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Chaosium Digest Volume 06 Number 01
Chaosium Digest Volume 6, Number 1
Date: Sunday, March 20, 1994
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Japan Background Notes (Sandy Antunes) CTHULHU NOW
Even More German Notes for Mythos Books (Ralf Wagner) CALL OF CTHULHU
A Miscellany of Spells (Stefan Matthias Aust) ELRIC!
Spells of the Spirits (Stefan Matthias Aust) ELRIC!
Spells of the Dreaming (Stefan Matthias Aust) ELRIC!
Editor's Note:
Several more new things have been uploaded to the FTP site on
soda.berkeley.edu in the last two weeks.
Brand new Cthulhu character sheets for the 1890s, the 1920s and the
1990s are now available in /pub/chaosium/cthulhu/character-sheets.
Thanks to Jonathan Sari for putting the character sheets together.
John Tynes also uploaded a selection of new items. The PaganPub
submission guidelines are now available in /pub/chaosium/paganpub. In
addition, a selection of interesting pictures can be FTPed from
/pub/chaosium/cthulhu/pictures. Pictures of Lovecraft's Tomb and the
Yellow Sign are available in both gif and mac formats.
As a side note, Pendragon submission have been quite light in recent
months. Anyone interested in writing some new articles about Arthur's
Britain?
Shannon
--------------------
From: Sandy Antunes <alex@astro.isas.ac.jp>
Subject: Japan Background Notes
System: Cthulhu Now
Japanese culture seems alien to some. A group of western
Investigators who visit Japan in the 1990s Call of Cthulhu world would
not only have the mythos horrors to deal with, but also culture shock.
Independent of the actual game, the following are some Japanese
details for clever Keepers to sprinkle in, to keep the players on
edge. A few signs of tentacled creatures in dark alleyways and
mumbles of "shuggoth" and "Mi-go" is sure to confuse.
1) Streets in Tokyo (and Japan as a whole) are not grid-like and
rarely straight. Thus, it is very difficult to navigate, even to a
building you can see. While non-Euclidian street angles is a bit
much, it is easy to get lost.
2) Shinjuku, in downtown Tokyo, has several long alleys crammed with
small, dark, ill-maintained shacks where food and drink are sold. A
popular food is composed of various bits of meat on small wooden
skewers, cooked over charcoal. Some of the cuts of meat are quite odd
to Westerners, intestines, stomachs and hearts among them. Also, the
type of meat is often difficult to determine. Perhaps the image of a
crowded smoky shack with many people drinking heavily and eating
unknown chunks of strange meat, amid a festive atmosphere, might make
Investigators leery.
3) In Japan, octopus ("taco") and squid (" ") are popular foods.
There are many sidewalk stands which serve taco-yaki, or bits of
octopus fried in batter into little bite-sized balls. Some of these
stands have the logo of an octopus wearing a headband, occasionally
holding several knives. Just the effect of an investigator wanting
food, asking for a taco, and receiving a section of raw tentacle could
be appetizing.
4) A sample list of Japanese words that could be Mythos-confused,
especially when slurred by drunk Japanese workers, includes:
Shuggoth: shigoto = work; shogatsu = new year
Mi-Go: meiyo = honor, glory; ni-do = twice, again; neko = cat; (also go = 5)
Hastur: hasu = lotus
hnaa: hone' = bone
Shub-Niggurath: shubun = a scandal + negai = a desire, a wish
shubun = a scandal + negiru-emasu = to beat down the price
shubun = a scandal + nigeru-emasu = to run away, to flee
('i' in Japanese is pronounced like the English 'e', also, many words
end in a half-pronounced "tsu", which can be de-emphasized)
5) Japanese numbers 1-10, are: eichi, ni, san, shi or yon, go, roku,
shichi or nana, hachi, ku or kyu, and ju. Feel free to mix and match
these to any mythos names you wish to emulate. "ni-go" indeed.
6) There are some (expensive) sea food restaurants that look more like
aquariums, full of many bins and tanks with critters in them. You
choose what you want to eat and they are pulled out then and there,
and cooked for you. Hot-tub-sized containers full of wriggling squids
or bathtub-sized bins of crowded shrimp could also include the
occasional stranger seaform.
Judicious use of cultural red-herrings can help make your
Investigator's visit to Japan a time they will always want to forgot.
Cheers,
Sandy Antunes
ISAS, Japan c/o alex@astro.isas.ac.jp
--------------------
From: "Ralf Wagner" <zca41122@rpool1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de>
Subject: Even More German Notes for Mythos Books
System: Call of Cthulhu
In-Reply-To: V5.9 More German Titles for Mythos Books
I really enjoyed Chris Jarocha-Ernst's comments on the origins of the German
mythos books appearing in the Keeper's Compendium (p.34). Over here, only
Lovecraft's and some of Derleth's stories are available in a German edition,
so I didn't know any of the tomes given on the list. I simply checked the
spelling and made some assumptions about the validity of the names.
Some final remarks to answer Chris's questions:
UNTER ZEE KULTEN: (tr. Submarine Cults)
I proposed "Unterwasserkulte", but "Unterseekulte" means the same. I
choose the first because it sounds a little less awkward. Actually,
"Untersee" isn't a noun, but derived from the adjective "unterseeisch"
(adj, submarine) and can only be used together with a noun. IMHO,
both titles don't sound very German due to the fact that I know only
one word where this is actually done: "Unterseeboot" (n, submarine,
U-Boat) So, the whole construction seems inelegant to me.
By the way, "Unterseeboot" was already used in WW1, the submarines
were identified as "U xx" with xx beeing a number (e.g. U 29, see also
HPL's "The Temple").
"unter" and "Kulte" are German words, while "Zee" is definitely not.
It sounds Dutch to me, too, and as both languages are pretty similar
the other two might be as well. But don't count on me, as I don't know
any Dutch at all.
VON DENEN VERDAMMTEN: (tr. Of the Damned)
I'd stick to "Von den Verdammten", as the form given above sounds much
more like a wrong translation than an archaic form. But, I don't know
enough about 17th century German to be sure.
The author's name puzzles me: "Heinz" is a German first name, a little
old-fashioned, which fits. "Vogel" means "bird" and can only be used
as a surname. I've never heard the word "Kazaj". Maybe it's Polish,
Czech or Hungarian?
Ciao Ralf Wagner (zca41122@rpool1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de)
Ciao Ralf Wagner (zca41122
--------------------
From: Stefan Matthias Aust <sma@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>
Subject: A Miscellany of Spells
System: Elric!
Some more new spells.
Seduction (4) [Spell of Being]
"`Please help me, my beloved hero'. Like a puppet, somehow confused,
Rhowan helped the witch to stand up again. Carefully he removed the
dagger with which he had stabbed her one minute ago. `You are wounded'
he said, `If only I could catch the one who hurt you, I...'"
Range is sight. Chaotic. Only works against opposite gender. After
a POW:POW resistance roll, the target falls madly in love with the
caster. He will follow all orders, doing everything he thinks might
please the caster. Logical thinking and reason are reduced.
The spell lasts until broken, which will happen if the caster dies or
releases the target or if the target succeeds at an idea roll. An
idea roll can be attempted whenever the target is forced into doing
something dangerous or something against his own deep beliefs.
Command (2) [Spell of Being]
"Ramir spoke to Gatan, the sorcerer. `You'll get 100 bronze if you
come with me and ward off the demon.' `My price is 300.' Gatan ignored
Ramir and continued to sort dusty containers on a dirty shelf. Ramir
dropped a bag of 50 bronze. `You'll get another 50 bronze if you have
it banished.' `300. You are miserly.' Ramir grabbed his sword and
took a step toward the magician. `I am what!?' `You are miserly and
annoying. Please go!' Ramir turned around, an unbelieving look upon
his face. `I ... what... ' In front of the hut he shook his head as
if trying to drive away an unpleasant feeling. Then, he went his way."
Range is sight. Chaotic. Caster can influence another intelligent
being that he is talking with to act in a certain manner. The actual
influence lasts the normal spell duration, but the target can't even
remember what happened if the caster succeeds at a POW:POW resistance
roll. The command has to be a short and clear sentence.
Life Drain (1) [Spell of the Characteristics]
"Rhowan felt uncomfortable. Since finding that strange sparkling
jewel, he had been tired. He couldn't sleep; visions he couldn't
remember kept him awake. The backpack hurt, even walking brought him
pain."
Range is touch. Chaotic. STR, DEX and CON are reduced by 1 each per
day, with all consequences. Additionally, all skills are reduced by
5% per day. The spells lasts until undone or 1D8 days. After this
time, the characteristics return at a rate of 1 point per day, up to
the old values. The skill reduction vanishes in the same manner.
Paralysis (3) [Spell of Being]
"Rhowan hated sorcerers. Nearly every time, they enchanted him. This
time was no different. He thought he had finally cornered his enemy,
but now this! He couldn't move a single limb, and had to watch the
guards of the sorcerer carry him off to jail."
Range is touch. Chaotic. Until the spell fades, the target has to
succeed at a POW:POW roll each combat round or he stands paralyzed,
unable to do anything. The third round paralyzed, the victim can't
even stand anymore and falls down.
--------------------
From: Stefan Matthias Aust <sma@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>
Subject: Spells of the Spirits
System: Elric!
More new spells, this time concerning spirits.
Awaken the Spirits of the Woods (3) [Spirit Magic Ritual]
"Ever since she and Rowan had entered the forest, Fenshia had felt
that something was watching her. She turned around, but, like before,
she couldn't find anyone. Fenshia's attention returned to Rhowan, who
was pointing out a strange Khiobl carving made in an old tree. But,
as she examined it, Fenshia again felt eyes staring at her back."
After a ritual that lasts 1D10 hours, the caster is able to smell,
hear or feel through the spirits who live in the forests by entering a
trance. He has a diffuse multi-visual impression and is unable to
realize clear pictures, sounds or feelings. The spells lasts as long
as the caster concentrates. The range is 50 meters. If the caster
has foci, he can jump from focus to focus (if they're no more than 50m
away) to reach the final point he wants to observe. Each jump lasts 1
minute. He needs a very good knowledge of that forest to do so
without getting lost in a world of strange impressions.
A focus can be carved into an old tree or an old boulder. This ritual
costs 1 point POW and lasts 1D10 hours too. The sorcerer has to make
a luck roll to succeed. (On Koptu they say that the Khiovl, the alien
lizard-like creatures living in the Western forests have knowledge of
this spell.)
Animate the Ancient Power of a Tree (1-6) [Spirit Magic]
"They reached a dead, gray clearing. Four crippled trees, reminiscent
of writhing humans, were all they saw. `Yes', Rhowan said, `That's
the clearing the old man mentioned.' Suddenly, one of the trees came
to life!"
The caster can animate and control a tree for up to POW combat rounds.
He has to spend 1 magic point per 5 points of SIZ of the tree. An
experienced shaman can estimate the size of an tree quite well.
Attacking Tree statistics
STR 4D6+10 24
CON 4D6+10 24
SIZ 2D6+10 17
INT 1D6 3-4
POW 2D6 7
DEX 2D6 7
MOV walk-3 HP 20-21
Av Damage Bonus: +2D6
Weapons: Brawl 25% 1D4+db
Armor: 1D10-1
Create Staff (varies) [Spirit Magic Ritual]
Old trees are inhabited by spirits. If these spirits die, the tree
dies, too. Sometimes however, the tree dies too fast and the spirit
is imprisoned. From the wood of these trees, a sorcerer can create a
powerful staff. He can reanimate the spirit by sacrifing POW and
create a sort of familiar that gives him more magic points (1D10 per
point of POW spent) that he can use. The staff is able to restore its
magic points at the rate of 1 point per day. The ritual lasts 1D6
hours and costs as many MP as POW. As usual, a luck roll determines
final success. You can do this ritual several times to lower the risk
of losing POW, but if any luck roll fumbles, the staff breaks.
(Optional: A failed roll gives the staff some sort of quirk, for
example it only regenerates while lying in butter or doesn't works
upon the new moon)
Call for Shielding Spirits (4) [Spirit Magic]
"Suddenly Fenshia started to spin, her arms flailing as if she was
surrounded by a swarm of bees. But, all that could be seen were
shadowy, whirling lights."
1D4 random called spirits wrap the target, stopping her from acting
normally until the spell fades (after POW-of-caster combat rounds) or
she succeeds at a MP:MP resistance rolls against all attacking
spirits. She loses 1 MP per spirit each round. The target can
attempt an attack against a randomly selected spirit each round.
Sample spirit
STR - -
CON - -
SIZ - -
INT 1D6 3-4
POW 2D6 7
DEX - -
MOV drift-20
Drains 1 MP per combat round. Can be driven away by matching own MP
against MP of the spirit.
--------------------
From: Stefan Matthias Aust <sma@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de>
Subject: Spells of the Dreaming
System: Elric!
These spells, concerning the world of dreams, are more vague than the
others, but I think it's important to have a great degree of freedom
as gamemaster. Have a nice sleep and pleasant dreams...
Theft of Dreams (variable) [Spells of the Dreaming]
"He sat up in his bed, his wide open eyes glistened in the darkness.
Carefully, he listened. Was there a sound that had awakened him?
Resolute, he lay down and tried to sleep again."
Range is touch. Chaotic. This rare spell enables the caster to rob
the dreams of a sleeper. From now on, the sleeper will wake each
night with the feeling of something missing. She will not benefit
from the effects of sleep anymore. Not dreaming will eventually drive
the target mad. She will begin to become nervous and irritable.
Finally, she will suffer from hallucinations, becoming slightly
insane.
[Disclaimer: I don't know anything but the name about the dream
thieves described by Moorcock]
Sharing of Dreams (variable) [Spells of the Dreaming]
"The creature approached! Smelling its repulsive breath, she
retreated. Suddenly, she was stepping into emptiness, and she fell!
With a cry, she awoke! Again! It was the third night she had dreamed
the same nightmare."
Range is special. Chaotic. Two somehow connected beings can share
dreams. These dream can even overcome the bounds of time. The
dreamer might see an upcoming event or dream of something long lost in
the past. A powerful sorcerer might be able to manipulate these
dreams. By controlling dreams, the dreamer can be enabled to enter
the dreamlands.
Desire (variable) [Spells of the Dreaming]
"Tan was a poor man. All he owned were his ragged clothes and a
hungry stomach. It was autumn but Dhowil, the new keeper of the inn,
did not let him sleep in the kitchen. Tan was cold and sleepy, so
cold... Ach! If he only had one chance, to be a hero, like Rhowan!
Sunshine awoke Tan. A tall warrior kicked him. `Stand up, Tan, we've
a long journey ahead today.'"
Range is touch. Chaotic. Strong wishes and hidden dreams can become
true, at least in the dreamworld, if you've luck like Tan or if you're
a great dream magician and spend at least 1 point of POW. What
happens if you awake? Good question. Maybe the target can find a way to
make his dreams permanent while he's dreaming.
Dreaming (1) [Spells of the Dreaming]
"She had an unhappy life. There was only one part of her life that
she gladly awaited each day, and that was sleeping. She looked
forward to her dreams. Her dream-self was a different and more
interesting person. She'd have another adventure in the dreamlands
tonight."
Range is self. Chaotic. Allows the caster to enter the dreamlands.
What are the dreamlands? They are another world, perhaps better,
built on the dreams of thousands of dreamers. There are more
connections between this world and the world of dreams than might be
good, ways to enter the dreamlands, permanently and physically. But,
these paths are protected. Nearly every addicted dreamer is searching
for a chance to stay there forever.
Call the Dreams (variable) [Rituals of the Dreaming]
"Srarea stared into the fireplace. Her companions were sleeping. It
was an frightened old house they rested in. No one had dared to sleep
in one of the bedrooms above. Pieces of wood crackled, or was that
the stairs? Three disguised shapes tried to sneak into the living
room, holding bloody knives! Realizing that they were detected, they
fled upstairs. Srarea grabbed her spear and followed. One of them
turned. He looked exactly like Srarea's father. His blow caught her
unprepared. Then, she reacted, impaling him with her spear. The
other two fled down the corridor. For a moment, it seemed that one of
them turned into a lion and back again. She followed into the
darkness. Suddenly she ran against the back wall of the building.
How had they vanished!?"
Just as dreaming humans can reach the dreamlands, dream beings can
reach the mundane world if they're called. Details are left to the
gamemaster, but, it's not easy to open a passage between the two
worlds. The ritual lasts 1D6 hours. If a luck roll fails, it
attracts a guardian.
On Koptu, the serpent men have tried to find and close all passages to
the dreamlands. Sometimes you can find a strange obelisk which guards
one of these passages. If you rest near it, you can suffer unusual
dreams. These gates are protected by magical guardians which look
like a great serpent with a human torso and head. In fact this
creatures are built by combining a giant serpent and a human soldier
slave, but that's another story.
These are the statistics of such a Naga-like creature:
STR 3D8+8 21-22
CON 3D8+8 21-22
SIZ 2D8+16 25
INT 2D8 9
POW 3D8 13-14
DEX 4D8 18
MOV slide-8 HP 23-24
Av Damage Bonus: +2D6
Weapons: Sword 115% 1D8+1+db, Brawl 60% 1D3+db,
Tail 65% 1D8+1/2db, Shield 90%, 22 HP,
Hunting Bow 85% 1D6+1+1/2db
Armor: 1D10+2 (human part), 1D6+1 (serpent part)
Skills: Dodge 80%, Search 85%, Track 85%.
Spells: for INT-2 points, gamemaster's choice.
Ancient Dreams (variable) [Spells of the Dreaming]
"`I wonder who lived in these building when they were still intact.'
Perhaps it would have been better for Srarea not to have asked this
question. When her party awoke the next morning, something had
changed. The air smelled different. The building they had rested in
was now undamaged. From outside came noises and voices."
Range is sight. Chaotic. Whoever likes can visit the past, because
dreams are not strictly connected with time. Maybe a dream or an idea
still lives, even if its dreamer is dead and forgotten. Old buildings
and places remember the past. But, reawaking the past can be
dangerous. Maybe someone doesn't like the idea that he's in fact long
dead. Who knows...
--------------------
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