available.

This is a BYOS (bring your own stuff) gaming experience. We don't provide food or beverages. Please bring snacks, drinks to sustain yourself.

I look forward to gaming with you!