May or Maius in Latin, which the Roman poet Ovid says is named for the maiores, Latin for elders, or it might have been named after the Greek goddess Maia, who is associated with Spring. So, shall I stay with Spring and the Fey for May? Perhaps with a few of the major players, representing the elders, described for the Sea of Stars? What would people like to see?
April was a fairly productive month. In the design Journal we saw:
Languages in RPGs seem to be much discussed right now, starting with World of Alidor asking if people had tried games with No Common Language. Oddessy carried on with that theme, discussing ideas about how a campaign with no common language might work.
Now, I have run campaign with fragmented languages and no official language of the ‘common tongue’ (a classic D&Dism, thanks Gary). While sometimes the language issues can be fun as you work out who can talk to who and how the party will communicate with the person they just met . . . it can quickly become tiresome and can cause problems both in character and in game (“Oh, I could not have told Jackele that, we don’t share a language.”). These problem can be overcome and some groups might relish the challenge of surmounting linguistic difficulties.
With care, the druid Noviam produced three small wooden bottles and handed them to the companions. “When your strength and spirits have flagged, drink these and they will restore you.”
Strength of Spring Potion
These potions are an effervescent translucent gold or green and smell of a clean spring morning. Usually they are stored in cunningly carved wooden vials.
A creature that serves the Court of Spring, a mighty war hound:
Thorn Dog
These specially breed and grown servants of the Court of Spring appear as large dogs thorn vines woven through their brown-black fur. Their teeth are like thorns and their eyes are the pure colors of flower. During the spring, a ‘wreath’ of flowers sprouts out around their necks and down their spine.
Thorn Dog CR 2 (600 XP)
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Intercrime: Hostile Takeover -Edition 1.0- is a 27-page PDF (25 pages if you remove the cover and following blank page) containing a complete adventure for the Living Legend Superhero RPG written and illustrated by Jeff Dee and published by UNIgames.
Living Legends: The Superhero Roleplaying Game -Version 1.0- is a 162-page PDF (160 pages if you remove the cover and following blank page) containing the complete core rules written and illustrated by Jeff Dee and published by UNIgames.
Culture, Rice and Lions
Having defeated the masked bandit known as the Crimson Hawk, our heroes return to Kyuden Otomo. The magistrate current overseeing their actions, Otomo Takama, is pleased with their work (and the favor he is now owed by the Bayushi) but not with the team’s manners and limited social graces.
Arrive’d in the morn, came the Herald of Spring
Bearing gives of fey flowers and promises to come
His horse is surefooted, but he is all sly
Lock up all your daughters, for he is around
And will leave before dawn, on his merry rounds.
The Herald of Spring, song, (poorly) translated.
Horseshoes of the Coming Spring
These horseshoes are visibly unusual, being carved from the heartwood of a tree, usually an oak. The ‘nails’ to hold them on are made of hardened thorns. The horseshoe are very difficult to damage and even if they are, they slowly regrow back to their original form.
Inspired by the Fairy Tale Spell Names at Telecanter’s Receding Rules.
Timbur the Bold stepped out of the forest, his fine clothes now wrapped in living leaves and his skin appearing as polished oak. “Halt! This forest and its people are under my protection.” A bolt struck him, tearing off a leaf but barely marring his skin. “Do not try my patience.” Behind him a wedge of boards formed up on his left and a pack of wolves on his right. “This is your last chance to leave without bloodshed.”
The Prince of Leaves
The two simple staves and the rough green of the cloth never seemed like much, but on our travels we were never frozen out or drowned by rains or needed fear the noonday sun. The gift of the Court of Spring kept us safe on our travels.
Spring Shelter
This item is deceptively simple, a pair of oak staves, a bundle of waxed woolen cloth and some very strong cord. This item only works as a set and its magic is apparent after a shelter is made from the items.
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