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Chaosium Digest Volume 25 Number 07
Chaosium Digest Volume 25, Number 7
Date: Sunday, March 8, 1998
Number: 2 of 2
Contents:
The Fir Bolg (Warren Hately) PENDRAGON
--------------------
From: Warren Hately <oghma@ausmetal.net>
Subject: The Fir Bolg
System: Pendragon
THE FIR BOLG (the men of the belly -- a reference to Co. Meath,
Ireland, "the belly of the goddess").
In Irish history, the Fir Bolg are the folk who managed to dwell in
some kind of harmony with the Fomorii. Later the Tuatha De Danaan came
and went to war with the Fir Bolg for possession of Ireland. The Fir
Bolg lost, and became a race of subjects to the more skilled Danaan
peoples. As subjects, the Fir Bolg assisted the Danaan in their war
against the Fomorii, and later against the Milesians--the Celts who
arrived and were as well intent upon possessing Ireland for
themselves. The result of the Milesian victory was that the Danaan's
were forced to flee the surface world forever, taking possession of
"all those parts of Ireland which lay under the soil." Many of the Fir
Bolg went with their Danaan masters into the earth, and thence to Tir
na nOg, while some remained in the new Ireland of the Milesians,
inter-breeding with the newcomers and slowly becoming absorbed into
Milesian culture. Some Fir Bolgs even fled to other worlds, through
the magical gates dotting Ireland, to start new lives in far-flung and
alien lands.
The Fir Bolg are therefore a scattered folk now, and so I have not
attempted to divide them into specific tuatha. Most probably the Fir
Bolg will be encountered in Tir na nOg, or one of the many other
Otherworlds, and as this has happened in my campaign, I have provided
some makeshift statistics for them here. This is by no means
exhaustive. The Fir Bolg exist as either individual communities (with
all the differing ties of allegiance, power and rivalry that this
entails) where they have settled free of the influence of others, OR
they exist as a subject race to the Tuatha De Danaan, "ceiles" to
their monarchical rulers. Either way, the set-up of their own
societies are the same. However, in the case of Fir Bolg in service to
Danaan (or whomever else) overlords, an appropriate passion (either a
hate or a loyalty) should be added.
The Fir Bolg are a proto-type for the pagan Irish of Pendragon.
Although considerably larger in stature and tending more towards the
blonde/ginger end of the racial spectrum, Fir Bolg culture resembles
much of what is common-place in Pendragon Irish paganism. Generally
peaceful, grown used to working the land and the mastery of the rustic
crafts under generations of Tuatha De Danaan rule, the warlike side of
the Fir Bolg is subdued beneath the appearance of the Fir Bolg as
common farmers. However, like the Irish, the Fir Bolg's connection to
their heritage is very strong, and the Fir Bolg of antiquity (the race
of awesome men and women who struggled against the Danaans and the
Milesians alike, centuries ago) is only a harsh word or breach of
hospitality away, under the surface of their gentler visage. Despite
concentrating on their agrarian lifestyle, the Fir Bolg have
maintained their few martial arts, and are especially dangerous
against unmounted foes in open or wooded country. Depending upon the
different and alternate histories set-up for the Fir Bolg, they are a
race of people who have struggled for many years to find a safe haven
where their people may prosper. In their flight through sacred gates
into other worlds, the Fir Bolg have built their communities from the
ground up, carving an existence out of the wild lands of their newest
home-world.
Fir Bolg culture is organised exactly the same as Irish culture. While
they have Aos Dana classes, the Fir Bolg do not have druids, but
instead a less-organised system of wise men and women, seers and
enchanters. These latter folk (the enchanters) are not much different
from smiths or herb-doctors, residing in Fir Bolg duns and practicing
their craft, each enchanter with his or her own specialty. Their
magical powers will therefore be organised according to this principle
(consider these as magicians whose powers are linked to magic weapon-
or jewellery-crafting, herb-lore/alchemy, carving, stone-masonry
etc. Alternatively, these magicians' powers may also be linked to a
specific element [fire, earth, even shadow or wood] ).
The Fir Bolg (as mentioned earlier) are similar in racial appearance
to Vikings, or a darker breed of Saxon. However, their dress and
ornamentation is entirely Erainn, including a complicated system of
plaids and multiple-coloured cloaks, and also "articles" of rank
(torcs for warriors, rowan wands for healers, bird-feather cloaks for
seers etc.).
The Fir Bolg dialect is a formative part of the Irish language, though
it has been subsumed into the latter. The Fir Bolg may be considered
fluent in Irish as well as their own language, while characters who
speak Irish will need to make a language roll if not native
speakers. Additionally, many Fir Bolg speak British (Cymric), a
language which is preserved by certain stories and war-poems,
memorised in the original language of their telling.
The Fir Bolg skill table is non-gender specific for a particular
reason. Player characters should be individuals, not emerge from
stereo-typical moulds, and females should not be penalised, and female
skills should not be judged, according to the least active members of
their sex (the housewife, the demure daughter etc.). As well, because
of the scattered state of the Fir Bolg nation, no individual homelands
are listed. Gamemasters should feel free to invent their own locale
for the Fir Bolg, since it seems most likely that the Fir Bolg would
be encountered outside of Ireland, and most probably in other worlds
entirely. If game events do require the Fir Bolg in Ireland, then
gamemasters should refer to THE PAGAN SHORE for area references. To
simulate the way that the Fir Bolg of all classes and areas have come
together in their exile, a random table for determining parental class
and passions and trait modifiers has been provided. As well, Fir Bolg
should use the ri damhna tables from THE PAGAN SHORE, reproduced here
to that purpose.
FIR BOLG
Racial modifiers: +6 SIZ, -2 DEX, -1 APP.
Traits: Vengeful +2, Honest +1, Merciful +1, Proud +1, Suspicious +1,
Valorous +1.
Awareness 6
Boating 1
Chirurgery 5
Compose 1
Courtesy 1
Dancing 4
Faerie Lore 8
Falconry 1
First Aid 10
Fishing 5
Flirting 3
Folk Lore 10
Gaming 2
Heraldry 0
Hunting 8
Industry 6
Intrigue 2
Orate 4
Play (Whistle) 4
Recognise 4
Religion 3 (Fir Bolg Paganism)
Romance 2
Singing 2
Stewardship 6
Swimming 5
Tourney 0
Battle 3
Horsemanship 2
SPEAR 8
Sword 3
Dagger 5
Axe 6
Great Spear 3
Javelin 5
Grapple +3
LUCK TABLE
1 Ancestor fought invaders (+100 glory).
2-4 Descent from "Great" tuath (+200 glory).
5 A charger.
6-10 Gold Torc: worth 3L.
11-12 Upgrade Outfit by 1.
13 Jewellery worth 1d6 L.
14 Inherit a fine cloak (priceless to you, 2L to others).
15 Inherit a shadow cloak (+5 hunting, +1 DEX, +5 evasion).
16-18 Berserker herbs (3 uses): critical inspiration, lasts until you
wash thoroughly, beserk combat option only.
19-20 Roll twice.
RI DAMHNA GENERATION NUMBER
1-2 Gen 4: brother, sister or cousin of chieftain.
3-6 Gen 3: son, daughter, nephew/niece of chieftain.
7-12 Gen 2: grand-son/daughter/nephew/niece of chieftain.
13-20 Gen 1: chieftain was your great-grand <whatever>.
21+ Gen 0: your specific family history is shrouded in mist.
Fir Bolg roll at +2. RI DAMHNA genreation is used as a bonus PARENT'S
CLASS determination rolls.
INHERITED GLORY
Characters roll for both parents and choose the highest amount for
starting Glory.
Parent's class is:
Chieftain: 6d6 + 250
Warrior: 6d6 + 80
Enchanter: 2d6 + 120
Seer: 10d6 + 50
Wise One: 4d6 + 40
OUTFITS
BASIC FIR BOLG OUTFIT ONE: Leather armour, shield, spear, 3 javelins,
travel clothes, cloak, sandals, dagger.
FIR BOLG OUTFIT TWO: Cuirbolli armour, shield, axe, spear, 5 javelins,
travel clothes, sandals, dagger, cloak worth 80d, rouncy.
FIR BOLG OUTFIT THREE: Fine cuirbolli armour (8 points), 2 shields,
axe, 2 spears, 5 javelins, travel clothes, clothing worth 100d, fine
cloak worth 100d, dagger, rouncy, sumpter, jewellery worth 1L.
PARENT'S CLASS TABLE
Since what a Fir Bolg may qualify in, like the Irish in Pendragon, is
largely determined by Father's Class, I have changed the rolls to give
the character two chances. Roll separately for mother's and father's
class, and the player may choose which line of profession and
background skills to choose. What the rolls determine do not
necessarily mean (for example) if the mother's class is warrior, that
the mother herself was a warrior; merely, this means her immediate
background is from a family of warriors, and through ties of kinship,
she can make available warrior's education for her son/daughter if
they wish it.
The Fir Bolg do not practice fosterage in any wide-spread sense. If a
player wishes to be fostered, he or she simply announces this as part
of his character's background story. Parent's class refers to whoever
raises the child player.
Roll 1d6 to find out whether the parent's class is secular
(non-magical) or Aos Dana (magical or magically associated). A second
1D6 roll in the appropriate column determines actual parent's class.
Remember to do this once for each parent. The RI DAMHNA modifier is
added only to rolls in the secular table, NOT the Aos Dana column.
SECULAR AOS DANA
1 - 4 5 - 6
Hunter 1-2 ---
Farmer 3-4 ---
Warrior 5-8 ---
Chieftain 9-10 ---
Enchanter --- 1-4
Seer/Priest --- 5
Wise One --- 6
Secular: +Ri Dahma generation number
BACKGROUND PASSIONS AND TRAITS
Roll 1D6.
1 Noble family: Proud +2, Valorous +1, Prudent +1, Hate (Tuatha De
Danaan) 3d6.
2 Noble family: Proud +2, Reckless +1, Honour +1d3, Hate (Fomorii)
3d6.
3 Once great land-holders: Hospitality +1d3, Selfish +2, Proud +1,
Honour +1.
4 Famous outlaw an ancestor: Reckless +2, Merciful +1, Vengeful +1,
Loyalty (any) -1d6.
5 Feuding family: Vengeful +2, Honour +1, Hate (enemy) 3d6.
6 Family once-wronged: Suspicious (law-makers) +2d6.
BACKGROUND/STARTING SKILLS BY CLASS
HUNTER: The hunter is unfortunately the lowest level of the Fir Bolg
society. Without his or her own plot of land to farm, and without and
ostensible trade to practice, the Fir Bolg spends much time in the
forests, hunting to survive. To look at it another way, however, the
hunter is also the first one called for by the chieftain when missing
people must be found, expeditions guided, or lost cattle retrieved,
and a hunter always accompanies the Fir Bolg on a raid. As well, in
the right land or season, a hunter's trade can flourish, providing him
or her with a disposable income of fresh game which may be traded for
clothing, tools and luxury items. Some hunters shun clan-holdings
altogether, and live permanently in the woods.
20 points, Hunting +5, Suspicious +2, Javelin +3, Industry +2,
Swimming +2, Prudent +1, Fear (faerie creatures) 3d6.
FARMER: The farmer is the backbone of Fir Bolg society. However, the
Fir Bolg farmer is by no means a country bumpkin, easily coddled and
even easier to over-power. The Fir Bolg farmer has probably carved his
fields out of rock, and has the skills and physique to match the
environment he or she has had to work in.
18 points, Hunting +2, Energetic +3, Folk Lore +5, Industry +2,
Stewardship +2, Awareness +1, Spear +2, Axe +2.
WARRIOR: An actual Fir Bolg warrior is much like the Flaith of
Ireland; a high-rank individual within the society who hunts and
accompanies the chieftain in times of peace, and fronts the war-band
on raids and in battle. Fir Bolg warriors are rarely idle, as they
have a tendency to recklessness if left unattended in crowds for long.
15 points, Spear +5, Axe +5, Javelin +3, any other weapon +3,
Horsemanship +3, Hunting +1, Courtesy +2, Loyalty Lord +6 (often used
to inspire berserk fits at the slightest provocation), Reckless +2.
CHIEFTAIN: The children of the chieftain are made well-aware of the
nobility of their position and their long family history, from an
early age. All children are reared in the warrior crafts so as to
succede the chieftain in the unfortunate event of the chieftain's
death. All children are treated equally, and raised with the same
degree of training, as Fir Bolg history shows that it is not always
the first son who lives to replace the chieftain.
20 points, Spear +5, Axe +5, Javelin +3, any other weapon +3, Orate
+2, Horsemanship +5, Hunting +2, Courtesy +3, Valorous +1, Prudent +2,
Indulgent +1, Loyalty Lord +2.
ENCHANTER: As stated previously, the enchanter is neither a druid or a
magician, but something in-between. Some enchanters are low level
spell-workers, said to imbue the objects of their craft with
mysterious and amazing powers. These folks are the smiths, weavers,
potters et al. of the Fir Bolg community, and are considered
honourable and worthy individuals, though they are treated as
mysterious. Other enchanters have greater powers, and are not
restricted to imbuing items with spells. Fir Bolg enchanters tend to
have one particular area of specialty, which they practice with great
skill and even flair, while other areas of the magical arts remain
unknown. Enchanters also always have 1d3 geasa that they must obey,
and that relate to their craft. It is through geasa that the Fir Bolg
enchanter's powers are limited, as a geas will often be something like
"only ever control elemental faerie creatures" or "only work magic
when standing on stone." Fir Bolg enchanters tend to know the limits
of their powers, and their geasa show them the way to ruin, if they do
not accept restrictions.
12 points, Dagger +2, Spear +1, Industry +4, Intrigue +2, Play
(instrument) +2, Geomantic Lore +3, Celestial Lore +2, Sight +5,
Religion +3, Worldly +2, Suspicious +1, Prudent +2.
Talents: Animal Friend or Blessing 5, Banish or Dispel 3, Curse 3,
Control Faerie Creature or Divination 3, Summon Faerie Creature or
Emotion 3, Healing 2, Necromancy or Glamour 6, Sacred Space 8, Travel
or Shapeshift 3, Weather Control 1.
Fir Bolg Enchanters may also add their Industry skill number as a
bonus to the casting of spells on two conditions: the enchanter must
be enspelling an item (weapon, article of clothing or piece of
jewellery etc), and this must be performed in the enchanter's
workshop, assisted by Sacred Space spells. The item need not be being
made magical PERMANENTLY, as no enchanters are required to sacrifice
their permanent magic limit. The aim of this practice is to reflect
the Fir Bolg in general, and enchanters specifically, as a craft-proud
people. Imbuing items with power also side-steps the need for
talismans, and these items (with the sacred space and the chance for a
critical success increased with the Industry bonus) may be enchanted
for at least several years, if not a life-time.
The gamemaster should be encouraged to think up magical effects for
items that do not necessarily seem like a direct effect of other
talents. The aim here is not to produce a whole new set of talents
that de-Celticises the current form of the magic system. Instead,
current talents may be bent to allow the special effects desired.
SOME EXAMPLES: Consider an enchanter with the following statistics:
Magic Limit 70, Personal Life Force of 4d20, Industry 10, living in a
hut outside the local Dun (3d20 ambient Life Force), and a skill of 12
in all her talents. She is called upon to furnish a Danaan noble with
three items; an intelligent sword, a gold armband which stops wounds
from festering, and a pair of sandals which allow the wearer to travel
great distances quickly.
With or without a permanent Sacred Space spell upon her workshop, the
enchanter can draw upon up to 70 points (Magic Limit) for each Sacred
Space spell cast. 60 points provides either a +8 bonus to a specific
talent, or +4d20 Life Force. For the sake of the example, the
enchanter opts for a +4 bonus to increase her chances of a critical,
and +2d20 Life Force, which will be required to add extra duration to
the spells being cast on the items. With Industry of 10 and +4 from
Sacred Space, the enchanter is at +14 to her Talent Skill of
12. Therefore, at 26. A roll of 14-20 will be a critical, doubling her
magic limit to 140 (this is the standard effect of a critical to
spellcasting, as I run it).
The magical items can be made in the following ways: the intelligent
sword may have a Necromancy spell cast upon it (Oracle for 40 points)
which binds a (hopefully helpful) spirit to the weapon, giving it a
voice and a mind; the armband can have a Healing spell upon it
(perhaps Help First Aid +5 for 20 points, or more grandiosely, Heal
Faster [60 points] cast with sufficient strength that the armband
wearer's healing rate is so increased that he or she heals daily,
rather than weekly); the sandals of super-travelling may be magicked
with Travel (Swiftfoot for 20 or Footrun for 40).
Through this example it can be seen that there are a number of factors
the enchanter must balance, and consequently, many factors which can
cause the attempt to make a long-lived magical item to fail. The
enchanter definitely succeeds her talent roll, but if it is not a
critical, with an average Magic Limit of only 70, she cannot channel
enough power to extend the spell effect beyond a day or a week. Even
with a critical, the enchanter might not be able to gather enough Life
Force, even though she can wield 140 Life Force through her Magic
Limit. The chances for failure are many. What then, are the solutions?
Truthfully there are none: and this is why the enchanter's task of
producing long-lived ensorcelled items is a difficult one. The
hardships of this process accurately reflect the understandable
trial-and-error process of putting power into magic items.
The enchanter might produce the magicked sandals in an afternoon, and
pay five or more week's sleep later. But to produce the magical sword,
the enchanter may be required to fail her attempts many times, until
all the optimal factors come together (a Talent critical, high rolls
on Personal and Ambient Life Force). Then the Danaan noble will truly
have a sword to brag about, so long as the sword isn't a braggart him
or herself.
SEER/PRIEST: The Seer's role in Fir Bolg is easily understood; shunned
for most the time, only when mortal men require assistance and
prophecy is he or she sought out and bribed, threatened and cajoled
into offering up information. The process by which one becomes a Seer
is often hereditary and also linked to madness. The Seer, as an
adolescent, goes through the Seven Madnesses before seemingly emerging
from insanity (forever touched) with the powers of foresight and
divination. Other talents also come to the Seer, and the Seer is often
surrounded by spirits and elementals which normal folk only see as
shadows, or a burst of fire, or a sense of movement out the corner of
one eye. Many Seers are taken into the Priesthood of the Fir Bolg
community, though this is not a universal law, and does not apply to
female Seers.
12 points, Madness (Any) 2d6+6, Awareness +3, Chirurgery +2, Courtesy
+1, Faerie Lore +5, First Aid +2, Folk Lore +3, Industry +2, Recognise
+1, Religion +2, Geomantic Lore +2, Celestial Lore +3, Sight +3.
Talents: Animal Friend 3, Banish 3, Blessing or Control Faerie
Creature 3, Curse or Summon Faerie Creature 2, Divination 7, Healing
or Glamour 2, Sacred Space 3, Shapeshift or Emotion 2.
The Seer can ALWAYS use his or her Madness passion to Inspire
spell-casting. As usual with going Inspired, users should beware the
price of failure ... slipping further into madness (and being useless
in game-play).
WISE ONE: While not wholly a magical person, the Wise One is a
combination of hermit, elder, and Seer. He or she is privy to secret
and Sacred Fir Bolg knowledges passed down from person to person
through the centuries. The Wise One is an interesting individual,
steeped in the Old Way, though it might not suit players as an actual
choice for a character, because they combine knowledge of many skills
and some magics, without necessarily being the practitioner of
any. For instance, the Wise One knows much of the ways of battle, yet
only a chieftain would lead his army (counselled perhaps by elders); a
Wise One knows Healing, yet it is to the herb-doctor the villagers
will turn when cuts fester and illnesses do not abate; the Wise One
often goes for long times alone in the forest, but the hunter is the
one who subsists on the forest's game. When they actually dwell within
a community, Wise One's often fall into use as the local healer and
horse-doctor, despite the many other talents they may possess.
15 points, any weapon +3, Battle +3, Horsemanship +2, Chirurgery +5,
Faerie Lore +5, Celestial Lore +2, GeomanticLore +2, First Aid +2,
Folk Lore +5, Hunting +2, Industry +1, Orate +2, Play (instrument) +2,
Religion (Fir Bolg Paganism) +2, Stewardship +2.
Talents: Animal Friend 5, Divination 2, Healing 2, Summon Faerie
Creature 2, Travel 1.
FIR BOLG RELIGION
The five personality traits of Fir Bolg paganism (with each trait
incurring a +3 bonus at character generation) are as follows:
Energetic, Vengeful, Generous, Merciful, Proud.
The Fir Bolg RELIGIOUS BONUS is +3 CON.
These traits can be said to represent a specific Fir Bolg life code,
which is a code of practice for everyday life, an *ideal* to be lived
by, rather than the mysterious internal nature of the Fir Bolg psyche
(i.e., the Fir Bolg chieftain persues vengeance, only to show the
suspect mercy [in the form of not cutting their head off]; similarly,
the chieftain may show generosity with gifts as any Erainn chieftain
might, even though he rules a poor tuath -- in this case, generosity
though he wishes it were otherwise is the sign of the chieftain trying
to live up to an ideal, rather than he is foolish/generous enough to
give away food/belongings from his own people's mouths).
ANY FEEDBACK REGARDING THIS SUBMISSION IS WELCOME. LET ME KNOW ALSO
ANY FLAWS/INCONSISTENCIES YOU FIND.
I'M ALSO PLANNING TO DO SOME MORE WORK ON THE FOMORII, SINCE I HAVE
USED THEM EXTENSIVELY, AND ALSO THE "CHILDREN OF LIR" AS A PLAYER
CHARACTER RACE. THE NEXT SUBMISSION IS AN "IN-DEPTH" EXPLANATION OF
FIR BOLG CULTURE AND RELIGION, USING MARION CAMPBELL'S "THE DARK TWIN"
AS A GUIDE.
SLAN!
Warren Hately
oghma@ausmetal.net
--
