Saturday, September 26, 2020

THA4: Mercenaries & Magic

Available today, this supplement presents a mercenary company complete with character stats, a base of operations, and plot hooks; two new puzzles; three prizes; a shop that sells magical relics and lore, also with character stats and plot hooks; and suggestions for minor magical items as well as what heroes can be doing in their downtime.

-Nate 

THA4: Mercenaries & Magic



Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Third Preview of Mercenaries & Magic: The Oriflamme

 Here's another preview of Treasure Hunter Adventures 4: Mercenaries & Magic. This one presents a new prize, the Oriflamme. 

-Nate 




The Oriflamme

Originally believed to have been carried by forces under the command of Emperor Charlemagne, this long red banner is sometimes described as having an image of the sun, possibly with rays of fire coming from it. It is believed to convey the message that no quarter will be asked or given in a battle, and is said to have been carried—and possibly lost—at numerous historic battles, including the Seventh Crusade, Poitiers and Agincourt. The Oriflamme is also mentioned in the epic poem Chanson de Roland.

Game Information

The Oriflamme has the following attributes.

  • Leadership Edges used by one whose forces carry this banner have a Command Range extending to all allies who can see it, at the GM's discretion.



Sunday, September 20, 2020

Second Preview of Mercenaries & Magic--A Puzzle

Here's another preview of Treasure Hunter Adventures 4: Mercenaries & Magic; it presents one of the new puzzle types introduced in this supplement. 

-Nate 








Thursday, September 17, 2020

Preview of THA4: Mercenaries and Magic

 Here's a short preview of the next supplement for Treasure Hunter Adventures. This one's called Mercenaries & Magic, and presents a mercenary camp and the shop for purveyors of occult relics and lore. 

-Nate 


Plot Hooks

Here are a few ways the Condottieri can be used in treasure hunting adventures and campaigns.

  • The mercenaries make good rivals because they are, after all, just doing their jobs. Should they have multiple run-ins with the heroes, however, they could become full-on recurring enemies.

  • As a bit of a twist, the heroes could start out as members of the mercenary company, but then face a moment of truth when a mission forces them to decide between loyalty and doing what they think is right.

  • If they wind up being captured by the mercenaries, then the heroes would need to stage a breakout.

  • Similarly, the heroes might need to raid the mercenaries' base in order to rescue a prisoner, recover a relic, or accomplish something similar.

  • Perhaps an even greater challenge is for the heroes to infiltrate the Condotierri, and thus to gain access to a site that they are protecting. This might require undergoing a rigorous training regimen.

  • To that end, the mercenaries are known to hire occultists as support for missions that require such expertise, since they don't count anyone with Arcane Backgrounds among their number.

  • Finally, if the stakes become high enough, then the mercenaries could face off against the heroes in a massive battle that uses the Mass Combat rules found in SWADE.


Plot Hooks

Here are some ways these purveyors can be used in treasure hunting adventures and campaigns.

  • This is, of course, a great place for the heroes to visit if they want to receive instruction or purchase an arcane text or minor magical item.

  • If they want to sell a text, or to find a buyer for a more expensive relic—for example, someone like Jennifer Flannery from page 11 of Treasure Hunter Adventures—then this is the place to do so.

  • It could happen that the heroes want or need to steal an item from the shop, either for their own gain or to keep it out of an enemy's hands.


Saturday, September 5, 2020

Damnatio Memoriae for the Savage Worlds RPG and Treasure Hunter Adventures

 The second full scenario for Treasure Hunter Adventures and the Savage Worlds RPG is now available from DriveThruRPG.com; it is Damnatio Memoriae

-Nate 

Damnatio Memoriae



Thursday, September 3, 2020

An Interesting Video about Damnatio Memoriae

 Here's an interesting video about the concept of Damnatio Memoriae

-Nate 




Tuesday, September 1, 2020

A Strange Message Found Inside the Death Mask of Hatshepsut

Recently a group of treasure hunters found the Death Mask of Hatshepsut, believed to have been lost when the RMS Titanic sank more than a hundred years ago. Curiously, hidden inside the false beard was a page torn from a book, with odd markings on it. 

Perhaps it has something to do with the story that an "American adventurer" had sent the mask from Cairo with Douglass Murray, before that Englishman--believing it was cursed--traded it away to a museum in American? 

-Nate