Hunter's Companion
Here's another thread item developed for my Earthdawn campaign.

Hunter's Companion
Maximum Threads: 1
Spell Defense: 12

Hunter's Companion is a large blue-green collar that appears to be made of some type of lizard hide. A silver clasp on the collar has a large incisor hanging from it. The clasp can be opened to remove the tooth from the collar.

The collar was made by the Beastmaster Zael, who lived before the Scourge. He was a member of the group known as the Spears of Tolor, which helped defend the city of Raj Tolor. The hide and the tooth came from the first Horror the group destroyed.

A storm wolf came to the group's aid in the battle, and Zael formed a bond with the animal. The wolf, who became known as Frost, continued to travel with the group, and Zael crafted the collar to commemorate the event and The bond between Zael and Frost grew, and Zael eventually took Frost as his familiar.

The pair fell to a Horror attacking Raj Tolor, and were laid to rest in the vaults of the city fortress.

As the thread ranks of the collar increase, the animal wearing the collar develops physical characteristics reminiscent of a Horror. Its hide grows tougher, its muscular structure grow heavier, and its teeth and claws grow sharper and more feral in appearance.

Rank 1
Cost: 200
Key Knowledge: The user must learn the Name of the collar. In order to activate its powers, the character must wear the tooth as a pendant or brooch, and have an animal companion wear the collar.
Effect: The collar grants the animal wearing the collar the Durability talent at rank 1, raising its death and unconsciousness ratings by 6 and 5, respectively. The rank of the talent increases as the woven thread rank of the collar increases.

Rank 2
Cost: 300
Key Knowledge: The user must learn the name of the collar’s maker.
Effect: The animal’s hide toughens somewhat, granting the animal one additional point of physical armor.

Rank 3
Cost: 500
Key Knowledge: The user must learn the Name and species of Zael’s animal companion.
Effect: The animal becomes more flexible and fluid, granting a +1 step bonus to its attack tests.

Rank 4
Cost: 800
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the Name of the group Zael belonged to.
Effect: The animal’s teeth and/or claws become sharper, granting it a +1 step bonus to damage tests.

Rank 5
Cost: 1300
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the names of the other members of Zael’s group, the dwarf Elementalist Dunsin Aree and the troll Warrior Korin.
Effect: The changes to the animal become more pronounced, and the animal grows scaly plates on its body, granting a total of three points of physical armor.

Rank 6
Cost: 2100
Key Knowledge: The character must learn the final resting place of Zael and Frost.
Deed: The character travels to their resting place and swears a familiar oath with the animal wearing the collar. If they already share a familiar bond, they reaffirm that bond (at no additional damage cost). This legend award for this deed is 2,100 legend points.
Effect: The transformation is even more extreme. The bonuses to attack and damage each increase to +3 as result of the physical changes.

Rank 7
Cost: 3400
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn where Zael found the materials for the collar.
Effect: The collar grants the animal a karma pool. The pool has a maximum of 10 points, with a step 6 karma die. Points may be spent on any test the animal makes. Spent points normally refresh at the rate of one per week.
- posted by Josh @ 6:27 PM (0) comments

 
Strange weather
So... the weather has been strange around here lately.

We started off the month with a week of warm, spring-like, thaw weather. The snow was melting, and life was looking good (consider, here in the wilds of the North, we often don't see spring until summertime).

Then, last Thursday and Friday we got hammered with a Nor'easter that blew in and dumped (at last tally) about a foot and a half of snow -- in about 36 hours.

Global warming was sounding like a damn fine idea the fourth time I was out clearing the driveway.

And now, the last couple days... back to temps in the mid-upper 40s, snow melting... and this evening it was raining!

Strange weather indeed.
- posted by Josh @ 11:29 PM (0) comments

 
Earthdawn Play-by-Post
In my continuing efforts as an Earthdawn fan and booster, I have started up a play-by-post game of Earthdawn over at RPGnet, entitled "Scavenger Hunt" it is an introductory scenario of sorts, revolving around the election of a new magistrate in the city of Travar.

What is unusual about "elections" in Travar is that a group of wizards devises a series of challenges, and the candidates hire champions to take part in the tournament. Whichever candidate's champions win the tournament, that candidate wins the magisterial seat.

It looks like it is going to be a good game. Here are links to the relevant forums if you're interested:

The In-Character thread.
The Out-of-Character thread.

One of the players has also put together a Wiki for the game. You can visit it here.

- posted by Josh @ 1:16 AM (0) comments