Herald and Companion Templates

Like the subject says.

Herald

200 points
Attributes: St 10 [0]; DX 10 [0], IQ 10 [0]; HT 10 [0]
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs; HP 12 [4]; Will 12 [10]; Per 10 [0]; FP 12 [6]; Basic Speed 6 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]
Advantages: Independent Income 5 [5]; Status 2 (+1 from high Rank) [5]; Rank 3 (for all purposes in the nation of Valdemar) [15]; Ally (Companion, 150% of point total, almost all the time (15 or less)) [30]; Legal Enforcement Powers (national jurisdiciton, free to engage in covert investigations, may kill with relative impunity) [15]; Legal Immunity (only the Heraldic Circle may disipline you) [5]; Patron (the Heraldic Circle/Monarch of Valdemar: national government, appears fairly often (9 or less), gives equipment) [45]; Social Regard +2 (Respected) [10]; Special Rapport (Companion) [5];
20 points from:
ESP Talent, Clairsentience, Detect, Para-Radar, Precognition, and Psychometry;
or PK Talent, Binding, and Telekinesis;
or Telepathy Talent, Animal Empathy, Empathy, Mind Control, Mind Probe, Mind Reading, Mind Shield, Mindlink (with Companion), Speak with Animals, Telecommunication, Telesend, and Terror;
or Teleportation Talent, and Warp;
or Magery 1
Plus 30 points of advantages chosen from Acute Senses [2/level], Allies [variable], Alternate Identity (legal version) [5], Ambidexterity [5], Appearance [variable], Charism [5/level], Combat Reflexes [15], Contact Group [variable], Contacts [variable], Danger Sense [15], Fearlessness [2/level], Fit [5] or Very Fit [15], High Pain Threshold [10], Indomitable [15], Language Talent [10], Luck [variable], Perfect Balance [15], Talent (Smooth Operator) [15/level], Trained By A Master [30], Voice [10], or Weapon Master [variable].
Disadvantages: Reputation (dangerous do-gooder, large class of people: evil people, all the time) -4 [-10], Code of Honor (Herald's) [-10], Duty (to Valdemar, almost all the time) [-15], Selfless [-5], Pacifism (Cannot harm innocents) [-10], Sense of Duty (every living being) [-20]
Plus 30 points of disadvantages chosen from Charitable [-15], Enemies [variable], Fanaticism (the people of Valdemar) [-15], Guilt Complex [-5], Honesty [-10], Workaholic [-5]
Primary Skills: Area Knowledge (Valdemar: large nation) (E) IQ+4 [12], Bow (A) DX+2 [12], Brawling (E) DX+2 [4], Cartography (A) IQ-1 [1], Detect Lies (H) Per+2 [12], Diplomacy (H) IQ+0 [4], First Aid (E) IQ+0 [1], Geography (Regional: Valdemar) (H) IQ+0 [4], History (Valdemar) (H) IQ-1 [2], Leadership (A) IQ+0 [2], Melee Weapon (choose one Average specialty) (A) DX+2 [8], Meterology (A) IQ-1 [1], Navigation (A) IQ+0 [2], Obseravation (A) Per+0 [2], Riding (Horse) (A) DX+4 [16], Strategy (Land) (H) IQ-2 [1], Survival (Plains) (A) Per+0 [2], Survival (Woodlands) (A) Per+0 [2], Tactics (H) IQ [4]
If you chose Magery 1, above, then you should choose 5 (H) spells at IQ-2. [5]
Taboo Traits: Bully, Callous, Cowardice, Low Empathy, Megalomania, Sadism, Selfish

Companion

327 points
Attribute Modifiers: ST+14 (Size -10%, No Fine Manipulators -40%) [70]; HT +3 [30]
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM +1; HP+2 (Size -10%) [2], Will+5 [25], FP+2 [6], Move +5 [25]
Advantages: Ally (Herald, 75% of point total, almost all the time(15 or less)) [9]; Blessed (the powers of good) [10]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Detect (Magic) [10]; Empathy [15]; Extra Legs [5]; Enhanced Move (Ground) 1 [20]; Very Fit [15]; Indomitable [15]; Magery 0 [5]; Magic Resistance 5 (Improved +150%) [30]; Mind Reading (Telecommunication -20%, Telepathic -10%) [21]; Mind Shield 5 (Telepathic -10%) [18]; Mindlink (Herald) (Telepathic -10%) [5]; Night Vision 5 [5]; Reawakened [10]; Special Rapport (Herald) [5]; Telecommunication (Telesend, Broadcast +50%, Universal +50%, Telepathic -10%) [57]
Disadvantages: Cannot Speak [-15]; Code of Honor (Companion's) [-10]; Dependent (Herald, no more than 75%, friend, quite often (12 or lower)) [-4]; Duty (to Valdemar, almost all the time (15 or less)) [-15]; Horizontal [-10]; No Depth Perception [-15]; No Fine Manipulators [-30]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Selfless [-5]; Sense of Duty (every living being) [-20]; Unnatural Features 3 (silver hooves, undyeable white coat, brilliant blue eyes) [-3]
Primary Skills: Brawling (E) DX+4 [12], Mount (A) DX+4 [16], Running (A) HT+2 [8]
Taboo Traits: Bully, Callous, Cowardice, Low Empathy, Megalomania, Sadism, Selfish

Herald Magic, Part 3

You know, this is a lot easier than back in January. I wonder if the light levels have something to do with that? Oh, well, on with the stuff.

More discussion of Magery:

Magery, or at least the potential for it, seems to be inborn in Velgarth. You've pretty much either got Magery or not (barring extreme circumstances, of course. Like, say, having Gate energies accidently blasted back through you, after your lifebond used your energy to build the Gate. That should about do it. Not nessecarily the best way, of course).
Anyway, potential Magery seems to be obvious in Velgarth. A mage can read another mage, and determine how much potential they have, even if they haven't reached that potential yet. So, there really should be some way to represent this at character creation, even if the player doesn't want to take all the levels of Magery just yet. So, a new advantage: Potential Magery. Costs 2 points per level. Every 2 levels add to your IQ for purposes of learning spells and Thaumaturgy, but no other effects. However, if you later get the points, you can convert levels of Potential Magery into actual Magery, by paying the point difference. You still have to buy Magery 0 at full cost, though, no Potential Magery 0.
So, for example, Arden is a starting character, a Journeyman with Magery 1. He's paid 15 points so far, 5 for Magery 0 and 10 for Magery 1. However, his player wants him to have a fair bit of potential, so he pays another 10 points for Potential Magery 6. His IQ is increased by 4 (only 5 levels of Potential Magery, remember, rounding down) for purposes of learning spells and Thaumaturgy skill, on top of the +1 that his one level of Magery gives. Every 8 points Arden spends later on will raise his level of Magery by 1, up to a maximum of level 6.

Mages also seem to have something called reserves. This seems to be different than normal Fatigue, since they don't seem to recharge nearly as quickly. This is probably best modeled as such:

Mage Reserves
1 point/level
You have additional energy stores you can use to fuel spells. Each level of this advantage gives you one extra FP for purposes of casting spells only. However, these FPs, unlike your normal FP, do not recharge themselves with rest. Instead, you must charge them by spending regular FP. Futhermore, the conversion of FP to reserve FP is not perfectly efficient, meaning you must spend 3 regular FP, and make a successful Will roll, for each reserve FP you want to charge. If the Will roll fails, the normal FP are wasted, and your reserve is not charged. Each reserve FP recharged takes one second, and you must make a Concentrate manuever.
For example, Arden is a mage with Mage Reserves level 10, giving him 10 extra energy to spend on spells. He expends his reserve in a tough battle, and decides to recharge it quickly, in case he is attacked again. He has 15 normal FP. He takes 5 seconds, taking a Conentrate manuver and making a Will roll each second. All of his Will rolls are successful, leaving him with 5 FP in his reserve. However, he is now completely out of regular FP, and will have to wait for several minutes before his FP recharge, in order to put more FP into his reserve.
Energy from other sources, such as powerstones, manastones, ley lines, and nodes, cannot be used directly to rechage your reserve. Only your own FP are able to do so. However, the fast FP recovery aspects of Tap Ley Line and Tap Node can be used to more quickly charge a reserve.

Heralds Magic, Part 2

Oh, what the heck: Electric Boogaloo! There, it's said, it never need be repeated. Anyway.

I should first clairify some stuff on those two spells I posted yesterday. First, the fatigue recovery parts workeven if you aren't resting. Second, the fatigue recovery is multiplied if you tap multiple ley lines or nodes, by casting the spells more than once. Finally, the spells don't count as spells "on" for the purpose of casting other spells, except for casting other Tap Ley Line or Tap Node spells.

That said, on with the real new stuff.

In Velgarth, having Magery and tapping the ley lines and nodes aren't the only way to cast spells. There's also blood magic. Blood magic uses the energy released by the harm or death of living beings to cast spells. It's a way for an unGifted mage to cast spells, since they know there'll be power available, even if they can't sense it. So, the Blood Magic skill:

Blood Magic
Will/Very Hard
No Default

This is the ability to use the spilling of blood to fuel your spells. Having high levels in this skill subsitutes for Magery in spell prerequisites, and a skill check can allow you to use a creature's HT in place of your own energy when casting a spell.
If your skill level in blood magic is 20 or higher, you are treated as if you had Magery 1 for spell prerequisites. If your skill level is 25 or higher, you are treated as if you had Magery 2, and if your skill level is 30 or higher, you are treated as if you had Magery 3.
To use HT as energy for a spell, make a skill roll. Note that simply making the skill roll does not cause HT damage; damage must be caused by some other agency before you can use the HT to power a spell. Intelligent creatures provide the best source of blood energy. If a creature has IQ of 5 or lower, and the Bestial disadvantage, then you can only get 1 energy for every 4 HT of damage it takes.
Using blood magic in combat is usually a free action. You can make a skill roll and draw energy from a target, and still cast a spell in the same round.
If a spell's energy cost can be spread out over several rounds, then you must make one roll each round, and you cannot use the same HT wounds more than once! Once a wound is used for energy, that energy is gone, and a new source must be found. You cannot try to draw from more than one person per round with blood magic.

Modifiers: +2 if you are using HT taken from yourself. -3 If the target is not yourself, and the target is not willing or completely restrained. If the wound is not "fresh" (ie, delivered in the last second), -2 per second after the first. If you attempt to draw on someone's total HT damage, taken over several seconds, for one spell, use the penalty for the oldest wound. -1 per yard you are away from the subject. -5 if you cannot see the subject.

Example: Treyan is a wizard with Blood Magic 25. He is in a fight, and decides to cast Lightning. There are three wounded combatants nearby, Arven, Bala, and Celun. Arven has taken 3 HT of damage, one per round, for the past 3 rounds. Bala has taken 3 HT of damage in the previous turn. Celun took 1 HT of damage 3 rounds ago, and 1 more two rounds ago. None of these are willing or immobile targets.
Treyan decides to charge his Lightning spell as much as possible. He makes his skill roll with Lightning, and begins to charge the spell. On the first round, he tries to get 2 energy from Arven. Arven is 5 yards away. The penalty for Treyan's Blood Magic roll is -10: -3 for an unwilling target, -2 for trying to draw on a wound more than one second old, and -5 for the distance to his target. He makes his roll, and charges the spell. (If Treyan had 30 or more skill in Blood Magic, he could have chosen to draw all three energy from Arven, but the penalty would have increased by -2, since he would have had to draw on a wound 3 seconds old.)
On the second round, he tries to draw energy from Bala, who is 3 yards away. The penalty is this case is -8: -3 for an unwilling target, -2 for trying to draw on a wound that is now 2 seconds old (remember, Bala took damage on the round just prior to Treyan <i>beginning the spell), and -3 for the distance. He still makes his roll, and again charges his Lightning.
On the third round, Treyvan decides to try to draw energy from Celun. This, however, will be more difficult. Celun is 5 yards away. To draw 2 energy, Treyan will have to use a wound that is now 5 seconds old. The total penalty to his roll is thus -18. Treyan tries, but he fails his roll. Now Treyan has a choice: he can either throw the Lightning spell at once, but at less than full charge, or he can use his personal energy to charge the spell further.

Rehashing

Making my wordcount easier, I'm going to redo something I did already: Heralds stats for an RPG. This time, though, I'm going to use GURPS. Starting with the magic system.

Actually, the GURPS magic system already seems a better fit. It already uses the personal energy of the user, mages can cast healing spells if they learn them, priestly power works basically the same as magic, etc. First, the stuff that fits:

Magery is, of course, the Mage Gift. In the setting, it seems that Magery level zero can only be taken at character creation, or with special GM permission later on. A character with Magery zero is an apprentice, or a hedge wizard, or whatever. Higher levels of Magery represent higher levels of power: Magery 1 is Journeyman-level, Magery 2 is Master-level, and Magery 3 and above are Adept-level.
The background energy, ley-lines, and nodes are tapped by spells. Recover Energy is the basic spell here, allowing Magery 1 characters to tap the local magic.The next level is:

Tap Ley Line
Special
By tapping a ley line, you make more magical energy available to yourself. Tapping a ley line first requires sensing a ley line, using Seek Magic. Once a ley line is determined, roll on Tap Ley Line, using the long distance modifiers. If successful, you can use the ley line to restore your fatigue faster than you could normally do. If you know this spell at skill 15 or higher, you reover 1 FP every minute. A mage who knows this spell at skill 20 or higher recovers 2 FP every minute. In addition, if you know this skill at 20 or higher, you can use the ley line's energy to power your spells instead of using your own power. You can draw energy from the ley line equal to your margin of success, up to the ley line's maximum energy. Ley lines usually range from 1 to 10 energy per second.

Modifiers: -1 for every 3 energy points per second a ley line can give. Larger ley lines are also harder to tap.

Duration: 10 minutes
Cost: 6 to cast, 3 to maintain. Maintence cost can never come from the ley energy, only a caster's personal FP.
Time to cast: 3 seconds
Prerequisites: Magery 2, Recover Energy, and Seek Magic

The third level:

Tap Node (VH)
Special
By tapping a node, a place where several ley lines come together, you gain access to vast magical power. You must first find a node, using Seek Magic. Once the location of a node is determined, roll on Tap Node, using the long distance modifiers. If successful, you can use the node to restore your fatigue faster than you could normally do. If you know this spell at skill 15 or higher, you recover 2 FP every 3o seconds. If you know this spell at skill 20 or higher, you recover 2 FP every 15 seconds. In addition, if you know this spell at skill 25 or higher, you can choose to be treated as if you were in a very high mana area. Note that this includes the dangers of a very high mana area as well.
If you know this spell at a skill of 20 or higher, you can also use the node's energy to power your spells instead of using your own power. You can draw energy from the node equal to your margin of success, up to the node's maximum energy. Nodes usually range from 11 to 30 energy per second.

Modifiers: -1 per 5 energy per second a node can give.

Duration: 1 minute
Cost: 12 to cast, 6 to maintain. Energy from the node can never be used to maintain this spell.
Time to cast: 6 seconds
Prerequisites: Magery 3 and Tap Ley Line

Getting Back in The Saddle

Addmittedly, this is not exactly a model of "if you fall off the bike, get right back on" mentality. On the other hand, I'm trying. So, new goal: 500 words a day, made up if I miss a day. I think I'll start with something fairly easy: poetry analysis. Getting out that closet English major in me. The poem, of course, doesn't count for the wordcount.


The Ballad of East and West
Rudyard Kipling

OH, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgement Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho' they come from the ends of the earth!

Kamal is out with twenty men to raise the Border side,
And he has lifted the Colonel's mare that is the Colonel's pride:
He has lifted her out of the stable-door between the dawn and the day,
And turned the calkins upon her feet, and ridden her far away.

Then up and spoke the Colonel's son that led a troop of the Guides:
``Is there never a man of all my men can say where Kamal hides?''
Then up and spoke Mahommed Khan, the son of the Ressaldar,
``If ye know the track of the morning-mist, ye know where his pickets are.
At dusk he harries the Abazai---at dawn he is into Borair,
But he must go by Fort Bukloh to his own place to fare,
So if ye gallop to Fort Bukloh as fast as a bird can fly,
By the favour of God ye may cut him off ere he win to the Tonuge of Jagai,
But if he be passed the Tongue of Jagai, right swiftly turn ye then,
For the length and the breadth of that grisly plain is sown with Kamal's men.
There is rock to the left, and rock to the right, and low lean thorn between,
And ye may hear a breech-bolt snick where never a man is seen.''

The Colonel's son has taken a horse, and a raw rough dun was he,
With the mouth of a bell and the heart of Hell, and the head of a gallows-tree.
The Colonel's son to the Fort has won, they bid him stay to eat--
Who rides at the tail of a Border thief, he sits not long at his meat.
He's up and away from Fort Bukloh as fast as he can fly,
Till he was aware of his father's mare in the gut of the Tonue of Jagai,
Till he was aware of his father's mare with Kamal upon her back,
And when he could spy the white of her eye, he made the pistol crack.
He has fired once, he has fired twice, but the whistling ball went wide.
``Ye shoot like a soldier,'' Kamal said. ``Show now if ye can ride.''

It's up and over the Tongue of Jagai, as blown dust-devils go,
The dun he fled like a stag of ten, but the mare like a barren doe.
The dun he leaned against the bit and slugged his head above,
But the red mare played with the snaffle-bars, as a maiden plays with a glove.
There was rock to the left and rock to the right, and low lean thorn between,
And thrice he heard a breech-bolt snick tho' never a man was seen.
They have ridden the low moon out of the sky, their hoofs drum up the dawn,
The dun he went like a wounded bull, but the mare like a new-roused fawn.
The dun he fell at a water-course--in a woeful heap fell he,
And Kamal has turned the red mare back, and pulled the rider free.

He has knocked the pistol out of his hand--small room was there to strive,
``'Twas only by favour of mine,'' quoth he, ``ye rode so long alive:
There was not a rock for twenty mile, there was not a clump of tree,
But covered a man of my own men with his rifle cocked on his knee.
If I had raised my bridle-hand, as I have held it low,
The little jackals that flee so fast were feasting all in a row:
If I had bowed my head on my breast, as I have held it high,
The kite that whistles above us now were gorged till she could not fly.''

Lightly answered the Colonel's son:--``Do good to bird and beast,
But count who come for the broken meats before thou makest a feast.
If there should follow a thousand swords to carry my bones away,
Belike the price of a jackal's meal were more than a thief could pay.
They will feed their horse on the standing crop, their men on the garnered grain,
The thatch of the byres will serve their fires when all the cattle are slain.
But if thou thinkest the price be fair,--thy brethren wait to sup,
The hound is kin to the jackal-spawn,--howl, dog, and call them up!
And if thou thinkest the price be high, in steer and gear and stack,
Give me my father's mare again, and I'll fight my own way back!''

Kamal has gripped him by the hand and set him upon his feet.
``No talk shall be of dogs,'' said he, ``when wolf and grey wolf meet.
May I eat dirt if thou hast hurt of me in deed or breath;
What dam of lances brought thee forth to jest at the dawn with Death?''
Lightly answered the Colonel's son: ``I hold by the blood of my clan:
Take up the mare for my father's gift,--by God, she has carried a man.!''
The red mare ran to the Colonel's son, and nuzzled against his breast,
``We be two strong men,'' said Kamal then, ``but she loveth the younger best.
So she shall go with a lifter's dower, my turquoise-studded rein,
My broidered saddle and saddle-cloth, and silver stirrups twain.''
The Colonel's son a pistol drew and held it muzzle-end,
``Ye have taken the one from a foe,'' said he; ``will ye take the mate from a friend?''
``A gift for a gift,'' said Kamal straight, ``a limb for the risk of limb.
Thy father has sent his son to me, I'll send my son to him!''

With that he whistled his only son, that dropped from a mountain-crest--
He trod the ling like a buck in spring, and he looked like a lance at rest.
``Now here is thy master,'' Kamal said, ``who leads a troop of the Guides,
And thou must ride at his left side as shield on the shoulder rides.
Till Death or I cut loose the tie, at camp and board and bed,
Thy life is his--thy fate it is to guard him with thy head.
So thou must eat the White Queen's meat, and all her foes are thine,
And thou must harry thy father's hold for the peace of the Border-line,
And thou must make a trooper tough and hack thy way to power--
Belike they will raise thee to Ressaldar when I am hanged in Peshawur.''

They have looked each other between the eyes, and there they found not fault,
They have taken the Oath of the Brother-in-Blood on leavened bread and salt:
They have taken the Oath of the Brother-in-Blood on fire and fresh-cut sod,
On the hilt and the haft of the Khyber knife, and the Wondrous Names of God.
The Colonel's son he rides the mare and Kamal's boy the dun,
And two have come back to Fort Bukloh where there went forth but one.
And when they drew to the Quarter-Guard, full twenty swords flew clear--
There was not a man but carried his feud with the blood of the mountaineer.
``Ha' done! ha' done!'' said the Colonel's son. ``Put up the steel at your sides!
Last night ye had struck at a Border thief--to-night 'tis a man of the Guides!''

Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgement Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho' they come from the ends of the earth!


This is probably my favorite Kipling poem, overall. To be honest, Kipling was probably not a person who I would have liked, had I met him in person. He seems to have had a real case of ethnocentrism; "the white man's burden" is actually a coinage of his. He comes off as very patronizing to non-white people. Still, he could definitely show respect for individuals, and this poem really displays it. I'd say it's obvious througout the piece that he thinks both Kamal and the colonel's son are equally strong men, with equivalent senses of courage and honor.

There are basically two main reasons why I like this poem so much. First, I'm a sucker for the basic story. I'll admit, I'm a big fan of the "lone hero" sort of drama. If one person is daring all, risking life and limb, and changing the course of history, with a side of mighty river, I'm pretty much there. Sign me up, and, yes, subscribe me to your newsletter, I'm intrigued by your ideas. The poem, obviously, covers this aspect of my taste nicely: lone soldier, following the thief into territory he knows belongs to the enemy, facing almost certain death. And, then, when he catches up, and is put at an even greater disadvantage, he still has the courage to banter. And I like that Kamal respects that. He's obviously an honorable man himself, and respects the colonel's son's courage, just like we're supposed to. (An aside: the colonel's son is really supposed to be the hero of the story, I think. Still, I suspect a very interesting tale could be told from his perspective. To hear him tell it, he's probably a rebel more than a bandit, fighting against an empire that's subjected a large number of his people to foreign rule). Anyway, lone heroics, yay.

The other part, and, I think, the greater, of why I like this poem is the use of language. Whatever else Kipling had, he had a great command of metaphor and similie. Let's take the poem part by part. The first two or three stanzas don't really stand out, but by the forth, we're really starting to get into the good stuff. Right from the start:

"... a raw rough dun was he,
With the mouth of a bell and the heart of Hell, and the head of a gallows-tree."

Damn. To me, that conjures some pretty damn nasty images. Not a horse I'd like to ride, even if I could.

Skipping down a stanza, we have

"...The dun he fled like a stag of ten, but the mare like a barren doe.
The dun he leaned against the bit and slugged his head above,
But the red mare played with the snaffle-bars, as a maiden plays with a glove."

Obviously, the mare is as good a horse as the dun is bad. And you can feel the grace and ease that she's running with, from the description.

Going down another two stanzas, we get out of metaphor territory. But we're now getting to what I think of as the most quotable part of the poem, the part that practically demands to be read aloud. Particularly after the insulting is done, and Kamal starts showing respect.

"... ``No talk shall be of dogs,'' said he, ``when wolf and grey wolf meet."

Finally, I think my favorite part of the poem is the description of the oath of brotherhood.

"They have taken the Oath of the Brother-in-Blood on leavened bread and salt:
They have taken the Oath of the Brother-in-Blood on fire and fresh-cut sod,
On the hilt and the haft of the Khyber knife, and the Wondrous Names of God."

Simple, something that you can do anywhere, but still powerful.

Anyway, that's really all I have to say about this one. I must admit, though, at some point I'd love to have the chance to memorize this and recite it. If I had know about this back when I was still doing oratory, back in school, I would probably have chosen it.