Update on Arcane Orders

I have generated these following orders for my upcoming home campaign recommencement.  In doing so I've thought of some things I'd like to change (# of spells per level being variable and not a min/max range, means of determining, # and level of members based somehow on gravitas to name a few) but thought readers might get a kick out of seeing what I'll be inflicting upon my players.  I rolled for the spells out of the OSRIC book, as that's what I had available, but may swap some in from Unearthed Arcana and will use the licensed names from the AD&D Player's Handbook in my own game (i.e. Bigby's and Tenser's etc...) Also, I hope to encourage those of you using the system to likewise share.  Enjoy.

1)      The Wilting Library:  These nihilistic academics believe that the sum total of the world’s knowledge is in an inevitable state of deterioration.  Their goal is to seek out and preserve for themselves what knowledge remains, often at the expense of whoever currently possesses said knowledge.

Gravitas:  11 (45% chance to know spell; 6/7 spells per level; max 4^th level)

Leader:   (Emu9) Malfallas the Weary

Members: 22

Headquarters: The Wilting Library, Valinport

Requirements:  Upon gaining a new level, members of the order must contribute a spell to the order’s common library not currently on the list below before selecting a spell to learn for themselves.

Dress: Black capes or cloaks with a silver broach or cloak-pin in the shape of a book

Spells Known: Read Magic (1^st), Detect Magic (1^st), Comprehend Languages (1^st), Floating Disk (1^st), Identify (1^st), Jump (1^st), Write (1^st), Detect Evil (2^nd), Detect Invisibility (2^nd), ESP (2^nd), Levitate (2^nd), Locate Object (2^nd), Wizard Lock (2^nd), Ray of Enfeeblement (2^nd), Clairvoyance (3^rd),  Explosive Runes (3^rd), Suggestion (3^rd), Tongues (3^rd), Lightning Bolt (3^rd), Gust of Wind (3^rd), Protection from Normal Missiles (3^rd), more…

2)      The Amazing Order of the Scarlet Magicians: These ostentatious wizards revel in the spectacle of magic.  They favor the use of flashy spells to impress and intimidate the masses.  They are a relatively young order, led by the same brash and mercurial gnome who founded them.

Gravitas: 12 (45% chance to know spell; 6/7 spells per level; max 4^th level)

Leader: Glimgalam the Flame (Gmu8)

Members: 12

Headquarters:  Glimgalam and his travelling retinue of magic users and other hangers-on generally take up residence in some inn within Mubonc or nearby lands for several weeks at a time, moving on when the whim strikes him.

Requirements: Impress Glimgalam the Flame.  Blowing something large up with magic is generally accepted as the best method.

Dress: The crazier the better.  Glimgalam favors red, orange and yellow silks and many follow suit.

Spells Known: Read Magic (1^st), Detect Magic (1^st), Light (1^st), Burning Hands (1^st), Jump (1^st), Friends (1^st), Protection from Evil (1^st), Continual Light (2^nd), Pyrotechnics (2^nd),  Ray of Enfeeblement (2^nd), Levitate (2^nd), Strength (2^nd), Fool’s Gold (2^nd),  Fireball (3^rd), Haste (3^rd), Invisibility 10’ Radius (3^rd), Suggestion (3^rd), Darkvision (3^rd), Water Breathing (3^rd), Dispel Magic (3^rd), Fire Shield (4^th), Fire Trap (4^th), Wall of Fire (4^th), Wizard Eye (4^th), Polymorph Other (4^th), Enchanted Weapon (4^th), Charm Monster (4^th)

3)      The Sciapodous Circle of the Threefold Monolith: This mysterious, large-shoed sect is said to worship a three-sided metal monolith located deep within their tower-fortress.  They are a numerous but secretive lot, often seen scuttling about the realm on unknown errands.  Little else is known of the order or its goals. 

Gravitas: 13 (55% chance to know spell; 6/9 spells per level; max 5^th level)

Leader:  Grand Poobah Mikos Mianbar (Hmu10)

Members: 39

Headquarters: Tower of the Monolith, outside of Kisford

Requirements: Be a magic user and a practicing worshiper of the Threefold Monolith.  Once per year present oneself to the Grand Poobah and perform some service for the order at his direction.

Dress: Green-grey robes of wool, silver skull caps and large, platform shoes

Spells Known: Read Magic (1^st), Detect Magic (1^st), Enlarge (1^st), Spider Climb (1^st), Sleep (1^st), Light (1^st), Identify (1^st), Ray of Enfeeblement (2^nd), Stinking Cloud (2^nd), Mirror Image (2^nd), Pyrotechnics (2^nd),  Web (2^nd), Strength (2^nd), Audible Glamer (2^nd), Monster Summoning I (3^rd),  Lightning Bolt (3^rd),  Hold Person (3^rd), Haste (3^rd), Dispel Magic (3^rd), Protection from Normal Missiles (3^rd), Invisibility 10’ Radius (3^rd), Dimension Door (4^th), Enchanted Weapon (4^th), Extension I (4^th), Ice Storm (4^th), Minor Globe of Invulnerability (4^th), Monster Summoning II (4^th), Remove Curse (4^th), Fumble (4^th), Wizard Eye (4^th), Cone of Cold (5^th), Conjure Elemental (5^th), Contact Other Plane (5^th), Mage’s Faithful Hound (5^th), Passwall (5^th), Transmute Rock to Mud (5^th), Hold Monster (5^th), Wall of Iron (5^th), Wall of Stone (5^th)

4)      The Concordance of the White Heirs:  This venerable order of magic-using nobility is the oldest and most prestigious of Mubonc.  While ostensibly an exclusive membership, there appear to be very few requirements that cannot be overlooked with the proper amount of coin.

Gravitas: 16 (65% chance to know spell; 7/11 spells per level; max 6^th level)

Leader: Lord-Magister Rebane of House D’Valin (Hmu12)

Members: 32

Headquarters: Mubonc, with sister-concordances in other Ardovian cities

Requirements: 1,000 gp to join.  Must contribute 100 gp/ per spell level when learning a new spell from the order’s list.  Members are said to be the human descendants of the old Derosian nobility that ruled over Mubonc in the time of the Empire.  In practice, this is not necessarily true.

Dress: Robes of pure white silk are donned for ceremonial purposes

Spells Known: Read Magic (1^st), Detect Magic (1^st), Sleep (1^st), Magic Missile (1^st), Identify (1^st), Unseen Servant (1^st), Charm Person (1^st), Find Familiar (1^st), Spider Climb (1^st), Shield (1^st), Feather Fall (1^st), Wizard Lock (2^nd), Invisibility (2^nd), Ray of Enfeeblement (2^nd), Stinking Cloud (2^nd), Detect Invisibility (2^nd), Continual Light (2^nd), Darkness 15’ Radius (2^nd), Levitate (2^nd), Locate Object (2^nd), Scare (2^nd), Strength (2^nd), Blink (3^rd),  Clairaudience (3^rd), Clairvoyance (3^rd), Dispel Magic (3^rd), Flame Arrow (3^rd), Fly (3^rd), Gust of Wind (3^rd), Haste (3^rd), Hold Person (3^rd), Lightning Bolt (3^rd), Slow (3^rd), Confusion (4^th),  Enchanted Weapon (4^th),  Ice storm (4^th), Minor Globe of Invulnerability (4^th), Monster Summoning II (4^th), Polymorph Self (4^th), Wizard Eye (4^th), Wall of Ice (4^th), Fear (4^th), Fire Trap (4^th), Massmorph (4^th), Monster Summoning III (5^th), Animate Dead (5^th), Cloudkill (5^th), Cone of Cold (5^th), Contact Other Plane (5^th), Secret Chest (5^th), Wall of Force (5^th), Wall of Iron (5^th), Cloudkill (5^th), Hold Monster (5^th), Stone Shape (5^th), Control Weather (6^th), Disintegrate (6^th), Bigby’s Forceful Hand (6^th), Freezing Sphere (6^th), Geas (6^th), Globe of Invulnerability (6^th), Guards and Wards (6^th), Invisible Stalker (6^th), Move Earth (6^th), Reincarnation (6^th), Transformation (6^th)

5)      The Ruminating Owls:  This popular and inclusive order is headquartered in Redmerrow as opposed to the more cosmopolitan Valinport.  An observer might say that the order appears to be as enthusiastic about rhetoric and feasting as they are magic. 

Gravitas: 13 (55% chance to know spell; 6/9 spells per level; max 5^th level)

Leader:  The Fathered Elders (Hmu11, 1/2Emu7, Hmu6, Hmu6, Hmu6, Emu5)

Members: 52

Headquarters:  The Owl’s Roost, Redmerrow

Requirements: Be sponsored by an existing member and voted in by the Feathered Elders.  Learn the secret handshake and all of the passwords.  Participate annually in the Ruminating Symposium, a tenday-long affair held at the order’s headquarters in Redmerrow.

Dress: No standard dress but the order’s ruling body, the Fetahered Elders, wear elaborate cloaks made from the feathers of flying creatures.  General members often accent their wardrobes with the same.

Spells Known: Read Magic (1^st), Detect Magic (1^st), Enlarge (1^st), Dancing Lights (1^st), Mending (1^st), Magic Missile (1^st), Protection (1^st), Message (1^st), Charm Person (1^st),  Knock (2^nd), Wizard Lock (2^nd), Detect Evil (2^nd), ESP (2^nd), Magic Mouth (2^nd), Locate Object (2^nd), Rope Trick (2^nd), False Trap (2^nd), Forget (2^nd),  Water Breathing (3^rd),  Tiny Hut (3^rd), Hold Person (3^rd), Flame Arrow (3^rd), Phantasmal Force (3^rd), Haste (3^rd), Darkvision (3^rd), Protection from Normal Missiles (3^rd), Suggestion (3^rd), Plant Growth (4^th), Mnemonic Enhancement (4^th), Polymorph Self (4^th), Dig (4^th), Wall of Ice (4^th), Ice Storm (4^th), Monster Summoning II (4^th), Charm Monster (4^th), Fumble (4^th), Conjure Elemental (5^th), Teleport (5^th), Transmute Rock to Mud (5^th), Feeblemind (5^th), Hold Monster (5^th), Stone Shape (5^th), Cone of Cold (5^th), Telekinesis (5^th), Animal Growth (5^th)

Auld Lang Syne

While catching up on other blogs this morning I happened to notice Micheal Curtis's bittersweet anniversary post over at The Society.  After replying there and urging Mike to keep the blog up even if the fire has gone to ash, I came back here and checked on my own first blog date.  Wednesday, September 1st 2010.  So yesterday was my blogging anniversary.  Blogger celebrated by eating my Sept 1st. post three times and then apparently refused to update any of the feeds with it when I finally got it working.

That was a bummer as the essay represented some long-promised actual gaming content.  If you missed it, here it is, my take on creating and naming arcane orders.  In truth, a lot more effort went into developing the method for naming. It was fun.  I plan to circle back on this and introduce some more rules involving unique abilities, secret knowledge and item construction.  I suspect these will be less broadly fun, but a few out there will hopefully find some use for them. Those aspects of the system aren't ready to share just yet and I'm OK with the idea of iterative builds.  Hell, I work with software developers.  They're never finished.   

But I'm wandering off topic.  Realizing that yesterday was an anniversary for me and reading Micheal's reflections got me considering my own blogging and then blogging in general.  Chris K at Hill Cantons laments the transitory nature of the blog.  I've heard it said that somewhere between 2 and 3 years the bloggers that make it that far start to lose the desire to continue writing... at least about whatever topic they've focused the blog upon.  In Michael's case I think the blog was a starting point for something else that he now wants to focus his creative energies and editorial discipline on.  I respect and understand that.

I'm not the first guy or gal to say this and I won't be the last.  Please folks, if you're at the end of your interest in the material, leave it up and online anyway.  I know Blogger, at least, isn't costing me anything. If you go for adverts or donation buttons then you might even be making some bubble gum money.  Maybe it seems like the material you put the most amount of thought or effort into went largely unnoticed, meanwhile a good portion of your hits are coming from people surfing for pictures of playing cards or caves.  Forget it.  If you've been doing this for more than a year or so and you've accumulated some followers, then you've written something at some point worthy of attention and worthy of being kept around for the next random person to find.  There's value in that.  You might not be able to see it, but I'm telling you its there. 

Matt Finch writes about how the OSR is an internet thing more than a publishing thing or even, until recently, a playing thing.  I agree.  But it will be a forgotten thing as well if we start taking content down.  Consider the long haul.  Consider the gamer five years from now wandering through, sick of D&D 12th edition, yearning for something closer to their tastes and stumbling upon this community.  I'd hate to imagine Michael Curtis's work and musings not being available to this person.

While its frustrating at times to consider that your best material in this arena might be behind you and now buried in page hits beneath a hot elf chick meme and a controversial post on ascending/ descending AC that you plant face in palm over now, never mind it.  The creme always rises and if you leave your stuff up for 5 years and only impact or influence 5 more people every year, that's 25 folks you've touched.  Multiply that by your blog roll.  If and when the steam runs out on this whole thing somebody, somewhere will stumble upon it all and get it going again.  As long as WoTC and D&D remain on the trajectory they're on there will be a need for it.  The game is not dead, our work is not done folks. Fight On.  Or, at least leave your sword and armor out for the next guy.

Anyway, thanks for indulging me in this.  I mean the whole thing.  The whole year I've spent blogging.  If you're a regular reader I appreciate that you're here.  If you're just dropping in, welcome aboard.  Take a look at the other articles and my blog roll before you head out.

Generating Arcane Orders for Your Campaign

The alternate title of this one should be The Blog That Wouldn’t Post.  Blogger ate it three times before I tried again as a .doc first, wasting time and several cool results on the tables shown below.  I had to move Table 2 all the way to the bottom since Blogger wouldn’t save nor render anything that came after it.

Though a long and steadfast AD&D player when I first began gaming, I never paid much attention to the rules in the Player's Handbook pertaining to Chance to Know Each Spell (page 10).  In short, they worked as follows:  Each time the player of a magic user attained a new level she would check against an intelligence-based percentage whether or not the spells of that level were known to her character.  There were both a minimum and maximum number of spells that a character could know for each spell level.  If you missed your roll, the spell was not available to you.

Now the write-up at the time I began playing seemed rather open to interpretation on specifics, and even appears to contradict itself regarding the acquisition of previously unknown spells later on in the campaign.  My experience with the game and those that play it has been that this rule generally gets ignored or modified by most DMs. 

While considering this rule for use in my own upcoming game it occurred to me that while a mage's intelligence might indicate how many spells they could or should know, their training, connections and opportunities should be just as or more influential.  What if one kept the overall idea that not every magic user will be able to learn every spell of an allowable level, but based it on the teaching, instruction and later the networking achieved via their participation in an arcane order, society or school?  Here's how I would do it:

Step One:  The Name

This may seem counter-intuitive, but my system starts with the name of the order.  Words are powerful and evocative things and the name of your arcane order should not be taken lightly.  Because of this there is only one sensible way to designate one.  Randomly.  The words on the below table were painstakenly chosen to evoke a certain atmosphere within a broad set of variables.  I borrowed from Leiber, Howard, Lovecraft, Moore, Vonnegut, Dickens, Tolkien, LeVay and others.  Results will run from the bombastic to the inspired... the silly to the sublime... but I do recommend that you roll.  For every Fraternal Brotherhood of the Engorged Member I came up with at least five or six Benevolent Accomplices of the Artful Arm.

The first thing you determine is how many columns on the below table 2 you will roll on and in what order:

Table 1: Name Structure

Roll d10	Name Structure
1 to 2	The A + B
3 to 4	The A + C
5 to 6	The B of the A + C
7 to 8	The A + B of the A + C
9 to 10	The B of A + B (2nd B is optionally plural)

Then you simply fill in the blanks represented by letters A through C above by rolling a number of dice appropriate to the number of prescribed unknowns. 

(See Table 2 Below)

For example, rolling a ten sided die and getting a “1” on table 1 indicates a name structure of “The A + B”.  Rolling percentile dice I get “30” and an “84”.  The Fecund Seers.  

 

Again, a “4”, indicating “The A + C” then a “41, 36”.  The Indigo Fire…  

“5” (The B of the A + C) then “4, 31, 60”… The Adepts of the Fraternal Mountian. 

 

“8”… The Esteemnable Community of the Learned Day.  

“9” The Witches of the Mendicent Maw.  

The Drunken Collaborators of the Orthodox Wind, The Kyphorrhinos Assembly of the Artful Mime,  The Esoteric Cohorts of the Bizarre Benefactor, The Antagonists of the Blue Ascension. I know you probably don’t need this many examples, but it is rather fun.  

Step Two:  Gravitas

Arcane orders are measured by their gravitas.  This is a composite value representing the organization’s age and prestige as well as the aggregate talent and experience of its members. As the intelligence score previously determined a character’s chance to know a spell and the minimum and maximum spells known in the AD&D rules, gravitas does so for an arcane order.  An order’s gravitas score is determined by rolling 3d4 and adding 6.  

Step Three: Determine the Spells Known

Once the gravitas value has been determined, you must compare it to the values provided on table 3 below and then determine which spells are known by the order for each spell level in your game.  The table should be familiar to you if you’re already using or acquainted with the AD&D rule from which it is borrowed. 

Roll percentile dice to check for as many spell levels that you care to determine at the outset.  Note that a certain gravitas score is required to know spells above 3^rd level.  The older and more prestigious the organization, the greater likelihood that it has an extensive spell library of varying power and complexity.

Table 3: Chance to Know Spell

Gravitas	Chance to Know Each Spell	Minimum Number of Spells/ Level	Maximum Number of Spells/ Level	Maximum Spell Level Known
9	35%	4	6	3rd
10 to 12	45%	5	7	4th
13 to 14	55%	6	9	5th
15 to 16	65%	7	11	6th
17	75%	8	14	7th
18	85%	9	18	8th
19	95%	10	25	9th

Once complete, this list should represent all of the spells available to learn by all members of the organization in question.   Spells not on the list must be obtained by other means.  This can include instruction by another PC or NPC or via the study of scrolls or spell books obtained by the character. 

There’s a good reason that naming the organization came first.  DM Fiat.  If you get to the end of the process in step 3 and managed to roll zero or very few fire-spells for The Supreme Acolytes of the Invincible Flame, then you may want to consider moving some things around unless you appreciate that sort of irony.  I would advise to do so with caution and much consideration.  The arcane powers invoked by these tables and dice are not to be trifled with.  

Step 4: Rounding It Out

At this point, you’ve got everything you need and can move on.  But now or later you may want to think some about the group and how it functions and behaves.  Rather than give a few more tables to roll on I think the name or the gravitas and spells known should dictate this.  An organization with high gravitas and many known spells could be a venerable order dedicated to the acquisition and preservation of knowledge.  A low gravitas group with few spells can be an upstart order or one that has fallen from some previous exalted status.  

You can also consider introducing other mechanical elements at this point.  Do the Savants of the Vigorous Moon see their power wax and wane with the cycles of the moon?  Do the Daughters of the Yellow Harpy enjoy immunity or bonuses against sound-based attackes? 

Consider also relations between groups.  Do the Malevolent Heirs oppose the designs of the Orthodox Union of the Red Party?  What’s so strange about the Peculiar Chohorts, anyway?

I’ll be generating several of these groups in anticipation of my D&D campaign resuming sometime next year.  Give it a whirl.  Please post comments below sharing your results, even if all you do is roll for a name and think up something cool about the group.

Sincerely,

James C.

Seer of the Curious Shadow

Table 2:  Name Variables

% Roll	Column A (adjective)	Column B      (name of order)	Column C (noun)
1	Acerbic	Academy	A deity from your campaign world
2	Amazing	Accomplices	A location in your campaign world
3	Arcane	Acolytes	Abacination
4	Artful	Adepts	Agerasia
5	Asynchronous	Adversaries	Arm
6	Benevolent	Affiliation	Ascension
7	Bizarre	Alliance	Asphyxiation
8	Black	Antagonists	Basilisk
9	Blasphemous	Apprentices	Bastard
10	Blue	Array	Benefactor
11	Bombastic	Assemblage/ Assembly	Beyond
12	Cloaked	Associates	Bicone
13	Cogent	Astrologers	Bitch
14	Coherent	Attendants	Blood
15	Compelling	Autohagiographers	Cachinnation
16	Convivial	Autolatrists	Cat
17	Cosmic	Brood	Catechism
18	Curious	Brotherhood/ Sisterhood	Charientism
19	Drunken	Cabal	Claw
20	Eccentric	Children	Colossality
21	Eldritch	Circle	Conquest
22	Engorged	Clutch	Cosmos
23	Enigmatic	Coalition	Crystal
24	Esoteric	Cohorts	Cyclops
25	Esteemnable	Collaborators	Day
26	Exceptional	Collective	Decrepitude
27	Extraordinary	College/ Collegium	Drake
28	Fallen	Combine	Earth
29	Fantastic	Community	Emptiness
30	Fecund	Company	Emunction
31	Fraternal/ Sororal	Concilliabule	Exsibilation
32	Gibbous	Concordance	Eye
33	Gluttonous	Confederacy/ Confederates	Feather
34	Golden	Congregation	Fey
35	Green	Conjurers	Finger
36	Gregarious	Consortium	Fire
37	Honorable	Conspirators	Forest
38	Hooded	Coterie	Fox
39	Incoherent	Court	Hand
40	Inconceivable	Coven	Harpy/ Siren
41	Indigo	Covenant	Heavens
42	Intangible	Daughters/ Sons	Hells
43	Invincible	Enchanters	Hydra
44	Invisible	Enemies	Illusion
45	Jumentous	Faculty	Key
46	Kyphorrhinos	Fellows	King/ Queen
47	Learned	Fellowship	Lake
48	Leering	Flock	Leg
49	Locquacious	Fraternity/ Sorroroty	Leucrotta
50	Luminous	Gathering	Leviathan
51	Macabre	Gentlemen/ Ladies	Liripip
52	Magnificent	Gongoozlers	Malefactor
53	Maledicent	Hadeharians	Mandrake
54	Malevolent	Heirs	Masquerade
55	Mendicent	Host	Maw
56	Miasmic	House	Member
57	Mighty	Incorporation	Mime
58	Nameless	Initiates	Monolith
59	Omnipotent	Institution	Moon
60	Omniscient	Kinship	Mountain
61	Orthodox	League	Mumpsimus
62	Paternal/ Maternal	Library	Nelipot
63	Peculiar	Lyceum	Night
64	Phenomenal	Magicians	Oblivion
65	Roll any die: add "-fold" to the number	Magisters	Octopus
66	Roll any die: use result as an adjective	Maladroits	Orb
67	Polished	Members	Owl
68	Preeminent	Necromancers	Owlbear
69	Profound	Neophytes	Pentacle
70	Prolific	Roll any die, use result as a noun	Petrichor
71	Puissant	Order	Phenomenon
72	Pyknic	Pack	Phoenix
73	Red	Pact	Portal
74	Ruined	Party	Prince/ Princess
75	Ruminating	Philosophunculists	Prophet
76	Scarlet	Prodigies	Puissance
77	Sciapodous	Progeny	Rendevous
78	Secret	Protagonists	Reverberation
79	Shining	Pupils	Riddle
80	Singular	Ring	River
81	Skillful	Savants	Sepulchre
82	Sovereign	School	Shadow
83	Stalwart	Scions	Sphinx
84	Steatopygic	Seers	Stars
85	Stoic	Seminary	Stipulation
86	Supreme	Senate	Stone
87	Thelemic	Society	Sun
88	Ulotrichous	Sodality	Tentacle
89	Unclean	Soothsayers	Tongue
90	Unknown	Sorcerers	Tooth
91	United	Stalwarts	Transcendence
92	Unlevened	Swarm	Tree
93	Unorthodox	Thaumaturgists	Unicorn
94	Veiled	Theurgists	Wanweird
95	Ventripotent	Thralls	Water
96	Vigorous	Throng	Weirding
97	White	Tribe	Wind
98	Wilting	Union	Wolf
99	Yellow	Warlocks/ Witches	Wyrm
00	Zealous	Wizards	Wyvern