Thanks for all of the comments folks. I’ve enjoyed reading them.
Didn’t get to play this weekend because my kids got a chance to go on a trip that I thought they’d really enjoy. So we’re picking it up again next weekend.
However, in the meantime I drew up a Behavioral Alignment Chart, a game modified version of one of the charts I use on cases to sketch out likely behavior and alignment (not game alignments, but relationship alignments) patterns when dealing with gangs or organized crime.
For instance I know the Druid Slynirn, who wants to drive out of Wales and England all Christians, Saxons, and non-Celts and reinstitute Druidic Paganism will not be dissuaded from his intent to find the Grael and will not be dissuaded from his intentions. This does not mean however that Slynirn has any attention of getting into a do or die stand up fight if he can help it. He’s quite content to let others fight for him. Dedication: Absolute. 10
His partner, the Jute Sorcerer Achilln also wants to find the Grael, for reasons of his own, but if push comes to shove, and he absolutely feels he can’t win, he will abandon Slynirn and return to the Isle of Wight, where he lives. 8
Yadrass, the Viking Chieftain and the leader of the War Band working for the Sorcerer and Druid has had a glam put upon him by the Druid. His real name is Hadrain the Blackmouth (because of his tendency to eat blacked swine blood pies) and he is very fierce, but fears the curse placed upon him by the Druid. He seeks a way to be free of the curse, but doesn’t yet know how. He suspects the collusion of Achilln, but is not certain. He cannot use his real name again, or pursue his own interests, until released of the curse. This situation may be of advantage to the player party if they discover it. Yadrass is also very much aware of the Grael and hopes to gain control of it to resurrect the body of his father and brother from the ship’s Barrow where it was buried on the Frisian Coast. Because of this situation it is impossible to chart him on the Behavioral Alignment Chart.
So I’ve been able to chart every recurring NPC or opponent throughout the game.
Also I’ll be introducing a new NPC who will sometimes shadow the PCs. His name is Avalor of Lammoth, and he’s a Paladin being in direct lineage (as a bastard) of Galahad.
In my setting (both Eastern and Western Europe) the Paladins (and Rangers) had been nearly wiped out by the anti-Pope and replaced with the Dragoons. Surviving Paladins fled to into the Pyrenees, to Constantinople, to North Africa, and some into Britain (as was the case with Aelfwynne’s father. Avalor, a very young Paladin, one of the few British Paladins who can trace their lineage through the Knights of the Round Table, is in search of the Mace of Cuthbert, which was stolen from the monastery of Lindesfarne during the very first Viking Raid.
Avalor has heard of it being seen at Bay. Actually, the Viking Yadrass has it in his possession, but considers it only booty passed down from his grandfather.
The Mace is indeed the relic of Saint Cuthbert, but it is different in nature from the AD&D relic, though still very powerful. It’s abilities remain asleep and unknown to many men however, even to the Sorcerer Achilln, who has seen it but doesn’t know what it is or where it came from. He thinks it merely an antique weapon. Yadrass considers it family wargain and a bandkeep (a symbol of strength and authority for his men and his reputation) and so retains it as part of his personal shieldhoard.
In any case Avalor will have occasion to meet and perhaps work with the Adventuring Party and so the Mace of Cuthbert might become a side-quest. He may also work with the party later on for the Quest to secure Aelfwynne’s Paladin War Mount.
As for magical and miraculous treasure, it will work as in my other game, it will not be immediately apparent what it is, the powers will only become evident over time (through experimentation or research or accident), how the thing operates will depend upon the nature of the user, every device, item, relic, or artifact will be unique, and every magical or miraculous device will be dangerous in some way.
For the Paladin there will be the Dursdrang, a Holy Avenger whose name comes from the same place as the English home of the Dursill Wurm, and was made specifically two centuries before to slay an Ettin (a giant Troll with poisoned claws and a face on the front and back of his head) of that age then roaming near Hadrian’s Wall.
For the Fighter/Cleric there will be the Cruxifor (or Shepherd’s Crook), a relic of Saint Patrick’s, and the clerical analog of the Staff of Magi.
For the Wizard there will be the Wixen, a sort of staff harkening back to the Staff of the Magi, but with very different abilities. Not only will it have multiple abilities, it will be able to draw upon other sources of magic to modify those or empower itself. It can be slowly exhausted however if used incorrectly.
And for the Thief I’ve got a mix of special items, designed personally for her.
Those are the advances I’ve made for my Playtest Campaign so far.
Behavioral Alignment Chart
The Chart Scale Runs from:
10 - Absolute Dedication, fanatical or zealous, personally driven, high emotional desire, will risk anything and anyone, including self, will kill without hesitation to achieve ends. Will not be dissuaded, all in or absolutely dedicated to cause.
9 - Great Dedication, personally and emotionally driven, might risk own life, will definitely risk the lives of others or kill without compunction. Idealistically drawn to the cause.
8 - High Dedication, feels a high personal stake, anticipates great personal rewards, looks to act towards self-involvement, could risk own life, will kill others if requested or necessary. Personally drawn to the cause.
7 - Moderate Dedication, seeks self-advancement and profit (economic, power, status, etc.) and therefore is dedicated for primarily personal reasons with moderate alignment to the given cause, however if consistently asked to do things that he finds morally questionable will begin (privately or publicly) to question authority. Not likely to seek escape so much as compromise or mitigation of violent or questionable behavior.
6 - Mild Dedication, seeks self-advancement and profit (economic, power, status, etc.) and therefore is dedicated for primarily personal reasons with some mild alignment with the given cause, however if asked to do things that he finds morally questionable will begin to look for an avenue of escape.
5 – Mean, or the Mean Man, this individual is aligned at near perfect balance between self-interest, the interest of the cause, and the interest of the opposition, and because of this he is very difficult to turn. The Smart Mean Man is very observant, but highly analytical and so is therefore hard to turn or it is very hard to assess his true allegiances and alignment. The Stupid Mean Man is very tricky and therefore his alignment is always an open question. Very good at self-preservation, this individual is the most likely to flee an encounter or situation gone bad.
4 - Questionable Dedication, only involved because of being caught in the present circumstance. Does not seek economic or other advantages from the cause but seeks merely to survive or to pass through the current situation unnoticed and unforced to act against own best interests. Level of questionable dedication is obvious to any observant party.
3 - Low Dedication, only involved for immediate economic or personal concerns. If can be convinced that the current alignment is doomed to fail and offered personal security and other advantages can usually be turned.
2 - No Dedication other than being forced or manipulated or form personal cowardice, can easily be turned if offered personal security and other advantages. Will often seek appeasement with whatever side is superior at the moment.
1 - Revolt, seeks to actively revolt against the involved party or cause. Will volunteer both action and assistance against the cause and will act as double agent.
0 – Seeks non-involvement and/or appeasement.
This is further modified by the (Personal) Danger Behavior Characteristics Model:
Heroic – will not flee danger or death, or will risk own life for reasons of personal dedication, public or private honor, duty, station, status, or responsibility. If necessary will sacrifice own life. The heroic individual can be relied upon to defend others at cost to self.
Peer – will not willingly flee danger or death until the very last moment possible. Will endanger self for the sake of others or for the sake of his cause. Usually the last to stay with the Hero, and the one to lead out or cover the retreat. Very reliable men, and natural companions to the Heroic individual.
Devoted – devoted to a high degree so is willing to risk self and personal safety when in a group of other individuals willing to do so. Will stand against danger but seeks avenues of escape and to mitigate danger if at all possible. Concerned with honor in a group setting, but not necessarily willing to risk personal danger alone.
Normal – displaying a statistically normal range of courageous behavior, or willing to risk a moderate amount of personal danger in a given situation. Will not seek to risk own life, and will seek to avoid obviously dangerous or potentially lethal situations.
Cowardly (Craven) – will in no way risk own personal safety in any given situation. Seeks to avoid all dangerous situations and conflicts, or seeks to mitigate any potential danger or harm to self, or seeks to balance out potentially harmful situations or parties against one another so as to avoid direct confrontation with any.
The Behavioral Alignment Chart measures dedication to a cause, and the Danger Model Classification measures an individual’s willingness or unwillingness to risk danger and death as a matter of personal habit.
