Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Chaosium Digest Volume 11 Number 12
Chaosium Digest Volume 11, Number 12
Date: October 31, 1995
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Tydfil the Witch (Eric Rowe) PENDRAGON
The Ship of the Dead (Shannon Appel) ELRIC!
Arthur Davis the Third (Shannon Appel) NEPHILIM
Editor's Note:
Welcome to a special All Hallows Eve issue of the Chaosium Digest.
Within you'll find witches, zombies and ghosts, for a trio of
Chaosium's games.
Enjoy, and Best of Spirits to All,
Shannon
--------------------
From: "Eric Rowe" <rowe@glorantha.csua.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Tydfil the Witch
System: Pendragon
Sometimes your Pendragon players need a change of pace from their
standard Arthurian adventures. In this case, a witch is presented that
is the stereotypical witch of modern cartoons and movies. She has all
the expected items, including a pointed hat, a black cat, a flying
broom, a boiling cauldron and a wart infested nose. When meeting new
knights, she often unleashes her toothless cackle.
Even the most cautious player-knight can be led into this situation,
believing it to exist purely for humor value, especially if the GM
plays up anything funny and increases the player's ease. Then, when
the the players are having a blast, perhaps helping Tydfil add some
eye of newt to her cauldron, you have them where you want them.
Something comes up, something horrible, and your players have fallen
right into Tydfil's trap. This is a simple and short adventure
starter, and the GM can can go anywhere they want from it. On the
occasion of Halloween though, most plot possibilities turn to the
terrifying.
TYDFIL THE WITCH
Tydfil the Witch is the pagan leader of a nearby village. She leads
the rituals and protects the town from the forces of Faerie that often
emerge from the nearby woods. She is ugly, really ugly. However, she
is kind and gentle with her people, who greatly admire and respect
her. Many would die to protect her, due to her good deeds.
Unfortunately, she also does bad things, but only to knights, who she
hates with a passion. She has killed, cursed and tormented so many
over the years that she has lost count, but she hasn't lost her
hatred.
Insight 2705
SIZ 13 Move 2 Major Wound 16
DEX 11 Damage 4d6 Unconcious 7
STR 9 Heal Rate 3 Knockdown 13
CON 16 Hit Points 29 Armor 1 (clothes)
APP 5
Attacks: None
Significant Traits: Lustful 16, Energetic 16, Generous 16, Honest 17,
Proud 16
Significant Passions: Love (Cerridwen) 15, Hate (Knights) 18
Significant Skills: Celestial Lore 9, Faerie Lore 19, First Aid 9,
Folk Lore 14, Geomantic Lore 10, Religion (Pagan) 10, Sight 18
Magic Limit: 162
Magic Defense: 81
Personal Life Force: 4d20
Significant Talents: Animal Friend 7, Bless 10, Curse 19*, Sacred
Space 12, Summon Faerie Creature 14*, Weather Control 12, Control
Faerie Creature 12, Travel 10
* = Natural Talent
Talismans: Curse 162, Travel 162 (broom)
BLACK FAERIE CAT (CUDDLES)
SIZ 2 Move 2 Major Wound 2
DEX 15 Damage 1d6 Unconcious 1
STR 3 Heal Rate 1 Knockdown 2
CON 2 Hit Points 4 Armor 1 (fur)
APP spooky
Attacks: 2 Claw @ 8
POSSIBLE PLOTS
* After the cauldron is full, the players are invited to sup with
Tydfil. The smell is most foul, but it would be inhospitable to
refuse. The Witch can try other things to force the players to break
hospitality, until finally one does. The first player knight to
break hospitality receives a terrible curse, wherein all that is
ugly appears beautiful, and all that is beautiful appears ugly. The
player knight finds before him a voluptous young maiden, while his
handsome fellow knights have all become noxious looking trolls.
* The Witch steps out of her cave for a moment, then suddenly the cave
seals itself shut! There is a small crack in the ceiling allowing
air in and smoke out, but otherwise there is no way out. Let your
players say their prayers to their gods in vain, then torment them
some more. Let them lie in the dark for days. There is plenty of
water in the cave, but, what do they do when the food runs out? With
that big human sized cauldron handy, temperate players better watch
out for those indulgent ones....
* The recipe is almost complete, but there is one ingredient missing,
a human baby! The Witch demands that the knights fetch one for her
because time is running out. Shortly an immense Faerie creature will
come destroy the entire nearby village, and only the Witch's magic
can stop the creature. If the players try to stop it themselves they
are doomed to failure, for it ignores them and they cannot harm it
as it approaches the village. There is still time to complete the
Witch's brew though, will the players do it?
I'm sure most of you can come up with even more twisted and sadistic
plots than I came up with in a few minutes, so I wish you luck, and
happy haunting.
--------------------
From: Shannon Appel <appel@erzo.org>
Subject: The Ship of the Dead
System: Elric!
This article describes an encounter for Elric!, featuring R'Tel
Kwaglin and his Ship of the Dead. R'Tel Kwaglin, the doomed Captain of
the Ship may be used as a Patron, Foe or Enigma, depending on the
needs of your individual Elric! campaign.
THE STORIES OF THE SHIP OF THE DEAD
Mariners speak of the Ship of the Dead in only the most hushed tones.
To merely see its decaying, soot-colored sails is considered the worst
of omens, and so most sea-men are reluctant to talk too quickly of it,
lest they be cursed. Only when sitting near the fire of a cheery inn,
away from the dark deeps of the sea are mariners willing to tell the
full story of the Ship.
The stories all agree that The Ship of the Dead has sailed the seas
for generations. It appears as a decaying antique: the hull slowly
rotting; the dark sails tattered beyond recognition. The crew is
entirely made of the dead, led by the Captain R'Tel Kwaglin, who might
once have been a Pan Tangian. The Ship constantly searches the seas
for objects unknown. Occasionally its crew attacks other ships,
slaughtering any who stand in their way. Always, though, they leave
empty-handed.
On one final point, all storytellers will be in agreement: if you see
the dark sails of The Ship on the horizon, flee as fast as you can.
INFO ON THE SHIP
The Ship of the Dead is a ancient Pan Tangian galley. However, it is
only barely recognisable as such, because it is a primitive design, a
hundred years out of date.
The Ship is nearly 250 feet long, and forty feet across. Two fragile
mask, shrouded by tattered, ashen sails rise above the deck. Were the
Ship of the Dead manned by living men, nearly five hundred slaves
would toil to move the ship, and it would be manned by a hundred
warriors. Now, though, the ship is nearly empty; the oars move swiftly
of their own accord, while the nearly three score inhabitants of the
ship are all beyond the pale.
[If you desire full statistics on the ship, for use in naval combat,
the old Stormbringer supplement, _White Wolf_, may be referenced. It
gives information on boats in Stormbringer, and includes statistics
for Pan Tangian Galleys, which may be used without change. When _Seas
of Fate_ is released for Elric!, it should include information on
ships for the new system.]
CAPTAIN R'TEL KWAGLIN
Over a century ago, Captain R'Tel Kwaglin was a succesful Pan Tangian
merchant. He sailed the Known Seas, using greed and fear in equal
proportions to fuel his dreams of greatness.
In the end, R'Tel overreached his humble station, and began to contest
the power of St'Nos Deadheart, a Prelate of Chardros the Reaper.
St'Nos was not amused by the layman's grasping desire for power, and
as a punishment, he stole away R'Tel's soul, and damned his corporeal
body to wander the seas of the world until the end of time.
R'Tel's crew fled before him, and for a while he was alone. But then,
as time passed, he was slowly joined by the revenants of those that he
had known and befriended in life. St'Nos' vengeance was not ended
until the three score people that R'Tel had loved the most had joined
him in his deathless doom.
As is his fate, R'Tel has endlessly sailed the Seas since. For
decades, he has sought the soul which St'Nos stole away from him, but
the task seems a hopeless one.
Chaos 37, Balance 16, Law 8
STR 14 CON 17 SIZ 13 INT 9 POW 13
DEX 9 APP 2 HP 15
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Weapons:
Sea Axe 83%, damage 2D6+2+1D4
Brawl 84%, damage 1D3+1+1D4
Dagger 67%, damage 1D4+2+1D4
Armor: 1D6-1 Rotted Skin
Impaling Weapons only do one point of damage, and all others do half
rolled damage + spell damage.
Spells: None
Skills: Bargain 131%, Evaluate 93%, The Natural World 71%, Navigate
107%, Sailing 121%, Swim 58%, Young Kindoms 77%
Appearance:
Once, R'Tel might have been a handsome man, but now he is a deathless
ghoul. His skin hangs in strips from his body, and often the bones and
decayed organs beneath his flesh may be seen. R'Tel tries to hide
behind the finest silk clothing, but they only serve to make his
appearance more hideous, by contrast.
Demeanor:
It is part of St'Nos' curse which has allowed R'Tel to keep his sanity
through the long years. He is broken, though, without hope of ever
ending his ageless curse. Despite this hopelessness, he still searches
for his long lost soul, but the act is solely a mechanical one, a
reflexive action with no real thought behind it.
Little evokes R'Tel's curiosity, but he is willing to deal with others
if they in turn offer help to him. His two main requests are for: help
in searching for his soul (usually in some place that R'Tel can not
venture to); and aid in hurting the priests of Chardros.
THE CREW
R'Tel's crew is made up of those whom he considered friends, allies or
lovers in life. The curse of deathlessness has proven unbearable for
them, and most have become mindless automatons over the decades. Not a
one has spoken in the last five years, and this has made R'Tel's
lonely existance even worse.
Standard Zombie Crewman
STR 3D8 CON 3D8 SIZ 3D6 INT 1D6 POW 2D6
DEX 2D6 APP 1D6 AHP 12
Av. Damage Bonus: +1D4
Weapons (Random 1D6):
1: Dagger, 40%, 1D4+2+db
2: Falchion, 70%, 1D6+2+db
3: Rapier, 70%, 1D6+1+db
4: Scimitar, 90%, 1D8+1+db
5: Sea Axe, 90%, 2D6+2+db
6: Trident, 70%, 1D6+2+db
Armor: 1D8-1 Rotted Bits of Armor
Impaling Weapons only do one point of damage, and all others do half
rolled damage + spell damge.
Note: if R'Tel or any of his crew are slain, they will rise again from
the sea in 1D8 weeks.
STORY IDEAS FOR THE SHIP OF THE DEAD
* (campaign idea) R'Tel Kwaglin can act as a rather odd patron for an
extended campaign. He might send the players to various locations,
in search of his soul, and could also use them as tools in his quest
for vengeance against the Priests of Chardros. In return, R'Tel can
provide many secrets of the deep, stolen from Pyaray and Straasha
over the decades.
* (campaign idea) R'Tel could be used as a recurring enemy in a
campaign. This would be particularly appropriate if the players were
agents of Pan Tang, or some other Chaos land. The players might have
to look into breaking R'Tel's curse themselves, as he will
constantly return, even when slain.
* When R'Tel's ship becomes a permanent fixture near the Purple Isles,
the players are asked to drive him away. What is keeping the Ship of
the Dead near the merchant islands, and how may R'Tel be bargained
with?
* The players become caught in a conflict between R'Tel and the Priest
St'Nrn, who is the descendent of St'Nos. Neither party in the
conflict cares about who is hurt in the fray, and it is up to the
players to help protect the local land from the fallout.
* R'Tel's soul comes into the hands of one of the players, held within
a powerful Pan Tangian artifact. Will the players seek out the Ship
of the Dead, whose story is carved in pictures upon the artifact?
What will they do when R'Tel explains the full story of the artifact
that the players posess?
--------------------
From: Shannon Appel <appel@erzo.org>
Subject: Arthur Davis the Third
System: Nephilim
When Nephilim hear stories of ghosts, they often smile, mentally
coming to the conclusion that a stasis or unembodied Nephilim rests in
the area of the haunting.
But, take the strange case of Arthur Davis the Third, a successful
business man. His career has not been hurt in the least by the fact
that he died ten years ago.
Proof, that they are still numerous mysteries in the Universe, and
that even the Nephilim who believe that they understand all, have only
touched the surface of the unknown.
ARTHUR DAVIS THE THIRD
Ghost Stock Broker
Male, Apparent Age 47 (his age at time of death)
Social Status: 15 Opportunity: 45
Education: 18, College Degree
Life Experience: 87
Culture: Modern American, Upper Class
Profession: Stock Broker
Income: $400,000 a year
Residence: San Francisco Hills
Family Relationship: 0, left family 40 years ago
Possessions: Silver BMW, Expensive Hillside House, Boy-Scout Knife
Appearance: Clean-shaven, Tall, Sturdy
STR 12 CON 14 INT 16
DEX 10 CHA 13 Solar-Ka 27
HP na Actions 3 DB na
Skills: Art (piano playing) 79%, Bargain 91%, Business 95%, Computer
Use 35%, Drive (car) 20%, Fast Talk 72%, Listen 57%, Research 40%,
Speak (English) 90%, Speak (Japanese) 31%
Weapons: none
Magic: none
Arthur Davis the Third was a perfectly normal business man, until the
day he died, one overcast San Franciscan morning, in October of 1985.
Even afterwards, it took him a while to realize that he wasn't normal
anymore. He could still see himself. He could still affect material
objects, though it took a bit more work. But, there was the disturbing
matter of that corpse lying across his favorite Persian throw rug.
Really, Arthur reacted quite well to being dead. He began brokering
all his deals from home, and was quite successful, as he had been in
life. Most importantly, he didn't have to chance going into The City,
and worry about accidently walking through solid objects when he
wasn't concentrating. All around, it was a good deal for Arthur.
Arthur doesn't really know why his "ghost" remained around after his
death, but he isn't one to question his good fortune. Life goes on.
THE REAL STORY
What Arthur doesn't know is that his father, Arthur Davis the Second,
was a powerful Mithradite. From Arthur Davis the Third's early youth,
his father experimented on him, seeking to draw out and strengthen his
Solar Ka. Clearly, the elder Davis' manipulations were somewhat
successful, for Arthur the Davis the Third's Solar Ka increased in
power, and somehow became inexorably bound up in his favorite
possession, a boy scout knife. When Davis died, his Ka remained bound
to that knife, and thus Arthur Davis the Third has enjoyed a second
life, as a ghost.
Arthur never learned the full story of his father and the Mithradites,
because he fled his Arizona home as a teen. Travelling to San
Francisco, he created a life of his own, far away from his father's
smothering affection. A generation later, Arthur could not say whether
a single member of his family still lived.
STORY IDEAS FOR ARTHUR DAVIS THE THIRD
* Desiring to discover the cause for his strange condition, Arthur has
visited local fortune-tellers and seers. He has been able to
convince many that he has indeed been reborn as a spirit, but has
managed to engender only fear. Word will filter through the Occult
community to the Nephilim. Will they aid Arthur in his quest for
understanding?
* Arthur's father, now a decrepit, dying man, has found Arthur's
approximate location after forty long years. He is determined to
reclaim his son, so that he can discover the secret of deathlessness
that he accidently imparted upon Arthur long-ago. When Mithradite
activities increase in San Francisco, all Nephilim may be in danger
of accidental detection.
* Arthur has learned some small facts about supernatural beings, and
has grown suspicious of them. As a result, he has begun to turn his
financial and political power against them. What will the Nephilim
do against such a threat? Will they be able to learn that Arthur is
just a ghost, and if so, will they be able to expose him?
--------------------
The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial electronic 'zine about Chaosium's
Games. In no way should it be considered representative of the views
or beliefs of Chaosium Inc. To submit an article, subscribe or
unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.org. The old digests are archived on
ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be
retrieved via FTP.
