B is for Bolas and Boomerangs and Bog Beasts!

Every group has one, at least once in its existence. It's the player that, for whatever reason, just naturally gravitates  to the "weird" weapons: bolas, boomerangs, khopeshs, etc., etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseam. Now, don't get me wrong, it's perfectly ok to try one's hand at an exotic weapon to break out of the cookie-cutter mold of some classes. It's a way to make one's character unique. My cleric of Jupiter in our current Hackmaster game (4E) wears Roman-style armor and uses Roman pila as weapons. No, this is something else entirely. This is the guy who's looking for an edge to always have a gimmick or gadget that is the Ultimate Weapon (TM), the one that makes him the center of attention and the most useful member of society. In all, it's annoying as Hell for the DM and the other players.

Maybe it's just a need for attention, but it drives some people crazy, your humble blogger included, especially when it's taken to extremes. We had this one fellow in our group who decided that his dwarvan bounty hunter just had to be Batman. He was constantly slowing up the game trying to put together a utility belt and a bunch of other weird crap. First of all, this isn't V&V.* Two, it was WEIRD stuff...like trying to make a "servo arm" from the legs of a giant spider. Three, this might have worked if he was some kind of Tinker Gnome or something, but he was just a run-of-the-mill hill dwarf. Four, ok, this was semi-acceptable back in the day, but this was 2010 and this guy is in his 40's. Let's some depth and perspective here. Please. Before I pull my hair out. ~sigh~ [/rant] 

*Villains and Vigilantes is the first Super Hero RPG that was published in the 1970s.

Bog Beasts (Bullywugs)

AC: 6 [13]                                                   Special: Hop attack, camouflage
HD: 1                                                          Move:  3/15 (when swimming)
Attacks: Bite or weapon                               HDE/XP: 1/15

Bog beasts are a degenerate batrachian race that dwell in the dank places of the earth: swamps, marshes, bayous--places that are shunned by Men and their allies and with access to open water. Many bog beasts follow leaders of Chaos and Evil and there are rumors of depraved rites that lead to the breeding of these beasts with men to create half-breeds that serve vile creatures from the Outer Dark. Some bog beasts, however, merely wish to escape from the judgmental gaze of the Free Peoples and are merely shy and reclusive.

The bog beast has a natural camouflage ability that allows it to attack from the shadows with a 3-in-6 chance of achieving surprise; if combined with a hopping attack, this chance is increased to 5-in-6. When hopping to the attack, the bog beast gains a +1 to hit rolls and does double damage on a successful hit. However, unless attacking with surprise, bog beasts automatically lose initiative.