Friday Fiction: Lisa and the Light Pt. 7

Jesus, really? Part 7? This is what I get for writing an organic story, and not doing just flash fiction like I planned. I promise as soon as this one is done, I'll start doing quicker and catchier things. I don't know who I am promising this too. Myself? 

Lisa chewed a handful of nuts and dried fruit, raisins and were they apricots?, as her ill-fitted boots crunched a pattern on the freshly fallen snow. A few flakes still fell, and she stopped to catch a few on her tongue. Snow seemed wonderful and even perfect. It's white dandruff surrounding her as she approached the overhang of the canopy. The trees were, well she didn't know what kind of trees they were. They were tall and thin, that was certain, and green still so must be some kind of evergreen. The word deciduous rose like a cork to the op of her mind, but she had a feeling it was wrong.

Her mind was oddly still, and she wondered why she wasn't more worried. Where was her anxiety? She only felt wonderment, not a horrible feeling at all, but surprising.

The tree cast shadows over her skin, dappling her, reminding her of the forest she entered what seemed like days ago when she ran from her mother. How dumb she had been, in retrospect, to run into an unknown wilderness. She was likely lying on the ground, in a comma, and this was her dream. She was actually waiting on an ambulance, her mother kneeling next her body, crying, feeling ashamed. It was a nice picture though she wasn't sure about her mother's emotions being that apologetic.

She considered her mother's actions, trying to will some form of honest emotion came, and then heard a snap two feet from her. She turned quickly to see an arrow protruding from a nearby tree. Lisa's hammer slipped into her hand without her noticing and she began to sprint adrenaline carrying her through the woods. Who the hell was shooting at her?

Bifrost: Politics Pt. 2

Last time I added the Institute for Dimensional Study, the Templars (name to change quickly), and the Thaumaturges to the world. They are no fleshed out at all yet, but it is nice to have placeholders. This covers the big powerhouses on the ideological front, but what about the economic front and those who would take all that money and throw it into the political front? 

Economics, we'd probably have a company pop up to take care of the needs of delvers. I always postulated that at first, when there wasn't a dedicated shop, people would mostly go to Cash4Gold and pawn shops to sell the coins they came back with. Eventually this would flood the market and bring down the price, but if only 10% of the population is going into the bifrosts, then I don't think it would be that bad. And honestly, of those going in, those who are professional delvers would likely be limited. It is like war, it is real, it is stressful, you bleed. Some thrill seekers would totally love it, and some people would just be greedy enough. 

I also think that people would go buy their adventuring gear from places like Dick's and Academy. Outdoor survival gear and things like that. You could also pick up weapons there (bows and guns) as well as hammers, knives, pick axes, etc. Swords would be harder to come by, but most people know to order them online or but them from Renaissance Fairs. 

After a while though, someone would see the need and streamline the system to be  a buyer of goods (gold, magic items, artifacts). For now we'll call it Dungeoneering Inc. They create tools, apps, etc. and sell off whatever delvers bring in. Now this is of course the big business, there is likely another one who takes a different approach, one more towards safety lets call it Haversack's Goods Inc. There would also be tons of boutiques popping up that offer more specialized services. 

I just noticed I'm taking a good chunk of this new world in a way similar to Atwood's Mad Adam trilogy. Weird. 

Next week we'll start crafting those political machines. 

D&D Young Justice: Kid Flash

In the final week of my D&D Young Justice series, I'm going to do the hardest one ever: the speedster, Kid Flash. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what class to make him. I want one that will give him the amazing abilities of speed, and mainly focus on super quick punches. This sounds like it might be the monk. Then we also have the fact that his powers come from an accident of science. In D&D terms, the origin seems to fit best with Sorcerer. Am I going to finally multiclass a character? Heck no, I want to stick with one class for these characters. It's part of the challenge.

If I went monk I would only have to change the fluff, but if I went sorcerer I would have to do that too. All the mini-tornados would be wind spells, the super quick movement would be teleportations. But what about all the cantrips? Another option would be a new speedster rogue archetype, but that precludes any crazy magic and gives him sneak attack which feels silly.

Alright, if I start with his background, that should make things easier. Flipping through the PHB I weirdly think Guild Merchant is the best choice. In the show, Wally didn't have much of a background; all it says is that he copied Barry's experiment and got powers of his own. Well, he's got this amazing speed and comes from a tradition, that likely required mysterious rites, and what is this speed good for? Being a courier. It even fits with the whole Mercury thing that the Flash totally ash going.

Alright, knowing that, I have decided on monk. It's an order who focuses on connecting with the magic of speed to move quickly and save others. At times, they are so fast it seems like teleportation.

Way of Celerity
Monks of the Way of Celerity are the ultimate masters of speed. They use their ki to move amazingly fast, at times replicating the effects of teleportation. Their techniques are used to quickly traverse distances and to beguile their opponents. No one escapes from a monk who follows this tradition.
    Many monks who follow this tradition focus on motifs of feathers and lightning, some followers even making makeshift wings and attaching them to their boots or hats.

Boundless Speed
Starting when you chose this tradition at 3rd level, you can manipulate your ki for the purposes of ki even easier. You no longer have to expend ki to use the Step of the Wind.

Unseen Acceleration
At 6th level, you gain the ability to move so quickly that you can teleport short distances. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 ki to cast misty step or 3 ki to cast blink.

With All Due Haste
By 11th level, you have learned to channel your ki into speed to travel further distances and improve your combat capabilities. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 ki to cast haste on yourself. In addition, as an action, you can spend 4 ki to cast dimension door.

Stop the Clocks
At 17th level, you have learned how to move so quickly that time around you seems to stop. As an action, you can spend 10 ki to immediately gain two full rounds where only you can act. During these rounds you succeed on all attacks and other creatures fail all Dexterity saves and checks. The effects of your actions in these 2 rounds on other creatures do not happen until the end of the two rounds.

Alright, that looks pretty good. It doesn't fit the mold too well, given that it gives spells at 6th level instead of 3rd, but I like it.

Wally West
Level 1 Human Guild Merchant Monk

Str 10 (+0), Dex 16 (+3), Con 14 (+2)
Int 14 (+2), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 10 (+0)
HP 10, AC 13, HD 1d8
Saves: Str +2, Dex +5
Speed: 40 ft.
Languages: Common, Gnomish, Halfling
Proficiencies: Navigator's Tools, Tinkerer's Tools
Skills: Acrobatics +5, Arcana +4, Athletics +2, Insight +2, Persuasion +2

Shortsword +5, 1d6+3 piercing
Unarmed Strike +5, 1d4+3 bludgeoning
Dart +5, 1d4+3, range 20/60

Feat: Mobile
Unarmored Defense
Martial Arts

Leveling Up Wally: First a look at this. Unarmored defense is wasted on him. I might need to add something called Speed of Thought that gives the option to add Int to AC instead of Wis. Maybe an extra feat, we'll see. Alright, so leveling up Wally, up his Dex as much as possible and grab the new Way of Celerity path I made. He should be a punching machine who is always in the right place. Good luck getting away from this speedster.

Friday Fiction: Lisa and the Light Pt. 6

The old woman crinkled her face and kept knitting, refusing to answer Lisa's question. Lisa didn't mind, she was still focused on getting warm. A silence sat between them until the old woman got up, went into a bedroom and came out again with a pair of boots and sturdy socks. She handed them to Lisa before returning to her chair. Lisa accepted them gratefully and slipped them on while the old woman started to hum to herself. The shoes were worn in and too big, but they would keep her feet warm. However she hoped she wouldn't have to wear them long enough to get blisters.

"My son was dragged off into the woods years ago," she said, "on this very day. Before you came, I thought I heard him calling to me. It's been twenty or so years though, so I know he could never come back."
"Did you go looking for him, when he disappeared?"
"No one goes into those woods, miss, not anymore. They are haunted. We just assumed he ran away, or a goblin got him."
"I'll go look for him,"
"And why would you do that? Its been years since he's been gone young miss, decades, there is no way he is still out there, and the woods might get you."
"I have to do something. I pop up here with these weapons and this armor in front of your cabin. You said it might be magic, well magic has to be god for something. This is the only clue I have."
"I think it's foolish, but I won't stop you."
"It's really dumb. I know. I can't just sit here though, waiting to get back. I have to do something. And I'm still ninety percent sure that this is a dream."

The old woman did not try to stop her, and only nodded when Lisa thanked her for the gift of the shoes. Outside the sun shone brightly, and when she looked at the woods a mile away she saw no reason to fear them. Vultures didn't ride the winds above the trees, and the howls of wolves didn't project from it. It didn't look like a Disney caricature from one of their European films. It was only a group of evergreens. And she walked towards it feeling, as the old woman put it, foolish.

BiFrost: Politics

I've got the rules down, and I've got my general theme of power: what will people do with it? Now I need to get some powerful structures into play.

I was thinking of several factions, basically, along with an evolution of the government to match. Now I'm probably super obviously focusing on the U.S. because Amerocentricism and I'm American and such, but I would think most governments would act similarly. Also, I don't feel knowledgeable about other countries to guess how they would react without just stereotyping. I would really like to use the major large cities in the world, (top 10 or so) just to give some non-western and white examples along with the usual fare (I'm looking at you Shadowrun filling the whole continent of Africa with ghouls...that was a weird choice). 

So factions, well last time I hit a few major types of organization that would be interested in either keeping or changing the status quo. Religious, political, social, and let's also add economic organizations that would be for and against using BiFrosts. If I just have a list of good guys and bad guys, that is shitty and useless, so each one will need some nuances to play with and against each other. I'm thinking something similar to Shadowrun's Megacorps faction, but nothing quite so Machiavellian. 

Let's get my stereotypes out of the way; most mainstream American religious folk (protestant and catholic) would be freaking scared of these things and see them as gateways to hell. And then when people come out of them with magical powers. The devil has taken them! Lets call them Templars for now. 

Of course for every reaction there is a reaction, so then a small contingent of religious folk see them as manifestations of divinity and god. They also likely see the powers you get out of it as tools to be used in the end times or for a spiritual war. I like this a lot. They likely want to guard the portals to make sure only the righteous and pure enter. Lets call them Thaumaturges for now. 

Going opposites, let's talk about science and the academic community. I would see them stressing caution, considering the dangers and unprecedented nature of the portals. They would likely want to study a lot -where they come from, where the powers come from, is this really magic? Bill Nye and Tyson would be out there trying to explain it while other researchers try to get funding from economic powerhouses to research this new stuff. This would be less of a new faction, more of an option for using existing universities, and maybe coming up with a new research institute or something. Lets call this the Institute for Dimensional Study, or the IDS. 

More next time! Economic powerhouses and political organizations!

D&D Young Justice: Artemis

I'm going to be open here and let you know that Artemis is my favorite. She is the tough girl, but has plenty of flaws. Mostly she is a little unwise and has that awesome dark and mysterious past. Artemis is the fifth in my series so far. I've done Aqualad, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Robin. Like Robin, she doesn't have any superpowers. The closest thing she has is a complete control of her body and amazing skill with a bow. When I think of a non-mystical weapons expert, I'm thinking Fighter.

Artemis is a Fighter then, with a Criminal background? It should probably be Charlatan, but I already have that for Miss Martian and though Artemis wasn't ever a criminal, she was raised by them and knows that textbook backwards and forwards. 

What kind of archetype then to pick at 3rd level? I'd say Battlemaster, because then all her trick
arrows just become tricks.

Was this really that easy? Are you not going to do any homebrew today Mr. Stigler?

I AM!

Because I think all her trick arrows are still actually super cool, I'm going to giver her a Clever Quiver. This is a quiver that makes the arrows you pull out of it special in some kind of way. However, it can only enchant ten arrows a day, so it isn't unlimited at all. 

Clever Quiver

Wondrous Item, Rare (requires attunement)

This green leather quiver is just big enough to hold twenty arrows or bolts comfortably. It looks simple, but ten times a day the user may add a magical effect to the arrow they pull from the quiver. A user can give the ammunition a +1 enchantment; allow the ammunition to deal cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage instead of its usual type; or make a creature succeed a DC 15 Constitution save on a hit, or be incapacitated for one round. These effects enchant the ammunition for a minute before the magic dissipates. You cannot enchant more than one piece of ammunition at a time. 

Is this overpowered? Maybe. I am away from the DMG right now, so I'll adjust it later once I can compare it to other Rare items. 

Artemis Crock
Level 1 Variant Human Fighter
Background: Criminal
Str 14 (+2), Dex 16 (+3), Con 13 (+1)
Int 12 (+1), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 10 (+0)
HP 11, AC 14, HD 1d10
Saves: Str +4, Con +3
Speed: 30 feet
Languages: Common, Goblin
Proficiencies: Playing cards, thieves' tools
Skills: Acrobatics +4, Athletics +4, Deception +2, Perception +2, Stealth +5

Longbow +7, 1d8+3 piercing, 150/600 range
Hand Crossbow +7, 1d6+3 piercing damage, 30/120 range
Dagger +5 (+7 if thrown), 1d4+3 piercing damage 20/60 range
Longsword +4, 1d8+2 slashing, Versatile 1d10

Feat: Sharpshooter
Fighting Style: Archery
Second Wind 1/rest

Gear: Crowbar, dark common clothes, leather armor, longbow, 20 arrows, hand crossbow, longsword, two daggers, dungeoneer's pack.

Leveling Up: The great thing about being a fighter is all the feats. Grab the Martial Artist or Tavern Brawler feat for when you are weaponless, grab Resilient for Dexterity to up your saves, and then just pump your ability scores starting with Dex and Con probably. For her archetype choose Battlemaster and give her tricks like Distracting Strike, Precision Strike, Maneuvering Strike, Trip Attack, really any that aren't melee. if you want more tricks take the Martial Adept feat.

Next week I'm doing Kid Flash. I think monk would fit best as a far as showing how fast he is, and we can just call Ki the speed force. But he got his powers through science/magic. Which makes me think sorcerer. But I'm unsure. Hopefully I'll figure this out by Monday.

Friday Fiction: Lisa and the Light Pt. 5

Lisa attempted to repack the gear, but it doesn't fit as snugly as it did when it appeared in front of her. She wasn't sure whether to feel grateful for getting something free, she never got anything free, or if she should be freaked out about her several teleportations with no obvious way of returning. Knocking on the door of the cottage that seemed her next fated step, Lisa considered if this was a dream, but no dream could be so cold.

An gray haired and pruned woman answered the door, exposing the scene of what Lis imagined Amish country looked like. The old woman wore a simple wool dress and shawl over that, and she towered over Lisa. The last thing Lisa was able to take in before distracted by the woman's words were the tears in her eyes. 

"Can I help you?" the old woman asked. 

"It's very cold out here, and I don't know how I got here, could you let me in for a minute to warm up?"

"Of course dear," and she moved to the side to let her in, Lisa brushing past her to crowd herself around a hearth on the far side of the room. 

The old woman stooped next to Lisa and placed a kettle over the fire. 

"I'd usually make a visitor take off their shoes before coming in, but I see I don't have to do that this time."

"I wasn't expecting it to be so cold," said Lisa, "do you know where we are?"

"We're right on the edge of the Cauliford Forest, I think we're currently under the fealty of the City of Sorcie, but that seems to change constantly. How did you find your way here?"

That confired it then, thought Lisa, this is no real place. City States? Forest names she could barely repreat? This wasn't real, this was a dream, or perhaps drugs, had she accidently eaten mushrooms, had she even run away from her mother? Lisa sat cross-legged as she thought and the woman found a rocking chair, addressing her knitting for the day while she waited on her traveler. 

"I walked through a beam of light, in a forest much different than this one, and I picked up a hammer in a chapel, and now I'm here. Does that make any sense to you?"

The woman continued to rock, "None at all I'm afraid, but then many things haven't made much sense to me recently. It sounds like magic though."

Magic. Ridiculous. There were no witches or wizards, and even if there were she was sure they wouldn't bother with a white trash like her. Though everything did look like Peter Jackson directed a Disney film. No, hard stop, magic was ridiculous. This was a dream, just a fantastical one. Lisa tried to will herself awake several times, including my touching a cinder, but nothing helped. If this was a trip or dream, what was the use in spending it cooked up in this old womans house? Maybe it was a vision, and she had to go on a journey to finish it out. That sounded ridiculous, but less ridiculous and at least as much fun as everything else. Lisa realized she had to find her road, her quest and so she asked her hostess a question. 

"Why were you crying when you answered the door?"