Thoolish Art

I did some pen art for Otter today for his upcoming Thool webzine. I did six, here is one (click to enlarge).

The agenda this week for VoBS, Thieves. I will talk about the class, the lore and their place in Valley of Blue Snails. Also a cities of thieves that will be somewhat of a City of Greyhawk parody - a free city gone too far where the thief and beggars took over. One of the locations therein will be an orphanage that seeks out child prodigies to mold into evil-geniuses.

Multi-Classes Revisited

I will be changing a few of the multi-class titles though I'm a bit mixed on what direction to take it. The titles are similar to normal class titles (Veteran, Cutpurse, Wizard, etc) in that they are mostly for fluff with perhaps a minor ability to adhere the two classes better. I'm deciding on wither to make it very setting specific or use more intuitive titles.

Example, a Fighter-Cleric would be a Paladin. Pretty intuitive. Setting specific would be something like a Dwarven Fighter-Cleric would be a Whitebeard. Not so intuitive but perhaps a better choice since this sort of multi-class fluff is well outside of the realm of B/X anyhow. The main problem is the setting specifics titles would indeed be rather specific, slanting towards race with specific classes.

I've been reading up a bit on what Gygax had in mind for 2nd edition AD&D and here are the classes that seemed to be included Cavalier, Barbarian, Acrobat, Mountebank, Savant, Mystic, and Jester. The first three were in Unearthed Arcana of course. Savant and Mystic seem fairly similar, both being based on divination (a DMs nightmare). The Jester is not really for me, but I am sure some others would get some use out of it. Bards were to be revamped, Monk would removed and put into Oriental Adventures. The one that interested me the most is the Mountebank because I never heard of it, and because it seems fairly interesting.

The Mountebank is a bit of a a skilled liar, heavy with slight of hand and verbal trickery. They would depend a lot on speed, theatrics and disguise. From what I read Gygax had them in mind as primarily a Thief with a bit of Illusionist and Fighter. Judging by Unearthed Arcana they probably would have had a plethora of specialized abilities, their own theify skills and probably their own spell list too. Naturally I won't get that far into since this is B/X, but I will add the title to for a PC who fits the bill.

Monk I will probably remove and replace with Mystic or perhaps something else. This will be the 'Fighter-Mage' although I am not sure how the mechanics will go. This one is a bit tough because of the balance. I may allow any weapon but still disallow armor for spell casting, or something of the like. Bishop I do not care for overly, but I will probably leave it in as a homage to Wizardry. If that is the case then I will need to develop a strong clergy that would at least resemble something abbots, bishops and whatnot would be involved with. Stratogineer is just a placeholder name but I have yet to think of replacement. I do want a Dwarf title somewhere that will involve mechanical things.

The rest I will probably leave in and stick a fork in it. At the moment it will look something like this.

Fighter/Cleric - Paladin
Fighter/Mage - Mystic
Fighter/Thief - Ranger
Mage/Cleric - Bishop
Mage/Thief - Illusionist
Cleric/Thief - Assassin
Fighter/Thief/Mage - Mountebank
Elf (T/M/C) - Druid
Dwarf (F/M/T) - Stratogineer
Halfling (F/M/T) - Sheriff
Human (F/M/T/C)- Bard

Paladin - Zealous and self-righteous, the Paladin smites his foes with the holy might and clarity of purpose. Valorous and bold, the Paladin is is both a slave and a master of his Lawful nature.
Req : Lawful, Charisma 12
Abilities : Paladins may re-roll a failed save throw once.

Mystic - Mystic warrior who study with forbidden masters and ancient warschools occasionally return more than they once were. Unpredictable and aloof, Monks are both rare and unsettling, never quite at home away from the isolated training grounds they left.
Req: Wisdom 12
Abilities: Mystics may use any weapon and still cast spells.

Ranger - Often seen as well trained brigands, Rangers are masters of the wilderness, striding with ease where others loose their footing.
Req: Int 12
Abilities: Ranger may use ranged weapons for their backstab ability.

Bishop - Unbeholden to the influence of the traditional Clergy, Bishops wander the lands setting their own holy agenda collecting lore and reason in the world.
Req: Non-Neutral
Abilities: Bishops may attempt to identify the nature of magical or supernatural effects; this includes items, spells, phenomena, as well as flora and fauna.

Illusionist - Pragmatic tricksters who use magic and shadows to beguile both friends and foes. They are both the joker and the joked upon, as 'true' Wizards discount their petty ways as demeaning.
Req: Non-Lawful
Abilities: May cast spells listed with a * on their Magic User spells list (Illusionist spells).

Assassin - A super human fighting machine, the assassin is gifted as a spy, a saboteur and a killer. Universally loathed and desired, assassins walk a fine line between life and death.
Req : Non-Lawful, Strength 12
Ability: Victims of a successful Assassin backstab must make a save throw vs Death or immediately die.

Mountebank - Charlatan skilled with his hands as well as a his rhetoric; the Mountebank is a liar, a thief, and trickster. They use speed, theatrics and disguise to accomplish what a mere blade can not .
Req: Charisma 12, Dexterity 12
Abilities: If a Mountebank hold the attention of a humanoid(s) for more than 1 turn, he may Confuse them (as spell).

Druid - Druids are the keepers of natural lore and the order of the seasons. Compelled to travel to see the world, Druids yearn to wander the years in a new location every day.
Req: Wis 14
Ability: Druids can change their shape to any animal their size or smaller.

Stratogineer - Powerful and possessive, the Stratogineer of the deep workshops hold the might of sway of the cog, gears and steam at thier grasp. Bowing to no one man but to the power of the mechanical alone, Stratogineers tread heavily upon the world in their bronze-tubed boots.
Req: Int 14
Ability: Stratogineers can mechanically replicate any spell they know with mechanical devices.

Sheriff- The Halfling Sheriff is prophet, divining the future and setting upon the world to correct and thwart the horrors set in his mind's vision. Ultimately a protector of the Halfling people and the world, the Sheriff takes upon the role of prophet and corrector.
Req: Wis 14
Ability: Sheriffs presence may be called upon at will, once per day.

Bard - Both whimsical entertainer and traveling sage, Bards use dance and music to soothe those around them. Known as true polymaths, Bards seems to have knowledge in just about everything.
Req: Cha 14
Ability: Any intelligent creature listening to the Bards song for a turn or longer will be inflicted by a Charm as the spell if the bard so wishes. Save throw applies.

Vaunderfel - The Great Spring

I initially laid out the history of the Great Seasons to look something like this:

24 year - 7 year Spring (Sapphiron) - 22 years - 4 year Winter (Hibernel) - 28 years - 6 year Autumn (Leafenfel) - 33 years - 9 year Summer (Estaoculus - the summer of eyes) - 32 years - 4 year Spring (Sinchola) - 41 years - 3 year Spring (Vaunderfel) - 21 years - 4 year Autumn (The Great Rot) - 31 years - present year

I am fine with this and have no plans to change it. I have talked already about The Great Rot and plan to write an article about each of the types of great season, using the most recent examples since they would be most pertinent to the game’s lore. Certainly some of the long ago Great Season would be considerably more severe, but for the most part these would be dreadful folk-lore.

Vaunderfel, Estaoculus, and Hibernel will be on the agenda. I will save Hibernel for last since it should be the 'best' one. By best I mean desiccated frozen zombies hunting the living like 28 Days Later sort of best – and that was a mild Great Winter. A severe one would practically be a mass extinction. Estaoculus is the most relevant to the setting since it beget the Oculus traits within the races. Vaunderfel is also very relevant as it represents a great rebirth, change and a time of prosperity that catapulted humanoids out of the deep wilds. And so, onto Vaunderfel:

Vaunderfel

One of the themes of Valley of Blue Snails is that of seasons. I like the cyclic elements and the occasions where this cyclic nature is disrupted. The endless seasons are probably the most important disruptions that pop up, and it is a generational event which all other things seem trivial. Halfling prescience is purely based upon predicting Great Seasons (everything else is just a side effect), the Elves physically and mentally change with them, the Dwarves build around them, and the Human are more or less a victim of whatever hits them.

Vaunderfel was the great spring that occurred around fifty years ago. The major effects of the Vaunderfel included a huge generational boom, a prolific flourishing of life, and a fulcrum for rebirth and change. This was amplified by the fact that the previous Great Season was Sinchola, another great spring. The two together lifted the humanoids into true civilization and prosperity.

Before - Prior to Sinchola it was a long period of civil warfare among the civilized races. Things were much more tribal, isolated, xenophobic and all-together sullen. Sinchola started to change this, and the Vaunderfel spurred the changes that wrought a level of prosperity for a time. During the autumn of 40’s89 the Halflings predict a Great Season, although they can not distinguish which it will be. Harvest is already completed and most races flounder around in hording resources. The winter in 41’s89 is particularly harsh and does not appear to be ending as thick blankets of snow are rife. Panic quickly grips most civilizations as preparations were wholly inadequate. Luckily spring quickly erupts into the fourth month of the year.

Year One – Spring ends winter with a vengeance and trees begin to bloom with snow still on the ground. All senses are far more intense than usual; color seems brighter, sounds are vibrant, fire burns hotter and creativity is rampant. The weather takes on temperate and mild tone that lasts for three years. Animals quickly come out of their winter holes and plant life flourishes very quickly. The first year is often remembered as The Lust, as the desire to procreate becomes overwhelming for nearly all species. Despite numerous problems with perpetual heat has on civilized society, it is generally a peaceful and serene time. Inter-species mating, once taboo, becomes a burning urge and all civilized races interbreed to some extent. This period lasts for well over 6 months and eventually causes a huge population boom among all living things.

Year Two – Sensations further intensify and creativity reaches a pinnacle; some of the greatest works of art are crafted during this time. The new generation is born and all children born at his time are healthy and vigorous. Inter-racial breeding produces offspring that otherwise would be impossible, creating hybrid races that were previously unheard of. Plant life accelerates in growth; trees bud flowers, bloom, grow fruit within a month during the Vaunderfel. Fruit that hits the ground sprouts almost immediately grows at an accelerated rate and propagates more. New forests and jungles appear in a matter of months. Strange animal hybrids run rampant through the wilds and many new species are wrought into the world. Resources seem endless and diseases vanish.

Year Three – Sensations are almost painful to experience. Colors seem to glow, fire quickly burns out of control, sound is deafening, and creativity is so rampant that it is impossible to focus. Some animals and plants that existed before the Vaunderfel grow to enormous sizes. Some plants take on a sentient quality that allows them to communicate to some extent, and in some cases move. Stranger and stranger hybrid races begin to crop up with bizarre mutations; bear-like creatures with snail shells and ram-head, dragons with crab shells and taloned limbs and so forth. This creates new species and also mutated versions of existing ones. This is not limited to animals and plants, but also to humanoids and strange children are being born carrying the traits of several races.

Year Four – Vaunderfel lasts for only two months into it’s forth year. During this brief period some of those who were long dead rise again, reborn out of the earth. All undead ceases to exist, either overtaken by the forces of life, or wrought with living flesh once again. Wounds heal instantly, animals age in reverse and it is nearly impossible to die. Most living things remember this time like a dream, only vague events and blinding sensations.

Afterwards – Vaunderfel ends in the third month of 1’s90 and summer takes hold. The ecosystem changed drastically with many new races. The new and old races begin to compete as resources begin to wane. Most hybrids and mutants succumb to the drastic change in their environment though a few prosper. The civilized races hold some disdain over the hybrid children and many are outright slain. Others are tolerated to a small degree assuming that they are not obviously aberrant. Many of the behemoth creatures survive in isolated pockets along with their sentient plant counterparts. Several pockets of the Vaunderfel still exist, and the Valley of Blue Snails can be considered one of these.



I initially had no inclination to include Half-Elves and like but this will be as good of a reason as many. These half-races will be a small minority at under 1% of the total humanoid population however. Any race can be a half-race. Half-Dwarf, Half-Marggot? Sure, why the hell not. Most of the more unholy combination would have been killed by now but they are not entirely unheard of. Most of these are not known as a specific race, but simply as an aberration to most of society. The Vaunderfel also offers a good origin to giant critter species as well as your monster-plants.

Ultimately I am thinking all races originated in one great spring or another. Call it Valley of Blue Snails evolution. Eventually older races would be out-competed and new ones will fill the void. This is gradual though as most new races do not have what it takes. Large changes would occur when a great spring follows a great winter, the largest voids would be available then. Those still alive who experienced the Vaunderfel would remember it like a grand dream, although a very vivid one. Reality did not work quite the same, particularly near the end of Vaunderfel.

Derogatory and Colloquial Names

I am actually rather fond of racism, bigotry and general ignorant types of hate in my writing. Its a wondrous motivator that will make people do brash and strange things, and its a bit silly to ignore that sort of flavor in a fantasy RPG. Here he are some derogatory and colloquial names that would pop up here and again.

Halfling - Peck (my favorite, and the only good thing to come of Willow), Bigge, Hakkaches (Elf term meaning hack cheese), Fillecun or Wydecunthe (very derogatory Dwarf term towards a halfling female, best not described), Yrento (meaning iron-toe or hard-ass)

Elf - Brekelaunce (broken-lance), Mooner (many of their ritual are at night), Winesipper, Pichachas (very derogatory), Aydunken (Dwarf term, meaning acts like a drunk), Strokelady (very derogatory Halfling term, meaning an elf women who will never get any), Smalbyhind (Dwarf term for elf women of small assets)

Dwarf - Cogger, Hooder (many dwarves wear hooded garments), Mudape (very derogatory), Brekaldoun (all breaks down), Fayrandgode (elf term describing a very ugly dwarf), Turnhound (even hounds turn away)

Human - Windsfirst (essentially calling them cowards), Booster, Eyegone (blind to all but what they want to see), Gobyweye (Dwarf term, meaning get out of the way dumbass), Haldebytheheved (Elf term, basically meaning /facepalm)

Nobles - Swetemouth (a liar), Horsmongere (thief by the words of law), Vnderegge (out of his freaking mind), Nobscoiner (Nobles who mark gold coins to give to beggar, coins which are punishable by death to actually spend)

Commoners - Gidye (mad vagrant), Reedcruut (diseased), muck-dweller, inheffelde (one who knows toil), tauth (elf term, meaning without home), Orechinnio (dwarf term, meaning one who trades anything for ore)

Use some of these terms would be grounds for a duel to the death. Others are fairly light hearted.
I think I had far too much fun writing that..

Tome of Lost Ideas

I had a decent idea late night but unfortunately I put too much hope in that I would actually remember it. More unfortunate is that it was a good idea, at least I thought it was a good idea at the time. and even more so is that I have a nice moleskin notepad right on my desk to dot down such things but I was simply too lazy to dot it down since I am usually good about recalling such things.

Well, I had a job phone interview the following morning so I suppose my mind was elsewhere. If I recall it I shall post it here in haste. I the mean time consider this post the tome of lost ideas and hopefully a lesson learned..

Women of Valley of Blue Snails

I've been meaning to talk briefly about gender in Valley of Blue Snails but never seem to get around to it. Gender stations of the historical medieval days were not very interesting, so I suppose that is why most Sword and Sorcery devolves into something completely not based upon reality. I am inclined to agree since half of all fantasy written in the past 150 years is motivated by getting laid one form or another. Gold, sure, sounds good. Power, yeah that cool too. Debauchery with the twenty nubile Elf maids of Anacor - yeah, screw gold and power, I'm there.

And so, I try to place women in as many different elements as possible since they are as fine of story elements and adventure seed as anything. Not to mention they can make PCs do things they would ordinary not even consider.

Off hand these are the primary themes of the core races:

Elf - Women are the primary forces of action within the Elven community. Males are lethargic and self interested. Women are brash, passionate and tend to act first and think later. I think of the men as a group a lazy gay dudes with a bunch of lusty straight women watching them 24/7. This is not the case I assure you, but its the sort of social tension I want to be present. So present, that it motivates almost everything the women do while the apathetic men barely take notice.

Halfling - On first glance Halfling women appear to be on equal terms with their male counterparts. However different communities take drastic swings towards one direction or the other. The Halfling maids of Gnaeun kill most males. Other communities enslave their females, or females of other races for one reason or another. Both extremes are considered odd to Halflings, but not truly aberrant as one may think. Slavery is another theme of of the Halflings although I am not sure how omnipresent this will be yet.

Dwarf - Dwarves I initially imagined as a hyper intelligent group with the appearance of squat Mongoleans. Their women have mostly been in the background, as most Dwarven women appear to be in D&D, but I really should include them more. I may make them the stern proctors, instructors and the like. Perhaps drill sergeant types and masochistic dominatrices. Also with your incredibly intelligent types mixed in, but socially awkward. Hot librarian types too (okay, well maybe not so hot).

Human - Two strands here, the nobles and the non-nobles. The non-nobles will be rife with drudgery, oppression and daily toil. Nobles will be more along the lines of your helpless females ignorant of peril and responsibility. A seldom few would tread outside of these themes, but those that do would quickly become folk lore.

Non-human women would run the full gambit. Water dryads would just as easily serve a savior for life in any way she could as she would be to lure a man to a watery grave. Most non-human women I would likewise make unpredictable, dangerous, and seldom what one expects. Surely they would be no less dangerous than their male counterparts, and in fact more so since they lull and seduce as part of their arsenal. Mythology is full of such creatures so there is no lack of source material here. In all respects they would be alien in their thought and mind with motives that no mortal would fathom.

Superstitions among the collective women of the world would revolve around fertility, family, nature and safety. Most of female-only traditions and rituals would revolve around one of those aspects. This is nearly universal and many such rituals and traditions pass between races and are recognizable between them. Bring a gift of a bowl of milk with stewed acorns to a group of Marggots and it would probably be more effective than carrying a white flag. I listed some of these superstions earlier. No doubt darker rituals of sacrifice and pain inflicted upon males is common, although rare. The Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books are full of cold and vindictive women who do just that. Interesting stuff and I am sure to put it in some adventures when the need arises.

Microlite 74

I ran across these rules on a blog which linked a blog which linked a blog - Microlite 74.

From the author's page:

"Microlite74, like its parent game, Microlite20, is a trimmed-down, sub-miniature version of the Primary Fantasy SRD rules that has been designed to be quick and easy to play. The goal of Microlite74, however, is to recreate the style and feel of that very first ("0e") fantasy roleplaying game published back in 1974. If you are at all familiar with any game based on the 3.5 edition of the Primary Fantasy SRD, you will find Microlite74 easy to play and easy to run as a GM, but with an extra helping of "old school" flavor.

While Microlite74 is designed as an introduction to "old school" play for players more familiar with modern rules systems based on the Primary Fantasy SRD, it is a rules-lite OGL based game system that old school grognards – especially those who cut their gamer teeth on "0e" – should find equally enjoyable. It is also easy to modify with your own house rules or rules drawn from your favorite edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game."

Oddly enough I do not care for most open rule sets, even though I am hypocritical enough to write my own. I think they are mostly just a book of glorified house-rules done for self indulgence. Other people obviously think otherwise as it seems many of these open systems are becoming fairly popular. Anyhow, this compilation of rules hit a cord with me, mostly because of the brevity it illustrated with spells, monsters, and the like. It is interesting how minimal you can go and still have it very recognizable as D&D.