A Blank Canvas

I have been spending a lot of time blathering deeply about “intentions” and “mechanics” at a friend of mine who is working on his own D&D homebrew/campaign setting. One of the subjects I have discussed with him is leaving the setting a mostly empty canvas. As Gygax states in The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures:

“The so-called Wilderness really consists of unexplored land, cities and castles, not to mention the area immediately surrounding the castle (ruined or otherwise) which housed the dungeons. The referee must do several things in order to conduct wilderness adventure games. First, he must have a ground level map of his dungeons, a map of the terrain immediately surrounding this, and finally a map of the town or village closest to the dungeons (where adventruers sic will be most likely to base themselves).”

There is a venerable (for the blogosphere) and much used post from Jeff Rients that I have suggested my friend use for his setting: http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html

I realized I never really did this myself for the Lasers & Loincloths game. After over a year of play (starting with an almost empty canvas) I can answer the questions.

1. What is the deal with my cleric's religion?

Your Cleric practices a magic known as Thaumaturgy, it is an understanding and ability to manipulate the forces of nature.(Opposed to the Sorcery of Magic Users who bend reality to their will.) Most Clerics come to this understanding through religious or occult organizations that spring from humanities misinterpretations of the Outer Gods of the Lovecraft Mythos. Your misguided worship of Yog-Sothoth allows you to cast Cure Light Wounds.  

2. Where can we go to buy standard equipment?

You are in the free port of Sanctuary, almost anything can bought in the bazaar. Visit Ijam’s Yak’s and Sundries, Sheku the Arms Merchant, or Nantoo the Rakkaa Man. If you go, watch your coins as cut-purses and cutthroats abound.

3. Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?

Grenzel the Leperous Smith can forge armor. He is often lacking in materials and may require either an exorbitant price or the raw goods with which to forge your shoggoths cod piece. (Or both)

4. Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?

In the city of Sanctuary Hexemetrious the Lich is the most powerful wizard, though he is often dormant and when awake he is inscrutable. The renegade Gharban wa-Sharquan who serves the Pasha, and Mistress Jangaiva of the Jade House are both potent magic users who may actually entertain or employ you. Outside of the city are the mysterious lands of Shulim, home to unknown wonders and sanity shattering horrors. It is almost certain that powerful wizards practice dark magics those forgotten places.

5. Who is the greatest warrior in the land?

In Sanctuary, no one has defeated Pan-Meow Meow the Tiger in combat. Rajit the Thugee Captain has mighty thews, and it is said that the Samarajyan Ibash the Lame defeated the August Overlord of the Blue Men in single combat.  Outside the city The Master of Flowers abbot of the Bone Monks single-handedly defeated the tribe of Purest Bestower of the Scepter, warlord of Green Men.

6. Who is the richest person in the land?

In ostentation, Pasha Assur Salidani has wealth to rival the wealthiest Merchant Lord of the Free Cities. Although Toadvine the Blackfinger does command a thieves guild.

7. Where can we go to get some magical healing?

Generally you cannot. You had better befriend a Cleric of middling sanity and tolerable disposition. If you cannot tolerate a gibbering Cleric, then on the edge of town is the office of the Vat Guild. If you please them , they may tend your wounds with Science for a fee.

8. Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?

If you are in the good graces of the Vat Guild they may treat these conditions or if your condition is particularly interesting, they may keep you for study. However, even the cloistered Doctors of the Vat Guild cannot bring you back from the dead. It is rumored that the vile Elf Witches know how to return a soul to it’s body. Good luck.

9. Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?

No. Magic spells are jealously guarded secrets, you will have to pry them from dead wizard hands. If you can catch a snake, you may learn magic from the sigils of Yig found on the inside of its skin.

10. Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?

T’Hand the alchemist has a shop on the north side of town but he is erratically obsessed with charades and if sober will only work on commission. Azax the Flayed is a known alchemist who works for a mercenary band called The Company. Quiiries who adopts the guise of a derelict and may be found panhandling outside the temple of Erroneous has a keen understanding of the real estate market in Sanctuary. Bazot the Bishop of Error administers the Temple of Erroneous an enormous Ziggurat in the center of town. For a substantial donation he will allow you into the Library of Error. Osric's House of Law is on the west side of town, it is home to a militant troop of lawyers who have dedicated themselves to the study of ancient legal text in the name of their slain master.

11. Where can I hire mercenaries?

Sanctuary is a haven for pirates, outlaws, and refugees. Men willing to risk their lives for a coin or two may be found nearly anywhere. Loba’s Tavern in a known spot for recruiting hirelings. In addition, The Company is a formidable if erratic band of mercenaries who may be contacted at their compound through a mustachioed Samarajyan named Panjang. They do not work cheaply, and are particular about what contracts they take.

12. Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?

The only law in Sanctuary is that which you make for yourself. You are advised to either be capable of standing up to the numerous thugs and gangs or seek the protection of one immediately. That being said, certain customs are almost universally held. The dead have a distressing tendency to come back and consume the flesh of the living. Bodies are either burned or weighted down and dumped into the nearby Tamtum river. Also, the colored men of Shulim and wicked Elfs are usually seen as threats to be dealt with post haste.

13. Which way to the nearest tavern?

Loba’s is a rough and seedy waterfront establishment near the docks. Drinks are cheap but the troppe fish and prawn are delectable. The avaricious Danillo runs the Inn of the Laughing Giant, and his restaurant and gambling hall are quiet and expensive. If you have the coin, purchase a membership at the Jade House, an impressive bordello on the other side of the river. Mistress Jangaiva is capable of catering to any desire, and the chambers of her house are filled with intoxicating bubbles

14. What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?

The people of Sanctuary (and the colored men of Shulim depending on their particular tribal custom) appreciate the killing of the Spawn of Shub-Niggurath. Everyone loves to see a dead Elf.

15. Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?

Sanctuary is an isolated human settlement west of the continent of Adia. If you seek war return across the sea and sell your sword to a Yebish Chief or join the Samarajyans on the eastern steppe as they push back the hordes of ape men. In the city itself street wars between criminal gangs are common. You could always join a pirate crew and go free-booting up and down the coast of Adia.

16. How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?

The arena of Hexemetrious the Lich opens once a year. Accept a geas from the Lich and shed blood to rewrite the computer code of his ancient spaceship in exchange for gold and glory. Near the bazaar, the philosopher Jarek offers tiger wrastlin’. An opportunity to test your mettle against giant feline predators for a substantial purse.

17. Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?

The Pasha employs the Thugees , a Samarajyan cult dedicated to Kaliatri goddess of death. The Blackfingers are an association of assassins and thieves. Mistress Jangaiva has the loyalty of the cats, five female warriors and their giant feline companions. In the slums is a temple of Dagon and half breed deep ones. All of these forces are vying for control of the city. Pick one or two, or none.

18. What is there to eat around here?

Sanctuary is a port city on a river with a sub tropical climate. The river teems with a delicious oily sardine like fish called the tropee. Rice and fig plantations ring the city. Yak’s are common, and Yak ghee is used in many of the dishes. The meat of dinosaurs is a staple, Compsognathus being particularly prized. The cuisine of Sanctuary has come into it’s own, being a blend of Samarajyan techniques (tandoor and ghee) mixed with Yebish spices such as clove , fennel, and ginger as well as Adian refinement in plating and serving meals. Common drinks include Rakka which is fermented Yaks milk, and Jesh which is a rice wine. The wealthy drink mert, a distilled beverage made from fig, and served hot.

19. Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?

Follow the Tamtum river north west to an abandoned tower called Dyson’s Delve, treasure lies beyond the ape men. Go north from there to a solitary peak called Mount Rendon, it is honeycombed with an anomalous subsurface environment rumored to contain ancient Yeti treasures.

20. Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?

There be no dragons. Type H treasure can sometime be found at the bottom of a shoggoth pit.

+1 Forward from DW

I considered running Dungeon World before I started the OD&D campaign. It is a neat game, and I’m sure the PbtA engine is fantastic. It does have a lot of moving parts however and I originally wanted something simple for a return to RPGs. I stole the bonds idea from DW for my OD&D campaign but the lethality of old school D&D made it a pain to keep up with and we eventually discarded it. I also was quite smitten with the character class descriptions. The descriptions assumed a lot of setting that was not part of Lasers & Loincloths however, so rather than just steal them I re-wrote them. I wrote these over a year ago and forgot about them. Here they are for the three true character classes (the holy trinity if you will) and a fourth for that troublesome class from Supplement I.

Balash the Cleric. RIP 

The Cleric

The world is a strange place, and it is with good reason that most people live in fear of the unknown. Not you Cleric, you understand the warp and weft of reality. While corrupt wizards might bend existence to their will, you know the nature of truth and you know how to channel the very strangeness of the world into fantastic powers. This understanding includes the knowledge that your own body is a tool, so you sheath it in armor, gird it with steel and set it forth to face those who do not understand what you do. Armed with the certainty of truth, protected by the light of existence itself, nothing can stop you, Cleric, so long as you stay true to your path.

Belkuul the Magic User. RIP

The Magic User

Existence is an illusion, a veil before the magnificent chaos that is truth.  Most people are subject to mundane reality, but you make reality kneel before your will. They say you are vile, corrupt, following a path that leads to insanity. They don’t understand. Once you feel magic flow through you and shape it as you desire, how can anything seem normal again?  The trappings of your path are scholarly, books, parchments, potions… but these are just the means. In truth, your path leads to perfect understanding, perfect will, and a soul merged with universal chaos. Let them mumble, let them fear you. You are a Magic User, wielder of the very forces that move the stars, you are above human judgment.

Ibungar the Fighting Man. RIP

The Fighting Man

You have seen a Wizard throw lightning from her fingertips and a Cleric raise the dead. And yet, you do not pursue the path of magic. Placing trust in your own body rather than the supernatural, you have honed yourself into a killing edge. You might make allies of those who use magic, you might benefit from their spells but when the dice fall they are looking to you for leadership. Why? Because if you fail they all do. Wizards rely on books and mummery. Clerics must please capricious gods. You just have yourself. Let the world test itself against your might Fighter. Either you win or you die.

Jenthar the Thief. RIP

The Thief

Look at them, working together to face their foes. It’s like they really care about each other, like being a hero means something at the end of the day. Fools. Hero’s die miserable deaths in forgotten dungeons. What good is being a hero if you are a corpse? Hell, what good is being a hero at all? The only thing that matters in this brief existence is pleasing the senses. And the easiest way to pleasure is through gold. Not that honest labor is required. Not for you, you just take what you want. After all, if you have the skill to do what you will, why not do it? What’s to stop you? If they stand in the way of what is yours, strike them down from the darkness. This is the way of the world. This is your way, Thief.

Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.

Many Abbithian cultures take cooking very seriously. Not every chef dedicates themselves to the dangerous path of a wandering culinarian but those that do are considered holy men by most cultures. The Gastronome is an example of an exalted adventuring chef who seeks out sublime ingredients and lost recipes.

Gastronome
Title and Level	XP	Hit Dice	BAB	Save	Recipe Level	Gastronome Skills
1 Scullerist	75	1d6	+1	15	1	Tools, Iron Gullet, Recipes, Chef, Sommelier +1
2 Porter	1500	2d6	+1	14	1	Sommelier +2
3 Steward	3000	3d6	+1	13	2	Sommelier +3
4 Butcher	6000	4d6	+2	12	2	Sommelier +4
5 Potager	12000	5d6	+2	11	3	Sommelier +5, Charming Host
6 Line Cook	25000	6d6	+2	10	3	Sommelier +6
7 Sous-Chef	50000	7d6	+3	9	4	Sommelier +7
8 Chef	100000	8d6	+3	8	4	Sommelier +8
9 Master Chef	200000	9d6	+3	7	5	Sommelier +9 , Name Level

Butchers Apron: The Gastronome may wear light armor

Tools of the Trade: The Gastronome gets a +1 to damage with small edged weapons (typically knives and cleavers) , also normal cooking tools such as frying pans or rollers count as weapons in their hands (rather than improvised weapons.)

Iron Gullet : The Gastronome gets a +2 to save versus poison and foodborne illness. In addition they may sample any food, drink, or potion and immediately determine if it is poisoned.

Recipe Book: The Gastronome adventures to seek out lost and ancient recipes, recording them in a sacred cookbook. These recipes have effects similar to Magic User and Clerical Spells. Once per day they may prepare a meal from the book, treat the spell as if it had a range of touch (the meal must be eaten to give effect and must be eaten the day of preparation it cannot be saved for later use.) They cannot prepare recipes with spell effects greater than their listed recipe level. The meal may feed or target a number of people equal to the Gastronomes level. At first level the Gastronome knows a number of recipes equal to WIS or INT bonus. Select them at random from MU and CL spell list.

Chef: The Gastronome treats all cooking rolls as one die type higher. D6 becomes D8, D20 becomes D30 etc. In addition, they do not need to make a WIS check to butcher or gather an ingredient.

Sommelier: The Gastronome may take a strong drink to restore HP a number of times per day equal to level in addition to the three times plus CON bonus already allowed.

Charming Host : A 5th level, the Gastronome may host a dinner party, high tea, or brunch. Their guest must make a saving throw versus exquisite cuisine or they are Charmed by the Gastronome for the next 12 hours.

Master of the Mantis Rapture coming at ya...

One of my players is working on an fantasy Asia game and asked me to help with some martial arts rules. I have precisely zero real knowledge of martial arts. I have however seen at least a dozen Chinese Kung Fu movies, read all of Lone Wolf and Cub, and am a fan of the Wu-Tang. I supposed this qualifies me to write some martial arts rules for D&D.

Martial arts can either be a class feature, weapon proficiency, a spell, an effect granted by an item, or simply selected by a character depending on the nature and style of the game.

Martial Arts encompass the study and practice of both unarmed strikes and combat with weapons. This sort of study and practice is already incorporated into the mechanics of adventuring classes in D&D, and is built into the game via attack matrices and hit point advancement.

If more detail is required in order to capture the feel of Asian wuxia type martial arts, a system of styles can be used to reflect a wide variety of approaches to hand to hand combat.

Generally a practitioner of an unarmed style will make an unarmed strike for damage equivalent to a one handed weapon. (1d6 in OD&D, damage equal to class HD in L&L, 1d4-1d6 in a variable damage system.) Weapon styles will strike for damage equal to their weapon.

It is reasonable to assume that the attack matrix already incorporates any bonuses to hit due to martial arts training. Additional mechanics from particular styles should avoid to-hit bonuses.  

Broadly speaking, martial art style can be divided into two categories.

1. Styles that focus on muscular and cardiovascular mastery are known as “External” or Waijiaquan. These styles use STR or DEX for to hit and damage modifiers

2. Styles that focus on qi manipulation are known as “Internal” or Neijiaquan. These styles use INT or WIS for to hit and damage modifiers.

Individual settings dictate the particular name or trapping of a style (Animal names, schools of signature moves, the name of a master) but we can further divide martial arts styles into five sub categories corresponding with the idea of the five elements, found in both eastern and western philosophy.

Earth Styles – focus on balance and defense; grant a bonus to armor class and saving throws

Air/Wood Styles – focus on movement and position; grant bonus to combat movement and DEX checks

Water Styles – focus on adapting to the environment and the opponent; grant a bonus to grappling and parrying

Fire Styles – focus on intensity and willpower; grant a bonus to damage and critical hits

Spirit/Metal Styles – focus on breathing and internal mastery; grant a bonus to HP and initiative or surprise.

Note that in an old school d&d system, no bonus should be greater than +1 or one step/dice type.

Examples: Judo Internal Water Style / Mantis External Fire Style / Snake External Spirit Style / Niten Ichi Internal Air (sword) Style