THE GATEWAY CHRONICLE
May 2000

FROM THE BLACK DESK - April 1997

Session Four was held on April 19, 1997 at the Hollywood Community Center in Brookfield. There were 29 of us in attendance, the first drop in attendance since we started. The new site was a big hit. Tony and Corrie Hrubes deserve a big thank you for setting it up for us.
    I kept the session relatively short which seems to be a good thing. From what I could tell the 10-hour sessions didn't work out anywhere near as well as the 7 hour ones. Everyone seemed to have a grand time. There was a lot going on this time around and there was very little dead time, which was nice to see. I am closing in on the ideal formula for this thing and I think we are very close.

And now - a few words about the phone...

I like talking on the phone but I have my limits. I have a 40 player call list. I talked to more than half of the people on that list multiple times last time. Even if I spend 15 minutes talking to each of you I will end up on the phone for an entire week. This isn't an accusation - I initiated most of those calls but I will have to pull back or I won't have time to do anything but run this game.
    There are two things you can do to help. First - please return my calls as soon as you are able so I don't have to hound you just to make sure you are coming to the game. Second - write down any rules questions you have. It is much more convenient for me to go through written correspondence on my own time (my address is 6950 W. George, Chicago IL 60634). If you are wired you can also Email me via Neverwhen @ aol.com.
    At the urging of Drew "headless" Novick I am going to be setting up a Gateway Chronicles website. If you have any ideas what we should do with it let me know via Email as soon as possible because Drew, Doug "Nolan" Tabb, Kevin "Fool" Stein and myself are going to start work on it this weekend. When it is up and running the website should be an excellent way to dispense information and interest new players in the game.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Thanks to the Gray Guard - Doug Tabb and Lide Winburn (and also to stand-in guards Aaron Loeb and Rob Wilson). Thanks also to Joe Adlesick as the Gatekeeper, Dawn Nystul as the Changeling, Corrie Hrubes as the Tavern Hag, Aaron Loeb as Elliot Whitewater, Shari MacGregor as Lady Charmeau, Stephen Busbin as Benton to Marc Blumberg as Neris Leighton and to Kelly Jordin as Gwen.
    This month wasn't quite as good as last month in terms of support. The selection of food was somewhat limited. My Diet Coke payola was sadly lacking. Looks like I'm actually going to have to buy my own beverages this month. Will hardships never cease?

The Final Tally for Session Four -  April 1997

At the end of Session Four Zurek took the lead (for real this time) followed closely by Vathos. The third place position is a tie between Evangar and the Church of Dain. To help everyone keep things straight and to put the progress of the power struggle in perspective I have decided to recap the results of the first four games.

Your three favorite characters for Session Four were Rhianna the Enchantress (as played by Eileen Malony), Nameless the Headless Barbarian (as played by Drew Novick) and the inimitable Jacko Delight (as played by Lou Klosik). Congratulations, especially to Lou who is our first player to win your accolades twice. It is a nod he richly deserves - Jacko is an interesting and entertaining character (a rare combination) who I can depend on to keep things moving. He is a real asset to the game.

Highlights and Lowlights of Session Four -  April 1997

The Gateway appeared on the estate of Tyler Melwei Whitewater, an adventurer who married into a prominent Evangar family. In less than a year Tyler has become the sole heir to the family fortune because of two accidents which claimed the lives of her husband Elliot and his elderly uncle Gordon. The arrival of Gordon's half brother Adulfus seemed to be quite a surprise, as was the fact that he was ArchDeacon of the Church of Dain. Adulfus arranged an even greater surprise - the resurrection of her husband (played by Aaron Loeb). What followed was high melodrama, which ended when Elliot publicly declared his intention to break with Tyler and remarry.
    Perhaps the most shocking news of the day was the Inquisition mandated by the Gatekeeper. Kedrik the Inquisitor and Arch Deacon Whitewater demanded that all of the adventurers in attendance submit to something called 'The Flames of Judgment' much to the dismay of those who believed the Ram's Head to be neutral ground. The Flames of Judgment revealed the presence of a Demonspawn fiend who may well have been the infamous Lord Rasp. The demon was burned and condemned to the abyss with the help of the Gatekeeper who is said to have entered into close combat with the creature.
    There was a game within a game going on during the entire session. All of those in attendance were informed that a noble lady (portrayed by Shari MacGregor) had discovered a vein of rare (and valuable) Clarite Crystals in the mountains that dominate the western border of her lands. These lands weren't far from Whitehall Manor so she offered temporary mining rights and the services of Miners, Scouts and Mercenaries to the adventurers willing to pay her asking price for what amounted to a gamble. Some were willing to take that gamble, in part because the High Elves had let it be known that they desired as many Clarite Crystals as the adventurers would be willing to part with and that they had given Fool several magical items to trade for them.
    Neris Leighton arranged to be invited to the Ram's Head, another shock to many of those in attendance. For those who do not know him or of him Leighton is a professional duelist rumored to have slain more than a dozen men for money. His first (and last) challenge of the day was to the half-elven sorcerer Kantor who enlisted Kobar to serve as his Champion. Tensions ran high when it was announced that it would be a duel to the death but there was no need for concern - Kobar subdued the duelist with his bare hands before Neris could land a single blow. After suffering defeat Neris didn't bother to pursue the rest of his contracts and was eventually hired by the ArchDeacon to teach Elliot how to defend himself.
    There were only three Expeditions this time around and all three seemed to involve a monster of incredible size and power that rises up every hundred years to threaten the land. This creature was so vile that it's black blood spawned giant scorpions. Nameless the Barbarian was slain after driving an enchanted spear into the breast of the massive beast. His many friends mourned his loss but without his brave sacrifice the monster may not have been brought down.
    Throughout the day the grounds were menaced by the orks who were drawn out of the mountains by the intrusion of the Survey Teams. During the early evening the Tavern was surrounded by an ork hoard comprised of the disenfranchised warriors of several orkish tribes but Captain Rhys, Vrillen and Kobar were able to drive them off. The legendary tactical skills of the Captain and the excellence of his unit served the Gatekeeper well and protected his guests from an most unwelcome intrusion.
    The negotiations between Fool and the adventurers fortunate enough to find Clarite Crystals went long into the night. Eventually they reached an agreement in which the High Elves would receive most of the Crystals in return for a few magical items, one of which is rumored to have gone to the Gatekeeper. This exchange was made despite the concerns of some of the adventurers over rumors that High Elf rituals that employ Clarite Crystals are a drain on the 'ambient manna' of the Realm, which could adversely effect human Wizards...
    As the day's events wound to a close an Expedition was commissioned by the Gatekeeper to head out into the mountains and explore ruins located earlier in the day by one of the Survey Teams in his employ. No one knows what they found but Kobar returned with a silver streak in his hair that he seemed unable to explain.

What's going on in the Realm...
There are persistent rumors that the Church of Dain is considering putting an end to the Inquisition. Duke Winterborne has always been opposed to the Inquisition, on one occasion going so far as to refer to it as an "antiquated and savage institution". If this rift is eliminated the Alliance of the Faithful" may be able to set aside their differences at long last.
    Captain Rhys has continued to champion the effort to track down the Legion of the Damned. His present commitment to the Gatekeeper has slowed him a bit but he and the heroes who have agreed to follow his lead have managed to find several small enclaves of the villainous forces in the past few months.
    Over the course of the past two years Thallarin has gone from being a serious contender to a second rate power with little hope of claiming regency in the near future. Duke Blacksteel has resumed his efforts to arrange a marriage with Dana Vamadrexus of Vathos but Lady Dana seems to be holding out for a union with the promising Duke Arthon Jurel of Zurek. A union between Vathos and Zurek would most likely lead to some kind of resolution of the struggle for succession. Lord Jurel is sure to keep Lady Dana waiting until he is certain that the resolution would be a peaceful one.

Additions, Revisions and Updates to the Core Rules

I seem to have been a busy boy. There is a lot of new stuff here but I hope to have it all absorbed into the playtest draft of the rules in time to get it to yo before the next session to give us all a fighting chance of keeping track of everything. I hope you like the changes - some of them are relatively major.

REVISION: Famous And Infamous 
I have decided to link the Famous Advantage and the Infamous Disadvantage to the Player's Choice experience award. From now on the Player's Choice Award will be worth 2 pts (as of the Rough Draft of the rules it was only worth 1 pt). Famous characters receive 3 pts but Infamous characters only receive 1 pt. This new wrinkle reflects the impact popular support has on the evolution of heroic characters (I'm sure you could argue this point but it is a rationalization so don't bother).
    This change is being made because Famous didn't do enough for you and Infamous wasn't much of a disadvantage, which was resulting in a lot more Infamous characters than Famous ones. While I have no problem with rogues and scoundrels GC is primarily a heroic fantasy game so I felt that we needed provide incentive that would add a few more white hats to the mix.

NEW RULE: Legendary Characters 
In the Rough Draft the most powerful character you could create was based on just over 100 points but it is becoming obvious that there are certain kinds of characters (such as Wizards) that may never see the light of day as anything other than GM characters unless I provide a means to generate more points.
    A Legendary Character is a lot like an Experienced Character but you can borrow up to 50 points. Unlike Experienced Characters you have to pay back twice what you borrowed and you have to use all of your experience to do it (the only exception are points earned for acting as a Judge or playing a GM Character). Legendary Characters must be Famous or Infamous and they have to take the Slow Learner Disadvantage.
    If you decide to play a Legendary Character bear in mind that he probably won't be able to improve much during the course of the campaign - he will be what he was when you created him for the rest of his career. If you spend your points carefully this won't be much of a restriction but if character growth is one of the things you enjoy this isn't an option I would recommend.

NEW RULE: Quests

-> Caveat: The following is an experiment that I reserve the right to cancel at any time.  

If there is something important that you would like your character to accomplish between sessions you can petition the gamemaster to run a Quest for you (or to arrange for a Quest to be run for you on his behalf). Quests will be run like traditional roleplaying games. I am adding Quests to give your characters more experience and depth. They will also be an ideal way to explore the setting. Characters who have been on a Quest will also have more to bring to the Tavern the following month.

Karma Points: Instead of drawing from the Deck of Many Perks when you Judge or play a gamemaster character you can the GM for a Karma Point. You can use this Karma Point to petition the GM for a Quest at the end of any session. If there is something you really need to do and you don't have a Karma Point you can still petition the GM for a Quest but you will be expected to Judge or play a GM character next session to make up the point. You don't need a Karma Point to go on a Quest, you only need one to initiate a Quest so only one member of each party will need to spend a Karma Point.

 Participation: The gamemaster will work with the player whose character initiated the Quest to contact the players whose characters he would like to invite to accompany him on his Quest. There are two limitations on which characters may participate in a Quest. First off - your character must be available to go on a Quest. If your character signed a contract to do something between sessions he can't do anything else (this is also the case for any Mercenary Captain who has hired out his unit). Second - you can't send a character on Quest two sessions in a row.

 Destination: You need to know where you are going. This will usually require a Survey Map. If you are going somewhere in the known lands of Kaleth you can get by without a Survey Map if you have a Keyword that could be used to make a Survey Map or a plausible explanation of why one of your characters knows the route and one or more characters with the Guide Subskill of Tracking.

 Setup: When your character goes on a Quest you will resolve the Setup for his next session early, receiving all of his gold and casting any Ritual Magic before he goes on the Quest. When each of the characters who went on the Quest attends their next regular session they skip the Setup phase completely and only receive whatever funds and items they Banked at the end of the Quest.

Costs: It will cost anywhere from 10 to 50 gold to mount an Quest, depending on where it is you are going. Quests to distant lands may cost more so are more effectively accomplished by means of translocation. The characters involved in the Quest can divide this cost however they like. This fee comes from the funds you are being advanced from your next Setup.

 NPCs: If you feel you need them you can hire non player characters to go with you on your Quest. As a general rule moderately skilled characters (no more than 2 Skills, best Skill Ranked no higher than 4, no more than 1 Advantage) will run you 10 gold, skilled characters (Masters of their best Skill, likely to have a couple of Advantages) cost 20 gold and Very Skilled characters (abilities on a par with adventurers, may have a magic item) ask 40 gold or more. Mages and Priests usually run half again as much (15, 30 or 60 gold). Tell me what you are looking for and I will tell you how much it will cost. I will be designing these characters and I may recruit confederates to play them when I run your Quest.

Experience: Earning experience is not the primary purpose of going on Quest but Quests should be worth something so the character who initiated the Quest will earn 2 pts if they accomplish their goal (1 pt if they do not) and all of the player characters who accompanied them on their Quest earn 1 pt each. These awards are not affected by Fast Learner or Slow Learner but Experienced and Legendary characters need not use these points to pay back their experience debt.

Because this is a new rule I will probably suggest which characters go on Quest this time around. For example, the first Quest will involve Branwyn taking Autumn to see the High Druid. Branwyn would know where the Druid is without having to have a Keyword and Autumn is an Outdoorsman with the Guide Subskill so they are covered. I am probably going to charge them 20 gold to mount the Expedition because they are going someplace relatively easy to get to.
    I probably won't be able to run all of the Quests myself so if you are an experienced FRPG GM who knows the Chronicle rules fairly well and would be comfortable running a Quest for me let me know. Volunteer GMs will earn a draw from the Deck of Many Perks and a Karma Point for one of their characters.

NEW RULE: NPC Services
"So what do I do with my money?" was one of the questions I heard most often during Wrap Up. I have decided to come up with a better answer than try to buy potions next time, buy up your Wealth or Bank it.
    At the end of any session you may use whatever gold your character has on hand to hire NPCs to perform all kinds of services for you. All of these services are so expensive that you are usually better off employing a player character but PCs with the skills and spells you need aren't always available (we have had a real problem finding someone to cast the Geomancy spell).
    In theory you can find someone to use any Subskill or cast any spell on your character's behalf, but the following are the services most of you have been asking about. If you need something that isn't on this list you will have to ask the gamemaster for a quote.

 Assassins: An NPC Assassin can be hired for 20 gold. You will resolve the required Test for your hireling. If he fails he is captured and you need to make a special Test (unless your character has the Ringbearer Advantage). If the result is an Uncontested Failure he reveals information during his interrogation that may lead the investigating authorities back to your character (all Assassins operating in the Realm know better than to reveal the involvement of a Ringbearer in their contract).

 Cartography: Hiring an NPC Outdoorsman to make a Survey Map costs 30 gold (this is one of the cases where a PC will probably cost you a lot less if you can find one who hasn't promised their services to someone else).

Geomancy: Hiring a Diviner to cast this spell will cost your character 30 gold (it is assumed to be cast successfully). You can't hire a Cartographer and Geomancer to work on the same Keyword in the same session which means generating a Magic Map from a Keyword will take at least 2 sessions.

Identification: Adventurers eventually end up with one or more mysterious items in their possession. Diviners may be employed to cast any of the following spells; Analyze Potion at a cost of 15 gold, Decipher Scroll for 25 and Identify Magic Item for 40. In each case the spell is assumed to be cast successfully unless there is some plot related reason why it should fail.

Loremasters: The services of an NPC Loremaster will cost your character 50 gold. It is a lot to ask but they can research anything you want to know more about, often providing a Keyword you can use to generate a Survey Map. The power of the Loremasters in the setting is often overlooked or underestimated.

Magic Items: NPC Enchanters will sell minor magic items (those that are expended when they are used) for three times the materials cost (4 times for Black Magic). Major Magic may be available but it will always be very expensive. If you are interested in a buying a Major Magic Item, ask the gamemaster for a quote but don't expect the price to be good for more than one session - the market value of these rare items fluctuates wildly.

Potions: NPC Alchemists charge two and a half times the materials cost of any Potion. Elixirs may be available but will always cost at least three times the materials cost. Elixirs that require special materials will not be available for mere gold. A Quest would be required to obtain a powerful item such as the Elixir of Life.

Resurrection: Finding an NPC willing to perform this spell is difficult and will always require a Quest (you can't just buy a Resurrection like you would a Healing Potion).

Scrolls: Characters with the Magician Advantage may buy one scroll spell per session (Wizards, Magisters and members of the Cabal may buy two). Buying scrolls from an NPC Incanter costs five times the Difficulty of the spell in question (seven times for Black Magic). Clever players can abuse these valuable items so I reserve the right to limit the availability of certain spells. Magic Scrolls may be purchased for an additional 20 gold for 2 pt spells - 60 for 4 pt spells (you can't buy Magic Scrolls which contain 6 pt spells on the open market).

Wizard Spells: Wizards and Magisters may be willing to help but their spells are never (ever) for sale. If your character needs the help of one of these powerful mages he has to undertake a Quest to petition him.

NEW POLICY: Out of Action Awards 
When you can't attend a session through no fault of your own or you have more than one character any inactive characters that you have played at least once will receive experience points equal to half their default award (round down). Most characters receive 2 pts (half the Base Award) but characters with Fast Learner 2 or 3 receive 3 pts and characters with Slow Learner only receive 1 pt.
    If you play a Judge or a GM character and you have more than one character only one of your characters receives the special bonus - the other character or characters receive the out of action award.

REVISION: Special Award Policy 
Several players have pointed out to me that it may not be in the best interest of those of you with characters who have Fast Learner to Judge or play GM characters.

This is a problem.

I have decided that the special award of 5 pts will be affected by Fast Learner if it is assigned to a character who has that Advantage (but it still isn't affected by the Slow Learner Disad).

Another change: Experienced and Legendary characters do not have to use any points earned as a Judge or GM character to repay their debt. This may cause some of you to play these powerful characters a little less often but that suits me fine - you are welcome to help run the game as often as you like.

NEW RULE: Political Power 
The struggle for reunification doesn't seem to be immediate enough for some of you so I have decided to add some rules-related consequences (hit 'em where it hurts, right?). Each of the Factions will have a different effect on the game when they are in the lead. Any modifiers to experience awards are cumulative with existing rules, such as the bonus experience Barons earn when their Faction gains Influence.

 Argoth: After years of hedging his bets Duke Claridge has finally found the middle of the middle of the road. All characters who have Mastered Magic Skill: Healing earn an extra point a session and all Healing Potions, Elixirs, and Scrolls bearing spells from the Healing school cost 20% less because of increased access to the resources at Wellspring but there are no other modifiers. In a lot of ways a vote for Argoth is a vote for the status quo.

 Evangar: Once begun, the return to power of House Winterborne would be a difficult thing to stop. Any character with noble title that does not have an Affiliation to Evangar loses a point of Wealth and earns 1 less point of experience a session while Evangar is in the lead. On the other hand, any character with a Strong Affiliation to Evangar earns an extra point of experience a session. While Evangar is in the lead buying Plot Points for any other Faction costs 25 gold per point (20 for characters who have a Strong Affiliation with those Factions).

 Thallarin: Wood Elves and Druids earn an extra point of experience while Thallarin is in the lead (Half Elves don't get this bonus). Characters with noble title and/or a Strong Affiliation to any of the other Dukes (or the Church of Dain) earn one less point of experience a session. At the end of the session in which Thallarin is in the lead Mercenary Captains can sell their contracts to Blacksteel for 30 gold and a point of Favor (in addition to any Favor they will earn if Thallarin gains Influence). Mercenary contracts assigned to any of the other Dukes are worth 1 less Plot Point than usual.

 Vathos: The policies of Reese and Vamadrexus are good for trade. When you bank your gold you only lose half as much as you normally would. Characters with the Merchant Subskill may either invest twice as much as usual or invest the normal amount with no risk. A Vathos lead also impacts the exchange of Bank Notes (this is yet another New Rule described in the following section). Characters with Mercenary Focus earn twice the usual experience bonus for improving their Wealth but Poor characters earn 1 less point of experience a session.

 Zurek: Jurel is a pacifist and negotiator. All Mercenary Captains earn 1 less point of experience while Zurek is in the lead and their contracts are worth 1 less Plot Point. Ringbearers also earn 1 less point and may not use any of the abilities conferred by their Advantage so long as Zurek is in the lead. Characters with Political Focus earn twice the usual experience bonus for earning Favor. All characters with noble title may assign 1 Plot Point at the end of the session to the Faction of their choice - this represents the additional leverage conferred by Jurel's policies. Assassinations cannot be contracted with NPC Rogues while Zurek is in the lead.

The Cabal: All characters with the Blessed or Chosen Advantages earn 1 less point of experience a session (regardless of their faith and allegiance). All characters with the Lesser or Greater Gift earn an extra point of experience because of the open exchange of arcane lore (Wizards, Magisters and members of the Cabal earn 2 extra points). The cost of casting all Alchemy and Enchantment Rituals is reduced by 10% because of the availability of components (members of the Cabal save 20%). Magical Items may be purchased at the end of the session for 10% less than usual and freelance magicians may be hired to cast spells for 20% less (Geomancy would cost 24 instead of the usual 30).

The Church of Dain: When the Church of the God of Men is in the lead all Priests of Dain, Inquisitors and Crusaders earn an extra point of experience per session (Saints earn 2 extra points a session). Nonhuman characters, Priests of other faiths and Pantheist Champions earn 1 less experience point a session. Buying potions, magical items and scrolls at the end of the session costs 150% what it normally would and hiring a magician to cast spells for you costs double.

Druids: The only direct effect is that Druids earn 2 extra experience points a session. While the Druids are in the lead use the rules for the second place Faction unless it is the Church of Dain or the Pantheists.

The Guild: Characters with the Ringbearer Advantage earn 2 extra experience points a session while the Guild is in the lead, but all Virtuous characters earn 1 pt less and Heroic characters receive no bonus points for their Focus. A thriving black market will allow characters with the Rogue Skill to buy Potions and Magic Items for 10% less than usual (round in the character's favor). This discount is 20% for Ringbearers. In addition, Minor Magic Items that would be considered Black Magic don't cost any more than other items when purchased by a Rogue (A Greater Blood Charm normally costs 48 gold - a Rogue could buy one for 32 gold from the black market). While the Guild is in the lead hiring an NPC assassin only costs 15 gold and Plot Points may be bought from the Guild at the reduced rate of 25 gold for 2 pts but for every 2 pts obtained in this way the Guild receives 1 Plot Point (for which the character receives no credit). Both Famous and Infamous characters earn 2 experience for winning the Player's choice vote while the Guild is in the lead (instead of the 3 pt and 1 pt awards they would normally receive).

Pantheists: Pantheists Priests, Pantheist Champions, Loremasters and Bards earn an extra point of experience a session and characters with the Heroic focus earn an extra point of experience for acting in a Heroic fashion while the Pantheists are in the lead but Inquisitors and Draekor characters who aren't Virtuous earn 1 pt less. Planelocked characters are considered Planebound and Planebound characters only take 1 extra Wound from translocation. Orbs of Power can be tapped for an extra point a session while the Pantheists are in the lead (yes - it's another new rule and no - it isn't in here and I'm not telling yet so consider this foreshadowing).

Obviously, these rules will put a bit of a spin on the game and hopefully it will motivate some of you who had no interest in the political situation to become involved.

Clarifications of Rules That Seems To Confuse You...

When listening to players describe their experiences with the combat system the most confusing thing seems to be the difference between Armor and Defense. Many of you were confusing the two, using your Defense as Armor or vice versa.

To review -

Armor: The number you subtract from any damage inflicted on your character by a successful attack. Unarmored characters have 0 pts of armor. Characters wearing mundane armor have 1 to 3 pts of protection. Some creatures and characters with magic armor have higher armor ratings but these are very rare. For example - the Hundred-Year Beast had 8 pts of armor.

Defense: When someone attacks your character with a close combat weapon and the result is Contested, this is the number you use as the Resisting Value. In other words, a character who scores a Contested Success against a character with a Defense of 4 will only hit if his Warrior Skill Rank is 4 or better. Defense only comes into play when resolving Contested Attack Tests.

Got it? Good. Now I'm going to complicate things for you. In the rules revision I have tinkered with the mechanics for determining both of these numbers. The following are the new rules for Armor, Encumbrance and Defense. Your updated character sheet will be adjusted to reflect these changes.

Armor and Encumbrance

Under the previous version of the rules there were only two classes of armor - light and heavy. This made it difficult to classify some types of armor (chainmail was something of an enigma) so I have changed the rules to allow three classifications, light, medium and heavy.

Light armor consists of leather (or studded leather), hides or furs. Light armor provides 1 pt of protection and has an Encumbrance of 1.

Medium armor is ring mail or chain mail that covers at least half the body. Medium armor provides 2 pts of protection and has an Encumbrance of 3.

Heavy armor incorporates inflexible plates that cover at least half the body. Heavy armor provides 3 pts of protection and has an Encumbrance of 5.

Important: I have changed my mind about the rule requiring everyone to wear whatever armor you want your character to wear. This rule was intended to help add to the look and feel of the event and I think it was successful - to an extent. There was more armor and there were more shields than at any previous event I have run as a direct result of this rule and it looked great. Unfortunately, it seems to be impractical to insist on this kind of costuming so I am going to allow characters to have armor with them that they can change into for Expeditions but if you are attacked in the Tavern you are still stuck with whatever you are wearing.

Defending Yourself

The rules for Parry, Dodge, Evade and Shield Block are unchanged but in every instance where Speed is mentioned the rules should refer to Agility instead (more on that in a minute). What has changed is the way you calculate your Defense Default. Start with a Base of 3.

Weapon: If your character is wielding a medium weapon add 1 (small and large weapons no longer add to Defense and Parrying weapons now add the same bonus other weapons).

Armor and Encumbrance: Use the new values. The Maneuver Subskill and Unearthly Strength reduce Encumbrance by penalties by 1 pt each.

Shields: All shields add 1, regardless of size. A parrying dagger acts as a shield if you have the parrying dagger proficiency but only against small and medium blades (daggers and swords).

Speed: The Speed Advantage no longer has anything to do with your Defense Default. Use the Agility Advantage instead (see below).

The definition of the Maneuver Subskill of warrior has been changed to the following: Characters with this Subskill have learned to minimize the effects of Encumbrance caused by wearing armor. The effective Encumbrance of any armor worn by a character with Maneuver is reduced by one point. (a character wearing chain mail plate has an encumbrance of 3 but characters who can Maneuver reduce the encumbrance to 2). This means that characters with Maneuver may wear light armor with no Encumbrance penalty. In addition, characters with this Subskill may Dodge or Evade and use their Agility bonus (if any) in medium armor.

Agility
5 pts / lvl
Prerequisite: Speed (Fast) for 1 lvl, Speed (Very Fast) for 2 lvls, Speed (Incredibly Fast) for 3 lvls

Agile characters add their Agility to their Default Defense, Dodge and Evade values. Agility has no effect on Parrying or Shield Blocks. Agility cannot be used by characters who are wearing anything heavier than light armor unless they have the Maneuver Subskill in which case they may use their Agility bonus in medium armor (but never in Heavy Armor).

Amareth is wearing Light Armor and fights with a dagger so his Default Defense would be 2 but he is also Very Fast and has 2 levels of Agility so his Default Defense would be 4. When his Default Defense seems insufficient he uses his Dodge Subskill - he is a Rank 5 Rogue so he has a total Dodging Defense of 6.

These changes will lower Default Defense values, which is precisely what I intended (under the old rules wearing no armor but carrying a sword and medium shield gave you a Default Defense of 7 which is way too high). You will find that the Parry, Dodge and Shield Block rules are a lot more important than they used to be so you might want to go back over them before you play again.

Onward and Upward

The next session will be held on June 28th, 1997 at the Hollywood Community House in Brookfield. If you are planning to come and we haven't spoken let me know as soon as possible. I will need everyone to pitch in to cover the site fee - if you aren't going to bring food or something bring money or better yet - get it to me before the game (unfortunately, my financial situation doesn't put me in a position to absorb the costs).
    FYI: We need more players - if we don't see a growth of about 10 players (40 total) I may end up rethinking the structure somewhat so get out and recruit. As an incentive I will give everyone an extra point of experience if we hit our goal. Feel free to pass my name and phone number along to anyone you think will be interested. I am also looking for an Innkeeper, someone to play Gaelen and three Judges. Let me know if you are interested.

*That's all for now. Be well - Mike >: )

 

Gateway Chronicles Copyright (c) 1997, 2000 by Alex Gray