Help with Islanders

[Frenchman]

I've been drafted to run a short game in my group. I've come up with a plot outline and I know what types of characters I'm gonna be dealing with, but I'm not very up to snuff on the setting.

We decided that we'd try a pacific islander style setting, and while I know some stuff about that sort of culture, I'm not very knowledgable.

Anyone know of any good websites I could check out, or any important things to include in the setting?

 

I've already decided that there won't be any metal, except maybe beaten gold, silver, and/or copper for decoration. So weapons and armor will be relativly ineffective, except for those that the shipwrecked character will have - he has steel and a few bullets left.

 

What types of weapons and armor are available to people in this setting?

 

Anyone know anything about how "polynesian" magic would work? One player wants to be a shaman with tattoo magic and curses - I think that sounds pretty do-able.

 

Anyone know of some flavourful threats and challenges to throw at the characters on their journey to confront the volcano god?

 

Really, I feel like I need help with just about everything here, but I'm not in over my head yet!

 

Thanks in advance, by the way

[Captain Emu]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Weapons and armor?

 

This is a fantasy island setting right?

 

Armor

Shields could easily be made from bark, woven fibers, wood or even animal parts like large turtle shells.

 

Armor itself, if you wanted it, would likely be light and limited to things protecting torsos and lowers legs (mainly from terrain) which could be made of any of the above and also laced bones.

 

Because these people are likely veyr ocean-oriented, they would not likely burden themselves with much armor at all.

 

Weapons

Weapons for islanders can be quite varied. Hawaiins actually developed the use of the pike for example. Knives of volcanic stone or glass are common. Fish spines are common for spears as are ray stingers. I have seen clubs made of animal vertibrae, wood, stone. One favorite I've used in fantasy islanders is the "warpaddle" - a carved, demon-faced paddle that in the real world is used for ceremony, but makes a great islander magic weapon.

 

Slings and bolos are also good as well as light bows. Hurled stones and simple clubs made of bone or sticks are a given. Animals provide a wealth of useful weapon bits. You'd be surprised how nice of an improvised club a full animal skull can make (made one back in my childhood on a farm as an experiment)

 

Let your imagination run free. Nets an harpoons spring to mind as well.

[Frenchman]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Yes it is fatasy, sorry if I wasn't clear on that.

I hadn't thought about shields, but you're right- turtle shells it is!

As for armor, I 'm not sure what to do - I like them being lightly or not armored, but I also don't want everyone to have combat luck.

 

With weapons, I have allready found a few cool ones - like wooden "swords" edged with shark teeth, dart-throwers, and (of course) the yo-yo. I can't believe I forgot about nets. I guess thats why I'm posting here.

I like the warpaddle, I think I'll be using that.

Thanks a lot and keep it coming!

[Curufea]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

If there is a volcano, they could have obsidian swords, like the Aztecs (similar to shark tooth, but does more damage because of the glass-edges)

 

Pantheons, spirits and sacrifice are the way to go for magic. Fetishes and totems. Possibly summoning as well.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Clubs embedded with the teeth of sharks.

 

Nasty... especially if you add mysticism to it.

[Captain Emu]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Taking a hint from some bronze-age armor, you could use knotted cord too as well as boars tusks or other ivory sown into shirts, or helmets. Gator/crocodile skin makes good armor.

 

Don't forget poisons. Islanders would have access to all manner of animal and plant-based toxins.

[azato]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Don't forget a cookbook and a BIG pot!

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

http://www.tikimaster.com/category/001.4/

http://www.tropicislemusic.com/wood/weapons.htm

http://www.coffeetimes.com/weapons.htm

http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/ripleys/database/ep_304b.html (look at the last picture)

http://www.justpacific.com/fiji/fijiphotos/dufpics/ (there's a picture of a guy in full armor at the bottom of section 1)

 

Some of the Polynesian war clubs I've seen look like they'd be more appropriate as killing damage than normal damage...more like a mace than a simple club.

 

I'll have to look around some more for magic resources, but as I recall, there were a lot of Polynesian references in Frazier's The Golden Bough.

[Frenchman]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Don't forget a cookbook and a BIG pot!

 

I'm allready planning on incorporating some Papua New Guinea style ritual cannibalism and a tribe of man-eating lizard people.

 

Some of the Polynesian war clubs I've seen look like they'd be more appropriate as killing damage than normal damage...more like a mace than a simple club.

 

I think I'm going to have the war clubs (with or without shark teeth) be killing attacks with reduced penetration - They look like they'd tear through bare flesh, but even small amounts of armor would be pretty effective against them. I'm also thinking about a +1 stun multiplier - those serrations look painful.

 

And thanks for the websites! It's nice to have pics to show my players what they're swinging around.

[Old Man]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

http://www.justpacific.com/fiji/fijiphotos/dufpics/ (there's a picture of a guy in full armor at the bottom of section 1)

 

Some of the Polynesian war clubs I've seen look like they'd be more appropriate as killing damage than normal damage...more like a mace than a simple club.

 

That's interesting. As far as I can tell, the Hawaiians didn't use armor or shields. Bows were small, weak and only used to hunt small game or used in play.

 

There are no records of them using any kind of metal before the arrival of the white man

 

Most weapons were entirely made of hard wood like koa. Shark teeth, rocks, sword fish noses, marlin spikes, other spikey bits from sea animals were used for piercing/cutting/smashing weapons.

 

Obsidian is very very sharp but also very brittle. Probably has a bad Burnout Roll.

 

It seems Hawaiians depended on skill to avoid damage.

He was famed for his ambition, strength, courage, judgment, and skill in dodging or catching a dozen spears hurled simultaneously at him. Kamehameha was, indeed, a master warrior of lua.

http://www.ajjf.org/article03.html

[pinecone]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

One other thing, most combat in Hawaii was also more "Champion duels " than big battles so a few elite warriors really made a differance, in part because with little equipment an idiviguals prowess really meant something. And of course being really buff means you've got lots o' Mana as well.

 

So you could end up running a Wild martial arts game in the pacific!

[Cancer]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

I don't believe the Polynesians used them, but what Captain Emu says about poisons is true. Most of the poisons will be from marine life (there aren't many venomous vertebrates on small islands). I also don't think they used blowguns, but you could put that in if you wanted.

 

Nearly all pre-Iron Age cultures had passing familiarity with iron -- from meteorites, a great source of magic weapons. Because iron sinks and rusts rapidly in tropical ocean conditions, and the islands are so small, they Polynesians may be an exception.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

That's interesting. As far as I can tell, the Hawaiians didn't use armor or shields. Bows were small, weak and only used to hunt small game or used in play.

 

Yeah, that armor pic is from Fiji. The closest thing to armor I can think of from Hawaii are those coconut helmet things for your rearview mirror that you get at ABC or Hilo Hattie's...and it's my understanding that those weren't common and only had a ceremonial function anyway.

 

I can't think of any Polynesian culture that used bows, but I'm not an expert on that. I'd go with spears as the main missile weapon for a Polynesian analog fantasy culture.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Gilbert Islander helmet. This couldn't be worth more than a couple points of DEF, but it could give a small damage shield as a secondary effect.

 

I poked around and found out that Hawaiian helmet is called an ikaika, and they used to be made from gourds, not coconuts.

[Kharis2000]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

If you have the time (and a slightly masochistic bent) I reccommend Bronislaw Malinowski's "Argonauts of the Western Pacific" highly. It's got a tremendous amount of detail in it, but suffers by being written in a very dated 'voice.'

 

Try your local public or university library.

[Frenchman]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

I like the spikey fish helmet! Maybe the lizard person tribe will have spines like that, and the islanders could make armour from them.

 

I haven't found anything on the use of bows, but spears and darts are used as missiles. I was planning on the use of darts + atlatl similar to what is used in australia and new guinea - I believe they are called woombera - I really like the sound of their words.

 

As for going to the library - I'd better return the dozen or so books I have out on modern Shinto first, and I won't be done with that paper for another week or so.

[Old Man]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Polynesians didn't seem to use bows. I'm not sure why.

 

Leafed through a book titled "Lua: The Hawaiian Art of Combat" (or something like that) today at the bookstore. It's interesting if only because it details some of the techniques used with shark-tooth clubs. The 'upward groin rip' was one of them.

[Markdoc]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Polynesians didn't seem to use bows. I'm not sure why.

 

Probably because on most islands, the commonest trees are not actually great bow-making materials and there weren't any horned animals to do the horn/composite thing with. Australian aborigines from the far North used (and still use) the bow, but their neighbours didn't - so it's not that they didn't know how to make bows.

 

Add that to cultures which placed a lot of emphasis on ritual combat and champions fighting it out hand to hand, and you get a bunch of guys who simply aren't that interested in bows.

 

Leafed through a book titled "Lua: The Hawaiian Art of Combat" (or something like that) today at the bookstore. It's interesting if only because it details some of the techniques used with shark-tooth clubs. The 'upward groin rip' was one of them.

 

That'd make your eyes water

 

cheers, Mark

[Old Man]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

They did use bows just not for combat. It was used for a hunt/shoot the rodent type game.

 

Most of the materials I can think of to make bows would require insane strength or be too brittle, or were not introduced to the islands until later.

 

Thrown spears, Javelins with nasty, barbed, snap-off, heads, Slings, Atlatls; all vey reasonable.

[Old Man]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

As is the classic rock-tied-to-a-handle.

 

I forgot to add that the "Lua" book above also described the use of a 'tripping cord', which was basically a weight tied to the end of a length of rope, used to attack the legs or neck. I would dismiss the idea as ridiculous, but since there are eastern martial arts built around such weapons, and since there were no knives in Polynesian culture, perhaps it is less so.

[gojira]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

It sounds like you have lots of ideas, and you've already settle on armour.

 

I just thought I'd mention bamboo vests used by some islanders in the Pacific, in WWI iirc. The vest would reportedly stop a carbine or pistol shot, so the Americans developed the .45 side arm, which would at least knock them down if it didn't go through the vest.

[gojira]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Oops, looks like pre-WWI. I found this quote on the internet:

Detailed after action reports of US actions in the Philippines from 1899

to 1913 are tough to find today, but the total picture can be fleshed

out somewhat from anecdote. The admittedly lackluster performance of

the 38 Long Colt round (150 gr RN lead, velocity about 770 ft/sec)

against what have later been surmised to have been drug-frenzied

"insurrectionistas" (some wearing bamboo-mat body armor) has generally

overshadowed failures of the 220 gr bullet from the 30-40 rimmed round

at the same task. A carefully grounded analysis today might lend some

weight to the possibility that the odd charging Moro succumbed to a 45

Colt revolver bullet rather more quickly because the late LT had just

peppered him with six 38 slugs from his M1894 DA. The surest close

range fight stopper was considered to be the 12 ga shotgun.

 

This brings up another point however. Don't forget about the use of drugs to "hop up" a warrior. The zulu did this too.

[Frenchman]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Allright! Done writing finals!

 

OK, so now that I've had 15 minutes with HD to do this, here's my list of weapons:

 

Weapons: Wood refers to Koa (ironwood) and stone refers to either obsidian, basalt, or greenstone (in order of durability and value)

 

Batang – A javelin, used primarily in melee combat. Can be thrown.

Batang: (Total: 40 Active Cost, 15 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1, Range Based On STR (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (35 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 8 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 13) plus +1 with HTH OCV (5 Active Points); OAF (-1) (Real Cost: 2)

Ihe – Darts – Very sharp spikes made of Koa wood or obsidian. In melee they can be used as pahoa with -1 OCV.

Ihe: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6-1, Side Effects (Side Effect always occurs whenever the character does some specific act; -1 OCV in HTH; +0), Range Based On STR (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (17 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 3 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4)

 

Kane - A 6’-9’ long cord of shark teeth with a weighted handle on each end, used as a whip or wrapped around a(n) (armored) limb and used as a punching/clubbing weapon. With Chainsaw Action!

Kane: (Total: 82 Active Cost, 24 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (22 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 8 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Reduced Penetration (-1/4) (Real Cost: 7) plus HA +2d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), STR Minimum 8 (-1/2), Not with Kane's Stretching (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 4) plus Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2) (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 8 (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Must Follow Grab (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 8) plus Stretching 2", Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), Only To Cause Damage (-1/2), Always Direct (-1/4), No Noncombat Stretching (-1/4), No Velocity Damage (-1/4) (Real Cost: 5)

 

Ko’oko’o– Large, sometime double-ended paddle. Used in fighting like a staff. Paddle blades used as a shield. The only place to find trees large enough to make one of these out of is on the Mo’o Island, so they are very rare and owned only by chiefs or their descendants.

Ko’oko’o: (Total: 41 Active Cost, 13 Real Cost) HA +4d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), STR Minimum 10 (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 8) plus +1 with HTH OCV or DCV (5 Active Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2) plus Penalty Skill Levels: +2 vs. sweep penalties to OCV with All Attacks with this weapon (6 Active Points); OAF (-1) (Real Cost: 3)

 

Lave – A hook weapon used to target vital organs. The inside edge is usually sharpened.

Lave: (Total: 21 Active Cost, 9 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1/2d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 4 (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 6) plus Penalty Skill Levels: +2 vs. Hit Location modifiers with Lave (6 Active Points); OAF (-1) (Real Cost: 3)

 

Lei-O-Mano - war club, used as a hacking weapon. Usually serrated or with shark teeth/boar tusks in the sides. When set on fire it is called an Ailao. The primary weapon of a warrior. Broad paddle-like shape allows it to be used as a shield, also.

Lei-O-Mano: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 9 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Reduced Penetration (-1/4)

 

Ma’a - A sling, sometimes loaded with clams or shells filled with Tei ashes, which can make the Mo’o violently ill. Usually one will carry a small sack of deadly obsidian flakes to use as ammunition, but small stones can be substituted in a pinch.

 

Ma'a: Multipower, 15-point reserve, all slots 12 Recoverable Charges (+1/4) (19 Active Points); all slots OAF (-1), STR Minimum 8 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Required Hands (One-And-A-Half-Handed; -1/4), Beam (-1/4)

u 1) Obsidian Shards: RKA 1d6 (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 8 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Required Hands (One-And-A-Half-Handed; -1/4), Beam (-1/4)

u 2) Stones: EB 3d6 (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 8 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Required Hands (One-And-A-Half-Handed; -1/4), Beam (-1/4)

u 3) Tei Ashes: Change Environment 1" radius, -4 to CON rolls, 16 Charges (+0) (14 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 8 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Activation Roll 12- (-3/4), Required Hands (One-And-A-Half-Handed; -1/4), Beam (-1/4)

Note: I didn’t use concentration because, in my experience, one can load and sling a

stone in one swift, easy movement – you don’t need to stand still. I also used 1 ½ handed

rather than 2 hands because you can use the loading hand for limited purposes, like

perhaps holding a small shield.

 

Nifo Oti – Deadly tooth –A shark-tooth-studded dagger used for stabbing. Female shark teeth are usually used as they are hollow and can be easily laced with poison.

Nifo Oti: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1/2d6, +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (17 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 5 (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4)

 

Onewa – Stone club, a heavy but effective weapon. Often intricately carved and a status symbol, especially if made of greenstone.

Onewa: HA +5d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (37 Active Points); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), STR Minimum 13 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Required Hands One-And-A-Half-Handed (-1/4)

 

Pahoa – A dagger made from a wood or bone spike. Often made from the femur of a deceased relative, shaman, or Mo’o.

Pahoa : Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6-1, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-1/4), STR Minimum 5 (-1/4)

 

Pahoa Ŏilua – A double-ended pahoa. Unlike most pahoa, a pahoa ŏilua can be thrown effectively.

Pahoa Ŏilua : Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6-1, Range Based On STR (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (17 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 6 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4)

 

Pikoi - A net used as a tripping/entangling weapon, or defensively by either wrapping it around a part of the body (usually the arm wielding it) or spinning it and using it to distract an opponent and catch or deflect their weapon.

Pikoi: (Total: 70 Active Cost, 22 Real Cost) Entangle 3d6, 2 DEF, Entangle And Character Both Take Damage (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (44 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 8 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Cannot Form Barriers (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4), Limited Range (5"; -1/4) (Real Cost: 12) plus Armor (3 PD/3 ED) (9 Active Points); OAF (-1), Extra Time (Half Phase, Only to Activate/Deactivate, -1/4) (Real Cost: 4) plus Stretching 1", Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (7 Active Points); OAF (-1), Only To Grab (-1/2), Always Direct (-1/4), No Noncombat Stretching (-1/4), No Velocity Damage (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2) plus +2 with DCV and Block (10 Active Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 4)

 

 

Pohaku – An axe or adze made of stone.

Pohaku: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 11 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4)

 

Woomera – a dart-hucker (atlatl) gives extra range and power to an ihe.

Woomera: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Ranged (+1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2) (37 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 7 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

 

Yo-yo – A stone or wooden yo-yo on a long string. Skilled users can learn martial arts and a power skill to perform stunts, such as grabbing things or attacking Indirectly.

Yo-Yo: (Total: 37 Active Cost, 12 Real Cost) HA +2d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), STR Minimum 5 (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4) (Real Cost: 5) plus Stretching 3", Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (22 Active Points); OAF (-1), Only To Cause Damage (-1/2), Always Direct (-1/4), No Noncombat Stretching (-1/4), No Velocity Damage (-1/4) (Real Cost: 7)

 

 

If you want it in HD, I've attached it.

I'll start working on armor and other equipment tommorow, and hopefully I should've fleshed out the Mo'o (lizardpeople) and other important stuff by next saturday.

[Rage]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

Green Stone kicks ***, in NZ it and other stone was used often. Getting whacked by one hurts. In other news, a tiki (ie a small figure tied around your head.) often represented the spirits of miscarried babies from your tribe.

[gojira]

Re: Help with Islanders

 

So tiki are some sort of religious-right propoganda then?