Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting Encounters Free Sample

Sample file

By Michael O. Varhola, Brenda Cass, William T. Thrasher, and the Skirmisher Game Development Group Swords of Kos of FantasyKos FantasyCampaign SettingCampaign Setting Encounters Free Sample

By Michael O. Varhola, Brenda Cass, William T. Thrasher, and the Skirmisher Game Development Group

Skirmisher Publishing LLC 499 Mystic Parkway Spring Branch, TX 78070

http://skirmisher.com http://d-Infinity.net [email protected]

Artists Amanda Kahl (pp. 6, 8), William T. Thrasher (pp. 1, 5, 7, 9, 13), Francesca Baerald (p. 4)

Editor/Layout & Design Michael O. Varhola

2 Introduction

elcome to the world of Kos and to Encounters, the fourth volume of the Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting! This book contains 17 system-free encounter tables for general and specific areas on the island of Kos and the lands surrounding it. All of them can be used either individually orW in conjunction with each another, and within the context of the Kos campaign setting or as part of any other milieu.

A number of things have led to the creation and the After the release of that book a number of people ultimate publication of this campaign setting. expressed an interest in writing their own stories In 2002, Skirmisher Publishing was formed as a set on or around the island of Kos and this led to the licensed publisher of what were at that time known creation of Swords of Kos: Hekaton, an anthology of as d20 products and “Kos” was adopted as the offi- tales written by 11 authors. What unifies these sto- cial playtest setting for the role-playing game mate- ries beyond their venue is that they are all set dur- rials created by the members of its game develop- ing the 100-year anniversary, the Hekatontaetirída, ment group. It was initially, in fact, known as the of the Great Cataclysm that transformed the world “Thera Fantasy Campaign Setting,” after the island of Kos. 90 miles southwest of Kos that exploded and caused What became apparent during the editing and the Great Cataclysm that occurred many years be- compilation of Hekaton was the need to ensure that fore the current era of the setting. That world-shat- the various stories were compatible with one an- tering disaster, which transformed the mundane other and that the details of one did not conflict with world into a magical one, took place 50 years before those of another or with previously published mate- in our earliest sessions but we eventually extended rials. One of the means of dealing with this need for it to a full century, as this seemed like a much more compatibility was the creation of a number of docu- reasonable period for the world to have evolved into ments containing information about Kos Island, its its current form. capital city, the lands surrounding it, and the world Our only concern with the world of Kos for the overall. It quickly became apparent to the authors first several years we used it was to ensure it was a and editors of these documents that they were, in viable and interesting “traditional fantasy campaign fact, creating a de facto fantasy campaign setting for setting,” as Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax the somewhat more than 50 people who were in- used to say. In the decade since the first adventure vited to participate in the shared world project. was played in the Kos setting, however, we ex- Given the level of labor required to accomplish panded, developed, and refined the campaign set- this task, it made sense to take it to the next level, ting far beyond what we ever expected to and cre- illustrate and lay it all out initially in the form of ated a vast amount of custom material for it. When multiple thematic volumes and then a single con- we realized that it had become something worthy of solidated work, and make it available to a larger publication in and of itself we began considering audience. This book is thus also the “Bible” of the the viability of doing so. Swords of Kos Shared-World Fantasy Fiction Project. Then, with the launch of the Swords of Kos Shared-World Fantasy Fiction Project, we discov- ered that we had an increasing need for a consoli- dated fantasy campaign setting and decided that the time was right for us to move ahead with it.

A Shared-World Fantasy Fiction Project In 2012, Skirmisher published author Michael O. Varhola’s Swords of Kos: Necropolis, a swords-and- sorcery novel about a trio of adventurers and their Sampleexperiences in a sprawling cemetery located in the file hills outside of Kos City.

3 Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting

den subterranean realms. Set a century after that A Fantasy Campaign Setting calamity, the Kos campaign setting thus contains all One of the assumptions made by the authors of this the diverse elements of traditional fantasy milieux book is that travelling and adventuring in a fantasy and presents them in a manner intended to be fresh world should be a fascinating experience for char- and unexpected for the players of games and read- acters — just as visits to actual places are quite of- ers of stories set in it. ten fascinating, interesting, or enjoyable for people That background stated, the Kos fantasy cam- in our own world — and we have endeavored to paign setting and all the material presented in this design the places that appear in this book with this book are intended to be most useful to storytellers idea in mind. and players involved with games set in what we fre- The premise behind the Kos milieu is that the quently refer to as a “traditional ancient, medieval, real-world Minoan culture of the eastern Mediterra- or fantasy campaign setting” — a phrase that can nean persisted for about 2,000 years beyond its his- mean somewhat different things to different people torical demise around 1700 B.C. and came to domi- but is probably fairly clear to most readers. Much, nate the region and large parts of the three contigu- most, or all of this book might still be eminently ous continents. Its fate was only deferred, however, useful to storytellers with less traditional campaign and when the capital volcano-island of Thera ex- settings, of course, depending on their individual ploded with unprecedented force, not only was the natures. culture centered on it shattered, races and creatures With that traditional campaign setting in mind only vaguely remembered by humanity were awak- as the standard for which to create game materials, ened from their ancient slumbers and driven out of this series’ primary goal is to develop a core milieu, their remote forests, trackless mountains, and hid- which we recommend be — to as great an extent as feasible — both as familiar as possible to the players and compatible with the default game universe of the game in question. This nation, or the lands immediately surrounding it, are presumed to be the origin of most player characters. In the Kos campaign setting, for example, the core milieu is based to a large extent on the relatively familiar history, culture, and mythology of Classical Greece. The reason for this emphasis on familiarity is fairly simple: Effectively stepping into the role of the inhabitants of even a relatively familiar, quasi- medieval, or ancient culture or describing their ex- periences is challenging enough as it is. The more storytellers and players have to also integrate the motives, mores, and ethos of alien cultures into their actions — or initially learn custom rules that diverge from the default ones associated with the game system being used — the tougher it will be to get into character and get immersed in the fun of a game or story. Both in some of the descriptions of specific places and in a number of the adventure hooks, however, there are references to peripheral areas outside of the core campaign area to which PCs might adventure, travel, or explore. These “foreign land” settings are based on progressively less familiar and more exotic historical, fantasy, and non-human cultures (e.g., quasi-Egyptian Aegyptos, Goblinoid-con- Sampletrolled regions of the nearby mainlandfile Tetrarchy of Anatolia).

4 Encounters

Unfortunately, in many campaigns the commu- geon Master” or “Game Master” in this volume and nities that characters visit and the cities, towns, and have opted for the more neutral and comprehensive other places within them are often little more than “storyteller.” vague background elements that are not developed In that the setting was used as the playtest back- as much as they could be. It is possible, however, drop for games using the OGL/d20, Pathfinder, “Ba- for such places to be given greater detail and added sic” Dungeons & Dragons and Labyrinth Lord dimensions. Storytellers willing and able to do so retroclone, and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules, can greatly expand the enjoyment of the game be- of course, it is an ideal setting for them. It is also an yond what can be accomplished in a dungeon and extremely accessible venue for rules systems that do lead to an even more satisfying experience for them- not have compelling milieux associated with them, selves and their players or readers. and as of this writing the developers of a number And that is the intent behind this book. We hope have expressed interest in affiliating their games with you find it both useful and enjoyable! And, if you do, the setting (e.g., the Swords of Infinity system cre- we also hope you will pass on some of that useful- ated by game developer Brendan Cass). ness and enjoyment to your players and readers. Because of the game systems that the Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting has traditionally sup- ported, many terms and vocabulary associated with Game Systems them appear in the current work and can be read The Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting has either as colorful descriptors or as technical terms, deliberately been designed to be system free, not tied as the reader prefers. Referring to weapons, armor, to any particular game setting, and to be compatible and other items as being of masterwork quality is with any set of role-playing game rules designed for something that makes sense to general readers, for ancient, medieval, or fantasy venues. For that rea- example, but which also has a very specific mean- son we do not use game-specific terms such as “Dun- ing to players of OGL/d20 games.

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5 Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting

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6 Encounters

s characters explore Kos and, ultimately, the islands and lands that lie beyond it throughout the Mediterranean and the lands of Europe, Asia, Africa, and other places, they will encounter, some- times completely by chance, all sorts of characters, creatures, and conditions. Some will simply Abe the mundane inhabitants of those places going about their daily business, unaware of or uninterested in the concerns of the characters. Others may be more peculiar in nature or take an interest in the adventurers based on anything from friendliness to malice to simple curioisity. Storytellers should not assume, in any event, that every encounter between characters and others, or even most of them, need to result in violence, even in the case of creatures that are more-or-less malicious. Harpies, for example, might relish waking characters with their horrible shrieking, but not have any desire to actually attack them; large beings like giants might not deign to even notice characters or to want to interact with them in any way; and local military patrols might simply want to determine whether strangers pose any sort of a threat.

This book contains 17 system-free encounter tables teller has any number of options, to include substi- for general and specific areas on the island of Kos tuting something appropriate, re-rolling, or simply and the lands surrounding it. All of them can be choosing appropriate items from the tables. used either individually or in conjunction with each Crete and the other islands of the another, and within the context of the Kos campaign Cyclades and central Aegean Sea, marked in yellow setting or as part of any other milieu a storyteller on the map, were the places most heavily affected might be using for their own games or stories. While by the eruption of the Thera volcano. With few ex- they are designed in the form of traditional random ceptions, they are now uninhabited or solely the do- encounter tables, they are also intended as much as main of monsters, especially aberrations, chimeri- anything to convey information about the places with cal beasts, and undead. One way storytellers can which they are associated, and can be used in what- generate encounters in such areas is to use one of ever way a storyteller finds to be most productive. the standard tables — such as the one for general Following are some additional things that can help Winderness Encounters on page 15 or the one for storytellers most effectively use the encounter tables: Maritime Encounters on page 83 — and then tweak In general, chance of an encounter is 10% them to take into consideration the toxic environ- per hour while characters are moving or exploring ment (e.g, apply the characteristics of the Mutant and 10% every two hours while they are stationary Race described in d-Infinity Volume #4: Dark Future). or camping (storytellers should, of course, excersise Storytellers can randomly determine the judgment when applying this rule or using the tables inhabitants of a particular un-keyed area by using in general). To use one of the tables, roll d20 and the most appropriate nation- or terrain-based ran- apply the cumulative modifiers provided to the roll. dom encounter tables (e.g., Mountain if the charac- Results can also be extrapolated upon and multi- ters are travelling through a mountainous area). plied by 10 to determine the nature of nearby com- Contents of unknown islands can also be munities (e.g., if eight Dwarves were encountered, randomly determined. For every 1/4 square mile an then the storyteller could assume that a colony of island is in size, there is a 10% chance that it will 80 Dwarves was located within a mile or so). be occupied by something from the table of Mari- Characters might also see from afar nor-- time Encounters that appears on page 83. An island mal birds, animals, and perhaps even local people, that is 1 square mile in area, for example, will thus especially in heavily-settled, areas but might not have a 40% chance of being occupied by something come into contact with them unless going out of their from this table and one that is 2 1/2 square miles in way to do so. If actively seeking a specific sort of area has a 100% chance of being so occupied, one encounter — e.g., game animals — characters can that is 5 square miles will have two such encoun- make an appropriate check (e.g., Spot in OGL games), ters, one that is 7 1/2 square miles will have three, and add or subtract the results to the encounter check etc. Likewise, for every full square mile in size an to increase the chance that is the one they will get. island is there is a 10% chance that it will be occu- Sample In cases where creatures that might not pied by something from onefile of the other appropri- exist in a particular world are generated, the story- ate encounter tables (e.g., Hills, Wilderness).