Moving thru the Multiverse

[tarkhan bey]

Gareth/Loz

Finally, I have had a chance to properly read the Elric rulebook. I have a few questions which have come up due to comparing it with the Hawkmoon book.
In Hawkmoon, starting characters also receive bonuses based on their nationality. In Elric they don't. In games where there are characters from several planes of existence this means that starting Hawkmoon characters are slightly better than their Elric counterparts.(Skillwise that is)
Have I misinterpreted the Hawkmoon character creation? Are the skill bonuses listed under each nationality for NPC use only? It doesn't seem to clarify this in the book but seemed like a reasonable assumption to me that these were also part of player character generation.
Will the concept of nationality and associated skills in Elric be looked at in more depth in the Companion?
In previous editions of Eternal Champion games it was a given that the magic of the Young Kingdom's setting was less powerful in the Tragic millenium due to the prevalence of Law.Likewise,the scientific achievements of the Tragic millenium would work but could not be recharged or repaired following their gradual erosion by the prevalence of Chaos in the Young kingdoms.
What are your takes on the situation now?
Finally,have either of you considered a method of converting between Fate points and Hero points?

Thanks

 

[Loz]

Gar will no doubt chip-in...

Will the concept of nationality and associated skills in Elric be looked at in more depth in the Companion?

Yes. I had to chop it from the main book for space reasons. It will be back in the Elric Companion (which I'm already working on, BTW).

In previous editions of Eternal Champion games it was a given that the magic of the Young Kingdom's setting was less powerful in the Tragic millenium due to the prevalence of Law.Likewise,the scientific achievements of the Tragic millenium would work but could not be recharged or repaired following their gradual erosion by the prevalence of Chaos in the Young kingdoms.

This is one for GM fiat. Elric travels to several planes where his magic doesn't work, or Stormbringer is sluggish, and so forth. The general consensus is that planes where Law is dominant relegates the power of sorcery, and vice versa. Where Hawkmoon is concerned, the old Chaosium rulings were generally for game balance, but explained in these terms. Clearly there IS sorcery present in the Tragic Millenium, but note that the Lords of Law DO NOT RULE THERE. If there is anything approaching that kind of control, its the Runestaff, which is a manifestation of the Cosmic Balance, not the Lords of Law. Thus, whilst YK magic might be weaker (because Chaos is largely absent), I don't think it need be substantially weaker. It could be that Pacts just don't function (indeed, I'd rule that they don't). It might be that summoning demons takes twice as long and they stick around for only half the time, but I'd be loathe to impose any further artificial restraints simply because the Tragic Millenium is viewed as a Lawful plane. I don't think its especially lawful at all (Arkyn and Donblas aren't charging around, for example), and the presence of technology doesn't mean that magic should be downgraded as a result.

Fate Points to HP? Over to Gar on that one.

 

[tarkhan bey]

Thanks for the reply Loz, I had also been thinking about where the idea came from that the Lords of Law were dominant in the Tragic Millenium. I suppose it came from the the idea of Sorcery/Chaos and Science/Law.
Anyway,I am glad that nationality and skills will be introduced in the companion.
I have also read somewhere that there is to be a campaign for Elric. Any word on when to expect that?
Bright Shadows,Castle Brass,Hawkmoon campaign,Elric companion,I don't know if my wallet can stand it(or more importantly,my wife :lol: ).It looks like Conan 2ed is gonna have to be put on hold for a little while as my group are currently frothing at the mouth about eternal champion gaming.
Would like to see well developed atlases of both the YK and the TM. Can we expect to see these in the future?

 

[Loz]

The Elric campaign is still brewing somewhere in my skull and needs approving by the Mongoose Grand Constable of the Order of the Quill before I can say much more...

 

[tarkhan bey]

Loz, I know that swearing on the Runestaff is obviously a big deal and that in Hawkmoon terms it grants a load of fate points and ties the person to doom and destiny.
In Elric terms though,would this be making a pact with the Cosmic Balance? Do you think that characters like Orland Fank and the Warrior in Jet and Gold have pacted themselves to the service of the Runestaff or is it more appropriate that the Runestaff chooses its own champions? If so,what would the cult of the Runestaff look like and what would the gifts, cult summonings and compulsions be?
I ask because one of the characters in my ongoing campaign is a Pikaraydan Agent of the Balance,Nalkor Zakstrassin- the eternal optimist.

 

[Loz]

Loz, I know that swearing on the Runestaff is obviously a big deal and that in Hawkmoon terms it grants a load of fate points and ties the person to doom and destiny.
In Elric terms though,would this be making a pact with the Cosmic Balance? Do you think that characters like Orland Fank and the Warrior in Jet and Gold have pacted themselves to the service of the Runestaff or is it more appropriate that the Runestaff chooses its own champions? If so,what would the cult of the Runestaff look like and what would the gifts, cult summonings and compulsions be?
I ask because one of the characters in my ongoing campaign is a Pikaraydan Agent of the Balance,Nalkor Zakstrassin- the eternal optimist.

Its a cool and groovy notion.

The Balance is barely understood in the YK. Its existence is only revealed to Elric in fits and starts, and whilst there may be those who know of its existence, its such a nebulous concept, its unlikely to have a direct cult where one can form a pact. The closest one comes is with Tanelorn, which does represent the Balance in the YK, but worship of the Runestaff? Well, that's up to your campaign, and I can see no reason why the Runestaff wouldn't appear, in some way, in the YK, if its agenda called for it to be there.

To me, cleaving to the Balance is more about not cleaving to either Chaos or Law. One doesn't need to form any sort of pact, per se, simply avoid forming pacts with any power that would tip the Balance in one direction or the other.

Where the Runestaff's agents are concerned, I think the Runestaff chooses those who have faithfully served its agenda. In Elric terms, this would indeed be forming a pact with it and attaining 100% and thus apotheosis. You could also say that swearing an oath on the Runestaff establishes the pact formally, although the Runestaff would never demand a bartering of the soul to seal it. So, in the case of Nalkor Zakstrassin, swearing on the Runestaff would give him a starting pact value equal to POW+CHA, but ignore the requirement to dedicate POW. As for Gifts - perhaps a single gift from those presented in the Elric rules, or make up something reflecting the style and themes of your campaign. For a Compulsion... how about he can never form any personal ties or relationships; once tied to the Runestaff's agenda, he is its servant, and must go where the Runestaff wills it, forever unable to lay-down roots. Since he's the Eternal Optimist, he's likely to be able to deal with such circumstances, but is, perhaps, a little melancholy because of it.

 

[tarkhan bey]

A melancholy optimist, very paradoxical,very Moorcock. 8)

The character does suffer from unrequited love, so that idea works for the campaign very well. He is constantly trying to return to Cadsandria to declare his undying love for this particular woman and every day he regrets that he did not declare his feelings for her before he left to go on his life of adventure. It seems that fate constantly conspires against him in his efforts to return to her.
He is very much a character in search of redemption also, he has heard of a place called Tanelorn and hopes that if he can find it he can atone for the evils of his youth when he was a paid killer in the employ of the Heirophant of Pikarayd.
Following some political chicanery at the court of King Marvos,his clan were declared traitors and destroyed by their rivals, the Zakdarrin's. Nalkor fled the country to neighbouring Argimiliar where he became a drunk and a common footpad in the city of Cadsandria.
As he stepped from the shadows one night to apply the cosh to a gentleman's head he was confronted by a young woman in the company of his intended victim.
He was stunned,never before had he seen such beauty. The shouts of the watch brought him to his senses and he fled back into the shadows. For days he could not get the girl out of his mind even when in a drunken haze.
He had to find her. He took the last of his money and purchased a new suit of clothing. He bathed and shaved and then set about discovering the identity of the girl.
It was not difficult to do so, the city was rife with rumour about abn assault upon the body of the Merchant Ferron Ganes and the attempted assault on his daughter Lethira.
Unrecognizable in his new attire, he took a job as a sailor on one of Ganes vessells but never plucked up the nerve to approach the girl who waved to the ship as it set sail for Menii.
It was on the Isle of Purple towns that Nalkor came into contact with a traveller named Fargin Morb and his destiny as a servant of the cosmic balance was set.

 

[Mongoose Gar]

Gareth/Loz
In Hawkmoon, starting characters also receive bonuses based on their nationality. In Elric they don't. In games where there are characters from several planes of existence this means that starting Hawkmoon characters are slightly better than their Elric counterparts.(Skillwise that is)

Very, very slightly, yeah, if you use the corebook of one line with the corebook of another. By the time most characters start dimension-jumping, though, they'll be much more experienced and that little boost won't matter much.

As for the other questions - I need to take a proper look at Elric before answering. I've been too busy with other stuff lately.

 

[CthulhuFnord]

I've been thinking of an Eternal Champions crossover with Lankhmar. Ning's cave are just full of potential plot threads.

 

[Nickbergquist]

With all this discussion on planar travel, it seems only logical that Mongoose should publish an Eternal Champions book on cross-dimensional travel....hint hint.....

 

[Mongoose Gar]

It's on the list of stuff to do, but I think it'll be after we get Corum and a few other EC books done.

 

[Sadric 86th]

Corum? More EC?

You guys simply rule.

Loz,

Can you give us an idea of what will be in the Elric Companion?

 

[Loz]

Corum? More EC?

You guys simply rule.

Loz,

Can you give us an idea of what will be in the Elric Companion?

Campaign advice, expanded cults, Unknown East, expanded demon features, more creatures, more enchantments... all kinds of goodies.

 

[Mage]

Oh dear, I have to read more Michael Moorcock books...
Awesome. Corum would be cool. I never read it, as I have to finish off elric and hawkmoon, but the celtic style world of corum would be cool. I don't think i would play slaine though.
As for other stuff, if the likes of Von Bek in 'The Warhound and the World's pain' were done, it could also be anifty sourcebook for running games in the thirty years war, a sort of historical game with fantasy elements.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

...a few other EC books done.

Jerry Cornelius?

 

[Mage]

I heard someone mention a Corum book will be done.

 

[CthulhuFnord]

I've got the older Corum book, Great stuff in it. I'll be using some of the rules and tables in it for Elric games, particularly the table for rolling up random demons.

 

[Mage]

Random demons sounds very cool.

 

[CthulhuFnord]

Random demons sounds very cool.

It's mostly just a description of the Demon itself. You can get some pretty funky looking critters.