ARROW RECOVERY OR COINS IN A BOWL

Fill a bowl with as many coins as your character has arrows. The bowl is your quiver now. Whenever you shoot an arrow with your bow, remove a coin from the bowl and flip it. Heads: keep the coin but don't put it back into the bowl. Tails: you lose the coin for good. Return it to its owner, put it in the swear jar or buy the GM some snacks. 

At the end of combat, count the coins you kept. These are the arrows you recover from the battlefield. Put them back into the bowl. 

Álvaro Hernández

Needless Complications to an Otherwise Perfectly Fine, Perfectly Simple Mechanic 

The coins you kept are actually potentially salvageable arrows. When combat ends, choose the most appropriate for your system or style of play: 

• Flip all the coins AGAIN. Heads: recover this arrow. Back to the bowl. Tails: the arrow is irrevocably lost. 
• You recover 1 arrow for every minute you spend searching. 
• Spend 10 minutes to recover 1d20 arrows (Max: coins). 
• Make a Wisdom/Intelligence/Intuition/Search check. Success: find all of them. Failure: recover 1d6 only (adjust for increased grittiness and survivalism) 

Completely Unnecessary Horizontal System of Arrow Recovery Advancement 

When you successfully recover your 10th arrow, roll on the Perks table. Roll again once you have recovered [perks]x10 arrows. 

   

1d6 Perks 

1. Careful Eye. Whenever you recover at least one arrow, you recover one more. Yes, this means you can recover more arrows than you shot. Who does this mysterious arrow belong to? 
2. Still Usable. If you deal minimum damage with a shot, you can roll the coin again. 
3. Lucky Bastard. When you score a critical hit, you automatically keep the coin. The arrow is stuck in your foe's corpse, undamaged and ready to be shot again. 
4. One Last Shot. Once per combat, the first time you run out of arrows, you actually didn't. Put a coin into your bowl. 
5. Combat Craft. While in combat, once per turn, you can point at one of your kept coins and ask the GM "Where is this arrow now?" If you get within arm's reach of the arrow, you recover it automatically. Put one of your coins back into the bowl. You can do this [perks] times per combat. 
6. Lucky Arrow. Mark one of your coins (paint it a different color, use a different currency, etc...). This is your lucky arrow now. When you flip this coin, keep it even it you get tails. When you search the battlefield after combat, flip it again. Heads: recover it. Tails: you haven't found it yet. You can keep searching until you find it or until you give up, in which case it is lost forever. This means that you will never run out of arrows completely if you have the resources and time to spare. If you ever lose your lucky arrow, you can forego gaining a new perk to find it. You are free to come up with a ludicrously unlikely story about how it came back to you. Chance trumps all.

Darek Zavrocki

Aimless Rambling Disguised as Theoretical Commentary and a Note on Physicality

I wrote the above in about an hour on my way to work. I've been trying to write a simple, accessible and modular set of mechanics for brewing spirits and distilled drinks (I have close to absolutely no idea how this work in the real world) and I guess I felt the need to write something down that could actually and feasibly be completed without days of fruitless research and pointless theorycrafting. This is the result.

I somehow like this mechanic. It is direct, it is clear and, in its first and simpler iteration, it barely impacts game time, since the players can flip their coins in other people's turns. It is true, however, that the table can get pretty crowded pretty quickly if too many archers are present or too many arrows are fired. In my experience, though, combats tend to be quite short and brutal, which means that, at most, archers are going to get around 5 turns (1 turn per round), and they are probably not going to shoot an arrow in each of their turns. Even if they somehow get to shoot more than five or six times, they are the ones flipping the coins and keeping track of the results, so the process doesn't interfere with the other players' actions and, most importantly, I don't have to do anything for it to work. 

Of all the needless complications, the one that appeals to me the most is actually the first one. Flipping the coins again might feel like a chore to some,  but by having the kept coins be potentially recoverable instead of guaranteed, players cannot reliably predict the amount of arrows they will be able to salvage. This means that, if ammo ever runs low, they will have to make a meaningful choice about whether they should keep firing like mad or find some more conservative strategies to deal with the threat they are currently facing.

The perks are cool, I think; I am particularly fond of the last two. I tried to deviate from simple numerical bonuses (you can see me falling into that insidious habit in the first perks) and pursue a design that allows for more interactivity and roleplaying moments. Also, I wanted the coins to matter. I wanted them to be physically present. That's why Lucky Arrow is perhaps my favorite, as it is both highly interactive in a physical way and it has the potential to create some interesting RP moments.

Theoretically, all of the above can be achieved through bookkeeping and dice-rolling. However, there is something about the immediacy of the coins and the binary results they yield that makes it more appealing in my mind. You flip the coin, and you either keep it or you don't. No need to write down how many arrows you fired. They coins are there for you to see and count. And when the combat is over, the carnage done, you are the one to pick up the coins and drop them back into the bowl. 

An Ending to an Already Overstuffed Post

Well, that's it I think. None of this has been play tested, of course, and given the circumstances and the prevalence of online gaming, I don't know if it ever will, at least in my (physical) table (players of mine: if you are reading this, I miss you). Also, on a mostly unrelated note, with this post I'm technically participating in #Dicember2021, a community driven challenge created by Brian Bird and posted at Dyson's Dodecahedron. Since coins are basically 1d2s and arrows are long, pointy pieces of ammo, I can cross the first prompt from the list. I guess I'm part of the community now?

Amongst The Ruins - 1d20 Objects of Care

This is the second installment in a series of posts in which I try to evoke the setting of Amongst the Ruins through implication rather than mere exposition. Last time, I explored the concept of harm by providing a list of potentially harmful items rooted into the material specifics of Gaúl in an attempt to bring the setting a little bit closer to life. At the end of the post, I wondered about the ways people in Amongst the Ruins care for each other and entertained the possibility of writing a blog post about just that.

This is the result.

For some reason, this list has been much harder to write than the previous one. While the concept of harm seems to be pretty self-explanatory, the notion of care feels much more tenuous and subjective, as the ways we care for ourselves and others are much more varied and context dependent, so much so, that some of the items on this list might look out of place or at least puzzling. For this reason, I have established the following rules to guide the writing process:

• This is NOT a post about weapons. Every item on this list makes or has made someone's life easier in non-violent ways somewhere in Gaúl and the Annexed Territories. Even if this fact is not immediately apparent to the reader, these items are used or have been used to take care of others.
• Mens sana... Mechanically speaking, most of these objects either reduce stress or help the body heal. If your system doesn't use stress, simply have your characters heal 1d6 HP for every 1 stress reduced. The same applies to severity and injuries.
• Caring is HARD (and so is writing). Expect to find some relatively accessible subsystems in some of the descriptions. Similarly, some of the descriptions are longer than the last time. This is the minimum amount of writing required to make items both flavourful and mechanically distinct (I promise).

 And now, the curtain rises...

1d20 Objects of Care

Rachid Jatib

1. Flask of Yesterwater. Completely odourless and tasteless. 1 gulp: empty 1 Memory slot of your choice. 2 gulps: empty a random Memory slot. 3 gulps: empty 1d6 Memory slots randomly, pass a Presence test or lose 1 Memory slot permanently. 3 gulps.

2. Asturan Wool Blanket. Soft like a puff of feathers, warm like your childhood's crib. Keeps you warm in any situation. Sleeping in this blanket for at least 1 watch grants +1 Threshold for the rest of the day.

3. Saltstone. A fist-sized, rough edged chunk of essential minerals harvested from an acrodonta's gizzard. If boiled for at least 1/2 watch, the resulting soup can be drunk to obtain basic nourishment for the day. 20 uses. 1/2 slot.

4. Pot of Treacle. Thick and sirupy, overpowering sweet taste. Taken by the spoonful. -1 stress, half benefit from food during rests and feasts. One pot contains 10 spoonfuls.

5. Ictian Infusion. Water turned black by pulverised solifuge carapace. Clears the mind and reveals deception. -1d2 stress, lies spoken in your presence look like a cloud of black flies leaving the liar's mouth.  3-in-6 chance that you see your dreams for what they truly are. Don't benefit from rest that night.

6. Box of Besutu Cigars. Strong scent, tastes of toasted coffee -1 stress, thick black smoke, pass Vitality or start coughing like an old man (suffer 1d3 damage). One box contains 6 cigars.

7. Pergamum Essence Flacon. Looks like liquid gold, leaves a glittering impression on the skin. Grants an aura of ethereal magnetism (+4 Reaction Rolls with humans). You can test Presence to issue commands as long as they are phrased as suggestions. Lasts for 1/2 watch or until you fail a Presence test.

8. Nighmilk Drops. Extracted from the lilium noctis in the Lunar Fields of Ictia. Turn your eyes milk-white. You see creatures as shimmering outlines of silverine light as long as darkness is not total. Upon sudden light, pass a Vitality test or be stunned for 1 round. Lasts for 1/2 watch.

9. Silverine Mirror. A rough shard of argentum wrapped in silk. Used by Ictian maze-runners to find their way in the Labyrinthine Grounds. It only reflects the moon. If exposed to direct sunlight, it melts away in a blinding flash of silver light.

10. Ballad of Amorus & Castella. Recounts the downfall of Iudex Amorus and the rise of his beloved, Serf Castella, who would eventually rise in arms and lead a revolution in a fabled distant colony. Sung as both a cautionary tale and an inspirational folk song. The singer tests Presence and the audience tests Knowledge. One succeeds: -2 stress. Both succeed: -2 stress, +4 vs charm for 1 watch. Takes 1 hour to sing fully. 1 Memory.

11. Death Pins. Hard and pliant, harvested from immature mesechin hoglets. Stabbing yourself with one of these makes you overconfident and reckless (+1 vs Fear, +1 damage dealt, +1 damage taken per pin). Removing a pin causes 1 damage.

12. Hunters & Preys.  An intuition driven board game popular among Trailblazers. It can be played with a board or few lines on the dirt and pebbles of varying sizes. Both players roll Intuition. Winner: -1d2 stress. Loser: +1 stress. Crushing Victory (Nat. 1): -2 stress and advantage to your Intuition tests for 1 watch. Astounding Defeat (Nat. 20): +2 stress. Draw: -1 stress to both players.

13. Bottle of Hagslime. Sticky and slimy. +4 vs grapples, can fit through a whole as small as your head. 3-in-6 chance of dropping an object when trying to use it. Dries and falls off after 1/2 watch. 3 uses.

14. Joy Peepers. A pair of crystallized chamaeran eyes, said to fend off bad dreams and evil spirits. Gives off a dim, hollow light. Sleeping under their gaze grants a dreamless sleep.

15. Pungent Pouch. A small sackcloth bag filled with egresian dried petals and crushed halys husks. If put under someone's nose, wakes them up immediately. Allows a Presence test to break free from stuns or charms.

16. Soothing Words. Full of warmth and comfort. Test Presence to care for someone you esteem. On a success, -1 stress to both of you. On a failure, -1 stress to them. Alternatively, you can try to pacify someone in an agitated state of mind, granting them a Presence test to clear their mind. You can only soothe a given creature once a day. 1 Memory.

17. Witch Spit. Earthen sludge, smells of rotting vegetation. Cool to the touch. If applied to a burn within the hour it was caused, reduces its Severity by 1. Comes in clay bottles. 3 uses.

18. Faulty Music Box. Scratched and worn. The etching of a faded rose languishes on the top. When wound, the box plays a melancholic tune for 1d6 minutes, invoking memories of better times (-1 stress) or unspeakable longing (+1 stress, test Presence or start crying).

19. Voidfold. Its like staring at absolute darkness. Inquisitors in training wear them to hone their senses and signify the neutral devotion to their cause. If worn for at least 1 watch, reduce the Severity of any sight related injuries by 1. 1/3 slot.

20. Koyaanis Comb. Made with solidified metamorphic ossein extracted from the Argosian caverns of Koyaanis. Elegant, floral carvings adorn the piece. With a twist of the handle, the comb morphs into various other grooming utensils. -1 stress and +1 Presence in civilized environments if you groom yourself for at least 1 hour.

Ke Liu

Materiality

The more I write about this stuff, the more apparent it is to me that the key to immersion is located in the relationship between the PCs and the physical world. In my previous post, I commented on the link between specificity and historicity, implying that there is a strong connection between setting-bound equipment and the capacity to bring worlds to life. While there is a lot to be said about representation and flavour, I do believe that, in the end, most relationships are mediated, at least partially, through a material medium. Whether it be a mother wrapping a slice of smoked porkin meat for her child, the duchess spraying some pergamum on her forehead right before tonight's reception or a nervous bachelor combing his hair for the umpteenth time with a Koyaanis comb before his date with Melantha, the Scarlet Daughter, this or that object is always present. Having the players find, or even better, stumble upon these items is, in my opinion, the best way to evoke a living, dynamic world. Legendary items are cool and all, but there is only so much worldbuilding one can do through them. The ordinary and the mundane, the commonplace, they paint the picture of the here and now. Turning all of this into an adventure worth pursuing is another matter completely.

Amongst the Ruins - First Online Session and an Attempt at HUNTING MECHANICS

A few days ago I ran my first online session ever. The result was... unexpectedly positive? Normally, I would've taken the train to their place (they are a couple), eaten lunch/dinner (or both) and spent an awesome time rolling dice. With the current situation, however, we thought about postponing the campaign until we could meet in person again, but things as they are, all of us seem to more hooked on to this thing than we initially thought, and so the session ensued.

Behold!

The game was short (a couple of hours long, when it usually takes between for and six) and consisted mostly of an almost gone wrong and totally avoidable encounter with a crimson serpent and character development. Overall the experience was enjoyable, if only to keep us going. When the game ended, though, I realized that I was as drained (or perhaps more) as I usually would be from our common sessions. See, when I interpret NPCs I tend to emphasize their actions and emotions by trying to "play" the character. I may hit the table with my fist, get closer to the players, whisper, SHOUT, stand up and pace, anything that may help bring the character a little bit closer to life. Given the circunstances and my shitty camera, I believe all that may have accrued as tension.

And now for something completely different.

HUNTING MECHANICS

At some point during the session, one of the players told me she wanted to scout for prey. Although everyone in the table knew that wasn't the smartest move, she simply went for it as A) the group was in need of food and B) she tends to play her character according to her stats and background (low Knowledge score, low Presence score, weird thought patterns).

So far so good, right?

Well, yes, except for the fact that the game doesn't support hunting at this point. "Oh shut up, not everything needs a subsystem or its own mechanic, just roll some dice and stuff will happen." While I would normally agree with that statement, the truth is that two of my three players chose Hunt as either their Nature or their Tendency on character creation, and the three of them belong to an organization the whole point of which is, among other things, trailblazing and, you guessed it, HUNTING.

Andreas Rocha

HUNTING MECHANICS (now for real)

If you chose Hunt as your Nature, you can both lead or participate in a hunt whenever you find yourself in the wilderness. If you chose Hunt as your Tendency, you can participate in a Hunt initiated by another hunter.

A hunt lasts for one watch (around 6 hours) unless stated otherwise. 

When leading a hunt, Roll Intuition or Knowdlege (3d6) to scout the area and check your result in the following table. You can roll an additional d6 for every other hunter participating in the hunt. Then, discard that same amount of dice.

• Success. You found a trail! Get 1 Omen. You can follow it to trigger the corresponding Encounter.
• Doubles. ...and it's fresh! As Success, but the Hunt lasts for half a watch instead. If you experiment with the trail in any way (smell it, lick it, touch it, whatever really as long as you describe it), you can ask a Yes/No question about the creature. All hunters participating in the Hunt can do this.
• Triples. ...and the creature is unawares! As Doubles, and you can try to slay your prey before it notices you. Roll Hunt (1d6 roll under). You can roll an additional die for every other hunter but can only keep one of the results. If you pass, your prey is slain. Go ahead, describe the kill for everyone in the table! If you fail, the creature suffers 1d6+Hunt damage and it becomes aware of your presence. (GM note: if the creature is too powerful to be brought down in one shot, like a dragon or a troll or something, a success could disable one of its special skills or simple deal a lot of damage).
• Failure. You found a trail, but it's old. Get 1 Omen. The trail is too faint to follow.
• Doubles. You found something else entirely. Random Encounter.
• Triples. Hunter becomes prey. Ambush.

Greg Rutkowski

Some Comments

The ranger/hunter has always been one of the most difficult classes/approaches to the game to conceptualice for me. Since the beginning I knew that I wanted hunters to be able to manipulate or havee access to the random encounter table, but I wasn't sure how to achieve that in an engaging way. Before I came up with this, I thought of something called the exploration die (1d6) that the hunters would roll whenever I rolled the encounter die. If any of exploration dice matched the encounter one, then something cool happened depending on the number rolled. I dropped the idea after one session. While the concept has some merits (having a hunter in the party can alter play in unique ways, having many increases the chances), it has a fatal flaw that revealed itself too quickly: the level of engagement is non-existent. It is simply too passive and there are no choices to be made.

I believe the current system addreses this by giving the players both the choice to actively engage in a hunt and access to the random encounter table. Usually, encounters are something that the players suffer or randomly stumble upon, as there they are dictated by the encounter die. With this system, the players can choose to seek the creatures and scout the area for clues of what may lie ahead. At the same time, a group of hunters has a higher chance of finding their prey unaware and a lesser chance of being ambushed, which I think is neat and reinforces the idea of teamwork (I'm a sucker for dice pools, what can I say?).

Of course, when you create a system/mechanic, there must be ways for the players to interact with it through their choices and abilities. Like with any other ability test, I would give them an extra d6 to roll/drop if they come up with sensible explanations as to why they should get and edge on the test: hunting dogs, favourable weather, familiar terrain, etc... Likewise, there are some skills that characters with Hunt as either their Nature or Tendency can train in order to become better hunters.

Brandon Liao

1. Hunter's Mark

You can use one Action to focus your attention on a beast within sight, taking in its scent, motion patterns and overall demeanor. Your attacks deal additional damage equal to half your Hunt, rounded down (minimum 1). When you lead or participate in a hunt, you can declare that you are scouting for your marked prey. If you do, replace all the Omens and Encounters with those of the marked beast (this only works if the creature is in the surrounding area). You can only have one prey marked at any given time.

Note: I'm not convinced about the damage bit, it strikes me as flat and dull, but it could be a way to make the hunters at the table feel more hunterlike and all, as this skill doesn't work with people. Common sense should always prevail though, if you marked a prey five days ago and you are now in a completely different area, you are not going to find what you are looking for. Should I add a clause like "You lose the scent/trail/mark if you fail to actively chase your prey for one day" or something like that, to clarify? This matter must be further investigated.

7. Experienced Scout

When you lead or participate in a hunt, roll an additional 1d6 and drop any of the results. If the roll is successful, you get 1 additional Omen.

Note: simple and to the point, this allows hunters to cover more terrain in the same amount of time, hence the additional omen.

CONCLUSIONS

As usual, I have the feeling I might've gone a bit too overboard with the mechanics and such. I won't be able to really tell until this is tested at the table. Given the emphasis of the setting on wilderness exploration (yes, I still have to write a post about it and the system), I may end up tweaking this further or abandoning it completely. Time (and my players) will tell.

In the meantime, take care, good hunter.