Gregorius21778: The Day of Manifest Misfortune is a role playing game supplement published by Gregorius21778: The Day of Manifest Misfortune for use with Lamentations of the Flame Princess. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
This is a five-page PDF that is available as a Pay What You Want supplement from DriveThruRPG. One page is the front cover, half a page is the front matter and one page is the Open Game License.
The introductory paragraphs explain that this supplement is not fair, or reasonable, but instead is something weird to use on your characters. They may be told that the day is a day of Misfortune and they’d better do nothing of importance. It’s suggested that if they do, the GM runs a session about them sitting around doing nothing.
It comes into being… explains that it happens when a significant event – defined as being a rolled for result in an OSR game – shows the worst possible result. At this point, it is determined to either be a raven or a black cat, and basic details are given on it.
It grows… has the Manifest Misfortune grow when one of the conditions for its arrival reoccurs. It gains HD and a d12 is rolled for an Aspect.
Aspects has 12 different things to add to the Manifest Misfortune. Some are cumulative, and can be added multiple times. Some are not, and must be rerolled if they crop up a second time. Some add abilities; some simply add cosmetic changes.
Manifest Misfortune has the creature manifest about half an hour before an RPG session ends. The creature attempts to curse them with bad luck.
Curse of Bad Luck is the creature’s curse. The curse causes a -1 penalty on all rolls until removed, and is stackable to a maximum of -4. Damage rolls cannot be lowered below 1.
How to avoid it… has suggestions as to how characters can avoid the curse.
Finally, Summoning it… has a new variation on the summon spell from Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Summon the Manifestation of Misfortune, which provides rules on summoning the creature.
Gregorius21778: The Day of Manifest Misfortune in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks but, at this length, doesn’t need them. Presentation is okay. The text maintains a two-column black and white format and appeared to be mostly free of error (there is a reference to “Angle of Misfortune”; that might be supposed to be “Angel” but, given the connection of angles to Lovecraftian horror, perhaps not). There are a couple of pieces of stock black and white art. Presentation is okay.
This is, as stated, not fair. It is therefore not suited to every campaign and every group; a GM will need to determine in advance how their group will take something designed to cause problems. For the right type of dark fantasy campaign, it will work, if played with the right sort of group. Adding details for what is perhaps the most lethally dangerous low-level spell around – summon, in LotFP – is a nice extra. Gregorius21778: The Day of Manifest Misfortune is a, well, not nice, interesting little addition to drive home the problems with bad luck and it can be found by clicking here.
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