Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Catica: the eve of battle

Things have been rather crazy at the wench bench lately. Eric, a promising young member of the Flayers interrupted the party with turning into a werewolf. Fortunately he was cut down quickly and was unable to infect anyone.

Ariel, an ambitious and attractive frost mage eyes the opening of a Lieutenant's position and is willing to do most anything for the job, including using her powerful magics to cool the drinks of her superiors. Bob and Garrett sent her to find out more about the lycanthrope and about the mysterious red shards Bob found in those pesky rats. Ariel knows of a similar kind crystals that come in pairs and resonate with each other, allowing for communication and remote control, though those crystals are extremely rare and are never this small.

Drool, searches the sleeping drunks and finds a small egg in a man's pocket. She thinks that it could hatch into a small lizard and maybe even a miniature Dragon, something that the wealthy often put collars on and name BoBo.

As the ashes of Eric were scattered to the wind, a Dwarven fellow came into the small inn, bringing with him a dozen huge wooden crates that stunk up the entire building making the wenches very unhappy. Drool opened a crate and recognized the contents to be humanoid remains that were stewing with raw necromantic energy. The problem with a product like this is even though the flesh carries a substantial amount of raw energy which can be crafted into many many things, is that the energy dissipates quickly and will become useless in a weeks time. And nobody really knew who they were supposed to sell the stuff to. So the stuffed all but one smelly crate in a warehouse, and called upon a few experts for their opinion and hopefully purchase of the meat.

A flying origami bird found it's way to the wench bench. It came bearing a message, a ransom note for Nog, with Nog's pin attached to it. After visiting a party store and finding out where Drool keeps her money (you do NOT want to know), Bob and Drool found themselves at the residence of an eldery Wizard named Sax.

Sax is a dealer in fine Magical artifacts, his store is held in his residence and only those who know that it is infact a store would know so. Just the way he likes it. Sax takes a sniff at the paper, and trades one crate of nasty dead things and a night with Mindy, and tells you that it came from the Adventurers' guild.

The group scout out the guildhall. It is a stone building that is three stories tall, with barred windows on the first floor. A mostly forgotten temple, made of the same stone sits next to the hall, they ask for a prophecy from the elderly Cleric who tells them that 'Goodness' is what has Nog and that goodness is their enemy.

The Flayers gather in the basement of the wench bench and start planning. Garrett secretly plans to kill Nog and blame it on the chaos of battle, leaving himself as Master Flayer, and also eliminating that pesky guild once and for all.

Grenades, Hordes, and Armor

Before I didn't have any rules for grenade type things, and I'm working on it. My idea is that the item will have it's own attack/damage stats and different things can have different effects. Such as some kind of grenade that makes them fall unconscious will have the status effect 1 or 2 power, with adding modifiers on the size of the room at GM discretion.

I've been thinking about how to run a mass battle type of thing because of the upcoming raid on the adventurer's guild in Catica. And I've come up with a few ideas.

1. Just use narratives. Since both sides have a bunch of minions and a handful of actually competent people, it would be easy to simply say, "Ok, this group of people and this group of people are busy fighting each other while the heroes are locked in an epic one on one fight in the middle.

2. Each minion on that side's initiative rolls 1d6 (all at the same time obviously), add up the number of 6s and that's how many minions/heavy wounds they have dealt as a group. This way is nice because it makes the battle a bit more quantifiable in terms of which group is winning and losing. However, it does take time, and if the heroes of a side win, it doesn't matter much which group of minions is left standing.

3. This one doesn't work as well with what I have planned for the next game but it is something I'm definitely going to play around with either in the playtesting group or on my own. Treat the horde as a single monster, but with a few differences. Give them a ton of health points (which in this system is like 10) which isn't necessarily representing 10 minions, each health point could be 2 or even three if your super heroic and can toss orcs like Gandalf. And give the horde a damage and/or attack bonus based on the number of HP they have left. It makes them incredibly scary at the beginning but as the battle wears on, they become much less so. I need to play with the numbers before deciding were the balance is with this one.

Armor and Mages: I wanted to have something to discourage a mage from wearing heavy plate armor. But I didn't want it to not be possible for there to be a fighter character or ranger type that can use both. So now light armor takes a -1 attack penalty to magic attacks, and heavy takes a -2.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Draft 5

Draft number 5 is here. Page count: 17 It annoys me when my boxed in things get split between two pages, so that every draft I have to space things out a bit differently. That's what all the pretty pictures will be for :)

Monday, March 22, 2010

The Daggers' names.

When you join the Daggers, you not only give your life to them, but also your identity. All new recruits must relinquish their names and take on their assigned number. Numbers do not exceed three digits, and a new recruit acquires the highest number that is not taken. (So if number 26 dies or is named, then the next to be numbered takes 26 even if there are only 300 Daggers with numbers). The numbers mean nothing, though a few Daggers try to expedite or delay their initiation to get certain numbers.

There are others, though that have names that are not numbers. These names are prized, and it is an honor to be given a name. Certain names are more prestigious than others. The only way one gets a name is by inheritance. A name is like a piece of property, it is something that you give to someone. The receiver of a name also inherits much of the reputation associated with the name, especially with those outside the Daggers who may not realize this tradition. Everyone's will is a secret, written in a book with magic weaved within it's pages so that the writing only appears after death.

Names come and go, and rise and fall within the ranks. The current high names are- Hawk, Talon, Spider, Jagged, Blade and Spark.

The only way someone can inherit more than one name is if multiple people with names die around the same time and did not have time to re-assign their name to someone else and they both had planned on giving their names to the same person. In this case the receiver take on both names, and can choose to give the names to multiple people or simply combine the names into one (ie. ShadowLark).

Catica-History

The city of Catica was founded by the great mage Dorian Catica. He used his magics to build a large square stone wall around the city, and planned the streets so that each block was a perfect square as well. It has been theorized that Dorian had obsessive compulsive tendencies, though mental illness and magery often goes hand-in-hand and is not that unusual. It has also been proposed that Dorian founded the mafribium as well as Catica city.

The curious thing about this city is it's location. Most cities grow around some well traveled place, like along a trade route so something like that. But Catica is build in the middle of the East Forest, with her farm land spaced between the trees and meadows of East Forest. Yet, despite it's obscure and hard to find location, it drew more and more people each year.

Long after Dorian Catica's disappearance the city had out grown it's square city walls and it was decided to erect a new city wall, this one circular as it is much more efficient. But they did not destroy her original wall. And to this day, the massive stone wall separates the highly organized inner city with it's haphazard outer city counterpart.

There are many ways to get through the inner wall other than it's original front gate, tall rickety wooden ladders are dotted around the walls, though climbing them can be somewhat dangerous if someone who does not like you (which in this city is almost anyone) spots you. There are many hidden doors, which is very valuable information to have. The Daggers own many of those secrets, though with the escape of Garrett, several of those doors have become used by the Flayers as well.

The city does not see many new comers or travels these days. In it's state of chaos it is no wonder why. And it has become exceedingly difficult to leave. Even news from outside Catica and her farms is hard to get without the help of a mage.

Not much else is known about the history of Catica, many of the libraries have been burned and any surviving books are heavily guarded by the mafribium.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Rules updates

So, we learned a few things about the system during the game.

1) Racial attributes will change from having a +1 and -1 in specific attributes to having a +1 and -1 in specific categories. For example- Mark's Half-orc will have a +1 in physical, and a -1 in mental making his array 6/4/2. The math works out the same and it eliminates the problem of not having negative stats.

2) All weapons will be classified as Light, medium, or heavy. Light weapons have a +1 attack, and -1 damage, medium have no changes, and heavy have -1 attack, +1 damage

3) Shields- I didn't have any rules for shields until now. Now if you have a shield you have one more point in the melee defensive combat style than you would have without a shield. Shields provide no armor bonuses.

4) Flatfooted/Surprise attack. Not sure what I'll name this, but when you catch an enemy by surprise, they loose their dexterity from their defense score for that attack

Tim and I are going to try to create an Excel program that allows one to see the chances of getting hit and damaged under different circumstances. It's a bit too complicated for me, but Tim is good with that stuff and thinks we can pull it off. It should be pretty cool.

Catica- Where Crime Rules!

Oh, the joys of Catica City. There used to be a government here, but after a few centuries of said government being corrupted, and the mayor having a average life span of two months in office, everyone sort of gave up on the idea. There are no guardsmen for civilians to run to, only local gangs who will just as likely kill you then help you.

There are three major gangs in the city, though dozens of smaller groups come and go. There are The Daggers, a highly organized group of rogues, thieves and assassins. They are mostly in it for the money, do odd jobs for the highest bidder, and breaking into any house that they so choose. One thing to be said for the daggers, is that they are relatively loyal to their own.

Then there are the Mafribium- a collection of mages, whose intentions and whereabouts are completely unknown. It is even uncertain how much influence they have over the city. Some say that they infact run both the Daggers and the Flayers, while others say they are just a bunch of old men who dabble in magics somewhere underground.

And of course, there are The Flayers. The lovely and eclectic group of nasties that the PCs have come to know and love. Master Flayer is a huge man, (rumor has it that he's part giant, though of course no one dares ask of his lineage), and his favorite Lieutenant, Nog is a small and wiry man with dark hair and unsettling eyes. Nog has been known to be extremely good with a blade, and he has undoubtedly earned his way up the ranks of the Flayers.

Bob Thrak, a half-orc that has only one tusk and a great fondness for his axe was having some fun upstairs in the Wench Bench when he was rudely interrupted by Master Flayer. He was ordered to take Garett and Drool with him to the "haunted house" on Sparkwood street and retrieve a powerful sword from there, he tells Thrak that anything else they find in the house they can take for themselves.

This particular house is fairly well known throughout the city. Many people have lived there, and have left soon after in a hurry. Garrett and Bob remember sneaking into the house at night on a dare when they were young and more easily frightened.

Garrett, had just finished "teaching" some of the younger recruits about respect when Bob told him to get ready, and Drool had been happily telling stories of her Great Auntie to no one in particular.

And without further delay, the three headed to the house.

In Catica there is no such thing as a nice part of town, yes there are areas where the houses are bigger, but the streets are just as crime and garbage filled as any other, and residences have all given up on keeping the outside of their house nice. Nearly every surface has painted graffiti, which is a nice break from other things one can find on the side of house if one looks.

The house looks quiet, no lights are seen from the windows, and the garden in the back appears overgrown but empty.

Garrett nimbly climbs over the wall to have a look around the garden, Drool follows him, and proves herself quiet useless. Garrett takes a peek into the gardener's shed/house and finds a diary that he hides from the rest of the group. He notices that amongst the gnarled vines and weeds, and dead plants, a rosebush in full bloom sits next to the shed, and looks perfectly trimmed. Garrett unceremoniously rips up the bush, and finds the bones of a human baby underneath. Not bothering to re-bury the bones, he decides that there is nothing else of interest in the garden and heads inside.

Bob does not bother to see if the front door is locked or not, and kicks in the sturdy wooden door. He finds that a thin layer of dust covers everything, and it looks like no one has entered in about a month. Knick-knacks and glassware still line the shelves, but Bob does not see any sign of the "powerful sword." He does however spot the ethereal form of a servant woman washing the floor, she does not appear to be aware of the orc's presence and speaks, "Poor Sandra, she lost the baby you know." He does however find a nice shield hanging on the wall and claims that for himself.

Drool enters the house through what used to be the front door, and is greeted by another servant ghostie who is quite aware of Drool, and attacks her with a small dagger that glints in the light and looks more solid than the figure. Drool screams for help, Bob's selective hearing ignores her. Drool casts a stunning spell at the ghost, but the magic energies flow right though her leaving her unharmed. She tries again with much the same effect.

Garrett enters though the kitchen door adjacent to the garden, and finds yet another female servant ghost that brandishes a kitchen knife and lunges at him. But before she did any serious damage to the halfling, he shoots a crossbow straight through her. The ghost screams for a second and dissipates with a pained expression. Garret then decides to go help Drool and quickly dismisses the second ghost.

The half-orc, intent on finding the sword searches the lounge and encounters another spirit. This one male, and nicely dressed. After scaring the spirits pants off, he says that the Master keeps the sword in his room. And tries to hurl a magical ice ball at Bob which bounces off his armor. He then heads upstairs, disregarding the sounds of battle in the kitchen, and finds two more spirits. One Butler looking man and a woman dressed as if she were headed to a formal dinner. Bob tries to hit them, but their forms simply change and reassemble. The woman misses Bob with a ice spell, but the man shoots lightning out of his hands, slightly electrocuting Bob in his metal armor. Drool, frustrated by the futility of her spells on the servant ghosts decides for whatever reason that the best thing to do with this new set of foes is to flash them her old, wrinkled body. The servant man looked as if he was about to gag and shoots off another quick bolt at Drool as somekind of knee jerk reaction to her hideousness. The Bolt strikes true, and Drool the witch falls to the ground unconscious with her dress still over her head. Bob and Garret don't quite know what to think.

Garrett sneaks outside, and Bob ends up walking straight through the manservant and enters the Master bedroom, both leaving Drool on the floor. He finds another spectral form. This one dressed in a nightgown, and his knees on the floor, crying. "How was I to know it was her in the shadows? She tried to end my life, happened so quickly." he says, and the form of the manservant dressed in a nightgown and silly looking stocking cap enters. And tries to comfort him, "What are we going to do with her?" the servant asks. At this point Bob notices a mass of shadows by the bed. On closer investigation he notices that it is the image of a corpse, an attractive female dressed in plain clothes and the hilt of a ruby encrusted blade pokes out of the waist of her skirt.

The conversation continues, and replays. And Bob learns that the corpse of this woman was to be buried in the basement. Frustrated that the sword was not really there, Bob destroys all the furniture in the room, and finds a bag of gold coins.

The two remaining conscious members head to the basement and dig up the remains of what they presume to be Sandra, and lo and behold, they find the "sword" which turns out to really be a dagger, but even Bob knows that it holds a very powerful magic.

They grudgingly decide to bring Drool back to the wench bench, Master Flayer might be annoyed afterall. However when they return, they notice that the wenches are not outside on their bench, something that rarely happens....

Inside, they learn that Master Flayer has been killed, and that Nog is not to be found. Even if Nog had killed Master Flayer he still would be the one to take the title of Master Flayer. The three Lieutenants already start to fight over leadership. Bob buys everyone drinks and starts a celebratory party for the life of Master Flayer. And then goes to a local Mage merchant to have the dagger appraised. Mela, a halfling is very impressed at the find and preforms a ritual to better understand the knifes qualities. She says that it is a lifedrinker dagger, that it will heal the wielder as he or she hurts their enemy. She says that it is worth at least 10,000 gold pieces, something she could never afford to buy off of him.