I recently came across the Radiance RPG by Radiance House and have been running a group of four characters through Burnt Offerings using this system. I have previously run Burnt Offerings in Savage Worlds and thus far, feel that Radiance does a damn fine job bridging the gap between traditional d20 gaming and the speed and accessibility of Savage Worlds.
The group consists of four level one characters;
Ellis Scarnetti: level one human gallant
Brunard Blackflagon: level one dwarven cleric
‘Captain’ Salty Jark: level one half-orc fighter
Fizban: level one gnome wizard
I opened the playtest with the goblin raid on Sandpoint. The four PCs took out 3x goblins in four combat rounds.
I had to build the goblin stat block myself as while there are many cool monsters included in the Radiance Gamemaster’s Guide, goblins are not amongst them. This was actually really easy, maybe even easier than creating new monsters in Savage Worlds (I always get bogged down deciding on edges). After deciding what level you want the monster to be (in this case, level one goblin), you have a set number of points with which to purchase abilities from the 24 racial / 30 class templates. Basic abilities cost 1 point, intermediary abilities cost 2, advanced abilities cost 4 and paragon abilities cost 8. You can also spend points to boost attribute scores, initiative, damage, etc. Generally, I struggle to spend all the points available, so the monsters may have been a little underpowered, but this was not noticeable during play.
Brunard and Jark were in no real danger throughout the fight, as to beat their DR, the goblins would need to roll a natural 20. Ellis needed to watch out (his silkweave armour only granted DR+2) and Fizban had to be extra careful, as goblin pc’S IN Radiance have a racial animosity for gnomes (and elves and halflings) and I had purchased this ability for the goblin monster block.
Humans have a cool ability called Heroic Mien that lets them reroll one d20 once per day, and Ellis made use of that this combat while attacking a goblin with his rapier.
The bad guys don’t have an AC either. The three usual saves (FORT, REF & WIL) act as the target number for specific types of attack. Ellis and his rapier would target the goblin’s REF. Brunard and his heavy warhammer would try to beat the FORT and mind-effecting abilities target WIL. Armour does not factor into these saves, but does contribute towards damage reduction (or DR). Say Ellis rolls 17 to hit a goblin with REF: 14, he hits and rolls 1d6+3 (+1 strength mod, +2 Trusted Weapon, see below) and gets 6 total. Goblin wear crappy leather armour with DR1, damage inflicted = 5.
PCs and monsters in Radiance have Vitality and Wounds. Vitality is spent to use spells and special abilities, but it is also reduced when you take damage. Only once all your vitality is gone do you start taking wound damage. The first time you take wound damage, you are dazed, meaning you cannot take any actions for the rest of that round.
A lot of PCs have abilities like Weapon Focus or Trusted Weapon, granting +1 attack and +2 damage with certain weapons/weapon types right out of the gate, in addition to strength modifiers on melee damage.
Also, characters roll to attack + their class modifier, which is pretty nifty. So a wizard with Intelligence 18 (+4) rolls +4 to attack whether he is casting spells or clubbing someone with his staff. Of course, just because you hit your target doesn’t mean your damage is going to beat their DR, but it empower characters who might otherwise how been useless in certain conditions.
After defeating the first wave of goblins; the PC’s rush to the Rusty Dragon Inn, which the goblins have set on fire. On route, they encounter another group of goblins, accompanied by a warchanter. I made the goblin warchanter a level 2 enemy. I took the level one goblin template and added another 5 points worth of bard abilities. One ability called Boost Moral allowed the goblin to add +1 to all d20 rolls his allies made as long as he continued signing round on round (clerics have an even better ability called Prayer, for 5 mins all allies get +1 on all d20 rolls and all enemies get -1 on theirs). This fight took longer (6 rounds to defeat 4 goblins + 1 warchanter), mostly because the heroes allowed the warchanter to hang back and boost its allies for longer than was wise. They learnt their lesson and in the next fight against 2 goblins and 1 goblin commando (level 2 goblin fighter), they concentrated fire on the commando and took him out in the first two rounds. The goblin dog ran away.
Radiance has a mechanic for moral rolls, the effected monster must make an attack roll against his own WIL save, if they beat it; they flee, if they don’t; they stay and fight.
The last two goblins are taken prisoner (they surrendered after the commando was taking out).
During the downtime following the raid, Shayliss Vinder (daughter of the general store owner) approaches Ellis and asks him to help with the rats in her basement. The young nobleman fails his Insight roll to detect her real motive (she wants to jump his bones). There is a lot of emphasis on romantic interludes in the Radiance RPG. Some classes have abilities where ‘an hour of uninterrupted romance’ restores vitality, and childbirth is giving as an example use of the Endurance skill. There is even a theme called Romantic, allowing a player to take abilities that grant bonuses in romantic situations or cause people (even enemies at higher levels) to fall madly in love with them. Ellis and Shayliss get jiggy in the basement of the general store and are caught bumping uglies by her over-possessive father. Diplomacy fails and Ellis is forced to run for it, naked through the streets of Sandpoint.
This provided an opportunity to use the extended test rules. Essentially, rather than make a single roll to establish if an action succeeded or failed, you can lower the DC by one level and make 6 rolls. If you roll over 4 times out of six, you have succeeded, 5 times out of 6 you succeeded with style, 6 out of 6 and you succeed spectacularly. However, if you only roll 3 successes you fail by the narrowest margin, 2 out of 6 and the margin isn’t so narrow, 1 out of 6 and your failure is pretty embarrassing and should you fail to roll a single success, well, you’ve humiliated yourself with your utterly inept display. This is much quicker and works much better than the way Dramatic Tasks work in Savage Worlds.
Ellis rolled 5 successes out of 6 and makes it back to his room at the Rusty Dragon without being collared by Vin Vendor or Sheriff Hemlock. He is spotted by Ameiko Kaijitsu as he darts through the common room. Ellis is able to borrow some clothes of his childhood friend Aldern Foxglove, who is also staying at the Inn during the festival.
Having saved Aldern’s bacon during the goblin raid, the nobleman invites the party on a hunt in the nearby forest. Again, I asked for an extended test (rolling Survival this time) and the party rolled another 5 out of a possible 6. Despite their general ineptitude (none of them had the Survival skill, but they rolled well), they track and spear a large and formidable boar. Ellis sends the impressive tusks to Vin Vendor by means of an apology for shafting his daughter (Charisma roll, DC20) and gets 21. The shopkeeper’s attitude shifts from hostile to unfriendly, yay!
Every character in Radiance starts with a number of basic languages (usually common and their racial tongue) with a number of additional languages based on the intelligence modifier. Because Fizban speaks goblin, he is bought in to help the sheriff interrogate the goblin prisoners captured during the raid. The gnome is not very intimidating though, so Jark goes along to roll Intimidation. Together, they learn that the goblin raid was orchestrated by a ‘long shanks’ (what the goblin’s call humans).
The heroes meet with the town council and wandering ranger Shalelu Andosana. They learn that the local goblin tribes are working together on something big, possibly another attack on Sandpoint. Sheriff Hemlocks rides for Magnimar to summon reinforcements from the city militia, leaving the PC’s to look after Sandpoint in his absence.
The player characters advance to level 2 (ding). Generally, this allows them to select four basic abilities from their class.
Ellis took Romantic (+5 diplomacy or +10 in romantic situations), Vitality Surge (once daily, recover 1d6 vitality), Dodge (spend 2 vitality to dodge a melee attack before it is rolled) and Disarm (beat opponent’s REF save to disarm them). The goblins that the group have been fighting all have the Dodge ability and it has been plenty irritating (but goblins are supposed to be irritating!).
Brunard took Prayer (see previous post), Priestly Office (+5 Insight/Diplomacy), Righteous Anger (4d6 damage on target within 15ft, WIL save halves damage, good characters are immune, costs 5 vitality), Vow (providing Brunard upholds his vow not to drink alcohol, he gains +3 to his basic WIL save for 24 hours).
Jark took Cleave (works pretty much as you would expect), Power Attack (-2 to melee attack roll, +2 damage), Toughness (+3 wounds), Vitality Surge (see above).
Finally, Fizban took Detect Magic, Mage Armour (DR+4, does not stack with other armour), Mana Surge (recover 1d6 vitality, you lose the additional points at the end of your next turn, so you should use them to cast spells before then) and Firebolt (1d6 damage per 2 wizard levels, targets takes 1d3 damage next round if they don’t spend a standard action putting out the flames, costs 1 vitality). Wizards also get a cool ability to prepare one spell from the lists that they have access to (at this level, basic only), which they can use for the 24 hours, then pick something different the next day. This gives wizards a lot of versatility. Fizban has mostly been using Shocking Grasp.
The next day, the halfling maid at the Rusty Dragon asks the PCs to help find Ameiko, who has gone missing in the night. They find a note written in a foreign language, which Fizban translates with the literacy skill. The letter indicates Ameiko went to meet her estranged brother Tsuto at the Sandpoint Glassworks.
Ellis picks the lock (Mechanics roll, he has the highest DEX, even without lockpicks, he rolled 26 against DC15). Signs of a struggle. Discover goblins have killed the staff. An elderly man (Ameiko/Tsuto’s father?) has been encased in sheets of molten glass, not a nice way to die.
Since the heroes have been sneaky, they enjoy a surprise round against the eight goblins within the glassworks. Attacking a surprised opponents grants you a +5 modifier. This combat was the longest to date (10 rounds) as the heroes faced off against 8 goblins and Tsuto, who turned up in round 4. I built Tsuto as a level 3 half-elven monk. He also had the dodge ability and enough vitality to make the best of it. Jark engaged and although Tsuto had trouble beating his DR, he was able to use attacks like Dazing Fist and Trip to keep the half-orc on the back foot.
Another cool element of Radiance is that PCs/monsters only get an Attack of Opportunity against a foe leaving combat with them if they are larger than the target. Attacks of Opportunity still occur as normal if an adjacent foe uses magic or a ranged weapon. There is no flanking bonus either, unless 5+ characters gang up on a single monster. This allowed the characters to move around a lot more and reduced the long tactical debates that you usually get around the table (“if you move here, then I get this bonus, etc”).
The heroes decide to take Tsuto alive and try to knock him out. This is another awesome mechanic. Rather than make a standard attack roll, you roll 3d20, if you manage to beat the targets REF, FORT and WIL, they are knocked unconscious for five minutes, which is exactly what happened to Tsuto.
The heroes rescue Ameiko from her brother’s clutches and discover the old smuggling tunnel that the goblins used to infiltrate Sandpoint from the coast. I glossed over the Catacombs of Wrath, as it has always struck me as an unnecessary dungeon. You could argue that it helps foreshadow events in Book 5 (the sinkhole), but I reckon that by then, the players will have forgotten about the catacombs anyway. The heroes interrogate Tsuto and learn he is working for a woman called Nualia, who has forged a goblin alliance from the fortress of Thistletop.
The heroes travel overland to Thistletop. Their approach is barred by a wall of thorny brambles, but Brunard notices that tunnels have been cut through the spiky foliage. I treated the brambles as a level one trap and rolled against the PCs REF save. Ellis took minor vitality damage, but I rolled a natural 20 against Brunard. Somehow the thorns penetrated his scalemail and inflicted 4 damage.
Criticals work a little differently in Radiance to Pathfinder. Youy don’t have to confirm the hit and you don’t double your damage. Instead, you deal whatever your max damage is and you bypass the target’s DR.
Beyond the nettles, a large group of refugees from the Birdcruncher tribe are gathered around a sinkhole overlooking the sea caves beneath the cliff. Gogmurt (the Thistletop shaman) tells them that to be judged worthy of joining the Thistletop goblin tribe, they must jump over the hole. This is pretty much impossible for the goblins (unless they roll a natural 20 on their Athletics check) and the two goblins that do try plunge into the water (and are eaten by the bunyip lurking there). Once Gogmurt leaves, Fizban uses his Illusion ability to create an image of the shaman and rolls Bluff to copy his voice. His roll beats the goblin’s Insight and he orders them to leave the area immediately and never come back. One goblin spots Jark hiding in the bushes, but the half-orc pistol whips him (knock out riles again) before he raises the alarm. They question their prisoner and learn the Thistletop goblins are rules by Warchief Ripnugget. He doesn’t know much else and has bever been further than this clearing. The heroes throw him into the howling hole.
Three goblin dogs are snoozing outside their kennels, they are chained to one post in the ground. The heroes try to sneak passed. Fizban and Jark succeed, but Brunard/Ellis botch their stealth rolls. The dogs wake up and begin barking. Jark shoots one of the animals, the loud gunshot attracts Gogmurt and his cronies from nearby.
The goblin druid casts Fireball at Fizban, setting the gnome on fire. Next round, he uses Entangle to keep Ellis out of the combat. Although the gallant cannot move, he is able to ready his pistol and shoots Gogmurt the following round. Since it is unlikely to beat Jark’s DR, Tangletooth uses Trip to keep the half-orc occupied – at least until the former pirate cuts the firepelt in half! The loss of his animal companion drives Gogmurt into a rare old fury and he attacks Jark with his staff (which does significant damage due to the Shillelagh ability). Fizban finishes the druid of with a couple of Magic Missiles.
The party take a quick nap to recover vitality (napping for two hours recovers vitality equal to you level x CON modifier). The heroes examine the ropebridge between the mainland and the goblin stronghold. Brunard rolls badly on his Craft check and proclaims it safe to cross (heh hehe heh). However, when a group of four goblins (and four more dogs) start across the bridge to investigate the gunshots, the party sever the bridge on their side, plunging the goblins 80ft into the sea (8d6 damage, halved by a successful REF save – even those that survive the fall would drown or be eaten by the bunyip). The PCs make camp and rest, while deciding how to reach the fortress.
The next day, the party make a cooperative Craft roll to build a raft from logs lashed together by lengths of thorny vine. This takes another day. They set off before dawn the following morning, hoping to evade the notice of the goblin sentries. Nobody has the Pilot skill (which Jark should have, considering his background as a pirate), but Ellis gets them safely across because, a: his DEX modi is the best and b: he can always use Heroic Mien to reroll a bad result.
Reaching the base of the cliff, Brunard spots a cave mouth below the foundations of the goblin stronghold. Jark begins clambering towards it (extended test of endurance, DC10), a coil of rope slung over his broad shoulder. After securing the line and lowering it down to the others, the half-orc spots movement in his peripheral vision….
The tentamort is one of my favourite monsters from any Pathfinder bestiary. There was nothing like it in the Radiance GM’s Guide, so I had to build it from scratch. I gave it a an ability called Tentacle Focus (re: Weapon Focus, but with tentacles), which was fun. It halso had a poison attack – and poison in Radiance can be nasty! If the creature succeeds on its attack roll, it inflicts damage as normal and an additional d10 wound damage, bypassing vitality altogether (thinking back, it’s not clear whether DR should be applied to this damage separately, that’s a question I’ll have to raise on the developer’s homepage/facebook).
Ellis, Brunard and Fizban hear the gunshot as Jark opens fire on the tentamort. They begin climbing, but climbing is s-l-o-w. They have to cover 40ft and move about 6ft per round, on a successful DEX check (DC10+DR value of whatever armour they’re wearing). Ellis and Fizban get up in around 6 rounds, Brunard has to take off his armour (and tie it to the bottom of the rope) before he stands a chance of beating the climb DC.
Meanwhile, Jark is left to fend off the tentamort by himself until his comrades get there. The tentamort disarms and grapples him, then pumps his stomach full of organ-liquefying venom. The creature then drops Jark and waits for him to die – but the half-orc refuses to oblige the beast and attacks with his axe! His finishes carving the tentamort up on the same round that Ellis arrives. Brunard casts Lay on Hands to restore the half-orc’s lost wounds, but can do nothing to restore his vitality.
Actually, that’s not true. PC’s can share vitality by making a “verbal exhortation”. They can transfer a number of vitality points equal to the Charisma modifier (minimum of 1), which the party do now to get Jark back on his feet.
Continuing their exploration of the goblin stronghold, the heroes enter what seems to be some manner of goblin brothel. Four hideous goblin women are pleasuring a naked bugbear. There are Insanity rules (taint) in Radiance RPG and at this point, I seriously considered looking them up. The heroes get a surprise round, but are pretty ineffectual during it. Then Bruthazmus and the goblin concubines join the fray. The level four bugbear ranger wields a heavy flail. Fighter’s get an ability called Sweeping Blade; they spend 5 vitality to automatically hit all adjacent enemies and do standard damage, no save allowed (in retrospect, Ellis should have used his dodge ability to avoid this, oh well). Jark, Ellis (and one of the goblin concubines that got in the way) are grievously damaged 1d10+3 (another +2 against humans/elves). Brunard casts Lay on Hands to heal the human gallant, but the bugbears next attack does 15 damage and knocks Ellis down to -5. He is now unconscious and dying.
When a character drops below 0 wounds, they start to bleed out. They lose 1 wound per round until they are healed or their negative wounds equal their CON score, at which point they expire.
The rest of the party chip away at Bruthazmus’ health, when he tries to flee. Brunard finishes the bugbear off as he tries to leave combat (in retrospect, Brunard should not have got an attack of opportunity, as he is not larger than Bruthazmus, ah well, we live and learn).
Brunard uses Lay on Hands to restore Ellis to 4 positive wounds. Jark takes the bugbear’s heavy flail and Brunard claims his composite shortbow. The party are in a bad way and retreat to the mainland via their little raft. They rest for 4 days before returning to Thistletop.
(and that’s as far as I am with my playtest so far)
Thanks for the comment, you've written a bloody good system which I love to pieces. Unfortunately,selling it to my group has been an uphill struggle (they are all devout Pathfinder players and miss their AC something terrible). :p
So does anyone think linking the Radiance RPG product might be a good idea? I know this is Paizo's home and all, but c'mon.
Sigh. I'll have to find it myself.