Lair of The Invincible Legion of Evil campaign prospectus

This is an update of the original campaign prospectus for my GURPS Dungeon Fantasy open game. It is no longer a limited series mini-campaign, but will instead go on for as long as there is interest.

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• Campaign Name: Lair of The Invincible Legion of Evil
• GM: Myself
• Start Date: ~ 2018-09-22
• Genre/Ruleset: GURPS Dungeon Fantasy
• Themes: Focus is planned to be equally on combat and dungeon exploration.
• Tech Level: TL3 with some TL4 elements (Dungeon Fantasy)
• Power Level: 275 points, awarding 1-3 CP per session
• Realism Level (Grittily Realistic / Realistic / Cinematic / Over-the-Top): Cinematic
• Medium/Technology: Text-only in Roll20. Characters should be submitted in GCS. Communication between sessions via the GURPS Discord server. Games will be announced in the #game-legion-of-evil channel, and I encourage you to join the “legion” group by typing ?rank legion in the Discord because I ping that group during announcements.
• Campaign Synopsis: You’re a previously acquainted band of adventurers based out of Caverntown, a fortified underground settlement and hub for adventures in the surrounding dungeons and subterranean tunnel networks. The town is a cosmopolitan center where many kinds of folks mingle, focused around a service industry catering to adventurers.

  Recently, you’ve come into possession of directions leading to a lost dungeon complex. A group of powerful villains calling themselves The Invincible Legion of Evil (TM) constructed a complex consisting of multiple individual dungeons connected by caverns as a staging ground for their attacks against the Kingdom and the forces of Good. However, only half a dozen years after construction was complete and the complex fully staffed, internal bickering and a happenstance intervention from an adventuring party resulted in the villains either being destroyed or running into hiding, and their troops disbanding.

  That was several generations ago, and the location of the complex was since lost… until now. You have heard of this dungeon before, of the villains’ riches and magical items still left somewhere inside. When you noticed a crazed prospector rambling about finding the way to one of the supposed back entrances of the complex, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up, even in case his info was wrong. You bought a map to the place from the guy, and set out on your journey.

• Format: Open game with freely drop in/out play. No lasting commitment required, attend as often as you like or can. Characters can be switched in or out on a per session basis without a lot of fuss through blatant retcons, reinforcements however implausible, etc. Even if your character wasn’t present on every session, they are aware of what has passed as if they were there the wole time. Games take place a couple of times a month, each individually advertised about a week in advance. Attendance is on a first come, first serve basis with a maximum of 5 players per session. I’m also taking on last-minute players if unfilled slots remain.

• Important Notes
  • Characters should be submitted at least several days before a session so I have time to approve them and request possible adjustments. In case we don’t manage to finalize your character in time for a session, you may choose between playing your character with the traits I objected to simply stripped out, or playing a pregen.
  • Players who join in the last minute without a preapproved character will be able to choose from a small roster of pregenerated characters.
  • I allow a generous degree of changing a character’s traits during the first couple of sessions as you get a better feel for them, especially if you were in a hurry to finish writing them up, as long as you don’t change the concept significantly. If you played a pregen for your first session, you may both modify the character drastically or replace them with a completely different one the next time, and carry over your earned CP and loot.
  • Shopping and character improvement are resolved via Discord between sessions.
  • Due to the freely drop in/out nature of the campaign, loot distribution will follow a model based on shares, with any kept items coming out of your share.
  • You will be able to return to town any time you like between sessions (unless you end a session locked up somewhere, but I don’t plan on causing that myself). That might not always be a good idea however, since alerting an organized force of bad guys without wiping them out will allow them to regroup and be better prepared for your next encounter.
• Social Contracts
  • I do not support intra-party conflict of any kind besides reasonably roleplayed in-character disagreements. Don’t steal from party members. Don’t pull pranks on them unless you know the other player would like to engage with you in such roleplay. And definitively don’t do anything more serious than that. In the best of such cases I will flat out refuse your actions and ask you not to continue that course, or remove you from the game in the worst. The idea is for the the players collaborating to achieve a common goal and have a fun time doing it.
  • No solo acts. If you want to wander off and do your own thing without the rest of the party (except stuff like scouting ahead, doh), the result will simply be you missing out on playtime.
  • No rules lawyering. I am willing to hear rules disputes, especially since I haven’t run a GURPS game which isn’t radically house ruled for a long time, but in order to facilitate quick play I will not let such things turn into discussions and waste playtime.
• Setting
  • General Info: The campaign takes place within the titular Lair of The Invincible Legion of Evil, a complex of dungeons connected by caverns and other interesting underground biomes. It is a (probably magically) hidden area only a couple of days away from Caverntown, a fortified underground settlement and hub for adventures in the surrounding dungeons and subterranean tunnel networks. The town is a cosmopolitan center where many kinds of folks mingle, focused around a service industry catering to adventurers.
  • Currency: GURPS $, keep it simple
  • Major Centers of Power
    • Caverntown
      • Ruler: The Mayor. Owes fealty to The King.
      • Population: ~50000, 3/4 of which taken up by humans, dwarves and gnomes in equal measure. The remaining 1/4 is “everybody else”, including a wide range of exotica.
      • Terrain: Cavern
      • Hygiene: Clean (public sewage & plumbing)
      • Mana: Normal
      • Languages: Common, Dwarven, Gnome, Halfling
      • Literacy: Mostly literate
• GURPS Books Used
  • Basic Set
  • Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers
  • Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons
  • Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level
  • Dungeon Fantasy 4: Sages
  • Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics
  • Dungeon Fantasy 11: Power Ups
    • Every single power up will need to be individually approved by the GM.
      I do not recommend to base your character concept on a power up or otherwise get emotionally invested prior to approval.
  • Dungeon Fantasy 12: Ninja
  • Dungeon Fantasy 14: Psi
    • Instead of essentially producing random encounters when a Psi fails their 6 or less roll after using their powers, they must instead roll on the Fright Check Table as if they failed their Fright Check by 5.
  • Dungeon Fantasy 19: Incantation Magic
    • Adept (Time) is not allowed
    • Please have all spells you intend to use calculated before the session and written up in a document. While calculating them in the “background” during the game should be fine, I will not wait for you to calculate a spell when an unexpected need for one presents itself. The game must go on!
  • Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Barbarians
  • Dungeon Fantasy Setting: Caverntown
  • The Sorcerer from Pyramid #3-82.
    • Alternative Rituals from Sorcery p.7 may be used, but any time you would cast a spell for free its casting time is 2 seconds longer than normal
    • If you have more Sorcery Talent than level 5, it counts as 5 for the purposes of determining max damage.
    • You must have all spells you improvise written up ahead of time. I will not wait on you to write up an improvised spell in the middle of a game.
  • Low-Tech
  • Low-Tech Instant Armor (only hit locations from Basic Set, armor must cover all of a hit location but front-only is ok; only the armor tables, no optional armor rules)
  • Fantastic Dungeon Grappling, but you may also use the default GURPS grappling rules if you prefer. These are just better.
  • I’m willing to consider Dungeon Fantasy related stuff from other supplements if asked nicely, well in advance, under the condition that the material in question would not slow down play
  • If an individual piece of gear or an ability writeup or anything else exists in multiple sources (for example, there are armor tables in Basic, Low-Tech and DFRPG Adventurers), I generally allow whichever version is the most beneficial to the player. Ask me before using it though!
• Optional Rules
  • Extra Effort in Combat, B357
  • New Options for Extra Effort in Combat, Martial Arts p.131
    • Heroic Charge only allows movement in a straight line towards the enemy
  • Dual-Weapon Attacks, B417
  • Last Wounds, B420
  • Random hit locations can’t intentionally be targeted
  • You may convert damage adds to dice if you wish, but it is not compulsory
  • Telegraphic Attack, Martial Arts, p.113
  • Quick-Shooting Bows, Martial Arts p.119
  • Tricky Shooting, Martial Arts p.121
  • Cross Parry, Martial Arts p.121
  • Defense While Grappling, Martial Arts p.121
  • Fencing Parries, Martial Arts p.122
  • Limiting Multiple Dodges, Martial Arts p.123
  • Parrying with Two-Handed Weapons, Martial Arts p.123
  • Multiple Blocks, Martial Arts p.123
  • Retreat Options, Martial Arts p.123
  • Rapid Strike, Martial Arts p.127
  • Slams, Tramples and Overruns, DFRPG Exploits p.40 – these are used instead of the GURPS rules
  • Evaluate gives +3 for first turn, no extra bonus for additional turns.
  • DFRPG prices for magic items are used, which means they always cost $20 per point of energy
• Character Creation
  • Starting Points: 275
  • Disadvantage Limit: -50 plus -5 from quirks
  • Suggested Character Concepts: Appropriate for Dungeon Fantasy. You’re a band of adventurers seeking fame and fortune.
  • Profession Templates: Templates from listed Dungeon Fantasy books must be used. Smaller deviations from the templates are allowed for the first 250 points with GM approval. The extra 25 starting points may be invested in any traits appropriate to Dungeon Fantasy, including off-template except those exclusive to certain profession templates unless you fully bought the multiclass lens for that template. All of those 25 points should ideally be listed on the character sheet in a separate section to make character approval easier for me.
  • Racial Templates: All racial templates from Dungeon Fantasy 3 are potentially allowed with GM approval, except Ogre and Half-Ogre. Those are off limits. You may buy them using the discretionary template points and the 25 extra points.
  • Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: As per Dungeon Fantasy.
  • Social Traits:
    • Low/High TL: off limits
    • Status Levels: min 0, max 3
    • Rank: Only Honorary Rank
    • Wealth Levels: no min, max Very Wealthy
    • Starting Wealth: as per Dungeon Fantasy
    • Cultures: not relevant
    • Languages: as per Dungeon Fantasy
  • Advantages: As per Dungeon Fantasy.
  • Disadvantages: As per Dungeon Fantasy, but off-template disadvantages are allowed.
  • Allies/Contacts/Patrons/Enemies: off limits
  • Magic/Psionics: as per Dungeon Fantasy
  • Trading Points for Money: up to 5 points may be traded
• Character Improvement
  • Spending points is allowed normally between sessions, except if a session break happens in the middle of a fight. In that case you’ll be able to spend points directly after the battle.
  • Learning off-template skills requires either of the following:
  • A party member present during the last session having the skill and passing a Teaching roll
  • Finding a teacher in town between sessions (who may ask for a tuition fee). A party member present during the last delve having both the skill in question and Teaching qualifies, no roll required.