oldercloud

Hey, I'm running a sword & sorcery game using the Elric! rules, along with some BRP rules, and I am trying to figure out a workable set of rules for mooks. I've seen some of the mook rules on here already, and I've added a few ideas of my own. In my game, I am interested in presenting my players with nameless hordes of guards, thugs, goons, etc. What I've done so far is to break the gang of mooks into equal groups, based on the number of characters. For example, I recently pitted three players against nine cultist guards. First, I divided the nine guards into three groups of three. 1) Each character, then, was attacked by one group. Since these underlings attack as a group, they only get to attack once. This one attack represents their collective sword strokes, fisticuffs, etc. With this is in mind, I intend to use the following: 2) Attack skill equals 30% + 10% per mook. In the above example, the hit rate would be 60%. Damage is equal to 1d6 +1 per mook. So, three mooks, together, would attack for 1d6 +3. If the bonus is equal to the die type, just roll two of that die type. 3) I am not sure how apportion hit points. Perhaps it should be 10 + the number of mooks. I am also considering adding some sort of special tactics, such as ganging up, flanking, etc. My goal is to keep things simple and to replicate the genre. Conan often wades through lesser foes, and I want to give my players the same opportunity. Please let me know if you have suggestions - especially about hit points and special effects.

That was smart of you, Zomben. I kind of regret allowing demon summoning / binding in my game. We actually spent one full session just trying to figure out the rules for summoning. It would've made life easier for all of us if demon weapons, and demons, in general, were prohibited from the game.

I agree with you, Charles. In general, I run my games by the seat of my pants. I tend to keep the game moving so that the story doesn't end up mired down in disputes over rules. I try to remain as consistent as possible, though. As far as Elric! is concerned, I am playing a stripped-down version of the game. I did recently pick up a copy of the Corum rules, and I may use some of its rules on somoning creatures of chaos (pacts, etc.). Like you, I always have a rough idea of what I would like to happen, and I let the players create the story as they flounder about.

Hey Marcus, I am running my campaign using the Elric! rules, mostly. Demons are present in my game, but my players and I have implemented a bunch of house rules to reign them in a bit. For example, we now use the damage bonus for attributes to determine how much extra damage a demon weapon inflicts, rather than the table in the summoning section. This will be hard to believe, but a player of mine initially balked at the idea of such powerful weapons in the game. I suppose he feared crossing paths with an NPC with a demon-tainted blade that could inflict 3d10 extra damage, or something. As I said over at my blog Delver Down, I started out running the game in the Young Kingdoms, but the setting has quickly morphed into my own world. The characters are currently exploring a vast, baroque city called Hrulvir. I have done away with the allegiance system, and I am still fiddling around with combat. My game is basically a pastiche of Lankhmar, with demons and some Vornheim quirks thrown in for good measure. The most difficult aspect of facilitating the game has been trying to create a more cinematic style of combat. Like most sword and sorcery heroes, the characters in this world are far more potent than Elric! enables them to be. I am thinking of making hit points the total of SIZ and CON, and I am going to implement rules for mooks, as well. This will mean that that my players will be able to wade through gangs of ruffians without batting an eye, but that is the way I want it. I am also thinking of doing away with most of the spells, other than those that augment demon summoning, as well as healing. The rest of the spells are pretty lackluster, I think. I hope this answers your question. Matt

Hello, I am currently running a sword & sorcery game using the Elric! rules. Although the game kicked off using the Young Kingdoms map as a starting point, I am slowly moving the game into my own setting. While I have many ideas about the game, I have intentionally kept the world blank, hoping that everything I need will reveal itself through play, as I react to my players' decisions. Please feel free to take a look at my rpg blog Delver Down at Delver Down. You will find some session reports, write-ups of various NPCs, and musings about Hrulvir, the central city in the campaign. Cheers, Matthew