Category: never read balzac

Almost finished with the first chunk of Albion, but I have been less and less happy with and more and more stressed about it lately, which means it is time to think about other things for a while.

You are on the remote Isle of Goriat. Centuries ago, the island’s technologically advanced ancient inhabitants tried to capture Goriat’s tutelary wind deity for long-forgotten but assuredly unsavory purposes. This killed off most of them, and the god’s been missing ever since. Goriat is now cut off from the rest of the world, because without the god there are neither wind nor currents for hundreds of miles around the island.

You are in Hame, the last surviving settlement on Goriat, located where the River Wry flows into the sea. Most of Hame’s several hundred residents survive on subsistence farming and fishing, but you’re different. You scavenge for treasure in the ruins your ancestors built.

CHARACTER CREATION
Attribute scores work like LotFP:

from lamentations of the flame princess

Attribute/Skill checks
Roll a d20 under Relevant Attribute+Relevant Skill. Always fail on a 20. You get a +1 to your class skills every odd level, including level 1.

List of skills:
Athletics
Charm
Dowse
Lore
Mechanics
Medicine
Perception
Profession (pick a specialty, like singing or smithing or masonry)
Nature
Scare
Sleight of Hand
Stealth

JOBS

• You have HD equal to your level. Reroll them every time you rest. Add your Constitution modifier to the total.
• There are no saving throws, only ability checks. Skills can help you out in certain save-like situations (Lore to resist magic, Nature to resist disease, etc)
• Experience is based on DCCRPG. It takes 10 * level additional XP to reach the next level. Fights, heists, delves, and so on net you 1-4 XP each.

from Bravely Default

Warrior
Class skills: Athletics + 1 more of your choice
Equipment: You can use any weapon or armor.
Every odd level, you get +1 to attack rolls. Every even level you get +1 to damage rolls.
Choose a specialty:
Virtue: You know one random boon as an ascetic
Anger: You can rage (deal double damage, take half damage, advantage on Strength checks) for one fight per day.
Simplicity: You deal d6+1 damage with your unarmed attacks. Your base AC when not wearing Armor is 14.   

Beast Child

from persona

Class skills: Nature + 1 more of your choice
Equipment: You cannot use metal weapons and are untrained in the use of armor. 
Beast Children can turn into animals. In order to be able to turn into an animal, a Beast Child must possess a trophy, acquired by defeating the creature in a fight, such as a scale, fang, or piece of hide. The animal can be of any level, and trophies always count as significant items for purposes of encumbrance. When a Beast Child changes shape, only their trophies change with them. All other equipment falls to the ground.

from suikoden

from suikoden

Class skills: Lore  + 1 more of you choice
Equipment: You can use simple weapons and are untrained in the use of armor.
Go here. If I don’t get around to fixing it, summoning a spirit takes a number of Rounds equal to its HD, not hours.

from Disgaea

Specialist
Class skills: See below
Equipment: You can use simple and martial weapons and are trained in the use of light armor.
You start with 4 skill points, to distribute among any skills you wish. You gain 2 more skill points every time you gain a level.

Ascetic/Monk/Nun

from tactics ogre: wheel of fortune

Class skills: Dowse + 1 more of your choice
Equipment: You can use simple weapons and are not trained in the use of armor.
You start with 2 random boons from the longer list. You can learn more by reading sutras, liturgies, and exegeses, or training under an abbot. To cast a boon, you must chant the associated prayer, mantra, or passage of scripture. For each Round of chanting, there is a 1 in 6 chance the boon will take effect. 

EQUIPMENT
You start with 1 weapon d8+Cha mod things. You can carry a number of significant items equal to your Strength score. You are assumed to have the bags necessary to haul this stuff around.

Weapons
Ranged weapons automatically come with 12 pieces of ammunition.

• Simple weapons deal d6-1 damage. They are usually improvised tools, such as staves, pitchforks, wrenches, or baseball bats.
• Martial weapons deal d6 damage. They are designed to kill, and include short swords, axes, pikes, bows, and most firearms
• Expert weapons deal d6+1 damage. They require special training or two hands, and include fancy swords, crossbows, battleaxes, and stuff like sniper rifles or flamethrowers.

Armor

• Light armor gives you AC 14+Dex mod AC
• Heavy armor gives you AC 16 AC
• Shields give you +1 AC   

Gear 

1. Two-way radio
2. Solar-powered lamp (recharges with 1/hour of sunlight, but lasts as long as 1 torch)
3. 4 torches
4. Bag of ball bearings
5. Toolkit
6. Portable computer
7. 1 stick of dynamite
8. map of the island
9. 1 week’s worth of rations
10. a mule
11. 50′ of rope
12. bottle of propitiatory wine
13. sack of golden lotus powder
14. first aid kit
15. Ritual kit (useful for summoners)
16. Holy symbol (useful for monks)
17. Grappling hook
18. 12 pieces of extra ammunition 
19. Compass
20. 3d6 dollars.

GORIAT 20 QUESTIONS 

1. What is the deal with my cleric’s religion?
• Ascetics draw on the celestial power of Heaven through prayers, chants, and mantras. The particular divinity is up to you, but the deities of heaven usually pertain to the sun, sky, and stars.
• Shamans draw their power from the capricious spirit allies, whose natures and abilities are innumerable. People tend to be super suspicious of shamans though–they don’t like spirits being brought into town.
2. Where can we go to buy standard equipment?
• The Hamely Bazaar! I abstractify (???) equipment purchasing, unless you’re buying something interesting.
3. Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?
•  The people of Hame have little tolerance for those who traffic with the creatures of the wild, but Blacksmith Artesse might be able to hammer something together if you do him a favor on the side.
4. Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?
•  There are no wizards left of Goriat, though the rogue shaman Gnomon and his mortal enemy Sister Naomi have the greatest supernatural power.
5. Who is the greatest warrior in the land?
•  Sir Belvedere (not a knight in any legal sense) is Hame’s monster-hunter du jour. Well equipped, in the possession of many followers, and possessing a keen eye for licensing, Belvedere is universally considered an absolute dick by the adventuring crowd.
6. Who is the richest person in the land?
• Money only does so much on Goriat, but the Argus family has the most of it. There farms and livestock are almost suspiciously fecund.
7. Where can we go to get some magical healing?
• The ascetics of the Abbey or the shamans of the Empty Shrine, both a day’s travel from town, are your best bet.
8. Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?
1. See above
9. Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?
1. Monks and nuns can acquire the mantras for new boons at the Abbey, while shamans can acquire new summoning rites at the Empty Shrine. Both would require pretty significant favors.
10. Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?
• The engineers and hackers Hame tend to hang out at Artesse’s garage.
11. Where can I hire mercenaries?
1. Just post a bulletin in Hame. Don’t expect anyone on top of their game, though.
12. Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?
• Even the town is subject to incursions from animals, spirits, and rogue golems, so carrying weapons is accepted and expected. Magic is tolerated, but openly summoning or commanding spirits in Hame is a bad idea.
13. Which way to the nearest tavern?
• The Fountain of Dust is Hame’s preeminent watering hole and inn. There are nicer digs out there, but they’ll cost you more.
14. What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
•  The Ocularium, a rogue clay golem
• Bathsheba, a freakishly large cougar with a commensurate appetite.
15. Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
•  Not really. There’s a bandit encampment parked on a desert spring to the northwest, though.
16. How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
•  The Iron Ring in Hame holds a year-long tournament with weekly fights.
17. Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
• Mmmmmmaybe
18. What is there to eat around here?
•  Vegetables! Chicken and fish if you can pay!
19. Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?
• Anyone who can find Goriat’s lost wind god has a ticket off the island.
• The legendary gun Ultima Ratio
• The Night God’s Bow
20. Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?
• Far to the north is a tower that juts from the earth like a nail from flesh. It is terribly tall and terribly dark and only terrible things live inside.