fragments of a blue ruin
Vaarn is, of course, synonymous with the pointcrawl, generated via a dice drop map. But what if you want something different? What if you want to fill a hexcrawl instead? Don't worry, I have you covered. This is adapted from Luke Gearing's procedure from Wolves upon the Coast. If it's good enough for one of… Continue reading VAARN HEXFILL PROCEDURE
Each PC may keep one pet. The equipment used to care for the pet takes up one item slot. The pet must consume one ration per day, although what this consists of is dependent upon the nature of the pet. Pets who are not fed for seven days will run away at the first chance… Continue reading PETS AND STEEDS
Travel within the Great Wall is profoundly different from travelling the empty wastes of the Interior. This is an attempt to codify the differences, and make them apparent to Referees and players alike. Directions The Wall is a vertical structure. Directions given will differ from the standard four compass points. When giving directions, a denizen… Continue reading WALL-CRAWLING PROCEDURES
The word 'daemon' in Vaarnish parlance can refer to a number of different phenomena. What these disparate entities hold in common is that they are bodiless intelligences, often malicious, that seek to influence the material world or to inhabit the flesh of humans. The term is loosely applied: a swarm of invasive nanomachines might be… Continue reading QUANTUM DAEMONS
The Deluxe Edition hardback is a compilation of the first three issues of Vaults of Vaarn. I have generally restricted the changes to correcting obvious errors and expanding on some parts of the core rules that were ambiguous. An example would be that the first issue includes several monsters that dealt damage directly to a… Continue reading WHAT’S CHANGED IN THE DELUXE EDITION?
The weapon stats given in the core zines aren't very complex. When it comes to mundane weapons, all you're really told is the basic form and a descriptive modifier, which has no set gameplay effect. They have a weight in item slots and a damage value: d6 for a light weapon, d8 for a medium… Continue reading ADVANCED WEAPON RULES
This is another post focusing on the merging points between classic B/X-style fantasy, and science-fantasy. I was partly prompted to write this by an email from the GM of a Vaarn campaign, asking for my thoughts on incorporating traditional magic-user PCs into Vaults of Vaarn. I'm personally happy with how Mystic Gifts work in vanilla… Continue reading SOURCERY
Elixirs are the province of the Vaarnish alchymist, a catch-all term for wondrous unguents, salves, tonics, nectars, and draughts, the recipes for which have been passed down through the eons. Infused with exotic molecules and enthusiastic nanomachinery, these single-use concoctions grant the drinker a variety of beneficial effects. They may be ingested by all PCs… Continue reading ELIXIRS
I very rarely make posts about game mechanics, but there's something I've started thinking about recently: poison! How does one make it engaging? I don't really like Save or Die type poisons and I haven't given any Vaarn monsters this ability. The closest is the Amaranthine Death-Worm, which can inflict you with a special status… Continue reading TOXIN DICE
We are back for a few updates on Bloodheist. The ruleset posted yesterday was not entirely complete, as it lacked specifics on Follies and Dooms. Fear not, because this post has you covered. FOLLIES A Folly is triggered whenever a character reaches 3 on their Doom track. They represent the negative effects of gathering Doom… Continue reading Bloodheist: Folly and Doom
VAULTS OF VAARN 