Method
Vbis
This
method, derived from Method
V found in Unearthed
Arcana (TSR
# 2017), is usable to create PC or NPC of only human stock, of suel
racial
background in the Scarlet Brotherhood and to simulate the effects of
eugenicism
of the breeding program. It can be used in either rules of the 1st,
2nd, 3rd or
4th edition
of the D&D game.
To
begin with, you have to
determine to which class belong the parents of the character, by choice
or
randomly. The citizens who are allowed to beget children are from the
following
classes : monk (brothers and sisters), assassins (uncles and aunts),
thief
(cousins), fighter (brave), cleric (pious) or magic-user (sorcerer).
Choose one
class for the father and one class for the mother or roll 1D6 twice:
1
= monk
2
= assassin
3
= thief
4
= fighter
5
= cleric
6
= magic-user
Both
parents may be of the same
class: in this case, you obtain the original Method V from the U.A.
Statistics
show us that the best probabilities to get above average ability scores
for
your child is when you cross:
- a
father monk with a mother assassin or thief
- a
father fighter with a mother assassin
- a
father cleric with a mother assassin or magic-user
- a
father magic-user and a mother thief
As
a side note: if avatars of
Norebo and Wee Jas had a child by this method (father thief and mother
magic-user) the result is the worst probability to obtain above average
ability
scores. But enough with those matters…
To
continue, take the appropriate
table below corresponding to the couple of the parents’ class
and read the line
of the mother’s class to know the number of six sided dice
you will have to
roll to generate the ability score indicated on top of the column. Roll
the
dice and keep the three higher results, add them: this is your ability
score.
One try only by ability score. “Com” is for
Comeliness, an optional ability
score described in U.A.
This
method should ensure to
create high scores and reflect the background of the parents. Once the
ability
scores generated, you will have to meet the minima needed in order to
select a
class for your new born eugenicist child, but it should be easy.
Table
1 – Father’s class is Monk
|
Mother’s
class is :
|
Str
|
Int
|
Wis
|
Dex
|
Con
|
Cha
|
Com
|
|
Monk
|
7
|
5
|
9
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
|
Assassin
|
7
|
6
|
7
|
9
|
7
|
4
|
4
|
|
Thief
|
7
|
5
|
6
|
9
|
7
|
4
|
6
|
|
Fighter
|
8
|
4
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
5
|
4
|
|
Cleric
|
7
|
4
|
9
|
6
|
7
|
5
|
3
|
|
Magic-user
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
Table
2 – Father’s class is
Assassin
|
Mother’s
class is :
|
Str
|
Int
|
Wis
|
Dex
|
Con
|
Cha
|
Com
|
|
Monk
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
8
|
7
|
3
|
4
|
|
Assassin
|
6
|
7
|
4
|
9
|
8
|
3
|
5
|
|
Thief
|
6
|
6
|
4
|
9
|
7
|
3
|
7
|
|
Fighter
|
7
|
5
|
4
|
8
|
8
|
4
|
4
|
|
Cleric
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
4
|
4
|
|
Magic-user
|
5
|
8
|
6
|
8
|
7
|
4
|
4
|
Table
3 – Father’s class is Thief
|
Mother’s
class is :
|
Str
|
Int
|
Wis
|
Dex
|
Con
|
Cha
|
Com
|
|
Monk
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
8
|
7
|
4
|
5
|
|
Assassin
|
6
|
6
|
3
|
9
|
8
|
4
|
6
|
|
Thief
|
6
|
5
|
3
|
9
|
7
|
4
|
8
|
|
Fighter
|
7
|
4
|
4
|
8
|
8
|
5
|
6
|
|
Cleric
|
6
|
4
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
5
|
5
|
|
Magic-user
|
5
|
7
|
5
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
5
|
Table
4 – Father’s class is
Fighter
|
Mother’s
class is :
|
Str
|
Int
|
Wis
|
Dex
|
Con
|
Cha
|
Com
|
|
Monk
|
8
|
4
|
7
|
8
|
7
|
5
|
3
|
|
Assassin
|
8
|
5
|
5
|
8
|
8
|
5
|
5
|
|
Thief
|
8
|
4
|
4
|
8
|
7
|
5
|
6
|
|
Fighter
|
9
|
3
|
5
|
7
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
|
Cleric
|
8
|
4
|
7
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
3
|
|
Magic-user
|
7
|
6
|
6
|
8
|
7
|
6
|
3
|
Table
5 – Father’s class is
Cleric
|
Mother’s
class is :
|
Str
|
Int
|
Wis
|
Dex
|
Con
|
Cha
|
Com
|
|
Monk
|
7
|
5
|
9
|
7
|
7
|
5
|
3
|
|
Assassin
|
7
|
6
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
5
|
4
|
|
Thief
|
7
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
7
|
5
|
6
|
|
Fighter
|
8
|
3
|
7
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
|
Cleric
|
7
|
4
|
9
|
5
|
8
|
6
|
3
|
|
Magic-user
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
7
|
7
|
6
|
3
|
Table
6 – Father’s class is
Magic-User
|
Mother’s
class is :
|
Str
|
Int
|
Wis
|
Dex
|
Con
|
Cha
|
Com
|
|
Monk
|
5
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
6
|
5
|
3
|
|
Assassin
|
5
|
8
|
6
|
9
|
7
|
4
|
4
|
|
Thief
|
5
|
7
|
5
|
9
|
7
|
5
|
6
|
|
Fighter
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
8
|
7
|
5
|
4
|
|
Cleric
|
5
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
7
|
5
|
3
|
|
Magic-user
|
4
|
9
|
7
|
8
|
6
|
5
|
3
|
Examples
of known characters
In
the Greyhawk
Adventures hardback
(TSR # 2023), you have the stats for two famous members of the Scarlet
brotherhood: Korenth Zan, the Father of Obedience and Alesh Marin,
First Order
Member.
Korenth
Zan’s father is an evil
fighter and his mother is an assassin (one of the best potential
cross), so his
scores should have been generated this way : Str: 8D6; Int: 5D6; Wis:
5D6; Dex:
8D6; Con: 8D6; Cha: 5D6; and the result is Str 17, Int 11, Wis 16, Dex
17, Con
18, Cha 13.
Alesh
Marin is the daughter of
two high level monks. So, similarly to Method V, her scores are
generated with:
Str 7D6; Int: 5D6; Wis: 9D6; Dex: 8D6; Con: 6D6; Cha: 4D6; and are as
follows:
Str 15, Int 10, Wis 17, Dex 18, Con 18 , Cha 9.
Ideas
to create a party of agents
from the Scarlet Brotherhood
Attention:
somes spoliers ahead!
I
do not encourage to role-play
evil characters or evil parties, but I consider it is interesting to
play a
party composed only of characters from the Scarlet Brotherhood born in
its
breeding program. They have no external relationships and have to work
together
for the sake of the Brotherhood. Maybe they do not know anything about
the
Flanaess, as do a group of new players about the Greyhawk milieu.
Citizens
of the Brotherhood are
not all lawful and evil, some may be neutral or good and a few chaotic.
So a
party composed of 1st level
characters
created with this Method Vbis could have LG monks, LN magic-users, LE
clerics,
Neutral fighters or NE assassins or whatever you may allow in your
campaign.
Their
first adventures should be
to be sent in the outer (unknown) world to gather back to the
Brotherhood lost
suel artifacts or usable knowledge to conquer nearby states. But to
spice the
role-playing in the party, make each player choose, beyond a different
alignment,
a patron God as religion, an Office in which to make their professional
career
and a Faction to belong to as his or her secret agenda.
All
these are described in The
Scarlet Brotherhood accessory
(TSR #
11374) and are summarized below:
- 5
Gods: Bralm, Llerg, Pyremius, Syrul and Wee Jas; 2 other Gods
(optional):
Nerull and Tharizdun.
- 9
Offices: Obedience (High Authority), Order (Internal affairs), Faith
(Religious
affairs), Sovereignty (External affairs), Thralls (Slavery), Purity
(Breeding
program), Arms (Military affairs), Diplomacy (Spies) and Sorcery
(Magical
researches).
- 17
Factions (Secret societies) between:
- 7
religious Factions: Brass Daggers (Pyremius), Cabal of the Everburning
Flame
(Wee Jas), Fangs (Llerg), Eyes of the Stern Lady (Wee Jas), Jade Wasp
(Bralm),
Speakers of the Black Smoke (Syrul) and Truth Scourge (Syrul).
- 5
philosophical Factions: Farseekers (explorers), High Unity
(interbreeding),
Homeland Nobility (monarchists), Millennialists (Huro’s
prophecy), Pure Suel
(extremists).
- 5
class-based Factions: Bankers (Thief), Brotherhood Arcane (Magic-user),
Redblades (Assassin), Strong Hand (Fighter, Assassin and Thief),
Thief’s
Majority (Thief).
This
shows that there is no unity
within the Scarlet Brotherhood and a well mixed party can provide a
sort of
PARANOIA feeling to your campaign.
Sources
Unearthed
Arcana,
Gary
Gygax, TSR # 2017
Greyhawk
Adventures,
James
Ward, TSR # 2023
Greyhawk
Player’s Guide,
Anne
Brown, TSR # 9578
The
Scarlet Brotherhood,
Sean
Reynold, TSR # 11374
