Bandwagon: Orpheus

I call upon my fellow RPG bloggers to produce Orpheus themed texts during the time of July 17th to July 24th.  During this time I hope to see several posts inspired by the great poet and prophet.

Some Post Inspirations:

Orpheus and Eurydice
Orphism
Orphic Hymns
Katabasis
Jason and the Argonauts
Argo
The Dionysian Mysteries
The Underworld
Orphism (Modern Art Movement)
Orpheus Mosaics
Hadestown
Zagreus
Derveni Papyrus
Ananke

Starsigns of the Imperial Subjects

Time in the Empire is measured in Annums (revolutions of the Mother around the local star), Starsigns (There are 10 per Annum) and Orbits (revolutions of the moon Spatha around the unseen Mother).  The starsign that a Mere hatches under determines much of their personality and abilities.  The time of hatching is extremely random and those of the upper classes have been unable to make their offspring hatch more consistently under the more auspicious signs.   Each sign is named after a creature thought to resemble the constellation.  

Psywurm - Psywurms are dragons who live in the seas surrounding the Continent and can fly through the skies.  The Psywurm sign is often considered the most revered and dignified of starsigns.  Those of this sign can move objects up to twice their weight with psychic magic.   

Shellback - Shellbacks are gigantic shelled creatures who spend half the Annum in the sea and half sunning on the shores of the Continent.  Those born under this sign injure at 12 damage.  

Sprillan - Sprillan are four eyed tree-dwellers that can see into the future.  Those of the Sprillan sign can glimpse up to 20 seconds into a possible future once per Orbit.  

Grulkan - Grulkan are big hairy creatures of unusual strength and endurance.  They are typically calm but become berserk when provoked.  

Gosterbeak - Gosterbeaks are long legged creatures whose wings allow them to run at an incredible pace and safely glide down small cliffs.

Nebis - Nebis are long tailed seabirds who grab fish with their tails while flying.  

Lattu - Lattu are round amphibious creatures who dwell in the Great Acid Sea and come out in great numbers during Alkahest Storms to hunt and destroy property.  Those of this sign heal 2 damage during each night of rest.  

Lyree - Lyree are an extradimensional creature which can be summoned by those of the Lyree sign.  They are perfect hunting predators with long powerful clawed arms and a razor sharp crested horn on their heads.  They are psychically linked when summoned and the summoning Mere goes completely unconscious when doing so.  Lyree can be summoned with a successful Might check, which is made at advantage during the Lyree Sign.

Virmoot - Virmoot are small furry rodents who dwell in cesspools and sewers.

Skual - Are psychic bloodsucking parasites that leech on larger creatures in the night.  Those of this sign can read minds and make themselves psychically invisible but only for 1D10 minutes after consuming the blood of a creature of the same species they are manipulating.  Skual-Signed Mere are distrusted and often pretend to be of another sign.  

When making a character roll D10 to determine Starsign:
10      Psywurm
9        Shellback
8        Sprillan
7        Grulkan
6        Gosterbeak
5        Nebis
4        Lattu
3        Lyree
2        Virmoot
1        Skual

Subjects of the Divine Emperor

Mere are bluish gobliny folk sometimes capable of psychic magic.   They live on a moon orbiting a gas giant.  

All Mere are subjects of the Divine Emperor, and dwell on the Continent, a landmass at the center of the exterior hemisphere.  The Empire has 10 classes into which all subjects are sorted from the time before they are hatched.  To place an egg in an incorrect hatchery is a crime punishable by immediate death.  

Each class has specific obligations and privileges.  Companies of adventurers are always led by their highest classed member.  Being in the company of one of a higher class elevates status within your class but never above one of a higher class.  

Hierophants are the speakers of the divine will of the Mother and all other gods, and governors of the empire.  They have the highest of privileges and responsibilities.  Only Hierophants may serve upon the senate and the Emperor is the chief among the Hierophants.   Hierophants are obligated to graciously accept praise from the lower classes.  

Knowers are the collectors of knowledge.  They record all things and their wisdom and knowledge are unquestioned.  Knowers are expected to provide answers to all those who ask them questions.  When a Knower speaks a truth it may not be contested by any present except another Knower, for they know all things and do not lie.  

Astrologers interpret the movements of the astral bodies and make predictions of the future.  Astrologers are required to make offerings to the planet their moon orbits before asking questions of the astral bodies.  Astrologers have the right of free access to all observatories in the Empire.  

Magistrates dispense justice and carry out the will of the Divine Emperor.  Magistrates are forbidden from enjoying themselves in any way and may only smile if it serves an important purpose to their divinely ordained goals.  It is their right and duty to bestow any justice they deem necessary to any of a lower class than themselves and all villages of less than 500 are required to provide them with their finest available armor.  

Healers are trained from hatching in knowledge of potions, salves and anatomy.  Healers are not required to provide free healing to any but may not willingly harm another Mere.  

Merchants are trusted sellers of wares.  They are forbidden from lying and may never be charged road or bridge tolls within the Empire.  

Slayers are trained from hatching in all the arts of killing and murder.  They may kill any of a class lower than Magistrates without legal consequence but must burn the bodies of all they kill while singing a sacred song only taught at their Slayer school.

Herders are the farmers and villagers of the Empire who own Gosterbeaks or Grulkan.  They are free to roam anywhere in the Empire where grasses grow, but must provide a jug of milk or salted meat in exchange for a hand sized box of sweetrocks or a well made, unworn piece of clothing.  

Marauders make up the bulk of the empire's armies as well as many of its gladiators, farmhands, pirates, sailors, mercenaries, and miners.  Their obligation is to provide help to other Marauders in need.

Scallawags are the lowest of the Mere and have no class responsibilities or benefits.  Unlike other classes (who are all hatched to their class), any who do not uphold the responsibilities of their class can become Scallawags but it is extremely rare for any above Marauders to do so.

When creating a character roll D% to determine class:
97-99    Heirophant
92-96    Knower
85-91    Astrologer
78-84    Magistrate
74-77    Healer
63-73    Merchant
57-62    Slayer
35-56    Herder
13-35    Marauder
0-13      Scallawag

Fire Tales Playtest Spell Calculator

My brother recently made a spell calculator for his Fire Tales character.  The first sheet allows you to play around with what different spells would cost to cast in stamina, time and difficulty.  The second sheet allows you to customize the available spell components that appear on the first page to mirror what your character has access to and the third sheet is for keeping track of spirits' true names for Invoking!  You must first copy the sheet before using it.  

Spellcasting in Fire Tales

Spellcasting in Fire Tales is based primarily on ideas from the spell-building system of Ars Magica combined with the earthy, fairy tale, folk magic present in Beyond the Wall, and Wolves Upon the Coast.  (It is also inspired heavily by various fantasy books I read while writing the game including Howl's Moving Castle and Earthsea.)

Pauline Mauvière

I wanted to make magic more "magical" while also allowing casters to create countless variations of spells depending on their need and preference.  When I say "magical" magic, I mean more flexible, powerful, dangerous, mysterious, and rare.

Spellcasting unlike Invocation is an art which takes rigorous study and is meant to feel like an open ended puzzle-toy in play.  Where Invocation is passionate, direct and simple, Spellcasting is practiced and often carefully thought through.

Spellcasting begins with a target and a configuration.  The target can be any single physical entity that fits within the configuration (or multiple of these) and the configurations are diegetic conditions.  A Wand to Point configuration "covers what a magical wand, rod, or staff, being held by the caster is pointing at."  A Rune Mark configuration "covers an individual marked with a rune written by the caster." (Allowing casting at a distance but requiring further preparation.)

Spell Incantations are the effect upon targets.  Like other components, incantations are very briefly defined, often in a single sentence, allowing them to be flexibly used.  (I got this idea partially from the spells in Knave 2E.)  Certain harmful incantations require an additional save from the target.  Spellcasting has fairly detailed rules for targeting but relies on somewhat on FKR principles for the effects of a spell.  My feeling is if a character can manage to get their intended target into a configuration they know, and successfully use an incantation and duration they know, and the target fails a save, all bets are off in terms of "balance."  I don't really care if a spell "one shots" enemies.  

Spell Durations dictate how long the incantation effects the target.  Durations can be anything from until the caster draws breath to however long they can keep a single fire burning.  

Each spell component has a DF (Difficulty Factor), SF (Stamina Factor), and TF (Time Factor.)  "Better" (more easily useable, potent, or versatile) components are more costly in these factors.  All factors must be known as techniques by the caster, and to learn they must spend weeks of in-game time learning from one who knows the technique.  A skill check is rolled against the DF, and stamina equal to the SF is removed, with casting taking as much time as the TF indicates.  (Casting can be interrupted causing Spell Failure)  If the TF is not met, the stamina is still lost, the spell fails and a D100 roll is made on a Spell Failure table, with results often twisting the intended effect.

Systems for group casting, and utilizing pre-stored stamina in gemstones can be used to cast spells with greater stamina factors than the caster's stamina maximum.  When stamina is fully drained, health is drained in its stead. 

Example Spells:
spell to ignite blaze
Spell Nature: Shifting
Target: Individual (whatever the wand points at)
Configuration: Wand to Point
Duration: Repetition
Incantation: Ignite
SF: 8, TF: 1, DF: 10

spell to create a werelight
Spell Nature: Direct
Target: Individual (Object to be used as light)
Configuration: Touch
Duration: Noon
Incantation: Glowing
SF: 16, TF: 2, DF: 8

spell for sailing with a magewind
Spell Nature: Direct
Target: Individual
Configuration: Wand to Point
Duration: Concentration
Incantation: Windcall
SF: 8, TF: 1, DF: 9

spell to create a magic ring
Spell Nature: Shifting
Target: Individual (ring wearer)
Configuration: Talisman Wearer
Duration: Artifact
Incantations: Invisibility, Scrying, Lure Creature
SF: 61, TF: 1hr, DF: 29

spell to kill at a distance of unknown cause
Spell Nature: Direct
Target: Individual
Configuration: True Name
Duration: Full Moon
Incantations: Death Curse, Misfortune Curse
SF: 62, TF: 3, DF: 21

spell to create a broomstick of flying
Spell Nature: Shifting
Target: Individual (broomstick holder)
Configuration: Talisman Holder
Duration: Artifact
Incantation: Flying
SF: 57, TF: 1hr, DF: 22 

spell for a witch's vengeance
Spell Nature: Shifting
Target: Individual
Configuration: Broken Promise
Duration: Death
Incantation: Death Curse
SF: 86, TF: 3, DF: 21 

Scatter Rolling Hex Interiors

This is my contribution to the RANDOM BLOGWAGON hosted by Prismatic Wasteland.  I recently played the Catan Dice Game and it got me thinking of how to use the dice for scatter rolling features for a hex's interior.  Use 4-8 normal D6s if you don't have the resource dice.

Dice	Plains	Forest	Hills	Lowlands	Mountains
1 (Brick)	Hamlet	Cottage	Hamlet	Hamlet	Cave
2 (Wood)	Copse	Grove or Vale	Lone Tree	Thicket	Thicket
3 (Sheep)	Pasture	Wolf Den	Shepherd's Hut	Bog	Shepherd's Hut
4 (Wheat)	Farm	Woodcutter's House	Homestead	Homestead	Abandoned Fort
5 (Ore)	Mine	Tomb	Stone Circle or Dolmen	Ruins	Cliff
6 (Gold)	Trading Post	Treasure Stash	Abandoned Mine	Treasure Stash	Cave

Use this Generator tool from Last Gasp Grimoire!

A Keying Oracle for Settlements and Points of Interest

When keying locations for the Pictish Campaign I use a variety of methods starting with researching the real life location's legends and history.  After this I pull from my Quests List (which I expanded to about 170 quests since posting and assigned each to a location) and check a spreadsheet of unassigned minor arthurian characters (which I made using the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Arthurian Legends) for any characters I might add.  After this I season with a rotation of tables for features and quests (d4 Caltrops Stronghold Quests, Murkdice Connective Tissue Table, My Knights Table) I modify these as needed once rolled to fit the quasi-historical arthurian vibes of the setting.  The last step I usually go through is drawing cards with a features Oracle.  I use a modified expanded version of the deck of many things for this (but modified this to work with a 52 card deck).  The prompts drawn from the deck are taken in with everything else and enmeshed with what I already have to give some additional texture and features when I'm writing the keys.  

Point of Interest - Draw 0 to 2, depending on need.

Settlement Size
Hamlet - 1 Draw
Village/Small Town - 2 Draws
Town/City - 3 Draws
Large City - 4 Draws

Card Oracle
Clubs
2 of Clubs - There is a creature's den.
3 of Clubs - There is a dungeon.
4 of Clubs - There is dangerous faye.
5 of Clubs - There is a creature's aerie.
6 of Clubs - There is something related to a neutral deity.
7 of Clubs - There is woodlands and a shrine to the king of the wood, or hunters.
8 of Clubs - There is a significant stone, stone circle, dolmen, henge, obelisk, cairn, or statue.
9 of Clubs - There is a site of an ancient battle with a tumulus and shrine.
10 of Clubs - There is a hidden place, stronghold or place of peace.
Jack of Clubs - There is an assassin, poisoner, or dangerous person.
Queen of Clubs - There is a significant warrior or something they left behind.
King of Clubs - There is a band of warriors.
Ace of Clubs - There is a place of death, knowledge or warning.

Hearts
2 of Hearts - There is a lost ghost.
3 of Hearts - There is a grim or black hound.
4 of Hearts - There is an orchard or significant tree. 
5 of Hearts - There is a maze-like warren.
6 of Hearts - There is a trapped spirit or faye.
7 of Hearts - There is a shrine to the dead, a resurrected one, or a false tomb.
8 of Hearts - There is a safe hidden place left by a powerful individual.
9 of Hearts - There is an eternal flame or shrine to a fire deity.
10 of Hearts - There a dangerous misunderstood creature.
Jack of Hearts - There is woodlands, bards or feasting.
Queen of Hearts - There is a fallen star, a place only accessible by night or a nighttime event.
King of Hearts - There is someone who is deeply in love.
Ace of Hearts - There is something left behind by a powerful sídhe.

Spades 
2 of Spades - There is a changeling, twins, or doubles of something.
3 of Spades - There is a sacred or hidden grove.
4 of Spades - There is a dark place.
5 of Spades - There is werewolves or wolves nearby. 
6 of Spades - There is something associated with the moon or a lunar deity.
7 of Spades - There is a place of illusions, magic, or beauty near.
8 of Spades - There is a bard, filí or skald.
9 of Spades - There is a shrine to a sun god or a place that is only open at dawn.
10 of Spades - There is something alluring but dangerous.
Jack of Spades - There is a treacherous friendly face, thief, or liar.
Queen of Spades - There is a plague, illness, or sick person.
King of Spades - There is a deceitful person or a situation that is not what it seems.
Ace of Spades - There is a place where one can see a glimpse of their fate or past.

Diamonds
2 of Diamonds - There is a small forgotten stash of loot.
3 of Diamonds - There is ancient ruins.
4 of Diamonds - There is a wondrous steed.
5 of Diamonds - There is a merchant with rare goods.
6 of Diamonds - There is a scholar or something scholarly.
7 of Diamonds - There is a hidden way to or from the otherworld.
8 of Diamonds - There is a wise elder.
9 of Diamonds - There is a dragon or something associated with dragons or sea serpents.
10 of Diamonds - There is great wealth or treasure hidden.
Jack of Diamonds - There is an individual who is widely acclaimed but a fraud.
Queen of Diamonds - There is a seat of power. 
King of Diamonds - There is a tower or hidden fortress nearby.
Ace of Diamonds - There is an important item for a far away quest.