Crisis at Crusader Citadel, Wizards Recall

There's A Crisis at Crusader Citadel is a module written for the Villains & Vigilantes game system. It was actually the first module released for the game by Fantasy Games Unlimited. The module was released in 1982 and is twenty pages ling. It was included in the box set of the game as well as being available individually.

If the Keep on the Borderlands is, as many consider it, the most played and iconic module for D&D then Crisis is it's counterpart under the V&V game system. There are no hard and fast numbers but it is likely that there are few people who have played V&V who have not played Crisis at Crusaders Citadel. It is simple by today's standards but it accomplishes what it sets out today by giving players and the GM an introduction to the game.

As with most of the V&V modules the layout is pretty simple. The idea was to put as much content into the module as they could using as little space as possible or it seems that way. In my younger days the smaller compact font spacing was not an issue but I apparently have not aged as well as the module. It is not impossible to read but it is packed in there. The art more than makes up for any layout issues though. Jeff Dee's work is used throughout and as much as anything his art I think helped define the game. Having the module just for his work is a valid option even if you never play the game.

The module itself is as stated early pretty simple in its design. There is the introduction and setup and there are then two fight scenes. In my history of playing superhero games this is pretty standard really. You might have one more fight scene and a portion of the module dedicated to some research and therefore roleplaying but in the end if you are playing a superhero game you want the action maybe more so than in any other gaming genre.

I won't go into detail as to the scenario in the off chance that there is someone who has not played the game. The module is intended as an introductory module. The villains and heroes that are detailed inside the cover are 12 and 6 respectively. These are some of the best conceived characters outside the licensed material based games. The idea behind the groups may "borrow" a little but from published works but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I can't recommend the game enough. I would say that you would want to have this module as well. In my looking around on the web while writing this I came across a great recap/write-up for a session that used the module. It made me want to play it all over again and is a great piece of game fiction in my opinion. You can find it here. If you like superhero games and comics you should read it.


Spell:

Wizard's recall

Level: Second
Range: None
Duration: One Day
Ares of Effect: Caster
Components: V,S
Casting Time: One Turn
Saving Throw: None

By means of this spell the magic user is able to recall the spells that were memorized from one day on the next day. The recall takes place after the full required period of rest is completed by the caster. The spell restores the pathways that the memorized spells had previously created in the caster's mind.

The spells that the caster will recall must be exactly the same as what was memorized the previous day with no changes in the makeup. This spell will be cast before the the magic user goes to sleep for the required rest period. The pathways will be restored as they sleep. If for any reason the caster's rest is disrupted for more than a few turns the spell will have failed and spells must be memorized as normal.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Grimtooth's Traps Too - Blade, Changeling

Grimtooth's Traps Too is the second in what will become a long running series  of books that provide the GM a plethora of traps to use. The book was  released in 1982 and is not system specific so these could be used with any  game system though being designed for dungeons using it with Shadowrun might  limit its viability somewhat.

The material in the books will vary in usefulness to the GM as some of the  traps are much better than others. The traps are broken down first by where  the trap would be located. The options here are Room Traps, Corridor Traps,  Door Traps, Items and Things. Each trap is also given a deadliness rating  ranging from one to five skulls with the higher number of skulls being the  deadliest. There are few five skull traps but quite a few four skull  offerings. The trap descriptions also provide information on who provided the  traps in most cases.

For the Room Traps there are twenty-five offerings. In these the majority of  them seem to be in the three to four skull offering. The chapter heading  suggests this would be the case. With that being said two of my favorites in  this section are Roulette and Burial at Sea both of which are not deadly in  and of themselves.

The number of traps provided in the Corridor traps is larger than any other.  There are thirty-three distinct trap entries provided in this section. One of  my favorites in this section was provided by Liz Danforth and is again a  non-deadly trap called Moebius Hallway. Most in this section are not as  deadly but there are a number of traps in this section provided by Ken St.  Andre some of which are quite deadly.

The third section covers Door Traps and sadly this is the shortest of the  sections. The book only provides eight options for door traps. I guess you  cold off set this by making the picking of a lock trigger one of the traps  designed for the corridors. What this section lacks in quantity it makes up  for in danger. Most of these traps are four skull offerings. Though I was not  a big fan of any of these the Catastrophic Keyhole needs to be seen for the  illustration alone.

The section of Item Traps gives the GM fifteen offerings to choose from. The  fact that there are not too many is good as the opening section advises  against too much use of these. It suggests appropriately that using too many  of these will make the players way to paranoid and slow the game to a crawl  as they hunt for traps all the time. Most of thee are nuisance traps like Old  Smokey which I can see me using sometime but For Someone Special deserves a  special nod and it is a five skull offering.

The last section of traps is titles Things. These are things that don't fit  into any of the other categories. In some cases this is because they could be  used anywhere and other because they are just out there. There are twenty  offering here so there should be something the GM can find to use. These  range from one to four skulls with a lot being on the lower end. My two  favorites here are Blotomoto and Genius Gold. Genius Gold is listed as a  single skull but in my world could be the most deadly five skull trap.

Like most any book comprised of submissions from different people you will  find varying levels of quality and creativity. Luckily for the GM who can  picks this up I think the books succeeds more often than it fails. It should  be noted that there is a 102 trap that you have to figure out using some sort  of code in the book. Never being good at that I have no idea what it is.

Spell:

Changeling

Level: Sixth
Range: Touch
Duration: 6 Turns + 3 Turns/Level
Ares Effect: Caster
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 3 Segments
Saving Throw: None

By means of this spell the caster is able to become for all intents and  purposes the person that they touch when this spell is cast. The magic-user  will become an exact duplicate down to clothing and current physical  condition of the target.

The caster will not only assume the physical nature of the victim but they  will also know what that the victim does. They will also retain their own  knowledge as well. The mind of the victim will be known except for things  that might be considered buried secrets but all common and history will be  known. While in the other form the caster may still cast spells but if the  person being copied is a spell caster they will not have those abilities.

The spell will remain in effect until the duration expires unless the caster  wills it to end beforehand. The spell will cause the caster to have an aura  of magic about them. The spell can be dispelled normally through use of a  Dispel Magic spell. It will also be canceled immediately if the caster and  the person they are a mimic of come into direct contact for more than one  round.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups  last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology  may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I  did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any  duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If  anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in  advance and all I ask is proper credit. 

H - Hole, Heavy Metal, Horns, Hideous

The Hole Delver's Catalog is a mixed bag in my book. There are items in here that one can take serious and then there are ones that are just plan silly. It is as if they couldn't decide what they wanted to publish or perhaps they did not have enough material for a serious product and a fun one so they meshed the two together. It is also possible that I am missing the full point of the item in some way. Regardless I will say that if you can read this item it will yield some useful material and in some cases make you chuckle but in others just groan. Don't rush out to try and find it or even go slightly out of your way!

Movie:

Heavy Metal is another of the great gaming type movies that came out of the early 80's. It was inspired by the magazine of the same name and contains story lines that first appeared in the magazine. It was actually an import or clone of the French magazine Metal Hurlant. The magazine and the movie are both worth checking out as they will be rife with gaming ideas and inspiration. How can a movie that starts with "A shadow shall fall over the universe, and evil will grow in its path, and death will come from the skies. " and that gave us the Loc-Nar not make you want to game!

Plot:

Horns from an unknown beast have been brought into town by farmers that live on the far outskirts of the region. There have been another band of intrepid adventuress that had come through the area with tales of a Black Dragon and his hoard that they had a map to. The farmers tale mentioned that the horn was found amongst what could have been the remains of the adventurers and they in fact have a very minor magic item that helps this assumption along. The problem is that the adventurers did not find a Black Dragon in the swamp as expected. They happened upon a double sized lair of catoblepi (catoblepas) and while the adults were out they slew one of the young ones and took all the treasure. The adults tracked the adventurers and that was the end of that. The adventurers will find this out as well if they pursue the lead.

Magic:

Hideous Helms are most often magical helms that will be found on higher level henchmen of evil wizards. They just by their design and appearance are meant to instill if not fear then sense of unease by any that view them though this has no measurable game effect. The Helms will have other abilities that make them favored by those who lead by fear. Once per hour the wearer is able to have a Scare effect (as per the spell by the same name) on the desired target. The wearer can also three times/day have an effect equal to a Fear spell and onetime/day the wearer can cast an Emotion spell. The wearer also has the ability to at will cast a Message spell.

Central Casting: Heroes of Legend - Task Force Games

This is without a doubt one of my favorite supplements. It doesn't always work to make believable characters but it does make them unique. I would advise using it manually as opposed to the random method. I know that if I ever want to write fiction I will be using it to help make the characters more three dimensional. They have them for Present, Future and Dungeons as well. There can be no doubt this is a great offering from Task Force Games.