metal queens ov skull mountain

+ride the lightning edition+

A game by Neal Stidham

 Metal Queens ov Skull Mountain:
Ride the Lightning (Digital) Edition
Written by Neal Stidham, illustrated by Warm_Tail/Shutterstock.

Permission is hereby granted to use or modify the text of this game, provided
that attribution is given to the original version, and that no such derivative
works are used to promote fascism or discrimination against any sex, gender
identity, ethnic group, disability status, or other protected category. All other
rights reserved.

Rule #1: Do as thou wilt, as long as it harms no one.

This is about having fun.

Corollary to Rule #1: Nazi punks fuck off.

Rule #1.5: Gender is irrelevant to being a Metal Queen.

Be who you want, love who you want.
 ,
side A: the metal queens rules
Skull Mountain is the domain ov the Metal Queens,
who built the enormous citadel with the heads ov
countless fallen enemies. The Metal Queens are sworn
to defeat the monstrous shambling hordes ov the
Demon Wastes which cover the entire world except
for Skull Mountain.

Gather your band!

One ov you will be the Demon Queen, in control ov the vicious world
around Skull Mountain, and the rest ov you will play a Metal Queen.

Stand before the Magic Pentacle!

Each Metal Queen player is given five Orbs ov Power: these 20-sided
gems give Metal Queens unimaginable might.
A Metal Queen has five stats: Power, Speed, Thrash, Doom, and Death.
Assign your five Orbs ov Power to the first three stats (Doom and
Death start with none).
Power is for using your Metal Queen’s magic, like making it rain swords,
or turning your nemesis’ blood into molten lead.
Speed is for acts ov finesse or agility, like running across the helmets ov
your foes to reach their sorcerer-general, or splitting an incoming javelin
lengthwise with your sword.
Thrash is for fighting prowess, feats ov strength and endurance, like
cleaving a squad ov zombies in half with a single blow, or throwing a siege
engine.
Doom and Death are used when your Metal Queen gets into trouble.

Be the most metal!

At the end ov each session, the entire group votes on who did the most
impressive or entertaining thing in the story this time, and that player
gains an Orb ov Power to add to their Metal Queen’s Power, Speed, or
Thrash. That player cannot gain their next Orb ov Power until all the
2 other Metal Queens have gained one as well.
 The Magic Pentacle gazes upon you!
I. What kind ov Metal Queen will you be?
The Beast Queen commands the Beasts ov the wild as her steeds and
companions because she can become one herself!
The Blood Queen whispers the forbidden secrets ov the magic ov Life
and Death!
The Storm Queen calls down the wrath ov the skies with her voice ov
thunder!
The Warrior Queen can wield any weapon forged by human hands, and
is unmatched in battle!
The Witch Queen guards the shadowy secrets ov poison and casting
hexes!
II. What weapon do you wield?
A rune-scythe,
a sword-whip,
a spear ov meteoric iron,
a sacrificial blade ov obsidian,
a two-handed battleaxe,
or something else?
III. What armor do you wear?
Strangely carved bone,
the finest trophies claimed from your fallen enemies,
layers ov hides and fur,
none but the protection ov the winds,
ensorcelled robes,
or something else?
IV. What crown rests on your brow?
A circlet ov icicles which never melt,
antlers tipped with silver,
rib and finger bones taken from slain foes,
cold-wrought iron thorns,
a helm bedecked with demon horns,
or something else?
V. Describe your magic.
You have powerful spells related to the type ov Metal Queen you are.
Define in a sentence or two what happens when your Metal Queen
invokes this power, and the Demon Queen will decide what happens
each time you do. 3
 Stride forth!
If there’s any doubt as to who goes first when more than one character
is trying to act, have everyone involved roll a die — the player with the
highest result go. When you finish your action, you nominate who goes
next.
When you take an action, roll the Orbs ov Power for the stat your
Metal Queen is using. A die that rolls an odd result succeeds as
intended: describe what happens. A die that rolls an even result leads to
trouble: the Demon Queen will describe how your success creates a
more complicated situation, and that die is moved to Doom.

Rule ov 7
If you roll a 7, you score an Epic Success.
The Demon Queen describes how your success leads to an unexpected
benefit.
Rule ov 13
If you roll 13, the Tides ov Fate bring chaos and upheaval.
You succeed, but that die is moved to another stat (Power, Speed, or
Thrash).

Doom
If you have a die in Doom, the Demon Queen will tell you what you
have to do to confront the complication that moved it there - usually a
quest. After completing the task, rolling odd means you can return it
to any other stat (Power, Speed, or Thrash). Rolling even means you
have suffered a grave wound; put the die in Death. Only very special
circumstances (at the Demon Queen’s discretion) can bring dice back
from Death to other stats.

Death
If your last die is moved to Death, the Queen ov Death comes to claim
your Metal Queen in Her icy embrace. Such a demise is always
dramatic, after which any Metal Queen who helps avenge your fallen
character gains an additional Orb ov Power.

4
 Thy METAL QUEEN

played by

ORBS OV POWER

POWER MAGIC

THRASH WEAPON

SPEED ARMOR

DOOM
Record your Amazing Feats Here

DEATH
 ,
side B: demon queen s rules
 Above all, make the game fun for everyone.
Game Modes
The Demon Queen can set the game mode; the group may also
decide collectively what kind ov story they want to create.
Symphonic: the “rule ov cool” is the highest priority, and the rules
are loosely applied or ignored when they conflict – feats and magic
are colossal in scale, and enemies are appropriately titanic
Melodic: rules are applied flexibly but remain the guideline for what
happens in the story in most cases – feats and magic are larger than
life
Technical: the rules are applied consistently, and considered more
important than fudging results to get interesting outcomes – feats
and magic are impressive but constrained, and foes should not be
underestimated
Brutal: gritty, unforgiving application ov the rules for their own
sake – feats and magic are difficult, and foes are always a
deadly threat

Creating Doom
You may think you need to create elaborate scenarios for your
games, but the truth is, the players will generate enough drama
and conflict on their own. All you really need to do is give them
something that appears to be a threat or obstacle, and they’ll
throw themselves at it. In terms ov probability, there’s a 50%
chance ov a single die resulting in Doom; at 2 dice, it becomes
75% likely, and if a Metal Queen manages to get 3 dice, it
jumps to 83%. Doom will happen. 7
 Difficulty Ratings
Metal Queens are expected to succeed at their actions: they are the
best ov the best, larger than life figures in a harsh world. What
matters is the size ov the obstacles placed before them which allow
them to show off their prowess and might. That said, not all Metal
Queens excel in the same areas. A character with only one die in
Speed, for instance, cannot accomplish the same legendary feats as
two or even three dice would allow.
For purposes ov the table below, consider only odd results
(unqualified success) for describing the outcome; the complications
that accompany an even roll (adding Doom) counter-balance the
success. Also, the task scales are relative to the game mode being
used (see earlier): the descriptions below should be tailored to be
more or less realistic accordingly. Melodic is the assumed default
mode below, and a task that is easy in a Melodic context becomes
much less likely in a Brutal setting. Finally, when applying the Rule
ov 7, an Epic Success is roughly equivalent to the next highest level.
I: If a mortal can do it, a Metal Queen can do it with one
success, as well as anyone can without outside assistance. Note that
this only applies to tasks with risk or consequences; routine tasks
or those with no penalty for failure do not even need to be rolled.
II: Tasks that are like normal tasks, but amplified, require two
successes. A mortal can drink a pint, so a Metal Queen with two
successes can drink a keg. A mortal can throw a javelin, so a Metal
Queen with two successes can hurl ballista bolts.
III: In the event a Metal Queen has three dice in a stat and rolls
all odd numbers, the result would be a once-in-a-lifetime
occurrence, the stuff ov myths: diverting rivers, hitting the sun
8 with a spear, cleaving mountains.
 Example Scenario Hooks
When you need a mission for the Metal Queens to take on,
the below suggestions might prove useful. Feel free to use or
modify them as needed.
• A brimstone sirocco from the Demon Wastes is driving
a horde ov marauding ghouls toward Skull Mountain.
They hunger for flesh: FEND THEM OFF AT ALL COSTS!
• A high necromancer-general aims to enact a ritual to
animate a giant’s carcass as a zombie. The necromancer
would be able to operate the giant as a walking war
machine against Skull Mountain. THE RITUAL MUST BE
DISRUPTED !
• The forges ov Skull Mountain have produced new
weapons, but they must be quenched in demon blood
before they are complete. BLOODY YOUR STEEL IN BATTLE!
• An infernal disease has broken out in the ranks ov Skull
Mountain’s armies. The forces ov the Metal Queens are
rotting from the inside out. FIND OUT WHO HAS LAID THIS
CURSE AND PUNISH THEM !
• One ov the vampire dukes has uncovered an artifact ov
the times before the Demon Wastes overtook the land. If
mastered, it would steal the magics ov the Metal Queens.
IT MUST BE TAKEN OR DESTROYED !
• The river beneath Skull Mountain, which flows from the
lost southern plains, has been overtaken by demon pirates
crewing a man o’ war. SCUTTLE THEM AND FREE THE RIVER!
• The ghost ov one ov the Metal Queens ov old visits
Skull Mountain, warning that their tomb (at the site ov
their final battle in the Demon Wastes) is being defiled
by a necromancer. SECURE THE CRYPT AND AVENGE YOUR
ANCESTOR !
9
 What’s in the Demon Wastes?
Whatever the Demon Queen wants.
Time and space are uncertain in the Demon Wastes. What is there on
one foray may not yet exist on the next,
or may have crumbled from aeons ov neglect after a day’s absence;
landmarks may be months apart at one pass,
but only leagues on the return journey.
The terrain is inhospitable in a million ways. Even at the edges ov the
hellscape, the skies rain blood;
the sun is blackened; the winds flay exposed flesh.
Pools ov irradiated water twist the few remaining living creatures cursed
to roam the forsaken land. Deep within the Demon Wastes,
balefire spreads to any matter it touches, and
raw chaos erupts from the ground like a lanced boil.
Cities encountered in the Demon Wastes may be
decayed carcasses ov civilizations long fallen,
or hideous sprawls teeming with demonic activity.
Some report an imperial necropolis whose triumvirate lords rule
with golden masks and tattered shrouds.
A seedy trading post nestled in the calcified rib cage
ov a nameless titan offers secrets, contraband goods, and betrayal.
Wherever one stands, one can always see
the looming shadows ov the Dark Fortresses on the
horizon. It is said one may never reach them,
or even approach closer, unless
the Fortresses themselves will it. In their icy halls
bedecked with gloom, hidden masters hold their interdimensional
summits.
Innumerable armies ov the undead roam
the Demon Wastes, from regimented patrols under
the iron gaze ov the high necromancer-generals,
to the remnants ov forces routed millennia ago.
Shattered war machines, arcane and mechanical alike, dot the salt
plains and peek menacingly from beneath slumbering dunes.
It is said the first and mightiest ov the demons
lies sleeping beneath the monumental crater
formed when he was cast from the pinnacle to
the pit. Many Metal Queens have endeavored
to kill the archfiend; none have succeeded...
10 yet.
 Examples ov Metal Queen Magic

Take the form ov a dire wolf, great stag,

or giant hawk

Transform a foe’s bones to boiling acid

or hungry grubs

Call a forest ov spears from the ground

Shout forth a winter blast ov gale force

and freezing cold

Summon crows to steal your foe’s eyes

and tongue

Curse all weapons your enemy wields to

shatter upon your armor

Steal strength from your opponent’s

spilled blood

Invoke threefold vengeance against an

enemy’s attempts to curse you

Your thrown weapon pierces all targets

directly in front ov you as far as the eye
can see
11
 RECOMMENDED SOUNDS
Behemoth
Black Sabbath
Dimmu Borgir
Dio
Elder
Imperial Triumphant
Khemmis
Magic Circle
Pallbearer
Windhand
Witch Mountain
RECOMMENDED IMAGES
Chris Achilleos
Brom
Roger Dean
Frank Frazetta
Robert Gould
Moebius
Boris Vallejo
Michael Whelan
RECOMMENDED WORDS
Samuel Delaney
Caitlin R. Kiernan
Tanith Lee
Fritz Leiber
Michael Moorcock
C.L. Moore
Andre Norton
Cat Rambo
Jessica Amanda Salmonson
Gene Wolfe
RECOMMENDED GAMES
The Dread Geas of Duke Vulku
Exhumed
In A Wicked Age
Mörk Borg
12 Rhapsody of Blood
 GATHER THE ORBS OV POWER
FACE DEATH AND DOOM
WITH POWER, SPEED, AND THRASH
RIDE INTO THE DEMON WASTES

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