Category Archives: World-Building

Vignette: the Vampire’s Visit

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Confanity

(The Kid has been practicing writing Japanese every day for a couple of years now. These days he writes enough to fill about 3/4 of a wide-ruled notebook page – with each row of characters taking up two lines for … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Setting, Short Fiction, World-Building | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fire Down Below – On Becoming

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Confanity

It’s been a while since we had a Fire Down Below post! But finally I’m ready to talk about a more or less workable version of some mechanics that I’m very proud of: mostly diegetic leveling (inspired in part thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules, World-Building | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fire Down Below – … and Time …

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Confanity

Last week we looked at surface turns, and what the heroes left behind in town on the surface could do. This week, we’ll follow the ones who venture downward. Divvying up Time: in the Underworld For heroes on an expedition … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules, World-Building | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fire Down Below – Time…

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Confanity

It’s all well and good to build a character, but next you need a method for actual play. We’ll get into this by dividing up time and using it to do stuff. Divvying up Time: on the Surface For the … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules, World-Building | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Fire Down Below – Character Creation

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Confanity

So you’re on a quest to retrieve the Fire Down Below, but first you need some heroes. Specifically, four: too large a roster would be hard to keep track of… but wounds, afflictions, and even deaths will demand a regular … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules, World-Building | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fire Down Below – Core

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Confanity

The mechanical aspect of play in The Fire Down Below campaign will rest on the twin bases of attributes and skills. About Attributes and Modifiers When each hero is created, roll 3d6 seven times and assign six of the resulting … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules, World-Building | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fire Down Below teaser

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Confanity

“Your community sits at the mouth of a cave that stretches impossibly far into the unknown depths of the earth. Since time immemorial, your heroes have been guardians of the surface world against the horrors beneath. “But now an age … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules, Setting, World-Building | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Magic Monday: AI Magic 8

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Confanity

Week 8: Mrs. McCave’s Spellbook Looking over the list of spell names we’re working from, we see that the only ones remaining are a little difficult to parse at first. Sometimes life gives you nonsense, and you’ve just got to … Continue reading →

Posted in World-Building | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Magic Monday: AI Magic 7

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Confanity

Week 7: The Weird Stuff We’re getting deeper into the weeds, now. Clinging Blade You enchant a flat metal object – such as a sword – so that it adheres to whatever you touch it to, or releases again, at … Continue reading →

Posted in World-Building | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Magic Monday: AI Magic 6

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Confanity

Week 6: Offensive Magic What do angry witches and wizards do? Curse people! This week we’re looking at a series of spells that are likely to give somebody a really bad day. Cursing Wink You inflict an obsession on your … Continue reading →

Posted in World-Building | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment