This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

Author Topic: Amber conversion for mythic adventure...  (Read 1697 times)

Django

  • Newbie
  • *
  • D
  • Posts: 7
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« on: June 20, 2007, 08:50:23 AM »
I thought people might be interested in seeing something I wrote up for a pbem game with my friends:

Clash of the Titans


Concept:


Players play the part of heroes in the mythic age of Greece.  This is not a historical period, but a fantasy world of demigods, fantastic beasts, honour and war.  This game joyfully rips off the Amber diceless mechanic, basically that a higher rating in a relevant attribute beats a lower one, although creative description and use of powers or extras might swing this in a particular situation, if the GM so rules.

Source material:
Film – Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts, Troy, 300.
Literature – Homer’s Iliad, Vergil’s Aeneid, Robert Graves, Mary Stewart’s mythical novels.


Character Creation

Characters have 100 pts bid on Divine Favour, or to spend on Powers and Extras.

Divine Favour
There are four “attributes”:

Apollo, the Sun God, is the patron of art, prophecy and healing.  The favoured of Apollo are strong in healing, regeneration, augury and sorcery.  
Artemis, the Moon Goddess, is also known as the “Huntress”.  The favoured of Artemis are strong in stealth and perception, and also ranged combat and the ways of the wild.
Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love.  Her favourites are strong in diplomacy, seduction, persuasion and deception, and also have the will to resist these arts.
Ares, the War God, looks after strategy, hand to hand combat, and physical contests.

Attribute Auctions
You bid for Divine Favour in four private ballots.  You will not know how much anyone else has bid or where you rank after the auction, unless you win it.  There is no limit to how much you can bid.  Everyone ends the bid “ranked” according to their level of favour with a particular divinity.  You can increase your rank  by spending Glory later, but you are never as good as the guy who won first place.  If you win first rank in Ares, for example, you are always the best fighter in the group, but everyone else could get close to how good you are, if you let them.  Points bid in the private ballot are spent for good – you cannot get them back.  
You cannot buy up divine favour after the initial bid during character creation.  You will have to wait until you get Glory points later on.
You do not have to bid in all or even any of the four ballots.  You can stay at 0 in all of them if you wish.  You are still a hero and more than a match for any ordinary mortal – but you may not be as good as your fellow heroes.  This is called “Hero Level”.

If you do not bid in an auction, you can also sell down your score to get extra points to spend in other auctions or on powers and extras.  But be careful:  this makes you vulnerable.

Selling down to “Champion” rank in any attribute means that you are more than a match for most mortals;  you can still seriously create havoc on the battlefield or sing the most impressive ballads, but you are not up to the standard of any heroic character you might meet.  You get 10 pts to spend elsewhere if you do this.
You get 25 points for selling down to “mortal” level, but be careful, this could turn out to be your Achilles heel…

Powers

Augury (50 points)      [Apollo]
The power of augury does not only mean the ability to read omens and scry the future.  In this setting, reading someone’s fortune or making a prophecy means the ability to shape their future, although prophecies do not always come true.   It is easier to weave the thread of fate for a mortal than for a hero.  Try it out and see…
Most heroes do not have this power.
(Advanced Augury costs an additional 25 points)

Blessings and Curses are minor, specific uses of Prophecy that can be purchased without using the power of augury.  They cost 3 points each and must be purchased in consultation with GM.

Shape Shifting (35 points)   [Artemis]
Requires a Divine Parent.  This is a trick favoured by the gods.
(Advanced Shape Shifting costs another 20 points)

Sorcery (35 points)      [Apollo]
There are plenty of examples of this in Greek myth.  Circe changes Odyesseus’ men into pigs.  There are no instant spells in Clash, though.  You will need ingredients, rituals, preparation and incantations.  Be creative.
Most heroes do not have this power.
(Advanced Sorcery costs another 20 points).

Muse (35 points)      [Aphrodite]
Through song, you can change the hearts and minds of men, calm savage beasts, and create complex illusions.
Most heroes do not have this power.
(Advanced Muse costs an additional 20 points.)

Gift of Hephaistos (20 points)   [Apollo]
The ability to craft fantastic contraptions (wax wings, Trojan horses etc.)  These contraptions require constant maintenance or they will lose their powers or fall apart.  Cost 1 day to make for each construction point (describe, and consult GM).  Most heroes do not have this power.

Snake's Gift (10 points)      [Artemis]
This hero spent a night in one of Apollo's temples, where snakes licked inside his ears and mouth.  He awoke with the ability to understand the speech of animals and be understood by them in return.

Divine Qualities
Specific magic powers (e.g. limited invulnerability etc.) are created in conjunction with GM.  Only available if the character has a Divine Parent (see below).  After character creation, these can only be taken as boons from a deity.  You still need to spend Glory.

Other Powers could be negotiated with GM.

Extras

Kingdoms, Items (e.g. helms of invisibility, mirrored shields etc.), Allies and Beasts
Must be created in conjunction with GM.  They can be shared with other players to reduce cost.
Playes can capture kingdoms, make allies and acquire items, but they are only hooked to the character if purchased with points.

A Divine Parent costs 5 points, and can be a blessing as much as a curse.  GM decides who the character’s Divine Parent is, and may not reveal this initially, if at all…
Divine Parents are two a penny among heroes, but you cannot have two, or you would be a god.
(Having a divine parent will not affect your four attributes).

You will probably need a Bard.  See below.  

The Fates and Hubris

Any leftover points at character creation convert into “Fate”:  this makes your character luckier.  You can spend these points later.
If you overspend and go into minus points, fine, but those minus points are called “Hubris”, and that means bad stuff…  
You can buy off Hubris later.  Hubris means that you have overstepped the mark and attempted to challenge the gods.  Pride is a good thing for heroes, but excessive pride….

Wish List

Once play begins, you can pretty much forget your character sheet and you don’t really need to worry about numbers any more.  
Glory is awarded in the open, but you do not spend it directly, because you do not know how many points are required to increase your ranking in a particular attribute (unless you are ranked number 1, in which case it is 10).  Instead, you write a Wish List which states (at least) the next three things you plan to spend Glory on (e.g. increase Apollo, buy Augury, etc.)  You will only know through play if you have achieved these things (e.g. try and do some magic – if it works, you’ve got Sorcery!).  You also need to state how much Hubris you are prepared to incur in order to buy them, but again, you will only find out through play if you have bad stuff on your character sheet.
Unspent points of Glory become Fate, which can be spent the next time you get Glory.

Mythic Greece

Okay, so you’ve made your character.  Now you want to know a little about the world into which they have been born.  

The Gods

Whether you are a demigod or not, the Gods will play an integral part in your heroic life.  The gods of Greece are proud, petty and sensual.  You will fall in and out of favour with them, and don’t expect your parent to necessarily stick up for you!  You will not be able to avoid becoming a part of their power struggles and infighting.
Eventually, you may grow sufficiently powerful to challenge the gods, but beware:  that will mean stepping on someone’s turf!
The attribute mechanism has no bearing on your real relationship with Apollo, Artemis etc, except that they may be impressed with heroes that achieve great feats in their given sphere.  This is all built through roleplay.
Zeus, the father of the gods, is meant to ensure that they all stay in line, but even he can be partisan!

The Fates

The Mother, the Maiden and the Crone are the creators of augury and the weavers of prophecy extraordinaire.  They have had a hand in  pretty much anything that goes on in the lives of mortals.  Augurs beware – you have relatively free reign with fate, but if you cross these silvery old bitches, they will be gunning for you…

The Furies

The gods have their own laws, which sometimes conflict, but the Land has its own laws too.  Some things – even if a god commands them – are just beyond the pail.  Matricide is one, as is denying burial to a family member.  If you commit these sins, the very spirits of the land will rise up out of the depths to get you, however hard you are.  Beware the Furies…

The Underworld

Death is not the end, but it is not much fun either.  If you die, you become a Shade in the Underworld.  If you committed a great crime, you may be punished for all eternity doing something really boring or irritating.  You can get into the Underworld – and even come back from it – if you know how.  On a similar note, you can only get onto Olympus if you are brought there or you know the way.

Monsters

Are all over the place, waiting to be killed.  They usually have a weakness that you need to discover.  Beware:  the GM will play about with the established canon here.  Kill the monster, get the Glory.  Simple.

Mortals

Are two a penny.  However, if you can get enough of them together in one place, you can get some serious carnage going.  Where there is carnage, there is Glory.

Glory

Is what it’s all about.  Apart from killing monsters, you get Glory from winning battles, having fantastic love affairs, achieving a mission from some god or another, great voyages of exploration, expanding your kingdom, etc.  The more Glory you receive, the more powerful you become.  And remember, the Olympian gods overthrew the Titans once.  Who’s to say this might not be possible again?  
Your Glory can only grow if it can be sung.  Players with the Augury or Muse powers can sing their own Glory – and will be expected to.  If you do not have Augury or Muse you must spend 5 points at chargen to get a Bard, who will sing your glory for you.  Your Bard can be souped up like any other item or ally.  Try to keep him alive:  if he is dead, you cannot receive Glory, and you will need to find a new one in play.  

When you feel that you deserve Glory, write yourself a few lines of poetry which your bard sings in the game.  GM awards 0-3 Glory points accordingly.

Appendices

Army Costs

4 pts - a mortal retinue, a small militia.
6 pts - an elite squad: the Myrmidons, the Chosen Men.
6 pts -  a large war party, a couple of hundred men (could be combined with the elite squad, so you have some champions to lead the army)
8 pts - a massive horde of warriors (you seen the start of Troy..?)
1 pts - naval capability
2 pts - 1000 ships...
 
So for 16 points (elite + horde + 1000 ships), you can be tricked out with the whole Aegean invasion force...

Armoured Items

either
1 pt for resistance to ONE kind of weapon (e.g. blunt, bladed)
or 2 pts for resistance to ALL ancient weapons
or 4 pts for invulnerable to everything, even dragon fire and mountains dropping on your head.
 
Any of this item armour is better than just picking up any old suit of armour, which affords only limited protection.   It is cheap and sensible.

Non-Player Character Point Costs (maybe…)

Hero      100 - 200
Monster   200 - 300   
Small God   300 – 400
Also Nymph, Dryad etc.
Olympian   400 - 450
Zeus      500

Characters with two Divine Parents get the Immortal quality, and as a bonus, they don’t die of old age.  There may be another way to become Immortal – who knows?
 

TonyLB

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • T
  • Posts: 2274
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2007, 08:59:42 AM »
Ah man!  This looks so awesome!  The whole family-conflict vibe of Amber fits this setting to a T.

I would be fascinated to hear what your thinking was in which gods you picked out for the four attributes.  The Olympian pantheon has such a wonderful muddle of overlapping Gods addressing the same things (Who contributes more to a warrior's skill ... Athena or Ares?  Well ... depends on the warrior and his style) that it must have been a heck of a thing to pick the right four for your particular game.
Superheroes with heart:  Capes!

Django

  • Newbie
  • *
  • D
  • Posts: 7
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2007, 09:09:25 AM »
I'll try and post a link to the actual game, although I'll have to hunt around a bit.  It petered out as I got too busy with work, as usually happens for me with even the best ideas!  I've also got some stats I made for different gods etc., game notes.  I'll drip-feed it if people are interested.

(edit)  With reference to what you actually asked(!), I just tried for a good spread of abilities which didn't fit the traditional mould of strength, intellect, endurance etc.  I had to shoe-horn my descriptions to make them distinct - you are right that in actuality the domains of these gods are not really so strict.  

I think the ambiguity and looseness of the attributes makes the shared narrative all the more interesting.  The more you invest in immersing yourself in the setting, the more you find your character can do;  possibly even, the more you discover about your character's abilities.
 

TonyLB

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • T
  • Posts: 2274
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2007, 09:17:41 AM »
Quote from: Django
It petered out as I got too busy with work, as usually happens for me with even the best ideas!
PBeM is tough :(   I feel your pain in that regard.

I certainly look forward to hearing more about the campaign!
Superheroes with heart:  Capes!

Django

  • Newbie
  • *
  • D
  • Posts: 7
 

David R

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • D
  • Posts: 6874
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2007, 12:36:11 PM »
This is good stuff. I was thinking of using Amber for a Hindu mythology campaign. You have given me so many ideas. Nice.

Regards,
David R

TonyLB

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • T
  • Posts: 2274
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2007, 12:38:09 PM »
Quote from: David R
This is good stuff. I was thinking of using Amber for a Hindu mythology campaign. You have given me so many ideas. Nice.
Lord of Light ... slick. :win:
Superheroes with heart:  Capes!

David R

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • D
  • Posts: 6874
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2007, 12:47:20 PM »
Quote from: TonyLB
Lord of Light ... slick. :win:


More or less :D

Zelazny does truly :emot-rock:

Regards,
David R

RPGPundit

  • Administrator - The Final Boss of Internet Shitlords
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48855
    • http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2007, 01:15:54 PM »
Really utterly awesome, Django. Cool.  Welcome to the site btw!

RPGPundit
LION & DRAGON: Medieval-Authentic OSR Roleplaying is available now! You only THINK you've played 'medieval fantasy' until you play L&D.


My Blog:  http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/
The most famous uruguayan gaming blog on the planet!

NEW!
Check out my short OSR supplements series; The RPGPundit Presents!


Dark Albion: The Rose War! The OSR fantasy setting of the history that inspired Shakespeare and Martin alike.
Also available in Variant Cover form!
Also, now with the CULTS OF CHAOS cult-generation sourcebook

ARROWS OF INDRA
Arrows of Indra: The Old-School Epic Indian RPG!
NOW AVAILABLE: AoI in print form

LORDS OF OLYMPUS
The new Diceless RPG of multiversal power, adventure and intrigue, now available.

Django

  • Newbie
  • *
  • D
  • Posts: 7
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2007, 01:19:09 PM »
Quote from: RPGPundit
Really utterly awesome, Django. Cool.  Welcome to the site btw!

RPGPundit


Thanks...and thanks. :)
 

Django

  • Newbie
  • *
  • D
  • Posts: 7
Amber conversion for mythic adventure...
« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2007, 03:50:13 PM »