*These are the notes for a game I ran at Gamehole Con 11. It was written for 6 Dwellers at Level 8.* The Dwellers learn that the King's caravan is making its way nearby. It already has a substantial haul, but is far from full. This is a chance to disrupt King's Sitric plans and make some quick money. It's a straightforward heist. The players have about 8 hours before the caravan passes through this area. # Setting The caravan will be passing over a bridge this evening. It and the surrounding areas are described here. ## A bridge between worlds The bridge is little more than an old stone archway. The road is just wide enough for a single wagon to cross at a time. The river below runs through a gulch with steep, muddy sides, tangled with roots. Looking upstream from the bridge, the river is little more than shallow, rocky creek. The water rushes with great speed but is little more than a few inches deep. Downriver is an entirely different story. The water rushes just as quickly, but runs deep. This side is dangerous to even the strongest swimmers. The river roars so loudly conversation can be difficult. Looking under the bridge reveals another world entirely. Stand upriver and you will see nothing unusual. The bridge casts a shadow, but is otherwise unremarkable. Stand down river and you will see only blackness. A thick, heavy dark matched with a cold foreboding wind. Those brave or foolish enough to walk through will find themselves in an otherworld. This world beyond is cold and dark. The water frigid cold and only a starry sky above for light. An ancient river monster lurks here. ## An Phobail This small coastal hamlet is too small to be mentioned on any of the King's maps or road signs. The caravan will not come here to collect tribute unless they are informed of its presence. There are six homes made of wattle and daub. ### Our Lady of the Midgewood Officially a convent, but unofficially a coven of Bandrui. They affiliate with the Duan Amhairghine, but also have their own set of rituals and traditions for some unknown other purpose. ## The Midgewood A rather dense, if young, forest. The air is dense with blood-sucking parasites. They have an unusual malevolence. Some suspect they report to a faery hive. By day, the Midgewood sees loggers slowly expand their camp. At night, no sane villager enters for fear of the rituals curses within. # Denizens ## The Caravan The caravan is making its way slowly back to Ath Cliath. They plan to pass through more towns and villages along the way. The goal of the company is to keep the wagon moving. Some will stay behind and fight if they need to, but above all, they will strive to keep the wagon moving. The wagon itself is pulled by 2 oxen. ### Thyra The tax collector. She is a Galdr tasked not only with finding and assessing valuables, but also warding the King's prizes. Thyra is calculating and measured. She only keeps equally level-headed company. Use a *Chief* for her base stats and abilities. **Essence**: 4 **Destiny**: 4 **Active talents**: *Cleansing Block*, *Enchant Flesh*, *Power Over Wind*, *Rapid Recovery*, **Social talents**: *Sense Motives*, *Stay Quiet*, *Negotiate*, *You Can't Be Serious* **Passive powers**: *Resistance to Possession*, *Rune of Blood*, *Summon Effigy x2*, **Skills**: *Commune with Dead*, *Lore Locales*, *Omens and Portents*, *Repair Equipment* ### Sten Commander of the guard. Sten is as steady as they come. He is easy-going and maintains command by example and experience. Use a *Grizzled Warrior* for his base stats and abilities. **Essence**: 6 **Destiny**: 3 **Active talents**: *Insulting Parry*, *Regenerating Attack* **Social talents**: *Growl*, *What a Joke* **Passive powers**: *Desperation*, *Combat Manoeuverability* **Skills**: *Perception*, *Athletics* ### Guards A swarm of 8 (or two swarms of 4) mercenaries using the *Viking Raider* base stats and equipment plus 2 javelins. The swarm has 2 Destiny, and a Threshold of 3. **Active talents**: *Assisting Attack* **Social talents**: *Growl* **Passive powers**: *Drive Back* **Skills**: *Perception* ## Locals The villagers in An Phobail have no love for Vikings, but they are wary of outsiders. They can be convinced to help **Abbess Evelyn**. Head of the coven. She was a nun once but abandoned that life to pursue a path of strength for her and her Sisters. She hides her contempt for the Criostai, but cannot help but patronize them. She will actively try to recruit any woman in the party she sees with potential. **Erard**. A local who fishes from the bridge. He's an older man with a deep love of stories. He knows the bridge's legendary past. He is quick to warn anyone against traversing below. He speaks of the "loathsome devil" beyond and the cruel tricks it plays. He has no home of his own. Instead, he sleeps on the floor of a different home each night in exchange for the day's catch. **Baird**. A logger with intimate knowledge of the surrounding landscape. He has a crew of 3. ## Supernatural ### The Abhainn, a River Monster St. Patrick banished a river monster for deceiving Patrick into stepping into the river. What the creature thought was a prank, the beloved bishop took as a personal attack. St. Patrick cursed the Abhainn, freezing him in place while a bridge was constructed. Upon the bridge's completion, the creature and his home were pushed into an otherworldly pocket under the bridge. Darkness and cold mark the Abhainn's new lair. The Abhainn desperately wants out, but the darkness keeps him from finding his way. He has starved for four centuries and is ravenous. His instincts are to eat anything he can find. However, he will trade any favor for a way out of his cold prison. The Abhainn has the head and abdomen of a salmon, with the limbs of an octopus. He is a size 6 Merrow with the following talents, all of which are Ranked up: **Essence**: 8 **Destiny**: 6 **Active talents**: _Breath of Hoarfrost_, _Chain Attack_, _Channelling_ **Social talents**: _Interrogate_, *Tease*, _Trick Answer_ **Passive powers**: _Battle-Hardened_, _Brutalize_, _Inversion of Ice_ **Skills**: _Bash_, _Hunting and Trapping_, _Swim_ # Treasure The wagon is filled mostly with worked and raw materials: furs, textiles, tapestries, leather, tools, ale, fruit and preserves. There is some jewelry, torcs, silver rods, and a bit of silver coinage. All in all, it's worth around 600 skatt. If the haul is examined with any care, they find a relic in the collection. ### St. Ninnidh's Bell A handheld bell that rings bright and far. This bell is the tenth of twelve artifacts in St. Finian's Broken Reliquary. When pealed, anyone within earshot (Far; 16 hexes) loses all intensities to the Blind condition. The wielder also gains +3 SoAF to Provoke against Supernatural targets.
When I first started running *Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok*, I had already been game mastering RPGs for over a decade. Over that time I had adapted a pretty improvisational style across a handful of different games. I initially had difficulty adapting this style to *FotN:R*. The game's deep tactics are part of its appeal. Building out encounters to leverage those tactics takes preparation. Worse still, I struggled to adapt when players took a left turn. Over time, I found ways to adapt enemies on the fly. One of the main things was being able to improvise talents just as an encounter started out. I hope this article will help other GMs who find themselves in the same position. The talents listed here are easy to remember. They are also easy to breakdown and to learn how to approach making our own combat talents. # Whirlwind Attack The most obvious talent to include for a combat encounter is an Attack. Whirlwind Attack targets up to three creatures with a Weak Attack. Essentially,
Comments
Post a Comment