Impairing Impairing

Much has been discussed about the ease or deadliness of combat in Mythic Bastionland and I think the following can all be true at the same time.

• Combat is fast and brutal and a well-prepared group of Knights can be pretty devastating. I like having a high damage output and it fits my pursuit of decisive combat.

• Using a Gambit to impair an enemy attack can lead to a sort of “stun lock” situation, where the fast combat also becomes quite a safe-feeling combat, which isn’t something I want to happen in every case.

• This problem is especially prevalent in groups of four or more Knights, as while damage has diminishing returns from multiple attackers, those larger groups will gain progressively more dice to spend on Gambits without any real restriction.

Of course some Knights will just pile it all into damage.

So if you’re playing with a larger group of Knights and want to avoid this situation, there are a few optional levers you can pull on in isolation or combination with each other.

I've tried to avoid big blunt rule changes, so these are intended to be a more gentle retooling of what's already there.

Lever 1 - No Gambit Stacking

For Gambits other than Bolster, each enemy may only be the target of a specific type of gambit once per turn.

In effect, if they pass their Save to resist a particular type of Gambit they cannot be the target of that gambit type again this turn. 

For example: Two Knights roll attack dice of 8, 5, 4, 1. They spend the 5 to attempt to Impair the enemy’s weapon, but the enemy passes their VIG Save. Now they cannot attempt another “impair their weapon” gambit against the target this turn, even if they wanted to use the 8 as a Strong Gambit.

Lever 2 - Resistant Natural Weapons

Natural weapons such as claws, tramples, and bites, cannot be Impaired by the “impair their weapon” gambit. A Strong Gambit can apply the “greater effect” option to attempt this, but the target receives a Save as normal.

Note that this goes against the example on the Gambit page of the Oddpocrypha.

Lever 3 - Secondary Attacks for Big Enemies

A lot of the “solo enemies” in the book have multiple attacks, so if you impair the Wyvern’s “Bite and Throw” attack then it can still use its “Sting” attack at full strength.

A few don’t, such as the Spider which only has a “bite” attack, so is left vulnerable if this is impaired.

If your Myth has a big monster like this that’s likely to be fighting a group of Knights on its own I’d recommend giving them a secondary attack of some sort. If in doubt then a classic d8 slam can represent them throwing their weight at the enemy. Just make sure this is weaker than their main attack. 

Lever 4 - Uncertain Initiative

Shift the “Surprise” rules slightly so that for a standard combat, where both sides start aware of each other, players must pass a CLA Save or miss the first turn. Those that pass then act first as normal. This means for an average group of Knights only half of them are going to act on the first turn, tempering the power of that first onslaught. 

If the players truly have the drop on their enemy then they all act first as normal. Likewise, if the players are ambushed then the enemy attack first.

Playtest Notes

I’m going to try applying all of these to my next game. 

I’ll add some notes here after I’ve tested these out a bit.

d72 Squires

By the book, Squires get a pony, a dagger, and an okay weapon from a d6 table.

Want to give your Squires a bit more flavour? Roll d6 and d12, reading them in that order. 

Remember you can combine these with the spark tables and prompts in the book.

ONE - They brought something with them.
1: A somewhat grand helm (A1) that’s a bit too big for them.
2: They’re always playing a shrill flute. 
3: They have fine clothes and a pouch of coins. 
4: A homemade shield (A1). 
5: A small barrel of low quality mead. 
6: Layers and layers of padded clothes (A1). 
7: Somehow, they got a crossbow (2d8 slow)
8: They somehow got hold of some mail (A1). Do they think they’re a Knight already??
9: A tiny, low quality mirror. 
10: Their parents loaded them up with Sustenance. 
11: They’ve foraged enough Stimulant to go around. 
12: A Seer provided them with Sacrament. 

TWO - They have an aptitude. 
1: They can sprint like a horse. 
2: They can climb like a squirrel. 
3: They can sing like a nightingale. 
4: They can swim like a fish.
5: They can eavesdrop like a bat. 
6: They’re a great judge of character. 
7: They’re a captivating storyteller. 
8: They have a perfect sense of direction. 
9: They were highly educated.
10: They’re great with horses.
11: They were an apprentice herbalist. 
12: They're a decent hunter. 

THREE - Their home is notable.
1: It’s far away. They only know a language that nobody in this Realm understands.
2: They’re a middling relative of the Ruler of the Realm. 
3: They’re heir to one of the Holdings. 
4: They’re already a successor to one of the Knights.
5: They were raised by a Seer of this Realm.
6: Their family sprawls all over this Realm.
7: They have a secret claim to the Seat of Power. 
8: Their family was wiped out for treason, so they use a false name. 
9: They grew up in the wilds, so their snarls are vaguely understood by animals. 
10: They come from the frozen peaks, ignoring any hardship of Winter. 
11: They come from a realm of darkness, ignoring any problems with night. 
12: They floated up from a body of water, not needing air to breathe. 

FOUR - They’re not alone.
1: They have an old but loyal hound (VIG 5, CLA 7, SPI 6, 4gd, d6 bite)
2: They have a pet rat that they think understands them. 
3: They’re accompanied by an overbearing parent (rolled as another Squire, but they do not get a weapon)
4: They’re a pair of twins, identical in every way. 
5: They have a kestrel (VIG 4, CLA 15, SPI 5, 3gd, d4 talons)
6: Their pony is especially violent (d6 trample).
7: They guard a younger sibling (roll as a Squire, but too young to fight or be useful at all)
8: They carry their mother’s ashes in a wooden urn.
9: They have an embarrassing cloth doll. 
10: They speak to their father’s skull, kept in secret. 
11: Their older sibling is a successful Knight, only occasionally coming by to check on them. 
12: They claim to have an invisible friend. 50% chance of whether this ever manifests into anything. 

FIVE - They’re not like the other Squires.
1: They’re old. 
2: They’re big. Increase VIG to 12. 
3: They’re smart. Increase CLA to 12. 
4: They’re bold. Increase SPI  to 12. 
5: They claim to be a Knight reborn. They can Smite. 
6: They fought from birth. They can Focus. 
7: They cheated death. They can Deny. 
8: They secretly hate the Seers. 
9: They will not eat meat. 
10: They cannot lie. 
11: They hate horses. 
12: They’ve already seen battle. Roll d12 on the Scar table.  

SIX - The Seers made a prophecy that must be honoured. 
1: This Squire must not fight until Knighted. 
2: This Squire must die so that another can rise. 
3: This Squire will find the City. 
4: This Squire must visit every Seer.
5: This Squire must kill a Knight to become a Knight.
6: This Squire will become a Seer.
7: This Squire must kill a Seer. 
8: This Squire will find the next ruler of the Realm.
9: This Squire must not ride a steed. 
10: This Squire must live in poverty.
11: This Squire must never be Knighted.
12:  This Squire will achieve nothing of worth.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

Guidance from the Seers - A Mythic Bastionland FAQ

Sticking this here for ease of access and update. 

With thanks to Udy Kumra in the discord for getting this started.

Do Scars remove Virtues permanently?

No. They are temporary as standard. If it's a permanent change (typically only from ageing or weird Myth stuff) it will specifically say so.

Do Myths have to be placed where they make sense (for example, The Sea Myth next to an actual sea)?

Not necessarily. As explained on page 27, "Myths may appear at odds with their Realm, such as The Sea in a desert." Of course, you can tweak Myth placement for where it would make sense, or tweak your map to match your Myths. 

Does Damage + Bolster happen before Gambits or after? For example can you trap a shield to remove armor before damage?

Per the Attack procedure on page 8, all gambits are performed before any damage is dealt.

When should I replace/restock a Myth after the players have resolved it?

Per the rules on page 27, a Myth is replaced the season after the players have resolved it.

How do I convert stat blocks from 5e or other games to design my own monsters/opponents?

See these blog posts:
https://www.bastionland.com/2020/03/bastionland-non-conversion-guide.html
https://www.bastionland.com/2023/01/beasts-vicious-and-knowing.html

Do the knights have to be connected to the seers on their page?

By default, your knight is knighted by the Seer on their page. That doesn't mean that that Seer is present in the Realm the players are exploring in the game, however. If knighting a squire, you don't need to seek out a specific Seer (unless you wish to); any Seer can make your squire into a knight. As with most setting-related questions your world may vary. 

What are players allowed to see/what is on your player facing map?

In most of my games players get a copy of the map with Holdings and general terrain marked. They cannot see Myths, Landmarks, and Barriers. You can vary this to taste but this method works well for me. 

Does Smite blast hit allies?

Technically Blast attacks hit everything in their blast, but I'm usually pretty generous for where the Knight is "aiming" the blast from Smite. If it's a tight, jumbled melee then I'd warn the player that their allies will be hit too. 

When should the Unresolved Situations table be used? For every Myth?

It is a tool available for your use whenever you are uncertain about how a situation would progress between seasons or ages. I use it more often for non-Myth stuff, like struggles faced by a holding, but it is your tool to use as needed. 

I generally advise against advancing the Myths "off screen" though. I'm happy to have them remain relatively static between the seasons or ages, then the game time focuses on the Knights actually dealing with them. 

Can you resolve a myth before the last omen?

Yes, use your judgement for whether it feels resolved.

Is the way to resolve a myth basically up to the players and I decide whether or not that works?

Yes. But it also doesn't always have to be a solution, nor does it have to be successful. A Myth is resolved when the whole group feels that its story has been told and finished. Glory is earned if the players were a meaningful part of that story—even if they failed, or the resolution wasn't solving it.

Can a myth only be "solved" in the myth's hex?

Nope, it can be resolved anywhere.

Do I tell the players when they stumble upon a myth hex? If not, how would they find out that this exact hex is the origin of the myth?

This is your choice how you do it, but it's important to remember that per the rulebook, the landscape is warped by the presence of the Myth, so you should describe it in a way that makes it clear this is a weird hex.

How much Virtue should a Knight lose when they trigger virtue loss through the action procedure or other non-specific means?

It's a sliding scale from d4 at the mildest end to d12 for something really bad. If in doubt go with d6. 

Do the players know which Myth an Omen comes from?

No, I don't tell them. Some will be more obvious than others, and of course Seers know what's up. For this reason the Wilderness Roll is actually one of the only rolls I'd recommend doing hidden from the players. 

What does "Wounded" do?

Nothing on its own. It's just there to show that you've lost VIG as a result of damage, which can help in descriptive terms, and also interacts with other specific abilities found in the Knights and Myths.

When Jousting or Duelling who gets to Deny first?

Remember that Denying happens before Gambits (p8) and so it can actually be resolved simultaneously before moving onto the Gambit step. 

Do qualities like Blast from a Smite or the Gallows Knight's neck-catcher weapon affect all attacks in a group's attack pool or just the Knight using that Feat/Ability?

Unless noted otherwise they only affects the Knight's own attack dice. For this reason it's sometimes important to keep track of which die belongs to which Knight when rolled together.

Can non-Knights use Gambits/Feats?

Anyone can use Gambits. Only Knights can use Feats, unless noted as an exception in their entry. 
For animals I'd use Gambits as feels appropriate. Your steed probably isn't trained to disarm an enemy, even if they can trample!

Please direct any remaining questions to the Screaming Seer.

Berkblasters

Following on from last week's Slugblaster-Planescape mashup, let's look at some crews loosely inspired by the Factions of Planescape.

A few of the individual members are pulled straight from the Slugblaster book.

NB-NEO / no brands not even once (Athar)
You know everything is a brand right? 
Thrift store burnouts. Shut down anything as corpo scam
Mal: Huge, basic big bully but with booksmarts.
Ki: Pretty and rich. Writes and burns poems. 
Dognose: Dopey. He just copies Mal. 

Plus2 (Believers of the Source)
You mean nobody was there to see it? What’s the point?
Overachievers in their own branded jackets 
Blasting is all about getting recognition.
K-Hop: Too virtuous, pushes herself too hard.
Lashley: Too eager. Sore loser.
Bex: Keeps headphones on for full focus. 

Splinterdomes (Bleak Cabal)
Why do you care so much? It’s all been done.
Tight, ripped clothes. They’ve already seen it all. 
Smiles: No smile, but weirdly calming and nice.
Chester: Small, almost invisible, doesn’t talk. 
Hats: No hat, greasy hair. Tries a bit too hard. 

Dooom (Doomguard)
Haha, stand back and watch, kid.
Distressed denim, studs, lots of bruises. Stir shit. 
Treader: Just a big coward really.
Kara 2: Boasts that Kara 1 died (true).  
Nana: Because he’s peeled so many times. 

We Are Ghosts (Dustmen)
Yeah I don’t remember much about my actual life
Utterly monochrome but also fancy.
Velvet Dirge: Lace everything. 
Thorn: Obsessed with incense
Still B: Wants to make you cry.

THE F8ED 8 (Fated) 
If you want the rep you’ve got to take it.
Expensive gear, patches torn from other crews.
Lex Money: Makes it clear he has no friends.  
Sim: Always looking for a pattern.
Griff: Buff nerd.

Junk Kode (Fraternity of Order) 
Tricks are just science, right?
Tracksuits and big shades. Booksmart not streetwise.
Killer Ivy: Knows every trick’s name.
Mim: Her brother has been everywhere 
Glyphic: Reads planar speak.

Radicl Axl (Free League)
Didn’t see that coming did you?
Mismatched outfits. Refuse to talk to anyone in any meaningful way. Always take the contrarian path.
L Vibe: Barefoot weirdo.
Drifty: Has been in every other crew.
Omaro: Laughs at everything.

LnS / Lyncz n Sinkz (Harmonium)
Ride as one, land as one
Bright yellow tracksuits, full helmets. 
School approved boarding club. Only board on Null, and love grassing in other crews
Sick Cameron: Everyone said he would die
Elena E: The E is for Elena
Max Moist: Doesn’t actually board.

The Justice and Mercy Chain (Mercykillers)
You what?
Red suits and chains. Basically a violent gang that do a little boarding on the side.
Rook: Has real tattoos. Looks 30.
Sasha Wright: Always right.
Gravel: Straight edge. Hates the others. 

Rev Leg / Revelatory & Legendary (Revo League)
Smash the multiverse!
Glitchcore hoodies, one big laptop between them.
Zed Zero: Prints manifestos at school.
Trix: Pierced everything.
No ID: Stays at home as often as they can. 

ME ME ME (Sign of One)
Move, NPC, get out of my way!
High fashion. Main character syndrome.
Nova Starr: Assumes you know her lore.
Solo: Narrates his own life.
Cassie Cassie: Has a video recorder. 

Froad Snickers (Society of Sensation)
The run isn’t the run, it’s the sparks, the scent!
Glitter hoodies. Always trying some new high. Throw the best parties.
Lola Pop: Kisses strangers.
Taste: Soft guy, smells great.
Crash: Tall, always dancing. 

Oddflow Verve (Transcendent Order)
No thought, no hesitation.
Neon lycra. Utterly focused on the perfect run.
TyJax: Tense, no warmups
Mantra: Has a short phrase for everything
Zen: Way too much emotion

Art Fu (The Xaositects)
Sure a run is art, but documenting a run is art too.
Everything is DIY and a statement. Strongly want an audience. 
Fizzbang: Carries a glue gun, always making something. 
Blurry: Draws on everything, no memory.
Worm: Eats paper. Chose his own nickname.

New Kids (The Outsiders)
We’re not that new.
Shitty gear. Used to being the punching bag. 
Vera B’zar: Asks weird questions. Eyes too big. 
The Rest: Who cares?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

MAC Attack is Live

I just launched MAC Attack on Backerkit.

If you've been following this blog at all then you've seen me write about it before. If you follow the link above there's a free quickstart document, a how to play video, and a neat trailer showcasing some of Amanda Lee Franck's incredible art.

Check it out now!

Planesk8

If you play in any of my in-person groups, turn back now! No huge spoilers, but stuff that would be more fun to discover in game.

Okay?

Right.

So I've been reading through the fantastic Slugblaster, and hoping to run it soon. I wanted to try changing up the other dimensions that the crew portal-jump over to for their hoverboard runs.

Meanwhile, Planescape is one of those settings that's full of cool locations but sometimes feels daunting to use for an actual D&D style campaign.

If only we could... wait...

Heaven IS a halfpipe after all

PLANESK8 (AKA BERKBLASTER)

The crew receive a chart of cryptic symbols, scribbled notes, and a few known connections, passed down by a weird older kid.

These are each loosely inspired by a Planescape Outer Plane, with the Inner Planes and existing Slugblaster dimensions crammed in there too.

More of a messy web than a wheel.

The Big Wheels (Mechanus)
Except this place. This place is all wheels. Giant cogs of the multiverse and steam-filled engine rooms. Little flying robots monitor things and make everything runs properly.

You can tweak reality, history, and the future if you mess with things here.

Tidy Town (Arcadia)
A pristine idealistic suburbia with a rule for everything and no tolerance for rulebreakers. They have a great skate park but nobody goes there because of all the rules.

A deeply uncool place to go, so keep it quiet if you do.

Blastopia (Bytopia)
Halfpipe-shaped land of perfect gaps, slick rails, and heavenly pipes, all with just the right amount of flexible gravity. Going high leads into the skymaze, an even more perfect blasting ground.

Only the best crews are allowed in, and only for tournaments.

Halo High (Mount Celestia/Thennis Spar)
Super nice universities and temples atop a glowing mountain. The buildings are made out of light, and everything can be ridden on. You’ve got to behave or you’ll get banished and blacklisted.

Lake Chill (Elysium/Desnine)
Mellow lake that enforces chill. You can ride the water or go below to hit a sweet endless reef. You start to forget your troubles, then your home. When you get back more time has passed than you expected.

Beastamunda (Beastlands/Golden Jungle)
Big beasts roam oversized landscapes, having won an ancient war against colossal machines. Hunger, desire, and pain are amplified. Tech doesn't work here now, so bring some wheels!

Moodwood (Arborea)
Technicolour forest where emotions affect everything. The woods below reflect your innermost feelings. Every fruit, leaf, and scrap of bark is an upper, downer, or some other form of trippy that you don’t have a word for.

If you get high enough you can board on the canopy and even the beams of sunlight.

Radhalla (Ysgard/Empyrean)
Epic landscape of icy mountains and crystal grottos, also monsters.

You respawn when you die, so go wild with the risky tricks.

The Goop (Limbo/Quahalia)
Always changing. Your thoughts manifest into reality, for better or worse. Neutral state is a zero g ocean of prismatic goop, but you can breathe in it.

Your self belief even changes your own form.

Thrash Hole (Pandemonium/Prismatia)
A tunnel through a roaring storm of noise, where you can ride the beat and the lightning. Just try to get through it. Putting headphones on as you ride changes reality to match the music.

Evergeddon (The Abyss/Vastiche)
A world being constantly destroyed and falling into pits down to an even worse place. Pain isn’t so bad and it makes you go faster too. Iron forts and needle rocks under eternal storm.

Only the coolest crews come here.

Dead End (Carceri)
Red skied hell world that can’t be escaped. Go down into dungeons with traps and puzzles, all rigged against you. Your own voice taunts you with bad advice.

There's a lot of confiscated gear here.

Null (Hades)
The boring home to your boring town, the concrete waste town of Nullwich.

Helter Skelter (Gehenna/Calorium)
Infinite slopes of fire and rock. You can go down forever but going up really sucks. You can accelerate forever, so be careful as you break the sound barriers.

Boss City (The Nine Hells/Popularia)
A neon-gothic city underneath a burning sky. Brand billboards and rider scoreboards vie for attention. Layers upon layers of city. They have all the money you could ever want.

The Blocks (Acheron/Operaeblum)
Facing concrete blocks drifting in space locked in gang warfare. Pick a side or get out.

Each block is built around a fusion core and gravity generator. The infinite scrapyard below is filled with busted tech.

Neverville (Outlands/Waking Pits)
Weird infinite architecture and mists. Not quite like being in a nightmare, but one of those dreams where you wake up exhausted.

Draws on your past and future.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

MAC Attack - How to Play Video

Want to learn to play MAC Attack in 16 minutes? 

Like the look of it? Get ready for the Backerkit launch soon. 

Between the Realms

Travelling between Realms usually just has you arrive in the following season. Maybe we can roll to find out what actually happened on the journey.

I’m currently messing with a multi-realm map that has a bespoke table for each border. This is a typical example. It uses with the mythic calendar system, but if you’re just using seasons as written in the book then you can assume each season is made up of three months.

Roll d6 once for the whole company and resolve the event.

On successive rolls, add the result the previous entry you resolved, continuing until you arrive. This particular example requires a roll of 8+ to arrive, so it's going to take you at least two months, usually three, maybe more if you have very bad luck.

For example, a you might roll 2 (entry 2) then 3 (entry 2+3=5) then 5 (5+5=10, arrival), representing a journey of three months.

Remedies can be used between events but virtues are otherwise not restored.

You can turn back any time, rolling just one more time on the table before you get back to the realm you departed from. 

Between the Realms - Dark Forest Borderlands

1: A green beast stalks you before striking
Make a combined attack roll. If you score 12 or more damage you kill the thing, gaining a Sustenance. Otherwise you each lose d12 VIG. You may use Gambits to bolster but cannot use Feats.
Advance to the next month. 

2: Dead end, you must retrace your steps
Everyone loses d6 SPI. Increase this to d12 in Winter. 
Advance to the next month. 

3: The trail is blocked, you must climb to continue
Everyone loses d4 VIG and d4 SPI. Increase this to d8 in Winter.
Advance to the next month. 

4: Brigands wait in ambush
Everyone makes a CLA Save. Those who fail lose d8 VIG.
Advance to the next month. 

5: Respite, you find a place of calm and safety and take a rest day
Everyone may restore one Virtue
Advance to the next month. 

6: You feel like you've been here before
One person makes a CLA Save.
If you fail, begin the journey from the start.
Advance to the next month.

7: The forest floor becomes more bog than soil
Everyone loses d4 VIG and d4 SPI. Increase this to d8 in Winter.
Advance to the next month. 

8-9: You arrive suddenly in the realm. Roll d12 to see which column/row you enter the Realm from.

10+: You arrive safely. You may choose which column/row you enter the Realm from.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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