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Chaosium Digest Volume 28 Number 04
Chaosium Digest Volume 28, Number 4
Date: Friday, May 28, 1999
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Elric! Psionics (ELRIC!)
by Patricio Gonzalez
Editor's Note:
Here we go with an article on adding psionics to your Elric!
game and a good many announcements and book releases. Thanks
to Patricio for the article and to Shannon Appel for the
Recent Books of Note. Also, thanks to Andy and Guy for their
submissions which will be seen in the next Digest or two.
After that we need more, so keep those submissions coming
in!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
* TENTACLES-Convention News!
TENTACLES Reanimated is booked out since ages... Who wants
to be part of this star-shifting Convention and has NOT
registered himself until now - should have his tentacles on
large doses of unused faith and plot points. The TENTACLES
committee holds all their not working tentacles tight for
them.
YE BOOKE OF TENTACLES Volume 2
*********************************
We all are excited to present YBOT Volume 2 to support this
years TENTACLES-Convention. It comes along perfect-bound
with a colored Cover by Dan Barker and features 140 pages
of articles, adventures, stories and myths for Glorantha,
Call of Cthulhu, Elric!, Pendragon and Nephilim.
Highlights include: The Culbrea Tribe by Patrick Sandberg
and Martin Laurie, Holiday Glorantha: The Men with the
Golden Gun by Michael o' Brien, Sandy Peterson's Shaman
Rules, The
Reluctant Bride a Pendragon Scenario by Shannon Appel, The
Legacy of Ranyart Finn and Significant Trees by Lawrence
Whitaker, an excerpt from Greg Stafford's Lunar Novel and
much much more...
YBOT is illustrated by Dario Corallo, Dan Barker, Simon
Bray, Folker Naumann and Jimmy Alm=E9n.
Available soon from the Chaos Society and
TENTACLES-Convention.
Preview: TENTACLES Millennium in 2000
************************************
TENTACLES Millennium is already scheduled to be a monstrous
Event eager to salute the NEW AEON.
Make sure to be on the mailing list of the GREAT TENTACLE to
get your booking information ASAP and before some other
Tentacle takes YOUR place.
News will be available at the official TENTACLES-Convention
website:
http://www.uni-weimar.de/~kuechle1
Fabian Kuechler
TENTACLES-Convention Producer
fabian.kuechler@medien.uni-weimar.de
* Greetings...
I'm the RPG coordinator for ShoreCon '99, which will be held
on September 9-12 1999 at the Hilton in Cherry Hill, NJ. In
that capacity, I'm making a final plea for GMs to run
Nephilim events at the convention. The best way to get
people interested in the
game world is for them to take part in the stories that
unfold there, and a convention is one of the easiest and
most visible ways of accomplishing that!
The deadline for event submissions is June 1st, and by
visiting our website at
<http://gameconventions.com/ShoreCon> you can find complete
information on hotel accommodations, online GM registration
(now guaranteed to work!), and even get on the mailing list
to have our pre-registration book sent directly to you. If
you are interested in GMing an event, the time to sign up is
now!
This year ShoreCon will be having several special
guests, including Peter Adkison (President and CEO of
WotC/TSR), Steve Jackson (President of Steve Jackson Games)
and Jolly Blackburn (creator of Knights of the Dinner
Table)!
We'll also be boasting Target Games' 1st Annual Games Expo,
several LARPs (Vampire, Star Wars, and Toon!), as well as a
large selection of RPGs, CCGs, Miniature events and Network
Gaming!
Thanx for your time...
talmeta@cybercomm.net - Heretic & Dilettante
ICQ - 12594453
AIM - talmeta (note change!)
Homepage - <http://members.xoom.com/talmeta>
* From Chaosium:
ITHAQUA CYCLE HAS SHIPPED!
We shipped the last of our Initial Ithaqua Cycle Orders last
week. Your favorite shops should have them in stock by the
end of this week. Our next Call of Cthulhu Fiction release
will be Nightmare's Disciple which we expect to ship in
early June. With a little luck and some good sales, our
fiction schedule will once again boast a book per month by
the end of the Summer. That's good news indeed for Chaosium!
More BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS!
This summer Chaosium will be releasing one of our biggest
RPG books ever: Beyond The Mountains of Madness. This book
weighs in at over 400 pages of Epic Adventure. We're very
excited about this book and it's sister releases. We'll be
publishing two other Mountains of Madness related products
in August as well. Our Miskatonic University Antarctic
Expedition Pack and the Antarktos Cycle. You can get more
info on both of these releases below.
ORIGINS AWARDS
The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design are busy
deciding which games will be on this years Origins awards
ballot. I understand the ballots will be posted at the Game
Manufacturers Association Web site <www.gama.org> Make your
vote count! Swing by their site later this week and download
a ballot. Vote for your favorite games then send it back in.
The winners will be announced at the Origins convention <
http://www.andonunlimited.com/CONS/ORIG99/index.htm> over
the fourth of July weekend in Columbus Ohio.
Y2K: The Stars Are Right!
Several Elder Party members have launched exploratory
committees to determine who will run for President of the
United States. Next Years election promises to be the last.
This July, the Elder Party will release their Elder Party
Nomination Kit. All disciples of Eldritch powers are
encouraged to vote for their favorite candidate or the
nominee they fear most. For more details, see our July
releases below.
We Have Email Discussion Lists!
Strange Aeons (Call of Cthulhu Discussion List)
To subscribe to the Strange Aeons list, mail to:
majordomo@chaosium.com
And put the following command in the body (not the subject)
of the message:
subscribe strange-aeons [-digest for digest version]
The Eternal Champion Mailing List
To subscribe to the Strange Aeons list, mail to:
majordomo@chaosium.com
And put the following command in the body (not the subject)
of the message:
subscribe eternal-champion [-digest for digest version]
The Mythos Mailing List
To subscribe to the Mythos Mailing List, mail to:
majordomo@chaosium.com
And put the following command in the body (not the subject)
of the message:
subscribe mythos [-digest for digest version]
NEPHILIM LISTS
The Nephilim Mailing List
To subscribe to the Nephilim Mailing List, mail to:
majordomo@chaosium.com
And put the following command in the body (not the subject)
of the message:
subscribe nephilim [-digest for digest version]
The Pendragon Mailing List
To quote Pendragon-L's information file, 'Pendragon-L is a
mailing list dedicated to the discussion of the role-playing
game "King Arthur Pendragon", written by Greg Stafford and
published by Chaosium, Inc.Game mechanics, the Arthurian
mythos, specific campaigns,
and discussions of the history periods which Pendragon
spans, and other related topics are all permissible
discussion.' To subscribe to the
Pendragon-L list, mail to:
majordomo@chaosium.com
And put the following command in the body (not the subject)
of the message:
subscribe pendragon [-digest for digest version]
** RECENT RELEASES **
For Call of Cthulhu Fiction:
The Ithaqua Cycle - 6021, $12.95 Available!
This chilling cycle book includes thirteen tales related to
Ithaqua, the Wind-Walker, collected together for the first
time. Ithaqua was created by August Derleth and is based
upon the terrible winter spirits, or Wendigo, of Native
North American mythology. Includes stories by August
Derleth, Brian Lumley, Algernon Blackwood, Joseph Payne
Brennan, and others. A perfect book for those cold winter
nights. Edited by Robert Price. ISBN 1-56882-124-7.
For Elric!
CHA 2900 ELRIC! Core rulebook (reprint) $19.95 ISBN
0-933635-98-2
This dark fantasy role-playing game is set in the world of
the Young Kingdoms and based upon the Elric novels written
by author Michael Moorcock. Exhaustive background features
rich descriptions of the island of Melnibone and of her
former holdings, known
collectively as the Young Kingdoms. Character generation is
quick and complete. The forces of Law, Chaos, and the Cosmic
Balance affect every adventurer: their allegiances reflect
the choices which you make for him or her. Magic includes
rules for demon summoning, spell casting, and invocations
and enchantments.
Creatures and personalities chapters describe the multitude
of beasts, denizens and human-like inhabitants of the world.
Spot rules highlight important game details. The gamemaster
chapter provides a great introduction to role-playing for
the new game master making Elric! very beginner friendly.
Two scenarios, six ready-to-copy adventurers, an index, list
of
terms, Stormbringer conversion rules and play aids complete
this book. All you add are dice and your imagination.
For Pendragon:
Lordly Domains (reprint)
GKP 2719, $19.95
Lordly Domains details the privileges the nobility can
expect and the obligations demanded of them. Included are
special rules for castle construction, life of the noble
class, and how they are supposed to act. Also included is
an expanded economic table. A Pendragon(TM) role-playing
adventure supplement. ISBN 1-56882-050-X
** UPCOMING CHAOSIUM & GREEN KNIGHT RELEASES **
All books are expected to print in the month listed...
MAY Releases
For Call of Cthulhu:
Masks of Nyarlathotep (reprint) CHA 2361 $22.95 (069-0)
At long last the Stars are nearly Right! Soon Nyarlathotep's
plans will come to fruition. Then the world will be
irrevocably changed. But all is not yet lost. A small group
of mere human investigators have learned something of his
plans. Can they survive long
enough to make sense of what they know? What hope do they
have of thwarting a god with a thousand forms?
This role-playing classic is a series of linked adventures
forming one long and unforgettable campaign. Horrifying
deeds and dangerous sorcery stalk those who attempt to
investigate the fate of the Carlyle Expedition. The
non-linear narrative keeps players guessing
and on their guard. This reprint of our most recent edition
features many new illustrations, four new episodes, added
keeper support material, and a new version of the lost
Australia chapter. Masks of
Nyarlathotep was voted the Best Role-playing Adventure of
1996 by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design at the
1997 Origins awards.
For Fun:
The Dream Quest Of Unknown Kadath MM0001 $14.95
Set of five comics presenting H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands as
you've never seen them before. An illustrated version of
H.P. Lovecraft's famous Dream cycle novella adapted and
illustrated by Jason Thompson. The reader journeys with
Randolph Carter through
enchanted woods, perfumed jungles, haunted seas, the dreaded
underworld, to the dark side of the moon, beautiful Leng,
and finally to Unknown Kadath. Each collection includes 5
incredible black and white comics with full color covers.
Published by Mock Man Press.
RECENT BOOKS OF NOTE:
* Call of Cthulhu - _Dark Horse Presents #142_ (Dark Horse
Comics, $2.95) is a comic put out by Dark Horse. This issue
is subtitled "Codex Arcana: A Tribute to H.P. Lovecraft".
Three stories in all here. I wasn't entirely impressed by
them (though "The
Keyhole" was OK), but they definitely include tentacled
beasties and evil tomes.
_Eternal Lovecraft_ (Golden Gryphon Press, 411 pgs.,
$25.95), edited by Jim Turner, came out sometime toward the
end of last year, but somehow I never managed to pick it up
or mention it here. Oh, it's got a sub-title too, "The
Persistence of HPL in Popular Culture." The book is divided
into three sections, "Lovecraft Country", "Eldritch
Influences", and "Cosmic Realms". All of the short stories
in here are reprinted, but there were sufficient that I
didn't have that it was worth picking up. ISBN
0-9655901-7-8.
_A Cthulhu Mythos Bibliography & Concordance_ (Pagan /
Armitage House, 463 pgs., $27.95), by Chris Jarocha-Ernst,
is absolutely the ultimate guide to all the Cthulhoid short
stories and novels ever written. The bibliography includes
over 2600 entries! Available from Wizard's Attic. ISBN
1-887797-01-7.
* Pendragon - _The Serpent and the Grail_ (Harper Prism, 354
pgs., $16.00), by A. A. Attanasio, is the fourth book in an
epic telling of Arthor, with the background of a magical and
mystical universe of dragons and gods. The other three were
_The Dragon and the Unicorn_, _The Eagle and the Sword_, and
_The Wolf and the Crown_. ISBN 0-06-107340-7.
_The Hallowed Isle Book Two: The Book of the Spear_
(Avon/Eos, 200 pgs., $10.00), by Diana L. Paxson, continues
a historical retelling of the Arthurian cycle. This one runs
from The Wild Hunt (470 AD) to Mt. Badon (495 AD). ISBN
0-380-80546-4.
_The Fort at River's Bend_ (Tor/Forge, 351 pgs., $24.95) by
Jack Whyte is the fifth book in his Camulod cycle. (This is
another one which has been out for a few months, but my
local booksellers managed to miss it.) This book continues
the tale of Merlyn, as he escapes with the child Arthur into
the north. An excellent series thus far. Of the three
Arthurian books that I picked up in the last few weeks, this
is the one that I've started to read already. If you haven't
tried the series yet, go find Whyte's _The Skystone_; the
first four books in the series are all available in
paperback. ISBN 0-312-86597-X.
* Elric! - _Legends from the End of Time_ (White Wolf
Publishing, 347 pgs., $24.99) is the thirteenth book in
White Wolf's Eternal Champion collection. It contains five
short stories: "Pale Roses", "White Stars", "Ancient
Shadows", "Constant Fire", and "Elric at the End of Time".
These are the rest of the stories about the Dancers at the
End of Time (see Volume 10 of the series). The first three
are the complete contents of the older paperback edition,
_Legends from the End of Time_. The fourth was originally
published as a novel, known either as _A Messiah at the End
of Time_ or _The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming_; it's
also a sequel to _The Winds of Limbo_, which appeared back
in Volume 6. The last short story previously appeared in
_Elric at the End of Time_ along with a number of other
pieces.
-----------------------------
Elric! Psionics
***************
This is a Psionic system for the Elric! RPG but could be
used with any BRP with some minor adjustments.
Psionics could be treated as Law's counterpart to Eastern
Magic. It should be a hidden knowledge and few humans should
know of it. Or it could be treated as "magic" in a lawful
plane.
An INT of 16 is required to be able to use Psionic Powers.
Psionic Powers are composed of 5 skills with some powers
related to each one. To use a power, a Psi must roll under
the corresponding skill and spend a number of Psionic Points
which are the equivalent of MP.
A Psi's Psionic Points (PP) are equal to his INT.
Whenever a Psi learns a new Psionic skill, it starts at
INT%.
Every power has a number starting from 1, which rates what
maximum potency it can have. A Psi can choose to use any
level of potency up to the maximum. The Potency of a power
is also the number of rounds it will work (with some
exceptions in some spells).
Each power has also a cost of Psionic Points (PP).
A fumble skill roll costs PP and no Psionic is made.
A failed skill roll costs no PP and no Psionic is made.
A successful skill roll costs PP and works normally.
A critical skill roll costs no PP, or costs PP but Psi gets
a +5 to Potency or resistance rolls.
Experience: The skills rise normally. But in order to rise a
power, a Psi must sacrifice the skill check to rise 1d3
points to a single power.
TELEPATHY SKILL
---------------
Telepathy governs mental communication and control.
Sense Psi
---------
This power allows the Psi to sense the use of a Psionic
Power within an area determined by the Potency.
The area is equal to Potency x10 yards in radius.
The total PP spent work as the active value if resisted by
Psi Mask.
The more PP spent the more the chance to sense someone using
Psionics.
Psi Mask
--------
This power lets you "mask" your psionic waves against Sense
Psi. The Psi knows when he's being traced so he also knows
what potency the "sensor" has.
The PP spent work as the passive value in the resistance
table.
Sense Emotion
-------------
Sense Emotion lets you know exactly what are the target's
emotions when used.
The power's range is its Potency x10 in yards.
Every PP spent grants 3 points as the active value against
target's INT in the resistance table.
Send Thoughts
-------------
This power lets you send thoughts to a selected target. The
target "hears" a voice telling him things. He may or may not
obey it, but he will listen to it for sure.
Power's range is Potency x10 in yards.
Every PP spent grants 3 points as the active value against
target's INT in the resistance table.
Mind Reading
------------
This power lets you read target's thoughts for as long as
the power continues to work. The victim will feel nothing
except if the Psi fails .
Power's range is Potency x10 yards.
Every PP spent grants 2 points as the active value against
target's INT in the resistance table.
Psi Attack
----------
This is a mental attack that hurts the victim's mind. The
attack feels like a painful headache. A Psi knows if it's a
normal headache or a Psi intrusion.
New expenditure of points is needed each round, but no skill
roll.
Power's range is Potency x10 yards.
Every PP spent grants 3 points as the active value against
target's INT in the resistance table. If successful, the
attack reduces 1d6 points of INT temporarily and 1 HP. When
target's INT reaches 0 he falls unconscious. The INT lost is
regained by 1 point per hour. Hit Points are regained
normally. If the attack fails, the PP are lost but the Psi
may try again next round.
Psi Shield
----------
This power grants protection from a Psi attack or other Psi
intrusion.
Each PP spent adds 1 to the user's INT for the resistance
roll. Each use lasts for one attack, so new PP must be
expended for each new attack.
Sleep
-----
This power makes the target feel tired... and sleepy.
Power's range is Potency x10 yards.
Every PP spent grants 3 points as the active value against
target's CON in the resistance table. If successful, the
victim falls asleep for 60-CON minutes.
Wipe Memory
-----------
This is a terrible power. It erases part of the memory of a
victim. Before a Psi uses this power, he must Mind Read the
victim in order to locate a part of his memory or thoughts.
Power's range is Potency x10 yards.
Every PP spent grants 2 points as the active value against
target's INT in the resistance table. If successful, the
selected victim's memory is wiped for Potency days. This
power can be made permanent by the expenditure of 1 point of
INT permanently. If the Psi fails he may not try again for 1
week.
Lets remark that the Psi retains the erased memory so he can
restore it to the victim using Send Thoughts.
Mind Control
------------
Another dangerous power that lets the Psi control a
subject's mind.
Power's range is Potency x10 yards.
Every PP spent grants 2 points as the active value against
target's INT in the resistance table. If successful the
victim falls under control for Potency hours. This power
cannot be recast until one week after target=B4s "awakening".
If the Psi fails he may not try until 1 week later.
PSYCHOKINESIS
-------------
This skill grants the ability to move things at distance,
wether they are objects or atoms...
Telekinesis
-----------
This power allows the Psi to move objects and beings with
its mind.
Power's range is Potency x10 in yards.
Every PP spent grants 3 points as the active value against
the object's SIZ or the target's STR or SIZ (whichever is
higher) in the resistance table.
The speed of the target is equal in MOVs to the Potency
minus the PP spent.
To hit some one with an object a Psi must roll again under
Telekinesis. If the object thrown has only a part which
makes damage (i.e. a dagger), the Psi must roll also under
the
appropriate skill.
To calculate damage from a thrown object, first judge it's
size and give the object a basic damage (a rock 1d3, a chair
1d6, big chest 1d8, etc.). Second, add the object's SIZ and
the Telekinesis' MOV and compare the result with de Damage
Bonus Table. That gives the additional damage from speed.
Example: A Psi with a Potency of 14 in Telekinesis tries to
move a chest of SIZ 5. He spends 3 PP to ensure his success.
His Potency (14) minus the PP spent (3) gives the chest's
speed (11 MOV). That's quite fast!!
Example 2: The Psi throws the chest at a guard that has been
chasing him, the GM states that the basic damage of the
chest is 1d6. The Psi adds the chest's SIZ (5) and the MOVs
(11) and checks the Damage Bonus Table. No bonus... sorry...
Levitation
----------
This power allows the Psi to levitate. It works like
Telekinesis.
Power's range is self.
Every PP spent grants 3 points as the active value against
the Psi's SIZ or STR (whichever is higher) in the resistance
table.
The speed of the movement is equal in MOVs to the Potency
minus the PP spent.
Pyrokinesis
-----------
This power allows the Psi to increase the temperature of an
object.
Power's range is Potency x10 in yards.
Every PP spent sets fire 1 SIZ. The Psi can ignite someone's
clothes at 1 PP per every SIZ of the target. Damage done by
this fire is 1d6 per round. A Psi can opt to ignite half SIZ
of the target but this fire does only 1d3 damage per round.
Cryokinesis
-----------
This power allows the Psi to decrease the temperature of an
object.
Power's range is Potency x10 in yards.
Every PP spent freezes 1 SIZ. The Psi can freeze someone's
clothes or objects at 1 PP per every SIZ of the target.
Damage done by this freeze is 1d6 per round. A Psi can opt
to freeze half SIZ of the target but this cold does only 1d3
damage per round.
Psychokinetic Shield
--------------------
This power allows the Psi to create a force shield that
protects all sides.
Power's range is self.
Every 2 PP spent grants 1 point of armor to the Psi.
EXTRA SENSORIAL PERCEPTION
--------------------------
This skill governs the ability to perceive things hidden for
normal people.
Clairvoyance
------------
This power lets the Psi to see through walls and other solid
objects.
Power's range is Potency/2 in yards (a potency of 1 grants
half a yard of Clairvoyance)
Every PP spent grants a round of vision.
Clairaudience
-------------
This power is very similar to Clarivoyance except that the
Psi can hear through walls instead of seeing.
Power's range is Potency/2 in yards (a potency of 1 grants
half a yard of Clairaudience)
Every PP spent grants a round of hearing.
Psychometry
-----------
This power allows the Psi to sense the history and
experiences of an object or place.
Power's range in time is Potency squared in years.
Every PP spent grants one fact in the object's history.
Precognition
------------
This is a dangerous power because it lets the Psi to know
his future.
Power's range in time is Potency squared in days.
Every PP spent grants a fact from the Psi's future.
Sense Allegiance
----------------
This power lets the Psi to know to what force the target has
preference. For game purposes, the GM tells the Psi which of
the three forces is the highest, which is the second
highest, and which is the last.
Power's range is Potency x10 in yards.
Every PP grants 3 points as the active value in the
resistance table against the target's POW.
TELEPORTATION
-------------
This skill governs the moving of things from one place to
another without crossing the space between.
Autoteleport
------------
This power lets the Psi to teleport himself to another place
he's already been.
Power's range is Potency in kilometers
Every PP spent works like 3 points as the active value
against the Psi's SIZ.
Exoteleport
-----------
Allows the Psi to teleport himself with objects or other
people.
Power's range is Potency in Kilometers
Every PP spent grants 5 points as the active value against
all the Psi's, object's and other being's SIZ added
together.
HEALING
-------
This skill governs the use of Psionics for healing purposes.
Psi Cure
--------
This power allows the Psi to cure a victim's wounds with his
mind.
Power's range is Potency x10 in yards.
Every PP spent cures 1 HP + 1 additional PP if the victim is
unconscious.
Disease Cure
------------
This power cures a disease or poisoning of a victim.
The Power's range is Potency x10 in yards.
Each PP spent works as 2 point as active value in the
resistance table against the disease or poison's POT.
------------------------------
Oh, my sons... Tanelorn is not difficult to find because
it's far or hidden, it's difficult to find because it lies
within yourselves.
>From Tanelorn,
Erekose
------------------------------
--
