Heros Paths.

The Heros Paths

Campaign Concept

Runequest III [houseruled with dollops of MRQII, mainly for the effects based combat and encumbrance] with a twist. The setting will be an homage to classic D&D, specifically centred around the 1st edition AD&D era. Elves, dwarves, gauntlets of ogre power, dragons by color, etc.

Characters

• x the unknown played by Julius Sleazer
• y the also unknown played by Stormraven
• z the really unknown played by someone unknown.
• a the reasonably guessed at played by who knows?

• a character sheet

Character creation

Characters will be produced as per normal RQIII at around 21 years of age. However, layered over the top will be a Heropath or calling [essentially a character class or multiclass] that is part of the essential fantasy ‘magic’ of the setting. While there will not be levels per se, each path can be improved through heroic adventuring, fulfilling quests and objectives, etc. This will be modelled through ‘Hero points’ [similar to MRQ II], which, instead of granting heroic abilities, allow improvements in your Heropath.

In terms of character creation it means that your background [civilized farmer, for instance] may have very little to do with the Heropath you are called to. You may find said farmer is called to the ways of the Cleric, even though he has had minimal dealings with any organised religion. This allows for the humble farmboy called to glory characters as well as the optimised barbarian warrior called to the Fighters or Rangers path.

Any class benefits will be added to the character in addition to any RQ type skills or magics. The idea is that any benefit above that of a 0 level human [in D&D terms] will be translated into a bonus of some sort, with as much direct correlation as possible.

• If you're a human, roll 4d6, keep best three, in order of RQIII stats. Remember, Siz and Int are 2d6+6,so roll 3dice and keep the highest two [or any mix you want for SIZ] for those stats.

• You map swap one attribute. This would be restricted to swapping a 3d6 stat for another, or a 2d6+6 stat for another.

• If you're going non human, let me know the race and I'll give you attribute dice to roll on. Allowable races are elf [high, wood and grey] dwarf [mountain or hill], gnome, halfling, half-elf and half-orc.

• When choosing a class, the 1st AD&D multiclassing option is available for humans too [ treat as half-elf for choices]

May I recommend the free OSRIC download as a reference if you dont have 1st Ed PHB.

• When you get to RQIII backgrounds choose either culture [nomad, barbarian, etc] or profession [farmer, soldier, etc] roll the other one randomly.

• Ruling. People with magical parent occupations get the magic of their folks [sorcery will be as per MRQII], everyone else gets a roll on the special abilites table I have from the long lost game Thieves Guild. Roll d1000 and post with your character if you go that way.

Local tongues

Gaultish: Default home tongue for the map.

Goltish: a dialect. Used by the nearby barbarian nomads. You have it at 50% of your Gaultish.

Gotz: The old tongue. The settings 'latin', of the educated classes.

Elvish: [high and low] Low elvish is the tongue of poetry and romance, many loan words to gaultish.

Dwarvish: [high and low] Low dwarvish is the language of engineering, craft and measures.

The dark tongue: Orcs and ogres, trolls and others share this tongue. Each type is a dialect, spoken at 50% for other tribes/types.

The black tongue. The tongue of Evil.

Giantish: Different dialects for each subtype are spoken at 50% of normal.

Goblin: Shared by goblinkind. Also known as underspeech.

Tradetongue: A creole of gaultish, goblin, elvish and dwarven. commonly used as a second language in most civilized places.

The high tongue. The language of Good.

Gnomes speak a dialect of Dwarvish. Halflings have no 'owned' language.

HeroPaths

• The Fighter
  • The Paladin
  • The Ranger
• The Cleric
  • The Druid
• The Magic User
  • The Illusionist
• The Thief
  • The Assassin
• The Monk

Setting

The setting [at the moment] is the ruins of a vast megapolis that stretches from coast to mountains, inhabited by the various rude successors to a once vast magical empire. Entire communities the size of a medieval city can be found and there will be at least two or three small ‘kingdoms’ within the bounds of the ancient ruins. To give a rough size, imagine the north east of the USA and the growing urbanisation that stretches around the cities based there – then flatten the lot.

Here is a map of your local part of the great ruins

[1]

Background

Three towers is a bustling little port town/city on the Southern shore of the old Polis, a home to some 5000 souls. It is an old town as things stand...the walls are over 500 years old and the city has been governed by the Three towers for most of that time. The towers are three orders of Mages - White, Grey and Black - who together form the governing body of the town. They have a commons council that handles the actual running of the city [elected by popular vote every five years], but deal with the overall policy and diplomatic ties of the city. The orders, despite their colors, are not directly aligned to any of the great forces - the white order deals with protection and nurture, the grey order progress and understanding, and the black order with the otherworldly. There is some correlation between Good, Balance and Evil and the orders, in that many who profess to these aligning and are touched by the Magic- users path are drawn to their respective colors, but all are loyal to the orders and what evil is allowed is strictly controlled - necromancers may be dire, but they are a necessary defence against the remnants of the shattered past. These matters rest far above the heads of the common folk, however, who see only that the three orders work together to the common good of the city and keep it free of the depredations that could befall it without them. The chief temple of the city is the Veil of six cloaks, though there are also temples to the Founding Mother and the Three sons, local ancestors who have grown to be worshipped across many of the settlements in the old ruins. The old Mann of the Sea is also well represented, and there is an avenue of prayers where prophets and followers of half-a-hundred gods and spirits compete for followers.

Every citizen of Three towers must serve military duty to remain so, and every clan or family must provide a full-time Guard, by blood or payment. The Guard are responsible for the outer defences of the city and fields, while the citizens watch provides internal policing.

Foreigners from across the oceans may be found visiting here for the lucrative if irregular trade in ancient relics and treasures, stone and minerals, exotic furs, pelts and animals as well as locally caught fish and fish oils. Finely made local crafts [often using exotic techniques] and the trade of Cliff hill are a secondary but growing market.

Cliff hill is a Dwarf dominated community - much of the actual settlement is underground. A community of 3000 hardy souls lives here, with a peoples government and no royal line. Though lacking the magical power of Three towers, the cunning traps and fortifications of the mixed community, as well as a strong warrior ethos, keep the worst the ruins have to offer at bay. The temple to the founding mother is larger here than in Three towers, and the sons are represented by three fighting orders. The town has alliances with many of the 'good folk' - those faeries and such who live mostly underground, such as Knockers and Piskies. It produces extremely expensive and high quality weaponry and armour for trade, as well as ores and metal goods.

The two enclaves are close allies but engage in constant friendly rivalry, including touneys and sporting/athletic events. every time in the last 300 years that one city has been attacked or warred upon, the other has come to its aid. Despite this, there has never ben any desire for the two to join as one.