Month: May 2010

Assassins

/ jstater

The assassin is a tough one. I won’t deny that the main reason I used it is nostalgia. That being said, I did my best to make it a useful and hopefully enjoyable class. I think there are two main problems with the assassin class. The first is that the assassin really doesn’t fit well into the “dungeon” environment. Assassins should be plying their trade in the homes of fat merchants or in the castles of the local lord or even in the alleys and side streets of a city-state, but not really in a mythic underworld. I suppose someone might hire an assassin to take out a major power in a mythic underworld (that might make a good fantasy story, in fact), but will they do it over and over again? The whole point of dungeon delving is power, whether via gold pieces, magic items or hidden knowledge. Assassins have their own path to power, and I don’t think it usually goes through dank caverns and trap-laden corridors beneath the earth.

Problem number two is “assassination” boiled down to a single roll of the dice. In C&C it is a death attack – observe for a few rounds, attack, victim saves or dies. How anti-climactic can you get? And what happens when the Ref starts setting groups of assassins on the PC’s? Big damage with a single attack seems to already exist in most systems with the thief’s back stab, so why an assassin?

Despite all of this, I was determined to take a shot at creating an assassin class. The first step was looking for an archetype. If you’re doing a barbarian, you look to Conan. If you’re doing a ranger, you look to Davy Crockett or Aragorn. So who is the archetypal assassin who is a main character in a story? The character that immediately springs to my mind is Bond. James Bond.

In Bond you have a stealthy, deadly (license to kill) errand boy who solves problems. Once you latch on to a spy as an archetype, you also need to look at the history of spies and assassins in the pre-modern eras that fantasy gaming encompasses. You have the Elizabethan spy ring of Sir Francis Walsingham (pictured to the right), the ninjas of feudal Japan, the poisoners of Renaissance Italy, and many others. Taking these influences together, and leaning on previous versions of the assassin in D&D-style games, I came up with this …

What follows is Open Game Content

THE ASSASSIN
The assassin is a sub-class of thief that specializes in stealthy killings for a fee. They are commonly used as spies, and most major city-states have at least one or two spy rings from rival city-states in operation. Like thieves, assassins are useful as scouts. Their skills are not as wide-ranging as thieves, but they are more effective as combatants.

Prime Attribute: Dexterity, 13+ (+5% experience)

Hit Dice: 1d6+1 (Gains 2 hp/level after 9th level.)

Armor/Shield Permitted: Leather and shields.

Weapons Permitted: Any.

Cheat Death (1st): Assassins have an uncanny ability to escape certain doom. Assassins enjoy a +1 bonus to saving throws vs. death. Skilled escape artists, assassins use saving throws to wriggle out of non-magical ropes or chains, and they have a 1 in 6 chance to escape from magical bindings, like magical ropes or chains or spells like hold person or paralysis.

Decipher Script (1st): Assassins can decipher writings by making a successful saving throw. This includes unfamiliar languages, codes and incomplete messages.

Disguise (1st): Assassins train as thespians and masters of disguise. Assassins usually carry some odds and ends (soot, putty, rags for stuffing) that allow them impersonate others. The assassin’s diguises are usually effective on a roll of 1-4 on 1d6, provided the assassin is impersonating a person of the same race and gender. Impersonating another humanoid race lowers his chances by one, and impersonating another gender also lowers his chances by one. Impersonating a monstrous race lowers his chances by two. Even if the disguise is effective, those who know the impersonated person well receive a saving throw to see through the rouse.

Sneak Attack (1st): If an assassin takes an opponent by surprise (i.e. in a surprise round or simply attacking someone in a “non-combat” situation) or by attacking from the shadows, an assassin attacks at a +4 bonus to hit. A successful hit inflicts double normal damage. As the assassin gains experience, the damage inflicted increases. At fifth level, a sneak attack deals triple damage, and at ninth level a sneak attack inflicts quadruple damage.

Stealth (1st): Assassins have the following special abilities: Hiding in shadows, moving silently, climbing sheer surfaces, picking pockets (and other acts of legerdemain) and picking locks (with a set of burglar’s tools, which cost 25 gp). Use of these abilities requires the assassin to succeed at a saving throw (in essence, making a saving throw to avoid failure). Non-assassins have a 1 in 6 chance of successfully performing these abilities.

Hiding in Shadows: Hiding in shadows requires shadows, of course, and is as effective as the invisibility spell, except that the thief cannot move while hiding in shadows.

Moving Silently: This means moving without making any sound at all. A thief moving silently and scouting ahead of a party can avoid an encounter entirely if his opponents are surprised.

Climb Sheer Surfaces: This means surfaces with no, or almost no, hand or toe holds. The Referee might require multiple saving throws for long climbs, and might regard failure as merely “no progress” or actual falling.

Poison (1st): Assassins are well practiced at using poisons, and have no chance of poisoning themselves when applying it weapons or slipping it in food and drink. Assassins can identify poisons on a roll of 1-3 on 1d6 and neutralize most poisons on a roll of 1 on 1d6, provided they have some herbs and other chemical agents on their person (a supply of 10 uses of these items costs 25 gp and can be obtained from most alchemists or herbalists).

Finally, an assassin can use these same herbs and agents to produce poisons of their own. At level 1, assassins know how to brew sleeping draughts and poisons that cause nausea (-2 penalty to all rolls). These simple poisons last one hour, and victims receive a saving throw to avoid the effects. These simple poisons can be applied to an assassin’s weapons as a sticky paste. They cost 50 gp to make and take 1 day to brew a single use.

By level 3, an assassin has learned to make more potent poisons that can either inflict 1d6 points of damage for every three levels an assassin has attained (i.e. 1d6 at level 3, 2d6 at level 6, 3d6 at level 9 and so on) or that cause paralysis for 10 minutes. Again, saving throws are allowed. These poisons can be applied to an assassin’s weapons as a sticky paste. They cost 250 gp to brew and take 1 day to brew a single use.

At level 9, assassins learn how to make a potion of poison that forces imbibers to save or die instantly. This poison cannot be applied to weapons. It costs 1,000 gp to brew and takes 1 day to brew a single use.

Level Experience Hit Dice Attack Save Title
1 0 1 +0 15 Ruffian
2 1,500 2 +0 14 Marauder
3 3,000 3 +1 13 Thugee
4 6,000 4 +1 12 Blackguard
5 12,000 5 +2 11 Cut-Throat
6 25,000 6 +2 10 Hellhound
7 50,000 7 +3 9 Malefactor
8 100,000 8 +3 8 Slayer
9 200,000 9 +4 7 Master Assassin
10 320,000 +2 hp +5 6 Master Assassin
11 440,000 +4 hp +5 5 Master Assassin
12 560,000 +6 hp +6 4 Master Assassin

—

Well, I’m heading off to Chicago tomorrow for a research conference, so I won’t be updating the blog for a few days. I hope by Thursday or Friday to finish and post my first downloadable “issue” of NOD, collecting most of the April posts. Until then …

Thieves

/ jstater / 3 Comments

This post is Open Game Content

THE THIEF
The thief relies on cunning to win the day. Thieves are middling warriors and have no magical abilities, but they are hard to kill and train themselves in a wide array of skills useful to adventurers.

Prime Attribute: Dexterity, 13+ (+5% experience)

Hit Dice: 1d6 (Gains 2 hp/level after 9th level.)

Armor/Shield Permitted: Leather, padded and shields.

Weapons Permitted: Club, dagger, dart, hand axe, javelin, light crossbow, maces, short bow, short sword, sling, staff.

BACK STAB (1st): A thief normally avoids face-to-face combat if possible, preferring instead to use stealth to catch an opponent unaware. A thief able to attack an unaware opponent from the rear gains a bonus to hit and damage. To catch an opponent unaware, a thief must make a successful move silently check to sneak up behind the foe, or make a successful hide check while behind the opponent. A thief that succeeds can make a back stab at a +4 bonus to hit. A successful hit inflicts double normal damage.

As the thief gains experience, the damage inflicted increases. At fifth level, a back stab deals triple damage, and at ninth level a back stab inflicts quadruple damage.

DECIPHER SCRIPT (1st): Thieves can decipher writings by making a successful saving throw. This includes unfamiliar languages, codes and incomplete messages. Thieves can also use this ability to decipher and then cast spells from arcane scrolls, though the saving throw to do so is made at a -10 penalty.

THIEVERY (1st): A thief’s training makes them particularly adept at dungeon delving. Thieves successfully listen at doors and find secret doors (and hidden traps) as well as elves (2 in 6 and 4 in 6 chance respectively), and can find pits and traps as well as a dwarf (1 in 6 chance of just noticing, 3 in 6 chance if searching).

Moreover, thieves have the following unique abilities: Hiding in shadows, moving silently, climbing sheer surfaces, picking pockets (and other acts of legerdemain) and picking locks (with a set of burglar’s tools, which cost 25 gp). Use of these abilities requires the thief to succeed at a saving throw (in essence, making a saving throw to avoid failure). Non-thieves have a 1 in 6 chance of successfully performing these abilities.

Hiding in Shadows: Hiding in shadows requires shadows, of course, and is as effective as the invisibility spell, except that the thief cannot move while hiding in shadows.

Moving Silently: This means moving without making any sound at all. A thief moving silently and scouting ahead of a party can avoid an encounter entirely if his opponents are surprised.

Climb Sheer Surfaces: This means surfaces with no, or almost no, hand or toe holds. The Referee might require multiple saving throws for long climbs, and might regard failure as merely “no progress” or actual falling.

THIEVES’ CANT (1st): Thieves often use a street language known only to those in the “trade”. Code words, hand signals, demeanor, and other signs comprise the language of thieves’ cant and can be used to convey complex ideas. The language may vary to some degree both geographically and culturally, making cants unique to each region, city, and even within a city.

Level Experience Hit Dice Attack Save Title
1 0 1 +0 14 Scamp
2 1,500 2 +0 13 Varlet
3 3,000 3 +1 12 Villain
4 6,000 4 +1 11 Dodger
5 12,000 5 +2 10 Rapscallion
6 25,000 6 +2 9 Desperado
7 50,000 7 +3 8 Rook
8 100,000 8 +3 7 Scoundrel
9 200,000 9 +4 6 Master Thief
10 320,000 +2 hp +5 5 Master Thief
11 440,000 +4 hp +5 4 Master Thief
12 560,000 +6 hp +6 3 Master Thief

Assassin is next …

Cunning Men and Wise Women

/ jstater

Statting out some kobold shamans and witchdoctors tonight, I realized I didn’t like the idea of making them clerics or druids. So, I did a quick conversion of the d20 adept NPC class.

The following material is Open Game Content.

Adept (NPC Class)
Adepts are practical spellcasters of rural and barbaric folk, less skilled than the druids and more focused on serving their communities than going on daft adventures into the unknown. Most are skilled in folk remedies and fortune telling, and they are always skilled in another profession.

Hit Dice: 1d6 per level, +1 per level after 9
Weapons Allowed: Club, dagger, dart, mace, short bow, sling, spear, staff.
Armor Allowed: Leather armor, shield.
Attack: As magic-user
Saving Throws: As magic-user

Adepts cast spells from their own list (see below), preparing them in the same way as clerics. Each of an adept’s spells requires them to possess a simple fetish made of bones, feathers, ribbons, etc.

Each adept is also skilled as an alchemist, animal trainer, armorer, fortune teller, guide, healer or sage.

The Adept

Level
HD
Attack
Saving Throw
1
2
3
4
5
1
1d6
+0
15
1
–
–
–
–
2
2d6
+0
14
1
–
–
–
–
3
3d6
+1
13
2
–
–
–
–
4
4d6
+1
12
2
–
–
–
–
5
5d6
+1
11
2
1
–
–
–
6
6d6
+2
10
2
1
–
–
–
7
7d6
+2
9
3
2
–
–
–
8
8d6
+3
8
3
2
–
–
–
9
9d6
+3
7
3
2
1
–
–
10
9d6+1
+3
6
3
2
1
–
–
11
9d6+2
+4
5
3
3
2
–
–
12
9d6+3
+4
4
3
3
2
–
–
13
9d6+4
+5
4
3
3
2
1
–
14
9d6+5
+5
4
3
3
2
1
–
15
9d6+6
+5
4
3
3
3
2
–
16
9d6+7
+6
4
3
3
3
2
–
17
9d6+8
+6
4
3
3
3
2
1
18
9d6+9
+7
4
3
3
3
2
1
19
9d6+10
+7
4
3
3
3
3
2
20
9d6+11
+7
4
3
3
3
3
2

Adept Spells

Level One: Cause fear, charm person, cure light wounds, detect evil, light, protection from evil, sleep.

Level Two: Bless, darkness 15 ft radius, detect invisibility, invisibility, mirror image, pyrotechnics, snake charm, strength, web.

Level Three: Animate dead, cause disease, curse, continual light, cure disease, cure serious wounds, lightning bolt, neutralize poison, remove curse.

Level Four: Create water, massmorph, polymorph, protection from evil 10 ft radius, sticks to snakes, wall of fire.

Level Five: Commune, create food, raise dead, wall of stone.

Quick Idea on Weapons

/ jstater / 1 Comment

Thinking about the “all weapons do 1d6 damage” rules, I thought it might be useful to come up with some other reasons why one might choose one weapon over another and came up with the following. You’ll notice that I didn’t differentiate between long swords and short swords. It seems to me if all weapons are going to do the same damage, you only need to differentiate between forms rather than small differences between weapons with the same basic form.

And just for fun, consider it Open Game Content.

Axe/Curved sword/Pick/War hammer: +1 to damage due to all of the wielder’s force being concentrated on a small cutting edge or piercing point

Bow: -1 to hit (difficult to learn) but attacks twice during a round (on normal initiative and at end), +1 to damage due to all of the wielder’s force being concentrated on a small cutting edge or piercing point

Club/Staff: Nothing special

Crossbow: +1 to damage due to all of the wielder’s force being concentrated on a small cutting edge or piercing point

Dagger: Always lose initiative against longer weapons, but +1 to hit due to the greater versatility that comes with multiple angles of attack

Flail: Ignores shield bonus to AC, +1 to disarm attacks because of the chain

Javelin/Throwing spear: Nothing special

Mace: Nothing special

Sling: Nothing special

Spear/Lance: Always win initiative against shorter weapons

Sword: +1 to hit due to the greater versatility that comes with multiple angles of attack

Two-handed axe/Pole arm: +2 to damage due to all of the wielder’s force being concentrated on a small cutting edge and the heft of the weapon

Two-handed sword: +1 to hit due to the greater versatility that comes with multiple angles of attack, +1 to damage due to the weapon’s heft
__________

Metal weapons (other than dagger) require a strength score of 9 or higher to wield properly, otherwise -1 penalty to hit.

Two-handed weapons (including bows and crossbows) require a strength score of 13 or higher to wield properly, otherwise -2 penalty to hit.

On Barter and Trade

/ jstater / 2 Comments

Those of you who use the Swords & Wizardry rules probably know that the guidelines for treasure allocation stipulate that there is a 10% chance (i.e. a roll of 10 on 1d10) that coins will be swapped out for gems, jewelry or magic. In general, I love these rules because magic, gems and jewelry remain fairly rare. However, I do feel as though this system leaves out many alternative forms of wealth, i.e. goods. I’m no stickler for realism in my games, but piles and piles of gold coins do stretch plausibility pretty far, and can become pretty boring. Coins were pretty rare things for most medieval folk. In an inventory of one of Charlemagne’s smaller estates, for example, one comes across a mere 13 shillings and large numbers of livestock, household goods, grain and cheese. For this reason, I began swapping out coinage for trade goods on the roll of “1” on 1d10, using the following guidelines for amounts and values. I went ahead and organized the information so one could randomly determine the goods found. Feel free to change values, especially if a particular item is either rare or exceedingly common in a particular region. When adventurers try to sell these trade goods, you can simulate price fluctuations by rolling 1d6, with a 1-2 meaning half the normal value and a 5-6 meaning double the normal value. Obviously, this can also be used for determining the contents of a caravan or merchant cog.

In Place of 100 gold pieces (roll 1d100)
1-2. 1d10 tons of raw wool (20 gp/ton)
3-4. 2d100 ingots of lead (10 lb ingots, 7 sp/ingot)
5-6. 2d100 ingots of iron (10 lb ingots, 1 gp/ingot)
7-8. 1d8 x 100 pounds of buckwheat (25 cp/lb)
9-10. 1d6 x 100 pounds of millet (3 sp/lb)
11-12. 1d6 x 100 pounds of oats (3 sp/lb)
13-14. 1d6 x 100 pounds of rye (3 sp/lb)
15-16. 1d6 x 100 pounds of walnuts (3 sp/lb)
17-18. 1d6 x 100 pounds of yellow (sulfuric) dye (3 sp/lb)
19-20. 1d100 ingots of tin (5 lb ingots, 4 sp/lb)
21-22. 1d4 x 100 pounds of hazelnuts (200 lb), 5 sp/lb
23-24. 1d4 x 100 pounds Red (iron) dye (200 lb), 5 sp/lb
25-26. 1d8 x 10 ingots of steel (5 lb ingots, 6 sp/lb)
27-28. 1d8 x 10 ingots of zinc (5 lb ingots, 8 sp/lb)
29-30. 2d20 ingots of brass (5 lb ingots, 1 gp/lb)
31-32. 2d20 ingots of bronze (5 lb ingots, 1 gp/lb)
33-34. 2d20 ingots of copper (5 lb ingots, 1 gp/lb)
35-36. 4d8 barrels of ale (barrel holds 30 gal., weighs 250 lb, worth 6 gp)
37-38. 2d10 barrels of wine (barrel holds 30 gal., weighs 250 lb, worth 9 gp)
39-40. 2d10 x 10 pounds of barley (1 gp/lb)
41-42. 2d10 x 10 pounds of blue dye (1 gp/lb)
43-44. 2d10 x 10 pounds of coal (1 gp/lb)
45-46. 2d10 x 10 pounds of green dye (1 gp/lb)
47-48. 2d10 x 10 pounds of gum arabic (1 gp/lb)
49-50. 2d10 x 10 pounds of ocher dye (1 gp/lb)
51-52. 2d10 x 10 pounds of chestnuts (1 gp/lb)
53. 2d10 x 10 pounds of cinnamon (1 gp/lb)
54. 2d10 x 10 goats (1 gp/goat)
55. 2d10 x 10 peacock feathers (1 gp/feather)
56. 1d10 x 10 pounds of ginger (2 gp/lb)
57. 1d10 x 10 pounds of lentils (2 gp/lb)
58. 1d10 x 10 pounds of pepper (2 gp/lb)
59. 1d10 x 10 raccoon skins (2 gp/skin)
60. 1d10 x 10 squirrel skins (2 gp/skin)
61. 1d10 x 10 sheep (2 gp/sheep)
62. 1d8 x 10 pounds of jasmine oil (25 sp/lb)
63. 1d6 x 10 pounds of almonds (3 gp/lb)
64. 1d6 x 10 pounds of ambergris (3 gp/lb)
65. 1d6 x 10 pounds of camphor (3 gp/lb)
66. 1d6 x 10 pounds of indigo dye (3 gp/lb)
67. 1d6 x 10 pounds of purple dye (3 gp/lb)
68. 1d6 x 10 pounds of chick peas (3 gp/lb)
69. 1d6 x 10 pigs (3 gp/pig)
70. 1d6 x 10 square yards of velvet (10 lb per yard, worth 3 gp/sq yd)
71. 1d6 x 10 deer skins (4 gp/skin)
72. 1d6 x 10 gallons of honey (gallon weighs 12 lb gal; 4 gp/gal.)
73. 1d6 x 10 square yards of linen (5 lb per yard, 4 gp/sq yd)
74. 1d6 x 10 pounds of vermilion dye (4 gp/lb)
75. 2d20 bear skins (5 gp/skin)
76. 2d20 square yards of lace (3 lb per yd, 5 gp/sq yd)
77. 2d20 pounds of rice (5 gp/lb)
78. 2d20 pounds of salt (5 gp/lb)
79. 4d8 sheep skins (6 gp/skin)
80. 2d12 pounds of calamus (8 gp/lb)
81. 2d12 marten skins (8 gp/skin)
82. 2d12 pounds of mercury (8 gp/lb)
83. 2d12 wolf skins (8 gp/skin)
84. 2d10 pounds of pine nuts (10 gp/lb)
85. 1d10 ingots of silver (2 lb ingot, worth 20 gp)
86. 2d10 square yards of silk (10 gp/sq yd)
87. 2d10 cattle (10 gp/cattle)
88. 2d10 cigars (10 gp/cigar)
89. 2d10 coconuts (10 gp/coconut)
90. Sable skin (9), 11 gp/skin
91. 2d8 mink skins (12 gp/skin)
92. 2d6 fox skins (14 gp/skin)
93. 2d6 pounds of cardamon (15 gp/lb)
94. 2d6 panther skins (15 gp/skin)
95. 2d6 pounds of pistachios (15 gp/lb)
96. 2d6 pounds of saffron (15 gp/lb)
97. 2d6 shark skins (15 gp/skin)
98. 2d6 pounds of cloves (15 gp/lb)
99. 2d6 oxen (15 gp/ox)
100. 1d8 big cat (jaguar, leopard, lion or tiger) skins (25 gp/skin)

In Place of 1,000 gold pieces (roll 1d2 and 1d20)
1-1. 1d20 casks of molasses (barrel holds 25 gal., weighs 300 lb, 100 gp each)
1-2. 1d4 x 100 pounds of rice (5 gp/lb)
1-3. 1d4 x 100 pounds of salt (5 gp/lb)
1-4. 4d8 casks of olive oil (cask holds 12 gal., weighs 100 lb, 60 gp each)
1-5. 2d12 x 10 marten skins (8 gp/skin)
1-6. 2d12 x 10 wolf skins (8 gp/skin)
1-7. 2d10 x 10 pounds of pine nuts (10 gp/lb)
1-8. 1d100 ingots of silver (2 lb ingot, 20 gp each)
1-9. 2d8 casks of sesame oil (cask holds 12 gal., weighs 100 lb each, 120 gp each)
1-10. 2d10 x 10 square yards of silk (12 lb per yard, 10 gp/sq yd)
1-11. 2d10 x 10 cattle (10 gp/cattle)
1-12. 2d10 x 10 cigars (10 gp/cigar)
1-13. 2d10 x 10 coconuts (10 gp/coconut)
1-14. 2d10 x 10 sable skins (11 gp/skin)
1-15. 2d8 x 10 mink skins (12 gp/skin)
1-16. 2d6 x 10 fox skins (14 gp/skin)
1-17. 2d6 x 10 pounds of cardamon (15 gp/lb)
1-18. 2d6 x 10 panther skins (15 gp/skin)
1-19. 2d6 x 10 pounds of pistachios (15 gp/lb)
1-20. 2d6 x 10 pounds of saffron (15 gp/lb)
2-1. 2d6 x 10 shark skins (15 gp/skin)
2-2. 2d6 x 10 pounds of cloves (15 gp/lb)
2-3. 2d6 x 10 oxen (15 gp/ox)
2-4. 1d10 x 10 pounds of cashews (20 gp/lb)
2-5. 2d8 x 10 big cat (jaguar, leopard, lion or tiger) skins (25 gp/skin)
2-6. 2d8 x 10 pounds of jasmine oil (25 gp/lb)
2-7. 1d6 x 10 pounds of groundnuts (30 gp/lb)
2-8. 1d6 x 10 pounds of jujubes (30 gp/lb)
2-9. 1d6 x 10 pounds of sandalwood oil (40 gp/lb)
2-10. 1d4 x 10 pounds of dried coconut (50 gp/lb)
2-11. 1d4 x 10 pounds of myrobalans (50 gp/lb)
2-12. 1d4 x 10 pounds of tea (50 gp/lb)
2-13. 1d30 pounds of dried lotus fruit (70 gp/lb)
2-14. 1d30 pounds of maple sugar (75 gp/lb)
2-15. 2d10 pounds of galingale (80 gp/lb)
2-16. 2d10 pounds of black walnuts (100 gp/lb)
2-17. 2d10 pounds of cocoa (100 gp/lb)
2-18. 2d10 pounds of fagara (100 gp/lb)
2-19. 1d6 ingots of gold (3 lb ingots, 300 gp each)
2-20. 2d10 pounds of tobacco (100 gp/lb)

In Place of 5,000 gold pieces (roll 1d3 and 1d12)
1-1. 4d8 x 10 pounds of groundnuts (30 gp/lb)
1-2. 4d8 x 10 pounds of jujubes (30 gp/lb)
1-3. 2d10 x 10 pounds of dried coconut (50 gp/lb)
1-4. 2d10 x 10 pounds of myrobalans (50 gp/lb)
1-5. 2d10 x 10 pounds of tea (50 gp/lb)
1-6. 2d6 x 10 pounds of dried lotus fruit (70 gp/lb)
1-7. 2d6 x 10 pounds of maple sugar (75 gp/lb)
1-8. 2d6 x 10 pounds of galingale (80 gp/lb)
1-9. 1d10 x 10 pounds of black walnuts (100 gp/lb)
1-10. 1d10 x 10 pounds of cocoa (100 gp/lb)
1-11. 4d8 ingots of gold (3 lb ingots, 100 gp each)
1-12. 1d10 x 10 pounds of tobacco (100 gp/lb)
2-1. 1d10 x 10 vanilla beans (100 gp/bean)
2-2. 1d6 x 10 pounds of ginger (150 gp/lb)
2-3. 1d6 x 10 pounds of pecans (150 gp/lb)
2-4. 1d6 x 10 pounds of sasparilla (150 gp/lb)
2-5. 1d6 x 10 pounds of frankincense (160 gp/lb)
2-6. 1d6 x 10 pounds of myrrh (160 gp/lb)
2-7. 1d6 x 10 pounds of butternuts (200 gp/lb)
2-8. 1d6 x 10 pounds of hickory nuts (200 gp/lb)
2-9. 1d4 x 10 pounds of cubeb (250 gp/lb)
2-10. 1d4 x 10 pounds of manioc flour (250 gp/lb)
2-11. 1d30 pounds of chili powder (300 gp/lb)
2-12. 1d30 pounds of dried pineapple (300 gp/lb)
3-1. 1d30 pounds of pumpkin seeds (320 gp/lb)
3-2. 1d30 pounds of zedoary (320 gp/lb)
3-3. 1d20 pounds of mace (400 gp/lb)
3-4. 1d20 pounds of turmeric (400 gp/lb)
3-5. 1d20 pounds of nutmeg (500 gp/lb)
3-6. 1d20 pounds of paprika (500 gp/lb)
3-7. 2d8 casks of fine wine (cask holds 12 gal., weighs 100 lb, worth 600 gp)
3-8. 2d8 pounds of pimentos (650 gp/lb)
3-9. 1d4 ingots of platinum (2 lb ingots, 2,000 gp each)
3-10. 1d6 pounds of long peppers (1,500 gp/lb)
3-11. 1d6 pounds of tamarind pulp (1,500 gp/lb)
3-12. 1 ingot of mithral (1 lb ingot, 4,000 gp)

I think the fun of using these items is that they challenge player’s assumptions. Most players are keyed in on the shiny stuff, so they’ll have to think a bit to avoid passing over something valuable like pimentos. Of course, some might see this as a dirty trick, and they might be right, but I figure its no dirtier a trick than a mimic or collapsing staircase. If you want to bypass some of the larger logistical headaches (i.e. several tons of raw wool), then just use the last 20 or 30 items on each list.

Image of wine merchants from Economic History Blog.

RIP Frazetta

/ jstater / 2 Comments

“Holy crap! (holds book sideways, unraveling a fold-out) Look at your costume! What, did Frank Frazetta design it for you?! It’s tiny! I can see your…dirty pillows!” – The Monarch

I’ll join the chorus of voices singing the praises of Frank Frazetta, who just passed on. Few artists have inspired me more. His paintings for Battlestar Gallactica, especially, make me want to play some sci-fi rpg set in his vision of that show. Definitely one of the best, and irreplaceable. He will be missed.

Round-Up!

/ jstater

Man, am I busy lately. Here’s what I’m working on …

Still working on my April compilation – it will cover the Wyvern Coast posts (with about twice as many encounter areas), the village generator, the fighting-man classes and the psychic, the Gods of Ophir (with a few additional deities), the monsters of Africa and the “new” monsters that appear in the Wyvern Coast articles. I should be able to put something out late next week – later than I wanted, but I have to do a 3-day research conference in Chicago next week, and that’s going to slow me down.

Also still working on PARS FORTUNA, my randomized old school rpg (I’m thinking “Something New from the Old School” as a tagline?). It will have twelve race/classes, 126 spells drawn from various OGL sources, but have none of the traditional D&D spells, maybe 100 new monsters, the Boon system for tweaking characters, the spell interval system (maybe optional) and an idea I had for material components with spells, to add the traditional trappings of “magic” into the game. Oh – also all new magic items, designed to (mostly) be unique items. The trick on this one will be artwork, since all of the races and monsters are “never before seen” – if any artists read this, I’m thinking maybe $5 for black and white line art – is that too little?

For the blog – I have an article in the works on “trade items”, meaning valuable stuff that can replace coins in treasure hordes, or be used as inventory on merchant ships or in caravans. I’m going to put out my version of the thief and assassin, and then a few posts on Ophir, the City of Slaves. The Ophir material (like all urban areas) will focus on the part of town most often visited by adventurers, and then give some ideas of other important sites – so, map, encounters, maybe a mini-dungeon or two, etc. After that, I’ll start in on the eastern half of Map J11, which covers an Egyptian-style desert and the Pwenet savanna.

Onward and upward – and expect the “trade items” article later tonight. Thanks to all who have become followers and to everyone who checks out the blog. I’ll try to keep things useful.

Art by Charles Marion Russell, from Illustrateurs blog.

On Urban Adventures – Part Four

/ jstater

Manorial Villages
City-states are surrounded by a patchwork of manorial villages. About 15 percent of a city-state’s manorial villages are held by the prince, 60 percent by aristocrats and 25 percent by the church.

Each manorial village consists of a manor (often a castle) and approximately 4 hamlets. Each village is 1,500 acres in size and supports a lord, his family and retainers and about 1,200 peasants. Each manor is expected to provide one knight, one sergeant and eight men-at-arms for service in the prince’s army. Each manor also contributes 12 peasant militia wearing padded armor and armed with spears. Each manor is considered a parish and is served by a parish priest.

Upon approaching a manor, a party of adventurers should be challenged by the manor’s lord and his sergeant (or by the sergeant and a few men-at-arms). They ask the adventurers their business, do their best to assess whether they pose a threat (and deal with that threat if necessary) and may charge them a toll. Since manors are approximately 1 to 3 miles apart, a party will pay many tolls while traveling through civilization.

Near a settlement, 95% of lords will be human nobles with no class. The remainder will either be low-level heirs of name level (i.e. level 9 and up) adventurers or actual name level adventurers.

Manorial villages do not have inns or taverns. Instead, one might lodge with a yeoman or the lord of the manor. The divine laws of Jove demand such hospitality be shown and the traditions of chivalry dictate that lords show hospitality to fellow knights. In place of taverns, peasants open their homes to customers when they finish brewing a batch of ale, cider or wine.

Events
In some cases, a Referee will want to use the city-state as a place for PCs to relax, heal and purchase supplies. Other times, a Referee will make visiting the city-state more memorable by introducing drama and conflict. In such cases, you might choose one of the following events.

Disaster
The city is going through a drought or flood. Food prices are 5 times higher than normal and people are starving.

Vistas: Citizens wailing in the streets, dead bodies littering the streets, hungry men and women boiling shoe leather and grass, a distinct lack of livestock, rats everywhere, priests in sack-cloth imploring the gods for deliverance

Fire
The city is ablaze. It will burn for several days unless put out by a strong rain or magic.

Vistas: A thick column of smoke rising into the sky, the screams of the injured, the wail of displaced peasants mourning the loss of life and property, fire brigades, lines of men, women and children conveying buckets of water from wells, fountains and the nearest body of water, a fine ash covering everything, homeless folk camped outside the city, clerics attending to the wounded and heartbroken, pick pockets working the crowds

Peasant Revolt
The peasants are rioting and executing nobles and merchants because they’re fed up with their lot in life.

Vistas: Bands of 3d6 angry club-wielding peasants, aristocratic heads on pikes, burning buildings, looted shops that would normally be frequented by peasants, an exodus of carriages, noblemen disguised as women trying to escape, knights putting peasants to the sword, rabble rousers being tortured or burned at the stake.

Plague
The city-state is infected by a plague. PCs must make constitution saves each day to avoid fatigue and 1d6 points of damage. Alternately, the city is dealing with a plague of spawn-creating undead (see random encounters).

Vistas: Hundreds of coughing, retching people, corpses littering the streets, priests doing their best to fight the demonic infection, censor-bearers, masked doctors, carts piled high with dead bodies, mass graves being dug outside the city, nobles fleeing the city-state for their manors

Shortage
The city is going through a shortage of the first thing an adventurer tries to purchase, with the prices ten times higher than normal and then only available from the black market (i.e. den of thieves).

Vistas: Smugglers traveling by night, men shouting offers in the streets, closed shutters and barred doors, mobs of citizens converging on shops

Siege
The city is under siege by a rival city or by the local barbarians. Assume from one to four times as many attackers as defenders. Siege engines are present (or, in the case of some barbarians, siege beasts or giants).

Vistas: Bands of mercenaries raiding the countryside for food, columns of smoke rising to the heavens, loud speeches rallying the troops, the crack of boulders hitting fortifications, displaced peasants begging by the roadside, the colorful pavilions of the besieging captains.

Tournament
The city is in the midst of a tournament. There will be jousting, melee and archery contests as well as feasting and dancing. There may also be athletic competitions and team sports. Clerics of Minerva and Hercules will be on hand to manage the proceedings. A champion for each of the events (level 6 to 12) should be generated.

Vistas: Strolling minstrels and jongleurs, peddlers selling trinkets and bits of roasted meat and vegetables, colorful pavilions and banners, processions of knights in gleaming armor, the crack of lance on shield, the roar of the crowd.

Random Encounters
While monsters are more common in the wilderness than in civilization, they can also be encountered in a myriad of forms. Assume a 1 in 6 chance of a challenging encounter every time the adventurers turn a corner, with that chance doubled at night to 2 in 6. Roll 1d12 to determine the level of NPCs encountered in this manner.

Daytime Encounters
1-1. Assassins (1d6)
1-2. Bards (1d6)
1-3. Clerics (1d6)
1-4. Doppelganger, in human guise
2-1. Giant flies (2d6)
2-2. Giant rats (3d6)
2-3. Illusionist, playing the charlatan
2-4. Magic-users (1d6) or psychics (1d6)
3-1. Men-at-arms (2d6) or fighting-men (1d6)
3-2. Moneylender with 1d6 men-at-arms
3-3. Noble procession* or paladin
3-4. Sailors (2d6) or barbarians (1d6)
4-1. Students (2d6), drunk and disorderly
4-2. Tax Collector and 1d6 men-at-arms
4-3. Thieves (1d6)
4-4. Wererats (2d6), in human guise

Night Encounters
1-1. Assassins (1d6)
1-2. Clerics (1d6), chaotic cultists
1-3. Doppelganger
1-4. Flesh golem, berserk
2-1. Ghouls (2d6)
2-2. Giant flies (2d6)
2-3. Giant rats (3d6)
2-4. Magic-users (1d6) or psychics (1d6)
3-1. Men-at-arms (2d6) or fighting-men (1d6)
3-2. Sailors (2d6) or barbarians (1d6)
3-3. Spectres (1d6)
3-4. Students (2d6), drunk and disorderly
4-1. Succubus
4-2. Thieves (1d6)
4-3. Vampire
4-4. Wererats (2d6), in human guise

* A noble procession consists of a nobleman and his wife in some sort of conveyance, anything from a sedan chair to a carriage. They are accompanied by 1d6+6 heavily armed and armored men-at-arms, a similarly equipped sergeant, and servants as needed.

On Urban Adventures – Part Three

/ jstater

Taxes
Taxes have been the bane of mankind since the dawn of civilization. Taxes can take many forms in a medieval milieu. Taxes that only apply to the citizens of a city-state are not covered here.

Tolls: Tolls are charged on most rural roads by the communities tasked with maintaining said road. These tolls will usually amount to about a single silver piece if traversing the domain of a city-state. Entering a city-state’s walls will cost about 1 gp per foot or 2 gp per wheel. Thus a man riding a horse that is pulling a wagon would have to a toll of 12 gp.

Tithes: The medieval church expected everyone to pay one tenth of their income to the church. For players who draw some or all of their power from the divine, this be more like 10 gp per level per month in sacrifices. For other adventurers, you might require they pay a tithe in order to enjoy the benefits of divine spells (i.e. pay up or no healing).

Money Changing: This is not technically a tax, since it isn’t levied by the government. None-the-less, changing from one metal to another or from metal to gem will usually carry with it a 10% surcharge.

Civic Organizations

Colleges
A college is an association of priests under the leadership of a high priest or pontiff. The college, with the monarch’s blessing, appoints the heads of the city-state’s temples and enforces ecclesiastic law. These concepts may seem more appropriate to a monotheistic faith based on the medieval Christian church than to a fantasy polytheistic system, but they are based on the system used in pagan Rome that was later adopted by the early Christian church.

The Roman college of priests had several responsibilities, including regulation of the divine spell casting, consecration of temples and sacred places, regulation of the calendar, administration of the law relating to burials and adoptions, superintendence of marriages and maintenance of historic archives and keeping a list of judges and recording the minutes of their courts.

Rome had a greater college of 13 priests of local gods and a lesser college of 15 priests of foreign gods.

Towns have one or two temples, each staffed by a priest and 20 to 30 clergy. Cities have from 8 to 12 temples representing the chief deities of the local pantheon. A metropolis has 30 to 40 temples dedicated to major and minor members of the local pantheon and popular deities of foreign pantheons.

The largest temple in a city-state is dedicated to its patron deity. The city’s high priest (a cleric or druid of level 5 to 8 or a sage with the same spell casting ability) is a devotee of the city’s patron deity and a former adventurer elevated to his position by the city-state’s college of priests. Lawful and neutral temples sell holy water, but not potions.

Most city-states also have one or more cults dedicated to demon princes, arch-devils or elder gods. A cult consists of a level 3 to 12 cleric, 1d4 level 1 clerics and several lay members (peasants, artisans, nobles, etc).

Companies
Merchants are organized into chartered companies. They get the right to trade in return for their monarch getting a percentage of their earnings. Merchant companies have many investors that never leave the city-state, as well as merchant-adventurers who venture out on ship or caravan to actually trade (see traders above). Merchant companies consist of 2d6 merchant adventurers of level 3 to 12.

Merchant companies provide their members with a strong box for the storage of valuables for free and to non-members for a fee. They maintain alms-houses, fund vocational schools and support churches dedicated to their patron deity. They are usually granted monopolies by the crown; this may be a monopoly on a particular trade or a particular geographic area. Many colonial companies mint their own coinage. They are usually required to fly their city-state’s flag, use only ships built in their city-state and pay a percentage on each shipment to the crown. Company rules might dictate that members may not belong to other companies, members must pay a fee to join (upwards of 10 gp) and members will not break the rules under which the company is chartered.

Notable merchant companies include the Merchants of the Staple, Mystery and Company of Merchant Adventurers for the Discovery of Regions, Dominions, Islands and Places Unknown, Society of Merchant Venturers, Fellowship of English Merchants for the Discovery of New Trades and the Honorable East India Company.

Guilds
City-states organize their artisans into chartered guilds (also called mysteries or livery companies). Guilds are led by an elected guildmaster and a council of masters. Every profession has its own guild and guild house with an attached chapel dedicated to a deity associated with the guild’s profession. Guildhouses provide a strong box for the storage of valuables to guild members for free and to non-members for a fee.

The chief spokesman of the guilds is the lord mayor of the city-state. The leading delegates of the guilds are the city-state’s aldermen. The other guild members are burghers.

Guilds are ordered in prestige according to the time of their founding and occupy rotating seats on a guild council in this order. A town has a single guild house for all of its guilds, while cities have a single guild house for the smaller guilds and separate houses for the larger guilds. Guildsmen swear oaths to the guild and to the crown. Each guild has the right to display a coat-of-arms.

Mercenary Bands
Mercenary bands often camp outside a city-state’s walls while their captains look for employment. Assume a 1 in 6 chance during spring and summer and a 4 in 6 chance during autumn and winter. Mercenaries are willing to work for adventurers, but they will not enter a dungeon, lair or ruin until it has been cleared of monsters.

A mercenary company is commanded by a captain (1 in 6 chance of being a level 5 to 8 fighting-man). The captain is assisted by a sergeant. The company consists of 1d4+1 units, each consisting of 12 men-at-arms under the command of a sergeant. The type of warrior in each unit can be rolled randomly.

1. Archers: Leather armor and shield, bow, sword
2. Archers, Elf: Leather armor, longbow, longsword
3. Archers, Mounted: Leather armor, bow, sword
4. Crossbowmen: Studded leather, crossbow, sword
5. Crossbowmen, Mounted: Studded leather, crossbow
6. Heavy Infantry: Chainmail and shield, halberd, sword
7. Heavy Infantry, Dwarf: Platemail, shield, warhammer
8. Light Infantry: Studded leather, shield, spear, dagger
9. Heavy Cavalry: Platemail and shield, heavy lance, axe
10. Light Cavalry: Chainmail and shield, light lance, mace
11. Slinger: Padded armor, sling, club
12. Slinger, Halfling: Leather armor, sling, short sword

Mounted archers and crossbowmen ride normal horses and do not fight on horseback. Cavalry ride warhorses.

Historic mercenary band include the Dove Company, Ventura Companies, Company of St. George, Star’s Company, the White Company of John Hawkwood, the Little Hat Company and the Company of the Rose.

Thieves’ Dens
A thieves’ den is led by a thief of level 9 to 12. This makes the master of the den one of the most powerful adventurers in the city-state, which goes a long way to explaining the corrupt nature of most cities. Assassins, bards and illusionists can be in spy rings of similar organization.

The den consists of 2d6 level 1 thieves, 1d6 level 2 thieves, 1d3 level 3 thieves and 1d2 level 4 thieves. The den has a lieutenant of half its leader’s level. Towns have a single den of thieves. Cities may have several competing gangs.

Universities
A university is a guild for sages. Universities need not occupy a physical space. Classes might be taught wherever there is room. Some universities rent space (like the modern University of Phoenix ) and eventually some are granted buildings by generous aristocrats. Universities are found only in big cities.

Universities come in three types, depending on who pays tuition. In the first model the teachers are paid by the students, thus putting the students in control. These universities generally specialize in the study of law.

In the second model, the teachers are paid by the local temple. Naturally, theology is the main course of study in such universities and teachers have complete control over their students. Students in theological universities are afforded legal protection by the clergy, in effect being considered junior clergy and thus immune to secular laws.

In the third model, the teachers are paid by the state and given the protection of the crown.

Students enter university at age fifteen. They live in rented rooms or houses provided by benefactors. These houses are organized on the basis of one’s nationality. It takes six years for students to complete their studies in the faculty of arts (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music theory, grammar, logic and rhetoric).

Once a Bachelor of Arts has been obtained, students choose one of four faculties (law, medicine, theology, or science, i.e. lawyer, healer, priest or alchemist) in which to pursue their master’s degree and doctorate degree. Each degree takes six years to complete.

Classes are taught around single books, not subjects. Classes are not elective – all students must complete the same classes. Classes begin at 5:00 AM. Students will make up approximately 1 percent of a city-state’s population. There is one sage for every ten students.

Inns & Taverns
The average town has one inn and six taverns. Cities have 5 inns and 25 taverns. A metropolis has 25 inns and as many as 125 taverns. For the Referee’s purposes only a few of these places need be described.

Rate these places as being poor (1 gp per night), middling (5 gp per night) or good (10 gp per night). The quality of meals and number of services will depend on the quality of the inn. Most guests sleep in the common room downstairs. Individual rooms can be purchased at triple the normal price. These rooms rarely have locks on their doors and the cleanliness is always questionable.

When designing taverns, do not limit yourself to the tried and true alehouse. A tavern might also be an upper class club, a coffee house frequented by wealthy merchants, a tea house or even an opium den.