Food for thought

I actually have a pretty ambitious post in the works, but it's not ready yet. Maybe next week.

For now, let's think of all of those bits in the Oz stories that you may not notice when you're younger, but can become really odd or creepy when you grow up.

Like the Tin Woodman. After trading in his meat body for metal, he searches for a heart. Fairy tale character, or the ancestor of all cyberpunk?

Princess Langwidere: Someone who treats heads as just another fashion accessory. Up-and-coming trendsetter, or body horror?

Anybody got any others?

A Few Random Things

I actually had a pretty cool blog post in mind for this week, but never found the time to write it.

So I'll start by wishing Happy Birthday to fellow Oz blogger Jared Davis. I don't know how old he is, and I'm enough of a gentleman not to ask.

And now I direct your attention to the Daily Ozmapolitan, where the intrepid Blair Frodelius has posted an interview with yours truly. For those of you who would rather listen, here's a blast from the past: Jared's Royal Podcast of Oz from September of last year, where he interviewed me on the same topic.

Last, but certainly not least, don't forget that this Saturday is Free RPG Day. Check the site to see if a retailer near you is participating this year. If not, you know what to do: "I want my Free RPG!"

Happy Father's Day this Sunday.

Prince Inga - Redux

There were a couple things I wanted to do with Prince Inga as my Oz character of the month. First of all, I had not yet presented any characters using the Noble template and I wanted that to get some exposure. Also, I wanted to show a character that began play with a magic item, to demonstrate how that works. But once I sat down to do it, I realized that his pearls took up too many of his points and made him distinctly unimpressive without them.

So here's a revised version of Prince Inga that puts the Pearls of Pingaree on his Friends List where they don't cost him skill points. Instead, he'll have to spend an Oz Point whenever he wants to use them.

Name: Prince Inga
First Appearance: Rinkitink in Oz
Template: Noble
Size: 3

Athletics: 3 (Tree Climbing)
Awareness: 2
Brains: 3
Presence: 3
Sneaking: 1
Wits: 4

Traits: None

Friends

The Pearls of Pingaree

Note: Although Prince Inga is known to be rather young, his thoughtfulness and general maturity lead me to think of him as an older youth. So I've left his Size at 3 (adult size) rather than reducing it to 2 (child size).

Oz Character of the Month: Prince Inga of Pingaree

While there are plenty of examples of characters using templates like "Child in Oz" or "Crafted Person", not so many characters count as "Nobles". At least not among main characters. And, for added challenge, Prince Inga has the Magic Pearls, magical items that are integral to his adventures.

Name: Prince Inga
First Appearance: Rinkitink in Oz
Template: Noble
Size: 2

Basic Skills

Athletics: 1 (Tree Climbing)
Awareness: 2
Brains: 2
Presence: 2
Sneaking: 1
Wits: 3

Traits: Magic Items (Blue Pearl, Pink Pearl, White Pearl) (6 points)

Friends List

King Rinkitink

Blue Pearl

Power: Help/Hinder, +2 Athletics (2)
Scope: Self/Person/Object (0)
Ritual: None (0)
Item: Unlimited Use (-1)
Effect Power: 1
Description: This pearl has the ability to grant whoever carries it +2 to all Athletics rolls to attempt feats of strength.

Pink Pearl

Power: Wishing (5)
Scope: Self/Person/Object (0)
Ritual: None (0)
Item: Unlimited Use (-1)
Effect Power: 4
Description: This pearl causes whoever owns it to become immune to all harm from any source.

White Pearl

Power: Divination (2)
Scope: Self/Person/Object (0)
Ritual: Simple (0)
Item: Unlimited Use (-1)
Effect Power: 1
Description: This pearl speaks with a small voice that always seems to give good advice. The ritual required to use it is simply asking the pearl a question and holding it to your ear to hear the response.

Note: This is actually a very ineffective build for Prince Inga. His magic pearls cost more points than he is normally allowed, so a few points were trimmed from his Basic Skills to compensate. Another possibility would be to treat the magic pearls as his starting Friend, allowing him to call on their powers for the cost of an Oz Point.