Tales of the Ink Knight

Mapping Javarta

2010-02-22T00:12:00.014-05:00

In fits and starts the Javarta campaign lumbers into motion once more... This weekend I began the process of transforming thumbnail sketches and mental notes into a map of the campaign area.

I used an outstanding Photoshop tutorial created by Tear over at the Cartographer's Guild to guide my mapmaking. My goal was to capture the look and feel of southeast Asia, and create a setting consisting of numerous archipelagos and imposing interior highlands the PCs can romp around in (and get romped on in). The map isn't finished; vegetation, rivers and labels await.

This detail shows less than 10% of the map, and represents, in terms of real-world analog, a compressed combination of the lower Cambodia/Thailand peninsula, and the Indonesian islands. (Scale is 50 miles per hex.) Speaking of hexes, the hexgrid came from a website that designed the grid to my specs, and generated a pdf complete with alpha channel so I could dump it into Photoshop with no muss or fuss. I love the internets!

Media finds D&D angle to campus killer Amy Bishop story

2010-02-16T23:17:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since we've had a really good "stone cold killer loves to get some D&D" story run in the media. Last big splash I recall were some early- to mid-90s stories on wayward Goths who embraced White Wolf products with gusto.

Next up in the queue is Amy Bishop, the University of Alabama instructor who allegedly gunned down three professors when denied tenure, and may committed murder before. According to the Boston Herald:

Accused campus killer Amy Bishop was a devotee of Dungeons & Dragons - just like Michael “Mucko” McDermott, the lone gunman behind the devastating workplace killings at Edgewater Technology in Wakefield in 2000.

Bishop, now a University of Alabama professor, and her husband James Anderson met and fell in love in a Dungeons & Dragons club while biology students at Northeastern University in the early 1980s, and were heavily into the fantasy role-playing board game, a source told the Herald.

The article, written by Laurel Sweet, goes on to state that "the popular fantasy role-playing game has a long history of controversy, with objections raised to its demonic and violent elements. Some experts have cited the D&D backgrounds of people who were later involved in violent crimes, while others say it just a game." Personally, I'd like to see thoughtful commentary in murder stories on a variety of other pastimes enjoyed by the suspects... you know, like football (any flavor), bowling, or pachinko.

Lifer rolls a one, fumbles D&D gaming forever

2010-01-25T22:19:00.001-05:00

Sing Sing was fun, fun, fun, 'till the screws took his dungeon away. Favorite part? AP's definition of D&D:

"Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures, often working together as a group, with the help of complicated rules."

Damn those complicated rules!

Give Your Cursed Items a Reason to Exist Part 6: Dedicated Weapons

2009-09-13T13:41:00.005-04:00

It's been a spell! But there's a slight chill arriving on the evening breeze, and the time has come to discuss curses once more. To review past entries in this series, click here.

This time we tackle the subject of Dedicated Weapons, (often intelligent) magic items created to fulfill a specific mission or to combat a specific foe. This is a broad subject, so we'll discuss loyal retainers and crusaders this time, and traps and haunted possessions next time.

Part 1
It's a dark time for Evenwald. The stony mountains surrounding the valley kingdom have shrieked with the fury of the trolls all winter, and everyone knows that as soon as the snows melt they will fall upon the humans as they did a hundred years ago. Only Berglancer, the ancient sword of the Evenwald kings, offers any hope for the isolated folk, for no troll can behold the baleful glare of its blade and live.

So Berglancer, the legendary blade of the Evenwalds, totally rocks, right? If you’re a lord or paladin of the king’s line, no troll can defeat you while you’re wielding it. But what if you’re a troll who finds it by looting an Evenwald tomb? What happens if you decide to unsheathe it and take on some humans? Or, to shift to a PC-centric point of view, imagine an intelligent sword forged by the drow to detect and slay the hated humans of the sun-lit lands. How would she feel about being discovered and claimed by one of the despised humans?

To the point: What happens when you try to use an item that has an agenda, either sentient or by its nature, that conflicts with your own? Perhaps it is merely loyal to a previous owner or master and wishes to be rescued. Maybe it’s on a mission and attempts to force your aide against your will. Worse yet, maybe it was created to destroy you or someone, anyone of your race, alignment, or allegiance.

Loyal Retainers
And the giant sat down, and his wife brought up a whole sheep for his dinner. When he had eaten it all up, he said, "Now bring me my harp, and I will have a little music while you take your walk."
The giantess obeyed, and returned with a beautiful harp. The framework was all sparkling with diamonds and rubies, and the strings were all of gold.
"This is one of the nicest things I took from the knight," said the giant. "I am very fond of music, and my harp is a faithful servant." So he drew the harp towards him, and said, "Play!"
And the harp played a very soft, sad air. "Play something merrier!" said the giant. And the harp played a merry tune.
"Now play me a lullaby," roared the giant, and the harp played a sweet lullaby, to the sound of which its master fell asleep.
Then Jack stole softly into the giant's room and seized the harp and ran away with it; but as he jumped over the threshold the harp called out, "Master! Master!"

Loyal retainers are enchanted items that owe allegiance to someone the characters are at odds with. This is certainly the case with the golden harp from “Jack and the Beanstalk”. It works actively to prevent its theft.

Not all loyal retainers are as outwardly proactive. Sauron’s Ring, a more extreme loyal retainer, is seemingly passive and inert. However, it is, you might say, tricksy. It too desires to be reunited with its creator, but it does so subtly, by tempting, corrupting, and consuming its bearer—slowly if he lacks ambition, more speedily if he craves power. Its use is addictive, and the bearer finds it increasingly difficult to cast it aside or even stop using it—even knowing it will destroy his soul. One might debate to what extent the Ring possesses self-awareness, but that’s beside the point. It knows enough to slip off fingers when it’s ready to move on, when to inspire dark temptations, and when to slip on fingers when doing so brings it closer to discovery by Mordor’s allies. Now, that’s a dedicated item with a curse!

The sky’s the limit on wondrous loyal retainers. Let your imagination run wild. A household the characters are breaking into might contain a pair of self-lighting candlesticks that scream if removed from the dining room by strange hands, for example. Or a lamia’s prized magic mirror might reveal false information to those who steal it to enable its mistress to recover it (perhaps it chooses not to reveal that the characters are being pursued even when asked).

Crusaders and Avengers
“Strike him down. By the blessed Shutra, you must do it.”
“Shut up.”
“If you do not slay him, he will continue mocking nature with his unnatural life, long after your bones are dust. Even now, he defiles the earth with his footsteps and his accursed shadow. He and his kind must be cut from the earth’s womb for what they did to the servants of the most beneficent Kaudra, blessing be upon his get.”
“That was a thousand years ago; who cares?”
“Then let us speak of the present. You and I did most of the work in bringing down that medusa, and yet the wondrous dagger it guarded was claimed by one who did not even sully himself with close and honorable combat. Why divide what is rightfully yours with one who will live forever? Is immortality not reward enough?”
“…”
“You cannot trust the elf, my friend. He wants the fruits of your labor, and he is clever enough to get them with you none the wiser. Thank Shutra I am here to look after you and teach you the wisdom of the Holy Order…”

What’s not to like a +1 scimitar (+2 vs. elves)? I mean, even if you don’t whack elves with it, it’s still got a lot going for it. Its only real drawback is that, when it isn’t attempting to convert its wielder to the unpalatable religion of its maker, it’s explaining why the elf in the party and every other elf in the realm needs to die a painful and immediate death. If the sword has a low intelligence it can be played for laughs. If it has a high Egoism rating and can dominate its bearer… well, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

As we noted in the opening, intelligent magical items created to serve as weapons against certain races, civilizations, or classes are likely prone to hating that which they are created to destroy. One might encourage his wielder to continue his crusade, while another is content to serve her original masters by concealing her true allegiance and using her gifts to lead her wielder to his doom (or to her masters, if they still exist). Still another might convey some disadvantage to those who refuse to seek out its enemies (and we’ve covered lots of disadvantages in past installments).

Some items might be perfectly stable most of the time, only revealing a personality defect in certain situations. For example, a weapon made by some traditional enemy of the PCs (racial or species enemies like goblins or drow, not personal enemies) that falls into their hands may feign loyalty unless put into a situation where through treachery, it might return to its true masters.

Even unintelligent weapons might be a threat in certain situations. Imagine a +1 axe that puts its user in a berserk fighting trance when facing its hated treant foe.

If the item is intelligent, it might be a while before you realize that it's working against you. The prospects of betrayal by a resource you rely on in times of peril puts the dedicated weapon (or other sort of magic item) well into the danger zone of our continuum of cursed items.

Stay tuned for the next installment, in which we touch on trojan horse magic items and magical traps (nice puzzle box!).

Yet Another Pocket of Whimsy

2009-07-25T21:22:00.001-04:00

Five more eclectic links to wile away the Sunday hours.

The Walled Cities: Keeping Out The Joneses: A collection of ancient walled cities that are still inhabited. A great leaping off point for additional research and photos if you'd like to develop your own.
Wilderlands: Imperial Town of Tell Qa: A ready-to-play imperial town designed and approved for use with Castles & Crusade. On sale for $1.98 for… not much longer!

The Nostromo Restoration Project: Remember that great, greeblie-festooned spaceship from Alien? Well, the model got left out in the rain for a decade or two, and now a dedicated team of model builders is restoring it inch-by-inch. Follow along on Youtube as they go, and watch interviews with the original builders. A diverting hour or so if you, like me, love the old school space opera starship designs.

The Dirdy Birdy: I'd guess this is about how quite a few courtships don't happen...

A Survey of Fake Asian Harry Potter Novels: These aren't just illegal translations of real novels; they're fanfic passed off as the real thing! (Plus a non-scary look at a Japanese HP dojinshi, or fan manga; and yes, there are plenty of scary ones out there.)

Things have slowed down a bit with the summer months here at Tales of the Ink Knight, but more anon!

10 Business Lessons I Learned from Playing Dungeons & Dragons

2009-07-18T20:53:00.000-04:00

Here's something you might like:
Business Lessons I Learned from Playing Dungeons & Dragons

The Gods of Javarta

2009-05-25T16:43:00.014-04:00

I had some time this weekend to develop some thoughts on the gods of the East this weekend. I haven't fleshed out a pantheon yet; I'll probably thumbnail something soon and then see how it develops over time. The komikai are my name for Japan's yōkai . I may go with the real-world spelling in the end, but for now am shying away from using real-world words like kami.

The Gods of Javarta

The gods worshipped in Javarta are largely the same beings worshipped in the Eastern Empire under different names. There are of course some regional variations based on local tradition. These beings are not, strictly speaking, themselves gods, any more than the celestials of the West are. They are rather members of the Celestial Court, created beings of great power who serve and worship the Great Celestial Emperor. However, in the mind of the simple peasant, such theological distinctions are rarely observed, and Sorako, Lady of the Tempest, and Bentaro, the Lord of Luck, are prayed to and worshipped as much as the Celestial Emperor.

Few gods have their own temples. Rather, several gods central to local life are represented by great statues (size indicating relative importance), placed either in a great central hall or in dedicated rooms. Rumiko, the goddess of the arts and comedy, is highly regarded in temples placed near urban entertainment districts and houses of learning, while she is eclipsed by Lady Sorako in fishing communities—or anywhere else, for that matter.

Members of the Celestial Court are organized and ranked in a complex bureaucratic order which is reflected in the human civilization of the Eastern Empire. It is said that one banquet attended by the entire court took a thousands years to begin, as all present worked out the proper seating arrangements.

The Komikai

Minor spirits known as the komikai are everywhere—in the forests, in the lakes and springs, under bridges, on roads, in rice fields. The komikai are not worshipped, but feared and respected. It is supposed that a truly great komikai can ascend to the Celestial Court; many of the mountain and great river gods are just such beings.

The komikai vary in power. Some might appear to be relatively weak with respect to humans while others are nigh as powerful as members of the Celestial Court. Some, like the fury-driven Well Girl of Mount Oshima, are unique. Others, such as the funa-yurei (ship-ghouls), while thankfully rare, have common appearances, powers, and habits.

At tempting as it might be to characterize all komikai as monstrous beings bent on evil, they are more ambiguous than this. Many are dangerous, some merely mischievous, and a few benevolent; all are forces of nature best avoided when possible and placated when not.

Traveling into the wilds ignorant of the methods of placating these beings can be perilous—just try to cross a rope bridge without paying homage to its spirit—and knowledgeable guides are crucial to any expedition setting out into the wilds. Unfortunately, many of the wilder types can’t be appeased by ceremony or incense; the only recourse available to travelers facing a hostile komikai is to stand and fight or run for their lives.

The komikami do not, as a rule, often show themselves in settlements dominated by Westerners—at least not in their natural forms. It is likely that komikai with the power to shapeshift walk among the colonials. Indeed, one cannot mention the name of Lady Anne Harcroft in Javarta without hearing the curses of those deceived into accepting a three-tailed kitsune into high society. The wily fox-woman delighted in using seduction to sow discord in the colony—seven died in duels or at the hands of their spouses before she was unmasked and beheaded.

Totems
Humans and other mortals living in lands occupied by the komikai have learned to placate their spiritual neighbors by showing respect. The most physical manifestation of this custom are the thousands of totems and idols carved into living bamboo or tall poles driven into the ground—pretty much wherever mortals live or travel. These idols are, according to the nature of the komikai depicted, kindly, grotesque, terrifying or benign in mien and depiction.

Another sign of respect are the festivals and superstitions that have grown up around local komikai. These vary from place to place, as one moves from lands dominates from one cluster of komikai to those claimed by another.

Design Notes

The komikai offer an opportunity to feature monsters and present challenges to the characters without placing the local ecology under undue stresses of implausibility. Most of them aren't monsters like orcs or giant spiders, but spiritual beings manifested on the material plane. It's a distinction with a difference. It means, for example, that I can introduce a Japanese unicorn to the game without making room for an entire species of them. Rinse and repeat…

I've flagged a few inside jokes I tossed in for my amusement. I'd likely kill them for a professional publication, but I'll let them stay for now, since this this is a hobby effort. Heck, an adventure featuring a D&D version of Sadako would be pretty cool to run.

RPPR's New World Campaign Primer

2009-05-23T23:15:00.004-04:00

Ross Payton and the folks over at Role Playing Public Radio launched a new 4e campaign not long ago featuring the exploration of a New World. It has a lot of features in common with my Javarta setting, including a variety of human and nonhuman tribes (including ogres), animistic lesser gods, and a network of ruins from a fallen civilization (most New World settings would, I imagine). In any case, I'm interested to see how they approach things. One major difference is that the characters are in on the first wave of colonization, while Javarta has been around a few centuries.

The RPPR crew has wrapped up their setting in a nifty and free pdf, which can be downloaded here. I may follow up with a more detailed review; for now it's a new discovery. You can also follow along in their adventures via podcast.

Free City Design Supplement Updated

2009-05-20T22:06:00.001-04:00

I gave a shout-out to Ravells' A Guide to the Creation and Depiction of Fantasy Cities - Part I a few weeks ago. Good news, he's expanded and fancified it. Check it out here.

Dungeon Map Design

2009-05-15T11:58:00.002-04:00

Enworld member Melan posted an interesting essay analyzing dungeon layouts in a variety of classic dungeons a while ago. He discusses adventure flow for each one and plots them out in simplified tree diagrams. A good read if you're a dungeon designer.

Javartan Mixed Nuts

2009-05-11T21:05:00.008-04:00

I haven't posted much about my nascent colonial campaign recently because I've hit that stage where most of what I'm developing can't be seen by my players… yet (plus I've been pretty busy lately). Still, here's a grab-bag of entries to give you an idea of how things are going.

The Timoran Merkingdom

An undersea nation of lithe, almond-eyed mermaids claim the Timoran Sea, a kelp-choked stretch of water between the Koatung Straits and Cape Lucknow, as their own.

The mermaids (there are only mermaids, no mermen) believe themselves to be superior to land dwellers. They trade with humans and ogres alike at certain designated islands at the edge of their waters, but are very aggressive at protecting their territory.

The ogres respect their desire for privacy, but humans (especially merchants and pirates) have a history of attempting to intrude in their domain. This, in spite of the tendency of the kelp to foul rudders and becalm vessels.

Such intrusions has slacked off in recent decades, since humans intruding in mermaid waters uninvited began to disappear without a trace, their ships found months later, empty and deserted, some distance away. The mermaids themselves offer no explanation for what befalls the crews, but firmly remind the inquirer of their isolationist policy.

The Kwaichow Wall
The great Kwaichow Wall, also known as the ‘Door of the West’ and ‘Barbarian’s Gate’, straddles the entirety of the Kwaichow Peninsula. On the east side of the wall lies the outer boundaries of the Eastern Empire. On the west side lie the lands of the lowly barbarian. By writ of the holy emperors, no outsider may cross into the Empire without express permission of the emperor or his duly appointed representatives.

According to legend, it was built by the Celestial Court, but no one really knows who build it or why. It has certainly been around as far back as known recorded history goes.

The wall, fashioned from seamless grey-blue stone of unknown type, is some 50 feet tall, and inclines from either side from a 20-foot base to a razor-thin edge on the top. It has two interesting features: it cannot be scaled by any known agent human or inhuman, and it has no opening of any kind.

It does, nevertheless, have a gate. An emperor long ago set his men to digging under the wall, and now each side features an elaborate gatehouse with a broad tunnel that runs some 15 feet beneath the wall. Only three centuries ago, when the Eastern Empire began to discover signs of a world beyond its traditional sphere of knowledge, it built ramps, towers, and walkways on the eastern side of the wall, enabling defenders to man its ramparts.

Being caught within 2,000 feet of the wall on the western side carries an instant death penalty unless the encroacher can produce proof that he bears the emperor’s permission to trespass on Imperial soil. For most Imperial merchants and travelers, this is a standard traveling document issued by the government before they pass through the gate on the east side. Humans and ogres are, by definition, outsiders, and will be executed on the spot if they do not bear a travel visa. Even having a visa merely stays a death sentence by a few hours in most cases, since most are forged—the government issues very few such documents for foreigners in any given year.

Sung Chen “The Bountiful Rain”

Sung Chen hails from the mainland of the Eastern Empire. He was once a captain in the service of a regional governor, but was outlawed when he helped a musician and her family escape the clutches of a corrupt official. He now wanders the islands stealing from wealthy merchants on the road, drinking himself into a stupor, singing to the moon, and brawling. When sober he is an astounding swordsmen, and even when inebriated can hold off most comers. Indeed, he remains at large chiefly because those charged with his arrest fear to draw near, and because his sword Jade Dragon strikes hands from wrists and arrows out of the air with equal alacrity.

Sung occasionally remembers himself when presented with injustice, and in such times intervenes to correct some perceived wrong. He is known by his nickname “The Bountiful Rain” due to his famed generosity to peasants and the downtrodden.

The Dead Cat Gang
Mister Edward Hobbs and his bully boys Robbie Doyle and the hulking Krieger brothers ruled the Narrows, a maze of stilted alleys flanking the Eastside Docks in Barclave. Caught in a crackdown on the waterfront criminal syndicates, the survivors of the Dead Cat Gang were packed on the convict ship Amanda Gale and promptly forgotten by their erstwhile associates and enemies alike.

The Sunken Temple of Sanputra Swamp
Long ago it was a thriving place of worship and knowledge, but the dark waters rose and the dead inside their burial cisterns began to stir. There are treasures here, to be sure, but it isn't wise to venture into its dank halls, not at all, unless one is either a second Sung Chen or under the protection of a minor kami. And few kami of a mind to offer protection to lowly mortals approve of stealing and looting…

Hammer of the Prophets (A Bajoran Cruiser)

2009-05-09T22:42:00.004-04:00

It's not all fantasy around here. In honor of the Star Trek relaunch, here's a ship I created for Last Unicorn's Star Trek Bajoran sourcebook. It never got published because LUG lost the license between the time I turned in the work and the print date. I may put all of the material I wrote for this sourcebook and the unpublished Klingon Sourcebook out on the web eventually, just as S. John Ross has.

Hammer of the Prophets
Class and Type: Refurbished Cardassian Kavlar-class Cruiser
Commissioning Date: Unknown
Hull Characteristics
Size: 7 (650 meters long, 30 decks)
Resistance: 3
Structural Points: 140
Operations Characteristics
Crew/Passengers: 490/1,960
[7 power/round]
Computers: 3
[3 power/round]
Transporters: 3 personnel, 4 cargo, 4 emergency
[5 power/round]
Tractor Beams: 1 ad, 1 fd, 1 fv
[2/rating used]
Propulsion and Power Characteristics
Warp System: 4.0/7.0/7.8 (6 hours)
[2/warp factor]
Impulse System: .5 c/.75 c
[5/7 power/round]
Power: 155
Sensor Systems
Long-Range Sensors: +1/14 lightyears
[6 power/round]
Lateral Sensors: +1/1 lightyear
[4 power/round]
Navigational Sensors: +2
[5 power/round]
Sensors Skill: 4
Weapons Systems
Spiral-Wave Disruptor:
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Arc: All (720 degrees)
Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Damage: 12
Power: [12]
Disruptor Wave Cannon:
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Arc: Full aft (540 degrees)
Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Damage: 16
Power: [16]
Type II Photon Torpedoes
Number: 300
Launchers: 1 ad, 1 fv
Spread: 8
Arc: Forward or aft, but are self-guided
Range: 15/300,000/1,000,000/3,500,000
Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Damage: 20
Power: [5]
Weapons Skill: 5
Defensive Systems
Cardassian Deflector Field
Protection: 44/60
Power: [42]

Description and Notes
The Kavlar-class Cruiser was once a workhorse of the Cardassian fleet. It is still commonly encountered in the heart of the Cardassian Union, but is not usually seen on the front lines, having been supplanted by more powerful ships built in the aftermath of the Cardassian-Dominion alliance.

The Guran’tal was thought lost by the Cardassians during a skirmish with a Bajoran resistance group during the final days of the Occupation. In reality, its self-destruct system failed, and it was captured intact. Amazed by their incredible luck, the Bajorans killed all of the Cardassian survivors and smuggled the vessel to their base in an isolated and uninhabited star system.

There it remained for several years, as first the cell members and later Bajoran Militia engineers worked to forge it into a weapon to use against their oppressors. They rushed to get it into service before the end of the Cardassian/Dominion conflict, but were unsuccessful.

A few months after hostilities ended, the renamed and completely refurbished Hammer of the Prophets warped out of the secluded system on its shake-down cruise. It remains a secret weapon hidden from both the Cardassians and the Federation. The Hammer of the Prophets Campaign

The Hammer of the Prophets is an excellent platform for a Bajoran campaign set in the post-Deep Space 9 era. It is capable of taking on a wide variety of missions, and can hold its own against hostile forces.

Life aboard the Hammer is hard. Accommodations are spartan, and shore leave nearly non-existent. The crew itself is made up of Bajorans who dwell in the black shadows of secrecy at all times. “Hammers” are members of a small, tight-knit and silent fraternity—even service records do not record their duties aboard the ship that once served their enemies.

Here are a couple missions the Hammer might undertake:

A strange anomaly has been detected in space a couple of lightyears from Bajor. The Hammer is dispatched to investigate. The anomaly might be a simple astrological curiosity, a temporal rift in the time-space continuum, or the manifestation of an alien presence.
A long-dormant resistance cell has started to pirate trade ships to fund its war against the Cardassian Union, which labors to rebuild its shattered economy. Embarrassed, the Bajoran Navy orders the Hammer to take out the cell’s two starships; because the Hammer doesn’t officially exist, Bajor hopes to rid itself of the cell without enraging hardliners
A dramatic turning-point in a Hammer campaign would center around the first action in which the Hammer’s existence is revealed—the military and political fallout which follows might lead to all sorts of interesting adventures. An interesing possiblity is that the government promises to return the ship to the Cardassians: if the captain refuses to obey, what do the characters do?

Make Your Players Beg You For Cursed Items

2009-05-06T17:00:00.013-04:00

As we work through the various types of cursed items in our Curses series of articles, our focus is on providing possible histories and contexts for such items that make their existence in your campaign possible. How’s this for a challenge: Make up a legend for a cursed item so compelling your players will be clamoring to own it.

Can it be done? Let’s give it a whirl…

The Dragon’s Eye

The wicked dirk, known as the Dragon’s Eye due to the orb atop its hilt, was once the most feared sight among the influential elements of Rhire and surrounding kingdoms. It was always discovered in the same place—buried in the heart of a diplomat, noble, or high priest. And always, it vanished almost immediately, no one knew how or where.

Naturally, precautions were taken to thwart the mysterious assassin who stalked the rich and famous. Both the high and the low were searched for weapons before being admitted into manse or carriage, and enchantments alike prevented anyone smuggling in magic items without an alert going forth to the master of the property.

But the death count mounted, and still the Dragon’s Eye taunted those charged with security from the corpses of it victims.

This item—it may not be a dagger—has appeared in every edition of DnD since the dawn of the game. Its powers are consistent with what is described above in several editions. Can you guess what it is?

Market it right, and you too can have your players demanding to own a simple -1 cursed sword (dagger).

Give Your Cursed Items a Reason to Exist Part 5: Terrible Blessings

2009-05-02T22:46:00.006-04:00

The cursed items we have discussed thus far are not entirely irredeemable. Quirky items present some drawback to using an otherwise useful item, while dark gifts seek to exert a hold on the users while imparting some advantage. Flawed items are messed up, but they weren’t meant to be.

Terrible blessings have no such excuses—they are meant to betray and destroy. To accept such a malefic boon means the end of your life as you have known it, whether you know it or not.

We enter at last the realm of the true cursed item, and it is well-trod ground indeed. It’s becoming a refrain, but it’s worth restating: cursed items always have a story behind them. And in this installment, many of those stories originate in Hollywood.

Do you remember what you were doing when you first witnessed a cursed item being created by a powerful mage? Playing D&D? Reading The Fellowship of the Ring? Naw, before that. Unless you grew up in Tibet, I know exactly what you were doing: watching Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:

“One taste of the poisoned apple, and the victim’s eyes will close forever in the Sleeping Death…”

These are the first words of the Sleeping Death spell as cast by the evil queen, and the deadly apple that resulted is a terrible blessing if there ever was one.

Snow White presents another fairy tale meme we might appropriate for terrible blessings—that the agent of doom is presented as a gift by someone thought to be a friend. In this case, the queen in her disguise as a harmless market woman presents the poisoned apple to Snow White as a wishing apple that will bring the consumer her heart’s desire (last year’s Enchanted used a similar trick with a magic well). Keep this meme in mind when concocting a suitable tragic origin story for a terribly blessed item you intend to unleash on the characters.

The story of "Snow White" is a widespread tale with many cultural variations, and the curses don't end with apples. “Myrsinathe”, the Greek version, features a poisoned ring that inflicts a living death. Then there’s “Giriococcola ”, the Italian version:

"But the sisters and the astrologer weren't about to give up! Here came the woman with an embroidered gown for sale, the most beautiful gown you ever saw. Giricoccola was so charmed with it that she had to try it on, and the minute she did, she became a statue."

Don’t neglect petrification as a curse effect. Because it doesn’t appear in the SRD rules set, your players may not be looking for it.

While we’re on the topic of fairy tales, Sleeping Beauty introduces an interesting variation: the curse that would be much worse but for the intervention of a friendly agent who provides partial relief. Recall that the evil fairy’s curse was that Sleeping Beauty would die when she pricked her finger on a spinning wheel. One of the friendly fairies modifies the sentence of death into one of, well, sleeping death. She also thoughtfully places everyone in the castle under the same curse and protects the castle with an impenetrable hedge it until the curse could be lifted.

We can apply a similar concept in our fantasy campaigns. Consider the possibilities of a cursed crown forged by an evil regent who does not relish relinquishing authority when the young crown prince comes of age. While the crown is supposed to slay the lad outright during the coronation, the court wizard has just enough time during the ceremony to evoke a limited wish that changes the nature of the curse. Perhaps, in keeping with the above examples, it causes the prince to fall into a deep sleep until the curse can be undone. Alternatively, it polymorphs him into a shape that enables him to escape the immediate danger, or one that negates his claim to the throne (a child, orc, pixie, whatever)—neatly preserving his life while removing the threat to the regent. In any case, the crown might still be around, its modified curse intact, for characters to dig up in their adventures and try on.

As suggested above, the terrible blessing often takes the form of a gift that conforms to the target’s interests. This isn't to be wondered at: one’s guard is down when being presented a charming present by a trusted figure. Witness the fate of the Sultan of Basra in the Thief of Bagdad, a foolish ruler with a passion for magic puppets. When the traitorous Jaffar offers him the Silver Maid, a marvelous mechanical girl, the sultan is transported with joy. He is soon thereafter transported to paradise when his new magical toy plunges a stiletto into his neck.

The venerable Necklace of Strangulation seems a likely candidate for a terrible gift. Was it a key element in an assassination attempt against a wary merchant lord? The present of a jealous queen to her husband’s lover? The heirloom of a legendary dynasty of spymasters, passed down from father to son as a precious tool of the trade?

The old bait and switch is another popular terrible blessing, as Donovan discovers when he drinks from the false Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He didn’t get eternal life as promised, that’s for sure.

Let’s cook up a bait and switch backstory for a common cursed item. Perhaps the ambitious younger brother of the king commissions his mage to fashion a duplicate of the king’s heirloom bracers, and the unsuspecting liege rides out to battle wearing what we might know as bracers of defenselessness or gauntlets of fumbling. A switch back to the proper items when the king’s fallen body returns to the castle and the regicide is chalked up to a bad moment in battle. Meanwhile, what becomes of the cursed items? Two hundred years later they might be discovered in a forgotten chest by the younger brother’s descendant, worn into the Dark Doom Wars, and wind up in a night hag’s hoard awaiting the arrival of our heroes.

Thus far, our examples have centered on rulers and various relatives, but terrible blessings don’t have to be political. There is a more base reason for creating terrible blessings: protection. While there are many ways to protect, say, a manse, temple, or royal tomb, this special form of protection beguiles the intruder or attacker before striking.

Imagine a fine painting of a ship tossed in a stormy sea hanging in a wealthy merchant’s study. Thieves breaking in to ransack the place are drawn by its artistry and gleaming gold frame. If they touch it, they are drawn into the painting and trapped there. (Yes, I steal from C.S. Lewis, and with pride.)

How about a collection of five enchanted daggers of incredible design that teleport themselves and their thieving bearers into the locked basement of a warehouse owned by the daggers’ rightful owner a few hours or days after they are stolen. That might make for an interesting turn if the daggers are discovered by the characters centuries later and a thousand miles away from the basement—which is buried under lava rock!

Or… ever seen the splatter flick Hostel? Say you have this ring of decadent nobles who get their kicks torturing arrogant adventurers, or making them fight one another. So, same daggers, same basement in the same warehouse, only the daggers are out there as bait, waiting for the right greedy fool to come along and grab ’em. That could be the start of an interesting adventure.

What about those scarabs of death ? Great tomb guardians. I think we’ve all seen The Mummy and know what a couple dozen of those buggers can do. And I can imagine a dragon placing one or two rings or helms of contrariness in choice spots on her hoard as her last revenge against foes who kill her and explore her piles of treasure. It's really hard to split an immensely valuable haul peaceably when folks are busy being violently contrary!

Well, we’ve barely scratched the surface, but this is getting rather long, so let’s wind it up here and brace for next week, when we meet crusading lances, macabre masks, and singing harps. That is to say, Dedicated Weapons. The problem with some of them is that they have wills of their own…

Gelia’s Tears
Gelia’s Tears is an extremely valuable necklace fashioned from high-grade silver and large diamonds. It was originally the heirloom of the ruling House Leomonde, by tradition passed down from the crown mother to the king’s new wife on the wedding day.

It was last received with joy by Princess Gelia, who came from a southern kingdom known for its cypress forests, ziggurats, and blood magic to cement an alliance with King Meda of Leomonde. Queen Gelia wore it happily for several years, until the dark whispers began—she had yet to produce an heir.

As more years passed, the whispers grew louder. The queen, who loved her husband, refused to take a lover, which might have resolved the issue. At last, when the talk turned to replacing Medas with a rival brother who had a ready heir, the king reluctantly ordered his wife sealed alive in her quarters until death took her.

It took her two weeks to die, and long did she cry and curse her faithless husband and whatever broodmare might have the misfortune to join with him. When the servants unsealed her apartments, they found her sprawled on the floor at the center of a great circle of mystical symbols written in blood. She was wearing only her necklace.

The king took a new wife, and when the necklace was placed on her neck on her wedding day she asked if anyone else could hear the faint strains of a lullaby. None could. She bled to death a few weeks later.

Necklace or no necklace, no Leomonde male or female ever produced an heir again. The family ceased to exist a few short decades later.

As for Gelia’s Tears, it claimed a few more victims before being cast aside in fear. Before it vanished from history, it reappeared one last time, when a certain skilled jeweler was pressed by his noble sponsor to remove the previous stones. It is said that upon removing the first stone, the jeweler heard his wife’s wail. Their two babies lay dead in their crib…

Gelia’s Tears. This cursed necklace has lost some of its potency since its creation, but is still destined to break the heart of any man or woman who wears it. When first worn, the faint strains of a lullaby from the victim's own childhood can be heard as the curse takes effect. The necklace can be removed and put on as desired and no further harm will come to the wearer. But the damage is done—the cursed individual is forever barren or impotent. Only a limited wish or remove curse spell can restore him or her to health.

Give Your Cursed Items a Reason to Exist Part 4: Flawed Creations

2009-04-26T00:33:00.006-04:00

We were going to look at terrible blessings next, but since we’re working up the ladder from mildly cursed items to the dread artifacts that consume souls and worlds, we’re not quite ready to step up to such malignant items. So this week, let’s look at flawed creations instead.

Like quirky items, flawed creations were created to be beneficial magic items. In both cases something went awry: In the case of the quirky item the defect is (relatively) minor. In the case of the flawed creation, it is more serious. (And it must be said that not much separates the two categories; the transition between one and the other is pretty fluid.)

Accidentally flawed creations are probably quite rare, for two reasons. First, accidentally cursed items are a very small subset of the items a competent mage enchants over his career. Rules for failure during magic item creation vary from system to system—or are non-existent—but in the creative spirit let’s say three percent. Thus, a remarkable mage who creates one hundred magic items in a very long career might expect maybe three to go wrong. Most mages produce far less. So fatally flawed items are rare because the failure rate is low.

Second, most mages are not eager to circulate their failures. Who wants word to get out that his magical creations have the potential to harm the user? What ethical mage could knowingly unleash a cursed item on an unsuspecting world? Most mages destroy or carefully hide their failures as soon as their flaws manifest themselves. So now they're even rarer because, of the small number produced, most are disposed of before they can hurt anyone.

In the end, of course, some flawed creations escape into the world. Items can be stolen by thieves or lost to storms or war. Hidden caches of flawed creations may be brought to light by descendants or tomb robbers. Something as simple as a lost or misread will might result in flawed creations being auctioned off in a wizard’s estate or passed on to unsuspecting relatives and colleagues.

Some mages, who after all have invested quite a bit of time and effort into creating their flawed items, may elect to sell them to recoup at least the material cost of producing them. Of course, in most cases, only the most unethical sort of wizard would essay such an action. Flawed creations disposed of in this fashion might be discovered by the characters anywhere, from tombs to citadel armories to the stock of a fencer in a major city.

But not all mages who dump their failures on the market are necessarily unscrupulous. What better way to confound one’s enemies or rivals than saddling them with a passel of cursed items? To take a Forgotten Realms example, imagine a Waterdeep mage selling a supply of flawed -1 shields to an arms merchant known to supply the Zhentarim. If this happened not long ago, the characters may acquire the shields from defeated Zhent warriors. If it has been awhile, again, they could be anywhere, perhaps in the hands or grave of someone with nothing to do with Zhentil Keep, or locked away in a strongbox in some Zhent stronghold.

And you know, this works the other way too. Mayhap there's a drow sorceress down in the underdark somewhere looking to ditch some cursed rings in the hated city of the humans, or—let's hit a little closer to home here—even an enemy of the characters who desires to slip them a present or two via an unsuspecting intermediary. (Oh, but we'll get to terrible blessings soon enough, and that's a much more promising road to travel if that's the sort of thing you want to do.)

So, having thought a bit about how flawed creations escape into the wild, let’s take a closer look at what form they might take. In many ways, this is a no-brainer: most of the “generic” cursed items we all know and love qualify as flawed creations. A survey of the tables offered in the SRD will generate many ideas for curses.

It's probably best not to get too exotic with the powers of flawed creations. In most cases the curse should have some bearing on the effect the enchanter was attempting to achieve. Most likely, he produces a version that does the opposite of what he desired. A mage creating a +1 blade or a potion of giant strength might inadvertently produce a -1 blade or a potion of weakness. This category best accounts for the majority of cursed magic items without a specific history: the 1- axes, the -2 suits of chainmail, and so on.

Cursed Items of Opposition are especially appropriate as flawed creations. The Cursed Item of Opposition is my catch-all term for the plethora of cursed braziers and chimes, pipes and scarabs to be found in various editions of the DMG that look just like similar magic items that provide some great power. I wrote a little essay not long ago theorizing on the design origins of these items, but now is our chance to make sense of them in a campaign context.

Take a look at two brooms drawn from the original DnD rules and Supplement I:

Broom of Flying: This device allows the owner to fly at Dragon speed (24"/turn). The user must know the “Word of Command” to make it function. The Broom of Flying will come up to 24" when its owner summons it with the command word. It will carry two persons but its speed is reduced by one-quarter.

Animated Broom: A broom which exactly resembles a Broom of Flying, but when such an attempt is made the broom will attack the user, beating him severely about the head and shoulders with the bald-headed end of itself. Only destruction of the broom will make such abuse cease.

Hey, even a bald-headed broom of flying rocks. What student of witchcraft or wizardry wouldn’t want one? Probably more than can safely pull off the enchantment. Thus did animated brooms (a.k.a. brooms of attack) enter the world.

You can go down the line of published cursed items and pick out many other examples: the bowl of watery death as a failed bowl commanding water elementals, a loadstone as a failed luckstone, a chime of hunger as a failed chime of opening, gauntlets of fumbling as failed gauntlets of dexterity, and so on.

Of course, equipping flawed creations with an oppositional power every single time gets a little old, so what else can we do to stir things up? Some flawed creations may actually work as designed—to a point. The chime of hunger is an example of this type: it works as a chime of opening a couple of times before horribly malfunctioning. What are some flawed items that might make for an unhappy party should they suddenly stop working as designed? Flying carpets and wands of teleportation come to mind. Oh, yeah, teleportation. What could possibly go wrong? Remember this? I'll admit it; I had me some nightmares before Christmas in 1979.

Some items may just warp the creator's original intentions in unexpected ways. Cue the chime of hunger again. What would happen if a rod of resurrection went wrong? Nothing good, I'm pretty sure.

Why bother to decide that your dust of sneezing is a flawed creation rather than a generic cursed item? As a spur to your creativity, of course! It’s the first step in developing a backstory for the item, and this in turn spawns adventure ideas. Consider again our example of the cursed shields sent to the Zhentarim. If the ruse was discovered in Zhentil Keep, it may put into motion a retaliatory plot that draws the characters into the feud. Thus the provision of the shields form the backstory to the present adventure, which may feature nocturnal assaults on inns in Waterdeep, attempted kidnappings on the coastal highway, and perhaps the reappearance of the shields themselves in the hands of a band of thugs hired to attack the characters.

For a fully realized example of how a flawed creation forms the backdrop of an adventure, refer to the Judges Guild adventure the Corsairs of Tallibar , in which a potion created to increase the power of the corsairs instead drives them mad.

Of course, cursed items with a history can also form the basis for a quest. Suppose a wealthy collector has learned that one of Alleon’s prized Swan blades (see below) was spied being purchased in a bazaar in a far-off city by a certain slave trader, and will pay the characters a princely sum to acquire it for him. Only if they succeed do they realize that it is one of Alleon’s forgotten flawed creations and not the mighty blade that he made famous…

Next week we’ll pick up our discussion with terrible blessings. See you then!

Alleon’s Swan Blades
Alleon was reknowned for his great skill in producing elegant enchanted daggers for the nobility of his day. Most of the daggers engraved with his trademark swan emblem are priceless heirlooms still jealously guarded by the families that commissioned them. Very few have found their way into the open market, and they are highly sought-after collector’s items.

As great and careful a wizard as Alleon was, he had his share of failures. During his long career, he produced seven cursed daggers, each a result of error or imperfect craftsmanship. Unwilling to destroy his creations, he kept them in his workshop as a reminder to himself and his apprentices of the need to strive for excellence.

When Alleon neared death, he resolved to hide his failures from the world lest they find their way into the hands of an unsuspecting public. Ever the artist, he created a fitting final resting place for his wayward creations—a stout strong box constructed of oak and lined with fine green felt.

He entrusted his remaining apprentice with the task of burying the chest where no one would find it. The apprentice obediently carried out his master’s instructions, but Alleon’s gardener, who had discovered what the chest contained (but not their nature), followed the man and watched him bury the box in an isolated grove. Returning after the old man’s death, the gardener unearthed the chest, and carrying it to a large city, sold off its contents to a purveyor of fine weapons.

Over the centuries, the cursed swan blades have mingled with the genuine items, and scattered across the known world. One resides in the collection of a prominent grand duke, another lies in the watery lair of a giant turtle deep beneath the waves of immense Lake Collan. Through misadventure, most have been thankfully lost to the world. Until, of course, some enterprising adventurers come along to rediscover them.

Every swan blade, cursed or otherwise, is a gleaming jewel of a weapon, both beautiful to behold and a joy to handle. Each is finely balanced, suitable for hand combat or throwing. The blue steel blade is engraved with the mark of Alleon’s swan, and speaking his name causes the mark to glow faintly with a magical light (an effective measure against common non-magical counterfeits). Every swan blade is a unique creation, with a hilt customized to suit each client.

Even as cursed items, the swan blades are valued to certain collectors. Most can fetch a handsome sum in the right market. However, characters must consider the ethics of unleashing a cursed dagger on the world, and realize that even if they warn their buyer of the curse, such knowledge might not be passed on to the next owner. Characters of lawful alignment, particularly priests and paladins, must be extremely cautious in who they entrust such a weapon to.

Alleon’s Flawed Swan Blades. Four of Alleon’s seven cursed daggers are -1 blades and two are -2 blades. Their curse merely renders them unreliable in combat; unlike some cursed weapons, they may be freely discarded when their faults are discovered.

Alleon’s Dagger of Backbiting. The curse on the remaining dagger is more potent, because Alleon was attempting a more ambitious project. It is a +2 throwing dagger, but each time it is used in melee against a foe and the attack roll is a natural 1, it damages its wielder instead of his intended target. When the curse takes effect, the dagger twists in the hands of its wielder, automatically dealing the damage to the wielder. The curse even functions when the dagger is hurled, and in such a case the damage to the hurler is doubled.

Previous Installments

Part 1: Give Your Cursed Items a Reason to Exist

Part 2: Quirky Items

Part 2a: Another Quirky Cursed Item: Maldric’s Cloak of Flying
Part 3: Dark Gifts

Free Urban Adventure Resources

2009-04-21T17:00:00.003-04:00

I've always loved urban adventure (I blame Fritz Leiber and Robert Lynn Asprin), and some of my earliest non-TSR purchases were city settings (namely here, h ere, here , and here). I want to cover urban adventure game resources at length at some point, but for now a quick post to profile some free resources that discuss the theory of city design: one you may already have heard of, and one you probably haven't, since it's buried in a forum.

The One You've Heard Of
Expeditious Retreat Press' City Guide from A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe. It's free and it's an excellent guide to city design.

The One You Haven't
Hie thyself over to this thread of the Cartographer's Guild forum and download Ravells' A Guide to the Creation and Depiction of Fantasy Cities - Part I. This tutorial is crammed with great thoughts on designing your city from both an in-world perspective and from an artistic one.

You may have to sign up to the forum to download, but you won't be sorry. Check it out:

Another look:

So there you go: two free city supplements!

Oh, you want another one? Okay, how about a complete, somewhat seedy neighborhood ready to plug and play:
Eastside City Block
(The Lia-Kavair, by the way, are the local thieves guild.)

I know, I know, it could always be better... have a froggy evening!

Give Your Cursed Items a Reason to Exist Part 3: Dark Gifts

2009-04-19T00:20:00.024-04:00

Dark gifts, like quirky items, promise naught but good, but conceal drawbacks that undermine the user. Unlike quirky items, however, which are merely annoying, dark gifts ultimately seek to control the users. Terrible blessings, which we’ll cover in our next installment, are similar, but seek to destroy.

As mentioned in the first installment of this series, cursed magical items are too much of a bother creating without a specific use in mind. Who is going to spend a decade cranking out generic rings of clumsiness or boots of dancing? Cursed items created as either dark gifts or terrible blessings should have a history. Someone was highly motivated to have them made—why? Revenge? Jealousy? Ambition?

The nine rings Sauron gave to the Men of Middle Earth are undoubtedly the most famous, and probably most extreme, example of a dark gift. These precious rings confer upon their owners immense powers, but also at length corrupt them until they become slaves to the Lord of the Rings. Their maker had a very good reason for creating them.

One motivation for creating dark gifts is to provide servants or allies wondrous items that increase their utility to their master but also contain a controlling element. If you’re the evil high priest of the land, a mace of blood is an excellent way of ensuring your chief lieutenants lay the smack down while staying firmly in your court.

Or imagine a +1 sword that charms its wielder into loyalty to its maker if he doesn’t successfully save versus spells each time it kills? How about a wily dragon who has a few weapons like this tucked in her hoard, which she generously offers as the first fruits of victory to the heroes who “beat” her in some contest of skill or wits?

What would happen if such a weapon was found in some treasure pile centuries after its maker and cause vanished? Would its seduced wielder become obsessed with reviving the lost cause? Resurrecting its leader? Seeking out a contemporary group with similar aims?

There are other ways of controlling a user. How about a potion of giant strength or speed that’s addictive, or provides a temporary antidote to a poison or disease already inflicted on the target via a previous dose? An evil high priest or merchant lord may appreciate giving his honor guard an edge in combat while discouraging the freelancing ambitions of its members by letting them know that only another dose within a day or so will hold the mummy rot at bay.

A variation on the theme of positive magic items with a creator-inflicted drawback is the magic item that fuels its enchantments with the user’s life energies. The Call of Cthulhu RPG and supplements are replete with magic items that siphon off the magic points of users to enable another person to cast powerful spells. Perhaps an unscrupulous enchanter has discovered that she can take short cuts in creating a potent item by tapping into the user’s vitality. Obviously, such an item shows a callous disregard for one’s servants and allies, but to a wizard morally flawed enough to create such a monstrosity, no one matters but herself anyway.

Such an item might take the form of, say, a lens of true seeing that depresses the wearer’s intelligence by one point as long as it is worn. Or perhaps a suit of armor that when worn offers its wearer +2 protection by lowering his Constitution by 1 point. (To balance such items, you might establish a cumulative chance that the loss is permanent or that the ability score penalty increases over time.)

Thus far, we’ve discussed cursed items that the creator regards as well, cursed. But a curse is in the eye of the beholder, and if the creator considers the cursed state to be an improvement over any other, the dark gift may be provided as a boon, not a burden—however the recipient may feel about it. Fairy tales warn visitors to fairy courts and revels not to accept any food or drink offered, lest one in accepting fairy hospitality be unable to leave their realm. Fairies, of course, do not regard this as a terrible fate.

Or what of Llorio the Murthe in Jack Vance’s Tales of the Dying Earth, who plots to turn an enclave of wizards into witches to serve as her entourage? This misandrist sorceress regards such an enchantment as a singular honor, however much her ensqualmed victims might disagree while in their right minds.

Magic items that enable the user to assume the shape of an animal—perhaps a wolf or great eagle—but also carry the potential for making the change permanent if used too much or too often—are fairly common in RPGs. The user may or may not know of the danger before it makes itself known.

Certain artifacts created by, say, a centaur, dryad, or lizardman mage may turn its users into a member of its race in exchange for certain powers. Perhaps the powers the item provides can only be used by a member of that race, so the user must take on aspects of that race for the item to be effective (such items may fit better under “Dedicated Weapons,” more of which in a future installment).

Perhaps such items are the ancient remnants of a colonization effort or even provided the origin of the species: “There weren’t no such thing as harpies before the Oil of Ollander began flowing into the waters of the temple baths that ill-favored spring of long-ago…”

Or maybe they were created to “convert” specific people, but have over the centuries gone on to inflict their enchantments on others. Many fairy tales talk of men taking non-human wives (like the swan maiden), and one can readily imagine the creation of a jewel that would confer humanity on her for the sake of her lover. One can as easily imagine a jewel that makes a drow out of a human for the same reasons.

Speaking of forced conversion, where might helms of opposite alignment come from? There might be a number of such helms knocking about the world, each a remnant of a past event or power struggle. It’s easy to imagine such an item tipping the balance in some political or actual battle—in such cases the expense of creating a cursed helm may be justified by what is perceived to be at stake.

In the case of an actual war, perhaps a wizard general besieging a city feigns surrender, and plies the “victors” with weregild—among them magical helms for each of the opposing commanders… Renewing the siege with ready-made traitors commanding the enemy troops makes for a short fight!

So there are some thoughts on dark gifts. Next time we’ll take a look at their close cousins—terrible blessings. Unlike dark gifts, terrible blessings are not meant to control, but to kill—or at the very least, to betray.

But before we go, let’s put a new face on an old classic. And here’s a challenge for you: select a cursed item from any edition of the DMG and provide it with such a compelling legend that your players will be eager to find and use such an amazing artifact.

Armor of the Stone Queen
The archmage Astrophel dominated his age, and due to his thirst for conquest and capacity for cruelty had enemies without number. The greatest of his generals was the medusa Vashti—the Stone Queen. She rode at the head of her mighty army, and few could face her and live.

Indeed, most opposing troops, seized with great fear at her approach, avoided her vanguard entirely, striking out at lesser units. This greatly displeased Astrophel, who enjoyed watching his hill giants smash the statuary that littered the battlefield with their immense hammers as they marched.

One day, Vashti appeared at the front of her army clad in gleaming plate armor—adorned with glowing, writhing dragons—created by Astrophel himself. The veterans who in past battles had fled from her were filled with a righteous anger at the sight of this abomination wearing the armor of a nobleman. They charged her vanguard, filled with renewed determination and courage. As they neared, Vashti raised her helm and they fell rank after rank, petrified at the sight of her flashing eyes.

Again and again this scene repeated itself, and the legend of the Stone Queen and her infamous dragon armor grew as army after army recklessly charged her, only to fall before her fatal gaze. Bards say to this day that none so much as marked her armor with blade until the coming of the warrior king Dungeld.

It was he who at last cut down the Stone Queen and her dread master. Her legendary armor, however, survived the final battle, and was taken in victory to Dungeld’s royal city, Austerlitz. Dungeld, who had no female knights, never found a use for it, and it was lost in the sacking of the city centuries ago. It lives on in a famed sculpture in Austerlitz’s main square, which depicts the final struggle between Dungeld and the medusa, clad in her distinctive armor.

No doubt it lies in some forgotten tomb or ruin, awaiting the arrival of a lithe female warrior who can don it and discover what mighty enchantments Astrophel laid upon it to aid his champion.

Armor of the Stone Queen. This armor is similar in appearance to breastplate of command and functions as a suit of +1 full plate. However, when it is worn, the armor causes the character to take a –4 penalty to Charisma. All unfriendly characters within 300 feet have a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls against her. The effect is not noticeable to the wearer or those affected. (In other words, the wearer does not immediately notice that donning the armor is the cause of her problems, nor do foes understand the reason for the depth of their enmity.)

Previous Installments
Part 1: Give Your Cursed Items a Reason to Exist
Part 2: Quirky Items
Part 2a: Another Quirky Cursed Item: Maldric’s Cloak of Flying

A Look at the Eurogame

2009-04-18T22:13:00.005-04:00

We're not all DnD all the time at Tales of the Ink Knight! If you're a boardgamer, especially with an interest in game design, you might enjoy Yehuda Berlinger's essay on the features, mechanics, and themes of the Eurogame.

Another Quirky Cursed Item: Maldric’s Cloak of Flying

2009-04-15T17:00:00.003-04:00

I suggested we might have another look at quirky items in our last installment of our Curses series, and here it is: a cloak of flying that wants a little something in return. A lot of little somethings, in fact.

Maldric's Cloak of Flying is more developed than most items that will be presented in this series. But the level of detail, including the Tale of King Nides and his Flying Court and the details of the Maldric cloaks' debut show how an item might be integrated into a campaign, and suggest ways in which knowledge of its powers and drawbacks can be made known to PCs.

Maldric’s Cloak of Flying

Francis Maldric was known for decades as the miracle mage of Barclave, a figure of wonderment who would work a year and a day in his workshops to produce a limited series of exclusive magical items. One season he might offer exquisite music boxes complete with little animated figures reenacting popular operas, in another a series of magical waterclocks that warned of approaching storms.

Just possessing a Maldric original was a mark of distinction, and they were much sought after by members at Court. Until, that is, the year he offered his Cloak of Flying.

It was, in many ways, a bad year for Maldric. His wife had discovered all three of his mistresses and trashed his workshop before stalking out of his life. The five-month siege of Barclave was also an unwelcome surprise. In short, Maldric was behind schedule on his latest project, four remarkable cloaks of flying, which he had foolishly boasted of while in his cups—and were now eagerly anticipated by the royal family itself. The worst blow came just weeks before the debut—the king’s birthday—when he learned that the ship bearing the cloaks’ final and key component from the southern colonies—a bag of roc feathers—was lost at sea.

Desperately combing his archives, Maldric hit upon what he thought would be a viable substitute—giant bat wings. Daring a series of unconventional shortcuts in his enchantments, Maldric completed his cloaks with just days to spare, and in a series of limited test flights was confident he had pulled it off.

The king’s birthday dawned bright and clear, and it was with a cheerful heart and not a little ceremony that Maldric loaded the 12 wooden boxes containing his latest creations on the gilded wagon that would bear him and them to the palace.

The presentation of the gifts at the height of the party was everything Maldric had imagined it would be. The king’s delight knew no bounds, and donning his own cloak, he pressed the others on his family. Away they soared, now arcing high into the clouds, then swooping low over the harbor to the amazement of all below.

After an hour or so, when it seems that the king’s party must tire and return to the pavilion for refreshment, its members developed a singular game in which they took turns buzzing the grounds, passing through the orchards, and flying through the vineyards, all the while snapping their mouths in the most remarkable fashion.

At length the party began to return. First were the king’s daughters, who collapsed as soon as their silken slippers touched ground and began sobbing. Next to alight was the queen, who fainted dead away from exhaustion. Finally, the king alighted, and without a work of explanation, ordered the stunned magician seized. His head was removed from his body before the hour was out.

For a time the cloaks were stored in the palace, but they soon passed out of reckoning and who can say where they might be found? The ballad of Old King Nides and his Flying Court is well known in the taverns of the land, and it may be that some old gaffers can recall some details of that day long ago. What so displeased the king no one can rightly say.

Maldric’s Cloak of Flying. This fine cloak is fashioned from durable wool and topped with a clasp bearing the mark of the magician Maldric of Barclave. By holding the edges of the garment, the wearer is able to fly as the third level Fly spell. The wearer may fly as he will for 1d6 turns (this roll is kept secret from the players), after which the appetite of the cloak awakens. At that time, the user must save versus spells. Success means the cloak ceases functioning immediately, leaving the wearer to make his own way to the ground. Failure means the cloak continues to function, but the wearer is compelled to seek out and eat his weight in insects, an act that takes an additional 2d6 turns. Happily, the cloak conveys to the wearer a keen sense of where all bugs in the area are, making the task somewhat easier. After performing this action, the wearer is deposited to earth, now empty-bellied and exhausted. The cloak can be used just once per day regardless of the length of time spent flying.

Open d6 Coming

2009-04-13T17:00:00.013-04:00

This isn't really news to those paying attention, but I wasn't and just learned of it: West End Games is converting its d6 System to an Open License. It was announced last autumn, and WEG owner Eric Gibson shared a few more details in a recent chat session:

"OpenD6 will be OGL, with the D6-specific trademarks released under an STL, much the same way as 3e D20 .... The copyrights, rules and everything else will be freely available. It is a share-alike license, meaning everything you publish under OpenD6 will be covered under the OGL as well unless you identify it as Product Identity. ....

Unlike the D20 STL, there are no protected rules. The only thing the the STL will require is that you upload your OGL covered material to the OpenD6 website—thus we maintain a single unified archive of everything OpenD6."

Like the Legacy DnD movement, WEG is interested in harnessing the power of the web and POD publishing to showcase and move OGL content out to fans. Gibson says that while WEG doesn't have plans to publish a full generic ruleset for OpenD6, "the ultimate goal is for the user to construct their own rulesets and have it packaged and exported as a PDF. There may be way (no promises) for OpenD6 to interface with a POD printer such that a user can construct their unique custom rulebook and have it printed just for them with a few clicks." Even if users have to submit their pdfs to sites like Lulu themselves, the OGL should make that simple enough.

Here's a rundown on what the d6 OGL covers:

51005 The D6 System: The Customization Roleplaying Game (a.k.a. the D6 Cookbook)
51011 D6 Adventure
51012 D6 Space
51013 D6 Fantasy
51015 D6 Fantasy Creatures
51016 D6 Adventure Locations
51017 D6 Space Ships
51019 D6 Gamemaster Screen and Aid
51020 D6 Fantasy Locations
51021 D6 Adventure Creatures
51022 D6 Space Aliens I
51024 D6 Vade Mecum of Magic

I'm pretty fired up about this development for two reasons. Firstly, having another OGL game system out there with a pedigree is good for everyone. More sites of gaming content, more books being bought and sold on sites like Lulu, and more cross-pollination between d6 and d20 communities (including those developing Legacy DnD content).

Secondly, it's the game system I know better than any other. I started playing the Star Wars RPG in 1987 while in college, and used it fairly steadily throughout the '90s, both professionally and in private play.

Looking forward to learning more in the coming months.

UPDATE: Hat-tip to Stargazer's World for covering WEG's d6 development in detail.

Another Pocketful of Whimsy

2009-04-12T11:38:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter, everyone! For the lazy Sunday afternoon after the big meal, a few links to enjoy:

Propnomicon: A talented prop maker documents his efforts in creating props for the Call of Cthulhu RPG and offers tips and resources on making your own.
GI Intelligence Dept.: A site dedicated to WII re-enactors. But the link takes you to a page of pdfs you can download that replicate military paperwork of the era. Very handy to have around if you anticipate ever running a game set in the late '30 through mid-40s.
Crazy Diamond Design Historical Fonts: If you're looking for medieval fonts to pep up your maps and player handouts, look no further than Crazy Diamond. They have some of the best historical fonts around. I used the 17th Century Print font to create the Tales of the Ink Knight masthead.
Lost Films: Photographs developed from film recovered from lost cameras going back decades. A fascinating look back into people's private pasts.
Brass Goggles: If you like steampunk, this is your blog.
Coraline Production Art: If you're a big fan of whimsical design, this blog delivers. Presents art from the film Coraline by one of its designers.

Give Your Cursed Items a Reason to Exist Part 2: Quirky Items

2009-04-12T00:36:00.010-04:00

Last week we kicked off a multi-part series of articles in which we take a close look at cursed items with an eye toward giving them a history and reason to exist in the campaign (see here for Part I ). This week we cover the first and possibly least life-threatening cursed magic items: the quirky item.

In the pantheon of cursed items, quirky items are fairly benign. In fact, they are usually very useful items to have around—they just have annoying side effects! Roger Rabbit's Singing Sword comes to mind; you know, the heroic-looking magic sword that bursts into song when drawn for combat. Puts a crimp in your holy smiting style if you're a paladin, but hey, it's still a magic sword; it'll hit those golems and other critters that take no notice of mundane weapons. Quirky items can be freely discarded, and do not require use of a dispel magic or remove curse spell.

Quirks can be intentionally placed on a magic item or creep into the design through error. Design errors that result in quirks are relatively minor mistakes (we'll discuss what might happen when more serious errors are made in the “Flawed Creations” installment). Think of them as bugs in an otherwise functioning application.

Accidental quirks need not make a whole lot of sense in terms of the item's intended function, though if you can tie both together and have fun item, go for it. Magic is unfathomable deep down, and who can predict what a minor mistake might tap into? Perhaps a short sword howls like a scalded cat when unsheathed (handy in those moments when you’re trying to sneak up on someone), or a ring of protection from fire puts out every open nonmagical flame within 20 feet as long as it is worn (the party doesn’t really need all those torches and lanterns to see in the dark). Note that these quirks do not interfere with the functioning of the item, and in fact everyone can readily imagine situations in which it would be wise to wear a ring of fire protection no matter what it does to the torches.

Deliberately created quirky items need some explanation, and perhaps a bit more logic, since there is a mind behind the quirk. Who would spend the time and money to develop such eccentric items? The cliché mad wizard puttering around his workshop is good for a few quirks. Perhaps it amuses him to produce eccentric designs. Maybe he is just too senile now to help it—old Professor MacCrowley has gone cracked and his Seven League Boots won't function unless the wearer is wearing a kilt.

A variation on this theme is the mage who is forced to enchant items against his will. A mage enslaved to enchant arrows and spears for the ogre king who ate his family might not be in a position to openly defy his master, but he can occasionally slip a quirk or two into the weapons he enchants to satisfy his passive aggression. Perhaps the magic arrow leaves a glowing arc in the air that reveals the position of the bowman. Maybe the spear causes less damage than it should, even if it finds its mark more often. Just maybe using that awesome two-handed sword causes its wielder to lose control of his bowels if he takes on more that one opponent at a time.

Intelligent weapon can also be quirky items, not through design or error, but because their personalities have developed eccentricities. Quirks held by such weapons are usually the annoying sort that can be used for great comedic effect. Like the afore-mentioned singing sword, or a blade that likes to stop by the side of the road and smell the pretty flowers, or go on long detours because it wants to see the view from a nearby hilltop. (For endless GM amusement, imagine Higgins from Magnum P.I. as a magic sword that has done and seen it all—and in the hands of what it claims are more worthy heroes.) Other examples include the cowardly mace that screams at the sight of blood ("Get it off, get it off!"), the magic bulls-eye lantern that’s afraid of the dark, or the haughty sword that is “allergic” to cheap sheaths.

Naturally, an intelligent item that isn’t humored will sulk and find some way of getting back at its intransigent owner, either by denying him its powers at the earliest opportunity, or making a general pest of itself. Generally, intelligent items won’t do something that will get its owner killed; they just like to nag. (Weapons loyal to someone other than their current master also have personality quirks, but they will be covered in “Dedicated Weapons”.)

The key to designing a properly balanced quirky item is that the PC should constantly gravitate between a need to use the item and an intense desire to throw it in the bushes and run. The seriousness of a quirk should therefore be somewhat relative to the benefits the item confers. If all it does is light a fire or shed a light, maybe emitting a noisome stench with every use is appropriate. If it, say, grants the power of teleportation, perhaps a quirk of a higher (lower?) order is appropriate. Like, it doesn't teleport clothes or supplies or hair—only living bodies.

There are plenty of ideas sprinkled above to get you started in designing your own quirky items, and the Hammer of Slaying below provides an example. Rich Stump developed a great list of quirks that might plague magic items in Dragon #163 (“Magic Gone Haywire,” portions of which are reprinted in various volumes of the Encyclopdedia Magica and perhaps other places). For a more recent source of ideas, try here.

Hammer of Slaying
The Hammer of Slaying is an artifact From Beyond, which, for reasons of its own, has taken the form of a throwing hammer on the Material Plane. Sentient but without means to speak or otherwise communicate, it makes its simple desires known by its performance, or lack thereof, in combat.

And its desires are indeed simple: it wants to be thrown at species it hasn’t killed before, and only those species. Toward the objects of its desire it is a potent weapon. In an encounter in which it targets a new species it willfully engages all members of that species, until the battle is over and it can savor and catalog its new experience.

However, once cataloged, a species is no longer of interest to the Hammer. Indeed, it is deeply insulted when someone attempts to throw it at a species it has already killed in past battles. The first few times it is so thrown, it circles lazily back to the thrower and lands in his hand with a stinging slap. If these warnings are ignored, it turns on its thrower when so thrown, even if it has previously slain the user's species.

Because it came into being on the Outer Planes, the Hammer's catalog of slain species can be eclectic, to say the least. It has yet to encounter many species common to the Material Plane, but is useless against some fairly exotic beings. (As GM it falls to you to select the species it has already encountered. Perhaps elementals and efreets, but not orcs and stirges. You might determine in advance which key species will soon oppose the PCs that it is no longer interested in. There ought to be at least one surprise in the mix…)

The Hammer of Slaying may be discarded at will, and indeed by the time a PC tires of it, the feeling is likely mutual. If not kept sufficiently amused by diverting new targets (e.g., held in "reserve" for special occasions while other weapons are favored), it may quietly disappear on its own when no one is looking.

Hammer of Slaying. Fashioned from a glossy dark green material of undefinable origin and well-balanced as a throwing weapon, the compact Hammer of Slaying is otherwise unremarkable in appearance and aspect. It behaves as a +3 missile weapon when targeting species it has not yet slain (treat as a hand axe), and continues to do so throughout the present encounter. It does 2d6 damage when it hits. It refuses to strike species it has slain in previous encounters, however and instead circles back to the thrower, doing 2d6 damage to him or her after the first 1d4 throws against a species it has no interest in (its count carries over from encounter to encounter, and does not reset between melees). The Hammer of Slaying may be discarded at will. It may also vanish on its own if not exposed on a fairly regular basis to "fresh blood".

So that's quirky items. Or nearly so. We may have another look at them before the week is out.

Next week we'll take a look at Dark Gifts and Terrible Blessings—cursed items that deliver beneficial powers, but are designed to control or destroy others. That Ring of Invisibility is certainly useful, but it has some strings attached, doesn't it, Mister Baggins?

A Few Thoughts on the Origins of Cursed Magic Items

2009-04-10T19:48:00.008-04:00

In taking stock of the cursed magical items offered in the Dungeon Masters Guides of olde, I notice a certain tit-for-tat pattern, one that is seemingly an echo of the early days of the game where DMs and players engaged in a playful match of wits, each camp attempting to overcome the challenges posed by the other. One can readily envision how it started:

Fighter: “This magical bag is amazing! I’ve already put three sets of magical armor in there, all the gold I used to store back at the keep, my two iron golems, food, torches, all my magic treasure … everything I own! No matter how much I put in there, there’s always room for more!”

Magic-user: “Next time we go under Greyhawk, I’m gonna find me one of those.”

Elf: “Me too. Why keep stuff at home when you take it all adventuring with you?”

Nasty, sneaky, tricksy DMes: “Hmmmm…”

Ever notice how most of the cursed loot looks just like the sweet loot? Bag of holding, meet bag of devouring. Girdle of manly strength, meet girdle of Playtex. Go on, flip to the back of the classic DMG and take it right down the line—from braziers and chimes to pipes and scarabs, you won’t find many cursed items that don’t look just like the nice versions.

You can almost see the magic items tennis match taking place.

F: “That time we took out the monks at the Pagoda of Inverness? Gary set me up with this Gong of Amazing Blessings!”

MU: “Man, I thought I found one of those up north when we took out that toad temple, but Dave saddled me with a Gong of Horrible Nastiness instead. Looked just like yours. My dude is still deaf. Have you seen my Libram of Leveling Up?”

E: “Far out. Where’d you get it?!?”

DM: “Hmmmmm.”

Just why do most cursed items, at least to me, lack something in the way of personality? Could it be because they weren’t created to stand on their own, but merely as a return volley?

Tune in on Sunday for Part II of our Cursed Items series, in which we put a bit of personality on those nasty bits of glowing goodness.

How to know you're dealing with a bad-ass knight

2009-04-06T20:35:00.003-04:00

He's got a little baby on a rocking horse on his livery...

Love his festive helmet garland, too. It's simply faaabulous! Keep this guy handy next time you wish to taunt your players a first or a second time. Nobody parades around like this unless they know they can totally pwn yer hide.

(Hat-tip to Tiff for the awesome link.)

Give Your Cursed Items a Reason to Exist

2009-04-05T20:05:00.017-04:00

There have been many articles and supplements over the years encouraging the GM to endow his swords, pendants, crystal balls, and other magic items with personality and a sense of history. There have been examples galore, describing not only the wondrous powers of a talisman, but also revealing the fearsome throes of its creation, the tumultuous events surrounding its use in the hands of heroes and villains of old, and the mighty battles or stealthy betrayals in which it disappeared from the annals of history, only to reappear centuries later in a dragon’s hoard or an abbey’s library.

Well, there is no need to restrict such wonderful details to the items player characters crave. Cursed items deserve no less. In many ways, a history is even more important to explain the existence of, say, a -2 sword as opposed to a +2 sword—there are many markets for a beneficial sword, while special circumstances must no doubt attend the creation of a harmful weapon of value to few.

Consider the motivations for creating a -1 dagger. In most cases it takes just as much effort, expense and work to produce a cursed blade as a beneficial one. Who would be in such desperate need for such an unconventional and expensive weapon? Revenge? Surely there are simpler methods at the disposal of a talented mage. For money? Perhaps.

We might suppose that most mages would consider it a breach of professional ethics (or a waste of time) to dabble in such unsavory areas of their art—even evil ones probably have better things to do with their time. These factors working in tandem makes cursed items rather uncommon, and therein lies the germ of an interesting history.

Categories
This Sunday kicks off a weekly series in which we'll survey the different sorts of cursed items out there, discuss ways in which they might be customized to your campaign, and provide a few sample items along the way. Here are the categories we’ll use to approach our topic, ranked loosely in order of nastiness:

Quirky Items: Otherwise beneficial items that have mild or significant drawbacks.
Dark Gifts: Beneficial items designed to exert influence or control over others—like Sauron’s Rings.
Flawed Creations: Beneficial items that just went wrong during creation. Ethical mages destroy such failures. Others…?
Terrible Blessings: Malefic gifts, like poisoned apples and necklaces that strangle.
Dedicated Weapons: A sword of troll slaying isn’t so hot if you’re a troll. There are plenty of magic items out there designed to hurt humans and demi-humans, and harmful to the hated foe who attempts to use them.
Traps or Vehicles of Vengeance: Hellraiser puzzle boxes, anyone?
Crosses to Bear: Dangerous items that must be borne and guarded lest they fall into the hands of the innocent—or the corrupt. Salazar Slytherin's locket from the Harry Potter series falls into this category.
The Mark of Cain: Artifacts sent to the world of men by the gods to humble or punish a presumptuous or arrogant person, nation, or race.

On the menu for next Sunday: quirky items. Possibly the most fun of all cursed items for the GM, because players are constantly torn between using the item and enduring its abuse or tossing it aside...

POD Mags Are Here: 30 Color Pages for 6 Bucks

2009-04-05T02:18:00.003-04:00

With two Old School DnD magazines in Lulu's top 10, and dozens of game systems and supplements on tap, print on demand (POD) publishing continues to have a liberating impact on the gaming community. Even bound hardbacks, once the purview of professional game companies, are within reach of the serious hobbyist without the need for expensive up-front print runs and traditional distributors.

While Lulu continues to be the POD publisher of choice, new player MagCloud promises full-color magazines at 20 cents a page, says the New York Times:

Charging 20 cents a page, paid only when a customer orders a copy, H.P. dreams of turning MagCloud into vanity publishing’s equivalent of YouTube . The company, a leading maker of computers and printers, envisions people using their PCs to develop quick magazines commemorating their daughter’s volleyball season or chronicling the intricacies of the Arizona cactus business.

“There are so many of the nichey, maybe weird-at-first communities, that can use this,” said Andrew Bolwell, head of the MagCloud effort at Hewlett-Packard. Samir Husni, a journalism professor at the University of Mississippi who plans to use the technology in his classroom, said, “We’re not talking about replacing the Vanity Fairs of the world. But it’s a nifty idea for a vanity press that reminds me of the underground zines we had in the ’60s and ’70s.”

"Nichey, maybe weird-at-first communities"? Yep, that's us! Like Lulu, publishers dispatch PDFs to MagCloud, and buyers can make their purchases from MagCloud's site.

I'd like to see what the quality of output is like; it certainly sound promising. For the hobbyist publisher with little to no art budget, Lulu will probably remain the best option for the time being. However, for the writer/artist or enterprising publisher with gratis artists on board, opportunities abound: adventure modules, map collections, and, hey, how about magazines?

One application I could see using this service for is producing a Player's Guide to my campaign with setting info, full color maps, character generation info, and so forth. Put it all in 12 pages, and send it out for $2.40. That's the price of a bag of chips!

Golems of the Javarta Campaign

2009-04-03T17:26:00.010-04:00

Part of the fun of campaign design is deciding how your design decisions impact the use of DnD staples like magic items, monsters, and so on. I have already decided that magical metal weapons can only be fashioned from Golan metal fallen to earth from the sundered Golan moon (see To Sûr With Love). That has all sorts of implications, but while reviewing monsters in the Swords & Wizardry ruleset, I saw an interesting opportunity to harmonize a traditional D&D monster with its new environment.

The changes are in the flavor text; I made only minimal changes to the S&W stats. Some might regard this as fluff, but fluff is the stuff from which adventures are made. Decisions made here have a large impact on how golems might be used and by whom, and where they might be encountered.

Golems
Golems are animated man-shaped creatures fashioned from the various elements of Golan rock. Golems are created by particularly powerful priests, though clerics of more modest ability have been known to animate golems if blessed by an Avatar or working from librams preserved by certain temple sects.

Golems possess a rudimentary intelligence and knowledge of their creator’s native tongue, and can follow simple instructions. Golems cannot speak. They are incapable of disobeying their creators, but caution is warranted when commanding them, because they tend to be very literal in interpretation. They also simply stop listening when commands become too complex, which can lead to tasks being half completed, sometimes with disastrous results!

Golems can only be hurt by weapons fashioned from Golan metal. They are also immune to the sorts of spells used to create them (iron golems being immune to fire, for instance).

Clay Golem
Clay golems are fashioned from soil and water drawn from the impact crater of a Golan meteor. Because such sites in the Old World tend to have towns and cities built up over them, the clay golem is most closely associated with urban environments.

Due to the mix of profane earthly matter with the blessed Celestial elements borne from the sundered Golan moon, Clay golems are somewhat unstable. For each round of combat, a clay golem has a 1% chance (cumulative) to go berserk, leaving its master’s control and attacking enemies and allies alike.

Non-magical weapons made of Golan metal do half damage to clay golems, while enchanted ones do full damage. They are immune to all spells other than those affecting earth, and these have very diminished effects—with one exception. An earthquake spell utterly destroys a clay golem.

Clay Golem: HD 12 (50hp); AC 7[12]; Atk 1 fist (3d10); Move 8; Save 5; CL/XP; 14/2700; Special: Weapons fashioned of Golan metal to hit (non-magical Golan weapons do half damage), immune to spells.

Stone Golem
Stone golems are fashioned from Golan meteor rock. When the requisite amount of rock is gathered, it is fused together to form a massive stone statue and animated by very powerful magic.

Stone golems can only be harmed by magical +1 or better weapons fashioned from Golan metal. They are slowed by fire spells, and damaged/healed by rock to mud spells and the reverse. Spells that affect rock (and fire spells) are the only magic that affects them.

Stone Golem: HD 15 (60hp); AC 5[14]; Atk 1 fist (3d8); Move 6; Save 3; CL/XP 16/3200; Special: +1 or better magical weapon fashioned of Golan metal to hit, immune to most magic.

Iron Golem
Iron golems, fashioned from Golan metal itself, are the rarest and most powerful of all golems. These huge moving statues of iron can breathe a 10 foot radius cloud of poison gas. They can only be harmed by magical +2 or better weapons fashioned from Golan metal. They are slowed by lightning spells, but fire-based spells actually restore hit points to them. No other type of spell affects them.

Iron Golem: HD 20 (80hp); AC 3[16]; Atk 1 weapon or fist (4d10); Move 6; Save 3; CL/XP 18/3800; Special: Poison gas, +2 or better magical weapon fashioned of Golan metal to hit, slowed by lightning, healed by fire, immune to most magic.

Javartan Ogre Warrior

2009-04-01T23:09:00.019-04:00

Because ogres play such a prominent role in the Javarta campaign, I created a character race to suit the more martial members of their kind, for use as PCs or NPCs. The following class is based largely on the Barbarian class created by Michael Curtis in his excellent article "New Classes and Racial Variants for Basic Dungeons & Dragons" (very helpful reading if you wish to tinker with new races and classes), but has a few new bits as well. This is written up in Swords and Wizardry format, but should be equally applicable to most flavors of D&D0e. I'll detail the culture more in a future post.

Javartan Ogre Warrior
Hit Die Type: 1d10 per level. After reaching 9 hit dice, the ogre warrior gains only 3 hit points per level

Armor/Shield Permitted: Any but metal

Weapons Permitted: Any

Prime Attribute (5% xp bonus): Strength 13+

Standing at a mere seven feet, Javartan ogres are much smaller than their northern cousins, as well as more intelligent. While most ogres are farmers who can fight defensively using polearm or knife, the larger tribes boast a complement of fighters trained in the arts of war. These ogre warriors protect the tribe and its headman, lead hunting parties, and fight when called upon. When displaced by tribal conflict or seized by wanderlust, some drift into the colonies in search of work.

Due to their training and great bulk, ogre warriors do double their normal damage with their main attack when they elect to charge into melee (this only applies to the first attack, and they cannot do this if surprised). They can use any weapon and both attack and save as fighters of equal level.

Like most ogres of their culture, ogre warriors regard wearing metal armor as unnatural—bordering on unholy—and will go defenseless rather than desecrate themselves by donning it (they do not care if others wear it, however). They may use non-metal shields, and indeed, many carry small rattan bucklers with a large hook set in its face, that, in the hands of an ogre warrior, can sometimes snare an attacker's weapon.

Ogres regard magical items known to their culture—weapons, armor, potions and jewelry—as useful tools, but will have nothing to do with other sorts of magical items (even those usable by fighters), including scrolls. Even civilized ogres are rather provincial in this regard.

Reaching 9th level: When an ogre warrior reaches level 9, he becomes a headman and attracts 5d10 loyal ogre warriors of 1st and 2nd level due to his renown. These followers never need check morale as long as the character is present, and fight to the death in his service. Losses to these numbers of loyal followers are not replaced.

(click for a larger view)

143,750 experience points per level for each additional level beyond the 12th.

Ogre Rattan Buckler: As standard shield, but on a natural 20 attack roll, the hook in the face catches the attacker’s weapon or appendage; the attacker loses the first (usually only) attack on the next round. This benefit may not apply against all foes (DM’s call).

Monkey-tastic

2009-03-31T23:37:00.004-04:00

Mr. Scott of World of Thool has pushed my king o' awesome button with his monkey character class. Dude, they are so going into the Javarta campaign. The monkey character has been an icon of Asian fantasy since Journey to the West was written eons ago, and there are plenty of natural slots for such a race in my world.

And since I'm designing a monk class that can fight in the monkey style (also tied to Charisma like Scott's critter)... In fact, here's a description of the monkey fighting style (a work in progress):

The Monkey style is centered on the ability to move swiftly lightly, and unpredictably. An apparent lack of technique annoys the followers of other schools, but annoying opponents is a key component of the Monkey school. As is the ability to use a variety of found objects—sewing needles, ink brushes, musical instruments, and playing cards—as weapons with unfailing accuracy.

It will be a lot more fun to pull off with actual monkeys, eh? Plus, "monkeys" is fun to say. Almost as fun as "pants". Almost.

A Pocketful of Whimsy

2009-03-31T21:47:00.007-04:00

Another little collection of websites I enjoy visiting, many of which have RPG utility:

Shorpy. A huge collection of high-res photos from the 20th century, many from the earlier decades. Because the images are so high-res, you can really zoom in and get a real sense of the world the photographer was capturing. An excellent resource for Call of Cthulhu players and Keepers.
This is the Hand Drawn Map Association. The title says it all, really. Takes me back to the many maps I created in my younger years, with pencil, Ultraflair, watercolors and colored pencils. It was a big day when blue highlighters were introduced: At last, a coloration technique for water that didn't obscure labels or wrinkle the paper!
The Map Realm. This guy goes one up on everyone else: he creates an imaginary island nation, and proceeds to design elaborate contemporary road maps for every inch.
Lines and Colors. Lovers of art, both beautiful and fantastical, go here. Try Eyvind Earle on for size (one of his paintings graces this post).
Grandma's Graphics. Unique clipart from vintage storybooks. Some good ideas in here.
Set Decorators Society of America . Ever wonder who populates all of those sets in movies? No? Well, want to see what 24's Cloe keeps in her drawers? The society has a full color magazine filled with articles on the subject, available as free pdf downloads. I know, you're still stuck on Cloe's drawers, aren't you?
Disturbing Auctions . One of the hidden gems of teh internets. Revel in the strangeness of your fellow human beings! See the pregnant keychains, killer clowns, and hairy purses people attempted to sell on eBay! Disturbing Auctions has not been updated for some time, sadly.

The Many Uses of Moon Rock

2009-03-29T03:08:00.006-04:00

I mentioned that the campaign setting I'm developing, which I've decided to call the Javarta Campaign after its principal colony port, is drawn from two sources. The New World is drawn from notes I assembled in writing a Masterbook chapter. The Old World is drawn from a setting created for a different project.

We've already touched on the back history of the shadow mages and a great battle of antiquity. Now a bit more on the planet's moon and the changes they have wrought on the world.

Scholars may have their own word for the world you live on, but to you and everyone you know, it's called “the world” or “Earth.” Besides the usual run of continents, seas and ice caps, it has two interesting features: the moon that occasionally visits, and the moon that is no longer a moon.

The former, known in the West as Lumos or the War Moon, spends most of its career ranging through the sky as a pea-sized dot that glows amber like a dim ember. Every 200 years or so, in the space of two years it grows larger and larger until it fills the sky, and then presently passes back into the great void. Its next visit is due in seven years. It is called the War Moon because its arrival is attended by earthquakes, great tidal maelstroms and other calamities.

Such as the children of the second moon, Gola. Sages who have studied ancient tablets say that Gola was once Earth's greater moon. Long ago, when men yet hunted the gilaphants and were hunted in turn by dragons in the untamed savannah, long before written record, Gola was shattered into billions of pieces. According to legend, it was a titanic battle between God's Celestials and the evil jinn summoned by the Sûrian shadowmages that led to Gola's ruin. Others theorize that it was collision with a rogue celestial body that destroyed the moon. Every religion has an account of the moon's sundering, and most conflict.

Gola's remains encircle the globe in a great ring. Alternatively known as Golan's Tears or Golan's Stair, it arcs from horizon to horizon as a silvery thread, glowing brightly at night and dimly in the day. When Golan shattered, the sky went dark and for hundreds of years debris rained down on the Earth. The long years of Golan stone showers wrought great destruction, but also planted the seeds of new growth—within the craters created by fallen moon explorers found deposits of red ore.

When refined, this ore becomes a strong reddish metal, the only metal on Earth that can be enchanted. That made it valuable as the base material for fine armor and weaponry.

I know I'm going to go with at least that much in my campaign. That Golan metal is the only metal on Earth that can be enchanted places an interesting constraint on the creation of many magic weapons. That the ring does not pass over the Eastern Empire means that Golan metal is much rarer there, and its people have probably developed substitutes (he said obliquely, mindful of his players in his audience).

That said, Golan ore does have other uses. I'm just not entirely sure I'm going to add this particular element to the Javarta campaign:

When left in its natural state and exposed to a low-power electrical current—and for some time after—Golan ore floats, and is capable of lifting many times its weight. It is lift rock, as the red ore is now known, that gives airships their power of flight—as long as a ship’s steam generator continues to generate a current. When the current dies, the rock very slowly loses its lift.

Obviously, lift rock is a great strategic resource, and great cities and fortresses are erected around meteor craters to protect it. Roving air fleets may only be maintained by the most powerful nations capable of seizing or protecting its precious cache of lift rock. Most of the land-based deposits have been exhausted, though new sources sometimes come to light.

New discoveries lead to rock rushes; if the territory is in dispute or in a vulnerable region, a war between kingdoms over the mining rights is likely. Indeed, the 30 Years War began with the discovery of a Golan meteor in an area of the Nordjelds claimed by both Gaelia and Brussia.

Some closed societies are rumored to obtain lift rock from mines worked in secret to avoid the attentions of the greater powers. The Sergassio Freeholders almost certainly have an unrecorded source of lift rock to power their dragonships. The Kirkwall Highlanders and the Sûrian caliphates also been rumored to have their own caches, but because they do not boast large airship fleets, it is difficult to assess their supply.

At this point, I'm not speculating too hard on what all this mooning about does to the tides! Maybe later.

What Would King Arthur Do?

2009-03-28T16:10:00.020-04:00

When D&D3e introduced challenge ratings, it was to help DMs balance encounters to provide PCs a robust encounter that would neither under- nor overwhelm them. It was a good design idea, but ultimately, many PCs found themselves wandering through a Goldilocks land where the average encounter was neither too easy nor too difficult, but juuust right.

Does that sound like the Fellowship in Moria facing the Balrog? One of the hallmarks of old school gaming—particularly in wilderness adventures, but also in the dungeon environment—is the knowledge that some foes are beyond you.

The DM has a responsibility to create a fun and challenging environment for the PCs. Usually this means presenting them with adversaries they can overcome if they bring all of their resources and wits to bear (though success may not always come through combat).

But if you're playing old school, don't rush into every encounter confident that the DM has stacked the deck to give you a fair chance. If there's a T-Rex in the next valley, are you really up to tangling with it after those five orcs nearly had their way with you? Probably not, but nothing's going to stop you if you have a mind to try. Perhaps you have a brilliant plan to overcome your weakness—if you do succeed in felling the beast, fortune and glory are rightfully yours. But don't rush in all wussy and 2nd level hoping that some mitigating factor—namely the magic of game balance—has rendered it weak enough for you to kick its butt in a straight-up fight. Remember that lawyer in Jurassic Park?

In the old school tradition, sometimes overcoming foes means circumventing them. Or, in the immortal words of King Arthur...

This post was inspired by a Trollsmyth post in which Trollsmyth says much the same thing, only better. It's well worth checking out.

Under the Shadowdark

2009-03-27T23:50:00.003-04:00

The lads at Penny Arcade profile a dungeon old school style. (Potty mouth warning.)

Game Store Exotica

2009-03-27T17:42:00.010-04:00

In 1982, game products weren't exactly easy to find in Harford County, Maryland. I had three basic outlets:

The toystore down by the mall, where a number of TSR modules were desultorily stuffed into a cardboard box next to the Empire Strikes Back action figures; there was also a fair selection of Avalon Hill games on the back row next to the bicycles.
The Walden Bookstore at the mall, which had a somewhat larger selection of modules in the sci-fi section shuffled randomly among the Starlog books and ElfQuest graphic novels.
The Little Professor Bookstore across the street at the lesser, open air mall, which had a few battered copies of 0eD&D booklets that never sold, and was the only store in town to carry Dragon magazine.

Bottom line, my gaming universe was pretty much limited to TSR's product and the occasional Wizard's War and Squad Leader box.

Except on that rare occasion when some family outing chanced to take us to the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore—and the What's Your Game store. In its heyday, this store was a curious blend of upscale traditional games—deluxe Chess, Othello, and Backgammon sets made of wood, brass, and marble—and grungy RPG supplements and the odd Cerebus comic.

This was my chance to embrace the exotic games I saw only in the ads of Dragon, and I gotta say I relished the prospect with the delight Ralphie Parker reserved for his official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle. There they were, arrayed in their wire frame comic book rack: the Thieves Guild supplements, the Encyclopedia Harnicas, the Call of Cthulhu and Traveller modules—and the rows and rows of garish Judges Guild books.

I always blew my allowance on these trips, carefully poring over my options to determine which two or three items I would favor with my limited purse. In one trip I took home the Thieves Guild Special #1 Prince of Thieves, the Book of Treasure Maps II, and the GenCon IX Dungeon. A swag pile like that earned bragging rights amongst my school mates for a few weeks at least, and then there was the pleasure of thumbing through their pages again and again, imagining the possibilities and fitting bits into the homebrew campaign ceaselessly percolating in my mind. (Such is the inner life of the proto-game designer).

In retrospect, some of these game products were great, and some, to put it kindly, were not. This all came to mind as I began assembling and reviewing game products that might support the upcoming campaign. I'll be reviewing some of them in the coming weeks, beginning with Corsairs of Tallibar by Judges Guild. A towering icon of gaming history or early 80s RPG pulp? Stay tuned for my verdict...

The Gallant Fraternity

2009-03-24T22:09:00.006-04:00

I mentioned Outlaws of the Marsh last week. It's a three volume collection of stories based on folk tales and historical accounts that detail the adventures of a large band of Chinese criminals, disgraced officials, and banished monks who gather into a mighty tribe of bandits operating out of a swamp fortress. Along with Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, and A Dream of Red Mansions, it's one of the top four works of Chinese literature—and by-the-by a great source for campaign and adventure ideas. Really jam-packed.

One of the captivating aspects of the work is that its heroes and villains are of the adventuring class—mighty warriors, wandering clerics, wily merchants, crafty sages, and bold thieves all going about their business in the mountain passes, teaming cities, and broad, silty rivers of the Middle Kingdom. All in all, it features 787 detailed characters, more than any other novel in the world.

And no matter how honorable or infamous, all men (and some women) of action are members of the "gallant fraternity". Reputation, skill at arms, and panache seem to count more in the moral reckoning of the stories than considerations of morality, loyalty, or obeying the law. How else to explain how otherwise upright defenders of the weak can greet with every sign of pleasure a husband and wife pair of innkeepers who make dumplings from the flesh of their weaker guests? Rep trumps all.

I am applying this concept of the gallant fraternity to the campaign: all adventurers—the good, the bad, and the ugly—are viewed by the native populace in equal measures of awe, distrust, and respect. Sort of how one might imagine in the West a peasant greeting a warrior who is all at once a knight, gypsy, and known cattle thief. The more powerful characters will make a name for themselves, so I suspect I'll be introducing a Reputation mechanic to track reactions to NPCs and the PCs as they advance.

If you have Dragon #54, check out "The Righteous Robbers of Liang Shan P'o" on page 16 for write-ups and AD&D stats for some of the most prominent members of the band ("righteous robbers" is another translation of "gallant fraternity"). And if you're casting about for a new reading project, consider reading the novel for yourself. Pearl Buck published an early translation called All Men are Brothers in the 1920s, but the link above offers a more recent and complete version. DMs, there are enough adventure ideas in these pages to keep a campaign rolling for years, and your players won't have seen the movie beforehand.

Kingdoms of the Old World

2009-03-21T21:39:00.010-04:00

Though the action of the campaign is likely to center on the colonies for a long while, PCs need to come from somewhere. Thus I have cribbed from the story bible of a writing project I am working on to present players some homeland options. Nothing too detailed, but enough, perhaps, to provide some background hooks and context for the factions that may be at work in the New World.

Brussia
Brussia is a sprawling empire that covers much of the mainland east of the Gaelian Islands. It consists of a number of smaller kingdoms and frontier protectorates which have been assimilated into the dominant Brussian empire over several centuries of aggressive military and economic expansion. The core of the empire is Brussia proper, a mountainous land of deep mountain lakes, forboding forests of fir and black oak, and fertile valleys well-suited for grain crops. The Bern River runs through central Brussia, linking its landlocked towns with the coastal cities.

Brussians are a no-nonsense and law-abiding folk who place great stock in reliability, submission to authority, and attention to detail. Ironically, they are also as a people quite proud and aggressive, and prone to turning on their rulers if not provided constant enemies beyond Brussia’s borders upon which to focus their ire. As a result, Brussia has a long history of attacking its neighbors.

The Periphery Kingdoms
Countering the might of Brussia are a number of smaller neighboring kingdoms. Many of these are little more than fortified city states, but a few span hundreds of miles or several islands. When unified, they pose a significant threat to Brussia’s exposed flanks, but separately only Gaelia, the most powerful of the Periphery Kingdoms, can hope to stand against the might of Brussia’s war rockets and countless soldiers.

Gaelia
Gaelia is a large mountainous island with a rocky coast and a daunting but breathtakingly beautiful interior. Rendered unusually mild due to its exposure to a warm ocean stream striking its western shores, Gaelia is a green lush land dominated by limestone karst towers and ravines, thick tangles of kudzu, various palm plants, and oak and cyprus trees festooned with spanish moss.

Many streams in the interior bubble through gorges and gullies, but few remain above for long, instead gathering in mossy pools before draining back underground. Only as they near the coast do they re-emerge for good, gathering into narrow and fast-moving rivers. Two prominent rivers in Gaelia—the Wheys and the Timberwil, wend their way through the karst towers, linking the lakes and swamps into a single network.

Because communities were quite isolated in the centuries before flight, all Gaelians have a streak of independence and self-reliance. Few of its kings have commanded anything like the raw power of a Brussian kaiser. Until quite recently in its history, in fact, Gaelia was a confederation of citystates and petty kingdoms. To this day, ancient noble families enjoy a certain independence from their liege in the day-to-day affairs of their baronies.

Highlands
Most of Gaelia’s settlements are along the coasts. The mountainous interior, dominated by the Kirkwall mountain range, is claimed by the clans that once dominated the fertile southern plains. They were driven into less hospitable regions by waves of Braveau raiders and settlers superior in arms and number. Even now, generations later, they have little love for the lowlanders or laws of the king.

The lawless Kirkwall Marches have long been infamous for their highway robbers, sheep thieves, and bordertown raiders, Most of the infamous thieves and adventurers of dubious quality in Gaelian tales are of the Kirkwall clans.

Though they prefer their own culture to that of the dominant Gaelians, they are not backward men, and are quick to adopt new weapons of offense and defense.

The great number of underground streams, eating away at the limestone over the centuries, have impacted the terrain. There are many natural cave networks in the highlands. Several of these have collapsed in broad depressions and flooded, forming broad stretches of swampland.

Iona
Iona is a small island off the coast of Gaelia. Sheltered by the Bay of Barclave and outlying islands, it has long served as home to the Gaelian Senshi order. For centuries, the convent was supported by a small village, whose people fish and herd sheep over the island’s rocky interior flatlands.

During the 30 Years War the convent was sacked by Brussian invaders and fortified as a forward base. The convent was rebuilt after the war, but little remains of its wondrous gardens, inspiring stained glass windows or ancient library. The village has not been restored, and the Senshi sisters subside largely on their own efforts and occasional shipments from the mainland.The convent is in decline, but this is largely due to a lack of support from the Gaelian Crown and the collapse of the order’s homeland in Braveau. A recent delegation of Senshi brothers from Sergassio have taken residence at Iona to shore up its flagging economy.

Braveau
Braveau is a mild land of gently rolling hills and river valleys. To the north and west, the land begins to swell into hillocks and swales that are the precursors of the Vetican Alps. It is known for its fine wines, clockworks, and flower trade.

Braveau was cursed with three generations of inept but well-guarded kings, the last of whom surrendered his army unblooded to Brussia early in the 30 Years War, though his people were eager to fight. He tragically fell down the stairs of the palace soon after, and though rumored to be on the mend, died a few days later in his sleep.

Braveau’s new figurehead ruler, King Alfones, is not popular among the people, and as Brussia tightens its grip, the nobles who remain in power fear open revolt. Two of the King’s forests have burned in recent years.

Vetica
Vetica is a small land of towering mountains and deep valleys. Its hardy people produce very fine cheeses, leather goods, and wool. They are also excellent miners and breeders—Vetica's powerful and fearless steeds are in high demand among the nobility of neighboring kingdoms.

Because its mountain passes close early each year, Vetica has not yet been absorbed by Brussia. Its robust army may also have something to do with it as well. One of Vetica’s most famous exports are its mercenaries.

The Vetican Alps are the traditional home of the Selvic Gnomes, and they are a common sight in its fellowships and towns. The Senshi Order is headquartered in Vetica. Its retreats are hidden in mountain fasts far from Brussian eyes.

Sergassian League
The Sergassian League is a confederation of trading houses located on a series of island chains in the Sergassio Sea. Caperbaum, Benita, and other port towns were long haven for pirates, drawn to the area due to deep and protected harbors, the ruins of ancient Sûrian ziggurats to build upon, and proximity to shipping lanes.

Grown wealthy due to their successful raiding, the pirate clans gradually transitioned into the more lawful pursuit of trade. They have not yet shaken the black mark of their past deeds, however, and their trade lords are only begrudgingly accepted in polite society.

League towns are colorful settlements of white adobe, blue roofs, and citrus groves. Built on the foundations of ancient Sûr cities, some buildings extend down into underground vaults and galleries craved out of the coral and volcanic bedrock. Not all of the vaults described in surviving scrolls have been found, and it’s said that brass temples dedicated to the malefic jinn still lie beneath the humming markets, filled with cursed gold, the talking Golan metal heads the shadowmages used to communicate with their masters, and fell guardians. The Fellstaff clerical order keeps watch on these ruins and studies its history and artifacts.

Two Diverting Cartography Links

2009-03-20T00:46:00.003-04:00

I love maps. It started with Tolkien and Lewis, and all ran downhill from there. I'll talk more about 'em later, but for the moment, check out Making Maps: DIY Cartography if you like mapmaking. Two posts I found especially interesting:

I actually went out and bought the journal the second post came from. Good stuff!

To Sûr With Love

2009-03-19T20:40:00.004-04:00

Some authors love writing their own ancient lore. Top of the class is Tolkien (and really, who can top him?), but authors as varied as H.P. Lovecraft, Frank Herbert, and George Lucas have also used the device to good effect. It can be an entertaining way of introducing exposition. It can also be self-indulgent!

On that note, a little purple campaign prose to kick off our discussion of the Old World:

Long ago, in an age lost to history, a great and proud people known to legend as the Sûr ruled a large island kingdom located in the Sea of Rune. In ambition and drive they had no equal, and working in secret, opened a way between the world of Men and the world of the Celestials, and certain servants of the Celestial Esshua broke the Veil and took physical form, and the Sorcerers who knelt trembling before them named them jinn.

The jinn taught men how to fashion and build mighty works. They showed them how to bring Golan ore to Earth from Gola, the Iron Moon, and how to use it to construct wondrous enchanted devices and flying ships which could sail far and wide over the lands and seas.

Meanwhile, corrupted by their pride and power and the temptations of earthly flesh, the jinn yielded to terrible appetites growing within them, surpassing in cruelty even their master Esshua, who knew not all that they did in secret. Thousands disappeared into the temple mazes beneath their towering brass ziggurats, never to be seen again.

The Holy One, not willing to forsake the Sûrs nor abandon them utterly to the devices of Esshua, sent them a prophet named Aelias. Travelling to Sûr, Aelias preached a return to the hand of God, and foretold a great doom for Sûr should its people continue in their sinful ways. A few listened and followed him, but the jinn and their servants laughed at his words and plotted to kill him. He was slain in the city square by shadow mage assassins. With his dying breath, he cursed the Sûr and said that a time was coming when none would be safe from the devilry of their own works.

After that, the arrogance of Esshua’s people knew no bounds. Alghûl, the lord of the jinn, resolved to destroy all other peoples utterly. He encouraged the people of Sûr to look abroad and regard with envy the resources—metals, coal, oil and timber—of neighboring tribes which lay unexploited and free for the taking. The jinn whispered that the other tribes had become lax and irresponsible custodians of the lands and resources the Holy One and His Celestials had given them.

The Sûr in their pride believed, and taking to the skies in their airships, fell upon their neighbors, taking what they would, and destroying the rest. Kingdoms and city states alike fell before the might of their armies and wizardry, and the peoples of the Celestials were scattered.

The Celestials, led by Maeus, implored Esshua to reign in his people, but he was beyond reason. He cast the envoys of Maeus from his domain, and sealed himself within it. God saw that Esshua was lost to His Light, and declared that ever after would Esshua remain in the exile he had chosen for himself, together with his Avatar followers.

But Esshua’s jinn still roamed the earth corrupting men, and now the restraint Esshua had placed upon them was removed, so that the jinn and the Sorcerors of Sûr worked ever more abominable evils. God gave leave to his faithful Celestials to restrain the jinn as they would, but would permit neither them nor their Avatars to cross over the Veil to confront the jinn directly. The Celestials therefore chose from their respective peoples seven champions, one for each nation of men, and through dreams and visions moved them to action. The leader of the seven was Refindi, the chosen of Maeus, and his fellows were Gathiel, Ortello, Icena, Furioso, Gael, and Fingus.

Thus began a titanic struggle between tribes of men and the Celestials that changed the face of the world and rocked the very heavens. The jinn themselves went to war, slaying all before them with terrible curses and leading the Sûr legions by foot when their airships would not avail them, while the shadow mages stepped out of the dark to slay without warning, and disappear as quickly as they came. Oft was Refindi and his warhorse Balemane seen at the head of his army, smiting man and jinn alike with his terrible sword, and of the beautiful Icena, the champion of the Swan Maiden, men say she wielded a mighty silver bow that sang like a harp as she fired, and every shaft sped home to its target…

Dah de dah de dah... Nothing terribly original there, but it's a useful framing tool. Aside from being great fun, writing bits of ancient lore like this helps me sort out ideas and provide hooks for campaign concepts.

Based on the above, there are at least five major artifacts I could write up right now, and tell you who used them, where they were lost, and some of the things you could do with them if you found them. I could tell you that because jinn hated the light their worshippers and slaves built temples and even cities for them underground. I could tell you that the Golan moon was shattered in a mighty cataclysm that dramatically altered the world in ways that directly impact the campaign. Need you ask if shadow mages and their dread servants yet lurk in the shadows? And of course, a basic theology is working its way out.

For me at least, it's a lot more fun to discover these aspects of my world as I crank out the purple prose than generate them out of whole cloth. Of course, I didn't invent all of the above in one go—the theological approach hinted at took some time to develop. But having internalized some ideas, I sat down and starting slinging sentences together, and discovered things I hadn't known ahead of time. Did you know that magic armor, swords and the like can only be fashioned from Golan ore? Me neither! It came to me as I wrote this essay.

The East Indies D&D Company

2009-03-18T19:33:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Sakabutra, Gaelia’s colonial beachhead in the southern hemisphere. The castles, cathedrals and creature comforts of your homeland are half a world—and two months hard sailing—away. Here, the seaside forts of Sakabutra are surrounded by troubled seas, deep jungles, rival great powers and restless natives—some of which are even human.

That's the campaign opening. The catch is that the PCs haven't arrived of their own free will. They're convicts cast into this new colony to work off the cost of their passage and then make their way as best they can.

The New World

I am avoiding some creative heavy lifting by borrowing from two different worlds I developed a while ago, one for the New World and the other for the Old. I developed many of the elements that will go into the Colonies as a sample world-creating exercise in a chapter I wrote for the Masterbook Companion.

Remember that brainstorm list? I used it to rough in my sample world:

A fantasy world in a South Seas colonial setting. The stereotypical European fantasy nations may exist, but they are far away. Here, the seaside forts of the westerners are surrounded by troubled seas, deep jungles, wild port towns, and restless natives (few of them human). The main business of the day is keeping the trade routes from the tropical spice fields and diamond mines to the western nations clear of pirates and the privateer craft of enemy nations. Magic will definitely put the locals on a more equal footing on the colonizers than were their historical counterparts in southeast Asia.
Fighting sail stories: elements from the worlds of Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower, with a bit of Harry Flashman mixed in for good measure. I’ve always enjoyed the works of Patrick O’Brian, C.F. Forester, and George MacDonald Fraser, and have been wanting to do a fantasy take on their worlds for awhile. Instead of cannon and grapeshot, how about sorcerers schooled in the arts of naval warfare?
A civilized ogre king attempting to bring his backward barbaric nation into the “modern” world as projected by the Western colonizers. I picture a nonhuman version of King Mongkut (the 19th-century king of Siam immortalized in Rogers and Hammerstein’s The King and I), or the various Tokugawa and Meiji-era daimyo of Japan. This fellow is cultured, urbane, well-educated, and desperate to modernize his nation fast enough to keep westerners from invading and colonizing his kingdom. Our ogre king will be an important figure in the local balance of power.
I’m already seeing an Earth convention I want to turn on its head (in this case literally), just for a change of pace. Let’s turn the globe upside down, and put the pseudo-European powers in the far south rather than the far north. Let the backward colonies lie to the north for a change. If this little departure from the European model serves to remind the players not to make assumptions about the campaign environment, it serves my purposes.
Oh, what the heck. Let’s give the colonists a bit of an Aztec flavor just for fun. Let’s not be too conventional and boring, here!
Giant swans. Geez, talk about avoiding convention! On the face of it, giant swans sound silly. At least I hope they do; I’m counting on the players thinking so, anyway, until the massacre begins. I was reading a book on children’s book illustrators, and saw a fanciful painting by Kay Nielson featuring several fierce roc-sized swans swooping down to devour a party of panicked Persians. Despite their common image as peaceful tranquil animals gliding along on glassy lakes, swans can be fierce birds. Normal swans eat tiny fish, but what might huge swans eat? People, maybe? Pelicans might work better than swans in a sea setting.
Mermaids. I’ve always liked mermaids, and they certainly fit the genre. I’d like to do something a little different with them, though. I don’t know exactly what yet.
Pirates. Of course. They may have their own war mages. Even the local human and nonhuman outrigger navies might have powerful shaman aboard.
Elements from southeast Asian cultures and myth, and maybe a bit lifted from Persian culture. Things like giant turtles, bird gods, and so on. Then again, the colonists might have a bit of this themselves, depending on how closely I decide to stick with the Aztec idea.
Bamboo glades, bright green and misty. I picture a verdant and peaceful forest of bright green bamboo stalks, gently tonking and clacking against one another in the breeze. This is a little atmospheric element I’d like to work in somewhere (not all of your elements need to be major).
The presence of a pseudo-Chinese empire, which has a complex culture and Byzantine political structure, with endless ranks of skilled bureaucrats, diplomats, and governors. The assignment to the campaign area is seen by the government officials and merchants of this nation as an exile. Perhaps they are out of favor at Court.

That's my original list from 1996. Not everything on it will make it into my 2009 campaign. (I wouldn't post actual spoilers here, guys!) For example, the Aztec flavor is out, as are the swans, and I have a fairly good idea of what the mermaids are up to. I've also read Outlaws of the Marsh since then, which gives me some ideas...Next time, some tidbits on the New World, and a bit later after that, some thoughts on how these ideas are gelling.

Coralignment

2009-03-16T21:36:00.001-04:00

I greatly enjoyed watching Coraline a few weeks ago, and will probably see it again this week in 3D—Pleasure Island at Disney has put it back in the 3D theater.

One thing I couldn't decide on first viewing was whether the plot better represents a far more subtle tweak at C.S. Lewis' Narnia series than Pullman ever managed, or a brilliant illustration of the true nature of sin.

Option A: Into the Closet

So there's this girl who moves into a strange big house in the country. Cut off from her normal routine and friends, on a rainy day she begins to explore her surroundings and discovers this mundane door, beyond which is a magical land filled with wonders. This realm is peopled by talking animals, strange beasts, and a generous but unsafe Ruler who offers the girl ultimate fulfillment, if only she will first surrender her will to the Ruler.

Ah, but not all is as it seems, and the girl discovers that living under the authority of the Ruler is a soul-crushing experience, and even as she finds herself a prisoner, she sees all the gossamer castles and promises melting into dank and sticky webs suitable only for trapping the unwary. Only by relying on her own resources and a mystic bauble can the girl win freedom for herself and the other the Ruler has ensnared.

This interpretation is not very flattering to Lewis (or his Muse), it must be agreed.

Option B: Into the Stable

"In where?" asked Edmund.
"Why, you bone-head, in here of course," said Diggle. "In this pitch-black, poky, smelly little hole of a stable."
"Are you blind?" said Tirian.
"Ain't we all blind in the dark?" said Diggle.

In this reading, the girl discovers that what began as an exciting exploration of an easy life of indulgences beyond the moral boundaries set by her parents makes a subtle transition into a dark and miserable prison where every wonder—from the magical garden to the moon itself—proves to be but a deflated counterfeit of the Real Thing. Worse, the accommodating servant is now a terrible Mistress who intends to suck her prey's soul dry.

The terrible truth about sin is that while it promises freedom, pleasure and getting what you will—an existence bereft of God's companionship, it only delivers on the last. I think Lewis through his stable dwarfs illustrates this concept well enough.

I really don't know if Coraline bears the weight of either of these interpretations (I rather prefer the second), but it's fun to speculate. I look forward to trying it out again, this time in 3D.

The Brainstorm List

2009-03-15T20:18:00.008-04:00

Ernest Lehman, the screenwriter of North by Northwest, relates that the original outline as presented by Alfred Hitchcock consisted of a series of unrelated bullets. I can't find the book containing the list right now, but it had items like this in it:

Man is chastised for falling asleep in a UN session—but he's actually dead.
A showdown at Mount Rushmore.
A dramatic chase scene in the middle of an empty field.

And so on. It was basically Hitchcock's list of things he'd like to see in a movie. Lehman's task was to take these disparate bits and make a compelling story out of them. He worked a miracle, and the rest is history.

I love this right-brain approach to world building, and always start the creative process with a brainstorm list—things that interest me and that I'd like to capture in a campaign setting. The brainstorm list is a way of tapping into all of these great ideas burbling around in my head, and getting them down on paper where I can deal with them. These ideas—features, characters, scenes, genre elements, themes, and so on—will serve as the building blocks of my campaign. Once I have them down, I can sort through them and pick out the ideas that really work well together.

The key in creating a brainstorm list is to keep moving. Don’t analyze what you are writing, don’t stop and try to develop the ideas too much at this stage; just get it all down, one point after the other. Begin with the ideas you definitely want to include in your campaign, and then move on to less crucial but interesting ideas. Get wild, get crazy. Don’t hold back.

The items on the list need not link together in a coherent fashion to begin with—indeed, the unusual juxtapositions of unrelated ideas can spark a great idea you haven’t thought of. One of the most entertaining aspects of this method is establishing the links between the various ideas—just like Lehman did.

You may be surprised at some of the ideas that pop out. This method, like the word-association parlor game, tends to engage your subconscious, and can produce some very interesting ideas and concepts that you haven’t consciously been thinking about. It makes sense, really, since you are, just a little, stepping into a part of your brain which usually waits until you are asleep to manifest itself in the form of dreams. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when you really get into it, some fairly weird but very cool ideas can bubble up to the surface.

I'll write about my campaign brainstorm list in a bit, but here's a fun list to play with in the meantime:

Flash Gordon-type space opera action adventure.
Old West town near Mexican border. Very rough, and filled with bandits and hired guns.
Story arc including abduction of a princess by an evil samurai warrior as seen in the Japanese movie The Hidden Fortress.
Abbot and Costello. Laurel and Hardy. The tall straight man and his dumpy, comedy-relief pal. Can we use these archetypes for main supporting characters?
Souped-up hot rods. Cool custom-modified racing cars. Auto racing.
The Blue Max. World War I air combat over the trenches of France.
A Merlin/Gandalf figure who wields mysterious powers.
The works of Joseph Campbell.

This list, which is far from complete, is probably beginning to look a bit familiar. These are some of the elements George Lucas blended into Star Wars: A New Hope (though he did not necessarily use these specific sources as his inspiration, they work for our example). You can see that Lucas did not limit himself to science fiction elements in forging his story. He stepped outside the genre to borrow aspects and archetypes from other genres and non-fictional sources which interested him, from Japanese historical films and auto racing, to spaghetti westerns and the academic writings of Joseph Campbell. The brainstorm list is a great way to break out of genre conventions and find something new.

No School Like Ye Olde School

2009-03-15T10:01:00.002-04:00

As a designer, I've always been more interested in creating places and situations than crunch. Let me sketch out a planet, a city, or a temple in a smoking volcano and I'm golden. I love lean, seat-of-the-pants game systems—skeletons I can hang my creations on and bring to life. You know, systems like Basic D&D, Call of Cthulhu, Feng Shui, Teenagers from Outer Space, and WEG's d6 system. I like to keep my homework to a minimum.

What I don't particularly care for are the fussy systems replete with min/maxing, stacking, two hour combats, and artifacts that require formulas to create. GURPs, d20, and 4eD&D, I'm lookin' at you. Now, there are plenty of folks who love crunch-tastic gaming, and I'm not knocking it. It just isn't for me.

Meeple in Minutes

When I'm selecting a game system to GM or write for, one rule of thumb I go by is determining how long it takes to generate a level boss. If I can throw a bad dude together in a five minute game break or assemble an entire rogues gallery for a 20,000 word adventure in an hour or so, it's a go. If it takes hours of prep time and a calculator…not so much.

I took on a number of d20 freelance gigs in its early days. They were all great projects with leads and co-writers I enjoyed working with. I even cranked out the crunch on demand. But what soured me on d20 was the time it took to create a cast of NPCs. I'm talking hours. I couldn't help but contrast that with my experience in creating rosters for Star Wars d6 projects, which took a fraction of the time.

That 70s System

So when I began poking about for a suitably svelte system for my nascent campaign, I found that something remarkable had happened in the past year: the return of the original D&D system. It seems that the number of gamers who desired to get back to old school gaming, with its emphasis on the player interacting with the game environment rather than the character doing so, had reached a critical mass. And rather than digging out their own game books, they had used the d20 Open Gaming license to reverse engineer the d20 system into something resembling the original D&D game system. MicroLite 74, Swords & Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, and the Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game (and OSRIC if you want to emulate AD&D) are all solid options for recreating old school gaming. Developing the system anew enabled designers to post their creations without worrying about stepping on WotC's legal toes.

And boy, have they. You can opt for either a free pdf, or, by the miracle of on-demand publishing, buy soft- and hardcover rulebooks at cost. All of these systems are supported by small but active fanbases that are producing high-quality blog content, magazines, more magazines, game products, and most recently, communal megadungeons.

More on these intriguing developments in the future. Suffice it to say that my next campaign is going back to the 70s.

The First Ink Blot

2009-03-14T20:25:00.002-04:00

Greetings, and welcome to Tales of the Ink Knight. In these pages I'll be covering classic fantasy RPGing, boardgames, campaign and game design, with the occasional foray into random realms ranging from prop collecting to military hardware.

Intros can be tedious, so it's best that I get mine out of the way while no one is reading. Like most children of the 70s, I got into gaming with Sorry, Monopoly, and the usual fare. Since my father was and is a dedicated boardgamer, I also got a taste of Acquire and Risk.

I got into RPGs in '79 with the Holmes D&D boxed set, and after playing a variety of RPGs and boardgames through college, began writing for GDW's Challenge magazine and WEG's Star Wars Adventure Journal. This last association lead to a three-year gig as an editor and game designer on WEG's Star Wars line—one that gave me a chance to work with some remarkably creative people and play in George's sandbox.

I moved to Wizard Entertainment to edit InQuest Gamer magazine with another gang of talented folks (who collectively owned the largest number of action figures anyone not in a Chinese plastics factory is likely to see in one place). That Doomtown card above features fellow editor Jeff Hannes to the left and yours truly on the right. We don't know which of us is Whiskey Nick, but the sentiment is certainly apropos given the current economical climate!

I headed back to Florida in the early aughts to embrace a second career in the defense industry.

I'll talk a bit about my current game interests and design goals in my next post. In the meantime, if you'd like to get a taste for my work, check out the Lerenil supplement I created (with able support from Sophia Tribad, Jeremy Baker, Juha Makkonen, and Ilkka Leskelä) for the Hârn setting. It's got no stats, so it's ready for whatever system you'd like to use. Here's a sample map from the seaman's hostel:

Thanks again for dropping by, and hope to see you again soon.