Earthdawn: A Crash Course

[frigidmagi]

Okay, I am running an Earthdawn game on Skype, only most of y'all never played. So this a quicky crash course to get you into the groove.

Let's get started on crunchy.

Namegivers: Namegivers are the player races of Earthdawn. They are called this because what they have in common is giving things names and names are magic. Knowing the true name of something or someone is the gateway to power over them/it. The races are:

Dwarf, short, bearded, loyal, gifted organizers with a gift for building large scale groups. Dwarves have has a group alot of political power in Barsaive based on their administrative abilities and their economic juice. The Dwarf Kingdom of Thoral is the most powerful native kingdom and the center of resistance to Thera (more on that later). Dwarves also have heat vision which comes in handy in the dark or underground.

Elves, before the Scourge elvenkind was bound together in a vast cultural Empire ruled by the Queen of Wyrm Wood (think kinda like the Japanese Emperor/Pope) that Empire was shattered by the pride of that Queen. Elves are tall, pretty and quick and prefer to live in open spaces. Most Elves follow a spirital tradition called the Wheel of Life that has 5 paths, allowing for self growth and perfection. Elves are big on perfection the snooty bastards. Elves have low light vision.

Humans, known for being flexible but otherwise kinda... average. You find them living in mixed communities with other races more often then not. Humans can learn a talent from other classes (called Disciplines)

Obsidimen, Rockpeople born from magic rocks called Life Rocks. Their clans are all Obsidimen born from the same Life Rock, they are called Brotherhoods. Despite the mascline names for their race and organization, Obsidimen have no gender. They are even tempered, somewhat slow and inflexible but powerful. If they get angry... Be somewhere else. Obsidimen have natural armor.

Orks, long ago Orks were used as a slave race by other Namegivers. Never again. Orks value freedom and are passionate and quick tempered. As a result of their passions (which can dominate them sometimes) and their lust for freedoms, they don't organize very often but that doesn't mean they can't. Recently the Orks reclaimed Cara Fahd, their ancestor homeland and they are gonna keep it even if it means over your dead body. Ork passions are represented by something called Gahad, which can be a trigger to some impressive rages. Orks also have low light vision.

Trolls, tall, strong, horned and fanged and giving no fucks about your shit. They are the tallest namegiver race and only an Obsidiman can really outmuscle them. They live in Clans organized into alliances called Moots. Long ago the majority of the Troll race was driven upon the mountain peaks. Their response was to build airships and go aviking on everyone. Today you can find Trolls in all sorts of communities but the mountain Troll Clans of the Twilight peaks remain. Trolls tend to place a great store in their personal honor and go to lengths to defend it. Trolls also have heat vision.

T'skrang, lizardpeople with a great love for the water. They are flamboyant, colorful and sometimes boastful. They live in tightly knit communities called Nialls which are a combination of corporation and large extended families. Know for their love of drama, sharp trading abilities, brightly colored skins and large tails. They also tend to be matriarchal and are only known Namegiver race to lay eggs. Fun Fact, the gender of a T'skang is not actually revealed until puberty. T'skrang can use their tails in combat, striking people with it as if it was a 3rd leg. T'skrang martial arts fight are amazing to watch!

Windlings, small, winged people that average about 18 inches in height. They are small and frail but hey... They can fly. They are freewheeling and known for their love of pranks. Their society is somewhat haphazard. They have astral sight (magic vision) and get a bonus for being hard to hit.


Disciplines are character classes. In Earthdawn all the character classes have access to magical abilities called talents. Keep in mind, while not all classes are spellcasters, all players have access to magical power.

Air Sailor, sail the seas? Why limit yourself? Air Sailors are the bold and hardy men of the air fleets. They man the ships that cut through the very air itself above everyone's head living life freely. Mobile, good in a fight and tough, they make good fighters but their main preoccupication is living and working on the great airships that are the backbone of civilization.

Archer, Robin Hood was a wuss. You are the living example of accuracy, precision, perception and speed. A fully realized Archer can pin a fly to the wall at 500 meters... And not kill it. While the bow (or crossbow) is your true love, any ranged weapon is death in your hands.

Beastmaster, you call to the beasts of the wood and the field... And they obey. Totally at home in the wilderness, you bond with and command a number of animal companions to do your bidding. Just remember, these aren't just companions, they're family.

Cavalryman, on foot you are a dangerous man. On your mount (which doesn't have to be a horse) you are a fucking natural disaster made flesh. Fast, brutal and terrifying, you are the nobility of the open battlefield. You are the very ideal that mounted warriors throughout history have striven to reach.

Elementalist, Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Wood! These are your tools and weapons as a spell caster. You seek to understand the power and wisdom of the elements that make up the world around you... And use them to beat the crap out of those who deserve it.

Illusionist, there is no spoon? Ha! You're not really here! There is no reality and I'll prove it. Not everything you do is an illusion, but good luck to everyone else trying to figure out what's real and what isn't. Your very existance means confusion and doubt to your enemies. Soon followed by pain.

Nethermancer, you study the other planes of existence and the spirits that dwell therein. Your studies have granted you powers and secrets that would drive lesser Namegivers MAD!!! Nethermancers are spell casters with access to spells both wonderful and gross, not to mention pants shittingly terrifying.

Scout, someone's got to go first and that's you. You're a tracker, a huntsmen in the dark places of the world. No matter where you go though you are at home. Even in the very living room of your enemies. People have trouble finding you unless you let them, but you can always find who you're looking for.

Sky Raiders, you're a turbo charged magical paratrooper. Using your magical abilities you fly your airships far and wide, taking whatever you want, whenever you want. In short, even inland no one is safe because these Vikings can fly.

Swordmaster, buckle your swash son. Charismatic, fast and awesome, your master of the blade makes you a fighter to be feared. But it's not enough to just bumble into victory, you do it with style and flair. A fight is not just a fight, it's a performance to show off your skill and daring.

Thief, you are sly, skilled and sneaky. You can get in anywhere and bring out anything that strikes your fancy. You're the greatest of freelance treasure hunter specialists and you know it.

Troubadour, let me tell you a story or 3. You know the histories and stories of the world and use them to tell the great truths of the world. You can always hold people's attention and you love every minute.

Warrior, you are a soldier and the front line slugger of the world. You are tougher, badder and more hardcore when it comes to violence. No else gots the heart to come down into the street with you.

Weaponsmith, it's not enough to beat people up with magic weapons (which you can totally do). You know how to make them. You understand weapons inside and out and as such you can get the most of them.

Wizard, you study. You learn. You got magic out of the ass. You can kill people with your huge brain. No one is ever gonna make a bookworm joke to your face twice, you know that much.

[LadyTevar]

Heh.
EarthDawn. Aka ShadowRun's 5th Age.

I'd like to play but the Sunday Skype is just not working for me :(

[Cynical Cat]

Heh.
EarthDawn. Aka ShadowRun's 5th Age.

I'd like to play but the Sunday Skype is just not working for me :(

It will be alternate Mondays.

[frigidmagi]

Attributes and stats:

There are 6 primary attributes:

Dexterity, agility, quickness, hand eye coordination. This stat governs things like hitting people and not getting hit.

Strength, are you a girly man or a macho dude? This stat determines your pure muscle power and nonmagical damage potential.

Toughness, endurance and health. Your self healing ability and durability are determined from this.

Perception, alertness, mental quickness, etc. Perception is extremely important for spellcasters, as it determines how many spell points you get in character creation. It also helps you avoid the effects of enemy spells.

Willpower, concentration, sense of self, and of course force of will. This helps resist magical attack and increases your magical effectiveness.

Charisma, persuasiveness, social ability and just how cool you look. If you want to talk people into things... You kinda need this.

Characteristics or Other Stats:

Physical Armor, this is determined by the armor you wear (unless you're an obsidimen). It reduces the damage you take when you get hit.

Mystic Armor, determined by your willpower reduces the damage from magical attacks.

Physical Defense Rating A.K.A DODGE!!1!

Spell Defense Rating A.K.A Avoid Fireball!

Social Defense Rating A.K.A I Know You're Lying You Son Of A Bitch!

Health Ratings such as...

Death Rating, this is the amount of damage it takes to kill you.

Unconsciousness Rating, same as above but knocks you the fuck out.

Wound Threshold, you get hit above this you suffer a wound, which inflicts penalties and heals slowly.

Lastly:

Initiative Step, when you go determined by your dex and armor.

[Karrick]

After (entirely minimal) convincing from Hotfoot, I an intrigued by this setting. Really, all he had to do was say "airships". I have yet to acquire any books (or even look into acquiring them). Is there a particular edition you will be running? Also, can you elaborate on the potential mounts for the cavalryman discipline? Because while being a sky viking is awesome, I could also dig being the equivalent of a fighter pilot on a flying mount.

[frigidmagi]

As I have forgotten to mention as Karrick pointed out.

This will be a 3rd edition Earthdawn, alternate Mondays on Skype. All you need to play is the Player's Guide (Player's Companion and Namegivers of Barsaive are good to). You will create a Circle 1 character.

I will cover mounts tomorrow.

[Cynical Cat]

Griffons are available as mounts (not for starting characters, because a griffon is badass) and even available on the open market. Cavalrymen can bond them as mounts and use their badass Cavalryman talents with them.

[frigidmagi]

It's tomorrow! So... Mounts! Since Karrick asked so nicely.

In Alphabetical order:

Dyre, this is some unholy combination of a camel (biggg hump), bull (horns) and bear. Standing 12 feet tall at the shoulder, it is quick witted, huge and grumpy.

Elephant, you heard me, Elephant.

Goat, windlings being somewhere about 18 inches tall don't always have alot of options. Goats will do in a pinch though.

Granlain, one day someone decided that they should breed the troll equivalent of a horse. Most non-Trolls have been asking what idiot thought that was good idea ever since. They stand 7 feet tall at the shoulder and 10 feet in length, they are strong, smart and stubborn for horses often Trolls are the only ones around strong enough (or stiff necked enough) to handle them.

Griffin, half eagle, half lion, all murder your face.

Horse, standard horse comes in riding, draft, pony or war. I should note that while a war horse might feel kinda plain, it is not a bitch. Pony is a bitch but what can you do?

Huttawa, so some manic saw lions and tigers and said to himself, you know what this needs? An eagle's head. Being 4 feet at the shoulder and 6 feet long, they are noted as being favorites of the Dwarven Cavalryman... er Cavalrydwarf.

Kue, sort a lizard cat... thing. Ridden by windlings, they are 2 feet at the shoulder and 3 feet long.

Mules... Okay you're not riding a Mule and we both know it.

Stajian, large bison animals that Orks love. 6 feet tall, faster and stronger then a horse, hooves make it good at moving about in swamps and mountains.

Thundra Beast, okay... So when a Rhino and a Dinosaur love each very much and God decides to punish the Human Race (or Reward the Orks, whichever) for letting this happen, you get this 7 feet tall, 12 feet long bundle of death. With a horn of more death, because fuck you.

Troajin, a riding tiger native to jungles and mountains. Stands 4 feet tall and 8 feet long (3 feet of that being tail). Beast Masters love them because... Hey RIDING TIGER!

Zoak, another mount for the windlings. This is a cross between bird and bat with a feathered head and body and leathery wings for... Reasons! They have talons and long flexible necks.

Okay so, as you might have guessed... I'm not gonna let some 1st circle character tool around with a Griffin, a Thundra Beast or honestly a Dyre. Honestly these sound like mounts you earn in an epic quest kinda thing (which is sorta one of the things Earthdawn is about) and I will certainly make it a point to give you a shot at that when you're the right circle. This is one of those things I am totally willing to work with the player on. Because Earthdawn is about epic questery and becoming a mega awesome hero that they tell stories about.

Or I suppose if you want to be a pansy about it you can simply just buy one and bond with it.. You know... If you wanna be Army about it (Oh Come On! You all knew that was coming!).

[Cynical Cat]

Money

Earthdawn rolls with the silver standard. A silver piece is the basic unit of currency and Throal long ago made their hexagonal coins to the same weight and standard of Thera's circular ones, so they could be used interchangeably and trade would be made easy. It's 10 coppers to the silver and 10 silvers to the gold.

It's simple, easy, and sensible. That's also where the vanilla ends because fuck it this is high fantasy with airships and fire cannons.

Trade to true elements is a big deal. You can use the true elements, pure elemental matter, to do all sorts of cool magical effects. They fuel fire cannons, are required for airships, help make awesome weapons and armor, and make real nice waterproof boots. Harvesting and trading the true elements is big business and it's serious business. Since even small amounts are very valuable and they're constantly being traded for other valuable items, the true elements are also traded for in convenient and standardized coin form to make this easier on everyone.

The exchange rate is 1 coin of elemental earth or elemental water for 100 silver coins. This is because elemental earth and water are the easiest to get, the safest to harvest, and require the least expensive outlay to harvest. Elemental air and fire are more harder to get, considerably more dangerous to harvest, and require a lot of expensive goodies to harvest. Elemental air and fire coins go for 1,000 silver coins. Elemental wood also exists, but it isn't coin for a variety of reason which can most easily be summed up as the elves of the Blood Wood are sitting on the lion's share of it and the rest of it gets used up pretty quickly.

Lastly, we come to orichalcum. A rich orange-gold metal containing all the true elements, orichalcum is used in all sorts of high end magical effects and goodies. It's rare and it costs. It's also coined, not for use in commerce although that happens, but because the exchange of an orichalcum coin is used to seal certain kinds of powerful magical bargains. They are worth 10,000 sp a shot if you can find them.

[frigidmagi]

Because it was pointed out to me I forgot.

http://arkanabar.tripod.com/edhist.html

And a map:

http://upandalsbefreier.pbworks.com/f/Map.png

[Karrick]

After some thought, I think maybe relying on a mount to the extent a cavalryman does might be a bit of a hindrance (for example, if we need to hire and/or fight on an airship or in a city/dungeon/other cramped area). This despite the prospect of eventually riding a griffon or being a troll riding some huge dinosaur-rhino... thing. I'm leaning towards scout as an alternative, but I'm still considering things.

[Cynical Cat]

Cavalryman is specialized in fighting on his mount, but he's a fighting class. Being away from his mount doesn't transform him into a shmuck, it transforms him from being a monstrous badass to merely being highly dangerous.

[Lys]

So I'm kind of wanting to play an Elementalist, but they don't seem quite designed to do what I want them to do, which is be a elemental kung-fu wizard. They're rather more of a support and battlefield control type character. Are there any better options along those lines?

[Cynical Cat]

Not really in Barsaive. Cathay's different, but who needs kung fu when you can go Beastmaster?

[Lys]

Because animal and plant control abilities interest me approximately never. Plant control's okay as part of a wider elemental control package, but animal control is pretty much never interesting except as maybe a side effect of your social abilities.

[Cynical Cat]

Warrior is pretty good at all forms of combat and you can pick up additional disciplines during play.

[LadyTevar]

The legend I recall best of EarthDawn is that of Thayla's Voice.

BTW: Runnin' for Harlequin is a pain in the ass, chummers. Big Nuyen, lots of street cred and favors owed, but by the time you know who's in charge you're so deep in Bug City is a walk in sunshine. But once you hear Thayla sing.....

[Lys]

Ahaha, I noticed something and burst out laughing reading the other thread.

This game probably gets most often compared to D&D, but frankly what it reminds me the most of is Exalted. Both setting and systems are built around the conceit that all the player classes are inherently magical, and they build the powers of those classes on explicitly magical power sets for doing normally mundane things like physical combat, sneaking, tracking, stealing, socializing, performing, etc. Still, there are wizards! They use strange and diverse sorceries oft built around arcane rituals, and are adept at the summoning and binding of supernatural beings! Perhaps most of all though, they both encourage over the top action and heroics reminiscent of the classical mythology of humanity. Both Exalted and Earthdawn are games for you to play the likes of Scathach, Beowulf, Achilles, Candace of Meroe, Gilgamesh, Rama, Arjuna, Sun Wukong, Empress Jingu. They both also have some elements of cosmic horror underlying it, in Exalted it's more in the background than in Earthdawn, but it's clearly there: Exalted's Primordials are as much Great Old Ones as the worst of the Named Horrors are.

The similarities make sense when you think about the thematic roots of both games. They are heroic fantasy games, revivals of the old days of pulp sword and sorcery, callbacks to things like Howard's Hyborean Age, Lord Dusany's Pegana, and Lee's Tales of the Flat Earth, with some Moorcock and Lovecraft thrown in. All of these in turn have roots in western epics and mythology. The main part where Exalted and Earthdawn diverge thematically is that Exalted enthusiastically goes to Eastern sources like anime and JRPGs, which have their roots in Eastern epics and classic mythology, and then it takes all those elements and enthusiastically blends them into the whole, giving the whole thing a distinctly Easter flavour. Earthdawn took those things and segregated them into their own sub-setting instead, keeping the Western flavour for its main one. Also whereas Exalted tends to reject D&D tropes, Earthdawn likes to play around with them, even if it means twisting, bending, and upsetting them while still embracing them all the same.

But, none of that is what made me laugh. No, what is funny's our character sheets. Rather, how system geometry tends to encourage certain patters of optimization in player's attribute distributions. Every single character who wants to be worthwhile in physical combat has Dex 16, just like in Exalted every combat character takes Dex 5. The attributes people expect to most use also tend to be concentrated on the values 13 and 16, just like how in Exalted they're usually concentrated at 3 and 5. Players who don't arrange them that way are warned they are making inefficient use of resources, because they are. Fair's fair though, ED3 is a far more elegant, less clunky, better self-integrated, and better balanced system than Ex2 could dream of being. I expect it's also a lot more forgiving about inefficient resource assignment. Still, it reminds me. ^_^

[frigidmagi]

That reminds me, I really got to pick up a copy of the Journey to the West. I keep putting it off.

[Lys]

The premise behind Journey to the West amuses me. We establish that one of the characters can make tens of thousands of li in a single bound, enabling him to make it to any point on the planet at will. Then we tell a story about how said character escorts a Bodhisattva as he walks to a known location, with no explanation given why the Monkey King didn't just grab his charge, jump to Vulture Peak, pick up the scriptures, and then jump back.

[frigidmagi]

Because walking is the whole point. This is kinda a punishment for our Monkey Friend after all.

[Lys]

There's this blog I've been reading that discusses Earthdawn a lot. I've found it pretty useful for getting into the setting initially, and it has loads of great breakdowns of setting elements as well as advice on how to use them. It's neat!

I was impressed how he actually discusses the Ritual of Greeting more than the book does, and thus did a better job of making it come alive for me. I particularly like the question he brings up at the end: Does it really work? Personally I think it should... but not always. It really adds to the horror of the Horrors if there are exceptions, for then learning the truth can drive one to madness and paranoia. Making it completely reliable just closes off many potentially interesting and compelling storylines without adding anything in return.

[Cynical Cat]

It generally works. There are exceptions. Most people who've had their psyche torn up by a horror don't exactly keep up with the use of their artisan skills, although their are often more obvious signs. There's at least one horror who can fake it. So, exceptions.

[Lys]

I like the idea of the best artist in existence being a Horror. She makes things of such sublime and transcendental beauty that people who behold them are transfixed and enthralled by them, or else become obsessed beyond all reason. That way she could create something like the Silmarils and watch as the land tears itself apart fighting over them. Her constructs and those she touches also become artists beyond compare. There are the winged raptor-women whose songs lure Namegivers to be devoured, and because everyone 'knows' the Horror-touched cannot make things of beauty, those she's touched are above suspicion as her foul influence begins to corrupt their communities. The Horror is beautiful herself, angelic in the old Biblical (roll for San loss) way, shining with a bright and terrible light that causes mortals to tear their eyes out, lest they ever again lay them on anything lesser.

She should be Named... Bringer of Dawn.

(Because if I named her Morning Star people would think the wrong thing.)

[Lys]

It generally works. There are exceptions. Most people who've had their psyche torn up by a horror don't exactly keep up with the use of their artisan skills, although their are often more obvious signs. There's at least one horror who can fake it. So, exceptions.

Nope! I looked into it, and at least insofar as Horror Marks go, it generally doesn't. It's the instances where a Horror Mark does corrupt artistic ability that are the exceptions, not the other way around. This amuses me to no end, and I await that perfect moment of utter terror whenever it is our characters realize this. Because, it's not the people who have had their psyches torn up by Horrors that are scary, one knows to be weary of crazy. It's the Horror Marked, or worse Horror Threaded, who otherwise appear normal that terrify Namegivers. Because there's no sure way to know, even Astral Sight can fail, and inviting one so tainted into your presence is only second to inviting the Horror itself. That's why the Greeting Ritual, it's supposed to tell everyone you're untainted... but it doesn't, and realizing this has got to be the most delicious paranoia fuel.