All posts by Winston

Mysterious Lake Dwellers

In an era where an oft-jaded population demands instant information, many people have little time for something as whimsical as myths. Cynics dissect legends under the microscope and imagination is often slightly out of style. Fortunately, for those who still fascinated by mystery, there area few things that defy explanation and some creatures who have managed to avoid the paparazzi. Read the Full Article

Mercenaries

Many who take up the sword and perish on the battlefield sacrifice their lives freely because they believe in the cause they serve. However, there are those who are not motivated by glory or national pride. These callous warriors risk their lives for far pettier reasons and sell their martial prowess to the highest bidder. They are oft guided by greed, disillusionment, or revenge. Such is the life of the mercenary. Read the Full Article

Megalo-maniacal Villains

Megalomania is a psychopathic condition that’s predominated by infantile delusions of wealth, power, or omnipotence. Individuals stricken with this malady of the mind are often obsessed with grandiose actions or extravagant things. People such as these feel they deserve the best life has to offer. Thus, their hidden hide outs have all the creature comforts money can buy and are protected by cutting edge, often ridiculously lethal weaponry, while stunning companions attend to their needs. The villains make excellent leaders for secret societies, cabals, and organizations that demand fanatical loyalty from their followers. Read the Full Article

Mantis Aliens

The Mantideans are a brutal race of insects resembling what many humans would call a praying mantis. Most stand over two and a half meters tall but can reach a height of nearly four meters when fully extended. Their faces resemble a triangle with compound eyes on either side and sharp chitinous mandibles in the middle. Exoskeletons provide inherent armor and produce a highly adaptive pigment that changes to fit their surroundings. This pigment can mimic greens, reds, oranges, and browns. Read the Full Article

Abilities and Skills

Characters are described as having abilities; the specific abilities a character possesses are determined by the character’s narrative background. Abilities are ranked by a die code and further described by one or more skills and specializations which enhance the die code. Abilities are either normal or extranormal. Abilities describe broadly defined actions which they allow the character to perform. Rolling the dice to test an ability or skill against a difficulty is called an ability check (when not testing a specific skill, or when using a default value) or a skill check (when testing a skill or specialization). The term “ability check” is a blanket term for rolling the dice to test against a difficulty number and applies to both abilities and skills. Read the Full Article

Narrative Structure

FreeD6 uses ordinary language to describe the conflicts and events of an adventure narrative. The conflict structure uses die codes (ranks) and difficulty numbers to turn narrative actions into a game. The action point economy allows players to influence the dice or to introduce elements to the narrative. The die codes, difficulty numbers, and result points help the players and Game Master determine how strong, fast, or effective something is within the context of the game. Read the Full Article

Lycanthropes

Near any dank moor in Europe, or remote village at the edge of civilization, newcomers will be warned by the local townsfolk not to travel the wilds during the full moon for things that walk the line between person and beast prowl the night seeking warm flesh to feast upon. Those who scoff at these “quaint rural superstitions” should beware: These warnings are no mere tales for tourists. In the places where the domain of civilization ends and the domain of animal begins, there are creatures that are half-man, half-beast. They are known as lycanthropes, or werecreatures. Read the Full Article