Hey, two posts in the same week! Improvement!
So, we're taking a look at Chapter 3, which is all about Kits. I'm going to break this chapter up into a couple of parts, since there is a lot to go through here. Not one page at a time, though. Remember, this is a 2e book, so players of more recent editions might not recognize some of the terminology. Since I don't know anything about 4e or beyond, I can't really help bridge those gaps. Sorry. I do know that proficiencies are basically skills, although the mechanics are different from 3e. and 3.5.
After the usual introduction and explanation of the various aspects of kits, we get straight to the warriors. Most of these are available to fighters, rangers and paladins, although there are some exceptions. I wonder how paladins and rangers would work in this setting; paladins are pretty obviously Christian warriors, based on both Joan of Arc and Sir Galahad. And rangers come straight out of Lord of the Rings, essentially a gaming version of Aragorn. I suppose it was easier to look at these as archetypes instead of creating a whole new class, but it's an awkward fit for a setting based on Islamic fairy tales.
Anyway, the seven warriors are: The Askar, your basic, typical warrior; Corsairs, your sailors and pirates; Desert riders, the 'nomad' types who ride horses and/or camels; the Faris, or holy warrior (the paladin equivalent); the Mamluk, slave-soldiers who are usually in charge anyway; Mercenary Barbarians, the 'uncivilized' types from outskirt lands, and Outland Warriors, who are outright foreigners (typical 'western' characters from the core books).
One more thing: Being a fantasy world, there are no gender restrictions for any of these kits; women can be mamluks or corsairs just as well as the men.
The Askar are the 'urban' fighters, the village militias and such. They can be caravan guards or palace officials, and are generally the fighters trusted with important missions. However, they're more provincial, assuming that wherever they are from is better than everywhere else, and they aren't afraid to show it. They are also more literate than typical warriors, getting reading/writing as a bonus proficiency. Their only special benefit is their 'home town' bonuses, where they get a +2 bonus to proficiency checks related to town business. It's not applicable in combat or other situations, just when dealing with the locals in their own town. They can also buy their starting equipment at cheaper prices in their home town, which is a nice bonus for beginning characters. Any race can be an askar, as can any of the three warrior classes.
Next is the Corsair. Rangers can't be corsairs, but paladins can. Hey, a paladin's sea-warhorse! There's an image for you. Anyway, corsairs are brave, meritorious, and free, riding the waves instead of the dunes. They are not quite outside the societal bounds, but they are on the borders of civilization. They tend to hop from port to port, and love to explore and find new lands. Sinbad is the obvious archetype here. However, they are also pirates, looting and pillaging in the style of the Barbary Pirates from our history. They start out with seamanship as a bonus proficiency, and are restricted to light armor (no better than studded leather) at first. They can upgrade if they want, but they lose a lot of their efficiency when wearing metal armor, including their two-weapon fighting ability. They fight like rangers in that respect, with no penalties to attack rolls for using two weapons. They start out with less money than the typical warrior, which isn't that big a deal since their armor purchases are restricted anyway. Any race can be a corsair, including a gnome, halfling or dwarf. Good luck to the latter with swimming in the ocean.
Alright, the Desert Riders. These guys are the 'classic' Arabian warriors, sweeping out of the desert on their mounts and terrorizing the civilized peoples in the cities. Well, not necessarily. But they are definitely survivalists in the desert. To their fellow nomads, desert riders are the ultimate warriors (no, not the wrestler), the heroic paragons they all aspire to be like. To the small towns they like to raid, they're just thieves and terrorists. Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Desert riders can be good or evil, so there isn't a 'standard' type of warrior among their number. Their most important possession is their mount, which can be either a camel or a horse. They start with riding specialization with one of the two types of mount, which makes them even better riders, and they also have survival proficiency for the desert. They won't wear anything heavier than chain mail, since they live in the desert. Their expertise with their own mounts makes them experts in evaluating other horses or camels, meaning that any horse (or camel) they buy will always improve in quality while in their care. Some unscrupulous types might train up a horse to a better quality, then sell it; after a week, the horse (or camel) reverts back to its original quality. This doesn't help the desert riders' reputation. Outside of the desert, they are less effective at proficiency checks (but not combat). They start with a mount, as well as a small amount of coin to buy their weapons and such. Only humans, elves and half-elves can be desert riders, since the other races are too small to properly ride a horse (or camel).
The Faris is the paladin of the Arabian desert, although they are not restricted to a good alignment; they can serve evil causes as well. However, the majority are good, and this is definitely the paladin kit to take, with their abilities meshing well with those of this kit. They get religion as a bonus proficiency, of course. They aren't restricted in their armor or weapons, although considering the terrain and climate, they probably won't be wearing full plate armor. They get bonuses when dealing with members of their faith, whether laypeople or clergy, and can draw upon the local temple's resources for a brief time (no more than a week). However, they can't borrow magic items, full stop. On the negative side, they are also obedient to their faith, which means the local imam can pluck him out of his adventuring party and tell him to go chastise the desert riders who just sacked the temple on the other side of those hills. If he doesn't do what he's told, there are consequences. They also tithe 20% of their income from adventuring (or anything else). Any starting money they don't spend gets donated. Any race can be a farisan.
Mamluks are a historical group, based on the jannisaries of the Ottoman Empire. They are slaves, bred for battle, but they are also bureaucrats and professional soldiers, to the point that they were effectively running Turkey for a time. They are a strict meritocracy; you didn't have nepotism to help you advance, since everyone in the organization was a slave, even the highest-ranked generals. The mamluks of the Land of Fate wear facial tattoos to identify their particular organization and their rank within that group. Rival groups tend to respect each other, since they're all very good at what they do. Mamluk adventurers are a possibility, since they can be given leave from their units (with the understanding that they will report anything they learn back to their superiors). They use the curved khopesh sword that was common in Egypt, and get both reading/writing and bureaucracy as bonus proficiencies. Their starting equipment includes a set of laminated scale mail and their sword, as well as a little bit of money. They don't need much money; their needs are taken care of by their organization. They are part of a chain of command, giving orders to lower-level members and taking orders from higher-ranked ones. All races can become mamluks; demi-humans, with their longer lifespans, tend to rise high in the ranks over time.
Mercenary Barbarians are the uncivilized warriors, but not the European-style foreigners; they get the next kit. These are the tribes living on the outskirts of Zakharan civilization: the hill tribes, the plainsmen, and the jungle warriors. They've left their homes to come to the Land of Fate, for various reasons. Being uncivilized, they take a -2 penalty to reaction checks from anyone not from the same homeland as they are, and reactions will never be higher than 'indifferent.' These are mercenaries, as the title indicates, so they basically fight for the money. Unlike the mamluks, these warriors aren't organized, sometimes having rivalries even with warriors from their own homelands. They all learn the short sword and the spear, as well as a third weapon from their own homeland. They also get survival as a bonus proficiency (based on their home terrain), as well as the Midani language, which is Zakhara's equivalent of the 'common' tongue. Their reputation as savage brutes gives them an advantage in intimidating native Zakharans, but it also gives them the penalty mentioned above. They don't get to keep any of their starting money, either; whatever they don't spend is lost. Any race can be a barbarian mercenary.
Finally, there is the Outland Warrior. These are the foreigners, whether they be from the 'west' or the 'far east,' viewed as uncivilized savages regardless of how they see themselves. They don't even speak the language! The interesting part of this kit is that it can encompass kits from other sourcebooks like the Complete Fighter's Handbook; any of those kits will qualify as an 'outland warrior' in Zakhara. They are restricted in that they can't learn any of the Zakharan-specific weapons or proficiencies at first; they are newcomers, after all. Any race can be an outland warrior, although some of the demi-humans from other lands might struggle with Zakhara's racial equality; elves and dwarves don't hate each other here, and just because you're a dwarf doesn't mean you can go all John Cleese on an orcish wedding and expect to be treated as anything but a mass murderer by the authorities.
Next time: The Wizard kits, including the legendary sha'ir!
No comments:
Post a Comment