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Chaosium Digest Volume 10 Number 02
Chaosium Digest Volume 10, Number 2
Date: Sunday, April 16, 1995
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
More Weapons for Ringworld (Charlie Seljos) RINGWORLD
Hal Zealey III: A CoC NPC (Shaun Horner) CALL OF CTHULHU
More Cthulhu Cycles (Shannon Appel) CALL OF CTHULHU
Editor's Notes:
Welcome to another issue of the Chaosium Digest. This issue includes
something which I think is kind of cool: an article on RINGWORLD,
Chaosium's one foray into Hard SF. I'd love to see other articles for
that game in the future.
TALES OF THE BLIND IDIOT GOD: New out in the world of Mythos Fiction
is The Azathoth Cycle (Chaosium, 234pg., $10.95). This book, which is
volume 6 of the Cthulhu Cycle series, prints both new and old stories
of Azathoth. A complete table of contents is included further below.
CTHULHUPUNK: Tales of Cthulhu set in the Dark Future has been a
subject of the Chaosium Digest in the past (see V2.10, V2.11 & V3.1).
Now, there's an entire sourcebook on the subject, put out by Steve
Jackson Games. It's called GURPS CthulhuPunk (SJG, 128pg., $16.95).
FRENCH RELEASES: New Chaosium-related releases in France include Chair
et Metal, a supplement for Hawkmoon, with lots of information on
Sicily, optional rules on mutations, and a huge campaign; and Kabal, a
colectable card game based on Multisim's original Nephilim game.
STRANGE AEONS: Jan Engan asked me to mention that the Strange Aeons
listserv has been down for about a month now. She doesn't know when it
will be back up, but says that if you have been trying to subscribe or
simply want to get in touch with everyone who was a part of that
group, you can email her directly at: LadyeJan@aol.com. If you do so
"PLEASE, PLEASE put the letters SA somewhere in the subject header."
Recent Sightings:
Another recent sighting from France, thanks to Frederic Moll.
* Call of Cthulhu - "La Toile du Destin", a five page scenerio,
starting in England and ending in Brazil, Casus Belli #86 [Apr/May 95]
--------------------
From: Charlie Seljos <azathoth@wam.umd.edu>
Subject: More Weapons for Ringworld
System: Ringworld
More Weapons for the Ringworld Game
by Charlie Seljos
Here are a selection of a few weapons described in some of Larry
Niven's tales of Known Space. Many of them date to pre-Ringworld-era
times, and are generally unlikely to be in the possession of
explorers, unless peculiar circumstances exist, or unless the
Gamemaster sets an adventure before the 3rd Man-Kzin Wars. Any of
these weapons might be found on the Ringworld, in the possession of
the Machine People, City-Builders, and possibly others.
Direct all comments and criticism to:
azathoth@wam.umd.edu
-----
GAUSS WEAPONS
Gauss weapons, also called electromagnetic railguns, use
superconducting magnets to accelerate small metallic projectiles to
hypersonic speeds. Most of the mass of such a weapon is its power
supply and ammunition, which are usually bundled together in a single
unit. Because there are almost no moving parts, these weapons have an
extremely high rate of fire -- up to 10 projectiles per impulse --
nearly double that of chemically-powered projectile weapons. Firing
many rounds increases the marksman's chance to hit. Each round fired
adds 5% to the chance for success, but the maximum increase cannot be
more than twice the marksman's original skill. Roll a die to determine
the actual number of rounds which strike the target. If the weapon is
fired across an arc, subtract one from the die roll for each target in
the area of fire. (See the Ringworld Gamemasters book under the
"Machine People Weapons" heading for details, the "Agaman Heavy Gun"
heading in the Ringworld Companion, or use the Automatic Weapons rules
found in Call of Cthulhu). Gauss weapons can, of course, be set to
fire a single shot per impulse; most models came with a selector
switch with three positions: single shot, three shots, or fully
automatic.
Gauss weapons are rare in the 29th century, but saw extensive use
during the first two Man-Kzin wars. Gauss weapons have extended ranges
in very thin or vacuum environments because the tiny projectiles meet
no aerodynamic resistance. If using a Gauss weapon in such an
environment, increase all ranges by 50%.
Gauss weapons make a peculiar popping sound when fired in an
atmospheric environment -- the sound of the tiny projectile breaking
the sound barrier.
GAUSS PISTOL
(Magnetronics, Earth)
WEIGHT: 465g
VOLUME: large pistol -- 4cm x 12cm x 14cm
RANGE: short 30m, medium 60m, long 90m
DAMAGE DONE: 1d10+4
ENERGY USED: 6/shot
POWER SUPPLY: 600/6/390g/R + 100 round magazine
ARMOR: 3 points
HIT POINTS: 12
APPLICABLE SKILL: Handgun (projectile)
COST: 100 stars (2400 a.d. currency); ammunition and power supply cost
17 stars; illegal to private citizens
The Gauss pistol was the normal side-arm for a Terran officer during
the 1st and 2nd Man-Kzin wars, but was gradually replaced by the laser
pistol by the end of the Third Man-Kzin war. It was renown for its
reliability, and was easy to maintain even in the harshest
environments -- a few strokes with the cleaning rod (stored in the
handle) was enough to remove any dirt or obstruction which might enter
the barrel and cause a shot to go astray.
GAUSS RIFLE
(Magnetronics, Earth)
WEIGHT: 1.5kg
VOLUME: short, bulky rifle -- 4cm x 13cm x 50cm
RANGE: short 50m, medium 90m, long 180m
DAMAGE DONE: 2d8+6
ENERGY USED: 10/shot
POWER SUPPLY: 2000/10/600g/R + 200 round magazine
ARMOR: 4 points
HIT POINTS: 14
APPLICABLE SKILL: Rifle (projectile)
COST: 180 stars (2400 a.d. currency); ammunition and power supply cost
25 stars; illegal to private citizens
The Kzinti fleet attacking the Terran system were surprised by the
ferocity of Earth's defenders, especially when their telepaths
consistently stated that their opponents were unarmed. It was no
surprise that the starship-launching railguns throughout the Belt were
used as the model for the standard weapon of the Terran and Belt
soldier. The Gauss rifle was powerful enough to penetrate Kzinti
battle-armor, and although a single shot might not be enough to take
down a charging Kzin, Terran soldiers rarely fired only one round.
Terran Gauss rifles had a longer range than the Kzinti warrior's
chemically-powered weapons, and a much greater rate of fire. By the
Second Man-Kzin War, Kzinti engineers had equipped their own warriors
with weapons very similar to (but considerably larger than) the Terran
Gauss rifles. The Kzinti even developed a tiny high-explosive
projectile, which inflicted terrible wounds on its targets.
MERCY PISTOL
(Bellepax, Inc., Earth [now defunct])
WEIGHT: 300g
VOLUME: small pistol -- 3cm x 10cm x 15cm
RANGE: short 15m, medium 30m, long 40m
DAMAGE DONE: Unconsciousness
ENERGY USED: none
POWER SUPPLY: memory-plastic spring
ARMOR: none
HIT POINTS: 4
APPLICABLE SKILL: Handgun (projectile)
COST: 55 stars (2100 a.d. currency); ammunition costs 2 stars per 100
rounds; illegal to private citizens
The mercy pistol was developed to serve the needs of Terran police
agencies worldwide during the 21st and 22nd centuries. As transplant
technology advanced, it soon became possible for humans to extend
their lives indefinitely. Ensuring a steady supply of organs became
something of a problem, until the establishment of organ banks, since
a steady supply of organs and tissue was necessary. Violent criminals
became the first victims of the organ bank laws; they were soon being
executed by physicians in combined hospital-jails, to fill the demands
of the organ-hungry public.
Police needed a method of apprehending criminals in a way which did
not harm their valuable organs and tissues. Until the development of
the sonic stunner, mercy weapons were the standard armament of police
officials worldwide. They were also utilized by "organleggers"
criminals who sold human body parts on the black market -- parts taken
from unwilling donors.
Mercy weapons fire tiny needles of crystalline material which quickly
dissolve in the bloodstream of the target, rendering it unconscious.
Each crystal is micro-encapsulated in a safety coating which prevents
dangerous concentrations of the sedative from building up in the
target's bloodstream, making it nearly impossible to die of an
overdose.
Mercy weapons are powered by a spring of memory-plastic, and fire once
per impulse. A dial near the trigger controls the quantity and spread
of the needles fired, up to a maximum of 20. A single needle is enough
to knock out any human target, but a wider spread gives the firer a
better chance to hit. Mercy weapons usually had settings which fired
1, 5, 10, 15, or 20 needles. Every five needles fired increases the
chance to hit by five percentiles. Set to 20, the weapon fires a burst
of projectiles in a conical area with a one meter base at a 15 meter
range. Medium range is 30 meters, and anything beyond 40 meters is
considered long range. Beyond 40 meters, the light projectiles may be
unable to penetrate even light clothing, due to loss of momentum. The
weapon's magazine holds 100 needles, giving a skilled marksman plenty
of shots.
The weapon's main disadvantage is its inability to penetrate armored
targets. The crystalline needles ignore any armor protection less than
3 points, but cannot penetrate armor with any higher rating. The
protective value of armor at a particular hit location is important,
however, since the needle may hit an unarmored area.
If a mercy weapon is fired at a target at point-blank range, the
gamemaster might rule that the target could suffer 1d4 hit point of
damage from such an attack.
On the Ringworld, it is likely that if an advanced people developed
mercy weapons, they could fire ammunition which affected only certain
species or sub-species of humanoids.
--------------------
From: Shaun Horner <Draxton@aol.com>
Subject: Hal Zealey III: A CoC NPC
System: Call of Cthulhu
The following is a great recurring villain for your CoC game. However,
he could also be used to aid a group of investigators, as long as
tomes are involved. H e might even use his fortune to finance a
research and recover mission.
Hal is better left to advanced Keepers and players since his power
continuously grows. However, he could be easily used as a thorn in the
sides of investigators. Mr. Zealey III can always be found with
generic guards (4), and with his trusty cane at his side.
Hal Zealey III
Charismatic Cult/Evangelist Leader
Sex: Male
Age: 38
Colleges, Degrees: Ph. D. Theology-- University of Missouri.
Birthplace: Springfield, Missouri
Mental Disorders: Megalomania
Class: Upper Middle
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Characteristics & Rolls :
STR:12 DEX:11 INT:12 Idea: 60
CN: 9 APP:13 PW: 15 Luck: 75
SIZ:11 SAN:45 EDU:22 Know:110
99-Cthulhu Mythos : 35
Damage Bonus : none
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sanity Points (Max: 45) :
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74
75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic Points ( 15) | Hit Points (10) | Hit Locations
00 01 02 03 04 05 | 00 01 02 03 04 05 | L.Arm(3):_ R.Arm(3):_
06 07 08 09 10 11 | 06 07 08 09 10 11 | L.Leg(4):_ R.Leg(4):_
12 13 14 15 16 17 | 12 13 14 15 16 17 | Chest(4):_ Head (4):_
18 19 20 21 22 23 | 18 19 20 21 22 23 | Abdomen(4):__
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income : $ 22500 / year
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skills: *Cthulhu Mythos(35%), Accounting(80%), Ambush(10%), Animal
Lore(10%), Appraise(5%), Archaeology(0%), Bargain(65%), Block(22%),
Climb(40%), Conceal(15%), Credit Rating(85%), Cryptography/Codes(1%),
Diagnose Disease(5%), Diagnose Poison(5%), Dodge(22%), Drive
Auto(20%), Fast Talk(75%), First Aid(30%), Forgery(5%), Geology(20%),
Hide(10%), History(20%), Intimidate(4%), Jump(25%), Law(5%), Library
Use(25%), Listen(25%), Mech. Repair(20%), Medicine(35%), Occult(65%),
Other Lang: Hebrew(25%), Other Lang: Latin(45%), Own Lang:
English(110%), Psychoanalysis(20%), Psychology(86%),
Publish/Writing(20%), Ride(5%), Set/Disarm Traps(10%), Sneak(35%),
Spot Hidden(25%), Swim(25%), Throw(25%), Track(10%), Treat
Disease(5%), Treat Poison(5%)
Combat Skills: Bow(25%), Club(25%), Fist/Punch(50%), Grapple(25%),
Handgun(20%), Head Butt(10%), Kick(25%), Knife(25%), Machine Gun(15%),
Rifle(25%), Shotgun(30%), Submachine Gun(15%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spells: Cloud Memory, Consume Likeness, Create Zombie, Dominate,
Enchant Cane*, Find Gate, Raise Corpses
*A Enchant Cane spell has already been cast, and a sacrifice has
been made (Hal's mother was brutally beaten a couple of years back).
He uses this in self defense against those who believe that he has the
power granted by the Christian God.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background:
Hal Zealey was the son of the wealthy Hal Zealey II, a famous Missouri
banker. Raised in a staunchly religious household, young Hal learned
to respect the power of God almighty and to fear him. Young Hal always
said his prayers at night, and went with his family to church every
Sunday. His religious fortitude ended when, at age 13, he was molested
by one of the church Deacons. His family soon found out, and the small
town of Chillicothe was thrown into turmoil.
This seriously damaged young Hal mentally, as many people believed
that he instigated the action. After the church Deacon agreed to leave
town, nothing the Zealey's did allowed their sons return to church.
Several years went by, and Hal Zealey assumed his father's role as
bank President in 1912. Shortly after his assumption, he sold his
shares in the family business and embarked on a journey to rediscover
his religious beliefs. In 1918, Hal Zealey III found those beliefs
during his graduate work at Miskatonic University. While finishing his
Theology work he came across the unique old collection of books held
under Dr. Armitage. Hal's research brought him to the realization that
modern religious beliefs were somewhat incorrect. He took the
remainder of his fortune and invested a small amount in a voyage that
would lead him to understand the Occult religions of the world.
When Hal Zealey returned in 1929, he was a very different person. His
research had uncovered dark truths that mortals were not meant to
understand. This macabre knowledge scarred Hal so much that he
believed that he was the new prophet of the Christian religions. He
believed that with his knowledge of the Elders and their like, he
could bring forth a new era onto this earth, an age like that of eons
past.
Currently, Hal Zeally III is working the evangelist circuit. He
concentrates on the rural areas of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma,
Arkansas, and his home state of Missouri. He uses his spells to create
havoc before announcing his presence and the cure. So far, most local
officials have cautioned his flamboyant behavior, but his schemes are
becoming increasingly more directed towards controlling a large
following, and accruing the spells to call forth a Great Old One.
--------------------
From: Shannon Appel <appel@erzo.berkeley.edu>
Subject: More Cthulhu Cycles
System: Call of Cthulhu
Back in V5.3 of the Chaosium Digest, I included listings of the Table
of Contents of the first four Cthulhu Cycle books. Since there have
been a few new releases, including a new collection of fiction, I
thought I'd update that list here. Lynn Willis was kind enough to give
me information on the next few books as well.
Cthulhu Cycle Book V: Encyclopedia Cthulhiana
Although labelled Call of Cthulhu Fiction, this book really isn't.
Rather, it's an encyclopedic tome of tons of mythos terms, put
together by Daniel Harms. It's quite well done, and very useful.
Contents:
An Encylopedia of the Mythos, from Abbith to Zuchequon
Appendix A: A Chronology of the History of the Necronomicon
Appendix B: Locations of the Necronomicon
Appendix C: Some Contents of the Necronomicon
Cthulhu Cycle Book VI: The Azathoth Cycle
This recently released book, like I and IV in the series, is a
collection of stories about one element of the Cthulhu Mythos, in this
case Azathoth, the nuclear chaos that seethes at the center of the
universe. A lot of the stories are fairly new, and provide nice, fresh
visions of the Lovecraftian world.
Contents:
Azathoth, by Edward Pickman Derby
Azathoth in Arkham, by Peter Cannon
The Revenge of Azathoth, by Peter Cannon
The Pit of the Shoggoths, by Stephen M. Rainey
Hydra, by Henry Kuttner
The Madness Out of Time, by Lin Carter
The Insects from Shaggai, by Ramsey Campbell
The Sect of the Idiot, by Thomas Ligotti
The Throne of Achamoth, by Richard L. Tierney & Robert M. Price
The Last Night of Earth, by Gary Myers
The Daemon Sultan, by Donald R. Burleson
Idiot Savant, by CJ Henderson
The Space of Madness, by Stephen Studach
The Nameless Tower, by John Glasby
The Plague Jar, by Allen Mackey
The Old Ones' Promise of Eternal Life, by Robert M. Price
Cthulhu Cycle Book VII: The Book of Iod
The next book of Cthulhu fiction out from Chaosium (I don't know what
exactly the planned publication date is) will be the Book of Iod, a
work centering on the writing of Henry Kuttner. As far as I know, most
of this stuff has been out of print for fifty or so years. You'll
note that the book ends with two non-Kuttner pieces. Those two short
stories both center around Kuttner's Book of Iod.
Contents:
The Secret of Kralitz, by Henry Kuttner
The Eater of Souls, by Henry Kuttner
The Salem Horror, by Henry Kuttner
The Black Kiss, by Robert Bloch and Henry Kuttner
The Jest of Droom-Avista, by Henry Kuttner
Spawn of Dagon, by Henry Kuttner
The Invaders, by Henry Kuttner
The Frog, by Henry Kuttner
Hydra *, by Henry Kuttner
Bells of Horror, by Henry Kuttner
The Hunt, by Henry Kuttner
Beneath the Tombstone, by Robert M. Price
Dead of Night, by Lin Carter
* There is indeed a bit of unintential duplication between VI and VII.
Oops.
Cthulhu Cycle Book VIII (?): Made in Goatswood
Last I heard, it wasn't clear whether this book or the Dunwich Cycle
(see below) would be the eighth in the series. However, you should
definitely see Made in Goatswood soon. I believe it's currently
scheduled for August.
Made in Goatswood will be a book of all new fiction set in Ramsey
Campbell's Severn Valley (the English analogue to the Arkham Valley).
If you aren't familiar with the background, I highly suggest reading
Campbell's original Severn Valley stories. You can find most of them
in the not-too-far-out-of-print paperback, Cold Print (TOR, 1987). I
believe that Campbell's mythos writing is some of the most original
and innovative since Lovecraft's.
Besides the stories noted below, Made in Goatswood will also contain a
nice map of the Severn Valley region.
Contents:
A Priestess of Nodens, by A.A. Attanasio
Ghost Lake, by Donald R. Burleson
Beauty, by Fred Behrendt
Unseen, by Penelope Love
Fortunes, by Doc Herber
Cross My Heart, Hope To Die, by J. Todd Kingrea
I Dream Of Wires, by Scott David Aniolowski
The Turret, by Richard A. Lupoff
The Second Effort, by John Tynes
The Queen, by Diane Sammarco
The Undercliffe Sentences, by Peter Cannon
The Awakening, by Gary Sumpter
Random Access, by Michael G. Szymanski
Free The Old Ones, by C.J. Henderson
The Music Of The Spheres, by Kevin A. Ross
Growing Pains, by Richard Watts
The Beard of Byatis, by Robert M. Price
The Horror Under Warrendown, by Ramsey Campbell
Future Releases
The one other book that I've heard of, but is still in the planning
stages, is The Dunwich Cycle. If it does come out, it will contain
stories on Dunwich, starting with the origins of the themes, in
Machen's writing, and coming up to the present, with authors such as
Henderson and Price. We'll have to wait and see what happens with it.
--------------------
The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial discussion forum for Chaosium's
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