Nobody has yet pointed out that the title of Qrech's book is a reference to The Loathsome Ratmen And All Their Vile Kin, a WHF book which notionally exists in the fiction of the setting and, here's the important part, was published in 2313, a hundred and fifty years ago, and so would be known to Mathilde (I assume it's one of our Imperial Skaven books) and thus probably to Qrech.
Qrech is deliberately trolling the academic establishment with the title of his book. I am so goddamn proud of him.
Actually, now that I think about it, this is pretty big. I don't think it's "Queekish" big, but it is going to become the main text for any study into the Chaos Dwarves for the next... Well, forever.
It's big for academia on the topic, but it has a severe disatvantage in importance because Empire and CDs don't really fight at all, being seperated by one of the largest mountain ranges in the world.
It is extremly unlikely that the book ever attains military, diplomatic or other, non-academic importance.
Soooo... as someone entirely unfamiliar with the source material, could I get an explanation for what these acronyms mean? Even a link to the correct wiki would be great.
WS=weapon skill, think melee accuracy
BS=ballistic skill, think ranged accuracy
S=strength (SB is strength bonus (=S/10) which is added to damage)
T=toughness (TB is toughness bonus (=T/10) which is subtracted from enemy damage)
Ag=agility (amomg other things govern dodge chance)
Int=intelligence
WP=willpower (WP and Int influence some spellcasting rolls)
Fel=fellowship (D&D charisma)
A=max. number of attacks per round
W=wounds (hitpoints)
M=move speed
Mag=magic (many spells scale with magic, allows casting harder spells)
IP=accumulated insanity
FP=fate points (protagonist power)
Unremarkable humans have about 30% in the stats of the top row. 60% is top-level adventurer level. 80% is insane.
WS=weapon skill, think melee accuracy
BS=ballistic skill, think ranged accuracy
S=strength (SB is strength bonus (=S/10) which is added to damage)
T=toughness (TB is toughness bonus (=T/10) which is subtracted from enemy damage)
Ag=agility (amomg other things govern dodge chance)
Int=intelligence
WP=willpower (WP and Int influence some spellcasting rolls)
Fel=fellowship (D&D charisma)
A=max. number of attacks per round
W=wounds (hitpoints)
M=move speed
Mag=magic (many spells scale with magic, allows casting harder spells)
IP=accumulated insanity
FP=fate points (protagonist power)
Unremarkable humans have about 30% in the stats of the top row. 60% is top-level adventurer great. 80% is insane.
As a note, the guy I was modelling Mathilde's stats on, Markus Ficsher Lord Magister of the Grey College, had 78% Int, 80% WP and 69% (nice) Fel. She's exceptional, but on the level compared to other LMs. It should be noted Markus is in his mid 30s, so he's about as talented as Mathilde.
As a note, the guy I was modelling Mathilde's stats on, Markus Ficsher Lord Magister of the Grey College, had 78% Int, 80% WP and 69% (nice) Fel. She's exceptional, but on the level compared to other LMs. It should be noted Markus is in his mid 30s, so he's about as talented as Mathilde.
Such stats are achievable, but really rare. Max stat on a starting human is 40%, although around 35% is a more reasonable expectation for couple of your main stats. Top-of-the-line careers offer +40% bonus to some stats when maxed out (Champion's or Daemonslayer's WS, Wizard Lord's willpower, Master Thief's agility), others top out at +35% (IIRC there is no +40% INT career at least in the corebook). Then there are +5% talents for all stats. So 80-85% is an absolute cap for a vanilla human in the scope of the game and represents an insanely gifted person who also dedicated a big chunk of their life to cultivating their talents in that area.
Which actually describes Mathilde pretty well if I think about it.
It's worth noting that one of the things that makes the Library of the Tower of Hoeth such a vaunted place of learning is the way that the library automatically funnels scholars to what they're looking for - sort of a magical Google search. This is probably the biggest logistical hurdle inherent in running a library of this magnitude in this era, so deciding to bend all of Belegar's resources from the outset to defeat this foe is a very reasonable thing to do. As the library becomes larger and larger, being able to actually find things in it will become a bigger and bigger draw for any visitors.
Hmm, it might be possible to replicate that feature with magic. Though the dwarfs might find that iffy. More importantly, it seems like something that would require Celestials, and that's terrible.
And I appreciate that but the names don't all explain what those things do. Strength and Strength Bonus? What's the difference? What does Fellowship mean? Insanity Points? Fate Points?
And then there's the question of "what normal for a human/wizard/Lady Magister etc". This is sorta why I asked about a wiki link; I have a million questions and not nearly enough answers and don't wanna bother the thread for them when I could read a wiki instead.
WS=weapon skill, think melee accuracy
BS=ballistic skill, think ranged accuracy
S=strength (SB is strength bonus (=S/10) which is added to damage)
T=toughness (TB is toughness bonus (=T/10) which is subtracted from enemy damage)
Ag=agility (amomg other things govern dodge chance)
Int=intelligence
WP=willpower (WP and Int influence some spellcasting rolls)
Fel=fellowship (D&D charisma)
A=max. number of attacks per round
W=wounds (hitpoints)
M=move speed
Mag=magic (many spells scale with magic, allows casting harder spells)
IP=accumulated insanity
FP=fate points (protagonist power)
Unremarkable humans have about 30% in the stats of the top row. 60% is top-level adventurer level. 80% is insane.
When I was doing my Library Master's, I was lucky enough to volunteer at Manchester Central Library. They used to keep the stacks underground, in a dark network of tunnels that were very much a labyrinth. In the case of a fire, a glow in the dark strip was laid on the floor, which was supposed to guide anybody trapped there to the nearest fire escape.
The sharp sighted folks here would have seen that I wrote "supposed"—the line didn't lead anywhere, it just went in a loop around the building.
And I appreciate that but the names don't all explain what those things do. Strength and Strength Bonus? What's the difference? What does Fellowship mean? Insanity Points? Fate Points?
And then there's the question of "what normal for a human/wizard/Lady Magister etc". This is sorta why I asked about a wiki link; I have a million questions and not nearly enough answers and don't wanna bother the thread for them when I could read a wiki instead.
Wikis don't give a proper enough explanation of everything. LockedMind gave a good enough explanaion for those things.
To give additional clarification, let's do Insanity Points first. WFRP has a huge tendency to use this system to inflict a "Grim" feeling on the world, but I'm somewhat uncomfortable with the concept of gamifying mental illness. Especially since it doesn't feel like WFRP cares about exploring mental illness in a manner that would be beneficial for those struggling, but merely using it as a setting piece to create "wacky" and "scary" characters or make a depressing setting. Basically, tons of stuff cause you to get Insanity points, and once you reach around 6 you have to test for Willpower every time you get an additional point or get an Insanity. Getting an Insanity resets your points to 0. There's a wide range of insanities, some are unique to the world of Warhammer, but some are literally just disorders from real life reflavored and renamed. Overall, it's not something I want to touch on.
Second, Fate Points. Fate Points are what sets an important character like a protagonist away from the masses. Every day, you have a number of Fortune Points equal to your Fate Points. You can expend your Fortune points for a number of effects, of which a reroll is one of them. Fortune points reset each day, but Fate Points don't. You can expend a Fate Point to defy fate. Basically, if you're going to die, you can spend a Fate Point and not only avert your death, but cause circumstances to occur to ensure you survive the encounter. You can also expend a Fate Point to prevent crippling or mutation. Once you expend a Fate Point it's gone. You can get more by performing monumental deeds, often by pleasing a supernatural force like a god.
In terms of, if this is normal for a Lady Magister? Kinda? Mathilde's exceptional but overall I used Markus as a base, and he's a Lord Magister himself so it's not too far off.
Approval voting when you can change your vote in response to how the tally is going gives the voters who want it just as much control as ranked voting, without requiring too much effort from those who just want to vote for what they want and call it done, and while being a lot easier to parse the results. And I'm generally not sure about ranked voting, as a binary yes/no is a lot clearer on both sides than ranked. Being ranked 2 can mean "I like this almost as much as I do what I ranked 1" or it could mean "I only like rank 1 but I guess this is the least objectionable of the other options".
Traits: Love (Panoramia), Prejudice (Sigmarites) Skills: Animal Care 66, Art (Writing) 33, Channelling (Dhar 57, Ulgu 72), Charm 51, Cool 72, Dodge 65, Evaluate 66, Gossip 53, Intimidate 49, Intuition 57, Language (Battle 71, Elthárin 61, Khazalid 71, Magick 76, Queekish 61, Unberogen 60), Leadership 42, Lore (Dwarfs 68, History 61, Magic 76, Politics 62, Romance 95, The We 59, Warfare 66, Wurtbad 59), Melee (Basic) 75, Melee (Two-Handed) 75, Perception 57, Ranged (Blackpowder) 40, Ride (Horse) 55, Secret Signs (Grey Order) 58, Stealth (Underground 65, Urban 65), Swim 46 Talents: Aethyric Attunement 2, Alley Cat, Arcane Magic (Necromancy, Shadows), Cat-tongued, Combat Aware, Detect Artefact, Doomed (When abandoned and alone, Morr shalt befriend thee), Dual Wielder, Enclosed Fighter, Holy Visions, Instinctive Diction 2, Linguistics, Luck 3, Magical Sense 3, Petty Magic, Read/Write, Savvy*, Schemer, Second Sight 3, Shadow, Strike to Injure, War Wizard, Wealthy
* Already included in her characteristics.
Trappings: Assorted Magical Items, Bullet and Powder (12), Eternal Gratitude of Karak Vlag, Hat (Henin), Magical Licence, Magister Subordinates, Monumental Library, Mountain Home, 2 x Repeater Pistol (Lightweight), Secret Lair, 3 Gold Crowns on her person.
Spells Petty: Dart, Light, Marsh Lights, Sleep, Sounds Arcane: Aethyric Armour, Bolt, Drop, Move Object, Teleport, Terrifying Lore of Shadows: Choking Shadows, Cloak Activity, Doppelganger, Mindslip, Mystifying Miasma, Pall of Darkness, Shadowsteed, Shadowstep, Shadows of Splendour, Shroud of Invisibility
Armoured Robes
As a free action, you can choose to make the Armoured Robes cover every body location and prevent you from gaining Fatigued Conditions. This ability lasts for 1d10 minutes. After it expires, the ability can be used again after one hour.
Belt of the Unshackled Mountain Spellburner Rune: Any harmful spell that targets the wearer, or includes the wearer in its area of effect, suffers a penalty of -2 SL on its Casting Test. If the Casting Test fails, the caster permanently loses memory of the spell and takes 1 Damage treated as a head hit. Rune of Rancour: The wearer gains 4 Wounds.* Anything that inflicts Damage on the wearer has double the amount of Damage inflicted back on them. Rune of Valaya's Vengeance: The wearer is immune to all fire - mundane and magical - and all Corruption from physical sources.
Branulhune Magical Weapon: Branulhune is magical and can injure creatures noted as immune to non-magical attacks. Rune of Superior Skill: Any target struck by this sword has all magical weapons, armour, items, and positive magical effects cease working for 1d10 minutes. Rune of the Unknown: As a free action, the wielder can make the sword appear or disappear.
Candle of Cleansing Radiance
On activation, the Candle of Cleansing Radiance will "burn" for 1d10 rounds. Every full round a creature that lacks the Daemonic or Undead Creature Traits stays within 4 yards of it while active regains 1 wound, loses 1 Poisoned Condition, and is cured of 1 disease. It can be recharged by praying or meditating for 10 minutes while within 4 yards of it, or by exposing it to light for one hour.
Dragonflask
As an Action, the bearer can drink the contents of the Dragonflask and cast Breath from the Lore of Fire, with no Casting Test, no chance of a miscast or a critical, and no need for speech. The Dragonflask can be used again by pouring in something flammable and heating the Dragonflask in a fire hot enough to melt lead for day. The user cannot use any Language Skills except Language (Battle) for 10-TB rounds after using it.
Ranald's Coin
Once every 24 hours, the bearer can flip Ranald's Coin. For the next 24 hours, the bearer falls under one of four effects. To determine which effect they fall under, roll a d100 and consult the table below.
Result
Effect
01-25
Gain 1 Fortune Point, which may take you beyond your normal maximum.
26-50
You may pass unnoticed and remarked, providing you do nothing to draw attention to yourself, such as touching, attacking, calling out to someone, casting a spell, or making a loud noise.
51-75
Gain the Cat-tongued Talent and automatically succeed all Charm Tests to lie.
76-100
When you act in a way that defends an individual or group from a danger that you did not cause, they will become aware of what you have done and will believe you acted selflessly in doing so.
Seed of Regrowth
The Seed of Regrowth can be activated with a short utterance. On activation, the bearer loses all Bleeding and Fatigued Conditions, regenerates 1d10 wounds, and fully regenerates a Critical Wound, losing all penalties and Conditions associated with it. Any Critical Wounds or Wounds caused by fire may not be regenerated. Afterwards, the Seed of Regrowth can only be activated after being allowed to sprout in soil for 1d10 hours.
Staff of Mistery
The Staff of Mistery counts as part of the wielder's body for the purposes of touch when casting. When the wielder casts Mystifying Miasma, they may reverse the result of the Casting Test if it would make it succeed.
Armour
Enc
Locations
APs
Qualities
Armoured Robes — Wizardly Robes
1
Body, Arms
5
Impenetrable
* Armoured Robes can be worn without penalty under any other Armour.
Weapon
Enc
Reach
Damage
Qualities
Branulhune — Zweihänder
3
Long
+14
Damaging, Hack, Unbreakable
Staff of Mistery
2
Long
+SB+4
Defensive, Pummel
Mathilde starts with a base of 3 Fate and 3 Resilience, gaining the former through deeds of great heroism and the latter by significantly accomplishing her Motivation. She reclaimed Eight Peaks and saved Karak Vlag, earning 2 Fate. She levelled Drakenhof to finish what Abelhelm started, earning 1 Resilience. 1 Corruption for witnessing a Greater Daemon, which is a mental source of Corruption and thus not protected by the Belt.
The choice to pick if you really want to do the suggested "help Ranald make amends to Shallya's mom" plan from way back when. That said, I'm fairly ambiguous on this? The library will be "reasonably pious" regardless, so if you just want a secret ranald cross easter egg, you don't need to pick this option to get it.
Not so! The Verenans have to go to incredible lengths to ensure that Tzeentchian knowledge doesn't contaminate everything else. Visitors will bring their own - possibly Chaos-tainted - books. There will be infiltration by disguised Chaos Sorcerers or something. Skaven aren't out of the question. We want as many gods as possible to be basking this place in their combined 'holiness' to ensure that it doesn't fall. Also it'll provide a major boost in legitimacy to have the gods honoured so prominently, which will increase the odds of it being used and contributed to by as many different people, nations, polities and institutions as possible.
Capacity - I don't think we need THAT much Capacity.
Comfort - if we want students to visit this is what we need to pick.
Holy - I just don't like the appeal.
Order - this one is very good, but at the same time, does it fit the library run by Grey Wizard?
Preservation - imo better pick than Capacity if we go for storage rather than place of Study.
Security - enabler for storing our Liber Mortis in our Library.
I'm thinking Comfort, Preservation maybe Order or Security. What direction we want our Library to take?
There are still a great many parts of their society left uncovered as Qrech's insights are mainly limited to their military and the the parts that proved vulnerable to raids by Skaven or Grey Wizard
