Influences on Land's End and Jeff's 20 Questions

This is an old file of musings that I've cleaned up for posting. These are some of the things I reference and ponder when I'm writing up material for my Land's End game, and which provided the initial seeds of its creation.

The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall
This is the only Elder Scrolls game I ever played extensively until my roommate bought Skyrim. An unbelievably big wilderness; a completely optional main quest; huge randomly generated dungeons; a gonzo character-generator and a creepy soundtrack. I reinstalled this game a few weeks ago so that I could get some screen-captures for a forthcoming post about how much better it is than all subsequent Elder Scrolls games (with diagrams).

Surrounded by lava, fighting a demon... Classic.

Exile: Escape From The Pit
This game provided the seed of inspiration for the campaign. For various reasons, the characters have been exiled from the rigorous, oppressive, strictly Lawful empire where no variety is allowed. They arrive in the land of Exile, an underground cave kingdom and have all kinds of adventures against the Sliths, the cat-people called Nephilim and the demon overlord Grah-Hoth. Classic turn-based CRPG from 1995, this is almost as retro as it gets and you can find it here.

Arx Fatalis
This game was fun as hell, back in 2004 or so. You're just dropped bare-ass naked into a big underground world (megadungeon), annnnd go! It's got a cowardly goblin king, dumb trolls, all kinds of stuff. The vibe of this game was just inspiring. I wonder if my shitty laptop could run it?

Myth: The Fallen Lords
My previous thoughts on this game here. The soundtrack of this game slays, and the monsters are great. I think the undead are the best ever. This game exudes vibe from every pore, it's tough and unforgiving. Time to man up and charge them zombies!

All those blogs listed on the side of this page!
Obviously.

++++ TWENTY QUESTIONS FOR LAND'S END ++++
originally outlined here.

1 - What is the deal with my cleric's religion?
You're a priest of the 137 gods of the Empire, although you can just pick one if you want (and make it up, since I will never detail them all). It's state-mandated! Later it may be possible to convert to a different god.

2 - Where can we go to buy standard equipment?
The general stores in Land's End have a general selection of weapons/armor/gear, and a few more rare things can be bought from the travelling merchants that come through town.

3 - Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?
You'd have to travel to the interior of the empire to get custom armor. The local blacksmith, if he's even good enough to do it, would charge an arm and a leg.

4 - Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?
There aren't any wizards in Land's End (it's a shit town). The mightiest one beyond The Barrier... who knows?

5 - Who is the greatest warrior in the land?
In Land's End, it's likely the Guard Captain of the town, who is perhaps a Level 2 Fighter. In the wastes, the greatest human warrior that anyone's heard of is Mullerigern, a bandit king with a 1500 GP bounty on his head.

6 - Who is the richest person in the land?
The richest person in Land's End is the Innkeeper, Kiros.

7 - Where can we go to get some magical healing?
Father Harkwood at the church of the 137 gods in Land's End will heal you - for a small fee.

8 - Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, death, undeath?
Father Harkwood of the 137 gods will cure: disease, curses, small ability drains. It'll cost you though. A druid (maybe living out in the wilderness) could cure poison. Death, Undeath, polymorph, stoning, permanent level drain and other tough ailments might just be incurable.

9 - Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?
Nope. Magic is rare and wizards don't congregate or share their secrets, unless they're working for the man (which you ain't).

10- Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?
The church of land's end has an alchemist/sage living in the tower who can do a bit of research for the party, and sell them non-magical 'alchemical' potions at high prices.

11- Where can I hire mercenaries?
To go over the cliffs? You gotta be kidding!

12- Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?
Anywhere further inside the Empire, people start to frown on carrying weapons openly (what could you possibly need THAT for?), and magic-users are either ostracized or are co-opted by the state.

13- Which way to the nearest tavern?
The Crown and Thistle sits right in the centre of Land's End, across from the church.

14- What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
There aren't any that 'terrorize' the countryside, but if you kill a monster of legend (werewolf, dragon, hydra, giant ant, etc) and bring its pelt/head back to town, that could make you famous. Occasionally there are wolves on the plateau, but it's rare.

15- Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
Not yet.

16- How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
Maybe in another civilization distantly across the wastelands, that's never met the Empire.

17- Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
There are some nameless monster cults in the wilderness, if you're into frog-cannibalism.

18- What is there to eat around here?
Regular inland medieval stuff: Bread, stew, cows, root vegetables, boiled things, oatmeal, beer, etc.

19- Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?
For one, there's the lost idol of the 137 gods that Father Harkwood will pay 250 GP for (there is a sign on the town notice board to this effect).

20- Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?
Somewhere in the wilderness. You'll know it when you see it, unless it sees you first.






PS: Hey new Blogger interface?

Up yours new Blogger interface.

Unleashed In The East

My home Pathfinder game is directly inspired by the Ars Ludi epic "West Marches" (the uninitiated may receive solid gold chronic truth here). Although at the time of its beginning, my home game only had 2 players and 1 drunk - far from the epic cast of a true West Marches game - I still wanted to explore a massive, dangerous and uncharted wilderness full of strange things, away from the safety of the city (Confession Time: I never liked city adventures. While you're talking to guys in a tavern to get information, I'm pulling the arm of a statue to open the hidden crypt. While you're explaining your antisocial activities to the city guards, I'm climbing into a 1000-foot pit from whence no one returns).

I knew we were playing Pathfinder, because I impulsively bought the book (this was before I really got my head around these retro things). I decided to go for broke and I let the guys play all kinds of different PC races, because adventurers are rare in this world and they're going to stand out anyway. Don't worry, I have a plan for those planetouched kids. It will be awesome.

The cast has at one point or another included:

Arrai Rivenwen - aasimar ranger, he changes colour and age with the seasons
Adrock - tiefling rogue, he has green hair and an ice touch (I rolled on the original Planescape tiefling table for these ones!)
Trigger McGillicuddy - half-elf wizard, always drunk (player and character)
Aercius - human cleric of the 137 Imperial Gods (played to the hilt by my visiting brother, as detailed here)
"Ratticus Finch" - half-man half-rat hybrid lab escapee alchemist (blurb about the Pathfinder Player's Guide to follow later)

The adventure began in a small town at the edge of a giant, bureaucratic empire where nothing fun or exciting or lucrative happens to adventurers. I called it Land's End, and to disguise my influences I placed it at the far eastern border of the empire. It's a one-church, one-inn, one-horse sort of town with a blacksmith shop, farmers selling vegetables and the occasional travelling merchant. A town of simple folk who smile sadly at the occasional kid with a crazy dream who passes through on his way to an obscure death.

From Land's End, explorers head east for half a day to The Barrier, a sheer cliff's edge which overlooks an uncharted land obscured by mist and clouds. Few have ever gone down, and even less have come back up - but for adventurers craving action and gold, it's the only game in town.

Nocturnal Supremacy

OK, so back having a job. Right now I'm working nights, and it looks like I'll have some free time so expect more fun posts to come along! In addition to my previously promised writings, I have some more fun stuff to go up as I brainstorm this Labyrinth Lord one-shot for the Friday group. Some good tricks & traps, ruminations on the setting and my newbie encounters with the retro rules. I'm also going to talk more about my home game and some of the hijinks that have happened recently. The actions of one Trigger McGillicuddy, drunk-ass wizard, deserve at least one post of their own.

"Evil will always win. Because good is dumb."

Dark Helmet just hates paladins.

OK, I had this long, pissed-off and kind of boring rant written, but I deleted it and wrote this instead.

I've been playing Temple of Elemental Evil for PC recently and barring a few irritating bugs I'm having a great time with it. One of the dudes in my Friday night Warhammer Fantasy RP group recommended it to me, saying it was the best D&D computer game he'd ever played. I wouldn't go that far (I'm all about Planescape: Torment) but I'll give it 2nd place with confidence.

What initially bothered me was my Paladin character. I had a long rant written about the bizarre morality and 'paladin code' of the game, but what it boiled down to was this:

Anyone evil basically gets told to fuck off and I can't interact with them, but it's OK to kill them without a conversation. I thought it was odd that I can kick in the door and kill everyone I see with no 'Paladin Code' violation, but if I accept a quest from one Evil Temple leader to kill another Evil Temple leader, I'm now Fallen. It's not as if I was going to leave any of them alive anyway. I know, I know: it's in the Paladin code! But it didn't make much sense at the time.

This bugged me until yesterday when I was reading Chretien de Troyes and of course remembered that the Paladin class is rooted in chivalric legend. In the stories of Arthur's knights some of these idiosyncratic traits exist. Brutal battles are fought against evil, but nobody considers trickery, strategy, divide-and-conquer tactics or the like except in extreme cases. Siding with one evil man to destroy another is unheard of; a knight simply runs through the first evil man before moving on to the next.

This is combined with the traits most lacking in most D&D paladins: politeness & courtesy. Even the most evil knight is treated with mercy until he has proved several times over to be unrepentant, and finally might lose his head (in De Troyes' version, Meleagaunt duels with Lancelot three times and imprisons him by trickery before Lancelot will finish the job). Most villains are allowed to say their piece and argue with the knight before they decide to do battle. These traits don't combine well with a group of various roguish dungeoncrawlers looking over their shoulders for gelatinous cubes while scooping treasure into a sack, so the result (the D&D Paladin) is a fusion of differing genre expectations, history, myth and pragmatism that can stumble in practise.

Too cool to be a PC.

"I say you sooth, said the damosel, for ye were this day the best knight of the world, but who should say so now, he should be a liar, for there is now one better than ye, and well it is proved by the adventures of the sword whereto ye durst not set to your hand; and that is the change and leaving of your name. Wherefore I make unto you a remembrance, that ye shall not ween from henceforth that ye be the best knight of the world. As touching unto that, said Launcelot, I know well I was never the best. Yes, said the damosel, that were ye, and are yet, of any sinful man of the world."
-Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte D'Arthur

This reading and thinking on Paladins in the Arthurian canon gave me another idea. In any one knight's story, barring a few exceptions he is the best, strongest, toughest of all knights he meets in his travels. During Tristram's tale he beats all comers except Lancelot and when it's Lancelot's turn in the spotlight he can't lose. The stories are structured so the better knights come later in the saga and each can have his spotlight as the best while his story is told (Arthurian power creep!).

This fits in well with the harsh ability requirements for Paladinhood in 2nd edition D&D: Str 12, Con 9, Wis 13, Cha 17. Back in my 2nd ed days, I don't remember anyone playing a paladin over almost 10 years. Even with 4d6 drop the lowest and arrange as desired, what kind of fool frontliner puts a 17 into his *charisma*? One who wants a certain flavour of class, obviously, but no one I knew rolled rich enough stats to gamble survivability like that.

The Arthurian term for Paladin is "The Best Knight In The World," but it amounts to the same thing. A man endowed with strength, skill at arms, grace, beauty, chivalry, chastity, mercy, piety, all the virtues of knighthood. Only with his death or fall from grace can another knight assume Paladinhood.

In other words, there can only be one Paladin in the world at a time. Sir Lancelot is The Paladin for most of the Arthur stories, but his adulterious relationship with Guenevere causes his Fall, and opens the spot up to his perfect son Galahad (in the Malory version, Galahad is taken to heaven by Joseph of Arimathea before he can get old and lose his edge like Elvis). Lancelot can still beat most of the other knights, but he's just a very good Fighter from then on and everyone knows it. He fails to reach the Holy Grail and can't stop Mordred from tearing the Kingdom apart.

I don't know if this idea will fit into my Pathfinder game - the players get upset if they see something in the book and they can't have it. I like to indulge them in this, like a loving parent indulges their simpleminded child, so denying Paladins as unique in the setting won't work in that game.

However, I'm working on a fun one-shot for my Friday group which I hope to develop into an ongoing game - and there will definitely be only one Paladin at a time in this world.

stay in school kids!

"Dear Secret Santicore...

List (at least five) of drugs (magical or not) of dnd-esque fantasy city (more Vornheim less historically accurate for actual medieval Europe).

Thanks!"



This request caught me off guard for a few minutes - I've seen or heard of violence, religion, politics, slavery, race relations, torture, bestiality, human sacrifice, genocide, misogyny, class struggle and (thanks to Carcosa and its attendant clusterfuck, which I won't get into today) pedophilia dealt with in roleplaying games. But drugs? Not in my experience. It took me a while to formulate an approach, but finally I decided to deal with all the reasons that humans take drugs in our world, the veracity of which we either can't prove or have disproved: religious ritual, long-lasting health and youth, good looks, a big penis, etc. A fantasy game in which not only magic but Gods have objective reality is perfect for all these.

NOTE: most of these don't get a save because they're self-administered - the character is literally "drinking the kool-aid". Exceptions are discussed individually. Numbers, where necessary, are given for LL and Pathfinder.

- 'OID -

(This one's inspired by "krokodil", which I hear is all the rage in Russia these days)

cost: 1d10 copper per use
duration: half an hour of twitchy insectoid aggression

Made from the vital organs and fluids of various sentient creatures, 'Oid gradually transforms you into another humanoid creature. It's easy to manufacture by any alchemist who knows the recipe. The range of ingredients is quite versatile, and lower-quality product can be made by substituting human organs or slightly less than fresh ingredients. For every week of recreational use (at least one dosage per day), roll a transformation:

Body Part Table (1d8)

1 - face
2 - eyes
3 - skin
4 - arms
5 - legs
6 - torso
7 - tail (if applicable, otherwise torso)
8 - genitalia

What kind of creature does the user start changing into? Roll on your region's random encounter table, or a random page of the monstrous manual - read down the entries until you find one for a humanoid (or not, depending on your game's level of cruelty and weirdness).

This can lead to slums full of sub-human Broken One-looking addicts, a mishmash of orc arms, merfolk gills, elf legs, gnoll heads, etc - or more pitiful and terrifying freaks (ochre jelly "legs", owlbear face, shark flippers for arms). The effects are not reversible except with polymorph or equivalent magic - this is the creature's new and permanent body.

- DOMINATOR -

cost: 2d20 copper per use
duration: 1 hour of testosterone rage and hormonal lust

"Buncha slack-jawed faggots around here! This stuff'll make you a goddamn sexual ty-rannosaurus! Just like me."
-Jessie Ventura, Predator

This vile-tasting magical brew grants a man extreme potency for an hour - during this time nothing short of extreme HP loss or poisoning will hamper his bedroom performance, regardless of advanced age or other factors. It also increases his aggression and sexual desire, and he'll do his level best to nail anyone suitable, regardless of the consequences later (the high priestess of the local temple, the princess you rescued, etc).

The side effects of Dominator last for 24 hours after use, leaving the member so swollen and sensitive that wearing armour or tight clothing around the groin is extremely painful, causing -4 on initiative and attack rolls, and any skill checks that include an armor check penalty.

- WATER OF COMMUNION -

"What are you, an idiot? God was fucking with you!"
-Bill Hicks

cost: 2 silver per use
duration: four to eight hours of mumblings about "spaces... that are... not spaces"

Many drug users are convinced that, while high, they experience the divine; this substance leaves little room for doubt. The beings contacted are not always friendly or helpful. I probably don't have to say it, but this is a great way to usher in an alignment change, start on the path to infernal wizardry, or convert to a new (much scarier) religion.

I use simplified rules for Contact Other Plane. The user is limited to ONE question. Some users might not know they even get a question (first timers, chumps, recreational users, etc). If this is the case, the answer should pertain to something the user has considered recently. It could be "How do we pass that trap on level 4?" as easily as "what's for dinner?".

Whenever someone uses the Water, roll on both tables:

ANSWER: Roll 1d6
1 - Entity contacted knows the answer and replies truthfully, but in images and metaphors.
2 - Knows the answer and lies.
3+ - Doesn't know the answer, may make something up or just not respond.

INSANITY: Roll 1d6
1-2 - No adverse effects.
3-5 - Insanity for 1d6 weeks, as in Contact Other Plane.
6 - Possession! Save vs. spells (or Will DC 20+) or in thrall of otherworldly entities. Remove Curse or more powerful spell to cure, if your friends find out before it's too late...

- SOULSIGHT -

"Your denial is beneath you, and thanks to the use of hallucinogenic drugs, I see through you."
-Bill Hicks

cost: 1d6 silver per use
duration: 30 minutes. Side effects 1d6 hours of sweaty, tight-jawed fear

For thirty minutes, users can see into the astral plane with the help of this drug. Any non-spellcaster or normal will be stunned at the visions, and can only sit and stare incoherently. When this effect wears off, the side effects are even scarier. The user believes that they can see other beings' alignments, as the Know Alignment spell. What actually happens is they see everyone's alignment as the opposite of what it really is, on at least one axis. This causes intense paranoia as every shopkeeper, peasant and passerby is likely chaotic, maybe evil and out to get them.

When the drug wears off, the user might intellectually know that the side effects cause paranoia and fear, but their assessments of their neighbours' character will only disappear over long periods of time, and are reinforced with subsequent uses of the drug.

- THE ORIGINAL WILD GARLIC MEMORY -

cost: 5 gold per use
duration: 1d6 hours of green kaleidoscope hallucinations and tree-huggerism

Distilled by the Academy of Fruit from various rare herbs that grow only in their valley of endless summertime, this clear, foul-smelling tincture grants its user visions of ancient times, when only plants covered the world and animals hadn't yet crawled out of the sea. This grants the user a limited form of Speak With Plants. The user cannot speak with perfect fluency, and only basic ideas or questions can be communicated - like traveling to another country and skimming the phrasebook on the plane. Also, users have trouble interacting with other animals for this time, reducing fluency in their own languages to the same level.

- ERASURE -

cost: 1d6x10 gold per use
duration: 1d6 days of zombie servitude
save: poison (or Fortitude DC 20). PCs can make a new save each day if you're feeling generous. Hirelings, peasants and other 0-level redshirt types should only get one, or none.

This is a concoction made from grave dirt, the blood of a human sacrifice, herbs harvested from a crossroads at midnight and other such ingredients. Used by malicious priests and overlords to keep their servants docile and working beyond the limits of human endurance, and to create ready helpers for the blasphemous activities they indulge in.

Makes the user into a mindless automaton, easily dictated to by the first person met after dosing. He follows orders in any language he knows, to the best of his ability. He continues his tasks until they are completed, not stopping to eat or rest until collapsing. If ordered to do something obviously suicidal, another saving throw is possible. It's clear to any observer that an Erasure user is under some sort of control - the slackened face and awkward jerking movements will betray this immediately.

Creatures fighting under the influence of Erasure are less coordinated, but they don't feel pain and will fight on without fear regardless of bodily damage.

Labyrinth Lord:
2 extra HD
+2 to damage rolls, -2 to attack rolls
Morale 12

Pathfinder:
+4 STR & CON
-4 DEX
does not become disabled below 0 HP, but still stuffers bleeding damage every round until death at negative CON

When the effects wear off, the user will have vague and confused memories of what happened - perhaps writing off the experience as a bad dream or a night of heavy drinking. Long-term consumption of Erasure has powerful side effects however. For every subsequent time the drug is taken, the saving throw incurs a -1 penalty (I would bump this to -2 in Pathfinder). When this would make it impossible to successfully save, the subject's personality has been so degraded that it's basically gone - leaving him a hopeless thrall of whoever administered the powder.

- KEY 17 -

cost: 1d6+6x10 gold per use
duration: 1d4 hours
save: poison (or Fortitude DC 25)

This one is originally from my favorite comic book. Also called "the word-drug", this magical poison (which some believe is an invasion of the material plane by an outsider composed of pure language) causes those who take it to see, instead of words, the objects they describe. For example: An interrogator injects his prisoner with Key 17 and then shows him a sign which reads "your loved ones, held hostage," informing him they'll be killed if he doesn't cooperate.

The possibilites are endless, but it could quite easily swing your game into hallucinogenic visionquests or terrible powergaming, so use it wisely.

Brought to you by headhunter.

Looking ahead?

Well, well, well. Here we are, another month later with no posts! I admit that I often get into a cycle like this, installing 5 new computer games or maybe playing Ogre Battle for the 3rd try without getting anything else done. Recently, one of my roommates bought Skyrim and I play that a little, or mostly watch him play it. It's one of the few games I can think of that are just as much fun to watch as they are to play. So much so, that if I watch much more of it I don't think there will be much for my own character to do! Maybe I'm getting old, but once I've spectated on a quest, I don't feel like getting into it with my own character. It's fun, but I think I preferred Daggerfall.

I notice over at Dreams In The Lich House that Beedo has posted up a look at his blog's first year, and the status of the goals he set himself at the beginning. This could be a good idea, and I'm sure I could work up some modest aspirations for "Terrible Sorcery: year one."

What's going to come up in the near future though? Well, I can promise three things. Some updates to my home game, as a new player begins to tug things in a different direction; some musings I have about classic movies and D&D; and my contribution to the xmas-y goodness of Secret Santicore!

this post brought to you by the black light district.

hunt the pixel

I read about this thing.

It got me thinking about last month, when my brother Tim came to visit for a week and we rolled him up a cleric for my Pathfinder game at home. Within the first few minutes of his introduction, I saw that his methods of play were drastically different from my regular group. He drilled me for background information on the setting, and I had some prepared but I really had to be quick on my feet to build up the details of the Empire the PCs all lived in. Before his character even had equipment!

Now Tim and I grew up together, obviously, and had the same formative experiences in the hobby. What I didn't realize is how much difference it makes. While the 'hunt-the-pixel' gameplay of the old Sierra adventure games has been mentioned (and sure, that aspect wasn't very good), I think those very same games trained my brother and I to play D&D the way we do.

A few examples:

-my regular players (there are three), upon arrival in the tiny frontier town where my game is based, did not bother with anything except the blacksmith and the inn. With equipment on and rooms paid for, they headed out into the wilds. Following an old treasure map, they fought a few randoms, went past a waterfall and finally reached the ruined fort (the evening's dungeon).

-Tim scoured the town for clues: he entered the barracks for an interview with the guard-captain (finding the town notice board in the process); went inside the church to see the town's records and pump the clergy for info; wandered around outside town speaking with every peasant and farmer he could find; and finally checked into the tavern for the night. He woke up the next day, did it all again, and THEN headed into the wilderness. While traveling through the forest, he peered (no one else bothered) into the waterfall, tried to climb behind it, took his armour off and swam down into the pool at the bottom! I never said anything about the waterfall, it's just there! It's there because there is a river and a cliff and waterfalls are what happens when you combine them.

But this is what Tim and I learned from those Sierra adventure games: look everywhere, try everything, talk with everyone, take anything not nailed down. That's how you gather information and how you solve puzzles, and I think D&D is the same. Didn't stick your hand into the dirty water at the bottom of the old fountain? Well you missed a few coins, and maybe some other cool thing. Even when I had to ask my dad for help in those games (I was pretty young at the time), the solutions made sense when they were shown to me. You need salt water? Well, Valanice starts crying every time she looks at that memento of her lost daughter Rosetta... get it?

Yes, sometimes this devolves into hunt-the-pixel bullshit, which everyone hates. But it doesn't have to. If you do your homework and the DM (or game designer) is playing fair, you'll have at least an idea of how to tackle any given puzzle, because you're learning about the game world and its logic all the time. And that key you picked up 3 adventures back? Well, it just might unlock that big adamantine vault...