Liminal Ark

  The Heat Wave Part 3: Ire of the Dog Star With more heat wave on the way here in the PNW as well as smoke from the wildfires down south it seemed as good a time as any to return to the Heat Wave series. This time we imagine the Heat Wave as a petty cosmic foe that demands sacrifice or else batter down your defenses and turn man's best friend against you. It is inescapable and hungry. It is the Ire of the Dog Star.  Though this monster is made for Chronicles of Darkness specifically I see no reason why it can't be altered to fit any number of urban fantasy games. I could imagine a more visceral God-Machine'y version of this that would fit Kult: Divinity Lost's vibe more or simply retooling what's here for Monster of the Week. Anyway, to the Dog Star! <queue Florence & The Machine> "Sun set in the Cairngorms"   by  apollo1981  is licensed under  CC BY-SA 2.0 The Ire of the Dog Star Background:   Many ancient cultures ascribed malice to the su...

Heat As a Hazard After thankfully surviving some of the hottest days of the year here in the Pacific Northwest we return as promised to continue our series on the Heat Wave imagined this time as a trap. From now on we'll be referring to it as a hazard just to keep the language consistent with the system. Before 2E you wouldn't find me anywhere near a Pathfinder product I find a lot to like about this edition of the game and actually prefer it to DnD 5e in a lot of ways. That is of course not to say that I'm in love with the heavy amounts of math or unnecessary complexity found in many parts of the game. But, I do feel more comfortable breaking things in this house when I know the foundations are so solid. The Hazard The premise of the Burning Sunlight Lens hazard is that of an enchanted magnifying glass held inside of a window or even a reflective that absorbs sunlight before an unsuspecting creature walks by and gets its feet melted into the floor before being vaporized. I...

It's the hottest day of the year... While melting slowly into my chair today on what seems to be the start of a harsh heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest I was thinking about stories which involve the hottest day of the year trope. Everyone in these stories are exhausted, agitated, and slick with sweat making what ever ordeal they are already going through that much worse. The heat wave is a more sinister version of the more in your face disaster like a hurricane or tornado but eats away at you slowly instead of an explosion of escalating misery. So what's that got to do with RPGs? THE HEAT WAVE Beyond its aesthetic a heat wave can be used as a motivator, a hazard, or even a character all its own in your story. In addition to mechanical ways mentioned here keep in mind that the heat wave is just as powerful as just another layer on top of the current setting. Take care to describe the liminal haze of the crossroads. The odor of rancid sweat or herds of grazing animals. The ...