So, I've been a lurker for quite some time, and I thought that maybe this forum would be perfect for an idea I had for a game, and here it is. The game is influenced by some RPGs and Wargames.
IC ThreadMercenary Commanders
Welcome to the lands of Santdor. This continent, once an Eden where various races lived in harmony, is now composed of several warring states, petty kingdoms and city states, all of them trying to conquer each other. Peace is not unknown, but it only lasts long enough for cities to be rebuilt and new armies to be raised. For centuries it has been this way.
War has become a business for those trained on its arts and prepared to fight for gold. From lone mercenaries that sell their services as bodyguards to the mercenary armies of the city states of the Golden Coast. It has become such a lucrative business for many, that some merchants recruit mercenaries and sponsor them for a share of their benefits.
And that is exactly what happened to you. None of you have that much experience commanding a mercenary force, but for some reason you were chosen to become the council leading the mercenary army that the Merchant Prince Caunphen is sponsoring. Instead of just one Commander, Caurphen decided to hire a council of 4 mercenary leaders. You were chosen for these positions.
Whether you accepted for the money, the power, or the faint hope of fighting for a just cause later, you must now fight in many different wars, and command your men to victory... Or die trying.
Santdor is populated by various races and ethnicities. Because of the trade routes between the western cities of Santdor and the various nations of the eastern continent of Toldôr, as it was called by the first elven sailors that reached it, ensures that a lot of commerce flows through the continent, with people from many lands following the caravans and sometimes settling in the main routes. This gives Santdor a very varied population.
Here are the races you can choose for your character. There are many more, but these are the major races of Santdor
Humans:
Humanity has always been a very adaptable race. An elven saying says that "Two humans will make two hundred in a century", and the dwarven word for human shares the same root as the word for rabbit. Humans' relatively short lives to other races, ambition and gregariousness have allowed them to expand and populate almost every place known to the civilized races. Isolation between settlements meant that, in time, many different human cultures appeared, with many differences.
The humans of Santdor are mainly the descendants of an ancient Empire that used to rule the lands of Santdor until it fell. Thus they share many similarities, such as customs, religion, social organization, and most times even looks. There are a bunch of human kingdoms, city states and independent duchies and principalties. Although they go to war against each other often, they usually ally with each other whenever a common enemy appears. As the most numerous race of Santdor, they set the average, and because of the numerous human cultures around Santdor, there's a great variety of human approaches towards war and being a mercenary.
Humans are mostly average. They are adaptable and have no great advantages or disadvantages. If anything, because they are the major race of Santdor, they rarely encounter racism.
Elves:
There are three elven nations in Santdor. All three of them were once one unified Empire, but with their cultures evolving very differently, they ended up splitting. They share the same language, and worship the same three gods, Doron, Lhûg and Garaf. However, each nation regards one of these gods as more important than the others. Some human scholars believe this was what eventually made their Empire fracture. Elves can leave for up to five centuries, although their legends say that in ancient times, they lived for much longer.
The Iaurphen live in what used to be the elven motherland, a peninsula in the north, separated from the main continent by high mountains that are covered in snow for most of the year. The Iaurphen are proud and regard other races as inferior. They trade with other nations, but if angered in the slightest, they tend to send their armies to crush the offenders. They worship Doron, the Great Tree of the World, as the highest of the gods, and believe that his physical embodiment is somewhere on their lands, which they call Dorondor. The cult of Doron teaches the supremacy of classic elven culture, magic and technology, and the inferiority of everything else.
The Aearphen live on the Golden Coast. They populate a series of city states allied with each other that are ultimately led by the Cult of Lhûg, the Sea Serpent and Mother of Life. The Aearphen are always willing to go to war if their High Priests and Priestess tell them to do so, but as long as they are respected, they are usually peaceful. However, because Lhûg was regarded by the religion of the ancient human Empire of Santdor to be a demon, sometimes holy wars are called against the Aearphen.
The Taurphen live on the forests of the continent, and although they are quite widespread, they all follow the Witch Queen, a being that they say is the avatar of Garaf, the great wolf. They are considered savage and brutal by most, and it is true that they are quick to go to war, but if treated with respect and given a reason to, they are eager to help their neighbours and allies. In battle, they lack a bit of discipline, and fight almost like animals and beasts, and this is probably what has given them a reputation of bloodthirsty savages.
All elves are agile and fast, and slightly less resilient than humans.
The Iaurphen are schooled in the old elven arts and are convinced of the superiority of the elven race.
The Aearphen are usually skilled navigators and good with money and businesses.
The Taurphen are stronger and more resilient than other elves, and are usually skilled trackers, but they tend to be unable to control themselves in combat.
Dwarfs:
The dwarven race is a race of short, sturdy humanoids. Usually recognized by their long beards and the craftmanship of their weapons and tools, they are the most unified race in Santdor, and the Great Dwarven Empire expands throught the northern mountain ranges, under the control of the High King. Dwarves live for twice as long as humans.
Dwarves only produce the most trustworthy weapons, machines and tools. As such, although there are many great dwarven inventors, their technology is only slightly more advanced than that of other races, as a prototype may only be considered for mass production after centuries after it was designed. This also means that their weapons are way more reliable than those of other races, and the Great Dwarven Empire is the only nation to employ firearms in truly great numbers.
Because they value reliability over all other things, dwarves usually distrust magic. The only use they have found for magic is the creation of magic runes. With them, they enchant items, and runesmiths are considered among the most valued members of dwarven society, and are usually of high importance in their clans.
Only a few dwarves use magic as used by other races, and these are usually the Sorcerer Lords of the far north, dwarven lords that were forced to learn and control magic in order to ensure the survival of their clans. They are distrusted by their southern cousins, but seen as useful and as such, tolerated.
Dwarves are tougher than humans, quite stubborn and refuse to admit defeat, but they are slow and short.
Goblins:
The goblinoids are a race of humanoids, usually shorter than humans, skinnier, and quick to adapt to new enviroments (to the point of mutating in a few generations to adapt to changes in their environment. They reproduce asexually, through spores, and are considered a cowardly race of bandits and thieves. They are incredibly quick and agile, both of movement and thought, and although they are not known for being too bright in most cases, this quick thinking allows them to create mechanisms and tactics that, while not as reliable as those of dwarves, are nevertheless quite effective. Goblins don't age, but they tend to die violently or due to disease before reaching forty.
They are treacherous, rarely loyal and not too strong or tough, but whenever they unite under one warlord, their sheer numbers, their ability to recover from the most grievous wounds (even decapitation, as long as their head is reattached to their body quickly) and their quick growth (they become adults mere days after being born) more than make up for it. If it wasn't because of their constant infighting, they might have ruled the world (and scholars theorize they almost did in the past).
Goblins are weaker and feebler than humans, but they are really agile and fast, and they can heal even grievous wounds in a short time.
Orcs:
Originally a slave race for the dwarves, created through experimentation by the Sorcerer Lords as a gift for the High King. They were used for hard labor, and as cannon fodder in wars. After a few centuries of selective breeding, orcs became what they are today, hulking creatures of strong muscles and gray to green skin, brutish and strong, but no too bright. Orcs age at the same rate as humans, but they tend to die in combat much younger.
In the end, some orcs managed to master magic, and these orc shamans made it possible for the orcs to rebel and escape from the dwarves. Since then, they have fought each other numerous times. Selling their services for gold, and trying to get a land for themselves, orcs have become a warrior race. They have found their pride in their combat skills, and this has made them eager to go to war to show their skills.
Orcs are stronger and tougher than humans, but they are quite savage and not too bright.
Gnomes:
Distant cousins of dwarves that came from the east, they share many similarities with them. They too are inventors, but gnomes are more eager to try their creations, and they usually sell their inventions for gold or protection. They are the ones that brought firearms to Santdor, and although they are still quite exotic in Santdor, this gives them a lot of influence. Gnomes live as much as dwarves.
They also control the trade with Toldôr, and many of the most succesful merchant families are gnomes. They say that fighting a gnome, is fighting them all, as they have a great sense of community. Gnomes are loyal to themselves and to other gnomes.
Gnomes are short, tough and intelligent, and are quite loyal to other gnomes, but despise close combat.
Classes represent certain archetypes and ways of living. They determine skills and special abilities that your character has, as well as the nature of your retinue (an elite unit of your most trusted men that will go to battle with your character and stay with him at all costs). Sometimes you will have a choice of retinue.
Arcanist:
There are many paths of magic. Arcanists are those who have made pacts with powerful entities in return for a bit of their powers. Because the most well known of these are those known as the Arcana of Tarot, powerful manifestations of 44 principles of existance, they are known as arcanists. With their powers, it is not unusual for them to become mercenaries, as they can easily make a living with them. An arcanist binded to Strenght can easily overpower even whole enemy units, while binding oneself to the Arcana known as the Inverted Emperor, can command the enemy to turn against themselves. Other more exotic pacts exist, but as there aren't many Arcanists, is difficult to know what to expect.
Binded to powerful entities, can create powerful, predetermined magical effects. They have no retinue. Anyone can be an Arcanist.
Captain:
Some people simply know nothing but war. But they know war really well. Having being a proffesional soldier for long, rising through the ranks until finally becoming a commander, these people, whether they are Colonels, Liutenants, Captains or any other rank, know their deal of fighting. They are not expert tacticians, or the best warriors, but they know a bit of both, and know how to bolster the men's morale.
Good fighters overall, they know how to keep morale up. They have a retinue of heavy infantry. Anyone can be a Captain.
Druid:
Adepts of Nature magic and close combat, druids wear little to no armor and trust their magic for protection. They are the religious leaders of some tribes, and depending on their origins, they can be berserkers that charge to battle protected by their magic, like orc druids, or protectors of nature that give advice to the local population, like most human druids. It is rare for them to become mercenaries, but some exiled druids might become mercenaries as a way to survive.
Good fighters, with some knowledge of magic. They have a retinue of fellow druids. Druids have 5 points in the Path of Nature. Gnomes, Dwarves, Iaurphen elves and Goblins cannot be druids.
Duelist:
Trained in close combat, ranging from skilled fencers to barbarians using axes and maces, duelists are incredibly lethal in combat, but they are not leaders, they are loners with great skill in the art of killing people. However, they are a nice addition to any army, as they can teach their skills to soldiers, training them, and they are quite effective at challenging enemy commanders and champions, as eliminating these can destroy the enemy's morale.
Duelists are experts in close combat. They have no retinue. Anyone can be a Duelist.
Engineer:
Although most siege weapons crews ignore the complex mechanichs behind the weapons they operate, sometimes those that design them are also the ones to use them. Engineers are sometimes needed to operate the most complex siege weapons or to oversee sappers and design the infraestructure needed for the army. Of course all races have engineers, but some races give them a greater role in the battlefield.
Experts in construction, demolition and siege weapons. They can be accompanied by a team of expert sappers or by a team of assistants and a siege weapon (cannon, ballista or catapult). Only humans, dwarves, goblins or gnomes can be engineers.
Knight:
The youngest children of the nobility usually go to war, as they won't inherit anything. Using the money provided by their parents, they buy the best armor, weapons and mounts that they can find, and group together to go to war. Sometimes they only do this for glory and money, sometimes because they have joined some kind of Order. The earlier is more frequent. A charge from a group of knights is devastating, and their speed allows them to strike exactly where needed, while their armor allows them to withstand a lot of damage. They are a terrifying sight for those at the wrong end of their lances. Horses are the preferred mount for many, but mountain goats for dwarves and giant wild boars for orcs are not uncommon sights.
Expert riders and warriors. They go to war alongside fellow knights. Gnomes and Goblins cannot be Knights.
Mage:
Of all magic users, mages are the most common. They follow the Paths of Magic that the elves and the ancient Empire of Santdor catalogued in ancient eras. Because of the dedication needed, most only follow one of them, although some follow more, and there are even those who follow two opposite Paths (such as Fire and Water).
Users of magic. They have a retinue of apprentices. Orcs and dwarves cannot be mages. Wizards have 5 points to distribute among Magic Paths.
Necromancer:
Although some mages study Necromancy, the dreaded eleventh Path of Magic, only a few dedicate their whole lives, and even their souls to it. In time, they become more and more like their undead creations, and those that live for long enough tend to become undead, transforming into creatures such as liches. They are hated by the common folk, and not without reason. The dark energies of Necromancy tend to corrupt the minds of those who use them, even if they try to use them for good. Such is the price necromancers pay for their power.
Users of Necromancy. They have a retinue of undead (either skeleton warriors, who can be on foot or riding skeleton horses, or wraiths). They are more resilient than average for their race, and this increases as they transform into true undead. Necromancers have 5 points in the Path of Necromancy. Anyone can be a Necromancer.
Rider:
Skilled on top of a mount, usually using light armor and a combination of ranged and close combat weapons, riders are experts in hit and run tactics, and in battle they usually punish the flanks of the enemy. Most of them ride on top of horses, but worgrens, a species of giant wolves that populate the forests of Satndor, are also used by goblins, orcs and Taurphen elves. Even more exotic mounts can be found sometines (like the Giant Hawk Iaurphen riders).
Trained in riding and both ranged and melee weapons. They have a retinue of fellow riders. Dwarves and gnomes cannot be riders.
Scholar:
It is rare for a scholar to become a mercenary. They usually become one due to financial needs, and they offer they knowledge of various subjects such as geography, history, finances, magic and strategy. This way, they can help with logistics and sometimes even in the battlefield.
Trained in various sciences. They have no retinue. They have 2 points to spend in one of the eleven Magic Paths. Orcs and Goblins cannot be scholars. Dwarven scholars have instead knowledge of runes and are runesmiths.
Scout:
Trained in the arts of infiltration, scouts use many silent weapons to perform recoinassance, sabotage and attack the enemy flanks. From the orc hunters to the elven rangers, they all have something in common. No ones sees them until they are already striking, and alongside riders, they are the kind of soldiers that can defeat an army many times its size by performing hit and run tactics.
Trained in infiltration and both ranged and melee weapons. They have a retinue of scouts. Anyone can be a scout.
Shaman:
Shamans rarely become mercenaries. Like druids, they are often religious figures in their tribes. They use magic, just like mages, but their are more ritualistic about it. The magic they use comes from the four elemental Paths, Fire, Water, Wind and Earth. They call forth the energies of the elements to do their bidding, and this gives them quite some versatility.
Magic users. They have a retinue of apprentices. They have 2 points in the Paths of Fire, Water, Wind and Earth. Dwarves and Gnomes cannot be shamans.
Sharpshooter:
Skilled in the use of some kind of ranged weapon, be it the bow, crossbow, arquebus or some other weapon, a Sharpshooter sets an example for his men. Incredible snipers, they know how to maximize the effect of their weapons, and the most skilled can hit an enemy officer in the head even in the middle of a battle.
Skilled in the use of ranged weapons. They have a retinue of men armed with their same weapon of choice. Anyone can be a sharpshooter.
Sorcerer:
This is the name given to those magic users that don't follow one of the eleven Paths of Magic. Instead, they use magic from one of the thirteen Minor Paths, less well known and more specific applications of magic. Other mages usually regard them as lunatics, as magic is a dangerous thing, and the Minor Paths need more sacrifices in order to master them. In fact, elves openly despise sorcerers, seeing them as madmen that play with things too dangerous to control.
Users of less well known Magic Paths. They have no retinue. Sorcerers have 6 points to distribute in Minor Paths. Gnomes and elves cannot be sorcerers.
Summoner:
The art of summoning is derived from magic, and it is a dangerous one. A summoner can bring to his feet demons, elementals, and other sorts of magical creatures by using his sheer will. They also compliment this ability with Nature magic to control other creatures that, exotic or not, are not magical in nature, such as pegasii, griphons or even dragons.
Users of magic and the exotic art of summoning. They are accompanied by an adult elemental. They have 2 points in the Path of Nature.
Tactician:
With only some combat training, tacticians instead relay on their ability to make good decisions on the field and their ability to analyze the conditions of an army and the battlefield. Some of them sacrifice some of their combat training for magic training. On foot or riding a horse, they are often looked for in different armies.
Trained in combat and tactics. They can sacrifice some of their combat training for 2 points in one of the eleven Magic Paths. They have no retinue. Anyone can be a Tactican.
Tinkerer:
Despised by engineers, feared by friend and foe, and absolutely crazy, tinkerers create things that shouldn't be working... And sometimes, they don't. Flame cannons, warwagons armed with cannons, repeater guns... If they work, then it is perfect. If they don't... Well, hope he takes some enemies with the explosion too.
Trained in engineering. They have a warmachine with them (as every tinkerer's creation is unique, I accept suggestions). Only Gnomes and Goblins can be tinkerers.
Warlock:
Warlocks (and witches) are those that combine the use of magic with weapons and armor. They are usually children of nobles that show some aptitude for magic but no patience. This is often dangerous, as magic is something unstable, and power without control tends to be lethal for the user. However, in battle, they are feared by their enemies.
Trained in combat and magic. They have no retinue. They have 3 points to spend in one of the eleven Magic Paths. Dwarves and Gnomes can't be Warlocks.
War Priest:
From the priests of the Twelve Nameless Gods of the humans, to some orc religios leaders and the priests of Lhúg, most churches have a militant arm. Sometimes, their members set to travel the world, and in order to do so, they join mercenaries. Their knowledge of rethoric, their training and their charisma make them able to fight and make their men fight harder.
Good fighters able to make their men fight harder and ignore casualties. They have a retinue of fanatic followers. Gnomes cannot be War Priests.
Magic is a really dangerous and unstable energy, but useful and powerful. Although in theory anyone should be able to learn magic, only a few actually can use magic. There are those who, with no talent, eventually learn magic through study, but they are a minority and they rarely become powerful. Magic is taxing on the body, and wizards risk using too much energy and falling unconscius or trying to use a spell too powerful for them and having it go out of control.
Centuries ago, magic was catalogued and the most understood principles of magic were divided into eleven Paths. These Paths cover principles around which magic weaves itself. Some spells are common to all Paths, as they follow principles common to all Paths, but these are usually minor spells of limited use. These are the following:
Destruction: Destruction magic deteriorates, harms, kills, destroys and oblitarates everything. It's an offensive Path. Energy rays, orbs that explode in a big explosion, spells that destroy both body and soul or that increase the damage caused by mundane weapons. That's Destruction Magic.
Creation: Creation magic protects and creates. Magic shields, healing auras and even the creation of artificial life. This is a deffensive Path, but one that can do a lot in the hands of an intelligent user.
Light: The Path of positive emotions, a balanced Path that focuses in both offence and defence. Destructive orbs of light and auras that calm allies and make them fight better are some of the spells to be found in this Path.
Darkness: The Path of negative emotions, it is too a balanced Path. It is a twisted reflection of the Light Path. Where the Light Path helps allies, Darkness harms enemies. Light helps shooters find their targets, Darkness helps infiltrators hide from their enemies.
Fire: The Path of Fire, an offensive Path that controls fire, and allows its users to hurl fireballs at the enemy, sacrifice their own vitality for more magic power and create powerful destructive effects with fire.
Wind: Wind, lightning and storms. An offensive and quick Path. From flying to summoning lightning to calling gusts of wind to protect his allies from projectiles and even making allies move faster.
Water: The control of water and ice, this is a defensive Path. Creating water from nowhere and using it to attack enemies, create walls of ice, change the flow of waters... This is a very sought Path for those living near the sea.
Nature: The Path of life. Controling plants and animals, healing, creating and curing poisons and acquiring animal characteristics for a short time and even communicating over long distances with other creatures. Nature wizards have a lot of options open to them, as long as they know the animals and plants they are working with.
Illusion: The Path of deception. Illusions of all kinds, for all senses, sometimes even so powerful than those affected by them actually die. A creative Illusionist can be really effective.
Necromancy: The Path of necromancy is considered the most dangerous of all, as it is the most twisted of all Magic Paths, and those following it are usually affected by its energies. Reanimating the death, controlling the living and damaging the soul are specialties of this Path.
There are also thirteen Paths known as the Minor Paths. Of these, only the names are known, and they seem to affect very specific principles, sometimes even overlapping with some of the Major Paths. The thirteen Minor Paths are as following: Chaos, War, Death, Music, Nobility, Peace, Sin, Knowledge, Blood, Dreams, Time, Madness and Void. Their effects are unknown for most people, but one thing is certain, there are possibly many more, and they are dangerous.
To show the mastery of a character with a certain Path, a number from 0 to 10 is used. Characters that can use magic have a number of points to spend in Paths. The same way that characters can acquire new skills and equipment, they can acquire new points representing their training and experience.
This is not a first come first served. I'll take the four ideas I find more interesting. There might be pictures of battlefields during the game. This is both an strategy and a RPG game, so I expect both interest in administration and tactics and in roleplaying.
More information will be added as needed.
Also, I can accept certain changes. For example, I can allow a character who is a Knight to exchange his retinue for a more exotic mount, like a Gryphon.
Spiderking50 (Winston Dugrey)
micelus (Syracause)
The Moonlit Shadow (Skavar)
My Name is Immaterial (Donnar Hammerfist)
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Topic: Mercenary Commanders, a Multiplayer Strategy and Roleplaying Game (OOC) (Read 4806 times)