[OOC]Gormenghast, an ArM campaign [full]

[Ghostknight]

The grog, Bill- mule and servant to Diamon

Bill Age 17 Male, Grog
Size +1 Height 6’ 11’ Weight 290 lbs

Str +2 Dex +1 Pre 0 Int 0
Sta +2 Qik 0 Com 0 Per 0

Loyal (Damion)+3, Loyal (Gormenghast) +1 Kind +2 Trusting +1

Reputations
Loyal to Damion Level 1 (From Consortis)
Willing to help Level 2 (From well known)

Virtues and flaws
Consortis +1
Large +1
Well Known +1
Mute -3

Abilities
Speak own language (French) 4 (understanding only)
Athletics 3
Awareness 2
Climb 3
Brawl 4
Carouse 4

Equipment
Harness with achair that fits around his back and shoulders for Damion to ride in.

Description: Bill is a blob. A big blob. His nose has been broken in numerous brawls- the effect of people assuming that he must be soft, his brain as defective as his voice. He wears his hair cropped short, his beard shaved.

Bill was born in the grounds of the covenant where Diamon was apprenticed. He is used to magi and their ways and expected to tend the fields, watch the sheep and tote lumber like the other children. But his size and easygoing manner led him to being assigned to Diamon as servant and mule. He loves toting Diamon around. He finds the dwarf amazing, the stories he tells and the sights he sees while the dwarf rides his back.

In his young life he has already building some reputations. His position as a consortis to Damion is well known within the covenant. He is also known in the surrounding areas for his willingness to work, to lend a shoulder and muscle when needed or to drag a drunken body home after a night of merriment.

 

[Maerdwyn]

Yair -

I've been trying to come up with a way to make the spells Faerie Magic applies to more about "casting spells silimar to a faerie's" rather than casting spells that affect faeries. But the breadth of spells I came up with as appropriate seems much too broad for a +1 virtue. It's more in line with the number of spells in a particular form (there are about 30-36 spells listed for each form in the core book. They also have a similar level distribution as the ones in this list). An affinity for a particular form costs +3. Would it be appropriate to make the Faerie Magic virtue cost +3 in exchange for applying to the following spells?

• 
  Art Form Level Spell Name
  In Aq, 25, Voice of the Lake
  In Aq, 30, Enchantment of the Scrying Pool
  Mu Aq, 10, Lungs of the Fish
  Re Aq, G, Ward Against Faeries of the Waters
  Re Aq, 30, Pull of the Watery Grave
  In Au, 15, Whispering Winds
  Mu Au, 45, Fog of Confusion
  Re Au, G, Ward Against Faeries of the Air
  Mu Co, 15, Disguise of the New Visage
  Mu Co, 25, Shape of the Fey Cat (Shape of the Woodland Prowler, but as a lynx)
  Re Co, 5, Curse of the Unruly Tongue
  Re Co, 5, Spasms of the Uncontrolled Hand
  Re Co, 15, The Dance Arcadian (Despair of the Quivering manacles - instead of shaking, dancing)
  In He, 10, Intuition of the forest
  In He, 25, Converse with Plant and Tree
  In He, 45, Calling the Council of the Trees
  Re He, G, Ward Against Faeries of the Wood
  Cr Im, 20, Phantasmal Fire
  Mu Im, 25, Image Phantom
  Mu Im, 5, Notes of a Delightful Sound
  Mu Im, 10, Disguise of the Transformed Image
  Re Im, 10, Illusion of the Shifted Image
  Re Im, 10, Wizard's Sidestep
  Re Im, 15, The Captive Voice
  Re Im, 30, Confusion of the Insame Vibrations
  Re Me, 10, Call to Slumber
  Re Me, 10, Snap of Awakening
  Re Me, 15, Confusion of the Numbed Will
  Re Me, 15, Scent of Peaceful Slumber
  Re Me, 20, Aura of the Fey Queen (Aura of Rightful Authority)
  Re Me, 40, Enslave the Mortal Mind
  Re Me, 40, The Shrouded Glen

Just a thought.

 

[Yair]

Yair -
... Would it be appropriate to make the Faerie Magic virtue cost +3 in exchange for applying to the following spells?...

In terms of "game balance", sure it's acceptable. [FM also allows you full Faerie aura, but we'll let that slide.] So if you want to chose this path, I wouldn't stand in your way. Frankly, it is too complicated and ad-hoc for my tastes, but YMMV.

 

[Yair]

As promised- companion!

Niko Krichenko ...

The program says the Abilities total to 48 (instead of 57), and he needs to have Speak Own 5. It also gets combat stats wrong, I believe; I'll look them over when and if it becomes relevant.

 

[Ghostknight]

The program says the Abilities total to 48 (instead of 57), and he needs to have Speak Own 5. It also gets combat stats wrong, I believe; I'll look them over when and if it becomes relevant.

Hmm - a quick check
Speak Own language (Slavic) 5 (missed the free ability in the rules)
Speak (French) 3 6 points
Etiquette 2 3 points
Noble Lore 2 3 points
Athletics 1 1 point
Brawl 2 3 points
Shield & Weapon 4 10 points
Longshaft Weapon 3 6 points
Single Weapon 3 6 points
Great Weapon 1 1 point
Leadership 2 3 points
Ride 3 6 points

BY my calcs that is 6+3+3+1+3+10+6+6+1+3+6 = 48.

SO I will up Great Weapon to 2, Shield & weapon to 5 and Athletics to 2- for a total of +99 which brings it up to 57.

Yep the program is right(plus the 10 from speak own language which I missed as a freebie I would have had 1 too many!). I shall up the points counts there to correct it. The combat stats may varu by +2 on dmg and defense due to his quality armaments (does the programme take that into account?)

 

[Ghostknight]

The program says the Abilities total to 48 (instead of 57), and he needs to have Speak Own 5. It also gets combat stats wrong, I believe; I'll look them over when and if it becomes relevant.

Hmm - a quick check
Speak Own language (Slavic) 5 (missed the free ability in the rules)
Speak (French) 3 6 points
Etiquette 2 3 points
Noble Lore 2 3 points
Athletics 1 1 point
Brawl 2 3 points
Shield & Weapon 4 10 points
Longshaft Weapon 3 6 points
Single Weapon 3 6 points
Great Weapon 1 1 point
Leadership 2 3 points
Ride 3 6 points

BY my calcs that is 6+3+3+1+3+10+6+6+1+3+6 = 48.

SO I will up Great Weapon to 2, Shield & weapon to 5 and Athletics to 2- for a total of +9 which brings it up to 57.

Yep the program is right(plus the 10 from speak own language which I missed as a freebie I would have had 1 too many!). I shall up the points counts there to correct it. The combat stats may varu by +2 on dmg and defense due to his quality armaments (does the programme take that into account?)

 

[Yair]

... The combat stats may varu by +2 on dmg and defense due to his quality armaments (does the programme take that into account?)

Yes. Unfortunately it also take into account Encumbrance, and adds up either ALL the gear (non-mounted) or NO gear (mounted). Hmph.
Which brings me to the first House Rule I'm going to impose - combat penalties due to Enc are reduced by one third (to Enc/3). *shudders as he thinks of naked club-wielding goons beating up the poor helpless knights*

 

[Yair]

Yair -

I've been trying to come up with a way to make the spells Faerie Magic applies to more about "casting spells silimar to a faerie's" rather than casting spells that affect faeries. ...

Checking out the ArM5 sample Merinitia (over at Atlas Games' site), I was suprised to see that she apparently employs the Voice and Road ranges. These ranges are presented in the WGRE and in Hermes Portal articles. I am betting that AM5 will use the Mysteries model from Hermes Portal pretty much as-is. If you want, you can download (i.e. purchase) the fanzines and check it out. (I recommed the fanzine regardless, but only if you're heavily into Ars.)

 

[Maerdwyn]

Thanks - I've sent Hermes Portal the payment for Issue 4, which wasthe only one I could easily identify as pertaining to me right now. Was ther another I should get? I'll post a revised grimoir as soon as he sends me the issue. If this is the only thing holding the saga up, would you like to start (without me if necesary, or I can start with just RPing unil stats, etc. are finalized.)?

 

[Yair]

Thanks - I've sent Hermes Portal the payment for Issue 4, which wasthe only one I could easily identify as pertaining to me right now. Was ther another I should get? I'll post a revised grimoir as soon as he sends me the issue. If this is the only thing holding the saga up, would you like to start (without me if necesary, or I can start with just RPing unil stats, etc. are finalized.)?

Will do. I'll make the first post shortly (i.e. today or tomorrow). It will be just an introductory post, to allow you present your characters, talk between yourselves or with other people, decide who wants to seek out the first adventure hook (if anyone does), and so on.
I'll also post the final versions of the character sheets, and the covenant summary, on my homepage. I'll link to it when I make the first post. Comments are welcome.
The saga will be called Gormeghast.