Topic: Adventure Design

[EltonJ]

I got an idea based off one of my games.  That is the orcs try to induct a city of drow (dark elves) into the Horde.  It worked in my Pathfinder game, but I was going to embellish the adventure.  Now I got both Tales of the Loremasters adventures.  So I thought to Rolemaster-ize the adventure.

I would include some adventure sites on the way to the Underdark, but not before the PCs get tattooed with mystical tattoos to help protect them from the denizens of the Underdark (got the idea from an episode in Chinese History).  I thought about using RMSS/FRP for the adventure.  All the PCs are orcs or other members of the Horde (like a jungle troll -- from WoW).  So my questions are these:

1. Should I use Shadow World dark elf stats for drow?  Or shall I create them whole cloth?

2. I know some of you will suggest RMU rather than RMSS, but I'm not ready to update yet.  I want to wait (besides I'm heavily invested in RMSS/RMFRP).

3. I might have to come up with rules for mystical tattoos.  Should they work like rune paper?

[GrumpyOldFart]

3. I might have to come up with rules for mystical tattoos.  Should they work like rune paper?

How much power do you want to give the players, and how much do you want it to cost?

If there are no limiting factors, characters can be walking runebooks, with power far beyond what is typical for their profession and level. A couple of obvious limits you could put on them are:

1. Limited number of runes per person.
2. No magic on the body part that is tattooed (no magic rings if arm/hand is tattooed, etc.). Failure to follow this will result in random power interaction (think potion miscibility table).
3. You have power embedded in your skin. IT HURTS. You are constantly 1 hit per tattoo below your maximum hits, and each one causes 1 hit/PP embedded in the tattoo upon casting.

There are any number of ways you can work it, those are just examples. Decide what you want the balance of power to be in your game, and create a logic structure that enforces that balance. It's your game, make it your own.

[jdale]

There's a Skin Enchantment spell list in RMU Treasure Law. I think you could use it as a guideline about what level different effects would be even for previous editions.

There were also two tattoo lists published in the Guild Companion: (linked via the internet archive)
https://web.archive.org/web/20041103023459/http://www.guildcompanion.com/scrolls/1999/nov/vancusm.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20070314140024/http://www.guildcompanion.com/scrolls/2000/jun/bodyrune.html

I didn't compare them.

Ultimately, of course, if the purpose of the tattoos is for an NPC to grant the PCs certain abilities or protections that you as the GM want them to have, the spell list itself is irrelevant and you can also just do it by fiat. There's just a danger in that case the PCs will want to learn it putting you back where you started.

[foilfodder]

I got an idea based off one of my games.  That is the orcs try to induct a city of drow (dark elves) into the Horde.

I would include some adventure sites on the way to the Underdark, but not before the PCs get tattooed with mystical tattoos to help protect them from the denizens of the Underdark (got the idea from an episode in Chinese History).
...
1. Should I use Shadow World dark elf stats for drow?  Or shall I create them whole cloth?

2. I know some of you will suggest RMU rather than RMSS, but I'm not ready to update yet.  I want to wait (besides I'm heavily invested in RMSS/RMFRP).

3. I might have to come up with rules for mystical tattoos.  Should they work like rune paper?

1. Shadow World dark elves do not have the innate magical abilities or sensitivity to sunlight of drow from pathfinder/d&d.  You could use them for a base, but some tweaking is needed.

2. Character Law and Talent Law from older Rolemaster systems are probably great books for modifying dark elves to drow and giving characters extra talents for surviving the underdark

3. Mystical tattoos can be whatever powers you want. I would say treat them as a daily multiple use item rather than runes (which are use and discard). Or you could just have the tattoo be a mark which bestows talents to the character through divine/magical means.