Chapter 5 - Rules of Heraldry

Creating a Heraldic Symbol

Parts of this section are from an article by Brian Mclachlan that appeared in Dragon Magazine 275.

Carrying a shield painted with the image of a bloody skull can reveal a great deal about someone and what they stand for. No kingdom, great hero, or even common foot soldier should be without an emblem to fight behind. This section will help players quickly create their own heraldic designs to use in the game.

Don't worry about drawing crests with calligraphy and decorative panels detailing a personal history. Players can leave that sort of detail to verbal description on in the Notes section of the character sheet in KloOge. All that is needed is a basic symbol or two. With the kingdom of Terraguard having thousands of heraldic symbols each one needs to be simple enough to be viewed on a flag or war banner from a distance so that troops can be easily identified. If the symbol created cannot be redrawn by a squire or blacksmith, it's too complicated.

Creating an emblem for a person, town or a country is easy with these lists as inspiration. There are also many more familiar icons that can be used that are not mentioned; such as crowns, tears, and skulls. Remember that heraldry is a visual language, so it is okay to reuse symbols in different contexts.

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