Opening Scene for Something Wicked This Way Comes

Every campaign starts at a particular time. Mine usually start after blood has been drawn.

I've always written out the first scene of a campaign. I start campaigns in media res, which is a fancy phrase that means "in the middle of things". To start in the middle requires a beginning. That beginning requires some exposition. Said exposition may require the PCs to sit quietly while the opening scene of the campaign is played out. Asking a player to have his character sit quietly while all sorts of shenanigans are going on is an impossibility. Writing out the opening scene tends to save me from players wanting to act or say something after the first sentence is read.

When the exposition of the opening scene is done, the characters become player characters. At that moment, the PCs can start interacting with the game world.

Plus, no one wants to listen to a GM as he mumbles through an entire page of exposition. It's easier to read.

Here is what I have for the opening scene for Deadlands: Reloaded: Something Wicked This Way Comes.

"It’s Monday, June 30, 1879. You’re on a train heading for the town of Dark Horse, Kansas for whatever reason. It’s midafternoon, and you’ll reach town before sundown. Most trains don’t run at night anymore. There are too many bandits and . . . other things out there.

There are several travelers in the one passenger car with you. The only one of note is a slovenly and drunk priest.

The train slows to take a curve, and you see a group of masked riders appear from a thicket of trees. They ride hard for the train. You’re expecting a classic train robbery, so you start making your usual preparations. However, one of the riders, a well dressed individual and obviously the leader, throws a small wooden box through an open window. The box hits with a thud, whatever is in it must be heavy.

The rider shouts, “Father O’Henry, prepare to meet to your Maker!”

Then gunfire erupts as the riders start peppering the passenger car with bullets. This is obviously not a simple robbery.

Suddenly, there is a whooshing sound from the small wooden box. Smoke boils out of the box and your nostrils are assaulted by the stench of sulfur. Out of the smoke steps a creature of nightmare and lunacy. It’s dressed like a cowboy, all in black: black cowboy hat, black cowboy boots, and a long, black duster. It grips a wicked pair of black shooting irons in its hands. Whatever is wearing those accoutrements, though, is no cowboy, or even human. At least eight feet tall, it stoops to avoid hitting the ceiling; it has green skin, oversize nose and ears, and a forked tongue that hangs out of its mouth.

The creature aims its two guns at the slovenly and drunk priest. Blasts of hellfire leap from both barrels and hit the holy man in the chest. He goes down in a heap.

[Time for Fear Checks and let’s Deal Initiative!]"


Tim

The Elevator Pitch

Elevator pitches are short, no more than a paragraph, yet comprehensive statements that summarizes your campaign. It's meant to quickly convey what the campaign is all about: the expectations, types of characters, etc. It's also meant to be a hook to actually make people want to play in your campaign.

Here is the elevator pitch that I used for my Day After Ragnarok campaign:

• "Two-fisted heroes in a fantastical, post-apocalyptic world, circa 1948; or Conan with a girl in one arm and a submachine gun in the other, facing off against an insane Serpent worshipping sorcerer in a Tiger tank."

Here is the elevator pitch for my new Deadlands: Reloaded: Something Wicked This Way Comes campaign:

• In the Weird West, Something Wicked This Way Comes. The posse must find a way to stop this evil and their only clues are the ravings of a madman. The heroes' search for answers will carry them across the width and breadth of the Weird West. The Posse must gather up their horses and six shooters; they must prepare their hexes, gizmos, and miracles; as they will fight dark cults and savage Indian tribes that are preparing the land for the arrival of Something Wicked.

It's probably a little long. However, it conveys that the posse doesn't really know what they're facing, at least initially. It provides a hint for the first session in the "ravings of a mad man." It also shows the promise of an epic, wide-ranging campaign against a variety of enemies.

My hope is that the campaign lives up to the promise of the elevator pitch. I'm looking forward to Friday night and the first session of Something Wicked This Way Comes.


Tim

The Heroic Hindrance

One of the house rules I've made for the Deadlands: Reloaded: Something Wicked This Way Comes campaign is that every Posse member must take the Heroic Hindrance in addition to the usual 1 Major and 2 Minor that a character is allowed. In return, the PC gets a 0 XP, Novice Rank Advance.

I have at least three reasons for this:

1) Deadlands is predicated on the idea that the Posse will fight the Reckoners, often for no other reason than because there is evil out there that must be defeated. Giving everyone the Heroic Hindrance means that the Posse will get rewarded with Fate Chips if they do the right thing, regardless of consequences.

2) Making all of the Posse members heroic also helps explain why a diverse group of people get together and stay together. The formation of a Posse, just as with the formation of any kind of party in any game, is often artificial. What do a vaquero from Texas, a huckster from St. Louis, and a gunslinger from the Maze have in common? If they all have the Heroic Hindrance, they share at least one common trait.

3) Finally, I've mentioned before that my group tends to be of the "kill them all, the GM will know his own" mentality. Forcing the Heroic Hindrance on them gives me some leverage when the Posse starts making plans to dynamite an entire town to take down the one Harrowed NPC that they don't like. I also can't help but think that eventually the Posse will actually join the Reckoners. I suppose that there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not the kind of campaign that I'm looking for.

As a separate point, D&D has alignments. The general expectation is that a typical party will be fighting evil and that most characters will be Good. The Heroic Hindrance functions in much the same way as the Good alignment. Likewise, Bloodthirsty  functions much like the Evil alignment. Hindrances, however, are not absolute. There not even incompatible. One could have both the Heroic and Bloodthirsty Hindrances. In Deadlands, a cowpoke might have the Heroic Hindrance, but only have it apply to white folk. The Bloodthirsty Hindrance would apply to Indians. Or vice versa.

I plan to use the Heroic Hindrance to drive the Posse and the campaign forward. We'll see how it goes.


Tim

Deadlands: Reloaded: Something Wicked This Way Comes

The name of our Deadlands: Reloaded campaign is Something Wicked This Way Comes. Anytime I start creating a new campaign, I look for a name that nicely captures one or more of the themes of a campaign. Some names come easily. For the Legends of Steel Campaign, "Shadows of Yar" foretold of plots and skullduggery by an evil, sorcerous, demon infested land. Some names do not come easily. For Mars, I wanted a wide-open, sandbox campaign. I eventually went with "Under the Moons of Mars" because I couldn't come up with anything original.

For Deadlands, the name of the campaign actually came before any campaign themes or adventure ideas. I was brainstorming and writing things down; surfing and googling the net, looking for inspiration for the campaign and first adventure. I stumbled upon the phrase, "Something Wicked This Way Comes." The phrase clicked with what I wanted: a plot point campaign against a Big Bad Evil Guy (or Big Bad Evil Something, in this case). The setup seemed easy enough: a cult or other evil organization is tying to summon something evil. The Posse finds out about the plot and does their best to stop Something Wicked from coming this way.

I wanted to lay out a number of premade scenes that the Posse would run through whenever it seemed appropriate. In between the plot points, the Posse could explore the Weird West or work on character goals.

I'm still working on the actual writing of the scenes for the plot points, but I have an outline of what the Posse will need to work through.

I have the first adventure laid out.

- It takes place in the southwest corner of Kansas. Bloody Kansas is a free state, claimed by the US and the CS; it borders Indian country, the Coyote Confederation; and it lies between two railways, Black River and Dixie Rails. Any kind of character would have reason for being in the area.

- All of the characters will be on a train headed for Dark Horse, Kansas. Any character with the Old Ways Oath (Major) is screwed. I'll have to figure something out if this happens. The characters may or may not know each other. I'll leave that up to the players.

- The very first scene will be a fight on the train. Assuming that we avoid a TPK, the post-fight cleanup will reveal evidence that Something Wicked is coming this way and certain elements of humanity are making preparations to welcome it. It's up to the Posse to stop it.


Tim

When the Stars Are Wrong

I GMd a a fun episode of Cthulhu/Northern Crown last Friday night. Only two players showed up. One created a crazy witch hunter and one played a scout/wilderness warrior. I started the characters at 20 XP, but the players had to draw cards on the Veteran o' the Weird West table from Deadlands: Reloaded. The crazy witch hunter ended up lame while the scout ended up forsaken.

I ran a modified version of Drake Manor from the Realms of Cthulhu book. The characters started in Innsmouth, Massachusetts. They dispatched a group of cultists and their fishman allies. Then they travelled to Arkham to seek out the dread book, the Necronomicon. The PCs ultimately ended up burning down Drake Manor. The scout died at the very end of the session, collateral damage from a blast of blunderbuss fire from the witch hunter. Good times.

Horror definitely works with Savage Worlds. However, I don't think Cthulhu/horror is going to work long-term for our group. We've always played Savage Worlds as gonzo and over the top. I've always generously awarded Bennies to the players. For the Cthulhu/Northern Crown/horror session, though, I deliberately restricted the number of Bennies awarded to give a different vibe to the game. It was fun, but not as fun as most of our other sessions.

Most of my players belong to the school of "kick in the door and kill anything that moves, and some things that don't. The GM will know his own." I tend to encourage that style when I GM to be truthful. I also tend towards action the on the seldom occasion that I play. I'd like to return to Northern Crown someday, but it would be more of a Solomon Kane type setting.

 

Moving onwards, I'm starting a Deadlands campaign. Several years ago, my intro to Savage Worlds was via Deadlands. I ran eight or so sessions, including a couple of one sheets and Coffin Rock. Then that particular group broke up. I was lucky enough to find my current group soon after.

Tim

 

When the Stars Are Right . . .

My group is finishing up a Mars (the one from Adamant) campaign. It's time to start a new campaign and the players expressed a preference for horror. So I dove into my many books and PDFs of Savage Worlds goodness and came up with the beginnings of a campaign.

After much debate, I've decided to go with colonial North America. There are number of campaigns out there that would support a colonial era campaign without any trouble. There is a d20 campaign setting called Northern Crown which offers an alternate and fantastical history for colonial America. There is Solomon Kane, which fits into the time period. There is Pirates of the Spanish Main. There is Totems of the Dead for the Native American tribes (called the First Ones in Northern Crown). Take all of these great setting, add horror (the Guts skill and the Sanity stat), and blend with the antics of my players until desired consistency is achieved. That is a recipe for awesomeness.

I'm thinking that the PCs will be European settlers or explorers. The campaign will include not only wilderness adventure, but city ones as well. First Ones might not integrate well into urban adventures or a dinner party at the Governor's Mansion.

I'll be using the maps for Northern Crown and most of its alternate history. The maps were once available for free from Atlas Games website, but I don't see them there anymore.

- The year is 1699, but the history is not our own.

- North America is called Northern Crown.

- The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1691, but in this world, the Puritans were right. They uncovered a real coven of witches. These witches (called Witchlings in Northern Crown) fought back, ousted their overlords, and established their own state in Salem, which has been renamed Naumkeag.

- The Glorious Revolution took place in 1688, but was led by Gloria, the half-fey daughter of Queen Elizabeth.

- James II fled not to France but to Northern Crown. He established the Kingdom of Carolingia in what in our world would be the Carolinas and Georgia.

- Massachusetts declared independence from both Queen Gloria (for being fey) and King James II (for being Catholic, or Holy Roman in Northern Crown).

- There is a Kingdom of Vinland to the north, established by Vikings centuries ago.

Mechanically, here are some thoughts:

- From the Realms of Cthulhu book: "Fate is Unkind. Any time a player rolls snake eyes, they may spend no further bennies on the roll in question. This rule reflects the fact that the cosmos does not always favor the fortune of the investigator. We’re certain Lovecraft would approve.

- Arcane Background: Magic exists. We'll use the slow/ritual casting that we used in Shadows of Yar.

- AB: Weird Science exists and is a new phenomenon. It's called Natural Philosophy in Northern Crown.

- No AB: Miracles or Psionics.

- We'll go with the Heroic Horror option from Realms of Cthulhu. This means that combat and physical damage will play out normally. Mental Anguish can also be Soaked.

- Bennies will be awarded sparingly, as in one or two at most per session.

- PCs will start at 20 XP, but must draw from the "Veteran o' the Weird West" table in the Marshal's Handbook for Deadlands. No Harrowed results if you draw a red joker, though. I'll come up with something else.

I'm thinking that the campaign will start in the fishing village of Innsmouth in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The heroes are tasked with taking a dozen magical staffs or muskets to the First Ones city of Onandaga, which is part of the Five Nations Confederacy. The Confederacy is currently allied with the Commonwealth against the dastardly French, who are based in Canada. Naturally, before their mission even begins, the heroes are attacked by people or monsters related in some way to the dastardly French and to the Cult of Cthulhu. The campaign will spiral out of control from there.

Tim

Under the Moons of Mars: Sample Adventure

I rolled up an adventure using the adventure generator that I posted earlier. I doubt that I'll be able to run this for my group, but I may flesh it out to run as a one-shot at a convention.

1-3	Villian   Adjective   Race	Noble   Rich   Red Martian	Nastor Lar - a rich Baltan noble
4	Villian's Goal	Discover	Wants to discover the secret of the Black Sphere, which lies half submerged in water in a cavern deep underground. The water is part of the Last Ocean. The cavern is located underneath the city of Rev Del.   There is a wall full of ancient Martian symbols in the cavern. Nastor hopes that the writing tells how to open the Black Sphere.   Nastor has kidnapped Jad Sorolian, a beautiful red Martian female archaeologist, who is an expert on ancient Martian symbols. The Baltan noble hopes that Jad can decipher the symbols  on the wall.   Jad's work site has been unexpectedly attacked by an invisible enemy.
5	Heroes' Hook	Rumor	The party hears rumors that their friend Jad Sorolian,  has been kidnapped by Nastor Lar, a Baltan noble with a reputation for cruelty. It is also rumored that Nastor Lar has found a Black Sphere, one of the legendary ships of the Yellow Martians.
6	Heroes' Goal	Destroy/Hunt	Hunt for the archaeologist Jad Sorolian, a friend, or destroy the Baltan noble, Nastor Lar.
7-8	Locales and Modifiers	Villain's Lair - NPC hostile	The Green Tower on Mount Jeddum, leads to the Dark Below and the Last Ocean  - Zand Hamek, a red Martian merchant, delusional
7-8	Locales and Modifiers	Exotic Land - Mystery	The Dark Below/The Last Ocean - A mysterious black sphere.
7-8	Locales and Modifiers	Small City - Trap/Ambush	Red Martian city of Rel Dev, mansion belonging to Nastor Lar - Floria will try to ambush the party.
9	Villainous Lt.	Spy/Seducer	A beautiful red Martian woman, Floria Tah
10	Guest Star	Mystic	Borrell, a yellow Martian male. (Yellow Martians are the Atlanteans of Mars: aquatic).
11	Guest Star Goal	Destroy/Hunt or Conquer	Destroy any intruders who seek knowledge of the Black Sphere.
12	Victim	Damsel or Dude in Distress	Jad Sorolian, a beautiful red Martian female. Archaeologist, expert on ancient Martian symbols. Captured by Nastor Lar.
13	Obstacles	Secrecy	Party must maintain secrecy. A war has started between the Baltan Confederacy and the green horde of Kovash Korak. Rev Del lies in Baltan territory. Anyone in the area is subject to conscription (by the Baltans) or eaten (by the green men).
14	Twists and Turns	Shock Revelation	Borrell serves an aboleth/fish god

Under the Moons of Mars: Adventure Generator

Here is an adventure generator for Mars that I put together.

1. VILLAIN
 
The villain is the main nemesis of the heroes. He is the spider at the center of the web and usually only encountered at the climax of the adventure. The villain should be a fully developed Wild Card, at least equal in power to individual heroes, if not the whole party.
 
d10 Result
1 Merchant
2 Priest
3 Noble
4 Scientist
5 Outlaw/Outcast
6 Psionicist
7 Mystic
8 Expert
9 Warrior
10 Roll twice. The first result is what the villain presents himself as. The second is what the villain actually is.
 
 
2. VILLAIN ADJECTIVE
 
d8 result
1 Bestial/Warped/Deformed
2 Bloodthirsty
3 Crafty
4 Delusional
5 Violent
6 Zealous
7 Rich
8 Filthy Rich
 
 
3. RACE
 
2d6 Result
2 Grey Martian
3-5 Green Martian
6-8 Red Martian
9-11 White Ape
12 Synthe or Robot
 
 
4. VILLAIN'S GOAL
 
The villain’s goal represents his primary motivation. His Hindrances should be chosen based on his nature (as determined on the previous tables) and his goal. A villain may have more than one goal, but there should always be a primary goal, which the other goals assist. Think of the others as sub-plots.
 
d10 Result
1 Conquer
2 Corrupt
3 Destroy
4 Discovery
5 Greed
6 Kidnap/Steal
7 Power
8 Revenge
9 Satisfy Honor
10. Subvert/Recruit
 
Conquer: The villain wants to conquer an area: a city, an oasis, or an entire kingdom.
 
Corrupt: This villain usually wants to replace one thing for another thing. He tends to work through subversion rather than brute force. For example, a cultist who wants to overthrow a Red Martian kingdom and reestablish worship of the old gods.
 
Destroy: The villain seeks to bring someone or something to a permanent end.
 
Discovery: The villain seeks to discover something of value. This may be a lost technology, a weapon, a Lost City, or even forbidden knowledge.
 
Greed: There’s more to greed than money. Seeking political favors, rare minerals, or knowledge can just as easily lead to villainous activities.
 
Kidnap/Steal: Kidnapping involves an abduction -- taking someone as a hostage or to interrogate them. Stealing usually involves an object rather than a person. The object the villain desires is usually a means to another goal. Roll again on the Goal table, ignoring any further kidnap/steal results.
 
Power: Gaining a political position or acquiring sensitive information can bring a villain power as easily as conquering a kingdom or discovering an ancient artifact.
 
Revenge: The villain seeks to avenge a perceived wrongdoing either against them personally or against their cause or beliefs. Revenge takes many forms, from simple humiliation to murder. It usually involves methods similar to one of the other goals, but is aimed at a specific target for a personal reason.
 
Satisfy Honor: The villain feels that he has been dishonored in some fashion. The goal usually calls for the death of whomever offended the villain.
 
Subvert/Recruit:  The villain hopes to undermine someone's allegiance or draw them to the villain's side.
 
 
5. HOOK
 
The Hook determines how the heroes get involved in the adventure.
 
d6 Result
1 Caught up in Events
2 Mistaken Identity
3 Motivation
4 Old Friend/Enemy
5 Patron
6 Rumor
 
Caught up in Events: Through no fault of their own, the heroes find themselves thrust into the action. Starting this way may leave the heroes confused as to what is happening, thus encouraging them to investigate.
 
Mistaken Identity: The heroes are mistaken for someone else (including the possibility of being accused of some crime they did not commit), or mistake someone else.
 
Motivation: Heroes have Hindrances and sometimes those Hindrances drag them into adventures. A villain might be a Foe of a PC.
 
Old Friend/Enemy: An old acquaintance seeks out the heroes, for good or ill.
 
Patron: Someone approaches the heroes with a job offer. The patron could even be the villain!
 
Rumor: Rumors circulate quickly on Mars. A rumor can come in the form of an overheard conversation or a piece of evidence.
 
 
6. HEROES' GOAL
 
What the heroes are trying to accomplish.
 
d12 Result
1. Assist/Gratitude
2. Destroy/Hunt
3. Discover/Solve Mystery
4. Escape/Rescue
5. Explore
6. Liberate
7. Money/Reward
8. Prevent/Protect
9. Retrieve/Steal/Acquire
10. Revenge/Thwart Villian
11. Survive
12. Win Battle/Contest
 
 
7. LOCALES
 
Exciting locales make interesting battlegrounds and scenic backdrops. Roll three to five times per episode.
 
1d12 Result
1  Small city
2 Villain’s Lair
3 Small Ruin (aerodrome, observatory, etc.)
4 Lost City
5 Isolated Building (laboratory, temple, tower, etc.)
6 Large City
7 Settlement or outpost
8 Exotic Land
9 Large Ruin (an abandoned city, a citadel, etc.)
10–11 Wilderness
12 The Dark Below
 
Exotic Land: An exotic land might the jungles of the north pole, the Dead Seas of the southern hemisphere, or a deep canyon full of exotic plant life.
 
Ruin, Small/Large: This is a building, or a complex of buildings, that had a single purpose. While the ruin might be inhabited, the people there no longer pursue the building's original reason for being built.
 
Lost City: Mars is a dying world, and there are countless lost cities.
 
Isolated Building: Like a ruin, but this building is occupied and still used for its original purpose.
 
Settlement: The adventure takes place among the comforts of civilization -- and where there are lots of innocents.
 
The Dark Below: The adventure takes place in the caverns below the surface of Mars.
 
Villain’s Lair: This is the villain’s headquarters. Roll again to see where the base is located.
 
Wilderness: An adventure set in the red deserts or the dry sea bottoms of Mars.
 
 
8. Locale Modifiers
 
Each location has something that the heroes have to interact with to advance their goals.
 
1d12 Result
1 Beast
2 Robot
2 Trap/Ambush
3 Mystery
4 NPC - ally
5-6 NPC - neutral
7-9 NPC - hostile
10 NPC - Spy/Seducer
11 Natural Hazard
12  Farmers / Settlers / Innocents
 
 
9. VILLIANOUS HENCHMEN
 
Villains sometimes operate with henchmen. Roll once per adventure.
 
1d12 Result
1 Corrupted Hero
2 Robot/Synthe-Man
3 Beast
4 Combat Veteran
5 Mystic
6 Psionicist
7-8 Right -Hand Man
9 Mad Scientist
10 Spy/Seducer
11 Thugs/Criminals
12 Soldiers
 
Beast: The villain has one or more beasts at his disposal.
 
Combat Veteran: Combat veterans are masters of warfare andmight be able to take down any individual hero in a fair fight. They may not be capable in other areas, but they are deadly duelists.
 
Corrupted Hero: A former champion, now fallen.
 
Psionicist: The villain’s henchman is gifted with strange powers of the mind.
 
Right Hand Man: The villain’s most trusted lackey is usually a jack-of-all-trades. He can fight, talk, and get his way out of trouble. He is also fanatically loyal to his master.
 
Mad Scientist: The villain has a master of Weird Science at his disposal.
 
Soldiers: The villian has a group of trained soldiers at his disposal. These might be raiders mounted on jalfs or sky pirates on a skyship.
 
Spy/Seducer: The villain’s henchman is a master of deception. Blackmail, bribery, control, seduction, and secrets of all kinds are the tools of this servant.
 
Thugs/Criminals: Low-grade lackeys, a criminal gang, or smugglers.
 
 
10. GUEST STAR
 
1d12 RESULT
1 Criminal
2. Military Officer
3 Expert/Scholar
4 Explorer/Scout
5 Friend/Relative
6 Love Interest
7 Scientist
8 Warrior/Mercenary
9 Merchant
10 Official/Bureaucrat
11 Priest
12 Mystic
 
 
11. GUEST STARS GOAL
 
Roll once on the Heroes' Goals Table and once on the Villain's Goal Table. Pick the best one.
 
 
12. Victim
 
1 Soldier
2 Damsel or Dude in Distress
3 Decent Folk
4 Deserving
5 Hero associate/friend/family
6 Inanimate/Infrastructure
7 Innocents
8 Historian/archaeologist

9 Marginal Types
10 Politician/Bureaucrat
11 Noble
12 Roll twice on the Villain Table. The first result is what the victim presents himself as. The second is what the victim actually is
 
13. OBSTACLES
 
1d12 Result
1 Accused
2 Bandits/Criminals
3 Beast
4 Natural Disaster/Bad Weather
5 Rampaging Robot
6 Mystery
7 Official Opposition
8 Rival
9 Secrecy
10 Social Opposition
11 Trap
12 War
 
 
14. TWISTS AND TURNS
 
A good sword and planet adventure should have a few twists in it. Ideally, there should be one or two twists and turns per episode. To increase the length of an adventure, make extra rolls.
 
1d12 Result
1 Deadline/Ticking Clock
2 Double-Crossed
3 Unexpected Foe
4 Trap/Ambush
5 Rescue Ally
6 False Flag
7 Escalation
8 Beast
9 Natural Hazard
10 Unexpected Ally
11 Shock Revelation
12 Discovery
 
Beast: Some sort of creature makes a sudden appearance in the adventure at any unexpected time.
 
Deadline: The heroes discover that they are in race against time.
 
Discovery: Many secrets lie buried across Mars. Maybe the heroes find a document revealing the villain’s plan or discover an inscription that leads to another adventure.
 
Double-Crossed: At some point, a key figure in the adventure switches sides. This works both for and against the heroes, depending on who it is performing the double-cross.
 
Escalation: The villian escalates the situation. He might hire more thugs or he might decide to destroy the city instead of overthrowing the rightful king.
 
False Flag: Someone is not whom they seem.
 
Natural Hazard: At some point in the adventure, the characters are hampered by the forces of nature. Rockslides, sand storms, marsquakes, electrical storms.
 
Rescue Ally: At some point during the adventure, an ally of the heroes ends up in the villain’s clutches. Kidnapping the ally may be a distraction to cover the villain’s actions elsewhere, or it may advance the villain’s main goal directly.
 
Shock Revelation: Something important is revealed during the adventure. Such Shock Revelations do not have to be bad—though they often are! Perhaps an NPC declares her undying love for a hero or maybe the group discovers a clue that suggests an old and trusted friend is secretly in league with the villain.
 
Trap/Ambush: Traps range from simple pits to complex traps involving moving walls. This could be set by the villain, or merely an ancient device stumbled upon by the heroes. Ambushes are fairly self-explanatory (again, this may be an ambush completely unrelated to the villains plans).
 
Unexpected Ally: Maybe the natives rise up against the villain and join the heroes, or perhaps the old man they met earlier in the adventure turns out to be a retired swordsman who just can’t sit back and watch the villain get away with his foul plot. Either way, someone or something comes to the heroes’ aid at a crucial moment.
 
Unexpected Foe: Maybe the villain turns out in fact to be someone the heroes weren’t expecting (“The old man was the villain all along!”), extra henchmen join a desperate battle at a crucial time, or some innocent looking animal turns out to be a vicious killing machine.
 

Cultural Archtypes for Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Cultural Archetypes

The first step of character creation is to choose a cultural background.

Savage

Savages include warriors from the frozen north and witch-doctors from the snake-infested jungles of the south. Savages tend to have a close connection with nature, but are easily spooked by things outside of their normal expectations.

Savages have the following racial traits:

·         Strong: start with a d6 Strength

·         Feral: start with a d6 in Survival

·         Superstitious: You suffer -2 to Fear checks (as the Doubting Thomas Hindrance)

Example starting areas:

·         Green Death Jungle

·         The Great Forest

·         Erendor Forest

 

Nomadic

Nomads roam the empty wastes beyond the civilized cities; quick to strike and bound by no laws. Nomads live with their animals and usually ride into battle with them; they feel ill at ease without them.

Nomads have the following racial traits:

·         Agile: start with a d6 Agility

·         Horselord: Start with a d6 in Riding

·         Bowlegged: Base land speed is 30 feet per turn (5” or 5 squares)

Example starting area:

·         Sikkar Plains

 

Rural

Rural folk have the following racial traits:

·         Healthy: start with a d6 Vigor

·         Hunter: Start with a d6 in Tracking

·         Luddite: -2 to Repair rolls

Example starting areas:

·         Belsa

·         Taurus

 

Civilized

Civilized peoples cultivate the land, build great cities; develop trade; and study medicine, mathematics, languages, and other areas of knowledge. In the civilized lands dwell noble knights, wise kings, and learned sages — as well as greedy merchants and cunning thieves.

Civilized people have the following racial traits:

·         Smart: start with a d6 in Smarts

·         Professional: start with a d6 in a Knowledge skill

·         Frail: -2 to all Fatigue checks (as the Anemic Hindrance)

Example starting areas:

·         Albena

·         Emesa

Ascendant

Some civilizations rise above others. These nations dominate the area around them or even the entire world. People of ascendant cultures are builders of cyclopean monuments, explorers of distant lands, conquerors of neighboring lands, delvers into esoteric knowledge, or sorcerers of great power.

Ascending cultures have people with the following racial traits:

·         Wise: start with a d6 in Spirit

·         Imposing: start with a d6 in the Intimidate skill

·         Conceited: -2 Charisma outside of your society

Example starting areas:

·         Akkar

·         Yar

 

Decadent

Great civilizations reach their peak and eventually start to decline. Such fallen empires are ruled by jaded nobles, corrupt priests, and self-serving bureaucrats. Drinking, drug abuse, and the need for entertainment are all too common in these cultures. The bureaucracy expands to dominate the government.

Decadent people have the following racial traits:

·         Tempting: +2 to Charisma

·         Insidious: start with a d6 in Persuasion

·         Corrupt: Decadent people cannot resist a good time and have the Quirk Minor Hindrance related to a need to party, drink, have a good time, and be entertained.

Example starting areas:

·         Crascia

·         Pyrani

·         Tyros

 

Degenerate

The last survivors of decadent civilizations start to feud over dwindling resources, or are driven away by stronger cultures. Fleeing into the wilderness, or deep underground beneath their ruins, they start to inbreed and devolve into something no longer entirely human. Degenerates may outwardly resemble savages, but they carry the evil taint of fallen empires.

Or

Inbred cannibal hillbillies are fun!

Degenerates have the following racial traits:

·         Tough: start with a d6 in Vigor

·         Nocturnal: Degenerates ignore penalties for Dim and Dark conditions.

·         Unwholesome: Degenerates always have a physical deformity, usually caused by inbreeding, which sets them apart from other humans. This unwholesomeness can never be fully concealed. Choose one of the following Hindrances:

o   All thumbs (misshapen hand)

o   Anemic (pox ridden)

o   Bad Eyes (Minor) (pus filled tumors over your eyes)

o   Hard of Hearing (pus filled tumors over your ears)

o   Slow (misshapen leg)

o   Obese (hideously bloated)

o   Ugly

o   Stinky (-2 Charisma)

Example starting areas:

·         Jandahar

·         Radu

 

 

Major source (d20):

http://xoth.net/blog/2010/03/cultural-archetypes/

 

More inspiration:

http://www.peginc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30599

 

 

Dio, Magic Swords, and Savage Worlds

I found a great article on heavy metal swords on Jeff's Gameblog:

http://jrients.blogspot.com/2013/08/heavy-metal-swords.html

I'm a fan of Ronnie James Dio, so I've taken some of his songs and Savaged them.

Master of Insanity

- Scimitar

- Cast Confusion, Arcane d10, 20 Power Points

- If you roll a 1 on the Arcane die, you are Shaken.

Country Girl

- Scimitar

- The pommel of this scimitar is plain and unadorned. The blade is highly polished.

- Taunt die is increased one step when the sword is drawn and in your hand.

- 1d10 on a Raise.

- If you roll a 1 on your Fighting die, you are Shaken

Scream

- two-handed sword

- Intimidate die is raised one step

- mass Intimidate check: Place a Medium Burst Template adjacent to your character. Make an Intimidate roll. All creatures within that template, enemies and allies, make an opposed Spirit check against your roll.

- If you roll a 1 on your Fighting die, you are Shaken. In addition, you gain the Hard of Hearing Hindrance (Minor) for 2-5 days.

Time to Burn

- Long Sword

- Cast Quickness, d10 Arcane, 10 Power Points.

- If you roll a 1 on the Arcane die, you are Shaken.

Turn to Stone

- Short Sword

- Any creature Incapacitated by the sword is turned to stone instead.

One Foot in the Grave

- Rapier

- The blade is rusted and pitted, and appears to be of no use. However, the blade is quite sharp, durable, and usable.

- Any creature hit by the rapier with a Raise must make a Vigor roll or suffer a level of Fatigue.

Straight through the Heart

- Long Sword

- The pommel of the sword contains a heart-shaped ruby. "Straight through the Heart" is inscribed in Latin on one side of the blade.

- AP 3

- If you roll a 1 on your Fighting die, you are Shaken.

Rainbow in the Dark

- Long Sword

- The blade is forged of some unknown metal and sparkles with the many colors of the rainbow.

- +2 vs. Fear checks

- Permanent Light spell when the sword is drawn.

- If the lighting conditions are Dim or Pitch Dark, the blade can Cast Prismatic Spray (Stun), d10 Arcane, 20 Power Points. If you roll a 1 on the Arcane die, you are affected by the Stun spell.

- If you roll a 1 on your Fighting die, you are Shaken.

Heaven and Hell

- Two-handed sword. One side of the blade has images of angels and devils cavorting together. The other side is inscribed with the words, "You Have to Bleed for the Dancer"

- Cast Dispel Magic, d10 Arcane, 10 Power Points. If you roll a 1 on the Arcane Die, you are Blinded for 2-5 rounds.

- If an ally adjacent to you takes damage, you automatically take the damage instead.

- You deal an extra d12 damage to anyone who has ever lied to you.


Tim