Saturday, 29 May 2010

the boar society

Some warriors take inspiration from the natural world.  The boar has always been an obvious choice for it's brutality, determination and territoriality.  Hunters and warriors have always had a common ancestry for the taking of life is common to both.  Yet there is more to life than violence, the joy of the feast lets even a grim hunter smile.  Eladrin with their cultural affinity for hunting and spears will form a boar society if the hunting is good and certain human knights with a love of hunting will do the same. Those who join this order favour the longspear often used to slay the boar in hunts and celebrate by feasting afterwards.  The society welcomes anyone who meets it criteria and includes fighters, paladins, rangers, warlords, avengers and barbarians as well as others in their ranks.

Boar society feasts are often lavish and may turn rowdy despite the bonds shared by some battle swine who live and hunt together.  Over time, ambition grows - what self-respecting warrior wishes to be known as battle swine all their days?  The skills learned in hunting are turned in time to battle and recognition of this fact means the provision of a boar-helm and leadership of three battle swine in war.  As fame grows, a boar-helm whose skill with the long spear is such they can drive weaker foes before them are awarded a fearsome mask with steel tusks.  This token is finely decorated and lends the warrior a fearsome aspect worthy of a warrior who has faced down boars and warriors equally.

Battle Swine
Requisites: Longspear proficiency, help kill a boar using melee weapons, 
To become a battle swine, one must participate in the death of a boar with melee weapons and be anointed with it's blood by a boar-helm.
Benefits: When charging with a longspear, a battle swine gets an extra +1 to hit. 
Duties:  Once each lunar cycle they must provide a feast for three society members of any rank.  This feast must be of 5gp value minimum per guest.   Failure to provide the feast means they lose the benefits of being battle swine until they help to kill another boar.

Boar-Helm
Requisites: Powerful Charge feat, slay a boar with their longspear.
To become a boar-helm, the battle swine must slay a boar with their longspear and be witnessed by three battle swine.  A helm is made for them using the tusks of the boar (some primitive societies provide leather helmets with strips of boar ivory woven into patterns while more civilised societies provide metal helms with a boar looking forward).
Benefits: When wearing their boar-helm, they gain a +1 bonus to their Armour Class and Fortitude. 
Duties: Three times in a lunar year, lead three or more prospective battle swine in a boar hunt with the intent to make them battle swine.  Once a lunar year, lead three battle swine to victory in battle.

Steel Tusked
Requisites: Spear Push feat, Intimidate skill, slay six enemies in one day of battle and have this witnessed by two or more society members.
Among the boar-helmed are those whose ferocity in battle is notable.  These mighty warriors earn a fearsome face mask with steel tusks.  These masks are prized by boar society members and their enemies alike.
Benefits: When wearing the mask, gain +2 to Intimidate checks and a +1 bonus to their Fortitude.
Duties: Once a lunar year to lead three boar-helms (and their attendant battle swine) to victory in battle.

2 comments:

  1. Very nicely done. Reminds me of the Cultic duties imposed on worshipers in Runequest's Glorantha.

    Does the Boar Society have a rival hunting/ warrior group?

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  2. Thanks! There are other groups coming - and one enemy group are the Mother Wolves.

    RuneQuest was an inspiration as were prestige classes in 3E/d20. Getting goodies in early and often is more satisfying than jump-cutting levels 'to the good stuff' I think.

    Duties gives roleplaying hooks and limit the 'snackies without consequence' thinking that makes people go 'Meh'.

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