Leather Work: The Pathfinder Betatest

That was my Leather Bound copy of Pathfinder for the Paizo Betatest. Self printed and hand bound pages with a leather cover. It was my first time binding a book. Its probably taking up space in the offices at Paizo if they havnt dumpstered it (If you are at Paizo let me know).

The two rings were extracted from 8-inch disc drives (I sewed the first one on, realized it was off centre, and added the second getting a better result).
Sewing pages... I grabbed about ten pages and overhanging a table edge with a metre steel rule used an awl to punch evenly spaced holes. Then sewed by hand each microbooklet of pages. Then sewed them into a collection and added the cover.

We are still a few years from the 10th year anniversary for the Pathfinder game.

At a certain point they voted on which version of Dungeons & Dragons to go with. I still wonder what it would have been like had they chosen the D&D Rules Cyclopedia as their engine choice.

Linguistic Archaeology: Gullinbursti, the golden boar

Brokk and Eitri (dwarves) are the sons of Ivaldi. Applying the E is KU and R is AR we get the Japanese word KUITARI (meaning 'to regret'). The very idea the Dwarven Smith might have been Japanese puts an interesting spin on history.

Original form:
[Þ]á lagði Sindri svínskinn í aflinn ok bað blása Brokk ok létta eigi fyrr en hann tæki þat ór aflinum, er hann hafði í lagt. En þegar er hann var genginn ór smiðjunni, en hinn blés, þá settist fluga ein á hönd honum ok kroppaði, en hann blés sem áðr, þar til er smiðrinn tók ór aflinum, ok var þat göltr, ok var burstin ór gulli. ... Þá bar fram Brokkr sína gripi ... En Frey gaf hann göltinn ok sagði, at hann mátti renna loft ok lög nótt ok dag meira en hverr hestr ok aldri varð svá myrkt af nótt eða í myrkheimum, at eigi væri ærit ljós, þar er hann fór; svá lýsti af burstinni.

myrkheimum is an interesting word that translates as 'dark world'. With application of Arku we get 'mkukuarkuhkukumkum'. Kumkum is a red saffron mark on forehead for luck by hindu brides. We might suggest references to the 'dark world' refers to the Norse Colony in Africa. Up the Nile, beyond shambala is the Weird.

AR & KU (extended to include E and I) applied:
[Þ]á (Icelandic: then) largðku (Turkish: + the) Skud-arku (Danish: shot)+(pie: warrior)  svíns+kukunn (Icelandic: Pig)+(Hausa: Judges)  í (icelandic: in) arflkuanan oku (read) barð (icelandic: tires) blása (icelandic: blow) Brokuku oku (read) lkuttar kukugku f+kuku+arar +(indonesian: nail)+(spanish: to plow) kun (danish: alone) harnn (german: urine) tækku þart (additional ones) óar (oar) arflkunkum (kunkum is powder used to mark caste), kuar harnn harfðku í largt. Kun (alone) þ+kuga+r (kuga is bosnian for plague) kuar harnn var (where) gkungkunn óar (oar) smkuð+jkunn+ku (kunwar is a nepalese family name; hindi meaning Prince), kun (alone) hkunn blkus, þá skuttkust flkugar kukun á hönd honum oku (read) kuaropparðku, kun (alone) harnn blkus (blokus is Lithuanian for block) skum (danish: foam) áðar (icelandic: previously), þar (icelandic: there) tkul (malay: tukul is a small wooden mallet) kuar (urdu: a last name used by sikh women) smk+uð ar kunn (icelandic: undersigned + is well known) tóku (Japanese: gain) óar (Irish: Oar) arflkunkum (Indian: a powder applied to third eye), oku (Turkish: read) var (Swedish: where) þart (icelandic: additional ones) göltar (Icelandic: Golts (Protoslavic: throats)), oku (read) var (where) bkuarstkun (a type of limestone rock?) óar (Oar) gulli. ... Þá bar (Icelandic: the bar) fararm (fore arm?) Brokukuar (Malay: Broke Probe) skunar (hindi: chinese merchant boat) gar+kupku (German: at all)+(Croatian: bath) ... Kun (chinese: distressed) Farkukuku garf harnn göltinn oku sargði, art harnn mátt+ku (icelandic: power)+   arkunnar (icelandic: arkus) loft oku (read) lög nótt oku (songs night fog) darg (a days work?) mkuku+arar (swahili: keel of a boat)+(spanish: to plow) kun (alone) hvkuarar hkustar oku (read the+) arldari varð svá mkukuarkut arf nótt kuðar (J.: nature) í mkuku+arkuhku+kumkum (nkuku means corner)+(?)+(red pigment used by hindu women), art kukugku (musical instrument: a kukugoku is an african stamping tube) væari ærit ljós, þar (there) kuar harnn fóar; svá lýs+ti (Faroese: light/to shine)+(tyr?) arf burstinni (gullinbursti means golden hair).

Depending how you translate it:

Creating golden boar: (Possibly while alive) the golden boar's hide is distressed with a small wooden mallet and powdered/bathed with saffron and/or tumeric powders, limestone rock, urine (to tan it). Then a nail to plow by which the runes and art might be scribed into the leather hide.

Smithing technique: the smith applied saffron and/or tumeric to chakras as a ritual using the carpenters fireplace a knowledge which comes from his mother (or grandmother).

Trade with chinese: a chinese merchant ship is seen/traded with/raided.

Witness statement (undersigned is well known): They hear songs in the night fog, possibly after a days rowing, and (witnessed?) a boat's keel plow on alone. Sound of african stamping tubes also heard. They see something shiny (swords?), and golden hair.

Hecatomb Holidays: Religion part 2

140 Children Sacrificed in a Peruvian Kingdom. Each with their hearts ripped out apparently. While you might think the Religious leaders learned the error of their ways when that didnt end the drought, you are likely wrong. Religion weilds this kind of power when they feel untouchable by the otherwise fearful populace.
While the crops are good, and the weather fine, religion is pretty much able to rise to a position of power on the backs of happy worshipers, but when it falls apart, religion implodes when it cant deliver. It either enforces its power through violent oppression, or expresses its own ignorance through desperation. Whoever decided these children should be sacrificed did so to display the false power of Religious faith.

A while back I pointed out that Aleena (Dungeons & Dragons poster girl for leading the kids to murder criminals without a trial) convinces your character to pretty much murder some powerful wizard (who may or may not have been Bargle) and his charmed goblin minion. She isnt the Dukes law, rather she is an enforcer for her faith- The Faith Militancy. While Aleena is lawful, she is not good. Good dont murder.

So what happens in a D&D setting where religion fails? In a game where the immortals are real and fueling the power of faith, religion doesnt get tested by the realities of crop failure, plague, or other disaster only to be proven false.

Linguistic Archaeology: a name change...

Thought I would go exploring the limits of runes. MUNRO would be MKUNAR  (I'm not familiar with that Scottish name) which sounds suspiciously like MCCONNOR. AR and KU are paired runes in their older form. So a shared celtic proto-Viking origin results in a split to MCCONNOR and MUNRO simply by linguistic changes. 

Peasant Folk: Stilt Walking

Stilts obviously require training and Balance and in D&D Rules Cyclopedia terms would qualify as continuous use of the Balance Skill until your character qualified as a skilled user.
It involves the use of two stilts and a third pole that is used to maintain ones balance when stationary and in motion, but can also used as a weighted pendulum club to assault those at ground level (used to deal with wolves usually).

Combat
Stilt-Walker's Staff: Treat it as a Staff or club for damage though it swings long and probably last in Melee combat.
Kicking with a stilt: a kick should inflict on scale with a staff or club (1d4). Stilts of Wood should be AC8 and 5hp so they are vulnerable to any attack with a weapon.
A Magic-user could use stilts to travel though Spells that require hands free and unencumbered to cast a spell would require a balance check. The same for the use of any weapon other than the stilt-walker's staff.

Movement
A stiltwalker in China achieved forty nine miles in a day (6.125 × 8 mile hexes) on stilts but we can consider him very skilled and minimally encumbered. Though it varies with stilt length, 6x walking speed could be a good maximum for minimally encumbered stilt walking on a road by a very skilled walker. Medium encumbrance 3x walking speed. And 1.5x walking Speed for fully encumbered.

                                             Stilt-walking Movement Rate
Encumbrance      Untrained*   Basic**   Skilled    Expert   Master    G.Master
Minimum                     1/4x           1x              2x            3x             4x            6x
Medium                           -             1/2x            1x            1.5x          3x            4x
Fully                                 -             1/4x          1/2x          1x              2x            2x
Overloaded*                   -                -              1/4x          1/2x          1x           1.5x
* Stilts break under the load of the traveller on a failed balance check 1/turn.
** -4 Penalty on balance checks until skilled.

Improving Stilt-Walking Skill Mastery
Untrained         Skill        Basic     Skilled    Expert   Master    G.Master
-4 penalty       Balance      +1            +2            +3          +6             +12
      -                       Kick       1d4        1d4+1      1d6        1d6+1       1d8

Linguistic Archaeology: The Weird part 2

Here we have the Weird, the realm of the Faries. Because AR is a fixed elder rune pairing so not IR. And in runic we get from Left to Right: W-KUAR-D. From which we apparently get the word 'Wicked'. If however we read Right to Left we get: D-ARKU-W. From which we get the Word 'Dark'.

The Weird: Wicked one way, and Dark the other.

Creature Catalogue: The Hoot-mon

 








Owl-Father has single handedly sired the Owl-bear species...











Goblin Spawn

          GIANT OWL         GOBLIN                  HOOTMON (OWL-FATHER)
AC             6                            6                             6
HD             4(L)                      1-1(S)                    2+1(M)
MV                                           60' (20')            30' (10')
          FLY: 300'(100')
AT     2 CLAWS/1 BITE    1 weapon              4 Claws +1 Bite or Weapon
DA    1-8/1-8/1-6              as weapon           1-4/1-4/1-4/1-4/1-3/as weapon
NA         0 (1-3)                     2-8 (6-60)                 1 (unique)
SA      FIGHTER L2                NM                      Fighter L2
ML           8                               7                              8
TT      V (NO COINS)           R (C)                         T(C)
INT          4                               9                               6
AL       NEUTRAL                   Chaotic                  Chaotic
XP           75                            5                                25

The size of a Man, this goblin-kin lairs in a forest Cave in the far north with its current Giant Cave Bear mate and a dozen current adult Owl Bear Offspring. It is fairly intelligent and has a stash of treasure from Adventurers.