So I've been hard at work yesterday and today working on getting a diagram of the inner planes for the Tale complete.

Here it is for your viewing pleasure:

Reveille

Zarathas Moonscale
Male Dragonborn Paladin
Level 1, Lawful Good

Str: 16 +3
Con: 14 +2
Dex: 8 -1
Int: 12 +1
Wis: 14 +2
Cha: 16 +3

AC: 19
Fort: 15
Ref: 12
Will: 14
Init: -1
Spd: 5

Hit Points: 29 Bloodied: 14
Healing Surge: 9 Per Day: 12

Basic Attacks:
Longsword: +6, 1d8+4

Attacks:
Breath (minor; encounter):
- Close Blast 3; str+2 vs ref; +5; 1d6+2 (cold)
Holy Strike (standard; at-will):
- +6 vs AC, 1d8+4 (+2 if marked) (radiant)
Bolstering Strike (standard; at-will):
- +6 vs AC, 1d8+4 & gain 2 temp.HP
Radiant Smite (standard; encounter):
- +6 vs AC, 2d8+6 (radiant)
Paladin's Judgement (standard; daily):
- +6 vs AC, 3d8+4 & one ally within 5 can spend healing surge
- miss: one ally within 5 can spend healing surge

Feats: Weapon Focus (Heavy Blade)

Skills:
Passive Insight 12
Passive Perception 12
Endurance 5
Heal 7
History 8
Religion 6

Race and Class Features:
Draconic Heritage
Dragonborn Fury
Dragon Breath
Channel Divinity
Divine Challenge
Lay on Hands

Prayers:
At Will: Holy Strike, Bolstering Strike
Encounter: Radiant Smite
Daily: Paladin's Judgement

Equipment: Plate Armor (50gp), Light Shield (5gp), Longsword (15gp),
Standard Adventurer's Kit (15gp), Holy Symbol (10gp), 50sp.

Blackrat

The shadowfused template builds on the shadowtouched alternate advancement, and represents an even greater infusion of necrotic energy into the base creature. This increases its necrotic resistance and general toughness, and allows it to strike back with necrotic energy against its attackers, and to use its necrotic smite ability more often.

Prerequisite: Shadowtouched alternate advancement

Shadowfused
XP elite
Defenses +2 to three highest defenses
Resist increase necrotic resistance by 5
Saving Throws +2
Action Points 1
Hit Points double hit points of shadowtouched creature

Powers
Necrotic Backlash
An adjacent creature that damages the shadowfused creature with a melee attack or an attack with the Weapon keyword takes necrotic damage equal to 2 + 1/2 the shadowfused creature's level.
Necrotic Smite
The shadowfused creature's necrotic smite also recharges when first bloodied.

The shadowfused template does not change the base creature's origin. However, a successful Arcana check allows a character to recognize that a creature is shadowfused, even if he is unable to identify the base creature, and to know the powers and resistances of the shadowfused template, as per the rules for monster knowledge checks.

The following example applies the shadowfused template to the shadowtouched gray wolf.

Shadowfused Gray Wolf, Level 3 Elite Skirmisher
Medium natural beast (XP 300)

Initiative +5
Senses Perception +7; darkvision
HP 92; Bloodied 46; see also bloodied retaliation
AC 19; Fortitude 17, Reflex 17, Will 13
Resist 10 necrotic
Speed 8

Bite (standard; at-will)
+7 vs. AC; 1d6 + 2 damage, or 2d6 + 2 damage against a prone target or against the target of its bloodied retaliation (see below)
Combat Advantage
If the shadowfused gray wolf has combat advantage against the target, the target is also knocked prone on a hit.
Necrotic Smite (standard; recharges when first bloodied, encounter) * Necrotic
The shadowfused gray wolf makes a bite attack. If it hits, it deals an additional 6 necrotic damage and the target is weakened (save ends).
Necrotic Backlash
An adjacent creature that damages the shadowfused gray wolf with a melee attack or an attack with the Weapon keyword takes 3 necrotic damage.
Bloodied Retaliation
The shadowfused gray wolf gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against the creature that first bloodies it in an encounter.

Alignment Unaligned
Languages –
Str 13 (+2) Dex 14 (+3) Wis 13 (+2)
Con 14 (+3) Int 3 (-3) Cha 10 (+1)

FireLance

So, while I'm here, I figure I should reveal the specifics of my experience system.

Characters in The Awakening grow organically. Skills that they use during play will improve, while skills that they ignore will not.

All skills begin play at a base rating of 20 (this rating ignores a character's training or base attributes, so even if you focus on a skill, your base score will begin play at 20). When they reach a rating of 30 and 50, (and 40, if the character has declared that skill his expert skill), they grant a special ability, similar to a feat in D&D.

For example, and these are just quick notes that could change later, if you can get your Firearms skill up to 30, all firearms you use will deal one more point of damage. If you get it to 40 (possible only if you made firearms your expert skill), you can fire a weapon three times per round, instead of two.

Of course, you use firearms more than you'll use Barter. Because of this, skills that are very commonly used give less of a bonus than rarely-used skills (Barter, for example, gives you some great discounts on gear, and lets you spend an adrenaline point to just happen to have a piece of gear "on hand").

Each psychic power relies on one of four psychic skills. As your psychic skill improves, it unlocks new uses of your psychic power - sort of like different "levels" of a related spell. In D&D, this would be something like starting with Burning Hands, building it up to Flaming Sphere, and then unlocking a Fireball.

Now, how does the actual process of improving a skill work? Basically, whenever you roll a "0" in the ones column of a percentile roll, whether you succeed or fail, you make an immediate "levelling check".

If that result is HIGHER than your base rating in the skill (again, this base rating ignores any bonuses you may have from training or a high attribute; if you allocate points to them in Character Creation, your chances of improving a skill will not be affected), it improves by 1%.

This results in a slow rate of progression, but players will feel a definite sense of reward as their skills improve. Of course, there will be variants (each increase is by 2%, or maybe if you roll a "0" on either the tens or ones column will trigger a possible levelling chance, or maybe something else).

Wik

So, I've hit a snag. I'm still working on my "basic mechanics" section, and I'm trying to write out the rules allowing for characters to take multiple actions. Unfortunately, while I know what I want to do mechanically, I'm having a very hard time writing it down.

A quick primer on the system:

1) Players declare their actions at the start of their turn, and can't deviate (Well, they can, but there are a few drawbacks to doing this).

2) If they take only one action (moving, shooting, or whatever else), they get a +10% bonus on the attempt. (Essentially, "aiming").

3) If they take two actions, neither action has a penalty (so, they could shoot a gun twice). For every additional action, ALL actions suffer a cumulative -10% penalty. So, if a character moves behind cover (1 action), fires his gun twice (2 more actions), and then throws a grenade (1 action), he suffers a -20% on all checks made during that round.

4) If any skill is reduced to a level of 10% or lower (before difficulty modifiers are applied), it automatically fails. If you have no training and no attribute bonuses, your base skill is 20%. Meaning, don't shoot your gun three times a round if you're not trained!

5) If you take an action outside of your turn (perhaps from an adrenaline ability, or maybe if I institute an "out of turn dodge" rule), it counts as an action on your next turn.

6) You cannot perform the same action more than twice in a round. So, you can't fire the same pistol three times in a round (unless you have an ability that allows it). You can take two move actions, but not three (instead of a normal move, you can choose to "run", which gives you a minimum +10 feet bonus, or more if you take two run actions).

So, that's the rules... but I'm havign a helluva time writing them down clearly. It's sort of like writer's block. Which sucks... I want to get past the pure "rules" of the game (Mechanics, Levelling, and Combat) to start writing character options (particularly the skills chapter, and the psychic powers chapter).

Wik

Session 11

Tonight's session was a test of the pacing of 4e. I made it clear to the players coming into the evening that I had prepared at least six encounters for us to get through. No skill challenges, limited RP, which fit with the theme of the adventure. I did a 10 min recap at the beginning and we were off on a dark dwarf hunt! I wanted to see how many encounters we could play through, if really focused and engaged, in three hours. My hopes going into this experiment was that we would complete from four to six encounters, and optimally five or six (completing an encounter in an average of around 30 minutes).

In three hours, we were able to complete...three encounters. Almost exactly. For a fifth level party, these were an EL 6, EL 6, and EL5. The battles were pitched, and provided an "appropriate" level of threat, without being overwhelming. They required consistent use of encounter powers, action points, and a couple of daily powers. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. One of my players pointed out, however, that the pacing of the action in 4e is different. It rarely if ever feels like you're waiting "a long time" for your next turn, and that the action is consistent and well paced. Each encounter typically lasted for 6 or more rounds, so that's averaging a round about every ten minutes, with six players and five to eleven villains all taking turns. In conclusion, the pacing is very different than previous editions of the game, and there are few, if any, quick combats or quick encounters. With the limited actions, reduced damage/attack, and the elimination of "insta-kill", most encounters will need to be played out fully for five or more rounds to determine the outcome.

The first encounter tonight led the party to the trading post in the Seven Pillared Hall of Clan Grimmerzhul. Having completed an extended rest following the Chamber of Eyes, the party was ready to find the missing slaves, and punish responsible. The encounters with the duergar were fun. Their abilities were interesting (compared to kobolds, goblins, and hobgoblins). The Theurge's abilities were powerful, and caused the party to stop and take notice. Notably, these encounters held no minions, so there was a pitched battle at every turn for the party. Some unlucky player dice, and some EXTREMELY hot dice for the DM made the trading post encounter closer than it should have been. Everyone survived, but second winds, healing words, and a whole bunch of healing surges were blown. My favorite moment was running a duergar out one of the windows of the trading post, which surprised several party members that were staying out of the fray and casting from just outside the door.

The party quickly proceeded to the Horned Hold. I broke the hold down into three encounter areas. North Tower, South Tower, and West Tower. The north tower held orc berserkers, duergar scouts, and the master smith. I LOVED the re-charge invisibility on the scouts. The healing on the bloodied orc berserkers put an interesting twist on these brutes. The master smith's "heat metal" encounter power was a very cool, and was an elegant interpretation of this power. What an interesting and unique way to flavor this npc. The smith's power also pleasantly didn't have a "standalone" sub-system of things to track, along with who was affected, who was holding what type of weapon, etc! My players began to see the emerging theme of the dwarves, and their historical "in-game" abilities: invis, poison, warhammers, psionic blast. On one hand, they were jealous, "why can't I get that spell/power???" On the other hand, they noticed and appreciated how each type of villain they fought added a unique, flavorful and memorable punch to the encounter. One player even wondered aloud, what will their enlarge be like?

The south tower held Rundarr, the Duergar Champion, two more Duergar Scouts, and two Duergar guards. I LOVED the build on Rundarr, and it was an awesome moment when as an immediate reaction he polymorphed into a size large creature. Just awesome! I had the primary fighter at the time down below bloodied, and the tables were suddenly turned! Both the fighter and a nearby warlock found themselves "based" to this beast, and bloodied! Of course, we got to see that the cleric ALSO got a new daily power, which came in very handy here to help heal, while the other party fighter jumped in to take the lead with Rundarr.

At this point, we had exhausted our three hours. We played through three good encounters, but they took every bit of three hours to run back-to-back. We decided to press on and complete this part of the adventure for the evening, and so I skipped the two encounters I'd prepared for the western tower (Ogre/Wights/Orcs and Duergar Thuerge/Guards). Instead we jumped to the finale, an EL 9 scenario with two elite bosses. I had combined the final two encounters (H7/H8) with two elites, two devils, two Duergar shock troops and two Duergar guards. This was a very, very tough fight. The party used their stealth to reach Murkelmor's inner sanctum. Positioned in the foyer (room 27) they heard the activity in both rooms 26 and 28. The warlock/thief came up with the action on the spot to use his thievery to bar/lock the door to room 26. Their hope was to prevent one group of opponents from engaging them, while they dealt with the others. The fighters charged into room 28 and confronted Murkelmor and his shock troops. The elite boss used his action point at the top of the combat with devastating effectiveness. When one of the shock troops went through the secret door adjoining the rooms, the party was SHOCKED. This was a great "in game" moment, and was a very nice complement to the designers of the adventure! The mage cast his stinking cloud into the room to discover the Duergar resistance to poison made it far less effective than it was in the Chamber of Eyes. The stinking cloud was then moved into the adjoining room through the secret door, in an effort to prevent those opponents from entering the melee. The elite caster came through from room 27, however, and used an action point to drop two very well placed AoE effects (fire and poison) on the entire party. Several lucky rolls later, and the party was seriously injured, and outgunned. Further compounding their problems, another lucky roll on the part of the villains led to them bursting down the blocked door, and the party was suddenly surrounded. Things looked dire, and I noticed the players noticeably slowing down and offering each other advice on optimal moves to position, obtain combat advantage, or use their daily and encounter abilities to maximum effect. One player commented that two elites, might have been too much. There was tension around the table at the prospect of a TPK. Dailies were flying, action points were all used. Several lucky critical attacks (one from a fighter daily power) turned the tide. As a strategy, one defender fighter tanked both of the elites, pinning the caster to either provoke OA's or not cast, while Murkelmor failed to strike his phenomenal AC. The other fighter quickly positioned himself to protect the casters in the back. Combined with the warlock's aura, and the wizard's stinking cloud, they made quick work of the guards and devils swooping in from behind. The ranger, cleric, and fighter in the front were able to hold their ground on the elites and shock troops, although almost all the players were in bloodied condition. One shock trooper finally fell, and then the other. Ganging up on the elites, the fighters were re-united, and now outnumbered, even two elites were outmatched by the consistent thrum of the player's damage machine. This was an excellent encounter. It was extremely challenging and demanded effective gameplay to survive. The players really had an opportunity to show off their "high end" powers, and also required teamwork to get every advantage they could use to position themselves to succeed.

By the time we were done, it was very late (an hour and a half to run the finale). Tallying up the XP, I commented that I find it interesting that although we're not hitting all the encounters in the book, it certainly seems like we're pacing ourselves to hit the appropriate XP thresholds required to level. I would hope to level about every other time that we game. Adding up the xp from the three encounters last week (Blood Reavers + Chamber of Eyes) and the four encounters this week (Trading Post + Horned Hold), we had enough "out of the book" XP for every member of the party to achieve sixth level! That pacing certainly matches my expectations. So, like many other things that are different from previous editions of the game, the pacing is not necessarily "worse" simply because it's different. If the player experience is such that it is more "action oriented" and "fast paced" and we are accomplishing the DM's goals for character development and pacing, then the system seems to be working as it was intended.

ashockney

FYI...

I just added two updates to my Realmsian Dragonstar story hour.

No I'm not kidding.

Knightfall1972

Rumil Amanth is elven ranger, and Faerwyn is his wolf companion.

Adventure Role: Rumil Amanth plays a key role in Challenge #4, when the PC is asked to mediate a dispute between him and the local farmer Kail Greenbough. The PC may also be able to obtain Rumil's help in fighting the shadowtouched gray wolf (see Challenge #5).

Physical Description: tall (for an elf); wiry; tanned skin; blue eyes; dark brown hair.

Personality Traits: dignified, guarded, reserved.

Key Game Stats:

Rumil Amanth, Level 1 Skirmisher
Medium fey humanoid, elf ranger (XP 100)

Initiative +2
Senses Perception +10; low-light vision
Group Awareness aura 5; non-elf allies in the aura gain a +1 racial bonus to Perception checks
HP 20; Bloodied 10
AC 15; Fortitude 14, Reflex 13, Will 13
Speed 7; see also wild step

Longsword (standard; at-will) * Weapon
+6 vs. AC; 1d8 + 3 damage.
() Longbow (standard; at-will) * Weapon
+4 vs. AC; 1d10 + 2 damage.
Predator Strike (standard; at-will) * Beast
Target must be adjacent to Rumil and Faerwyn; Faerwyn attacks the target; +5 vs. AC; 1d8 +5 damage, or 1d8 + 7 damage if Faerwyn has combat advantage against the target.
Synchronized Strike (standard; encounter) * Beast, Weapon
Target must be adjacent to Rumil and Faerwyn; Faerwyn attacks the target; +5 vs. AC; 1d8 +2 damage, or 1d8 + 4 damage if Faerwyn has combat advantage against the target.
Effect: Rumil makes a secondary attack against the target; +6 vs. Reflex; 1d8 + 3 damage.
Partnered Savaging (standard; daily) * Beast
Target must be adjacent to Faerwyn, but need not be adjacent to Rumil; Faerwyn attacks the target; +5 vs. AC; 2d8 + 2 damage, or 2d8 + 4 damage if Faerwyn has combat advantage against the target.
Effect: If the target is Rumil's quarry, he can shift 3 squares and make a basic attack against it.
Elven Accuracy (free; encounter)
Rumil can reroll an attack roll. He must use the second roll, even if it’s lower.
Hunter's Quarry (minor; at-will)
Rumil can designate the enemy nearest to him that he can see or the enemy nearest to Faerwyn that he can see as his quarry. Once per round, he or Faerwyn can deal +1d6 damage to his quarry. This effect remains active until the end of the encounter, until the quarry is defeated, or until he designates a different target as his quarry.
Wild Step
Rumil ignores difficult terrain when he shifts.

Alignment Good
Languages Common, Elven
Str 16 (+3) Dex 15 (+2) Wis 16 (+3)
Con 12 (+1) Int 11 (+0) Cha 10 (+0)
Equipment hide armor, longsword, longbow, 30 arrows

- - - - -

Faerwyn, Level 1 Wolf Companion
Medium natural beast (XP -)

Initiative uses Rumil's initiative
Senses Perception +7; see also Rumil's group awareness
HP 22; Bloodied 11
AC 15; Fortitude 13, Reflex 13, Will 14
Speed 7

Bite (standard; at-will)
+5 vs. AC; 1d8 + 2 damage.
Combat Advantage
Faerwyn gains a +2 bonus to damage rolls when it has combat advantage against a target.

Alignment Unaligned
Languages –
Skills Endurance +7
Str 14 (+2) Dex 14 (+2) Wis 14 (+2)
Con 14 (+2) Int 6 (-2) Cha 6 (-2)

Rumil and Faerwyn are separate creatures and have separate hit points, but they share the same pool of actions in each round of combat (except for move actions; see below). As a standard action, Rumil may use one of his own basic attacks. If Faerwyn is able to attack, he may also use a standard action to command it to make a basic attack, or to activate one of his powers with the Beast keyword. If Rumil is unable to command Faerwyn, it may use a standard action to make a basic attack only. If Rumil takes a move action, he may also command Faerwyn to take a move action. The two move actions need not be the same.

FireLance

Kail Greenbough is a prosperous local farmer, and Blackie is his pet dog.

Adventure Role: Kail Greenbough plays a key role in Challenge #4, when the PC is asked to mediate a dispute between him and the elf ranger Rumil Amanth. Knowledge of Kail's full name and Blackie's name should also help the PC solve the lock puzzle in Challenge #2.

Physical Description: middle-aged; tall; burly; tanned skin; black eyes; graying black hair. Blackie is a black, wolf-like dog similar to an Alsatian.

Personality Traits: blunt, gruff, stubborn.

Key Game Stats:

Kail Greenbough, Level 1 Adjunct
Medium natural humanoid, human (XP 50)

Initiative +0
Senses Perception +1
HP 14; Bloodied 7
AC 14; Fortitude 13, Reflex 12, Will 12
Speed 6

Club (standard; at-will) * Weapon
+5 vs. AC; 6 damage.

Alignment Unaligned
Languages Common
Str 14 (+2) Dex 10 (+0) Wis 13 (+1)
Con 12 (+1) Int 13 (+1) Cha 11 (+0)
Equipment club

- - - - -

Blackie, Level 1 Adjunct
Medium natural beast (XP 50)

Initiative +4
Senses Perception +6
HP 15; Bloodied 7
AC 15; Fortitude 13, Reflex 13, Will 12
Speed 6

Bite (standard; at-will)
+6 vs. AC; 6 damage.

Alignment Unaligned
Languages -
Str 13 (+1) Dex 14 (+2) Wis 13 (+1)
Con 14 (+2) Int 2 (-4) Cha 10 (+0)

FireLance

I wanted to express to everyone how grateful I am for your participation in the various threads and blog posts I have been making as of late. However I also wanted you to make you aware of why I have not always been able to respond to your various posts, even when I have desired to do so.

At this moment I am involved in many different things. I run my own freelance non-fiction writing business, and lately I have been trying my hand at writing fiction as well. So work has been keeping me very busy. I am also renovating my home (I bought my father's old estate), am helping to homeschool my children, and on occasion I still consult on certain criminal cases. More rarely - but still every now and then - I also consult, invest in, or advise on various business start-up and investment ventures or IPOs. I help run various mission and ministry projects at my church, am now one of the treasurers, and when I have the opportunity I am also still keeping my hand at work on some of my newer inventions. I'm also co-writing and helping to do the basic illustrations on a graphic novel. And finally my Great Dane bitch just littered, so now I have seven new-born puppies to tend to, at least for the next two months or so, until their new owners come for them. So because of all of these things I'm not always able to respond to things on the internet, nor do I always have the time to do so, even when I so wish.

I didn't want anyone to think I was being dismissive of their questions, responses, or arguments. I'm not. And when I get the proper amount of time to respond effectively I'll try and do so.

I come to this site, and make postings here because it gives me an opportunity to relax and dismiss my mind from other matters, and to work on real world problems in the background of my thoughts while I think about other things (like gaming issues). It's the same reason I design games and become involved in projects like the contests I'm now involved in. I wish I had the time to discuss some of these matters in greater scope, but I don't always have that chance. Nevertheless I often find your comments interesting and generally try to read them all in detail. Often they give me ideas for other projects or allow me to think about my own idea sin a different way, and therefore better clarify my own propositions. That being said I'm simply too busy at the moment to respond in kind to every comment or inquiry. But it doesn't mean I haven't read and considered what you wrote. And I don't want to in any way discourage comment or debate in these threads or posts between those of you who do wish to carry on an argument or debate on some point or points of contention. Just don't take it personally if I can't always join in right now.

Jack7

I've read a lot of threads about fictional influences on games, gaming, and game design.

This thread isn't one of them.
(Thread Link: Indispensable and Valuable Non-Fiction Sources)

This thread is dedicated instead to some of the best non-fiction, historical, research efforts or projects, films, books, artwork, literary, mythological, religious, and other such sources that influence your game. By that I mean influence your setting or milieu, design, the monsters or NPCs you develop, storylines or plots you develop, and so forth. Anything really, related to your games.

I'll add more sources as I go along, these are just to start. Feel free to list and/or explain your own.


BOOKS

various books of the Bible
The Aeneid
The Golden Bough
The Realm of Prester John - this book was written by Robert Silverberg. I had no idea the man was capable of such meticulous historical research, not to mention outright fascinating conclusions on the subject
The Philokalia
A History of the Ancient World
The Enemy Within: A History of Espionage
Weapon
The Texans
The Riddle and the Knight


FILM/SERIES

Monsieur N - this brilliant work was historical speculation on what really happened with Napoleon during his exile and eventual death upon Saint Helena. I highly recommend this film. The opening scene, in which they are exhuming the body of Napoleon, is fantastic.
Band of Brothers - I don't think I need to say anything more for those who have seen this series.
Shackleton
Newton's Dark Secrets


TV

Futureweapons
Survivorman
Cities of the Underworld
Lost Worlds
Ancient Discoveries


LECTURE SERIES

Rings, Swords, and Monsters
From Here to Infinity
Empire of Gold
Eternal Chalice
A History of the Crusades


HISTORICAL GAMING SOURCES

Byzantium: Beyond the Golden Gate
various Osprey publications

Jack7

Sylvia Estarrion is the local wizard's apprentice. Though still relatively inexperienced, she has picked up the basics of alchemy and is able to make a few simple alchemical items.

Adventure Role: Sylvia's investigation into the origin of the attacking animals triggers the second part of the adventure. She may also serve as a source of alchemical items for the PC. She is able to make 1st-level alchemical items, but the PC must pay the necessary component costs. Although combat statistics are provided for Sylvia, she is generally unwilling to accompany the PC on adventures. Nonetheless, if a fight is going badly for the PC, the DM could have Sylvia show up fortuitously to render assistance.

Physical Description: average height; slim; fair complexion; black eyes; black shoulder-length hair.

Personality Traits: serious, pragmatic, cool-headed.

Key Game Stats:

Sylvia Estarrion, Level 1 Artillery
Medium natural humanoid, human wizard (XP 100)

Initiative +2
Senses Perception +2
HP 17; Bloodied 8
AC 14; Fortitude 11, Reflex 15, Will 15
Speed 6

Dagger (standard; at-will) * Weapon
+3 vs. AC; 1d4 damage.
() Magic Missile (standard; at-will) * Force
Ranged 20; +4 vs. Reflex; 2d4 + 4 force damage.
Scorching Burst (standard; at-will) * Fire
Area burst 1 within 10; +4 vs. Reflex; 1d6 + 4 fire damage.
Thunderwave (standard; at-will) * Thunder
Close blast 3; +4 vs. Fortitude; 1d6 + 4 thunder damage, and the target is pushed 2 squares.
Chill Strike (standard; encounter) * Cold
Ranged 10; +4 vs. Fortitude; 2d8 + 4 cold damage, and the target is dazed until the end of Sylvia's next turn.
Wand of Accuracy (free; encounter) * Implement
Requires wand; Sylvia gains a +2 bonus to a single attack roll.

Alignment Good
Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Arcana +9, Dungeoneering +7, Nature +7.
Str 10 (+0) Dex 14 (+2) Wis 14 (+2)
Con 11 (+0) Int 18 (+4) Cha 10 (+0)
Equipment robes, wand, dagger

FireLance

Step 2: Effects, the Artist and Pygmalia.

Objects – Most Knacks produce Effects. Effects are the output of any use of a Knack, and they remain for the duration. At any point, a character may have a number of Effects powered equal to triple his Breath rating. This does not mean that a character need have only that many Effects in play; an Artist, for example, may produce multiple Pygmalia for different purposes, or use Aesthetic to improve multiple effects. However, only so many Effects may be currently 'powered' at any point. Effects close to the character must be powered up first; thus, a Hobo may have hundreds of Signs spread around the country, but most likely only the Signs found in his current locale are active at the current time.

An Effect may be granted a more Permanent effect for the cost of Experience. Such an Effect becomes known as an Object. An Object may be passed on to others, granted as a tool, but it comes with a price.

While an Effect serves only to benefit, an Object comes with both a Boon and a Bane. The Boon (the Effect) remains the same; the Bane, however, is an effect determined by the Talespinner (DM) which links the Object to its Effect, its creator, or the substance it is made from. An Object comes at the cost of the Effect's Power * 15.

A Hobo Sign (Pennies from Heaven) allows for a Hobo to have access to enough money to get by as long as the Hobo keeps the effect active. The Hobo wishes to grant this effect to another; he makes a small leather satchel, marks it with the Sign on the interior, and binds the Effect to the Object (with an expenditure of experience. This magic wallet comes with a price however; others don't trust such a suspiciously well-heeled gentleman. Any social interactions the wallet's bearer has with the public suffer a -3 penalty to their dice pool. This item costs 30 XP to produce (as Pennies from Heaven is a 2nd Level Hobo Sign).

Example of Notation of Knacks Effects:

Name (Knack Level) (Tied to: [Attribute] + [Skill]) [Controlled by [Attribute, Skill, or Knack +/- (Difficulty Alteration)]

Name: The Knack itself. If there is a (Knack Level), this is an ability which the Knack allows a character to produce. A character must have this rating to perform this specific use of the Knack.

(Tied to: [Attribute] + [Skill]) These are the Attribute and Skill which are combined in a roll to perform the Knack.

[Controlled by [Attribute, Skill, or Knack +/- (Difficulty Alteration) This is the Attribute, Skill, or Knack which determines the amount of Successes required for the Knack to succeed. Knacks are balanced against other talents.


The Artist -



“I am that which I create . . . I am a swirl of color, the dash of pen, the markings upon my body. I am the cut which rends, the seal which binds, and the forge which burns.”
Arnold Pith, Artist.

Those born on Saturday must make their ways in life, but the Artist learns to draw, carve, or paint his way to eternity. With his masteries of Inspiration, Creation, and his unique Aesthetic, an Artist can separate the essence of being into a quantifiable item. While Builders forge using Craft, Artists use a combination of their skills to produce Pygmalia, living embodiments of their spirit. Passionate, calculating, or simply through chance, the Artist uses their talent to make the world they live in a place which reflects their own design.

Tied Abilities: Breath, Bearing, Bile. Artists have strong whims; whether the Artist is in control of them or vice versa is up to the player. Most enjoy the company of the Artist, and his unique ability to place his soul within his works separates the Artist from most other Knacks.


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Unique Ability: Aesthetic (Tied to: Breath + Creativity [Controlled by Appropriate Skill]) -

An artist may use Aesthetic to make something better than it once was. Through the use of Aesthetic, the Artist alters his own or another's Object, in effect making the Object more than it once was.

Usage: An Artist expends a single point of Destiny and focuses on an Object. Using tools appropriate to the Object, the Artist grants an additional Boon or Bane to the object if he passes an Aesthetic Test equal to the Object's Power. An Artist may only attempt an Aesthetic check on an Object if his Aesthetic rating is at the same level as the Object's Power – 1, and his rating in the appropriate Skill tied to the Object is equal to the Object's Power. The Boon or Bane granted is equal

Example: An Artist with a Breath of 3, Creativity and Craft ranks of 2, and an Aesthetic of 3 comes across a Hobo Sign (Pennies from Heaven). The magic wallet is useful, but its bane has become difficult to deal with for the Artist. Pennies from Heaven is a Level 2 Hobo Sign, and thus the Artist must have at least one point of Aesthetic. The Artist makes a roll of 5 dice, making two successes (enough to beat both the Craft and Knack requirements). The Artist succeeds in improving the wallet, reducing the effect of the Bane (to -2). If this were a definable Boon effect, the Artist could improve the Boon's power by a factor appropriate to the item.

An Artist's Aesthetic fades with time and opinion; each time the Artist applies Aesthetic to another item, he must make a Breath check against the closest enhanced item's Power. If this roll fails, the previous Aesthetic effect is lost.

Aesthetic may not be applied to the same item twice, save to replace an older version of the Aesthetic, or by a more power Artist affecting a more powerful Change.
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Pygmalia (Skill) – (Creation 2, Tied to: Breath + Craft [Controlled by Relevant Skill + 2]). Cost: 10*(Relevant skill Rank) XP.

“A work of art is fine, but I prefer something more. . . practical.”
-Melinda Carlisle, Artist.

Pygmalia, also known as Servitors, are pieces of art made reality. The ultimate achievement of the Artist, Pygmalia are created via a ritual which can take hours or days to complete. An Artist must be focused on the creation exclusively.

A Pygmalia is akin to a Spirit made into an objet d'art. Pygmalia are the artist's will made flesh, and they provide benefits to rolls made while the Artist is in a Pygmalia's presence.

Usage: The Artist expends a Destiny point, and makes the check. Each set of rolls takes one day.

Success: If the Pygmalia is a success, the Artist has a boon companion. The creature is a homunculus with a personality similar to the Artist, but a mind-expanding knowledge of a specific skill. A Pygmalia starts with a Power of 1, and grants a bonus equal to its Power to the Artist in the relevant skill. In effect, the Pygmalia is a beneficial 'boost' Effect which can allow for a boost in a skill far and above what an individual can gain from the particular skill. A Pygmalia's maximum power is equal to the Artist's rank in the appropriate skill at creation +1.

Example: Melinda, wishing to improve her Firearms skill, creates a small cowboy figurine to serve as a Pygmalia. The Artist has a Breath of 3, Craft of 3, and Firearms of 3. The figurine will require at least 5 Successes to produce such an object, but it will have a potential to increase its power to a Power 4 Pygmalia. Each set of rolls represents one day; After four sets of rolls (unlucky Melinda) the 5 required successes are achieved. After four days the breath of life enters, and the small figurine is ready for Melinda's keychain.

Boost: A Pygmalia follows the same rules for creation, but XP costs are halved. A Pygmalia is easier to boost than create, and serves well for its creator.

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Here's the rough for the Artist; the Hobo will hopefully be aligned. I really want this game to be very fluid; imagination is extremely important, and all powers will be considered 'guidelines'. Balance is something which the group determines, not the book. I will most likely produce the basic Knacks, a couple of Uniques, and then go from there. I am also trying to figure out a good balance for the creation of Pygmalia which operate as creatures . . . right now, it's in the head but not in the hands. All notations welcome .

Good Gaming,

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

So, I've started work on my entry for The RPG Design Contest! I've got to admit, I'm excited and a little nervous at the same time. There's a lot to get done, and it seems hard to figure out where to start!

I decided to start things off with the basic game rules, because, well, that's probably a pretty good place to start! What's surprised me is how long it takes to write in rules-speak... I have about four pages of game rules (and another 4 pages of point-form notes) in my "official" draft - and it took me a good two hours to type up.

Doing the math in my head (I'm excellent at math, apparently), that means to get 50 pages of work done I'll need to spend a total of 25 hours. And that's not counting play-testing time, rewrites, editing... gah. Luckily, I'm thinking if I spend three hours a week on my game, I should be hunky-dorey.

Of course, I only have a half-hour break at work each day to work on this project... and I only work 4.5 days a week (5 on one week, 4 on the other - I love government work!), meaning I'll have to spend some home time on this. Oh well. I never had much of a life, anyways.

So, here's my first preview of The Awakening (I changed the name, because it seems cooler than "The Dreamers").

A few quick explanations:

1) Difficulty Numbers: I arrived at these numbers by comparing them to 3rd edition D&D, and finding I generally liked how the probability of character actions worked out. A character averages around +10% on an attribute, and if he has even basic training, he'll have a +10% modifier, meaning a base chance of success around 40%. Since I have a few rules that will allow characters to improve their odds of success (Spending adrenaline points, invoking a character's aspect, etc...), that seems like a good place to start.

As a sidenote, I found out after writing these numbers down last week that the DN's are the exact same as those used by Chaosium in their universal game system (a la Call of Cthulu). I'd just like to say that I've never played a Chaosium game, and only skimmed over their rules before. So, it looks like we had the same starting place, and use the same logic to come across our numbers. It's good for me, because it tells me that I'm doing something right if I get the same numbers that a company like Chaosium got.

2) Opposed Tests: They seem weird, what with "use the highest if both succeed, and use the highest if both fail", but it's easy to remember (important in any game, I think) and it works. If PC #1 has a 75% chance of success, and PC #2 has a 25% chance of success, and they both fail, odds are pretty good PC #1 will still be rolling higher than PC #2 (#1 will be rolling at least 76 to fail a skill, while #2 will be failing on anything higher than 26).

3) Degree of Success: Originally, much of my design hinged on a system sort of like that in Savage Worlds (where characters can score "raises" to up their degree of success). But, I've realized that this system doesn't port well to a percentile system, and so I dropped much my degree system. However, degrees do come into play when characters make attack rolls (they indicate extra damage - a character's attack roll and damage roll are the same roll in The Awakening).

4) Automatic Success or Failure: I had a more complex system, and it may come into play, but it was too confusing and fiddly. I figured I should go with a simple system like this; it saves page space and makes the game easier to play.

5) Extended Tests: I borrowed this concept from Shadowrun 4th edition. I need to figure out a table for Extended Tests in play (i.e., the average interval of a test, and the number of points needed for each type of test), but that's something to worry about later. Right now, I think I'm headed in the right direction.

Coming Up...
Next time, I plan on showing off my multi-action system (based off an idea from the old d6 Star Wars RPG), the character Aspect system (I got the idea from Earthdawn, though I don't think anyone else will see that), and the feature of the game I'm most excited about - the in-game improvement system! (Unique to RPGs, to the best of my knowledge... my brother has aptly compared it to the CRPG Oblivion)

Wik

Joel Fleurman is an extremely busy young man. As the village clerk, he handles administrative work such as the recording of births, deaths, and other important events. As the local representative of the Five Stars Trading Company, he runs the general store, co-ordinates the shipment of farm produce out of the village, and arranges for the purchase and delivery of items needed by the villagers. As the village healer, he is often asked to visit the farmhouses to tend to the sick.

Adventure Role: Joel's role in this adventure is to provide information, direction, and some basic support services to the PC. Though technically only a minor bureaucrat (and not even a full-time one, at that), he is the closest thing the village has to a representative of the local government, and he does have the best interests of the village at heart. Hence, if he thinks that the PC can help solve a problem faced by the village, he will bring it to his attention and will also help him to the best of his ability. If the PC contracts a disease, Joel can use his healing skills to help him recover. If the PC wants to buy or sell equipment, he may do so through Joel.

Physical Description: short; thin; freckles; brown eyes; short brown hair.

Personality Traits: bureaucratic, excitable, often complains about how overworked he is.

Key Game Stats:

Alignment Lawful Good
Languages Common
Skills Heal +6, History +6, Insight +6, Streetwise +6.
Str 10 (+0) Dex 12 (+1) Wis 13 (+1)
Con 11 (+0) Int 13 (+1) Cha 12 (+1)

FireLance