Fantasy Core Ireland Setting--Groups Part 1

FANTASY CORE RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2012
Published here as Open Game Content.

Index

Elves and the Fey: Magical beings. The elves are human-like. Others are less so. There are also enchanted, intelligent animals, such as unicorns, who are also part of the Fey. There is a palace and a court of the Fey who rule the Otherworld. The rest of the magical world is a sylvan paradise. Elves are usually very haughty and take offense easily and have long memories. They tend towards mischief and whimsical motives when interacting with humans, but they are capable of love and loyalty. The Fey cannot survive outside of the Otherworld for more than a day.  They are able to visit the mortal world during the day, but only while heavily cloaked.  All of their abilities, spell use, and such would be zeroed out.  If killed on the surface, their bodies will disappear in the daylight.  While immortal, the Fey are fading from reality.

Leprechauns: People of Lugh, sun god of the fey. They are a particularly mischievous clan of fey creatures, often prone to taunting humans. They have weakness and fondness for gold.

Dwarves: A short, ugly, greedy people. Only males have been seen. If there are dwarf females, they are well hidden. Regardless of how they reproduce, the dwarves are a dying race and will one day disappear. This is probably due to the draining of magic into the Otherworld. (Just another reason to hate the elves.) There is one main dwarf city in the Underworld ruled by a king and several colonies. Dwarves usually keep to themselves, but are prone to vicious reprisals if provoked. They will make honorable business deals with humans. Dwarves are generally fearful of the upperworld, especially the outdoors. They can cross into the Otherworld without penalty, but are very uncomfortable there.  Dwarves can operate normally on the surface in daylight, but seldom do so for mostly psychological reasons.   

Fomorians: There are several Underworld cities of Fomorians, usually segregated into different clan cities (orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, etc). Other stronger, monsters often rule various tribes. There is a parliament of the various Fomorian races, but little to no unity. It convenes irregularly at various ceremonial spots (some on the surface). Constant intercine warfare has made the political geography very fluid.

They cannot tolerate daylight (they can only face it if heavily cloaked and all of their abilities would be zeroed out), but will sneak out at night to raid.  If killed on the surface, their bodies will disappear in the daylight.  They are able to live in the Otherworld, but are seldom allowed the opportunity. Fomorians are generally cowards and will only fight when they have an advantage, or are pressed into combat by a strong leader. However numerous they are, the Fomorians are a degenerate, inbred race, becoming ever more sterile and harmfully mutated. Again, this is likely due to the draining of magic into the Otherworld.

Tieflings and Half-Orcs: These are the unfortunate offspring of Fomorian and humans. The more humanish ones will try to blend into human society. The less humanish will favor their Fomorian side and act as their agents and spies for them. All of them are sterile.

Drow: The offspring of evil elves and Fomorians. They usually favor their Fomorian side and work towards undermining the Fey and taking over the Otherworld. They can cross into the Otherworld without penalty. Drow are all sterile.

Undead: Spirits and other undead haunt all over Ireland. Ancient dead haunt unhallowed ground (like a mass grave on an old battlefield or a cursed tomb) chained to haunt a location. The cursed dead also roam the lands. Wizards may also create undead, such as zombies and skeletons. Mythic methods include putting bodies in the Cauldron of Dagda, down a magic well, or laid in a trench filled with enchanted milk. Vampires and other powerful undead are very rare. They probably would have had to have come from outside of Ireland.

Lycanthropes: Druids and witches often know the secret of reverse evolution and take animal form, however they still retain their human intelligence. The demonic pact version of the spell (requiring feeding on human flesh) is not native to Ireland and would had to have been brought over by an evil practitioner.

Banshee: These are female elvish spirits that perished during the invasion of the sons of Mil. Depending on how they died, their disposition varies. Some are in service to various families, such Eevul and her banshees, who serve the O’Brien clan. It is well known that they wail to announce the deaths of a clan member, but they may have other duties, not so well known. (Nor is it known why they serve them.) Other banshees haunt certain clans. Members must take careful precautions to protect themselves from them. Then there are other banshees that simply haunt specific places and will try to kill any who violate them.


I am off next week and will be without Internet access.  I plan on watching some baseball and hope to have something to write about.  My World Series will be posted when I get back, so that I can make any panic alterations to it after I've seen a week's worth of games.  Feel free to catch up on some of my older posts while I'm gone, like Dark Continient.  Happy Easter.

MLB Preview Special

National League West
In this division, there will be winners and there will be losers. But it’s usually hard to pick out which is which until they start playing.

(“There will be winners and there will be losers.” That is so great and profound. Do they give out Pulitzers for blogs?”)

Winner: The Rockies. Yes, the Rockies win! The only team in my time zone will take it. No. Just kidding. On the other hand, with Colorado’s new relaxed drug enforcement policy, Rocky Mountain High/Reefer Madness Wednesdays are going to be a big hit (pardon the pun) with the fans. (I wonder if they’ll actually try that promotion?) May as well keep going in reverse order on this list.

Diamondbacks: As soon as Kirk Gibson starts inserting himself into the lineup as a pinch hitter, they will win. Personally, I am glad I’ll still be able to hear Bob Brenly’s excellent color commentary with the team, even though he left the Cubs. That may be all I’m looking forward to with this team.

Padres: The good news is that they moved the fences in at their cavernous Pet Crap Park. The bad news, they still won’t hit and this move will expose their pitching. Well, even though you guys live in a corrupt, bankrupt, over-taxed, state that been all but colonized by some other countries, at least you live in beautiful San Diego, until it falls into the ocean.

Dodgers: Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, and Clayton Kershaw are the only reason I’m not picking this team for last. All of the other additions to the team, especially Zack Greinke, are going to be subtractions. You mark my words. (So that I can more easily identify them when I’m forced to eat them later.)

Actual Winner: The Giants. Can you really pick against these guys after two recent World Series wins? Everybody else is. Everywhere I look on this team, I see question marks: the hitting, Lincecum, Zito, and the lack of upgrades during the off-season. There’s plenty of answers though: the defense, Posey, Panda, Romo, and the pitching in general. Bruce Bochy is one of the team’s biggest assets, and as long as he’s there with some good players (along with the occasional Hunter Pence motivational speech), they’ll win.

Fantasy Core Ireland Setting--Personalities Part 2

FANTASY CORE RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2013
Published here as Open Game Content.

Index

Finn MacCool: Legendary leader of a band of warrior-poets, the Fianna. He was an unparalleled warrior and had the gift of wisdom from eating the Salmon of Knowledge. Tales of his death are unclear. He may lie in a magic slumber in a hidden cave, to be awakened if needed.

Oisin: Son of Finn MacCool. Visited the Otherworld and stayed too long. He returned and became an old man when he set foot on mortal soil. He met St. Patrick who recorded his tales of the Fianna. He reportedly returned to the Otherworld.

Cailte: Warrior-Poet of the Fianna that survived long enough to tell his stories of the past to St. Patrick. He later passed into the Otherworld.

Cormac MacArt: An early high-king of Ireland and Finn MacCool and his Fianna. His wisdom was such that even the Fey consulted him. They gave him the gift of the Magic Bough, which could cure any damage or illness. Cormac’s spirit can be consulted (under the right circumstances) at his grave at Emain Macha.

Niall of the Nine Hostages: A high-king of Ireland of the O’Neill clan. His nine hostages were a sign of subservience of other kingdoms, (a common practice). Admittedly, this entry is here just because I like the name.

Irnan: Web spinning witch, who was also able to change into a monster. She’s still around, catching unwary travelers.

King Iubdan and Queen Bebo: Rulers of the little people (the colony of the halflings). There is surely some interesting myth to explain these people. Likely a touch of Fey blood in them. Ulster king Fergus Mac Leda obtained his magical water shoes from him. Iubdan may own other magical gifts.

Bran: Irish monk that undertook an epic ocean voyage to find paradise. He returned to Ireland to find that many years had passed and no one remembered him. Bran and his crew sailed back off. He’s still out there looking for paradise. He has much knowledge of the mythic Otherworld islands.

St. Brendan: Went on a seven-year ocean voyage to the West. He encountered an Isle of giant mice, Paradise Isle of Birds (lost souls), celebrated Easter on the back of a whale, saw Judas near the edge of hell (probably volcanic Iceland), went through the Sargasso Sea, and then found the Americas (either Florida, Mexico, or Nova Scotia). The journal of his travels, while fanciful, seems to have some actual geography to it. His journal would be invaluable to other navigators.

High-king Brian Boru: Not the first Irish high-king in name, but the first in practice. His deft defense against the Norse and canny political maneuvering brought him the title. Even his enemies held him in the highest esteem (not including a certain ex-wife). It is said that any Irishman defending the land against invasion may call on his name for guidance.

Gormlaith: Reportedly the most beautiful woman in Ireland. There may be some Fey blood in her, given her looks, unnatural (lack of) aging, and reported witchly power. Her ambition knows no bounds. She has been married three times. The first time was to the Norse king of the Dublin. The last time was to high-king Brian, who divorced her. Her desire for revenge started events leading to the battle at Clontarf. Gormlaith is still around, plotting.

King Sitric: Gormlaith’s son from her marriage to King Olaf of Dublin. Sitric, inherited that crown. His ascension lead to a natural alliance with his mother’s people of the Leinster province and the Norse. After the Leinstermen had been inflamed against high-king Brian, Sitric gathered Norse allies from as far as Iceland, promising several his mother’s hand in marriage, in an effort to take over kingship of Ireland. These forces met defeat by Brian’s united Irish forces at Clontarf. Sitric currently sits brooding in Dublin.

King Brodar: Participated at the battle of Clontarf on the promise of Gormlaith’s hand. As the battle was lost, Brodar escaped into Tomar’s Woods and came upon a nearly defenseless king Brian, kneeling in prayer. Avenging Irish would track him down and slay him immediately, cursing him to the spot. His ghost still reportedly haunts the woods, seeking release.

MLB Preview Special

National League Central
Not exactly loaded from top to bottom with great teams.

Winner: The Reds. First. Definitely.

The rest in no particular order.

Cardinals: Have great young pitching talent coming up, but they’re going to need some seasoning before the team wins with them.

Brewers: Who? Oh, yeah, Ryan Braun’s team. I really don’t want to believe that he was juicing (though the MLB does and is offering players immunity to testify against him, which seems kind of counterproductive), but I don’t think his reputation can take even one more vague allegation.

Pirates: Sigh, it’s starting to look like every other team in their division is going to have to have a losing record for them to have a winning one. Let’s all bow our heads in a moment of silence for the best years of Andrew McCutchen’s career wasted. It’s such a historically great franchise with such an awesome ballpark. Curse of the Barry Bondo?

Cubs: Ow, sharp pain in my chest. Call an ambulance. While I’m waiting, let’s deal with the pain. Rizzo, Barney, Castro, and Samardzija will form the nucleus of the next great losing era of Cubs baseball. (That Javier Baez kid looked awfully good in Spring Training too.) Theo Epstein will one day be found having hung himself off a Wrigleyville Rooftop. But this may not happen. The Cubs are being actively courted to move the franchise to a more business friendly, slightly lees corrupt, lower tax suburb of Chicago. They’re offering to give them the land to build the new stadium. Ah! Pain increasing. Unbearable. Blacking out. Fantasizing about a Cubs’ World Series win. Highest rated sporting event ever. Bill Murray in the stands, crying. Ah. . .

Fantasy Core Ireland Setting--Personalities Part 1

FANTASY CORE RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2012
Published here as Open Game Content.

Index

Fintan Mac Bochra: One of the original settlers of Ireland. He survived the Biblical Flood by turning into a salmon and later other animals. He is a valuable advisor to kings as an historian.

Tuan Mac Sdairn: The only survivor of the ancient Partholonian race. He survived the plague by taking the form of several different animals. Eventually as a salmon, he was caught and eaten by a pregnant woman and was reborn a man. He has been an observer of all of the mythic events of Irish history.

Balor: A powerful Fomorian Cyclops with a death-ray eye. He was killed at the second battle of Mag Tured, but probably has some descendants.

Bres: A Fey leader, but the son of a Fomorian.  Bres was the first dark elf (drow). He was king of the Fey briefly, but was deposed. He later lead the Fomorians to a disastrous defeat against the Fey at the second battle of Mag Tured. He was spared at the end of the battle by giving away his secret knowledge. Bres was a captive of the Fey, but later escaped to the Underworld to father more drow.

Amergin: Druid of the Sons of Mil, whose magic helped them to victory over the Fey. He negotiated the settlement that gave the upperworld to men and the Otherworld to the Fey. There are reports that he is still around in some fashion and is the leader of the druids.

Cuchulain: Nicknamed, The Hound. Fathered by a god, he was the preeminent warrior of Ulster. He owned the Gae Bolga, a magic spear, and an intelligent warrior horse, the Gray of Macha. His single-handed defense of the province is recorded in the epic the Cattle Raid of Cooley. (Cattle raids were a typical means of starting a war between feuding clans. Most were usually over by noon or settled by single combat.)

His death came years later in a revenge killing. After receiving mortal wounds, Cuchulain lashed himself to a pillar that he might die standing and facing his enemies. Sires of his horse and his magic spear are still reportedly around. The place of his death, Knockbridge, County Louth, Ulster, can be used as an entrance to the Otherworld under the right conditions.

Cathbad: A powerful druid and Cuchulain’s grandfather. It is said his spirit still walks the Emerald Isle, sometimes in animal form, and may be inclined to assist heroes in a just cause.

Conall: Foster brother of Cuchulain. After his death, Conall went on a rampage across Ireland, punishing all of Queen Maeve’s allies. His spirit is still seeking out their descendants.

Children of Cailidin: Three sons and three daughters of a warrior killed by Cuchulain during the Cattle Raid. They were sent abroad to study wizardry so that they could get revenge. They are the reason that wizards are not well liked in Ireland. Their spirits (or worse) may still be haunting the land, cursed for having killed a hero.

Queen Maeve: Queen of Connaught. She sent an army into Ulster to capture the famous Brown Bull of Cooley in a fit of pure vanity. Her army was single-handedly held at bay by Cúchulain, who by agreement, dueled with one warrior each day. Beautiful and charismatic, Maeve was possibly a witch and a lycanthrope. Her spirit still guides Irish witches.

Macha: Irish war goddess and a witch. She had cursed the men of Ulster during Queen Maeve’s cattle raid, rendering them unable to fight. She was wont to appear in the form of a carrion-crow. May still be around in that form.

Fergus Mac Roth: Angered at the behavior of his Ulster king, he and 300 other Ulstermen joined Queen Maeve against Ulster in the Cattle Raid of Cooley. He and his men were cursed and in spirit form, still roam the countryside, looking for a fight. Their services can reportedly be enticed with the right motivation.

MLB Preview Special

National League East
There should be plenty to boo for the fans who show up for these games. I know that’s an important consideration in some east coast cities.

Winner: The Nationals. After the Strasburg innings-limit controversy and their heart-breaking choke to the Cardinals in the playoffs last year, the team should be broken in spirit and revert back to their Expos roots. But, here’s where Bryce Harper picks the team up and puts them on his back and into the playoffs. It doesn’t hurt that the division is kind of weak.

The rest in no particular order.

Braves: Should be a great team, but they always seem to be missing something to put them over the top. The real question is “Can the Braves recover from the loss of Chipper Jones?” No, not playing abilities, his sex appeal to women. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never seen anything like it. Oh, to be Chipper for a day. I don’t think there’s a replacement for him on the team in this all-important stat.

Philies: Ha, ha, ha. You guys spent all that money to buy championships and you suck! Nobody else in the league learned a lesson from you either. How long before the true Philly fans start showing up to heckle you? Ha, ha, ha.

Mets: Meh.

Marlins: Dear Mike Stanton, stop calling yourself Giancarlo. You’re going to want to be as anonymous as possible during the reminder of your playing time in Miami, along with the rest of your team. I wish I had the Jeffrey Loria piñata concession at Miami Vice Field. Sincerely, me.

Fantasy Core Ireland Setting--History Part 2

FANTASY CORE RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2012
Published here as Open Game Content.

Index

Then came the invasion of the Sons of Mil, humans. At a pair of battles, men with the power of their druids and bards (who were able to draw on Ireland’s powerful native magic) defeated the Fey. After the final battle, the Fey accepted banishment to the Otherworld. They took most of magic of the land and warped it to shape their hidden, magical kingdoms. They would not be able to visit the mortal world for longer than a day. The mortal world would be under the rule of man, but they would not be able to visit the Otherworld for longer than a day either.

As a consequence of this arrangement, elves are immortal, but cannot have children. Which is why they sometimes “dally” in the mortal world and create Changlings, half-elves. Meanwhile, druidic and bardic magic has steadily degraded over the years with Ireland’s native magic concentrated in the Otherworld. Time also passes much quicker in the Otherworld. A mortal staying too long will find time may have long passed him by at home. Setting foot on mortal land will also cause aging to immediately catch up with the human, usually resulting in immediate death.

There was a time of mythic heroes following this. The great warrior Cuchulain would single-handedly defend his province against an army lead by the vain queen Maeve at the Cattle Raid of Cooley. Later came the stories of Finn MacCool and Fianna, warriors of the king, who were the forerunners to the current King’s Men.

The next invasion of Ireland consisted of a single man, Saint Patrick. Though there had been Christian missionaries preceding him, it was Patrick who brought the miracles that began the conversion of the Irish people. Other saints would follow to complete the work. The power of the native druids and bards would be diminished even further.

Finally came the Vikings. They first raided anything of value along the coasts and islands before settling down. They created Dublin and other permanent settlements on the coast. It was the first high-king, Brian Boru, who checked their expansion at the battle of Clontarf. The good king would lose his life while praying near the battlefield to give thanks for the victory.

At last, here we definitely diverge from established history and myth. The current high-king has reestablished the old concept of the King’s Men and sent out small troops of trusted men to all parts of the emerald isle. A precarious sense of national identity is being gently fostered by these selfless bands, who work to keep the Irish people safe from foreign, supernatural, and domestic threats.

What follows is a listing of various personalities, peoples, places, and other items. No apologies for a few creative liberties I’ve taken for the purposes of making them interesting for possible adventure use. Feel more than free to add many more of your own devising. You’ll have plenty of examples to work off of.

Keep in mind, knowledge of clan feuds, the origin various curses, the reported powers of a monster, the location of ancient tombs, and other information will be vital to the characters’ success. Those with that knowledge are very valuable. Finding and entreating these people will likely be an on-going task for the characters.

MLB Preview Special

American League West

Harder to pick than you’d think.

Winner: The Athletics. Wait. Hear me out. They’ve got pitching and hustle, without the hype, expectations (in spite of winning the division last year), and headcases. If the Angels falter, as I predict they will, look for the A’s to take advantage of it. These guys know how to win in the clutch. It took a peak-form Verlander shutting them down for the A’s to be knocked out last year.

The rest in no particular order.

Angels: One of the greatest baseball teams ever assembled (even though they’ll disappoint). The addition of Josh Hamilton to this lineup is like sending a lightning bolt into a transformer (it’ll blow out and not work for half the season). Albert Pujols is one the greatest players of his generation (who’ll get all of his numbers in when they don’t matter). Is there any player more complete than Mike Trout (whose sophomore slump is totally predictable)? Jered Weaver and and CJ Wilson one of the best one-two punches in starting pitching in the league (until Weaver come back down to earth, and CJ chokes in the clutch as usual). World Series or bust this year (they’ll have plenty of company in Los Angles in the “bust” category this year)! Could everything really go wrong for these guys this year, given all the talent on their team? Two words, “Miami Marlins.”

Mariners: Have graciously moved in their fences to help their division opponents hit more home runs. At least the stadium should stop being the designated no-hitter/perfect game ballpark. Hell, between this and San Diego’s stadium modifications, the MLB batting average may go up. Oh, and the team? Whatever.

Astros: Yeah. What am I supposed to say here? They may win some games late in the season, as other teams are playing a bunch of their minor league guys in the big leagues too.

Rangers: For a team that’s had some recent success, their inability to sign free agents is truly disturbing. Mike Adams, Mike Napoli (he did fail his physical initially with the Red Sox), Koji Uehara, Josh Hamilton (arguably run out of town for personally sabotaging the team last year), Ryan Dempster (no loss), Cliff Lee (no long term loss there either apparently), Prince Fielder, Zack Greinke (may have actually dodged a bullet there), and I’m probably leaving people out. You have to wonder what sort of reputation the team has developed that’s scaring or running them off. Or is it the Texas heat in the summer? I don’t know, and nobody’s talking. Heck, they may even be losing Nolan Ryan.

Assuming they can stay healthy, ironically their pitching should be pretty good this year, even though their Right Field has the dimensions of a Williamsport field. (I’m sure Josh Hamiliton’s home run numbers won’t suffer from not playing half his games in Arlington.) I think Pierzynski was a good pickup, and I look forward to seeing Profar in action. But, I don’t think these two will account for the power outage. The main good news is that they have what is considered to be one of the best farm systems in baseball. If they can’t sign free agents, they’ll need it.

Fantasy Core Ireland Setting--History Part 1

FANTASY CORE RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2012
Published here as Open Game Content.

Index

Ireland’s mythic history is one of successive invasions. The Partholonians and the Fomorians were first arrivals after the Biblical Flood. Little is known of the Partholonians, but they left behind large prehistoric burial mounds (which would later be used for that purpose by other races as well). The Fomorians are monsters and goblins and would be a thorn in the side of all future inhabitants. (The proper mythic definition of these creatures involves fairly specific deformities, but for game purposes, any weird creature or humanoid fits.) Both sides warred, but it was a plague that wiped out the Partholonians, but for one, Tuan Mac Sdairn.

Next came the Nemedians. These were perhaps a shared common ancestor of all demi-humans and humans. Their arrival was met by the Fomorians, who crushed them and virtually enslaved the survivors. The people would eventually escape and flee the island. Their descendants would not forget their treatment at the hands of these monsters.

The Fir Bolg were the first of these descendants to return. Here I will refer to them as dwarves (though the proper mythology does not). They defeated (but did not destroy) the Fomorians. The dwarves divided the land into five provinces (which are still observed today) and built large fortresses.

The Tuatha De Danann came next. These are the elves and other sylvan creatures, to be collectively called the Fey, beings of magic. They brought with them several powerful magical items as well. At the first battle of Mag Tured, the dwarves were defeated and surrendered much of the land to the elves. They eventually retreated into their own kingdom in the Underworld.

After being forced out of kingship of the Fey, the elf, Bres (the first drow), rallied the Fomorians to war. At the second battle of Mag Tured, the elves destroyed the monsters and cursed the remainder into hiding in the Underworld. There, the Fomorians can only bide their time in dark, unable to live in the light anymore. They are numerous and come forth for the occasional raid or scheme, but will need powerful allies if they are ever going to be a force on the surface again.

MLB Preview Special

American League Central

And here we have the opposite of the AL East, a one-team division.

Winner: The Tigers. They have the best team, hands down. They’ll run away with it. Wait. I said that last year. Okay, but now they have Victor Martinez back. This time for sure.

The rest in no particular order.

Indians: With Terry Francona and several good free agent pickups, the Tribe should be playing home games in front of more than friends and family this season. Look for them to make more moves during and after the season and make a run for it next year.

Twins: Who cares?

White Sox: Overachieved last year while the Tigers couldn’t get out of their own way. That won’t happen this year.

Royals: Boy, were they bad last year virtually every time I saw them. Even their wins were painful. The team really should have held on to Melky Cabrera a couple of years ago. They were an exciting, up and coming team with him. (Okay, he was probably juicing then, but he hadn’t gotten caught yet.) Without a good thumper in the lineup, I just don’t think their pitching additions are going to matter. Hopefully, management will figure this out as well and snag somebody in-season if they’re doing reasonably well, or afterward otherwise.

Fantasy Core Ireland Setting--The Characters

Fantasy Core RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2013
Published here as Open Game Content.

Index

The characters have all forsworn their clans and kings to serve the high-king for the benefit of all of Ireland. They work in small troops called cadres. They keep an eye on foreign invaders, investigate supernatural occurrences, and try to keep the petty squabbles between the clans from escalating. So they are warriors, spies, diplomats, police, and paranormal adventurers.

All of the basic classes are useful in this setting. Knights could be dispossessed nobles from overseas, or perhaps they were nobles pledged as children to the high-king. Barbarians would be Norse, who were perhaps orphans brought up by Irish parents, or maybe they’ve changed sides because of a marriage. Rangers might be warriors of minor kings who have been recruited by the high-king. Paladins are a contribution from the Church to the high-king, as undead, devils, and evil spellcasters are a threat to all. Thieves may have a questionable background, perhaps they’ve been forced into service as a form of parole, but their skills are valuable nonetheless. Native wizards are a product of the universities. The high-king claims all of the them for his service, as the colleges exist via his patronage.

In this setting there are some changes to the regular Fantasy Core background.  (Though most of the material for Fantasy Ireland will be fairly system neutral.)

There is no Circle of Elders, as there are too few paladins for such an organization. The arch-bishop is responsible for their behavior, and his blessing (or a saint’s) is necessary for them to reach higher levels. There is only one 10th level paladin in the country, who is the high-king’s personal holy warrior.

There is no Wizard Council. (And by way of that, there are no spells considered “forbidden.”) Wizards are all colleagues. There is only one 10th level wizard, who is the high-king’s personal wizard. Other high-level wizards will usually be at the universities as instructors. Some other wizards may be lent out to loyal kings.

It should be noted that the wizardly school of magic was imported from England (and the Continent). The native spellcasters, witches, bards, and druids, have all been diminished in power by their presence. Lower-level kings and clan chiefs may have witches and druids in their employ, or even imported warlocks and sorcerers.

There are no thieves guilds in Irish territories, since the country is nearly entirely rural with small villages. Here, a thief would just be an individual with some shady skills, who’s managed not to get hanged. There are guilds in the Norse controlled cities. An Irish thief would have to step carefully there.

Some of the NPC classes may be worthwhile for the players, particularly druids and bards. In those cases, the characters would be putting their nationalism ahead of their group affiliation and would be something of an outcast.  Witches, gypsies, and others may work as well. The classes would have to be revised for extended play.  For example, you could take the standard thief and just add the bard skills to it.

This would be something of a sandbox setting as the characters are assigned to and responsible for an area. The inhabitants of the area will actually seek out the group for help, and they are obligated to address these requests in some fashion.  You have the group start out travelling around the country, but that's a pretty big sandbox.  Also, inter-clan conflicts would probably need to be developed in micro, before being developed into the inter-province conflicts.

Don’t sell these domestic squabbles short. Many of the clans aren’t just acrimonious with each other, they’re hereditary foes. Imagine the Hatfields and the McCoys; an entire country full of them.  People of one province won’t even cross the boundary to another except for war. The roads are guarded and only nobles and men of letters (and the King’s Men) could travel outside of their counties without permission. There isn’t even anything really approximating a police force in Ireland at this time.

The character group would start out being responsible for a county, one which hasn’t had any royal authorities before. With experience, the can be promoted to more contentious counties, later province-wide authority, and later kingdom-wide responsibilities.

The starting county should probably include a couple of small villages, three or four clan estates, a dwarf colony and/or Fey gateway, and an entrance to the Underworld with a Fomorian tribe. There should also be a Norse presence or threat in the area.

At 10th level, Ireland is likely too small a sandbox for the characters. Petty clan politics and the high-king’s court are not going to be interesting for long to experienced adventurers. Here may be an opportunity to travel to the British Isle and the Continent as the high-king’s emissaries or even an epic journey to the West in search of the mythical land of paradise.

MLB Preview Special

American League East

The best division in baseball. . . that won’t produce a World Series winner this year.

Winner: The Orioles. They’re not going to sneak up on anybody this year, but they’re still a great team. Their playoff loss to the Yankees should only motivate them.

The rest in no particular order.

Blue Jays: They picked up a bunch of great players in the off-season, who didn’t win with their last team or were busted for PED’s. Unlike the Dodger/Red Sox deal, I believe this mass trade will work out for the Jays in the long run. They’re just going to need a year to get over their Miami Marlins experience.

Rays: They’ll contend for a wild card. I don’t know how, given they’ve taken another step backward in the off-season, but they will. New addition rookie, Wil Myers, will have a lot of pressure on him. His offensive performance may dictate the fate of the team.

Yankees: Old and broken down, but will still contend thanks to their deep pockets and a real sense of panic that will set in when the team doesn’t perform. If they don’t make the playoffs, look for the MLB to add another round next year.

Red Sox: Somebody’s going to have to finish last in this division, but they should be better than last year and give Red Sox Nation some false hope. That said, they’ve got deep pockets too. They won’t stay down for long.

Fantasy Core Ireland Setting--Intro

Fantasy Core RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2013
Published here as Open Game Content.

Characters
History 1, History 2
Personalities 1, Personalities 2
Groups 1, Groups 2
Places 1, Places 2
Items 1, Items 2
Adventure and Sample County

Keeper Hill Adventure

Playing in the Real (but Mythic) World

This setting is essentially set in the real world, with its actual geography and history. More or less. It functions on the conceit that it also incorporates the mythology of the world as well. It is the real world, but with working magic, actual monsters, and an Otherworld where most supernatural beings normally live. The world still looks about the same however, because the magic users are very rare, the monsters are probably even more rare, and the Otherworld is not easily accessible.

This particular setting is set in a fantasy Ireland. It is vaguely historical, but not strictly, so no complaints. Why Ireland? Mostly this is thanks to the careful preservation of their ancient myths by Christian monks. I’m a bit more familiar with this mythology than some others, because of this. Also, there is the concept of the Fianna (the King’s men), which I’ve taken liberties with, that I think would work well in an RPG setting.


Overview

The characters are members of the King’s Men. They are the field agents of the high-king and loyal only to him. Their commission is to keep all of Ireland safe from foreign (and supernatural) domination and to help keep the peace internally.

This is a big task. Norsemen have colonized the coasts and invaded inland. The monstrous Fomorians (monsters and humanoids) are constantly plotting a return to power. Mysterious dwarves and mischievous fey bring trouble from their realms. The Irish people are fractured into many clans and minor kingdoms, nearly all of which are spoiling for a fight with one another. The land is Christian and disempowered druids and bards sulk in the shadows, seeking a return to preeminence. There are haunted ancient battlefields and prehistoric tombs (possibly containing powerful lost magical items) to explore.

This should all keep the characters busy for quite a while.

My research was based mostly on a couple of general mythology books and especially The Flowering of Ireland by Katharine Scherman. I should warn that many of the places and people listed are subject to many variant spellings. Also, the myths and stories are also not entirely consistent. Yes, I’m aware the text and the Wikipedia links may be completely at odds with each other. They’re just there to provide additional on-line material. While I’m open to any corrections from Irish mythologists, otherwise, just go with it.

This is one of the better maps I’ve seen of Ireland. It’s modern, but I think it’ll work well as an overview for a campaign.

MLB Preview Special

I’ve watched two Cubs Spring Training games, a little World Baseball Classic, and read a preview magazine, so I’m about as well informed as any person could possibly be about this upcoming season. This is where I’ll predict winners and losers with pinpoint accuracy. Bet the mortgage payment on it kind of predictions. I’ll even let you know which players and which teams will come straight out’a left field and surprise everyone, so you can be smug and insufferable among your friends when it happens, just like me. *

* Disclaimer—No, really. I know everything. No disclaimer is necessary.

It is ever so tantalizing (or ever so tiresome) to hop on the band wagon with the fashionable/obvious pre-season picks, with a couple dark horses thrown in, just to show how daring you are. Of course, always hedge your predictions with a few carefully placed conditionals, just show how intellectual your prognostication is.

I don’t know why I keep buying these preview magazines. With late player trades and free agent signings, they’re out of date before they’re even printed. I’ve tried out three different ones (that aren’t primarily fantasy stat mags), and I always come away slightly nauseated from absorbing so much minutiae. The predictions are never more than half-right. That’s a good thing though. If baseball was totally predictable in the off-season, it’d be the NBA.

Make sure and come back at the end of the season for my “OMG! How could I have gotten this so wrong!” post, along with a litany of excuses.

Well, this was a terrible intro. Let’s try it again tomorrow and start breaking it down by division.

Finally on Adventuring Groups, Last One Promise

Get a Job!

[Apparently I hadn’t made the case against Adventuring Groups clear to myself up to this point, hence another rant.]

I’m talking about your characters, of course, your D&D ones specifically. Now, this might seem unnatural and awkward, but is only so in context of D&D, not other RPG’s, or real life.

In other game settings, the characters have professions: superhero, smuggler, trader, rebel, soldier, gunslinger, scientist, journalist, businessman, pirate, etc. Okay maybe in the White Wolf games, characters don’t have occupations, unless you consider being a vampire or a werewolf a full time job. (Being dark and brooding can take up a lot of time, but you’re not getting paid for it, unless you start a band.)

These characters, with different skill sets, form some sort of professional organization with a stated or implied purpose. The group’s function has a basis in the real world; past, present, or future. Even superheroes are essentially law enforcement or a defense organization. (Presumably, they keep secret identities so that they can earn a living, without whoring out their powers.)

In D&D though, the characters are adventurers. In the real world at any point in history, “adventurer” is a nebulous word, but it is always used in conjunction with a profession, like explorer, archaeologist, mercenary, or merchant. “Adventurer” is a gift word, like poet or lover. It’s something someone else calls you, in this case, after you’ve had adventures. The point is that it’s not a job.

Just to pick two literary fantasy examples. Conan was an adventurer. But he got that title while being a thief, a bandit, a pirate, a mercenary, and a soldier, and while in the company of other such people. The Fellowship of the Ring had adventures. They certainly went into a dungeon-like underground and killed Orcs. They’re even the prototype for the multi-classed, multi-raced adventuring group. (No Cleric though. They must have been using the 4e rules.) But, they weren’t looting all the way and looking for fights so they could level up. No, these guys had a purpose, a limited and sharply defined one. Their adventures came while pursuing that goal.

In either example, we see a company formed for a purpose and the characters joining to make it happen. The group may be part of a larger organization, like a warrior order, or perhaps just a couple thieves casing their next rich target. It could be a broad goal, like joining a pirate crew to plunder the seas, or maybe a narrow one, like a mercenary troop formed to escort a group of merchants to a destination. If the group has a narrow task and completes it, they can move on to getting another job, task, or quest, or even managing the consequences of their success.

Fortune or fate, incurred by the characters’ actions or perhaps outside of their control, may dissolve or evolve a long-standing group into a new group, like Conan’s horsemen raiders getting wiped out and while on the run, he ends up joining a group of pirates. Or, after the Fellowship to destroy the ring is broken up, Frodo and Sam decide to carry on, while Aragorn and the others focus on rallying Rohan against Sauroman.

[Well, this is at least a bit more coherent and convincing. What are my current thoughts on the subject? Standard Adventuring Groups are okay, I guess, but really, can we do at least a little better just strangers in tavern, gathered to investigate a rumor, or worse, a bunch of characters with voluminous, unrelated backstories before the adventures even begin?]

Your patience is about to be rewarded.  Next up is the Fantasy Island setting.  Yes, your characters will be sent to an island where all their dreams will come true.  Or will they? 

Wait. 

I misread that. 

Next up is the Fantasy Ireland setting.  Okay, that makes more sense.  I remember doing a whole 10 minutes of research on Wikipedia about Ireland, so I'm pretty much an expert on the subject.  Yeah, Fantasy Island would be way harder.  I'd have to stat up Mr. Roarke and Tattoo, because you know the first thing the players would do is try to kill them to take over the island.  How much XP for Ricardo Montalban anyway?  What's the AC of that white suit?  It's gotta be magical.  Nevermind, just have a pint of green beer ready for a belated St. Patrick's Day post.

Yet Still More on Adventuring Groups

[Okay, at last this thing starts to peter out.]


The DM’s complaint against a group with a job is obvious: adventures aren’t written that way. Well, now you don’t have to use any of those cheesy plot hooks to get the players to do something. I think most adventures may play out about the same way, but now there’s a distinct goal for the characters to work towards. Some change to the XP system may be needed to reflect this, as killing things and taking their stuff may no longer be appropriate.

From the players’ standpoint, they’ve lost some freedom of action. Moreover, they now have something to lose in adventuring other than their characters’ lives: their jobs and social status. Whenever they fail in a goal, or make a bad decision, it may directly effect them economically or worse. As freebooting adventurers certainly you could gain a bad reputation, but you’re not going any lower socially. As a group with a direction though, you may start off with legitimacy, authority, status, and even wealth.

With the directed group, there will automatically be a mechanism for cycling in replacement characters, as opposed to just finding random people in random places to replace dead members. A sandbox setting should come to life. Instead of the characters being a contaminant in a sterile system, they’re introduced as fully active participants in it.

How does this work with a big dungeon? Depends on why the group wants to go in. Looting and killing will probably still occur, but now there’s a goal and the group may need to show some results.

As the group becomes more enmeshed in the setting, their status in it will change, for better or worse. The group should be working towards a goal. It might somewhat vague and general, long term, or quite limited and specific. The group may dissolve upon the completion or resolution of the goal. They could become another kind of group, or find another goal for their existing one.

There should be a real threat of losing the group’s jobs or status based on the characters’ actions. Outside events and beyond the characters’ control can disrupt their status.

[That’s it. It just sort of stops there. I must have broken a fingernail or ran out of scotch. No, I don’t feel like adding to this or cleaning it up. Don’t go yet though, there’s still a little more on this topic.]

Still More on Adventuring Groups

[The promised blathering continues from the previous post.]


There’s no worthwhile direction in any version of D&D explaining how or why the players’ characters should become a group and go adventuring. Therefore, this is the implied setting of the game. Random people get together randomly and decide to go kill monsters and find treasure. This setup doesn’t happen in every game, or even any game, but that’s what most of them boil down to. A few tiny bits of motivation can be artificially grafted on, or the DM can create a big railroad setting. Doesn’t matter. The players have little say in it or it’s ignored.

By virtue of these directionless parties, all published D&D adventures have no real motivation for the characters other than a few lame, cheesy plot hooks. The players might not bite, after all their group has no motivation to do anything. So, the DM may have to force it or engage in some creative improvisation.

Adventures created by the DM suffer the same problem. He might create a sandbox, but can’t write in what the characters’ place in it is, since they don’t have one. How could they? No profession, no motivation, no objective that isn’t meta-gaming?

By giving no group direction to allow complete freedom of choice in adventuring, you’re actually forced into only one choice: a completely generic set of adventurers. With no inherent motivation in the group, the DM is forced to run a vanilla adventure with nothing in it that’s really personal to the characters.

A game which is trying to be all things to all players, ends up being nothing to everyone.

Group creation needs a seat at the gaming table, a prominent one and settled before the first adventure. Since there’s nothing concrete in a rulebook concerning this, anyone who agrees with this premise, is left to their own devices. Go Old School. After rolling 3d6 in order to make up characters, roll on another table of professions for the group. Maybe another to determine the characters’ relationship to one another, and another to give them starting motivation. Alternatively, the DM may pitch possible settings and the players pitch groups for the setting. Or vice versa. Or something totally different. The important thing is that there is agreement among the players and with DM about why the characters are together and what they’re doing.

The group doesn’t have to be stuck with a choice forever. In fact, there may be tremendous anxiety in keeping their jobs or social status, which is what motivates their adventuring.

[Wait. There’s more coming.]

More on Adventuring Groups

[My crusade against random adventuring groups didn’t stop with suggestions for fixing this “problem.” There are some blogish tirades to go with them.]

The standard setup for any D&D adventure more or less starts with, “A party of adventurers…” What are adventurers? Well, in fantasy literary terms, they may be bandits, raiders, thieves planning a big heist, swashbucklers saving damsels and even the world, killer anti-heroes, any or none of the above. In D&D terms, adventurers wander into dungeons, kill monsters, avoid traps, hoard gold, and level up.

What’s really the difference? Literary groups of adventurers always have some sort of motivation for risking themselves. It might be weak or implied, or it might be very strong and personal. They are driven by their circumstance or status into their profession. D&D adventurers are motivated by the acquisition of XP. Their profession exists to accumulate XP. Would you watch a movie or read a book with those kind of characters? No wonder WOW and Diablo and such have cannibalized tabletop D&D. They’ve distilled the game as written to its essence. This is certainly why some people outgrow the game.

The prototype for the D&D adventuring party, the Fellowship of the Ring, has something that an actual D&D party never has starting out: an objective. There was a reason why the Fellowship consisted of humans, hobbits, an elf, and a dwarf. (Okay, even if it was flimsy and they didn’t have a cleric.) It wasn’t until after Lord of the Rings achieved fantasy cannon status and D&D developed its own self-referential mythos, that Dragonlance and its derivatives became the multi-classed, multi-raced standard in fantasy literature.

The D&D adventuring party is completely directionless and unmotivated when they start adventuring, but for leveling up. “This isn’t a bug. It’s a feature,” you might retort. Characters have a complete freedom of action when they start. They can do whatever they want. This free form aspect to RPG’s is part of the appeal. But, it’s also a major limitation. This will take a minute to explain.

To be continued.  [With more blathering.]

Adventuring Group Adventures

[Still blathering on about adventuring groups. Here are some classic adventure ideas, recast with professional groups.]


Fortress on the Borderlands

A lonely fortress on the far frontier of human lands is imperiled. Tales are circulating of a loose confederation of humanoids gathering in the area. Their location, strength, and intents are unknown, but it is unlikely they’re meeting for peaceful purposes.

Law: Humanoid raids are looting the fief and taking prisoners. Track them down and recover what you can.

Mercenary: Bounties on humanoids are there for the taking.

Military: Your team is sent ahead to assess the situation. If a minor threat, disrupt it. If it’s a major threat, recon it and report back.

Spy: Find and infiltrate the humanoid encampment by any means necessary. Report back your findings, but remain undercover. Sabotage and sow dissention among the tribes.

Criminal: Rumors of plenty of spoils taken by the humanoids, including wealth and prisoners. Unverified tales of a cult temple in the area. Could have precious artifacts. Probably too many to fight, but Orcs are dumb. Could be quite a haul with the right knowledge and plan.


Gargle

A mad local wizard has been terrorizing the citizens. He is currently holed up in an abandoned keep.

Secret Society: Gargle is a former member. He needs to be eliminated. Also, destroy any evidence of his membership before the authorities catch up with him.

Warrior Order: The local authorities can’t handle Gargle. This is your initiation test to enter the Order.

Mercenary: The locals have put out a bounty on Gargle’s head. Your biggest threat may be the competition.


The Call

A seashore village is under a mysterious curse. Rumors abound of cult-ish activity and the presence demonic creatures.

Inquisition: It is unknown how pervasive this cult is. Investigate and take appropriate action.

Commercial: An ill wind has blown your ship into this harbor and a storm holds you fast. Survival and escape are the goals.

Treasure Hunters: There are rumors of pirate gold in the area. Also, tales of a strange valuable book.


Mega

A gigantic series of artificial underground tunnels and chambers has been discovered. A multitude of creatures lair within and all sorts of fiendish traps guard voluminous treasure. Who built it? Why did they build it? Perhaps the answers are below.

Wizard Order: Could this be the secret chambers of the long lost Arch Mage? Investigate for traces of his presence.

Military: Recon the first level and establish a beachhead for possible further explorations. Keep out the other treasure seekers.

Criminal: What a great place for a hideout. Get to know the locals. Negotiate with the smart ones. Eliminate the dangerous ones. If there’s some valuables inside, get the skinny on them, so a heist can be planned.


Tomb of Many Hoary Deaths

Dare you traipse into this obvious deathtrap, this meat grinder for heroes, for questionable gains?

Here at last is a scenario built for adventurers, as they are completely expendable in society. It’s hard to imagine anyone else with a job or status attacking this place.

Adventuring Group Campaigns

Since the characters are not being rewarded strictly based on booty and body count (though these things will certainly occur anyway), the adventuring group can be formed around a specific goal or vocation. They will advance in level by getting closer to achieving their goals and by fulfilling their job duties. The endgame for any of these scenarios may be enacted whenever the playing group wishes and should not be dictated arbitrarily by character level. Of course, the type of campaign can completely change direction as a result of play or a successful endgame, so never be too deterministic in planning adventures.

Agents of the Inquisition (Witchhunters): The characters are employed by the church. Their goal is to root out and combat supernatural evil. They may be assigned missions or assigned and area to safeguard. How they came into this job (especially thieves and wizards) may be an interesting bit of character backstory. At higher levels, they may be brought into the church hierarchy and involved in the politics, conspiracies, and demonic infiltration.

The King's Men: The characters are the personal agents of the King. They came to this job through either a very meritorious act directly for the king or perhaps some sort of patronage. The characters aren't necessarily just knights or warriors. This group could be compared to the Irish Fianna and Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. They may be headquartered in the royal court, stationed in an area, or a roving band in the field. Their missions or assignments may be protection, law enforcement, and investigation (phenomena, rumors of treasure). Or they may be involved in a special, specific quest for the king. At higher levels, court intrigues will be evident and eventually draw the characters into picking sides.

Rebels: The characters are part of a rebellion or a secret society against the king. Obviously, Robin Hood is an inspiration. For an Asian campaign, The Water Margin should provide some ideas. The characters are all outlaws, mercenaries, and even dispossessed nobles and bureaucrats. They have all been forced out of a respectable life and into a secret society in order to survive. They may be a hidden cell, taking orders from unseen superiors, or part of a band hiding in the wilderness. They will be acquiring funding, protecting members, and gathering intelligence. At higher levels, the end game is building enough power to overthrow the establishment.

The Long Journey: The characters are far away from home, either exploring unknown lands or lost in them. This voyage may be unwilling, such as that of Odysseus or Aeneas, and they are actually divinely prevented from returning home (or finding a new one). They may be returning from a long war, like the siege of Troy or the Crusades. They may instead be on a quest with a final goal in mind, like the Argonauts or Hercules' Labors (which would be a journey of tasks rather than distance).

The characters could also be explorers in the mold of Marco Polo or the various Spanish and Portuguese explorers of South America. They would be aliens in a completely unknown culture looking to establish trading relations along the way or trying to conqueror the civilizations and take their gold. At higher levels, the characters will, through their trials, have acquired enough power to achieve their final reward, such as nobility or founding a new colony. There's also the circumnavigation travels of Magellan and Drake.

Viking: The characters are Norsemen. The character classes shouldn't really change, except for the names (Barbarian-Warrior, Knight-Prince, Wizard-Priest) and a substitution of longship sailing skills over horsemanship. Raiding and pillaging hapless peasants is not the group's goal. Rather, they are a mercenary company, like that of Harald Hardradi, who fought in battles all across Europe, was part of the Emperor's personal guard in Constantinople, and eventually became king of Norway. There also interesting voyages of exploration to Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland (and perhaps more fanciful places).


I may as well mention here that I've made another large edit to Fantasy Core.  Basically, the Wizard seemed way underpowered.  I've upped the damage on some of the spells.  Wizards and Enchanters now get 3 spell check failures in an encounter before being unable to safely cast.  The other spell-using classes are still at 2 failures.

http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/10/fantasy-core-rpg-thief.html (Minor skills edit)
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/10/fantasy-core-rpg-wizard.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/11/fantasy-core-rpg-halfling-enchantress.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/10/fantasy-core-spell-list.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/10/fantasy-core-spell-list-continued.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/11/fantasy-core-rpg-high-level-spells.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/12/fantasy-core-rpg-witch-spells.html
http://jdh417.blogspot.com/2012/12/fantasy-core-rpg-druid-spells.html

Adventuring Group Benefits and Drawbacks

[This is possibly extraneous bonus material for the listed professional groups, which honestly may or may not be of any real use.]

Players may call out a benefit and roll on it.  The DM may also call out a drawback, forcing a roll.  [I think this bit was from a previous incarnation of the rules.  Let's say a DC 12 for a minor call out, DC 18 for a major one.  Each character can pony up 1 XP to add +1 to the roll.]  There are benefits and drawbacks inside the group and as perceived outside the group.  Success means gaining the benefit or avoiding the drawback. Failure means consequences.

Being part of a group also means that there is a material benefit. There’s no roll. The group simply starts off with the benefit and is able to call upon it at appropriately available.


Military

Inside: Reinforcements (not always timely, but can be called upon)/Orders (little freedom of action when it comes to choosing missions)

Outside: Respect (of the uniform and duty)/Protest (but not by everybody, especially conquered peoples)

Material: weapons, armor, gear, supplies (though not always great or even appropriate)

Obligation: Must always stay in uniform, unless on infiltration mission.


Law

Inside: Backup (can call for other lawmen or raise a posse)/Accountable (must follow the law)

Outside: Authority (can order crowds and individuals, cause criminals to surrender)/Accountable (to the public, must respond to pleas for help)

Material: weapons, armor, gear

Obligation: Must always wear badge, unless undercover.


Criminal

Inside: Gossip (lots of information about other members and jobs comes your way)/No honor (fear of superiors and colleagues)

Outside: Contacts (can gather information off the street)/Wanted (by the law and even other criminal groups for crimes)

Material: Can fence stolen goods, hideout

Obligation: Must always report suspicious activity of members.


Wizard Order

Inside: Pact (the order is oath-bound to help other members, up to a point, determined by reputation and past deeds)/Rivalry (but still group of petty people with big egos, always looking to one up each other, up to even dueling)

Outside: Valued (the rich and powerful and otherwise, want your services)/Feared (but not trusted, outside relationships are seldom out in the open)

Material: Access to knowledge-books, maps, history

Obligation: Must always investigate occurrences of magic.


Warrior Order

Inside: Fraternity (pledged to aid one another, up to their own lives to save a brother)/Honor (that must be kept under penalty of death)

Outside: Prestige (everyone looks up to you)/Resentment (by the regular military)

Material: Excellent quality weapons and armor

Obligation: Must always wear uniform and uphold Order’s code.


Secret Society

Inside: Brothers (can aid you with information, contacts, items, weapons, magic and other items)/Secrets (things you know, things kept from you by superiors, things others would want to know, must be kept under penalty of death)

Outside: Envy (others would love to join your group)/Distrusted (by everyone on the outside)

Material: the group can get you infiltration and influence into other groups

Obligation: Must always wear insignia and acknowledge secret sign of other members, unless on an infiltration mission.


Merchant

Inside: Professional contacts (amongst other merchants and clients)/Cutthroat (guilds and other merchants want you out of business)

Outside: Schmooze and haggle (great at negotiating)/Distrusted (everyone thinks you’re just looking for a profit and screwing them in the process)

Material: wealth and goods

Obligation: Must always pursue any profitable business lead.

Ideas for Adventuring Groups

I have a personal distaste for the standard adventuring party. On a base level, they are direction-less and without motivation other than looking for ways to acquire experience points. Given that XP in Fantasy Core is awarded only for accomplishing tasks, a better-motivated group would seem necessary. What follows are just some ideas to facilitate that. Adventures should be a little easier to write, since the characters will have an actual reason for adventuring.


Ideas for Adventuring Groups

The standard adventuring group may be thought of as a ragtag group of outcasts, misfits, and deceivers are perfect for use in situations where jobs need to be done by those not respectable, down on their luck, or needing to prove themselves. Hopefully, the group will rise in status, money, and level to where they can call their own shots. Currently though, the group is likely desperate or in desperate circumstances (or dangerously obsessed). They will take any job that has a chance of fulfilling their needs.

Adventurers just by themselves should have a patron of sorts: a lord, the church, a guild, a community, a wealthy family, etc. For this, they'll need to accept a mission or some responsibility. An armed company travelling down the road by themselves is going to be thought to be a band of highwaymen at best, unless they have some sort of identification (government or church seal) or status outside of their home community (here the services of a traveling bard may be useful).


Professional Affiliation

While the standard adventuring group provides the maximum in freedom of action, it is just as limiting in a lack of motivation and goals. Presented here are some professional options for an adventuring group.

Any organization will require a variety of skills, and individuals entering them will come from disparate backgrounds. Muscle, magic, healing, charm, and stealth skills will be needed in all types of groups, so there should be plenty of room for different types of characters. The group should also allow for easy replacement of deceased group members.

In any case, the group should have a high degree of autonomy. Even if their group is subject to orders from above, they should be either very broad in goals or focusing on very specific tasks, with all the details to accomplish the missions in the players' hands.

Group membership will involve duties and obligations. The group may also be under a substantial amount of debt and expenses or must meet certain quotas. There will be an imperative, either through group mission or financial obligation, to continue adventuring. The group may be treasure seeking as they are gathering funds to buy property, such as a building, or a ship. Or for another example, they are willed a keep or ship. They must keep adventuring to pay support on the property or pay the crew.

  Warrior Order: (Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller) Soldiers dedicated to protecting a territory and escorting travelers, surrounded by constant menace. They will have access to free gear and weapons and are often well respected. All in the Order are under strict rules of conduct.

Explorers: (Geographic Society, Explorers Guild, Professional Treasure Hunters, Prospectors, Dungeoneers Club, Conquistadors) Charting unknown lands or ruins. Cartography, contacts for trade, exploration for valuables are their goals. May be a ship's crew or an overland expedition.

Merchants: (Shipping Company, Merchant Guild, cf. Marco Polo) Procuring and protecting goods. Establishing new trade routes and maintaining them. These areas may be wild and nearly lawless, but will be somewhat charted and relations established with the natives. They will have access to business and government contacts.

Inquisitors: (Agents of the Inquisition, Professional Undead Hunters) A traveling group seeking to combat certain types of menaces plaguing communities. They may be sanctioned by a higher authority (the Pope or the king) or freelance for jobs.

Military Special Forces: (Rangers, Green Berets, Privateers, cf. Sir Francis Drake) Volunteer military group. Very mission oriented. Placed behind enemy lines or in contested space to raid and disrupt a foreign nation. They will have access to free gear and weapons, and possibly reinforcements.

Mercenary Company: (cf. Varangian Guard) Military group, but are well paid for their loyalty. They may be traveling and constantly seeking new jobs or semi-permanent. Used where the best warriors are sought, the most expendable are needed, or regular levies aren't trusted.

Foreign Diplomatic or Embassy Service: (cf. Mission Impossible) Spying and intelligence gathering scenarios. They have access to intelligence information and contacts.

Criminal Enterprise: (Bandits, pirates, thieves guild, cf. Ocean's 11) Mafia-like mob wars. They will have access to area gossip, contacts, fences, and even safe houses.

Law Enforcement: (Texas Rangers, Federal Marshals, FBI, Bounty Hunters) A government law group that is called in for special crimes or is responsible for a large geographic area. Importantly, their job will often involve capturing villains, not necessarily killing them outright. As long as they identify themselves as a member of law enforcement, they will have some legitimate authority.

Colonists: The group is part of a fledgling settlement in an unexplored foreign land. Jack of all trades are a must. Exploration, diplomacy, and internal law enforcement will involve the characters as they will be community leaders. Above all, the settlement and the colonists must be protected.

Divine Mission: Part of a missionary group. Called to a mission by a supernatural force. They may be actual emissaries from the heavens, such as Valkyries and Einheriar. Or, they may be in a human retinue of an actual demi-god or immortal.

Secret Society: As opposed to a criminal or religious group, this is a political group wanting to change or reinforce the current government. There may be a criminal or religious element to it, but in this case the ultimate goal is the power to rule. They may serve a single specific special interest or group or may more broadly defined to include many groups wanting the same goal. As the name implies, regardless of goals or sides, their existence, members, methods, and true motives are a secret to outsiders (or even lower level members). They will have access to secret knowledge, which increases with secret society status.

Wizard Council: A cabal of wizards within the Wizard Council dedicated to some goal or a specific task (such as the real power behind the throne). They may be an established faction or working in secret. There will be a need for all sorts of skills, not just magic, within the group. They will have access to libraries, books, and maps.

Quest: The catch-all group. Individuals are brought together for a specific task or job. Finding an object (the Pink Panther Diamond) or a person (the lost heir) like private detectives. A treasure map has been found, a group recruited to loot it. Or sending a magic ring to Mt. Doom.


Given the makeup of some of these groups, can anyone really join? Sure. A wizard order is going to need some muscle and stealth. A group of inquisitors would certainly have a use for a friendly or forced wizard. A warrior order would want a thief for scouting. A thieves guild may take on a paladin, who perhaps sees the guild as more lawful than an evil, oppressive government.

Monster Variation

Here's a list (in no particular order) that could be used to vary the standard monster types, especially the humanoids. Don't try using whole list at once.


Monster Variation
---------------------

- Leaders: chiefs, lieutenants, sergeants, captains, king, princes

- Magical support: wizards, shamen, witch doctors, oracles, magic items

- Servants, slaves, non-combatants

- Elites: heroes, bodyguards, special forces, assassins

- Allies: mercenaries, bounty hunters, allied races

- Creatures: pets, tamed animals, vermin, subdued or placated monsters

- Named/famous: group or individual via deeds, tactics, appearance

- Current Status: excellent/poor--health, equipment, morale, motivation, training, discipline

- Mutation: runts, giants, special attack/defense/weakness, superpowered

- Template: undead, fiendish, were, celestial, feral, demonic

- Society: civilized, savage, militaristic, poor, affluent, tribal

- Martial Tactics: frontal assault, swarm, sniper, traps, encirclement, harassment, hostage-taking, suicidal, defensive shell, subterfuge (surrender, false friendship/betrayal)

- Different motivations: defense, attack, greed, hatred, preemptive strike, revenge, misunderstanding

- Physical characteristics: prominent physical features, scars, wounds, clothing, war paint, tattoos, plumage, hairstyle

- Different weapons/armor: magic, exotic, unique

- Inanimate support: traps, tricks, illusions, wards, symbols, animated/sentient--object/force/artifact, "mine field," quicksand and other terrain hazards

- Attitude Hiding/On the run, Insane, Berserk, Controlled, Fallen/Exalted, Disguised, injured/half-dead, Drug addicted, Zealous, Enigmatic, Seeking vengeance, Hiding dark secret, Swindler/manipulator, Charismatic, Professional

- Weird Conditions: Creates spawn, Hive mind, Evolved/Devolved, Supernaturally afflicted, Time/spatially displaced, Giant-sized/Micro-sized, Adapted to foreign environment, Hyper-specialized to environment, Apparition/Ghostly/Disembodied, Half-breed/Monstrous, Raised from dead, Experimented upon, Odd Body part (brain, head, etc), Cloned, Mechanical

- Professions/Groups: Guardian/Guard, Merchant, Spy, Law/Bounty Hunter, Nobility, Prisoner, Mobster, Politician/Government official, Hunting party, Bandits/Pirates, Mercenaries/Adventurers, Press gang, Scavengers, Army/Mercenaries, Tribe/Clan, Religious pilgrims/Cult, Family, Harem, Angry Mob, Outcasts/Untouchables, Gang, Refugees, Caravan, Gladiators

Dungeon Missions

Here's a list of scenario ideas for a more directed trip into a dungeon. This would work well with Fantasy Core, in that the characters are rewarded directly for completing tasks rather than simply accumulating body count and booty. It would work as well for a short, impromptu session for any other fantasy game.


Rescue/Jailbreak: Release someone from the inside that has been captured and held.

Recovery/Robbery/Tomb Robbing: Find and bring out an item that is kept in the dungeon.

Escort: Characters are hired to guide someone through a dungeon.

Smuggling: Characters must deliver something to a certain place in the dungeon.

Treasure Map: Characters have acquired a rough map of the complex, which points out where something valuable is (and not necessarily much else).

Extermination/Exorcism: Characters sent to wipe out a certain group of occupants.

Hunt/Assassination: Characters sent after a specific creature.

Bounty/Kidnapping: Characters are sent to capture a specific creature.

Exploration/Infiltration: Complex has been recently discovered. Characters are expected to map and detail the area.

Investigation: Complex and its inhabitants are known, but their motives and strengths (or newly acquired strength) aren't.

Mystery: Characters are unraveling a mystery that leads them to the complex for the clues to solve it.

Diplomacy: Characters are sent to make an offer or even ally with inhabitants against someone else inside.

Escape: The characters are trapped inside.

Survival: Characters have to hold out or hide inside for a certain length of time.

Death Game/Tournament: Characters are willingly or unwillingly pawns in an arena.

Revenge/Retribution/Punitive Raid: Characters are sent to dungeon to commit whatever mindless violence they can before they are chased out.

Quest/Geas: Characters have an objective that doesn't involve a monetary gain. They are either being forced to complete it to end their compulsion, or have a desperate need to.

Law Enforcement: Characters are after counterfeiters, drug dealers, and arms dealers. They need to also gather evidence and take prisoners.

Test: Characters are sent to the dungeon to run the gauntlet and survive.

Challenge/Duel: Characters are summoned to the dungeon for a fight.

Death Trap: Dungeon is deserted of living and undead creatures (though there may be animated guardians), but has extensive traps, tricks, and puzzles.

Psychokiller Lair: Combines possible rescue, escape, and assassination scenarios. The killer may in fact be unkillable.

Twist: Mission starts as one type and turns into another.

Multiple Objectives: No more than two though.

Dungeon Purposes

Why is the dungeon there in the first place? Glad you asked. Here's a list of possibilities to perhaps help with design. All of these types can be mixed, like a church catacomb with a tunnel to a goblin lair, which leads to an abandoned dwarf city, at the bottom of which is a hellgate. There's no reason why every dungeon has to be Gygaxian and fill the whole the page or be a little delve lair tactical combat encounter.


Original Purpose(s)
----------------------

Underground storehouse/Survival bunker (Criminal/Business/Military/Government): Someplace hidden or easily defensible, like a mountain redoubt or beneath castles. Supply cellar, dungeon, vaults, barracks, armory, and wells.

Vault (Criminal/Government/Bank/Ancient): Beneath buildings, hidden, long lost. Filled with treasures and other valuables.

Temple/Shrine/Sanctuary/Dark Cathedral/Crematorium/Necropolis/Crypt/ Catacombs/Tomb/Mausoleum/Morgue: Often found under churches or ancient burial sites.

Prison/Dungeon/Interrogation-Torture/Maze/Deathtrap/Labyrinth: Places of confinement.

Gladiator Arena (hidden fight club)/Dojo/Martial Arts training temple/

Training Facility: People who fight that want to do so in secret.

Hidden Thieves/Assassins Guild: Obviously trying to stay hidden.

Party Hole/Pleasure or Drug Den/Harem: A word-of-mouth, hidden rave (perhaps perpetually going on). A place to do illegal drugs and indulge in prostitution. A hidden place where a monarch keeps his harem.

Academy/Hermitage/Museum/Library: Wanting to be hidden. Perhaps forbidden activities, perhaps just wanting to be left alone.

Workshop (mundane or magical)/Laboratory: Dangerous or secretive work going on.

Underworld Zoo/Menagerie of Taxidermy/Preserve of undead animals/Trophy Room: A strange collector's underground display. Things you wouldn't want on display to the public (like a serial killer's collection of body parts).

Slaughterhouse/Charnel House: Being hidden for some reason, perhaps slaughtering things that would get them in trouble.

Aqueduct/Sewer: Under large cities, bringing in water or wells and to move wastewater, narrow corridors with running water.

Mines: Strictly functional and fairly barren chambers, dangerous cave-ins.

Hospital/Sanitarium/Asylum: Housing the dangerous or the quarantined.

Underground Marketplace: Likely a black market.

Public hot bath/Hot spring: Not particularly menacing, but a place that would be highly sought after for relaxation.

Conservatory/Recital Hall/Opera House/Coliseum/Palace: Large, public structures that one would not expect underground. Why is it there?

Human Underground Settlements:
     (Petra: built into canyon side) Not very deep, living areas are near the front.
     (Crete: Maze city) In ruins or buried.
     (Pompeii: Buried city, Port Royale: Sunk) Volcanoes, mudslides, avalanches, or even sunk.
     (Cappadocia: Hidden underground city) Surface is occupied by invaders.

Dwarf City: Part of natural caverns, large chambers, vaults, living spaces, work rooms, and a deep mine. Ornate, but very functional, architecture mirrors the natural caves.

Orc/Goblin Lair: A warren dug out of the earth or part of a natural cave system. Rough hewn. Smallish rooms and corridors. Laid out like a traditional dungeon. Functional, but very ill planned and expanded haphazardly. Continually added to to make more room. Living and work areas. Also, taken over dwarf cities and sapping underneath human and elf cities.

Entrance to hell: The funhouse megadungeon. Level masters are demons or subservient creatures, becoming more powerful with increasing depth. Acrology may completely change over time, making mapping nearly impossible.


Current Purpose/Status
--------------------------

Add one of these descriptions if you really want to mix things up.

Same as original, but depleted or little used

Ruined/Sacked

Garbage Dump/Salvage yard

Abandoned of original occupants and unspoiled/Curiously deserted

Has become an extension of the Underworld

New Colony of occupants has taken over

Slums/Squatters

Bandit hideout

Creature lair

Sunken/Flooded/Fire damaged/Buried

Haunted/Infested

Defiled/Consecrated

Plagued/Quarantined

Repurposed (choose another original purpose)

Fantasy & Pulp Fantasy Core--Title Level and Pulp Adventurer Ideas 6

Previously.

The Explorers Concluded
-------------------------------

Sven Hedin: Swedish explorer of Central Asia. He tomb robbed a Zoroastrian temple in Iran. Entered and was later expelled from xenophobic Tibet. Discovered a 2,000 year old city in the Lop Nar Desert in China with many ancient Chinese manuscripts.

Marc Aurel Stein: Hungarian discoverer of the ancient Silk Road between China and Europe, and the “Cave of a Thousand Buddhas.” The temple was filled with artifacts, most of which got packed up and sent to European museums. Most importantly, he recovered the Diamond Sutra, the world’s oldest surviving printed book.

Johann Ludwig Burckhardt: Swiss explorer and first European to see the canyon city of Petra in Palestine. Studied ancient Egyptian temples in Nubia.

Charles Montagu Doughty: First European to see the Natotean sandstone city Mada’in Salih. His work was admired by TE Lawrence of WWI British Intelligence, who helped start an Arab revolt against the Ottoman Turks. Gertrude Bell was also a contemporary explorer of the area and also an intelligence officer.

Bertram Thomas: Rival of fellow Brit explorer Harry St John Philby in an effort to explore the “Empty Quarter” of Saudi Arabia first. Wilfred Thesiger was another prominent explorer of the area.

Freya Stark: Mapper of the Valleys of the Assassins in Iran. Searched for a lost city of ancient temples mentioned by Roman texts in Yemen. She also worked for British Intelligence in WWII.

Charles Darwin, Alexander Von Humboldt, Alfred Russel Wallace: All well-traveled scientific explorers, collecting plant, animal, and mineral specimens from around the world. Darwin’s five-year journey in the HMS Beagle circumnavigated the globe.

Hiram Bingham: American explorer who found the Lost City of the Incas’, Machu Picchu.

Neil Armstrong: First man to step on the moon. Every other explorer’s accomplishments look a puny by comparison. Just imagine though, Neil finds Richard Hoagland’s lost moon civilization, or Ming’s advance base for his planned invasion of earth from Mongo, or Iron Sky space Nazi’s!

I hope this list provides a few adventuring and NPC ideas.

Fantasy & Pulp Fantasy Core--Title Level and Pulp Adventurer Ideas 5

Previously.

The Explorers Continued
-------------------------------

Henry Hudson: Discovered the eponymous Hudson Bay in Canada. Battled ice floes and mutinous crews. He was forced to over-winter in the bay as encroaching ice closed them in. He, his son, and loyal members of the crew were set adrift in a boat by mutineers. Willem Barentsz, another Arctic explorer, also became trapped in ice and was attacked by polar bears.

Adolf Erik Nordenskiold: Made a failed attempt to walk to the North Pole. Later took a ship, Vega, across Russia’s northern border only to be trapped in ice for 10 months between Russia and Alaska.

John Franklin: British sailor that fought at Trafalgar. Survived a horrific overland attempt at finding the Northwest Passage in Canada, which included a bout of cannibalism. Became Lt. Governor in Tasmania until he was run out. Lead another expedition to find the Northwest Passage by sea. The HMS Terror and HMS Erebus became the “Lost Expedition,” after not being heard from for over two years. A large bounty was offered and 25 rescue missions would be launched to find them (at an extensive loss of life). The fate of the ships’ crews was discovered eight years later. Both ships became trapped in ice. Survivors attempted to retreat overland, but fell victim to scurvy, lead poisoning, cannibalism, and starvation.

American Charles Hall’s Polaris expedition to the North Pole met a similar, fatal ending. Ironically, one of his previous trips had found the graves of the Franklin party.

Fridtjof Nansen: Crossed Greenland overland. Attempted to get to the North Pole by allowing his ship to become trapped in an ice floe for three years. Unfortunately, it didn’t drift over the pole. From there, he attempted to go on on foot. The attempt failed, but he managed to build a catamaran from his boats to make it back to civilization.

Roald Amundsen: First to make it across the Northwest Passage. First to the South Pole, beating out explorer rival Scott. First across the North Pole in an airship. Died while doing a search and rescue for an airship downed near the Arctic. Robert Scott makes it to the pole second, finding Amundsen’s Norwegian flag there. His expedition perishes in the return attempt, leaving behind a rather grim diary.

Ernest Shackleton: His ship, Endurance, was trapped in Antarctic ice during an expedition.  It took three years and treacherous trips overland and in a small open boat to effect rescue.  Everyone in the expedition survived.  They returned home to England as heroes.  Depressingly, they also found found WWI raging across Europe at the time. 

To be concluded.