Road through the Ruins

A play-by-post game of Savage Worlds set in the Hyborian Age.

The Setting

The Premise

The adventure is set in the Hyborian world of Conan, off- stage and probably later than the high heroic action of the Barbarian’s adventures. It would be about 500 posts long, with characters advancing from mid-novice to mid-Seasoned level. Characters would be humble villagers fleeing slavers, in this case Argosean mercs working for a corrupt local judge. Travelling across a forbidding tract of Zamoran wilderness to avoid detection, they would encounter monsters, strange villages and ancient ruins. Their goal would be to seek training at the Guild of Slayers in the City of Thieves [mechanically , this would give them a free advance]. Equipped with stronger skills and weapons, they would return to wreak vengeance on their village’s corrupt tormentors. A journey story with a zero-to-minor-hero trajectory and a vengeance pay-off.

Characters

Your characters would start at mid-Novice level , with two advancements to reflect their promise and inherent heroic potential. Suggested character tropes:

• Sturdy smith’s apprentice
• Son / daughter of a warrior parent
• Peltast shepherd, deadly with a sling-shot
• Animal –whisperer cowherd or village outsider
• Fledgling witch/ wiseman

Play Style and House Rules

Style of play

This is a tough, dark setting which we’d play quite grittily, retaining bennies but with one harsher combat rule (see below) to keep things ‘real’. Character death will be possible and even relatively common, especially at the start. It may be that in the course of the adventure you will switch to playing a new character; either one of the non-wild card extras accompanying the party (elevated to WC status), or a newly minted ally met along the way. There will be one advancement penalty for restarting in this way.

Magic exists, but is rare and for this setting/ level should be discrete and low glamour.

Powers similar to ‘hedge magic’ or psychic abilities like telepathy might work best.

Setting/ house rules

As villagers you start with only 250 Zamoran stars and with the dangerous status of fleeing peasants absent from their assigned village (=Enemy, authorities; major hindrance). As humans you get a free Edge, and the compulsory hindrance will buy you 2 more advancements. Only one major, or two minor extra hindrances can be taken.

Gritty combat: 4 cumulative wounds incapacitate as per present rules, but any single blow inflicting 2 or more wounds (note: two WOUNDS, not just shaken and wound) at once is an insta-kill.

‘Weapon’ proficiencies are needed to use a weapon without a -2 penalty. Each Fighting or Shooting skill die gives you access to two broad classes of weapon, which should be specified by the player. . ‘Simpler’ weapons should usually be selected first, with proficiencies for expensive or exotic weapons added later . So a character with d4 in fighting could specify brawling and clubs. Advancing to d6, they could add spears and swords. A character with a d4 in shooting might be proficient in slings and shortbows. Note that brawling requires its own proficiency. The ability to throw weapons like axes also needs to be listed as a a separate proficiency.

The Tracking skill is absorbed by Survival , but rolled at -2.

Throwing skill is removed and split between Fighting skill, Shooting skill, and Agility attribute as per savagepedia’s House rule 1.1.

Medium shields are counted as giving light cover and large shields medium cover (presumably for both melee and missile purposes)

You can increase your Strength die type by one step when using a weapon in two hands.

Weapons and Armor list

New Edges

Sense Motive. allows you to use either notice or persuade to read another’s intentions at +2.

Low-level magic (requires d8 in relevant skill): select a single non-combat skill like notice, repair, or survival. Treat results that give two or more raises as having some slightly preternatural additional effects (e.g. notice with 2 raises means you ‘feel’ the presence of something that might be hidden from plain sight; Repair with 2 raises allows you to ‘heal’ a broken wheel so the break is no longer visible).

PbP rules

Daily posting , especially if your character is active and important. Extras, if they are to be active, will be run by players. I am not keen on puppeting absent players, so while I appreciate that sometimes people have stuff on (!), I usually ask that this signals that their character is taking a back-seat for some reason (ill, unsettled, or out of sorts).

Map of the Road through the Ruins

Map

Characters

Kar, frail shepherd

Pavron, the Blind Herbalist

Sharitha, tomboy archer

Extras

Zora, scribe's daughter: add knowledge (culture) d6, knowledge (occult) d4

Trax the Sneak, sneak thief: add lockpicking d6, d4 taunt

"Wolf", wild boy. Increase survival to d8, knowledge (animals) d4.

Areth, Zamoran Imperial Eagle

Not accompanying:

Tukumbi, camel trader's boy: to base stats (see below) add streetwise d6, persuade d4.

Enkara, milita champion I. Increase fighting to d8, add intimidate d4.

Sama, milita champion II. Increase fighting to d8, add taunt d4. Fights with hide shield and axe. Parry 6 with shield.

Defunct: Zora, scribe's daughter: add knowledge (culture) d6, knowledge (occult) d4

Base stats for all extras

• STR, AGI, SPI, VIG SMA are d6.
• Climb, fight, notice, repair, shoot, stealth, survival all d6.
• Hindrance: enemy (feudal overlords)
• Base derived stats: Parry 5 (6 with spear), Toughness 5.
• Most villagers carry short spears and a sling. Gear is 100 stars worth of portable travel equipment.

Money

• 633 stars (200 in a necklace)
• now 623 , Pav's spell materials.
• 303 stars at time of visit to the Hand
• 803. Given a 500-star gold talent as a bounty.
• 860. 57 Zamoran Stars added by new character , Egil
• 800. Inn accommodation and revelry for this adventure.

The Honored Dead

Ruarc, half-Cimmerian smith, blasted by a psionic devil ape near the city of Taza

ONE ROLL ENGINE weekly progress

The journey through the ruins requires 8 weeks travel. Unless the roll indicates otherwise, a group Survival roll is needed or travel rations (10 stars p.p) expended.

Each week roll 6d6. 1s = hurdles..... 2s = monsters ..... 3s = wickedness ..... 4s = ruins ..... 5s = folk ..... 6s = bounty

HURDLES (1s)

• Single die. Heat, broken road, little water: requires a VIG roll or fatigued.
• Two dice. Illness, burning heat sans shelter, very limited water: requires a VIG roll at -2 or fatigued. Fumble =death. Alt. is week delay.
• Three or more: total drought, sandstorm, locust swarm.
  

MONSTERS (2s)

• Single die. Snake bite or scorpion sting. Random target rolls notice or sick (roll VIG or fatigued)
• Two dice. Threat. Hyena pack, lion, leopard
• Three dice or more. Major encounter (giant snake, cave bear, etc.) or special monster.
  

WICKEDNESS (3s)

• Single die. Trickery , theft, sharp practice.
• Two dice. Banditry, slavery, murder.
• Three or more. lycanthropy, sorcery, cultism, etc.

RUINS (4s)

• Single die. Ruins. Each group notice gains 30 sps of mundane loot p.p.. Fumbles indicate wound due to fall, collapse, snake or scorpion bite.
• Two dice. Ruins with possible (minor?) monster , trap, treasure.
• Three or more. Major ruins requiring full-on delve.
  

FOLK (5s)

• Single die. Shepherds, herders, bandits. Possible trade or scuffle.
• Two dice. Village with smith, market, specialists.
• Three or more. Village with major human drama; plea, request, imprisonment, etc
  

BOUNTY (6s)

• Single die. Gift, find, superior goods. If in the wild, Minor game (berries, rabbits, fowl, fish). Each survival success and raise nets (30*die) stars of provisions perperson.
• Two dice. major gift or purchase opportunity. Major bounty (boar, antelope, wild oxen), natural garden. Or Natural boon (trainable animal, special hide, provision, magic plant or medicine). Or well goddess provides minor guidance.
• Three or more. Found treasure. Ally. Or well goddess provides major guidance, premonition or audience.

More Background

The small village of Betzem is a speck on the dusty landscape of Seyara Pronvince in Zamora. Zamora was wrecked by the wars in which Osric and his Asgardians came to power. Towered Seyara, small but splendid, became a backwater in those days. In the time of civil war that followed his death, the province has receded still further , no longer clearly distinguishable from the abandoned region of ruins to its immediate south.

During the time of King Osric, life in Betzem was hard enough, but since his death and the subsequent civil war things have taken a turn for the worse. In towered Seyara , the cowardly local governor, fearing his own treacherous allies, squandered gold to purchase Argosean mercenaries, barracking them throughout the province. Near your home of Betzem, in the hub-town of Jorica, a band of powerful but cruel mercenaries has been billeted for a long year. At their hands, your villages and others have suffered plunder and harassment. The unruly fighters do what they will, causing chaos in the town and raiding its surrounding settlements for plunder and sport. Worse , the district magistrate , Zog, tolerates the mercenaries’ lawlessness, relying on them to collect annual taxes and to enforce his own local law. Raising taxes in remote villages to unpayable levels, the judge is carrying out a scheme to enslave debtors and put them to work on his own estate. In a few days the self-styled ‘Pythian Band ’ will arrive in the village of Betzem to collect the judge’s dues. Not the exorbitant taxes that they know the village cannot pay, but rather the penalty for non-payment; the best of the youths and maids to work the judge’s estate.

Your characters will be promising youngsters who secretly flee the village to arm, train and plot revenge on the corrupt local judge. Inspired by a message delivered by a local well goddess, your band will travel across the shunned northern wastes of Zamora by an ancient, little used route, crossing lands abandoned centuries earlier when its great aquifers ran dry. There, the Lady of the Springs vouchsafes, you will encounter ruins, lost villages, hermits and monsters. The cost will be great. She predicts a third of your group (of a dozen youngsters) will die, and a third abandon the journey. But those that remain and survive to receive training from the Guild of Slayers in the distant City of Thieves will gain a chance to challenge the wicked judge and his thuggish protectors.

The (Argosean) Band of Pythos

Their captain, a heavily armoured hoplite expert with sword, shield and spear

A Hercules –like giant, with dual mattocks

A lithe javelin thrower and peltast

A (torc-headbanded) priest of Atlantis , with reputed telekinetic powers

A heartless female champion

A mocking soldier philosopher