Say, what are those travelers or laborers or peasants on your encounter list doing when they're encountered? There are lots of things for medieval travelers to be doing on the road. The key is knowing a few of them so you can give your setting that good old Medieval Feel.
What are the travelers doing?
1. Carrying life-sized plaster holy eikons to their hometown
2. Beating the brush with clubs and staves, searching for a lost mule or donkey
3. Spread out on the grass with their supper, willing to share wine and rumors
4. Fighting off goblins in a frantic melee
5. Filling their water at a nearby stream or river
6. Sitting and listening to a traveling musician (who may know some local rumors or even news of abroad)
7. Sparring with quarterstaves
8. Herding animals towards their town
9. Chopping wood in a small grove
10. On their way to worship at a shrine or coming from worship (being led by a priest of a random denomination)
11. Performing a sacred pilgrimage, led by 2d4 priests, processing around a mobile altar or relic
12. Watching two knights in a judicial duel
13. Hunting sparrows with slings
14. Beating the bounds of their town
15. Building a shrine in the wild with the direction of 1d6+2 priests
16. Performing a marriage in a field
17. A noble hunting party composed of 1d8 nobles, each with a retinue of 3d4 attendants, 2d12+4 beaters, and a host of chefs and falconers
18. 1d4 nobles out for a ride
19. Celebrating a local feast day, eating at tables set up in a field
20. Building a fire for a nighttime revel
Ruminations on fiction, roleplaying, and assorted irritants.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Some Thoughts on Pavement
THERE WASN'T A WHOLE LOT. This may blow the minds of people who've been playing video games or watching movies wherein every other street is paved with cobblestones or flags. The Showtime show the Borgias actually does a good job of portraying Florence as a city without pavement, which is what most medieval cities would present. In the 10th Age, only the major urban centers like Miles, Bataille, and Tourons still have paved streets (with some exceptions, like elvish capitals).
As such, there are some things to keep in mind. Any time there's bad weather, the city streets will boil with mud or slush. The same goes for high roads that are not paved in the Roman style. Thus...
Weather Type Initiative Penalty To-hit Penalty
Light Rain +1 none
Moderate Rain +2 -1
Heavy Rain +4 -2
Snow (fresh) +1* none
Snow (deep) +4* -2
Ice +2* -2**
*on a 10, the character must make a dex check or fall down
**on a 1, 2, or 3 the character must make a dex check or fall down
As such, there are some things to keep in mind. Any time there's bad weather, the city streets will boil with mud or slush. The same goes for high roads that are not paved in the Roman style. Thus...
Weather Type Initiative Penalty To-hit Penalty
Light Rain +1 none
Moderate Rain +2 -1
Heavy Rain +4 -2
Snow (fresh) +1* none
Snow (deep) +4* -2
Ice +2* -2**
*on a 10, the character must make a dex check or fall down
**on a 1, 2, or 3 the character must make a dex check or fall down
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Playing Servants, Part the Third: The Levyman
Levyman
Thief Kit OR Fighter Kit
Description: The levyman is in actuality a form of farmer; however, for the purposes of this kit, it is assumed that this farmer has actually experienced some combat at the guidance of his lord. Levies are called up from among the common farm folk: freeholders and tenant-holders alike are required to serve in the lord's levy. Levymen may have recieved some training in the local castle bailey and may even have been required to serve as guards on the castle walls. They are primarily agriculturalists, but it is many a man who has gone off to war only to return to the discovery that some rival baron has burnt down his farm.
Fighter levymen generally represent either more veteran or better-trained forces. These have probably served on at least one campaign, or have just been outfitted to do so and well-drilled by the castellan or master at arms. Thief levymen are poorer at combat, having been either badly trained or quite green. Service as a levyman can sometimes lead to mercenary work or even outlawry when that service is over, particularly if the place the levyman called home no longer exists.
Weapon Proficiencies: All levymen, thieves and fighters both, can choose from the following weapons for their starting proficiencies: spear, pike, staff, club, knife, dagger, throwing knives, hand axe, throwing axe, sickle, short bow, long bow (hunting bow). After their first level, levymen may learn any weapon they please. Fighter levymen may also become proficient in the crossbow if they were outfitted as bowmen by their lord.
NWPs: All levymen must pick one of the following proficiencies to represent their background as common folk: hunting, fishing, farming, animal training (any), animal handling. Other likely NWPs include: firebuilding, dancing, cooking, singing, instrument (any), craft (any).
Equipment: Levymen are equipped at the expense of their lords. Fighters may choose to begin the game with either a leather jack (leather armor) and a round shield (medium shield) and then be given normal starting funds, or with one of their chosen weapons, a shirt of mail, and a medium shield and then only be permitted 1d10gp to spend on other incidentals (including clothing). Thieves may only start with the first option.
Special Benefits: The benefits to being a former levyman are that the lord probably has great respect for you. You can begin play with a farm and all its attendant trappings. Roll a d100 to determine your tenancy status:
1-50. Tenancy
61-80. Freeholding
81-00. Serfdom
The only difference between these three states is the way in which ownership of land is transferred and whether or not you can strike out on your own. In any case, transfer of land from the PC to another character would require a fee paid to the lord as well as his consulting rights on the new purchaser. Being a serf requires certain more intense duties to the lord as well.
To determine the value of your farm, roll on the table below. This is the number of hides of land you own. Without a family, it will be impossible to work all this land without recourse to hiring laborers. Land income per hide is generally measured by the yield of its ground and the type of crops planted. Depending on how granular you want to be, an entire system follows.
How much land do I own?
1-50. Half Virgater (1/8th hide)
51-80. Virgater (1/4th hide)
81-90. Great Farm (1/2 hide)
91-95. Landlord (1 hides)
96-00. Village Rich Man (1d4 hides)
One hide is roughly 120 acres. Thus, a half-virgater has 15 acres while a virgater has 30. The yields of various crops are listed below, with the per-bushel price as well. Format is for a poor/average/good year.
How much can I get of... from...
Rye (winter) - 6/18/21 bushels per acre from 4 bushels of seed, valued at 1sp per bushel
Wheat (winter) - 5/9/14 bushels per acre from 2 bushels of seed, valued at 2sp per bushel
Oats (spring) - 12/18/29 bushels per acre from 4.5 bushels of seed, valued at 13cp per bushel
Peas (spring) - 5/9/14 bushels per acre from 3.5 bushels of seed, valued at 4cp per bushel
The average income of each level of farmer, then (assuming peas and wheat each year, though the fields should be rotated), is...
Half-virgate: 200sp from winter wheat, 20sp from spring peas
Virgater: 400sp from winter wheat, 40sp from spring peas
Great Farmer: 800sp from winter wheat, 80sp from spring peas
Landlord: 1600sp from winter wheat, 160sp from spring peas
Village Rich Man: anywhere from landlord to 6400sp per annum
Special Hinderances: Owing 2-3 days of land service to your lord if you retain your farm. Paying fees on transference or death (hereot and selling fees) and being called into service for 40 days each year to fight or serve as a castle warden.
Races: Any race may be a levyman, though gnomes, halflings, and humans are by far the most common.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Playing Servants, Part the Second: The Squire
The idea of playing servants springs from the medieval omnipresence of people serving other people in some capacity or other. This post is a sequel to the first part, which contains the Groom kit.
Squire
Warrior Kit
Description: Squires are proto-knights. This kit might also be called the 'knight' kit, but that would make it sound a lot more glamorous and not really give the player the notion of just what exactly was going on in the first few levels of being a squire. Essentially, they are this: a squire is generally noble (taking this kit from a non-noble background is possible but requires some forethought and explanation, working with the DM). Around the age of eight, noble boys are generally fostered off to serve as a Page to some lord or overlord that their parents want to form a bond with. While this is most often someone of higher social standing, it may also be someone of equal social standing (indicating a horizontal alliance), or perhaps of equal or less standing but with greater resources. Either way, when that Page turns 14 he becomes a Squire.
Squires generally expect to be knighted after serving on at least one campaign. They begin play as younger than most PCs (14+1d4 years old rather than 16) indicating their tendency towards a lower age range. They are also in the service to a knight or lord, and generally amongst a number of other squires doing the same. If the DM and player cannot decide on the number of other squires present serving the lord, feel free to simply roll 1d6-1 to determine the compatriots the squire has. The DM will have to generate personalities and alignments for all these characters by whatever means he deems suitable.
The PC will be directly subservient to a knight or lord, responsible for cleaning weapons and armor, serve as a cupbearer at meals, and otherwise kowtow in the hopes of establishing a lasting bond.
Weapon Proficiencies: Squires under 16 may not begin play with specialization. They are required to take a weapon proficiency in dagger, arming sword, and lance. Their last slot is theirs to choose.
NWPs: Squires generally learn etiquette and heraldry first and foremost; they spend no time learning reading and writing in general. However, individual squires may vary in their appetites and thus there are no required profs here except riding.
Equipment: Squires are taken care of by their lord. They receive 5d6x10gp to buy equipment and must return everything unspent over 25gp after purchase.
Special Benefits: Squires can reasonably expect to be knighted after showing valour on the field or achieving the 3rd level, whichever comes first. Those who are not heirs to their patrimony (generally anyone who is not 1st in the birth order, though the laws of certain kingdoms may allow partible inheritance or selection of an heir outside of the primogenetic one) can also expect their services with their lords to continue indefinitely if they establish a good relationship. By the time they are knighted (becoming a "Sir," or "Sieur" in the Third Empire and most surrounding lands), if they retain a good relationship with their lord and are not the heirs of their land, they will be granted 5 hides of land (which supports 20 or so peasant families) as a knight's fee to retain their service.
This territory generates, on average, 750sp/house (for a total of 15,000sp/annum) or 3,000sp/hide/annum if there are enough men to work it. Of course, these men are assumed to work their own fields for 3-5 days a week. This income (1,500gp/annum) is expected to pay for all weapons and harness (medieval term for armor) of the knight as well as for him to outfit and equip 5 or so peasants from his territory to serve as a levy in case they are called. This fee or duty is to serve his lord in an army for up to 40 days without pay (save food). If the year is better or worse, the soil better or worse, adjust the income appropriately.
A knight in service to his king may expect a fiefdom at level 9 if he has performed well, served as good counsel, and otherwise made himself indispensable to his king. Knights of other lords generally will not receive land at level 9, but may be given important posts before that. Once knighted they can be named seneschals, stewards, or bailiffs of any territory their lord rules. A count or baron generally holds between one and ten towns (possessing 200-500 people each) and at least one central village (possessing around 1,200 people, or 300 households).
Knighting Ceremony: This is generally a brief ceremony and can be performed just as easily on a battlefield as in a temple or a castle yard. Knights in the 10th Age are made by kneeling before their lord, placing their hands within his, and swearing to be his leal servant. The knight is then slapped or cuffed hard enough to bruise him to remind him of his duty and asked to rise. There is no temple involvement, as the 10th Age is still very much in the early medieval/late classical mode and the ceremony remains one of the military elite, not something controlled by the crown.
Special Hinderances: Squires, unless they serve the king, never get land grants at level 9. They must obey their lord in all things and tend towards the Lawful alignment (though this is by no means required).
They are saddled with a master who may be of any alignment the DM chooses, or his alignment and rank may be rolled on the following weighted tables. The increased rank of evil characters takes into account the desire of one's parents not to send the child to a bastard—thus, if the character is evil, there is generally some other consideration at play, such as increased power of a patron.
Lordly Tables
Alignment (d20)
1-8. LG
9-10. LN
11. LE (add +1d4 on the rank table)
12-13. CG
14. CE (add +1d8 on the rank table)
15-17. NG
18-19. TN
20. NE (add +1d6 on the rank table)
Rank (d20)
1-5. Lowly Baron (1d4 towns, 1 village)
5-8. Baron (2d4 towns, 1 village with a 20% chance of a second)
9-10. Count (2d8 towns, 1d4 villages)
11-13. Great Count or Duke (2d10 towns, 1d8 villages)
14-15. Counsellor of the King (holds a court title, roll again for rank, do not add alignment bonus)
16-17. Key Land (holds an important fortress or march, roll again for rank, do not add alignment bonus)
18. Great Counsellor (holds a court title, roll again for rank, do not add alignment bonus, add +1d6 instead)
19. Heir to the Throne (as a Great Count or Duke, plus he will be king someday)
20+. The King (you know)
Races: While any race may become a knight, only Wind Elves in Arunia have a comparable practice of knighting and knighthood in their own culture. Generally, races will only serve their own as knights, though the smallfolk (being well-integrated in pastoral life) may serve either elves or humans with some frequency.
Squire
Warrior Kit
Description: Squires are proto-knights. This kit might also be called the 'knight' kit, but that would make it sound a lot more glamorous and not really give the player the notion of just what exactly was going on in the first few levels of being a squire. Essentially, they are this: a squire is generally noble (taking this kit from a non-noble background is possible but requires some forethought and explanation, working with the DM). Around the age of eight, noble boys are generally fostered off to serve as a Page to some lord or overlord that their parents want to form a bond with. While this is most often someone of higher social standing, it may also be someone of equal social standing (indicating a horizontal alliance), or perhaps of equal or less standing but with greater resources. Either way, when that Page turns 14 he becomes a Squire.
Squires generally expect to be knighted after serving on at least one campaign. They begin play as younger than most PCs (14+1d4 years old rather than 16) indicating their tendency towards a lower age range. They are also in the service to a knight or lord, and generally amongst a number of other squires doing the same. If the DM and player cannot decide on the number of other squires present serving the lord, feel free to simply roll 1d6-1 to determine the compatriots the squire has. The DM will have to generate personalities and alignments for all these characters by whatever means he deems suitable.
The PC will be directly subservient to a knight or lord, responsible for cleaning weapons and armor, serve as a cupbearer at meals, and otherwise kowtow in the hopes of establishing a lasting bond.
Weapon Proficiencies: Squires under 16 may not begin play with specialization. They are required to take a weapon proficiency in dagger, arming sword, and lance. Their last slot is theirs to choose.
NWPs: Squires generally learn etiquette and heraldry first and foremost; they spend no time learning reading and writing in general. However, individual squires may vary in their appetites and thus there are no required profs here except riding.
Equipment: Squires are taken care of by their lord. They receive 5d6x10gp to buy equipment and must return everything unspent over 25gp after purchase.
Special Benefits: Squires can reasonably expect to be knighted after showing valour on the field or achieving the 3rd level, whichever comes first. Those who are not heirs to their patrimony (generally anyone who is not 1st in the birth order, though the laws of certain kingdoms may allow partible inheritance or selection of an heir outside of the primogenetic one) can also expect their services with their lords to continue indefinitely if they establish a good relationship. By the time they are knighted (becoming a "Sir," or "Sieur" in the Third Empire and most surrounding lands), if they retain a good relationship with their lord and are not the heirs of their land, they will be granted 5 hides of land (which supports 20 or so peasant families) as a knight's fee to retain their service.
This territory generates, on average, 750sp/house (for a total of 15,000sp/annum) or 3,000sp/hide/annum if there are enough men to work it. Of course, these men are assumed to work their own fields for 3-5 days a week. This income (1,500gp/annum) is expected to pay for all weapons and harness (medieval term for armor) of the knight as well as for him to outfit and equip 5 or so peasants from his territory to serve as a levy in case they are called. This fee or duty is to serve his lord in an army for up to 40 days without pay (save food). If the year is better or worse, the soil better or worse, adjust the income appropriately.
A knight in service to his king may expect a fiefdom at level 9 if he has performed well, served as good counsel, and otherwise made himself indispensable to his king. Knights of other lords generally will not receive land at level 9, but may be given important posts before that. Once knighted they can be named seneschals, stewards, or bailiffs of any territory their lord rules. A count or baron generally holds between one and ten towns (possessing 200-500 people each) and at least one central village (possessing around 1,200 people, or 300 households).
Knighting Ceremony: This is generally a brief ceremony and can be performed just as easily on a battlefield as in a temple or a castle yard. Knights in the 10th Age are made by kneeling before their lord, placing their hands within his, and swearing to be his leal servant. The knight is then slapped or cuffed hard enough to bruise him to remind him of his duty and asked to rise. There is no temple involvement, as the 10th Age is still very much in the early medieval/late classical mode and the ceremony remains one of the military elite, not something controlled by the crown.
Special Hinderances: Squires, unless they serve the king, never get land grants at level 9. They must obey their lord in all things and tend towards the Lawful alignment (though this is by no means required).
They are saddled with a master who may be of any alignment the DM chooses, or his alignment and rank may be rolled on the following weighted tables. The increased rank of evil characters takes into account the desire of one's parents not to send the child to a bastard—thus, if the character is evil, there is generally some other consideration at play, such as increased power of a patron.
Lordly Tables
Alignment (d20)
1-8. LG
9-10. LN
11. LE (add +1d4 on the rank table)
12-13. CG
14. CE (add +1d8 on the rank table)
15-17. NG
18-19. TN
20. NE (add +1d6 on the rank table)
Rank (d20)
1-5. Lowly Baron (1d4 towns, 1 village)
5-8. Baron (2d4 towns, 1 village with a 20% chance of a second)
9-10. Count (2d8 towns, 1d4 villages)
11-13. Great Count or Duke (2d10 towns, 1d8 villages)
14-15. Counsellor of the King (holds a court title, roll again for rank, do not add alignment bonus)
16-17. Key Land (holds an important fortress or march, roll again for rank, do not add alignment bonus)
18. Great Counsellor (holds a court title, roll again for rank, do not add alignment bonus, add +1d6 instead)
19. Heir to the Throne (as a Great Count or Duke, plus he will be king someday)
20+. The King (you know)
Races: While any race may become a knight, only Wind Elves in Arunia have a comparable practice of knighting and knighthood in their own culture. Generally, races will only serve their own as knights, though the smallfolk (being well-integrated in pastoral life) may serve either elves or humans with some frequency.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Off course!
One of the most common occurrences in the world of oceanic navigation before reliable and strong methods of self-propulsion became commonplace (eg, the world of sail and oar, which extends back from the early 19th century into the dimness of the farthest antiquity) is the danger of coming upon a storm or wind that forces you away from where you intended to go. Sea travel, as I have noted elsewhere, was a dangerous proposition in the Middle Ages and Classical World; sometimes ships simply would never arrive, having been taken by the deep.
Since I can't seem to find the post I'm thinking of wherein I enumerated the various hazards of the deep and the ways around them, I will replicate the chart I made for deep sea encounters here. Anyway, getting blown off course or being forced towards a different location by a storm or other weather event was fairly common. Sea travel was so much faster than landward travel that the risk was still worth it.
Presented below is the old chart/article I wrote for the Grognard which I was going to flesh out into an "issue" about the sea. Also, don't worry, there are more servile kits coming.
Since I can't seem to find the post I'm thinking of wherein I enumerated the various hazards of the deep and the ways around them, I will replicate the chart I made for deep sea encounters here. Anyway, getting blown off course or being forced towards a different location by a storm or other weather event was fairly common. Sea travel was so much faster than landward travel that the risk was still worth it.
Presented below is the old chart/article I wrote for the Grognard which I was going to flesh out into an "issue" about the sea. Also, don't worry, there are more servile kits coming.
SPICING UP THE SEA
Sea journeys take much less time than land journeys and there are fewer opportunities to throw random encounters at the PCs due to both the geography and the travel-time. However, in Arunë there are two important sea gods that must be respected if you are ever going to get anywhere. The first is Vodei, the vicious old man of the sea; the second is Meri, the Lady of the Waters. One is inimical and one is friendly, but both must be appeased if a ship is to sail.
Here you will find information on the Wrath of the Sea, which is called upon when Vodei is angry and the Bounty of the Lady, which is called upon when Meri blesses a vessel.
|
Situation
|
Base Chance (without modifiers)
|
|
Captain has no amulet |
5% base |
|
Captain has an amulet of Vodei |
2% base |
|
Captain owned an amulet but it has become broken or lost |
10% base |
|
Modifiers for...
|
Chance of Incurring Wrath
|
Negated by
|
|
For every sailor onboard |
+.25% increase |
a single copper offering |
|
Captains |
+10% base chance |
a 100gp offering |
|
For every Adventurer |
+1% increase |
a 10gp offering |
|
For every 1000gp worth of cargo |
+1% increase |
a 10gp offering |
|
d10 Roll
|
Effect
|
|
1-3 |
Vodei sends one of his Sturms |
|
4 |
Doldrums, the ship is immobilized for 1d12 days |
|
5 |
Spoiled Food, all food onboard has mysteriously gone bad |
|
6 |
Unseen Reef, the ship runs aground on a reef that is not on the charts |
|
7 |
Merfolk Attack, merfolk worshipping Vodei assault the ship to drag down its crew and passengers as a sacrifice |
|
8 |
Dry Lightening, the ship is struck by lightening from a clear sky and catches fire |
|
9 |
Deep Sea Monster, the ship is attacked by a beast of the deeps |
|
10 |
Vodei, the old Man himself appears to sink the ship |
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
What Realm Works (and what doesn't)
So the kind folks over at Lone Wolf were gracious enough to give me access to a review copy of their Realm Works software which is, as it appears, a note-taking aid for GMs. My first hurdle is one I experience all the time: it's only for PCs, which means I had to dig up a copy of VMWare Fusion to install and run it. Ok, fair enough, I'm no stranger to emulation. Hell, I ran a boot camp copy of windows off my main computer for 3 years before I decided the hell with it.
Salient points, for those of you who don't want to read an essay:
Salient points, for those of you who don't want to read an essay:
- I already, manually, do all the things Realm Works does.
- If you have a deeply complicated setting already built with reams of notes, digitizing them all into the Realm Works format is a daunting task
- It does provide very interesting ways to manipulate your data
In summarizing these points, I realize that Realm Works is like any database software anywhere; it has a massive entry cost if you haven't started your project using it, that not really compensated by its flexibility and the ease of manipulating your data. In this case, because for me most of the relationships that it can display are already firmly ingrained in my head after five years of developing the 10th Age setting. To put it another way, if I was starting a new setting, I might very well use Realm Works to help me organize everything. As it is, my own setting has been digested and redigested, thought about and re-thought about, to the point where I can almost instantly access any piece of information about it that I want, rearrange that information to make sense in a different way, and just know by muscle memory certain inter-informational or meta-informational relationships.
I make thought maps. Realm Works makes thought maps. I make relationship maps between characters, nations, etc. So does Realm Works. The problem for me is, with Realm Works, I have to plug in a LOT of information that is written down in other places.
I can see what makes Realm Works really great. I could build a setting using it. Unfortunately, my setting has a history that precludes easy integration. I'm going to continue puttering with it, slowly updating the data there, fleshing out things I hadn't thought about, etc. Perhaps someday the box full of notes that I keep will make it into Realm Works... but I strongly feel that the skills I've developed to keep my setting organized in my mind and on paper are going to override my desire to enter information into a new system.
I recommend everyone try it out to see if it suits them, because for those it suits I imagine it will take away a lot of pain. Indeed, it may encourage you to see your world in a different way. It may make you (dare I say it) a better DM as it encourages more complete note keeping and different types of note keeping. I don't want to sound pompous, but I already curate my notes the way Realm Works does—perhaps with slightly less attention to hierarchical detail (I don't think I've ever written down a chart of the Imperial Provincial Hierarchy, mostly because I understand that the level of Empire is above Province, etc.)
I want to enjoy it, I want to use it. I have some organizational issues with my notes
I make thought maps. Realm Works makes thought maps. I make relationship maps between characters, nations, etc. So does Realm Works. The problem for me is, with Realm Works, I have to plug in a LOT of information that is written down in other places.
I can see what makes Realm Works really great. I could build a setting using it. Unfortunately, my setting has a history that precludes easy integration. I'm going to continue puttering with it, slowly updating the data there, fleshing out things I hadn't thought about, etc. Perhaps someday the box full of notes that I keep will make it into Realm Works... but I strongly feel that the skills I've developed to keep my setting organized in my mind and on paper are going to override my desire to enter information into a new system.
I recommend everyone try it out to see if it suits them, because for those it suits I imagine it will take away a lot of pain. Indeed, it may encourage you to see your world in a different way. It may make you (dare I say it) a better DM as it encourages more complete note keeping and different types of note keeping. I don't want to sound pompous, but I already curate my notes the way Realm Works does—perhaps with slightly less attention to hierarchical detail (I don't think I've ever written down a chart of the Imperial Provincial Hierarchy, mostly because I understand that the level of Empire is above Province, etc.)
I want to enjoy it, I want to use it. I have some organizational issues with my notes
Monday, April 14, 2014
The Narrow Tread
I usually go through great pains, when designing dungeons, to make corridors that are at least 5' wide, and often include many that are 10' wide. The logic, of course, is purely gamist and has nothing to do with the considerations of the structure of the buildings. I want fighters to be able to fight.
All that is about to change. Moving through medieval structures in Florence has given me a better appreciation for the size of rooms and stairwells. Indeed, most medieval buildings don't have corridors at all, but rather rooms opening onto other rooms. However, I preserve them for dungeons on the grounds that most of these places are built in a substantially different style to the "modern" world of the setting. That being said, chokepoints conveniently occur at doors and stairwells in medieval buildings.
Now, stairs... I have never imagined a stairwell or a corridor of less than five feet would exist in a medieval building. I had never been inside the winding, twisting, crazy path of the Duomo stairs. They are easily 3' at their widest and continue upwards for 462 steps. The walk is grueling, and the space is suitable only for grappling and stabbing. Even a pike or spear would have a hard time being used in such confined quarters, as the stairs turn and turn and turn on themselves, leaving no room for the butt-end of the weapon to trail or be set.
So you'd better believe that narrow design is having a comeback. Roofs that are too low for standing up (like the excavated crypts and church below the Florence Baptistery, which is a great model for a dungeon), floors that are sharply canted, and all other manner of architectural nightmare should soon find its way into the 10th Age. Farewell to the spacious, simple, rectilinear dungeon design. Hello, ancient and medieval architecture.
All that is about to change. Moving through medieval structures in Florence has given me a better appreciation for the size of rooms and stairwells. Indeed, most medieval buildings don't have corridors at all, but rather rooms opening onto other rooms. However, I preserve them for dungeons on the grounds that most of these places are built in a substantially different style to the "modern" world of the setting. That being said, chokepoints conveniently occur at doors and stairwells in medieval buildings.
Now, stairs... I have never imagined a stairwell or a corridor of less than five feet would exist in a medieval building. I had never been inside the winding, twisting, crazy path of the Duomo stairs. They are easily 3' at their widest and continue upwards for 462 steps. The walk is grueling, and the space is suitable only for grappling and stabbing. Even a pike or spear would have a hard time being used in such confined quarters, as the stairs turn and turn and turn on themselves, leaving no room for the butt-end of the weapon to trail or be set.
So you'd better believe that narrow design is having a comeback. Roofs that are too low for standing up (like the excavated crypts and church below the Florence Baptistery, which is a great model for a dungeon), floors that are sharply canted, and all other manner of architectural nightmare should soon find its way into the 10th Age. Farewell to the spacious, simple, rectilinear dungeon design. Hello, ancient and medieval architecture.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Accents of the Empire
The Imperial domain is now large enough to require a full listing of the types of Varan accents to be found within it. From the Rhûnnish accent which gives High Varan its defining features (thanks to Colandrus the Peaceable's Grammar of the Avar Tongue) to the thickly spoken Mercantine accents of Meirenia, the imperial citizen must learn to recognize a number of different tones.
Rhûnnish—the clipped, high, pinched-ending accent that causes the barony of Valbois to be pronounced "Val-bwas," Rhûnnish is the high style of the age. Ancient Milean accents are more accurately to be found amongst the street folk of Miles, but the nobles all speak with the Rhûnnish tone.
Thyrnessen—the accent closest to Old Varan, Thyrnessen is spoken by most of the peasants of the Heartland, Noranor County, and the Duchy of Auruxol as well as the merchant classes there. Every letter of every word is pronounced, "e" makes an "eh" sound, and nothing is swallowed. Considered somewhat passé.
Mermarchine—While Mermarche is pronounced "Meer-marsh" in the Rhûnnish accent, "Mairmarcheh" in the Thyrnessen accent, in the Mermarchine itself it is "Mermark," reflecting the Duchy's long affiliation with Stonemark and Middlemarker trade. Ch's are always hard in Mermarchine, as are c's.
Serpentine—Named for the Serpentis River, not the accent, the Serpent Baronies, the Lonely Lands, and the north-eastern fringes of the Empire speak an accent descended from the old Bataille accent of the Second Empire. It's close to Rhûnnish, but bears a more pronounced rolling r.
Westren—The accent of Westreth, Lomere, and Clayland, Westren is spoken like a mix between Rhûnnish and Thyrnessen.
Colonan and Meirenian—Double L's and J's are pronounced as i's in Colona and the Coast of Scythes.
Rhûnnish—the clipped, high, pinched-ending accent that causes the barony of Valbois to be pronounced "Val-bwas," Rhûnnish is the high style of the age. Ancient Milean accents are more accurately to be found amongst the street folk of Miles, but the nobles all speak with the Rhûnnish tone.
Thyrnessen—the accent closest to Old Varan, Thyrnessen is spoken by most of the peasants of the Heartland, Noranor County, and the Duchy of Auruxol as well as the merchant classes there. Every letter of every word is pronounced, "e" makes an "eh" sound, and nothing is swallowed. Considered somewhat passé.
Mermarchine—While Mermarche is pronounced "Meer-marsh" in the Rhûnnish accent, "Mairmarcheh" in the Thyrnessen accent, in the Mermarchine itself it is "Mermark," reflecting the Duchy's long affiliation with Stonemark and Middlemarker trade. Ch's are always hard in Mermarchine, as are c's.
Serpentine—Named for the Serpentis River, not the accent, the Serpent Baronies, the Lonely Lands, and the north-eastern fringes of the Empire speak an accent descended from the old Bataille accent of the Second Empire. It's close to Rhûnnish, but bears a more pronounced rolling r.
Westren—The accent of Westreth, Lomere, and Clayland, Westren is spoken like a mix between Rhûnnish and Thyrnessen.
Colonan and Meirenian—Double L's and J's are pronounced as i's in Colona and the Coast of Scythes.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Playing Servants, Part the First: the Groom
For the first part of this little experiment, I've written up a number of kits that would be useful for playing different kinds of household servants. Note that this takes much more prep work from the DM just as it does for the players—it's impossible for the PCs to be servants in a game where the DM hasn't worked out the power structure of a kingdom, for example.
Groom
Warrior kit
Description: The groom is a cross between a military and household servant, something above a stableboy but below a squire. They can be common or noble and care of their master's horses is their primary charge. Many grooms eventually find themselves knighted or even given lordships (much as in history, see John Marshall for one such example). Grooms duties may extend as they prove themselves to that of Marshal of the house, which commonly bears the security of the lord and his people as an additional burden.
Grooms may be outfitted to fight when war arrives, and are expected to be at least somewhat knowledgeable about riding. If sent to foster from a noble family, the groom is likely to have had training in a number of mounted weapons.
Weapon Proficiencies: For a common groom, the following list—horseman's mace, knife, dagger, short bow, hand axe, club, quarterstaff, and pitchfork. Common grooms would be unlikely to start play with specialization. After level one they can learn any weapon they like, and specialize as well. Noble grooms—arming sword, horseman's mace, horseman's pick, spear or lance (depending on period), horseman's flail, knife, dagger, hand axe. Noble grooms are commonly specialized in one weapon, generally a spear or other horseman's tool.
NWPs: Grooms must take the animal handling, animal training (horses), and heraldry proficiencies. Noble grooms must buy etiquette. Any others (if they have additional slots) are up to them. All grooms receive riding for free.
Equipment: Common grooms begin play with whatever equipment their lord sees fit to provide. This often, but does not always, include a tabard and cloak, and weapons of some sort. To simulate the general reliance of a common groom upon his lord, return any money not spent over the amount of 3 gold pieces once equipment purchasing is complete. Noble grooms may begin play with whatever they want and can afford, as the money comes from their parents holdings. They may (15% chance) also receive the benefit of a small rent income from their family, generally 2d20 gold pieces a month.
Special Benefits: After displaying some great prowess in battle, grooms are commonly made into knights or even promoted to be Marshal of the House. All grooms receive free food and board (like most servants) for as long as they continue to serve their lord. Additionally, when wearing the arms of their lord they are granted a +2 reaction bonus when interacting with those who also like their lord (though they may be penalized if the subject does not like their lord). If they are to go into formal battle, their livery and armor will be purchased by their lord—a shirt of mail, shield, and weapon of choice. Upon being knighted they are presented with an arming sword and a suit of mail. If they have not been knighted by level 5, they are knighted then. If they have not been granted titles and lands by level 9, they receive them then as per a normal fighter.
Grooms are much more likely to attract horsemen and knights to their cause than other types of followers.
Special Hinderances: To receive any of their benefits, the groom must remain faithful to his lord. Common grooms have no further hinderances. Noble grooms must spur themselves onwards to ever more dangerous tasks in hope of recognition—they live for promotion to knight or Marshal, something common grooms generally do not take into account.
Wealth Options: As per a warrior.
Races: Most commonly humans. Halflings and gnomes cannot ride and so make poor grooms of this kit, though they may still serve in the stables.
Groom
Warrior kit
Description: The groom is a cross between a military and household servant, something above a stableboy but below a squire. They can be common or noble and care of their master's horses is their primary charge. Many grooms eventually find themselves knighted or even given lordships (much as in history, see John Marshall for one such example). Grooms duties may extend as they prove themselves to that of Marshal of the house, which commonly bears the security of the lord and his people as an additional burden.
Grooms may be outfitted to fight when war arrives, and are expected to be at least somewhat knowledgeable about riding. If sent to foster from a noble family, the groom is likely to have had training in a number of mounted weapons.
Weapon Proficiencies: For a common groom, the following list—horseman's mace, knife, dagger, short bow, hand axe, club, quarterstaff, and pitchfork. Common grooms would be unlikely to start play with specialization. After level one they can learn any weapon they like, and specialize as well. Noble grooms—arming sword, horseman's mace, horseman's pick, spear or lance (depending on period), horseman's flail, knife, dagger, hand axe. Noble grooms are commonly specialized in one weapon, generally a spear or other horseman's tool.
NWPs: Grooms must take the animal handling, animal training (horses), and heraldry proficiencies. Noble grooms must buy etiquette. Any others (if they have additional slots) are up to them. All grooms receive riding for free.
Equipment: Common grooms begin play with whatever equipment their lord sees fit to provide. This often, but does not always, include a tabard and cloak, and weapons of some sort. To simulate the general reliance of a common groom upon his lord, return any money not spent over the amount of 3 gold pieces once equipment purchasing is complete. Noble grooms may begin play with whatever they want and can afford, as the money comes from their parents holdings. They may (15% chance) also receive the benefit of a small rent income from their family, generally 2d20 gold pieces a month.
Special Benefits: After displaying some great prowess in battle, grooms are commonly made into knights or even promoted to be Marshal of the House. All grooms receive free food and board (like most servants) for as long as they continue to serve their lord. Additionally, when wearing the arms of their lord they are granted a +2 reaction bonus when interacting with those who also like their lord (though they may be penalized if the subject does not like their lord). If they are to go into formal battle, their livery and armor will be purchased by their lord—a shirt of mail, shield, and weapon of choice. Upon being knighted they are presented with an arming sword and a suit of mail. If they have not been knighted by level 5, they are knighted then. If they have not been granted titles and lands by level 9, they receive them then as per a normal fighter.
Grooms are much more likely to attract horsemen and knights to their cause than other types of followers.
Special Hinderances: To receive any of their benefits, the groom must remain faithful to his lord. Common grooms have no further hinderances. Noble grooms must spur themselves onwards to ever more dangerous tasks in hope of recognition—they live for promotion to knight or Marshal, something common grooms generally do not take into account.
Wealth Options: As per a warrior.
Races: Most commonly humans. Halflings and gnomes cannot ride and so make poor grooms of this kit, though they may still serve in the stables.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Servile Duties and Servants
Having spoken at some length previously on the playing of characters in non-adventurer roles, and having my own example in the Knights of Miles and the Imperial Schola, I think it is safe to say that most non-adventurer style positions that still manage to participate in the sort of activities common to adventurers tend, at least in a truly medieval setting, to have the requirements of obedience and the following of strict rules. We can discount, for the purposes of this post, normal servants found in urban households as well as artisans, as these do not generally make good player characters without DM intervention (ie, manipulation of the story on a meta-level agreed to by all present players in order to extricate those characters from their social setting, at which point what even is the purpose?)
SO, the thing we really need to look at, then, is the profusion of servants in the Middle Ages that might well provide players with an idea for a PC. Additionally, those PCs who are socially integrated (whether at the beginning of the game or, as is much more normal, once they reach name level) should avail themselves of many of these types of servants.
Servitude is a major part of Medieval life. Even the nobility must be servants in their youth, albeit to those of greater rank, saving only those at the very top of the chain. Even counts and dukes served as cupbearers to the king. Simply knowing the vast number of servile types (and which were appropriate for promotion to more adventuresome careers) would go a long way to making an AD&D game richer and more interesting—and, as a side-effect, more strongly medieval.
There are any number of duties that we do for ourselves throughout the day that would be taken up by the activities of servants, particularly in a noble household.
Pages & Military Servants
As a category, these are very likely to entail some kind of adventure-related activity. Many of these servant types could also be the children of nobility, making the option to play a noble more viable since one would have to go through a period of servitude first, thereby "earning" increased status and "balancing" increased income against the social services one is bound to provide. They include:
The Page. Noble boys, beginning at age 8, would leave their parents and serve as a page (an apprentice squire) in a household. Pages served a more general role than squires—running around, bearing messages, cleaning armor, etc. Around 13-14, a page would be expected to become a full-fledged squire, having learned how to ride, hawk, hunt, etc. A knight or lord might have any number of pages apprenticed to him. These servants make great all-purpose hirelings.
The Squire. Older than a page, beginning around 14, squires serve as apprentice knights. Squires generally bore armor and weapons (a particular type of page or squire would be the sword-bearer, who carries his lord's weapon in its ceremonial sheath), banners, and other such things for their lords. They also fought alongside their masters in battle. Once again, a perfect hireling type OR a perfect starter for a noble character. Squires usually come in groups, serving a single knight, who could be an NPC.
Knights. Knights generally served a lord and thus would make up the elite fighting force of lordly PCs. PCs probably shouldn't start play as full fledged knights, as this grants too many resources at the beginning of the game, however I suppose it could be done—they'd have a small cluster of squires and a flock of pages of their own, which could serve as a mighty retinue of hirelings.
It's important to note that pages and squires don't get an income beyond their clothing, food, and board (which can tally to a pretty penny). Regardless of what the AD&D 2e DMG says, most feudal servants do not receive pay as long as they have been asked to serve for longer than their 40-day summons.
Fighting Men or Men-at-Arms. Though the term man-at-arms refers almost exclusively to Renaissance knights, this term has come to be applied (at least somewhat casually) to the peasantry who were drafted for temporary military service at local castles. They may also include mercenary garrisons at heavily defended and garrisoned castles (which would indeed have to be paid). These fighting men perform a generally servile role in that they would be commanded by a castellan, gateward, or other such fellow, but might serve as a good beginning for a whole group of PCs.
Household Servants
While the great majority of servants in a medieval household were of a military function, there were some who did other things as well. These are almost universally unsuitable to be player characters due to their lack of involvement with or skill in combat. IF, however, players are looking for a particularly difficult level 0 challenge OR are willing to play such characters as thieves or fighters of low level, there COULD be a great deal of non-traditional roleplaying opportunities to be garnered from so doing.
Kitchen Servants. The chief cook, undercooks, butler (head of the buttery, ie. larder and wine room), scullery maids, and kitchen boys constitute a whole rank of servants in themselves. These would best be represented by level 0 folks or thieves.
Hawkers, Hunters, and Gamekeepers. Hawkers and Falconers are dedicated to training and maintaining a lord's falcons; hunters and gamewards/keepers assist the lords in their hunts by managing hounds, beating the brush to flush out game, and to keep certain forests stocked with huntable animals like stag and boar. These servants would be interesting fighter-classed people (even if they started at level 0, though there's not necessarily a reason why they would).
Ladies in Waiting. These are for the reigning lady of the house and her children, particularly the girls. They have almost no input in the day to day life of a medieval household. They might be interesting as sorceresses or thieves. They're mostly maidens who spend their days reading, sewing, and philosophizing.
Miscellaneous Servants. These are what we think of when we think of "servants." Even so-called middle class households would have at least one servant to fetch water, start fires, etc. Good hireling material. Difficult as hell to conceive of as material for a PC.
Administrative Servants. These are things like Seneschals, Chamberlains, Stewards, Maior Domos, etc. Being mostly jobs concerned with resource management, tax collection, etc. These are not very well suited to PC positions, but for the ease of managing vast estates and many servants they make great hirelings and henchmen.
Stay tuned for ideas on PLAYING servants and people who begin in a servile role.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Playing Non-Adventurers
There may come a time when your players (or you, if you are a player, or even if you aren't) decide that you don't want the game to begin with social outcasts and advance into powerful lords. This time may come, depending on your group, instantly or, like mine, some five years down the road. The question embodied by this tendency can be stated simply and easily: 1 - "Can we begin play tied into the social order?" if the answer is yes, this leads to a question in two parts— "How can we accomplish this (a) in terms of roleplaying and player-load and (b) in terms of rules?"
The question is divisible, like all questions, into a number of parts.
A) What does it mean to be integrated into the medieval social order?
To be integrated into a medieval social order it is necessary to be given an occupation (the assumed occupations of most D&D characters being simply peasant, merchant, or outlaw), to be trained to perform that occupation, and then to assume its mantle. Additionally, one must be tied into social responsibilities surrounding one's station or occupation.
Concrete examples that are normally not available in AD&D include:
Knighthood—normally a reward for valor (and level gain) in D&D, being a knight was the normal course of affairs for nobility of all kinds. This, really, is a subset of the noble class.
Artisanship—artisans have a master, they study with their master, and then they open shops of their own. They generally belong to a craft-guild (if such things have formed yet) and have civic obligations wherever they open shop (universally an urban environment).
Membership in a Wizards Clave–something that can happen at higher levels normally, it is more than possible for an apprentice to begin the game as a member of one of these organizations.
Priests as well can begin play as integrated into the structure of their temples rather than the semi-autonomous units wandering the countryside.
B) How may we give player characters occupations?
The answer to this is fairly easy: through kits. I've already posted a few kits of knightly orders on the blog, which have worked fairly well ingame. Thus, it is not difficult to mold player characters into knights or artisans given that you include certain aspects to give the kit verisimilitude.
C) How may we deal with the vast amount of knowledge players must have to be "integrated" socially?
Our answers here are twofold and simple: 1) wait until the players have played in your campaign setting for a while or 2) give them a great deal of setting information when they want to play a character who doesn't start as some kind of social outcast.
Corollary: This may be the most important part, and it has to do with servitude. Everyone in medieval society had a mixture of obligations. The reason we generally make characters who are social outcasts is because it can be a pain to model those obligations. There is, however, some benefit to be gleaned from working to properly craft medieval obligations and lines of force, which is the only reason to pursue them.
The primary form of obligation comes in the form of a social obligation, which all members of all classes will feel if they are part of good society. This encompasses travel restrictions (I own a shop, I serve this lord) as well as obligations of obedience (I must go and fight because my lord is going to war). The second form of obligation is a personal or servile obligation—I am a squire, I am an apprentice, etc.
The second form of obligation has been presented in many different ways by many different games, but usually is left to the vaguery of the DM in AD&D. While Space 1889 cleverly makes the masters of servant characters into brain-dead morons that the servants can manipulate (with hilarious results), it is possible to grant a character a master, intrusive patron, or other such figure without making them ciphers for the will of the character/player.
This was really meant to be a post on playing in servile positions and then the kinds of servants one could expect to have, especially as a noble or a knight, but I think I'll save that for tomorrow or another day. I'm in Florence right now, so weird things are coming to me at odd hours.
The question is divisible, like all questions, into a number of parts.
A) What does it mean to be integrated into the medieval social order?
To be integrated into a medieval social order it is necessary to be given an occupation (the assumed occupations of most D&D characters being simply peasant, merchant, or outlaw), to be trained to perform that occupation, and then to assume its mantle. Additionally, one must be tied into social responsibilities surrounding one's station or occupation.
Concrete examples that are normally not available in AD&D include:
Knighthood—normally a reward for valor (and level gain) in D&D, being a knight was the normal course of affairs for nobility of all kinds. This, really, is a subset of the noble class.
Artisanship—artisans have a master, they study with their master, and then they open shops of their own. They generally belong to a craft-guild (if such things have formed yet) and have civic obligations wherever they open shop (universally an urban environment).
Membership in a Wizards Clave–something that can happen at higher levels normally, it is more than possible for an apprentice to begin the game as a member of one of these organizations.
Priests as well can begin play as integrated into the structure of their temples rather than the semi-autonomous units wandering the countryside.
B) How may we give player characters occupations?
The answer to this is fairly easy: through kits. I've already posted a few kits of knightly orders on the blog, which have worked fairly well ingame. Thus, it is not difficult to mold player characters into knights or artisans given that you include certain aspects to give the kit verisimilitude.
C) How may we deal with the vast amount of knowledge players must have to be "integrated" socially?
Our answers here are twofold and simple: 1) wait until the players have played in your campaign setting for a while or 2) give them a great deal of setting information when they want to play a character who doesn't start as some kind of social outcast.
Corollary: This may be the most important part, and it has to do with servitude. Everyone in medieval society had a mixture of obligations. The reason we generally make characters who are social outcasts is because it can be a pain to model those obligations. There is, however, some benefit to be gleaned from working to properly craft medieval obligations and lines of force, which is the only reason to pursue them.
The primary form of obligation comes in the form of a social obligation, which all members of all classes will feel if they are part of good society. This encompasses travel restrictions (I own a shop, I serve this lord) as well as obligations of obedience (I must go and fight because my lord is going to war). The second form of obligation is a personal or servile obligation—I am a squire, I am an apprentice, etc.
The second form of obligation has been presented in many different ways by many different games, but usually is left to the vaguery of the DM in AD&D. While Space 1889 cleverly makes the masters of servant characters into brain-dead morons that the servants can manipulate (with hilarious results), it is possible to grant a character a master, intrusive patron, or other such figure without making them ciphers for the will of the character/player.
This was really meant to be a post on playing in servile positions and then the kinds of servants one could expect to have, especially as a noble or a knight, but I think I'll save that for tomorrow or another day. I'm in Florence right now, so weird things are coming to me at odd hours.
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