Sword and sorcery scenarios

[strega]

I've started a new thread to explore this aspect of Legend.
We've just had a great package converted from a D20 based series of adventures and people are complementing Mongoose and asking for, nay demanding, more of the same.

Producing a 120 page book requires a lot of work from authoring/converting a prior work to layout, play testing, proofing and printing at a not inconsiderable cost. It is suggested that people take a look at the authors who originally wrote the weird fiction that was designated as Sword and Sorcery in the 60's to describe the genre. That's all well and good but many people are at the stage in their lives where preparation time is at a premium and they can't spend loads of time detailing huge areas to game in like they could as teens.

I've been gaming since '74 and the original three book set so I don't have any issues coming up with material and have seen a lot of scenarios published that take from those Sword and Sorcery works. Much of the early TSR published material took story lines from the works of the best authors (CAS, REH, HPL, MM, FL, LC, etc.) and even published fresh material in early issues of Dragon magazine.

As so many of these early (1st edition AD&D) modules were very biased towards weird fiction they can be mined for plots and ideas and often converted on-the-fly to Legend.

The Classic Fantasy folks took both B1 and B2 and reworked them for their version of BRP (very similar to Legend) which can be downloaded from their Yahoo group. Many of those B-series modules can be used or slightly reworked for Legend so it's worth looking at car boot sales/bring and buy/flea markets for them.

The biggest issue I have found with them is replacing magic items and treasure allocation. In the case of treasure allocation I usually change gold pieces into silver pieces and so on. Magic items are the biggest hurdle, but for arms and armour I use the quality section of the Arms of Legend book to easily produce both Highly Resilient Armour and Highly Efficient/Highly Effective weapons. Other magic items are slightly more problematic and require not only a concept of an item but thorough study of the section on enchantments. Most S&S literature doesn't have a massive selection of magical items with most loot being jewels, gems, coins and rescued prisoners.

I'd plumb for a fan-produced book of low-level enchanted/alchemical items as being a fun thing to provide to the community and a quick aid to GMs short on time and looking for more than gold to enliven their game.

 

[Prime_Evil]

I've started a new thread to explore this aspect of Legend.
We've just had a great package converted from a D20 based series of adventures and people are complementing Mongoose and asking for, nay demanding, more of the same..

I think this is natural - people have been impressed by this product and want to know whether there are any similar works in the pipeline. Plus many people (myself included) feel that the game system is particularly suited to the swords and sorcery sub-genre. It's one of those cases where the mechanics support a particular style of play.

Producing a 120 page book requires a lot of work from authoring/converting a prior work to layout, play testing, proofing and printing at a not inconsiderable cost. It is suggested that people take a look at the authors who originally wrote the weird fiction that was designated as Sword and Sorcery in the 60's to describe the genre. That's all well and good but many people are at the stage in their lives where preparation time is at a premium and they can't spend loads of time detailing huge areas to game in like they could as teens.

Keep in mind that many of the classic works of swords and sorcery fiction were episodic in nature - they focus on specific incidents from the lives of the protagonists rather than providing a coherent overarching narrative with a clear beginning and end. This structure works well in RPGs where preparation time is at a premium. It also works well for gaming groups that can't get together regularly. The trick is to let go of the idea that you need to run a structured ongoing campaign - it's OK to play a bit fast and loose in a swords and sorcery game.

I've been gaming since '74 and the original three book set so I don't have any issues coming up with material and have seen a lot of scenarios published that take from those Sword and Sorcery works. Much of the early TSR published material took story lines from the works of the best authors (CAS, REH, HPL, MM, FL, LC, etc.) and even published fresh material in early issues of Dragon magazine.

True. Pulp fantasy was a major influence on early D&D largely because Gary Gygax preferred that style of fiction to the high fantasy of Tolkien and his imitators, but as Gygax's influence at TSR diminished so did the emphasis placed on swords and sorcery. By the time that the Dragonlance modules were published, high fantasy had triumphed over swords and sorcery and this remained the case until quite recently, when there has been a renewed interest in the fiction that inspired the roleplaying hobby.

 

[strega]

Thanks for your comments.
This afternoon I've been working up some magic items, some of which will slot nicely into S&S scenarios and others which might be acquired from friendly sorcerers or located in treasure hordes. If you use a friendly NPC magic user in your games to provide quests to your heroes then he'll be able to provide some help in completing those tasks (as long as they don't ask where he gathered those MPs in the devices).

In many stories the hero's opponent uses some form of scrying device to study the hero. In Legend this would usually involve the Project (Sense) spell variant, Project (Sight). By casting Project (Sight) on a device the caster can create a permanent scrying device that will be free in MP cost to use. Starting out with an object of SIZ 1 it takes one hour to prepare the item. The default duration of the spell in caster's POW in minutes so usually around 15 to 20 minutes which should be enough time but as the receptor appears next to the device and needs to be moved the Duration should probably be increased. Adding 3 MPs allow for a whole hour of scrying. The default Range is caster's POW in metres but as the receptor can be moved this is not applicable. One Target is usually adequate for most evil masterminds, again no need to invest more MPs. So with the 6MPs for Enchanting a Sorcery spell into an item the 10MPs requires 100 hours of Enchantment Time.

Crystal ball/Amulet/Bowl of Liquid – Creates a receptor that can be moved at human walking speed which allows the viewer to see as if they were there. The location must be lit adequately unless the viewer has some form of Dark Sense or Night Sense. The receptor lasts one hour. If the maker uses it then it can be reused every other hour (one hour's use, one hour to refresh). Should anyone else use it the refresh time between uses is 1D6 hours.

Ring of Protection
So let our evil sorcerer have a Ring, heavy with a large black pearl mounted in a gold surround. This Ring has the sorcery spells Spell Resistance, Damage Resistance and Spirit Resistance cast upon it after the SIZ 1 object has been prepared. For maximum utility the Ring spell needs to combine Spell Resistance (8 MP), Damage Resistance (8 HP) and Spirit Resistance (24 POW) at a cost of 3MPs for a total of 9MPs. It take 81 hours to enchant the Ring. Duration of the defences is caster's POW in minutes, say 16. For another MP per spell it can be increased to double that but 12MPs are outside the usual limits for the Enchantment spell. On the other hand if a sorcerer is under attack for more than 16 minutes one has to wonder how good a sorcerer he or she actually is.

Ring of Protection – On activation produces a magical shell that protects the user of the ring against up to 8HP of damage per attack, up to Magnitude 8 spell attacks, and spirits with up to 24 POW. It lasts for a period of 16 minutes (original caster's POW) before dissipating completely.

Utilising Common Magic spells these are very likely to appear in treasure hoards.
Ring of Water Breathing – Using the Water Breath spell this ring allows the wearer to exist underwater for 10 minutes without drowning. Costing 1MP for the Magnitude and another 1 to increase the Duration to 10 minutes it takes a total of 5 hours to Enchant the SIZ 1 ring. The ring is freely available to anyone to use and after each use requires 40 minutes to recharge.

Thieves Amulet – Using the Bandits Cloak spell this amulet adds a bonus of 20% to the wearer's next Stealth Skill Test involving any sort of hiding or lurking and cannot stack with any other spell-effect bonuses. It costs 1MP for the Magnitude and takes a total of two hours to prepare and Enchant the SIZ 1 amulet. The amulet is freely available to anyone to use and after each use requires 4 minutes to recharge.

Inquisitor's Rod – Using the Bearing Witness spell this device adds a bonus of 20% to the user's next Skill Test made to discover lies, secrets or hidden objects and cannot stack with any other spell-effect bonuses. It costs 1MP for the Magnitude and takes a total of two hours to prepare and Enchant the SIZ 1 amulet. The amulet is freely available to anyone to use and after each use requires 20 minutes to recharge.

Cauterising Wand – Using the Cauterise spell this device adds a bonus of 20% to the user's next First Aid or Healing Skill Test made to mend open wounds and cannot stack with any other spell-effect bonuses. It costs 1MP for the Magnitude and takes a total of two hours to prepare and Enchant the SIZ 1 wand. The wand is only available to someone with 35% or less in First Aid to use and after each use requires 4 minutes to recharge.

Countermagic Shield Rod – Using the Countermagic Shield spell at Magnitude 4 this device disrupts offensive spells aimed at the wielder or his equipment. Spells up to Magnitude 4 are immediately eliminated, Both Magnitude 4 spells and the rod's field are eliminated. Spells higher than Magnitude 4 blast through, eliminating the rod's defensive shield and take full effect. It costs 2MP for the Magnitude and takes a total of five hours to prepare and Enchant the SIZ 1 rod. The rod is freely available to anyone to use and after each use requires 20 minutes to recharge.

Wand of Fear – Using the Demoralise spell at Magnitude 4 this device causes the target of this spell to become demoralised, losing all hope of victory and losing faith in its own abilities. The Wand 's effect is rested by Persistence. When attacking, the target’s weapon skills are halved (before modifiers) and it may not cast offensive spells. However, the target continues to defend at its full skill. If this spell takes effect before combat begins, the target will try to avoid fighting and will either run or surrender. The effects of this spell are automatically cancelled by the Fanaticism spell and vice versa. It costs 2MP for the Magnitude and takes a total of five hours to prepare and Enchant the SIZ 1 rod. The rod is freely available to anyone to use and after each use requires 20 minutes to recharge.

Helm of Endurance – Using the Endurance spell this helm restores two levels of Fatigue that the wearer is currently suffering from. It can be any type of armour available in your setting and takes 1MP and several hours to Enchant based on the SIZ of the helm. Anyone can use it but after each use requires 4 minutes to recharge.
Circlet of the Trader – Using the Golden Tongue spell this circlet provides a 10% bonus to any Commerce, Evaluate or Influence test. This bonus only applies when an Adventurer is evaluating, buying or selling goods or equipment. It costs 1MP for the Magnitude and takes a total of two hours to prepare and Enchant the SIZ 1 circlet. The circlet is freely available to anyone to use and after each use requires 20 minutes to recharge.

Boots of Swift Movement (AKA Boots of Running Away) – Using the Mobility spell these boots provide a 2 metre increase in the wearer's Movement speed for 5 minutes. It costs 1MP for the Magnitude and takes a total of two hours to prepare and Enchant the boots. The boots are freely available to anyone to use and after each use requires 20 minutes to recharge.

Gem of Second Sight – Using the Second Sight spell this gem allows the caster to gauge the POW aura of every creature and magic item within range, which is not blocked from his vision. The caster will know if each aura is less than his own POW, within three points of his own POW or greater than his own POW.
Second Sight also reveals invisible entities, such as spirits or ethereal undead, though only a hazy image will show (treat such targets as partially obscured).
It costs 2MP for the Magnitude and takes a total of five hours to prepare and Enchant the gem. The gem is freely available to anyone to use, lasts 5 minutes and after each use requires 20 minutes to recharge.

Spirit Bane Talisman – Using the Spirit Bane spell this talisman creates a zone with a radius of two metres, which spirits find exceptionally hard to enter. Any spirit with a POW less than 16 attempting to enter the protected area must resist the spell in order to do so. Spirits within the zone at the time of its creation must resist it or be compelled to leave as quickly as possible. It costs 2MP for the Magnitude and takes a total of five hours to prepare and Enchant the talisman. The talisman is freely available to anyone to use, lasts 5 minutes and after each use requires 20 minutes to recharge.

 

[warlock1971]

That's good work Strega, I can really see the value of a book like you describe!

 

[Prime_Evil]

Nice work. I think a book of enchanted items would be a valuable addition to Legend, but I'm not sure that it works well for the swords and sorcery subgenre - that style of fantasy tends to emphasize the skills of the protagonists over the enchantments on their gear. Also, most magical items have nasty side-effects in swords and sorcery fiction - think of Stormbringer or the sword Tyrfing from Poul Anderson's "The Broken Sword" as a model.

 

[rust]

... but I'm not sure that it works well for the swords and sorcery subgenre - that style of fantasy tends to emphasize the skills of the protagonists over the enchantments on their gear.

Indeed, the majority of works of this genre could more
accurately be called "Swords against Sorcery" because
the hero uses his martial skills to defeat evil sorcerers
and their magic.

 

[strega]

Thanks for your comment Prime_Evil. It's precisely the differing requirements of S&S and regular High Fantasy style games that prompted my inclusion of the phrase " some of which will slot nicely into S&S scenarios and others which might be acquired from friendly sorcerers or located in treasure hoards".

I'd go for the scrying device and maybe the Ring of Protection for an evil protagonist in a S&S game whereas in a conversion from some of the old TSR modules I might throw in some of the simple magic devices utilising Common Magic spells.

For example I don't know how many quests might need a Brooch of Water Breathing but a friendly sorcerer could well provide such a device using either MPs from a party member or a willing volunteer (or an unwilling one) for the duration of the adventure.

One off devices like this can easily provide a useful boost to PC's capabilities or even a reason to seek a cult or higher rank in an existing cult.

If a cult quest required the adventurers to combat a spirit of some kind then providing some sort of spirit defence device might be appropriate to allow lower ranking cult members to partake of a quest that might under normal circumstances be too difficult.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Indeed, the majority of works of this genre could more accurately be called "Swords against Sorcery" because the hero uses his martial skills to defeat evil sorcerers and their magic.

Another quick thought....Pulp Fantasy has a sense of eeriness and dread usually lacking in High Fantasy. It frequently incorporates a strong element of supernatural horror derived from the gothic tradition, with perhaps a dash of the cosmic perspective pioneered by Lovecraft. Pulp fantasy often takes place against the backdrop of an uncaring universe where the vitality of the characters is the source of existential meaning. As Lovecraft puts it:

“The blind cosmos grinds aimlessly on from nothing to something and from something back to nothing again, neither heeding nor knowing the wishes of the minds that flicker for a second now and then in the darkness” – H. P. Lovecraft, “The Silver Key”

Also, pulp fantasy should be visceral – it shouldn't sink into the flaccid sentimentalism that weakens so many fantasy novels from the late 1970s onwards.

 

[DamonJynx]

+1 to the thread and comments thus far.

In my Elric game (the Young Kingdoms adventurers are currently in Hawkmoon's Tragic Millenium), I've given them some 'enchanted/master crafted' items that provide small bonus', eg. negating 2 points of armour, 10% bonus to a skill(s) - that sort of thing.

Whilst I like some of your items Strega, they're a bit too D&D'ish for my tastes and, apart from some of the Common Magic items, I'm not sure on their suitably for the genre. For 'traditional' fantasy games I'd have no problem with them.

The problem with books of equipment, regardless of whether or not they're magical, is that some players - my group at least - will think that all things are available and require a simple exchange of coins despite them not being appropriate to the GM's setting.

 

[Loz]

The problem with books of equipment, regardless of whether or not they're magical, is that some players - my group at least - will think that all things are available and require a simple exchange of coins despite them not being appropriate to the GM's setting.

I had just this problem with the Arms and Equipment manual for MRQ1. A player of mine, equipped with the book, came along and started wanting all sorts of weird and wonderful goodies because they were listed, sounded 'kewl' and because 'we were playing RQ'. It didn't matter (to him) how appropriate something was, its availability or cost - just that it was listed in an official book. I think we lost half an hour of playing time while he tried to make his shopping list, I denied him, and then he sulked.

As soon as something is listed in print, some players (and GMs) consider it automatically available: irrespective of the setting, the economy or the ethos of the campaign.

Its for this reason that I personally eschew Kit Splatbooks.

 

[rust]

I usually tell the players that all the "metasources" like core
rules, spell lists, equipment lists and such do not exist in the
setting. The people of the game world do not get a copy of
the character generation rules to know what skills to teach
to their children, and the merchants do not have a copy of
the equipment chapter to know what they have to offer the
characters. The characters have to find out themselves how
the game world works and what is possible and available the-
re, they have no access to "metasources". Most players get
the idea.

 

[DamonJynx]

...The characters have to find out themselves how
the game world works and what is possible and available the-
re, they have no access to "metasources". Most players get
the idea.

I like this - a lot!

 

[Prime_Evil]

It's a difficult issue many roleplaying games use equipment as a way to differentiate one character from another. This is most obvious in fantasy games that use magic items as a reward for adventuring, but it also exists in SF and modern games that place a heavy emphasis on technological gadgetry. A swords and sorcery game should treat enchanted items more like the artifacts of early D&D - singular items of immense power with dangerous and unpredictable side effects. Another option might be to treat magic items like the various books from the Call of Cthulhu game - items that increase the effectiveness of those who own them, but take a toll on the user's sanity.

In swords and sorcery fiction, enchanted items often seem to have an insidious corrupting effect on their wielder. I wonder whether it might be possible to introduce a mechanic where adventurers gain a point of Corruption each time that they activate certain items. When a character's Corruption exceeds their POW, they must make a Persistence or Resilience roll each time they activate the item to avoid acquiring a random mental or physical sign of their gradual degeneration?

 

[Hopeless]

The problem with books of equipment, regardless of whether or not they're magical, is that some players - my group at least - will think that all things are available and require a simple exchange of coins despite them not being appropriate to the GM's setting.

I had just this problem with the Arms and Equipment manual for MRQ1. A player of mine, equipped with the book, came along and started wanting all sorts of weird and wonderful goodies because they were listed, sounded 'kewl' and because 'we were playing RQ'. It didn't matter (to him) how appropriate something was, its availability or cost - just that it was listed in an official book. I think we lost half an hour of playing time while he tried to make his shopping list, I denied him, and then he sulked.
As soon as something is listed in print, some players (and GMs) consider it automatically available: irrespective of the setting, the economy or the ethos of the campaign.
Its for this reason that I personally eschew Kit Splatbooks.

What exactly did he ask for since this might come up again so ann example of this sort might be worth discussing so the next time this happens the dm will have an ironclad means of explaining why it isn't available rather than leaving themselves open to such choices?

 

[strega]

I'm enjoying the to-and-fro in this thread and I'm glad to have started it.

Part of the reason for the 'magic' items list was to show players from more traditional games that it's easy to deal with such things in Legend even if they are absent from the Arms of Legend book.

Personally I don't like/hate power crystals as a means to source the MP's needed by mages. That's probably why I go for low-magic settings (Nehwon for example). They make it easier to deny power creep to the PC's. My teenage reading in the sixties was a lot of S&S, plus Moorcock and Tolkien and a lot of Golden Age Scifi rather than the tired attempts by many later authors to mimic the Professor's success. This seems to have influenced me in my preferences for the style of play I like.

Part of the reasoning behind some of those 'magic' items was to get creative juices flowing with ideas for interesting quests both from a cult or a mentor like Ningauble.

WRT a player wanting something from an equipment list I tend to go with the genre/setting restricted list and tell players that what they see on the crafter's bench is what they get or may purchase. For example the Nehwon setting does not extend past the renaissance in either direction making Gothic plate armour unavailable. However I do go for steel/metal breastplates/cuirasses and helmets (morions) as they seem to fit with what Lieber wrote. Otherwise the PC's are kitted out with lots of leather and Mingols have scale/lamellar armour for chest and abdomen. Visualise them as like Cromwell's Roundheads with heavy buff (leather) coats, high boots, breast and back plates and a metal helmet. Most people in cities carry rapier or short swords if any weapon at all and look askance at barbarians carrying massive two-handed weapons.

 

[strega]

I usually tell the players that all the "metasources" like core
rules, spell lists, equipment lists and such do not exist in the
setting. The people of the game world do not get a copy of
the character generation rules to know what skills to teach
to their children, and the merchants do not have a copy of
the equipment chapter to know what they have to offer the
characters. The characters have to find out themselves how
the game world works and what is possible and available the-
re, they have no access to "metasources". Most players get
the idea.

This has come up on another forum I frequent where people are talking about the character generation process.

A number of people have posited that the chargen process is a barrier to entry for many games. The math and the amount of reading required seem to act to prevent new players from enjoying the experience. It seems that the need to understand the game system to ensure that one makes an effective character puts off potential players and players from other game systems who'd like to try something but feel the need to absorb a huge amount of background fluff on top of getting to grips with the game system.

The use of pregens for convention games is seen as a way to quickly get gamers playing without the need to lengthy character generation. Mention was made of the ease of early RPG character generation where rolling 3D6 a number of times, picking a race/class and some equipment allowed a player to begin in less than 10 minutes.

One suggestion was a set of pregens in the back of the rules showing examples of each archetype and providing a set of quick-start characters to allow players to start playing with minimal prep time.

 

[Hopeless]

About the most unusual item I've seen asked for from the Arms of Legend is a hidden wrist knife sheath which I saw no problem with.

In my campaign magical items are very rare even in places with access to magic would find it difficult to nigh on impossible to obtain magical items let alone power stones.

Yes there are special materials but unless you find some you aren't going to find steel weapons or armour to buy let alone cinder iron or the other materials listed in that book.

Will have to reread the copy I bought of the Arms & Equipment for Mongoose Runequest but I'm not sure if its RQ1 or 2 to be honest.

So far the magical items I've had available are pretty basic for the most part explained as having Bladesharp 1 for weapons and Protection 1 for shields or armour but the most valuable weapon found they left behind which was a Dagger with Countermagic 10 permanently bound upon it.

I am looking at scrolls bearing spells upon them, but have to be learnt to be used properly with the only one present bears Armoursmith's Boon and intended as part of the knowledge the blacksmith needs to learn to master how to make use of the bars of steel they recovered I really need to rewatch the Conan movies!

 

[rust]

... an ironclad means of explaining why it isn't available rather than leaving themselves open to such choices?

My usual reasons are culture and geography. The character grew
up in a specific culture and at a specific location of the setting's
world, and he can therefore only know about the equipment used
by his culture and available in the region where he lives - every-
thing else are at best rumours.

To give a historical example, someone from medieval France may
have heard rumours about the composite bows used by the Mon-
golians, but his chance to buy one in France is zero, such bows -
if they really exist - are neither produced in France nor imported
to France. If the player insists that his character wants such a bow,
his character has to convince the other members of the party to
travel to Mongolia - good luck with that ...

 

[Hopeless]

Composite bows?

Isn't that what elves are for?

Still would make an interesting adventure in itself, just to ask to obtain such a weapon they would need to prove themselves to that community and accomplish some mission on their behalf just to be granted access so they can buy one.

Can you imagine your adventuring party remaining on their best behaviour if the slightest slip on their behalf can ruin their chances? :twisted:

Anyone watched Louie the Rune Soldier as an example of this?

Here see for yourselves! :shock: :twisted: