the Bektaşis

This is a companion blog entry to the Janissary.

The Bektaşi Sufi order is a syncretic Sufi order that originated in Persia but is now firmly established in the Empire of the Crescent Moon. The order emphasises the esoteric aspects of the Way of the Crescent Moon; as a result, it is viewed with much suspicion (if not downright hatred and/or fear) by the average cleric and faithful of the Way of the Crescent Moon. As with other Sufi orders, the Bektaşis go through a secret initiation ceremony; once accepted, they must swear total obeisance to the leader of their tekke (fortified shrine), called the baba.

Hakikat, which means 'Truth', is an essential element in the esoteric teachings of the Bektaşi Sufi order. In gaming terms, Hakikat is the ability to see the Truth through God, e.g., invisible beings, illusions, etc. This is an action that requires a minor effect on a WIS action check.

Mârifetullâh, which means 'Knowledge', is the term used by the Bektaşis to describe the mystical intuitive knowledge reached through ecstatic experience rather than revealed or rationally acquired. In gaming terms, Mârifetullâh is the ability for the PC to get information about some unknown topic through a mystical trance. This is an action that requires a major effect on a WIS action check.

The Bektaşi Sufi order as a role-playing clerical cult:
Temple traits: Protect the order, Obey the baba
Worshippers' Alignment: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Lawful Evil/Worshippers' Allegiance: Crescent Moon
Temple Weapon: Scimitar.
Spheres of Activity: Loyalty, Mysticism, War.
Powers: Hakikat (see above), Mârifetullâh (heroic scale, see above), Mind link with fellow brethren and with the baba (epic scale)
Holy Symbol: Open Holy Book.
Spells: Followers of the Bektaşi Sufi order favour spells that are useful in war (damage, protection), and knowledge-related spells.

Monsters & Magic Is Out!

Monsters & Magic is available at last! For me it is the fantasy role-playing that bridges the gap between the 'Old' and 'New School' types of play — types of play that are complementary and not irreconcilable, by the way. I actually wonder why no-one had thought of such a system before.

The game is only available in PDF format on DriveThru at the moment, but again it's definitely the ruleset I recommend to everyone in the OSR movement, even if they prefer dead tree (the hardcopy version, by Chronicle City, should be available in August). I let the author, Sarah Newton, present her work:

Monsters & Magic is an “Old School Renaissance” fantasy role-playing game with a difference. Combining the atmosphere of classic fantasy games with modern RPG mechanics, it lets you use old school fantasy gaming material with little or no conversion [賈尼— basically: armour class and, in some cases, hit points] with a new and innovative set of rules [賈尼— this is actually the genius idea: it's a brand-new system, but it uses the well-known tropes of the most famous classic frp]. Battle giants, defeat dragons, explore deadly dungeons and mysterious wilderlands — and bring your favourite adventures, supplements, spellbooks, and bestiaries to brilliant new life!

This complete fantasy role-playing game features:

✠ the Effect Engine, a modular open-licence rules system
✠ action-packed adventure from 1st to 20th level and beyond
✠ rules for castles, kingdoms, guilds, and warships
✠ Silvermoon, an introductory adventure for levels 1-4
✠ new rules for alignment, hazards, encounters, treasures, epic and mythic gaming, and more!

I have posted two blog entries with regards to Monsters & Magic: a new cult, and a new sub-class. You may have a look at them to get the gist of the system, plus there are almost 20 pages of preview on DriveThru.

Also, check out Sarah's great interview here, with a good view into her vision of the game, and a few hints at future products!

the Janissary – a new fighter sub-class for Monsters & Magic

Secondary Attribute

picture by yasinyayli from deviantArt

Wisdom

Starting Money
5d8gp

The Janissaries are an élite fighting order of the Empire of the Crescent Moon, largely influenced by the beliefs of the Bektaşi Sufi order. The Janissaries are gathered through the Knabenlese system, whereby children of True Faith families within the Empire of the Crescent Moon are taken from their family, converted to the Way of the Crescent Moon, and trained to become exceptional soldiers.
Every five years, the recruiters in charge of the Knabenlese system scour the lands far to the south of the Fair Kingdom for the strongest sons of the sultan's True Faith subjects. These boys, usually between the ages of 10 and 12, are then taken from their parents and given to Crescent Moon families of the region to learn their language, customs, and religion. These boys are then enrolled in Janissary training, supervised 24 hours a day, and subjected to severe discipline, amongst others: prohibition from growing a beard, from taking up any skill other than war, or marrying. The Janissaries are extremely well-disciplined (a rarity in the armies of the region).

Restrictions
You must be any lawful alignment and/or have the Way of the Crescent Moon allegiance; you lose your janissary status if you drift to a different alignment/allegiance, instead becoming a fighter. You only associate with like-minded characters, and may only work with unlike-minded characters for a very focused, single-purpose mission, quest, or adventure, and never in the employ of non-Crescent Moon patrons. You must evenly divide 90% of any treasure you receive or of any loot you find between the Janissary corps and the Bektaşi Sufi order, and you may only use the remaining 10% to buy military gear or military-related training.

Janissary Traits
✠ Use Light and Medium Armour and Shields
✠ Weapons Training: as fighter
✠ Arquebus: you are the only fighters equipped with this firearm (1D10 damage instead of 1D8)
✠ Enemy of the Infidels
✠ Esprit de corps: you work better when surrounded by fellow janissaries
✠ Personal hygiene: you have a reputation for personal hygiene, at a time when this is still an 'option'; a a result, you are less likely to contract maladies.

Janissary Advancements
✠ Pose as a True Faith fighter
✠ Sniper: you double your DEX bonus when using the arquebus from a place where you cannot be seen
✠ Lover (heroic scale): since you cannot marry, you may develop a deep homoerotic bond with a fellow janissary, who will do his utmost to protect you; this lover functions as a sidekick (q.v.)
✠ Clerical Magic (epic scale): begin to acquire clerical spells as a 1st level cleric, increasing by 1 level per level thereafter
✠ Tekke (epic scale): establish and preside over a militarised Sufi shrine

Other Advancements
✠ Damage Focus stance
✠ Fighting Lore: as fighter
✠ Devotion To Deity: as cleric
✠ Other Traits From Deity: as cleric
✠ Steady Aim stance

Janissary Character Sheets
Use the custom box to list special effects, clerical spells, and other advancements.

Wormy

Back when The Dragon was the magazine for our hobby, I immensely enjoyed reading the whimsical Wormy comics, with its nice reversal of the roles (the hero is a dragon, and his buddies are all monsters) and cool attitude (smoking cigars and playing snooker were his top activities).
The whole Wormy run on The Dragon is now available from this web-site. Enjoy!

Thank you Imaginos for the link!

Saint Elizabeth

St Elizabeth is by far the most popular female saint throughout the Fair Kingdom. Her name is the most popular given name across all classes— there is a big chance any woman your party meets will be called 'Elizabeth', irrespective of whether she's a humble peasant, a handmaid, or a noblewoman. The Blood Countess herself is called Elizabeth!

The historical Elizabeth was a 13th century princess of the Fair Kingdom, born in Pressburg, who was betrothed to a Landgrave of the Empire of the One Faith when she was 4 and he was 11. They married ten years later and had three children. Her husband departed to fight against the Empire of the Crescent Moon when she was pregnant with their third child, but he died on his way to war. After his death, Elizabeth left the court, made arrangements for the care of her children, and renounced the world to take care of the sick and the poor, until her death at the age of 24. She was canonised 4 years later, based on several miracles, the most famous of which is the miracle of the roses.

The legend of St Elizabeth's Miracle of the Roses
(from Wikipedia)
One day the young but pious St Elizabeth, in the company of one or more serving women, descends from her castle down to the village below the castle. She is carrying meat, eggs, and bread under her mantle. Supposedly she has taken items from the family dining table to distribute to the poor in the village, against the wishes of her family, who frown upon such behaviour. Halfway down, she unexpectedly meets her husband, who asks, upon seeing her bulk, what she is carrying. Embarrassed and speechless as she is, she does not know what to say. The Landgrave opens her mantle, and to his surprise (in some versions this takes place in the dead of winter) finds her carrying a bouquet of roses.

Pilgrimages to her grave drew as many people as those to Compostela, until they were halted by the New Wayers in 1539 by the forcible removal of St Elizabeth's relics.

St Elizabeth as a role-playing clerical cult:
Temple traits: Cure The Sick, Feed The Poor
Alignment: Lawful Good/Allegiance: Old Way
Temple Weapon: None.
Spheres of Activity: Charity, Chastity, Humility, Patience.
Power: Miracles of healing work at her grave in the church of the hospital she founded after becoming a widow.
Holy Symbol: Rose(s).
Spells: Clerics of St Elizabeth (they are all female) cannot cast any offensive spells or, more generally, any spells that may cause damage to the world.
Allied cults:
- allied with  the Third Order of St Francis
- allied with the Teutonic Order, which adopted St Elizabeth as its secondary patroness

A Seeress

Another beautiful panting by John William Waterhouse (1849-1917): The Crystal Ball (1902).

Flashing Blades — News At Last

The following is almost taken verbatim from the Hill Cantons blog. Just in case you should've missed it. I think it's an important pierce of news, so sorry if you've already read this! Also this piece of news is (according to Hill Cantons) from the author of Flashing Blades himself, Mark Pettigrew.

"FGU already agrees that I [Mark Pettigrew] own the rights to Flashing Blades [this development is possibly a result of FGU's losing a case against the original authors of Villains & Vigilantes, which FGU was selling without the authors' consent, and without giving them any royalties!]. I'm even receiving (very small) royalties cheques again, after a 20-some year hiatus. I think I mentioned this before, but again, all of you are free to write, publish, etc. whatever you want for Flashing Blades without worrying about copyright. I'm happy that people are still enjoying the game."

Although it is centred on 17th century France, Flashing Blades is also a rules set I would recommend for running a Renaissance game, on top of LotFP (for a gloomer campaign setting), Renaissance (for a more realistic set of rules), and Monsters & Magic (my personal favourite at the moment).