Building Bhakashal - Sages
Sages have been a big part of D&D for me since the very beginning. Rather than just “give” information to the PCs, I have always preferred for them to consult with sages to get what they need to know. Want to find out where you can locate a flame tongue sword? Consult a sage. Want to find out how to defeat a remorhaz? Consult a sage.
Gygax had a talent for making elegant rules, the system determining if sages know something is one of those cases, it has three levels of expertise (major fields, minor fields and specializations), and odds for knowing for each category based on three kinds of question, general, specific and “exacting”. And within each of those cross referenced categories there are variable odds determined by a d10 or a d20. Gygax loved randomization, and randomization is a key element in the kind of RPG that I enjoy playing.
One of the key design principles of Bhakashal is based on the idea of leaning in to AD&D’s existing design, Bhakashal is a retroclone, not an entirely new game, it is meant to take various aspects of AD&D and develop them, not to create something entirely new with an old school coat of paint. AD&D is perfect for this sort of thing, as Gygax routinely dropped gems for you to pick up that he left relatively undeveloped. In this case it was this passage that caught my eye:
“SPECIAL SKILLS: All sages will have some abilities with respect to spells, for their studies will have empowered them thus.” DMG pg 32.
Bingo.
In Bhakashal, warlocks are sages. There are “levels” of sage, the “highest level” sages have a major and two minor fields, as well as 4 areas of specialization in their major field. The “lowest level” sage has a major and a minor field, and two areas of specialization in their minor field. As warlocks study magic they don’t have the time to be a “highest level” sage, they are instead the lowest level of sage possible.
Still, this adds an interesting dimension for information in the game. Rather than a slapdash “intelligence check” that may or may not apply to the question at hand, warlocks as sages have defined areas of expertise and specific sets of odds to determine if they know something. It also gives lower level warlocks another way to contribute to the party when their spells run out. I’ve been using this system in my games for 8 years now, and it has been very successful.
The other thing that had to be done to incorporate sages into Bhakashal was to adapt their areas of knowledge to the setting. Bhakashal is not a “humanocentric” setting, and the “demi-human” races (in Bhakashal these are “playable groups”) are all different (“NO ELVES!”), so the categories needed some finessing. As with everything in Bhakashal, you can randomly generate a sage using these rules, or pick from the various options as desired.
Here we go.
Bhakashal - Sages
Sages are scholars with specialized knowledge. Every sage has a major field, a minor field, and a number of areas of specialization in their major field.
Process:
Roll to see their number of minor fields and special categories for the sage on Table 1
Roll to see their major field on Table 2
Roll to see their minor field(s) on Table 2
Roll to see their specializations in their Major Field on Table 3
When asked a question consult Table 4
Determine field/category of question
Determine difficulty of question (general, specific, exacting)
Cross reference to determine probability of knowing
Determine costs and time using Table 5
Roll d10/d20 as indicated to get specific percentage chance
Add the sages INT bonus
Roll to determine if answer is known
If the answer is not known, the sage may try again after 1-4 weeks of research at half the odds and the cost of 100gp per day. If this roll fails they may not try again.
Table 1 - Fields of Study - Minor and Special Categories (d100)
Table 2 - Sage Major and Minor Fields of Knowledge (d100)
Table 3 - Sage Categories with Specializations
-Table 4 - Chance of Knowing Answer to a Question
NOTES
All sages have a 31-50% chance of answering a general question outside of any of their fields, and a 11-20% chance of answering a specific question outside of any of their fields.
Warlocks operate as sages with a major and a minor field, and two special categories within their major field.
Table 5 - Costs and Time
This system means that a warlock is knowledgeable about things outside of their fields of knowledge as well, and can be a conduit for game world information to the PCs, but since the referee gets to decide what constitutes “general”, “specific” or “exacting” knowledge, it’s not a giveaway.
Knowledge is particularly important in D&D, as PCs will encounter many things out of their “pay grade”, so both consulting a sage, or having a warlock in the party with a relevant field of interest, can be incredibly helpful, and smart players will realize these benefits and pursue them.
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