Traveller: What Monsters Do You Want to See?

Doing an update to the original Creatures of Distant Worlds has been on my agenda since the release of MGT2e. While I have been working on it a little here and there since then, I have been hard at work on it for a few weeks and are pleased to announce that Foreven Worlds: Creatures of Distant Worlds will be released very soon. But before that happens, I just thought I would ask you Traveller fans what you would like to see inside. We do not want to miss something that you want included. Please let us know in the comments below and we will do our best to include it.

Remember to check out all of our Second Edition Mongoose Traveller offerings at DriveThruRPG.

State of the Enterprise 2018

Hey everyone. It is that time of year again where I look back at the year coming to a close and forward to the year ahead. 2018 was a big year for the company and for the world at large. In many ways it was the year I expected even hoped for and many others it was not the year I expected at all.

Personal Life

Incase you hadn’t heard, I moved half way across the USA this year. I use to live in New Jersey and now I live in Missouri. My wife got a job that she has been working towards for some time now. We’re thrilled about this, but it has impacted my writing schedule.

What we hoped would happen but didn’t really expect was us buying a house. So in the past 4 months, we moved twice. Even right now, I’m still moving boxes that we never had the chance to unpack after the first move. So my writing schedule has been impacted again. If you want to know why we have not produced much since GenCon, that’s the primary reason (more on other reasons in a bit).

Pathfinder

Another wrench in the schedule is the announcement of Pathfinder Second Edition. I guessed this was coming a while back, but it still took me by surprise. We were just starting to get a solid stream of high level adventures under us when the announcement came. So we made our Pathfinder adventures a priority and we got almost all of them published before the release of the 2e playtest. I’m sad for the ones we cut from the schedule but it is entirely possible they will be seen in the future, either as Pathfinder 2e adventures, Fifth Edition adventures, possibly even 13th Age, or dare I say it Pathfinder 1e adventures.

As my own recent poll revealed, PF2e is not as popular as I (and many others) expected it to be. There still may be people playing PF1e for quite some time. We will keep monitoring the situation as things develop. Frankly, I don’t expect us to make a final decision on as to whether we are going to 2e or staying 1e (or even doing both) until we see the final rules and the compatible license. However, if you had asked me about it six months ago, I would have just assumed we’re going 2e and that is that. The fact that we’re considering other options should give you an indication of the situation.

Fifth Edition

The current push we are on is to make all of our Pathfinder adventures and other supplements available for 5e. We want to have just as much if diverse library of material for 5e as we do Pathfinder.

One thing we are doing with 5e we have not done in years with Pathfinder is get our books into distribution. Deadly Delves: Temple of Luminescence will be our first adventure making it’s way into game stores for this game. Shortly thereafter will follow Along Came a Spider. The latter was first released when 5e was still young, and our experience with the game was rather low (as was everyone’s). Since then we’ve leveled up our 5e game and we have plans for 5e supplements both print and PDF well into the new year. These include conversations of existing Pathfinder material as well as brand new supplements that are never seen before.

That was what a decent amount of my time has gone to as of late. When I said above that the move was the primary eater of my time, well working through the logistics to get this set up has another major time investment. It will be well worth it when all is ready to go.

Traveller

“Look for that in 2018.” That is what we said concerning several projects for Traveller in the State of the Enterprise 2017. So it is fair to say that things have not gone according to plan this year. We released our first single ships last month… and that is all we published this year for Traveller. Needless to say that was not the plan this time last year. We still have the last two parts of the Prelude to War adventure path. We have a number of monsters and vehicles that we want to turn into their own books. And we want to publish a number of small settings that you can integrate into the Foreven Worlds, elsewhere in the Third Imperium, or somewhere in a different setting. So we have our hands full for the year ahead.

13th Age


We continued our 13 Class Options series with 13 Wizard Cantrips and Spells and 13 Cleric Domains and Spells. The still not yet named 13 Rogue Options has fallen victim to the same time crunch we’ve described above from the moves and the Pathfinder schedule reschuffeling. Plus, we want to take the time to make each one that much more awesome. When we are satisfied with it, you’ll be the first to know.

After the “core four” classes, we plan to get to the others published. Let us know which you would like us to tackle sooner than others. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

2019 and Beyond

The next few months, JBE is focusing on 5e, Traveller, and hopefully some 13th Age as well because they received so little love last year. That will be our plan for the next four-to-six months. Beyond that, we have a number of ideas but nothing concrete. One thing is for sure, 2019 is going to see some big changes from us. We have all the printing logistics worked out, and I will be working on the company full time in the new year. This means we finally have both the means and opportunity to do things we have been dreaming about for a decade. I can’t say for sure yet which way we will be going, but expect big things from us this year.

By big things, I do mean sizable books or possibly our own system or our own setting. The last time we tried something like this was with Shadowsfall back in 2012 (almost 7 years ago!). Back then, we had the means (being in game stores then as well) but really lacked the opportunity to do it at the level we wanted. Having the experience from publishing so many more rules supplements and adventures since then, we are more prepared to embark on this dramatic step.

The road ahead is exciting, and we are ready for this adventure. We hope you will join us on our epic quest.

That pretty much wraps up our look back of the year and the look ahead. So from all of us, we hope you enjoy your time with family and friends this season, and we will see you in the new year.

5e: Giant Gingerbread Golem

While we at JBE don’t have a Book of Beasts: War on Yuletide or similar book of holiday themed monsters for Fifth Edition yet, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite monsters from that book converted to this game. The monster was originally inspired by Mongo from Shrek 2. Gingy is my wife’s favorite character so she squeed when she first saw Mongo. So I thought I would bring this guy to life, so to speak.

I hope you enjoy him in your 5e games. Treat yourself and download our 5e products as a gift to yourself.

Giant Gingerbreak Golem

Gargantuan construct, unaligned
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 145 (10d20 + 40)
Speed 30 ft.

Str 22 (+6) Dex 11 (+0) Con 19 (+4)
Int 4 (–3) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 1 (–5)

Damage Immunities fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t adamantine
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages —
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)

Fire Hardening. Whenever the giant gingerbread golem is subjected to fire damage, its surface becomes harder, but it becomes less flexible. Until the end of the giant gingerbread golem’s next turn, it takes no damage from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attacks that aren’t adamantine, and its speed is reduced to 20 feet.
Immutable Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Resistance. The golem has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The golem’s weapon attacks are magical.
Stomping Walk. The giant gingerbread golem shakes the very ground, causing those nearby to fall prone. Any creature standing on the ground when a giant gingerbread golem walks within 5 feet of them that fails a DC 18 Dexterity save falls prone.

Actions

Multiattack. The giant gingerbread golem makes two slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft.; one target. Hit: 28 (4d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Spice Breath (Recharge 5-6). A giant gingerbread golem exhales coarsely-ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Each creature in a 30-foot cone must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 73 (21d6) slashing damage damage on a failed save and has disadvantage to all Dexterity (Stealth) checks for the next 3 days as the creature smells like spices, or half as much damage on a successful one and does not have disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Pathfinder: Wild Hunter

With Christmas not far away, we figured we would share one if our classic monsters from the Book of Beasts: War on Yuletide. If you are getting up in levels and needing something higher level for your game, the wild hunter might be just what you’re looking for in a holiday themed game. Maybe the wild hunter needs the players’ help to hunt down the three spirits hunting some old money lender. Perhaps there’s a powerful hunt that makes someone see the world where they never existed. Or you could try it backwards in that someone is turning bad children until ghosts before their time and the wild hunter cannot attack a still living creature, requiring the adventurers’ help. The possibilities are endless.

Download Book of Beasts: War on Yuletide today.

Wild Hunter CR 13

XP 25,600
N Huge outsider (extraplanar, psychopomp)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, spiritsense 60 ft.; Perception +19
Aura fear aura (30-ft. radius, DC 19)
Defense
AC 26, touch 13, flat-footed 21 (+8 armor, +5 Dex, +5 natural, –2 size)
hp 189 (18d10+90)
Fort +16, Ref +16, Will +9
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4; DR 5/cold iron and magic; Immune death effects, disease, poison; Resist cold 10, electricity 10
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee +1 ghost touch keen longsword +22/+17/+12/+7 (3d6+6/17–20)
Ranged +1 ghost touch composite longbow +22/+17/+12/+7 (3d6+6)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attack trample (2d6+7, DC 24)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th, concentration +9)
Constant—seal of fate
Statistics
Str 20, Dex 20, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 11
Base Atk +18; CMB +25 (+27 bull rush, overrun); CMD 40 (42 vs. bull rush, overrun)
Feats Bloody Assault APG (–5/1d4 bleed), Charge Through APG, Devastating Strike UC, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Devastating Strike UC, Improved Overrun, Improved Vital Strike, Power Attack (–5/+10), Vital Strike
Skills Handle Animal +17, Knowledge (nature) +17, Knowledge (planes) +17, Perception +19, Sense Motive +19, Stealth +10, Survival +20, Swim +18
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal
SQ ghost touch
Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure double (+1 keen longsword, +1 composite (+5 Str) longbow, and +4 hide armor)
Special Abilities
Fear Aura (Su) Creatures within a 30-foot radius of the wild hunter that fail a DC 19 Will save become frightened for 1d8 rounds. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by this fear aura for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Ghost Touch (Su) A wild hunter’s attacks are treated as if it had the ghost touch weapon special ability.
Lord of Spirits (Su) The wild hunter can command up to 18 HD of ghosts.
Seal of Fate (Sp) This spell-like ability functions like a rest eternal spell against any creature killed by the wild hunter, except that remove curse and break enchantment do not negate this effect. Only a miracle or wish can undo this effect.
Spiritsense (Su) The wild hunter notices, locates, and can distinguish between living and undead creatures within 60 feet, just as if it possessed the blindsight ability.

What is Your Favorite Kind of Fantasy Monsters to Fight?

Today, I thought I would make a nice fun poll to end the week. What is your favorite kind of fantasy monster to fight? No matter if you play Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, 13th Age, Swords and Wizardry or some other fantasy game that we don’t support, you can still tell us your thoughts.

So what team are you on? Team Fiends? Team Sparkle Vampires? Team Venus Fly Trap? Vote in our poll and share it with your friends. We would love to hear your thoughts.

5e/Pathfinder: The Pit of Eternal Torture

Last year, I shared my thoughts on an alternate take on the planes of law and chaotic evil. I always intended to get back and describe the rest if the planes, but I got distracted and never finished. Well, I thought I would take a few moments and jot down my thoughts on the lawful evil plane, or as I like to call it, the Pit of Eternal Torture.

Let me just state that I am doing this because I feel that angels, demons, and devils shouldn’t be in a fantasy realm. I prefer facing something without the real world mythology bleeding in. This way I can flavor it as best fits the story as well as experiencing the joy of creating something new. And when it comes to kytons, there’s lots of room to create.

Kytons, also called chain devils in some versions, believing in giving pain and not just oppressing the damned in their charge. They believe in following the rules and that rule breakers are to be savagely and severely punished. If you are healed, it is only so you can continue working for them. Kytons do not just take pleasure from pain but from the resistance of the mind’s resistances crumbling. They do not only want to beat their followers (also known as charges), but to break them as well.

When a kyton is done with you, you should not be able to see a world outside of them.

People that willingly submit to a kyton’s will have many reasons: they offer strength in troubling times, they make the world seem simple by categorizing everything as good and bad (which their charges understand as pain free and painful), and they demonize anyone and anything that is not for them. To those that see the world as dangerous, siding with such a powerful force seems attractive.

In reality, the kytons make the world a far more dangerous place. However, their followers do not see that infact they are helping to make the world more dangerous. By excluding anyone that disagrees with them, it is easy for the kytons to manipulate their charges into working to cause the very dangers that the kytons say they can save people from. This way, the kytons claws are clean while they sow pain and oppression into the world.

Kytons work in darkness. The light of truth can undo their work. It is for this reason that kytons prefer a dark world. Every kyton works to spread darkness throughout the world. So when their charges can see nothing except the kytons as the solution to their problems, this bother literally and figuratively the case.

Be sure to follow the JBE blog for more on my take on the planes and those that dwell within. Maybe next time I’ll write about one of the good ones.

Shop after the JBE Shop during the Black Friday/ Cyber Monday sale where you can grab all of our Pathfinder PDFs for 75% off.

MGT 2e: Foreven Worlds Single Ship: Gannet Armed Cargo Transport

The Gannet-class armed cargo transport flies through the blackness of space, well-armed and well-armored. This starcraft takes the hits and punches back even harder. Now your Travellers can upgrade their game in the Original Traveller Universe beyond the Imperial borders. In the Foreven Worlds, danger lurks behind every asteroid—arm yourself well and live to make a cargo run another day!

This includes a 6-page PDF with full details about the ship and 18″ x 12″ poster for you to print and hang on your wall.

Download Foreven Worlds Single Ship: Gannet Armed Cargo Transport for the Second Edition of Mongoose Traveller exclusively at DriveThruRPG.

Pathfinder Black Week Sale 2018

The holidays. Yes it is that time of year again where the Autumn colors come out, pumpkin spice turns to peppermint, and the spiders come indoors. Well, two out of three isn’t bad.

Here’s one more thing to brighten up your day: Jon Brazer Enterprises’ Pathfinder Black Week Sale. We have every last Pathfinder PDF we ever created at a whopping 75% off. That means that just about every PDF we have is under $2 and the few that aren’t are under $4. We have everything you could want: adventures, spells, races, vehicles, and much more.

This sale is going on now at JonBrazer.com, Paizo.com, and the Open Gaming Store. You don’t want to miss this sale. It is going on now and will end Tuesday, Nov 27th. So you have to hurry and grab what you want at these great deals. You won’t see a sale this good any time soon so order now.

Final Thoughts on the Switching to PF2e Poll

Just shy of 3 weeks ago, I posted a poll asking if you were planning to switch from first edition Pathfinder to Pathfinder 2e. The results were quite amazing and not at all what I expected. So lets go over them.

The answers can be broken down into these basic answers: yes, yes with reservations, maybe, eventually, no, both, and this poll doesn’t apply to me but I want to vote anyways. The “yes” answer of “We already switched to the playtest and will switch to 2e when it is released,” was what I had assumed to be the top answer, yet that only got about 14% of the vote. That honor went to the “no” vote of “We’re not switching (tried the playtest and don’t like the direction, feel 1e is the perfect game, etc),” with about 35%. Sandwiched between them is “maybe” with “Our group is ignoring the playtest, and we will see what the final version is before we decide,” with 18%. “Eventually” got the fourth highest at 12% with “It will take years for all the classes/archetypes/feats/spells/etc we enjoy in 1e are in 2e, and we plan to keep with 1e until that happens.” 5th place goes to “yes with reservations” with 9% as “We’re sticking with 1e for the time being. We anticipate converting over shortly after the new edition is released.” “Both, thank you” is obviously the “both” answer, capturing 8%. The final 5% goes to “this poll doesn’t apply to me but I want to vote anyways” with “I don’t play Pathfinder 1e now and don’t anticipate playing 2e either.”

To put those answers another way that us gamers easily understand:

Answer 1d20
Yes 18-20
Yes with Reservations 16-17
Maybe 12-15
Eventually 10-11
No 3-9
Both 2
N/A 1

The real question is: what does this mean for JBE? First and foremost, we will take another look at continued support for PF1e. I had anticipated our final 1e Pathfinder book to be Deadly Delves: Temple of Luminescence. Now, I can’t say for sure. Am I saying that we definitely will be supporting Pathfinder 1e going forward? No. Am I ruling out further Pathfinder 1e plans? No. What I am saying is, “We’ll see.” If I had to guess how things will shake out in a year is that we’ll release products for Pathfinder 1e and 2e at the same time or one shortly after the other, but even then, that is not a guarantee.

In the short run, we will be continuing to focus on Fifth Edition, Traveller, and 13th Age since we have been ignoring them while trying to finish up those last few Pathfinder titles. Even then, we will not be doing much for the rest of the year. If you haven’t heard, my wife and I changed day jobs and moved from New Jersey to Missouri earlier this year. Well, we are closing on a house soon and will be moving again. Two moves in under six months makes finishing up projects difficult. Having said that, we should be back to normal in the new year.

Be sure to download Pathfinder books you have been wanting at the JBE Shop. We have all of our Pathfinder 1e, Fifth Edition, 13th Age, and 1e Mongoose Traveller titles there for you to download and order in print when we have that available in print. It really helps us out when you order direct from us. You can also find our titles at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow, Paizo, and the Open Gaming Store.

Pathfinder: Bloodhoof

We’re past Halloween, the decorations are going up in the stores, and some radio stations have begun playing the music. It’s that time of year again, whether you like it or not. It’s that time when the fey in the jolly red suit kicks the dire turkey aside and hogs the spotlight for himself.

Well, run him through this year. Take part in this holiday war the way only us gamers can: in game. Download the Book of Beasts: War on Yuletide and have your players face off against some of the holidays must recognizable monsters.

Bloodhoof CR 8

XP 4,800
N Large magical beast
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low light vision; Perception +15
Aura frightful presence (30 ft., DC 15)

Defense

AC 21, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+6 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural, –1 size)
hp 95 (10d10+40)
Fort +11, Ref +13, Will +6
Defensive Abilities ferocity

Offense

Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft. (average)
Melee gore +15 (2d6+6), 2 hooves +10 (1d8+3)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, powerful charge (hoof, 2d8+9)

Statistics

Str 22, Dex 22, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 16, Cha 11
Base Atk +10; CMB +17; CMD 33 (37 vs. overrun, trip)
Feats Dodge, Flyby Attack, Mobility, Power Attack (–3/+6), Wind Stance
Skills Fly +12, Perception +15; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception

Ecology

Environment cold hills and mountains
Organization solitary, pair, or herd (12–36)
Treasure none

Special Abilities

Pounce (Ex) Damage from a bloodhoof’s hooves while pouncing counts as both bludgeoning and slashing.