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2/05/2014 2:49 pm  #1


Sagas of Lemuria

My BoL game initially ran for 2 years (summer 2010 - summer 2012). There have been a couple of sessions since, and I'm starting to get the itch again...

I've used a mixture of scenarios and seeds from the BoL rules, original material, D&D adventures, a One-Page Dungeon, and a couple of BoL scenarios written by G-Man and Terje Nordin. While there are full write-ups for each saga, I don't want to spam the board with my ill-formed words unless people want more of them. So here are some titles and a few brief notes on the stories so far.

Book 1) The Sky-Boats of Satarla
This started off with an escape from the Satarlan arena and ended with the sale of a stolen sky-boat to Parsool.

Book 2) The Island of Doom
This started in the same way as the scenario of the same name in the BoL rules but rapidly diverged, ending with the sinking of the titular Island.

Book 3) The Harvest of Sorrows
The Yellow Cult of Morgazzon spreads madness through Lysor. Inspired by multiple James Bond films and a scenario for 3.x D&D.

Book 4) The Halls of Tizun Thane
From White Dwarf Issue #9.

Book 5) The Janium Giant
After rescuing a comrade from the gallows, the heroes follow tales of a brigand army gathering around a gigantic automaton rampaging around the Plains of Klaar.

Book 6) Love & War
Satarla and Tyrus are at war and the heroes become embroiled in the thick of the fighting before escaping beyond the bounds of civilisation.

Book 7) Hot Blood, Cold Steel
The heroes strive to defeat awakening ancient horrors in the land of Valgard.

Book 8) Blood & Plunder
A quest for treasure and revenge leads beyond the lands of Lemuria, including encounters with a half-million year-old sorcerer and a 20th century Englishman lost in time. It culminates with the return of a long-forgotten god.

Book 9) Ghosts in the Moon-Tower
Deserters from an army hell-bent on invading Halakh disturb an undead evil in the Mountains of Beshaaroon.

 

2/06/2014 7:04 am  #2


Re: Sagas of Lemuria

Tizun Thane is a classic. Would you consider posting your conversion notes?

 

2/06/2014 11:47 am  #3


Re: Sagas of Lemuria

G-Man wrote:

Tizun Thane is a classic. Would you consider posting your conversion notes?

I just converted it on-the-fly during play, so there aren't conversion notes as such. In case my original post was unclear, the write-ups I referred to are session reports rather than conversion notes. Apologies if any confusion's been caused.

Other than dealing with the Night Things and Thraaak, I wanted the scenario to focus on the core relationships and conflicts between the Thane brothers and their allies (just add PCs for fun 'n' frolics!). Therefore I stripped out or significantly modified anything that didn't directly contribute to this, or that felt too much like D&D rather than BoL.

To give some idea of my general approach:
- 1st level/1HD NPCs became Rabble.
- 2nd level NPCs converted to Standard NPCs.
- Major villains simply got assigned stats that felt about right for their role.
- Thraaak's Cloak of Displacement became a Penalty Die for anyone attacking him.
- The ogre eunuch became a Cerulean.
- A pair of lizard-men lurking in a pool were stripped from the scenario.
- Sega Thane got renamed Zaega Thane. My players would have made non-stop game console jokes otherwise!
- etc.

     Thread Starter
 

2/06/2014 7:02 pm  #4


Re: Sagas of Lemuria

Yeah, I can see where including all the monsters, treasures, etc. would be just too much of a crawl for BoL.

 

4/04/2014 11:55 pm  #5


Re: Sagas of Lemuria

Al:
Could you share one or two scenarios? I think 'bout broader introduction to the world of Lemuria - the best way is to run ready-to-play adventure. I've got many scenarios to Hyboria, but BoL it's 4 me a new experience.


Bow to Satan!!!
 

4/06/2014 7:43 am  #6


Re: Sagas of Lemuria

Mruf wrote:

Al:
Could you share one or two scenarios? I think 'bout broader introduction to the world of Lemuria - the best way is to run ready-to-play adventure. I've got many scenarios to Hyboria, but BoL it's 4 me a new experience.

There's just enough broad detail about the Lemurian setting in the BoL rulesbook for each GM to make it their own. My Lemuria will not be quite the same place as your Lemuria - my advice is to make the setting your own.

The adventure seeds in the BoL rulebook give a really good starting point to get the flavour of different regions in Lemuria. There are some other scenarios written for the BoL system out there. Unfortunately this forum doesn't let me do any non-manual formatting to my posts and I can't be bothered manually typing the html coding required to make these into links.

There are some good BoL scenarios at this site, though not necessarily specifically for the Lemurian setting:
www.strangestones.com/downloads/

I'd also recommend a BoL scenario called 'Wakhara, City of the Walking Dead' by Terje Nordin. It is specifically set in Lemuria. Unfortunately I can't remember where I downloaded it from.

     Thread Starter
 

4/06/2014 8:04 am  #7


Re: Sagas of Lemuria

Ok, I start with scenarios from rulebook. Really, I saw there three or four adventure-seeds. Maybe I shall convert my Hyborias ones to Lemuria. 
Generally I prefer my own adventures, byt in the case of new settings first try to play some ready scenarios. Never mind.


Bow to Satan!!!
 

4/06/2014 3:45 pm  #8


Re: Sagas of Lemuria

Mruf wrote:

Maybe I shall convert my Hyborias ones to Lemuria.

This should work pretty perfectly. Anything inspired by, or converted from, material set in Hyboria or Barsoom should fit Lemuria just fine.

If it's of any interest, the following is a rough scenario outline based on something I ran in Book #7. I've not included any names or characteristics and a lot of the fine detail is up to the individual GM.


The Doomsday Stone
The Stone is an ancient weapon created and hidden by the Sorcerer Kings in the final days of their age, shortly before the Battle of Hyrdral Chasm. It was designed to wreak revenge on humanity should the empire of the Sorcerer Kings somehow be brought low. However, the Stone inadvertently caused an avalanche when it first became operational and was buried beneath the fallen rocks and snow. Damaged into inactivity, the Stone was eventually encompassed by a glacier. It has been absorbing the faint sunlight that filters through the glacial ice during the long centuries since, slowly regenerating its energy and repairing itself.

Recent earth tremors in the Axos Mountains were caused by the Stone using its growing power to split the glacier, greatly increasing the amount of sunlight that reaches the Stone. The Stone will soon be able to fully replenish its power and achieve its purpose – creating earthquakes to destroy the cities of mankind.

The Stone's stirrings have been potent enough to cause psychic disturbances. Sleepers in the surrounding region have been haunted by dreams of a giant gemstone, valuable beyond compare, buried beneath the ice of a great glacier.

The heroes are travelling through the mountains of Valgard's southern frontier. The trail they are following passes near a glacier.

NB - At least one hero should be fluent in Ygddari and/or Sorceric.


The Glacier
The area around the glacier is inhabited by carnivorous snow apes and snow worms. Anyone attempting to reach the glacier is at risk of being attacked by these creatures.

First, the heroes find the body of a snow ape covered in bites and constriction marks after being slain and partially eaten by snow worms. Not long after, snow worms attack the heroes from concealment in a snow drift, using sleep mist to subdue their prey. There are two worms for each hero, and an additional worm for each other member of their group.

When the heroes reach the glacier, they find the remains of a Valgardian encampment by a large fissure in the ice. Those who were excavating the fissure are gone, though their tools are strewn around the campsite. Tracks and bloody prints around the camp indicate that the Valgardians were victims of snow apes and their corpses have been dragged away to be devoured.

The passage excavated into the ice ends in a crack wide enough to reach an arm into. This fissure emerges about thirty feet up the side of a large cavity in the glacier. The metallic latticework structure containing the Stone can be seen at the base of this cavity, but several feet of rock and ice must be dislodged to clear a way through. If not done correctly, there is a risk that this final excavation could cause the tunnel to collapse. Ropes will also be required to make the final descent to the Stone.


The Field of Force
The structure that contains the Stone is protected by a powerful force field. Writing on the structure using the Sorceric script can be made out. It seems to be the code for the deactivation of the force field and there is an engraved control panel accessible to those outside it. However, failed attempts to enter the code (based on the solution to a calculation taught to Sorcerers) will trigger a rune that causes two devouring demons (BoL, p65) to be summoned! This will only happen once; subsequent failed attempts should set off additional runes of greater potency but, due to the fall of the Sorcerer Kings, the required enchantments were never actually inscribed.


The Stone of Doom
The Stone itself resembles a single purple-green gemstone around three feet in length, cradled in a metal lattice that is reminiscent of both a frame and a cage. The framework is studded with dozens of gems, each worth a small fortune in its own right.

The Stone is sentient and will defend itself (and the gems in its framework) against intruders. It is programmed to eliminate humans but it will attempt to learn about their cities first. Although the Stone is ignorant of any current Lemurian language, it understands both Sorceric and Ygddari. Its words are displayed in glowing Sorceric script upon glossy black panels situated around the structure. Replies can be spoken in either language or written in Sorceric using panels engraved with this script (e.g. the controls for the force field).

The Stone can emit an array of luminescent beams of energy; anyone attempting to get close to it must evade them. The beams cause 2d6 damage (not reduced by armour), unless the character succeeds in an Agility + Defence roll. If successful only 1d6 damage is inflicted; a heroic success means none of the beams strike home.

The Stone’s weak point is a panel of glowing power-runes on the apparatus that cradles the eldritch crystal. These runes regulate the conversion of sunlight into arcane energies – the Stone will ‘overload’ if they are damaged. This will cause it to become incoherent and to unleash its remaining destructive powers indiscriminately. It may also be possible to somehow convince the Stone of the futility of its purpose. It will then initiate its own destruction. Regardless of the cause, the Stone begins to pulse out a countdown. Cracks appear in the glacial cavity and the exit passage is endangered. The heroes will need to be quick to escape with their lives as the glacier and valley walls shudder and shake!


Escape to Danger
The heroes are ambushed by snow apes hurling boulders and massive chunks of ice. There is one snow ape for each hero. If the Stone is overloading or self-destructing, the snow apes will flee instead.

     Thread Starter
 

4/07/2014 12:43 am  #9


Re: Sagas of Lemuria

Sounds pretty good. One can use it, but there is one problem - owning a sorcerer in a team S&S style usually excludes such a characters. Scenario itself is interesting.


Bow to Satan!!!
 

4/07/2014 10:42 am  #10


Re: Sagas of Lemuria

Mruf wrote:

Sounds pretty good. One can use it, but there is one problem - owning a sorcerer in a team S&S style usually excludes such a characters. Scenario itself is interesting.

My game had a PC Sorcerer. You could probably work around the problem if the heroes possessed an alchemical/enchanted translation device for some reason, or they could be accompanied by a suitable NPC (though this would run the risk of the heroes becoming spectators rather than protagonists).

However, the general attitude to magic in Lemuria is more tolerant than in Hyboria, for instance. There are exceptions, such as the City of Tyrus.

With regard to sorcerers in S&S fiction, they are more commonplace than you may think at first (particularly if Hyboria/Conan is your baseline). For instance, Moorcock's Elric, Wagner's Kane, Leiber's Grey Mouser, and various characters from Jack Vance's Dying Earth series all have magical skills.

In BoL, I've found that a rank or two in the Sorcerer career largely just gives a character different ways of achieving the same results as using non-magical means. It doesn't really matter whether you sneak past the guard using Agility + Thief, or if you use a spell. Of course, powerful Sorcerers in BoL tend to be just as insane/accursed/corrupt as they are in the original S&S fiction.

Glad you liked the scenario, by the way.

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