I am commenting on this to test something for spark... I will gladley review his submission shortly. Go to Comment

Swords

Swords are the standard run-of-the-mill Ironbones, created in great numbers by mage circles to serve as shock troops to supplement armies of Death Walkers and Hobgoblins, and also used in packs to "clean out" small areas of resistance.

They appear as human skeletons covered in a darkly gleaming metal, usually seen roaming in packs. Their fingers end in long pointed spikes, and their mouths are filled with solid metal teeth, which can snap down hard enough to bite through bone. They usually carry longswords, rapiers, or clubs - always one-handed melee weapons. They do not wear armor, as their plating is enough, but may carry a shield of the same alloy that covers them. Although their gait is somewhat jerky and awkward, they move with surprising speed, and are exceptionally strong, which is usually a surprise to adventurers expecting them to crumble under their swords. They are not intelligent in that they cannot create or avoid traps, but are fairly skilled in fighting, and have a decent knowledge of group fighting formations, which they will use to their advantage if part of a pack. They are quite hard to destroy, even more so than normal skeletons, for even severed into several sections, snapping jaws and stabbing claws can pose a danger. Also, their metal plating seems to serve as a kind of spiritual barrier, making it even harder to free their souls and take the "life" out of them (see "On Death and Undeath" for more explanation). Go to Comment

Fists

Fists are much less common than Swords, created as the tanks of the ranks of Ironbones.

Standing over seven feet tall due to magical enlargement, their plating is much heavier and thicker than that of the swords. They lack the sharp claws and teeth of their lesser counterparts in favor of heavily plated club-like knuckles and almost an inch of plating on their foreheads. They never carry shields, instead wielding massive two-handed hammers, clubs, staves or axes, any weapon that does not require finesse to deal a brutal blow. They often supplement groups of Swords, rushing headfirst into battle to scatter and immediately weaken the enemy. They are immensely strong, and have relatively the same intelligence as Swords, albeit a little less strategically intelligence. They fight mercilessly, dealing swift and powerful blows left and right in a frenzy. If they should lose their weapons, they will use their massive fists and pound opponents into oblivion, and can crumple an enemy's helmet with a well-placed head butt. However, they pose much less of a danger when dismantled. Go to Comment

Claws

Claws are the assassins and rangers of the Ironbones, lithe and agile creatures used as scouts by the Armies of Night.

At first glance, a Claw may appear quite similar to a sword - it is the same size, and has the same metallic plating. However, even if one cannot see it quite clearly, there is definitely something different. It moves with a slinking gait, much smoother than the jerking shuffle of a Sword, and no scraping sound can be heard as it creeps along. If one survives long enough to see it in full, the difference becomes immediately apparent. Instead of a sword and shield, a Claw has its hands, with fingers ending in claws almost eight inches in length, retractable, and as sharp and deadly as ten daggers. Its mouth is crowned by wickedly sharp teeth, with two prominent fangs reaching down past the chin. On its back it carries a bow and quiver, and moves with an uncanny intelligence for a dead of its kind. Claws were used as scouts and rangers, to infiltrate cities, using their claws to climb over walls, or to pick of enemies in secrecy from afar with the bow. They are much quicker and agile than their counterparts, and their limbs do not scrape against each other due to a special lubrication and polishing treatment in their creation. They fight in bursts, leaping off walls to attack with their claws, then running off to loose arrows from the shadows. They have an almost living intelligence, and can sense traps, assess tactical situations, and use the area to their advantage. While they are much more elusive than their heavier counterparts, the lubrication procedure also makes them slightly easier to dismantle. However, this is balanced by the fact that their natural weapons (the claws on their hands and feet and their teeth) are still quite dangerous alone. Go to Comment

Hoods

Hoods are the rarest of the Ironbones, created for the sole purpose of eradicating magi of the light.

Many seasoned adventures, though they have faced many Iron denizens in their lifetimes, have never come across a Hood. They are reclusive, and the rarest of the Ironbones, created by the finest of the Night's magi in limited number. They are fearsomely intelligent, even more so than Claws, and are the most dangerous of the entire ranks. At first glance, they can immediately be distinguished from their "lower" brothers. Firstly, they are clad in a dark hooded robe, inscribed with the runes and insignia of the Night. And unlike their fighting brothers, the metal plating a Hood is not the same dark steel, but a lighter, silvery metal that glows faintly. But perhaps the most frightening difference is that, where Swords, Fists and Claws have only gaping sockets, a Hood has twin gems inset where eyes once rested, that sparkle with a dark inner light. The most astonishing aspect of these creatures is that they were imbued with enough intelligence and power to cast elemental spells, and powerful ones at that. The gems in their skulls hold vast reserves of the power, and Hoods are quite adept at using spells skillfully and effectively. Since their sole purpose was to combat the mage-warriors of the army of light, many their spells are geared towards weakening and disabling spellcasters. And as if that were not enough, their alternate metal plating has an added advantage - it serves to dispel and reflect a portion of all spells cast at it. However, while it can still enter into melee combat fairly effectively, it is much weaker than Swords or even Claws, and its magically resistant plating is much weaker against swords than the dark steel of its brothers. For this reason, if a Hood senses the battle is not in its favor, it will cast spells of shadow or illusion, and flee to a safer area. Hoods realize their value to the Night, and will not waste themselves needlessly. Hoods are becoming quite sought-after by necromancers hoping to control them, but as many an unfortunate spellcaster has learned too late, their loyalty is to the Night, and to the Night only. Go to Comment

Hmmm - that's a good point about the claws and bow - never though about that! I'll make them retractable, how's that? As for the other point, the purpose of making Ironbones was not to have a low-cost, expendable warrior, but to forge up a real heavy-hitter for the armies. Go to Comment

so nice, that i'm about to use it in my game. At the risk of sounding lame, its BRILLIANT! Go to Comment

wings

wings are the most dangerous form of ironbone

wings incorporate all the abilites of ironbones + wings

sword+fist+claw+hood+wings=wing  

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A nice change of pace for skeletons in general. Very useful in upping the stakes against the players.

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Because, Moon, he wants to do it himself.

I, personally, think you should leave loopholes in it. That'd be realistic... Law codes are never foolproof. Perhaps there is a major loophole in it and that's what caused the Iron Throne to collapse. I dunno', just my take. Go to Comment

My wondering is why you are trying to re-invent the wheel? You could take a real world feudal legal system (common law and cannon law) and make it work for yourself (after some editing and such of course).

A little reading on Common Law ( http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/cgi-local/DHI/dhi.cgi?id=dv2-77 ) or law of similar periods might give you an idea of what is important (or what people in a feudal society thought was important).

I am doing some research now and I will get back to you. Go to Comment

A neat set of laws that is easy to use for the GM in any any feudal fantasy kingdom(that means most of them;) I have not found any loopholes in it yet, has anyone? This is the kinda thing a GM often find a need for but does not always want to create him/herself.
Good work. Go to Comment

Now, I know this is BIG article, but what I was setting out to do here was create a system of laws for a quasi-feudal country governed by a king, lords beneath him, and people beneath them. While the country no longer exists, this code is used as the basis of law for the countries formed out of its ruins.This set of laws needs to be defining, with as little chance for loopholes as possible. It is stern, yet not overly harsh. It is also somewhat archaic, but I put a "translator" at the bottom.

What I need are some responses -

Is anything too harsh/to lenient/just plain out of whack?
Is there anything that could be exploited/are there any loopholes?
Are there any facets of law I have overlooked?

I will also be using this set as a basic outline for other sets of laws in my world.

Thanks all! Go to Comment

Ok, well I've made a few changes and additions, and thrown it out into the Citadel as a law system. Anchors aweigh! Go to Comment

Thank you.

Surely it may not suit every game world, but the precise AND brief set of rules is easy to copy and note any diffences... which is what I am just considering to do. :)

Good work. Go to Comment

Excellent work sparK! It looks well thought out and delivered, and it answered most of my questions as I read the text. On a technical level it is well delivered. Go to Comment

Me likes. You took a lot of time over this and it shows. Go to Comment

This is great.

This is a nice addition to anyone who has a necro/undeath/death fetish. Or not. I use the dead and non living in my world often. A by product of religion and choices more often then not. Undead who are created usually have a lifespan and are not eternal. After a period of time the decay and waste away. So nothing lasts forever. Even the undead who makes packs to stay eternal still have to do things to stay that way. Go to Comment

The Soul and Death

While our bodies are physical, our wills, emotions, memory and mind is a part of our souls, our being and identities in the world. While a body is temporary, a soul is eternal, and no two souls are alike. When a soul is born on Luen, it enters the world and inhabits a body until death, where it passes from the world onto the grey shores, is judged, and passes into the afterlife, where it remains for eternity. The exceptions are hero souls, which are souls that are marked by destiny as being necessary again for life, which pass into the halls of night until they are reborn. Animal souls are not judged, and all pass into the halls of night, where they too are reborn. While the soul is not a physical item, it can be trapped and bound. One cannot extract a soul from a living person, but upon their death, one can trap the soul in a vessel. The soul will then remain in the vessel, until one of three things happen - it is released, at which point it will either find its way into the afterlives or remain in the world of the living; it is placed into its body once more, becoming undead; or it is placed in a willing recipient, at which point it will take over. Go to Comment

Soul Transfers

As mentioned before, a soul trapped in a vessel can be transferred to a willing living recipient. In this process, spells are cast and rituals are performed to guide the soul into its host, at which point the original soul departs for the afterlives and the new soul takes over. One must open oneself up for the transfer, however, for it to be successful. To paraphrase, one cannot force a soul into an unwilling body. Theoretically, one could obtain immortality simply by passing from body to body - however, there are few people indeed who would give up a youthful body and a full life on earth to another. Once in the body, one controls it just as one did one's own, retaining personality and memories one had in the previous body. The body is susceptible to pain and injury as well, and upon the death of the new body, the soul again will leave for the grey shores, unless trapped again. Go to Comment