This is a "finished" version of a post I made a long time ago. It proposes a radical rethinking of the Elf class for DCC RPG. It was originally intended for Metal God of Ur-Hadad zien, but that never happened. It may someday see the light of day as part of a Goodman Games product, but not sure.
Of Elves and Iron
Iron Rules for DCC RPG
Iron is inescapable. Iron is poison. Iron kills.
The presence of iron, unknown in Elfland (the human name for
the transdimensional realm where the elves live), was the downfall of the Imperial
elves of Ore. Iron changed and corrupted elven magic, driving elves with
particularly weak constitutions mad from exposure, causing low birth rates and
terminal birth defects, and occasionally producing horrifying mutations among
their children. The Dungeon Crawl Classics version of elves makes clear that
they aren't Tolkien elves, but more like the Fae, including an aversion to iron:
Elves are extremely sensitive to
the touch of iron. Direct contact over prolonged periods causes a burning
sensation, and exposure at close distances makes them uncomfortable. An elf may
not wear iron armor or bear the touch of iron weapons for extended periods.
Prolonged contact with iron causes 1 hp of damage per day of direct contact.
(DCC Core Rules, p. 57)
In my mind, this is a bit too forgiving. Iron is inconvenient
to elves, but not actively dangerous. If we follow the rules-as written, iron
is a bit like poison ivy: It's nasty stuff, and it can cause a person some discomfort,
but it's really not that bad. Mechanically, the in-game effects are about nil,
unless you do the equivalent of stuffing your pants with iron nails (or poison
ivy for that matter). It's not likely that an elf is going to put herself into
a position where iron contact is constant. Moreso, Judges will tend to forget
or just ignore iron's effects on elven characters. Ignoring the Iron Rule is
not only against the rules-as-written, it's also forgoing an opportunity for
some great character development and role-playing. So, I begin with a question:
What if iron poisoning was a real danger for elves, akin to heavy metal
poisoning for humans?
Heavy metal poisoning is no joke. Symptoms include headaches,
weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and constipation. Information about more
specific metals suggests we could add diseases of the organs, brittle bones, and
permanent nervous system damage (with physical and mental effects). Medical
science also differentiates between "acute" and "chronic"
effects. In what follows, I will try to add some teeth to the effects of iron
on elven characters, and explores some of the ways iron-sensitivity has had,
and continues to have, significant effects on elven lives and culture.
Iron Exposure: Acute
and Chronic Effects
"Acute" iron exposure results from injury, usually
by getting various pieces of brutal cutlery shoved into one's body—a sudden,
massive increase in the level of iron exposure. "Chronic" iron exposure
occurs over time, affecting the mind and body in painful, dangerous, and
frightening ways.
- Acute
Effect: An "acute" iron effect check is triggered when an elven
character is reduced to 0 hit points, and either gets healed or has a
successful Recover the Body check. Roll on the following table, in addition to
the "bleeding out" and "recovering the body" effects described
in the DCC RPG core rules (see p. 93).
- Chronic
Effect: Each time an elf gains a level, make a Fortitude Save (DC 10+new
level). If failed, roll d12 on the table (plus Stamina modifier). Should the
elf have the wherewithal to afford an iron-protective encounter suit (see below), he or she should reduce the DC by 1 per
2,000 g.p. spent on the encounter suit (rounded down, maximum of 10).
|
d12+STA
mod
|
Type
|
Effect
|
|
less
than 0
|
Acute
|
The
Sickening: Lose 1d4
points of Stamina, permanently. If 0 or less, death occurs.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Nemesis: The character has gone irrevocably mad
from iron poisoning. Play as NPC with hatred for former comrades.
|
|
0
|
Acute
|
Fisher
King's Lament: Acquire
a wound that will not heal normally, and which requires a 4 dice result of a
Lay on Hands check to heal through divine means. Lose 1d6 hp per day until
healed.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Rust
Rot: Skin turns the
color of rust, and flakes off constantly. Lose 1d4 points of Personality, permanently.
|
|
1
|
Acute
|
Vampirism: As result of damage major organs are mutated.
Character must ingest the blood of intelligent creatures of the living,
red-blooded races (e.g., humans, halflings, dwarves) in addition to normal
food. Failure to do so at least once per week results in roll for chronic
effect.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Ghoulish: Arms lengthen by 2d10 inches and grow
iron claws (1d3 damage).
|
|
2
|
Acute
|
Something
Human: You are no
longer immune to magical sleep and paralysis. Each time one of these spells
could affect you, make a Will Save as normal human.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Twisted
Freak: Body becomes contorted
over the course of two weeks (Strength and Agility -1d3).
|
|
3
|
Acute
|
Blood
in Your Eyes: Eyes turn
the color of blood. You no longer have infravision.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Orked
Out: Gain 1d3 Strength
and lose 1d3 Personality, permanently.
|
|
4
|
Acute
|
Dulled
Senses: Normal ability
to detect secret doors reduced by 1d4, permanently.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Hot
blooded: You now bleed
red instead of "normal" blue-green. When you take damage, make a
Will Save (DC 15) or go berserk for 1d6 rounds. During this time, you will
have AC -2, to-hit and damage +2. You will always attack the nearest
"foe" even if that person is not your enemy.
|
|
5
|
Acute
|
Human
Frailty: Hit dice
reduced from 1d6 to 1d4 when gaining next level.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Blood
Magic: Choose a spell
at random. Spell checks for that spell made with next higher die type (e.g.,
d24 instead of d20), but must Spellburn 1d3 points to cast. If caster does
not Spellburn, the spell is cast using next lower die type (e.g., d16 instead
of d20).
|
|
6
|
Acute
|
Freaked
Out: The character is
delirious from the effects of iron poisoning. Spell checks and Will Saves are
rolled at -1d6 for 1d3 days.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Wild
Mercurial: Choose a
spell at random. Each time you cast that spell, roll 1 additional Mercurial
Magic result, which occurs in addition to any other Mercurial effect(s). This
effect is permanent.
|
|
7
|
Acute
|
A
Little Itchy: Develop a
persistent rash at the site of the wound. -1 to Initiative rolls for 1d3
days, due to incessant itching.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Arcane
Chaos: Choose a spell
at random and roll 1d4-2. If the number is positive/negative the spell now
must be cast using a die up/down that many steps in the dice chain,
permanently. If 0, then no effect. However, that spell also requires 1 point
of Spellburn to cast.
|
|
8+
|
Acute
|
Iron
Burn: Lose 1d3 points
of Stamina. Any points in addition to the permanent 1 point loss required by
DCC RPG rules are temporary (like Spellburn) and will be recovered at a rate
of 1 per day.
|
|
|
Chronic
|
Holding
Pattern: No chronic
effect.
|
Since coming to Ore, elves have sought to escape the effects
of its poisonous, iron-rich environment, to find new ways to avoid the poison
that saps their vitality, warps their magic, and corrodes their very souls.
Unfortunately, their adaptations involve extremely expensive technologies, and
not all elves are able to make use of them.
Elven Encounter Suits
Encounter suits are the product of millennia of elvish medical
experimentation ( none of it particularly ethical and some of it quite
horrific). Each suit provides a body-covering "suit" (a tough sheath
of cloth, sometimes enhanced with mithril thread), a face concealing helmet
with integrated breathing apparatus, and gloves/boots to cover the hands and
feet. The suits provide an enclosed, protective environment, free from the
corrosive effects of iron poisoning, and must be worn at all times to provide
their benefits.
Encounter suits are expensive, both to purchase and to
maintain, and elves think of them much in the same way that modern humans
regard things like automobiles: They are at the same time utilitarian objects,
expressions of personal aesthetics, and markers of social status and/or
financial wherewithal. Only the wealthiest of elves can even afford encounter
suits, as they are expensive both to acquire (at least 5,000 gp) and to
maintain (1% of purchase price per month). Also, should the suit be damaged, a
hasty repair can keep it in working order for a short time, but any real repair
costs up to 10% of the suit's value. They also, of course, are markers of
particular elves' identities and status. The sheathing suit, gloves, and boots
provide visual cues that other elves can use to determine things like clan
identity, personal triumphs and accomplishments, professional affiliations, and
so forth.
Encounter Suit
Garments (including gloves/boots)
|
Quality
|
AC
|
Cost
(gp)
|
|
Lowest Quality
|
11-13
|
2000+
|
|
Midrange
|
14-15
|
7500+
|
|
High Quality
|
16-17
|
15000+
|
|
Noble/Scion
|
18
|
25000+
|
Encounter suit helmets are as individual as the faces they
conceal, and the most important marker of a wealthy elf's social identity, the
face he or she presents to the world. For such reasons, even lower quality
suits are well made of high-end encounter suits are crafted using a range of
rare and valuable materials to highlight the owner's exquisite taste and
cultural refinement, and there's much emphasis placed, among elves, on matters
of encounter suit aesthetics that are, to the other races, incomprehensibly
abstruse. The elven nobility are particularly given to using their helmets to
mark particulars of rank and status, and each noble family has a distinctive
style unique to itself. Anyone else pretending to that style who is not a
member of that family invites a duel (at best) or even a feud.
Encounter Suit Helmet
|
Quality
|
|
Cost
|
|
Lowest Quality
|
|
3000+
|
|
Midrange
|
|
10000+
|
|
High Quality
|
|
20000+
|
|
Noble/Scion
|
|
50000+
|
There is great variation in the range of quality of
encounter suits, including their physical protective qualities, their ability
to shield their users from harmful iron, and the money that elves might spend
on their customization. It is up to judges to determine if and how they might
allow players to customize their encounter suits. However, no encounter suit
may reduce the saving throw DC for Chronic effects by more than 10 points.
Iron's Effects on
Elven Culture
The effects of iron are ever on most elves' minds, and fear
of it is pervasive. Though not all elves are able to do anything to help
themselves—They simply can't afford the cost—there still are a whole host of
cultural practices, from mere quackery to science, risen around the problem.
Here are a few of them for judges to think about:
- Elves are vigilant toward potential vectors of
iron infection. They find ways to seal themselves and their homes off
from those vectors. (Adventure Idea: Provide positive
modifier to Chronic Effect roll for players of elf PCs who role-play this
vigilance well.)
- There is an area of arcane study concerned
with iron exposure and its effects on spell casting. Iron makes magic
work differently. Corruption will tend to be exacerbated by iron infection, or
it might manifest as symptoms thereof. (Adventure Idea: Magical artifacts
may be created to stabilize spell effects may uncertain by iron.)
- Elves study healing/medicine concerned with
iron exposure and its effects on elven biology. This area of study is
guarded from outsiders, and elves have been known to assassinate any non-Elf
who tries to pry into these mysteries. (Adventure Idea: There may be cults who
engage in horrible experiments, attempting to "fix" elven biology.)
- There is a thriving industry in quackery,
"holistic" approaches to healing from iron exposure, and other
pseudo-medical and faith-based scams. Because iron is so dangerous, and
infection so inevitable, some elves will believe nearly anything in order to
cope with their fears, even if the cures offered are ineffective or even worse
than iron infection itself. (Adventure Idea: Charismatic cults
dedicated to healing iron poisoning have arisen among low-class elves, though
their practices have little or no real effect.)
- Elven artisans craft devices to limit their
exposure to iron (e.g., filter masks, special garments, etc.). This
tends to make them look even more otherworldly, and sets them apart from the
other races even further. Given the history of the elves on Ore, this means
that they are even further excluded from the society of other races. Encounter
suits are only one such technology, and the only one that works reliably. Elves
who can't afford them might attempt other means of self-protection (Adventure
Idea: PCs or NPCs could work to recover and develop lost technologies.)
- Evan non-elves know that iron-infected elves
are potentially dangerous. The more powerful the Elf, the more likely
he or she is to be a problem. As a result, there is strong anti-Elf sentiment
in some quarters, and even some political impetus to exclude elves from human
society entirely. (Adventure Idea: Some NPCs/NPC Factions may display prejudice
toward elven PCs.)
- Elves sometimes return to Elfland in order
to seek respite from the effects of iron infection, and to attempt healing of
some sort. Some never return. (Adventure Idea: Make this a Quest,
with associated effects based on level of success.)
Clearly iron is important to the elves, but their attempts
(even failed ones) to deal with its effects is not simply a matter for each
individual to handle. Whole ways of life and industries have arisen to cope
with the sad reality faced by the elves of Ore. Within elven society, though,
there are other, potentially dangerous things brewing, because not every elf
can be protected from it. Wealth and nobility are keys to accessing the
protection needed to stave off iron infection. As with the other races, though,
not everyone shares equally the things from which all could benefit.
The Spires of the
Elven Lords
The wealthiest elves live in great spires, sealed off from
the dangers of the outside world.
Though Man conquered the elves in His rebellion, lo these
many years ago, the elves never surrendered their Spires. They still stand, a
testament to elven persistence in their quixotic fight against the inevitable.
The Spires were built in the earliest days to combat the
iron threat. Though their arts are not now practiced (and are forbidden by
decree), the ancient elves of the Imperium were masters of technomancy, and
could create life through those forbidden processes (though it is rumored that
some elven factions still follow this path). They "bred" homes,
aether ships, fortresses, fell constructs bred for battle, and all manner of
other things. These creatures were grown from strange seed and nurtured into the
mature works of elven master artisans of this foul craft. Five elven Spires
grew from such seeds, rising thousands of feet into the skies above Ur-Hadad.
The Spires look like bleached, blue-white bones, shining
unsullied by time under the sun and moons of Ore. Their surfaces are
near-impregnable, with few windows or portals, and these well guarded. They
rise with celestial grace into the sky, their sharp points skewering the cloud
layers, disappearing from sight, far, far above. They look just a little bit
like thorny vines, engorged of stem and laden with fruits and buds, climbing
toward eternity.
Each Spire has a name Anuch-Dar (the Collective Mind),
Morgath-Ka'ak (the Bloody Hand), Morgath-Gur (the Sinister Hand),
Morgath-Noriel (the Adroit Hand), and Anuch-Ur (the Singular Mind). No one is
quite sure what these names mean, and the elves aren't inclined to answer
questions about them. In fact, the Spires are not spoken of in the hearing of
non-elves, and even those elves who walk among Men refuse any attempt to
discuss them, going so far as to fight duels to avoid doing so.
No non-elven person has ever entered a Spire. In fact, not
every elf has done so. They are sealed off to most, and guarded jealously
against unauthorized entry. Cloistered within are the elite of elven society,
whose faces are concealed by bizarre breathing masks and protective raiment,
and whose voices emerge, strange and discordant, from the places where their
mouths must be. No living human has ever seen the faces of the elven nobility. As
a result, we have little to go on but rumors. Here are a few:
- The elves are preparing to reconquer Ore.
- The elves are using their arcane knowledge to
build a bridge to the moons.
- The elven women are the true rulers, and use the
Spires to keep their breeding stock of pure-blooded males in harem.
- The Spires descend miles into the depths of Ore,
and are just the tips of a far vaster structure that spans the entire world.
- The Spires are great aether-ships, and could
leave the surface of Ore to sail among the moons and stars.
- The creatures living in the Spires are not elves
at all, but demons, and wear their concealing raiment to hide their true
natures.
- The elves are attempting to cross-breed with
Men, and the Spires are full of vast slave pens, technomantic laboratories, and
mad elves bent on fiendish experiments and lusting after human women.
- The Spires are great libraries of lost
knowledge, jealously guarded by powerful elven nobles.
- The Spires are portals to other planes, where
the elves still rule a great empire of cruelty and despair.
- There are lost Spires out in the wilds and under
the seas of Ore.
None of these rumors has been substantiated, but neither
have they been disproved. And there are many more than these, each wilder than
the last, each speaking to the greatest hopes and deepest fears of the Men of
Ore, and underlining the cultural rift between the two races.
Men gaze suspiciously upon the Spires, pondering their
threat and their promise. Elves, too, live outside the Spires. They are not the
elite of elven society. They do not share in its bounty. Most cannot afford the
protections either of Spire or of encounter suit. Their misery grows,
generation by generation, as they are warped and corroded by iron infection,
and fewer and fewer healthy offspring are born. They, too, gaze at the Spires. Their
hatred springs like thornwood from blackened ground, growing from sentiment, to
philosophy, to vocation. It surely will bear poisoned fruit.
A terror cult has arisen among the common classes of elves: It
is known as Morgath'ak-Lugash (The Iron Fist). The members of this notorious sect
hunt, torture, and (usually) kill the wealthiest among the elves, using iron weapons
and instruments. Their first acknowledged victim was crucified with iron nails,
an iron spear drive into his side, and a wreath of barbed wire wrapped around
his brow. No one has been able to determine its terror cult's membership, what
resources they might have, or where they might lair.
In the end, as every elf knows, there is only metal. Ore's
iron core spins malignantly beneath its crust, and its arteries pump iron-rich
magma. Iron dust blows across its lands, and the other races bear weapons and
raiment of iron, as if making mock of the elves great plight. From iron there
is no escape, no surcease, but only the long, bitter struggle against the
inevitable. There is death, or there is madness, or there is the choice to
"sail into the West," a cryptic reference that no elf has ever
explained to outsiders.
