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Table of Contents
PointsPlayer characters are to be built on 120 points, with 40 points of disadvantages and 5 quirks.
RacesThere are a number of races besides humanity available as player characters. Elves, half-elves, dwarves, orcs and goblins are all possible at this point level; other races are present but will probably cost too much for use as PCs. See the web page on races for details on the races of elves and half-elves; all others are as detailed in Fantasy Folk.
Humans have various ethnic types beyond the classic
"Celtic/Nordic" stereotype, but these have no impact in game
terms. Feel free to choose any human racial type you
wish.
Tech LevelThe setting is a TL5 world with a mixture of science and magic. Races other than elves and dwarves are limited to low TL5 (flintlocks and contemporary technology), while the Sidhai (Elves) and the dwarves have late TL5 equipment (revolvers, Winchester-type rifles and other circa-1890 tech). Members of other may not have familiarity with or access to Elven/Dwarven equipment and tech skills without a 10-point Unusual Background or other special dispensation from the GM.For the purposes of determining penalties to TL skills, treat humans as being effectively TL4.
ReligionThe Jadiwan is overseen by a pantheon of fifty-some gods, all of whom are active and interventionist to one degree or another. For the most part, this is limited to powering clerics and granting the occasional miracle, but several gods are known to walk among mortals for the fun of it.
Individuals may worship one or more gods, or none at all.
Of course, each god has his or her fanatics. On the far
opposite end of the spectrum can be found another species of
fanatic -- the antitheist, who believe that the gods have no
right meddling in the affairs of mortals; some of these even
deny that the gods had a hand in creating mortals! But in the
middle are most people, who pay at least lip service to the
god or gods whose sphere(s) of influence include their
profession, and any other whose spheres might impact their
lives more than occasionally, and many more who revere and
worship their chosen god or gods.
Off the spectrum completely are those who actively worship the
metagods (such as Asutine, the
Void and the Watchers Above), or even such quasigodlike
creatures as Alundrel. None of these beings seem to
acknowledge worship, nor do their followers include clerics
with any verifiable divine power. Others -- especially those with close ties to nature -- may give reverence to one or more of the Elemental Lords. These are quasigodlike beings who seem to rule the four elemental planes. The names given to them in most of the tongues of the Jadiwan translate as "Aetherlord", "Rockthane", "Wavemistress" and "Flameking".
See the gods' web page for a listing of
deities available for worship, reverence, or opposition.
MagicIn general, Narth is a high mana world, which means many spells can be cast by anybody who cares to learn them. Some areas of the Blasted Lands are Wild Magic zones (see GURPS Celtic Myth).
All colleges of magic found in the Basic Set, GURPS
Magic and GURPS Grimoire are available,
including the Tech College, which is limited to TL5.
Exceptions: From the Tech college, the Radiation subcollege,
all plastic spells, and Awaken Computer are not available.
Most mages are members of an Order. Despite the Orders, magic is
not completely controlled. In particular, spells from the
Plant College are commonly known by most farmers, who use them
to enhance crop yields.
Clerical magic is available. The guidelines in
GURPS Religion will be used for this. Please
note that not all of the gods allow "wandering priests". Check
the religion details page to
see what is currently written up. If the god isn't listed on
that page, email us for a listing
of the spells available.)
PsionicsPsionic powers are not available to any characters.
AdvantagesA note about GURPS Compendium I: The following advantages are not available: Chronolocation, Enhanced Block/Dodge/Parry, Extra Stun, Gadgeteer (50 point level), G-Experience, Hard To Kill, High Technology, Immunity to Timesickness, Improved G-Tolerance, Mechanical Telepathy, Rapier Wit, Ridiculous Luck (except as noted below!), Security Clearance, Tenure, 3-D Spatial Sense, Weapon Master, Body of Pure Thought, Faerie Empathy, Extra Life, Fugue, Illuminated, Insubstantiality, Racial Memory, Reawakened, Retrogression, Snatcher, Super Luck (except as noted below!), Temporal Inertia, Time-Jumper, World Jumper, all Psi-related advantages, all Martial Arts-related advantages, all Cyberware, all advantages requiring T's above 5, all racial/super advantages (except as part of a racial package) and all special attacks.
Clerical Investment: 5 points/level of rank. The
usual ranks available in the churches of Narth are:
Please note that these terms are merely translations into the
closest English equivalent, and are not to be taken completely
literally. A church or temple will usually have one high
priest and several lesser priests assisting him or her. A
"bishop" is a priest who is charged with overseeing several
local temples. A "cardinal" is a priest of exceptional
devotion serving in the Prime Sanctuary of a religion, and the
Archpriest is the "pope" of a particular church. Many
churches allow "wandering" clerics; such will almost never be
above the rank of High Priest.
Please note that clerical investment does not automatically
confer the use of clerical magic. See "Power Investiture" under
New Advantages.
In many nations there is also a corresponding Status to go with
the various ranks of Clerical Investment. Clerical Investment
rank counts as Status for this purpose, but any difference
between rank and Status must be purchased. For instance, a High
Priest is a clerical rank of 3, but in many places has a Status
of 5; the High Priest gains 3 free levels of Status from his
rank, but must buy 2 more to match the Status he is accorded.
This is mandatory.
Starting characters may not have a rank above High Priest.
Contacts: Use the Compendium prices.
Extra Fatigue: A maximum of 3 extra points is allowed.
Extra Hit Points: A maximum of 3 extra points is allowed.
Literacy: All characters are presumed to be literate.
Military Rank: Military rank includes free Status, as per the
Basic Set.
Patron: Churches will be patrons to their clerics. The typical
church is a base 35-point patron. Frequency of appearance will
vary depending on the church.
Status: Status may vary from nation to nation. The following
chart will apply to most human nations. Not all nations will
have all the status levels listed here (for instance, nations
without slavery will not have status -2).
The Sidhai and the Yadhai both use the following chart:
(The state religion of the Sidhai is worship of Lindelona; the Yadhai worship
Ntono.)
The Dwarven status system is as follows:
These are by no means the only possible categories (entertainers,
for example, may be anywhere from Status 0 to 5), nor are the
listed positions "locked in" to their numeric level. Interesting
character stories and adventures can grow around anomalous status
levels.
Status in Narth includes the free Savoir-Faire skill for one's
native culture, and the default for other cultures.
Reputation: Many Orders of mages may have reputations
that benefit their individual members. See Orders of Magic.
Unaging: Several races have extraordinarily-long
lifespans that would be prohibitively expensive to purchase
using the Extended Lifespan advantage. These races have been
quantified using Unaging, although they do grow old and die at
their appointed times.
Unusual Background: Non-Sidhai/dwarf characters must
pay a 10-point UB cost in order to have access to late TL5
equipment and skills and must explain how they acquired them.
Note that ammunition for Sidhas/dwarven firearms will
not be easily available outside of the elven or dwarf
homelands!
The Judo or Karate skills were created by non-human races, and
require a -5 point Unusual Background for any character who is
not of the appropriate race who does know the skill.
New AdvantagesSpecial Note: "Holy" Advantages. GURPS Compendium I introduced a number of new advantages that are appropriate for a wide variety of "holy" or god-touched characters. Among these are Blessed and Power Investiture (both of which have been in use in this campaign world since its creation), Divine Favor, Harmony With The Tao, Illumination, True Faith and a variant form of Clerical Investment. Of these, Illumination is not available in the campaign, the variant Investment is meaningless as we use the Power Investiture system, and Harmony with the Tao has a prerequisite, as noted below. The others are all available as written.
Blessed 10/20 points
You have a special attunement to your deity. At the 10-point
level, you gain the ability to use any one Divination spell at IQ
level; the specific spell is determined by the choice of deity.
You also gain a +1 reaction from followers of that deity who know
you are Blessed. For 20 points, you are Very Blessed, which
gives +5 to the Divination skill. You must act in accordance
with the laws and commandments of the deity, or the advantage
will be lost. Usually only clerics may take this advantage, but
in special cases, other character types may have it.
In Compendium I, different gifts may be given to
the Blessed; you may use those rules instead, if the volume is
available to you. Harmony With The Tao
This Compendium I advantage is allowed, but in
this campaign has a prerequisite of at least one level of
Blessed.
Order Rank 5 points/level (maximum 30 points)
A human mage who is a member of a magical Order may have a
position of importance in that Order. Order Rank defines that
position:
While nominally the ranks are supposed to represent one's
progress in mastery of magic, the actual pecking order they
represent is usually political and social. The rules of an
Order will usually require that mages of lower ranks kowtow to
those of higher rank; especially old or conservative orders
may even enforce services and absolute obedience on those
members below the third rank.
As with Military Rank, every three levels of Order Rank provides
1 free level of Status.
Power Investiture 10 points/level (maximum 30 points)
(From GURPS Religion.) This is the gift of
magical power from your deity. Each level gives +1 to IQ when
learning new divine spells. This advantage is different from
Clerical Investment, which is a measure of your sociopolitical
status in a church. Different levels indicate different
degrees of divine favor --the more you have, the greater a
bond you have with your deity. Power Investiture is a gift
from your god so that you can serve his will. Not all clerics
have Power Investiture, and not all who have it are clerics...
and if your faith or performance wavers, your god may reduce
your level of Power Investiture, either temporarily or
permanently.
You can have a maximum of 3 levels of Power Investiture. In
general, selection of spells is limited by your levels in this
advantage. The rule of thumb is to treat levels in Power
Investiture as levels of Magery required for a spell; if a spell
would require Magery 3, then it will not be granted to a
character with Power Investiture 1 or 2. However, a cleric must
have at least one level of Power Investiture in order to get
any spells from his god at all, even those requiring no
Magery.
A cleric may always learn spells the usual way, whether or not he
has any Power Invested in himself, but woe to the unworthy who
misrepresents mundane magical power as divine! Also, certain
churches -- specifically Fermus' -- often recruit the mage-gifted
as priest-candidates.
DisadvantagesA note about GURPS Compendium I: The following disadvantages are not available: Evil Twin, Acceleration Weakness, Freesick, G-Intolerance, No Physical Body, Space Sickness, Timesickness, VR addiction, all Cyber disadvantages, and all racial/super disadvantages (except as part of a racial package). Of the Occult and Paranormal disadvantages, only the following are allowed: Cursed, Cursed (Divine Curse), Jinxed, Magic Susceptibility, Untrained Shapechanging, and Weirdness Magnet.
Age: Nonhumans age at different rates, and thus do not
garner penalties for age on the same scale as humans. Elves
get -3 points for every 28 years over age 1390. Half-elves
receive the same points for every 6 years of age over 312.
Reduced Hit Points: A maximum of 3 is allowed.
Reputation: "Necromancer" is a Reputation worth -4.
Secret: Worshippers of certain gods (such as Ntono,
Jadeg and Dav) must keep their faith secret in most lands. In
general, this is a secret whose revelation could mean death.
Members of certain magical orders have similar secrets.
Social Stigma: Nonhumans in most human lands must take
the Minority Group stigma. So-called "rogue" mages (see the
web page on Orders of Magic) have
a Social Stigma of -1.
Youth: Nonhumans age at different rates, and thus do
not suffer penalties for youth on the same scale as humans.
Elves get -2 points for every 14 years under age 250.
Half-elves receive the same points for every 5.5 years of age
under 100. The maximum of -6 points in Youth applies to
nonhumans as well as humans.
SkillsA note about GURPS Compendium I: The following skills are not available: Science!, Weird Science, skills requiring a tech level over 5, any psionic skills, and any that have Trained by a Mster as a prerequisite. Martial arts maneuvers are optional.
All tech skills are TL5, but treat non-dwarves and non-elves
as being effectively TL4 for determining penalties.
Alchemy/Chemistry: These skills are flip sides of each
other, governed by an "observer effect". All materials have
both a mundane and a mystic aspect, and their reactions and
interactions are controlled by whether one looks for a mystic
or mundane result. While there are specialists in each field,
the most advanced researchers are proficient in both,
because it is possible to use mystic reactions to develop
compounds with new mundane properties, and vice versa.
Medical Skills: "Humanoid"
(Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Human and Orc) medical skills all default to
each other at -2. Half-elf defaults to Elf or Human medical
skill at -1. Merfolk defaults to Human at -1, any other humanoid
at -3. Goblin defaults to any humanoid skill at -3. Centaur
defaults to humanoid medical skill or Veterinarian at -5.
Area Knowledge: An individual Realm or Plane may be
taken under this skill, provided the character has spent time
there.
Geology: Geology must often be paired with Theology
(Friel), as the earth-god has a significant impact on
geological matters. Elementalism (Earth) (q.v.) is often a
good companion skill.
Heraldry: A new specialization is "Mage Order Marks".
Orders of Magic provide their members with enchanted tattoos
that identify the order to which they belong.
Karate/Judo: These skills are available in this
setting, but are not commonly known by humans. The Judo skill
represents the Sidhai unarmed combat style known as Afis o
diesta na tresti ("Helping the foe defeat himself").
Karate represents the goblin-created style known as "The
Bladeless Sword". Both may be learned without modification by
all humanoid races, but characters not of the race which
developed the style must pay a 5-point Unusual Background cost
for each skill and explain where and how they learned it.
Occultism: General magical knowledge is included in
this skill, but more of a theoretical and informational nature
than practical.
Savoir-Faire: A new specialty is "Magical Order".
Each Order has its own rules and etiquette, and a member is
expected to know and follow them. Although these can differ
dramatically from Order to Order, there are still some common
elements across all the Orders; thus Savoir-Faire for any
given Order defaults to any other Order-5.
Survival: An individual Realm or Plane may be taken
under this skill, provided the character has spent time
there.
Theology: Theology without a specialty provides
general knowledge of divine relations, politics, origins and
history, as well as the basic politics and influences of each
church. An individual church and its god may be the focus of
a specialty, and normally would be taken by priests of that
god. Another specialty is Metatheology, which is the study of
metagods such as Asutine and the
Void.
LanguagesUnless otherwise noted, each language has its own written alphabet, different from that used by other languages.
Human Tongues: Modern human languages are all
descended from "Old Common" -- a tongue that has undergone
radical linguistic divergence since Devastor. While their
written form is identical from nation to nation (and clearly
readable by the literate), the spoken forms vary dramatically
from one end of the continent to the other. All are
Mental/Average, and will default to one another at some
penalty. The rule of thumb is to count the smallest number of
nations separating the two languages; this is the default
penalty. Example: between Duronoth and Zendria are four
other nations, making Duronoth 5 nations away from Zendria;
Duronothian and Zendrian default to each other at -5.
"Old Common" still exists, as a ceremonial and lore language
used by priests and a common tongue used by mages who can
enter Cerebrospace; it defaults to any modern human language
at -4.
Arake'en: Orcish. M/A. There are two varieties of
Arake'en; The Orcish spoken by the nomadic orc tribes is a
simple tongue, while that spoken by inhabitants of Arakund has
a large number of Elven, dwarven and human loanwords. "Wild"
orcs understand Arakundian Arake'en at -5 to their Arake'en
skill, while speakers of Arakundian suffer no penalty to their
Arake'en skill when speaking to nomadic orcs. Arakundian has
its own written alphabet. The nomadic orcs are mostly
illiterate, but some tribes use a crude pictographic
system.
Gezanner: Gnomish. M/A. Defaults to Kazandar
(Dwarvish) at -4. Gezanner shares an alphabet with
Kazandar.
Kazandar: Dwarvish. M/A. Defaults to Gezanner
(Gnomish) at -4. Kazandar shares an alphabet with
Gezanner.
Lamathos: Centaur. M/A.
Mercommon: Merfolk common. M/A. Defaults to Old
Common at -5, any modern human tongue at -7.
Sidhaisin: The language of the Sidhai (elves). M/A.
Defaults to Yadhaisin at -5. Yadhaisin and Sidhaisin share an
alphabet.
Takla: Old Goblin. M/A. Rarely used, as goblins tend
to speak the language of their host nation.
Yadhaisin: The language of the Dark Elves. Defaults
to Sidhaisin at -5. Any character other than a Dark Elf who
knows this language must pay a 10-point Unusual Background --
and explain why he knows the tongue! Yadhaisin and Sidhaisin
share an alphabet.
New SkillsAll new skills in GURPS Grimoire and GURPS Religions are available in this game.
Genealogy (M/A) Defaults to Research-4
This is the study of lineages and families. The character
must specialize in a particular family or group of
families. The character is able to recount lineages and
relationships through and across families, and has immediate
knowledge of the family's most important history and
accomplishments. More obscure facts may be retrieved with a
penalty to the roll, from -1 for the name of an unimportant
third cousin, to as much as -10 for the color and material of
the wedding dress of an obscure relative 4 generations back.
Like the Area Knowledge skill, the bigger your area of
specialization, the less details you will have at your
fingertips. Common specializations are: human royal
families, Sidhai or Yadhai clans, the entire Sidhai
nation.
Elementalism (M/VH) Defaults to Occultism-4
The study of a particular Element and its Plane. The
character must specialize in one of the four classic
"Elements": Earth, Air, Fire and Water. While providing no
specific magical abilities, this skill gives its user a
knowledge of the mystical Element, its Plane and its native
inhabitants, and the role that Element plays in alchemy and
the structure of Narth. Like Alchemy for Chemistry,
Elementalism is often the companion skill to a "mundane" skill
-- for example, Elementalism (Earth) and Geology -- and can
reveal mystic details that the mundane skill may not
cover.
Performance/Ritual (Mental/Average) Defaults to IQ-5,
Acting-2, Bard-2
(Freely adapted from GURPS Religion.) The
character must specialize in a specific church. This skill
gives the ability to perform all the standard rituals of the
specific church (holiday, celebration, wedding, funeral, etc.)
before a congregation. It includes precise knowledge of the
appropriate trappings, motions and prayers, etc. as well as
the performance skill necessary to capture and hold the
attention of those participating.
Character TypesA wide variety of character types are available in Narth. Steamship captains, mercenaries, technicians, mages, mage-technicians, bards, clerics -- you name it. Here are some simple guidelines for the more common character types; but these are not by any means the only characters that could be played in Narth.
Bard/Entertainer:
Travelling entertainers, from single buskers through circuses
and mobile theatres to royal bards, are all common to the
various human cultures. The elven nations have their own
traditions of bards, as well. Entertainers should have any or
all of the following: Muscial Ability, Voice; Acrobatics,
Acting, Bard, History, Musical Instrument, Performance, Singing.
Especially good or well-known performers will have Reputations
and even Status. Some bards or entertainers might also be
spies or assassins, with Secrets and appropriate skills...
Clerics hold positions of no small importance in the cultures
of Narth. The fifty-plus active gods are constantly jockeying
for power and position, and this is reflected in the behavior
of their churches -- some are allies, some are enemies, and
most are neutral to most others. The number of worshippers
affects the power of the god, so conversion and persuasion are
important, too.
Most of the Clerical character types found on pp. 89-92 of
GURPS Religion are appropriate in this setting,
although not all clerical types are available in the
hierarchies of all gods; email me
for more details about any specific god.
In general, clerics must have the following: At least one
level of Clerical Investment, Patron: Church (see Advantages),
Duty to the Church (non-life-threatening), Performance/Ritual
(Church) at IQ, Theology (their god) at IQ, and Old Common at
IQ. If the cleric is to be able to use divine magic, at least
one level of Power Investiture is necessary. Useful are
Blessed and Voice advantages, and the Area Knowledge (temple
neighborhood) skill. Politics and Leadership are very useful
to the high-ranking cleric. For specifics on any given god,
see the Religion Details page.
For a related (but sometimes wildly different) character type,
see Holy Person, below.
Diplomats:
Despite constant warring, there is always hope for peace.
Diplomats may be dispatched to troubled borders to soothe
tensions, or as ambassadors to foreign nations. They may be
observers at other nations' conflicts. And some may also be
spies...
Diplomats will usually have Status, and Fast-Talk and Diplomacy
both at IQ; Duty to home nation is typical. Wealth and
Unfazeable are very useful, as well.
Explorers:
Sent out by a college or museum, or simply on his own, the
Explorer travels to remote lands to see what's there, and
bring back samples for others to see. Much more serious than
the Gentleman Adventurer, the Explorer is
usually a scientist of some sort, or a trained military person
escorting such scientists. Any scientific skill is
appropriate. Status and Wealth are common among the
self-employed explorers, while a Patron (a university or
museum) is typical for the rest. Orienteering, Survival,
Tracking, and anything else useful is of course appropriate.
Sometimes an explorer is unqualified for the trip
except in one specific scientific field which is absolutely
vital to the expedition's success!
Fighters:
The constant petty warfare across the Jadiwan has produced a
wide variety of combat-hardened fighters. When the war in
which they fought ends, they may find themselves unable to
adapt back to civilian life, and strike out looking for work
as mercenaries, bodyguards, frontier bandits, or anything else
that will pay... The fighter is the easiest character type to
build. High ST and/or DX, weapons and, optionally, shield
skill. Armor can be enchanted to be bullet-resistant, if not
completely bullet-proof, so even with the availability of
guns, armored fighters are still practical; however, Wealth of
some level may be necessary to purchase armor. Some
mercenaries will have a Patron in the form of a Mercenary
Company; such mercs will also have a Code of Honor which
reflects their professionalism.
Not all those touched by the gods are in the hierarchies of
the churches. Some are madmen with a holy spark. Some are
ordinary people who have become beloved of a god for one
reason or another. And some are peasants whose faith is so
powerful that the god cannot but attend to them. When it
comes to character traits for such PCs, almost anything goes,
but they must have at least one of the following advantages,
and some may have more: Blessed, Divine Favor, Harmony with
the Tao, Power Investiture and/or True Faith. (Those
characters with Power Investiture will function much like
regular clerics, and will have to petition their god for
spells as do clerics.) Also possible, although less
attributable to divine intervention, would be any level of
luck, up to and including Super Luck (from GURPS
Supers). Disadvantages might range from serious
mental impairment (bizarre compulsions or obsessions, split
personalities), to annoying perfection (certainly an OPH).
"Prophets", for example, will often have some variety of
Divination as well as a compulsion to tell unwelcome truths;
they also will certainly have Enemies! Most holy people will
have some kind of negative reaction from established church
hierarchies, which would be purchased as a Reputation or, if
the character's holy status is not well known, as a Secret.
Conversely, they may also have a positive Reputation among
common people. Exception: Srah's church actively embraces
and supports its holy people.
In the tradition of Earth's own Stanley Livingstone, Sir
Richard Burton and many others, Narth has its share of wealthy
thrillseekers. These folk, bored with a life of leisure, seek
adventure throughout the world. They can be played as serious
adventurers or comic relief, depending on their attitude and
their competence. Wealth and Status are a must. Survival
(any) and a few weapons skills, plus a raft of "genteel"
social skills, including Savoir-Faire and Diplomacy. The
serious adventurers will be students of cultures, while the
less-serious will simply be tourists. They often hire
bodyguards, guides, bearers and companions.
Knight:
There are literally dozens of orders of knighthood, most
predating Devastor. Over the past few centuries, many have
mutated and adapted to the changes in society and technology,
while others have retained their ancient ways and traditions.
Some have taken on the role of "national guards" (The Knights
of the Living Bough), others as "marshalls" and other
law-enforcement bodies (The Knights of the Star). Others
remain bodies of religious warriors (The Warriors of Jayn).
Yet others have devolved into purely honorific groups (The
Knights of the Dagger).
What a knight character needs depends on the Order he is a
member of. Honorific orders confer nothing more than Status,
and do not require any combat abilities. Most orders are
combat-based, and any basic fighter design can apply here.
However, some orders refuse to use firearms, while others
refuse to use magic; some make use of both. Most knights will
have at least 1 or 2 levels of Status, and usually Wealth of
Wealthy or better. Vows and Duties and Riding (Horse) are
required for all combat orders, and most require Lance skill
as well.
Most gods have an order of knighthood serving them, and many
nations have at least one order as well. Email me for specific
details.
Mages:
Build them as you would any typical GURPS mage,
except that you must choose an Order (or -- with the GM's approval --
a series of Orders, with an appropriate history, Reputation
and other character traits, or no Order at all!); your choice
of Order(s) will then dictate some of your advantages and
disadvantages, and the Colleges from which you may learn
spells.
Mages may be scholars, researchers, mercenaries or public
servants; their role in most of the human cultures of Narth is
not unlike that of any other skilled professional. Skill
choice will reflect career path. Magery is, of course, a
must. Magical specialists often make a lot of money, if they
have studied carefully, so Wealth can be appropriate.
Mages who are not members of an established Order are rogue
mages, and must take the appropriate Social Stigma.
Medical professionals:
These may be trained in "mundane" medicine, magical healing,
or both. Doctors don't have to be mages, nor do healer-mages
have to be doctors, but many are both, mixing techniques where
appropriate. Healer-mages usually belong to the Order of Physick,
and have its required traits. Doctors may take vows and
oaths, but are not bound by the requirements of the Order.
Doctors will usually specialize in one or two races (see Medical Skills). Most will have a
combination of medical skills and spells. Medics focus on
emergency medicine, primarily Diagnosis and First Aid,
although there are some field surgeons. Both medics and
doctors are commonly found among mercenary companies and
groups of settlers. Status, Wealth and Empathy are common
advantages; Sense of Duty is a common disadvantage.
Nomads:
Riding the great central plains of the Jadiwan are many tribes
of nomads. Descendants of the survivors from nations that
utterly disappeared during Devastor, they have adapted to a
more primitive, mobile lifestyle. Others are centaurs,
members of tribes that have roamed the plains since the Second
Day of Creation. Some are orcs who still follow the primitive
ways of their ancestors. Regardless of race, nomads will
usually be Primitive (-1 TL), and will have Tracking, Area
Knowledge (Plains), and either Guns (Rifle) or Bow skill.
Human and orc nomads will also have Riding (Horse). Nomads
will have their own clerics and other professions;
fighter/hunters are not the only possibilities
here!
Prospectors:
The pre-Devastor period, for all that it was a "Golden Age",
was not nearly as advanced technologically as today, and as a
result, many mineral ores remain undiscovered and untapped,
especially in the blasted zones. The prospector searches out
untouched lodes. Some prospectors work for a company (which is
a Patron); others are independents. They frequently have Area
Knowledge, First Aid, Prospecting and Tracking among their
skills. Absolute Direction and Intuition are useful
advantages; Compulsive Carousing, Compulsive Spending and
Greed are common disadavantages.
Settlers:
After Devastor, huge areas of the Jadiwan continent were laid
waste and abandoned by humanity. Over the past centuries,
some of these have regained their fertility, and nations may
spar over their resources. One way to claim a renewed zone is
to send in settlers to colonize it.
Settlers can be of virtually any background or profession, but
almost always, they accumulate a certain number of necessary
survival skills: Agronomy, Animal Handling, First Aid,
Survival, Teamster, Tracking, and various weapons being among
them. They are often Poor, but not necesssarily; a Wealthy
settler could outfit an elaborate party.
With all the politics and wars in the Jadiwan, is it any
surprise that there are spies? They run the gamut from grubby
little men listening in corners to the equivalent of James
Bond, complete with clever magical equipment to further his
mission. Languages, Fast-Talk, Shadowing, Stealth, Tracking
and a panoply of Combat skills (including some unarmed combat)
are all common. Status and Wealth can disguise the spy's true
nature. Some spies do double duty as diplomats...
Thieves:
Wherever humanity and its cousins dwell, there are those who
prey upon the careless and the unwary. The Thief is perhaps
the second easiest character type to design and play; low
Status, Pickpocket, Stealth, Running, Climbing, Guns (Pistol)
or Knife make the classic sneak-thief. Other thief-types are
just as easily built.
Treasure- and magic-hunters:
When Devastor laid waste to the continent, entire cities
vanished overnight, nations and cultures crumbled, and the
races of the Jadiwan lost many marvels and treasures in the
darkness that followed. Treasure- and magic-hunters search
for the lost artifacts of the vanished "golden age", seeking
long-misplaced gold or magic of a type forgotten centuries
ago, for which a research mage or scientist will pay much.
Treasure- and magic-hunters are not unlike prospectors
(above); Survival, Tracking, Navigation, Area Knowledge,
various weapons are all useful, as are Absolute Direction and
Alertness. Greed would be a perfect disadvantage. Some
hunters have Patrons who send them out, while others work only
for themselves.
These are only a few suggestions for PCs. They can be
tweaked, altered, blended or ignored completely! Let your
imagination run wild... |
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This web page is Copyright © 1994- 2001, Robert M. Schroeck. Narth is a trademark of Robert M. Schroeck. GURPS is a trademark of Steve Jackson Games, Inc. |
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