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Copyright © 2005 Simon E. Phipp
Created On 20 March 2005
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# Clans as Heroes

Sometimes the Narrator or the players in a HeroQuest game may want to have some interaction between clans rather than between clan members. This can happen when two clans go to war, when somebody wants to negotiate a treaty between clans, when there is a dispute between clans and so on. In the past, people have tebnded to fudge the issue of clan-clan contact and treat it as Hero-Hero contact. However, the HeroQuest rules are such that clans can be given character sheets in the same way that Heroes can. The following are some guidelines on how to write up a clan or other organisation.

- Getting Started
- Typical Skills
- Keywords
- Sample Clans

Getting Started

As with most HeroQuest characters, the best place to start is the 100 word essay. This is used to describe the clan, its properties and relationships. Tha clan's essay will differ from a hero's essay in that it describes the clan as a whole and not individuals in the clan.

Once the 100 word essay has been written, it must be broken down into keywords, abilities, relationships, followers and so on. This is basically the same as for Heroes, except that a clan's abilities will differ from those of a Hero. Most Keywords start at 17and follow the normal rules. Relationships for a clan may include Member of Tribe, Member of Kingdom, May Marry Into Clan, Enemy of Clan, Hates Creature and so on. Followers of a clan may include important clan members or even local deities and the clan wyter.

Keywords

Clan keywords are similar to Heroes' keywords but normally have reduced skills/abilities. Typical keywords include Homeland, Tribal and Religious.

Homeland keywords describe the clan from the perspectvr of its homeland. Use the same homelands as for Heroes but change the abilities slightly.

Tribal keywords describe which tribe or kingdom the clan belongs to, if any. Most abilities involve tribal membership.

Religious keywords describe the religion followed by the clan. These can be quite varied as many clans have different religious makeup, but there are similarities between many clans, hence the need for keywords.

Homeland Keywords
Heortling (Dragon Pass Clan, Farming, Hunting, Hate Chaos, Hate Lunars, Fear Dragons,Storm Pantheon)

Typical Skills

A typical clan will have some common abilities. Mo0st clans have ratings for Fyrd/Militia, Shield Thanes, Wealth, Farming, Trading, Hunting and Crafts. Some clans may have extra abilities such as Well Defended, Large Tula, Well Known, Warlike or Peaceful. The clan may have special locations, fortresses or towns.

Each clan is different and may have special things that only that clan can do. These are recorded on the character sheet as abilities.

Sample Clans

The Blue Storm Dancer Clan

The Blue Storm Dancers are a small clan living on the edge of snakepipe hollow. They are roughly half the size of the other clans round them and have only recently joined a tribe. They are famed for their healers temple, the strength of their clan magic and their uncompromising adherence to their traditions.

There are two faces to the clan, the warlike Sky Dancers and the peaceful Blue Storms, each epitomised by one of the major bloodlines of the clan. Which one represents the clan to the outside world depends on the circumstances of the time. Due to recent losses by the Sky Dancers, the Blue Storms have taken back control and as such, the clan has lost its status as a War Clan.

The clan came to the mountains of Far Point from Bilini when the other clans entered the land. The land they claimed for themselves, guided by the haunting visions of the False Sun, was unlike the land they left. Their ways were unsuited to the new land, but they have refused to compromise over the years, maintaining a culture and religious practices that are at odds with practicality. Whether this is the source of their famous magic strength or whether they are strong despite this is a source of speculation for their neighbours.
When the Lunar armies came, the clan fought against them but recognised the inevitability of defeat. They have learned how to live under the Lunars but have not taken on the new ways. There is a division of opinion in the clan, as in all the clans of the region, but the Blue Dancer people are mostly content to pay lip service till a better day comes.

Blue Storm Dancer Clan
Keywords (Heortling, Far Point, Tovtaros Tribe)

Dragon Pass Clan
Farming
Hunting
Hate Chaos
Hate Lunars
Fear Dragons
Storm Pantheon

Far Point Clan
Traditional
Conservative
Highlanders
Storm Pantheon (Far Point)

Small Clan

Member of Tovtaros Tribe
Ally of Tresdani Clan
Overlords of Brown Bear Clan
Friendly with White Moon People
Enemies of Havar Ironfist
Enemies of the Bramble Clan

Fyrd
Weaponthanes

Tula (Highhland, Difficult Terrain, Rocky, Boggy, Desolate)

Treasures

The Storm Kite (Walk On Marsh, Make Ground Boggy, Flood Land, Mist Cloud)
The Far Walk Sandals (Walk Quickly, Walk Without Tiring, Never Lose Footing, Never Blister)
The Red Gem

Places of Interest

The Good Fields (Dimach, Magically Powerful, Hidden Fields, Oats, Barley, Wheat, Rye)
Urn Fields (Graveyard, Ancestors, Buried Treasures)
Ernalda Temple (Ernalda Temple, Renowned throughout Far Point, Many Shrines)
Brewery (Alebard's Stead, Good Ale, Good Firewater)
Varna's Path (Secret Path, Hidden From View, Hidden From Chaos, Clan Secret)
Death Stead (Humakt Shrine, Rangali's Stead)
Kite Stead (Storm Kite Village)
The White Altar (Chalana Arroy Temple, Famed For Healers, Healing Water, Healing Earth)

Bloodlines
The Caffreys or Blue Storms (Farmers, Herders, Brewers, Healers, Helemakt)
The Eriksons or Sky Dancers (Warriors, Vingans, Humakti)
The Heorls or Thunderheads (Hunters, Shepherds, Animists)
The Troubled People (Troubled, Tricksters, Outsiders)

Personalities
Heorl Greenthumb (Farmer)
Rangali Broken-Sword (Blind, Humakti, Lightbringer)
Iack Fargazer (Shaman, Crazed, Lightbringer)
Kulbrast Bearson (Hunter, Odaylan, Tresdani, Lightbringer)
Harmast (Helemakt, Rain Dancer)
Skapti (Bard, Skald)
Zhara the Red (Vingan, Former Chief, Clan Champion, Lightbringer)
Hallorax Dreamweaver (Skald, Bard, Piper, Lightbringer)
Bragbane Mercy (Healer)
Lynghi Greybeard (Sage, Lawspeaker, Impressive Beard, Lightbringer)
Yanartha Lynghisdottir (Eurmali, Trickster, Lightbringer)
Jodafar Goldthroat (Troubled People Matriach, Intimidating Stare)
Janilsa the Sharp (Troubled People Lawspeaker)
Gelgoranth the Enormous (Troubled People Thug)
Urnoring Bullroarer (Troubled People, Uroxi)
Hendorth Breath of Vadrus (Troubled People Weaponthane)
Aranai the Shaker (Troubled People, Maran Gor)
Dandaran ther Poacher (Troubled People, Hunter, Odaylan)
Elboron (Troubled People, Low-Life, Knife Fighter)
Kuleen Brownsdottir (Chief, Ernaldan, Brought Back With LBQ)
Torkan Blackpaw (Hunter, Yinkini, Alynx)
Brandgor Wise Word (Sage, Ex Lawspeaker)