Game Expectations and Overview
This play-by-post game will begin in August 2009, and run indefinitely. Posting rates should occur about once daily (at least). Failure to post longer than about one week may result in character forfeiture, unless prior arrangements can be made (i.e., attending a wedding or funeral out of town, illness, etc.). Players should create Japanese-like characters using the White Box edition of the “Ruins & Ronin” game. “White Box” terminology refers to classic 0D&D that had limited resources or supplemental materials; this game seeks to recapture the interactive freedom and story-telling that fewer rules may permit. Players may want to have their own dice to use, but will only need six-sided and (a) twenty-sided dice. Again, this gaming system attempts to do more with less. Alternatively, players may want to record their dice rolls using an online dice calculator, like Invisible Castle or many others; the storyteller assumes players want an honorable gaming experience, so dice rolls can simply be posted without links to outside sources- I will trust players until they prove untrustworthy.
For more information about traditional or “original” style gaming, please read the free “Quick Primer for Old School Gaming” by Matt Finch, available here:
Quick Primer for Old School Gaming
All players should have a copy of the White Box “Ruins & Ronin” campaign expansion for the White Box “Swords & Wizardry” role-playing game. BOTH FREE .pdf files are available online:
Ruins & Ronin Supplement, White Box Edition
and
Swords & Wizardry White Box Edition
Additionally, other character classes and races are possible by visiting author Mike Davison’s website, here:
Sword +1 Website
Finally, know that the basic “sandbox” world includes a low-magic setting. While Sohei and Shugenja (traditional clerics/monks and magic-users, respectively) may become powerful, most NPCs and monsters will not have access to (many) powerful magic items. Note- this restricts the Hengeyokai race; I will allow only one player character to be a member of this magical race. Please temper expectations accordingly.
Neat! I'll take a closer look at the material tomorrow.
Should all posts be made here now (until the game starts)?
Neat! I'll take a closer look at the material tomorrow.
Should all posts be made here now (until the game starts)?
I think we can stick here until we "close" the inquiry thread. I'll spend some time checking out the other thread to see and welcome others who show interest or curiosity.
Please feel free to read the information and provide feedback. At this time, I see only two characters in action (which could be good, mind you, and help develop a rich story over simple dice rolling).
Thanks again!
Finally, know that the basic “sandbox” world includes a low-magic setting. While Sohei and Shugenja (traditional clerics/monks and magic-users, respectively) may become powerful, most NPCs and monsters will not have access to (many) powerful magic items. Note- this restricts the Hengeyokai race; I will allow only one player character to be a member of this magical race. Please temper expectations accordingly.
Hmm, might as well go and jump on that one hengeyokai opening then, unless another player wishes to have it; I can go with human if needed.
Akemi's holy symbol is in the shape of what can be taken as either a flower blossoming or a sunburst.
I am very hyped for this game!
Just read the old school gaming primer. I recommend everyone to read it to get a sense of how 0e is done. I burst out laughing when I read this line, "It’s not about a guy who can, at the start of the game, take on
ten club-wielding peasants at once."
Very humbling, coming from a guy who currently owns a level 14 Pathfinder fighter.
Fantastic stuff, everyone! It looks like we have three players willing and ready to commit to game play. Let's double-check stating gear and make any final adjustments. I will finish my preperation by tomorrow and have a few nifty bonus tips for each of you at that time. While waiting, please check out this interesting chart for use in "Ruins & Ronin." Would we like to use it? I'm thinking it'd be a fun option for players to creae a tad more history for new characters.
5 siblings
Takeshi first legitimate outcast friendly honor 7 scar
Hisashi M first legitimate citizen favorite honor 12 skinny
Eiko F second legitimate citizen overbearing honor 1 wanted criminal
Nobuo M second legitimate citizen distant honor 2 skinny
Goro M third legitimate citizen loving honor 11 poor hygiene
Koji M fourth legitimate outcast distant honor 2 black sheep
head of clan: grandfather
The Kaneshiro family believed highly in superstition. Therefore, when the diviner looked upon the first Keneshiro twins and predicted that one would become an honorable family leader while the other a key player in “turbulent events”, there was no question which baby was going to be raised by half-ogres…
Abandoning an infant in the woods, however, angered the Gods. The next set of Kaneshiro twins produced a wanted criminal and a shady character that engendered Grandfather Kaneshiro to sigh and stroke his long beard like a typical Japanese old man. From there the family fortune did not improve as the next babe was honorable but smelly and the last boy took after the evil Kaneshiro twins.
I had a blast doing the family lineage (outcast! how perfect), but think the family traits could have been improved (poor hygiene? come on). How much each character’s family will come into play really depends on the Ref. I like the ideal of evil twins, though!
...snip...
I had a blast doing the family lineage (outcast! how perfect), but think the family traits could have been improved (poor hygiene? come on). How much each character’s family will come into play really depends on the Ref. I like the ideal of evil twins, though!
I'm glad this exercise worked well for you, and I enjoyed reading the history. Please feel free to change the hygiene issue to something you might like better, but I'm glad this exercise was fun and useful!
Character Investments
As the initial party comes together, I offer the following creative bits to each character:
To Kouji Saikubo, The Rainbow-Winged Shugenja:
To Akemi, Sohei of Great Compassion:
To Takeshi Kaneshiro, the First Born with Two Heads:
All, please feel free to check out each other's spoilers after having first read your own. If you feel any of this information is imbalanced or unfair, please share your thoughts and reasoning polietly here and we can move forward. Feedback is appreciated.
I think I had this question on the back of my head but just didn't get around to addressing it. Is there a strict tally on whether or not we eat?
A lot of games that I played in don't really address food. Certain DMs subtract a certain amount of gold per week for upkeep, but that's about it. My character investment seems to suggest that there will be oversight on when we eat and even what we eat. Is this really what, as a Ref, you would like to incorporate into your game?
So in this game setting, how abundant is fruit/grain? Is there such a thing as dry fruits (I actually don't think dry fruits are very healthy), so I can sustain my diet over long trips w/out having to stop every couple of hours to gather fresh fruits? Would I have to carry cooking utensils to cook the grain, or is there a simple way to doing it? I use an electronic rice cooker, so I wouldn't know...
And what is the trade offs of starving vs. non-fruit/grain food? I imagine I would lose some temporary STR or DEX or CON. It seems unclear whether it's worth starving myself over eating poisonous non-healthy foods (at low level, a couple of bad meals can literally kill me).
I'd like all players to consider how their characters meet standard needs. I also agree with your assessment that tracking food might be somewhat boring. Surely, you could preserve foodstuffs like dried fruit and the like. While you might not have to report or sometimes even buy food you need, I think how you view food lends to some interactions and a unique character.
I had all three characters manage special resources: the shugenja had some control over spells, the headhunter had control over hit points, and the sohei had control over some unique hired help. Knowing this, I WON'T be offended if you didn't like what I set up for your character; please provide some other suggestions if you'd like.
I think I had this question on the back of my head but just didn't get around to addressing it. Is there a strict tally on whether or not we eat?
A lot of games that I played in don't really address food. Certain DMs subtract a certain amount of gold per week for upkeep, but that's about it. My character investment seems to suggest that there will be oversight on when we eat and even what we eat. Is this really what, as a Ref, you would like to incorporate into your game?
So in this game setting, how abundant is fruit/grain? Is there such a thing as dry fruits (I actually don't think dry fruits are very healthy), so I can sustain my diet over long trips w/out having to stop every couple of hours to gather fresh fruits? Would I have to carry cooking utensils to cook the grain, or is there a simple way to doing it? I use an electronic rice cooker, so I wouldn't know...
And what is the trade offs of starving vs. non-fruit/grain food? I imagine I would lose some temporary STR or DEX or CON. It seems unclear whether it's worth starving myself over eating poisonous non-healthy foods (at low level, a couple of bad meals can literally kill me).
Fruits and grains should be readily abundant in most situations. Pack a few extra (dried) fruit rations and you will find yourself in plenty of good shape. Will there come a time that you must scrounge? Maybe- so be prepared for it in case in does happen, but I'm not planning to railroad you into something odd. For the advantge offered, I wanted something against which to measure it.
Fruits and grains should be readily abundant in most situations. Pack a few extra (dried) fruit rations and you will find yourself in plenty of good shape. Will there come a time that you must scrounge? Maybe- so be prepared for it in case in does happen, but I'm not planning to railroad you into something odd. For the advantge offered, I wanted something against which to measure it.
I am buying some rice rations and treating them as grain. I am also going to make up fruit rations and price them at 1/3 of the rice rations' cost. Let me know if you want to adjust the price on anything.
As an aside, I thought I should point out how it astounds me that a wicker, the equivalent of a backpack, costs 10 ryo. With that money, you can buy a chest (large, wooden) or a tent (large, 4 person). I wonder if that's a typo, or there is some kind of explanation as to why, in Japan, a wicker cost twice the amount vs. a western backpack. I place my bet on expensive labor...
Is a western sack (15 lb capacity) open for purchase?
I am grateful for the opportunity to spread the blessings of the kami amongst those who wish to learn. I will endeavour to treat my followers with respect and... try not to get them killed.
As an aside, I thought I should point out how it astounds me that a wicker, the equivalent of a backpack, costs 10 ryo. With that money, you can buy a chest (large, wooden) or a tent (large, 4 person). I wonder if that's a typo, or there is some kind of explanation as to why, in Japan, a wicker cost twice the amount vs. a western backpack. I place my bet on expensive labor...
Is a western sack (15 lb capacity) open for purchase?
Yes to all questions in the previous two posts. Rice = grain, and he pricing for fruits makes sense. Yeah, I looked at the cost of things and I agree that there are lots of questions. I'll try to be fair when I doll out stuff later. Finally, got ahead and MAKE your own backpack (you're a headhunter in the jungle...make it at half cost of a wicker pack...good job!).
Alternatively, instead of the current health augmentation, I could simply make YOUR Headhunter a master craftsman. By this (without bells and whistles to describe), your character could make natural, non-metal items and equipment at a fraction of the cost (maybe BASE 10% off + 1d6 x 10% MORE off). For example, buying something that normally costs 50 ryo would be at LEAST 20% less for you to have made it (figure BASE 10% + 1d6 (minimum 1)x10% MORE off). The best you could make something would be 70% off. I could have you sell items that you made at 90% listed cost + 1d20 (%). Quick math suggests that if you could find a buyer, you can make a profit most times. If you wanted to make something kooky or unusual (i.e., not listed somewhere), we could take that item on a case-by-case basis (maybe roll your intelligence to see if your character could desigt or make it correctly). You appeared unhappy about your dietary restrictions, so I'm offering an alternative to it that might be more enjoyable and still provide a role-playing opportunity for you. Also, I'm open for suggestions if neither perk works for you, or even if you don't want a special perk.
I'm at the library right now, so sorry if this isn't entirely tthought through right now...limited time...
-Dave
Hey, sorry if I appear to be unhappy about the dietary restrictions (I actually don't mind it that much, I just wanted to get all the details, still trying to get use to "less rules, more rulings"). But I really like the craftsman perk. I think it's cool to be able to make items, even though they have to be non-metal. Crafting items, though, brings up another question that I have on the back of my head.
There are always craft feats, but they are rarely taken because in most adventures, there is usually a time element. The DM don't always allow players to sit around and craft stuff, since after they save the children, they have to save the village, and after the village, go on another quest. Some of the more hardcore stuff also takes days if not weeks to craft...
The crux of my question is, will there be a good chunk of time, in between quests, to concentrate on crafting? Can crafting time be split to a couple of hours a day, like at night before I retire to bed?
Sorry, I seem to be asking a lot of questions. I must emphasize that I like this perk a lot. Just want to be on the same page as the Ref.
Hey, sorry if I appear to be unhappy about the dietary restrictions (I actually don't mind it that much, I just wanted to get all the details, still trying to get use to "less rules, more rulings"). But I really like the craftsman perk. I think it's cool to be able to make items, even though they have to be non-metal. Crafting items, though, brings up another question that I have on the back of my head.
There are always craft feats, but they are rarely taken because in most adventures, there is usually a time element. The DM don't always allow players to sit around and craft stuff, since after they save the children, they have to save the village, and after the village, go on another quest. Some of the more hardcore stuff also takes days if not weeks to craft...
The crux of my question is, will there be a good chunk of time, in between quests, to concentrate on crafting? Can crafting time be split to a couple of hours a day, like at night before I retire to bed?
Sorry, I seem to be asking a lot of questions. I must emphasize that I like this perk a lot. Just want to be on the same page as the Ref.
Depending on what it was that you sought to craft, I'd be totally fine with you devoting time to making stuff around bedtime, early in the morning, etc. Again, depending on what you were making, you'd also have to decide what would happen if you had to abandon the stuff if ambushed, things fell apart, etc. Let's agree to use the crafting resource background, then, and forget the hit point augmentation. You could still elect to keep a fun diet, but would receive no special boons or flaws for doing it beyond fun role-playing.
Hey, I didn't feel like you were mad or anything, so it's all okay :) I just wanted to make players' characters feel a little special!
I am very hyped for this game!
Let's look over the special perks again, and if everyone is on board, can we look forward to starting the game this weekend? I think that letting everyone read some postings over the weekend would be good, and begin posting regularly starting next week?
I will have a starting point for all of you tomorrow. I expect that I will have a local patron offer free food and lodging to discuss some issues, and let things unfold from that point. Kind of standard opening, but with a few limited starting points for characters to undertake. Does anyone want something special in the village/town, beyond local shrines and a basic salesman/men?
Let the adventure begin! Nippon Bonzai!
I googled some basic Japanese phrases that I thought we can use in our dialogue. What do you guys think?
Let the adventure begin! Nippon Bonzai!
I googled some basic Japanese phrases that I thought we can use in our dialogue. What do you guys think?
Shiriiriasen.
Sorry- couldn't resist!
Translation
Excellent! I approve this initial character. I would like to give your character another spell, but am not sure which way to do this. I'd welcome input about your interests and use of spells in the game. Regardless, I am renaming the "Sleep" spell as "Kitsune," which means "Come and sleep" as well as referring to the playful fox spirit known for its magical abilities.
Sounds fine by me; the occ/charop in me would probably go for adding "Prot. from Chaos I" as the extra spell- but the roleplayer part of me would imagine it more in line for the mentor, knowing how much of an impulsive youngling his charge is, to teach Kouji something harmless along the lines of "Read Language"/"Detect Magic" (if only to keep him from getting into too much trouble). ;P
That being said- it is a good question of how magic should be done in the game. As a path of least resistance, the idea of the standard vancian spellbook-use (or scrollbook, as the case may be) is fine by me. Another suggestion would be to handle things like the 3.5 sorceror, making arcane magic innate- possibly as a byproduct of being a Hengeyokai.
The game is now live, found in THIS LINK. I have so much enjoyed this gaming experience with you, and we haven't begun to PLAY yet!!!
Excellent! I approve this initial character. I would like to give your character another spell, but am not sure which way to do this. I'd welcome input about your interests and use of spells in the game. Regardless, I am renaming the "Sleep" spell as "Kitsune," which means "Come and sleep" as well as referring to the playful fox spirit known for its magical abilities.Sounds fine by me; the occ/charop in me would probably go for adding "Prot. from Chaos I" as the extra spell- but the roleplayer part of me would imagine it more in line for the mentor, knowing how much of an impulsive youngling his charge is, to teach Kouji something harmless along the lines of "Read Language"/"Detect Magic" (if only to keep him from getting into too much trouble). ;P
That being said- it is a good question of how magic should be done in the game. As a path of least resistance, the idea of the standard vancian spellbook-use (or scrollbook, as the case may be) is fine by me. Another suggestion would be to handle things like the 3.5 sorceror, making arcane magic innate- possibly as a byproduct of being a Hengeyokai.
Keeping with a low-magic world, I like the idea of vancian magic using a scroll case. Because of the dangers in having only three party members at this point, I will allow you to have and . Your instructor wants you to learn more msytical ways from him. Therefore, you have a way to avoid trouble (Proection), a way to return interesting artifacts to him (Detect Magic) and even a way to remind you of the subtle nature of magic...be at peace, young Kouji Saikubo (Kitsune/Sleep).
While waiting, please check out this interesting chart for use in "Ruins & Ronin." Would we like to use it? I'm thinking it'd be a fun option for players to creae a tad more history for new characters.
That's a pretty neat chart there and (like the others) I'm game for giving it a go. Here is my result:
Kouji's Lineage:
Total number of siblings apart from Kouji: 3, all female. Two of them are firstborn twins and the remaining one is younger than Kouji (making him the 2nd born).
Illegitimate birth.
Peasant Caste.
Uncle is the Clan Leader.
Relations: (presumably between Kouji and Uncle) Distant.
Honor: 8
Trait: Smart
The firstborn twins and the youngest sister are all legitimate births but their castes were varied (one twin ended up being citizen, the other was noble, and the youngest sister was peasant). As expected, the honor, relations, and traits between the three were varied as well; one twin was a celebrity with an honor of 4 and a relationship of ambivalent, while another twin was blind with an honor of 9 and relationship of friendly. The youngest was short with an honor of 11 and a relationship of favorite.
As a matter of "tweaking" backgroundwise, I thought about making the twins and youngest sister part of the same family/clan that the Uncle leads and that the Uncle is Kouji's actual real father who had him raised by a friendly, but childless couple (not Kouji's real parents, but Kouji believes them to be his real parents and that he's an only child) for reasons known only to that Uncle. I figured that while it might be much to expect peasant (or even a citizen) family to be able to do something like that, a privileged (assuming that nobles are human only for the purposes of this campaign) caste might fit in better.
Of course, all this is somewhat dependent on how Hengeyokai are envisioned in this game and would they be able to mate and procreate with humans/are a race unto themselves/and how "open" other humans are to hengeyokais.
Character Investments
As the initial party comes together, I offer the following creative bits to each character:To Kouji Saikubo, The Rainbow-Winged Shugenja:
Spoiler:I offer an ancestral set of ceremonial tea cups and saucers. Useful for various important events as per the custom and culture, the secrets of magic lie within one special cup: after drinking from the cup (one sip will suffice), tea leaves gather to the surface and reveal mystical writings. These instructions allow one spell to be cast with optimized dice rolls once during the day, until the next mealtime occurs. Of course, the shugenja (or sohei) can fast for a meal (but no more than two) and retain this special bonus. Exercise caution when using this tea set, however… careful inspection reveals many other curious scripts painted on the porcelain ware.
Thank you kindly- never could say no to free swag. ;P
Would it to be available for immediate use? I'm thinking that it might either be a gift from either the mentor or the parents (foster or real, presuming that part goes through).I am very hyped for this game!Let's look over the special perks again, and if everyone is on board, can we look forward to starting the game this weekend? I think that letting everyone read some postings over the weekend would be good, and begin posting regularly starting next week?
I will have a starting point for all of you tomorrow. I expect that I will have a local patron offer free food and lodging to discuss some issues, and let things unfold from that point. Kind of standard opening, but with a few limited starting points for characters to undertake. Does anyone want something special in the village/town, beyond local shrines and a basic salesman/men?
Anything that my character would know about his mentor? If the mentor is human or a fellow hengeyokai and whether or not the mentor likes to sneak a peek into the women's side of hot springs (well, maybe not)... ;P
Keeping with a low-magic world, I like the idea of vancian magic using a scroll case. Because of the dangers in having only three party members at this point, I will allow you to have and . Your instructor wants you to learn more msytical ways from him. Therefore, you have a way to avoid trouble (Proection), a way to return interesting artifacts to him (Detect Magic) and even a way to remind you of the subtle nature of magic...be at peace, young Kouji Saikubo (Kitsune/Sleep).
Thank you again- sounds fine to me. :)
Note:Edited for additions
Come to think of it, I do have two things to ask:
One, when a Hengeyokai changes shape, is it like a 3.5 druid's shapechange where the carried equipment and clotheswear are melded into the new form or would the Hengeyokai have to stash the equipment and clothing away before shapechanging?
Two, does a Shugenja start out with a free scrollcase/spellcase or should the Shugenja buy one at the price of a blank spellbook (100 gp)?
Btw, thought of some alternate names for the protection from chaos and detect magic spells. For Protection, something like Kaihi (avoid) Kodawari (trouble) work or maybe use kame (turtle)? For detect magic, something like Saigen (return) Mahou (magic) items (kajou) work or maybe use Inu (dog) Fecchi (fetch)?
Come to think of it, I do have two things to ask:
One, when a Hengeyokai changes shape, is it like a 3.5 druid's shapechange where the carried equipment and clotheswear are melded into the new form or would the Hengeyokai have to stash the equipment and clothing away before shapechanging?
Two, does a Shugenja start out with a free scrollcase/spellcase or should the Shugenja buy one at the price of a blank spellbook (100 gp)?
Btw, thought of some alternate names for the protection from chaos and detect magic spells. For Protection, something like Kaihi (avoid) Kodawari (trouble) work or maybe use kame (turtle)? For detect magic, something like Saigen (return) Mahou (magic) items (kajou) work or maybe use Inu (dog) Fecchi (fetch)?
I'll develop your mentor as an NPC who has a bit more personality. Give me today to do that work-up. Regarding the scrollcase and magic, you get those for free. If you want more spells, you'll have to pay for the paper at least for your master to transcribe (until you learn the Read Magic spell. Untilsuch time, you will copy and copy and copy and copy and copy the spells ou have learned until the mystic language becomes familiar to you. If anything, you can see your master as a guardian/gatekeeper for magic. You could easily compare yourself to oter scholars who know more magic than you do...but your master is very poweful (you feel), so the trade off might be worth it.). About the names of other spells, I'll defer the rest to you for what you know (and in the future, I'll give you the real name, and we can decide together what you might want to name it). I was liking the "Dog Fetch" name, or derivations of it.
Anything that my character would know about his mentor? If the mentor is human or a fellow hengeyokai and whether or not the mentor likes to sneak a peek into the women's side of hot...
Let me work on his write up today. When you transform, let's say anything you carry on person/in hand goes with you. Pick a kind of material, maybe "jade" or something like it. THIS item does not transform with you, but you know it in advance, and can plan accordingly. Finally, you know the tea cup magic and its available wheneveryou want. I'd like you to roleplay the use when possible.
GREAT STUFF!
I'll develop your mentor as an NPC who has a bit more personality. Give me today to do that work-up. Regarding the scrollcase and magic, you get those for free. If you want more spells, you'll have to pay for the paper at least for your master to transcribe (until you learn the Read Magic spell. Untilsuch time, you will copy and copy and copy and copy and copy the spells ou have learned until the mystic language becomes familiar to you. If anything, you can see your master as a guardian/gatekeeper for magic. You could easily compare yourself to oter scholars who know more magic than you do...but your master is very poweful (you feel), so the trade off might be worth it.). About the names of other spells, I'll defer the rest to you for what you know (and in the future, I'll give you the real name, and we can decide together what you might want to name it). I was liking the "Dog Fetch" name, or derivations of it.
Sounds good to me- then Inu Fecchi (Detect Magic) and Kame Kaihi Kodawari (Prot. from Chaos I) it is. ;)
Let me work on his write up today. When you transform, let's say anything you carry on person/in hand goes with you. Pick a kind of material, maybe "jade" or something like it. THIS item does not transform with you, but you know it in advance, and can plan accordingly. Finally, you know the tea cup magic and its available wheneveryou want. I'd like you to roleplay the use when possible.
Hmm, jade sounds fine as a nontransforming material- or possibly even lead as another nontransforming material?
Total number of siblings apart from Kouji: 3, all female. Two of them are firstborn twins and the remaining one is younger than Kouji (making him the 2nd born).
Illegitimate birth.
Peasant Caste.
Uncle is the Clan Leader.
Relations: (presumably between Kouji and Uncle) Distant.
Honor: 8
Trait: SmartThe firstborn twins and the youngest sister are all legitimate births but their castes were varied (one twin ended up being citizen, the other was noble, and the youngest sister was peasant). As expected, the honor, relations, and traits between the three were varied as well; one twin was a celebrity with an honor of 4 and a relationship of ambivalent, while another twin was blind with an honor of 9 and relationship of friendly. The youngest was short with an honor of 11 and a relationship of favorite.
As a matter of "tweaking" backgroundwise, I thought about making the twins and youngest sister part of the same family/clan that the Uncle leads and that the Uncle is Kouji's actual real father who had him raised by a friendly, but childless couple (not Kouji's real parents, but Kouji believes them to be his real parents and that he's an only child) for reasons known only to that Uncle. I figured that while it might be much to expect peasant (or even a citizen) family to be able to do something like that, a privileged (assuming that nobles are human only for the purposes of this campaign) caste might fit in better.
So techincally, Kouji, as far as he would know, has both (foster) parents of peasant caste, Juuzo (father) and Sayaka (mother) Saikubo,and is an only child with no siblings under the tutelage of Ichimura of Kagami.
C C
I would like to consider your Ruins & Ronin character’s Intelligence, specifically regarding known languages. For each point above 10, you get an additional language. With Intelligence 16, this means you have six new languages. I propose that your magical character would know linguistics of great fantasy creatures, or perhaps was thrust into the role of scribe for his studious master. Therefore, with six possibilities, I offer:
1. Ogres are common-enough creatures that breeds with humans. Knowing their language could be helpful for diplomacy or their true motivations for trafficking with men.
2. Bakemono-Toro are shape-shifting goblinoids. Something about their ability to change forms appealed to you, so studying them in great detail taught you their crude language.
3. Doppelgangers also make perfect sense to you, for reasons stated above. Your master does NOT know you have learned this language, however…
4. Hebi-Josei was the first language taught to you by your master, who you have seen imbibe the deadly poisons he has milked from foul creatures. You have wondered if your master harbors a vendetta against these snake-things. Still, it is another example of a creature that is not what it seems…
5. Maun-Ge can communicate with people in most languages, but you found it interesting to learn their native tongue, but lost weeks of training trying to talk without several important vowel-sounds. The phlegm built-up in your throat made enunciation of new spells difficult.
6. Pick something you like, or wait until a point in the game that you want to “know” a language, and most likely, I’ll let you have that language.
Hmm, jade sounds fine as a nontransforming material- or possibly even lead as another nontransforming material?
Either one works for me; just pick one and lemmie know.
C C
I would like to consider your Ruins & Ronin character’s Intelligence, specifically regarding known languages. For each point above 10, you get an additional language. With Intelligence 16, this means you have six new languages. I propose that your magical character would know linguistics of great fantasy creatures, or perhaps was thrust into the role of scribe for his studious master. Therefore, with six possibilities, I offer:
1. Ogres are common-enough creatures that breeds with humans. Knowing their language could be helpful for diplomacy or their true motivations for trafficking with men.
2. Bakemono-Toro are shape-shifting goblinoids. Something about their ability to change forms appealed to you, so studying them in great detail taught you their crude language.
3. Doppelgangers also make perfect sense to you, for reasons stated above. Your master does NOT know you have learned this language, however…
4. Hebi-Josei was the first language taught to you by your master, who you have seen imbibe the deadly poisons he has milked from foul creatures. You have wondered if your master harbors a vendetta against these snake-things. Still, it is another example of a creature that is not what it seems…
5. Maun-Ge can communicate with people in most languages, but you found it interesting to learn their native tongue, but lost weeks of training trying to talk without several important vowel-sounds. The phlegm built-up in your throat made enunciation of new spells difficult.
6. Pick something you like, or wait until a point in the game that you want to “know” a language, and most likely, I’ll let you have that language.
The first five sounds good- as for the last, I can take oni-aka if they happen to have their own distinct language.
Either one works for me; just pick one and lemmie know.
Hmm, jade sounds fine as a nontransforming material- or possibly even lead as another nontransforming material?
I'll go with Jade then.
The first five sounds good- as for the last, I can take oni-aka if they happen to have their own distinct language.
Great! You know know how to speak oni-aka, then. I expect this will come in handy at some point very soon!
Anything that my character would know about his mentor? If the mentor is human or a fellow hengeyokai and whether or not the mentor likes to sneak a peek into the women's side of hot...
Your quiet master likes to keep to himself. You know that his wisdom in dealing with medicinal herbs and poison remedies seems second-to-none; more than one samurai has pledged his services to you Master in exchange for life-healing anti-toxins following mystical battles.
You have also noticed, while in sparrow form, that you Master withdraws from society at large during rainstorms. He secrets himself away to his room, sits in the lotus position on his straw mat on the floor, and writes in a large tome. You discovered this habit because your Master also likes saki, and drinks large quantities of the alcohol while in this self-designed solitude. It was in this drunken state that you were able to convince him to teach you your first spell two weeks ahead of his calendared schedule...
Hey gang, hope you're all well. David must have a lot on at the moment, but I was wondering if the two players would like to take part in my Swords and Wizardry game "The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh". We have 4 PCs and 1 hireling, so the party could do with some beefing up. Let me know if you're interested.
Hey gang, hope you're all well. David must have a lot on at the moment, but I was wondering if the two players would like to take part in my Swords and Wizardry game "The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh". We have 4 PCs and 1 hireling, so the party could do with some beefing up. Let me know if you're interested.
I'm sure he'll do fine and will show up when he can. As for your offer, sounds fine by me- what party member race/class is in and what race/class would be needed? ;)
The group has:
Ghindor - Human Fighter (played by David so MIA)
Byggvir - Elf
Gabra - Human Godi (Cleric variant)
Cunorix - Human Cleric
They could do with a Magic-User really, or another Fighter. We're using S&W Core with several modifications. I'll provide a link later.