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Offline Shas'Oink

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Putting together a character progression campaign
« on: June 12, 2009, 09:41:32 AM »
Ive been working on a character progression campaign to unleash on my gaming group.

ive drafted up my main ideas alongside some of the group, but want to get some outside input on things. There is a lot in here that some might recognise from other areas, such as mordheim.

heres the main bulk of it all - note that in terms of game special objectives, i intend to use the ones (or variations of the ones) from the warhammer rulebook.



Border Prince

Once the land currently called the Border Princes was home to one of the oldest Human civilizations in the Old World. Wars and crusades have brought havoc and destruction to the lands and the passage of time has erased all surface traces of these ancient city-states except for the occasional ruin. Within these lands lie many secrets, and items of un-imaginable power for those worthy enough to find them.
Recent tremors have revealed a lost trail, a shortcut through the mountains which promises to be a lucrative trade route. Whilst nobles from miles around rush to lay their claim to the route, other races push forth in the hope of setting up a dominating position from which to launch future raids and control trade to their own ends. All are hoping to take advantage of the many secrets that legend says the area holds.

Taking part
In order to take part in the Border Princes Campaign you need:

1: A hero level character to be your aspiring Border Prince!
2: A summary of your aspiring Border Princes background story.
3: An army to help him (or her) out.

Once you have registered, you will be given a Border Prince Roster Sheet. This sheet will record your hero’s progression into a mighty warlord.


Creating Your Border Prince
Each participating army must include one hero level character which is to be designated as their aspiring Border Prince. This hero must be the army general (a model which is not allowed to be the army general cannot be chosen). No other character in your army may be worth more points than your Border Prince.

The hero may only select common magical weapons and items and may not be given any special magical items, weapons or armour etc. In addition, they may not ride any mounts. As the campaign progresses, your aspiring princes reputation will grow and your hero may gain access to additional special equipment, weapons and mounts.

You should record the details of your Border Prince on your roster sheet, and hand it to a member of staff to keep safe. This should include his current stats, any and all equipment he may have in his inventory as well as his current points value.

Once selected, your Border Prince may not change apart from through his natural progression and the expenditure of Renown (see later).

Your Border Prince will lead your army in all of its battles. These battles may be played at any points level you decide with your opponent, and you may change the size of each battle as you see fit. You do not have to stick to a set army list and are free to change it from one battle to the next (though must stick to the same race).

At the end of each battle each player should adjust their Border Prince Roster, updating any change in statistics, Renown and equipment as necessary. Each player should also adjust the point value of their character accordingly. Remember that the next time you field your army, you need to take into account of your princes worth.



After each battle the aspiring Border Prince must roll 2D6 on the following table. The first dice represents the “tens”, the second dice represents the “units”. Apply the result to your hero.

 
VICTORY!
11-15: Celebration!
Following the victory, your hero takes part in a boisterous celebration and succumbs to the ale. He suffers -2 Renown as his drunken antics portray him as nothing more than a fooligan! On a roll of 11 roll on the defeat table instead!

16: Gift of the Gods
As the aspiring princes confidence grows, a hidden ability is revealed. The hero adds +1 to his magic level. This can make a non wizard character a wizard, he may keep and use all of his current items etc without hindering his ability to cast magic. He must immediately roll to see what lore of magic he may use:
1: Lore of Fire - 2: Lore of Metal - 3: Lore of Shadow OR Lore of Light
4: Lore of Beasts - 5: Lore of Heavens - 6: Lore of Death OR Lore of Life

21: Preternatural
The hero is confident in his path, he is meant to rule these parts and nothing will stop him. He gains a 6+ Ward Save. Rolling this again will increase the ward save by one each time. This save may not be used in a challenge.

22: For Honour
The bond between your aspiring prince and his troops grows ever stronger. He is bestowed with +1 Leadership.

23: Courage
The aspiring prince is emboldened by recent victories. Roll a further D6; on a 1-3 he gains +1 Toughness, on a 4-6 he gains +1 Strength

24: Wise to danger
The hero has honed his awareness skills, he gains +1 to his Initiative

25: Improved ability
The hero is improving his skill at arms with every day. He may add +1 to Weapon Skill OR Ballistic skill.

26: Rage
The hero is growing more powerful, his skill allows him to attack in a flurry of blows. He gains +1 Attack

31-33: Training
The hard training has paid off, roll a D6, a roll of 1 is treated as if you rolled 21 on this table, a roll of 2 = 22, a roll of 3 = 23 and so on.
 
34-41: Influence
As a mark of control and influence the aspiring Prince is gifted with items from followers. The Hero is given 20pts to select additional weapons and items. He may of course still exchange Renown points to increase this allowance if he so chooses.

42-61: Reputation
The battle was not only won but a guy who knows a guy who says his uncle said he was near there at the time says that the hero was a monster on the battlefield! The rumours increase Renown by a further +1

62: Know thy enemy
Having studied the movements and abilities of opponents the prince is prepared to counter any foe. During each game you may use one of your Renown points to adjust an enemy dice roll rather than one of your own. Each time you roll this ability you may use the ability an additional time per battle. Each dice roll may only be adjusted by one player, and your opponent always has the first choice of doing so.

63: Fearsome Opponent
The hero now causes Fear. If the hero already causes fear then he now causes Terror!

64: Resistance
The hero is protected by faith! He receives magic resistance (1). Each time you roll this ability its effect is cumulative

65: Friends in high places
You have the support of some powerful allies. You may always field +50pts more than any opponent you face. Each time you roll this ability its effect is cumulative!

66: Leadership Skill
The hero is a mighty leader He counts as being Stubborn and his leadership radius is increased by +6”. Make a note of his current leadership range.
 


After each battle lost the aspiring Border Prince must roll 2D6 on the following table. These represent negative effects that losing has on your hero, sometimes these may be as a result of injuries he sustained during the battle, or even caused by miscreant followers enraged at the loss… More often however, an enemy commander will demand to see the opposing hero, with dire consequences. The first dice represents the “tens”, the second dice represents the “units”. Apply the result to your hero.

 
DEFEAT!
11-15: Madness
Following the shocking defeat the aspiring prince is slowly losing his rationality. From now on he suffers from stupidity.

16: Amputation
Unfortunately as a result of his injuries sustained, the hero has had to have one of his arms amputated! You may randomly determine which. From now on they may only use a single one-handed weapon/item. A prince may only be affected by this a number of times equal to the number of arms he or she has (normally two).  A hero with no arms may not wield any weapons and suffers -1 Attack.

21: Faithless
The followers of the hero are losing faith in their leader. He suffers -1 to his Leadership.

22: Broken Leg
The hero has suffered a crippling leg injury as he fled and suffers a -1 to his Movement value.

23: Chest wound
The hero has been badly wounded, either physically or mentally and is weakened by the injury. Roll a further D6; on a 1-3 he suffers -1 Toughness, on a 4-6 he suffers -1 Strength.

24: Nervous condition
The aspiring princes nervous system has been damaged… he suffers a -1 Initiative thanks to the twitches!

25: Blinded in one eye
The hero loses the sight in one eye. He suffers -1 Ballistic Skill. A character may only be affected by this a number of times equal to the number of eyes he or she has (normally two). A character that is completely blind gains +2 renown but suffers from stupidity and may only act normally when part of a unit (one assumes that his followers will point him in the right direction!). If the hero is not part of a unit then he moves using the scatter dice to determine which direction.

26: Hand injury
The hero has received a bad hand injury. He suffers -1 to his Weapon Skill.

31: Robbed!
The hero manages to escape unharmed, but all of his weapons and equipment are lost. He additionally suffers -2 to his renown.

32-33: Captured
The hero has been captured by the enemy. In order to buy his freedom, the hero must give the enemy hero one item from his inventory – the enemy may choose which one.

34-41: Humiliated
News of the humiliating defeat dents the reputation of the hero. He suffers -2 to his renown

42-61: Full recovery
Other than dented spirit, the prince is otherwise unaffected.

62-64: Bitter
The prince now hates the enemy border prince who beat him! If this result is rolled a second time then the prince hates the enemy army as well as the enemy border prince. If this result is rolled a third time against the same force then the prince hates all enemies of the same race.

65: Hardened
The hero becomes inured to the horrors of the border lands. He is immune to fear. If this result is rolled a second time the prince will be immune to terror.

66: Horrible Scars
As a result of his horribly disfiguring injuries the hero now causes fear. If this result is rolled a second time the prince will cause terror.



Renown
Renown is a measure of the fame and reputation of your hero. Each Border Prince starts with 1 Renown and accrues additional renown as he and his force prove themselves in the heat of battle. Renown is incredibly important as a characters reputation is worth more than his actual ability! Heroic deeds on the field of battle can elevate a character in the eyes of existing and potential followers, and grants him more power and influence, it will also allow him to use this leverage to get extra items and weapons as a mark of his status. The winner of the campaign will therefore be the hero which has the most Renown at the end.

Gaining Renown
+2 for each game win as news of your victory spreads far and wide.
+1 for each game drawn as stories of your stubbornness and determination are re-told in taverns across the land.
+1 for each challenge fought by your hero as his followers witness your princes might.
+2 for each enemy aspiring Prince that your own faces in a challenge (regardless of whether the challenge was won or lost!) as news of the legendary confrontation is passed on.
+1 for each aspiring Border Prince defeated in a challenge as fear of strength and power of your hero grows.
+2 for each spell cast by your Prince with irresistible force
-1 for each miscast by your Prince
+2 for each special “event” taken part in

Using Renown
Renown can be used in a number of ways:

1: During each battle;
At the start of each battle, count up how many points of renown your prince has. This many renown tokens can be placed aside ready for use. A Border Prince may use a renown token to adjust any dice roll by +1 or -1. Multiple points of renown may be used to adjust the dice roll further. Each token may only be used once per battle.

2: After each battle;
   Following each battle, after you have added any additional Renown gained, your prince may choose to spend his influence in order to obtain other items. You may exchange any number of Renown points in this way, each Renown point is worth 10pts that can be used to purchase additional weapons or items available to the hero. You may not carry over or save up any unspent points. Of course, your hero loses any Renown points used in this way.



Roll for mission

1-3; annihilation
4-6; capture and control

Annihilation
The ranks of the enemy have swelled with eager followers. A strike at the body of the enemy will cripple his ability to wage his wars.

At the end of the battle count up the total value of each enemy unit destroyed or fleeing. The person who scores highest is the winner.

Capture and control
There are a number of strategic and important locations which must be captured in order to gain the upper hand! Claiming these will benefit your war effort and help secure your domain.

Roll a D3. This many special objectives are placed anywhere on the table more than 12” from any edge or other objective. The winner is the force which controls the most objectives at the end of the battle. Each objective will be one of the following:

1: Strategic objective, no additional effect.
2-3:
4-5:
6:


Roll for deployment type

1-3; pitched battle
4-6; patrol

Pitched Battle
Your forces have come to meet the enemy head on. You may deploy your forces up to 12” on from a long table edge. The person with the lowest renown may choose which deployment zone to have.

Patrol
The forces have clashed whilst on patrol! Divide the table into four equal quarters. The person with the highest renown may choose which quarter to deploy in, the enemy will deploy in the quarter diagonally opposite. No normal units may be deployed within 18” of the centre of the board. Scouts may deploy anywhere in accordance with their rules.





Comments more than welcome!

Offline Wyddr

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Re: Putting together a character progression campaign
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2009, 03:14:05 PM »
I like it--looks like fun.

So, is this campaign designed specifically for Empire players to fight each other, or is it open for other armies to participate, as well? I presume the latter, but it would be hard to define a Vampire or High Elf Noble as a 'Border Prince', which is why I ask.

Do you have specific ideas for the size of battles/number of battles that would be in a campaign? If it were to go on for too long, the chances of your Border Prince becoming either absurdly powerful or absurdly crippled would be fairly high. That might make for an interesting story, but it might put a crimp in the games a bit. I might suggest including the possibility for nothing to happen in-between battles.




Offline Shas'Oink

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Re: Putting together a character progression campaign
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2009, 05:18:42 AM »
what do you mean by "nothing" happening between battles? as in you have your character, but thats it - you dont buy him additional gear as you go?

note that there is no other element involved beyond what was described... so theres no resource gathering or aything like that, which is normally associated with (map based) campaigns.

There is currently no game limit - though we are proabbly looking at a time limit of about 4-6 weeks...

The idea would be to allow people to play the games they are able to... i mean, you dont get to control lands without fighting enemy off of it! and if one person starts to race off ahead, it will be down to the rest to fight out amongst themselves in teh hope fo creating a challenger!

Im thinking that we can run a few "pit fighter" style games with JUST our characters... and this might allow me to keep control of anyone who his trying to abuse the system... by handing out on the spot modifiers in the way of booby traps or something...

is there anything that looks like i might have missed, or not considered in combination or otherwise can improve!?

Offline Wyddr

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Re: Putting together a character progression campaign
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2009, 04:46:11 PM »
what do you mean by "nothing" happening between battles? as in you have your character, but thats it - you dont buy him additional gear as you go?

I meant that, on the table on which you roll, there is the possibility that his stats don't change. Right now, every battle sees him losing or gaining a stat. If somebody goes on a winning or losing streak, the possiblity stands that such a table will either create super-characters or complete weaklings, which might mess with the game a bit.

EDIT: Ah--just noticed the 'Full Recovery' option in the game loss table. I'd recommend having a similar one in the game win table, too.

Quote
note that there is no other element involved beyond what was described... so theres no resource gathering or aything like that, which is normally associated with (map based) campaigns.

Is this map-based? I didn't think it was.

Quote
is there anything that looks like i might have missed, or not considered in combination or otherwise can improve!?

Is it open to all factions? Are armies limited to having only one character (if so, this could be unbalancing for certain armies which require or need multiples to work effectively)?

« Last Edit: June 13, 2009, 04:48:32 PM by Wyddr »

Offline Lonewolf

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Re: Putting together a character progression campaign
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2009, 04:54:44 PM »
Looks nice, reminds me of mordheim quite a bit, which in itself is good  :)
Maybe go the whole way and also include the experience system and the chance that the character dies and needs to be replaced?


No problem, I'll give you a 100% increase in pay effective immediately and retroactive to 1999.

Offline Shas'Oink

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Re: Putting together a character progression campaign
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2009, 03:10:06 AM »
@ Wyddr
The closest thing to that for the victor is simply an additional +1 reputation. its within a wide band (just like the full recovery)... perhaps i should just lose this addition... and leave it blank. good idea i think!

yea, its open to all factions and armies. whilst those armies are not limited to having only one character - the border prince character must always be the most expensive in the force. this will be the most restricting factor - specifically with regards to wizards (unless of course you choose a wizard as our aspiring prince!)


@ Lonewolf
yea, it is based a lot around the idea of mordheim with the character injury tables. Whilst i was interested in bringing over elements i dont want to "just play mordheim" with the campaign... otherwise we'd erm.. just play mordheim! hehe!

I looked at the idea of a character dying - but later rejected it after discussing with the group - it could be relatively harsh to die as a result of simply losing a battle... though i do think there is scope for this during a last "death match" style game which helps draw the campagin to a close maybe...


 


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