Mourning

This Bastionland Editorial was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site a week after its original publication.

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They wandered here and there, drawn out by sorrow

As old as the sun, as timid as a child

Mourning Spirit

STR 5, DEX 15, CHA 17, 3hp.
Flashes of despair (d8 blast), immaterial body (ignores normal weapons).

• Lingers protectively around a place tied to past sorrows
• Grants visions of the past sorrows, but only to those who come with peace and humility
• Repelled by earth from a burial mound, or any funerary imagery

Their World

• Islands within the mist of time
• The mourned past can be seen as readily as the now
• None can die there, but any that leave gain the Burden:
  Haunted: Destroy a part of the past which haunts you.*

MOURNFUL FORMS (Roll 2d6)

Shape 

1. Robed 
2. Skeletal
3. Rotund
4. Knightly
5. Childish
6. Amorphous

Matter

1. Glow 
2. Frost 
3. Fire 
4. Mist 
5. Shadow 
6. Water

*Burdens now function slightly differently to my previous iteration. If you have 3 or more Burdens you are considered Unready, and Burdens can (generally) only be removed by fulfilling their specific requirements. In this case you must "Destroy a part of the past which haunts you".

 

Exploration

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Like so many others I've been playing a lot of Elden Ring over the past few weeks. I'm 27 hours in, and so far it's already been one of my favourite videogame experiences. I played the original Dark Souls 10 years ago, enjoying it but getting stuck at some point and never finishing it. I haven't gone back into the series since, and was mostly drawn into Elden Ring by the comparisons to Breath of the Wild.

Breath of the Wild was the best and worst thing to happen to my experience with videogames. Its inviting world, near limitless freedom, and wide open structure tapped into everything I want from a game, but it lowered my tolerance for games that fail to deliver. Clever systems and finely-tuned challenges are good, but above all else I want to feel like I'm exploring a world in my own way, and that the world is worth exploring. 

Years later I dipped into a remaster of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag hoping for the same feeling, but it always felt like the world was behind a fluttering curtain of systems, and my plans weighed down by a rigid structure for what I should be doing at any given time. No Man's Sky had a lot to like by the time I came to it, but it still felt like there was a game developer's hand on my shoulder as I played. I picked up Shadow of War for free and I don't know if I even made it into the sandbox, dragged down into the tutorial-mire before I could even run freely. 

So I wanted to acknowledge some of the ways in which Elden Ring gets it right for me and nails the element of exploration in a way that so many other games fail. Might be a good checklist if you're hoping to stimulate that same feeling in your tabletop RPG.

It lets me do what I want, not what I should be doing.

It lets me go to dangerous places even if I should probably come back later.

It lets me run away.

It lets me sneak.

It lets me grab some treasure without fighting.

It (usually) shows me the dangerous thing before it kills me.

It shows me big, distant places that I can go to.

It doesn't note down everything for me, and expects me to pay attention.

It sometimes points in a certain direction, but doesn't tell me why.

It lets me visit most regions of the world (perhaps all of them, I'm not sure yet!) without fighting a single boss.

It  puts some weak enemies in the strong areas and some strong enemies in the weak areas. 

It has wandering encounters.

It changes between night and day.

It punishes you for dying, but not too much, and throws you right back in.

It puts some treasure just in a remote place, not necessarily behind a guard. 

It has lore, but most of the time bombards you with flavour.

It has a plot, but it feels more about whatever your character is currently doing.

It lets you change your mind and do something else instead.

It lets me play for 10 minutes or 10 hours and feel satisfied either way.

Perhaps I'll go and dip in right now.

Myth

This Bastionland Editorial was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site a week after its original publication.

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I've been pretty vocal about my love of Monster Manuals. I guess I might need to know how many HP a Gorbel has, but I'm really more interested in their weird powers and behaviour. Fire on the Velvet Horizon is essentially an entire book of this stuff.

Luckily I'm not alone here, and I've been reading some medieval monk's Fiend Folio knock-off recently. I'd previously assumed that these Bestiaries were full of errors born out of ignorance. "Oh look, isn't it funny how little this 13th Century Scottish recluse knew about giraffes."

Well I'm sure that accounts for some of the content, but here even local fauna is given fantastical qualities, inevitably making some point about Christian vices or virtues. Weasels can resurrect their beloved young, dogs can always be trusted to provide truthful testimony, and goat blood is hot enough to dissolve diamonds. 

I picked up this book as inspiration for a bank of myths I'm writing for my medieval experiment. Whether they're a monster, place, or event, I want these myths to feel mythic. The sort of stories people would tell as allegory in our world, but real in this one. 

THE WYVERN

All jaw and neck like knotted string
All wing and tail with baleful sting

That Twisted, Venomous Reptile
STR 17, DEX 17, CHA 3, 12hp
Cowering wings (A2 when grounded), bite (2d10) or sting (d8, wound causes bloating death within an hour unless thoroughly washed out with fresh milk)

• A clumsy flier, drawn to places rich with the stench of upcoming death
• Fights only to secure its nest (see below), protect its young, or for petty revenge
• Disgusted by the sound of a baby’s cry

Wyvern Eggs

• The satiated creature lays two eggs among the carrion of battle, without need for a mate
• Each hatches as a different beast (see right), carrying their mother’s venom
• The offspring share a feast of the dead before travelling in opposite directions

Her Poisonous Young

Form (d6)
1: Adder
2: Newt
3: Frog
4: Weasel
5: Scorpion
6: Flightless Swan

Abomination (d6)
1: Barbed Scales
2: Unhinged Jaw
3: Prehensile Tongue
4: Bloated Stomach
5: Twin Tails
6: Horned Snout

Priceless

This Bastionland Editorial was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site a week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.

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Into the Odd, and especially Electric Bastionland, hold personal wealth in high regard. Your debt looms over you, and you're explicitly told to go and hunt treasure to get rich quick. Buying fancier weapons and armour is one of the main ways to improve your survivability, and I wrote the Luxuries section of the equipment list to tempt players into increasingly avaricious ventures.

Playing around with a more mythic-medievally-thing on the same chassis has made me rethink the position of money. Not quite one of those barter systems where people trade rabbits for halberds, but definitely something that would force players to take on a different relationship with money. That is to say I wanted to get rid of it.

As a side note, I want to put some weight on the mythic part of my description above. I love exploring medieval history, but sometimes the legends are even more interesting than the truth. Take Le Mort d'Arthur. It's a book published in the 15th Century, set around the 5th Century, drawing on stories originating from anywhere in between those points. That's before you even get into the various cultures that have thrown their own twists into the tale.  Sub-Romain Britain is fascinating, but Arthurian Britain is enthralling. 

So what value would this sort of world put on a longsword? You'd better track down a fine blacksmith, there's no call for such an artisan in this sleepy village, so off to a distant castle. Perhaps their liege already has them busy with work, so why should they make a sword for you? Do you try to appease the liege, or strongarm the smith? Maybe you're better off finding a barrow mound rumoured to hold the fine arms from a long-dead warlord.

You don't just go to the shop.

I need to work on this guidance, but I have the seeds of a procedure in place and, for now at least, have removed all references to monetary valuations. 

TRADE Only the rich deal in coins. Most trade in this primeval land is focused on:

• Finding somebody who can supply the item or service.
• Making sure they have what they need to provide it.
• Providing them with one of their needs or wants, or making a firm or implied promise. 

The value of any given item depends entirely on the bargaining positions of the person holding it, and the person desiring it. Long-standing trade agreements often form into pledges of ongoing service or protection.

Naturally, more effective arms and luxurious goods are more difficult to find in supply, and demand more in return.

COMMON ARMS 

Crude Weapon: d6 bulky, pitchfork, staff, etc.
Blade: 2d4, dagger, dirk, etc.
Hand Weapon: d6, axe, spear, etc.
Field Weapon: d8 bulky, pike, bill, etc.
Niche Weapon: d6, bulky, +d8  in a specific situation, torniehook, thistlepole, etc.
Javelin: d6 ranged
Bow: d6 bulky, ranged
Light Shield: +1 Armour in melee
Heavy Shield: +1 Armour, bulky
Field Armour: Armour 1, bulky

RARE ARMS 

Hefty Weapon: d8, waraxe, morningstar, etc
Longsword: 2d6
Greatsword: 2d8 bulky
Greatbow: d8 bulky, ranged
Kite Shield: +1 Armour
Fitted Armour: Armour 1

Note: Weapons listing multiple dice roll and keep the single highest die.

Tinkering

This Bastionland Editorial was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site a week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.

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Just some disjointed ideas today. Messing around with something ITO/EB based. Presented without any further context.

UNREADY: Characters who are caught unprepared, helpless, or  off-guard are Unready, and have 0hp until they ready themselves. Traps usually catch their victims Unready.

BULKY: Bulky weapons require two hands to wield. Anybody carrying 3 or more bulky items is considered Unready.

BURDENS: Characters can acquire Burdens on their soul. These count as a Bulky item. 

RECOVERY: HP is Refreshed by a moment of calm, wiping away the mud and blood. Ability Scores are Restored by a full week of recuperation under warm hospitality. Burdens are Relieved by completing a Quest or taking full season of reflection or indulgence. Other opportunities for recovery may present themselves but carry a cost. 

THE UPPER HAND: Where one side gains an advantage, the Referee grants the most appropriate bonus: +d6: Petty gambit (thrown dust) +d8: Tactical exploit (defensible position) +d10: Ruthless ploy (disarmed target) +d12: Overwhelming force (demon blood)

DIRE STROKE: Before rolling, an attacker can declare a Dire Stroke, making a brutal and ruthless assault. They gain +d10 to their attack but take a Burden. If they shatter their weapon in the process, increase this to +d12.

CATCHING BLOW: When an armed, clawed, or adequately monstrous attacker rolls the maximum possible number on any of their damage die they strike a Catching Blow. The effect depends on whether the attack is Evaded, causes a Scar, Wound, or a Critical Wound. 

EVADED - The target is driven onto their back or into a disadvantageous position. 
SCARRED - The target is enraged and gets +d10 to their next attack.
WOUNDED - The target bleeds, losing a further d6 STR at the end of their next turn unless they stop the flow. 
CRITICAL - The target is slain in a most bloody manner. 

SHATTERED ARMOUR: A combatant can automatically pass a STR Save to avoid a Critical Wound if they declare their shield or armour to be shattered beyond use. This must be declared before the Save is rolled.