Review: USR Sword & Sorcery Deluxe

 

Keeping with my theme of Sword and Sorcery from last review, I am finally getting around to reviewing USR Sword and Sorcery Deluxe by Vanishing Tower Press. This game is a hack of Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying by Trollish Delver.

This is a game that has been on my shelf since its first edition iteration which has been replaced by the Deluxe Edition for sometime now. I have ran various one shots using the first edition of the game and ran a single into adventure using the Deluxe version. The Deluxe version is split into two books - the first book contains everything the players and the Crypt Keeper needs to make Characters, Conquer Challenges, Fight Stuff, Carouse, and much more. The second book in the Deluxe series contains the rules for Mass Combat and Magic.

 

Presentation: USR Sword and Sorcery Deluxe provides approximately fifty pages of a clean easy to read two column layout. with 27 pieces of art. Some of the art is full page which is always nice. The art is black and white and captures the Sword and Sorcery spirit with a dose of weird. The books are well organized with a table of contents and some end papers that could be printed out for quick player references or a Crypt Keeper's screen. The physical product is a print of demand via Drivethrurpg and it is a softback A5 tome. The two books are listed separately so if you do not plan on using Mass Combat or Magic you do not need the second book but it is great for reference and to be used for villains. 

Character Creation: Characters are initially defined by three attributes and "Hits". The three attributes are Action, Wits, and Ego. Hits is a characters stamina and an abstract measure of how much punishment they can take before falling unconscious or dying. Characters are created with the following steps:

1. Name
   
2. Choose which attributes (Action, Wits, and Ego) to place a d6, d8, and a d10 in.
3. Calculate starting Hits. Hits are calculated by rolling Action and Wits die, then adding the total. Hits cannot be less then 5. 
4. Roll on the Background Table
5. Roll on the Background Details Table 
6. Choose Three Specialisms
7. Roll 3d6 x 10 for Starting Silver. These are the funds to be able to equip your character with food, gear, weapons, and maybe armor. 

Resolution: The core resolution mechanic is rolling the corresponding attribute dice plus a related Specialism (if applicable) vs. a set target number. 

• 2+ EASY (e.g. jumping a low wall, tying a knot, bartering for food)
• 4+ NOT SO EASY (e.g. riding a horse, rock climbing, reading a book)
• 7+ HARD (e.g. picking a lock, leading an army, smithing weapons and armor)
• 10+ VERY HARD (e.g. deciphering ancient tomes, practicing alchemy, persuading Kings)
• 14+ IMPOSSIBLE (e.g. resisting Silver Lotus poison, summon demonic beings)

Specialisms are specific skills that provide a +2 to an attribute roll. There is not list of Specialisms (as they are meant to be open ended by design) but some of the common examples given include Beast Riding, Melee/Close/Ranged Combat, Seduction, City Knowledge, Legends and Lore, Weapons Smith, Orate, Intimidate, Stealth, Tracking, Lock Picking, Chariot Racing, and Leadership. 

Contested actions happen when an action is being directly contested by another PC or NPC. Both parties roll the relevant Attribute, add a related Specialism (if any), and compare results. The highest total wins and the Crypt Keeper can decide if certain actions or attempts require additional successes. 

Combat on the other hand follows a slightly modified version of contested actions. Initiative basically follows the fiction as all combat happens simultaneously where all participants are both attacker and defender at the same time. Each participant in combat gets one attack action and one movement action. There is no defined parameters within these actions as the characters can get as colorful or creative as they want. The character or NPC can choose to give up one of these two actions for either an additional movement action or attack actions but all rolls for that turn have a -2 penalty is this double mirror action is taken. 

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT that once both actions are taken in a round, the character is unable to defend themself any longer and all subsequent attacks directed at said character for the rest of round are considered undefended and the attacker rolls an uncontested test at 4+.

The attacker is the winner of the contested roll and damage dealt is the difference between the two rolls with weapons adding a bonus to the initial contested action roll and armor providing damage reduction. Once damage is calculated, hit location is rolled (on a d20), damage reduction from armor is applied, and final damage total is subtracted from the targets hits. A critical hit happens when the attacker rolls max damage and the defender rolls a 1 or vise versa for Dramatic Failure. If this happens, roll on the respected tables for the results. 

Ranged combat is handled in an uncontested manner with the following difficulty guidelines: 

• 2+ IMMEDIATE (Close Combat Range)
• 4+ SHORT (Within 10-40 feet)
• 7+ MEDIUM (41-70 feet)
• 10+ LONG (Within 71-200 feet)
• 14+ EXTREME (Over 200 feet)

When a characters hits reaches 1, the character is incapacitated but conscious, at 0 to -3 that character is unconscious and incapacitated, and at -4 or below the character is dead. Hits are restored at 1 or 2 points per day depending on medical care and carousing can restore an additional 2-4 hits per night of carousing. There may be magical sources of healing...

BONUS INFORMATION: BOOK 2 - MASS COMBAT AND MAGIC: Book Two contains rules for Mass Combat and Magic. The Mass Combat rules provides a concise step by step system in handling mass combat situations that even includes a random encounter table during a mass combat. 

Magic is split into three different disciplines that include Artifact Mastery, Sorcery, and Mesmerism. Artifact Mastery covers the use of powerful items and the book includes examples of 5 artifacts. Mesmerism covers techniques to bend other people to ones will and adjacent affects. Dusts and poisons are used to power these effects and examples of 4 are given. Sorcery governs the traditional style of black magic with the summoning of demons and other overtly magical effects. There are 8 "spells or rituals" provided as examples. 

All magic, regardless of form is dangerous, as high costs, takes time to cast or use, and have high target numbers.

Final Thoughts: The author has definitely read a lot of source material for the Sword and Sorcery genre and has taken the USR system for one hell of a ride to create an authentic Sword and Sorcery experience. The information provided as well as the games design reinforces this experience and the books also includes:

• Critical Hit Table (d100 table)
  
• Dramatic Fumble Table (d100 table)
  
• First Strike Rule (For spears and only for the first round of combat)
• Carousing Rules
• Carousing Mishap Tables (d100 table)
• Called Shots 
• Character Advancement and Experience
  
• Magical Mishap Tables 

It is interesting to note that that book discusses how combat is a central theme in Sword and Sorcery but hits are low with expensive armor and combat can quickly turn deadly with an unlucky roll or two, a critical hit, being ganged up on by multiple opponents, and a few other factors. Without some advancements, combat seems to be best avoided. 

The book also alludes to a more abstract combat that does not use hit locations as it provides alternate examples of armor in light/medium/heavy bonuses with weapon bonuses of light/medium/heavy. Each section is +1/+2/+3 respectively. I am grateful for this aspect or tool that is built in as the Crypt Keeper can choose to use hit locations for a more specific combat experience or not for something quicker and more abstract. 

One of my favorite things about this game is the carousing rules and the carousing mishap table. This really helps reinforce the genre and some results from the mishap table could spring board an entire campaign!

I personally found reading through the combat section slightly confusing and it took me a few reads for everything to fall into place. I also confirmed somethings with the author to make sure I understood everything correctly but your mileage may very. I also wish that the books provided a list of foes common and horrible. 

USE Sword and Sorcery Deluxe is slated to be released in three books to mirror the three LBB from a famous and common fantasy game. We currently have two out of three and third book is rumored to contain the authors home brew Sword and Sorcery Setting. I am really excited about this third book! It cannot come out fast enough.  

All in all, this is one of my favorite Sword and Sorcery games and you can find it here:

• Vanishing Tower Blog
• Youtube 
• USR Sword & Sorcery Deluxe Book 1
• USR Sword & Sorcery Deluxe Book 2
• USR Sword & Sorcery Deluxe Character Sheet 
• Shrine of the Keepers Adventure 
• Fantasy Adventure Journal  
  

Legacies of Exera: Items of Power

 

As mentioned in Session 0 and  Session 1 & 2 each of the characters received a magical item but a lot how and what these items were/what powers they currently possess got lost in the note taking process as there was all kinds of crazy things going on. I really like this idea as it creates very personal items and relationships between those items and their characters. It also helps stave off the MMO feel of ditching equipment for the next upgrade as quick as possible. I will post updates in the Player Notes when the items gain new abilities of the relevant session as well as I will update this post.

Garvangr (Harl's Spear)

Weapon (spear), unique (requires attunement)

Garvangr is a spear with the name "Garvangr" carved in Hermannen runes onto the shaft and also carved in Hermannen runes: “whenever she rides into battle she takes half of the slain”.  The spear bears the symbol of a cracked skull whose eyes can glow red around undead on the spearhead.  

Sentience: Garvangr is a sentient neutral good weapon with an Intelligence of 12, a Wisdom of 16, and a Charisma of 16. It has hearing and normal vision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon communicates by transmitting emotions to the creature carrying or wielding it.  The eyes on the skull image on the weapon glow red when within 120’ of undead creatures.  This attracts the attention of undead creatures, drawing them to the wielder when within sight of it.  

Personality: Garvangr is a confident weapon and shares its confidence with the wielder when held. 

• 3rd Level Increase: +1 Enhancement Bonus 

 

Goujian (Prince Claren's Sword)

Weapon (Sword), Unique (Requires Attunement)  

Claren received the Sword of Goujian from his mother, Queen Li.  The Sword of Goujian is a longsword with ancient Hanyu writing acid-burned into the blade which reads "Three Treasures - Compassion Frugality Humility".  The wooden hilt has a yin yang symbol carved into it.   When it is drawn, the blade whispers warnings to the wielder, giving a +2 bonus to Initiative.  The Sword of Goujian is a blissful weapon, which shares its bliss with its wielder, causing them to feel fortunate and optimistic about the future.  Additionally, when the blade is drawn, butterflies frolic in its presence. 

• 3rd Level Increase: +1 Enhancement Bonus  

Bag of Three (Gareth's Belt)

Wondrous Item (Belt), Unique (Requires Attunement)  

Gareth received the Bag of Three from Queen Li.  The Bag of Three is a leather belt adorned with dwarven runes reading "Bag of Three".  Additionally, the belt's buckle is made with Mithral and is adorned with a symbol of a belt of seven stars acid-burned into it.  The belt also has three large leather pouches sewn onto it. The wearer of this belt always knows their depth below the surface and the direction of the nearest staircase, ramp, or path leading upward.  

• 3rd Level Increase: Pouches became Bags of Holding  

 

Shadowgrumble (A'nari's Crossbow)

Weapon (Crossbow), Unique (Requires Attunement)  

A'anri received the crossbow, Shadowgrumble, from Jastari Shadowform, a zsadri blood hunter.  Shadowgrumble is a jet black wooden crossbow adorned with markings of vines and leaves carved into it.  It is further adorned with inset gemstones, platinum overlays, and silver filigree.  It frequently grumbles and can provide useful information to those who are actively listening to it who succeed on a DC 15 Perception check.

• 3rd Level Increase: Enhanced Critical Hit - On a critical, this weapon deals an additional 2d6 piercing damage  

 

Pia's Belt (Enama's Belt)

Wondrous Item (Belt), Unique (Requires Attunement)  

Enama received Pia's Belt from Queen Li.  Pia's Belt is a leather belt inscribed with feathered wings and suns.  It has its name, "Pia's Belt", inscribed in Celestial writing on it.  The golden belt buckle has a sun acid-etched into it.  The belt periodically and randomly alters its appearance in slight ways outside of the wearer's control.  There is a little known prophecy that the bearer of Pia's belt will solve the sphinx's riddle.  Fiends find the belt and whoever wears the belt to be repulsive.  The wearer of the belt can use a bonus action to cause the item to shed bright light for 10 feet and dim light an additional 10 feet or to extinguish the light.

•  3rd Level Increase: +1 to saving throws and DC's to Ki abilities. In addition, a bonus action can be utilized to regain Ki points equal to the roll of the Martial Arts die. Once this feature is used, it cannot be used until the next dawn.

 

 Feyshadow Boots (Helenista's Belt)

Wondrous Item (Boots), Unique (Requires Attunement)  

Helestina received the Feyshadow Boots from General Serac.  The Feyshadow Boots are leather gray boots adorned with markings of stars.  Each boot also bears the sigil of the Mage School of Maemyth Quor on the front shaft.  While these boots never get dirty, always giving off the faint glow of polished leather, they also crack and fray with every step (though the damage doesn't last).   The wearer of these boots can't be tracked by normal means, as the boots leave no footprints and leave no other sign of the wearer's passing (such as odor). 

• 3rd Level Increase: The footsteps of the wearer makes no sound and the wearer gains advantage on Stealth checks that involve moving silently. 

 

 

Taleweaver (Stephonocles Lute)

Wondrous Item (Musical Instrument), Unique (Requires Attunement)  

Taleweaver is a musical instrument of strange appearance and magical nature. It has the shape of a tower rising out of a double crescent moon, reminiscent of the symbol of the orcish god Touvos. It is made of a crimson-colored wood and covered in orcish runes, spelling out its name, Taleweaver. It has a shimmering jewel-encrusted brown leather strap to hold it to the wielder's body. This instrument is made of multiple parts that can make it function as several musical instruments simultaneously. It can function as a lute, dulcimer, flute, viol, and a drum. It doubles the range of bardic inspiration to 120’.

The Taleweaver is a sentient magical item with an Intelligence of 16, a Wisdom of 10, and a Charisma of 18. It has hearing and normal vision out to a range of 120 feet. It communicates telepathically with the creature attuned to it. It can read, speak, and write Rollarian Common and Orcish. This instrument inspires the wielder to a sense of valor and glory and heroism. It has a neutral good alignment. It likes making music and tends to play itself if no one is playing it, causing anyone holding it to have disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) skill checks.
 

• 3rd Level Enhancement: This magical instrument functions as a +1 spellcasting focus, giving a +1 to the spellcaster's Spell Attack Bonus and Spell Save DC. 

 

Mazeblade (Vladimir's Dagger)

Weapon (Dagger), Unique (Requires Attunement)  

This dagger is a piece of jagged onyx whose blade is scribed with a maze-like pattern with no beginning or end. This pattern is ever-changing. This weapon is desirable to all humanoids of evil alignment. They may take reasonable action to attain it.

The Mazeblade is a sentient chaotic evil weapon with an Intelligence of 12, a Wisdom of 12, and a Charisma of 20. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder and can speak, read, and understand Abyssal and Rollarian Common. An insane glabrezu named Uth'tinor lives within the Mazeblade. The weapon yearns to cause chaos. It learns its wielder's principles, then uses those ideals to encourage reckless action. The dagger whispers ideas of revolution.

The wielder can speak, read, and write Abyssal.

•  3rd Level Enhancement: The wielder gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, immediately after you make a ranged attack with this weapon, it reappears in its sheath.

 

Legacies of Exera: Session 3

 

We last left our heroes getting attacking by four giant bats...

The bats swoop into the parties area and one of them (#4) takes a solid bite out of Gareth - finding the space between armor and neck. Harl charges the bat that but Gareth and stabs it with his spear, pulls it out, and slams the butt of his spear into the bats (#4) forehead. Gareth picks up a handful of stones to enchant and then slashes at the bat (#4) with his scimitar, regardless of the blood leaking from Gareth's neck. Anther of the bats (#1) swoops in closer Harl and Harl allows it to taste tip of his spear before the bat (#1) sinks its teeth into Harl's shoulder drawing a copious amount of blood. Prince Claren takes this opportunity with the bats (#1) back turn and slashes it across its back with his sword. Helestina decides to back up Prince Claren's efforts by rewarding the bat (#1) with a firebolt to the face and the bat reels and screeches with singed fur. Enama takes advantage of commotion and leaps into the air landing a flying punch directly into the bats (#2) face as A'anari lashes out with his whip - shredding one of the bats wings with the crack. Harl catches his breath but the loss of blood and the bats (#4) erratic movements causes Harl's spear point to miss its mark as Gareth launches one of his new enchanted stones at bat (#2) which cracks against the bats (#2) skull that drops the bat (#2) lifelessly to the ground. As Bat (#1) dives toward Harl, Prince Claren lashes out with his sword and in a single stroke - removes the bats (#1) head more efficiently then Ozzy at a concert. Bat (#3) turns its attention towards Harl but Harl is able to bring his shield to bear as the bats claws scratch against the metallic surface as Harl Drops to his knee and ends the life of bat (#4) by running his spear through its jaw and into the bats (#4) brain. On Prince Claren's back swing before the head of bats (#1) head even splashes down in the water, Prince Claren removes the tail off of bat (#3). 

Helenista reaches out with some hand gestures and a moment of frost starts to appear over bat (#3) fur before it shakes its body violently and the frost vanishes. The look of shock vanishes over Helestina's face as Enama leaps across the water as she slams the end of her quarterstaff into the bats (#3) head so hard, its head snaps back and it falls backward lifeless in the water. 

The party takes advantage of the calm and backtrack into the previous room to rest and lick their wounds. During this time, Harl remains silent for the most part and sits slightly apart with an thousand yard stare and mumbling softly to himself before joining the rest of the party as they pack up and continue their exploration. 

The party continues to cautiously explore the beach and river looking for an easy way to cross as the river is fast moving. Gareth spots a bridge that is barely in the line of site and uses a strange reality bending technique to "bend" the bridge to there the party is on the beach. Enama decides to take the lead in crossing the bridges old rotted planks as the rest of the party follows behind. Helenista notices a rather large crocodile circling the bridge as multiple planks crumble and Enama and Prince Gareth are able to keep their toes out of the water and make it across. As the party regroups on the other side they heard multiple boards break as their beloved mule Lady falls into the water and the crocodile goes right for the tasty mule. Almost simultaneously  Gareth releases the concentration on his ability and bridge snaps back into its original location as A'nari leaps into the water to fight the crocodile and save Lady. The party makes quick work of the crocodile without incident and everyone spends a few moments fawning over Lady before refocusing on the exploration. 

As the party orientates itself, they discover that there is a boathouse off to the right that is close to them, what appears to be a large house off in the distance to the left, and a door set in a stone wall that is directly in front of the party but a good hike over the beach onto firmer ground. It was decided that everyone should investigate the boat house and Enama attempts to open the front door but it is looked. Peering through one of the barred windows Enama explains that she sees a group of skeletons working on building a boat and one of them notices the attempt to enter the door, looks up from the boat work, takes a few steps forward to the door before shaking the skeletons head and returning to the work at hand. The party decides not to disturb the skeletons and their boat building as Shadowgrumble "talks" to Gareth and explains that there is a werewolf to the left. The party decides to take that as a warning and head North through the wall. 

The party enters through the the door and find themselves in a wide room that contains a long dead warrior still clad in armor and holding a weapon surrounding by four zombies holding different weapons. The party seized the surprise as the zombies did not immediate react to the parties presence. During the ensuring combat Enama almost got cut down by a battleaxe and everyone noticed that every time Harl's spear made contact with their undead flesh red energy spider webbed just under the undead flesh. In addition to the zombies appeared to go out of their way to attack Harl. After the zombies were put down, Harl placed his hands on Enama's wounds and healed her. The bodies are searched and anything of value is packed away.

The party moves into the next area and they find themselves in a room adorned with three stone coffins and an altar in the corner. It was quickly decided to not touch the stone coffins as Gareth explores the altar and finds an old leather book covered in dust. Gareth blows off the dust off of the cover but the title is so worn that he cannot read it. As Gareth starts to open the book Helenista yells "No" but it is too late and the book is opened. As soon as Gareth looks at the pages a shadow materializes from each of the coffins and swarms the party members. The party is unsure of how effective their attacks are but notice then shreds of shadow fall off the shadows main bodies and vanish into thin air. As soon as Harl made contact with his spear, the same spider webbed red energy in the shadow's mass which causes the other shadow to single minded move towards Harl - this movement allowed the rest of the party members cut down the shadows without much trouble. As the last shadow is driven into nothingness the party takes a quick stock of their wounds as A'nari proudly stood guard over Lady. For all of the trouble, only sixty gold is found in the coffins.

The party does not dally in the now shadowless room and soon finds themselves in a T shaped hallway. The left path appeared to circle around and a alcove was noticed in that direction. The party decided to take the path to the right and discovered a staircase off to one side. As they discussed to descend the staircase, the party was hit with a nauseating stench of rotting flesh and it was decided to come back to the stairs and continue down the eastern passage. Sooner rather then later the party finds themselves in an area adorned with a chest on the table, wooden debris thrown across the floor, and a pale gaunt figure laying on a rotting straw mat facing the wall. The eyes on Harl's spear seem to glow a little bright and Harl reaches out with his hand and lets a crackling burst of purple and black energy fly but the energy misses the figure and displaces parts of the straw mat. This action causes the pale gaunt figure to stir, stand up, and charge at the offending Harl as the gaunt figure growls in frustration.

_____________________________________________________________________________

PLAYER NOTES: I have to say, the combat with the bats was really intense as two of the bats almost took out Gareth and Harl with a single bite. The DM's dice went cold and everyone was able to escape without anyone dying. After this encounter, we all had enough experience to make it to level 2 and the DM decreed we needed to take a short or long rest to take advantage of the level up and that causes everyone to retreat into the previous room for more safety. During this downtime, Harl has a vision of the Raven Queen offering him power in lie of his Service and Harl agrees and is flooded with new power. 

Gareth is a Psionist that the DM home brewed and the trick with the bridge was one of the psychic abilities. It was hilarious that everyone (except the DM) forgot that we hade the Mule Lady with us until the DM announced it failed its save and ended up in the water with the crocodile. After this incident, everyone became hilariously aware of Lady and it was a side focus to keep the mule out of harms way and made sure that one of the party members was leading Lady. I am really interested in if Lady is going to survive what the DM has called this side quest, "The Belly of the Beast." 

When the shadows popped out of the stone coffins I was really worried that we were going to lose someone had shadows are very difficult to deal with at low levels. The magic users had an advantage in this combat but what really helped the party survive is the DM's dice went cold and the shadows did not land a single hit on anyone. After this recent combat with more undead, it became obvious that Harl's spear possessed some magic but was also cursed and the undead seem to go out of their way to try to take a bite out of Harl. 

The level up really saved the parties bacon in the later encounters and opened up some more options. In addition, this session I felt like all of the players really started to hit their stride and the characters are getting more comfortable working as a team and more active. 

Though, I feel like we missed out on some really great interactions with NPCS like the skeletons building the boat, whatever was in the mansion down the beach, and the werewolf. We were clipping a long at a good pace and making cautious decisions (<--- which is a good thing). 

The dice and rolling tray I have been using since session zero...

Review: Barbaric! 1st Edition

 

"Barbarians! Civilized men huddle behind tall stone walls, trembling at the thought. The soldiers of civilization tighten their shield walls against the oncoming onslaught. And then they come. Savage men and women, screaming at the top of their lungs, oblivious to fear, frothing at the mouth from rage and lust for war. Wave after wave, they storm shields and fortifications. Many die; the Pagan Gods bless their souls. But eventually mail and castle fail. Then, the flames of barbarism will sweep the land, leaving no stone upturned."

Swords and Sorcery has always been one of my favorite settings and I know the stories of Conan and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are to blame. I am always on the lookout for games of this genre and I was excited to come across Barbaric! So, lets dig in and see what this is all about.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided me a Physical/PDF copy for review and demo purposes. 

Presentation: Barbaric! is presented in an A5 softcover format with single column formatting. The font and headers are easy to read. There are tables that use grey scale to keep everything organized and the book has about 13 black and white pieces of art that come from various stock art sources. This creates a book that is easy to read and quick to reference. 

Character Creation: This follows a quick series a steps to create your character:

1. Roll 2d6 and the total is your Endurance, which is an indication of tough you are. 
2. Roll 4d6 and the total is your Lifeblood, a measure of how well you resist injury. 
3. Distribute 5 points among the 7 skills. No skill can start with more then three points. The seven skills are Combat, Craft, Lore, Physical, Social. Sorcery, and Stealth. 
4. Pick one Trait. 
5. Start the game with food and water for three days, a backpack, a water skin, a knife, and 3d6x10 worth of gold to buy starting gear.
6. If you have the Sorcery skill, you start with two spells of your choice plus two random spells per point of the sorcery skill you have. 

Character creation is simple and straight forward. The information regarding the traits, Endurance, Lifeblood, and Equipment are found in the subsequent chapters.  

Resolution: The core resolution mechanic (that handles most rolls) is "Throw 2D" (roll 2d6) + Related Skill and compare to a target number. The target numbers are as follows:

Easy: 4+

Average: 6+

Difficult: 8+

Formidable: 10+ 

Combat uses the above core mechanic with a few nuances added. If one side can be surprised (or both) a Stealth 6+ roll is called for and there is a bonus to the roll if one side is setting up an ambush and a penalty to the roll if one side has a large group or other factors. After surprise is determined combat follows these guidelines: 

• At the beginning of a combat each character throws 2D and adds their Combat skill to acquire their initiative score. Characters act in the order of highest to lowest and the Referee rolls of the opponents. This order is kept throughout the same combat sequence. 
• Combat is broken up into rounds where rounds are about 6 seconds and a character can attack and move 10 meters or move 20 meters in a single round. 
• To successful hit an opponent, the players throws Combat 8+ for melee or ranged if the target is in the proper range, if not then it becomes Combat 10+. Apply half (round down) of the targets Combat Skill to the aggressors die roll as a penalty. 
• If a character drops a foe, the character can move 2 meters and attack another opponent in the same round. 
• On a natural 12 (box cars) or if the target number is exceeded by 6 more a critical hit is caused. This critical hit causes maximum damage plus additional affects on the various critical hit tables that are provided. 
• When a successful hit occurs, roll damage dice and subject the targets armor rating from the damage total. Then subtract the remaining total from the targets Endurance and if Endurance reaches zero, the target is considered wounded and suffers a -1 to all rolls. After Endurance is depleted, any further or leftover damage is subtracted form Life Blood. If the target loses more then half of their life blood, they are considered severely wounded and are out of combat. If Lifeblood reaches zero, a throw 2D + Physical must be made. Then consult the total with this table: 2-6: The character dies, 7-9 the character is maimed, 10+ the character loses consciousness and wakes up 1D rounds later but is still severely wounded. 
• Characters recover all Endurance after a 10 minute break and severe wounds recover at 1 Life Blood per day.
  

Now, with that being said, there are two things that alter the core mechanic. The first one being are about the thirty traits that can give the character special abilities or allow the a roll with advantage where the player rolls 3d6 and picks the two highest dice. The second aspect that modifies the core mechanic are Combat Maneuvers. Players can choose one of these in lieu of a trait if their combat skill is high enough. The choice of these traits start at Combat Skill 2 and scale from there. These maneuvers provide from clever and tactical options or show how the character has superior training. 

Finally, characters with the Sorcery skill are able to Read and Sense magic with a Sorcery 8+ throw. Now there are no hard limits in how many "spells" a sorcerer can cast per day but casting is guided by the following factors:

• Each spell has a difficulty and range requirement.
• Spells take one turn (10 minutes) to cast.
• Spells can be cast in a combat round by using a prepared Foci (it turns to ash) before casting or casting hastily at a -2 difficulty. 
• If double ones are rolled, it is considered a critical failure and the spell fails plus the Sorcerer rolls on a d66 spell mishap table. 

Final Thoughts: Barbaric! Also provides options and information for non human characters (Anunaki, Apefolk, Dwarf, Elf, Geckofolk, and Lizardfolk), Fatigue, Equipment, Optional Rule for Encumbrance, Morale, Exploration, Getting Lost, Camping, Foraging, Underground Movement, Critical Hit Tables (As previously mentioned), Light and Darkness, d66 Spells, Reaction Rolls, a Small Bestiary, Treasure, and Hero Points. 

Out of these additional procedures, rules, or what have you I think the Hero Points, Morale/Reaction rolls are my favorite. Each player starts with two personal hero points and there is a communal hero point pool equal to the total number of players. Each time a player succeeds in a Throw of at least 8+ or surpasses the target number by 6 or more an additional hero point is added to the communal pool. All pools reset at the beginning of the session and do not carry over. A character may use their personal Hero point or a point form the communal pool with the other player's consent. They can be spent for the following effects:

• Reroll any single die throw (including damage) - may take better result. 
• Force the referee to reroll any NPC's die throw (including damage). The second result stands. 
• Reroll a throw on a mortal wounds or sorcerer mishap roll. They may take the better result. 

Moral checks provides a realism to combat encounters and reaction checks are always just gold and creates so much flavor and higher chances for non combat encounters. The reaction table uses a classic 2d6 result but characters do not get to add their Social skill to the initial roll. Though, the character or is the lead in the interaction can throw Social 6+ (with some convincing role playing) to increase the result of the reaction roll by one step. I really like this change to the classic reaction roll system as it provides an additional opportunity for role play a chance to help save a poor first impression. 

All in all, Barbaric! provides a tight, lite, and concise system with an implied setting for the genre of Sword and Sorcery. I think it rivals or exceeds any of the other Sword and Sorcery game out there and you cannot go wrong with 2d6. 

Though, I know the games system is based off of Classic Traveler but in this game and what it is based off of the weapon damage can get high and goes up to 4d6. Even though armor provides armor reduction and there are some Talents and Combat Maneuvers assist with the effectiveness of armor in various ways the damage still can be high and take out a character rather quickly. The best advice as it currently stands is not to get hit and make sure you have unfair advantages over the opponents. 

I would have also like to have have seen some regenerated characters and maybe an intro adventure. 

Stellagamma Publishing has recently ran a successful Kickstarter for Barbaric! 2nd Edition. The PDF has been released and the Publisher is waiting on proofs before releasing the POD option. With the release of Barbaric! Second Edition, the First Edition has been taken down except for the Spanish Version.  People who have initially purchased the First Edition will still have access to it without issue. 

You can find the game and the publisher here:

• Barbaric! 2nd Edition 
• Facebook 
• Youtube 
• Patreon 

Legacies of Exera: Sessions 1 & 2

The once strangers were all invited to a dinner party party being held in the castle and gave chances for the party members to interact with each and other people at the party. After dinner, one of the Kings advisors comes and collects each member of the party for a meeting in the King's side chamber and as the party enters, they encounter a heated argument between the King and Prince Claren about the prince leaving the kingdom to travel and learn the ways of the giants. After what seemed like an eternity but probably lasted only five minutes the King storms out and the court wizard enters the chamber from a side room and the court wizard places a chest on the table and opens it. The chest contains a royally sealed scroll for everyone present and a pouch for everyone that contains 100g. The court wizard goes on to explain that the scrolls are your ticket to claim the final award when Prince Claren is safely escorted and the gold is for traveling expenses. 

The party spends a good portion of the night getting to know each other over drinks and A'anri challenges Harl to an arm wrestling contest and no bets are taken but Helestina comments about them making fools out of themselves and going to pull a muscle before the journey even begins. The arm wrestle contest had a lot back and forth but in the end, A'anri won. After the contest, the party poured over maps to plan the route they were going to take on their travels. 

The party eventually decides to travel south to Barcheluna and hire a ship to sail across the inner sea until land is reached, then travel the rest of the way on foot pending tactical uses of rivers and other modes of transportation as needed. As the party was about to head to their rooms for the night the court wizard entered the room again and engaged in a discussion of their route and explained that the route will take them to close to a Firetop Mountain and they castle have received alarming reports of people and animals being mutilated. The court wizard went on to explain that it sounds like the Warlock has somehow returned because twenty years ago the King and the his guard liberated Firetop Mountain, saved the surrounded villages and farms, and slew the Warlock which put an end to the wicked experiments taking place. The court wizard did not know who is behind these reports but highly doubts it is the original warlock. The party has a quick discussion and agrees to investigate Firetop Mountain and the villages as it is not out of the way. The party then took their leave of the court wizard and headed up to their rooms to sleep before they start their journey in the morning. 

Harl could not sleep and unbeknownst to the rest of his new found friends and people as a hole, on his travels he picked up a ring that talks to him in an alluring female voice. It is a voice that has kept him company for a long time and has Harl's only consistent traveling companion. As Harl was drifting off to sleep, he notices a strange pale women in the room and has he lunges for the spear next to his bed but it is not there and is in the pale woman's hands. The pale woman approaches Harl and Harl takes up a half sitting defensive stance as the pale woman stops within striking distance and the pale woman whispers something to the spear that Harl cannot understand but Harl witnesses runes appear wood burnt into the spears haft a along with a cracked skull. As the last word is whispered, the pale lady vanishes and the spear falls onto the bed. When Harl retrieves it, he is filled with sturdy confidence. 

As the party regroups in the courtyard of the castle to prepare for their travels some of them had encounters with other royal staff and were given gifts and some of them were given a gift in the courtyard. As farewells were said, the party decides to do some shopping and explore the city proper before exiting the out gates. A'anri finds a shop called the "Blue Unicorn" and decides to get the belt that was gifted appraised. An old portly gnome exclaims warm welcomes and inspects the belt. After looking up the belt in an old tome, the portly gnome explains that this belt as the power to create and dispel light as well as some latent abilities that are not awakened yet. A'anri decides not to sell the belt regardless of the gnomes attempts to buy and they exit the shop. The party makes a last stop to buy a mule before heading out of the city. 

The party passes through villages or small farming communities about every ten to fifteen miles and Gareth decides to entertain the traveling mates with music and everyone applauds Gareth's skill.

The party pushes on for a handful of days before stopping at a village that us within eyesight of the single Firetop Mountain that obviously gets its name from the reddish hues of its peak. The party decides to lay down for a night of good rest at a Tavern called the Fairweather Inn. As the party pays for their rooms and their meals with the Innkeeper, they notice that there is a bartender and the common room is about a third full of people drinking and eating. The party splits up to talk to various people and Harl engages the bartender named Shaleera and explains that they have come from Ry'leigh to investigate the rumors of the warlock and the various instances of people going missing. During the interaction Harl notices that Shaleera is good looking as Shaleera explains that you all better enjoy your last night alive and might as well spend all of your gold. Your group is not the first sent to investigate the rumors but the ones before have not returned. Harl then exclaims, "well if it is my last night in this world, I can't think of any way I would rather spend it then with you." After some additional conversation and sweet words Shaleera tells Harl she gets off in a few hours and would not mind keeping Harl company. 

The party eventually regroups and shares the information they have picked up from the locals. The information gathered is as follows:

1. Six months ago a group of guards under the conscript of the King and they have never returned. 
2. The warlock somehow has cheated death and returned.
3. The warlock is actually a demon in human form.  
4. There is an old goat path that splits into a fork a ways up the Mountain, take the left fork, and follow it to a cave. In the cave, there is an entrance to the Warlocks old hold. 

The next morning everyone eats a hearty breakfast and Shaleera blows Harl a kiss on their way out the door. The party decides to follow the advice about the trail and eventually comes to a cave that appears to be empty. After sometime exploring the cave, the party discovers another opening that was hidden by an illusion. The party enters the maze of corridors that are often narrow enough they need to move in a single file line. A'anri was able to sneak up in a sleeping goblin in an alcove by a large bell and ended its life without trouble.Gareth rips off some cloth from the dead goblins clothes and carefully stuffs it inside the bell just in case anyone or anything attempts to ring the bell later. The party continues to explore the maze of corridors and comes across a room that is used as an armory and an careful search Harl uncovers a well made shield that was gilded with gold and had a crescent moon on embossed on its face which he claims without contest. 

Helestina decides to take lead and they discover a door that is jammed shut and the party quickly decides not to break it down as making that kind of noise could be hazardous to their health. Shortly after moving on they came across a room that is designed as a barracks with old smelly straw mats and two boxes on a broken table. A'anri sneaks over and knocks out the sole sleeping goblin in the room as Harl searches the boxes and as Harl tips over the first box a rather large pissed of snake pops out and Helestina destroys it with some frost magic. Harl discovers a key and a single gold piece in the boxes after the snake incident. The goblin is woken up and the party learns that the goblins do not know how to navigate the maze as it seems to change all of the time and the goblin proudly explains that everyone will die. The goblins existence is ended with a single stab of Prince Claren's sword.  

As the party explores on they encounter a rather large area that is designed like a tavern and there are four goblins playing cards and drinking. It does not take long for the goblins to realize there are intruders and a vicious melee ensues that ends with four dead goblins. A few more twists, winds, and empty rooms later the party comes to a room that is lined with prison cells and against the far wall an obviously dead dwarf is strung up with two goblins torturing the dwarf. Prince Claren and Gareth are able to kill both goblins without them ever even turning around as they were to engaged with their torture. Upon further inspection of the cells, they discover an older emaciated man dressed in rags in one of the cells, upon the mans release the man explained that his name is Abel and he has been year longer then he cares to remember. Abel is the last surviving member of another group that was trying to help the local villages and Abel recounts how one of his friends was killed by undead, gored by a Minotaur, and burnt to a crisp by a guard drake. Abel refuses help from the party and proudly exclaims that he can find his out but leaves the party with the following warnings:

1. When you get to the river, respect the Boatman.
   
2. The first portcullis is trapped on the left lever.
3. There is a boat house that is guarded by a man and his dog. 

Abel takes his leave of the party and the party continues on and discovers an antechamber with a rather large goblin whipping a smaller goblin and yelling at the smaller goblin. The goblin being whipped notices the party and calls out as A'anri attempts to walk up next to the big goblin to with a whip to assist the goblin. The taskmaster did not take kindly to this and quickly turned the aggression to the party members along with the goblin the taskmaster was whipping. The melee was quick, cramped, and deadly for the goblins. In the aftermath, a chest is investigated and Helestina decides to break the lock with her quarterstaff which triggers a trap and a dart barely misses Gareth. Inside the trap, the party acquires 10 pieces of gold, 3 poison darts, a single black glove, and a vial of blue liquid.

 

 

The party eventually finds themselves in a large room with a portcullis and a couple of goblins on guard. The goblins rush the party which was the last mistake the goblins ever made. Upon further inspection of the room, the party finds to levels for the portcullis and the left one has an odd looking black spot on the stones in front of it. Harl also discovers a tome with the title of "The making and Perfection of Dragons Fire" and a scroll of Dragon's Fire. Harl puts these items into his pack as the party decides to pull the right lever. This lever opens the portcullis without incident and the party soon finds themself at a crossroads of sorts where there is a way that leads up and a way that leads down with a small door off to the side. 

Prince Claren opens the door and discover inside what feels like a well stocked pantry and with industry items is a heavily cloaked person sitting on a barrel in front of a make shift table. The person greats the party warmly and quickly explains that no harm is meant and that he is a merchant out to make money. After a lengthy conversation the party decides this merchant is harmless and believes that the merchant pays the goblins rent and the merchant comes and goes as the merchant pleases. Once this rapport is built, the merchant quickly becomes adamant about how the party will need blue candles and the merchant just happens to sell them for 5 gold pieces a pop but does not explain what exactly they are for. Most of the party members buy a couple of the candles and with a tip, the merchant tells them that the black glove is just a glove, the vial of blue liquid is a poorly made invisibility potion, and the shield that Harl now carries is enchanted to assist the wielder to better block incoming blows. 

After this strange interaction, the party decides to head up but after the first little bit the eyes on the skull of Harls staff begins to glow and Harl suggests they should not go that way. The party then decides to head downwards and they come across a single door that blocks their path. As Helestina opens the door the eyes on Harl;s staff begins to glow again and  but after a quick discussion the party decides to enter the room but they soon discover the room is not a room but a grand hallway with floor to ceiling tapestries that seem to move and depict scenes of the various layers of hell and torture. As soon as the last party member steps into the hallway the lights go out and strange voices are heard as A'anri exclaims "I can't see". This causes everyone to exit out the way they came and quickly decide to use the blue candles they were price gauged on and everyone enters the hallway again. The candles allow them to see in the dark and the odd voices stop. After an instance where portrait trues to mind control Helenista the portrait is taken down as some of the candles burn out and the party finds themselves exiting the hall onto a large pebble beach with a fast flowing river in the distance. As the party walks towards to river they are interrupted by ear splitting screeches and as four giant bats swoop down from the darkness above...

 _______________________________________________________________________________

PLAYER NOTES: I play Sir Harl Smith and at the table there is me, the person who plays Sir Claren, and the Dungeon Master. The rest of the players join us over discord. Due to this, I had my character list wrong as I thought A'anri and Enama were the same character.

In addition, I did not have in my notes how the other players exactly received their gifts/items outside of Harls, A'anari's belt, and a rumbling crossbow. These will be updated in a future post which they will probably get their own post as the DM has basically started everyone off with a magic item that will grow in power as the character's level which I think is an amazing idea and I wish more DM's would do this. If I remember correctly, 3.X had an entire supplement book called Legacies of ??? that created a system for this to be done.

Other then that, the game has been a lot of fun so far and there has been a lot of funny moments. My favorite interactions so far has been the arm wrestling contest, Harl and Shaleera, the old man in the cage, and the crazy merchant in the dungeon. Combat has been pretty uneventful and we have not struggled with the goblins though one of them was finally able to land hit and do some damage to one of the characters. 

In hindsight, the scenes where the eyes on the skull of Harls Spear started glowing had me paranoid as I or Harl did not know what it meant. Though, after the session, I learned that I missed a email from the DM that explained what the spear could do at its current power level and the glowing eyes meant that there were undead nearby. Go figure and it coincides with the old man in the cells warning.