Earthdawn: Part 22 - Play Aids 2

This is the twenty-second part in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

In my previous post on the topic of player aids, I compiled a number of the player aids that I had introduced in my game to help organize the information and minimize the amount of time spent looking in books for relevant text. The primary tool for that is the binder and there have been a few requests to see more of what I include in the binders that I put together for my players. That will be the topic for this post with lots of pictures to provide some inspiration and help for others. The picture on the right has all of the note cards kept in the pouch spread out and you can also see the dry and wet erase pens. If you have any questions, post them in the comments and I will be happy to try and address them.

Here is are two pictures that have more detail of the note cards. I use white cards for equipment, in no small part because it easier to put art on the backside for Thread Items; which I am lucky enough to have a player willing to help out on that. Red cards are related to blood, whether tracking Wounds (whenever a character takes a Wound, they get to record it and the scar it leaves for posterity), or Blood Charms. Consumable items are yellow (and generally healing related) because it was the color left over in the scheme. On the right you can see this character's Thread Items and an NPC (in purple) that was encountered during the previous session.

Here you can see the back of the pouch with the note cards stored and the combat cheat sheet I make for each character. It is very limited in what information it contains to mostly what is relevant during combat. The intent is to focus attention and not have information spread all over the place, making options pretty clear. It also gives spaces to track damage, Karma, and whatever notes are important. Such as what to buy with Legend Points at the end of a session.

I use the expanded character sheet with all the pages - just not everyone gets all of them. They are filled out electronically because I'm something of a penmanship snob and spend enough time reading illegible scrawl in lab notebooks at work. While not the most functional character sheets, there is a lot of information spread out, I like the look of these quite a bit.

Recent additions to the group no longer get the equipment sheet, so this is a legacy. Instead I handle all of that through note cards or actual coins. As I've mentioned, I much prefer having physical objects for these because of the additional dimension they bring to the game.

Here is an example of a new character's equipment list instead of a page. It takes longer to put together and takes up more space, but it also requires less time to get details on what is included. Adding and removing equipment in this cannot be any easier. As I have mentioned, I just like the tactile aspect that this brings to the game.

I haven't actually added the additional sections for the newest Thread Item as it was acquired in the last session. So that's going to happen in the next couple of days.

These are the sheets that have all of the ability information on them, including Half-Magic, Talents, Knacks and skills. This cuts down on a significant amount of time hunting through the books to try and track what exactly a Talent does, or the tables referenced (those are included as well, this character just doesn't have any). Since not everyone has a Player's Guide, this helps in that regard as well - you always have access to the information you need, right at your fingertips, with minimal effort. Since the threshold to read all of your abilities is functionally zero, there is a great deal more familiarity with them, whereas in other games it may be lacking simply because you have to get the book, find what you're looking for (which may be a feat if you're not familiar with the layout already), and not get distracted by the art. These also have all of the House Rules included in the text, so they are more useful in that regard.

Step Tables, Result Levels and Combat Options, oh my! I tried making my own for those and gave up because I found out official ones existed. There are a few reasons I still use the old Result Levels despite mostly updating to 3ER and this handout has more than a little to do with it. The standard deviations is the other part. I also use the 1E Step Table because I simply don't have enough d12s to go around, not since I liquidated my collection after I stopped running The Everlasting. I correctly predicted that how Increasing Your Legend worked was going to be a big source of questions, so I created a sheet to clearly explain all of the costs and how it all worked. There are still a number of questions regarding this, but I'm confident it would be a continual issue without this.

The other piece to Increasing Your Legend.

The last page is a thorough explanation of Karma and how it works. This includes all of my particular House Rules, so it prevents some confusion.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 11 - Fighting Against Time

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

The primary Thread Items that the players have been finding up to this point, and mostly go unmentioned, are the Bands of Fortune. They really should get their own write up, but I am almost entirely cribbing them from the books - some of the Ranks have been altered slightly, additional Ranks have been added, and the history changed completely.

I have always been a fan of these kinds of group items - they give everyone something to bond over. It becomes a shared point of history between everyone as they are working to the exact same goal. Through them I can also reveal a larger story that connects everyone together in an obvious way. These are some of the elements that I am using to tie into the overall meta-theme, fixing the mistakes of the past. This particular set of items is powerful for their costs and the Ranks, but fun and generic, which means they are good for everyone and since everyone (hypothetically) has equal access, there aren't any balance issues to be concerned about. Well, other than dealing with players that have impressive access to Karma.

Each of the bands is being introduced slowly and the Group has been invested in tracking them all down, so each character gets one. There have been hiccups with that particular bit, one intentional on my part, others unintentional (players unable to make the game). A cast change adds another twist. Part of the fiction that I introduced for them is that they will twist events to bring all of them together, which will frequently go very poorly if you happen to be on the short end of that pull.

There is one prominent NPC that has one of the bands (in the form of a formal sash of some kind), who they cannot help but really like, not matter how much they discuss murdering him and taking it. Some of those discussions got pretty serious. That NPC (Arthu Paen'drag) keeps meeting up with them during the course of events, with increasing levels of violence surrounding the events - always in the background, however. All of this is pointing to the inevitable conclusion of that NPC's arc, which I would hope has been sufficiently foreshadowed that it won't come as a surprise.

Adventure Log – 11 Fighting Against Time

Recorded By: Sogun the Messenger of Ayodhya

Date: 23 Doddul – 30 Doddul, 1506 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster
Sogun the Messenger
Ting the Swordmaster

We spent most of the day with the tailor and death moth wings(1). Ting seemed to complete her look of being a pirate with her dashing hat and bandoleer while Honeysuckle decided for something a little more refined and elegant with a blouse. Elmod went with the more practical route and got a vest to hold his alchemy tools and other creepy things a Nethermancer would need. I choose to honor tradition with a horkla.

While I was seeking something of a more personal manner, Elmod was once again proving indispensable by researching a few of the items that the Group had picked up along their travels. After my morning endeavors I took some time to visit my brother Omasu(3). It’s not very often we obsidimen find ourselves in the same town as a brother. So to not stop in to chat would have been very rude.

There seems to be some kind of Swordmaster tournament in town. I’ll have to go early in order to get a good seat because if Ting hasn't already signed up, I’m sure she will. As I wait for the tournament to begin I can’t help but notice that the guards seem to have a rather unusual manner about them. Some shops are patrolled while others are not. I’m sure it’s nothing but it might be worth investigating later.

Currently there are 40 Swordmasters entered in this tournament. The decor for the tournament is a rather garish display of color something I would expect from t’skrang rather than the dwarfs(4).

The Group bets heavily on Ting. I would have though such high stakes an unwise practice if I haven’t seen her fight before. Her opponent practically dwarfs her with his size. As the fight begins Ting seems to be outmatched in both strength and skill. As her foe moves closer to snatch his victory with a final blow, I catch a small smirk from Ting. For some reason I couldn't help but think of a cat playing with a mouse just before it finally kills it. Ting finally stops playing coy and ends the match with a decisive and skillful slice through her opponent. Leave it to Ting to not only best her foe but to play to the crowd as well.

Honeysuckle and I have been noticing a lot of disappearances around town lately. Mainly the people that have recently participated in the Swordmaster tournament. While out trying to track down one of the missing Swordmasters our young “tiruplaxi”(5) stumbled across a dead body in an alleyway. Which seems to be something that could prove quite useful to a Namegiver like Elmod. Elmod used some creepy magic to relive the death of our new friend. He learned that our dead dwarf was involved in some kind of slaving ring. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the whole Swordmaster tournament was some kind of slaving hoax. It turns out that a few of the Swordmasters that claimed to be from Jerris, were in fact slavers from Vivane(6).

Before they could leave with their captives, we manage to put the pieces of their plot together and track down their airship and free the slaves(7).(8)

(1) See entry cataloged under: Adventuring Groups: Miscellaneous: Mismatched Steel - 009.
(2) I don't know what someone who travels with a friend of Fastoon Julari Makanth Phunkot would consider creepy.
(3) Omasu is kinda a big shot and this might shed some light on why he is chummy with this lot, that and his strange association with Maester Bleys. I'm certain that Zamrica would go on and on with this one...
(4) Because dwarf color schemes are the opposite of garish.
(5) No one has any idea what this means. Maybe some obsidiman thing?
(6) I had to walk away after reading this. It fills me with incandescent rage. Also, that is incredibly risky. Therans had to have someone operating within Bartertown already to set anything like that up. Maybe I can convince the dwarfs to actually do something about Bartertown for once.
(7) This makes me happy in a way that is difficult to articulate. Strange.
(8) Received and edited by Ela Pono.

*     *     *

A considerable amount of time was spent figuring out what clothes to make out of the death moth wings. Really, it was quite a while. This was entirely intentional on my part since one of the player's was absent, so I removed their pieces of the plot and I needed some padding to fill out the session and keep the pacing for the back end.

The primary goal for this session was to develop the events in Bartertown more, specifically the deep animosity between what are becoming the two dominant factions. There was considerable foreshadowing for the looming conflict and what is coming, but also for greater events and where some loyalties may truly lie. There was a lot of subtle maneuvering, from the existence of the tournament (to upstage the rival tournament), using it to gather slaves (not just any slaves, but ones that would support a particular group), dire warnings (not recorded here), and sides being picked. A great deal happening in the background.

It was also a chance for many of the players to show off a little bit. The Nethermancer spent some time researching the various Thread Items that had come their way. Despite what the log records, the fight was actually incredibly close and fell the way it did due entirely to luck, but that is what the dice are there for. Never underestimate the troll Swordmaster that uses "you're smaller than me!" as a taunt. The Group leaned more on contacts than in the past, following leads and gathering information to put all of the pieces together. The actual assault on the airship at the end took some considerable planning, that mostly fell apart because only the windling can fly. In all, they also got to feel like heroes at the end of it, which is going to be important given some of the events which will soon transpire.

Earthdawn: Anatomy of a Discipline 11 - Liberator

This is the eleventh Anatomy of a Discipline in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Overview

The Liberator is the most specific Discipline in purpose within the world of Earthdawn. They exist to free slaves. Everything about the Liberator is based around that idea. It is the entire reason for this ork-only Discipline. While they may engage in normal adventuring, that should be viewed more as a break between leading slave rebellions, rather than the other way around.

Each adept may approach how to infiltrate and operate differently, based on their Talents and what their Group may provide, but they will be drawn to areas of oppression where they can make a difference. Some Liberators may also involve themselves in local or regional politics, particularly with regard to equitable treatment (especially for orks).

While they ostensibly work for the betterment of all Namegivers, other orks are often their primary concern, or at least favored companions. It isn't an uncommon sentiment that only other orks can truly understand; a combination of their racial history as a slave race and their gahad which drives them. Of course, any Liberator will be strongly dedicated to any companions, regardless of race. 

Before a Liberator joins any game, it is best to ensure that everyone at the table is comfortable with what that will mean for the focus of the game. Which is to say, if the game wasn't about slavery before, it will be now. Otherwise, the conflicting desires of the players could have serious consequences for everyone's enjoyment.

Discipline Violations

These are best employed not as a stick, but as a chance for the player to take a deeper look at what it means to follow their Discipline. Freeling slaves and disrupting the slave trade are the primary concerns of a Liberator, so much that very little else even matters. Missing any opportunity to strike a blow against these institutions would be a severe problem for any Liberator, but also possibly a point of contention for their companions.

That fanaticism towards their cause is unavoidable, but can arise at the most inopportune times. Perhaps a delicate negotiation is taking place and it is revealed one of the involved parties is a unrepentant slave owner. How is a Liberator to deal with this situation? Learning how their actions affect their companions can be a difficult lesson.

Talents

Initiate
Talent Options: Acrobatic Strike, Avoid Blow, Disguise Self, Silent Walk, Unarmed Combat

First Circle
Discipline Talents: Freedom Search, Karma Ritual, Lock Picking, Melee Weapons, Shackle Shrug

Novice
Talent Options: Conceal Object, Fireblood, Heart of Freedom, Heartening Laugh, Surprise Strike, Throwing Weapons, Tiger Spring

Second Circle
Discipline Talents: Durability (8/6), Free Mind

Third Circle
Discipline Talent: Shout of Justice

Fourth Circle
Discipline Talent: Thread Weaving [Freedom Weaving]

Journeyman
Talent Options: Dead Fall, Disarm, Heal Slave, Leadership, Lion Heart, Resist Taunt, Second Attack, Temper Self

Fifth Circle
Discipline Talent: False Shackles

Sixth Circle
Discipline Talent: Hoard Blows

Seventh Circle
Discipline Talent: Mind Blade

Eighth Circle
Discipline Talent: Power Mask

Between Freedom Search, Shackle Shrug, Free Mind, Shout of Justice, False Shackles, Hoard Blows and Power Mask (Mind Blade could be thrown in here as well with good justification), over half of the Liberator's Discipline Talents are geared exclusively towards their stated purpose (freeing slaves/leading slave rebellions). Granted you could find other uses for some of these Talents, but they are few and far between. What this means is this is the most focused Discipline in print on a single task, putting even the Horror Stalker to shame by a wide margin.

They will have issues with defense and damage in a traditional adventuring Group, as well as simply finding things to do outside of their niche. While engaged in that hyper-specific niche, there is a vast array of ways to employ their considerable Talents. Outside of that, they will likely have more interesting options outside of combat than within - which is something of a change of pace when you consider their very high Durability rating.

All of this is a warning to anyone considering to play a Liberator. It can be very challenging when most of your Talents continually go unused if playing in a traditional adventuring campaign. If engaged in a protracted war against Thera and slavery in general, then you may very well have considerable options at your disposal and when discussing plans it is stated "we have a man inside," that would be you.

When discussing Talent Options for a Liberator, there are two ways of looking at things. The first is from the perspective of a Liberator fitting into a more typical adventuring Group. The second is from the perspective of a Liberator being laser focused on what their Discipline is all about. That perspective will strongly inform your Talent Option selections. Both views will be addressed and noted by (1) for an adventuring Liberator and (2) for a narrowly focused Liberator.

No matter which flavor of Liberator you are, there is something good in the Initiate Talent Options. (2) will almost certainly have too many attractive options.

• Acrobatic Strike - (1) and (2) A pretty solid choice for a Discipline that is overall lacking in defensive Talents. It will require constant improvement and a good initiative.
• Avoid Blow - (1) and (2) Overall, less effective than Acrobatic Strike, but it doesn't require a higher initiative than your opponent, nor making an attack. These make it slightly better for (2), but continual improvement is still a must.
• Disguise Self - (1) Fun and will add some more options for approaching problems, with minimal investment required. (2) This Talent may become more and more important as your Legend grows and infiltration becomes difficult. Can be very important.
• Silent Walk - (1) Everyone wants to go on the black-op and in the same boat as Disguise Self above. (2) Of incredible value for infiltration and information gathering. Yet another difficult decision.
• Unarmed Combat - (1) It requires constant investment to be valuable and is unlikely to see regular use. (2) The odds of having a weapon are pretty low and the odds of having a slave master unprepared to deal with an ork all about the face-punching are pretty high. It will require constant improvement, but almost certainly see use.

For (1) there are some good choices in the Novice Talent Options, but (2) will find another litany of difficult decisions.

• Conceal Object - (1) While this can go well with Surprise Strike below and the Liberator will find damage more difficult than some of their other combat ready companions, this may be of limited use. (2) Almost certainly to be of use all the time. This can help mitigate the earlier problems associated with not having a weapon on hand.
• Fireblood - (1) and (2) This is good all of the time for everyone.
• Heart of Freedom - (1) and (2) A strange Talent that gives anyone gahad, and makes an ork's gahad go to 11. You either like this, or you don't, however (2) will likely have better options to consider.
• Heartening Laugh - (1) If no one else in your Group has this, consider it since you will have a healthy pool of Karma to rely on. However, if there is a Swordmaster, give it a pass. (2) The odds are reasonable that there will be other Talents which will be more useful overall.
• Surprise Strike - (1) One of the few ways to improve damage for a Liberator, but difficult to pull off regularly (let alone more than once a combat). (2) Often the opening blow in a rebellion, or useful to keep an escape quiet. This will likely see use.
• Throwing Weapons - (1) and (2) There are probably better options than this, given the costs for continually improving it and what it brings to the table (not a lot). (2) may have some use for throwing rocks with it.
• Tiger Spring - (1) and (2) Going first is almost always a good thing and this can help with Acrobatic Strike and life in general. A staple Talent for any combatant.

(1) will find some good choices among the Journeyman Talent Options, but (2) will, as per usual, suffer from too much good stuff.

• Dead Fall - (1) If you have Disguise Self, Silent Walk, Conceal Object and Surprise Strike, this Talent will probably be what you are looking for. Otherwise, maybe not. (2) Another good Talent to have at your disposal when needed.
• Disarm - (1) Though it takes longer to get to, this is a better option than Unarmed for taking prisoners. It does require constant improvement, however. (2) Potentially a great way of simultaneously depriving your opponent of a weapon and acquiring one of your own, though some GM's may require a Knack for that kind of effect.
• Heal Slave - (1) A flavorful utility Talent that requires minimal investment. A good pick if you have an Option open. (2) Even more valuable, but there are so many other great Talents to choose from. Depending on how you like your drama, it may deprive (or enable) powerful moments where slaves die and your are helpless to save them - perhaps triggering your gahad.
• Leadership - (1) More appropriate for a Liberator than most Disciplines that get access to this Talent, it still may be of limited use. (2) Rallying the slaves to your cause will certainly be of continual use.
• Lion Heart - (1) Almost always a good choice that won't be regretted. It requires minimal investment and will always be active. (2) While a good choice, there may very well be others that are simply better. Also, there will likely be less powerful fear and intimidation effects to deal with compared to an adventurer encountering Horrors.
• Resist Taunt - (1) and (2) A somewhat curious Talent that has all the drawbacks associated with Avoid Blow and then some. The most notable of those drawbacks is that it uses Willpower, which is generally an ork's lowest and Social Defense is determined by charisma, which tends to be rather good on a Liberator (often at the cost of a higher Willpower).
• Second Attack - (1) and (2) One of the best Talents period. You are going to want this.
• Temper Self - (1) Simply a great Talent. This is an excellent selection. (2) Very good, but there is a chance something else may be more attractive still - having both Fireblood and Temper Self may be overboard when there are so many other good selections.

Equipment

There isn't much to say here. Acrobatic Strike is the only Talent that likes a high initiative, but above all else, a Liberator should be prepared for anything. 

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 10 - A Tear for Jaspree

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

Jaspree is the Passion of nature in Earthdawn, and has grown in importance since the ending of the Scourge. Many Namegivers have turned to Jaspree for help in reviving the corrupted landscape to what it once was, restoring farmlands and forests to support life. In turn, the Passion has aiding in restoring the land to what it once; Barsaive has steadily turned green and seen the bloom of life return in those years. The ideals of Jaspree are care of the land, growth, and love of the wilderness.

Most commonly referred to as "he", I also prefer to associate Jaspree in the form of a windling; in my game each of the Passions has a common Namegiver to be depicted as, when not in the form of the viewer or artist that is. When not a windling, he is invariably shown as half animal and the gender depends on the role - male most commonly for protector and female for nurturer. The common elements associated with Jaspree are farms, flowers, forests, seeds, trees - really, any indication of animals or plants growing and alive. Namegivers are not associated with Jaspree, that is the domain of Garlen.

While the text depicts Jaspree as valuing plants over animals, I prefer to have Jaspree involved in protecting the natural order over just plants. This generally means questors will lead solitary lives away from most other people, perhaps in small and dedicated communities, tending to a particular area and defending it violently from despoiling. They may be sought for advice regarding the land by those who respect their ways. More social questors will be actively involved in communities that owe their existence to the land and rely on the questor to help them ensure that balance is maintained between their needs and the land's needs. Others, generally adepts who have considerably more power, travel to enact Jaspree's will and spread his teachings. All questors prefer peaceful measures, but part of nature is violence and death, which they will not shy from if required.

Adventure Log – 10 A Tear for Jaspree

Recorded By: Jak’Tak the Weaponsmith

Date: 01 Doddul – 22 Doddul, 1506 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Elmod the Nethermancer(1)
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster(2)
Jak’Tak the Weaponsmith(3)
Sogun the Messenger(4)
Ting the Swordmaster(5)

Ting teaches her students and Jak and Sogun advance in circle. We return to Bartertown. Sogun receives a gift of living armor. Fastoon(6) brings us up to speed on the local color. Bleys(7) has cornered the espagra market(8). He is a clever dwarf. Honeysuckle bought a comfortable hammock. We visit a tailor “Hardly Fitz”. He needs us to check up on a possible espagra supply. The town “Safeway” has a tanner, Urzon. We agree to take the job. A consortium is forming against Bleys. Tol the Warrior gives advice about the scorchers around Ardanyan. Nine days into the journey, we are attacked by a swarm of espagra. We find a clearing with a statue of Jaspree and a white espagra(9). The statue holds a copper bowl, the water gives life(10). We heal the creature’s wounds. Someone approaches. Dwarfs. They go for our espagra, but they are insufficient for the task. They appear to be craftsman – peasants, not bandits. Safeway is a small village in the process of being fortified. The locals are friendly. The tanner’s wife tells he is missing. The tannery is deserted, with signs of a struggle. The innkeeper is friendly and gregarious; Ting and Elmod pump him for information. We track Thom to his home. The apprentice is there. He tells a tale of kidnapping. The local weaponsmith may be involved. He leads us to a farmer, who points us to some woods. Honeysuckle and Sogun are approached by a pretty elf who claims to be trying to get to the bottom of the espagra issue. The white espagra seems to like him. We regroup, then strike off to the forest. We find some dwarfs in the midst of tenderizing(11) an espagra. One challenges us to a duel, and Ting answers. The contest is over in one blow. Beogard’s brother has a plan: to poison small animals, thus weakening the espagra. He kidnapped the tanner to preserve the hides. Beogard leads us to the camp. We speak with the thief, and come to an agreement. The trappers leave and the espagra are released. The tanner is freed, the deal is brokered and we return to Bartertown.(12)

(1) Known associate of Fastoon Julari Makanth Phunkot of Iopos. Trained under Mestoph, if that information is possibly correct.
(2) An uncommon Discipline, particularly in this part of Barsaive, the Windmaster is a community guardian, similar to a Warrior, for Windlings of Glenwood Deep.
(3) Known associate of Maester Bleys and Omasu.
(4) Part of the Ayodhya Liferock and Brother of Omasu by the way obsidimen measure such things.
(5) Known associate of Tarr. Trained under T’Skee “the Magnificent”, Swordmaster of V’Strimon. See cataloged: Adventuring Groups: Exploration: Fourfathers.
(6) Fastoon Julari Makanth Phunkot of Iopos. Nethermancer and representative of the Denairastas within Bartertown. Operates a storefront.
(7) Maester Bleys, origins unknown. Warrior and Weaponsmith, operates the largest Forge within Bartertown. Suspected associate of Tarr.
(8) During this time there was a shortage of espagra skins due to a fashion trend originating in Iopos.
(9) Incredibly rare. Espagra are primarily blue in color, though variations have been found depending on the environment. Of those, green is the most common from jungle areas. White would be from the high mountains and there is rumored to be red around Death's Sea.
(10) Entirely uncertain what this refers to, but bears investigation.
(11) Is this an ork euphemism; investigate.
(12) Received and Edited by Zamirica One-Knee.

*     *     *

This session followed on the heels of what was the low watermark for the campaign and turned things around considerably. The pacing was tight, always something going on, the fights were interesting, and the overall events revealed more about the world as a whole and some nuances. It was an excellent session and it introduced espagra, who are one of my favorite creatures in Earthdawn. During conflict with them, the players realized they may be in over their heads. The final confrontation was diffused through social interaction rather than combat, which was a different kind of victory than this particular group was accustomed.

Events in Bartertown have started to develop and the stage is being set for a conflict that will begin brewing and getting ugly. Much of that is long-term and those events will span a considerable amount of time. Some NPCs get more development and details on the character is shared, along with hints as to the roles they will play in things yet to come. In all, there was a considerable amount of foreshadowing regarding future troubles that our intrepid heroes will face.

The creature trophies that were made for this session were my most ambitious project: espagra scales. To start with, I got variety packs of sequins. Those were sorted by color, including the slightly off colors (which are important). There were four types of espagra that I wanted to make trophies for: blue, green, red and white. The blue espagra used blue and purple sequins; green used green and a turquoise off-color; red were red and gold; and white were white opalescent and silver. The second color was to give some additional depth and variation to the main color, make them look more like something you may find in "nature". The sequins were sewn to cross stitch fabric in an overlapping scale pattern. That was glued to a piece of soft leather then cut out when dried. This gives it a tanned animal skin look and feel and protects the sewing from overhandling (having met my players, this was important). I think the end result looks great, though my players have only gotten blue and green skins thus far. Hopefully, they will meet some red espagra sooner than later - for me, hopefully for me. 

Earthdawn: Anatomy of a Discipline 10 - Outcast Warrior

This is the tenth Anatomy of a Discipline in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Overview

The Outcast Warrior is a highland troll only Discipline and probably the most involved in terms of setting lore. Because of that, they are also loaded with flavor, adventure hooks, drama and reasons to be out there creating a Legend.
Honor is the most important concept for trolls (this is touched on in Sky Raider) and that is the very essence of this Discipline. An Outcast Warrior has chosen to have their horns removed and leave their moot, rather than fight to the death, over a point of honor. The details of these situations are far too complex for other Namegivers to grasp and the troll in question doesn't really like to talk about it. This is all good because you don't necessarily have to develop more than an outline of the scenario that catalyzed this outcome. Vague is better, let the other players guess at what the details are and how the Byzantine nature of troll honor dictated that this was the best outcome.

Other highland trolls are obligated to try and kill you on sight, so reconciliation with the your moot isn't in the cards and a lack of horns makes it very easy to spot Outcast Warriors. They tend to gather in groups and try to eke out a living as best as possible, or make their way with the rest of the world. This character is going to have tense relationships with pretty much everyone that they meet, in no small measure because of the questions that having no horns brings about, which of course runs into the prickly nature of troll honor and this can easily lead to a violent mess. Those Namegivers that manage these troubled waters and earn an Outcast Warrior's trust will have a friend for life.

Honor is by far and away the most important element in this Disciplines life, they chose what their moot sees as a shameful way, though what they see as the most honorable decision. The fact they chose not to fight to the death should never imply a cowardice on their part, but instead some deeply nuanced view of the honor required in the situation. What this means is that their views on honor may not be obvious in application and are a major area of development for the character.

There are other unique elements to this Discipline; initiation into it is a required part of the Ritual of Severance. The character can abandon their previous Discipline, or take the Outcast Warrior as an additional Discipline. In the latter case, they will need to decide if it will now be their primary Discipline, or their newest Discipline. This ritual may very well cause a character to become an adept, which implies a great deal of power involved.

For character development, details of their past are likely best left muddled in exposition. These are things that have explicitly been left behind. Creating aspects of their old moot can be important to establish things that the Outcast Warrior no longer does. For example, if the moot wore red as their primary color and decorated themselves with skulls, the Outcast Warrior will now shun the color red and all bones. It is an interesting exercise, a mirror of what is normally associated with a background - a list of things that are not done. From there, their development in game will be significantly more important as they learn their new life, especially their honor.

Discipline Violations

These are best employed not as a stick, but as a chance for the player to take a deeper look at what it means to follow their Discipline. The most obvious aspect of this Discipline to examine is their honor. It required them to make a difficult decision in the past and will continue to do so in the future. This should always be on the table because of how central it is to the character. Their honor also places demands on the Outcast Warrior with regard to their Group, which may cause difficulties as they try to discern the most honorable way. This is not a character of easy answers.

More minor concerns would be conduct in battle - an Outcast Warrior, no matter how pragmatic, must always comport themselves honorably in battle. They hold themselves to the very highest standards here and will likely hold their companions to the same standards. Also, returning to their old ways, whether relying too much on previous Disciplines that represent their old life, or living in a way that evokes their previous existence. All of these show that the troll has not truly severed their ties.

Talents

Initiate
Talent Options: Acrobatic Strike, Climbing, Parry, Wilderness Survival, Wood Skin

First Circle
Discipline Talents: Avoid Blow, Battle Shout, Karma Ritual, Melee Weapons, Unarmed Combat

Novice
Talent Options: Anticipate Blow, Great Leap, Maneuver, Missile Weapons, Sprint, Throwing Weapons, Tiger Spring

Second Circle
Discipline Talents: Durability (9/7), Shield Charge

Third Circle
Discipline Talent: Swift Kick

Fourth Circle
Discipline Talent: Thread Weaving [Kava Weaving]

Journeyman
Talent Options: Cobra Strike, Disarm, Down Strike, Earth Skin, Endure Cold, Resist Taunt, Sense Danger, Temper Self

Fifth Circle
Discipline Talent: Fireblood

Sixth Circle
Discipline Talent: Life Check

Seventh Circle
Discipline Talent: Steely Stare

Eighth Circle
Discipline Talent: Second Attack

Outcast Warriors play somewhere between a Warrior and a Sky Raider, for better or worse. They are tough; Durability (9/7), Fireblood and Lifecheck all see to that. Battle Shout gives them a good debuff, Shield Charge and Swift Kick some options, though they are both limiting in their own way. Steely Stare is one of my favorite Talents for the grim fighter-type, even if it shows up rather late. It gives you something to do (and be good at) in non-combat situations and can potentially prevent things from escalating.

The limitations imposed by Shield Charge and Swift Kick are unfortunate as they work counter to each other and there aren't very good options to deal with that. For Shield Charge to work, you need a shield, which will most likely give you an initiative penalty. Swift Kick, however, requires you to go before your opponent. These together put some definite restrictions on your character to take advantage of them, and since you will be investing in them every Circle, it is probably worth it.

Their biggest problem, beyond the limitations previously mentioned, will be damage output compared to other frontline fighters. They don't have a damage adding Discipline Talent, nor do they have a significant bag of tricks, or a large number of attacks (e.g. Swordmaster and Taildancer). This means they will rely more on their Talent Options than most other combat Disciplines must.

In all, the Outcast Warrior is a solid combatant with more options of things to do in a fight than a Warrior, though they make some compromises that are best entering into with eyes open. Though, this Discipline is best left for players much more comfortable with the moving parts of the system.
There are is one good Initiate Talent Option for the Outcast Warrior, and something of a mixed bag beyond that:

• Acrobatic Strike - Lacking a native physical defense increasing Talent, this is a good option. Since having a good initiative should already be a priority, that is not a particular issue. It will require continual improvement.
• Climbing - A useful Talent only if you cannot find something else to take, otherwise it is better as a skill.
• Parry - Redundant with Avoid Blow as a Discipline Talent. Between the inability to spend Karma and the requirement to use a shield (which eliminates the benefits from two-handed weapons), this Talent is best avoided.
• Wilderness Survival - This is in the same category is Climbing above.
• Wood Skin - Due to Fireblood as a Discipline Talent, I would give this Talent a pass. They draw from the same resource (Recovery Tests) and Karma on Fireblood is pretty awesome. The cost of a Karma and the constant investment to keep it on par with Fireblood are the final nails in the coffin.

The Novice Talent Options hold a couple of Talents that a very important in dealing with some of the issues Outcast Warriors face:

• Anticipate Blow - The play style of the Outcast Warrior is more aggressive than this patient Talent requires and I would recommend Acrobatic Strike overall. There is very little point to having both Talents in your arsenal and they both require continual improvement.
• Great Leap - This is a must and the first half in addressing the damage output problems that Outcast Warriors will face.
• Maneuver - On the whole, I would say give this Talent a pass. The action cost with it can be daunting at times.
• Missile Weapons - Great Leap will solve most of the problems that this deals with, though if you have the extra selections it is a possibility. It does require investment every Circle to remain useful, however.
• Sprint - There is no requirement to continually improve this Talent for it to be useful, but it does cost Karma and that is often a resource that trolls have in limited supply.
• Throwing Weapons - In the same situation as Missile Weapons.
• Tiger Spring - This is a must and the primary tool in improving initiative.

There are some interesting choices available in the Journeyman Talent Options and some difficult decisions may have to be made:

• Cobra Strike - Normally this isn't a great option, but it can be an excellent selection for an Outcast Warrior (mostly because they don't get Air Dance). It is good at any level and will help with initiative in the first round, as well as some good side benefits.
• Disarm - An interesting pick that is useful for many situations, but not applicable to all (opponents really need weapons). If you aren't fighting a lot of opponents with weapons, this won't come up as much as you may like. It will need continual improvement.
• Down Strike - This is a must and the second half in addressing the damage output problems that Outcast Warriors will face.
• Earth Skin - I like this Talent a lot for pretty much every character. It will be very useful once magical effects start becoming more common. 
• Endure Cold - If you don't know you need this Talent, you probably do not need this Talent.
• Resist Taunt - I don't generally care for active defenses that you cannot spend Karma on.
• Sense Danger - This is often an interesting Talent, though will usually come up just short when the time to make difficult decisions arrives. It looks good on paper, but it is difficult to predict how often it will be useful.
• Temper Self - This is almost always a good selection, though there is the potential for a big downside if you fail the roll. To mitigate that, it is highy suggested to continue improving this talent.

Equipment

The limitations above seem to dictate some narrow options: one-handed weapon, shield and light armor. Between Shield Charge and Swift Kick, that is how things seem to fall out. Any improvements that can reduce initiative penalties (Smooth Armor) will be extremely valuable.