Inspirational Trees

Found these over at Visual Fun House

The Hamadryad. She is a Dancer, frozen in a pose of ecstasy. Some nights, when the cool mists surround her, her silhouette can be seen against the newly risen full moon as she prances about on the hilltop.

A natural staircase winds around the hollow interior of this elven tree. When investigated during the day, the tree shows no signs of habitation, but as night, a cool bule light glows from the windows, and music wafts through the forest.

An arch formed of a growing tree stands in the midst of a clearing in a forest. On the solstices and equinoxes, it becomes a portal to the faerie realm.

The throne of the King of the Gnomes

Emergent Storytelling

There is a lot of argument in the gaming world about the place for "story" in RPGs. My very first post on this blog concerned plots in RPGs. Lately, I've been thinking about emergent storytelling.

Emergent storytelling, as I see it, is where stories develop over time, with no clear end in sight. Rather than being like a joke that is a setup to a punchline, it is instead a serendipitous rambling, that only in hindsight seems to have some sort of story structure.

I am not a big fan of this type of storytelling. My annoyance with it is not limited to RPGs, but rather tends to be focused on television shows that start out well, only to fall apart after a season or six. I think one of the biggest offenders of this was LOST. One of the biggest mysteries of all was introduced in the pilot... the Smoke Monster. Come to find out, no one on the creative team had any idea what it actually was. The final explanation for it turned out to be less than thrilling.

In television, emergent storytelling happens as a result of real life interfering with the creative process. A pilot is written and filmed, but no one knows if the show will be picked up, or how long it will last. In this day and age, any single episode can wind up being the last, as a show is pre-emptively cancelled. I recently watched The Event on Hulu.. the whole first and only season of it... only to find out that whatever The Event was, we never got to see it.

I am currently in the middle of the 4th season of Battlestar Galactica on Netflix. The episode I just watched was written just prior to the writers strike of 2007/8. The show has been awesome thus far, but I have the feeling that some parts of the story are going to be majorly screwed by the time this is all over. I was reading a bit about the writing of the show, and the notion of the "final five" didn't even occur to the creator until the third season. I ask myself... how rewarding is this payoff going to actually be?

Maybe it is a hopeless dream that a show would be conceived all the way through, start to finish, before the first scene is ever filmed. I realize television series aren't movies. But I do like events in a story to mean something. I am currently hoping there is a reason two planets share the same observable constellations.
But sometimes, in TV and RPGs, the whole is less than the sum of the parts.

Brendan's 20 Questions

Brendan over at Untimately posed these 20 questions that are likely to affect actual play

1) Ability scores generation method?

4d6. Reroll 1's. Discard lowest number (lowest possible score is a 6). I rely on ability scores a lot, and decent scores can be more important than level. They certainly even the playing field at lower levels, making characters much less squishy.

2) How are death and dying handled?

Unconscious or disabled at zero. Dead or dismembered at neg constitution. I use a hit location chart, so a hit to your right forearm that brings you below 0 either breaks your arm (crushing), or severs a muscle or such. The same location hit bringing you below neg con maims the arm (crushes bone, destroys muscle) or severs it. This does not so much "add critical hits" as increases survival. My characters are hard to kill.

3) What about raising the dead?

One of the reasons for making characters so hard to kill is I don't like raise dead. I can justify magically restoring a limb moreso than bringing the dead back to life. There are some magical wells here and there with such power, but for the most part bringing the dead back to life is something that will more closely resemble a horror story. The movie Wakewood had a good take on this, and is probably the closest to anything I've seen about how I envision bringing the dead back, and the results.

4) How are replacement PCs handled?

Start at 1st level or lowest PC level in campaign. Player's choice.

5) Initiative: individual, group, or something else?

Group, each round. Keeps things lively, without being a burden.

6) Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work?

No. There are location hits, which can be critical if they drop you below zero.

However, everyone is capable of a double damage backstab, if they can arrange it. That is, all the conditions must be met... surprise, placement. It isn't easy for non-thieves. Ambush is the most likely opportunity, but missile weapons can achieve it also. In my games, it is very important to take out sentries and such. But it involves planning, rather than rolling a 19 or 20.

7) Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?

Lets say you get penalties for not. Since I use a hit location table, a hit to an unarmored head is quite likely to knock you out. It will almost definitely stun you.

8) Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?

Certainly. -4 to hit. If you miss your target, 10% chance it hits another combatant. Roll randomly for friend and foe.

9) Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?

Balanced encounters? What's that?

10) Level-draining monsters: yes or no?

You'll know if and when it happens. Don't discount it.

11) Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?

Certainly. But most will have to do with how much/little damage you take. But yes... there are death poisons and magic. Most work gradually... allowing a window for rescue. (See hating "raise dead" above)

12) How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?

Very. They affect your armor class. Down to the gold piece.

13) What's required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?

I don't like mid-adventure leveling. I also don't like having to travel back to "civilization" for leveling. A week of rest, with some sparring with your companions, will tend to do.

All magic user spells other than starting spells must be found. Clerics gain access to spells automatically.

14) What do I get experience for?

Monsters per AD&D, more or less (I don't figure them to the hit point). Roleplaying, completing objectives, innovation. Things you think you should get experience for. I'm easily swayed. I don't like giving it for gold. I see gold as a commodity, and don't want to be limited to how much I make available.

15) How are traps (and secret doors) located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?

Combination. There are passive rolls, but there is also an exploration component. The more you do, the better your chance.

16) Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?

Nah. I don't care for retainers much. But if you really want them, you can have them. If you choose a single retainer, he/she will probably be very loyal and under your total control. If you want a handful, they will be mercs, and out for themselves. Morale is a function of loyalty.

17) How do I identify magic items?

Spells will detect magic, but they won't reveal function. They might reveal elemental alignment (fire, water, etc...) or something like that. Best way is to either use it, or bring it to an expert if you can find one.

18) Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions?

Fetishes, potions, and charms can be purchased. Weapons and armor can not.

19) Can I create magic items? When and how?

Not generally. You can have them crafted though. Mainly fetishes, potions, and charms.

20) What about splitting the party?

I enjoy running solo adventures. Splitting the party during a session is a pain in the ass. Sometimes separate sessions are required.

Time Travel in RPGs

I've always been a fan of time travel stories. I believe my first experience in being pulled in to such a story was a Twilight Zone episode, in which a group of friends are gathered in 1961, discussing time travel. One of the friends, Peter Corrigan, soon finds himself back in 1865, the day Lincoln was assassinated. He attempts to prevent the assassination, but fails.

My next memorable encounter with such a story was Ray Bradbury's "The Sound of Thunder", which involved a leisure company that offered safaris to the past. One could travel back in time and kill a dinosaur. But there were strict rules so that the time stream would not be altered in any significant way. These rules are of course, broken.

Both stories showcase two very different approaches to time travel. In one approach, all events along the time stream are fixed. In the other, the slightest change in the past can result in wild deviations in the future.
There are all sorts of fancy terms for theories which fall into either category (Many Worlds Interpretation being among them). Fancy terms and theories aside, when I wanted to incorporate time travel into my campaign world, I had to take a stance.

I decided that for pure logistical reasons, I didn't want my players traveling into the past and re-writing the history of my world. It is hard enough to design a single campaign world. Creating endless variations of that world based on the whims of players hopping through time has always seemed to me to be far too much work. Instead, I settled on the idea that the past, as well as the future, are fixed. One can travel through time, but they can not re-write it.

What then, becomes the point of time travel adventures?

My approach to time travel in my campaigns has been convoluted, but resulted in many fun adventures. The basic premise behind time travel is that you may find that the things you know about the past or future are simply wrong, or that you yourself were an instrument in shaping things the way they are. Most events are malleable to some extent... as long as your excursion through time results in people BELIEVING the same things they've always believed, actual interpretation of how those beliefs came to be are an emergent result of game play.

For example, in the case of someone trying to stop the assassination of Lincoln, they may find that someone else actually committed the act and framed John Wilkes Booth. Or that Lincoln's death was faked, and it was a double that was killed. Or any number of possible events that have the end result in the belief that Lincoln was killed at the Ford Theater by Booth on April 14, 1865.

The thing to consider is that according to game world rules, the reality encountered by the players is the ONLY reality... it was always the only reality. They did not change the past through time travel. They merely discovered the truth of it.

I will give a concrete example of one such adventure I ran. The Lord of Time (who I refer to as Darkstar, Archon of Time in my current campaign) recruited a certain gnomish thief for a mission. It seems that the Dwarven city of Stonehaven had fallen to an evil force. Within the stronghold is a Dwarven artifact. If the evil forces get ahold of this artifact, they will not only subdue the Dwarves, but control them as a force. The gnome must enter the Dwarven city, find the artifact, and steal it.

Now.. the problem is that the city has already fallen, and Darkstar doesn't know if the evil forces have gotten their hands on the artifact yet. He does know that prior to the invasion, the artifact was safe in the vaults of the Dwarves. So... he sends the gnome back in time, just prior to the invasion. The gnome can't simply go snooping around the vaults, nor can he ask for the hammer. He must wait for the invasion and the following chaos to ensue in order to be able to freely explore. And so, he actually becomes part of the futile defense of the city. He later finds the artifact. Once he has it in his hands, his "recall" spell is triggered, and he is re-united with Darkstar.

Now... something interesting happened during this adventure. He found himself in a battle which the Dwarves were destined to lose, because it had already happened. While his actions could have an affect to some extent, there was a limit to the affect. He was in what many players would consider a "railroad".

Personally, I don't concern myself with such terms. I know how I want to use time travel, and how I don't want to use it. The success of the player's mission was not guaranteed. He found there were things he could affect, and things he couldn't. He recognized these quickly, and rather than complaining about it, switched strategy. He used his wits to convince the Dwarven king to move the artifact, and while it was in transit, he had his opportunity to steal it. All in all, it was quite a memorable adventure. One of the fun things about it was being able to put a player character in the middle of a battle, but be unconcerned with the overall result of it. He knew the battle was lost before he ever started. He still had many opportunities to shine, helping individuals who otherwise might have been "collateral damage".

Running such adventures is challenging. As in Back to the Future 2, people and artifacts can wind up being in two places as the same time. Time travelers can potentially meet themselves. One must keep an eye on the development of Djinn artifacts.

From a lecture by Princton professor Richard Gott:

Self consistent time travel stories have some interesting features. We

introduced the concept of a "Djinn" - a particle whose world line is
like a hula hoop - a circle with no ends (the name was introduced by
Igor Novikov).  An example was given with the 1980s movie "Somewhere
in Time", (in which a pocket watch that was given to the protagonist
by an old lady is brought back in time and given to the younger
version of this lady, who in turn grows old to give it to the
protagonist - thus this pocket watch, which has never been near a
watch factory, is a "djinn").

There are numerous other challenges in running time travel adventures. Particularly ones in which time is self consistent. However, they can be very rewarding, and quite memorable for all involved.

I need suggestions!

I've come to a creative block on my Shatterworld blog. So far, I've detailed monsters, men, some geography, and the mythos of Calabria. I need to pick a direction for my next series of posts, but don't know where to go. Some options:

1) More geography
2) More history
3) Spotlight on specific cultures (rangers, paladins, mercenary warriors, clans, clerics, magic users)
4) Legends

If you have any ideas on what direction you'd like to see me go, leave a comment. Maybe something that I haven't even touched on yet?

All the support and encouragement is greatly appreciated!

Just a little experiment in drawing

Just a little thought exercise in perspective drawing. Nothing to see here. More along.

Ok... if you really want to know, it is a representation of a sine wave in 360 panoramic views.

"Barbarian" Classes: Fighter, Thief, Druid, Bard, Witch

"Barbarian" is a pejorative term typically assigned to groups of hunter/gatherers by those who consider themselves "civilized". This post specifically describes the "clans of men" in Calabria, and how standard Labyrinth Lord and similar classes fit within the "barbarian" or "noble savage" context.

"Barbarians" have a +2 penalty to their reaction roles when dealing with "civilized" people.

The clans each have a general territory they claim as their own. These territories are most often in rugged wilderness such as forests, mountains, remote costs or even small islands. Each clan has a totem animal. Totems include but are not limited to: bear, wolf, gryphon, eagle, deer, horse, badger, squirrel, boar, viper.

Most adult members of the clans (both male and female) are fighters. Spread of levels is similar to those of "civilized" cultures, with only a small percentage reaching the highest of levels. A chieftain might be 10th level or higher, with his sons typically also being among the highest levels in the clan.

Clan members have limited ability to assume "animal shape". For three consecutive days, once per month (usually centered on the full moon) members have the ability to assume the shape of their totem once per day. The duration of the transformation can be as long as four days, but each day the member does not transform back to human, there is a cumulative 25% chance that they will forget their humanity, and remain permanently in animal form. (Remaining in animal form for four whole days automatically results in permanent transformation)

Clan members in their home territory or similar terrain gain several advantages. Due to their close ties to their animal totem, clan members are only surprised on a 1 in 6. With two turns of mental preparation they can also perform the following as a thief of half their level (round up).

Find Traps (snares, pits, etc...)
Hide (camouflage)
Hear Noise
Detect Smell (same chance as Hear Noise)

(These abilities typically don't work in environments very different from their home territory, as they are unable to discern sounds/smells/traps elements that are out of the ordinary for that environment. A clansman of a forest environment would be displaced underground or in a city. Certain strong smells, such as orc or their totem animal, might be detectable regardless of environment).

Fighters
Fighters are limited to medium or light armor (nothing more than 40 pounds of armor).

Thieves
Thieves can not pick pockets or locks, but perform other thieving abilities as a thieves 2 levels higher

Druids
Each clan has a resident Druid. However, Druids are respected equally among all clans. Druids are the arbiters of the clans, and a ruling by a Druid is respected equally among all clans. A Druid can demand the cessation of combat between two clans for up to three days, but such cessation can not be demanded again for one year by any Druid.

Bards
Bards are identical to Druids, with the following exceptions:
They must use a chosen instrument to cast their spells.
Casting spells takes two full turns
They do not have the Druid armor or weapon limitation (but do have the clan armor limitation)
They get Charisma bonus to casting spells (targets must subtract Bards charisma bonus from saving throws)

Witches
"Witches"are anomalies in their clan. They are considered "touched" by the gods, and typically live apart from the clan.

They can create "fetishes", potions, and charms. These items can be used one single time. They can be used by the Witch, or given away. They are only effective as intended if they are given freely by the witch, as in most cases they must be made specifically for the recipient and the target. If taken against the will of the witch, use of the items can have unpredictable results. These items can match the effects of any Druid, Cleric, or Magic user spell of level equal to the Witch.

Witches are zero level for fighting purposes.