Dream Machine Productions rolls out its second major product line today with Mini-Adventure 1: The Complex of Zombies.

This release also gives me a chance to reveal a new layout for adventure modules. I’ve long felt that adventure modules in the roleplaying industry have been struggling under a legacy of inefficient and ineffective layouts. The information in adventure modules is simply not presented in a fashion which makes it easy to reference or use during gameplay. Attempts to remedy this in recent years by various companies and creators have more often resulted in either (a) artificial one-size-fits-all organizational schemes which actually make the information for many encounters more opaque and difficult to process as the author tries to cram it into the preset categories; or (b) elaborate Rube Goldberg devices that don’t seem to actually accomplish anything.

What you’ll find in The Complex of Zombies is not a radical departure. It’s not something that’s going to leap off the page at you and slap you in the face with its brilliance. It’s not going to require you to completely relearn how to process and use the adventure.

It is better thought of as a tidying. Or perhaps a tweaking.

Here are the major things I’ve tried to accomplish:

1. Each encounter is given a clear-cut possession to a slice of page space. They are positioned on the page in a way which makes it easy to quickly and easily find any given encounter key when you need to. This is accomplished by, in general, giving each encounter its own column: This means that encounter numbers can be clearly found at the top of each page, and each encounter is clearly delineated from each other. (There are two exceptions: Particularly shot encounter keys may end up being listed two to a column. Longer encounter keys may require more than a single column.)

2. The information in each encounter key is sub-divided into a number of smaller, bite-size chunks that can be quickly processed at a glance. (For example, you don’t need to dig through an entire paragraph of text to discover — buried somewhere near its center — that there is relevant information to be gained from a Spot check in this area.) These bite-size chunks of data are described with clear titles in bold-face, which makes it easy for the DM to quickly process all the important elements of an encounter at a single glance and then pull out the information they need as they need it.

3. The presentation of certain types of information — particularly skill checks — are standardized, making it easier to find that information on the page and use that information while running the adventure. (But such standardization takes place at a fairly low-level of information, where such standardization makes the most sense. At the macro-level, the description of the encounter is structured and ordered in the way which makes the most sense for that particular encounter.)

4. Boxed text for every keyed encounter area. More importantly, this boxed text is properly implemented, which means that it: (a) Makes a consistent assumption of the illumination available to the PCs (and clearly states what this standard is). (b) Never assumes that the PCs are entering an area from a particular direction or at a particular time. (c) Never assumes that the PCs will take certain actions or attempt to make decisions for the PCs. (Not everyone will use boxed text verbatim, but properly executed boxed text is valuable nonetheless because it clearly delineates between “what the PCs will immediately know (and should know) about an encounter area” (the boxed text) and “what the PCs may discover about or do in an encounter area” (everything else in the encounter description.)

As I say, none of these things are radical departures by any stretch of the imagination. But I think that you’ll find that these subtle changes, when taken together, result in an adventure module which is clearer in its presentation, cleaner in its preparation, and easier in its running than anything you’ve seen before. You can take a peek at it by following the link and looking at the Lulu preview.

SECRETS OF BLOOD, MYSTERIES OF JADE…

In a laboratory of stone, the Sons of Jade labored to unlock the arcane lore of the Jade Magi of Shandrala. But their efforts were doomed, and their entire complex was drenched in the blood of their failure.

Now the secrets of the necrosis cube and the orb of primal chaos lie in halls roamed only by desiccated, undead horrors. But these are no ordinary zombies, and those who would seek to reclaim the Jade Legacy must first learn the terror of the bloodsheen…

Buy PDF – Print Edition
20 pages – Sample Map

The Complex of Zombies, an adventure for four 3rd-level characters, features a full-page map of the complex; flexible plot hooks; three new magic items; and two new monsters in an exciting, fast-paced adventure easily incorporated into any campaign!

That beautiful cover art is the work of Bernard Bittler. Bittler is an accomplished artist who has taken an active role in developing video, board, and roleplaying games, including RuneQuest, Chill, Fable, and Iron Storm (among others). A gallery of his work can be found here. He lives in Paris, France.

I have been suffering from a really miserable case of the flu ever since the evening of the 4th. I drove down to Rochester to spend the holiday with my father, and by the time I got there the back of my throat was a raging inferno of pain. I probably should have been smart about it and headed straight to bed, but I decided to tough it out and went to see the fireworks. (Which were fabulous, as is Rochester’s wont. Apparently the same gentlemen, Jim Freeman, has been doing them for 58 years. And he does a marvelous job of it, understanding that there is more to an effective fireworks show than simply churning out explosive as fast as you can.)

The penalty for my extravagance was, unfortunately, spending most of Thursday in a near-delirium. I’m finally feeling better today, but I’m still not at 100%.

Despite that, I’ve got some more news from Dream Machine Productions: Due to Lulu’s recent expansion into art prints, we can offer a poster map for City Supplement 2: Aerie. It’s available in both a keyed and non-keyed format.

At a deluxe size, with dimensions of 36″ x 24″, this map is the perfect companion piece for using the city of Aerie in your campaign, with individual buildings and streets easily distinguishable.

It is our expectation that all future city supplements will be accompanied by poster-size maps. Unfortunately, a poster-size map will not be released for City Supplement 1: Dweredell, as the map for Dweredell was not executed at a resolution to make that possible.

And, as some people have asked me about this: This does not mean that the supplements themselves will not include maps.

The second City Supplement from Dream Machine Productions is being released today:

THE GLORY OF THE GRIFFON RIDERS…

Atop the peak of Mt. Auroch, the fabled griffon riders make their home in the city of Aerie. Epic in its scope, Aerie has been carved into the very face of the mountain itself. Its people rule over a vast swath of territory, its trade with the dwarves of Westerdeep and the city-states of the east is rich, and its fame has spread far and wide. Indeed, its fortunes have never seemed fairer.

But all is not well in the city of Aerie. Merchant and knight have turned one upon the other, and mercenaries play each off against the other. If the coming crisis cannot be averted, even a city of stone may burn.

Here you will find all the wonders of Aerie, from the cyclopean maze of the Giant’s Steps to the glorious sunken mansions of the upper city. Breathe deep the fresh, crisp mountain air and gaze upon the magnificent waterfalls of the eastern wall. Learn what it is to soar through the clouds on the backs of griffons…

Buy Now!
PDF Edition – 18 pages – Sample City Map

City Supplement 2: Aerie features two full-page maps of the city for the DM and player, the masterpieces of Sarafina, and a special bonus map of Griffon Cave!

The Dream Machine is also going to have a very special release to celebrate July 4th. Stay tuned.

I had mentioned a few days ago that I was holding off on offering City Supplement 1: Dweredell as a printed book until I’d had a chance to personally review a galley proof from Lulu. Well, the galley proof arrived in the mail over the weekend and, after a thorough review, I’m happy to report that everything looks simply fabulous.

And so I’m quite pleased to announce that you can now buy City Supplement 1: Dweredell from Lulu.com for $6.49. And, of course, you can still buy the PDF e-book for just $2.00.

UPDATE: OneBookShelf has gotten things straightened out, and you can now find the book on RPGNow and the ENWorld Download Shop.

Today I’ve got a D20 dire animal template for you. This template is something of a “pseudo-peek” for Rule Supplement 1: Mounted Combat. I say pseudo-peek because, if it was a true sneak peek, it would be content which would actually be appearing in the book. It is, however, a tool I developed in order to create some of the content which will be in the book.

This template is being released under the OGL. It was developed from a template originally published by someone else (check the Section 15 of the OGL). Unfortunately, the original template was poorly designed in several respects and needed to be fixed. (Its most egregious error was creating a non-standard sub-type so that dire animals created with the template would be a completely different type of creature than standard dire animals. It then compounded this error by attempting to create a special-case rule in order to nerf the Ranger’s favored enemy class ability. So, obviously, that’s been corrected along with a handful of other minor errors and problems.)

TEMPLATE: DIRE ANIMALS

Dire animals are larger, tougher, meaner versions of ordinary animals. Each kind tends to have a feral, prehistoric, or even demonic appearance.

CREATING A DIRE ANIMAL

“Dire” is an inherited template that can be added to any animal that is not already a dire animal. A dire animal uses all the base animal’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size: If the base animal is Tiny or smaller, increase its size to Small. Otherwise, increase its size by one size category. The dire animal gains all the benefits and detriments that arise from increased size (see below).

Hit Dice: If the dire animal is Small, it has 1 HD or the HD of the base animal +1, whichever is greater. If the dire animal is Medium or larger, its HD is equal to the minimum value listed for its size category in the base animal’s advancement +2. If a Medium or larger animal has no advancement or its size does not normally increase with advancement, then the dire animal’s HD is equal to the maximum HD given the base animal +2.

Speed: Same as the base animal + 10 ft.

Armor Class: Natural armor increases by +2. If the base animal has not natural armor bonus, it gains a natural armor bonus of +2. This bonus stacks with the bonus gained from the increase in size.

Special Attacks: A dire animal retains all the base animal’s special attacks. The damage of its special attacks is adjusted for the increased size and ability scores, where applicable.

Special Qualities: A dire animal retains all the base animal’s special qualities. These special qualities are adjusted for the increased size and ability scores, where applicable.

Saves: All saves are good for a dire animal. The base value of each save is equal to (1/2 HD) + 2.

Abilities: Dire animals gain the following ability score increases: Strength +4, Dexterity +2, and Constitution +2. These bonuses stack with any bonuses or penalties gained from a size increase (see below).

Skills: A dire animal receives (2 + Intelligence bonus) skill points per HD, or four times this amount for the first HD. Any skill given in the base animal’s statistic block is considered a class skill for the dire animal.

Feats: Same as the base animal, with additional feats gained normally from the increase in HD. If the base animal has Weapon Finesse and the feat would become useless after its increase in HD and Strength, then trade Weapon Finesse for Weapon Focus with one of its primary natural attack.

Challenge Rating: Increased by +1. In addition, if the dire animal is increased to size Large or larger, increase it’s CR by +1.

Advancement: Dire animals can advance to three times their new HD.

SIZE INCREASES

A size increase affects any special ability the creature has that is affected by size. Increased size also affects a creature’s ability scores, AC, attack bonuses, and damage values as indicated on the tables below.