Earthdawn Currency

So, to make things a bit easier to track, I decided to make a currency table, including some definitions of  gems.

	Value in silver	weight	per oz	per lb
Copper	1/10 silver	1/3	3	48
Silver	1	1/4	4	64
Gold	10	1/5	5	80
Elemental Earth	100	1/10	10	160
Elemental Water	100	1/10	10	160
Elemental Air	1000	1/10	10	160
Elemental Fire	1000	1/10	10	160
Orichalcum	10,000	1	1	16
Gems
flawed common	10	per 1/10oz
flawed uncommon	50	per 1/10oz
flawed rare	100	per 1/10oz
good common	50	per 1/10oz
good uncommon	250	per 1/10oz
good rare	500	per 1/10oz
flawless common	100	per 1/10oz
flawless uncommon	500	per 1/10oz
flawless rare	1000	per 1/10oz

So I decided it would be easy for tracking gems, if we just broke them into a few categories.
Common, such as jasper, quartz, turquoise, or white pearls.
Uncommon like blue pearls, jade, or aquamarine
Rare like rubies emeralds and diamonds.

Give it a quality, flawed, good or flawless.

Make it per weight. 1/10 ounce just like elemental coins, and voila, easily tradeable gemstones.

(Will update with descriptions later)

J'aka Mooneye, Journal Entry #2

The 7th of Rua, on a foggy night.

After much rejoicing by the villagers of Tureem, we needed to get supplies. There were a few stores in the town, the dwarf and I went to Turran's Anygoods. Turran was also somewhat of a leader in town, a wise old man, and because we were in service to this town he offered me some discounts. Headed off into the dark caves in search of these monstrous supposed spider creatures (more on that later), I figured some torches and climbing gear were in order. Plus more daggers and a few waterskins never hurt. Being dry is horrible.

We met back up with the windling and the elf (i forget their names, they don't proclaim them as much as I do), we headed off to the northeast where there was a sighting of these monsters. After tracking some human footprints off into the woods, we were ambushed. Well, I should say, some of the others were. No one has a sharper eye and sense for danger than J'aka Mooneye! A spider-like creature leaps out of nowhere, crashing like a meteor into the elf and sinking its fangs into him. Finally, silence. The windling cast some spell upon it, wracking it with pain and I threw a net at it which it could not escape. The dwarf finally moved his feet and got an impressive stab down into it, nearly killing it and I then stabbed it with a dagger to finish it off.

The elf must rest a bit and the dwarf administers a potion to him. The windling says that some horror made these creatures from regular spiders. We carved it open to find a bright crystal, a trophy of our magnificent defeat of this creature. We continued on, sure that there was another out here. We came to a cave, and I could see that it was just inside the dark, trying to plan another ambush. As it is known, J'aka Mooneye has the keenest sense for danger!

The windling did his spell again, it is very effective. Then the dwarf hit it with a hawk hatchet, but it bounced off the crystal carapace. He should leave the throwing to me, for J'aka has the best throwing arm! I threw a net but the creature evaded it actively, a lucky break for it as it then attacked. The elf exchanged blows with it, and I threw a bola which entangled the creature's claws and half of its legs before denting the carapace deeply on both sides. The elf was finally able to finish it off, half-dead as it was.

We carved another fine jewel out of it, and searched the cave. There was the skull of one of my people, who I later discovered was possibly T'kala the Teal (and of the yellow stripes). Not knowing him, it will be hard to perform our rites of storytelling for his funeral. I will carry the skull with me until I find someone that knew him. There was also a crystal dagger that had some of our runes on it, surely an old possession of his. I will carry it forth in his memory. We also found some silver and some identifying trinkets to return to Tureem for those who survived the dead to remember them by.

This new niall decided to head off to Haven, where we will train further. On the road (now the 8th of Rua), we met a troll named Grindel Crystaltusk and an obsidimen named Malachite. I introduced myself as J'aka the Mighty, and they sought to challenge me on my chosen title. Turns out, they are much stronger physically than I, and I am mighty in another fashion, speed and stealth. Perhaps I shall take to calling myself J'aka the Shadow, so that none of the fools of this world will be confused. They were nonetheless an affable sort, and members of the Loyal Order of Delvers. They were kind enough to give us a brief rundown of Haven and its factions.

Upon arriving and seeing the egregious prices of lodging, we were compelled to join the Loyal Order of Delvers ourselves in order to simply have a place to stay. One day I will not be so coinless, but for now this will have to do. Now the true adventure begins, but not before a month or so of training and preparation. I consulted a local Thief of 3rd circle, Ten'adan Sharpclaw, and entered into an agreement with him to train and learn what he could teach. There was also a man named Rukkhan, a human, who offers free melee training to anyone. I will have to take him up on that offer, even though I mostly throw things. Never know when an enemy will be foolish enough to approach me.

The Chronicles of Eagle Feather, Journal entry #2

7th of Rua

This morning I woke up surprisingly well rested after all the alcohol I drank last night, only suffering a slight headache.  I went downstairs to join my companions, Wibbels the Windling Tattoo Artist, Tharik the Dwarven Weapon Smith, and J'aka the T'skrang Thief, having breakfast, as they ask the town elder where the supply shops were in town.  He mentioned Allgoods for supplies and Graka's Hut for potions.

I headed over to Graka's with Wibbels to get some antidotes, seeing as we were to go up against spider-like monsters.  However, as soon as Wibbels get to the Orc's hut, he goes and upsets her by asking her for the recipe instead of the potion she worked hard to make.  I attempted to intervene by saying that we would also buy a antidote.  In the end, not only did we not get beat up, but she consented to sell the recipe and the vial of Kelia's Antidote that she had to us.  In return we promised to collect any of the medicinal plants needed for making it, should we find any, and hand them over upon our return. Then we met up with our the rest of our party who were finishing up there business at Allgoods, where Tharik, seeing me eyeing the Healer's Kits, gave me the remaining five uses of Healer's Kit, a little under two kits worth, so that I wouldn't have to buy any.

Kelia's Antidote: Black Ivy leaves and Windling (toad)Stools

Having finished supplying for our venture, we headed north which is the direction the missing villagers and travelers were last seen heading in.  I attempted to track the monsters, having forgotten that we were told that the missing people were seen heading out of Tureem on their own volition and as if under a spell.  So after J'aka reminded me of this by pointing out the trail of boot prints, leading off into the forest, I started tracking properly.  Unfortunately, so focused was I on doing so, that I failed to notice the monster that lay in wait until it was too late.  It jumped out, sunk it's fangs deeply into me, being in the lead, making me slightly light-headed, so that I was unable to successfully fight off the poison that accompanied the bite.  I became paralyzed, fell flat on my face, and for the rest of the minute of battle, was unable to shake the paralysis and could understand little of the flashes of light I was seeing and the noises I was hearing.

After the battle Wibbels rolled me over, not sure how he managed, being only a foot and a half tall, and fed me the antidote we had bought Tureem, after which Tharik handed me a Health Potion, which I took, and was able to feel almost like my usual self.  I was able to inspect the monster more closely after the battle, and found that the body had crystalline appearance, and the monsters, according to Wibbels, were Horror Constructs, beings that were made by Horrors.  Being more aware of what the monsters we were facing were capable of, we proceeded with more caution.  We followed the trail of boot prints to a cave where we saw barely perceivable movement, which was similar, according to Wibbels and J'aka, to what they saw shortly before the last attack.

J'aka threw a lit torch in an attempt to make the monster easier to see, while Tharik threw one of his Hawk Hatchets, which didn't seem to do much, and Wibbels started his 'thread weaving' in preparation for casting spells.  Then, the monster created a hypnotic type affect which distracted the others, and which I was not effected by.  Wibbels managed to cast a spell he called Phantom Flame, which had a temporarily recurring affect, causing it's target to be magically burned.  Then Tharik threw his other Hawk Hatchet, which, while being well cast, only chipped off a piece of the creatures armor.  I slashed at, and missed, it with my ethereal claws, while J'aka threw his net.  Missing with the net seemed to enrage him, as, when he threw his bolas a moment later, threw it with such force that, not only did it tangle the monsters legs, the bolas also smashed into it with a satisfying 'crunch!'  Seeing the creature helpless, and remembering the indignity that its partner had caused me, I decided to get revenge.  I went in and, with reckless savagery, tore into it with enough force that, with a shriek of triumph, I ripped it in twain.

Upon witnessing the result, I observed that the creature had a crystal core that, when harvested, would fetch a decent price.  So after harvesting it's core, looting the nest of these creatures, and returning to the previous battle site to harvest the other monsters core, we returned to the village, where we received our reward for completing the mission, and, as thanks, more free food, drinks and lodgings.  Before indulging in the promised feast, I preened(cleaned) my feathered armor, then allowed myself to enjoy the festivities.

8th of Rua

Once I woke up I felt fully refreshed and healthy.  I preened my feathers, came down to breakfast, ate heartily with my companions, and by noon we had set off towards Haven.  Close to evening, we reached the outskirts of the town, where we came upon a Troll and a Obsidiman who introduced themselves as Grindel Crystaltusk and Malachite, respectively.  I saw that they both wore blue sashes, which led me to believe that they were part of the same group within the town, which it happen they were, as I later found out.  When they first saw us, they made a bet of two gold pieces that our party wouldn't last two week in Parlainth, and when Wibbels heard this, he asked to be included in on the bet.  Afterwords, we introduced ourselves to them, I doing so by saying, "I go by Eagle Feather, but some just call me annoying," at which point, Grindel said, "Okay, so I'll call you Annoying."  Not what I meant, but who was I to argue with a Troll?  Then they took us on a tour of Haven, pointing out where different groups hung out and where Torgak's Supplies and extravagant inn, The Restless Troll could be found.

Next Several Weeks

We decided to join the faction that Grindel and Malachite where part of, mostly to save silver, and during the next few weeks we learned new skills, improved on the skills we knew, and Circled up.  In this time an old, retired warrior by the name of Rükkholder The Old Sword drilled those of us willing, and able, to learn in the art of using melee weapons.  I am now a Third Circle Beast Master, thanks the those of The Grove willing to impart their wisdom unto me.  I also became interested in questing after Jaspree in the hopes of bettering myself in my craft.

Campaign Calendar

So, I found this excellent resource yesterday.

Fantasy Calendar

So you'll find a link to the campaign calendar on the page now. I will be filling this calendar out as play proceeds.

The Chronicles of Eagle Feather, Journal Entry #1

Good day.  I am called Eagle Feather.  I am an elf and a First Circle Beastmaster.

When I was younger, I got lost deep in the Caucauvic Mountains.  One day, when I had run out of food and water, and had fainted from dehydration and heat stroke.  When I woke up, I found myself in the nest of the extremely rare, to the point I thought they were just a myth, Gryphons of Caucauvic Mountains.  I thought they were going to eat me and was preparing to defend myself, when I noticed a pile of mountain fruit in the nest in front of me.  I learned quite a lot from living with and cooperating with them.

I figured that after many years of living with them that my clothes would become threadbare, and so I asked the adult Gryphons, through pantomime, if I might have use of the feathers from their molts to make some new clothes for myself when the time came.  They generously agreed after I promised not to reveal where I got them, saying that I would tell people that they were simply Giant Eagle feathers.  So I made a set of feather clothes, and later on a cape, out of the more pristine feathers.

As they say, all chicks must eventually leave the nest.  So, after making sure to cover my tracks with some of the skills they taught me, I left the Caucauvic Mountains some decade after I entered.  I proceeded to wonder the next few decades, following the call of Jaspree and Garlen, as my Gryphon family had, though I learned their names during my wandering after continuing to practice what I learned from them.  I also learned, though experimentation, that my feather clothes had the same durability as low strength armor.

6th of Rua

I was minding my own business in the forest about a day outside of the village of Tureem, when I heard a voice say, "Halt, this is a robbery!" in the direction of the nearest road.  Curious, I went to take a look, bounding from tree to tree in order to move silently, approached the sound of the altercation.  When I stopped in view of the road, I heard a slight noise.  Looking down I saw someone clearly as interested as I in what was at hand.  I saw him level a shortbow, not at the one whose voice was the same as the one who had exclaimed that he was a robber, but at the caravan that was the other point of interest on the road, so I decided he was in league with the former.

Just as I arrived I saw the offender, who was blocking the road, get hit in the legs by a curious device that looked like three intertwined cords, each with a steel ball at the end, thrown by the lead caravan guard.  At that the man beneath me became distracted, so I decided to try my luck by attacking him.  It turned out to be bad, for as soon as I shifted my weight to leap down, I slipped slightly, barely managing to wound my target.  He countered, I dodged, and by the time our exchange concluded, the leader, on the road, went down.  My opponent, panicking, tried to flee.  I ran after him with the thought of finishing him off, but after I attempted another attack, also badly executed, he dropped his shortbow and sped off.  Feeling the wheels of destiny pulling me back towards the caravan, I picked up the shortbow, allowing the bandit to make good his escape.

I returned to the caravan and joined them on their journey to Tureem, heckling the prisoner, as the leader of the bandits had simply been knocked out, all the way there.  Shortly before we left for Tureem, two travelers joined us from up the road, in the direction from which the caravan had traveled.  When the caravan arrived in Tureem, it was greeted by quite the welcoming, as were, oddly, myself, the lead caravan guard, and the two travelers who arrived after the skirmish.

The four of us entered the inn of the village, charmingly named Commonhouse.  When we entered, we were approached by the innkeeper, a dwarf, who greeted us warmly, addressed us as adventurers, offered us free rooms, food and drink, and asked us if we would take on the task of eliminating a nest of spider monsters that had been terrorizing them and those in the land around Tureem, we agreed after inquiring where we might find these monsters.  I, at the end of the conversation, it having become night, and having imbibed more alcohol than safe, staggered up to the room that had been gifted to me by the innkeeper and fell asleep immediately, having gotten into the habit of sleeping as soon as the sun went down back with the Gryphons, something that I could and would fight if absolutely necessary.  However, as a sign of respect for those intelligent, gentle creatures, I try not to.

The game is afoot

And with J'aka Mooneye's first journal entry in the books, the game has truly begun. If you're unfamiliar with Earthdawn, journals are a built-in way to gain additional cashflow as well as Legend points.

There's going to be additional pages, I will be starting a Gamemaster's Notes page which will discuss game design and adventure design choices, as well as posting new creatures (after the party has encountered them of course.)

For example, the Jehuthra from 1st edition to 4th edition has been buffed, a lot. So with running the Mists of Betrayal for 4th edition, I'm going to create an entirely new spider beasty to take their place. All the adventurer's know is that there's spider beasts preying on the populace of Tureem.

So stay tuned for the new beasty after our December 15th session.

J'aka Mooneye Journal Entry #1

      The travel from Taa'xaal has been until this point fairly uneventful. I have been following the paths of the great thieves before me, but it is time to leave the river cities and villages and move on to bigger things. Though I enjoy cooking, I am only scraping by. It is time to earn some real money. On that note, I decided to head to Tureem.

      I have heard of the attacks, this is why I go. The roads are not safe, and there is money to be made making sure the goods can travel from the people who sell them to the people who buy them. I was hired on as a guard for a caravan. There are a few other guards with me, but they seem relatively green in the ways of combat. As expected, we were attacked by a silly man I later learned was a repeat criminal named Burt. "Big mouth" Burt. He blocked our passage and required our most valuable items. A few of his men were hiding in the woods, waiting to strike.

      I offered him the chance to get our of our way, and he rudely declined. Rather than have his ambush go according to plan, I struck swiftly and decisively with my bolas. An elegant weapon, and he was truly surprised. Now embarrassed, he threatened to kill all of us. Drawing his bow, I took cover behind a tree to allow his foolish men the chance to reveal themselves. My fellow guards took a few crossbow shots and received arrows in their flesh for their troubles. The stench of blood and fear in the air, the combat had truly begun.

      Now, I have seen my share of blood, but it has been mostly animals. Hunting and cooking are how I made my money before. These men were OK, but when you have had to fish the same streams as the bears, a little man with a bow is not so scary.

      Back to the fight, though. A strange elf in strange attire mimicking birds showed up and attacked the highwaymen as well, all the while croaking in his strange voice. Crossbow and bolt fire was exchanged, and I threw another bola at Burt, this time clocking him a good one. He fell down after that titanic blow from the Mighty and Swift J'aka Mooneye. The bird lover attacked him after that and he was defeated. His men fled, dropping some of their weapons even. I hope they have learned that this road will not be easy pickings any longer. They should go get honest jobs. We detained Burt and were about to move on when a dwarf and windling showed up out of nowhere. They were headed our same direction, so they traveled with us as well.

      Eaglefeather the elf, Tharek the dwarf, and Wibbles the windling traveled to Tureem after that and were greeted warmly. It turns out, the citizens have had issues with potential giant spiders or spider-like creatures attacking at night. They have been preyed upon by these beasts and we have agreed to seek them out and defeat them. A nominal fee was offered and I accepted. I must find a thief of greater renown than myself to train me, and such expertise is not cheap. Burt also lent his aid financially, without his knowledge, and for that I am also grateful.

      We are within half a day's walk to Parlainth, where I am sure I can find a trainer. Until then, I will hone my skills on these monsters. Hopefully Overseer Turan and his people can rest safe afterwards.

Edge of Ruin Campaign - Earthdawn 4e.

It's been a long time coming. The road to actually running a game of Earthdawn 4th Edition after I helped with the early development of this amazing edition. Josh and Morgan have done an amazing job of creating an edition which is more streamlined and still feels like Earthdawn.

The inclusion of Durability as a built-in aspect of the Disciplines circle reduces bookkeeping with Legend Points.

The removing of the Karma tax is a wonderful rework which not only removes the nickel and dime economy of LP tracking, but also makes the entire process more smooth, and encourages spending karma while at the same time reducing the swinginess of the karmaball of 1e. (Spending all karma in a single huge roll.)

Finally, my favorite optional rule so far. Automatically granting an attribute increase at each new circle. Technically this limits the number of attribute increases to 14, but if you let them continue purchasing attribute increases with Legend Points at Circle 15 (And I see no real reason not to, if you're actually still playing at Circle 15.)

Anyway, I'm running this campaign to do something I consider myself uniquely suited to. As a DCC Compatible Publisher, and as a developer for 4e, I want to create a DCC Compatible edition of Earthdawn. By running a campaign thru 15th Circle, I intend to identify the most important elements of what makes Earthdawn feel so wonderfully Legendary, while maintaining the excellent gonzo DCC feel.

Will Earthdawn DCC be for DCC Player? Definitely not, not knowing how many DCC Players feel, However for those Players and Judges, I hope to provide enough resources in the form of Legendary magic items, blood charms, alchemical items, and of course adversaries the like to terrify any 10th level Wizard.

(The blogspot is still as barren as the Badlands...stay tuned for more info.)