North [Location] College of Lore

A Dragonsfoot Challenge post (I'm going through the old challenges and finding my things I haven't posted yet).

North [Location] College of Lore

The North [Location*] College of Lore is one of the new wave of Bardic Colleges that aims to take advantage of a bard's eclectic pursuit of knowledge, becoming a clearinghouse of those things of interest to adventurers. Its symbol is a blue river on a field of green, inside a circle of gold, representing a few of its most cherished beliefs. Like a river might be, it is broad, but not necessarily terribly deep, and it flows through the portal to everything: gold. There are few more perfect symbols in all the planes.

The North [Location] College of Lore attracts priests, wizards, rogues, and warriors. Some stay as faculty, training younger members of the college and paying a portion of their fees to the college itself. Others come to study, seeking information in its broad library, or even paying for the privilege of copying spells from its spell tomes. Want to learn to protect yourself from pickpockets? The North [Location] College of Lore is always looking for people to be marks for pickpocket classes, and they'll be happy to teach you to avoid being pickpocketed at the same time. Need information on an obscure ruin or ancient dragon? The North [Location] College of Lore has a large library and librarians eager to help you.

While many pay in coin, the North [Location] College of Lore also takes payment in service or kind. If you want access to their spell library, they may charge you fees, or request that you scribe some scrolls for sale in their Scriptorium, or simply copy over books and spells in a fair hand. Fighters who wish to train may be drafted into training themselves, especially if they have expertise in rare weapons that they can pass on. Rogues might be hired to improve or test security, and there's always a need for priests to heal up injuries taken in training. Even psionicists with the power of Psychic Surgery may find breaks on tuition if they can help others unlock their own wild talents.

Prices at the North [Location] College of Lore are reasonable, by adventuring standards. If engaged in level training, prices are as in the DMG. Learning a spell from their library costs the same as having an NPC cast the spell (at the minimum level that spell is available; Remove Curse, a 4th level spell, will run 3500 gold), plus providing a copy of another spell of similar level that the library does not possess. If you don't have a spell the library needs (or don't wish to trade it), then the price triples. This is for the attempt, only; there's no guarantee that you will learn the spell. The library attracts sages for study, and so they are often available for consultation, at the usual rates, or the library may be able to provide referrals to sages with a given specialty (often asking for a few tens to hundreds of gold for the courtesy). Simply making use of the mundane library requires a monthly subscription of 100 gold pieces, plus an initial 200gp fee to be entered into the rolls as accepted subscribers (the 200gp fee involves the casting of a Wizard Mark on said rolls); the monthly subscription might be pro-rated down to 40 gold per week, but the fee is non-negotiable. Writing materials for taking notes costs extra.

Most mundane equipment is available at close to list price. Scrolls and potions are frequently available from the Scriptorium or Apothecary, and will cost 50% above the market value laid out in the DMG (page 121 of the 1e DMG). If offered in trade, they bring in the market value; if outright sold, the College will usually only pay 75% of market value. More exotic items are seldom available; the College keeps such items offered in trade or sale for the use of its faculty and staff.

History:
The North [Location] College of Lore was founded by Kappelheim Tavartarr, a gnomish professor (bard kit) of great experience. He secured the location for the college (an old moathouse he cleared early in his career), and slowly built the college around it, encouraging his followers to study and teach; some of the 0-level fighters that formed his initial entourage became sages in their own right, while others became Weaponsmasters, scribes, or any of the other positions needed by the college. As this was more than 100 years ago, some of the gnomish and elvish followers remain on staff, while human followers have children and grandchildren who have entered into Kappelheim's service. Now a small town in its own right, with about 200 permanent residents (85% human and half-elven, 5% elven, 3% gnomish, 6% halfling, 1% dwarven), and between 20-50 transients at any given time. Joining the college as permanent faculty is difficult; Kappelheim and his associates will subject you to a lengthy and invasive magical, psionic, and mundane investigation, and generally only hire those who are committed to the college and of a steady temperament. 90% of those accepted as permanent faculty will be of lawful alignment, and less than 20% will be of evil alignment; more chaotic or malevolent individuals may be accepted as adjunct faculty, but seldom as full-time members of the community. Even still, faculty members must accept a geas to serve and protect the college.

*Plug in your favorite location; I considered both "Faerun" and "Flanaess", but you can plug in most anyplace. I kept almost writing "Texas".

Assassination in Progress

Another of the Dragonsfoot Monthly Challenge posts that I forgot to post, this one for an urban encounter.


Assassination in Progress

Time: Night in the city

Cast: Felix, half-orc cleric/assassin 4/9
His three Murderer assistants (assassin 4; if the encounter needs some juice, make one or more Fighter/Assassins)

Regulus, 8th level magic-user
His shield grogs (3 5th level fighters and 1 3rd level cleric)

Status of Current Hackmaster Projects [Hackmaster]

Here's the status of my current Hackmaster projects, most of them done in the past year or so:

The Shadesh West (submitted to Kenzer) 

*North of P'Bapar, West of Dobyo: 15467 words 

*Sanakir Hills: 4962 words 

*The Valley Lands: 5541 words 

*Mount Keypar-Urtha: 5766 words 

*The Brindonwood: 5462 words 

*Shashyf Hills: 4935 words 

*Hungry Undead conversion: 7543 words 

*Moose: 627 words 

*Elk/caribou: 513 words 

*Deer: 436 Words 

*Sharjani: 3881 words 

*Al-miraj: 527 Words 

*Sorcerer: 2493 words 

*Shaman: 10566 words 

*Witch Doctor: 1074 words 

The Goblin Heights (completed, not yet submitted) 

*Krond Heights, Goblin Deeps: 8641 words 

*The Krond Heights: 8677 words 

*The Goblin Deeps: 7515 words 

*Alpaca: 336 words 

*Avledor: 522 words 

*Dwarf, Ragged: 1656 Words 

*Elder Troll: 962 words 

*Llama: 319 words 

*Tunnel Hag: 1039 words 

Blood and Sunshine: Grel and Pixie-Fairies (completed, not yet submitted) 

*Friend and Foe: Pixie-Fairy and Grunge Elf: 405 words 

*Sarlangans: 9576 words 

*Paelifa: 8530 words 

*Grunge Fairy: 961 words 

*Woodland Knight: 1189 words 

*Outdoorsman: 1503 words 

*Fairy, Common: 833 words 

*Bumblebee, Gigantic: 485 words 

*Giant Butterfly: 451 words 

The High Cantons (work in progress): 

*The High Cantons: 3556 words 

*Gnome Titans: 4899 words 

*Disciples of Klarbappo: 981 words 

*Stone Giants: 923 words 

*Grevans as PCs: 438 words 

*Marshall: 1203 words 

Odd Jill and the Snake Pit Slavers (permission to publish, needs editing and formatting) 

*Fiction: 13235 words


In case you're wondering (I certainly was), the full Mysteries of Magic manuscript (of which only about 1/3 was published, is 160,908 words, while the above is 148,628 words.

Savage Star Wars

Some basics for a Savage Star Wars game I ran, where everyone was a Padawan immediately after Order 66 (literally, the first check they rolled was to hear "Execute Order 66" over their clone trooper's radios).

A lot of Star Wars works just fine with Savage Worlds; the main things I saw as necessary are Force Rules that represent the Dark Side (here, they are bonus bennies that can only be used for Dark Side actions, but using too many loses you to the dark side), and some races. Otherwise, give everyone a laser sword and let the dice roll!

Arcane Background: Jedi
Arcane Skill: Force
Beginning Powers: 3
Power Points: No Power Points Rule
The Force skill can also be used to perform minor Telekinesis; it has a strength of d4, and a duration of only 1, but otherwise functions like the Telekinesis power.



The Lure of the Dark Side
In addition to the regular Bennies (called “Force Points”) available to all characters, each character in Savage Star Wars has 3 Dark Side Points. Dark Side points may be spent like bennies, but only to reroll an offensive roll (Fighting, Shooting, Taunt, Intimidation, Pilot, etc.), or to reroll the damage of an attack, and for those with the Arcane Background: Jedi, they may be spent to allow the use of any Force Power for the rest of the session, or to reroll a failed Force skill roll.
However, the Dark Side is seductive. If a character spends all of their Dark Side Points in a single session, they receive Dark Sider as a Minor Hindrance. In subsequent sessions, they will have 1 fewer Dark Side Point. If they run out of those in a single session, their Dark Sider Hindrance is upgraded to a Major Hindrance, and they begin each session with only 1 Dark Side Point. Using their Dark Side Point with the major Dark Sider Hindrance results in the Hindrance, Lost to the Dark Side, a Major Hindrance. These Hindrances may be bought off with Advances as normal; Lost to the Dark Side requires two advances, and Dark Sider may then be reduced from a Major to a Minor Hindrance, then removed entirely.

New Hindrances
Dark Sider (Minor or Major)
Those with the Dark Sider hindrance have begun to succumb to the lure of the Dark Side. As a minor Hindrance, they receive only 2 Dark Side Points each session; as a major Hindrance, they receive only one. Should all their Dark Side Points be spent in a single session, those with the minor Hindrance upgrade to the Major; those with the Major become Lost of the Dark Side.

Lost to the Dark Side (Major)
Prerequisite: Dark Sider Major Hindrance
Those Lost to the Dark Side have perverted the Force for selfish ends. As such, they no longer receive Force Points like regular characters; instead, they begin each session with a single Dark Side Point. They are able to earn Force Points normally during play, but any Force Points earned for acting on negative personality Hindrances (Arrogant, Bloodthirsty, Greedy, Jealous, Mean, Overconfident, Ruthless, Vengeful; others, decided by GM) will instead be earned as Dark Side Points.

Species
Wookiee
Pros: Strength starts at d6 (2), Claws (Str+d4 Damage) (1), Environmental Resistance: Cold (1), Size +1 (1)
Cons: Big -2, Cannot Speak -1, Minor Hindrance (Outsider, -1)

Twi’lek
Pros: Environmental Resistance: Heat (1), Persuasion starts at d6 (1)

Human
Pros: One additional Novice edge of choice

Togruta (Ahsoka Tano’s species)
Pros: Bite (Strength +d4 Damage) (1), Danger Sense Edge (due to montrals) (2)
Cons: Loyal Hindrance (1)

Gungan (Otolla) (Jar-Jar Binks)
Pros: Aquatic (2), +2 on Athletics (2)
Cons: Frail (1), Environmental Weakness: Heat (1)

Gungan (Ankura) (Boss Nass)
Pros: Aquatic (2)

Jawa
Pros: Low Light Vision (1), Repair d6 (2), +2 Repair (2), Immune to Disease (1)
Cons: Small (1), Can’t Speak (2), Outsider (Minor) (1)

Trandoshan
Pros: Regeneration (3)
Cons: Racial Enemy: Wookiee

Devaronnian
Pros: Immune to Poison, +1 Toughness

Coventicle of Black Blood

A NE/CE order; semi-religious.

The Conventicle of Black Blood is an organization that potrays itself as being a "hunting club", and many are organized among the upper classes (and ambitious folk of the middle class) as such. Those who are able to hunt or fish as a pleasure, not a necessity. It seldom goes openly by the name, but will instead mock names associated with The Great Huntress; The Sacred Order of the Sable Arrow, in Brandobia, is one such group, it symbol a black arrow, with a black drop of blood dripping from the tip, painted simply on a sign of wood or a background of green. Massive hunts, where every member is encouraged to bring back some game of some sort, will sweep through the land on nights as the Veshemo is new or Diadolai wanes. Prizes are awarded for the largest trophies, and scorn is heaped upon any who do not return with at least a rabbit or al-miraj. Midwinter hunts to roust bears and boars from their slumber, and events where children are given a sling and pigeons are released for their sport are all popular, and kill far more than can be eaten.

While the open orders recruit, an inner circle works more sinisterly.

The Coventicle of Black Blood engages in rites which profane the hunt, and seek to cause pain, famine, and pestilence. They do hunt, of course, but they seek to overhunt an area, so there will be a dearth of food animals to eat. The inner circle leaves corpses to rot and cause disease, or leaves animals wounded to draw predators. To this end, they are popular among the priests of the Locust Lord, the Flaymaster, and the Rotlord, with different groups within the Coventicle organized towards one or the other, and providing at least lip service to the rest.

The members are varied, though it is popular with assassins, fighter/thieves, and fallen rangers (indeed, remaining one of the few sources of training for rangers who fall away from good). Some Patient Arrows, drawn by the open orders, will join Coventicle-associated hunt clubs, but find their message strangely rebuffed by the most influential members. The open orders count among their number many noblemen and knights; men for whom hunt is a sport, not a way of life, and who care little how the meat is used, so long as the trophy comes home with them. This provides them a fair degree of political protection, though respectable huntsmen, frequently associated with (at least loosely) the Patient Arrows, tend to have little truck with them.

Divine Charges

Found this other entry into the old Dragonsfoot forum challenges.

Divine Charges (Divination)
Wizard level 2, Cleric level 3
Sphere: Divination
Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
Area of Effect: One Object
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 2 hours
Saving Throw: None

By carefully calibrating a scale and adjusting the counter-weights, the caster learns approximately how many charges are in the item. Upon completing the casting time, the DM rolls 1d8-4 if between the levels of 3 and 6, 1d6-3 if between 7 and 11, and 1d4-2 if level 12 or higher. The DM adds the result to the actual number of charges the item, and reports the final total. Each spellcaster can only cast this once per item per year; if attempted more frequently on the same item, there is a 7% cumulative chance that 3d10 charges will be lost, and the material components destroyed. This spell reveals nothing about the function(s) of the item. There is a (30%-level of the caster) chance that any curses on the item will come to affect the caster, as well.
The material components of this spell are a scale and fine golden weights. Each weight costs 20 gp, and insufficiently varied weights reduce the accuracy of the spell; usually, it will be five 1 charge weights, three 5 charge weights, two 10 charge weights, and three 20 charge weights, for a total of 160gp in weights. The scale itself must be made of silver, and costs 100gp for a scale suitable for only wands, 300gp for a scale suitable for rods or wands, and 500gp for a scale suitable for staves and other magical items. These material components are not typically destroyed with casting.

Powers as Tech Devices

So, I worked up the basic outline of using Savage Worlds: Adventure Edition for Mass Effect but, while I was working on it, I realized that a LOT of powers might exist as Tech devices, and that I don't have much in the way of clear guidelines as to what would work that way, or how much it would cost.

While these devices all list a cost, that alone is not sufficient to power the device; they also need supplies of Power Points, and most will have a built-in charger to regain power points.  Smaller power supplies run about 20 credits per power point, and standard rechargers cost 50, and recharge at a rate of 1 point per minute. Rapid chargers, which recharge at 3 points every 2 minutes, cost an additional 100 credits. Such power supplies weigh about 1 pound per 10 power points, with rapid chargers only adding a negligible amount to the weight. Cybernetic power supplies (ones designed to be integrated into a body) are about 50 credits per power point, but add nothing to encumbrance. Cybernetic power supplies are frequently regulated. Power point pools do not recharge while devices are in use; some devices will have several pools built in, both for redundancy and for endurance.

In addition, expert systems can be acquired, letting powers be activated more easily. +1 on the Tech roll will require an additional 100 credits; +2 will require 200 credits. Higher-end, fool-proof systems (i.e. adding a +3 or more), require a fair bit more space and processing, and add 200 credits per plus to the cost (so a +3 on the activation roll is 600 credits), and an additional pound per plus. Conversely, some systems are finicky, and can be "shorted", as described on page 151. Such devices inflict a penalty on the activation roll, but can reduce the power point cost of any power modifiers (not the base power, itself). These can be paired with an expert system; a Damage Field power might be shorted 1 or 2 points to allow for a cheaper increase in damage, but with expert systems reducing some of the penalty. Failures with these devices are always critical failures!

Many powers have a range based on Smarts; for devices, consider that a d6. Devices that only function at touch range receive a +1 to their activation roll. Many powers have set durations; devices can be set to deduct power to maintain them without action, though with the attendant 1 Power Point per additional duration.