Sunday, December 31, 2017

Krondor Wiki

Dave and I would like to invite everyone to contribute on the new Krondor wiki at:

http://krondor.lordsofhack.com

I'll send you all emails with instructions on how to log in and make changes. Please take some time and update your characters' sections and add any details you think are interesting that you would like to share.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

True Wisdom

From my daughter's Yu-Gi-Oh manga,  the message we all need to hear:


Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Campaign Ideas - More Paths to Adventure

I've been considering alternate ways for our PCs to get involved in adventures in Krondor. Dave and I have populated the Job Board with public-ish missions for our characters, but it occurs to me that perhaps we might offer alternate paths to adventure that are secret or character-driven. With that in mind, I will endeavor to also include a Current Events card draw for each session to spur the adventurers to action as well as a deck of Rumors appropriate to be heard in Newport and its nearby settlements.

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Now Available in Newport!


THE BRODE SODE

Martial Melee Weapon

15gp       

2d4 slashing, Versatile (1d10)

4 pounds


 

Monday, December 18, 2017

Awesome

Just found out that the Identify spell, while it has a material component of a 100gp pearl, that pearl is NOT consumed by the casting of the spell, but can be used over and over again.  


Most material components aren't consumed by the casting now, unless it clearly says so in the component section of the spell description.

Action Shot

Wun Hung Lo takes the fight to the kobolds right at the entrance to their mine!

Now on sale at All Things Dwarven


MIGHTY DWARF HAGGIS

5gp

2 pounds

Acts as 1 day’s ration

For Dwarves: cures 1d8+1 damage

For Gnomes, Halflings, Humans: cures 1d6 damage

For other characters: heals no damage

For Elves, Half-Elves and Half-orcs: inflicts 1 point of disease damage


 

Gods of Krondor: The Stranger

THE STRANGER


a.k.a.:  Lord Strange,   The Ravager, The Revenger


Alignment:  Chaotic Neutral


Domain:  War


Lore:  The Stranger is worshipped both by humans and by orcs as the embodiment of revenge.  His(?) face is always shrouded by a hood and he (?) has no known companions or associates.   In the Stranger's ethos, each person is required to avenge any insult or injury done to him, proportionally, or else the worshipper is seen as less than a full person.


Sayings:
  • An eye for an eye, a tusk for a tusk
  • Cruelty and Helpfulness are equally wasteful
  • Renewal through Destruction

First Draft: Game Day Sequence


Game Day Sequence:

 

1—Choose Characters for Session: characters chosen will be the active characters for entire session unless killed or otherwise taken out of action, in which case another character can be activated.


1a--If new month has started, pay maintenance now

 

2—Pick Job from Job Board or Independent Expedition

 

3—Shopping:   Timed: every 15 minutes of real time spent shopping causes one random encounter card draw

 

4—Begin Adventure

 

5—Dinner Time (maybe do downtime for non-active characters during dinner—unless time estimate too hard)

 

6—Continue Adventure

 

7—Wear and Tear

 

8— Cash-out



9-- (Downtime for non-active characters if not done at dinner time: if so, call game at 8:37 pm to allow time for wrap up)

Thursday, December 14, 2017

The Smirkenburg Mines

The Smirkenburg mines are a complex of natural and man-made caves abandoned over a century ago. It was started by colony of early settlers from a northern city-state named “Smirkenburg” who had settled areas throughout Krondor only to abandon them unexpectedly. There are rumors of other ruins from antiquity that might be found across the island. The mines are tucked in the rough cliffs and highlands above the rocky western shores of Newport Bay. Each of the The twenty-six mine entrances are identified simply by a letter. They are spread across a two-mile square area just above the cliffs overlooking the bay.

I expect we'll have the "Smirkenburg Temples" or "Smirkenburg Caverns" as well. Basically anytime we want some sort of randomly generated content we can all play. For Sunday, I've got an assortment of 26 random caverns for us to explore.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Grand Unified Random Encounter System




GRAND UNIFIED RANDOM ENCOUNTER SYSTEM


When to draw:

  • Each outdoor square the party passes through
  • Each day a group spends scouting an outdoor square
  • Each night spent encamped outdoors
  • Each 4 hours spent roaming around in a town or village during the day
  • Each turn spent up to no good in a settlement at night


Card Result:


Joker:  DM’s Choice/Special:  if PC spends inspiration, then PC’s choice


Spades: no encounter

Ace/Face Card: A hostile creature is perceived, but not encountered. Perhaps the PCs see spoor or the remains of a victim or hear a noise in the distance.

Number Card: A weather change event


Hearts:  potential helpful encounter

            Ace:  helpful healing hermit, cleric, druid

            King:  spirit or fey creature with helpful advice

            Queen:  convenient shelter or unknown dungeon

            Jack: helpful peddler with things to sell

            Number Card:  deer or wild boar to hunt, if desired, good pick pocketing target


Diamonds: encounter with humans or demi-human locals

            Ace:  Noble, Knights or Leaders with soldiers

            Face Card:   Patrol (Knights, Archers and/or Guards or the like as appropriate)

            Odd numbered Card:   thieves, bandits, cultists, perhaps disguised as commoners

            Even numbered card:   commoners doing their business


Clubs:   potentially hostile encounter

            Wilderness:

            Ace/Face Card:  serious monster (probably owlbears), coming right for you

            Odd Number Card: Orc or goblinoid raiders

            Even Number Card:  other wilderness monster (use Xanathar’s Guide)

            Urban:

            Ace/Face Card:  Potentially hostile NPC with entourage

            Odd Number Card:  The Town Watch

            Even Number Card:  roll city encounter from Xanathar’s Guide

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Multi-classing

While I find 3rd and 5th edition Multi-classing to be kind of cheesy.  I reckon I really don't have a strong enough reason to demand that we not use it.   I would suggest that if you take a level in a new class, you have to spend one session inactive first.

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Next Game

If it interests all of you, I would like to volunteer to start play "in medias res" with this job offered by the Harbormaster.

"About an hour's boat ride out is a beacon built by the Royal Krondor Trading Company just in the past decade to keep ships from joining the graveyard of trading vessels who have run aground navigating in rocks just below the surface in the dark. It has been manned by a keeper and his servant, and would receive supplies weekly to keep the beacon burning each night during sailing season. This season alone, the beacon has already been attacked twice. Each time the keeper was found murdered and the beacon sacked of all obvious valuables. I think it's an inside job since the past two servants were halflings - probably associated with the pirates who regularly sail these waters! Also, some really valuable stuff was left up on the high shelves. Those punters are short!"

"I can't station a whole garrison of troops there. They would be too obvious, and the pirates wouldn't make their move. Instead, I want a group of rat-catchers like yourselves to hide in the beacon and counterattack once something smells fishy. Take the fight back to these pirates! If you can keep the beacon lit throughout fifth-month, you can keep anything you take from the pirates and I'll see that those of you who last are paid 150 gold each."

If we have time after this adventure, we will do a "lightning round" discussing what we all want to do with our downtime characters, and perhaps mount an expedition to the abandoned Smirkenburg Mine directly to the West across Newport Harbor (SQUARE V29).

Game Schedule

Our next game is Sunday, December 17, which is just fine, will go as planned.

The next game would be December 31, which is New Years Eve, and obviously doesn't work.

I'm inclined to have the game on Monday January 1, at 4 pm.   I know not everyone could make it, but I have to take Annie back to school the following Sunday.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Game Notes

Maintenance for first few games:   I think it would be best to not worry about maintenance for the next game, maybe two.    Let's say that we all cashed in some money from the ship wreckage and spent it on living expenses.    We all will have maximum hit points for the rest of "Fifth-month" (May) and we will have the in-game calendar move at a slow pace for a game or two.   When "Fifth-Month" is over, then we will start paying monthly expenses and rolling hit points.


Mandatory Rest:   I do want to institute the mandatory rest rule.   If your character is brought to 0 hit points during a game session, he must rest the next session (unless we stop in mid-quest out in wilderness or dungeon) and you must play one of your other characters.    We will ignore this rule for events that happened last session, but starting next game the rule becomes effective.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Establishing the In-Game Calendar

The in-game calendar goes as follows.


Year:
The beginning year is 1173 of the 12th Age of the World (a new age begins when all the long-lived Grey Elves who are alive at the end of the last age have died, this typically lasts somewhere from 2000 to 3000 years).  Each year is 336 days long.


Months:
Each year has 12 months, each month is 28 days long.  The months are named by their numerical order:
First-Month, Second-Month, Third-Month, Four-Month, Fifth-Month, Sixth-month, Seventh-Month, Eight-Month, Ninth-Month, Tenth-Month, Eleventh-Month, Twelfth-Month


These, weather and season-wise, correspond to our 12 months  (i.e., First-Month = January,  Eight-month equals August).


Days of the Week
The days of the week are the same as ours, but since there are exactly 4 weeks in each month, the days of the week always fall on the same dates, every month:
Monday:  day 1, 8,  15,  22
Tuesday:  day 2, 9, 16, 23
Wednesday: day 3, 10, 17, 24
Thursday:  day 4, 11, 18, 25
Friday:  day 5. 12. 19.26
Saturday:  day 6. 13. 20, 27
Sunday:  day 7, 14, 21, 28

Monster Saves

It occurred to me in our game last night that we might consider asking PC players to roll to see if a monster fails its saving throw. It would really help the GM, and make some "save or suck" cantrips feel more like an attack.

When a character forces an opponent to make a saving throw, that player instead makes a saving throw check. The bonus to the d20 roll for a saving throw check equals the effect’s save DC − 8.

The DC for this check equals 11 + the target’s saving throw modifier. On a successful check, the character overcomes the target’s resistance and treats the target as if it failed its saving throw. On a failed check, the target is treated as if it succeeded on its save.

As with attacks, the saving throw check has advantage if the target would have disadvantage on its saving throw, and vice versa.

Xenon Points (XP) discussion: Proposal #2

Here's a sketch of a second version of the XP rules, based on our discussions last night.


  • When a player shows up for a game, all 3 of his characters get 1 XP
  • The character who takes part in the night's adventure gets an additional XP
  • If the players achieve the adventure goal (or achieve 500gp each in treasure taken if they are strictly treasure hunting), the participating character gets a third XP.
  • To advance to each level from 2-6 requires 6 XP
  • To advance to each level from 7-12 requires 9XP
  • To advance beyond requires 12XP per level
  • Whoever DM's the session gets the same XP as the average player for the session and an amount of gold equal to the average treasure take of the party (but no items).




Sunday, December 3, 2017

Preview: Escape from Goblin Island

A convoy of ships on the way to the island of Krondor has wrecked on a savage island.   Now, while a half dozen sailors work frantically to repair and launch a single ship,  a band of strangers, adventurers all, must protect the workers while a band of cannibal goblins and hobgoblins swarm toward the beach,  Sir Roderick of Heston, Bocephus the Gnome, and Walter, the Destroyer of Evil, have already assembled on the sands.  Who will join them?