Frog God Games Frog Chat on Discord Tonight!
about 4 years ago – Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 09:31:25 AM

Hi all. Small detour from Splinters of Faith stuff for now, but here's something else you should definitely check out tonight if you are interested in other adventures related to Frog God Games or Necromancer Games: 

Come join us for the monthly live Frog Chat TONIGHT (March 14) on Discord: https://discord.gg/9Cxwqcd 

We will be discussing Hell Comes to Bogtown, Splinters of Faith, and other upcoming projects for Necromancer Games & Frog God Games.

* Time: 6pmPT//7pmMT//8pmCT//9pmET

* Link: https://discord.gg/9Cxwqcd

Weekend Update
about 4 years ago – Sun, Mar 13, 2022 at 07:10:22 PM

Been a busy weekend but I'll be back soon with some additional insights into Splinters of Faith.

Until then, this:

Yes, my last name is Harkness. No, I'm not related to Capt. Jack or Agatha. 

That is all.

Jeff H.

Stretch Goal No. 4: High-Resolution PDF Player Handouts
about 4 years ago – Fri, Mar 11, 2022 at 12:17:13 AM

We've checked off another stretch goal! I really hope you like this one, but I bet the players at your game table will. With this stretch goal, we've unlocked high-resolution PDFs of the handouts included to liven up the game. These include maps, letters that can be found, and even that nifty Wanted Poster you see here. All of these handouts are designed to provide the players with a more immersive experience as they take on the challenges found in the Splinters of Faith campaign. 

And looking forward a bit, if we reach our $65,000 stretch goal (I know we can get there!), we'll be printing these handouts as physical rewards on a collection of postcards that you can use in your game. But I'm getting ahead of myself ... We'll talk more about that stretch goal when we get there.

But up next at the $40,000 stretch goal, we're set up to provide backers with the high-resolution art found in the Splinters of Faith book. Take a look throughout this Kickstarter, and you'll see a number of these images already.   

Digging into Splinters
about 4 years ago – Thu, Mar 10, 2022 at 04:41:58 PM

Welcome Back!

Hello again, everyone. Thanks for all you’ve done to help bring this project to life. And if you’ve not yet joined in on the Kickstarter, thanks for taking a look. Maybe some of these glimpses inside the book can help tip the scales.

Today, I wanted to pull some random sections out of the book to highlight different things you’ll find. I’m going to strip out some of the mechanics, but rest assured that they are there. These are just to give you a feel for the encounters in Splinters of Faith. I’m not going to identify the adventures where these occur, however. It’s best if your players stumble upon them in the course of the game without too much preparation. We don’t want them too prepared, do we? Where’s the fun in that.

If anything, I also want you to see the little details and backgrounds built into even the shortest encounters within the book. We've provided the setting and details, but you get to take the encounter in whatever direction you want. Or where your players lead you. 

Anything in a Fight

First up is a simple encounter in a cavern. Except it’s not all that simple because of the unique weapon the ettin has at its disposal. I grabbed this one because I just can’t get the image out of my head of the goblins flying around like a makeshift flail. Those goblins above don’t look too happy about it either, do they?

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Area U-1: The Main Room

Four tunnels lead from this dimly lit chamber. A stream of water flows into the room from one tunnel, turning the floor into a muddy mess. A hunchbacked ettin struggles to pull a metal cart along one tunnel using a long chain. Rocks and rubble mined from the pillar fill the cart. Four hobgoblins and 2 goblins (with no equipment, armor, or weapons) empty the cart and carry rocks into the garden. The ettin starts combat by using the two manacled goblins as an improvised weapon before drawing its battleaxe and wading into melee combat.

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Splinters of 1941?

Next up is an encounter with a film connection. In fact, lots of names and places in Splinters of Faith are based on real-world people or places. We’ve taken full names and shortened and combined and chopped them up to create unique gaming names. I don’t think I could even spot them all now.

But back to that film connection I mentioned. I’m sure a lot of you remember the film 1941 by Steven Spielberg. I’m sure some of you are thinking, “How does a comedy about a WWII invasion of the California coast connect to a fantasy RPG?” Good question. It's one scene in particular that's relevant. Near the end of the film, Dan Aykroyd is driving a tank through the streets and stores. At one point, Aykroyd ends up covering his eyes with oranges and shouting “I’m a bug!” If you don’t remember it, check it out on YouTube here: 

Now, read the room description below and tell me you don’t see it.

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Area F-12: The Great Antechamber

The original miners used to meet and eat here, but the chamber currently serves as a guard quarters. Vademn, a half-orc barbarian, serves Rachiss loyally and is the only guard — mainly because other guards can’t stand to share the room with the smelly half-orc. He commands the bugbears in the mines and keeps a close eye on the front tunnels and the driders in the adjacent room (Area F-13). He rides a huge stag beetle and urges it to trample his opponents. The beetle is his prized possession, and he fights to the death to protect his “baby.” He often spends time polishing the beetle’s carapace.

The only furnishings in the room are a bedroll and a fire pit. Vademn’s gear is in saddlebags carried by the beetle. The beetle wears a specialized saddle, and Vademn wields his greataxe while charging. The greataxe is fabricated from the mandible of a giant insect. Vademn attacks elves above all others.

Vademn always wears a set of goggles made from the compound eyes of a giant insect. The goggles do not aid nor hinder the wearer aside from protecting against dust. A pair of fake antennae is attached to his leather helm. Vademn bathes in the malodorous secretion emitted from the goliath beetle’s rear end. He claims it keeps his beetle calm and is a “bonding experience.” Despite his nonconformity, Vademn is well-respected and feared.

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See what I mean? Tell me Vademn isn’t Dan Aykroyd rolling around on his giant beetle (tank) shouting “I’m a bug!” at everything he encounters. Feel free to shout it at your players at the game table. Take videos of yourself shouting "I'm a bug" at them. Have fun with it. (And please, share those videos!)

There you have it, a few samples from Splinters of Faith and some insight into the text itself. Next time, I might discuss wandering monsters or the postcards you get only with the Kickstarter. Or maybe something else will strike my fancy. As always, ask away if you have questions.

Jeff Harkness

Co-author of Splinters of Faith

All Kinds of Adventure Pt. 2: A Closer Look at the Adventures in Splinters of Faith
about 4 years ago – Wed, Mar 09, 2022 at 07:10:46 PM

All right, let's pick this up where I left off looking at the adventures inside our updated Splinters of Faith book. Again, the levels are approximates to give you an idea how tough the campaign can be.

Check out Part 1 in the previous update if you missed the details on the first half of the book. 

Adventure 6: Eclipse of the Hearth (5th to 7th levels) 

The pyramid Seraph, once a holy temple, now lies under the sway of darkness. Breaking into the temple is hard enough, but braving the sinister twists awaiting in the dark catacombs will test even the strongest characters. And characters who thwart the evil gnolls and traps left by priests of Set must face down the past tragedies that still haunt the pyramid. This temple sits in the wastes of the deadly Kanderi Desert. And so do a lot of other things ready to welcome dehydrated creatures struggling through the dunes.

Adventure 7: Morning of Tears (6th to 8th levels)

Get ready for some frostbite. The Wailing Glacier is a massive shelf wall of ice slowly retreating as it melts. Your characters will be visiting the Monastery of World Sundering, a temple swallowed up by the glacier when it formed, and only now slowly being uncovered. But a recent raid on the temple and its misfit priests means a lost treasure is now somewhere inside the Wailing Glacier. Will the characters survive the freezing tunnels in search of a hidden ice shrine. And can they deal with its guardians? And will they discover other hidden secrets trapped in the ice.   

Adventure 8: The Heir of Sin (7th to 9th levels)

The Shield Basilica of Muir's walls block a narrow pass in the Hollow Spire Mountains (characters will pass through it at least once if they head into the Kanderi Desert in Adventure 6). This time, though, they need to enter the Shield itself to answer a call for prospective knights. What can the characters do to prove themselves worthy to receive this blessing? How about entering the Pinnacle of Pazuzu, a shrine to the dark god abandoned during the brief War of the Winds. A new host of creatures -- all followers of Pazuzu -- have moved in and are preparing for a new war on their neighbors. The knights aren't fairing so well this time around (see the art above if you don't believe me).      

Adventure 9: Pains of Scalded Glass (8th to 11th levels)

The Mines of Honn closed years ago, but when did that stop any intrepid heroes from exploring the forbidden? This time, they'll need to stop at the Lady of the Searing Waters temple (located in the middle of a sunken caldera and geyser field). Get your lanterns and torches out, because the Mines of Honn are active again, and a multi-front war is going on in the mine shafts. Characters are going to need to make their way down through the levels and warring factions to the Pillar of Vermin -- and possibly into the steaming depths beyond.    

Adventure 10: Duel of Magic (10th to 13th levels)

The characters are nearing the end now, and the Theurgist Seminary of Thasizier has taken note of their efforts to stop the death-priest. They are summoned before the council of spellcasters on the island city of Jah Sezar off the coast in the Reaping Sea. But a surprise attack by the Coven of Hecate may force them high into the Hollow Spire Mountains to stop the coven and rescue a being trapped in Abhor Brazier, their temple amid the peaks.  

Adventure 11: Remorse of Life (13th level and up)

This is it. The final fight to stop Akruel Rathamon in the Nether Sepulcher, his temple to Orcus located deep in the Seething Jungle. Villages in the jungle are emptying as residents simply march into the jungle to rebuild Al-Sifon, the City of Beyond. A roiling black cloud is spreading outward over the jungle, a perfect cover to protect the city's undead from the sun. Get ready for a tough final fight in a horrific jungle setting as the characters negotiate the tunnels beneath the city. If the characters survive, they may save the lands from certain doom. But that's a big "if." And a whole city of dead things is out to stop them. 

And there you have it, all of the adventures contained in the new Splinters of Faith. On top of that, we also have a background chapter and a whole chapter just of wandering monster tables. Some are just random monsters, sure, but others are tailored specifically to character levels and include creatures looking to stop the heroes.

There are also appendices of new and old monsters, new magic items, descriptions of the various deities and details about their worship, as well as ghostly abilities (some purely cinematic, others quite dangerous), and a table of 100 additional hauntings to add to the haunted manor found in Adventure 5. 

That's all I can think of for now, but I'll add further updates as things strike me.

Jeff Harkness

(And by the way, I take full responsibility for "adventurers" in the title of the previous update instead of "adventures"; that was me doing too many things at once. :) Please forgive me.)