Mythology by Culture in My Homebrew Setting

I have created a series of articles about my homebrew setting; I have tackled the literature, architecture, common sayings, naming conventions, and superstitions of each racial culture in my D&D setting. As a whole, these profiles depict the cultural values of each race through various lenses. To that list, I am adding mythology: the stories that people tell about the origins of life. Read on for the full guide to culture in my homebrew world, Evanoch. 

When it comes to mythology, the myth is characterized by the story itself, what that myth tells us about the corresponding culture, and what impact that myth has on that culture in today's world. I will address each of these details for each myth, and I think that regular readers of this site will recognize the trends within each culture as consistent with the ways that their cultures operate outside of the realm of mythology. 

Daltoners

• Pelor's Grace: Daltoners have long passed down the story of Pelor's role in the world, characterizing him as a demanding paternal figure. This image began long before the Daltoners arrived on Evanoch. In the myth, Pelor uses all his godly energy to fuel his light so that the people of the world could grow crops and see clearly. But in the process, he becomes weaker the more his light shines. In order to keep Pelor strong, Daltoners commit to acts of sacrifice under the belief that the lost life energy will transfer to Pelor. It is said amongst Daltoners that Pelor received the first sacrifice--a human sacrifice--with mixed feelings because he did not want Daltoners to die for his own power. This has led many extremist Daltoners to look to capturing people of other races for sacrifices (whereas most Daltoners use animal sacrifices). This myth tells us that Daltoners are gravely serious about their religious beliefs and that they view the world as inherently unstable; they must tirelessly work to keep the world from falling apart, which makes many Daltoners view the world as an endless struggle. This is in-line with life on their homeland, the island of Dalton, where resources are scarce, food is scarcer, and people look out for themselves rather than their communities. In today's world, this myth fuels some of the more extreme imperialist Daltoners, and the prevalence of the myth's repetition in the modern world is a reminder that Daltoners have clung to their myths more literally than any other race. 
• Sir Hector the Pure: One of the earliest tales in Daltoner lore is that of Sir Hector the Pure, a hero king who is said to have united all of the warring factions of Dalton under a single banner, forming the kingdom of Dalton. Sir Hector's great strength as a leader was in his clarity of purpose. He publicly committed himself to uniting the great houses of Dalton under the name of Pelor; although he was not honored with an official title of kinghood, he is commonly considered the first real Tsar of Dalton (the supreme leader of the empire). In the myth, Sir Hector repeatedly faces off against the self-driven lords of the land, speaking to them in adages about the limits of power and the virtues of unity. But while this myth includes ideas like these, the morals about collective power and responsibility to community have been interpreted in other ways, usually emphasizing the strength of empires and the infallibility of leaders. This myth's popularity is less a statement about the values represented in the story and more about its enduring popularity as a text interpreted in favor of existing social mores. Today, Sir Hector the Pure's story is treated not unlike modern America treats the story of George Washington--so much is apocryphal that the truth and the modern understanding are completely separate. 
• The Eternal Mother: In the earlier years of the Daltoner empire (before they arrived on Evanoch), gender relations were considerably stronger than they are in modern day. This was due in large part to the myth of the Eternal Mother. Where Pelor served as a symbol of male energy--radiating energy to support the family of the earth--the Eternal Mother was the symbol of female energy. The Eternal Mother was not a god like Pelor, but a symbol embodied by natural forces, like a protective ghost. The myth went that the Eternal Mother was once impregnated by Pelor, but she was so fertile that even after giving birth, she remained pregnant. The myth continues that the Eternal Mother has birthed the most important parts of everyday life, including tangible things like farming implements and technological devices as well as intangible things like a spirit of indomitability or a feeling of inspiration. This myth fell out of favor amongst Daltoner leaders centuries before Daltoners landed on Evanoch, cementing a mostly male-centric society, but some of the more rebellious Daltoner women keep the tale alive for future generations. Today, most Evanines consider this tale to be some of the only evidence that Daltoner society was ever permissive of anything that they are not currently. 

Faninites

• The Great Splitting: Long before the first Faninite settlers landed on the shores of Evanoch, Faninite explorers had made their way to the continent and encountered the mass of races there. This caused the human society to ask questions about the origin of the different races, and a new myth arose. This new story proposed an idea that was considered mythical at best at the time but which is now supported by genealogical science: the different races are all descended from one common ancestor. The Faninite myth contends that one progenitor (essentially a human) split into the other races over time as the distance between the developing races grew. This myth was partially fueled by the biodiversity of the island of Fanin, where similar but distinct species show signs of specialization. This myth places Faninites at the center of the story (being the base ancestor of all races), but also is one of the only racial myths which includes the other races. This story reveals that Faninites, outsiders to Evanoch, were keen to understand their place in a world that had just grown much larger--this is key to Faninites, who regard their place in the world more humbly than most. Today, this myth is considered more of a philosophical concept which reminds Faninites that the world is a complex place. 
• A Mother's Touch: In a tale long passed down, Faninite culture explains that a mother's actions while pregnant help to determine the personality of the child. Playing games while pregnant leads to a competitive child, serving one's community leads to a nurturing child, eating too much leads to a gluttonous child, and so on. It is said that during the mother's pregnancy, the child learns what life is via the mother's experiences. Belief in this myth leads Faninite mothers to adhere to strict behavioral codes during pregnancy, and Faninite mothers commonly curse themselves for their actions when their child misbehaves. This myth reveals the notion of balance in the world that is dear to Faninites--actions have predictable outcomes. It also stresses the importance of child-mother relationships, which are especially important in Faninite culture. Today, this myth is regarded as a wives' tale by most, but many Faninites adhere to strict codes of behavior while pregnant just to be certain. 
• The Unsung God: In the days prior to Faninite expansion to Evanoch, most Faninites practiced a crude form of worship of nature as an entity--they did not worship Obad-Hai or Ehlonna, but rather an unnamed spirit of all natural things. This unnamed deity was responsible for maintaining the balance between extremes: life and death, summer heat and winter snow, times of plenty and times of scarcity. The belief was that by honoring this god, imbalance in nature could be averted. When more Faninites made Evanoch their home, they discovered that Evanines had direct contact with a whole range of deities who actually responded to them--this changed the Faninite perception of worship. Most Faninites became converts of Obad-Hai or Ehlonna, but a good number of them maintained worship of the unnamed god in private. This myth is a reminder that Faninites (now an integral part of Evanoch) are still newcomers to the continent relative the non-human races despite their assimilation but also reminds Faninites that Evanoch is a more special place than their homeland. Today, worship of the unnamed god is more limited and private than ever, but those who do pray to this deity swear that the setting of intentions is more meaningful than directly speaking with a god, who has their own agenda. 

Dwarves

• The Forging of the Hammer: Before Moradin created the dwarves, he was more or less alone in the world. Other gods were warring or creating their domains bit by bit, but Moradin had other plans. To increase his own power, he decided to craft a tool to help him. He considered the spear, but it could not act as a tool. He considered a saw, but it could not be used to protect oneself. He considered a great stone, but it was not easy to use. He decided to combine these features and invented the first hammer, which had reach like a spear, usefulness as a tool like a saw, and power like the stone. The hammer became the very symbol of Moradin, and in many versions of the dwarven creation myth, he used it to create and bless the dwarves. This myth reveals that dwarves' love of tradition extends to all things dwarven, including their deity and their culture. Amongst dwarves today, a hammer is still the holy symbol of Moradin, and many dwarves choose hammers to defend themselves. 
• The Right of Kings: The supreme leader of the dwarven capital of Underhar is called the Dronith, which loosely translates to "Regent." In the earliest days of dwarven civilization, the Dronith was more of a ceremonial rank, someone who humbly performed the rites to keep dwarven leadership going. But sometime just after the beginning of recorded history, the Dronith was transformed into a much more comprehensively powerful person. Many attribute this to the dwarven myth of a mysterious and likely apocryphal leader from the years before history was recorded. In this tale, Dronith Flint Redshield was a dwarven leader whose health was ailing. His people gathered around him on his deathbed, and a cleric whose name was never recorded (known simply as "The Cleric" in this story) decided to direct everyone to empower the dying regent. Through the effort of the gathered people and the magic of the cleric, Dronith Redshield recovered his health and was also invested with the power of his people. From this point onward, dwarven leadership was bestowed along with the blessings of all dwarves in Underhar and the churches of the capital. This myth illustrates the long tradition of strict hierarchy in dwarven culture, as in the myth, common people give up their power for the Dronith's sake. Today, the myth remains something of a reminder from older generations to younger dwarves to remember the power of dwarven leadership in crucial times. 
• A Line on the Floor: Drawn from a myth so old that some details have been lost to time, this myth is the cause of a peculiar dwarven architectural tradition. What remains of the myth tells us this: in the time before humanoids, when it was only gods, the powers of the gods were boundless. They had nothing to sustain, and so they used their powers freely. But because there were no limits on godly powers, the gods were always accidentally interfering with one another. Moradin hatched a plan: he used his hammer to draw dividing lines around himself when conducting magic. These lines separated his powers from the other gods', which allowed them all to practice their powers as they saw fit. This is replicated in dwarven homes by etching lines into the floor that section the home off into distinct areas. A dwarf might eat meals in one section, sleep in another section, and read in a third section; dividing lines on the ground separate these different realms of life. It is said that not employing these lines invites the other gods to interfere with one's designs. This myth illustrates both the dwarven reverence for Moradin (dwarves are among the most committed to a racial deity in the land) and the hierarchical, organized way of life. Today, this tradition is deeply ingrained in dwarven society, and all but the most independent dwarves have clearly marked areas in their homes. 

Elves

• The Phases of the Moon: Corellon Larethian, god of the elves, is indicated by his symbol of a thin crescent moon. In elven myth, Larethian began as the moon itself, more detached than the other gods. This was long before the birth of humanoids; it was simply the gods and the earth. Larethian watched over the world when Pelor was asleep, and the two were very much counterparts of one another. But when the moon reached its waning crescent, Corellon Larethian was split. The moon remained named Corellon, and Larethian is the elven word for "change." Thus, the moon is watched over by Corellon Larethian's highest spirit, while his consciousness lives as the elven god. This separation of spirit and mind indicates the elven tendency towards balancing those two aspects of life. It also represents the elven reverence of the moon. Elves celebrate every waning crescent moon as the beginning of something new, marked by the following new moon. Today, lunar phases remain crucial to elven faith and culture, and some elven traditions are only carried out at night in honor of the moon god. 
• The First Sapling: The story of the first tree is central to elven culture. In this myth, the growth of the first tree precedes even the gods. Before any deities had come to exist, earth, air, and water combined to form the first sapling. In elven culture, trees represent all the elements, as they grow in earth, rise into the air, grow from water, and can be burned as fuel for fire. The first sapling grew strong and tall and spread a variety of seeds across the land, and these seeds grew into different plants depending on where they landed. From this one tree grew all that have ever lived, and elves commonly give thanks to the first tree as though it is a minor deity. The elven homeland on the Lathien Island system is dominated by rich forests with many trees that can only be found there. Many elven homes are built directly into living trees. These facts give context to the elven fondness for forests, and indeed even the symbol of a tree is often used to represent the idea of home. Today, the tale of the first sapling is regarded more as a folk tale than a real history, but the story is shared more often than any more scientific explanation. 
• Tree Breath: One of the oldest substances used as a drug in Evanoch is the refined essence of a plant leaf called Vivara. This substance, when consumed, induces a state similar to elven meditation; for non-elves, it creates a calm but euphoric experience that looks like elven meditation, and for elves, the effect is multiplied by as much as twice that effect. Though uses vary outside of the elven community, for elves, Vivara essence (or "Tree Breath," as it is commonly known) is a spiritual experience meant to bring the user closer to nature. The myth surrounding this is that Corellon Larethian recognized that humanoids were formed with a vital element missing--perspective. To remedy this, he endowed the Vivara tree with the powerful property that opens the door to true contemplation. Many elves believe that the only true path to enlightenment is through Vivara essence. This myth reveals that elves both desire connection with nature (enough to dedicate a powerful drug to pursuing that connection) and that elves believe the path forward comes from reflection, not action. Today, people pay little attention to the myth behind Vivara essence unless they are using it for traditional meditation purposes. 

Half-Elves

• The Other Piece: When Faninites reached Evanoch and mixed with the elves, the result was half-elves. It was noted at the time as curious, as humans and elves were not expected to be able to bear children, since no other combination of races could produce children. Very quickly, half-elves created a myth about the nature of this pairing. Humans and elves were as similar as halflings and gnomes, so why didn't that combination have the same effect? The resulting story posited that elves and Faninites were cosmically linked, fated to meet and create half-elves. The story's details changed with each telling, but the basic premise was the Corellon Larethian and Ehlonna had conspired against the other gods, intending to combine their forces. With this plan, they created elves and Faninites separately, but bound on a collision course. This myth shows the half-elven belief that balancing two extremes is a key part of culture and that half-elves' presence is no accident (a common perception of non-half-elves). Today, this myth is more of an attitude than an actual belief--half-elves are less prone to tradition than their elven parents, and they value philosophy over  faith. 
• The Third Voice: A common elven folk saying (preceding half-elves) says that "Everyone has two voices: a voice for good, and a voice for bad. We must listen to the good." But half-elves developed their own interpretation of this saying with a myth. The story goes that half-elves brought with them a third voice, a voice which is more powerful than either the good or the bad. The third voice, sometimes called "judgment," represents neither extreme, but the push to remain balanced in the middle. The appearance of this third voice is considered by many half-elves to be a real historical event, as the period in which half-elves appeared in Evanoch was also marked by decreased violence, advances in philosophy, and an array of improvements in social conditions. This myth represents the half-elven tendency toward tempering two distinct things as well as the value of compromise and diplomatic thought. Today, the idea that the third voice is a real entity which has changed history is adopted by about one-half of half-elves and a smattering of other individuals; it is often invoked by half-elves when they have a clear solution to a problem that others don't see the merit of. 
• The Half-God: In recent years, a faction of half-elves who feel that they are oppressed and ignored by society introduced a myth they claim is ancient but which few scholars can find any evidence for. The myth contends that there is a forgotten member of the pantheon of deities who is specifically a half-elven god. The patron saint of communication and balance, this deity is named Relligen Larethian--not the god of the moon or elves, but the god of the sky and half-elves. Relligen is supposed to be Corellon Larethian's wife, forgotten by many because her time to shine would not come until the half-elves were born, and ignored then because the other gods were all anyone knew. Although few claim to have been in contact with Relligen Larethian, the myth has gained traction among younger half-elves who want to carve out their own space. This myth is reflective of the difficult social position of half-elves, who have no distinct cultural representation without this god. Today, the myth is continuing to grow, even as it is ridiculed by many outside the half-elven community.  

Halflings

• A Hole in the Ground: Visitors to the halfling capital of Curagon notice quickly that many of the buildings there are underground, with only small burrowed entrances to the structures. This method of halfling construction stretches back as far as recorded history. A halfling myth provides the origin for this tendency: the halfling goddess Yondalla was once the most peaceful and nurturing of deities, which created issues for her as the other gods strove to compete for the most power. In order to be safe and keep practicing her good deeds, Yondalla burrowed into the earth and created a sanctuary from the surface world. Scholars argue over whether this myth explained existing burrows, or if, as the myth contends, burrows followed Yondalla's example. But regardless of the truth of it, the myth is celebrated by halflings by placing a symbol of Yondalla at the lowest point in the home (oftentime, a small dugout is added to homes to create a lowest point). This myth displays an explanation for traditional halfling behavior and adds a moral component to it, which represents the halfling tendency toward good deeds on the community level. Today, the myth is regarded as folk wisdom and inspiration for doing things the halfling traditional way.  
• A Single Note: Halfling mythology contends that in the beginning, all was silent. The gods communicated telepathically, and nothing on the earth made a sound. But Yondalla saw a new way forward, and she spoke to herself from her burrow, "Life." At the sound of Yondalla's bright voice, a halfling family appeared before her. Rather than explain what she wanted from the halflings, Yondalla produced a harp and played a single note. From that note, the halfling family came to understand all that Yondalla had to say, and soon the other gods were speaking and attempting to make music, although no god could make music like Yondalla. The halfling family were gifted with their own instruments, and they created beautiful music long before even the gods could. This myth can explain the halfling tendency toward musical expression; halflings are considered the most inventive musicians in the land, and the creation of music beginning with them depicts the pride that halflings feel for their abilities. Today, this myth is taken quite seriously. Even non-halfling musicians are likely to pray to Yondalla for inspiration, and halfling musicians often also dabble in the lore of Yondalla.  
• A Few Inches Less: For much of the beginning of recorded history, halflings were mostly in contact with their neighbors to the northeast, the gnomes. The similar statures of halflings and gnomes led most members of both races to conceptualize the world as mostly consisting of people of their size. As the halflings came into contact with the dwarves to the southeast, the orcs to the southwest, and the elves to the northwest, they began to realize that halflings and gnomes were outnumbered by the larger humanoids. As a result, a myth began to develop that the gods changed the size of a humanoid depending on that person's morality. The better you were as a person, the shorter you would be, went the logic. The smallest halflings were honored, and the largest humanoids feared. Young halflings resented their growth spurts and hoped to be a few inches less than their parents and siblings. This myth reflects the halfling perspective as outsiders on most every issue, as well as the belief that halflings are the most moral of the races. Today, this myth is regarded as an outdated folk tale, and is mostly invoked jokingly: "I've been having an off day--I bet I grow an inch tonight." 

Gnomes

• The First Machine: As inventors, gnomes are unsurpassed; gnomish god Garl Glittergold is said to have been the progenitor of this tradition. In an early gnomish myth, Glittergold witnesses the blessings of the other races: strength for the orcs, grace for the elves, sturdiness for the dwarves--and decided he had to outdo them and make gnomes the most powerful of the humanoids. His strategy was to make the gnomes more than just humanoids, but beings which could command forces beyond their own abilities. So Glittergold invented a machine, using natural objects like shaped stones and twisted trees, that could empower the gnomes with ingenuity. The machine created gnomes who could tinker and create devices at the same age they could first walk. This myth depicts how the gnomish tradition of inventing is viewed as a crucial and even spiritual part of life. Today, gnomish inventors are likely to worship Glittergold, and they often dedicate their inventions to the deity in hope of success.  
• The Next Name: In a myth from the earliest years of gnomish civilization, a businesswoman named Turina Frebenemy began her ascent of the financial ladder. As she created new products, conquered new markets, and made new fortunes, she began to accumulate new names. These names included Heronitin, Grablowski, Vitteramin, and Ampwin. Each name was an honorific--a title rather than a name. But as generations passed and the story was passed down, the emphasis of the myth became the collection of names as a marker of success. Many gnomes credit this story with being the origin of gnomes' collecting names, and the remaining gnomes insist that Frebenemy was a real person who originated the practice. The myth reveals not only the gnomish custom of gathering names, but also the importance of social prestige in gnomish culture. Today, the myth is still shared as a part of gnomish history, and many gnomes who cherish the tale adopt some of Frebenemy's names in honor of the idea.  
• Part of Something Bigger: Appearing around the time that the gnomish capital of Vestry shifted toward a more socialistic approach to government, this myth provides the basis for much of gnomish culture's emphasis on community. The myth holds that in the first few years of humanoids existing on the earth, disputes began to pop up. The other races devolved into fighting each other and amongst themselves, but the gnomes took a different approach. Instead, they banded together in order to protect themselves and advance their interests together. This was a highly successful strategy which was soon copied by the other races, but the gnomes seemed best suited to this approach. Part of the myth's reason for being was that cultural values were changing, and gnomes needed to codify the value of community in place of the former "everyone is in it for themselves" approach. This myth tells clearly how gnomes consider teamwork to be the best way forward, which informs practically every element of their society. Today, the myth has largely been incorporated into serious history as part of the project that is collective gnomish society.  

Orcs

• The Island Alone: The orcish people reside primarly on the island of Grob, a stark land marked by craggy peaks and an isthmus to the mainland to the north. It took centuries after the beginning of recorded history for orcs to encounter any other race--the elves to the north, with whom the orcs share a fierce rivalry. But before that encounter, the orcs lived as though they were the only people of Evanoch. A myth from this period describes the island of Grob as massive and full of varied peoples, all of whom vied for supremacy of the land. This myth was shattered when the elves were contacted, but the orcish view of the orcish people as being varied became highly important when their world expanded. Until warfare with the elves became a primary concern, orcs resented the other races of Evanoch viewing them as one unit rather than members of disparate tribes. This myth displays how the orcs have a worldview that centers on orcish rather than global issues, as well as how identity amongst orcs is conceptualized--orcs are not a monolith, but neither are they individuals; they belong to a clan first and foremost. Today, this myth is passed down by orcish elders as a reminder of the clan obligations of orcs in the modern world. 
• The Wise Woman: In orcish society, the Curtran ("Wise Woman") is the cultural and spiritual leader of communities. The nominal leader is the warchief, but all of their decisions are discussed with the Curtran first. A very early orcish myth tells of the first Curtran: in the beginning, Gruumsh realized that his prowess in battle would not be enough to serve the orcish people. So he pulled the greater part of his spirit from his body, infused it into a body made of earth and fire, and created the first Curtran. This wise woman acted as counsel to Gruumsh throughout her life, then passed her spirit to the next wise woman. The myth contends that every Curtran today has a part of that first Curtran's spirit alive inside her. This myth reveals that orcs have a considerably more favorable role for women in society than many believe of the orcs; while many assume that the militant orcs would relegate women to backseats in society like the Daltoners and dwarves do, the orcs in fact invest most of their community faith in the wise woman. In this myth, the mundane wise woman is even powerful enough to advise a god--a great investment of power. Today, this story continues to be told, especially by the Curtrans of Grob and by orcs who have left the homeland but want to stay connected to tradition.  
• The Elven Conundrum: This myth picks up where the orcish creation myth leaves off; after the gods have formed the earth and their favored people, disputes between the gods begin in earnest. This myth actually precedes the contact between elves and orcs, and many say it was prophesized by this tale. In the story, orcs are beset on all sides by a numerous, long-lived enemy. For every one of these menacing beings the orcs managed to best in combat, five more enemies appeared in its place. The orcs fought for generations, and in the end, both the enemies and the orcs were too badly damaged to continue fighting. This is rare in an orcish myth--combat is nearly always displayed as a meaningful strategy that will be of advantage to the orcs. Nevertheless, this myth was repeated and feared for centuries until the orcs encountered the elves. Some orcs were hesitant to identify the elves as the feared enemies, but many felt the similarities were too great to ignore. This myth reveals that orcish culture is centered around battle, but it also shows that orcs know when a stalemate has been reached. Today, this myth is repeated by people of all races, particularly historian, who believe that this myth is the single most significant foretelling of a real event to ever occur. 

There you have it: three mythical stories from each racial culture along with the meaning and impact of those stories in the gameworld's present day. These myths deepen our understanding of the cultures they come from and open new possibilities for storytelling. As a for instance, we might set our players loose investigating the half-elven story of Relligen Larethian, or we could have the players look into other potential prophecies from the orcish world. As always, worldbuilding serves not only to characterize the world, but also to create places for our players to create their own stories. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: how to develop places of interest, a one-shot adapted from the movie Snakes on a Plane, and the value of including a summary of the last session to start your game. Until next time, happy gaming!

Back to the homepage (where you can find everything!)

Napoleon Dynamite One-Shot

When Napoleon Dynamite came out in 2004, it was wildly popular. It was impossible to escape people quoting the movie, the iconic dance sequence at the end was parodied and recreated everywhere, and "Vote for Pedro" shirts could be found anywhere. Today, that fervor is largely dissipated, and Napoleon Dynamite is now a relic of a strange and bizarrely innocent world. Personally, my love of the movie never abated, and I wanted to create a one-shot for this movie that was and remains one of my favorite movie worlds. Read on for the full one-shot. 

The Rules

Players must create a character to begin the adventure. They must select a name (I recommend unconventional names in the style of "Napoleon Dynamite") and two abilities from the list below. Characters are high school students at Idago High, and they replace Napoleon in this one-shot. The possible abilities are:

1. Sick Threads - Your totally fresh style is so impressive that people will listen to you more closely. Roll a d6, and any result of 4 or higher will allow you to change the mind of one person of your choosing. 
2. Moon Boots - You have anti-gravity moves that blow peoples' minds with a dance routine. Roll a d6, and any result of 5 or higher can convince a gathered group of people to think like you. 
3. Fine Artist - Your ability to draw the most incredible fantastical beasts moves people. Roll a d6, and any result of 4 or higher will inspire people to get the message of your art. 
4. Bowstaff Skills - Your reflexes are so fast that no one can get past your defenses. When bullies try to give you a hard time, you can evade their attacks with a d6 roll of 4 or higher. 
5. Future Farmer of America - Your time on farms has taught you to be an expert in agricultural matters. With a d6 roll of 4 or higher, you can access any piece of information about farming from your memory. 
6. Friends in Low Rider - Thanks to your friendship with Pedro, his intimidating cousins are willing to help you. With a d6 roll of 4 or higher, they will give you a ride or stare down someone. 
7. Pocket of Tots - You craftily stored some extra tater tots in a pocket on your pants. There are enough tots for three snacks; each snack adds a +1 to any roll. You can use more than one serving of tots at once. You may decide to consume the tots and accept the bonus(es) after the roll has been made. 
8. "Whatever I Wanna Do, Gosh!" - Your commitment to being wholly yourself makes you the master of your own fate. With a d6 roll of 5 or higher, you can change one detail about the scene you are currently in. This ability can only be used twice per game per character (if more than one character chooses this ability, each person can use the ability twice). This ability can only be attempted once per scene per person. 

For any other action a player wants to take that wouldn't be assumed as a success, have the player roll a d6, with 5 or higher counting as a success.

The One-Shot

[narration in italics]

Day One: A booming voice comes over the school intercom. "Welcome, students, to another year at Idago High. We hope you've enjoyed your summer vacation and that you're ready to come back and learn. Remember that there is a student body election in three days, so if you want to run for office, you had better get going. Best of luck to all of you, and a special welcome to our new students."

A mustachioed boy who you don't recognize is standing next to you in a crowd of students outside the school. He smiles faintly as the loudspeaker continues, saying to himself, "Hey, I'm a new student. That's me!" He looks over to you and sees that you noticed him speaking. "Hi," he says with that faint smile again. "I'm Pedro." 

The players should now introduce themselves to Pedro. Pedro is looking for friends and is grateful for someone speaking to him. After the players have introduced themselves:

"You know," says Pedro, "I think I might run for class president. I know that I'm new, but I already have a lot of ideas. In my old school, we had a class pet. It was a hamster. But another class had a class pet too, and their class pet was a snake. And of course nature took its course. That hamster ate that poor snake. So my rule will be that you can't have class pets that want to eat each other." 

The players can respond to Pedro however they want in terms of this, but lead the narration to this:

"I know we just met, but I really like your style and I think you would be a good Secretary for the Student Body or whatever. Would you help me get elected?" 

The party will probably agree to help. If they don't, you can have Pedro offer a reward, like a new pair of num-chuks or martial arts lessons. Once the party is on-board with electing Pedro:

The first day back to school is a flash. Announcements, introductions, assignments, and lots of milling through crowded hallways. Your stomach churns as you near your locker and notice Randy. Randy has been stealing your lunch money and putting you in a headlock since you started at this school. It's danged messed up. He notices you and smiles a depraved smile.

"Hey there, I know you've got something for me," Randy says. He cocks a fist as though to punch you, swings it and stops short of hitting you, and pulls his fist back. He does this again, and again, and on the fourth time, he actually tries to hit you. 

The players can deal with Randy as they see fit. If they avoid his attacks, he will get frustrated and leave. If they change his mind, he will leave them alone until the following day. If they use Pedro's cousins to intimidate Randy, he will leave the party along until the following day. If the party accepts Randy's abuse:

Pedro approaches after Randy finishes with you. "That's not cool," he says. "If I become president, I will make a rule about bullying: no more of it. That's a good rule." He smiles faintly but earnestly. 

However the party chooses to deal with Randy:

On the bus ride home, you start to think about how full the next two days are. The election is in two days, which means tomorrow will be very busy. You'll need to complete a total of five goals in whatever order you can manage. You must (1) work a shift at the egg farm, (2) campaign for Pedro, (3) compete at the Future Farmers of America event, (4) perform to support Pedro, and (5) feed Tina, the family llama. It's such a daunting list that you spend much of the evening mulling it over and end up passing out on the couch. You awaken to Uncle Rico shaking you awake. "C'mon, dummy!" he says. "Don't you know you're gonna be late for school if you don't get your behind in gear." It's not the best way to start a day, but it's what you're working with. As you rise and don today's totally rad outfit, you can hear Uncle Rico on the phone in the other room: "I could pull a football apart into tiny pieces, throw all those pieces in the air, and the pieces would reform into a football before it hit the ground. I've done it before, and not even in '82. Football's middle name is 'Uncle Rico.' I could eat an entire cow in fifteen minutes if I had enough steak sauce." He prattles on like this well past when you leave to catch the bus to school.

The party now must decide how to proceed with the day. When the party decides on an action, scroll down to the section on that event; the players can complete these tasks in any order. Some stages are easier if they've completed other stages before, so let players back out of a task if they want to go get an advantage in another task. When they are all complete, jump to the "Election" section at the end. 

The Egg Farm

Making money isn't easy. Uncle Rico is always hassling you about contributing to the family, so you picked up this job at a chicken facility. The manager doesn't seem to remember you no matter how many times you show up, but he can tell the difference between two identical eggs every time. He looks at you with a faraway gaze as though something is brewing, but a moment later, he spits on the ground and says, "Shift's starting," and shuffles off towards the coop. 

The party must complete a shift at the egg farm. They are responsible for handling the chickens, collecting the eggs, and depositing the eggs at the edge of the coop. In order to complete the shift, the players may try to handle the chickens with the "Future Farmer of America" skill; a success allows the chickens to be moved and the eggs harvested without issue. Failures on either of these rolls results in a combination of chicken scratches on the players, unhappy chickens, and broken eggs. Players may also use "Bowstaff Skills" to outmaneuver the chickens and grab their eggs. If the party completely fails the egg harvesting, the manager fires the party without paying them. If the party completes more than half of the egg harvesting, they are paid and sent on to the next task. If the party completes the job perfectly, they are rewarded with both pay and an FFA token, which can be used to increase odds of success at the FFA event.

The party must complete three tasks at the egg farm. First, they must safely remove the chickens from their roosts--again, "Future Farmer of America" and "Bowstaff Skills" can be helpful here. If a player has "Pocket of Tots," they can coax the chickens from their roosts. Second, they must remove the eggs--again, "Future Farmer of America" and "Bowstaff Skills" will help. Third, the players must safely carry the eggs. Halfway across the coop, have the players trip. "Moon Boots" and "Bowstaff Skills" grant you the grace to safely recover without dropping the eggs. Otherwise, roll a d6. On a 1-2, no eggs are lost. On a 3, one quarter of the eggs are lost. On a 4, one half the eggs are lost. On a 5, three quarters of the eggs are lost. On a 6, all the eggs are lost. If less than half the total eggs remain after this step, the party will not be paid, but they will receive the FFA token. If more than three-quarters of the party's total eggs are safe, the pay is boosted. Standard pay is $6; boosted pay is $10. 

The long shift done, you managed to survive the dark, damp chicken coop and the large talons. Even Uncle Rico can't complain--you did your best, and that's all anyone can ask for, okay, jeez. 

Campaign for Pedro

You need to spread the good word about Pedro and about how if you vote for him, all of your dreams will come true. If you really want to make in impact, though, you'll need to give people something. "We should definitely talk to people and tell them to vote for me. But if we had, like, little bracelets that said 'Vote for Pedro,' or, like, little flags that said 'Vote for Pedro,' or, like, little coffee mugs that said 'Vote for Pedro,' I think people would remember it better. Or, you know, like anything that said 'Vote for Pedro' on it. That's the important part. Do you think we can make something like that?" 

Let the players brainstorm their strategies. If they have money, they can spend it at a small crafts fair happening on school grounds. $6 will buy enough small items to give to 20 people. $10 will be enough to buy items for 40 people. A player can use "Fine Artist" to create their own flyers or other handouts. 

The players must speak to three people as a representative of their time campaigning. For all of these interactions, the skill "Sick Threads" will allow the players to sway peoples' opinions. They can also use "Friends in Low Rider" to intimidate stubborn voters. First, they must speak to someone who is neutral in the race--Paul. When told about Pedro: 

"That's cool, I guess. Are you gonna get the AV Club's projector fixed?" 

If the players can convince Paul that Pedro will help the AV Club, he will agree to vote for Pedro and even spread the word. Next, the players must speak to someone who has a preference for Summer--Beatrice. When told about Pedro: 

"Yeah, I dunno. Summer is my friend and I don't really know anything about Peh-dro."

The players can convince Beatrice to vote for Pedro with "Sick Threads" or "Friends in Low Rider." No matter how well it goes, she will not spread the word about Pedro. If the players can get on Beatrice's good side: 

"Don't do a dance for your talent portion of your speech. Summer's really insecure about her new dance number and she doesn't want people comparing the performances." 

Finally, the players must speak to Trisha, Summer's best friend. When told about Pedro:

"Ew. No. I will be onstage with Summer to show my support." 

The party can once again try "Sick Threads" or "Low Rider," but it will raise the threshold for success from 4 to 5 for both skills. If Trisha is convinced to vote for Pedro: 

"Okay fine. I'll vote for Pedro. Summer really only cares about winning a popularity contest anyway. But don't tell anyone!" 

Once the three people have been spoken to, the school grounds start to thin out and there are no longer enough people to campaign to. If no people were convinced to vote for Pedro, the few people on school grounds are wearing "Vote for Summer" t-shirts. If one person was convinced to vote for Pedro, the remaining people are wearing a mixture of "Vote for Pedro" and "Vote for Summer" shirts. If two people were convinced to vote for Pedro, most of the remaining people are wearing "Vote for Pedro" shirts. If all three people were convinced to vote for Pedro, there is a small crowd of people wearing "Vote for Pedro" shirts, and there are "Vote for Pedro" signs and posters everywhere. If the players distributed items from the crafts fair or distributed their own flyers, the effects are multiplied: twice as many people for the $6 investment and three times as many for the $10 investment. 

Future Farmers of America Event

Today is the big day. The day to prove that you've learned what your forefathers did to support their families, that your family still does today. It's time to prove to the FFA that you know your stuff. You enter a grand blue tent outside the Old Rudolph Farm, and inside are booths set up with various challenges. You see people tying knots, shearing sheep, and identifying different grasses by smell. A short woman in overalls comes over to your with a clipboard. "I see you're signed up for milk tasting, farm plotting, and dirt licking. Let's get you to your events--you're a little late." 

She leads you to a booth with a series of glasses of milk before you. You are ushered to a seat before the glasses. "Okay, taste each milk and tell us what's wrong with it." 

The players must now identify the defects in three glasses of milk. Any player can taste and try to identify the milks with a d6 roll--a 5 or higher will grant them the correct answer. A player can use "Future Farmer of America" to make this roll with 4 or higher being a success. Any player who earned their FFA token by working at the egg farm can lower the threshold of success for these rolls by 1 (5 or higher becomes 4 or higher, for instance).  

If the players roll a failure, tell them the wrong answer for the milk's defect, as indicated below. I suggest ad-libbing another possibility if more than one player fails. If they succeed, tell them the right answer. If they roll a 6, let them know they are certain of their answer. For extra drama, don't let the players know whether their roll is a success or failure. The milk defects are as follows: 

1. Cow had a fever (Correct)
1. Cow drank lemon juice (Incorrect)
2. Milk has pesticides in it (Correct)
1. Milk has urine in it (Incorrect)
3. Milk is expired (Correct)
1. Cow is too old to bear milk (Incorrect)

Scoring 2 out of 3 milks or better is considered a success, and 1 or fewer a failure. Any player who succeeds passes to the next round with a chance to win it all. Any player who failed is allowed to continue, but will not be considered a contender. 

"Okay then, off to the next event. If you'll just follow me this way to the farm plotting booth." You follow the overalled woman to another booth, this one with architect's tables and large sheets of paper. "Use the supplies to draw a farm plot that could sustain a family of four." 

The players must now prepare their plots. You may have them each draw separately, or have them work together on one plot. To draw a plot, players may roll a d6--a roll of 5 or higher will result in a successful drawing. A player may use "Fine Artist" to complete this task with a 4 or higher, as can a player using "Future Farmer of America." Any player who earned an FFA token at the egg farm can make this roll with the difficulty threshold lowered by 1 (5 or higher becomes 4 or higher, for example). 

If the players succeed in their drawings, they may proceed to the next round. If they failed, they can continue, but cannot win it all. 

"Alright, last round: dirt licking. You have to be able to identify which crop was grown in each soil sample. This one's for all the marbles." You are seated at a small table with three cups of dirt. 

The players must now detect the crop signatures of the dirt. A player can identify the dirt with a d6 roll--5 or higher means a success. A player with "Future Farmer of America" can make this roll with 4 or higher counted as a success. Any player with the FFA token from the egg farm can lower the difficulty threshold by 1 (5 or higher becomes 4 or higher, for instance). A player who fails at this roll is given the incorrect answer. 

1. Sweet Corn (Correct)
1. Barley (Incorrect)
2. Parsnips (Correct)
1. Radishes (Incorrect)
3. Blueberries (Correct)
1. Raspberries (Incorrect)

If a player gets 2 out of 3 or more correct, they are successful. 1 correct or less is a failure, and the player is eliminated. If all the players failed along the way:

A voice booms over a loudspeaker: "Congratulations Gloria Westerfield, this year's FFA champion! She sheared a sheep one-handed and had a perfect record identifying animal feces by texture. She wins this year's prize: a full-page spot in the FFA newsletter to say whatever she wants. Thanks to everyone for competing." 

If any of the players manage to succeed throughout the three events: 

A voice booms over a loudspeaker: "Congratulations to [player names], this year's FFA champion(s)! They identified milk defects like a champ, drew an impressive farm plot, and licked dirt like you wouldn't believe. They win this year's prize: a full-page spot in the FFA newsletter to say whatever they want. Thanks to everyone for competing." 

The players can do whatever they choose with the adspace, but if they use it to promote Pedro in the school election, it will double his support (doubled after completing all five areas).

Perform to Support Pedro

The stage is set: Summer is finishing her speech, some ramble about not wanting "chiminey-changas" in the cafeteria next year. Standing next to you, Pedro flinches at her butchering of the word. He turns to you, defiance in his eyes. "I was told life would be better here in America. But it seems like some people don't want it to be. It makes me sad, but I don't want to leave. We have to make it better." Summer has finished her speech now, and the auditorium is rocked by applause. She takes the stage again with her friends, and they perform a dance number for the crowd. Pedro turns to you again, more subdued now. "I don't think I have a talent that will make these people happy. Can you do something? You have so many skills." 

The party has a moment to talk things over. No matter how the players coax, Pedro will not perform himself--he seems defeated and is barely up to giving his speech. The responsibility falls to the players. When they're nearing a strategy:

Summer's dance is over. Pedro takes the stage at the tail end of even heartier applause than before. He stands silently for a moment, regarding the crowd thoughtfully. "I know that everybody loves Summer. I don't want to stop that. But I think this school could be a better place. I see people get beat up for lunch money, and ignored by their teachers, and no one has a place to go to fix it. That's why I will be that person--I'll help you fix it. And if you vote for me, all your dreams will come true." 

If the players have already campaigned for Pedro or put an ad in the FFA newsletter for him, have a pretty hearty response to Pedro's speech, though still more subdued that the response to Summer's dance.

Pedro leaves the podium. A stage hand ushers you onto the stage. The lights focus on you. It's your time to shine. What do you do? 

The players must now do something to entertain the crowd. With "Moon Boots," a player can roll to influence the crowd with some sweet moves--this can be improved to success at 3 or higher if someone else in the party deploys "Sick Threads" successfully at the same time. A player may draw something live before the crowd using "Fine Artist." A player may entertain the crowd with a weapon drill using "Bowstaff Skills." The party may also improvise any other kind of entertainment--simply use a d6 roll and count 5 or higher as a success. You may grant them a bonus (such as +1 to a roll) if they deploy other skills or if their idea is especially clever. 

If the performance is a success: 

Your performance ends. There is a moment of uncertain silence. Then, thunderous applause fills the auditorium. People are screaming and leaping to their feet. They have never seen anything like this, and they love it. The applause continues long after you leave the stage. They begin chanting Pedro's name. 

If the performance is a failure: 

Your performance ends. There is a moment of uncertain silence. It goes on longer than you'd like. "Boo!" comes a cry from the crowd. There are a few other "boo"s from across the auditorium, but they die out quickly as people begin to leave the auditorium, seemingly in a rush. You are left standing in the middle of the stage as everyone turns their back on you. 

If Trisha told the players not to do a dance to spare Summer, and the players did a dance that was more popular than Summer's, Summer bursts into tears and runs out of the auditorium. 

Feed Tina

That monstrous thing. She eats whatever you give her, she spits accurately and angrily, and she's rushed you at the fence more times than you can remember. The neighbors say she's not so bad, and Grandma even says she's a sweet animal, but you know the truth. And it's feeding time. You're at the fridge, and you have to decide: will she get a cheesy potato casserole, a hamsteak, or a plate of leftover scrambled eggs? 

The players must now deliberate over which food to give her. The choice makes no difference--Tina will aggressively try to get the food no matter what. When the players have selected a dish:

You near the fence. Tina can smell the food; she turns and faces you from the far side of the pen, then charges toward you. She doesn't slow until she's only feet from the fence, and comes sliding to a halt with mouth open, teeth gnashing. Her neck is inclined over the fence, and she is chomping violently to get the food. 

The players can now roll to feed Tina. They may roll a d6 and count 5 or higher as a success. A player may use the ability "Future Farmer of America" to feed Tina with 4 or higher being a success. A player may use "Bowstaff Skills" to feed Tina safely with a 4 or higher as a success. If the player has "Pocket of Tots," they can use one serving of tots to distract and safely feed Tina without a roll. Once Tina has been fed: 

She's consumed it all and is stalking around her pen as though she's looking for more. She spits in your direction, and it makes it further than you'd think, though not far enough to reach you. She makes eye contact and poops. 

Facing Uncle Rico and the Election Results

Once the players have completed all five of the tasks, it's time to head home. The results of the election will be announced in the morning, but until then, you must return home. 

"Alright, home late, I see," says Uncle Rico, sprawled across most of the couch. "Did you get out there and make some moolah like I asked?" 

If the players made money at the egg farm and didn't spend it campaigning for Pedro, they can give Uncle Rico the money. Whether the players have money or not: 

"Really? [Nothing?/Six bucks?/Ten bucks?] That's the best you can do? You're useless. Here I am, a perfect specimen of man, I could throw a football so hard it would knock your guts out your butt, and this is the best you can do?" 

You knew then that if you let Uncle Rico treat you like this, you'd never forgive yourself. You knew you had to shut Uncle Rico down. So you let him have it. 

The players now must insult Uncle Rico. A player may use "Sick Threads" via clothing, "Moon Boots" via dance, "Fine Artist" via an insulting drawing, "Bowstaff Skills" or "Friends in Low Rider" via intimidation; all of these require a 4 or higher to succeed. A success on one of these skills also lowers the threshold of success for the other rolls by 1 each. If the players mock Uncle Rico for not being good at football, he takes it especially personally and grants an additional +1 to any player's rolls. The players get three chances to shut down Uncle Rico--if they succeed on any of them, Uncle Rico has a meltdown (there is almost no chance that the players can't defeat Uncle Rico, but if they do, have him melt down because of the stress of arguing):

"I haven't been able to throw a football right in years," Uncle Rico sobs. "You're right, I'm not who I say I am. I'm just a thoroughly broken person who's too afraid to take getting better seriously." He stops crying for a moment and glances into the kitchen. "You think you could cook me up a 'feel better' steak?"

Hours later, you've dealt with Uncle Rico. You're lying down to bed. In the morning, it all plays out. It's hard to get to sleep with so much excitement, but you manage to nod off before too late. In the morning, the house is cleaned up, and Uncle Rico has left you a note: "Went to find a therapist. Good luck with the election. Go Pedro!" 

You make it to the school grounds. Everyone is chattering with the surprising turn of the election. Upstart Pedro giving shoo-in Summer a run for her money? Some people even say Pedro might win. 

All the students pile into the auditorium again. The principal of the school is standing at the podium with a sheet of paper he's studying with a puzzled look. Finally, he clears his throat and speaks. 

"We've gathered here to share the results of the election for student body president. And it was a squeaker. But--"

To finish the principal's sentence, choose the phrases that match what your players did (if they failed at everything, jump ahead to the narration below for Summer winning):

"But thanks to the campaign team's [hard work at local farms], [promotion of their candidate], [dedication to the craft of farming], [and/or] [incredible performance,] they managed to surprise everyone. Thanks to their hard work, our new student body president is Pedro Sanchez." Cheers go up from across the auditorium. Hats sail through the air. Pedro rises to his feet and makes his way to the stage.

"I'm so grateful. I promise, I will do everything I can to make Idago High the best school it can be. And like I said, now all your wildest dreams will come true." 

As he finishes speaking those words, a rumbling rocks the auditorium. Everyone recoils in shock as the floorboards of the stage rip open and a giant sword-wielding cyclops riding a liger emerges. It opens its mouth in a roar, but is crushed by an enormous snake which falls from the ceiling before it can make a sound. Nightmare creatures of all shapes and sizes fill the auditorium, and screams of terror erupt from every living soul trapped inside. 

On stage, Pedro smiles faintly. Blazing fires gleam in his eyes. He laughs to himself, and says, "Yes, and now all of my dreams have come true." 

THE END

How to Implement Hope and Despair in Your Game

There are a number of storytelling RPGs out there that have fascinating systems for keeping the story rolling dramatically along. Among my favorites is one of the simplest systems I have encountered. In the game Don't Rest Your Head, your players are insomniacs who have fallen into the Mad City, a place full of living nightmares and insomniacs like them, with powers related to who they were before they entered the Mad City. The system for powers is also one of my favorites--players choose two powers which can be interpreted in a great many ways, and as long as you can rationalize using your power, you are set. But what I want to talk about here is the Hope and Despair mechanic, which you can use in your game to spice up the story. 

In Don't Rest Your Head, the GM rolls against any player action. If the GM has more high rolls than the player (determined by who has the most 4s, 5s, and 6s in their pool of d6s), then the game rules dictate that pain dominates the roll (meaning that the majority of high-rolled dice are the GM's). What this means in terms of the game is that the GM takes a token--a coin in most cases--and adds it to a collection called Despair. 

Once there is a token in Despair, the GM can use it to affect the narrative of the game. Typically, a GM spends a Despair token in order to complicate things for the players. In the game, you can spend a Despair token to affect the outcome of a single die in any rolled pool, but since I'm suggesting a way to adapt this system to a game like D&D which doesn't use DRYH's rules for rolling dice, I won't go into detail on explaining that. I'll offer an illustration of this system below with an in-game example. 

The second step of this process is that when you spend a Despair token, the players get a Hope token. Hope tokens are basically the opposite of Despair tokens--the players use them to change the story slightly to give themselves an advantage. You can see the game logic here: when players suffer setbacks, they gain a proportionate ability to advance. Again, the game dictates that Hope dice change the outcome of any die, but we'll be changing that to suit a D&D-style game. 

Before I dive into the example game, let me propose a few options for how to implement this game. We could keep the spirit of the DRYH rule and allow a Despair or Hope token to change the result of a die roll. Within this possibility, we could have the die change to whatever number the GM or player chooses; we might also set a numerical limit on the change, such as granting a roll a ±5 or ±10. We could stick closer to the Inspiration system in D&D 5e and grant a reroll with a Despair or Hope token (basically giving advantage on a roll). In this case, a roll of a natural 1 (or a broader scale, like any roll from 1-4) results in the GM gaining a Despair token. We might also opt for a more organic approach, and say that entire narrative events occur or do not occur based on the use of a Despair or Hope token.  If this is the route you choose, the GM should get a Despair token either on bad rolls from the players or when the players create issues--arguing about plans for an extended period of time, getting into unnecessary trouble, slipping up with cover stories. Whichever of these approaches you choose, you'll want to be consistent for the rest of your game (or get unanimous approval from your party to change the ruling). 

For my example, I will include a hypothetical game session and depict how to use both the changing-a-roll method and the narrative-shift method. For that hypothetical game, let's use a story-heavy example, as that is what this modification to your gameplay is built to do. Let's say that our party is making its way from one kingdom to a smaller town, where an important NPC has information for them. In order to get there, the party must travel along a dangerous road in the middle of the night or risk not getting the information in time. About halfway through their journey, one player character spots signs of an ambush, but it's impossible to tell where the ambushers are. The party must progress down the road or risk failing their mission. 

The first thing that the party does is devise a strategy. If we're using the narrative approach, you as GM want to pay close attention to the nature of the discussion. If a few minutes go by without resolution, you could rule that you gain a Despair token due to their argument. Or if you're using the dice-based approach, a player's poor roll to spot any ambushers could result in the gaining of a Despair token. 

Now we need responses--the way we spend the Despair tokens. If we're taking the narrative approach, we can have the ambushers take advantage of the party's discussion and attack them while they plan. Then our Despair token becomes a Hope token. The players might use this Hope token to rebalance the odds in their favor, beat a hasty retreat, or negotiate with the ambushers. You can see how the introduction of these tokens pushes the game's story into increasingly dramatic places quite naturally. 

But let's say we've taken the dice-based approach. A player character rolls to see the ambushers, fails badly, and the GM gets a Despair token. Then, when the party actually assaults the ambushers, you as GM have a Despair token to change the combat. Perhaps you empower an enemy to better threaten a player character, or perhaps you reduce a player's good roll with the Despair token, or perhaps the Despair token is used to counter a Hope token from the players. Any of these can happen, and you can see how these changes to rolls make things much more exciting. 

The neat thing about these Hope and Despair tokens is that they strive to keep the gameplay balanced. In DRYH, where they are an integral part of the statistical heart of the game, they exist to balance player momentum as both positive and negative things occur. Have you ever been concerned as a GM that you're being too mean or too nice to your players? It's easy to heap on punishment, and some GMs just want to make their players happy. But Hope and Despair tokens automatically fix that. For every step that the GM takes to advance the story and challenge the players, there is a corresponding swing in the players' favor. This is a lovely little measure which can help to keep your game from swinging too far from the center. 

My final piece of advice with these tokens is to not hoard them as GM. When I have run games of DRYH, I have often ended up with a healthy stack of Despair tokens that I wasn't spending. I didn't want to sabotage my players, so I didn't make their successes that much harder with the Despair tokens. But once I started to use them, I realized that my players then get Hope tokens. When I wasn't using Despair tokens, I was preventing my players from being able to swing the momentum back their way. So trust in the system and challenge your players--you'll be surprised how they use the Hope tokens in response. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: a one-shot adapted from the movie Napoleon Dynamite, mythology by culture in my homebrew world, and how to develop places of interest for a campaign. Until next time, happy gaming!

Back to the homepage (where you can find everything!)

How to Use Historical Research for Inspiration

I recently finished developing a tabletop game that takes place in important periods in history. One of the things I learned from the process is that all of the greatest drama that I can create from nothing pales in comparison to the texture and drama of real history. By simply selecting a historical event, you can have all manner of dramatic context and realistic story to build a campaign from. In this guide, I will use a historical event as a basis for a campaign and show you how to do the same from your own research. 

The first step is in coming up with the kind of story you want to tell. As you can tell if you've read my other campaign materials, one of my favorite kinds of stories involve social upheaval. For the example case of historical research, I'll be using one of this variety. But your own method can be very different. Where my social upheaval story involves all members of society, history also has a variety of rich stories involving warfare, diplomacy, invention, and cultural revolution. Once you know the genre of your historical tale, it's time to pick a specific example. 

To start, we can just do a cursory Google search for the general topic. Then we follow up by selecting a few links that can give us a specific look at the issue. This site offers a look into U.S. diplomacy at certain periods of U.S. history. I chose to look more closely at U.S. diplomacy during the American Revolution. There are a number of links on this page that explore the issues in more detail--this one on a secret committee seems interesting and dramatic. Then we can Google for more information about this specific secret committee, which can lead us to Wikipedia's broader treatment of the issue. You can take it further than this and look at more scholarly sources on this committee like this one. All of that clicking around and cursory research took only a few minutes, and now we have the basis for a campaign. We have a colonial civilization throwing off the control over this mother civilization; the diplomatic efforts on either side become key to the progression of the story; the secret committee becomes crucial to the revolutionary effort. This slight framework for a campaign holds more than enough potential for drama and excitement to make it a successful game, and it only took looking back at our past. 

But for the bulk of this guide, I will be turning a different historical event into a more complete campaign. For the event itself, I will be using perhaps my favorite chapter of world history: the Prague Spring. As I mentioned above, this episode of history is one of social upheaval. In 1968, Czechoslovakia (a part of the Soviet Union) elected a man named Alexander Dubček was elected President of the country. This was notable for a number of reasons. First, Czechoslovakia's politics had long been dominated by the people of what would later become the Czech Republic; the Slovaks had little representation. This led to the friction that would make part of the Prague Spring's efforts involve the separation of the two entities. But Dubček was a Slovak. His election was a huge reversal. It signaled that reform was more important to the country at this time than its history of partisan politics. Second, part of Dubček's proposed reforms involved creating some autonomy from the Soviet Union--this was unthinkable at the time, but it caught on quickly. Soon, student-run organizations, newspapers, and radio programs were sharing radical ideas about revolution. Over the course of nine months, stretching into the spring of 1969, Czechoslovakia was an engine of change. In the end, the government held a public referendum: the people of the country voted on a measure to transition from communism under the Soviet Union to socialist democracy as two independent nations. The measure passed handily. Very quickly, the Soviet Union's attempts to negotiate Czechoslovakia back into the Soviet Union were abandoned, and Soviet tanks rolled into the country to enforce the reversal of the Czechoslovak vote. In the end, many of the changes made during this explosion of democratic and community-based growth were hampered. Czechoslovakia would not be able to return to changes like these until the fall of the Soviet Union 20 years later. 

Already, we have options when it comes to exploring this story. We could have our players experience this story themselves: the bulk of the story would be about making societal and governmental changes that reflect the peoples' desires. We could use this story as a prologue: the players would play in the in-game equivalent of 1989, when the imperialist forces are weakened, and the players would be responsible for driving the changes pioneered by the earlier civilization. Or we could flip the script entirely: the players instead play for the in-game equivalent of the Soviet Union, assigned to controlling and sabotaging the revolutionary efforts of the Czechoslovakians. With this option, your players may end up being faithful workers under the Soviet banner, and they may end up sabotaging the Soviets to help the Czechoslovaks. But as you can see, even this short period of history (not even a full year!) bears lots of possibilities for stories and twists on narrative convention. 

It's time to make the campaign outline from the Prague Spring. I'm going to opt for the most direct interpretation of the historical event to help keep this process clear: the players will act as the revolutionaries in the potentially doomed effort to throw off the control of the imperialist forces. I'll provide a campaign overview, a profile on the major NPCs involved, and an outline for each of the campaign's sessions. Like with my mystery campaign, I'll include a total of ten chapters, which would generally translate to about 20 sessions, give or take a few depending on how focused the party is. 

Campaign Summary: 

The party is approached by a social activist, who explains that a revolution is brewing and that they need help. The social activist wants the party to execute a number of goals that will strengthen the movement for revolution. The party is promised several favors from the new government officials if the revolution is successful. 

Major NPCs: 

• Anders Dover - This stand-in for Alexander Dubček is the leader of the reform movement. He promises better representation for common people, greater connection with civic responsibilities, and freedom from the demands of the imperialist power that controls the city. He oversees the overall strategy of the campaign, but most tasks are handled by his second-in-command, Nina Hornback. 
• Nina Hornback - Anders Dover's second-in-command, she tends to the day-to-day issues of the campaign. She gives the party missions to fulfill in order to advance Dover's plans. Hornback is more pragmatic than Dover, and she understands that many of the campaign's goals must be handled carefully and under cover, lest the imperialist forces catch wind of the campaign. 
• Andrew Norris - This stand-in for Antonín Novotný is the leader of the forces that Dover bested to be elected. He is sympathetic to the imperialist regime and will try to observe the actions of the party and report them to the imperialists. Norris acts as a foil to Dover; where Dover is idealistic, Norris is a practical man who doesn't believe change can be achieved. Norris can be treated as the key enemy in this campaign, and his reach can become more intimidating if he has a network of people working beneath him. 
• Englebert Gordon - This stand-in for Eduard Goldstücker is a writer and labor organizer. He is a powerful voice of common people, an outspoken critic of Andrew Norris, and a supporter of Dover's agenda of empowering labor and the voice of the people. He can be a key resource for the party, as ideas that he publicly espouses become more popular amongst the people; the party can work with Gordon to spread word of their goals and receive public support. 
• Lana Vessel - This stand-in for Ludvík Vaculík is a writer and broadcaster who supports Dover's plans for social reform and greater control of the economy, but she also believes that Dover's efforts don't go far enough. Vessel believes that all ties with the imperialist forces should be severed, that the media's role is to criticize power, and that the economy should be more free than planned. In order to completely gain the support of the people, the party will have to work with Vessel to unite the entire city behind Dover. 

Story Chapters: 

1. The party is contacted by Nina Hornback, who explains that a revolution is brewing in the city against the imperialist forces that control it. She offers political favors and a moderate payment in return for the party's support of Anders Dover, the newly-elected leader of the city. The first task is meeting with Dover, learning about his goals, and discussing strategy. The party should also witness Andrew Norris publicly speaking to a crowd about how the imperialists are the city's lifeblood; the speech is met with resistance by some. 
2. Hornback gives the party their first assignment: speaking with Englebert Gordon about Dover's policies. Gordon is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the new leader, and he is generally excited about Dover's plans. Before he will publicly endorse Dover, though, he requires a favor from the party: they must prove their commitment by criticizing Andrew Norris. Specifically, he wants the party to vandalize Norris' home, leaving behind a message that calls him a traitor. If the party does agree to vandalize Norris' home, they are met with resistance from city guards. 
3. Englebert Gordon is convinced to help the party. He organizes an event where he is to speak about the city's needs, but he fears that he may become a target from the imperialists if he does. He agrees to speak at the event and endorse Dover if the party agrees to guard him during his speech. During the speech, three assassins arrive and strike at Gordon; the players must protect him. The attack raises questions in the public about the morality of the imperialists, who people assume ordered the attack. A new wave of support for Dover results from the outcry against the attack. 
4. Hornback is pleased that the party has gained Gordon's support, and she turns her efforts to building the movement. She explains to the party that some revolutionary writers have messages to publish, but there are not enough printing presses in the city to support everyone's voice. Hornback says that three presses were intercepted en route to the city; she assigns the party to go recover and deliver the presses to the city. The party discovers that a band of highwaymen have taken the presses; close investigation reveals that the imperialist forces paid the highwaymen to intercept the printing presses. 
5. Hornback is pleased that the party has recovered the printing presses. She tasks the party with reaching out to various revolutionary writers and decide on the writers who will have first access to the presses. She suggests beginning the search with Lana Vessel, the most outspoken of the city's advocates for home rule. Vessel is at first cautious but soon grows excited at the chance to spread her message. She also suggests that the party reach out to a few of her colleagues. They are: 
1. Douglas Moore - A Dover supporter who believes that negotiation with the imperialists is the best way forward.
2. Penelope Sign - A former Norris supporter who cautiously supports the home rule movement. 
3. Yancy Willniel - An outspoken critic of the imperialists, he ardently supports the right of the city to publish critical materials. 
4. Cassandra Rogers - Mainly an economist, she believes that an economy planned by the city will always be stronger than an economy planned by the imperialists.
5. Rutger Friedman - An advocate for furthering the strength of democratic processes in the city, he is cautious of sharing his ideas under his own name for fear of the imperialists. 
6. With the presses printing the works of the party's chosen authors, Hornback directs the party to oversee the distribution of the newly printed materials. Hornback recommends working together with local businesses to hand out the materials. The party must then convince various business owners that spreading the materials is worth the chance of being targeted by the imperialists. Business owners should be especially sensitive to arguments about the freedom of economy they would have under Dover's plans. The party should ensure the cooperation of at least three major businesses before completing this chapter. 
7. Hornback believes that the party's efforts are paying off and the people of the city are beginning to rally around Dover's agenda. She proposes a large event in the center of the city, with speeches from Dover and his supporters. The first step is in planning the event. The party must obtain the rights to hold the event in the center of town, find at least two other speakers in support of Dover (these can be drawn from the writers in chapter 5 or from other corners of the city), and spread word of the event. The party should face resistance from public servants who are still sympathetic to Norris and the imperialists.
8. Hornback is concerned that the imperialists may be mounting a counter-offensive. She asks the party to act as defense against any imperialist actions taken during the speeches. The party must deal with these three issues during the speeches: one of their chosen speakers is anxious and reconsidering speaking (the party must calm them and convince them to go on), a fight breaks out in the crowd between Dover and Norris supporters (the fight must be quelled, or it will turn the whole event into a fracas), and three more imperialist assassins arrive and try to kill Dover (the party should be able to save him here; the greater impact is the sense of a loss of public safety following the event). 
9. The event a success in raising public support, Hornback says that it is time to put the public to a test. She asks the party to work with a few public officials to create a referendum on which everyone in the city can make their voices heard. The party must deal with the bureaucracy of the city's government (having players go back and forth between people who push responsibility off onto others will do well), convince a Norris sympathizer to cooperate (Charisma-based skills, bribery, or strong-arming them could all work), and getting Dover's approval (he nitpicks several wordings but ultimately agrees to move forward based on Hornback's confidence. 
10. The referendum takes place, and Dover's measures are uniformly approved. The city enters a short period of celebration, which is cut short when an army and siege machines arrive at the city gates. The party may try to fight, but they should quickly be surrounded. Dover is taken captive back to the imperialist capital, and Hornback watches in horror as most of the writers are rounded up as well. In the real history, Czechoslovakia had to wait two decades before they could truly recover from the Soviet invasion. But for a more satisfying end to the campaign, we can handle this a few different ways:
1. The party leads a mission to rescue Dover and return him to power. 
2. The party takes city leadership themselves and continue's Dover's agenda or their own. 
3. The party raises troops and attacks the imperialist forces in an effort to gain independence. 
4. The party creates an underground resistance to the imperialists. 

So there you have it: a complete campaign created from inspiration from a historical event. Not only is this story driven by a real tale of human resistance, which means that as GM, I get to tell my players about the surprising real history along the way, but the reality of the story makes it more believable and accessible to my players. And the act of writing all this was very simple; I really just had to take the big ideas of the Prague Spring and recalibrate them for tabletop game playing. You can easily do the same. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: how to use Hope and Despair for storytelling, a one-shot based on the movie Napoleon Dynamite, and a profile on mythology in my homebrew setting. Until next time, happy gaming!

Back to the homepage (where you can find everything!)

Rules for Commanding and Sustaining Armies

A while ago, I created a series of custom classes that cover ideas not represented by traditional D&D classes. Among that list was a class called the Commander, whose powers derive from being able to lead and empower allies to victory. And since the birthplace of D&D (and thereby tabletop games at large) is in miniature wargaming, it's not a huge stretch to add the commanding of armies to the game. In this guide, I will outline the rules required to allow your players to command armies with or without the Commander class--read on for the full treatment on how to expand the scale of your battles. 

The first step is in building an army. If you're using the Commander class, build an army means using the Persuasive skill to convince people to join you. Without using the class, you can also use a Persuasion, Performance, or even Intimidation check to get people to join your team. You might also pay soldiers to be a part of your cause. For paid soldiers, use the following breakdown: 

• Infantry: 5 copper per day
• Archers: 7 copper per day
• Heavy Armor: 8 copper per day
• Cavalry: 9 copper per day
• Lieutenants (can command smaller units of soldiers): 1 silver per day
• Mages: 1 silver per day
• Siege Engineer: 1 silver per day
• Healers: 15 copper per day
• Player Character Level NPCS (at roughly the same level as the party's level): 2 silver per day

As you can see, building and sustaining an army can get expensive quickly. A contingent of 50 people in a balanced unit might include 20 infantry, 12 archers, 8 heavy armor, 3 lieutenants, 3 mages, 1 siege engineer, 2 healers, and 1 leveled NPC. This would cost a total of 368 copper pieces, which translates to 3.68 gold pieces. And this is only the cost of paying the salaries of the soldiers. In the section on sustaining armies below, we'll also take into account the cost of feeding them and keeping them supplied with gear. In some campaigns, your players will have more than enough money to pay a small army, or even a fairly large one, but there are other concerns to worry about besides money. We'll get to that soon; for now, let's finish building the army. 

When your players contract these soldiers, you will probably want to give the important ones names and personalities. Your players can just interact with nameless, faceless soldiers, but it's much more vivid and exciting when the players start to get to know some of the NPCs around them. To that end, you can use this database of NPC names and personalities to make it easier to make them a part of the game. At the very least, you want to give a first name to the specialized units. Everything in the bulleted list above from Lieutenants down should be given a name. If the party utilizes the army well, figures like healers and player-levelled NPCs will become like extensions of the party, so it's important to be able to characterize them. 

You also want to have the players convince the soldiers of the validity of the cause they're fighting for. Even if the party ultimately misleads the army about their cause, most of the soldiers are going to want to know what it is they're going into battle to do. You may incorporate Persuasion/Performance/Intimidation challenges to determine this, and you might just have most soldiers accept a simple answer if the paycheck is good enough. 

Then we have the second step: sustaining the army. Paying them ensures that they show up, but you have to care for the soldiers' needs as well. The most pressing consideration in this vein is in food. As commanders of the army, the party can arrange for mass amounts of rations to be delivered to the army from nearby towns; you can apply a 2 copper piece per day charge for every soldier. For the hypothetical group of 50 soldiers I used above, this would translate to 1 gold piece per day to feed everyone. But you don't have to buy food. You can also have your soldiers forage and hunt. If one-quarter of the army hunts and forages in woodlands or other abundant areas, they can feed the entire army for one day. If the area is less plentiful in terms of food, one-half of the army must hunt and forage to feed the army for the day. If the army decides to pillage a farm, the entire army can eat for one hour's worth of work from one-quarter of the army. However, hunting in others' hunting grounds will upset the locals, and repeated instances of it may result in a conflict between the locals and the army. Similarly, pillaging a farm will enrage the locals, who may go so far as to attack the soldiers. 

There are other concerns with sustaining the army as well. Their gear must be kept in proper condition or risk losing its effectiveness. The party can pay 1 copper piece per soldier per day to maintain all gear at the soldiers' own work. They can also hire or designate a quartermaster, whose job is to maintain all of the army's gear--the quartermaster rank confers an additional 5 copper pieces per day to the chosen soldier. We also need to worry about the soldiers' morale. After losing soldiers, some of the other soldiers will be upset and may consider leaving the army. Disagreements with the party can also lead to this reluctance to keep fighting. The party can use Persuasion/Performance/Intimidation in order to influence the soldiers. In general, a change to several soldiers' moods or thinking should ripple through the rest of the army, with the other soldiers updating their thoughts to match the others--but this won't be true of difficult-to-believe ideas. 

The final ingredient in this recipe for armies is in the actual commanding of those armies in battle. In order to effectively issue orders to the soldiers, the party must be able to be heard by those soldiers. In the pitch of battle, this can become an issue. This is where Lieutenants become highly helpful. The Lieutenants can act as intermediaries, relaying commands from the party to the soldiers. This still means that the Lieutenants must be close enough to the party to be able to communicate. One workaround to this is through the common D&D item which allows people to communicate at a distance without issue. I've heard many names for this item--the name doesn't matter too much--what matters is that the right people on the battlefield hear the commands. 

Commanding an army is about more than telling troops where to go. It also means setting objectives for the soldiers. Some sample commands that can allow your troops to execute specific actions: 

• Taking a Location: You can tell your troops to assault a specific area. It may be an attack on a fortified location, or it may be a race to take that position first. Troops will fight off enemies in an effort to keep this position. 
• Hold the Line: You can tell your troops to defend a location. With a DC 15 Persuasion/Performance/Intimidation check, your party can grant your soldiers a +1 to AC while defending. 
• Eliminate a Specific Enemy: You can direct your troops to focus their assault on a specific enemy. This can be especially useful in the enemy forces have healers, mages, or other experts. 
• Rallying Cry: You can direct your troops to regroup and empower them. With a DC 15 Persuasion/Performance/Intimidation check, your party can grant all your soldiers a +1 to attack for three rounds. 
• Clean-Up: You can direct your troops to take prisoners or wipe out remaining troops. When your troops have a decisive advantage, you can end the battle earlier by pushing your troops to overwhelm the enemy forces. In this situation, the party's army gains advantage to overpower the remaining enemies. 

The final ingredient for commanding an army is in the actual damage done by the soldiers. We could choose to run standard combat to determine the fate of battles, but with so many soldiers involved, the numbers get out of control quickly. That's why I've simplified army combat to reflect average damage output rather than making the DM roll attacks for every character. Here are the health and damage ratings for each of the soldiers listed above: 

• Infantry: 5 damage/turn, 15 hp
• Archers: 5 damage/turn, 12 hp
• Heavy Armor: 5 damage/turn, 20 hp
• Cavalry: 10 damage/turn, 12 hp
• Lieutenants (can command smaller units of soldiers): 3 damage/turn, 18 hp
• Mages: 12 damage/turn, 15 hp
• Siege Engineer: 12 damage/turn, 12 hp
• Healers: 3 damage/turn, 20 hp
• Player Character Level NPCS (at roughly the same level as the party's level): variable--at least 15 damage/turn, at least 30 hp

On any given turn, soldiers automatically deal their damage per turn to the enemy within reach of their choosing. They also take proportional damage from the enemies striking them on the enemies' turns. When a soldier on any team reaches 0 hp, they are rendered unconscious. At the end of the battle, unless actions by an army overrule this, half of the unconscious troops die, and the other half are collected by the remaining troops and nursed back to health. It's a good idea to have the players in the party roll for their attacks and damage and have NPC soldiers roll to attack the party, as this keeps them engaged with the combat, but spare yourself the details of the many soldiers and apply regular damage when player characters are not involved. 

There you have it: all the rules you need to add entire armies into your game. If your players are excited by the grand scale of this combat, you can build a campaign around it. Rather than simply defeating the ultimate villain, the party must reckon with their assembled armies. It would shape up to a dramatic and strategic showdown between the party and the commander of the opposed armies. With complex terrain and other complicating factors, you can keep these battles fresh. So get out there, build up your armies, and raise combat to the next level. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: how to use historical research as inspiration, how to implement Hope and Despair as a storytelling mechanism, and a one-shot adapted from the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Until next time, happy gaming!

Back to the homepage (where you can find everything!)