Earthdawn was meant to be an "intermezzo" between Promethean stories, and it wasn't meant to last this long. That isn't to say we played a lot of sessions, because we didn't; we just missed several weeks between one thing and another. But last Monday we played our final session.
My thoughts on the game: It's crunchy as hell. By that I mean that the game is really system-heavy. That isn't to say the setting isn't compelling, because it is - I get the feeling that the players liked the races, liked the world, and liked doing a dungeon delve. But the system is hard to wrap your brain around if you're used to more story-focused games, which this group, for the most part, is. I think that the damage/death system is really unforgiving is something else they aren't used to. Rather, they're not used to it in a traditional RPG, because the RPG that we play that's more traditional is WoD, and it's hard to kill characters in WoD.
I think that if we were going to do a similar game, I'd either port Earthdawn into Fate Core, or I'd run Dungeon World (I haven't actually read it yet, but I hear great things and I like the *World system, obviously). The magic system was a bit confusing, for one, and I think that my group benefits from having a system that's a bit more on the narrative side.
With that said, it was a fun time, and +Michelle in particular was happy to get to play it.
So! Last time the characters found their way into the library of the Root Kaer. There, they took some time to heal. The obsidman librarian showed them a spring that helped them heal faster (and got them high as kites), and then they split off and performed their respective Karma rituals (since we'd just figured out how Karma works, maybe. Seriously, the rules aren't especially well organized).
From there, they asked the librarian about the dancer. He didn't know anything about her specifically, but Oolo asked about a bow (since she was an archer in life). The librarian showed them stories about a bow, carved as the Root Kaer was being sealed and dropped into the Kaer as the Horrors closed in on the bow-maker. That seemed promising. The characters also asked about the cave-in and the river, and learned where the archer had made her final stand. Drea, since she had grown up down here, knew that the stories said that the archer had sent the other people off and stayed behind to hold off the Horrors. The librarian showed them a tunnel that led to the riverbed.
There was nothing in the riverbed, of course; the cave-in had blocked up the river. They started searching, and found arrows punched into the rock - this was where she had fought off the Horrors. Kurita did a little ballistics analysis and figured out where the archer had been standing when she'd loosed her arrows, and Oolo walked down the riverbed, and found runes in the walls. These told the sad story of the archer.
She'd fought off the Horrors, but been trapped by the cave-in. Lonely and still beset by waves of monsters, she kept walking, kept fighting, and when she had a lull carved her woes on the rock. By the end, she was lost to despair, and her final carving read, "I would give anything to hear a voice not my own."
The characters found a cave with a tiny entrance - it had once been bigger, but the rocks had shifted. Cain was still small enough to wiggle in, and he found the archer's bones, and her bow still in her hands.
And at that moment, the song began.
The spectral dancer advanced down the hallway, beckoning the characters to dance. Kurita fired, using True Shot, and the arrow stuck, but it wasn't enough. Oolo jumped forward and swung his axe, and the dancer beckoned. He ignored her and attacked again - and she responded in kind.
Oolo turned around, his flesh turning to loose, wrinkled paper and his beard going shock-white. He fell dead, and the characters backed up, horrified...but there was nowhere to go.
Cain dragged the bow out so that Kurita could grab it. Rosanna stepped forward and joined the dance.
Now dancing, Rosanna could see the archer's mind, slightly. But the magic was slowly damaging the elf, so she tried to reach her, tried to take her grief. And finally, she managed it.
She saw the last few moments of the dancer's life, when she was still Shaberra, the elf archer. She saw the Horrors closing in, and her desire not to be so alone. And Shaberra stopped, and Kurita fired an arrow.
The arrow struck, and Shaberra started to bleed. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "and thank you." And then she faded away.
The characters picked up Oolo and carried him back to the library, and the obsidiman carried him the rest of the way, back to the survivors' cave. They climbed the slide (carving steps into it), and emerged into the sun, out of the Root Kaer. And they laid Oolo rest in a cairn of stones, his axe across his chest.
Showing posts with label earthdawn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earthdawn. Show all posts
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Earthdawn: The Return!
Inasmuch as we haven't played in a while, you see.
So, last time, which was a freaking month ago, we lost Arden, the windling Beastmaster, to some kind of spectral dancey thing. The players spent some XP (and went up a Circle, which officially takes lots of training and money but fuck it), and talked to the folks down here in the caverns. They asked about a library or anything else of use, and about the river bed. They were answered by Drea, a human Beastaster (because +Sarah Dyer really wants a mount), who informed them that the river is useless. It was blocked off in a cave-in, and digging it out is impossible because sustained work draws the dancer.
Library, though? Sure, there was one. But it's across the Gorge of Tears.
Cut to the Gorge of Tears. Drea explains that following the escape down the river and the cave-in, some of the folks here, now trapped, threw themselves into the gorge in despair. The area was reputedly cursed. "Are they still down there?" Kurita asked. Unearthly moans were her reply.
Cain zipped across the gorge to see whether the rope bridge was attached to anything sturdy. At that point, several zombie-like things dropped from the ceiling and attacked! The characters, Drea included, fought them off, though they discovered that the zombies went crazy and attacker harder and stronger if hit too hard. One of them chewed Rosanna up pretty badly, but the characters won, tossing a few into the gorge and just beheading the others. They went across the bridge, one at a time, and found three tunnels.
Each was marked with a rune meaning "safety," but they realized that these runes had been altered. One actually said "safety," the other two warned of hazards ahead, but the characters figured that out and took the middle passage. Cain saw a wall of astral force, and the characters heard a gravely voice ask (in the language of the Obsidmen) if they were dead.
They said they weren't, and the Obsidiman told them to come forward. They crossed the barrier, and it led them into a huge cavern, every inch of which was carved with runes. "Welcome," he said, "the Library of the Root Kaer."
Next time: The exciting conclusion, in all probability!
So, last time, which was a freaking month ago, we lost Arden, the windling Beastmaster, to some kind of spectral dancey thing. The players spent some XP (and went up a Circle, which officially takes lots of training and money but fuck it), and talked to the folks down here in the caverns. They asked about a library or anything else of use, and about the river bed. They were answered by Drea, a human Beastaster (because +Sarah Dyer really wants a mount), who informed them that the river is useless. It was blocked off in a cave-in, and digging it out is impossible because sustained work draws the dancer.
Library, though? Sure, there was one. But it's across the Gorge of Tears.
Cut to the Gorge of Tears. Drea explains that following the escape down the river and the cave-in, some of the folks here, now trapped, threw themselves into the gorge in despair. The area was reputedly cursed. "Are they still down there?" Kurita asked. Unearthly moans were her reply.
Cain zipped across the gorge to see whether the rope bridge was attached to anything sturdy. At that point, several zombie-like things dropped from the ceiling and attacked! The characters, Drea included, fought them off, though they discovered that the zombies went crazy and attacker harder and stronger if hit too hard. One of them chewed Rosanna up pretty badly, but the characters won, tossing a few into the gorge and just beheading the others. They went across the bridge, one at a time, and found three tunnels.
Each was marked with a rune meaning "safety," but they realized that these runes had been altered. One actually said "safety," the other two warned of hazards ahead, but the characters figured that out and took the middle passage. Cain saw a wall of astral force, and the characters heard a gravely voice ask (in the language of the Obsidmen) if they were dead.
They said they weren't, and the Obsidiman told them to come forward. They crossed the barrier, and it led them into a huge cavern, every inch of which was carved with runes. "Welcome," he said, "the Library of the Root Kaer."
Next time: The exciting conclusion, in all probability!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Earthdawn: A Death in the Party
Last night was Earthdawn. And, sadly, we lost a character. Read on for the sad tale.
The characters, you'll recall if you have a fairly long memory, were in the Root Kaer, and the shadowmants were circling. They attacked - Kurita shot one with an arrow and then crushed it with her tail, Arden Dominated a couple of them and sent them to attack the others, Oolo cleft a couple in twain with his axe, and Rosanna used Earth Darts to kill another. Arden went after one and Dominated it further (the goal being to used Animal Bond and make it a mount eventually), and the others looked around the room.
There were runes carved on the roots, and the roots, too, had been worked into ladders - from the size, probably by dwarves, elves or humans. The runes were standard graffiti; love declarations, poems to the sun hoping for deliverance, but one bit stood out: A more recent carving saying "DO NOT DANCE."
Oolo called out into the darkness, "Hello! OOOOOOLOOO!" And a voice answered back, singing his name. But only he and Rosanna heard it.
The characters talked a bit, looking around at the tunnels leading off the main chamber. Some of them were blocked off deliberately, some by natural rockslides. In the course of conversation, Oolo mentioned Rosanna's name, and the voice sang that, as well. Now everyone could hear it. It was getting louder.
Oolo mentioned Cain's name, and the voice sang that, as well. Kurita told him to stop, and said, "Very well, Kurita." And, of course, the voice sang that. Rosanna realized it was singing in Elvish, and the song was basically a "come dance with me on this cold winter night" sort of thing.
A light appeared from a tunnel. The singer was getting closer. Arden's shadowmant turned and flew up, disappearing into a nest (where she wasn't stupid enough to follow). The singer was slowly walking into the room. Cain hid in an alcove above the tunnel where she was coming. Kurita nocked an arrow.
The characters heard another voice from a tunnel. A young dwarf appeared, desperately beckoning them into the tunnel, telling them, "Don't dance with her!"
The spectral elf appeared, dancing, and beckoned to Arden to dance. She did not...and the elf bared claws and fangs.
The characters felt a wave of magic come from the creature, and Cain (who, as a windling, can see astral things), saw everything go white...and Arden fell dead to the floor. The characters fell back, and the dwarf place a stone bar across the tunnel - a ward. Cain, meanwhile, took the long way round (guided by another dwarf) and wound up in the same place.
There were about 30 survivors, people who had been down here (rather, descendants of people who'd been down here) since before the Earthdawn. They revealed that most of them had escaped on an underground river, and their greatest hero, an elven archer, had stayed behind to fend off the Horrors that had broken through. Now that archer was the Songstress, walking through the kaer, killing those that danced with her slowly and killing those that refused quickly.
Cain flew up to Oolo and slashed his face with his little dagger - "That's for Arden." Oolo protested that it wasn't his fault she'd flown right up to it, but the others called him on deliberately telling it their names and goading it. He accepted this, and the characters started trying to figure a way to get these people out.
Climbing the slide was out - there were too many, and between the shadowmants and the Songstress they'd all be toast. The dwarf offered to show them where the river had been (a cave-in had blocked it off, so escape that way was out), and the runes that the escapees had left. And so off into the dark the characters went, a gently lilting song echoing in the dark.
The characters, you'll recall if you have a fairly long memory, were in the Root Kaer, and the shadowmants were circling. They attacked - Kurita shot one with an arrow and then crushed it with her tail, Arden Dominated a couple of them and sent them to attack the others, Oolo cleft a couple in twain with his axe, and Rosanna used Earth Darts to kill another. Arden went after one and Dominated it further (the goal being to used Animal Bond and make it a mount eventually), and the others looked around the room.
There were runes carved on the roots, and the roots, too, had been worked into ladders - from the size, probably by dwarves, elves or humans. The runes were standard graffiti; love declarations, poems to the sun hoping for deliverance, but one bit stood out: A more recent carving saying "DO NOT DANCE."
Oolo called out into the darkness, "Hello! OOOOOOLOOO!" And a voice answered back, singing his name. But only he and Rosanna heard it.
The characters talked a bit, looking around at the tunnels leading off the main chamber. Some of them were blocked off deliberately, some by natural rockslides. In the course of conversation, Oolo mentioned Rosanna's name, and the voice sang that, as well. Now everyone could hear it. It was getting louder.
Oolo mentioned Cain's name, and the voice sang that, as well. Kurita told him to stop, and said, "Very well, Kurita." And, of course, the voice sang that. Rosanna realized it was singing in Elvish, and the song was basically a "come dance with me on this cold winter night" sort of thing.
A light appeared from a tunnel. The singer was getting closer. Arden's shadowmant turned and flew up, disappearing into a nest (where she wasn't stupid enough to follow). The singer was slowly walking into the room. Cain hid in an alcove above the tunnel where she was coming. Kurita nocked an arrow.
The characters heard another voice from a tunnel. A young dwarf appeared, desperately beckoning them into the tunnel, telling them, "Don't dance with her!"
The spectral elf appeared, dancing, and beckoned to Arden to dance. She did not...and the elf bared claws and fangs.
The characters felt a wave of magic come from the creature, and Cain (who, as a windling, can see astral things), saw everything go white...and Arden fell dead to the floor. The characters fell back, and the dwarf place a stone bar across the tunnel - a ward. Cain, meanwhile, took the long way round (guided by another dwarf) and wound up in the same place.
There were about 30 survivors, people who had been down here (rather, descendants of people who'd been down here) since before the Earthdawn. They revealed that most of them had escaped on an underground river, and their greatest hero, an elven archer, had stayed behind to fend off the Horrors that had broken through. Now that archer was the Songstress, walking through the kaer, killing those that danced with her slowly and killing those that refused quickly.
Cain flew up to Oolo and slashed his face with his little dagger - "That's for Arden." Oolo protested that it wasn't his fault she'd flown right up to it, but the others called him on deliberately telling it their names and goading it. He accepted this, and the characters started trying to figure a way to get these people out.
Climbing the slide was out - there were too many, and between the shadowmants and the Songstress they'd all be toast. The dwarf offered to show them where the river had been (a cave-in had blocked it off, so escape that way was out), and the runes that the escapees had left. And so off into the dark the characters went, a gently lilting song echoing in the dark.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Earthdawn!
So! Monday was Earthdawn.
The characters spent some time doing some investigating, asking around about the kaer in the woods. They figured that since it was a kaer, and thus probably empty, it wasn't going anywhere. Arden went into the woods and watched until a berbalang attacked a fawn, and then a couple more came along to share in the feast. She figured the pack that they PCs fought was probably a good 6-10 strong, but they could maybe be lured away from the kaer.
Rosanna talked with the oldest elf in the village, and he told her that no one in the village had come from that kaer. When Grand Clay was founded, the inhabitants all came south from Throal and the surrounding territories. This meant that this kaer might still have inhabitants, or at least their remains.
The characters got together and decided to go check out kaer, maybe just poke around a bit. They took a cow along (old, stringy, dying anyway) and set it down a game trail, and waited until the berbalangs attacked. Then they approached the tree, and Oolo asked nicely to be admitted. It opened, and the characters went into the tree and then fell through a hole, one by one.
Kurita, Oolo and Rosanna slid down a long, wooden slide (Cain and Arden can fly, of course). Kurita managed to jab the slide with a dagger and work her way down slowly, but the elf and the dwarf flew off the end and landed, safely if bumpily, on roots. They were in a huge, column-like central area, surrounded by the roots of the trees, which formed hundreds of tunnels and crevices.
The others joined them, and something flew overhead. Kurita recognized the creatures - huge, bat/manta ray-like things call shadowmants. Cain remembered that their barbed tails carried a poison sting, and the poison is notorious for being resistant to magical healing.
And the characters noticed that the shadowmants were circling...and getting lower.
Next time: Combat!
The characters spent some time doing some investigating, asking around about the kaer in the woods. They figured that since it was a kaer, and thus probably empty, it wasn't going anywhere. Arden went into the woods and watched until a berbalang attacked a fawn, and then a couple more came along to share in the feast. She figured the pack that they PCs fought was probably a good 6-10 strong, but they could maybe be lured away from the kaer.
Rosanna talked with the oldest elf in the village, and he told her that no one in the village had come from that kaer. When Grand Clay was founded, the inhabitants all came south from Throal and the surrounding territories. This meant that this kaer might still have inhabitants, or at least their remains.
The characters got together and decided to go check out kaer, maybe just poke around a bit. They took a cow along (old, stringy, dying anyway) and set it down a game trail, and waited until the berbalangs attacked. Then they approached the tree, and Oolo asked nicely to be admitted. It opened, and the characters went into the tree and then fell through a hole, one by one.
Kurita, Oolo and Rosanna slid down a long, wooden slide (Cain and Arden can fly, of course). Kurita managed to jab the slide with a dagger and work her way down slowly, but the elf and the dwarf flew off the end and landed, safely if bumpily, on roots. They were in a huge, column-like central area, surrounded by the roots of the trees, which formed hundreds of tunnels and crevices.
The others joined them, and something flew overhead. Kurita recognized the creatures - huge, bat/manta ray-like things call shadowmants. Cain remembered that their barbed tails carried a poison sting, and the poison is notorious for being resistant to magical healing.
And the characters noticed that the shadowmants were circling...and getting lower.
Next time: Combat!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Earthdawn notes!
Holy cats. Haven't run this in a good long time, and now it's 4:15 and I'm just now putting "pen" to "paper."
I'm having trouble with this game, honestly. I have some ideas, but when I read the book my eyes kinda glaze over. I'm sort of regretting not looking for old sourcebooks at GenCon so I could grab a pre-written adventure just to see what it looks like.
But enough of that whinging. Here we go.
I'm having trouble with this game, honestly. I have some ideas, but when I read the book my eyes kinda glaze over. I'm sort of regretting not looking for old sourcebooks at GenCon so I could grab a pre-written adventure just to see what it looks like.
But enough of that whinging. Here we go.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Earthdawn, session 1
Monday I ran Earthdawn! No really!
It's a big departure for our group, but I didn't realize how big until we started playing. We play WoD, sure, but NWoD has made an effort to reduce the number of rules and rolls. Earthdawn is very much the old-school style of RPG design, complete with encumbrance, death thresholds and a sesame seed bun.
But - it actually went smoother than I thought, and the system seems to work pretty well (though we are using the 3rd-ed step chart). So, here's what we've got.
Characters:
It's a big departure for our group, but I didn't realize how big until we started playing. We play WoD, sure, but NWoD has made an effort to reduce the number of rules and rolls. Earthdawn is very much the old-school style of RPG design, complete with encumbrance, death thresholds and a sesame seed bun.
But - it actually went smoother than I thought, and the system seems to work pretty well (though we are using the 3rd-ed step chart). So, here's what we've got.
Characters:
- Arden (played by Sarah), windling beastmaster.
- Kurita (played by Michelle), t'skrang archer.
- Cain (played by Matt K), windling thief.
- Oolo Ironbeard (played by Toasty), dwarf weaponsmith.
- Rossana Silverstorm (played by Glen), elf elementalist.
So we start our story in a little town called Grand Clay, a fief south of the Kingdom of Throal and at the north end of the Servos Jungle. The characters have all wound up here by hook and crook; Cain tried to steal from Arden and got his fingers slapped, and they've been traveling together. Kurita is here to find exotic birds in the jungle (fletching, you see). Oolo is from Throal, and is here to get some clay and ceramic for weapons and smithing purposes. And Rossana lives here, and owns a brewery on the south end of town, near the jungle.
Most of the characters are in the town tavern (the Devil's Feather), chatting and drinking. Cain wins a sucker bet with Oolo, Kurita suns herself on the roof. Rossana is working her brewery, when she sees someone stumble out of the jungle.
The figure - a young human man - is badly injured. Someone has torn him up pretty badly, leaving multiple wounds and ripping away part of his cheek. Rossana gets him inside and tries to bandage the wounds as best she can, and sends for Arden, who knows animals. Arden doesn't recognize these wounds specifically, but notes that they were made by a creature with five fingers and nasty claws (though no venom, fortunately). She goes to get the town doctor, and the other characters go to investigate (because that's what heroes do!).
The man wakes up, and Arden asks him what happened, but he can't talk. She provides him a scrap of paper and some charcoal, and he writes "brother" and "jungle."
"Your brother is still in the jungle?" she asks. He nods, and then passes out
Rossana goes to the jungle's edge and casts Plant Talk to speak with the grass. It tells her that, yes, the boy is in a hollow tree in the jungle, but have no way to explain how far in. They identify the creatures as "berbalangs", but none of the characters (Arden included) have heard of them. Arden uses her Tracking Talent and sees the blood trail that the first boy left, and the characters follow it.
They find where the trail ends, and find the boy in the hollow tree, but aren't sure how he got in - the opening is too small even for the windlings. The boy is bloodied and shocked, but alive. And the berbalangs descend! They hunt in packs, as Arden had guessed, and leap at the characters.
Arden jams herself against the opening and lashes out with her spear. Oolo attacks with his ax, and Kurita whips at one with her tail. Cain sneaks behind on to use Surprise Strike, and Rossana casts Earth Darts. The initial volley of attacks don't go well - the berbalangs are too fast and vicious. They bite and claw the characters pretty badly.
But they don't stick around after they're hurt, and the next round goes better. Kurita shoots one with an arrow, and Cain backstabs one. Arden uses Dominate Beast and sends one to attack another, and Oolo clobbers one with his ax. The creatures flee (as I've mentioned previously, I'm not crazy about "to the death" monsters).
Rossana uses Plant Talk on the tree, and finds that the tree-spirit is awake, aware and much more snippy than she's used to from such beings. She asks nicely for it to let the boy out, and it does - and the characters see runes carved inside the tree. These runs, Oolo notes, indicate the opening to a kaer, one of the underground cities built to hide away from the Horrors.
But that's for later. The characters return the boy to the village and go to tend their wounds.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Character Creation: Earthdawn
As you may know, in between Promethean stories, we run "intermezzo" games, including Marvel Heroic Roleplaying. So now, having just finished a story, we're going to play Earthdawn.
Yeah, I'm a little worried, too. I don't normally run fantasy, Earthdawn is kinda involved, and it's a lot crunchier than I'm used to (amusingly, the runners-up were Critical! and Secret of Zir'an).
So Michelle and I are going to make characters to get ourselves ready for group chargen on Monday! Huzzah!
So! We start at Step One: Choose a Discipline. Well, I usually play spellcasters in fantasy games and I figure I'd better learn how the system works as much as I can before Monday, so I'll go with Illusionist. These guys, as the name suggests, cast deceptive magic. I like that, sounds like fun.
Next, we Choose a Race. Earthdawn has a lot of the standard fantasy races (elf, dwarf, human) but also some odd ones like the reptilian t'skrang and the rocky obsidiman. My first thought is t'skrang, since they're dramatic and flamboyant and that fits with an illusionist, but y'know, I like a challenge. I'm gonna make a troll.
Now we Generate Attributes. There are two ways to do this, point-buy and random. Since Michelle is going to do random, I shall do point-buy. I get 66 points to buy Attributes. It's not a one-for-one buy, which annoys me, but eh. I need Perception and Willpower to be high, but I have to have Strength and Toughness at 11, because trolls is big. I do, however, get bonuses there. Hmm.
Well, let's do this. I'll buy Strength 7 and Toughness 9, that'll put me at my minimums after the modifiers. That sets me back 6 points.
I'll buy Perception at 13 and Willpower at 11, which sets me back a further 16 (22 total). Hmm. This is better than I thought. OK. Let's buy Dexterity up to 14 (I see this guy as lean for a troll), which is 13 points (35 total). I'll buy Charisma at 12 (8 points, or 43 spent). That leaves me 23 points. OK. Let's spend 10 more each on Perception and Willpower. That means I spent 16 on Willpower (for a value of 15) and 20 on Perception...wait, hang on, gotta spend one more. 21 gives me 17 in Perception. OK. I've spent 21 points, I have two more. Let's put those into Toughness, why not. That puts me at 10 Toughness.
OK, now I apply racial modifiers, and my Attributes look like this:
Dexterity 14
Strength 11
Toughness 12
Perception 15
Willpower 15
Charisma 12
Now we record step numbers and action dice, which tell me what to roll. I'll put that on the sheet.
Next we Record Characteristics, which is derived traits, which I still don't understand putting in the middle of chargen rather than at the end, but whatever. I fill out all my stuff. It's on the sheet if you want to look at it; I don't have a good sense of what it means anyway.
Now we Record Racial Abilities. I have Heat Sight as a troll. That's easy. Oh, hell, now I just realized something. As a troll, I need an unmodified Strength and Toughness of 11. BALLS. Hang on.
I need to free up five points. Blargle. Let's knock off three from Willpower (dropping me to 14) and 2 from Charisma (dropping me to 11). That's actually OK; it knocks my Willpower down a step, but jacks my physical stats up a bit. I'm still at minimum for my race, so I'm still a fairly lean and quick troll. Oh, I do have to adjust my characteristics, though.
Now for the fun bit: Assign Talent Ranks! I get 8 points to assign, and because I decided to be crazy and play a spellcaster, I get to fuck with that system, too. My Talents are:
Karma Ritual
Read and Write Language
Read and Write Magic
Spellcasting
Spell Matrix
Spell Matrix (yep, it's in there twice)
Thread Weaving (Illusionist)
Hmm. So apparently I can't put ranks into, like, melee weapons, which is kind of dumb. Lessee now. Well, reading the spellcasting system, it's a multi-step process. I basically have to weave threads of magic into a spell matrix, and then I carry the matrix around (it's apparently a physical thing that can be damaged) until I need it. So it's a little more elegant than "memorizing spells" (LOL DND) but still kind of clunky.
Well, first thing's first. I'll put a Rank into Karma Ritual. I'll put 2 points into Spellcasting and 2 points into Thread Weaving (Illusionist). I'll buy two Spell Matrices at 1 point each, and the last point I'll put into Read and Write Magic. Actually, no, you know what? I'll put that last point into Spellcasting.
OK, now I'll fill in the details on my Talents, and then I gotta pick spells. Spells come in circles (1 and up), but as a level 1 character, I can only cast level 1 spells. Now, I can take higher-level spells, but they eat my points, so it seems like it'd be better to load up on lower-level spells so I can use them. But I don't know how hard it is to advance a circle. Hrm. I get 7 points in spells, and Circle 1 spells are 1 each. There are only 8 listed, so basically I can just pick the one I don't want.
Some of these are pretty dumb, actually. Or rather, they don't fit the vision I have for this character. I'll take Disguise Metal, Displace Image, Light, Rope Guide and Unseen Voices, and then I'll take one Circle 2 spell. How about...Monstrous Mantle.
Now, Skill Ranks. I get a rank 1 Artisan Skill (Robe Embroidery). I get two ranks in Knowledge Skills, which I can basically make up, so I take a rank in Wild Animals and a rank in Creature Lore. I get my native language (Troll) and I speak Dwarven, since that's kind of the lingua franca.
Equip your character. Oy. Not a fan of this part. OK, two. I get 120 silver to buy shit, and armor can make a difference. I'll buy padded leather armor (20 silver), a troll sling, a blowgun, and a mace. I could buy other shit, too, but I'll leave that.
Finally, Flesh Out Your Character. Here we take personality traits, and do the 20 questions thing.
So, I see my troll as a hunter. As a young troll, though, he became fascinated with the idea that animals could camouflage themselves, blending in to surroundings or mimicking their predators. It was that interest that led him to be an illusionist, trying to find a way to mimic - or fool - the Horrors and become a legend that way. I'll take Watchful and Curious as my personality traits.
My troll is slightly shorter than average (8'5''), and weighs in at a lean 450lbs. His skin is a dark olive tone, and his hair is a muddy brown color. His robes are mostly earth tones, but the inside of his robe has a bright red stripe - he likes the color, but doesn't want it showing unless he's ready to fight.
He was born in the mountain ranges, and his family has a warren-like network of caves near the foothills. His parents and siblings were hunters and warriors, but his aunt was a wizard, and they figure that's where his bent for magic comes from. He likes to hunt, but detests fighting other thinking beings (though he will when necessary). He doesn't like to reveal that he's pretty weak for a troll, and loves talking to other magic-users about their craft. His name is Rejik Malirin.
Yeah, I'm a little worried, too. I don't normally run fantasy, Earthdawn is kinda involved, and it's a lot crunchier than I'm used to (amusingly, the runners-up were Critical! and Secret of Zir'an).
So Michelle and I are going to make characters to get ourselves ready for group chargen on Monday! Huzzah!
The Game: Earthdawn, 1st Ed.
The Publisher: FASA
Degree of Familiarity: Basically none. My brother bought this game years ago and I think I made a character. I don't remember ever playing, but if we did we probably played once and Jon's GM ADD kicked in.
Books Required: Just the one.
So! We start at Step One: Choose a Discipline. Well, I usually play spellcasters in fantasy games and I figure I'd better learn how the system works as much as I can before Monday, so I'll go with Illusionist. These guys, as the name suggests, cast deceptive magic. I like that, sounds like fun.
Next, we Choose a Race. Earthdawn has a lot of the standard fantasy races (elf, dwarf, human) but also some odd ones like the reptilian t'skrang and the rocky obsidiman. My first thought is t'skrang, since they're dramatic and flamboyant and that fits with an illusionist, but y'know, I like a challenge. I'm gonna make a troll.
Now we Generate Attributes. There are two ways to do this, point-buy and random. Since Michelle is going to do random, I shall do point-buy. I get 66 points to buy Attributes. It's not a one-for-one buy, which annoys me, but eh. I need Perception and Willpower to be high, but I have to have Strength and Toughness at 11, because trolls is big. I do, however, get bonuses there. Hmm.
Well, let's do this. I'll buy Strength 7 and Toughness 9, that'll put me at my minimums after the modifiers. That sets me back 6 points.
I'll buy Perception at 13 and Willpower at 11, which sets me back a further 16 (22 total). Hmm. This is better than I thought. OK. Let's buy Dexterity up to 14 (I see this guy as lean for a troll), which is 13 points (35 total). I'll buy Charisma at 12 (8 points, or 43 spent). That leaves me 23 points. OK. Let's spend 10 more each on Perception and Willpower. That means I spent 16 on Willpower (for a value of 15) and 20 on Perception...wait, hang on, gotta spend one more. 21 gives me 17 in Perception. OK. I've spent 21 points, I have two more. Let's put those into Toughness, why not. That puts me at 10 Toughness.
OK, now I apply racial modifiers, and my Attributes look like this:
Dexterity 14
Strength 11
Toughness 12
Perception 15
Willpower 15
Charisma 12
Now we record step numbers and action dice, which tell me what to roll. I'll put that on the sheet.
Next we Record Characteristics, which is derived traits, which I still don't understand putting in the middle of chargen rather than at the end, but whatever. I fill out all my stuff. It's on the sheet if you want to look at it; I don't have a good sense of what it means anyway.
Now we Record Racial Abilities. I have Heat Sight as a troll. That's easy. Oh, hell, now I just realized something. As a troll, I need an unmodified Strength and Toughness of 11. BALLS. Hang on.
I need to free up five points. Blargle. Let's knock off three from Willpower (dropping me to 14) and 2 from Charisma (dropping me to 11). That's actually OK; it knocks my Willpower down a step, but jacks my physical stats up a bit. I'm still at minimum for my race, so I'm still a fairly lean and quick troll. Oh, I do have to adjust my characteristics, though.
Now for the fun bit: Assign Talent Ranks! I get 8 points to assign, and because I decided to be crazy and play a spellcaster, I get to fuck with that system, too. My Talents are:
Karma Ritual
Read and Write Language
Read and Write Magic
Spellcasting
Spell Matrix
Spell Matrix (yep, it's in there twice)
Thread Weaving (Illusionist)
Hmm. So apparently I can't put ranks into, like, melee weapons, which is kind of dumb. Lessee now. Well, reading the spellcasting system, it's a multi-step process. I basically have to weave threads of magic into a spell matrix, and then I carry the matrix around (it's apparently a physical thing that can be damaged) until I need it. So it's a little more elegant than "memorizing spells" (LOL DND) but still kind of clunky.
Well, first thing's first. I'll put a Rank into Karma Ritual. I'll put 2 points into Spellcasting and 2 points into Thread Weaving (Illusionist). I'll buy two Spell Matrices at 1 point each, and the last point I'll put into Read and Write Magic. Actually, no, you know what? I'll put that last point into Spellcasting.
OK, now I'll fill in the details on my Talents, and then I gotta pick spells. Spells come in circles (1 and up), but as a level 1 character, I can only cast level 1 spells. Now, I can take higher-level spells, but they eat my points, so it seems like it'd be better to load up on lower-level spells so I can use them. But I don't know how hard it is to advance a circle. Hrm. I get 7 points in spells, and Circle 1 spells are 1 each. There are only 8 listed, so basically I can just pick the one I don't want.
Some of these are pretty dumb, actually. Or rather, they don't fit the vision I have for this character. I'll take Disguise Metal, Displace Image, Light, Rope Guide and Unseen Voices, and then I'll take one Circle 2 spell. How about...Monstrous Mantle.
Now, Skill Ranks. I get a rank 1 Artisan Skill (Robe Embroidery). I get two ranks in Knowledge Skills, which I can basically make up, so I take a rank in Wild Animals and a rank in Creature Lore. I get my native language (Troll) and I speak Dwarven, since that's kind of the lingua franca.
Equip your character. Oy. Not a fan of this part. OK, two. I get 120 silver to buy shit, and armor can make a difference. I'll buy padded leather armor (20 silver), a troll sling, a blowgun, and a mace. I could buy other shit, too, but I'll leave that.
Finally, Flesh Out Your Character. Here we take personality traits, and do the 20 questions thing.
So, I see my troll as a hunter. As a young troll, though, he became fascinated with the idea that animals could camouflage themselves, blending in to surroundings or mimicking their predators. It was that interest that led him to be an illusionist, trying to find a way to mimic - or fool - the Horrors and become a legend that way. I'll take Watchful and Curious as my personality traits.
My troll is slightly shorter than average (8'5''), and weighs in at a lean 450lbs. His skin is a dark olive tone, and his hair is a muddy brown color. His robes are mostly earth tones, but the inside of his robe has a bright red stripe - he likes the color, but doesn't want it showing unless he's ready to fight.
He was born in the mountain ranges, and his family has a warren-like network of caves near the foothills. His parents and siblings were hunters and warriors, but his aunt was a wizard, and they figure that's where his bent for magic comes from. He likes to hunt, but detests fighting other thinking beings (though he will when necessary). He doesn't like to reveal that he's pretty weak for a troll, and loves talking to other magic-users about their craft. His name is Rejik Malirin.
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