Date: Wed, 2 Mar 1994 19:12 MST
From: Steve Miller <[S--L--R] at [media.utah.edu]>
Subject: NL01 "Fairies!"
This document and the NUELOW game is Copyright Steven Miller, 1994.
All rights reserved.
*FRONT COVER*
A NUELOW GENERAL ROLE-PLAYING GAME PRODUCT:
"FAIRIES!"
Role-playing Adventures in a World of Austere Crusaders
and Magical Forest Creatures with Dubious Gender
NL01
*INSIDE FRONT COVER*
Forthcoming NUELOW products:
"Lust and Dust!" (Available late February '94)
"Stars and Garters!" (Available late March '94)
"Horn Dogs!" (Available late April '94)
"Trouble with Tommyguns!" (Available late May '94)
"Sea of Sinners!" (Available June '94)
"Monster Beach Blanket Bingo Party!" (Available late July '94)
"Ugly Ducklings and Ice Queens!" (Available late August '94)
"Phantom Lovers!" (Available late September '94)
"The Nuelow Bedside Companion!" (Available late October '94)
"FAIRIES!" is dedicated to the posters of "rec.games.frp.advocacy,"
without whom it would never have come into being.
Lyric of the Month:
"Now the job's a little risky, but I'm my own boss/I got to tell
you, John, it really gets me off."
Webb Wilder: "Human Cannonball," Hybrid Vigor, Island Records 1989
Published by MillerArt, 616 E. 700 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84102.
(E-mail to [s--l--r] at [media.utah.edu.])
Text and NUELOW game, Copyright Steven Miller, 1994. All rights
reserved.
*PAGE ONE*
"FAIRIES!"
The Role-playing Game of Magical Woodland Creatures
With Dubious Gender and Questionable Sexuality
Game Design and Editing: Steven Miller
Additional Editing: Thomas Biskup
Assistance: Jeffrey D. Jonsson and John K. Solomon
Artwork and Cartography: C. Lipper and Karl M.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Disclaimer
What you need to play
Personal pronouns in Nuelow products
Character Generation
The Magic Forest: A "Fairies!" campaign setting
Adventures for "Fairies!"
Afterword
INTRODUCTION...
"I wanna pick up hookers," says the married computer
programmer when his fighter character reaches the center of the
civilized world.
"I want two women and three elven hunks and I want 'em for all
night," says the divorced mother of two when her character from a
grim, gritty, cyber-punk fantasy future reaches Joe's Cash and
Merry.
"Give me the ones with the dirty illuminations," says the
priest playing a swashbuckling scholar in mythical medieval Europe.
It seems that regardless of the type of role-playing game that
is being played, the characters will, eventually, engage in
lecherous behavior. In most game systems, GMs have to rely on their
own limited experience with lechery to give the characters what
they want. That is, after all, the only way to please the
character's player, and isn't' that what the game is ultimately all
about?
Another problem is that most game systems don't give
overworked GMs any material to work with when the player... oops,
characters let their baser instincts come to the surface. ("What
would an elf consider safe sex, any way, and how much would he
charge for an hour?" The GM, who spent the last three evenings
working out the intricate political jockeying for position of the
Guild of Bellmakers and the Guild of Seamstresses, hasn't given
brothels in the Town of Chestrile a thought. Disgusted, he folds
his GMs screen. "Get out! Get OUT!")
If this happens time and again with a gaming group, or if the
GM wants to run a campaign centered on the conquest of hearts
rather than nations, the NUELOW GENERAL GAME SYSTEM is what you've
been waiting for. "Fairies!" is only the first in a series
ofinterlocking games that focus a little more on love (both in the
ideal and carnal sense) than those that have proceeded it.
DISCLAIMER
It is not our intention to encourage promiscuity and
debauchery among gamers. This product line is simply a response to
the many gamers who like to "play house" with imaginary people
while sitting around a table with a room full others. NUELOW is a
way to ensure that everyone's playing the same game, so to speak.
We provide the framework, you, if you must, provide the dirty mind.
The NUELOW team is very much aware that many gamers are
impressionable children, and, as parents and/or uncles ourselves,
know the importance of providing young children with entertainment
that displays sound values. For this reason, there is nothing in
any of the NUELOW series that couldn't make it onto prime-time
television, or hasn't been approved by SMOSM (Steve Miller's Overly
Sensitive Mother).
While NUELOW is a playable game, it is more satire of certain
attitudes and mindsets held by many hobby gamers than anything
else. If you don't like it, too bad. We've already spent your
money.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY
You've already got all the rules right here in this book. Now,
you need at least one six-sided die, some friends, a pencil or two,
and some paper to write your character up on. Oh, and munchies.
Don't forget the munchies.
We apologize for not requiring you acquire all manner of
"funny dice" (i.e., 4-sided dice, 8-sided dice, 36-sided dice...).
Our initial intention was to market 600-sided dice with the NUELOW
line, but we found that it takes close to an hour for one of them
to stop spinning once thrown. So we went through "Fairies!" and
deleted a bunch of zeroes. (Oh well, into every business a little
Edsel must fall...)
PERSONAL PRONOUNS IN NUELOW PRODUCTS
Since the designers and editors of this series find "he" and
"she" equally offensive, oppressive, exclusionary, whatever, all
characters in NUELOW will be referred to as "it." (Exept in those
cases where the character's gender is clear.)
CHARACTER GENERATION
In "Fairies!" players assume the roles of, well, fairies (no
surprise there, we suppose,) fun-loving forest creatures who want
nothing but to enjoy life to its fullest, or crusaders, armor-clad,
weapons-toting humans with no interest in fun what so ever. They
have come to the Magical Forest to root out the fairy menace. For
players who can't make up their minds, there are the half-fairies
Regardless of species, each character has seven Attributes:
Strength, Agility, Looks, Intelligence, Personality, Health, and
Pain Threshold. Attributes are rated on a scale of 1-15,
and, except for genetic advantages (explained below,) players must
spend character points (also explained below) to improve a
character's attribute ratings:
Attribute Rating Cost Per Point Level
1-3 1 Attribute Impaired
4-7 3 Average
8-10 10 Exceptional
11-12 30 Legendary
13-15 60 Divine
Attributes are a measure of a character's natural talents in
certain areas. Characters who attempt a difficult or dangerous
action (frolic with a porcupine, seduce acrusader, whatever) roll
two six-sided dice, or one six-sided die twice, adding the results
and checking them against the appropriate Attribute Rating. If the
number is equal to or less than the Attribute Rating, the character
is successful. If the attempt fails, the GM is at liberty to decide
the result. Each character can perform one action per round, unless
the GM, or rules say otherwise. An Attribute Rating of zero is not
recommended. (Other players will make fun of zero-ratings.)
Strength: A measure of the character's ability to inflict
damage upon another character while exchanging blow, or how much he
or she can lift and/or carry. The maximum load a character can
handle is equal to the Strength Rating times 10 pounds. Equipment
weights are given in pounds. For every 5 pounds the character is
over its encumbrance limit, its movement rate is cut by one-third.
When punching characters, or attacking with blunt or edged
hand-held weapons, the character has the following modifiers to
damage inflicted (Results less than zero do no damage):
Strength Rating Damage Modifier
0-3 -2
4-7 0
8-10 +1
11-12 +2
13-15 +4
Agility: This reflects how naturally coordinated the character
is. Anything from tightrope walking to eating a bowl of Jello-brand
gelatin-cubes ("Jigglers!") with a fork would be checked
against Agility. The Agility-rating also allows the characters to
dodge hand-to-hand (or kick) attacks, if half the rating is rolled
on two six-sided dice.
Looks: This is the character's physical attractiveness to any
species or sex that could possibly be affected by it. The Looks
Rating modifies the Personality Rating so:
Looks Rating Personality Rating Modifier
0-3 -3
4-7 0
8-10 +1
11-12 +3
13-15 +6
The modifiers represent the first-impression reactions
character's with bad looks get from the surrounding world. This
penalty may be negated (DMs option) once characters get to know
each other.
Intelligence: This reflects the character's ability to
understand abstract ideas, adapt to unexpected situations, and find
their way out of a paper bag should the need arise. Further, the
Intelligence Rating allows the character to see through subterfuge.
(On a successful check, of course.) The Intelligence Rating also
modifies the Personality Rating.
Intelligence Rating Personality Rating Modifier
0-3 -2
4-7 0
8-10 0
11-12 +1
13-15 -3
GMs and players will note that at either extreme on the scale,
the character has a negative modifier. Once again, this reflects
first impressions. Let's face it, the general public is not likely
to react kindly to someone who constantly drools, or a character
whose first words are "I am the Lord, thy God. Bring my
commandments unto the people." On the other hand, the positive
modifier reflects the fact that mid-level geniuses each have their
own special brand of charm.
Personality: This is how commanding a presence the character
has, as well as how well it relates to other characters. Beyond
"first-impressions," this is the Attribute most attempts at
socializing would be checked against. (A character looking for a
one-night stand would check against Looks, but a character looking
for marriage would check against Personality.)
Health: This is a rating of how much physical punishment a
character can take, and how well it can resist and/or recover from
illnesses. When the Health Rating goes to zero from non-lethal
attacks (fists, certain toxins, over-exertion, etc.,) the
character goes unconscious. When the Health Rating goes to zero
from lethal attacks (swords, shotguns, being thrown from a great
height, etc.,) the character is dead. Recovery of non-lethal damage
is at the rate of 1 point per hour, or 2 points per hour of total
rest. Recovery of lethal damage is at the rate of 1 point per day
if properly cared for (by someone with the Healing Skill,) 1 point
per week if left unattended. Dead characters do not recover
damage--they just decompose.
Pain Threshold: This measures how well a character endures
physical punishment. Whenever a character suffers 3 points or more
damage in one round, it must make a check against the Pain
Threshold Rating. A failed check means the character has
fainted from unbearable agony. Honorable or merciful opponents,
such as fairies, will refrain from attacking (or whatever) the
character. Opponents like Crusaders and wild animals, however, will
take advantage of the character's weakness. Fairies have
notoriously low Pain Thresholds, as they are lovers, not fighters.
Player Character Species
As mentioned previously, in "Fairies!" players to assume the
roles of fairies, crusaders, or half-fairies. While that may seem
a bit limited, please remember that further volumes are being
prepared
for NUELOW. Each of those will introduce two or more new player
character species. (Some of which will have Attribute Ratings on
scales from 1-20, just for you power-gamers.) And unlike certain
other "universal" role-playing games systems, all NUELOW products
will be 100 percent compatible with what has gone before. As future
products are released, cowboys, space pirates, and
even drunken frat boys might make their way to the Magic Forest.
(And the peoples of "Fairies!" may invade those other realms.)
In the meantime, GMs and players who feel constrained by three
races can always design their own. It's not brain surgery or
anything...
Fairies
No physical description can be given for these beings, as they
can change their appearance at will. Fairies do not reproduce like
other humanoid races the simply come into being: new fairies
often emerge from the ground where events that brought great
happiness or sorrow occurred.
Fairies range in height from 3" to 7', appear any age, of any
build, any gender, and any humanoid species and race the GM wishes
to put in the campaign world. Generally speaking, a fairy appears
like a slender, androgynous figure, almost child-like in appearance
and build. They have little use for clothes and rarely wear more
than a loincloth, if that. They keep the company of forest
creatures and spend their time in playful frolics, cavorting,
playing musical instruments, and sleeping in the sun (both
literally and euphemistically). Characteristics that vary from
fairy to fairy are outlined under Advantages and Disadvantages.
Fairies as a group have no particular ill will toward those
who would harm them. Rather, they pity the violent crusaders and
half-fairies, and take every opportunity to encourage them to have
fun and engage in fairy-like pleasures.
Genetic Advantages
Become Invisible Once per Day: It takes one round for the
fairy to become invisible. During this time, it seems as though the
fairy goes transparent and ultimately vanishes entirely. Characters
who witness this "fading" may attempt strike the fairy at 1/3 the
normal chance. While invisible, the fairy moves without a sound and
without leaving foot-prints. Further, they may attack while
invisible without appearing. (Yeah, yeah we know this goes against
long-standing gaming tradition. However, if you go back to the
source from which the idea of a hero with a ring that
makes him invisible was originally borrowed, you'll find that he
didn't become visible each time he kicked someone in the butt with
those furry feet of his.) Particularly shy fairies spend their
entire existence invisibly.
Change Appearance at Will: This power takes one round, and
allows the fairy to assume any humanoid form within the parameters
set forth above. This power also allows fairy to assume gender
(male or female) if the fairy is in its preferred androgynous
state. If it is in a form that is clearly male or female, then it
takes two rounds to change to an opposite gender. (The fairy must
assume its androgynous state first.) The Fairy's Looks Rating
remains the same regardless of what shape the character assumes.
Finally, a newly created fairy character receives one
six-sided die worth of Attribute Rating free in Agility, Looks, and
Personality. (Each Attribute is rolled separately.)
Crusaders
These people look just like us. They are created like we are,
too. (Mommy and Daddy and Baby make three... you know the drill.)
Crusaders don't like to engage in sexual activity, however.
they view it as a symptom of spiritual weakness, and believe that
their gods have cursed them since sex is the only way to continue
their species. Their clergy preaches that the only way to lift that
curse is to exterminate all fairies. Crusaders come in many shapes
and sizes (in adulthood ranging from 4' 3" to just short of 7',
although smaller and ones larger also exist) and with skin-tone and
hair colors several different shades of brown (ranging from solid
black to almost white). Crusaders, when not scouring the Magic
Forest for fairies, can be found in their austere stone fortresses.
Here, they pray to their gods, flog themselves, conduct subdued
gatherings, masses, and evening meals, flog themselves some more,
procreate while wearing their armor, look at books with dirty
illuminations, and, finally, flog themselves. When encountered in
the countryside, they are in groups of 3-18, mounted on large,
powerful horses, heavily armed and armored.
Genetic Advantages
Dour Looks: Seconds after exiting the womb, the faces of
crusaders seem to set themselves in a dour expression. (Crusader
sociologists, all three of them, get into heated debates whether
this is actually a genetic trait, or a side-effect of the tradition
of hitting the newborn with a riding-crop four or five times.) The
dourness is just as often evident in a crusader's personality,
which leads to sayings along the lines of "I will crush my enemies
and enjoy the lamentations of their women!"
However, this dourness gives a crusader exceptional resistance to
Seduction attempts (as described under Skills.) The Seducer must
add the crusader's Personality Attribute bonus to Skill rolls. A
failed check means the crusader may attack the would-be seducer,
with +1 to all damage.
Tone Deafness: Crusaders believe they have the highest
developed sense of music in the world. The truth is that they can't
carry a tune to save their lives, or even appreciate music when
they hear it. Any music, besides the monotone chants performed
during crusader religious services, seems like little more than
unstructured noise to a crusader, and this enrages said crusader.
If a crusader attacks a character that is singing or playing a
musical instrument, the crusader has a +1 bonus to damage rolls.
Finally, a newly created crusader character receives one
six-sided die worth of Attribute Rating free in Strength, Health,
and Pain Threshold. (Each Attribute is rolled separately.)
Half-fairies
These slender, sickly looking creatures are the result of a
female human falling to the wiles of a fairy in the form of a human
male, and then... well, Mommy and Daddy and Baby make three. Two
half-fairies enganging in intercourse will also breed true. (For
further information, ask your mother, "Where do half-fairies come
from?") And half-fairies love to breed. Sex for them is not
something engaged in for pleasure: they know that the more
half-fairies there are, the better the chance they have of
exterminating all other intelligent life. (Half-fairies believe
that they can only feel whole and normal if they are all that
exists.)
Half-fairies are notorious for being bad tempered, sadistic
and violent toward those who are not of their kind. This
mean-streak is evident even from a half-fairy's earliest years, so
half-fairies are often driven out of the communities their human
parents dwell in. Eventually, half-fairies stumble upon one of
several hidden half-fairy communities in or near the
Magic Forest. (Anyone but half-fairies finding such a village is
tortured and generally not unfortunate to survive the experience.)
Half-fairies unfortunate enough to be born to a crusader are
left to die of exposure in the countryside. Often, roving bands of
half-fairies (3-18 in numbers) find such abandoned children and
bring them to one or their secret enclaves. Half-fairy are viewed
with sorrow by the fairies, who wish their physical off-springs had
their sense of fun; and as abominations to be destroyed by
crusaders.
Genetic Advantages
A half-fairy receives a random genetic advantage, or none at
all. Cross-breeding is a tricky business. Roll one six-sided die to
determine the half-fairy's status:
Die Roll Genetic Advantage
1 Change Appearance at Will
2 Dour Looks
3 Tone Deafness
4-6 Nothing Special
Finally, a newly created half-fairy character receives one
six-sided die worth of Attribute Rating free in Agility, and 1-3
free levels of Weapons Use: Dagger (see Skills.) Not a true genetic
advantage, this is more a reflection of half-fairies love of
cutting things (ideally living things ) into little pieces.
Character Points
All characters, regardless of species, start with 40 character
points. As mentioned above, these are used to buy attributes. They
are also used, however, to buy skills and advantages, and may be
split between these three categories as the player sees fit. The
beginning total can also be increased by taking disadvantages,
which may only be selected at character creation. (Unlike Skills
that can be bought and improved whenever the character has enough
points to do so.)
As the character adventures (or frolics, scowls, bumps off
fairies, whatever) the GM awards additional skill points. If the GM
likes you, he or she will give your character lots of points. These
points are applied toward improving Attributes or Skills, buying
new Skills and Advantages, and "buying-off" disadvantages.
Future NUELOW products will introduce additional advantages,
disadvantages, and skills.
Meanwhile, GMs and players (with GM approval) are encouraged
to make up their own if they feel constrained. (Again, this isn't
brain surgery...)
Advantages
High Pain Threshold (not permitted for fairies): The player
may roll a six-sided die and add the result to the character's Pain
Threshold Attribute Rating. This advantage costs 3 points,
regardless of what the player rolls.
Magical Ability (fairies and half-fairies only): This
advantage can only be selected during character creation.
Characters with this advantage have a natural talent for channeling
mysterious energies that are the very fabric of the NUELOW reality.
The intention to cast a spell and its target must be declared at
the beginning of the round (see "Combat,) and the character must
make an Agility-check, followed by a Pain Threshold-check to get
the spell off. (Channeling the magical energies is painful.) If the
character fails the Agility-check, the spell effects a character or
creature other than the intended target. If the Pain
Threshold-check is unsuccessful, the spellcaster falls unconcious
and suffers a number of non-lethal damage points as rolled on one
six-sided die.
Characters with the "Spellcraft" skill may create any effect
allowed by the GM, while characters simply possessing Magical
Ability cause random effects as rolled on two six-sided dice and
checked against the following list (Unless otherwise is stated,
each spell effect is either instantanious or lasts for 1 round:
2. Pleasure: The effected being feels intense pleasure. This
pleasure is of a sexual nature for sexually mature creatures, and
translates into a state of severe sexual arousal. On a failed
Intelligence Attribute check, the effected creature must give in to
the feeling of pleasure, either entering a subdued, happy state, or
attempt to have intercourse with the nearest humanoid or otherwise
attractive being. Characters making a successful check have a +2
penalty on all to-hit rolls. The effect remains for a number of
rounds rolled on a six-sided die. Multiple applications of
this spell are better than sex, according to many half-fairies.
3. Pain: The creature affected falls to the ground, writhing
and screaming in pain. The creature suffers 2 points of non-lethal
damage and must make a successful Pain Threshold-check or go
unconcious. This is the perferred spell-effect of half-fairy
magic-users.
4. Destroy Metal: All metal objects carried by the target
crumble to fleck of rust within after two rounds.
5. Energy Bolt: A glowing bolt strikes the target for 1 point
of lethal damage. The target must make a successful
Health-Attribute check (against the full Attribute Rating) or the
Health Attribute point is gone forever.
6. Create Object: The caster may create any inanimate object
that can easily be carried. The object must be specified before the
spell is cast. (If the caster was not seeking this effect, nothing
happens.)
7. Black Hole: A void opens around the target, sucking the
character through to another world in the NUELOW multiverse.
8-10. Pretty Lights: The air around the caster is filled with
dancing, swirling lights. While mostly harmless, characters with an
Intelligence Rating of 2-3 must make a successful Attribute
Check or stop what they are doing and stare at the lights in awe.
The lights remain in the air for a number of rounds rolled on a
six-sided die.
11-12. GMs choice or no effect.
The target must be in the spell-caster's line-of-sight. Only one
spell can be cast per round. This advantage costs 8 points.
Musical Talent: Allows character to play instruments not
selected under the Skill "Play Musical Instrument" with only +3 to
the Attribute Check. Further, the character receives a -2 bonus
to any attempts at Seducing another through music. This advantage
costs 4 points.
Ohmy Companion (half-faires only): The character has a
telepathic link with a giant slug that can identify fairies despite
the form they are in. The GM rolls an Intelligence Attribute Check
with a -1 modifyer for the character. If the check is successful
and there is a fairy within 10 feet of the half-fairy and the ohmy,
the half-fairy recognizes it for what it is. (See "Monsters of the
Magic Forest.") This advantage costs 12 points.
Peasant Slave (crusaders only): The character has a permanent
retainer with him, a companion from childhood who was born to
peasants who somehow became the property of the character's
family. (See "Creatures of the Magic Forest" for details.) This
advantage costs 10 points
Robust Health: The player may roll a six-sided die and add the
result to the character's Health Attribute Rating. This advantage
costs 4 points, regardless of what the player rolls.
Shapechange, animal form (fairies only): This advantage can
only be selected during character creation. The character may
assume the form of a specific animal of the player's choosing.
The animal form chosen can't be any smaller than a mouse or larger
than a Clydesdale horse. The character may only become an avian if
it has one of the Wings advantages. The change takes one round to
complete. At the GMs option, this advantage may be treated as a
Skill (see below), with each level representing a different animal.
The character must buy each level with character points at the cost
given for Skills. The character must revert to humanoid form
between two different animal forms. The initial Shapechange
advantage costs 2 points.
Wings, permanent (fairies and half-fairies only): This
advantage can only be selected during character creation. The
character has a large pair of wings growing from his shoulders. The
wings enable it to carry itself, plus half its maximum weight
allowance aloft, and fly at its full unencumbered movement rate.
(Movement rates are discussed in the "Combat" section.) If more
weight is carried, flight is impossible. Wings are considered
separate from the character's Health Attribute for purposes of
calculating damage. Each wing has points equal to half the
character's starting Health Attribute Rating, and are only damaged
by "called shots." (Which are also discussed in the "Combat"
section.) Once all points are gone on one wing, flight is no longer
possible. Wings heal damage as indicated above. Character who crash
to the ground take 3 points of lethal damage and one six-sided die
of non-lethal damage for every 12 feet fallen. Half-fairies with
this advantage must have armor custom-made at twice the normal
price, and no character may not wear anything heavier than 2 points
while in flight. The wings are visible regardless of what form a
fairy chooses to take. Characters with the Wing advantage should
take the Flying skill to use them to maximum advantage. This
advantage costs 5 points.
Wings, transmutable (fairies only): This advantage can only be
selected during creation. The character can make wings with the
same effectiveness as the ones above appear on its back at will.
It takes one round for the wings to materialize, but the character
can choose their appearance (feathered, leathery, etc.). In all
other respects, the same rules that apply to permanent wings apply
to these. Transmutable wings are fully healed each time they
materialize, however. This advantage costs 12 points.
Disadvantages
As mentioned above, taking disadvantages can provide extra
character points. GMs should try to place characters in situations
where their disadvantages might come into play. (Don't overdo it,
though.) Certain disadvantages have Attribute-bases and modifiers
listed. The modifiers are added to the character's roll when it
checks to avoid letting weakness get the best of it. There might be
some of these disadvantages characters don't want to resist, of
course. GMs shouldn't force players to roll if they want their
characters to engage in certain generally unacceptable behaviors.
(See "Introduction" for details.)
Characters may spend points to negate disadvantages as they
earn points. When a character has "repaid" the points it earned
from taking the disadvantage, it is "cured" of whatever its
weakness was.
Chafing (crusaders and half-fairies only): The character has
sensitive skin and can't wear armor
heavier than 1 point. This disadvantage is worth 5 points.
Klutzy: The character's Agility can't exceed 6 until the
disadvantage has been "repaid." This disadvantage is worth 10
points.
Sense of Honor (crusaders and half-fairies only): The
character never attacks a foe who is down, unarmed, or otherwise
ill-equipped to defend itself. You always "call out" opponents, and
you never cheat at games. This disadvantage is worth 3 points.
Sexual preference, animal (Intelligence-based, +1): We think
that says it all. The character's player may choose the animal.
Fairies may not take this disadvantage in conjunction with the
advantage Shapechange, animal form. This disadvantage is worth 10
points.
Sexual preference, male or female (Intelligence-based, +2):
For the free-lovin' fairies this is a major social stigma: you're
supposed to experience the joy of sex with every living thing can
have pleasurable sexual relations with you. For crusaders and
half-fairies this is only a disadvantage if it's a same-sex
preference, or a thing for young children. This disadvantage is
worth 5 points.
Sickly: The character's Health can't exceed 4 until the
disadvantage has been "repaid." This disadvantage is worth 10
points.
Vengeful (crusaders and half-fairies only, Intelligence-based,
+5): The character wants to kill something... anything. When the
character takes damage, it must pursue the attacker, intent on
killing it, until the pursuit is obviously hopeless. (GM's call, or
another Intelligence check at +3.)
Skills
To successfully use a skill, a character must make a check (on
two six-sided dice) against the appropriate attribute. Further,
character points can be used to improve skills. There are four
skill levels, and it costs 2 character points to buy a first-level
skill. The price goes up from there, but at higher levels, the
character receives a bonus to Attribute Checks, a negative modifier
on the roll.
On the other hand, a character has a penalty for attempting to
perform an action he isn't skilled in. GMs should use their
judgment in determining the results of a failed check, and even if
the character can do what is required without the skill. (Tracking,
for example, is not something a character without the skill could
even attempt... unless it's tracking someone through fresh mud.)
Skill Level Point Cost Bonus to Checks
0 0 +4
1 2 0
2 4 -1
3 8 -2
4 16 -4
Characters may attempt to use more than one skill per round. A
fairy may try to seduce a crusader while frolicking, for example.
Both checks must be successful for the desired effect to
come about, and often all Attribute Bonuses should be added to one
or both checks. Common sense (as interpreted by the GM) should be
applied.
Flying (Agility-based): Highly recommended for characters with
wings of either type. This ability ensures that a flying character
can land without hurting itself. Characters who possess the
Flying skill may use Frolic while airborne. Also, for each Skill
Level purchased, the character may choose one of the following
special flight maneuvers:
1: Swoop attack allows flying character to perform an attack
on a single character on the ground without the normal movement
penalty (see "Combat"). The flyer swoops in a roughly bell-shaped
dive-and-lift, striking one previously stated target upon a
successful Weapons Use or Unarmed Combat skill check. Swoop attacks
always happen last in the round, and characters who see the flyer
coming may attack with ranged weapons, or if they hold their
action, strike the flyer in mid-swoop. Armor and Frolicking
modifiers apply.
2: Drag-and-drop allows the flyer to grab one previously
stated target on the ground on a successful Wrestling Skill check,
and drag that target the full movement rate for one round, doing 2
points of non-lethal damage. The seized character may attack during
that round, with a +1 penalty to the Weapons Use skill check. The
flyer's movement rate is halved for the round immediately
following.
3: Strafing Runs is similar to the swoop attack, except the
character may attack an unlimited amount of characters on the
ground. The flyer swoops down and flies parallel to the ground,
attacking up to three targets per round on a straight line.
(However, if multiple targets are attacked each round, the
character suffers the penalties mentioned under "Combat.")
4: Flying Ace allows the character to engage in hand-to-hand
(and kick) combat with other airborne characters without suffering
the movement penalty. Combat is resolved as if happening on the
ground. (Lesser-skilled opponents are still subject to movement
penalties, of course.)
Frolicking (Agility-based): This skill increases the effective
Agility Attribute Rating for purposes of dodging hand-to-hand and
ranged attacks by half (round up). Unless paired with a successful
Unarmed Combat Skill check, however, the frolicking character's
chance to strike targets while frolicking is also reduced by half.
A frolicking character may not attack with ranged weapons. Fairies
with this ability may be apply the Bonus to Attribute Checks to
uses of the Seduce skill while frolicking. (Multiple bonuses are
cumulative.)
Healing (Intelligence-based): The character knows a little bit
about anatomy ("No, I'm pretty certain both feet are supposed to
point in the same direction...") as well as a passing familiarity
with home remedies and bandaging wounds. A successful check will
cure 2 points of non-lethal damage or 1 point of lethal damage.
This may only be attempted once on each group of wounds. (One sword
wound, one fall from a great height, etc.) The character with
healing skill may only use it to cure non-lethal damage on itself.
Play Musical Instrument (Personality-based): This skill
enables character to play a musical instrument without embarrassing
itself, unless the Attribute Check is failed. (Then, the results
can be quite embarrassing... GMs choice.) For each instrument the
character wishes to play, it must buy a different Play Musical
Instrument skill. A fairy may add its Looks Attribute bonus when
pairing Play Musical Instrument with Seduce. (You know, rock 'n'
corrupts, and music tames the savage beast...)
Seducing (Looks-based): The character may attempt to use a
variety of techniques, mental and physical, to sway one or more
other characters who might harbor even the faintest physical
attraction to the seducer to do... uh, services and favors for it.
The nature of these services are up to the seducer. A seduced
creature can take no actions (other than perhaps kiss or fondle the
seducer) for the first round of seduction. On subsequent rounds,
the character always acts last, and then only if the seducer
approves it. However, a target may roll against its Intelligence
score if they wish to attempt to resist the seduction attempt. The
following modifiers apply to the character's check to resist being
seduced:
Intelligence Modifier Mitigating Circumstance
-3 Giving in will be dangerous
-2 Seducer is personal enemy
-1 Seducer attacked target earlier
+1 Eye-contact with seducer
+2 Physical contact with seducer
+3 No negatives from succumbing
+4 Expects pleasure beyond dreams
Modifiers are cumulative where one or more applies. There are
as many other circumstances that might result in modifiers. Again,
GMs should use their best judgment in the individual situations.
The seduction effect remains in full force for as along as the
seducer and the seduced are within line-of-sight of each other, and
for a number of rounds rolled on two six-sided, minus the seducer's
Intelligence Attribute bonus. Since fairies are such sensual,
carnal creatures, all targets attempted to resist advances from one
of their kind must apply an immediate +2 against the Intelligence
Attribute check. Additionally, once a character has been seduced,
it will always be susceptible to the wiles of that particular
seducer to the tune +1 to the Intelligence roll, +3 if the
seduction resulted in carnal delights.
Set Traps (Intelligence-based): The character may set small
traps to catch game. The details of the trap is up to the
character. If the character wants to build a trap to capture an
intelligent creature, it must make an Attribute check at +2 to
construct an effective, well-concealed trap. (The GM should make
this roll, since the character will be convinced the job was well
done.)
Sexual Prowess (Agility-based): Self-explanitory, yes? This is
one of those rare skills where two or more characters who possess
it need to interact for maximum effectiveness. If only one of
the characters has the skill, that character will probably feel
cheated when all is said and done. It perhaps goes without saying,
but there are few skills more embarrassing to fail an Attribute
check for than Sexual Prowess. Strength modifiers may be applied to
the check at the GM's option. Possibly, a Health and/or Pain
Threshold Attribute Check might be necessary for particular
strenuous, extended or unusual bouts of whoopy. (At any rate,
Strength Ratings are used to decide who's on top if there's a
dispute...) At GMs option, characters with Sexual Prowess may
subtract their Agility Attribute bonus from attempts to resist
seduction.
Spellcraft (Non-applicable): This skill is usuable only by
fairies and half-fairies who have the Magical Ability Advantage.
This skill enables the character to choose the effect created by
the unleashed magical energies. Attribute checks mentioned under
Magical Ability still apply.
Sneaking (Agility-based): Popular among half-fairies, this
allows the character to move about almost invisible in areas with
foliage, tall grass or heavy shadows. Successful use of this skill
even grants the character one free attack, as if invisible. It also
places a +3 penalty on any Tracking roll on the character's trail.
A character wearing armor has a lessened chance of successfully
Sneaking: for every point of armor worn, there is a +2 penalty
on the Sneaking check.
Tracking (Intelligence-based): The character may interpret
minute clues a broken branch, a bent piece of grass to follow a
creature's trail. A character can't track over hard surfaces or
through a running stream... unless the creature was dropping bread
crumbs or channel markers as it went.
Unarmed Combat (Agility-based): The character is familiar with
one or more martial arts styles. Fairies with this skill generally
practice a form of judo: on a successful Attribute Check the fairy
chooses either to place the opponent in a hold or throw him. A
hold, at the performing character's choosing, can either do 1 point
of non-lethal damage or no damage. A throw does 1 point of lethal
damage. Fairies often pair this skill with Frolicking and
Wrestling, as part of a lead-in to love making. Crusaders and
half-fairies always do damage with their Unarmed Combat roll,
punching for 1 point non-lethal damage with a bare fist, or two
points lethal damage with a spiked gauntlet.
Weapons Use (Variable): Each weapons skill must be bought
separately. See "Equipment" for available weapons, and the
Attribute checked for their usage's. Each additional level
purchased in a Weapons Use category, give the character -1 on
to-hit checks. Generally, fairies do not have more than one Weapons
Use Skill.
Wrestling (Agility-based): The character is familiar with
techniques that will hold a struck target in place. The wrestler
can choose to pin a target in place or tear a small object(jewelry,
a piece of clothing) from the target's body. The target may not
attack while held, but may try to squirm free on a successful
Agility check at +2. The target may, of course, attack at will if
the wrestler chose not to hold it. Fairies often use this Skill in
combination with Frolicking or Seduce, or Unarmed Combat.
COMBAT
This is it, the chapter that finally gives you all the rules
that lets your character get down and dirty. While combat generally
means hacking, slashing, and spreading as much carnage in as short
time as possible, there are some NUELOW combat rules that apply to
more intimate pursuits. As evident in some of the skills above,
what is sometimes useful on the field of battle can also come in
handy between the sheets...
Basics
The basis for all time-keeping in NUELOW games is the "round."
There are six seconds in one round, ten rounds in one minute, sixty
minutes in one hour, 24 hours in one day (which, we all know is
simply not enough) and so on, and so forth. Consult the calendar on
your wall for additional details.
Each player must declare what action the character will
perform that round, using the characters' Agility Attribute Ratings
to determine who acts first, highest scores act first. A player may
choose to hold a character's action until later in the round, but
must call it as soon as actions have been declared for the
character he or she was trying to shaft... uh, support. Each
character can perform at least one action per round, although GMs
can rule that the character can do more or less, too. (It's a rare
thing, though, when a character can't just lay still on the ground,
unconscious, or just overcome with exhaustion.) If there is one or
more characters with the same Agility Rating, the order is as
follows:
1. In hand-to-hand (or kick) combat, the character with the highest
Personality score acts first.
2. Characters who are using a ranged, non-weapon attack. (Seduction
attempts, Frolicking, etc.)
3. Characters who are flying, but not in combat.
4. Characters weilding magic, or moving on the ground, but not in
combat.
5. Characters wielding light/medium ranged weapons.
6. Characters wielding heavy/large ranged weapons.
7. Characters who are flying while engaged in aerial combat.
8. Characters using small weapons.
9. Characters who are flying, but attacking a target on the ground.
10. Characters using large weapons.
Remember, seduced characters always act last in the round on
the round they are seduced.
Attribute Ratings are also used to determine who controls the
situation during close encounters
of the carnal kind. Characters with the Sexual Prowess skill always
act first in the round, and any other disputes need to be moderated
by the GM. The characters should ideally be engaged only in
consensual acts of this nature, but if player egos get in the way,
the GM can look at the specific situation and determine which
Attribute Rating should be applied. Generally, the Agility or
Personality Ratings will apply, but if the words "whips" and
"chains" have come up (together or separately) Strength is most
likely the Attribute to go off. Characters that have been seduced
into the situation will always act after the seducer, unless
instructed to do otherwise. See "Attacking" for addtional
information.
Movement
A character's full movement rate equals one-third of its
combined Strength, Agility and Health Attribute bonuses in feet.
This is the same, whether the character in on the ground or flying.
The minimum movement is always three, regardless of negative
Attribute bonuses. Characters on the ground may choose to move less
than their full movement rates, or not move at all, while flying
characters must always take their full movement (divided between
changes in altitude and directions,) with the exceptions noted
under the Advantages and Skills sections. It is possible for
characters to move and attack simultaneously, if they are within
range (or reach) of each other. For each character that has
declared movement during a turn, there is a +1 cumulative to-hit
penalty. In other words, two moving characters trying to hit each
other with clubs would each add 2 to their Agility Attribute
checks. Flying characters are always moving.
GMs who like their games complicated are invited to come up
with arcane movement modifier charts for various types of terrain.
We may or may not include expanded ground movement rules in
"Lust and Dust!," a role-playing game of the Wild West, and the
second entry in the NUELOW series. We're torn between the guiding
philosophy behind NUELOW ("Keep it simple, and if that's not
possible, keep it stupid...") and our recognition of the fact that
many role-players want rules for everything. We'll probably be
debating whether to include such rules up to the moment of release.
The flying rules, however, will definitely be elaborated upon
in "Stars and Garters!," the NUELOW science fiction role-playing
game. See the inside of this product's front cover for release date
and/or current availability. (We feel a bit weasily about splitting
the flying rules this way, but the expanded rules deal primarily
with airiel combat and firing Big Guns while airborne... and there
are no Big Guns in "Fairies!" Well, not yet at least. Get your copy
of "Stars and Garters!" as soon as you can.)
Attacking
Attacks are resolved whenever a character acts in a turn. To
hit, a character must roll the appropriate Weapons Use skill
Attribute or a Unarmed Combat roll. If a character hits the target,
apply the damage appropriate to the weapon being used (found
under "Equipment") and any Strength Attribute bonuses/penalties. If
the character is wearing armor (also found under "Equipment") only
damage exceeding the character's Armor Rating is subtracted from
the Health Rating.
A character may attack up to three targets in one round, if
those targets are in melee combat. For each target attacked, a +1
penalty is added to the Weapons Use skill Attribute check. (+1 for
the first target, +2 for the second, and +3 for the third.) Only
one ranged attack is possible.
Characters may choose to take "called shots." There is a +3
to-hit penalty on "called shots," but extra damage is inflicted on
successful hits, with vital areas subject to the greatest damage
bonuses. (The damage still needs to exceed the Armor Rating.)
Ranged attacks are resolved as so: if it looks like the
character can hit the target, the character can hit the target.
(GMs rulings are final.)
Called-shot Location Extra Damage
Head roll six-sided, apply
result
Torso 4 points
Arms 2 points, +1 penalty on
to-hit rolls
Legs 1 point, +2 penalty on
relevant Agility
checks,lower movement rate
1/3 for each 3 points of
"called shot" damage.
Wings on fairies and half-fairies can only be hit with "called
shots." The damage inflicted is as per a normal attack, but the
to-hit penalties apply.
Certain sexual situations might require to-hit rolls (Agility
or Strength Attribute Checks.) These include characters who are
moving, characters who are in a boat on a storm-tossed sea, or
character's trying to engage in sexual acts with an unwilling
target. We discourage such behavior, and find individuals who force
others to have sex against their will (equals rape) not worthy of
the space they occupy on this planet. There are, nonetheless,
characters in role-playing games that will behave as scum. GMs
should see to it that any non-player character who is being raped
fights back to the best of its ability, even if it means the loss
of the rapist's gonads ("called shot," automatic 5 points of
damage, as well as a permament 3-point loss to Personality Rating
and a +3 penalty to all future Sexual Prowess checks).
EQUIPMENT
Characters living in the Magic Forest have all necessities of
life (food, clothes, shelter, etc.) Fairies have few material
wants, while half-fairies pillage and rape to get what they need
and crusaders live of the sweat of peasants living near their
fortresses. Therefore, money is virtually useless here: what items
that can't be made or stolen, characters barter for.
Beginning player characters in "Fairies!" roll one six-sided
die. The result equals the peices of equipment the character starts
with. It is possible that one character will have one item while
another will have six. That's tough, but that's life. It's a
multiverse of haves and have-nots, and if the player with one item
bitches, the GM should remind him or her of the time-honored
tradition for gaining more stuff in role-playing games: the looting
of dead bodies.
The Equipment list is divided into three sections, "Armor,"
"Weapons" and "Other Stuff." Characters may have items from these
lists (except those that are not allowed to their species) at
creation, to a maximum of the number they rolled. Players make the
selections. If the equipment available seems a bit meager, remember
that future NUELOW products will expand this list greatly. Again,
feel free to create your own items. (Pop Jeopardy answer: "Brain
surgery." You pose the question for $1,000.)
How do the player characters barter for additional equipment?
Well, they find a non-player character that has something one or
more of them wants, then they find something the non-player
character wants, and they trade. How do they get what the
non-player character wants? Perhaps that's what the adventure is
about. At any rate, getting what you need and want is not hard for
a resourceful character in the Magic Forest.
Weapons
Each weapon in NUELOW has five statistics, type, damage,
weight, size, and race (stating which species is allowed to use the
weapon in question.) Remember, a character's Strength Damage
Modifier is added to hand-to-hand and meelee weapon attacks, as is
"called shot" damage modifiers. Blunt weapons do non-lethal damage,
edged do lethal damage unless otherwise noted, while the damage
listed for ranged weapons is actually for the projectile it fires.
The character receives eight projectiles if a ranged weapon is
selected at character creations. Further projectiles must be
bartered for, or acquired in some other fashion. Any large weapon
is treated as if weighing 10 pounds for encumbrance purposes.
Crossbows have the special effect of ignoring Armor Ratings. All
edged weapons come with sheathes.
Fairies have a limited selection of weapons. This reflects
their non-violent nature.
Key to codes: AT=Attribute-base for Weapons Use skill checks.
R=ranged; H=hand-to-hand; B=blunt; E=edged; l=lethal;
nl=non-lethal; c=crusader; h=half-fairy; f=fairy; Str=Strength
Attribute Rating; Agility=Agility Attribute Rating.
Weapon Type Damage Weight Size Race AT
Bow R, E 2 l 2 pounds Medium All Str.
Club H, B 1 nl 2 pounds Medium All Str.
Club, spiked H, B/E 1 nl/l l 3 pounds Medium h Str.
Crossbow, lgt. R, E 2 l 3 pounds Medium h Agil
Crossbow, hvy. R, E 4 l 6 pounds Large c, h Agil
Dagger H, E 1 l .2 pounds Small All Agil.
Gauntlet H, B/E 1 nl/1 l 1 pound Small c Str.
Lance, footman H, E 3 l 8 pounds Medium c Str.
Lance, mounted H, E 6 l 15 pounds Large c Str.
Mace, medium H, B 2 l 6 pounds Medium c, h Str.
Mace, large H, B 4 l 11 pounds Medium c Str.
Mace, spiked H, B/E 5 l 8 pounds Medium c, h Str.
Sling R, B 1 nl .1 pounds Small f Agil.
Staff H, B 1 nl 1 pound Medium f Str.
Staff, spiked H, B/E 1 nl/2 l 2 pounds Medium h Str.
Sword, small H, E 2 l 3 pounds Small All Agil.
Sword, large H, E 4 l 6 pounds Medium c, h Agil.
Sword, massive H, E 6 l 10 pounds Large c Str.
Whips & chains H, B 1 nl 2 pounds Small h Agil.
Armor
Each type of armor in NUELOW has four ratings, type, armor
rating, weight, and race. Armor rating represents the degree of
protection the character is afforded when wearing it. The
"full armors" weigh 10 pounds for each point of protection
provided, but the protection is in all locations (except wings)
while other types weigh 2 pounds for each point of protection. It
takes one six-sided die worth of rounds put on a piece of armor,
and five six-sided dice of rounds to put on a full suit. It takes
roughly half that time to take the armor off. Again, race indicates
the species that is permitted to wear the armor in question. The
abbreviations are the same as used above.
Fairies tend to shy away from armor. Although they may wear
full chain, they only do so when crusaders are invading the forest
in full force. Fairies prefer to move about in as little clothing
as possible, so they may feel the sweet breeze and warm sun on
their naked skin, or change form when the urge strikes them (and do
whatever else when the urge strikes them.) It is not uncommon for
fairies to wear individual pieces of armor, particularly helmets
with wild ornementations on them. Fairies who have permanent wings
never wear torso armor of any type, and those with transmutable
wings must remove the armor before they can use the wings.
Type Armor Rating Weight Race
Chain, full suit 2 20 pounds all
Chain, head 2 4 pounds h
Chain, torso 4 8 pounds all
Chain, arms 2 4 pounds c, h
Leather, torso 2 4 pounds f, h
Leather, arms 1 2 pound f, h
Leather, legs 1 2 pound f, h
Plate, full suit 4 40 pounds c
Plate, head 3 6 pounds c, f, h
Plate, torso 9 20 pounds c, h
Plate, arms 3 6 pounds all
Plate, legs 3 6 pounds all
For attacks that aren't "called shots," a character's Armor
Rating equals the armor type's full suit or torso rating, whichever
is less.
Other Stuff
This section provides a smattering of mundane equipment the
people of the Magic Forest might have with them when encountered.
This list is no where near all-inclusive. GMs and players wishing
to expand the list should think of items that might be available to
the people of medieval Europe. Your local library has a variety of
books on that and may other subjects. Read, because a mind is a
terrible thing to waste (ya-da, ya-da, ya-da...). If you don't want
to go to the library, we're sure you have the core rules for
everyone's favorite role-playing game (@*&*) on a shelf nearby.
Again, this list will be expanded in future NUELOW volumes.
The restrictions given under race are primarily intended for
the initial selection of equipment. (There's no reason why a fairy
shouldn't pick up a lantern, half-fairy adult toys or a shotgun
[found in "Lust and Dust!"] during its adventures.)
Although fairies are permitted many items on the list, a
typical fairy will rarely be found with more than a belt, a pouch
and an instrument or two. (No, we didn't forget to mention the
clothes.)
Item Description/Notes Weight Race
Adult toys Guess! varies h
Backpack Holds stuff (20 pounds worth) .2 pounds (empty) c, h
Belt Holds stuff up .06 pounds all
Books with
dirty illuminations Crusader porn 1-20 pounds c
Boots, plain Goes on feet 1 pound c, h
Boots, steel-toed Goes on feet, inflicts 2 pts. nl
on successful Agil. check 3 pounds c
Cloak Warm and woolly 1 pound all
Clothes shirt, pants, etc. varies c, h
Pan flute what every fairy has .09 f
Tin flute makes tinny music .008 h, f
Harp, hand-held makes heavenly music 5 pounds f
Horse, War See "Creatures" a lot! c
Lantern Lights up the night 4 pounds c, h
Moccasins Light footwear .007 f
Oil What lanterns need .1 pound (1 flask) c, h
Peasant slave See "Creatures" varies c
Pouch, belt Holds stuff (5 pounds worth) .01 pounds all
Sack Holds stuff (10 pounds worth) .01 pounds all
Tinder box Used to light fires .05 pounds all
Torch Lights up the night .02 pounds all
Unicorn See "Creatures" a lot! f
THE MAGIC FOREST: A "FAIRIES!" CAMPAIGN SETTING
Of course, no self-respecting GM wouldn't dream of using a
pre-made campaign setting. (Which means there are many GMs with low
self-esteem out there.) Nonetheless, we threw together a couple of
aids to jump-start your NUELOW campaign: a setting the Magic Forest
some monsters, and some adventure seeds.
Features of the Magic Forest
The Magic Forest gets its name from various places in the
woods that are portals to other worlds. Caves, hollow tree stumps,
and placid ponds are spots where strange creatures from other
worlds emerge, and beings of the Magic Forest enter to never be
seen again. These locations are the Gates of Nuelow, a rather
cheesy device that keeps cowboys, fairies, drunken frat-boys and
sex-starved aliens from the planet Bobbitsnipowies separate, yet
still linked. ("The NUELOW Bedside Companion!" will include a grand
adventure that merges all the realities into one.)
Fairies live in the Magic Forest, cavorting with all manner of
wild beasts. There are a few well-hidden half-fairy communities in
the most overgrown parts of the forest, but most other species
dwell on the outskirts of the forest.
Crusaders, being a paranoid bunch who are convinced the
fairies are everywhere, constantly trying to corrupt them (and with
some justification) dwell in massive fortifications. Crusader
fortresses only fall to treachery from within. Half-fairies have
besieged more than one of them, only to break the siege off after
three or four years. Besides crusaders and their small families,
the fortresses are filled with foodstores, livestock, and the
levels where the crusader's intelligent mounts war horses live when
their not carrying the crusaders into battle against the fairies.
These horse-like creatures have their reasons for hating fairies,
but no one has been able to get them to reveal them. (YOUR CAMPAIGN
HERE!)
Near every crusader fortress is a small village, populated by
peasants. They till the soil, tend the crusader war horses, act as
servants, and generally do whatever the heavily armed people from
the massive stone building tell them to do. Mostly, the peasants
serve out of tradition and gratitude.
Peasents fear the fairies who rob them of self-control, and
the violent half-fairies, who rob them of life, seeing the
crusaders as the only thing standing between the status quo and
utter chaos. There are some peasants that have become slaves of the
crusaders, however. These unfortunately souls have committed severe
violation of the moral code (had sex with a fairy and got caught,
whistled a tune on a holy day, etc.) or are descended from someone
who did, and thus their whole family for ten generations is
condemned to servitude. Peasant villages are protected by an
extension of the crusader fortress' outer curtain wall. A few
peasants also dwell by the Saw Sea where they fish for a living.
(These peasants, if they were anything but creatures in a
role-playing game, might be referred to as fishermen and
fisherwomen.) Peasant villages contain little of note, other than
peasants, which fairies enjoy seducing.
Half-fairy settlements are surrounded by low stone walls and
all manner of pit traps. There is only one safe way to reach one.
Nothing in known about how half-fairies live in their villages
(YOUR CAMPAIGN HERE!) as even fairies have been unable to
infiltrate them. Half-fairies keep ohmys, strange beings that
resemble large (5' in length) slugs that have the uncanny ability
to identify a fairy regardless of what shape it takes. Since ohmys
are not found wild in any known territories, it is speculated that
they are fetched by half-fairies from parcels of unexplored
territories in the Magic Forest. These territories are generally
called "Where the wild things are." They are too remote for the
fairies to care about, and most crusaders and half-fairies don't
want to bother with them as long has they have each other and
fairies to kill off. These regions might be home to all manner of
strange beasts. (YOUR CAMPAIGN SETTING HERE!)
West of the Magic Forest is a sandy beach and the Saw Sea, a
vast ocean dotted with thousands of islands, large and small. It's
here so that you may create seaborne adventures, and so we can use
it for "Sea of Sinners!," the NUELOW pirate supplement. (We had to
get the seamen jokes in somewhere.) To the north, is the Land of
Hans, the place where the crusaders originally came from. (This is
where we'll be placing our game of role-playing adventures in the
worlds of Hans Christian Andersen, "Ugly Ducklings and Ice
Queens!") To the east and south, we've got nothing. You can design
your own regions (or make the Magic Forest part of your favorite
game world).
Oh, and we've left any kind of scale of the map. That way you
can make the Magic Forest as big or small as you want.
Map Key:
1. Here be fairies.
2. Crusader fortresses.
3. Peasants
4. Half-fairy villages.
5. Where the wild things are.
6. Gates of Nuelow.
Creatures of the Magic Forest
The Attribute Ratings given for the various species and animal
categories below are averages, to be used as examples for GMs to
design creatures and NPCs of their own. GMs should outfit
intelligent creatures with the appropriate equipment.
Bear: Big furry creature that eats all manner of things,
people included, if threatened. Found throughout the Magic Forest
area. Bears are the friends of fairies, and enjoy having them
scratch their stomachs. Attacks with claws for 3 l/4 nl damage.
Str: 12, Agil: 5, Lks: 5, Itl: 3, Per: 2, Hth:14, Pth: 12.
Birds: Anything from a humming bird to a condor. Found through
out the Magic Forest area. Str: 2, Agil: 11, Lks: 7, Itl: 1, Per:
1, Hth: 4, Pth: 4.
Child, average: This is a sexually immature crusader, peasant,
or half-fairies, roughly 7-10 years old. Generally found in or near
settlements, a child is often found alone in the Magic Forest,
lost. They are similar in appearance to the humanoid shapes the
fairies are most fond of assuming. Children have genetic advantages
as appropriate to their species, so the GM needs to modify these
base average Attribute Ratings as appropriate. They may also have
one skill and one or two advantages or disadvantages. Str: 3, Agil:
6, Lks: 8, Itl: 4, Per: 6, Hth: 4, Pth: 5.
Crusader, average: An NPC version of the Player Character
species. Found throughout the campaign area. (See Player Character
Species for additional information.) Str: 10 , Agil: 7, Lks: 6,
Itl: 6, Per: 5, Hth: 7, Pth: 9.
Crusader, leader: This seasoned veteran leads crusader NPCs,
and possibly PCs, into battle against the fairies. Found throughout
the region in the company of 1-11 other crusaders. When in the
crusader fortresses, they often lead religious services. (See
Player Character Species for additional information.) Str: 11,
Agil: 8, Lks: 8, Itl: 9, Per: 10, Hth: 12, Pth: 11.
Fairy, average: An NPC version of the Player Character
species. They are found primarily in the Magic Forest. (See Player
Character Species for additional information.) Str: 4, Agil: 10,
Lks: 10, Itl: 4, Per: 8, Hth: 5, Pth: 4.
Fairy, leader: This is a truly exception fairy, well-versed in
all forms of physical pleasure (has all sexually related skills)
and a creature that strikes fear in the hearts of crusaders
everywhere. It may be mentor of player character fairies. (See
Player Character Species for additional information.) Str: 5, Agil:
13, Lks: 13, Itl: 7, Per: 14, Hth: 10, Pth: 6.
Game: Rabbits, pheasants, deer, any manner of creatures that
characters might hunt for food. As with birds, these creatures
encompass a wide range. GMs might want to modify these average
Attribute Ratings scores. Str: 3, Agil: 9, Lks: 4, Itl: 1, Per: 1,
Hth: 3, Pth: 5,
Half-fairy, average: An NPC version of the Player Character
species. Found throughout the campaign area. (See Player Character
Species for additional information.) Str: 5, Agil: 8, Lks: 9,
Itl: 5, Per: 6, Hth: 6, Pth: 6.
Half-fairy, leader: This exceptional NPC version of the Player
Character species is rarely found outside half-fairy villages. When
it is, it is in the company of heavily armed, heavily armored
half-fairies with at least two levels of Weapons Use skill in two
different areas. Half-fairy leaders know all sexual skills, and
have Skill Level 4 in knives. (See Player Character SpeciesJfor
additional information.) Str: 10, Agil: 12, Lks: 10, Itl: 8, Per:
11, Hth: 9, Pth: 9.
Lion: This magnificent predator can be found roaming freely in
the Magic Forest and the surrounding territories. Friends of the
fairies, crusaders hunt them for their pelts and often prove
their bravery by facing a lion armed only with a dagger. Attacks
with claws for 3 l/3nl of damage. Str: 11, Agil: 10, Lks: 8, Itl:
4, Per: 3, Hth: 10, Pth: 12.
Horse, War: These intelligent, horse-like creatures are staunch
allies of the crusaders in their quest to exterminate the fairies.
They permit crusaders to use them as mounts, and fight
independently, attacking with hooves for 2l/3nl points of damage.
In the Magic Forest they are found exclusively with the crusaders.
Str: 12, Agil: 9, Lks: 7, Itl: 8, Per: 7, Hth: 14, Pth: 13.
Ohmy: Slug-like creatures that are kept by half-fairies
because of their ability to identify fairies regardless of the form
they take. When an ohmy's master dies, the telepathic link they
share kills the ohmy as well. (See Advantages: Ohmy CompanionJfor
additional information.) Str: 4, Agil: 2, Lks: 1, Itl: 3, Per: 2,
Hth: 6, Pth: 15.
Peasant, average: Wretched, half-starved humans who exist
under the yoke of the crusaders. One in four peasants has a Weapons
Use Skill devoted to club. Str: 6, Agil: 4, Lks: 4, Itl: 5, Per: 5,
Hth: 5, Pth: 4.
Peasant Slave: Depending on their master, peasant slaves may
be better or worse off than their "free" counterparts... at least
the crusaders have laws against allowing a peasant slave to starve
to death. A peasant slave generally has a Weapons Use Skill devoted
to Sword, Small (1-3) or Club (4-6). Str: 6, Agil: 6, Lks: 5, Itl:
6, Per: 5, Hth: 6, Pth: 5.
Tiger: These fearsome creatures are worshipped by half-fairies
who see the tiger's stripes as a reflection of their own mixed
heritage. Woe to the crusader caught attacking a tiger, or the
fairy caught frolicking with one. Str: 10, Agil: 11, Lks: 9, Itl:
4, Per: 4, Hth: 11, Pth: 12.
Unicorn: A rare and intelligent forest creature that resembles
a horse with a goat horn in the middle of its forehead. Friendly
with fairies, they are often used as mounts by Fairy Leaders. Str:
12. Agil: 9. Lks: 8, Itl: 7, Per: 7, Hth: 12, Pth: 12.
Vermin: Another wide category, this covers small animals that
one or the other of the Magic Forest's intelligent species would
consider a nuisance. The range goes from rats to dogs. Str: 1,
Agil: 8, Lks: 2, Itl: 2, Per: 1, Hth: 2, Pth: 6.
ADVENTURES FOR "FAIRIES!"
The following are starting points for developing adventures
for "Fairies!" Broken down according to player character species,
each scenario is formulated from a viewpoint that species would
consider heroic.
Would-be players should not read past this point. You'll only
be ruining your fun.
Okay, fine. Ignore us then. We did our part. Now, when you
blow it, and the GM senses you've read the scenario and kills your
character out of spite, don't come boobing to us.
Fairy Adventures
1. A few days after a storm on the Saw Sea, the characters witness
a funeral for a peasant whose boat sank. The body was never
recovered, and the family is burying an empty casket. The peasant's
mother, his wife, and his children are all very up set and saddened
by his disappearance. It seems like the perfect opportunity to
spread a little joy. The characters all assume the form of the
vanished peasant and meet the family members at the same time in
different locations.
Aside from giving the old mother a chance to say good-bye to
her beloved son, letting the children say good-bye to their father,
and giving the wife the best night in bed she has ever experienced,
the characters might uncover a bit of intrigue: the peasant isn't
really dead. A woman crusader leader has taken him captive after he
scorned her advances. She spots one of the characters, and,
assuming the peasant somehow escaped, she captures that character
and whichever NPCs it was with. It is now up the rest to save
everybody from the crusader's clutches.
2. Word of an exceptional challenge reaches the ears of the
player characters: there is a crusty old crusader leader, who has
never chosen a human mate, that no fairy has even gotten a second
glance from. Add to this that he is one of the most dedicated
butchers of fairies, he is a target that no fairy can refuse. The
characters must infiltrate the ranks of the crusaders, assuming
both male and female forms, to unlock the sexual desires of the
crusader. If they can unlock his heart, so much the better.
The problem is two-fold. First, the crusader leader has an
Intelligence Rating of 12--he's very hard to seduce; second, he's
really screwed up sexually. He's got the Sexual Preference
disadvantage, and he like males--little boys, to be exact. He has,
however, never given into temptation. And he never will: he has
devoted his life the gods, and is the High Commander of a
crusader fortress. Will the characters break him?
Crusader Adventures
1. The fairies have infiltrated the very heart of the
crusader's stronghold and corrupted their spiritual leader! (See
Fairy Adventure #2.) The characters are charged with identifying
and destroying the shape-changed fairies that have entered the
crusader ranks. If this means they must engage in distasteful
sexual acts, so be it. The future of their whole society is at
stake!
Such a witch-hunt could have several results, depending on the
GMs designs and disposition. (If the GM wishes to expand into other
NUELOW products, one result might be that over-zealous characters
take their investigation too far and find themselves banished
from the realm, forced to depart by land, ship or Nuelow Gate. The
characters might also emerge as heroes.)
2. While on a routine seek-and-destroy mission in the Magic
Forest, the characters are set upon by a force of half-fairies and
ohmys. After a pitched battle, the characters and if not them,
their war horse mounts realize they are hopelessly outnumbered.
(There are nine fully armored, heavily armed half-fairies for each
player character.) The war horses take the characters to the most
easily defensible position, and moments later several fairies
become visible, two for each player character.
The half-fairies had boxed the fairies in and were moving in
for the kill when the characters stumbled into the middle of the
situation. The fairy leader tries to convince the character with
the highest Personality Attribute Rating that the only way their
going to survive is to cooperate. The characters' war horses see
the reality of this situation. Will the player characters?
In order for both the characters and fairies to survive, it is
crucial the crusaders target and destroy the five Ohmys, so the
fairies can use their invisibility powers in combat. Once the
battle is over, the fairies might just slip away invisibly, or
attempt to seduce the player characters.
Half-Fairy Adventures
1. A contingent of crusaders find the player characters'
village. A battle ensues, but several invaders manage to escape.
The characters must track the crusaders and try to capture or kill
them before they reach a crusader strong-hold. Failing that, the
characters need to destroy the crusaders in the fortress, before
they can pinpoint the location of the village.
2. The leader of the player character's home village has
seemingly gone insane. He has been having sex with half-fairies of
all ages, at all hours of the day, and has been issuing the
strangest orders. ("No patrols today! Today, we feast!") Quite by
accident, the characters witness the leader assume a different
form, and they know that he isn't able to shape change thus they
know there is a fairy in their midst, but one who is undetectable
by the ohmys!
The characters will probably try to convince their fellow
half-fairies their leader has been replaced with a foul fairy. No
one will believe them. If they can find a way to confront the
masquerading fairy in private, because doing so in public will only
get them declared outcasts--the fairy will reveal that it knows of
an herb that protects his kind from ohmy detection. Not believing
the characters resourceful enough to find and destroy the only
source of this plant, he gives them its general location: the heart
of Where the Wild Things Are. This leads the characters on a
traditional wilderness exploration and a possible dungeon crawl
through the Caves of the Ohmy.
Adventures for Mixed Parties
Make your own... or adapt an adventure from everyone's favorite
three-letter role-playing game (you know, @*&*). You've got to have
at least one lying around the house somewhere.
AFTERWORD
Well, this is the last lines of the first title in the series
even the originators didn't think was going to happen. Will the
NUELOW game continue from this point? That depends on you. As
mentioned several times above, we've got ideas for several more of
these little beauties. (Yes, Virginia, there is an end to western
civilization, and you're looking at it.)
If you'll play along, we intend to create a universal game
system in which all the pieces and rules fit together smoothly. We
hope to produce something not unlike an exploding clown mobile.
But, now you have to decide if you want to rise above what we have
to offer. You've read the book, now play the game. (At least send
us an e-mail canceling your order for future volumes or tell
us what you thought.)
At NUELOW, we have designers who care. Not about the game,
mind you, but they still care. Comments, rants, raves, and random
thoughts about life, the universe, and the NUELOW we've all
discovered, can be sent to [s--l--r] at [media.utah.edu] (e-mail) or to
MillerArt, 616 E. 700 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84102 (regular
papermail that gets delivered through rain, sleet, and snowQbut not
through dogs.)
Take care, until next time.
Steven Miller
The One To Blame