Monday, 14 February 2011

Session 20 party stats

Deod, Skandik Ftr-5 NG  - Deo - Inn room 5 (w Malenn) DE 13 CHA 12 AC 4 (80’)
HP 32/32   XP 19626/35000  +10% 
+1 runescribed Great Axe: Atts: 3/2 THAC0: 12 (+1 magic +3 spec) damage: 1d10+5/3d4+5
Girlfriend: Malenn 

+NPC girlfriend Malenn of Mitra, Pal-4 (f) LG - Inn room 5 DE 8 CHA 17 AC 3/4 (80’)
HP 33/33  XP 12800/25000  
Weapon Spec (x2) - Longsword  THAC0 14  dam 1d8+3/1d12+3  ATT 3/2   

Marcus Hystaspes, Desert Lands Pal-4 LG - Kjato - Inn room 7 DE 14 CHA 17 AC 3/4 (80’)
HP 31/31    subdual: 23        XP 15773/25000   Special: +1 warhammer
Longsword THAC0 14  dam: 1d8+4 / 1d12+4 ATT 3/2
Slave: Jana (qv)

George Darby, Halfling Thief-3 N – Ath – DE 18 CHA 13 AC 4 (90’) HP 12/12  XP 4526/5000 (+10%) +1650

Monday, 7 February 2011

Full Episode Calendar 1-19

Approximate Dates of Prior Adventures and Campaigns, 4433 BCCC

Day 11 (Thawmist): The Slave Master's Party - 1st PBEM, C&C. RL: 2006 March-April
Day 61-124 "Spring": Garth, Arnora & co, 2nd PBEM, C&C, 64 days.  ended in TPK "Month 5 Day 4" (CC) near Council Spire. RL: 2007 Feb-2008 March.
Day 81-128 : Caverns of Thracia/Razorfish 'Sailing Southern Seas' - 48 days, 3rd PBEM, C&C.  RL: 2008 April-ca Oct
Day 141-145: 'Groups'/Tegel Manor - 4th PBEM, C&C.  RL 2008 May-Dec
Day 181-200 approx - "Late Summer" (Harvestime):  'Ilhiedrin Book' & 'Tower of Mabeleck' Dinas/Moffet - 1st chat game, LL.  RL: 2009 March - 2010 June
Day 181-182 (Harvestime): 'Barbarians of the Wilderlands' - 5th PBEM, LL. RL 2009 Aug-Oct
Day 221-294 (Blackmoon+): CSIO Deod & co - 2nd chat game, OSRIC. RL:  2010 July - 2011 February

4434 BCCC:
16/6-end M7: "The Southlands Campaign" 4e D&D -Barbarian Altanis around Bisgen - RL: July 2011- April 2012
___________________


CSIO Campaign (4433 BCCC Day 221-294)

In game time we started on afternoon of Day 221 of 4433 BCCC.

CAMPAIGN CALENDAR - BCCC - 4433 BCCC

Month of Blackmoon (M12/18), Days 221-240, Samhain is on Day 232, when the Dead Walk!

Day 221 (221st day of 44333), Campaign Start, afternoon & evening:  Sessions 1-2 - Deod & Ath meet Malenn, fight slavers, meet Morri.

Day 224, evening: 
Session 3, PCs have rested 3 days 2-4 (6 hp each normal, Malenn heals Tal +3) Tal Deo & Malenn at full hp, Chris' PC still laid up, Kjato's PC enters play.  Meet Marcus, agree to help Tinker the halfling find his nephews.
Session 4:  Karmak rescues Teri from Orcs, they meet Deod Tal & co at the Inn.  Deod loses arm-wrestle to Orson, but wins Malenn in the bath...

Day 225, morning-afternoon: 
(Karmak goes to Sage's Guild)
Session 5-6 - PCs go to Despot Ruins, battle goblins and zombies, rescue Jana Thadeus and 2 halfling brothers.  Outside halfling bakery Tal tries to flee with the loot, Orson stabs him, he gets away minus his backpack.
At End sess 6:  Marcus Hystaspes + Jana on way to School of Ancient Knowledge.
Orson, Deod, Malenn (semi-onscious at -1 hp) and Orestes (NPC'd) at the Pirate's Cove Inn
Taliesin fled away down Bywater Rd

___________________

Session 7 - Later Day 225 - battle with Orson's pirate friends, rescue of Thaya, meet Karmak

Day 226: 
Dawn - Orson the Northron leaves on his pirate ship the Black Barnacle.
Deod Malenn Marcus Orestes Karmak Thaya breakfast at Inn, go seek training.

Days 226-232:  PCs training.  Finish evening of Day 232; Samhain!

Day 227 - late, Sir Gorm wakes hungover, Thaya can get back in.
___________________________

Session 8 Start: Day 232, evening
PCs inc Ragnar & Lucy go into caves under Patrician Theatre, encounter crocs
____________________________________

Session 9: 
Day 232-233: PCs encounter the Badl, rescue Sara Brightpage from the Tentacle Beast that was once Sir Tomas Prosperino, battle crocodiles, the last PCs (Deod Malenn Ragnar Nadra) get back up the rope and return after midnight, they are rewarded by Ikjude.  Get free tickets!  PCs rest through the day.  Most of the cash goes on a new healing potion.

Day 233, evening:  Grand Opening of "Phantom Cats of the Rainbow Dreamcoat" at the Patrician Theatre is a big success, watched by the Overlord and several of his harem in the Royal Box, and most of the City State's aristocracy.  Nadra, Ragnar & Lucy, Deod & Malenn, and Marcus get to watch from the cheap seats.

Days 234-240: Deod trains up to 3rd level at the Temple of Odin.  PCs rest, hear various rumours etc

_____________________

Session 10 (Tues 31 Aug 2010)
start:  Evening, Day 240 - Deod completes his training regime.  PCs meet at Inn.

Dawn Day 241:  Set off into Mermist Swamp after Captain Iremath, kill Black Annis and rescue Iremath, her sisters are angry!  Get back to Marsh Gate after midnight (early Day 242)

Day 242 - PCs fatigued, rest

Days 243-249 - PCs who can afford to pay for Training, train and level up (Marcus, Malenn)

Deod:
GM: OK, with the reputation gained by rescuing Captain Iremath from the swamp hag Black Annis, Deod is able to get a position as a temple guard of Odin - 4 sp/day for 8 hour shift covers basic living expenses for himself & Malenn at the Inn (or he could take a bunk at the temple barracks - 3 square meals/day, but no net pay & no Malenn!).  He can rearrange to change shifts but he would need permission for a leave of absence for any long-term adventuring beyond the city.

Day 245 - Kothy sells his girls to Ragnar when he comes back with 30gp each.

Day 247 - Deod and Marcus battle a gargoyle.

Days 250-256 - PCs too poor to pay for training, train and level up (Karmak, Ragnar, Nadra)

(252 Tansir killed in 5LD)
_________________

Session 11 (Thurs 2nd Sept 2010)

Morning Day 257:  Training completed, PCs assemble, visit Sage's Guild, then Karmak Marcus Malenn Deod & Teri to Wild Boar Tavern, lunch there1-2pm.

_____________

Session 12

2-3pm: PCs spend an hour exploring the 5-Level Dungeon, battle giant leeches and hairless rat-things, recover a "Crystal of Far Vision" and return to the Storage Pit under the Wild Boar.
___________

Session 13
3.30pm Hroff leaves after fight with Karmak.  4pm return to Pirate’s Cove Inn.

Day 258
Morning – Marcus pays 60sp for 30 days room + board at Inn.  PCs explore 5-level dungeon, find remains of a young Twilight Conclave mage, Tansir which they seek to return.

Session 14

Day 259 dawn Deod Malenn & George - to Darkfield (30m, 10 hrs) then Twilight Conclave after dark, ca 8pm.  Meet Frendrel & co.

Ragnar – evening in Pirate’s Cove, Hroff comes in.
___________

Session 15

Day 260 – Deod George Frendrel & co (Malenn Trelle Gondar) rise before dawn, leave 5am to Darkfield – collect grain from merchant for George’s dad – on to City State, 13 hours.

Day 261, morning – prep expedition to Dungeon

8 am: screams ahead on the road – several farmers and goodwives fleeing an enormous giant beetle!
Giant Stag Beetle escaped Overlord’s menagerie by burrowing under wall, Pegasus crest on shell, killing it is a crime…  badly wounds Deod & Lucy, Marcus kills it.

Black Barnacle w Orson the Northron & co back in town after raiding the Warwik coast (left Day 226, 34 days away). Orson leaves the Barnacle with plunder to buy his own ship, will be recruiting crew until ca Day 270.

Day 262: Group (Deod Malenn George Karmak Marcus) to Wild Boar Tavern, query Hroff (w Jana), Garrick, find out about Tansir’s party going into the Dungeon day 252.


Session 16

Day 263:  Ossiliath & George meet/kill bugbears, Deo & Malenn turn up, Delve the 5LD, fight skeletons & ooze.  George can level.


Session 17

Day 271: Orson leaves.

Day 277: evening – PC George training completed.  Mobad & Ragnar also leveled.

Day 278: morning - into 5ld – sewage/goblins, kill lamia, rescue Miklos.

Session 18

PCs deposit cash with moneychangers.  Deod recruits Trelle.  Marcus and Ossiliath train.

Day 285 – evening – Marcus & Ossiliath training completed.

Day 286, morning – to the ferry. 
Group: 7 -  Deod F4,  Malenn Pa3, Trelle M-U1, Ragnar F4, Lucy hd3, George T2, Marcus Pa4 explore the Glory Hole, retrieve three Radiant Crystals.

Session 19

Day 288
Marcus seeks Hroff at the Mercenary Guild, buys Jana for 150gp.  Trelle leaves group.

Day 293, early evening – Deod training completed.  .

Day 294 – Harvest Feast of Lughnasadh

Group: Deod Marcus George, NPCs: Malenn Trelle Jana
                                                  
_____________________

Thursday, 14 October 2010

Campaign Calendar Sessions 12-16

Session 12

2-3pm: PCs spend an hour exploring the 5-Level Dungeon, battle giant leeches and hairless rat-things, recover a "Crystal of Far Vision" and return to the Storage Pit under the Wild Boar.
___________

Session 13
3.30pm Hroff leaves after fight with Karmak.  4pm return to Pirate’s Cove Inn.

Day 258
Morning – Marcus pays 60sp for 30 days room + board at Inn.  PCs explore 5-level dungeon, find remains of a young Twilight Conclave mage, Tansir which they seek to return.

Session 14

Day 259 dawn Deod Malenn & George - to Darkfield (30m, 10 hrs) then Twilight Conclave after dark, ca 8pm.  Meet Frendrel & co.

Ragnar – evening in Pirate’s Cove, Hroff comes in.
___________

Session 15

Day 260 – Deod George Frendrel & co (Malenn Trelle Gondar) rise before dawn, leave 5am to Darkfield – collect grain from merchant for George’s dad – on to City State, 13 hours.

Day 261, morning – prep expedition to Dungeon

8 am: screams ahead on the road – several farmers and goodwives fleeing an enormous giant beetle!
Giant Stag Beetle escaped Overlord’s menagerie by burrowing under wall, Pegasus crest on shell, killing it is a crime…  badly wounds Deod & Lucy, Marcus kills it.

Black Barnacle w Orson the Northron & co back in town after raiding the Warwik coast (left Day 226, 34 days away). Orson leaves the Barnacle with plunder to buy his own ship, will be recruiting crew until ca Day 270.

Day 262: Group (Deod Malenn George Karmak Marcus) to Wild Boar Tavern, query Hroff (w Jana), Garrick, find out about Tansir’s party going into the Dungeon day 252.


Session 16

Day 263:  Ossiliath & George meet/kill bugbears, Deo & Malenn turn up, Delve the 5LD, fight skeletons & ooze.  George can level.


Session 17

Day 271: Orson leaves.

Day 277: evening – PC George training completed.  Mobad & Ragnar also leveled.

Saturday, 25 September 2010

Wages & costs

From http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45079&start=30

PHB/OSRIC lists prices for "gold rush" areas. If you use these generally for what NPCs have to pay then some wages will need to be multiplied too, around x5.

For more typical prices in OSRIC I use 1 cp = £1, 1 sp = £10, 1 gp = £100, noting that 1 sp is a typical daily wage for an unskilled labourer, or 20 sp/month + accommodation, probably a place on a warm floor - in the middle ages private rooms were rare.

Some typical prices in my City State game:

Weapons & Armour - mostly by-the-book
Private Inn room, 1 night, can hold 4 people: 2 sp (£20)
Inn food, cheap, 1 day: 1 sp (£10)
Large flagon of ale/beer at Inn: 1cp (£1)
Roast pork dinner at tavern: 1 sp (£10)
Horse, riding, good: 25gp, by the book
Slave, adult, healthy: 15-25gp+ (by the CSIO book)

Wages - mostly by the book, eg:
Labourer: 20 silver/month
Infantry, heavy: 40 silver/month from OSRIC
Constables: 100 silver/month from CSIO (but as gentry they have a lot of fixed costs)
Temple Guard of Odin, elite: 120 silver/month (1 PC has this job) without accommodation

Wandering Monsters

From http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/294548-has-wandering-monster-concept-died.html

Published modules in 3e and 4e often don't use them, yup.  This leads to modules which are incredibly static as written and encourage the 5-minute-day - go in, do 1 encounter, rest, do the next, etc.
Personally I will always use the possibility of wandrering monsters, especially if the PCs are spending a long time in the dungeon.  If necessary I'll roll to see if 'static' monsters in nearby locations come wandering by, which can be as much a benefit as a detriment to the PCs.
Running a sandbox wilderness I don't know where or when the PCs will go, so wandering/random monster encounters are a vital GMing tool.  But for 4e, rather than a huge d% monster table, I'll often pregenerate a small number of detailed monster encounter groups and use one of those when a random encounter is rolled.  
Even with 1e, depending on the complexity of the tables I may often roll up several wandering/monsters prior to the session which I can use as appropriate, this helps prevent me being wrongfooted by something in the session I'm not prepped for.  Eg running City State of the Invincible Overlord, the city encounter tables are very complex, and can be hard to use 'cold' in play, whereas a simple d12 dungeon wandering monster table can easily be used ad hoc.

Thursday, 23 September 2010

Classes,Levels and Hit Dice in the CSIO

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45378&p=960304#p960304
 
In my Wilderlands City State of the Invincible Overlord campaign (1e/OSRIC with Weapon Spec), NPCs with PC class levels make up around 1% of the population. Those I create myself have tended to be 1st-4th level, while official NPCs go up to around 16th, 20th for the Overlord.

Most NPCs have hit dice rather than levels. Few are 0th level; most have 1-4 hit dice and fight/save as follows:

Scholar: d4 hd, F/S as M-U - includes eg the DMG Sage
Tradesmen: d6 hd, F/S as Thief - includes Merchants, eg the NPC Merchant class from Dragon 136
Aristocrat: d6 hd, F/S as Cleric
Warrior: d8 hd, F/S as Fighter - includes eg the Ruffians on the DMG Town encounter table

Warriors are functionally identical to 0e-BX (etc) Fighter class. Typical street toughs are the 2d8 hd Ruffians from the DMG town encounter table, fight/save as F2. I've used the same 2d8 hd stats for Customs Officers, Slavers' Guildsmen, and many others.
Common Pirates, Nomads and various other 0-level Men from the MM fight/save as F1 (no weapon spec) with d6+2 hp. Berserkers get d6+3 hd or better. Men-at-arms typically fight/save as F1 with d4+4 hp. Constables are straight out of the CSIO book, F/S as F1 with 8 hp.

PCs and many NPCs receive max hp on their first hit die.

Some sample detailed NPCs I've created for the game, noting that PC level range is 1st-4th:

Lady Thaya, bored wife of Sir Gorm: 2d6 hd aristocrat
Jana Thadeus, novice teacher at School of Ancient Knowledge: 1d4 hd Scholar
Hroff the Cheerful, dwarf mercenary: Fighter-3

Many official NPCS listed with class levels are converted to NPC hit dice, eg:

Enist Cuspidor, Bywater Bath owner: Fighter-4 > 4d8 hd
Ragolet the Ruffian, Slavers Guildmaster: Fighter-9 > 9d6 hd Merchant
etc

Tuesday, 14 September 2010

Deod's dream? Trelle & Malenn...


Clearly different from Lucy & Malenn?

We report, you decide!

Latifundia of the City State

Vladicu commented:
"Comment: Latifundia is an unexpected and excellent social label."

I think intensive commercial Roman-style slave farms work well with what we know of the City State - eg lots of urban nobility and a huge slave market. The Latifundia plantation system supports both of those.  I'm thinking a square mile of farmland in the exceptionally rich belt between the Mermist and Troll Fens takes around 50 healthy adult labour slaves to farm and produces crops for around five times that many, around 250/sq mile.  Actual population probably around 150/square mile, so an excess of food of 100 persons/sq mile.  With around 800 square miles of food-producing farmland that's food for 80,000, which is the population of the City State. Tweak as desired. 

Note that this system depends on constant import of fresh labour slaves - healthy male adult humans and similar, worked until they die.  If you start letting the slaves have families, wives & children, letting the old retire etc, then the excess population supported goes way down, with disastrous consequences for the City State.   

Latifundia-based farming:  150/square mile, excess 100/square mile supports 80,000.  Result:  Happiness (for the City State).

Feudal-based farming:  200/square mile, excess 50/square mile supports 40,000.  Result:  Misery (for the City State).

Monday, 13 September 2010

The Adventures of Katie Caballo

I'm running a PBEM on the Barbarians of the Wilderlands Yahoogroup (link above), concerning the adventures of Katie Caballo, a young Earth native from 2009 brought to the Wilderlands by a mix of science and sorcery.

Katie Caballo:


Katie Caballo, med student

Stranger 3 XP 5525 (+5% for CHA)
ST 13 (+1) DE 14 (+1) CO 10 IN 12 WI 11 CH 14 AC 6 inc +2 Base TH0 18, melee & missile 17, club d6+1, Aeron's knife d4+1 HP 24/24 twine/rope, stone knife. potion doses heal: 3 Saves: Death 8, Spell 12, 4 man-days rations

FULL PC SHEET:

Character Name: Katie Caballo

Rank/Position/Concept: Bored medical student transplanted to another world!

Sex: Female

Species: Human (21st century) - 2009

Homeland: U.S.A.

Age: 19

Height: 5'3"

Weight: 130lbs

Colour of Hair:Dk.Brown; Eyes:Lt.Brown; Skin:Lt.Brown (Latino)

Appearance: Stunning

Clothing: Panties & halter strip cloth.

Demeanour: Normally quiet, but prone to fits of excess. Becoming

increasingly strong-willed as she approaches 20 years old.

Motivations: Bored and unhappy with her life, looking for excitement!

Background: Katie is a med student at Harvard University. She is

currently doing an exchange year at Cambridge, where she met Timothy

(a graduate student in mathematics) to whom she is currently

affianced... much to she shock of her now-ex-boyfriend, whom she had

been previously dating since her sophomore year in highschool.

However, her life is not as happy as it may seem... she is discontent

with university life, finding it stultifying and oppressive (only

having enrolled to please her family and boyfriend), and is becoming

increasingly unhappy in her personal life as well to the point she has

secretly decided to call off the wedding! She has a card in her purse

from a man who runs a modeling agency who told her she could make good

money as a model, she is sorely tempted to quit school and follow up

on it but she is unsure of the man's motivations.

Timothy has convinced her to come view a demonstration by a "Doctor

Weissmuller" he has been working with, saying that its a

once-in-a-lifetime experience. She has agreed to go, but is intent on

breaking the bad news to him immediately afterwards...
~~~~
Class: Stranger

Level: 3

Str 13/ +1hit,damage,open doors

Dex 14/ -1AC, +1missile,init

Con 10/ 0

Int 12/ 0

Wis 11/ 0

Cha 14/ -1 rx'n adj, +5%XP

HP: 24

AC: 6 including +2 Stranger bonus

Armour: none
_______________________

Stranger Class

Requirements: CON 9

Prime Requisite: CHA

Hit Dice: 1d8

Maximum Level: None

As their name implies, Strangers are human beings from another world/time/dimension, who are trying to make a life for themselves as best they can in their new homes. Despite their otherworldly origins, Strangers possess preternatural adaptability, being able to learn local customs and languages with surprising ease. Consequently, Strangers may learn the local equivalent of Common within hours of first hearing it, regardless of their INT score. Similarly, they suffer no reaction penalties when dealing with alien species/cultures. Indeed, many Strangers find themselves looked upon as long-sought heroes and liberators, whose mysterious arrival portends revolutionary changes in the status quo. Unsurprisingly, Strangers find allies and enemies in equal number.

Members of this class use the same saving throw charts as Fighters but gain a +4 bonus. Owing to the unusual nature of their fighting styles, Strangers gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class when unarmoured.
__________

Katie's Companions:



Dr Isobel Wilson of Emanuelle College, Cambridge, England














Dr Malene Espen of CHER, Cambridge, England





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sammy Brady of Emanuelle College, England

Frendrel of the Twilight Conclave

FRENDREL                                Player: Lord Raffles


Name: Frendrel

Class: Magic User            Level: 1            XP: 0/2400

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Age: 40

AC: 10 Hit Points: 4

Base Roll: 15, 13, 11, 13, 11, 14

STR: 11+1 > 12

INT: 15 Know Spell 65%

WIS: 14

CON: 13+1 > 14

DEX: 11

CHA: 13

SPELLS IN BOOK

Read Magic

Sleep

Shield

Magic Missile

Shocking Grasp

Special Powers:

Twilight Conclave Cantrip Magic: ‘Mage Hand’ 3/Day

CANTRIP MAGIC: All graduates of the School learn the Mage Hand cantrip: telekinetically manipulate 2 lbs weight, within 20’ for 1 round. Eg: Turn key in lock, unbutton a blouse, lift a small object. Graduates may employ it 3/day, Students from 0-3 times/day.

EQUIPMENT

Twilight Conclave Grey Robes

Staff (Proficient) THAC0 21 dam: 1d6/1d6

Backpack

One week rations (standard)

Tinder and Flint box


Spell Scrolls, CL 1 20gp each:

1 x Magic Missile (1 missile)

1 x Sleep

MONEY
3gp

_______________________________

BACKGROUND NOTES:

Frendrel has just finally graduated from the Twilight Conclave (3rd in class), as the oldest student in the Class of '33, and like several others has been staying on awhile for post-graduate study.

101 Sword & Sorcery Tropes

A fun list on rpgnet

Originally Posted by Carl Stanford 
A summary:

The World
Decadent, Fading Empires
Remnants of a greater, ancient age.
Pyramids good; Ziggurats better.
Bands, tribes and hordes of nomads who are savage, greedy and a bane of all civilized travellers, but might be honourable and you might win their respect
Degenerate cannibal savage half-men who don't have any honour and probably worship something bad
Fat merchants in palanquins involved in slave,wine and art trade
'City of Thieves'
Steamy jungles
Inbreeding, usually but not always amongst the nobles, in a isolated locale, generally a jungle city, cavern complex, or wind swept plateau.
Lost city of the ______ people!
Domes and Dais made of lapis-lazuli
Grotesque idols and statuary.

Sorcery and Evil
Human sacrifice to Dark Gods
Sorcerers have pacts for power with strange, dark and/or alien gods.
Necromancers stealing the remains of ancient warlords for their undead armies.
Evil magic users who are the off-spring of human god/demon/alien mating.
There are only two kinds of magic, Necromancy and Demon-Summoning, oh and there's that sissy stuff with herbs and nature that womenfolk and crazy wood people do, but nothing else!
Cults preaching serenity, peace or enlightenment are probably a front for something much worse.

Barbarism vs Civilization
The inherent nobility of the savage condition.
The inherent corruption of the civilised condition.
Fear of death just makes you stronger and stronger.
Heroes who speak many languages and are literate because they are just that well-traveled.

Women
Sultry sorceresses wearing far too little clothing
Undead wizards falling for the hero's woman.
Large-breasted naked princesses in need of rescue therefrom.
The heroes always have some hot chick hanging around. She can be the chick who screams in the background or a mighty warrior in her own right. Either way she is gone by the beginning of the next session.
Warrior-women are almost always redheads.
Peace between warring kingdoms that will save thousands if not millions of lives is far less important than a hot piece of ass.
After capturing the hero, the evil queen is obliged to torture him in a titillating manner, and / or offer him a chance to rule by her side.

Combat
Striking your enemy so hard that your sword gets lodged in his spine.
One in five of your sword strikes will decapitate your enemy.
As a last-ditch effort, throw your sword, it always works.
One of the other four sword strikes will result in your sword "Sticking out between the shoulder blades" of your enemy.
No matter how powerful or ancient the creature is, if you stab it in the face with a sword, it will die or be so badly wounded it has to flee. Might need to be a special sword or a really hard stabbing, or you might need to drop a building on it after stabbing it  but the undefeatable Elder Evil has no place here.

Bestiary
Giant inhuman but-not-straight-fantasy beasts... Dinosaurs?
God-monsters from beyond the stars.
Pre-human serpent people - remnant of the snake people lingers in some remote location, scheming to destroy the fast-breeding monkeys!
Man-apes
Giant intelligent Apes
Snakes are evil incarnate. If you come across a ruined temple with tons of snake statues, you know great evil lurks.

Work and Between Jobs
Drinking and brawling.
Working for Wizards
....Whose Magic is actually Technology

Loot
Enjoy the treasure you won for all of 3 minutes before losing it forever and ever.
Gold equals whoring, drugging and getting drunk.
You can a get a kingdom but you can never keep it.
Companions come and go
Sooner or later one of your most trusted friends will turn you in for the reward.

Sunday, 12 September 2010

THE CONCLAVE OF TWILIGHT ANVIL

THE CONCLAVE OF TWILIGHT ANVIL (TWILIGHT CONCLAVE) - (15 miles/hex)


Leaving the City State by the Gate of the Gods, one enters a narrow belt of heavily settled and farmed land. To the north rises the upland moor of the Troll Fen, while to the south the northern tongue of the Mermist Swamp, nicknamed the ‘Emerald Death’ for its many dangers, edges the Estuary of the Roglaroon.

Proceeding West on the Twilight Road, the farmland opens out into an expanse of small hamlets and noble manors, Alryan commercial farms known as Latifundia, each worked by dozens or hundreds of farm slaves. These Latifundia provide much wealth to their Lords, most of whom reside in the City State, and a good deal of food for the City’s hungry populace.

Thirty miles west of the City State, a good day’s journey on the Twilight Road, lies the market town of Darkfield, a common stopping point for travellers.

Proceeding some six miles north-west from Darkfield along the Twilight Road, one reaches a dirt track running north. Taking this track for three miles, the high towers and walls of the Twilight Coven soon come in view atop a small hill.

The Conclave of Twilight Anvil lies some nine miles’ travel from of Darkfield, on high ground overlooking the Troll Fens to the east and to the west the Vineries of the south-eastern Howling Hills, the south-facing slopes heavy with grape vines that produce some excellent wines as well as much cheap swill. The Coven itself is surrounded by cultivated Latifundia land to the west and south and produces a nice wine on the western hills, mostly for internal consumption though some is exported via the Darkfield merchants. The rich slave-tilled fields also produce enough food for the Coven’s own tables, and in good years a small amount is exported, again via Darkfield.

Reaching the Gate House of the Coven set in a 20’ curtain wall, one is greeted by well-equipped mercenary guards in band & mail, wielding stout halberds. Should all prove satisfactory, one can expect then to be escorted to the Mistress and Vice-Master of the Coven...

Composition of the Twilight Coven


The Coven Mistress is Dorvilla (Wizard 6), a beautiful and gracious half-elven woman with grey-blue eyes and platinum blonde hair. She wears the grey robes of the Coven, cut from the finest silks.
Vice-Master Langeril ‘the Great’ (Illusionist 5), named perhaps for the enormous size of his red nose is her practical equal, and he heads the Coven’s instruction in Illusionist magic.

The inhabitants of the Coven comprise:

40 ‘Magicians’, namely:

2 Leaders: The Mistress Dorvilla (Wizardry) & Vice-Master Langeril ‘the Great’ (Illusionism)

9 Junior Staff, 2 Wiz-4, I Ill 3, 2 M-U 3, 2 Ill 2, 2 M-U 2

5 Graduate Students, 2 Ill 1, 3 M-U 1 (Frendrel, Trelle, Gondar)

24 ‘0th level’ Student Apprentices in the Arts of Wizardry (17) and Illusionism (7).

50 well-paid Mercenaries, Warriors of the 1st-3rd rank (hd 1-3), who guard the Conclave and oversee the farm slaves as they work.

70 Slave Farmers, mostly male, who work the fields and live in Spartan barracks.

40 Slave House Servants, mostly female, who acts as cooks, maids etc and keep the Conclave running smoothly.
_____

CANTRIP MAGIC: All graduates of the School learn the Mage Hand cantrip: telekinetically manipulate 2 lbs weight, within 20’ for 1 round. Eg: Turn key in lock, unbutton a blouse, lift a small object. Graduates may employ it 3/day, Students from 0-3 times/day.
____________

Mages in Frendrel's graduating class included:

1. Tansir, a young mage Frendrel was friends with, who graduated 2nd in class. He recently left the Coven and joined with new adventuring colleagues Miklos Makanos, a Paladin of Mitra, and Sheri, a girl Thief, to explore the mysterious '5 Level Dungeon' beneath the City State.

3. Gondar Maltok, a lean and hawk-faced, well-muscled, handsome young man of 21. Gondar graduated 1st in class by a good margin and is very ambitious, he seems set to follow the classic Wizardly route to power, and talks often of his plans of amassing wealth, minions, and a harem of nubile slave girls in his impenetrable Tower of Sorcery.

3. Trelle Vernehzar, an attractive young brunette girl who graduated 4th, just behind Frendrel. Trelle is quite friendly and flirtatious with Frandrel, although at 22 she's young enough to be his daughter. She's the inquistive sort, maybe a bit naive, and often talks of joining an adventurer party as Tansir did.


                                        Trelle Vernehzar

Saturday, 11 September 2010

Climate Zones of the Wilderlands

Originally posted here

The 1e City State book has a frontispiece sketch map of the Wilderlands, with the Equator clearly shown. It runs in a line west to east through the Underwing Jungle, Grindwell, Gulf of Pinnacles, just north of the Eyestones Jungle, just south of the Starlight River.

This, combined with the Great Glacier to north of Valon, the Ament Tundra in the SW, and the scattered nature of the rain forest cover, raises the inevitable conclusion: THE WILDERLANDS IS AN ICE AGE WORLD. No getting away from it, and it explains a huge amount about the world - for instance, Ice Age = Dry. No vast tropical rain forests as we presently see on Earth, just scattered patches. It explains the Ament Tundra very nicely. It means the 'Demon Empires' to the south would seem to be mostly a howling frozen wasteland - but why not? That would explain why they've played so little part in the history of the world.

With the official Equator line in play, using 15 miles to the hex and a polar circumference of 24,000 miles gives the following latitudes:

+4.5 Degrees: Ossary, Trident Gulf

+9 Degrees: Croy, Thunderhold

+13.5 Degrees: Forbidden Forest, Uther Pentwegern Sea

+18 Degrees: Just North of Valon

(At 5 miles/hex either divide by 3 or accept a very small planet!).
Conclusion: The Wilderlands is not like contemporary Earth. It more resembles Earth in the grip of a more severe glaciation than any in the current Ice Epoch.

Still, parrallels to Earth climate zones can be drawn within the compressed climate zones necessitated by the overarching dominance of the Ice.

Some of my thoughts for my campaign, from equator northwoods:

Antil: The coastal areas are swampy and humid, with a Caribbean climate suitable for maize, sugar cane, and cotton. The Windgod Hills are much drier, largely treeless and carpeted in a soft red moss.

Ossary: A warm, sunny Mediterranean climate - think Normans in Sicily.

City State: Warm, but well inland and subject to more seasonal variation than Ossary, with regular snowfall in the winter months of Gloomfrost and Thawmist BCCC (White Wolf & Snow Leopard in CC) .

Croy, Brezal: Cool and windy, with a climate generally similar to north Germany, Denmark and Southern Sweden, glaciers in the upland mountains.

Valon: Often very cold, but amenable to the Valonese, with low humidity and little wind.

leadjunkie wrote:
"For years I decided to imagine mine much further south. It was not until I read a post Bob Bledsaw made on these forums that I came to the same conclusion that you did about an ice age"


Hi leadjunkie - yes, I too had assumed a much further south equator, and then wondered why the southern Wilderlands is temperate, turning to subarctic in the Ament. But I realise now that the climate zones depicted fit very well with what we know an Ice Age to be like, you don't even need any magic AFAICS, though the Land of Beasts seems unusually warm compared to Valon to the east. That may be due to off-map geography, notably the Great Glacier pushing down from the north affecting the Valonese climate, eg by calving Icebergs into the Uther Pentwegern.

"I would very much like to see expanded comments from you on other Wilderlands areas."

A lot of areas in the Necromancer WoHF have local climate notes, I haven't seen any that needed changing. It'd probably be worth noting that the Ghinor Highlands are temperate turning cool at higher elevation, and the 'Demon Empires' in the far south are likely cold to Arctic.

"Are your latitude demarcations intended to indicate tropical, subtropical, temperate and subarctic generalities?"

Roughly speaking:

+0 Degrees: Tropical

+2 Degrees, ca Antil: Sub-tropical

+4.5 Degrees: Ossary, Trident Gulf: Mediterranean warm-temperate

+9 Degrees: Croy, Thunderhold: Northern European cool-temperate

+13.5 Degrees: Forbidden Forest, Uther Pentwegern Sea: Cold temperate

+18 Degrees: Just North of Valon: Sub-arctic, to Arctic on the Glacier

My current campaign is set in the CSIO so I give a fair degree of thought to the climate there. I see it much like Rome ca 1 AD, Mediterranean climate but rather warmer and wetter than today, far enough inland to have a hot summer and short cold winter, but most months being balmy, such that a loinclout is usually adequate garb for poor commoners and slaves alike.

I treat the Estuary of the Roglaroon as a glacial feature (like a fjord but shallower), an indicator that at least once in the past few million years or so the Ice came within 7 degrees or so of the Equator, and threatened to enfold the world.

I have the Wilderlands' Sun be notably (to an Earth native) redder and cooler than our own, the planet is probably further towards the cold limit of habitability and may initially indeed have been too cold for life, but over the billions of years of the Main Sequence gradually increasing solar output has sufficiently warmed the globe for non-crystalline life to take root.

Edit:  Axial Tilt looks to be around 6 degrees, so that in the Summer the Sun is directly overhead as far north as the City State, leading to hot summers, while lands further north remain cool all year. 

Friday, 10 September 2010

Looks familiar?

This guy wears Tharbrian trews, but he reminded me of a certain red-haired Skandik PC!

Thursday, 9 September 2010

The Crystal of Distant Vision

The Crystal’s Vision:

Suddenly a beam of violet light shoots out from the crystal, to a point in the air between the mound and the others at the shore, and a vision begins to form there...

You hear music in the air - "Da da dum - Dee Da!" The violet light coalesces into swirling runes, some kind of script that looks a very little like Alryan, and these fade, to an image of a brightly lit marble desk, an elegant looking woman with the scarlet skin of a pureblood Altanian is sat behind it, staring "out" of the vision. Her black hair is subtly coiffed, and she wears a diaphonous white gown. She begins to speak, in archaic Altanian, similar enough to Alryan that you can all understand.

"Here is the news. Combat Command has confirmed that Orichalan forces now occupy Delta Sector. There is no word of survivors. Fighting in Theta Sector continues. .."

"Combat Command lists Altan confirmed casualties at eight thousand, three hundred and thirty two. Orichalan losses are estimated at zero."

"Prime Minister Mendel has urged the populace not to give up hope. He remains confident that..."

There is the sound of a crashing noise from somewhere outside the vision's field of view. The woman looks up, suddenly frightened. Then a massive black battle-axe descends, smashing the marble desk-top. The woman screams. You see a scaly black, clawed hand gripping the shaft of the adamatine waraxre. Then there is a shower of white motes, a crackling noise, and the vision ends.

Wednesday, 8 September 2010

From "Barbarians of the Wilderlands" PBEM

Was just looking at my PBEM from last year - some cool stuff there.

Eg, Lucy Prentice's first appearance:

Centre for High Energy Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, 2009

"The energy read-outs are green, Dr Weissmuller"

The short, balding man in white lab coat, spectacles and moustache looked up at

the beautiful young brunette bending over the read-out VDU.

"Thank you, Miss Prentice."

He turned to the curvaceous Scandinavian blonde stationed at a second screen.

"Dr Espen, how is coil integrity?"

The blonde looked up and nodded.


"Integrity is good, Dr Weismuller."


A surge of anticipation went through Dr Jacob Weissmuller. After all these days

- today was the day! To create an actual Wormhole, albeit for little more than

the Planck Instant - to prove it could be done! The Nobel Prize for Physics...

Weissmuller turned from the screens to survey the assembled gaggle of

scientists.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Today we make history!"

Jacob turned to the central terminal and, without further ado, pressed the Big

Red Button...

*BANG*
________

Dr Jacob Weissmuller:

_________________________

Barbarian Altanis hex 1311 Day 1 - Ragnar the Tharbrian

Ragnar the Slave Guard, formerly of the Grimalon Plains, more recently of Antil,

is breathing hard as he climbs higher through the dusty red hills. It has been

hours since he saw any of his pursuers, the armoured cavalry of Antil, and

longer since he saw any of his erstwhile companions, the gladiator slaves he

aided in their revolt against their cruel Antillian overlords. Many of the

gladiators were Tharbrian, like himself, and the female ones were treated in a

manner that affronts the honour of any true-blooded Tharbrian warrior... Still,

he can't but suspect he might have made a mistake...

A stone rolls down, past his head.

Ragnar looks up, up the rocky slope, and sees an amazing sight! A beautiful

girl, shapely as any amazon, is bounding down the slope towards him at amazing

speed! Brunette, naked but for a tiny piece of cloth at her loins, her eyes are

wide with fear. And it's not hard to see why! Coming after her, hot on her

heels, is the black-furred, bestial form of an enormous ape!

Now the girl sees Ragnar and her running slows, and she hesitates as if he

seemed to her as much a threat as the great ape behind her, intent upon seizing

this luscious booty for its own foul ends!

The ape will be on her in moments...
_______________

Lucy Prentice of CHER:

___________

Re: Barbarian Altanis hex 1311 Day 1 - Katie Caballo


Consciousness returns slowly to Katie Caballo. There's a weight on her chest...

Cautiously she opens her eyes, blinking against the strong and unexpected

sunlight. She's outside, a clear blue sky above - the dark specks of a couple

of birds wheeling high overhead. The sun is high in the sky, but the light

seems redder than normal - almost like sunset?

The weight - she looks down - the weight is the body of old Professor

Weissmuller, lying on top of her! He's asleep, or unconscious. And apart from

his rather greyish underpants, he's naked!

A quick check reveals that apart from her panties, Katie is naked, too!

Moving Prof Weissmuller gently aside, Katie takes in a gulp of air - hot, dry,

slightly dusty - and looks around. She's in a rocky bowl-shaped depression,

red, craggy hills rising all around. It looks a bit like Greece, only redder -

red like Arizona? But she is - was? - in Cambridge, England!

Around her, in a ring about 40' wide, are standing stones - dolmens - each about

6-8' high, shaped like crude spear-tips. Katie looks around. Behind her, only

about 4' from her head, is a long low block of white marble - somehow she knows

immediately it's an altar. And the dried brown substance in the cracked stone

indicate its use is sanguinous - blood sacrifice.

Dr Weissmuller stirs slightly, muttering inaudibly in his sleep.

Other than that, all is silence. Yet Katie suddenly has the strong feeling

she's being watched...

____________

Re: Barbarian Altanis hex 1311 Day 1 - Ranvik of Altanis


Arriving on the eastern coast of the Antillian Peninsula some months ago;

Ranvik, mercenary warrior of Altanis, had stayed for time with a local Altanian

tribe whose clan-hold lies in the southern Windgod hills (in hex 1313), hard by

the eastern slopes of the great mountain Lagh Anon. Aiding them in slaying a

great demon-vulture, a Chaos Spawn that had lately taken to preying on their

sheep-herds - and shepherdesses - Ranvik had won reknown, and a place of honour

among them, his distant kinfolk.

But at last, as always, it is time to move on. So now Ranvik is moving north

through the hills, in the direction of Antillian territory - cursed Antillians,

it would satisfy him to end a few! But he is cautious, like all his sort. His

eyes scan the sky, for demon-vultures and for the winged Windriders, humanoid

allies of the Antillians, said to dwell near these parts.

Thus it is that for a moment he does not see the figure, kneeling by the clear

blue pool in the dell ahead, until he is almost upon her! Such mistakes can

mean death - but luckily the figure is crouched over with her back to him,

apparently oblivious as she cups water from the pool and drinks eagerly, with

the desperation of thirst, so that much runs down her chin and neck, wetting her

body.

Ranvik has time to pause, and take her in properly. The young woman seems

entirely naked, with the long blonde hair of a Skandik or Tharbrian, and the

lush, voluptuous curves of a dryad or love goddess - it does occur to Ranvik

that she could be a water-spirit, potentially dangerous. There seems something

very human about her, though he cannot see her face. And surely a local spirit

would already have sensed his approach? An escaped slave? But there is no

collar, brand, or other marking - and the Antillians are known to always do

such.

Ranvik considers...
____________

Dr Malene Espen of CHER:



____________
Game Mind-Map:


Lord Myuni of Karak:
The Ape-Men:

XP and Treasure

I discuss my approach to XP and treasure here.

I find the solution to "Too much money" is "Less Money". Even 100gp - 1000sp - is a heck of a lot of money in an economy where a labourer earns 1 sp/day, if he can get employment.

Mind you, I haven't messed with by-the-book monetary treasure. What I have done is not give out vast amount of cash for selling magic items, and reduced the value of random-table-generated gems/jewelry typically to 1/10.  The value of treasure in published materials is kept or amended as seems appropriate.

I use an optional level-training fee of 100gp/level for 1 week, which gives the PC a chance to raise their prime stat (must roll over it on d20, if so get +1d3 pts). Or they can self-train for free for 2 weeks, no stat increase roll.

On XP - I give out OD&D-based monster XP (100 XP/hd) but this isn't to make the game kill-centric. Replace treasure XP with suitable XP rewards for whatever goals are achieved, such as rescuing prisoners. Heck, I give XP for successful seductions!

Re maintenance, the base cost for PCs IMC is only around 2-3sp/day, but if they wanted to raise their social status in the City State it would be more, around 1-1.5 gp/day to live like a gentleman. A junior officer NPC in the military IMC (Ftr-2 Lt) is taking home 40gp/m, and may well be spending more than that on upkeep, typically 45gp/m.
_______

For hit dice above 4 I typically give x2 XP per +2 hd, +1000 XP/hd over 9, ie:

hd XP

3 300

4 400

5 600

6 800

7 1200

8 1600

9 2400

+1 +1000

Or where I feel it's appropriate, such as where defeating a high level monster is a major adventure goal, I give up to x5 the listed 1e monster XP. Eg when the level 2-3 PCs rescued Captain Iremath of Marsh Gate from an Annis recently I gave x5 the 1e MM2 listed Annis XP, which worked out as around 1800 XP each per PC for the session, the biggest award they've had in 12 sessions. The PCs did well though Black Annis took 1 PC to -9 hp, 1 off 'dead', before she went down, I felt they earned the XP.

I follow Arneson in giving XP for gp spent on carousing, charity, large-scale projects, training etc, but not personal equipment or basic upkeep. I may also use a gp reward for a mission as a guide to the XPV of the mission, but not as a set XP entitlement.

And in my online City State game I give XP for player time spent on non-combat roleplay stuff such as forming NPC and PC contacts and allies, carousing, and anything which is fun to roleplay. No XP if I'm bored. I use a guideline 100 XP per hour.

After 12 game sessions, or a bit over 40 hours' play, the two highest level PCs (Fighter-4, Paladin-3) have a smidgin over 9000 XP, or about 225 XP/hour, with actual session XP awards varying from 200 to 1800 per PC, and levelling about once per 4 sessions. The rate of XP gain increases over time but I expect the levelling rate to fall off as more XP is needed to level.
_________

Not to say the GM can't use treasure value as a guide to XP awards, but I don't generally think that killing a tribe of 100 Orcs (say 1500 monster XP per RAW) with no treasure should earn vastly less XP than killing a tribe of Orcs with 10,000gp (11,500 gp per RAW). But sneaking into the Orc lair to steal their 10,000 gp without killing any of them should certainly earn XP, and depending on the risk it might even be reasonable to award the full 10,000.