Standards (or tropes) of your fantasy campaign(s)

Members of the Torchbearers' Guild are skilled in various (sensible to their local area and regional "dungeons") survival and woodcraft skills.

They are willing to use weapons and armor offered by the party (and have a broad range of weapons, armor, and mount familiarities. Generally they will not have more than enough familiarity to just offset penalties for strange weapons and armor, but each will also usually have a small (+1 skill level) with one particular type of weapon and one particular type of mount and one particular type of defense, be it shield, armor, or a defensive Maneuver of some type. 

Alternatively, some will have +1 with one thing, +2 with another, and only a familiarity with anything else.  Keep in mind that, no matter how cool it seems in the moment, Torchbearers do _not_ typically train in any sort of two-handed weapon. (I don't think I have to explain that to you). They _may_, however, have a two-weapon maneuver or fighting style that uses the torch itself as a weapon. This isn't a trademark of the Guild, but something an individual Torchbearer may have taken upon himself to learn.


I had three package deals for torchbearers (I found I only needed three to make the players feel that each Guild Torchbearer they met was a completely different, brand new character. Ha!  ), but as I said earlier, they didn't make it from floppy to modern media....

Some torchbearers are willing to fight in defense of the party (for an additional fee) ; others are not (some simply aren't able).

All torchbearers have access to common or even slightly-improved armor,either their own possessions or leased from the Guild.  They will similarly have access to one or two weapons, and their standard kit contains two week's worth of dry rations ("iron rations" for the D&D types), two water skins, and two oil skins. They will use these items to supply themselves, for a price (maintenance, consumption, etc), or the party can negotiate for the Torchbearer to use food and other supplies the party themselves will provide.  Most Torchbearers are amenable to such contracts, _so long as the party isn't offering total crap_.  No Guild Torchbearer will agree to anything _less_ than that which he is able to provide for himself, and every Guild Torchbearer has both the right to refuse the gear offered by a party and the right to refuse any job for any reason. Once he accepts a job, he will see it through, so long as the part is faithful to the contract.

Contract terms are negotiated with both the Torchbearer and the Master of the Guildhouse in question (generally the most-senior or most-experienced Torchbearer available).  If the House Master is not available, then one or two other Torchbearers (as are available) will assist with the negotiations.  Negotiations are thorough, and beyond costs include considerations for travel to and from the location at which the Torchbearer's services are required, rations, sleeping arrangements, defense of the Torchbearer, and in some cases, even marching order (though it is an inviolable standard of Guild Torchbearers that they can _not_ be ordered to take point or drag in any marching order, nor will they volunteer for either of these positions.  Party size is an important consideration, as Guild Torchbearers prefer at least four additional party members per Torchbearer.  This is not an absolute, of course, but it goes a long way toward keeping the price reasonable: remember that an oath to protect the Torchbearer as best as is possible will always be part of the contract.

Contract Length is usually (but not always) figured two ways:  First is the length of time for which the contractee wants the services of the Torchbearer.  Often this is a specific number of hours, days, or weeks, but sometimes it's a bit more vague:  Until the next full moon; until we rid the caverns of the Infernals that dwell within, etc.  The longer-- and of course, the more vague-- the more expensive the contractee can expect the price to be.

A second method is "number of torches."  The Torchbearer can be contracted for an amount of time listed as "forty torches" or "ten torches" or "two hundred torches," etc.  Generally, having _both_ of these things on the contract is preferred, and the Torchbearer-- though he may continue on until both expiration qualifications are met-- may consider the contract concluded upon the arrival of either condition.  If the Torchbearer is expected to supply the torches (usually 10 to 15 percent over retail for that area, but these torches are crafted by the Torchbearer himself, which provides benefits unavailable from other torches)  he will do so, and the cost of the torches goes into the contract, as well as the means by which the torches are to be carried prior to use (the Torchbearers' pack is designed so as to hold up to 40 Guild-style torches, which are thinner, shorter, and lighter than most other torches).  If the Torchbearer is to provide more torches than he has on hand, consider that it takes him roughly an hour to craft ten torches, assuming he has access to the Guildhouse, which will have sufficient raw materials for his needs).

All Guild contracts mandate an oath of protection for the Torchbearer (though this isn't particularly ridiculous, as he's typically under-armed and carrying a bright light), and will also stipulate clearly and flatly that _any_ abuse of the Torchbearer ends the contract immediately, though certain terms and charges may still require completion by the contractee  (a share of treasure up to the point at which the contract was declared ended, for example).  Abuse, lack of protection in times of danger, reneging on terms of the contract (such as not providing rations or a sleeping mat when such a thing was promised), or being ordered to violate any terms of the contract are all acceptable reasons to terminate the contract, as is knowingly attacking this or any other Guild Torchbearer.  The GM may throw in any other issues he has found to be problematic amongst his own player with regard to NPC torchbearers.

By contract, Torchbearers are _noncombatants_. They are skilled enough to defend themselves (and will; always), but not true fighters or warriors. Further, the Guild has no interest in generating ill-will should a client's party decide to attack another client's party, or even the party of a potential client or just someone who could prove to be a powerful (and vengeful) enemy to the Guild. Torchbearers _will_ defend themselves, as no one could truly fault them for that, and may even (again, for a fee) take arms _in defense_ of the client and his party (again, not something you can fault them for), but they will _never_ act as an aggressor on a client's behalf, nor will they kill a surrendered opponent or pursue one who leaves the battle.  No Guild Torchbearer will ever attack another Guild Torchbearer, nor will he attack a non-Guild Torchbearer, save in self-defense, and woe to _anyone_ who can be proven to have knowingly attacked a Guild Torchbearer: the _least_ of his worries is that he will never be able to hire another Guild Torchbearer, and that the Guild will make this information as public as possible, which tends to run up the price substantially among non-Guild torchbearers, as they will likely be aware that you have no options.

Other things Guild Torchbearers will _not_ do is investigate locks, open doors, handle found items, particularly if they are clearly magical (and therefore potentially cursed). They will not serve as pack animals, and they will not serve as human shields.




It's possible for a party to find a non-Guild torchbearer, but there are drawbacks: to make the entire Torchbearers' Guild thing work, I had to put some real value in there.  What do you get for the money when you hire a Guild Torchbearer?


The Torchbearers' Guild stresses training and cross-training with as many types of weapons (one-handed), armor, mounts, and maneuvers as possible in order to make it possible to survive on what the party may have on offer, particularly should a torchbearer's personal weapon or armor become damaged or lost during the adventure. The idea is that the Guild Torchbearers should be able to both fend for an defend themselves (and the contractee's party, should they so agree) and to survive to find his way back to the Guildhouse should he be forced to end the contract prematurely, but also this training is to ensure that no Guild Torchbearer will ever be a burden to the contractee and his party.

Beyond that, there is the quality of the torch bearing itself:


there is a kind of Skill cascade I created, which includes elements like "torch tending:" a Guild-trained bearer knows how to nurture a torch in terms of smother and feed so as to allow a torch to burn twice as long as it should burn.

"Stoke the Torch" allowed the Toechbearer to add 3" (6 meters) to the radius of light put out by the torch as well as increasing the brilliance cast by the torch, but has the drawback of reducing the torch's longevity (-1 additional minute per minute or portion thereof in which the torch remains "stoked."  Combining the two abilities means that a Guild-trained torchbearer can get this increased output and still get the normal burn time out of a torch.

There was also the "skill" (ahem) "Shaping the Light" which allowed the torchbearer to twist, turn, swaddle, and even reflect ( a Guild Torchbearers' kit contains a set of three polished metal reflectors with stems that can be laced to the torch  to make shaping the light (and from certain directions, blocking it completely) the torchlight in such a way as to alter the pool of light from a radius to a cone to even a tight cone (something we added as an AOE option) to increase the range or intensity of light in a certain area.

Pool of Illumination: Guild Torchbearers have been trained so well that they automatically adjust the position of themselves and their torches to minimize shadows from themselves, the group, or any other obstruction.  They don't even have to think about it; it has become an automatic process. Unless a request otherwise has been made, the pool of illumination will always be the largest, most unobstructed pool possible under the given conditions.


Finally there is "pass the flame," a cantrip that many members learn, if only because it both saves time and impresses clients. With this cantrip, a Guild-trained Torchbearer simply reaches into a flame and grabs its "heart ember," which he then passes to another source of fire: a campfire, a brazier, a torchiere, or even another torch. That new fire is set, burning and healthy, and will not need tending save to increase the size of the fire (the passed flame will be only the size of the original flame. Thus, a flame taken from a candle and placed in dry hay will still only be a single candle flame unless tended into becoming a much larger fire.

If left at the original size from the heart ember, the fire will burn only for as long as it would have in its original source, then gutter and die, regardless of fuel, oxygen, or other conditions. The donor flame will continue to burn, but only for 1/4 of the time it would have burned had the heart ember not been removed.

Smokeless fire: any fire set by or controlled by a Guild-trained Torchbearer will not produce smoke unless he wishes it to do so, so long as he is carrying or tending this fire. If left to another to tend, the fire or torch will behave normally.

Guild Torchbearers have a much better chance of keeping a torch lit in unfavorable conditions such as rain, high wind, and even lighting damp torches. This can be as simple as a +2 to a Skill Check for fire tending / survival / whatever the GM feels is appropriate, if the GM is using the Torchbearers's abilities as raw skills.  Alternatively, the GM may simply "shift" the penalty scale down a position or two for Torchbearers, should he be one of those really anal guys who has to make a chart for everything.  A third option is to simply half the normal penalty applied to non-Guild members, but this will bring strangled furious cries of "but that doesn't require a points cost!" from the math-obsessed remnants of the HERO fandom. Personally, I made these things Professional Skills and called it good.  This has the advantage of demonstrating that the Guild Torchbearers have such skills, and at professional levels, and relegates the rest of the world to an everyman of 8 or less.

All Guild members carry:

1)  A tinder kit which includes standard (but improved) fire-making devices, various bits of flammable material, and the reflectors mentioned earlier, as well as short bits of cloth strips and light cord for securing things to a Rig (see below) or the reflectors to a torch.

2)  A "uniform," consisting solely of a distinctive glove that includes gimmicked finger tabs that allows them to light any torch within reach as a zero-phase action (assuming good conditions) and as a half-phase under moderately adverse conditions (damp torch, for example), an extremely thick palm that allows them to quash a torch with their hand should they have to extinguish it quickly, and an elongated sleeve (the glove sleeve runs to mid forearm) which bears a golden circlet and badge with the symbol of the Torchbearers' Guild, making them easily recognized (this circlet and badge are always highly-polished to ensure they reflect in even low light; this is to alert potential enemies that this torchbearer is a member of the Guild, and hopefully make them think twice before harming him).  Unbeknownst to anyone outside the Torchbearers' Guild, these gloves are enchanted and grant the wearer a level of Protection from Fire (1/4 Damage Reduction versus fire-based attacks or damage from fire.  Consider Damage Negation if using 6e or incorporating the idea into an older rules set).  Torchbearing does have its own dangers, after all.

3)  A minimum of two skins of "blessed oil," a proprietary blend of torch pitch known only to Guild members that allows trained Torchbearers to receive a +2 to their torch skill rolls when those torches are prepped with this particular pitch. (one skin will prep roughly two dozen torches).  Should a Guild Torchbearer require more Blessed Oil than he has with him, he has the alchemical knowledge to combine most any oil with charred wood, bird scat or guano, and other things to create the unique pitch preferred by the Guild.  The time required varies by availability of materials.

4)  A minimum of two water skins.  While it only makes sense to carry water as part of regular rations, Guild Torchbearers will keep a couple of extra skins of water to treat burns and to ensure complete dousing any accidental fires created while plying their trades.  This does not apply to torches, which they will extinguish by crushing the fire out with their gloved hand.  This is considered to be something of a "trademark maneuver" amongst the Torchbearers' Guild.

5) A small purse of various coins, should any offerings need to be made at shrines or temples encountered.  The Guild does their best to ensure that no harm befalls any Guild member during the course of his business.

6) A small sack of ash and soot.  important to the process of creating Blessed Oil, it also comes in handy for marking walls or other landmarks, and for rubbing across the face and exposed arms to reduce the odds of being seen when an encounter requires the torch to be snuffed.  It is also an important part of various religious ceremonies performed for the glory of whichever God of fire or travelers a Guild house has chosen as their celestial patron.

7)  A Torchbearer's Rig.  This is a harness of sorts that can be worn as or reconfigured to wear over a backpack.  The rig will allow carriage of up to 40 Guild torches of twenty run-of-the-mill Torches (Guild torches are both smaller and lighter than common torches, and are double-ended.  Combined with the fact that they typically burn twice as long as a common torch (as they are always prepped with Blessed Oil), even at their higher price (expect to pay at least 150% of the normal rate for a Guild Torch, and, while 200% is the norm, 300% is not unheard of, depending on the commonality of torches in your local shops), they are quite the bargain, if only for the weight savings alone (about 1/2 that of a common torch).  This rig also has hanging pegs for up to eight skins, making them quickly accessible, should the rig be fitted over a backpack.  The rig also has a hanging rack for a sleeping mat and blanket and storage for up to four days of dry rations.  On short excursions, it's not uncommon to see a Torchbearer forego a backpack entirely, and use only his rig.  Most uniquely, the rig has two sockets-- one in front of one shoulder and one behind the other-- into which lit torches may be placed, allowing the Torchbearer to keep both hands empty until the situation requires fine manipulation of the torch. 

     A Guild Torchbearer's Rig is finely crafted, and no two Guild Rigs will be identical, as crafting your own Rig is an important part of training, and ensures that a Torchbearer is familiar enough with his Rig that he may easily make field repairs and modifications in the field, should they be needed.  As Guild Rigs are built of durable and rugged canvas and use no metal outside of the rivets, they are extremely supple (for comfort and so that they may be easily fitted around a backpack), silent, and almost negligible in weight: empty, these rigs are seldom more than five pounds. 

     By comparison, a non-Guild torchbearer's rig typically will accommodate a dozen or so common torches and perhaps two skins, with no other allowances made, and can weigh as much as fifteen pounds by itself.  They tend to be a bit cumbersome and, given the metal parts and leather straps, can be a bit noisy.  Further, opting to wear one means foregoing any sort of backpack.

All Guild Torchbearers are able to start a campfire from any combustible fuels (even when damp) as a half phase action under ideal conditions, and in a single phase (with a successful skill roll) for extreme conditions.

Other items:



Defense:

Torchbearers of the Guild may have elected to learn "Choking Embers," a spell the Torchbearer can use to defend himself or the party, should he so choose. The Torchbearer may put his face close to any flame (close enough it would burn someone who was not a Guild Torchbearer) and blow fiercely across it. The flame will produce an impossible amount of smoke and ash, filling the air with wood or pitch smoke so thick as to be impenetrable to the eye and so acrid as to be impenetrable to the keenest of hound's noses (Darkness VS Sight; Scent, AOE: Cone)

All Guild Torchbearers have at least two secret self-defense spells; the Guild does not consider their training complete or let them accept jobs until they have proven that they have mastered at least two of these spells. These spells are for use in self-defense only, and never on behalf of the client or the party (to preserve the secret of their existence, and increase their surprise value) , but instead are used to defend _against_ the client and his party should the Torchbearer find himself in danger at their hand, or should they forfeit the contract and yet not let the Torchbearer leave the party and return to his Guildhouse or home:


Burning Brilliance: the Torchbearer raises the torch overhead in both hands in an inverted chopping motion, releasing it into the air above him. Result is a 6D6 Flash w/ increased area of effect (double radius), which does not affect the Torchbearer (personal immunity). This allows the TB time to begin his flight or to set himself up for a more advantageous combat position. As this spell draws on personal END, the Torchbearer is limited on its uses. However, it is also 1/2 normal END cost.

Cone of fire: with one hand, the TB grabs the heart ember from any nearby flame and throws it full-force toward his assailant or assailants while he uses the other hand to crush the source fire out completely. The result is an 8d6 cone of fire (range limited to throwing range).

Wreath of Flames: the TB blows on his torch then swings it in a full circle by holding it extended in front of him horizontally and spinning in a circle. The trailing flame grows longer and longer, trailing behind the torch as the Torchbearer turns his circle, and it joins with itself when the torch is brought back to the starting point. Once the circle of fire is complete, it rapidly grows and pushes outward, away from the caster, burning everything in its path until it dissipates. (5d6, AoE radius, hole in middle)

Soul Fire: the TB swallow the heart ember of his torch, making him able to blow up to six 4d6 balls of fire from his mouth, after which time he must spit the heart flame back onto his torch or suffer a nasty side effect: 6d6 explosion--with no personal immunity. There are stories of torchbearers who chose this willingly as a certain killing blow against powerful but abusive clients.

Hell's Chasm:  The Torchbearer will grab the heart ember from any flame and throw both it and his oil skin of torch pitch.  When the skin strikes anything-- floor, wall, unfortunate character, whatever-- it will rupture violently and an impossibly-large amount of pitch will flow everywhere.  Tendrils of pitch will reach for the heart ember, and upon contact, the pitch will burst into long-lasting, near-inextinguishable flames covering a large area of floor, wall, etc.  These flames will last for fifteen minutes regardless of efforts to put them out (the may, however, be covered under rock, soil, etc, or otherwise rendered harmless, even though they will still burn for fifteen minutes.  Any character attempting to cross this area will discover that the burning pitch will _reach for him_, and attempt to coat him in blazing pitch.

6d6 AOE, endurance battery (for fifteen minutes), Sticky.




There are other ways to deal with PCs making a set of underfed trap-testing remote-control hands out of your torchbearers:

The Guildhouses keep and share records of every client and the members of his party, communicating both magically (for serious or urgent issues) and mundanely (messenger, mail, etc). These records are all based on the reports of the Torchbearers, of course, so be certain to protect your torchbearer, be fair, pay as agreed, and be mindful of your contractual duties and agreement with the Torchbearer and his Guild.

Enough negative reports and it might become difficult to find even a non-guild bearer! Further, actual crimes against the bearer may result in action by authorities.

Returning without your torchbearer is unforgivable, with precious few plague-centric exceptions. Even should he die (another black mark against you and your party: you are duty-bound to put his welfare above your own), you are contractually obligated to return his remains to his guild and his loved ones for proper mourning and death rituals as appropriate to his culture.

There are.... Other options for the Guild as well, at least when it comes to genuinely heinous clients.... Like many trade guilds, the Torchbearers' Guild maintains good relations with the Assassins' Guild, and it's not too terribly difficult to teach an assassin one or two simple tricks regarding the proper way to hold a torch....




That's all I've got time (and energy) for tonight (Chris:  only a couple of additions beyond what you already knew).  As I recall things, good or ill, I will come back and either add another post or edit this one (for clarity's sake, expect me to edit this one), just in case anyone should be interested in in a Torchbearers' Guild of their very own.