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I like the Discworld explanation where elves have a sixth sense based on magnetism, and ferrous metals mess with that and disorient them and their magic, with magnetic iron being the worst to the point where properly arranged it can totally seal off fairy portals. But I'm sure we can all enjoy a fine adventure where a thoughtful young lady in Avalon arms herself with a cast iron skillet.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:08
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JcDent posted:Look, we're talking about a movement based on a real life religious movement that crossed an ocean to get away from people who celebrate Christmas, they can stand to be a little ridiculous. To be fair Christmas celebrations at the time involved drunken mobs instead of a family opening presents at home. It's like if everyone celebrated Christmas at SantaCon.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:09
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Cold iron originated as a fancy way of saying iron. Worked metal was believed to ward off the fey and I guess the intense heat to make steel makes it not work as well. Also iron being more brittle meaning it's less useful as a weapon making it less common, else it would be trivial to hunt fey creatures down with any weapon.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:13
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Ghost Leviathan posted:Cold iron is a pretty classic thing. I remember it's a thing in Changeling The Lost, one player specifically made use of bog iron to build anti-Fey weapons, and planned to create cold iron out of (their own) human blood. (It was a short-lived Genius/Changeling crossover campaign) Mostly it works since the best weapons for dealing with Sidhe are poo poo weapons for dealing with most anything else. Though a good frying pan can crack a skull human or Sidhe. This right here is the exact point where the application of rationality to fantasy begin making sparks. I prefer the Glorantha answer. "No, you can't loving invent gunpowder KYLE. Not just because your character knowing how to make gunpowder is some metagame bullshit but because nothing in this fantasy world correlates to real world physics in any way, shape or form. So just loving quit it, KYLE" Seriously, gently caress you Kyle.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:14
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Iron is a classic thing; cold iron as distinct from other kinds of iron appears to have been invented by RPGs.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:16
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Serf posted:if anything more "advanced" metals should hurt faeries more. steel weapons would be better, but the real poo poo is a titanium sword.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:19
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But cold iron is an actual term far older than modern rpgs. It makes it a pain if you don't clarify what it is, is it just q special way of forging iron and so could be common or some fantasy metal like iron like DND. Edit: Titanium is very flexible and light, not the best for a sword unless you made it thick enough but then you might as well use the high grade steel made now instead. Maybe armor but don't know it's strength vs sheering. ChaseSP fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Jul 13, 2018 |
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Jul 13, 2018 16:19
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Halloween Jack posted:I've been told titanium isn't good for cutting tools. It's light and strong (making it popular for hammers) but the edge would be soft and brittle. It is popular for diving knives because it's so corrosion-resistant. right but this is magic. its not like a silver sword would be particularly good, but they sure as poo poo gently caress up werewolves
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Jul 13, 2018 16:21
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7th Sea 2 - Nations of Theah, Vol. 1 - Superjump Inish taverns are full of song, and the most popular is Proud Eithne, a tale of how Eithne O'Guaire tricked the warrior goddess Skatha into instructing her (and anyone else that asked) into training her in combat. Eithne began the Inish dueling tradition by demanding that any potential spouse beat her in combat. From Skatha, she had learned many cleasa (martial techniques and tricks), so none could defeat her. Eventually, she did marry - not to someone who beat her, but to the one who was so impressed by her skill that they asked for lessons. The Highland Marches tell a similar story, in which the musician Cailean MacCormac falls in love with a woman with 'hair like the rising sun,' and asks her to marry, but her father refuses him, saying only the best warrior in the world will have his daughter's hand. Cailean that seeks out Skatha for lessons, using his wits to best Skatha's challenges until she agrees to teach him and any others who ask by moving her to tears with his music. Both Inish and Marcher legend state that others sought out Skatha's lessons, and either Eithne's trickery or Cailean's music ensured she would teach any who ask - but never without cost. Skatha placed a geas on her students, such that when they fought, any who struck the first blow would lose. Thus, they would take to insulting their foes, provoking them into striking first. This tradition, called goading, spread among duelists even without the geas, and is popular throughout Avalon. It doesn't really matter which story is true, or even if neither is. Single combat became an Avalonian institution. For smaller Inish clans, single combat meant risking only one warrior, while for large ones, it was a way to display skill and power. In the Marches, single combat became part of the legal system - an accused criminal could request cothrom, trial by combat. If they defeated the plaintiff (or the plaintiff's champion), or if they could hold their own from sunrise to sunset, they'd be declared innocent. Avalonian warriors explored the land to learn new cleasa, collaborating with other clans and kingdoms. Many stories abound of fantastic cleasa, which modern Duelists have never been able to replicate, such as Jack O'Bannon's thunder cleas, which could fell a hundred men with a stroke. Many have asked him, but he refuses to teach it, assuming he even has the ability to do so. The Inish and Marcher dueling traditions are what shape modern Avalonian dueling, and both claim to originate with Skatha, whose style focused on physical techniques like breath control, high jumps and juggling rather than any specific weapon. This focus on athleticism and flexibility is common to Avalonian duelists. They tend to be magpies, stealing techniques from allies and foes alike. Several dueling academies exist in Avalon, each teaching their own set of cleasa, and it isn't rare for a student to attend multiple academies and develop their own personal athletic style. For Duelists in Avalon, dueling is both a martial art and a performance. Duelists put on shows at festivals or other occasions, fighting over real or exaggerated grievances. For the exaggerations, the duels are often choreographed in advance, using polished sticks rather than swords. Each Duelist gets to show off their best cleasa for the crowd, and the aspiring Duelists watch the fights and try to replicate the moves later. For real fights, Duelists begin with sword dances, followed by goading. Modern goading is not meant to provoke action, however, but rather submission, giving each side time to review why they want to fight and have a last chance to back down. After at least one exchange of goads, the fight begins. Interclan settlements and grievances are usually to first blood, often after a long series of feints and maneuvers that involve few real attacks. These duels can last up to an hour before a real hit is landed. For true interclan battles, champions are chosen and fights are usually much shorter and more brutal, typically ending in death. The first recorded standard for Highland dueling is the Leabhar Chothrom, which lists outlawed cleasa for legal duels, though many of the reasons for the bans are lost to time. The standards are important because they establish goading both as part of the standard duel and as a type of duel in their own right. The Marcher style of goading is elaborate, poetic and humorous, and goading duels are popular in Avalon as a result of their style. Secondly, the standards defined who could fight in a cothrom. The Duelist had to be male, had to be a second or lesser son, and had to demonstrate proficiency via composed sword dance and demonstration. While now outdated, these standards made it easy for the Marchers to accept Duelist's Guild requirements. The Bonny Swans, among other groups, are campaigning to update the standards to match modern practice. Even to this day, women are not able to legally duel in the Highlands. Even the Highland Duelist's Guild refuses to accept women among its ranks, and the Bonny Swans have made dueling a benchmark for equality, as it's easy to prove that a woman swordsmaster is no less skilled than a man. One of the prominent Bonny Swans, Margret Reid, is a master Duelist and a member of the Montaigne Duelist's Guild. She's requested entry into the Avalonian Guild, and they're hard pressed to refuse her, given her membership in another branch. Many supporters of the Bonny Swans favor her acceptance, but more traditional Highlander Duelists are afraid she'll just be the first in a massive flood of women into the Guild. They are absolutely correct. Reid intends to set up her own training academy in Kirkwall for women, and has stated that if she is refused admittance, she'll set up her own Duelist's Guild - a prospect that has everyone worried about the future of Duelists in Avalon, as there have never been rival Guilds before. Skatha's Cleasa is the style that originates, legendarily, with the goddess-warrior Skatha. It required her students to practice running against a river's flow, juggling day in and day out to learn the rhythm of falls, and dancing on hot coals. Each trick was designed to increase strength, endurance and agility. These many techniques are often used in battle, making for showy and acrobatic duels. Some of the more famous cleasa are the Over Breath, which is a loud and explosive breath that increases a strike's power, the Swordmaster's Leap, which is a well-timed dodge, and, made famous in Proud Eithne, the Salmon Leap that is the style bonus. When you are able to move freely, without constrictive armor and with vertical distance, tyou may perform the Salmon Leap Maneuver. It is a sudden high jump that leaps over or around the target's guard, regardless of what weapon you use. It deals (Athletics) Wounds, which may not be prevented by any means. You may use the Salmon Leap only once per round. Now, let's talk about the legendary beasts and monsters of Avalon. Many tales are told of the drachen, though there are few confirmed sightings. Enough, however, to ensure most know they were real. There is a detailed report of the last sighted drachen in The Historie of Die Kreuzritter, in a section about their hunts in Avalon. It notes that the band that fought the drachen were nearly wiped out, and only won by great luck and courage - and even then, lost over half their number. The drachen is described as being 'ten horses high', and over twice as long from tip to tail, with thick, armored scales of various shades of green. It had lizard-like limbs, short and low, with six-inch claws that released a flammable, poisonous fluid. This, combined with its fiery breath, meant it'd often swipe at foes and then set them aflame, with the fluid extending the duration of the fire. It also had a row of spikes on its back, starting at the head and running down to the tail. Other stories mention other colors - most often red and yellow. There are no mention by Die Kreuzritter of wings, but many oral legends say the can fly. Most tales also agree that they are very territorial, and will defend anything they claim as their own, location or person, with vicious ferocity. The return of Glamour has brought rumors of the drachen returning as well. Hunters have found small, dense parts of forests that are inexplicably burned down around Avalon, often accompanied by footprints of a large, clawed foot over three feet long. These prints can usually be tracked for up to half a mile before vanishing abruptly. Local peasants begin to grow scared, and Die Kreuzritter are making plans to mount hunting parties in the region within the next year. They've been passing out the relevant pages of the The Historie to their membership for study and gathering supplies. Drachen are rare but very dangerous, Strength 10 Monsters who can have any or all of Fearsome, Powerful, Regenerating and Winged. The Ghemenii are the pets of the Sidhe, fae creatures that have followed them into the mortal world. They are always born as identical pairs. They look like cats, but they aren't. They can come in any size, from teacup to horse, depending on their lineage. Powerful Sidhe children are often gifted a pair of Ghemenii shortly after birth, and it is considered a great honor to receive them. They are fiercely loyal to their owners, but no others. In early life, they serve as guardians of the Sidhe child, and many mischevious Sidhe would never have survived to adulthood without their Ghemenii protectors. Sidhe children often develop their own shared language with the Ghemenii, and are able to communicate in this coded tongue easily. The greatest power of the Ghemenii is only when they are apart, however. A Sidhe that wishes to spy on others or send a guard with a loved on may gift them one of the pair, keeping the other. No matter what happens, the two Ghemenii remain in constant communication with each other at any distance, you see. Sidhe never reveal this ability to mortals if they can help it, and often gift a Ghemenii to a mortal lover. Mortals consider the fae cats a great treasure and sign of love. They are clearly unnatural beings - their eyes are usually too large, they are far smarter than a cat and they seem to cause strange coincidences just by being present - but that just means people love them all the more. While the Sidhe often use the cats to monitor loyalty, more than one has helped save a mortal life by alerting their Sidhe master to a danger, so like most Sidhe gifts, they're a bit of a mixed blessing. They are Strength 3 and Swift. The Restless are creatures said to make long, mournful howling in the area of the Kilkenny Cliffs, which sounds at first like wind, but soon becomes too human and pained. It is a longing, aching cry, it is said, for the Restless long for souls. They wander the roads near Kilkenny Cliffs, and some have been sighted in Inismore as well. Rumor says you should remain in your home by night, especially on nights without wind. The Restless appear as gaunt, ashen figures with ragged clothes, solid white eyes and black lips. It is said to be unwise to stick around long enough to get a good look, however, for they will attempt to eat your soul to replace their missing one. It doesn't seem to work out for them, but does drive victims mad. Many victims of the Restless have been found dead, having clawed out their own eyes. Most believe the Restless are the result of dark magic, most likely by the Unseelie or their followers - magic that consumes the user's soul, leaving their body starving and empty. Many believe they are a plague unleashed by the land's magic. The truth is that they aren't sick, dying, soulless or even fae. The Restless were invented by a small sect of Realists as part of their 'Haunting Initiative' to stir up unrest against magic. They believe that by making a horrible enough issue, they can cause hate of the fae and Glamour. They have spread rumors about the Restless, and quickly realized that sightings would be much more effective. And so, new adherents to the sect are given Restless duty - dressing up as the monsters and wandering around scaring people at night. Most of these packs of haunters don't do more than that, but a few overzealous and desperate members have killed people, too. These killings use a subtle poison, and the bodies are then made to look as if they'd clawed out their own eyes. It's grisly work, but the sect thinks it is necessary for the greater good. Next time: Sylkies, Dormarch and the Green Man
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Jul 13, 2018 16:22
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7th seas says silver edged weapons right? So it makes perfect sense. It's not pure silver just the part that cuts.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:24
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ChaseSP posted:But cold iron is an actual term far older than modern rpgs. It makes it a pain if you don't clarify what it is, is it just q special way of forging iron and so could be common or some fantasy metal like iron like DND. It isn't a term, though. It's just a poetic description. It has no meaning.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:25
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Yeah basically it's just a poetic thing not some mystical metal that fantasy has run with for a while. Best to just nod and go along in the end.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:26
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I blame D&D, where it is, in fact, a special metal and which tends to be the pace-setter for peoples' view of fantasy fiction in the RPG hobby since it's usually someone's first exposure.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:27
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a uranium sword should just kill every faerie within 20 miles when unsheathed
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Jul 13, 2018 16:29
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It's also really meaningless because cold iron is cheap as hell in it anyway and not really any different noticeably from all I remember besides the anti fey properties.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:30
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It's not even a particularly old poetic term, it dates back to like the 19th century, and in use mostly just means "A sword." Like "Shooting iron" for guns, only with stabbing.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:33
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Yeah it was just plain old iron that would ward off any fey or other supernatural stuff.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:34
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Nothing like Momma's old frying pan to get rid of a faerie infestation.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:44
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Frying pans are a lame gag weapon A good, heavy baking sheet or griddle could actually hurt someone.
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Jul 13, 2018 16:48
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Jul 13, 2018 16:54
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shades of eternity posted:question before I cross the line. Traditionally you just ask someone. Then later you threaten to sue them. 
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Jul 13, 2018 16:59
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Serf posted:a uranium sword should just kill every faerie within 20 miles when unsheathed Wouldn't a uranium core be good for a sword if the weight wasn't an issue?
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Jul 13, 2018 17:12
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I think it would be like tungsten: very hard but brittle.
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Jul 13, 2018 17:14
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Powdered uranium! 
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Jul 13, 2018 17:29
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Realms of Sorcery The most awkward PC Track Runesmiths are the only sort of magical dwarfs permitted by sane and normal dwarfkind. Many of the greatest magical relics in the setting were produced by Runesmiths, despite dwarfs being incapable of perceiving the Winds of Magic or learning spellcraft (outside of the mad Sorcerers of the Chaos Dwarfs). The titular Warhammer, Ghal Maraz (Skull-Splitter), was a gift from a dwarf king to Sigmar when the young warrior rescued him from a greenskin ambush way back at the start of his career. You can't make something like Ghal Maraz, but a Runesmith PC can get pretty drat close at the upper tiers of the class line. Assuming your GM gives you a couple years to work. Therein lie the issues with PC Runesmithing: It's either going to be insanely powerful and grant a PC party really impressive magical items, some of which can break the game's scaling, or your GM isn't going to let you use it because it takes so goddamn much time. It all depends on how much downtime you get. No-one really knows how Rune Magic works, because the dwarfs absolutely will not explain it. This is the one secret they will never share with the humans, no matter how close the two grow. They'll give humans gifts of runic items, or (in very rare cases) even accept commissions to make them, but Rune Magic is the province of the Runesmiths' guild and is not to be shared with anyone else, under any circumstances. The closest the book comes to explaining is saying that the runes 'trap' the Winds of Magic in an item in the desired shape, taking advantage of the same properties that will cause a legend or exposure to empower an item but forcing it into the shape the Runesmith wants by manipulating how the object absorbs and conducts magical energy. How the dwarfs know how to do this when they can't sense the Winds at all is beyond me, but I think that's intentional, given how little they talk about how their secretive magics work. A Dwarf Runesmith still has a Mag stat, still gains 1 Mag per Career as they go up their line, but statistically they're built much closer to Priests than Wizards (They're solid second-line fighters and learned scholars) and they don't use their Mag to cast spells in combat or anything. They use them entirely for Inscribing Runes. They also can't miscast. Nothing can actually go wrong during Runesmithing; the only thing you can lose is time. Runesmiths work with Talismans, Armor, and Weapons, though in the wider setting they also craft engineering devices and siege engines. Siege engines are intentionally kept out of the RPG for the most part, since they aren't on the scale the game runs. What party carries around a trebuchet? A Runesmith can make Temporary or Permanent inscriptions. A Temporary Rune can be added to a Good or Best item, a Permanent Rune requires a Best quality base item. The difference between the two is time. Temporary runes are fast enough to be inscribed in a day's work, then remain on the item, which is effectively non-magical until they're triggered by the wielder. Then they usually work for a few rounds before the Rune burns out and the item becomes non-magical again as if the rune had never been there. Permanent Runes remain forever. Yes, this is a PC class that can make permanent magic items without any chance of dying to the Ritual rules or blowing up their forge. For step one, the Inscription, it takes a week for a Permanent Rune and 2d10 minutes for a Temporary Rune, at which point the smith rolls d10s equal to their Mag and compares it to the Inscription Number of their Rune, just like a wizard using a spell. They know immediately if they failed at this step. If they succeed, the item is about as good as made, but the bulk of the time commitment is still ahead of them. Next, they have to Empower the item a certain number of times, as listed in the Rune entry. Empowerment tests take 20 minutes for a Temporary Rune, 1 month for a Permanent. At the end of each test, make a Runesmithing skill check. If you succeed, you Empowered it once. Once the smith has hit the number of Empowerment successes listed on the Rune, the item is ready for Binding. Binding is basically a formality, with no tests involved, where the Runesmith spends a final d10 days for a Permanent rune or d10 minutes for a Temporary one finishing up. Not really sure why they included it, given the minuscule time commitment and assured success. At the end of the process, you have a Runic Item. So yes, given 3 months (we'll get to the numbers in a bit), a Runesmith can make a +10% to hit (+15% really, since it's still Best) sword that counts as magic and thus kills ghosts and demons quite well. They actually have decent(ish) odds of pulling that off at the start of a campaign. The question is whether or not you ever get the time. Especially as if you're going by the standard Trappings rules your GM will need to give you time or you'll never be able to promote out of Apprentice, since you need a Runic Item for Journeyman (and another for Master and Lord). There are a few bits where the game could use some more clarity on what counts as a Runic Item; I'm not sure if a Temporary Rune item would count if it wasn't activated. Similarly, there are a few rules a smith needs to follow. Form has to follow function. Substances used in Runic Magic have to be 'hard' and 'resilient'; bone and wood count, but paper and leather don't. An item can't have more than one of the same type of Rune on it; no stacking Runes of Striking for a +30% to-hit sword. You also can't put more than 3 Runes on one item; there isn't enough room for more magic after a point. Master Runes, the big and super powerful Runes only available to 3rd tier and better Runesmiths, have to be the only Rune on an item or else adding them fails. No stacking Master Runes or putting two normal Runes and one Master on an item. When we get to the Master Runes it will make sense that you can't have more than one. A Runesmith needs to spend at least 4 hours a day working on an item for the day to count, and if they leave an item for more than a month without spending a day to touch it up, the magic fails. Finally, the most confusing rule: A Runesmith can't make the same exact item twice. The reason this is confusing is, how is this defined? Do Temporary items count, since they lose their Runic status when they're used up? How does it deal with, say, a dwarf making a Runed axe AND a Runed sword with the same Rune? Is this permissible since they're 'different' items even though in game terms they're both Hand Weapons? These questions aren't even considered in the book. The Temporary question is especially pressing, since it's going to decide how often it's useful to have your Runesmith do a short crafting montage in order to remain relevant. Before we get to the Runes themselves, let's also examine the Runesmith Career Track. They start out primarily useful for their knowledge skills and high Int and WP, but remember that a dwarf gets +10 WS and Toughness over a human for their species, as well as having Sturdy just for being a dwarf (no armor penalties). They also know how to smith mundane equipment (and still have the dwarf racial bonuses at that) and they're not half bad at judging the value of craftsmanship, since they need to know how to do that to tell if something's worth runing. As they go into Journeyman, they learn Dodge and become a decent second-line fighter, gaining some acceptable fighting and physical advances. Where they're lacking is Talents. They only get 2 Runes to start, and both have to be simple ones they could make with 1d10 for their 1 Mag. They learn 4 more as a Journeyman, no longer limited in Inscription Number, plus either Artistic or Hardy, but they're lacking in support or skill talents. Also note every Rune is a separate Talent and thus costs 100 EXP to learn. They do get Strike Mighty Blow and a second attack in Master Runesmith, and learn their two Master Runes; no Runesmith ever learns more than two of those. They also learn 4 more Runes, and Runelord won't actually give them more Runes. The Master Runesmith has modest skill with weapons but good physical advances in addition to huge WP and Int, and can also learn Flails or Two Handed weapons. The Runelord is a genuinely solid fighter who also learns diplomacy skills, gets a +40% WP advance (remember, any +40s are a big deal), can learn one weapon group of any sort (including gun or whatever), and finishes out with 4 Mag, making it much easier for them to make the most powerful of items. They don't learn any additional Runes over the Master, though. Another thing that's interesting is that Runesmiths have lots of good fighting and scholastic Exits. An Apprentice can dip over into Shieldbreaker to learn to fight early or Runebearer to become a dwarven sprinter (seriously, Runebearers can get +2 Move, making them as fast as elves. They're dwarf messengers), or can go into Scholar. Journeyman can only go into Scholar or Shieldbreaker if they don't want to go to Master right away. Masters can drop right into Veteran if they want to become a better and better-rounded warrior (or even go on to Champion and just stop advancing at smithing), and Runelords can go out of Runelord into Captain or Guildmaster, either option making them a social powerhouse (though if you completed a 4th tier wizardy career you're in a long as hell campaign or you started high level). These options are really helpful, especially as a Runesmith is going to end up using their non-magical and combat skills an awful lot in a standard campaign. Next Time: The RUNES
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Jul 13, 2018 17:43
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Battle Mad Ronin posted:I prefer the Glorantha answer. "No, you can't loving invent gunpowder KYLE. Not just because your character knowing how to make gunpowder is some metagame bullshit but because nothing in this fantasy world correlates to real world physics in any way, shape or form. So just loving quit it, KYLE" It's also because the Dwarves will find you and kill you and anyone you interacted with.
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Jul 13, 2018 18:56
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7th Sea 2: Nations of Theah, Vol. 1 - Seal Girlfriend For as long as Inismore has existed, there's been stories about people of the sea who live as seals but can turn into humans to walk on land. Most of them are romantic tragedies - you steal the sealskin so she's forced to marry you, but constantly longs for the sea, or a you marry a fisherman but find he loves the sea more than you. But until the resurgence of the Sidhe, there was never any proof that these tales were anything but tales. Well, except for the fact that each sea town family tends to have a story that's just a little too unique to be taken from somewhere else, anyway. However, with the faeries returned, the Sylkies have begun to show themselves more. With much of the land more accepting of magic and the fae, they have much less risk of being hunted down. And so, the Sylkies reveal themselves to their lovers, confessing what they are, venturing further into land. They are now the best known of all non-Sidhe races of fae. While many debate over what the true powers of the Sylkie are, in truth they have very few abilities beyond the ability to turn from seal to humand and back. Sylkies are born in human form, usually to a pairing of Sylkie and human. They spend their early life as human children, albeit with a tendency to be obsessive over the ocean. They are always in the water if allowed to be, sea or river. Eventually, the Slykie parent decides to give up the sea. They pass their seal-coat on to the child, allowing them to take on the legacy. The seal-coat, when not worn, usually appears as a large seashell. In the hands of a Sylkie, however, it will twist and stretch into a blanket around them as they transform, leaving them a seal entirely. The parent will generally teach the child to use the coat, but often it only takes one or two lessons, for it comes quite naturally. At that point it becomes difficult for the new Sylkie to be drawn from the sea by much of anything. The powers of a Sylkie are entirely in the coat, not their body, and so if a human steals the coat, the Sylkie is unable to transform until it is recovered. Thus, seal-coats are guarded closely. There is a debate in Elaine's government over whether or not to make theft of a seal-coat illegal, as the Sylkies consider these coats essential to their life. Sylkies are not especially dangerous, as magical creatures go, but may fight to defend their families, coats or lives if threatened. If they have their coat, they are a Strength 4 Monster with Shapeshifting. The Dormarch is the perfect hunter - a dog's power to track and a human's wit, and far more besides. They are fae creatures, with human-like intellect and dog-like agility. They have supernaturally enhanced senses in all areas, and they are able to track magic in the same way a dog tracks a scent. This is the main reason why they don't listen to mortals, in all likelihood - they can sense the lack of magic in the mortal, and the Dormarch consider themselves to be dominant over anything without magic. They are immensely powerful, and even the smallest is half the size of a horse when mature. They have squarish heads with two rows of teeth - one to rip, one to chew. Their front half is thick, muscled and powerful, but grows slender at the back, with long, thin hind legs. They have three snake-like tails that they can lash people with. Occasionally, all Dormarch leave their Sidhe owners and join the Wild Hunt, which is their sacred duty and right. The Sidhe say that the Dormarch all came from the Wild Hunt, bu that one fall, the Huntsman fell for a Sidhe princess, and when the Dormarch whelped that spring, he gave her a pup. It thus became fashionable for all fae nobles to have a Dormarch guard and companion. Most nights, the Dormarch are entirely loyal, so the fae accept it when, every so often, they vanish for a night to return to their roots and hunt. Come morning, the Dormarch return, leaving no trace that they'd been gone. Darmarch vary in strength and power, but an average one is a Strength 5 Monster with Powerful. Once upon a time, a man named Quinn Morgen was an Inish farmer. He was a clever man, far too clever for his simple life, and he worked the fields by day and the tarverns by night, telling stories to any who'd listen. One fall, a Sidhe named Loinseach listened to his stories, falling in love with both tale and teller. Loinseach spent more and more time away from Bryn Bresail, more and more time with Quinn. Over several years, they fell deeply in love, and Quinn eventually allowed Loinseach to take him to the land of the fae. However, Faerie is not a safe place for mortals, and Quinn could not understand its strange terrors and beauty. Loinseach quickly took Quinn back, but it was too la te - Quinn had gone mad, gaining power in his madness. He became immortal, speaking directly to the plants and beasts of the field, predicting weather weeks in advance. His old life was gone. Now, most just know him as the Green Man. He is as much leaf and grass as flesh and bone these days. He comes out of the fields and the trees when he is needed most. Many say the green Man has saved them from dangerous beasts, from bandits and from storms. However, he slays those who'd prey on the innocent with no hesitation, stalking the road to hunt down bandits. In recent years, it is a fad for parents to tell their children cautionary tales about how the Green Man would get them if they snuck out past bedtime. In truth, he wants nothing more than protect the lands he tended to for so long...even if his current methods are haunting and alien, and even if he is no longer a human. Next time: Castille
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Jul 13, 2018 19:04
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Josef bugman posted:It's also because the Dwarves will find you and kill you and anyone you interacted with. Glorantha Dwarves are the Fun Police.
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Jul 13, 2018 19:12
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White Coke posted:To be fair Christmas celebrations at the time involved drunken mobs instead of a family opening presents at home. It's like if everyone celebrated Christmas at SantaCon.
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Jul 13, 2018 19:22
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Terrible Opinions posted:To be significantly less fair the Christmas haters were also responsible for attempted genocide of the Irish and several years of theocratic dictatorship in England. the US is really returning to its roots
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Jul 13, 2018 20:24
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We would have been much better off if Charles 2 had simply killed all the Puritans instead of de facto banishing them.
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Jul 13, 2018 20:27
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shades of eternity posted:question before I cross the line. Depends on your motives for getting it reviewed, really. If you want to show it off, maybe get some attention, and don't mind getting ribbed over any goofy bits. If you consider it more or less a finished game, go ahead and PM someone, if you have someone specific in mind, and ask them to review it. On the other hand, if it's in the works, and you want constructive critique, there are probably better threads for it.
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Jul 13, 2018 21:28
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7th Sea 2: Nations of Theah, Vol. 1 - Closer, My God, To Thee Given Castille's history, no one would be shocked if it was a fragmented mass of chaos. Various invasions have forced its people to fight each other time and again. They have gone from an economic superpower and scientific pioneer to a limping, bankrupt, wounded behemoth. The Inquisition has forced their king into seclusion. And yet, they remain together, whole in faith and in national identity. They have supported each other, again and again. Again and again, they have always turned to outsiders and proven: it doesn't matter how different we are, how many pieces we are, we are Castille. Modern Castille dates back to the 13th Century, when the Third Prophet moved the Vaticine seat to Castille during the explosive Mooonshadow War with the Crescents. He divided the land into ducados, duchies, which he granted (along with titles) to the officers of his army, the Blazing Blade. Each of the five noble houses that loyally served the Prophet became the rulers of a ducado - the Gran Duque or Gran Duquesa, often shortened just to Grande. It is the unity of the ducados and their people that are key to Castille recovering. By working together, they know they can reclaim the glory and power they have lost. However, their unity is also the key to Esteban Verdugo's plan to subjugate the world to the Inquisition's might. Before the War of the Cross, Castille led the continent in scientific research, quality of life and military power. By the end of the war, however, they were bankrupt, humiliated and controlled by Cardinal Verdugo and the Inquisition. Until 1618, the Castillian army had been renowned for its jinete, its cavalry. They rode Aldana warhorses, and they were able to serve as heavy cavalrylike knights, or light cavalry like Crescent lancers and archers. Their infantry was largely not notable. That is, until the tercios. These new troops drilled with geometric precision, consisting mainly of veteran soldiers - former Widow's Sea marines or mercenaries, ex-pirates or former bandits that chose to take the King's doubloon under promise of amnesty, good pay and the rank of hidalgo, if they survived. The tercios used many weapons, including pikes, flintlocks, short swords and shields, to support each other and devastate Montaigne's cavalry forces. Their efficiency in battle led Eisen and many others to develop similar combined arms infantry, but never equals to the tercios. And while everyone knew Castille's military was terrifying, few knew of its greatest tool, the galenos - combat medics trained in Castillians extremely advanced medical and scientific knowledge. They used a mix of science and alchemy, making their combat medicine the quickest and most efficient on the continent. The early success of the tercios made Castille overconfident, pushing further and further into Eisen until they were stretched thin. Their supply trains were hard and expensiove to keep safe. The longer the war went, the more it cost. Further, Cardinal Verdugo saw the tercios as a threat. Many were criminals turned soldiers, after all, and not trustworthy. Thus, Verdugo secretly ordered hundreds of agents of the Inquisition to sabotage the flow of food, weapons and supplies to the front. Eisen and Montaigne were leaked maps and battle plans that enabled many strikes on the baggage trains, and Verdugo isolated the army. Thirty years of fighting drained money and morale as the war moved into deadlock. The Castillian Armada was constructed, largely on credit, with the belief that a conquered Avalon would pay the debts. That never happened. The Armada was sunk, and the pay for the tercios never came through. When Montaigne invaded, they were mobilized again, with more promises of wealth to fight off the invasion. Some say Verdugo instigated the invasion, while others believe l'Empereur just saw weakness. Either way, many tercios deserted, knowing they'd never be paid. Had Montaigne realized the straits the Castillian forces were in, they'd never have recalled their troops. King Salvador Aldana's death and Verdugo's abduction of King Sandoval to the Vaticine City are merely insult to injury for an impoverished nation. To understand the Castillian people, you need to understand the traditions they value over even their own lives. Firstly, all of it begins with the family, and the family is led by the mother. The nomadic tribes that settled Castille originally were matrilineal, led by matriarchal chieftains. Women, and mothers especially, are put up on a bit of a pedestal - but with that reverence comes deep expectation. Secondly, Castille was the first Vaticine nation. In the early days of the Church, when Corantine's Empire stretched across the world, southern Castille was home to the first churches. (This historic claim is suspect; however, no one can deny that Castille has been Vaticine since the days of the First Prophet and has always been very pious.) Those Castillians that can trace their ancestry back to the early Vaticines never shut up about it, ever. Fervent and public displays of faith are a sing of Castillian solidarity. When dealing with outsiders, Castillians are Castillians. When dealing with other Castillians, they are citizens of their ducado. The ducados evolved out of the five noble kingdoms that came from the dissolution of the Old Empire - Aldana, Torres, Zepeda, Soldana and Odisea. The local Empire soldiers mixed with the Castillian tribes, Ifrian seafarers and Crescent settlers. To all the rest of the world, these divisions don't exist, and Castille is united. They are Castillians. To another Castillian, however, they are Aldanensa, or Odisean, or Torrena, or Zepedana, or Soldanensa. Pride in one's ducado's culture, dialect and history are vital. You mock rival ducados, perhaps, or at least enjoy the friendly rivalry. The key to ruling Castille has always been using and understanding these ducado relationships. If allowed to do whatever they want...then yes, Castille would fragment, each too weak to resist outsiders. Bring them together without acknowledging their differences, though, and their individualistic natures and characters make them rebellious. So, let's talk about people. Historically, the ruler of Castille has been the weakest of the Grandes, a frustrating and stressful job of balancing power between four much wealthier nobles. As the Inquisition centralized power in the throne, in theory the King's power increased...but in practice, the real power is El Concilio de la Razon, and the king is now powerless in a new way. And that is why the Good Kings Sandoval keep a secret. When Queen Almudena Sandoval and King Salvador Aldana had a child in 1652, that is what they told the world. A child. One. In truth, they were twins - the boy Amadeo and the girl Rocio. They looked alike, so no one outside the royal compound could tell the difference between them. The King and Queen knew that whichever inherited would be constantly watched and manipulated, and so they would need a subtle way to avoid their "advisors" and spies if they were ever to know the world or themselves. Thus, the pair have both pretended to be Amadeo, living this way long before they took the throne. One twin would sit at home, feigning incompetence, and the other would go out on adventures in and around the capital, learning about Castille and its people. They would confer on what was learned each night, swapping places for the next day. Unfortunately, something went wrong. Perhaps the Inquisition suspected the King was making too many correct decisions. A year ago, El Concilio forced King Amadeo Sandoval to relocate to the Vaticine, ostensibly to protect him from dark forces of heresy. Rocio, however, was left behind. They'd had a good thing going, and now Amadeo is trapped, isolated. Getting any official audience with him means going through el Concilio or Verdugo. He isn't even allowed to wear the physical crown of Castille. Rocio is doing somewhat better. She may be young, but she has a plan to save her brother. She just needs to find some people she can trust to tell about it, like PCs. (Who may well meet her in prison, as she spends a lot of time sneaking around.) Don Alfonso Sanchez de Ilurdoz, Conde-duque of Angulema, Captain of the Fronteras Guard and Bishop of Altamira, was born to a small noble family during the War of the Cross. He was raised to lead, expected to take over as the leady of his father's small town when his father grew too old. The people loved him, but small town life wasn't for him. As soon as he was old enough, he left home to study at San Cristobal. He loved all his studies, dabbling in a bit of everything, but he loved most the Vaticine and their dedication to knowledge and reason, soon joining the Church. He was eventually made Bishop of the city of Altamira, serving until shortly before the Montaigne invasion, at which point he joined the army and marches south, to Barcino, to fight. He fought tirelessly, only learning too late that Altamira had fallen to the Montaigne. He earned many medals in the war, but he never got paid. The only thing that kept him going was his title and family land. He's gone home, but he is not just licking his wounds. Now, Alfonso is raising funds to gather an army, so he can retake his city. He is a noble man, a man of honor, heavily scarred by the fighting. While he is a soldier, at heart he remains a priest. He's a devout Vaticine, although he doesn't hate Objectionists. His plans have led him to be a frequent opponent to the Inquisition, and while his focus is Altamira, he is likely to support anyone working to restore the nation. Octavio Mzabi is the Dark Inquisitor. In 1658, he led a raid on a renegade scholar's home, and on a whim, he read a diary instead of burning it. On "discovering" it blank, he decided to keep it, for use in, say, poetry. In truth, it wasn't blank, and he knowingly broke regulations. Inside were entries written by Inquisitor Alienor Capdeville, servant of the Second Prophet, an investigator and adventurer who fought her Prophet's foes - monsters, corrupt officials, true evil. Mazabi only realized the records were true when he checked them against previously sealed records in the Hierophantic Library, discovering that the Inquisition had predated the Third Prophet massively...and had once had a very different job. When he went back for the records a week later, they were gone. Some was watching either him or them, he wasn't sure. Ever since, he has moved lightly, guarding his reputation as a trustworthy Inquisitor. He's also worked to recruit discreet, dissatisfied Inquisitors amd students into his own Inquisitio Aquila, a new Inquisition designed to root out the corruption within the Inquisition itself. These so-called Dark Inquisitors use the Inquisition's own resources to seek out and remove internal threats to the Church - the purpose that the Inquisition originally existed to perform. Mzabi doesn't just want to evade the Inquisition's notice, though - he wants to replace it, gathering power until he can stage a coup and return the High Chancery to its original purpose. Octavio Mzabi is a magnetically charismatic, exuberant man with long dreadlocks, a tall and athletic build and friendly eyes. He is handsome, persuasive and...well, that's a problem, because he's a natural leader, not a natural spy or detective. He's got quite a bit of a following in cleaning up the Inquisition, and unfortunately, it's easy to trace his work back to him. He knows he's probably going to get caught if he can't find a way to delegate some of his dirty work. He is quick to recruit heroes that mistrust or resent the Inquisition, asking for their help to do what his own talents aren't suited for. Azra Uziel is the greatest Castillian guitarist - and given how important the guitar is to Castillians, that's no small thing. She is the child of a converso family of traveling performers. They are Eclipses - Castillians with Yachidic and Dinic heritage. Her concert tours heavily feature groups of Eclipses, working as cooks, bodyguards or even devoted fans, which she moves through Castille to ports where they can head for safety in Ifri or the Crescent, away from the Inquisition. She is, of course, highly suspect to the Inquisitors, and it's only a matter of time before her tours are infiltrated. The Rilasciare wants to recruit her to help overthrow the Inquisition, but she considers the danger to her family far too high. She's already got to deal with violently overzealous fans, one time even requiring the aid of El Vaabundo, and she's always looking for better security. She has a very strong tendency to adopt anyone she hires into her life, getting them to help her out and become part of her social circle. She is always the biggest voice in the room, charismatic as hell and pretty much never without a guitar. She comes up with songs at the drop of a hat, and loves to get people dancing and playing with her. She avoids topics like religion or politics in public, but when she meets an Eclipse in need, she becomes more focused and reaches out to get them to safety. Next time: More big names.
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Jul 13, 2018 21:32
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Ratoslov posted:Glorantha Dwarves are the Fun Police. They very much are, also they are computer programmers from the mid 60's,
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Jul 13, 2018 21:59
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Now I want the new Runequest to eventually get a sourcebook for PC members of the Cannon Cult.
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Jul 14, 2018 02:25
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White Coke posted:To be fair Christmas celebrations at the time involved drunken mobs instead of a family opening presents at home. It's like if everyone celebrated Christmas at SantaCon. That sounds loving rad. Can we bring that back?
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Jul 14, 2018 03:27
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SantaCon is a good time, minus San Jose police. Get yourself some.
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Jul 14, 2018 03:29
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I always thought Cold Iron meant that it wasn't forged, which meant that it had to be shaped by someone strong enough to work iron ore like it were clay.
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Jul 14, 2018 04:46
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Nessus posted:I was in an RPG once that was based on supers, and I created an alien swordsman type of character. I had a spare point that I spent on Immunity (Radiation) and this actually greatly influenced the character's background, because they had radiothermal power before they had reliable refrigeration. Just don't have it hit another uranium sword, otherwise things can get critical.
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Jul 14, 2018 04:57
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unseenlibrarian posted:It's not even a particularly old poetic term, it dates back to like the 19th century, and in use mostly just means "A sword." Like "Shooting iron" for guns, only with stabbing. gradenko_2000 posted:I always thought Cold Iron meant that it wasn't forged, which meant that it had to be shaped by someone strong enough to work iron ore like it were clay. There you go. Cold iron.
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Jul 14, 2018 09:21
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