Zornhau Forums

GRAND HERESY NEEDS YOU!



Specifically, I need you.

With the release around the corner, I want to come up with a new demo to go with it. My players have already been through the ones I've written for my group, and I figure a new edition can use some new material.

What we need:

• A premise to build around
• A situation that demands an immediate response
• That can be resolved in a relatively short amount of play time (3-5 hours)
• The kinds of conflicts/themes to focus on
• Mechanical areas to highlight
• Ideas for the pregen characters who should plug into the situation and premise

Pitch me material, even if you only have some partial ideas on what you want to see. If we find something good, I'll write up the adventure, the pregen characters, run it for my group and then release the whole thing as a packet for public playtesting.

• Premise : The party is aboard the "Vanguard", a man-o-war in Her Majesty's service sailing near the Gulf of Mexico.
• Situation : Just as your ship becomes engaged by a Spaniard formation of three warships, a violent storm sinks the "Vanguard" and scatters the Spaniards. The PCs find themselves shipwrecked and must travel through a jungle crawling with Spaniards, natives, and wild animals to reach safety.
• Conflicts / Themes : Spaniard vs Englishman, European vs Native, Christian vs Heathen, Man vs Beast, Man vs Nature.
• Mechanical Areas to highlight : Skirmish, Simple Melee, Full Melee, Firearms, Overland Movement, Survival in the wild

Player Character Ideas:

• Young officer with a dark secret
• Priest versed in medicine with doubts over his faith
• Experienced salty dog trying to strike it big
• Half-breed (English/Native) scout trying to be accepted

Premise: the players are inside a besieged castle or city. Food is running low, is all hope lost?

Situation: one day, people inside start to die. Not because of starvation nor disease, so why? The players are asked to investigate. Alternatively, the players are a part of negotiation team, but as turns out, the meetings were meant as a distraction - in the meantime, the besiegers storm the city / defenders counterattack or try to escape through underground tunnels.

Conflicts: negotiations, stubborn leaders, greed, sacrifice, treason.

Players: they could simply be serving in the city garrison. Or maybe one of them is a high ranking officer, leading the defense? They could be spies, secretly undermining the defensive effort. They could be samaritans, only caring about reducing the casualties on both sides to minimum.


(that's pretty chaotic, I was just making things up on the fly

• Premise: The players are vassals, hired mercenaries, or retinues in the service of [Fill in the Blank] in 16th-century Europe.

• Scenario: Gottskalk the Cruel, Bishop of Hólar, died in 1520, and was buried with several possessions near his cathedral. The year is now 1545, and rumors are spreading across the continent and Bishop Gottskalk may have had interests beyond the spiritual guidance of his flock. The Rauðskinna, the Book of Power, a tome of black magic powerful enough to control Satan himself, is said to lie in the bishop's hands within his tomb.
  
  Iceland is sovereign territory of the King of Denmark, and full military expeditions are impossible—instead, leaders (and aspiring leaders) from around Europe are gathering small bands to find and return the Rauðskinna, each with their own motivations and for their own ends. The fledgling Inquisition seeks to destroy the tome. Henry VIII is aging and would surely love to be able to magick his way into youth and good health. The young Grand Prince of Muscovy, Ivan the Terrible, is on the cusp of becoming Tsar of Russia. Perhaps the Orthodox Church seeks to acquire the book and lock it away forever, for safety... but also for insurance. Or perhaps there are circles within the Orthodox Church who would use the power of the book to expel the Ottomans and reclaim Constantinople. Nevermind the hundreds of lesser nobles and merchant lords who would seek such great, such enticing power.

• Potential Conflicts/Themes: Secular Power vs. Religious Authority; Conflict/Negotiation with competing bands of adventurers; Catholic vs. Anglican vs. Protestant vs. Orthodox vs. Heresy; Investigation of the Bishop's true resting place.

• Mechanical Highlights: Travel in general (overland, oversea, etc.); Negotiation and Diplomacy; Research / Investigation; Skirmish, Simple Melee, Full Melee, Ranged Combat (including Firearms).

I don't have specific pregen character ideas, but the opportunities should be fairly clear and may also vary based on who the PCs' ultimate employer ends up being.

Premise: Historians didn't quite get it right this time. The party are member's of the Knights Templar left behind and presumed dead after the Battle of Legnica. After Mongol forces leave the area, the surviving knights retreat stealthily to a small western polish village to rest away their injuries.

Situation: The party now must deal with the very real possibility of being discovered by mongol scouts as they try to recover and then return westwards. But something's not quite right. This village is secretly practicing heretical pagan rituals. It's your duty as Templars to root out this evil "in the name of the lord, our god."

Themes: Faith vs Corruption (let your minds remain pure)
Christianity vs Paganism (root out all evil)
Mongol vs Templar (They're out there somewhere)
Man vs Responsibilities (can't we just leave and rejoin the army instead of dealing with this?)

Usable Mechanics: (A LOT, but here is the most prominent ones): Social 'Combat', Health and Healing, Stealth, Skirmishes, Simple/Complex Combat, Poisoning, Magic(depends on how you want to run it),

Characters: All of the players are Knights Templar (with maybe a sergeant or squire in addition.)
-A young knight wounded and afraid, has deep fears of Pagans and mongols. Good with his words, but falters under Pagan pressure.
-The eldest knight, clearly the superior of the party. Most wounded, incapable of effective combat. Utterly unshakable in his faith and tactical ability.
-A deceiver, a knight with limited medical experience. Out of spite for past treatment, he poisons under the guise of healing. While he is capable of healing, Paganism is looking pretty tempting.
-The prisoner, technically not a member of the Templar. A sergeant who was offered freedom in exchange to fight with the Polish Infantry. Easily the most martially capable, exceeding the skill of even the knight's themselves. Not fully faithful to the Templar, but certainly no fan of Pagans either.