DusterBoy Posted May 17, 2008 Report Share Posted May 17, 2008 Here's something that I've been toying with for a while now: a martial arts/S&S campaign set in Renaissance Florence. At least, that's where it would start. The Medici would make a great Patron, a terrifying Hunted and you can just bet that if sorcery really existed, they have their hands in that, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted May 17, 2008 Report Share Posted May 17, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence In that case, certainly Leonardo da Vinci should have the supernatural skills that were often attributed to him. You should probably read (or re-read) Shakespeare's Tempest for ideas on how people during the Renaissance viewed the practice of magic. You might also look at The Ultimate Mystic for several magical systems based on real-world historical precedents. On the Martial Arts front, The Ultimate Martial Artist describes several historical styles which could have been learned during the period, both armed and unarmed. Besides classical Boxing and Wrestling, and the various regionally distinctive styles of Fencing, there's Arte dell'Abbracciare, a grappling style developed in medieval Italy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted May 17, 2008 Report Share Posted May 17, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence It sounds extreamly cool...if it flys ...please post some details/logs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shocker Posted May 17, 2008 Report Share Posted May 17, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence Sounds a bit like a 7th Sea campaign. Please, do post more if this takes off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted May 17, 2008 Report Share Posted May 17, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence Here's an old campaign I did years ago on a similar subject. There was no magic in this campaign, but maybe it can give you some ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowsoul Posted May 17, 2008 Report Share Posted May 17, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence Sorcery would probably reference the idea of the four classical elements being reflected in everything. The four humours are a good example. Blood was linked to air. Phlegm to water. Black bile to earth. And yellow bile to fire. Each of these humours was considered to create a certain personality type such as choleric or melancolic. Celestial influences, seasons, human organs all were believed by 'high magi' to be connected in a great chain of being that was built around this fourfold division. A sorcerer would presumably be able to mess around with someone's humours. By charging up someone's blood they could make them braver, or more lustful. Alternatively they could quell or drain someone's phlegmatic humours and so destroy their ability to be calm in a crisis. If you look up humorism on Wikipedia you can find more details. Another good source if you can find it is 'The Shadow of the Lion' novel by Mercedes Lackey et al. It's set in an alternate version of Europe around the period you are looking for and involves quite a lot of magic. It's a good read as well and was actually recommended to me by someone on this forum some time ago when I was thinking about a similar campaign. The White Crow series has some interesting ideas as well. If you can wade through it that is, I found it rather hard going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence Sorcery would probably reference the idea of the four classical elements being reflected in everything. The four humours are a good example. Blood was linked to air. Phlegm to water. Black bile to earth. And yellow bile to fire. Each of these humours was considered to create a certain personality type such as choleric or melancolic. Celestial influences, seasons, human organs all were believed by 'high magi' to be connected in a great chain of being that was built around this fourfold division. A sorcerer would presumably be able to mess around with someone's humours. By charging up someone's blood they could make them braver, or more lustful. Alternatively they could quell or drain someone's phlegmatic humours and so destroy their ability to be calm in a crisis. If you look up humorism on Wikipedia you can find more details. Another good source if you can find it is 'The Shadow of the Lion' novel by Mercedes Lackey et al. It's set in an alternate version of Europe around the period you are looking for and involves quite a lot of magic. It's a good read as well and was actually recommended to me by someone on this forum some time ago when I was thinking about a similar campaign. The White Crow series has some interesting ideas as well. If you can wade through it that is, I found it rather hard going. Some of what you've said here sounds like a magic system I put together a while back. http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27845&highlight=choler http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35352&highlight=flourish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maelstrom Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence The Book "The Armor of Light" by Melissa Scott deals with a magical English Renaissance. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence You can also find some useful information in GURPS Swashbucklers, although it's long out of print. It's set in the late Renaissance (16-17th centuries), but it has some useful information, including a timeline, some fencing styles, and different currencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowsoul Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence I assume you've heard of Solomon Kane? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Kane He 'lived' a while after your era but there's some good material there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusterBoy Posted May 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence Thanks for the input, guys. Unfortunately, it was only a idea, since I'm not a GM and even if I was, I have no players. I have both Ultimate Martial Artist and Ultimate Mystic and was fascinated to learn that there were European martial arts other than the treatises on sword fighting. I see that Kampfringen has been linked with Kabbalism . . . I have heard of Solomon Kane, even though I've only read one of the stories. I think he's a really fascinating character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence Thanks for the input' date=' guys. Unfortunately, it was only a idea, since I'm not a GM and even if I was, I have no players. [/quote'] Pity. I would sooo be into game like this! cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusterBoy Posted May 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence Pity. I would sooo be into game like this! cheers, Mark PBEM? I mean, if I got everything together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence PBEM? I mean' date=' if I got everything together?[/quote'] Maybe - right now I'm running my own FH game (and right now since I'm in the US, I'm running it by Skype) and playing in a d20 game, so time is precious. But it might be worth giving it a try anyway! cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 Re: S&S in Renaissance Florence Thanks for the input' date=' guys. Unfortunately, it was only a idea, since I'm not a GM and even if I was, I have no players. [/quote'] Just think of it as more time to develop your campaign fully. I haven't played rpgs in years, except for a one-shot Basic D&D session that we didn't finish. But I work on different campaigns to keep myself doing something in a game. I still work on my hard sci-fi campaign, which I started writing a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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