Noodling with ideas for a dark fantasy Freebooters game.

Noodling with ideas for a dark fantasy Freebooters game.

Noodling with ideas for a dark fantasy Freebooters game. I want to get rid of demihuman races and alignment, and am planning to replace them with heritages. A heritage grants a choice of bonus stat and a selection of virtues and vices from which you pick one of each.

I haven’t decided what to do about the special moves that demihuman races get in FotF. Tempted to skip them, but maybe I should invent some new moves for each heritage.

Aulderly: A mizzly land of shepherds, rhymers, and wizards. There are no roads in Aulderly; its inhabitants navigate by standing stones, jutting lonely on the heaths. Do not read what is engraved on them; the Devil adds to them in idle moments.

– +2 CHA or +2 LUC

– Virtues: Generous, Courteous, Dependable.

– Vices: Boastful, Liar, Doubtful.

Tantea: The plague-raddled, festival-addicted City of Steeples. Listen! Plainsong from the churches. Debauches in the golden palaces. Doctors droning to draughty lecture halls. Anguished curses from the Yellow Quarter.

– +2 INT or +2 CON

– Virtues: Tactful, Pious, Patient.

– Vices: Ruthless, Vain, Zealous.

Dolor: a brooding land of forested mountains, where the Beliphasean knights war upon the old clans of pass and peak and their grey, wicked gods. Silvered helm against mouthless war-mask. Hammer against spear.

– +2 STR or +2 WIS

– Virtues: Loyal, Defiant, Disciplined.

– Vices: Inflexible, Moody, Merciless.

The Cairnwoods: A pale forest, populated by scowling trappers, silent hunters and cats. Tread softly: when the moon is narrow, ragged necromancers pick over the ancient, stony graves.

– +2 DEX or CON

– Virtues: Humble, Focused, Resourceful.

– Vices: Obsessive, Disloyal, Irritable.

The Riverlands: A wolf-land; a honey-land. Where creaking lords cradle grievances in their oaken halls, hounds curled at their feet. Crow-flocked trees. Blood in the snow. Swords of blue steel.

– +2 STR or WIS

– Virtues: Just, Cautious, Generous.

– Vices: Reckless, Vengeful, Envious.

Scathe: The white wasteland. Birthplace of the counter-Church. Graveyard of saints. Its people are travellers, riders, falconers. Their old dynasty has fled, their crowns stolen by the Thief-Kings who reign in the black-towered cities.

– +2 INT or DEX

– Virtues: Forgiving, Frugal, Ambitious.

– Vices: Cruel, Greedy, Hasty.

After choosing a heritage, you answer the following question:

Are you:

– kind of an asshole? Choose an extra vice from the general list.

– striving to be better? Choose an extra virtue from the general list.

36 thoughts on “Noodling with ideas for a dark fantasy Freebooters game.”

  3. This is such a great idea. I love how concise they are, and the writing is excellent. I had been thinking of ways to offer options for getting away from the standard demihuman stuff, and this points in the right direction.

  4. This is such a great idea. I love how concise they are, and the writing is excellent. I had been thinking of ways to offer options for getting away from the standard demihuman stuff, and this points in the right direction.

  9. Aaron Griffin These would replace normal alignment. I’m trying to go for something that’s not based on or inspired by Dark Souls, but that makes me feel the same things Dark Souls does.

  10. Aaron Griffin These would replace normal alignment. I’m trying to go for something that’s not based on or inspired by Dark Souls, but that makes me feel the same things Dark Souls does.

  23. The cultural write-ups are very evocative. Reading between the lines to imagine the fuller details of what each society is like is an entertaining exercise.

    For example, I was surprised to see Doubtful as a common vice among the Auldery – a people of wizards. But people who think that the Devil takes the time to write misleading messages on stone would probably cast a skeptical eye at wizard types.

    Also love the concept of Thief-Kings.

  24. The cultural write-ups are very evocative. Reading between the lines to imagine the fuller details of what each society is like is an entertaining exercise.

    For example, I was surprised to see Doubtful as a common vice among the Auldery – a people of wizards. But people who think that the Devil takes the time to write misleading messages on stone would probably cast a skeptical eye at wizard types.

    Also love the concept of Thief-Kings.

  29. I’ve got some more stuff to work out:

    – a couple more magical traditions

    – a setting summary I need to translate from gibbering notes into a few coherent paragraphs

    – I have some ideas for Perilous Wilds-style almanacs

    – a slight tweak to clerics and notes on the Pilgrim Saints to address losing alignment

    – plus this evening I scribbled some ideas for Talltallows House, a steadying for adventures to start from.

    I’ll keep posting them here, then once they’re done, I’ll have a think about bundling them all together!

  30. I’ve got some more stuff to work out:

    – a couple more magical traditions

    – a setting summary I need to translate from gibbering notes into a few coherent paragraphs

    – I have some ideas for Perilous Wilds-style almanacs

    – a slight tweak to clerics and notes on the Pilgrim Saints to address losing alignment

    – plus this evening I scribbled some ideas for Talltallows House, a steadying for adventures to start from.

    I’ll keep posting them here, then once they’re done, I’ll have a think about bundling them all together!

  31. In general, across the options, instead of +2 Strength or Wisdom, I’d prefer “Add 2 points between Strength and Wisdom”, so you could have +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, or +1 Strength, +1 Wisdom.

  32. In general, across the options, instead of +2 Strength or Wisdom, I’d prefer “Add 2 points between Strength and Wisdom”, so you could have +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, or +1 Strength, +1 Wisdom.

Comments are closed.