On Religion

So I only have a generic idea of religion in Daen Ral (wierd considering my profession...) but I've been giving some of the fringe elements a bit of thought lately. I mean, I did a post on Clerics last week or so (and as soon as I can figure out why IE won't let me paste a link, I'll get one in here...argh). Anway, that post was mosly crunch, not much fluff.

Religion in general:
There's a Creator God. There are angels. Some of those angels "fell away" - some of the fallen angels repented (and weren't granted re-entry into heaven until the consummation of history - the end of times - whatever - so they walk Daen Ral as the Firstborn, elves/exiles and gods of the world), some remained fallen (demons and devils).

Through the turmoils of the ages, worhsip of the Creator has continued, though the religion has seen its dark eras, too. Still, when humanity was forced from the shores of Daen Ral by the Elves and the Dwarves (the Great Storm - thousands of years ago), some remnants of humanity, and worship of the Creator God, remained in hidden pockets (the Knights of the Crescent Moon, for example). When humanity re-discovered the New World (Daen Ral), they brought with them a very different religion than what developed over the eons in the secret pockets of humanity in Daen Ral. Thus, while there is officially one Church/Religion for humanity, there are multiple sects - the Way of the Master and the Church of the Path being the two major examples of worhsip of this One God. More fringe groups also exist, The Eternal Order, the Freethinkers, and others, but they give at least lipservice to one or the other heirarchies of the Church.

But other fringe groups exist that have nothing to do with worship of the Creator God. The most sinister of these being the Churches of the Elemental Gods - Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Void/Darkness being the five points of the Elemental star - yet these themselves were born of Chaos, the Primoridal element (for out of chaos the Creator God brought all that is...). These gods are fallen angelic beings of eternal age and tremendous power. I'll be using Cthulu-esque creatures here. Then there are the other Old Gods (all the elemental gods are Old Gods, but there are others as well - like life and death and chance and...well, there are 13 total - another post for another time). Worship of the Old Gods is carried out in secret, even by members of the clergy of the Way of the Master of the Church of the Path. It is forbidden, it is heresy and it is a path to temporal power (since the "gods" are real beings who can grant real power to their worshippers, though at a cost to themselves).

There are many Local Gods - Firstborn or Firstfallen who crawl out of their eternal slumbers and set themselves up over villages, cities, kingdoms if they can. Some choose not to reveal themselves, to work behind the throne as it were, some fabricate huge armies of mostrous creatures and threaten war.

And other more bizarre/fringe religions sprout up as well: the Cult of the God's Eye (worshipers of the comet that circles the planet), Children of the Fire (a cult that uses fire in its worship), Watchers of the Night Sky (worship stars)...okay, not that bizarre - I'll work on it...

Magic Push...

So the other day, Lord Kilgore stirred some things up for suggesting that Mages might have some kind of magical Blast power that gives Mages a bit of something to do in combat. Yeah, it's not Vancian (big deal) and, gasp, it sounds like something that comes from later editions.

Here's my thought on the matter. How about at 1st level the mage gets some kind of a magical "push" ability (yes, I know, the spell...whatever) where the creature (or creatures, I guess) is thrown back and out of range of the mage for a round, no damage - I'm thinking of having watched Legend of the Seeker recently and Zed could send out these waves of energy that knock people over. So, what about that? Just kind of "pushing back" the foes so that the real fighters can take care of them? Maybe push back 1d4 HD per level of the mage?(so, yeah, at 10th level it's 10-40 HD - too much?) Not dealing any damage, just giving the mage a round breather from getting run-through - maybe then being able to get off a spell - or shove another opponent away...

Or - heck, why not a simplified Magic Missile kind of ability - 1d4 damage per level of mage - or even 1d2 damage per level - but not automatic hit (have to figure out the mechanic to hit...). So, yeah, again 10th level would do 10-40 (or 10-20) hp damage - pretty significant, I guess. Maybe too much. Heck - maybe make Magic Missile (can I use this term and still be a Grognard) "At Will"? Nah, too powerful...

I think of the two options, I prefer the Push/Shove option - it gives mages a bit more defensive capability - but not much more in their arsenal for attacking, since it does no damage whatsoever (hmmm, though shoving someone off a cliff...hmmm...of course, how often would that happen? Heck, I'd probably give a bonus to XP if a player used the ability creatively) Heh - and on a failure roll (yeah, still contemplating that one) the MAGE gets thrown back and maybe stunned for a round or something...

Wyvern Lair

Wyvern Lair

High atop the Devil’s Finger is the Wyvern’s nest. The wyverns used to plague the region, but they stopped suddenly, years ago. The former village druid claimed that he had brought balance to the natural order of things and that the wyvern would no longer be hunting the village sheep and cattle (or the occasional villager). The truth is that the red dragon in the northern mountains awoke from a centuries-long sleep to find human beings once again on his doorstep and has been plotting to destroy them before they discover his presence. The dragon formed an uneasy truce with the wyverns (for the time being) demanding that they not raid the human settlements. The wyverns have sought food among the goblin tribes and the elk herds in the area for the past several years now. However, all that has changed. Last week the dragon sent an envoy to the wyverns and told them to stop preying on the goblins as the master had need for them. The wyverns (not the brightest of the draconic family) took the message to mean the human settlements were again available to them. So they began to steal cattle and sheep.

As the party approaches Devil’s Finger:

Watching from atop the peak is the male wyvern. During the day, PCs have a 9-12 chance of being spotted by this vigilant creature when they enter the hex in which Devil’s Finger is located unless some extreme measures are taken. The area 100’ around the spire is cleared of trees and underbrush, so if the party approaches this area in full daylight, there is a 100% chance of being spotted. If spotted, the male will call to his mate and they will launch from the nesting area and attack. This mated pair is fiercely loyal to one another and extremely aggressive, attacking any creature which comes near to the spire.

The wyverns’ typical approach is to attack the target(s) from different sides, hoping that one or the other can gain the element of surprise. They have been living in this forested area for decades, so they are adept at fighting among the trees (they gain +1 for surprise when attacking PCs in forested areas).

1. The Pit

In the spoor around the base of the spire are ripped and broken bits of armor and destroyed weapons and many bones, primarily goblin and elk. If the party searches the waste, they can find the following (1-6 chance per turn of searching to turn up one item): 10gp in a leather pouch, a ring (gold with a pearl set, magical – ring of haste), a ruby (worth 250gp), a small pile of coins fused together (13gp, 11pp, 19sp, 4cp), a brass ring (worth 1gp). Feeding on the offal are several grey oozes. For each turn spent searching in the waste, the PCs have a 1-6 chance of encountering a grey ooze. There are 3 oozes at the base of the spire.

The Long Climb

Climbing the spire is easy for thieves (who gain a +25% on their climb skill) and can be accomplished by other PCs relatively easily with ropes. CLIMBING RULES?

2. The Lower Fissure

This area, 120’ above the base of the spire, is a crack in the rock wide enough for a normal human or smaller being to enter. The fissure runs about 25’ into the spire and closes up.

A series of small ledges climbs from the base of the spire to this fissure.

These ledges have eroded and are weakened. If 200 pounds is place on one of these ledges, there is a 50% chance (+5% for each 10 pounds above 200 is placed on the ledge) that the ledge will collapse. So if a fighter wearing armor and equipment totaling (with his body weight added) 230+ pounds were to try to cross a ledge there would be a 65% chance of it collapsing. The %age chance remains for any subsequent usage of the particular ledge (that is to say, if the 104 pound mage crosses after the fighter, there is still a 65% chance the ledge will collapse, since the fighter would have worked it loose with his weight). If a ledge collapses, everything (and everyone) on it falls, taking 1d6 hp damage for every 10’ fallen. PCs get a DEX check (with AC bonuses/penalties applied to the roll) to avoid falling. A falling PC hits the ledge below on a 3-6 chance for every 10’ fallen. If the falling PC hits a lower ledge, the damage for the fall is halved and the ledge is 80% likely to collapse under the weight of the falling character (and debris) from above. Falling PCs will continue to crash through ledges until either a ledge holds or they hit the ground.

If either or both of the adult wyverns still lives when the PCs ascend the spire, they will gather the hatchlings and attack the PCs as they climb. If neither adult lives, the hatchlings remain in their nest (room 4) until the PCs enter the chamber.

3. Galltrit Lair

As the party passes this point, they might notice (as detect secret door) a small, well worn hole in the stone. The opening would be hardly big enough for a man to put his arm into it.

This is a lair of four Galltrits. These tiny creatures come out primarily at night to feed on the offal and carrion around the Spire. During the day there is an 80% chance that they will be asleep, though very loud noises (like crashing ledges, for example) will certainly wake them. The Galltrits’ lair is a 9”x6” crevice that opens into a somewhat larger space in the rock (PCs can reach in and feel around, if they want). In the lair are a Gem of Seeing and a 50gp aquamarine. Also in the lair are a ten tiny splinters of wood coated with a mild poison (save vs. poison or become dizzy and pass out for 1-6 rounds). PCs groping around inside the lair make a DEX check at to see if they hit anything. If they do, roll d12 and see what they hit:

1. Gem of Seeing

2.-11. Poison splinter

12. Aquamarine (worth 50gp).

GALLTRIT (4): AC 2; MV 30'/180’; MC: B; HD ¼ ; hp 2; THAC0 20; #AT 1; D 1-2; SA Drain blood, anti-coaguant, anaesthesis; SZ S; Int Avg; AL CE; XP 32. (FF)

4. Hatchlings’ nest.

HATCHLING (4): AC 6; MV 40’/120’; HD 5+2; hp 12, 15, 19, 26; THACO15; #AT 2; D 1-6/1-2; SA Poison; SZ M; Int Low; AL NE; XP 575+5/hp.

These four hatchlings are about half the size of their parents. Their sting does only 1-2 points of damage and their poison induces unconsciousness (2d4 turns) not death (though the hatchlings will begin to devour any unconscious victims, inflicting 1-6 hp/round for each hatchling feasting on a particular victim).

In the jumble of bones, offal and various other bits of junk can be found (1-6 per turn of searching) 2 small sapphires (100gp each) and various coins (1-4 of a random type found in any given turn, 2-20 of each type available).

5. Wyvern’s nest.

The wyverns have built their nest here in this cave, separated from the hatchlings but able to watch over them in case of a threat. The female wyvern is here 80% of the time (always in the daytime, she hunts occasionally at night) and is asleep 50% of the time. She is guarding a clutch of eggs.

WYVERN (2): AC 3; MV 60’/240’; MC: E; HD 7+7; hp 34 (male) 49 (female); THAC0 13; #AT 2; D 2-16/2-16; SA Poison; SZ L; Int Low; AL NE; XP 925+10/hp (MM)

5a. Fetid pool.

This small pool is the wyverns’ water supply. The water collects here from rain. Presently there are bits of three goblin bodies rotting in the water. PCs who drink the water must make a save vs. poison or suffer an intestinal infection. (cure disease or suffer incapacitation for 36 hours – onset in 2d10x10 minutes from first drinking the water). In the center of the pool is a ring (cursed Ring of Clumsiness.)

5b. Trophy room.

Wyverns are not very intelligent, but these creatures recognize that some things are more valuable than others and keep their prize possessions in this chamber. Included here are: a young red dragon skull (actually one of the offspring of the dragon to the north who attacked wyverns some time ago), a shield that has been polished to the finish of a silver mirror, a dwarven corpse in full armor (mostly skeletal remains – wearing dwarf-sized chain +1, a great helm, sturdy boots, a dagger and an axe), four long crystals (hexagonal, six-inches in diameter, 1d6+2 feet long each), a set of windchimes is also hanging from an outcropping stone.

THE FOLLOWING AREAS MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT GET ADDED TO THIS AREA...

6. Ancient Upper Ruins.

7. Fallen Temple of the Goblin God (not on map)

8.

MORE, More, More on Mages

Last week I posted some stuff about mages and Stuart from ilkleyoldschool.blogspot.com noted that maybe I've made being a mage too dangerous. I agree. I was thinking that 5% chance of something bad happening might not be that big a deal, but it IS one in 20, so I'm rethinking that post with something like:

1% first cast, 3-5% second cast (not sure where I fall on this yet), 10% third, 20% fourth, 40% fifth, 75% sixth, 95% seventh and subsequent (or 99%) of the same spell. Note that this is not (or wasn't, but hmmm...) intended for casting spells in general. That is a Fireball and then an invisiblity and then charm person and then rope trick - all at normal chances - but then a second charm person, 3-5% chance of something really bad happening, and, of course, all that assumes casting within a certain time frame - 12 hours? 4 hours? Dunno... I don't think I mind the extra book keeping (though it's all theorhetical at the moment as I'm sans gaming group) but we'll see. So far I think I've proposed the most complications for the magic using class.

The idea behind this is that magic is dangerous, somewhat unpredictable - yet I could see the mage saying to himself, well, I have a pretty good chance of getting this third lightning bolt off - if it'll save the party or whatever. You know, basically knowing that there could be very dire consequences for manipulating the arcane energies - yet weighing the risks with the hoped for outcome. I would think that you would have to be desperate indeed to launch that sixth fireball (giving you 75% chance of blowing yourself up - or worse...) but "desperate times call for desperate measures".

Bear in mind, half of what this blog is all about is me brainstorming "on paper" as it were - so there's a lot of stuff here that has never been (and probably will never be) playtested - just musings for my entertainment...

Episodic Play

So I've been watching the Legend of the Seeker on Netflix. I enjoyed the Sword of Truth novels, though I absolutely hated the series end (and the heavy-handedness on the philosphy...).

Anyway, the complaints of obsessive fans about the TV series is that it doesn't follow the novels closely at all. But there is a very clear difference between a novel (or series of novels) and a one hour (okay, 43 minute) episode of of a TV show. I mean, there are episodic elements to novels, yes, but there's also usually an overarching, more complicated plot whose threads weave in and out of the episodes. And TV viewers, being less obsessed than the typical raving fan of a novel series who will pout about the injustices of the adaptation - and the attention span of a puppy...

So - TV is episodic. Yes, there might be a single element of plot that weaves from one episode to the next (the boxes of orden, for example) but generally each episode has a plot of its own that has to be dealt with and resolved in 43 minutes.

I've been reading Robert E. Howard's Conan stories - and thinking about the episodic nature of those stories - and how they are adventures very like a TV series. Short plots that come to resolution - with hints of some larger events (example - Conan becomes king - and then has to deal with civil war and assassination attempts - and Howard deals with Conan king in several stories).

So, what all this has to do with AD&D for me is this - I really may not ever have the ability to run a complicated, plot driven campaign - but I could run episodes. There may well be some background plotting going on, but I really need each "episode" of adventure to come to some kind of resolution - maybe not an "ending" per se, but a "stopping point" since it might be a month between sessions...

So - I'm wondering if a sandbox campaign can accomplish this? Just thinking out loud...

Adventure Clearinghouse

Saw a link to Sara Darkmagic yesterday. I guess it's a blog and stuff - that's all well and good, I didn't really look at those other areas, but the link page is a clearinghouse of lots and lots of adventures available - the good old stuff, 4e stuff, and tons in between. I've only scratched the surface, but I think it's only D&D in its various forms.*** It's a great idea, one that I've been kicking around but just didn't have the desire or organizational skills to put it together (and I would have just have pulled together free stuff - this site has stuff for sale, old stuff, free stuff...)

So I can really see the utility of this kind of thing - and, frankly, it's better for not focusing on just one edition, or just the free stuff or whatever. There's good ideas to be had in every edition, so I pull free adventures whenever I can (I think I have everything from the Wizards site - even the Ravenloft stuff that I don't think I'll ever use as is).

I've bookmarked the site (not that big a deal, I have hundreds of disorganized bookmarks) but I think this is one I'll go back to again and again - in fact, I'm going to put it in my links section on the blog.

***EDIT: yep, spent an hour or so on the site - it's a beginning - but it's a 4e focused site so, while there were a few oldies that showed up (Village of Homlett and Palace of the Silver Princess & others - oddly, not everything that is available for free even from the WotC site...????) So, it's a site with potential, and I'll keep the bookmark and be cautiously optimistic that it will become a more comprehensive sites

Game Settings

Andreas over at The Omnipotent Eye wrote last week:

Good writing for a setting means sowing the seeds of change while describing how everything fits together, feels real and there being an imagine of normality.

He's talking about Kingdoms of Kalamar setting, which I've only glanced at, but his quick post about the descriptions found therein intrigue me - I'm going to read through it today, if all goes well.

Anyway, I cut my setting teeth on Greyhawk, like so many other people, and the Forgotten Realms, and Dragonlance, and then MERP. So what I experienced was a progression of the depth of detail that is possible in setting description - Greyhawk was just so much framework - just enough detail to start, but not so much that I'd never remember it all. The Forgotten Realms (the Grey Box - First Ed, of course) wasn't much more detailed (okay, there was a bit more in some areas - by the way, Jeff Grubb has a great remembrance of putting that together here) but then the sourcebooks started coming out - Moonsheas, Waterdeep (and the North - um, what north?), etc, etc. And I scooped them up - for a while, and then I just couldn't take it any more - how could I keep up? And then MERP - well, I really only bought the stuff that I was most interested in...at first...Mordor, Moria, The Witchking supplement - and some of the smaller areas - Shelob's Lair, Goblin Gate - and then I've added a bunch more...but, again, at some point it becomes over burdensome - how much detail is too much?

When official Greyhawk adventures were published, I snapped them up (and learned quickly that anything with the byline Gygax was going to have at least some Greyhawk connection) - even into Second Ed (not Third, I dropped out of RPGs when 3e came out so I have very little idea of what was published for Greyhawk since somewhere around Greyhawk Ruins/City/Falcon/Puppeteer/From the Ashes stuff came out). I thought at the time (and still do, I'm nothing if not consistent - or stubborn...heh) that Gygax did it right - give us the framework for the world, the general state and politics, and then lots of hints and bits of info in the adventures to see where HE went with the stuff, but not so much that it couldn't be tweaked just a bit to fit into my own campaign set in Greyhawk. I'm even okay with giving more details on certain areas (City of Greyhawk, Vale of the Mage - neither does it all that WELL, but I'm okay with trying...)

Once the Forgotten Realms became this huge encyclopedia of information, I jumped ship. I just couldn't keep up - and it started to feel like there were going to be no areas left for DMs to detail on their own. Looking back now, I appreciate the effort to build a highly detailed world - and I use some of that stuff as inspiration - but I can't imagine trying to play in the Realms.

Or Middle Earth. Or Ansalon. Or, actually, Greyhawk these days... Not because of whatever has become of Greyhawk, but because, ultimately, it's not mine. And I guess, for me, that's where it's coming to.

I appreciate the settings - but as soon as you say Greyhawk or Realms or whatever, you've limited what you can do somehow (even in your own mind). So, I'll continue to putter away on the World of Daen Ral and detail what I care about and leave blank what I don't care about - and fill the sandboxes with lots of toys... And when I'm done, if nobody cares but me, well, that's okay.

So, after all that, I'm going to read Kingdoms of Kalamar and maybe steal an idea or two - but I'd never consider running a campaign there...