The Evil Warlock Die (A Cursed Relic From The Depths of My Dice Bag)

We all have dice that betray us at the worst moment. Sometimes they make us look foolish, or cause us to botch what should be our best skill. Sometimes they get our characters killed. For most of us those particular dice are regarded with suspicion, given to new owners, or in some cases locked away in shame jails or knotted dice bags, never to see the light of day again.

There are some dice, though, that do not learn their lesson. They do not repent. They steep in their own malice and spite, eventually becoming forces of chaos at the table. This is a story of one such die.

So much fear... over such a little thing...

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How The Evil Warlock Die Came To Me

I acquired this die very early on in my tabletop career. At the time I only owned two sets of dice, and had never gone past level 3 in a game. I was at the hosting player's house, and I noticed she'd been cleaning out her fish tank. While I'd noticed there were dice in the tank before, I'd always thought it was just decoration. When I asked, though, I found out that the tank was where the traitors went.

"Sleeping with the fishes," she'd said solemnly. "Nobody double-crosses me."

I noticed that all of the condemned were d20s. They'd been laid out and scrubbed along with the gravel, but one of them sat alone. It was a black die with red numbers, part of a standard Chessex opaque set the company still sells... but it seemed wrong, somehow. Sinister in a way the others weren't. I touched it, and turned it over onto another face, revealing the jagged scar that ran along the die. Its previous owner looked at me, and told me I could have it if I wanted it.

I wasn't sure I did, but I took it anyway.

Discovering Its Trigger Word

All magic items, even cursed ones, have activation terms. So it was with the Evil Warlock Die, as it came to be called (since DND 3.5 was the current edition we were playing at the time, and because the warlock happened to be the class I was playing). I'd been using the die for several sessions, getting mainly mediocre, lackluster rolls. The standard for any game I'm in, which is why I have to min-max everything so stringently; if I can't succeed on a 5, then I could go entire sessions before my character actually did anything useful.

It was while we were fighting an orc chieftain that none of us could touch that I discovered the activation terms for the die. I had to be swirling it around, either in my hand or a dice cup, and speak the phrase, "I have a stupid idea," before laying out my plan. In this case I wanted to instigate a grapple check (something my character was not trained to do), before laying my palm in a sensitive place (the chieftain had a rather elaborately described codpiece with a skull on the belt buckle), and letting off my eldritch blast.

Ain't no safety on this big gun.

The GM fully expected my crunchy caster to get his head stoved in by the orc's great club. I also fully expected this result. What happened instead was one of the most epic critical hits our table had seen in some time, confirmed with a second natural 20, and a pool of 6d6 to a rather sensitive place that almost rolled maximum damage. To paraphrase the GM:

"The orc takes a 5-foot step to the left, loses the will to live, and falls down dead."

This was the first recorded incident of this cursed item coming through in a pinch, but far from the last. The Evil Warlock die has been responsible for blindly activating epic-level magic items several levels early, giving the party access to wish in a very unintended way. It was the die that allowed a gunslinger to blow out a dragon's remaining eye, setting the GM scrambling because he'd expected us to run screaming from the wounded, but still high CR, monster. It seemed to take particular delight in ruining the plans of a punitive GM, allowing strategies that had no business succeeding skate by on the skin of their teeth due to obscenely lucky numbers.

However, the Evil Warlock Die is still a cursed item... which means there's a price to pay for its devil's luck.

I've lost count of the number of natural 1s this die has rolled on saving throws, confirmation rolls, and skill checks. It has taken its toll from my characters in blood, but yet I always have it set off to the side for when things get dire. Because there is another part of the formula that always plays into the power of this die... it only seems to grant its luck to my worst plans when they would have the largest dramatic impact.

If I want to do something silly in a situation with no stakes, I get a 1 or a 2 for my trouble. If I want to spit blood in the wizard's eyes to blind him so my allies can reposition themselves on the battlefield, or if I want to leap down from sprinting across a roof beam and spear the monster in the throat, tearing my way down its gullet sword first, this is the die I reach for.

Particularly if it's established that it doesn't care for the GM. Because, at least in this case, the enemy of GM is my friend.

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I help out from time to time. Or, to check out books like my hard-boiled cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

Dice and Glory! Have You Heard of Ranger Games Publishing?

We're living in a new golden age of gaming, or so the experts tell us. Dungeons and Dragons has risen like a phoenix from its 4th edition ashes, podcast and YouTube campaigns are drawing more people into the hobby by the day, and with such an influx of gamers it means there are more people playing than ever before.

But publishing tools and online markets also means there are more options than ever before.

Because you've probably played Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, Pathfinder, or both. You may have had a crack at one (or more) sphere of the World of Darkness. Perhaps you heard the Call of Cthulhu, or tried out Savage Worlds... but there are so many, many more options out there.

And I'd like to talk to you about one of those options today.

In case you didn't guess from the banner, it's the Dice & Glory system from Ranger Games Publishing. If you've never heard of it, and you're the sort of gamer who likes a big, hefty rules tome, then it might be worth a gander.

Demons to Some, Angels to Others

This isn't the first time I've talked about universal game systems (I gave a shout out to the Fyxt RPG in the long ago and fat away), but this might be the first time I've talked about one whose specific selling point is the sheer amount of crunch it offers.

As Ken Ellis said in his review, this game gives you charts, rules, and numbers for everything. You want falling damage? Hardness? Psychics? Wizards? Cyborgs? Space ships? All that and more is in there, and ready for play. Just like the core rulebook for a lot of other universal systems, though, Dice & Glory doesn't have a particular world it's tied to. The core book (which also has rules for how to run the game, and how to make your monsters) is just the jumping off point. Everything else has to be made by the DM.

For some people, this is the double-edged sword. Because there are DMs out there who are more than willing to invest the time, effort, and sheer creative juice to build their own setting using an underlying core of intricate rules. Even if it means making their own monsters, rather than just cracking an existing bestiary. Other DMs, though, don't have the time to dedicate to both learning an intricate rules system (which, to be fair, you can ignore large parts of for certain types of games), and then building their own settings.

Fortunately for those DMs, Ranger Games does have some supplemental material you can use to get started, and to get a feel for the game without doing all of the heavy lifting yourself. Provided, of course, that your table is willing to dive elbow deep into something that has a lot of moving parts when there are simpler, easier games on the market.

It's definitely not a game for first-timers, or those who prefer a looser, more narrative rule set. But for those who want all the tools to custom-design your preferred experience, consider checking out the Dice and Glory Core Rulebook.

That's all for this Moon Pope Monday installment. For more of my work, head over to my Vocal author page (or just click my Gamers archive if you only want to see my tabletop stuff). Or you could head over to the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio to check out some stuff I've helped out on! To stay on top of all my latest releases, simply follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, to support me and my work consider leaving me a tip by Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular patron. Either way, there's free stuff and my eternal gratitude in it for you.

Is Pugmire Worth Playing? (Short Answer, Yes)

If you're a fan of the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons, then you're likely aware there are a lot of options out there beyond the base settings and books from Wizards of The Coast. You have The Scarred Lands, for example, or you could head over to Midgard and play around there instead. And, in addition to alternative settings, you get new classes, new feats, and new mechanical setups when you side step into work from other publishers. At the core, though, these games are all built on an edition that players have a standing familiarity with.

One of the most unique games using the OGL at the moment, though, is Pugmire from Onyx Path Publishing.

Or Dungeons and Doggos, as some folks might call it.

I've been playing through a Pugmire campaign for a bit now, and I thought I'd leave my thoughts on it for those considering picking it up.

Setting

Right off the bat, one of the first things that makes Pugmire so unique is its setting. It's a game where man has shuffled off the Earth, and many of the things we left behind have risen to claim it over the lost ages. Thanks to genetic tampering several species, like dogs, cats, lizards, badgers, and a few others, have evolved. And they have tried to build a society out of the wreckage of what was left behind.

Our protagonists are part o the Kingdom of Pugmire, a place for all good dogs. They have formed a simple religion based on the tenets man left behind (to be a Good Dog, to only bite when threatened, etc., etc.), and their society is ever-changing and growing. Though still recovering from a war with the Monarchies of Mau (the cat kingdom, for those who couldn't guess), Pugmire is a place that tries to be welcoming. Additionally, the Pioneers Guild offer opportunities for adventure! Groups are sent out to deal with monsters, find lost treasures, etc., and those who return often do so to praise, glory, and the potential of social advancement.

While the setting is relatively small (especially for players who are used to having entire continents of world to explore), it's so unique that I think keeping things small was really the smart way to go. That way we get to learn the main city, the surrounding area, and we get familiar with the customs, slang, and the threats of this new, strange world where man's best friend has moved into his old house, and is trying to make sense of all the things we left behind.

Whether you want to explore old tombs, fight monsters, or get involved in palace intrigues and politics, you can easily do all of those things on the stage that Pugmire sets for you. And you get to do it while being a Great Dane with a battle ax, if that's what makes you happy.

Mechanics

For a game based on the foundation of 5th Edition, Pugmire did something that really surprised me... it gives players a lot of options.

If you're a DND player, then you're likely used to just taking a class and advancing as you go up in level, maybe multiclassing for some bonus abilities. But Pugmire is by Onyx Path, so you have a setup that's a lot more familiar to players of World of Darkness games than those who stick with traditional, level-based RPGs. Which is to say that at creation, you pick your calling and your breed. Calling is like class, in that it's your shepherd (cleric), ratter (rogue), etc., while your breed is more like your race, though your options are things like Workers (strong), Runners (fast), Pointers (wise), etc. These things give you your hit die, your basic abilities (called tricks, because of course they are), and they modify your starting attributes.

When you gain a level, though, you don't get a new level of your calling, or get a chance to take a level in a different calling. Instead, you increase your number of hit die, your number of spell slots (if you had the ability to cast spells), the spells you know, and you may select a new trick from either your breed, or your calling. You can also refine tricks you already know, increasing their power and effectiveness.

Huh?

All right, let's put that in perspective. Say you're playing a shepherd. You cast spells off of wisdom, and you get cleric spells. If you gain a level, you then get to choose which ability you add to your character sheet. For example, you could gain the Healing trick, which allows you to spend your own hit dice to heal others with a touch. Alternatively, you could gain access to 2nd level shepherd spells. Or you could choose to gain one of your breed tricks, instead. Or just get a new skill proficiency, and bump your stats up higher.

This gives players a lot of options, and they can advance their characters down whatever path they see fit. This ensures that even if you have two characters with the same calling, they probably aren't gaining the exact same abilities as they advance. Put another way, it's like you have a leveling buffet instead of a set box meal that you get whenever you hear that ping.

There are other, minor mechanical differences as well. There are fewer callings than classes, for example, and only two types of spellcasters. However, given that Pugmire is pretty explicitly running on the rule of, "Any technology, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic," it wouldn't really make sense for sorcerers, warlocks, and others in this setting. All the magic we see is simply super-science, which comes with its own, unique rules.

Overall: Highly Recommended

Whether you just want to do something different, you're really intrigued by the setting, or you're a fan of what Onyx Path has put out in the past, all of these are great reasons to give Pugmire a try. You'll still need to read the book to find out what's changed from the base 5E, but if you're familiar with that edition's rules then Pugmire will take fairly minimal adjustment.

That's all for this Moon Pope Monday. If folks have played Pugmire before, feel free to leave your thoughts on it in the comments! For more by yours truly, check out my Vocal archive (or to see just my gaming stuff, go to my Gamers author page). Or you could head over to the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio, where I work with other gamers to make fun, insightful episodes all about gaming. To stay on top of all my new releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you want to help support Improved Initiative you can either give me a one-time tip by Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or you could become a patron over on The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. Either way, free stuff and my eternal gratitude shall be yours!

Just How Adequate is "The Adequate Commoner"?

So, I was asked to review this product months ago, and every time I tried to get around to it a piece of the sky would fall, preventing me from doing so. So, today, I'd like to present my thoughts on The Adequate Commoner, which is a 3rd party Pathfinder book from Misfit Studios.

What could possibly go wrong?

What Is "The Adequate Commoner"?

All right, first things first. The Adequate Commoner is a handbook for players who want to de-power their games. This is a book for parties who think NPC classes are given entirely too much power, and who really want to achieve victory through nothing more than careful planning, the right gear, and a ridiculous amount of luck. It is a book that lays out class options if you want all of your PCs to have a terrible BAB progression, nearly non-existent weapon proficiency, almost no armor use, and barely more than average hit points.

If that's your kind of jam, then keep on reading.

The stated goal of the adequate commoner is to issue your players a challenge; can you still become heroes without all of the class abilities and swagger that come with adventuring classes? Can you stare death in the face, knowing that you are not powerful adventurers who've trained their whole lives, or been gifted with strange powers? And, of course, will all of this lead to deeper roleplaying experiences, new stories, and more compelling characters?

I don't know... maybe.

Does It Work?

The Adequate Commoner is full of flavor, and it shows a lot of ways you can make commoners surprisingly effective (especially at low levels). By focusing on skills, attributes, equipment, and racial abilities (items which the book argues are often afterthoughts for more traditional adventurers), this book forces players to find alternative methods to rise to the challenge of living in a dangerous fantasy world.

However, The Adequate Commoner should be thought of as a completely separate game from traditional Pathfinder. The reason for that is because everyone at the table has to agree to play commoners, and the DM has to be able to craft an adventure that suits these characters both thematically and mechanically. Commoners are people with average, everyday jobs, and an adventure needs to provide enough of a hook to make them leave their places in society in order to combat a threat, or chase a macguffin. You know, like defending their town from a goblin incursion, or throwing a magic ring into a volcano. You also can't be out adventuring with three commoners and a wizard, otherwise three quarters of the party are going to be the sidekicks to the one adventurer's quest.

It's a functional idea, and the book lays out creative solutions players may never have thought of before. It won't appeal to everyone, though, since not all gamers want to play Pathfinder on Nightmare mode. If it sounds like your cup of tea, though, then check out The Adequate Commoner for yourself!

As always, thanks for dropping in! Don't forget to follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter if you want to stay up to date on my latest, and if you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then all you need to do is pop over to my Patreon page to become a patron today!

The D20PFSRD is Now on Patreon!

The D20 Pathfinder System Reference Document, located at www.d20pfsrd.com, is one of the most popular resources on the Internet for Pathfinder players. A collection of every resource players need from the Core Rulebook to obscure supplements like Bastards of Golarion and Blood of the Moon, this site makes it possible for players who can't afford hard copies to still play the game with a full library. It even collects third party supplements, providing the information free of charge to anyone who wants to pop in and have a look around.

It even has obscure relics like The DM's D20!

The site, for those who don't know, is run by John Reyst. John is a long-standing member of the gaming community, and he's been rolling the bones since there was only one edition of Dungeons and Dragons. What surprises most about John is that he isn't a big-name RPG developer. He isn't an industry insider, and he's not even a third party publisher (not in the strictest sense, anyway). John is just a gamer who loves Pathfinder (at least as much as the rest of us do), and he wanted something similar to the system reference document that was available when Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 was the mainstay.

So he made one. Because no one else was doing it the way he thought it should be done.

The result is a website that has made all of our gaming lives that much easier. It's also made it possible for John to pay some of his bills, and to take care of his family. In case you didn't know, that's what the store on the site is for, along with all of the ads you see every time you're clicking around to see what traits you may have missed for your new character.

The key word there is some.

The D20PFSRD is a useful, as well as gigantic, undertaking. With the constant releases from Paizo, as well as third party publishers, there's a ridiculous amount of work that goes into keeping it up to date. Even with helpers, it's more than a full-time job. The problem is that it's falling a little short.

That's where we come in, because the D20PFSRD now has a Patreon page!

Bribe The DM, Go Up A Level!

Why should you become a patron for the D20PFSRD? For one thing, if you use the site then you recognize it's a resource for you as a gamer. That means if you don't support it, and the person behind it, then there's a chance it might go away. Secondly, if you fund the site then you're likely to see it grow bigger, better, and faster. More updates, more material, and Reyst even hinted that if he had the funding then readers might see a lot more independent projects from the site.

Do you want to see that? Then go and become a patron today!

Also, if you're throwing patronage around, feel free to stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page if you'd like to support Improved Initiative! Also, to make sure you don't miss any of my updates follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter.

Crit Confirm: The Place to Go To Find Gamers Just Like You

The Internet (at least the parts of it that aren't dedicated to erotica and cat videos) seems to be populated by geeks and gamers. That sounds great, but to anyone who's tried to navigate the cramped back rooms and sticky hallways of the information superhighway the struggle to find a community where people are supportive, the discussions are interesting, and you want to keep coming back for more without paying a fee are few and far between.

You're looking for something like this. Soft, warm, and perfectly adapted for its environment.

That is why you need to know about Crit Confirm.

What Is Crit Confirm?

The true-but-unhelpful answer is that it's a website (which you can go look at for yourself right here).

For those who want more information before clicking the link though, Crit Confirm is one part gamer forum, one part review and advice page, and one part podcast. Growing in popularity the group that runs it is headquartered in the heartland of the Midwest (around Indianapolis, well within the radiation zone of Gen Con), and it's quickly reaching levels of influence that will make it the next bandwagon to jump onto. There's no membership fee, there's an ever-larger sphere of articles for tabletop lovers, video game players, and even those who have planted their geek flag into movies and anime.

They also have swag, and all the proceeds go right back into keeping the site producing great content for you and users just like you.

It's like finding hundreds of these in one place, and then having them all hug you at once.

So if you're looking for another great place to get your daily dose of great gaming, why aren't you clicking Crit Confirm's link? Get a user name, say hi on the forums, and check out all the new content they've put up since the biggest event in gaming packed up the big top and blew out of Indianapolis.

As always for those who'd like to help keep Improved Initiative going stop by my Patreon page and become a patron today! Seriously, $1 a month makes a lot more difference than you think. If you want to keep up to date on all my content then plug your email into the box on your upper right hand side, or just follow me on Facebook and Tumblr.

Natural 20 Soaps Strikes A Blow Against Gamer Funk!

Stereotypes follow gamers around like bad smells, and the worst is actually the belief that those who carry bags of funny-shaped dice are not on speaking terms with hygiene. This is usually a blatant falsehood, but it happens often enough that the urban legend is hard to scrub off.

That's where Natural 20 Soaps comes in.

This is my soap. I'm seriously more excited by this than I should be.

I've talked about Natural 20 Soaps before in this post right here, but for those who didn't see it they're a pretty straightforward operation. The idea that was put together by Emily Hawk and her business partner Douglas Menke was to set a trap for geeks (particularly gamers) who would show up to game with a weekend worth of funk hanging around their necks. They created soap swords and shields, d20 shaped soaps, and as evidenced by my own picture, trick soaps that you have to wash with in order to get the die inside them.

They brought their bars to Chicago-land cons, and made one hell of a splash.

So What's The News?

Well for those who take their hygiene just as seriously as their character builds, Natural 20 Soaps is expanding both how available it is, and what kinds of great, geeky goods it offers. Da Source, a local gaming company in the Chicagoland area is now going to be distributing their products. This means that you don't have to go to their Etsy store (located right here) or find them at conventions like CapriCon or C2E2 in order to buy these great soaps for yourself and all your hygiene-challenged, game-loving friends. You can still do it that way, but you don't have to.

Stay away from the dark side... it smells funny.

In addition to being more widely available than ever before though, Natural 20 Soaps is offering a slew of products, starting with the "newbie set" which is a complete set of d20 dice (20, 12, two 10s, 8, 6, 4) each in its own soap. There's also police boxes for the Whovians, refined companion cubes (the above is an original), miniature Serenity spaceships, and even custom-made action figure soaps. They're also experimenting with pokeball soaps and Hero Clix soaps, which might be a "see what the surprise inside is" purchases.

In addition to the cool new shapes and colors though, Natural 20 Soaps still offers all natural soaps that keep the skin moisturized, clean deeply, and don't cause reactions in the same way many store-bought detergents do. They've got more than 50 fragrances on hand, with over 100 more they can offer for those with picky noses, and they offer coconut milk, glycerin, goat's milk, olive oil, honey, and a vegan base for their soaps.

If that wasn't enough they're also offering a custom print image that can be put into a bar of soap to make a one-time, one-of-a-kind gift.

Also, no matter which kind of soap you get it works great as a shaving soap (which is one of the most important factors for a clean shave according to this list of shaving life hacks). So if you're looking for a great gamer gift with the holidays coming up (Halloween is a holiday, shut up), then check out Natural 20 and see if they've got something for those special dice slingers on your list.

If you'd like to support Improved Initiative stop by my Patreon page and become a patron today! If you want to keep up to the minute with all my updates then plug your email address into the box on the right hand side, or follow me on Facebook and Tumblr.

The Oldest D20 Ever Discovered

Next to murder, thieving, and whoring, dice games are perhaps one of the longest-lived passions we share as a species. From Louisiana riverboats, to the courts of decadent nobles, all the way to the campfires of ancient, savage nations, dice have never been far away from the gambler's limelight. And while you might think the funny-looking, twenty-sided die familiar to any lover of roleplaying games is simply the latest in a long line of evolving dice, you'd better think again.

Turns out the D20 might just be the patriarch of gaming as we know it.

You ain't ready to roll with this.

Do you see that die up there? The one with the old-school runes and the "roll me if you dare" attitude? Well, that die was relatively common around, and has been dated to, the Ptolemaic Period. That means this die was carved sometime between 300 and 30 BCE, according to i09 and The Mary Sue.

This die is older than god.

Not only that, but it's entirely possible that the D20 is the third oldest die in any given set. The only die types that are older than the D20 are the traditional six-sided dice which were around at least since 900 BCE, and the infamous D4 which was created sometime around 3,000 BCE. None of these dice had Roman numerals; they're older than the Roman Empire. Hell, they're older than Ancient Greece, and in some cases at least as old as the Torah.

Did ancient peoples play games where they took on the storytelling roles of great hunters and powerful shamans? Did they draw epic tales in the air, with the cast die changing the fates of the gods and heroes every time the story was told?

Probably not. It is cool to think about, though.

As always, thanks for dropping by Improved Initiative and checking out this week's Moon Pope Monday. If you'd like to see more historical/factual articles like this, leave us a comment, or subscribe to us by filling out the box in the upper right hand corner. If you'd like to help keep us going, please click the "Bribe the DM" button, or check out our Patreon page (all we ask is $1 a month to bring you solid gaming entertainment). If you want to keep tuned in to all our updates then just drop by our Facebook or Tumblr pages. May the weight of the ages guide your dice!

The Best Roleplaying Games (You've Probably Never Heard Of)

Pathfinder. The World of Darkness. Call of Cthulhu. All Flesh Must be Eaten. These are the heavy-hitters every gamer has at least heard of, even if it isn't a particular player's game of choice. However, it's important to remember that while these might be some of the most popular games on the market, they are far from the only games available. For players looking for something a little bit different though, Improved Initiative is here to point you toward what might become your new favorite games.

Grimm

Boy is it ever.

Originally released as part of the D20 Modern series, and re-released by Fantasy Flight Games with a stream-lined and simplified rule system, Grimm is a game of terrible tales and adolescent adventure. Players take on the roles of children (no younger than 9 and no older than 12) who have passed into the Grimm Lands; a place full of every monster and myth the brothers Grimm sentenced into their book of stories. They have to travel through the checkerboard kingdoms, seek out ancient items of power and try to find their way back home again.

Grimm's major advantages, aside from the great flavor of the world and the novelty of playing children who can take things like "Bully" and "Dreamer" as classes, is that the system is simple and easy to both play and run. There's no XP to grant at the end of a session, there's no complex feat choices, and all of a character's abilities are very simple and straightforward. All players, and the storyteller, need are two six-sided dice and the base handbook. That makes Grimm a relatively cheap investment, in addition to being something that can almost literally be run at the drop of a hat.

Lastly, and I feel this must be said, Grimm can be as dark or as cutesy as you want. If you want to have a Disney-fied game because players are a little younger, then that's perfectly possible. However, the game itself trends toward the dark and the traditional, with child-eating witches, murderous lunatics, and capricious magic that end up destroying sanity and warping flesh. Just because characters are children, that doesn't make this a children's game.

Spycraft 2.0

D20 Shaken, Not Stirred

For players who want to get more use out of their dodecahedrons, Spycraft is a game that's gotten very little love over the years. Whether someone wants a full-on "Mission Impossible" style team, or they want to take their cues from shows like "Leverage", Spycraft is the ideal game for players who would like something a little more complicated than just kicking in the door and killing the monsters.

What this game lacks in knights in shining armor it more than makes up for in the variety of roles and the sheer possibility of missions. Storytellers can run a Call of Cthulhu style game where government agents send in investigation teams to uncover and deal with extraterrestrial encounters and their associated cults of worshipers. On the other hand it's equally possible to run a Hong Kong action theater style game where a team of mercenaries goes toe-to-toe with a drug cartel in an exotic locale. The Cold War, World War II, Vietnam, nothing is off limits in Spycraft. The system is solid, and it makes a refreshing shift from monsters in dark alleys and riding through the woods to the next goblin raid.

X-Crawl

This is how we roll.

XCrawl did something that no other game had ever tried to do before; it combined the dungeon crawling aspects of traditional Dungeons and Dragons with the glamour and drama of professional wrestling. The result is a modern-fantasy-gladiatorial-death-match-reality-TV-show that runs of the base of any D20 system the storyteller prefers.

In all fairness, XCrawl is less of a game and more of a skin. It can work with any edition of Dungeons and Dragons, but it can also be paired with D20 Modern, Pathfinder, or any of a number of other systems. If it involves a 20-sided die and all of its compatriots, then XCrawl can invigorate players' imaginations and present them with something so far outside their normal sphere of play that it gets their hearts pumping while it kicks their roleplaying up a notch. The game requires showmanship, number crunching, and a dose of off-the-cuff bravado, but if a party can put that together the results will be stories that get told for a long, long time.

Pie Shop

It is exactly what you think it is.

The last entry on this particular installation (I'm sure there will be others) is Pie Shop. For those of you who've seen Sweeney Todd, the title is a bit of a spoiler. You play a serial killer; that's it. There's no magic powers, no higher goal, you're just a group of deranged sociopaths looking to let a little blood and have a good time.

Pie Shop is refreshing in its sheer brutality... but it has one fatal flaw (aside from not being able to find the book too terribly easily). That flaw is that getting a group of serial murderers to all work together, unless they have a shared psychosis, is really difficult. The very act of creating a plot can sometimes mean putting together a scenario so ridiculous that it undermines the realism of the game. The government is capturing serial killers and using them as black ops agents? Sure! The mafia is recruiting dangerous, unpredictable mentally ill murderers as a special hit man squad? Eh, why not?

On that note though, if a storyteller can get over the hump of finding the right premise, Pie Shop is a game unlike anything else out there.


Once again, thanks for dropping by Improved Initiative! Keep in mind that we're now available on the Amazon Kindle, and you can subscribe to us here. If you'd like to support us then either leave a donation at the "Bribe the DM" button in your upper right hand corner, or pledge at our Patreon page here. Finally, keep up to date with our latest and greatest on Facebook or Tumblr, whichever you prefer.

Moon Pope Monday: The Great and Powerful Moon Pope!

My current party's cleric, the Great and Powerful Moon Pope!

Moon Pope Allows This

There is no explaining Moon Pope. Moon Pope was, Moon Pope is, and Moon Pope shall ever be. Much like the new feature for Improved Initiative, Moon Pope Monday. A simple post, it will be a video, a picture, or maybe just a man with a box on his head getting ready to make a will save.

Please remember that Improved Initiative runs on Google AdSense, and all your support is appreciated. If you want to have something of your own featured on Moon Pope Monday, drop a line and let us know. Character portraits, motion .gifs, and anything else you can think of is welcome!

There is No "I" in "Party"

While it might be a stereotype that gamers don't play sports, like it or not a roleplaying game is a team-oriented activity. Every player has his or her character, and that character possesses certain strengths and weaknesses. In order to become more than the sum of its parts a party has to be willing to work together, to strategize, and to know what will and won't work.

It's pretty simple, when you get down to it. However there are certain things that can make this process harder, less fun, or both. If you want to make sure that your group survives and does so in the spirit of the game then you need to keep an eye out for some of the folks below.

The Backseat General

If you all just do what I tell you, then this will work out perfectly.

Anyone who's gamed more than once or twice has met this person. Chances are good you probably started coming up with entirely justified ways to kill off this player's character. The backseat general is the player who wants to hash everything out to the smallest detail, usually out of character, and typically right after initiative has been rolled. While this player may have a good grasp of the rules it often feels as if he or she would much rather be playing Warhammer or Axis and Allies than a roleplaying game. The solution to this situation is fairly simple, and it can both save time and help build the party up. Make a table rule that all discussions of strategy must happen in character, and in combat order if initiative has already been rolled.

This accomplishes multiple goals at the same time. On the one hand it lets everyone know that all interactions must be done strictly in character. On the other hand the role play can lead to back and forth between characters, and get everyone involved in the game. Ideally what it will do is allow the party to develop a battle rapport, with allies calling out to one another in the thick of it and adapting on the fly to the changing scenario. If everyone knows that's the goal it's much easier to get to.

The Showboater

Art thou upset, brother?

The bane of parties everywhere, the showboater is always ready, willing, and more than able to show off his or her combat prowess with little to no provocation. These players will typically ignore any sort of group strategy, simply going in face first with spells or steel bared and slugging it out as if it is truly they who is the main character of this story. Often they'll set off multiple encounters at the same time, or refuse to let allies into the fight in order to help. Variations of this include stealing everything that isn't nailed down simply because the character can, or using powerful abilities for purely cosmetic reasons. Whether the characters are heavily armored knights, loner rogues with a chip on their shoulders, or just really powerful evokers with a scorched-earth policy, they're sometimes more of a hindrance than a help.

The easiest way to teach this kind of player a lesson is to give that person exactly what he or she asked for; let them take on the bad guys alone. A truly well-built character can often stand up to a lot of abuse from enemies, but sooner or later it's going to become very, very clear that these players are in over their heads. If an entire party is made up of showboaters then chances are it will take a near total party kill to make the players understand that they have to work together to survive.

The One-Trick Pony

Well I haven't done any damage the past four times... I hit it again!

Generally speaking it's a good plan to gear your character toward accomplishing a certain goal. Whether it's dealing the most damage, being completely silent and sneaky, or acting as the party's alarm bell because no one can sneak up on you, a defining trick is often the mark of a character with a purpose. The problem is that sometimes that trick just isn't going to get the job done. Ideally if a party is well-balanced and made up of competent players and well-built characters, everyone should be able to participate in a meaningful way. The problem arises when a one-trick pony is so invested in his or her trick that the player just keeps on doing it even when it's been shown to be ineffective in a certain situation. If a player has chosen to use fire-based magic for instance, and the enemy is highly resistant to fire, the player will just keep casting spells and hoping they hurt enough to overcome the threshold. If the enemy requires a certain type of weapon or special material to hurt, the player will keep battering at the bad guy with the wrong kind of weapon, hoping for that natural 20.

If a character's signature trick has been rendered useless then the player needs to adjust his or her thinking for the fight rather than bitching and moaning that they can't do what they want to do. That doesn't help end the combat, and it can in fact poison the table's atmosphere. What will end the combat, though, is keeping a certain number of aces in one's hole.

To fix a one-trick pony the player needs to ask if my ability to do this is rendered moot, then what? A sorcerer fighting a golem, or a creature with extremely high spell resistance will find magic nearly useless. A fighter or a barbarian trying to take on an incorporeal enemy, or an invisible rogue, will have the same problem. To that end players simply need to plan ahead and have a backup plan for when that happens. For instance, a well placed alchemical item like a tanglefoot bag (to entangle enemies and lower their attack and defense), a smog pellet (which renders invisible enemies visible for several rounds), or holy water (which affects evil, undead, and even incorporeal enemies) should be kept in reserve. Magical ammunition can help archers and crossbowmen overcome situational problems, and spell casters focused on one element should always prepare a few spells, or carry a few scrolls, outside of their typical armaments. Lastly, don't forget the aid-another action (examined in depth in Aid Another is More Powerful Than You Think) and combat maneuvers (which can take away your enemy's advantages if done just right).

Tips and Tricks

I've been involved in a lot of games, both as a player and as a storyteller. From my experience there are certain things I highly recommend that players do in order to create cohesion as a party, and to get their strategy in order.

#1: Read the rules. This sounds simple and straightforward, but I don't mean to just read the rules about how your class abilities work. I mean read all the rules. Understand how combat maneuver checks work, even if you don't use them. Read about terrain modifiers and mounted combat, even if they haven't come into play yet. Knowing the rules will make it easier for you to adapt mentally to a situation, and you will be less frustrated because you didn't understand the ramifications of what's happening to you.

#2: Come together as a party. All too often players build characters who are so disparate, and so different, that they remain a group of individuals rather than a cohesive unit. While you don't have to make all of your party members bosom companions since childhood, attempt to bring them together through roleplaying. If someone was saved from bleeding out by the cleric, play up that reaction afterward. If a fighter got between the sorcerer and a monster, maybe that would play down the animosity of the academic toward the brawler. Have the monk discuss brewing strategies with the alchemist. Whatever it is, take the opportunity to let your characters mingle, and give them appropriate reactions to one another.

#3: Roleplay your combat. It's all too easy to just let combat devolve into a big pile of numbers; don't let that happen. If your ranger knows about a troll's weakness for instance, then he might shout "acid or fire, it can heal aught else!" on his turn. If the paladin's mount is pawing the ground and it's obvious she's going to charge have her call out, "clear a path, this demon is mine!" Keep in mind that a round happens more or less simultaneously, and it's happening fast. Make your words fit the danger or tone of the scene, and convey what you want in character. Lastly, know what you're doing and do it fast so that you don't slow combat down and lose the thread of the scene because you had to look something up for ten minutes.

#4: Remember your options. I mentioned alchemical items earlier (a great list is right here, by the by), along with the aid another action. Remember too that you can ready an action (essentially declaring a trigger for a single, standard action that reads if X happens, then I do Y) as well as delay. Delaying allows you to re-insert yourself elsewhere in the combat order, which can be a highly advantageous option if you want your actions to happen at a certain time. You know, something like I delay until after the wizard casts this huge, area-of-effect spell.

#5: Know your role, but don't be controlled by it. If you are a sneaky rogue who specializes in back-stabbing your enemies, it's very easy to get stuck in that role. If you're a cleric who casts only healing magic, then that too is very easy to fall into. Always look at what actions will be most in-character, and what will have the biggest effect. The fighter could stab the ogre, sure; it's probably what the fighter's built for, and it would do some damage. But giving a +2 to the nearby rogue with the aid another action could ensure a much bigger damage output and possibly end the fight earlier due to sneak attack, poison, etc. Is that the sort of thing the fighter would bank on, or would the martial professional insist on doing things mano a mano with the monster? If he helps the rogue then that could also be turned into a roleplay point. A fighting style where these two fall into a battlefield form regardless of how they feel about one another outside of the initiative order.

#6: Remember what languages you speak. Shouting out your plans right where your enemies can hear isn't always a great idea, but if you all speak a language that your enemy doesn't then you can converse openly without giving away what you're doing. Failing a common language your enemy doesn't know however, it's a good idea to come up with some party-only slang for who's taking what actions.


That's all for this week's installment of Improved Initiative. It was brought to you via the request of Kat Cichocki, and I wanted to thank her for being a loyal reader. As always I hope you find this useful in your games, and if you have a subject you'd like to see covered feel free to send it in. Also feel free to follow me on Facebook and Tumblr if you want to stay properly updated. For those more interested in my writing endeavors and who would like to see more fiction, check out my other blog The Literary Mercenary, and see what I have available on Goodreads. Lastly please remember this service is powered by Google AdSense. If you want to see more updates, then please support us and help keep the blog going!

Seizing the Initiative

"Who takes Improved Initiative?"

This question, blatantly asked in The Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising, is one that most players voice at a table. Feats are a big deal after all, so why waste it just to help you go first when combat breaks out?

I'll tell you why.

If you go first then you have the chance to claim the battlefield, and to make the opening moves. You catch your enemies unawares, and you have a better chance of dealing out damage and dropping the threat before it can even draw its sword. The right spell, or the right alchemical item, can completely change the course of combat from that point onward. Characters who go first have the chance to strike hard, fast, and without mercy. That's the kind of player who takes Improved Initiative, and that's the sort of gamer we welcome with open arms.

What's This Blog About?

In the spirit of the title, this blog is here to share tips, tricks, and character builds for all those who are looking for a new and interesting twist on their mechanics. In addition to tuning up your sheet though, we'll also have articles for dungeon masters on the little ways to turn a good game into a great game, and to help players breathe real life into their characters. In between all of that we'll have great gaming stories, amusing pictures, character portraits, and maybe the occasional video that will make any gamer's day.

And Just Who The Hell Are You?

Since I've been using the royal "we", I'll tell you just who the hell I am and why you should listen to me. My name is Neal F. Litherland, and I am an author. I'm also an avid role playing gamer, a DM, and I've contributed to Paizo's Pathfinder game both on the fictional and mechanical sides of things. Before you ask, no, this blog isn't connected to Paizo in any way; these are my own thoughts and opinions about games I've played and that I've both loved and hated.

For those of you who still aren't quite convinced, I've got a couple of references that might pique your interest.

The Irregulars The Irregulars is my first contribution to Paizo's Pathfinder Tales. With Molthune gearing up to go to war, Andoran sends in a team of experts to gum up the works. A suicide squad of loose cannons and skull crackers, the Irregulars are the best and the brightest of the bottom of the barrel. Note that, though this was once free, Paizo has since put it (along with the rest of the Pathfinder Tales up on sale on Amazon... still, it's just a handful of change for a story that I think holds up pretty well!

A Guide to the Best Alchemical Items For those players who want to have a little ace in the hole, there's nothing like the right alchemical tool for the job.

More Bang For Your Bomb A guide I wrote for Kobold Quarterly to help turn your Alchemist into a walking conflagration.

The Laying on of Fists: Feats and Features for Battle Clerics and Paladins This title is pretty self-explanatory; another Kobold Quarterly piece.

Calling in the Cavalry: Mounted Mayhem in Paizo's Pathfinder After I played a Shining Knight, I just had to put this guide together.

50 Shades of Rage: Flavoring The Barbarian's Signature Class Feature:  Because there's more to Rage than meets the eye. Remember that.

You're in the Army Now This is one for the DMs. Does your party fall apart like a soggy sandwich? Whip them into shape and give them a purpose!

Anything Else We Should Know?

I think that's about it for now. However, for those who are more interested in writing than roleplaying, check out my other blog The Literary Mercenary for tips and tricks on being a professional pen monkey. For even more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

If my readers want me to discuss any particular game, or any particular topic under the umbrella of gaming, just drop me a line and I'll look a little deeper into it. If you have something you want to share, let me know and I'll consider people who are serious about guest posts.

Lastly fellow gamers, I leave you with these words of wisdom. Remember, it is always better to do a thing.