Unseen Mystery Part 4 - Mythic/Discworld Game

 All right, I was dragging my feet the past two sessions. I'll admit I was more interesting in padding my word count so I could break my record of writing 10,000 words in a single day. BTW, I succeeded!

So let's get this mystery moving. Watch rookies, I mean members, Ibash Urskul and Yugo Thud are now going to question each of the 3 suspects who had also used the lab where Kaylor had been conducting experiments before someone so rudely tried to murder him.

Now I recently received a pdf of Mythic 2e as a gift (Thank you, Tana!), and it contains some great material that adds to my collection from the magazines. This includes several new tables for generating characters. The first is simple titled, 'Character,' is is a catch-all, giving you a quick summary of the person. The second is about Skills, allowing you to learn what the person is good at. And the third is Names, and it helps you name not only characters, but places as well. Plus it's generic enough to be used for any genre. 

Oh, and you're not supposed to take the name results literally, so you'll see a bit of interpretation from me.

But let's bring in the first suspect, shall we? 

(Q)  Are they all Level 2?  (Likely)  Yes.

(Q)  Are they all Human?  (Likely)  Yes, barely.

Character: Crazy, Questioning.

Skills:  Conflict, Ruin.

Name:  Orn, Ar, Occupation, Drah.

Level 2; Do: +1, Think: +3, Talk: +1.

"Your name," said Yugo Thud, as he sat in the chair, eyes locked on the suspect.

The young man, who looked like he worked out a bit, stared right back without blinking. "Homer Sweed. Do you need my parents' name as well?"

"That won't be necessary." Ibash Urskul either failed to notice the young wizard's darcasm or chose to ignore it. "You were signed up to use the lab after Kaylor Wallow, correct?"

"I was signed up for the afternoon," Sweed answered. "Is that a crime?"

"Trying to murder him's the crime," said Yugo.

"What experiment were you working on?" Ibash asked.

(Spell Effect)  What experiment was he working on?  "Self," "Death." (I'm avoiding the obvious interpretation and going with something more loose.

I'm going to have Ibash make a Talk check to see if he can succeed with his questioning. Ibash has Talk +1, but so does Sweed.

(Talk) Does Ibash succeed?  (0 = 50/50)  Yes.

 "I was trying to give myself the ability to see ghosts," Sweed answered. "Necromancy is a tough field, especially combining it with Divination."

"Did you leave anything behind the night before the explosion?" Ibash asked.

Sweed shook his head, "I just had my spell book and bag full of components, none of which could explode. Anything else?"

"Just one last question." Ibash paused for a moment. "what are your thoughts toward Kaylor Wallow"

(Q)Did Sweed even know Kaylor?  (Very Likely)  Yes, Barely.

(Q)  Did he dislike him?  (50/50)  No.

The young wizard shrugedg. "He's in a few of my classes, but we don't hang out. We all have our own projects."

"Were you threatened by his project?" Yugo asked.

"Why, is he trying to talk to the dead too?" Sweed asked, suddenly angry.

"No," assured Ibash, "he's making round thinks float or something."

"Oh," the young wizard said, "then why should I care? I'm going to ace my project no matter what he does?"

"Thank you for your time," said Ibash. "We might have more questions later."

An hour later, they brought in the next student.

Character:  Playful, Cautious.

Skills:  Water, Art.

Name:  Virtue, Orn, Drah, Ess.

"Your name," said Yugo.

"Coran Taist," said the young wizard.

"And what were you researching in the lab?"

"You mean before Kay blew it to pieces?" Coran smirked. "I make ice sculptures."

"That seems like a waste of a wizard's power," said Yugo.

"Oh it's not that easy," said Coran. "First I control the water to make the shake, and then I freeze it in place."

"Actually," said Ibash, "that's quite interesting. Now did you leave anything behind the night before?"

"And let someone steal my work?" Coran shook his head. "I'd never risk my project on that."

"Okay," Ibash thought for a moment. "Were you close with Kaylor Wallow?"

(Q)  Did Coran know Kaylor?  (Very Likely)  Yes, barely.

(Q)  Did he dislike Kaylor?  (50/50)  No.

The young wizard shrugged. "I've seen him around, you know, a face in the classroom, that's about all."

"Thank you," said Ibash. After Coran left, Ibash turned to Yugo. "What do you think?"

(Q)  Is Yugo suspicious?  (Likely)  Yes, Random Event.

(Event)  Object, Create.

(Q)  Did someone find evidence that water was present in the lab?  (Likely)  Yes.

"He claimed he didn't know Mr. Wallow well," said the dwarf, "and yet he referred to him by a nickname, Kay." He then pulled out a piece of paper and looked over it. "And Brigda claimed to finding a puddle of water under one of the shelves."

Ibash frowned. "A fire suppression system?"

Yugo shook his head. "The bucket was blown into the far wall."

The troll considered this. "The boy's experiment from the previous night."

"Possible." The dwarf nodded his head. "I'd think it'd evaporate by then."

"Quite possible," said the troll. "Let's talk to our third suspect."

Character:  Violent, Aggressiveness.

Skills:  Investigate, Communicate.

Name:  Kr, Tor, Fr, Number.

Level 2:  Do:  +2, Think:  +4, Talk:  0.

"Your -"

"Kramer Frunt." The young wizard sat, leaning forward in his chair. "Let's get this over with."

"What kind of experiment were you working on?" Ibash asked.

(Q)  Does Kramer cooperate?  (Very Unlikely)  X-No, Random Event.

(Event)  Distant, Enemies.

(Q)  Is he trying to kill Kaylor?  (50/50)  X-Yes.

 Wow, I thought it was the other guy! Guess I need some spells for Kramer.

(Spells)  Light-Powerful, Mind-Shield, Environment-Emotion, Cold-Restore, Weak-Soul, Poison-Inspect.

I'm going to interpret these to mean:

- Create light.

- Mind shield.

- Cry Baby (Make people around you feel an emotion for 10 seconds)

- Counter Cry Baby (in case someone tries it on him)

- Terror (Level 3 Fear spell)

- Find Poison.

"Why are you even asking me these things?" Kramer asked. "The lab's sign-up sheet was erased."

Yugo sat up straight. "How did you know it was erased?"

The smarter they are, the dumber they are.

Eyes going wide, Kramer leaped out of his seat. Ibash and Yugo immediately stood up, hands falling to their weapons.

Kramer will try and use his Cry Baby spell on the two watchmen (Effect), and they will try to restrain him (also Effect). Kramer has +2 Think but -1 for the second opponent. 

Bash has +2 Do, +1 for Yugo's help.

(Clash)  Does Kramer succeed?  (0 = 50/50)  Yes.

Kramer's Think is +4 vs. Ibash's 0 and Yugo's +2, so it works.

Kramer lifted his hands. "Spilled milk!"

Ibash stopped, dropped his crossbow, and burst into tears. "Oh no, I miss my gramms!"

Yugo covered his face. "I miss mine too!"

The two leaned against each other, sobbing hysterically. Turning on his heels, Kramer burst from the room.

(Q)  Does Kramer run for it?  (No means he goes after Kaylor)  (Likely)  No.

(Q)  Does he have a weapon?  (Very Likely)  Yes, Random Event.

(Event)  Mundane, Move.

I'm interpreting that to mean he was able to get past everyone and reach Kaylor's room without anyone noticing, so a dagger seems like the best weapon.

(Q)  Does the dagger have a +1 enchantment (Likely)  Yes.

(Q)  Is it also poisoned?  (Likely)  No.

You know what?  I'm going to say the +1 Is the poison.

Kramer burst into Kaylor's room to find the other young wizard sitting at his desk. In another chair sat a gray skinned, muscular figure.

"Stop right there, in the name of the watch!" said Bridga Hert.

For a brief moment, Kramer stared. "How many of you are there?"

Before the undead watchman could react, Kramer let loose with his Terror spell.

The Spell is Level 3, so Kramer suffers a -3 when casting it. However, if it hits, it gets a +3 against anyone trying to resist. He also suffers a -1 because, again, he's casting it against 2 people.

(Magic)  Does Kramer successfully cast the spell (50/50)  Yes.

(Magic)  Does Brigda resist the spell?  (+1 Think vs. +6 = Impossible)  No.

(Magic)  Does Kaylor resist the spell?  (+3 Think +3 Danger Sense vs. +6 = 50/50)  Yes, Random.

(Event)  Increase, Progress.

"Boo!" Kramer shouted.

Brigda fell to all fours and cowered behind the bed. "No! Monsters!"

But Kaylor held is ground. "So all along, it was you, you . . . you. Who are you anyway?"

"My name's Kramer." "He held out his dagger. "I can see magic won't work against you. Setting traps don't work. I'll just have to try something, more direct."

"Okay." Kaylor kept his hands by his side. "But first would you tell me why you're doing all this?"

Good question.

(Detail)  Why is Kramer trying to murder Kaylor?  Failure, Stop.

"I messed up my project and now I'm going to flunk Prenk's class," Kramer said. "But if I off one of my classmates, maybe that'll impress the higher ups enough to fast-track me to the top. After all, wizards here just LOVE ambition! Sending you to an early grave will show them I'm definitely high level material. Then I won't even need to pass. why do you think I work out so much? all the higher ups are so out of shape, I could body slam them right off the tower. But I'll start with you."

Kaylor stared at him. "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life, and I just sat in Garfnozell's class." He began to pace. "You do realize that I'm low level. Killing me does nothing to get you ahead, not even a little. Not to mention, you really think they'll promote someone who so blatantly and stupidly admits to murder? There's a little word called subtly, you know."

(Q) Did Brigda have time to recover?  (+1 Think vs. -1 RS from the effects = 50/50)  No.

From the corner of his eye, Kaylor noticed Brigda. For an undead, he still whimpered in the corner.

"The watch are So good at their jobs!" Kramer cackled. "Don't you feel safe? I'm stronger. I'm smarter, and I'm much more powerful." He gestured to his dagger. "I also coated this with a little surprise. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to get poison when you're friends with - "

Kaylor rolled his eyes. "Enough with the monologues. Just kill me already."

Kramer grinned. "Gladly." He stepped forward, pointing the blade at his opponent's chest. "Get ready to die."

Kaylor star right at him. "Who am I again?"

Kramer is going to try to stab our hero, while Kaylor will attempt his Forget me So spell. Kaylor has +3 Think. Kramer is attacking melee and his Do is +2.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (+1 = Likely)  Yes.

Kramer stopped in his tracks. "Why you're, huh?"

Kaylor ran past him and down the hallway.

(Q)  Did Ibash and Yugo recover yet?  (+2 Do vs. -2 RS from the X result = 50/50)  No.

Kaylor ran back to the room, only to find the other two watchmen still in tears.

"Gramms!" Ibash embraced Yugo who sobbed into his friend's shoulder.

Shutting the door, he locked it behind him. Running over to the two watchmen, he grabbed their shoulders. "Snap out of it! He's coming this way!"

When both men ignored him, he held onto their shoulders. "What are you doing?"

This is a slightly more powerful version of the spell. Instead of making someone forget the caster, it makes them forget what they're doing. It's a Level 1 spell and lasts 10 minutes.

(Magic) Does Kaylor's spell work?  (+3 Think -1 for two targets vs. Level 1 = Likely)  Yes.

Opening their eyes, Ibash and Yugo stood straight up.

"You're right," said Ibash. "Let's stop that guy."

(Q)  Will Kramer go after Kaylor now?  (Very Unlikely)  X-Yes.

Damn, this guy's a psycho!

They turned, hearing a crashing against the door.

"We're not done yet, Wallow!" said Kramer from the other side of the door. "I'll pass my class if I have to turn you all to dust."

"I take back what I said before." Kaylor shook his head. "THAT was the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Ibash held up his crossbow. "I'm ready."

Yugo held up his staff. "Me too."

But Kaylor held up his hand. "Last time, he turned you into bawling infants. Don't charge ahead."

Ibash glanced over. "What do you have in mind."

Kaylor thought for a moment. "Keep bawling."

The two watchmen looked at each other and then lowered themselves to their knees while pretending to cry. "Gramm Gramm! Why must the good leave us so young!"

There was another banging on the door.

(Q)  Is bashing the door +2 Difficulty?  (Likely)  Yes.

(Do)  Does Kramer succeed in bashing it?  (+2 vs. +2 Diff = 50/50)  Yes.

Slamming his foot into the door, Kramer knocked it loose. Entering the room, he found himself staring at Kaylor while the two watchmen were on their knees, still sobbing away.

"A guys," said Kaylor, "now would be a pretty good time to snap out of it."

This is a Bluff attempt by Kaylor, Ibash, and Yugo. Kaylor has +4 Bluff, with +1 from Ibash having +1 talk. Yugo's talk is 0 so he won't be counted. Kramer's Wit (awareness) is +4. If it works, they'll get to attack Kramer before he can cast another spell.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor bluff Kramer?  (+1 = Likely)  Yes.

Kramer laughed. "I can't believe the best the watch can do is send a bunch of babies to protect you, Wallow." He started forward with his dagger. "I dare you to try that stunt again."

Suddenly, Ibash pointed his crossbow and fired, striking Kramer in the chest. He stumbled back a few steps in shock.

Kramer suffers a -1 RS.

(Q)  Does Kramer run?  (Likely)  No, Random Event.

(Event)  Benefit, Surprise.

(Q)  Is Brigda the surprise?  (Likely)  Yes, Random Event.

(Event)  Goals, NPC.

(Q)  Is the NPC Brigda?  (50/50)  Yes.

(Q)  Does he get a surprise bonus?  (Likely)  No.

As Kramer backed to the doorway, he failed to see the gray-skinned person behind him.

This will be a one on one Clash between Brigda and Kramer. Both will use Do, though Kramer has a -1 RS from his injury.

(Clash)  Does Brigda win the Clash?  (+1 = Likely)  No.

Brigda lunged forward but Kramer dodged him. "Nice try, but you smell like Professor Grant's funeral."

But he forgot about Kaylor, who used his Levitate spell to pick up a vase and hurled it at the insane young wizard's head. Ibash, meanwhile, armed another bolt and fired his crossbow, and Yugo swung his staff at the young man's chest.

Kaylor has +3 Magic, +1 for Ibash, and another +1 for Yugo (who is attacking now instead of bluffing), versus Kramer's +4 Magic, -1 RS.

(Clash)  Do the heroes win the Clash? (+1 = Likely)  Yes.

Another -1 RS, but versus the combined attack, I'm making it a total of -3 RS.

(Incapacity)  Is Kramer Incapacitated?  (+4 vs. -3 = Certain)  Yes.

The vase slammed into Kramer's head. He stumbled, but then Yugo's staff struck his chest and he fell down. Just as he raised his head, Ibash's bolt caught him in the throat and he fell to the ground.

Just them Professor Prenk ran in. "My word! What happened?"

"We found out who was after me," said Kaylor, as the watchmen got to their feet. "Turned out his was failing your class and thought dropping me would gain him some favor."

"That's the stupidest thing I've heard," said the professor, "and I've sat in on Garfnozell's lectures." He then whispered to Kaylor. "But you didn't hear that from me."

Kaylor shrugged. "Heard what."

As Prenk leaned over the fallen Kramer, he shook his head. "Will he be all right?"

Yugo leaned over the body and felt for a pulse. "Doubt it."

"We'll take things from here," said Ibash.

"Good, good." Prenk led Kaylor out of the room. "I'm so sorry you had to go through with this, especially since you have a ways to go in your career at this university.. However, you proved yourself quite adept at surviving so I'll make a note of that when I grade your assignment."

"Thanks," said Kaylor, "but I would like to continue. I was having a lot of fun, until, you know."

Nodding, the professor smiled. "I'll see if I can get you into another lab. Just make sure you keep your belongings with you next time."

"I will," Kaylor turned to go back to his room.

"And I'm going to make a school-wide announcement," said Prenk. "No attempting to remove your classmates. That will gain you no advantages." He then lowered his voice. "Not this lower levels anyway.

 So that ends that game, and I finally have an ending to my mystery. But the stories don't end there, especially with Discworld have over 40 books. I'm sure I can come up with a few more games here and there. Plus I wouldn't mind expanding on the adventures of Ibash, Yugo, and Brigda.

Until next time . . .

 

"We're going on an Adventure!" "No I'm not."

 I just got some early Xmas presents, including several Mythic Magazines. One of the magazines, #16, covers City Generation. Playing off of 1 Page Location Craft rules, you create your city streets, alleyways, etc. as you play. And while I'd prefer it also including buildings like shops, I can work with it.

I'm using the 1P LC and City Crafter for my next Mythic game, and my second Discworld game for my hero, wizard in training and reluctant hero Kaylor.

Kaylor is now Level 2 and gains 2 more Ability Points. I used one of them to increase his Think. The other, I converted to Skill Points, giving him +3 to Bluff. I figure he likes to wander around outside the University and in street clothing as to not attract unwanted attention.  Funny how that never seems to work.

For his 3 new spells, I rolled randomly for the first and got "Uncertain," "Guide." I interpreted to mean an illusion spell where he can distract an opponent. Taking the word Guide loosely as paying attention to the caster and Uncertain as lack of focus, I came up with the following:

Forget me so:  Level 0. Causes 1 opponent (or up to 3 with -1 RS for each) to forget about the caster's immediate presence for a time, allowing the caster to make a getaway. If the caster touches the target, the spell lasts for 1 minute. However, if the caster casts the spell from a distance (up to 6 feet away), it only lasts 10 seconds. Still, more than enough time to get out of sight. 

The other spells he learned are:

Staff Blast (I decided he needed an attack): Can fire a magic blast from a staff, wand, or similar object. The Damage is +1 (The same as using his club in melee) and lasts for 10 minutes.

Lock/Unlock:  Magically seals or unseals a door, pocket, or lock. For another caster to unlock it requires a roll versus the Caster's Casting Level. For non-magical unlocking, the Difficulty increases +3.

This next adventure starts as a parody of The Hobbit. Don't get me wrong; I love the book. However, a lot of Discworld stories tend to parody different fantasy stories and tropes. And I have a feeling an old man approaching me out of the blue (or green, depending on your sky) and inviting me on an adventure wouldn't go over well.

The first part is mostly narration, with some rolls thrown in. The actual game play happens a bit afterwards.

Let's start with some basic information.

(Q)  Does this session begin in the morning?  (50/50)  Yes, but close to a no.

We begin our story late in the morning. The sun shined brightly on the disc from high above as businesses prospered in their opening hours. Lunch time began to approach, and so many rushed to finish their work so they could break for lunch. Hours, however, rushed into town for other reasons.

Sneaking out of class was a challenge for Kaylor, but it had to be done. The new book in his favorite series would be in the bookstore today, and he wanted to grab it, head back to his room, and start reading as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Professor Prenk didn't seem quite as understanding. When Kaylor let slip that he had planned to go buy his book after class, the professor decided that day was perfect to give a lecture on the history of the Magical Toenail of Klepper. And a lengthy lecture it was to be, for an hour in and yet Klepper hadn't even been born yet.

At was at this point that Kaylor decided to test one of his new spells. A classmate had shown him how to distract others with the Forget me So spell. Unfortunately, Prenk stood on a platform so touching even his shoulder was out of the question. As Kaylor walked cautiously up the aisle, he reached the front of the class.

Professor Prenk glanced down at him. "Mr. Wallow (Bet you didn't know he had a last name, did you? Well don't feel bad, up until this point, neither did I.), I am afraid today's lecture has not reached its completion." 

Ignoring the professor's words, Kaylor whispered the words to the spell, subtly pointing his finger forward.

Prenk stiffened for a moment, but then returned his gaze to the class. "Now where was I? Oh yes, Nell and Fennor Klepper gave birth to the child who became . . ."

With only seconds to spare, Kaylor slipped out of the classroom and out the building. Before Leaving the University, however, he decided to rely on caution and spent a few minutes casting his Danger Sense spell.

(Magic)  Does Kaylor cast Danger Sense successfully?  (+3 +0 Spell Level = Nearly Certain).  Yes.

Guarded by his magical sense, Kaylor exited the University. Finding his way through the crowd, he rushed to the bookstore, found his book, and waited somewhat patiently in line to pay for it. A few minutes later, he sat outside on a bench with the open book in his hands. He could've waited until he returned to his room to begin reading, but that would be several minutes away. He had waited months for this book, so he began reading about people who build wondrous horseless vehicles and used them to travel all over, exploring the land from the ground, sea, and even the air. This book covered the characters and their adventures in a vehicle that could float into the air, as if a balloon could lift a carriage and four humans high among the clouds. 

A shadow falling on him cut the young wizard's imagination-filled reading short, and he raised his eyes to the one before him. A tall man with a white beard that fell just past his neck and wearing a business suit and top hat watched him with the hint of amusement in his aging face.

"Can I help you?" Kaylor asked.

"I don't know," said the man, "Can you? Do you have some ability hidden from the masses here," he waved a hand to the side, "in which you can aid me?" He then turned his leer right down to the young man on the bench. "Or do you mean to ask if you May help me?"

Kaylor smirked. As a longtime reader, this was his area of specialty. "Actually, both are correct, but in this case, I meant it as a polite question as to why you choose to block my sun."

The man glanced backwards. "My apologies, but in response I believe the sun belongs to us all and not solely to you. However I do see you point. My name is Salton Driff and I have a proposition for you, Mr - "

"Kaylor," he answered, "and what kind of proposition?"

Driff noted the book in the young man's hands. "I see you enjoy reading about adventures. How would you like to go on a real one?"

Suddenly wishing he had gone straight back to his room, Kaylor placed his book in his backpack. "No thanks, I'm good."

"But I have mentioned nothing about the adventure yet," said Driff.

"You don't need to," said Kaylor. "I'm not interested. Besides I have to get back."

"It would pay well," added Driff, and you would return with stories of your own to tell, that is on the assumption that you do return. And upon that thought, I should add that even if you indeed return, I cannot promise you would find yourself the same individual as when you left."

"Well you convinced me," Kaylor said. "When do we leave?"

Driff snorted lightly. "A sarcastic answer, I see. I was afraid of this."

(Magic)  Does Kaylor's Danger Sense work?  (+3 +0 Spell Level = Nearly Certain).  Yes.

Hearing an alarm in the back of his head and feeling vibrations from more than one individual behind him, Kaylor leaped to his feet and heard a series of thumps behind him. Turning, he saw two men in similar light armor, their faces covered save for their eyes, noses, and mouths, pulling themselves off the bench while holding a huge sack.

"Was that you plan?" the young man asked. "If I say no, you kidnap me?"

Driff shrugged. "It was an attempt."

Kaylor then glanced around and noticed several men all dressed the same. "Friends of yours?"

"I got them at discount from the Henchmen Guild," Driff answered. He then returned his attention to the young man. "I did notice you reacted with rather impressive reflexes just now. If I didn't know better, I would infer that magic may be involved. Tell me, young Wallow, is this room where you plan to return at the University?"

"How did, I mean, what are you talking about?" Kaylor cursed himself for slipping.

"Ah, I am correct." Driff grinned and leaned forward. "Perhaps you could assist me in my adventure, in exchange for my not revealing your presence to those around us."

Kaylor started to back away before being stopped by a henchman. "You've got something loose up there, and again I'm not interested."

"Oh really?" Driff raised his voice. "MY WORD, IS THERE A WIZARD HERE AMONG US?

Several people stopped and glanced over curiously as Driff stepped back smugly.

But Kaylor refused to take the bait. "That's right, a wizard, right here." Reaching into his pocket, he produced a pack of cards. "Pick a card, any card, you sir, test your skills. Pick a card, won't you?"

Kaylor is attempting to bluff the crowd. I'm not entirely sure how difficult it would be so first, I'll make it a question. Although there is a number of people around, their attention and whether they believe and/or care might be mixed).

(Q)  Is the Difficulty +2 (Likely)  X-No.

 Apparently, the crowd is quite mixed in their feelings, so a 0 Difficulty.

(Bluff)  Does Kaylor Bluff the crowd?  (+3 vs. 0 Diff = Near Certain)  Yes.

The man took the card and Kaylor split the deck so he could return the card to it. Then the young wizard shuffled the deck and produced a card. "Is this your card?"

(Q)  Well, is it?  (50/50)  Yes, Random Event.

(Event)  "Communicate," "Positive."

"Yes!" The man began clapping and the rest of the crowd joined in. "Have I seen you perform at the stage before?"

"Not yet," Kaylor answered. "I want to practice some more."

"He lives at the University." Driff stepped forward. "Take from that what you will."

The man looked from the old man to Kaylor. "You do?"

Kaylor shrugged. "Don't get excited. I run paperwork for the football games."

The man nodded. "Well good luck to you."

He and the rest of the crowd continued on.

Kaylor turned to Driff. "Nice try, though for the record, if you want the service of a wizard so much, I'm sure many would gladly leap at the chance."

"While that is true," said the old man, "I would find it easier to simply procure your services at this moment."

"Well procure elsewhere." Kaylor began to walk away.

"You will find, young Mr. Wallow," the old man, "that I very rarely take no for an answer." He gestured to his henchmen.

I want Kaylor to very subtly give the old man a hint to shove off, so I'll make it a spell. It's not going to cause any harm or really negative effects so I won't roll for the old man's resistance.

(Magic)  Does Kaylor succeed?  (+3 vs. 0 Spell Level =  Near Certain)  X-Yes.

Turning slightly back, Kaylor held onto his backpack with one hand. However, he briefly gestured to the old man and his hat flew off. "Don't threaten me." He then walked off.

As he turned a corner though, he glanced back and saw Driff nod to his henchmen, who began to follow the young wizard.

So the next part is Kaylor attempting to get back to the University so he can continue reading his book before Driff's henchmen kidnap him. Here's how it'll work:

- I'm using 1P Location Crafter (Small location since he's not crossing the entire city) along with the City Crafter.

- However, I won't need to City Story or Descriptor tables since he's in Ankh-Morpork, which already has its own story.

- If I roll Complete, he succeeds. If I roll Exit, it's the exit out of town. Diffrent direction than his goal, but desperate times and such.

- Any Encounter will be with Henchmen. I'll roll for how many using 1d10: 1-2 (1 henchman), 3-5 (2), 6-8 (3), 9-10 (4 of them). 

- I already rolled for their stats and got Level 0 characters with all 0 for Abilities. However, each one after the first grants a +1 bonus.

- On a Clash, the henchmen will always go for Effect (grabbing Kaylor and throwing him in a bag). If they succeed, he gets one chance to escape. If he fails, well, I guess he really is going on an adventure.

First Location:

- Location:  Fragrant, Weapon.

- Location:  Communication, Ornate.

- Location:  Purposeful, Frightening.

Rounding a corner, a strong scent hit Kaylor like a stone wall, and he stumbled and actually found a wall to steady himself. Glancing up, he noticed a shop with differently-scented items. Apparently, the person running the place had a poor sense of smell because the odor was strong enough for people to give the shop a wide breadth. 

A few feet away was another shop, where the owner apparently sold carrier birds, of all shapes and colors. The owner ("Important," "Light") was a tall man in formal clothing, as if he worked in sort of political position. Receiving an arrival, he unrolled the scroll, saw the backhand and 2 fingers, and threw the scroll to the ground.

The arch leading out of the section of town had a sign written presumably in goblin. Kaylor spoke some goblin and got the point that the sign was supposed to read, "This way to more shopping and food." Instead, translated literally, it read, "Say goodbye to purse and hello to death." Oops.

Still, it was his only path so the young wizard continued on.

City Connector:  Expected.

Leaving the section, Kaylor walked through a busy pathway that was just walls on both sides, and unfortunately nowhere to slip in and hide. He continued on.

+4 Progress Points.

Next Location:

- Object:  Guidance, Storage.

- Location:  Beautiful, Mysterious.

- Expected, Return. (I'm counting this as an Encounter.)

Stopping before a map on the wall, Kaylor searched for the quickest path back to the University and his room. He also noted a small boxed marked, "Tips." Well mapmakers had to make a living as well, so he dropped a couple of coins into the box. Finding where he stood, he traced the path and looked up. He saw two pathways that he could take.

One arch was covered in bright and multi-colored flowers that he had never seen before. He remembered hearing how different guilds maintained different sections of the city, but he didn't remember a florist one.

"There he is!"

Looking at the other path, Kaylor saw the henchmen appear. Pointing at him, they began to approach slowly.

(Q)  How many of them are there?  2 of them. This grants them a +1 on their rolls.

I'm going to have Kaylor try his Forget spell again (+3), while the henchmen will try to nab him (+1).

 

(Clash)  Does Kaylor succeed?  (+2 = Very Likely)  Yes, but barely.

"Just make it easy on yourself and come with us quietly," said one of the henchmen, reaching forward.

"Okay, okay, just take it easy." Kaylor held out his hands.

But before they could grab him, he touched both their hands. "Who am I again?"

Both henchmen stopped, looking confused, and the young wizard used this moment to slip around them and into the crowd.

Connector:  Same with side area.

Kaylor found himself in another pathway, but this one had a small opening on one side. Possibly it led to homes, but in a way that allowed residents to maintain their privacy. He continued on.

+5 PP

Next Location:

- Negative:  Valuable, atmosphere.

- Expected, Exit.

- Expected, Return.

(Q)  Is the negative just the henchmen?  (Likely)  Yes.

(Q)  Is there a third path that leads to a new location?  (Likely)  X-No.

Uh oh. Either he leaves the city or goes back to a previous area.

As Kaylor entered an area with lots of food stands, the glare of the sun hit him in the face. Then something bumped into him. spinning around, he saw one of the henchmen holding his purse of coins.

"You want this back?" The henchman said. "Come with is."

(Q)  How many of them?  3.

(Q)  Are they blocking both ways out?  (Likely)  X-Yes.

Kaylor looked over. One archway led outside of the city, but one of the henchmen stood there, blocking it. The other led to the right, possibly another path to the residences. But this archway also was blocked by a laughing henchman. The original one stood before him laughing.

Well the good news is they're not together so no bonuses to their actions. The bad news is I have to make more than one roll, which means more than one chance for failure.

I'm going to have him perform 2 separate actions, which means -1 RS for his roll.

"Fine," Kaylor said, "just give me back my money."

"Here, you baby," said the henchman.

Kaylor reached out, taking the purse, but he also touched the man's hand. "Who am I again?"

(Clash)  Does it work?  (+3 -1RS vs. 0 = Very Likely)  Yes.

The man looked around confused, and Kaylor walked right past him. 

Now he needed to leave the area. He decided to go for the one leading back to the homes. Approaching the henchman, he held up a hand. "Please let me pass."

The man looked past him. "What'd you do to my friend?"

The young wizard shrugged. "I said please. Now who am I?"

(Clash)  Does it work?  (+3 vs. 0 = Near Certain)  Yes.

"Why you're, huh?" The man's face went blank (figuratively speaking, of course).

Before the third of the henchmen could investigate, Kaylor slipped into the crowd.

Connector:  Same.

Well the previous one was a pathway with a side area so I'll proceed as if this does the same.

The pathway had some homes on the side, which looked more like single-room apartments all jammed together. On the other wall was an opening.

Kaylor wasn't sure which way to go so he thought of asking for directions, just not in a general sense.

Kaylor is casting his Helping Hand spell. However, he's going to add a perk that makes it so only he can see it. This will grant a -1 RS to his roll.

(Magic)  Does the spell work?  (+3 vs. 0 Lvl  -1 RS = Very Likely)  Yes.

(Q)  Does that opening lead closer to his goal?  (50/50)  Yes.

Kaylor whispered the words and the floating hand appeared. He then pointed to the opening in the wall and asked, "Is that is quickest way back to the U?"

The hand pointed and then gave a thumbs up.

"Thanks." He probably didn't need to thank the hand; he wasn't even sure it had a mind of its own. But it was a habit to thank anyone or anything that helped him. Better than not doing so at all.

+6 PP.

Next Location:

- Negative:  Warning, Stylish.

- Object:  Creepy, Container.

- Expected.

(Q)  Is the object related to the Negative descriptor?  (50/50)  X-Yes.

(Q)  Do any henchmen appear?  (Likely)  No.

(Q)  Is the object blocking his path?  (Likely)  Yes, but barely.

(Q)  Can it move?  (50/50)  No.

(Q)  Is this related to a shop or merchant?  (Likely)  No.

(Description)  I need more info on the container:  "Heavy," "Colorful," "Empty."

Entering a courtyard, Kaylor glanced around and noticed the area was clear of people. This was odd, he thought. He started towards the other way out but found the archway hidden by shadows. Leaving the sun, he froze, staring at a huge coffin. It was made of metal and painted lots of colors. The lid was wide open, but it was empty. 

Kaylor walked cautiously around it.

(Q)  Does anything happen when he gets close to the coffin?  (Likely)  No.

Fortunately, he managed to walk around it without any problems, other than the feeling of dread in his stomach. Slipping through the archway, he took off running.

Connector: Same with side area.

Kaylor walked through another alley that also had an opening in one wall. He kept note of it incase he had to retreat later.

+7 PP.

Next Location:

- Object:  Quiet, Creepy.

- Expected, Exit.

- Expected.

Kaylor entered another courtyard but saw another coffin. This one, fortunately, was against the wall. He decided to stay as far from it as possible.

Hearing laughter, he saw one of the henchmen entering the courtyard from a pathway that led out of town. But was he alone?

I'm counting the second Expected as more henchmen, meaning i'm rolling with +1:  So 2 total. Oh well, I'll take it!

(Q)  Did the henchmen have anything to do with the coffins?  (Unlikely)  No.

A second henchman followed the first. "The boss wants you now." Noticing the coffin, he chuckled and turned to his friend. "Let's stuff him in that until he says yes."

"Good idea." The first one grinned as they closed in on the young wizard.

Same as before. They try to bag him (+1). He tries to make them forget him (+3). 

(Clash)  Does Kaylor succeed?  (+2 = Very Likely)  No.

Kaylor held out his hands, but the first of the henchmen was too fast. Grabbing the young wizard from behind, he held his arms behind him. "Forget the bag, bring him over."

His buddy helped him pick up Kaylor and drag him over to the coffin.

Kaylor will try to escape. Unfortunately, his hands are held so he can't cast any spells, and with a Do of 0, physically escaping is out of the question. Instead, he'll try to bluff his way out.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor escape?  (+3 RS vs. +1 = Very Likely)  Yes.

"Wait!" Kaylor cried out. "What about the vampire?"

The first henchman stopped. "Vampire?"

"Yes," the young wizard answered. "Can't you tell that's a vampire's coffin?"

The second one dropped him. "What if he's right?"

"We better open it first."

Releasing Kaylor, they both tried to open the lid. As they did so, Kaylor snuck up behind them and touched their shoulders. "Who am I again?"

(Clash)  Does he succeed?  (+3 vs. +1 = Very Likely)  Yes.

"Come on, lift," said the first, "on 3."

"Okay," said the second. "1, 2, 3."

The young wizard ran for archway, not waiting to see if they succeeded.

But I am curious.

(Q)  Is there something inside the coffin?  (Likely)  Yes.

(Q)  Is it dead?  (50/50)  No, Random Event.

Oh, this should be good!

(Event)  "Create," "Expectations."

I'm interpreting that to mean it's all up to me (heh heh!).

As he left the courtyard, Kaylor heard the two men lift the lid. Suddenly, they both screamed and their were a series of crunching sounds. Feeling a chill up his spine, he hurried on.

(Connector)  Heavy road.

The archway actually left to an area just outside the city. He took the stone road and entered back into the city.

+8PP

Next Location:

- Expected, Complete.

- Location:  Damage, Expended.

- Expected.

Entering another courtyard, Kaylor saw the gates to the University just on the other side. This was a back entrance, through a courtyard of broken stone paths and fallen trees. 

"This way!" Hearing voices behind him, he tried to run through the debris to reach the gates.

I'll make this an Ability roll. Kaylor's Do is 0 but it won't be an easy trip.

(Q)  Is the Difficulty +1 (Likely)  Yes, Random Event.

(Event)  "Help," "Break."

(Q)  Is someone or something helping Kaylor?  (50/50)  No.

I'll interpret that to mean if he fails, Driff and his henchmen will immediately appear, and he'll have to deal with them before escaping. However, I'm going to have him use his magic to levitate the debris out of his way. This will create 2 actions: magically clearing the path and running to the gates.

(Magic)  Does Kaylor succeed?  (+3 -1 RS vs. +1 Diff = Likely)  X-Yes.

Raising his hands, Kaylor whispered the words. The fallen tree branches and stones lifted up. Dropping them to the side, he heard footsteps behind him, so he hurried. He ran to the gates and found them opened. Rushing inside, he closed and locked the gates. Then he ran for his room, shut the door and locked it.

A few hours later, a note was slipped under his door. "Prenk wants to see you in his office."

Kaylor reached the professor's office, knocked, and entered. 

The office was huge, with side rooms, presumably for sleeping and other activities. Prenk sat in a chair before his fireplace. Leaning back, he smiled. "Come in, Kaylor, have a seat."

The young wizard did so.

"So, about your leaving my class early - "

"Sorry about that," said the young wizard. "I just really wanted the book."

"Well then," said the professor, "are you enjoying your new book."

"A little," Kaylor answered, "though I'm a bit tired from that adventure you sent me on." 

Prenk raised an eyebrow. "That I went you on?"

The young wizard nodded. "Mr. Driff addressed me by my last name, but I never gave it to him, or said anything about it. Someone else must have, and since you're the only one I told where I was going, process of elimination."

"Indeed." Prenk nodded. "Well you did leave my class early today so consider that your midterm exam." He then smiled. "Which, I'll add that you passed according to my friend, Mr. Driff., though I do have to compensate him for the loss of two henchmen."

"Sorry," said Kaylor, "but I didn't tell them to open that coffin."

"Oh I know," said the professor. "The one that survived told us, or at least what's left of him did."

"So that was an exam?" The young wizard tried to wrap his mind around the events.

Prenk nodded. "I've found that you, like many of my students, perform better with unorthodox examinations. Now go back to your room and rest. I'm sending a team to tape off that section of the city for now."

Kaylor stood and started to leave when he paused and turned back. "What if I had failed that exam?" 

Prenk thought for a moment. "Mr. Driff was instructed to drop you off outside the city somewhere. Your 'adventure' would be to return here."

"And what was in that coffin?"

Prenk's demeanor suddenly grew dark. "You do Not want to know."

(Q)  Does Kaylor advance to Level 3?  (+3 Difficulty vs. +2 Plot Tokens = Unlikely)  Yes.

So Kaylor is now Level 3, but I'll work with that later. The next game is based on a dream I had. It starts with a mystery, but I woke up before I solved it. Kaylor, therefore will help me, or rather, I'll help him.

Over the River and Through the Woods - Mythic Discworld Game

"Student Kaylor, please step forward.

As the rest of the students stood to leave the classroom, Kaylor turned. Raising an eyebrow, he approached the front of the clasroom. "Yes, Professor Prenk?"

Professor Prenk, an elderly gentleman, wearing the Unseen Univeristy's wizard robes and hat, handed the young wizard in training a piece of paper. "I have a different final exam for you."

Kaylor glanced at the paper. "These are different kinds of flowers."

"That's correct," said Prenk.

"You want me to identify them?" Kaylor asked.

"No," said the elderly professor. "I want you to bring me 8 of each, from outside."

The young wizard in training nodded. "You mean outside the classroom."

"No," replied the older man in colorful robes, pointing in what seemed like a random direction. "Outside."

Kaylor looked up. "Outside the University?"

Prenk nodded. "In a manner of speaking, but more like outside the city."

Kaylor's eye went wide. "You want me to collect flowers outside the city?"

This time it was the professor who furrowed and eyebrow. "I don't know how that could not be more clear."

"But I'm only a first year student," said Kaylor. "My starting spells are for lab work."

The professor crossed his arms. "Well you should have thought of that before choosing them."

The wizard in training blinked. "You told me to choose spells for lab work because, in your own words,  'we're not experienced enough to venture forth beyond the great walls of the Ankh.'"

"Oh sure, throw that back in my face." The elderly man touched the younger man's shoulder. "You'll be fine. I wouldn't send you if I didn't think you had a chance to perhaps succeed." He glanced out the window. "Now you better hurry. The Forests get dark quickly this time of year."

As Kaylor collected his book to leave the classroom, he heard Prenk again. "Oh yes, one more thing. If you find yourself in danger, especially the most mortal of danger --"

Kaylor looked up, grabbing his notebook and something to write with. "Yes, Professor?"

The wise professor continued his thought. "Be careful."

Welcome back!

Last time, I posted the rules I came up with for my Discworld game. This time, I'm running my first game. I'll be using the 1 Page Location Crafter for Kaylor's journey to collect the flowers, along with the Dark Woods rules found in Mythic Magazine #5. And rather than keeping track of every flower that he finds, I'll just say that Complete means he found them all.

Before we start, I'm adding a couple of rules. Borrowing from my Supers game, if Kaylor succeeds with a Challenge or Clash, he gains a Notch. 3 Notches, and he gains a Plot Token. PT's can then be used to increase the odds of future rolls.

In addition, at the end of the game I'll be rolling to see if Kaylor improves to Level 2. The Difficulty (or Resisted Rank) is the next Level. So for him, it will be 2 or Very Unlikely. However he can use the previously mentioned Plot Tokens to improve his chances.

Now onto the game.

Before leaving for his trip, Kaylor attempts to cast his Danger Sense spell. It's Level 0 with no special modifier; he just has to spend 10 minutes casting it. Which is why he cast it before leaving. But he does have +2 Think for casting it.

(Spell)  Does Kaylor successfully cast the spell?  (+2 = Very Likely)  Yes.

Now Kaylor has +1 to his Defense or Toughness when avoiding an attack.

I'm using the Dark Woods template for my game as it seems to be the best fit. After all, he's still only Level 1 and is hopefully not facing horrors or ancient threats. Again, hopefully.

Rolling for Story Descriptors, I get "The Woods Changed recently, suddenly becoming menacing," and "A disaster struck the woods."

Exiting the city, Kaylor started on the path that led him away from the city, circled to the north, and then returned to the city. After a few minute's walk, he took the forked path that led through the Dark Forest Seeing burnt trees on the outskirts, he remembered stories of a sudden fire that rushed through the forest. Most figured a lightning strike was responsible, though rumors throughout the University spoke of not-so pleasant beings conducting not-so pleasant experiments. The burnt trees made the forest's outskirts look even darker than before.

For the Woods Region Descriptor, I get "Thick with trees," and "Dry and Barren." This sounds like the previous description, if it suffering from fires.

I'm treating this as a small area, so +3 for Progress Points.

For the first 3 Area Elements, I get:

- Encounter:  Official, Open.

- Expected, Exit.

- Location:  Container, Atmosphere.

(Going back, I realized I accidentally rolled 2d10 instead of 1d10, but since it didn't give him any major advantages, I kept the results. I mean, I know I rolled exit, but he doesn't use it so we're good.)

As Kaylor entered the woods, he saw an actual sign that was also burned. 

It read: "Dark Forest Entrance," with an arrow pointing to the side and a smaller note; "Wimps Exit that way."

Under the sign, stood a goblin in bright clothing. "Welcome to the Dark Forest," he said. He pointed to a large round container. "Please place all trash in one of these. And be careful. There was an . . . incident recently."

Hmm, I wonder . . .

(Q)  Does the goblin have 0 for Talk? (I'm making him Level 0).  (Likely)  No. He's -1

I'll treat the conversation as a Clash, with Kaylor's 0 Talk versus the Goblin's -1.

(Clash) Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (+1 means Likely)  No.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Kaylor asked.

The tiny creature sniffed the air. "Answering questions is above my pay grade. Please move along, or run screaming. your choice, though I do love the running and screaming part."

So much for that idea. Oh well, that area is covered. Onto the next area.

PP increased to +4.

Rolling on the Connector table, I get Same. I'll just treat it as similar burnt trees and maybe some signs, saying "Welcome," or "Litter at your own risk."

Time to roll for the next area:

- Positive:  "Active," "Important."

- Location: "Tall," "Mysterious."

- Expected.

(Challenge)  Does Kaylor find any flowers?  (+2 for Think +1 for Positive = Almost Certain)  Yes.

Kaylor gains +1/3 Notch.

Kaylor followed the path, noting how many of the trees rose way up and out of sight. Some even seemed to hum as he passed them. Glancing around, he saw a variety of flowers at the base of the trees. Pulling out a small sack, he collected a few of each of them. This brought him slightly closer to his goal.

PP increased to 5.

For Connector, I get:  "Have to cross a stream."

(Q)  Is the Difficulty 0?  (Very Unlikely)  Yes.

Following the path, Kaylor reached a stream. Rocks rose above it, and it seemed possible to leap across, though he wasn't in the best of shape.

(Challenge) Does Kaylor make it across the stream?  (0 = 50/50)  Yes.

Kaylor gains +1 for 2/3 Notch.

Taking a running jump, Kaylor leaped into the air, easily landing on the other side. 

PP increase to 5.

For the nest area, I roll:

- Encounter:  "Crude," "Weapon."

- Negative:  "Messing," "Warning."

- Negative:  "Old," "Familiar."

Eyes exploring the brush, Kaylor searched for more of the flowers. But as he leaned forward to examine the area surrounding a tree, a knife rested against his throat.

"Give me your money," said a rough, scratchy voice, "or I'll turn you into pigs' dinner."

Kaylor knew he didn't have a lot to fight with, especially with a knife pressed against his throat, but he tried to talk down the man. "I don't have any money. I'm just a scout." (Never tell a threat you're a wizard, especially one in training.)

"Too bad," said the bandit.

Just then, the young wizard in training spotted a rock that he could lift. The question is whether he could do it subtly.

Kaylor will try levitate the rock above the bandit's head. While he can't attack with it, he can dismiss the spell and allow gravity to do the rest. I'm giving him though a -1 penalty for attempting to be subtle about it.

The bandit has +1 for his Do, which he's using to injure Kaylor. 

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (0 = 50/50)  Yes.

+1 Notch (3/3)  = +1 Plot Token.

Focusing on the rock, Kaylor turned slightly to keep the bandit's attention on him. The rock lifted up into the air, floating above the bandit. Kaylor then ended the spell, and the rock fell, striking the bandit in the head and back. He collapsed onto all fours, with his head spinning.

The bandit suffers a -1 Rank Shift.

(Q)  Does Kaylor find a stick he can use in the fight?  (50/50)  No - Random Event.

(Event)  "Character," "Leave."

(Q)  Is the bandit the character?  (Likely)  Yes.

As Kaylor searched for a stick that he could use to defend himself, the bandit got to his feet.

"This ain't over," he cried (yes, cried), running into the brush.

PP increases to +6.

For the next Connector, I get:  "Leads directly to another area." Fair enough.

Next Area:

- Object:  "Powerful," "Colorful."

- Object:  "Reassuring," "Energy."

- Expected, Exit.

Reach an open area, Kaylor noticed several signs sticking around in ground. In different colored writing, they read things like, "Great job!" "You're doing fantastic!" "7 Thumbs Up!" 

Another arrow pointed to an opening in the brush with another sign; "Wimp Path and Exit."

Glad to know he was being encouraged, and nervous that he might be walked into a trap, Kaylor glanced at his list. He still had a few more flowers to find, so he continued on.

Connector:  Expected.

So pretty much more of the same paths.

PP increase to +7. 

Next Area:

- Expected, Complete.

-  Expected, Exit.

- Encounter:  "Storage," "Stolen."

This sounds pretty straightforward. I'm going to skip the first question and assume Kaylor stumbled onto the Bandit and his camp. The question is, is he alone? The next question is, what's with him? The next question is, actually, those two are fine for now.

(Q)  Is the bandit alone?  (Unlikely)  Yes.

(Q)  Did he start the fire?  (Likely)  No.

(Q)  What is the bandit doing?  "Surprise." "Danger."

Since I'm not sure who is doing the surprising, I'll make this a Clash with Think vs. Think. Kaylor has +2 while the bandit has -1 (to offset his +1 Do). Also, it'll be an Effect, but the loser will still suffer -1 RS for the surprise.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (+3 means Nearly Certain)  Yes.  

+1/3 Notch

Reaching a clearing, Kaylor saw a campsight, along with a small open chest of various coins and other goods. Suddenly he his Danger Sense spell kicked in. Freezing in place, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw the bandit from before hiding in a bush and preparing to perform a flanking attack.

The bandit lunged, but Kaylor stepped aside, sticking out his foot and causing the man to trip and fall onto his face.

(Q)  Does Kaylor see a stick now?  (Likely)  X-Yes.

I'm ruling that to mean the stick grants him +1 to Damage.

As the bandit slowly got back to his feet, Kaylor searched around. Spotting a large branch, he picked it up and held it in both of his hands.

Standing back up, the bandit threatened him with the small and old knife. "Time to die, scout."

This will be a straightforward melee fight. The bandit normally has +1 Do, but with the -1 RS, he's at 0. Kaylor is also at 0.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (50/50)  Yes.

The stick grants Kaylor +1 Dmg versus the bandit's 0 Toughness (+1 but -1 RS). This grants the bandit another -1 RS.

Also, +1  (2/3) Notch.

The bandit lunged forward, driving his knife at his victim, but Kaylor dodged it. Swinging the branch, he caught the bandit in stomach, and the other man grunted and paused for a moment.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (+1 means  Likely)  No.

The bandit's dmg is currently -1 versus Kaylor's +1 (Danger Sense) so no damage. If he had scored an Exceptional result, he would have scored damage regardless of Kaylor's Defense.

Grabbing some dirt, the bandit threw it into Kaylor's face. The young man brought up his arm, shielding himself from most of it.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (Likely)  Yes.

-1 RS brings the bandit to -3.

(Incapacity)  Is the bandit incapacitated?  (+1 dmg versus +1 Tuff -3 = Nearly Certain)  Yes, Random

(Event)  "NPC," "Help."

(Q)  Is the NPC another bandit?  (Likely)  No.

(Q)  Is it a pet?  (Likely)  Yes.

(Description)  What is it?  "Feeble," "Dirty."

As Kaylor smacked the bandit over the head with the branch, he heard a tiny little right squeak behind him. Apparently, the bandit had a pet rat, and now it was prepared to defend his master.

The rat is also a Level 0 character. I'll give him -1 Do for his lack of size but +1 Think for his ability to sneak attack. 

For the sneak attack, again I'll make it Think versus Think, with Kaylor's +2 versus the rat's +1. Loser suffers -1 RS.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (+1 = Likely)  No.

Kaylor suffers -1 RS.

Kaylor turned to find the rat's location, but it remained hidden. Suddenly, it leaped out of a brush, teeth slicing Kaylor across the arm. He yelped and jumped back.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (50/50)  Yes.

The rat suffers -1 RS.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (Likely)  Yes.

The rat suffers -2 RS.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Clash?  (Very Likely)  Yes.

The rat is at -3 RS.

(Incapacity)  Is the rat Incapped?  (Certain)  Yes.

(Q)  Was the wound lethal?  (Unlikely)  No.

Swinging the stick, Kaylor knocked out the rat and stuffed the animal in a sack, along with some food. Then he tied up the unconscious bandit. After resting for a bit, he watched the bandit come to.

As the bandit opened his eyes, he realized he was tied up. Then he noticed Kaylor. "What do you want?"

"Answers," Kaylor said. "Did you set fire to this forest?"

This time, I'm using Talk versus Talk. Both have 0 for their Talk Abilities, though I wonder if the bandit is intimidated?

(Q)  Does the bandit suffer -1 RS for being tied up?  (Likely)  Yes, Random.

(Event)  "Goals," "Failure."

(Q)  Did the bandit fail his goal?  (50/50)  X-No.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Talking Clash?  (+1 = Likely)  No.

(Q)  Is the goal to learn what happened to the forest?  (50/50; either that or the flowers)  Yes.

"Where's my little buddy?" asked the bandit.

"In the bag," Kaylor answered, "along with some food. Now did you cause the fire?"

"Shove it!" The bandit spit at him. "I ain't talking to no scout."

"Fine." Kaylor stood up. "You can talk to the watch then instead." 

"Wait!" the bandit cried. "You can't just leave me here!"

"Don't worry," said Kaylor, "someone from the watch will be here soon." 

Taking some coins from the chest, Kaylor collected the remaining flowers that he needed and exited the dark forest. Spotting the goblin from before, he handed the little guy the coins. "Please keep the exit closed for now. I'll be sending the watch here soon."

I'll make another Talking Clash, but I'll give Kaylor a +1 because he's using coins he found.

(Clash)  Does Kaylor win the Talking Clash?  (+1 = Likely)  X-Yes.

Noticing the coins in his hand, the goblin's eyes went wide. Standing straight, he saluted. "You can count on me!"

(Q)  Does Kaylor encounter anyone or anything while returning home?  (Unlikely)  Yes.

(Detail)  "Stop," "Danger."  (I'm a little unsure so I'll roll one more time.)  "Communicate."

(Q)  Is the threat hostile?  (50/50)  No.

(Q)  Is the threat's Difficulty +1?  (50/50)  Yes.

I have an idea. I'm going to open the GURPS Discworld RPG book to a random page and see what I find. Then I'll apply it to the event. 

"Summoned Thing."

(Ability)  Does Kaylor avoid the threat?  (+1 -1 = 0 = 50/50)  Yes.

Walking on the path back towards town, Kaylor suddenly heard a humming sound in his head. He looked around but didn't see anything anywhere nearby. Maybe he could get some help.

Kaylor will cast Helping Hand, which has a Spell Level of 0.

(Spell)  Does Kaylor succeed?  (+2 = Very Likely)  Yes.

(Q)  Does the Helping Hand cooperate?  (Very Likely)  Yes.

Whispering the words, Kaylor held out his hand. A moment later, he lowered it, but another, spectral hand remained. 

"Is there a danger?" Kaylor asked.

The hand pointed straight up.

Suddenly the humming in Kaylor's head became a blaring alarm and he leaped off the road, landing and rolling in the grass. A moment later, something crashed into the path, sending clouds of sand in all directions.

I think I'll use the Creature Crafter to generate this being. Since it's not hostile, I'll just go for appearance.

"Levitating," "Extra Limbs," "Clear."

(Q)  Is it intelligent?  (Likely)  Yes.

The dust settled and a creature floated into view. It had multiple legs that didn't walk on the ground as much as slid across it. From inside its clear body, a single eye rolled into view.

"Oops," a voice vibrated from the body. "I'm terribly sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you."

Kaylor slowly returned to his feet. "I'm fine. What are you?"

"My name is Clarence," it answered. "I was enjoying a wonderful and relaxing summer afternoon back home when *Poof* I ended up here. Tell me, did you happen to summon me?"

"No, sorry," the young wizard in training said. "One of the wizards at the University might have though."

"University, you say?" It touched a foot to what might pass for its temple. "Are we close to this University?"

"Sort of." Kaylor pointed to the tower in the distance, well within the city's walls.

Clarence made a noise that could pass for a grunt. "It seems that need to work on their skill. Well, no matter, these spells usually end quickly. I'll just wait here until it does."

"I'm headed to the University now," Kaylor said. "You can accompany me and we can learn who summoned you."

(Q)  Does Clarence take Kaylor on his offer?  (50/50)  No.

"If it's all the same to you," the creature said, "I don't believe I'm willing to meet the one foolish enough to fail such a spell. I'll wait here."

"Suit yourself." Returning to the city, Kaylor told the nearest guard about the bandit being held prisoner in the forest, along with a chest full of stolen goods. The guard thanked him and hurried to tell members of the watch.

Reaching the University, Kaylor tracked down Professor Prenk. "Here are your flowers." He handed the professor the sack.

Prenk opened the sack and nodded. "Very good, young wizard in training. Suuzy will be quite pleased."

"Suuzy?" Kaylor asked.

Prenk nodded. "My niece. She's getting married next week and wanted and assortment of flowers for the flower girl to carry and throw."

The wizard in training felt his face heat up. "You mean this was all for a wedding, to throw onto the ground?"

"Yes, yes." The professor smiled, completely oblivious to the other's irritation. "Oh and the fact that you're still alive means you pass your final. Good job. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find her."

The Professor happily hurried off, leaving behind an annoyed student.

Well, that's the end of that adventure. Time to see if Kaylor advances. He's Level 1 and wants to advance to Level 2. This means the Difficulty is Very Unlikely or -2. However, he does have 3 Plot Tokens so he'll use all 3.

(Q)  Does Kaylor advance to Level 2?  (+1 = Likely)  Yes.

Kaylor is now Level 2, with 2 more Ability Points. I'll place them later, as well as choosing his next spells, and then I'll come up with his next adventure.

Until next time, watch out for falling . . . whatever Clarence is!

Don't Forget your Luggage! - Using Mythic for Discworld

 Last year, I started reading the Discworld series, and I was hooked immediately. A fantasy world with lots of fun and adventure, along with enough humor to leave me in tears. For those unfamiliar with it, Discworld is a series, or rather a universe, with 40+ books. Luckily, you don't have to read from Book 1-40+ in order. Inside the universe are multiple mini-series that cover different groups and their adventures. 

You have Rincewind the wizard, the Witches, the city Watch, and even Death himself. They all have their own stories while also intertwining with each other.

Well, being a player of roleplaying games, I decided just reading the books isn't enough; I wanted to play a character in that world itself. Not having or being able to join a gaming group at this time, I could use Mythic for solo play, but I still needed rules for stats, combat, etc. I did pick up the GURPS Discworld RPG, and while it has a ton of background info and gives me ideas for stats, I wanted something simpler.

So here's my system:

I started with the rules from my Supers game but simplified it. I also borrowed from Two Hour Wargames and its use of 3 Skills. The difference being that THW uses Rep for Combat and Magic and Skills for everything else. My system uses 3 Abilities for everything and only Level for advancement.

I'm posting this to hopefully get input from others, as well as ideas and suggestions on the best way to proceed. For Task Resolution (combat, magic, etc.), I'm using Mythic as the stats translate 1:1.

Finally, I still have a long way to go in reading all of the books. I plan to get Thief of Time and Equal Rites next, so my knowledge of certain areas is limited.

With that in mind, let's get started:

Discworld Mixed-Rules RPG

Instead of 5 Abilities, like in my Supers game, I'll only be using 3:

Do:  This is for any physical actions, such as lifting, running, jumping, bashing skulls, and combat.

Think: This is for mental actions, such as reading, deciphering, stealth, awareness, and magic.

Say:  Any interactions with others. This is the only Ability that only works with others. You don't gets points for talking to yourself, no matter how engaging the conversation.

Stats for each ability can go from positive to negative, usually from +3 to -3 with 0 being average. 

Each Level, a Character gets 2 Ability Points. So a Level 3 Character gets 6 Ability Points. In addition, Points can be traded from one Ability to another.

Edit. Level 0 Characters get 0 points.

Should they get bonuses for Race?

For example:

A Level 0 Bandit has 0 Ability Points, but I want him to have +1 Do for his ability to use a weapon. I need to trade off another Ability, so I go with giving him -1 Think. This means he's above average in combat and physical tasks but below average in mental tasks. It also means he has a -1 when attempting to resist magic. Hope that cloaked figure he tries to rob isn't a wizard.

From Level 2 on, a character can also trade in an Ability Point for 3 Skill Points. Skills allow you to specialize your characters in certain areas.

Suggested Skills for each Ability are:

Do:  Strength, Speed, Stamina, Combat.

Think:  Wit, Thieving, Alert, Magic.

Say:  Bluff, Charm, Intimidate, Question.

For example:

My starting character has +1 Do and +1 Say. He's a guard who tries to maintain the peace. Reaching Level 2, I decide to give him another point in Do. However, I also want him to notice him others are sneaking around, as well as noticing clues to crimes. Therefore, I trade in the second point for +3 Alert.

Races:

Originally, I gave each race bonuses and penalties in multiple Abilities and Skills, as well as special powers for some. But this just seemed way too complicated for what I'm trying to accomplish. Finally, I just thought, '**** it,' and went with a much simpler method. Maybe too simple, but I'll give it a shot. I want to generate NPC's quickly when playing games.

With that in mind, each Race simply gets a +1 to one of the Abilities. Maybe the race is stronger than average, maybe they're quicker, or maybe they're good in combat. It all should hopefully work. Let me know if I missed any races (No elves, please , at least not yet. From what I read, they're supposed to be a rare and mysterious race).

Races:

Human: +1 to any Ability of choice.

Dwarf: +1 to Do.

Troll:  +1 to Do.

Golem:  +1 to Do.

Werewolf:  +1 to Do.

Goblin:  +1 to Think.

Gnome:  +1 to Think.

Vampire:  +1 to Talk.

Zombie:  +1 to Do.

Orc:  +1 to Do.

BTW, I'm aware that orcs only exist in pretty much one book, Unseen Academicals (which is also on my to-read list). But I really want to play as one so I'm including it.

Classes: 

This is where I'm going back and forth. I have 2 ideas for this, but I'm debating on which to use. When using Classes, I thought about how Wizards are a special breed and so using magic should be limited to them (Okay, okay, and Witches and Time Monks, but again, those books are on my to-read list, so we'll stick with Wizards just while figuring this out!). I figured, however, that other Classes should have some kind of balance to them. 

So I came up with the following. Each Class gets to add its Level to certain rolls. These are added to Abilities and skills.

Classes:

Warrior: + to Combat.

Wizard: + to Magic.

Rogue:  + to Sneaky.

Expert:  + Non-magic, non-sneaky Think rolls.

Acrobat:  + to Non-combat Do rolls.

Charlatan:   + to Talk.

So a Level 2 Warrior with +4 Do would get a +7 when fighting but +4 when trying to jump over a gorge, A Level 2 Acrobat with the same stats, however, would get +7 when flipping over the gorge but +4 in Combat. 

I'm not sure if that makes things more complicated so here's Method 2:

Classes are strictly cosmetic and exist mostly to describe characters, their behavior, and their actions.

For example, a Level 2 Guard is more likely to stand his ground and fight, while a Level 2 Thief might prefer to slip away and strike from a distance.

However, there is 1 exception (Okay more than one, but again, I haven't read those books yet!):

Wizards 

Wizards can access Magic to cast spells. Everyone else can only use the Magic Skill (if they have it) to resist spells). 

Wizards spells are divided into Damage, Defend, Move, and Effect (These are similar to Mythic's Clash actions, only I changed Escape to Move and added Defend.).

Wizards can cast spells an unlimited number of times per day.

However, if a spell fails, the Wizard suffers a -1 Rank Shift until taking a short rest.

Critical Failure results in -3 RS until a long rest, assuming the wizard survived.

Wizards get a lot of neat stuff that they can do, right? So what's the catch?

The catch is that, when creating the character, they have to permanently sacrifice 1 Ability Point.

Think of a Wizard sacrificing a point from Do as being out of shape or not-so great in combat, while sacrificing a  point of Talk means the wizard is definitely not a people person.

Edit:

The new plan is to not include History Monks for the time being, as I'm currently reading Thief of Time and wondering if they're too powerful as PCs. 

Magic Classes for the time being are just Wizards and Witches. While I've read The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic, as well as viewed the film, the book Equal Rites, which covers Witches, is still on my to-buy list. Because of that, I'm treating Wizards and Witches the same. Wizards are male while Witches are female. Otherwise they operate the same. But until I read more about Witches, I'm just going to use the word Wizards in my rules. Just easier that way.

Wizards must sacrifice 1 Ability Point to use Magic. This only happens once, usually when the character is first created.

Example:

Bolean Softop is a Dwarf who decides on a life of magic. He starts with +1 to Do and puts the 2 Ability points into Think. However, he must sacrifice a point so he chooses the +1 to Do. His starting points, therefore are 0 Do, +2 Think, 0 Talk. Upon reaching Level 2, he puts 1 point into Do and the other into Think. His new stats are +1 Do, +3 Think.

Sound good?  No onto the fun stuff!

Spells:

Wizards gain access to spells with each level. The Spell Level is its Resisted Rank or Difficulty when casting the spell. The wizard adds his casting ability (Think + Magic Skill if any) and subtract the Difficulty.

Spell Levels are determined by the Magic rules in MM #21.

Wizards get 3 spells per level. He may choose 2 of them but the third is chosen at random from the Spell Effects table. This is to . . . okay i'll be honest, I added the random element just for fun in having to adapt to with figuring out a spell.

So those are the ideas I have at this point. I'm open to ideas, suggestions, and anything else I can add to my game. Thanks in advance.

Now that I have all of that out of the way, I'm going to create my first Discworld character. My first game takes place some time after Guards Guards, though I'm not sure how much.

Kaylor

As a teenager, Kaylor had one day wandered around the city of Ankh-Morpork, or more specifically, around the Unseen University. Eyes wandering over the enormous structure, he imagined life within its walls.

"I wish I could see a wizard," he mumbled once.

Then he heard a crash behind him. Spinning around, young Kaylor spotted a brand new, freshly-made crater in the ground. Approaching it, he saw rubble, lots of blood, and what  appeared to be an arm extending from underneath.

Then he fingers moved.

Darting forward, Kaylor grasped the hand and tried to pull the person out. But there was a ripping sound, and he found himself holding a hand, and not much else.

Feeling a sudden shock, Kaylor dropped the hand. Then he looked back at the rubble and saw pieces of a wizard's robe.

Years later, Kaylor passed the test and got admitted into the Unseen University. Quickly, he learned that higher level wizardry tended to be cuthroat (literally!), so he decided early on to focus on low-level magic only. Rarely wearing the robes of the wizards, he prefers normal clothing, as he doesn't like to stand out.

Kaylor

Human Level 1 Wizard.

Do:  0, Think:  +2, Talk:  0.

Spells:

Levitate:  Level 0; For up to 10 minutes, the wizard can lift and manipulate (such as turning or spinning) any object, up to 50 lbs. Wizards cannot use this to attack directly, but they can use it to affect opponents indirectly (like lifting a rock over an opponent's head and then dispelling it early).

Danger Sense:  Level 0; The wizard must spend 10 minutes preparing the spell. For the next 4 hours, an alarm will go off in his head if he's in any danger, granting a +3 (Too high?) on any defensive rolls. This is usually learned by wizards in training to avoid and (or rather many) mishaps from their studies.  

For his third spell, I rolled on Mythic's Spell Effects table to get an idea. I didn't want anything too powerful. After all, he's only a starting caster, so a utility spell would make more sense. 

Of course, for my first few rolls, I get:

"Powerful" "Weapon,"

"Earth" "Travel,"

"Break" "Creature."

Finally, I rolled, "Helpful" "Imbue." I'm thinking this means a spectral hand appears. For the next 10 minutes, it can point the wizard in the right direction, like a compass. But that wouldn't be fun enough, now would it?

Helpful Hand (I'd prefer a better name. Any suggestions?):  Level 0. For the next 10 minutes, a spectral hand appears. It can point the wizard to his goal, answer yes or no questions, with certain signals, and even offer advice (like number of ingredients needed). However, the more this spell is cast, the more the hand gains a personality of its own, and often it can get quite snarky and insulting.

Okay, that's it for now. Next time, I'll run Kaylor's first adventure.