Song of Swords: The Blade of Peace

A princeling went to war one day, beautiful and bold in his armor of gold. To prove himself he went, to claim the lands of his father's foes and weave his name into the tapestries of history. Beyond the borders of his father's lands he rode, and beyond the knowledge of kith and kin went the princeling.

Time passed, and to the forge of Kailel, chiefest smiths, came a maiden slight and fair. "Oh smith!" she cried, casting at his feet a purse of gold. "Grant to me a boon, that which will fetch my brother home."

"The price is too great." Kailel  thrust out his hand, denying the girl her boon. "Away, your brother is lost."

"Oh smith!" she cried again, casting at his feet the circlet of her rank. "No price too great. Grant to me that which will fetch my brother home."

"The price is too great." Once again, Kailel thrust out his hand. "Away with you."

"Oh smith!" she cried, taking from her belt a little knife, "No price too great!" Her braid she cut, and cast at Kailel's feet, "For love of my brother, I will go. Grant to me that which will fetch him home again."

With heavy heart, Kailel turned himself away, "I will grant what you ask."

A princess  went to quest one day, in a gown of gray and green. For the love of family she went, and in her hand a bright blade gleamed. Beyond the borders of her father's land she rode, and none marked her passing.

A sabre light and razor sharp, the Blade of Peace bears simple adornments, a series of lodestone teardrops pointing towards the eight winds rest in the flat of its blade near the simple handguard.

Despite its lethal edge, the Blade of Peace is useless as a weapon. Instead, the songs woven into the steel from which it was forged turn aside all but the most cunning of attacks. When wielded, the Blade of Peace grants a +3 bonus to the wielder's Armor Class.

Additionally, when pursuing the heart's desire the Blade of Peace acts as a compass of sorts. It will always point the truest path, though not necessarily the safest.

The Sword of Truth

Inspired by a friend's comment on IRC.  Not exactly the sort of weapon you take into a knife fight, but I'm mostly happy with it...

Spell Garden of the Verdant Manse

     I'm currently in the process of tidying up a module written to help my nephew GM Scarlet Heroes. At the moment, I'm refining and expanding one of the key areas of the module, a mystic garden that served as retreat, laboratory, and spell book. Though I'd share that bit with you, gentle readers. And as always, critiques and criticisms, as well as suggestions, are welcomed.




Area 05: Spell Garden

     Exotic blooms and heady blossoms decorate the spell garden. The artfully arranged eds are not merely for pleasing the ye, however.  Any spell caster deciphering the layout, scent and organization of the flower beds can, after a wandering sojourn, discern 1d6 random spells from those presented in the Magic User spell list from the Scarlet Heroes rulebook.

     Further research, under the tutelage of the Green Mage himself (or using notes retrieved from area 04f: The Study) will reveal one of the following randomly rolled secrets:

1D3 Secrets of the Spell Garden

1. New Spells
2. Enchanted Fruit
3. Construction of Plantwrought Items

1.)     New Spells

Level 1    Donning the Chameleon's Humble Mantle   
Duration: 5 minutes/level      Range: Touch

     The Chameleon's robes are unassuming, allowing it to pass unnoticed throughout its domain. The flesh and garb of the spell caster or target to blend into the background. While movement renders the mantle ineffective, a stationary individual receives a +2 bonus to avoiding a searcher's notice.


Level 3    Damson Mists of the Bacchanal
Duration: Instant      Range: 100'

     Cloying, wine-hued mists are conjured forth by this spell, affecting an area within 100' of the caster some 20' diameter. Those caught in the mists must pass a successful saving throw of difficulty 10 or suffer a -1 to all rolls for 1d6 rounds, drunk on the delirium inducing mists.


Level 2    Golden Physician's Healing Touch
Duration: Instant      Range: Touch

     With buzzing tongue and dancing fingers the magic user enchants a dram of wild bee's honey, converting it to an ointment that will heal any wound it touches. With this spell, the target heals 2 hit point per level of the magic user casting the spell.


Level 1     Stallion's Feast
Duration: Instant      Range: Special

     Per casting, the magic user conjures up a blend of wholesome grains, enough to feed a horse for a single day. Feedbag not included.







2.)     Enchanted Fruit
   
     The enchanted fruit of the Spell Garden are strange and fabled things. Golden-skinned apples, bunches of grapes the height of a tall man, nameless wonders with tangy meat and heady juice. Consumption of a single fruit will allow the consumer to cast one random spell selected from either the Cleric or Magic User Spell list once per day. Each additional fruit  to a maximum of four consumed grants an additional ability (or, by fortune, a second use of an already established spell should it be rolled). However, with the first fruit's consumption, there is a 1 in 4 chance that the magic of the fruit will react with the consumer's body, resulting in a random mutation (see below). This chance increases by 1 with each fruit consumed thereafter, ultimately resulting in each fruit inducing another painful change.

3.)     Plantwrought Gear

Armor of the Hungry Folk

     Crafted from the leathery caps of the Hungry Folk (stats forthcoming), this strange armor is treated as AC 4 when donned. Due to the resilient, absorbent caps the armor is constructed from, blunt trauma (such as that inflicted by falling, cudgels, etc) is halved.

     For all its use, the Armor of the Hungry Folk comes at a cost: the armor extrudes hairlike cilia, bonding with the wearer after a week's wear. From this point on the two are intertwined, the armor taking nourishment from its host, to continue granting its abilities. Separation of host and armor inflicts a -2 penalty to Hit Point total, which may only be recovered after several days rest. There is a 1 in 10 chance that some bits of cilia remain from the separation, allowing the armor to regrow.

Construction: Requires a number of Hungry Folk and various herbs costing 7,000 Gold Pieces And a month's careful care and cultivation.


Hearthwood Staff 

      A flowering staff rigid and stout (treat as a two handed weapon), the Hearthwood Staff provides shelter in times of need. From the many small branches at the head of the staff, small blue and red berries blossom. These berries are enough to sustain a man for a day, their bounty regrowing with each dawn.  Additionally, the staff may be planted in a clear area measuring 12 feet in diameter. Within minutes, the staff will take root and grow,  creating a secure shelter large enough to sleep two people in relative comfort. While no amenities such as furniture or meal are provided, the shelter will resist the elements, providing safe haven for three days before withering and sprouting a tender sapling that will, within a week, grow into a fresh Hearthwood Staff

Construction: Use the guidelines in Scarlet Heroes, my nephew. Guesstimate until you're happy(must fix this part)




1d8 Magical Mutations
01     The individual develops scaley, barklike skin (Natural AC as scale armor, cannot wear normal armor, loses sense of touch. 1-in-6 chance of termites setting up shop)
02     The individual's hair is replaced with plant matter: (1-2: Autumn leaves, 3: Moss, 4-5: Ivy, 6: Bamboo Shoots)
03     Fingers become thorny claws. Unarmed attacks become light weapons. Good for knitting.
04     Attractive to honey bees. Gain a hive that produces delicious honey, protective swarm.
05     Hallucinogenic spores (Save vs Poison or everyone, including individual loses their actions for 1d4 turns).
09     The individual's limbs are replaced with vine-like creepers. Reduce carrying weight by 20lb     
07     Cacophonous, Mango scented flatulence for the rest of their days.
08     The individual puts down roots, their adventuring life is over as they begin to sprout enchanted fruit of their own.

The Devil's Armory: Diablo II Style Weapons

I collect an odd range of RPG products. If something catches my eye, I'll pick it up even if I don't have the proper system. One thing I acquired early in my gaming career is a copy of Diablo II: The Awakening. This sourcebook/adventure module, for the 2nd edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, included kits based on the classes from the Diablo II PC game, along with spells, monsters, and an adventure to whip the tar out of the titular antagonist himself.

Most importantly, however, a series of tables to generate gear after the fashion of Diablo II's random items was included. Prefixes and Suffixes are stacked with various types of gear to generate artifats obscene or profound While you can still find an HTML version of the generator over this way, I thought it'd be fun to roll up a few items and convert them over to my current fascination, Scarlet Heroes. Ready? Read on after the break!

An Odd Item

So, I love Into the Odd, as I've mentioned before.  I also love Fred Saberhagen's Sci-Fantasy Book of Swords. The Twelve Swords of Power have always been the stick by which I measure my own magical items.

Below I present one of the Twelve Swords, if folks like it (all four of you who read this silly blog), I'll port the others over.

Mindsword (Legendary Arcana)
The Sword of Glory, Skulltwister,

The Mindsword spun in the dawn's gray light

And men and demons knelt down before.

The Mindsword flashed in the midday bright

Gods joined the dance, and the march to war.

It spun in the twilight dim as well

And gods and men marched off to hell.

  

A legendary Arcanum once used as part of a Game of Power, The Mindsword resembles a functional weapon of war. Its black grip embossed with a white banner, the meter long blade flashes as if catching bright sunlight, and when drawn, roars faintly with the roar of a cheering mob.

When drawn, all within visual range of the Skulltwister take 1D4 WIL damage and must make a WIL save or fall under the sway of Mindsword's owner. This devotion is fanatical to the extreme, causing the brainwashed to throw their life into any cause the wielder specifies.

Legends speak of other swords, similar pawns in the Game of Power. Some, it is said, are able to counteract the Mindsword's sway. As of this time, the locations of any of the blades is pure conjecture, though some scholars mutter about the table of Rand-om-Lut, the mad god.

A Prentice's Aspiration: The Humble Lords

Once brothers of the Compass League, the Humble Lords are merchants and members of Nobility that have forsworn the Compass League's avaricious ways for (in their eyes) a more worthwhile pursuit. Known by the living badges of pine and holly they wear on their breast, the Humble Lords have pledged to spread comfort and cheer; all the while working to undermine the Compass League's more sinister operations.Aside from their badge of office, the Humble Lords typically carry a sack laden with Merryhearth Logs, packets of food and medicinal herbs, and often small trinkets for children. Additionally, The Humble Lords often carry staffs and clubs of the strange wood Merryhearth logs are crafted from.

Entry into the brotherhood of the Humble Lords is open to all, though few have the dedication to pursue the path. Aspirants must first fall under the notice of an established Lord, often for some act of altruistic generosity or defense of the weak. The Aspirant is considered, approached, and offered an apprenticeship. The Humble Lord will then travel with his new ward, continuing to study the aspirant even as they are taught the most basic tenets of the Humble Lords.

Those few that pass muster are granted a sprig of their Patron Lord's badge, and welcomed as a Humble Lord, taught the locations of Merryhearth homes, safe havens for the Humble Lords and their allies.  From that point on, the new Lord is expected to give freely, both wealth and deed. Those with magical aptitude are further educated in the means of crafting the various baubles and trinkets that all Humble Lords carry.


Treasures of the Humble Lords

Merryhearth Logs: Grown by the first Humble Lord, Merryhearth wood is a creation of magical botany.  Slender and pale, clad in a rich dark bark, the Merryhearth wood produces a thin, pale smoke spiced with strange natural incenses.  Those who smell the incense are inspired to put aside grudge and blade, requiring them to Save vs Breath Weapon at a -2 penalty to initiate hostilities. This effect lasts until the Merryweather log burns out, typically an hour per log. Merryhearth Homes tend to be formed of the same wood, inspiring a sense of comfort and fellowship within its halls, though the penalty to attack is absent.

Pauper's Feast: A simple wooden bowl, covered with a red cloth.  The Pauper's Feast is a steaming wonder that pours out enough stew to fill the bellies of a dozen people, or to curb the worst pangs  of two dozen. The Pauper's Feast's only failing is in the magics used to craft it. The stew, magical in its nature, will only keep for a day, after which it becomes a spoiled mess unfit to eat.

Winterlight: Unassuming packets of folded paper sealed with a red wax. When cast into a fire, Winterlight packets explode into a harmless, dazzling sparkle of multicolored lights.

A Dram of Sunlight

The Dram of Sunlight is inspired by a bizarre old cartoon (see below), a bit of sunshine for your day.

This crystalline bottle is roughly the length and thickness of a human's pinky. Corked with gold, the bottle contains a golden liquid that emits an amount of light equivalent to a strong torch. Distilled by a diminutive race of fey for use in a war against their twisted cousins, Liquid Sunlight serves a multitude of uses for larger folk. In addition to its luminous properties, Liquid Sunlight repels vampires, as does the sun itself. Further, when mixed with pure water, Liquid Sunlight can nullify any poison, magical or otherwise.

Memorial Day Mementos

It's been said by smarter, more capable men that if we forget the past, we're doomed to repeat it. My prayers are with the soldiers who have fought to protect what they hold dear, and to the families who won't see their soldiers return. It might be irreverent, but today I offer up artifacts themed around our troops, honoring their sacrifice and memory.



Cincinattus' Duty

Also known as the Blade of Peace, this slightly curved shashka exists somewhere between saber and straight sword. Guardless, its curved pommel is worked into the head of an eagle. Inscribed across the blade in fine, minute script, is an ever-growing list of names, names of people who have fought and died to defend the people they love. 

When sheathed in its simple wooden scabbard, the blade radiates a circle of protection against evil (chaos) as per the spell. Lacking a cutting edge, the blade functions as a club in combat. When drawn, the Blade of Peace evidences a curious power.  When its tip is drawn through the earth, Cincinattus' Duty creates a tilled furrow, ready for seeding. A single individual in good health may till twice the amount of land in a day as a good team of oxen pulling a plow, turning aside stone and root as easily as if they were soft earth.



Farjourney Boots

A battered pair of boots commonly issued to soldiers marching off to war. Worn and heavily repaired, they bear a small lodestone in the heel of each boot.

Once the possession of a nameless footman in the Eternal Emperor's army, the Farjourney boots have  seen many owners, acquiring their strange magics over time and becoming a lesser artifact. When worn for a day and a night, the boots attune themselves to their owner, learning the secrets of her heart. Wherever they may wander, whatever trials they may face, when the bearer of the Farjourney Boots dreams of home, the boots will guide them. This location is not something consciously determined, the boots instead drawing on memories of what the character truly considers 'home', whether it be a long-favored tavern, their childhood home, or the abode of a loved one. The Farjourney boots guide the bearer through the quickest path, though this is by no means the safest.


Brother's Band

A simple bracelet woven from rough cord, its clasp a simple metal loop and toggle. 

These innocuous baubles are always formed as a set. Worn by brothers-in-arms as tokens of good fortune, the Brother's bands offer a small measure of protection.  When the wearer of a Brother's Band suffers damage, that pain is felt by all who wear the bands.  Any individual wearing a band in the set may choose to absorb the damage intended for the original target. At that point, the individual's band breaks, becoming useless. No more than 4 damage may be absorbed in this way, with any excess being inflicted on the original victim.



And finally, because today is a day to celebrate the soldier in your life, something lighthearted.


Soldier's Gruel

A slender tube containing a thick, colorless paste, thankfully odorless, the flavor is likened to overcooked bootleather.

The result of gastromantic experimentation, these palm-long tubes constitute walking rations for men on the march. Offputting as they are, each tube contains enough nutrients to sustain a man through a day's march... To unfortunately meet the same meal the following day. Among  many armies, a mythical variant is rumored, one reserved for officers that smells of honey and tastes of chicken. As these tubes have never been unearthed, they remain pure conjecture.

The Humble Soldiers

This battered wooden box is  held closed by a simple leather strap and buckle, measures two feet by one foot by eight inches, and weighs  5 pounds.. Within are several toy soldiers, neatly placed in their separate compartments. On the interior of the lid, in a child's scrawl, a name is written in charcoal.


Crafted by an artificer in ages long past , the Humble Soldiers are not unique. Several sets were fashioned, given to assorted children as a kindness, and as means to protect hearth and home. When discovered, the box will contain the following: 1d6 footmen armed with pikes,  1d4 archers, 1 mounted knight bearing a standard. Additionally, for each of the following roll 1d20, on a roll of 20, the figurine is present: A Dragon, A Catapult, A wizard riding a unicorn.


When arranged in formation and the owner's name is spoken, the figurines grow and come to life. Answering to the summoner, they will fight to the death defending the summoner and his loved ones. When slain the soldiers return to their figurine form, and cannot be summoned for 24 hours. For each slain figure, roll 1D6, on a 1, the figurine is broken and useless.

When using this item in your system of choice, treat the footmen and archers as hirelings, the knight as a level 2 fighting man, the wizard as a level 1 magic user, the dragon as a young specimen of the Red Dragon species, and unicorn as written in the bestiary provided by your game of choice.

The Illuminated Ō-yoroi

In the days of the Grandfathers' Grandfathers, There lived at the foot of Mount Kujoi a wizard by the name of Shen Zhu. One of the Four Great Generals, he desired nothing more than to live out his life in quiet contemplation in atonement for his deeds.

When the warriors came from the Far Waters, the Golden Empress sent couriers to the four winds, their purpose to seek out the Generals and call them to battle once more.

His topknot cut and his scepter broken, Shen Zhu was yet unable to deny the Empress' edict. Unable to don the Warrior's garb, Shen Zhu meditated for a day and a night. Upon the dawn he departed, armored in knowledge.

The Illuminated Ō-yoroi is a suit of Lamellar armor, the construction of which is said to be contained within the Five Scrolls of Shen Zhu. Crafted from pages of arcane writing, and worked fine illustrations, the magically hardened armor provides a -2[+2]  bonus, and is wearable by magic users. In addition, the Illuminated Ō-yoroi, when found, bears 3 of the original 9 illuminations. When a successful hit is scored, the enchantment worked into the illustration is triggered. (Which Illustration is triggered is determined randomly)

Once triggered, the illustration's enchantment is spent, rendering it inert.

The Golden Empress:  Golden flame engulfs the attacker, dealing 2d6 damage.

The Princess and the Heron: Heals 1d8 HP

The Toad: Darkness, as per the spell.

The Blue Sun

Thrice round the room the blue sun slipped

With a dip and a spin and a flash

And Into Shadow nimbly skipped

With the ring of a saber's clash  

-- From the Bladesong of Forgemaster Kelail

A sturdy +1 shortsword, the Blue Sun bears its namesake, a gibbous moon depicted on the flat of the blade in a single sapphire the length of a man's middle finger. Much like the moon from which it takes its name, the Blue Sun sheds false light, obscuring the wielder in shadow. The wielder is always treated as one step higher (or lower, depending on system used) AC than armor and other bonuses normally allow.

Elahn's Tears

Busy week! Life and church have kept me away from the internet, so in apologies, have a magic item for your preferred retroclone.

Through the dusk shadowed wood the youth staggered, trembling fingers clutching at his stomach. As he stumbled on, ink-dark blood spattered the trail, one that lead back to a ruined village, ravaged by the Forgehounds of Khor. Barely more than a boy, he had stood with the men of his village, and now, the poisoned shards of a Warsmith's dagger burning in his gut, he would die.


Against a sturdy oak he sank, breath ragged, brow beaded with fevered sweat. Just a child, a simple boy with dreams of his own good earth to tend, he had not dreamed of war, and yet, when war came he fought as courageously as any knight. Just a child, and already his life ended.


"Mama." A sole word, a plea to one who had soothed his fears and mended each wound. It came unbidden, the farmboy's arms curling around his stomach. Head bowed, he closed his eyes, a spasm of pain ripping a cry from his throat. The world dimmed, and he knew no more.


When awareness returned to the boy, it came as a sense of comfort,  its form a simple wooden cup pressed to his lips.


He drank, the cool liquid suffusing him with a sense of calm, the burning talons of poison loosening their hold on his body.  He drank, and as unconsciousness overtook him once more, a gentle hand stroked his hair, a soft, earthy voice humming a lullaby once had calmed him when storms raged about his home. At peace, he slept,  the chalice clutched between his hands...


Elahn's Tears

A plain chalice of wood, unadorned by mark or script to signify its true purpose. A gift of Elahn the Allmother, the chalice now passes from owner to owner, bringing comfort when most needed.


Elahn's Tears' true purpose becomes manifest when its bearer is in dire need. Should a bearer of Elahn's tears be mortally wounded, the chalice fills with a sparkling liquid. This liquid restores 2d8 hit points, and neutralizes any poison or disease the bearer suffers from.

Once the chalice has been used, it vanishes from its bearer's possessions, reappearing elsewhere in the world to ward a new owner, for a mother's love is never bestowed solely upon one child alone.

Dreamblade Boogie Bonus: Book of Nothing

Courtesy of Ridurey1

In one of the lost cities cloaked in the dreamstuff of Nightmare, a dark tome nestles among more innocent grimoires. Within its pages, some say, the Book of Nothing holds the secret to banish Nightmare forever. At what cost, however, does the wisdom come?

When opened, the reader and 1d6-2 other individuals within 15' of the Book of Nothing must make a save -5. Success incurs 1d6+2 HP damage, and a permanent loss of 1 Constitution point.


Any who fail the save  have their soul trapped within the Book of Nothing. Their Wisdom and Intelligence scores drop to 3, and their eyes become shadowy orbs.  Destruction of the book is not enough to reclaim the victims' souls, only intervention from a higher power (either through direct intervention or a Crusader's Miracle) can restore those claimed by Nothing.