Stormbringer Redux # 15 (part four, final) Lesser & Greater Demons

Summoning lesser demons in Stormbringer is what my Brit friends might call a 'sticky wicket.' There are basically three things to consider:

1) The charming but incomplete early rules (1-3E)

2) The detailed but bloated point buy of later rules (4E)

4) The original fiction

Each of these has their peculiarities. I want to keep the 1E demon types (Warrior, Guardian, Transport, Knowledge, Passion), as these have a certain charm and could be inferred based on the demons Moorcock describes. As for the 4E demon point-buy system, although I appreciate the legwork done by the designers, I find it a clunky consumer catalogue that slows down the game. Moreover, I dislike the 4E assertion that the summoner has complete control over the entity summoned, especially this farcical fast food analogy from the designer:

Imagine this as if you were going out to eat at a restaurant. If you pull up to the Drive-Thru window at a fast food joint your food will only take minutes to arrive, but it is cooked the same as everyone else’s, you can never be sure you got what you ordered until you look into the bag, and once you have checked your order you are 15 miles away, and it is too late to complain. However if you go to a fancy gourmet restaurant, you can have your meal cooked as you like it, waiters are constantly pestering you to make sure the food is alright, and if something is wrong with the meal you can have it fixed as you go. [5.3.1.1]

This is pretty crude reasoning, first and foremost because it conflicts with Moorcock's fiction, where mortals beg for arcane help, but have no say in its shape or form. Elric doesn't 'order' an Arioch set with a side of Beast Lord to go, he cries out in need and takes what he can get. In Corum's world, the Nadragh sorcerer Ertil also has to beg to be heard, and the demon Yrkoon is irritated at being summoned so often by him:

Yrkoon: "You summoned me again, Ertil."

Ertil: "Yrkonn, we need more help from your master, Mabelrode."

Yrkoon: "More help? More?"

Ertil: "We work for him! Without us, you would have no means of reaching this realm at all."

Second, point-buy detracts from good roleplaying, because it is open to abusive power gaming. In fact, giving players complete control over demons seems to contradict the designer's own advice:

The point of designing the demon is not always to design the most powerful demon possible by bending the rules. [5.6.1]

To defuse this situation and return to emulating Moorcock's writing, I suggest that for lesser demons the GM should either 1) have a concept in mind and build it from the options below and his own imagination or 2) roll randomly and adjust as needed.

4b) Type 2 Demons - Lesser Demons

Lesser demons are the demons proper of Stormbringer summoning. The majority of lesser demons are completely alien in origin, although some rare instances of humans raised to the position by a Chaos Lord can be found (see Yrkoon from the Corum Chronicles). Arioch did promise to make Elric a god at one point, so I assume that this principle also works for the Young Kingdoms. Lesser demons can also be avatars of Chaos Lords, as when a puppet form of Arioch devoured the guards in Cymoril's chambers to let Elric escape at the start of The Dreaming City.

1) How to Summon - These are summoned as per the rules using the Sorcery Skill above, plus the Sacrifice, Binding, and Object rules given below.

1.1 Grimoires

Although in Moorcock's Elric books he often mentions Elric or Yrkoon's grimoires, these are largely overlooked in the RPG. The only mention of a grimoire in the rules is [5.3.2], where studying one for 40-INT months (why?) and making a POW x 3% roll (why not INT?) gives an increase to the sorcerer's rank.

Ho hum.

First of all, Elric summons elementals without need of a tome. I'd like to keep non-demonic magic simple in this way.

Here is my simple mechanic to emulate the importance of grimoires.

1) Sorcerers need a grimoire for every demon type they want to summon. When the sorcerer is created, if he or she is Second rank or above, he starts with a grimoire for the first type of demon (Warrior, Protection, Knowledge, Travel, or Desire) he summons. To summon any other type, the sorcerer needs to procure a grimoire by adventuring.

2) Sorcerers need a grimoire for each Lord of Chaos, Beast Lord, or Elemental Ruler they want to summon.

3) Sorcerers need a grimoire to increase their rank if their attributes allow it, as per the original rules. However, switch the POW x 3% roll to a Sorcery skill roll.

1.2 Sacrifices When Summoning Demons

For non-noble sorcerers, summoning a demon requires the summoner to sacrifice another being, or a more personal sacrifice. This is seen more in the Corum books than in Elric:

Glandyth-A-Krae: "I want power, demon! Power to destroy Corum and Law's rule on this plane, demon! Give me that power, demon!"

Yrkoon: "I cannot give you power, I can only tell you how to get it. If you like more of Chaos' gifts, you will assume the attributes of all those who accept such gifts. Are you prepared to become what you loathe?"

Glandyth-A-Krae: "What is that?"

Yrkoon: "A shefanhow! A demon. I was human once."

Glandyth-A-Krae: "I'll make any bargain to have my revenge on Corum and his kind!"

1.3 Types of Sacrifices for Summoning & Binding Objects

Non-Noble sorcerers must make the following sacrifices when summoning lesser demons:

Warrior - The life of a warrior, be it friend or foe. The demon's physical attributes (STR, CON, and DEX) are also limited to no more than those of the sacrifice, so the healthier the sacrifice the better. For binding, a weapon or armor of at least 1000 SS value is also required.

Protection - The life of a faithful pet they have raised. Most common are dogs, cats, or crocodiles. The demon's physical attributes (STR, CON, and DEX) are limited to those of the sacrifice, so the healthier the sacrifice the better. For binding, a statue of the sacrifice of at least 1000 SS value is also required.

Knowledge - A trained intelligent animal or slave. The demon's mental attributes (INT and CHA) are limited to those of the sacrifice, so the healthier the sacrifice the better. For binding, a reflective object (mirror, orb, crystal, etc) of at least 1000 SS value is also required.

Travel - A coin of great value, such as a Melnibonean wheel or high karat stone, which is consumed in the summoning. Should require great travails or quests to obtain. For binding, a vehicle of at least 1000 SS value is also required.

Passion - A charismatic person. The demon's relevant physical attributes (CON and CHA) and gender are limited to those of the victim sacrificed, so the kidnapping of beautiful youths for summoning succubi or incubi has become a scourge of chaotic nations. For binding, a piece of jewellery (ring, necklace, torc, bracelet, etc) of at least 1000 SS value is also required.

(Note: Binding object prices are in Small Silver (SS) and not Large Bronze (LB) because Merchants are the lowest class capable of becoming sorcerers. Since in a previous post I linked social class to wealth, the merchant coinage of SS seems reasonable for pricing weapons or armor strong enough to hold demons).

1.4 Sacrifice & Social Class

As mentioned above, if the sorcerer is of imperial or royal blood from a Chaotic nation, they are exempt from making a sacrifice. Elric often merely offers as many souls as they can take to demons, and neither sacrifices others or himself for his summonings of Arioch. I find this principle of noble exception in keeping with the source material, and gives a good reason why Mabden sorcerers like Thelab Karna envy Melniboneans.

In keeping with this, Noble sorcerers from Chaotic lands do not need to make any overt sacrifice, but will be played by Chaos in return for any aid they receive. Unlike Glandyth and his Nadragh sorcerer, Elric didn't make any immediate sacrifices to obtain demonic aid, but ended up paying in other ways. 

2) Demon Attributes & Skills

The more powerful the sorcerer, the more powerful demon he or she can summon. Therefore, I am linking demon attributes to the sorcerer's POW to reduce calculations or dice rolling.

2.1 All demons have three types of attributes

1) POW, which is 3D8 unless an increase to POW is randomly rolled.

2) Major attributes, determined by their demon type below, which are equal to the sorcerer's POW.

3) Minor attributes, determined by their demon type below, are equal to half  the sorcerer's POW.

2.1.1 Major and Minor Attributes

Warrior - Major are STR, CON, SIZ, and DEX, all else Minor.

Guardian - Major are STR, CON, DEX and INT, all else Minor.

Knowledge - Major are INT and CHA, all else Minor.

Transport - Major are STR, SIZ, and CON, all else Minor.

Passion - Major are CHA, INT, and DEX, all else Minor. 

(Reminder: If the summoner is not a Chaotic noble, demons he or she summons will have attributes restricted to the values of their sacrifices as outlined above.)

All other attributes are equal to how much POW the summoner spends on the summoning, with a maximum limited by the attribute of the sacrifice given as outlined above.

Example

If a Sorcerer of POW 18 summons a Warrior Demon, the POW is determined by rolling 3D8. The demon has STR, CON, DEX, and SIZ of 18, but INT and CHA of 9. Its POW must be rolled on 3D8. If the sorcerer is not a noble, these attributes are also limited by the sacrifice as outlined above.

2.2 Demon Skills

If you don't want to spend time calculating skill percentages, all demon skills should be at 60% unless you need them to be higher or lower. Otherwise, calculate as below:

Warrior - Attack and Dodge at DEX x 3%, Parry at STR x 3%

Guardian - Attack and Dodge at DEX x 3%, Parry at STR x 3%. All Perception skills at INT x 3%.

Knowledge - All Knowledge skills at INT x 3%, all Persuasion skills at CHA x 3%

Transport - Navigate and Make Map at INT x 3%, Dodge at DEX x 3%, any other appropriate movement based skills at relevant attribute x 3%.

Passion - All Communication skills (Persuade, Credit, Orate, Sing) at CHA x 3%, 

3) Demon Abilities

I have taken the liberty (and it has used up my days of liberty) to re-organize and clean up the list of Demonic Powers [5.7.1] from Stormbringer 4E into ten categories: Defense, Melee Offence, Missile Offence, Area Offence, Random, Land Transport, Air Transport, Sea Transport, Psionics, and Sense. Each Lesser Demon has 4 powers, chosen or rolled from the categories below.

Warrior - One Melee Offense, one Missile Offense, one Defence, and one Random power.

Guardian - One Melee Offense, one Area Offense, one Defence, and one Random.

Knowledge - One Psionics, one Defence, one Senses, and one Random.

Transport - One Travel (appropriate to environment), one Defence, one Random, and one Senses.

Passion - Two Psionics, one Random, one Melee Offence.

Area effect attacks do not affect their compatriots.

NB: Ranged powers have an area equal to demon POW, basically affecting anyone engaging in melee.

DEFENCE

1 Acid Blood - Acid sprays if wounded, attackers in melee must make a POW x 3% save or take 1/2 demon POW (round up) max die damage (ie 20 POW is 1D10).

2 Armor - Stops damage of 1/2 demon POW (round up), 50% chance of breaking normal weapons that hit it or wounding barefist attacks against it.

3 Dust Cloud - In a radius of 1/2 demon POW paces, does 1D6 damage and blinds ( -75% to all appropriate skills). CON x 3% to see and avoid damage.

4 Insect Wall - Makes a 1/2 demon POW high and wide wall with 2D6 HP that does 1D6 damage to anyone touching it. Can only be damaged by fire, all other weapons do minimum damage.

5 Lens - Immune to Dazzle, Dust Cloud, or any other blinding attacks.

6 Mist - Makes a 1/2 demon POW high and wide roiling mist, all inside have -50% to visual skills.

7 Regenerate - Regains a die of HP equal to 1/2 demon POW (round down) every round, (ie 20 POW is 1D10).

8 Shadow Void - In a radius of 1/2 demon POW paces, blinds ( -75% to all appropriate skills). 

9 Wall of Flesh - Makes a 1/2 demon POW high and wide wall with 2D6 HP.

10 Wardpact - Immune to one weapon, attack type, or gender (see rulebook for ideas). It is suggested that the GM leave the wardpact undecided until the PCs attack, and thereafter consider it a wardpact against their most powerful weapon.

 

MELEE OFFENCE

1 Claws - Do 1D6 damage.

2 Hands - Human hands, can carry weapons

3 Mouth - Does 1D10 plus damage bonus, Bite skill at DEX x 3%.

4 Stinger - Does 1/2 demon POW (round down) die of piercing damage (ie 20 POW is 1D10) to overcome armor, if sting is successful make a demon POW vs CON save. Failure means PC takes damage equal to demon POW, success means 1.2 damage and immune thereafter.

5 Tentacles - Does 1D8 plus damage bonus, DEX x 3% to hit, or can grapple.

6 Vampire - Does 1D6 damage to a random attribute (1 STR 2 CON 3 SIZ 4 DEX 5 INT 6-7 POW 8 CHA) if attack hits. PC dies if reduced to 0.

7 Weapon - Does 1/2 demon POW (round down) die of damage (ie 20 POW is 1D10) in addition to weapon damage and damage bonus when wielding this (1 axe 2 pike 3 longsword 4 spear 5 bow 6 mace)

8 Shock (from Demon Magic) - Does 1D8 damage when it hits, halved by non-metal armor. Also does damage when parried by a metal weapon.

9 Paralysis  (from Demon Magic) - Paralyzes foe on a hit plus successful POW vs POW roll, CON x 3% to resist.

10 Claws - Do 1D6 damage.

MISSILE OFFENCE

(NB: All ranges are equal to demon POW)

1 Baffle Attack (Spit Venom) - Demon spits narcotic venom at DEX x 3%, must be dodged. Anyone hit is whacked out for POW in rounds, all skills reduced by demon POW x 2%.

2 Darts - Demon launches a mass of darts at DEX x 3% doing 1D3 damage to anyone in a  group, must be dodged.

3 Flame Spout - Demon throws a gout of flames at DEX x 3% doing 1D6 damage to anyone in a  group, must be dodged. Affected area burns for demon STR in rounds.

4 Spitting - Demon launches a glob of disgusting matter at DEX x 3% doing 1D6 damage to an individual, must be dodged.

5 Loathsome Stain Attack (spray) - Demon sprays disgusting matter at DEX x 3%, must be dodged. The spray blinds the target unless saved at POW x 3%, also reduces CHA by 1D10. NB blindness is not permanent.

6 Vomit (acid) - Demon sprays acid at DEX x 3%, must be dodged. The acid destroys any shields or armor it hits, or does 1D6 damage to victims.

AREA OFFENCE

1 Burn Attack (Heatwave) - Demon emits heatwaves doing 1D6 to any in area and have a chance equal to damage rolled of setting flammable objects alight.

2 Dazzle Attack - Demon dazzles anyone in eyesight, causing them to lose 75% from visual skills for POW rounds. Can be avoided by a lucky POW roll, but needs to be rerolled if the target stays in range.

3 Freezing Attack (Cold Field) - Demon emits waves of intense cold doing 1D6 to any in area and have a chance equal to damage rolled of shattering non-magical objects.

4 Plague Attack - Demon emits plague miasma, victims must roll CON vs demon's POW or sicken losing 5 HP and 25% to all skills. While sick, roll CON x 5% every day, lose another 5HP and 25% to skills until they succeed or die. Can be treated with magical or lawful medicines but will require a quest to acquire.

5 Sleep Attack (gas) - Demon emits sleep cloud, victims must roll CON vs demon's POW or fall asleep, are drowsy with DEX - 5 if they succeed.

6 Vapour Attack (poison gas) - Demon emits harmful vapour cloud, victims must roll CON vs demon's POW or take 1D6 damage, or half damage if they succeed.

7 Wasps - Demon emits a cloud of stinging wasps, they ignore armor and do 1D6 damage to anyone within rage.

8 Zap - Demon emits a bolt of electricity, which is attracted to metal armor and does 1D6 damage to one character wearing it within rage, ignoring the armor rating. If no one has metal armor, it also arcs to metal weapons.

 

RANDOM

1 Attributes - Add 1D6 to a random attribute of the demon (1 STR 2 CON 3 SIZ 4 DEX 5 INT 6-7 POW 8 CHA)

2 Healing - Demon heals 1D6 HP from damage to one of its allies.

3 Horde - Demon always comes in groups of 1D100/2. Summoners may choose to summon one if they want to bind it.

4 Knowledge - Demon has Knowledge at INT x 5% about one thing the player characters need to know to progress the adventure. However, details may be vague or cryptic. PCs may ask up to 3 questions.

5 Membrane Shape - Demon can project a wall or bubble of flesh around an ally, giving 1D6 HP protection.

6 Phantom - Demon can become immaterial, only being harmed by magical weapons. Can also make one ally immaterial, but needs to rest a day after doing so.

7 Shape Change - The demon can take on any shape, but does not gain its special powers. It will also need to succeed at Persuade to pass as a human or specific being.

8 Silence - Demon cancels out sound around it. No spells or summonings, or verbal communication may be done.

9 Skills - Choose one skill, and roll 1D100. This is the demon's skill level, and may be added to the current percentage if the demon already had the skill.

10 Transmute - Demon can transmute 1D6 any substance it touches to another. Living targets must make a POW vs POW save to avoid the effect, take 1D6 damage if failed.

11 Webbing - Demon can generate webs of 1D6 HP, which ensnare targets. Multiple webs add HP together. They can be destroyed by cutting weapons. Demons can spin webs at victims at DEX x 3%.

12 Dimension Shift (other planes) - Demon can shift between two planes it has memorized, but not any more. It can carry one passenger of no more than its POW in SIZ, but needs to rest a day after doing so.

 

LAND TRANSPORT

1 Burrowing - Moves through dirt at DEX meters per round, leaves a SIZ shaped tunnel.

2 Caterpillar Feet - Can walk vertically on surfaces, but not upside down. Moves at walking speed.

3 Hopping - Can hop DEX meters on massive legs. If bound, this distance is halved.

4 Legs - As humans.

5 Slug Foot - Moves slower than humans, but can walk vertically on surfaces and upside down.

6 Spider Legs -  Moves faster than humans, and can walk vertically on surfaces and upside down.

 

AIR TRANSPORT

1-2 Bat Wings - Can flap for liftoff or speed, glide and change directions instantly, but cannot fly in rough weather or hover. Can carry rider of up to 1/2 STR in SIZ.

3-4 Bird Wings - Can flap for liftoff or speed, glide silently, but cannot change directions instantly or hover. Can fly in rough weather, and can carry rider of up to 1/2 STR in SIZ.

5-6 Bug Wings - Can flap for liftoff or speed, hover, and change directions instantly. Cannot glide or move silently . Cannot fly in rough weather, but can carry rider of up to 1/2 STR in SIZ. Can buzz opponents, deafening them unless CON x 3% is made.

NB: All flying can do a dive attack that does double damage if it hits, and can juke Dodge equal to Fly skill but using no action. 

TRANSPORT (Sea)

1-2 Boat - Can carry up to 1/2 STR of SIZ passengers riding in it.

3 Whale (new!) - Can carry up to 1/2 STR of SIZ passengers riding inside of it. Any attacks damage the demon first, and it may submerge.

4 Sea Serpent (new!) - Can carry up to 1/2 STR of SIZ passengers riding in the back of it. Makes for a wet ride, no good in storms.

PSIONICS 

(NB: All Psionics require concentration, and the demon can do nothing else while using them)

1 Clairvoyance - One of its sensory organs can move to a place and discern what happens there.

2 Emotional Control - Demon controls the emotions of other creatures. Can be resisted with POW vs Pow. Emotions include: Rage, Depression, Fear, Lust, Hunger, Hate.

3 Empathy - Demon can read emotions, can be resisted by POW vs POW.

4 Move Stuff (Telekinesis) - 

5 Paralyze Attack - Demon can paralyze a foe it concentrates on unless a CON x 3% save is made.

6 Retrocognition - Demon can see the past of a place or object at INT x 3%. However, details may be vague or cryptic. PCs may ask up to 3 questions.

7 Teleport (Interdimensional) - Demon can teleport between dimensions once a day, carrying up to 1/2 its STR in objects or passengers. However, the destinations are random and at the whim of Chaos.

8 Teleport (Young Kingdoms) - Demon can teleport anywhere in the Young Kingdoms once a day, carrying up to 1/2 its STR in objects or passengers.

9 Telekinesis (from Demon Magic) - Can lift POW in SIZ of objects and throw for 1D3 damage, plus falling damage if from above.

10 Scrying (from Demon Magic) - Sees described place or person and POW in m radius. More details gives more accuracy.

11 Bloat Attack  - Demon has POW x 3% chance to cause his target to gain 1D6 size. Targets busts out of armor taking damage equal to its armor rating. If hit multiple times, loses 25% from movement skills if double SIZ, 50% if triple size, and is crushed at quadruple original SIZ.

12 Explosive Decomposition - Demon has POW x 3% chance to cause his target to take POW in damage. Victim can save at POW x 3% for no damage.

SENSES

1 Big Ears - Can hear any sound at POW x 5%, but is deafened by loud sounds for 1D10 rounds unless CON x 3% save is made.

2 Bug Eyes - Demon can see 180 degrees, cannot be surprised.

3 Eyeballs (darksight) - As humans, but can see in the dark.

4 Eye Stalks - Demon's eyes are like periscopes, can look 180 degrees, a foot up, but no depth perception.

5 Snout - Can Track any smell at POW x 5%, but is sickened by disgusting smells for 1D10 rounds unless CON x 3% save is made.

6 Sonar - Demon can see in the dark through echolocation, its squeak can also deafen anyone in earshot who fails CON x 3% for 1D10 rounds, giving - 25% to appropriate skills.

7 Taste - Demon can know what any substance is from taste at INT x 5%, sickened by disgusting smells for 1D10 rounds unless CON x 3% save is made.

8 See Truth (new) - Demon can know where any object or person has been from a glance at INT x 5%. This is a somewhat to Sherlock Holmes' deductive method.

4) Other Notes

Demon Power Level

Demons generated in this way can be considered to be over-powered in modern gaming parlance. Good. This is exactly how they are in Moorcock's fiction. Elric only survives lesser demons because he has a greater demon, Stormbringer, by his side. Player characters should be willing to turn tail when facing a demon.

Turning Against the Summoner

Lesser Demons can’t use their abilities against the summoner unless the negotiation fails, they are let out of the octagon without an agreement, or they are ordered to do so by a Chaos Lord. Remember, use the Demon Reaction table from the previous post on summoning to determine how cooperative the demon summoned is.

Perils of Using Demons

If a sorcerer uses demons, he faces several perils. First, the demon may be unhappy, and want to take vengeance at some point. Second, the aims of Chaos are inscrutable, and a sorcerer going against them will face consequences (NB: Greater Demons are autonomous and largely do as they want). Finally, anyone using demons will come under the scrutiny of Priests or even Agents of Law, and thus should expect periodic attacks from them.

Designed vs Random Demons

On the one hand, if possible GMs should design demons from the above lists to fit the adventure and locale. Creating a giant bat-thing guardian with Bat Wings, Sonar, and a Plague Attack would fit well with a cave adventure. However, this means GMs will have to be creative and do lots of legwork. On the other hand, random demons force both the players to be creative to find a way to overcome them. Since this challenge is an essential part of Moorcockean roleplaying, I suggest going this route.

Example Demons

1) Created Demon

Let's make the Bat-Thing Guardian from the example touched on above. It needs 4 demon abilities, so I choose Mouth, Plague Attack, Sonar, and Bat Wings. Since guardians are supposed to have one Melee Offense, one Area Offense, one Defence, and one Random, this bends the rules a bit, switching Defence and Random abilities for Flying Transport and Senses. This is no problem since it fits the concept.

As for attributes, they will be as follows:

STR, CON, DEX and INT are equal to the sorcerer's POW, all other attributes are at 1/2 POW. If the demon's summoner is unknown, sorcerer POW should be considered a minimum of 18, or higher if a summoner of greater power.

With regards to skills, they are as follows:

Attack and Dodge at DEX x 3%, Parry at STR x 3%. All Perception skills at INT x 3%.

The Bat-Thing Guardian will thus have Bite and Dodge of 54%, with the former doing 1D10 damage. It will also have 18 HP, but no armor. It may seem weak, but the Plague Attack and deafness from Sonar, as well as its ability to fly out of reach, should make it a worthy challenge.

2) Random Demon

OK, let's roll the bones and see what we get. Once again, let's make a Guardian to see how it compares to the created demon above.

As for the demons attributes, they will be as follows:

POW I roll as 19, so pretty tough for an average sorcerer to bind, and will do decent damage with POW based damage attacks. STR 18, CON 18, DEX 18 and INT 18 (equal to the sorcerer's POW), all other attributes are at 1/2 POW (ie SIZ 9, CHA 9).

As above, skills are as follows:

Attack and Dodge at DEX x 3%, Parry at STR x 3%, or 54%. All Perception skills at INT x 3%, so 54%. Not bad, it has a fighting chance.

Now for its powers. Guardians are supposed to have:

One Melee Offense - I roll 9, so just Claws doing 1D6

One Area Offense - I roll 5, so Sleep Attack. Very good for a guardian.

One Defence - I roll 3, so a Dust Cloud. I can see a sort of dreaming, sandman guardian here.

One Random - I roll 11, so it shoots Webbing. Better and better!

So, I see a tough but small guardian demon that can put Pcs to sleep, blind them with dust clouds, or bind them with webbing. Good stuff! Now I only need to decide what it looks like - a thin, whitish dream god with black hair and eyes, or a masked figure in suit and hat, or a spider.

Optional Table - Demon Appearance

If you have trouble coming up with the lesser demon appearance based on what you've rolled, you can always roll on this table for inspiration and tweak the results.

1 Human - Like us, but... different. A mockery of man.

2 Undead - Walking corpse, redolent of rot and decay.

3 Worm - Writhing and white, instantly revulsive.

4 Devil - Horned and barb-tailed, with neon red or blue skin.

5 Angelic - Beautiful and innocent looking, but with evil eyes.

6 Non-euclidean - Shape seems to change constantly, best not looked at directly.

7 Slime - Translucent and quivering, makes your primal brain cringe.

8 Flesh - Muscle, bone, and blood on display, unnerving.

9 Scaled horror - Some antediluvian thing crawled from the muck of ancient swamps.

10 Alien - Life not as we know it, btu evolved on some far planet under different stars.

4c) Greater Demons

Greater Demons, such as Stormbringer, can only be obtained by questing and are only obtainable if a Chaos Lord allows it. They ALWAYS have an ulterior motive, and so should only be offered in time of desperate need to force the players to choose.

1) How to Summon - These can only be summoned or bound by The Lords of Chaos, who may lend them to adventurers for their own purposes.

2) Attributes & Skills - As the GM deems fit.

3) Abilities - As the GM deems fit. Examples include draining 1D100 POW on a hit, Wardpact against certain weapons, etcetera.

4) Other Notes - A GM must never forget that such a demon, especially when converted, can only be beaten by great roleplaying.

Moorcock Interview

Just watched The Goodman Games interview with Michael Moorcock (HERE). He is so affable and erudite still. Always a joy to see.

There are some nuggets of wisdom for game design in here:

"The one thing I do like about gaming particularly is that it demands structure... It's very satisfying to write for gaming people because they know there's got to be a logic to it, underlying the whole thing."

Although Moorcock is discussing narrative structure, it also applies for game structure.

I now feel very vindicated for my Stormbringer Redux project.

Thank you Mike!

Stormbringer Redux #15 (part two & part three combined) - Coarse Demons (updated)

 

(See the previous post first before reading this)

4) Demon Magic

So, it is time to look at Demon Magic in classic Stormbringer (1E to 4E).

Rereading the Magic section, it is an incredibly mixed bag. On the one hand, the mechanics for elementals are almost rules lite, astonishingly simple, and are an exemplar of good, uncluttered game design. There are no stats, just rules on what they can or cannot do. Ditto the rules for Beast Lords and Lords of the Higher Worlds.

I really dig this. No wonder they were kept unchanged in later editions.

The demon rules are the opposite - clunky and contradictory, and decidedly incomplete. These rules are almost unfinished by modern standards. No wonder they made a whole point buy system for 4E, basically GURPS Demons. This solution came with its own problems.

This needs a rethink.

Basically, I want to do 4 things with Demon Magic:

1) Make the demon rules simpler, ie core mechanic instead of willy nilly differing numbers for every action or situation, or bloated point buy of later editions.

2) Make the demon rules faster by cutting out the math (ie no more adding up ALL attributes), allowing for summonings on the fly that don’t kill game momentum.

3) Add some flavour to demon summoning.

4) Organize and articulate what I cut and what I add so that it is usable at a glance.

Here are my suggestions.

4 The Three Demon Ranks

Basically, there are three demon ranks in the world of Stormbringer.

Rank 1 - Coarse Demons
Humans warped by Chaos. Pawns in the great struggle. Examples are Snake, Pig, and Thing that Elric and Rackhir meet in Ameeron.

Rank 2 - Lesser Demons
Demons of middling power. A good challenge for seasoned adventurers. An example is the demon guarding King Urish's treasure hoard in The Vanishing Tower.

Rank 3 - Greater Demons (also called arch demons or demon lords)
Entities of great power acting towards inscrutable ends. To be avoided at all costs. I speak, of course, of Stormbringer himself.

Note that all these entities are loyal first and foremost to Chaos, and will not serve anyone opposed to Chaos. They may only serve a sorcerer if Chaos allows it, but can change their allegiance at the whim of the Chaos Lords, or to fulfill their destiny.

I will introduce their characteristics in the following format:

1) How to Summon
2) Attributes & Skills
3) Abilities
4) Other Notes

4a) Type 1 - Coarse Demons (ie Chaos Beastmen)

The first rank of demon is Coarse Demons, also called Chaos Beastmen. These are humans corrupted by Chaos, who gradually turn to beast form to reflect their inner devolution.

I discussed this in a previous post, but it is worthwhile to repeat what Rackhir tells us about coarse demons as he and Elric travel to the demon city of Ameeron:

Elric: "Have you seen any of these demons?"
Rackhir: "Aye. The usual bestial sort. Coarse, stupid and powerful - many of them were once human before electing to bargain with Chaos. Now they are mentally and physically warped into foul, demon shapes."

1) How to Summon & Bind - Coarse Demons cannot be summoned or bound, they can only be bartered with, as Yrkoon did with the coarse demons that assailed Elric and Rackhir in Ameeron. They are most commonly found wandering the lesser planes of existence, such as the world beyond the Shade Gate, or other minor hells. They are often organized into Chaos armies by Agents of Chaos, such as when Prince Gaynor lead throngs of them against Law in the Corum Chronicles.
Being relatively weak, Coarse Demons usually travel in groups of a half dozen or more. Many are too warped mentally and physically to have much gear, but some might have simple weapons (broadsword or scimitar doing 1D8+1 or spear doing 1D6+1) and shields (round target giving 1D6 Armor as per my previous Shield armour rules) as the GM wills.

2) Attributes & Skills - Since Coarse Demons are just humans warped into demonic shapes, we can assume all their attributes are average (10) because they were neither smart nor strong enough to resist being contaminated by Chaos. These guys are the mooks, the cannon fodder of chaos.
These demons come from all walks of life, and many were not warriors, so weapon combat skills of 30% seem reasonable. They should have the advantage of numbers but not be too much of a challenge for the player characters.

3) Abilities - As I noted in my post on Moorcock's bestiary, GMs should try as much as possible to create adversaries that match the theme of their adventure, and determine powers based on that. However, we can't all be Moorcock all the time, and even Moorcock had moments that didn't entirely work. Optionally, use this random table to determine their bestial form, and adjust results as need be.

Coarse Demon Appearance and Abilities (Roll 1D20)

(Reminder: All weapon attack and defensive skills are 30% unless otherwise noted. All fight as humanoids with the same restrictions as PCs unless otherwise noted.)

1 Ape - Bite for 2D6, Fur Armor 2 points, Climb and all sense skills at 65%

2 Bear - Bite for 1D8, Fur Armor 3 points, Move Quietly & Hide at 65%, Track & Scent at 90%

3 Tiger - Bite for 2D6, Fur Armor for 2 points, Move Quietly & Hide at 80% (in grasslands, half elsewhere), Scent & Track at 90%

4 Hawk - Bite for 1D4, See 75%, Dodge 45%. Hawk Beastmen can fly unless wings are crippled, and do double damage with a spear if they perform a Strike attack. A Strike takes one turn to ready (ie maneuver and dive). They can also juke attacks while flying without losing an action or incurring cumulative 20% penalty on a successful defense roll.

5 Wolf - Bite for 1D8,  Fur Armor for 1 point, Track & Scent 80%, Move Quietly % Hide 70%, other senses 60%, Dodge 50%. Can Dodge AND Attack once before cumulative 20% penalty is incurred. Comes in packs of 1D6+1.

6 Dog - Bite 1D6, no fur armor, Track & Scent 70%, Hide & Dodge 35%. Can Dodge AND Attack once before cumulative 20% penalty is incurred. Comes in packs of 2D6.

7 Crocodile - Bite 2D10, Tail Lash 1D10+2 plus Knockdown (STR x 2% to avoid), Scale Armor for 5 points. Swim 100%, Move Quietly 50%, Ambush 25%. Amphibious. In water, Swim skill can be substituted for Dodge.

8 Pig - Tusks for 2D4+1, no fur armor. Track & Scent 70%, Hide & Dodge 35%. Can Dodge AND Attack once before cumulative 20% penalty is incurred. Comes in packs of 2D6. Do double damage with tusks or a spear if they perform a Charge attack. A Charge takes one turn to ready (ie while charging). However, they cannot Dodge attacks while charging. Can be cooked and eaten if adventurers are starving.

 

9 Shark - Bite 1D6+4, Scale Armor for 3. Swim 100%, Move Quietly 90% (half outside of water). Amphibious. In water, Swim skill can be substituted for Dodge.

10 Snake - Has 1D4+1 snake heads. Each Bite for 1D6 vs armor. If PC armor is breached, poison of Potency 1D10x1D6 is injected. No natural armor. Move Quietly, Hide & Ambush 40%.

11 Horse - Cannot hold weapons due to hooves. Bite 1D10, Kick or 1D8+1D6, Trample downed foe 2D6. Skin Armor 1 point. Swim & Scent 50%. Runs at double human speed.

12 Octopus - All limbs are tentacles, face is Cthulhuesque. Bite for 1D6+1, Spew Ink (see below), Rubbery Skin Armor 1 point. Can attack once per limb. Swim 100%, Move Quietly & Hide 70% due to skin camouflage. Usually holds 1D4+1 weapons and attacks with them, or can grapple an opponent, immobilizing one limb per successful attack. Victim is immobile, but can make a STR x2% roll per round to break out as their sole action. Can also Spew Ink as one of its attacks, once per round, a success blinds the victim for 1D4 rounds.

13 Leech - All limbs and head have multihinged, needle-toothed mouths and no eyes.  Bite 1D6 from ANY appendage, no armor, double hit points (20). Once they hit, they automatically suck out 1D6 CON per round per place hit. Take double damage from salt or fire. Move Quietly & Hide at 55%.

14 Fly - No natural attacks or armour. Compound eyes mean they cannot be surprised or snuck up on. Often used as scouts or watchmen. Can fly unless wings are crippled, and do double damage with a spear if they perform a Strike attack. A Strike takes one turn to ready. They can also juke attacks while flying without losing an action or incurring cumulative 20% penalty on successful roll.

15 Psychedelic Butterfly - Bite & Claws 1D6, Wing buffet (see below), Sticky skin armor 1 point. Wing Buffet stops all arrows fired at the demon, or can be used to knockdown the opponent (save at STR x 2%).

16 Fish - Bite 1D6+1, Scale Armor 1 point. Swim 100%, Move Quietly 50%, Ambush 25%. Amphibious. In water, Swim skill can be substituted for Dodge.

17 Spider - Bite for 1D6 vs armor, Shoot Web 80%.  No armor. Move quietly, Hide & Ambush 80%. If PC armor is breached by Bite, poison of Potency 1D10x1D6 is injected. Web attack must be dodged, otherwise the victim is immobile, but can make a STR x2% roll per round to break out as their sole action.

18 Rat - Bite 1D6, claws 1D4, Fur Armor 1 point. Move Quietly & Hide at 70%. The major danger is the disease they carry. If PCs are in combat, they must make a CON x 5% roll or get sick. If they are wounded by the Ratman's bite or claws, this is reduced to CON x 1%. Failure to save means the character loses 1D4 CON and HP temporarily, and is bedridden that number of days.

19 Undead - Bite or claw 1D6. When they are reduced to 0 HP, they start regenerating at a rate of 1D6 HP per round. Can only be totally destroyed by fire or demon weapons. The major danger is the disease they carry. If PCs are in combat, they must make a CON x 5% roll or get sick. If they are wounded by the Undead's bite or claws, this is reduced to CON x 1%. Failure to save means the character loses 1D4 CON and HP temporarily, and is bedridden that number of days.

20 Thing - An amorphous blob continually shooting out and sucking in appendages with various appearances, from tentacles to swordhands to claws. Has 3D8 HP, 3D8 natural armour from mutating flesh (roll once and keep that for the rest of the encounter), and does 1D8 attacks per round, each doing 1D8 damage. Doesn't really dodge but can parry equal to the number of appendages with penalty.

4) Other Notes

Optional Rule

 

For every group of Coarse Demons, one could have a special demon ability. Once again, match the theme of the adventure if you can, otherwise roll on the Demon Special Abilities table (coming in next post) and adjust as needed.

Stormbringer Redux # 15 (part three)
Demons Demons!

First, as promised last time, here is the revised Random Chaotic Abilities table. Use it for the leaders of Coarse Demon groups, random monsters, or else chaotic mutations / curses. I always felt it a bit of a misstep how the designers split [5.7.1.4] Special Demon Abilities and [7.4.6.1] Special Chaotic Abilities into two tables with many overlaps and rule contradictions, so I have tried to make it as coherent and as simple to use as possible.

Revised Random Chaotic Abilities

Roll D66 (Roll 2D6, do not add, instead refer to results for upper & lower rows of table)

1 APPEARANCE 1 Shapechanger, 2-3 Loathsome, 4 Invisible, 5-6 Camouflaged

2 INVULNERABILITY  1-2 Invulnerable, 3-4 Magical Vitality, 5 Magic Resistance, 6 Insubstantial

3 MOVEMENT  1-2 Flying, 3-4 Speed, 5 Teleport, 6 Retreat

4 PSYCHIC 1 Telepathy, 2 Illusion, 3 Fear, 4 Sleep, 5 Hypnosis, 6 Pain

5 DEFENSE 1-2 Minor Regeneration, 3 Major Regeneration, 4 Hard to hit, 5 Speed, 6 Combat Luck

6 ATTACK 1 Drains STR, 2 Drains CON, 3 Acid, 4 Fire, 5 Cold, 6 Poison

Clarified Effects of Random Chaotic Abilities

1-1 Shapechanger - Story effect, no combat bonus per se. Can take on the appearance of anyone it sees with a minute's concentration, ie doppelganger.

1-2 & 1-3 Loathsome - All NPCs flee in disgust and fear, PCs can save at INT or CON x 5%, whichever is higher.

1-4 Invisible - Attackers have 1/2 skill to hit, it has double chance to surprise (ie Hide, Move Silently).

1-5 & 1-6 Camouflaged - Has a natural Hide skill of DEX x 5% (average 50).

2-1 & 2-2 Invulnerable - Has skin armor of 20 points vs mundane weapons, but they have 50% of breaking if they hit. Ignored by demon weapons.

2-3 & 2-4 Magical Vitality - Unharmed by non-magical weapons, which have 50% of breaking if they hit.

2-5 Magic Resistance - Immune to demon weapons, only hurt by normal weapons.

2-6 Insubstantial - Ghostly form, mundane weapons pass through it, but it ignores mundane armor and does damage to POW when it hits. Can only be defeated by magic weapons, demon or otherwise, or exorcised in a POW vs POW with a Sorcerer for monsters.

3-1 & 3-2 Flying - Can fly at walking speed, but can also make a Dive attack if already in position, or if it takes a round to get in position. Does double damage with a spear, triple if a critical success.

3-3 & 3-4 Speed - Gets two attacks, one at DEX x 2, another at DEX x 1 without any penalty for consecutive attacks. Also gets 2 Parries without penalty.

3-5 Teleport - Can teleport 1D10 meters away 1D8 times per combat.

3-6 Retreat - Story effect, no combat bonus per se. Upon a killing blow, this creature dissolves back to its home plane, swearing vengeance as it does so. Expect it to return with double the number of allies at an inopportune future time to harass the PCs. Can only be killed on its home plane.

(NB: Creatures must be concentrating to use any Psychic powers, and cannot fight while doing so. Range is 10 meters. If damaged, the creature has POW - damage % to resist or lose concentration. Incapacitated PCs should be considered captured and either exchanged for ransom or rescued at some later point in case of TPK or being abandoned. Saves against Psychic abilities are allowed ONCE a combat.)

4-1 Telepathy - Story effect, no combat bonus per se. The GM should start whispering unsettling words to freak out the players, within reason.

4-2 Illusion - All NPCs believe in the false scene presented by the creature , PCs can save at INT x 5%. Requires lots of GM creativity.

4-3 Fear - All NPCs flee in fear, PCs can save at INT x 5%.

4-4 Sleep - All NPCs fall into an arcane slumber, PCs can save at CON x 5%.

4-5 Hypnosis - All NPCs are under the control of creature, PCs can save at INT or CON x 5%, whichever is higher. Time to fight your henchmen.

4-6 Pain - All NPCs are crippled with intense pain, PCs can save at CON x 5%.

5-1 & 5-2 Minor Regeneration - Regains 1D6 HP per round, must go one round at 0 HP or below to die.

5-3 Major Regeneration - Regain 1D10 HP per round, must go two rounds at 0 HP or below to die.

5-4 Speed - See 3-3 & 3-4.

5-5 & 5-6 Combat Luck - Attackers have 1/2 skill to hit the creature, and it can make PCs reroll one successful roll against it per combat.

6-1 Drains STR - Drains 1D6 of STR to foes within 10m, POW vs POW to save. If bound in a weapon, needs a hit & damage to drain.

6-2 Drains CON - Drains 1D6 of CON to foes within 10m, POW vs POW to save. If bound in a weapon, needs a hit & damage to drain.

6-3 Acid - Skin extrudes acid, does 1D6 damage to anything it hits with natural weapons or when it is hit. Lasts for 3 rounds unless wiped off.

6-4 Fire - Does 1D6 damage to anyone in close combat.

6-5 Cold - Does 1D6 damage to anyone in close combat.

6-6 Poison - First, roll on 4.8.8.6.1 for type of poison. Character is poisoned if hit by natural weapons, gets one roll of CON x 5% for every time it is hit.

Example of Coarse Demon Creation

First, I would try to match the demon type to the surroundings (ie Sharkmen for ocean,​​Tiger men in grasslands), and roll randomly without such context. Next, I would choose a power that matches this, or roll randomly if out of inspiration.

For reference, here is what I got when I rolled randomly:

Beast Type Roll: 1, 1 Ape - Bite for 2D6, Fur Armor 2 points, Climb and all sense skills at 65%.

Random Power Roll: 5-1 - Minor Regeneration - Regains 1D6 HP per round, must go one round at 0 HP or below to die.

So basically we have a group of Chaos Apemen who can regenerate. Although they have no damage bonus or magic, they are strong enough to pose a challenge to most PCs, and could even lead to a TPK (Total Party Kill) if enough PC rolls are flubbed.

 

 

 

To Tanelorn

 Should we go to Tanelorn?

(Looks at the 3 who are 1)

On second thought, let's not. It is a bit of a silly place.

Stormbringer Redux # 15 (part one) - Refinding the Magic

So, this post has been a long time coming. Indeed, whether you're a player, GM, or rules tinkerer, the magic system of Stormbringer is arguably the most daunting element of the game.

I've rewritten the post a few times, and upon reviewing my previous posts, I see that I have been going about it all wrong.

I had started statting things out, listing attribute rolls, etc. This temptation is strong in older games. I fell into this trap in my previous Encumbrance and Social Status posts.

But it doesn't work for Stormbringer. What does work is the quirky narrative rules that subvert the mechanics, just as Chaos subverts the mundane reality of mortals. The rules for Elementals and Lords of Law and Chaos are exactly this - neat narrative conceits that laugh at skill rolls and attribute levels.

Let's try and work this out with Demon Magic.

First, here is what was salvageable from my initial attempts:

1) Adding The Sorcery Skill

(NB: I just looked at 4E and realized that they did eventually come to the same conclusion as myself. Still, I think this description is much more useful.)

In 1st edition, there is surprisingly no Sorcery skill. Considering that BRP’s fallback response to any new situation is “Make a skill,” this is a weird oversight.

In this case, I propose using a Sorcery skill, starting at INT x 3%. Since a sorcerer must have a minimum INT of 16, the minimum starting skill would be 48%, which is close to the starting percentage of 50% for summoning most demons and elementals.

Here is a description in the form of other skills from Stormbringer 1E, but with details taken from the Requisites of Magic [5.2.1] section:

Sorcery (INT) - This is the skill of knowing the requisites of magic, as well as performing them to get a desired result, usually summoning of a demon or casting of a spell. It includes knowledge of certain words of power, chants, runes, circles or symbols, herbs, or minor sacrifices needed when employing the principles of magic. It also gives basic knowledge of decorum when dealing with supernatural entities, as well as the chance of successfully dealing with them, and the consequences of failure.

That about covers all the basics, I think. It is only rolled when summoning entities such as elementals, demons, beast or planar lords, and otherwise just provides sorcerous knowledge from GM to player without necessitating a roll.

This one summoning roll replaces all the myriad percentages given in 5.3.1 [Sorcerous Abilities]. Note that sorcerors can only attempt to summon an entity allowed by their rank, ie elementals at First Rank, demons at Second, Elemental Rulers at Third, Beast Lords at Fourth, and Lords of the Higher Worlds (ie Law and Chaos) at Fifth. Summonings are also limited by their social status as I have outlined, ie only Melnibonean imperials can summon Lords of Chaos or Law, etc. More is given on this later.

2) Controlling Demons [5.6.1]

Forget all the arbitrary CHA or INT x 5% nonsense rolls, use Persuade instead. Why make a skill if you aren't going to use it? Sorcerors SHOULD become silver-tongued devils from their experience with demons.

3) Streamlining POW Increase (and Decrease)

The chance of increasing POW when binding demons has always been an incentive for sorcerers, but the wonky D4-1 roll to determine this makes no sense. Instead, when you bind a demon of equal or greater POW to the sorcerer, this is how POW gain (or loss) is resolved.

POW vs POW Roll Result Effect

Critical success (ie 1/10 of chance)     Gain 1 POW

Normal success or failure     No change in POW

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

This rule is simpler and a greater incentive to summon and bind demons of greater POW than oneself. One may argue that this allows too much accumulation of POW, but since even mortals will soon outstrip the 3D8 POW of most demons, increasing POW is limited and thus not overpowered in the least.

Next time:
Demon Magic & the Three Demon Types

Downloads to the Right

I've just put a ink to the G doc of the collected Stormbringer redux posts on the right. I will add my Weird Japan posts at some other time.

Hard to believe I've written 100 pages! I hope the gentle reader finds it useful.

- Tedankhamen

Podcast Appearance(s)

I've been on lots of podcasts the past few years. It is extremely fun to talk about your passions with equally passionate people. Highly recommended!

My recent has probably been the funnest - an appearance on the Breakfast in the Ruins podcast jazzing about the writings of Michael Moorcock and how (not) to translate them into RPGs. The host Andy does a bang up job, and I felt very welcome and inspired.

Cheers Andy! Take a listen and give him some love HERE.

If you're interested in non-rpg podcasts, here are some of the topics I've discoursed on:

Ikigai, ie Japanese ways to lead a fulfilling life HERE

Power harassment at the Japanese workplace HERE

Special education in Japan + drinking under bridges HERE

The Japanese yurukyara Gudetama's social significance HERE

Enjoy!