Bright Eyes In Dark Trees [Thread Item]

Discussion on game mastering Earthdawn. May contain spoilers; caution is recommended!
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MadJaymilton
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Joined:Thu Apr 23, 2020 12:44 am
Bright Eyes In Dark Trees [Thread Item]

Post by MadJaymilton » Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:26 am

I'm beginning to put together some thread items for my PCs and am looking for feedback. This item is for a windling thief, and I wanted to emphasize the weirdness of magic, and reinforce our campaign's theme of Namegivers working together.

Bright Eyes In Dark Trees
Maximum Threads: 2
Mystic Defense: 12
Legend Point Cost: Journeyman

This hooded cloak is made of luxurious black fur, short, soft, and warm. The inner lining is burgundy silk with embroidered designs, and seems to have been cut from a larger garment and stitched into the cloak. There is a bronze clasp that is slightly larger than one would expect. The cloak is sized for a windling; the embroidery is of a style that was once popular in Landis; the clasp is of orkish design.

Without a thread attached, the cloak has Physical Armor of 3 and Mystic Armor of 1.

Thread Rank One
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the cloak’s Name.
Effect: The owner gains +1 rank to Stealthy Stride.

Thread Rank Two
Effect: The owner gains +1 rank to Astral Sight.

Thread Rank Three
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn what type of creature the fur of the cloak is from, and where those creatures are from. (Crojen of the Servos Jungle)
Effect: The owner gains +2 ranks to Stealthy Stride.

Thread Rank Four
Effect: The cloak has Mystic Armor of 2.

Thread Rank Five
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the name and race of the cloak’s creator, and who they made it for.
Effect: If using Astral Sight while unobserved, the Astral Sight talent costs 0 Strain; but there is a sense that something else is peering back at the owner.

Thread Rank Six
Effect: For 1 Strain, the owner gains a +3 bonus to an Initiative test. This can be used once per round.

Belenus
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Re: Bright Eyes In Dark Trees [Thread Item]

Post by Belenus » Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:12 am

Hi,

I like the item and it is worked out well. Escpacially the effect of Rank 5. It gives off the "it could be cursed or worse"-wipe :evil:
Just one question: I can't read anything, neither in the description, key knowledges or effects, that reinforces your campaign's theme of Namegivers working together? Strictly speaking, a Thief is the total opposite of working together and even gets a Talent Crisis by doing so (there are ways to bypass that, but it needs a lot of experience, nicely described in the Earthdawn novels regarding J'Role).

Greetings
Belenus

ragbasti
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Re: Bright Eyes In Dark Trees [Thread Item]

Post by ragbasti » Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:19 am

I really like the flavour of being watched but it's a bummer you aren't building on it more.
Maybe have a bit more flavour in the Rank 6 ability, like "When using this ability while Astral Sight is active, the user perceives a stalking presence that seems to always be just outside their line of sight"

ChrisDDickey
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Re: Bright Eyes In Dark Trees [Thread Item]

Post by ChrisDDickey » Tue Feb 23, 2021 2:11 pm

MadJaymilton wrote:
Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:26 am
Without a thread attached, the cloak has Physical Armor of 3 and Mystic Armor of 1.
Depending upon which edition this item is for, the armor might be problematic. Is this cloak considered armor in and of itself? Is the armor of the cloak supposed to stack with other worn armor?

This is really getting into the weeds, but for cloaks for windlings, I like to describe how the cloak interacts with the windlings wings. Does the cloak go over the wings, meaning the cloak needs to be taken off or pushed to one side in order to fly? Or does the cloak have a slit in it allowing the cloak to be worn under the wings and the wings to be folded flat over the outer cloak? (which means the cloak does not interfere with flying, but also does not protect the windlings wings from rain)
For the nicest, most expensive cloaks I go with a double cloak, the lower layer has a slit in it for the wings to go though, and then an upper set of wing covers, that when in place will protect the wings from rain, but when shoved to the sides will allow the wings to fly.

MadJaymilton
Posts:33
Joined:Thu Apr 23, 2020 12:44 am

Re: Bright Eyes In Dark Trees [Thread Item]

Post by MadJaymilton » Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:37 am

Belenus wrote:
Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:12 am
Just one question: I can't read anything, neither in the description, key knowledges or effects, that reinforces your campaign's theme of Namegivers working together?
The description hints at it, with the styles of three different Namegivers involved; the Key Knowledge at Rank Five will also point towards it but I haven't fleshed out the backstory behind it yet (I'll wait to see if there's some way to tie it to things we've already found in-game). I'll make it more explicit by the time she's approaching that Rank.
I'm not going to be super-strict on Talent Crises, especially since this is a group-based game by nature and I don't want to push the thief to be isolationist.
Ragbasti wrote: Maybe have a bit more flavour in the Rank 6 ability...
Good advice. It would be good to lean heavier on the "something is stalking you" vibe. Since it's an initiative boost at Rank six, maybe I should add the sound of a predator chasing the wearer; that way the initiative boost feels less like a "cool power" and more of a "flight or fight" response.
ChrisDDickey wrote: concerns
This is Fourth edition. I initially based it off of an espagra-scale cloak, and like that it can be worn on its own without stacking with other armors. Crojen have a PA of 6 to Espagra's 5 so I think this is reasonable (although it does remind me that I want to add an Init Penalty of 1--this'll be thicker than espagra-scale and a bit rougher to maneuver in).
I haven't decided yet how it works with the wings; I've tried to find as much artwork as i could of windlings with cloaks and there's a few different styles depicted. I'm leaning towards it going over the wings and needing to be pushed aside for flight, but I've got a few nights to mull it over.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

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