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While sea-elfs could be cool visually, that fluff is pretty terrible.
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May 9, 2020 20:03
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Which part, the Teclis Fucks Up origin story, the soul thievery or the magical fish-enabling cloaks?
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May 9, 2020 20:14
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For a fun fact. The Idoneth don't have hair. They dislike the sensations that hair brings. Night10194 posted:While sea-elfs could be cool visually, that fluff is pretty terrible. What's your issue with it?
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May 9, 2020 20:16
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Mors Rattus posted:Which part, the Teclis Fucks Up origin story, the soul thievery or the magical fish-enabling cloaks? The part where they're sadder Dark Eldar who suffer immensely so that only 'one in one hundred of them' can overcome Slaanesh's curse to have children.
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May 9, 2020 20:30
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To be fair, I'll take 'depression elves' over 'Dark Eldar edginess elves'. Also, the 1% viable birthrate is without their soul thefts. Stealing the souls of other cultures ups it significantly, even if it means most of them don't actually have a complete soul.
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May 9, 2020 20:31
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It says a lot that making them PCs is all about removing that aspect of them though. E: It just still looks like edgy nonsense that would make them kinda dull to deal with or play. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 20:35 on May 9, 2020 |
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May 9, 2020 20:32
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Night10194 posted:The part where they're sadder Dark Eldar who suffer immensely so that only 'one in one hundred of them' can overcome Slaanesh's curse to have children. Yeah to be exact the Soul Stealing is so those who are borned with malformed souls can be made whole and grow up and such. Though they are basically a slave caste. Only those born with complete souls get the actually important roles.
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May 9, 2020 20:41
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From an RP perspective they're basically Drow in that, almost by default, any PC woukd have to be someone rebelling against their terribly oppressive and hosed-up culture
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May 9, 2020 20:59
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I dunno. Two variations on 'oops, can't breed properly' feels kinda... hinky. I've never really wanted kids myself, so that kind of thing always strikes a weird note with me to start with, though.
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May 9, 2020 21:16
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Bieeanshee posted:I dunno. Two variations on 'oops, can't breed properly' feels kinda... hinky. Well the can't breed for Fyreslayers is only if they become Soulbound (Something that is voluntary.) because having a legacy is a big deal for them. Idoneth can breed fine, but most of their kids won't survive unless they take drastic measures, but they only care about reproducing the way all species do, to continue its survival. Any Idoneth that becomes Soulbound likely does not give a poo poo about not being able to have kids. Plus the Idoneth are the only ones in the setting that have a flaw like this.
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May 9, 2020 21:25
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Soulbound Sky Dwarves In Power Armor The Kharadron Overlords are Duardin who survived the Age of Chaos by taking to the skies. They are privateers, merchants and scientists who use airships held in the air by technological devices known as endrins. Their lives are governed by (several variations of) the Kharadron Code, a set of legal documents that set forth the rules for war, trade and behavior. Their society is entirely meritocratic, with rule going to those that prove adept at command, trade and diplomacy. The Kharadron have no kings, and they worship no gods. They acknowledge Grungni as their creator, but outside of those hailing from Barak-Thryng, they reject his worship because they feel he abandoned them in the Age of Chaos. They have no faith in spellcasting, especially after the Necroquake, and favor their technological tools, fueled by the gaseous aether-gold that they harvest from the sky. The Kharadron manage six major sky-ports through the Mortal Realms, but many live and work on airships entirely. They are excellent trade partners, but infamous for following the letter of their contracts over the spirit - they are happy to exploit any loophole they can to increase profit, and will quickly abandon endeavors that no longer work in their favor. For the Kharadron, becoming Soulbound is about profit and success. Kharadron tend to have no special faith in the gods, and instead approach the Soulbound as a choice to enter an unbreakable contract with a lifelong duration. In exchange for their service, they get extended life, new chances to profit and lots of glory...plus immunity to the side effects of aether-gold exposure. When aether-gold touches skin, it can cause a terrible and uncurable paranoia, to which the Soulbound are entirely immune. Sure, being Soulbound has plenty of risks - but rewards require risk. Soulbound Kharadron receive no special respect from their fellows just by their status. Instead, they are judged by how well they've done for themselves through it, and may often be asked if the deal was worth making. Kharadron respect only accomplishment, after all.  The Aether-Khemist is one of the most celebrated and riskiest jobs in Kharadron society. They study aether-gold, the Breath of Grungni, to unlock its secrets and harness it in new devices. Aether-gold is, technically, a metal, but it's lighter than air. It is what holds the aerial parts of the sky-ports up, fuels the endrins and powers most Kharadron weapons. The Aether-Khemists know how to track and follow "veins" of aether-gold in the skies, how to refine it from a dangerous gas to a useful solid, and how to make machinery that can wield and manipulate aether-gold. Unlike most Kharadron, they tend to love knowledge as much as profit, sometimes more. Yes, a good voyage of discovery will make them rich, but the real worth is in finding new uses or properties of aether-gold. Finding a new seam? That's fine, sure - but the Aether Khemist Guild's really going to sit up and take notice if you develop cutting-edge craft. Aether-Khemists tend to see being Soulbound as a pragmatic decision, and a very good one - the immunity to aether-gold madness is very handy for someone who works with it all the time, especially when dealing with machines that might leak it when broken. Plus, they get access to a ton of useful and esoteric lore and can call on the other Soulbound to help them out. Where's the downside? Aether-Khemists start with Body 2, Mind 4, Soul 1 and must be Kharadron Duardin. Their Core Skill is Crafting, and their Core Talent is Aether-Khemists Guild Member, which lets them perform Aethercraft to make aetheric devices during downtime. They also get 3 of Acute Sense (pick a sense, you double the bonus from Training when making Awareness checks with that sense, and can make Awareness checks to sense stuff that is normally impossible, like smelling poison in food or seeing invisible stuff), Forbidden Knowledge, Iron Stomach, Medic, Observant and Scholar. They start with an Aether-Khemist's Rig (a special setup of Kharadron power armor - we'll get to that in the equipment section, but it covers both their weapons and armor), a Khemist's Kit, a book of notes and formulae, 100D worth of aethercrafting materials, and 85D of Aqua Ghyranis.  The Endrinmaster is a mechanical genius, a member of the Endrineer's Guild and master of smithing, machining, ship construction and more. Their talents can find them jobs anywhere - but the best jobs, the real money, is in the Arkanaut fleets of the sky. A ship's endrineer must know every part of the ship, but especially the aether-endrin that keeps it flying. Endrinmasters have all that and the combat ability to survive in the dangerous skies. They're often armed with amazing weapons of their own design. Any sky-port has a Guild school in it, and Endrinmasters tend to be driven by the same ethos as the port they studied in. They might be purely pragmatic, seeking profit alone, or they might want strength to fight sworn foes. Each is sworn under contract to the Guild to protect the machines and lore they have been given, and the Soulbound can help them fulfil that contract by extending their lives and getting them access to aether-gold...plus, of course, many chances to earn money. Endrinmasters begin with Body 2, Mind 3, Soul 2, and must be Kharadron Duardin. Their Core Skill is Crafting, and their Core Talent is Endrineers Guild Member, which lets them perform Endrineering during downtime to make special devices. They also get five of Combat Ready, Combat Repairs (You can repair damaged armor in combat, restoring lost points temporarily), Eidetic Memory, Iron Will, Savvy, Scholar, Sleight of Hand (you get a bonus on checks to distract, misdirect or to steal or hide small things, and you can always hide a palm-sized object on your person somewhere even if thoroughly disarmed and searched), or Tactician (you can take an action to let a nearby ally make a free attack with a bonus; someone liked Warlords). They begin with an Endrinmaster's Rig, Endrineer's Tools, a set of sketches of experimental devices, and 45D of Aqua Ghyranis.  The Skyrigger is an aerial wonder, a Duardin with a back-mounted aether-endrin that lets them fly. Yes, jetpack dwarves. While the aether-endrin is bulky, a Skyrigger can easily vent the gas within to increase or decrease altitude acrobatically. It's volatile, sure, since it's made from aether-gold, so they also wear a lot of protective armor against discharges. Skyriggers come in two types - the Endrinriggers, who work as aerial mechanics with their rivet guns, swas and so on to make fixes mid-combat at high speed, and the Skywardens, aerial shock troopers that dart in to attack vulnerable foes and get away before anyone knows what's up. Both kinds are highly practical and extremely brave - every time they go out with the jetpack, it's a risk. While being Soulbound can't save them from accidentally falling out of the sky, it can protect them from some of the other risks, like aether-gold madness, and give them new opportunities to use their skills for their own advancement. Skyriggers start with Body 3, Mind 3, Soul 1, and must be Kharadron Duardin. Their Core Skill is either Ballistic Skill or Crafting, and their Core Talent is either Endrineers Guild Member or Hit and Run, which lets them move as a free action once per turn if they deal melee damage. They also get four of Combat Repairs, Demolitions Expert (when using explosives or Blast weapons, you can designate some people to be immune to the blast), Endrineers Guild Member, Fearless, Hit and Run, Quick Reload (you ignore the Reload trait on weapons; this is actually less useful than it sounds since only two weapons in the game have it. On the other hand, one is the Drill Launcher, possibly the best Kharadron weapon), or Savvy. They begin the game with either an Endrinrigger's Rig or a Skywarden's Rig, any Common melee weapon, two aetheric grenades or skymines, a lucky charm, and 25D of Aqua Ghyranis. Next time: The Stormcast Eternals
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May 9, 2020 22:07
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 Heart: The City Beneath 13 - Fractures and Heavens Fractures aren't actually in the Heart - they're very distinctly Somewhere Else - but the messy metaphysics attract unrealities like flypaper. Gates and rifts can be found popping up throughout the City Beneath, usually in very odd places (like inside a Carrion Pig). Knowing where stable gateways to relatively-safe fractures are is very valuable. Elsewhere is a city the size of a country, that exists in the gap between seconds. A nexus of countless realities, it's a place of wonders, at least in the day. A night, however, the darkness congeals into nightmare creatures, and the inhabitants stay indoors, sleeping in brightly lit rooms. Papilious is a library that can be reached by allowing a particular type of moth to probe your ear for secrets. Follow it, and you'll end up in an idyllic place, where the librarians harvest idea-pollen from the moths to fill the pages of blank books. But stray through the library, open the wrong door, and you'll enter the other Papilious, kindly librarians becoming twisted cultists, and the knowledge becomes dark, forbidden lore. The inhabitants of each version of Papilious vehemently deny the existance of the other. The Unspire is a pale reflection of the City Above, reached through the Vanishing Point where perspective flips, leading you into a paper-thin, but somehow more perfect copy of the Spire. See Vanishing Point from Spire, but it's possible to bring back crude copies of objects from here, that somehow work better than the real thing. Afterlives, with their close links to the faithful of many races, are particuarly attracted to the Heart, and it's far to easy to walk into heaven, even if it's not one you believe in. Try not to die in the afterlife - it's theologically dodgy at best. Long ago, people believed in an afterlife deep beneath the earth, a primal Forest where a hunter would never go hungry. Everything here is built on a bigger scale; deer ten feet tall, hares the size of dogs, and predatory beasts constantly at the edges of your vision. There are hunters here still, many speaking languages long forgotten. The Humans of the east believe that the afterlife is a road across a cracked and barren plain. The greater you were in life, the more real you are upon the Grail Road, the better your clothing and weapons, and the more likely you'll reach the end of the road and ascend to godhood yourself. The Grey is a catch-all afterlife, the destination for souls without belief in a higher place. It's full of scared, huddled ghosts, scarred by the memory of death. Its position as a 'default' heaven makes it useful - you could possibly break into other afterlives from here, and some people (including Deadwalkers, earlier) have the knack of stepping into the Grey, circumventing obstacles in the physical world. As the Drow believe in their three-fold lunar goddess, so their afterlife exists in three facets. In The Dark City the spirits of dark elves existing in a twisted metropolis on the dark side of the moon, waiting until they are permitted to step into the Moon Garden. This is the place where drow who have lived well, and kept to the goddess' teaching end up. Limye, the Glorious Lady of Community and Tenacity rules here enforcing a nearly-unnatural calm. Those who come here (without dying, that is) find it very hard to leave such a peaceful place. There is a third part to this Heaven, that exists once a month when the moon hangs crimson in the sky. The Red Moon is where the worshippers of Lekole, the warlike aspect of the Danmou end up after dying in battle (or a suicide bombing, to tell the truth). Her true saints sit here on basalt thrones, waiting for the calls of the faithful to ignite their flaming crowns and draw them back down into the world. The Palace Multifaceted is the afterlife of the Incarnadines of the City Below, and the Azurites in the Spire proper - a heaven that can be entered not through good deeds, but by buying your way in. It feels somewhere between a brothel and a theme park, and the more donated in life, the grander the luxury given believers in death. Both of the gods involved (Azure and Incarnadine), claim that running an afterlife is expensive, and this is why when you run out of money, you get escorted off the premises, and reincanated as a newborn. It's probably a really good target if you're looking for an afterlife to rob - the Heart equivalent of knocking over a Vegas casino. The life of the Aelfir is one, usually, of luxury and plenty, so you'd expect their idea of the afterlife to be that magnified. However The Slumbering Depths is a deep kelp forest, trapping thousands of elven souls in a fitful dream - they dream here of the life they will lead on the surface world, earning the life that is to come via torment in the after(pre?)-life. The Source is the government-mandated afterlife of the Gnolls of Al'Marah. Having no formal state religion, it has been dictated that any gnoll who dies within sight of the central ziggurat of the city will be absorbed into this artificial heaven. That this does indeed happen has been proven as scientific fact by specially-shielded teams of explorers. It's a strange, mechanical place, filled with autonomous constructs that patrol its halls. Next: Adversaries
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May 9, 2020 23:13
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Mors Rattus posted:Duardin. There's a problem here, and it's a simple one. All these profiles talk about great and glorious history of dwarf-holds and so on and so forth...but they haven't earned it. I appreciate it's the standard generic dwarvern template to have a long and glorious history, but the setting doesn't have the narrative staying power to support one yet. Heck, basically nothing has happened in the Age of Sigmar setting since the whole realmgate war thing that kicked off the relaunch. So all this fluff rings rather hollow just now, in a way that isn't really the case for the dark elves (and I do think making them traders and explorers is a nice direction to take them). I haven't stopped rolling my eyes at the Fish Elves though. I guess they let the 40K Dark Eldar writers loose on them. I'll be curious to see how Soulbound handles the "Empire". GW kept the WHFB Empire armies in production even alongside the Stormcast, claiming they were particularly driven humans cosplaying as their ancestors and acting as auxiliaries.
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May 10, 2020 00:09
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They won't be covered much until we get to setting and the life in the cities - basically, the Freeguild armies and all those other guys are doing a ton of work in maintaining and managing the infrastructure of, like...day to day life and protecting the city walls and so on. The Stormcast are out on the front, and they're the home guard. e: also, I just...can't really agree with the position of 'your backstory of a glorious past can't exist because the game is still young.'
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May 10, 2020 00:13
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2e: Karak Azgal The Fanfiction Episode Our heroes are soon to be called on to go to the recently-retaken dwarf hold at Karak Azgal, there to delve its secrets, deal with its charmingly chaotic prospectors-camp/city above the ruins, and claim its treasures. They'll face all kinds of challenges, like actually properly supported Warhammer Wizards, cunning Slaaneshi, grumpy dwarfs, actual orcs (they apparently do exist in warhammer), crazy elf revengeance, and screaming rats. But before they can get there, what's happened to them in the last five years since Gilbert was enfiefed at Swamp Castle and their adventures seemed to be at an end? Sir Gilbert d'Lyonesse, Lord of Swamp Castle quote:Name: Gilbert d’Lyonesse Gilbert has grown up an awful lot in the last five years. For one, he and Ulrike are married. I imagine that is something of a surprise. The match was a bit difficult to work out, as Bretonnia normally doesn't make allowances for marrying foreign nobles or knights, but according to these Totally Authentic Scrolls he had his steward dig up, it turns out Ulrike is obviously a Bretonnian noble going back 5 generations, as well. Faced with the choice between losing Gilbert's allegiance (he would have moved to Middenland otherwise) his lord has accepted these as Totally Authentic and it means any children of this match will, themselves, be Bretonnian nobles. They wed two years prior, after years of adventure together in their respective knighthoods. His wife is still something of a scandal, but so are habits like personally speaking to peasants. He pays those things little mind as long as insults don't rise to a point where he needs to defend his honor with sword in hand at tourney. This is one of the many indications of how Gilbert has changed. His experiences in Mousillon told him that it would take more than just a strong sword-arm to make the world right. Sometimes there have to be compromises. Sometimes you have to do something for the sake of appearance. Sometimes what's right isn't obvious, and cases have to be considered to determine what's ethical and what isn't. Sometimes you have to be flexible, or take things as they appear to be. He hasn't really undermined his belief in chivalry; he still considers himself a noble knight of Bretonnia, and he is still a strong warrior with sword and lance, but he's learned to read and taken to trying to learn how the accounts of his realm work from his steward and his sheriff. Yes, he'll often ride off to hunt another lake troll or something, but those things need to be done for the good of the realm. Gilbert takes his rulership seriously, and has done what he can to make his somewhat dreary swamp castle and its environs into a place where his peasants don't starve and his men at arms can answer his banner if his lord calls him. More critically, while he still intends to seek the Grail, he has come to the conclusion that he must be a Lord first. Only when he understands how to rule and how to do all of the duties of a knight would he be a man worthy of the Lady's blessing. Gilbert is a Noble Lord! He's no longer a pure fighter. He's still very good at fighting, but most of his growth will be in Fel, Int, and intellectual/diplomatic skills. He's doing his best to be less of a furious dumbass and become a lord worthy of title, who hears matters of justice properly and rules well. And he can read! He really wants to take up the Sword of the Quest, and will certainly jump at a chance for adventure while his lands are in pretty good condition, but he believes he should wait until he's grown in other ways. Ulrike d'Lyonesse, Heroine of the White Wolf, Also Somehow Bretonnian quote:Name: Ulrike d’Lyonesse Ulrike d'Lyonesse is a proper lady of Bretonnia, we swear. It says so on all these scrolls of genealogy that he husband had commissioned. When he explained to her that her wearing armor and carrying a giant hammer would lead to 'a perpetual state of punitive questing', she accepted his marriage proposal and the plan to stay in Bretonnia on the spot. While she is considered a very scandalous woman at times (she still doesn't wear a helmet or cover her hair properly) her lord also considers her useful; the new Duc d'Lyonesse (Duke Adalhard fell out of a window after accidentally stabbing himself six times after some bad wine made him ill at supper) is a pragmatic man who has realized that occasionally sending her on 'quest' to go kill a manticore or whatever for the crime of wearing armor is a good thing for the realm. The White Wolves have noted her successes in Bretonnia and raised her to the Inner Circle of the order; they are hoping that her success and infamy in Bretonnia will lead some of its people to adandon that silly Lady and follow a proper god of wolves, pecs, and axes. Ulrike is as she always was. Questing suits her well, and she's happy to eliminate lethal monsters and defend the lands. She's honestly found she sort of enjoys being a walking scandal, and it doesn't seem to hurt her husband's career any. After all, people say, how could you expect a foreign-born knight who is following the wrong god to ever properly honor the ways of Bretonnia, even though she is totally a legitimate Bretonnian noble with proof of descent going back five generations on the rolls of nobility? Scandalizing the countryside, smashing monsters, saving damsels (and foolish knights errant) and watching them try to process what happened has become something of a hobby for her, especially as Gilbert is increasingly willing to do the boring paperwork of running the realm while she quests. Still, she's trying to coax him back into adventure a little before he loses his edge. Ulric wouldn't let her let her husband sit idle and stop being a mighty warrior. Ulrike is an Inner Circle Knight. It's Knight, but more! She's the best fighter on the team now, and will grow pretty strong at politicking, too. She also just really enjoys loving with Bretonnians. I think it's the main reason she stuck around, besides having a happy marriage. Queen Elena Santiago, Protector of the Mist Mountain, Lord of Men, First of Her Name, On The Run From The Princess Catchers quote:Name: Elena Santiago Elena's life has gone a little off the rails. With her friends seeming to settle down and cease adventure, she took her share of the team's money and got back to work. She stuck to Sigmarsheim and other spots in Lyonesse mostly, though she did a stint as a 'shepherdess' in Carcassone, and that's where trouble happened. She took a job hunting a notorious warlock, not really understanding that Warlock Moves mean everything around them will turn to chaos and madness, and pursued her target across the mountains into the border princes. She eventually cornered the outlaw in his makeshift palace on a lonely mountain, shooting him in the head as is customary with warlocks, only to discover that by the laws of this principality, this made her their princess and queen. This seemed like a good move up in the world, until she realized there had been 8 kings and queens of the Mist Mountain in the last year. When she first tried to leave after a week of realizing that the local tradition of 'TO THE STRONGEST' (they considered themselves meritocratic) meant everyone was going to be trying to kill her, she found the palace doors barred. It was apparently tradition not to let the monarch escape, as many had attempted to flee and succession could not be determined until they were killed by someone who could then take over for them. Employing her considerable skills as a hunter of men and a talented adventurer, she climbed out a window using her bedsheets and fled into the night. She had not anticipated that the realm would possess an elite squad of princess catchers, sent to go and retrieve the princess (Queen) who had fled into the night. While she is a very good adventurer, they have hounded her all the way across the border into Bretonnia. She's stayed one step ahead of these terrifying hunters of wayward royalty, rather astonished at their devotion to duty, and has decided to flee for her friend's castle in Lyonesse. Surely some heavily armed knights who remember her fondly can help her deal with this ridiculous bullshit. Why couldn't the drat pig have warned her 'don't go into the Border Princes'? Maybe that fell under being a sensible woman? Either way, she makes for Swamp Castle with all speed. Elena is still an Enforcer. Elena had a very ridiculous last five years. Elena has learned never to go to the fantasy balkans OR get involved with warlocks ever again. Vendrick Roseblossom, Saint of the Bow quote:Name: Vendrick Roseblossom Vendrick has not had a good time. Vendrick returned home when their company split up, to give his report and inform the Glade Guard and the Queen's agents there was nothing to fear from Karl or his former companions. He was shocked to be ordered to return and capture or kill both Karl and Anya for the sake of the Loren. Somehow, his findings had convinced someone that the boy might still have the seeds of his abilities, since he was beginning to show magic, and a rogue mage could not be permitted in Bretonnia. He was offered promotion and ascension to one of the inner glades, but refused to turn on his former friends, fleeing the forest and going rogue. He stayed one step ahead of his pursuers and was glad to realize he escaped the forest without it being centuries in the outside world or something. Still, he is now officially banished and cannot return to the glades of his youth, having defied the orders of the Queen. He's spent the last few years wandering the Empire to throw off pursuit, adventuring on his own and making a living winning archery contests effortlessly. Even by Asrai standards he has become a fearfully good archer; he rarely misses, even on the most difficult trick shots. He's picked up knife throwing, too. It's useless in combat, but it amuses humans to no end and makes for a good trick. Now that he's content that he's no longer being followed directly, he makes his way back to his friends in Lyonesse to see how they're doing, and make certain they haven't faced the wrath of the Fae despite his refusal. He hopes they're alright. He's still not sure what the hell the magic pig was trying to tell him. Vendrick is mechanically as he always was: He's an incredible sniper and a competent ranger. He simply doesn't miss, and his bow is effectively Damage 6 if he's shooting at someone with 2 armor or more. Which is most serious enemies. And if they didn't have that armor, a Damage 4 Mighty Shot boosted shot should hurt them. Considering they can't dodge or parry arrows. He's as elf as you get, but is also both a bit harder edged and considerably nicer than he was before being told to murder his friends and jumping out a window (well, okay, out of a tree) to escape his superiors. Anya Vonretuer, Magical Trickster quote:Name: Anya Vonreuter Anya found her calling in the Wind of Shadow. She's spent the last five years studying her magic and learning how best to be tricky and cunning, because she's found it's one of the best ways to avoid having to kill people. That she occasionally also stole things in the process is just another part of her increasing reliance on conflict avoidance. Sometimes people have things that need stealing; evil tomes, dark artifacts, bits of warpstone. Things you really shouldn't leave to dabbling necromancers or crazy cultists. She's also acquired her own Familiar over the last few years, a scrappy little silver fox named Portia, who is probably a bad influence. Her sidekick is very big on stealing poo poo and doing crimes, and has probably encouraged her to get a little too into occasional criminal adventures. She has an especial dislike of necromancers, for obvious reasons, but wherever the forces of darkness are getting up to some bullshit that could be diffused by trickery, she's there to quietly rescue the sacrifices or swap the idols at exactly the right moment to gently caress up their ritual and let hilarity ensue. Anya has maintained her links with her old friends over the years. She even stays at Swamp Castle most winters, and still spends plenty of time with Karl when she's around. So when adventure comes calling again, she's right there already. Anya is now a rogue/wizard. Her Familiar sadly didn't get the Magic Power ability yet, but someday Portia will make her more powerful at magic like Rose did for Syphan. Imagine Portia as a scrappy little cockney sidekick that's constantly trying to get the gothic heroine to Do Crimes. Anya doesn't need a good influence like Syphan did. Anya is really good at crimes, messing around with people with magic, and talking. These things are good for adventuring with. Karl Schmidt, Priest of Shallya quote:Name: Karl Schmidt In the time since the last adventure, Karl gained the permission of his order (and of the Lord Gilbert d'Lyonesse) to build a chapel on his lands, that the young priest could serve the people and provide Shallya's mercy. Settled temple life has agreed with him in a way adventure never did. Karl has never really been as excited about traveling around and getting up to scraps as his friends, even as he felt it was his duty. Sitting in a poor temple, training a young initiate, healing the sick and serving as a midwife and doctor, these are the things that have made him happy. The relative peace gave him time to meditate on his purpose, to resolve his doubts about becoming a Priest. The Miracles came shortly after, along with a renewed sense of purpose. He lives because heroes chose mercy over expedience. Every life he saves, every child he brings into the world, all of these would not have been done if the Thousand Crowns had taken a different route. Others made choices that hurt many, many people when he was a child. That can never be undone. But with the grace of Shallya, his new magic, and his skills as a doctor, how many lives will be given back? Such is the cycle of mercy. A life ended cannot be better spent. Naturally, just as he's settled down and found peace, he'll be interrupted. Such is also the way of Hams. Still, when his old friends take up the call of adventure again, how could he leave them to it without his help? Surely the Initiates will be able to tend the temple while he's gone. Being a Priest(ess) of Shallya is effectively being the Magikarp of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Yes, Karl was a good healer before now. He was helpful. But any Initiate knows Heal, and Karl couldn't really fight or contribute in combat the way a normal Priest might. Now Karl is Anointed. Karl can cast Cure Wounds, Cure Poison, and Cure Disease. Karl can also fire a holy soap laser at Nurglites, if only there were any on the upcoming adventure. If they were using Insanity, Karl could no-sell that poo poo, too. Karl is basically the ultimate anti-bullshit unit, even if he can't fight, and he can heal-tank his buddies through almost anything. Trying to run their wounds out when he's running around behind them casting Heal every turn is going to be a total bastard. Karl is no long Magikarp in any way, shape, or form. This is the team as they go into Karak Azgal. It's going to be a crazy adventure, if a little closer to a standard Fantasy RPG adventure than their last one. I think it'll be a fun time, though, and they're actually pretty appropriately leveled for how nasty parts of it can get. This is one of the only adventures that consistently properly supports wizards. And they're in for a really nasty surprise when they get to the elf. Next Time: The Call to Adventure
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May 10, 2020 00:20
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Loxbourne posted:I'll be curious to see how Soulbound handles the "Empire". GW kept the WHFB Empire armies in production even alongside the Stormcast, claiming they were particularly driven humans cosplaying as their ancestors and acting as auxiliaries. The Free Realms is the Empire of the setting and it's just a general name for the good aligned cities and towns scattered across the realms that worship Sigmar. Their roster has been drastically cut down these days but that's also because you're meant to mix in the non special faction elves and dwarves into the armies alongside some Stormcast since they sometimes have forts in the larger places.
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May 10, 2020 00:20
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I can't take anything in Age of Sigmar seriously. I've tried, and I can't. The names always get to me.
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May 10, 2020 00:21
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Frankly the most egregious one was the original name for the Kharadon. Which was Steamhead Duardin in this case and it was just really, really bad so I'm glad they went with Kharadon instead to differentiate them.
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May 10, 2020 00:28
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I just think the names are kind of bad because GW names in general are kind of bad ever since the whole "we'll sue people who use the term Space Marine" money-making scheme backfired. The content is fine. The names just suck because they want to license all their playsets and toys and if I ever play the game I'll just loosen my tie and be like "fuckin' call them Sea Elves or Dwarfborgs or whatever you want around the table". Lean into the Big Dumb 1980s Filmation Setting where people are named He-Man and Man-E-Faces and Beastman and the heroes are optimists fighting to do good.
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May 10, 2020 00:34
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As far as I can tell, the AoS setting is pretty young in fantasy terms: There was a Mythic Age where everything happened in vague legend ways, but has very little connection to the present because Chaos came and broke all of that, and only now are the doors open to re-colonization of the universe by the Order-aligned civilizations. Which is a real move away from the Lord of the Rings/WHFB story framework where the specific places and nations are named, have histories, and are involved in a long-term struggle between Chaos and Order; instead, you get something a lot more like the classic D&D frontier fantasy, with heroes roving from settlement to settlement pushing back the untamed and malevolent world to expand and safeguard civilization. And that's a 'young' feeling story, and there just isn't that much history to it as compared to elaborate mythology. And, I agree that the tradition-keeping, past-glories-recovering dwarfiness that Tolkien and WHFB have don't really feel present in either the Grudge Dwarves or the Steampunk Dwarves, despite both grudges and steampunk being part of WHFB dwarves - I think it's more the setting's basic story assumptions than that AoS is a new game.
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May 10, 2020 00:52
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It should be noted, the Age of Myth and Age of Chaos were both relatively long - there's a lot of room for backstory, it's just most of the nations that existed in that backstory are shattered and broken. Their legends and lore survive, and that's why, like, the Dispossessed want to reclaim their ancient empire and the Fyreslayers are all about Grimnir's traditions, but yeah the actual extant societies - including most Fyreslayer Lodges - are relatively young. (The Kharadron are explicitly a young dwarven civilization, they abandoned their old ways pretty much entirely outside of one city of traditionalists.)
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May 10, 2020 01:02
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Mors Rattus posted:It should be noted, the Age of Myth and Age of Chaos were both relatively long - there's a lot of room for backstory, it's just most of the nations that existed in that backstory are shattered and broken. Their legends and lore survive, and that's why, like, the Dispossessed want to reclaim their ancient empire and the Fyreslayers are all about Grimnir's traditions, but yeah the actual extant societies - including most Fyreslayer Lodges - are relatively young. (The Kharadron are explicitly a young dwarven civilization, they abandoned their old ways pretty much entirely outside of one city of traditionalists.) It's less a question of actual chronological length, and more a question of how much that time has been developed and how it intrudes on the present day for play. Like, it's easy enough to tack a bunch of nouns and years to a backstory, but it takes more effort to make societies feel really old, or like they're really involved in recombining and reimagining ancient tradition. That's one reason it can be useful to bring in real-world referents for fantasy and science fiction societies.
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May 10, 2020 01:28
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I'm impressed with the way they filed off the rough edges so that any of the archetypes have a legit reason to become Soulbound. Certainly, a Witch Aelf's routine will probably involve a lot of, you know, arterial spray but there's nothing there that explicitly says they can't like and even come to care about the group. The Sorceress has her schemes but even that doesn't need to be directed inward.
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May 10, 2020 01:34
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Joe Slowboat posted:It's less a question of actual chronological length, and more a question of how much that time has been developed and how it intrudes on the present day for play. Like, it's easy enough to tack a bunch of nouns and years to a backstory, but it takes more effort to make societies feel really old, or like they're really involved in recombining and reimagining ancient tradition. That's one reason it can be useful to bring in real-world referents for fantasy and science fiction societies. Yeah, but a lot of Age of Sigmar is about reclaiming and recovering what was lost in the Age of Chaos. Like, a good portion of the game is about trying to push back the dark and recover the Lost Mythic Golden Age stuff. For me, that makes the dwarves work - their focus on the ancient golden age and its deeds is where the traditions come from - the entire thing is basically like...well, the recent She-Ra thing, where the ancient lost technology of Eternia is a big deal even though Eternia itself is a far-off legend.
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May 10, 2020 01:35
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Dawgstar posted:Certainly, a Witch Aelf's routine will probably involve a lot of, you know, arterial spray but there's nothing there that explicitly says they can't like and even come to care about the group. And there's an excellent chance that the sources of said arterial spray will be things that drat well needed killing anyway. May as well enjoy your job, right?
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May 10, 2020 01:45
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Mors Rattus posted:(The Kharadron are explicitly a young dwarven civilization, they abandoned their old ways pretty much entirely outside of one city of traditionalists.) I think a fair number of them that saw the Kharadron's founding are still alive. Which puts them at maybe 200 to 300 years.
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May 10, 2020 01:52
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Dawgstar posted:I'm impressed with the way they filed off the rough edges so that any of the archetypes have a legit reason to become Soulbound. Certainly, a Witch Aelf's routine will probably involve a lot of, you know, arterial spray but there's nothing there that explicitly says they can't like and even come to care about the group. The Sorceress has her schemes but even that doesn't need to be directed inward. The gods basically say, "You, depressed water elf, and you, capitalist jetpack dwarf, are now best friends and will kill demons together until one of you dies. Find a way to make it work" And then you make it work
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May 10, 2020 01:52
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Froghammer posted:The whole point of the game seems to be taking alliances of convenience and forging actual relationships out of them, if only on an interpersonal level. Though nicely the gods ask if your ok with it, and what you want in exchange for doing so.
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May 10, 2020 02:10
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Soulbound Lightning Einherjar The Stormcast Eternals are Sigmar's grand project, recruited from the souls of the bravest and most noble mortal champions of the past. Thanks to the aid of Grungni, he was able to reforge these souls - a harrowing process, sure, but one that remade them as champions, angels of thunder and flesh, superhuman in their abilities. The Stormcast are not and cannot be Soulbound - their souls are forever altered in the Reforging, bound to Sigmar and unable to handle the Soulbinding. Instead, they are immortal in their own fashion, dying and returning from Azyr. When a Stormcast works with a Soulbound group, it's because they need to. They may have been assigned to the group by Sigmar, though he doesn't always explain why. They might be meant to be a mentor or a watchdog, or even put with the Soulbound mortals in order to ensure they retain a sense of their self and their human nature, as Sigmar wants his champions to have memories of more than death and to have strong ties to life. The Stormcast have wildly varying views on the Soulbound, generally based on their experience working with Soulbound parties (or lack thereof). Some see them as heroes and equals, while others wonder why, if they were so great, they weren't Stormcast. These skeptics are typically rebuked by their fellows, who point out that Sigmar himself proposed the Soulbound and regularly praises their work as vital and impossible to replicate. The Soulbound especially tend to be better at moving subtly and dealing with normal people than Stormcast are, since Stormcast are usually eight feet tall and spark with electrical power.  The Knight-Azyros is the voice of Sigmar, his herald. They bring his light to the darkness quite literally, each armed with a lantern that contains within it a single beam of light form Azyr, said to be the gaze of Sigmar himself. Armed with this holy lantern, the Knights-Azyros can call on Sigmar's power to heal, purge evil and tear apart dark magic. While they know how to fight, their first job is as a diplomats and judges, traveling between the Free Cities and bringing hope with them. They bring wisdom and truth in cases that are too difficult or dangerous for mortal investigators. They have extreme freedom in their actions, answering only to their Lord-Aquilor or Lord-Celestant (and, of course, to Sigmar). They often serve as envoys to negotiate with people reluctant to take Sigmar's aid or emissaries to allies of the Stormcast. When they work with the Soulbound, they may be serving as the diplomatic voice for rougher types, or may have requested their assistance in difficult or long-term investigations. Knights-Azyros start with Body 3, Mind 2, Soul 4, and must be Stormcast. Their Core Skill is Devotion, and their Core Talent is Blessed (Sigmar). They also get any three of Diplomat, Iron Will, Medic, Scholar, or any Miracles of Sigmar. They begin with Sigmarite plate (medium armor), a starblade (functionally a Sword), a dagger, celestial wings, a celestial beacon (which serves as their holy symbol) and 85D of Aqua Ghyranis.  The Knight-Incantor wields the sorcerous might of Azyr in service to Sigmar. They are called on to attend the Anvil of Apotheosis, to guide the newly Reforged and the souls of dead Stormcast out of their confusion. Their power over celestial energies makes them terrifying in battle, and all of them at least had magical talent in mortal life. They might have been sages, explorers or battlemages, but all have a sense for the flow of mystic power. Each also has a sacred quest, given to them by Sigmar: they must seek out lost lore and ancient secrets, seeking tools that can improve the Reforging process and remove its flaws. They do not often discuss these flaws even amongst temselves, but all know they exist. Sigmar has set his most cunning and clever warriors to find a way to fix this, because he hates knowing that his warriors are harmed by his work. They are often puleld from this quest to aid mortals in dealing with mystic threats, undead or so on, but their real calling is to rescue all other Stormcast from the dangers of the Reforging. Several have been set to work with the Soulbound in pursuit of this, though whether they tell the Soulbound this varies with the Stormcast involved and the group. Knights-Incantor start with Body 3, Mind 4, Soul 2, and must be Stormcast. Their Core Skill is Channelling, and their Core Talents are Spellcasting (Celestial) and Unbind. They also get two of Forbidden Knowledge, Iron Will, Potent Spells (the difficulty to resist any of your spells is increased), Scholar or Witch-Sight. They begin with Sigmarite plate (medium armor), an incantor's staff (functionally a Quarterstaff), a dagger, a tabard of the Sacrosanct Chamber, a grimoire, a scroll case and 240D of Aqua Ghyranis.  The Knight-Questor is chosen from among the STormcast elite warriors, a leader among heroes. They are chosen because they are able and willing to fight alone for centuries, if they must, in pursuit of the quest given to them by Sigmar. Each swears an unbreakable oath to achieve that single goal over all else. They might be told to kill a specific foe, deliver a treasure or retrieve something lost - or it might be something stranger, like finding the bones of an ancient beast of myth lost in endless sandstorms. The Knights-Questor rarely ask questions, and are generally happy to work with Soulbound adventurers as long as their quest can be pursued. The Knights-Questor wield the finest armor and wepaons that Sigmar can provide, and no one in the entire hierarchy of the Free Cities has the right to stop them when their quest requires them to go somewhere. When they finish it, they may be returned to their Stormhost, but more often Sigmar gives them a new mission to pursue. When they join the Soulbound, it is usually because their quest is either directly relatyed to the party somehow or their mission is so difficult that they need the help. Knights-Questor start with Body 4, Mind 2, Soul 3, and must be Stormcast. Their Core Skill is Weapon Skill, and their Core Talent is Heroic Challenge, which allows them to take an action to challenge a foe, weakening their attacks or spells targeting anyone but the Knight-Questor and buffing the Knight's Melee against the foe. They also get any three of Bulwark, Combat Ready, Diplomat, Guts, Intimidating Manner or Underdog. They start with Sigmarite warplate (heavy armor), either a questor warblade (functionally a Sword) and a shield or any two-handed melee weapon, a cloak, a small pendant with the mark of their former Stormhost, and 65D of Aqua Ghyranis.  The Knight-Venator is a scout that flies fast as lightning and sees for miles. They are archers of terrifying skill, wielding magical arrows handcrafted by the Six Smiths of Sigmaron, which reappear in their quiver as fast as they are fired. The Knights-Venator were peerless hunters and trackers in life, and in immortality, they are tasked to prove it by finding and befriending a Celestial Star-Eagle. The Star-Eagles are immortal creatures of Azyr, said to be avatars of the stars. Each is an intelligent, ancient being, and they may communicate with their bonded Knight-Venator mentally. More than one has proven the wiser of the pair. Knights-Venator typically operate far in advance of their Stormhosts, sometimes for years at a time without contact with their commanding officers. They work as advance scouts and forward strike teams in enemy territory, or as messengers or even assassins. When they work with the Soulbound, it is often as guides or scouts in unknown territory, or as assistance in taking out a particularly tricky foe - or vice versa, as the Knights-Venator are happy to ask for help if it seems useful. Knights-Venator start with Body 3, Mind 3, Soul 3 and must be Stormcast. Their Core Skill is Ballistic Skill, and their Core Talent is Loyal Companion (Star-Eagle), which gives them a telepathic bird buddy. They also get any three of Combat Ready, Fearless, Hunter, Orientation, Star-fated Arrow (you can spend an action to target a foe, causing your next ranged attack on them to ignore armor), or Vanish. They begin with Sigmarite plate (medium armor), a realmhunter's bow, a quiver of arrows, a storm gladius (functionally a Sword), celestial wings and 90D of Aqua Ghyranis. Next time: The Sylvaneth
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May 10, 2020 02:26
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Mors Rattus posted:since Stormcast are usually eight feet tall and spark with electrical power. Or can be incredibly inhuman depending on how many reforgings they've undergone. Which is probably one of the cooler later additions to them.
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May 10, 2020 02:46
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Cooked Auto posted:Or can be incredibly inhuman depending on how many reforgings they've undergone. Which is probably one of the cooler later additions to them. You can really amp up the pathos with a Stormcast trying to regain some of what they've lost, and it's a great hook for hanging out with their Soulboud nakama. I liked the text talking about what they do to try to hang out to what they have, like tattooing themselves. Imagine having just this ornate, beautiful sleeve on your arm with precisely no idea why it's there. Maybe the job Sigmar gives you is to figure out what it means. (I think that's just the plot of CBS' 'Blindspot' but it's valid.)
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May 10, 2020 03:08
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Yeah I like that one of the reasons Stormcast may be sent join Soulbound is to ground themselves and make new good memories with other people.
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May 10, 2020 03:16
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One of the more interesting bits of fiction that came out around the time of AoS 2.0 actively dealt with a pair of Stormcast in a romantic relationship with each other. Not to mention the Hamilcar book has the main character have rather obvious sexual fantasies too about another Stormcast he knows. He finds them incredibly confusing sure but at the same time it does wonders in humanizing them.
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May 10, 2020 03:19
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Something that's always bugged me about Marines and Sigmarines both is that it feels like it takes a lot away from Chaos Warriors when the 'good' side has something exactly like them physically but generally better. Part of their whole schtick is being an 8 foot hellviking that you have to face with mostly normal people.
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May 10, 2020 03:54
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Night10194 posted:Something that's always bugged me about Marines and Sigmarines both is that it feels like it takes a lot away from Chaos Warriors when the 'good' side has something exactly like them physically but generally better. In this case the Stormcast are actually just as strong or weaker than Chaos Warriors. For heroes a generic Chaos Lord is generally stronger than a generic Stormcast Hero. Stormcast also have another advantage over Space Marines in that they are not fascists by default.
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May 10, 2020 04:37
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2e: Karak Azgal The Last Adventure So, this is the last of these books I have to cover. And the last WHFRP 2e book I didn't cover. Except Shades of Empire, but if I covered that it would be like an hour of me laughing at Hedgecraft and then tossing the book in the trash, so eh. So this is the last of these. It's also a 'toolkit' book. You really aren't exactly meant to use every dungeon and adventure in this book with one party. It's more meant to be 'pick which enemy types you like and which adventure stands out to you'. But since this is the last hurrah, why the hell not? There's going to be a fair bit of self indulgence in this as is, because this is the last time I get to cover hams like this. Karak Azgal is a story about a dwarf-hold that was lost to both a dragon and a bunch of other threats. A great dwarven hero, Skalf the Dragonslayer (guessing you can tell where this is going) managed to kill the dragon and retrieve the great treasure vault of Karak Izril, the original settlement. However, that didn't instantly clean out the ruins and fix everything. The dwarfs used the recovered treasure to build a second hold, Karak Azgal, because it's a very dwarf thing to kill a horror, get its money, then use the money to build another fortress you can use as a base to clean out and mine the original fortress. If it all works out, they'll have two fortresses! And access to the legendary gem mines of Karak Izril. Not to mention the rumored vein of rich Gromril deep in the mountain. What the dwarfs don't realize is that there's a reason Karak Izril didn't mine that vein. Down there, in the deep, they woke something up. It's sealed up with the great Gromril vein, and the rumors of the treasure below might let it free again. Not a balrog, mind you. Much gribblier Chaos Beast. Worse, the ruins are still infested and have been infested for ages with undead, Skaven, and Orcs. The dwarfs just didn't have the manpower (beardpower?) to clean out Karak Izril from Karak Azgal and they knew it. So they began to hire adventurers and mercenaries to help them. Eventually there were enough of those people, and the hold was far enough away, that the dwarfs just gave up and built the manlings and others a town to live in to support the adventuring and the sale of the gems and other treasures recovered from the mountain. Being effectively a town-sized mercenary camp that the dwarfs don't care about that much, 'Deadgate' has quickly become a town full of gambling, venal pleasures, organized crime, and rowdy adventurers and freebooters trying to enjoy it all before they dive back into the mountain. Naturally it's also full of plot hooks, and a good place for adventurers to take breaks from dungeon delving. The dwarfs actually license the adventurers who go in to claim treasures from below. They pay bounties, confiscate the best treasures if they aren't hidden, charge taxes, and generally try to squeeze and regulate the freebooters hacking their way through the old ruins. They have little idea exactly how bad things can get in the tunnels sometimes, too; they've gotten used to letting freebooters take the risks while they focus on building and mining Karak Azgal next door. It's an interesting setup; it's very dwarf to try to make adventurers get licenses and submit to inspections on their way out of the dungeon. The first step in a campaign set here is to decide how the heroes hear of it. In our case, it's easy: Shortly after Vendrick and Elena arrive, running from their respective pursuers and checking on their friends, an old friend of Karl's drops by. Oleg Balinson is fresh off his latest trips to the Badlands, and mentions the messes at Karak Azgal to Karl while being introduced to his new friends. He also implies Karl should probably marry sooner or later, pointing out the wizard girl seems suitable. You know how uncles can be, always offering unwanted advice about how to live your life. Karl thanks him for his frankness, but tries to tell him he's not really an adventurer anymo-and Gilbert is already clapping him on the back and asking if he'll accompany them as all the others suit up and get ready to make for a dwarf-hold. He sighs and agrees to come along, not wanting to leave all of them to get murdered in the darkness without their healer. Oleg mentions the place is utterly infested, far worse than the Thanes and the local king let on, and that it really could do with actual heroes to help clean it out. Step two, according to the book, is getting there. Our heroes are a long, long way from the Badlands. It will take them another trip all along the Grismarie (briefly crossing into Mousillon to reach the river sooner, somehow never noticing the Black Knight coming for their heads and assuming they're his tormentors after they killed Aucassin five years ago) to Montfort, where they cross over into Axe Bite Pass and make it back to Helmgart yet again. Traveling northeast, they eventually reach Altdorf itself. After a short chance encounter with Syphan and Rose, during which they discover Rose is trying to use Syphan's fortunes as an adventurer to set up some manner of bequest to support young heroes like themselves (Look, Rose is Speedwagon, but a tiny magical raccoon) and take advantage of that to both have a chance to try maple syrup (Syphan succeeded in her quest. Part of the Loren is probably on fire. It may explain the ease of Vendrick's escape) and use Rose's money to book passage on a luxury riverboat to Nuln. Unlike Brute Squad, they are not attacked by a ton of Beastman bullshit on the cruise, though they do run into a brief intrigue with an attempted assassination on an (Vendrick assures them) exceedingly portly elven ambassador (the humans just think she looked like a normal, healthy human woman, if very fond of cream puffs). After a brief stop in Nuln and an extremely exciting night at the local opera that leads to the arrest of a local professor emeritus named Albrecht Kinear (A cultist of Tzeentch) they continue on down the rivers, eventually taking the Hornburg past the mountains and into the Border Princes. Evading or destroying the Princess Catchers (after getting Elena to explain what the hell those people were) they make their way into the mountain forests, and find themselves drawn into a battle between a very lost force of Chaos Marauders and Warriors and a local bandit princess, supposedly from Cathay. Learning they're in the region of Pferdekrieg, in the Black Mountain, they are conducted down the Hundeschuche river by the forces of the grateful Bandit Queen Li Na and her wife Renata after saving their lives from an actual Chaos Champion. This confuses Gilbert a little, but it seems to be the local custom so he shrugs and goes along with it. Maybe women just marry women sometimes in the Borderlands? Karl tells him not to worry about it, and they continue onwards, southeast to the Old Dwarf Road. On the way southeast, they pass the great nautical hold of Barak Varr. Stopping a time to see the steamships and rest in a safe place, they have a little time to marvel at exactly what the dwarfs can build. I mean, actual ships with no sails and metal armor? And so many cannon. How the hell are pirates even a problem for these people? They continue on, though, making their way across the end of the Badlands and running afoul of a tribe of ogres. After Ulrike faces their Tyrant and loses handily in an eating contest, the Ogres congratulate them for being willing to actually try and decide not to have the team for supper, which is good, because it's that moment that the forces of an orcish warboss assault the camp, and (even including a very sick Ulrike) they're forced to fight alongside the enormous Ogres to see off Warboss Treewakka, known for his sport of 'elf batting', where you hit elfs with the trees they like so's so see how they like the tree when the whole tree is hittin' 'em. He eventually perishes to an arrow in each of his eyes from Vendrick, but not before the team recognizes maple trees among his spoils and shares the secrets of Syphan's syrup with the ogres since they'd fought together. There is great rejoicing, and the heroes are given an honor guard out of their territory in gratitude. Sneaking past a few goblin forts to get back to the roads, they slowly make their way up the winding roads to the Worlds' Edge Mountains, and arrive at Karaz Azgal. Only to find the locals charge very high taxes for any elves entering the Hold. The Ear Tax is going to be prevalent throughout the adventure. The dwarfs are going to be busy giving Vendrick a hard time. He sighs, and the team makes their way into Deadgate to find a drink and an actual bed. Was the travelogue necessary? This time, I'd say yes, it was. The point of all this is that Karak Azgal is loving far away from wherever your heroes are likely operating. Unless you start session one with arriving, if you do as they suggest and play out the journey, it's a long, long way. Sure, it'd be faster if they didn't start in southern Lyonesse, but dang, even if you just start from Altdorf it's a long trip. You're likely to have as many adventures as they did just getting to the adventure. Which could be fun! Next Time: The City of Deadgate Night10194 fucked around with this message at 05:29 on May 10, 2020 |
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May 10, 2020 05:25
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Mors Rattus posted:Soulbound I am very confused. From the little I knew about the Age of Sigmar, I thought Stormcast were kinda like magical animated golems with a hero's soul bonded (forged) to it. These pictures suggest they are much more flesh and blood than I was lead to believe. So, does Sigmar catch a soul, wack it with the hammer, throw it in an overgrown body and then give it the blinged out armor?
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May 10, 2020 05:34
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Pakxos posted:I am very confused. From the little I knew about the Age of Sigmar, I thought Stormcast were kinda like magical animated golems with a hero's soul bonded (forged) to it. These pictures suggest they are much more flesh and blood than I was lead to believe. So, does Sigmar catch a soul, wack it with the hammer, throw it in an overgrown body and then give it the blinged out armor? Their armor is meant to look like a death mask that's roughly like their original face, but they do have real-if-huge bodies.
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May 10, 2020 05:43
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What's up with Hedgecraft? The longest WHFRPG game I ever played had my poor hedge wizard staggering through horrible events next to two actual wizards, so I had always hoped those 2009 releases had given ye Olde folke Magick something interesting. I take it that's not the case?
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May 10, 2020 06:00
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Night10194 posted:Was the travelogue necessary? This time, I'd say yes, it was. The point of all this is that Karak Azgal is loving far away from wherever your heroes are likely operating. Unless you start session one with arriving, if you do as they suggest and play out the journey, it's a long, long way. Sure, it'd be faster if they didn't start in southern Lyonesse, but dang, even if you just start from Altdorf it's a long trip. You're likely to have as many adventures as they did just getting to the adventure. Which could be fun!  never apologise, the best part of waking up is reading some silly fun.
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May 10, 2020 06:05
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