Things got a lot more action-oriented on this side of the session. While Nomad 6, Miami and Oxford discussed what they knew, Leningrad and London snuck off to kidnap the man who videotaped himself getting a head job -- who had a swastika tattoo. They checked his social media and found that he had currently tweeted his location and food, as youths are wont to do. They also found his name was Carl Durnin.
They found Carl inside a local McDonald's with a blonde, blue-eyed woman on his arm. After about an hour they went out to his car and she kissed him on the cheek while he nonchalantly waved at her and drove off in his flash red car with pseudo-dubstep playing from the speakers. When he stopped at the lights, Leningrad went over to his open car window and dragged him out. Carl got loose so Leningrad bull rushed him through the open door of the van, leaping in with him and slamming the door shut. After delivering a quick upper cut that ended with one of his wrist knives under Carl's throat, Carl got the idea and stayed still while Leningrad used London's handcuffs on him.
London then drove off.
The trio in the basement turned from their conversations to see Leningrad and London lead a blindfolded man down the stairs, still in cuffs. They dropped him in a chair and explained that since they were going to torture him, the other three should go. Oxford, Nomad 6 and Miami did so but they watched over the security cameras and used invocations to stay in contact with the duo to provide suggestions.
Of course, Nomad 6's critique that they should: "Start strong and go from there, just like hitting on a woman," caused Leningrad to cancel the invocation and keep it cancelled.
It turned out Carl didn't know much about anything. He claimed he got the swastiki on a dare and that it was some kind of Sri Lankan good luck charm. They didn't much believe that he wasn't involved in Nazi stuff but they did believe that he was a shit kicker who didn't know much. He did tell them that if anyone would know it'd be Jeff Davies. So Leningrad provided a "burner phone" (traceless mobile) for him to use to contact Jeff and set him up at an ambush.
Carl didn't know what to say since his voice was so strained with fear so he pretended he'd been chased by hispanics and blacks into the old school (which was the ambush site) and that he needed help. The group weren't too happy with that, knowing Jeff would now come in force, but Carl did legitimately seem at a loss to cover up his fear in his voice so it seemed likely to be the best he could do rather than a trick.
They told Carl they'd let him go if he replaced himself with Jeff Davies, Oxford stuck a collar on his neck with an electronic beeper that he pretended was an explosive collar, and they stuck him in the van with Dallas to watch over him. They then hightailed it to the school (same school as had the tyrant meeting in the exclusion zone) and set themselves up in a building.
Once they heard the cars approach, Oxford used Activate to slam locker doors in one of the halls to make it sound like there were hooligans inside. Nomad 6 tried to use Lore of Frequency (custom lore) to enhance the sound but he Tormented it and the subsequent sound explosion tore the lockers off the walls. The frat boys who'd gotten out of the car paused and one guy said, "What the...?"
Fearing the frat boys would be scared off, the group attacked them and managed to subdue Jeff Davies while scaring the others off. They took Jeff to the van in a hood and knocked the other guy out. Oxford set off the collar as they drove off so that the beeps increased in frequency and then ... the collar clicked and fell off.
They took a handcuffed Jeff down to the basement to try and interrogate him but he cockily threatened them with his father who ran a PMC (Private Mercenary Corporation). London did the thing you see in the movies and shot him in the leg. One twitch of the finger that surprised even him. What made it worse was the result ... the bullet nicked a major artery and the kid started bleeding out as well as fell unconscious. Leningrad hurriedly dealt with the wound with Nomad 6's help. He then sent the others from the room so it was just him and London.
Finally Jeff woke up again and they managed to wring out more information but the kid was defensive, cocky and angry the whole time. When they started talking about a random summoning, he twigged that they were demons so London went the whole "evil demons" line and even threatened to chew through his spine before anyone could save him. The guy seemed to accept that but protested summonings were the Order of Nine Angles' deal. His group, the Karotechia, attempt to learn about the unseen world but aren't dumb enough to consort with demons like that. He asked about the summoning ritual seen and, when it was described, he stated that it sounded like the pseudo-satanic claptrap the ONA are into. He bragged that the Karotechia were far more powerful and would usher in the Fourth Reich where even those demons on this Earth would have to fall into line ... while the rest would be sent to hell.
London wasn't so sure that the Karotechia weren't involved in the summoning and kept trying to find out about the Thirteen summoners. He pointed out that they found DNA samples in the safe one of which corresponded to the demon that got summoned. Jeff stated that the samples were taken by whores of those of unusual genetic calibre - the mentally or physically superior - to preserve their DNA for the improvement of the race. The order was handed down to his father from someone in New York. He didn't know who.
Jeff maintained that his group didn't use the DNA for such a summoning but perhaps someone else did. Perhaps someone else was also a member in ONA. If they released him, Jeff vowed to find the one that did it and, if it turned out to be right, deliver information on the ONA to the demons. London and Leningrad scoffed at that and demanded the name. Jeff refused, reasoning that they would simply go through his frat boys one by one in their torture dungeon as they lacked the resources and the insider knowledge to do any detective work.
The fallen finally conceded, sedated him with chloroform and released Jeff someone in the city with a mobile phone number on him and a heal spell from Tokyo so he was uninjured. And we left it there.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Dystopic: Booknapping!
Leningrad, Oxford and Nomad 6 finally rejoined Miami and London while Tokyo went upstairs to spend the session checking the computerised security (as her player wasn't available that game). There was a bit of a debrief before the five headed out to the Tiki Hut Clubhouse for the Delta Phi fraternity on one of Miami's topless beaches.
A quick search on social media found some pictures inside the clubhouse, including one video clip of a man receiving a headjob who had a swastika on his inner thigh, whose facebook account named him as Aaron Kent. By looking at all the social media pictures they got a decent idea of the layout of the hut including where a door locked by keypad was stationed and that two augmented attractive woman security guards act as protection for the party while attempting to blend in.
So they drove to the location in their pest control van and Nomad 6 used Paths to step them right to the front door whereupon Miami hastily bypassed the electronic security using larceny. They opened the door and Nomad 6 used Paths to get through the Tiki Hut and under the keypad locked doorway into the study. How did he use Paths to accomplish these things? Basically he warped reality so that they could reach the doors without being spotted in the middle and could pass beneath the door gap because the dimensions were enlarged while their dimensions were reduced. Kooky, huh?
They found the room to be a study containing books on eugenics, medicine and law. Miami found his own books in a safe which he quickly disarmed by using fingerprint powder on the keypad. He also find a series of vials which Oxford soon determined (with the aid of Miami's electronic forensics kit) had one vial full of an enzyme that unzipped DNA. He checked the DNA against everyone in the group's (other than Leningrad's) and found that one vial matched his own DNA.
Miami's stolen books included a bunch I swiped from Grant's Military Bookshop play-by-post and adapted for use in this game's plot:
A London monthly dining society of wealthy bibliophiles, membership somewhere between 21 and 100, founded in 1878 by rare book dealer Bernard Quaritch. They are closely associated with the Athaneum Club. There is usually an after-dinner address by a guest speaker (past speakers have included Oscar Wilde, Samuel Clemens, W.B. Yeats, and other notable authors) on some erudite subject. The address is commonly privately printed for members afterwards, and these volumes occasionally enter the market, fetching good prices. This is one such volume. Past prominent members and office-holders in the Sette have included Sir Edward Sullivan, John Lane, John Todhunter, George Charles Haité, Sir Alfred Edward East, J.W. Brodie-Innes, Edward Heron-Allen, R. T. Gould, A. J. A. Symons, Alec Waugh, Vyvyan Holland, and Burton.
Volume 4 of the subscriber-only 1885 first printing of Richard Burton's The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, and looks to be in excellent condition. Furthermore, it is signed. The frontispiece says "To J.C. - from one Odd Volume to Another - Richard Burton".
Ludwig von Domenstein, 1843
Whilst many of his peers and contemporaries dismissed the writings of Méric Casaubon (1599–1671) in "Credulity and Incredulity" as fanciful nonsense, informed more by wine and madness than by science, the Frenchman, whilst somewhat lacking in scientific method, seemed to describe with accuracy and good intent a valid phenomenon. Having spent many years investigating the legends surrounding the Oracle of Sidon, even visiting that region of the coast where the temple had previously teetered on the edge of a cliff only to fall to its ruin 600 years ago, the author, Ludwig von Domenstein, divorced due to his studies divulges in this work his findings.
The book is a curious miscellany; a large number of unevenly cut leaves, crudely bound with string and pressed between two hand-carved wooden covers. The front depicts an angel weeping; a small figure below catches the tears in a jug. The back shows some kind of flowering, spiky plant; perhaps a scotch thistle? It is written in Latin and contains leaves from a herbal book and some alchemical works as well as some theology tied in there (written in a late medieval hand) but has been bound in with a series of other peoples’ notes. It seems to be almost like a grandma’s cookbook with each generation adding their own recipes. The man who penned it was a Friar John Cor, ex-monk, Dissolution Period, who wanted to prove Trans- rather than Co-substantiation and attempted to distill Communion wine into the Blood of Christ, claiming to be acting on the orders of a ‘Hidden Pope’. The book has been handed down through generations and culminates in classic Victorian spiritualism where one traps spirits in bottles and asks questions by means of a pendulum.
1911 English translation from the eighteenth-century German edition of a previously unpublished manuscript from the 1580s. The author was a Burgundian mercenary who was hired by some vizier or other to train Janissaries to use heavy guns. This fellow, de Chaut, was also a student of religion. He spent his time investigating little known sects and denominations in the Ottoman Empire - Dervishes, Zorastrians, Miaphysitians, Rodnovers... those sorts of individuals. This tome collated what he had found.
They returned home and discussed what they found. Miami wouldn't let anyone read "The Wooden Book" as he feels the depiction on the cover refers to himself. Oxford read all of the others and used his Trained Memory to memorise as much as he could. It took five days (storm rapidly approaching now) for him to go over it all but he managed to glean a few details that were shared between them.
Several of the books refer to the Ottoman Empire or Germany and also touch upon Paris. Two of them mention myths and rumors about relics of a person broken into pieces. The person is meant to be some sort of saint who is meant to be larger than human and better than human though appearing human (some sort of ubermensch, perhaps?) and possession of all of the relics is meant to confer that blessing to those surrounding it. The name Sedefkar scrolls comes up twice in one book and twice in another. Other than that, Oxford can't really add much to it all because he's no occultist.
Since it took him awhile to cross reference it (and since he lacked access to The Wooden Book), that's all the information they have gleaned from them thus far. A better academic or, better yet, a skilled occultist researching it could find out more.
A quick search on social media found some pictures inside the clubhouse, including one video clip of a man receiving a headjob who had a swastika on his inner thigh, whose facebook account named him as Aaron Kent. By looking at all the social media pictures they got a decent idea of the layout of the hut including where a door locked by keypad was stationed and that two augmented attractive woman security guards act as protection for the party while attempting to blend in.
So they drove to the location in their pest control van and Nomad 6 used Paths to step them right to the front door whereupon Miami hastily bypassed the electronic security using larceny. They opened the door and Nomad 6 used Paths to get through the Tiki Hut and under the keypad locked doorway into the study. How did he use Paths to accomplish these things? Basically he warped reality so that they could reach the doors without being spotted in the middle and could pass beneath the door gap because the dimensions were enlarged while their dimensions were reduced. Kooky, huh?
They found the room to be a study containing books on eugenics, medicine and law. Miami found his own books in a safe which he quickly disarmed by using fingerprint powder on the keypad. He also find a series of vials which Oxford soon determined (with the aid of Miami's electronic forensics kit) had one vial full of an enzyme that unzipped DNA. He checked the DNA against everyone in the group's (other than Leningrad's) and found that one vial matched his own DNA.
Miami's stolen books included a bunch I swiped from Grant's Military Bookshop play-by-post and adapted for use in this game's plot:
"The Sette of Odd Volumes"
“The Book Of The Thousand Nights”
“An Investigation into the Oracle of Sidon”
“The Wooden Book”
MY PLAYER WARNING: Only Miami may read this.
“An Account of the Ottoman Kingdom, and select locations in the Holy Land”
They returned home and discussed what they found. Miami wouldn't let anyone read "The Wooden Book" as he feels the depiction on the cover refers to himself. Oxford read all of the others and used his Trained Memory to memorise as much as he could. It took five days (storm rapidly approaching now) for him to go over it all but he managed to glean a few details that were shared between them.
Several of the books refer to the Ottoman Empire or Germany and also touch upon Paris. Two of them mention myths and rumors about relics of a person broken into pieces. The person is meant to be some sort of saint who is meant to be larger than human and better than human though appearing human (some sort of ubermensch, perhaps?) and possession of all of the relics is meant to confer that blessing to those surrounding it. The name Sedefkar scrolls comes up twice in one book and twice in another. Other than that, Oxford can't really add much to it all because he's no occultist.
Since it took him awhile to cross reference it (and since he lacked access to The Wooden Book), that's all the information they have gleaned from them thus far. A better academic or, better yet, a skilled occultist researching it could find out more.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Fianyarr Class: Exorcist
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| To Kill or Not To Kill ... That is the only question. (The Witcher) |
Purpose: There are many strange and terrible things that plague their world: demons, ghosts, spirits and other monsters. Exorcists are among those people who have dedicated their lives to preventing the terrors lurking outside the village walls from claiming the lives of all of those inside. They care little for political ramifications or national borders in their drive to remove the horrors form the world and keep people safe.
Many Exorcists have deeply personal reasons for following their highly dangerous and risky careers, especially as there are better ways to earn money or attract attention. Exorcists tend to take jobs that are likely to kill them for very little in the way of reward simply for the chance to save lives. This tends to make them legendary personages but the trail of angry monsters who somehow survived to seek revenge often makes people want to avoid having an exorcist stay long for fear that the vengeance will land on them.
Blessings of the Ivory Cause
Corpsegrinder: Exorcists have so much experience cutting down monsters that they know how to use a characters' injuries against them. An exorcist gains a +1 to any attack rolls when the enemy is at half health. Their skill at quickly despatching undead creatures also grants them a +1 against the undead as well. These benefits don't stack. Changeling Corpsegrinder Kith: Winter Masques page 90.
Icy Demeanour: The exorcist needs to keep their secrets close to their chest to keep their quarry from fleeing as well as needing to frighten people into avoiding fights where necessary. The exorcist gains a 9 again on Subterfuge rolls to hide their feelings or feign ignorance and can spend Glamour in order to reroll any failed Intimidation rolls. Changeling Snowskin Kith: core rulebook page 110.
Strong willed:: Once per scene the exorcist can spend a point of Glamour to re-roll a single Stamina, Resolve or Composure roll. This doesn't work for derangements. Changeling Treasured Kith: Winter Masques page 85.
Class Restricted Mechanics
Restricted Class Merits: Dream Visions (***), Emotional Detachment (*), Eye for the Strange (**), Higher Calling (*), Indomitable (* to *****), Lucid Dreamer (*), Master Exorcist (**), Mythologist (***), Psychic Resistance (* to ***), Rigid Mask (**), Saintly (***), Spirit Ear (****), Supernatural Lore (* to *****), The Weapon at Hand (**), Unseen Sense - Any One (***).
Psychic Powers: Death Sight (****), Ghost Calling (***), Psychometry (***) or (****), Pyrokinetic Immunity - Ignore prerequisite (** or ****).
Rituals: Countermagic (**) or (****), See Spirits (**), Visionary Trance (** or ****), Warding (***).
Fighting Style: Armored Fighting (** to ****), Chain Weapons (* to ****), Dream Combat (* to *****), Kung Fu (* to *****), Langschwert (* to *****).
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Fianyarr: The Changed
The world of Fianyarr is a place of transformation where adventurers and important people step up to complete incredible tasks that will leave them forever changed. Sometimes, too, changes are wrought on a more physical level whether by alchemical experimentation, strange plants or terrible curses that turns people, often irrevocably, into something else. These are the Changed.
The wet ghoul results when alchmemical experiments upon Nixie corpses try and fail to resurrect them, leaving bizarre deformities and an overwhelming desire to cannibalise the dead in place of the usual personality. Such beasts also aim to convert the living by dragging them down into the watery depths and breathing polluted air into their lungs while the victim struggles not to drown. Wet ghouls create small communities that behave similarly to stereotypical rats, investigating threats, fighting for food, and otherwise appearing to be beasts. These are not, contrary to popular opinion, undead for they are actually something quite different. A sentient gas created by the alchemists flows through their veins and can sicken those who cut them at a melee range.
Attributes: Intelligence Negligible, Wits 3, Resolve 2, Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Presence 2, Manipulation 1, Composure 2
Skills: Athletics 1 (Swim), Brawl 2, Survival 3
Willpower: 4
Initiative: 5
Defense: 3
Speed: 11
Size: 5
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Dice Pool
Bite 1 (L) 5
Health: 8
Alchemical Gas: When dealt lethal damage the wet ghoul releases an alchemical gas that causes a -2 penalty to everyone within a 5 yard radius that fails a Stamina + Composure roll.
There are certain bushes deep within the jungles of Fianyarr that create seed pods which drift upon the wind by way of sparkling filaments. These seed pods stir to life when drifting past sentient beings, drawn by the essence of Wyrd, and then drag themselves on the breezes with their whirling filaments toward such individuals, grappling with them to try to implant themselves into their victim's spinal column. Those wearing thick clothing and neck protection are thus immune to implantation.
Once implanted, the person becomes mindlessly violent, territorial and ageless as it carefully tends to the various new seeds produced by the pods. After decades such individuals can gain some level of mindfulness and may even begin to use basic humanoid communications. After a century of existence, the seeded regain the host's skills and slowly form new communities among themselves. They are indistinguishable from mortals of their host race, except for green skin and luminscent mould-like patterns across patches of their skin. At this point they are no more dangerous than any other creature, until after a millenia of growth, the new sets of plants are ready to burst forth seed pods that stretch out across the lands and convert still more humanoids into mindlessness.
The Seeds
Health 4, Size 1
Implant: 4 dice opposed by victim's Strength + Stamina to pull away.
The Seeded
Same statistics as the host character though Intelligence is negligible for the first century. After this point the Seeded gains the Intelligence and mental / social skills of the host and may gain further Intelligence by spending experience points. They regenerate health levels at a rate of 1 bashing damage every minute, 1 lethal damage every hour and 1 aggravated damage every week.
Some people are unlucky enough to enter the wrong area, insult the wrong demonic, or pick up a cursed item that will leave them turned into an animal and left to roam the wilderness. Such victims often lose their memories over time though some aren't so lucky and remain intelligent and sentient creatures even as they learn to adapt to their new existence. Some such creatures are then forced to serve the one that curse them through the use of specially prepared bronze collars that compel obedience toward the maker. Their physical attributes are turned into that of an animal while the rest of their characteristics remain unchanged. If a resistance roll is required to apply such a curse involves a Wyrd versus Wyrd roll.
There are those among this world who have such powerful souls, or whose deaths are so terrible, that with their last dying wish they can lay a terrible curse upon their killer(s). This curse twists the target into a hideous beast that desires only to destroy every last one of its loved ones, tribe or countrymen (the curse varies). For so long as this task lasts, the beast is immortal though not quite invincible. Once this task is complete, if ever it is complete, the beast returns to its mortal form with all of its memories intact. It has the cunning of a human though without any technical skill and thus must resort to monstrous tactics to overpower its enemy. The curse involves an opposed Wyrd + Sin Level (which is Morality - level of the sin involved so a truly heinous act adds 9 dice while petty theft adds 3) versus Morality roll.
Strength: 8, Dexterity: 5, Stamina: 8, Intelligence: 2, Wits: 3, Resolve: 5, Presence: 4, Manipulation Negligible, Composure: 1.
Skills: Athletics: 4, Brawl: 5, Intimidation 3, Stealth: 4, Survival: 3.
Willpower: 6
Initiative: 6
Defense: 3
Speed: 21
Size: 8
Health: 16
Armor (thick hide): 3
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Dice Pool
Bite 2 (L) 15
Gore 1 (B) 14 plus Knockdown (requires the Accursed to charge, then opposed Strength + Brawl roll, loser falls prone)
Trample 2 (B) 15, only affects prone targets.
Once the creature begins a charge it takes two rounds to stop. Therefore if a target is over 42 yards away and uses their turn to step aside or if their target comes early on the Initiative tree but suspends their action until the creature's turn in order to leap aside, then they have a chance to get out of the way and possibly cause the creature to slam into a wall and thus roll damage against itself (ignoring its own armor). In order to be successful in this, the target must roll Dexterity + Athletics to spring out of the way.
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| Curses can make folk so pretty ... like this Wet Ghoul. (The Witcher) |
Wet Ghoul
The wet ghoul results when alchmemical experiments upon Nixie corpses try and fail to resurrect them, leaving bizarre deformities and an overwhelming desire to cannibalise the dead in place of the usual personality. Such beasts also aim to convert the living by dragging them down into the watery depths and breathing polluted air into their lungs while the victim struggles not to drown. Wet ghouls create small communities that behave similarly to stereotypical rats, investigating threats, fighting for food, and otherwise appearing to be beasts. These are not, contrary to popular opinion, undead for they are actually something quite different. A sentient gas created by the alchemists flows through their veins and can sicken those who cut them at a melee range.
Attributes: Intelligence Negligible, Wits 3, Resolve 2, Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Presence 2, Manipulation 1, Composure 2
Skills: Athletics 1 (Swim), Brawl 2, Survival 3
Willpower: 4
Initiative: 5
Defense: 3
Speed: 11
Size: 5
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Dice Pool
Bite 1 (L) 5
Health: 8
Alchemical Gas: When dealt lethal damage the wet ghoul releases an alchemical gas that causes a -2 penalty to everyone within a 5 yard radius that fails a Stamina + Composure roll.
The Seeded
There are certain bushes deep within the jungles of Fianyarr that create seed pods which drift upon the wind by way of sparkling filaments. These seed pods stir to life when drifting past sentient beings, drawn by the essence of Wyrd, and then drag themselves on the breezes with their whirling filaments toward such individuals, grappling with them to try to implant themselves into their victim's spinal column. Those wearing thick clothing and neck protection are thus immune to implantation.
Once implanted, the person becomes mindlessly violent, territorial and ageless as it carefully tends to the various new seeds produced by the pods. After decades such individuals can gain some level of mindfulness and may even begin to use basic humanoid communications. After a century of existence, the seeded regain the host's skills and slowly form new communities among themselves. They are indistinguishable from mortals of their host race, except for green skin and luminscent mould-like patterns across patches of their skin. At this point they are no more dangerous than any other creature, until after a millenia of growth, the new sets of plants are ready to burst forth seed pods that stretch out across the lands and convert still more humanoids into mindlessness.
The Seeds
Health 4, Size 1
Implant: 4 dice opposed by victim's Strength + Stamina to pull away.
The Seeded
Same statistics as the host character though Intelligence is negligible for the first century. After this point the Seeded gains the Intelligence and mental / social skills of the host and may gain further Intelligence by spending experience points. They regenerate health levels at a rate of 1 bashing damage every minute, 1 lethal damage every hour and 1 aggravated damage every week.
Animal Transformation
Some people are unlucky enough to enter the wrong area, insult the wrong demonic, or pick up a cursed item that will leave them turned into an animal and left to roam the wilderness. Such victims often lose their memories over time though some aren't so lucky and remain intelligent and sentient creatures even as they learn to adapt to their new existence. Some such creatures are then forced to serve the one that curse them through the use of specially prepared bronze collars that compel obedience toward the maker. Their physical attributes are turned into that of an animal while the rest of their characteristics remain unchanged. If a resistance roll is required to apply such a curse involves a Wyrd versus Wyrd roll.
The Bestial Accursed
There are those among this world who have such powerful souls, or whose deaths are so terrible, that with their last dying wish they can lay a terrible curse upon their killer(s). This curse twists the target into a hideous beast that desires only to destroy every last one of its loved ones, tribe or countrymen (the curse varies). For so long as this task lasts, the beast is immortal though not quite invincible. Once this task is complete, if ever it is complete, the beast returns to its mortal form with all of its memories intact. It has the cunning of a human though without any technical skill and thus must resort to monstrous tactics to overpower its enemy. The curse involves an opposed Wyrd + Sin Level (which is Morality - level of the sin involved so a truly heinous act adds 9 dice while petty theft adds 3) versus Morality roll.
Strength: 8, Dexterity: 5, Stamina: 8, Intelligence: 2, Wits: 3, Resolve: 5, Presence: 4, Manipulation Negligible, Composure: 1.
Skills: Athletics: 4, Brawl: 5, Intimidation 3, Stealth: 4, Survival: 3.
Willpower: 6
Initiative: 6
Defense: 3
Speed: 21
Size: 8
Health: 16
Armor (thick hide): 3
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Dice Pool
Bite 2 (L) 15
Gore 1 (B) 14 plus Knockdown (requires the Accursed to charge, then opposed Strength + Brawl roll, loser falls prone)
Trample 2 (B) 15, only affects prone targets.
Once the creature begins a charge it takes two rounds to stop. Therefore if a target is over 42 yards away and uses their turn to step aside or if their target comes early on the Initiative tree but suspends their action until the creature's turn in order to leap aside, then they have a chance to get out of the way and possibly cause the creature to slam into a wall and thus roll damage against itself (ignoring its own armor). In order to be successful in this, the target must roll Dexterity + Athletics to spring out of the way.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Fianyarr Race: Djinn
Campaign World: Fianyarr.
Nicknames: Flamesirens, Genies, Pyromaniacs.
Origins: The First People to this world visited many strange and exotic places but none visited the most dangerous locations as the Djinn who delved into the molten magma and dangerous depths of the burning world. They felt the bridge being sundered and, realising the peril of their encroaching mortality, rushed for the surface. They were lucky to make it out for the fire scorched their newly mortal forms as it did any other. They fled the fires and the volcanoes and made their homes on the planes and foothills of such places. Over time they moved onward and can often be found in almost any location in the world ... even the icy tundra ... though they tend to prefer warmed climates.
Appearance: The light of the flame that nearly claimed them still lights their skin in patterns as well as colours their bodies in reds, purples, oranges and bright pinks. While the striking patterns appear luminescent they do not glow with their own internal light and thus a djinn can hide in the darkness like any other. Djinn often have irises in flame-like colours and the 'whites' of their eyes are nearly always 'black'. Sometimes they have horns though not always.
Demeanor: Ever since their forefathers and foremothers barely escaped the flame, they have been drenched in an adrenaline-fueled blast of hormones that leads them to wild displays of sincerely felt and often changing emotions. They have found a way to cope with the inevitable issues such outbursts create by being incredibly forgiving - so long as they are convinced of the sincerity of the other person's intent. This forgiveness can seem borderline saintly at times but it is only because the djinn embrace the future and live in the present. Though they don't forget the past, with all its griefs and horrors, they don't let it claim them.
Rumors: Other races often find the djinn to be primitive and wild beings that can't be accepted in polite society and this often suits the djinn just fine who live better on the outskirts of such mixed communities anyway. The people who surround such communities often take advantage of the djinn's better nature and then use their nature as an excuse for why they deserve mistreatment. If the djinn were truly mistreated, they wouldn't forgive and wouldn't smile so readily, would they? The violence that such mistreatment creates is also then used to justify holding them at arm's length.
In other lands, the djinn are fully integrated and the various members of the community find much to like in their honest and earnest expressions of emotion. When you are with a djinn, it's hard not to feel their sadness and happiness as though it were your own and many groups court them as lovers, entertainers, and even simply as visitors to their festivals and celebrations.
Attribute Bonus: +1 to either Presence or Wits.
Weakness: Djinn are emotional and passionate creatures prone to wild outbursts and fiery connections. Due to this, they suffer a -2 penalty in any situation that requires tact and gentle politeness for extended periods of time. They may spend a Willpower point to negate this penalty if the situation (i.e. a funeral or a visit to the Queen) is significant enough.
Prismatic Heart
A djinn's heart is full of everchanging passions and they can use this to their own benefit by spending a point of glamour to gain a +2 bonus to resist emotional manipulation (including mystical manipulation) for a scene. All empathy checks against the djinn also suffers a -1 penalty during this time (Changeling Polychromatic Kith: Winter Masques page 84).
Flamesiren
The djinn can spend a glamour to glow with an otherworldly light across her patterns that causes everyone looking to have to roll Resolve + Composure or else suffer a -2 penalty to all actions during that scene or until the djinn ends the effect (or is out of sight) (Changeling Flamesiren Kith: Winter Masques page 83).
Tyranny of Ideas
There is just something so inspiring about being around a djinn that makes other people better at their own social skills. A djinn can spend a glamour to give a mortal a +2 bonus to a single Expression, Persuasion, Socialize or Subterfuge roll (Changeling Muse Kith: Changeling the Lost page 114).
Bright One
A djinn can use their innate ability to light up an area approximately the size of a smallish room with a soft and gentle light equivalent to candle light for a scene. If the djinn spends a glamour, this light can become blinding and anyone who is trying to target the djinn must take a -2 penalty to hit her as though she were partially concealed (Changeling Bright Ones Kith: Changeling the Lost page 113).
Racially Restricted Merit
(* to ***) Mercantile Skills: Due to the amount of time that many djinn spend travelling or simply bartering for goods, it really isn't hard for them to get credentials as a genuine merchant at the various blackmarket or otherworldly markets around Fianyarr. The djinn's ranking in this merit is added as a bonus to any rolls specifically related to your area of trade in and around marketplaces.
 |
| See the pretty Djinn patterns? (Dragon Age) |
Nicknames: Flamesirens, Genies, Pyromaniacs.
Origins: The First People to this world visited many strange and exotic places but none visited the most dangerous locations as the Djinn who delved into the molten magma and dangerous depths of the burning world. They felt the bridge being sundered and, realising the peril of their encroaching mortality, rushed for the surface. They were lucky to make it out for the fire scorched their newly mortal forms as it did any other. They fled the fires and the volcanoes and made their homes on the planes and foothills of such places. Over time they moved onward and can often be found in almost any location in the world ... even the icy tundra ... though they tend to prefer warmed climates.
Appearance: The light of the flame that nearly claimed them still lights their skin in patterns as well as colours their bodies in reds, purples, oranges and bright pinks. While the striking patterns appear luminescent they do not glow with their own internal light and thus a djinn can hide in the darkness like any other. Djinn often have irises in flame-like colours and the 'whites' of their eyes are nearly always 'black'. Sometimes they have horns though not always.
Demeanor: Ever since their forefathers and foremothers barely escaped the flame, they have been drenched in an adrenaline-fueled blast of hormones that leads them to wild displays of sincerely felt and often changing emotions. They have found a way to cope with the inevitable issues such outbursts create by being incredibly forgiving - so long as they are convinced of the sincerity of the other person's intent. This forgiveness can seem borderline saintly at times but it is only because the djinn embrace the future and live in the present. Though they don't forget the past, with all its griefs and horrors, they don't let it claim them.
Rumors: Other races often find the djinn to be primitive and wild beings that can't be accepted in polite society and this often suits the djinn just fine who live better on the outskirts of such mixed communities anyway. The people who surround such communities often take advantage of the djinn's better nature and then use their nature as an excuse for why they deserve mistreatment. If the djinn were truly mistreated, they wouldn't forgive and wouldn't smile so readily, would they? The violence that such mistreatment creates is also then used to justify holding them at arm's length.
In other lands, the djinn are fully integrated and the various members of the community find much to like in their honest and earnest expressions of emotion. When you are with a djinn, it's hard not to feel their sadness and happiness as though it were your own and many groups court them as lovers, entertainers, and even simply as visitors to their festivals and celebrations.
Racial Abilities
Attribute Bonus: +1 to either Presence or Wits.
Weakness: Djinn are emotional and passionate creatures prone to wild outbursts and fiery connections. Due to this, they suffer a -2 penalty in any situation that requires tact and gentle politeness for extended periods of time. They may spend a Willpower point to negate this penalty if the situation (i.e. a funeral or a visit to the Queen) is significant enough.
Prismatic Heart
A djinn's heart is full of everchanging passions and they can use this to their own benefit by spending a point of glamour to gain a +2 bonus to resist emotional manipulation (including mystical manipulation) for a scene. All empathy checks against the djinn also suffers a -1 penalty during this time (Changeling Polychromatic Kith: Winter Masques page 84).
Flamesiren
The djinn can spend a glamour to glow with an otherworldly light across her patterns that causes everyone looking to have to roll Resolve + Composure or else suffer a -2 penalty to all actions during that scene or until the djinn ends the effect (or is out of sight) (Changeling Flamesiren Kith: Winter Masques page 83).
Tyranny of Ideas
There is just something so inspiring about being around a djinn that makes other people better at their own social skills. A djinn can spend a glamour to give a mortal a +2 bonus to a single Expression, Persuasion, Socialize or Subterfuge roll (Changeling Muse Kith: Changeling the Lost page 114).
Bright One
A djinn can use their innate ability to light up an area approximately the size of a smallish room with a soft and gentle light equivalent to candle light for a scene. If the djinn spends a glamour, this light can become blinding and anyone who is trying to target the djinn must take a -2 penalty to hit her as though she were partially concealed (Changeling Bright Ones Kith: Changeling the Lost page 113).
Racially Restricted Merit
(* to ***) Mercantile Skills: Due to the amount of time that many djinn spend travelling or simply bartering for goods, it really isn't hard for them to get credentials as a genuine merchant at the various blackmarket or otherworldly markets around Fianyarr. The djinn's ranking in this merit is added as a bonus to any rolls specifically related to your area of trade in and around marketplaces.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Flashpoint: Escher Dimension
*Spoilers for the Council of Thieves second book below.
So the rogue has run off and disappeared down a back room. Archer suddenly becomes livelier as his player sits down at the table. They despatch three Howlers but not before three of them are cursed and Proteus rolls a 1 to avoid the pain quill – which his player declares represents his character attempting to block the quill with his hand. No further penalties apply but it looks cool if ineffective.
Afterwards, Archer picks up the poor unconscious actress and the intrepid group head out – but not before Lhye is sent up to fetch the expensive torture books from the shelves which Lunjun puts into his magic bag. Proteus selects one of his own (a newer one) which he promptly sticks his nose into and reads during every spare chance he can get as he’s willingly let the relic in his hand flick his alignment switch to a logical form of Lawful Evil. No fear, enjoys pain, nothing can stand in his way really.
They arrive at a square tower which is quite Escher-like in how the stairs go up to go down which causes a Dexterity-based penalty to anyone attempting to walk across it. Lunjun (think it was Lunjun) tosses a copper coin at the stairs which then rolls down to go up, rolls up to go up, rolls up to go down, rolls along the outside to be on the inside, and then finally falls into the hole where it just keeps falling ... then reappears above them to keep falling ... and on and on and on while gathering speed.
Archer’s eye is drawn to the wall on the other side of the tower (there’s a gap in between) and Lunjun have to roll Acrobatics to cross the stairs toward it. Lhye simply floats along beside them using his levitation ability. Despite being able to float across the gap, his low Wisdom means that he attempts to mimic walking across the stairs though he doesn’t need to. Proteus has his head stuck in the book and is so absorbed in reading it that he just intuitively walks across the stairs. After all, it’s the visual confusion from the spatial distortion that causes the Dexterity penalty so by ignoring the sight of it you can cross it just fine.
As Archer reaches the space on the wall he sees the gaps more clearly as they darken before a Greater Shadow reaches out and grabs him by the throat – costing him 5 Strength damage. Unlucky fellow. A bit of magic and a few hits with magical weapons (that deal half damage) soon sort it out. Lunjun’s clever use of a force chain to blind it is also helpful as it means it doesn’t get a second hit on anyone. Proteus heals him with the wand of restoration (he refuses consider using it on Lhye as his problem was self-inflicted though as no one else has asked in character it hasn’t come up).
Proteus finds the hidden catch to open the doors and they find a room with two black mirror-portals to the shadow realm. Archer shoots them both before Lhye can attack them with his witch-empowered hair. Silly low Wisdom man, what happened last time you touched a portal with your hair? That’s right. Teleportation.
There followed a discussion where the characters quite sensibly debated the reason for remaining here. They stumble across the fact that Lhye hadn’t bothered to try the door portal to get out and were all quite cross with him. They almost decide to leave but the pull of information incites them to go onward – especially after a rousing speech by Lhye with a lacklustre ending about how the clues to Delvehaven must be locked somewhere inside.
They cross a corridor (Proteus’ head in a book once more) and then end up in a corkscrewing tower with stairs that run up along the outside of it to go down thirty feet and where the tower appears to have neither top nor bottom. Lhye drops a coin (luckily it was copper rather than platinum, he had to roll a 1d4 to see what type) and it falls down again and again and again. He then uses feather fall and steps off, falling again and again and again. Proteus reaches out and hits him across the back of the head with the butt of his trident to knock some sense into him, though he doesn’t do it in a way that would harm.
They cross the tower and end up inside a couple of corridors lined with cells. Lunjun and Proteus quickly figured out how the people inside died when Lunjun detected that the cells were ensorcelled with a Ring of Sustenance-like effect. They died of old age.
They spotted a devil inside one cell, still living, and holding a red-tinged glaive (reminding Proteus of the Whisperer of Souls). Lhye charmed the devil through the window before Proteus smashed the glass. The devil came charging to the door but its rage was mitigated by the sight of someone it was Indifferent to – which made it feel hopeful – which swapped its Indifference to Friendly. Lhye pretended to be a servant of Asmodeus when the devil asked and stated he was here to free him but wanted the glaive.
The devil was loathe to part with it as he didn’t want to be alone but when they opened the door he handed it over. Proteus, realising that Lhye’s chaotic gentle requests wouldn’t work here, laid a Geas on him to order the devil around until such time as their needs were met. Basically until they got the information and the glaive from the devil. Naturally Proteus takes the Glaive, provoking the below quip.
"How many things can you have polluting your soul?" asked Lhye's player.
Proteus' chirpy player: "It's like Pokemon. Gotta catch them all!"
We called the end of the session there.
So the rogue has run off and disappeared down a back room. Archer suddenly becomes livelier as his player sits down at the table. They despatch three Howlers but not before three of them are cursed and Proteus rolls a 1 to avoid the pain quill – which his player declares represents his character attempting to block the quill with his hand. No further penalties apply but it looks cool if ineffective.
Afterwards, Archer picks up the poor unconscious actress and the intrepid group head out – but not before Lhye is sent up to fetch the expensive torture books from the shelves which Lunjun puts into his magic bag. Proteus selects one of his own (a newer one) which he promptly sticks his nose into and reads during every spare chance he can get as he’s willingly let the relic in his hand flick his alignment switch to a logical form of Lawful Evil. No fear, enjoys pain, nothing can stand in his way really.
They arrive at a square tower which is quite Escher-like in how the stairs go up to go down which causes a Dexterity-based penalty to anyone attempting to walk across it. Lunjun (think it was Lunjun) tosses a copper coin at the stairs which then rolls down to go up, rolls up to go up, rolls up to go down, rolls along the outside to be on the inside, and then finally falls into the hole where it just keeps falling ... then reappears above them to keep falling ... and on and on and on while gathering speed.
Archer’s eye is drawn to the wall on the other side of the tower (there’s a gap in between) and Lunjun have to roll Acrobatics to cross the stairs toward it. Lhye simply floats along beside them using his levitation ability. Despite being able to float across the gap, his low Wisdom means that he attempts to mimic walking across the stairs though he doesn’t need to. Proteus has his head stuck in the book and is so absorbed in reading it that he just intuitively walks across the stairs. After all, it’s the visual confusion from the spatial distortion that causes the Dexterity penalty so by ignoring the sight of it you can cross it just fine.
As Archer reaches the space on the wall he sees the gaps more clearly as they darken before a Greater Shadow reaches out and grabs him by the throat – costing him 5 Strength damage. Unlucky fellow. A bit of magic and a few hits with magical weapons (that deal half damage) soon sort it out. Lunjun’s clever use of a force chain to blind it is also helpful as it means it doesn’t get a second hit on anyone. Proteus heals him with the wand of restoration (he refuses consider using it on Lhye as his problem was self-inflicted though as no one else has asked in character it hasn’t come up).
Proteus finds the hidden catch to open the doors and they find a room with two black mirror-portals to the shadow realm. Archer shoots them both before Lhye can attack them with his witch-empowered hair. Silly low Wisdom man, what happened last time you touched a portal with your hair? That’s right. Teleportation.
There followed a discussion where the characters quite sensibly debated the reason for remaining here. They stumble across the fact that Lhye hadn’t bothered to try the door portal to get out and were all quite cross with him. They almost decide to leave but the pull of information incites them to go onward – especially after a rousing speech by Lhye with a lacklustre ending about how the clues to Delvehaven must be locked somewhere inside.
They cross a corridor (Proteus’ head in a book once more) and then end up in a corkscrewing tower with stairs that run up along the outside of it to go down thirty feet and where the tower appears to have neither top nor bottom. Lhye drops a coin (luckily it was copper rather than platinum, he had to roll a 1d4 to see what type) and it falls down again and again and again. He then uses feather fall and steps off, falling again and again and again. Proteus reaches out and hits him across the back of the head with the butt of his trident to knock some sense into him, though he doesn’t do it in a way that would harm.
They cross the tower and end up inside a couple of corridors lined with cells. Lunjun and Proteus quickly figured out how the people inside died when Lunjun detected that the cells were ensorcelled with a Ring of Sustenance-like effect. They died of old age.
They spotted a devil inside one cell, still living, and holding a red-tinged glaive (reminding Proteus of the Whisperer of Souls). Lhye charmed the devil through the window before Proteus smashed the glass. The devil came charging to the door but its rage was mitigated by the sight of someone it was Indifferent to – which made it feel hopeful – which swapped its Indifference to Friendly. Lhye pretended to be a servant of Asmodeus when the devil asked and stated he was here to free him but wanted the glaive.
The devil was loathe to part with it as he didn’t want to be alone but when they opened the door he handed it over. Proteus, realising that Lhye’s chaotic gentle requests wouldn’t work here, laid a Geas on him to order the devil around until such time as their needs were met. Basically until they got the information and the glaive from the devil. Naturally Proteus takes the Glaive, provoking the below quip.
"How many things can you have polluting your soul?" asked Lhye's player.
Proteus' chirpy player: "It's like Pokemon. Gotta catch them all!"
We called the end of the session there.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Fantasy Version of the Hisil
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| Animistic Shrine (The Witcher) |
All of the rules for the Gauntlet (dice bonuses, sensations) can be found in Chapter Two: The Shadow Realm in the Book of Spirits.
Loci
Loci could then be monster spawning points in wounds, critter spawning points in wildlands or places of honor and reverence. People and certain creatures can draw essence or glamour from such locations though while essence can be drawn via the normal routes (one can even extinguish it), only one point of glamour can be drawn by any one person at any particular time and as many people can draw glamour as the loci's rating x 5. This doesn't affect its pool of essence. There are certain rituals that may allow a person to cross at a loci - though it's up to the Storyteller whether they would like to provide them and what they will consist of. A loci is often protected by spirits though as one can draw glamour without affecting the loci's levels of essence spirits are often willing to make deals or turn a blind eye to those regular people wishing to draw from it.
Verges
More consistent verges would soon become holy places of pilgrimmage or places that people avoid at certain times of the day or night. Some verges would be captured in myth while others would be virtually unknown - though perhaps hinted at in a child's nursery rhyme. Try to keep the Verges in keeping with mythic ideals and seed a few clues into the location even if the characters have no chance to identify them except in retrospect.
Dead Spots
These headache-inducing places appear afflicted by rot and decay with deadened colours and drained sensations and are what might happen in a place where a powerful magic has drained or sealed away the Hisil - often in response to a gateway that unleashed monsters upon the world or due to a single individual whose own terror or fanatical disbelief toward the Hisil has caused this mark.
Glades
Some places are filled with positive emotions - not to an overbundance as a drug-addled populace would still create a Wound - but enough that the good outweighs the bad or at least that compassion far outweighs cruelty. Most often these occur in places with nice villages or towns filled with decent people but sometimes they occur in places of potential cruelty where great or wonderful actions occur. A besieged town whose invaders merely took over and left all present alive and were thus welcomed into the location might gain this kind of Hisil as might a battlefield where great care was taken to haul in everyone alive as prisoners. Patches of this sort of Hisil might appear when people make a great sacrifice out of the goodness of their hearts and such patches are often quite resistant to interference - even when they are surrounded by a wound. They are pleasant places to be and often both the spirits and locations are pleasant to look at - even if they don't match contemporary ideals of beauty. A much loved ramshackle hut may still be ramshackle but it could be bathed with a warm glow and all the splinters are gone.
Regular Hisil
There are good acts and bad acts that have colored this land and thus some of the spirits will help, some will hinder, and some really couldn't care less. The landscape is coloured by the lives of those on the other side (human, animal, plant or rock) but it isn't overwhelmed one way or another. Important buildings may be seen in a more stereotypical appearance on the other side, regardless of whether they still stand, but generally it isn't too different from the mundane world and one might wander it for awhile confused by the differences but unsure of where they are.
Wounds
There are some places so cruel and depraved that they scar the divine lands with their vice. This might be the Other Side of a village whose members protect themselves with hypocrisy and cruelty - blaming others while they themselves rape, steal and sell each other out. Or it could be the Other Side of a monster's lair, a well-used battlefield or a place of slaughter and cruelty. It isn't enough that something bad happened there. It must have happened with either such great effect or regularity that it morphs the Other Side. A wound will be crawling with malevolent spirits stained by those actions and both the location and the entities will be marked by that sin. A savage battlefield might appear to be an open maw with churning blades as teeth buzzing with carrion fly-like spirits with human faces while a vicious town might have houses embodying secrets with locked doors and hidden windows that is plagued by ghostly dogs.
Shoals
There are some places that are touched by misery so much so that is stains the Other Side. These tend to be smaller than wounds - often encapsulating only a single house - and occur when one or more victims suffer so much it seeps through into the Divine Realm. This could be caused by a great plague or the loss of a village's menfolk to a distant war or perhaps even a famine or even if a person's depression grows too overwhelming. Such places are often drab and depressing. The environment itself can be dangerous with ooze-like spirits, digestive acid in bathtubs and basements, and raindrops that slowly drain one of willpower. Generally even the spirits are too filled with ennui to attack or assist though their mere presence might be dangerous.
Barrens
There are some places that have lost their energy. Everyone does the same thing every day. They're not miserable, not exactly, but they don't feel much either. Well-kept slaves, overly disciplined soldiers, and people who live a puritanical and joyless lifestyle can all create barrens though more often than not it is caused by a great and powerful magical battle or alchemical experiment that has scoured the other side of the Divine Realm and caused it to weaken. Such a place might look like land scoured by sands or as a translucent version of its prior self or it might just be an empty plain filled with fog.
Wild Lands
There are places within this world that are dominated by nature and within nature simpler laws of procreation and consumption are upheld. This isn't an element of cruelty or even callousness but simple pragmatism and practicality. The Hisil of the wild lands is similar to the canonical Hisil with spirits both dangerous and puzzling yet at times beneficial - if you can offer them something they need or otherwise subdue them. Loci in these locations often have an emotional aura that lingers across a location and can be felt by any person on a successful Wits + Wyrd roll. Verges in such places are more invisible than most and often shift about according to natural laws though those who follow the local myths are safer than others (i.e. don't step into a ring of toadstools at night). Wild Lands are often more primeval versions of themselves with taller mountains, thicker jungles, and wider rivers and its spirits are often of the Nature or Elemental Choirs.
................
So there you go. A simple guide to using the Hisil in a fantasy land that uses all of the main categories of places you could find there. I'd really recommend the Book of Spirits for further advice as, while it deals entirely in the modern world, it's really not too difficult to extrapolate to a fantasy or historical one. Bear in mind, though, that in Fianyarr the Hisil should be more of a divine place than a dog-eat-dog hunting ground with certain areas being quite safe and others being more typical Hisil. The Hedge fulfills the role of being the ever-dangerous locale.
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