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Chaosium Digest Volume 30 Number 08
Chaosium Digest Volume 30, Number 8
Date: Sunday, March 5, 2000
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
* A New Past Life for NEPHILIM
by Ian Young idyoung@seanet.com
* Conducting an Investigation (CTHULHU)
by Tom Liberman tomlib@i1.net
Editor's Note:
We finally received a Nephilim submission! For those of you who are unfamiliar
with Nephilim, check Announcements below for a great review of the game on
RPG.net. We also have an article on how to conduct an investigation for Call of
Cthulhu. Both articles are good quality pieces, so check them out.
As previously noted, all Call of Cthulhu, Elric! and Nephilim articles qualify
for the quarterly Chaosium Contest. Even though they don't count for the
contest, I still gladly accept Pendragon, Delta Green and Glorantha submissions.
The deadline for the next contest will be March 31st. The winner gets a copy of
the upcoming Call of Cthulhu Keepers Screen
<http://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu/rpg/2387.shtml> for their winning Cthulhu,
Elric! or Nephilim submission. So, keep those submissions coming!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
* From Morag Kennedy Heirs 9606523H@student.gla.ac.uk
Glasgow University Gaming Society (GUGS) is hosting the Student National Gaming
Championships this year, in Glasgow, on The weekend of April 14th - 16th. It'll
be great, and Elric is being run by at least one, if not two people under the
category of Open Fantasy. You don't actually need to be a student to play, you
can come as an independent. There should be stuff of the GUGS webpage, linked
from Glasgow University, Clubs and societies index.
* From Tal Meta talmeta@cybercomm.net
I realize this hardly consists of a standard contribution, but it might interest
some folks...
While perfecting my skills with Campaign Cartographer, I elected to use the old
campaign map from RuneQuest's Questworld supplement as a teaching aid...
I asked Chaosium for permission to put it up on my web site, and would up
talking to Lynn Willis (the guy who originally drew the map in question) and he/
they said fine (and Lynn praised the effort).
In any case, the map is located at:
http://members.xoom.com/talmeta/maps/maps.htm
Also, I'm the RPG Coordinator for MonCon, a gaming convention being held March
31-April 2nd at the Holiday Inn, Tinton Falls, NJ. We've got a few CoC scenarios
being run....
* From Ricardo J. Méndez Castro rmendez@sheertalent.com
Check out my review of Nephilim at:
http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_2809.html
Comments are welcome, everyone.
Cheers,
Ricardo J. Méndez Castro ICQ 45996385
Sheer Talent Developments http://www.sheertalent.com/
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-----------------------------
A New Past Life for NEPHILIM
(c) Ian Young, 1996 and 2000
MEDITERRANEAN, 10,000 BC
The Great Compromise and the Drowning of Tarshish
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Once properly embodied you were able to see what was going on. Here is a
synopsis of critical events.
A "New Atlantis", founded 14,000 years earlier upon the Promethean principles of
harmony between Nephilim and humans, reached its cultural height at this time.
Tarshish was an isle of fertility in the middle of a great salt plain now
recognized as the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. From this central kingdom,
colonists set out and began to settle the lush river valleys where the vast
basin met the highlands, creating still smaller kingdoms built upon the same
Promethean model. Out of this companionship between Nephilim and Man rose the
Great Compromise, an agreement wherein the humans allowed the Nephilim permanent
possession of their bodies, permitting the Nephilim continuous progress along
the Golden Path toward Agartha. In return, the Nephilim shared with them the
secrets of the sky -- astrology, mathematics and the arts of civilization.
In this time, only the Priest-Kings and Priestess-Queens served as Simulacra for
the Nephilim. From their positions of authority and power, they imparted the
wisdom of the immortals upon the people of Tarshish, and all benefited thereby.
The Compromise required that toward the end of a Simulacrum's life, the current
ruling Nephilim would offer its life up in ritual sacrifice, returning to its
Stasis. The next Nephilim in due succession would be wakened and allowed to
manifest in the body of the next priest-king or priestess-queen chosen to house
the "divine reincarnation". Within this environment of co-operation and
enlightenment, human culture flourished as it has not since. However, here in
Tarshish, jealousy flourished as well. This tradition effectively denied whole
castes of servitors of the ruling hierarchy access to the divine power of
immortality and fostered a resentment of the Nephilim and their rule.
Ironically, it was the co-operative nature of the Great Compromise that allowed
one of the greatest enemies of the Nephilim access to their power and the
opportunity to turn it against them.
The lesser members of the priesthood, those not destined to become Simulacra,
were the first to grow resentful of the Nephilim. Certain factions of Orichalka
Men, soon to become known as the Black Star, were able to use this dissent as a
means of infiltration into the very ranks of the Nephilim. It was often the
responsibility of these lesser priests to preside over the ritual sacrifices of
their Nephilim leaders. With agents in position to perform the rites, the Black
Star gained access to the bodies and the blood of the Simulacra. Years of
subsequent research led to the discovery of a distillation of the blood of the
Simulacrum into a source of wieldable power -- the Elixir. Soon, the
celebration of the passing of one Nephilim leader to the next became an occasion
upon which the Black Star would destroy yet another Nephilim, adding another
phial of power to their secret storehouses.
The Black Star conspiracy continued to grow spreading to the secular elements of
society. Before long an underground organization of soldiers and commanders was
formed under the leadership of a Black Star initiate known as Heracles. His
army, hidden within the ranks of the faithful soldiers, called themselves the
Men of the Lion for the symbol of their strength and their devotion to their
Solar cause.
No one is quite certain how the conspiracy came to light. Eventually, the
Nephilim must have noticed their inability to revive their compatriots from
Stasis and confronted the corrupt priesthood. Their secret exposed, the Black
Star must have attempted a popular uprising among the humans of the
Mediterranean. What is known for certain is that some time around 9600 BC, a
great and terrible civil war erupted among the once-peaceful Promethean
kingdoms. The Men of the Lion, with Heracles at their lead wreaked great
destruction across the lands, and the sorcerers of the Black Star intoned
grave magics upon the legions of their former masters. However, the rebels
lacked the popular support to triumph, and ultimately, their efforts slowed
under the inertia of a prolonged fight. Faced with eventual defeat, the Black
Star decided that their last desperate hope would be to destroy the Nephilim
kingdoms entirely. The remnants of the Men of the Lion rallied in a final push
toward the Great Dam at Gibraltar. Once there, the rebels fought a staying
action, waiting for the Sun to reach the height of it's power. Then Heracles,
with the aid of a centuries-old hoard of Elixirs and Orichalka weapons, invoked
mighty spells and curses, granting him the might to smash the Great Dam.
The destruction that followed was horrifying. Millions upon millions of gallons
of water cascaded through the strait, flooding the basin of the Mediterranean,
scouring the very earth as it rushed inward. Tarshish was not only drowned, but
uprooted from its foundations. The kingdoms of the river valleys were flooded
and destroyed. There were, however, survivors who fled inland to smaller
settlements, bearing what elements of Promethean society they could. In the
wake of the destruction, Heracles was hunted down and as punishment was forcibly
possessed by the remaining priest-king of Tarshish who had managed to escape the
drowning. The Black Star was hunted and scattered throughout the land. Though
shattered and diminished, Nephilim society survived, spreading outward to
establish the rule of the Great Compromise in new settlements throughout the
Mediterranean region. However, the last great dream of re-establishing Atlantis
had vanished forever.
Secret Societies
The Black Star
The origins of the Black Star have their roots in a subversion and betrayal of
the highest order. Seizing upon growing resentment within the ranks of the
priesthood, the Orichalka Men found the them ripe for infiltration. Creating a
network of priests, scribes, petty bureaucrats and servants throughout the
temples, all loyal to their cause, these Orichalka Men established direct access
to the estates, and even the bodies, of the Priest-Kings and Priestess-Queens of
the Mediterranean. Utilizing their research of Nephilim Stases, they perverted
the very life-blood of the Nephilim to their own purposes. Calling themselves
the Black Star, they nurtured their influence within the temples of all of the
Nephilim kingdoms. Their eventual discovery and subsequent persecution scattered
them across the Western world. Their close association with the Nephilim,
however, inflicted damage that could never be undone.
The Men of the Lion
Under the leadership of Heracles, the Men of the Lion formed the secular,
militant branch of the Black Star conspiracy. Joining in a common cause with
the lower orders of priests, these warriors created a conspiracy of arms,
waiting for the order to fight against the Nephilim in the name of Humanity.
Your Simulacrum
You awoke for unknown reasons, and had a very short time to find a Simulacrum.
Roll 1d100 on this table to find what Simulacrum you chose.
Simulacrum Selection
d100 Simulacra
01-50 Priest-King, male
51-00 Priestess-Queen, female
Priest-King
Art (choice)
Astrological Lore
Build or Farming
Business
Fast Talk
Hunt
Law
Life Experience (Tarshish/Colony)
Read/Write (Tarshish)
Religion
Sorcery, Lower Magic
Sorcery, Higher Magic
Speak (Tarshish)
Priestess-Queen
Art (choice) or Craft (choice)
Astrological Lore
Farming or Pharmacy
Fast Talk
Law
Life Experience (Tarshish/Colony)
Natural Lore
Read/Write (Tarshish)
Religion
Sorcery, Lower Magic
Sorcery, Higher Magic
Speak (Tarshish)
Simulacrum Age
* Roll 3d6 x5. This gives your Simulacrum's age before incarnation.
Simulacrum Skill Points
* Multiply age times 4. This gives your current Simulacrum skill points. You
may spend these points on the skills listed with your Simulacrum's profession,
up to 50 points per skill in this past life, and to a maximum of 90 points.
* Add pre-incarnation age as value of Life Experience.
* Roll (2d6+6) x5. You may spend these points on any spoken language skills.
Your New Life
You undertook a new life of embodiment. Find out how long you lived in this new
body, and what you learned for that time.
Nephilim Age
* Roll another 3d6. This number x5 is the number of years you lived in the
Simulacrum after incarnating.
Occult Development Points
* Multiply the number of years your Nephilim was incarnated by 2 to determine
how many occult development points you have to spend on occult skills.
Distribute occult development points among available techniques, spells, occult
Lores or a specific Arcanum Lore, up to 50 points per technique in this past
life, and to a maximum of 90 points per technique.
Available Techniques
Sorcery, Lower Magic
Sorcery, Higher Magic
What Did You Do?
You were one of the great priest-kings or priestess-queens of the Mediterranean
kingdoms at the height of the Great Compromise. What secrets of civilization
did you grant your subjects? Did you do battle with the Black Star and
Heracles, or did you manage to escape the conflict?
Stasis Event
What events led to the death of your Simulacrum, and your re-imprisonment in
your Stasis?
Stasis Event
d100 Event
01-20 Died peacefully of old age
21-50 Voluntarily killed in ceremonial sacrifice
51-66 Killed by the Black Star
66-85 Killed by the Men of the Lion
86-00 Killed in the flooding of the Mediterranean
Stasis Form
For Nephilim of the first incarnation
Stasis Form
d100 Stasis
01-16 Small stone idol
15-25 Mammoth ivory carving
26-35 Stone axe head
36-45 Obsidian blade (arrow point, knife, or axe head)
46-60 Ceremonial sacrament bowl (stone)
61-70 Jewelry of beaten metals
71-85 Ivory bead
86-92 Animal teeth
93-98 Crystal (quartz, diamond, etc.)
99-00 Natural feature of landscape (Carving of stone outcrop, cave painting,
etc.)
---------------------------------
Conducting an Investigation by Tom Liberman tomlib@i1.net
INITIAL INFORMATION
Any good Cthulhu scenario starts off with some small amount of initial
information. It is up to the group to take this and expand to the point where
they have a good understanding of their opponents. There exist three main ways
to better inform yourself before taking on the enemy in his lair. Research,
Stakeouts and Confrontation. They do not always go in that particular order but
it is generally a good idea to do some research before a stakeout and a stakeout
before a confrontation. The difficulty often arises in the difference between a
confrontation and a fact-finding interview. All this is discussed below in the
appropriate category. This area often includes searching the corpse. Many times
the group becomes involved when someone drops dead in front of them. Always
search the corpses wherever they might be found.
RESEARCH
The group has some initial information and is now looking to expand it through
research. This takes place at libraries, newspapers, city hall and other places
where records of those involved might be lurking. This stage is often returned
to each time more information is gathered in the interview stages. Many items of
interest are dug up during these sessions some of them valid and others Red
Herrings. How you interpret the information gathered here through the
interviewing and further research process is essential to solving the problem
correctly. Notes are very important during this stage, as it is easy to forget
pertinent information during a crisis later.
CLUES
You will gather many clues during this stage and storing this information is
vital. Often times you will reference things that make no sense in the current
investigation but down the road will prove invaluable. Often a group will note a
clue but then when the time comes to use this clue have forgotten all about it.
You must physically write down clues and check your notes each time you get new
information. Note taking is essential to good investigating. Not all clues are
vital but you will most likely gain necessary information for success during
this stage. Note everything.
THE FIRST INTERVIEW
Youve gathered what information from your research that seems pertinent to the
task at hand and now youre ready to interview victims, suspects, bystanders and
anyone else who might have a clue. The first thing you must have ready is your
story. Youre not going to tell them about Mythos material initially so you must
have a good cover story. You never know who the real villain is and if you
reveal yourself too quickly you and youre friends are doomed. Always have a
good reason to ask questions. During this phase you will be using your skills.
See that section for important information.
HINTS
Some of those involved will give you hints to what is going on. Sometimes you
might need to push the interview if this is the case but generally it is good to
go back and do more research before pushing your case into dangerous territory.
You can always go back and re-interview. Sometimes there is a rush but generally
being patient and careful is the proper attitude at this stage.
DECISIONS
Youve done your interviews, gathered clues and gone back and done more
research. Now its time to make decisions. Who is the bad guy, who is an innocent
bystander? Who needs to be re-interviews with more pressing questions? Who needs
to be told about the Mythos? Most importantly you will still have questions
about what to do with certain people. If you are in doubt about anyone, the best
solution to discovering more is the stakeout. The option after that is the
break-in. Information gathered from the stakeout and break-in will help you
greatly in determining who is the enemy.
THE STAKEOUT
Possibly the most important aspect of the entire investigation. People you talk
to will often be lying and the stakeout will determine some reasons for those
lies. Who comes to visit, where the suspects go. Not all suspects are the
villain but they might well have important information they dont trust the
investigators with. Stakeouts answer many questions and lead the group to new
suspects. Stakeouts also generally bring up more questions and often result in a
renewed research phase.
THE BREAK-IN
When youre certain that someone has some vital clues and youve exhausted legal
methods of obtaining that information its time for the break-in. This act is
illegal and often holds great danger. If the person is not a cultist then police
might be brought in and you could be arrested. If the person is a cultist then
there might well be traps and monsters awaiting you inside the forbidden
doorway. Take extreme precaution and have a story ready in case youre caught.
CONFRONTATION
Youve decided to tell the person about youre involvement in the Mythos. This
is a dangerous tactic often taken too early in an investigation. Players often
become frustrated and try to shake up the barrel to see what falls out. This
sometimes works. If you take this method with a cultist youve revealed your
true nature and opened yourself to attack. The more the villain knows about you
and your plans the less chance you have of succeeding. This will often lead to
the climax of the adventure and if youre not prepared for the decision-making
solution then you are doomed. When you confront someone who is not the villain
they might well be willing to aid you if they have knowledge of the Mythos. This
is a double-edged tactic and must be used with extreme caution.
VIOLENCE
You know who the enemy is and now its time to destroy. Many scenarios require a
violent solution and this often the proper course. Remember though that cultist
will respond in kind. Know what youre dealing with before attacking if at all
possible. Have a plan of attack. Coordinate, organize, set diversions, hit hard
and finish the job right the first time. Going back after a botched job is the
leading cause of death among investigators. Creatures are smart and will make
plans against you. Once youve reached this stage plan well and do it right or
doom awaits.
THE FINAL SOLUTION
Your clues and hints are vital to solving most scenarios. The greater the threat
the less likely you are to be able to solve it through shear violence. You will
have to use items found to close gates, dispel creatures, and banish nastiness
among other things. Often this final solution is only a temporary delay of the
inevitable. Accept this. Many times no perfect solution exists and striving for
it will only get you killed. Do what it takes to stop this particular
manifestation. Remember the world is doomed eventually and so are you. Do what
you can and sacrifice yourself if necessary. Be prepared. Dont start the chain
of events leading to the Final Solution unless you have a good idea of what is
going on and how to stop it. If you missed vital clues and start this sequence
you are doomed.
INNOCENTS
Involving those not directly associated with the Mythos leads to death for those
individuals. Anyone you encounter in a Cthulhu game is living on borrowed time.
The more people you involve, the more will die. Avoid this at all costs. Send
people away to far off places. Hide them as necessary. Your sanity is at stake.
The more people who know who you are and what you do the more people who can
betray you.
THE LAW
The law is similar but different than innocents. Most of the time you dont want
to bring in the law but sometimes the case is just too big for you to handle by
yourself. The research, stakeout and break-in stages are vital to making this
decision. The more you know about you enemy and the greater your evidence of
illegal (not immoral) activity the better chance you have of letting the law
handle the problem. Often law enforcement officers brought in prematurely will
die, be driven insane or worst of all join the cult. Be careful involving anyone
but dont be afraid to have someone help if the situation is bigger than you can
deal with.
USING SKILLS
This is one of the most forgotten aspects of the game. The Keeper isnt going to
tell you to use your skills when appropriate. You must make this decision. Often
you try to do things that skills cover without using those skills. The Keeper
isnt going to help you. Familiarize yourself with all your skills and use them
early and often. A list of often overlooked skills follows.
1. Accounting: Useful skill when digging through organizational records
2. Credit Rating: Much overlooked. Opens doors and mouths.
3. Fast Talk: All the time. Role play it but tell the Keeper youre using it
4. Mechanical Repair: Opens locks
5. Psychoanalysis: Anytime youre dealing with a loony this can be vital
6. Psychology: During every interview to check for reaction. Tell the Keeper
THE GAME SESSION
ROLE PLAYING
Role-playing is everything to Cthulhu. When we sit down you will be asked to
become the character in question. You will not be yourself. This is often
difficult but is made easier the more you understand the character and his/her
motivations. You will probably develop phobias. Role-play your fears. Dont take
a character that is so alien to you that you cant get into the role. Use your
skills and profession as often as possible. If you're a doctor then make sure
you're the one who goes to the asylum seeking records. If you're a lawman then
you deal with local law. Dont let others do your job for you. Whatever your
characters background keep it in mind during the investigation. Cthulhu often
goes beyond the bounds of the written scenario. Surprise the Keeper. Go to areas
your character has knowledge about even if they dont seem involved in the story
line. The Keeper will be happy to expand to accommodate your interests. If you
speak any language go to a part of town that speaks that and use your knowledge
to gain information. Try not to get frustrated.
--
