Obulex and more of my art in the wild

Obulex by Denis McCarthy

This was originally drawn for a Troika! project by Christopher Mennell, but I decided to stat it out for OSE.

Obulex
Mindless, carnivorous, starfish-like monstrosities
that occupy pits. Dwell exclusively
underground.
AC 5 [14], HD 8* (36hp), Att 1 ×
swallow (1d6), THAC0 12[+7], MV
10’ (3’) SV D10 W11
P12 B13 S14 (5), ML 12, AL Neutral, XP
1,200, NA 1 (0), TT C
▶ Surprise: On a 1–4, due to stone-like
appearance of upper surface.
▶ Swallow: Affects whoever has fallen into its gullet. A
single attack roll is made and compared
against the AC of the target, the creature’s arms sweep up and push the victim within.
▶ Trapped victims: Cannot move, automatically
suffer 1d6 damage per round.
Can attack the Obulex only if they had a
short weapon (e.g. dagger, short
sword) in hand when trapped.

Treasure is found excreted into the pit in which it dwells.

Art by Mustaffa Bekir

More of my artwork found its way into Warlock! Goblins, including most of the stock art found in my Goblinoids stock art pack. Good Stuff! Fire Ruby Designs just keeps putting out expansions to the Warlock! system, inspired by both Warhammer and Fighting Fantsy gamebooks, and almost all of them have included my artwork. I keep buying them for portfolio purposes, although it would be fun to play.

Support my work as a patron!

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Warlock!

Fire Ruby Designs just released this beauty on Drivethrurpg.  You can get it as a pdf for about $6, and as a hardback for $25.

This game has the most comprehensive  collection of my stock art so far -54 separate images of mine, making for a very comprehensive look to the product, and a great portfolio piece for me.

Like what you see in this book?

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All of my stock Art is on sale for GM’s day!

My products can be found here

And much of my work can be got simply by supporting my patreon

 

Open for commissions!

As always, my existing stock art can be got cheaply on Drivethrurpg

And more is available for my patrons

Undead Stock art and reviews

Just released this week ( and in time for Halloween) is my latest bundle of stock art : Undead available from DrivethruRPG for $4.99.

 

I have been doing a lot of work these past months for Gabor Lux’ Echoes from Fomalhaut, and in particular for his upcoming Tegel Manor inspired megadungeon, Castle Xyntillan, and the still-in-development In the Shadow of the City God

 

Two of his most recent items, The Nocturnal Table currently available as a pdf from Drivethrurpg and featuring work by Mathew Ray, Stefan Poag, and Peter Mullen as well as myself, along with EFF#6: The Rising Tombs which has art by myself and Stefan Poag also, both are suited for describing convoluted weird cities at night. As my own game takes place in such a place, I found this rather interesting. The random encounters in the Nocturnal Table go way beyond the old DMG city encounter tables, and into some very strange places. Otherwise boring encounters with nameless NPc’s are richly described run ins with peculiar named personages, each with a distince flavor. There has been a lot said about demonstrating an implied setting by examining the encounter tables instead of dropping in extensive exposition, for example, regarding OD&D. The Rising Tombs does this with minimal descriptions and small notes, and leaves the reader to connect the dots.  In one part of the city, in a sealed community where the swells reside, it is always night with a perpetual full moon. This is atmospheric, but there are some supporting features; The city is ruled by a powerful illusionist, and also the rich folks are near immortal and addicted to potions of longevity… or they may be vampires.  The under layers of the city evoke a bit of the depths of  Dwimmermount, without dumping pages of history up front.  There are, by way of anticipating adventurers who want to burn down the tavern, mentions of an enormous machine that extends into the depths, that might explode like a megaton warhead if tampered with, and the side note that one must wear “sacred vestments” (radiation suits) to safely enter the lower levels of a dungeon. Not only are the routes to this area from a  cheap hotel that H.H.Holmes might have built, or through the green room of a collapsing Theater haunted by a phantom… or through a temple of a rat/plague god. These are not your typical entry by sewer dungeons, and definitely not like either  my  or Hasbro’s  taverns with conduits to the underworld.  Gabor Lux, (known on forae as Melan), for all his resentment against the Sworddream style of OSR derived play, is firmly in touch with the parts of our hobby that are gonzo and rooted in Weird fiction.  It is no secret that I like that style of gaming, as I grew up reading my dad’s virtually complete Appendix N library (assembled as it was printed, in crumbling 35 cent paperbacks, most of which I have been reacquiring from used booksellers), and while a good amount of both Gabor’s and John Stater‘s products are procedurally generated, they go into some far out places that I am happy to illustrate.  That headless undead in my stock art bundle is based on one of the encounters in Nod zine, although I forget what issue.  I own copies of about eight issues I did illustrations for, but there are 26 other issues of the same grade of super detailed and strange hexcrawls.

Meanwhile, in my game, there have been some odd developments.

The group travelling with the  demon hunting celestial Kalima  have decided to try and summon her back to the world after a demonologist they were fighting banished her with a hurled Spellstone. I was thoroughly expecting that they would be glad to be rid of such a DM PC, but no plan escapes an encounter with players unscathed. They are enlisting the leader of a Kali cult named Molaram to help in the summoning…

My Wuxia group has traveled into the megafauna rich land of Veroigne, nominally to collect a rice harvest for the Sahudese population back in Northport, and have encountered the odd ecosystem of the rice grower’s village.  Swarms of stirges rise out of the rice paddies, but are chased away from the workers by a sacred giant dragonfly, from whom the party received a blessing, much the way the other group in the area had their ranger blessed by the Stag of Veroigne, who was somewhere between the Forrest Spirit of Princess Mononoke, and Bambi’s father. Both groups have seen tracks of giant rabits being stalked by dire wolves.

The group that were hired to hunt a rampaging beast have instead decided to try and take over an abandoned castle, which brings me around to an issue developing around my Juniors group. They have been trying to establish themselves with real property (excepting those among them who have Social Stigma:Criminal, who cannot directly own real property in Northport) and I have been using the Base Perk as a leveled one.  Base normally gives you a place that you don’t have to pay rent that is about as good as what you might have, but with a status level of 2 levels lower than your own.  At status 0, that is not much to talk about, in this case, a peasant’s hovel or tenement row house in disrepair. I suppose in other settings it would be a back booth in a diner or a leaky basement apartment.  Making it a leveled perk lets you raise it by one status level per point invested, which means that at 3 points, it is a clean, functional status 0 home.  This group of PC’s are trying to control the housing above an entrance to the dungeon and in particular, to a magical gate.  I had originally had them invest in independent income, but that was only netting half a silver a month per point at average wealth, so I converted those points to base. The Initiate in the group has been attracting followers (not yet bought as allies) who have been doing things like basic carpentry, weeding, whitewashing…etc, that have resulted in the area being upgraded.  A lot of the things I have been thinking of here were sort of echoed in Necropraxis’ blog about Stronghold Achievements for low level characters.

I miss things like the Mansion advantage from GURPS VtM, and the leveled advantage Sanctuary, from the defunct Advanced Goblins & Grottoes setting from Otherwhere dot org, (sadly even beyond the reach of the internet wayback machine). That one let you build anything from the Batcave (large, secret, secure) to something like the airships of Girl Genius.

Recent work and a new bundle

This is some recent work for Gabor Lux

Castle Xyntillan, which will be a hardback megadungeon after the style of Tegel Manor    and features not only my art, but that of Peter Mullen, and Stefan Poag.

 

Additionally, I have finally released my latest stock art bundle, Faerie Creatures

As always, support my Patreon

Some Recent Work, Love for Far Away Land, and a mention in a GURPS podcast

I have been toiling away at some interesting commissions for my primary patron, Gabor Lux and here are some of the recent items I have done:

Additionally, I have been getting some of my recent kickstarter rewards:

I bought two copies of the Far Away Land OSR core rules. (not yet on sale, but awesome)

Far Away Land is a wonderful game and setting that has really endearing illustrations by Dirk Stanley that make me think of the best parts of Adventure Time. It is terribly fun, and I will go on about it at length in a later post, where I may attempt to do some conversions.

 

I was mentioned in a podcast about GURPS homebrew settings!

The Manor 9, Nod 33, and AES, Brass Revolution

Tim Short was one of my first patrons, and is the author of The Manor, a great little gaming zine that has, among other things, launched something that became Dungeon Grappling

This issue has not only a cover that Tim commissioned from me, but three other illustrations from my stock art, two of which were prompted by Tim.

He wrote this issue to be compatable with Erik Tenkar’s Swords & Wizardry Continual Light  and includes some custom rules for clerics, a great wilderness encounter table, and a tavern to be found in a dungeon.  I really like the characterizations he has done there, and am making a go of it myself.

Argento Pitts is a Squire with the 125 pt Veteran lens, from DF15, along with the knight/inkeeper lens from DF10., and a variation on the Foul Limb power up, from DF11, except it is considered a construct and not undead, has ST+4 and DR 20 vs non-magical weapons, and is an unnatural feature. He is stubborn, skinny, suspicious, and curious (the last two are quirk level.)

Gunnhild is a guard with bad temper, and a 10 point OPH, gives dirty looks. Kind of reminds me of Masugatan, a crass brute in my game.

Valac is a goblin Wizard, with the 125pt learned lens, has self defense pacifism, curious, wierdness magnet, and an obsession to  learn more. He has DR 20 to nonmagical weapons, but is vulnerable to meteoric iron ones.

His door is a construct with ST 20, 100 hp, DR 10, plus DR 20 to non magical weapons, effectively has Magelock at 25 skill, and can strike for thrust/ crush with a skill of 12, and has regular regeneration.

John Stater, my most consistent, prolific, and generous patron, just released Nod33 which contains a commissioned quintet of African Deities.

He also recently released 

Esoterica Exhumed, after the Unearthed Arcana, contains new classes and spells for Blood&Treasure, or any OSR type game, and includes two more of my illustrations,  for the spell Control Hair, and the Saboteur class.

You can get it here.

Another fine use of my stock art was made in the steampunk game,

AES, Brass Revolution. I haven’t given it a really thoughrough read through, but they seem to have used work from at least four different stock packs of mine., and I think the first use of my Space Opera Art in a publication.

I am always a sucker for airships.

 

 

As always, my stock art can be bought here

And my Tshirts and other products at Teepublic

And prints and more at Society6

Despite billing issues at Patreon, you can always support me there, at a flat monthly rate for cheaper than buying my bundles.

Recent Developments

First, I would like to thank everyone who purchased my charity relief bundle; over $300 dollars were raised. The Island of Puerto Rico is still mostly in the dark, so continue to give what you can.

Quite a few products have come out that feature my art, and a new qualifier has come up for commissions: exclusivity.  Pretty much all of my clients save one have passed on this, which is an agreement to not resell the art as stock for double the asking price.

I was working on a Sutherlandesque scene with some porcs (old school pig faced orcs), and this client snatched up a set after I named a ridiculous price… just to let other folks have some porky goodness, I have drawn up a couple more, and set them aside for my patrons and for future inclusion in my next stock art bundle.

Four new products feature my work, and two I am especially proud of.

CD1 Dragon Fang Halls of Castle Draco a 5e adventure, uses my Gelatinous cube picture, which I think is the most commonly used piece of my stock art, from Dungeon Scenes 1.   Lair of the Goblin King Grasnhak-Kul is a Swords & Wizardry Adventure, and uses the wild eyed wizard with the ball bearing from my Wizards Stock Art.

Next comes the excellent Holmes Zine Fantastic! Exciting Imaginative volume 2 This one has a commissioned piece based on the assorted pieces of artwork in the Holmes basic book, and that piece can be found now in my Holmes inspired (and Blueholme) stock pack.

My favorite out of the bunch is Erik Tenkar’s Swords & Wizardry Continual Light a nifty little book, which not only includes the commissioned piece I blogged about previously, along with almost a dozen  other illustrations from my stock art. It is also a pretty good game, and I picked up a few copies from Amazon. I actually like the stripped down system.

 

Meanwhile, I continue my GURPS DF megadungeon game on rpol.

You can become my patron here and get access to art before it gets into the bundle!

 

Dragonmouth

A recent commission for Tenkar that will be available to my patrons, and soon I will be breaking down the characters individually.

In the meantime you can get all of my existing artwork plus more and help Puerto Rican victims of hurricane Maria here