Eosin the Red

The Messenger & The Message
All three vehicles, and others that I am sure escaped my attention, serve to bring the prophecy to the characters in a piecemeal fashion. Dumping the whole lot on the players in the first gaming session will drown the story and kill the tension. The hardest part for many gamemasters is to allow the suspense to run its course. I usually want to blab to the players but the vehicle of prophecy should dole out only a little information each week. For successful use of these literary elements, it is important that the gamemaster avoid bragging about how “kewl” the story might be. Gamemasters will have to read the players carefully, some players will get frustrated with information that comes too slow and others will want to draw out the mystery. Each set of players will have their own evolving pace and successfully running the game requires that you have its pulse. If players are talking about the prophecies and calling you names that are not fit for polite company, then you are doing well. If, on the other hand, they yawn when the topic is brought up, then something is wrong.

The Climax
One of the most satisfying events in a novel or a movie is the climax: that moment when all the built-up tension is released. It is the capstone of fantasy. It is also hard to replicate in role-playing games.

Most players want to continue to play in games, well, forever, but most gamemasters are not up to the task. There are two different ways to handle this that spring immediately to mind; the first is to have a campaign with a beginning, middle and end. The game has a set terminus. The unsatisfying aspect of this type of campaign is that players often want to return to these successful games and bring out the character who is still on top of his or her game. Opposed to this style of campaign is the story that is divided into different books. There are stages to the game that have their own natural climaxes and at these points, the game can be shelved for a few months before picking it back up and beginning a new book. Popular serial television shows, on-going fantasy sagas, and even many storied video games follow this premise. The major drawback to this type of story is that the characters might end up feeling like they are off once again to save the world, a ho-hum feeling at best. In order to make the most of this style, the gamemaster will need to be careful to have good climaxes for each book but not climaxes that are ever-escalating. The game may also need to have some retarded progression of experience in order to keep the characters playable.

Not Everything Is As It Appears
A successful use of auspicious lives is that oftentimes what appears to be known is simply misinterpreted. Characters may see a vision that includes something that, by itself, is disastrous — perhaps they betray the order that they are dedicated to protecting or kill a close friend in their visions. In these cases, the snapshot picture does not provide enough information to explain the circumstances. In the betrayal example, what is not seen in the vision is that the order is corrupted from inside and the characters had to turn to a traditional enemy to succeed in liberating the temple from the snake at its breast. Plan these misleading prophecies carefully and sparingly; the more frequently they are used, the less power they carry. Ideas for misleading prophecy typically involve character death, betrayal, or failure.

A Backup Plan
One of the reasons that many gamemasters shy away from using these plot and literary devices is that sudden and unexpected death on the part of key characters can derail the entire game. Most of the scenarios above are inoculated from that pitfall since the examples involve groups rather than individuals. Make sure that you leave room in your destiny plan for both additions and deletions as needed in case there are deaths or character changes.

Don’t Shoot the Messenger
So the players are born under a sign of some sort but there is no way of guaranteeing that they are even aware of the import of the event or mark. The messenger is the event that tells the character of his special destiny; this can be sacred text, the kindly old wizard, or the local druidic circle. In short, it can be whatever vehicle the GM has at hand to impart the significance of the prophecy.

Sacred text is a misnomer; some prophecies are revealed in song and others through children's rhymes, the vehicle is limited only by the gamemaster and the setting requirements. Sacred text takes more work and forethought and is not for the feint of heart. It is probably the hardest of the three to master but we have plenty of material to draw from. For example, Nostradamus is a fine guide to producing vague but seemingly specific quatrains that can be interpreted in myriad ways after events have transpired. Other sources of inspiration include altered passages from religious text, song lyrics that tell a story, or metered poetry that can be adapted to your needs.

One of the keys to the successful use of sacred text is not to put it all in one location or, if it is all in one location, to make a dozens of different predictions, much like the quatrains of Nostradamus. This allows for continuing development as the game progresses and can explain some unexpected events like player death. Below is an example of a sacred text used for my own game.

Commentaries on the Divine
Translation by Andronicus, fifth century

Behold, the bloody lion of Ro standing at the abyss, and with him five thousand and five hundred of the finest warriors of men. And from the depth of Anwynn there arose the voice of the Numenes, the voice of rushing water, and the pouring of rain. The voice of the Lion of Ro was the echo of thunder, an echo of the song of creation. The mighty host shall sing the song as they sing in Aion, beyond all time, before the throne of the mighty. No other men know of the song save in their dreams. The host of Numenes sang unto the murder of Murgost saying, "The hour of judgment has come. Darkness shall fall before the host of him who made the land, sky, and the sea."

But there came unto the host of Numenes a great being of light, who spoke unto them, "Judgment on this day has begun. Though the Lion of Ro and his host shall fall this day, they shall be lifted beyond the gates of time to abide forever. Fallen, fallen, fallen is the crown of men. The crown will be smote and its gems spread through the land." So spoken, the light bathed the Numenes revealing the coming of the last.

The voice of Daikin was the color of the blue sky in a wind that carried to all of the lands; she spoke unto the Lion saying "If any who follow fear the taint of death they shall surely be cast into the depths of Murgost, their voice lost from the great chorus. Those who spring from the seed of the blessed shall summon the wrath of the legions of the Adversary. They shall drink of the river of blood and souls; and they shall be tormented with the poisons of the spirit and evils of the night, for the Adversary shall vex them with all manner of evils. The stench of their agony shall go forward for ever and ever; and they shall have no rest."

The mighty host of the Numenes and the Lion of Ro wept for the fate of nations and of the innocent that they saw before them. Many lamented the cruelty of fate that they should perish even in victory. They spoke as one: "Lo Mighty Celestine, gird yourself for battle with your kin that we might survive and protect the seed.” The Daikin spoke again with the voice of all the birds in the world, "To the Host of Ro I bring evil tidings. But all is not lost, though the seed shall know poison, fire, cold, and raging torrents of pain, I shall stand beside them again on this hill in the blinking of an eye and the final days will be upon us. Should the Last Dominion fall with you, the darkness of evil will steal the breath of the cub like a cat steals the breath of the sleeper."

Together the two spoke the last words to the Lion of Ro, "Blessed are those who die in battle for the Lord of Hosts: the time is at hand for them to take rest from their labors. Lion of Ro, send forth the sickle and reap the fruits of darkness, the appointed hour has come and the dead shall be laid to final rest."

So said, the Lion of Ro and the Host of Numenes let forth the sickle and in their reaping they sowed the seeds of the great harvest. Though not one of the Host survived, they had achieved victory.

A Man with A Staff & White Beard
A long-standing staple of fiction is the wizardly mentor. This can be a good thing in role-playing games but is can also be a bad thing. Many aficionados of fantasy consider the element to be cliché or trite. Even worse is the back-stabbing, doddering old wizard who secretly serves the enemy. The gamemaster must take care to ensure that this mentor character does not overshadow the characters of the players.

Rather than have a caricature of the prototypical wizard mentor, gamemasters need to focus on what makes this mentor different or cool. You can use the example of Hiblus as a non-prototypical wizard, but the number of character spins is unlimited. For example, giving a kindly old wizard a fiery passion for a particular god whose needs he places above all others should give notice to the characters that their kindly old mentor might sacrifice them if he feels it would benefit his faith. Perhaps the mentor has an unreasoning hatred of a particular ethnic or racial group. This unreasoning bigotry often influences his counsel to the characters. The mentor need not be a magician; anyone with access to hidden knowledge can fill the position. A broken paladin-like character, one given to drink and women since his courage and faith failed might make an interesting choice.

The examples include an important facet for character development that is often overlooked in gaming: mentors, like everyone else, have flaws and those flaws must be managed. The kindly old wizard without a mean bone in his or her body and who is always correct adds little to a game and detracts from suspenseful roleplaying. That type of mentor allows unthinking action that are nothing more than the players seeking the gamemasters advice through the unfailing voice of goodness. Avoid the cliché.

The Druidic Circle
The druidic circle references the more classical druid, as opposed to the druid class as it exists in the current version of most games or doesn't exist as the case may be...

This circle is a group of mysterious priests who frequently have access to enigmatic signs and portents of nature. They attend births, read a child's destiny, give true names, and perform many other sacred tasks among their tribe or clan. The druid, shaman, or cleric is the central voice between the divine and the temporal and rarely subjects himself to the laws of men; instead, such priests live in accordance with a higher law. The druidic circle may interact with the characters at key intervals in their lives, guiding and protecting the characters. Astute characters may realize that the servants of the order have an unusual interest in their actions. One method to provide a source of conflict that also manages to obscure the true goals of the druidic circle and their prophecies is to have the order divided within itself. The gamemaster could have some of the more powerful members feel that the characters are unworthy of the special destiny. This inner cabal will seek to derail the prophecy so that the players are somehow disqualified. Obviously, they would not do it in such a way as to doom themselves.

Auspicious Birth
Fantasy characters are often the children of important people, even if they are unaware of that fact as they hear the call to adventure. This literary tool has been used so frequently that it has its own name: the hidden king. Many popular sci-fi and fantasy movies/novels have some version of the hidden king in one or more of the main characters. The real question for us is how to use it in a role-playing group and how to avoid the cliché. It is easy to say that a character is the last of his line that traces direct descent to the lost island kingdoms of old. It is an all-together different challenge to have six characters all descend from different heritages but equally exotic origins. These difficult questions provide fertile ground for creative gamemasters.

One example of an auspicious birth is simple and taken from our own history. No special preparation is needed in character creation; however, you will need to have each of the players include in his character’s description a close relative who was a refugee in his youth (it is best to choose a mother, father or grandparent, but you could use an uncle or other relative). This wayfaring relative was a member of a secretive mystical order in his or her youth. The order was destroyed when it became too powerful for the Imperator to control. Several masters and students escaped the destruction of the temple and still continue to teach the secret arts they learned to their children and families. Much like the Shoalin, each of these masters had similar core skills but they developed a unique fighting or mystical style. These similar, though different, styles are passed along to their students. The characters are some of the last remaining inheritors of the enigmatic arts. To complicate matters, the Imperator remains vigilant against their return. As the story unfolds, the players will be drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery that surrounds the destruction of the temple. This shared destiny binds the characters together and gives them a common fate; unfortunately for them, the conclusion of the mystery surrounding the temple is unknown.

Here are a few ideas for the temple:

• The temple housed an order of peace keepers bound to neutrality. The Imperator had designs that they would have stopped. As the last member of the temple was burned at the stake, he foretold the destruction of the Empire by their legacy.
• The temple was the home of an order of elite fighting monks who guarded some object of power. This object was not taken by the Imperator but by another organization that had infiltrated the organization and corrupted them from within. Many of the fighting elite of the temple still survive as corrupted warriors sworn to the enemy. These corruptive spirits cannot use the item of power because the few escaping monks took the keys to its operation with them. The keys can be literal but the expression could also mean that something specifically about the characters is needed to operate the power. This plot could be complicated by inferring that the items of power had somehow corrupted or influenced the birth of the characters.
• The temple housed a secular crime organization similar to the Tong (Taiwan), Triad (China), or Yakuza (Japan). They maintained a peaceful and beneficent front but were engaged in the worst types of crime.
• The temple housed a school of dark arts that trafficked in spirits and the dead. The warrior elite were their guardians and servants. Several of the order survive and continue their dark arts as various types of undead collectively known as the Euri. When the temple was ascendant they invested their guardians with a dark vitality that bound them against the powers of hell, now they need that power back.

A similar type of linked destiny is to have the characters related to one another through a single figure. One method of doing this is to have the characters be half-siblings. Classically, they are drawn together for the reading of their father's last will and testament. During the reading, a challenge is unveiled and the siblings, many of whom have never met, are forced to work together to resolve the challenge. This may continue into an on-going campaign where the players try to unravel the mystery of their unknown father’s (or mothers) life and death.

Auspicious Visions
For a single character, the most underused aspect of auspice carries the most potential but is under-utilized because it requires more work. Uncountable numbers of people have followed men who proclaimed to have had visions or visitations from God. The Children's Crusade or Peter's Crusade led tens of thousands of men, women, and children to slavery or death in the Holy Land because of one man’s belief that God spoke to him. Burning bushes establish rules that men follow for centuries to come. The most enduring and powerful kingdom of the ancient world was founded because the emperor of Rome prayed for a sign and victory — he received both. Divine visions have power in the real world and can be a powerful tool in role-playing games. The most intriguing aspect of visions is that the player need never know where they come from: perhaps the visions are from a god, the player could be hallucinating, or the origins could be much darker. Visions are commonly associated with the divine classes; however, they work well for nearly any character.

Visions in Action

Justinian sat nervously astride the mare. For days he had noticed dead creatures looking at him. Up ahead was a crossroads containing the bodies of the condemned. The battle-trained mare showed no sign of the skittishness he felt. As he cantered past, the skulls of the dead lifted to stare at him with hollow orbs. The wind carried words as hollow as the eyes of the closest corpse, "The eyes of the dead are upon you Justinian.” The paladin made a sign to ward off evil which was received oddly by his traveling companions. Without asking, he knew that they had seen nothing.

Justinian paused his horse to listen to the windswept voice of the dead.

"In the land there will be made a king,
A reign little peace and less time.
The lamb driven far in struggle against history,
The land and line will fail wanting for a whisper."

He committed the words to memory and spurred his mount forward. This was the fifth such warning he had received but the king still reigned in relative peace. Later, during prayer, he petitioned the Lord of Justice for answers, but once more the host of the mighty was silent. Was this the voice of the mighty host speaking to him or was it some creature seeking to lead him astray?

Every two or three adventures the character should receive some odd snippet of prophecy that spurs the adventures forward. The dead creatures never answer nor does the paladin receive any confirmation from his deity on their origin. No matter where the player goes, he will notice the gaze of dead creatures watching his every move.

Another way to handle visions is to write them up before the game and hand the players these notes at an appropriate time, this works better for dreams and true visions. While the characters sleep, they see the same visions -- repeatedly. Like most of us, they can never remember the whole dream but they always recall a recurring image or symbol.

"You wake with a start. With heart pounding you try to recall the dream you just experienced. A steeple stands out in the distance with the Great Wheel of Fellowship in flames. Around it lie the desiccated bodies of the villagers. Frantically you call out but hear only the echoes of your own voice. Somewhere in the shadow, something waits for you. Startled, you turn as the darkness rushes toward you. Then you wake."

The final way to provide visions is through repeated use of symbols to key the players and characters in on significant objects. One easy way is to have characters see something different when they look into paintings. They may expect to see the Mona Lisa but instead see the queen weeping and then turning to dust. Each special picture will be marked with the symbol of a holy order, or maybe a particular saint commissioned the key paintings. Players can turn to these paintings when they are in need and the gamemasdter can prompt new adventures using them to send the characters off as desired.

Finally, the most used auspice is the party simply being the subject of prophecy. This can be an elaborate prophecy that has stood for thousands of years and heralds the end of the world or something as simple as a druidic circle that has given a shared geas to the players. This type of auspice is better described in the next section.

It is Your Destiny
Great fiction, both science and fantasy, is filled with characters whose coming is the stuff of legend and prophecy, but rarely is this convention used to its fullest in role-playing games. This article will address the ins and outs of implementing omens and augurs in your game to great effect. It should go without saying that not everybody is interested in running or playing in the kind of games that feature characters who have some ultimate destiny. Gamemasters should bear this in mind before designing their epic five-year story arch of anger and angst without consulting the player.

Protagonists in fiction have destinies— like restoring the balance, destroying the dark lord in a world-breaking final battle, or being the messianic end product of a thousand generations of a eugenic techno-mystical breeding program. It is part of what transforms the ordinary hero into a legend. This product explores a small sampling of some of the ways that characters can be marked for their special destiny; however, it takes more than just simple markings in a role-playing game. If the group is up to the challenge of confronting fate, there are still a few details that need to be worked out.

First, the characters must be created with something that sets them apart, then they must have a catalyst to bring the knowledge to them, and finally the prophecy must have a suitable climax. If all three aspects of pre-destiny are not suitable, the entire story risks falling flat.

Physical Auspice
Myth and fiction is full of characters born under some sort of auspice that signifies their special destiny. In role-playing games it is a little trickier. The auspice doesn’t just encompass a person, it must be widened to encompass the entire group. This will require some cooperation at character creation; obviously, individual players should be allowed to opt out if desired. Sit down with your players before character creation and discuss the various auspices that you would like to use. As a side note, the auspice should reveal a special destiny; it does not indicate what that destiny entails.

Some of the easiest examples of an auspicious character include physical oddities. Something like mismatched eyes can work well. Oddly colored eyes have always been an omen of destiny for good or ill (the scientific name for having one blue and one brown or green eye is heterochromia irides). As a special DM treat, you could also design a villain who only has one eye. The players and characters will always wonder if the villain had mismatched eyes or not - maybe their fate is linked? Another eye pattern is to have eyes that are not naturally colored; they could be purple, silver, or even without color.

Odd eye variations can be naturally occurring or they might be the product of exposure to some supernatural entity. The Freman of Dune have those eerie blue-within-blue eyes because the spice has saturated their blood - such a thing might also be possible if a baby was exposed to certain magics while in the womb or conceived at a specific site.

A beneficial side effect of oddly colored eyes or other obvious physical anomalies is that they will mark the players among the superstitious population and pronounce them to their enemies.

Likewise, any unusual birthmark may serve the same purpose as heterochrome eyes and the players or gamemasters are allowed more creativity in describing the mark. It could be anything from an unnatural-looking dragon birthmark across the shoulders and arms to a Rorschach-looking pattern coming from the navel or breast. With these types of patterns, it is possible that the character was ritually or mystically tattooed as a child (which might go a long way toward explaining very detailed marks but the players and characters don’t need to be filled in on these little details). This uncertainty can add an air of mystery surrounding the ominous marking.

A variety of other physical marks can be used; these range from adding or removing fingers (I am looking for the man with six fingers) or toes to a lack of body hair or nearly any other physical aberration that you can imagine. The important thing is that the mark is not random.

Another interesting avenue of exploration relates to genetic alterations or aberrations. In game, these traits may be seen as a sign from the gods or they may indicate divine parentage. Superstitions may attribute nearly any cause to the traits but genetic differences inevitably predispose the character to other aspects of existence, like enabling them to channel a greater amount of magic or psionic power.

Astronomical Auspice
Some people are born under a lucky star, literally. Mark Twain’s birth and death were heralded by the arrival of Hailey's Comet. Other historic events and births were presaged by the arrival of an astronomical event. Celestial anomalies have traditionally carried with them a strong superstitious element and continue to do so even in modern society. Doomsday cults and other malignant social elements often surface during these times, seeking either true arcane power from the event or societal change during the time of upheaval and fear. Some cults believe that the event presages the coming of a new age, the end of time, or the rise of a dark god. Perhaps the characters are important in bringing these events to fruition?

Another manner in which astronomical events can be of use is with a meteor strike. Perhaps the characters are born near the strike and are somehow changed by the event. This is a little more subtle and the ramifications of the strike might not come out until play is under way. In an event like this, characters might display increased characteristics, a greater affinity for magic, or, in a world ruled by magic, they might be required to take a psionic class and be the only beings with that type of power.

I can picture the grand finale of a campaign deep in the bowels of a crater as forces unleashed thirty years earlier return to claim their heritage.

Hi,

Allow me a second to elaborate on the type of blog I will be putting together. I love fantasy. It relaxes my mind to ponder imaginary worlds, exotic religions, the theories of magic, constructed characters, and mythical creatures. Yea, I probably should get a life but this is what I enjoy. I could have a PhD in Make-Believe; I am sure many readers here could also make this claim.

The Fantasist is a column about fantasy. It is a look at tropes and conventions. I'll spin on sources, giving variations designed to be used in roleplaying games. I am not sure of the total extent of what will be covered. After all, This is a topic that could span multiple books. I will try to update reasonably and as life dictates.

The Fantasist is not a column about a specific RPG. System is irrelevant in a discussion about burial rites, swordman's schools, or secret societies. Every article will make an effort to be equally usable if you play OD&D, 3E, 4E, True20, or GURPS.

Unsurprisingly, not every article will be equally usable in every setting - published or homebrew. It is a stretch to imagine an article on the arcane influences on religion being equally valid in Birthright and Swashbuckling Adventures.

I don't claim any special qualifications. I am not a board certified guru of grimoires. What follows will be my ideas and thoughts, taken as I see them and influenced by our shared culture and common hobby. I hope it will be useful.

Thanks for taking the time to check it out. I hope you'll read the first article. It is going to be posted shortly and covers Prophecy in RPGs. I wrote it awhile back before I'd ever heard of a blog but it is as good a start to this endeavor as I can imagine and will give you a great idea of what I intend.

~Eosin