Lady Serena Amador is known for her unusual and lavish parties. This month's theme is "A Parade of the Unusual," and promises a carnival atmosphere, an eclectic collection of peasants and outcasts, clowns, acrobats, a menagerie of the fantastic (including a caged girallon, trained osquips performing tricks, and fighting velociraptors).
But the central piece of her entertainment plans is the White Woman, a woman found by adventurers in the western sea beds. The White Woman has alabaster white skin, silver hair, blue eyes, and a extremely refined features. She wears a silver tunic and slippers and speaks a language entirely unintelligible to even the most knowledgeable scholars. Lady Serena purchased the White Woman as a slave, and finds her exotic and entertaining, especially since the White Woman is of an unknown race and culture.
What no one can understand or explain is the White Woman's frequent agitation, when she seems to be trying to talk to people as if to tell them something very urgent.
Showing posts with label athanor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label athanor. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Slaves and Slavery in Athanor
Reading Empire of the Petal Throne again has me thinking of slavery in Athanor. Slavery is common in much of Athanor, particularly among the Alemanians Mal'Akkans, and Throon. Among the Duma, slaves are only taken as a result of defeat of an enemy in war, and among the Ghul, slavery is unknown. If you are not a person, you are food. Slavery would be a fate worse than being food.
In Zamora, slaves are mostly kept as a result of resolving criminal charges (to pay weregild for someone slain, for instance), as a result of war (captured enemies often become slaves), to settle sufficiently large debt (indentured servitude), or as purchase from another nation that keeps slaves. While slaves are often chattle, slaves do not share a common racial heritage, and the trade of slaves is more like the ancient Mediterranean than the American south. There is not Triangle Trade in Zamoran slaves, nor are airships of slaves carried into Zamora.
Not to say this isn't an unsavory world. Household slaves are much like household slaves in ancient Greece, but slave laborers, prostitutes, and gladiators expose the unsavory side of owning people as chattle. Slaves do work that it is hard or impossible to get freed men to do, and there are escaped slaves who rebel against the yoke of domination.
Thus, it is possible to purchase pack slaves, torchbearer slaves, cooking slaves and the like to serve a party, and such slaves often accompany expeditions into dangerous places where it would be hard to hire a crew of workers to support an expedition.
In Zamora, slaves are mostly kept as a result of resolving criminal charges (to pay weregild for someone slain, for instance), as a result of war (captured enemies often become slaves), to settle sufficiently large debt (indentured servitude), or as purchase from another nation that keeps slaves. While slaves are often chattle, slaves do not share a common racial heritage, and the trade of slaves is more like the ancient Mediterranean than the American south. There is not Triangle Trade in Zamoran slaves, nor are airships of slaves carried into Zamora.
Not to say this isn't an unsavory world. Household slaves are much like household slaves in ancient Greece, but slave laborers, prostitutes, and gladiators expose the unsavory side of owning people as chattle. Slaves do work that it is hard or impossible to get freed men to do, and there are escaped slaves who rebel against the yoke of domination.
Thus, it is possible to purchase pack slaves, torchbearer slaves, cooking slaves and the like to serve a party, and such slaves often accompany expeditions into dangerous places where it would be hard to hire a crew of workers to support an expedition.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Assassination, House Wars and the Nobles of Zamora
In Glorantha (which I know best from RuneQuest 2 and a little of RQ 3), parts of Peloria and the lunar empire engage in "Dart Wars" -- openly secret assassination to settle disputes between nobles, with strict legal controls. In Empire of the Petal Throne (the original version of the game), wars are settled in the Hirilakte arenas using gladiatorial proxies. Personally, I like these ideas, since they give a reason for amoral warriors to wander around the world, and to give some sense of danger to their presence.
In Zamora, disputes between houses can be settled in many ways. Many involve appealing to the Overlord or his courts, but these kinds of appeals can be difficult and expensive, and risk angering the Overlord for demanding his attention. Most of the time, disputes are settled through House Wars.
While open warfare between Houses is possible, it is illegal, dangerous, and brings unwanted attention. Most of the time, settling a House War is done through professional intervention in the form of hiring either a Sword-dancer or a Face-dancer.
Sword-dancers practice their trade in three ways: one is that they are performers, using their mastery of weapons in an acrobatic show and performing feats of prowess to wow the crowds. The second is that they serve as fencing instructors, particularly to those who want to learn flashy styles. The third and most common is to take on jobs as duelists (often standing in for their bosses in formal duels) or assassins. Such trade is legal, but any Sword-dancer must declare his trade openly on starting business or entering the city, and a public listing of all sword-dancers and their know residences is published once a week in the Hall of Records. Official Sword-dance contracts on individuals must also be publically logged and posted before the Sword-dancer may begin to pursue a target. It is legal always to kill a Sword-dancer who is actively pursuing a contract, regardless of who is the target. Thus, being a Sword-dancer is a very dangerous profession.
Face-dancers are less common and more subtle. Masters of disguise, seduction, deception, and poison, most face-dancers are hired to ruin people rather than killing them. Seducing people to learn secrets or to undermine their marriages are most common, though stealing incriminating documents, sabotage, and general forms of blackmail are also frequent tactics. Face-dancers are less open about their profession, do not need to post their contracts, and are seldom involved with direct violence. Instead, they enact more long-term schemes of deception, and are often more secretive and more expensive than Sword-dancers.
In Zamora, disputes between houses can be settled in many ways. Many involve appealing to the Overlord or his courts, but these kinds of appeals can be difficult and expensive, and risk angering the Overlord for demanding his attention. Most of the time, disputes are settled through House Wars.
While open warfare between Houses is possible, it is illegal, dangerous, and brings unwanted attention. Most of the time, settling a House War is done through professional intervention in the form of hiring either a Sword-dancer or a Face-dancer.
Sword-dancers practice their trade in three ways: one is that they are performers, using their mastery of weapons in an acrobatic show and performing feats of prowess to wow the crowds. The second is that they serve as fencing instructors, particularly to those who want to learn flashy styles. The third and most common is to take on jobs as duelists (often standing in for their bosses in formal duels) or assassins. Such trade is legal, but any Sword-dancer must declare his trade openly on starting business or entering the city, and a public listing of all sword-dancers and their know residences is published once a week in the Hall of Records. Official Sword-dance contracts on individuals must also be publically logged and posted before the Sword-dancer may begin to pursue a target. It is legal always to kill a Sword-dancer who is actively pursuing a contract, regardless of who is the target. Thus, being a Sword-dancer is a very dangerous profession.
Face-dancers are less common and more subtle. Masters of disguise, seduction, deception, and poison, most face-dancers are hired to ruin people rather than killing them. Seducing people to learn secrets or to undermine their marriages are most common, though stealing incriminating documents, sabotage, and general forms of blackmail are also frequent tactics. Face-dancers are less open about their profession, do not need to post their contracts, and are seldom involved with direct violence. Instead, they enact more long-term schemes of deception, and are often more secretive and more expensive than Sword-dancers.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Four Major Campaign Villains for Athanor
While it's possible to just do a game of exploration using the Athanor hex map, or to do a long-term dungeon crawl in the Undercity below Zamora, my play style is more to create a campaign where players can actually face a big villain and develop their own sense of a larger purpose. And, frankly, I haven't had a group yet where that wasn't something that they responded well to, even when I was running AD&D 1e back in the early 1980s.
So, in order to provide some room for that kind of gaming, here are four ideas for the Big Bads behind major plots on Athanor. Personally, I would use at least two of these ideas, if not all four.
So, in order to provide some room for that kind of gaming, here are four ideas for the Big Bads behind major plots on Athanor. Personally, I would use at least two of these ideas, if not all four.
- The Witch Kings of Ylum: A handful have survived, locked in deep tombs, as liches. If awakened, they will work on awakening still other witch-kings and strange sorcerous armies of undead and worse.
- The Machines of Aquila: a handful of intelligent and semi-intelligent doomsday devices created by the Empire of Aquila as part of its war on Ylum survive. Seeing the use of magic in the world at large, these machines think Ylum has managed to win the war and, if awakened, these machines will begin to purge the world.
- Mysterious Alien Civilization: Survivors of a crash in the Starfall mountain, the vaguely reptilian, grey-skinned aliens are masters of strange technology. They are amoral, ruthless, and dedicated to conducting experiments on all life in order to find a wy to extend their own.
- The Lords of the Moons: Selune is home to a civilization of alien creatures that live under the surface of the moon. Looking like large jellyfish with brains floating in their centers, the Selunians have powerful psychic powers, advanced technology, and spacecraft. They are served by a race of pale, primitive bird-people with iron-sharp claws called the Corbin. The other moon, Miera, is home to several mechanized, idyllic dome cities in good repair, populated by gold-skinned, pampered urbanites with no ability to survive outside their cities, and no knowledge of the past. The Selunians use them as food, and have built a religion around sacrifices of Mierans to Selunians. There is a problem with the Selunians' food supply, and now the Selunians are beginning to raid Athanor.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Still Alive, May Sell an Athanor Supplement on Lulu, and Some Other News
I'm still in the ugliest of the quarter, with my classes still requiring me to putting together a video project (probably a discussion of the social structural origins of the current budget crisis at my state and university and not on some of my more interesting but harder to put together ideas), as well as doing a survey, some interviews, and data analysis as part of my pilot study for next year's dissertation research. And the lit review. And clarifying my research questions. And, you know, work. And planning my wife's (let's not mention numbers, but it's an Important Year) birthday in early December.
So the slow posting is likely to continue for a little while.
Maybe I need to think a bit more about my classes next quarter.
On another front, I have been working on hex descriptions of Athanor, and putting together a new version of PDF for sale on Lulu (just 64 A5 pages, saddle-stitched. Not quite digest-sized, but in the neighborhood.) This version is formulated as a supplement for S&W Whitebox, not as a standalone game, and includes the Judges-Guild-Style Hex Descriptions I mentioned earlier. I have a test copy wending it's way to my house, and I'll see if I like it well enough to sell it. I want to contact people whose posts I have modified and included in the supplement (Akrasia's skill system, T. Foster's wound system) before I actually sell the book. I'm looking at about $8.00 print, $2.00 PDF, and counting on not selling a thing.
I am also waiting for Google to send me a Wave invitation. My hope is to get one before the holidays and then to move on to trying out Wave for gaming, then moving on to see if I can use it for real academic collaboration, too. You can see I have my priorities straight. Actually, my point is to play and learn the ways the system can work organically, then try to force it into the context of something more restrictive, so there really is a method to my choices. The opportunity to try out some online gaming is just bonus.
But right now, I just hope to make it through the Thanksgiving weekend.
So the slow posting is likely to continue for a little while.
Maybe I need to think a bit more about my classes next quarter.
On another front, I have been working on hex descriptions of Athanor, and putting together a new version of PDF for sale on Lulu (just 64 A5 pages, saddle-stitched. Not quite digest-sized, but in the neighborhood.) This version is formulated as a supplement for S&W Whitebox, not as a standalone game, and includes the Judges-Guild-Style Hex Descriptions I mentioned earlier. I have a test copy wending it's way to my house, and I'll see if I like it well enough to sell it. I want to contact people whose posts I have modified and included in the supplement (Akrasia's skill system, T. Foster's wound system) before I actually sell the book. I'm looking at about $8.00 print, $2.00 PDF, and counting on not selling a thing.
I am also waiting for Google to send me a Wave invitation. My hope is to get one before the holidays and then to move on to trying out Wave for gaming, then moving on to see if I can use it for real academic collaboration, too. You can see I have my priorities straight. Actually, my point is to play and learn the ways the system can work organically, then try to force it into the context of something more restrictive, so there really is a method to my choices. The opportunity to try out some online gaming is just bonus.
But right now, I just hope to make it through the Thanksgiving weekend.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The Gods of Athanor
My previous posts have given a very brief overview of religion and gods in Athanor. This is quite intentional. The Gods of Athanor are not common forces in the lives of the people of Athanor, as gods are often are in role-playing games. Rather, the gods do not grant magical power. Some gods are fictional or misinterpretations of historical figures. Others are powerful beings of supernatural power, but are not truly divine. Religion on Athanor is just another institution, corrupt and troublesome as any other. I have treated religion as just a bit of background color, but with a little meat on its bones, the topic of religion can provide a little more structure to the game.
The Churches of Law
The churches of Law are highly revered throughout the Five Kingdoms. Part of this respect is the fact that the churches are highly conservative, institutionalized, and support the ideals of social order, rule of law, and polite society. While people follow such tenets wih varying degrees of devotion, these ideals tend to resonate strongly with the general populace, and have the ring of social truth in them.
Though they are closely allied, the Churches of Law consist of three separate churches, each with its own focus.
Fala the Lightbringer
The Church of Fala the Lightbringer preaches the virtues of charity, social giving, sacred life and social justice. It runs several charities, and is devoted to running soup kitchens, hospitals, and schools throughout the Five Kingdoms. They teach the value of obedience, piety, self-discipline, and kindness, and are active missionaries in spreading the faith.
The priests of Fala swear oaths of chastity and poverty, though they may carry and use the wealth of the church. Thus, they may have items on extended loan from the church, but may own nothing of their own. Thus, any appearance of wealth among the holy is just a misunderstanding, as the faithful own nothing and but use what is given them by Fala.
They teach that it is a kindness to educate heathens in the Way, and thus support the Inquisition of the Serinites. They believe that virtue is hard work, and thus demand much work from penitents. They oppose moral weakness in the form of Chaos and heathen idolatry, and work to make sure that the State supports the churches of law only. They would love to convert Alemania from their heathen atheism to understanding the True Way.
For its charity work, the Church controls much wealth, and collects it aggressively from the faithful. Such wealth grants great power, and the control much land in order to do their work. Many of the younger children of the ruling families of the Five Kingdoms are sent to the Church to learn and to form stronger ties to the church for their families. Some might see this as poltical manipulation or finding a way to divert vst church funds to the wealthy, but such a perspective would be bitter and jaded.
Malkut the Scholar
The god Malkut and his church are dedicated to learning and scholarship, searching Ancient tomes not only for learning and facts, but for spiritual enlightenment on the nture of the universe. The Malkuti teach the value of keeping the mind focused on the Word and the Way, of studying and interpreing the Holy Word for insights into the world at large, and of properly educating the faithful.
The priests and priestesses of Malkut swear vows of poverty. They focus on developing a demeanor that is detached, thoughtful, and driven by philosophical and intellectual devotion to the holy teachings of the Gods of Law. They are builders of schools and libraries, and use teaching as a form of missionary work.
They teach the values of self-reflection, self-discipline, prayer, service, and obdedience to the Way of Malkut. Their teaching and spiritual work focus on mental discipline, devotiton of religious study, and finding ways to unite the Word with the World.
The Church of Malkut controls most of the large collections of books and scholarship extant in the Five Kingdoms, including carefully guarded libraries of forbidden lore. They are always seeking ways to gain more knowledge, translate Ancient books, and learn more of the history and science of the past.
Serin of the Iron Fist
Serin is the goddess of discipline and protector of the faithful. She is the Fist of Law, who teaches that strength of resolve is the highest system of belief, even beyond the evidence of reason or material evidence. Her followers form a small but fanatical order of fighting priests who act as defenders of caravans, protectors of religious missions, and hunters of abominations and witches. The Serinites form two orders: the Knights of the Temple, who defend churches of law and caravans of the faithful; the Knights of the Flame, who hunt monsters and witches, and act as the investigators for the church. They ae often called the Inquisition.
Priests and priestesses of Serin swear oaths of poverty and chastity, and live ascetic lives that involve dedication to spiritual and physical warfare. Their order follow military lines, with brother- and sister-soldiers, and father- and mother- sergeants, lieutenants, and captains. These ranks are highly ordered and disciplined, with strict codes of obedience and procedure.
The Serinites have the least to do with common folk, focusing on their war on spiritual evil in the world. This ofen makes them seem cold, distant, even cruel to outsiders who do not understand the need for strict dedication to the war against Evil in order to protect the innocent.
The Churches of Chaos
In contrast to the the churches of Law, the disparate churches of Chaos promise practices that support individual freedoms of expression and behavior. While the churches of Law are socially sanctioned, institutionalized, and tied to the greater social order, the churches of Chaos present themselves as counter-cultural or revolutionary, even if this is only marginally true. There are dozens of Churches of Chaos, but in Zamora, six churches are currently active.
Asheba the Creator
The Church of Asheba is devoted to artists, craftspeople, and magic-users. This means that it has lasting attentions to several guilds, noble families, and powerful individuals. This is the most mainstream of the chaos cults, and stresses the role of creation as a positive. As an outgrowth, the church is tied to charitable work in feeding the poor, opening schools, and providing alternative voices to those who wish to challenge the hegemony of the churches of Law.
The priests and priestesses of Asheba have no single code of dress or conduct, but follow loose guidelines for kindness, ethical behavior, and respect for life. They stand for freedom and individuality as well. They do not take oaths of poverty or chastity, instead focusing on oaths of service.
Due to the church’s followers, the Ashebans have a great deal of wealth and influence, making them a thorn in the side of the churches of Law. This is a position Ashebans relish, considering themselves social gadflies and potential change agents.
Bel the Liberator
The church of Bel is devoted to serving the poor and downtrodden. They not only set up charities in the poorest communities, but serve as a voice of liberation and opposition to slavery, exploitation, and centralized government. As a result, the church of Bel is outlawed quite broadly, and its churches quickly razed.
In Zamora, this church is underground, gathering its followers in the barrens on the edge of the city. Beggars and outcasts are its followers, and its leaders are trained insurgents who are generally from lesser families of wealth who have cast aside their former lives out of disillusionment.
Bel’s followers are known to participate in resistance acts ranging from protests and heckling to vandalism to direct acts of violence. Different cells have different goals, but the authorities treat all of them as potential sites for resistance and violence.
Checkah the Trickster
The god of trickery is the subject of many popular tales, and the worship of Checkah is popular among gamblers, the poor, and criminals. The Church of Checkah, however, is the precinct of a small group of criminals and anarchists, who practice their worship in the Undercity. Checkah followers believe that they can show their beliefs best through committing memorable crimes, practical jokes, or acts of sabotage that will make them legendary in renown. His followers have no church as such, but gather as cells to share tales, conspire together, and add adventure to the world.
Kesh the Destroyer
The cult of Kesh is outlawed, since the worship of Kesh is the worship of death and destruction. Kesh worship is ecstatic, involving orgies of drugs and sex in which worshipers receive visions of the god, promising paradise eternal to those who unlease his blessings of violence on the world. His priests meet secretly with followers, seeking ways to bring turmoil and conflict to the world. Few would openly admit worship of this god.
Tala the Corruptor
The cult of Tala is likewise outlawed, in many ways a more subtle counterpart to Kesh. Unlike Kesh, Tala’s cult believes the world is debased, and the only way to purify the soul is to cleanse it through experiencing its baseness without pretension. They believe cruelty, murder, violence, and decadence are steps on the path to enlightenment and that by expressing all the worst in you, you will reach a point where you are cleansed of evil, and become pure. They feel their goal is to guide all they can through the same process, tempting others to evil and exposing the corruption of mortal life so that all souls may find peace beyond their own mortality. Talans work in small cells of no more than 3 individuals, who meet in masks and hide their identities from one another. Their actions are criminal and dangerous, and Talans are hunted.
Vanya of the Silken Thighs
The Temple of Vanya of the Silken Thighs has a high priestess and a body of priests and priestesses that worship the goddess of pleasure through carnal sacrifice, charging alms from worshippers for the privelege of blessed congress. This is a wealthy temple, despite its lack of political influence, with many worshippers coming through its doors every day.
The Churches of Law
The churches of Law are highly revered throughout the Five Kingdoms. Part of this respect is the fact that the churches are highly conservative, institutionalized, and support the ideals of social order, rule of law, and polite society. While people follow such tenets wih varying degrees of devotion, these ideals tend to resonate strongly with the general populace, and have the ring of social truth in them.
Though they are closely allied, the Churches of Law consist of three separate churches, each with its own focus.
Fala the Lightbringer
The Church of Fala the Lightbringer preaches the virtues of charity, social giving, sacred life and social justice. It runs several charities, and is devoted to running soup kitchens, hospitals, and schools throughout the Five Kingdoms. They teach the value of obedience, piety, self-discipline, and kindness, and are active missionaries in spreading the faith.
The priests of Fala swear oaths of chastity and poverty, though they may carry and use the wealth of the church. Thus, they may have items on extended loan from the church, but may own nothing of their own. Thus, any appearance of wealth among the holy is just a misunderstanding, as the faithful own nothing and but use what is given them by Fala.
They teach that it is a kindness to educate heathens in the Way, and thus support the Inquisition of the Serinites. They believe that virtue is hard work, and thus demand much work from penitents. They oppose moral weakness in the form of Chaos and heathen idolatry, and work to make sure that the State supports the churches of law only. They would love to convert Alemania from their heathen atheism to understanding the True Way.
For its charity work, the Church controls much wealth, and collects it aggressively from the faithful. Such wealth grants great power, and the control much land in order to do their work. Many of the younger children of the ruling families of the Five Kingdoms are sent to the Church to learn and to form stronger ties to the church for their families. Some might see this as poltical manipulation or finding a way to divert vst church funds to the wealthy, but such a perspective would be bitter and jaded.
Malkut the Scholar
The god Malkut and his church are dedicated to learning and scholarship, searching Ancient tomes not only for learning and facts, but for spiritual enlightenment on the nture of the universe. The Malkuti teach the value of keeping the mind focused on the Word and the Way, of studying and interpreing the Holy Word for insights into the world at large, and of properly educating the faithful.
The priests and priestesses of Malkut swear vows of poverty. They focus on developing a demeanor that is detached, thoughtful, and driven by philosophical and intellectual devotion to the holy teachings of the Gods of Law. They are builders of schools and libraries, and use teaching as a form of missionary work.
They teach the values of self-reflection, self-discipline, prayer, service, and obdedience to the Way of Malkut. Their teaching and spiritual work focus on mental discipline, devotiton of religious study, and finding ways to unite the Word with the World.
The Church of Malkut controls most of the large collections of books and scholarship extant in the Five Kingdoms, including carefully guarded libraries of forbidden lore. They are always seeking ways to gain more knowledge, translate Ancient books, and learn more of the history and science of the past.
Serin of the Iron Fist
Serin is the goddess of discipline and protector of the faithful. She is the Fist of Law, who teaches that strength of resolve is the highest system of belief, even beyond the evidence of reason or material evidence. Her followers form a small but fanatical order of fighting priests who act as defenders of caravans, protectors of religious missions, and hunters of abominations and witches. The Serinites form two orders: the Knights of the Temple, who defend churches of law and caravans of the faithful; the Knights of the Flame, who hunt monsters and witches, and act as the investigators for the church. They ae often called the Inquisition.
Priests and priestesses of Serin swear oaths of poverty and chastity, and live ascetic lives that involve dedication to spiritual and physical warfare. Their order follow military lines, with brother- and sister-soldiers, and father- and mother- sergeants, lieutenants, and captains. These ranks are highly ordered and disciplined, with strict codes of obedience and procedure.
The Serinites have the least to do with common folk, focusing on their war on spiritual evil in the world. This ofen makes them seem cold, distant, even cruel to outsiders who do not understand the need for strict dedication to the war against Evil in order to protect the innocent.
The Churches of Chaos
In contrast to the the churches of Law, the disparate churches of Chaos promise practices that support individual freedoms of expression and behavior. While the churches of Law are socially sanctioned, institutionalized, and tied to the greater social order, the churches of Chaos present themselves as counter-cultural or revolutionary, even if this is only marginally true. There are dozens of Churches of Chaos, but in Zamora, six churches are currently active.
Asheba the Creator
The Church of Asheba is devoted to artists, craftspeople, and magic-users. This means that it has lasting attentions to several guilds, noble families, and powerful individuals. This is the most mainstream of the chaos cults, and stresses the role of creation as a positive. As an outgrowth, the church is tied to charitable work in feeding the poor, opening schools, and providing alternative voices to those who wish to challenge the hegemony of the churches of Law.
The priests and priestesses of Asheba have no single code of dress or conduct, but follow loose guidelines for kindness, ethical behavior, and respect for life. They stand for freedom and individuality as well. They do not take oaths of poverty or chastity, instead focusing on oaths of service.
Due to the church’s followers, the Ashebans have a great deal of wealth and influence, making them a thorn in the side of the churches of Law. This is a position Ashebans relish, considering themselves social gadflies and potential change agents.
Bel the Liberator
The church of Bel is devoted to serving the poor and downtrodden. They not only set up charities in the poorest communities, but serve as a voice of liberation and opposition to slavery, exploitation, and centralized government. As a result, the church of Bel is outlawed quite broadly, and its churches quickly razed.
In Zamora, this church is underground, gathering its followers in the barrens on the edge of the city. Beggars and outcasts are its followers, and its leaders are trained insurgents who are generally from lesser families of wealth who have cast aside their former lives out of disillusionment.
Bel’s followers are known to participate in resistance acts ranging from protests and heckling to vandalism to direct acts of violence. Different cells have different goals, but the authorities treat all of them as potential sites for resistance and violence.
Checkah the Trickster
The god of trickery is the subject of many popular tales, and the worship of Checkah is popular among gamblers, the poor, and criminals. The Church of Checkah, however, is the precinct of a small group of criminals and anarchists, who practice their worship in the Undercity. Checkah followers believe that they can show their beliefs best through committing memorable crimes, practical jokes, or acts of sabotage that will make them legendary in renown. His followers have no church as such, but gather as cells to share tales, conspire together, and add adventure to the world.
Kesh the Destroyer
The cult of Kesh is outlawed, since the worship of Kesh is the worship of death and destruction. Kesh worship is ecstatic, involving orgies of drugs and sex in which worshipers receive visions of the god, promising paradise eternal to those who unlease his blessings of violence on the world. His priests meet secretly with followers, seeking ways to bring turmoil and conflict to the world. Few would openly admit worship of this god.
Tala the Corruptor
The cult of Tala is likewise outlawed, in many ways a more subtle counterpart to Kesh. Unlike Kesh, Tala’s cult believes the world is debased, and the only way to purify the soul is to cleanse it through experiencing its baseness without pretension. They believe cruelty, murder, violence, and decadence are steps on the path to enlightenment and that by expressing all the worst in you, you will reach a point where you are cleansed of evil, and become pure. They feel their goal is to guide all they can through the same process, tempting others to evil and exposing the corruption of mortal life so that all souls may find peace beyond their own mortality. Talans work in small cells of no more than 3 individuals, who meet in masks and hide their identities from one another. Their actions are criminal and dangerous, and Talans are hunted.
Vanya of the Silken Thighs
The Temple of Vanya of the Silken Thighs has a high priestess and a body of priests and priestesses that worship the goddess of pleasure through carnal sacrifice, charging alms from worshippers for the privelege of blessed congress. This is a wealthy temple, despite its lack of political influence, with many worshippers coming through its doors every day.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Weirding Up the Intelligent Races, Part I: The Barbarian Races
Following the lead of Burroughs' Barsoom, I have made the intelligent races of Athanor essentially human, except for the weirdness of the Ghul, who are essentially Nehwon's Ghouls, as in Leiber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series. After reading some posts about Cactus Men of Planet Algol, though, I thought that maybe I could make the barbarian races of Athanor, the Ghul and the Throon, a bit less ordinary. Here's a draft of an alternate version of the two races, including some minimal changes for the Ghul, and a very changed vision of the Throon....
Ghuls have transparent flesh and blood, with only their bones and eyes clearly visible. This is a terrifying sight to most others, which the Ghuls take advantage of. Ghuls often fight wearing only a battle harness consisting of small armored portions connected by studded leather straps. In the hands of a trained Ghul, this armor provides protection equivalent to leather armor, with a similar cost. They prefer great, curved swords.
Throon are ochre-skinned and hairless, and stand some seven feet tall. Though they are human in general form, they are actually mobile and sentient fungi, with silicate bones and thick, fibrous flesh.
Though Throon eat and drink as humans do, they also are able to absorb nutrients from decaying matter and from rich soil. Their children are born from spores that they produce once per year. Few Throon children grow to adulthood. As Throon get older, their flesh gets tougher, and the elderly become unable to move, and are settled into sacred Elder Groves.
Ghul
The Ghuls are superstitious, cannibalistic savages who live in small, insular clans. They are ruthless raiders who are known for not taking prisoners. They regard non-Ghul as little more than semi- or fully-intelligent animals, and consider only other Ghuls as human. They worship chaos and believe that might in combat and glory in death are the highest ideals.Ghuls have transparent flesh and blood, with only their bones and eyes clearly visible. This is a terrifying sight to most others, which the Ghuls take advantage of. Ghuls often fight wearing only a battle harness consisting of small armored portions connected by studded leather straps. In the hands of a trained Ghul, this armor provides protection equivalent to leather armor, with a similar cost. They prefer great, curved swords.
- Class Advancement
- Ghuls use either the Fighter or the Rogue advancement chart. They may advance as high as sixth level.
- Weapon and Armor Restrictions
- As noted for class. Ghuls prefer curved, slashing swords.
- Ghuls wear ceremonial battle harness that functions identically to leather armor. Ghul warriors sometimes carry shields, but most carry two-handed weapons.
- Combat Frenzy
- Ghuls are brutal combatants. When in combat, they may add +2 to their attack rolls, but may not wear armor heavier than Ghul battle harness.
Throon
Throon are nomadic bariarian who live as a variety of tribes. The Throon tend to fight with each other as well as with the people of the Five Kingdoms. Some act as bandits, others raid civilized outposts regularly. Still others live at peace with the Five Kingdoms. They have their own martial code of honor, but are not beholden to the ways of the Five Kingdoms.Throon are ochre-skinned and hairless, and stand some seven feet tall. Though they are human in general form, they are actually mobile and sentient fungi, with silicate bones and thick, fibrous flesh.
Though Throon eat and drink as humans do, they also are able to absorb nutrients from decaying matter and from rich soil. Their children are born from spores that they produce once per year. Few Throon children grow to adulthood. As Throon get older, their flesh gets tougher, and the elderly become unable to move, and are settled into sacred Elder Groves.
Throon Racial Abilities
- Class Advancement
- Throon use the Fighter advancement chart. They may advance as high as sixth level.
- Weapon and Armor Restrictions
- Throon favor slashing weapons, with a particular love for axes in combat. Like any warrior, they may use any weapons.
- Throon disdain the use of armor, but are protected by their own tough, fibrous flesh. This gives them a +4 to Armor Class.
- Fungal Body Chemistry
- The Throon process poison differently. Throon gain +2 to saves vs. poisons and toxins.
- Fungal Brain
- Throon gain a +2 to saves vs. charming, holding, and dominating magic.
- Fibrous Flesh
- Piercing and blunt weapons automaticially do minimum possible damage.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Planetary Romance vs. Pulp Grit
The planetary romances, as typified by Burroughs' Barsoom novels and as copied by such later revisions of the genre as Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon strips, Gardner Fox's Adam Strange , or even the T.V. series Farscape play off a number of themes of strangers in a strange land who, usually because they are clever (white) Earth men, bring the benefits of their civilized minds and manners to a barbaric world. In addition to this, we see the development of damsels in distress, martial might, and heroic honor as central to this. Particularly in Burroughs and Raymond, the hero finds allies who are noble savages in a world of danger.
I don't see Athanor headed in that direction at all. Athanor is, in my head, more informed by the pulp tradition of sword and sorcery. My bias is to the idea that the player characters will be rogues and ne'er-do-wells caught up in intrigues and trouble, some of which may be of their own making. I personally prefer games wthere the PCs more resemble Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Cugel the Clever than Aragorn or Galahad. This isn't a jaded distaste for the heroic or epic in fantasy tradition, but a love of the picaresque tradition and of the worm's eye view of pulp -- whether it be fantasy, weird fiction, or even detective or crime novels of the pulp period or their descendants.
By pulp, I don't mean two-fisted Indiana Jones action. Pulp isn't a genre, but a medium. Pulp novels, the cheap novels and magazines of the mid-twentieth-century in the United States, included a lot of mass-marketed fiction often genre fiction churned out by small presses who made their profits on thin margins by using cheap paper stock and binding, garish or provocative covers, and by marketing some racy or lurid content. While I doubt that I'll move into the real of authors like Jim Thompson's gritty crime novels (not that I couldn't imagine a Jim Thompson based game), I think everything from two-fisted tough guy and crime novels to Howard's style of fantasy, to the weirdness of Clark Ashton Smith are all fair game. Which is more a matter of my state of mind.
Once you get past the pretention of that thinking, the question remains about what that means at the table top? I like the idea of a rag-tag bunch of misfits causing trouble and running across Athanor getting in and out of scrapes. While I will throw some larger plots and terrible monsters out there, and have secrets to uncover, I don't see the PCs saving the world, defeating the Dark Lord, and making nice-nice across the planet. They may find their own princesses to fall in love with and rescue (though I suspect they will end up either not such the princesses, or less in need of rescue than the heroes think), monsters to slay, and intrigues to get involved in, but the goal of the game is not to play out the Next Great Epic Trilogy. Rather, I want it to feel like the next adventure story magazine is publishing another crazy Athanor story, and we don't know how things might turn out or what weirdness will come up in the process.
While Barsoom, Pellucidar, and their ilk may be one of my major inspirations, I'm not really out to emulate them. Instead, I want them to be springboards for my imagination, and for the players', too.
I don't see Athanor headed in that direction at all. Athanor is, in my head, more informed by the pulp tradition of sword and sorcery. My bias is to the idea that the player characters will be rogues and ne'er-do-wells caught up in intrigues and trouble, some of which may be of their own making. I personally prefer games wthere the PCs more resemble Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Cugel the Clever than Aragorn or Galahad. This isn't a jaded distaste for the heroic or epic in fantasy tradition, but a love of the picaresque tradition and of the worm's eye view of pulp -- whether it be fantasy, weird fiction, or even detective or crime novels of the pulp period or their descendants.
By pulp, I don't mean two-fisted Indiana Jones action. Pulp isn't a genre, but a medium. Pulp novels, the cheap novels and magazines of the mid-twentieth-century in the United States, included a lot of mass-marketed fiction often genre fiction churned out by small presses who made their profits on thin margins by using cheap paper stock and binding, garish or provocative covers, and by marketing some racy or lurid content. While I doubt that I'll move into the real of authors like Jim Thompson's gritty crime novels (not that I couldn't imagine a Jim Thompson based game), I think everything from two-fisted tough guy and crime novels to Howard's style of fantasy, to the weirdness of Clark Ashton Smith are all fair game. Which is more a matter of my state of mind.
Once you get past the pretention of that thinking, the question remains about what that means at the table top? I like the idea of a rag-tag bunch of misfits causing trouble and running across Athanor getting in and out of scrapes. While I will throw some larger plots and terrible monsters out there, and have secrets to uncover, I don't see the PCs saving the world, defeating the Dark Lord, and making nice-nice across the planet. They may find their own princesses to fall in love with and rescue (though I suspect they will end up either not such the princesses, or less in need of rescue than the heroes think), monsters to slay, and intrigues to get involved in, but the goal of the game is not to play out the Next Great Epic Trilogy. Rather, I want it to feel like the next adventure story magazine is publishing another crazy Athanor story, and we don't know how things might turn out or what weirdness will come up in the process.
While Barsoom, Pellucidar, and their ilk may be one of my major inspirations, I'm not really out to emulate them. Instead, I want them to be springboards for my imagination, and for the players', too.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Athanor and Earthmen
The one thing that Athanor is missing so far is Earth men. After all, my big influence here is from the thread of fiction known either as sword and planet or planetary romance. Earth men are big in the genre, whether it be John Carter, Esau Cairn or Tarl Cabot (bonus points if you know all three references.) But while the importance of Earth men as point of view characters is essential to the sort of travelogue style narratives of much of the genre, I'm not so in love with those elements in the context of a role-playing game.
Part of the issue is that Earth men almost always outshine everyone. John Carter is superhuman in almost every way; Flash Gordon unites a planet when no one else can; Adam Strange is a better scientist with his archaeology training than any Rannian science academy graduate; Esau Cairn is the tougher than anyone on Almuric... the pattern is pretty clear. Even if we include Earth men, this seems hard to include in the game. We also need to deal with the fact that Earth men become alien and as such attention hogs in the game. It's hard for Earth men not to become the center of plots, reactions, and activity. And despite the current logic that lack of game balance at the table disrupts fun, I find that the thing that really disrupts tabletop fun is not game balance issues, it's screen time balance issues. A game where a subset of PCs get all the good attention is riding the rails to disaster.
I also don't want Earth men because then I will probably need to firmly declare where Athanor is in human history: past or present. And I will need to deal with questions of brining in other humans, dealing with reinformcements, interactions and travel between Earth and Athanor, connections between Athanorans and humans, and deciding whether all these Earth analogs in language and culture are really there or just abstractions to make the language and tropes make sense. I like doing a lot of hand waiving right now. Earth makes me have to make some decisions and stick with them.
Finally, I don't want the plot of the game to be about the motion of the Earth humans among alien cultures and creatures. That narrative, while interesting, is (in my totally arrogant opinion) the player's journey in interacting with the culture. I think Barker understood this in Empire of the Petal Throne. While he suggested that characters begin as barbarians to facilitate the idea that players were going to be learning about the complex cultures of Tekumel in the process of play, he didn't suggest they be from lost Earth. That would muck with too much in the setting, and (in my mind), muck with immersion. The Earthling heroes of planetary romances are already too much like Mary Sue characters to begin with. Using this trope with RPG planetary romance would be, it seems to me, a bit too much.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to address the common trope of the Beautiful Space Princess in Danger. On the one hand, I feel like I really need my own Dejah Thoris for at least one of my Athanoran adventurers, but I also think I need to make my version an interesting and competent character in her own right....
Part of the issue is that Earth men almost always outshine everyone. John Carter is superhuman in almost every way; Flash Gordon unites a planet when no one else can; Adam Strange is a better scientist with his archaeology training than any Rannian science academy graduate; Esau Cairn is the tougher than anyone on Almuric... the pattern is pretty clear. Even if we include Earth men, this seems hard to include in the game. We also need to deal with the fact that Earth men become alien and as such attention hogs in the game. It's hard for Earth men not to become the center of plots, reactions, and activity. And despite the current logic that lack of game balance at the table disrupts fun, I find that the thing that really disrupts tabletop fun is not game balance issues, it's screen time balance issues. A game where a subset of PCs get all the good attention is riding the rails to disaster.
I also don't want Earth men because then I will probably need to firmly declare where Athanor is in human history: past or present. And I will need to deal with questions of brining in other humans, dealing with reinformcements, interactions and travel between Earth and Athanor, connections between Athanorans and humans, and deciding whether all these Earth analogs in language and culture are really there or just abstractions to make the language and tropes make sense. I like doing a lot of hand waiving right now. Earth makes me have to make some decisions and stick with them.
Finally, I don't want the plot of the game to be about the motion of the Earth humans among alien cultures and creatures. That narrative, while interesting, is (in my totally arrogant opinion) the player's journey in interacting with the culture. I think Barker understood this in Empire of the Petal Throne. While he suggested that characters begin as barbarians to facilitate the idea that players were going to be learning about the complex cultures of Tekumel in the process of play, he didn't suggest they be from lost Earth. That would muck with too much in the setting, and (in my mind), muck with immersion. The Earthling heroes of planetary romances are already too much like Mary Sue characters to begin with. Using this trope with RPG planetary romance would be, it seems to me, a bit too much.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to address the common trope of the Beautiful Space Princess in Danger. On the one hand, I feel like I really need my own Dejah Thoris for at least one of my Athanoran adventurers, but I also think I need to make my version an interesting and competent character in her own right....
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Draft Players' handout
My latest effort for the Athanor campaign is to work on a brief handout for players to discuss the campaign, the rules, and the expectations of the game in play. Here it is to bore you all.
Savage Swords of Athanor is a fantasy role-playing game that takes place on a dying alien world where technology has largely been forgotten, magic is real, and dinosaurs roam the planet. You are one of the privileged few to survive in one of the crumbling cities that survive, but for some reason, you are called to a life of adventure and danger.
The game will be a mix of swashbuckling action, horror, and weird fantasy. You may duel for honor, be caught up in romantic or political intrigues, or face unspeakable horrors from the ancient past. Science fiction and fantasy elements can be found side by side here -- you may find arcane tomes teaching you how to summon and bind powerful extra-planar spirits alongside ray guns; you may fight skeletons one day and robots the next. Death can come easily, as can glory as you claw your way up from the streets.
9 Things You Need To Know
1) Morality is grey, and intrigues common. Churches are corrupt, assassination and slavery are legal, and money can buy you anything. Don’t trust the authorities
2) The wilderness is a dangerous place. Plants are mostly lichen and fungi, most animals are dinosaurs or insects, and the water is scarce and valuable.
3) Ruins of the Ancient tend to hold items of great power, but also are very dangerous. Signs of the Ancients should be seen as a reason for caution.
4) Many monsters are unique and deadly, but they may have particular weaknesses to exploit.
5) Humans have very distinct skin coloration. Zamorans are red-skinned with black hair, Alemanians have blue skin, white hair and pale eyes, Dumans have black skin and red hair, Khitai have yellow skin and black hair, Mal-akkans have brown skin with green eyes and hair, Throon have ochre skin and brown hair and eyes, and the Ghuls have transparent flesh, no hair, and red eyes.
6) You will be starting play in Zamora, so most likely you will be a Zamoran. If not, remember that there is a lot of xenophobia in the world, and that Throon and Ghuls in particular will be seen as sub-human barbarians.
7) Zamorans take honor very seriously. Duels and vendettas occur over minor slights.
8) Zamoran nobles often wear masks as part of the social norms of their society. So do criminals, but with different intent.
9) Bearing these weapons is legal for any free person or licensed mercenary: swords, walking sticks, daggers, pistols, and quarterstaves. Wearing armor without a mercenary or bodyguard license is a criminal act of minor sedition. Throon and Ghul may only bear weapons or armor if they are licensed, which would be very odd.
Making a Character in 6 Easy Steps
1) Roll 3d6 six times to generate your character's Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. Note any bonuses and penalties for each.
2) Choose a character class from Fighter (relies on weapons and skills), Magic-user (relies primarily on magic) or Rogue (a mix of the two). If you are a magic-user, choose three first-level spells for your spell book.
3) Determine your background skill(s).
4) Roll for your hit points. For first level only, roll two dice and choose the higher one.
5) Roll 3d6 again. Multiply by 10 to figure out the number of gold pieces you start with, and use those to buy some equipment.
6) Note your armor class and saving throw on your character sheet with all the other stuff you just figured out.
Playing the Game
Don't fall into the trap of thinking about your actions by starting with the rules. Describe what you want to do, and I will set a chance of success. This may be negotiable based on other factors you may try to introduce into my decision-making process. My goal is not to be authoritarian, but fair.
The Social Contract
Any game is essentially a social event. And any social group remains its cohesion by developing some shared understandings about behavior and etiquette. Though our social contract will evolve over time, here are some things I want to put on the table right now:
Don’t be an ass
Consider this rule number one for gaming together and, for that matter, for civil life. Respect each other, treat each other well and honestly, and don’t act as if you are the only one who matters in the room. Do that, and the rest should be a piece of cake.
Let the dice fall where they may
I see plot as a thing that evolves in the random events at the table. Surprising things may happen in the middle of a game, and I think that’s a good thing, even if it’s a lucky shot that ends a villain’s life anticlimactically or results in a total party kill.
Open play
I will set some things in motion and bait some plot hooks, but you as a player have to be the one to do something, following your motivations and pursuing goals and interests. Adventure ain’t falling into your lap.
No-shows
Real life is more important than the game. If you can't make it, it’s no big deal. However, common courtesy (and rule number 1) means that you should at least let the referee know you aren't coming. If you aren't at the table, I will generally ignore your character, but sometimes, you will have to deal with someone else running your character.
Food, snacks, and making yourself at home
Not only is it okay to bring your own food and drink, it's encouraged. Sharing is not required, but encouraged. What are not encouraged are drunkenness, smoking, or recreationals. Also, please help me by cleaning up after yourself. Toss out your fast food bags, recycle your bottles, clean up your spills, etc. No need to break out the vacuum, just be a mensch.
If we are playing at my house, we will be gaming with a dog around. A small one, mind you, but a dog nonetheless. If this bothers you due to allergies, phobias, or because you are made of rawhide and liver, we will need to talk.
Table talk and other distractions
Since gaming is a group activity, I want people to be part of the group dynamic. I may ask you to either get on task or take a break if chit-chat, texting, email, phone calls, web browsing, TV watching, or portable game systems become a distraction at the table. That said, if we are getting uncontrollably off-course as a group, it may be time to take five and declare a break.
Have fun
My expectation is that this game is going to be fun for all. I'll kill some of your characters, heap suffering on them, and often make your characters' lives hell. This is part of what I think is fun in a role-playing game. If you aren't having fun for any reason, we need to talk about it. There's no need for drama or resentment. If you think I'm picking on you, or if someone is making inconsiderate remarks, or the game is getting dull or uncomfortable, we need to talk, maybe even as a group.
Generally, I would prefer such discussions not occur in the middle of the action, so that both the game and the conversation get full attention when appropriate, but sometimes things just need to be talked about when the happen. The only thing I expect in such conversations are civility, and a willingness to accept the process of group consensus, including knowing when consensus just won't happen, and that compromises will usually need to be made.
Athanor Players' Handout (Draft)
Savage Swords of Athanor is a fantasy role-playing game that takes place on a dying alien world where technology has largely been forgotten, magic is real, and dinosaurs roam the planet. You are one of the privileged few to survive in one of the crumbling cities that survive, but for some reason, you are called to a life of adventure and danger.
The game will be a mix of swashbuckling action, horror, and weird fantasy. You may duel for honor, be caught up in romantic or political intrigues, or face unspeakable horrors from the ancient past. Science fiction and fantasy elements can be found side by side here -- you may find arcane tomes teaching you how to summon and bind powerful extra-planar spirits alongside ray guns; you may fight skeletons one day and robots the next. Death can come easily, as can glory as you claw your way up from the streets.
9 Things You Need To Know
1) Morality is grey, and intrigues common. Churches are corrupt, assassination and slavery are legal, and money can buy you anything. Don’t trust the authorities
2) The wilderness is a dangerous place. Plants are mostly lichen and fungi, most animals are dinosaurs or insects, and the water is scarce and valuable.
3) Ruins of the Ancient tend to hold items of great power, but also are very dangerous. Signs of the Ancients should be seen as a reason for caution.
4) Many monsters are unique and deadly, but they may have particular weaknesses to exploit.
5) Humans have very distinct skin coloration. Zamorans are red-skinned with black hair, Alemanians have blue skin, white hair and pale eyes, Dumans have black skin and red hair, Khitai have yellow skin and black hair, Mal-akkans have brown skin with green eyes and hair, Throon have ochre skin and brown hair and eyes, and the Ghuls have transparent flesh, no hair, and red eyes.
6) You will be starting play in Zamora, so most likely you will be a Zamoran. If not, remember that there is a lot of xenophobia in the world, and that Throon and Ghuls in particular will be seen as sub-human barbarians.
7) Zamorans take honor very seriously. Duels and vendettas occur over minor slights.
8) Zamoran nobles often wear masks as part of the social norms of their society. So do criminals, but with different intent.
9) Bearing these weapons is legal for any free person or licensed mercenary: swords, walking sticks, daggers, pistols, and quarterstaves. Wearing armor without a mercenary or bodyguard license is a criminal act of minor sedition. Throon and Ghul may only bear weapons or armor if they are licensed, which would be very odd.
Making a Character in 6 Easy Steps
1) Roll 3d6 six times to generate your character's Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. Note any bonuses and penalties for each.
2) Choose a character class from Fighter (relies on weapons and skills), Magic-user (relies primarily on magic) or Rogue (a mix of the two). If you are a magic-user, choose three first-level spells for your spell book.
3) Determine your background skill(s).
4) Roll for your hit points. For first level only, roll two dice and choose the higher one.
5) Roll 3d6 again. Multiply by 10 to figure out the number of gold pieces you start with, and use those to buy some equipment.
6) Note your armor class and saving throw on your character sheet with all the other stuff you just figured out.
Playing the Game
Don't fall into the trap of thinking about your actions by starting with the rules. Describe what you want to do, and I will set a chance of success. This may be negotiable based on other factors you may try to introduce into my decision-making process. My goal is not to be authoritarian, but fair.
The Social Contract
Any game is essentially a social event. And any social group remains its cohesion by developing some shared understandings about behavior and etiquette. Though our social contract will evolve over time, here are some things I want to put on the table right now:
Don’t be an ass
Consider this rule number one for gaming together and, for that matter, for civil life. Respect each other, treat each other well and honestly, and don’t act as if you are the only one who matters in the room. Do that, and the rest should be a piece of cake.
Let the dice fall where they may
I see plot as a thing that evolves in the random events at the table. Surprising things may happen in the middle of a game, and I think that’s a good thing, even if it’s a lucky shot that ends a villain’s life anticlimactically or results in a total party kill.
Open play
I will set some things in motion and bait some plot hooks, but you as a player have to be the one to do something, following your motivations and pursuing goals and interests. Adventure ain’t falling into your lap.
No-shows
Real life is more important than the game. If you can't make it, it’s no big deal. However, common courtesy (and rule number 1) means that you should at least let the referee know you aren't coming. If you aren't at the table, I will generally ignore your character, but sometimes, you will have to deal with someone else running your character.
Food, snacks, and making yourself at home
Not only is it okay to bring your own food and drink, it's encouraged. Sharing is not required, but encouraged. What are not encouraged are drunkenness, smoking, or recreationals. Also, please help me by cleaning up after yourself. Toss out your fast food bags, recycle your bottles, clean up your spills, etc. No need to break out the vacuum, just be a mensch.
If we are playing at my house, we will be gaming with a dog around. A small one, mind you, but a dog nonetheless. If this bothers you due to allergies, phobias, or because you are made of rawhide and liver, we will need to talk.
Table talk and other distractions
Since gaming is a group activity, I want people to be part of the group dynamic. I may ask you to either get on task or take a break if chit-chat, texting, email, phone calls, web browsing, TV watching, or portable game systems become a distraction at the table. That said, if we are getting uncontrollably off-course as a group, it may be time to take five and declare a break.
Have fun
My expectation is that this game is going to be fun for all. I'll kill some of your characters, heap suffering on them, and often make your characters' lives hell. This is part of what I think is fun in a role-playing game. If you aren't having fun for any reason, we need to talk about it. There's no need for drama or resentment. If you think I'm picking on you, or if someone is making inconsiderate remarks, or the game is getting dull or uncomfortable, we need to talk, maybe even as a group.
Generally, I would prefer such discussions not occur in the middle of the action, so that both the game and the conversation get full attention when appropriate, but sometimes things just need to be talked about when the happen. The only thing I expect in such conversations are civility, and a willingness to accept the process of group consensus, including knowing when consensus just won't happen, and that compromises will usually need to be made.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Airships and Athanor in the Airport.
Waiting at the airport, I am stuck thinking about airships in Athanor. I wrote them in as a tribute to Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom novels, though the flying ship has a long gaming tradition, from the "Voyage of the Princess Ark" articles in the Dragon, to Eberron, and including things like Final Fantasy games and World of Warcraft in between. I also credit an early childhood exposure to Captain Harlock and a teenage exposure to Epic Comics' Swords of the Swashbucklers may have inspired some of my desire to have flying ships battling in the skies above Athanor.
But my concept of airships remains vague, partially influenced by Burroughs and his very vague descriptions of airships in Barsoom. We know they have some sort of tanks holding a "ray" that keeps them aloft (how that works, I don't know) and are moved along by a screw that acts like a propeller.
I have two different ideas for airships in Barsoom:
All that said, airships are still only used by the wealthy and the priveleged. Airship travel is expensive and rare, and trade and travel still depends heavily on dangerous caravan trips overland.
But my concept of airships remains vague, partially influenced by Burroughs and his very vague descriptions of airships in Barsoom. We know they have some sort of tanks holding a "ray" that keeps them aloft (how that works, I don't know) and are moved along by a screw that acts like a propeller.
I have two different ideas for airships in Barsoom:
- I see airships as having sails, rigging, and big ol' tanks of devices that provide anti-gravitational force help the ships stay airborne. These "lift engines" are rare, expensive, and only maintained by a powerful guild that knows the secrets of Ancient technology involved in lift engines. These airships are more maneuverable, are faster, and tend to be controlled by military or governmental organizations.
- I also see airships as essentially blimps or dirigibles with sails, with ship's hulls hanging below as gondolas. These will be more common, use an orichalcum gas to gain lift, but they lack the maneuverability and speed of true airships. They also need to be lighter, so are harder to make into armored battle ships like lift engines allow.
All that said, airships are still only used by the wealthy and the priveleged. Airship travel is expensive and rare, and trade and travel still depends heavily on dangerous caravan trips overland.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Background Skills for Athanor, take 2 (or is it 3 or 4 by now?)
On reflection and thought, these rules are a bit more heavily influenced by EPT than EGG.
I have tried to fit the skill lists and notes to my vision of Athanor, but with some work I think it could be adapted elsewhere.
Background skills represent the training a character received before beginning his or her life as an adventurer, and tends to include rather mundane activities associated with non-adventuring activities. These skills may have some impact in game, but largely serve to build up your character's background, distinguish him or her as a character, and provide a springboard for role-playing. Consider these a way to help define who your character was and is, rather than a limit on what he or she can do in the game.
Most of the Common skills are fairly self-explantory. Some of the elite skills are scholastic skills similar to modern scholarly areas (Alchemist = Chemistry, Natural Philospher: Physics and Geology; Naturalist: Biology; Scholar: History, Literature and Philosophy). Other professions give some general background in related skills (Assassins might understand poisons and disguise; Courtiers understand how to seduce, flatter and act in polite society; Priests do the same in the Church, etc.)
LEARNING ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND SKILLS
Characters gain additional background skills every 2 levels you advance as noted in the table below:
Character may also spend money and time learning new background skills. This will require down time from adventuring and finding a teacher in addition to monetary costs, as noted in the table below.
I have tried to fit the skill lists and notes to my vision of Athanor, but with some work I think it could be adapted elsewhere.
Background skills represent the training a character received before beginning his or her life as an adventurer, and tends to include rather mundane activities associated with non-adventuring activities. These skills may have some impact in game, but largely serve to build up your character's background, distinguish him or her as a character, and provide a springboard for role-playing. Consider these a way to help define who your character was and is, rather than a limit on what he or she can do in the game.
TABLE: STARTING BACKGROUND SKILLS
d20 ROLL RESULT
-------- ------------------------------------------------------
01 - 06 Choose 1 Common
07 - 12 Choose 1 Common and 1 Skilled
13 - 16 Choose 1 from each category
17 - 18 Choose 2 from Common, and 1 each from Skilled and Elite
19 Choose 3 from Common, 2 from Skilled, and 1 Elite.
20 Choose 3 from Common, and 2 each from Skilled and Elite
All skills should be considered as having three elements: the ability to appraise goods, services, or phenomena involving the skill area; the ability to perform tasks in the skill area; and the possession of social connections based on the skill area.
TABLE: BACKGROUND SKILLS
COMMON SKILLED ELITE
---------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------
Baker Accountant Alchemist
Beggar Animal Handler/Trainer Artist
Bricklayer Armorer Assassin
Butcher Bowyer/fletcher Astronomer
Carpenter Captain, Airship Courtier/Courtesan
Cobbler Healer Dancer
Cook Jeweler/lapidary Engineer/Architect
Dyer/Fuller Locksmith Horticulturalist
Farmer/Gardener Navigator Hunter
Gambler Sail-Maker Mathematician
Glass-blower Scribe Musician
Leather worker/tanner Shipwright, Airship Natural Philosopher
Limner/painter Smith Naturalist
Mason Teacher/Professor Orator
Miner Tracker/Guide Poet
Potter Trader/Merchant Priest
Tailor/seamstress Weaponer Scholar
Tanner Spy
Thief
Weaver
Most of the Common skills are fairly self-explantory. Some of the elite skills are scholastic skills similar to modern scholarly areas (Alchemist = Chemistry, Natural Philospher: Physics and Geology; Naturalist: Biology; Scholar: History, Literature and Philosophy). Other professions give some general background in related skills (Assassins might understand poisons and disguise; Courtiers understand how to seduce, flatter and act in polite society; Priests do the same in the Church, etc.)
LEARNING ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND SKILLS
Characters gain additional background skills every 2 levels you advance as noted in the table below:
TABLE: AUTOMATIC BACKGROUND SKILLS BY LEVEL
SKILL TYPE LEVEL
---------- -----
Common 3
SKILLED 5
ELITE 7
ANY 9
Character may also spend money and time learning new background skills. This will require down time from adventuring and finding a teacher in addition to monetary costs, as noted in the table below.
TABLE: ACQUIRING ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND SKILLS
SKILL TYPE G.P.COST TIME
---------- -------- --------
Common 500 2 months
SKILLED 2000 4 months
ELITE 10000 6 months
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Stealthy Monsters from the Shadows of Athanor
Tunnel Stalker
Armor Class: 7 [12]
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: Tentacles (1d6)
To Hit Bonus: +3
Saving Throw: 16
Move: 12
Special: Toxin (save or paralyzed 1d6 rounds), Surprise on 1-5, 1/2 damage from blunt weapons.
HDE/XP: 4/120
The Tunnel Stalker is a man-sized gastropod, silent and swift-moving, that is a danger of the undercity. The slug-like creature has a thick, slimy, rubbery hide, and at one end of its body is a mass of tentacles, two of which can extend to a length of nearly ten feet. These long hunting tentacles end in a mass of barbed stingers that inject a powerful neurotoxin that paralyzes a foe and causes burning pain and can, over time and multiple doses, slowly digest tissue into a soft, pulpy mass for the Tunnel Stalker to devour.
The Tunnel Stalker's thick skin is filled with chromatophores, allowing it to easily camouflage itself against its surroundings, and its nature allows silent movement. The creature may climb walls and ceilings, and often attacks from ambush.
Tunnel Stalkers are cowardly with animal instinct but great cunning. They tend to attack lone prey, stragglers, sleeping characters, or other easy prey. They avoid fire, electricity or other similar dangers.
Umbran
Armor Class: 4 [15]
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: Claws (1d6+2)
To Hit Bonus: +4
Saving Throw: 15
Move: 12, Climb 12, Jump 6
Special: Invisible at will.
HDE/XP: 5/240
Umbrans were agents of the ancient Empire of Ylum, enforcers of their will, spies, and assassins of the first order. Arcane constructs, these things look like a mix of spider and mantis with cold, featureless faces and long, hooked forelimbs. They can climb walls, move silently, and survive in nearly any climate.
They may turn invisible at will, and usually move about invisibly. They communicate with each other telepathically, though they may communicate is a low chatter that sounds like whispered clicks when they wish to communicate with their masters.
The Umbrans that survive do so either as guardians of the secrets of Ylum or as agents of long-lost schemes to revive the Witch-Kings. As such, the Umbrans may be acting for a new master, often one who has become an agent of the long-dead Witch-Kings.
(And yes, I'm stealing from Babylon 5 now.)
Armor Class: 7 [12]
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: Tentacles (1d6)
To Hit Bonus: +3
Saving Throw: 16
Move: 12
Special: Toxin (save or paralyzed 1d6 rounds), Surprise on 1-5, 1/2 damage from blunt weapons.
HDE/XP: 4/120
The Tunnel Stalker is a man-sized gastropod, silent and swift-moving, that is a danger of the undercity. The slug-like creature has a thick, slimy, rubbery hide, and at one end of its body is a mass of tentacles, two of which can extend to a length of nearly ten feet. These long hunting tentacles end in a mass of barbed stingers that inject a powerful neurotoxin that paralyzes a foe and causes burning pain and can, over time and multiple doses, slowly digest tissue into a soft, pulpy mass for the Tunnel Stalker to devour.
The Tunnel Stalker's thick skin is filled with chromatophores, allowing it to easily camouflage itself against its surroundings, and its nature allows silent movement. The creature may climb walls and ceilings, and often attacks from ambush.
Tunnel Stalkers are cowardly with animal instinct but great cunning. They tend to attack lone prey, stragglers, sleeping characters, or other easy prey. They avoid fire, electricity or other similar dangers.
Umbran
Armor Class: 4 [15]
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: Claws (1d6+2)
To Hit Bonus: +4
Saving Throw: 15
Move: 12, Climb 12, Jump 6
Special: Invisible at will.
HDE/XP: 5/240
Umbrans were agents of the ancient Empire of Ylum, enforcers of their will, spies, and assassins of the first order. Arcane constructs, these things look like a mix of spider and mantis with cold, featureless faces and long, hooked forelimbs. They can climb walls, move silently, and survive in nearly any climate.
They may turn invisible at will, and usually move about invisibly. They communicate with each other telepathically, though they may communicate is a low chatter that sounds like whispered clicks when they wish to communicate with their masters.
The Umbrans that survive do so either as guardians of the secrets of Ylum or as agents of long-lost schemes to revive the Witch-Kings. As such, the Umbrans may be acting for a new master, often one who has become an agent of the long-dead Witch-Kings.
(And yes, I'm stealing from Babylon 5 now.)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Aquilan War Gods
The War Gods are biomechanical monstrosities built by the ancient Aquilan Empire to wage war against the Witch-Kings of Ylum many centuries ago. Taking roughly human shape, these rune-covered beings look to be a mix of strange stone and metal, glowing with lambent light. The war gods are long forgotten, buried in the earth or broken in terrible battle. However, they are still sought by adventurers and rulers seeking ultimate power by commanding a towering monstrosity into battle to rule over all around him.
Standing 100 feet tall, the war gods are physically powerful, nigh-invulnerable, and armed with advanced weaponry. They have some crude intelligence, but serve loyally any master armed with the control box that runs the War God. Without a control box, the War God will do what it was last commanded to do, usually quite literally.
Armor Class: 2 [17]; Hit Dice: 20; Attacks: fist (2d6); Special: See below; Move: 24, jump 36; HDE: 22 (5000xp)
War Gods require +3 or better weapon to hit, are immune to most magic except for electicity-based magic which slows them. They may use the following attacks: breath a 6die fireball 3/day, spit a web 2/day, confusion ray from eyes 2/day.
Thanks to Hayao Miyazaki and The Iron Giant for insipiration here.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
6 Artifacts of the Ancients
- The Black Mirror: This magical sword is a three-foot long blade of thin, black and reflective glassy material. The pommel is made of bone, wound with leather. No one knows he origin of the black mirror, though mentions of it have been made in the chronicles of the war between the Four Great Nations, weilded by Akas the Slayer, champion of Ylum. The Black Mirror is a normal Sword +1 against living creatures. However, against inorganic materials (metal or stone) or against plants, the weapon is a sword +5 doing 3d6 damage. In addition, the sword will negate the first spell of third or lower level cast against the weilder each round.
- The Hand of Death: A powerful Ancient artifact, the Hand of Death is an ornate onyx and brass pistol that fires a cold, black bolt that causes no harm to inanimate objects, plants or fungi. However, any living animal struck by the ray must save or fall to zero hit points immediately. A creature that saves has its current hit points reduced by half. The Hand of Death may be fired three times before recharging. It is self charging, but regains only one charge per day of non-use.
- The Silver Shield: The Silver Shield appears to be a single bracer with a large, silver boss that would sit on the top of the arm. However, when a stud on the opposite side is pressed, the boss expands and folds out into a medium-sized round, silver shield. This acts as a normal shield for purposes of defense calculations but when facing beam weapons (lasers, the Hand of Death, etc.), roll 1d6. On a 1-2, the shield has no additional effect. On a 3-5, the beam is reflected away harmlessly, on a 6, the beam is reflected back to the attacker.
- The Orb of Sorrows: The Orb is a simple white orb, the size of a fist, with a single button. Depressing the button causes the Orb to whir. The orb will begin to hover, though it can be thrown to a point where it will begin its work. The orb hovers about five feet from the ground, and generates a field of psychic disturbance. Any sentient or sapient creature in a 30 foot radius will be overcome with sorrow and dejection. All creatures in the area of effect must save or be immobilized, wracked with hopelessness and sorrow, until the orb is deactivated. The Orb will continue to operate for 1d6+2 rounds, then will deactivate and settle gently to the ground. It cannot be used again for another 1d3 days.
- The Cloak of Shadows: This floor-length black cloak has an ornate silver clasp with an orichalcum stone set in it. Pressing this stone will cause the cloak to shimmer and then reflect the nearby surroundings, causing the wearer to disappear if he or she keeps the closed and the hood pulled down. This is equivalent to the effect of the Invisibility II spell. This has a duration of 2d6+8 rounds. Once the effect ends, the cloak needs 1d3 days to recharge.
- The Iron Scorpion: This ornate iron sculpture of a foot-long scorpion has a matching headband. If the headband is worn, the user may then command the Iron Scorpion to act as an agent. Doing so places the user in a trance, but the user may use the scorpion as his own eyes and ears, and may use the scorpion to act. The user may end this trance at any time, but then the Iron Scorpion become inert and inactive. Iron Scorpion: AC 3 [16], HD 3, Attacks: sting 1d2, Move 15, HDE 4, SA: poison, save or die (1d6 damage if save), XP 120.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
12 Athanoran Adventure Seeds
1. The ghul bandit Azara Zala has been raiding traders headed to and from the Undercity Market, particularly Hssu. The Hssu merchant Ssalava is said to be hiring guards for himself and mercenaries to hunt Zala.
2. Beggars in Zamora's outer city have recently been congregating in groups, glassy-eyed and chanting gibberish, and harrassing any who pass. This seems to be spreading, and now small groups of children and laborers in the city have been gathering in similar groups, chanting in similar ways.
3. Mercedes Amador is hosting a party for the city's unwashed masses, whom she adores. Many powerful and many lowly people will be at her palace, though she usually arranges for something dramatic to happen in order to spark an entertaining scene for everyone.
4. Sixteen year old Isabel Soriano and seventeen year old Joaquin Nuñez have fallen in love, much to the dismay of their respective houses. Isabel is promised to Romero Guzman, a boring, power-hungry fortyish lout, but Joaquin, a rake and scoundrel by reputation, has declared publicly that the marriage will not happen, driving the two houses to the edge of warfare.
5. Raul Amador is gathering a safari to hunt the Red Devil, a huge, cunning Tyrannosaurus outside Zamora.
6. The tower dragon is ill, and the wizards of the Tower will pay handsomely for the recovery of rare fungi tha can be used to treat the dragon.
7. A swarm of osquips came out of the sewers last night and dragged an inkeeper and his family to their dooms. The innkeeper had turned away a strange Mal'Akkan man and his wife away, who cursed the innkeeper for his cruelty before leaving that day.
8. Three merchants have been approached by the Lo Pan society offering protection from coming disasters. The merchants declined, and suddenly they have been suffering mishaps and seem cursed. The Society members will not talk to them at all, and they have no idea how to fix their situation.
9. A Duma man has returned from nearby ruins with tales of a terrible monster that killed his companions. The monster was guarding a golden flying chariot.
10. A storyteller tells the tale of an ancient princess trapped in her palace underground, sleeping until a savior will awaken her with a kiss. Her savior will need to overcome terrible monsters, but will inherit the treasures of her kingdom and her hand in marriage.
11. A Khitai wizard is granting wishes to anyone in exchange a trinket of great personal worth to wish-maker.
12. The priests of Malkut the Scholar are hiring adventurers to travel to a ruin to the east and recover a set of ancient tablets. They warn that the ruins are overrun by girallons and the tablets themselves are said to be guarded by Ancient traps and mechanical guardians.
2. Beggars in Zamora's outer city have recently been congregating in groups, glassy-eyed and chanting gibberish, and harrassing any who pass. This seems to be spreading, and now small groups of children and laborers in the city have been gathering in similar groups, chanting in similar ways.
3. Mercedes Amador is hosting a party for the city's unwashed masses, whom she adores. Many powerful and many lowly people will be at her palace, though she usually arranges for something dramatic to happen in order to spark an entertaining scene for everyone.
4. Sixteen year old Isabel Soriano and seventeen year old Joaquin Nuñez have fallen in love, much to the dismay of their respective houses. Isabel is promised to Romero Guzman, a boring, power-hungry fortyish lout, but Joaquin, a rake and scoundrel by reputation, has declared publicly that the marriage will not happen, driving the two houses to the edge of warfare.
5. Raul Amador is gathering a safari to hunt the Red Devil, a huge, cunning Tyrannosaurus outside Zamora.
6. The tower dragon is ill, and the wizards of the Tower will pay handsomely for the recovery of rare fungi tha can be used to treat the dragon.
7. A swarm of osquips came out of the sewers last night and dragged an inkeeper and his family to their dooms. The innkeeper had turned away a strange Mal'Akkan man and his wife away, who cursed the innkeeper for his cruelty before leaving that day.
8. Three merchants have been approached by the Lo Pan society offering protection from coming disasters. The merchants declined, and suddenly they have been suffering mishaps and seem cursed. The Society members will not talk to them at all, and they have no idea how to fix their situation.
9. A Duma man has returned from nearby ruins with tales of a terrible monster that killed his companions. The monster was guarding a golden flying chariot.
10. A storyteller tells the tale of an ancient princess trapped in her palace underground, sleeping until a savior will awaken her with a kiss. Her savior will need to overcome terrible monsters, but will inherit the treasures of her kingdom and her hand in marriage.
11. A Khitai wizard is granting wishes to anyone in exchange a trinket of great personal worth to wish-maker.
12. The priests of Malkut the Scholar are hiring adventurers to travel to a ruin to the east and recover a set of ancient tablets. They warn that the ruins are overrun by girallons and the tablets themselves are said to be guarded by Ancient traps and mechanical guardians.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
4 Spirits to Bind
Belmarath the Shielder
Belmarath's ritual of summoning is found in a large iron tablet engraved with red runes. It takes a week to master and bind the spirit, which can manifest itself as a dog-sized, four-legged creature with a body make of woven wire and burning red eyes. Belmarath's master gains a metallic smell and silver eyes. Int: 11, Ego 17; Element: Metal; Languages: Metal, Common, Alemanian; Lesser Powers: take physical form 1 hour/day (AC 7 [12], HD 2, Move 6); Greater Powers: Protection from Normal Missiles 1/day
Marukai the Flamewarden
Marukai's ritual of summoning is found on a leather scroll with black metal fittings. It takes a week to master and bind the spirit, which can manifest itself as a towering giant made of flames weilding a flaming sword. Marukai's master gains red eyes and smells vaguely of smoke. Int: 10, Ego 16; Element: Fire; Languages: Fire, Common; Lesser Powers: Light I 1/day; Greater Powers: Take physical form 1 hour/day (AC 5 [14], HD 5+2, Move 6)
Uzuz the Lurker
Uzuz's ritual fo summoning is found in a book made of black vellum scribed in silver. It takes a week to master and bind the spirit, which does not manifest itself physically, but turns its user's eyes black and makes his or her skin cold.. Int: 13, Ego: 15; Element: Darkness; Languages: Darkness, Common, Alemanian, Mal'Akkan, Zamoran; Lesser Powers: Dark I 1/day, Cause Wounds I 3/day.
Zurrgash the Fungal Guardian
Zurrgash is a sullen, surly and willful spirit. Its binding is scribed with flames into a wooden tablet. Zurrgash markes its master with green hair and eyes and a vague musty smell. Int 8, Ego 18; Element: Plant/Fungus; Languages: Plant, Common; Greater Powers: Cure Wounds II 2/day, Hold Monster (binding in rhizomes) 1/day.
Belmarath's ritual of summoning is found in a large iron tablet engraved with red runes. It takes a week to master and bind the spirit, which can manifest itself as a dog-sized, four-legged creature with a body make of woven wire and burning red eyes. Belmarath's master gains a metallic smell and silver eyes. Int: 11, Ego 17; Element: Metal; Languages: Metal, Common, Alemanian; Lesser Powers: take physical form 1 hour/day (AC 7 [12], HD 2, Move 6); Greater Powers: Protection from Normal Missiles 1/day
Marukai the Flamewarden
Marukai's ritual of summoning is found on a leather scroll with black metal fittings. It takes a week to master and bind the spirit, which can manifest itself as a towering giant made of flames weilding a flaming sword. Marukai's master gains red eyes and smells vaguely of smoke. Int: 10, Ego 16; Element: Fire; Languages: Fire, Common; Lesser Powers: Light I 1/day; Greater Powers: Take physical form 1 hour/day (AC 5 [14], HD 5+2, Move 6)
Uzuz the Lurker
Uzuz's ritual fo summoning is found in a book made of black vellum scribed in silver. It takes a week to master and bind the spirit, which does not manifest itself physically, but turns its user's eyes black and makes his or her skin cold.. Int: 13, Ego: 15; Element: Darkness; Languages: Darkness, Common, Alemanian, Mal'Akkan, Zamoran; Lesser Powers: Dark I 1/day, Cause Wounds I 3/day.
Zurrgash the Fungal Guardian
Zurrgash is a sullen, surly and willful spirit. Its binding is scribed with flames into a wooden tablet. Zurrgash markes its master with green hair and eyes and a vague musty smell. Int 8, Ego 18; Element: Plant/Fungus; Languages: Plant, Common; Greater Powers: Cure Wounds II 2/day, Hold Monster (binding in rhizomes) 1/day.
Monday, June 29, 2009
8 Athanoran Wilderness Encounters
The Haunted Oasis (Hex 0101)
An oasis in this area supports a small area of fungi, teeming with lizards and insect life, but otherwise unoccupied. A set of ruined huts, long uninhabited, lies on the edges of the oasis. The ghosts of villagers who were killed by ghuls haunt the place.
Sonora (Hex 0102)
The walled mining village of Sonora produces a great deal of Orichalcum. They face trouble from raiding Ghuls and often hire adventurers to help deal with the problem.
The Great Crater (Hex 0302)
A huge crater lies at the top of the Broken Mountain, where an asteroid fell years ago. In the center of the crater is a lump of priceless starmetal that can be worked ino a magical weapon or suit of armor. The local wildlife, however, is mutated and hostile….
Morilla (Hex 0804)
The small farming village of Morilla provides much of the food that Zamora uses each day. Morilla hires a large number of mercenaries to defend the village from Throon raiders.
Lair of the Sky-Pirate Melantha (Hex 0902)
The Alemanian female sky-pirate, Melantha Burgos (F4) raids from a fortified mountaintop lair. Her crew is a hodge-podge of ruthless raiders attacking from her airship, the Witch’s Blade, and from the backs of trained pteranodons.
Alemanian Raiders (Hex 1003)
An armed Alemanian camp is capturing travelers and using them for medical experiments.
The Blood Axe Throon (Hex 1105)
The Blood Axe tribe of Throon, a group of allosaurus-riding barbarians, have set up camp in this region, led by their chieftain Savalon the Victorious. They number about 30, riding two per allosaurus. Savalon is 5th level fighter.
Vale of Shadows (Hex 2006)
Crashed spacecraft protected by brain-eating squid-headed aliens who guard an arsenal of alien weapons.
An oasis in this area supports a small area of fungi, teeming with lizards and insect life, but otherwise unoccupied. A set of ruined huts, long uninhabited, lies on the edges of the oasis. The ghosts of villagers who were killed by ghuls haunt the place.
Sonora (Hex 0102)
The walled mining village of Sonora produces a great deal of Orichalcum. They face trouble from raiding Ghuls and often hire adventurers to help deal with the problem.
The Great Crater (Hex 0302)
A huge crater lies at the top of the Broken Mountain, where an asteroid fell years ago. In the center of the crater is a lump of priceless starmetal that can be worked ino a magical weapon or suit of armor. The local wildlife, however, is mutated and hostile….
Morilla (Hex 0804)
The small farming village of Morilla provides much of the food that Zamora uses each day. Morilla hires a large number of mercenaries to defend the village from Throon raiders.
Lair of the Sky-Pirate Melantha (Hex 0902)
The Alemanian female sky-pirate, Melantha Burgos (F4) raids from a fortified mountaintop lair. Her crew is a hodge-podge of ruthless raiders attacking from her airship, the Witch’s Blade, and from the backs of trained pteranodons.
Alemanian Raiders (Hex 1003)
An armed Alemanian camp is capturing travelers and using them for medical experiments.
The Blood Axe Throon (Hex 1105)
The Blood Axe tribe of Throon, a group of allosaurus-riding barbarians, have set up camp in this region, led by their chieftain Savalon the Victorious. They number about 30, riding two per allosaurus. Savalon is 5th level fighter.
Vale of Shadows (Hex 2006)
Crashed spacecraft protected by brain-eating squid-headed aliens who guard an arsenal of alien weapons.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Sisters
The Sisters are a guild of assassins for hire known for their ruthlessness, effectiveness, professionalism, and high cost. If someone hires a Sister, then they mean business. All Sisters are also adepts of some sort, whether they are rogues or magic-users, and use that to their advantage. The Sisters tend toward a mix of surprise, stealth, disguise, magic, poison, seduction, and ruthless disregard for collateral damage. An attack by a Sister leaves an impression. The sisters arrive silently and make sure their victim is killed decisively and brutally.
Fernanda Salas, Zamoran Rogue 5
HD 4, hp 16, Move 12, Defense 13, BHB +2, ST 10
Str 11, Int 13, Wis 12, Dex 15, Con 9, Cha 14
Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Disguise, Stealth
Spells Prepared: Charm Person, Sleep, Invisibility I, Dispel Magic
Carries three throwing daggers, and two poisoned (save or paralyzed 1d3 rounds) daggers.
An attractive, graceful woman with a sharp laugh and cruel smile. She is a charming conversationalist and a delight at parties. She is also a cold killer dedicated to her work and to fulfilling any contract for which she has been paid.
Fernanda Salas, Zamoran Rogue 5
HD 4, hp 16, Move 12, Defense 13, BHB +2, ST 10
Str 11, Int 13, Wis 12, Dex 15, Con 9, Cha 14
Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Disguise, Stealth
Spells Prepared: Charm Person, Sleep, Invisibility I, Dispel Magic
Carries three throwing daggers, and two poisoned (save or paralyzed 1d3 rounds) daggers.
An attractive, graceful woman with a sharp laugh and cruel smile. She is a charming conversationalist and a delight at parties. She is also a cold killer dedicated to her work and to fulfilling any contract for which she has been paid.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Savage Swords of Athanor Supplement on Scribd
Life has intervened in my blogging, with a combination of school, work, money trouble, and personal life issues (as well as much needed face-time with my wife and friends) getting in the way. I still have a lot of work (and no days off, even for weekends) until the 26th, then I'm moving across town that weekend, cleaning out my old place and then beginning my summer of graduate research. So posts might be thin again for a while.
BUT, in the meantime, I have gone through, compiled, edited, played with and revised my rules and world posts to this point and put together my Athanor Supplement PDF for easy downloading. In it you will find some very familiar material, plus some rules for skills in Athanor, my more or less final version of the spirit rules, and, well, not a whole lot more.
I wouldn't call this one of the top ten free RPG downloads of the year, but I think I have some small gems in there somewhere.
You can view it at http://www.scribd.com/doc/16492119/Savage-Swords-of-Athanor-Version-10
BUT, in the meantime, I have gone through, compiled, edited, played with and revised my rules and world posts to this point and put together my Athanor Supplement PDF for easy downloading. In it you will find some very familiar material, plus some rules for skills in Athanor, my more or less final version of the spirit rules, and, well, not a whole lot more.
I wouldn't call this one of the top ten free RPG downloads of the year, but I think I have some small gems in there somewhere.
You can view it at http://www.scribd.com/doc/16492119/Savage-Swords-of-Athanor-Version-10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
