Map: Travellers’ Cavern

Posted on June 3, 2012 by

This cavern is located under a slab of rock within a grove of trees. From a distance it is difficult to see its true purpose. The PC’s may be able to walk right by it if they fail some sort of perception check. If they come across the slab the will realize that it has fallen and has etched runes on the side. If the PC’s are able to read the runes, it states:

“Greetings weary travellers. Proceed within to reach your next destination with ease.”

If one of the PC’s succeed on an Ink Knowledge or Rune roll, they will be able to see a protected well of Ink on the side that will move the slab to reveal steps down. The steps take the party down to a round room. They have now entered the cavern.

The cavern is no longer in operation. It looks to have been abandoned for a very long time. Some of the walls have caved in and taken away what once was a very clean look. Each room may contain remnants of items or even death.

If the PC’s stay to investigate further they may find out what happened to the cavern. (The cavern suffered total loss from an alchemist’s explosion. There was a small caravan that entered, then upon reaching the Merchant Hall one of the bottles of a liquid fell and exploded. Toxic gas and heat killed all living things within. This cavern was one of the least used Travellers’ Caverns and was forgotten.)

The two Gates at the end of the cavern will take the PC’s to different places within Inkworld.

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Inkworld – Source of Magic

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

There is a planet whose source of mana is Ink. There are two mediums used for the Ink. They are Parchment and Tattoos. The spells are written in Runes on the parchment or tattooed on the mage. The use of magic in this realm is very difficult to come by. Even though anyone has the opportunity to become a “magic user” the application of Ink is “taught” to those of worth. The Ink Masters decide who benefit from their craft. If one is fortunate enough to understand the use of Ink, then they decide who is taught its secrets. There are no central schools of magic or a guilds of users.

The use of Ink in essence is simple. In order for your to “learn” a spell it must be tattooed on your skin in Runes. Once the spell is tattooed it is considered learned. In most cases to activate the spell the user concentrates on the tattoo. The skill level is still bought as if you memorized the spell. The point costs to buy the spell are the same as the GURPS Basic Set Rules. Two differences are that Magery and spell perquisites are not used. If your system requires some other items, like regents, it is best to disregard them and treat the Ink as all you need. Ink is difficult to acquire, as is someone to apply it to the mage, parchment or item.

When the Ink is used on parchment the spell just needs to be read, either aloud or silently to work. The Runic language on the scroll or tattoo is in an uncommon language. You know the spell as long as you have the scroll and can read it. The scroll only has one use. Once it has been read the Ink becomes inert.

Magic items can be created using the parchment. It must be imbued into the item by a magical artisan. These individuals do not always possess the ability to use magic or create the parchments. They learn their craft and it is passed down from master to apprentice.

Casting a Spell – Tattoo

  • Low Skill Level (14 or less) – Concentrate on tattoo, speak the words and gesture.
  • Mid Skill Level (15-19) – Concentrate on tattoo, speak the words or gesture.
  • High Skill Level (20-24) – Concentrate on tattoo.
  • Ridiculously High Level (25+) – No ritual is required.

Casting a Spell – Parchment

  • The user needs only to read the Runes. Skill Level is based on IQ

Casting a Spell – Item

  • No ritual. Skill Level is based on IQ, unless user has the spell tattooed, then based on spell level.

I have based the skill levels and attributes to the GURPS ruleset. Because magic use in this world is rare, the PC’s should take Unusual Background or something similar in your favorite system. The points that it would cost should be up to the GM. For my group it is a 10 point advantage and the background for the character should reflect that.

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Dissension In The Party

Posted on April 29, 2012 by

Party dissension is something that most of us have had to deal with, either as a player or GM. How we handled it was sometimes not the best way. That could have stemmed from inexperience or youth. In any case dissension can lead to quick resolved arguments or players leaving.

As a player dissension is interesting because you are on one side of the argument. This is true even if you are neutral. That is still a side. You may be by yourself or have others with you. If you are alone and very stubborn the outcome may not be suitable to you. In most cases if the individual is alone they can be persuaded to come back into the fray. I remember a time during an adventure when a character refused to leave the town until he pick pocketed every citizen and plundered their homes. In the beginning it was fine and the GM did a couple of sidebars to keep him included in the adventure. Later it became annoying and we tried to pressure him into coming along. Nothing seemed to work until we threatened to kill his character. He finally relented and joined back up with us, but refused to do anything the rest of the night. He also refused to do anything for the next few adventures. He later left the group. That was not a very good way to deal with the dissension. I do not think that as a player much of anything would work with such an individual. The GM should step in these hard to handle situations.

Now if a few players have dissented then role playing may be the answer. Imagine being part of a group who is divided on a direction of travel or deciding the death of an NPC. Both scenarios are different but can cause the same angst. For the GM this can be an integral part of the adventure. Make the players role play the problem out. If they are role playing, feelings are less likely to be hurt. It is different when Gundar the barbarian is pressuring Smedly the thief to change his mind. Usually there is a decision made and the party continues on. A good GM will work this into the adventure and play on the characters’ arguments.

What happens when the party cannot agree? In the rare instances that I have experienced, we stopped play. As a GM I made sure that we discussed what happened and why. I took that information and made the next adventure better. On one occasion I was even able to pick up where the original adventure left off. I remember those problems as being caused by issues that were outside the realm of the characters and adventure. The players dissented because of issues they had with each other. During my playing and GM’ing years friends were never lost (true friends stick around) but players left. My hopes are that your groups are sound.

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