Earthdawn 4E: Anatomy of a Thread Item 01 - Es'caliban

This is the first 4E Anatomy of a Thread Item, 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.

Part One and Part Two (3E) of this series.

The numbering for the series has restarted as this is the first entry in the series for the new edition, Earthdawn Fourth Edition. The design parameters have changed and this item will be updated to go along with them. This also represents a good opportunity to bring development of the item to a close.

Maximum Threads: 3
Mystic Defense: 16
Legend Point Cost: Warden

Thread Rank One

Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn the sword’s Name.
Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 6.

There is no longer a standard effect of applying the maximum Forge Weapon bonus to thread items. This is being changed to a simple damage bonus.

Thread Rank Two

Effect: The wielder gains +1 rank in Inspire Others. This talent may be used simply by brandishing the weapon.

This is getting moved up a Rank to go with the trend in 4E which encourages weapons to have more than just damage bonuses.

Thread Rank Three

Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn the Name of who created the sword.
Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 7.

I was going between a damage bonus and a rank to Tactics for this rank. Ultimately the damage bonus won out because I didn't want to stack too many different effects on the same item. There is a place for items with a number of different bonuses to talents, but the place is when this is the theme for the item in question.

Thread Rank Four

Effect: The wielder now gains +2 ranks in Inspire Others.

Increasing the bonus to make it more usable and builds on the theme for future use.

Thread Rank Five

Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn the Name of whom commissioned the sword.
Deed: The wielder must earn the approval of a member of the Landis royal family in good standing.
Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 8.

It is still a weapon and should be good at the whole being a weapon thing. The previous version had an additional bonus here, but this has been cut to be in line with the current thread item standards.

Thread Rank Six

Effect: Brilliant Edge: For 2 Strain, Inspire Others may be used as a Simple Action instead of a Standard Action.

An interesting ability which I like to play with uses this general template. It takes a talent, then improves it with an additional cost. The warning to go along with this is it can unintentionally break the game. Talents which encourage teamwork are more likely to get the pass from me if they may be too powerful since I am all for anything which encourages a player to take actions which benefit their group more than them. The other bonuses here were cut to keep this in line with the current guidelines. Also, Lion Heart is no longer just a fun talent - it is a very good talent.

Thread Rank Seven

Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn Name of the last keeper of the sword.
Deed: The wielder must perform a significant service for the Kingdom of Landis.
Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 9 and the wielder now gains +3 ranks in Inspire Others.

A little more of everything. Bonuses and abilities are getting switched around to create a capstone ability, rather than just ending with bonuses. 

Thread Rank Eight

Effect: Brilliant Edge may also cause fear in the wielder's enemies. This is resolved using the same Inspire Others test result and functions as the Battle Bellow talent (causing only penalties). The wielder may spend an additional Karma point on Inspire Others tests.

This is a very nice capstone ability. It improves a previous ability, which I like to do for Warden and higher thread items. The ability is good, since all of the costs are already being paid, but isn't terribly powerful since the wielder is only gaining half of the benefits from the talent. Allowing another Karma point on the test is a nice boost and something a bit different than just a rank bonus. For a talent like Inspire Others, it probably comes in just below an additional rank, even though it is +4 when used, since most players will save Karma for other tests and it is a finite resource.

Earthdawn: Anatomy of a Thread Item 07 - Es'Caliban Part 2

This is the seventh Anatomy of a Thread Item in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Part One of this series.

Previously the skeleton of a Thread Item along with some vague ideas was written. This is going to expand significantly only those ideas and put down some mechanics to go with them. Nothing yet is written in stone and there is always tweaks to balance the Thread Item when all of the major Effects have been developed.

There is a back story which will require elaboration along with the Key Knowledge and Deeds, but that will mostly be saved until the mechanics are complete. In the interest of disclosing all elements of this process, I'm keeping that until the end because I already have a foundation for the back story. That basis will serve to guide the mechanics, but unnecessary detail at this stage may simply distract me and the mechanics may very well end up informing some of that story. Also, I tend to re-write it a lot and no one needs to see every single change I make there.

Below are the current Effects that have been developed along with commentary specifically for Ranks that have changed in some way. Again, italics note Effects that are still being considered (which is nearly everything).

Maximum Threads: 3
Spell Defense: 19
Legend Point Cost: Warden

Thread Rank One

Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn the sword’s Name.
Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 8.

Thread Rank Two

Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 9.

Thread Rank Three

Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn the Name of who created the sword.
Effect: The wielder gains a +1 Rank bonus to Inspire Others.This Talent may be used simply by brandishing the weapon.

Inspire Others is going to be the linchpin of this Thread Item. It is going to provide the Talent and expand on it quite a bit. Since not all characters will have this Talent, bonuses need to be provided to it early on to make it possible to use. The damage bonus here was eliminated because Inspire Others is a fairly powerful Talent and this Thread Item will build on it.

Thread Rank Four

Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 10? Additionally, the wielder gains a +2 Rank bonus to Inspire Others.

This Rank maintains the Damage bonus and includes another Inspire Others bonus to keep the fact this is also a weapon front and center. Bonuses to miscellaneous Talents like Inspire Others are fun, but aren't terribly sexy in the same way that damage is. This is a balancing act to keep it interesting, but not overpowered.

Thread Rank Five

Key Knowledge: ???
Deed: ???
Effect: Brilliant Edge: For 2 Strain, Inspire Others may be used as a Simple Action instead of a Standard Action. Additionally, the wielder gains a +3 Rank bonus to Inspire Others.

Rank Five is powerful, there is no doubt about that. There are some other considerations going into this. Specifically, the economy of actions. If a dedicated fighter (e.g. Cavalryman, Swordmaster, Warrior, etc.) has this weapon, their action is likely better spent on actually attacking. The significant Strain should make it somewhat of a decision (though it may need to be increased). Also, I like to give my Effects like this names so that it's easier to call them out at the table and fun.

Thread Rank Six

Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 11. Additionally, the wielder gains a +4 Rank bonus to Inspire Others.

Some useful bonuses after a big Effect. Nothing special, though I will be keeping an eye on this Rank for replacement if something neat occurs to me (or opening up some Legendary Ranks).

Thread Rank Seven

Key Knowledge: ???
Deed: ???
Effect: For 2 Strain, Brilliant Edge may also cause fear in the wielder's enemies. This is resolved using the same Inspire Others Test Result and functions as Battle Bellow. Additionally, the wielder gains a +1 Rank bonus to Lion Heart.

Another big Effect that builds on Inspire Others. The Strain cost to pull this off is considerable (4), but it can be a devastating buff/debuff combo - or fail horrifically with a bad roll. Using a single roll encourages loading up modifiers on that one roll, but will also save table time and maintain a more consistent narrative: if it is great, it's great all around, if it's unimpressive, then no one is impressed.

The bonus to Lion Heart is simply because I wanted to include it in this Thread Item and this was the perfect place. It's a fun, but not terribly powerful Talent.

Thread Rank Eight

Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 12. Additionally, the wielder gains a +5 Rank bonus to Inspire Others.

Nothing special to note here, just incremental improvements. It is a little drab for the final Rank before Legendary Ranks. Some sprucing could be useful around here, though I am reluctant to make the Thread Item too powerful.


Thread Rank Nine

Key Knowledge: ???
Deed: ???
Effect: When using Brilliant Edge, Difficulty Number increases by +1 for every two additional targets (round up) and the range extends to Rank x 6 yards. Additionally, the wielder gains a +2 Rank bonus to Lion Heart

I decided to start in on the Legendary Ranks; these are from Deeds performed after the creation of the Thread Item. The details of what that is are gestating still, but it is likely going to be a battle against overwhelming odds in some way.

The Effect at this Rank makes it much more effective against larger crowds. The average Group isn't likely to get much mileage from the additional range (which is only relevant for the fear Effect), but reduced difficulty is always good, even if only a little.

Thread Rank Ten

Effect: The wielder gains +1 to Physical Defense and Social Defense. Additionally, the wielder gains a +3 Rank bonus to Lion Heart.

Going along with the Legendary Rank, I thought that some defensive bonuses would be good and show that it has grown in new ways.

Earthdawn: Anatomy of a Thread Item 07 - Es'Caliban Part 1

This is the seventh Anatomy of a Thread Item in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Part 2 of this series

This marks the beginning of an experiment of sorts. I've shown some Thread Items that I have created for my home game in varying degrees of detail. Often going into detail about the choices that I made to get to the finished product. What I haven't done is actually show that process as it occurs.

A significant reason for all of these articles on Earthdawn is to give others some tools to make getting into the game easier. Given that, the goal of this article (and the subsequent parts) is to make the process of creating a Thread Item more transparent and approachable. To help this process, I would like it to be more interactive and I will be paying particular attention to the comments for suggestions and questions.

For the final entry, I will go into the mechanics of how the Thread Item could actually be created with the system. This will just be an extended example of someone starting from scratch and actually creating the Thread Item with a particular technique. Hopefully all of the different options will be explored at some point.

The first Thread Item that is going to be created will be one from my game that I never particularly intended for a PC to get (or be used against them, for that matter). Which means I have done virtually no development on it, thus making it perfect. Later entries into this particular series will (hopefully) include requests from readers. Do you have a Thread Item you would like to see developed?

Es'Caliban

A brief trip into the back story of this Thread Item as it currently exists in my game. It is worth mentioning that this is not canon. If you like it, feel free to use whatever suits you.

Es'Caliban is the ancestral weapon of lost human kingdom of Landis. The heartblade was crafted by an obsidiman Named Uthar the Dragon long before the Scourge. It is the symbol of leadership, of the true ruler of Landis more than any crown could ever be.

Prior to the Scourge as twilight set on Landis, the last king in a fit of madness or tragic wisdom sent Es'Caliban back to Ayodhya. His fear was that it would not survive the coming of the Horrors in Landis and would be lost forever, but if it remained safe, Landis would return. Some say that this act doomed Landis.

Nonetheless, it has remained within Ayodhya waiting for the true heir to return and claim their birthright. They must prove they are worthy of the legacy to the Shivalahala V'strimon at Lake Ban.

That background can be expanded on, but that much cannot be changed because it has been introduced already.

Es'Caliban is a broad sword. Since it was crafted by an obsidiman, it should be elegant, but simple and functional. Not overly ornate. It should also look particularly bright and shining. Not only is that appropriate for what it represents, but there will be at least one Effect around that.

Using the guidelines from the Third Edition Gamemaster's Companion, since this Thread Item was crafted it tops out as Rare General Treasure. I'm going to be honest, I don't necessarily understand why the particular terms were selected, nor why Rare Thread Items and Typical General Treasure are their own categories. Regardless, we forge ahead.

Rare General Treasure has a limit of 8 Thread Ranks, a Spell Defense of 16-20 and a Legend Point Cost of Warden. The biggest influence Spell Defense has is how difficult you want Item History to be. Weaving the Thread is done in downtime generally, so given enough of it hitting ridiculous numbers isn't that much of a problem (if time isn't of the essence, I don't make players roll to Weave a Thread).

For somewhat arbitrary reasons having to due to prime numbers, I choose 19 as the Spell Defense. The other piece is the Maximum Threads. 2 is the standard number, but since this Thread Item is more than just a weapon, it's a symbol of legitimacy and heredity, there may be a need for multiple generations to have Threads attached at the same time. So I set it at 3. Here is the current stat block:

Maximum Threads: 3
Spell Defense: 19
Legend Point Cost: Warden

Now comes the difficult part: Thread Rank Effects. There will be at least eight Thread Ranks, with a Key Knowledge and/or Deed at each odd Thread Rank. I'm just going to start listing places to start at each Rank as place holders for the most part. Have to begin somewhere.

Thread Rank One

Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn the sword’s Name.
Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 8.

This Rank is very standard - learn the Name, damage is as though it is fully Forged.

Thread Rank Two

Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 9?

I'm using italic text for things that are currently under consideration. This is a standard and useful, if boring, bonus. Probably appropriate here. I generally like to bring out the interesting Effects at Rank Five (but not always).

This through Rank Four could easily have some other kind of bonus if the prevailing opinion is that it is more interesting and/or appropriate. The best options would likely be a Defense (Physical or Social, most likely) or Talent (Inspire Others, Leadership, Tactics, something social, maybe Lion Heart?).

Thread Rank Three

Key Knowledge: The wielder must learn the Name of who created the sword.
Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 10?

Thread Rank Four

Effect: The sword is now Damage Step 11?

Thread Rank Five

Key Knowledge: ???
Deed: ???
Effect: ???

Yeah, not helpful. What I want here is an Effect that works off of the sword being drawn and emitting a bright light. This can be expanded on at the later Ranks. This effect should inspire comrades (buff) and/or blind, cause fear, or something bad to enemies (debuff).

If this interacts with a particular Talent, one of the earlier Ranks (2 - 4) needs to provide that Talent.

Thread Rank Six

Effect: ???

This Effect should to build on Rank Five somehow. Obviously Rank Five needs to be written first, this just means that it should be developed with the idea it can do more things, or be improved in some way. These kind of things will often undergo significant tweaking as the whole Thread Item comes together.

It also may not be a bad idea to give a minor (+1) bonus to something here, depending on how powerful the Effect is. Since Warden is fairly pricey, I tend to start giving some extra bonuses a little earlier than is suggested. As a curious aside, the only Thread Items I have introduced that have adversely affected game balance are ones largely unchanged from how they were originally presented. Go figure.

Thread Rank Seven

Key Knowledge: ???
Deed: ???
Effect: ??? + Damage +1

It is always my preference to have cool Effects that get cooler as you increase the Thread Ranks. That being said, the basic functionality of the Thread Item shouldn't entirely suffer because of that. This means the damage should probably increase. If not the damage, then likely something related to the options introduced in Rank 2.

Thread Rank Eight

Effect: ??? + Damage +1

This is more of the same from Rank Seven. The earlier Thread Ranks will shape the later ones considerably, so I'm not terribly concerned about this right now. Since this Thread Item has considerable history and has done some stuff, it isn't out of the question for it to have additional Thread Ranks that grew from those legendary deeds.

If those are added, their Effects should build on the general themes of the Thread Item, but have more latitude in what they can be. They were generated from a specific event, which should be indicated from the Key Knowledge and/or Deed associated with the Thread Rank. That legendary event will also shape the Effect to a significant degree.