The only question I have is should players be able to use magic or not. In my mind I think no...I can't recall a S&S hero who cast spells...but you are free to persuade me otherwise before the ink is dry.
So what does this mean for the HOW main book...sorry, that will remain on hold as this new muse sings her sweet tune in my ear.
UPDATE: I am pleased and honored to say Artkid (Luigi) has agreed to a commission for a color cover and for additional internal B&W illustrations...and below is the initial logo.
Well, there's Elric, of course. (I think Kane may have known a few magicks, as well, but I may be misremembering that)
ReplyDeleteI hear that the Grey Mouser had a few spells up his sleeve. Though I haven't read enough stories to verify it. My feelings run in the same direction as yours. In general, despite Elric, I don't think the heroes should have access to any significant spells. I really like the idea of HoW being used for S&S.
ReplyDeleteHi Fenway5, I`d surely be interested in giving the cover a try.
ReplyDeleteYou can see my stuff at http://artikid.deviantart.com
@Ksky-excellent point, and I will look into Kane...
Delete@Narmer-I too like Magic being a black magic or corrupting influence that players should stay away from--possibly an alchemist is the right thing for a player to be? I think I may leave the option in, but have the cost of spell casting be more than just blood.
@AK-Wow! AK that would be fantastic! Email me at fenway5@frontier.com and lets discuss!
In addition to the ones other folks have mentioned, there's Conan! In Beyond the Black River he draws a rune of Jhebbel Sag, which makes the beasts pursuing him bow down and worship it. He says he learned it from an old witch-man. Obviously he's not a professional magician (unlike Elric and Grey Mouser) but the key thing about sword and sorcery heroes is that they *get around*. They pick up all kinds of stuff, occult and otherwise.
ReplyDeleteClark Ashton Smith's stories feature sorcerous characters (although I've only read a few so far) and Tanith Lee's Flat Earth series sees lots of sorcerous heroes, too. I think the idea that S&S heroes have nothing to do with sorcery has more to do with the Conan movie (and even in there, Valeria helps a sorcerer summon Conan back from the dead) and pastiches than the source material.
@CG- Thanks for the feedback and the examples! Honestly it probably has more to do with the way I have run S&S games in the past and limiting the amount of magic players have/use. Thanks again for the feedback!
ReplyDeleteWe used Heroes & Other Worlds at our game session last night and yes, it does lend itself to S&S - the Barbarian (with good DX) in a loincloth can stand up pretty well to a plate-wearer in combat.
ReplyDeleteThank for the feedback Sean. There are changes to come in BBM version so hopefully it will be worth trying!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love the illustration above. When I was a teen it was the hot, naked chick. But now that I'm all growd up it's...Who am I kidding, I still like the hot, naked chick. But I also like the look on the barbarian's face and the way he is holding his hands. You can tell bad, bad things are going to happen to the bearded guy in a moment.
ReplyDelete@ Narmer, eyah this is a classic Frazetta image for a lot of reasons! Artkid is hard at work creating his own take on this image so I am looking forward to seeing his version soon!
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