Welcome to Lords and Legends.
Lords and Legends is a mix of squad based expeditions and faction-building. Join as a Lord, a special class which allows you to command a squad of adventurers, mercenaries, and monsters. Dispatch your squad on expeditions into the unknown, returning riches and resources to spend on improving your territory and team. Rise to become the dominant local lord, build your territory and team as you see fit, and team up with other lords to uncover the secrets of the strange events that are befalling your world.
The simplest way I can put this game is this: "Send your team out, bring loot back, upgrade your team/territory, send team out for better and better loot." That said, this game is just as much about strategically using your resources, negotiating with other players, and building a thriving territory as it is about combat and exploration.
Discord Link:
https://discord.gg/dz4x8Hrz
The world of Lords and Legends is a world full of monsters. From small goblins to roaming behemoths and everything in-between, the people of this world have had to adapt or become part of the food chain. Walled human cities, capable of withstanding an undead siege, hidden elvish villages tucked in reclusive forest groves and masked with illusion magic, dwarven strongholds which have stood a thousand years despite attack from both above and bellow. The mortals of this world know well the dangers that lurk beyond their defenses. Most mortals will spend their lives in relatively safe areas, normally within or around a city state.
Compared to even the weakest of monsters, a normal person is severely outclassed. Very few normal people fist fight a dire bear or a pack of slimes and comes away unscathed. However, humanity is not without it's defenses: Legends. Legend is the generic term for anyone who acquires special abilities which allow the owner to wield enough power to take on monsters. These powers are referred to "Classes". You can think of them as heroes, or adventures, or mercenaries. However, these is a special class of legend known as the Lord-type class.
Lord class individuals have the ability to magically control territory, as well as empower a retainer of other legends. Working under a lord empowers a legend, and therefore most legends seek out lords to serve. As such, with a group of powerful legends, many lords do justice to their class and become leaders of towns, outposts, city districts, or even city states.
There are few overarching bodies of government, as such, most city states are governed by a few powerful lords who each control sections of the city and outposts. However, the Holy Church does maintain some level of oversight over local lords, and generally have a presence in every city.
That is the general situation across the world at the moments. Mortals live in or around cities, those cities are owned by lords, the lords use legends to protect their cities and explore beyond their walls.
A class refers to a category of special/magical power that is wielded by an individual legend. Belonging to a class means that the legend in question will reliably learn abilities common to all other members of the class. As an example, most priest type classes will learn some sort of a healing ability, and most priests will gain the simple spell 'Heal'. However, for more advanced powers some priests may learn cleanse, while others may gain turn undead, varying from person to person. As such, while members of a class share the same pool of abilities, not all members will have exactly the same abilities.
By far the most numerous classes, in terms of number of members, are the "Common Classes". While some are born with a class, almost all common classes can be achieved through training of some kind, depending on the class, and many classless individuals devote their young lives to acquiring a class. There is a wide variety of common classes, which encompass a wide variety of skills and archetypes.
Legends in service to a lord gain experience in their class at a much greater rate than when they are unaffiliated. As such, finding a good lord to serve is critical to the lives of legends. Under the power of a lord, a legend may find their abilities grow and develop into an advanced class. Advanced classes are classes that tend to evolve from lower classes, though this isn't always required. As an example, a particularly pious knight may find themselves becoming a paladin, while a knight of equal caliber, but of less noble intentions, may become a brigand.
There are additional types of classes, such as unique classes, variant classes and special classes, of which lord-type classes are the most common.
Lords and Lord-Type Classes
The Lord is a special class, which allows an individual rightful rulership over a territory, and allows for the enlistment of legends. Lords are a critical part of this world, as being a Lord is a prerequisite to becoming a ruler of some kind. As such, lords are the movers and shakers of the world, caring for their territory, while also working in conjunction with their legends to explore dungeons, complete quests, and enforce their lord's will.
The lord class has a large number of variants, these are referred to as "lord-type" classes. While the normal version of the lord class is common, many successful lords will find their class evolve depending on how they manage their territory and their legends. As such, it is common to refer to all types of lord-type class simply as lords, despite their class technically being a variant. Some examples of lord-type classes are warlord, merchant baron, crime boss, dungeon master, and princess. Really any kind of leader could potentially unlock lord-type abilities.
Within the world of Lords and Legends there exist a plethora of mortal races. Generally the mortal races fall into one of three categories: Common, Minor, and Unsociable.
Major Races
The six major races are the most common races in the world. These include humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and goblins. These races are large enough that they are a common sight throughout the world, and have some number of minor race off-shoots. While the exact culture and practices of More than half the world's population are members of these races. As a result, most legends are members of these races.
Minor Races
While the major races are fairly ubiquitous, and can be found across the world, minor races are races which are indigenous to a single area. In other words, while you might find humans across the world, boglings are generally only found in or near their natural habitat. Most beastfolk fall into this classification. As these races are less prolific, they are less commonly seen in cities and as legends.
Unsociable Races
Lastly there are the unsociable races. These are races that, on the whole, do not take well to civilized life. For one reason or another, these races keep to themselves. Some are nomadic, and thus rarely leave their ancestral routes. Others are simply isolationist, choosing to rarely venture out into the world or interact with other races. Many subspecies of elves are considered unsociable for this reason. And others are simply too savage, and do not take well to the rules and customs of the major races. Most goblins, which are on the whole leaning towards unsociable, and some orc peoples fall within this category as well. Regardless of the reason, these races are rarely seen throughout the world. However, legends from these races often seek out powerful lords, drawing them into civilization for better or worse.
This is a turn based game. At the start of each turn, players will receive income from their territory. Owning a building, outpost, or other structure is enough to exert control over it's operations and reap the rewards. Whether that be taxes, products, resources, or otherwise. Once a player has received their income, they are free to act.
During your turn you can take as many actions as necessary, depending on what you own. Most turns, you will want to send your party out on an expedition, or direct any ongoing expeditions. Additionally, you may potentially want to purchase items or bid on legends to add to your team.
You may chose to research an object or resource brought back from an expedition. Researching items may reveal more information about the item, as well as provide inspiration for new weapons, armor, or buildings. Research costs funds, so while multiple research endeavors may be done in a single turn, each one incurs a cost. In addition, some buildings may allow you some special actions during your turn. Buildings of this type will have a description of any special abilities or interactions.
Lastly, you'll likely want to discuss with and coordinate with your fellow lords. While this game can be played solo, it's a hard road, and working with other players or even teaming up is encouraged. Of course, at the same time, you'll also be competing for resources, loot, and territory.
Combat in LL is very straightforward. Each unit has a health, an armor rating, speed, range, a base damage, and a dice damage. When departing on an expedition, these values are added together to get your expedition stats.
When combat is initiated, unless one side is surprised, the side with the highest collective speed goes first. That side inflicts their base damage. Base damage is always inflicted and therefore very dependable (only in special cases like fighting ghosts may base damage not apply). In addition to their base damage, there is also dice damage. Most characters add a dice to your expedition dice pool, and those dice are rolled each damage phase. While base damage is dependable, dice damage can vary wildly per turn. While you can never count on luck, a good roll may alter the course of battle.
The defender's armor rating is then subtracted from the damage. Lastly, remaining damage is inflected to the attacked party, their health drops correspondingly. Melee attacks from the opposing side always damage your melee units, while ranged attacks can damage both melee and ranged units.
After the damage is calculated and applied, the turn ends and the opposition gets to take a turn. This continues until the battle is over or one side retreats.
Each unit is either melee or ranged. Melee units have high health and armor ratings, as well as high base damage. Melee units bear the most danger during combat, and often take the majority of the damage. That said, their extra toughness and high reliable damage make them critical to the success of an expedition. Ranged units are the inverse, they generally boast poor defensive stats, and low base damage, but very high dice damage. Their ability to deal massive damage, while staying out of the fray, makes them very useful members of your team. Switching between melee and ranged distances takes 1 round, and closing in on enemy ranged units is not possible until their melee units are dead.
Once you win a combat, loot becomes available. How players divvy up loot is up to them, but should be agreed upon prior to departing on an expedition.
At the start of game, the players will find themselves founding a new city together. Of course, unless otherwise agreed, each player's property is entirely their own, and each lord rules their own section of the city. At some point later on, there may be more interactions between player's territory, but at start, not so much.
This is a common practice for new lords, banding together to share in defenses, as well as the services the city offers. At the start of the game, your city has several public services available to all players. A church to heal and resurrect legends, a shop to buy and sell items and equipment, and a laboratory to research items and blueprints.
The town of Kirsch has existed for a few years now, without a local lord. For years, Kirsch was a backwater village of little note, save for its remoteness. However, in the fall of last year, a dungeon was discovered nearby. Locals investigated the dungeon, and several returned with gold, jewels, and magic items. Word of a newly discovered dungeon, along with examples of the treasure within, departed Kirsch in the hands of merchants. As the frost set in and the snow began to blanket the lands around Kirsch, venturing to the dungeon became nigh impossible for the villagers. Meanwhile, rumors of glory and gold circulated far and wide. Hungry eyes turned towards Kirsch, and ambitious lords and legends prepared for the journey. With the melting frosts at the onset of spring, they arrived to stake their claim.
Lord Name: (First and Last)
Lord Race: (If you want a minor or unsociable race/subrace, or something custom, just ask on discord.
Lord Description: (Physical and personality description)
Lord Backstory: (Feel free to go wild here, and if you need to invent people, places or events, feel free. If you think some element of your backstory may not mesh with the world, just ping me on discord and we'll find a compromise.)
Starting Funds: 500g
Starting Inventory: Lord's Manor (50g per turn)
Starting ShopAll players start with 500g to spend at this starter shop. All remaining funds carry over. Items and equipment (for this shop only) are unlimited and cost the price listed. Legends are by bid, with the starting bid on each being 100g.
Starting bid per legend is 100g.
Arnold Verks
A burly man with dark hair and dark green eyes. His skin is tanned and leathery. Simple and blunt with a no nonsense attitude.
HP: 20
AR: 4 (2+2)
S: 2
BD: 6
DD: 1d2
Class: Fighter
Race: Human
Skills:
Tough Skin (+2 AR)
Equipment:
None
Manne Fribbles
A rather spindly man with a mop of curly brown hair wearing thin spectacles. Often Spends an inordinate amount of time staring at the ground.
HP: 25
AR: 1
S: 4
BD: 4
DD: 1d2
Class: Botanist
Race: Human
Skills:
Herbalism (Able to collect herbs from their environment, 1d6)
Field Potion (Uses 3 herbs, heals 5 HP)
Equipment:
3 herbs
Zyian Naiyz
A grey skinned humanoid with sunken eyes and unsavory eating habits. Slightly taller than most people, but due to bad posture, slightly shorter than most people.
HP: 15
AR: 0
S: 6
BD: 4 (2+2)
DD: 1d4
Class: Minion
Race: Ghoul (U)
Skills:
Hungry Bite: +2BD, +1 HP healed per unarmed attack on living creatures.
Equipment:
None
Rengal Allsbolstom
A rather nimble dwarf, by dwarven standards. Very orange hair, as well as braided beard. Rather pointy nose. Thick Scottish accent.
HP: 17
AR: 0
S: 3
BD: 3
DD: 2d2
Class: Hunter
Race: Mountain Dwarf
Skills:
Tracker (Able to discover and follow various tracks)
Antique Bear Trap (Gains a reusable bear trap)
Equipment:
Antique Bear Trap (1 use per combat encounter, deals dice damage when an enemy melee unit approaches)
Harov Woodwick
A rather sly wood elf. They have olive skin and mossy green hair. Seems to always be in some sort of a jam.
HP: 20
AR: 0
S: 7
BD: 3
DD: 1d4
Class: Rogue
Race: Wood Elf
Skills:
Stealth (Much harder to detect when moving)
Slice (Melee attacks with an applicable melee weapon inflict a stack of bleed)
Equipment:
None
Mike Redgrow
A large muscular man brandishing an axe. He is bald, but has a beard that would make any dwarven lady look twice.
HP: 28
AR: 2
S: 2
BD: 9 (4+5)
DD: 0
Class: Woodsman (V)
Race: Human
Skills:
Innate Compass: Never gets lost.
Forester: Occasionally finds additional forest related loot.
Lumberjack: Deals an additional 5 damage to plant monsters.
Equipment:
Woodsman's Axe (+5 BD, woodsman only)
Mary Fitzgerald
A blond haired woman with hawkish features and an even more hawkish attitude.
HP: 22
AR: 2
S: 3
BD: 5
DD: 1d3
Class: Fighter
Race: Human
Skills:
Dual Wield (Capable of wielding two main-hand weapons)
Last Chance (Once per expedition, dodges a blow that would be fatal)
Equipment:
Anya Olivorge
A dark haired scholarly woman. She has dark brown eyes and is not the fittest individual. The pretty twin.
HP: 14
AR: 0
S: 2
BD: 0
DD: 0
Class: Mage
Race: Half-Elf
Skills:
Spellcasting (Able to cast spells instead of attacking)
Magic Bolt: 4d2 DD
Malice: XD1 DD (Deals 1 damage per each enemy unit)
Equipment:
Tanya Olivorge
A dark haired burly woman. She has light brown eyes and is fit as a fiddle. The smart twin.
HP: 16
AR: 0
S: 2
BD: 0
DD: 0
Class: Mage
Race: Half-Elf
Skills:
Spellcasting (Able to cast spells instead of attacking)
Ethereal Bind: Sets an enemy's speed to zero for the combat round.
Arcane Last: 2d4 DD
Equipment:
Merrick Amberwind
A short squat man with thick glasses. He often mutters to himself while twirling his mustache.
HP: 17
AR: 0
S: 2
BD: 0
DD: 0
Class: Acolyte
Race: Dwarf
Skills:
Spellcasting (Able to cast spells instead of attacking)
Heal (1d4 healing to self or ally)
Smite (1d6 DD, 2d6 against undead)
Equipment:
Sharpened stick: 1BD (50g)
Basic Club: 2BD (70g)
Basic Short Sword: 2BD (80g)
Longsword (2h): 4BD (120g)
Sling: 1d2 DD (70g)
Simple Shortbow: 1d3 DD (140g)
Simple Crossbow: 2d2 DD (220g)
Foreign Blunderbuss (2h): 1d10 DD (400g)
Foreign Dagger: 4 BD (350g)
Padded Cloth Gambeson: 1AR (150g)
Chain Vest: 2 AR (350g)
Half Plate: 4 AR (725g, -1S)
Health Potion: 2d4 Healing (80g)
Throwing Dagger: Single use, 1d4 DD (80g)
Winged Bell: Return party to town immediately (180g)
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Topic: Lords and Legends (OOC) (Read 2598 times)