What to relate when the thief asks for lock description

 

Also provides me with inspiration of how/were to place some device traps.

More tricksy boxses https://www.antiquebox.org/category/antique-locks-and-mechanisms/

Thundarr The Barbarian Anniversary

I love, love this cartoon. I wish there was more. It was my first introduction to "weird science", fantasy and sci-fi. Many of my D&D campaign worlds have been strongly inspired by the opening narration. It has stuck with me. 

"The year, 1994. From out of space, comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Man's civilization is cast in ruin. Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn. A strange new world rises from the old. A world of savagery, super-science, and sorcery. But one man bursts his bonds to fight for justice. With his companions, Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength, his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword, against the forces of evil. He is ..."

Game Master Inspiration

Johnn Fourr of Roleplaying Tips fame created Pinterest (pics) for Game Master Inspiration.

Yo dawg, I heard you like skull. So I put a skull in your skull so you can ...

Source: 24.media.tumblr.com via Johnn on Pinterest

Detroit - Great Postapocalyptic Inspiration

Modern Detroit is an abandoned, deteriorating wasteland.  Perfect inspiration for Mutant future.

Many more pics at http://detroiturbex.com/content/neighborhoods/bwhousing/bwhousing.html

Hackmaster Basic Pics

Ran a few sessions of Hackmaster Basic.  Made great use of all the Heroscape terrain I spent previous year buying off of ebay.  And the Alea colored magnetic bases I spent too much money on.  Each character / creature got 3 of the same color.  One for under the mini, one on HP track to track hit points, and one on the initiative track. Which is great way to keep track of HMB's "continuous" initiative system.

Ambush while on patrol in the woods.  Also note the "continuous initiative" track at bottom and hit point track on left.

Kill, kill, kill the PC's.

Can our intrepid militiamen defend the river ford. Turns out sadly, yes they can.

Basic Training!

Always worth including shot of guy picking his nose.

So booooored, can we get on with the killing and mayhem!

Haha, orc got pushed back into water (cool HMB rule, btw) and is now being washed downstream.

Btw I like HMB and some of it's ideas.  But, as a whole there's too much tracking of stuff I don't have any time to "be awesome DM".

EZ Happy Donut

[This was a writing exercise I did when I lived in SF and had a writing group.  Wave guys, I miss you.  Thought it is an interesting adventure hook.  Playing Paranoia at NTRPG Con made me remember this ;) Oh, lots of cussing below, if you're bothered by that, go away.]

EZ Happy Donut

Alphon was hungry.  He'd been picking neolopes out of hydroponic bays all shift long.  Ten hours, no break, only pick, no food, only pick.

The EZ Happy Donut sign pulsed green then orange as he stumbled up and slumped onto a plastic tool discolored by the asses of countless pickers before him. The sugary smell of freshed baked donuts that was pumped out of the circulation ducts all along this section made him sick, but he was too hungry to care.

"Gimme an old-fashioned and a..."

"Please restate order in 'product desired' - 'product quantity' form."  The supposedly soothing voice of the automat interrupted.

"Fucked up lame software."

"Order confirmed, insert Universal, PCA or Orbital3 debit card, now."

"What order? I haven't finished!"

"Insert debit card now, please"

"Tell me what you think I ordered."  Alphon knew this was way too complex of an inquiry for the version 3.x automats they installed in WorkerZone.

"Insert debit card or be in violation of Orbital3 code Title 372 Section G 'Ordering products or services from an automated device with no intent to pay or fraudulent intent'"

"Fuck this, cancel order & gimme a god damn old..."

"Order has been confirmed unable to comply with cancel request.  New order function not available until current order complete.  Please insert debit card."

Alphon looked at the only other automat at this EZ Happy Donut.  Someone had put what looked like a glide rail strut through its screen.  It didn't look very operational.  The girl who had been waiting behind him gave a sort of "thanks for breaking it, asshole" look and headed off towards the Qwicky Licky BBQ automats further down the corridor.

"Please insert debit card within the next 60 seconds or be in violation of Orbital3 code Title 372 Section G.  This is the official notification required by Orbital3 code Title 380 Sections A & C."

"Blow me!"  Alphon started checking the numerous pockets they put on Orbital3 duty jumpsuits for an old debit card.  One he hoped only had enough for a donut or two.  He had heard that some other picker was delivered 118 pairs of foul weather gloves from a fucked up automat.  Why foul weather gloves are even on the menu in climate controlled station was of no concern to the arbitration panel, they denied his debit reversal appeal.  That kind of shit Alphon didn't need.

"30 seconds until violation, please insert debit card."

"Yeah, yeah."  Alphon found the card that had been floating amongst the neolope roots just a few hours earlier.  Local Orbital3 issue, looked beat to hell, maybe it had a few creds left.  He stuck it in.  At least it wasn't in his name.

"Thank you, Chief Director Johnson.  One pink sparkles, $4.78 total debit."

Alphon stared at the name on the graphical display, not sure whether to push the card return or to bolt.  Sudden movements like that tended to get the camera systems to alert station security.  Instead he glanced around, he was relatively alone.  Then a thought occurred to him.

"Account balance" he asked?

"Current balance is three-hundred seventyfive-thousand eight-hundred sixteen point seventy-two credits."

He grabbed the card and left the donut.  Alphon's life had either gotten a whole lot better or a whole lot worse.  He wasn't sure which.


You can continue this tale at StoryMash.com

Magic Items Should be Magical [repost]

[Magic Items Should be Magical originally posted Dec 25th, 2008!  A good post, edited and shortened a bit.]

Magic Items Are Special

Create a 3x5 note card for each item to give to the lucky new owner (keep a separate card or notebook for secrets about the item the player has not learned yet). Providing something tangible that the player receives, can hold, point to, wave in the air, throw across the room when it fails, and is missed when taken away is a bit of psychological trickery. But trickery that, from personal experience, creates heaps of fun. Unfortunately, it takes no small effort esp if like me you draw pictures too. 

The card provides space for descriptions, pictures, history and the like. Occasional additions to or outright replacement of the card should be made as the player discovers the item's secrets. Reserve the back of the card for player notes; where they keep it, thoughts on how it works, great deeds accomplished with it, whatever.  In manager speak you want to facilitate player "ownership."

Never flat out tell the player what an item does. Do not include mechanics in your descriptions. Never out loud for the whole group to hear, provide them privately. Allow the owner an opportunity to roleplay item's explanation and usage.  The same way scary movies slowly hint at what's so scary the mysteries of magical items should be slowly revealed.  Provide one detail in an epic floor-to-ceiling mural, another in a bard's song several sessions later. 

Even if you want the players to know everything upfront don't just blurt out "It's a Horn of Blasting, can demolish doors, walls, small structures and does 6d6 to constructs." At the very least say in your best fabulous voice "Aha! You have found the legendary Trumpet of Droog. A single note of which shattered the stone guardians of Thool. A sustained blast from this legendary horn will crack and crumble city walls and utterly demolish lesser structures." Pass the game mechanics to the owner in a note, or hey on that 3x5 card you made for this item.

Some rules expect there to be plenty of accessible "plus items". Which really makes it hard to maintain the mystic of magic. Solution; items that only provide a plus bonus aren't magical!  They are legendary masterworks.  "You, lucky sir, hold a Montoya Blade forged more than 300 years ago when the Golden Caliphs still ruled."  You could keep them magical and do the same thing.  But, +1 hit/damage seems like the effect of a master craftsman.  Something magical should be so much more...

Magic Items Are Unique

When describing an item describe that particular individual item. Describe in specifics, don't neglect sounds, tastes and smells the item possesses or generates. Depending on how magic & morality work in your world there might be other detectable emanations. "Before you is a 5' long smooth metal staff capped on one end by a large translucent bluish-white crystal.  It crackles with arcane power." Not "Found a Staff of lighting, they are from 5-6 feet long and often have crystals incorporated in their construction."

Focus on one or two signature details. Not just "a crystal" but "a large translucent bluish-white crystal." Consider making items other than scrolls and potions literally unique. It's pretty awesome to know there is exactly one Rod of Lordly Might and your character gots it.  If a player asks a leading question "What's in the crystal?" Roll with it! "The multi-faceted crystal captures your attention. Within its depths the torchlight's feeble orange light is reflected and amplified into the purest white. You drift off into pleasant memories of moonlight sparkling off the frost white snows of your long missed homeland." Maybe that's too fluffy... but, hopefully you get the idea.

Getting your players accustomed to specific traits being associated with particular magics creates opportunities for atmosphere and immersion. From frequent past usage everyone knows that invisibility potions smell strongly of lemon. While in the Dungeon of Dark Despair the scout makes a detect hidden check. Instead of blurting out "There's an invisible bugbear behind you."  Lean forward, sniff the air and whisper "Something familiar, a smell you can't quite place.  It gets stronger, you know this smell. It's lemon! From behind you and quite close."

Magic Items Are Important

Once a player has the item, don't let them forget about it. Reinforce how rare, magical and amazing it is. Peasants, followers, and hanger-ons will beg to see it. Collectors will offer to buy or try to steal it. The characters will hear songs that mention it.  Perhaps the heir of the original owner believes it rightly belongs to them and takes their claim to the authorities.  Does it need maintenance?  Perhaps a magical fungus starts growing on it. "Brave sir Hadley what is that fuzzy brown stuff on your Holy Avenger?".

If they carry it on their person it should be in danger; of being broken, getting rained on, pick pocketed, drained of magic, dropped into a volcano. Players keeps it safely stored "at home"? The place should be broken into and ransacked but the item was fortunately not stolen, this time!  Let them overhear how a great conflagration burnt down the characters home town. Make them fret over whether or not their hoard is so much melted junk.  If it fits the character, encourage them to roleplay misplacing it for a few days "Oh, here it is, in my other robes."

Don't make every event negative. It shouldn't be a constant burden just to own a magic item. Positive encounters persist even longer in players' memories. An artist or sculptor might desire to see it, even pay for the privilege. Perhaps a great wizard asks to study it. Having a wizard owe you a favor should be worth something. Events involving the characters' magic items shouldn't come up every five minutes either. Occasionally when you need a plot pick up or if the players complain about there not being enough phat lootz.

Final Thoughts

sirlarkens mentioned the "It's Sort of Like a Wand" article from Dragon Magazine. Looking it up I'm damn sure that some 19 yrs ago this is the article that got me started.  Garry Coppa, where ever you are, I owe big.  More recently I've gleamed sage advice from the most excellent Roleplaying Tips newsletter. Oh hey, look what they have done there.

I challenge every DM to make it a personal goal that every magic item your players pry out of you will be notable and prized by the character who obtains it.  Invest as much time detailing items as you do on NPCs.  Give them names, colorful descriptions, histories, previous owners, secrets.  Make them mystical, wondrous, and exciting.  It is likely that characters will have more interaction and a longer relationship with their items than they will have with most NPCs.

Patent Searching for Ideas

BoingBoing mentioned Using Google Patent Search as coloring book generator.  Trying a few searches seems like a great idea.  Of course I tried looking up a couple "game" terms;  Role Playing Games, Dragons.  Found some really interesting drawings and ideas.   The patent drawings are typically nice clean line art with labels and descriptions.  Not that I need another endless rabbit hole to dive down, sigh...

If I had endless time and energy I'd put together a RPG coloring book!  But instead I'll just mention it on my blog in the hopes someone else does it ;)

Totally Awesome Dragon pistol! Just what every Shadowrun street samurai needs!

Reading those patents, mostly (esp the software/system/idea patents) just made me sad over how much time and energy and money to lawyers is wasted on patents.  Stupid, trivial, obvious.  Ideas worth less than the patent application forms they are on.

Devil in the Details: Alfar Berserkers

The Devil is in the Details has grown on me since I first saw it in Fight On!

I generally don't like character background tables or mechanics.  Mostly because I want chargen to be very fast. And with minimal steps/choices so newbs aren't overwhelmed.  I wouldn't make these tables a required or even suggested part of character creation.

To me the true value in these lists lie in how they concisely convey a bunch of background and flavor to the reader.  Whether that reader is a player trying to get a grasp on the campaign world or me at a later date wondering what the hell I was thinking...

Here is my entry for Alfar Berserker.  These are Basic D&D/LL style race and class are combined.  "Alfar Berserker" is the class, there are no Dwarf Berserkers or Human Berserkers.  All Alfar share the Many Alfar table.


Many Alfar (roll 1d20 three times)

1. Adventure due to a death wish and desire to die "young and happy".
2. Would rather die then let a slight or insult stand.
3. Have been outlawed by their city-states.
4. Will not wear the color red (blood color tempts weapons to strike).
5. Have synesthesia.
6. Are exiled and seek to return honor to their name/clan.
7. Believe today is a good day to die.
8. View humans and halfmen as out of control animals in need of frequent culling.
9. Believe if you can't keep me from taking your stuff, then it's not really your stuff, is it?
10. Suffer from narcissism.
11. Claim other worlds exist.
12. Believe "Loosing" is dishonorable. Cheating, dirty fighting, using unfair odds, etc in order to win is not.
13. Appear androgynous to humans and halfmen.
14. Proudly display their clan via distinctive dress/facial tattoos/hair styles.
15. Find the concepts of aging and death endlessly fascinating.
16. Treat short lived races as the naive, ignorant children that they are.
17. Have not learned to hide their arrogant aloofness around others. -2 reaction.
18. Sense latent emotions left in items, areas. 2 in 6.
19. Secretly worship the Vanir and Jotuns.
20. Are hundreds (3d6) years old.

Some Berserkers (roll d16 once)

1. Consume narcotics and hallucinogens to enter berserkergang.
2. Sing beautiful, melodic, haunting songs while slaughtering.
3. Berserkergang with eyes closed.  Their blows guided by hate and anger.
4. While berserkergang remain absolutely silent, flowing gracefully from one slaughter to the next.
5. Consul against violence and war.
6. Have lost faith/interest and tire of the endless slaughter.
7. Really have it in for Jotuns(giants).  Must attack them first, -4 reaction, +2 hit.
8. Really have it in for big snakes and ophidians.  Must attack them first, -4 reaction, +2 hit.
9. Are actually just psychotic murderers and give a rat's ass about Thor and his cult.
10. Have interests other than fighting, battle, and Thor.
11. Know the time of their death, know they can not avoid it and that it will not come early.
12. Follow war/violence/death god other than Thor.
13. Name and talk with their weapons.
14. Violent, murdering ways have attracted dark beings keen to complete the Berserker's corruption.
15. Have unintentionally killed friends while berserkergang. 
16. Have tasted human flesh.

Common Traveling Gear (d16 1d3 times)

1. Wolf pelt worn as cape.
2. Plants and mushrooms eaten to achieve berserkergang.
3. A wide leather strap embossed with the runes of Thor's Blessing worn across chest bandoleer style.
4. Roman style weighted Cesti, for sparing amongst friends.
5. Armband with one feather/tassel/ornament for each viking they have participated on.
6. Token of Thor's admiration.
7. Scroll detailing the major arteries and vital organs of several races.
8. Soap and scents to clean off the blood and gore of the dead.
9. Shaving knife to keep their head nicely bald.  
10. The ring with crest of powerful Human noble house, acquired while viking.
11. Warpaint.
12. A halfman child's doll, slightly stained with blood.
13. Knee spikes.
14. Pouch with the finger bones (index, middle) of defeated enemies.
15. Rune scribed belt indicating their rank within Thor's cult.
16. Helmet with horns!

Troll Pimping A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe

I added a new widget: This Week I Be Pimpin

Just so there's no confusion, no one has asked me to pimp anything well not this thing anyhow. These will always be products which I own a copy of, believe deserve exposure, and believe maybe worth your time/money.  The pimping idea totally stolen from The Underdark Gazzette. Hopefully I'll remember to change it every week.

This week it's XRP's A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe 2nd Edtion. One of the best, thorough, and RPG useful source books for medieval Europe I've read.  Lots of reviews for the 1st edition.

Necrotic Technology

In Grognarida's Dwimmermount Session 36 the party encountered --

obviously dead apes whose bodies were animated through some sort of necromantic technology -- tubes, gears, and silvery-black replacement parts.

Which gave me the science-fantasy idea that all corporeal undead are "cyborg" constructions.  Mostly skeletons and zombies in all their countless variations.  I've never been sold on undead as a "class" of beings.  There just sort of boring and the ones you could poke always seemed to diminish the incorporeals' impact.

I like having "spirits" be the real "dead" and the "walking dead" being necromantic abominations.  I'm fine with having ghouls just be cursed cannibals. Vampires being somethings altogether unique.  What others are there?

Being associated with necromancy, gives reason for technology to be (wrongly) shunned. It all just fits much better with my world/underworld view and with the science-fantasy setting I'm migrating towards.  Half the reason I'm using LL is cause I think it's a only short hop away from MF.


Hmmmmm, there's amazingly few images of zombies or skeletons with gears and such findable with 5min of google searches. Everything is about the terminator or Gears of War video game. :(

All I could find was this break-dancing samurai pirate.

Bucket Load of Chimera

scares the hell out of me

 
With luck it's gonna scare the hell out of my players too.  Find many ready made chimera(aka animal-morphs, aka people with photoshop+too much time) at humandescent.  Thanks to Timeshadows for the link.  And Telecanter's Receding Rules for reinforcing my loathing/fear of horses.

Below, some delightful dogbirds. I think the Horillas are my favorite. 

In Case You Were Unaware, Quantique is Flippin Fantastic

QUANTIQUE

Badass of the Week

Is a bad ass blog, check it out!

Festung Konigstein

Fortress Kingstone (literal English translation) is pretty cool. I know cause it's one of the several castles I visited while biking around Germany/Czech Republic back when everyone else was getting rich (if only temporarily) on dot coms. Looking at the museum exhibitions I'm sort of sad I just walked around the walls and visited the open parts of the fortress.

A Fairy Tale about it and the blog that reminded me of it. The wiki page is woefully short. I remember that same view of the Elbe. I should dig up my photos (of this and several other castles/arms/armours), but they are photos on film paper and not digital so a real pain for the scannerless dude to post on a blog.

Ah, but this is the page we're interested in, full, keyed map of the fortress with lots of supporting images. Nice! Fortress has been expanded and modifed for cannon. Good location for steam punk, Renaissance campaign.

Magical Monday - Magical Grabbag

Magic System Series Part I described Wizards, Mages, and Sorcerers. Part II provided Mystics, Alchaemists, and Galdr. Today brings a of miscellany, along with four more magic systems.


Miscellanum

Space Wizards! from Fight On #1

Spontaneous Metamagic and Metamagic Components not daily use but once per encounter?

Mages', Wizards' and possible others' spells can be reversed to have an opposite effect. Reversed spells are also very effective counter spells vs their unreversed versions. There is only one version of a spell, "the spell". Forward or reversed version is determined at casting time by whether the verbal and/or somatic components are done backwards or forwards.

Magic is unbalancingly powerful. This is mitigated by it also not being strictly under the control of the caster/player. Much of the following sections expand upon that lack of control.


Magic is Weird

Magic is rare, mysterious, and scares the bejesus out of common folk. The vast majority of intelligent beings have only experienced it through legend, horror story and rumour. The first (at least) use of magic vs men, halflings, and the various intelligent humanoids should elicit a moral check. "Ahhhhh witchcraft, run for you souls!" Even those accustomed to Shamanistic / Hedge magic might still be awed by the power and grandeur of True Magic.

Having wounds magically healed makes you (very) hungry. 1 days ration per wound point / die of damage healed.

Magic is subject to environment and you are not it's master. When deep within the Mythic Underground expect DM to whip some 2ed Wild Magic rules on your ass.

Magic is not the same as Fey Glamour. Expect illogic and whimsy when the two interact.


Magic is Fickle

If something (orc, door, etc.) saves against your spell that something will always save against (no roll) against that particular spell cast by you. A casting check failure is different than a save. So is being countered or blocked (by say a prismatic wall). [mechanically this prevents casting rituals over and over until success e.g. "Knock" vs a door. But, I really dig it flavor wise. It makes magic weirder and opens up a method to out wit and defeat uber casters. Say, by finding the one child, now grown, who resisted the evil Hypnoticus's charm spell.]

May not memorize duplicate spells. Likewise it's dangerous to walk around with more than one dose of an Alchaemical concoction. One, it's boring to have the same spells. Two, it's the exclusive purview of Wizards to unleash fireball after fireball unto the bad guys. I definitely see Wizards as "Battle Casters". Mages and others are more subtle, creative, behind the scenes sorts.

Magic doesn't mix well. Too much magic cast in one area or upon a single target is prone to manifest unexpected effects that tend towards "bad." In other words the DM has a spell miscibility table created in the fashion of the potion miscibility table in the DMG. He is itching to roll on it...

Magic doesn't work the way you think it does. An area can be (temporarily) drained of magic. Boon to those who bring it with them (Alchaemists, Mages) and bane to those who depend on drawing and shaping what's already there (Mystics, Wizards, Druids, Vis-less Hermeticists).


Magic Duels

Fight On #1, Manitou Combat (love that cover).

I'm thinking of the scene from Conan movie, where smoke comes out the wizard's ears. That is the duel for me. But I found this cheezingly awesome vid instead.

Counter Spelling

Old school. Already mentioned reverse spells above. I see Counter Spelling often leading into magical duels.

No dispel magic spell. Far too convenient, predictable, and mechanical. There are many ways to usurp, avoid, and sunder magic. All different, many unknowable.

"Holding one's foot and hopping backwards through wall of magical flames is sure way to avoid being incinerated. The wench at G&W told me. Her father's uncle was an adventurer. Saved them from certain doom in the bowels of Stonehell it did. Come on, let's try it! But, you first."

Magic may not directly counter a miracle (unless it is powerful enough to oppose the god's will). It can block (shield, proof against scrying) and it can alter the results of miracles after the fact.


Casting Checks / Catastrophe

(My) standard d20 + mods <= 1 failed you have, >= 20 success, >= 30 super success, and natural 1 very bad failure.

Maybe, mixin the delayed concept from this Chainmailesque table for spell checks.

Fight On #3 (pg6) overcasting beyond spells memorized.

There are a bazallion magical mishap tables. Fight On #5, Calamity, Misfire

My favourite is APPENDIX C HEINOUS BLUNDERS (from where I didn't record and can't remember, one of the blogs I read too many of). A sampling of the twenty awesome entries.

(3) Schizoid Fantasy
The mage becomes enthralled by a profound and sinister delusion. He is convinced that he is just a character in a game being controlled by an intelligence from another reality. He will whittle himself a set of dice as soon as the opportunity presents itself and use them to make all his decisions, even if they contradict the decisions of the player. This change is permanent unless another PC uses a wish to remove the delusion.

(16) Necromantic plume
The mage exudes an invisible plume that invigorates the dead with unholy life. Anything dead within 20’ of the mage has a 50% chance of coming back to life in the form of a zombie in 1d3 hours. This change is permanent unless a wish is used to remove the plume.

(19) Alternate reality
While at first nothing appears to have changed, three factors (persons, places or things, as determined by the DM) in the mage’s life are inexplicably different from the way they were before. No one else is aware of these changes and everyone else believes that these things have always been the way they are. This effect is permanent and not alterable by a wish.

Hermeticist

Not memorized, no spells, arcane magic.
- Thoolian/"Greek" tradition started in Egypt by Thoth-Amon

Flavor: Thoth+Hermes, Hermeticism, yellow Air east, red Fire south, blue Water west, green Earth north. RedCaps, Ars Magica

Hermeticism is the direct progenitor of Magery, Alchaemancy, and Mysticism. It has influenced most other traditions. At least indirectly, as Thoth-Amon/Hermes created Hermeticism (magic) and taught it to men. Fey glamours, sorcerous invocations, Enochian, and miracles are altogether different.

Based on Ars Magica or the Gramarye from A Magical Medley. If a player has Ars Magica (free download) or A Magical Medley, has played in my game/gotten to know the feel, and is willing to work with/on this system with me I'm all for it. Otherwise, I'm not gonna get into it. Probably not even for NPC.


Druid

Mana based magic, not memorized, Cha.
- Celtic magic From A Magical Medley
- Mana is in the land, not the caster. Different types for different spells.
- Binary + numbers; 2,3,5,9,17,33.
- Being naked is power.
- Nine types of spells/mana: Bless, Curse, Divination, Emoution, Geas, Glamour, Healing, Transformation, Weather.
- Power in thresholds; dawn/dusk, doorways, forks in rivers.
- Pict tradition.

Flavor: Druidic Calendar,

Exclusive to Picts (Hyborian / Howard style Picts). Which may or may not become a major element in Gold & Glory.

Again if a player has A Magical Medley, has played in my game/gotten to know the feel, and is willing to work with/on this system with me I'll work on it. Otherwise this will be relegated to Pictish NPCs and will probably mostly hand wave it.


Bokor

Other names include: Zinsu (male) and Zinsi (female), Botono

A mixture of Alcheamancy and Sorcerorous magics, Cha/Int.
It is also a horribly ahistorical mishmash of Aztec and Voodun stuff as Norm knows them from bad 80's movies and from listening to his Meso-America archaeologist friend.

Used by "Aztec" Lizard Folk spilling in from "Land of the Lost" land via an open portal (Hmmm, I should write a post about that/those some day). They refer to it as "The Craft". Although common, it is outlawed by the god-kings and their sorcerer priests. It is one of the few respites from tyranny and sacrifice the "everyday" lizard is afforded.


Hedge

Other names include: Wise Woman, Cunning Man, Medicine Man/Woman/Thing, Seer, Charmer, Shaman, Herbalist.

A mixture of Alcheamancy and Wizard "lite" magics, Cha/Int.
Various independent and common traditions.

A catchall for all the "small"/"low" magic practitioners out there. Generally low level/power, individualistic or passed down through generations. Not scholarly or scientific. Pragmatic, effects and spells useful to the common folk of the world. Divinations, cures, charms, blessings, wards, curses, and the like. Useful for characters with only 1-2 pieces of arcane pie.

The Messenger - Movie Review

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

I'm not gonna review the movie per say. That's been done to death by better than I. Although I did like it. The plot and portrayal was compelling. The art direction vibrant. Luckily I'm immune to bad, or in this case Milla's non-acting. I want to focus on is it's gaming / inspiration aspects.


Battles

I really enjoyed the battle scenes. This quote demonstrates partly why (I think it was meant as a negative.) "there are plenty of decapitations with blood spewing everywhere, severed arms and general random acts of horrific depravity." Featured weapons you don't often see morning stars, spiked armor. But more than that the scenes provide a good sense of battle and warfare. Maybe not historically accurate, it's definitely close enough to be "fantasy accurate". A good compliment to Flesh + Blood.

The "open air", battles in fields are chaotic and ya, a little bloody. But, they're also just a lot of running around and yelling. Most combatants don't die, they run away. The movie really highlights and portrays well the effects of morale. Both breaking, one battle won and another avoided from failed morale. And also, how inspired troops can achieve the seemingly impossible.

The sieges are a different thing all together. On the walls, in the cramped corridors it is brutal, bloody and death is quick. There's (almost) no place to retreat. When your moral breaks you get a spectum in the stomach.

Throughout it all the "party" Joan and her lieutenants are running around, organizing troops, bashing heads, doing their own thing while the mass combat rages on around them.

Great methods and inspiration for running a battle or a whole "war campaign". For the players, it's all honor and fun, riding horses around the battle field, banners fluttering in the winds. Until there's a castle or tower to besiege. Then it's time to get all Stalingrad on their asses.

An Aside on Morale
Morale is a very important mechanic/flavor that got lost somewhere along the editions of D&D. Most combat should not be to the death, last man/creature standing. Besides creating more varied and interesting outcomes moral is an important compliment to not always having level appropriate encounters. In addition it opens up another avenue for smart, creative players. If you can bluff (put the dice down, I don't mean a skill check) or scare your adversary into leaving, you win. Without risking your life!


Cool Siege Weapons

The Fortifications of Tourelles are just plain bad ass. The multiple towers, gates, construction is neat. The defenses include boiling oil, murder holes, spinning chain blades (which unlike what some numskull critic thinks I'm fairly certain are historical), tubes in the walls just large enough for foot and half wide stone balls with horizontal exit holes at ground level and the Porcupine.

Ah, the beautiful Porcupine. A large block of wood with 3 rows of 10 holes each. Into which are slotted bolts. Crank the tension, balista like mechanism, hit the trigger and swoosh thirty crossbow bolts are sticking out of your attackers. This thing could be pushed around and the main gate had 30 holes in it so that the Porcupine could be fired through the door at whomever was trying to smash it down. The Orcs/Goblins in some dungeon of mine are certainly gonna have a Porcupine.

Enough words, Just watch.

Recent History of the Ancients

After their final war a few Ancients scrabbled for survival in the nuclear wastelands they had created. During the following 10,000 years pre-war tech got used up/broke, mutations stabilized, radiation died down, and the former ancients devolved into primitive tribes all but forgetting their former glory & armageddon. These tribes were just starting the slow crawl back to civilization. When strange lights began to appear lifting people into the night sky. To be returned some days later, deformed, mutilated or transformed. Over the next dozen generations The Greys abducted, experimented on and genetically manipulated the former ancients eventually settling on a swine/human hybrid. The Greys also pushed their technological development. The hybrids rapidly reached the steam age. A few hundred years into the hybrid's Golden Age of Steam, after they had spread across the world and formed several constantly warring empires The Greys obliterated all of their cites, released species specific mutagens, etc. Decimating the hybrids and their civilization. For the next hundred years Greys deposited several hundred thousand humans they had abducted from various points in Earth's history. These humans were encouraged to kill the human/swine hybrids and take their stuff. To escape marauding humans the hybrids hid underground and in the least hospitable wildernesses. Today we call these former ancients / swine hybrids orcs.

[1 in 12 orcs have enough ancient DNA to activate ancient tech and get ancient AI's and robots to obey them. Pure Strain Ancients are not aware of what happened to their less fortunate brethren but will recognize the genetic relation after a simple medical scan.]


Rise of Man, Fall of Elf

Posing as various human gods The Greys conducted medical and social experiments on and generally jacked with the human cultures they had transplanted. Creating grotesque hybrids, helping one nation conquer its neighbors only to inflict famine and plague on it later, forcing the most capable humans(heroes) to participate in death games, survive trials, or complete bizarre "labors". Thus giving rise to the various legends of capricious and fickle gods. Soon Trans-dimensional Beings of Pure Thought (TBPTs) decided Grey meddling had reached a point they could no longer ignore. They weakened dimensional barriers creating many connections and coexistences with a fey dimension. This brought the fey, true magic, made The Portals possible, and overtime caused the various human gods and demons to become "real". Unfortunately, this weakening also attracted Cosmic Alien Intelligences which rival TBPT's power and whose "meddling" is far worse than The Greys. The TBPTs also created a belt of energy around the world which causes Grey technology to fail. Several Grey star ships malfunctioned and crashed before they figured it out and kept away. The crash-landed Greys exacted some small revenge. Posing as Asgardians they convinced the Elves to abandon Alvar ways and take up science. As punishment the TBPTs transmogrified these Greys into true Aesir/Vanir but left the Elves to decide their own future. TBPTs are generally responsible for giving gods their power and they are the primary means the TBPT hope to contain Cosmic Alien Intelligences and eventually drive them away at Ragnarok.




Had a note "orcs are fallen race, Mesopotamia/Babylon" and a quote "Orcs live in Dungeons to HIDE from marauding humans". Decided to add some flesh to those bones and all the above fell out of my head.

Nicely ties together lots of ideas I've been having; fey/mythic wilderness/dungeon being not of "this world", elves as fallen fey, mixture of real history cultures/gods slightly twisted, Ancients as high tech civilization, Portals to every setting/campaign world/game system, Stargate SG1, high-tech (got both kinds Grey and Ancients), Cosmic Alien Intelligences, Jeff Rients Threefold Apocalyptic Alignment, oh and orcs as a fallen race.

I like to have a "big picture" of the campaign/world/cosmos. Something that lays out the where tos and why nots. Players never need to know this stuff. Probably never will. For me it's a framework from which to grow ideas. Non-orc humanoids can be from the other hybrid experiments The Greys abandoned. Monsters are mutants left over from the Ancients' GammaWorld, genetic manipulations of The Greys, or come from Fey dimension. Old orc fortress dungeons are filled with steam tech. And ya just know some lucky 1 in 12 orc is totally gonna find himself an Ancients gravtank.

BTW This is what Greys look like, and they weren't all turned into Asgards by TBPTs ;)

Magical Monday - Personalized Magic

A friend of mine played a gnome wizard who had great names for his spells. "Tree Burner" I think was burning hands and he called magic missile "Rat Killer" cause that is what the gnomes back home used it for. The other players would implore "Cast magic missile!" He'd reply "Sorry, I don't have that spell". They'd sigh and yell "Rat Killer!" "Oh, that one, but there's no rats around here? What, you can use it on things that aren't rats? Wow! That could be really useful." :)

That's fun and makes magic more than just mechanics. Jack Vance novels and elder RPG materials such as Arduin have great spell names. I use those names for the odd scroll or treatise on spells characters run across. But it's too much work to rename all existing spells. Even if I did every caster would still be using the same name diminishing the mysterious and personal nature of magic I'm hoping to foment.

Pondering this I came upon what I believe to be the perfect solution to naming spells, don't. That is when a character researches or discovers a new spell I'll describe what the spell does but naming it will be a duty of the player. It's their spell after all! If they are stumped, I'll offer Vancian spell naming tables which they can roll on or simple peruse for inspiration. 90% of players will guess what the spell really is and use the name from the PHB. But, that other 10% will come up with some weird shit. Like numbering all their spells, "I cast 642 at the darkness". Or draw symbols on index cards and hold them up, "I cast this".


I also encourage players to personalize their spells with embellishments and small modifications. Fireball's flames being purple, or for an air mage it would be a lightning ball, or instead of big whoosh of fire the appearance is of cavorting fire elementals, or "Back home we used this spell for slash & burn agriculture and thus call it Tree Burner". The Colour of Magic and related articles at The Vaults of Pandius are great sources for this.

All Games Need Names - Google Edition

Ever since reading Language Lesions I & II ("All Games Need Names" by Katharine Kerr, "Even Orcish is logical" by Clyde Heaton) in Dragon #25 I've been fascinated with naming things in RPGs. Although, I'm far too lazy to build my own languages as those articles suggest. Instead I find it expedient to steal from real life. A practice that puts me in good company.

My first campaign map was not only a traced and munged version of Norway's Fjords it also stole place names from Scandinavia. Norway & Sweden town / river names populated the glorious Viking Nation of Alnor (<- that name sucks, no idea where I got it, I was a teenager gimmie a break) and the evil Kingdom of K'jore would sound mighty familiar to any Finns. (Sorry, for making you guys the evil ones.)

I've used Greek and Roman names often because there are easy and plentiful examples of them online. But they carry a lot of baggage and are very familiar to gamers. Currently looking for something stranger, Google Empire to the rescue! Google Search for baby names and name generators. Google Maps provides plenty of place names. Google Translate provides everything else.

Some Examples:

english     red       blue    green   black   white   
norwegian   rød       blå     grønn   sort    hvitt
icelandic   rauður    grænn   blár    svartur hvítur
finnish     punainen  vihreä  sininen musta   valkoinen
irish       bán       dearg   dubh    gorm    glas    
indonesian  merah     putih   hitam   biru    hijau   
swahili     nyekundu  nyeusi  kijani  buluu   nyeupe  

english     The red wizard lives in skull mountain.
norwegian   Den røde Veiviseren bor i skallen fjellet.
icelandic   Rauði býr álfur í höfuðkúpa fjall.
finnish     Red Wizard elää kallo Mountain  (Punainen velho elää kallo vuori.)
irish       An saol draoi dearg i skull sléibhe.
indonesian  Penyihir merah tinggal di gunung tengkorak.
swahili     Mchawi nyekundu maisha katika mlima fuvu.

To me Icelandic seems more "viking" than Norwegian but heck if I know how to pronounce those words.

Looking for "elvish". Finnish, Indonesian, and Swahili are candidates but none truly satisfy. I really wanted a Hawaiian for that but could not find a translator. Google doesn't do it and all I found were dictionaries which are painful to use. If I wasn't so lazy I might gather data and write or use a markov chain generator.

For creating place names I make translations of common bits; colors, directions, low, high, stream, forest, crossing, etc. for each language I intend to use. Then create english names e.g. "Dark Wood" and use those lists to translate, "Adhmaddorcha".

I build worlds by playing a "mini-game" of civilization. Something like How to Host a Dungeon. In waves cultures form, rise, and fall (probably due to next culture invading/supplanting them). Starting with the oldest culture, my Celtic analogues using Irish, I sprinkle place names around. In the areas that the next culture becomes dominant they modify or replace the old "Irish" names with their own. In some places both names will be used, perhaps old name returning when new culture fades. In other places the old names will survive to the present. This continues for 3-4 cycles of civilization.

This easily builds up a lot of history and "lived in" feeling for a campaign (as well as plenty of ruins, burial mounds, and lost cities for players to explore). Players will know when they travel to Adhmaddorcha it is ancient and wild. Old texts using old, forgotten place names will provide them a puzzle to figure out.