Spellcaster Bounties Quest Write-Up

Scenario

Questers

Due to increased abuse of magic, whether simply perceived or actual, a local lawmaker has used the laws of the land to place a bounty on all spell casters; preferably alive, but dead is acceptable. As a result, many of Siar Geata’s magic users have fled into the wilderness seeking safety. You will receive a number of gold coins for each caster you bring back, the amount will vary between casters based on potency and physical condition.

Monsters

Casters

You have fled into the wilderness seeking refuge from those that would harm you. Together you stand a fighting chance against in the coming fight. Seek out allies, and you may very well survive, and a truce might be called between the awakened and mundane.

Vampire

The local lawmaker is but a pawn in your schemes, and this bounty is but a means to an end. With the caster’s on the run, they could use an ally or two; and you could use a few individuals to aid you in opening a gate to the lower planes, by acquiring materials and research. Once they help you perform the ritual, they might be able to assist and protect you in your negotiations. This may mean their sacrifice to appease the Demon Prince of Night, or they may be your only means of stopping him should things go awry.

Reeves

This should at first resemble a standard battle game, pitting casters and everyone else. You may break the standard 10/1 ratio for casters in favor of 5/1 or 3/1 in order to provide an appropriate challenge, depending on the number of questers you have. You should look to having at least 5 casters and the vampire at minimum. Announce the Darkness and Light Source rules and inform them of the rotating days and nights, and do not announce the graveyard. Day and night will rotate every 5 min, and should be announced so that all players and monsters are aware via a very loud reeve, or horn if available. Obviously, the vampire is only active during the night, and should he be caught outside when night changes to day he will turn to mist and return to the graveyard, treat this as a form of Teleport. At Reeve discretion, the Vampire may use Messenger during the day. When questers return a caster to the lawmaker, he will reward them with 1 gold coin per level of the caster, if alive, or only 1 coin, if dead. Players will determine who receives however many coins, if they are unable to reach a decision, consider the player which received the gold from the lawmaker to have all of them, and any player may kill them to retrieve 1 coin. The ritual to summon the Demon Prince of Night requires an entire day and night of uninterrupted chanting by 5+ ritualists within the graveyard. The Vampire cannot be one of the ritualists during the day. If the vampire and casters manage to summon the Demon Prince of Night, let it make a short and ominous speech telling of how the sun rises and is consumed by darkness, then call the game to an end.

Monsters

Demon Prince

• Description:

Only the basest, most vile creatures in the Eternal War can ever hope to descend to the ranks of the Demon Princes. Each Prince wields uncontested power in their personal Hells, attended slavishly by a near-endless horde of lesser demons, imps and hell-spawned monstrosities. Much like their diametric opposites, the Archangels, Demon Princes embody dark concepts and twisted ideas on a much larger scale than can be measured within the scope of the game. Where the angels are ruled by distant, rarely seen Divinities, the Diabolics know exactly who is calling the shots in any given section of the Infernal Regions. Most Infernals dwell in the province of a single Demon Prince, who rules that realm and his (or her) subjects with a tyrannical iron fist. None dare contest the commands of their Prince, for while rewards of an unholy nature are few and far between, punishment and pain are doled out in ample abundance to any who dare defy their evil whims. Unlike Angelics, who may fall from grace and be forced to live amongst mortals, disloyal or unsuccessful servants of a Demon Prince will find itself obliterated into nonexistence, but not before being tortured beyond all normal comprehension. Whereas Archangels are proud and powerful, filled with the epitome of purity and goodness, the Demon Princes wallow in festering evil and a spiteful hatred of all things non-demonic. Their motivations are deeply disturbing to mortal men, for even the most heinous of humans are still limited to the evil their souls can muster, where what passes for a "soul" amongst the Princes of Hell would seem little more than a black and twisted hole.

• Abilities & Traits:

As beings of nearly immeasurable power, there is no hard and fast list of abilities and skills that all possess, though the following Traits and Abilities are more or less universally known by all Demon Princes:

• • Aerial Superiority

This Trait allows a creature with Natural Flight to activate the ability while moving, though they must remain stationary to land. Additionally, if throwing weapons or projectiles are available to the Monster, they may be used while in flight.

• • Aura of Terror (Even works against those normally immune to Control)

Normal players, Fae, Standard Humanoids and Beasts will not come within 50 feet of such a creature unless immune to Control effects.

• • Life-Draining Attacks

Any player slain by a Life Draining attack is instantly affected by Sever Spirit.

• • Natural Flight

Incantations and Gestures: Repeat x5 “I take Flight,” to land repeat x5 “Landing.” Effect: Creature cannot be attacked by melee weapons while flying unless the attacker is also flying or Large. Creatures flying must still drop to their knees if wounded in the leg (simulates wounding the wings). Creature must flap its arms or state “Flying” every two seconds to denote this. Magic and magic-like abilities still require the being to stand still to cast. Only verbals and innate abilities can by used while flying. L: To take off and land, the creature must stand still. Unless noted otherwise in the description, a Monster with this Trait may use it an unlimited number of times.

• • Teleport (unlimited)
  • Tough (see Immunity, below)

These creatures are innately able to resist most weapons. Strikes from non-magical weapons do not affect them. Characters with Powerful Blows can attack Tough monsters with their weapons.

• • Immunity to all forms of mortal and monstrous magic:

Monsters possessing a Q/M Ratio of 8/1 or higher might be able to affect a Demon Prince, at the Reeve's option. When coupled with the Tough Trait, this makes the Princes immune to most attacks a regular player can make. It is strongly suggested that any game featuring such a powerful being be designed so that either the Demon Prince is a non-combat role (too selfish to join in the fracas) or there is some means made available to the players to harm or otherwise Banish the devil back to the Pit. Each Demon Prince also possess a host of minor and major spells, Traits and Abilities that fall in line with their personal area of influence. The Demon Prince of Night: It is an enigmatic figure whose purpose and motives are as shrouded as his physical embodiment is. All that he looks upon becomes shrouded in darkness. Anytime the Demon Prince of Night is on the field consider the Darkness Terrain Effect to be in play, regardless of what time of day it is.

Vampire

• Description:

Vampires are the ultimate form of parasite. They sustain their undead immortality with the blood of the living. Provided with regular “meals”, a vampire could virtually live forever.

• Garb: White make-up with a black arm-band, fangs
• Type: Undead Humanoid
• Q/M Ratio: 3/1
• Armour: Per Player Class
• Weapons: Per Player Class
• Immunities: Death, Control, Subdual, Disease, Poison
• Natural Lives: 1
• Abilities & Traits

• • Conversion (1/Life)

Players protected from or immune to Disease are immune to this ability. Materials Needed: Copies of the converted Monster. Effect: A victim slain by a creature with this ability rises as a nearly identical Monster on their next life and serves the killing Monsters team until slain. Once this life is lost, the player resumes the game on his original team as his original class with one fewer life remaining. Notes: Only the original Monster possesses this power. (In other words, Converted Monsters do not convert other players.)

• • Magic-Caster or Player Class:

Vampires are humans who have died while infected with a mystical disease. They retain all class abilities they had in life. Each Vampire must choose a class. They play that class at a level they have attained in that class. The remainder of the Vampire’s powers is in addition to the normal class abilities. The Vampire must abide by all limitations and restrictions of their chosen class.

• • Tough

These creatures are innately able to resist most weapons. Strikes from non-magical weapons do not affect them. Characters with Powerful Blows can attack Tough monsters with their weapons.

• Innate Ability

• • Telepathy

As per the Messenger spell.

• • Steal Life (1/life)

School: Death Materials needed: Dead person Incantation and gestures: Touch target on their shoulder and recite “I take your life” Range: Touch Effect: Target loses one life from their total and the user gains one life. This life is in addition to the person already being dead. You cannot steal lives from those already shattered. Notes: This effect may be used on any dead person who has not yet reached nirvana, even if they have moved from where they died. This may be used while moving.

• Vulnerability: Wooden stabbing weapons do normal damage to vampires.
• Levels
  • Per Player Class

Terrain Effects

Darkness

• 1. Any area set aside as Darkness should be marked with dark blue ribbons for ease of boundary recognition.
• 2. No movement faster than a slow walk should be undertaken in Darkness. Running players (Questers) will be penalized with a leg wound to represent falling and twisting an ankle.
• 3. Players within 20 feet of a Light Source may move normally. If they leave the 20 foot area, the usual rule for running is invoked

(See above).

• 4. Projectile and Thrown Weapons may not be used at a range of more than 20 feet, regardless of nearby Light Sources. Likewise, you may not fire a bow or throw a weapon into an area of darkness.

Bows must be half-drawn, regardless of nearby light.

• 5. Nocturnal creatures, Undead (Including Vampires and Zombies) and some Personae (Elves, Dwarves, etc.) may be immune to the effect of darkness. Check with a Reeve before the quest begins to clear up who is affected and who is not. Players who can “see in the dark” may lead other players as though they carried a Light Source (see #3 above) even if no light is present.
• 6. Range of all spells and abilities is limited to the extent of available light. In the absence of light all spells and abilities are limited to touch.

Graveyards

Places where the dead are buried serve to enhance the Legions of the Undead. Areas marked with grey ribbon, or perhaps even foam tombstones or similar signs, can be assigned as a Graveyard. Any Undead dwelling in a Graveyard (or other place of interment such as a Mausoleum or Crypt) may add one additional life to their starting total. The exceptions to this are life-stealing Undead such as Vampires. These creatures do not gain an additional life, but they do gain one additional use of the Steal Life ability per game if it is used within the boundaries of the graveyard. (So, if they want an extra life, they have to go hunt for one!)

Light Sources

In order to survive in the darkness, intelligent creatures have developed a variety of means to combat the gloom. Torches, lanterns and the like may be simulated in an Amtgard battle game when needed.

• 1. Torches may be simulated by taking a safe foam weapon and wrapping a couple of red ribbons or bandanas round the top. Real sticks should never be used, though safe props are acceptable.
• 2. Never carry any lantern with glass or breakable parts on to an Amtgard gaming area. Use foam to construct a suitable prop or just use the torch rule above.
• 3. The Sword of Flame or a Flameblade may serve as a Light Source.
• 4. Remain Active Fireballs serve as a 20 foot Light Source until they expire.
• 5. Players within 20 feet of a Light Source may move normally. If they leave the 20 foot area, the usual rule for running is invoked (see above).
• 6. Multiple Light Sources in a single area may stack their effects. In other words, two torches on a questing team make a 40 foot area of light - with commensurate benefits to movement, missile fire and the like. A maximum of 50’ of light per team may be gained in this way.
• 7. Any hand holding a Light Source may not hold a weapon or shield

(Except a buckler strapped to the forearm).

• 8. If a Light Source is used as a weapon (and it should be a safe foam weapon!) the light is immediately extinguished. The only exceptions to this are the Sword of Flame and Flame blade enchantments.
• 9. If a player holding a Light Source is subject to Iceball, Petrify or

Entangle, the light goes out and is unrecoverable until the spell is ended. Likewise, if a player is slain while holding a Light Source, the party has 10 seconds to recover it or lose the benefit of the light until relit.

• 10. Lighting and relighting a torch or lantern takes a chant of “Lighting” x10.