NEVER MEET YOUR HEROES: Encountering Infamous Adventurers (2025 Secret Santicorn)

The Nightwatch by Rembrandt
An amazing work which is huge!

I participated in the “Purple OSR”’s 2025 Secret Santicorn and received the prompt “Never Meet Your Heroes: Encountering Infamous Adventurers”. I interpreted these NPCs through the lens of a home setting I’m rolling around in my head. I also tried to make the NPCs reference each other to give them a more grounded feel. I would stat each NPC as 4th level or 6th level, which is “hero” level by OD&D/Chainmail rules for fighters or magic-users, respectively, and a few of them are most likely best interpreted as 9th level.

Nicolas Bruno part of a tarot card series

Voulo the Unseated Or The Chevalier Who Rides The Unseen Horse

Once a marvelous fighter and regionally known as being unseated in the joust from a very young age, Voulo gained a modest sum for himself as a breeder of fine chargers and coursers. His fame rose to great heights such that he was invited to the 10-year Tourney held by Lord Acard, the Black Wolf himself. During the feast, Voulo received a reading from Ysabel the Seer at the table, via haruspicy, that said his 13th tilt would change the world. And true to the reading, Voulo unknowingly killed the young prince who had entered as a black knight. Not believing it an accident, the prince’s grandmother, a powerful warlock, cursed the knight that very day.

Now, Voulo is hated by all horses and is unseated from all he tries to ride save for the one he travels on to this day. But rumors say the stead he rides, draped in a black funeral shroud so it is unseen, moves via necromancy. Even darker whispers say that its a part of the prince’s soul that animates the animal, and it must be fed meat as one would a pard. This story is usually told when Voulo departs from an area, and the stable hand or innkeeper has gone missing.

Want: To make the soul of the prince leave the horse- no priest has succeeded, he slew the last one

Give: Can allow someone to sleep on the “horse” which will carry them to an entrance to the underworld, if they wake during this journey, they will be eaten

Mugwort Seer by Erica Peebus

Ysabel the Seer Or She Who Binds Fates To War

Once a savant with regards to haruspicy of the walking lionfish of the lower lakes, it is said Ysabel washed up on the shore of Lake Brilliant as the child of a naiad. Later, the financiers of Ib put her skills to use by allowing her to lead seven expeditions into the isolated vales of the Copper Kingdoms to the north to find ruins of the serpent empires. On her 8th expedition, Ysabel’s team descended into a shrine of Yg. At the inner chamber, she herself was the only one lithe enough to pass through a crack in the sealed door guarding the chamber. Once in the dark, she took a greatl pearl from the coiled alter of Yg, but reported the chamber was empty when she emerged. And also nursed a feverish bite mark on the back of her neck she told no one about.

Now, Vsabel’s visions have been as clear as ever, however, all of them link any individual seeking a fortune to the on-going Autum War which was touched off by the killing of a minor prince in a joust and a resulting cascade of unlikely involvements, suspicions, double-crosses, and marriages. All foretold by Ysabel before she went into hiding. Her foreign financiers stopped the expeditions but rumors say she’s still on retainer as an agent of chaos. Other stories say people DO seek her out in order to become involved in the war, figuring conflict brings fame and fortune. No one has tallied the success rate.

Want: To know what this “egg”, as she calls it, is and to find the shrine to Yg and to give the pearl back, but can hardly stand to not have it in her hands

Give: Can act as a middleman between contacts in Ib and PCs, will result in money, equipment, and an eventual reading should she be convinced.

Liona Autumn-Song Or She Who Sings To Murderers

Once a changeling of the Autumn Court with a voice that has enchanted 99 lovers over her preternaturally long life. With the unrest in the Summer Lands, monsters drew forth from the forgotten places to feast on the distracted population. Since many heroes have gone off to fight the war, Liona found a new stage as a pacifier of monsters. Her songs enchanted them to lay at her feet as would a lamb and eventually saunter off back into the woods. Her fame has quickly risen among the villages and towns along the rivers of the land. Even the clergy praise her non-violent ways as a shining example of virtue.

Now people ask, but never in the earshot of Liona or her many admirers, why the cattle, sheep, goats, and occasional shepherd that go missing where she stays? And why is Liona moved toward the mysterious war that has taken over the lands? She claims she will sing the kings to sleep, but she can’t be that arrogant. The source of this woe, hidden among the smiles, is three monsters that stalk Liona like jealous former lovers. They shadow her life as personifications of ill-fortune. Liona’s gift does not allow her to kill the monsters, and their oppressive presence has worn her down, so she has started working as a mercenary on the side, directing these vicious maws toward whatever she was hired to do all the while promising each of them in confidence she will be their beloved.

Want: To find a way to kill the monsters following her- three manticores named Demetrius, Chiron, and Alarbus

Give: For a price, she is happy to travel to a battle or fight and let the monsters do the work, she hopes someone will kill them– so far the beasts are too successful.

Breudrox the Wind Shepard Or They Who Have Forgotten Themselves

Once the Summer Lands were nothing but swamp, however, a clever wizard yoked the four winds and bridled two rivers to turn the land in between them into a fertile delta. This wizard was hailed for this terraforming feat, which made them the premier sorcerer of the kingdom. Breudrox went on to herd the sea inland, pull out the salt, and create the Lake Brilliant which gave rise to the bounty of walking lionfish the region is famous for as well as the sirens’ songs on the wind. As a final act, Breudrox emptied the riches of the earth unto the surface and tamed tongues of fire to melt them. And this brought forth mighty beasts of the underworld for great knights to test themselves against. Then, with these four great works done, Breudrox departed in a great whirlwind!

Now, Breudrox is known as “The Baffled” and appears often in sudden violent thunderstorms seeking effigies, paintings, and statues of himself. Chaos is seemingly sown, then the magus departs again, with or without sought items. Those who can hear the voices of the spirit world know what really happened. The four lordly winds resented their vassal status and sent 8 minor winds to gently blow away Breudrox’s memories of self. The magus now can’t control the four winds and are controlled by them instead, but they are still yoked nonetheless, and so is flung this way and that, driven mad by the howls of delight from the wind lords.

Place Breudrox the Baffled on the wilderness random encounter table as a “very rare” or as rare as a dragon- for instance, a “2” on a 2d6 roll. And there is a 1-in-12 chance Breudrox will appear when mentioned in conversation outdoors.

Want: Any information on the wizard Breudrox: images, statues, books, locations, rumors and prophecies. Any magic-user who starts with Geometry of Unsceen Potencies will be assumed to be a former apprentice of Breudrox’s and subject to interrogation- whether true or not.

Give: If convinced the PC have information, this Baffled will trade one-time use of magic of a 9th-level wizard for said information/wants. The spell must be employed locally, within the hour, and not require anything that is not immediately at hand. The Baffled won’t kill the king, for instance, as that’s just too much trouble/time. If PCs lie, the Baffled will remember and seek revenge next time they meet.

by Zigor Skruggi

Orry the Second-Sword of Fate Or The Left Hand of Winter

Every man, woman, and child around the Lake Brilliant knows the story of Orry or more accurately knows the story of Érard who fought the First Dragon of the Earth. Or the story of Érard who destroyed the scales of Molock. Or the story of Érard who slew the Greater Tarsque of the Valley. Orry, too, was there to in all instances to provide aid, but never quite delivered the killing blow, which was always by Érard’s hand. But Orry was never jealous in the stories, but always willing to play squire to Érard, and in some recountings was a squire. When Érard died, surprisingly, in the opening battle of the Strange War with No Beginning, it was Orry who bore him across the battlefield on a mysterious, shrouded horse. Later, Orry said that he wanted to deliver the great hero to the afterlife himself and bears a frostbitten left hand as a testament to pushing open one of the 13 gates of Death.

Now, Orry travels righting wrongs as the Second Hero of the land, a title he acknowledges with gritted teeth and a tight smile. And it's true he delivered Érard to the afterlife, but after he slew him with a misericorde made from the coldest ice, which blackened his hand, then melted away. Ever dawn it reappears in his clenched left hand, cold and accusatory. Never again will anyone stand in the way of Orry the Hero. What Orry does not understand is that his fate was born from a bet between the two fay courts for which child could first deliver a world-changing event. He’s made an unknown spirit very rich.

Want: To accomplish great deeds for greater renown and status, and so seeks quests of importance and note throughout the land. To understand why the gods have cursed his fate so.

Give: Orry knows where a great many things are buried or kept as they come to him in dreams. And with the aid of ever-present magical misericorde, Cain, he can deliver a killing blow to most things both flesh and spirit. The problem is he is often driven to a deep jealousy and hatred of allies at the same time. Often turning whatever new found object on former friends.

The Unicorn Renalaut the Splendid Or The Ruin of Innocence

Once a symbol of hope throughout the war-torn lands, this shining avatar of bravery and justice was noted for its ability to cut down the villainous and champion the downtrodden. Renalaut often chooses riders from among the youth of the troubled delta villages. Renalaut fills their hearts with courage and hardens them against the fear of death all to rally the common people to a cause! These various irregular bands of Renalaut are the subjects of many new ballads in the lands as all of them are noted for their remarkable achievements.

Now, what those who were there will say is that there are never survivors of Renalaut’s irregulars save for the unicorn Renalaut, lamenting the death of the latest rider-martyr. Even the famous singer Autum-Song can’t remember one song sung about Renalaut where the rider lived. It is rumored the unicorn’s latest “victim” was a young prince who posed as a black knight for a joust. Others say this is because Renalaut values the eager and wide-eyed over the skilled. And while the unicorn fills their head with grandeur and goals it neglects to mention the hounds of ruin track which stalk the unicorn– not metaphorically, this is the curse that was placed upon Renalaut.

Want: To be the vanguard for truth, justice, and glory! To help right great wrongs. To vanquish great evil! Bring peace to the common folk of the land! To find a rider of true purpose, clarity, and purity.

Give: All the powers of a talking unicorn, plus the public renown that legendary status can bring.

D20 HERALDIC SHIELDS: Easy Options for Your Campaign Kingdom

Depiction of 20 heraldic shields

I find it easier to be creative when I have a prompt or some starting point rather than a blank slate. Its a seed from which ideas spring. And once again public domain (not AI) provides!

Here are a (convenient) d20 heraldic shields which, while lacking historic accuracy, certainly contain easy icon imagery which can be the basis for your next kingdom or set of kingdoms. I like that we have a solid mix of mythic animals, astrological images, crosses, wheels, and tools. 

Given that some of these icons are very similar, it is easy to imagine a few are related houses or united through marriage. Or roll 2d20 and mix two icons together. If you get the same one, have them be inverted colors representing a past rivalry now united into one house or bloodline-- or a recent split!

If you own Dolmenwood like I do, perhaps these could also be additional minor nobility under each of the larger houses in the setting. Dolmenwood's heraldic images are only a little more complex so again these 20 would fit right in.

DEATH & INJURY, TOO: 0hp is not always the end

While you are planning to carve up the turkey 🦃, here's how to carve up 🔪 PCs.

Death & dismemberment tables are a bit of table "tech" I return to, because I think they are a nice middle ground between killing PCs off at 0 hp and allowing players to potentially save a good stat line (low levels) or a beloved character (high levels).

It also has the knock-on effect of forcing players to run 2+ characters, and gives additional reason for keeping a calendar. After all, how do you know your injured leg is healed in 6 weeks if you don't track time?

One thing I've never been happy about is that most tables I've looked at have a much larger sub-table to deal with injuries. I, for some reason, hate rolling on it and always desire a more immediate result. Also, if they lose a hand or whatnot after they leave the dungeon, its hard, but not impossible, to rationalise how they made it out without bleeding out.

It should always be noted, though, that these sorts of tables will decrease the lethality of the game despite their scary-sounding name.

I decided to mainly affect attributes and saves because they are "chunky" pieces of the game that players can see and that have far-reaching mechanical effects, which I think better mimics the loss of a hand or foot than actually putting "loses hand/foot" on the table.

Here, I also included one result that gives a Darkest Dungeon resolve moment. That is always one of my favourite moments in the game.

DEATH & INJURY

Roll 1d10 on the following table when a PC reaches 0 hp and add any negative hp and CON bonus. For attribute statuses, either (a) lose any bonus or (b) if no bonus, gain a -2.

9 | RESOLVE! Gain 1d4+1 hp and immediately counter-attack!

8 | SHAKEN! Standing with 1 hp, but auto-fail the next 3 saves

7 | VICIOUS BLOW! Go to 1 hp, but go last in initiative order the rest of this combat

6 | BRUSH WITH DEATH! Go to 1 hp, but reduce your max hp by 1d6+1 (no lower than 1)

5 | BONE FRACTURED! Unconscious for 1d6 turns; 1d8 weeks invalid, then roll 1d6 and you are: 1-2 Feebled (STR), 3-4 Off-balance (DEX), 5-6 Sapped (CON) for an additional 1d8 weeks

4 | SKULL FRACTURED! Unconscious for 1d6 turns; 1d8 weeks invalid, then roll 1d6 and you are: 1-2 Concussed (INT), 3-4 Forgetful (WIS), 5-6 Terrorised (CHA) for an additional 1d8 weeks

3 | MORTALLY WOUNDED! Dead in 1d12 rounds unless healing is applied; 2d8 weeks invalid, then increase all saves by +2

2 | FATALY WOUNDED! Dead in 1d6 rounds unless healing is applied; 3d6 weeks invalid, then increase death save by +4

1 | YOU DIED.

0 | GHASTLY DEATH. Oh wow. Geez... So much blood... (All hirelings make a loyalty check)

LAW, ORDER, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Gameable Suggestions from English Medieval Law

Its not *always* trial by combat...

 

How law and order work in medieval societies can be used to enhance our pseudo-medieval fantasy games by providing important constraints.

I am not trying to run some authentic society any more than I try to make a dungeon perfectly architecturally sound with all proper support columns, ventilation, and oxygen content. But having a simple, referee-friendly construction of law, much like dungeon walls, can enhance play somewhat paradoxically by constraining choice, but increasing decision impact. 

I think a system of law and order can provide some of the same choice-enhancing constraints. More directly, a system of law and order might provide:

• Constraints on murder hobo behavior
• Enhances the impact of good CHA scores
• Highlights the Thief by providing a reason for the black market & guild
• Provides consequences to carousing mishaps
• A source of other important calendar dates- court dates!
• Encourages even more faction investment & philanthropy
• Positions the PCs, new to most villages/towns, as “strangers” and the prejudices thereof
• Another mechanism by which PCs or NPCs might wield power
• Increase the impact of alliances and fidelity oaths– usually helps “knight” classes
• Magic like Charm Person, ESP, and Known Alignment takes one whole new fear/concern/governance

Again, I’m not trying to weigh a DM down with some crazy social structure, but just basically incentivize PCs to behave more rationally and realistically when in town. I think this is of particular importance in old-school oriented games where PCs are not “the heroes” but roving adventurers and fortune seekers who break a social order by simply being so.

Most of the below is drawn from a single, but very excellent, gamable resource: Ian Mortimer’s The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century. The author has put together a book that pretty much explains what a modern person would need to know to survive a week in medieval England. This includes everything from the people and their character to what to wear, what to say, and of course, the law. I also supplemented with Wikipedia, which also happened to cite Mortimer a lot.

I’m going to try to intersperse the historic pieces with “Gameable Component” to call out where some interesting fantasy adventure game rules can be. I’ll use BX, but I’m sure you’ll get the gist enough to insert whatever particular rule will cover it for your bespoke ruleset.

THE LAWFUL PEOPLE

Mortimer opens with the law being very visible during this time. Heads on pikes, people locked in pillories in the town square, and hanged bodies of thieves are about. Its not all at once, but PCs will see signs of justice.

A second relevant thing that Mortimer points out is that everyone belongs somewhere and that people live communally:

“Whether they live in town or country, whether they are free or unfree, villeins and freemen alike are known in their hometown. People worship in church together. They work the firleds together. They attend the manorial courts together. Even times of celebration and relaxation are spent in one another’s company.”

So your “adventurer” PCs are strangers when you roll up in some village or town. No one knows them. No one will speak for them. And when trouble starts, they will be the first to be blamed. Why? Because they are unknown and therefore expendable.

Gamable Component

• A Stranger Score: To understand how folks perceive a party in general, let’s use the “Morale of retainers” under the Charisma score in BX. So whenever an opinion about the PCs is needed, we will roll 2d6 against that score. +1/-1 bonuses can be given if the party has done something exceptional (a bonus of +2/-2 would be if they have buried something down or built something new)
• The Capital Pledge of the village will often talk to the PC with the highest Charisma score unless the party as a Cleric or Knight-class in their ranks. Then this person will be assumed to be the party head given they represent the Church and Crown.
• If anything bad happens in town, a 2d6 check is made against the PC Stranger score. If a fail (rolling over), the PCs are rounded up. If a pass, -1 to the score as suspicion remains. Good deeds can add to the score.

THE TITHING & CAPITAL PLEDGE (or one village)

Cops won’t be invented until the 1900’s, so law enforcement begins locally with every member of the village (age 12-60) is part of the tithing, sworn to uphold law and order, and are led by the “capital pledge”. It is the responsibility of the village tithing to bring any lawbreaker to the township constable. If they do not, all of them will be heavily fined and required to report to the manorial or the hundred court.

If a crime is observed, a “hue & cry” is raised, and interestingly, the sounds used in the “cry” correspond to different types of crimes. Everyone, regardless of being in the tithing or not, is required to participate in the apprehension of the criminal. The crime is also reported at the next hundred court, so all surrounding villages will know. Again, if a tithing is seen as failing in their duty to apprehend the accused or seen to have given them aid- they are subject to a hefty fine as a collective.

Gamable Component

• Carousing: If PC are suspected or caught, it will first be a team of villagers and or a small band of knights that is after them; by the next day, any adjacent villages/towns will also know 
• No Safe Harbor for Bad People: Similarly, if the PCs are suspected of bringing back “evil” into the village, the Capital Pledge will be all up in their business– after all they don’t want to be held accountable
• Friends Keep You Safe: Having several people come to your defense by speaking to your good character is critical, so spread that wealth around to prominent people/businesses in town

THE BALIFF OF THE HUNDRED (or many villages or a town)

A step up from the capital pledge overseeing a collection of tithings is the bailiff, or if a manor lord is in control of the area, then a steward of the lord functions as the bailiff. The bailiff will answer to either the sheriff of the county (meaning to the sheriff of the king) or if the hundred is private, meaning a specific lord owns the land, then the lord.

Court at this level is a bailiff holding a hundreds court about once a month, composed of themselves and 12 freemen to hear all claims. Many are from fights where blood is drawn. But other cases are fraud, debts, theft of household goods & animals. Terrible wounding and murder is reserved for the sheriff’s tourn.

Gamable Component

• NPCs Hate the PCs: Should PC draw the ire of a village, but perhaps have not been caught in the act of a crime, then the Bailiff will be the one to hear about it 
• PCs are Tried for Small Crimes: This would be the first true court that the PC would need to appear at in order to find their guilt or innocence in “small crimes”- basically anything that didn’t involve death, dismemberment, or other serious wounds or changes to a victim (magical or mundane)
• PCs are Fined for Not Paying Tolls, Taxes, or Levies: The Bailiff of the Hundred would also be the level at which fines are levied and collected for not paying other taxes and tolls (such as maintaining the toll road back from the dungeon)

• Over at Blog of Forlorn Encystment, there is a fantastic post reviewing the various AD&D money-extracting measures that might be in place in a region, town, or city.
• Forlorn also talks about the place of tolls here
• In His Majesty the Worm, returning adventurers are taxed 50% of their haul out of the dungeon; painful, but it quickly puts the PCs in the mindset of tax avoidance & smuggling
• MUs are Indentured to Pay Off Debts: As per Forlorn’s post, many city watches/guards contain indentured magic users of 2nd to 5th level, who I would say are found guilty at the level of the Bailiff and the Hundreds Court
• This is pretty big because it means that Charm Person, ESP, Know Alignment, and Protection from Evil can easily be employed by the courts to discern the truth

THE SHERIFF IS THE KING’S CHIEF OFFICER (or all the villages, towns, cities)

The sheriff issues the king’s writs, summons a jury, gathers fighting forces, and makes arrangements to feed said forces. And also maintain the country's gaol. In terms of the law PC might be under, the sheriff can arrest you, imprison you, and send you to the county gaol. But not hang you for a serious crime unless they directly catch you trying to evade the law! But even then, a coroner must be present. At this level of law, a judge is still required to find anyone guilty of a crime. These judges might be drawn from capital cities or might be local, but generally will be from an educated background.

The Sheriff is required to hold county court every 4 to 6 weeks, which is for official swear-ins, “small claims” courts, and preliminary Crown pleas. Important for D&D, this is also the court where a person can be declared an outlaw if they are at-large. Once an outlaw, they may be beheaded on sight. The county court is where you can also adjudicate via trial by battle, which also covers land disputes. This last bit has benefited the church.

The Sheriff’s tourn (basically a traveling court) is held at a hundred’s court twice a year in order to handle cases and business that needs to be presented to royal judges and makes sure all massive fines are levied against tithings failing in their duties.

Gamable Component

• Sheriff of Nottingham: Understanding the origins of the sheriff really puts the story of Robinhood in perspective. But why not do the same? Instead of an evil king, you have devil swine who is the sheriff if your kingdom. This is also a gameable-NPC title because they have to travel out in the wilderness frequently, so its a great objective for an escort adventure or even a kidnapping. 
• Frequent Traveller: The Sheriff is also an NPC that could show up in a lot of places far more frequently than the king, who would not risk their life. 
• A roll on a weekly or monthly event table could “summon” this official to the PC location: “Well, well, well… once again I find myself investigating a crime and you four are in close proximity.”
• County Court is High Drama: Some D&D players complain about the ponderous nature and/or frequent nature of combat in D&D so let’s give a new foci of pitched battles- the courtroom! There have been something like 200 courtroom dramas produced for US TV so why not mine them for campaign drama?
• Ty’s reputation system over at Mindstorm can come into play here because various things the PCs have done can be viewed in a negative light

• Outlaw Status is Deadly: The word “outlaw” is a word that is bandied about, which rarely has any real weight. But such a designation allows a persons, to kill the “outlaw” with impunity. The gaining of this status and trying to get rid of it can be a whole campaign. This can vastly change their relationship with the rest of the world. How will they seek shelter? Who will they resupply from? Will they just embrace their status? Or seek redemption?

JUDGES, CORONERS, AND EXECUTIONERS: TO TRY THE BUTCHER, BAKER, AND CANDLESTICKMAKER

Judges are required to find someone guilty, its not decided by the bailiff or sheriff. At the level of the hundreds court, a bailiff will draw 12 judges from the surrounding area- notable members of the community or those thought to be wise. In a manorial court, the lord can be the judge.

To kill someone, the presence of a coroner is required to attest that the proper procedures had taken place, including a trial. Also, a coroner was the person to answer a hue and cry about finding a dead body.

The Executioner might be combined with the gaoler who controls the running of the jails and the conditions therein. Interesting, they can also refuse to take certain folks into jail as well.

Gamable Component

• New Titles: The immediate thing that springs to mind here are potential titles for PCs to inhabit and connect them to the game world at the cost of mandatory downtime actions.
• Low-level Scoundrals: Since each of these offices is ripe for abuse, but are not overtly powerful, they could also be low-level antagonists
• Low-level Patrons or Connections: Conversely, making good with judges, coroners, and executioners could also provide a source of rumor or, more importantly, *protection* against accusations. Maybe funneling a little coin to these folks might ensure some favorable outcomes.

• These might be good thieves guild connections embedded into society

APPROVING: OR HOW TO GET EVEN BEFORE YOU HANG AND OTHER MISCARRIAGES OF JUSTICE

One can name their accomplices once caught, either in hopes for leniency or in the case of death, to get even. After you are hung, those you named are brought to justice and if found guilty, then they hang too. Not surprisingly the gaoler, sheriff, or bailiff might try to get someone to accuse their enemies in return for a favor or just better treatment in the remaining days.

Mortimer makes a very good point that given the above, when a review of those indicted of serious crimes is performed, most are strangers and vagrants. Villagers are cautious and fearful of strangers and very quick to point a finger at them when a crime is committed.

If a justice comes under the jurisdiction of a lord’s court, then a lord can appoint their own coroner. Since a corner is present, the bailiff can proceed with hangings or beheadings. The lord can deny a king’s sheriff access. And so it is then also to commit crimes and pin them on an innocent person under the threat of torture and death, and use approving to shut-up anyone else who would know about the crimes.

Gamable Component

• Know Your Neighbors: This combines with the “Strangers” bit from above- it pays to be nice, embed in the community, and generally be seen as pro-the-village; otherwise, when things go down, everyone points the finger at you
• Trouble Even From the Grave: Bad people still might cause trouble even after they are hanged, perhaps they gave a last “confessional” which puts the PCs at the center of things

SUMMARY

What I hope I’ve laid out here is a demonstration of a fairly simple framework for law & order for your pseudo-medieval game based on English foundations of law. Other European countries at that time had different variations.

I’ve not really gotten into the implications of magic on said system, but you can quickly see how even low-level spells like charm person would be very disruptive, but also how the same spell could be employed for law enforcement.

I want to do a PART 2 of this where I look at how I might set up this structure for Dolmenwood. And how I might interpret, from a gamable level, the difference between a human and breggle court. Also, how the fairy might run a court as well.

NIGHTWICK ABBEY: The Purple Eater of People, Session 135

 

Want to learn more about the world of Nightwick from Miranda? You can follow her blog here and the ongoing development of Nightwick Abbey at her Patreon here.

Previously in Nightwick...

Blossom (Rogue 6)

Mayfly (Magician 6) 

Thekla (Magician 5) 

Liminal Space (Changeling 5)

Poppy (Fighter 5) 

Felix (Dwarf 4)

DOWN IN THE ABBEY...

• The party decends to the fourth level of the devil-besotted Abbey without incident and intent on exploring the south-eastern region that had been outlined on their map (PC Edit: Since we have started mapping again, I do think it really helps provide the group with pre-game options (what do you want to do) and in-game focus (which unexplored area does everyone want to investigate?)
• The party returns to a section containing two altars to Queen Moloch a bull-headed god that is often depicted consuming many babies, but also delivering magic to the minds of ancient Acharon. In exploring this alter, the party is split when the door swings shut, cutting the group in half! In side the alter, black smoke arises and the room heats. Outside the altar, vampiric mists glide into the roo,m threatening Thekla, Blossom, and the hirelings.
• Fortunately, a fireball and a few swings of a magic sword are able to dispatch the vampiric mists; use of knock quickly opens the door, causing the smoke to mysteriously cease before choking the party.
• Felix the Dwarf, whose armor is now festooned in Abbey iconography, decides to make a blood offering to the altar and receives a terrible vision of sacrifice by gold-skinned humans to a bull-headed god. The party puzzles for a moment about how this demon might be related to the Abby. One theory is that the humanoid flys that vomit gold might be twisted versions of the gold-skinned humans.
• Finding no riches at the altar, the party turns north to a collapsed section of hallway. It looks like it leads to a disturbed tomb sans actual sarcophagus- however, the "grave goods" are still there! The party grabs the piles of coin, clothing, odd flail, ring, and vial and escapes!

...BACK AT THE MEDUSA'S HEAD

The party is excited to see that in addition to ~6000sp worth of coins and bejeweled goods they have also gained a ring of lesser genie summoning, a magic flail VampireFucker, and a potion of longevity.

Now we just need to go find more vampires!

BASIC MAGIC: What Was Top Choice Among Starting Spells for Early Module MUs?

 

from Wizard of Barge

Due to playing a long-running, well, 6th level anyway, BX magic-user, I've had a lot of thoughts over the years about playing wizards in BX/OSE. 

I took a quick look at the first of the B-series (1-9) to see what spells were given to early starting magic-users once the game was ~5+ years on from its inception. By this time, the people writing these modules had exposure to D&D as a player, not a creator.

Since the goal of the B-series (B for Basic) was to introduce new players to the concept of D&D, many contain pre-generated characters which can be used as hirelings or PCs. A review might allow me to see how earlier designers thought of starting MUs, the obstacles that the players would face, and so might sculpt how they present the magic.

A BASIC REVIEW

B1 In Search of the Unknown (Carr)

In this module, 12 MU or ELF PCs are listed, and a weighted table is used to determine which spells they have.

Unsurprisingly, for 1st-level spells (Table A), Charm Person and Sleep rank as the prime spells at 15% chance each will be rolled. The runners-up at 10% are Detech Magic, Light, Magic Missile, and Shield.

Interesting though that 2nd level spells (Table B), has a far more equal distribution among the spells listed. At 10% chance, Continual Light, ESP, Invisibility, Knock, Levitate, Mirror Image, and Web get equal billing.

B2 The Caves of Chaos (Gygax)

For the NPC generation here, only 3 out of 20 potential N/PC are MUs or Elfs. There are no pre-assigned spells to those characters or a weighted table.

The full number of 1st and 2nd-level spells is given, with three 3rd-level spells mentioned in the table: Dispel Magic, Fireball, and Fly.

B3 Palace of the Silver Princess (Wells)

Here, there are 13 "read-to-play characters," of which 4 are MUs or Elfs. Each is given either Magic Missile, Sleep, Charm Person, or Light to start with

B4 The Lost City (Moldvay)

There are 5 magic-using characters presented as pre-generated options in B4 and we can see there are only two spells-- Sleep or Magic Missile.

B5 Horror on the Hill (Niles)- There is only 1 MU and 1 Elf among any of the 11 pre-rolled characters and. B6 The Vailed Society (Cook)- Like Hill, there is only 1 MU and 1 Elf among any of the 7 pre-rolled characters

Neither pre-assigns spells to the characters nor offers any weighted tables, so I assume you'd either roll these from the book or the DM provides the MUs with their spell selections.

B7 Rahasia (Hickman & Hickman)- Again, just 2 MU, but also inclusion of magic items and higher levels. For 1st-level spells: Shield, Magic Missile, Sleep, and Floating Disk; for 2nd-level spells: Web

B8 Journey to the Rock (Malone)- There is 1 MU and 1 Elf both are higher levels than the 1st level adventurers we see in the earlier modules. The Elf has Hold Portal and Magic Missile, while the MU has Charm Person and Protection from Evil

B9 Castle Caldwell and Beyond (Nuckolos) and B10 Night's Dark Terror (Bambra et. al.)- No more ready-to-roll characters

SUMMARY

Sleep is a clear winner! Really no surprise, really, since it might be the best singular spell in the whole 1st and 2nd level lists. A fireball of feathers. It can take out 2d8 (avg 9) bandits (1 HD) or 1 ogre (4+1 HD). It's top because its cheap, level 1 and only takes 100gp to make a scroll, and it covers a wide range of threats.

Magic Missile is in second place in terms of frequency. This is kinda a surprise to me given that Charm Person is often considered the next most powerful spell at 1st and 2nd level. I wonder if that's because it just feels magic-y- shooting off a bolt of arcane energy that hits unerringly? Or fits its one of the most easy to understand spells?

What is true is that Magic Missile is a good offensive weapon against other enemy MUs because it can weave through the ranks and hits without a roll which is perfect for disrupting enemy Sleep spells. But was that really what early designers were thinking?

From an old-school dungeon design perspective, I think there are a couple of opportunities.

One adjustment might be to swap the levels of Sleep and Invisibility. Invisibility is a fun spell that ends when the invisible person attacks or casts magic. So the spell is very hijinks-oriented, can benefit the cast/other classes, and can be cast on objects. It also feels really wizardy. This would place Sleep in a narrower range of opportunity.

Or as dungeon designers, we could look at Sleep and Magic Missle as opportunities to increase threats at lower levels. This is not to be "killer DMs", but instead to enhance the fantastic. Not need for 1d4 giant rats or 2 bandits splitting 20gp.

Instead, you could make a band of 20 bandits a presence in a starting adventure. A threat that *could* be solved by a starting MU with Sleep and party with careful planning.

With Magic Missile, perhaps more enemy MU should have Sleep themselves, but downed PCs might be a sarifice instead of simply just having their throats slashed (as PCs would do). Or perhaps there could be fast-moving or incorporeal threats that are low HP but cannot be interacted with by mundane means.

Either way, again, these would ramp up the excitement of low-level adventures and not make them seem like a waiting room for better fun at higher levels.

GAMEHOLE CON 12: A Reflection Of My October Gaming With Shadowdark And More!

This past week I went to the GameHole Con in Madison, Wisconsin. For the 12th iteration of the convention, it was me, along with 8,000 other gamers, plus three of my friends, ranging from con-experienced to con-inexperienced.

GAMES I RAN

This year I took it easy and only ran two 3-hour sessions of Miranda's Nightwick Abbey. However, I decided to not make it easy on myself by running one 9-12 PM and then 8-11 AM to the following morning. Ugh.

Similar to the ReaperCon games I ran this year, I used Nightwick's unique geomorph setup to scramble together a singular level made of elements of Levels 1 & 2. This is a unique facet of Miranda's design I've never really seen in any other dungeon. I've more thoughts on it I'll have to share in another blog post.

Then, using Shadowdark's 0-level rules, I ran a funnel where 5 pairs of villagers had to escape the Abbey after being lured there via wine, song, and a vicar who was a most terrible shepard of his flock.

Because Shadowdark uses luck tokens, I also cobbled together a quick mechanism to track different decisions made in the halls of Hell. So PCs started with 1 virtue token used for re-rolls or forcing me to re-roll. But they could gain vice tokens when bargaining for power or performing acts that were particuarly self-serving.

After seeing at ReaperCon how hard it was to remember which of the grey villagers minis were which, I decided to paint each pair a distinct color, which worked out really nicely and pushed me to get my painting station set up. But I have to admit, from an old-school perspective, black with white dry brushing is a cool effect.

For the specific paints, I used a combination of Reaper's Master Paint 2.0 series, given out this year and Army Painter's John Blanche Vol 2 which I picked up on a whim.

How did the game play out?

The 9:00 PM game was novel out of the gate by the appearance of not one but 3 "VIG" badged persons. Which got me a little sweatty, given they shelled out the big money to play at this con so I didn't want to suck. As a group, only 1 or 2 answered "yes" to the first question of if their characters would murder for a weapon to augment what was left of their equipment. This group tried to stay together for the most part but but slightly undone when they turned north, then back west, which was toward their starting point. Eventually, they found themselves cornered by the Blind Brothers and viciously cut down.

The 8:00 AM group, despite the early morning hour, was no less willing to embrace the darkness. This group all agreed to murder someone at the party for a 1d6 weapon. Then, the group proceeded to go on the offensive against the Abbey and ganged up on the marrow-eating creatures in the room with them as well. This group's aggressiveness served them well and they were certainly willing to cut a deal with the Abbey. This included being betrothed! This group also had a very virtuous action by a member who prayed for divine intervention from the God of Law at a critical moment and rolled a nat 20! He saved his party but slain in the process; however, he ascended to heaven even in the Abbey. The rest of his party was not so much. They ended up going into the light, which is the burning, infinite gullet of the dragon of Hell.

But in the end, despite the long odds, each group seemed to really enjoy their time in these hell-haunted halls of Nightwick Abbey.

GAMES I PLAYED

Pirate Borg: I gotta say our "Harbor Master" did a very nice job introducing us to this Borg-hack. Much like its parent ship, Pirate Borg is very flavourful and does a nice job through various random tables of building great characters. 

My pirate, Philip the Unlucky, and his crew explored a mysterious island, battled a giant crab, and stole a bunch of treasure! All aboard our sloop named "Dogg" led by our youngest member Capt. Waffles, who was surprisingly not murdered by the fay spirit he conjured.

Heroquest: A blast from the past as my original version was sold in a garage sale many moons ago. This game was run by Doug Hopkins who is the current line designer for Heroquest. The adventure we were playing was from the expansion that was designed by Joe Manganiello-- so a cool double twist to this experience. 

At the end of the game, I won a set of specialty dice that I gave away to our youngest player, given he and his friends were big fans of the game. But I didn't walk away totally empty-handed because I got a free quest and a pad of blank sheets featuring the Heroquest board to design your own adventures.

Oh, Doug is also the current lead on one of my other favorite board games, Talisman, so it's really great to get a chance to hang with him at the con.

Shadowrun: In middle school, I made friends with a guy whose favorite setting was Shadowrun so, like Heroquest, this was mainly driven by my nostalgia. I had also forgotten how many d6's are really needed to play this game so it was laughable I showed up with a paltry mix-and-matched set of 5.

The setup with protecting a rising influencer star at a gaming convention like TwitchCon, but in the future. I played a pre-gen Smuggler class, but much to the GM's delight/dismay, kept running Edward Norton like a "Face" class. Turns out our charge was more than meets the eye- surprise! But it was a good time. We convinced a second set of runners to be our B-team, we foiled a drone attack, and had a final showdown.

Along the way me and the Street Samurai player had assembled a new concept album for our young pop-star. So coming soon from Tigre: Witness Protection- You Can't Hide My Shine (title) with tracks "Boom! Drones on Fire" and "My Technological Romance"

PEOPLE I MET

I did drop by a panel on building a YouTube RPG presence because it featured noted D&D folks Ben Milton and Justin Alexander. It was an interesting hour about some of the realities behind the screen. Notable for me was:

• The social media company's algorithm controls a lot of what is actually seen and you have to be really big for them to even bother sending you an email that something has changed
• Content in a series rarely does well beyond the first item in that series because the audience just halves after each subsequent engagement
• All the panel agreed that while some sorta live-play + DMing advice would be good that sorta content would take too long to produce and suffer from the same sequence problem; ideally, such a thing would have to be edited down from 1-3 hours to 10-30 minutes of the "good stuff" maybe making it hard to follow
• A lot of the biggest "stars" in the RPG space had already made a following from something else and brought those eyeballs to their YouTube channel; same folks often have additional editing teams and or experience to help out

Maybe none of the above is really unknown, but it reinforced to me that there is a lot of other things going on behind the scenes for someone to make a breakout in the social media space. And a lot of that is often hidden in "percetion" of how they got there.

Mica & Doug Kovacs, both of DCC fame: While at the bar, my mentioning of Castle Rat to a friend allowed us to strike up a conversation with Mica who runs a lot of DCC events. It was really cool to meet them and hear some Goodman Games stories. Mica prodded (dared, suckered) me into tell Doug Kovacs he need to listen to Castle Rat.

Cut to me doing just that...and Doug was ready with an opinion! It actually prompted a neat conversation about music, art, and the state of RPGs and D&D. It was really interesting and was cool to chat with him. I learned three things that Doug has

1. Several playlists culled from an old G+ thread of metal music which was cool
2. A set of Talisman houserules he likes to play with to speed things up
3. A war game called Dog Storm which a wargame consisting of bands of 5 repurposed minatures and found terrain- occasionally a storm of plastic dogs are thrown on the battlefield- if they touch your mini it dies instantly.

Final Thought: I really enjoyed GameHole Con this year. I think cons are great because for the most part they are a big gorup of folks who really enjoy *playing* the hobby. That connection is really fantastic!