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Chaosium Digest Volume 14 Number 01
Chaosium Digest Volume 14, Number 1
Date: Sunday, April 14, 1996
Number: 1 of 4
Contents:
Announcement: Optifex (Michael C. LaBossiere) CALL OF CTHULHU
Nephilim Australis Incogito, Part 1 (Timothy Ferguson) NEPHILIM
Editor's Note:
This time around, a short announcement of a new mailing list, and then
a Nephilim magnum opus. You'll find in four parts a terrific article
detailing Nephilim in Australia.
For the coming weeks, I've got some old Nephilim material and some new
Pendragon adventures pending, but contributions are still wanted.
Call of Cthulhu and Elric! contributors have been especially quiet
recently.
Shannon
--------------------
From: <Ontologist@aol.com>
Subject: Announcement: Optifex
System: Call of Cthulhu
Opifex Bi-Monthly Contributors' Guidelines, 1996
Michael C. LaBossiere, ontologist@aol.com
Kelly Rothenberg, Lemarchand@aol.com
General Information
Opifex Bi-Monthly is a bi-monthly electronic magazine (ezine) which is
distributed in pdf format. The ezine is free and requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader or other software capable of viewing pdf files. Adobe
Acrobat is free and is available on most online services and from
Adobe (www.adobe.com).
Opifex Bi-Monthly has four major sections. The first section is
dedicated primarily to horror and science fiction games, such as
Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu. The second section is given over to horror
and science fiction short stories. The third section focuses on
computers and the final section is dedicated to miscellaneous articles
and topics.
Opifex Bi-Monthly welcomes submissions of original text and graphics.
For more information:
Email
Fiction: Kelly Rothenberg, Lemarchand@aol.com
Games & everything else: Michael C. LaBossiere, ontologist@aol.com
WWW
http://user.aol.com/ontologist/web/opifex.obm.html
--------------------
From: Timothy Ferguson <Timothy.Ferguson@jcu.edu.au>
Subject: Nephilim Australis Incogito, Part 1
System: Nephilim
Over the last month or so, I've asked Chaosium for permission to adapt
material from _Terror Australis_, a _Call of Cthulhu_ supplement, for
the _Nephilim_ game. The material presented here is copyrighted to
Chaosium, or to the authors of the original work, Penelope Love or
Mark Morrison. Those parts not borrowed are mine. I apologize for any
spelling errors, but my spell-checker chokes up on the Aboriginal
words in this work.
NEPHILIM AUSTRALIS INCOGNITO
CONTENTS
A Note About Game Mechanics V14.1
Indigenous Metamorphoses V14.1
Fire V14.1
Air V14.1
Namaradoo
Jannok
Water V14.1
Serpent
Bunyip
(Muldjelwangk)
Moon V14.2
Snake
Black Dog
Earth V14.2
Mimi
Nybol
Alcheringa: The Dreaming V14.2
Waking from the Dream
Agartha: Whitefella Dreaming?
Dreaming: Asking spirits to do magic for you V14.3
The First Circle: Australia
The Three Rings: Geography, Singing and People
The Second Circle: Alcheringa
The Three Rings: Travel, Trade-Paths and Devotions
The Third Circle: Abstracts
The Dream of Gondwana?
Creatures of Alcheringa and Australia. V14.3
Arkaroo: Snake People
The Dead
Female Maneaters: Local Bab Yaga or Baen Sidhe?
Jambuwal: Thunder Man
Kurpannga: The Devil Dingo
Little People
Narghun: Monstrous Boulders
Namarrkon: The Lightning Spirit
Ninya: Ice Men of Mount Conor
Ngarang: What Australia does for Dryads
Quinkans: Guardians of Sacred Places
Whowie: Great Lizards
Wulguru: Death Incarnate
Prior Incarnations in Australia V14.4
Pre-Contact Australia
Robusta Human
Torres Straight Islander
Hunter (Male)
Gatherer (Female)
Age of Discovery.
Maccassan Trader
Marine
Sailor
Early Sydney
Convict from Urban Background
Convict from Rural Background
Marine
Sailor
Officer
The European Expansion
Overlander
The Gold Rushes
Urban gold-digger
Immigrant Gold-digger
Licenese Inspector
Bushranger
The Depression
Town Labourer
Town Professional
Farmer
Swagman
Federation
Urban labourer
Urban Professional
Bush Poet
Early politician
Farmer
Boer War Soldier
The Great War
The Second World War
The Mineral Boom
The Vietnam War
The Nineteen Eighties and Nineties
A NOTE ABOUT GAME MECHANICS
The Nephilim of Australia are a mixture of indigenous spirits,
European immigrants and Asian arrivals. In this material, descriptions
of Asian Nephilim will assume that they are essentially identical to
their European counterparts, as official supplements concerning them
are not yet available. Once an Asian supplement is released, I'll try
to design a supplement for this work. Aboriginal Nephilim will be
described using a variant of the European model.
INDIGENOUS METAMORPHOSES
The ancestor spirits of the aboriginal tribes who shaped the land and
lay within it are not easily classified into groups. Many of them take
animal shapes, so that the Nephilim of one area might, for instance,
always manifest themselves in a particular species of bird. In
designing the groups below I've tried to find slightly more
anthromorphic creatures who are generally not ancestor-spirits. I
haven't had the opportunity to track down the original myths from
which the "Terror Australis" descriptions are taken, so these should
be considered adaptions of aboriginal lore, rather than accurate
representations. That is, the personality traits are just what seemed
right to me at the time, so they may not display traditional
behaviours.
Early in Australia's history, members of the Strength Arcanum went
there and misidentified many indigenous Nephilim as Khaiba sufferers.
In conjunction with Arcanum who desired to steal local magic and
sacred places, they pitted themselves against the Aborigines, aiding
the white invasion. As they possessed Orichalka, a foreign substance
in this country since ore-smithing had never been developed, their
pogrom was terribly successful in some areas. Eventually, an informal
compromise was reached, with the two groups ceasing to attack each
other.
In modern times, the odd Australian Nephilim are occassionally used as
aces in the hole against Eurocentric secret societies. The Tower
Arcanum, for instance, greatly damaged one section of the Illuminati
by having a Nybol paint a pentacle on his chest and pretend to be a
homoculus.
Fire
I couldn't find any good myths concerning Fire creatures except that
of the Rainbow Man, which is a little like the Prothemean myth. Even
the myth of the creation of the Sun that I'm familiar with does not
involve fire, since the Sun is made of spilled yolk.
Air
Namaradoo (Higher Air)
"...their bodies are very thin, only flesh held together with sinew.
They have thick hair and pointed jaws containing rows of interlocking
teeth. Instead of fingers and toes they have long claws, and they fly
through the night making whistling noises. If the sounds of their
progress is heard overhead, the only way to avoid notice is to stand
very still; otherwise they shoot their long claws at you. (Northern
Australia)" -Terror Australis, p.38
Namaradoo are made up of five passions, like other Nephilim.
Energetic: As the creature becomes more and more energentic, they
become able to transmit energy to the air around them, creating winds
which can, once this passion reaches 16+, lift them through the air.
The winds alter its voice, so that it becomes a hollow whistle.
Proud: As a Namaradoo's pride increases it becomes taller, towering
above others.
Reckless: Once this creature becomes truly reckless it can, and likes
to, fire its claws at those nearby. A claw strike does 1d3+3 damage
and without the assistance of elevation the maximum range for this
attack is 50 meters, although this can be increased, if the creature
has control over winds due to its Energetic passion, to 200 meters.
Hands so changed have sharp, needle-like claws which emerge from the
centre of the end of the fingers.
Uncaring: As this passion increases the Namaradoo becomes increasingly
emaciated. It ceases to maintain its body, so its internal organs shut
down and are excreted. Although Namaradoo can drink and eat, they draw
nutrients through their skin. Atlhough it looks normal to casual
obsevers, microscopically stoma develop on the surface of the skin,
like the gas-pores on leaves. Namaradoo begin to smeall like dried
leaf litter at this point.
Unpredictable: As the creature becomes increasingly unpredictable it
begins to seem more fearsome of those nearby. It develops nasty teeth
and claws instead of finger and toenails. These claws do an extra
point of damage in a "Kick" or "Punch" attack, although they do far
more when shot using the Reckless passion, as noted above.
A Natural Phenomenon: The whistle of the wind.
A Metal: What are metals? (Mercury)
An Animal: The flying fox.
A Colour: Midnight blue.
A Mythological Being: Wing-sandaled Hermes.
A Famous Human Being: The first skydiver.
A Human Activity: Falling out of trees.
A Work of Art: Time-lapse film of cloud formations.
A Weapon: A nail-gun.
An Object: Thistledown
Jannoks (Lower Air)
"Bird-like human hybrid-things. Their heads, backs and the edges of
their arms bristle with feathers, and their scaly legs end in
three-toed claws. Their heads are a repulsive combination of broad
horn beak and human skulls." -Terror Australis, p.42.
Private: As Jannoks come to value their privacy they become less
substantial. Their bones become light and flexible and the outlines of
their bodies cease to be sharply defined. Once this score reaches 16+
a Jannok inside a willy-willy is invisible to normal vision.
Destructive: Jannoks like picking things up, carrying them for a way,
then dropping them. It's unlucky to watch a willy-willy to see where
it is going. Those who stare at willy-willies get cursed by the
passing Jannoks, just in case this signifies that the person is spying
on them with Ka vision. As the Jannok becomes more Destructive, its
feet change to become birdlike, gaining the wicked kick of the Emu or
Cassowary, which does an added two points on to of the usual amount.
Rebellious: As the Jannok dedicates itself to the overcoming of
structures, it deforms itself, by denying the correctness of its
skeleton. Horrible deformities ensue, most notably to the skull, which
grows avian extensions. The voice of the Jannok grows raucous and
varies unpredictably in pitch and tone.
Unpredictable: As the creature becomes more suprising, it begins to
develop ugly plumage on its head, shoulders and upper arms. Angels
find Jannoks particularly disgusting.
Energetic: The vibrance of the Jannok allows it to create and control
whirlwinds, or willy-willies, which it can, once its score reaches
16+, ride from place to place. There whirlwinds can also be directed
to blow about things, tangle up humans and so forth, so long as they
are within sight pof the Jannok. A willy-willy can be destroyed, but
this requires attacks with weapons that do not impale and that do 21
points of damage. Things that cut the air currents, like fans for
instance, do great damage to willy-willies. Jannoks who can make
willy-willies smell like dust carried on a dry breeze.
A Natural Phenomenon: Willy-willies.
A Metal: Aluminum chip-wrappers tossed in the breeze.
An Animal: A bird that soars on thermals.
A Colour: Cassowary blue.
A Mythological Being: An efreet.
A Famous Human Being: Icarus.
A Human Activity: Hand-gliding.
A Work of Art: Digerido music.
A Weapon: The returning boomerang.
An Object: An electrical fan.
Water
Serpent (Higher Water)
There is a tradition from the Uluru area that there was, long ago, a
war between the venemous and non-venemous snakes. Additionally,
Australian myths are filled with references to snake-spirits, many of
which, although dangerous, are benificent. The Rainbow Serpent was a
terrifying creature, well able to create enormous destruction, but,
after all of that, it was the bringer of waters and the symbol of the
fertile earth. Those who knew its rituals were able to placate and
beseech it. It has none of the deceptiveness of the Snake, so I have
made it and its kind the other side in the war at Uluru.
Calm: Serpents are cunning, speculative creatures. They are not
poisonous and they know that success requires careful planning, not
wild strikes. As the Serpent becomes calmer, the temperature of its
blood falls down many degrees, so that it seems cold-blooded. Calm
Serpents choose not to speak often, reducing their speech to a few,
key, expressive sentences.
Honorable: The Serpent expects people to interact with it through a
series of ceremonies that are of ancient vintage. As it begins to
fulfil its role in the social contract with humans, it begins to fill
out its serpentine shape, losing its arms and legs and becoming
incredibly flexible. It also changes gender if the simulacrum is male,
going through a period of hemephadotism during this process.
Once this transformation is properly progressed, the Serpent gains a
constricting attack, used in conjunction with the grapple skill, which
does 1d3 per round ignoring flexible armour like chainmail or fencer's
pads. For this particular attack, the grapple skill is boosted by the
Serpent's flexibility, so that it is 50% higher than its skills might
otherwise indicate. Once the Serpent has successfully entangled a
target, they may not resist the attack in following rounds unless they
succeed in an opposed Strength check.
Private: As the Serpent becomes increasingly reclusive, it develops
hard scales which are smooth and dry to the touch.
Spiritual: As the eyes of the Serpent are opened to spiritual matters,
its pupils change shape, becoming slits, and the sclera merges with
the yellow iris of the eye. Additionally, a membrane as transparent as
truths already mastered forms over the eye.
Vengeful: When roused from its slumbers of quiet thoughts, the Serpent
can lead storms from the North upon its enemies. It can, once its
passion reaches 16+, create deluges and call lightning and hail down
upon an area it considers accursed. These effects are not controlled
sufficiently to target a single person or even a small building
directly, but cathedrals and skyscrapers are fair game, as is the
entire area within line of sight. These natural effects do not harm
Serpents. Serpents with this power are surrounded by a cloud of ozone,
which awaits their call to become the core of a thunderhead.
A Natural Phenomenon: Storms.
A Stone: Opal.
An Animal: A python.
A Colour: The colours of the rainbow.
A Mythological Being: The Rainbow Serpent
A Famous Human Being:
A Human Activity: Cloud-seeding.
A Work of Art: Bark paintings.
A Weapon: a Wadi
An Object: A shell of mother-of-pearl.
Bunyip (Lower Water)
"Bunyips are something like a crocodille and something like an
enormous seal. Their eyes are like glowing coals, and their hide is an
unwholesome mixture of fur, scale and feather. They swim with powerful
flippers and on land walk on hind legs, towering twelve or more feet
tall. They are soundless except for their hunting cry, which can be as
dire and desolate as death or a savage roaring paean of hate, rage and
hunger. They have long claws and hug their prey to death. They prefer
eating women to men. They have control over bodies of water, and can
suddenly raise or lower water levels to suit their whim. Proof of
their supernatural nature is that they can never be successfully
photographed." -Terror Australis, p.41.
Bunyips were originally hunted by the Strength Arcanum, along with
Nybols and Jannoks, under the assumption that they were Nephilim in
Khaiba. This belief was reassessed when a Bunyip, hard-pressed by a
Strength Arcanum hunting expedition, went into Khaiba and suffered
gigantism, becoming a monster over fourty feet long. The Strength
Arcanum has since given up hunting the metamorphoses described in this
chapter.
GMs should note that Bunyips are enormously powerful in melee combat.
Unlike most metamorpheses, which get two magical abilities due to
their emotions, the bunyip gets four. If you want to reduce this, then
cut down on the statistic bonuses and declare the water-breathing and
water control powers to be Sorcerous, bringing them back to two
powers.
Angry: The Anger of the Bunyip is seen in its burning eyes. As the
anger is bottled inside it stretches the body of the Bunyip to inhuman
proportions. At an Angry score of 16+ the statistics of a Bunyip are:
STR: 10d6+10 (that is, add 8d6+4 to the Simulacrum's)
CON: 4d6+12 (add d6+6)
DEX: 3d6+6 (add 6)
These substitute for the Ka-element bonus if they are higher than it,
which is generally the case. Those Nephilim finding inspiration in
their Anger so that the score rapidly goes above 16 are highly
reminiscent of Nephilim suffering an attack of gigantism.
You may wonder how you can have a 12' monster in your campaign. Well,
it's sort of like having a character with fully developed wings or
transparent skin and internal organs. It's an extreme that skillful
players will need to work their way around.
Conservative: Bunyips remember a time before water-pumps and
irrigation schemes, when the waters of the great rivers were free and
pure. Mourning for the loss of their home is the source of the hunting
cry of the modern Bunyip. Apart from this, they are silent, seeing
speech as an "Airy" sort of thing.
Misanthropic: The greater the hatred of humans in these creatures, the
more beastial they become. They grow strange body coverings like
feathers and develop flippers in the place of their hands and feet.
Deceitful: Animals and birds trust a deceitful Bunyip, living near its
billabong so that humans think it safe to drink from. Deceitful
creatures of this type can lie in wait for months under the water,
hiding themselves from observation. This is aided by their
simulacrum's capacity to survive in either air or water equally well.
Bunyips do not have gills, however, just adapted lungs. Bunyips have
burrows leading out of their billbongs which allow them to travel a
fair distance away from it to suprise their victims. A Bunyip who is
Deceitful can raise or lower the water level in a billabong, or
bathtub or swimming pool, as it wishes. Decitful Bunyips are sometimes
betrayed by their scent, which is of muddy water, even when dry and
far from their billabongs.
Destructive: Bunyips who are feeling Destructive grow enormous claws
which they use to hug creatures to death. They also develop rows of
serrated teeth. Their bite does 1d10 damge, plus 5d6 if Angry. Their
hug does 5d6, but only if Angry.
A Natural Phenomenon: Monsoonal flooding.
A Stone: Haematite
An Animal: The Platypus.
A Colour: Muddy brown.
A Mythological Being: Scylla (or do I mean Charbodys?).
A Famous Human Being: The jolly swagman who camped by a billabong under
the shade of a coolabah tree.
A Human Activity: Drowning.
A Work of Art: Cave paintings.
A Weapon: The hand.
An Object: A "No Swimming" sign, carefully submerged.
Muldjelwangk (Lower Water)
The Muldejelwangk are huge Australian Tritons. You should use them
instead of, or as well as, Bunyips. They are given as an alternative
since Bunyips are rather potent creatures and some Gamesmasters may
not wish to include them in their campaigns.
--------------------
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