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Chaosium Digest Volume 13 Number 06
Chaosium Digest Volume 13, Number 6
Date: Sunday, March 11, 1996
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Full Auto (Eamon Honan) CALL OF CTHULHU
New Alchemy Spells (Rick Festa) NEPHILIM
Editor's Note:
This week, more Nephilim and more Cthulhu. Though some of Syncline's
new Alchemy Spells originally appeared over on the Nephilim ML, there
are two new ones as well, so make sure you take a look even if they
seem familiar at first. Next week, I've already got a article on a CoC
artifact lined up, but keep those contributions coming in!
Not unexpectedly, last week's Ghostbusters article drew some
responses. Eamon Honan said that there is a retrospective of
Ghostbusters in Arcanum #4. It's a British magazine, but it is carried
in some US (and other) game stores; it's well worth looking at.
Jesse Liwag (jesse@tridel.com.ph) said in commentary: "I have always
prodded my RPG group to try and use GB mechanics and PCs in a CoC
1990s campaign... It all fits well, especially, if anyone can remember
that wonderful Cthulhu episode of the cartoon GB. Using GB makes
gaming simple and allows more room for storytelling, particularly
because of the very basic stats of GB chars, along with their goals in
being GBs. Of course there will be some adjusting to do, but hey, who
doesn't want to have a proton pack handy when some ghouls come
prancing arounnd the corner? Zzzap! Has anyone done this out there?"
Articles on using the GB system to run Mythos-style games would be
quite welcome.
That's about it for this week, but let me in closing making two
requests: Elric! Pendragon! Neither of these games have graced the
Digest yet this year, and I would love to see some submissions on
them.
Shannon
NEW (FRENCH) RELEASES
* Elric! - The Elric! gamemaster screen, which includes a 16 page
scenerio, has now been published by Oriflam.
RECENT SIGHTINGS
* Call of Cthulhu - "The Sultan's Treasure", an eight page standalone
adventure centering around the machinations of the Deep Ones,
Adventures Unlimited #5 [Spring, 1996]
* Pendragon - "Adventure of the Knight Sinister", a two page encounter
involving the forces of Fay, Adventures Unlimited #5 [Spring, 1996]
RECENT (FRENCH) SIGHTINGS
* Call of Cthulhu - "La Memoire du Monde", a four page scenerio, Casus
Belli #92 [March, 1996]
* Hawkmoon - "Les Fils de l'Apocalypse", a four page scenerio, Casus
Belli #92 [March, 1996]
NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
Glorantha-Con V Homepage
http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha/con5/gcon5.htm
You can now visit the official homepage of Glorantha-Con V, which is
to be held in Victoria, BC, in the summer of 1997. The sequel to
RQ-CON I-II, RQ-CON Down Under, and the forthcoming Glorantha-Con IV,
promises to feature Pendragon Pass, Call of Cthulhu, and, yes,
RuneQuest events. Take a look at the WWW page for more info.
--------------------
From: Eamon Honan <Spire@Indigo.ie>
Subject: Full Auto
System: Call of Cthulhu
This article is in fact, an appendix to the CoC rules, to allow them
to be used to play one-shot, non-mythos, action movie type games. They
are not complete in any way and provide no scope for character
development. They are geared towards fast paced, Lethal Weapon style
action involving hairs breath escapes, vast amounts of fire power,
humour and melodramatic heroics. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Note: Any aspect of the rules not changed by this article is used as
per normal CoC rules.
FULL AUTO
Action Movies a la CoC Rules
Character Generation
Generate characters as normal, however change the following:
1. Roll stats on 4d6, discarding the lowest dice. This will give a
higher average, but still allow for lousy scores.
2. Keeper decides incomes on a general basis, giving you a lump sum
and a general idea of what you own, rather then working it all out.
3. Decide on background. About ten lines written on personality and
background is enough; this isn't about atmosphere and in depth
characterisation, it's about guns 'n glory!
4. Determine fate points (these will be explained later): divide POW
by four and round up.
Actions
All actions are played out as normal. However, climactic actions (it's
the Keeper's call on what is and what is not climactic) use the
resistance table. This can be skipped where it would not help build
tension. It should always be used to give the characters a fighting
chance.
Also, due to the comic book nature of the Full Auto game, actions that
would normally take hours need to be be done in minutes. Allow
characters to reduce times by fractions, so long as their skill is
reduced by the same fraction, ie, to do a job in half the time, a
character must roll under half his skill.
Combat
Combat is the kernel of all action movie style scenarios. The basic
structure of CoC combat is unchanged, but there are a few simple
changes.
1. Antagonists who have the same DEX roll on the resistance table to
see who goes first.
2. A player character who has a lower DEX then a villain can (if the
Keeper allows it) declare to be going all out. This means that the
two compare DEX on the resistance table. Should the player succeed,
he may act first. However, regardless of whether he succeeds or
fails, all those acting against him have there skills multiplied by
1.5% (from 50% to 75% or 40% to 60% and so on).
3. Player characters and major villains may dodge bullets. However,
they may make only one dodge a round. Characters dodging bursts
make one attempt per burst, not per bullet. However, when dodging
bursts, the character's skill is reduced by 5% per bullet that
"hits" (ie, if 10 bullets are fired, you roll 1d10 to find out how
many "hit", that is the number of bullets that count for deduction
purposes ).
4. In many Full Auto games, there will be large groups of goons (like
the gangsters in Dick Tracy or the terrorists in Die Hard) whose
only mission in life is to blaze away and fall down in threes
whenever a hero fires his gun. They are not known for their
shooting skills, so take the type of dice that is most numerous in
your collection (d6s in my case) and assume that they only hit on
ones. This makes rolling for over 30 or 40 goons a lot easier.
Also, they die very easily. If a character hits a goon, unless it
is otherwise significant (if the goon was blocking the way from
certain death, for example) assume that a goon hit is a goon dead.
Fate Points
Fate points are the crux of the Full Auto game. They are what
separates the man from the boys, the heroes from the men, the real
Tabasco from the assorted condiments, the toffee from the tea cake,
the kebab from the... you get the idea.
Fate points are what allows heroes to do their heroic stuff, to cheat
death and so on. Each character starts with a number of fate points
equal to their POW divided by four (rounded up). Each fate point
allows the character to decide the result of a dice roll. Once spent,
they are gone forever, or until the next adventure, if the Keeper
decides to run a sequel. The main thing is that a character may spend
only one per round and only affect one dice roll.
Fate points may be used for two other purposes: healing and heroic
acts. Firstly, fate points may be swapped for hitpoints, at a rate of
one fate point to three hit points. Secondly, in a situation where the
outcome is decided (a villain has a higher DEX and therefore shoots
first, for example, and the hero doesn't want to go all out) the hero
may call that into question by spending a fate point. This allows him
to use the resistance table against whatever would have automatically
beaten him. However, the hero may not use a fate point to ensure his
success on that roll (since he has already used his fate point for the
round).
Comments
That's about it, the only advice I can give you on using the Full
Auto rules is:
1. Make combat fast and furious. Keep the action piling on; never let
the players think, just make them react.
2. Plan your action scenes like you were directing a movie: make them
as cinematic as possible. Write down a few words to describe each
scene, so you don't have to pause to think of them on the spot.
3. Keep the game moving. Never give the players more then five minutes
to think or plan.
4. Keep your villains individually evil, making them evil in spades.
Think of the villains from Batman: each had his own little type of
evil scheme. Make them evil, really, really unrelentingly evil, but
most of all make them evil with style.
5. As with villains, make you NPCs (especially sidekicks and love
interests) colourful and exciting.
6. Most importantly, always end the adventure with a grand finale: a
particularly heroic or memorable scene.
7. Plan out a bad end scene, just in case the heroes stray from the
path of rightousness. Make it as gorey, unpleasent, horrible and
humiliating as possible. These rules allow characters to be heroes
very easily (and live to tell the tale), so do not hesitate to make
them feel awful and very ashamed if they do not live up to that
ideal.
Till R'lyeh rises,
Eamon Honan
--------------------
From: <Synclin@aol.com>
Subject: New Alchemy Spells
System: Nephilim
BLACK STONE
-----------
The Eternal Flame
Circle: Black Stone
Threshold: 30%
Powder: Fire
Area: Target
Duration: Special
Range: 1 m
Description: The alchemist casts the powder upon the target (creature
or object). The target monentarily bursts into flame, and then
thereafter appears normal. The formula provides up to 10 points of
protection against any one type of magical damage, although it will
not protect the target from physical damage. Upon receiving a magical
blow the target appears to sparkle as the formula activates; then the
sparkle fades and the target returns to normal. The formula may be
cast multiple times to increase the level of protection, but the
formula will only protect the target from a single magical blow.
Variations of this formula may be found in the The Forge and the
Crucible by Eliade; The Philosopher's Stone by Israel Regardie; and
Ein Kosmos im Regenwald by K'ayum.
Separation of the Earth from Fire
Circle: Black Stone
Threshold: 90%
Powder: Earth or Fire
Area: Varies
Duration: Instant
Range: 100 m
Description: Preparation by the caster can magnify the radius of
effect and severity of this formula. If the alchemist has access to
the target, and she can gather a sample from the object, the sample
becomes the sacrifical focus.
The alchemist casts the powder at the target and immediately snaps a
rod composed of glass, or the sacrificial focus if it is available. A
crystalline tone can be heard by anyone close to the target. Unless
magically hardened, the object immediately shatters into pieces no
larger than one fifth of the original objects' size. If a glass rod is
used, the object can be no bigger than 500 Kg. If a sample of the
object can be gathered by the caster, and is homogenous, the object
can be up to 5000 Kg in size.
Magical foci and Stases get to make a resistance roll using the
highest Ka contained by the object as the passive characteristic, and
the caster's dominant Ka as the active characteristic. This formula is
thus a very real danger to stases, especially to nephilim who use
their stases to cast spells frequently, keeping them drained of Ka.
Objects hardened by the use of formulae like the Essence of the Heart
of Stone (see below) and/or the Eternal Flame (see above) are immune
to this effect, as well as objects under the effect of the various
Shoal spells (Nephilim pg. 147-150) and the spell Skin of the Titan.
There are several powerful but little known uses of this formula, but
I will list only the single variation of the Separation contained in
the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus. It is unrelated to the
other material there, and is thus rarely recognized for the powerful
instruction it is.
This formula can be used to create an earthquake, the severity
depending on the focus used. If a glass rod is used, the quake covers
a 50 m radius, with a magnitude of 6 to 8 on the Richter scale. This
is enough to topple most buildings, injure anyone in the area, etc. If
the caster uses a clod of dirt or rock from the area to be struck by
the spell, the effect covers a 500 m radius, with a magnitude of 9 to
9.5 or the Richter scale, with nearly total destruction of anything in
the area, and varying damage to the surrounding areas. An earth plexus
is fifty percent likely to manifest during such an earthquake, but it
will be difficult to reach, for the obvious reasons.
Other versions can be found in the Lithica, the Turba Philosophorum,
and The Alchemist's Handbook of Frater Albertus.
WHITE STONE
-----------
The Annealing of Thought through the Dissolution of Distance
Circle: White Stone
Threshold: 20%
Powder: Air or Moon
Area: Target
Duration: Special
Range: Unlimited
Description: Using this formula, the alchemist may contact a specific
individual at will, at any distance, for an extended period of time.
Unfortunately, the user must speak aloud when talking to that
individual, which may cause both of them some problems.
To utilize this ancient formula, the alchemist must first find a
source of the rare herb the Zoroastrians called Haoma (also known to
the Vedics as Soma); if the caster cannot find a source of the herb
she may substitute a mixture of lesser plants at her own risk. One
substitute consists of a mixture of Hemp (C. sativa), Fly Agaric (A.
muscaria), and Henbane (H. niger). Another substitute uses Hellebore
(V. album) or Ephedra (E. sinica), and Fly Agaric (A. muscaria). Known
side effects from these substitutes include severe cramping,
blackouts, hallucinations and seizures. Some users may even transfer
these effects to the individual they have contacted through the
telepathic link, causing both individuals considerable difficulties.
The caster ingests the herb(s), and after waiting an appropriate time
then casts the powder upon her forehead. The caster must then seek out
the mental image of the individual to be contacted. After several
minutes spent addressing the air, or no one in particular, the caster
will hear a response from their chosen target; observers present at
either location will not notice any voices or unusual sounds. The
formula lasts as long as the caster chooses to maintain it; but once
the herb is digested or if the caster sleeps or goes unconscious, she
must make a Ka x 2 roll to keep the spell up.
Haoma is nearly extinct in its' original range, but some nephilim grow
it in secret. Aquiring a source of the herb will not come easy.
Versions of this spell can be found in: Herbs in Magic and Alchemy by
C.L. Zalewski; Turba Philosophorum by Gerber; The Magical and Ritual
Use of Herbs by R.A. Miller; and Frosch und Krote in Mythos und Brauch
by Hirschberg.
The Essence of the Heart of Stone
Circle: White Stone
Threshold: 60%
Powder: Earth
Area: 1 m radius
Duration: Permanent
Range: Touch
Description: This spell can be cast upon any non-living object, even a
stasis object, but is intended for the construction of specialized
golems. The alchemist places the target of the spell on top of a plate
of metal or stone, and casts her powder onto the object. The plate of
material beneath the object dissappears in a flash of Ka, imbuing the
target with a toughness and durability equivalent to the plate used.
If the object's flexibility, flash point or melting point is lower
than the metal/stone, it is also improved. The material of choice for
the plate has varied throughout history, but is now commonly Iron,
Wolfram (Tungsten), or Titanium. Objects that were evidently altered
using Damascus steel or Jade have been found in the Orient, but the
method of construction may have been different.
The target object gains a slight increase in mass, and darkens
slightly, but otherwise appears normal. The object may gain patterning
similar to the plate material, but this is rare. There are rumors of
improved versions of this formula, versions which use man-made
minerals and mineral-like substances such as Boron Carbide, Aluminium
Nitride, and sintered Silicon Polycarbide.
Versions of this spell can be found in The Book of the Composition of
Alchemy, in A Lexicon of Alchemy, and in The Collected Works of C.G.
Jung Volume 13: Alchemical studies, but some versions may require
modification for modern use.
Syncline
--------------------
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