Earthdawn Survival Guide

* Regular episodes should resume next week. In the meantime, enjoy some more readings from Legends of Earthdawn Volume One.

* The Questor and the Magician

* Ciarra Shy-Ru

* Parliament of Mermaids

* T’selas Vriimon and the Vyrkanogen

* The King Who Ruled the Passions

* The Way of the Beasts

* The Grass Bridge

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Earthdawn West Marches

As mentioned in our social media feeds, regular episodes are on a short hiatus as real life has disrupted the normal production flow. To sate your boundless appetite for content (and to keep the feed from going totally silent), Dan has recorded audio versions of seven legends from the "Legends of Earthdawn" supplement, originally published in 1995.

The legends include:

* The Passion's Dance

* The Bloody Coin

* The Bravery of Nelsen Long-Ears

* How Thystonius Gave Us His Spear

* Baby, Baby, Anointed in Sand

* Valvidius, King of Thieves

* The Shacked Feet of Friendship

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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* E-mail episode!

* Correction: Body Control does have a bonus equal to the one-handed size total for the adept using the talent.

* Email from Nick: Why does training require time?

* Email from Matt: Suggestions for the mostly-windling group.

* Email from Chainwolf: Raising Thread Weaving for a second non-magician Discipline.

* Motivations for spirits?

* Email from Scott: Windling astral sight and strain?

* Email from Riley: Attributes in 4th edition development?

* Email from Dustin: Poison timing and related durations.

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* Episode Fifty with special guest Kyle Pritchard

* Potential spoilers within!

* Empty Thrones

* Five story arcs featuring Iopos, Jerris, Freewater, Daiche

* Journeyman tier challenges.

* Covers about a year of in-setting time.

* Differences in approaching Empty Thrones compared to Legends of Barsaive

* Where did the “big idea” come from?

* An idea that didn’t make the cut.

* Lots of NPCs

* Kyle’s feelings on working in the sandbox.

* References a lot of previous material.

* Logistics of standalone arcs versus interconnected story.

* Inspiration for where the stories come from.

* Favorite NPCs or items?

* Player character choices and challenges?

* Theme of power and what happens with shifting power or power vacuum.

* Kyle talks about his favorite (and least favorite) bits to work on.

* How long did it take from concept to execution?

* Choices for adventure and section titles.

* Game information chapter includes a lot of helpful stuff.

* The fate of Aardelea is in the book!

* Final thoughts.

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* Episode 49!

* The Gauntlet Discipline

* Design background

* Different approach to close combat

* Original flavor Purifier broken up into different themes

* In the lore originated with obsidimen

* Slow, deliberate bruiser.

* Unstoppable force and immovable object.

* Pop culture: Juggernaut, Ben Grimm

* “Living weapons”

* Unarmed combat focused, but not in the D&D Monk style

* Important Attributes

* Karma Ritual

* Example Artisan Skills

* Focus is a strong core theme

* Novice Tier Abilities and Discipline Talents

* Correction: Body Control does provide a bonus to the damage step equal to the character’s one-hand weapon size.

* Deliberate Assault to enhance attacks

* Secondary theme of resilience and defense.

* Discussion of early fighting style for Gauntlets

* Novice Tier Talent Options

* Journeyman Tier Abilities and Discipline Talents

* Journeyman Tier Talent Options

* Warden Tier Abilities and Discipline Talents

* Warden Tier Talent Options

* Master Tier Abilities and Discipline Talents

* Master Tier Talent Options

* Final Thoughts

* Good choice for veterans looking to try something new

* Available in Mystic Paths

* Next week: Episode 50 with special guest Kyle Pritchard

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* Talent Knacks

* Special use cases or enhanced uses for magical talents.

* May substitute a new effect.

* Special maneuvers for using a knack.

* Access to skills or other abilities related to the talent.

* Some knacks can be purchased and advanced as a skill.

* Can spend Karma on talent knacks, it is still a talent test.

* Knacks cannot be learned for talents known under Versatility.

* Must have the associated talent at a certain rank in order to learn.

* Cost Legend Points equal to the Novice-tier cost of the minimum Rank the knack is available at.

* Some knacks have additional restrictions the character must meet, but only one if there are multiple restrictions.

* Most commonly learned from a trainer while advancing Circle.

* Possible to develop knacks without a trainer, but no hard rules.

* Can only use one knack per use of a talent unless otherwise noted.

* Game stats for knack take precedence over normal talent characteristics.

* Enchanting knacks allow adepts to create magical items.

* Discussion of some low rank knacks.

* Poisons, Diseases, Traps, and Curses

* Step, Duration, Onset, and Interval.

* Damage, debilitating and paralytic effects.

* Resisting poison and disease.

* Traps have Detection DN, Initiative, Disarm DN, Trigger, and Effect

* Curses impose a penalty of some sort to tests.

* Come in minor, major, and Horror flavors.

* Empty Thrones PDF is available!

* Upcoming special episode with Kyle about the new book!

* Legends of Barsaive Volume 1

* Champions Challenge Volume 1

Find and Follow:

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* Travar: The Merchant City

* Gushing about the map

* Travar is an old city

* The Road Wardens and their role

* The Travar citadel and the Scourge

* The Water Rebellion and how its significance

* A brief sidebar on world building and themes

* Animals and the Hounds of Travar

* Air Sailors and airships

* The experience of entering Travar

* The number and significance of the number five

* The districts: Old Town, Industrial Divide, Commercial Divide, Riverside, Great Divide, South Valley Divide

* A lot of politics, factions, personalities, and relationships

* The Magistrates, the Founding, and the Arena

* The advantage of a large pool of resident adepts

* Outside Travar: The Badlands

* Tensions with House K’tenshin

* Other stuff to do in and around Travar

* Great addition to the setting, strong hub location to base a game from.

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* Email from Doomzy: Naming conventions for characters in the setting?

* Email from Ste: reNaming and passing on a title or name?

* Email from Matty: T’skrang and the Saurids from 1879?

* Email from Graham: Handling a group of five windlings and a troll?

* Multiple Disciplines

* A disclaimer about assumptions.

* Should consider philosophical compatibility and character personality.

* Josh discusses multi-Discipline consideration for Virag from the Legends of Earthdawn game.

* Discussion of likely incompatible combinations as examples.

* Air Sailor and Sky Raider

* Weaponsmith and Thief

* Cavalryman and Sky Raider or Air Sailor

* Archer and Swordmaster

* Josh makes a good case for Weaponsmith and Archer

* (Josh misspeaks and says Archer/Swordmaster in his discussion.)

* Swordmaster and Thief

* Josh argues that Thief is a tough second Discipline

* Some likely unconsidered but good combinations

* Beastmaster and Cavalryman or Warrior

* Beastmaster and Scout

* The order you learn Disciplines can make a notable difference

* Magician combinations

* Elementalist and Weaponsmith

* Cost of learning spells can make it more difficult

* Expanded questor and path rules reduce the need for multiple Disciplines

* Check out The Adept’s Way from first edition for more insight into combinations.

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* One year of the Survival Guide.

* Spirits and Summoning

* Four Types of Spirits

* A goal in ED4 was to try and make spirits more than just a stat block.

* Spirits are not common, but not unusual.

* Example spirits in the GM Guide show variety.

* Inspiration taken from Werewolf and Mage games from White Wolf.

* Make spirits more than a tool for summoners.

* Lower Strength Rating spirits are more “archetypal”.

* Spirits have their own goals and motivations

* Ally spirits: Often “Spirits of Man”, but also could be other strange astral fauna.

* Beast spirits: “Spirits of Nature”, animals, wild places.

* Elementals: Connected to one of the five elements, often focus on strengthening their element.

* Insect spirits, or Invae: Goal is usually to expand the hive.

* Horrors are astral entities, but NOT spirits.

* Tasked spirits: A spirit called up by a talent or spell to serve a specific function.

* Strength Rating is a guide for how relatively powerful a spirit is. Modifies base game statistics.

* Named spirits are more powerful and harder to control.

* Might get a Name from their summoner, or develop one on their own.

* A diverse array of powers, including access to spells and talents.

* Spirits should be characters

* Summoning

* Ritual process, intentionally not quick.

* If not handled carefully, can overshadow other characters due what the spirit can bring to bear.

* Duration of summon.

* Spirit Talk or Elemental Tongues determines which powers the spirit will use.

* Contest of Wills: Forcing the spirit to do what you want.

* Banishing: Sending a spirit back to its native realm.

* Failed summoning can cause damage.

* GM Advice: Look at the examples and the variety possible for spirits.

* If you have summoners, look at bringing spirits into your story before they get the Summon talent.

* Similar to Beastmaster companions or Cavalryman mounts with regard to group balance and spotlight time.

* Players: Some planning and preparation is using spirits.

* Work with GM to develop a spirit you work with frequently.

* Weird sidebar question about Sorcerer's Apprentice.

* Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden.

* Take inspiration from legend and folklore, especially from other cultures.

* Spirited Away (or Princess Mononoke) by Miyazaki

* Once again: Look at spirits as characters.

* Potential source of plot hooks, key knowledge.

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Dan on Twitter: @boice_voice

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* The Scout Discipline

* The Spy and the Wolf by Dakota Wind

* The Scout is the vanguard, the tracker, the ranger.

* Original Adept’s Way essay talks about the Scout’s oneness with their environment.

* Not limited to the wilderness, the Scout can be equally at home in towns and cities.

* Important Attributes: Dexterity and Perception.

* Karma Ritual Discussion

* Artisan Skill Suggestions

* Hobo codes and trail markers

* Half-Magic Abilities

* Pop Culture References: Aragorn/Strider, Katniss Everdeen

* Free Talent: Navigation

* Specialist Durability

* Can fight but not generally a high damage combatant.

* Novice Tier Discipline abilities and talents.

* Pop culture reference: Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn

* Novice Tier Talent Options.

* Character style developed through options.

* Combat development: Melee vs Missile.

* Journeyman Tier Discipline abilities and talents.

* Continuing the themes of perception and survival.

* Journeyman Tier Talent Options.

* Some thematic overlap with Beastmaster and Thief.

* Lesser overlap with Archer and Swordmaster.

* Pop culture reference: Recon platoon from Heartbreak Ridge.

* Western movies and television.

* Scout can be a Jack-of-all-Trades to fill in the gaps of an adventuring group.

* Earthdawn’s version of the “Ranger” archetype.

* Weak against social obstacles.

* Great support Discipline

Find and Follow:

Email: [email protected]

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Twitter: @EDSGPodcast

Josh on Twitter: @LoreMerchant

Dan on Twitter: @boice_voice

Get product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.com

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Earthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW