Alien Rope Burn posted:I don't know why but that face and cloak just always makes me think of Dr. Doom. So I'll always refer to them as "Dr. Dooms". This irrelevant fact is now yours! You didn't even have to pay a penny. Doctor Who is very British. Doctor Who is a time traveller. Hence, Temporal Magic.
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Jun 4, 2013 03:39
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Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade- Wrap up and Summary So let's take a rundown on Wu Xing:
So yeah, it's all right.  Anyway, I decided to look up some of the artists from the book (rather than weeks and weeks ago so I can put them in my posts, like someone who's not an imbecile  ) and came up with stuff for two of the artists, one artist who did some Exalted work but who I can't find any Wu Xing pic from, and two who, as far as I could find, don't exists on the internet.  Edit: The artists of those two pieces are Amanda Turnage and Daniel Oshouki respectively. ThisIsNoZaku fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Jun 4, 2013 |
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Jun 4, 2013 05:12
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). But in Wu Xing, nearly every power is combat-centered or even just described in terms of combat usefulness.
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Ars Magica 5th Edition: The Mysteries Revised The Philosophers of Rome are one of the most secretive Mystery Cults out there, explicitly non-Christian and deeply hidden. They claim descent from the man called Simon Magus, well-known in the Church for his appearence in the Book of Acts, where he tried to buy the Holy Spirit. He is renowned as a father of heresy and Gnosticism, and Church doctrine says he later went to Rome and founded a cult that worshipped him as a god. The Church tells two stories of his death. Hippolytus of Rome writes that Simon Magus went home to Samaria and bragged of his ability to return from the dead, but never managed to do it. The apocryphal Acts of Saint Peter, though, tells a different story: Simon and the Apostles had another confrontation in the court of Nero, who suggested a competition between Simon Magus and the apostles Peter and Paul, to be decided in the Forum, to show who was right. Simon levitated with the help of spirits, but Peter and Paul simply prayed and refused to participate, and Simon fell screaming from the air. He died of his injuries, and the spot where he fell is now a church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Travelers, especially pious Hermetics, often visit as a reminder of the price of hubris. However, most sources agree that Simon was no diabolist or Infernalist, just a magician whose beliefs revolved around a complex set of philosophies related to apotheosis. The Church, however, claims that from his teachings, all Gnosticism evolved, and so most heresy. It took the Church centuries to refute all of Simon's errors and stamp out those heresies, but ultimately, they did it, and Gnosticism appears destroyed. And yet, among magicians, there are those who say the Gnostics had some good ideas. Those who believe it might be possible to step outside the world and become as the pagan gods of old, apotheosizing by knowledge of secret names and magical secrets to become Daimons. Most believe this secret was lost in the Golden Age and that Daimons are mere reflections of the achievements of heroes and godly spirits, but others are convinced that it is possible to ascend. To express such thoughts openly is to invite trial for heresy, and few are so bold, proud and reckless to pursue it. Those few who do, though, are often approached by the Philosophers of Rome. There are two main competing thoughts among Gnostic philosophy: First is the Ascetic, which seeks purity through mortification of the flesh, and second is the Sensual, seeking power and glory through living life to the fullest and gaining the praise and worship of others. The Philosophers of Rome are very, very much on the side of the Sensual. They pursue wine, men, women and song as part of their search for immortality. Their aim is clear: apotheosize into an immortal god. Some say those who succeed are seen in the heavens as a new star, but others laugh at this. Whether it has been or can be achieved is a matter of some debate. The group's lifestyle is strange and paradoxical. On the one hand, they require rigorous study of ancient theological texts denouncing Gnosticism, trying to learn Gnostic secrets by seeing what is denied. (Actual Gnostic texts are exceedingly rare, so it's usually easier to reconstruct their beliefs from their foes.) On the other hand, they also embrace earthly pleasures with a deep passion. If challenged on this, they tend to say that Scripture teaches that there is more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 good men, and therefore by repeated sin and repentance they raise their standing with God. This sort of theological absurdity is a favorite of the Philosophers, whose only real interest in the Church is to learn the secrets it suppressed. Their depravity is not, in fact, a distraction from their goals, but an important celebration of the self and ego. By pursuing their own desires and creating a legend around themselves and their exploits, they attract a confused sort of worship and devotee. They hope to transcend the flesh by accepting and embracing it, fulfilling it in some sense, allowing them to seek greater glory in the next world by embracing their humanity in this one. Pride and absolute confidence are vital steps, and while it is said that Alexander the Great had to be reminded he was not a god, it is the true desire of the Philosophers to have their friends remind them daily that they are gods. Overconfidence and pride may seem unattractive virtues, but they are not the rarest attributes among Hermetics, who already stand far above the mundane in power. They believe that their Gift renders them potentially immortal and capable of deification. The Philosophers say they are not merely human, but part of something greater. They are often oddly charismatic and popular people, whose beliefs do not produce the resentment you might expect. However, they do know that mere licentiousness and excess are not the path to power - without their mystical knowledge, it is merely a road to damnation. The Philosophers are loosely structured as a congregation of scholars and occasional worshippers, both magical and mundane. Ultimately, they hope to use these congregations to provide the needed power to ascend, though that remains a purely theoretical ambition for most, who tend to succumb to their own lifestyles or accidental death long before they reach it. All Initiates who join are first tutored in the secret of Hermetic Synthemata and usually then Spell Binding. Ruthless ambition and great promise are needed to advance beyond that in initiations. The Philosophers possess a loose system of passwords and signs, but they tend to be rather solitary, and often the signs are little more than subtle references to pagan or Gnostic philosophers. There is no set system of degrees or order in initiations, and often an initiate must discover the secrets themseves, working to acquire fragments of ancient texts and studying them to gain enough understanding of the lore of the Philosophers to self-initiate. Some have very little formal contact with the cult as a whole after their introduction. The congregations of the Philosophers do teach them secrets, mind. But the egotistical nature of the cult means that they tend not to teach each other those secrets. That said, the ruthless, dissipated and egotistical member who can still manage to get on well with the others may well be initiated into an or all secrets of Hermetic Theurgy and related studies, and may eventually hope to learn how to ascend into the Hall of Heroes, though no known initiation exists for that rite. If it has ever been achieved, the new god destroyed the text to obscure the path, so any would-be deity must experiment with self-initiations, which is no easy task. The final secret also requires the support of numerous magi, so often aspirants seek to build networks of Gifted cultists who serve and assist them in the hope of reward or out of misplaced loyalty. Such devotion remains important even after ascension, for only by continued calling can a Daimon increase its power (and reward its cultists). On the other side of the spectrum are the Children of Hermes. They are small, but increasingly active, and they don't follow most rules regarding Mystery Cult behavior. They bask in their notoriety and openly proselytize with extreme fervor. Some have even gone so far as to say they are no Mystery Cult, and certainly none of the cults want to be associated with them, perhaps leading to their belief in a conspiracy controlling the Order of Hermes. Facts about them are always muddled, but opinions are common. Their leader is known as Hermes the Blessed One, and the cult seems to have sprung up around 30 years ago. The original House and identity of Hermes is unknown, as is their name. It is known that the revelation that began the cult convinced him he'd ascended to immortality. The cult's critics are quick to claim this was nothing but a delusion seen in Twilight that confused an already warped magus. Few outside the Children accept the idea of apotheosis. Today, Hermes appears as an incredibly beautiful man about 21 years of age with tanned skin. He has a mythic, undeniable charisma, and all of his disciples seem madly in love with him, male or female, and venerate him as a living god. The cult first came to Quaesitor attention during a visit of Hermes to Ireland, where he prophesized the collapse of the Order and its control by secret societies. An attempt was made to bring him to trial, but he somehow convinced the Hibernian Tribunal of his innocence, and one of the Quaistores, a young woman named Erin, left with him. She is now his right hand and one of his most loyal disciples. Most cults have a long and storied legend as their history, but the Children hold that Hermes is no less than the rebirth of Hermes Tresmegistus, who in his past lives has been Pythagoras, Simon Magus, Alexander the Great and others. It is said that Hermes can help others find their past lives, and that one of his followers was once Cleopatra. Outside of his Inner Circle, little is really known of the theology or beliefs of Hermes, as his teachings are held sacred, but the Quaesitores are sure that he has occasionally made comments that claim to messianic nature that would have him executed for heresy of the darkest sort by the Church if they ever found him. While many say that'd be a useful way to get rid of a thorn in the Order's side, his doctrines dictate that salvation is only for the Gifted, and he makes no attempt to proselytize among grogs or companions of the Order, who (it is rumored) he has claimed have the souls of dogs and pigs, respectively. It is clear that Hermes seeks to reform the Order and that the Children believe a conspiracy of mystery cults controls nearly every Covenant. Two of his followers were Marched recently for raiding a Covenant in Iberia which Hermetic folklore long placed as the center of a conspiracy by House Guernicus to control the Order in ages past. Members of the cult hint darkly about such conspiracies, suggesting that the Sundering of Tremere was not so effective as the Order claims and that House Diedne may even have been innocent of any crime but destroyed for trying to expose the truth of the Secret Masters. Such allegations tend to be unprovable, as witnesses refuse to testify, and investigators of Hermes tend to come away baffled and with the belief that there may be a grain of truth to his thoughts, and that his in every way an admirable member of the Order. The full extent of the Children of Hermes is unknown, and rumors place the Blessed One high on a Carpathan mountain, as a permanent guest of Durenmar or in a Covenant based out of a sailing ship that moves endlessly between Tribunals before Quaesitores can act against it. The Children are a very modern cult, founded by a highly charismatic leader. The apocalyptic teachings of the cult are attractive to those disenchanted by the Order, especially younger magi, but there are probably no more than 30 members, total, with the Inner Circle comprising Hermes, Cleopatra, Erin and four others. Their initiations are highly unusual. The Inner Circle claims that Hermes knows all mysteries and founded all schools. Once an initiate accepts the truth of Hermes' claims, they are taught lore for a season and then initiated into a Mystery and given the knowledge to initiate others. They must then pay yearly dues of two pawns of vis, sent to a different location each year, and encouraged to initiate others. Those who do become Guardians of the Faith, collecting dues from those they initiate, who then recruit others, and so on. The secret headquarters of the cult remain unknown, and sometimes those who serve the cult are given large gifts of vis for no apparent reason. Those who teach the cult how to perform new initiations are especially lauded and rewarded. Occasionally, initiates are also asked to donate books, apprentices or other resources to Hermes or his messengers, and rare is the cultist who fails to make these "love offerings." The teachings of the Blessed One are known to be a highly complex theology that may have Gnostic or Enochian roots and which is highly syncretic. It speaks of fraternity, love, devotion to the cult and personal freedom. Accepting that all magical truths flow from the Blessed One, missionaries use the analogy of the Order, with each House being a facet of the greater truth of the Order as a whole. Such is their view on the Mysteries, all of which are said to be expressions of the greater truth of Hermes. Once a fragment of some other cult's lore is learned, the Children relentlessly draw and incorporate it into their teachings, assimilating it according to the will of the Inner Circle. They thus have a very large and diverse collection of Mysteries, generally modified and experimented on to fit their lore via some unknown process. Next time: The Mystic Fraternity of Samos
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Jun 4, 2013 17:00
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Mors, come on, man. You're making the rest of us look bad.
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Jun 4, 2013 20:11
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Rifts:™ England Part 10: “New Camelot, which they have only mentioned every other page and now bother explaining.” Now we’re getting into it! “It” being the setting details of ‘England’. The stuff we really needed to know earlier. But first, a visual aid.  i can’t make out the artist’s sig on this one but i'm guessing Breaux. also: It’s in Mexico. It’s time for Mrrlyn the Enchanter! The flavor text here says the stories refer to Merlin as “the spawn of a demon” and I am not going to bother to check that, because it goes on to use whatever context that was written in to be incredibly stupid. Mrrlyn is of course the same Merlin as the one in the past, he’s a fragment of an Alien Intelligence named Zazshan.  Zazshan straddles multiple dimensions as these intelligences are wont to do. This one belongs to a species called the ‘Zllyphan’ and they have the special specific ability to possess the recently dead with their fragmentary essences. We had a page and a half of rules for possession by ‘Intelligences’ in the Conversion book, and now we are likely to have yet more. Anyway magic energy didn’t fade in Britain as fast as it did everywhere else because Britain is ~magical~ and ‘Merlin’ could start scheming. He built up Camelot as a front for a world-domination plot. Then the energy did fade and the shard got stuck. Fast forward a few thousand years to the time of Rifts. He found a dopey front man and started up another Camelot and sent several other essence shards to pretend to be creatures of myth or knights or at least beautiful women to cement his hold--The Lady of the Lake, the Supreme Nexus Knights, and Guinevere (she didn’t get a funky spelling for some reason) are all pieces of the same alien god. There are a lot of  which may be summarized as one of those old newsreels where the nazi empire spreads in the form of giant arrows over a map if we don’t do something before it’s too late. Fortunately, The Zllyphan and Splugorth hate each other. Amazing, evil factions that are actually rivals. Zazshan gets a stat block and it’s as tough and gently caress-you annoying as these evil gods tend to be, including being immune to “cold, heat, fire” but “supernatural beings” inflict full damage in the vulnerabilities section. Augh. There’s also stats for generating more Zllyphan if you somehow felt the urge. Therere is something important missing however, which is the rules for possessing the dead. Zazshan’s block says ‘see Important Notes. There is no Important Notes. The general Zyllphan statblock lists natural abilities as ‘see Zazshan’. Mrrlyn and the other essences’ blocks say ‘See Zyllphan’. Nowhere does it list the rules for possession, like how long the being has to be dead, or what. Reducing the MDC to 0 destroys the body and can force the energy being out, but it doesn’t say what’s required for it to get in, other than that it must find a body within 24 hours.  Mrrlyn’s statblock is considerably weaker with only 2000 MDC but can still dimensional teleport its essence back home at 98% success. He counts as 7th level...something and has a bunch of magic and psionics and several temporal magic spells. He and all the other essences use the Alter Aura power to appear good and human. It also mentions he has a secret lair protected by rune statues where half his money is stored.  totally non-sinister jesus-lady The Lady of the Lake is much like Mrrlyn in every way except that she has given ‘King Arr’thuu’ the sword ‘Caliber-X’.  I mean I know this section was in some kind of stupid names contest apparently but come on. Then there’s Lady Guinevere. I hope we’ll get to how the feudal organization of Camelot actually works soon but more importantly, she is the shard of Zazshan that is boning Arr’thuu. She pretends to be a prissy noblewoman in love with the King. She also pretends to study magic with Mrrlyn.  And then there’re the Supreme Nexus Knights “aka SN-Knights”, which I will use because I am already tired of typing that too. These are lesser life essences of Zazshan. They are not official Knights of Camelot or something and only work for Mrrlyn. Certainly, in a military dictatorship (which Camelot is), a highly-placed advisor having his own private army is not at all suspicious! There are lesser, human or humanoid Nexus Knights as well. They go around like secret police and refuse to answer to anyone but Mrrlyn or (sort of) Arr’thuu. They all have an ‘M’ on their armor and on their shield, “along with Mrrlyn’s demon crest.” It’s like he’s not even trying to be subtle. They have horned helmets and flaming swords. They have 180 MDC plus 100 MDC armor and if the body is destroyed, the lesser life essence is just immediately hurled home--no chance to destroy it--though it can’t return for 2D6 months. I recall there being some upper limit to how many of these can be created, so that could be some kind of a limitation but mostly it’s annoying.  i mean really The Nexus Knight OCC is described later; this ends the section about shards of Zazshan. This is one of the stupidest writeups of any version of the Arthurian myth I have ever seen and I thought this when I was a teenager. The next section is the “Champions of Camelot” and it looks like a lot of and also more about Nexus Knights, because that is what the people came here to see right?
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Jun 4, 2013 20:11
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Yes, Merlin is half demon in the stories. It's sort of a thing with him and being puissant in the mystic arts.
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Jun 4, 2013 20:22
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Mr. Maltose posted:Yes, Merlin is half demon in the stories. It's sort of a thing with him and being puissant in the mystic arts. Yeah, having him be half-demon is traditional. Having him possess the dead body of a woman to literally gently caress Arthur with is new.  (Yes, they are described as lovers out of wedlock.)
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Jun 4, 2013 20:51
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Yeah, you loving throw out anything to do with that lame-rear end England World Book Camelot. It's practically unusable and doesn't fit within the world. It was during the "Oh ho ho ho, these guys you thought were good are actually alien intelligences! Everything you know is wrong! BWAH HA HA!" phase that the game went through. I can't wait till you get to the "Knights of the Round Table" section, because between the alien intelligence and those guys, most of the England book was just an excuse for the GM to act like a total cock toward the players and say "Oh, it's in character" as well as screw over every part with alien intelligences in every loving closet. Want to know WHY the CS is human supremist who refuses to deal with DB's? Because of alien intelligences, that's why. gently caress it, halfway through those books, the CS really really starts to look like humanity's last best hope, and not that bad.
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Jun 4, 2013 21:06
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It's pretty much a repeat of the Reid's Rangers, for those that are familiar with Vampire Kingdoms (or my review of it). But at least Reid's Rangers, as ridiculous as it is, has an element of human tragedy to it, where Mrrlyn is just evil cuz, and is sufficiently megapowered that nobody at the Table is going to be able to stop him. And with Reid's Rangers, most of the good guys know something is wrong, as opposed to the Knights of the Round Table, who... are just tools. I picked on the heroes on Reid's Rangers, but at least being aware and culpable lets them minimize the damage of their psychotic peers. I wouldn't go so far as to say it doesn't fit, but it's a culmination of unfortunate writing habits Siembieda has. Alien Rope Burn fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Jun 4, 2013 |
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Jun 4, 2013 21:32
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Ars Magica 5th Edition: The Mysteries Revised The Mystic Fraternity of Samos traces itself back to Pythagoras, a native of the isle of Samos who trained in Egypt and became a master mystic and theoretician in ancient Babylon. He returned to Samos to found the Semicircle, a school, and later founded another on the isle of Croton, where he began his cult, the Society. The Society was egalitarian and dedicated to numerology, purification, friendship, honesty, loyalty and secrecy. Pythagoras is said to have lived well over a century before his death in the home of his disciple, Milo. There are several stories of how he died, but it is agreed that Pythagoras refused membership to a rich man who lacked moral qualities. The man gathered his friends and raided the Society, killing many. Some say Pythagoras died to the raids, and some say to grief afterwards. The Pythagorean system of mathematics, geometry, harmony and astronomy is well-known, but the secrets of the Society's initiations were lost in the centuries following the death of Pythagoras. Forms of Pythagorean knowledge remained, however, both in academia and Mystery Cults. It was inevitable that someone would try to merge it with Hermetic theory, and the Fraternity of Samos claims Bonisagus himself was a Pythagorean of the highest order. Whatever the truth, they are among the most respectable of mystery cults both for moral excellence and for learning, though it is unclear how far their rites actually mirror those of the ancients. House Jerbiton makes up most of the Fraternity, which was organized in the tenth century by Anaximander of Thebes based on his research into Pythagorean number theory and Euclidean geometry. The modern Fraternity of Samos is perhaps misnamed, for while Samos was the birthplace of Pythagoras, the cult has no temple there (or, as they call their temples, Schools). They are also, strictly speaking, not a brotherhood, as they practice the strictest equality of men and women with an interest in scholarship and music. Asceticism and rigorous study are combined with six (or perhaps twelve) Initiations, which prevent many magi from being tempted to join the cult, but it is said that there are a sizable number who adopt the Pythagorean system as the first step towards immortality. Frankly, there isn't much need for secrecy or cultic framework these days - the Fraternity has few enemies, and primarily those that exist are just would-be initiates who were refused. Despite this, they maintain the rigorous traditions, for they remember the lessons of the House of Milo. While candidates can probably find out how to apply fairly easily, as the Pythagoreans do not hide their existence, they do maintain rigorous standards of moral and academic excellence. And those who speak openly of cult secrets can expect as swift and brutal a retribution as any other cult would provide, and to be reborn as a green bean (or so it is said; the Pythagoreans do not eat green beans, for they are said to contain the souls of the dead). A fairly large number of the Outer Order initiates, known as Akousmatics, proudly display their affiliations with Pythagorean symbols on their robes. The most important sign to them is the pentagram. The symbol used by the Inner Order, or Mathematikoi, the triangle, is gained only by the most dedicated, for it is the perfect shape.  The Fraternity of Samos follows a strict hierarchy, and is perhaps the archetypal Mystery Cult when it comes to hierarchical initiation. It is said that the complete syllabus of the cult takes a minimum of 33 years, but usually takes around 84. They do not follow the exact system as laid down by the Society of PYthagoras, but a variant of it that incorporates Hermetic theory. There is more emphasis than in most Mystery Cults on mundane knowledge and skill, requiring firm knowledge of both the artes liberales and the philosophiae, as well as some ability with a musical instrument. The Fraternity contains two Orders: The Outer Order of Akousmatics, and the Inner Order of Mathematikoi. You must pass all three Akousmatic degrees to join the Inner Order. The first degree, Mathematicus, was in the original Society required to have great mathematical and geometric skill. Knowledge of math is seen as the basis on which all other knowledge rests. Initiates are typically required to spend time writing books for the Cult or Questing to find and demonstrate wisdom and learning. They are taught the secret of Hermetic Numerology. Above them is the second degree, Theoreticus, which requires the beginning of applied mathematics. Initiates must pass a test on geometry and their skill in numerology by creating a Numerologist's Book and demonstrating several Rotes while journeying to a destination set by the Fraternity. Once completed, they learn Hermetic Geometry. The third degree is Electus, which applies the principles and understanding of math to the planets. The initiate is taught the principles of esoteric astrology, learning Planetary Magic and typically needing to draw up their own natal charts, as well as giving the cult a lock of their hair, as well as their birth name and signature. This is considered an Ordeal, for it grants the Fraternity much power against you. From there, you enter the Mathematikoi, who wear black or white robes, by demonstrating knowledge of philosophy, spiritual purity and renunciation of worldly things. The Mathematikoi abstain from the eating of green beans and meat. They must also be skilled teachers, for it is their duty to teach new initiates, and must dwell with others of the Fraternity (though typically this is interpretd to mean recruiting a member of your Covenant). Further, they must house and feed any visiting initiates for as long as is required. Any covenant where a Mathematikoi dwells is a School, where interested magi will seek initiation and Akousmatics will seek teaching. Further, a Mathematikoi must train as many apprentices as is possible. Additional favor is earned via knowledge of magic theory, philosophiae and teaching skill. Above them are the Tertius, or 3=4. The number three is said to be the first real number in Pythagorean lore, for one and two represent the super-mundane spheres of existence, into which you ascend. The initiate is taught the secret of using geometrical solids with the elements, learning to deal with and command them using Hermetic Architecture. However, some say that those of this rank are also taught the Great Talisman or Performance Magic based on music. Above them are the Secundus, or 2=5. Here, initiates are shown how true understanding surpasses human ability. It is said that some learn Inscription on the Soul, but it is also possible that they learn Hermetic Theurgy or perhaps the Theurgic Spirit Familiar. Perhaps it is a choice, or perhaps a series of initiations. Outsiders do not know such secrets. And on top are the Pythagoreans, or True Initiates. It is said that the final degree requires a five-year vow of silence and a strenuous series of Quests and Sacrifices. Some say they are taught Potent Magic related to the Artes Liberales and Philosophiae, while others say it is Names of Power. Still others claim that the final initiation involves transcending mortal flesh via Ascendancy to the Hall of Heroes. Some have speculated that perhaps, based on the principles of three, that each claim is true and that there are, in fact, twelve initiations rather than six, but none can say for sure. The Disciples of the Worm are sinister necromancers. They date back to the tenth century, when the magus Titus Herennius Vespillo of Rome was renowned for his skill in necromancy. He was associated with the notorious Flambeau magus Julius of the Oder, who spent 14 years campaigning against Alpine, Roman and Transylvanian hedge wizards. Many joined because of the pair, and many died. Once their victims died, Vespillo would summon their spirits, interrogating them to find more targets, torturing those who would not answer. Some say that during this campaign, it struck Vespillo that the same method could be used on magical spirits and older ghosts. Others say he found that secret in a tiny Alpine village where a cult had long bound spirits to their will. Whatever the truth, Vespillo was a pioneer of what is now called Hermetic spirit magic. Certainly, he was a changed man after his discovery. He began to seek out ancient tombs, questioning the dead for their lost secrets, using spells to access the long-buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, even entering the catacombs of Rome in search of the Mercurian priesthood. Whene he emerged, he wsa alone Julius and his other allies had died within, and he had laid their spirits to rest. He refused to say what had happened beyond that. Within a year, he had founded a new brotherhood, the Disciples of the Worm, for he had learned how to bind a spirit to power a spell indefinitely, and he shared that knowledge. The Disciples traveled Europe in search of magical secrets and ancient tombs. Many died to tomb guardians or exotic magic, and others were driven mad, but slowly, they gained power and influence. They have repeatedly been accused of Infernalism and demonology, but somehow, every cultist investigated has proved innocent or died during investigation. The most famous of these was Bellephon of Prague, who was devoured alive by maggots while being questioned by Quaesitores in 1034. Very little is known of this most secretive of cults, and it is almost universally despised. Rumors of Code breaches, dead magi bound as spirit familiars and obscene rites or human sacrifice abound. And yet, it seems clear that the Worm cult seeks mere knowledge, just via unsavory methods. No one would admit to membership, but there are tales of times when they saved the Order, and rumors that they are an altruistic group dedicated to protecting magi and upholding the Code, though no one really believes them. Today, there are far fewer undiscovered pagan tombs around, so the cult has moved more towards application of their summoning knowledge and away from the interrogation and torture of the dead, though that does continue. Occasionally, a Disciple will meet with other Mystery Cults to try and bargain for knowledge, and the contact for this is the only publically known Disciple, the necromancer Pertinax of Tytalus. He is not an ideal guest, and is said to delight in speaking macabre secrets of the grave and spreading nightmares as he goes, though he never betrays cult rites. The Disciples are grim, and their initiations don't help their image. They wear shrouded robes and celebrate in ancient tombs, usually on All Hallows Eve. And yet, their aim is lofty: the preservation of lost magics and the understanding of death. They are divided into seven degrees, and their initiations are terrifying and nerve-shattering. They organize into cells of three within a geographic area, though not usually magi of the same covenant, and only one of the three will know the name of a senior cultist above them. The first degree teaches Second Sight, and these lowest members know few secrets. The second degree teaches Spell Binding, allowing them to bind ancient ghosts or minor spirits to service. The third degree is hard to reach, for it requires entry to an undesecrated pagan tomb, in which the initiate must force a spirit of the dead to reveal new secrets. Many die in the attempt. Those who live are rewarded with Hermetic Empowerment. The fourth degree learn some of the ancient magics, unlocking the power of Inscription upon the Soul. The fifth degree learn Potent Magic related to ghosts and are told of the cult's secret repository of magical texts. Suitable candidates learn the true aim of the cult, whatever it is; unsuitable candidates do not reach this rank. The sixth degree learn how to properly coerce and bind the dead, mastering the art of the Spirit Familiar. The final, seventh degree involves the rite of the Living Ghost. On being ritually killed and bound to one of the cult's sacred places, the initiate achieves the Seventh Degree and now can forever provide their power to the cult, which is very keen on keeping these ghosts long, long beyond their lifespans. Next time: the Knights of the Green Stone
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Jun 4, 2013 22:18
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Alien Rope Burn posted:Yeah, having him be half-demon is traditional. Having him possess the dead body of a woman to literally gently caress Arthur with is new. They're described as dating. 
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Jun 4, 2013 22:56
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 ASHEN STARS Website pdf on DriveThru RPG Part 11: The Things They Carried This time we're going to go over all the stuff, and games tend to have lots of stuff. In order to keep the pace up I'll be giving less detailed entries on things. The problem with that is these items have a lot of personality and wierdo sci-fi flavor that I don't want to lose. Let's walk that thin line together: Chapter 7: Tech There are 3 sorts of tech in Ashen Stars: Cybernetic Enhancements that get installed in you so you become augmented, Viroware that's largely similar, and gear that you cart around without having to alter your body. How droll. Enhancements and Viroware work like Bolt-ons, with an initial cost and occasionally an Upkeep cost. Gear is either standard, has a pricetag, or takes a Preparedness check. Getting gear through Preparedness means you had it all along somewhere, but you're guile and time in the scouts let you pull it out at just the right time. Communications Tech is all about controlling the flow of info. There's stuff like a small chip that makes you look blurry on cameras, a plug-in device that lets you modify transmissions on the fly, universal translators, and the Headset. Your Headset is your connection to your ship and your crew. It looks like the scanner from Dragonball Z but there's a cybernetic implant version so nobody can make you take it off (at least not without a lot of blood and effort). Cybernetic Enhancements are great. Installing them requires surgery, but this is the future; surgery is easy. Some require paying Upkeep or else they'll shut off, and that's no fun. You can get: A tube in your neck that plugs into your friend's bloodstream to transfer health pool points. Hack your brain so that anytime you take a knockout punch you throw two of your own on the way down. Plug your guts into your ship's power grid to trade Health/Athletics for Output. A secret cabinet in your chest cavity, called the Breadbox. A USB thumbdrive. Yes, it is actually in your thumb. Tiny implants that instantly excrete a polymer film all over your body, for an instant hazmat suit. The Handgun. Your hand is now a gun. The Headlight. One guess what it does. Fibers from your pecs attach to the pecs of any willing participant to transfer Athletics, Scuffling, or shooting points. A cybernetic connection between your brain and your gun. Whenever you shoot someone you now can pinpoint them, so long as they are within 500m. A power cable from your ship to your heart, so Output can jumpstart your pools. Wolverine's claws, using them may impact your Reputation because they freak people out. -And many more  The hardest part about getting Cybernetic Enhancements is dealing with the rubber-neckers. Medical Gear is less fantastic, but has cool names like "Osmotic Puncher". It covers those tools of the medic trade that allow instant preservation, instant awakening from sleep or unconsciousness, and that thing that gives injections without needles. I wish those were as common in real life.  In the bright, happy future I will never have to deal with needles again. Protective Gear is for people who wish to save money on medical gear. Kids in the bleed get a silver strip in their mouths which disrupts tasers and electrical disruption as part of their regular dental treatments in the Combine, so that's nice. This category also covers ways to increase your hit threshold, locate sources of enhanced pheremone activity, transmission scrambling, spacesuits, and the Popper. Poppers absorb the energy of an NLD-blast, protecting the wearer from getting knocked out. Investigative Tech covers a lot of the things you'll need for investigating, and also flashlights for some reason. It also covers surveillance devices, Holo-layouts for crime scene reconstruction, and the Tether. Tethers are basically a smartphone crossed with a tricorder that you operate with cool Minority Report gestures. Lasers usually have theirs built into their headsets, and anyone without a Tether of some sort sets them apart as a Luddite, outsider, radical, or just plain strange.  Space-Wikipedia has dispensed with all right angles in its layout. Viroware is more of the fun stuff. It takes a initial cost for the genetic therapy, then an upkeep for the drugs to prevent rejection. Failing to pay upkeep triggers disruptive withdrawal symptoms and you lose the viroware. Viroware let's you do fun stuff like: Change your skin color like a chameleon. Emit pheromones that trigger people's instinct to obey their superiors. Harden your skin to reduce Scuffling damage. Make someone forget you with memory-fudging pheromones. Temporarily transform into a humanoid species other than your own. Regenerate body tissue. Try combining with Popclaws to be the best at what you do. Scrambleface: Reconfigure your facial features to be unrecognizable. Can be upgraded for the ability to impersonate specific people. LIQUID BONES Pores that excrete nano-oil on command. Ashen Stars supports Greased Alphonse RAW. The hairs on your neck now transmit visual information, giving you eyes in the back of your head. -And many more  This is the Cybe pistol design. No joke caption, it's just the coolest looking one. Weapons are the last category of gear. They're pretty thin because the game assumes unraveling the mystery and catching the bad guys is more fun than charts full of gun stats for the eventual shootouts. The Insureshield isn't exactly a defensive device, except in the legal sense. It is applied to any hand-to-hand weapon and prevents fatal damage being dealt. It can be deactivated, but keeps a record of when it is and is not operational. Proper Insureshield use may be key to saving your Reputation and observing the contract's small print. The Disruption pistol is standard in the Combine and each people has their own design; for game purposes the differences are cosmetic. They can shoot lethal fire, or NLD for knockout shots. There are also disruption rifles that operate the same way, but at much greater range. Either gun can feature a number of accessories for new capabilities like planting a hypnotic suggestion in a target, burning out multiple poppers in a single shot, tracking your target's DNA sequence, a "Gun-nanny" that informs you of likely Reputation damage when in lethal mode, and others.  It's easier to figure out how to hold it if you're an 8-foot tall armadillo man. This game has a cool selection of toys, but the real reason I wanted to cover it in the first place is the setting. Next Time: The setting
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Jun 4, 2013 23:11
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occamsnailfile posted:
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Jun 4, 2013 23:51
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quote:Today, Hermes appears as an incredibly beautiful man about 21 years of age with tanned skin. He has a mythic, undeniable charisma, and all of his disciples seem madly in love with him, male or female, and venerate him as a living god. The cult first came to Quaesitor attention during a visit of Hermes to Ireland, where he prophesized the collapse of the Order and its control by secret societies. An attempt was made to bring him to trial, but he somehow convinced the Hibernian Tribunal of his innocence, and one of the Quaistores, a young woman named Erin, left with him. She is now his right hand and one of his most loyal disciples. Most cults have a long and storied legend as their history, but the Children hold that Hermes is no less than the rebirth of Hermes Tresmegistus, who in his past lives has been Pythagoras, Simon Magus, Alexander the Great and others. This sounds really modern and New Agey/Californian. Is there a historical basis for it?
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Jun 5, 2013 00:05
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Count Chocula posted:This sounds really modern and New Agey/Californian. Is there a historical basis for it? Not that I am aware of, but cults of personality are not purely a modern phenomenon by any means. E: That said, I feel they are one of the weaker cults because why would you want to join them? Mors Rattus fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Jun 5, 2013 |
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Jun 5, 2013 00:13
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Mors shamed me into going back and re-writing my last entry. Jesus Christ. Antagonistes Fetches That dopplegangers that the True Fae left in your place. The baby that your momma killed for being 'wrong'. The daughter that 'went wild' during her teens. The boyfriend that used to love me. A fetch is a fake person. They don't know it, but its true- your magic friends told you so. And its your face, not that you have that face any more. Its yours, reclaim your face. They have their own secret magic that only the Keepers have access to. Anyone could be a fetch without you knowing it, spying on you for one of the Gentry. Unless you try to make a pledge and it falls through, you can never really know. But no fetch starts Wyrd. They snap, realizing that they are fake and have to escape from the faeries that are coming to ruin its life. Did you come back the successful doctor that your fetch was? Do you remember your young child's first words? The True Fae Those people are not like you and me, Wayne. They got strange cares and unbound powers, like vindictive genies. They aren't mad, in a way; they just only consider their own story and how it fits together- everything else is just yadda yadda yadda. They live according to their own rules, and are so very familiar on purpose. They live to fulfill your expectations, explaining why good things happen to bad people and vice versa, and where the farm with all the other dogs was when Spot got too old to play. Its immature to need them to explain why everything works, and they like that.1 A Fair Folk changes its skin, its habits, and its territory on a whim. A name and mythos is just a temp job meant to serve the need of fate. Does every Gentry kidnap? Those that are Keepers operate differently, seemingly uncaring about their charges but then desperate for their return. And when a changeling becomes powerful, they become a target. Yet not every Gentry can return to Arcadia; there are the Banished, those that live outside, a shadow of themselves kept out of the hedge by oath-magick. They want to, and perhaps a nice little Fae may be their ticket back. Could you return my comb to my house tonight, deary? Loyalists All return broken, but some return owned. Many come with secret dreams of darkness, few trundled the easy path out of Arcadia. A loyalist isn't always a sleeper agent- sometimes they are desperate changelings who, for some reason, sell out their comrades to the most powerful beings in their lives. Maybe, instead of just taking a soul back, they made a deal- a single person a year, or you'll be back to your durance. No matter. Its all about what entertains The Others in the end. Cracked Sometimes a changeling goes crazy- either they lost their clarity, their soul, or both. Either way, they're not to be trifled with. Put them down or save them if you can, but don't trust them. Every dirty hobo has a story: do you think its real, or just there to keep you around? Fanatics Maybe, just maybe, the best answer to the True Fae is to kill the hedge and destroy all Wyrd. Can't hurt to mow the lawn every once in a while, right? Beyond Vampires and Werewolves exist? Are you sure they're not just odd changelings? Wyrd, huh? Some mortals even want to ask you about "Arcadia"- better to call it Wonderland or Narnia, in that case. A name is a name, don't we know? Just because a True Fae said it doesn't mean its the Truth, idiot. These are the few mentioned threats against the Fae. They all are potential enemies- meaning everyone you meet is a potential enemy. Pledge yourself for safety, or be destroyed by those that won't. pg70-71 gives us a nice picture of a wolf-person climbing a wall, and then a short fiction. Not every changeling remembers what they are doing, and a fugue state is an all-to-common response to the madness that takes hold. You're not yourself, bucko, but rather a piece of literal Fate using you to play-act the course of the universe. Might as well have fun while you're at it. (next time: character creation. Give me suggestions.) 1 - Your questions and complaints only feed them, Spergy McSupernerd.
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Jun 5, 2013 00:27
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50 Foot Ant posted:Want to know WHY the CS is human supremist who refuses to deal with DB's? Because of alien intelligences, that's why. I wouldn't go that far upon reflection; I think Zazshan is arguably much more tolerable than the Coalition. Oh, sure, I mean, Zazshan's a disembodied alien energy despot that wants to conquer the world, but it doesn't have the genocidal leanings of the Coalition - so far, it's been tolerant and inclusive. What's more, New Camelot is a much more progressive and advanced community - it doesn't have the horrific slums like Chi-Town had, and issues like crime and poverty are well under control. New Camelot also doesn't have a slave population like the Coalition does, either, unless you count tectonic entities as people. (I don't.) Hmmmm...  It isn't really clear what Zazshan's future plans are other than war with the Splugorth and world conquest. On the other hand, we know the Coalition eventually wants to put a gun to the brow of every D-Bee in America, keep the dog boys on leashes, and and violently exterminate all its immediate neighbors. Zazshan's a monster, sure, and his agents are cruel, repressive, and violent, but since it's so dedicated to looking good, it ironically ends up doing good as well. Mind, dating a human under false pretenses is pretty sleazy, but it's not genocide. Alien Rope Burn fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Jun 5, 2013 |
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Jun 5, 2013 01:00
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Rifts:™ England Part 11: “Champions of Camelot, now with more Nexus Knights” So now we get to the section about the Knights of Camelot who are not secret police, are treated like heroes, given discounts (“20% to 50%”) and otherwise pampered like small-town quarterbacks.  They also get petitioned for help all the time and tough guys gonna try ‘em. Some are more respected than others, and some, like the specifically named “Sir Dred,” may be considered nettlesome troublemakers. Sir Dred?  This is all part of Mrrlyn’s clever plan of course and he has staged several of their key victories to make sure they get extra famous. To be an official Knight of Camelot requires several feats of incredible heroics and living by the Code of Chivalry detailed below, there’s only a few hundred of them, most of them are fighters, and only 12% are women. When a Knight is becomes “official” (their quotes). Mrrlyn gives them a new knight-name, generally either directly or partially from the original Knights of the Round; the book includes a short list of names not already used, including ‘Egglame’. The Code of Chivalry is “very similar to that of the cyber-knights, however, it is important to understand that the cyber-knights are unique to the Americas.” Well that’s kind of a let-down, they’d seem like a natural fit. W’ev, on with the Code business. Serve the Crown and Country, live with honor and justice, don’t attack an unarmed foe--awesome, can’t shoot guns out of peoples’ hands anymore. “Never use a weapon on an opponent not equal to the attack.” This kind of excludes Glitter Boys from knighthood. “Never charge an unhorsed opponent.” Now that’s just dumb. “Never attack from behind.” I suppose that this is indeed honorable but given the incredible danger and immense power of some of the evil forces at play, some of these restrictions are really not practical. Also old chivalric codes were kind of written for knights against other knights, not peasants, or you know, monsters, to the extent that they were ever really followed at all. Anyway there’s several more bits about obeying laws, respecting women (specifically, twice) and being merciful and all that sort of thing--it’s very much a Victorian romantic conception of Chivalry, which is fine, since the Court of Arr’thuu is an alien plot based on a made-up romanticization of an alien plot according to this book. There’s a note at the end that not all of these rules get totally strict adherence, especially when dealing with supernatural foes, so that’s at least some understanding of how impossible those rules are to obey.  the idea of a good mech pilot earning a knighthood is cool to me, but i am not sure how the ‘unhorsed’ rule applies here, or which weapon it could use that ‘is not equal to the attack’ in some cases. also triax and coalition markings are hard to tell apart. From the Code we go on to details of Camelot’s military. Now, it has stated that “Official” knights of Camelot are treated kind of like celebrities but not what, if any “official” powers they get, or if they’re paid, or whatever. Getting into these troop listings, we see that there are 258 total Nexus Knights, 80 of which are “Ghost Knights” (explained shortly), 50 ‘Supremes’ (the shard ones) and 128 human. Then we get into ‘Other Troops’ (3500 total) which seems an odd heading for what should be “Actual Military Forces.” These mention “Knights of Nobility” so there is presumably some level of actual feudal stuff going on, along with “Rival Cavaliers,” whatever those are. This section is making me crazy, we really need to know more about New Camelot before they explain its army. They don’t even explain the army, it’s just this brief heading with force listings. Argh! Instead of going on to talk about New Camelot or give a statblock for Arr’thuu or any of the Champions of Camelot promised by this section, we instead go straight to Ghost Knights. These are a type of Nexus Knight that is actually a tectonic entity (see Conversion) animating a suit of armor. Mrrlyn can apparently control these as long as they are on British soil which is why nobody has noticed that a large number of the secret police are g-g-g-ghosts I guess.   i’m including this picture because it is one of several the Nexus Knights get, compared with all the other ‘Knights the PCs will want to be’ that follow. The Nexus Knight is detailed here, and you can’t play a secret traitor knight, you have to be loyal. Their actual OCC varies but is generally some kind of ‘man at arms’ type. They get some neat (well, as neat as Techno-Wizard stuff gets) devices and equipment, and of course the ability to travel unchallenged and make arbitrary arrests and the like. The Knights of Nobility get a little blurb to follow. They’re “A men’s club exclusive to humans, human-looking d-bees, and elves.” Wonderful. Wealth, lineage, and arrogance seem to be the requirements, though it’s hard to have too much lineage in Rifts Earth. This is basically a Knight-Fraternity that likes to party and gossip. They’re lead by a ‘Lord Chairing’ who is a right bastard though not actively evil. Just mean. The Rival Cavaliers are the group the PCs will probably actually want to join or at least hang out with, being a “rowdy band of adventurers.” Apparently the founders of the group have proven themselves a hundred times over but have never been elevated to true KoC status because of politics, looking too inhuman or ‘too undignified’ (gay? I have no idea what this means) to fit the image of the KoC. But that’s okay, they laugh and joke about it all the time and are not filled with simmering resentment of class- and speciesism.  The Rival Cavaliers are also specifically listed as “men and women” versus the others which are listed as “men” in the case of Nexus Knights though that isn’t made a specific requirement, and the Knights of Nobility which are a “men’s club” so presumably that is a requirement. They hang out with poor people and require a sense of humor and disregard for convention. This is sounding like the plot of Animal House but, you know, with plasma lances. There are stat-blocks given for a few notable members (“Pretty-Boy,” an elf bowman, “Silver Mane,” a wolfen headhunter, and “Kreb-lyrc the Gentle One,” an adult dragon (!)  i think this is supposed to be a picture of that dragon NPC in human form but I have no idea what the katana is about Alright then, next we get to a Knight OCC. The text here proceeds to explain that ”Rifts™: England” posted:The Knights of Rifts Earth are a little different than the knights of old. In ancient times, most knights were members of nobility -- landowners, kings, dukes, lords, and those of royal/noble lineage. Most were educated and wealthy. Okay, a lot of that is wrong but let’s keep going: ”Rifts™: England” posted:The knights of Rifts Earth are more like the Musketeers of old, men and women, humans and D-bee, trained in the ways of combat and the use of weapons, united by a common dedication to life, freedom, country and the codes of chivalry.  The Knight OCC wanders the land protecting the innocent in a world filled with cruelty. Okay, okay, sure. To become a Knight one usually becomes a squire, though “Some kingdoms” or groups of knights offers schools, or one can self-teach by trying to live up to storybooks. They wear MDC armor that is designed to look like medieval plate. Becoming a “Knight” in this sense seems to be a self-declared or community-approved thing rather than a civic title with responsibilities about maintaining two battle-ready horses and armor and and obligation of service, and the NGR is getting concerned about them because they’re all just a bunch of vigilantes. Also knights who manage to be ‘knights’ and then forsake chivalry are Black Knights and everyone hates them. This is making my brain hurt. The class itself is kind of a standard ‘man-at-arms’ class and the equipment is highly variable--they tend to have 1d4 stakes and mallet, but otherwise their weapons can vary tremendously--magic weapons can include “rune weapons (!), magic wands and staves, bio-wizardry (which they got from Atlantis somehow), techno-wizard devices, talismans and similar” or even modern weapons and explosives or, you know, whatever. The common thread is that they traditionally wear that MDC plate-styled armor which has 60-100 MDC and look like whatever kind of plate really, and maybe have a detachable jet pack. Or just wear power armor. Or big floppy hats with feathers capes and stuff, and hope they can withstand plasma fire. Really this class is super-vague, and as with many man-at-arms classes, the equipment makes all the difference in the effectiveness of the character. Likewise their vehicles vary from regular horses to one of several promised designs of Triax robo-horses, or just ATVs or jetpacks. 15% may ride an exotic animal like a pegasus but really there’s no other table or way to determine what you get--it seems like you just call yourself a Knight and you’re on the job. They can even choose two cybernetic (not bionic) implants if they desire.  This class is differentiated from the Royal Knight that follows it, and these are apparently actual children of nobility and wealth who still manage not to be dicks and try to use their power for good. They can be “kings, princes, lords and sons of the wealthy.” And maybe daughters but let’s not get too crazy--the major problem here is that we don’t know anything about any “kingdoms” that may be producing these individuals, not even New Camelot as yet. They get some better equipment and more money than the regular Knight and suggests that artificial enhancements are common among knights, “especially those from the New German Republic.” They have hereditary nobility? I assume it probably means children of plutocrats in that case but it’s still weird. Wait. No. A cyber-Habsburg! My next character is done. The last bit I’ll cover here is an optional background table for knights. This seems to be a table mostly intended either to keep people from playing Royal Knights, or just space-filler, but it does specifically mention “Son of nobility (women are dissuaded from such manly pursuits)” because  I guess, and various ‘son or daughter of some lowly profession/species that wishes to rise above their origins’. This does offer a few interesting suggestions for someone trying to think of a good distinguishing background for a ‘Knight’ character besides ‘Batman’ though it was clearly written and shoved in as an afterthought.And I’ll stop there. This one got long, but it’s a lot of words, randomly jumbled together. Next we get to statblocks for Arr’thuu and some of the actual Knights of Camelot and then in like six pages, New Camelot itself.
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Jun 5, 2013 01:13
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wdarkk posted:It looks pretty awesome, but if there are two USSR-in-supernatural-WW2 books in a row with no Lysenko I'm going to get pissed. I’m sorry, but I should tell you now there’s no Lysenko in DAR. If anyone was going to include Lysenko in their books, it was probably Ken Hite – dude loves to put obscure history in his games – but no such luck. Atomic Overmind Press is soliciting short DAR scenarios, so maybe you can officially add Lysenko to the setting. I can tell you that there is some weird stuff with Soviets and grain in a part of the world you might not expect.  Humbug Scoolbus posted:You just think that's Nope, sorry: there are a lot of  things in this setting, but flying a nuke into a 1,500 quintillion ton-snake’s eye has yet to be equaled. Consider the scale of the aftermath and tell me it’s not  as anything. Part Two In this update, we get into the rest of the Serpentfall chapter. This part is divided into three sections: The Serpent Dies, The Giants Revive, The Eagle Broken, and The Lion in Waiting. The first of these three sections establishes that Jörmungandr managed to do a lot of damage even after its death. quote:The Serpent’s head, its skull cored out by nuclear flame, kept moving toward Nuremberg where it had been Called, but its dead muscles overshot their mark. The head finally crashed to earth in Egypt—or rather, on Egypt. The coils settled across Central Europe and northern Africa, crushing much of the Sahara and most of the British Isles, “the Low Countries, western Germany and Austria, the boot of Italy, coastal Yugoslavia, [and] Southern Greece.” The ensuing earthquakes could be felt 100 miles away, and the parts that fell into the ocean set off a 100-meter high wave that smashed hard into the Americas. quote:New York, Washington, Boston, Charleston, Philadelphia, Miami (and poor low-sunk New Orleans) all drowned. Montreal and Cleveland and Chicago, and Veracruz and Houston and Caracas, were merely battered. Oh, and did I mention that the water was poisoned? The North wind caught a bunch of radioactive venom and blew it all west, and the ensuing storms ensured that the Eastern US got a double-dose of the stuff. Wherever the poisoned waters fell, mutants and monsters sprung up. Of course, some places fared better than others. Wales and Cornwall didn’t get smished, and neither did west France, Savoy, Eastern Europe, or Spain. (Portugal got hosed over by the tsunami, though). And things turned out great for the USSR: not only did the Serpentfall cripple the Western Allies while leaving Russia and Eastern Europe practically untouched, the earthquakes woke up the Narts, legendary giants of the Caucasus mountains. The greatest of these giants, Nasren, had been chained in the Caucasus by the gods he betrayed (there was a lot of cross-cultural pollination between the Greeks and the Circassians, so the latter got their own version of the Prometheus myth): it seemed natural for him to ally with the atheistic Communists. He and his other giant buddies – “Soslan of the steel body, Batyrez the invincible swordsman, Satanya the beautiful” and many more who went east – were hailed by the Party as bogatyrs and welcomed for their ancient knowledge of the dawn of time. For their part, the giants warmed up Russia, reviving the Ice Age megafauna and protecting the Soviets from the wintry weather that the rest of the world was forced to face over the past three years. The alliance isn’t rock-solid, however: quote:It is a shame, Stalin told each of them, looking at them with his wise brown eyes, it is a shame that your sons the Ossetians and the Ingush were killed to the last child by the fascists and the imperialists. It is a shame, they agreed, and their own icy eyes narrowed. The Soviet scientists also got a new substance to play with in Serpent venom, and have already made great strides in experimenting with “volunteers.”  America – or what’s left of it – can’t really challenge the USSR’s position: there are enough problems at home! The Pacific War is over: America’s fleets returned to protect the West Coast, and they struggle even to hold on to Hawaii. The Army’s Evacuation of ’46 ended poorly, so the states west of the Rockies are just trying to shore up and protect themselves. Washington and pretty much everyone in it is gone, so then-Governor of California Earl Warren became President of six of the fifty states (Alaska and Hawaii got statehood early) in a controversial election. Texas split off, because you can’t have an alternate history game without that happening, and “Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo, Birmingham, and Memphis” were among several cities in the so-called Poisoned Lands that survived by becoming draconian city-states who could kick outsiders to the curb. The British empire is somewhat better off: yes, most of the Isles will never see the sun again, but Wales, Cornwall, Australia, South Africa, the non-poisoned part of Canada, and a third of India live on to swear their allegiance to King Henry IX, who rules from Sydney. They reluctantly gave up the war with Japan in an armistice and the rest of India to an independent “Congress,” but what remains of the Empire is still going on. BP even figured out how to extract oil from the Serpent, and Royal Dutch-Shell refines it in their Welsh and Kenyan plants. The Royal Navy dives into the ocean rift the Serpent came out of, while the Royal Society speleo-herpetologists explore the inside of the great carcass itself and bring out things for Rhodes University in South Africa - now the premier academic institution - to study. The Rhodes researchers have used these things to develop new technologies, including the survival gear that Sir Edmund Hillary wore on his famous expedition to the top of the Spine. Vickers has also got French researcher Jean-Jacques Barre (whom I can’t find on Wikipedia) out of his country and scavenged some notes from Roswell and used them to develop rockets, which the Royal Rocketry Air Force (RRAF) use to shuttle the things to the researchers. Robert Menzies got to be Prime Minister a little early, and he and his government worry about Stalin’s cryptic hints of “a final titanic struggle” to come. Has the sun finally set on the British Empire? Only time will tell…  This letter establishes what we know scientifically about the Serpent. I’ll leave it to the boffins to interpret. There are also a couple of pop culture allusions in the letter as well, which I will also leave to the boffins. Next time: Character Creation (with audience participation)! EDIT:VVVVVVVVVVV Young Freud posted:What happened to Japan? It's kinda weird to just hear America backs off and Britain lets them have the Pacific without finding out what did Japan do in the aftermath? Gobble up the rest of Asia? Yes, but Hite doesn't mention that in this chapter. Pththya-lyi fucked around with this message at 03:21 on Jun 5, 2013 |
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Jun 5, 2013 02:24
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Pththya-lyi posted:This letter establishes what we know scientifically about the Serpent. I’ll leave it to the boffins to interpret. There are also a couple of pop culture allusions in the letter as well, which I will also leave to the boffins. I got the Brigadier from Dr. Who reference, but had to look up the Professor Challenger one as I was unfamiliar with Arthur Conan Doyle's other detective character. What happened to Japan? It's kinda weird to just hear America backs off and Britain lets them have the Pacific without finding out what did Japan do in the aftermath? Gobble up the rest of Asia?
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Jun 5, 2013 02:47
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Ars Magica 5th Edition: The Mysteries Revised The Knights of the Green Stone harken from the Rhine, home to the minnesingers, the great knightly poets, lovers and troubadours. The name comes from Minnesang, a form of lyric poem which German nobles of the last century have started writing to married ladies of higher rank, expressing their undying love and bemoaning the inevitable cruel rejection. It's basically a highly formalized form of courtly love, and the minnesingers also praise war, valor, tournaments and the manners of the perfect gentle knight. They were not, however, mere minstrels, but knights themselves who tried to live up to their poems. Also, often they were harpists. There are at present perhaps 300 minnesingers, and within them is a hidden Mystery Cult of Hermetic magi who bring their magic to bear as well as their knightly skills. These, the Knights of the Green Stone, extol the virtues of chivalry, love and heroism, embodying these virtues in a hunt for the Stone of Creation, a mysterious rock said to have fallen from Heaven itself before time began. Some say the stone is key to immortality, while others say it was a gem set in the brow of Lucifer before his Fall, sent flying to earth by a blow of Michael's sword. Others claim the stone was carved into the Holy Grail and will be found only when Jerusalem is forever secure in Christian hands. Still others claim the stone is from beyond the Lunar Sphere, and is the source of magic beyond comprehension, that it could reshape the world for its wielder. Magic stones that fall from the sky are hardly unknown. One is known to have given invulnerability in battle to Hubert de Bargh before its theft from his royal treasury. And of course there is the 11th century text Lapidary by the Bishop Marbode of Rennes, which speaks of magical uses of gems. Though there was some skepticism over such things, these lapidaries were defended by others, and it is said one book on them was penned by King Alfonso the Wise of Castile and Leon. The Knights were founded at the Wartburgskrieg, the Tourney of Poets, in the early 13th century, when the minnesingers competed at a German court for favor and honor. One competitor, Gunnar von Falster, was a Danish knight and a magus of Tytalus, a lover of challenge, romance and adventure. He recognized other magi in the tournament, and told the strange story he'd heard from a maiden in an enchanted castle within a regio in East Prussia. She had told him of the Green Stone, charging him to found a company of magicians of the highest virtue who would seek it out. The story was soon confirmed by strange omens, apparitions and a misshapen dwarf who came to the magi that night, leading a unicorn on a halter made of purest emerald. The dwarf told them that all they'd heard was true. And so, that very night, the cult of the Knights of the Green Stone was born. Despite the requirement that its members live as knights-errant, whatever their real background, as well as practice the arts of etiquette, music and charm, many magi of Jerbiton and Tytalus found the challenge and mystery irresistable. They swore vows of chivalry and romance, setting out on the quest. It is said that the Knights maintain a castle in the Rhine Tribunal's deep forests, where they hoard their secrets and perform initiations, yet no outsider can say if this is true. The Knights are less than 20 years old, still expanding and seeking to complete their quest. Some say it will be soon, while others do not foresee it for years yet. They have turned their attentions to the Baltic shores, following rumors of the Green Stone, while others have gone as far as the Levant and as remote as Loch Leglean Tribunal, the Hibernian Tribunal and Iberia. Wherever they go, strange magical beasts and omens seem to follow, guiding them ever on. The cult recruits largely from those fascinated by the epic poem Parzival, written by Wulfram von Eschenbach, a minnesinger. The poem is said to contain coded allegory about the Knights and their quest, and even symbolic directions to their Grail Castle. Outwardly, it is a tale of Sir Percival's quest for the Holy Grail, and it is rumored that the poem was actually written by Gunnar and handed to Wulfram via magic. The truth of this is open for debate, but there is no doubt that the Knights are quite serious in their quest, and highly skilled in Performance Magic (or, as they name it, Sorcerous Poetry). They also have a strange tradition of turning their shields into Talismans, and seem to feel that their personal heraldry dictates their role in the Great Adventure. All Knights are, first and foremost, magi of the Order. Despite their epic wanderings, they still spend much of their time at home, studying magic and working on projects, yet dreaming of their next change to go a-questing. Women are admitted as full members, provided they wear the arms and armor of men and pass for men while questing among the unGifted. They take on the role of knights, but swear no fealty to mundane lords - and, indeed, are expressly forbidden to do so. Their headquarters, the Castle of the Grail, is probably in the Rhine Tribunal, though some claim it lies elsewhere, so some believe it to be in a traveling regio. The cult refuses to say. The Knights have only three degrees, each of which allows up to three Initiations. Many choose to take more than on Initiation at each degree, but some move on quickly after their first. All members must play the role of knights, with all the public benefits thereof, though it is only a role. New initiates are Pages, taught the secret of Free Expression, that they might compose poems more readily. Once they compose a few, they may learn Performance Magic based on music and poetry, as well as training in the Art of Memory, unlocking the power of a Puissant Art of Memory, that they may never forget what they store within their memory castles. Above them are the Squires, expected to support and acompany the next degree. They may study Vulgar Alchemy, Hermetic Numerology and the Consummate Talisman. The leaders of the cult are the Knights, who meet each year to feast on the Pentecost and discuss the progress of their quests. They learn Planetary Magic, Potent Magic related to gemstones and the art of Hermetic Synthemata. Now, the book ends with a discussion of the problems of immortal magi. Basically, immortals resist change - including learning new skills or spells. The Living Ghost and the Great Elixir both render it very hard to cause permanent change to a magus, save via use of their Talisman. There are benefits, at least: the immortal magus, unless killed, will heal from any wound, even severed limbs. Immortals find it very difficult to initiate into further mysteries, but by enchanting their Talismans with special effects to bind changes in memory, they are able to improve their skills and learn new spells. High level spells are particularly difficult to bind in this manner. But, well, the benefits may outweigh that for you. You see, while any temporary and unbound change will fade over the course of a season, that includes wounds and lost memories. Unlike normal people, immortals heal quickly, and their wounds never worsen naturally. After a full season, all wounds will have healed completely, if they could not kill the magus immediately. This includes severed or destroyed limbs. Ghosts heal even faster - their wounds disappear within a day. Mental changes recover similarly, as does any magic that would remove permanent Might, unless it is enough to kill the immortal spirit outright. (The exception, of course, being when a ghost permanently burns their own Might for vis.) So...yeah, the only way to handle an immortal is to kill them outright, or else they'll be fine later. The End! Choose: Choices are: the True Lineage Houses of Hermes and their secrets (Houses of Hermes: True Lineages), the Mystery Cult Houses (Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults), more depth on Covenants (Covenants), the Societates Houses (Houses of Hermes: Societates), academic life (Art and Academe), the Church (The Church) or Germany (Guardians of the Forests: The Rhine Tribunal).
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Jun 5, 2013 03:04
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Pththya-lyi posted:Vickers has also got French researcher Jean-Jacques Barre (whom I can’t find on Wikipedia) out of his country and scavenged some notes from Roswell and used them to develop rockets, which the Royal Rocketry Air Force (RRAF) use to shuttle the things to the researchers. There's no English article, but there is one on French Wikipedia. I've heard of him as well. Before WWII he had developed a liquid fueled rocket and was a pioneer with cryogenic fuels. But the war interrupted his work, and by the end of it the German rocket scientists had eclipsed him. Barre helped recover some V-2 parts, and they were clearly much more advanced than his own designs - mostly due to having five more years and a lot more resources to work the kinks out. Barre worked on his designs for a while longer - until about 1951 - but the French decided to have German expats design their new rockets. He sort of resurfaced and got his just dues later when it turned out cryogenic propellants were ideal for large scale space rockets and got the recognition for his early work with them, but he's more or less a footnote in the history of rocketry. He did interesting work, but bad luck prevented him from ever having a large influence. It's sort of like the Betamax/VHS thing - Barre's work did the same things as von Braun's, but for reasons other than technical excellence the other technology won out and was the dominant form, and the one better remembered. In a timeline where von Braun and his fellows are crushed under the carcass of the Midgard Serpent, though, Barre would be the pre-eminent rocket scientist left alive. This also means rocket technology in DAR is going to lag somewhat behind the actual timeline. Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Jun 5, 2013 |
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Jun 5, 2013 03:23
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More cults! The Mystery Cult Houses (Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults)
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Jun 5, 2013 03:53
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Pththya-lyi posted:Nope, sorry: there are a lot of What I meant was that just flying the nuke in is , what happens immediately afterward is .
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Jun 5, 2013 04:09
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Comrade Gorbash posted:This also means rocket technology in DAR is going to lag somewhat behind the actual timeline. Not so, in fact! Remember, both the British and the Soviets are using Serpent venom and flesh to engineer new technologies. These inventions are known collectively as "ophi-tech," and I'll discuss them in detail when I get to the proper section of the book, but they've managed to create reliable jet packs, among other things. EDIT: Humbug Scoolbus posted:What I meant was that just flying the nuke in is Oooh.  Well then we agree!
Pththya-lyi fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Jun 5, 2013 |
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Jun 5, 2013 04:10
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For a changeling character, assuming I've got this right, have them be a person who was stuck with the role of talking toadstools, frogs, toads, salamanders and other slimey things while amongst the Fae and they may be the main architect of the troupes escape, possibly by saving someone they constantly saw in distress. Their end goal is to actually be the hero they were engineered not to be. Oh, and be slimey as all hell.
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Jun 5, 2013 05:09
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Yea changeling is best described as 'magical domestic/child abuse survivors prove their abusers wrong'.
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Jun 5, 2013 05:14
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Or right, for a given assumption of 'right'. And the level of abuse can be similar to, say, having been a minority in a hateful repressive society or having to care for a disabled relative on a poverty-level job. Domestic abuse is just the most obvious and effective metaphor.Tasoth posted:For a changeling character, assuming I've got this right, have them be a person who was stuck with the role of talking toadstools, frogs, toads, salamanders and other slimey things while amongst the Fae and they may be the main architect of the troupes escape, possibly by saving someone they constantly saw in distress. Their end goal is to actually be the hero they were engineered not to be. Got it. Gonna make that character. Anyone else while I'm writing?
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Jun 5, 2013 05:18
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Pththya-lyi posted:Not so, in fact! Remember, both the British and the Soviets are using Serpent venom and flesh to engineer new technologies. These inventions are known collectively as "ophi-tech," and I'll discuss them in detail when I get to the proper section of the book, but they've managed to create reliable jet packs, among other things. Didn't think that one through. Better rocket tech makes perfect sense for this genre. I was thinking from a pure-alt history perspective, since even though Barre was definitely talented, he was at least five years behind the Germans and all that tech was lost. But weird serpent science leading to super rocketry is way more fitting for a setting like this.
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Jun 5, 2013 05:19
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Voting for House of Hermes: Mystery Cults, let's talk Merinita baby.Gerund posted:Got it. Gonna make that character. Anyone else while I'm writing? Chatelaine butler with a worrisome facial scar who tries to submerge their lost mortal life and Arcadian trauma by completely immersing themself into the role of the perfect servant and really buying into the whole RenFair magical society of the freehold.
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Jun 5, 2013 05:58
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Kellsterik posted:Chatelaine butler with a worrisome facial scar who tries to submerge their lost mortal life and Arcadian trauma by completely immersing themself into the role of the perfect servant and really buying into the whole RenFair magical society of the freehold. More! More!
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Jun 5, 2013 06:04
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Grab bag of characters from games i've run or played in: A border coyote turned mythical Coyote who specializes in traveling the Hedge looking for recent escapees to guide back into the mortal world, possibly a Blackbird Bishop. Incredibly vain Fairest gangbanger and gender-swapped Dark Queen archetype who uses his glamour to turn the local chapter of the Latin Kings into enforcers for the Summer Court. Former B-movie stuntman who is turning into one of the monstrous urban legends he was once obsessed with, and using his special effects skills to help spread his legend as a Scarecrow Minister. Mall goth and Tim Burton enthusiast who saw Arcadia as a dream come true until it turned into a nightmare, loves speaking in riddles and rhyme and wearing top hats and long coats that look less ridiculous beneath the Mask, generally tries to Ogre who works a frustrating office job to support himself and his family and tries to avoid the unstable elements in the freehold, some days when the cubicle is closing in and bills are due and his wife is distant for some drat reason, he wonders whether this Changeling business is all an elaborate fantasy he's deluded himself into believing- or is his shell of a mortal life the delusion? The wife has a headache tonight but the Hedge pixies beg to dance with him from the bedroom mirror.. Kellsterik fucked around with this message at 06:30 on Jun 5, 2013 |
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Jun 5, 2013 06:22
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Night Cook from Holy poo poo Waffle House EDIT: A more detailed version: 
Pththya-lyi fucked around with this message at 06:45 on Jun 5, 2013 |
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Jun 5, 2013 06:33
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A struggling writer who comes back to find his Fetch is far better than he ever was at pretty much everything who spends all his time trying to become the Least Noticed Faedude.
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Jun 5, 2013 06:41
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As far as Changeling characters, it is an amusing exercise to recreate preexisting splats using the tools given. A friend of mine basically made a Vampire Changeling (GM was a crazy person and allowed just about anything that look interesting including a "sun elemental" in the same game). Obviously, there's some holes in the construction of said "Vamp-ling," but roleplayed right it would make for a funny wild card
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Jun 5, 2013 07:23
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I must ask how a sun elemental works, that sounds interesting. But uh not exactly vampire friendly. Maybe someone who was brought up as a cook for an ogre, growing into one of the man eating creatures itself, then fights his past by becoming this big ol' vegan cook?
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Jun 5, 2013 08:03
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 Countdown, Chapter 2 - GRU-SV8 GRU-SV8 is Russia's counterpart to Delta Green, except where Delta Green exists, but unofficially, GRU-SV8 is officially sanctioned, but barely exists. But I'm getting ahead of myself. GRU stands for Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie ("Chief Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff"). It was originally created in 1918 by Lenin at the urging of his head Commisar for War Leon Trotsky, and was originally known as the Registered Directorate of the Workers and Peasents' Red Army. GRU acted as the intelligence service for the Red Army, acting as a central storehouse for all front-line intelligence. Unlike most of the other Soviet intelligence services at the time (such as the Cheka), GRU had no mandate to police the citizens of the USSR, and in fact looked down on the spies that did as spineless lackeys of the Communist Party. This led to some tension between the groups, though GRU always remained subordinate to the others (due to political maneuvering). SV8 specifically has its roots in 1921, when fighting the Czech Legion in Siberia. A young Red Army lieutenant named Gregor Studnikov was assigned to put down an outbreak of cannibalism, ostensibly caused by the Great Famine. This proved to be problematic, as the cannibals didn't appear human, and those that began subsisting on human flesh appeared to turn into something less than human with surprising speed. Studnikov and his men wiped out all the creatures they found as well any who may have been partially 'changed', then burned all the bodies in a communal pit and set up guards around the local graveyard, apparently stopping the threat (though in reality doing nothing to the actual ghoul colony living under the town). Studnikov then wrote a report that left out anything out of the ordinary, and tried to move on with his life. Life had other plans, as he found himself tangled up with a pagan cult while assisting with disaster relief following the Blizzard of 1927. His work here brought him to the attention of the GRU and got him hired on. In 1928, engineers excavating under the Kremlin and Red Square broke into a previously unknown set of catacombs with contained, among other things, the lost library of Ivan the Terrible, rumored to contain a treasure trove of books of occult significance. Stalin immediately made moves to cover up the discovery, ordering all maps of the area redrawn, and having all workers at the site rounded up and shot. The library materials were then handed over to the NKVD for study, with predictably disastrous results (detailed in the long out of print Call of Cthulhu adventure "Secrets of the Kremlin". Seriously.) However, the program did manage to net Stalin a Greek version of the Necronomicon, along with a partial translation and enough curiosity to be dangerous. During this time, the disastrous experiments brought the attention of the GRU, who decided to create a unit with the (incredibly dangerous) task of keeping tabs on Stalin's occult explorations; the unit was off-the-books, but internally designated Spetsialni Viedotstvo 8 (Special Department 8). From 1931 to 1937, SV8 carefully watched NKVD's work with the Necronomicon, and were relieved to find they were getting nowhere. While they were prepared to wipe out the research team should the safety of the motherland fall into question, they were more than willing to bide their time, knowing that this would be suicide not just for SV8, but for the entire GRU. While the GRU did a commendable job of laying low during this period, they were eventually caught up in the Stalinist Purges in 1937. Every GRU officer above the rank of Colonel was killed, and 34 of the original 40 members of SV8 were purged (not because Stalin discovered their activities, but simply because they weren't his lackeys), including Studnikov. SV8 was abandoned, and the GRU would spend the next several years rebuilding. With the outbreak of WWII, GRU found themselves back in business. Through the Red Orchestra, GRU became aware of the Nazi's burgeoning interest in the occult, which led to the decision to reactivate SV8. No one left in the GRU truly knew what SV8 had been before, so they set it up as a think tank to produce propaganda and psychological warfare against the Nazi. However, during the restaffing the surviving members of the original SV8 were brought back, and they fully intended to use SV8's resources to fight the horrors they suspected were growing within Nazi Germany. Sure enough, it wasn't long before they discovered Sonderkommando H, and the fact that they may be toying with real power. In 1942, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, and SV8 struggled to stay active through the horrors of the Nazi advance. During the Siege of Leningrad, reports came in of cannibalism, along with isolated sightings of subhuman beings. SV8 recognized this from Studnikov's encounters in 1921, and were able to send in a team to destroy the creatures and cut off the ready supply of corpses. In 1943, the Soviet spy agency SMERSH broke off from the NKVD to become an independent organization reporting directly to Stalin and tasked with investigating the nation's own citizens for signs of spies, traitors, and deserters. However, they had a second, top-secret agenda: continue the NKVD's research into the occult. During this period SMERSH issued orders to capture any ghouls (classified as 'necrophagists') and hand them directly to SMERSH. SV8, knowing SMERSH's origins, was suspicious to say the least. They were unable to determine SMERSH's motives, but decided regardless to execute an assassination policy against the ghouls for fear of anything mythos-tained falling in to the wrong hands. Also in 1943, SV8 became aware of the newly rechristened Karotechia, through the odd rerouting of 'undesirables' to camps simply designated for 'test subjects'. From a Soviet POW, they heard an unbelievable story of prisoners that were herded into a cave and attacked by 'fish-men', only to be saved by French freedom fighters working together with a team of men who appeared to be American. They had trouble believing the tale, but knew if it were true, the Germans were close to something big. By 1945, the Soviets were pushing almost uninterruptedly into Germany, and more and more SV8 started to encounter Karotechia's use of dark magics on the front line. Several commanding officers fell to unexplained bouts of insanity. A squadron of Sturmovik attack fighters were nearly wiped out by 'bat-winged creatures'. But worst of all were what were termed 'resuscitated casualties'. First sighted in 1945, these walking corpses provided a huge hit to Soviet morale. SV8 was eventually able to locate and destroy the factories where Karotechia produced the chemicals used to make these, but they estimated in total 100,000 abominations were set loose, and there was likely more of the formula still in the wild. After the end of the war, SMERSH was ordered to find and capture any remaining abominations for study; Stalin was intrigued by the idea of a weapon that could create fearless inhuman monsters wherever he chose. It was around this time that Delta Green launched operation SUMMER BREEZE to make sure none of the Nazi's occult research survived. When they penetrated into the USSR chasing Nazi ex-pats, SV8 used the opportunity to launch their own attacks against SMERSH, using Delta Green as the cover story. Next time: the Cold War, the fall of the USSR, and modern day GRU-SV8
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Jun 5, 2013 09:12
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Mr. Maltose posted:A struggling writer who comes back to find his Fetch is far better than he ever was at pretty much everything who spends all his time trying to become the Least Noticed Faedude. Reminds me of the character I played for a few posts on this board, who was a punk who's Fetch turned into a famous sell-out rocker. The Fae made money playing in a cover band of his Fetch's band. Basically, Hedwig & The Angry Inch with Fae.
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Jun 5, 2013 09:13
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It's really the final insult. Not only were you taken, not only did they change you forever, not only did they replace you with a puppet, but they replaced you with a puppet who's better than you at being you.
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Jun 5, 2013 09:17
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I think I've got an eye injury from reading too many Rifts updates and rolling them too much. Uuuuugh.
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Jun 5, 2013 09:25
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