FATEsy Heartbreaker: Golla Banne

The Ael Ve have a story about the deep forest and the creatures that dwell therein.They speak of beasts with the minds of elves.  These creatures are said to be horrible to look at and able to speak to predatory beasts. The Ael Ve call these creatures Goblin. 

The Duara tell of the great horde of the north. Creatures that drove the Giants from the north. Beings that harnessed the power of Great bears of the north. The word the Giants used to describe these beings, Goblin, has no meaning in any language the Duara have ever heard.

Men remember the dark times at the beginnings of their race. They know there was another race created before them. This race rebelled and ran off into the darkness. This led directly to the creation of Man. This race was known as the Goblins.

The Laiela speak of the Dark Brothers that were created alongside the Laiela. This race was created of the beasts of the land and had a powerful need to hunt and conquer. These Dark Brothers were known as Goblins.

No one knows what the truth of this mysterious people is.

In the beginning was Nature, red in tooth and claw. She cared only for the balance and the cycle. She made the spirits of all things in balance, hunter and prey. The spirits then went about creating all the living things upon the earth that Golla Banne require for health and happiness.

The Golla Banne are the brothers to beasts. They claim to have sprung from the night fully formed into the primordial darkness, hungry and ready to hunt. Their ancient Spirit Talkers made pacts with the spirits of beasts and Nature to aid them in their hunt. To this day the Deep Forest is their domain.

The three Goblin Pacts
The oldest of the Golla Banne pacts, the Hobbe Golla Banne dwell where the forest meets the plains. Long ago they made a pact with Fenrir, and to this day Barrag Haos(Great Wolves) live with and follow the Hobbe pact. These are the Goblins most often encountered by non-goblins, and so often they are seen as the example of what all Goblins are. They live in hunting bands, only gathering once a year on the winter solstice for the Wyld Hunt. Barrgrivv, the goblin king, leads the hunt. Any living thing in the path of the hunt is fair game.

In the north, where the Barrag Urogg(Great Bear) rule, the Bugge Golla Banne make their homes. Often called Bug Bears they are the largest of the Goblins, having made pact with the bears.They do not have any kind of group structure, only coming together when threatened by an outside force, like when the Giants still lived in the north. Mostly they wander through their frozen lands alone. Every year for a week in mid winter they gather to trade, gather news, and seek a mate. A mated couple will stay together for a few years, generally, until their child is old enough to survive on its own. Then they all part ways. The Bugge Golla Banne are pragmatic and view self sufficiency as the highest achievement for any mortal being.

Deep in the heart of the forest the Edde Golla Banne, the least known Goblin pact, hunts the night. They are masters of traps and poisons. They are the least numerous and the slightest of builds of all the Goblin peoples. Even the other Goblins have difficulty trusting the Edde Golla Banne, those who deal with the Barrag Addarr(Great Spiders). They live high in the old growth or in burrows in the ground. They have the most organized society among the Goblins. Every year on the first of spring they have a great game ceremony. The winners of the various games have the honor of being fed to the Spider spirit that watches over their people.

Things that are always true about your Goblin aspect:

• Goblins view all but divine magic as unnatural and evil. Goblins cannot become wizards.
• Goblins are well liked by the species of animal they have a pact with. Unless provoked these animals will treat the goblin as a friend.
• Goblins can see in the dark.

Things that can be Invoked:

• Goblins have amazing senses. Invoke when having excellent senses would be useful.
• Goblins are creatures of the hunt. Invoke when hunting.
• Goblins may not know much of the higher gods, but they deal with the spirits and supernatural denizens of the material plane very often. Invoke when knowledge about the spirits that inhabit the world would be useful.

Things that can be compelled:

• Goblins do not allow non family members to see their faces. They where terrifying masks at all times when outside of their home, or away from their family. Compel when they will not unmask and it could cause a problem for them.
• A Goblin only kills to eat or to appease the spirits. they do not understand why one would kill for any other reason. In a fight with a non-goblin, they will assume it is a fight to the death. Compel when mercy might be required in a fight.
• Other races know almost nothing about Goblins. they are generally viewed as savages and barely better than beasts. Compel when attempting to convince someone that you are not a beast.

Stunts
Oaggi: The Goblins have always been the defenders of the balance. They seek to protect the world from Outsiders and intervention from the other planes. The Oaggi(Watchful) are a special group made up of Goblins from all three pacts. they are dedicated to fighting Outsiders. They are the guardians of the balance. Gain a +2 to any roll against a creature from outside of the known planes(Beholders, Illithids, and the like are the most common examples).
Spider Blood: This can only be taken by the Edde Golla Banne. You are a master of poisons. you are immune to damage from poisons. If you take this stunt twice(the maximum you can take this stunt is twice), you gain a +2 bonus to any roll involving making poisons.
Huntsman: You must be a Hobbe Golla Banne to take this stunt. You have been recognized by Barrgrivv during a Wyld Hunt for the slaying of a truly worthy prey. Choose what type of creature that prey was. You gain a +2 bonus to any rolls involved in hunting that type of creature again.

And that is my take on the Goblins. I would love to hear what you think. the next post will be on either  Sahuagin, Giants, or Gnolls. I can't decide, so let me know what one you would like to see.

FATEsy Heartbreaker: Humanity

When the earth was black and cold, the dark god Irul created the First Men to torment and serve her. She and her children Kullirsciana(Cold), Pancaam(Hunger), and Attimaanam(slavery) ruled over the First Men with an iron fist. The First men cried out in the night for any to save them. Their cries reached the slumbering sun god Perioru. Seeing the plight of man he girded himself for war, calling out to his brothers and sisters. Arivu(wisdom) crafted the war plan. The twins Ahnnikai(strength) and Vikam(speed) led the charge. Unmai(truth) held the dark gods when they finally fell. Thus the First Men were free. They built great temples to Perioru and the gods of light.

The Empire of Iracillam was founded by the First Men. It expanded to cover much of the Known World. They failed only to conquer the halflings and The Mountain Dwarves. In the end they reached an agreement with the Halflings and a cold war with the Dwarves. The Empire of Iracillam lasted almost a thousand years. No one alive today remembers why it fell, or what happened. All that is known is that the fall was sudden. Ruins of the old empire dot the land in almost pristine condition, save for the decay of time and the monster that have made these ruins their home.

The architecture of Iracillum was monumental. Great Ziggurats and Pyramid Burial Chambers were constructed by the priest kings in honor of there gods. The wealth of the known world was gathered together in great stockpiles to be used in the intrigues of the various noble houses. Humans more than any other race tended to build up, rather than out. Even the poor lived in ten or twelve story buildings, each floor holding a different family. To this day, long after the fall, Humans tend to build multistory houses and the like.

Things that are always true about your Human aspect:

• Humanity were born in darkness and cold, yet brought into light and warmth by Perioru. Humans are completely unaffected by natural extremes of temperature.
• The First Men endured much when they were first created. They were trained for endurance, by the dark gods that ruled them. They were bred for stamina, like dogs or horses. Humans are immune to non-magical fatigue. They sleep only four hours a night and can run all day without feeling the need to stop.

Things you can invoke:

• Humans are adaptable. Invoke when you are in a completely new situation or when reacting to surprise.
• Humans are the dominant people in most of the world. Invoke to know someone(friend, distant relative, or whatever) in whatever location you are in.
• Humans ruled the world for a thousand years. Invoke to know something about a particular ruin as one of your ancestors lived there or was involved in its construction or destruction.

Things you can compel:

• Humans conquered the world. Compel when you are dealing with a member of another race to make there dislike of humans central to the story for a while.
• The Empire of Iracillam ruled the Known World for nearly a thousand years. Humans where the most important beings in the world for nearly a thousand years. The Princes of the earth are not used to waiting for the right answer. They want the the answer now. Humans tend to go for the quick answer. Compel when the fast solution is not necessarily the best solution.
• Humans were enslaved form millenia. Since they were given their freedom, they never want to risk it even to the smallest degree. They hate to be told what to do. It is instinctive. Compel when someone starts telling the human what to do. Humans tend to over react in tense situations where they must compromise their perceived freedom..

Stunts
Sun Touched: The First men came from Changua(the great desert). You are of the line of the First Men. Perioru has blessed you. you gain a +2 to any roll to resist any magical or unnatural temperature extremes.
Kings of the World: The priest-kings of Iracillam ruled the known world. At the height of their power they made pacts with many strange extra-planar beings. Mixing the blood of Demons, devils, Archons, and Celestials with their own. You are a descendant of these lineages. You gain a +2 bonus to any rolls involving knowledge of extra planar beings or dealing with extra planar beings.

And that is my take on Humans in D&D. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. These are a very specific kind of human, so they may not be for everyone, but I dig 'em. I hope you enjoy. My next post in this series will be the goblin peoples. It should be fun.

FATEsy Heartbreaker: Laiela

When they were first met by Man and Dwarf, they were called halfling as a slight to their small stature. The Laiela(faithful) just smiled and accepted it. When the First Men began to move into the lands surrounding the halfling river communities, the Laiela smiled and accepted it. When these same men tried to take the villages and boats of the halflings, the Laiela did not smile. The war was short and bloody. In the end the First Men left the halflings to their rivers. The Laiela just smiled and accepted it.

Laiela serve no god or mortal authority. The only true loyalty they have is to their family. The closest to reverence they ever get is when they speak of the deeds of their ancestors. Created at the dawning of time by the trickster god Jain Coar. Some say he created them too well, others that something went horribly wrong. The halflings have great passions and know no fear. Within moments of creation the first halflings thanked their creator for existence then promptly ignored him.

Laiela live everywhere. If there is a road you will find halfling carts roaming them. All rivers have halfling names and are plied by halfling Greatboats. They have houses built along lakes and rivers, favoring houses on stilts to protect from flooding. Halflings tend to believe in comunal property. Everything in a house, cart, or Great boat belongs to all members of the family. Each family marginally belongs to a clan, but often that is just something they tell outsiders.

Laiela language is only partially verbal. All Laiela somehow have an empathic bond. Most of their spoken language is nouns of one type or another. This has led many Pankotar(non-Laiela) to believe that the halflings are liars. They do not follow any gods so most Pankotar believe them to be unfaithful and untrustworthy. They do not understand personal property so they have a reputation as thieves. However they control all trade along the three major rivers(Aibia the great, Padura the wide, and Hianda the swift) as well as countless smaller ones. They are fearless. Many a petty warlord has dismissed them, only to regret it later as halflings charge them riding the great wardogs and riding drakes. They do not give up, they do not surrender, they have never lost. As the old halflings tell people, "every setback is an opportunity!"

Things that are always true about your Halfling aspect:

• Halflings are smaller than the other races.
• Halflings have an empathic bond with other halflings and can communicate that way with them when they are within a few yards of each other.

Things that can be invoked:

• Halflings are nearly fearless. Invoke when resisting a fear effect.
• Halflings are fast and have excellent hand eye coordination. Invoke when that would be useful.
• Halflings are born to the water. They spend most of their life on the rivers and lakes of the world. Invoke when you are doing something on the water or related to rivers or lakes.
• Halflings are everywhere. Invoke to meet up with a local halfling who is related to you in some way.

Things that can be compelled:

• Halflings are smaller than other races. Compel this when being small would be a hinderance.
• Halflings are generally not trusted by the other races. Compel this when the halfling is trying to convince someone of their honorable intention or honesty
• Halflings sometimes feel their passions far too greatly and having no fear just push on and on even when it would be considered madness, even by other halflings. This is called the Neromea(blood madness). Compel when sensible logic would dictate turning back or stopping the current action. They must push on and gain what they are after or die trying.

Halfling Stunts:
Harrya: Halflings are masters of throwing rocks. when they are young they skip stones and have hundreds of stone throwing games. Later on they can translate this skill to other thrown weapons. This martial art is called Harrya, meaning stone. When using a thrown weapon you can increase the range by one zone.
Riverspeak: after years of wandering the rivers of the world you have mastered all the nuances of navigating them. You gain a +2 bonus to any roll involving navigating by river, boating, or knowledge of river lore.
Beldu: all halflings are fearless. You are something else entirely. You are immune to all non-magical fear. However this also means you can never concede a conflict. Ever. You are Beldu(fearless). Backing down is completely foreign to you.

So that is halflings done! I would love to hear what you think of my imagining of them. Any thoughts, comments, ideas, or criticisms are welcome(within reason).

FATEsy Heartbreaker: Ael Ve, Ael Adattra, and Ael Droutsa

Long ago there was the shining city of Sakahmara high in the sky. The people of Sakahmara were beautiful, strong, wise, and highly skilled. They were known as the Ael Luhd(Fair People). As time went on they grew proud and complacent. The became decadent and corrupt. Eventually there sins were such that there gods Ao and Shi cast the Ael Luhd from their shining city. They were thrown to a land of pain and darkness, they called this place Kaista(misery). Some were cast down by Ao, lord of nature, and became Ael Ve(the first people). Others were cast down by Shi, the moon goddess and became Ael Adattra(High People). A few remained unrepentant and seek the downfall of their gods, these are the Ael Droutsa(Bad People). This is not the world the Elves wish to live in. There gods are still angry with them. The Night and Nature, where they must live, are hostile and filled with hardship. The Elves have hope though. When they were cast down they were given a prophesy that one day they would return to the shining city of Sakahmara, and reclaim the honor they have lost.

Ael Ve, often called wood elves or forest elves, see themselves as the first to be cast to Kaista. They see the whole world as their prison, and they refuse to be tied to one place. The Ael Ve do not form large societies, instead roaming from place to place in small bands of argumentative equals. They tend to believe in mob rule and vote on everything. Some have voted in leaders for specific tasks, such as a war leader or someone in charge of training the youths, often these figures have grandiose Titles reflecting their lost heritage and home. other bands put everything to a vote. They follow the ways of Ao, lord of nature. However Ao has removed his blessing from them and nature shuns the Ael Ve. Where before they were tree-shapers and animal-callers, now they are forced to hunt for food and clothing and to take axes to the trees for fire and shelter.

Things that are true about your Wood Elven aspect:

• They can see perfectly in starlight or moonlight
• Elves are not ugly. All peoples find them to be attractive to one degree or another.
• If a wound does not out right kill them, wood elves can eventually recover from any injury.

Things that can be invoked:

• Ael Luhd were known for their superhuman skill, since the fall the Ael Ve are still very skilled, just to a lesser degree. Wood Elves are masters of the forest.Invoke when in the forest or involving forest creatures or plants.
• Elves have finely honed senses. Invoke when having excellent senses would be helpful.
• Wood elves cannot ride horses or other animals. They must walk and run everywhere. Invoke for speed or endurance in running or walking.

Things that can be compelled:

• The beasts of the land hate the Wood Elves. Compel when dealing with an animal of some kind when it would be a hindrance.
• Wood Elves are a chaotic lot, they do not like orders or constraints. Compel when someone is trying to boss the Elf around and it would be a hindrance for the Elf to act out.
• Sometimes an Ael Ve will see or hear something in Kaista that gives them a fleeting remembrance of the greatness of Sakahmara. When this happens an addiction to that sensation can form. Compel whenever the Elf has lost an object of beauty or is forced to leave a location of natural splendor. The compelled elf must now try and get that feeling back no matter what. This is known as Lahsa(the longing).

Ael Adattra, called the Moon Elves or Eladrin(derogatory), are a highly organized and ritualistic society. They are masters of Biogha, reading the stars. They are organized into strong family lines based on the ancient noble houses of Sakahmara. Etiquette and ritual dominate the the great Ael Adattra cities. The families all form an interconnected web of intrigue and mutual defense that some might call a government(most outsiders call it madness). Each family is ruled by the eldest son until his four-hundredth birthday, the age which all Moon elves must become Mitana(The Fading) else they go mad. All major public events are scheduled down to the second. They have massive calenders and perfect clockworks to keep track of important days and times.The Moon Elves have been cursed by Shi, and they cannot abide the light of the moon. this is why many have seen the cities of the Ael Adattra and likened them to a mound of towering mushrooms. Their buildings are in the style of the shining city, spires and polished marble, but to defeat the light of the moon they roof them with great wide canopies.

Things that are always true about your Moon Elven aspect:

• Elves can see in near absolute darkness. So long as the moon is not visible the Moon Elves can see in the dark.
• Moon Elves are immortal, though if they do not become Mitana on their four-hundredth birthday the tend to go mad.
• Elves are not ugly. Moon elves in particular are renowned among elves for their beauty.

Things that can be invoked:

• The Moon Elves have a fantastic sense of time and place. Invoke to know what time it is or to know the most direct route to your home city.
• Ael Luhd were known for their superhuman skill, since the fall the Ael Adattra are still very skilled, just to a lesser degree.They can invoke their elven aspect when researching knowledge of any sort.
• Moon elves are highly resistant to spell magic. invoke this to resist a direct magical attack.

Things that can be compelled:

• The Ael Adattra suffer under the curse of Shi. When the light of the moon strikes their eyes compel them to be blinded.
• The Ael Adattra look down on the lesser species of the world. Compel when their haughty demeanor and veiled insults would cause problems.
•  Moon elves can become obsessed with plans and schedules. Compel this when this would cause an argument or other complication.

Ael Droutsa, sometimes known as Duergar or Drow. They are horrors of the oldest nightmares. They have abandoned all that is good and embraced all that is wicked. When the Ael fall, they fall far indeed. They will be fleshed out more in the Monsters posts.

Elven Stunts
Nature Bane: The curse of Ao may be upon you, but you can use that to become a master hunter and slayer of beasts. Gain a +1 to the use of axes when dealing with natural animals or fey creature and spirits. Only Wood Elves may take this stunt.
Biogha: From an early age you studied the stars. Risking even moon-blindness for one last glipse of the truths and futures written in the heavens. Gain a +1 to any intelligence rolls to create advantage or overcome when dealing with prophesy or the stars.
Sword Saint: To the elves the world is a great enemy always at the gates. From an early age they train with the sword. A few go beyond mere skill with a blade. Gain a +1 on strength rolls to hit with a slashing sword.
Andaji: The bow is the weapon of the Elf. The elven bow is a powerful weapon of composite materials fitted so seamlessly that moisture cannot gain purchase. Andaji, elven archery, has two main branches. The Moon Elves practice from horse back and gain a +2 to their dexterity roll when shooting from horseback. The Wood Elves cannot ride horses and practice shooting for distance. They can shoot out an extra zone with an elven bow.

So that is my take on D&D elves. I would love to hear what you have to say about this project. The Next post will be on my favorite of all the D&D races, Halflings! Exciting, no?

FATEsy Heartbreaker: The Duara

The Duara are the first people. They were created in order to further creation. They are children born of the mind of a dead god. They fought in the dawn war against the barbarous giants and drove them back to the heights from whence they had come. Then came the debate , and the divide. Then came the Naming Wars. What was once a single people with a single purpose is now two peoples. Each believes the other has gone astray. The other races do not know the sublime tongue. They butcher the truth of names. They call them Dwarves. Yet even after all that has befallen them, they remain Duara.

Before the beginning, in the valley between Vikai(ice) and Haospel(fire), was Dvarton(darkness) and Hsione(emptiness), they came together and formed Ymric(earth) and Asdrit(air). Ymric the Asdrit rebelled against their parents and from that war the world was made. Asdrit killed his father Dvarton, but in so doing also died. Ymric seeing her brother fall wept the great oceans(Okea, Gjoll, Aelvakar, Srild, and Laugar the sweet) into being. Asdrit eventually imprisoned Hsione deep within a prison of the bones of Dvarton. Seeing the barren world she formed the winds(Vadruf, Aep, Durfnaa, and Hvidu) from the body of her brother, and plants and animals from his blood. Then she create Duara from his dreams. He dreamt of a people like him, with eyes to see even in the dark places, with hands to shape and create, with minds to comprehend what they saw, and a tongue to give voice to the wonders of the world. This was the birth of the Duara, the name givers. Born for peace, in the shadow of war. Every Duara knows that it is only a matter of time until Hsione breaks free and destroys the world. Everyday they see her minions Brjalla(decay), Mjodgut(chaos), and Heihke(death) seek to tear down the pillars of the earth and release their queen. The day she is released will be Kragdrakro(the end of all), when the heroes of all Duara history will fight in a final battle and fall, though whether they will save the world or fail is not known.

During the Great Debate, which led to the Naming Wars the Duara were split on how to defeat Hsione's minions. The traditionalists stuck with focusing on inanimate objects over the living world. Those that focused on the living became the G'no Ma Duara(Namers of flesh) often called the hill dwarves or gnomes by outsiders with no knack for the sublime tongue. They live in the lowlands where there is more life and more things to experiment on and study. They are the dwarves that most non-dwarves know of. They seek to defeat entropy through controlling living things. If you can create longer lived and better breeding people and animals then you can defeat entropy simply by ensuring a higher birthrate than death rate. They are ruled by the Rao Rei(living council), which decides on the direction of all their society, though most towns are run by a village council or the like. They have one great shame as a people, they create the G'nol(hunger), during the Ael War. They unleashed the G'nol on the world and won the war. However they lost control of them and now they are a problem for the whole world.

Those that focused on the inanimate became the Treugh Duara(True Name Givers) often called Mountain dwarves or troglodytes(derogatory). They make things that last with the goal of eventually defeating entropy entirely. They are decentralized with each community as a law unto itself. This is a lesson they have learned in their nearly constant war against the Giants. If every location is self sufficient then there is no one location for the giants to attack. The isolation mixed with the dwarven tendency to not change leads to many small idiosyncrasies from city to city, while still maintaining the dwarven culture as a whole. During the Naming War it was the Mountain dwarves who forced the Hill dwarves into the lowlands. The archetecture of the Mountain dwarves is vast, dark, and cold. There are great buttresses of stone holding up massive stone walls and windows of drab Muscovite This is contrasted with the warmth and cheer of the dwarven Signa Haas(Story Hall). Every night dwarves come from all over the city to sit in these halls and hear and tell stories. Some of them are new and some of them are older than the city itself. Dwarves live for word play and story telling, You have not lived until you have heard the comedic epic Torfulsigna at night in a dwarven Signa Haas.

Things that are always true about your dwarven aspect:

• Dwarves live a long time. Even the Mountain Dwarves, who did not go down the path of living things, live for centuries. The Hill Dwarves live even longer due to their breeding programs and genetic magics.
• Dwarves can see in the darkness.
• Natural diseases do not affect the dwarven peoples.

Things that can be invoked:

• Dwarves are masters of language. Invoke to instantly know any ancient or obscure language.
• Dwarves are master crafters. Invoke when creating something that will last.
• Dwarves do not change. Invoke to resist outside influences.

Things that can be compelled:

• Dwarves are inherently superior to other races. Compel when looking down on non-dwarves would be a hidrance.
• Dwarves are perfectionists. Compel when something is not done just right for the dwarf to sulk and blame others for their failings.
• Dwarves are greedy. Compel when the dwarf must try and get more than his share.

Dwarven Stunts
Rune Magic: Many non-dwarves believe that the dwarves have no magical ability. This is because the dwarves do not generally practice spell magic as other races understand it. Instead they become Rune Casters, or Name Mages. They get the a number of true names equal to their intelligence score. These names act as aspects you can use to invoke only with a roll. You can gain new Names by rolling to create advantage and rather than gaining a free use of the advantage you spend a fate point to add that name to your list of Runic names. there are several kinds of names you can get: Names of Forces(momentum, heat, gravity, that sort of thing), Names of Types(this covers whole groups of beings, like bears, goblins, elves, and the like), names of materials(rocks, metals, water), and names of individuals(this is really powerful and difficult. The difficulty to place a free invoke on one of your names is good(+3), however when you use an invoke it gives a bonus of 3 to your rolls.
Sky Blood: You are far more connected to Asdrit than to Ymric for some reason. Your blood calls to the open places. Gain a +1 to any roll to resist or survive a sky based threat or attack(lightning, snowstorms, and the like)
Entropist: You follow the heretical belief that growth can only come through destruction. gain a +1 to any overcome roll to break something using strength or Intelligence(for more complicated devices).
Dwarven Poetry: You are a renowned wordsmith, steeped in every nuance of words and language. Gain a +1 to charisma rolls involving creating an advantage through word play.
Stone Bones: You are deeply connected to Ymric. When you have skin contact with the earth you gain a +1 to strength create advantage and overcome rolls.

And that is it for the Dwarves. The next post will be on the Elves. I hope This is as fun for you to read as it is for me to write. As always I am very interested in any feedback, thoughts, or ideas you might have had.

FATEsy Heartbreaker: Men and Magic Part 3

Weapons
Weapons generally speaking just serve as a narrative reason for a characters ability to inflict physical stress in conflict scenes. In this game weapons have qualities that allow the user to have access to more than just narrative justification of an action.

Weapon Qualities
Reach
-Allows melee to hit the next zone, but only the next zone
-Weapon focus allows for you to use a Reach weapon in the same zone as you as well
-Examples Weapons:Spear, Trident, Pole arms(wait for the pole arm supplement to see the full listing of pole arms), staves, pikes
Bow
-Lets you shoot out four zones, but you cannot move this turn
-Weapon focus allows you to move as normal and shoot
-Example Weapons: Long Bow, Composite Bow, short bow, cross bow
Piercing
-Take a -1 to the attack roll to ignore armor for that attack
-Weapon focus allows for an additional stress against an armored opponent
-Example Weapons: Stiletto, Dagger, Pick, Morning Star
Bludgeoning
-When an opponent takes a consequence from a bludgeoning weapon, spend a fate point and the stress counts as one higher than it actually is for the purposes of using a consequence
-Weapon focus allows you to gain a +2 to create advantages and overcome actions when destroying/breaking inanimate objects
- Example Weapons: Maul, Hammer, Mace, Cudgel, Baton, Nunchucks
Slashing
-Add one stress to a successful attack against an unarmored opponent
-Weapon Focus gives a +2 to rolls to attack multiple targets
Example Weapons: Scythe, Scimitar, Saber, Axe, Kukri, Sickle, Kohpesh
Thrown
-This weapon is just a thrown version of of another type of weapon, pick the type you are using/throwing and use the special ability from that except it has a range of two zones and does one less stress after a successful hit(minimum one stress on a successful hit)
-Weapon Focus allows for the thrown weapon to do full damage on a successful hit
-Example Weapons: Throwing knives, throwing hatchets, sling and stones, Atlatl, javelin, Pilum


Armor

Light Armor: Allows for access to a single one stress box that can be used to absorb physical stress.
Medium Armor: Allows for access to a single two stress box that can be used to absorb physical stress.
Heavy Armor: Allows for access to a single three stress box that can be used to absorb physical stress.

Adventuring Gear
Adventuring gear is generally treated as an aspect. you can invoke it when it would be useful and gain an bonus to an action or justify an action.

Example Gear Aspects
Lantern/torch
Rope
Marbles
Chalk
Ten-foot pole
Bedroll
Tent
Backpack
Rations
Waterskin

Alignment

 

As alignment is part of the character's High Concept, it can be used to compel behavior and can be invoked to aid you when you are troubled. Some people really dislike Alignment, and I get that. However I see alignment as one of those parts of D&D that is truly unique, and so I need to add it in here. Also I think that Fate can finally add a little mechanical bite to what was otherwise a lackluster piece of the gaming puzzle.


Lawful Good
-Can be Invoked when doing the right thing and obeying the rules would aid you
-Can be compelled when you must choose obeying rules over the welfare of others, or vice versa.
Lawful Neutral
-Can be Invoked when obeying the letter of the law would be a benefit
-Can be compelled when the law requires you to do something that would be problematic for you  
 Lawful Evil
-Can be Invoked when you can twist the rules to your own benefit
-Can be compelled when manipulating the rules would get in your way  
Nuetral Good
-Can be Invoked when you need to do what is right
-Can be compelled when what is right is not the easiest path
True Neutral
-Can be Invoked when none of the options before you are good options
-Can be compelled when your indecision or need to go with the flow would get in the way, you side with the wrong side as often as the right side
Nuetral Evil
-Can be Invoked when you are trying to get what you want
-Can be compelled when you do what you want despite what anyone else wants, pure and total selfishness and self absorption
Chaotic good
-Can be Invoked when you need to do the right thing in spite of the rules
-Can be compelled when it would be best to follow the rules and you go against them on principle
Chaotic neutral
-Can be Invoked when you are fighting for your freedom or the freedom of others
-Can be compelled when you lose that freedom or when you feel your freedom is threatened.
Chaotic Evil
-Can be Invoked when you want to watch the world burn. You gain a benefit because you have no rules and accept no authority beyond your will.
-Can be compelled when working with others, or understanding emotions of others would help you but you go it alone or tear down the relationship or situation instead.


That is what I have for now. I would love to hear what you think about this project so far. If you wish to see the other posts here is the first and here is the second. Next time I will begin my discussion of races with the Dwarves.

FATEsy Heartbreaker: Men and Magic Part 2

Yesterday's post was a bit of a hit, so I will continue on today my FATEsy Heartbreaker. I haven't really gotten into the world building stuff yet, but once I lay the groundwork down I will get to work on that. I have quite a bit of material for this project so don't worry, its coming.

Proficiencies
Proficiencies are a series of stunts that represent knowledge and practice at a single specific skill. They are a little bit different than normal stunts as presented in Fate Core and Fate Accelerated. The Stunt gives a bonus of +1 to any roll that involves that specific skill.

Listing of potential Proficiencies:
Strength Based: Might, Jumping, Climbing, Swimming
Dexterity Based: Balance, Running, Escape Artistry, Hiding, Picking Locks, Riding, Slight of hand, Tumbling
Constitution Based: Endurance(I know I need more here, but honestly I can't think of much)
Intelligence Based: Appraisal, Crafting, Disable traps, Knowledge
Wisdom Based: Medicine, perception, survival, Sense motive
Charisma Based Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, performance, handle animals, Disguise, Handle animals


Classes
Each of the four core has a series of types beneath it, these are more focused)
Each class is an extra that you must pick when you make your character. Each has a series of Musts. Musts are things you must have or must not have in order to take that class, whether it be skills aspects, stunts or weird powers.

Fighter
--Musts:
    Must have a class aspect denoting that you are a fighter of some kind.
    Must have a Strength score of Average(+1) or better.
--Powers:
    Weapon specialization: you are the only class that can gain a bonus to weapon rolls, Pick a weapon type: Bow, Thrown, Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning, or Long Arm. You gain a bonus of +1 to any rolls to attack with this weapon.
    Weapon focus: To gain weapon focus you must first have a weapon specialization. You pick a weapon group you have a specialization in and you gain an additional benefit depending on the weapon(this will be described in the weapons section(coming soon). This represents true mastery of your weapon, allowing you to use it in ways that no one else can.
    Armor Use: You gain an additional armor stress box. This additional box must be one level lower than the one your armor has inherently.
    Magical Weapon Bond: You can alter a magical weapons Ego Aspect. When you hit rest period after using the weapon for at least a day's worth of adventure you can change the Ego aspect of the weapon. It must still contain the core belief of the weapons Ego, but it can be altered to fit closer to your preferred ethos. There is a roll and the degree of success or failure will tell you haw much you can change it. The rules on Magic weapons and items is coming soon, see that for more detail.

Rogue
--Musts:
    Must have a class aspect denoting that you are rogue of some sort.
    Must have a Dexterity score of Average(+1) or better.
 --Powers:
    Sneak Attack: When using a small Piercing Weapon(a dagger,knife, or something of the like) once per scene you may make a sneak attack. You must be hidden from your target or the target must in some way not be expecting your attack. If you successfully hit double the amount of stress you do.
    Trap Finding: You can spend a fate point to automatically know all the traps in the same zone as you.
    Sneaking: If you succeed with style at a roll to hide or conceal yourself you gain three free uses of the aspect rather than two.

Wizard
--Musts:
    Must have a class aspect stating you are a wizard(and not just some conjurer of cheep tricks).
    Must have an Intelligence of Average(+1) or better.
    Must take a wizard spell casting power.
--Powers:
    Arcane Spell Casting: You gain a number of spells equal to your rank in your Intelligence. These spell tend to be fast flashy and direct. Things that don't last long. Think magic missile, fireball, mage armor(for one hit) and the like. If you wish to, grab a D&D spell list from one of the many editions and go with those. Generally speaking Wizards in my world deal in offensive magic, and don't heal or buff. You can use the spells either as a bonus +2 to an action with another attribute or gain no bonus but use intelligence to do some magical effect in place of another attribute(Lifting heavy objects, dodging, ranged attack, charming a person).

You can swap these out if you are given enough time(eight hour rest) and a chance to roll Intelligence. After the requisite game time you make an Intelligence roll with the difficulty equal to the number of spells you wish to change out time two. If you succeed you have the new spells, if you fail you keep the old spells. After each rest period(about eight hours of rest/meditation) you gain one free use of each of your spell aspects. any use after that will cost Fate Points.
    Ritual Magic: You have access to magic rituals, slow and powerful magics. This is like your summonings and your teleport circles and the like(I am still working on these, so more on rituals later).
    Blood Magic: you can augment your magic by taking stress. You can take a two stress hit to your physical stress track instead of spending a fate point to use a spell a second or third time. If someone else is willing, you can do a three stress hit to their physical stress track to gain the same benefit.

Cleric
--Musts:
    Must have a class aspect denoting your clerical nature.
    Must have a Wisdom score of Average(+1) or better.
    Must select a Divine spell casting power.
--Powers:
    Divine Spell Casting: You have been granted power by the gods. Each day your God grants you a number of spells equal to your Wisdom. These spells tend to aid others more than do direct effects to enemies. These clerics tend to deal in blessings and curses far more than fire from heaven. You must spend time in prayer/devotion to your chosen power. At the end of this time you must make a Wisdom roll versus your Gods, Benediction Rating(described in the gods section, coming soon). If you succeed with style you gain the exact spells you wish to have and one use of each for free. If you succeed you gain one spell you wanted and the rest(if there are any) are chosen by the GM, you also get one free use each. If you tie you can choose between getting the same as a regular success or getting all the spell choices you wanted but only one free use of one spell. If you fail you choose between gaining a fate point and the GM chooses what spells you get(and you get only one free use of one spell), or you can choose the spells you want and get no free uses of them but still gain a fate point.
    Martyred Magic: you can take mental stress to aid another. You can take a two stress hit to your mental stress track instead of spending a fate point to use a spell a second or third time.


Tomorrow I will go into Alignment and Weapons. Exciting!

FATEsy Heartbreaker: Men and Magic Part 1

In my Sharn hack I was fairly happy with how it turned out, but the more I thought about it the more funny little ideas I started having on how to do a true D&D hack for FATE Core. This may be a couple posts in length as I would like to talk about more than character creation. I would like to discuss how to do a dungeon in FATE and perhaps go into some world building with races and monsters. I love world building!

Originally I saw this as a simple hack that would not be all that different from my Sharn hack. As I went along, though I kept getting these funny little ideas. So I decided to make far more than a simple hack. I am making a FATE Heart Beaker. Basically I am going to do all the things that I normally hate doing in FATE. It will be fiddly and complicated and filled with strange offshoot rules. I have no idea if this beast is even playable, but it was interesting to do, so I hope you enjoy it.

Character Creation
When you first make your character you must decide what scale the game will be set to at the beginning: Just off the farm, Survived your first Crawl, Heroic, Paragon, and Epic

Just Off the Farm: Start with High Concept and You All Meet Up In a Tavern. You get two Refresh. You get no free proficiencies or special abilities, and you get 8 points to spread among your six attributes(they max at +3).
Survived your first Crawl: Start With High Concept, You All Meet Up In a Tavern, and Your First Dungeon. You get two refresh. You can pick one free Proficiency or Special Power. You get 10 points to spend on your Attributes(they max at +3).
Heroic: Start with High Concept, You All Meet Up At a Tavern, Your First Dungeon, and Back Story. You start with three refresh. You get two free proficiencies or special powers. You get 12 points to spend on Attributes(max at +4).
Paragon: Start with all the aspects from Heroic. You refresh starts at four. You get three proficiencies or special powers. you get 14 points to spend on Attributes(max +4 or +5 game masters discretion).
Epic: Start with all the aspects from Heroic, you then get your Epic Destiny Aspect. Your refresh is at six. You get four proficiencies or special powers. You get 14 points(or more at GMs discretion) to spend on attributes(max +6).

Aspect Descriptions
High Concept: This should include your Alignment, Race, And Class or you are assumed to be a Neutral Human Commoner. I think we can all agree that is a less than desirable outcome.
You all meet up in a tavern: When you first met the rest of the party you were all in a tavern and someone, be a crazy old man or a mysterious robed figure, gave you the first clues to finding hidden treasure. Was it a map? Was it a prophesy? Whatever it was, this set you on the path to your first dungeon and high adventure. Discuss with the rest of the group what happened in the tavern that fateful day. How did you react? Write an aspect down that suits your character in this situation.
Your first dungeon: Talk with the rest of the group. Figure out what happened in the depths of your first dungeon. How did you react to your first monster sighting? How well did you acquit yourself in battle? What funny or horrendous things happened down their that were your fault? Write an aspect about the first dungeon.
Back story: This is your deep and meaningful back story of how everyone you know is dead so you are a katana wielding loner in a trench coat. Write an aspect about it. No really, we all want to hear about your character.
Epic Destiny: When you hit a certain point in adventuring, crawling through fetid dungeons just doesn't cut it any more. You have transcended mundane issues like food, clothing, money, and other such stuff. You are about to ascend. You will become a god, a legend, or some other form of immortal. Whether it is through magical might, transcendent skill, an ancient prophesy, or just being lucky you have a destiny that you will fulfill. Write an aspect about that destiny.

Attributes
Strength: Strength is a measure of muscle, endurance and stamina combined. Strength affects the ability of characters to lift and carry weights, melee attack rolls, Jumping, Climbing, Swimming, and general checks involving moving or breaking stubborn objects.
Dexterity: Dexterity encompasses a number of physical attributes including eye–hand coordination, agility, reflexes, fine motor skills, balance and speed of movement; a high dexterity score indicates superiority in all these attributes. Dexterity affects characters with regard to initiative in combat, ranged attack rolls, Balancing, Escape Artistry, Hiding, Opening Locks, Riding, Sleight of Hand,  Tumbling, and Dodging.
Constitution: Constitution is a term which encompasses the character's physique, toughness, health and resistance to disease and poison. Constitution also is important for saving throws, Concentrating, Focusing, and resisting pain and fatigue.
Intelligence: Intelligence is similar to IQ, but also includes mnemonic ability, reasoning and learning ability outside those measured by the written word. Intelligence dictates the number of spells a preparation-based arcane spellcaster (like a Wizard) may cast per day. Intelligence is rolled when you wish toAppraise Objects, Craft Items, Decipher Script, Disable Traps, Forge Items and Documents, for General Knowledge, and to Investigate an area in detail.
Wisdom: Wisdom is a composite term for the character's enlightenment, judgment, wile, willpower and intuitiveness. Wisdom influences the number of spells a divine spellcaster (like clerics and druids) can cast per day. It also affects your ability to  Heal, Perceive the World Around You, Sense Hidden Motives, and Survive in the Wilderness.
Charisma: Charisma is the measure of the character's combined physical attractiveness, persuasiveness, and force of personality. A generally non-beautiful character can have a very high charisma due to strong measures of the other two aspects of charisma. Charisma influences how many spells spontaneous arcane spellcasters (like sorcerers) can cast per day. It also affects Bluffing people, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gathering Information, Handling Animals, Intimidation, and Performance.

Ok so that is it for today's post. Tomorrow I will go into Proficiencies and the first four classes. Let me know what you think so far. I started doing this on a lark, but it has rapidly become far greater than the one post I originally saw it as.

Additional posts in this series:
Men and Magic 2
Men and Magic 3
Gnomes and Dwaves
Elves
Halflings
Humans
Goblins
Giants
Gnolls
Minotaurs
Magic Items and Treasure
Orcs
Kobolds
Ogres
Yuan-ti
Dark Elves and Exiles
Tarrasque, Hydra, Gouls
Dragons
Trolls
Dungeon Crawls
Exploration and Travel
Thoughts on Gods
Rethinking the Magic System

Magi makin stuff

Hier sitz ich, forme Menschen          Here I sit, forming people
Nach meinem Bilde,                          In my image;
Ein Geschlecht, das mir gleich sei,   A race, to be like me,
Zu leiden, zu weinen,                        To suffer, to weep,
Zu genießen und zu freuen sich,       To enjoy and delight themselves,
Und dein nicht zu achten,                 And to mock you –
Wie ich!                                            As I do!
 ~From Prometheus by Johan Wolfgang von Goethe

“Hateful day when I received life!' I exclaimed in agony. 'Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred.' - Frankenstein”

When a Magus seeks to change the world creation is often the first way that the Magus will try. The act of creation has the potential to alter the world in unexpected and long lasting methods. In this post I will be looking at the methods in which a Magus can create things in the world as well as making changes to existing things.

In my previous post on Magi I put together a slightly different dice rolling technique that I think will work better for Magi than what I was using before. I also have been thinking about the setting, and I think I have a few new ideas on how to explain it better so that it is more gameable than it was in the past. With that, on to the heart of this post.

You want to make a creature, item, or feature. Good, this is a good thing. By doing even such a small thing you are altering the world. Once you have created something, the world is just a little bit yours. Of course creation is not always easy, even for one of the wise. There is risk in creation. It could turn out broken, ugly, or...wrong. If you do it right, nothing can be more beautiful.

First you need to know what you are trying to create. This will set the base difficulty for the roll. Then you need to decide how much control of the creation you wish to have. This generally will be done after the roll, during the keep phase, though you can spend fate points to set aside effect dice before the roll. Creating a thing will be using the creation stat, naturally. It is difficult to create by destroying something, or keeping something the same.

Difficulty based on scale
Small thing: A physical object of about the size of your hand or smaller, A nonphysical object of minor use(a fleeting memory, a belief about a non-important issue, a single lucky break), a slight shift in the world(raise temperature in the room, increase or decrease the momentum of something handsized or smaller)
Difficulty +2
Medium thing: A physical object of about man sized or smaller, a non physical object of major use(create a serious relationship/belief from scratch, metaphysical truth of some value in a localized area), a major change in the world(alter one physical law completely in a single zone, make a minor shift in a widespread manner)
Difficulty +4
Big thing: A physical object that is larger than a man(like a building or a battleship or something), a nonphysical object of extreme value/use(create a core belief/worldview, alter a metaphysical truth over a whole supernode), A massive change in the world(Alter one physical law over the whole supernode, alter all/some physical laws a little over a whole super node)
difficulty +6


If you succeed on the roll with no extra effect dice, something is made, but you don't control what it is beyond the briefest of description, the GM will control the actual implementation of the creation

For each effect die you keep you can add an extra to the thing you have made, either a skill point or an extra aspect, or a consequence(one die for each consequence you add). shadows do not get refresh or stunts normally.


So that is my first rough idea on how Magic will work in the new version. I would love to hear your thoughts on how this will play out. I know that the language is not as strong as it could be, nor am I convinced my explanation is fully sufficient. Any help would be appreciated.