So this is exile.
Or no, not "exile." "A minor setback," is what you think you're supposed to call it if you don't want the psychopath that got you into this mess in the first place savagely beating you with a stick while screaming about how everything is going according to plan. Because clearly, desperately scrabbling to build a self-sufficient fortress in a forsaken wasteland where nothing lives by choice is what happens when everything is under control.
Still, it could be worse. You still have your magic and you still have your ambition, and a gaggle of "allies" claiming to possess the same. Your boss, while an unspeakable jackass, is nonetheless a powerhouse in terms of raw ability, and your surroundings aren't so bad that it's
impossible to live inside them, just incredibly unlikely. With a bit of hard work, a great deal of cunning, and more luck than you can possibly expect to get, you just might turn this wasteland into a thriving seat of power after all.
Alternatively, your bones might look really tastefully arranged out here in the wastes. It's important to look on the bright side, after all.
It is said that in ages past, all of humanity dwelled within one glorious city.
Naturally, it exploded.
From this catastrophe emerged three major powers.
They also exploded.
You can probably guess where this is going by now. Most settlements are relatively isolated, surrounded by forgotten ruins and hostile wilderness.
Your home is- well, was- known as the Gemstone Kingdom. Built around a volcano, it draws many precious gems from the volcano's depths, giving it an impressive boost to a variety of fields.
The Gemstone Kingdom is comprised of five warring kingdoms or duchies; as each claims the entirety of the kingdom as rightfully theirs, there is some conflict and overlap in terminology.
Within each sub-kingdom, of course, there is quite a bit of... competition. You were minor nobility in the service of landholding nobility, and therefore party to their plots, schemes against rival kingdoms and "friendly" nobles.
You were also, naturally, party to their utter crushing defeat and current exile.
You are now left with two options: Thrive in the barren, dangerous wilds, or die in the barren, dangerous wilds.
Each turn represents one week, during which time you may take two actions. Minor activities, such as conversing with each other or moving a piece of furniture from one room to another, typically do not cost an action.
Adventures requiring immediate and precise activity, such as an enemy assault or searching for buried treasure, will use a more traditional time scale.
Rolled actions are typically based off a relevant skill. Your skill in a given field is the number of dice rolled when you use it; each die has a 50% chance of producing a success and a 50% chance of producing a failure. Successes are rerolled for another chance at producing a success, and can chain indefinitely. Failures have a 33% chance of being Flaws.
The end result is dependent on the final number of Successes and Flaws. Successes improve your result's magnitude or power, while Flaws complicate or lessen your efforts.
| Value | Name | XP To Next | Total Actions to Reach | Description |
| -1 | Inexperienced | 1 | - | Utterly incompetent. If it requires negative successes to pull off, it's probably a very simple task ending in "without hurting yourself too badly." |
| 0 | Dabbling | 1 | 1 | Oblivious. If it requires zero successes, it's probably a very simple task ending in "without hurting yourself." |
| 1 | Novice | 2 | 2 | Basic. Manipulating fire between your hands, raising a mindless mook skeleton, carving a simple stone coffer. |
| 2 | Apprentice | 4 | 4 | Respectable. Spreading fire to objects across a room, raising a weak single-minded skeleton, carving a watertight stone coffer. |
| 3 | Adept | 6 | 8 | Professional. Charring a nearby object to ash, raising a focused skeleton warrior, carving an airtight stone coffer with a secure latch. |
| 4 | Expert | 8 | 12 | Powerful. Lighting an entire room on fire, raising a sturdy dutiful wight, carving a stone coffer with a cleverly hidden compartment. |
| 5 | Master | 10 | 16 | Irresponsible. Charring a room and everything in it to ash, raising a vampire, carving a stone coffer that can only be opened by flipping it around in the proper order. |
Each success on the initial roll grants a point of XP. Most skill levels require double their current bonus in XP to reach the next level. A skill level of 0 or below uses a single die, plus a failure die for each point below 1 the skill is. Failure dice behave much as regular dice, save that their Successes negate normal Successes and their Flaws produce redeeming quirks rather than marring deficiencies. Failure dice have no impact on XP gain.
In addition to their own prowess, many skills benefit greatly from skill levels in other fields. Characters may utilize concepts or abilities from skills to augment the effects of the primary skill in an action, performing feats that might not otherwise be possible with just the primary skill. For instance, a Necromancer might use Earth Magic to make a zombie's hide more stonelike or raise fossilized skeletons, a Lightning Mage might use Destruction to hurl staggering bolts of lightning or slowly break apart his victims as he electrocutes them, and a Carpenter might use Fishing to make a fish-shaped chest or a chair that's well-balanced against struggling movements.
Mundane skills are areas not requiring any magical talent in to achieve. Compared to magic skills, mundane skills tend to be weaker and more limited, but vastly safer and more reliable. Flaws in mundane efforts tend to mar the product or occasionally damage tools or crafters, but are rather mild compared to magical incidents.
Most skills fall into one of the following categories.
Crafting Skills
Generally a combination of a specific material (Stone, Wood, Bone) and a general class of products (Crafts, Furniture, Weapons). Also encompasses harvesting skills, like Mining or Hunting. Usually used to create wealth or maintain a fortress.
Combat Skills
Usually a specific type of weapon, such as Swords or Bows, or a defensive skill like Dodging. Usually used to battle foes without the... temperamental nature of magic.
Social Skills
Usually a conversational or performance skill, like Seduction or Dancing. Usually used to make nice with neighbors.
Knowledge Skills
Usually a well-informed obsession with a given topic, like Geology or Erotic Literature. Usually used to solve obscure problems.
Principle Schools are somewhat eclectic schools based around a given method, or principle. Most Principle Schools have a twin school, often thought of as the other side of the same coin or similar metaphors, that covers "the opposite" of their principle; some practitioners insist that true mastery of a school requires both sides of this coin, while others find little value in learning the opposite of what they want to do.
Principle Schools are known for their versatility and breadth. They are often paired with Elemental Schools to "flavor" the Principle School's effects with elemental essence, such as by producing flaming zombies or skeletons that can swim.
Necromancy
The malign manipulation of life. Necromancy can cause damage, pain, and debilitation to living things, as well as manipulate their souls and reanimate their corpses.
Necromancy is valued for its flexibility in dealing with living enemies, its ability to create undead servants, and its ability to manipulate souls for enchanting or undead creation purposes. Necromancers often dabble in Destruction to better project their disruption of life, Enchanting or Runecrafting to better imbue objects with souls, and Vitamancy to allow them to take the life energies they disrupt for their own benefit.
Vitamancy
The benign manipulation of life. Vitamancy can heal wounds or afflictions, and enhance bodily attributes.
Vitamancy is most highly valued for its ability to heal, but also well respected for its ability to mend more complicated injuries or afflictions, and to empower living entities. Vitamancers often dabble in elemental magics to better empower entities with those elements' likenesses, Protection to help ward against harm rather than restoring it after the fact, and Enchantment to produce more persistent boons.
Thanamancy
Mastery of both Necromancy and Vitamancy is sometimes referred to as Thanamancy. Thanamancers are known for their unrivaled ability to manipulate the forces of life, notably by empowering themselves with the stolen life force of their foes.
Destruction
The destruction and projection of materials and forces. Destruction can hurl, break down, or shatter materials or energies.
Destruction is valued for its ability to hurl projectiles of energy or matter, add force or destructive energy to existing attacks, and directly break down or shatter things. Destructors often dabble in elementalism to provide additional substances to pummel foes with, and Necromancy to improve their potential to damage living targets.
Protection
The preservation and exclusion of materials and forces. Protection can hold things together, harden them against damage, and weaken or prevent things from entering or damaging areas or objects.
Protection is valued for its ability to create wards and shields around allies or areas. Protectors often dabble in elementalism, especially Earth Magic, to provide shields of or against specific elements, and Vitamancy to help defend or augment the vitality or life force of their target.
Shaping
Mastery of both Destruction and Protection is sometimes known as Shaping. Shapers are known for their unrivaled manipulation of energies and materials in motion, notably in shifting between or combining attacking and defending with the same forces.
Summoning
The incarnation of complex things. Summoning can summon creatures and equipment to serve the caster.
Summoning is valued for its ability to summon minions of all varieties. Summoners often dabble in elemental magics to access elementals, Necromancy to access undead, and just about anything else to widen their pool of summons in unique and personal ways.
Conjuration
The incarnation of simple things. Conjuration can conjure materials and forces as the caster directs.
Conjuration is valued for its incredible flexibility, notably in hampering enemies with sticky, slippery, unbalancing, or directly harmful materials or forces. Conjurers often dabble in elemental magics to widen their array of substances and forces, and just about anything else to widen their options further.
Binding
Mastery of both Summoning and Conjuration is sometimes known as Binding. Binders are known for their unrivaled ability to summon anything they like, notably composite entities or forces that might not exist naturally.
Alteration
The manipulation of physical objects. Alteration can lift, move, or stop physical matter, and alter its hardness or weight.
Alteration is valued for its flexibility in altering the physical world, its ability to levitate and hurl projectiles, barriers, or the caster, and its ability to lighten or otherwise render objects more convenient. Alterors often dabble in elemental magics to better control their elements, Protection to strengthen objects being used as shields, Destruction to strengthen the force of hurled projectiles or make them explode on impact, and Transmutation or Transmogrification to better manipulate the nature of used objects.
Illusion
The manipulation of perceptions. Illusion can create mirages and other false sensory artifacts, and manipulate emotion and perception directly.
Illusion is valued for its ability to create illusory images, sounds, or occasionally other senses, magnify love, fear, hate, or other useful emotions in others, and subtly massage interpretations of events and information to the caster's benefit. Illusors often dabble in Alteration to better ground their deceptions in reality, Enchantment or Runecrafting to help their constructions stick to targets better, and just about anything else to improve their repertoire.
Warping
Mastery of both Alteration and Illusion is sometimes known as Warping. Warpers are known for their unrivaled control of the world and its inhabitants, notably their ability to trap victims in half-real, half-illusion constructs.
Transmogrification
The alteration of form. Transmogrification can alter the size and shape of objects or material.
Transmogrification is valued for its ability to transform the caster and objects into more convenient forms, and enemies into less convenient forms. Transmogrifiers often dabble in Transmutation to alter a substance's makeup as well as form, Vitamancy or Necromancy to better control their manipulation of living beings, elemental magics to better manipulate their respective materials, and just about anything else to add to their options for transforming things.
Transmutation
The alteration of substance. Transmutation can alter the properties or makeup of materials.
Transmutation is valued for its ability to improve the quality of an item's material, weaken or otherwise worsen the material of obstacles or enemy items, and transform portions of the caster's body to iron or some other more convenient material. Transmuters often dabble in Transmogrification to alter a material's form as well as makeup, and elemental magics to better control their element's material.
Polymorphing
Mastery of both Transmutation and Transmogrification is sometimes known as Polymorphing. Polymorphers are known for their unrivaled control over physical makeup and form, notably their ability to transform beings and objects into completely different ones.
Enchanting
The attachment of simple forces. Enchanting can imbue objects and materials with simple, persistent magical forces.
Enchanting is valued for its ability to wreathe weapons in energy, harden or otherwise improve armor, and extend the duration of other magical effects. Enchanters often dabble in just about anything to expand their repertoire of available forces and concepts.
Runecrafting
The attachment of complex forces. Runecrafting can imbue objects and materials with situational or complicated magical forces.
Runecrafting is valued for its ability to make weapons and armor more effective in specific situations, and to ward or empower areas for or against certain occurrences. Runecrafters often dabble in just about anything to expand their repertoire of effects and triggering conditions.
Artifice
Mastery of both Enchanting and Runecrafting is sometimes known as Artifice. Articifers are known for their unrivaled ability to attach magical forces to objects or locations, notably their ability to create incredibly complex magical effects.
Alchemy
The refinement and expression of mystical potential. Alchemy can turn mundane or magical ingredients into potions or other immediately consumable forms, as well as refine them into more potent reagents.
Alchemy is valued for its ability to create reliable bottled effects on demand. Alchemists often dabble in just about anything to expand their list of viable potion effects.
Infusion
The infusion and magnification of mystical potential. Infusion can turn mundane or magical ingredients into more potent receptacles of mystic power.
Infusion is valued for its ability to create power sources for rituals and powerful spells. Infusers often dabble in Transmutation to improve their works' affinity for their chosen energy, Enchanting to empower their ability to take in or put out energy, and just about anything else to expand their list of viable energy types.
Chrysopy
Mastery of both Alchemy and Infusion is sometimes known as Chrysopy. Chrysopists are known for their unrivaled ability to bring out the potential in magical or mundane ingredients, notably in creating overcharged consumables with wide-ranging, transformative effects.
Gating
Physically traversing the veil between worlds. Gating can permanently transport things to or from other worlds, with the right foreknowledge or exchange.
Gating is valued for its ability to trade with extraplanar entities and ensnare carefully researched objects. Gaters often dabble in Communion to get a better sense of what they're trading with, knowledge skills to better understand what they're looking for, and just about anything to expand their list of valid targets.
Communion
Astrally traversing the veil between worlds. Communion can sense and communicate with things not of this world.
Communion is valued for its ability to locate targets for other extraplanar actions, acquire distant business partners, and seek out wisdom and knowledge from higher beings. Communers often dabble in knowledge skills to better understand what they're looking for, social skills to more gracefully establish contact with entities, and just about anything else to expand their list of valid targets.
Calling
Mastery of both Gating and Communion is sometimes known as Calling. Callers are known for their unrivaled connection to the beyond, notably their ability to coordinate two-way rituals with otherworldly forces.
Elemental Schools are fairly predictable but incredibly diverse schools based around the manipulation of a specific material or energy, or element. Elemental magics can usually move and shape the element in question, condense or create it, and affect its properties or makeup. This makes Elemental Schools incredibly versatile within their element, but leaves the exact nature and value of this manipulation wholly dependent on the nature of the element.
Virtually any element is possible, including insubstantial concepts like emotions or time, though some sources break these off into their own categories. Narrower than usual elements, such as Stone rather than Earth, are possible and stronger in their chosen field, but usually not enough to warrant their use in most peoples' eyes. Broader than usual elements, such as Matter rather than Earth, are likewise possible, but tend to likewise be considered too weak to be worth the boost in versatility by most.
Elemental Schools are known for their coherent foundation. They are often paired with Principle Schools to empower the elements with new ways to behave, such as by creating explosions of earth or water that appears deeper than it is.
Fire
The manipulation of fire. Fire is generally thought of as an aggressive, offensive element, best used to indiscriminately light things on fire. It also sees some utility use in cooking food, lighting dark places, and even smelting.
Fire Mages most often dabble in Destruction for better control and force in lighting everything on fire, Transmutation to focus hotter or otherwise different flames, and other elemental magics to better combine or light the additional element on fire.
Earth
The manipulation of soil and stone. Earth is generally thought of as a defensive utility element, best used to shield or sheathe things in dirt and manipulate the ground for utility's sake. It also sees some use disabling or slowing foes down.
Earth Mages most often dabble in Protection to better shape soil defensively, Alteration to better move chunks of stone, and Transmogrification to better mold solid stone.
Water
The manipulation of water. Water is generally thought of as a flexible support element, best used to augment or aid other allies or skills using water as a delivery mechanism.
Water Mages most often dabble in Vitamancy to produce soothing healing waters, Alteration to better move water around, and Conjuration to produce water on demand rather than condensing it from the air.
Air
The manipulation of air and wind. Air is generally thought of as a flighty utility element, best used to help the caster flee danger.
Air Mages most often dabble in Alteration to help themselves levitate or fly, Conjuration to summon exotic gasses, and Destruction to buffet enemies with obstructing or unbalancing winds.
Ice
The manipulation of ice. Ice is generally seen as an offensive utility element, best used to slow or disable foes as it damages them.
Ice Mages most often dabble in Destruction to add more force or harm to their ice, Conjuration to summon ice directly rather than condense and freeze it from the air, and Alteration to better control and hurl chunks or spikes of ice.
Lightning
The manipulation of lightning. Lightning is generally seen as an offensive utility element, best used to damage and paralyze foes with bolts of lightning or crackling electricity.
Lightning Mages most often dabble in Destruction to add more force to their assaults, Necromancy to more effectively paralyze the living, and Enchanting to let paralyzing electricity stick to targets better.
Flesh
The manipulation of soft meaty parts. Flesh is generally seen as a questionable utility element, best used to warp oneself or others to more (or less) suitable forms.
Flesh Mages most often dabble in Necromancy to better harm their enemies, Vitamancy to better aid allies, and Transmogrification to better control the shape of a creature's fleshy parts.
Bone
The manipulation of hard organic animal parts. Bone is generally seen as a questionable utility element, best used to strengthen the caster's skeleton or grant them protruding bone plates or spikes.
Bone Mages most often dabble in Necromancy to better harm their enemies and control "loose" bone, Vitamancy to better reinforce and heal the bones of allies, and Transmogrification to better effect horrifying transformations.
Light
The manipulation of light. Light is generally seen as a utility element, best used to light dark places or make things harder to see, despite some practitioners' seeming obsession with focusing it into beams of destructive power.
Light Mages most often dabble in Illusion to grant their distortions increased convincingness, Protection to better warp light around themselves defensively, and Destruction to pursue their bizarre dream of destroying their foes with lasers.
Shadow
The manipulation of darkness. Shadow is generally seen as a utilty element, best used to dim foes' vision and hide oneself.
Shadow Mages most often dabble in Illusion to grant their distortions increased convincingness, Protection to better warp darkness around themselves defensively, and Destruction to hurl sight-obscuring shadows directly at foes.
Baron Skull
A tiny pink bunny riding in a suit of sinister gothic armor. His voice is tiny and cute under normal circumstances, but is amplified by his helmet into a shrill whine. He is known as a dark and terrifying lord of evil, seeking to bring all the world under his ebon grasp.
Baron Skull is a peerless necromancer and empowers those around him in battle. His servants are often rewarded with undead servants and dominion over conquered lands.
On the other hand, he's known for being somewhat... uncompromising regarding failure and its consequences, and insists that his minions follow a strict code of unnecessary evil.
Baroness Sugarpetal
A small, deranged-looking girl with pink eyes and pink pigtails. She is known as a demented master of all things living, seeking to delve ever deeper into the mysteries of (blaspheming against) life.
Baroness Sugarpetal is unrivaled at the alteration and handling of living things. Her servants are often rewarded with exotic pets and... personal improvements.
On the other hand, she's known for having no common sense whatsoever when it comes to warping the living or respecting the bodily integrity of her servants.
Baron Polmarop
A muscular emerald birdman with red eyeshadow. He is known as a visionary demagogue, seeking to restore the glory of his people despite nobody having ever heard of them.
Baron Polmarop is a master craftsbird and articifer. His servants are often rewarded with potent artifacts and grand monuments and titles.
On the other hand, he's known for his eccentric and expensive demands when it comes to restoring the glory of his people, as well as the often bizarre demands he makes of his servants' skills, behavior, and attire to befit their glorious stations.
Baroness Ambrosia Moth
A nice-looking lady with platinum hair. She's known as a cheerful alliance-builder, seeking to unite everyone and everything under herself through diplomatic means.
Baroness Moth is a peerless negotiator and diplomat. Her servants are often rewarded with exotic gifts and favors from her dealings with others.
On the other hand, she's known for her rather indiscriminate zeal in recruiting and allying with anyone and anything, regardless of whether they're worth the investment, as well as her insistence that her servants handle much of the effort in keeping her clients happy and well cared for.
Baron PATRIARCH
A brass and glass golem. He's known as a messiah for nonorganic life, tirelessly working to replace the world's inefficient meatbags with his perfect golems.
Baron PATRIARCH is utterly unmatched in the arts of golemcraft. His servants are often rewarded with golem servants of their own and efforts to... upgrade them past their current distasteful conditions.
On the other hand, he's known for his... unorthodox designs and programming in his golems, and his disdain for using living things even in situations where living things are really quite convenient.
Baroness Goretongue
A wiry little girl with a heavily scarred face, white hair, radioactively green eyes, and a demented expression. She's known as a fearsome taskmistress, seeking to refine the weak chaff of the world into a handful of worthy survivors.
Baroness Goretongue is peerless at personal combat and training others, or at least training those that survive. Her servants are often rewarded with elite agents and dangerous or costly chances to improve themselves.
On the other hand, she's known for her relentless turnover rate and deranged successes, constant hunger for more subjects, and insistence that her servants keep pace with the brutal progress of her specimens.
Baron Ferdinand Goilree
A really fat humanoid catfish in fancy clothes. He's known as a world-class gourmand, pursuing and sharing his impeccable tastes with those of similar mind.
Baron Goilree is a master chef and extraplanar importer. His servants are often rewarded with decadent indulgences and exotic bargains.
On the other hand, he's known for his insatiable and expensive appetites, as well as his complete lack of limits or remorse should he grow hungry.
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Primary Skill:[/b] You begin with a single skill at +5 (Master). You're very good at it!
[b]Secondary Skills:[/b] You begin with two skills at +3 (Adept). You're pretty good with them.
[b]Tertiary Skills:[/b] You begin with three skills at +1 (Novice). You're familiar with their basics.
[b]Physical Description:[/b] What you look like.
[b]Mental Description:[/b] It's what's on the inside that counts.
[b]Bio:[/b] What's a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?
[b]Leader Preference:[/b] Who's in charge of this catastrophe?
[b]Terrain:[/b]
Mountainous +2
Hilly +1
Rolling -1
Even -2
Flat -1
Silty +1
Swampy +2
[b]Temperature:[/b]
Scorching +2
Hot +1
Warm -1
Temperate -2
Cool -1
Cold +1
Freezing +2
[b]Moisture:[/b]
Waterlogged +2
Wet +1
Moist -1
Balanced -2
Arid -1
Dry +1
Parched +2
[b]Vegetation:[/b]
Impassable +2
Overgrown +1
Lush -1
Healthy -2
Sparse -1
Barren +1
Sterile +2
[b]Savagery:[/b]
Prehistoric +2
Hardcore +1
Harsh -1
Natural -2
Soft -1
Pansy +1
Fairytale +2
[b]Feature 1:[/b] Any number of general opportunities or benefits, usually at the cost of 1 point each. Examples might include unusually fertile soil, frequent healing herbs, friendly locals, or pleasant weather.
[b]Hazard 1:[/b] Any number of general dangers or obstacles, usually providing 1 point each. Examples might include especially obnoxious pests, vengeful spirits of the dead, unusually poor mineral yields, or unstable geography.
Once a general embark location has been agreed upon, several specific sites will be generated for players to choose from. For each embark point above 3, a beneficial feature specific to that site will be generated, such as a waterfall or local friendly tribe. For each embark point below 3, the site will possess a hazard specific to that site, such as a nest of giant hungry eagles or suspicious nearby caves. This does mean that -3 is your "base" embark point value.
6 players initially, chosen by random selection. Waitlist available, and hopefully useful for future migrants.
Author
Topic: Arcane Exile [Early Spring, Week 2: Burst] (Read 20859 times)