Earthdawn 4E: Companion Discipline Preview 05 - Wizard

This is the fifth 4E Companion Discipline Preview, an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

Since we've established a pattern (which can only end in disaster, since Disciplines are not perfectly divided), this means a spellcaster is next. The spellcaster in question is Wizard and this is intended to offer some insights into the Discipline design. Obviously the actual progression is missing, which is found at FASA Games.

Something particularly notable about the Wizard progression is how little the Discipline abilities have changed. Just a little tuning, that's it. Both are now Blood Magic Damage, rather than Strain, due to the potentially lengthy duration and associated power. The Casting Triangle is now a little more versatile, affecting talents like Concise Casting. Wizard abilities were top notch and didn't need any help.

Their talents are a completely different story. All the Discipline talents are different and the talent option list is different as well. The following talents have been removed: Astral Web, Detect Falsehood, Detect Influence, Multi-Tongue, Spirit Strike, and Wound Transfer. Some aren't around as talents anymore and the others simply aren't a good fit. Other talents are available at a lower tier (Power Mask and True Sight), while First Ring of Perfection is now Perfect Focus, which is mostly the same.

The three Pattern talents are now talent options rather than Discipline talents to give Wizards more flavor and distinction at higher Circles. It's entirely plausible an adept may not want all of them and while they're good, they're not terribly interesting. Also, having that many Discipline talents the other spellcasters get as talent options hardly feels special.

While "masters of magic" is clearly their primary theme (and how!), it's not their only theme. Wizards also have sub-themes around knowledge and social interaction. The latter is frequently tied to the former, these adepts being somewhat like professors in academia. Which is to say they can be nosy and surprisingly petty. For these two, they have Eidetic Memory as a Discipline talent, and Empathic Sense, First Impression, Memory Probe, Safe Thought, Thought Link, and Undermine as talent options. Graceful Exit and Soul Aegis make appearances to help them either get out of trouble, or survive if the former isn't an option.

Which brings us to their four(!) new and unique talents: Glyphs. All spellcasting Disciplines get access to glyphs for enchanting, though only Wizards currently have a personal glyph. The short story on a glyph is it is the physical shorthand for a pattern, most commonly used in enchanting to include a spell in the process. Laypeople may mistake them for runes and refer to them as such, but anyone with Patterncraft knows better. Wizards can take their personal glyph (which is a shorthand for their pattern) and perform some interesting manipulations of magic.

Ultimately, Wizards are at their finest when they have time to gather information, plan, and prepare, but they manage to bend the rules (never break them, that is for those Illusionists) and have tools to adapt, whether splitting their spell matrices, or swapping out spells as a Simple action with Glyph of Attunement. Truly, no other Discipline has quite the same command of magic as a Wizard. And they are likely to let you know precisely that.

Earthdawn 4E: Companion Discipline Preview 04 - Sky Raider

This is the fourth 4E Companion Discipline Preview, an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

Continuing with the Discipline previews from the Earthdawn Companion, we have the Sky Raider. Obviously the actual progression is missing, which is found at FASA Games.

Diving right into the Discipline abilities, the Warden ability is pretty much the same from the previous edition. There's an associated cost and additional flavor, but it was fitting and good. No reason to really change that. The Master ability, Stormcall, is new, though inspired by the previous Lightning Song. While flavorful, Lightning Song was far too specific in application to be useful. Even when in an airship, it still may never come up. It has a lot of limitations and isn't very good.

It's worth noting Stormcall began it's life as "Big Ass Lightning Attack", which Josh likes to joke about. To be fair, there are a lot of design names never intended for the wild. This one just made it a lot further into the process than most before Josh came up with the pretty awesome current name.

The place-holder name pretty much describes what it does. If you have to cripple everyone in the room, accept no substitute. It does a huge amount of damage to a large area with the ability to remove your allies. Damage which cannot be reduced by armor. This eliminates a press of less powerful opponents, or can put the hurt on a single, heavily protected opponent. Granted, there are some costs, but it's just some damage and a Wound. Nothing a Master Sky Raider doesn't laugh at. What we have is an impressive and powerful attack useful in a variety of situations, but particularly against many weaker foes, with inherent danger and harm to the Sky Raider. Perfect.

Moving to their talent lists, there are a lot of changes to be found here. Gone are Defense, Endure Cold, Ethereal Weapon, Frenzy, Howl, Mind Armor, Missile Twister, Rally, Shield Beater, Swing Attack, and Thunder Axe. Some of these aren't available as talents any more, others didn't fit the tighter direction for the high Circle Sky Raider. Which is to be utterly ferocious in combat, able to take freakish amounts of punishment, and terrifying.

Towards this end, there are a number of new Discipline talents for Sky Raiders (some of these are just older talents with a new name and coat of paint): Blood of Death's Sea, Burning Vigor, Unflinching Fortitude, Thunderstruck, Vicious Wound, and Vital Strike. This is six of the seven Discipline talents, the seventh being Second Attack (essentially a replacement for Frenzy).

Their primary sub-theme is being a leader/center of attention. Taking something of a social role. Here they see support as well with Champion Challenge, Impressive Display, Lasting Impression, Resist Taunt, and Undermine. Of these, only Champion Challenge isn't new to this list. It's worth noting that while Undermine may be listed here, it's an incredible boon to any Sky Raider, making their Battle Bellow and Battle Shout much more effective.

The other talent options primarily reinforce Sky Raiders as tough as nails shock troopers, though also provide more tactical options: Air Dance, Aura Armor, Critical Hit, Life Check, Lion Spirit, Relentless Recovery, Resist Pain, Storm Shield, Temper Flesh, Vital Ward, and Weapon Breaker. Not everything here is new, but it does give these adepts a new level for bringing the pain.

There are some key interactions found here, for example Blood of Death's Sea and Burning Vigor. The former allows Fireblood tests as a Simple action at the cost of a Wound (no damage), while the latter provides additional Recovery tests for use with talents. It also provides a bonus for raw applications of strength. While it may be obvious, Sky Raiders will probably want to invest in Resist Pain. Though it wasn't a Discipline talent because not everyone may want all 15 ranks.

In all, Sky Raiders become even more aggressive and dangerous as they advance in Circle, constantly wreathed in fire and blood. Some their own, mostly their opponents'. Utterly, completely terrifying. Just right.

Earthdawn 4E: Companion Discipline Preview 03 - Troubadour

This is the third 4E Companion Discipline Preview, an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

Troubadour is the next Companion preview, and this is intended to offer some insights into the discipline design. Obviously the actual progression is missing, which is found at FASA Games.

The changes to Troubadour are probably the most significant of the three Disciplines previewed thus far. In the seven Discipline talents, only two are shared (Bardic Voice and Song of Deflection), while four are entirely new. The reason is to continue to push the social mastery of the Discipline. Along with this comes their support role, which gets expanded as well. Expanded may be a little weak. Troubadours gain some incredibly powerful new abilities for that role.

Their talent options have a variety of different directions. Significantly more direct combat talents can be found at these higher Circles, such as Acrobatic Defense, Anticipate Blow, Critical Hit, Second Weapon, and Soul Aegis. A couple of these are rather late (Acrobatic Defense and Anticipate Blow), but this may be a case of better late than never and there are knacks that may make them attractive even this late in the game.

Knowledge driven Troubadours also have directly and tangentially applicable talent options in the form of Book Memory, Eidetic Memory, Memory Probe, and True Sight. As well, their social and support themes get options in the form of Cold Purify, Disarming Smile, Perfect Focus, Safe Thought, and Thought Link.

A new direction also starts to form at these tiers. This is true of a few other Disciplines as well. It typically begins as just an inkling initially, but begins to blossom at Warden. Here it is the Troubadour turning into the the heart, soul, and inspiration of their group. Not only do they support their allies, but the adept can face down any challenge with their allies at their side. This can be developed through Confront Horror, Lion Spirit, Soul Aegis (mentioned previously), and Steel Thought.

Moving to their abilities, Unnatural Charm is a natural fit and they get a lot of mileage from it. Encore isn't new, but it used to be the Warden tier ability. There's a couple good reasons it got pushed back. First, to make room for Unnatural Charm. Second, it was far too powerful as a Warden ability with many of the Charisma-based abilities at their disposal.

Which brings us to their new Discipline talents: Cutting Words, Song of Battle, Undermine, and Witty Repartee. Of these, Cutting Words is probably the most fun, as the adept now knows killing words. However, Undermine has the most subtle power. It's effect to reduce a target's Social Defense reinforces both the social dominance of the Troubadour, while also supporting the rest of their group. Any arena where Social Defense is relevant, from negotiations, court audiences, to combat.

In all, the Troubadour continues to build on what makes them great (social and support), while expanding their options into potentially some other areas as well. Their biggest weakness is still direct conflict, despite having some new talents, but that is why you always bring your friends. You're stronger with them, and they're a lot stronger with you.

Earthdawn 4E: Companion Discipline Preview 02 - Nethermancer

This is the second 4E Companion Discipline Preview, an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

Nethermancer is the next Companion preview, and this is intended to offer some insights into the discipline design. Obviously the actual progression is missing, which is found at FASA Games.

As indicated previously, there were a lot of changes made at the Warden and Master tiers as compared to previous editions. This is true for Nethermancer as well, and the same host of reasons apply. Reinforcing and building on the elements from the Player's Guide, identifying talents that don't work in their current form, and introducing new material. There's a fair amount of new material to be found here.

Starting with the discipline abilities, both have the same/similar names as previously. Despite how simple it is and the pattern it follows with other disciplines, there was a lot of design that went into this ability. The previous incarnation, Otherworldly Control, was interesting and thematic, but not terribly useful. It's important for these abilities to have an impact on the game. Ultimately, this was pretty much the perfect solution, addressing a number of different minor things for Nethermancer that never quite fit.

Astral Face has always been thematically awesome and provides effectively the same benefits, though it also applies to "upgraded" versions of talents, with more restrictions. Why is easy: it was way too powerful. The new limitations make it's usage a tactical decision and not appropriate at all times. The ability to improve Effect tests, along with their Otherworldly Willpower, make them powerhouses at these tiers. Befitting for this Discipline.

Their talent progression continues with their mastery of all things astral, and builds on their desire for control and connection to blood. Along with this the minor focus on information.

These course corrections see some talents leaving their list: Animate Object, Bargain with Summoned Creature, Bone Compass, Cold Purify, Ethereal Weapon, Life Check, Soul Shatter, Spell Crystal Lock, Steely Stare (found in Journeyman), and Wound Transfer. This is a pretty long list. Some simply aren't good fits for Nethermancer (Cold Purify, Ethereal Weapon, and Life Check), while others are no longer talents.

The reasons for removing a talent can be various. It may no longer fit due to broader changes (e.g. Bargain with Summoned Creature), not make sense as a talent versus a potential spell (e.g. Animate Object or Soul Shatter), or have a new home elsewhere in the mechanics.

Some talents on this list are functionally renamed versions of old talents, though their systems are a little different. Concise Casting acts as a Spellcasting test as a Simple action after a Spellcasting test, while Spliced Weave lets the adept make multiple Thread Weaving tests.

Others are thoroughly new, such as Astral Domain, Blood Insight, and Nethersoul. The latter two are exclusive to the Nethermancer. Astral Domain and Blood Insight are talents that fall into an unofficial category of talents designed to interact heavily with the knack system. Due to space constraints, this may have to evolve over time, but they should offer interesting ways to flavor how powerful Nethermancers go about their business.

A more in-depth look at these talents can be found here at FASA Games.

It is also worth noting a prepared Master Nethermancer can significantly mitigate the dangers of casting raw magic. Which can be a tremendously powerful thing, but also full of terrible hubris. About perfect for a Nethermancer.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 46 - Horror at the Gates

This is the forty-sixth Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Adventure Log – 046 Horror at the Gates

Written By: Bongani Kreskas

Date:  06 Strassa - 08 Strassa, 1509 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Bongani the Scout
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Warrior
Ting the Swordmaster
Uriel the Illusionist

We are ready. Meta-Poobah Ein tells us to go to the Kara Cafe to meet with Poobah Best, a member of military requisitions, who might be able to get us some healing supplies. He directs us to a military outpost where we "requisition"(1) some healing potions. Then we go out to attack!

We travel to the crystal. We are met by a horrifying grinding noise, but we are used to such things. A high-pitched voice asks us, "Did she(2) send you? Have you come to free her poor, poor people?" We try to keep him talking, but he instead commands us to die, and then he bursts into thousands of shards(3), and a floating mass of maggots(4). In the center of the mass is a dwarf skull. How interesting!

Ting is quite effective at smashing the skull, make it writhe and scream and spew filth. The flying shards chase us, shredding our clothes and flesh. They move like schools of fish, in four large groups(5).

Maggot-Face (as we call him(6)) touched my body, and my skin tore from my frame, writhing all over me like a living wave. But death awaits at our backs - there is not retreat, so we fight on, relentlessly, desperately. Ting overcomes, smashing Maggot-Face upon the cold stone ground, but the shards continue to come after us.

Ting shattered shattered the first swarm, causing it to explode gloriously. Then she stomps another. Truly she is a living crucible of violence. Honeysuckle dove through the sky, fighting in a swirling mass of glittering dross. Uriel fought like an enraged beast, striking out in all directions. But I, spent and exhausted, collapsed to my knees, fumbling and weak.

Honeysuckle destroyed the last swarm, and we returned to the kaer, victorious but diminished.

A few days later we helped the army clear out the remaining tentacle beasts(7).(8)

*     *     *

(1) Did they steal them? Murder a bunch of people? I really just don't know with this group anymore. It could be a bribe as well. 
(2) Who is "she" in this context? That seems important. It could refer to either of the women in charge, but that seems unlikely. There is something else going on behind this and that makes it far more dangerous.
(3) Wingflayer. Bad news. I'm a little surprised to be reading this at all.
(4) Wormskull. Worse news.
(5) Is this indicating there were four wingflayers hiding under the cloak with a wormskull forming the head? What is going on here? This is more than just unusual. Zamrica needs to see this. In part so he will never sleep again. That explains the awful sound - so many metal shards just grinding against each other in a small space.
(6) The Named it. I know it. They Named the wormskull Maggot-Face. Of course they did. Why would anyone expect anything else?
(7) That sounds about right, but there are so many important an unanswered questions here. I cannot believe I am writing this: Why couldn't they just talk to the Horror more? It seemed pretty chatty...
(8) Received and edited by Ela Pono

Not a lot happened in this session, but it did mark a fairly major accomplishment - dealing with the Horrors at the gates of the kaer. I was pleased with how the conflict played out, in all. To balance things a bit, I removed the karma from the wingflayers. Turns out, this was a good decision on my part. The players would not have survived with that in play. As it was, the fight was challenging and forced tactics to evolve, with more tricks coming out to play. To be fair, they knew it was going to be rough, just not how rough. It probably helped a lot Maggot-Face got exactly one turn. Still, it was an ugly turn. What is really important here, and everyone needs to know, is they were deceived by Muppet Man. Also, the full name of the cafe they went to is Kara Lotte. I'm just going to leave that there.

There were more hints dropped regarding larger events and even things going on in the kaer. Real world time constraints kept this session with a laser-like focus for the most part. Which worked overall and provided nice bookends to the events. I'm not entirely certain what they're going to do next session - just leave this place, or explore the things they aren't yet seeing? I know the former has some support; they've been in the Badlands for a very long time. However, it also ignores why they came to the kaer in the first place. Looking for a key.