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Better no intro adventure than Through the Drakwald.
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Sep 19, 2018 20:32
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They also plan to release a starter box with an adventure in Ubersreik in it. That will serve as an introduction and teach how to play. This stuff should be coming with the physical release.
MonsterEnvy fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Sep 19, 2018 |
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Sep 19, 2018 20:40
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Nessus posted:I'm not sure if there was an established catch-up way. My childhood table used the random loot tables from the DMG for a relevant level adventurer's kit and loadout.
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Sep 20, 2018 00:52
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WFRP 4e - Making Money In Your Spare Time This entire chapter is, technically, optional rules. A sidebar says so - you can remove it from the game and nothing will break. But they wanted to give a system for more structured downtime activity, to help do things like explain where the gently caress your characters get their money and do stuff when not actively going out and adventuring - a job that will usually keep them extremely busy for a short period and then leave them with several weeks of nothing to do. So, once an adventure ends, you determine how many weeks pass until the next one begins. Once you do that, you roll on the Random Events table - I believe for each party member, as most of the events will only affect one, though some can affect all. The Events table contains stuff that is usually in the 3 to 4% band of probability per event, ranging from: 15-18: Oi! You spilled my pint!: A petty argument in the local area has developed into a feud - the GM decides who you offended and how. This person will not pass up an opportunity for petty revenge, probably during the next adventure... 53-56: Malicious Malady: The Bloody Flux passes through town. Make an Easy (+40) Toughness test. On a success, the Flux passes by. On a failure, you and the Washers Guild are soon to know each other very well. Contract the Bloody Flux. 74-76: Pestilential Pet: One of your animals falls ill; make a Challenging (+0) Animal Care test. If successful, your beast pulls through. If not, the unfortunate creature dies. If you have no animals, you are troubled by ill omens of the GM's creation. 83-85: Sticky Fingers: Your purse is cut! You lose half the money you ended the last adventure with. 98-00: Unusual Mercenaries: One or more rare mercenaries turn up in a nearby settlement looking for work: a Tilean Duellist of great repute, the so-called Birdmen of Catrazza, unemployed Ogres under the command of a Halfling captain, or other unlikely bands. The mercenaries will gladly train any character in any martial Skills or Talents, at a 20% reduction in costs, should the characters undertake a Training or Unusual Learning Endeavor. Additionally, any characters undertaking a Combat Training Endeavor gain a +20 bonus to any relevant test. Some of the events are good, some bad. Some of them just don't do much. In my game, we had stuff like the tax collector showing up and taking some of everyone's cash, or the party wizard accidentally pissing off a Witch Hunter. We also got one that increased income for Rogue-class characters, but had no Rogue classes in the party. Anyway, once events are determined, each party member gets Endeavors equal to the amount of weeks of downtime, to a maximum of 3. Once you have spent all of your Endeavors, all money left over from the last adventure is gone. All of it. Just...gone. You spent it on drinks, gambling, repair work, debts and taxes. Up to you how, but it's all gone. If you want to keep some of it, you'll want to perform a Banking Endeavor during the downtime! If you are in Tier 3 or 4 of a Career, you must spend at least one Endeavor on the Income Endeavor, or else you revert to the tier below the one you're on. This has no XP cost - you just drop to the tier below and lose access to the Talents, new skills and new stat that your old Tier had, along with its old Status. You do, however, retain any stuff you spend XP on, at least. You're gonna have to pay XP again to get back to your old Tier, though. If you are an Elf and have 3 Endeavors available, one of those Endeavors must be spent doing Elf things. This has no benefits whatsoever. You just spend one of your Endeavors on being an elf. Writing up reports for your bosses at home, socializing with any other Elves around, preening, getting high, whatever. This is your Elf Tax. And yes it stacks with the last one if you're a ranking Elf. This is price of having gigantic stats and all the other Elfy benefits. (Plus, I mean, Income's a good Endeavor anyway.) General Endeavors can be undertaken by anyone. Animal Training: You spend your time training one of your animals. Make an Animal Training test at +20. If you succeed, add one more skill to your animal from its species' Trained possibilities. Banking: You either invest or hide your money. Investing is possible only for Silver or Gold-status characters. You choose a number between 1 and 10; this is your interest rate. The next time you perform a Banking endeavor, your funds grow according to the interest. However, you must roll a d100; if you roll under your interest rate, the bank lost all your money on whatever it was invested in. The GM is instructed in a sidebar to try and make some kind of story out of this - maybe you can get it back from bank robbers, or maybe you now own a haunted mansion on the edge of town that the bank was sure would be the next big tourst attraction. You must perform a second Banking Endeavor to withdraw your cash. Hiding your cash is something anyone can do. It won't earn interest, and you can withdraw it without an Endeavor, but each time you do it, there's a 10% chance that someone finds your stash and takes it. Withdrawn funds, either way, will be available to you after all your cash is taken away - so, at the start of your next adventure. Changing Career: You change jobs. If you have completed your current Career (per the rules at the start) and the GM agrees, you may move to any Career (at any tier) that fits your character's current story for free. If you haven't completed it, it costs 100 XP. The time spent represents the work making introductions, bribing folks, getting permits and licenses, advertising and so on. Commission: You hire someone to make or acquire something for you. This is primarily used to get Exotic-rarity goods, which otherwise are not sold anywhere. You find someone who can make or get it, perform the Endeavor, spend the required funds, and the item will arrive after your next adventure. You may commission only one Exotic item per Endeavor. If you don't know where a good source is, you need to do the Consult an Expert Endeavor first. Consult an Expert: You find and consult with an expert, usually to facilitate another Endeavor. First, you must find the expert with a Gossip test, with modifiers based on the size of the local settlement. Succeed, and you find your expert. Fail, you get the loudest self-proclaimed specialist in the area, but the GM can freely vary their usefulness and accuracy - up or down. Once you have an expert(?) on hand, you then have to convince them to help you, which might just be a Charm test or modest donation, or might require committing to a future Favor. What kind of info you get depends on what you wanted to know and the expert's background. On top of whatever you learn, you get the Expert Reroll, which lets you reroll a single test related to the lore you learned and must be used before the end of the next adventure. (Favors, as a note, are Minor, Major or Significant. Minor can be paid back with an Endeavor spend or a few hours of work, Major require either an adventure or 2+ Endeavors depending on what it is but will always be risky or time-consuming, and Significant require an adventure and will probably involve risking your life or major violence.) Crafting: You make a thing. You must have appropriate trade tools, raw materials and access to a workshop; raw materials generally cost a quarter of the price of what you want to make and must be purchased first, at an Availability set by the GM. The GM may raise or lower this price as they see fit. Then you must make an Extended Trade test, with a modifier based on how rare the item you want to make is. The SLs needed are set by the GM based on the cost of the item, raised or lowered by the Qualities or Flaws you build into it - each Flaw halves the SLs needed, and each Quality is +5 SLs after the halving is done. Income lets you do your job - you roll a skill based on your Career, and then based on the result you earn money based on your Status, possibly halved if you failed. The cash arrives at the start of your next adventure, so it isn't wiped out by downtime. Invent! is like Crafting, but it lets you make up new items that don't exist, like pigeon bombs or repeating pistols. The Endeavor requries a Trade (Engineer) test to draw up the blueprints, and gives a bonus to your Crafting or Commission Endeavor to actually make your bullshit thing. Training lets you train in a skill or stat that is not native to your career. This allows you o pay for it at your normal XP rate, but you must also pay the tutor cash. Training for Basic skills or any stat costs (XP cost)+1d10p. Double this for Advanced skills. Most skills you are assumed to easily find a tutor for, especially in a large city such as Altdorf, but particularly unusual skills may require you to Consult an Expert first to find a teacher - typically, this is stuff like lockpicking or those Lore skills that either require a university or are forbidden. Tutors in the forbidden Lores are almost certain to demand far more than normal for their fee - probably a Significant Favor on top of any cash you have to spend. Unusual Learning lets you pick up Talents that are not native to your Career. It is not, however, successful every time - it is possible to pay out the XP and the cash and fail anyway. You may only learn with an appropriate tutor - not a problem in most big cities, but obscure Talents or backwater towns may require you to Consult an Expert first. Once you find a tutor, you must pay 2d10s per 100 XP it costs to get the Talent. Once you pay this and the XP, you make a test at -20 using the stat or skill most relevant ot hte Talent, as determined by the GM. Succeed and you learn the Talent. If not, you’re out the cash and XP but your next attempt at learning the Talent this way gets a +10 modifier (cumulatively per failed attempt). Class Endeavors are primarily usable by certain classes, and tend to be simpler and more specific than General ones. Anyone can attempt a Class Endeavor, but if you aren’t the specified Class, all tests get one degree harder - so a test normally at -10 is at -20, for example. Combat Training is for Rangers and Warriors. You train to keep your fighting skills sharp when it matters. You make a test using a Melee or Ranged skill. If you succeed, you may reverse one test of the rolled skill during your next adventure. You can do this multiple times, to get multiple uses. Foment Dissent is for Burghers and Peasants. You talk to the locals, involv yourself and work to piss people off at some specific person, group or institution. This takes 2 Endeavors rather than 1, but if you are an Agitator it also counts as an Income Endeavor. You first make a Gossip test at +20 to understand the area, then a Charm test with modifiers based on how unpopular the target is - +40 if they already hate the guy, -20 if they love ‘em, say. If you fail either test, the Endeavor fails. If you succeed, then during your next adventure you can make a Charm test to rally a rioting mob against the target, with difficulty based on how well-planned the mob must be. Success means you gather enough angry people to confront the target, throw rotting vegetables and shout a lot. A lot of SLs may lead to lynch mobs or even attempted burnings. Failure means the people don’t want to riot, and failure by a lot may mean that the target becomes aware of your attempts. Once you have a mob, though, you can try to rally them against a different target during the adventure - but it will be more difficult to do, with a difficulty modifier two steps higher. The Latest News is for Rangers and Riverfolk. You make a Gossip test, gaining one interesting rumor per success, plus one per SL. If you fail really badly, you get something false but you are convinced it is true. Reputation is for Academics, Burghers and Courtiers. You spend money to elevate your Status. You may spend money equal to your maximum possible earned Income and make a test of your earning skill for your career to raise your Standing (the number part of your Status) by 1 for the next adventure. If you get 6 or more SLs, it goes up by 2 instead. If you get -6 SLs or worse, you get -1 Standing instead. Research Lore is for Academics. You seek out greater knowledge on a specific subject, like the site of a battle, a historic event or a person. You must have access to an appropriate repository of lore. You make a Lore test at +20 with the appropriate Lore; if you lack an appropriate Lore but are literate, you can instead make an Int test at -10. Success gives one piece of interesting, useufl or hidden knowledge on the subject, +1 per SL. If you fail real badly, you learn something false but are convinced it is true. Study a Mark is for Rogues. You use it to...well, observe a target and find potential advantages for crime. You can study a merchant to better impersonate them, or case a building to figure out the guard schedule and layout. You make a Perception test. If you succeed, you may reverse one test related to your mark during the next adventure. You can do this multiple times to get multiple reversals. Further, the GM will give you information about the mark based on your SL. (Or lie to you, if it’s a bad SL.) Next time: Religion
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Sep 20, 2018 02:03
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I'm surprised they took the "Your head gets caved in/your heart gets pulped by the force of the blow/your lungs fill with blood/GM chooses your manner of instant agonizing death" results out of 4e's critical wound chart.
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Sep 20, 2018 04:15
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 Rifts World Book 19: Australia, Part 11 - "Aboriginal people cannot be made into vampires." Demons & Spirits  Tourists! Come take a dip with a friendly bunyip! The Bunyip (150-270 M.D.C.) is a Dreamtime demon and boogeyman, living in watery domains and often lunging out from the water's surface to pull people under. They vary a lot in appearance (so we don't have to sweat if the artist drew it "wrong"), but are generally twenty-plus feet tall with large claws and maws. They prefer to kill and eat Aborginal Australians because  . They often try and settle down in a community's waterhole, killing those who venture near and polluting it with corpses. Sometimes it will apparently hibernate under mud, which makes Indigenous people wary about crossing mud flats. It is claimed by some that they lived on Earth in ancient times, and simply waited out times of low magic and water before reemerging. In addition to being enormous aquatic predators, they can become two-dimensional like the Shadow People, and get some minor illusionary magic and minor psychic powers. "Hey, neighbor! Got a baby I could borrow?" Though supposedly created as a protector of animals, the Devil Dingo (153-213 M.D.C.) somehow became a warped monster that terrorizes animals and humans alike. Though described as if singular, there are vague references to there being more than one giant dingo-man that feeds on fear. Apparently as - sigh - a "sadistic and malicious" creature, he likes to try and manipulate people to turn against each other, or at least separate them to terrorize them more easily. He can be goaded into combat, particularly by those that resist his terror tactics, and at that point is most vulnerable. He can take on the form of a feral-looking man, dingo-man, giant dingo, or a mist-like form. He has a special fear attack where he can spend an attack once per round to re-inflict his Horror Factor of 15, and has a variety of illusion spells and psychic mind-affecting powers to manipulate people with.  "I've returned to talk about unfair evil ghost distribution between indigenous and non-indigenous people!" A Mopaditis (13-180 M.D.C.) is, we're told, a ghost of a Indigenous Australian that dies in the wild unburied. Supposedly they can be appeased by taking a living spirit to accompany them to the afterlife, which sounds like an interesting hook until we're told that's not true at all! Instead, they're just angry murder ghosts who are too stubborn to die. Dammit, that was almost a good dilemma to present players with. They only have dim memories of their former life, but enough to usually target those they know first and foremost. It turns out non-indigenous people can become them too, but 4 out of 5 come from aboriginal people. However, they can only attack people who attack the Mopaditis first, or those who ask to be killed. Granted, they can float around harassing, threatening, and goading people, so they do. They're immune to just about everything but magic (and magic weapons), mental psionic attacks, and various forms of turn dead or exorcism. They can also create other Mopaditis... es?... if a nongood character volunteers to have themselves turned into one. There's a 70% chance of it working, otherwise, they just die. Well, it's betting odds, at least.  Morbius really let himself go. Vampires exist in Australia due to an a Vampire Intelligence (as detailed in Rifts World Book One: Vampire Kingdoms) setting up shop on the continent... somewhere. However, the Dreamtime apparently represses supernatural intelligences, and so the big tentacle-blob has a harder time keeping a reign on its vampires. It also notes that Aboriginal Australians are apparently protected from becoming vampires. They're special, in case you didn't hear! Apparently wild vampires are less common (which contradicts some of this text, so I don't know what they're getting at) but half of the wild vampires created become "mutants" known as the Yara Mayha Sho (37-142 M.D.C.). These Australian vampires are far weaker, using suckers on their hands to feed, and don't have any of the transformation or psionic powers of normal vampires, but aren't really beholden to the intelligence. They can be killed by the normal stake, decapitate, and burn head and body separately method. However, they can also be killed by drowning, being chopped up, and fed to sharks. They're not vulnerable to crosses or running water, however. This is really a "vampirization" of the yara-ma-yha-who myth, who are froggy guys who suck blood through their hands, but they weren't ever human in mythology.  Bat country. Though the Garkain might look like an alternate vampire at first galance, it's just a man-bat and "Dreamtime demon" that's more of a monstrous predator. It mostly just eats people, though for some reason it sees vampires as kin and is inclined to obey them. Other than being a flying mega-damage predator (with the powers you'd expect - nightvision, regeneration, etc.), it's only unusual power is to turn into a bat. Mostly just a mook for tougher vampires to throw at player characters.  "Look out! Giant baby on your six!" The origins of the Wandjinas (180-225 M.D.C.) are mysterious; they may be demons or some other kind of magical creature. In any case, they're big pale eyeless twenty-foot baby-things that never talk save for a hum or moan. They can manipulate the weather and even create Ley Line Storms, and usually do that to weaken humanoids and humanoid communities before moving in to consume them. They only feed upon the critically injured or recently dead, for whatever reason, and don't consume magical creatures. Sometimes they just gently caress with the weather for whatever mysterious games or ends. As far as powers go, they can manipulate the weather, create "weather blasts" from lightning to hail, and when killed they explode and create a storm. They have a large variety of magic, focusing upon but hardly limited to air and weather magic. Probably one of the more suitably eerie monsters I've seen in Rifts for awhile - the art and the description actually work pretty well together.  "Seriously, I have like 1000 M.D.C., you can stop poking at me." Yowies (430-1230 M.D.C.) are demons from the myths of indigenous people, we're told. They're lizard-insect creatures, voracious predators that - of course - prefer eating people over animals. While they're intelligent and can be bargained with, they're not particularly cunning or subtle and can be angered pretty easily. They're really tough fighters at nearly 1000 M.D.C., and get a variety of seemingly random spells. Also, they can turn into centipedes. However, they're cowardly and generally bug out when even modestly injured. It just feels kind of like a generic big demon with no particular theme to make it unique other than being loosely based out of mythology. I mean, very loosely based - the Yowie of myth is more akin to a bigfoot or yeti archetype. Next: Godtime for the Dreamtime. Alien Rope Burn fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Sep 21, 2018 |
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Sep 20, 2018 05:45
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Somehow I doubt the Yowie Chocolates I loved as a kid would have been as popular as they were if they had used the Rifts interpretation.
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Sep 20, 2018 09:52
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Ya, Ghost Storm Humunculus is eerie. Unlike giant bat. Can't wait for elf endeavours. By the way, how do endeavours interact with being hurt? Considering the long healing times, that probably should happen during downtime.
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Sep 20, 2018 12:37
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I'm not so sure about the downtime rules, especially the 'if you don't specifically spend time on it you lose all money earned last adventure that you don't spend' one, but I do like the idea that no elf has any sense of time management and thus they lag behind their allies on learning and getting stuff done. It's very fitting.
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Sep 20, 2018 12:46
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JcDent posted:Ya, Ghost Storm Humunculus is eerie. They don't. Downtime activities are generally assumed, as far as I can tell, to be compatible with healing, though possibly the training ones won't be compatible with extra rest. e: also, the Elf Endeavors don't exist. They just have to spend one doing nothing but being elfy. It has no benefits whatsoever. Night10194 posted:I'm not so sure about the downtime rules, especially the 'if you don't specifically spend time on it you lose all money earned last adventure that you don't spend' one, but I do like the idea that no elf has any sense of time management and thus they lag behind their allies on learning and getting stuff done. It's very fitting. I actually appreciate the cash one because it massively reduces how much overhead a player has to track unless they actively want to save up for something. It has proven to work out fairly well for my group in practice, so far, at least.
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Sep 20, 2018 12:57
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It's more that it feels a little forced. Especially combined with things like 'Random Event: Lose half the money you made.' I'm sure prices and economics are balanced around it, though. Most of my objections so far are more a matter of taste rather than game design; the game looks fine. E: My general impression so far is that 4e is a more structured and mechanically complex game that wants to link much more of what you do and how you do it to the game mechanics, more directly. Hence downtime rules, Status, more complicated combat. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 13:07 on Sep 20, 2018 |
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Sep 20, 2018 12:57
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WFRP 4e - Gods Honest The Old World is, in general, an exceptionally religious place. Ranking priests tend to be wealthy and powerful as well, and most villages have a priest of their own (who is not nearly as wealthy or as powerful). Several faiths also support the templar orders of warrior-priests that answer to the head of their faith rather than any noble, which can cause political problems. In the Empire, the gods worshipped are broadly split into three categories: the Old Gods, the Classical Gods, and the Provincial Gods. Also Sigmar, who is none of them and stands apart. The Old Gods are those deities worshipped in the time when the Empire was forest land wandered by barbarian tribes. Many were patron to one or more tribes, and to this day some of them are still associated with the old areas that were the hunting grounds of those ancient peoples. While few will say it aloud, most Imperial citizens consider the Old Gods to be the true deities of the Empire, with the Classical Gods as newcomers (relatively speaking). Over time, five gods have risen above all others of the Old Gods, and are now the dominant Old God cults throughout the Empire - Ulric, Taal, Rhya, Manaan and Morr. War, nature, fertility, the seas and death. The Classical Gods spread from the south, in Tilea, Estalia and the Borderlands, largely due to trade and merchants. Their worship is most popular in urbanized areas, and some nobles and townsfolk see them as more sophisticated than the Old Gods, though few would dare say so aloud. The most widespread of the Classical God cults in the Empire are those of Verena, Myrmidia, Shallya and Ranald - wisdom, strategy, mercy and trickery. While the worship of the God of Murder, Khaine, is also Classical, his cult is extremely illegal pretty much everywhere. The Provincial Gods are the patron gods of various provinces, towns, rivers, forests, crafts and so on. They form complex pantheons out of local legends and myths, and while they frequently have small cults, few of those cults have much real influence outside their specific area. There are exceptions, however, most notably Handrich, the God of Trade, who stands head and shoulders over any other Provincial God and has a huge presence among the merchant class of the Empire, which is ever-growing. The primary Provincial Gods of the Reikland are: Bogenauer, god of the River Bogen, who is worshipped by boatmen, merchants and the people of the city of Bogenhafen, home to his single temple (which has no fulltime priests). He does have a number of shrines along the Bogen, though. He prefers offerings of coins, reed sheaves and rolled stones. Borchbach, god of Rhetoric, worshipped by agitators, politicians and lawyers. Altdorf is home to several shrines and two full temples to him. He accepts offerings of written speeches, acorns and quills. Clio, goddess of History, worshipped by scholars. Altdorf University has an attached temple to her that is quite large. She accepts as offerings ancient artifacts, peaches and carvings. Dyrath, goddess of Women, worshipped by women. She has no temples, but her cult maintains a secret presence throughout the peoples of the Hagercrybs. She prefers offerings of fruit, honey and menses. Grandfather Reik, god of the River Reik, worshipped by merchants, bargemen and fishers. He has no formal cult but his shrines are all over the river. He prefers offerings of beer, eels and silver. Katya, goddess of Disarming Beauty, worshipped by bawds, the lonely and lovers. Her temples are found in the Vorbergland and usually double as brothels. She prefers offerings of coins, jewellery and clothing. Sigmar founded the empire two thousand years ago. Legend states that he conquered innumerable foes of unthinkable power against impossible odds. He ruled for exactly fifty years, then abdicated and headed east, reportedly to return his warhammer, Ghal-Maraz, to its creators, the Dwarfs. He was never seen again. Not long after, oracles and prophets proclaimed his ascension to godhood, given divine power by the god Ulric before the entire pantheon of old and new gods. Today, his cult has spread to such an extent that its leader, the Grand Theogonist, is arguably more powerful than the Emperor himself at times. A handful of other pantheons have made their way into the Reikland, largely those of other species. Some scholars claim their gods are merely aspects of other deities, worshipped under other names. For the Reikland, the most notable are probably Grungni, Dwarf God of Mining and Dwarf Pride, Isha, Elf Goddess of Fertility and Nature (and mother of all Elves) and Esmerelda, Halfling Goddess of Hearth, Home and Family. The Chaos Gods are also worthy of note. They are, after all, the greatest threat to the Old World. Their worship by the lost and damned is secret but pervasive, with dark cults on all levels of society. Khorne, God of Rage, Nurgle, God of Despair, Tzeentch, God of Ambition, and Slaanesh, God of Excess. Few dare whisper their names, for they have much dark power. There are many cults of the gods in the Old World, most dedicated to appeasing or appealing to a single god and promoting their ideals. Cult leaders are often influential in local or regional politics, sometimes even national. They are not just representatives of the god, after all, but command hundreds of lesser priests, even thousands at times. Most larger cults are split into orders, which often operate out of major holy sites or temples. Each order focuses on a different aspect of the god's concerns and beliefs, and range from monastic groups to templar orders of knights to priestly orders to attend to communities to mendicant orders of wandering friars. Each order is organized differently, but all serve the head of their cult, not the local nobles. Holy sites tend to be associated with a god's legendary deeds in mythic times, and most are home to a temple, abbey or chapterhouse of the cult. Some older or less known sites may have only a shrine or unattended chapel, though. Cult buildings are typically highly decorative, often with scenes from the cult mythology, and vary wildly in size and layout. Some have lots of wealth, especially in rich towns or cities, and may support upwards of dozens of people, including lay crafters, guards or servants, while smaller ones may be run by a mere handful of stuff, helped by local volunteers. In villages, it's normal to just have the one priest. Shrines and chapels are even smaller and more modest, usually no more than the size of a single-room home. They rarely have a full-time priest, though they may be attended to by a nearby temple or a wandering priest that travels between shrines and villages. In the absence of a priest, the locals pray unsupervised, leave small offerings and maintain the shrine. GMs may choose to allow prayers to the gods to work for non-Blessed characters; if so, the base odds are 1% on a secret roll for the god to notice your prayer, though the GM may increase that if you have the Pray skill. While the gods do answer prayers, they don't grant wishes - their assistance may not be in any form you expect, though they will help you achieve a goal important to the god, likely by providing a bonus to a test or a single use of a skill or prayer that you otherwise could not. While the Empire has hundreds of gods, only ten are considered of national importance, each worshipped by cults that span the entire Empire and each given a special position by Emperor Magnus the Pious about 200 years ago. When he rebuilt the Empire after the Great War Against Chaos, he saw that religious schisms and civil wars were a huge problem, and to prevent it, he created the Grand Conclave, a meeting of the primary cults of the Empire every five years to air grievances and find resolutions, with the emperor serving as chair. While it was controversial at the time, the Conclave is now fully accepted. Representatives of Manaan, Morr, Myrmidia, Ranald (well, sort of), Rhya, Shallya, Sigmar, Taal, Ulric and Verena are allowed to attend. The Cult of Handrich is currently lobbying for a seat, but at present those ten are the Grand Conclave cults and the most important in the Empire. Next time: Cult Overviews
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Sep 20, 2018 13:14
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Handrich is really hilarious once you get what's going on with him. He's only really popular in Marienburg, among the wealthy, and he grants magic to his business priests based on them taking on financial debts to the God. They pay these debts generally by giving to the poor, because Handrich preaches that money has to move. If you don't pay your debts to Handrich, you can cast spells that will charge you interest but give you more time, otherwise he curses the hell out of your businesses. So you end up with a situation where a fat, rich merchant in Marienburg is begging a priest to give him just one more week to pay off his debt to that soup kitchen at usurious interest. Meanwhile Handrich is almost certainly just a long-con aspect of Ranald playing a joke on them.
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Sep 20, 2018 13:22
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WFRP 4e - Water Lord Manaan, God of the Sea is most powerful in Marienburg and the Wasteland. The head of his cult is the Matriarch of the Sea, and his primary orders are the Order of the Albatress and Order of the Mariner. His greatest festivals are the Equinoxes, and his most popular holy books are The 1000 Shanties, Tales of the Albatross and Liber Manaan. His common symbols are the five-tined crown, the wave and the anchor. He is technically speaking the god of the seas, the oceans and the Wasteland, and his worshippers are primarily sailors, fishers and merchants. His preferred offerings are fish, gems and gold. Manaan is the volatile son of Taal and Rhya, capricious and wild. He is the King of the Sea, Master of the Maelstroms and the Summoner of Storms. He is known for his dark moods and erratic temper, and so his cult is needed more than ever, to keep the god appeased. He is usually depicted as a gigantic man with a black beard, seaweed in his hair and a five-pointed black iron crown on his brow. He is said to live at the bottom of the sea, with the rise and fall of his chest making the tides and waves, gathering the great monsters of the deep to his court. Coastal communities across the Old World worship Manaan, wherever people make their living from the sea or are close enough for a storm or flood to strike. Even those who know little of him will throw a coin or treasure into the water before a sea voyage, in hopes of a smooth crossing. The Cult actually has many orders, most of them monastic orders tasked to guard isolated and sacred islands. The Order of the Albatross is the largest of Manaan's orders, made of his temple priests across the Old World, as well as those who bless vessels by serving on them. Often accompanying them is the Order of the Mariner, Manaan's templar-marines (who also serve as sworn protectors of Marienburg). Clerics of Manaan usually wear robes of dark green-blue or blue-grey, trimmed with a white wave pattern. Temples to Manaan can be found in all coastal towns and cities, as well as any river port that seagoing vessels can reach. The high temple is in Marienburg, and is open to the tides. The Matriarch of the Sea leads the Order of the Albatross from there, and while she is theoretically in charge of the entire cult, in practice most priests are as mercurial as their god and quite stubborn, so her control is somewhat limited. The cult also maintains monasteries and abbeys on isolated islands, mostly dedicated to the many saints of Manaan. When Manaan demands penance, it usually takes the form of hazardous ocean-going pilgrimages, tests of sailing skill or expeditions against his foes, most notably the heretical cult of Stromfels, God of Pirates, Wreckers and Sharks. Strictures posted:
Morr, God of Death, is most powerful in Luccini in Tilea. The head of his cult is the Custode del Portale, and his primary orders are the Order of the Shroud, the Order of the Black Guard and the Order of the Augurs. His major festivals are Hexensnacht and Geheimisnacht, and his most popular holy books are The Book of Doorways, Libro Dei Morti and Threnodies of the Raven. His most common symbols are portals, ravens and black roses. He is the god of death, dreams and Ostermark, and his worshippers are primarily undertakers, mourners, undead hunters and mystics. His favored offerings are silver coins, incense and candles. Morr is an urbane and cultured god, King of the Underworld and husband to Verena. He sends forth his divine ravens to guide the dead to the Portal, a great pillared gateway between the mortal and divine realms. He then leads each dead soul from there to its final rest - either his Underworld or the afterlife of another god. He is usually portrayed as a tall, dark man of aristocratic mien, brooding and intense. Outside of Ostermark (where Morr is considered especially important), few actually want to attract his attention, and so normally only the bereaved and mourning pray to the God of Death. However, the desperate and brave may pray for dreams of what will come, though it is rare that Morr divulges anything not associated with death. The Order of the Shroud is the main power in the cult, directly commanding all the other orders and the Guild of Mourners, who oversee burials and graves. The Black Guard support them as the main templar order of the cult, tasked to guard Morr's temples and hunt the Undead. The Order of Augurs is small, but it is very important, for its foretellings guide the cult leadership, and it organizes the Order of Doomsayers, the wandering priests that tour the land and perform Doomings for all Human children at the age of ten. Every ten years, the cult of Morr brings all of them together in a grand convocation at Luccini, where a city-wide festival is held and the future of the cult is discussed. Morr's clerics wear plain, hooded black robes with no adornment or trimmings. Temples of Morr lie within the Gardens of Morr, huge graveyards covered in black roses that bloom year-round and which rarely see much use outside funeral services. Most temples are plain, dark structures of stone, distinguished by huge doorways with heavy lintels, representing Morr's Portal. The doors are always open, for the doors of death are likewise. Inside, Morr's temples are bare and unadorned, with any furniture and equipment kept in storage until needed for services. Shrines to Morr also take the form of a gateway, usually two plain pillars and a lintel. Sometimes, one pillar will be white marble and the other black basalt. Morr's penances typically involve hunting down Necromancers or Undead, or finding and restoring tombs and burial sites or holy sites fallen to disuse. He also sometimes requires his servants to stop the followers of Khaine from performing their dark deeds. Strictures posted:
Next time: Strategy and Trickery
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Sep 20, 2018 14:19
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2e: Tome of Slvation The sign of victory! Empire being the Empire, there are hundreds and thousands of holy sayings and signs and sacred names that people take on to try to draw the benevolent eye of the Gods. There are so many that the general rule on them is that players should be encouraged to come up with their own signs and sayings of the Gods, and use them liberally. Some of the established signs are neat, or funny, so I'll be going into those, but there's an awful lot of them. Manaan invented the modern salute, for instance. Morrites greet one another by dragging their hand down across their face and body, miming closing the eyes of a dead man in a gesture called 'Morr's Shroud', and a Morrite with their hands behind their back is signaling they are at prayer and want to be left alone. Myrmidians have the old Roman salute, as well as a sillier one where they hold their hands with palms held wide in front of the chest (to represent the sun's rays) and then swing their hands outwards. Sigmarites give the V for Victory sign to represent both the glorious victory of Sigmar and the twin tailed comet. Giving it with the hand held inward is equivalent to flipping someone off, and is considered sacred and appropriate to do to enemies of the Empire. Similarly, priests and monks will often drag the V of their fingers in front of their eyes as a prayer to draw Sigmar's wisdom; this makes them look like they are doing disco moves. Ranald is shown by the crossed fingers representing his X, always on the left hand. Most of Taal and Rhya's signs double as a way of signaling you want to sleep with someone, such as slapping one's knees or saluting with a finger held in the other hand. Some Shallyans will greet one by slapping each other to reflect the Goddess's sorrow, and are considered ridiculous by both the rest of their cult and the rest of the Empire. Verenans stroke their chin thoughtfully when they think someone is lying to them. These sorts of things. Showing faith isn't just a way to keep the Gods on your side; literally showing faith is a major fashion statement in the Empire. Religious iconography is always in style, and always an acceptable embellishment to a person's appearance. Illiterate soldiers will often have prayers they can't read sealed to their armor in wax to protect them and show off. Brands and tattoos are common all across the Empire for people of both genders, and religious marks are considered good luck. If you want a cool tattoo, why not get a flaming twin-tailed comet or a badass wolf? It will still look cool and now one of the Gods might look more favorably upon you. Some Imperials like to perform intentional scarification rather than tattooing, especially among Ulricans, to show a cultist was willing to endure pain for their God. Scars and marks of war give a person authority in the Empire, and plenty of people don't wait to get them in an actual war. Ritual robes and clothing are a good excuse for your best clothes, because again, you can be stylish while also drawing the good fortune and favor of a God. Sometimes this ritual decoration can get a little out of hand; While a Cultist of Ulric wearing a wolfskin cloak that they killed and skinned for themselves is hardly problematic, Cultists of Manaan commonly wear fish on their heads, and the smell is terrible. One famous friar in the town of Ubersreik wore a live piglet to show that the Gods favored him such that he could calm any creature, until it was discovered he'd glued it to his bald head in a drunken stupor. Priests are also known for making and keeping puppets. Yes, puppets. Puppet shows are popular entertainment in the Empire, and a Priest who has their puppets to hand can use them to dramatically demonstrate the myths of the Gods, often to great success with peasants. Imagining the very serious Sigmarite priest stroking his chin at encountering some moral depravity and then whipping out his trusty puppets to demonstrate why this was a sin against God and the Empire is very good. We get a large table of possible ridiculous things you can encounter a procession of religious-minded folk wearing at any time, with the obvious very slight possibility that those pilgrims over there have a real relic or magic item or cursed device that they probably don't know about. They also include the chance that someone is cosplaying a warrior priest with useless fake armor, wearing a hair shirt or other devices of penance, or, of course, that the random person is a secret Chaos cultist. Not sure why you'd use this table, but it's cute. We get similar tables for talismans and altars, with chances that something a person is wearing or offering is actually very valuable, very unholy, or very, very silly. In general, your players should be using all this as an excuse to dress in truly outrageous fashions. Religion in the Empire is colorful, and often one of the places where people get to have some fun in their lives. Go wild. Glue a piglet to your head. Another common aspect of Folk Worship since the establishment of the Grand Conclave is the practice of sainting Venerated Souls. These are catholic Saints with the numbers filed off and no theological implication of immediate salvation without necessity of purgatory, because the Empire has a wholly different soteriology than the Catholic Church. Still, these are holy individuals who have generally been martyred in the name of their Gods, to whom the Empire's high priests attribute miraculous intercessions and happenings by a vote at Conclave. The line between a minor god and a Venerated Soul is blurry, but the key is that a Venerated Soul is a former mortal. They are prayed to for intercession in the matters related to their martyrdom and their lives; a Warrior-Priestess of Sigmar who gave her life protecting children and orphans might be prayed to for the protection of children from physical danger, while a Shallyan who denied himself to the point of his own death to protect his charges from starvation might be prayed to for the protection of children from starving to death. If there is a situation, you can be certain there is a Venerated Soul for it, no matter how specific or obscure. One example of a Venerated Soul of Morr is Brother Shawl. He was a silent young artist, given to visions from his God, who would carve exact replicas of people at the moment of their death as memorials. He also loved to carve life-like obsidian and marble ravens, decorating Morr's Gardens with his work. Eventually, a young woman fished out of the river came to his temple for burial, and before Shawl could show his carving of how she died, he was found dead as well. The carving he had been working on had been used to stove his head in. As the priests debated who could have performed such a terrible crime in their very temple, the ravens of marble in their graveyard took flight. Each one cawed a single name: Rudolf. Rudolf was a fellow priest, revealed as a serial killer who had been drowning young women in the nearby town. He confessed to the murders, saying Shawl had been about to reveal him by his carving when he had killed his Brother to conceal the truth. Every month, a flight of ravens returns to that graveyard, screaming 'RUDOLF! RUDOLF!' to remind the world of their father's murderer. Old Worlders pray to Shawl to reveal the truth of unsolved murders and on matters of justice. Generally, nothing happens, but roughly once a decade, a raven will appear to a supplicant and whisper a name, before falling to the ground and breaking apart into marble or obsidian. We get many other example souls, from a Shallyan who was accidentally spreading plague, burned for spreading said plague, but then her being burned and the plague ceasing to spread got conflated and people assumed that her sacrifice had saved them from the plague, to a wandering judge who was killed in a box full of bees while trying to prosecute a strange nature cult out in the sticks. Most Venerated Soul stories focus a lot on how the Soul died, like the Manaanan who swam out to his foundering ship and rescued every other crewman before dying of consumption three weeks later, or the hero tracker of Taal who killed over 30 Beastmen and saved his town before being executed as a mutant years later. Most of the Venerated Soul section is played for black comedy outside of Brother Shawl. Your PCs probably don't really want to become Venerated Souls, given that it requires dying, usually horribly. Next Time: Perhaps a little too faithful.
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Sep 20, 2018 15:07
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Night10194 posted:a wandering judge who was killed in a box full of bees while trying to prosecute a strange nature cult out in the sticks did they really just throw in a wicker man reference?
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Sep 20, 2018 15:15
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WFRP 4e - War Mistress Myrmidia, Goddess of Strategy, is most powerful in Magritta, in Estalia. The head of her cult is La Aguila Ultima, and her primary orders are the Order of the Eagle, the Order of the Righteous Spear and the Order of the Blazing Sun. She has no major festivals in the Empire, and her most popular holy books are Bellona Myrmidia, Bellum Strategia and The Book of War. Her common holy symbols are the spear behind a shield, the eagle and the sun. She is the goddess of Estalia, Tilea and strategic warfare, and is worshipped by Estalians, Tileans and strategists. Her favored offerings are spears, shields, vows of duty and trophies. In the Empire, she is worshipped as the Goddess of Strategy and Scientific Warfare, daughter of Verena and Morr; in the south, she is much more, patron of both the Estalian Kingdoms and Tilean City-States, where she is worshipped fanatically. As a result, she has the largest cult in the Old World, for all that it has only a limited presence in the Empire. She is usually depicted as a tall, muscular woman, always armed and wearing archaic, southern clothing, usually with bronze skin. She is known to be calm and honorable in all matters, and her followers attempt to emulate this. Myrmidia is called on by generals for insight to win with minimal losses and by soldiers for the skill to defeat foes quickly and honorably in battle. Her cult is growing steadily in the armies of the Empire, particularly in Reikland, Averland and Wissenland. In the Empire, she has three major orders of significance. The Order of the Eagle cares for her temples and their communities, led by the Nuln-based 'Eagle of the North,' the most powerful Myrmidian priest north of the Vaults. The Order of the Righteous Spear are templars, and each temple to Myrmidia has a chapterhouse for them, commanded by the local high priest. The Order of the Blazing Sun is a second templar order, the eldest Myrmidian group in the Empire, and operates independently of the Order of the Eagle. Myrmidia's priests typically wear blue cowls over white robes with red edging, with her symbol sewn into the left breast or worn as a clasp. Myrmidia's holy sites are primarily in Estalia and Tilea, associated with her campaigns across these lands when she manifested in mortal form over 2000 years ago. In the Empire, with her much lesser presence, her temples exist only in major towns and cities, with only a single monastic order, the Monastery of the Black Maiden in Wissenland. Her temples are usually in Tilean or Estalian style, with domed roofs and square or rectangular halls, usually carved on the exterior with reliefs of battle scenes or weapons and shields. Her shrines take the form of tiny temples, statues of Myrmidia or free-standing sculptures of stacked weapons and armor. Her holy sites are also known for scandalous images of the goddess and her saints, often naked but for scarves around their waists, which many Sigmarites consider unacceptably obscene. Myrmidia's penances are typically military in nature - defeat an enemy champion in single combat, train a group of peasants and lead them in defense of their village, or protect pilgrimage routes to holy sites. Strictures posted:
Ranald, God of Trickery, has no official seat of power nor any official head of their cult, though rumors persist of a cult leader marked by ten crosses. Their primary orders are the Crosses, the Brotherhood and the Crooked Fingers. Their major festival is the Day of Folly, and their popular holy books are The Riddles Ten, Midnight and the Black Cat, and The Great Joke. Their common holy symbols are crossed fingers, cats and magpies. They are the god of trickery, thieves, luck and the poor, worshipped by all manner of rogues, gamblers and poor people. Their favored offerings are dice, cards, coins and food. Myth holds that Ranald was once mortal, a gentle thief that robbed the rich and gave to the poor. This charmed Shallya so that she fell in love, and one day she discovered Ranald dying to the touch of the Fly Lord Nurgle. Unable to accept this, she gave Ranald a drink from her holy chalice, giving him eternal life. It was all a trick, however, faked by Ranald, and Ranald laughed and gleefully danced into the heavens as a new god. While Ranald is generally portrayed as dapper and Human, always smiling, there is no consistency on height, weight, skin color or even gender, though in the Empire Ranald is most commonly depicted as male. They're more trickster than criminal, and they are said to love deflating pride with clever ruses. Ranald is commonly a patron to thieves and rogues, but also gamblers, liars, merchants, tricksters and the poor and downtrodden. General perception is that Ranald's cult is a disorganized group of thieves and charlatans, but it's more coordinated than it first appears, split into three main orders. The Crosses are the most publically acceptable, a priesthood that oversees Ranald's gambling dens and uses the profits to administer to the poor. The Brotherhood is more secretive, but mostly a secret society of merchants who use their business interests to profit and to bring down the pompous and greedy. The last and most widespread is the Crooked Fingers, publically disavowed by the cult because it consists of liars, thieves and rogues. Most distrust them deeply. There is no conventional garb to distinguish Ranald's priests, though they almost always work cross patterns into their clothes somewhere, sometimes as a repeating pattern. Ranald has no formal temple organization, though the cult does maintain apparently unconnected gambling dens in most towns and cities. Small shrines are found in the headquarters of many gangs and merchant houses, and on the street corners in many poorer districts of cities. These last are usually maintained by informal clubs that operate both as social and religious groups, usually led by one of the Crooked Fingers. Shrines are rarely elaborate, often merely a smiling statue with fingers crossed behind their back or a crude depiction of a cat or magpie that appears to be smiling. Ranald's penances typically involve breaking into places to recover precious items or to leave a token of your presence. Humiliating the oppressors of the poor is also a common penance, such as framing a brutal Watch leader for some insane crime or locking him in his own cells. Ranald also often sends even cultists they like on a 'Pilgrimage of Fingers,' a set of tasks to prove skill and loyalty. (In case you're wondering: the book's writeup refuses to gender Ranald at all, except in the noting that the Empire tends to portray them as male.) Strictures posted:
Next time: Fertility and Mercy
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Sep 20, 2018 15:16
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RiotGearEpsilon posted:did they really just throw in a wicker man reference? Yes. E: Warhammer is a good 25% or so ridiculous references but in early modern fantasy germany. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 15:27 on Sep 20, 2018 |
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Sep 20, 2018 15:18
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MonsterEnvy posted:They also plan to release a starter box with an adventure in Ubersreik in it. That will serve as an introduction and teach how to play. This stuff should be coming with the physical release. Yeah I pre-ordered it and they say it should be out by the end of the month, Sigmar willing. Edit: Has anyone here played the unofficial warhammer campaign A Private War? I just got a hold of it and skimmed the first fifty pages and it seems pretty well written. punishedkissinger fucked around with this message at 15:32 on Sep 20, 2018 |
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Sep 20, 2018 15:28
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WFRP 4e - Life Without Pain Rhya, Goddess of Fertility, has no official seat of power nor a cult head. She has no major orders. Her greatest festival is the Summer Solstice, but the equinoxes are also celebrated. She has no holy books but many oral traditions, and her common holy symbols are the sheaf of wheat, the fruit and the spiral. Rhya is the goddess of fertility, life and summer, often worshipped by farmers, herbalists and midwives, and her favored offerings are the first reapings of the field, fruit and wheat. She is widely known as the Earth Mother and She Who Sustains Life, and while she is wife of Taal, myths portray her as having sex with many gods and goddesses, having children with many of them. She is usually shown as a tall, beautiful woman covered in leaves and fruit. Her statues are generally nude, pregnant and surrounded by kids. Many theologians say Rhya is tied to the prehistoric Old Faith, a cult of ancient farmers and hunters who lived off the land long before the Empire. The Old Faith is still found in secluded communities to this day. Rural folk across the Empire venerate Rhya as the provider of crops. Women make up most of her cult, and most midwives at least pay lip service to Rhya's Wisdom, the set of oral traditions of Rhya related to childbirth. While she is not openly worshipped in most urban areas, with townspeople often turning to Shallya instead, her name is frequently tied to Taal's, and she is well known amongst the people. As her cult has no great temples, holy books or relics, many scholars believe her worship is declining or even dead. Her many cultists mostly just snicker and shrug if asked about this. Rhya's cult has no fixed garment or garb, though green is very common, as is accessorizing with plants, flowers or herbs. Rhyan priests often dress far too revealingly for Sigmarite tastes, which has caused friction because the cult of Rhya doctrinally holds that giving in to prudishness is tantamount to calling Slaanesh into your life, as it treats desire as forbidden. Sigmarites inevitably and invariably disagree, treating abstinence and resistance to temptation as a better way to fight the Prince of Excess than indulging in simple pleasures. Rhya has no major temples, but many ancient sites exist dedicated to her, and oghams, or standing stones, are centers of cult worship. Some are still used for their original celebratory purpose on the equinoxes. Shrines typically take the form of simple statues, often covered in offerings of food and drink. Older ones are often standing stones marked in spiral patterns. Rhya's penances involve replanting devastated areas, helping broken households and maintaining sacred groves. They also are commonly ordered to protect helpless families, which can put them at odds with local lords, bailiffs and cops. Strictures posted:
Shallya, Goddess of Mercy, is actually based out of Couronne in Bretonnia, with the cult led by the Grande Matriarch. Her primary orders are the Order of the Bleeding Heart and the Order of the Chalice. She has no major festivals, and her major holy texts are The Book of Suffering, Livre des Larmes and The Testament of Pergunda. Her common holy symbols are the white dove, the key and the heart with a drop of blood. She is the goddess of mercy, compassion and healing, prayed to by the poor, physicians, the sick and abused women. Her favored offerings are food, medicine and coins. She is the daughter of Morr and Verena, sister to Myrmidia, and she is usually portrayed as a young, beautiful maiden constantly weeping for the pain of the world. It is said that her compassion is infinite and boundless, and some myths, such as her tricking by Ranald or her capture by Manann, make her seem trusting to the point of foolishness. Her cultists say that her mercy is for all, without judgment, and that true foolishness is in judging who is worthy of grace and who isn't. Most tend to believe Shallya's cult is all healers and physicians, but they also include many who work to alleviate other kinds of suffering - they run orphanages, asylums and refuges, and some of her cultists go out in search of the lost and missing on behalf of their families. The Order of the Bleeding Heart makes up most of the cult, maintaining the temples, hospices, mercy houses and other holy sites of Shallya. The Order of the Chalice is much smaller, and is a mendicant order tasked to cleanse the influence of the Fly Lord, Nurgle, curing and fighting the worst plagues wherever they may appear. Cultists of Shallya wear white robes, usually hooded, with a bleeding heart emblem on the left breast. The high temple of the cult is in Couronne, built atop a famous healing spring. Locals say the magic waters were once poured from the selfsame chalice used by Shallya to grant Ranald immortality, and which they claim is the Holy Grail of the Lady, the patron goddess of Bretonnia. Whatever the truth, Couronne is definitely a pilgrimage hotspot, especially for the sick. Every town or city of any note has a temple to Shallya, and most smaller settlements have at least a shrine to her. Temples are usually a courtyard with the temple complex on one side and an infirmary ward on the other, all in the southern style. Larger temples often have subsidiary chapels endowed by major local families and are often connected to hospitals. Shrines are usually simple, often doves or hearts of Shallya in stone, or simple statues that weep due to small fountains. Shallya's penances always involve helping the sick, poor or downtrodden, and may involve going to tend to a plague-stricken village, heal the war wounded, or patrol pilgrimage routes to help sick pilgrims complete their journeys. Strictures posted:
Next time: Empire and Wild Land
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Sep 20, 2018 16:44
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Interesting that they added a specific 'it's okay to fight in self defense' clause to Shallyans. A lot of the strictures have changed. Also nice to see the Bretonnian heresy about the Lady being linked to Shallya survives. And is probably still brutally persecuted by the Damsels.
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Sep 20, 2018 16:51
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WFRP 4e - SIGMAR SIGMAR SIGMAR (taal) Sigmar, God of the Empire, is biggest in Altdorf and the Reikland, and his cult is led by the Grand Theogonist. His main orders are the Order of the Anvil, the Order of the Cleansing Flame, the Order of the Silver Hammer and the Order of the Torch. His biggest festival is Sigmarday, on the 28th of Sigmarzeit. His major holy books are The Book of Sigmar, Deus Sigmar and The Geistbuch. His most common holy symbols are Ghal-maraz (his warhammer), the twin-tailed comet and the griffon. Sigmar is the god of the Empire in general and Reikland specifically, and is worshipped by most Imperials. His favored offerings are hammers, coins and food. He is the patron god of the Empire and his cult is very much dominant. Because he was once Emperor, his worship is inextricably tied to politics, and three of the cult's highest ranking members are directly involved in the election of the emperor. Legend has it that 2500 years ago, Sigmar's birth was heralded by a twin-tailed comet, and he was the first son of the chief of the Umberogen tribe. As he grew, he was given the mystic warhammer Ghal-maraz, Skull-splitter, by the Dwarfs in honor of his saving of King Kurgan Ironbeard from the Greenskins. Sigmar allied with the Dwarfs and, with their combined forces, defeated the Greenskin hordes. He was crowned the first emperor of the Human tribes he united, and after 50 years of excellent rule, he mysteriously vanished, only to ascend as a god, crowned by his patron in life, Ulric. Most people of the Empire at least pay lip service to Sigmar, and in the more devout lands, like Reikland, worship is an unquestioned part of daily life. Weekly 'throngs' are held to preach the lessons of Sigmar, and many attend temple training as local militia, confess their sins and purify their souls with the advice of local priests, to be more like the God-King Sigmar. The largest of Sigmar's many orders is the Order of the Torch, which is made up of community priests. Others include the Order of the Cleansing Flame, made of inquisitors and witch hunters, the Order of the Silver Hammer, which is warrior-priests and...more witch hunters, and the Order of the Anvil, a monastic order dedicated to preserving the history and laws of Sigmar. Besides the priestly orders, there are many templar orders, most famously the Knights of Sigmar's Blood, the fanatic Knights of the Fiery Heart and the militarized Knights Griffon. The size of the cult means that there's no single uniform or vestments, and they come in many colors, cuts and styles based on local traditions. Every Imperial city, town and village has a temple to Sigmar. The Grand Cathedral of Altdorf is staffed by hundreds of priests and lay workers, and is guarded by two different templar orders. Village chapels, on the other hand, may receive weekly visits from a traveling priest that serves several small settlements. Shrines are present in most homes, and wayshrines are all over the major highways, usually marked by the sign of the hammer or the comet. Sigmarite penance often involves destroying Chaos cells or exposing corruption, treason and Chaos within the Imperial hierarchy. It can also involve building or rebuilding local communities to promote unity and national strength. Strictures posted:
Taal, God of the Wild, has his seat of power in Talabheim in the Talabecland, and his cult's head is the Hierarch. His major orders are the Order of the Antler and the Longshanks. His greatest festival is the Spring Equinox, but the other equinoxes are also celebrated. His major holy books are The Book of Green, Rites of the Ancient Grove and the Tome of Summer's Path. His common holy symbols are antlers, the oak and the stone axe. He is the god of the wilds, spring, the Talabecland, animals and wild places. He is primarily worshipped by herders, foresters and rural people, and his favored offerings are land left wild, the first kill of a hunt and animals in general. Taal is husband to Rhya and father to Manaan, and his worshippers say he is King of the Gods, though not all other cults agree. His realm is nature, in all its forms, from the river to the mountain, from the great bear to the tiny insect. He is portrayed as an immense, powerful, virile man with wild, long hair and great antlers, and he is known for his mercurial mood and his need to hunt. The rural people of the Old World venerate Taal, and any who makes a living in the wild places takes care not to offend the god. He is the patron of the Talabeclanders, and his cult holds great sway there on all levels of society. They have many small orders dedicated to specific holy sites and groves, but two main orders lead the cult. The Order of the Antler are the priesthood in general, who teach Taal's ways and protect the wild lands from intrusion. They are extremely powerful in Talabecland, and their forest temples are usually community hubs. The Longshanks are a mix of warrior priests and templars who wander the land, cleansing Taal's wilds of corruption and making sure the rural communities do not upset Father Taal. Taal's temples are generally small and rustic, made of wood and rough stone in a way that has not changed in centuries. They usually exist near a natural place of wonder, like a waterfall, a swirling pool or a mountain, and often they have an attached sweat lodge. The high temple in Talabheim is a bit of an anomaly, as it appears more like a well-maintained (if wild) garden, with services held under the rowan trees each week. Officially, the cult is led by the Hierarch, but he spends most of his time in the groves of Taalgrunhaar Forest rather than leading. Shrines to Taal are barely structures, and some are merely old, sacred trees with offerings at their bases. Caves, forest groves and other natural sites are often used as shrines, though they're usually only able to be found by locals or devout followers of Taal. Penances of Taal tend to involve clearing out diseased or mutant monsters from the wilds, replanting sacred trees or maintaining important groves. They may also involve mountain climbing to leave stones at cairns or clearing out waterfall obstructions. The task always involves having to survive in the wilds. Strictures posted:
Next time: War and Wisdom
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Sep 20, 2018 17:14
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WFRP 4e - WAAAAAAR Ulric, God of War, has his cult based out of Middenheim in Middenland, with the Ar-Ulric as his cult leader. His primary orders are the Order of the Howling Wolf and the Order of the Knights of the White Wolf. His great festivals are Campaign Start, Hochwinter and Campaign End. His most popular holy books are Liber Lupus, Teutognengeschichte and The Ulric Creed. His common holy symbols are the white wolf, the stylized U and the claw. He is the god of war, winter, wolves and Middenland, and is mostly worshipped by warriors and Middenlanders. His favored offerings are weapons, trophies, ale and wolf skins. He is brother to Taal and, if you ask an Ulrican, the King of the Gods, though not all other cults agree. He is generally portrayed as a huge, bearded barbarian wearing a white wolf pelt as a cloak and bearing a war-axe named Blitzbeil. He is a distant, harsh and unforgiving god who expects his cultists to survive by individual skill and strength. He hates weakness, cowardice and trickery, and he favors the direct approach in all things. Ulric's cult is strongest in the northern parts of the Empire, especially the Middenland...and especially especially the city of Middenheim, with its gigantic high temple. The god is seen as patron of the city, and it is the heart of the cult. Elsewhere, he is largely the god of warriors and soldiers. Devout Ulricans can be spotted by their long hair and beards, as most choose not to cut it in an attempt to emulate their god. The cult has only the two orders. The Howling Wolves are the priesthood, while the White Wolves are the templars. The Howling Wolves are not especially popular outside Middenland and Nordland, as they are seen as too coarse for the modern Empire. The Knights of the White Wolf, however, are extremely popular and are easily the largest knightly order in the entire Empire as well as the oldest templar order in the entire Old World. The priests wear black robes with the emblem of the howling white wolf on the chest. Wolf pelts worn across the shoulders are also common, as are fur trimmings. (The book does not mention the oath of celibacy forced on the Ulricans, but I suspect it's not gone - just saved for a larger book. Likewise, the sexism of the Middenland Ulricans is not mentioned.) Ulric's high temple is in Middenheim, and the Ar-Ulric, literally 'son of Ulric,' holds immense temporal and spiritual power there. The Flame of Ulric burns at the back of the high temple, an ever-burning silver flame (quote, 'argent') granted by Ulric to his people. The Flame is the end point of several pilgrimage routes, and all Middenland Ulricans are expected to bathe in its cold light at least once. Smaller temples exist in every city and town of any real size, but the northern ones are much bigger and grander. Chapels and shrines are found in forts and barracks across the Old World. Temples tend to resemble fortified keeps, built square and with only small, high windows for lighting. Each keeps an ever-burning fire in a circular hearth, constantly stocked with wood to keep the flame alive. Behind the fire, usually on the rear wall, there will be a statue of Ulric enthroned, often flanked by a pair of wolves. Shrines have a similar appearance but smaller, with a lamp in place of the fire and statues only a few feet tall at best. Ulric's penances are always tests of strength, courage and skill in battle. Slaying monsters or clearing out outlaws or Beastmen are typical penances. Strictures posted:
Verena, Goddess of Wisdom, has no seat of power nor cult head. She does have several major orders, though - the Order of Scalebearers, the Order of Lorekeepers, the Order of Mysteries and the Order of Everlasting Light. Her big festival is the Year Blessing, and her most popular holy books are Canticum Verena, Eulogium Verena and The Book of Swords. Her common symbols are the scales of justice, the owl and the downward-pointing sword. She is the goddess of justice, learning and wisdom, worshipped by scribes, lawyers and scholars, and her favored offerings are books, knowledge and just acts. She is wife to Morr and mother of Myrmidia and Shallya. She is usually shown as a tall and classically beautiful woman carrying a sword and a set of scales. She is the patron of justice, not law, and is focuses on fairness over the letter of the law, opposing tyranny and oppression as much as she opposes crime. Verena is very popular in the Old World, especially in the south. Her cult and followers include lawyers, scholars and magistrates, plus several wizards of the Colleges, especially of the Grey and Light Orders. There is no rigid hierarchy; it is said that Verena leads the cult personally, with no mortal intermediary required because truth is self-evident and needs no interpretation. Temple priests of the Order of Lorekeepers are tasked with preserving knowledge and communicating it to the people. They spend a lot of time in correspondence with each other, filling vast pages with information and news. The Order of Scalebearers are equally influential, serving as judges, arbiters and negotiators due to their impartiality and total mastery of the law. The Order of Mysteries is smaller and more obscure, made of warrior priests that seek out lost and forgotten lore, no matter where it is. The Knights of Everlasting Light are Verena's templars, famous for their sword skill, fairness and legendarily bad luck. Verena's cultists typically wear robes of plain and pure white, symbolic of pure truth and impartiality. Temples to Verena exist in most cities and large towns, usually in administrative or university districts. Most libraries and courthouses have a shrine to her, and scholars and lawyers often keep small shrines in their homes. Temples typically have colonaded facades bearing low reliefs carved in symbols of the goddess or allegorical figures of learning. Within will always be a statue of Verena, usually seated, with a book in her lap, scales in her left hand and her right resting on the hilt of a sword. Smaller rooms will lead off from the main hub for a library and priestly chambers. All temples have at least one meeting room, where negotiations may be held under the eyes of Verena. Her penances typically involve recovering or preserving knowledge, righting an injustice or resolving a dispute. Her cultists may be sent to recover lost books of lore or to mediate difficult arguments, anything from farm boundary disputes to the politics of two nations on the brink of war. Strictures posted:
Next time: The gods of the other species.
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Sep 20, 2018 18:38
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The oath of celibacy wasn't in the 2e corebook either, after all.
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Sep 20, 2018 18:44
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this is ridiculous http://warhammerfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Dooming
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Sep 20, 2018 18:58
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kidkissinger posted:this is ridiculous Dooming is wonderful and I'll hear no word against it.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:01
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Yeah, don't you be saying the Dooming is dumb or bad. The Dooming owns.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:02
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Dooming is stupid because you can't copyright that. It should be the doomsaying, or the gloomrite, or the necrocast.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:05
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The table results range from 'THY END IS A STICKY ONE INDEED' to warning you that pies and hot crossed buns are out to get you to dramatic stuff about the forces of evil to the Doomsayer falling over dead with a look of utter horror on his face, and you never actually learning what the hell he just saw. It is amazing. I'm gonna get to all this in time, damnit. Gotta wade through the part on the calender first, which is going to suck and I might skip a bunch of it because we've always just run the setting on the totally normal earth calender rather than try to remember a second one like lunatics. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Sep 20, 2018 |
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Sep 20, 2018 19:06
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it'a ambiguous, is the dooming accurate or just reading of entrails?
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Sep 20, 2018 19:09
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It's absolutely just normal fortune-telling nonsense except the few times it really isn't. Prophets in warhams are mostly people playing the odds and making up vague stuff. There's a reason the God of the Dead is the God of Prophecy and it's because 'you're going to die eventually' is the only almost 100% accurate prophecy anyone knows of.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:10
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Night10194 posted:The table results range from 'THY END IS A STICKY ONE INDEED' to warning you that pies and hot crossed buns are out to get you to dramatic stuff about the forces of evil to the Doomsayer falling over dead with a look of utter horror on his face, and you never actually learning what the hell he just saw. A large calendar is one of the things i make for every campaign. it's just useful for players to write on at the very least. I can see how some people would like to avoid the additional clutter. edit: i'm reading through 4e pdf now and I have to say the art is really excellent.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:11
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It's amazing.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:15
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I've always said they should do this for TWW, but man, a Cathay book would be off the hook.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:18
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WFRP 4e - How To Priest It Up As A Non-Human The Dwarfs worship their ancient ancestors, valuing tradition over all else. While the Time of the Ancestor Gods may have been thousands of years ago, the Dwarfs maintain records of it in their ancient Holds, and many names echo from that era to create a broad pantheon of inter-related figures. Three, however, stand out over all the others, three Ancestor Gods of extreme import, known to all Dwarfs as the progenitors of the Dwarf species as a whole. Besides the three below, Dwarfs also revere the founders of local clans as guardian ancestors. Grimnir is the Ancester God of Warriors and Courage, worshipped by soldiers and Slayers. His favored offerings are axes, gold jewellery and resolved grudges. He has a high temple in Karaz-a-Karak and the largest Slayer Cult temple is in Karak Hadrin. Grimnir is brother to Grungni and co-husband to Valaya. Grungni is the Ancester God of Mining, Metalworking and Stoneworking, worshipped by artisans and miners. He favors offerings of fine stone or metal workings, or mail armor. His high temple is in Karak Azul. He is brother to Grimnir and co-husband to Valaya. Valaya is the Ancester Goddess of Brewing, Hearth and Healing, worshipped by artisans, scholars and physicians. Her favored offerings are beer, shields and food. Her high temple is in Karaz-a-Karak, and she is wife to both Grimnir and Grungi. Dwarf priests do not use the Priest, Nun or Warrior-Priest careers. Dwarfs have a very different relationship with their gods, and those that dedicate themselves to an ancestor cult do so by emulating the gods rather than worshipping or appeasing them the way Humans do. Because of this, to play a Dwarf priest of an ancestor god, you just choose an appropriate career to emulate the god; for example, a priest of Grimnir might be a Slayer and a member of the Cult of the Slayer, or might be a Soldier. The Elven gods were worshipped by the Elves long before most species even existed as they do now. They have an extensive pantheon, with different deities held as important by the Wood or High Elves. Loosely speaking, though, there are two groups of gods: the Cadai and the Cytharai. The Cadai rule over the heavens, with strong connections to their worshippers. They help directly when and where they can. The Cytharai are the selfish rulers of the underworld, caring little even for the Elves. Standing apart are the unaligned gods, most prominently Morai-Heg the Crone. The High Elves primarily revere the Cadai with sophisticated and organized priesthoods dedicated to their teachings. They appease the Cytharai only when necessary, but ban the active worship of any of them except Mathlann, who may be worshipped by sailors. Their myths name Asuryan as the King of the Gods, able to pass judgment on all. The Wood Elves take a more balanced approach, with temples and shrines to all gods, Cadai or Cytharai, that impact their lives. Because of their close ties to the woods and forests, the Wood Elves revere Isha the Mother and Kurnous the Hunter over all other gods, and rumors abound that these two gods have a direct hand in Wood Elf business. Some theologians, mainly Elven ones, claim that the deities of other pantheons are merely different aspects of the true, Elven gods. The Cadai are: Asuryan, god of All Creation, the Heavens and Phoenixes, worshipped by rulers, judges and lawyers. He prefers offerings of white feathers, masks and white crystal. He is the Creator, king of the gods, who made and separated the mortal and divine realms. Isha, god of Fertility and Life, worshipped by rural Elves. She prefers offerings of food, tears and green crystal. She is the Mother, wife of Kurnous and creator of the Elves. Kurnous, god of Animals, Wild Places and Hunting, worshipped by hunters, woodsmen and those that work with animals. He prefers offerings of animals, the blood of enemies and amber crystals. He is the King of the Wild Hunt, Lord of Beasts and husband of Isha. He created all animals. Hoeth, god of Wisdom, Knowledge and Teaching, worshipped by scholars, wizards and perfectionists. He prefers offerings of tomes, swords and yellow crystals. He is the Lord of Wisdom, who elevated the Elves to sentience. The Cytharai are: Atharti, goddess of Pleasure, Seduction, Snakes and the Mind, worshipped by hedonists, bawds and those ruled by emotion. She prefers offerings of snakes, gems and pale pink crystal. She is the Lady of Desire, who unlocked the emotions of the Elves after they were created. The High Elves ban her worship. Khaine, god of War, Bloodshed and Violence, worshipped by warriors and soldiers. He prefers offerings of blood, weapons and red crystal. He is known as the Bloody-Handed. Mathlann, god of Oceans, worshipped by sailors and seafolk. He prefers offerings of gold, fish and turquoise crystal. He is the Lord of the Deeps, with no real love for any land-dwellers, even Elves. The Unaligned mainly refers to: Morai-Heg, goddess of Death, Fate and Crows, worshipped only by the bereaved. Her favored offerings are bones, black feathers and black crystal. She is the Crone, and few worship her for fear of attracting her attention. While both the High and Wood Elves have priesthoods for their gods, they do not use the Priest, Nun or Warrior Priest careers because their gods do not grant blessings or miracles in the same way Human gods do. The Elves believe the gods do not manifest this way. Rather, they see magic as a gift from the gods. Because of this, an Elven priest is best represented by the Wizard career, taking an appropriate Lore to the god as your magic. A priest of Kurnous would use the Lore of Beasts, say, while Isha's priest might use the Lore of Life, and Asuryan's the Lore of Light or Fire. Some say that Halflings are more superstitious than religious, and certainly their major gods bear out this assertion. Most Halfling deities have to do with the hearth and home, food, earthy matters, herbs and day to day life. They are practical gods, not philosophical ones, and Halflings have a saying: "Deep thoughts butter no parsnips." Halflings do show respect to certain Human gods - primarily Sigmar, Taal and Rhya - but it's mostly out of conflict avoidance rather than devotion. Esmerelda is the goddess of Hearth, Home and Hospitality, and just about all Halflings strive to emulate her. She prefers offerings of food, fire and comfort, and is known as the Many-Times Grandmother. Hyacinth is the goddess of Childbirth, Fertility and Sex, worshipped by midwives, pregnant women and revellers. She prefers offerings of boiled water and palliative herbs. She is known to have a fondness for twins and triplets, which often occur in Halfling births. Josias is the god of Farming and Domesticated Animals, worshipped by farmers, herders and gardeners. He prefers offerings of crops, food and especially thick soups. He is known as the Faithful, and both works and rests quite hard. Quinsberry is the god of Knowledge, Ancestry and Tradition, worshipped by scholars. He prefers offerings of tapestries, books and gold. It is said that he has a library containing the exact and complete bloodlines and complete history of every Halfling. Halflings don't really have priests and certainly don't build temples. (They still have temples, because Humans and particularly Sigmarites seem happy to build them for the Halflings, who largely use them as community centers.) They tend to consider that anyone has better things to do than be priestly. They respect the gods, sure, and do maintain shrines in case they need to chat, but no one makes a job out of talking to a single god. They find the idea of exclusivity that way very odd. If a particular god must be appeased, the task is left to a local elder to do what's needed for the community, often after consulting with relevant peers and experts. And, of course, there's the Chaos Gods, the Ruinous Powers. They are the main existential threat to the world, but even with that, much about them is a mystery. Merely seeking knowledge of them is punishable by death without permission from the Cult of Sigmar, and getting that permission opens you to intensive scrutiny. Even then, it is seldom granted. Most people believe the Ruinous Powers are punishment for sin, and therefore all people should behave within social norms expressed by the divine cults. Indulging in violence, lust, slovenliness or unseemly curiosity corrupts both the individual and the community with Chaos, attracting evil forces. The average person does not actually know the names of the Chaos Gods, but rather their euphemistic titles - the Blood God, the Plague or Fly Lord, the Lord of Change and the Prince of Pain and Excess. Even the most learned can only really guess at the motives of the Ruinous Powers, or even if they have motives beyond their primal impulses. It appears that the Ruinous Powers have competing factions of servants dedicated to different aspects, and they fight each other as much as anything else. On the rare occasions when they cooperate, though, as in the Great War Against Chaos 200 years ago, the world shakes under their power. Some claim that Chaos God cults have infiltrated the Empire heavily, but most dismiss the idea as nonsense. After all, who would be fool enough to worship one of those things? Next time: Prayer
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Sep 20, 2018 19:32
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Disappointed the next chapter isn't immediately "worship of the dark powers."
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Sep 20, 2018 19:39
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In general, elves don't really believe Divine Magic exists and assume it's all actually arcane magic that humans are too stupid to realize they're channeling. They believed it was safe to leave it alone because it's so 'regimented' that humans seem safe enough using it. I've always gotten the impression that this is primarily because the elf gods are almost to a man massive shitbirds (I think only Vaul, sometimes Isha, and sometimes Hoeth aren't massive assholes), Asuryan can make a good claim to being the main villain of pretty much all of the elf plotlines of Hams, and they don't have much reason to actually love so much as propitiate or seek power from their Gods.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:39
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The book honestly mostly assumes you won't and that the PCs are going to be, by and large, if not good at least not horrific monsters. It only offers a single spell for each of the three Chaos Lores, and assumes they will be used to pepper the spell lists of NPC villains. e: oh yeah, and Asuryan absolutely is a massive shitbird, to the point that Malekith, King of the Dark Elves, is his chosen loving servant all but explicitly. Actually, it was made explicit in End Times, but End Times. Basically the entire Dark Elf problem was caused when one of the Elf heroes realized that Malekith was Elf Jesus, but also that if he was allowed to become High King he would break everything. Mors Rattus fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Sep 20, 2018 |
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Sep 20, 2018 19:40
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The general assumption I get out of hams is that you're expected to be decent enough people, you just need to eat and care about getting paid when possible. And sometimes do shady or underhanded things or can never admit what you were actually up to because a lot of adventuring business is extremely illegal. You're still generally a hero, you just grumble about it a lot and have a lot of mud on your fancy hat. E: Also, Asuryan demanded Isha and others do nothing for the elves, didn't step in when Khaine crippled Vaul and murdered most of the mortal elves, and burned Hoeth's library for daring to teach elves to read because now they might discover things other than his rigid traditions and he hates that. Asuryan is basically the god of all the worst tendencies and impulses of the elfs. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Sep 20, 2018 |
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Sep 20, 2018 19:43
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There was also the fact that he heavily frowned on the Great Vortex being created. Because while it would save the world from chaos by preventing the endless hordes of Daemons manifesting, it would also seal the gods and prevent them from being able to manifest their powers in the world as easily. Also for those not familiar with Warhammer Fantasy. You may have noticed that Mathlann and Manann sound similar both being gods of the sea and such. It's an in universe theory they are the same god under different names.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:53
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