Grog packages
There are a number of "kits" that can save time when generating a grog;
here are some that can be mixed and matched to suit. Remember that these
are for generating grogs that have finally gotten enough training to be
effective enough to go out on the dangerous missions that magi undertake.
There are less trained ones back in the turb at the covenant, and there
should be more experienced ones to have along as well. Each of these should
be pumping experience into the skills they use the most.
Virtues and Flaws
Try not to make too many grogs with +4 knacks in their chosen
weapon; I once saw a quarterstaff expert with a +4 knack with quarterstaves
and a +2 knack with woods beat a manticore to a pulp on a forest trail
without taking a scratch, while the nearby magi cowered. If you take
Overconfident, a Leadership skill makes for fun roleplaying.
(Insert more virtue and flaw ideas here, later...)
Personality Traits
Grogs aren't going to stay in the turb very long if they don't have
something resembling a positive Loyal stat; positive Brave is necessary for
anyone who needs to defend a magus or go into the thick of a fray, while
a negative Brave works quite well for archers. Make sure to put something
in to add flavour to the character as well as ones that define their
professional attitude; if you've the knack for it, specify an accent.
(I try to give my grogs a variety of rural English accents to show
that they're "lower-class" compared to the magi.)
Basic Grog Package: 4 years
Your basic set of skills every grog should have. Where no specialty
is chosen, pick one appropriate to the grog's personality. The Craft,
Folk Ken, and Drinking are token skills to represent that the grog knows
something besides being a professional grog, and that they learned
something besides their own language and brawling before they
joined the turb.
Skill | Specialty | Score |
Speak Own Language | | 4 |
Brawl | | 1 |
Alertness | | 1 |
Scan | Keeping watch | 1 |
Survival | Woods | 1 |
Folk Ken | | 1 |
Drinking | | 1 |
Craft Something | | 1 |
Area Lore: covenant | Borders | 1 |
Area Lore: near covenant | Patrol | 1 |
Shield Grog: +13 years
If a grog has been trained to defend a magus, they should have something
like this.
Skill | Specialty | Score |
Weapon Attack | Wild melees | 4 |
Weapon Parry | Wild melees | 3 |
Shield Parry | Attacks aimed at others | 4 |
Important factors: Strength to carry all that armour, Stamina to avoid
fatigue, Quickness for getting first strike, and Dexterity for hitting things.
Large and Tough are excellent virtues.
Two-Handed Weapon Grog: +13 years
Grogs like this can do quite well defending a magus, as well as being an
attack grog.
Skill | Specialty | Score |
Weapon Attack | Wild melees | 4 |
Weapon Parry | Wild melees | 4 |
Dodge | Missiles | 3 |
Important factors: Strength to carry all that armour, Stamina to avoid
fatigue, Quickness for getting first strike, and Dexterity for hitting things.
Large and Tough are excellent virtues.
Sailor: +12 years
Sailors need to be able to hold their own in a fight; don't mistake them
for someone you need to cope with heavy combat. (Though I could see that
Boating coming in handy in combat if you have to requisite your weapon
skill with it like you have to for Riding with cavalry!)
Skill | Specialty | Score |
Boating | Sailing | 3 |
Swim | Fallen overboard | 2 |
Dodge | Taking cover | 2 |
Shortsword Attack | On board ship | 3 |
Shortsword Parry | On board ship | 3 |
Important factors: Dex for sailing, Strength at least +1, shortsword
(which is easy to use in close quarters) and leather cuirass you can swim
in.
Archer: +13 years
A good longbowman is often more effective than a freshly Gauntleted
apprentice in ranged combats.
Skill | Specialty | Score |
Longbow attack | Moving target | 4 |
Weapon attack | Wild melees | 3 |
Weapon parry | Wild melees | 3 |
Dodge | Into cover | 2 |
Stealth | Finding cover | 1 |
Important factors: The minimum Strength to operate a longbow is
+2. You can have longbow, quarterstaff, and a leather hauberk without
taking load penalties, and excellent defensibility once you get into
combat. Perception is important for targeting, Quickness
should be at least +1 so the grog gets two shots per round. Keen Vision
is a cheesy but effective virtue.
Woodsman: +7 years
This builds on the basic package. The common specialty seems cheesy when
you see it all in a row, but it's effective.
Skill | Specialty | Score |
Alertness | Woods | 2 |
Scan | Woods | 2 |
Survival | Woods | 2 |
Tracking | Woods | 2 |
Stealth | Woods | 2 |
Faerie Lore | Woods | 1 |
Fantastic Beast Lore | Woods | 1 |
Important factors: A knack with woods is cheesy but very effective.
A different table of armour
You often will need to assign armour based on how much a grog can
carry with a given load factor and expense. This is a rearrangement
of the table on p163 of Ars Magica 3rd Edition. Remember that making
armour out of bronze decreases the protection value by 1 (and cannot
be done with chain mail or full scale), that the helm with a hauberk
reduces perception rolls by 1, and that the helm with full armour
reduces rolls by 3. (House rule from Amurgsval: you can take the
lighter helm, but any time someone gets an exceptional shot, they
have excellent reason to choose "head" for target-- and your head
ends up with lighter armour.)
"Leather" can also count as fur or quilted armour; "Hard leather" can
also count as heavy leather.
| Load Factor |
Expense | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
2.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
5.5 | 6.0 |
Inexpensive |
Leather Cuirass: 1 |
Hard Leather Cuirass: 2 |
Leather Hauberk: 3 |
Full Leather: 4 |
Hard Leather Hauberk: 5
Full Hard Leather: 6 |
Standard |
| | Ring Mail Cuirass: 4 |
Scale Mail Cuirass: 5 | | Ring Mail Hauberk: 7 |
Full Ring Mail: 8 | Scale Mail Hauberk: 9 |
| Full Scale Mail: 11 |
Expensive |
| Chain Mail Cuirass: 8 |
| Chain Mail Hauberk: 12 |
| Full Chain Mail: 14 |