Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Chaosium Digest Volume 05 Number 10
Chaosium Digest Volume 5, Number 10
Date: Sunday, February 27, 1994
Number: 1 of 2
Contents:
Real Occult Books for CoC (Scott Plumer) CALL OF CTHULHU
Those Nightmare Wings (Matthew J Ruane) CTHULHU:1889
Three New Spells (Stefan Matthias Aust) ELRIC!
Nomads of the Time Stream Update (Shannon Appel) ELRIC!
Editor's Note:
Newly available for FTP from soda.berkeley.edu is a set of ASCII
character sheets for Elric! English and German versions are both
archived in /pub/chaosium/elric. Thanks to Stefan Matthias Aust for
the upload.
Stefan also had a few questions for the Digest. He wanted to know if
anyone had done conversions between Space:1889 and the BRP system.
Stefan thought that converting the skills would be simple, but wasn't
so sure on NPCs and animals. By some strange quirk of fate, there's
an adventure seed for Cthulhu:1889 in this issue of the Digest. Any
one else have any other 1889 ideas for Stefan? How about for a
Traveller BRP system?
Shannon
--------------------
From: "Scott Plumer" <splumer%WESTLRC@onet.edu>
Subject: Real Occult Books for CoC
System: Call of Cthulhu
This is an annotated bibliography of real occult books for use in Call
of Cthulhu. Since the Mythos aren't real (yeah, right, we know
better), the descriptions of the books have been spiced up to relate
them to the game. All of these books, except the Voynich Manuscript,
are currently available (with many, many others) in Cleveland Public
Library's John G. White collection. The description of the Voynich
Manuscript has not been embellished at all.
_Le grande grimoire, avec la grande clavicule de Salomon et la magie
noire_; In French, from Hebrew, translator unknown, 1202: The Greater
Grimoire of Solomon. Contains many spells of summoning. A very
powerful book. SAN 1D6/2D6, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Spell Multiplier x7.
_Magic, divination and demonology among the Hebrews and their
neighbors_; In English, by Thomas Davies, 1898: Describes Jewish
qabbalic magic and demonology, with many references to Mythos
entities, though not by their Mythos names. SAN 1D4/2D4, Cthulhu
Mythos 5%, Spell Multiplier x2.
_Narratives of sorcery and magic_; In English, by Thomas Wright, 1851:
An anthropological study on English witches and witch-like cults from
the tenth century. Contains detailed descriptions of rituals. SAN
1/1d4, Cthulhu Mythos, 2% Spell Multiplier x2.
_The book of the sacred magic of Abra-Melin the mage_; In Hebrew, by
Lamech the Younger, 1458: A document of a Jewish magician, it contains
several spells of various kinds. Very powerful. Reprinted in 1900 by
the Theosophical Publishing Co. SAN 1D10/2D10, Cthulhu Mythos 8%,
Spell Multiplier x10.
_The philosophy of natural magic_; In English, from Latin, by Agrippa
von Nettesheim, translator unknown, translation pub. 1913: More a work
of occult and magical philosophy, it contains no spells, but much
information. SAN 1/1D4, Cthulhu Mythos 3%, Spell Multiplier x0.
_Secrets merveilleux de la magie naturelle_; In French by Albert
Petit, 1815: An account of Petit's magic researches. SAN 1/1D4
Cthulhu Mythos 3%, Spell Multiplier x2
_Tractus de superstitionibus_; In Latin by Arles y Andosilla, 1559:
Written by a cardinal excommunicated for being an occultist, all
copies were believed destroyed by Rome until about 1900, when this
edition was donated to the Cleveland Public Library. SAN 1D3/1D6,
Cthulhu Mythos 4%, Spell Multiplier x3.
_Egyptian magic_; In English by E.A. Wallis Budge, 1901: A detailed
account of Egyptian magic rituals. Also includes some information on
embalming. SAN 1/1D4, Cthulhu Mythos 2%, Spell Multiplier x2.
_Book four_; In English by Aleister Crowley, 1913: Crowley's books are
banned almost everywhere. This contains spells used for increasing
perception and making magic items and substances. SAN 1/1D4, Cthluhu
Mythos 4%, Spell Multiplier x4.
_Clefs majeure et clavicules de Salomon_; In French by Eliphas Levi,
1895: All of Levi's books are banned in France, and in many other
nations. This is an examination of the magic rituals of King Solomon;
the Greater Key of Solomon. SAN 1/1D4, Cthulhu Mythos 1%, Spell
Multiplier x2
_Dogme et rituals de la haute magie_; In French by Eliphas Levi, 1894:
Levi's magical philosophy and rituals; essentially a diary of his
occult activities. Contains many spells of summoning lesser
creatures. SAN 1/1D4, Cthulhu Mythos 3%, Spell Multiplier x6.
_The Coming of the fairies_; In English by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
1921: Sherlock Holmes' creator was also a proponent of the widely held
beliefs in fairies in Victorian England. What he terms "fairies,"
however, are in fact Mythos creatures. SAN 1/1D4, Cthulhu Mythos 6%,
Spell Multiplier x0.
_The Magus_; In English by Francis Barrett, 1801: The seminal work of
occultism was Barrett's only book, and contained a system for
summoning dozens of what he termed "demons." An extremely powerful
and extremely rare book. SAN 1D3/2D4, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Spell
Multiplier x10.
_The Voynich Manuscript_; Language, author and date unknown, est.
1500: Probably the most mysterious of all occult books, including the
Necronomicon. It first appeared in the 16th century and was believed
destroyed by the Vatican until it appeared in a private collection
early in the 19th century. The name "Voynich" comes from this owner.
After his death, Yale University library has owned the book. What
makes this book so unique is that it is written in an unknown alphabet
which has defied all attempts to translate. Interspersed throughout
are many bizaare illustrations of what appear to be impossibly complex
works of plumbing, plus drawings of fairy-like creatures. Since the
language has yet to be translated, its contents are best left to
Keepers.
--------------------
From: Matthew J Ruane <ruane@brahms.udel.edu>
Subject: Those Nightmare Wings
System: Cthulhu:1889
A while ago, I decided to incorporate the Space:1889 universe into the
Cthulhu by Gaslight timeline, using the CoC rules. I wrote an article
to combine the two systems using some ideas borrowed from Marcus
Rowland's article, Cthulhu:1889 (which was published in Challenge
#43). Pagan Publishings' John Tynes has agreed to republish my
article, so hopefully it will see print soon.
The following adventure seed was written for the Cthulhu:1889
universe, but I don't see why it couldn't be modified to use in any
CoC campaign. I hope you find it of some use.
"Those Nightmare Wings": A Cthulhu:1889 Adventure Seed
[This article was originally printed in the Space:1889 fanzine,
"Transactions of the Royal Martian Geographical Society" in Late
1992.]
The investigators are gathered together at a dinner party being held
by a mutual friend, Angus MacTavish, a wealthy merchant who
specializes in the spice trade. He is a collector of fine Martian
antiquities, and is well known in the art community as a wealthy and
liberal patron.
MacTavish has invited the investigators to view his latest
acquisition, a unique statue brought out of a High Martian kraag. The
three foot high statue is made of a dark, glossy, bluish-black stone.
It depicts a dark skinned High Martian perched upon a large boulder.
The unknown artist has captured the moment before the High Martian
leaps off in flight, and in the sputtering gaslight, the statue seems
eerily alive with bridled energy. The bluish black stone carving is
slightly oily to the touch, and the boulder is a gold nugget the size
of a large hen's egg.
MacTavish believes the statue to be nearly a thousand years old and
probably worth close to five hundred pounds sterling. He acknowledges
that he is not sure who or what the statue is suppossed to represent,
but it is an excellent addition to his already fabulous collection of
objects d'art. MacTavish allows the investigators to examine the
object and ask any questions, but he really doesn't know more than he
has already stated. Eventually, the statue is placed on a shelf with
several other pieces. The guests should eventually head home without
incident.
That night, any of the investigators who actually touched the statue
will have a series of disturbing dreams and dream sequences. The
dreams, while not actually nightmares, are nevertheless disturbing.
Each of the dreaming investigators will be able to vividly recall
their dreams upon waking, and the feelings will remain for several
hours before fading away.
The dreamers will recall that they seemed to be effortlessly flying
over a vast desert at night. The stars were ablaze in the night sky
and in the distance was a glittering city, its lights seeming to fill
the night sky. The city was filled with Martians going about their
daily activities: conducting business, shopping in the marketplace,
etc. The dreamer sensed that he/she was a High Martian flying to the
city to participate in an attack on the defenseless residents. As the
dreamer flew closer to the city, the image abruptly shifted and the
city became a flaming ruin. In the center of the burning city was a
gigantic copy of the statue the investigators saw earlier that night.
Around the gigantic statue, barely able to be percieved through the
flames and smoke were hundreds of smaller statues, each roughly
identical to the one owned by MacTavish. The dreamer can remember
sweeping down and picking up a copy of the statue before flying off
into the night sky. The dream abruptly ended there.
In the morning, one of the investigators will come across a late
breaking story concerning the mysterious death of Angus MacTavish. If
the investigators go to MacTavish's home, or make inquiries among
their contacts on the police force or with reporters, they will
discover that MacTavish apparently burned to death, yet the carpet his
body was discovered sprawled upon was not even singed. If the
investigators inquire about motive, or ask directly about the statue,
they will be told that the statue is apparently missing, but it
appears to have been the only thing removed. Clues among MacTavish's
belongings state that he purchased the statue only two days ago, from
a merchant in the city's bazaar. Searching the bazaar will reveal
that the merchant left early this morning, murmuring that the curse
has returned. A description is provided of the Martian merchant now
gone missing and this is apparently the only clue the investigators
have to the mystery of MacTavish's death.
Matthew Ruane
--------------------
From: Stefan Matthias Aust <sma@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>
Subject: Three New Spells
System: Elric!
This time I plundered the german role playing game MIDGARD for some
interesting spell ideas...
Shadow Fighter (2-6) [Spell of War]
"Rhowan and Fenshia could retreat no further. Just behind them were
the cliffs. Far below, the ocean smashed into the beach caves. The
hostile warriors approached. 'I'll stop them. Use your rope,'
Fenshia shouted. Then, she cast a spell. While Rhowan tied his rope
around a rotten stump, the noises of ancient battles became audible -
the combat cries, the clash of swords, the groans of fighting and
dying men. The attackers froze, confused. As they watched, four
shadowlike forms grew out of the ground, black shapes of fighters,
armed and prepared."
Range is sight. Chaotic. Calls 1D6 shadows of warriors and controls
them as long the sorcerer concentrates. The number of magic points
spent determines the HP of each of the ghostly images. Damage done by
the shadow fighters isn't real unless they kill someone. All other
damage will vanish together with the shadows.
Shadow Fighter statistics
STR - -
CON - -
SIZ 2D6+8 15
POW - -
DEX 3D6+6 16-17
MOV run-6
Has HP equal to MP spent. Attacks with hand-to-hand weapon at DEXx3%
(or 50%) with 1D8+1D4 damage. Armor absorbs 1D6+3 points. (Optional:
Normal weapons only inflict half damage)
Spell of Pain (2) [Spell of War]
"'You can't escape! Stand and fight!' Rhowan shouted as he rushed
towards the mage he had searched for so long. The mage pointed at
Rhowan, weaving a magic spell. Crying in pain, Rhowan dropped."
Range is sight. Chaotic. The victim is attacked by stunning pain if
a POW:POW roll on the resistance table is successful. He loses 1 HP.
All of the target's skills, his damage bonus and his MOV are halved
for the duration of the spell.
Nameless Dread (2) [Spell of Being]
"The night is dark. Clouds hide the stars. Dull moonlight throws
dark shadows. Fenshia is on her way home when suddenly two thugs
block her way. They try to grab her. Then, one of them yells, turns,
and runs away, an insane look upon his face, not stopping until he
breaks down from exhaustion. Fenshia draws her dagger, and rams it
into the other before he can move. That's Fenshia."
Range is touch. Chaotic. If a POW:POW resistance roll is successful,
the victim is frightened like never before. It is a terror the victim
will never be able to describe, nor even remember. When horror and
fear seize the victim, he...
1D6
1 - runs and runs, as never before
2 - drops, crying, yelling, creeping, hiding
3 - stands, laughing insanely, noticing nothing
4 - curls up into a fetal position
5 - attacks all near objects berzerkly
6 - falls down, unconscious
(Optional: If the victim succeeds at an idea roll, he will remember
both the caster and the horror. Surely, he will hate the caster for
his nightmares.)
--Stefan Matthias Aust
--------------------
From: Shannon Appel <appel@erzo.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Nomads of the Time Stream Update
System: Elric!
I just received some updated addresses for Nomads of the Time Stream.
The new internet contact address is:
"Paul W. Cashman" <vanyel@crl.com>
The new postal address is:
NTS/IMMAS
c/o D J Rowe
18 Laurel Bank,
Truss Hill Road,
S.Ascot, ASCOT.,
BERKS. SL5 9AL
ENGLAND
(which seems to me a minor variation of the one I noted before).
Refer to V5.6 for full information on Nomads of the Time Streams, the
International Michael Moorcock Appreciate Society.
Shannon
--------------------
The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial discussion forum for Chaosium's
Games. To submit an article, mail to: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu. The
old digests are archived on soda.berkeley.edu in the directory
/pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP.
