A Philosopher's Blog

Ruins of Ulthus Free on Amazon 5/16/2013-5/21/2013

Posted in Pathfinder by Michael LaBossiere on May 16, 2013

Ruins-of-Ulthus-CoverA Pathfinder Role Playing Game compatible adventure for 2nd-5th level characters.

Description

After the Empire expanded into the Aegus region via the transport towers, Imperial scouts searched for valuable resources. Investigating tales about a mountainous island containing wealth and monsters, Imperial scouts (Althus, Altus, and Ulthus) located caverns that contained rich veins of copper-already being mined by Troglodytes. Eager for the resources, the Empire slaughtered many of the troglodytes and enslaved the rest as miners. A small village, Ulthus, grew up around the mines and a large town, Altus, grew on the coast. The influx of wealth enabled the town to thrive and even construct a theatre for the entertainment of the people. While the theatre was originally a place of the finer arts, as the Empire became more debased, so too did the performances. Eventually, corruption spread throughout the town, infecting even the church.

When the Cataclysm struck, Altus was cast into ruin. The theatre and those who frequented it became the focus of much of the curse. They were transformed to match the evil and depravity in their souls, creating a dangerous and vile show upon the accursed stage. The church also met a terrible fate, becoming a haven for undead beings.

While Ulthus was mainly spared the direct effects of the Cataclysm, the destruction of Altus gave the troglodytes the chance they had been waiting for. They rose up and fought their enslavers. The battle was brutal and costly, but eventually the troglodytes won and were free to go back to enslaving their own kind to work the mines for their mysterious masters.

Available on Amazon

Downloads

Ulthus Monsters & Maps

Hero Lab Portfolio Folder

See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

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Pirate Fort Pathfinder RPG Compatible Adventure Free on Amazon

Posted in Miscellaneous, Pathfinder by Michael LaBossiere on April 15, 2013

Pirate-Fort-Cover

A Pathfinder Role Playing Game compatible adventure for 2nd-3rd level characters.

Free on Amazon from 4/15/2013-4/19/2013.

Description

After the Empire expanded into the Aegus region via the transport towers, Imperial scouts searched for valuable resources. Investigating tales about a mountainous island containing wealth and monsters, Imperial scouts (Althus, Altus, and Ulthus) located caverns that contained rich veins of copper-already being mined by Troglodytes. Eager for the resources, the Empire slaughtered many of the troglodytes and enslaved the rest as miners. A small village, Ulthus, grew up around the mines and a large town, Altus, grew on the coast. The influx of wealth enabled the town to thrive and even construct a theatre for the entertainment of the people. While the theatre was originally a place of the finer arts, as the Empire became more debased, so too did the performances. Eventually, corruption spread throughout the town, infecting even the church.

When the Cataclysm struck, Altus was cast into ruin. The theatre and those who frequented it became the focus of much of the curse. They were transformed to match the evil and depravity in their souls, creating a dangerous and vile show upon the accursed stage. The church also met a terrible fate, becoming a haven for undead beings.

While Ulthus was mainly spared the direct effects of the Cataclysm, the destruction of Altus gave the troglodytes the chance they had been waiting for. They rose up and fought their enslavers. The battle was brutal and costly, but eventually the troglodytes won and were free to go back to enslaving their own kind in order to work the mines for their mysterious masters.

In more recent years and far away from AlthusIsland a great power arose in the lands of the Old Empire. Servants of this power have captured numerous Imperial transport towers and have made use of these to expand into areas once controlled or visited by the Empire. Recently a force of humanoids arrived on the island and established a fort. This fort serves as a base for a variety of pirate operations in the area. These pirates have been raiding various small islands in the area including AlthusIsland.

Available  on Amazon.

Downloads

Pirate Fort Maps & Monsters

Hero Lab Portfolio Folder

See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

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Pirates & Merchants: Free Pathfinder RPGC Adventure for March 10-14

Posted in Pathfinder by Michael LaBossiere on March 9, 2013

Pirates-&-merchents-CoverA Pathfinder Role Playing Game compatible adventure for 1st-3rd level characters.

Description

The success of the Regency in establishing peace and order within its domains has made life much better. Villagers no longer need to worry that they will be awakened by the bloodthirsty howls of gnoll slavers. Merchants can travel in safety from one end of the regency to the other with little to fear but going broke from bad business decisions.

However, one group now faces tough times: amateur adventurers. There is little for the starting adventurer to do within the safe confines of the Regency, yet the foes remaining near the borders tend to be so terrible as to make short work of those who are as foolish as they are weak. Because of this, many young adventurers have elected to seek alternatives that do not involve boredom or certain death.

Well aware that power and boredom are a dangerous combination; Regency officials have established various means to encourage these young adventurers to seek their fortunes in appropriate ways. Some are recruited into the Regency forces, often dying nobly fighting terrible foes. Many more elect to take advantage of cheap or even free passage to untamed lands that the Regency desires to claim.

While these lands no doubt contain foes leftover from the days of the Cataclysm and new perils, the possibility of reward is even greater. In addition to the loot to be gained from fallen foes and old treasure troves, the Regency is known to be very generous to those who serve its interests well.

You adventurers are among those who have boldly chosen to leave the safety of the Regency and take free passage to a place of suitable adventure via the legendary TransportTowers. You will be sent to the newly reclaimed island of Kalthos in the lands of Aegus. While the area is still something of a wild frontier, the Regency has already established a small presence on the island and there is a small village, Arthos, there. You are tasked with aiding the villagers and expanding the power and influence of the Regency in the area.

99 Books 99 Cents Kickstarter.

Available on Amazon

Available free from 3/10/2013-3/14/2013

Downloads

Pirates & Merchants MM

Hero Lab Portfolio Folder

See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

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99 Books 99 Cents Promo Video

Posted in Pathfinder, Philosophy by Michael LaBossiere on March 2, 2013
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99 Books 99 Cents

Posted in Business, Pathfinder, Philosophy by Michael LaBossiere on February 26, 2013

99-for-99-4-to-3 The purpose of the 99 Books 99 Cents project is, shockingly enough, to publish 99 books for 99 cents.  It is now live on Kickstarter, awaiting the generosity (or lack thereof) of the people.

History

Way back in the 1990s I created a Macintosh program called “Fallacy Tutorial” which, surprisingly enough, taught people about fallacies. After the program had been circulating the internet for a while, I started receiving requests to make the content available as text, then as a PDF file. Long after that, I started receiving emails asking me to make the book available for Amazon’s Kindle and this led to the publication of my first Kindle book, 42 Fallacies. This generated email asking me to make my work available for the Barnes & Noble Nook and I did so.

The recent budget cuts to education in Florida provided me with extended (and unpaid) summer vacations and I used this time to write numerous books. Since my two main interests in writing are philosophy and gaming, I wrote a mix of philosophy works and Pathfinder Roleplaying Game adventures.  Seeing the volume of volumes I was producing, my father asked me how many I planned to write. Jokingly, I said “I’ll write 99 books…99 books for 99 cents.”  I continued to produce books and when I had over twenty I realized that I could actually make good on what started as a joke. That is, I could write 99 books and make them available for 99 cents each (which is the minimum price for the eBook sellers such as Amazon).

Just as I had received requests to make my work available via the Kindle and the Nook, I received requests to make my work available via iBooks. I looked into this and learned that publishing directly through Apple and using their excellent software requires having a Mac and an iPad (to preview books). While I learned I could use a third party to distribute my books, I rather prefer direct control over my own work. Also, I tend to think that the main point of the iBook format is to take full advantage of the special features of this format rather than just distributing a chopped down, generic text file to all platforms.

Sadly, my G4 iBook proved to be unsuitable for the task of publishing books through Apple and my main writing laptop, an Asus Netbook running Windows XP, is starting to really show its age. So, I decided to attempt a Kickstarter project to secure the funds needed to complete my project properly.

Whatever the outcome of the Kickstarter, there shall be 99 books for 99 cents.

I’ve set up the project site here.

My Amazon Author Page

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Pathfinder Adventure: Cheben

Posted in Pathfinder by Michael LaBossiere on January 29, 2013

Cheben-CoverA Pathfinder Role Playing Game compatible adventure for 1st-3rd level characters.

Free on Amazon from 1/30/2013-2/3/2013.

Description

“You young bucks should be just what Cheben needs. Cheben, as you may know, is a fairly new town located on the island of Leskalisem. We recently reclaimed the island, but there are still a few rough and…weird spots left there. If you know your history, then you know the island was once held by the Empire. Before you get too worried about things, you’ll be reassured to know that it was just a small garrison with a few civilian structures around it. The garrison really didn’t get touched by the Cataclysm and, as far as we know, the soldiers and their families survived to escape to Rykos.

The town is doing well, but as I mentioned there are still a few rough spots left. Nothing too major, but the townsfolk have their hands full building up the community. Also, you and I both know that townsfolk just aren’t cut out to handle anything too much. So, it is up to fellows like us to handle things for them.

You won’t have to be there very long and the pay is quite good. You’ll get 25 gold pieces up front and then a bonus for each task you are able to complete for the townsfolk. Naturally, your passage to the island will be paid for. Do you want the job?”

Available  on Amazon

Downloads

Cheben Monsters & Maps

Hero Lab Portfolio Folder

See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

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Free Pathfinder Adventure for December #5: Goblin Spies

Posted in Miscellaneous, Pathfinder by Michael LaBossiere on December 29, 2012

Goblin-Spies-CoverA Pathfinder Role Playing Game compatible adventure for 1st-3rd level characters.

Free on Amazon from 12/30/2012-1/3/2013.

Description

The peace of the village of Thusul is broken by what the local constable suspects is a burgling Halfling. The guard badger that tore off the intruder’s pants thinks differently. Whatever the nature of the intruder, the PCs will be sent to deal with the problem.

Available  on Amazon

Downloads

Goblin Spies Monsters & Maps

Hero Lab Portfolio Folder

See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

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Free Pathfinder Adventures for December #4: Ril’s Lesser Sanctum

Posted in Pathfinder by Michael LaBossiere on December 22, 2012

A Pathfinder compatible adventure for 3rd-5th level characters.

Description

This adventure will be free on Amazon from 12/22/2012-12/26/2012! Merry Christmas!

This adventure is the second in the Rils’ series. It is preceded by the Tomb of Rils.

The brave adventurers travel to a desert land in search of the Lesser Sanctum of Rils. There, they will face the dangers of the desert before entering the sanctum. Within its dark chambers, they will face terrible monsters, cunning traps, and one of Rils’ failed students. Those strong enough to survive will leave the desert land laden with treasure and new knowledge. Those that fail shall leave their bones and flesh to the whims of the necromancer.

This adventure includes new monsters, new spells and new magic items.

Available now on Amazon.

Downloads

Rils’ Lesser Sanctum PDF

Hero Lab Portfolio Folder

See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

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Free Pathfinder Adventures for December #3: Tomb of Rils

Posted in Pathfinder by Michael LaBossiere on December 16, 2012

A Pathfinder compatible adventure for 1st-3rd level characters.

Available for free  on Amazon from December 16-20th 2012.

Description

The history of Rils is a matter of considerable debate among the great scholars of necromancy. There is even some doubt among the learned as to whether Rils ever existed. Some scholars claim that stories about different necromancers were combined over the centuries as a matter of convenience or ignorance and this gave rise to the idea of Rils. These learned folk point to the fact that many of the deeds attributed to Rils are actually credited on the basis of a similarity in names (such as “Ril”, “Rils-Oshen” and so on). Other scholars contend that while not all the deeds attributed to Rils were actually his (or her) deeds, the evidence conclusive shows that Rils was (and perhaps still is) quite real.

While the myths and historical accounts vary, a common point of agreement is that unlike most of the others of his ilk, Rils was not particularly interested in spreading undeath across the world or waging terrible wars with the living. Instead, Rils was apparently devoted to the study of necromancy and the undead as a matter of intellectual curiosity. This is not to say that Rils was altruistic nor is it to say that he was free of ulterior motives.

It is claimed by many scholars that because of his devotion to knowledge, Rils created numerous repositories in which he placed scrolls and books containing much of what he had learned. These accounts also claim that Rils did not wish his knowledge to fall into unworthy hands or to be acquired too easily. As such, these repositories are supposed to be guarded and trapped. They are also said to be located in isolated places to prevent the innocent and ignorant from blundering into them (and dying horribly).

Rils’ actual fate (assuming he existed at all) is not recorded in history. Some scholars believe that he was destroyed by adventurers who mistook him for an evil lich. Others contend he was destroyed by adventurers because he was an evil lich. Some even say that he still exists and dwells within a vast underground library containing untold secrets of necromancy. Whatever the truth, from time to time the location of one of Rils’ alleged repositories is discovered and adventurers brave the dangers within.

Available now on Amazon.

Downloads

Tomb of Rils Monsters, Spells & Maps

Hero Lab Portfolio Folder

See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

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Free Adventures for December #2: Broken Mine

Posted in Pathfinder by Michael LaBossiere on December 11, 2012

“Broken Mine” will be free on Amazon from 12/11/2012-12/15/2012.

A Pathfinder compatible adventure for 4th-6th level characters.

Description

Old stories tell of the wizard Kelsun, better known as Kelsun the Mad Prophet. According to these stories, Kelsun received a vision of a world shaking disaster and, the truth be told, it drove him mad. Fortunately, his madness was a benevolent one-he set out, in his odd way, to help ensure that items of power would be available to help rebuild civilization after the disaster of his visions. Unfortunately, his benevolent madness was…madness. He decided to hide the items he had gathered and created in strange and obscure places. He also chose to protect them with various guardians and traps. Finally, he left cryptic and even bizarre clues regarding the locations of his caches.

One set of clues was given to our ancestors. Since that time we have tried to figure out what the clues meant and met with failure after failure. However, as was also foretold by prophecy, one of our youngsters managed to pierce a very useful clue that yielded what we hope is the location of one of the hidden caches. Because of your known skill and courage, it is hoped that you will go there and unlock its secrets. Be warned, though, the place will no doubt be rather dangerous.

While Kelsun is said to have placed a silver chest or box full of treasure within this place, the elders are only interested in one item said to be in the chest, an ever living vine. As such, all that we request in return for the location of the cache is the vine. The rest of the treasure is yours.”

Available on Amazon.

Downloads

Broken Mine Monsters & Maps PDF

Hero Lab Portfolio Folder

See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

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