CAREERS ARE TAKING SHAPE (Patreon)

So, let me set aside the Critical Wounds update as I mull the rules some more. Our session last Friday calcified some issues for me, and I'm still considering the best way to tackle those issues. As I mentioned before, I want fast, characterful play that feels WFRP to its core for this stream. I'm almost there, but not yet.

As I've been contemplating that, I've also been working on other LAWhammering goodies. I've not got a lot of free time, so I have to be very careful how I use it for this project to ensure everything I need is completed in time. So, as Criticals were being considered, I also nailed down some details to the Careers, my plans for which I discussed in this post.

Obviously, I'm using many of the same Careers found in WFRP4, so if you want the deets for those, go grab that book.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I've finally landed on a Career format I'm happy with. Fancy a look, too?

Let's look at the very first Career, alphabetically, from WFRP4: the Advisor (p69). The statbox for my house-ruled version would look like this if I updated it (and, yes, you'll note from the red squiggly lines under Dex and Fel as I'm building this in Word).

ADVISOR
Dwarf, Gnome, Halfling, High Elf, Human, Ogre, Wood Elf

It's mostly self explanatory. But, if any of the above confuses, ask and I shall explain (and if you spot mistakes, please tell me - I'm tearing through this work at a remarkable speed, so mistakes will happen a lot).

For a fuller look at what a full career could look like, here's a quick stab at an the Augur I did this morning. It's very first draft, so if you have any notes or spot typos, please tell me.

AUGUR
Human 

You receive the divine revelations of a god, or so you claim, but such insights come at a cost.

The streets of the Old World are clogged with wild-eyed preachers and would-be prophets claiming intimate knowledge of the divine. Where many are charlatans who sell revelations for profit, most are sad, lonely souls who desperately cling to holiness because the alternative is intolerable. Few, if any, truly witness any divine inspiration. But no matter if they are genuine, fake, or deluded, those who charismatically claim a direct connection to the gods often attract large crowds of devout followers. And, of course, in some rare instances, the inscrutable gods do choose a soul to receive divine revelation. But it’s rarely without a cost.

Augurs come in many guises. Some are guarded by the established cults, their revelatory words carefully recorded, their lives carefully controlled. Others wander dazed and confused, their mortal minds unable to comprehend what they witness. Many courts of the Old World also host a self-proclaimed oracle or two, but most true augurs are hounded endlessly by witch hunters, their prophetic visions interpreted as naught more than witchery.

‘It’s an ’undred miles to Altdorf, we got a lame horse, a pipe full o’ Greenleaf, an’ it’s dark. But we got big hats and we’re on ’oly business. Trust me, lads, it’s time to put the gang back together. We’re on a mission from Sigmar.’

– Jaeke Elwald, Prophet of Sigmar

‘The greatest trick Ranald ever played was convincing mortals she was ever one of them.’

– Holy Pergunda, Oracle of Shallya

‘Aye. ’Ee’s been born. The Herald of Evernacht walks amongst us. How do I know? Well, it were Ulric who told me. Turns out ’ee’s a big fellah. Tattoos everywhere. Not what I imagined at all. Hah! What do you mean how do I know what ’ee looked like?’

– Blind Father Odo, Augur of Ulric

Augurs can often be found wandering the back-roads of the Old World. Some pursue inscrutable holy missions they believe they have to fulfil, others work as missionaries, spreading the holy visions they witness. But most are simply looking to make some quick coin from a carefully crafted sermon laced with fabricated revelations.

BLESSED SOULS AND REVELATIONS

Holy visions are an obvious tool for the GM to provide story support to an ongoing campaign, with divine revelations used to provide extra information as required for the plot. However, NPC augurs can be just as useful. For example, finding a real oracle or a prophet of the gods can be the focus of an entire campaign, as can the attempt to determine the veracity of any revealed ‘facts’ sourced from such a character.

*  *  *

That should give you an idea of what a full Career looks like.

Tell me what you think. And, as I said, if you have any questions, either ask here if you are a patron (and thanks so much if you are! you're helping us build a studio right now!), or jump into the LAWhammer Discord server and ask there.

Chat soon!

Andy Law
8th August, 2022

PS: Before I go, yes, all new Talents will be posted on this blog later. I'll do a Talent post when the Careers are done, as I may need to make a few more as I go.