Thursday, October 3, 2013

the GREAT CATACLYSM & the UNDERWORLD

It's tough to write about the Great Cataclysm.
For one thing, it's technically still happening.  Adventures in Kos are the story of the ongoing defunction of a once-grand and noble people.  The other reason is, the Cataclysm affected physical, universal laws (such as time, causation and correlation, chemistry, physics, genetics, etc).  Therefore, it is difficult to describe.
For example: in some places, the Great Cataclysm is still happening.  It happened hours ago.  The dead rose from their graves.  The oceans turned to shrieking squalls of red blood as the mountains shattered.
Poets, drug addicts and evangelists went insane by the thousands.  Every apocalyptic prophecy turned out to be true simultaneously.  The men and women of those places are still fighting the war.
In other places, the Cataclysm happened 40 or 50 years ago.  Pre-Cataclysmic technology is considered magical, and effectively is.  Man has descended to a primitive state, little better than apes.
In yet other places, the Cataclysm was generations ago. Civilizations are beginning to rise, resembling the old ones in some ways but substantially different in others.
In still other places, the ancient monuments have dwindled long to lonely marble mounds.  The dust that once composed them is carried by wind and wave to place unrecognizable by inhabitants of the forgotten former world.
Pre-Cataclysmic knowledge is largely mythical.  "Sorcery" is simply a method of manipulating the illogical physics which compose this brave new realm, like a programmer hacking a computer.  Bizarre and competitive new species have arisen, seriously challenging the future existence of mankind.

Most of Kos, as written it so far, takes place in one or two of the latter categories.  The town of Pilgrim's Passing occupies a relatively neutral area, as does the majority of the Kos River Basin and the surrounding Wildwoods, Lands of Woe, and Harshwater on the West Side of the River.
However, Thrundunmun exists in such a situation that the Cataclysm is still taking place, and will do so forever in this place.
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE:
"I have developed a habit where I simply lie in my bunk at night.  I'm not the only one who does, but I go in early.  I lie and I look at the ceiling and I picture it as the sky.  And I look at the stars that you see when you close your eyes, and imagine they are the stars, and I am looking at the sky, which we can no longer see. When I do this, I wonder if, in all of the coincidences that happen in the world, maybe you will be closing your eyes and doing the same thing, and looking at the stars inside your eyelids too, and - I know it makes no sense - somehow it will be like you and I are looking at real stars together again.  And so I go in early, to increase the odds it'll be at the same time.  I do it alot, actually; we don't sleep much any more.  There's not much time between attacks and other things that occupy the days which have no sunrise.
It's temporary, though, like everything.  The pain and fatigue are just temporary sensations.
It'll end, and it will seem like it wasn't that long ago, when we're together again."
Letter carried by Red Courier.  Delivered to a location which was found to have been abandoned.  Letter remanded to Secretary General of the Red Knights, Thrundunmunn.
 Nort B. Unthbe, 33rd Red Light Legion"

One area is in fact actually the rotting carcass of an incarnate being of physical decay, which occupies a space the size of a peninsula (such as Cape Cod or Cornwall).
Other areas are actually infinite.  The Endless Mountains, as far as can be ascertained via both experiment and magic, have no physical endpoint.  Neither does the 7th Desert of the 7 Deserts.
Nor the South-Land Sea, to the South.  The Eastern Mountain Country is poisonous to body and mind and thus considered forever unknown and unknowable

In an area like Pilgrim's Passing, the land called "Kos" is actually the area once occupied by a nation called the Kingdom of Kos, now shattered and irrevocable.  The few poor survivors of the disasters and the predations of savage new inhuman inhabitants must now contend with a vastly different world.  They are a hard people. Items and knowledge from before the Cataclysm are hoarded by the very powerful.  "Magic", (understood as the language and culture of the Pre-Cataclysmic People) is in the infancy of understanding, and largely misapplied (with disastrous consequences).
People receive rare reports from other communities but far-off lands are a mystery.  Yet, new religions have arisen from foreign lands to confront the ancient Kossick deities.  The barrens and even the roads have fallen into serious disrepair and are flocked with brigands, lunatics, witches, hungry beasts and monsters of all description.  They are not untraveled, but Merchants and other adventurers are often considered brave to the point of dangerous lunacy.
And yet, even as the White Mounds of the First Age wither into dust, there is yet no end.  The society of Kos will continue to slip away, forever, always leaving tantalizing pieces but growing farther every year. This is the true Curse of the Great Cataclysm: it made itself permanent, except in the ways that the players change it.  Those are not only permanent, but often permanent to all other players of Kos, and all interpretations of Kos, as long as I am the Dungeon Master.

In Pilgrim's Passing, the standard starting town, most people don't know this.  Most people don't figure stuff like this out until they've raided a few dungeons.




THE UNDERWORLD
The Underworld is literally the place underneath the world.  It is a Hell, populated by montrously otherworldly beings and the severely insane.  The Underworld is easy to find - go to the deepest place you know, and keep going down.  In the Deep Dark, everything drips downwards - all of the evil, all of the liquid, all of the corpses, all of the hunger, all of the treasure, all of the strongest and blackest.  At the bottom is the Grey Sea.  The Grey Sea is where the Unworthy go when they die.  It is a sea
made of their souls.  It can be navigated and traveled, by certain measures.  The places it leads to are terrible, and sometimes the terrible things in these places are able to get the World In Which We Live.  These are called "Bleed-Throughs", "Intrusions", "Demons", "Spirits", "Sandestins", etc.  They have a connection to the world of Death (they are always its vessels, unwitting or otherwise), and spread It everywhere they go.  Some take on human flesh as a vessel; others exist invisible to most eyes, and still others take on bizarre shapes of their own devising and understanding.  Some used to be human.  Some philosophers conjecture that it is these creatures who, in fact, rule the Underworld.  This may be.  The only way to escape the Grey Sea and the Underworld is to die in an interesting way - in which case, Adventurers (who are heroes by virtue of occupation - they always die in an interesting way) ascend to the Hall of Heroes*


*Which takes the form of a piece of notebook paper with the name of the dead character written large in crayon, with the method of their death and perhaps a few details or fond memories.  Occasionally they are adorned with extra distinguishment or salient comments from former comrades.  It is whispered that sometimes, those characters can even be contacted through certain complicated spells.
The piece of paper is kept tacked to the wall of the room where we play D&D

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

HOW ANIMALS (and lots of monsters) FIGHT (in Kos)

In ancient times, the Gods (in their wisdom) divided all animals & monsters into two types:

1. ANIMALS THAT LOVE TO STOMP & ROMP

2. ANIMALS THAT ALWAYS FLEE
the Gods aren't perfect, though, and most creatures do a mixture of both.


TYPE 1: ROMPIN' STOMPERS 
Those That Stomp use the Rampage Circle Style of Combat (some humans use this style too - including berserkers, Blood Bull worshipers, and other desperate / mentally unstable people).
the attack power of a Type 1 animal or monster (or a person using the Rampage Circle Style) is dependent on its size, strength, endurance, and desperation.
- Smaller than a medium dog: -1
- is pretty big and strong, like between a wolf and a tiger - +1
- is really big and strong, like a bear or a buffalo - +3
- is enormous and overwhelmingly strong, like a rhinocerous or a triceratops - +5
- is truly huge and monstrously strong, like a brontosaurus or an elder serpus - +8
- is unusually ferocious (tiger, hyena, displacer beast) - +1
- is unfathomably, unreasonably ferocious (troll-wolf, tyrannosaurus) - +2
- protecting young or a mate - +3
- wounded - +1
- badly wounded - +2
- in its lair - +1
- has powerful natural weapons, such as giant claws or powerful jaws - +1
- has supernatural weapons, such as acid for blood or firey breath - +3

Add up these bonuses.  This is the amount of "attacks" it can make.  Anybody entering its range is subject to these attacks.  The full total of the bonuses can be applied in one attack against one character, or it can be divided against a number of attackers.

OR, it can make a SPECIAL ATTACK.  these depend of the type of animal, but here's some example:

- POUNCE: monster jumps at you.  you get a free attack if you're aware of it and can respond, but if you're flat-footed, caught off guard, etc it's an automatic success.  animal can knock you down.  and at that point, you're on the ground with a tiger/bear/whatever on top of you

- CHARGE: bull through / over enemies, trampling them / knocking them down

- ATTACH TO VICTIM: some monsters tend to attach themselves to people - ticks grab on and suck blood, crocodiles bite + shake, wendigos grab and then strangle, etc.  usually, this involves an initial attack, and then further automatic damage every round until the victim finds a way to get it off OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF

- DIVE-BOMB: some creatures can fly, and this is often how they attack.  the dive-bomb involves swooping in, making an attack, and then swooping away.  the defender get an attack of opportunity, but only 1 attack per Fight mod (minimum 1).  if the dive-bomb is a natural 1, the attacker accidentally crashes into the ground or something. flying creatures don't normally end their turns in melee distance, so all you can do is attempt to shoot it or attack it as it dive bombs



- sting/venomous strike/breath weapon etc ???: the "everything else" category


TYPE II: THOSE THAT FLEE
will come later



ENCOUNTER ROLLS in KOS

An encounter has occurred in the Wilderness!

Encounter Chances by Area:
Road, near a town: 60% / turn
Road, wilderness: 15% / turn
Plains/Kos Basin: 15%
Marsh/Swamp: 20%
Badlands: 15%
Badlands, near Rampage Circle: 90%
East Broken-Back Mountains: 15%
North Broken-Back Mountains: 5%
Area near Ar-Kos: 25%
Northern Kos: 5%
Wildwood: 35%



(1d4, +/- fieldcraft mod of best fieldcrafter)
1: The Player-Characters are surprised.
2-3: Nobody is particularly surprised.
4: The monster is surprised.

(1d4 +/- terrain)
1: They're right in front of you (melee range)
 2, they're close (medium archery range).
3, kinda far (100 - 500 yards).
 4,+ Quite far (dots on the horizon).
Terrain:
Desert / Ocean: +2
Barrens, plains, rivers: +1
Rocks, roads, fields: 0
Towns, forest: -1
Jungle, swamp, city: -2


Unintelligent Beast/Monster/Animal Reactions
1d4.
1. they want to fight, right away (hungry or very threatened)
2. They will fight but will growl, menace, etc (normal animal behavior)
 3. they could give a fuck about you (eating, sleeping, mating, grooming, etc)
4. They run away or attempt to parley (cower, mimic human speech, offer treasure locations, etc)

some more on FEATS

there are 3 classes in Kos:

1. Those who ACT
2. Those who CAST
3. Those who PRAY

none of them are really "classes", though - they just determine some of your starting equipment and abilities.  anybody can learn anything.  more on this later.

anyway, MEN or WOMEN who ACT are partly distinguished from the other classes because they often get to start with some FEATS.  There are many feats to be learnt, but here are some extended notes / features from feats that have been used in game:

the Salmon Leap
Req: 14+ Fight
a leap of incredible distance and/or height.  for every point above 13, the ACTION-PERSON can jump 6' ft. straight up in the air, or 8' laterally.  Once you get above 20 Fight, you no longer track your Fight stat and are instead simply said to have HEROIC Fight.  Once you reach HEROIC Fight, there is no longer any need to track exact distances for the SALMON LEAP and you instead can be assumed to routinely jump over rivers, castle walls, etc.

the Weapon Feat
Req: +1 Reflexes, 13+ Fight
Perform incredible weapon dances / tricks.  Some common tricks:
- juggle several swords or battle-axes at once
- repeatedly stab the spaces between your own fingers or toes with shocking alacrity
- perform excellent flourishes and leap over your own weapons
These tricks can be used to impress people.  If you take the time to perform a Weapon Feat before a battle or duel, you can give +1 morale to your followers or -1 morale to your enemies (if they are intelligent - it has no effect on oozes, skeletons, etc).  Every 2 points in Fight above the minimum provides an extra +1/-1.  This feat can also be used at parties or other social endeavors to increase the odds of success in social endeavors.

the Death-Lord's Stare
Bore into somebody's soul with a glance.  Petrify the puny, bend lesser spirits to your will

the Great Toss - hurl a very heavy object, or a smaller object very far
Req: Fight 10+
You are just so good at throwing!  You can hurl giant rocks or logs a short distance, or throw a small object such as a rock hard enough to seriously hurt somebody (1d4 damage + Fight mod, range = 20 ft. + Fight mod x 10)

the Iron Hands & Feet
Req: Endurance 13+
plunge hands into boiling water without harm, dance on coals, etc.  This feat requires a few moments of mental preparation, but once you are ready, you can stick your hands in boiling water, through the flame of a torch, walk on daggers, etc.  This usually impresses people very much and can grant social bonuses.  Once your Endurance reaches HEROIC, this feat can be used to endure anything, including lack of oxygen, endless cold, standing inside a bonfire, etc.

the Hero's Chant
Req: 10+ POW
This remarkable chant is the death-song of the valiant.  It can only be used in combat.  As long as the chant continues, your followers will never flee.  In addition, this chant marks a hero.  Intelligent enemies may single a hero-chanter out for duels or missile attacks.

the Battle-Howl
Req: None
This howl focuses rage and unleashes predatory instincts.  If used more than once per battle, the Howl loses its efficacy.  When the howl is used, the howler should choose how to use it:
1. AT THE BEGINNING OF A BATTLE: POW mod * +1 damage when charging during the battle.  If multiple allies take up the Howl, charge damage is increased by +1 for every Howler and enemies may have to make a morale check or else withdraw.
2. WHEN THE ENEMY IS WEAK: Enemy must make a morale check immediately; failure indicates weak creatures will flee and stronger ones will suffer -2 modifier to attack.
3. AFTER KILLING AN ENEMY: All allies within 20' regain 1d4 HP due to rampant bloodlust
4: WHEN PURSUING THE ENEMY: All allies within hearing distance gain +10'/round to movement

the Feat of Thunder & Lightning
Req: 18+ Fight or POW
A magnificent thunder-clap stuns enemies as the hero bangs their shield, hurls javelins, tears up the ground and stomps with unfathomable ferocity.

the Squirming Feat
Req: None
The hero can fit through any opening the size of their head or larger.

the Trick of Walking on Eggs
allows you to either
a) walk without leaving any tracks
b) walk without making any sound
A hero with HEROIC Thievery can do both at the same time.


the Feat that Dazzles, like the Sun
Req: 14+ Pow, Panoply of War or better armor in battle-ready condition
by revealing his highly-polished armor and heraldry in their full resplendence, the hero catches the light and exudes brilliant beams which stab the eyes of enemies.  Once it has been used on an enemy, it will never affect them again.

Endure Labor
Req: Endurance 10+
This is a very common feat amongst common-folk.  It allows the character to work from sun-up til sun-down without becoming bored or overly tired.  "Work" only includes basic manual labor; skilled crafts-work and combat do not count.

Sober Up / Sober up Another
Req: Endurance 11+
This is a very popular feat amongst old soldiers.  It can be used at any time to more-or-less banish the deleterious effects of alcohol, at least for a little while.  The hero will still be drunk, but will be able to act sober for the purposes of speaking normally, marching, performing manual labor, etc.  When used on another, it entails using ancient tricks of warrior-folk (such as splashing the victim with cold water, slapping them around the face and body, feeding them special concoctions of herbs, etc) in order to quickly sober them up enough to walk home or avoid arrest by zealous local authorities.

Always Awake
Req: Endurance 13+
Another popular feat amongst veteran warriors.  When this feat is learnt, the hero becomes an extremely light sleeper.  They gain the normal effects of rest, but count as being awake at all times for the purposes of surprise.


these feats can be combined - for example, a warrior with the Iron Hands and the Salmon Leap could run across the tips of spears.  A warrior with the Wolves' Lope and the Always Awake feat can run while sleeping.
PEOPLE of ACTION gain 1 free feat at character creation, and some STARTING EPITHETS grant others.  All others must be learned in the course of the game.

ramble

Patrick Stuart got me thinking about why i do what i do on this blog, and i wanted to write about it.

i am a firefighter by vocation and do not play Dungeons & Dragons (or the various other iterations of fantasy roleplaying game that have since appeared or been unearthed) very much any more.  Nonetheless, I find these ideas crowding my head and i feel compelled to put them in words sometimes.

That is why the tone is frequently inconsistent, the writing is sloppy and poorly edited, things often aren't cited (especially art, which is usually from an ancient hard-drive which contains years worth of collected digital art and has been transferred and lost several times)

[sorry my little brother came in and started doing a "prayer routine" he claims to have learned "far to the east"


and i lost my place]

anyway, i try to live my life in such a way that all of my actions and sentences can be ended with the phrase ",....MOTHERFUCKER!"
as in
1d4
1. "I QUIT, MOTHERFUCKER"
2. "So then I went out and got some god damn ice cream, motherfucker"
3. "I'll drink as much as I want, MOTHERFUCKER"
4. "I'm swearing so much because I just got a new tattoo, motherfucker"

so, while this vocabulary of my life doesn't involve sentences like "SO THEN I EDITED A BLOG POST FOR AN HOUR....... MOTHERFUCKER???", it does involve sentences like "So then I just threw some trash about elves on the internet and didn't edit it, motherfucker."  so, uh, thanks for reading.......