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Secrets of the sorcerers » Travelling the Multiverse » 9/20/2017 12:24 am

Peter
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Eternals
There are many ways to become an Eternal. Maybe you are one from birth (suggesting Origins such as Star Vampire, Dragonbrood), maybe you became one through application and dedication (there could be Cosmic Careers - suggestion Meta-Mystic) or maybe you were the victim of some accident that made you an interdimensional castaway.

As an Eternal, you have access to  Cosmic Boons and Flaws. One of these helps you travel between planes:

- Cosmic Shift
Spend time and Lifeblood to enter a trance that will carry you between Dimensions. The further away, the more Lifeblood you spend and the more time it takes. For distant planes, you must sacrifice a permanent Lifeblood.

- Souldrain
Instead of paying Lifeblood for Cosmic Shift, you can consume the soul of a sentient being. This can be vampiric bloodsucking or purely ethereal.

Ideas for origins:
- Star Vampires - travel between dimensions feeding on other entities lifeforce. Could go either Bram Stoker or Lovecraft depending on mood. Would have to be a dark campaign to fit. Would have dependencies and souldrain as well as cosmic shift.

- Dragonbrood - based on the assumption that dragons are interdimensional entities, a little bit of dragonblood may give you access to cosmic shift and other draconic perks like scaly skin, claws and particularly bad breath.

- Scion of the Gods - a Hero in the classical sense. His link to a divine parents provides the scope to travel at least to the celestial plane (this could be a specific, cheaper version of Cosmic Shift)

Ideas for Career:
- Meta-Mystic - delving into the metaphysical secrets of the universe and greater mysteries of the gods. The Meta-Mystic may gain Cosmic Shift, or possibly just the ability to travel to a select number of Ideal Planes close to the realms of Law. Cosmic Careers such as Meta-Mystic should only be available at GM discretion - notably fif the entire party consists of Eternals.
 

Secrets of the sorcerers » Travelling the Multiverse » 9/20/2017 12:12 am

Peter
Replies: 3

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Summon
Powerful entities such as eternals, demons, elementals and even lesser gods can be summoned and bound using the summoning rules in BoL Mythic. The abilities these entities posses vary wildly, but some may be able to confer various forms of interdimensional travel on the summoner or another mortal. Useful suggested new demonic powers include:

- Abduction
The entity grabs a victim and pulls it back to the entity's home dimension. A reckless Summoner can use this ability to travel himself, or to exile his enemies. Many entities with Abduction are Demons reisiding in the myriad hells of the Multiverse...

- Possession
The entity can possess a mortal, and then travel back to his home plane or use other multiverse related abilities, such as Cosmic Shift. Items can also be possessed, and the possessing creature then takes control of its wielder. The control of a possessed item is less powerful than direct possessions, and takes the form of suggestions and whispers rather than direct urges - oh and all the stuff from Nero's Fiddle's excellent thread on Bloodlust...

- Cosmic Shift
The entity can shift between planes freely. Unlike mortals, it does not need to spend days fasting and meditating, but it does still cost Lifeblood (or Souls). Cosmic Shift together with Possession can be a way for a summoner to bind an entity into his own body and then travel between planes.

Secrets of the sorcerers » Travelling the Multiverse » 9/19/2017 11:51 pm

Peter
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Portals
Create Portal is simply a spell - Magnitude 2 for nearby planes, Magnitude 3 for distant planes. A permanent portal to a nearby plane is Magnitude 3 (and impossible for distant planes).

Portals also occur (super)naturally in the wild, often in places that resemble the home plane.

The trouble with permanent portals is that things can pass in both directions....

A rift is also a portal, just more raw and unpredictable. (Super)natural portals are often rifts. In fact, a Portal can take many forms - a mirror, a hole in the sky (better getting a flying mount), a well, a shivering disc, a wardrobe.
 

Secrets of the sorcerers » Travelling the Multiverse » 9/19/2017 11:47 pm

Peter
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So I had a couple of thoughts on how to bring in some Moorcock style themes and interdimensional travel to BoL - apologies if I am reinventing the wheel as I wouldn't be surprised if the themes have already been explored. . With this caveat, here goes:

Your fantasy world is just one of a myriad similar planes - each unqiue, but each touched in some way, however peripherally, by the great struggle between the Great Principles of Law, and the myriad forms of Chaos. Some realms are closely linked - notably the Myriad Hells and different afterlives and elysian planes with the worlds that feed them souls. Other planes are far apart, like the desert-world of Kaharra and the elemental plane of Water. The further two planes are from each other, the more difficult it is to travel between them.

Mortals are linked to their home plane, not just physically but also in terms of time and aging. Crossing the divide that separate worlds is a big step, and nothing will ever be the same again. Entities that are born with or have acquired the ability to shift between worlds are called Eternals. They may not be literally immortal, but they have shed their links to the passage and time and cycles of death and rebirth of their native planes.

Other travellers are not true Eternals but use magic, outside intervention or artefacts to travel from one plane to another.

Finally there are places where worlds meet, shimmering interdimensional portals or rifts in the time space continuum. It does not take any innate or magical ability to travel through these rifts, but doing so is extremely dangerous and the unprotected risk losing their very souls to the arcane predators that stalk the hollows between the worlds.

Next, to ways of travel:
 

Weird lands and forgotten islands » BoL Bloodlust » 9/18/2017 10:19 am

Peter
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Thank you for the read out from your campaign. Sort of raises the question whether you really need rules for this kind of stuff - at the end of the day it's about what ideas the GM wants to use and how they are interpreted  in the game. Maybe what really matters is people being sold on the concep

But then that's me speaking as someone who is a firm believer in GMs (and players...) fiat...

Weird lands and forgotten islands » BoL Bloodlust » 9/11/2017 10:39 am

Peter
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Sorry for the necro - just curious if you've taken this very cool concept any further?

Weird lands and forgotten islands » Migration Era BoL - Barbarians of the Dark Ages » 7/11/2017 10:42 am

Peter
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madprofessor wrote:

Anyway, I would be happy to playtest your dark age hack.  I have groups that have come to expect me to run historical  and myth style games (when I'm not running swords and sorcery) so I won't have a problem getting a group together.  However, I am in the middle of two games at the moment so it may be a while before I get to it.  I'll give your rules a thorough read, put some thought into a game, and let you know what I come up with.

Thank you. I would really appreciate it - and any feedback on the rules - whenever you may have an opportunity. In particular interested how it works for different groups to use the meadhall and the quest for honour as a motivator and to drive scenarios.

madprofessor wrote:

...oh and have you seen a little game called 43 AD? There might be some good ideas in there.

Big fan of 43 AD (and Warbands - which has been an inspriation on a conceptual level if not for actual mechanics) - as I am for most things Paul Elliott/Mithras. My favourite is probably Zenobia - and Warlords of Alexander.

Weird lands and forgotten islands » Migration Era BoL - Barbarians of the Dark Ages » 7/10/2017 9:59 pm

Peter
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madprofessor wrote:

Narmer wrote:

How did I miss all of this?!?

Peter, I am sorry to cast necromancy but this is really awesome stuff.  The whole idea of the meadhall, and gaining glory and praise from the lord of the hall as the central focus is brilliant. I remember trying to run a "Land of Giants" campaign for Pendragon that was very much like what you trying to accomplish here. But I only had moderate success adjusting the extremely Malory focused rules of Pendragon into the Beowulf type setting.  This is a much better approach.  Are you still working on this? Have you tried it in play?  If so, how did it work out?  Are there any points that still need work?
 

Really pleased it interests you The aspects you point to is excactly what I am trying to get right.

Im maybe not so much working on it as tweaking and finalising it. I am expecting some further comments, and then I hope to do a final run through and finalise.

The system could definitely do with more playtesting - ideally by different groups. If anyone has the opportunity to run it in its current state (and I believe it is fully playable as is) then I would be really grateful for any feedback.

P.s. I know it's a slightly different mythological focus, but since you mentioned Pendragon - have you checked out Age of Arthur from Wordpress games? To my money the best attempt at the arthurian myths in a 'historic' subroman context.

Weird lands and forgotten islands » My post-Ragnarok Norse setting for BoL » 6/05/2017 10:47 am

Peter
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This is very impressive! Really a complete game and such a comprehensive piece of world building. I really like the "alt-vinland"/vikings under strange skies idea.

I'm not sure whether you are looking for input (or indeed still editing the pdf), but if I am allowed just a minor comment I think you could potentially make the premise a bit more explicit - using f.e.x. the blurb you use to open this thread in the introduction section.

Impressive work!

p.s. the theme reminds me a little of the Vikings and Valkyries expansion I worked on with Olivier (the author of the core game - Mazes and Minotaurs) - link for possible interest: http://mazesandminotaurs.free.fr/VIK.pdf

Animals and monsters! » Beasts of Mirkwood » 6/04/2017 2:48 pm

Peter
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Gruntfuttock wrote:

I agree that retaining a mythical feel is key to your project - I very much approve.

I suppose it's just that I know a bit about the late Roman army, and also that in any game I run based at least partly in the real world, I like to start from an accurate base before adding in all the weird stuff. My comments up thread are more about my approach to games rather than a criticism of your approach. I think what you've produced is first rate.

​I think your Horse Raider/Light Cavalryman is a good addition - it does the job.

Thank you - I really appreciate the input and the expertise on the late roman army - keep it coming, I'd be really grateful for more suggestions

I think I should also have a bestiary entry covering Saxons and other north sea/rhine pirates or proto-vikings:

Sea Wolf
The shores of northern Germania and Britannia, as well as the great rivers of the Mirkwood, are infested with boat-borne raiders. Some sail small hide coracles, others row sleek longboats.

Attributes        Combat Abilities
Strength     1     Initiative 2
Agility         1     Melee 2
Mind        1     Ranged 2
Appeal        1    Defence 1

Careers
Seafarer 2    Warrior 1
Protection     Shield
Weapons      Saex d6 +2
        Spear d6
Lifeblood      9

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