Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Arcane and Deadly Objects

So here's a fun little thing I worked up a while ago. It's a d20 table for weird, esoteric, magical, or just downright dangerous weapons for use in Song of Blades and Heroes campaigns and scenarios. After reading the SoBH and SoGD random tables I recognized that the items, while practical and balanced, did not reflect the darkness and danger that I wanted to capture for the (then-nascent) Wyrdwold setting.

And then I came across this post on the Middenmurk blog...and I was utterly inspired (again. It is difficult to stress how much this blog has influenced me since I started reading it. If you haven't taken a look, you really should.) So without further ado, here are some of the things you might find in your huntings on the benighted fells of uttermost dithering, where the world is anything but 'practical and balanced:'



Feel free to download your own copy here. And if you want to cut straight to the rules without all of that stuffy prose complicating things (for instance, if you're actually playing a game or something) I've made a quick reference version here. Only the essential information, fits all on one side of one sheet.

Go ahead and leave a comment below for a foolish adventurer to find later...and for a prudent adventurer to ignore.

7 comments :

  1. I wouldn't want to throw the prose away, it would feel like throwing the skin away on fried chicken => COMPLETE NON-SENSE

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    1. =D I agree Assless - but even I have to admit that it's difficult to use the 'fluffy' table during a game because of all the text! But the second document is intended only as a quick-reference, not a replacement. Because you're right, that would be nonsense!

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  2. On the table 10 and 12 are listed as being The Blood Song and the Seven-Section-Staff, respectively.However, in the body of the document you have the Atgeir of Paracusia and the Meteor Hammer. In addition, the entry for the Atgeir still refers to the Blood Song within its rule text.

    Also, with the Vexatious Pomander, do your stats switch each turn to the next entry on the chart? Or do you look for your quality and then get the new combat score? That was unclear.

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    1. Good eye, Marc! Thanks for pointing those out. I've updated the PDFs and links correcting those two entries. I also added an explanatory example to the Vexatious Pomander which hopefully clarifies things.

      Thanks again for the feedback! I really appreciate it.

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    2. Oh... So they swap based on column? So for example a Q5+ C4 would become a Q3+ C2? (dunno if those stats are possible or likely, just for example).

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    3. Yeah, that's how I originally meant it. The idea is that the Pommander makes brainy characters into brutes and turns thuggish characters into tweedier ones.

      I am, however, a firm believer that once rules are out of the designer's hands, they belong thoroughly to the gamer. Use them in whatever way you think is coolest!

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