Languages

We will be using separate language skills.  Speak Heortling is one of your cultural keyword skills.  Lawspeakers, Priests, Traders and Chieftains get it as an occupational skill as well.  Speak Tradetalk is another skill everyone gets at 13.  Traders get it at 17 as an occupational skill.

PBEM Rules

a) Rules for the campaign as a whole

b) Extended individual encounter

Shamans

Shamans start with five integrated spirits with a Might of 17.   These are all 1/day though you may trade in two 1/day for one totally integrated spirit.  Optionally you can roll a Simple Contest combat versus the spirit using your Spirit Combat versus their Might and see what result you achieve.  On any sort of defeat I would allow you to just take the spirit as a 1/day.  You can of course choose not to and suffer some sort of penalty from being defeated by the spirit.

Starting Skill Levels

The skill levels for the various keywords are :

Note of course that if a skill is repeated in another keyword at a higher level you would use the higher level (unless you don't want to that is).

You should end up with all the skills listed under your three keywords PLUS another ten or so based on your description, maximum of 15.  You should count magical items, special mounts, patrons and followers (2 count as one) as additional skills.  These all start at 13.

Weapon Skills

The way weapon skills works is that there are two categories, Close Combat and Ranged Combat.  You have a skill level in these two skills.  Any abilities listed under that category, e.g. Sword and Shield Fighting, can be used without penalty.  Using weapons or weapon combinations NOT listed under these categories results in a penalty.  Heortlings normally incure penalties for fighting while mounted.  Each of these weapon combinations does count as a separate skill to acquire though they do not go up individually.

Twin Weapon Use

2) Magical feats to second weapon have to be applied separately.

Obviously edges or bonuses that affect the character physically, like strength or speed affect both weapons normally.

Basically your character gets a bit of an advantage in their second attack in a round at the cost of losing that +1 armour edge a shield gives.

New Abilities

When acquiring new abilities you cannot take quasi-magical abilities like Night Vision, Mocking Laugh, Stroke Beard, etc. without some sort of magical cause.

Feats, Divine Interventions, Followers and Rules You Never Knew About

Feats

1) The limits on the number of feats you can have active at one time are 'indicated' by the feats listed in your affinities. Thus Orlanth Adventurous can have 2 offensive feats and 1 defensive feat, Humakti can have 4 offensive feats (+1 more against undead), and so on.  This of course can differ if you learn new feats.

2) Generally spells cannot be cast on one another (exceptions like healing exist).

3) Given enough time you can prepare many feats, given less time you can prepare fewer.

4) The more time you spend on an individual feat the longer it will last (you re-enact it better). You want something to last a whole day it takes a while. You want some to last for one swing that's pretty easy.

5) Initiates and Devotees can always improvise something but this is likely to be one-off feats for one-off situations and they will be taken on a case-by-case basis. The only 'game' limit on Initiate would be the improv modifier (and the fact that the modifier increases for 'lesser known' feats).

6) Initiates use their affinity however at a -3, though when asking for specific help, i.e. a named feat. If they want to use a feat they don't know they're at -5.

Feats can be added to your knowledge at the standard price (1 during play, 2 outside play). This allows them to use those feats at -3 until they become devotees when they are no longer at the improv mod.

Devotees roll feats they know at base affinity value and feats they don't know at -3.

7) Animals as followers - Independent companion animals act as followers (e.g. alynxes), dependent animals can sometimes  augment (e.g. combat trained horses can augment lance attacks).  In some situations your horse could be considered a dependent one time and independent the next [eg. charging vs forcing a way through a mob].  This would be settled case-by case.

Divine Interventions

1) Anyone within a pantheon can ask for aid (without specifying what kind of aid) from one of deities within the pantheon by rolling his/her Worship Storm Tribe ability vs. 14 (or worse depending on the situation).

2) Anyone within a pantheon can ask for specific aid from one of deities within the pantheon by rolling his/her Worship Storm Tribe ability vs. 14 with an improv modifier of at least -5.

3) Initiates to a god can ask for general aid from their god using their relationship as the base.

4) Devotees can ask for specific help from their own god without improv modifiers as long as the request is within their deities realm (i.e. area of specialization).

Followers

1) Beginning followers start with their two abilities as stated in Hero Wars.  One or both of these can be a keyword.

2) Followers have the approriate Heortling keyword for their gender.  This starts at -12 the person followed's best skill.  These skills do not go up.

2) Followers also begin as initiates if the same deity as the person followed.   Their ability in their affinities starts at -12 and goes up one point for every six points of increase in the character's best skill.

Rules You Never Knew About

1) Initiates and devotees can always use their affinities to augment related skills even if they aren't currently using feats.

This page last modified July 13, 2001

Email me at oliver_bernuetz@hotmail.com.