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Perck is still the domain of outsiders, ruffians and ex-pirates, even when many of the islands to the north have been tamed by the laws of the Grand Company. But increasingly even Perckians are accepting the inevitable and settling to respectable labour. The wisest long ago set up shops vending grog, weapons and supplies. Some have started lucrative farms, growing giant tubers, grain and island plantain. A few tend flocks of gruffs, native mini-goats that graze the rough saltbush that has sprung up on the newly-exposed shore.

For those of a more stubborn piratical bent, though, new dangerous trades have sprung up. Banditry and hustling is rife. Treasure-delving, entering the towns and villas exposed by the receding seas, is dangerous but profitable. A few indeed still risk their hand at old school piracy, raiding the trade route that runs between the western isles and The Republic (no longer Empire) of Kiera.

You are the Wardens of Perck, selected to do the Big Round, a full year’s service as law keepers of the island. Unusually the job is given either to citizens seeking visibility for good works (perhaps looking for office as an Assemblyman) or to those convicted of misdemeanors. Finishing the Year, taking as much care as reasonably possible on the way to address problems encountered, completes the task.

Some notes about the setting:

1. Action takes place a generation or so after the main adventure described in the 50 fathoms book-the sea hag quest was PARTIALLY completed by a heroic crew of adventurers, but:

  • the sphere was not used in the final conflict, so Elemental magic still exists
  • two of the three hags were killed-a surviving sister still wanders
  • exact events of the battle are unclear as there were few survivors. Some say that some Walking Gods of Torath Ka appeared in the fight

2. The sea is very gradually receding, exposing land that was swallowed by the flood. This exposes dangerous ruins (octopons, zombies and worse still lurk there) and has generated an industry of treasure finding. Salt-resistant plants, such as saltrush and jellyweed, grow on exposed land, creating opportunities for grazing and even cultivation.

3. The three main trading companies have unified to form the Grand Company, which now trades with the Kieran Republic.

4. The Republic overthrew its Emperor and has installed its old senate

5. Perck, where the action takes place, remains an independent entity, but its activities are greatly restricted by the Treaty of Bristol made with the GC-no fixed gun boats are allowed on Perck ships to discourage piracy


Setting Change for Masquani

The Masquani are more obviously classical ancient wold Romano-Greek types in this version of the setting. Masquani are generally statuesque and gymnasium-honed. Their civ is all marble pillars, togas and peplum. Race traits not as in RAW but :

  • Start with VIG and STR at d6
  • Gain Edge Attractive
  • Gain hindrance Naive if Ograpogian, Corrupt if Kieran


New Edges

Parrot : one person in the party may have a parrot, see below, an asset in this setting.

Beachcomber: +2 to notice and survival on rugged shores.

Old salt: +2 to guile and persuade with sailor rtypes, likley connections.

Naive.

Corrupt.

Priest/ess of Lady Fortune: Masquani priests of Ograpog worship an Athena-like Lady Luck figure who visits humans with luck in times of need (human variations might be I Ching practitioners, fortune tellers. etc. or more conventional religious leaders like Anglican, Catholic, Voodoo priests). Your fortune expert needs an Arcane Background (Fortune) skill. Three times during an adventure they can do one each of:

  • Buff: person buffed gets number of SUCCESS AND RAISES on the AB roll as a bonus to their next action.
  • Betoken: at the start of the adventure roll AB (Fortune). Party members get benny refresh equal to 2+ (number of AB roll's RAISES).
  • Bless:a gun, bullet , ship, etc is infused with bennies and becomes a blessed item. Pools bennies= (number of AB roll's RAISES).


Tailor: The Tailors are a secret society using elements of luck magic and ancient Ograpogian magic -tech to confect devices and magically enhanced costumes. More on this if interetsed.




wardens are assigned to a small sloop, White Lady, armed with just two deck cannons to honour the Bristol Treaty (see above). You are either up and coming attention seekers or criminals doing time 9also see above). the adventure will start off monster of the week but an arc will emerge if the adventure appears to have legs.


A compressed skills list to make skills go further('N'are natural skills where all character start with d4)

  • boating
  • fighting
  • guile (street, taunt, gamble)
  • guts/intimidate
  • handiness (lockpick, repair, survival)
  • healing
  • (N) notice
  • (N)persuade
  • (N) shift (climb, swim, throw) also jump, etc.
  • shoot/cannons
  • stealth

Note; all knowledge is handled by background-+2 to Common Knolwedge rolls if the character has a relevant backgoud.


Typical backgrounds to specify knowledge , examples are:

  • marine would have +2 to CR rolls concerning weapons, cannons, etc.
  • sailor: +2 to CR rolls concerning knots, navigation, etc.
  • bandit/highwayman:
  • beachcomber:
  • sea wanderer(if Doreen or Kehana)
  • smuggler
  • physician
  • shopkeeper
  • barkeep
  • farmer
  • gruff herder

etc. obviously there could be many more

  • Parrots are semi-sentient in the setting and can serve as scouts, pets and crew mates. A party generally one has one, to avoid parrot overload. Parrots can perform parroty tricks like: carry message, fetch key, spy, distract enemy. Roll the owner’s Spirit ( as a a measure of the parrot's bond/understanding with their owners) to see if/ how well they succeed.

Common

  • Caribdean Grey , blends in
  • Wakika
  • Emeraldo
  • Brigandy Bay Parakeet

Decorative-add +1 Cha of perchee , +2 if with sailor/pirate types

  • Tricolor, lucky
  • Splendido, v lovely
  • Torath Ka Tucan, funny

Intelligent-add +1 to rolls for listed tricks

  • Voleur Rouge, stealthy
  • Minstrel, entertaining
  • Commodore, v intelligent

Fast-capable of fast movement, +1 to evade shots and attacks and conveying messages quickly

  • Blue Hussar , stamina
  • Firetail, dazzle power
  • Spangled Rocket, jaunt power

Psychic-automatic success for tricks involving communication of purpose , can convey mental impressions , may sometimes intimate feelings about a person or area. Parrots may become dominant over time, or betray owners.

  • Diablo Russo
  • Hierophant
  • Golden Pharaoh






XP 1,600 “Lion of Between”


LE Large magical beast
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft, scent; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +3 natural, –1 size)
hp 32 (5d8+10)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft. fly 50 ft. (clumsy)
Melee bite +7 (1d8+5 plus grab), 2 claws +7 (1d4+5)
BLINK, DIMENSION DOOR
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +7, 1d4+5)
Ranged 4 spikes +6 (1d6+3)
STATISTICS
Str 20, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 9
Base Atk +3; CMB +9 (+13 grapple); CMD 22 (26 vs. trip)
Feats Flyby Attack,Hover, Weapon Focus (spikes)
Skills Fly –3, Perception +9, Survival +4 (+8 tracking); Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Survival when tracking
Languages Common, Astral Universal
With a snap of its tail, a LoB can loose a volley of four spikes as a standard action (make an attack roll for each spike). This attack has a range of 180 feet with no range increment. All targets must be within 30 feet of each other. The creature can launch only 24 spikes in any 24-hour period.


There is a strong need for the NE cities: Farweston, Weetops, Highton, Palace City itself. Palace City has no bounty 'list', all threats are handled by the Champions directly or by the Guilds pro gratis.

-Farweston: manticore, troll, huge gaot (dire CR3), renamed CR5 fen-witch -Weetops: tusk-hunters Guild has its HQ here. Goes against tusk raiders. Anadoned tusk and human villages with many dead. cadaver lord CR5. Danger of tusk riders on boars. Cave ginat CR5, perhaps in alliance with tusks. Highton: winged abductor is 4 armed gargoyle CR5, skaeveling CR5, wood golems CR6.

-invitation to Guild for training; need to confirm intention by visiting the Slayers' Headquarters at Highton. -Penhen needs a book from palace City to open the dungeon portal , knows a Wizard who will lend him the tome if he send s an elf emissary -Limited acess libaray also an opportunity to opportunity to check out the Book of Necrocraft taken from the VCampire's palace

-spies report that the sorceress was Pirate City Spider Agent, assassins and spies for hire. no doubt those with her were her muscle. Likely hired by tusks to ensure no interference with weird summoning-hag story was to keep villagers away. But evidence she was from X, where the Spiders perhaps have a secret base-one of the NE towns.


-first mission: cattle now being driven into the eastern pastures, but a griffon pair have flown in from the north, menacing the herds. -





The Round Theatre in Palace City holds a popular performance each year on chilly Moonless Eve. Malkin watched it in his youth and was embarrassed by its theatricality. Powdered -faced players took the role of heroic vampire hunters descending into a misty crypt, there discovering blood-suckers.

Yet what unfolds in the Castle's crypt (#30) seems at first hardly less real. The party see that the tomb in the centre of the chamber is empty; long since picked clean of its grave-goods. But there is a click as one of Guilders approaches. Then the 15' by 15' square space between the four pillars- with the empty coffin at its centre- drops smoothly downwards.

[ooc] Characters can choose to descend on the platform, or stay on the present level by stepping back onto the 5' strip at the platform's perimeter. http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/HoH_MW/02_HeroesHorror_150_ppi_2dy92.jpg



As the platform descends, it reveals that there is an identical (i.e. also 25' by 25' chamber) just below the present crypt. Its floor is awash with stinking marsh water. Stone benches lie on its perimeter. A group of SIX blue-skinned monsters- perhaps ghouls- leer up from this verge so as to avoid being crushed by the platform. They are half-dressed in piratical gear.

The four pillars on which the platform has descended are notched with hand-holds for the monsters to climb swiftly in and out.


Perceptions general: Dasten 15 Yona 20 Malkin 20 :poor repair, scarcrows have no decent clothes, village: Dasten 18 Yona 25 Malkin 14  : sth about the church keep : Dasten 10 Yona 19 Malkin 13 Knowledge local: Dasten 10 Yona 22 Malkin 7 Diplomacy Yona 10

Dasten

18 21

Knowledge (Local): 1d20+7 10


Yona

Three awesome perception rolls, 1 excellent Knowledge local roll, and a really lame Diplomacy roll

1d20+5: 20 [1d20=15]

1d20+5: 25 [1d20=20]

1d20+5: 19 [1d20=14]

1d20+7: 22 [1d20=15]

1d20+8: 12 [1d20=4]


Malkin

3#1d20+9: 3 # 20 [1d20=11] 14 [1d20=5] 13 [1d20=4]

And a local knowledge roll

1d20+1: 7 [1d20=6]