Shadow Theory (d20 Modern Horror)

[radmelon]

Sorry, I was thinking of some high power UV lighting. Like this.
Not hugely portable, but it would be awesome on the defense, and could still be mounted on a vehicle or wheeled around.

You shouldn't know that much about how useful it would be, unless you had read a section you shouldn't have. Don't make to many assumptions.

[jojolagger]

You shouldn't know that much about how useful it would be, unless you had read a section you shouldn't have. Don't make to many assumptions.

Oh look, a "Portable High Intensity UV Lamp" hurts them. Assuming the damage is based on intensity and not presence, a more powerful light would be better. Hey look, 5000 watt UV light.

Of course, the 5000 watt light would go through EP amazingly fast. A normal flashlight would be between 1 and 10 watts, so if wee assume 4 watts for the flashlight in the equipment section, the 5000 watt light Draws 20,000 EP per minute. That's Just under 10 million EP for 8 hours of light. That's a lot of batteries.

P.S. If a Flashlight that takes 16 EP/minute is 4 watt, One EP is worth 15 joules. For Science!

[Kuma Kode]

Shadow Theory PDF Revision II

Progress Report

• The benefits of Melee Smash and Improved Melee Smash have been added to the Strangler's damage. The fact it was missing is an oversight.
• Tormented's Sanity drain has been reduced to 0/1d4.
• Tormented's damage has been reduced by 2. The claws are not the creature's sole natural attack.
• Assembler's bite damage is 1d8+1, not 1d8+2. The secondary natural attack uses half strength for damage.
• Assembler's saving throws now include the monster's ability modifiers. The fact they were missing was an oversight.
• Assembler's Sanity drain reduced to 0/1d4.
• References to Chinese have been changed to Mandarin.
• Crawler's secondary attacks have had their strength damage removed (half of 1 is rounded to 0.)
• The ghost's Live My Nightmare ability has a DC of 15, not 14.
• The bullet-chaser's bite damage should be 1d6, not 1d6+1. The bite is a secondary attack.
• Removed the glock from the Vampire's attack routine.
• Monk's grapple bonus should be +3, not +0.
• Wraith's bite damage should be 1d6, not 1d6+1. The bite is a secondary attack.
• The chitterer's allegiance to the Otherworld has been removed.
• The Eleos loses its darkvision and low-light vision, replaced by the Darksight ability.
• The Nak'Tar loses its darkvision and low-light vision, replaced by the Darksight ability.
• The Nak'Tar's bite attack bonus should be +5, not +2.
• The Hivewalker loses its darkvision and low-light vision, replaced by the Darksight ability.
• Clarified the action required by the Hivewalker's Necrotic Cocoon ability.
• Removed erroneous references to spell level.
• The Nak'Tar Spiderling Swarm loses its darkvision and low-light vision, replaced by the Darksight ability.
• The Shattered Promise's abilities have save DCs of 8, not 9.
• Reduced the Sanity damage from the Shattered Promise's Haunting Visage to 1d6.
• Clarified that Gatekeepers cannot be detected by a psychic or radio.
• Removed reference to the Blink spell in the Gatekeeper's description, as it does not exist in d20 Modern.
• A psychic attempting to disperse a Whisper in the Dark has a caster level equal to their ranks in Psychic Focus.
• The Whisper in the Dark's darkvision has been removed. It has been replaced with the Darksight ability of the Entity subtype.
• Animate Dead no longer creates more powerful undead as its echelon increases. Instead, it becomes more efficient, creating more undead for the same cost.
• Arc was erroneously keyed to Charisma. It should use Intelligence to determine its DC.
• Arc's Echelon 5 should say "As echelon 4," not 3.
• Black Bolt's damage has been reduced slightly, with a more even progression.
• Dead of Winter uses Dexterity to determine its Save DC, instead of Charisma.
• Summon Monster's Sanity damage is reduced to 1d4.
• Various minor fixes.
• Added utterances to the PDF.
• Fixed a multitude of spelling errors.

With that, most of the rules should be converted and cleaned up, with the exception of the equipment section, which needs an overhaul/completion. Not all of these changes have been done to the information on the forum; while I tried my best to update them simultaneously, a few changes, particularly those that were sweeping and non-localized like the change from Chinese to Mandarin, may not be complete. If you happen to notice something that slipped under the radar, please mention it.

[Kuma Kode]

Welcome to Silent Hill
To add a bit of foreboding and tense mystery to the game, you could allow walkie-talkies and other radio communication devices to detect the presence of the entities and tainted ones. The device emits a warbled, ghostly static like a radio tuned just outside of a station.

This does not significantly increase a survivor's power level. Survivors with a radio will get a bit of warning that a creature of darkness is nearby, but no information about what threat they face or the direction or distance to it. All a survivor knows is that either a very weak evil is breathing down their neck, or a horrifically powerful evil is somewhere in the neighborhood. Since the radio does not reveal the aura strength it is detecting, a survivor can't tell which case it is.

If multiple auras are nearby, the radio simply detects the strongest one. Because of this, strong entities and large patches of the Black have an ugly tendency to mask weaker auras.

The distance a radio can detect an Otherworldly aura varies depending on the aura's strength. See the table below.

{table=head]Strength | Detection Distance
Dim | 20 ft.
Faint | 40 ft.
Moderate | 80 ft.
Strong | 160 ft.
Overwhelming | 320 ft.[/table]

Aura Strength: An aura’s power depends on the type of creature or object that you’re detecting and its HD, caster level, or (in the case of the Black) the number of squares it occupies; see the accompanying table. If an aura falls into more than one strength category, the radio indicates the stronger of the two.

{table=head;width=100%]Creature/Object | Faint aura if... | Moderate aura if... | Strong aura if... | Overwhelming aura if...
Tainted One | 2 HD or less | 3 - 8 HD | 9 - 20 HD | 21 or more HD
Entity | 1 or less | 2 - 4 HD | 5 - 10 HD | 11 or more HD
The Black | 1 or fewer squares | 2 - 4 squares | 5 - 10 squares | 11 or more squares
Shadow Sorcery | Caster Level 2 or less | Caster Level 3 - 8 | Caster Level 9 - 20 | Caster Level 21 or higher[/table]

Lingering Aura: An aura lingers after its original source dissipates (in the case of a spell) or is destroyed (in the case of a creature or magic item). A radio detects the aura as dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power:

{table=head]Original Strength | Duration of Dim Aura
Faint | 1d6 rounds
Moderate | 1d6 minutes
Strong | 1d6×10 minutes
Overwhelming | 1d6 days[/table]

When detecting an aura, the radio ignores volume settings and cannot be used to send or receive messages. They simply emit white noise at a constant, middle volume. Unfortunately, the Tainted Ones can hear this static, granting them a +6 bonus on Listen checks made to detect the survivors (assuming the radio is actually making noise).

Strangely, Entities cannot hear the static, and gain no bonus from it.

[Kuma Kode]

Welcome to Silent Hill is now in its own post.

Added more batteries as well as Purchase DCs and Trade Units. Removed Voltage and instead added a use of the Craft (Electronics) skill to rig batteries to devices not designed to accept them.

[Kuma Kode]

I'm sure it makes the eyes of any professional or hobbyist electrician bleed, but I have finished adding batteries and converting the battery-powered items from the Core Rulebook into the EP system.

Check the Equipment section.

[Surrealistik]

I think ST really needs a devoted sorcerer/spellcaster mook (not a unique/named opponent), either a tainted or an entity that focuses about exclusively on spells as a means of killing.

[Kuma Kode]

I have four entities queued up that I still need to do. I think that since I'm pretty much done with the cleanup I can go about adding more new content.

[Kuma Kode]

Golanac
Large Monstrous Humanoid (Entity)
Vitality Dice: 6d8+36 (63 VP)
Wound Points: 23
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Defense: 13 (-1 Size, +4 Natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +6 / +12
Attack: Claw +12 melee (1d8+7) or claw +4 melee (1d8+12)
Full Attack: 4 claws +12 melee (1d8+7) or 4 claws +4 melee (1d8+12)
Space/Reach: 10 ft. by 10 ft. / 10 ft.
Special Attacks: Rend
Special Qualities: Entity traits, Tremorsense 60 ft.
Allegiances: The Otherworld
Action Points: -
Reputation: +0
Saves: Fort +8, Reflex +6, Will +8
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 11, Con 23, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 6
Sanity Drain: 1/1d6
Skills: Climb +9, Listen +7, Move Silently +2, Survival +8
Feats: Simple Weapon Proficiency, Power Attack
Talents: -
Challenge Rating: 4
Golanacs are blind, subterranean horrors capable of tearing through earth, leaving wide tunnels in their wake. The creature is an eight-foot tall beast covered in coarse, brown or black fur. Its four, muscular arms protruding from its sturdy torso end in four-fingered claws roughly a foot long. It has no eyes or discernable features upon its head; only a toothy, leech-like circular mouth adorns the beast's head. The creature has the general form and behavior of a bear crossed with a mole. The golanac smells strongly of wet earth, and tends to sniff the air through its mouth as if searching desperately for a scent.

It is believed by some Otherworld scholars that the Golanac is the progenitor of myths about burly, vaguely humanoid monsters such as Bigfoot or yetis. The creature is solitary and tends to prefer mountainous or wooded areas, but it can cause serious problems should it find its way into the city, due to its ability to tear through stone foundations.

A radio detects the presence of a Golanac under the Welcome to Silent Hill variant.

Combat
Golanacs eat meat of all kinds, and are not strictly interested in humans. They prefer to surprise their prey by bursting from the ground, quickly tearing their prey to shreds, and receding into the ground to eat in peace.

Burrow (Ex): The claws of a golanac are specially formed to slice through dirt and even stone, allowing the creature to tunnel at the indicated speed. Golanacs leave tunnels unless they specifically try not to, and can take grappled or carried creatures and objects with them. Golanacs burrow through stone at half speed.

Rend (Ex): A golanac that hits the same opponent with two claw attacks on the same round automatically rends the foe, dealing an additional 2d6+14 damage. If all four claw attacks strike a single opponent, this extra damage is automatically Wound damage as if it were a critical hit.

Tremorsense (Ex): Golanacs can sense vibrations in the ground with their feet and hands with pinpoint accuracy. A golanac can "see" anything in contact with the ground or walls within 60 feet. If the creature is standing on something soft, like a couch, or not in contact with the ground, such as if they're hanging from a rope, they are invisible to the Golanac. The creature may still sense muffled vibrations that indicate their presence, however.

This replaces the Entity's Darksight ability. The Sight Unseen utterance does hide the subject from the golanac's tremorsense.

[Kuma Kode]

Heartseeker
Medium Vermin (Entity)
Vitality Dice: 2d8+2 (10 VP)
Wound Points: 12
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (Good)
Defense: 17 (+3 Dexterity, +4 Natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1 / +2
Attack: Sting +4 melee (1d4+1/18-20 and Venom)
Full Attack: Sting +4 melee (1d4+1/18-20 and Venom)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Venom
Special Qualities: Entity traits, Mindless, Potent Venom
Allegiances: The Otherworld
Action Points: -
Reputation: +0
Saves: Fort +4, Reflex +3, Will +1
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 16, Con 12, Int -, Wis 13, Cha 1
Sanity Drain: 1/1d6
Skills: Hide +7, Move Silently +7, Spot +4, Listen +4
Feats: -
Talents: -
Challenge Rating: 2
A gentle flutter in the dark air of Arkham is the only warning of a heartseeker. Held aloft by two pairs of wings, this six-legged insectoid creature divebombs its prey from the skies. Its dull-red body is plated in a kind of chitin, and its legs end in tiny, three-pronged claws for grabbing branches. What appears to be the creature's head is in fact an elaborate mouth, a sac of fleshy membranes given shape by an array of chitinous fingers like the wing of a bat that allows the creature to open its mouth to engulf creatures as large as the heartseeker itself. The mouth, however, is harmless in combat. It is the needle of bone six-inches long at the end of the heartseeker's prehensile tail that survivors must fear.

The heartseeker is called such because of its unusual penchant for stabbing its victims in the chest, injecting its venom directly into the core of their bloodstream. The stinger itself is small and sharp and not typically lethal on its own, but the venom it carries is a powerful toxin that causes extreme fatigue and weakness. Several stings typically result in complete paralysis. When a victim is render immobile, the creature lands and engulfs their head in its mouth, suffocating them over the course of a several minutes. Once the victim is dead, the creature dismembers the body with its pincers and consumes the resulting large chunks.

Ironically, heartseekers do not eat hearts, nor any other internal organ.

Radios do not detect the presence of a Heartseeker under the Welcome to Silent Hill variant.

Combat
Heartseekers hide in the darkened skies, using their ability to see perfectly in darkness to spot prey from a distance. Once located, they dive-bomb their victims and stab at them viciously. If the creature encounters resistance, it will flee and wait until it can surprise its foes again.

Venom (Ex): The venom a heartseeker injects with its sting attacks muscle tissue, rendering them fatigued and useless. Unless the victim succeeds at a Fortitude save DC (14) they suffer 1d6 points of Strength damage. One minute later, they must succeed on the save again or suffer an additional 1d6 points of Strength damage. If the heartseeker scores a critical hit, the DC increases by 4 and the poison deals double damage. A victim reduced to 0 Strength is too weak to move, but is conscious and otherwise aware of their surroundings.

Mindless (Ex): Heartseekers are purely instinctive beings and do not possess higher brain functions. They are immune to mind-affecting attacks.

Potent Venom (Ex): Heartseeker venom is stronger than would be expected from such a being. The DC includes a +2 species bonus.

[Kuma Kode]

Hollow Man
Small Undead (Entity)
Vitality Dice: - (- VP)
Wound Points: 13d12 (85 WP)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft.
Defense: 17 (+1 size, +2 dexterity, +4 deflection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +6 / +7
Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d4-1)
Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d4-1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Dark Magician
Special Qualities: Entity traits, Undead traits, Veil, Dark Grace, Spell Resistance 20
Allegiances: The Otherworld
Action Points: -
Reputation: +0
Saves: Fort +8, Reflex +10, Will +15
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 14, Con -, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 19
Sanity Drain: 1/1d4
Skills: Balance +4, Concentration +20, Forbidden Lore +18, Hide +4, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +17, Move Silently +19, Spellcraft +19
Feats: Defensive Martial Arts, Dodge, Mobility, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse (Bite), Focused, Unbalance Opponent
Talents: -
Challenge Rating: 13
Hollow men are gaunt, androgynous humanoids the size of a child. They are featureless and pale, with chunks of their decayed flesh missing as if they had been sandblasted. They have only a wide maw filled with rows of teeth where their face should be, but they always appear to be smiling mischievously.

Only certain psychics can see the creature for what it is, as it is naturally invisible. Only the quiet pit-pat of child-like feet running indicate its presence... until a volley of eldritch energy reveals its malicious intent.

Hollow men are creatures of possibility. They are what becomes of a soul who never lived, a possible person who has been denied their chance at existence by time and destiny. Abandoned to the Otherworld, these creatures relish their opportunity to bring destruction on those who have the existence they were denied.

Radios detect the presence of a hollow man if the GM is using the Welcome to Silent Hill rules.

Combat
Hollow men prefer hit-and-run tactics. Though they could cast echeleon 5 spells, they prefer to limit themselves and instead hide their spell's manifestations with Vuru and Orvo, making them almost undetectable. If discovered, the hollow man will lay low until its targets lose track of it. If faced with a character who can perceive it, it will either focus all of its aggression on the target in hope of destroying them, or it will flee and attempt to strike at a time with better concealment, such as the cover of darkness.

Dark Magician: All hollow men enter the material world with knowledge of magick. Hollow men known Yg-laa [Project], Ystharnotag [Restore], Phakel [Soul], and Bbhothigug [Body], as well as 2d4 other whispers. They know Black Bolt, Vestibule, and Asklepios, as well as any other utterances they can cast from their other whispers.

Hollow men know all murmurs.

Hollow men draw upon their infinite possible selves when casting spells; because of this, they have an essentially limitless pool of ability points to draw on. They effectively never lose ability points from casting any number of spells. However, because the hollow men never lived, they have no life force and lack Constitution. Even with an infinite number of themselves, there are no Constitution points to spend, and so the creature can never cast a spell that consumes it.

Veil (Su): Hollow men are naturally invisible, as if constantly under the effect of Sight Unseen. This effect is not broken by contact or by the hollow man's attacks. Dispel magick does not dispel the Veil, but See the Unseen and Second Sight allow the hollow man to be seen.

Dark Grace (Su): The animating force of a hollow man is reinforced by its own supernatural powers. The hollow man adds its Charisma modifier to all of its saving throws as a resistance bonus and to its Defense as a deflection bonus (these adjustments are already accounted for in the statblock).

[Kuma Kode]

Psychic Vampire
Medium Aberration (Entity)
Vitality Dice: 7d8+21 (53 VP)
Wound Points: 16
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Defense: 18 (+4 Dexterity, +4 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +5 / +7
Attack: Eye bite +10 melee (1d3+2 and Consume Fear)
Full Attack: 4 eye bites +10 melee (1d3+2 and Consume Fear)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Consume Fear, Spell-Like Abilities
Special Qualities: Entity traits, Deaf, Sense Sanity, All-Around Vision, Fire resistance 20, Acid resistance 10, Electricity vulnerability, Spiderwalk
Allegiances: The Otherworld
Action Points: -
Reputation: +0
Saves: Fort +5, Reflex +6, Will +8
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 17
Sanity Drain: 1/1d8
Skills: Hide +16, Move Silently +16, Spot +21, Psychic Focus +13
Feats: Weapon Finesse (Eye Bite), Weapon Focus (Eye Bite), Ability Focus (Consume Fear), Stealthy, Blind-Fight
Talents: -
Challenge Rating: 5
A psychic vampire looks nothing like a mythological vampire. A central egg-shaped mass of pulsing, vascular, yellow-green flesh rimmed by five segmented legs like those of a spider, the body of a psychic vampire is a terrifying sight. The creature's eyes look like obsidian spheres and are located all around its body seemingly at random, nestled deep in layered, toothy maws. These eye-mouths bite and hiss at the air as they drip a viscous, clear fluid, but the creature is otherwise silent as it moves up walls and ceilings on its thin legs.

The number of eyes possessed by a psychic vampire appears to be a random trait and varies from individual to individual, though it is always more than sixteen.

Despite its beastial, alien appearance, the vampire is extremely intelligent and capable of complex thought. It is sadistic in its hunt for prey, but its mouths, because they do not link to a gut, are incapable of actually ingesting or consuming the victim. Instead, the vampire feeds on psychic energy, particularly the pieces of an individual that slough off during trauma. The vampire is empowered by its victim's fear, and will do as much as it can to traumatize them. Vampires have been known to torture and dismember their victims, violate them with their mouths and legs, and even force them to watch their companions be consumed by the Tainted or Entities who usually accompany the vampire just for this purpose.

Radios detect the presence of a psychic vampire if the GM is using the Welcome to Silent Hill rules.

Combat
Psychic vampires are skittish, and do not enjoy direct confrontation. Instead, they will attempt to cause as much Sanity loss in their opponents as possible. They are quick to slay weakened allies to demoralize their victims and frequently travel with other Entities and Tainted ones whose presence causes further loss. Haruspexes and their evolutions are particularly effective companions and a psychic vampire will not abandon one once found.

If the vampire thinks it could do so safely, it will take opportunistic nips and bites at its foes to incite further Sanity drain with its Consume Fear ability.

Consume Fear (Su): The eyes of a psychic vampire possess a piercing stare, and a bite from one of these eyes takes a piece of the victim's mind along with their flesh. Whenever the psychic vampire bites its target, they must succeed on a Will save (DC 18) or suffer 1d8 points of Sanity damage. This damage is added to the Fear pool, which the psychic vampire can spend to cast its spell-like abilities or to hoard and empower itself.

Characters with the Telepathy or Shadow Aspect feat suffer a -5 penalty to their saving throw. If they possess both, the penalty is -10. These characters are used to projecting their psyche and find it more difficult to hold it together when it is pulled away forcibly.

Whenever Sanity is lost within 60 feet of the Psychic Vampire, that loss is also added to the Fear pool, regardless of the source of the Sanity loss. A character with the Second Sight feat can see the consumption as motes of green light drifting from the eyes of character who lost Sanity, only to enter a mouth of the psychic vampire, flare brightly for one last time, and be forever subsumed within the crystalline eyes.

Ever 8 points of Sanity held within the vampire's Fear pool grants it a positive level; the vampire gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, and checks, as well as +1 effective HD for spells and abilities that depend on Hit Die. There is theoretically no limit to the amount of positive levels a psychic vampire can hold.

Sanity points burn away after two hours if they are not used.

Spell-Like Abilities: 1 Sanity - Grip of Fear I [DC 14], Black Bolt I
3 Sanity - Asklepios I (Self-Only), Grip of Fear II [DC 15]
5 Sanity - Asklepios II (Self-Only), Grip of Fear III [DC 16], Black Bolt II
8 Sanity - Seal of Eibon I, Dispel Magick II

All spell-like abilities are cast as a standard action.

Deaf: The psychic vampire has no ears and is incapable of hearing. It automatically fails Listen checks.

Sense Sanity (Su): A psychic vampire can pinpoint the location of any creature within 60 feet that has a Sanity score above 0. It need not make Spot checks to detect these creatures.

All-Around Vision (Ex): Psychic vampires have a multitude of eyes that allow them to see in all directions. This grants them a +8 species bonus to Spot checks, and they cannot be flanked.

Electricity Vulnerability: Psychic vampires suffer 50% more damage when hit with an effect that deals electricity damage. This adjustment occurs regardless of whether or not the effect allows a save or if it is successful.

Spiderwalk (Ex): The legs of a psychic vampire grip to any surface, like a gecko. It can climb on any surface capable of supporting its weight, even glass or marble, and need not make climb checks to do so. It retains its Dexterity modifier to Defense while climbing, but it cannot take the Run action in this situation.

[Kuma Kode]

I've noticed that my Shadow Theory PDF has made it onto other sites that I had no previous knowledge of, which both flatters me to no end and makes my mind go GRRRK because it's not complete. Also, because I went stupid and didn't even put my name on the thing, redistributing it is technically a copyright violation (Attribution required). I'll be sure to put all the legal necessities into the next compiled version to get all my ducks in a row.

Thank you all for being so supportive and helpful! If you use anything I've made, tell me how it went, and if you repost or share it anywhere, send me a message so I can check it out!

[radmelon]

I'm still planning the game i'm running, but it is going slow because my computer is being most... unhelpful.

[Kuma Kode]

Shadow Theory III

PDF has been updated with legal stuff, batteries, new equipment, and the four new monsters.

[Kuma Kode]

So, I have some problems right now. I am considering moving Shadow Theory elsewhere.

This is in no way an indication that I'm leaving the boards, or even that I have a problem with these boards; quite the contrary, I respect this establishment quite a bit, which is why I want to make sure I don't cross any lines.

The thing is, Shadow Theory is intended for a more psychological, mature crowd and, despite having zombies, does not actually follow the typical zombie horror formula. It is much more like Silent Hill. The monsters, particularly the entities, are symbolic of emotions and psychological qualities that may not be explorable within the bounds of the forum rules. Indeed, many of the monsters have their inspirational roots in religions, the discussion of which is not allowed here (for good reason).

So, I am trying to find out how I should handle this. If I move the entire project to my personal site, it wouldn't get nearly as much attention (though it would gain the benefit of RSS subscriptions for followers). I could move it to a different forum, as well, one which would allow the setting to blossom into what I want it to be.

Or, I could clone the project, posting in two places at once but skipping the more mature/touchy subjects here.

In fact, thinking back, some of these monsters make me wonder if I'm not already in violation of some of the rules.

Again, this isn't some kind of flounce or complaint, it's the opposite. I really do like this place, and that's why I want to make sure I'm not violating any of the rules.

So what should I do? Is there another forum you frequent that you think would appreciate this project and which could hold it without any rules difficulties?

[Surrealistik]

Mythweavers might be an option.

[LOTRfan]

Many people who frequent here also frequent competitor games.

Perhaps you can update on both sites simultaneously?

[Kallisti]

Many people who frequent here also frequent competitor games.

Perhaps you can update on both sites simultaneously?

This. Do this. Competitor Games is a really cool idea, and it needs more love.

[Kuma Kode]

Decided I'll go with Competitor, at least for the time being. The rules are loose enough and the formatting is almost identical to this board, which will ease in transferring this ludicrous amount of text I've created.

I have added the Necronomicon to the Forbidden Tomes, and Blade of Blood and Damian's Satchel to the formulas.

I am currently working on a set of premade characters to serve as examples as well as ready-made characters to drop into the adventures I am also building. So stay tuned.

[Kuma Kode]

I find it amusing that the Heart of Darkness entry on the main Entities post has been linking to the Chitterer, which is pretty much the polar opposite of the Heart in every conceivable way.

The Competitor version can be found here, and is much better organized thanks to the subforum dedicated to it.

[Surrealistik]

Whisper in the Dark needs its Magick Immunity changed over to the Heart of Darkness' Magick Absorption.

[Kuma Kode]

Puppetmaster
Ort-ehoglh + Chaugorhac
Corruption Cost: 2 Dexterity damage and 1d4 Sanity
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Target, Area, or Effect: One creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

Allegiances are like the wind; fickle, unpredictable, and destructive.

This utterance establishes a telepathic link between the caster and their victim, which overrides the victim's own motor functions and allows the caster to control them. The victim is well aware of the control and can voice their opinions through the link to the caster, but they are a prisoner in their own body for the duration of the spell.

The caster can give simple commands, such as "Attack my enemies" or "Retrieve the flashlight from the counter and bring it to me," but these commands will be limited by the creature's intelligence. Essentially, the caster manipulates the victim subconsciously.

At the caster's option, however, they can choose to spend a full-round action to directly command their puppet. Once direct command is established, the caster's own body goes dormant, standing or sitting in a trance-like state. The subconscious remains, however, which causes the body to react to stimulus by following moving objects with their eyes and other basic functions which observers may find eerie. While commanding a puppet in this way, the caster sees the world through their puppet's eyes, hears what they hear, and feels what they feel. They may manipulate the creature's body and special abilities as if they were the caster's own.

The caster can suffer Sanity loss and damage to their mental ability scores while in the body of their puppet. Disengaging from this state is also a full-round action. If the puppet dies while inhabited by the puppetmaster, the puppetmaster immediately drops to -10 Sanity and remains in the trance forever, their conscious mind having died with their puppet.

Direct control of an entity causes 1 point of Sanity loss per round it is maintained, caused by the sensations human minds were never meant to feel.

A command to perform suicide, or an attack by the caster or his or her allies, does not necessarily break the link; it turns inside-out. If the caster fails a Will save (DC set as their own spell), the spell reverses, causing the puppetmaster to be controlled by their intended target. If the save succeeds, the link instead breaks.

Echelon 1: The spell has a DC of 12 + the caster's Dexterity modifier.
Echelon 2: The spell has a DC of 14 + the caster's Dexterity modifier.
Echelon 3: The spell has a DC of 16 + the caster's Dexterity modifier.
Echelon 4: The spell has a DC of 18 + the caster's Dexterity modifier.
Echelon 5: The spell has a DC of 20 + the caster's Dexterity modifier.

[Kuma Kode]

I've been really busy with family stuff recently, but I am working on some new spells and I added a more thorough explanation of the design of Shadow Theory to the introduction page.

[Kuma Kode]

Firedance
Ort-ehoglh + Iqubony
Corruption Cost: 4 Strength damage and 1d4 Sanity
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft. level)
Target, Area, or Effect: One fire
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell Resistance: No

Flames embody the purest form of life; they grow, they consume, and they die, never ceasing their dance of ecstasy for having a chance to be alive.

By using this utterance, the caster may take control of an existing fire and cause it to move and dance through the air. The fire forms a tendril that slithers like a serpent. The tendril is roughly as thick as a human forearm and between six and fifteen feet long, but contains all of the energy of the original fire, and may glow quite brightly. The tendril has a "head" which is brighter and a "tail" which is dimmer and tapers off into nothingness.

The tendril dissipates immediately if the caster loses concentration, but can otherwise be directed to move in any way the caster desires, including up and down as the fire ignores gravity.

Anything that contacts the fire serpent is harmed, but the head deals the most damage. In fact, the serpent is so thin that anyone passing through a square it occupies is not harmed if they are aware it is there. The body follows the head in such a predictable way that dodging it is trivial.

However, the caster can direct the serpent's head to pass through a victim intentionally. The victim is entitled to a Reflex save to halve the damage. The serpent deals damage depending on the original size of the fire.

{table=head]Size|Damage
>1 cu. ft.|1
1-4 cu. ft.|1d4
5 cu. ft.|1d6
+5 cu. ft.|+1d6[/table]

The tendrils glow with the same light as the original fire.

If multiple tendrils are created, they can be controlled individually or merge to deal their combined damage. Merged tendrils can be separated again.

If the tendril passes out of sight, it does not dissipate. It can be controlled just as normal, but attempts to attack with it suffer a 50% miss chance and it must be moved by guesswork, much like driving a remote control car that can't be seen. The tendril will harm anything it is accidentally "driven" against, just like normal fire.

The tendril dissipates if the caster ceases concentration or moves it beyond range.

Echelon 1: The spell creates one tendril.
Echelon 2: The spell creates two tendrils.
Echelon 3: The spell creates three tendrils. The maximum duration increases to 1 minute/level.
Echelon 4: As echelon 3, but the spell creates five tendrils.
Echelon 5: As echelon 3, but the spell creates six tendrils.

[Kuma Kode]

Unmake
Lot-aug + Ith-ys
Corruption Cost: 2 Strength damage and 1d4 Sanity
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target, Area, or Effect: One object or part of an object, with a volume not exceeding 10 cubic feet; or one construct
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates (object); see text
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

You send tendrils of anathematic energy into the object you target, dismantling it at the lowest levels of existence. The object sublimates and sizzles as if being destroyed by acid, sustaining 1d4 points of damage per caster level, regardless of hardness. Despite the acidic disappearance, it is safe to hold the object even as it corrodes.

Multiple castings of this utterance can be applied to destroy particularly tough or large objects, such as burning a hole in a concrete wall.

The particular energies used by this spell are destroyed by life energy, preventing it from affecting living creatures and allowing living creatures to "extend" their life force to protect objects in their possession. Objects in the possession of a living creature gain a Fortitude save to negate the damage.

Undead are considered living for purposes of saving throws.

Constructs can be harmed by this spell. They and their carried equipment receive no saving throw if they are nonmagickal (such as robots).

Echelon 1: The spell functions as above.
Echelon 2: The spell deals 1d6 damage per level.
Echelon 3: As echelon 2, but the range increases to Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Echelon 4: As echelon 3, but the spell deals 1d8 damage per level.
Echelon 5: As echelon 4, but the spell gains a duration of 1 round/level and continues to deal damage every round. The damage is half that of the previous round.

[Kuma Kode]

Phantom
Rtathu-bog + Otharsaz
Corruption Cost: 4 Charisma damage and 1d4 Sanity
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target, Area, or Effect: 10 ft. by 10 ft. area
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with)
Spell Resistance: No

If you understand, things are as they are. If you do not understand, things are as they are.

You can paint a three-dimensional image onto the affected area, that moves and behaves as you desire. Any level of detail is possible, and the image can be programmed to behave realistically and even react to its environment, such as a plant bending and waving in the wind. Creatures can be replicated by this spell, and can move and react realistically. The spell draws primarily from subconscious understanding and intuition rather than a conscious reconstruction of the desired object or creature.

It is not possible to render an object or creature invisible; the utterance can only add sensations, not subtract them. It is possible, however, to hide a box under a phantom bush or otherwise conceal by way of addition.

Regardless of what the phantom portrays, the image is not real in any way, shape, or form. Nonliving creatures and objects such as cameras do not perceive the phantom, possibly allowing a savvy individual to use their digital camera's screen to pierce the illusion.

The spell cannot create phantasms of senses other than sight, and the image is confined to its area, possibly ruining the believability of the illusion.

Interacting with the phantom allows a Will save to realize its nature. If a character is faced with undeniable proof that the illusion is false, they automatically succeed. Characters who are aware of the phantom's true nature know it is an illusion but still see it.

Creatures created by the phantom can cause Sanity loss if the character fails their Will save.

The Otherworld aura of the spell is not hidden, nor does it adjust for the creatures depicted, possibly hinting to a psychic that the image is a fraud. A tree in the park that causes the survivor's radio to crackle will certainly be met with suspicion.

Echelon 1: The utterance functions as above.
Echelon 2: The utterance can now create phantom sounds.
Echelon 3: As echelon 2, but the area expands to 20 ft. by 20 ft. and the utterance can create phantom smells and tastes.
Echelon 4: As echelon 3, but the area can create phantom textures and touch sensations. It still does not have a physical presence.
Echelon 5: As echelon 4, but the spell's Otherworld aura changes to match what the phantom depicts.

[Kuma Kode]

I appear to have gutted the PDF file link quite a while ago. The link has been repaired.

[Kuma Kode]

Flare guns!

Not as useful as you'd think!

Flashbangs!

Almost as dangerous to you as it is to them!

Anyways, took a bit of a break to reset my brain. I'll be getting back into this shortly.

[radmelon]

The game I've been running has been going on pretty well, my players know when to run and when to fight. I may have to turn things up a notch though...