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Chaosium Digest Volume 28 Number 05
Chaosium Digest Volume 28, Number 5
Date: Sunday, June 27, 1999
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
* The Beast Between (CTHULHU) by Andy Clements
* Unusual Card Combinations for MYTHOS (MYTHOS)
by Guy Hail grhail@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/althouse.html
Editor's Note:
I apologize for it being so long between Digests. Murphy's
Law landed on my head this month. Hopefully, things will be
back to normal after this. Keep the submissions coming,
enjoy this issue and I'll be back in two weeks.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
* I am desperately seeking CA Nephilim GMs to run games
at Cons this summer and fall. I can promise free admission,
prize support and a book or so for GMs.
Up coming cons are PolyCon in San Luis Obispo June 25-27 and
Strategicon Labor day weekend in Sept.
Phil Posehn (paposehn@juno.com)
* To all Glorantha fans, mavens, and devotees:
Stop those Xerox's!!! Moon Design Publications (Colin
Phillips and Rick Meints) are proud to announce the imminent
publication of the first book in our series of Gloranthan
Classics, entitled Pavis & Big Rubble.
Ok, we've got your attention, now what do we mean??? Simply
put, we've taken ALL the original text and art from the
aforementioned two legendary and out-of-print publications
and combined them into one BIG book of Undiluted Gloranthan
Gold (TM). This is not a photocopy. This is a professional
redesign, fully licensed and approved by both Chaosium and
Issaries Inc.
What's In It?
Everything from the originals except the poster sized maps.
Yes, that means all the scenarios, all the background
material, all the stats, all the cults, etc. Contrary to
popular belief, this is not a scaled down or stats-lite
version. But, we have tried to make the original a little
bit better by adding over 35 new pieces of art, including a
full color cover, especially commissioned for the project
from such Gloranthan visionaries as Dario Corallo, B. A.
Wayne, Simon Bray and Dan Barker. We've even pestered Greg
to finally write-up the Sun Dragon Cult.
OK, what's it cost, and who do I have to kill to get it?
This is a limited edition of 1000 numbered copies. To
reserve your books, email us at: RMeints@ford.com
Payment Info:
All payments MUST BE in Pounds Sterling or US Dollars. NO
CASH or Credit Cards accepted. Each book is 25 (twenty-five)
Pounds Sterling or 45 US Dollars, plus 15 percent for
shipping and handling. The book weighs 1.5 Kilograms! For
everyone's safety, we prefer Money/Postal Orders.
Make Money and Postal Orders payable to R. Meints.
Please send payment to:
Moon Design Publications
7 De Frene Road
Sydenham
LONDON
SE26 4AB
UK
Allow 28 days for delivery. Personal cheques (only accepted
in UK pounds)
must clear before the order is shipped.
Thank you for your support,
Rick Meints and Colin Phillips - Moon Design Publications
(The Gloranthans who care) Questions? Email RMeints@ford.com
NEW RELEASES (as reported in Chaosium's R'lyeh Report)
For Call of Cthulhu Fiction:
Nightmare's Disciple CHA 6018 $14.95 (118-2)
Our first full-length Cthulhu Mythos novel contains a wealth
of terror and Lovecraftian flavor. By Joseph Pulver, Sr.,
this story tells the tale of an insane cultist of the Mythos
bent on freeing a monstrous goddess from her imprisonment
beyond the stars. Opposing him is a detective searching for
a twisted serial killer and a pair of horror-store owners
with a deep interest in music and the occult. The story is
set in the modern day, in a world where perhaps H. P.
Lovecraft is more prophetic than anyone dares believe. For
mature readers only.
For Call of Cthulhu Fiction:
CHA 6024 Tales Out of Innsmouth $13.95 (127-1)
A shadow hangs over Innsmouth, home of the mysterious deep
ones, and the secretive Esoteric Order of Dagon. An air of
mystery and fear looms... waiting. Now you can return to
Innsmouth in this second collection of short stories set in
that decadent town. Visit the undersea city of Y'ha-nthlei
and discover the secrets of Father Dagon in this collection
of stories by Peter Cannon, C.J. Henderson, H.P. Lovecraft,
Brian McNaughton, Franklyn Searight, and more. Two stories
are reprints, while the rest are all new tales of terror!
For Elric!
CHA 2901 Melnibone: Isle of Dragon Lords $20.95 (001-1)
For 10,000 years the Melnibone Empire ruled the world. From
it's capitol on the island Melnibone set amidst the oldest
ocean , the old race of Meliboneans ruled over the younger
human kingdoms and the land itself. Their race breathed
magic as if it were air, shaped the elements themselves,
sculpted the land to serve their needs, tamed the dragons,
and made unmentionable pacts with demon gods. The millennia
have corrupted them and now their empire, which once shone
like the sun, rots from within. The decadent dragon
islanders have fallen and their once mighty empire lies in
ruins. But they are still a power to be reckoned with, and
who knows where their next Emperor, Elric, will lead them?
Melnibone: Dragon Isle and Dreaming City, is a supplement
for ELRIC! which details the Island of Melnibone, the
Dreaming City of Imrryr, beasts native to the Dragon Isle,
Melnibonean history, culture, and theology, information
pertaining to Melnibonean characters, and more. Three
Melnibone scenarios are also included to jump start your
Melnibonean Campaign. ISBN 1-56882-001-1
For Pendragon:
Tales of Chivalry & Romance GK 2720 $13.95
The world of King Arthur Pendragon is filled with adventure,
and here are some stunning examples to try yourself. Right
wrongs, stand fast against terrifying ghosts and giants,
unite lost lovers, or win the hand of a beautiful maid
yourself. The work of a knight is never done. A
Pendragon(TM) role-playing adventure supplement. ISBN
1-928999-02-6
For Pendragon:
GK 2721 Tales of Magic & Miracles $13.95
Saint George protect us! Explore the mystical lands of King
Arthur's enchanted realm and encounter wise women, demonic
beasts, and beautiful faeries. Experience visions of saints
and faerie feasts. Find holy and magical relics, and explore
enchanted gardens and forests. A Pendragon(TM) role-playing
adventure supplement. ISBN 1-928999-03-4
For Pendragon:
GK 2716 King Arthur Pendragon (reprint) $29.95
This book contains everything you need to explore the
mysteries and dangers of Arthur's Britain. Its many features
include a complete game system; extensive background
information covering knighthood, chivalry, the magical
traditions, your home and family, the feudal world, and
chivalric duties. Clear, concise instructions make character
generation easy and quick, and many examples are
included. Other sections teach you how to present a
Pendragon game session and how to start you first campaign.
Exotic monsters, fearsome creatures, and other peoples are
described in detail. Statistics for many famous knights and
nobles include Arthur, Gawaine, Lancelot, Guenever, Mordred,
Merlin, and Morgan le Fay. Many adventures are provided so
that you can begin play immediately. ISBN 1-928999-00-X
For Pendragon:
GK 2714 The Spectre King (reprint) $19.95
The Britain of King Arthur's Pendragon is a land of grand
tournaments, and higher learning. But there is a darkside to
Britain as well. Ghostly Knights , terrible Wyrms, and
werewolves are but of few of the nightmares brave characters
may face in The Spectre King. This book include six
adventures set in the light and darkness of King Arthur's
realm. Also included is background information detailing the
Summer tournament Circuit, the university city of Cambridge
, details for creating a university educated Pendragon
characters, and background information and a map of the
Abbey of La Beal. ISBN 1-928999-01-8
For Pendragon Fiction:
GK 6203 To The Chapel Perilous $12.95
An enchanting and often humorous tale of two reporters
covering the Grail Quest beat, one from the Northern Pict,
the other from the Camelot Herald. Following Gawaine, Bors,
Percival, Lancelot and Galahad, they quickly become enmeshed
in the quest themselves. A great introduction for novice
Grail-seekers, and subtly satisfying for lovers of Arthurian
literature. ISBN 1-928999-05-0
-----------------------------
The Beast Between
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
A Cthulhu adventure, by Andy Clements
------------------------------------------------------------
---
This adventure is suitable for most eras, since firearms in
this adventure will serve investigators approximately the
same purpose as a toothpick. However, I advise the 1990s
era, if only because it impresses on the players how even
their modern equipment is useless.
The adventure begins when a friend of the investigators, a
professor of physics (this detail should raise the
suspicions of any Cthulhu veteran) has been found messily
dead. In fact, he looks like he was thrown backwards into a
large fan (like a jet exhaust), and only his face has been
left intact. He is spread across the vast majority of his
Arkham (where else?) apartment.
The adventure will work best if the characters themselves do
not know of the mythos, although it should be no less
enjoyable for characters who have faced the umpteenth
horror.
By the way, viewing the dead body, if the players get an
opportunity to, causes a Sanity loss of 1/1D6, since it was
a friend. And that's far from the last danger to sanity.
Keeper's Information:
The doer of this hideous deed is a being which lives outside
our reality, and yet can intrude into it. It is currently
moving through our reality, but not in the normal manner.
Instead, it moves between the atoms, between the fragments
of reality, thus rendering it immaterial and invisible. It
is only capable of being seen as a shadow in the corner of
your eye. When seen like this, the creature has a 40%
chance of realizing that it has been seen, and by whom.
Keepers don't need to be told what happens next.
However, the creature can be seen if the proper
instrumentation is created to view it's reality. The
professor created such a device, although he was truly
aiming to view the unearthly beauties described in some
sections of the Necronomicon. However, he viewed the
reality which is on the backstage of our own, (excuse the
dip into metaphor.). More properly, imagine our reality,
and the beast's, as being two faces on a coin. Only the
coin is warped and transparent, but this detail is only
important later.
The creature is roaming through our reality on a voyage of
exploration, and only kills those who are aware of its
existence, at least at first. After it's second victim (see
The Adventure), it begins to enjoy the murder of humans, and
begins to undertake more murders.
The creature, when viewed on its own territory, appears as a
mass of tentacles, maws, and eyes, which throbs and beats
like a heart, changing in position of organs, so that it
looks like a constantly changing creature. It can only be
damaged by weapons on this side of reality if they are fired
sideways along the creature, thus having a greater chance of
hitting a part of the creature on our reality. Divide the
attacking character's skill by five when this is done. Even
a successful attack does only minimum damage for that
attack.
The Adventure
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
After the investigators hear of the murder of the professor,
which has been closed as unsolvable (after the coroner
views the body), there are several methods they can try.
The first may be to view the body. The coroner has been
driven out of his mind by the case, and is starting to chain
smoke. Anyone who can produce relevant credentials will be
invited to view the body (even though this is a breach of
conduct) in the vain hope someone can shed light on the
matter. The body has been scooped and poured into a body
bag, with the face floating on top. Refer to the sanity
loss as described above.
Another method, which will occur to veterans, would be to
find out what the professor was up to. If they can prove
the existence of a relationship to the professor, turning
proof of this over to the university authorities (this is a
good opportunity to force the players to role-play, such as
by producing 'that photo of our Christmas party when we all
bought him those [add obscure hobby item]s that he used to
like' etc. etc.).The players will then be allowed to view
his notes, of which there are hundreds, which are scattered
all over his work space. Finding the right one takes a
Library Use roll at 1/4 of normal skill, with one roll for
each two hours spent searching. The notes, once found, are
10 pages long, and take two days to understand properly,
partly due to the professor's cramped handwriting, and
partly
due to the extreme brevity of mentions to the more complex
terms, which the players must grapple with themselves, with
the only help they can get from random photo copied (in bad
condition) pages from the Necronomicon (they'll never be
allowed to view the university's own copy!). Once
understood, the notes cost 0/1D2 sanity (the professor has
expurgated most references to the Mythos), and grant +1
Cthulhu Mythos, even with the use of the photocopied pages.
They also demonstrate the use of the apparatus which allows
the viewing of the Other Reality (from which the Beast
Between comes).
A third alternative, for veteran investigators who really
know what they're doing, can attempt to research such deaths
through the Miskatonic occult section (get the players to
say where they're looking! Don't let them off easy.) or
through the coroner's records (requiring lots of Persuade
and Fast Talk). In the former case, have the players make
Library Use rolls at -30%, in the latter, at -50% (there is
only one other account in the coroner's records, and there
are hundreds of mundane deaths to wade through. A Keeper's
option may be to make players looking through the coroner's
records make a sanity roll against a loss of 0/1. If this is
enough (unlikely) to puss anyone into insanity, they may
acquire depression having looked at the deaths of so many
people...). A successful roll in the occult section at
Miskatonic will reveal that such deaths have occurred in
spates once every 25 years, for as long as records go (an
expedition by the Beast, or one of its ilk is launched once
every 25 years...), and will reveal that Native American
tales speak of a creature between the spirit world and our
world that slays those who would view the spirit world for
selfish ends (needless to say, this is a fractured version
of the truth, but the Native Americans did very well
considering that they couldn't talk to anyone who had seen
the beast...), while the Coroner's record merely states that
such an event occurred 25 years ago. A side note explains
that such a death also occurred to three individuals who
investigated the death. (However, national security men
burned the records of those investigators, and the players
will be unable to find anything more than a vague mention of
them anywhere, certainly no names.).
About three days after the professor's death, another murder
occurs, this time in the toilet block of an office building,
where a 39 year old woman was heard to scream 'What the hell
is-' before descending into a gurgling yell. She was found
across most of the cubicles in the toilets, and one woman
going to the toilet at the time has become catatonic, and is
in Arkham asylum.
At this point the players, if they have done their occult
research, will get the idea that the people died because
they saw something unearthly. In any case, their only real
lead, aside from using the viewing machine themselves (try
to delay them this as long as possible, as viewing the
Beast. will shorten the adventure drastically), is the
woman. If they can make a successful Psychology roll, as
well
as good role-playing (use lots of comforting words!), they
will be able to get the following out of her before she
starts babbling insensibly:
'Tentacles...the thing...screamed...she
screamed...tentacles...the blood! Everywhere! On me,
showed the thing! The grasping red red mouth tentacles
blood blood tentacles maws everywhere through her teeth the
screaming the blood everywhere it was shredded her her her
eyes eyes so big, deadly gaze, shredded her, blood,
tentacles so many, all on her, shredding...' You get the
idea...thinking about it just sends her into fits. If the
players react in the wrong way (at your discretion), she may
become violent.
When the players eventually leave, as they walk down the
corridor they will hear screaming. If they run immediately
back to the woman's cell, they will burst through the door
just in time to be spattered with blood (sanity loss 0/1D3)
and see the outlines of something hideous (sanity loss
0/1D4, as the players can't see it in all it's horror.),
obscured by the various pieces of the woman as she flies
around the Beast, in some kind of tentacled hurricane. The
Beast (or what the players can see of it) disappears, and
the woman ends up everywhere. Feel free to be as vivid in
your descriptions as possible.
Any players going mad at this point should get a fear of
blood or demons, or alternatively gain substance (such as
alcohol) addiction, or possibly Dissociative Amnesia (an
inability to recall important information, brought on by an
attempt to forget something hideously horrifying...).
The players, if they have personally accumulated evidence
such as notes from the Professor, occult references, and
pictures of what they have seen, may be able to convince the
current head of Miskatonic (Dr Henry Armitage in the 1920s)
to let them view the university private collections. If in
the 1890s (not a recommended setting) the head of Miskatonic
will be unaware of the Mythos, and will possess very few
mythos books. Lots of convincing will be needed. In the
1920s, Armitage will have recently seen proof of the Mythos,
and will probably suggest a book most likely to contain the
proper information (though he is very reluctant to allow the
players view the Necronomicon. He will try to provide as
minor a book as he thinks he can without ruining the quality
of information gained.). In the 1990s, the head of
Miskatonic may well be involved in a secret society
dedicated
to fighting the Mythos, or alternatively may be a Delta
Green friendly. In any case, the players may draw attention
to themselves in this manner. The players will be given
distilled information in the form of relevant notes (the
society doesn't want anyone getting too broad a view of the
mythos, but at the same time has stretched resources so that
it will welcome others who investigate the matter...).
These notes provide a brief (and probably misleading)
version of the Keeper's information on the Beast Between,
and also provides a 'process' (spell) which allows the
crossing over into the Other Reality, which was found in the
Necronomicon, but never attempted. The notes cost 1/1D4
sanity (it has been somewhat sanitized) and grants 1%
Cthulhu Mythos (it provides information only on the Beast).
The spell costs 4 magic points, 1D6 sanity (as it messes
with the investigator's view of reality quite
substantially.), and involves the drawing of ritual diagrams
on a flat surface (preferably stone).
In the meantime (convincing the university head will
probably take several days of arguments), news in the papers
will come of a gang (in the 1990s. Replace with suspected
members of the Mafia or something in the 1920s, and with
common thugs in the 1890s) being slaughtered as if placed in
a blender, in downtown Arkham. This occurs as a result of
the Beast beginning to enjoy murder, and should encourage
the investigators to work harder. The news will also cause
investigators to lose 0/1 sanity as a result of building
pressure on time...
When the players cross into the Other Reality, the Beast
will sense the transport, and hurry to their position.
The Other Reality looks like a distended version of our
reality, and in fact the investigators would be forgive for
saying it is the same one. Everything looks as if the
fabric of reality (imagine it as a painting of what you look
at) has been taken at several points, stretched, and then
twisted. Even the investigators themselves look somewhat
twisted, and when they move, they twist even more, so that
they cannot touch anything, but move between objects.
Anyone making contact with a physical object moves through
it, and objects increasingly look like free floating atoms.
After 5 minutes, make the players roll for sanity loss of
1/1D10, as everything they thought about reality has gone
topsy turvy.
After ten minutes the Beast arrives, viewable in all it's
twisted horror. It can now be harmed normally by
investigator weapons (which only slightly increases their
chances), and the Beast can no long tear their flesh across
the atoms (it's vortex-like attack it used on past victims)
of reality. Once the Beast is dead, assuming it is killed,
it dissipates, and bleeds through the atoms of Our Reality,
leaving an unexplained bloody patch on the floor of where
the players killed the beast. Incidentally, people in the
real world who see the appearance of the blood will lose
0/1D4 sanity (why limit madness to the players?).
The Beast Between
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Str: 24
Con: 19
Siz: 22
Int: 21
Pow: 23
Dex: 16
Damage Bonus: +2D6.
Weapons:
Attacks with 1D4 tentacles per round. Tentacle: 65%, damage:
2D6.
Attacks with 1D3 bites per round, at a 40% chance of
success. Damage is 1D4 per successful bite. If two bites
latch onto one target, the target may be torn apart for 1D6
damage each successive round.
Vortex Attack (spreading victims through many atoms...):
Only useable on people in Our Reality. 70% chance of
success, does 2D6 damage per round. It also spreads the
victim over most of the surrounding area.
Spells: Adjust to suit the difficulty you prefer. I
recommend few to none, the Beast Between is hard enough.
Sanity Loss: 1/1D8. (subtract any sanity loss which
investigators have already gained from seeing the Beast, but
do not subtract sanity loss from seeing it's victims.)
If the players succeed in killing the Beast (instead of, for
example, running out of the city) they gain 1D8 sanity. If
they (somehow through a fluke) prevent a murder as they see
it (such as if they flat out refuse to leave the woman at
Arkham Asylum, and somehow scare away the Beast), they
should also gain 1D6 sanity.
On a side note, if the adventure takes place in the 1990s,
these events may attract the attention of Delta Green or
some other society, and may lead to the recruitment of the
players. This adventure may serve as a handy way to
introduce a secret society in a non-direct manner...
-----------------------------
Unusual Card Combinations for MYTHOS
Guy Hail
grhail@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/althouse.html
--------------------
Nightgaunts + Wrack
"Thanks, Ray -- Where'd he go?"
When an opponent chooses an Ally to defend against your
Limited Edition Nightgaunt (Special Effect:"Each Nightgaunt
surviving to affect your opponent's Allies or Investigator
also carries off one random defending Ally. Discard such
Allies."), the defending Ally will be discarded at the end
of the round, but it still protects its owner against loss
of Sanity.
During the Spell & Artifact Use phase of combat, cast Wrack
(Special Effect:"Flip one Ally card face down"). The value
of a face-down defending Ally cannot be used, so the
Nightgaunt causes three points of Sanity loss. A face-down
defending Ally is still a defending Ally, so it is discarded
by the Nightgaunt's Special Effect.
Instead of Wrack, Lassitude of Phein or Steal Life also
cause an Ally to flip face-down.
--------------------
Polaris + Summon & Control Spells
"Blinded by the Stars"
Polaris makes every Monster invisible. Summon & Control
spells let you cast the spell and immediately attack with a
now-invisible monster. Only Allies armed with enchanted
weapons may defend, an unlikely situation.
--------------------
Cthulhu Statuette + Dream Sending of Glaaki
"Worship & Obey!"
The Cthulhu Statuette and Black Binding change an opponent's
non-defending Ally into a defending Ally. Dream Sending of
Glaaki [Yellow Sign] makes the target defending Ally YOUR
defending Ally. Unfortunately, Dream Sending of Glaaki is a
rare Dreamlands edition card.
--------------------
Ithaqua + Serial Killer
"Listen to the Voices in the Wind"
Ithaqua penalizes players one Sanity point to arrive at a
new Location by walking (even when walking between
dimensions) or when playing a travel card. Serial Killer
penalizes players who remain in a single subregion. When
combined, a player who refuses to walk or to travel must
discard a card and
a player who walks or travels must lose Sanity.
Ithaqua is one of the easiest Great Old Ones to play,
because no Location is required. Play of Ithaqua doesn't
even require a Gate Location if you own a Tome with the
Create Gate Spell or use a Crop Circles or Poltergeist card
from the New AEon edition of Mythos. One caution: the
attributes line of the
Ithaqua card reads "Storm, Waning Moon" but if you play the
cards in that order, the Night card buries the Storm!
Special Effect: "Due to the intense cold and the blinding
snow, lose 1 Sanity point each time you play a Travel card
or when you alter a Location Card's orientation. (You are
safer in a city.) No Investigator may gain Sanity."
Serial Killer is a New AEons edition card playable in any
dimension. Special Effect: "Target Discard his or her top
Mythos Deck card at the beginning of each Turn. Bury this
card once the target plays a Travel Event or arrives at a
Location in a different subregion."
--------------------
Faithful Hounds + Insects from Shaggai
"Those Dogs Have Fleas!"
This is one of several combinations that use the same trick:
bury an opponent's Monster so that your weaker but nastier
Monsters can use their special effect. An opponent
confronted with two, no-Sanity cost Monsters (your
Spell-stealing Insects from Shaggai) will counter by
directing a Monster at you. Once this happens, the chances
that your Insects from Shaggai will be able to steal a Spell
diminishes to near zero, as each Insect from Shaggai must
survive the Cosmic Battle to steal a Spell.
The solution: use Faithful Hounds ("You may Discard this
card and cause a random Monster in an opponent=B9s Directed
Threat to be Buried.") to bury the opponent's Monster,
allowing all your Insects from Shaggai to survive the Cosmic
Battle.
Other cards that bury, discard, disable, or lessen the
strength of opponent's Monsters include Barrier of
Naach-Tith (may reduce opponent's Monsters to 1-point each),
Blasphemous Obeisance (MSGS set -- put target Monster back
in opponent's hand), Concentric Rings of the Worm
(Dreamlands -- bury target), Create Stasis (New Aeon --
target becomes undirected), and all Summon & Control Spells.
Use of these cards permits Mi-Go, Nightgaunts, and Insect
from Shaggaito exercise their powers.
--------------------
Great Old One + Additional Monsters
"With a Legion of What?"
In Mythos it's difficult to play the proper combination of
cards to summon a Great Old One or Outer God. Few players
remember to play other Monsters in combination with the
summoned GOO. If you're using a GOO as one Monster of many
in The Great Menagerie or any Adventure that requires more
than one Monster (for example, The Expedition or Arkham
Horror), play additional Monsters in combination with that
GOO. Giant Albino Penguins may be played in combination with
a GOO; they join "all Monsters." All. If another player has
Cthulhu in play, or if any player has cast the rare, New
AEon Spell Grasp of Cthulhu, then any Monster, not solely
penguins may be played in combination with a GOO.
--
