Earthdawn 4E: Companion Discipline Preview 09 - Weaponsmith

This is the ninth 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.

The specialist Discipline rounding out this triad is Weaponsmith. This is intended to offer some insights into the Discipline design. Obviously the actual progression is missing, which is found at FASA Games.

Considered by many to be the ultimate support Discipline, the high Circles of Weaponsmith continue this trend. Their ability to be a force multiplier for their allies continues to improve, but they also gain the ability to leverage their natural mystic resistance to protect their allies. This allows Weaponsmiths who are more likely to shrug off or have tools to deal with Horror powers to bear the brunt of such attacks, while keeping their more combat capable allies in the fight. For these adepts, it's not about the glory, but the win.

The Warden ability, Blood Bound Forge, is similar to the previous Master ability, Craft Mastery. The concept behind the former was good, but it was expensive and had enough limitations to make it underpowered for the tier. The cost and damage bonus have been reduced to be in line with other Warden tier abilities (1 Blood Magic Damage and +3 Damage Steps). However, the armor bonus remains the same, making it a slightly better deal, which serves to reinforce the overall defensive nature of the Discipline. The high number of items that can be improved (Thread Smithing Rank) is limited by the restriction: all must be crafted by the Weaponsmith. There is a definite benefit to having gear made by your ally.

This left an opening at Master that was filled by Mystic Grounding. It's not a big, flashy ability, but it definitely improves the defensive abilities of a group. The ability to funnel all nasty abilities to one character, who can then in turn be supported by everyone else, gives a great deal more confidence. It also makes any Horror using the perennial favorite, Cursed Luck, just sad. Strategic use of this ability can definitely turn the tide of a conflict.

The previous Warden ability, Elementalism, deserves a bit of discussion. At first blush, it appeared like the perfect compliment to Weaponsmiths. However, it carried a lot of baggage. To get the most out of it, the Weaponsmith needed to devote a lot of high Circle talent options to basic spellcasting (Read and Write Magic at Journeyman, Spell Matrix and Spellcasting at Warden, and Armored, Shared Matrix, and Willforce at Master). That still leaves you with a total of three spell matrices for half your Warden picks and all your Master talent options. If you didn't care, then the Warden ability was pretty useless and the number of relevant talent options was unimpressive. Coupled with this, Elementalist and Weaponsmith is such a natural fit, there's more than a few characters who learned both Disciplines, which means it actually does nothing. It was a neat idea in principle, but turned out to not be a very good one in practice.

Looking at their Discipline talents, there are a lot of differences to be found. To start, Mind Blade, Weapon Ward, and Reshape Object are gone. Perfect Focus is quite similar to First Ring of Perfection, but got upgraded to a Discipline talent and moved to Warden - it may as well been created specifically for Weaponsmiths and then worked out for other Disciplines as well - and Ethereal Weapon was bumped to talent options. It fits Weaponsmith with their connection to weapons and armor, in addition to their growing mysticism, but it's directly offensive nature is just enough out of sync to not be appropriate as a Discipline talent.

Infuse Armor and Infuse Weapon have been reborn as Living Weapon and Forge Flesh respectively. The mechanics on these two are similar, but a little different than their predecessors. An important part is they don't require a medium, such as armor or weapons, but work directly on the target, showing how the adept has moved to directly forging living patterns and their vessels.

This gives some space to bring in new talent. In this case, Confront Horror, Dispel Magic, and Soul Aegis. All of which push their theme of confronting and defending against hostile magic and Horrors. It is pretty late in the game to see Dispel Magic, which is available to some Disciplines at Novice, but it isn't a talent that really gets seen outside of spellcasters. Which makes it an interesting and fitting trick to have for a Discipline dedicated to how things are made, which includes disassembling them.

There are some talent options that also departed: Armored Matrix, Critical Hit, Disarm, Sense Magic Item, Shared Matrix, Show Armor Flaw, Soften Blade, Spell Matrix, Spellcasting, Temperature, and Willforce. Okay, that may be a little more than "some". Particularly since Disarm Trap was moved to Novice talent options and Spot Armor Flaw is a Journeyman talent option (yes, they get Show Armor Flaw, but that's a knack for Spot Armor Flaw now). Except for Ethereal Weapon and Resist Pain, that's everything. The reasons for many of these should be obvious with the removal of Elementalism. From there, some aren't talents anymore, while others just aren't a good fit - such as Critical Hit and Disarm.

The good news is that's a lot of room to provide new options and directions to build. Weaponsmiths aren't combat specialists, but they get a fair number of options that reflect their unique style. Burning Vigor, Relentless Recovery, Unflinching Fortitude, Vital Ward, and Weapon Breaker are all defensive talents for a tough Weaponsmith, while Crushing Blow, Momentum Attack, Spirit Strike, and Vital Strike all support a more aggressive Weaponsmith. Those interested in exploring their growing mystic connection have Astral Sight, Evidence Analysis, Matrix Sight, and True Sight, with Lion Spirit offering additional protection.

In all, any group with a dedicated Weaponsmith is lucky to have their services. These stalwart companions support their through their services initially, then their very presence as they adapt to changes in the battlefield as they advance. These heroes get work done. They know it's about the team and sacrifice. They ensure the whole is stronger than the sum of the parts and that every part must be strong enough to persevere. It's their job to see to that, it's their burden to bear.

Earthdawn 4E: Anatomy of a Discipline 16 - Weaponsmith

This is the sixteenth 4E Anatomy of a Discipline, 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.

Development for Earthdawn Fourth Edition (ED4) brought a lot of changes to the Weaponsmith in different ways. From thematic changes to underlying functions of their key talents, this particular discipline got a great deal of attention.

The thematic changes this discipline have undergone include focusing more on their role as craftsman. Their bonus talent allows them to build pretty much anything and their karma ability means they are going to be very good at it. The Journeyman ability has remained spiritually the same, but instead of taking twice as long, it simply imposes a penalty to the test. This encourages the usage of a proper forge, but doesn't make using it agonizingly slow.

There is also an increased focus on their role as the center of a community, and access to combat abilities to help support their association with weapons. Additionally, their "anti-magic" theme has been expanded on slightly and will continue to grow.

To make room for these changes, there were some themes shuffled and removed. Talent consolidation also helped and haggle was simple enough to make a talent option - for some being a Weaponsmith is a trade, while for others it is a passion. Conceal Object was a strange fit for a discipline which is values honesty and being forthright above all else - and thus was cut. 

The expansion of the discipline into Elementalism was interesting and seemed like a great marriage in concept, but in play it never went well. Many adepts who wanted Elementalism wanted it earlier than Warden and the number of basic talents to make it function meant they were locked into purchasing them at a premium while eschewing their other high circle talent options. If a character didn't want Elementalism, then they were stuck with a virtually useless Warden ability. It should come as no surprise at this point all of these talents were removed to make room for some truly Weaponsmith talents.

As has been discussed elsewhere, Forge Armor and Forge Weapon have been expanded considerably. The bonuses they provide are now related to the talent rank, not the base item. Critically, these talents would become forgotten by Journeyman with Forge Armor virtually obsolete before it was received. Their value was only maintained for crafting your own thread items and waiting until thread equipment could be obtained. The changes, including bringing Forge Armor to the beginning of Journeyman, emphasize these talents and what they bring to the group. An essential goal here was to make the forging theme a key part of the discipline throughout their career.

The end result is a versatile discipline which can go in numerous directions depending on what the player wants and what the group needs. One of their biggest strengths is as a support character for their group and consequently often find themselves in positions of leadership and influence. If you are more interested in your group as a whole than your character in particular, this may be a good discipline for you.

Novice

First Circle

• Forge Weapon
• Item History
• Melee Weapons
• Steel Thought
• Thread Smithing

Abilities

• Durability 5
• Craftsman
• Karma: Any test to craft, repair, or improve an item.

Second Circle

• Conversation

Third Circle

• Suppress Curse

Abilities

• Karma: Recovery Test.

Fourth Circle

• Wound Balance

Journeyman

Fifth Circle

• Forge Armor

Abilities

• Traveling Smithy: 2 Strain, create an improvised forge; -3 to tests using the forge.
• Karma: Damage tests with weapons you have made.

Sixth Circle

• Temper Flesh

Seventh Circle

• Spot Armor Flaw

Eighth Circle

• Lion Heart

There are a number of different things which this discipline can do just from their discipline talents. Items is clearly a focus between their Forge talents, karma ability, Craftsman, and Item History. They also gain a considerable number of combat talents, magic resistance, and a social talent. Which means they have a lot of different ways to contribute and talent options give the ability to further expand in all of these areas, depending on the needs of the group and your desired direction.

In combat, their discipline talents are mostly defensive, though they can do respectable damage through their karma ability and Spot Armor Flaw. This puts them in a similar category to a Warrior, particularly with their mobility (or lack-thereof). It may be tempting to have them hold the line, and perhaps they are best suited for it in some groups, but they simply do not have the staying power nor many of the tools to which combat disciplines have access. Specializing in combat allows them even more defensive abilities in addition to some offensive and control abilities. This makes them more capable of holding the line with another character. What does set them apart is their ability to handle spellcasters and other mystic attacks. With a naturally high Mystic Defense, Lion Heart, Steel Thought, and Suppress Curse they can wreck most spellcasters foolish enough to get near them. Throw Earth Skin in as a talent option and it gets ugly.

• Avoid Blow - If you want to pick up more combat talents, this should probably be where you start. Weaponsmiths' do not have a naturally impressive Physical Defense and this can be supplemented with an active defense.
• Awareness - This is simply a good selection in general. Everyone likes to notice things.
• Danger Sense - Probably not the first choice for anyone, though if no one else in your group has this, it is worth considering to stave off ambushes. If you are handling traps, this is going to be more valuable.
• Disarm Trap - Consider taking this if your group does not have someone with Disarm Trap. If you do take this talent, you will absolutely want Awareness to go along with it.
• Fireblood - Adepts who want to specialize in combat are going to want this talent. It gives Weaponsmiths a lot more staying power, particularly if they are tanking for their group.
• First Impression - Characters who want to engage more in communities and the social parts of the game in general will definitely want this talent.
• Haggle - If you find yourself as your group's quartermaster or leader, then this will likely appeal to you from a pragmatic perspective.
• Shield Bash - Combat specialists who use a shield should take this talent - it provides battlefield control and can limit your opponents' mobility. Particularly useful against spellcasters who have low strength and no Wound Balance.
• Speak Language - This is of primary use for characters who want to be more involved in the communities they visit.
• Read and Write Language - Similar to Speak Language, though probably a second choice. It does have additional use in reading texts for adepts who want to focus more on ancient items.

Outside of actually playing and figuring out which talents will best fit your character, play style, and the campaign you are a part, there are a few different generic "builds" which can help show off themes and different decisions.

These builds are the protector, quartermaster, tinker, and jack-of-all-trades. The protector is a combat specialized Weaponsmith who is naturally focused on defense, particularly against magic. The are going to want Avoid Blow, Fireblood, Shield Bash, and either Awareness or Danger Sense. This does lock them into using a shield, but the additional Physical Defense and Mystic Defense are going to be particularly useful given their moderate Durability. These talents give additional defense and staying power, along with some control. The choice between Awareness and Danger Sense probably weighs heavily in favor of Awareness simply because of the utility, but Danger Sense is the best defense against ambushes.

Quartermasters are social specialists and nicely fill the role of a group or community leader. These characters will want to establish connections to the community in which they currently reside and use these to further the plot or simply gain goodwill. You never know when the goodwill of a community will pay enormous dividends. They are just as likely to be a face as they are to work behind the scenes to ensure their group has what they need. To accomplish this they will want Awareness, First Impression, Haggle, and Speak Language. First Impression and Speak Language are important for earning that trust - speaking the language goes a long way to fitting in and ensuring no one is keeping something from you. Awareness helps to pick up the things you would either miss and Haggle should improve the group's coffers.

A tinker may not be the best term, but I couldn't come up with a better one so we all suffer. This particular build is most interested in playing with things and exploring the some of the more esoteric parts of their discipline. The talents they will want are Awareness, Danger Sense, Disarm Trap, and either Fireblood or Read and Write Language. The first three make up the core of dealing with traps and generally exploring kaers. The latter two options either emphasize one of their elemental connections, or give them a tool to help gain additional knowledge.

As per usual, the jack-of-all-trades wants talents which will see use more than anything and support their group in general. These are most likely to be Avoid Blow, Awareness, First Impression, and Shield Bash. Avoid Blow and Shield Bash open up more options in combat and Shield Bash can help everyone. First Impression is a solid social talent and helpful when establishing a presence in the community. Awareness is likely to be rolled every session. At least once. It is simply one of those talents and it never hurts to have more people in the know. The other talent which may be a good fit for the right character is Haggle, though there isn't a clear choice as to what it should replace.

• Battle Shout - A powerful talent which can be used to great effect against a single target. Combat specialists will definitely want this, though it can be useful for any adept who regularly engages in combat.
• Diplomacy - Weaponsmiths particularly invested in solving other Namegivers' problems will want this talent.
• Earth Skin - If you either find yourself as the target of magical attacks, or want to be in their face, this is a very useful talent with its long duration bonus to Mystic Defense.
• Etiquette  - Another talent for characters who are frequently the face of their group, or interested in building community goodwill. The ability to avoid social faux pas never hurts.
• Fire Heal - Extra Recovery Tests are simply good in general. They are even better if you have Earth Skin and Fireblood.
• Heartening Laugh - A group buff against fear effects can be very powerful in the right situations. Characters more invested in the group will likely want this; it is also worth finding out if anyone else already has this talent.
• Iron Constitution - General protection against disease and poison. You are going to know if this talent is right for you and the investment is minimal for it to be useful.
• Leadership - Not generally a talent which PCs get a lot of use from, but it can be very helpful when rallying the community to your cause.
• Missile Weapons - Shield Bash is the only talent which locks Weaponsmiths into a particular style of combat (besides starting with Melee Weapons) and this gives them some additional versatility in combat to supplement their poor mobility.
• Resist Taunt - This talent gives Weaponsmiths access to an active defense for each Defense, which can be pretty powerful. Social and combat specialists will want to take this talent. The former for the edge it gives in social situations and the latter to avoid the potent social debuffs.

At Journeyman, protectors get access to even more defensive talents and a powerful debuff: Battle Shout, Earth Skin, Fire Heal, and Resist Taunt. With these talent options and their discipline talents, they should be resistant to nearly everything thrown at them, even though they are somewhat fragile until their shell. Battle Shout is best used to keep a single powerful opponent from bringing everything they have to bear for a little while, or debilitate a foe for their allies to exploit.

A quartermaster's ability to become involved in the community increases considerably with access to Diplomacy, Etiquette, and Resist Taunt. Leadership is a the perfect fit for this character, but not necessarily perfect for every game or player. In this case, Heartening Laugh makes a good substitute.

The tinker invests heavily in their elemental connection with Earth Skin, Fire Heal, and Iron Constitution. They will probably want either Fireblood or Read and Write Language from Novice - which ever of the two they did not take previously. This is definitely a strange character, but also an excellent choice to bring with you into dangerous kaers with their ability to never be caught unaware and some excellent defense.

There are a number of different directions a jack-of-all-trades can go depending on what their group needs, which is going to be important for their selections. Battle Shout, Earth Skin, and Heartening Laugh, and Resist Taunt are all good choices which will almost certainly prove to be useful. This provides a variety of different tools to use at their disposal and interesting things to do in general.

For a discussion over the general themes of the Weaponsmith how they can function in game, see the Third Edition Anatomy of Weaponsmith. Example characters: dwarf and obsidiman.

Earthdawn 4E: Example Character 12 - Obsidiman Weaponsmith

This is the twelfth Example Character in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

While not iconic, this is certainly popular combination. The idea of a enormous, solemn rock man working tirelessly in a forge, only to come out when needed and lay the smack down is certainly an appealing one.

Each Circle saw this character improve one attribute and take a new Talent Option. There are no Thread Items on this character, however unlikely it may be. 

Note: The entries in this series may be updated periodically as I master the coding to fit all eight of the Circles in a fashion which doesn't result in eye melting. Consider these living entries. Please leave comments if there is anyway this could be made more useful.

Discipline: Weaponsmith
Race: Obsidiman

Attributes:
DEX: 13 (6)   STR: 22 (9)   TOU: 19 (8)
PER: 16 (7)   WIL: 16 (7)   CHA: 7 (4)

Characteristics:
Initiative: 1 (Recommended: Crystal Plate [-5])
Physical Defense: 10 (Recommended: Crystal Buckler [+1])
Mystic Defense: 13 (Recommended: Crystal Buckler [+1])
Social Defense: 5

Physical Armor: 16 (Recommended: Crystal Plate, Forged +6 [13])
Mystic Armor: 13 (Recommended: Crystal Plate, Forged +3 [10])

Damage: 24 (Recommended: Troll Sword, Forged +9 [15])

Unconsciousness: 78 (87, Temper Flesh)
Death: 94 (103, Temper Flesh)
Wound Threshold: 14 (23, Temper Flesh)

Recovery Tests: 5
Knockdown: 17
Karma: 24
Karma: Craft/repair items, Recovery Tests, Damage tests with weapons adept crafted.

Talents: 
Forge Weapon: 9 (16)
Item History: 8 (15)
Melee Weapons: 9 (15)
Steel Thought: 9 (16)
Thread Smithing: 8 (15)
Craftsman: 8 (15)
Shield Bash: 8 (17)
Conversation: 8 (12)
Fireblood: 8 (16)
Suppress Curse: 8 (15)
Avoid Blow: 8 (14)
Wound Balance: 8 (17)
Awareness: 6 (13)
Forge Armor: 9 (16)
Earth Skin: 8 (15)
Temper Flesh: 9 (16)
Fire Heal: 8 (15)
Spot Armor Flaw: 8 (15)
Resist Taunt: 8 (15)
Lion Heart: 9 (16)
Battle Shout: 8 (12)

In contrast to the dwarf Weaponsmith, this is not a well-rounded character. To call this adept gruff would be putting it nicely. I imagine they are interested in doing their duty and doing it very well, but do not have the time for those of a flightly nature. Which would be most everyone. This adept is likely to be the soul of a group as well, but a group which probably spends most of its time hunting Horrors in the darkest places and returning alive time and time again.

This obsidiman Weaponsmith is no nonsense and incredibly dangerous in combat. While still not a full combat discipline, they come very close. Weaponsmiths are still primarily defensive, but the sheer power of an obsidiman supplemented with Spot Armor Flaw, Shield Bash, and Battle Shout allows them more offensive power. This is the kind of adept which haunts the nightmares of spellcasters and Horrors alike. Their arsenal of active defenses (they have collected them all) means there is little which they do not have a chance to shrug off.

Beyond their speed, which is remarkably slow, this adept is very susceptible to social attacks. Once they get access to Resist Taunt, this problem will become less significant (as it uses Willpower, rather than Charisma, an attribute of which they have plenty).

Earthdawn 4E: Example Character 11 - Dwarf Weaponsmith

This is the eleventh Example Character in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Throughout the fantasy genre, the iconic smiths have always been dwarfs. This stretches back to the very origins of the genre in mythology. Earthdawn is no different and it is a case where the mechanics are a good fit for the archetype.

Each Circle saw this character improve one attribute and take a new Talent Option. There are no Thread Items on this character, however unlikely it may be. 

Note: The entries in this series may be updated periodically as I master the coding to fit all eight of the Circles in a fashion which doesn't result in eye melting. Consider these living entries. Please leave comments if there is anyway this could be made more useful.

Discipline: Weaponsmith
Race: Dwarf

Attributes:
DEX: 14 (6)   STR: 13 (6)   TOU: 16 (7)
PER: 16 (7)   WIL: 16 (7)   CHA: 16 (7)

Characteristics:
Initiative: 1 (Recommended: Crystal Plate [-5] )
Physical Defense: 10 (Recommended: Crystal Buckler [+1])
Mystic Defense: 13 (Recommended: Crystal Buckler [+1])
Social Defense: 9

Physical Armor: 13 (Recommended: Crystal Plate, Forged +6 [13])
Mystic Armor: 13 (Recommended: Crystal Plate, Forged +3 [10])

Damage: 20 (Recommended: Scythan Axe, Forged +9 [14])

Unconsciousness: 72 (81, Temper Flesh)
Death: 87 (96, Temper Flesh)
Wound Threshold: 10 (19, Temper Flesh)

Recovery Tests: 4
Knockdown: 14
Karma: 32
Karma: Craft/repair items, Recovery Tests, Damage tests with weapons adept crafted.

Talents: 
Forge Weapon: 9 (16)
Item History: 8 (15)
Melee Weapons: 9 (15)
Steel Thought: 9 (16)
Thread Smithing: 8 (15)
Craftsman: 8 (15)
First Impression: 8 (15)
Conversation: 8 (15)
Avoid Blow: 8 (14)
Suppress Curse: 8 (15)
Haggle: 8 (15)
Wound Balance: 8 (14)
Fireblood: 8 (15)
Forge Armor: 9 (16)
Fire Heal: 8 (15)
Temper Flesh: 9 (16)
Earth Skin: 8 (15)
Spot Armor Flaw: 8 (15)
Etiquette: 6 (13)
Lion Heart: 9 (16)
Diplomacy: 6 (13)

This is a well rounded character who can hold their own in combat, even though it isn't their specialty. This dwarf Weaponsmith is the soul of its group. This adept isn't going to be slick like a Swordmaster or Troubadour, but they will be able to steadily gain respect and favor in any community, eventually winning over everyone and gaining their trust. Within their group, they make a perfect mediator and are going to be what sees everyone through the darkest times.

In combat, this adept is tough as the armor they forge and an absolute terror to any spellcaster. While most combatants are weakest against magicians, this is the area where this dwarf shines. With an exceptional Mystic Defense, almost certainly bolstered with Earth Skin, and Mystic Armor, Steel Thought, Lion Heart, and Suppress Curse, it is a difficult task just to get anything to stick. While most of their talents are defensive, it doesn't take much to crack a spellcaster and Spot Armor Flaw is going to help considerably.

Their biggest weakness is a lack of overall offensive power and while they can withstand considerable punishment (helped along by Fireblood, Fire Heal, and Temper Flesh), the still are not actually a combat character. Despite their tenacity, they will do well to remember this isn't actually a Warrior. Which means they should definitely pick on the spellcasters, allowing the juggernauts to duke it out in the meantime.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 03 - Overdue Fees

This is the third Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index .

The Forge is important to the fabric of society within Barsaive. It forms the hub of many communities throughout the province, figuratively and literally. The presence of a Forge provides a sense of security and stability by means of what they represent and what they offer. The services of a Weaponsmith are more than just metal crafts; they often take the role of a civic leader. The nature of their Discipline is to seek continuity, harmony and tradition within their communities. Combined with a forthright nature, lack of guile, and tendency to ponderously think over matters, and it is natural that they would be a pillar of local governance.

Travelling Weaponsmiths will stop at the local Forge (or one of them, if there are many) upon arrival to a new town. Through that forum they can gain at least temporary acceptance and a sense of place, things that are often lacking in the life of an adventuring Weaponsmith. During their stay, it is not uncommon to offer their skills to the Forge, and community in general, in exchange for access to the facilities for their own purposes. Compensation may, or may not, be offered for the travelling Weaponsmith's services depending on the situation, though a safe place to sleep and warm food will be expected if nothing else.

It is through these exchanges and traditions that the Weaponsmith continues maintaining the fabric of community. They would certainly never admit it, but they have no small amount of pride in how others see them and take decisive action against any of their number that will besmirch their reputation. Forges do not represent a group of free-thinkers and radicals, but a group that is very conservative, hidebound and traditional. The larger numbers in which they gather, the more this becomes true.

The Heartblade is another important aspect of the Weaponsmith Discipline. It represents that absolute pinnacle of their craft, the purest expression of their inner self that will ever exist. Depending on when it is crafted in their career, it may not have the most artistic or technical merit, but any Weaponsmith will immediately recognize a Heartblade for what it is and know that there is more to it than anything so crass.

Only a Journeyman Weaponsmith can even begin construction of a Heartblade; Novices do not yet possess a sense of self strong enough to fathom how to take something raw and refine it to purity. For many Weaponsmiths it is a dream that never materializes and for others one that is never completed. Still others, it is their final act - their last gift to the world. A council of elder Weaponsmiths must give the supplicant permission before embarking on this journey.

It is a process with eight distinct steps that will take place over no less than four Circles. First the hilt must be crafted, then followed by the pommel and then the guard. The ore for the blade must be gathered by the Weaponsmith and it must come from a lost kaer - commonly from the blade of an ancient weapon. Then the ore must be purified and forged. Next, the hilt and blade must be joined. Finally, the blade must be sharpened and decorated, culminating with a blood magic ritual to bind the Weaponsmith's Pattern to the item's.

Not every Weaponsmith will forge a sword, as described above, but the steps involved should roughly align. The Heartblade breaks a number of rules regarding Patterns: it is a Core Pattern Item for the Weaponsmith, regardless of how many other Pattern Items they have and of what degree. Heartblades can also be Thread Items in addition to Pattern Items. All of this shows how unique they are within the setting, the ultimate creation of a Discipline dedicated to the concept.

Sins of the Father - 03 - Overdue Fee

Recored By: Jak’Tak the Weaponsmith

Date: 20 Raquas – 26 Raquas, 1506 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster
Jak’Tak the Weaponsmith
Ting the Swordmaster

Sell eyes. Dwarf lowballs. Leave. Craft trophies of lizard eyes. Recovered from wounds. Left town(1).

Journey. Village. Big forge. Braided dwarf lady. Hetha Saeda Krum. Ohin(2). Weaponsmith of Hinterland. Deliver package to Throal? Very old dwarf. Near his end. Journal of adventures. Heartblade(3). Very important. Take to nephew at Library of Throal? Yes, Master. Gives over book and blade. We see Forge. Work on blade. Elf works his sorcery for t’skrang. Time passes. Captain arrives – brassy and bold. Lovely. Sea-green lizard-folk – twins? Yes. Pot-bellied troll. Three-way ork marriage. Bearded Elementalist. Much pain over departed friend. Wake. Elmod connects with lonely captain. Ohin’s legacy in Jak’s hands. Contest of will and agility. Weapon is re-forged.

Sail through the sky on wings of magic. The world dashes below. Freedom accepts us into her bosom. To Throal! Sky pirates approach(4). Talk or fight? Fight! Sky pirates want Ohin’s honor. From our dead hands! Victory! Elmod fires a parting shot. It doesn’t do anything. Honeysuckle fought off four trolls by herself!

Two days and we reach Bartertown. Nephew, Jamon(5), hears the tale. A month in his inn is our reward. Throal is a beauteous feat. Bartertown is a chaotic creature. We go forth to make our Names real.(6)


(1) Oh Joy. At least there are some notes.
(2) Ohin Glonar Rurrun is his Name.
(3) We received these items along with this log. They have been cataloged under: Adventuring Groups: Mercantile: Hidden Sunset. The group has been in operation for quite some time with new members adding as the older ones die or retire.
(4) Korrolis, a troll Sky Raider, is likely who this is. His ship is the Sunset’s Betrayal. Ohin’s journal is scarce on details regarding him. Evidently something happened.
(5) Jamon Ulvar Rurrun is his Name. He has an inn in Bartertown, Jumping Mushroom, and connections to Maester Bleys.
(6) Received and edited by Ela Pono.

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Despite what the log may suggest, this was a relatively full session - Jak just happens to be an ork of few words. Similar to the previous session, much of this was directed towards acclimating players to different aspects of the setting and system slowly. This was more travel, as well as life in the smaller villages within Barsaive and the importance that a Forge plays in those locations. These events would later become somewhat significant and poignant, the first taste of how things come to an end, but the importance of legends. This also continues my extended experiment in seeing how taking other material and adapting it to my meta-plot works out.

Some new plot threads were laid here and others continued, though some of that significance is only made clear through the footnotes. I generally prefer to start laying the groundwork for major plot lines sooner, rather than later, though there isn't a wrong way - some groups will be more proactive in setting their goals (a sandbox), others will want a more directed (not railroaded) experience. Earthdawn lends itself more to the latter for the first tier at the very least. Once Thread Items start becoming more important, the number of plots to follow starts to grow and most groups start to define their own priorities, taking turns at going after Key Knowledges.

During that time is when the work that went into the early game begins to pay off, particularly if the various plots are working together and feed into each other. The greater structure of magic within Earthdawn of Patterns, Threads and Weaving is very apt and works wonderfully when extended to how stories within the setting can play out.

This session also marked the introduction of boxes for each player. Since they were going to be getting more props, it was clear that they would need something in which to keep them. Also, dice rolling was getting a little out of hand at times - I'm not a fan of dice continually rolling off the table and onto the floor. To solve all of these problems, I picked up some pine boxes from a local craft store (Jo Ann's), wood stain in a variety of colors, and adhesive backed felt in a number of colors. The boxes were stained and the bottom of the interior and underside of the lid had felt applied to them. The idea being that the box would be a holding place and the lid would be used for rolling. Unfortunately for me, the lid tended to just become another holding place for Karma dice. The best laid plans.