The most recently arrived Prince of this region, Y’Velle, hails from The Great Kingdom. Originally the fifth daughter of a nobleman and knight, she grew up listening to tales of the Grail Knights and their exploits. Entranced by what she heard, she deeply desired to take up sword and armor and fight for the Lady of Paladins. But, being a woman in the patriarchal society of the Great Kingdom, this course was closed to her. It seemed her fate would be to marry a smelly, fat noble with warty feet. But then her father died, and her eldest brother became the lord. Instead of the good and lawful monarch her father was, he was a vicious tyrant, a brutal despot that loved torturing peasants and abusing his family. Horrified by the transformation power wrought in him, Y’Velle worked against him. She traveled alone into the wilderlands, opened an ancient grail shrine she found there, and pledged her service to Laranni. The Goddess heard her plea, and not only granted her the powers of a templar, but directed her to a place where ancient weapons and armor were secreted in the shrine.
Thus armed, she began to lead a double-life, pretending to be the dutiful sister but secretly leading a band of Herrimaults. Things came to a head fifteen years ago when her brother, frustrated by the constant raiding, led a band of knights to crush the uprising. He killed many and learned of his sister’s duplicity. Y’Velle had no choice. She fled her homeland, while her brother sullied her name and hoisted up some other poor woman to die in her place.
The surviving members of the Herrimaults vanished with her. As a group, they decided to flee to the broken lands of the Border Princes, where they hoped to bring some justice to this lawless area. For five years, they struggled against Greenskin and Human alike, until finally, Y’Velle decided to forge a principality of her own. She wanted to establish a new and just realm ruled by law and not the fickle whims of a cruel tyrant. However, this task proved more difficult than she imagined, and the failures to create a land of law and virtue have worn down her ideals.
Y’Velle was once a very pretty woman, but years of running, the hardships of the Borderlands, and her failure to realize her utopia have taken their roll. She still has hope, however, and it needs only a small ember to re-kindle the flame. She is a strong woman with short brown hair and a long scar running down the side of her face. She is of average height with a lean body, hardened from near-constant fighting.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Torch Combat
It seems to me that oftentimes an adventurer might be caught off guards, torch in one hand, sword in the other, while leaped upon by a pack of raging undead creatures. In this event, rather than drop the torch and to pull out another weapon or to sling a shield, the character may choose to use the torch as an off-hand weapon with the following rules;
1. No off-hand penalty is given to striking with the torch, since the open flame is both very dangerous and off-putting to nearly any foe.
2. The torch affords an additional single attack per round, causing 1-6 points of damage per hit.
3. Any semi-flammable target (such as any character wearing normal clothing, etc.) struck must save vs. wands or catch fire, causing 1d3 additional points of damage during the following round, and causing the affected creature to spend that next round extinguishing him or herself and doing nothing else.
4. Any flammable target (such as mummies, treants, dryads, twig blights, oil-covered characters, etc.) struck must save vs. wands or catch fire, causing 1-16 points of damage per round for d3 rounds. During this time the creature may or may not (at the DM's determination) run around in a panic, berserk rage, frenzy, or perhaps attack normally in certain circumstances.
5. Every time a hit is scored with a torch, there is a 2 in six (roll a d6; score of 1-2) chance of the torch going out.
6. Other characters in the area, if relying on the torch-wielder as a source of light, suffer a -2 to hit each round due to the constant shifting shadows and flickering of the flame caused by combat swings.
7. A torch wielding character causes Fear in all flammable creatures (even undead),and in all normal animals (and perhaps some giant-types, if the DM determines that it is appropriate).
1. No off-hand penalty is given to striking with the torch, since the open flame is both very dangerous and off-putting to nearly any foe.
2. The torch affords an additional single attack per round, causing 1-6 points of damage per hit.
3. Any semi-flammable target (such as any character wearing normal clothing, etc.) struck must save vs. wands or catch fire, causing 1d3 additional points of damage during the following round, and causing the affected creature to spend that next round extinguishing him or herself and doing nothing else.
4. Any flammable target (such as mummies, treants, dryads, twig blights, oil-covered characters, etc.) struck must save vs. wands or catch fire, causing 1-16 points of damage per round for d3 rounds. During this time the creature may or may not (at the DM's determination) run around in a panic, berserk rage, frenzy, or perhaps attack normally in certain circumstances.
5. Every time a hit is scored with a torch, there is a 2 in six (roll a d6; score of 1-2) chance of the torch going out.
6. Other characters in the area, if relying on the torch-wielder as a source of light, suffer a -2 to hit each round due to the constant shifting shadows and flickering of the flame caused by combat swings.
7. A torch wielding character causes Fear in all flammable creatures (even undead),and in all normal animals (and perhaps some giant-types, if the DM determines that it is appropriate).
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The Border Princes Background
To the South of the Empire lies a rugged wilderness region known as the Border Princes. Surrounded by the Vaults, the Worlds Edge Mountains, the Badlands, the Blood River, and the Black Gulf, the land of the Border Princes hosts scores of petty fiefs and minor principalities.
Most Old Worlders think of the Border Princes as a lawless territory of brigands and cutthroats that is, thankfully, isolated from the civilized lands of the Empire and the Great Kingdom. Although in some areas of the Border Princes, centralized governments do exist, lawlessness and violence are common. The area has seen countless small wars and border skirmishes at times when the raiders attack the small kingdoms or when the Princes seek to expand their lands. These conflicts - coupled with the constant presence of Orcs, Goblins, Gnolls, Trolls, Chaos cultists, and rapacious tax collectors employed by ambitious feudal lords - have left the population of the area largely mistrustful and suspicious, particularly of foreigners.
Given all of these dangers, travelers journeying to the Border Princes are well advised to keep both their swords and their purses close at hand.
Over the millennium-long history of the Border Princes, much of the landscape has remained wild and rugged. Large plains of small thorny trees dominate, and the hilly regions, which are the homes of nomads, herdsmen, and the occasional wandering band of Chaos mutants, are wisely avoided by most travelers. Although there are many rivers and a good amount of rainfall, the region is not especially fertile.
The largest fertile areas are located around the river areas. A few other areas of good farm country can be found around the various fortresses established in the area and in the valleys near the Vaults, a high mountainous region where the Black, Grey, and Crystalmist mountain ranges meet. These regions are often wartime targets for raiders and would-be conquerors.
Some areas of these lands were settled during humanity’s earliest northward migration (some 3,000 years ago), and the nomadic Quellan tribes that inhabit this area are said to be the direct descendants from these early peoples. The region’s name originated from just over 1,500 years ago, when a number of adventurers (including many who were disenchanted with the fast-disintegrating Empire) struck out with many of their followers to colonize the area and drive out the Goblinoids. The leaders dubbed themselves Princes, although most had been stripped of all titles and many had never been more than independent adventurers.
Life in the land of the Border Princes remains much as it has for a millennium. The descendants of early adventurers still rule many of the fiefs that make up the region. Goblinoids, Gnolls, and the occasional Chaos warband continue to harass the human settlers there, and border skirmishes between neighboring principalities, which are fiercely protective of their independence, break out frequently. As much of the land is not ideal for agriculture, many local lords cast covetous eyes toward any other prince or settlement that has access to rich farmland of any sort.
In the foothills of the Black Mountains, the nomadic tribesmen known as the Quellan still tend to a hardy breed of cattle known as aurochs, a rough species that is unique to the region. The Quellan will sometimes come down from the hills to raid the farmlands below when the thorny vegetation on which the aurochs feed grows thin, but the barbarians are invariably driven off by the doughty defenders of the fiefs. Of course, the lawless reputation of the Border Princes is not completely undeserved. Renegades and fugitives still flee south to escape the long arm of Old World law, and brigand camps punctuate the landscape.
Barak Varr is a dwarf fortress and the only dwarf seaport in the Old World, located at the easternmost point of the Black Gulf where it merges with the mouth of Blood River, which runs through the Border Princes. Sturdy lighthouses lead ships towards the Sea Gate of the stronghold which is built into the Cliffs of Gamrud lining the coast of the gulf. A vast water filled cavern known as the Great Cove has been carved into the Cliffside to provide a safe harbor for the dwarf fleet and the merchant vessels which come from ports across the Old World to trade for fine dwarf craftsmanship. It is here that the great ironclads are built and maintained, floating steel fortresses propelled by steam driven paddles.
The Dragon Crag (called Karak Azgul by the dwarfs, rises in the south-eastern part of the Border Princes. At its foot, lies the sprawling city of Deadgate, the largest settlement in the Border Princes. The dungeons under the Dragon Crag draw many adventurers to this area, who hope to gain fortune and glory be exploring the labyrinthine tunnels under the mountain.
The Old Silk Road has long been a trade route for the Tileans, the Dwarfs of the Worlds Edge Mountains, and exotic people of the eastern empire of Cathay. A few minor lords of the Border Principalities have attempted to levy taxes and tolls on those who would cross their lands, but these attempts to garner additional revenues have met with only limited success. As such, the Border Princes remain a crossroads of sorts for all types of travelers.
Communication in the Border Princes can be difficult, as it is a polyglot land. While most of the population speaks or can at least understand at least a few words in the Common tongue, many other languages are common as well: Reikspiel, Bretonnian, Tilean, Arabayan, Cathayan, and of course the languages of the Dwarfs, Elves, and the other races who travel through the region. Linguists and translators can often make a handsome living in the Border Princes from the merchants and statesmen who require their services.
Today, a new age of colonization has dawned in the Border Princes. Hundreds of displaced families and adventurers have been moving into the region from the Empire, leaving behind the desolation caused by the Storm of Chaos, intending to take advantage of what is often perceived to be virgin land.
Most Old Worlders think of the Border Princes as a lawless territory of brigands and cutthroats that is, thankfully, isolated from the civilized lands of the Empire and the Great Kingdom. Although in some areas of the Border Princes, centralized governments do exist, lawlessness and violence are common. The area has seen countless small wars and border skirmishes at times when the raiders attack the small kingdoms or when the Princes seek to expand their lands. These conflicts - coupled with the constant presence of Orcs, Goblins, Gnolls, Trolls, Chaos cultists, and rapacious tax collectors employed by ambitious feudal lords - have left the population of the area largely mistrustful and suspicious, particularly of foreigners.
Given all of these dangers, travelers journeying to the Border Princes are well advised to keep both their swords and their purses close at hand.
Over the millennium-long history of the Border Princes, much of the landscape has remained wild and rugged. Large plains of small thorny trees dominate, and the hilly regions, which are the homes of nomads, herdsmen, and the occasional wandering band of Chaos mutants, are wisely avoided by most travelers. Although there are many rivers and a good amount of rainfall, the region is not especially fertile.
The largest fertile areas are located around the river areas. A few other areas of good farm country can be found around the various fortresses established in the area and in the valleys near the Vaults, a high mountainous region where the Black, Grey, and Crystalmist mountain ranges meet. These regions are often wartime targets for raiders and would-be conquerors.
Some areas of these lands were settled during humanity’s earliest northward migration (some 3,000 years ago), and the nomadic Quellan tribes that inhabit this area are said to be the direct descendants from these early peoples. The region’s name originated from just over 1,500 years ago, when a number of adventurers (including many who were disenchanted with the fast-disintegrating Empire) struck out with many of their followers to colonize the area and drive out the Goblinoids. The leaders dubbed themselves Princes, although most had been stripped of all titles and many had never been more than independent adventurers.
Life in the land of the Border Princes remains much as it has for a millennium. The descendants of early adventurers still rule many of the fiefs that make up the region. Goblinoids, Gnolls, and the occasional Chaos warband continue to harass the human settlers there, and border skirmishes between neighboring principalities, which are fiercely protective of their independence, break out frequently. As much of the land is not ideal for agriculture, many local lords cast covetous eyes toward any other prince or settlement that has access to rich farmland of any sort.
In the foothills of the Black Mountains, the nomadic tribesmen known as the Quellan still tend to a hardy breed of cattle known as aurochs, a rough species that is unique to the region. The Quellan will sometimes come down from the hills to raid the farmlands below when the thorny vegetation on which the aurochs feed grows thin, but the barbarians are invariably driven off by the doughty defenders of the fiefs. Of course, the lawless reputation of the Border Princes is not completely undeserved. Renegades and fugitives still flee south to escape the long arm of Old World law, and brigand camps punctuate the landscape.
Barak Varr is a dwarf fortress and the only dwarf seaport in the Old World, located at the easternmost point of the Black Gulf where it merges with the mouth of Blood River, which runs through the Border Princes. Sturdy lighthouses lead ships towards the Sea Gate of the stronghold which is built into the Cliffs of Gamrud lining the coast of the gulf. A vast water filled cavern known as the Great Cove has been carved into the Cliffside to provide a safe harbor for the dwarf fleet and the merchant vessels which come from ports across the Old World to trade for fine dwarf craftsmanship. It is here that the great ironclads are built and maintained, floating steel fortresses propelled by steam driven paddles.
The Dragon Crag (called Karak Azgul by the dwarfs, rises in the south-eastern part of the Border Princes. At its foot, lies the sprawling city of Deadgate, the largest settlement in the Border Princes. The dungeons under the Dragon Crag draw many adventurers to this area, who hope to gain fortune and glory be exploring the labyrinthine tunnels under the mountain.
The Old Silk Road has long been a trade route for the Tileans, the Dwarfs of the Worlds Edge Mountains, and exotic people of the eastern empire of Cathay. A few minor lords of the Border Principalities have attempted to levy taxes and tolls on those who would cross their lands, but these attempts to garner additional revenues have met with only limited success. As such, the Border Princes remain a crossroads of sorts for all types of travelers.
Communication in the Border Princes can be difficult, as it is a polyglot land. While most of the population speaks or can at least understand at least a few words in the Common tongue, many other languages are common as well: Reikspiel, Bretonnian, Tilean, Arabayan, Cathayan, and of course the languages of the Dwarfs, Elves, and the other races who travel through the region. Linguists and translators can often make a handsome living in the Border Princes from the merchants and statesmen who require their services.
Today, a new age of colonization has dawned in the Border Princes. Hundreds of displaced families and adventurers have been moving into the region from the Empire, leaving behind the desolation caused by the Storm of Chaos, intending to take advantage of what is often perceived to be virgin land.
The Logic of the Caller
Over the last few games, our group has reverted to using a very "Old School" way of player-GM interaction during combat rounds. This system defines one of the players as a "Caller", i.e., the player that arbitrates and communicates the desires of the other player's to the GM. As bizarre as it may seem, this system actually seems to accomplish several useful things at once:
- The players are all involved in the action of the round. Since it is every player's "turn" at the same time, fewer of them are texting messages, making dice towers, or playing with the monster miniatures when they should be paying attention to the game.
- You don't have to worry about "initiative order", since it is the players who determine which character is acting in what order.
- The character's actions are very coordinated, as if they have actually been working at surviving as a team for quite a while. (hmm...perhaps callers should not be allowed until after 3rd level?). Thus, the fighter never runs forwards into the fireball the mage is casting, and so-on.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Origins
Dungeonhammer is a collection of fantasy-role-playing game rules from various sources, including Basic (Holmes version) D&D, AD&D (1st edition and some 2nd edition), WFRP (1st edition), a bunch of house rules, and other random inspiration. The game world is a varient Old World in the Warhammer tradition, with notable differences and editions to the nations, races, and gods therein. There are many carryover places, gods, and names from my first D&D campaign world, which was Greyhawk. Influences from several of the better D&D Gazetteeers are noted, as well as some ideas from Lone Wolf as well as other more unusual sources. The hand of Judges Guild is felt strongly here, and many of the "classic" 1st edition AD&D modules have a place here as well.
In short; I ripped off everyone for ideas, added my own, and threw the rest away.
It makes a heck of a salad, which I and my players have been enjoying for years now, and we still play every other week, breaking during the summer months to pursue another hobby that involves sleeping in medieval pavilions in the woods, singing by firelight, and wearing real armor...
In short; I ripped off everyone for ideas, added my own, and threw the rest away.
It makes a heck of a salad, which I and my players have been enjoying for years now, and we still play every other week, breaking during the summer months to pursue another hobby that involves sleeping in medieval pavilions in the woods, singing by firelight, and wearing real armor...
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