Thug Notes Gives You A Break Down of "Game of Thrones"

Few book series have achieved the universal popularity managed by George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, particularly when you consider the brutality with which is treats both its cast and its audience. With everything from a TV show to roleplaying games dedicated to the world Martin created, it can be tough to keep track of the vast plots and confusing series of events going on in Westeros (not to mention the rest of the world).

Don't worry, Sparky Sweets is here to lay it down straight and simple on you.

Bitches get shanked, the end.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the good doctor's work, Sparky Sweets is the host of Thug Notes, which is part of the Wisecrack channel on Youtube. The series takes some of the densest and dankest books in all of classic literature, and breaks them down into terms we can all understand. With old standbys like Shakespeare's Othello, and some more recent tales like At The Mountains of Madness, you're in for a treat when you pop on over to Thug Notes.

Seriously, check out the break down for Game of Thrones.

It only gets better from there! Especially since Wisecrack also boasts additional shows like 8-Bit Philosophy and Earthling Cinema, which are pretty damn entertaining in their own rights.

If you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then step on over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page and leave some bread in my jar. $1 a month can make a pretty big difference. If you want to keep up to date on all of my work, then make sure you follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter as well.

The Saga of Majenko Part Three: Scourge of The Red Mantis

When last the Saga of Majenko left off I'd detailed how in Curse of the Crimson Throne we'd freed a tiny pseudodragon NPC, and said pseudodragon had gone on to steamroll entire encounters with his poisonous sting. Seeing the inherent value of such a potent ally, but wary of his fragility as a 15-hit point, cat-sized dragon, I made him my character's familiar. Not content with that (and because I could find no rules banning it), I also made him my cohort. So in addition to being able to share spells, gaining additional natural armor, and sharing an empathic bond with the little guy, Majenko also gained 5 levels of rogue with all the associated trimmings.

It's a good thing too, because this was right around the time the campaign got serious. It's also around the time Majenko fell in love. If you need to review, here's the full list of the Saga of Majenko installments.

Part One: Finding The Main Character of "Curse of The Crimson Throne"
Part Two: How Much Damage Could One Pseudodragon Do?
Part Three: Scourge of The Red Mantis
Part Four: Blood Pig Champion
Part Five: Brother to The Shoanti
Part Six: The Assault on Castle Scarwall
Part Seven: The Return to Korvosa
Part Eight: Re-Taking Korvosa
Part Nine: The Assault on Castle Korvosa
Part Ten: Down With The Queen

All caught up? Great!

Part Three: The Scourge of The Red Mantis

When last we left our intrepid adventurers they'd managed to uncover the secret plot to destroy the city with a plague of bloodveil, arrest the head doctor behind it all, and descended into the bowels of the city to fight a priestess of Urgathoa. In short our crack law enforcement task force managed to save the city, and stem the tide of death that was pouring out of the guts of Korvosa.

We also discovered (gasp) that the queen was tacitly behind the plague!

This is my surprised face.

Now, we know that we're sitting on a few tons of black powder with this information. The queen may not be much liked, but attempting to depose her would lead to civil war regardless of her guilt. Unless, that is, we could find Neolandis Kalapopolis, the royal seneschal. As the seneschal, Neolandis had the legal authority to remove Queen Ileosa, assuming we could present him with the appropriate evidence.

The only problem with that is that Neolandis seems to have up and vanished. So we've got to track him down somehow. Fortunately for us a letter from the city's most esteemed vigilante Blackjack happens to show up on our doorstep, asking us to meet him in Old Korvosa; the northern island district that's been sealed off due to the plague.

Why not, what's the worst that could happen?

It's Dangerous Out There, Take A Cleric With You!

It just so happened that our regular cleric couldn't make that session. So rather than go off adventuring without such a crucial class, I checked my followers chart and saw that, in addition to Majenko, I qualified for a single 4th level follower. I asked the DM if, for a session, she would let us bring an NPC pseudodragon cleric to help out with the heals. I got permission, and that's where Aoefa came in.

I'll say she did!

Aoefa wasn't just a pseudodragon who happened to have 4 levels of cleric. She had been born as a living holy symbol of Apsu, and she was silver from snout to tail. With a breathy voice, a haughty demeanor, and a definite sense that she was the queen of the castle, there was at least one vote that when we brought down Ileosa that we gave Aoefa the crown in her place.

With her added to our party we headed north to Old Korvosa. We eventually found the meeting place, which was the personal quarters of the resident fencing master (a man who couldn't possibly be Blackjack, because he was missing two fingers!). We enter the building, investigate, and as soon as we reach his upstairs living room two red-sheathed figures drop down from the rafters.

A pair of the legendary Red Mantis Assassins were waiting for us!

Time To Make A Move

Aoefa, disdaining the physicality of combat, flits up to one of the rafters and stretches out like a Siamese cat. The assassins hurl alchemist fire, setting the room ablaze and giving us a definite time period to end this fight by (since only Egil has the ability to walk through fire mostly unscathed). The barbarian and the fighter are cornering one of the elite killers, and the other is dealing with Egil and Majenko.

Or at least he was planning on dealing with us. Because it seems that with Aoefa looking on Majenko really wanted to show off his prowess to prove what a good mate he would be. This led to Egil taking several, ineffective swipes at the assassin before Majenko sprung up behind the Red Mantis, stabbed the sweet spot where the helmet met his armor, and gave him a full load of sneak attack and poison before springing away. The assassin whirled, failed his save, and just before sleep could overpower him committed seppuku in order to turn himself into a red mist and prevent his identity from being discovered. The other assassin was dispatched in short order, and when the party asked for their wounds to be tended Aoefa was only too pleased to help.

She wanted to show Majenko he had impressed her, and thus was willing to be kind to his party mates. Even if two of them were lowly humans.

Musical Character Sheets

Our regular cleric arrived soon after the battle, and the barbarian decided to take his earnings and go. He'd just met a girl in the southern half of the city (a broad-shouldered, wide-hipped nurse who was going to bear him many strong children), and he wasn't about to do something that would get him locked up (that, and the player wanted to bring in a different PC). The last thing we hear as Aoefa alights on Spatters arm, their boat fading off into the night, is, "Oh, you have a woman. Tell me all about her. Disgust me..."

What Happened Next?

Well, the story doesn't end there (as anyone who's played this adventure path knows. Next time I'll detail the battles in Old Korvosa, and perhaps begin the quest into the high desert country where our party faced even stranger challenges than they had in the plague-ridden gutters of Korvosa.

Tune in next time!

Also, if you'd like to support Improved Initiative then please stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today! $1 a month can go a long way toward keeping the game going. Also, if you want to make sure you don't miss a single post, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter as well.

Creative Home Engineering Will Build You A Secret Passage!

Lots of us fantasize about having the ideal game room. You know, something with a cool gaming table, sturdy chairs, heavy bookshelves with all the reference material we need, and maybe a mounted dragon head above the minis case? For the really creative folks, maybe you also want a sound system so you can have pre-recorded lines delivered for your players, or fight music to go along with your combat rounds. Maybe you imagine a projector that will shoot a terrain map so you'll never need to use a boring old battle mat again?

All of that would be cool, but what if you could have a game room behind a secret door?

Some passages have better secrets than others.

Enter Creative Home Engineering. This company was created to do one thing, and to do that one thing excessively well; build secret passages in your home. Whether it's a playroom hidden under the stairs, or a study behind a moving bookshelf, Creative Home Engineering can give you what you want.

I'll give you a moment to get your breath back, and to let all those fantasies of building secret additions in your home finish flashing before your eyes. Don't worry, it's a totally normal reaction.

According to interviews with Creative Home Engineering, the company seems pretty evenly split regarding its clientele. Half of the people who call them up want a secret passage in their homes because they think it's neat. The passages add value to the property, and it makes their homes a truly unique place. The other half of their clientele tend to be looking for panic rooms, safe places to hide important documents, and escape routes in case someone breaks into their homes. There isn't a whole lot of in between, though there are a few cases where a client is mixing practicality with imagination.

No matter which one you think is cooler, can you imagine something like this being the gateway to your gaming den?

If you'd like to check out more cool stuff from this company, then visit Creative Home Engineering today! You might also want to check out Castle Magic, a contracting company that will build you a freaking castle! And if you're looking for additional home decor as a gamer, check out this great post on the best gaming chairs from We PC!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you found this suggestions useful!

For 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 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!

The Dangers of The Phrase "I'm Just Playing My Character"

There are certain, inviolable rules at any gaming table. Critical hits from a player must be confirmed by an outside source, preferably the DM. All character sheets must be given the rubber stamp of approval before play begins. No player may dictate to any other player what actions they have to take or not take, and no character can force another to do anything barring the use of some form of mechanical compulsion.

The last example is most often shut down by the phrase, "I'm just playing my character."

Mic... dropped.

It doesn't matter what game you're playing, or what the situation is, this magical phrase instantly ends (most) discussion on the matter. However, are we too quick to hide behind this shield as a way to excuse our behavior, or to duck fully legitimate criticisms of the way we're making our characters act?

You Are The Man Behind The Curtain

The entire goal of roleplaying games is to create living, breathing characters whose stories you can tell. These characters might be refugees from magical realms spat back into reality as twisted reflections of their former selves, archmages who have mastered the arts of magic, or government agents who investigate the strange and unusual; no matter who or what they are, you're the one who created them, and you're the one who decides their actions.

Some character concepts are weirder than others.

So, let's use an example. Say you're playing a garden-variety cleric. You wear white robes, worship a god of light and life, and your magic is used to heal the wounded as well as turn back the undead. The party comes to a destroyed monastery with the goal of delving into its depths and slaying the necromancer who killed all of the brothers. Now, because they were members of his order, your cleric feels it is his duty to go and give the last rites to the brothers. The first time this happens, the dead rise and attack you. It happens the second, third, and fourth time, too. Despite this, your cleric doggedly insists that the party stop and provide the necessary rites to every single corpse you come across.

Yes this is detailed in a comic strip, and you can read it right here.

Now, your cleric has a choice to make at this point. He can stolidly demand that last rites be given to every body discovered, which will likely result in the party having to fight the entire monastery. This will put the cleric, as well as the party, in serious danger while wasting resources they could be using to accomplish their goal of killing the necromancer and destroying his grip on the region.

If at this point you, as the cleric, continue to insist on a harmful and wasteful course of action and you justify it with "I'm just playing my character," you're ignoring the fact that characters sometimes have to make decisions that are hard. Put another way, your beliefs or desires are shown to be reckless, and ill advised. For example, as a holy man ostensibly charged with protecting the living, wouldn't it make more sense to destroy the necromancer first, and then grant the bodies the proper burial rites after the threat has passed? After all, if the dead have waited this long, surely they'll be able to wait until you're no longer under fire, as it were?

All too often we point at our characters like they're someone we aren't in control of. We say, "look, that's what he'd do," as a way to justify actions which we know will have negative effects on the rest of the party. The point is, though, that as players we are in control of our characters. If you're stubbornly insisting on a course of action that you, as a player, know is bad then you may have motivations beyond remaining true to your character.

Either that, or you brought a knife to a gun fight.

Don't Bring A Monkey Wrench

Character conflicts happen. The paladin wants to accept an enemy's surrender, and the cynical rogue thinks the only safe course is to kill the guy holding the white flag. The halfling bard wants to share the party's food and drink with a wandering NPC, but the barbarian sees that as both a waste, and a weakness.

These things are going to happen. Ideally the characters will work out a solution through roleplay, and the players will be open-minded enough to seek an equitable answer. The problem is when one player answers any criticism of his or her character's actions with, "I'm just playing my character." Just as any man who must say I am the king is no true king, if you find yourself using this phrase too often to justify your actions you might want to take a step back and re-examine what character you're actually playing.

My character, my rules.

What you may have done, without even thinking about it, is brought a monkey wrench. For example, are you playing a paladin with a very narrow view of right and wrong in a party made up of renegades, rebels, and rogues? Did you bring a killer-for-hire to the table, and set them down in the middle of a bunch of servants of the god of life? Are you trying to take a bloodthirsty pillager into a game where you're actively attempting to stop a civil war from breaking out? In most of these situations the problem isn't that anyone is wrong, but it's that you're trying to put a square peg into a round hole.

If you realize that, it doesn't mean you have to play an entirely new character; simply let the one you have actually grow to reflect his or her experiences. Does the paladin learn that sometimes the spirit of the law is more important than the letter, allowing the knight to keep his vows without dotting every I and crossing every T? Does the assassin learn to appreciate the value of life, understanding that blood cannot be measured in gold? Does your marauder figure out that there are greater fortunes to be made with the signing of a treaty than the drawing of a sword, becoming a kind of bandit king through diplomacy and guile instead of through sheer brute force?

All of these are options, but if you insist on keeping the original character totally and completely unchanged regardless of what experiences that character has, then none of them will ever happen.

This is why it's a good idea to have an idea of what you want to play, and to get a feel for what you're going to have to work with, before you show up at the table. If you want to play Judge Dredd, then it's a good idea to make sure you don't have a bunch of people interested in peace, love, and harmony. Otherwise your party members are going to spend all of their time fighting each other, and none of it actually inconveniencing the villains.


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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.

How To Create a Character Conversion in 4 Simple Steps!

Those who've been regular readers of my work for the past two years know that one of my favorite RPG hobbies is character conversions. For those who haven't been reading me that long, now you know. All you need to do is stop by the Character Conversions page, and you'll see my takes on the Avengers, Gotham City's vigilantes, and on a pretty big swath of the Game of Thrones cast.

Some swaths are bigger than others.

Since I started writing character conversions I've gotten a lot of praise, some thoughtful additions, and one recurring question; how do you make a character conversion?

It's harder than it looks, but I guarantee you it's easier than you think it is.

Step One: Choose Your Character

This seems self-explanatory, and at least some of you reading this had a character in mind before you got to this step. That's good. Now ask yourself, can I play this character?

Also, just because you CAN, that doesn't mean you SHOULD.

I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about. After I finished my most recent character build for Loras Tyrell, the Knight of the Flowers a Reddit user asked me how I would build Prince/King Joffrey. I answered that I wouldn't, not because I find Joffrey to be a repugnant human being, but because he doesn't fit the mold for a player character.

In an RPG the character you're playing has to have both the ability to act, as well as the desire to do so. The problem with characters like Joffrey Baratheon, his mother Queen Circe, and even (it could be argued) Tywin Lannister is that they are not characters that do, they are characters who have it done. While these characters might make ideal NPCs for a game, their preferred methods of "order an underling to do my bidding," makes then passive participants.

Put another way, M is a necessity to MI-6, but I'm pretty sure you'd rather play James Bond.

Step Two: Identify That Character's Traits

Characters are known by their traits. Think about the Hulk. He's inhumanly strong, durable, brimming with rage... oh, and he normally looks like this guy.

Incredible!

A character's defining traits are what make them who they are, and as such they represent the core ideas you're going to have to convert. Whether it's how Sir Lancelot was a knight who only kept his legendary strength as long as he remained true, or how Wolverine has adamantium claws, the nose of a tracking hound, and a regenerating anatomy, you're creating a list of things your final conversion needs to have in order to accurately represent the character's abilities.

Step Three: Represent Those Traits

It seems pretty easy, at a glance. Once you have your complete list of traits all you have to do is figure out some way to translate them into your game world. The question you have to ask yourself at this point is what things must be translated in a certain way in order for the conversion to work, and which things can be re-skinned or hand-waved simply to give you the feeling of the character?

I feel an example coming on...

Thanks to the power of movie magic (and the charisma of Robert Downey Junior), Iron Man is one of Marvel's most popular characters. With three movies all his own, as well as appearances in two Avengers movies at time of writing, Iron Man has inspired somewhere between dozens and hundreds of gamers to try and create their own armored titan in their games of choice.

If you were to go to Paizo's forums and post the question, "How Do I Build Iron Man in Pathfinder?" you'd get a dozen different suggestions within the hour. You might also start a flame war that will get the question shut down pretty quickly, because everyone has an opinion on this issue. The most common suggestions you're going to get are:

- Play a straight Magus. Stark is a genius, and this class lets you cast in full armor with no penalties pretty fast.

- Play a Summoner with the Synthesist archetype. This lets you summon your eidolon and wear it like armor, allowing you to wreck shit at level 1.

- Play a Wizard/Fighter/Eldritch Knight. You'll be able to fight and cast spells without really losing the access to what you can do as a wizard, and you'll be able to craft your own armor.

- Play a 3rd party class. This thing was specifically built to have an Iron Man feel to it.

Now, none of these are inherently wrong. If you examine the motivation behind the choice, though, you'll find different players are interested in different aspects of the character. For instance, the Magus players often feel that the ability to use magic while wearing armor is enough to accurately portray the character, especially since magi draw their power from their intelligence. Summoners, on the other hand, often feel that Iron Man should be a powerhouse, and that they should be able to throw their weight around at level 1 instead of building up to the armored Avenger by level 15 or 16. The third option is typically offered by players who take a long-game view, and will re-enact a fantasy version of Stark discovering and refining his armor, instead of simply being a spellcaster who can do his thing while encased in steel.

Players who suggest 3rd party material often feel that if someone has already gone to all the hard work of creating a class that is meant to let you play this specific archetype, thereby rendering conversion on your part minimal, why not do that?

When I decided to write my Iron Man Pathfinder conversion I had a single goal for it; actually creating the armor. That was why I advocated a wizard with all of the feats and skills necessary to forge magical construct armor, which protects the magic user inside, and grants the wearer all sorts of additional strengths and powers. Flight? Sure. Durability and strength? Covered. Gauntlet loaded with wands for disposable searing ray? Yup, got that, too.

Step Four: Whip Cream, Cherries, Enjoy!

The last step in a character conversion is figuring out how much of the initial character's story gets poured into the new mold. For example, if you want to make Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane, how much of him are you putting in? He's monstrous big and monstrous strong, yes, but is he also a knight? Is your version a brutal killer, or is he a misunderstood monster who uses his size to stop problems so he doesn't have to pull steel?

Do you go all the way, find a halfway point, or scrap the story entirely and create one of your own?

Lastly, remember how I said there's no wrong way to do a character conversion? It's an extension of the rules that says there's no wrong way to enjoy playing a character. While there are some conversions that are more accurate than others (making your Hulk a Master Chymist who actually changes forms when he hulks out according to game mechanics, instead of simply playing a barbarian who has a mental schism when he rages according to player flavor, for example), how much accuracy you need for the conversion to be complete is entirely up to you as a player.

As always, if you want to support Improved Initiative then stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page and become a patron today! If you want to make sure you don't miss even a single update then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter to stay plugged-in.

The Legend of Conan, Coming Soon!

Conan is perhaps one of the most iconic characters in the world of fantasy. Most of us have, at some point or another, tried to emulate the model set forth in Robert E. Howard's stories for a barbarian (whether we knew we were doing it or not), with varying degrees of success. An archetype that pre-dates Lord of the Rings, Conan's mythos has been contributed to by famous authors like Robert Jordan, as well as some other big names.

Pictured: Other Big Names

While a lot of gamers have devoured the tales left by Howard and his successors, perhaps the biggest exposure Conan received was in the 1982 film Conan The Barbarian starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie was a blockbuster, but it also brought the epic feel of Howard's world to the big screen on a scale and grandeur that's never been truly repeated.

Doesn't mean they aren't going to try, though.

The Legend of Conan

Conan gained his initial fame through serialized pulp fiction stories in magazines like Weird Tales, and the goal with his film franchise was originally to do something similar. The people behind the movie wanted to create a sword and sorcery James Bond, whose stories weren't a series in a traditional sense, but whose career as an adventurer we could follow until he had trod the kingdoms of the earth beneath his sandaled feet, and sat on the jeweled throne of Aquilonia.

As most of you know the second movie was kind of a bust, and Conan lay dormant for many years after that. Until recently there were stirrings of Schwarzenegger returning to one of his most iconic roles, but now according to this source it seems that Legend of Conan is just over the horizon! While we've skipped the meat of Conan's life as an adventurer, this story picks up where the novel Conan the Destroyer began; with Conan as king, and who is looking for a last adventure so he doesn't fade away like the besotted King Osric (the king played by Max Von Sydow in the original film).

While Arnold is trying to breathe life back into many of his iconic roles, it's possible that his age and experience will be his greatest strengths in Legend of Conan. It seems we'll have to wait a little bit longer, though.

If you're a big Arnold fan, then check out this list of True Facts About Arnold Schwarzenegger.

As always, thanks for stopping in. If you'd like to support Improved Initiative then visit The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page and become a patron today! Also, if you want to keep up on my latest posts and updates then make sure you follow me on, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter as well.