Life as a Bat

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    • Attempting to run a bat from Klin Ra is quite a challenge even for a seasoned player, like myself due, in no small part ,to the mystery associated with the island itself. This is a thing that the rulers of the island have carefully orchestrated to keep the ways and abilities of the Klin secret. If the old saying.... "knowledge is power" is correct , then very few have any power over the inhabitants of Klin Ra. I highly suggest you wait until you have more knowledge from the up coming WORLD GUIDE before you attempt to run a character from this region, as it will contain much needed information which is guaranteed to shape the way you run the character. However, there are a few things I can share with you before the book is published that may help you even if you are running a character who was somehow separated from the group of Bats that migrated to the island and may have limited access to some of the cultural ways of the Klin...
      Number One....Very few Janah are allowed to visit the island and leave. In general if you go to Klin Ra (as a non bat) you are likely to be a slave and be kept forever, otherwise access would may surely be denied as most of the region is kept inaccessible to foreigners...
      Number Two... The Klin are masters when it comes to the art of MAGIC RITUALS.... particularly in the areas of SUMMONING, ENDOWMENT, WARDS and the like.....
      Number Three... The cultural paradigm would be similar to ancient Japan, mixed with a bit of the feel of the island of Mel' nibone from the epic novel of ELRIC ...with respect to not allowing others to even glimpse the main land, by use of powerful magics and other methods...
      Number Four.... The language of the HIGH KLIN is able to be spoken only by bats since it requires special vocal cords possessed only by bats... And in most cases, large parts of it may not even be able to be heard at all by most other Janah... This is what would be used to speak with other Klin thus allowing them to speak in the presence of others without fear of revealing anything to outsiders...
      Lastly... The Klin are highly secretive, reclusive, Xenophobic and mistrustful to all they meet... In many ways they take the art of subterfuge to a new level and are experts in the skills of INTRIGUE, CONVERSATION, BARGAINING, and many other skills used to bind others into service or into a contract... The KLIN harbor a deep resentment to those from the mainland of the world due the way in which they were betrayed towards the ending of THE TWILIGHT WARS, and will never be caught off guard when negotiating with those of the outside world...
      Think of ancient Japan! This is the most I can say at this point so as not to reveal too much about this subject before the last book comes out, but believe me when I say this is only the tip of the iceberg regarding the nature of the KLIN.
      I truly hope you will be around when the last book becomes available because it will unlock many mysteries of the WORLD OF THE FALSE DAWN!
    • Yes there are a few bats who did not make the journey to the island of Klin Ra, although they are somewhat rare and would still possess many of the same traits as the majority of their kind located far away beyond the prying eyes of the rest of the civilized nations. These individuals would have been left behind for various reasons by the majority of their race for any number of reasons. The reasons could include any thing from punishment due to some betrayal or action taken by the "lost family" to them being used as spies within the mainland which in turn provide information to others of the race on the island of the KLIN. This is the way I always suggest any player who chooses to run a bat in my campaign approach the issue. By taking this approach I am able to use the eventual visit to the mysterious island of KLIN RA as part of my story arch and in doing so reveal as little or as much about the secretive rulers and the motivations they may hold as would be best for maintaining the underlying sense of reclusive and secretive culture as would support the fantasy of the campaign... but always know that even those that were left or chose to remain behind would be looked upon as rare and in some cases negatively depending upon the region one might find themselves adventuring within... I would help the read the History contained in the BASIC COMPENDIUM, to get a true sense of what it actually means to be a bat, from the history of the world they helped to shape.
    • CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! 8o :thumbsup: That means its only a matter of time before you have a brand new copy of the book in your eager little hands and that is when we will be able to really talk about the world, because you will have at your disposal all types of information and all types of short fantasy stories, and fabulous artwork.... all contained within the pages of the book! This is such a huge step! It is going to make it so much easier to visualize all types of possible adventures as well as have more online chats about how to use the system to create all the things your imagination can conjure and more....
      I trust that you have been very good this year..... so that means that your parents will not have any issue with this gift... and even if they have a small issue.... we can always ask SANTA!!!!!
      Also this means that you will have something which we have created in your very own home, and I have to say that will bring us even closer together.... ( I am sure I speak for both Scott Jones and Andrew also ) when I say we are proud of you and welcome you into the WORLD OF THE FALSE DAWN FAN CLUB!!!! :love:
      Just think how much easier it will be to talk to others about the game when you have your very own books!!!!! And as always you know that you have our undying support if you ever should have any questions or need any advice regarding how to apply the rules, or just need an ear to bounce some ideas off.... that is what this forum was created for!!!!
      I can hardly wait to hear what you think of the finished products.... :] :] :]
    • Although I understand that the World Guide will have much more information, I think it's unreasonable to ask everyone to wait for however many years it might be until it comes out! I have been running Shard for several years now, and I have a player who plays a Klin. We have done our own world-building when it comes to Klin and Klinrah, and I think it has worked out well. In my world, Klin are indeed secretive and xenophobic and have a huge superiority complex when it comes to the rest of Dardunah. They believe that only they are capable of truly understanding and controlling magic and demons, evidence notwithstanding. Their society is extremely hierarchical -- the small bats are generally considered to be superior to the larger bats. Sorcerous bats are superior to non-sorcerous bats. A small bat who turns out not to have any magic ability is very likely to commit suicide rather than deal with the constant whispers behind his/her back. The small bats have echolocation and are nocturnal, while the large bats (generally the fruit-eaters) are diurnal. Most official business is done at night to accommodate the small bats. As it was in Japan long ago, most other janah are not allowed to visit the main island at all. However, there are some traders, especially those that deal in exotic slaves, that may have access to some areas. Currently there is internal fighting over whether the Klin should allow the outside world more access -- this is reflected in the makeup of the Klin's ruling council. There is a special government-run institution that prepares certain hand-picked Klin to travel abroad and spy on the rest of Dardunah. This is where my player's Klin was trained.

      Anyway, what I guess I'm trying to get at is that if you or someone else wants to play a Klin, you don't have to wait years for a book to tell you what to do. Life is too short! Dream up your own Klin and Klinrah, that's what imagination is for!

      Diane
    • Just a thought remembering what was said about possible drawbacks being dietary restrictions...If a Vampire Bat with this drawback could only consume blood would he be morally obligated to take only the blood of Suthra, or could he-With the consent of the one donating blood-take some blood from a Janah if he was truly starving and no more then an average blood donation's worth?
    • The last post is absolutely correct in that the bats of Klin Ra have all the blood they would need both Janah as well as Suthra.... although it is important for me to mention that the small bats of the world do not have a special dietary disadvantage listed in the animal template, which indicates that if one were to choose to have one it would be a matter of choice for the player and not something which would be shared by the general population of the island or the majority of the species, that is not to say that some may not choose to indulge themselves in what could only be thought of as a base instinct perhaps in a single family, but this would not be required, and might be seen as abnormal.... The truly interesting thing about the island nation of Klin Ra is that it is almost completely isolated and as such many of the things which are normal there might be frowned upon if introduced to the mainland. The society is utterly unlike most of the rest of the nations of the world in many respects... with the possible exception of the HARDAZI KHANATE, which is equally unwelcoming to strangers.... The information contained in the up and coming WORLD GUIDE will delve into the mysterious nature of not only the more exotic nations but of those which are the most welcoming to travelers and visitors from the four corners of the world, it will also contain an interesting first person perspective of the general attitudes shared by the majority of those populations in respect to others.... some they will be on good terms with and some will be frowned upon due to old rivalries, intrigue and slights of honor.... I look forward to the day when you are able to have all the books before you at the same time and we can have our conversation with all the information available at your disposal... That way I do not have to be so careful about not revealing too much information and potentially spoil some of the wonderful surprises which we have in store for you both...
      By the way, I wanted to take this moment to say hello to EDNORIA!!!! WELCOME!!!! I hope to hear more from you in the upcoming future as we all get to know one another better and explore the many possible avenues of fantasy this game has to offer....
    • I am so happy that you did not give up on the dream we have of providing others with the tools to enjoy the game as so many of us have over the decades!!!
      Believe me when I say..... You are about to be a very very happy player when the next book THE MAGIC AND MARTIAL ARTS GUIDE hits the shelves and even happier still when the WORLD GUIDE is available as it is the final piece which will tie all the other pieces together in a cohesive manner by filling in the blanks concerning the cultures, the cultures, the many different regions and so much more!!!
      I do so hope you will continue to check in on our forum frequently and join in on our conversations.... The more the merrier as we all have a good time discussing a common interest and getting to know each other better!!!
      Once again THANKS A BUNCH!!!! and please stay tuned!!!! :love:
    • Thank you so much for patiently awaiting my response in regards to this question.... After checking the Magic and Martial Arts Guide to make sure we did not include another template for bats, I feel safe in saying that you are correct. You should use the template for the Large Bat taking into account that the specific type you are choosing to use as your character would fall towards the lower extremes with regards to height and weight assignments. The remainder of the animal template should be used as a guide as well, with regards to suggested animal abilities and statistics. Please keep in mind for all the templates they are presented as a quick reference source with regards to the animals they represent, but we encourage more serious minded players to research as much as they can about the animal type they are seeking to play, as it may be possible to convince your Game Master to allow additional animal abilities or other possible changes to the template provided credible information can be presented to warrant such an exception.
      The game of SHARD, while being incredibly entertaining to play, also is happy to inspire people to learn more about the animals we share our planet with. We do this by creating a game with a rule system that actually rewards inventive players whose inquisitive natures prompts them to go beyond the basics, as they learn about the animal types they play, and in doing so, enrich the role playing experience of the other people playing the game.
      I myself have learned a great deal about various types of animals and as a bonus have gained a greater level of respect and love for all the animals nature has given us to cherish. I also feel that by this game using the personification of the animal types which exists upon our own world, it helps raise awareness regarding the fact that most animals share many of the same feelings, emotions and thoughts that we humans share.