Tools and Generators for both (either/or/and) Glorantha and Mythras

[hkokko]

Major announcement - new kind of tools for GM's from Notes From Pavis

I have been working for over a year on my own campaign tools for the campaign I play in Loral at Glorantha using Mythras. I got involved in Campaign Logger from Johnn Fourr and friends and have been building generators of all kinds for my campaign using the Campaign Logger generator tool. Most of the generators are not game system specific at all. They concentrate on Fonrit and Pamaltela but can be useful elsewhere.

I have been thinking what is the right way to expose these to those who would possibly benefit from them.

 

Geek Mode On

All of them are dynamic generators so require a working backend server. I decided over the weekend to try out Google Cloud App Engine and programmed a bit of Python and HTML5 with Bootstrap 4 to make this happen. Campaign Logger is the awesome engine that makes the generation happen and it is used via REST API.  I will use this cloud publication engine as long as it is affordable (=free) and after that will think of something else if need be.

Geek Mode Off

 

The new sub site will grow in content over time hopefully as well as Encounter Generator does. Encounter Generator will continue to produce the game system specific enemies and encounters for you. The new sub site is named Notes From Pavis Tools and is accessed via tools.notesfrompavis.com . If the link does not work - type tools.notesfrompavis.com to your browser's search bar. 

The first content that I put up there are three generators.

 

Fonritan Background Generator

Fonritan Background generator generates  Gloranthan background for player characters. Timeline is gathered from Guide to Glorantha - both the official dates and local events. Cities from all over Fonrit are on the city list.  Actions what characters relatives did come from long list of personal actions. This follows the approach taken in the Gloranthan Timelines here at Notes From Pavis.

 

Tribal Taboos Broken

Taboos broken uses the taboos from Monster Island (one of my favourite ever supplements). Primitive tribes may have taboos and when taboos are broken they demand recompense.

 

Tribal Unit

Tribal Unit generator generates small combat units for primitive tribes. They give unit's or secret society's name, some color in the type of the unit and the unit's commander. This is also inspired by Monster Island - place and tribe names come from there.  It also gives the attributes necessary to use the units in Ships and Shieldwalls rule set so players can participate as commanders (or participants) in battles.

More generators will come later now that I have found a way to technically publish them.

 

Please check out the new tooling via tools.notesfrompavis.com . If the link does not work - type tools.notesfrompavis.com to your browser's search bar.  and give feedback.

https://notesfrompavis.blog/2019/01/27/major-announcement-new-kind-of-tools-for-gms-from-notes-from-pavis/

[ThornPlutonius]

Thank you!

[hkokko]

It was a very bad night in the port at Fonrit...

 

..the trouble is you hardly remember any of it.

"What if one of the characters is waking up with a headache. He is with dead fully clothed body of Asta daughter of Toril, a Westerner female or Wahhab ibn Shakir, a Vadeli male. Victim has small bite marks in the neck. Waker has flesh wounds in arms.

He is at roof level garden in merchant's quarters. Door is locked from inside.

Last thing he remembers is going into a ceremony of a brotherhood: 'The High Road - Negotiate with Natives, establish the trade and send priests to teach Civilized Behaviour'. There is threatening voice on the door . It is cleaner?"

Johnn Fourr created had a wonderful idea for creating plot seeds in his article at "Roleplaying Tips" I created couple of generators for a Fonritan Port Town in the spirit of those.

First one is the"City Bad Night Encounter Seed Generator" in the style of Dashiell Hammett, the movie Hangover and many pulp detective stories but in the fantasy world.

The second one is Town Rumor Generator- again for a Fonritan port town. The latter one is built on top of Town Rumor Generator that is available for Campaign Logger Generator users. Johnn and Jochen from the Campaign Loggerteam kindly have given permission to use it as a basis.

"A descendent of the Shah of Kalabar, The City of Sorcery has been hiding in town as Olende son of Bodolf, a Westerner conspirator for many years."

There is also a generator for what happens in the "Port Today". It is for a Fonritan port and takes into account the weather for Glorantha seasons from Guide to Glorantha, cargo from trade in the same book, maritime nations from the Men at Sea and ship data that has already been published on this site and is based on all the Gloranthan publications I could find. Ship condition and ship rules have been updated to conform with "Ships and Shieldwalls"rules and the ship reputation and naming is coming from "Raging Swan Press"publications with their permission.

There are also few person generators creating person cameos for Orlanthi from Umathela and Fonritan people. Each will give a short description , portrayal and hook adjusted from 3 Line NPC generator from Campaign logger folks and taking into account the professions that might come with those civilizations. Profession names and their attachment to civilisation type (barbarian, civilised, nomad) come mostly from Mythras Core Rules.  The skin color and clothing come inspired from the Guide to Glorantha and greetings come from the various Gloranthan sources for example from "Gloranthan Voices".

Here is one Orlanthi male

"Aricin son of Utgard

Greeting:I am from the city of Barugaza in Umathela.

Description:I am a sassy habberdasher. I sniff incessantly as if having a running nose.

Portrayal:People's problems in civilized society seem trivial to me. And I think the game of kings and powers is not for the faint hearted - and you are not faint hearted. No one else is going to have to endure the hardships I've been through.

Hook:Right now, I want to be with my family but I am just as judgmental and prejudiced as everyone else - perhaps more so.

My skin is acned. My beard is horseshoe moustache

Skin color:Olive skin. Bald. Eyes: Grey I am conscious of my horseshoe moustache beard

Clothes: Kiltmade of wool. It is colored subdued cold green. Long wool tunicdyed subdued smoky ecru. Tunic is decorated with intricate stitching. Over this a quilted wool jerkinand a wool cloakdyed subdued cold crimson

High conical hat with ram's horns sewn in .

Additional Details: a small peridot jewelry - fibulae

Armrings on left arm

Disorder and Illusion Runes tattoo on Left Hand,Mastery, Movement and Air Runes tattoo on Face"

These are available from my new sub site is named Notes From Pavis Toolsand is accessed via tools.notesfrompavis.com . If the link does not work - type tools.notesfrompavis.com to your browser's search bar.

 

 

https://notesfrompavis.blog/2019/02/03/it-was-a-very-bad-night-in-the-port-at-fonrit/

 

[hkokko]

Sailing to Fonrit to find stash of Gloranthan silver and gold coins...

There are now a few new generators available at tools.notesfrompavis.com. It also allows you to select up to 5 generated items at the time. 

Port Today 
Updated version that takes into account the improved Ship generator. Provides daily leavers, arrivers and stayers for a typical Fonritan Port for various seasons of the year. It uses an invented Fonritan distribution of the kind of ships. Seasonal activity has also been updated. 

Ship from Fonrit area.
Ship generator creates a ship from Fonritan area. It provides name, kind, captain abilities and the abilities of the crew as ships and shield wall units. It also includes the reputation of the ship, its current seaworthiness, where it is sailing to and its cargo. 

Here is an example:
Formidable Dragonewt, Enormous Maslo Penteconter catamaran
Captain Command: Green 40 Seamanship Veteran 71 Navigation Veteran 85 Oratory Green 46
Seasoned Crew of 111 as rowers
Unit type:Strong Volunteers in Their Prime - from the borderlands 
Competency:Green 34 Morale: Steady 70
Unit Passions:Loyalty to Commander 42 Hate Enemy City 39 
Unit Trait:Skirmish Formation Fighting: (Line Circle ) Shield wall: (Line Circle Tortoise)
11 officers
Green Crew of 27 as marines
Command Skill:Seasoned 61 Commander Perception:1 Commander Oratory:87
 Unit type:Cowardly Elderly Troopers 
Competency:Green 31 Morale: Erratic 42
Unit Passions:Loyalty to Commander 44 Hate Enemy nation 35 
Unit Trait:Shield wall: (Line Phalanx Square Tortoise) Skirmish Formation Fighting: (Line Phalanx Wedge)
Hitpoints:79 Seaworthiness:80 Range:max 8 days. Capacity:2 tons. MR:25km/hour.
Beam:25 meters. Draft:1m Length:30m: Freeboard::1m.
Sailing to Siwab El(on Kanem Dar) - a large city. This city’s ruler is a sorceress, unusual in the male-dominated politics of Afadjann. She is very strict morally, and forbids the ownership of members of the opposite sex. So far, she has managed to keep her city free, but the Jann’s demands grow ever more peremptory.
Reputation:Possible pirate
Shipshape
70% Textiles 30% Wine from Maslo
 
Glorantha coin generator. 
Gloranthan coin stash generator creates a random stash of Gloranthan coins which are described in the terms derived from Guide to Glorantha. As the names are not defined for all the coins - I have added those which are in use in my campaign.  
10 Afadjann Link:A round, silver coinweighing approximately 6 g 
Front: Realistic portrait of Astamanyx - Djann of Afadjann showing protruding chin
Back: Liberation of Afadjanni from Kareeshtu Enemies. Text in Afadjanni: 1 1593 Noose.
101 Afadjann Link:A round, silver coinweighing approximately 6 g 
Front: Heroic Portrait of Jawdar Mansyur, King of Baruling showing ruddy cheeks
Back: Soldiers on a boat loaded with valuables Text in Baruling: 1 1604 Noose.
298 Troll Bolg:This crude lump of leadis marked by a troll’s incisors and tusks biting through the lead. It weighs about 31 g 
Front: The bolg has two holes from where the troll bit down on it.
Back: Reverse of the front
6 Umathelan Guilder:A round, silver coinweighing approximately 6 g 
Front: Idealized portrait of Drelon, King of Kormarkan showing protruding chin 
Back: Umathelan Soldiers on a ship with elves. Text in Vralan: 1 1611
7 Umathelan Guilder:A round, silver coinweighing approximately 6 g 
Front: Realistic portrait of The Patriarch of Nikosdros - Agimori showing wrestler's ears ears 
Back: Umathelan ship with wealthy merchants. Text in Vralan: 1 1627
108 Maslo Macuta:A square, pierced silver coinweighing approximately 6 g 
Front Serious portrait of Hoom Jhis - Dynast of Flanch The Aging Agimori Dynast wears a feathered skirt, a vest of scales, gold earrings, necklace, and armbands and carries a magical staff of authority capped by a translucent crystal. 
Back: Vadeli Fleet Destroyed at Oenriko Rocks. Text in Maslo: 1 1607

Person generators for Maslo Agimori and Vadeli  
There are person generators available for Maslo Agimori and Vadeli in addition to previosly existing Oralnthi and Fonritan generators. 

Names for Orlanti and Savages
Creates names for Orlanthi and Savages. Savages are based on Monster Island. Orlanthi to various name lists. 

Rumors at Fonrit
Rumors at Fonrit generates rumours according to Guide to Glorantha for Fonritan area. 

Tropical diseases and Poisons for Mythras
Random disease and poison generators - generators create from material that is based on Mythras and Monster Island. 

Place and region name generators 
Place and region name generators from Perilous Wilds for those places that do not yet have a name and need one adapted to Fonrit
These are available from my new sub site is named Notes From Pavis Toolsand is accessed via tools.notesfrompavis.com . If the link does not work - type tools.notesfrompavis.com to your browser's search bar.

Earlier updates on the tooling are here andfor the Bad night at the port in Fonrit

 

https://notesfrompavis.blog/2019/02/09/sailing-to-fonrit-to-find-stash-of-gloranthan-silver-and-gold-coins/

[hkokko]

Tactics of selecting combat special effects in Mythras  - a result based visualisation

 

Special effects are one of the best features in Mythras. They can make the fights cinematic and their right use tactically can make you win.

 

Ulgar the Quick (PC character): I hit the thug and he did not parry - I want to get rid of the opponent's weapon - what options do I have.

 

GM: Ushgar the Rabid (PC character) failed to hit and the Ilyan the Constable parried. I want to force Ushgar to do something - what options do I have.

 

Mongo the Mighty (PC character) : Mongo smashed and the puny opponent failed to parry. I want to hurt the opponent - what options do I have.

 

Here is a result based approach in mind map form for both defensive and offensive special effects. This should help in getting players (and the GM) to find quickly what special effects to use based on what the winner wants to achieve on his special effect.

 

 

 

https://notesfrompavis.blog/2020/07/21/tactics-of-selecting-combat-special-effects-in-mythras-a-result-based-visualisation/

[hkokko]

A Day In the Life in Monster Island

Finally spent some time tuning up my Monster Island daily event generator to be able to publish it. This first one is for coastal or jungle encounters. Later on the ones for cloud forest and upper plateaus of the island may be published. 

It could be useful for a hex crawl in Monster Island. The material is based on Monster Island and Bird in the Hand from Design Mechanism and additional material from Raging Swan Press tuned to Monster Island atmosphere. Raging Swan Press products Primal, Woodland, Campsite, Cave and Rainstorm dressing are used here with permission. 

Some of the look and feel for the blocks will be refined later on. 

Here are the things it will do for a GM. 

Event

It will create an event from Monster Island daily events – either the standard or special ones. Any monster encounters there will have a link to Mythras Encounter Generator and ready to generate. The chance of the monster comes from the Monster Island jungle encounter chances. There is a larger variety of beasts in some of the categories. Some of the party encounters are also mapped out with a link to MeG – more will come in later. 

Weather

Weather temperature will be shown for both day and night. There is a chance of Rainstorms. Humidity will also be calculated. 

Environment

There are some descriptions for environment and trees and other plants for the environment. For each of the tree and plant types there is a description where it might be located in the area and also name and genus of the plant and what they might be like. There is also a chance of a minor event. 

Encounter

Encounter rules are based on Bird in the Hand (great scenario) hex crawl rules. If any encounters happen they will have a link to MeG as in above. 

Find Shelter

Finding shelter is necessary when camping out in the Monster Island. The rules from RAW and Bird in the Hand are briefly referenced here. 

Campsite

Provided the adventurers find a campsite – it is shortly described here. There might be some events happening during the night. 

Terrain

Some things about campsite terrain are opened up here. 

You will find the generator at toolsfrompavis. Select the choice starting with Monster Island Daily – Jungle Only. 

The generator is built using the very useful campaign logger tool. 

https://notesfrompavis.blog/2021/05/05/a-day-in-the-life-in-monster-island/

 

[hkokko]

A Day in the Monster Island – Deeper into the Island

 

This is my 200th blog post in the Notes From Pavis, never thought it would last this long – more than nine years . I will reflect on the history of the blog later. 

In this post I will provide the additions to the Daily Event Generator for those foolhardy enough to strike deeper into the reaches of the Island. I have also tuned the daily generator format a bit. 

There are three additional generators now

• Monster Island Encounter – Cloud Forest
• Monster Island Encounter – Puna Plateau
• Monster Island Encounter – High Mountains

Each of them follows the same pattern than the Jungle Daily generator. 

The events and beasts encountered reflect the rarity of them in their habitat as mentioned in the tome Monster Island. Weather patterns will also reflect the particular environment. Many of the encounters will already have links to Mythras Encounter Generator and the missing ones will be updated a bit later. 

Cloud Forest vegetation currently uses the same vegetation as the Jungle generator. Puna Plateu is strongly different in plant and tree life. In mountains very little vegetation thrives. 

For Puna Plateau and Mountains the environmental encounters are somewhat different than Cloud Forest and Jungle. They are based on the Raging Swan Press Mountains and Plains material tuned to Monster Island and used with permission

You will find the generators at toolsfrompavis. Select them by using one of the above names.

 

https://notesfrompavis.blog/2021/05/10/a-day-in-the-monster-island-deeper-into-the-island/

[Bill the barbarian]

28 minutes ago, hkokko said:

This is my 200th blog post in the Notes From Pavis, never thought it would last this long – more than nine years . I will reflect on the history of the blog later. 

 

Congrats, good sir! That is fantastic!