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Magic Battle Standards – Entry #1 into OSR Superstar Contest

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As promised, here is the first of my three entries into the OSR Superstar Contest. Actually, this is the version for AD&D. I will post all three items with the S&W Rules versions all together in one post.

1.) Magic Battle Standard

Court Wizards, and most wizards in general are reluctant to risk their lives on the battlefield. Even for those so inclined or “convinced” to serve their liege or powerful neighbor in battle prefer to maximize their effectiveness while avoiding the line of battle. Thus, magic items that increase the effectiveness of troops is a general way of helping and can spare the need for the wizard to actually step foot on the field of battle.

There are 4 types of standards. Normal unit/army insignias, Lesser Standards, Holy/Unholy Standards, and Greater Standards. Conscripts/peasants will usually not have magic standards unless the lord/leader has been particularly unlucky in battle yet managed to retain his standards. Level 5 standards are usually the standards of the overall leader of a force, or really big armies, as in huge kingdoms or empires may have such standards for leading generals.

Non-magic standards have an effect on battle. They signify the unit and it is a great honor to be the standard bearer. the presence of a standard with a body of troops add to their morale. A general standard with the basic arms of the lord/general/king has a +1 bonus to morale and reaction rolls. A unit specific banner with words or symbols specific to the unit add +5 to morale and reaction rolls. Should a standard fall, the unit must make a morale/reaction roll without the bonus. If the standard is recovered, it restores the bonus, but for each additional time it falls in the same battle, it reduces the roll by 1%.

Lesser Standards are basic magic items that give the bonuses to their troops, in addition to the bonuses of non-magic standards. The unit will have the unit symbol on their shields, helmets, or tabards.
The magic in the standards is generally to allow the bearer to maintain the honor of the unit by keeping the standard upright.
A level 1 standard enables the standard bearer to cast Protection from Evil and Shield once per day/battle, as 1st level magic user spells.
A level 2 standard has the abilities of a level 1 standard plus Detect Evil, Detect Invisibility, Mirror Image, and Strength once per day/battle, as 2nd level magic user spells.
A level 3 standard has the abilities of level 1 and 2 standards plus Protection from Evil, 10-foot Radius, and Protection from Normal Missiles, as 3rd level magic user spells.

Level 4
Confusion
Fear
Wall of Fire
Wall of Ice

Level 5
Cloudkill
Hold Monster

Holy/Unholy Standards will have the symbol of the religion/deity/cult with some differentiation for the unit. (Unholy standards can cast spells to benefit the bearer or against those attacking the bearer or his unit.) The unit will have the unit symbol on their shields, helmets, or tabards.
A level 1 Holy standard enables the standard bearer to cast Cure Light Wounds and Protection from Evil once per day/battle as 1st level cleric spells.
A level 2 Holy standard has the abilities of a level 1 standard plus Bless and Hold Person once per day/battle as 2nd level cleric spells.
A level 3 Holy standard has the abilities of level 1 and 2 standards plus Cure Disease and Prayer as 3rd level cleric spells.
A level 4 Holy standard has the abilities of levels 1, 2, and 3 standards plus Create Water, Cure Serious Wounds, Neutralize Poison, Protection from Evil, 10-foot Radius as 4th level cleric spells.
A level 5 Holy standard has the abilities of levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 standards plus Create Food, Dispel Evil, and Detect Magic as 5th level cleric spells.

Greater Standards are more powerful magic items that gain power as their units are successful in battle. The unit will have the unit symbol on their shields, helmets, or tabards.
These standards require the cooperation of wizards and clerics in their creation.
Level 1 Greater Standard has the abilities of a level 1 standard and a level 1 holy/unholy standard.
Level 2 Greater Standard has the abilities of a level 2 standard and a level 2 holy/unholy standard.
Level 3 Greater Standard has the abilities of a level 3 standard and a level 3 holy/unholy standard.
Level 4 Greater Standard has the abilities of a level 4 standard and a level 4 holy/unholy standard.
Level 5 Greater Standard has the abilities of a level 5 standard and a level 5 holy/unholy standard.

In addition to the above, greater standards allow the bearer to turn/control undead as a cleric of the same level as the standard.

By the very nature of the combined magics of a greater standard, these devices gain in power the more successful their units are in battle. A new standard must win ten battles for a 10% chance to add a miscellaneous ability. A new standard whose unit loses it’s first battle must win 15 battles for the 10% chance of a new ability.
Skirmishes and small actions where the unit easily wins are not as beneficial as an actual battle that requires effort and coordination for the unit. Five such skirmishes/easy wins are equal to one battle.

– Intelligence. Battle standard becomes intelligent as per rules for intelligent swords and is able to advise the bearer and help hinder/influence the battle.
– Random additional magic user defensive spell of same level as the standard.
– Random additional magic user offensive spell of same level as the standard.
– Random additional magic user offensive and defensive spell of same level as the standard.
– Random additional cleric defensive spell of same level as the standard.
– Random additional cleric user offensive spell of same level as the standard.
– Random additional cleric offensive and defensive spell of same level as the standard.
– Random additional cleric and magic user defensive spell of same level as the standard.
– Random additional cleric and magic user offensive spell of same level as the standard.
– Random spell of any level useable once per day.
– Holy standards permanent protection of evil 15′ radius. Unholy standard, protection from good.
– Permanent detect magic 10′ radius.
– Roll on benign effects table.
– Roll on adverse effects table.
– Roll on benign and adverse effects table.
– Increase to next level of standard. For standards at level 5 roll again on this table.

Benign Effects Table 1d10
– Unit fights as one level higher.
– Entire unit is healed of 1d6 hp once per battle.
– Entire unit is hasted 1d10 rounds into a battle. Re-roll at the beginning of each battle.
– Enemy unit facing the unit with standard is held as per hold person.
– Enemy unit facing the unit with the standard is slept as per sleep.
– Unit can fight 1d10 rounds past the point they would normally face exhaustion. Re-roll for each battle.
– Standard randomly summons a unit mascot. Something fitting the units reputation or insignia. Once there is a unit mascot roll again if this comes up until the mascot retires dues to age or infirmity or is killed in battle. If the mascot is killed in battle, there is a 10% change that a new mascot will be summoned and appear in 1d6 rounds. The mascot will stay near the banner and fight to protect the banner and the beater. Birds and smaller flying mascots will perch on the cross piece of the banner, other mascots will stay within 30 feet of the banner.
– Opposing unit(s) must roll save vs. fear as the spell.
– Units troops roll at +1 on 1d6th saving throw needed in a battle. Re-roll for each battle.
– Unit is not surprised/caught unawares by flanking attacks and ambushes.

Adverse Effects Table 1d8
– Random enemy unit is healed of 1-4 HP for each member.
– Units troops are slowed if attacked by specific humanoid type (kobolds, goblins, orcs, bugbears, etc.)
– Units troops are held as per hold person for one round 1d10 rounds into a battle.
– Units troops are confused 1 round as per spell confusion.
– Standard randomly summons a monster as per monster summoning.
– Standard attracts the attention of the most powerful single foe in the opposing force.
– Standard attracts the attention of the most renowned unit in the opposing force.
– Units troops roll at -1 on 1d6th saving throw needed in a battle. Re-roll for each battle.

Size and Shape:
Standards come in all sizes and shape and length of poles. They need to be big enough to communicate where a unit is on the field of battle, but not too big or unwieldly for the bearer to easily navigate the field of battle. The pole can be from six to ten feet in length. They could come with a strap to carry them like you see flag bearers use in parades, or a spike to plant it in the ground. Some banners could be on lances or spears, but this would depend on the culture/warrior code of the unit/army.

Planting the standard:
When a unit with a greater standard is in dire straights, they can “plant the standard” and stand and fight to the last man. Merely planting the standard is not enough, the unit commander must rally the unit around the standard. A successful morale/reaction roll will enable this action. This will negate their need to roll for morale for the remainder of the battle, and they will get a second wind and will each be healed 1d4 hit points. Should the unit somehow prevail or the cavalry arrives and the danger is at an end, the members of the unit will fall exhausted and unable to march for 1d8 hours. NOTE: Troops that do not have a warrior ethic or unit cohesion or a lawful alignment can’t do this. Orcs can do this when fighting elves, goblins when fighting dwarves, etc. But if the troops are conscripts, slaves, unruly, chaotic, or not a warrior culture, they can attempt this, but with a penalty.

Aura and Renown:
Successful and famous units will be known by their standard. This can cause others to refuse to face them in the line of battle and cause weak minded bullies to back down when encountering someone wearing the unit’s insignia. NOTE: Counterfeit insignia only works for so long, the bearer must be able to back up the symbol he wears.

Unsuccessful and infamous units will also be known by their standard and will attract derision and insults and possibly thrown rotten vegetables or even stones. A player who dons such a unit’s insignia is in for a big surprise at the first settlement when the unit is known.

Finding Battle Standards.
Battle standards will be common in barracks, forts, castles, and the homes of nobles and kings. Magic Standards will only be as common as the prevalence of magic in a campaign. for low magic settings, such items will be ancient and their manufacture will be lost to the mists of time, or only found in rare and hard to locate manuscripts.

It is possible that a standard might be found on an ancient battlefield. Evil standards would be destroyed by good forces and vice versa. However, greater intelligent standards can fight back, and might be buried and warded to keep out of the hands of like aligned forces.

Magic standards found in a dungeon/ruins/abandoned castle setting will have the appropriate amount of dust, but will not show signs of wear and tear. Good creatures and especially paladins and clerics will avoid unholy standards even if they are not magic. Intelligent unholy standards will attempt to attack paladins and good clerics, or vice versa Holy standards and anti-paladins and evil clerics.

For unintelligent standards, the players will have to find a sage or cast appropriate informational spells or find ancient manuscripts to explain their workings in low magic campaigns. In high magic campaigns the characters might have general knowledge that they exist, but will not know how to operate them, etc.

A small party or single adventurer using a standard can potentially gain some benefits. If the party does not have the same insignia as the banner, only the bearer will benefit unless the effect is an area of effect spell. As with rods, staves, and wands, they can be activated merely by touching an appropriate rune, or by the correct command, or by both command and touching a rune. Holy/Unholy Standards will usually require the battle cry or shouting the name of the deity to activate.

Dyson’s Dodecahedron has some handy tables for the appearance of Battle Standards NOTE: The last table has his take on magic standards. January 13, 2011 on Dyson’s blog. I wrote about them on my blog August, 2009.

 

 

RPGs

Sandbox Plus New Ideas

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I had an idea for a missing NPC. An artist, Trebor, who works odd jobs to support his wife and kids and allow free time to work on his art. He goes out south of town seeking pigments and items to make his paints, dyes, and glazes, and clay for his pottery. He is also planning to scout the ancient quarries for rock suitable for making statues. He goes out and is usually not gone more than one night. However, he has gone missing and had been gone two nights.

His wife is frantic and seeks out someone to find him.

This fit in with the direction the players planned to travel.

They had an encounter along the way, but managed to find him trapped atop a rock surrounded by kobolds. The players managed to defeat the kobolds and get the artist back home. His wife has promised to make them a good home-cooked meal.

This was just something that came to me off the top of my head and I added in to add some interest to the game. I didn’t need to do that, as I mentioned in a previous post, my youngest son’s character started a riot.

I still have one more NPC and family in the mix of NPCs in town.

While out walking the dog yesterday, I came up with a couple more.

Adding NPCs to the town to help flesh it out and bring it to life are difficult to just do, but when an idea comes up and I put it to use, they always seem to work well. Even dumb ideas I have, or I think are dumb, tend to work out when the players encounter the idea for an NPC, adventure, etc.

I find that thinking about building my world while doing mundane, thoughtless tasks, like walking the dog, doing dishes, laundry, etc. frees me to let ideas bubble to the surface and I don’t think about my troubles. Most of my troubles are of my own making and building my game world and the surroundings of the players gives me entertainment without having to spend a lot of money. Ten dollars buys a lot of graph paper, index cards, etc. I have computer equipment and other game materials that are paid for, so I don’t have to spend a lot to have fun.

I decided a couple years ago that I spent too much time on my career, more doing the work of the job, than working towards advancement in position or salary. I tried for a better position and it became clear to me that my nose is the wrong color for advancement. I am at a place in my job where it is as secure as it can be, and it is mine to lose, unless something happens out of left field. So I have a job that I know how to do and I can get paid a salary that pays my bills and helps me work down my debt. I will put in my 8 hours each day and come home. On my lunch break, I don’t worry about work. I can use my free time to take care of my house and yard, spend time with my dog, watch the few shows I follow on Hulu for free. I’ve gotten into an online D&D group that had an excellent first session and promises to be a long term one if the next few sessions go as well.

I have thought a lot about RPGs over the years and not allowed myself the time to explore and play. Now that I have given myself that freedom, things seem to be falling into place to be able to find people to play with and actually play. My own efforts as a DM have gone well each session, I just need to get more comfortable with parts of it. I am comfortable just making up things on the fly, but certain mechanics of the game I want to use the rules to give a framework, so I end up looking things up, like mining and construction. I don’t want to make some things up, as it will be way off one way or the other. One gets better as a DM by doing it more. I look forward to trying to use Google+ Hangouts and Roll20 with my sons to perhaps do a weekly game. I need to spend less time reading RPG blogs and fleshing out the bits of the sandbox. I have a key with some basics of what is there, but nothing worked up for more specifics. I need to stat that stuff out and then build an encounter table for the area. Probably the equivalent on one night’s RPG reading, blogging and other activities would get that done. I’m really good at the big, high-level aspect of designing a campaign. I don’t mean level as in PC level, but the larger framework of the campaign and themes. Getting into the details seems to grab my attention and the less important things end up with minute detail, and the things that really need that minute detail get the back-burner treatment. I plan this week to work on this. I am writing this on Sunday, March 23, 2014, so by the time this publishes on Sunday the 30th, I hope to have those items done.

RPGs

Killing Dieties

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I remember when Dieties and Demigods with the Cthulhu and Melnibone and other copyright violation mythologies were in it. Players and DM’s alike got the idea that if something has stats, it can be killed. I see the stats as a way to indicate the “avatar” of a divinity’s capabilities are. The “avatar” might be “killed”, but the divinity can’t be. For example, a god of magic could cast an illusion of his death. If the players fail their saves and believe it, how would they ever know? If they did figure it out, how would they ever get another chance?

One should be very careful playing at battling/confronting deities. They have countless minions of minute to great power to throw at you. How many saving throws will your +5 Holy Avenger make when it sees the test of battle with a host of evil? If it shatters, can it be remade? If not, is there another one somewhere in the world? Unless you are in a Monty Haul campaign, you won’t have +5 weapons and armor and lots of artifacts to rage against the gods.

I don’t like the idea that a deity can be killed. Players would be messing with the fabric of the universe. Even though we all had grand ideas of getting tough enough to go kill Tiamat, etc. it would be very difficult to do so and would have some sort of repercussions in the fabric of space and time, or tip the scales drastically in good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. If it were possible to kill a deity, make it very difficult, not just to kill the deity, but to get past all their minions. How many huge ancient red dragons can you beat by yourself? Of how many balrogs can you fight by yourself? If it is possible to kill an evil deity, it should be possible to kill a good one. What about an NPC party of powerful evil characters going to kill the head of the pantheon? What’s to stop them from doing that?

Can a wish bind a deity? In Greek mythology, the titans were displaced, but were not truly dead and defeated, there is the far off future when they might rise again. If they are “killed”, how long do they stay dead? Just as a PC can be raised, why not a deity. If they can be killed, then they can be raised.

If you are going to have your deities playing chess with players and other creatures as pawns, a la ancient Greek mythology, then perhaps you want to have a god-killer option, but be sure it makes sense and is consistent. Make it very hard for your players to learn of such a thing and put them through great trials were the dice that come up death to a character means a character dies and may not be able to be raised. Then go against the god(s).

 

RPGs

Divine Intervention

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As I watched “Jason and the Argonauts”, which is taken straight from Greek mythology, I thought about how much divine intervention there was.

The ancient Greek divinities were nothing more than super powerful beings exhibiting the traits of human kind to an exaggerated degree. They meddled in human affairs, played favorites in their schemes against other divinities, demanded respect and sacrifice from humans, and judged humans for the same acts they themselves performed. I’m not going into any theological or literary analysis here, since this is an RPG blog. I’m just looking at the game mechanics of it.

If you have a game where players get a lot of divine intervention, the examples of Greek mythology are one example. I am not as familiar with other mythologies and their acts of divine intervention, so I will use them as the extreme example on one end of the spectrum.

The Greeks had oracles in locations all over the shores and islands of the Aegean Sea. The locations of the oracles where also often the site of temples to specific deities. There were shrines and temples all over. The biggest temple in a city was for the patron deity of the city. Of course, that model is each city being a city-state with a city controlling a surrounding territory. They had all kinds of different forms of governments from monarchies to democracies, with oligarchies and dictators among them.

They had nature spirits, like nyads and dryads, demi-gods like Herakles, and a full pantheon with a king and queen of the gods and gods for every purpose. There are even the titans, the old gods, overthrown and replaced by the current ones.

The myths are full of stories of everyday people who do some affront to a god and are punished for it, or are one some great quest or series of quests from the gods, or agents of the gods. From the myths, it seems that a rules system like that would make it relatively easy to get the gods involved. Insulting the gods seems to be the best way to get their attention.

Some other RPG setting would have a middle of the road mythology where the ability to draw the positive or negative attention of the gods is indeed rare. Some games this might be limiting clerics to gaining their spells, even though AD&D 1st edition says that 6th or 7th level spells are granted directly by the cleric’s diety, assuming they are in good standing.

I have read of other RPG settings where the campaign has little or no contact from the gods and few to no real clerics. To me, this is a little too far for my taste. How about magic in such a situation? Is it more or less powerful? Does it take the place of the gods?

Personally, I don’t feel comfortable doing too much work on a religious system for my campaign setting(s). I don’t like using real mythologies for divinities. I can see skinning a real world mythology and changing the names to speed things up, or making a few main divinities for weather, harvest, sea, death, magic, etc.

In my brother, Robert’s campaign, he has a diety called, The Justice Maker. There are no temples to him, at least non that we have ever encountered. He is true neutral and holds the scales of judgement. One time a player was in trouble and yelled, “Help me, anybody.” and rolled something like 01 out of 100, and “fortunately” got The Justice Maker, who in return for his aid, required a service that had to be done within the bounds of one’s alignment or have it shifted. My character, a cleric to a different diety, somehow got sucked into helping with that quest. Robert is quite the artist and he made a painting of The Justice Maker. He is a figure with a faceless helmet, with a billowing cloak about him, and in his hand is a point-down sword where the hilt functions as the beam to the scales of justice. My words can’t do the painting justice, ugh sorry for the pun.

My character once got divine intervention from his diety to help make a crystal ball, but had to trade most of his magic items, build a temple, and do another great service. That was expensive in magic, treasure, time, and risk.

The same character later sought intervention again, but there is some table weighted by how often or recently we last had aid. Robert always hams it up, and says, “Diety’s hotline, how may I help you?” Or he says there is a busy signal, or no signal, or you get somebody else. The somebody else bit can be really bad if you are in alignment deviation territory. Since my fighter/magic-user/cleric has been faithful to his diety, while not getting his diety, got a demi-god assistant, who is now Griswald’s patron.

I believe we have a base 10% chance for divine intervention. Doing really great deeds that further the cause of law or good or the main bent of our deity helps as do actions that directly help the diety’s aims. It is not as divine intervention heavy as Greek mythology conveys, but there is a back story of good vs. evil on an epic level. Sometimes the characters get a glimpse of that, and take part. For example, Griswald has Orcus mad at him for desecrating a temple to Orcus. As a hero type, Griswald has made a lot of enemies among the really nasty types, and due to politics among the not so bad types has some of them for enemies too.

 

RPGs

Ray Harryhausen Skeletons

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I watched “Jason and the Argonauts” over the weekend. I made note that the skeletons were hard to kill. I had edged versus blunt weapons in the back of my mind as I watched the three men battle seven skeletons.

I can see how this would have influence Gary Gygax in his description of skeletons.

I wondered that since these were from hydra teeth if there were more than just mere animated dead, but somehow required a magic weapon to hit or something. I noticed that at least one had the skull knocked off and it appeared to go down, but it was not shown as staying down or not.

This gives me an idea for a twist on skeletons that may or may not be combined with a hydra’s teeth. I am not sure I will ever get to use such an idea, but it sounds like fun!

RPGs

Rule of 9’s

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Way back when I was a volunteer firefighter/EMT.

During EMT training we learned about the “Rule of 9’s” that is used for estimating the percentage of body area that is burned. For an adult, the head is 9% each arm is 9%, the front of the torso is 18% and that back 18%, each leg is 18% and finally, the groin is 1%. One of my classmates said, “Nuh-uh! That’s 100%!!”.

I have wondered what utility this could be for use in RPG’s. It could be used for surface area hit by burning oil, acid, dragon breath, etc. However, would it be useful in to hit tables? I don’t want a totally realistic combat system, that would take forever for a single one on one fight.

I can see it used for a critical hits/fumbles table. I am not a math whiz and the best at designing such things, but it is an idea I wanted to write down for future exploration, and to get the idea out there in case someone else might be interested.

RPGs

Where Is It?

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With AD&D not every table is summarized in an appendix like it is in retro-clones. I don’t have an later D&D rulebooks, so I don’t know about them. For example, there are three tables that are used for player character generation in the DMG, secondary skill, height, and weight. Only two of those are together, the third is back in the NPC generation tables. Combat tables and saving throws are in the same general area in the DMG and on the DM’s Screen, but I lost that part and had to print them off and make my own screen.

In addition to my mostly re-built collection of AD&D books, I have all of the books in PDF from DriveThruRPG. I have printed off the tables that I feel are needed most often, and plan to organize them with cut and paste, not in a word processor, but old school cut and paste, to collect them in a sense that makes sense to me. For example, all of the tables for character generation will be together to avoid page flipping.

The other issue I have is my DM’s Notebook. I organize things by topic, then I still can’t find it when I need it. I pull out the information relevant to the player’s current scenario and put it in a manila folder, or clip it together with a binder clip. Even the few dozen pages that might be get shuffled around going between my map and the monsters/opponents and any helper NPCs. That is the most frustrating part that slows down play.

I have two white plastic folding tables I use, one is a 6′ long 30″ wide table for players, then I put the 5′ serving table on the end to make a ‘T’ and I have an end table and a wooden TV tray on my left, for books and less needed stuff. To the right of the table is a desk in the living room with a short bookshelf next to it. I put my CD player on the bookshelf for incidental music. I sit with my back to my office/computer room. To the right of where I sit is a wall, which is for the closet in my office. I try not to spread out too much, so I can find stuff I need. Part of my struggle is that my sons and I don’t get to play very often, so any system I come up with fades from memory.

No matter how well I plan my organization to smooth out play, the plan never survives actual play. The same goes with planning the sandbox, the players always choose to go somewhere that I have planned the least, or planned so long ago, that I forget what I planned and need to review it.

These are the struggles of every DM/GM. Learning to go with the flow and let the player’s choose among their known options. They always seem to ignore the advice of NPCs, but still manage to find adventure and survive. The main things is that we have fun, and they want to keep playing. At least I have a hook to get them to spend time with me because they want to.

RPGs

Trick/Trap Idea

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I had an idea for a combination Trick/Trap.

It is a pit trap that is triggered by the first person to cross it. A combination of flash powder and a shaking thud from a huge stone going into place where the pit was. There is dust in the air and a small pile of dust where the former character stood.

To his companions, it appears that he was disintegrated. It would be funny to see them scoop up the “remains” for a burial or some small hope of resurrecting the deceased. Keep a straight face and go along with what they try to do.

To the character who sprung the trap, he is dropped down a chute and a 10′ x 10′ block goes into the area of the pit behind the character. The character then has to wait for rescue or figure out how to get back to the party.

At your discretion, the character can find a treasure and have an easy time of it, while his companions run into trouble.

Options:

  1. The pit trap re-sets in an hour.
  2. Instead of a pit trap use a teleporter that has a bright flash and dust fills the air and settles on the floor in a pile as dust from the destination trades places with the character. This resets in an hour and only the first character is affected. Be creative about where, how far the character is teleported.