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Kavak posted:Is that the canon explanation? Because imposing a canon ending on Baldur's Gate is the thing I hate most about the Forgotten Realms setting. Yup! quote:The last known Bhaalspawn, Abdel Adrian, resisted the murderous impulses caused by his lineage and became a famed and beloved figure in the city of Baldur's Gate. Near the beginning of the era known as "The Sundering" another Bhaalspawn, Viekang, who was thought dead, attacked Adrian as he spoke to a crowd in the portion of town known as The Wide. The ultimate winner of the duel is unknown, although it matters not as the victor transformed into a massive, blood soaked creature and began a rampage which was only stopped when a group of adventurers new to Baldur's Gate defeated and killed the monstrosity. Robindaybird posted:There's gods and some concepts I like from Forgotten Realms, and I admit I have a soft spot for the setting due to CRPGs - from the Gold Box games to Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, but there's a lot of groanworthy poo poo. NWN and NWN2 are really my only exposure to the Forgotten Realms and I love Mask of the Betrayer for calling out the writers on their poo poo.
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Feb 7, 2016 06:44
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Black August posted:So is there a D&D setting where Wizards and Clerics and Gods are all just slaughtered the second an inkling of their existence arises, so the rest of the world can go about their fantasy nonsense in relative peace? Because reading all that is hilarious and tells me that every problem in those worlds comes from bad gods and worse wizards. Not really because a D&D Game without Clerics and Wizards isn't D&D. Though you might like Eberron since the main religions are a militant fire-and-brimstone "the world will only know true peace once everyone worships like us" religion that doesn't actually have a god. And a more cosmopolitan pantheon that wields divine power but hasn't actually heard from their gods in ever. In fact, the gods aren't really too picky on that whole alignment thing. Also wizards are respected for the power they wield but the guys who put magical power to mass produced and practical use are the ones who are celebrated. Yeah that's fantastic you can teleport yourself across the globe I MADE A LIGHTNING POWERED TRAIN AND AN AIRSHIP THAT RUNS ON ELEMENTAL FIRE!
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Feb 7, 2016 06:59
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Don't forget the 3.5 book Faiths and Pantheons which can best be described as "Holy poo poo we've got too many deities guys I can't keep them straight." Including the complete Elvish, Drow, Dwarven, Halfling, Orc, Gnome, and Egyptian pantheons. No I didn't misspeak. Somehow people from Earth-Egypt got transplanted into the Realms. Yes it's incredibly racist.
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Feb 7, 2016 07:10
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Black August posted:goddamn, and here I thought In Nomine had too freaking many celestial powers mucking about That's not even including the 50~ some 'human' gods that the other races still nonetheless worship. 4e killed off(or reduced in stature to the point that they're divine but no longer a real power) a very large number of them for simple bookkeeping reasons.
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Feb 7, 2016 07:18
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Kavak posted:I thought they just stole real gods like with Tyr, is it really done that racist? Do they actually talk about the Egyptian worshippers like their a different species, like the rest? Then again: Did we mention that Ed Greenwood is scum yet? quote:Mulhorand is one of the Old Empires in eastern Faerūn. The Mulhorandi were brought to Toril from Earth by the Imaskar Empire looking for some manpower. quote:The populace of Mulhorand is primarily composed of humans of three primary ethnic factions: the Mulan, the Turami, and slaves from Thay known as Tethens. Other races proved hesitant to follow the Mulhorandi pantheon upon the nation's founding, and were exiled at that time; the non human population remains low as a result. Mulhorand utilizes a caste system with three social classes quote:The people of Mulhorand are arrogant individuals that consider themselves better than any rival nation. Law is paramount to the nation's citizens, and change is avoided whenever possible. The government is run by the clergies devoted to the deities of the Mulhorandi pantheon, with the church of Horus-Re being foremost in power. However, despite the peaceful existence these priests seek to create, the different priesthoods are plagued by infighting, bickering, and struggles. These conflicts occur both within their individual orders and against those of other faiths. quote:Turami had flat faces with mahogany skin tones. Their hair was curly, and they tended towards muscular and tall builds quote:Mulan are typically tall and thin with a sallow skin tone and brown or hazel eyes. The writers of 4e said "oh gently caress no" and dropped a Continent on top of the whole thing, ending Mulhorondi rather definitively. I'll give you three guesses what happened during the lead-in to Fifth Edition and none of them count.
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Feb 7, 2016 07:54
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Kavak posted:I knew there was a reason the Forgotten Realms wiki was ignoring 5th Edition. Uhhh, I have bad news. http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Sundering_%28event%29 quote:The changes to the Forgotten Realms when 4th edition D&D were announced in 2006 were done without the consultation of Ed Greenwood or any of the main Realms authors. Despite entreaties not to go through with them, they happened anyway. Ed and R.A. Salvatore worked together to come up with a plan to fix the inevitable damage that these changes would cause. They came up with The Sundering It's flagged with a giant [citation needed] tag but the 5e people have come home to roost. Seriously Ao just invents a magic reset button and presses it and everything from 4e goes away except for Dragonborn and Tieflings because they're Kurieg fucked around with this message at 08:10 on Feb 7, 2016 |
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Feb 7, 2016 08:03
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Kavak posted:Eh, I guess that's just the impression I got from there being so little stuff from 5th Edition in most articles. Maybe it's just selection bias? There's so much poo poo in the forgotten realms that I'm sure not all of the articles got updated. Also all of this is contained entirely in the novels. Even the SCAG doesn't actually touch on what happened in between the Neverwinter Players Guide and 5e.
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Feb 7, 2016 08:12
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Rand Brittain posted:The book is called "Secrets of the Magister," is from 2e, and is not to be confused with "The Magister," which is about something totally different. Isn't that the one where the Elminster fucks all of Mystra's clergy, then is turned into a woman and fucks them all again because only lesbian sex can teach you the true meaning of magic?
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Feb 7, 2016 08:30
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Doresh posted:Doesn't Pathfinder's Golarion or some other setting feature the possibility of a normal elf becoming a drow? That's right kids, if you're evil, you will turn black! Yup, and it's a dark secret that the all powerful shadowy council of elf wizards works hard to hide from the outside world. Golarion is composed of equal parts "Hey that's kind of neat" and "Oh god why would you do this!?"
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Feb 7, 2016 17:43
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Crasical posted:
Yeah that's a thing that happened in the "Elminster - The Making of a Mage" Novel. And yes, it was written by Greenwood. It's where we learn that Elminster is actually a fighter/rogue/cleric/wizard/archmage and is descended from royalty and is amazing and super special and all the women in the world want him.
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Feb 7, 2016 23:54
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Basically 4e Forgotten Realms was them trying to pare down the setting cruft to make it easier for new players to jump in with absolutely no previous knowledge of the setting. They also took the opportunity to destroy or kill off a lot of problematic things in the setting. Unfortunately those are the things that FR grognards love.Libertad! posted:Serious question. Since 5th Edition is a return to earlier times both mechanics and setting wise, why didn't the writers just rewind the clock for the setting back to the Time of Troubles/Year of Wild Magic for 5th Edition? Because Salvatore and Greenwood both wrote books and they'd have to retcon out and it's far more satisfying for them to have the in-setting god line itemize all the ways in which the people you hate are wrong.
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Feb 8, 2016 01:27
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I think it's more that they couldn't get rid of the Drow because Drizzt is such an iconic part of the realms and the fanbase would transmute into an undulating mass of pure white-hot rage if they killed off the drow race. They were able to crush the Egyptians and depower the Thayans because they don't have nearly as much screen presence.
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Feb 8, 2016 07:21
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Oh I would like it, but Hasbro would have thrown a fit and 4e would have ended a lot sooner than it did. Well they were Wizard-racist, if you weren't a wizard you were chattel. Thing is 4e made a *lot* of changes to the world, mostly to break up and weaken the existing governments and allowing for player characters to actually do something beyond be the pawns of greater powers (primarily all the loving wizard nations because they'd been riding high on the Mystra train). quote:
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Feb 8, 2016 07:38
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senrath posted:There weren't really enough openings. Too many nations/organizations in the Forgotten Realms were full of what were effectively max level wizards. The Neverwinter you see in NWN2 would have been a really good city of adventure, since the leadership has been decapitated and there's so much that's been destroyed and lost. They never really wrote about it in the 3.5 books though, and by the time you see it in 4e it's been doubly hosed by the spell-plague, Neverembers Mismanagement, and about 30 civil wars.
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Feb 8, 2016 17:13
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RocknRollaAyatollah posted:I imagine it could be cool if the writers just wrote about the setting in a way that let the setting stand on its own and went full on Castlevania, Ghouls n'Ghosts, Demon/Dark Souls, or Bloodborne. I think market trends have shown you can do a horror RPG without it being full on 90's White Wolf. That's the glyph for Wolf overlaid over it self to represent them being "Born" from Fenris. It looks a lot less out of place in black and white and next to the other tribal glyphs. In red and repeated over and over again it's just...  Why did they do that for the german copy? The english versions had cut-outs on the front covers in the shape of the tribal glyphs so you could see the first page of the intro comic underneath. unseenlibrarian posted:Eberron has an entirely different set of planes that don't really match up with the Planescape model and aren't really alignment-based, for a start. Like Doluurh -could- be Carceri if you twist a bunch of things and squint, but not really. And some of alternate planar stuff is directly tied to setting backstory for one of the PC races. Some of them have alignment components it's just that beyond Davani and Kythri there isn't a "Plane of Good" or "plane of Evil" one note thing.. Davani, the perfect Order is Law aligned, Fernia, Xoriat, and Risia are mildly evil, To say Kythri is chaos aligned is an understatement, Shavarath's alignment changes depending on who's winning in the local area. Syrania is strongly good,
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Feb 10, 2016 16:04
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Alien Rope Burn posted:Probably just practical reasons, the German publisher may not have been working with a printer that had the ability to do die-cut covers, or it may have just been too expensive. Honestly, considering that their 1st ed portrayal was edgelord neo-nazis it was probably at least somewhat intentional. They're still probably one of my favorite revised tribes because of how far they move away from their unfortunate starting point. Unlike the Fianna or Wendigo 
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Feb 10, 2016 16:35
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Zereth posted:I'm wondering why Choirs on the far end from humanity of the Humanish <-> Inhumanish scale, like say for example cherubs have gender identities at all. I'm guessing the reason why she has such a strong female gender identity is because it means that the strongest in-universe supporter of the Muslim faith is a woman. Which, at least in 97, was probably "edgy".
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Feb 11, 2016 06:06
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Black August posted:Oh this wasn't 97, buddy. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
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Feb 11, 2016 06:25
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Black August posted:Oh, I remember reading about WoD and its uhhhhhh, unfortunate gypsy fascination. I think most of this blame can be laid at the feet of the great MR*H, who created the Ravnos as a clan of shadowy Gypsy Vampires who's clan flaw was that they were all thieves and criminals. And since they were all shadowy and evil they had powerful blood magic that allowed them to turn shadows into illusions and was generally one of the most broken Diciplines in the game. On top of that they also had a Clan-Only morality path called the Path of Paradox who's hierarchy of sins basically amounted to "Murder everyone and don't obey any rules because you're amazing and badass". And they had ties to the Kuei-Jin because the Romani are of Indian descent so now Ravnos are actually the degenerate members of a more noble clan of vampires. At some point along the way WoD Gypsies came about and it's focus on blood purity and "it's okay to steal from the Gadje" created a racism feedback loop that got so bad that the prequel books to Revised killed off all of the Ravnos, hard*. *Ravnos Antideluvian caught in a Week Long battle with the most powerful Kuei-Jin in existance followed by having a spiritually awakened nuke dropped on the site and a series of orbital mirrors shining the entire earth's quantity of sunlight down on the battle site. Then without an Antideluvian all the Ravnos fell into a Diablaruic frenzy and there's basically only 3 of them left AND YOU DON'T GET TO PLAY AS ONE SO DON'T EVEN ASK.
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Feb 13, 2016 01:26
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gradenko_2000 posted:Wait, I thought Ravenloft was an AD&D thing? Why are there feats already? This is the 3rd edition guide written by White Wolf's d20 imprint.
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Feb 13, 2016 01:55
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Doresh posted:You know you're setting is effed up if you have to go through Bleach-style length of bullshit just to off one dude. The Antedeluvians are basicaly the most powerful individual physical beings on the planet. Because level 10 disciplines are basically plot devices. The Gangrel Ante can shapeshift into the sun for gently caress's sake. You aren't meant to fight them and the whole point of the Masquerade is to not gently caress up the world so terribly that those assholes wake up. It's like how in Werewolf the Eater of Souls tried to physically manifest in the world and it took the sacrifice of an entire tribe to stop it. Not kill him, stop it.
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Feb 13, 2016 10:28
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 Chapter 1 Pt.1:Lore of the Wyrm After the intro, it's time for some backstory, and by "some" I mean "A lot".  Back when the world wasn't completely hosed up, and the Wyrm wasn't corruption incarnate. The Wyrm, Weaver, and Wyld existed in harmony. The Wyld is creation incarnate, generating matter and energy in an endless profusion. The Weaver is order and stasis, imposing form on the Wylds creations to prevent them from being an endless mutating multitude. The Wyrm, was the balancer between the two. It hedged in the other two if they ever grew too powerful, preventing creation or stasis from taking over the world. Thus the entirety of existence continued for a nameless eternity. Of course, something had to change eventually. Somehow, for some reason, the Weaver became self-aware. It looked at the entirety of creation and saw no meaning in its structures. It wanted more, but that pesky Wyrm kept on destroying what it created. So it snared the Wyrm in its webs. Trapped, and unable to maintain balance between the Wyld and the increasingly ambitious Weaver, the Wyrm went mad. It lashed out in an orgy of random destruction, but even in this the Wyrm was limited. Since it couldn't just flat out consume anything anymore, it learned to use its prison in its work. Pulling at the strings, twisting the Weavers creations so that they would destroy those around them, and eventually themselves. The Wyrm had found Corruption. The Wyrm had become corruption. Entropy, death, and destruction weren't anything new, they're a part of the cosmos and have been occuring for as long as the dance of the triat had been going. But Corruption was new, and with it came new tricks. Parasites, autoimmune diseases, and cancer all became more virulent than they had previously been. Toxins that could rend the fabric of the umbra itself and affect spirits came into being. The Wyrm also created corruption incarnate, radiation. Which... radiation is just a thing that happens when elements decay. So as long as elements have existed there should have been radiation. But it's a conceit that's been with Werewolf with the beginning so just go with it.  The Triatic Wyrm As the Wyrm struggled in the pattern web, the strands pulled tighter cutting it to pieces. Which tore each other into other, smaller pieces. These pieces gained their own desires, and became aware on their own. The Garou call these pieces the Hydra, and one of the first acts of the trapped Wyrm was to use the Hydra's many heads to make contact with potential allies, leading them to where the Wyrm was imprisoned, the corrupted realm of Malfeas. Every creature acting in the Wyrm's service actually serves one of the Hydras three heads. But what the Garou do not know is that the heads of the Hydra is a separate entity, connected to the others only through the bulk of the Wyrm itself. They don't communicate, and often end up in conflict as each tries to do the job of destroying reality in their own way. The savvier Garou have managed to engineer these situations, making sure that none of them actually get their way. Beast-of-War: The Calamity Wyrm The Beast-of-War is a corrupted reflection of the Wyld. In every way that the Wyld is a force of creation the Calamity Wyrm is a force of destruction. In its purest form it is absolute devastation without possibility of regrowth or healing. It is also the manifestation of the Wyrms desire to be free of the Weaver. A mindless beast motivated by an unrestrained appetite for violence and an unending hunger for destruction. The Silver Fangs have a legend of a time in the ancient past when they prevented the Beast-of-War from manifesting, though this appears to have been its only attempt. Thats mostly because it doesnt have to. Every war feeds it, every time a member of the Changing Breeds gives in to Rage it gets a little stronger. When battle lines are drawn and you cant tell friend from foe it is the Beast-of-War you have to blame. Eater-of-Souls: The Consuming Wyrm Eater-of-Souls is a mockery of the Weaver. Mindlessly consuming everything in a vain effort to free the Wyrm. It is greed and obsession, it is that voice in the hearts of jealous lovers who kill their partners rather than see them be happy with anyone else. Physically it manifests itself in cancerous tumors and wasting diseases like HIV. It is also the most active of the Hydra in that it seeks to satisfy its hunger. In the sixteenth century A.D. it even attempted to manifest in the physical world, and it took the sacrifice of an entire Garou tribe to stop it. The Defiler Wyrm The Defiler Wyrm is the Wyrms twisted reflection of itself. It is manifested self loathing turned outward in an effort to bring everyone else down with it. It is insidious and powerful, seducing and tempting people into all manner of self destructive actions. Suicide, addiction, self-mutilation. It is the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. Its also the only Wyrm who lacks a Maeljin servant and has not tried to manifest physically. It probably thinks it beneath itself. Urge Wyrms Trapped in the Web and unable to act, the Wyrm yearned for release. These desires fed on its desperation and panic until they became separate entities unto themselves. The Garou call them the Urge Wyrms. Urge Wyrms are emotions taken to a pathological and self destructive extreme. Someone touched by the Urge Wyrm of Despair not only has all his feelings of despair magnified, they seep into him for weeks and months, eventually becoming a constant part of him, finally consuming him utterly. They are the most active of the Hydras heads, but as creatures of pure emotion they lack a physical form. A fight against an Urge Wyrm is a personal one, fought in your mind and heart. This means the Garou are ill equipped to fight them directly, though there are rare and powerful rituals that can shield people from their influence such things are usually the endpoint of a lifetime of searching. The Maeljin Incarna Not being able to manifest physically doesnt stop them from having representatives, though. The Maeljin Incarna, or more simply the Dark Lords, were all once human. But posessed by an Urge Wyrm to such a great degree that it transformed them into an avatar of spiritual corruption and malfeasance. Though as a part of the Wyrms body, they too are more driven to fight against each other than cooperate. Each Maeljin serves in their position until it either fails in its duties or a more powerful avatar replaces it. They can be killed but such acts of transgression are usually so vile that their murderer immediately becomes their replacement. Even barring that a new avatar would eventually arise, but the world might be free of their influence for a year to a decade. According to the legends, each Maeljin has a unique weakness. Someone who knows this weakness could destroy a Dark Lord and prevent it from rising for over a century - if they dont destroy it outright. Destroying a Maeljin Incarna also weakens the associated head of the Hydra, and until it gains a new avatar its influence in the world would be weakened. Though actually exploiting such a weakness would be difficult to exploit. Not to mention that killing a Maeljin in such a way would probably be a great undertaking. Doubly not mentioning that discovering such a weakness may be just this side of impossible. Humans wishing to serve the Wyrm often approach one of the Incarna and pledge loyalty to them. Black Spirals prefer working through their totems as they find the Maeljin Incarna too prone to infighting. And Pentex hates the Maeljin Incarna because theyre at roughly the same level in the Wyrms power structure. Smart employees will pledge their service to the board of directors. Very smart employees will game an Incarna to replace the board of directors. Foebok, the Urge of Fear If the legends are to be believed, the first Urge Wyrm. Born of the Wyrms terror at its captivity, it magnifies fear into mindless panic and all consuming dread. Since it is such a primal emotion it lacks a Maeljin Incarna. The Black Spirals are able to call upon its power through their totem Hakaken, the Heart of Fear. Vorus, the Urge of Greed Born of the Wyrms scrabbling at everything in reach. The grasping for anything avaliable became Vorus. Victims of this urge find that everything they obtain just inflames their desire for more. Conspicuous consumption and the drive of the ultra-wealthy to increase their worth are both the hand of Vorus at play. He has no Incarna, because sharing consciousness with another entity is just as antithetical to it as any other form of sharing. If you need further inspiration  this guy. Though in fairness, Vorus did come first Mahsstrac, the Urge of Power Mahsstrac is the desire for dominance and control, not as a means to an end but as an end in themselves. Under Mahsstracs gaze they lose sight of their original goals and become obsessed with expanding their power and retaining what they have. It has no Maeljin since it lives in the heart of everyone who selfishly serves the Wyrm. The Black Spirals can call upon its strength through the Green Dragon. Karnala, the Urge of Desire Karnal is untamed desire. It can attach itself to any goal, but once attained its victims quickly find something else that they must pursue. It feeds on yearning, not attainment. They are also blinded to anything beyond their desires, especially long term consequences. In many ways it is the opposite of Vorus. A Gambler in Vorus thrall would not risk anything unless they were assured of a win. One under Karnala would risk anything just for the next thrill. The Countess Desire, Empress Aliara Rumored to have originally been a popular courtesan during Caliph Haroun al-Raschids reign, she has a profound understanding of peoples innermost desires and spurs them to act on them with reckless abandon. She appears as the ideal object of desire to whomever she speaks. An incarnation of wanton sexuality, maternal nurturing care, or the most loving child imaginable. When she wishes, everyone she deals with sees her differently. And while everyone desires her, she sees others as nothing more than disposable tools. Destruction: Aliara can only be destroyed by someone she desires. They must be under her influence, temporarily resist her charms, and while seemingly captivated by her, declare fealty. Then they must steal a weapon from her collection and use it to deliver a killing blow. The major problem being that the influence and fealty are both true. They are in service to the Wyrm, and failing in their task means that they are bound to her for eternity. Aliara has a ever growing collection of would-be assassins. Abhorra, the Urge of Hatred Born of the Wyrms hatred for the Weaver. It is pure and potent loathing in search of a target. In its grip dislike and discomfort turn into disgust and rage. Every action taken by the object of their loathing is a threat worthy of retaliation, and so Abhorra spreads. The Duke of Hate, Lord Steel The current Lord Steel was once a conquistador who sacked the natives of Central and South America, eternally clad in black armor and a contorted mask of black steel. He thrives on all forms of hatred, but especially that directed at large groups of people. His devotees offer him sacrifices of burnt flesh in hopes of gaining vengeance on their rivals. He cares nothing for the political maneuverings of the other Maeljin, lost amid a sea of his own ever shifting hatreds. He leaves his throne only to lead his Bane armies in war. Destruction: Some believe that only an Innocent challenging Lord Steel to battle can defeat him, but an Innocent would merely die. Others believe that only one filled with Hatred for Lord Steel can defeat him, but such divine hatred would merely replace him. The only thing that can defeat Lord Steel is himself. A would-be Assassin must remove his black mask, weakening him by revealing the rather ordinary looking human face within. Then he must be captured and brought to a well-lit chamber with mirrors in all directions, forcing him to always look at his own face- the shock of which will keep him contained. After a full lunar month imprisoned in such a fashion he will rip himself apart in self-loathing, dying in the process. Of course his aforementioned bane army will be tracking him during said lunar month. Angu, the Urge of Cruelty Believed to the be the foul offspring of Abhorra, Angu seeks to inflict the Wyrms pain on others. Its touch erodes sympathy and compassion. Victims first try to justify the suffering they cause but eventually even that falls away in their enjoyment of suffering for sufferings sake. The Caliph of Pain, Lady Aife Aife was once a torturer for the Spanish Inquisition. She cares only for inflicting as much suffering as possible, sometimes seeking advice from the Countess of Desire to find out what her victims care about most. She threatens to destroy these objects to both torture her victims, and to force them to torture others lest their desires crumble. She appears as a beautiful woman who sends shards of glass flying every time she tosses her flaming read hair. She rides a steed made of rusted metal and wields a pair of jagged glass whips. Destruction:Only something that is aware of pain but entirely indifferent to it can kill her. A pattern spider, or the Nameless Angel of Despair are two examples, but actually motivating such an entity to kill her is almost impossible. Baashkai, the Urge of Violence Second only to Foebuck in its relation to primal emotion, Baashkai begins as a drive to use excessive violence in some situations and becomes a desire to use violence as the first and only answer to all problems. Unlike Abhorra, it is not motivated by hate, nor by Angus suffering, it is violence for violences sake because a problem cant bother you if its dead. Chieftan of Rage, General of the Armies of the Wyrm and Patron of Abuse, Hellbringer. As an incarnation of brutality, this Maeljin serves both Baashkai and the Beast-of-War. Hellbringer is the general of the armies of the Wyrm and the patron of abuse. Anyone struck by a bolt from his crossbow attacks whoever is nearest. He has never been defeated in battle and were one to try, they would surely replace him. hellbringer has another face, that of Malik Harjaq, the Master of Mayhem - a Viking berserker with a dozen arms each wielding a different weapon. Destruction:Obviously you cant kill these guys in battle. Hellbringer must find himself in a situation where he is entirely alone and compelled to stab himself with his own crossbow bolt. Thus enticed to kill himself he must be provided with a weapon sufficiently powerful to do the deed. But everything must be by his own hand. No one else can wield the weapon or engineer the bolts path. Malik Harjaq periodically sates himself in a post-battle revelry, where he must be killed by a potent Wyld-poison, the recipe of which is a well-guarded secret for reasons. Khaaloobh, the Urge of Consumption The most mysterious of the Urge Wyrms, it goes by names such as Consumption, Indulgence, and Decay. In all ways though it is a breakdown of order, in the mind, will, emotions, or body. This progressive collapse has brought about the downfall of many of the Wyrms minions as well as its foes.  Knight Entropy, the Wyrms Spawn The Knight Entropys gaze rots its target and its touch turns people and targets to duch. It never negotiates, even with its fellow Maeljin, and its impossible to coerce and control. Instead, anything or anyone pure, honorable, or perfect attracts its deadly gaze. It appears as a fearl human of indeterminate gender wearing the tattered remains of a crusaders amor. Destruction:The only thing that can destroy Lord Entropy is the pure and creative energies of the Wyld. Directly exposing it to the Flux realm would instantly Kill it. Alternately some of the changing breeds could figure out a way to channel several Caerns into a single powerful site. If he tries to drain such a Caern of its power, as he has so many others, it would surely obliterate him. Pseulak, the Urge of Lies Lying for gain, convenience, or the enjoyment of deceit feeds Pseulak. It always starts out small, a few lies of convenience that lead to a habit, and eventually a web of falsehoods so complex and cloying that the victims only choice is more lying. The spiral of hypocrisy causing them to lie to everyone, even themselves. The only falsehoods that do not serve Pseulak are the deceptions inherent in the natural world - Camouflage and feints used by hunting animals. Corruptions Advocate, the Chamberlain of LIes, the Honorable Main duBois, Esquire The most accomplished liar in any realm. He most often operates by convincing others to act for him, especially previously innocent politicians and bureaucrats. He dresses in an old fashioned suit that is tattered and drenched in slime, and he is constantly followed by a fluttering storm of paper and papyrus. Destruction:Profiting at his expense when negotating a contract with duBois is merely a way to take his place. To destroy him someone must make him sign a contract that requires him to forfeit his title if he fails to uphold his end of the bargain. Beyond that no one else can profit from either his success or failure. If he cannot uphold his end of the bargain he instantly ceases to exist. Sykora, the Urge of Paranoia Allied with the urges of Fear and Hatred, Sykora causes personal failure and random misfortune to appear to have malevolent causes. Some retreat from the world, but Sykora encourages those who lash out at phantom enemies. The lack of trust and narcisistic view that the victim is the center of a vast conspiracy are like sweet wine to her. The Archbishop of Madness, Doge Klypse A short and pudgy man with a round hairless head and sunken mad eyes. He is dressed in black robes threaded with a hypnotic purple pattern, and forces his victims to kiss a ring made of a shiny purple tumor. Said kiss drives them insane. The Doge also becomes lost in bouts of madness where he kills everyone around him. Destruction:Rumor has it that, somewhere in Malfeas, there exists a small box that contains the name and memory of the last person Doge Klypse trusted before he became an Incarna. If this box is found and opened the memory will return to the Doge rendering him temporarily incapable of being Sykoras representative. Suddenly mortal he must perform an hour-long ritual to purge the memory into a new box, during this ritual he is vulnerable. Gree, the Urge of Dispair Gree devours its victims will, destroying their desire to act or take control of their lives in even the smallest ways. The most common result of possession is Suicide, either through deliberate action or passive neglect. The Nameless Angel of Despair The patron of suicides, it can manifest in many places at once and feeds on sadness. It cannot speak, communicating only in the negative emotions it projects, and has the innate ability to appear wherever its presence would push someone over the edge. It takes no part in Maeljin politics but all the Wyrms servant fear its gray robes and the cold, dark despair that comes with it. Destruction:The Nameless Angel is the source of the Harano that sometimes grip the Garou, but this Harano is also its weakness. To destroy the Nameless Angel the Garou once created a legendary ritual to fill themselves with hope and rage. This rite can only work at a Concolation, a grand moot of Garou from far and wide. Garou from three different septs must simultaneously work part of the ritual at their caerns. At the end of this ritual they howl their rage at the Wyrm in one terrible instant. This surge of emotion is the Nameless Angels undoing. Unfortunately the details of this ritual are lost to time - and once the ritual occurs the Angel will know exactly what is happening and work to stop it. Lethargg, the Urge of Apathy The child of Gree replaces will with a growing loss of feeling. Its victims grow indifferent to the lives and suffering of others and then stop caring about their own lives. The most fully possessed lose themselves to catatonia or fall into comas. Today, Lethargg causes the masses of humanity to ignore the horrors and injustices of everyday life. Better to ignore anything beyond the immediate scope of your life, nothing you can do will improve the world. Unsurprisingly, Lethargg is one of the more successful Urge Wyrms. The Master of Stagnation, Lord of Disease, Thurifuge Devoted to plagues, stagnation, and water pollution, Thurifuge has devoted himself both to Lethargg and the Eater-of-Souls. He both fosters illness and pollution and encourages those around him to ignore it. He appears as a tall, lean man with corpse-like skin that has an oily shine, and a fetid pool of slime surrounds him even in the cleanest of places. Destruction:Somewhere in the world at a powerful caern there exists the spring of the purest healing water in the world. Splashing a few drops of this on Thurifuge will weaken him enough for an attacker to drown him in the springs waters. But they only have once chance, if he does not drown when immersed in the spring he will pollute it, forever destroying both it and the Caern. Elemental Wyrms As the Triatic Wyrm is a corrupted reflection of the Triat, the Elemental Wyrms are hideous mockeries of the four sacred elements. The Maeljin of the elements were never human, but are elevated from the strongest elementals of their type. Hoga, the Essence of Smog Hoga is corrupted air. Noxious fumes that corrupt or poison all who breathe it. It manifests in the physical world in exhaust from cars and factories, and the foul smoke from burning refuse. Limited exposure produces shortness of breath and muddled thoughts, while larger amounts cause breathing disorders like asthma and fatal lung diseases.  The Master of Smog, Lord Choke Lord Choke enjoys both the metaphorical smothering of a persons freedom as well as the literal smothering of, you know, choking. He commands his servants to clog the air with smog and smoke, and he delights equally in stalled rush hour traffic and burning oil wells. Destruction:Only the four most powerful air elementals working together can disperse Lord Choke. Of course they all hate each other, and Lord Choke can defeat any one of them singularly. Furmas, the Essence of Balefire Balefire is both the corruption of fire and the spiritual representation of radioactivity. It is the Wyrms blood and it twists whatever it touches, its also found naturally in isolated pockets deep within the earths crust. Unsurprisingly this is the Black Spiral Dancers favorite element. The Master of Hellfire, Lord Kerne Kerne has grown fat on the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters. Although his spirit form seems cadaverous and frail, he is composed of tainted lava and his breath is atomic fire. Destruction:To destroy Lord Kerne he must first be frozen solid, and then his frozen form must be encased in lead. Such encasement must be complete and finished within an hour, or he will melt his prison. Even once defeated if anyone breaches his prison he will spring back to life, so have a good hiding place in mind. As an aside, i do appreciate that the lord of radiation can only be contained and remains a danger even after defeat, since this is a real problem that were trying to find a solution to How do you communicate to future civilizations that youre hiding something actively dangerous and not delicious delicious treasure? Hrugg, the Essense of Sludge The corrupted earth, Hrugg represents the solid portions of the Wyrms body. It lives in the toxic dumps and landfills, and its nature turns everything it touches into more sludge. And it Makes victims cling to their beliefs even when presented with clear evidence that disproves them ..what? The Master of Sludge, Lord Collum Collum is a creature of raw sewage, his influence extends throughout the sewers of all cities allowing him to gather a great number of secrets. It tries to corrupt all the dwellers of the sewers, including the Ratkin, Nosferatu, and..well.. whatever else is there. He is the consort of Lady Yul, fertilizing her toxic eggs and adopting some of her darker children. He appears as a roughly humanoid figure made of raw sewage. DestructionYou must find the seeds of five rare magical plants that posess a supernatural ability to purify toxins, then plant them within lord Collums body. Over three days he is slowly transformed from a sewage to a plant elemental. But if sludge elementals can capture him they can reverse the transformation because thats what sludge does. Wakshaa, the Essence Toxin Toxin is corrupted water, as well as the remnants of the not-blood liquids in the Wyrms body. It physically manifests as a brightly colored chemical poison. And can be found in any number of industrial chemicals and corrupted street drugs. In large doses it kills instantly, in smaller doses it causes mental and physical instability. The Mistress of Toxins, Lady Yul The Maeljin of Toxins in all forms, from drugs to poison and acid. As in literal acids. Shes a veritable database of genetics and biochemistry so agents of the Wyrm sometimes ask her to create custom organisms for them, sometimes in such specific ways as to create an organism that breathes carbon monoxide instead of oxygen. And she always has enough eggs in her to birth a small army if needed. Destruction:Legends hold that theres an herb known as Moly that is an antidote to all poisons, and could cure Lady Yul. But it exists now only within the deep umbral realm of Pangaea. The Mokolé or Nuwisha might be able to help find it, but harvesting it is as dangerous a task as any visit to a realm populated by dragons and gryphons would be. And she has to eat it. So good luck.  The Wyrm In the Umbra Though the Wyrm may be bound in Malfeas, its influence is long reaching in the umbra and Penumbra. Blights Blights are umbral manifestations of human misery and suffering. They appear in locations where people live in dehumanizing conditions, like the worst housing projects, slums, labor camps, and prisons. Their suffering shapes the umbra, turning it into a featureless arid land devoid of life beyond a few banes. Most buildings dont have umbral reflections, and those that do appear as large featureless blocks. The ones that do resemble their physical counterparts are foci of extreme negative emotions, meth labs, crack houses, brothels where the hookers are enslaved by pimps, etc. Their umbral reflections are twisted and malevolent, burned, broken at the very least. They are filled with banes that feed on the suffering within and encourage more to perpetuate the cycle. Sometimes a building associated with a positive emotion will show up in a blight, like a church or a popular community center. Banes steer clear of these places and they can be refuges for those trapped in the Umbra. Creating more beacons of hope in a Blight can shrink or destroy it, the reverse is usually more common. If Wyrm spawn destroy the umbral reflection, its physical counterpart will usually fall out of favor in the community. It is in the Garous best interests to keep that from happening. Hellholes These are the reflections of toxic waste dumps, nuclear testing ranges, and the sites of industrial accidents. They were once blessedly rare but theyre becoming increasingly common. In the Umbra they appear as scorched deserts where the cracked rocky ground allows subterranean toxins to boil up from toxic pits. Others appear as tar pits, stagnant lakes, or oily mud flats. The remains of dead animals and trees litter the landscape even though no earthly creature could leave them. In some hellholes the sky is lit by burning gases in others the sun is replaced with a ball of banefire. Either way any nature spirits that wander into a hellhole are quickly killed or corrupted into banes. Banes are attracted to Hellholes even more than blights, particularly elemental banes, and each Hellhole is unofficially consecrated by one of the Elemental Maeljin, depending on its earthly composition. As with Blights, its possible to cleanse a Hellhole either from the Umbra or the Material realm, but it can be the work of a lifetime, if not longer. Calumns: Wyrm Domains Calumns dont correspond to physical locations, instead they represent strong ties to one of the Urge Wyrms. They manifest in the near umbra and anyone who stays there too long finds the emotion becoming increasingly prevalent, if not becoming entirely tainted by that particular Urge Wyrm. Powerful Banes rule most Calumns, and the entire domains landscape warps to better suit the emotion represented by the Calumn. Most Calumns are bland dreary affairs, with the ones that arent being riots of color to entice would be victims. Far Calumns: Anchorheads to Malfeas Far Calumns are places where the Wryms corruption reigns unchecked, and a direct path to Malfeas for anyone dumb enough to want to follow them. Their appearance is similar to whichever part of Malfeas it is linked to as the corruption from the other side seeps through. Most are found near the border between the Near and Deep umbra, but a few are in other realms, especially the Atrocity Realm and the Scar. Anyone who wants to find them only has to follow the trail of banes going to and from the Calumn. The Abyss The Black Spirals revere the Abyss as the Wyrms all consuming Maw, and theyre mostly correct. Anything that descends into the Depths of the Abyss is never to be seen again. But there is a path to Malfeas hidden within. A short way down from the Abyss vast entrance, there are rocky outcroppings that lead into a complex of caves and tunnels. Banes and other Wyrm creatures stalk these tunnels looking for the few slaves that manage to escape from Malfeas. The Spirals have marked a few pathways with their own corrupted Pictish runes, marking the way to Malfeas to anyone able to read them. Eventually the paths will open up onto a pit that looks like a Miniature Abyss, and anyone willing to throw themselves into the pit will find themselves in the Dungeons of Castle Cthonus. The Atrocity Realm There are more Calumns here than can be meaningfully described, but the most well trod one sits in a copse of dead and blackened trees that the Atrocity Realms denizens use as Gibbets. It leads directly to the duchy of the Hellbringer who often visits the Atrocity Realm to partake of the suffering found here. The Scar While escaping from the Scar to the rest of the Near Umbra can be difficult, traveling to Malfeas is horrifyingly easy. A dark mockery of a Train Station exists known as the Last Junction, and most spirits in the Scar avoid it judiciously. A black train traveling to and from Malfeas arrives here regularly. It comes empty but it always leaves full- of prisoners, fetishes, and building materials. Powerful banes man the Black Train and theyre more than capable of capturing all but the most powerful Garou. The Wyrm Reaches The Wyrm Reaches are a mockery of Umbral Outer space, full of warped and dying stars, thick clouds of toxic stellar dust, dead planets, pitted asteroids, and strange and alien banes that will open a path to Malfeas for the right price. Balefire elementals also offer a path to Malfeas, but they just eat anyone dumb enough to follow them. Wyrm Caerns When claimed by the Black Spiral Dancers, these places are known as pits, they relate to places in the Physical world so filled with corruption that they become focuses for unclean energies. In most other respects they are identical to their Gaean counterparts, with different focuses and strengths, but stepping sideways always results in a blight or hellhole instead of a thriving umbral glade. The most powerful Wyrm Caerns lie deep under the earths surface, filled with corrupt microbial slimes that feed on deadly acids, or toxic volcanic gasses, or near veins of radioactive ore. They are known only to Banes and the Black Spirals who tend to them.
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Feb 15, 2016 07:28
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Chapter 1 Pt. 2: Malfeas Malfeas The Wyrms Home Turf, if the Wyrm can exist in a single place, it is here. This is where the Weaver captured the Wyrm long ago, and its foundation are the ragged remains of the Wyrms body. Malfeas is a disparate collection of partial realms that fit together in ways mortals were not meant to comprehend. Drawing a map of Malfeas is a hopeless task, as the result would look like the scribblings of a lunatic that would drive anyone who reads them mad. Even though it exists only in the Deep Umbra, it is horrifyingly easy to reach. Above all, Malfeas is a realm of corruption and degradation. Spending time here warps victims in mind and body, such mutation is a result of the background radiation present in Malfeas itself and will occur even to willing visitors free from the torments that rulers inflict on their captives. Anyone who stays in Malfeas longer than a day begins hearing foul whispers, he can see patches of his skin or fur turn grey and sickly. If he escapes before his body finishes warping, he will heal within a week or two. However while he remains in Malfeas there is no force that can quiet the whispers or heal the degraded flesh. Should they remain longer than three months, the whispers will accompany them long after their departure. their skin and fur becomes gray and withered looking, and the transformation does not heal when they leave. Only powerful healing rites can cure these taints. The overlords of Malfeas are the Wyrms most powerful servitors, including the Maeljin Incarna. They rule their domains with brutal discipline and only a very lucky visitor can escape their notice. Important prisoners captured by the Wyrm usually end their lives in Malfeas.  The Warring Hydra Of course the various factions of the Wyrm dont get along, so internecine conflict is common. The Maeljin lords know full well that their peers will simply be replaced if killed. But a newcomer is more likely to be an ally or an unwitting dupe due to their inexperience. That said most of the Lords stay far away from the front lines of conflict- so most of the warring is over resources, territory, or prisoners and manpower.  The Central Duchy Most Moon Bridges that lead to Malfeas end up in the Central Duchys courtyard. A large circular stone inscribed with a spiral sits in the middle of the large, irregularly shaped area. Its surrounded by massive, elaborately menacing buildings each more than a mile high. One such building is the Grand Cathedral, with a massive stained glass window depicting the heads of the Hydra bursting forth from the earth. It is dedicated to all of the heads of the Hydra and welcomes anyone loyal to any of the heads. The Ruler of the Central Duchy, known only as Number Two, regularly holds services here. During each service the most powerful and important captives are sacrificed. Hundreds of black iron cages located halfway up the walls of the Cathedral hold the decaying bodies of sacrificed captives, as well as those left to die of exposure rather than sacrifice, or those who havent been sacrificed yet, its usually tough to tell the difference. Castle Cthonus Located across from the Cathedral, the Castle is the tallest structure in Malfeas. It is a black twisted tower mounted by barbed crenelations, and its surface is slippery and viscous like living crude oil. It engulfs and devours anything that would try to climb it, limbs of would-be climbers jut out of the otherwise smooth surface. But even these protrusions drip with the same oil. The only visible entrance leads to a seemingly endless spiral staircase and three groaning, rickety elevators. It is the home of Malfeas ruler, Number Two. And its both the tallest and deepest structure in Malfeas, its basements are filled with a multitude of dungeons and torture chambers. Slaves spread rumors that the bottom level is just a maw of the Eater of Souls, but very few who have ventured sufficiently deep have returned. These escapees speak of caverns on the edge of a dark pit that lead out of Malfeas into the Abyss. Destroying Castle Cthonus would badly weaken the Wyrm and plunge Malfeas into a turmoil that would last several years. But the only way to do this is to ascend to the upper reaches of the castle without Number Twos knowledge and enact a lost rite. Number Two She was once a Black Spiral Dancer that served the Wyrm so well that all of the heads of the Wyrm united to elevate her into an Incarna. A popular legend goes that she was the first Garou to walk the spiral. Her original name is allegedly lost to time, even that she does not recall it. As befits the leader of Malfeas she is a brutal tyrant who fears having her power usurped, and kills anyone who she suspects is plotting against her. Her guards consist of a dozen of the most powerful Spirals, aided by 7 of the most powerful Banes, all magically bound to take damage in her stead, leaving her unharmed. She avoids the Politicking of the Maeljin Incarna, instead sending intermediaries to deal with them. After all they really only want her power. She can appear in any number of forms, but most often as a hideously scarred and blood-caked Glabro. Destruction:Anyone who learns her Original Name can shout it in her presence, removing the enchantment that protects her against damage and leaving her vulnerable. But they must work quickly because Number Two knows a magical phrase that can purge her name from the memory and records of anyone who hears it. If she can whisper it to everyone who knows her name, her protections return. This phrase is a terrifying truth about the nature of the universe and corruptions role in all that is, and hearing it would drive all but the strongest of wills mad. Killing her would set off a civil war that would distract the Hydra and the Maeljin for years. The Temple Obscura On the outskirts of the Central Duchy but within sight of the Grand Cathedral lies the most sacred site to the Black Spirals. The strangely discordant exterior made of green veined marble conceals the entrance to the Black Spiral Labyrinth itself. The interior of the Temple consists of 9 rooms in sequence, with the final room consisting of blank walls, a bloodstained altar, and the entrance to the Labyrinth in the rear wall. Any of the Changing Breeds can spend time in the first 8 rooms and gain valuable insight into the nature of the Black Spirals, but also become mentally tainted. In the last room the urge to walk the spiral is almost impossible to resist. Those who have stood in its presence and survived tell of thoughts filling their mind of how they could win great victory by entering the Labyrinth and destroying it from within, no one has actually succeeded at this and all who attempt it have been lost. The Labyrinth contains aspects of all of the Hydras heads. It permanently and irredeemably corrupts anyone who traverses even a single circle. Any werewolf is capable of surviving it if they accept corruption into their soul, others who attempt the feat die horribly partway through the first circle. Sometimes Spirals bring their captives to the mouth of the spiral, and give them the choice of either walking it or being sacrificed upon the altar as a meal to those who will. The Labyrinth is eternal, but the temple is not. Destroying it would demoralize the Spirals, and a proper demolition might render it inaccessible, forcing the Spirals to find a new way to create more of their kind. The Wyld Founts Just off of the central courtyard exists the largest of Several Wyld Founts. This structure consists of a vast sphere, 60 yards in diameter, a six story tall scaffold raises it above the ground. It is transparent and filled with shifting multicolored light, it contains a portal to the Wyld-Dominated realm of Flux. The scaffolding contains a stairway that leads up to a large airlock style door in the side of the Sphere. Occasionally dead victims are thrown into the airlock to dispose of them, and sometimes the Black Spiral Dancers travel to the Flux to capture Englings to drain for power or torture for other reasons. The airlock exists to prevent any direct contact between the Flux and Malfeas. Destroying the Sphere or forcing the airlock open would cause raw chaos to smash into Malfeas, seriously damaging it. That isnt to say that the Wyrm would do away with this if it could, the Wyrm cannot create on its own, it needs these Wyld energies. They pump energy out of the sphere through a pair of slender pipes, each no more than a foot across, into a pool at the structures base. A series of corruptive filters poison the energy so it properly resonates with Malfeas. That Pool is the Wellspring, a torrent of foul water fountains almost 100 yards into the air, banes and other creatures slowly form out of the mist at the fountains edge, and the rest of the liquid flows either into the great river that ends in the Duchy of Toxin, or is diverted into the various factories throughout Malfeas.   The Nightmare Garden One of the ornate gates from the central courtyard leads into this large and terrible garden. The first part seems exceedingly well kept, but venturing deeper reveals disorder and sickness. All of the plants have sickly and unnatural colors and smell of rotting meat. Many have long barbed thorns. Banes and Spirals dangle victims over carnivorous plants, hanging them from thorns and then torturing them. The many plants are fertilized with their blood and corpses. Few denizens of Malfeas venture deep into the garden because the deeper portions arent entirely inside of Malfeas. The paths have a powerful magic that separates travellers who arent holding hands or otherwise physically connected. The deeper paths turn even narrower, bushes given way to trees until each visitor is wandering through their own dark wood, unable to find their way back to the garden. The Dark Wood is a portal to the Dream Zone specifically a corrupted region that is home to nightmares. Any who wander this area find clearings full of their personal nightmares. A lone wandering might suffer the death of their friends, betrayal of loved ones, or find themselves thrown back to their childhoods to suffer the torrent of abuse they feared their parents might unleash. Its possible, though tricky, to change the course of these nightmares. But since the Garden links directly to Malfeas only violent and debased acts like slaying children, torturing innocents, or foul and forbidden magic can change the course of these visions. The Gardens cannot corrupt a visitor but the actions theyre forced to take to escape will have them questioning their motivations. Once theyve left the garden and found their way into Nightmare they are free from the enchantment that separates them, a skilled umbral navigator can find their friends and eventually find their way into the Dream Zone proper. Reason and Unreason In an easily overlooked corner of the Courtyard sit a pair of small, unguarded doors. Beyond them lie a pair of tiny conjoined realms. Reason lies beyond a white door covered in precise but complex black linear patterns. Unreason lies behind a room of several shifting colors patterns that move constantly across the door. Both lead into single large rectangular rooms. Reason is a large, well organized library containing books, databases, and any other form of information storage that the occupant might be familiar with. All of them contain useful advice for planning and executing military campaigns, commando raids, hostile corporate takeovers, and similar hostile maneuvers. As befits the Wyrms realm, all of these plans are exceedingly vicious in their damage to the victim, and quite ruthless. Executing one of these plans always requires betraying allies, killing or impoverishing third parties, turning trusted comrades over to their mortal enemies or similar atrocities. Anyone who carries out a plan concocted in Reason begins dreaming of either Hellbringer or Maine duBois, as the dark energies of the place begin to corrupt their minds. In addition to that the Realm of Reason allows for an escape from Malfeas, a Moon Bridge opened in the realm of Reason transports to one of the largest and densest webs in the Near Umbra. Unreason is more akin to a bizarre art gallery with shifting walls and strange tricks of perspective. Focusing on any of the pieces of art can provide insight to a particular mistery that the character is hoping to solve. The price for this insight is madness. The longer they remain in Unreason the more disoriented they become. Common objects appear strange and distorted, and she no longer understands how to perform simple tasks such as typing, driving a car, or even brushing her teeth. She believes she still possesses the knowledge but performs the steps out of order that produce useless or dangerous results. It takes a few days to relearn but from then on they suffer no loss of ability. But in that brief bout of madness a link is formed between them and Doge Klypse. In addition to being mentally tainted, the next time they enter Frenzy Doge Klypse can ask them to perform a relatively brief task and they will do it. Anyone who opens a Moon Bridge in Unreason travels to a large wyldling in the Near Umbra. Dark Satanic Mills Thats a hell of a title heading. Malfeas is full of Factories, and several of the Maeljin have ordered their servants to construct more. The largest is a mile long and half as high, and each is hideously unique. Some are made of brass and black steel mirroring victorian workhouses, others appear organic with organs pumping deadly fluids, and others still are combinations of the two. All of them use slave labor, either humans or werewolves captured by agents of the Wyrm and given the option of death by torture or death by work. Others are servants of the Urge Wyrms who have been commanded to come and serve.  A few factories exist only for the pleasure of their Maeljin, their only product being the suffering of those employed there. Few slaves survive more than a year, requiring a steady supply of replacements. Other factories refine raw materials shipped in from the Elemental Duchys or the waters of the Wellspring. Many produce the concentrated corruption that nourishes the banes and formor, while others create the contaminated industrial food for the slaves, or exotic chemicals that mutate and transform the living into terrifying and useful horrors. A growing number of factories have begun creating product for export to earth. Either the highly concentrated additives that Pentex needs for food and medicine, or materials that Pentex cant create themselves on earth. Working conditions are macabre and horrific, slaves risk life and limb to service large living machines. The majority of workers are effectively living zombies. Some have parasites attached to their necks making them stupid and obedient to the point of self destruction. Long IV Drip lines render others placid and compliant. Conditions in Malfean factories are somewhat worse than the most appalling factories on earth where those who make consumer electronics become seriously ill or commit suicide due to their working conditions. The major difference being that death is not an escape in Malfeas. A few slaves serve as testbeds for the additives or esoteric sigils or mind-eroding sound effects that Pentex places in their advertisements. Although the food and medicines sold by Pentex contain only a small amount of these additives and their advertisements contain only a second or two of the subliminal content, the rulers of Malfeas wish to learn what their product can do in ideal conditions. Most slaves die but some become unique and monstrous formori. The Overlords long for the day they can unleash the full force of their industry on earth without the Garous notice. The Maeljin Duchies The Central Duchy is surrounded by a massive wall made of stone and fossilized bone. And the domains of each of the Maeljin abut this wall, surrounding it on all sides. There are treacherous razor sharp spikes on top, regularly decorated with the bodies of anyone who has particularly displeases that domains master. A huge gateway of black iron connects each of the Maeljin Duchies to the Central Duchy, and warriors employed by both sides guard these gateways. The Maeljin also possess hidden portals into the Central Duchy, these dont need to obey any kind of geometry and tend to go from a nondescript building in the Central Duchy to the center of the maeljin domain. The paranoid Number Two has done what she can to find these portals, but she cannot close them permanently and many remain lost. Duchy Aliara At first glance this appears to be the most Luxurious and beautiful portion of Malfeas, which should give you reason to be suspicious. The entirety of Ailara is a vast pleasure palace filled with a mixture of massive halls, small private rooms, open gardens, and an abundance of people. The walls are covered in baroque carvings of people engaged in, and dying from, various kinds of excess. And the heavily perfumed smoke is used to hide the scent of rot and decay. It is a realm of pleasure, but the pleasure is devoid of Joy. Its denizens pursue a single vice with mindless and obsessive dedication, continuing to eat, drink, gently caress, or shoot up because they are literally incapable of stopping. Every possible source of pleasure is available in the Duchy and each is highly addictive. Visitors find that their previous addictions are increasingly difficult to satisfy within Aliaras walls, driving them to find more intense and extreme forms of pleasure. The Maeljin Aliara and her most favored servants derive great pleasure from preventing visitors from indulging their addictions and then either watching them beg, or promising them access to their vice once theyve performed a simple task. A few Changing Breeds who visited Malfeas now work for Aliara, doing anything she asks just for a few hours of access to their addiction. Her servants, including some of her addicts, kidnap humans and bring them to her Duchy for a few days of pleasure, returning them to Earth with a promise that if they perform various useful tasks they may return. A special reward is offered for anyone who kidnaps a Kinfolk, because thats an avenue to corrupt the Garou. Her Seneschal is currently working on a plan to bring humans to her domain in their dreams, and gain their service through addiction to sleeping pleasures. Duchy Dubois This entire Duchy consists of a single massive modern office building, with countless floors, mazelike corridors, and elevators that start and stop at random. It contains the offices of a multitude of clerks, lawyers, researchers, PR execs, and similar individuals. These offices are home to Maine DuBois and have links to the headquarters of Pentexs senior legal and advertising execs. DuBois minions create advertising campaigns for Pentex and defeat their legal detractors. They also negotiate deals with spirits and finalize contracts and alliances between the Maeljin Incarana and other personae in Malfeas. Some of their contracts bind ancient Banes and other powerful entities. The Duchy is open to all visitors as long as they come seeking its services. Anyone who needs the perfect contract to betray an ally or destroy a rival, anyone who needs a speech to sway listeners or a means of bending the law to their whim can come here. But only a fool thinks they can get away with offering duBois simple money. The workers are more than happy to satisfy any request that directly aids the Wyrm, and dont really mind any other request that doesnt harm the Wyrms interests so long as the appropriate price is paid. They do twist any requests that aid the Wyrms enemies or directly harm its interests, so that they satisfy the letter of the clients request but further the Wyrms ends more than they could ever harm it. The clients are overjoyed to receive exactly what they ask for, only to watch in horror as everything falls down around them. Anyone coming seeking a specific service finds the office they require after no more than a half an hour of walking and elevators. Anyone unhappy with previous service finds themselves lost in weeks of bureaucratic hell- forms filled in triplicate and countersigned by an undersecretary - just to get directions to the office that has the paperwork they need to request a meeting to get the permission to find the forms needed to file a complaint. The more hostile the plaintiff the more bureaucracy they have to navigate. But even the most hostile visitor finds an office that can solve their problem - for another contract. Even someone seeking to kill duBois can find an office that can help, for a price. Duchy Aife In addition to the main gate(which is rarely used) one may access Duchy Aife via doors leading directly from the lower levels of most of the other Duchies, and even some of the worst Blights and Hellholes. In the basement levels next to these back doors Aifes denizens perform every torture imaginable with pervasive glee. Lady Aife watches the most intense torments when she isnt busy doing it herself. All the torturers know that terrible magics make certain that their victims survive regardless of the horrors inflicted on them. Almost all visitors who willingly venture to the Duchy bring a captive to interrogate. The torturers here pride themselves on their ability to both obtain useful information and enact exquisite suffering. They are even willing to admit Gaian Garou who bring a Black Spiral Dancer to interrogate. Of course, visitors must witness, and possibly take part in, all of their captives torments. Those who would seek information in such a manner are usually well on their way to falling to the Wyrm anyway. Duchy Klypse Duchy Klypse is a giant maze made of brich and stone corridors twisting at impossible angles. Even gravity shifts at a whim and perspectives are not fixed. The corridors contain elements from every nightmare about getting lost or searching for a location thats impossible to find. Sliding panels and secret doors exist to make the Duchy even more confusing, as do the shadows and half-seen threats that sneak up on anyone who stands still for more than a few minutes. Of course its all pointless, as all paths eventually lead to the center and to Doge Klypse himself. Only those who have his permission can ever find their way out. Klypse amuses himself by making certain that some visitors that come to slay him spend decades or centuries wandering his halls, never finding what they seek. Most go mad and set upon anything they see, becoming yet another part of Klypses defense system. Duchy Thurifuge This Duchy is an enormous sprawling city, most of which is part of a single giant complex that is both hospital and factory. Here, duke Thurifuge engages in research that results in more terrible drugs for Pentex. Insane and monstrous researchers perform experiments on slaves and prisoners, observing the progress of diseases and attempting to create new and more terrible ones. A surprising number of researchers are Ratkin who have fallen to the Wyrm, and some of them offer the services of the Duchy to others of their breed who seek to bring the Apocalypse with a deadly plague - without disclosing their employer, of course. Most come to this realm in search of a disease or to sell slaves, but a few come to thrill at the suffering of the diseased. Fewer still come to free a test subject. Duchy Hell The Hellbringers realm is a war-torn landscape surrounding a blasted city. Here slaves and captives battle for their freedom. They must defend areas against the armies of the Hellbringer. If they succeed for at least three days they go free. Of course almost all of them die in the attempt, and those few who win sacrifice so much that, left warped by the experience, they willingly join the Hellbringers armies. Duchy Hell contains portals to most of the other Duchies, as well as the Atrocity realm. When captives are in short supply, or occasionally to provide a diversion, the Hellbringer attacks the central Duchy. So far he has never succeeded. And even if he did he would simply become the new Number Two, and cause a new Hellbringer to appear. The Border Duchies There are two Duchies that arent really a part of the greater politics of Malfeas. The larger of the two is a massive desert that lies between the Maeljin Duchies and the outer four elemental realms. Here a hot black sun in a curdled violet sky dominates the days, and the freezing nights are almost completely devoid of light. This is the realm of the Nameless Angel of Despair, and legend states that each grain of sand is a soul who ended their life by their own hand. The other realm are the fetid swamps that fill the space between the Maeljin duchies. They are all connected through dark paths somehow, and they seem to be growing larger despite the fact that the Duchies remain roughly the same size. The swamps house deformed and twisted formori who fled other portions of Malfeas to live here. Its also home to Banes who have displeased their masters. Each group lives in small isolated bands that prey upon each other and any visitors they can capture. Knight Entropy claims these swamps as his own, and stables his horse in one, though never the same one twice. The Earth Pit The Earth Pit is a Canyon between the swamps and nameless desert. Its a wide region that duplicates the overall features of many of Earths most pristine and thriving landscapes but as toxic parodies. The Great Barrier reef is an open sewer filled with dead fish and cancerous coral. A duplicate of a vast African veldt is a radioactive wasteland filled with dying mutant animals, and instead of pristine wilderness, this version of Africa is awash in a hungry living oil. The greatest danger is that any moon bridge opened in a Blight or Hellhole will often open up in the Earth Pit. A shapeshifter battling minions of the Wyrm may try to escape only to find themselves trapped somewhere far worse. To the natives of Malfeas the Earth Pit is a dream come true, whereas the Garou see it as a visceral reminder of failure. The Elemental Duchies The outermost edge of Malfeas is ringed by the four elemental duchies. The palaces of their Incarnae sit at the center of each Duchy, destroying these castles of corruption might weaken the element, particularly if they also destroy the Maeljin Incarna The Duchy of Smog is covered by billowing toxic clouds. Without special senses, vision is limited to five yards in any direction. Only creatures that are immune to poison can breathe for any length of time in the Duchy. Choke lives in a huge archaic looking factory of black iron that belches forth the fog that fills the realm, and he is attended by eyeless banes and strange mechanical servants that are powered by engines that make still more Smog. The Duchy of Balefire glows with the blue glow of Cherenkov radiation. The center of the Duchy is a large balefire volcano that spews rivers of radioactive lava. Hideous formori wander the realm, the remnants of human captives chained in cages until the Balefire did its work, and they live only to serve Duke Kern. After seven years of service they become especially monstrous banes that Kerne sells to other Duchies. His Kastle sits embedded in the side of the volcano, and from foundation to ceiling is filled with veins of plutonium. The Duchy of Sluge if a frigid realm filled with mountains of frost rimed debris and glaciers of frozen sewage. The largest glacier at the center of the realm is topped with Collums Castle, carved out of polluted ice. The castle consists of an endless array of winding tunnels inhabited by Banes that resemble many armed worms that can tunnel through the ice and attempt to devour all visitors not under Collums direct protection. The Duchy of Toxin is a vast warm sea filled with multi-colored toxin, swiming with great and terrible aquatic banes and occasionally wyrmspawn from Gaias oceans, like giant Lamprey and mutated squid. Near the center of the realm is a huge Archipelago inhabited by lady Yuls mutated brood. The largest island is a huge laboratory complex filled with her most deadly experiments. Up next: Pentex
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Feb 15, 2016 07:28
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Covok posted:Anyway, I've always wondered this: is the wyrm from werewolf a giant worm, an evil dragon (wyrm), or an abstract force of corruption? Mostly the third, and also sort of the second. It's symbol in the language of Glyphs is a spiraling oroboros and it's represented as a large scaled serpent(no limbs or wings). In most of their mythology. No sane person has seen the Wyrm and lived to tell the tale, though.
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Feb 15, 2016 07:58
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Another way to look at it is that the Garou (and we by extension) are able to perceive the Maeljin Incarnae, but not the Urge Wyrms. And the Wyrm itself is another two levels abstracted from even them. It "Exists" in some form somewhere, but Malfeas is as close as any mortal (and most spirits) can get.
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Feb 15, 2016 08:37
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So have you ever found yourself reading Witch Girl Adventures and thinking You know what, this could really stand to be more like the World of Darkness? If so A: Seriously re-evaluate the decisions in your life that have brought you to this point. and B: You are, unfortunately, not alone. Bellum Maga is brought to us by Novus Dea Games which Im told is bad latin for New Goddess, Bellum Maga is Female wizards of War but Im guessing they were aiming for War Witches. Novus Dea Games consists of Abigail Soto,(one of Witch Girl Adventures main artists), her sister Penelope, and a small army of female artists providing interior art. Theres also an editor credited but near as I can tell this book has had absolutely no proofreading beyond a spellcheck pass because there are several fairly obvious typos that can be noticed with even the most casual reading.  It has a condemnation section thats completely superfluous given the entirety of the rest of the games context, and contains our first typo (trying to turning), it wont be the last. And since this game is White Wolf as gently caress, it has opening in-character fiction. quote:Coming Full Circe quote:But before we get to my story, let me tell you another one, a sad one. quote:Digahol is everything you should fear about small town life. Its a farm town and I have nothing against farmers or farming, I personally like food and I have the curves to prove it. But its also a very insular town, with a population of just under six-thousand, the three non-white families are treated and viewed as if their zoo exhibits and are known with upmost respect as the friend of the family-Johnsons, the Gomexies and the Chinks-Chans(who last name wasnt even Chan). Since our protagonist is describing herself, I might as well post the accompanying photo.  Yes, her hair is purple, to what degree it is purple varies widely depending on the artist, but well be seeing a lot of her. quote:Like many a small town Saturday night is either football in the fall or party night for the teens at the lake. The lake is where a sad chubby little girl named Tammy Winters was raped twice, once at age fifteen and one again at age sixteen. Also: as the next paragraph will tell us she apparently graduated at the age of sixteen, with the rest of her class, despite the fact that we were previously told that this mysterious nexus of sexism and racism in rural iowa doesnt have an advanced placement program and she spent two years in a downward spiral of sex, drugs, and self harm? This is ludicrously implausible.  quote:New York City, is no place for a sixteen year old girl with a bag full of clothing, 34 dollars in her pocket, half a pack of cigarettes and no friends or family. Tammy learned several hard lessons her first year in The Big Apple. She learned how to beg, how to steal and how to ignore the pains of hunger that rumbled in her stomach. Roaming the streets with teenagers like herself that slept in abandoned house, ran from the police and got high sniffing glue in central park she knew her life would be a short one but still the freedom she found here was better (at least in her mind) than the one she had in Digahol. quote:So yeah, rock bottom, suicidal and alone when not sleeping where I could I made my way to the Central Library where like a lot of the homeless hid from the weather and police, but unlike a lot of my downtrodden brothers and sisters I also used my time there to read and on the internet. It was there I saw that fourteen year old girl was killed in for witchcraft in the suburbs of Omaha. Burned as a witch in the 21st century, in an American suburb it was unthinkable and it shocked me. Shocked me so much that it consumed my thoughts, it replaced my self hate and I like so many others started to chant on the streets Avenge Ashley.  quote:I was still an atheist. I didnt believe in God, Santa Claus, or Superman and FYI at the time I placed them all in the same category. But still here I was with this book, my life marginally better and a mind that was once again curious and aching for knowledge. So against my better judgment and my logical mind, I prayed to Circe, I confessed my sins and my fears.  I feel like Im stroking out please send help. quote:She.. It was Circe, tall perfect, voice like honey and eyes as green as the sea. She told me I was special and that she had heard my prayers. That I was being tested before being tapped for the most important mission of all. I was to be her priestess and that the world that I knew, its history and its present were a lie created by a creature she called The Old Garden Snake. Hey Tammy, heres a question you should ask your god, Why did you feel the need to rape me 5 times?  quote:The rite was Simple, a silver knife, a bath tub, candles, a full moon and drop of Circes blood in the tub where I slit my wrist and bleed out hoping against hope I was right and I wasnt dreaming the days previous events. So, about 10pm that night Tammy Winters died, and Minerva Winters was born. quote:I thought when I woke up I would be a supermodel, but you see the idea of the supermodel is a lie of the snake, physical beauty and perfection comes in all shapes and sizes. I was me, but not me, I was curvy, still needing glasses and still as pale as a Nordic ghost. My brown hair was gone replaced by naturally purple hair, my favorite color, a color t shared with my eyes. I no longer felt tired or sluggish, I felt alive, I had new lungs, new liver, new heart and a new brain sharper than ever. I was a Maga, a Demi-Goddess in the flesh and beyond all of that and the joy of a new life I felt something else . I felt magic.  quote:So it came to the surprise of no one when Selene found herself on the run after spray painting Pigs on multiple police cruisers. That after being arrested, she was handcuffed and beaten, but instead of taking the beating Selene grabbed the gun of a careless Policeman and shot her attackers and killed four policemen before being tasered, beaten and shot herself. quote:Thats the the Old Garden Snake works, it corrupts an organization and that organization its members and soon that corruption spreads. Its on that mission I learned sometimes you have to cut out the cancer to save the body. I came in posing as an idealistic lawyer. A little bit of magic made the ruse believable but the serpents men knew I was coming or at the very least sensed me there and attack. LIke I said I was new, I was green and I had never been shot at. In the end I failed to reach Selene. The first time.  So yes, not knowing what would happen she poisoned her charge and set her on fire, and then it all worked out okay, and then they left for New York somehow! And she doesn't understand how commas and periods interact! Dont worry everything's fine! Would you believe me that this is going to get worse before it gets better? Since its exceptionally short, lets squeeze in the first chapter as well.  Chapter 1: Beginnings It opens with an in character form letter from Minerva, High Priestess Circe that doesnt have many typos outside of her apparently not being the High Priestess of Circe. And the phrase Time to woman up! What is Bellum Maga (No question mark) Take the modern world, and place it a fantasy setting where witches battle the patriarchy for the minds and souls of earth. Is this a Feminist Game? The fact that this isnt just loving YES! NEXT QUESTION in 72 point font is a travesty. Since most RPGs are full of male fantasies, vapid female characters and racial prejudice (I know a lot of you are thinking thats not true, but it is if you really look at it.) they decided to make their own. Thats not to say that theyre wrong, RPGs have usually been male power fantasies, the issue is that they went way too far in the other direction. quote:Thats not to say men and boys cant play this game. Nor is it saying this game has any agenda other than having fun in a different kid of universe. One where the ladies are taking the lead and bringing right-wing-conservative-racist-luddite leaders and their followers to task. That isnt to say that the Patriacracy isnt probably primarily caucasian and male. Just that there should be some outliers, just look at Fox News. Once Upon a Time The world of Bellum Maga is based on two premises That History is a lie and that Fairy Tales are real. Right so.. a summary. In the beginning women ruled the world (as was right) because mankind still revered the earth and the Goddesshead. This universal time known as the Pax Majestrix(Peace of the Great Woman) came to an end 5000 years ago when Cain(yes, that cain, apparently) made a deal with a being of discord and destruction known as Rex Anguis (The Snake King). Cain freed the Snake and it engaged the Goddesshead in a stalemate battle and the power of the Maga weakened as the Goddesshead used it to try and cage the serpent which was feeding off of mankind;s war, greed, intolerance and ignorance. The Maga thought they were abandoned and either killed themselves so their power could return to the Goddesshead, or went into hiding. Man in this time villified the Maga, turning them into the dark sorceress, the evil queen and the deomoness. until Maga faded into myth. But then a girl was burned at the stake in Nebraska(Im still confused as to why) and there was a nationwide outrage of women which weakened the Serpent and empowered the Goddesshead to create more Maga. One thing to note is that this game uses white wolf's dice system, but with d6s instead of d10s, 123 is a failure, 456 is a success. Critical hits and failures still exist, but as "all 1s" and "all 6s", meaning that it's virtually impossible to crit once you get higher amounts of dice, but it's also nearly impossible to crit fail. Now its time for our second favorite part of any white-wolf-ish book (there arent stereotypes, sadly) the lexicon! Lexicon posted:
The chapter closes out with a chat log where women reduce men to things only fit to do their housework. No seriously.  Next time: Character Creation: Take two Parts World of Darkness, one part IKRPG, add Fate to taste
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Feb 16, 2016 05:26
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Doresh posted:Or that they apparently missed the transgender bandwagon for extra progressiveness. Or maybe men just cannot be redeemned, even if they identify as a woman? They address this next chapter. They do not address it well.
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Feb 16, 2016 08:00
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Count Chocula posted:Huh? Heaps of people do drugs, 'whore themselves out' (to use your charming phrase), still get good grades, go to New York, and leave mental insitutions. Some of them even have colorful hair! It's almost like there's some kind of all-pervasive social system that causes these problems and then shames the victims of them! Some kind of... Patriarchy. Heaps of girls do those things, yes. Very few of them do all of them. And it's not just "good grades" it's "The best grades at her school when she's developmentally two years behind everybody else." in a world where the Patriarchy not only exists, but is supernaturally empowered to do harm. She's already the POV Character, by definition we're already rooting for her, slathering on multiple instances of rape that don't seem to actually impede her in any way make her more mary-sue-ish and also sort of indicts real world victims of rape and drug abuse who aren't as perfect and amazing and successful. "Girl who was smart but got beaten and raped and fell into drugs and her grades started falling" is already a compelling character because of the tragedy of lost potential, but for some reason she had to be successful enough to run away to New York as opposed to.. Des Moines, or Chicago, or Minneapolis, all of which are "big cities" to small town folk and far easier for a sixteen year old in Iowa to get to. Her individual life events are plausable, all of them happening at once to one person creates a Mary Sue. Also remember that the other female character is a hispanic teen with a gun whom the police shot to wound instead of kill, which is a thing real life police are trained to do, particularly police trained by blackwater in how to handle insurgents. Count Chocula posted:It's badly written and cheesy, but there's so many male power fantasies that are just as bad. Maybe some kind of resistance can help - creating stories, no matter how dumb, that women can use as sources of power, or stepping stones to read deeper. I dunno, maybe the whole 'power of stories' thing is privileged bullshit. But everyone deserves imaginative armor to step into. A game where girls beat up rednecks and right-wing assholes would be fun, but this game undermines it's own premise at every single turn. It's also very much a "White Girls Only" club, there's a single black girl and that's because she's a member of the "Diva" class. There's someone who's ostensibly Hispanic but she's also got red hair so I can't really determine ethnicity, and there are zero visibly asian, arabic, or indian people. LatwPIAT posted:If you don't mind, I'll be adding some commentary based on a review of this I'm doing at another website. quote:"Gomez" and "Mexies". As a friend of mine pointed out, "well, rural places CAN be pretty loving terrible, but i mean yeah seriously open racism like that is not publically in vogue even in the backassest of the US". It's also so... shallow in its portrayal. Like trying to talk about the pervasiveness of racism in modern society and constantly mentioning the KKK, rather than white flight, income inequality, insidious everyday racism, microaggressions, counting coins on the counter, and a police forces that arrests people for being black in the wrong neighbourhoods. Instead, it's open use of racial slurs all day every day. quote:OK, the most hillarious part of this backstory? Caine was jealous of the women having more power than men; Caine was jealous of all the magical power the Circe gave to women but not men and rebelled, which tells us that the real issue at hand here are the thousands of years of discrimination that men faced at the hands of Circe. In fact, the last five thousand years of Patriarchy cannot be seen as traditional oppression by the powerful. Rather, Patriarchy is the lashing out of an abused and impoverished group, and the witches who worship Circe are reactionaries trying to regain their own position of superiority. I didn't even think of that, that's amazing.
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Feb 16, 2016 16:26
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Doresh posted:Is it better or worse than "No right-thinking women would ever disgrace herself by identifying as male. She must've been brainwashed or something!"? That's my worst-case scenario at the moment. Okay, that and calling them "gender traitors". I'm expecting the worst so I can have something to be pleasantly surprised about. Transmen aren't even talked about.
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Feb 16, 2016 18:23
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unseenlibrarian posted:Other way around, IIRC the quoted bit elsewhere correctly- Transmen are forcibly detransitioned, transwomen aren't mentioned because presumably, the writer's enough of a TERF that they're counted as men, who you can't play. poo poo, she used "Transgendered Man" so I wasn't sure which she was referring to. That's so much worse.
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Feb 16, 2016 19:08
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Covok posted:Generally, Trans Man refers to a Designated Female At Birth who transitioned and vice versa. Right, my initial reading of it was the one that gave her statement a "drastic misunderstanding of trans terminlogy and reasons for transitioning" vibe rather than "hateful TERFy bullshit" vibe. So sort of my fault but also gently caress Soto sideways.
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Feb 16, 2016 21:18
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Covok posted:I keep hearing people mention that term, "intersectionality." What does it mean? Stealing from Wikipedia here because they explain it better than I can. quote:This framework can be used to understand how systemic injustice and social inequality occur on a multidimensional basis. Intersectionality holds that the classical conceptualizations of oppression within societysuch as racism, sexism, classism, ableism, biphobia, homophobia, transphobia, and belief-based bigotrydo not act independently of each other. Instead, these forms of oppression interrelate, creating a system of oppression that reflects the "intersection" of multiple forms of discrimination.
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Feb 16, 2016 22:14
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Zereth posted:Absolutely. WGA was like a neverending list of reasons witches needed to be eradicated. The "Witch Chat" sidebar at the end of the character creation chapter is a latina witch (We know this because she types with an accent) talking about how she "Honky-Rigged" a spell to now deal damage by causing the target to violently poo poo themselves rather than burning them alive. The rest of the chat consists of both taking them to task for the racist language and talking about how a spell like that would be great for dom/sub play. Bring back Salem.
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Feb 16, 2016 23:37
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Ratoslov posted:Yeah, I remember hearing about a 3,x game where the game master introduced a huge double-door made out of adamantine into a mid-level dungeon in order to minimize the players' ability to circumvent it via shenanigans. The players immediately absconded with the door, since it was more valuable than all the treasure in the rest of the dungeon combined by a factor of ten. One time we were exploring a castle and our DM was describing these large Ornate tapestries hanging from the walls. I idly asked how much they were worth and he threw out something like "25,000 gold." I immediately tasked the party with retrieving as many as we could while the DM started talking about how they would be worthless on the open market due to the iconography. "Dude, you do remember my Ancestral weapon right?" "Your what?" quote:ANCESTRAL RELIC [GENERAL] "Oh.....gently caress." Thus began the finest embroidered fullblade ever to be crafted by the hand of man.
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Feb 17, 2016 01:53
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Young Freud posted:The thing that gets me is how much of it would get invalidated by casters, such as flying monsters and the like. I think bioware has the right idea of it with Dragon Age: inquisition. You don't have to play the previous games because they created a website that allows you to select every single imported plot decision from a list.
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Feb 17, 2016 18:26
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 Chapter 2: Character Creation Pt. 1 The chapter opens up with.. uhh..  This artwork, which uhm... yeah. "Maga are a diverse lot. They come in all braces, nationalities and with all manner of attitudes." Though the thought of all of the Maga being in traction fills me with a deep sense of satisfaction, I'm assuming our illustrious author means "Races". That said the only thing that really differentiates the characters in their art style is skin color, but considering the one canonically hispanic girl in the book is white as driven snow, and being reborn can apparently change your hair and skin color we really can't be sure. As opposed to the fact that being turned into a Maga can change your skin color is something that should probably be addressed properly, surprising no one, the book does not. Anyways, a Maga character consists of a few different parts
Each class gives you 18 starting attribute points four or five "Starting Talents" and five or six "Starting Knowledges", you also get 30 "Path Points" which you use at start to buy extra knowledges, attributes, benefits, gifts, and swag. Yes, one gigantic pool, also it only costs one path point to increase any of those by one. I can already hear those people with any knowledge of how white wolf games work going "Now wait a minute" and my answer to you is yes, this is broken as hell. Though your starting attributes can't go above a three, your starting knowledges either can't go above 5 or 3 depending on what you read. You can't get gifts above your Level+2, and Swag can only go up to level 5 ever i think? Leveling up is handled Iron Kingdoms RPG style, at certain amounts of XP you get a parcel of things. Level 2 gives you +1 to an Attribute, +3 skill points(Looks like they missed their find/replace for "Knowledges"), +2 gift levels, and +1 Mana. The major problems with this system are that you only get 4 Attribute rank ups, whereas you get 25 "skill points", also you only get a relatively anemic 17 gift levels across the 10 "Path Levels" Meaning if you want one of those rank 10 spells you had better save the gently caress up. At this point I think it's fairly safe to say "This game was never playtested, these level up bonuses were never balanced, we now enter into uncharted territory, abandon all hope ye who enter here."  Our purple-haired wonder's roomate shows up again, with another black shirt with a pithy saying on it. Collect them all! Attributes Do you like charts? Because we have charts, lots of charts.  I love how we have "Super Human", "Superhuman", and "Superhuman". As well as two levels of "Demi Goddess", and the fact that you can apparently have "Olympic Levels" of Brains, Allure, and Luck. Also: remember how I said you only get four attribute rank ups as you level? It's impossible for anyone to get above rank 9 in any attribute. Anyways, the stats are Might, Agility, Fitness, Brains, Resolve, Allure, Resolve, and Luck. Might: Might is how strong you are, and how much damage you do in hand to hand combat.  Rank 4 is roughly about the spot where current human maximums are, though the longest long jump is 30 feet. Agility: Agility's chart is bog standard run speed its used in dodging and ranged attacks but they're not on the chart and It's not really worth reproducing. Fitness: Fitness determines how much health a person has, as well as how long they can exert themselves how long they need to sleep, and how fast they heal. This is definitely one of the stronger stats in the game but I'm not sure how Ms. Soto would deal with Marathon runners.  Brains: The Intellect stat. It gives you one extra knowledge point above 1, which can allow you raise knowledges up to 5 at character creation. Allure: "charisma and forcefulness" higher allure levels allow you to 'allure' multiple people at the same time, and increases the maximum number of thralls you can have at one time. Yup, mind control is a thing.  Resolve: Resolve is "willpower" and you can "ignore a horror level" equal to half your resolve rounded down. Spirit: Do you want to cast spells? Put 5 in this stat. Seriously, every single spell uses spirit to cast, and the intensity of spells is based on how high your spirit is. It also determines how much Mana you have and how long it takes to regenerate mana. In a more sane system at least one of these would be a different thing but...well..  Luck: In any 24 hour period you have a number of bonus dice to apply to any roll equal to your luck stat.  Paths Now it's time to go over the different classes, while we marvel at that redhead's nose.  Ariadnian Techno-mages, I wonder if their magic only works if they make their computers look like they were ordered from Barbie's dreamhouse catalog. Also their quote includes the phrase "Ariadnians more than any other Maga respect humans the most. Human ingenuity for them is something to immolate and advance on instead of something to laugh and look down at." 1:I hope they aren't setting computers on fire. 2: Since when are Witches not human? I thought the entire point was that you were saving humanity from the serpent? Did that change somehow? Starting Attributes: Might 2 Agi 2 Fitness 2 Brains 3 Allure 2 Resolve 2 Spirit 3 Luck 2. Starting Knowledge:Arcane, News, Magic, Observation, Technology, and Science Starting Talents: Cybermancy: Ariadnian can spend a mana to control any piece of technology with a circuit board. She can also see and decode wireless signals and increase their strength or shut them down entirely. Imbue Technology:Aradnians can enchant items with mana allowing them to cast gifts. (Including healing gifts that activate when the maga falls "uncurious") This is, however, broken, because to imbue an item you need to pay it's full mana cost+1, but after that you can recharge it for just a single mana point. I shouldn't need to point out that is broken. Sorcery Code: Ariadnians can use electronics to perform rites instead of circles or sigils Techno Magic: Ariadnians get 2 dice when using magic on modern devices to improve or enhance them and can spend mana to add 1 dice to any repair roll.  Diva Oh yeah that's not racist at all. Divas specialize in mind and sense altering magic. Starting Attributes: Might 1 Agi 2 Fitness 2 Brains 2 Allure 3 Resolve 3 Spirit 3 Luck 2. Starting Knowledge: Arcane, Craft, Magic, Performance, and Persuasion Starting Talents: B.S. Detection: Diva know when they are being manipulated, and +2 dice to resist attempts to manipulate their thoughts or emotions. Empath: Diva can read anyone's emotions, and know if they are telling the truth though they can resist with resolve or spirit vs the Diva's spirit or allure. She can also spend a point of mana to extend their empathy to anyone they know regardless of distance. Magic Mastery: Divas get +2 dice to cast any spell that involve mind control or reading, or manipulate senses and they can't Flub those rolls. And they can add up to 3 dice to such casting rolls for 1 mana a die. Muse: They can add up to 3 dice to performance rolls for 1 mana a die. Siren Song: Diva can "sing a gift", dividing their dice amongst the people they want to affect with it but their dodge dice are halved while they're doing so (for.. a reason?)  Domina These are the black mages, more or less. Starting Attributes: Might 2 Agi 2 Fitness 3 Brains 2 Allure 2 Resolve 2 Spirit 3 Luck 2. Starting Knowledge: Arcane, Battle, Magic, Persuasion, and Ruse Starting Talents: Dominate: Anyone a Domina currently has intimidated loses 2 dice to resist their gift and allure skill rolls. They can also spend a mana point to augment an intimidation roll so it acts like a gift, making said intimidation lack for 1 hour per spirit. Defiance: Since they're Grrrrrrrrrls they get +2 dice to rolls to resist intimidation or fright mechanics. Magic Mastery: When casting gifts that "cause pain, damage, humiliation, manipulate the mind, sense, or involve mind reading" which is an absurdly large array of abilities, the domina get +2 dice and can boost up to 3 times. Some Pain, Some Gain: Anytime a Domina damages someone they can spend a mana point to heal one level of health. They can also regain a point of mana whenever they kill someone with a spell, and such dead people are at -2 dice to resist being summoned, controlled, or otherwise "used" by her.  Furie The more traditional combat/protector maga. Starting Attributes: Might 3 Agi 3 Fitness 3 Brains 2 Allure 2 Resolve 2 Spirit 2 Luck 1. Starting Knowledge: Arcane, Athletics, Battle, Magic, and Survival Starting Talents: Amazon Fury: Furies can spend a power point to ignore minuses to rolls due to lost health as long as those rolls involve combat, no duration given for this ability however. Arcane Athlete: Furies an spend a mana point to buff their agility, stamina, or might by 2 for 1 minute, and they can have 2 or 3 stats buffed at once. The Call: Furies can spend a point of mana to find someone in imminent danger in a 1 mile radius, or to know if someone that they're sworn to protect is in danger. Gladius: Furies can make a Magical melee weapon or longbow (chosen at character creation) that ignores all non-magical armor and deals +2 dice of damage for one point of Mana.  Harpy Broom Jockies (Cigar/cigarette count 3) Starting Attributes: Might 2 Agi 3 Fitness 2 Brains 2 Allure 2 Resolve 2 Spirit 2 Luck 3. Starting Knowledge: Arcane, Athletics, Battle, Drive and Magic Starting Talents: Boost: Harpies can spend a point of mana to double their flight speed for 2 rounds in combat and 1 hour out of combat. Have Broom Will Travel: Harpies start with a free level 3 transport that must be either a flying broom or carpet. Need for Speed: Harpies can spend a point of mana to either accelerate to their maximum aieral top speed or come to a dead stop, and they get +1 dodge while in flight and can cast gifts on brooms with no minuses to rolls regardless of the situation. I'm getting horrible flashbacks to vehicle mechanics and I haven't even touched the storytellers section yet. Three Point Landing: Harpies can spend a point of mana to halve damage from any fall or crash while on their broom/carpet. Wing and a Prayer: Harpies can spend a point of mana to repair their broom or carpet. Sure... Flight is usually unbalancing in a game unless everyone has it or no one has it, so i'm not sure how this is going to work in a game.  Priestess The priestesses of the various facets of the Godesshead, the nominal leaders of the Maga. Starting Attributes: Might 1 Agi 1 Fitness 2 Brains 3 Allure 2 Resolve 3 Spirit 4 Luck 2. Starting Knowledge: Arcane, Magic, Observation, Persuasion, and Scholastic Starting Talents: Avatar of the Goddesshead: Priestesses can spend a mana point either to get a free 1 dice amp to a gift (We'll go over those later) or get +2 to Allure or Brains for 1 minutes Coven Leader: Any ritual lead by a priestess gains one extra die and can't flub. And they gain the Commune Rite, Coven Rite, and Opening Rite for free. Favorite Daughter:Priestesses can ignore one action a day that would normally have them lose favor. Miracle: If a Priestess is one 6 short of a crit they can spend a point of mana to invoke their god ("Yemaya's will it!) to turn it into a crit.  Regina Ancient Witches that have been living for hundreds of years already. (cigarette count 4) Starting Attributes: Might 1 Agi 1 Fitness 1 Brains 3 Allure 2 Resolve 3 Spirit 4 Luck 3. Starting Knowledge: Arcane, Antiquity, Magic, Ruse and Savior-Faire Starting Talents: Legendary Gift: The Regina chooses one gift she knows. It's cast as if her spirit attribute is one higher, cannot flub it, and regains the mana spent on it if they crit Life Ward: The Regina ignores one dice of magic damage and two dice of normal damage, and gains an extra dice to resist death. Riches of the Ages: Reginas start with 3 dots in Lifestyle due to dead ex-lovers, shrewd investments, and "perhaps taxing peasants". Wisdom of the Ages: Reginas start with 5 extra knowledge points to distribute up to the maximum starting value of 5  Succubus Oh...oh.. So, Succubi aren't specifically all about Sexin people to death. But they are all about death and draining people, they also tend to make other Maga nervous. Apparently the Maga nickname for them is "Suck-Butts" and... what. Starting Attributes: Might 3 Agi 2 Fitness 2 Brains 2 Allure 3 Resolve 2 Spirit 3 Luck 1. Starting Knowledge: Arcane, Battle, Magic, Persuasion, and Ruse Starting Talents: Fly:Succubi can spend a mana point to fly for an hour out of combat at 200mph, or the length of one combat at 2x running speed. Soul Eating: Succubi can drain someone's life force with a touch, if they aren't willing it requires a battle roll. They make a spirit+Fitness roll vs the Succubi's spirit(only spirit?) if the Succubi wins they drain 1 health, 1 mana, and the victim's spirit and fitness are lowered by one. Anyone who's drained by a Succubi are at -2 to resist her gifts and allure until they are fully restored. Thrall:Succubi gain 3 ranks of thrall Vampireic(Yes they spell it that way) They don't need to eat or breathe to live, but they are vulnerable to silver and holy items. They're at -2 dice to resist that damage. Common Maga Abilities: All Maga share a few abilities. Divine Spark:A maga only ages 1 year for every SpiritXLevel years they have lived. Earth Child: Maga ignore natural heat or cold, they can see through fog, don't get wet in rain, and don't slip on ice. Maga Sense: Maga can sense any maga within 100 yards per spirit, though there are gifts that can hide from this sense. Magic Sense: Maga can..sense magic somehow. The rules are confusing as to when and why but it involves a mana point and a spirit roll. Gift Knowledge: All Maga gain access to the "Vex Gifts" list. Patronesses The various goddess forms that the Goddeshead takes. Each Maga is chosen by an aspect of the Goddesshead and shepherded through the ritual of rebirth by that Aspect, involving a mingling of the divine and human blood. There are limitations on Patroness selection depending on the path Diva: Not War Domina: Not Healing Furie: Not Love Succubus: Not Light Maga unlock abilities from their patroness at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 but also impose a pledge that the Maga must follow or lose Favor(XP) There are a LOT of patronesses and I can't copy text out of this document because each line is actually it's own PNG file. (Who the hell composed this document?) so forgive me for doing this shorthand. Cats Names:Bastet, "Skemet" and Freya Of course it's loving cats. You get a familiar, cats instintively treat you with deference, You gain two Claws of Sekmet gifts for free, can grow claws and shapeshift into a cat, the pledge is to not harm cats, and not to do anything you can force someone else to do for you. Change Names:Circe, Eris, and Estsanatlehi The Maga can sense if something has been changed by magic with a touch. All Circe's Laugh gifts cost one less Mana(min 1), they get +1 die to change things back, can resist gifts that change their form, make their gifts harder to undo, and their transmutations can be made permanent for free. Their pledge is to seek change, be change, and "Do not be afraid of no things". Creation Names:Yemaya, Mut, Yemoja, Yhi, and Papatuanuku The character can touch anything and "learn an interesting fact about it" and all Yemaya's Will gifts cost 1 less mana. They get +2 dice to all rolls of creation(!), "cannot not" a roll involving any form of creativit, can spend a point of mana to create something that isn't a weapon, doesn't have moving parts, and weighs less than a pound, and can spend a point of mana to make a level 2 thrall or artifact for 1 hour. Their pledge is to Spread and inspire creativity and never hide your skill. Darkness/Night Names:Lilith, Yohaulticetl, Artume, Ratri, and Nott The character can see in darkness normally and all Nights of Nix gifts cost 1 less mana, they can control their own shadow, they can increase the darkness of an area in a 30 foot radius, they can spend a mana point to attack someone's shadow instead of them(forcing them to use spirit to dodge), and they can spend a mana point to animate a shadow into a level 3 thrall. Their pledge is to Embrace darkness and keep all secrets you're asked to keep.  Death Names:Hela, Kore, Mictecacihuatl, The Morrigan, Izanami-no-Mikoto, and Kalma The character can tell if death is near for someone and all Calls of Kali gifts cost 1 less mana. The character can see ghosts, the character can interact with and harm ghosts as if they were alive, they can spend a point of mana to stave off death for themselves or another for an hour, they can temporarily raise the dead for an hour with 1 mana. Their pledge is to "Accept death and do not fear it" which seems somewhat at odds with their level 4 power. Healing Names:Corn Woman, Airmed, Serket, Aegle, and Eir The maga can look at someone and 'detect their health' and all Blessing of the Blue Corn Woman gifts use 1 less mana, the maga can give someone +1 dice of fitness to fight off a disease with a touch, do the same thing with poison, They can spend a point of mana to heal one health, and they can spend a point of mana to cure any disease. The pledge is to heal the land, the sick, and bring hope to the hopeless. Hunting Names:Artemis, Sekmet, Banka-Mundi, Pinga, Skaol, and Devana The Maga can speak to animals and All Arrows of Artemis gifts cost 1 less mana. The Maga gets +2 to investigate rolls, can't flub ranged attack rolls, can spend A mana point to track a magical being for an hour, and can spend a point of mana to transform into a local apex predator for an hour. Their pledge is to protect animals, not be wasteful, and to always be the hunter, not the hunted. Knowledge Names:Athena, Isis, Seshat, Lakshimi, Nidaba, and Saga. The raise one skill that only uses intellect by one point and use all incant of Isis gifts at 1 less mana point. They can speak any language, read any language, can spend a mana point to gain one skill at 3 points that they didn't previously have, and can spend a point of mana to gain knowledge on anything they are touching. Their pledge is to seek and spread knowledge and fight ignorance. Light/Sun Names:Ameterasu, Gnowee, Ekhi, Etain, Xihe, and Arinna The Maga can look directly into bright lights and is immune to Bright Flashes, and All Alms of Ameterasu gifts can be cast for 1 less mana. The maga can turn their hand into a flashlight, can see in any level of light that isn't complete darkness, can spend a mana to deal +1 die of damage for a minute using pure sunlight, and can create a baseball sized mini-sun for an hour with a mana point that they can use for light or as an attack. Their pledge is "Light the way, reverse the sun." gently caress them for not going 'praise the sun' and screwing up the spelling of revere. Love Names:Aphrodite, Xochiquetzal, Cliodhna, Hathor, Rati, and Oshun The Maga gains the Stunning talent for free and all Aphrodite's Arts cost 1 less mana The Maga can detect love, gets +1 allure with someone they're attracted to(?), the character always looks perfect(that's shallow), and the Maga can spend 1 mana to assume the form of someone's true love(male or female) and enough information to pull off a meaningful deception(that's... terrifying). Their pledge is "Believe in Love, Have many Loves, Be Loved" and apparently gently caress with people who are truly in love because screw them. Magic Names:Isis, Hecate, Coyolxauhqui, Kamrusepa, Lillith, and Oya The character gains +1 spirit, all Lilliths Lost Lamentations cost 1 less mana, the Character regains mana as if their spirit were 1 higher than it is, the character ignores 1 point of all magic damage, the character can't flub gifts, and finally can't flub the magic skill(which is used almost exclusively for gifts) The pledge is Study your Lore and study your power. Nature Names:Gaia, Ashanti, Nerthus, Bhumi, Nikkal, Pachamama, and Umay The Maga knows the weather without fail, and all mysteries of mother nature gifts use 1 less mana, they can cause a storm for up to one hour, they can move through any terrain at full speed, they can imbue a fruit with 1 point of mana that can be consumed within one hour to gain a point of mana, and they can increase or decrease the severity of a storm for an hour for one mana point but can't control what it hits. Their pledge is to avenge and protect nature. Trickster Names:Apate, Arohirohi, and Mohini The Maga wins all ties, and all Hecates Helpful Hexes use 1 less mana, the character's lies are -1 dice to detect, the character can't flub dodge rolls, the character can never go below 1 luck die(!!!!!) and can spend a point of mana to create an exact, fully clothed, dead duplicate of themselves. Their Pledge is to have fun, never take anything seriously, and make others laugh. War Names:Brigantia, Bellona, Durga, Wadjet, Pele, and Brigantia The character gets +1 to detect an ambush and all Viva la Victoria gifts cost 1 less mana, the character's non magical attacks deal +1 dice of damage, the characters magical attacks deal +1 dice of damage, the character can't flub non-magical attacks, and the character can spend a point of mana to give their entire party +1 dice to hit and dodge. They.. apparently do not have a pledge. Wraith Names:Lyssa, Nemesis, Idrani, and Sekmet Yeah.. they say Wraith at least 3 times. I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be Wrath. They gain the flaw Temper and is at +1 damage dice when angry, and all Bellona's Baleful Blights cost 1 less mana, and levels 2-....6 give an additional +1 damage dice while angry Except there are only 5 levels..so.. whatever. The pledge is "MAKE THEM PAY!" Women Names: Hera, Atahensic, and Frigg The Maga knows if a woman is in trouble in a 1 mile radius, and all Hera's prying eye gifts cost 1 less mana, the Maga can tell if a man has harmed a woman on sight, they know how to deliver children without fail, when attacking a man who has wronged a woman they can spend 1 mana to do 1 extra die of damage, and they can mark a man who has wronged a woman, making all women know that that man is not to be trusted until he has asked all the women who he has wronged for forgiveness. Their pledge is to Protect all women from the transgressions of men.  Cigarette count 5 Knowledge The first line in the paragraph is "Knowledges are skills" then refer to them only as skills from then on. Contested rolls have both of you roll dice, more successes win, uncontested skill rolls use the following chart and the DM's adjucation.  The names for the skill rankings are.. dumb. Since apparently you can't be an instructor until you've achieved a literally superhuman level of skill, and you aren't proficient until you've achieved peak human ability.   Antiquity Knowledge of history, this apparently also allows you to operate ancient equipment and "ask in a historical manner" Arcane Knowledge(arcana), it can also be used with resolve to resist sanity crushing events. Art ART! Athletics Running, jumping, lifting, but not dodging. Battle Attacking and dodging, both melee and range. This is an incredibly stupid idea Crime Doing illegal stuff(picking locks and pockets) and dealing with criminals. Domestic Uhh.. quote:Knowledge of and dealing with situation around the home isn't as trivial as many think. Cooking(brains), Design(allure) are all part of this very complex skill. Drive Riding animals, driving cars, flying brooms or planes. Instinct Used to detect if someone is lying, roll initiative, and an alternative dodge stat to Battle(?) Languages quote:The character can speak extra language other than his native tongue per level this skill is taken. Law Lawyer and Police skills  Magic Used to cast all your spells. Let me repeat that every spell uses Spirit+Magic to cast, It's also used to detect magic and to make artifacts but max this stat out for the love of gently caress. Management Running a business... also apparently "Battle tactics". You can use the management roll as an action in combat to "remove a failure die from the rolls of an ally"...that's... that's not how the dice resolution system works... okay I re-read the gamemistress chapter and apparently 1s subtract successes and 6s count as two successes, except the dice roll examples sometimes show any combination of the resolution mechanics, and the quick reference sidebars don't mention anything of the kind. gently caress. Medicine Apparently this covers surgery(agility), general treatment(Brains), "healing the mind"(Allure), and holistic medicine(spirit)(gently caress). Healing damage takes a giant pile of successes and only ever heals 1 health at a time. News This is apparently the "bullshit up a knowledge roll for something you can't otherwise explain how you knew", so "i read it on wikipedia" turned into a skill set. Observation Spot Performance Dancing, acting, juggling, singing, and also apparently gambling? PersuasionIntimidation, seduction, and regular old persuasion here. RuseLying, disguises, and hiding/sneaking. Savior Faire Knowledge(high society) Scholastics General knowledges but it's described as "your reading, writing, and mathematics skill" in case you need to make contested speed reading rolls? Science ALL THE SCIENCES  Survival That snake is dead, that snake is loving dead. Technology Because knowing how to put a computer together means you know how to set up a network means you know how to hack a computer means you know how to put a car together. Benefits and Drawbacks Benefits cost path points and you can have a maximum of 5 points of benefits, flaws give back path points and you can have a maximum of 5 points of flaws. Benefits Agile Req: agility 3+, you can't flub agility rolls and have +1 dodge dice Athlete Req: agility, Muscle, Fitness 2+ "You work out regularly and treat your body as a temple" you treat your stats as 1 higher for all lifting, running, and endurance things. Brilliant Soul: Req: Not Domina, Succubus, or Patroness(dark). Can give an ally +1 dice to a roll for 1 mana, have +1 dice to resist dark magic, and +1 to allure rolls as long as you're "Joyful".  Dark Soul:  Req... something, though they accidentally copied the requirements from Brilliant Soul. You can spend a mana to give a foe -1 dice, +1 dice to resist light/sun magic, and +1 dice to allure while you're angry.Elemental Blessing Pick an Element, Air, Earth, Fire, Ice, or Water. ...get a screenshot.  Famous You're famous! you get +1 to allure rols and a free level in lifestyle. Fairy Req: Not Furie, Succubus, or Ariadnian. You were touched by the fairy part of the godhead. You can see Faeries and you can spend a point of mana to turn invisible or teleport 5 feet, you also gain a free level of art and perform. Fast Healer You naturally heal twice as fast Focus You can spend 1 mana to add 1 dice to a resolve roll, and never take penalties due to distractions. Leader Req: allure 2+ and Management 2+ You can spend a point of mana to give allies within 50 feet +1 to attack or dodge rolls for a combat round. Likeable You get +1 dice to your first allure roll as long as you're "affable". Medium You can see ghosts and spend a point of mana to interact with them. Natural Flight You can fly without a gift at twice your movement speed or 100mph outside of combat. and you are immune to the "Riggers" of such travels. Night Vision Yup. Past Life You remember your past life in the Goddesshead, you gain a free rank of Antiquitis and can spend a point of mana to gain your spirit in ranks in a skill you don't have any ranks in for one roll. Personal Wards You ignore 1 point of damage at all times and gain a +1 dice to stabilize. Plague You can spend a point of mana to inflict someone with a plague for an hour. Boils give -1 allure, dizziness is -1 agility, sickness is -1 fitness, stinging insects is -1 brains. They can resist with a contested spirit roll. Polyglot You can speak all languages and gain a free rank in language. Prophetess quote:The prophetess powers are a blessing and a curse. As a Blessing she knows when trouble is going her way and gains +1 Dice to avoid Surprises and to Dodge. The downside is the Goddesses Head sense her vision of possible the futures. Quick Recovery You recover mana twice as fast and can use health as mana if you're at 0 mana. Scrappy Req: Muscle 2+ battle 2+, +1 dice to attack and dodge in hand to hand and you win initiative ties. it also double Furies arcane athelete durations. Sharp Eyes +2 to rolls to notice visual cues, you can't flub search rolls. Smite Req: any patroness but healing ...uhh... You can spend a mana point to just deal your spirit in damage up to spiritX5 feet away. That's... better than most spells as long as you're in close range. Stunning Req: allure+2 "YOU'RE DROP DEAD GORGEOUS EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT CONVENTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL" (sound of head smacking into desk) you get +1 to allure rolls against those attracted to your gender and you can't flub allure rolls  Succubus Supreme Req: Succubus. When you drain someone to death you can spend a mana point to either turn them into a gem (Swallow the gem to gain acess to their skills and memories for an hour) a zombie(level 1 thrall) or into a single inanimate object with no moving parts. Wealthy 3 free levels of lifestyle and you gain +1 lifestyle at levels 5 and 10. Well Educated You can't flub brains rolls and you rain your Scholastic and 2 other brain skills by 1.  Worshipped Req Allure 2+ and Spirit 4+ You've got a group of humans that worship you as a divine being. You gain 1 point of max mana per 2 levels of your thrall and contact ratings, you gain 1 free level of thrall or contact, and you roll a d6 every day when you wake up, on a 6 you gain an extra point of luck from their exceptionally devout prayers. Wait, I think I'm forgetting something.  Oh. So the Goddess can pick trans-men, if she does they're forcibly de-transitioned. Can shapeshift to a  manform that's stronger and fitter than a woman but you lose access to all your womenly magics. Can shapeshift your genitals. Gain magical Gaydar. And if you're a succubus you can soulfuck someone to death with your mandick.Bieeardo posted:It's even messier than that. The wording describes changing back to a fully-functional biological male, which seems to indicate she's misgendering trans women here, misusing terminology in a delightfully confusing way, erasing female-to-male trans people entirely and, my favourite, perpetuating the myth that trans people are innately untrustworthy. After all, you can never know what you'll find in their pants until you reach in... and then it's too late. So Soto's bad at writing, and either way it's loving terrible and dismissive. Yeah we can be done for today. Next time: Character Creation Part 2, Flaws, Swag, and Spells. Kurieg fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Feb 20, 2016 |
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Feb 18, 2016 05:23
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Bieeardo posted:It's even messier than that. The wording describes changing back to a fully-functional biological male, which seems to indicate she's misgendering trans women here, misusing terminology in a delightfully confusing way, erasing female-to-male trans people entirely and, my favourite, perpetuating the myth that trans people are innately untrustworthy. After all, you can never know what you'll find in their pants until you reach in... and then it's too late. quote:At the same time I wouldn't be surprised if trans men show up in the list of enemies, bitter at having chosen to sever themselves from the goddesshead, and empowered by the patriarchal penis-monster that's twisted them away from systerhood. Not that I can see. For either interpretation.
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Feb 18, 2016 06:44
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LatwPIAT posted:Unlike the combat-focused Domina, the Furie is combat-focused. Also, note that their abilities have absolutely no other use than combat. If you play a Furie, all your powers are based on fighting, so I guess you'll just sit around doing nothing when there's nothing to fight (or cast magic, I guess?) "Traditional combat"-focused is what I mean. Domina's about combat magic, Furie's about beating people to death with magic swords. However both of them are nowhere near as effective as just turning someone into a frog due to the way the hit point system is designed. I'd say that's intentional but that would also mean that Soto's proficient enough at game design to include something subversive like that.
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Feb 18, 2016 14:51
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Zereth posted:Based on evidence from earlier works, making transforming people into helpless or fatal-for-them poo poo might have intentionally been made really easy, but not for subversive reasons. It's not that it's "easy" it's just that health pools are ridiculously large. You only need one polymorph spell to succeed but each level of toughness gives you 10 hit points, It also makes healing less effective. Also the dice probabilities are completely hosed. Having 1's subtract successes and 6's add extra successes averages out to precisely the same thing as having them just be standard failures/successes, and critting/flubbing becomes a mathematical impossibility at anything above 6 dice.
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Feb 18, 2016 16:24
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That isn't even the most hilarious piece of artwork Bellum Maga has to provide. The antagonists chapter has a piece with a witch giving two supreme court justices explosive diarrhea in front of a Hobby Lobby. No. Really. It's such a specific and dated reference that it's hilarious in it's pettiness. Kurieg fucked around with this message at 09:54 on Feb 20, 2016 |
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Feb 20, 2016 09:47
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