Gateway Chronicle - March 1997

THE GATEWAY CHRONICLE
March 1997

FROM THE BLACK DESK - February 1997

Its official - we have a campaign. Session Two was held on the 15th of February at Kevin and Shari MacGregors. What was supposed to be 35 players shrunk to 28 in a matter of days, laying waste to a lot of my plots and resulting in chaos that created difficulties in startup and wrap-up but from what I heard most of you seemed to have a good time anyway.
    The next game will be held on March 22nd. Assume it will be at Kevin and Shari's again unless you hear otherwise. I am looking for a larger site, but we mat not be able to get something lined up in time. If you know of a good place to run this kind of thing, please let me know.
    If you are planning to come to the next game let me know as soon as possible. I'm not going to play phone tag this time. If I don't hear from you by March 15th you aren't going to be on the guest list. Please don't assume that I know you are coming. Call to confirm. Once you have told me you will be attending you have made a commitment to be there. The first two sessions suffered because I didn't know who was coming until a day or two before the event so I didn't have time to create subplots for everyone. I won't let that happen again.
    If you have to pull out please tell me as soon as you can so I have time to rethink. I was up all night before sessions one and two trying to patch together the game at the last minute. Stories that involve 30 players are like a web. If you start pulling on one of the threads the whole thing comes apart. As far as I am concerned I haven't had a chance to run the game as I envisioned it. March will be an ideal opportunity to see how the game works when everything is as it should be.

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
Thanks to this month's Gray Guard - Tony Hrubes, Rich Schaufuss and Kevin Stein. Thanks also to Joe Adlesick as the Gatekeeper. Stephen Busbin as the Changeling and Bob Hollister as Malik, a friend of Volo's who was willing to run the Tavern in Volo's absence.
I was all set to be annoyed at the lack of response to my call for support, but you guys came through on site with everything from stamps to Kinko's cards. Best of show were a sack of miscellaneous props and a sheet of Classic Comic Strip stamps. Thanks guys.
Special thanks to the MacGregors for letting us into their home again, to Joe Adlesick, Heather Pishko and Rich Shaufuss for copying and collating rulebooks, to Don Prust for driving in from Minnesota to play the Baron and for all the free game stuff, to Kevin Stein for running back to my house to get the Proxy Plots I forgot to print out and to Kelly Jordin for bringing us that wonderful soup and for preparing and serving dinner.

EPILOGUE
The Final Tally for Session Two

Vathos managed to maintain its lead despite the efforts of Baron Devaine of Zurek who was able to find many supporters among the adventurers.
Your three favorite characters this session were Nameless the Barbarian (as played by Drew Novick), Fellerie the Changeling Bard (as played by Robyn Tish) and Kedrick the Inquisitor (as played by Tom Dowd). All three characters received an extra point of experience. Congratulations on a job well done. Your memorable presence added a lot to the experience.
I have changed the mechanics for determining which Factions are in a position to claim regency. According to the first draft if any Faction had an Influence that was 10 points higher than its nearest competitor it would have clear advantage and could afford to make a power play. This oversimplification didn't place as much importance on alliances as I originally intended.
At the end of each session I will calculate a Victory Point score for each Faction. A Faction's base Victory Point score is equal to three times its Influence. I will then add a number of points equal to twice the Influence of any ally with an inferior Influence score and a number of points equal to the Influence of any ally whose Influence score is equal to or greater than the Faction in question. This means it is in a Faction's best interest to be dominant over its allies or they will do more for their allies than their allies do for them.

For example, let's assume that Argoth has an Influence of 5. Evangar has an Influence of 6 and the Church of Dam has an Influence of 7 Argoth gets 15 pts for its own Influence, 6 pts for its alliance with Evangar and 7pts for its alliance with the Church for a total of 28 Victory Points. Evangar gets 18 pts for its own Influence, 10 pts for Argoth and 7 pts for for the Church for a total of 35 Victory Points. The Church gets 21 pts for its own Influence, 10 pts for Argoth and l2pts for Evangar for a total of 43 Victory Points.

According to these new rules the top three Factions as of Session Two are Vathos, Zurek and Thallarin (in that order). I haven't decided how much of a margin will be required to claim regency (assume it is 20 for the time being.) Vathos has a commanding lead and is nearing the 20 point mark, a gap which could be closed if any of the Factions in the Argoth / Evangar I Church of Dam alliance pulls ahead and becomes dominant over the others.

HELP WANTED
I have volunteers willing to play the Gray Guard and the Changeling for the March game but we need someone to work the Tavern and I might need a couple of gamemaster characters. If you are willing to be part of the staff for the next session please let me know as soon as possible.

WAR STORIES - February 1997
Highlights and Lowlights of Session Two

Note: I was too busy to watch for tales worth retelling this time around. If you see something that would be an appropriate anecdote for this column please let me know.
    The Gateway appeared on the estate of Baron Cyrus Devaine of Zurek who was a gracious host. His retainer seemed to know Captain Gray and there were some extremely tense moments during which the guests scrambled to find a healer but no blood was spilled.
    It was a strange day at the Ram's Head Tavern. Many of the Gatekeepers guests reported mysterious happenings that may or may not have been related. Gold seemed to move from purse to purse, an ephemeral figure was seen lurking in the shadows and Jacko Delight was stricken by an inexplicable fit of nausea during his dinner with the Baron. t rumored that Captain Gray sought the counsel of the Inquisitor on these matters.
    At Autumn's urging the Wood Elves have been sending Volo healing herbs and praying for a fast and full recovery from the wounds that kept him from tending his bar when last the Gateway appeared. His friend Malik was kind enough to fill in for him but apparently he is less than fond of Elves and the feeling is more than mutual.
    Both Captain Owl and Crusader Orban were nearly slain during two different Expeditions, but their lives were saved by crystal tears that rescued them from the brink of death. It is rumored that they obtained these tears from a ghost, but no one seems to know how or why.
    The adventurers of the second expedition found themselves in the unenviable position of having to deal with a giant warlord to free an enslaved village. From all reports the giant didn't stand a chance. The nameless barbarian and Kayla were instrumental in subduing the creature before it could land a single blow with its immense spear. It was a battle that could have cost many lives, but the mighty warriors emerged unscathed.

CURRENT EVENTS
What's Going On In The Realm

With the influence of Vathos nearing its zenith the courtship of Lady Vamadrexus is more important than ever, but she seems to have spurned both of her suitors. There are rumors of a burgeoning romantic relationship with Governor Reese. a union which would most likely please her father but would not serve the same political purpose as a marriage to Blacksteel or Jurel.
    Despite their personal differences Lord Blacksteel and Governor Reese have renegotiated several of the key trade agreements between Thallarin and Vathos, easing recent tensions that were beginning to undermine the alliance between their Factions.
    Metrin Kuvell has refused the invitation of Lord Claridge of Argoth to open a public Sanctum in the capitol city of Talos Argoth. The Duke's opponents have accused him of trying to win popular support by making an offer that he knew full well Metrin would have to turn down.
    Tensions between the Church and Duke Winterborne over his lack of piety have become an issue that may threaten the alliance between the two Factions. Rumor has it that Morgan's brother Andraeus has been called back to Argoth to speak with the Archbishop.
    Lord Arthon Jurel of Zurek has recovered from his mysterious illness and has become more aggressive in his negotiations with the other Lords. He has begun discussing the possibility of abandoning the monarchy in favor of another form of reunification that would appease all of the Dukes and return order to Kaleth.

PORTAL PRESCIENCE
Rules Change

I liked the change from the auction to the petition system we used to deal with the Gatekeeper this time, but it didn't go far enough. There wasn't enough motivation to keep everyone involved for the entire session. Instead of announcing how many Portals will appear at the beginning of the session and describing a little bit about each one the Gatekeeper will announce each Portal one hour before it appears. He will use a scrying pool being built for us by the lovely and talented Rob Wilson to channel a vision that gives those who listen invaluable insights about the Portal's destination and what might happen during the Expedition. I am also eliminating the current incarnation of the Clairvoyance spell (it didn't do what what I wanted it to).

LIVING LEGENDS
Famous Characters

CAPTAIN GREGOR. RHYS
As played and written by Kevin MacGregor

When I first joined Captain Gregor Rhys' unit, I expected to fight the good fight. Little did I know that I would get my chance so soon. Count Vorchal had turned on his Lord and was sacking villages in northern Zurek. A deserter gave the Captain details of the anticipated movements of the renegade's forces. We marched all night to intercept them, and only in the predawn chill did we stop, giving me a chance to rest and pray before the battle. The scouts weren't so lucky; they had ridden on to observe the approach of the enemy.
    I had just signed on to Captain Rhys' unit the day before, and as a newcomer, I was assigned to the main body. I hadn't learned all of the signals his lieutenants use to communicate his orders to the front ranks so I was nervous until I saw him moving among us, making sure all was well with his men. In his rallying speech, the Captain reminded us that there are many evils in the land, and that it is our job to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
    In this cause, I would follow him to the grave.
    Dawn came late but through the fog we could see the forces of the Count deploying. Our position seemed strong; a stream covered the approach to our right, and the Darkwood covered our left flank The strengthening sunlight glinted on spear and helm, and with a strange deliberateness, the fog retreated from the field. Captain Rhys stood before the host, his lieutenants near him in last-minute consultation. They were concerned that the scouts had not reported back. With a shout, the enemy drew its forces up and charged. I set my spear and prepared to meet the attack.
    We stood our ground. I had to wonder at the brashness of the Count for he was advancing his archers, normally held in reserve to cover the flanks, alongside the main body. The thunder of the approaching troops crashed in our ears. Captain Rhys calmly spoke his commands to his lieutenants who raised the battle flags and sounded the great horn. Suddenly our sergeant ordered us to wheel about and set spears with our backs to the enemy. It seemed madness -- until we saw them.
    Dozens of riders emerged from the gloomy, tangled undergrowth of the Darkwood, their coats emblazoned with the crest of the Count. The Captain had anticipated their ambush! The rider's charge broke upon our spears and a hail of arrows sent them retreating in disarray from the field. Some of the enemy troops fled at the sight of their cavalry breaking ranks. Our cavalry and archers drew up against the host and our reserves filled the gaps in the flanks. Count Vorchal reigned in his horse and halted the attack. Captain Rhys rode out to meet him, and after a few moments of tense discussion, the Count's forces lay down their arms. It is to the Captain's credit that so few died on the field that day.
    I have since learned a great deal about Captain Rhys. He is honest and brave, and the men respect him for it. No one joins the unit for money, Captain Rhys keeps us supplied, often going without pay himself, and we know that the Captain has sometimes granted our services for free but no one questions his policies.
    Everyone knows that Captain Rhys used to be a Crusader and that he had a falling out with the Church of Dam over the fate of a Pantheist congregation. He must have been a Crusader of note because he was able to petition the Archbishop over the matter and although we don't know exactly what was said in those chambers, Rhys resigned his position and gave up everything that went with his old life. Some of those who served with Rhys in the Church's armies left to travel with him and now make up his senior ranks. Captain Rhys admits that he has had a "crisis of faith" but he will only discuss the matter with old friends. He holds no grudge, though, and we have fought for the Church on several occasions. We fight where we are needed, and even the Church does good deeds from time to time. On the occasion that we meet a Crusader or an Inquisitor on the road, more often not Captain Rhys knows him and stops to talk as time will allow. Some of the men in the unit question this, but Captain Rhys has a personal maxim; "If evil exists, it dwells only in the hearts of those who accept it."

WHAT IS THE LAW?
New Subskills, Advantages and Disadvantages

CHARGE
5 pts
Warrior Advantage

Characters with this Advantage may announce a Charge during the Approach Phase which will allow them to close and attack during Phase Four, giving them a close combat attack at the end of the round. No other Warrior or Weapon Master Advantages may be used to modify this attack. If the target of the Charge attack survives he may respond with a close combat attack against the character who charged him but none of the other opponents may respond to the character who Charged them until Round One.

THE GRAND GRIMORE
New Spells and Adept Advantages

CLAIRVOYANCE
2 pts D6
Divination Spell / Prerequisite: Restoration / Strenuous

Note: This spell used to function differently but some of the changes I have made in the structure of the game make the old version impractical so I have redefined it to suit the new rules
When successfully cast on a Magic Map created by the Geomancy spell Clairvoyance will give the caster a vision that will give him some insight into where the map leads and what might happen on an expedition to that location. These visions are very similar to those used by the Gatekeeper to scry the Portals. If two characters cast Clairvoyance on the same map they will receive the same information so there is no point to having this spell cast twice. A backfire will destroy the Magic Map.
The visions granted by a Clairvoyance spell aren't always literally true but they will always provide useful information of some kind if you interpret them properly.

HEALING WORD
4pts D6
Healing Spell / Prerequisite: Restoration / Strenuous

Healing Word is the only healing spell that may be cast during battle. If cast successfully this spell will heal a character of the caster's choice of a single wound (the caster need not touch the target).

THE BESTARY
Things that go bump in the night...

GIANTS
The adventurers encountered a Giant during the second of the five expeditions of Session Two. Giants are very dangerous opponents, but they were able to do away with the creature very quickly because they had two characters with them who were able to inflict a lot of damage in the first round of combat.
There is a lot of diversity among Giants. Pantheists claim that this is because they aren't a true race - they are the most humanoid of the monstrous offspring of Vanosh the Trickster. The "typical" giant is a twelve foot tall brute who isn't much smarter than an ogre.

Typical Giant
Default Defense: 1
Speed: Slow
Wound Capacity: 9
Skills: Club 2
Advantages: Giant Strength 3
Armor: Hides and Furs (2pts)
Weapons: Huge Club - Speed: Slow -Base Damage 5 (8 with Strength)

The following statistics are for Kalibos the Warlord, the Giant faced by the adventurers during the second expedition. It was a little smaller and a little faster than the "average" Giant. Kalibos was also a warrior who had learned how to throw spears effectively and was more skilled with its club than most of its brethren.

Kalibos, a Giant Warlord
Default Defense: 2
Speed: Average
Wound Capacity: 8
Skills: Club 4, Thrown Spear 2
Advantages: Giant Strength 3
Armor: Hides and Furs (2pts)
Weapons: Huge Spear - Speed: Average - Base Damage 4- Damage Cap 2
Huge Club Speed: Slow - Base Damage 5 (8 with Strength)

The deadliest of the Giants are the dreaded Titans. Giants are known to be long lived, but Titans seem to be immortal and to grow in size and strength with every passing decade. The Pantheists believe that these are the firstborn of Vanosh and that the "Lesser" Giants are their decedents, the results of interbreeding among the Titans. The following statistics describe a "young" Titan of no particular notoriety. There are much larger Titans, some of whom have supernatural abilities. An "Elder" Titan is a match for a True Dragon.

Typical Titan
Default Defense: 0
Speed: Average
Wound Capacity: 10
Skills: Javelin 3, Axeman 6 (Master)
Advantages: Giant Strength 4
Armor: Field Plate (3 pts)
Weapons: Javelins - Speed: Average - Base Damage 5 - Damage Cap 2 / Giant Axe - 2H -
Speed: Slow - Base Damage 5 (9 with Strength)

LEGENDARIA
Fragments from the Lore of the Realm

Weldon waited for more than an hour for the old man to acknowledge his presence. He stood still and silent in the half light, struggling to contain his desire to demand an audience. Radioar's Bane had many virtues but patience was not one of them. When at last the old man responded the strange emerald light changed to a bright amber, revealing the vast expanse of the inner chamber and the crystal prisms that lined its walls. This was the Dream Chamber where lost hope could be found.

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Star's Watch forced Winterborne to tolerate the temples of the Old Faith, a victory which the Inquisition considered their greatest failure. Decades later Edrian's granddaughter was forced to take up arms to defend the Academy Arcane when the Grand Inquisitor convinced the King that she was harboring Necromancers and Diabolists. She fought bravely but the Inquisition won the day and took their revenge on Edrian's house.
Edrian was a mercenary Captain and a warrior of note whose skill was passed down to his granddaughter, who was said to be a master swordsman. If the legends speak true one of her allies in the Academy forged a Bloodbonded Rune sword for her that was lost during her final battle with the Inquisition. She was tortured and burned, leaving no heirs, but it is rumored that she had a younger sister who survived the purge. If this sister had children any of their descendants would be able to use that lost Runesword.

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The creature stirred once every hundred years, when its ravenous hunger could no longer be denied. This was the Devourer of the Old Kingdom, the Black Beast of the Freeholds, the Khur Duvett of Dwarven nightmares and the Auld Threl of the High Elves. It had outlived entire civilizations and consumed entire towns.
The creature stirred and all we could do was flee, abandoning everything we fought for and believed in. Our fathers tied the livestock to the palisade and cut them open, hoping it would stop to feed, giving us enough time to get to Whitehall. We prayed the Viscount would open the gates. If he refused us, we were doomed.

CLEAR AS MUD
Clarifications of rules that seem to confuse you

Most of the questions I was asked this time around had to do with the value of a gold piece and the workings of the campaign economy. The following material will be included in the March update of the rules.

GAME ECONOMY
Unless one of your character's "hooks" is a blatant disregard for wealth and worldly possessions (Wood Elves are well known for this) you should come to the game with a fair idea of what a gold piece will do for you.

The Plot Point Standard
The framework of the game involves the Factions and the accumulation of Influence. Adventurers interact with these rules by contributing Plot Points to the Faction or Factions of their choice. Most of these Plot Points come from Plot Items but they can also be purchased at a cost of 20 gold per point. Characters with the Strong Affiliation Advantage can purchase Plot Points for 15 gold per point. These numbers are very useful when trying to determine the value of a Plot Item. For example:

MERCENARY CONTRACTS: A standard 6 month contract is worth 2 Plot Points if it is assigned to any of the Dukes. You can buy 2 Plot Points for 40 gold so no one will pay more than 40 for such a contract. A character with a Strong Affilliation could buy 2 Plot Points for 30 gold so this is the most you can expect to collect. A contract will usually go for 20 to 30 gold, which will give the Captain an excellent return on his investment.

The Price of Potions
Most adventurers will consume a lot of potions so it is important to have a sense of how much the damned things are worth. The materials used to create potions cost an alchemist gold which is deducted from his resources during set up. An alchemist would never sell a potion for less than what it cost him to make it and would prefer to double his investment whenever possible. Most of the time a potion will sell for one and a half to two times the cost of the material components used to create it.

Healing Potion                6-8 gd (Average Price 7 gd)
Invulnerability Potion     18-24 gd (Average Price 21 gd)
Restoration Potion         12-l6gd (Average Price l4gd)

Determining the cost of elixirs and potions with special components will require some guesswork. For example, Iron Root is required to create an Elixir of Invulnerability. There is no "market price" for Iron Root so the Alchemist will have to work something out with an herbalist and figure the cost of the Root into his asking price. Rare components such as Dragon Blood are very expensive and may double the cost of the potion.

Money and Magic Items
The value of Minor Magic like Luckstones and Magic Arrows is approximated the same way you approximate the value of potions.

Luckstone 15-20 gd (Average Price 18 gd)
Magic Arrow 4-6 gd (Average Price 5 gd)

To find an approximate value for Major magic items such as Magic Armor and Magic Weapons multiply the cost of the components by two and a half. This means a Magic Shield is worth 75 gold, a Magic Sword is worth 125 gold and a suit of Magic Field Plate is worth 150 gold.
These numbers only provide a starting point for negotiations. Major magic is rare and will often go for quite a bit more. Unique magic items such as Named Weapons and Runeswords are very rare and effectively priceless. No axiom will be able to give a fair estimate of their, worth.. These kinds of items are seldom sold on the open market - they are either fashioned for a specific purpose or found as part of a treasure horde.

The Philosophy of Bad Banks
As I am sure you have noticed, banking your gold at the end of the session is one of the least effective things you can do with it. The diminishing returns will make it nearly impossible to accumulate a fortune by banking what your character earns. I did this on purpose. If a player was able to save up a couple hundred gold his character would be able to buy 10 Plot Points which would throw off the balance of the entire session.
If banking your gold is no good, what do you do to hang on to what you earned? Buy things. Minor magic items such as Magic Arrows and Healing Potions are ideal for this. They don't cost all that much, and they will carry over from session to session with no loss of inherent value. I realize that this will create an economy based in part on barter and trade. I have no problem with that. I would rather have people trading minor magic for goods and services than hoarding their gold.

ONWARD AND UPWARD
The revised rules will be ready on March 11th. If you want a copy you need to arrange to pick it up unless you are an out-of-towner (the books are too big to mail).
I'm not going to hit you up for bread and cheese this time around. What I'm going to do instead is ask that you contribute at least $5.00 when you pick up your rulebook (more if you can afford it). If you are strapped for cash let me know and we will work something out.
During the next session we will be celebrating Captain Gray's birthday (which also happens to be my birthday). Gray isn't saying how old he is, but I will be 31.

~ That's all for now. See you soon - Gray Mike >: