Frunobulax "Frux", Wizard -- HOW character

Frux started as a hireling of Sir Trevor of Cumbria, while he was questing for the Grail. After many adventures and several close calls, he decided to join the quest in ernest.

(Frux was converted from a TFT version here.)

ST: 10

DX: 11

IQ: 11

EN: 10

Possessions:

Dagger

Wizard's Staff: 5 EN

Robes (-1 AR, -1 DX)

Spells:

Reveal Magic
Lesser Fire

Shock Shield

Reverse Missiles

Summon Bear/2
Detect Enemies
Trip
Assist

Translation:
I had to trim back his stats by 4 points, since Frux was experienced, and his spell list is shorter as well. Two spells (Ward and Staff) doesn't show up in the HOW book, so they were cut. I used the Wizard's Staff from Magi Carta to replace Staff spell. Since Frux was a 36 point character in TFT, I decided to add 4 spell levels.

Sir Trevor of Cumbria, Knight -- TFT/GrailQuest conversion to HOW

Sir Trevor was called to Camelot by a mysterious woman, dressed in red. The knight-errant, out in the world to prove his mettle, came upon a damsel in distress -- she was being accosted by a group of bandits. Sir Trevor rescued her, and she told him to go to Camelot for his destiny lay there. Then she dissipated into mist before his eyes. That night he had a dream, or perhaps a vision, of the Grail. The next morning he set out for Camelot.

After meeting the other knights, and being allowed to join the Round Table, Sir Trevor set out to find the Grail. This is Sir Trevor at the end of his Grail Quest, with the equipment he acquired over the adventures.

Sir Trevor of Cumbria

Knight of the Round Table

ST: 11 / 13

DX: 13 / 11

IQ: 10

EN: 10

Skills:

Swords/3

Shield/1

Crossbow/2

Riding/1

Alertness/2

Charm/2

Tactics/2

Equipment:

Fine broadsword (+1 DX)

Fine dagger (+1 DX)

Fine large shield (+2 AR, -0 DX)

Magic crossbow (+3 DX)

Fine Chainmail (+4 AR, -2 DX)

Upper-class clothing, 2 suits

Magic amulet (+2 ST, +2 AR)

Pouch ($53)

5 torches

Warhorse

Saddle, bridle

Saddle bags

Bedroll

Blankets

7 days rations

2 wineskins

lantern

6 oil flasks

For a doughty knight, I gave Sir Trevor an extra 2 points for attributes. All of his TFT attributes were reduced to fit into the points available. I removed Charm and Courtly Graces, but I want to revisit that.

Squire Halsten, Squire -- HOW character

Squire Halsten is translated from TFT Grail Quest here.

Halsten was a young farm hand in a village until Sir Trevor came to town. He had learn a little swordplay from a guard hired by the local inn. He also knew his way around horses. Trevor saw potential in the boy and took him on as his squire.

This character has been redesigned as if he was a starting character, not the experienced character depicted on the TFT page.

ST: 10
DX: 13 / 11
IQ: 9
EN: 10

Skills:

Swords
Shield
Riding
Animal Handling
Athletics

Equipment:

Sabre

Leather

Design notes: 

The original Halsten also had Physicker and was ST 11, DX 12, IQ 11. I shifted stats around to give some points to EN. Running was changed to Athletics. Literacy is assumed for Common. The equipment was reduced to what he can afford starting out. So this version is Halsten right as Sir Trevor found him.

Sir Trevor of Cumbria, Knight

I played online in an online one-on-one GrailQuest TFT campaign. Here is my character.

ST:
adjST:
DX:
adjDX:
IQ:
MA:
adjMA:

12
14
15
11, 12 (sword, dagger), 14 (crossbow)
11
10
6

Armor Stops: 8

Talents:

Sword/Knife
Shield
Crossbow
Horsemanship
Charisma
Courtly Graces
Swimming
Alertness
Literacy
Tactics

Learning: Running, New Followers, and Expert Horsemanship.

Companions

Name	Type	Player
Squire Halsten	Human squire	NPC
Frunobulax, nicknamed "Frux"	Human wizard	NPC
Phillip of Northumbria (deceased)	Human man-at-arms	NPC

Heraldry

Shield Blazon: Escutcheon Per Bend Wavy Or and Azure a Carbunkle Gules

Possessions: Fine Two-handed Sword (+1 DX)
Fine Dagger (+1 DX) from Black Knight
Magic Crossbow (+3 DX)
Fine Plate Armor
Upper-class clothing
Magic Amulet (gives +2 ST and +2 Armor)
Belt pouch containing: $53
5 torches
Warhorse (ST: 30, DX: 13, IQ: 6, MA: 24, Damage: 2d+1)
Saddle/Bridle
Saddle bags containing:
Fine Large Shield (no DX penalty)
Broadsword
Labyrinth Kit
Bedroll
Blankets
7 days rations
2 waterskins
Lantern
2 oil skins

Non-humans for TFT Tekumel

Now I've converted some of the alien non-humans for my TFT Tekumel game in a couple weeks. Here is a preview of some of my designs.

Pé Chói (The Listeners)

In the western forests of Tsolyanu live the Pé Chói, beautiful insectoids with considerable magical talents. These six-limbed beings are 6’ to 7’ tall, they have two legs and four arms, and they are capable of using all four arms at once. They have fan-shaped external ears and a long jaw. They easily join human society, rising nearly as high as humans within the bureaucratic hierarchies. Pé Chói seek revenge on those who kill their kind without provocation.
Pé Chói characters start with ST 8 DX 10 IQ 8 and 8 extra points. They have an MA of 10. Pé Chói chitin stops two hits, and they also make armor and weapons suited to their unique anatomy. Their lower set of arms are at -2 DX, and when attacking with more than two arms, all attacks are at -4 DX.

All Pé Chói can learn spells and talents at normal cost. The race’s excellent hearing and sight gives them natural Alertness. They have a psychic connection to members of their own race, which allows them to detect the death of one of their own within a 3 mile radius. Beyond that, they have an innate awareness of all living things, allowing them to perceive the presence of lifeforms within a range of 2 yards (same effects as Detect Life spell, except Pe Choi can tell the difference between animal and plant life).

Gray Ssú (Enemies of Man)

These rather shaggy, six-limbed beings are one of the native races of Tékumel, cousins to the Hlüss. These magically adept beings live in their subterranean cities north of Salarvyá. Their bodies exude the odor of musty cinnamon, they speak in high chiming voices. Needing only small blue lights, the Ssú can be found in the tunnels and installations of the ancients, looking for the remnants of old technology. 

Grey Ssú start with ST 10, DX 8, IQ 8, and 8 extra points to spend. They have an MA of 10. They rarely wear armor, but warriors will often use shields. Ssú have two arms and four legs, the front pair having crude manipulators (-2 DX) making them capable of being used as hands. They have a keen sense of direction underground, as well as good night vision. All Grey Ssú can learn spells and all talents at normal cost. Grey Ssú can hypnotize victims within five meters, making them obey metal commands (treat as a Disbelieve action -- the Ssú makes 3d/IQ roll  to succeed and the target gets a 3d/IQ roll to resist). Only the death of the commanding Ssú can free one so enthralled. Ahoggyá, Swamp Folk, and Tinalíya are immune to this effect.

Tekumel Bestiary for TFT

I've been converting some critters to TFT for my upcoming game. I started with my GURPS conversions and compared them to the EPT versions, as well as Justin Grabowski's TFT versions from my web site. I thought this would be a great time to for a preview. Here are two for your enjoyment.

 

Qól (The Serpent-headed Ones)

Originally created by the Temple of Ksárul, these intelligent humanoid mutants have flattened, snake-like heads and tentacle arms. Qól are often used as tomb guardians, or may be found wandering in the Underworld, singly or in groups of up to thirty.

They have ST 9-12, DX 11, IQ 8 with an MA of 8. Their scaly skin stops 2 hits and they often wear armor and use weapons and shields. Qól have good vision in darkness, but they fear bright lights -- sudden intense light will stun them (-2 DX) for 2 turns. Their poisonous bite does 1d-1 damage and a 3d/ST roll is needed to avoid an additional 2d damage from the venom. They carry weapons and arrows which are poisoned with the same venom. Qól will only attack if they outnumber a group. 

Marashyálu (The Whimperer)
These creatures of the Underworld are masters of illusionary disguise. They were created by the ancients as treasure guards. They often appear as helpless women or children, or wounded comrades, crying and begging for help.

ST 20-25, DX 12, IQ 7, and an MA of 10. Their strong bodies stop 4 hits of damage. Marashyálu hypnotize their victims and are able to target all within a megahex in front of them, making them fight their comrades. All must make a 3d/IQ roll to avoid being entranced. If a Marashyálu takes its victim away to an undisturbed location, they will suck the bodily juices of the victim by inserting their feeding tube into a body opening, doing 2 hits per turn.

Meeting either of those would certainly give me nightmares. Enjoy.

TFT Tekumel Completed

I have finished TFT Tekumel. It is not in final form, but if anyone would like to review the rules and give me feedback, click the link below. I prefer folks who are at least mildly conversant with either TFT or Tekumel (any rules set), but a little blindtesting never hurts.

TFT Tekumel Manuscript

Preview: TFT Tekumel

As a preview of my project, here are a couple things from my TFT Tékumel manuscript you might be interested in. A few spells and talents.

Tékumel Spells for TFT

Plague (Thrown Spell): The subject is infected with a horrid disease, rendering them incapacitated immediately. They die after 2 turns, if Cure Disease is not successfully cast on them. Persons touching the victim or the body must make a 3d/ST saving roll to avoid catching the disease. Cost: 3 ST. IQ: 11. Temples: Avánthe, Dlamélish, Sárku.

The Vapor of Death (Special): A wave of poisonous gas flows out from the front of the caster. It moves at 1 megahex per turn, and the caster must be sure the wind is still or blowing away from the caster’s party. All persons caught in the cloud get 3d/ST saving rolls, and, if successful, the subject takes 1d damage. If the saving roll is failed, the subject dies unless a Neutralize Poison spell is cast on them within 2 turns. Cost: 5 ST / +1 per turn. IQ: 14. Temples: Hrü'ǘ, Ksárul, Sárku, Vimúhla.

Tékumel Talents for TFT

Navigator (2): Can navigate on land or at sea using the position of the planets to determine direction. A navigator is required if a ship ventures away from the coast. A navigator can also use a water compass to find magnetic North.

Mundane Talents (1): Baker, Barber, Bootmaker, Bricklayer, Butcher, Carpenter, Carpetmaker, Cook, Dyer, Farmer, Fisherman, Glassblower, Grocer, Mason, Miner, Paper-and-Ink Maker, Perfumer, Potter, Rope-and-Net Maker, Sailmaker, Tailor, Tanner, Weaver, Winemaker, and Wheelwright.

Enjoy!

The project: Tekumel with The Fantasy Trip

I have finished the list of TFT Talents for Tekumel. In TFT, Talents are both skills, like Calligrapher, and abilities, like Acute Hearing. A few talents were removed, such as Horsemanship and Guns. The list of talents were updated from the list of skills from EPT. My friend, Bill Seurer, developed a set of additional Talents for TFT, and I've added these to the list as well.

Now, I'm compiling the Spell list. I've taken the original TFT spell list and removed the spells that don't fit into Tekumel. I've added spells that Bill Seurer developed years ago, as well as a score of Tekumel-specific spells I wrote up several months ago. I have another twenty or thirty spells to write up. Then the list needs editing.

I was able to get good scans of the original books and then decent OCRs of those scans to base my Talent and Spell summaries. It saved wear and tear on my books and fingers. 

The next step, once I finish the compilation of the spells, is to summarize the combat system. Then I need to write the adventure. I figure about three to five weeks to finish. Wish me luck.

EPT and TFT

I'm writing a conversion of the role-playing game The Fantasy Trip (TFT) for use with the Tekumel world setting. I'm basing this conversion on Empire of the Petal Throne (EPT), since it is simpler. Let me give my reasoning for using TFT.

The Fantasy Trip was the first role-playing game Steve Jackson wrote for Metagaming Concepts. Based on his Melee and Wizard board game, it is a simple, yet elegant, system that features IMO the best tactical map combat system in any RPG (if anyone knows of a better system, please comment here). TFT uses three primary attributes -- Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence -- with no secondary attributes, and has Talents, which combine skills and advantages into a single category.

I played TFT twice a week for two years in college and loved it. The best face-to-face campaign game I've ever been in. About twelve years ago, I played a one-on-one game with a GM over email using Cyberboard and the GrailQuest microquest, and it was a spectacular success. The best online gaming experience I've ever had. So, I have a soft spot in my heart for TFT, even though I've been a big supporter of GURPS for two decades. Actually, one of the reasons I became deeply involved with GURPS was the GM for that college TFT game said he was using GURPS after the demise of Metagaming and the stop in TFT production.

I have two goals. First, I've already written a TFT Tekumel conversion that merely points out the differences between TFT and the Tekumel version of TFT. 90% of this document is an expanded spell list with all the wonderfully quirky spells from EPT, re-codified as TFT spells. It just needs a few more spells and some playtesting to finish it up.

My second goal is a complete game of TFT Tekumel with full descriptions of Talents and Spells, all rewritten to be at least reasonably legal -- about the equivalent of the character section of In the Labyrinth with a few notes about combat, like the use of Eyes.

I will keep you informed of my progress.

Dan Chalmers, Former Pirate

Dan has loved the sea for as long as he can remember, so at 17 years of age, he signed on as a deck hand on a merchant ship. Dan's judgement wasn't the best, though, and this ship turned out to be a pirate, marauding the sea lanes, smuggling arms and contraband, and assorted mayhem. Being very honest, Dan hated the work, and after a year, finally escaped from them and lost himself in the capital city. Dan, fearing to return to the wharf, hired himself out inland as a mercenary. Now, two years later, he feels confident enough to return to the port capital.

While adventuring, he acquired a hireling, Ardal, who has since joined the group as one of Dan's followers. Ardal is a ST 18 warrior.

Notes

Dan was played for about 18 months real time. All of his enchanted equipment was acquired in play or purchased.

Dan Chalmers, Former Pirate
(from Bill Seurer's TFT campaign)

5'10", 150 lbs., Age: 20
42 point Mercenary, formerly an unwilling pirate.

Appearance: long black curly hair, tanned skin, mustache, ear ring.

ST:    13
DX:   15
adjDX:  14, 15 with sword and/or main gauche, 17 with crossbow
IQ:   14
MA: 10
adjMA:8

Talents:

Sword/Knife
Crossbow
Missile Weapons
Seamanship
Boating
Swimming
Diving
Charisma
New Followers
Language (Common, native)

Learning: Recognize Value, Tactics, Captain.

Equipment

money: Belt pouch containing: 191 gold, 102 silver
Fine bastard sword (+1 DX)
Fine main gauche (+1 DX)
Light crossbow
Quiver with 20 bolts
Fine chainmail (+2 armor enchantment)
+1 DX Ring
Middle-class clothing
Labyrinth Kit
7 days rations
2 waterskins

Followers and employees:

Ardal, freelance fighter

Phillip of Northumbria, Companion to Sir Trevor

Phillip of Northumbria, Knight-Companion
Knight-companion on the Grail quest

ST:
DX:
adjDX:
IQ:
MA:
adjMA:

12
17
12 / 15 (missile)
9
12
8

Talents:

Sword/Knife
Crossbow
Missile Weapons
Horsemanship
Running

Equipment:

Light Crossbow
Broadsword
Knife
Half-plate
Riding Horse
Saddle, blanket, bridle
Labyrinth Kit
Backpack
5 Rations
Clothes

Frunobulax "Frux", Wizard

Frux started as a hireling of Sir Trevor of Cumbria, while he was questing for the Grail. After many adventures and several close calls, he decided to join the quest in ernest.

Companion to Sir Trevor, formerly employee

ST:
DX:
adjDX:
IQ:
MA:
adjMA:

13
12
11
11
10
10

Armor Stops: 1

Possessions:
Dagger
Staff
Cloth Armor

Spells:

Staff
Speed Movement
Ward
Detect Enemies
Reveal Magic
Summon Myrmidon
Aid
Fire
Shock Shield
Reverse Missiles
Trip

Studying: Fireball, Sleep and Illusion.

Companions

Name	Type	Player
Sir Trevor of Cumbria	Human knight	NPC
Squire Halsten	Human squire	NPC
Phillip of Northumbria (deceased)	Human man-at-arms	NPC

Squire Halsten

Halsten was a young farm hand in a village until Sir Trevor came to town. He had learn a little swordplay from a guard hired by the local inn. He also knew his way around horses. Trevor saw potential in the boy and took him on as his squire.

Squire Halsten

Companion to Sir Trevor

ST:
DX:
adjDX: IQ:
MA:
adjMA:

11
12
10
11
12
10

Armor Stops: 5

Skills:

Sword/Knife
Shield
Running
Horsemanship
Literacy
Animal Handler
Physicker

Learning: Courtly Graces, Vet and Fencing.

Possessions: Fine Shortsword (+1 DX, +1 damage: 2d damage)
Fine chainmail
Fine Large Shield (no DX penalty)
Fine riding horse (ST: 23, DX: 12, IQ: 6, MA: 24, Damage: 1d+1)
Nag (ST 17, DX 11, IQ 5, MA 20, Kick: 1d)
Saddle, bridle
Saddle bags containing:

Small Shield
Labyrinth Kit
Bedroll
Blankets
7 days rations
2 waterskins
Lantern
2 oil skins

Companions

Name	Type	Player
Sir Trevor of Cumbria	Human knight	Brett Slocum
Frunobulax "Frux"	Human wizard	NPC
Phillip of Northumbria (deceased)	Human man-at-arms	NPC