Stormbringer Redux #31 - The Shield Hack from NUNA

One of the great things to come out of playtesting NUNA, my roleplaying game of Inuit & Iceships, is that it has given me lots of insight on the Stormbringer rules on which it is based.

I had this What If? comic back in the day. Absolute banger.

And it has helped me solve the riddle of shields.

Chinks in the Armor

In the old Stormbringer rules, shields were both touted as important but not given enough explanation or mechanics to answer why. The rules for Shields were, as usual, split throughout the rulebook, so as is my practice, I try to put them in one place so I can better understand what the designers were trying to do at a glance.

Here are the rules on shields.

[3.3.3] reminds us that you cannot try to Parry with a weapon then switch to Shield for a second Parry on the same attack. Fair enough.

[3.3.3.1] adds that a Shield is the only way to Parry an arrow. Useful.

[3.5.2] gives us the stats for Shields as weapons, while [3.5.2.1] gives extra descriptions. A bit fiddly, so I always rewrote it in one place.

Buckler - Light & small, banded in iron, advantage is lightweight & ease of movement.

- (6 throwing) STR / 12 DEX / 1D4 (1D6 thrown for 9 meters) Damage / 30 cm or 1 ft Length / 50LB Price

Target - Larger round shield, covers most of torso. Wood covered in leather, banded in iron, BUT can be cast in iron, but not iron or steel. This confused me as a lad, but I now realize 'cast' doesn't mean made in metal, it means thrown, and indeed the Target is the one of the two shields on the projectile weapon list. Iron and steel are too heavy, so if you want to go Captain America and throw your shield, bronze is the only way, but doesn't cost any more or affect its durability.

8 (16 throwing) STR/ 7 DEX / 1D6 (2D4 thrown for 6 meters) Damage / 90 cm or 3 ft Length / 75LB Price

Heater - Typical mounted knight's shield, square at top and pointed at bottom.

8 STR / 9 DEX / 1D6 Damage / 90 cm or 3 ft Length / 100LB Price

Tower- Infantry man's shield, suitable for hiding behind. Best for shield walls, using short sword and fixing shield into ground.

12 STR / 6 DEX / 1D6+2 Damage / 150 cm or 5 ft Length/ 150 LB Price

But the meat of Shield rules come from [3.5.5] and [3.5.5.1], introducing the general concept of Shields and their use as weapons. We find that Shields are considered indestructible, and can only be killed by Critical Attacks or Demon Weapon Attacks (and Parrying demon weapons, one assumes). The description of a Shield rush, where you can bash with your Shield AND follow up with a weapon attack, is dropped in with little fanfare, except to remind us that an attacking Shield can't be used to Parry. This is a HUGE hidden rule, and could be applied to two weapon styles a la Moonglum, giving you the option of double Attacks or a combination of Attack & Parry.

There are more rules in the Magic chapter, but for now I want to stick to mundane Shields and their properties as listed above.

First, there seems to be some little inconsistencies. If both Target and Heater do 1D6, but the former is cheaper AND can be thrown, why use the latter? I'd be tempted to bump Heater and Tower up to 1D8 damage, but this would be unnecessary if their cover were mechanically supported.

The two biggest oversights seem to be elaborating Shield advantages such as lightness and cover without giving rules underpinning them. In the NUNA playtest, modern players were aghast they couldn't Dodge firearms, and so this oversight in Shield rules really stood out to me.

Here's what I did in NUNA.

The Benefits of Using a Shield

To make Shield rules clearer and add value to carrying one, I codified three advantages to using a Shield, in addition to the original uses in Parrying and Attacking.

1. Sword & Shield can reduce the Parry penalty versus multiple attackers.

This is not a new rule, just a clarification of the benefits of lugging a Shield about.

If you are facing three opponents and only hold a sword, your second and third Parry will be reduced by 20% and 40% respectively. This is a great rule and replicates the attrition factor of combat which I know well from my years in karate tournaments and SCA duels, without adding any other mechanics such as POW depletion.

However, with a sword and shield you can alternate between these for Parries and thus slow the rate of attrition. Facing the same three opponents, your first sword Parry has no penalty, ditto your first shield Parry. Only your third Parry faces the 20% penalty. This is a lifesaver in combat.

2. Advancing (or Retreating) under fire with a Shield increases your Armor Value

Taking a note from historical castle sieges and the NUNA playtest feedback about defense versus firearms, I implemented the following house rule.

When advancing or retreating under missile fire, you can hold your shield in front of you and get the shield's Armor added to your own. Shield armor is equal to its melee damage. Note that when doing this, you cannot Attack & Parry as usual.

For example, let's image you are wearing Leather Armor (1D6) and being fired upon by multiple archers and only have a sword and shield (Target 1D6). By the old rules you have to Parry EVERY arrow, which becomes more difficult the more attackers there are. Instead, with my Advancing house rule, you now get 2D6 armor for every arrow fired against you, so you have a better chance of Advancing and attacking or Retreating out of range.

Critical shots of arrows would avoid the Shield and be applied straight to the Armor. For attackers trying to shoot around the shield, its size would also give a penalty to the Attack roll as follows:

Penalties for Attacking vs Shields

Buckler      minus 20%
Target        minus 50%
Heater        minus 50%
Tower        minus 80%

Since there is no skill for Advancing or Retreating under a shield, noncombatant or unarmored characters can also use it to increase their survivability. Movement speed is half whether Advancing or Retreating, and if you Attack a nearby foe you lose the added Armor benefit.

Note that this applies to ALL missiles, so a shield can save your life when facing a firearm.

3. Shields are portable Cover

Similar to the above rule, if you are trying to peek out on a busy battlefield (ie make a See roll to find troop composition or gain a strategic advantage), you can apply the above Penalties for Attacking vs Shields above.

This house rule is especially important when using Theater of the Mind, in other words no battlemats or minis, just descriptions. I find that with battlemats, players can see EVERYTHING and have omniscient knowledge of the terrain.

That is fine if you want a superheroic and gamey feeling combat. But if you want gritty or tragic combat, characters should have to literally stick their necks out to get useful information, and the Fog of War around them should hide important information from characters who are busy fighting for their lives and can't see anything beyond their combat tunnel vision. I would suggest having characters trying to See an advantage make a Luck roll, failure of which means they are subject to an attack following the above Shield Cover rule penalties above.

Interested in Seeing NUNA?

If you are interested in seeing how different NUNA is from Stormbringer, check the links below.

The link to the FREE preview of 7 PCs from Inuit Hunter and Shaman Whisperer to Rigger Roughneck & New Scientist is HERE or at the link below.

PC Preview

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/575125/NUNA-Rpg-Player-Characters-Free-Preview

The link to the full Quickstart, priced at $1.99 because I believe $15 quickstart PDFs are a scam, and which contains the Moorcock-inspired gonza scenario The Silver Machine, can be found HERE or below.

Quickstart

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/575172/NUNA-Rpg-Quickstart

NUNA vs BRP #1 - Hello Shield Armor!

Welcome to this series of designer notes where I explain differences between NUNA and BRP (Chaosium's tried and true D100 system). Please note that NUNA is built on the chassis of older versions of BRP (Stormbringer, early Runequest), and not the more modern iterations (Elric! or Call of Cthulhu), nor the latest (CoC 7E). I do look at my Big Gold Book for inspiration and to make sure I don't needlessly reinvent the wheel.

First up, I have always felt Shields were underutilized in Stormbringer. They have a damage dice rating when used to Attack, they can Parry arrows, but other than that there is no difference in coverage between the 4 types presented (Buckler, Round, Kite, and Tower).

Let's fix that.

As a former SCA member, I have seen how useful shields are in combat. Back in my PUBG days as well, I have been saved innumerable times by bullets ricocheting off my frypan.

Note that although NUNA is classic lethal combat, I think the edge that Shields provide could use a buff to make characters more robust.

Here is an overview of the 3 things shields can do in NUNA. Details are in the Quickstart and Corebook.

1. Parry

This builds on the original Stormbringer rules, but clarifies and extends the effects on the Shield depending on the material it is made from (wood or iron). Using a Shield also allows more Parries by delaying the penalty for multiple Parries by alternating between weapon and Shield.

2. Attack

Once again, this is from the original rules, but damage dice are a more logical progression. I do love the Shield throwing implied by the old rules and have addressed that more directly.  I also clarify Knockback and possible Stun effects.

3. Soak Damage & Portable Cover

This is a new use, a version of which appeared in Stormbringer Redux. Basically, carrying a Shield can give a chance to stop projectile attacks, soak up damage, and act as Cover to make one harder to hit. I am still wrestling with the simple mechanics of this, but take as my inspiration that old OSR houserule gem by Trollsmyth,  Shields Shall Be Splintered, which I consider a Platonic ideal for houserules design and implementation.

4. Limitations

Increasing the utility of shields does not mean that everyone will carry one. First, only Vikings know how to make good ones and have ready access to materials, although Riggers may have access to old riot shields. Also, Inuit general eschew carrying about Shields except if going to battle to defend their community. Shields can also can make a character easier to Grapple by any of the giant creatures that abound in Nuna.

Observing Frieren + FRPG Inspirations

So...

I am thoroughly enjoying the clips of Frieren that the algorithm has been sending my way, and also devouring Pey's Youtube videos dissecting the storytelling strengths of the anime (good one on foreshadowing HERE). I hope to be getting some Japanese language manga to read later the year.

How would one make a FRPG with as deep storytelling as Frieren?

Two lessons:

1 SLOW IT DOWN

In most FRPGs, characters are going on adventures constantly, either ignoring the gameworld calendar or filling it up with breakneck speed.

How about we flip this? An adventure happens only once every D100 years. Travel either to or from the dungeon or locale takes D12 months. So, exploring a dungeon might take take 2D12 months to get there and return to town, plus however many days are spent exploring it.

Add to that the party's next adventure could take place 30 years later. This means all human characters would be middle aged, while demihumans would be unchanged. You'd have to carry on with the fighter's son or the priest's acolyte instead, adding depth and some wistfulness to the tale.

2 MAKE MEMORIES COUNT

How about if we link any non combat ability to a RITUAL or an OBJECT. Just like Frieren's ring, which reminds her of Himmel and helps her connect to Fern, or Eisen's habit of making big steaks for a character's birthday. In game terms, these could be used to give insights or information, make connections with PCs or NPCs, or give a clue for the next big challenge.

3 FORGET THE RULES

Notice I didn't suggest any ruleset or rule changes. I think these suggestions could be ported into any OSR style game with ease and really deepen the roleplaying experience. Maybe throw in some of those wonderful old Yearly Events table from older editions to spice things up with natural disasters, character sickness, or raises in social status. It would make demihumans worth playing, and make the game closer to its literary inspirations than the video game aesthetics that seem to be dominating the genre.

I'd play it.

COMMUNITY vs HIERARCHY in RPGS

One thing I’ve noticed about fantasy RPGs is that they lean into hierarchy, that is, vertical power relations. This replicates the Great Chain of Being of the feudal era, with kings deriving power straight from god, and the entire social pyramid below them consisting of royals, nobles, craftsman, merchants, soldiers and peasants as you go down.

Inuit society has very little hierarchy, and what it does have comes up from below. A chief is only in power so long as the people trust his actions and decisions. Instead, community is what binds together Inuit, as it does with many indigenous societies.

In roleplaying terms, we try to avoid saying “I know…” or “Does my character know…” Instead, you would say, “I learned from my uncle that…” In Nuna, all knowledge is derived from connections to other people, for Inuit as well as Outsider characters. For Inuit characters, community is what gives them their ability to listen to the land, for Viking it lets them work steel and fight, and for whalers it lets them know the sea and the strange leviathans they hunt.

I am working on the mechanical and roleplaying underpinnings for this now. Going to be a different kind of BRP, with lots of flavour and ways to connect to the gameworld.

SANITY IN NUNA

In vanilla BRP (Call of Cthulhu), the Sanity mechanic is invoked with typical gothic horror elements. When you see a body, a ghost, or a monster, you throw dice. It is also extended to cosmic horror, which has a greater chance of driving you crazy.

Nuna will be different because Labrador is different.

In Labrador, as in Inuit communities all over the north, kids are brought into the hunt and its experience of death for life from a young age. I remember sitting with my nan when she peeled a rabbit my uncle had snared right in front of my eyes. I was holding a toy rabbit, and I cried and ran away at first.

A day of two later we would chat as she scaled fish, skinned hares, or chopped up caribou meat and bones. Within weeks I was doing it myself. It was all part of life, and I was brought into seeing how food (life) was produced out of hunting (death) with no holds barred.

(I consider this part of the reason I acclimated so well to Japan, which has a similar ethic)

The further you go up north, the closer people are to this aspect of life, and when eating things like frozen Arctic char or raw whale, expect kids as well as adults to get blood on their hands and faces.

So in this context seeing something dead loses its shock value.

Instead, Sanity in NUNA is tied to a great existential dread of the North - the fear of being left alone. As a youth, I heard so many story of locals as well as people from outsider going strange when they were lost. The wandering members of the American Hubbard expedition saw ghostly members of their family in their delirium, and many times I heard the story of local people stranded who saw will o the wisps or such other phenomenon when cut off.

But although getting lost may prey on the minds of Outsiders, it is less of a fear for Inuit. For them, I would consider the loss of Community to be a greater tragedy. In Labrador, fully 1/3 of the Inuit died due to the Spanish Flu pandemic, and the villages of Okak and Hebron were destroyed by the Spanish Flu, Hebron losing 86 or 100 residents and Okak losing 204 of 263 souls.

Can we imagine what a horror this must have been to live through? Only sole survivors of great tragedies like Titanic or a plane crash in wilderness could know the horror and trauma. Coincidentally, north Europeans a millenia ago knew this pain, and the Old English poem fragment The Wanderer retells this trauma in relatable terms.

“Often, every daybreak, alone I must
bewail my cares. There’s now no one living
to whom I dare mumble my mind’s understanding.
I know as truth that it’s seen suitable
for anyone to bind fast their spirit’s closet,
hold onto the hoards, think whatever — (8–14)

“Can a weary mind weather the shitstorm?
I think not.
Can a roiling heart set itself free?
I don’t think so.

Although we are playing a game, it is also a panoply of different worldviews. Call of Cthulhu is American gothic with a slice of Victorian prudishness, so death and ghosts are the drivers of fear. In Nuna as in Labrador, what could be scarier than being lost and alone in the endless woods, or losing one’s entire social support network in a single blow of fate?

Reference

Heritage NF. The 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic.

https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/politics/1918-spanish-flu.php

Old English Poetry. The Wanderer.

https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/the-wanderer/

Stormbringer Redux #26 - Stormbringer Monster Strengths

I find how BRP does monster stats interesting because it is just a bunch of pioneering game designers guestimating or eyeballing what they think the numbers should be. This creates some wonky stats in early edition games, but has mostly been codified in later games.

BRP's massive statblocks have always been a big draw. Whereas OD&D stats started with the minimum of data needed for combat (AR, HD & HP, Attacks, MOV, XP and special abilities), BRP gives you the whole kit and kaboodle. On the plus side, it means you can roll up a pet or PC morphed into a beast or monster right away. On the down side, you have to roll up or calculate average stats before using any encounter, and stat blocks are always massive.

So today I'd like to compare monster stat strengths to see if they make sense.

Let us begin!

ANIMAL STATS COMPARISON

First, let's lay out ALL the animal & monster stats in the 1E book:
(NB This was mind numbing work, so if you see any mistakes tell me)

STR

1D10 Vipers

2D4+ Hawks (+1)

2D6+ Eagles (+1), Vultures (+1), Dogs (+3), Wolves (+6), Small Crocs (+18)

2D8+4 Dogs of the Dharzi

3D6 HUMANS

3D6+ Tiger (+12), Panther (+6), Constrictors (+12), Horse (+18), Large Crocs (+30)

3D8 Clakar

4D6+ Forest Bears (+6), Baboons (+6), Great Black Apes (+12), Cave Bears (+18), Mastodon (+36)

4D8+8 Creatures of Matik, Olab

5D8 Oonai

6D6 Sharks

8D8 Mist Giants

12D8 Dragon

CON

1D6+ Large Crocs (+12)

2D6 Hawks, Vipers

2D6+ Small Crocs (+6), Sharks (+6), Horse (+6) 

3D6 HUMANS, Baboons, Eagles, Vultures, Dogs

3D6+ Panther (+3), Wolves (+3), Mule (+3), Great Black Apes (+6), Forest Bears (+6),  Cave Bears (+6), Tiger (+6), Mastodon (+6), Constrictors  (+6)

3D8 Clakar, Dogs of the Dharzi

5D8 Oonai

6D8 Dragon, Olab

6D8+8 Creatures of Matik

8D8 Mist Giants

SIZ

1D10 Vipers

1D6+ Hawks (+3), Eagles (+6)

1D8+4 Dogs of the Dharzi

2D6 Vultures

2D6+ Great Black Apes (+12), Panther (+6), Dogs (+1)

2D8+4 Olab

3D6 HUMANS, Baboons, Wolves

3D6+ Forest Bears (+6), Tiger (+6), Small Crocs (+6), Large Crocs (+12), Cave Bears (+18)

3D8 Clakar

4D6+ Mule (+6), Horse (+12), War Horse (+25), Mastodon (+36)

4D8+4 Oonai

5D6 Constrictors

5D6+ Sharks (+6)

20D8 Dragon

18 Creatures of Matik, Mist Giants (Is this a typo?)

INT

1D4 Hawks, Vultures, Small Crocs, Large Crocs, Sharks, Vipers

1D6 Forest Bears, Cave Bears, Tiger, Panther, Eagles, Wolves, Dogs, Mastodon, Horse, Mule

1D6+ Great Black Apes (+1), Baboons (+1), War Horse (+3)

1D8 Dogs of the Dharzi

2D6 Constrictors

2D8 Clakar, Oonai

2D8+2 Olab

3D6 HUMANS

4D8 Dragon

7 Mist Giants (why not 2D6?)

POW

1D6 Small Crocs, Vipers, Horse

1D6+ Hawks (+3), Vultures (+3), Eagles (+6)

1D8 Creatures of Matik

2D6 Great Black Apes, Baboons, Forest Bears, Cave Bears, Panther, Wolves, Dogs, Sharks, Constrictors

2D8+4 Oonai

3D6 HUMANS, Tiger, Large Crocs, Mastodon

3D8 Clakar, Dogs of the Dharzi, Olab

4D8 Dragon

4D8+4 Creatures of Matik

5D8 Mist Giants

DEX

2D6 Baboons, Vultures, Mastodon

2D10 Vipers

2D6+ Dogs (+1), Small Crocs (+3), Large Crocs (+3), Wolves (+6), Constrictors  (+6), Eagles (+9), Panther (+12), Hawks (+12)

3D6 HUMANS, Sharks, Horse

3D6+ Forest Bears (+3), Great Black Apes (+6), Cave Bears (+6), Tiger (+6)

3D8 Dragon, Oonai, Creatures of Matik, Olab

4D8 Clakar, Mist Giants

Same as CON (3D8) Dogs of the Dharzi

CHA

1D8+2 Olab

3D6 HUMANS

ARMOR

1 Baboons, Panther, Eagles, Vultures, Horse

2 Great Black Apes, Tiger

3 Sharks (CON/3)

4 Cave Bears

5 Small Crocs

6 Mastodon

10 Large Crocs, Dragon, Creatures of Matik

Variable - Oonai

Immune to normal weapons (POW vs POW for enchanted) Mist Giants

PATTERN ANALYSIS

There is a lot of weirdness going on here. Some creatures have just a number for a characteristic, and there seems lots of duplication errors (Creatures of Matik and Mist Giant SIZ).

I might be guilty of apophenia, but let's try to suss out a system where it is easier to determine stats for creatures.

Before we begin with the details, let's start with a few definitions of things that pop out. 

Dice Ranges - We must remember that the whole array is humancentric, with the bell curve made by 3D6 as the norm of humans. Thus 3-8 is low for humans, 9-12 average, and 13-18 superior. Comparing all creature stats by this metric gives us an idea of relative strength.

1D6 Far below human ability
2D6 Less than human ability
3D6 Human norm
4D6+ More than human ability, the more dice the more superior.

Demon Dice - Using D8 instead of D6 really works well for me, as it reflects how they are supposed to have the edge as antagonists from another plane. In story terms, that extra bit of potential is what they get for aligning with Chaos I suppose. Alternately, using D4 instead of D6 reflects below human, animalistic arrays.

Oddball Dice - 1D10 Lower than human so inconsequential, but with a wide array.

Bonuses - Any bonus to the roll indicates there is a baseline from which their array of numbers starts.

+3 At least equal to minimum human (infants & invalids)
+6 At least equal to weakest humans (children)
+9 At least equal to average human
+12 At least equal to above average human
+18 At least equal to superior human
+36 At least equal to double human

As for Armor, the numbers seem not excessive, except I would probably bump up dragons by 5 points. I suppose one could whip up a system relating static animal armor ratings to variable human armors, but I prefer to leave a little chaos in and not worry about the bugbear of game balance.

UNDERSTANDING THE NUMBERS

In the Big Gold Book there is a breakdown of what SIZ means, but nothing really descriptive for the other attributes. I am a career educator, so I'm always trying to find a description that is simple yet easily graspable. Here is how I would describe each attribute in a way that would help anyone trying to figure out relative powers of attributes.

STR - To understand strength, a good metric is how many humans are required to handle or hold down the creature.
1D6 Can be handled one handed
2D6 Can be handled two handed
3D6 Same as handling a human
4D6-6D6 Too tough for one human to handle
7D6+ Too tough for any number of humans to handle

CON - Similarly, we can define CON by how much damage it takes to beat the creature.
1D6 Can be beaten bare handed
2D6 Can be beaten with small 1H weapon
3D6 Best beaten with a two handed weapon.
4D6-6D6 Too tough for one human to handle
7D6+ Too tough for any number of humans to handle

SIZ - Simple comparison with human size, but without numbers for easier comprehension.
1D6 One third human size
2D6 One half human size
3D6 Same as human
4D6-6D6 Larger than human.
7D6+ Larger than twice a human.

INT - This is a tough one, and most BRP stats never go above 3 or 4D6.
1D6 Dumb animal
2D6 Crafty animal
3D6 Same as a human
4D6-6D6 Smarter than human
7D6+ Godlike intelligence. Since the GM is only human, this is modelled by something else, namely GM fiat or psychic powers and the like.

POW - This is another tough one, 
1D6 Unclouded by emotion or spirit.
2D6 Simple emotions or spirit
3D6 Same emotional or spiritual range as a human
4D6-6D6 Much deeper or complex emotions or spirit than humans
7D6+ Too complex for any human to relate to

DEX - If STR shows us how hard it is to hold down a creature, DEX shows us how hard it is to catch them.
1D6 Easily caught
2D6 Caught with effort
3D6 Same as a human
4D6-6D6 Too quick or agile to catch without traps or assistance
7D6+ Too tough for any number of humans to handle

CONCLUSION

You have to hand it to the old BRP designers, like fine craftsman they put together relative statistics without any overarching or explicit guidelines (so far as I know). And like the Bio-engineering system of Hawkmoon, with a little effort to one can organize the statistics into a workable guide, useful for designers or house rules.

Next, I want to see if I an organize and simplify monsters skills in a similar way. Finally, I will try and pare down monster stats to see how small an entry we can make for an instant GM reference, which should be useful no matter what edition you're running.

Stormbringer Redux #25 - The Weirdness of Old Stormbringer Hit Points

Hit Points are weird in old Stormbringer, and some of this weirdness continued on even to Elric! where HP don't equal the total they should have according to the rules.

Humans are calculated as equal to a base of CON, with plus 1 per SIZ higher than CON and minus one per SIZ lower. This is fiddly, but not too bad.

But monster HP are just... weird. A lot of them are CON + SIZ - 12. Why minus 12? For Baboons (CON and SIZ 3D6), this could easily give them negative HP.

I would prefer a simple solution, so either the Stormbringer method (CON base + or - 1 per SIZ greater or smaller) or the Elric! method (CON + SIZ/2). If we look at the first monster in the bestiary, Great Black Apes, we get the following.

Great Black Apes

CON 3D6+6 (average 17)
SIZ 2D6+12 (average 19)

Method 1 - So, if we use the Stormbringer method we get 17+2 or 19. This is fine with close numbers, but some monster CON and SIZ are hilariously far apart.

Method 2 - If instead we use Elric!, we get 17+19/2 or 18. Ho hum. Once again, easy for smallish numbers, but can get out of hand for Kyreen and such.

Method 3 - There is a third, lazy ass solution. And I'm all for being a lazy GM and reducing math or work so I can concentrate on story and having fun.

What if we just choose the highest of either CON or SIZ? Then the Ape's HP are 19, same as Method 1 without the math.

Now do the same for PCs and NPCs.

BOOM DONE

Stormbringer Redux #23 - Cracking the Class & Genre Connection

EUREKA!

I've messed around several times with conceptions of how to use social class to tie together pre-existing mechanics in a way that emulates the writings of Michael Moorcock.

I think I've done it.

Take a look at this table.

This table organizes the different facets of a character (Class, Game Style, Wealth, Magic, and Bonds) in a useful framework explained below.

Social Class

Characters are created firmly enmeshed in the hierarchy of the Young Kingdom, with several game effects.

Vertical Relations - Characters of higher class will look down on and order about those below them, while lower class characters will fear and fawn before higher class ones. There is little to no repercussions for accosting people of lower class, while lower class people will be punished for bothering those above their station, with the penalty being more severe the farther apart the classes are. For example, a YK noble might have to apologize for insulting a Melnibonean, while a Merchant (urbanite) might be handed over to a torturer, and a farmer executed on the spot.


Changing Class - Characters of higher class can become lower class by choice (ie slumming temporarily) or by misfortune, ie stripped of the rank due to failing their sovereign or native land. Lower class characters may move up one rank by doing two things.

First, they need to choose a profession of the rank desired and learn the skills of that profession.

Second, they need to pay a guild 1000 coins of the currency of the rank to which they aspire. 

For example, a beggar wanting to become a warrior has to obtain the skills (First weapon x 5%, second x 4%, third at x3%, Ride at x 4%), and may have to pay for training if necessary, gather the requisite gear (weapons and armor), and pay a warrior’s guild 1000 LB. 

If a character wants to skip several levels, ie a Beggar wants to become a King, they have to pay 1000 x the number of levels jumped, plus gain the requisite skills, AND engineer the in-game narrative events leading to that change. A Beggar wanting to be a King would have to get the skills, pay 5000 LG (yikes), AND engineer some skullduggery to get that position. And still they would have to face treachery or opposition from outraged NPCs who hate the 'uppity' character.

Game Style

The Game Style suggests what type of adventures the character is suited for. This is not meant to be prescriptive, but as a guide for GMs and players, and the style of game is of course up to players & GM to decide.


Epic, or Elric Mode - In this style, the main focus is power and the cosmic struggle, with the following tenets.

• The powers that be are morally ambiguous, and will do anything to win.

• There is usually lots of discussion and investigation, and characters do not attack while parlaying. Combat is sparse and avoiding it to focus on the goal is the norm. NPC mooks or henchmen should be used as damage sponges where possible.

• Adventures are usually sagas stretching over multiple sessions, involving massing armies, travelling to exotic locales to gather objects of power, parlaying with treacherous nobles or sorcerers, and using magic to travel between realms and challenge the gods themselves!

• Any territory or objects of power obtained change the gameworld permanently, and may be met with repercussions.

Pulp, or Moonglum Mode - This style focuses on small scale capers and adventures against clearcut foes, with the following expectations.

• One shot, episodic adventures in which characters band together to search for treasure or fight evil.

• Enemies are black and white, with an occasional reversal or twist adding to the excitement.

• Magic is considered dangerous and evil, and is used with caution.

• Any wealth obtained is half squandered by the time the next adventure begins.

• Should include copious amounts of combat, stealth, treasure and carousing afterwards.

Note that Epic characters can play in Pulp games and vis versa, but are bound by restrictions on Wealth and Magic below.

Wealth

Abstract wealth (High classes) - Higher class characters in Epic adventures do not need to track money, and so long as the character is in their place (ie civilized part of their nation), they usually can obtain whatever reasonable gear they need.

• However, if an Epic character is cut off from their support, either by calamity during an Epic adventure or participation in a Pulp adventure, they roll starting money in their currency and can buy equipment or hire henchmen with that. For instance, a YK Noble who goes adventuring will roll starting money in Large Gold instead of Large Bronze.

• While adventuring, higher class characters are vulnerable to robbery and other loss of equipment.

• High class characters using abstract wealth WILL NOT give money willy nilly to poorer characters. They may hire them for INT x their currency a day. For instance, a Noble hiring a warrior and a beggar will pay the warrior INT x Large Bronze a day, while the beggar will receive INT x Small Bronze a day.

Concrete Wealth (Lower classes) - Lower class characters always need to track money, and must always pay or otherwise obtain any gear they need.

• While adventuring, lower class characters are vulnerable to robbery and other loss of equipment.

• Lower class characters CANNOT simply borrow wealth from high class characters who use abstract wealth. They may be hired for INT x their currency a day, as above. This inequality should spur lower class characters to accumulate enough wealth to change their class and improve their income.

Magic

This means that characters can use magic appropriate to their background.

• Nobles can try to become Agents of their deity.

• Elemental Priest Sorcerers can summon the elemental of their deity, or call on their deity for aid as per the Elan rules.

• Chaotic sorcerers can try to summon demons, or risk calling on their deity for aid as per the Elan rules.

• Lawful Priests or Agents can make or use Virtues, and may summon Elementals or call on their deity. They generally avoid using Demons unless in great need or explicitly permitted to do so. 

• Lower class characters wanting to use magic can either have it gifted (but will still need to bind it with a POW x POW roll), or may alternately increase their social standing and learn the requisite skills to become a Sorcerer, or Noble if they want to apply to be an Agent.

Note that some may cry foul that Agents are limited to Nobles, but all I can say is

Emperor Elric

Duke Dorian Hawkmoon

Prince Corum Jhealen Irsei

Bonds

Most characters are born bonded to their people and place, which comes with attendant benefits and drawbacks.

• They can expect support and civility from NPCs of the same class, nationality, or church, but will be exiled and hounded should they betray their bond.

• The table entries give groups they are especially loyal to, and can be rewarded for protecting or punished for betraying or neglecting.

• They are expected to follow the commands of their liege and protect their nation. Failure to do so can lead to exile, imprisonment, or a death sentence depending on the severity of the betrayal.

• The Dispossessed may not have obligations, but cannot expect any civility or support either.

Do You Need These Rules?

One of the big draws of Stormbringer for me is the real authentic sense of place and people it conveys by the great descriptions, effects of nationality, and of course inspirations from the fiction. If you want the same thing, consider implementing this as a GM guide rather than canon that must be followed slavishly. 

What of Hawkmoon's World?

You could definitely adapt this for Tragic Europe, but it is a sunny Sunday in the waning days of summer and I intend to spend it with sonny.

Take care!

CoC Player Innovations

This Call of Cthulhu game I am running now really has my blood pumping!

Players are bringing their A-game, and so far they have made 2 innovations that have blown my mind.

1) SAN AS MORALE

I mentioned this before, but a player had the bright idea to use SAN as morale. One of the 3 investigators had just taken a slash from the leader of 4 knife wielding cult thugs. A cowardly PC ran off, while the 2 remaining pulled their guns and managed to wing their assailant.

How would we determine if the gunfire would scare off the thugs?

One player chimed in that we could use SAN. If they succeeded, they would realize it was crazy to bring knives to a gunfight. If they failed, they would charge into gunfire. They passed, and naturally fled the scene.

I only realized later on reflection how genius this decision is.

In Call of Cthulhu especially, SAN is an important resource. Ironically, cultists and their ilk have less of it, and thus are more likely to disregard danger in their service to their dark gods. Normal NPCs, however, are more likely to make the sane choice of running from danger. This means cultists and their ilk are more likely to keep coming in the face of superior firepower, which the PCs often have.

This is a Grad A+ houserule that I am keeping.

2) OUTSOURCE RESEARCH

One of the possibly tedious procedures of CoC is research, namely rolling for success repeatedly over days. This is why the Gunshoe system used in Trail of Cthulhu does away with rolls for clues in favour of automatic clues based on abilities.

My players went a step further.

One of them spent a morning researching, but wanted to go adventuring the next day. His solution? Rock up to the university and hire grad students.

As a former broke grad student, I can affirm that this is brilliant. Said player's character quickly got sliced up in an altercation, and the week he is in hospital students have done all his homework for him. He is out $5 a day for 3 grad students for 7 days, on total $105, but with a sheaf of clues to go on.

Worth every penny!

CONCLUSION

Call of Cthulhu 1-6E is an old mechanical system. However, my players are showing that with a bit of thought on how to connect the flesh of roleplaying to the mechanical bones of the D100 system they can make useful innovations. And Keepers should be just as willing to snag a player suggested houserule for their arsenal as they are to implement their own.

TGIF!

CoC Rules Secrets & Surprises

As I noted with Stormbringer, a lot of the rules were fuzzy in my head from years away working, or else there were little tidbits of rules sequestered in different parts of the rulebook I had missed. I am finding much the same phenomenon with Call of Cthulhu, so here are the things that are standing out to me as I do my prep.

PARRY

You only get ONE chance a round at this, as opposed to multiple parries at cumulative 20% penalties in Stormbringer. Makes sense for Lovecraft as opposed to fantasy. Also, having parrying objects take damage also fits the genre, as opposed to weapons that only break on fumbles or criticals. Finally, not being able to parry Grapple is an interesting choice that I agree with as a martial artist.

DODGE

Surprising that this has two uses, as a kind of reflex save AND in combat. For the former, it is a good choice, but muddled in The Haunting by the DEX x 5% rolls to avoid falling. Just use the skill fellows! Allowing characters to try and dodge only the first bullet in a round is hilarious and very a propos.

In combat, having to choose between Attack & Parry OR Dodge & Parry has always been what I like about Chaosium games. I'll have to explain this well to my D&Ders.

IMPALES

I find it weird that with Impales, ie rolling 1/5 of skill with blades and bullets, you get this HUGE effect of doing double damage dice, but there is no equivalent advantage with blunt weapons. That is unless you apply the K.O. rule, which allows a roll of damage vs POW to knock out foes hit on a similar 1/5 of skill success. Since there is no mention of the need to call a K.O., I'll just assume that ANY critical with a blunt weapon has a chance to K.O. if the POW vs damage roll is failed. The low damage of blunt weapons vs high POW of characters should prevent this from being overpowered.

LARGE OPPONENTS

The rule with opponents over SIZ 30 giving human sized attackers +5% for every +10 SIZ is interesting considering the monsters they'll eventually face. Would also be worth porting to Stormbringer when facing dragons (20D8 SIZ, average 42) or similar creatures.

MARTIAL ARTS

I find this skill lackluster - you just get double damage if your roll is both a successful personal attack and under the Martial Art skill. Ho hum.

As a blackbelt in karate who has tried other styles, I would propose the following alternative rule:

Hard Striking Style (ie karate, sanda) - On a successful fist or foot attack AND Martial Arts roll, allows double damage die as above, also does normal damage on a successful parry.

Soft Striking Style (ie taichi, aikido) - On a successful defense (parry or dodge) AND Martial Arts roll, can also roll an attack, even if they have already attacked or are being defensive that round (ie parry and dodge only). Remember, characters can parry and dodge OR attack and parry in a round. This is a bit like the Stormbringer Riposte rule. Damage is NOT doubled, however.

Throwing (ie judo, jijitsu) - On a successful Grapple AND Martial Arts roll, can immediately apply the 2nd round effects (ie KO, immobilize, strangle etc) as per rulebook instead of waiting for the 2nd turn. If the Grapple succeeds but Martial Art fails, resolve effects as normal, ie over 2 rounds.

Of course, you could go through different styles of martial arts and make different combinations of the above effects, but it would be clunky and hardly worth the effort.

Stormbringer Redux # 22 - Virtues, Elementals, 1E Demons Oh My!

As I read through my old tea-stained (I hope it's tea...) copy of Stormbringer 1E, I can't help shake the feeling that I have missed something about the old powers. To be honest, my grasp of the mechanics for the three powers (Elementals, Virtue, and Demons) is tenuous at best after all these years. Added to that, I think my review of 4E demon mechanics kind of threw the baby out with the bathwater by overlooking the simpler mechanics of 1E demons. It is a lot like eschewing D&D for AD&D and all its splatbooks, then realizing later how much fun can be had with a simpler and more elegant ruleset.

VIRTUES OF LAW

Admittedly, no one ever used this in a Stormbringer game I have run or played in. More's the pity! Still, I would modify the particulars a little to emulate the source fiction better.

1. PREREQUISITES

Although the rulebook states those trying need only be a Priest or Champion who is also a Sorcerer, something doesn't sit right with me about having Lawful sorcerers. Yes, Myshella was called the Sorceress of Law, but her castle had psychedelic mind defences, she rode a clockwork bird, and the Noose of Flesh she drops on Theleb K'aarna and his followers comes from a pink dust that could just be some sort of futuristic bio-weapon.

So let's add some super-science pizzaz to Virtues!

The prerequisites for making a Virtue thus would be:

1) Champion or Priest of Law
2) Master of the relevant Craft skill (90% or higher)
3) INT and POW of 16 or more each
4) The time (1D6 months), tools, materials, and workspace in which to construct the Virtue

2. PROCEDURE

First, let's strip out all the wonky INT x 5% rolls and use a Skill - heaven forbid! In this case, a Craft skill (see below)

Note that I have to say I do not like the Questioning function of Virtues. First off, the bonuses are not worth it (+1D6% to a weapon skill or +1D10% to Dodge, ho hum), and could be added to weapon skills or Dodge in armor instead. Also, there is no questioning allowed for Virtues of Travel, and the Virtue of Knowledge seems both more Chaotic and stymies roleplaying by negating the need for information gathering via interaction with NPCs. Instead, I would keep only the Embody, which I would consider rather forging or construction of the Virtue.

The character must make a successful roll on the appropriate Craft skill. Time taken is 1D6 months undisturbed in their workspace with the necessary materials and tools, as mentioned. Needed skills are as follows:

Virtue of Attack - Appropriate weapon Craft (Swordsmith, Bowyer, or Blacksmith)
Virtue of Defense - Appropriate Craft (Armor Craft if armor, Carpenter if door)
Virtue of Travel (ie clockwork animal) - New skill, Tinker Craft
Virtue of Knowledge - I would scrap this as it reeks of Chaos and reliance on magic while Law is supposed to rely more on the skill of people. It also stymies roleplaying as noted above. I suppose you could make this into a magic mirror, I-ching board, Magic Eight Ball or something, but I would drop it.

Success levels could also be as follows:

Critical success: Time is halved, Virtue POW is 4D6+4
Success: Normal success, Virtue POW is 4D6
Failure: Time is wasted, must start over
Fumble: Mishap in the workspace, time, materials, and tools are all destroyed

3. EFFECTS

Virtue of Attack - If successful, weapon has the following attributes:

1) Always does maximum damage (no roll necessary)
2) Gives + 1D6% to Attack and Parry using the weapon (one time roll when first used, percentage fixed after that)
3) Always makes a POW vs POW against target it hits, kills the target if successful. Works against mortal creatures and demons, but not gods.
4) If broken, can be reforged if 90% of the weapon remains

Virtue of Defense - If successful, armor or shield has the following attributes:

1) Always protects its maximum value (no roll necessary)
2) Gives + 1D10% to Dodge when in armor (one time roll when first used, percentage fixed after that)
3) If hit by a demon weapon, soaks up damage equal to its POW before passing on to the wearer.
4) If broken, can be reforged if 90% of the weapon remains

If a door, it also does the following:

1) Only opens to the proper password
2) If a demon tries to go through, break it, or teleport past it, they must make a POW vs POW roll or die.
3) I would also make it immune to mundane weapons

Virtue of Travel - If successful, clockwork animal has the following powers:

1) Wooden: + 3 armor, double damage from fire
2) Stone: + 4 armor, double Hit Points, 1/2 speed, cannot fly
3) Metal: + 5 armor, double Hit Points, 2/3 speed

I would also rule that these creatures can also damage Demons if sufficient damage is rolled.

GM'S may reward creativity when fighting these animals, ie +1 damage when using fire against wood or a hammer against stone, or ability to sink metal animals into water.

4. VIRTUES VS ELEMENTALS

In the original rules there is no mention of Virtue effects on Elementals. I would rule that, in a situation where a Virtue would normally destroy a Demon, the owning player or GM rolls a POW x 5% for the Virtue. If it succeeds, the Elemental is sent back to its plane. If it fails, the Elemental survives or bypasses the door. However, banishing elementals may gain the enmity of the Elemental Ruler who would try to hinder the creator or wielder.

ELEMENTAL ARMS & ARMOR

Since I've already done a review of the process for summoning these entities in a previous post and found no objections, I will pass on to the interesting bit.

NOTE ON BINDING ELEMENTALS & DEMONS - ACTIVE & PASSIVE

As I noted previously, there are two types of binding - Active and Passive. Active means the entity is housed in an object, but comes out fully formed. This is like a genii in a lamp or demon from a ring. Passive means the entity cannot leave the object, but instead lends its power to it. Examples are demon armor, an elemental weapon, or a magic piece of clothing. 

1. PROCEDURE

As noted, I scrapped the fiddly POW gain roll for a Sorcery roll with the following effects.

Gaining POW from Binding

Sorcery Roll                 Effect

Critical success                                     Gain 2 POW,

(ie 1/10 of chance)                                                    Elemental is bound into object

Normal success                             Gain 1 POW, Elemental is bound

Failure                                             No change in POW, Elemental escapes

Fumble (ie roll of 99-00)         Lose 1 POW, Elemental escapes,

                                                                                Lord is insulted

2. SAMPLE EFFECTS

I don't want to give an exhaustive list of Elemental items, weapons, and armor because I think each GM and player can come up with some great stuff. Moreover, making a preset list would deviate from the objective of Stormbringer Redux, which is to hit that sweet spot of narrative and not replace the OSR style creative tools with boring prescriptive mechanical items.

The only rules I would put on Elementals bound into objects are:

1) The material must be able to hold the Elemental (ie a salamander in a shirt is a flaming shirt as per the rulebook)
2) Armor and weapons must have a combat use
3) Other items are limited to one elemental power but increased in power or range, and should reflect the professions protected by the elemental cult
4) Elementals don't think about the safety of the wielder, so should be used with caution

Here is one combat and one non-combat item example for each element.

AIR

Shield of Winds - Blows all mundane arrows and missiles off target.
Horn of Hearing - Can be used to hear conversations far away, at the limit of eyesight.

FIRE

Flamesword - Does an extra 1D6 in flame damage, 75% chance of igniting flammable objects, wielder must have fire protective gloves and sheath.
Healing Stone - An obsidian rock that can  heal 1D6 points of damage from open cuts by cauterizing them. Must be used before any First Aid.

EARTH

Boots of Grome - Lets the wearer walk at normal speed through ANY terrain (mud, vegetation, rocky).
Hammer of the Earth God - Can do 3D6 damage once per combat, but goes last that round. Also, can cause a mini-quake once a day requiring all around to make a Balance roll to avoid falling down.

WATER

Torc of Strassha - This metal circlet goes around the neck and lets the wearer breath underwater at any depth, as well as talk to sea mammals.
Trident of the Sea - The wielder can breathe underwater and move without penalty.

1E DEMONS

So I dismissed 1E demons right off the bat for being too simplistic and the rules too muddled. Let's try and dial it back and make them usable.

Summoning will use the Sorcery skill and binding a POW x POW as previously outlined. Since the powers of demon weapons and the demons themselves are inextricably linked, I am forced to look at both Active or whole demons and Passive ones bound into items.

1. CREATING 1E LESSER DEMONS

Once again I take issue with the rulebook's insistence that a sorcerer needs to "summon the correct demon for the job." This negates the delicious randomness of Chaos and gives the PCs too much agency wielding a power which they are supposed to be fearful of. Also, the whole process of adding up the character's attributes and assigning points is an unnecessary rigamarole. Finally, the type of demon (Combat, Travel, etc) should give them the abilities to do their job.

Instead, let's let nature do the heavy lifting and base all our demon appearances on the variety of the animal kingdom. Note that you could extend it to fungi or other kingdoms if you want to get weirder. We will also use as much rulebook material as possible with as little addition as can be managed.

First, choose the type of demon you are summoning. Demons of Combat and Desire may be chosen as humanoid by default, but you can ignore and roll randomly for fun. Demons of Travel can be chosen based on medium, ie fly for flying and fish for in water.

Then, roll the type of animal it is based on (1D12). All are human sized. This is a basic table and can be expanded as the GM wishes.

1 Cnidaran - A jellyfish hovering in air, poisonous tendrils have a potency equal to CON.
2 Crustacean - A crablike thing, armored carapace of 5 armor, claws do 1D8+1 damage.
3 Arachnid - Spiderlike, walks on walls, shoots web of STR equal to POW.
4 Myriapod - Centipede, has 2 points armor, legs coated with paralyzing poison equal to CON in potency.
5 Insect - Can fly, cannot be surprised.
6 Fish - Swims in a floating glob of alien water, hard to hit (half skill), has 1 point scale armor.
7 Amphibian - Frog or newtlike, can survive on land or in water, 50% lethally poisonous skin equal to CON in potency.
8 Mollusk - Giant shellfish, shell gives 8 armor.
9 Humanoid - Monkey, ape, or manlike, can use weapons.
10 Snake - Long serpent, 50/50 chance of being poisonous (potency equals CON) or constrictor DEX x 5% constrict Attack, does 2D8 per turn, needs DEX x 3% roll and small weapon to fight.
11 Lizard - Immune to heat attacks, prehensile tongue or tail lash does 1D8.
12 Horror- Disembodied eyeball, flaming skeleton, Lovecraftean thing, whatever comes to mind.
NB: All non-combat demons can do one 1D6 damage attack by default, have Attack at DEX x 3% and Dodge and Parry at STR x 3%. For Demons of Combat or Protection, skills are raised to x 5% instead.

Next, roll its attributes using 3D8 for each.

Then, roll its demonic power on [5.7.1.4] to give it a Demonic Ability (1D10)

Finally, roll on [7.4.6.1] to give it a Special Chaotic Ability (1D20).

SAMPLE DEMON

Let's roll a sample demon just for fun. We won't choose demon type yet, this is just an experiment to see what kind of results we get.

Demon Appearance - Rolled a 2, so a crustacean, crablike thing
Name - Let's take a crabby name and turn it around. Ret'sim Sbark!
STR 16    CON 15    SIZ 18    INT 18    POW 20    DEX 17    CHA 17
Demon Power: Rolled 3, so Strength Drain
Chaos Ability: Rolled 1, so Invisibility
Notes: Has 5 pt armor and claws doing 1D8+1 damage, Attack 51% (85% if demon fighter or guardian), Parry 48% (80% if demon fighter or guardian), Dodge 51% (85% if demon fighter or guardian).

This would be a totally dangerous monster in its own right, but could easily be a great Demon of Combat or Protection. Perfect for Stormbringer!

Now let's see how it would function as one of the Demon Types if either Summoned (ie one use), Active Bound (ie in an object but coming out when called) or Passive Bound (ie melded inside an object). The original rules are fiddly and all over the place, so hopefully by applying them to this demon we can see how the system works.

DEMON OF COMBAT
All have +1D8 to STR and DEX.

• Summoned - (Demon Fighter) This demon shows up, fights, then disappears. The rulebook tells us it also gets STR + SIZ damage bonus (in this case +1D6), plus bite at 1D10.
• Active - (Demon Fighter) Once again, it comes out of the binding object, fights as above, then returns if not destroyed.
• Passive - (Demon Weapon) It is subsumed into a weapon. The wielder gets +1% to Attack for every 4 DEX and +1D6 damage per every 10 STR. In this case, that is + 4% Attack and +1D6 damage for our crab demon. When demon weapons Parry or are Parried they have a damage rolled percentage of breaking a normal weapon. Also, I would allow the weapon to use its demon abilities, so it could be invisible (half chance to be parried) and drain 1D6 strength when it wounds a foe. I would forego the POW x POW roll for Strength Drain in weapon form, but require it in all others.

NB: This was very convoluted! Between the Invisibility and Strength Drain, this demon is a real beast, much better than what I rolled with the 4E system I cobbled together. Also, no CON cost as the demon sticks around to eat people. Note that I added bonuses to attributes to emulate sorcerer's putting extra points into important areas. 

DEMON OF PROTECTION
All have +1D8 to STR and DEX.

• Summoned - (Bodyguard) Sticks around for one day protecting the summoner or someone he orders protected.
• Active - (Guardian) Bound in an object, usually a statue. Warns any interlopers to leave before attacking. Has one Wardpact. Cannot leave the area they guard. I suggest the Wardpact go undecided at creation, but to choose it when a dangerous weapon is faced. Otherwise as Demon Fighters.
• Active - (Spirit Ward) Has +1D8 INT. Is intangible, can only be attacked by magic. Can cast Illusions at own INT minus victim's INT x5%. Results are below:
  
  Critical Success: Intruder is fooled, loses 1 INT and wanders away empty handed.
  Success: Intruder is fooled, wanders away empty handed.
  Failure: Intruder sees through the illusion, can oppose POW vs POW (see below)
  Critical Failure: Intruder sees through the illusion, can now fight the Guardian if holding magic weapons.
  
  For POW vs POW roll, intruders can add POW together if all are Sorcerers or Nobles. Intruder results are below:
  Critical Success: Intruders win, each participant gains one POW, Spirit Ward is destroyed or banished.
  Success: Intruders win, Spirit Ward is destroyed or banished.
  Failure: Intruders are defeated, half their POW is absorbed by Spirit Ward. This dissipates after a week save for one POW, which stays permanently.
  Critical Failure: Intruders die of psychic agony, half their POW is absorbed by Spirit Ward. This dissipates after a week save for one POW, which stays permanently.
  
  
• Passive - (Demon Armor or Shield) Has +1D8 CON. Armor value is equal to demon CON. Can be damaged by normal weapons, but these have a 50% chance to break when attacking. Also, if attacked by another demon weapon, loses HP from CON, but gets a POW save for half damage.
• Passive - (Demon Barrier, Wall or Door) Has +1D8 CON. Demon walls are impassable, but can be damaged by demon or other magic weapons. Demon doors only allow creatures of lesser SIZ. Normal weapons can damage the demon's CON (Hit Points?) if have a 50% chance of breaking against them. If unauthorized person passes through, roll POW vs POW. If they win, barrier dies. If barrier wins, they die and it gets half their POW. This extra POW dissipates after a week, but 1 POW point stays permanently. Needs INT 7 to talk. 

NB: This was a tangly mess of a rules section, but with our crab demon on guard, any sorcerer looks unstoppable. Note that I added bonuses to attributes to emulate sorcerer's putting extra points into important areas. Also, I tried to flesh out the Spirit Ward section and make it truer to Moorcock's writings, while making it a fairer competition.

DEMON OF KNOWLEDGE
Has +1D8 INT

• Summoned - Demon shows up, has INT x 5% chance of knowing what is asked, but answers cryptically. Demon will not fight, runs away.
• Active - As above, reusable. Costs 1-3 CON per question depending on its importance, demon returns to its plane. Examples:
  1 CON - Where is a mundane item (ie weapons, a hidden door)
  2 CON - How to get supernatural aid or mortal allies sufficient to help
  3 CON - How to stop the big bad.
• Passive - As above, reusable, demon subsumed into mirror or crystal ball. Costs 1 CON per question, demon returns to its plane.

NB: Knowledge Demons will not fight under any circumstances, only 1 can be bound at a time. I added the CON costs to bring these demons in line with Demons of Desire, which also have costs to use.

DEMON OF TRAVEL

• Summoned - (Gateway Opener) This demon opens a gateway, then disappears, if the GM wants it to happen. The alternate dimension may affect magic items etc if it is ruled by forces other than Chaos.
• Active - (Teleporter) Invisible and immaterial. Teleport skill is DEX x 3%. Costs 1 CON to teleport regardless of success or failure, when CON is 0 demon is destroyed / returned to its dimension. This demon can teleport on the plane and bring an object or creature equal to SIZ. I would ignore the teleportation mishaps as too punitive and instead roll on the following table:
  
  Critical Success: Appear exactly where they want, in an advantageous position.
  Success: Appear where they want.
  Failure: Appear far from where they want to be, demon is too exhausted to teleport again for 1D4 days. Must travel on foot or other mundane means.
  Critical Failure: Appear far from where they want, and in a disadvantageoues or dangerous position.

• Passive (Teleporter) As above but can be bound into an object.
• Passive - (Transporter) STR and SIZ are doubled. This demon is subsumed into a vehicle, probably one made of shell in the case of our crab demon. Should also be able to travel in the appropriate fashion, ie fly or sail, burrow as need be. Costs 1 CON to ride regardless of distance, when CON is 0 demon is destroyed / returned to its dimension. 

NB: This was very fiddly on the surface, but made better sense upon writing down. I added the CON cost of teleporting to bring the mechanic into line with Demons of Desire, who also have a cost and thus are a limited but powerful resource.

DEMON OF DESIRE
CHA is doubled. This is basically a genii, gets you what you ask for but is capricious. If overtaxed (ie object larger in SIZ than its STR), demon is returned to its plane. Wishes cost 1 CON for mundane objects, 3 CON for magical, and 1D10 CON to shapeshift the asker. Demon returns to its plane when CON reaches 0.

• Summoned - Grants one boon, then disappears.
• Active - Reusable, but disappears when CON is reduced to 0 or overtaxed as above.
• Passive - Subsumed into a ring or statue. Reusable, but disappears when CON is reduced to 0 or overtaxed as above.

NB: This was fiddly, but having a premade demon makes it a bit easier to visualize. With 15 CON, our demon will get a lot of uses out of it. 

DEMON OF POSSESSION
POW gets an extra 1D8. Are immaterial and invisible. Can only possess creatures of lower POW, and must win a POW vs POW battle. When possessing a body, they can only use its STR, CON, and DEX. They must make a POW vs POW roll to possess a body. They are happy to be slain and returned to their plane. If they leave a body, it becomes mindless until its soul is returned to it.

• Summoned - They stay in the body one day.
• Active - They stay until the body is slain or their master tells them to return to their object or take a different body.
• Passive - They stay until the body is slain or their master tells them to return to their object or take a different body.

NB: Demons cannot possess anyone who has their binding object. Also, there is no real difference between Active and Passive Demons of Possession.

CONCLUSION

Seeing Virtues, Elemental, and Demons side by side like this, it is easy to see that all three offer certain advantages and protections. Of course, Demon Weapons & Armor are the strongest of the 3, but this is par for the course in a chaotic world like The Young Kingdoms. As for procedures, I really like the the streamlined procedure for Virtues and leaving Elementals untouched. As for Demons, substituting a quick random demon generation & choice of demon type for the convoluted math of adding attributes and divvying up points seems a fair trade to me.

Note that if I had the computer skills I'd make a Stormbringer random generator for demons. Would save oodles of time, could be programmed with more demon abilities and descriptions.

Sources

https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/biological-classification/611149/media?assemblyId=195075