Entering the Underworld

Photo by Ben Skála, Benfoto

The Underworld can be entered from several locations. When you reach the back of any of these caves, you may invoke the hidden name of the lord of that realm and request entry to his domain, or force open the passage with a common opening spell.  Despite the increased danger of invoking a powerful spirit, it is recommended that you take this route, as it informs the lord of your entry into his realm. Do not go without a weapon but leave it sheathed unless a need arises.

The first tunnels you will find are mostly stairways. You may see offshoot passages from these stairways but do not take them. Fell creatures lurk here and there is little power, knowledge or wealth to be gained in their dwellings. You are best never to stray from a single purpose when walking in the lands of the dead. Should you become distracted it is much easier to become lost, and the lost do not return.

Avert your gaze from any passing spirits you may see including any flashes of the souls being brought to the river and the one who brings them there. Should a wicked beast confront you, create a powerful light to drive it off. Do not leave such lights active as your presence in these lands should be known by few.

Do not sing, speak loudly, or laugh. These sounds may drive the dead into a frenzy.

Do not eat or drink anything you did not bring with you.

Henryk Siemiradzki

When you come to the first river, give payment to the ferryman and he will take you across safely. He may be less agreeable on the return trip but if you have the good will of his lord he will take you.

Beyond the first river the specifics of navigation cannot be conveyed by mortal language or recalled by the living mind. If you come across a land of paradise do not linger and avert your gaze from its wonders. You do not belong there. Remember your purpose and continue onward. If you come across other rivers do not follow them, but cross if you must.

Should you come to petition to the Lord or Lady of the dead, speak softly and make your request briefly. Avert your gaze and bow when greeting them but do not grovel any longer than that.

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.

The Slumbering Castle Devlog 6: Playtest Thoughts

Playtest 1

In my last update I said I would be playtesting the Slumbering Castle at Total Con 40, but I chickened out because I didn't feel I had enough to go off of.  Now I have finally tested this adventure at a different convention (Nerdfest).  The playtest went fairly well, and I ended up with plenty of notes.  

What Happened?

At the start of the session I gave players a crude map of the kingdom revealing the back entrance of the brook.  This was a last second decision and a mistake as players immediately believed this to be the best way into the kingdom.  3 bandits were waiting in the lowlands along the brook, in ambush for folk leaving the kingdom to take their treasure.  They ambushed the party and killed them within a few rounds.  The players found this amusing and asked to re-use the same characters and attempt to enter through the front gate.  They re-entered through the front gate and explored the kingdom on the path to the castle, slowly losing stamina (the stamina loss rate seemed perfect to me - just biting enough to cause a bit of constant fear). Eventually they made their way into the castle and stayed there a bit too long.  I want to save the details of what they found so no future playtesters get spoiled :)  Only one adventurer made it out and the others fell asleep while running back to the front gate.  

Difficulty

One of the players commented that the adventure was too difficult to finish in one session.  This is the intent so I didn't find it overly concerning.  As I mentioned earlier I felt like the stamina drain happened at a perfect rate, at least for this first test.  

Dragon Movement

The Dragon's current movement setup was perhaps a bit too fiddly and had it firmly nestled in the corner of the kingdom (zones 1 and 5) for the entirety of this playtest (as its movements kept pushing up against the boundaries of the hex zones and therefore it wasn't moving at all).  I believe I will change this to have it move counter-clockwise if the movement dictated by the dice is impossible.  

The Slumbering Castle Devlogs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 

Spark Tables for Visions

Roll a D6, D10, D12 and D20 at once, and consult the tables for inspiration:

Arthur Rackham

What message is imparted? (D6)

1. A warning
2. A rebuke
3. A request
4. An instruction
5. A question
6. Nothing Clear 

Where are you? (D20)

1. A hill
2. A mountain 
3. A lake
4. A battlefield
5. Ruins
6. A graveyard
7. A tomb
8. A castle
9. A tower
10. A forest
11. An island
12. A beach
13. A cave
14. A desert
15. A swamp
16. A bridge 
17. Your birthplace
18. A grove
19. A fountain
20. A ring of standing stones

Location Descriptor (D10)

1. Misty
2. Dark
3. Moonlit 
4. Putrid
5. Ancient
6. Snowy
7. Rainy
8. Frozen
9. Ethereal
10. Gleaming 

Who else is there? (D12)

1. A pack of creatures
2. A great noble beast
3. An army
4. A shrouded figure
5. A fallen one
6. One you know
7. A great power
8. A magical being
9. A warrior
10. A trickster
11. A monarch
12. No one

The Spy Action RPG

This is a game inspired by Conqueror of Kamelia, and the Bourne Movies.

Rules:

• Characters have no traditional attribute stats.  Only year of birth, backstory, passports (name and country), and equipment (each can carry 1 pistol without being noticed in urban environments)
• All fights are 1-on-1 even if they aren't.
• A fight between 1 PC and 20 enemies is resolved as a series of 1-1 fights. 
• The cooler character always wins in a fight.
• Coolness is determined by consensus based on the following in order of importance:
• The character with more unique attributes is cooler. 
• The character with more unique training is cooler. 
• If two characters are equally cool, the older/more experienced character is cooler.
• If two characters who are equally cool fight, the one with more wounds at the start of the fight wins but begins slowly dying after the fight. 
• Slowly dying takes 10 minutes in real time and while slowly dying a character may not be killed by anything.
• If a character falls into a body of water while slowly dying they automatically live but may not return within the same session.  
• After this they appear a month later in a location determined by throwing a dart at a world map.  
• Wounds can be physical or emotional but always slow a character down slightly and make them more noticeable in a crowd.
• Player characters know the language of every country they have a passport in and speak as a native.
• If a character points a gun at another character within arm's reach the gun may be disarmed and taken without any risk.

Characters start with a backstory, 2D4 passports and associated aliases, a pistol or switchblade, a sniper rifle in a duffel bag or 3 burner phones, and 3D100 Euros in cash.

Spark Tables for Bandit Companies

Roll a D4, D6, D8, D20, and consult the tables.

Louis Rhead

How many are there? (1D4)

1. Three
2. Half a dozen
3. A Dozen
4. A Horde (10 + Add up all dice rolled)

Where is their hideout? (1D6)

1. A cave
2. A ruined fortress
3. A small wooden keep
4. A rocky overpass above a trail
5. A cliffside grotto
6. A river island

Background (1D8)

1. Dispossessed nobles
2. Runaway children
3. Deserters
4. Born outlaws
5. Escapees
6. Political dissidents
7. Angry peasants
8. Religious folk

Descriptor (1D20) 

1. Mangy
2. Cruel
3. Kindly
4. Merry
5. Musical
6. Just
7. Destitute
8. Wise
9. Dangerous
10. Well-Regarded
11. Foolish
12. Notorious
13. Nocturnal
14. Cowardly
15. Lazy
16. Dolorous
17. Silent
18. Putrid
19. Unknown
20. Reckless

Idiosyncratic Knight NPCs

This is inspired by Zelda-Style NPC Personalities.  I am a big fan of using a variety of NPC generation tools in a single campaign to keep things fresh for myself and players.  I am not using this generator for every knight in my setting, but sprinkling them in as seasoning.  

Knight Behaviours (Flip a coin and roll a D6 and D8)

Heads: This knight will always... 
(1. bow 2. fall in love 3. speak in the third person 4. offer aid 5. pray 6. drink from a wooden flask)
when... 
(1. meeting a stranger 2. challenged to a duel 3. threatened 4. asked for help 5. insulted 6. entering a settlement 7. slaying an enemy 8. the sun rises)

Tails: This knight never... 
(1. removes their helmet 2. reveals their true name 3. speaks outside of riddles 4. kills 5. accepts coin 6. puts down their sword)
...
(1. until the enemy is slain 2. unless it is past dusk 3. other than on full moons 4. until the quest is completed 5. except when asked politely to 6. except during rain or snow 7. while watched by any flying creature 8. except on holy days)

Traits (Roll 1D10, write another based on prior prompts)

1. Haughty
2. Beautiful
3. Woeful
4. Fearless
5. Vengeful
6. Peaceful
7. Ominous
8. Aged
9. Violent
10. Naive 

The Knight Always Challenges (Roll a D12)

1. Foreign warriors
2. Anyone with a larger sword
3. Mages
4. Druids
5. Those perceived as disrespectful
6. Knights wearing a crest with a predatory animal
7. Warriors with a more beautiful horse
8. Warriors who do not bow first
9. Oath Breakers
10. Boastful knights
11. Thieves
12. Nobility

Garb and Armor (Roll a D20)

1. Crimson
2. Blue
3. Green
4. Black
5. Yellow
6. Wintry
7. Tarnished armor
8. Ancient 
9. Ragged
10. Cape is too long
11. Cape is too short
12. Woolen boots
13. Roman
14. Celtic patterns
15. Holy
16. Enchanted with minor magic
17. Unarmored
18. Fractured Armor
19. Jeweled
20. Shining

Lockpicking Minigame

Here is a random lockpicking minigame idea I had:

Lockpicking is guessing.  Each lock has a number from 1 to 10.  Without any skill you have a 1-in-10 chance of picking the lock.  For every point in dexterity you may roll D10 and determine if the lock's number is greater than, less than, or equal to the roll.  Those trained in lock-picking may manipulate their rolls by up to 3 in either direction.  After making all rolls the guess must be made.  If the guess is incorrect the lockpick is broken.  If the guess is off by 4 or more the lock is jammed.   

Lesser locks have more than 1 consecutive number. 

The Slumbering Castle Devlog 5: Paths

Mapping the Kingdom

My work to map out the Slumbering Castle continues.  I will be running my first test of this dungeon at Total Con 40 in about 10 days with a simple map and bullet point keys.  

Draft map 1 - I already want to change things but I'll probably use this version for the playtest

More Brainstorming Locations 

• Whipping post where two sleepers are tied (a proclamation reads that they spoke treasonously of the Princeling)
• Rotting wheelbarrow
• Large rock with a adventuring sleeper on top
• Field of standing stones
• Cats (kitten dreams)
• Bridge over a narrow valley
• Ritual fire pit

After brainstorming some more locations, I made a cleaned up version of the earlier rough draft map of the kingdom.  There's already things I'd like to change about this map, including the specifics of the castle itself but I'm going to focus on keying locations for now.  

Another goal for designing the kingdom map was to create somewhat natural paths through the space with very minimal use of actual "roads."  Paths will be hugely important to the success of this as a viable adventuring location.  With the incredibly thick fog, constant threat of endless sleep, and waist high thorns growing nearly everywhere, there can be no intelligent exploration inside the kingdom without constantly accounting for where you are and how you got to that location.  

Material Paths

• The Castle Road (From exterior through areas 8,7,6, to 5)
• The Yarn Path (From exterior through areas 1, to 5)
• The Bread Crumbs (From exterior to 3)
• The Brook (From exterior to 2)
• Standing Stone Avenue (From the Law Stone in area 1 to the temple and barrow in area 4)
• Catacombs/Ancient caverns beneath the castle (connect to the castle well, undercroft, dungeons in area 5, alcove in area 1, and cave entrance in area 2)
• Line of trees planted from seeds by a wizard to have an easy path (Not sure about this one but it seems like a fun idea and would give PCs plenty of ideas to utilize the latent plant growth spell effect)

Informational Paths 

• Horse's dreams (Stables in area 6, through areas 7,5 to the orchard in area 1)
• Farmer's note (Farm in area 3 to fox hole in area 6 south of the rock pile)
• Fox's dreams (Fox hole in area 3 to chicken coop in area 6 and alcove in area 1)
• Adventurer graffiti and markings (Various places)
• Sacred Texts (Reveals entrances to the ancient caverns of the Goddess, relative locations of the Lawstone and Temple)

Keying Tables

I have begun the work of keying locations in the castle.  I created some tables for inspiration for keying what may be dozens to hundreds of tiny little nooks inside the cursed kingdom.  I won't consider myself bound by results rolled, (and may add to or change the tables entirely later) but plan to use them as a guide for now for distributing things when I have no other ideas.  I am intentionally leaving out certain things which I am adding in a more bespoke manner.  Large adventuring parties and their paths through the kingdom are something I want to write very deliberately so that I have a chance to include fun moments of continuity.  

Table for Keying Minor Points of Interest

1. Extremely Hazardous Rot
2. Rot, Decay, or Collapse
3. Small Place of Dreaming (glimpses of a dream)
4. Sleeper
5. Sleeper in a place they aren't supposed to be
6. Wildly grown plant
7. Roll 1x on Stash Table (I have a d100 table I normally use for "non-treasure treasure")
8. Note or clue referencing another location and hinting how to arrive there

Table 1 for Keying Huts

1. Tool of profession
2. Tool for cooking
3. Cache of coin (1D4 silver, 1D20 copper)
4. Instrument
5. Clothing item
6. Keepsake or charm
7. Roll on Stash Table 
8. Roll on Stash Table

Table 2 for Keying Huts

1. 1D4 Candles
2. Woolen blanket or animal fur
3. Rotting firewood
4. Simple weapon (dagger, club, staff, etc)
5. Rotting foodstuff or mead
6. Historical clue (letter, idol, drawing, simple tapestry etc)

The Slumbering Castle Devlogs: 1, 2, 3, 4

The Slumbering Castle Devlog 4: The Dragon and Secrets

The Dragon

Since the "clock" of stamina is tracked by players, there is hopefully a bit of mental bandwidth budget to determine where the dragon is and track it's movement when characters are delving through the castle's cursed lands.  Event rolls happen roughly every 20 minutes in real time or whenever characters move between areas.  Roll a 1D4 and 1D6 at the same time.  

Event Rolls:

1. Characters lose 1 Stamina
2. Characters lose 1D6 Stamina
3. The Dragon flies in a random direction (1-6 Directions)
4. The Dragon flies to a random area (1-6 Areas)

A sketch of the kingdom divided into areas

Behavioral Absolutes: The Dragon never leaves the kingdom.  The Dragon does not retreat from battle.  The Dragon attacks all non-sleeping outsiders, and will attempt to tire them out or kill them.  The Dragon does not kill any Sleepers.  The Dragon avoids destroying any part of the Castle.  The Dragon finds human flesh distasteful and avoids biting or eating unless he is extremely desperate.  

Rough flowchart of Dragon actions

Dragon Behaviors
Tracking - The Dragon begins tracking the character's movements. I'm still tinkering with different ways to have this background function run once it starts.  
Trapping - The Dragon flies around the perimeter of the kingdom looking for signs of entry or any sort of path left by characters.  If he finds this he lies in wait for their return, if not he flies to the Castle and lies in wait there.
Fighting - The Dragon immediately flies into the air where he cannot be hit with melee attacks and most projectiles will be deflected by his beating wings.  The Dragon spams fire if there is no wooden structures nearby.  If characters are out in the open (a field of thorns) he will spend 2 rounds drawing a large ring of flames around them to trap them in.  If a character deals more than 15 damage to the Dragon in a single round, the Dragon will single them out, attempting to grab them and hold them to his mouth while he spits flame.  This does enough damage to instantly kill any mortals.  When fighting a group he knows to be dangerous he may begin the battle by dropping a tree or boulder upon them as a surprise attack.  The Dragon learns the patterns of how groups navigate through the castle the more times they have been and will always adapt to these patterns.  The Dragon can be tricked by refusing to abide by past patterns (leaving a yarn path behind you but leaving through a different way, etc.)

Secrets of the Slumbering Castle

Skip this part if you care at all about spoilers.

The Law Stone - The Law Stone describes the laws of the nameless kingdom including the succession of monarchs.  The heir to a monarch is their eldest child by default but can become anyone who defeats them in combat initiated or agreed to by the heir.  
The Goddess - She is a goddess of sleep, protection, witchery and the home and the former patron of this kingdom.  The locals of nearby villages still worship her, though with great fear of her wrath.  Her name is rarely spoken in these villages.
The Witch-Priest - The King's eldest child was the high priest of the Goddess.  They were challenged to a duel by their younger brother who defeated them, taking the title of heir.  The Princeling then manipulated their aging father to lock them up in the dungeons beneath the Castle.  During the night of a great feast the Witch-Priest escaped the dungeon, quietly killing two guards and under cloak of invisibility made their way to the treasury, taking enough gold to make a large sacrifice to the Goddess.  The enchantments were then made.
The Princeling - The Witch-priest's final curse was placed upon the Princeling and new heir to the kingdom.  The Princeling is the Dragon, cursed by an invocation which targets whoever the current heir is.  Killing the Princeling causes the title of Heir to pass to the slayer.  

The Slumbering Castle Devlogs: 1, 2, 3, 4 

The Slumbering Castle Devlog 3: Brainstorming

Brainstorming Places

The Slumbering Castle will need plenty of hazardous places, and places with treasure to be looted.  In an adventure with basically no NPCs, I also want to have quite a bit of environmental storytelling.  To this end, I went about brainstorming things I want to be included somewhere in the castle and its surrounding kingdom:

In the Castle:

1. Dry moat surrounding the castle with a rotting drawbridge leading across (the drawbridge has iron reinforcement bars beneath the rotting wood which can be walked over somewhat safely) a rope leads down into the moat which is filled now with thorns.
2. Collapsed section of wall with claw marks and scorch marks on the stones.  (Plenty of crushed bones) A large felled tree has been used as a makeshift bridge over the moat here.
3. Magical talking object (Maybe a mirror) hidden in a deep, dangerous location.  
4. Well with a ledge and secret passage leading to the alcove where the offering was made.
5. Castle kitchen where uncooked lobsters sleep alongside the cooks.
6. Undercroft leading to an ancient cave around which the castle was built (A holy site of the Goddess)
7. Castle stables.  A collapsing hayloft hangs just past the entrance.
8. Great Hall (Fallen into sleep during a feast.  Hot spot for dream illusions, one of the most dangerous locations in the Castle)
9. Cellar room with barrels of foul mead.  A guard sleeps here with a keyring and a wooden cup.
10. Dungeon with crumbling tunnels.  The deepest cell is empty with an open door.  Two skeletal guards lay slain before it with blood staining the ground.
11. Treasury (Ceiling is close to falling in)
12. Armory (All sorts of weapons and gear, much of which is rusting)
13. Chancellor's chambers filled with great wealth.  Letters discussing the king's mental decline can be found here as well as letters with the Princeling plotting his rise to power.  
14. Princeling's chambers (love letters from admirers, cool magic sword?)
15. Heir's chambers. (Unicorn's horn, books of magical lore, the sacred text of the Goddess, relics)  The floor is buckling and crumbling.
16. King's chambers filled with tapestries and fine things. 
17. Barracks.
18. Invocation channeling focus for the Dragon's curse.  (I don't know what this is yet.) 

George Henry Boughton

Somewhere in the Kingdom: 

1. Campsite outside the kingdom where a company left much of their supplies before venturing in. 
2. Ditch surrounding the ancient boundaries of the kingdom which marks the edge of the enchantments
3. Guard post and rotting gatehouse at the entrance to the kingdom
4. Yarn path leading out, left by a sleeping party (leads through multiple zones)
5. The Law Stone (A stone whereupon all the laws of the kingdom are recorded, including the specifics of succession to the throne)  The Law Stone was used as an Invocation Focus for the invocation which forever erased the names of the kingdom, its monarch and heir.  All references to the kingdom's name appear scratched out.
6. Numerous sleeping parties and the supplies they brought with them and notes they took
7. Ancient circle of rough stone obelisks.  
8. Runic spell circle.  A wizard sleeps within.  
9. Barrow of ancient kings where the dragon rests and hoards the bones of intruders it has killed.
10. Pond.  (Fisher's cabin)
11. Inn.  (Cellar with a lockbox.  Rotting second story with numerous holes where heavy things have fallen through.)
12. Cobbler.
13. Stables. (Dreams of wide pastures, bright sunlight, apple trees, information can be found about the orchard)
14. Crumbling watchtower.
15. Temple to the local Goddess.
16. Apple orchard.  The trees have grown wildly due to the plant growth spell and produce large apples.
17. Alcove where the offering was made to the Goddess and the enchantments were laid.
18. Burnt corpses with claw marks of the dragon nearby.
19. Shepherd's hut.  A small stone wall pens in sleeping sheep.
20. Barn (Rotting away and at risk of collapsing)
21. Gardens. (Overgrown with flowers and root vegetables)
22. Location of a fight between two adventuring parties.  The winning group fell asleep shortly after.
23. Small Ancient Quarry.
24. Hidden Grotto.
25. Rock Pile. (A good place for hiding)
26. Foxes asleep in a foxhole whose dreams leak outwards.
27. Path of moldy breadcrumbs leading out of the kingdom and to a small hiding place.
28. Map to a location filled with heavy treasure left behind by an adventuring party. 

What I'm Currently Working On

• Building an overloaded event table for time spent in the Castle which models the Dragon's random movement through areas as well as steady stamina loss.  
• Creating a set of universal behaviors for the Dragon as well as a flow chart determining how it acts, how effectively it can find adventurers once it has smelled them or their torches, traps it may set for them, how its behavior changes upon sequential visits, etc.

The Slumbering Castle Devlogs: 1, 2, 3 

Current Inspirations
Cahir Castle - This is a cool place I visited around 2 years ago.  I like having reference images for any environment I'm working on.  I found some reference pictures of it here, here and here.  I want to use fairly realistic proportions for the Slumbering Castle and avoid having grand gothic architecture that veers from the fairy tale-ish vibe. 
Pagans Hill Roman Temple
How Level Design Can Tell a Story by GMTK

The Slumbering Castle Devlog 2: Challenges and Enchantments

Challenges in the Slumbering Castle

There is only 1 enemy to fight in the Slumbering Castle¹.  The place is empty.  Initially I pondered including all kinds of enemies² but these all seemed to dilute the vision I had.  This is a quiet and empty place, a largely peaceful place.  There are no factions or hordes of enemies to overcome.  Despite this, I want the Slumbering Castle to be scary.  I want it to be dangerous and terrifying.  So the somewhat unique challenge is finding ways to create challenge without combat.  This is a problem I'm still working on but here are ideas I have so far:

1. The Death-Sleep (Sleep-Death?): This is a working title for the sleep which overwhelms in this place.  Basically the longer you stay, the closer you come to a sleep that cannot be woken from.
2. The Thorns: Thorns must be actively cut or burned to clear paths and regrow within a few minutes.  Carefully moving through the thorns cuts movement speed by 3/4, and moving at normal speed deals minor damage.
3. The Fog: You can only see clearly within 20ft.  Torches can be seen from 40ft.  Large flames can be seen from 60ft.  The fog also prevents divination magic targeting anything within.
4. Navigational Hazards: Getting lost is the end.  So is getting stuck in a dry moat.  So is a rampart or tunnel entrance collapsing if you are in the wrong place.
5. Dream Illusions: I'm on the fence about this but haven't ruled out the idea that places with large concentrations of sleepers may have distortions where the dreams begin to infect the real world through powerful illusions.  
6. The Dragon: Unlike the Disney version of this fairy tale, the dragon is not an enemy to be slain but one to be avoided and hidden from.  Killing it will not help you.

Wilhelm Jordan

Enchantments in the Slumbering Castle

The Slumbering Castle will be written primarily to be used with Fire Tales RPG, so a secondary goal for this project is to utilize Fire Tales' magic systems³ for the enchantments.  The main enchantments, their current stats, and mechanical effects are as follows:

• Thorns and Fog (Spell - Nature: Shifting; Configuration: Land; Target: All; Duration: Century; Incantations: Mystify (Targets become surrounded by a layer of thick magical mist,
  and cannot be seen or sensed by scrying or detection magic for the duration.), Plant Growth (Plants targeted grow rapidly and regrow constantly for the duration.))
• These effects are part of the same spell and can potentially be dispelled or suppressed with spellcasting.
• Goddess' Curse (Appeal - Offering Magnitude: 10; Appeal Magnitude: 5)
• Mechanically stamina cannot be recovered and is lost over time.  When a character reaches 0 stamina they fall into immediate Death-sleep.
• The Dragon's Curse (Invocation - I want all heavy spoilers and details regarding the Dragon to be in the same post so I'm saving this for now.)

More Inspirations for the Slumbering Castle
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro - This is a very melancholic book with wonderful atmosphere that I was thinking about in relation to the castle recently.  It also has lots of magic fog.
The Eternal Ruins - This is a youtube channel and worldbuilding project with an upcoming RPG I am super excited for.  The artwork for this is excellent and seems to draw from similar sources as The Slumbering Castle but goes in a different direction tonally.

Next Steps
My plan is to start working on the map both for the castle and it's surroundings and brainstorm a large list of locations and points of interest.  I am currently planning to run an early playtest of the castle at a convention next month so I need to have something solid soon.

The Slumbering Castle Devlogs: 1, 2 

¹    The Dragon which I will explore my ideas for in a later devlog
²    thorn monsters, skeletal guardians, animated objects, feral rats, dream spirits
³     Spellcasting in Fire Tales uses targeting similar to Ars Magica with spell effects similar to Cairn and Knave 2E's brief spell descriptions.  Invocations are described in a prior post.  Divine appeals require ritual offerings and have their mechanical effects determined by the Firekeeper (Gamemaster).  

The Portal Fantasy Session 0 Marketplace

Each player has $(3D6 - 1) to purchase items their character happens to have in their pockets when they get spirited off to the magical realm.  Players go in a circle and may purchase as many things as they could reasonably stuff into their pockets or purse.  Once an item is purchased it is crossed off and no one else may purchase it.  Players may pool their money to buy items.

$1 Items
Fast Food Wrapper, Coupon, Old Receipt, Single Piece of Gum, Soda Can (empty), Scratch off lottery ticket

$3 Items
Mood Ring, Pack of Gum (15), Soda Can (full), Pack of Cigarettes (20), Can of Deodorant or Hairspray, Snack Size Doritos, Candy Bar, Glow Stick, Ring Pop

$5 Items
Sunglasses, Can of Spray Paint, Wrist Watch, Vape Pen (full), Lighter, Reusable Water Bottle, Balloons (30 pack), Gym Whistle, Can of instant coffee (30 uses)

$7 Items
Smart phone (no charge), Flashlight (full charge), Pocket Knife, Painkillers (100), Solar-Powered Calculator

$10 Items
First Aid Kit, Compass, Gameboy (cartridge loaded with pokemon blue version, full charge), 1 Handheld Two-Way Radio

$20 items
Smart phone (full charge, no reception/data), Purse filled with any of the $3, $5 or $7 items, Portable hand crank generator

The Slumbering Castle Devlog 1

Half a century ago a king ruled here - The ruler of a very small but ancient domain.  The king had a princeling son, and a court bard, and a retinue of servants and vassals.  He ruled from a castle which had grown out from its ancient foundation.

The castle and the town it stands over is a ruin.  Heavy mists shroud the entire place.  The stones are overgrown with thorn and flower.  And beneath the fog and bramble, resting without end in their stations, are the sleepers.  The names of the castle, its monarch and princeling are all gone - stricken from all record and memory by invocation.  

 

Every so often, usually in the springtime, a group will venture into the castle looking for treasure unguarded by the sleeping sentries, unwanted by the nobles and courtesans in their pleasant dreams.  Most of these folk never return.  

In a nearby town, rules a regent.  Folk from the town don't trust coin taken from the castle.  They will say it's cursed.  But further afield, no one knows or cares of such things.  The layered curses of the castle don't go further than the bramble forest after all.  

So new folk who hear the rumors will come as they have before.

Trina Schart Hyman

This is the Slumbering Castle. This is perhaps my favorite adventure location/dungeon idea I've ever had. Through a series of posts I plan to document my process for completing this adventure and reveal some of its secrets.

Current Inspirations
Sleeping Beauty
The City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky - This is the clearest inspiration for how I want this to run and where I got the ideas from outside of the original fairy tale. In this book there is a place in the city that is quarantined with powerful magical runes to prevent a curse within from spreading to the rest of the world. The cursed district was once the wealthiest ward of the city and is filled with treasures, so foolish individuals sometimes go there looking for magical artifacts and treasure to be sold. The longer you stay, the more pull you feel towards joining in a mythical endless feast, the more urge you feel to dance to imaginary music and eat invisible food. I can't really describe it in a way that does it justice but I'd highly recommend the book.
Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian - I've never had the chance to play any of these games but I love them visually. The emptiness and beauty of ruined places are aspects I want to capture in The Slumbering Castle.

The Dolorous Chapel Bell

John Dickson Batten

An old ruinous chapel, several miles from the nearest civilized folk.  The stone brick walls are covered in moss and ivy.  At midnight the chapel bell tolls of its own accord.  All who hear the bell may only speak in truths for the next day.  Oaths made under the tolling bell are unbreakable.

A graveyard of unmarked graves is surrounded by a low stone wall nearby.  A black dog (2-in-6 chance of being asleep) can be found here at all times and bites any it sees who enter the area.

The wooden door to the chapel is battered open.  Light seeps through ivy covered windows and holes in the roof.  The nave is littered with fallen debris from above.  Hidden beneath a broken pew is a leather tome bookmarked with a wilted rose.  The book is filled with blasphemous notes on summoning, including the true name of a demon.  Behind the altar is a set of chains and manacles staked between stone bricks and a leather bag filled with moldy bread and wolfsbane.  The stones around the altar have heavy long scratches as if the altar has been slid across them many times.

Beneath the altar is a rotting trap door leading 10 feet down to a stone crypt.  The crypt is a long thin passageway lined with grave niches.  The niches are filled with saintly relics and bones.  The floor is covered in ruined things, the nests of rats (1D4 Rat Swarms), and the bone filled armor of a long dead knight¹.  

 

At the far end of the crypt is a large sealed burial chamber.  Within are the bones of a dragon.

¹ the black dog will not stop any from burying the knight in the graveyard.

Running Downtime using Seasonal Phases

 

Warwick Goble

Seasons have 4 Seasonal Actions each representing about 3 weeks.  At the end of each Season, during the Seasonal Phase, you perform Seasonal Actions.  The number of Seasonal Actions taken is reduced for every 3 weeks (rounding up) spent traveling or adventuring.  Seasonal Actions can be anything from training (learning techniques, increasing skills), to research, to spreading rumors to working jobs.  

During the Seasonal Phase characters may also change alignment, and attributes.  When a player wants to increase attributes they must select two attributes and select one to be "reinforced" for each attribute starting with the reinforced one they roll a 1D6, on a roll of 5,6 they increase the attribute by one, on a roll of 3,4 the attribute remains the same, on a roll of 1,2 the attribute decreases by 1.  The reinforced attribute cannot decrease.

During the Winter Seasonal Phase, 5 Seasonal Turns are taken instead of 4.