Nyassor

another one started 

Probably going to go back and use HeroMachine to colour the image rather than working directly form this but after much fiddling about we have a Nyassor with which I am happy. How fidling about when I only started this this morning well Nyassor features in  Adventures Elsewhere and I have been trying to get the image the way I wanted it since just after I started the Zen & elf queen ones I posted some time ago

The coloured in version of the same image which will form the base and which I feel needs quite a lot of work especially with the dark skin tone

It might not look it compared with the base version but that took quite a lot of work much of it messing about with the scaling tool as the base image looked too stocky for my vision of an elf and then working on the hair, which really did not work at all once coloured in and clothing whch is getting there however I need to do a lot more work on the skin tones which I have started despite appearances which would suggest otherwise 

Still not done but I am getting happier with the image as I get more done on it I now like the hair and skin tones so may leave those alone for a bit and work on the armour and the clothing

Aeneste

finished I think

Quite pleased with that but now feel the need to do every one in the game

Elsewhere Elven starting Spell like abillities

All of these are apprentice level for the purposes of purchasing additional uses and whilst very similar to arcane magic only fail with the loss of the use if the caster is struck during the casting time

Diminish illumination

Casting time 1 second 
Duration 2d12p seconds 
range  60'

effect 

halves the radius of illumination of one light source within range  by causing it to effectively brown out 

Pass in silence

Casting time 1 second 
Duration 2d12p seconds 
range self

effect 

adds a bonus of +50 to the casters effective sneak skill  for its duration and is cumulative with the casters natural abilities to hide in natural surroundings or the dark

Dark fire 

Casting time 1 second 
Duration 2d12p seconds 
range 60'

effect  

paints a target with a brief aura of light visible only to those with low light vision or true dark vision which adds a +1 to hit it with missile weapons if you have low light vision double that if you have dark vision there is no save and most of its targets are unaware they have even been lit up by it

Give pause

Casting time 1 second 
Duration 1d3 seconds
range 60'

effect  

The target cannot act for the next few seconds and behaves as if  subject to surprise expect it is not possible to mitigate it  there is no save but it is easily foiled by minor magic warding spells and charms which defend against it are common amongst the enemies of elves 

Spark of enchantment

Casting time 2 seconds
Duration 2d12p seconds
range weapon held

effect  

The casters weapon in hand becomes -weakly magical for a short while fro the purposes of what it can hurt and any reductions of DR of the target this requires the user makes a pass over the weapon with an open hand and has no effect on already magical weapons

Dark light

Casting time 1 second
Duration 1d4+1 hours
range item held 

effect

The chosen item counts as a candle except it only aids low light vision and is invisible to those without it or dark vision offten cast on stones to make an invisible illuminated perimiter or used in the manner of a flare

Adventures Elsewhere

Character creation rules - Zen

Attributes

In order roll 4d6 & take the score highest three for the following

Str

Int

Wis

Con

Dex

App

Cha

Also roll a d100 for each in the same order and record it as

D6 roll/d100 roll in each case

You then have 40 build points +50 if you leave the results as rolled +25 if you just swap a pair & +0 if you rearrange the lot however you like

You also get to add the following adjustments as Zen is an Elsewhere High elf

Stat adjustment

Str                    +1

Int                    +2

Dex                  +4

Lks                  +2

Cha                  -3

You may also buy additional increments for the d100 part of the attribute at 1build point per 10 is the attribute is less than 9/100 and goes no higher than 10/09 between then and 16/04 the its one build point per 5 and above that its one build point per 3

However build points get used on lots of stuff that’s useful so consider what to spend them on, however it’s defiantly worth rounding attributes up to the next whole number and some times also over the xx/50 as well

Once that is done we need to determine Priors and Particulars

Elsewhere elves are as tall as humans and use the human height table in HackMaster – however they are still slimmer and more lithe so their BMI is determined from the elf table. `

Zen is for political reasons at least illegitimate her father is dead and her mother and half siblings chose to disown her – her up bringing was neither particularly loving nor unusually cruel by Elsewhere high Elven standards so that applies no alterations

Zen can chose to be cruel – for an additional  xx build points & can roll a d1000 to determine additional quirks and flaws resulting form that roll

Then we come onto class – Zen is a Hunter which is a variant of ranger

Details to follow

screen shot of First encounter map for Adventures Elsewhere

just to show you I have done something today

The base image which is one of the many swamp maplets I have got has been enhanced by token trees and bushes to give it more of a 3d feel

Elf Queen of Elsewhere

The initial quest giver for adventures elsewhere - a great and powerful elf of considerable age despite her seeming youth and her simple attire. it is the custom of those great amongst elven kind to effect such disdaining the status symbols so beloved of other an to them lesser races

The image was produces and base coloured using HeroMachine 3 & then imported into GIMP for further work

Adventures Elsewhere Zen Token

Stating the process of colouring the token image

Its still at the early stages & I am regretting the choice of the elaborate cuirass of scales as its a pain to shade properly and the underlying mail shirt needs a texture which I now know you can add with HeroMachine but did not when I generated this image - you live and learn

Had another look at this one this morning and was not entirely happy with it to be honest so I went back to the original image which I had saved on HeroMachine unlike most of them and had a go at seeing what hppened if I used the built in colour it in feature at least as a base

I got this




and then I fiddled about with it for a bit in GIMP and ended up with this which I actually like enough to use

I do still  think the colours are a bit too primary but I have a plan for sorting that one out in future

Adventures Elsewhere Zen token and Portrait

In the full knowledge that these will be all wrong I did these with Hero machine as a base for the Protagonist in my forthcoming  on line solo game

These are the base images almost direct form HeroMachine

Token

Portrait

still need to be coloured and shaded but its a start I feel

Areas of swamp for Adventures Elsewhere on roll d20

get in the most out of one map

Basic map 

One pattern of tracks

And a different pattern

 

and a third patten

& I have several others which rotate or alter small details on the map to give a different environment to fight over with minimal gm effort which I will post latter but I hope you get the idea 

Adventures Elsewhere game launched

I have now launched the adventures elsewhere game on Roll D20 so I can start building the environment to play in

I will be teaching myself the basics of the system form a GM point of view

Holy Symbol of the PALADIN

being one of the principle deities of Elsewhere

Maps of zens Islamd in the swamp upper floors

Starting off  with the base ground floor image I first decided how many upper floor there where going to be. I then started off working on the first one whilst considering repositioning the tower grand entry stair as its at a rather awkward angle as it is

I also added some internal details walls doorways and the like whilst considering just how ruined the ruins where and how to depict that on the maps

However in the end I decided to have one more go before I redrew the map and got it to work I also greyed out the areas of the walls of the ruin I decided where below this level in the same way I did the courtyard walls earlier & added some more internal details to both maps

Maps of Zen's Island in the swamp

First a work in progress shot of the upper works first level 

More to follow as they get done and completed but this is the basic outline the buildings with the white fill still have over head cover at this level. those in the same grey as the surrounding island either dot now as with the structure  at the base of the tower or never did as with the courtyard by the gate. Lots more detail to go on yet but this is also the template so I will copy it for that role before I do.

did a bit more work on it after saving the above as a template for the next floor up mostly adding texture to the external works and some interior detail internally

The final item for now at least with texture added inside and around the crevasse in the courtyard

Having started work on the next level I came to realise two things that I had missed off a set of stairs which was easily fixed and second that I had put the entrance steps to the tower at a cool but non the less very awkward angle to transpose onto level two. having put the grid in before does impose difficulties latter I find and this is typical of them 

Adventures Elsewhere

a close up local map of the area around Zen's lair expanded from the regional map

The starting area 

Showing part of the Iron Falcon duchy to the south and the west as well as the human village of Ricnethgate and the town of Werdcartowne to the south east of it, names which I have yet to add to the map but will do

Indeed this is the same map with a bit more detail as allowed for by the increase of scale but like all game maps its a living document and things will get added as the game needs them.

Adventures Elsewhere starting Map and introduction

The Region around Zen's Lair 

Like most of my maps for games this starts with much less detail than will latter be needed as I will add that as I need it and the game progresses. It Shows what the Protagonist Zen knows at the beginning and which she discovered in the pursuit and subsequent slaying of the Necromancer of Torval 

Back story

Zen came to the ruins in which she now lairs in pursuit of the human necromancer Alerigiwil who she was paid to hunt down by the merchants guild of Zerin far to the east because he had reneged on a deal to provide them with undead labour for their fire stone mines and had stolen upwards of ten thousand gold marks form them over and above the payment he had asked for and got for the labour he had not in the end provided.

It had been a long chase which had led Zen away from her accustomed range but the Guilds of Zerin where rich and none more so that the Merchants guild. That the man had seemingly easily defeated the assassins sent after him by the powerful and feared assassin’s guild of Zerin also rather piqued her interest as the assassins of Zerin where by way of being professional rivals. In the end however after a six month chase she had found his bolt hole and confronted him there and beaten him. The Merchants had paid and Zen had decided that the Necromancers lair would make an ideal base of operations and if one remained away from the areas where he conducted his foul necromantic researches a quite comfortable one for the late Alerigiwil liked his creature comforts and had lavished much coin and time making sure he was able to live a life of luxury at his secret base.

It was here as spring began to come to the north lands that the elf queen Uilastoquen came with her escort to hire Zen to hunt down and kill her traitor general Nyassor vilr Imgash-rak. Who had been last seen in one of the Human towns in the petty kingdom to the west of here but who had disappeared then, The Kingdom was in some turmoil and it seemed to the queens trackers that the willy general used this to evade them and cloud his path

Introduction
They who come to the outcaste they all know as Zen for one reason, because some one who was not going to be easy to kill needed killing. They came usually because they had sent their best after them and failed or they needed the death to be unattributable to them or the trail was so cold they felt they had lost it. However whatever variation on the tale it boiled down to one thing in the end Zen hunting down the mark and killing them. Zen was very good at this and they knew it, she was also their last resort and if she failed well it was acknowledged it could not be done at all. Except so far Zen had never failed.

So it was that the Elf queen Uilastoquen came to the ruins in the swamp where Zen laired currently and came with as little ceremony as one so mighty could manage with a score of guards through the fringes of the lands of men not always friendly to elves and always afraid to offer Zen a great prize for hunting down and slaying her former general Nyassor vilr Imgash-rak who had betrayed her to the hated gnomes of Thrune and abandoned the field when the battle hung on a knife edge leaving his underling s to deal with the situation as best they could . That day the gnomes had had a great victory and only not a final one because the leaders the general had trained had managed to thwart that though at considerable cost. It had cost her more to discover that there was far more to the betrayal than simply going over to the enemy and to have him tracked as he ran west ever west away form the lands in which elves are strong through the mannish kingdoms where elves are not that welcome  in the company of a half elf slave to the petty kingdom to the west of here where last autumn they lost him. (About the same time that the Necromancer was being confronted by Zen)  The queen’s trackers did so in the confusion of a revolt in the kingdom by the commoners against a weak unpopular and tyrannical ruler.

here our story starts.......