Atlantis: The Second Age by Wapole Languray

The Fuck Is This Thing?

posted by Wapole Languray Original SA post

The Fuck Is This Thing?

Say Hello! To Atlantis: The Second Age! Created by Kephera Publishing the same company behind Hellas: Of Sun and Stone, the Sci-Fi meet Greek Mythology game previously covered here. Atlantis is basically a reimagining of Bard Game’s “Atlantis Trilogy”, a pretty much forgotten game from back in the 1980’s. The Original Atlantis trilogy isn’t really important, and actually barely has anything to do with the newest version, so don’t worry about it. What is notable is that this Atlantis uses the Omegasystem, which is basically the newest iteration of the system for Bard Game’s actually notable RPG: Talislanta! Timely!

So, in short: Atlantis is a Sword and Sorcery game set in a fictionalized and mythical ancient past at the dawn of mankind, where ancient and powerful inhuman race’s great empires crumble, and monsters and demons run wild. The players are Heroes, larger than life figures of myth and legend who stride forth to shape the world to their will.

Or, in a more succinct terms, as given by the Kickstarter for this game:



Oh, but in case you’re worried about the shady history of being really fucking offensive that permeates the entire S&S Genre, especially those that bank on the influence of old paperback writers, here’s a picture of the main creator Jerry D. Grayson:


Oh, and if you like what you see, please buy the books. A portion of all proceeds go to Givewell, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the efficiency of other nonprofits and research into them, and the Against Malaria Foundation which purchases and distributes insect nets to impoverished communities in Africa.

Now to Properly Explain: What Is Atlantis?

Now, most games first chapter is your typical “What is Roleplaying?” section, along with a rough guide to the basic mechanics, and is skippable in 90% of games. Atlantis does something else. It tells you what kind of game IT is, by answering a series of 12 questions, basically detailing the premise, themes, and design philosophy behind the game. If you like the answers to these questions, that’s exactly what you need to know if you’d like the game as a whole. In summary:

• The game is a Sword and Sorcery fantasy, explicitly inspired by Robert E. Howard (Conan the Barbarian, Solomon Kane, Kull, Brak Mak Morn), Clark Ashton Smith (Zothique, Poseidonis, Averoigne, Hyperborea), Micheal Moorcock (Elric of Melnibone), and Fritz Leiber (Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser).
  
  
• Atlantis is explicitly about the personal journeys of the Player Characters, about how they pursue their own personal goals, either grandiose or gritty, altruistic or selfish. It’s a game about driven people working to accomplish their goals. Players are required by the mechanics to be proactive, driven, and goal oriented.
  
  
• The game uses a Lifepath character generation, the most familiar comparison would be with Traveller, in addition to the more traditional Race/Class combo system to make a character. This ensures the Hero comes preloaded with definite connections to the setting, previous events to act as plot hooks and adventure seeds for the GM, and gives a useful basis for a character's personality, and goals in the game.
  
  
• Heroes are not your typical D&D mudfarmers who have to level for ages before they can do more than glorified pest control for the local city council. Atlantis PC’s are already veteran and powerful heroes, “Leveling” is more about additional customization and expansion than straight power increase. Instead the focus is on gaining Renown, building a reputation and fame that will live on in legend. The player’s also have codified mechanics for enacting permanent change on the setting and narrative, making them the definite movers and shakers of the world.
  
  
• The setting is designed to be as RPG friendly as possible. It is intended to be a perfect “kitchen sink” Sword and Sorcery setting while still feeling as much as possible like a coherent world. The setting of a mythical ancient Earth means a lot of cultures and things are ersatz versions of real historical cultures to add a point of familiarity, while the supernatural aspects are intentionally trying to avoid much of the more cliche and dull aspects of fantasy (Tolkien Ripoffs basically). Essentially, the setting is designed to be a place to play an RPG, not as a writer’s bible for a fantasy novel. * Cough* Forgotten Realms*Cough*Dragonlance *Cough*
  

A Brief History of the World

The next section of the introduction is, well, a brief history of the world. Presented narratively, as a teacher giving a history lesson to a group of Atlantean children, it’s a rough outline of the mythic past and history of the world, from an Atlantean perspective.

The first age of the world was called the Age of Unreasoned Sleep, a timeless period where existence first… existed. It’s called that because the in the beginning, the world was formless and mercurian, the stuff of creation the product of the Elder Gods. The Elder Gods are older than existence, mysterious and unknown beings who literally dreamed the universe into existence. This is also when the first of the Root Races came into being, the Jinn, shapeshifting beings of living magic born from the dreams of the Elder Gods.

The Age of Unreasoned Sleep lasted an unknown time, because time really wasn’t a known thing yet, until the coming of the Demiurge, Olódùmarè (One of the names for the supreme god of the Yoruba people, of modern day Nigeria and Benin). Olódùmarè’s origin is unknown: He may be an Elder God who woke up, a creation of the Elder Gods to give the world form, or maybe the embodiment of the collective wills of the Elder Gods made manifest. In any case, Olódùmarè set forth to catalogue everything dreamed by the Elder Gods, giving order to the Universe and purpose to all things.

The next age of the world was the Age of Screams and Fire. See, Olódùmarè going around making order out of the primal chaos of existence had the side effect of waking some of the Elder Gods, who didn’t appreciate his meddling, and wished to return the world back to its primeval state by scourging it with fire and death.

Olódùmarè was not very happy with this, but he couldn’t do much about it. He did manage to warn the Jinn in time, and they sealed themselves in jars of amberglass and orichalcum, hiding beneath the earth until the Elder Gods had spent their rage. It’s thought that some Jinn-jars containing these primordial beings are still lost, hidden within the earth, waiting to be found.

Once the Elder Gods had destroyed the world, reducing it to stone and ash, Olódùmarè took action, singing a great song that lured the Elder Gods back into their eternal slumber. But, the Elder Gods had left one thing behind after their sleep, the embodiment of their wrath, named Nemesis. Whenever Olódùmarè sought to repair the damage to the world, Nemesis worked against him, undoing what he did.

But, Olódùmarè was clever: He found the last tree in the world, and from its scorched wood he made a box, which he trapped Nemesis within. He kept this box under his tongue, as he went about reshaping the world. Over time, Olódùmarès voice seeped into the box, changning Nemesis into something else: One day he awoke from sleep and found two small beings crawling from his mouth. He named these two Set (Egyptian god of the Desert, Storms, Disorder, Violence, and Foreigners) and Ba’al (An ancient Northwest Semitic world meaning “Lord” or “Master” a title put before the names of dieties, alternately a name for Hadad, a storm god in the ancient Levant). Together these three worked to remake the world.

During this time Olódùmarè also worked to recover the Jinn, freeing them from their hiding places within the earth. Inspired by this, Set sought to create life of his own. He crafted the race known as the Ophidians, a race of humanoid serpents and the second of the Root Races, who quickly spread across the Earth, forming many great kingdoms and empires. Unfortunately, Set, thinking it a blessing, gifted the Ophidians with limitless ambition which lead to them conquering everyone they met, enslaving all others, and fighting among themselves to weed out perceived weakness.

Ba’al saw Set’s creation, and growing jealous, sought to make his own life, but he could not create something from nothing. Instead, he took many of the Jinn and warped them into shapes and natures he found attractive. These beings became known as the Sons of Ba’al, though in common parlance they are just called Demons. They terrorized the world, corrupting nature, and feeding upon Ophidians and Jinn alike.

Olódùmarè grew angry at this, seeing the corrupt children they had spawned he sought to destroy them, banishing them from the world. But, Set and Ba’al joined forces, and with their armies, attacked Olódùmarè when he was sleeping upon the Moon. The great battle scoured the moon of all life and cost the lives of countless minions, but eventually the siblings were able to overpower Olódùmarè. They shattered him into a thousand pieces, and threw them to Earth.

This was not the end though, as the eldest of the Jinn gathered the thousand shards of Olódùmarè, and sealing them into the same jars that saved them from the Elder Gods. From within these jars the shards of Olódùmarè grew into new beings of their own right, the Orixa (the name for the Gods or Spirits of the Yoruba). The Orixa rose up against Set and Ba’al, defeating them.

For Ba’al and his Demons they forged a great prison of Brass deep beneath the earth, and sealed them within it. The touch of brass is anathema to Ba’al and his children, and so they live in eternal torment within the buried City of Brass.

Set, they tore limb from limb, throwing his serpentine body into the deepest pit. His thrashings are the source of earthquakes and tsunamis to this day. But, from the blood of set spilled from his torn limbs came the Dragons, embodiments of Set’s rage and fury bent on destruction and evil.

While the Orixa set out to repair the damage done by Ba’al and Set, the Ophidians, now uncontested, ruled the world without challenge.

Next came the Age of Water and Reason. This age began with the third Root Race. Upon the island of Lemuria, born from Earth and Water, there was a great amber egg. From that egg hatched the Lawgiver (An obvious parallel to Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of Chinese folklore) the first of the Lemurians and father of their race. The Lawgiver was at first immortal, but he gave his power to the Apes of the island, blessing them with great intellect and and deep understanding of the natural world. Before the Lawgiver passed, he wrote down for his people all his knowledge in a single great tome, said to contain the answers to every question in that will ever be asked. Copies are, obviously, rare and heavily guarded by the Lemurians, and few have ever seen one.

The Lemurian ape-men were possessed of an insatiable drive for knowledge, and the spread out into the world seeking to learn ever more, building great cities in harmony with nature across the world in peace and prosperity, until they encountered the Ophidians.

The two races were, almost instinctually, enemies and quickly launched into a titanic war for dominance of the world. The Lemurians developed mighty science and advanced weaponry, while the Ophidians used their dark magics to spawn the Ahl-At-Rab, a race of fierce warrior-slaves. This war lasted for centuries, decimating both empires until they literally could not fight any more, settling down into a protracted cold war.

Meanwhile, on the continent of Gondwana, the final two Root Races arose: The Atlanteans and Humans. The Atlanteans are said to have appeared, fully formed, up on a river bank in western Gondwana. Their exact origins are unknown, though the Atlanteans of course insist they were divinely created to rule the world. Humanity as well has mysterious origins, and it is said they were created by Olódùmarè himself.

In any case, while the Ophidians and Lemurians fought, the Atlanteans built a mighty empire in Gondwana, incorporating Humanity into their empire. While the Atlanteans insist this was beneficent patronage, most human peoples remember the Atlanteans as dominating slavers.

As the Atlanteans spread across Gondwana, the Ophidians began to raid the human settlements on the coasts, seeking slaves and resources to fuel their war with the Lemurians but unaware of their Atlantean masters. The Atlanteans struck back with a fury, crushing the war-weary Ophidians and driving them back to Mu, never to return to Gondwana.

At the same time, the Lemurians were being devastated by a great plague, killing most of their population. Weakened by constant warfare, and now broken by plague the Lemurians abandoned most of their outposts and colonies, retreating back to Lemuria.

With the Ophidians in retreat and the Lemurians withdrawn back to their homeland, the Atlanteans were free to spread across the world. In time they found a new continent, vast and fertile to the west of Gondwana. They migrated their population to this land, building a new capital for their empire, naming both the city and continent Atlantis.

As the Atlanteans conquered the world though, the Ophidians worked to rebuild their armies. They created new forms of dark magic, bred massive slave armies, and even called for the Sons of Ba’al for aid recruiting demons into their armies. Finally ready, the Ophidians began a great war to reclaim their empire, slaughtering their way through the Atlanteans forces to the very walls of Atlantis itself.

This war though led to the Atlantean Sorcerer-Scientists to uncover the twin powers of Alchemy and Vril (Harnessing ley-lines and raw magic). Using these powers, they created the Nethermen, a race of savage monster-men to repel the Ophidians. While they were a success at first, they bred so quickly and were so uncontrollable that eventually they had to be slaughtered and exiled to prevent mass rebellion.

Not discouraged the sorcerer-scientists tried again, this time breeding the Andaman, a hybrid of human and animal. Adaptable to nearly any environment, designed to hold the Atlanteans in nearly religious respect, and much more intelligent than the Nethermen they, alongside Vril weaponry and alchemy, turned the course of the war. Eventually the Ophidians were completely smashed, the Ophidian Empire broken and destroyed before the Atlantean armies.

Then came the Golden Age, five centuries of expansion and harmony as Atlantis civilized the world, and build great cities on every continent. But, as many empires go, Atlantis began to slowly slide into decadence.

The final century of Atlantis’s domination was marked by corruption and madness. The Sorcerer-scientists began to openly experiment on any non-Atlantean life spawning horrors and abominations. Non-atlanteans were treated like slaves and animals, and the rulers sank into the depths of depravity and perversion. The princes grew paranoid, assassinations and border-wars were constant, and eventually the empire began to crumble in waves of civil war and rebellion.

Finally, Atlantis was all but destroyed by The Cataclysm. The Gods turned upon Atlantis, smiting them for their wickedness and hubris. The island of Autochthea sank beneath the waves, Vril turned wild and ravaged the land, sorcery turned unstable and wild, and all the world was wracked by earthquakes, tsunami’s, volcanoes, and hurricanes.

Now Atlantis is a shadow of its former self, with only the continent and city still remaining under Atlantean control, with the rest of their colonies and cities rebelling and being conquered. Now humanity, and human kingdoms, are the dominant culture in the world.

Atlantis Time Line

Finally, there’s a timeline of the world, giving the dates of important events in the world, based on the Atlantean Calendar. I’m not recreating the whole thing, but there’s some neat world-building information contained, so I’m going to highlight some of the neater parts. For reference: All dates are based off either the founding of the Atlantean Empire, notated by the abbreviation A.E. after a date, or from the Cataclysm, notated as M.K. (Meta Kataklysmos). To give an idea of scale, the earliest event is -7,000 A.E. with the birth of the Lawgiver, the Atlantean Empire lasted until 3997 AE (Which is also 1 M.K.), and the current year is 509 M.K.

957 A. E.
King Atlas Amanhene dies on the morning of what should have been the first day of his thousandth year. Lightning splits the sky in a single bolt, big enough to be seen anywhere on the continent. Violet rain falls for seventeen hours and every bird in the empire coos the same mournful notes. He is the longest-lived Atlantean.

1,862 A.E.
The Golem War: The Great Sorcerer Mal’Sorkumar investigates the weird properties of fallen metals. Infusing the metals with his own power, he is able to capture the souls of the dead. Creating golems to hold the souls, he uses them as his slaves. Shut away for years at a time, furthering his alchemical and necromantic research, Mal’Sorkumar draws the suspicion of the Atlantean council. He is accused of black sorcery and a great battle takes place between the golems and the Atlanteans. The war lasts three weeks before Mal’Sorkumar escapes to what is now the Black Forest. The golems, not so easily driven off, are put to sleep and buried in a vault, deep
in the mountains of a nameless and deserted island.

2,950 A.E
The Vril Gates of Atlantis
Atlantean sorcerers create the first Vril Gates, allowing travel between any two of the massive, orichalcum structures. Trade and travel between the colonies increases, allowing even the least of their race to experience the outer reaches of the empire. Atlantean sorcerer-merchants control the Vril Gates; their wealth grows. Lesser merchants and humans still conduct trade over land and sea. The gates are soon dismantled when scholars discover that the space traveled between gates is actually the dreamstuff of the Elder Gods. Most of those who traveled through the gates manifest deformities of the mind and body. Though the council apprehends and slays most of these abominations, some escape into the wilds.

505 M.K.
The Golden Box
Twelve boxes are delivered to twelve kings across the known world. The King of Atlantis receives a box followed by the Queen of Sheba, the Pharaoh of Khemit, The Erlking of the Black Forest, the Queen of Hesperia, then the kings of Ophir, Tarshesh, Khitai, Veda, Nazca, Quechua, and Aztlan. The boxes feel warm to the touch. Gilded and encrusted with precious gems, they draw praise from all who behold them. Inscribed on the side of each box, written in Ænochian, shine the words “and so his time shall pass”. Atop the box sits a small mechanical time piece, assumed to open the box at the appointed time. No known form of scrying can penetrate the box and, if forced open before the time runs out, as in Tarshesh, fire burns the contents. Several kings have called for the best thieves in their realm to open the box but none have yet been successful.

506 M.K.
The Boy Usurper
Zal, an albino boy from Turan, claiming to be a born of true Atlantean blood and raised by wild animals, emerges from the desert wastes. The boy is always in the company of an Owl-woman called Simurgh the Watcher and her coven of Owl-women disciples. Zal commands an army of varied Andamen. He makes himself known by seizing the Tarshesh outpost of Tarsharon, outside of Joppa in Zin. The boy-general is possessed of almost godlike power and arcane magics beyond his apparent 11 years of age. Every Beast-man he encounters falls to his knees and swears and oath of allegiance. The boy and his army travel in a large and ancient barge that moves across both land and sea with ease.

506 M.K.
The Black Circle Conflict
In Awalawa, rumors of a powerful sect of black magicians called the Black Circle surfaces and a horde of Nethermen seethe from the interior of the jungle, infused with demonic power. Te king of Ophir mobilizes his army and calls upon Hesperia for help. The Nubian mercenaries, known as the Lions of Kandake, move to stand against the Black Horde and their Diabolist masters. A call goes out to the heroes of every nation to help stop the threat. In a shining moment of unity, many answer. Quick and bloody, the war culminates with the destruction of the demonic master’s Black Bone Tower. Before the world can catch its breath, the demonic menace that controlled the Black Circle rises from the rubble of the former tower, devouring the souls of the unlucky few too near the desolation. Sorcerers and shaman work countless spells, binding the demon into a large tree, and impale it with bronze spikes. The Nubian mercenaries pledge to watch over the tree, allowing none to pass their wall of thorn and stone.

508 M.K.
The Last Beast War
Zal and his army land on the northern coast of Atlantis and the last Great Beast war begins. His large feral army, bolstered with Formorian mercenaries, clashes with the Atlanteans. The Atlanteans do not send their own Andamen for fear that they will turn and fight with The Usurper. The battle lasts for five months as Zal pushes towards the capital. The city of Atlantis prepares for a siege, but Zal and his forces suddenly board their great barge and leave the field of battle traveling east. The Formorian mercenaries are left to fend for themselves. Most are captured or killed. Zal’s current location is unknown.

Next Time: Chapter Two: Character Creation

Hero Creation

posted by Wapole Languray Original SA post

Before we get to going through the steps of character creation, we have to go over the attributes first, as that’s a big thing many of your choices will affect.

Now, there are 10 attributes in Atlantis, and they work basically like any other game. They provide the baseline performance for your character, represent their inborn and natural abilities, and such. The biggest difference is that attributes in Atlantis can go into the negatives, 0 being the average “starting” rating, and are based on an objective scale not a relative one.

• Intelligence (INT): Intellect, reason, problem solving. Used to figure stuff out, solve intellectual conundrums, do maths, etc. Most animals rate -7, -3 is a smart animal like a Dolphin or Parrot, 0 is an average human, +3 is a certified genius, and +5 would be a Da Vinci style polymath.
  
• Perception (PER): Yep, it’s an attribute, not a skill! This measures a being's overall sensory acuity, and ability to spot things they are looking for, as well as general situational awareness. -5 would be someone blind and deaf, 0 is a normal human, +4 most animals, and +8 would be an Owl or similar sense-based predator.
  
• Will (WIL): Willpower, determination, and wisdom. How good you are at resisting temptation, bribery, torture, coercion, social influence, etc. -3 is a child, 0 is average human and most animals, +3 would be particularly stubborn individuals, +3 would be a dedicated philosopher.
  
• Charisma (CHA): The Power of persuasion and personality. Used for pretty much any social acts. -5 would be a repellent boor, -3 a sullen introvert, 0 is average as always, +3 would be a natural diplomat, +5 an inspiring national leader.
  
• Strength (STR): How much you can bench, how hard you can bash people, and classing bend bars/break gates. -8 is a mouse, -2 a child, +3 a donkey, +8 an Oxen.
  
• Dexterity (DEX): Agility, coordination, and maneuverability. -3 would be a literal cow, +2 an athlete, +4 a natural gymnast, +7 a squirrel.
  
• Constitution (CON): Being TOUGH, as well as endurance and stamina. How well you can resist disease, injury, poison, illness, hunger, etc. -4 you have Tuberculosis, -2 is a lazy couch potato, +2 an athlete, +4 a wild boar, +5 a marathon runner.
  
• Speed (SPD): How fast you can move, and determines initiative in combat. -5 is you basically can’t move period, -4 is a tortoise or sloth, +5 would be Usain Bolt, +10 a racehorse.
  
• Combat Rating (CR): This attribute represents one’s inherent capacity and ability to engage in martial and combat situations, outside of particular combat training. It’s a combination of mental and physical abilities, cultural and social factors, biological traits, and personal tendency.
  
• Magic Rating (MR): This determines a character's ability to sense and manipulate magic. It’s the magic equivalent of Combat Rating, basically.
  

There, now that’s covered, let’s get into the first decision point:

Races
Yep, if you’ve played a fantasy RPG before you know how this works, basically it’s picking your species. Race in this case determines your base attributes, HP, and gives several special abilities. It’s important to note though: These stats and abilities are based on the base for a Player Character Hero, not NPC’s of the same race. You do not have to account for every racial ability for every NPC you might interact with. NPC’s can have none, some, or all of their racial abilities on the GM’s discretion.

Ahl-At-Rab
Sand Devils, Lizard Men, Snake Men, Saurians


The Ahl-At-Rab are an artificial race, created by the Ophidians as a warrior-slave race, though with the collapse of the Ophidian’s empire many now live independently. Ahl-At-Rab traditionally live in deserts, wastelands, and other hot and arid lands across the world in nomadic tribes of a few hundred individuals.

While they do not construct buildings or permanent settlements, they are skilled craftsmen and often make fine arms and armor out of copper, obsidian, and the hides of “Sand Dragons”. The Sand Dragons are a species of large desert-dwelling reptile used as a mount and best of burden by the Ahl-At-Rab, and are often trained to fight alongside their riders in battle. They prefer spears and clubs, both designed for throwing as well as close combat, along with war whips made of sand-dragon hide. Their armor is generally Sand Dragon hide with copper plating.

Most of the culture of the Ahl-At-Rab is based around their creation as a warrior race, and they live for the thrill of combat. Tribes will often attack even large groups of armed men without hesitation, and will fight to the death unless the situation is obviously hopeless. One reason for this is that the Ahl-At-Rab are highly carnivorous, and have no qualms about eating the bodies of the deceased after battle, or taking slaves from the defeated. While the slaves of the Ahl-At-Rab are generally treated quite well, they live under the knowledge that they are emergency rations for their masters in times of hunger.

Strangely, the Ahl-At-Rab passion for violence also extends to their arts. The Ahl-At-Rab often perform elaborate plays during ceremonies and religious gatherings which are considered to be elaborate and beautiful, often with themes of unrequited love, betrayal, and tragedy. It’s believed that many popular plays by other peoples are adaptations and reimaginings of Ahl-At-Rab dramas.

The Ahl-At-Rab are humanoid reptilian beings, standing an average of 2 meters in height (approx. 6’ 5’’). They have scaly hides, which can be any shade of green, brown, tan, and even black. They have a crest along the top of the head, believed to help in thermoregulation, and females of the race have two crest of brightly colored feathers running from their temples to the base of their necks.

Most Ahl-At-Rab are stoic and serious, concerned foremost with survival. They categorize everything foremost as packmate, threat, or food. They do not fear death, especially death in combat, and will fight to the bitter end if they believe the battle has any merit or point at all.

Attributes
The Ahl-At-Rab’s highest attributes are in STR, PER, CR, and CON, and they have the highest base CON of any race. Their greatest weaknesses are in SPD, and MR, but both are only -1, suboptimal but not crippling. This means they are best suited to build as a physical combatant focused on durability over agility.

Racial Abilities

• Cold Blooded
  Yep, the Ahl-At-Rab are reptilian, including being ectotherms. They don’t need to drink much water and are relatively unaffected by extreme heat. They consider their CON to be tripled, with a minimum of +3, when making any CON check relating to dehydration or heat exposure. But on the flip side, they are much weaker against cold, taking a -3 penalty to resist cold exposure and cold-based attacks like ice magic, and if they are affected they get a -3 speed penalty for several rounds based on their CON score.
  
  
• Acute Sense of Smell
  They have freaky snake-tongues that they smell with by flicking through the air. For the purposes of smelling things when making a perception check, they consider their PER to be tripled, with a minimum of +3.
  
  
• Natural Weapons
  The Ahl-At-Rab have sharp teeth and claws they can use to fight, both are really weak though, like worse than a literal kitchen knife, but better than just punching people. Notably, if you're using your claws as the first attack in a round, you get to attack twice without penalty.
  
  
• Poison Spray
  You can spit venom like a Spitting Cobra. It’s an Athletics+CR roll to hit. The venom blinds the target for a number of rounds equal to the Ahl-At-Rab’s CON minus the target’s DEX and the PR of any helm they are wearing. While blinded they take a penalty to any action that uses sight equal to the Ahl-At-Rab’s CON as well, for a minimum of -1. The Range is equal to the spitter’s STR in meters.
  

Andamen
Beastmen, Werebeasts, Chimeras
Not so much a single race, but a category of several related beings. Andamen are an alchemical fusion of human and animal, created by the Atlanteans to fight in the Beast Wars against the Ophidians. Each was formed for a certain task within the Atlantean war-machine, and were used as soldier-slaves by their Atlantean masters. When the war was over, they were mostly abandoned, and many have become totally independent since the Cataclysm. They are equally at home both in civilization and in the wilderness, and are often found in small enclaves among other races.

Racial Abilities
These abilities are shared among all Andamen regardless of type.

• Blood of the Andaman
  If an Andaman feeds an animal of a similar type to themselves milk mixed with the Andaman’s blood over the period of a week, this creates a mystical bond with the Andaman. The animal will consider the Andaman it’s friend, and will be easier to command and train. Mechanically this manifests in a +10 to Animal Handling rolls regarding that particular beast.
  
  
• Silver Allergy
  Due to their alchemical birth, Andamen are naturally averse to silver. Prolonged contact with silver causes a sever allergic reaction, causing irritation and discomfort as long as they are touching the metal. This manifests as a -5 penalty to all actions if the Andaman is in contact with a silver object for more than 2 rounds until they break contact with it. Silver weapons also do double damage, and wounds from them take twice as long to heal.
  

Anumbim
Jackal-Men


The Anubim were created to be guards, enforcers, and aids for Atlantean generals and sorcerors during the Beast Wars. They stand about 1.5 meters (Approx. 5’) tall, and have lean, wiry builds. They have the heads of jackals, and short fine fur which is generally jet black or dusky gold.

They are serious and even-tempered, and known for their loyalty and faithfulness. Anubim never break their word, will gladly die for the sake of a loved one, and will follow their chosen companions to the ends of the earth.

Anubim are the most clever and intellectual of the Andamen, and due to their servitude among the Atlantean sorcerers have carried down a secretive tradition of magic among themselves.

Attributes
Anubim’s highest skills are in INT, PER, SPD, and CR, with no negatives in any stat. They have no real weaknesses, and are the best fit for an Andaman magic-user by default.

Racial Abilities

• Natural Weapons
  Anubim can bite, once again weaker than any actual weapon, and they don’t get the double attack ability the Ahl-At-Rab do.
  
  
• Beast Language
  Anubim can communicate with jackals, dogs, wolves, and other canines to a greater degree than other races. Mechanically this gives them a +3 bonus to their CHA with a minimum of +3 to Animal Handling rolls involving canines.
  
  
• Acute Sense of Smell
  Anubim, being canine, have very sensitive noses. When making Perception checks, or Tracking rolls based on smell, they can double their PER, with a minimum of +2.
  
  
• Man’s Best Friend
  Anubim are the best suited to working with other races, but in particular humans. When acting in a coordinated effort with a human both they and the Anubim gain a bonus equal to triple the Anubim’s PER with a minimum of +3. Other races get half the bonus rounded up. This applies only to the first dice action in the round, with the maximum number of participants equal to twice the Anubim’s INT, minimum of 2. This bonus lasts a number of rounds equal to the Anubim’s PER +5, minimum of 5 rounds. This can only be done once per day.
  

Asena
Wolfmen


Asena are powerful trackers and warriors. They stand an average of 1.8m (Approx. 6’) tall, and weigh over 115kg (Approx. 250 lbs). They share hair colors with the animal they are based on, blac, grey, browns, and rarely white. Asena are relentless, and known for baring fierce grudges. They are imminently practical, favoring strength and cunning above all else. Leaders are whoever is the largest, strongest, and cleverest among them, and they have no respect for weakness.

Attributes
Asena are highest rated in SPD and CR, less so in WIL, STR, and CON. Their only weakness is in MR at a -2.

Racial Abilities

• Natural Weapons
  The same as the Ahl-At-Rab, claws and teeth, same damage, can double attack with claws for your first action.
  
  
• Relentless
  Once per session, an Asena can add triple their WIL, minimum of +3, to any roll as long as it pertains to tracking or pursuing a target or quarry.
  
  
• Acute Sense of Smell
  Identical to the Anubim ability.
  
  
• Wolf Pack
  Asena are masters of coordinated group combat. When the Asena is part of a group, they can provide a bonus equal to twice their PER (Minimum of +2) to all damage done to a single target. The group must surround the target, and make a concerted effort to attack it, and the Asen a has to act first for everyone else to get the bonus.
  

Balam
Jaguar Men


Balam are large and powerfully built, standing 1.8m (Approx. 6’) and weighing around 85kg (Approx. 200 lbs). They are clever and crafty, with an individualistic streak. Most Balam focus on their own personal well-being first and foremost. They are quick to anger and prefer to solve most problems with physical force. Most Balam have a reverence for their ancestors, and many wear jewelry made from the teeth and bones of notable ancestors.

Attributes
Balam have high STR, SPD, CR, DEX, and CON, but are weak in CR and average in all others. Very much focused on emphasizing the physical over the mental.

Racial Abilities

• Natural Weapons
  Same as Asena and Ahl-At-Rab, claws and fangs, free double attack, etc.
  
  
• Cat Prowess
  Balam can leap a number of meters vertically equal to their STR plus SPD ratings, and when falling they subtract their DEX in meters (Minimum of 2 meters) when determining fall damage.
  
  
• Night Vision
  Balam can see in very dim light, and any penalties due to darkness are halved, and they receive a bonus to Perception rolls equal to triple their PER (minimum of +3). They can’t see in total darkness any better than anyone else though.
  
  
• Climber
  Balam can add twice their DEX (Minimum of +2) to any Athletics rolls when climbing.
  

Uluka
Owlmen, Birdmen, Flyers

The Uluka were created as aerial forces for the Atlantean military, and originally just looked like normal humans only with large bird wings on their backs, but over time they developed into their current forms. Uluka are lithe and wiry, standing about 1.5 to 1.75 meters (Approx. 5’) tall but only weighing about 50kg (Approx 110lbs). The majority of Uluka live in a small flying city created by lashing together many ancient Atlantean sky-fortresses together with chains and bridges. The city's magic is slowly failing though, and the resident Uluka are seeking a place high in the mountains to settle the city. Most Uluka are quiet and introspective, and unfortunately very plain spoken. An Uluka will always tell you exactly how they feel and what they think as honestly and straightforwardly as possible.

Attributes
Uluka are highest in SPD, INT, PER, and WIL, and have no real weaknesses, making them excellent all-arounders and generalists.

Racial Abilities

• Lords of the Sky
  Uluka can fly! When airborne they consider their speed to be tripled (Minimum of +6).
  
  
• Silent Flight
  In addition to that, they share their Owl relation’s skill at stealthy and silent flight. When airborne, they can add triple their DEX (Minimum of +3) to any Stealth roll.
  
  
• Beast Language
  Uluka can communicate with any bird, to a limited degree. This gives them a bonus equal to their CHA +3 (Minimum of +3) to any Animal Handling roll involving avian life.
  
  
• Owl Perception
  Uluka have incredible senses of sight and hearing. THey receive a bonus to any sight or sound based Perception checks equal to triple their PER (Minimum of +3), and also reduce any range penalties for ranged weapons by one range step.
  
  
• Rarified Air
  As they often fly high in thin air, Uluka need much less oxygen than other races. They operate normally in thin air or low-oxygen environments, and can hold their breath twice as long as normal.
  

Nemeans
Lion Men, Kings of Beasts, Feral Lords


Nemeans were created to be commanders and generals of the Andamen during the Beast Wars. They are mostly golden furred, though rarely a black haired Nemean is born. Both males and females are equally fierce warriors and commanders. Most Nemeans stand at around 2 meters ( 6’5’’) and weigh between 90 and 130 kgs (Approx. 200 to 300 lbs). Nemeans possess an innate sense of entitlement and superiority. They assume the deference of other Andamen to them. While this attitude is off putting to most, Nemeans are loyal to the end to those they consider friends and companions.

Attributes
Nemeans have high CHA and CR, with lower bonuses in WIL, STR, and CON, and a heavy penalty to MR. Nemeans are best suited to physical builds, but also favor social skills.

Racial Abilities

• Natural Weapons
  Same as we’ve seen before for the Claws & Bite combo alongside Balam, Asena, and Ahl-At-Rahb. Notably, Nemean bite attacks do 1 DR more than the other races with similar abilities.
  
  
• Lord of the Beast-Men
  Nemeans are the natural leaders of other Andamen. When interacting with other Beastmen socially, the Nemeans receive a bonus of triple their CHA (minimum of +3).
  
  
• Beast Language
  Nemeans can communicate with any canine, feline, aquatic, or avian life, giving them a bonus equal to their CHA (Minimum of +1) to Animal Handling skill rolls involving those creatures.
  
  
• Lion’s Roar
  Nemeans can loose a terrific roar, that can inspire allies or strike fear into their enemies. If used to inspire, the Nemean gives their allies a bonus to one dice roll (Designated by the Nemean) equal to twice the Nemean’s CHA (minimum of +2).
  
  If instead used to terrify their enemies, then those opposed to the Nemean must make a WIL roll, with a Degree of Difficulty (modifier) equal to triple the Nemean’s Charisma (minimum of +3). If they fail, they suffer a penalty equal to the Nemean’s CHA for a number of rounds equal to the Nemean’s CON+1.
  
  This can only be used in either way a number of times per day equal to the Nemean’s CON (minimum of once per day).
  

Taurans
Minotaurs


Taurans are massive, standing a towering 2.25 to 2.5m (7’5’’ to 8’) tall, and weighing between 136 and 181 kgs (300 to 400lbs). They have a reputation as bullies and blowhards. They live life to the fullest and eat, drink, fight, and love to excess. THey have a fondness for jewelry, and often wear many golden rings on their horns, nose, ears, and neck.

Attributes
Taurans have the highest base STR of any race, as well has high CON and CR, but face penalties in their INT and MR.

Racial Abilities

• Natural Weapons
  Taurans can use their horns as weapons, and as a nice thing they actually do as much damage as a real weapon!... Well, a knife but still.
  
  
• Bull Charge
  But this is the real reason to use them! A Tauran can charge an enemy with their horns, with a -5 penalty to hit, but if it’s successful you hit them for 15 DR+STR, and knocks them off their feet, requiring the enemy to spend an action to stand back up. In reference, that’s enough to one-shot most regular enemies in the game. Mind, if you miss you lose an action next round, and on a Critical Failure you ram into something else and knock yourself for a loop. You have to make a CON roll with a Degree of Difficulty of -10, and if you fail you suffer a -2 penalty for 6-CON rounds (minimum of one round).
  
  
• Strong as a Bull
  Tauran’s are tough enough that they keep fighting even after other race’s would be dying. When a Tauran hits 0 HP, they can continue to stay active for a number of rounds equal to twice their CON (Minimum of 2 rounds).
  

Tritons
Gillmen, Mermen


Developed for naval, undersea, and marine combat. Tritons were originally more human, and amphibious, but now are almost totally aquatic. They stand between 1.5 and 1.8 meters (5 to 6 foot) and weigh between 68 and 90kgs (150 to 200 pounds). They have green or blue skin, with red and gold accents, with large solid black eyes. Tritons are known for being clear and even tempered thinkers who place the best interests of society above their own. They are highly sought after as tacticians and diplomats.

Attributes
Tritons have high INT and SPD, with lower bonuses in WIL and DEX, and a minor penalty to MR. They are well rounded, with a slight bent towards intellectual skills.

Racial Abilities

• Aquatic
  Tritons are naturally aquatic beings, and are most comfortable underwater. They can move at triple their SPD (minimum of +3) when in water, and can breathe freely. When on dry land though, they act as if their SPD is -1 for the purposes of distance moved, but not initiative or other uses.
  
  Tritons can also only survive out of water for CON+1 hours (Minimum of 1 hour) before suffocating. To counter this most Tritons wear a small water bladder on their necks to hydrate their gills. This allows them to live out of water indefinitely as long as the bladder is refilled every 4 hours.
  
  
• Beast Language
  Tritons can communicate with any aquatic life, for the standard CHA+3 (minimum of +3) bonus to Animal Handling skills involving water-dwelling creatures.
  
  
• Night Vision
  Tritons can see even in the crushing darkness of the deepest seas. Penalties from low light and darkness are halved, and they have a bonus to Perception rolls in low light equal to triple their PER (minimum of +3). This does not apply in pitch or total darkness though.
  

Atlanteans
Little Gods, God-Kings, Noble Creators, Lords of the Earth, Man Shapers


Atlanteans hold themselves to be the greatest of all races upon the Earth. Born, fully formed as a race, without physical, social , or mental evolution, they believe themselves to be the destined masters of the world. A confident, arrogant race that seeks to rule over all others.

Atlanteans act without any sense of humility, shame, or fear of failure. Any setbacks or defeats are recontextualized as “all part of the plan”. When their empire fell, it wasn’t a collapse, but a tactical retreat in line with Atlantean interest. Even now when they hold nowhere near the position of they once did, they argue that the future is theirs to grasp, and seem to be scheming some new way to re-establish their dominion of the world.

Atlanteans look very similarly to humans. They stand at least 1.8m (6 feet) tall and weigh between 68 and 90kgs ( 150 to 200lbs). Where they differ is in the details. They have skin the color of polished mahogany or deep bronze, with long kinky black hair that they wear in oiled locks. Their eyes are gold or emerald-green, or a mix of both, and their lips are black as pitch. Atlanteans are also, every one, perfectly formed and beautiful.

Non-Atlanteans see them as cold, arrogant, and condescending, Atlanteans would agree as to them most other races seem like children to them, lost and needing guidance. They believe they have a divine right to rule over the world, and that their acts are divinely correct.

Most races also see the Atlanteans as depraved and hedonistic, but to the Atlanteans the world is theirs to experience and master. Sex is casual and common, drugs are seen as a route to enlightenment, and food is to be consumed and enjoyed. The world is their paradise, and they will experience every bit of it they can.

Attributes
Atlanteans have minor bonuses in their INT and PER, and a minor weakness in their -1 to STR, but the main defining feature for them is the +4 they have to MR, the highest base among the races, making them by far the best choice by default for a dedicated magic character.

Racial Abilities

• Aura of the Gods
  Atlanteans are born to rule, and over the centuries of their Empire the rest of the world has internalized their inherent mastery. Atlanteans receive a bonus of double their CHA to any Leadership rolls.
  
  
• Unearthly Beauty
  Atlanteans are perfectly, and almost supernaturally, beautiful. Atlanteans add double their CHA (minimum of +2) to any social situation where their physical beauty would be an advantage.
  
  
• Vril Masters
  Atlanteans are the masters of manipulating Vril energies. This is a bit complicated, but I’ll try and give a rough idea of what this does. First, whenever an Atlantean uses a Vril item, they add their MR rating (minimum of +2) to the Vril Item’s effective rating. Vril items are basically ancient Atlantean magi-tech crystal gadgets from before the collapse. Mechanically this means they add that bonus to some aspect of the item: Weapons can have their DR improved, armor its PR, vehicles get better SPD, etc.
  
  The second bonus is that when drawing power from Vril-enriched areas (Vril Pyramids, Sacred Mounds, Holy Sites, etc. High Magic places basically) they get to double their MR when it comes to drawing temporary Hero Points from those sites. In cliff’s notes: You can tap into magical places like your Stonehenges and Great Pyramids to get supercharged with mojo, represented by a mess of temporary Hero Points (The system’s Bennies, Fate Points, etc) based on your MR. Atlanteans get more Hero Points for doing this that other races.
  
  
• Beast Lore
  Because of their mastery of the natural world, Atlanteans know the name of very east that crawls, swims, or flies by making an INT roll with a Degree of Difficulty determined by the GM. This ability also covers their authority over the Andamen, who were created to obey them. Atlanteans will be the last to be attacked by an Andaman, and in social situations they game a bonus of 2+CHA (minimum of 2, and does not stack with Aura of the Gods).
  
  
• Vice
  All Atlanteans are afflicted with some vice, a practice or behavior generally seen as immoral, depraved, degrading, or inappropriate. In essence this is an addiction, and anything that someone can be considered “addicted” to qualifies. The Atlantean must indulge in their vice once per day, and suffer a cumulative -1 penalty to their INT, WIL, MR, and CHA for each day they go without indulging.
  

Now for the Mythology Corner! Where I explain some of the real mythological references in the game! Now, the Ahl-At-Rab I’m not sure about. From what my research can tell me I think it’s supposed to be Arabic meaning something like “People of the Masters” or similar, but I’m not sure. Any ideas?

Now for the others, it goes a lot easier. Andaman is a completely made up term as far as I can tell. The closes is it’s a name for a chain of islands in the south Pacific with an unknown etymology, so that’s not much help. Anubim are obviously based on Anubis the ancient Egyptian Jackal-Headed god of funerary rituals and mummification. Asena is the name of a mythical she-wolf from shamanic Turkic mythology. Balam is simply the Mayan word for jaguar. Uluka is the mythical owl companion of Lakshmi, Hindu goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. Nemean is a reference to the Nemean Lion, one of the monsters killed by Heracles in Greek mythology. Taurans are from Taurus, latin for bull, and Triton is the herald and son of Poseidon, the greek god of the Sea.

Atlantis is obviously based on the metaphorical and fictional city from the works of Plato, combined with popular pseudo-science and New Age nonsense. Vril is an energy from the 1871 science fiction novel The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

And I think that’ll do for one update! Next time I’ll include the rest of the races in Character Creation Continued: More Races!

Hero Creation Part 2

posted by Wapole Languray Original SA post

Character Creation Continued: The Rest of the Races
Yep, let’s finish up the rest of the races, this post shouldn’t be quite as massive as the last.

Humans
Men, The Earth Children, Children of Edom


Humans are human. Currently the dominant and most populous race, though they are not united by any single nation or polity. What can I say, they’re human. There are great human civilizations, and humans living in primitive stone-age tribes, their hallmark is diversity and flexibility.

Racial Attributes
Don’t apply. Yes, that’s right. Technically, it’s all 0’s across the board, as appropriate for a typical human, but it doesn’t matter.

Racial Abilities

• Inheritors of the Earth
  This is why the Attributes don’t matter. Human heroes get to allot 5 points in their attributes however they want, and if they desire can reduce an attribute to a negative number (maximum of -2 to one attribute, or -1 to two attributes) to increase others. Then, they get an additional +2 to add to any attribute of their choice. This gives a total of +7 to add, or +9 if negatives are taken.
  
  
• Zeal
  Humans have a greater drive to succeed, and prove themselves, than other races. The Hero may add double their WIL (Minimum of +2) to a number of rolls per adventure equal to their CON (Minimum of once).
  
  
• Tyche
  Being the favored of the Gods, humans can enforce their will upon the universe, at least in a small way. Human heroes can force a reroll of any dice action that affects them directly, a number of times per session equal ti their WIL (minimum of once per session). The roll need not be made by the hero, and can apply to GM rolls or rolls by other players. The reroll must affect the hero, and can’t be used to help others. If the roll affects multiple people, the reroll result only applies to the Human Hero, not others affected by it.
  

Jinn
The Elders, The Children of Fire, Chaos Folk, The Others, Moon Children, The People Under the Mound


The Jinn were the first race born into the world, spawned from the dreams of the Elder Gods made of the raw material of creation. They are, by nature, unlike any other living thing.

The Jinn have never built empires or nations, and see such aspirations as strange, the ruling of land and people an inherently amusing and curious concept to the Jinn. Likewise, they do not engage in warfare. While individuals may be fierce warriors as ag group they have no interest in conquest or using violence as anything but a last resort. The Jinn are also, in general, a disappearing race. Though no one knows the exact reason why, most can go their entire lives without seeing a Jinn even once, and there may be only one million left active in the world.

The reason this is mysterious is because Jinn are not born, and do not die, like any other being. Instead Jinn live through ever repeating cycles of reincarnation. In a single form they have finite lifespans, though the exact length varies from Jinn to Jinn, sometimes as long as a human, sometimes hundreds of years. Upon their death, their essence returns to their Jar, which is hidden somewhere in the world where they are reincarnated some unknown time afterwards as a new being. Reincarnated jinn lack much of their memories, but retain some bits of knowledge and an innate wisdom.

Jinn are physically distinct: Their skin is the color of old parchment, or dark of cold, with hair of any imaginable color or many colors together. The skin of a Jinn appears to be covered in tattoos, resembling flowing script in a mysterious language. These are the written form of the murmurings of the Elder Gods that give each Jinn form. It is said that if all the writings could be collected from every Jinn and organized, you would read a complete history of the world from creation to the modern day.

All Jin have a single horn upon their head, growing from a random location. No two Jinn have the same horn in the same spot on their head. These horns can be any shape or form. When Jinn speak black smoke issues from their mouths, and a small perpetual flame burns above their heads. THis flame, and the Jinn’s eyes, change color based upon their moods. Blue for happiness, black for hate, red for rage, and green for any other emotions. A Jinn’s shadow is only visible in moonlight, and moves independently of the Jinn themselves.

Jinn have no set height or weight, and vary massively from individual to individual.

Jinn act very oddly to most beings: They start sentences seemingly in the middle, or trail off in the middle of speech. They are prone to seemingly spontaneous emotional outbursts, communicate through strange gestures and cryptic phrasing. This is due to the different way the Jinni see the world, and while many try to be more coherent to the younger races, others don’t see why they should bother.

Jinn are fascinated by any form of creation or art or performance that involves emotional or spiritual expression, regardless of the quality or morality of the performance. Jinn will listen to a virtuoso singer with the same pleasure as a wailing child, or watch an execution as attentively as a play.

Attributes
By default Jinn have high ratings in MR, WIL and PER, with a -1 to STR, but similar to humans, the default attributes don’t matter much.

Racial Abilities

• Child of Fire and Ash
  Because of this ability. This allows Jinn to, essentially, respec their Attributes. How it works is as follows: The Jinn Hero must make a large bonfire, and lay within the flames speaking of the new person they wish to be. The fire does not burn, and the Jinn will slowly fall asleep within the flames. The metamorphosis takes one month. At the end of a month, the fire will die, and the Jinn will reawaken. THe Jinn’s appearance and memories are the same, but their attributes and personality will have changed within the flame.
  
  Mechanically this allows you to swap around your attributes. You can’t change any of the numbers, only change which attribute they are associated with. So, a Jinn’s default bonuses of +1, +2, +3, and -1 can’t be changed, but you can change which attributes those ratings are assigned to.
  
  
• Chaos Speech
  The natural language of the Jinn is incomprehensible to other races. Jinn can communicate with others of their race using a combination of words, environmental colors, smells, and sounds in the area. This language works just as well as any other, but is totally unintelligible to non-Jinni and appears as gibberish combined with senseless movements and gesture.
  
  
• Soul Names
  All Jinn keep their true name secret, names that they have had in every incarnation since the world’s beginning. These names define the Jinn, and tie them into the very fabric of creation.
  
  Someone who knows the soul name of a Jin can use it to weaken a Jinn, reducing one of the Jinn’s attributes by 5 points for a number of rounds equal to the speaker’s WIL (minimum of one). The target Jinn must hear the name being said, and it can only be done once a week.
  
  But, the Jinn can also use their name to access great power. Once per week a Jinn Hero can speak their name aloud to warp the very fabric of creation to their will. This allows the Jinni to add 2D20+WIL to any one roll, or to a DR of their choice. But, this is exhausting, and once finished the Jinni must rest for 7 days minus CON (minimum of one day) to recuperate. If the Hero resists and stays active, they take a -2 penalty to all actions for each day they should rest but have not.
  
  
• Mercurial Nature
  This is a big one, so pay attention! First this lets Jinni shapeshift! Once per day they can turn into any living creature from as small as a mouse up to their normal size. They keep the form until the rising or setting of the sun. Not 12 hours, but literally when the sun rises or sets. The Jinni can revert to their normal form at will. The only way to tell a shapeshifted Jinn is that the new forms eyes will be green. The Jinni gets all the basic natural abilities of the animal in question.
  
  The second effect is more… complex. In essence, Jinn are highly susceptible to powerful magics. Whenever they are affected by a spell with a total effect of 13 or more (Pretty powerful magic) or whenever they are in a powerful magical field such as a Vril Circle or Vril Line whose level is 3 levels or more above the Jinns CON they must make a WIL roll. If because of a spell, the difficulty is the amount of spell levels over 13, if a high magic field it’s the difference between the Jinni’s CON and the magic field’s level.
  
  If the Jinni gets a critical success (Result for the roll is 20+) they are unaffected and they gain a bonus of +3 to the next resistance roll in the same adventure. If a success (Result of 11-19) then nothing happens. Anything worse, you get to roll on a big honking table of magical effects that happen! These range from minor affects that last a few hours or days, up to permanent changes. You have to get fantastically unlucky to get a permanent effect though. Of note there appears to be a type in the results chart, which as far as I can see is unintentional: The critical failure result states “The Hero Rolls on Chart B and the effect is permanent”. Which… isn’t right? There are three result charts: A is effects that last a few hours, B is a few days, and C is permanent. Rolling a 1 on chart B makes you roll on chart C, but that’s the only way to get to chart C. A critical failure is the only way to roll on chart B though, so I’m assuming it was supposed to just say to roll on chart B, then from there you may be forced to then roll on chart C as a result of that. That seems to be the most reasonable interpretation, and I’m assuming the “and the effect is permanent” bit was supposed to be cut but snuck through editing.
  
  Some of these effects are really fun though! Not all are even bad, lots are just weird, and could be situationally useful. Here’s some examples:
  
  Jinni’s legs shrivel up and she grows a dolphin
  tail. Movement on dry land is reduced to a drag
  and crawl. Water movement +2 SPD.
  
  All latches, locks, and buckles open in a 5m
  radius around the Jinni.
  
  Can only subsist on strong tea made from
  aniseed.
  
  The Jinni breathes fire when he talks (DR5).
  
  Blood is now fire. Those that draw blood must
  make a Evade roll with a DoD equal to the
  damage done or suffer a DR5 fre splash.
  
  The Jinni’s skin becomes hard polished
  obsidian (PR 5), -2 DEX.
  
  
• Metal Allergy
  Because of their Mercurial Nature, Orichalcum and Iron are anathema to a Jinn. The touch of these metals will stop a Jinn from changing shape, revert them back to their natural form if they are in another, and weapons made of these materials do additional damage equivalent to a Strength 5 poison.
  

Lemurian
Ape-men, the Tree Folk, The Lawgiver’s Children, Lemures


Once rulers of a great empire of their own in another epoch, modern Lemurians have lost all interest in conquest or temporal power. Instead they prefer to seek personal fulfillment over a grand racial destiny. They do not bemoan their current situation, and are more than happy in their current lot.

Overall Lemurians are known as emotionally reserved and peaceful, but have several questionable or distasteful cultural practices largely based upon the fact that the Lemurians are by nature selfish and unconcerned about others. The opinions and beliefs of other beings are of no consequence to a Lemurian. This has led to most of the population of the great Ape-men living on their home continent in isolated tree-cities, uncaring of the affairs of the outer world. Not just… uninterested but actively apathetic, violently so. Lemuria is a fortress island, defended by the most advanced technology in the world, and only those that interest the Lemurians are allowed access. Many a group of refugees or exiles have appealed to the Lemurians for asylum only to be turned away without care. The Lemurians blame the other races for the ruination of the world, and they can deal with the consequences themselves.

Lemurians are roughtly the same size as a human, standing 1.8m (Approx. 6’) tall and weighing 90-136kg (Approx. 200-300 lbs). Most have brown or black fur, though rarely they are born with golden or white hides.

Attributes
Lemurians have a massive +3 in both INT and STR, an respectable +1 in dex as well, making them very well suited to a wide range of skills. Their only real weakness is a -2 MR, as the Lemurians are very much not meant to be using magic and prefer technological solutions to their problems.

Racial Abilities

• Primordial Might
  Like their non sentient ape cousins, Lemurians are ridiculously strong for their size. A number of times per session equal to their CON (minimum of once) a Lemurian can apply a bonus of five times their WIL (Minimum of +5) to any roll involving Strength.
  
  
• Masters of the Natural World
  This abilities does a lot of things, all relating to the fact that Lemurians live in harmony with the natural world and are generally more in tune with nature than other races.
  
  First, at character creation a Lemurian Hero chooses an attribute (MR and CR included), and a type of environment they favor (Desert, Ocean, Forest, Savannah, Jungle, etc). When in that environment, the Lemurian can once per day double the chosen attribute after a short period of concentration lasting one round. This doubled attribute lasts for the duration of the current scene.
  
  Also, when climbing, running, jumping, dodging, or generally moving through their chosen environment, the Hero gains a bonus equal to their INT (Minimum of +2) to any rolls.
  
  Lemurians are intuitively familiar with the growth and nurturing of plants. A Lemurian Hero can grow plants twice as fast, and four times as large or small than normal. THey also get to add double their INT (minimum of +2) to any Lore (Agriculture) roll.
  
  Finally as a related bonus, Lemurians add double their INT (minimum of +2) to any roll involving working with or crafting wood. Now, on it’s surface this seems TOTALLY useless! Yeah, there’s a good number of very nasty weapons that are mostly or entirely wood. Plus, siege engines, defensive constructions, and good old demolition.
  
  
• The Flow of Heavenly Water
  Essentially, by using geomantic feng-shui gardening and landscaping a Lemurian hero can move Ley Lines a distance equal to a number of meters 100x their INT. It takes 5 hours per 100m moved. Now, this seems useless if you don’t know what Vril and Ley Lines do, but it’s a subtle sort of benefit. At the simplest level, the area around a Ley Line is unnaturally fertile and healthy, and an intersection of two create an energy field that can make tens of meters super-fertile. More potent uses lets you create or sabotage Places of Power which can do all sorts of crazy shit, not the least of which is cripple an entire city via guerilla gorilla gardening.
  
  
• Logic of the Lawgiver
  Essentially, Lemurians can use their super-sized intellects to supplement basically any other action. THey get to add double their INT to a number rolls per adventure equal to their WIL (minimum of once). This allows Lemurians, who already have pretty high INT to, in a pinch, get massively better at basically anything.
  

Nethermen
Brutes, Throwback, the Misshapen


Nethermen are another slave-soldier race created by the Atlanteans, the precursors to the more successful Andaman. They intended to change human soldiers into a race that is strong, hardy, and easy to manipulate. Instead what they got was an entire race of bloodthirsty, violent, psychopaths who were super-resistant to magic and impossible to control. The Nethermen “problem” was solved by loading as many as they could onto a literal Ark and shoving it out to sea to hopefully never be seen again. It didn’t really work, and Nethermen are now found around the world, though in dwindling numbers.

This because they have short lifespans, 50-60 years on average if they aren’t killed, which most are. About half the population are also born sterile, and so the race is on a slow decline to extinction. Most nethermen live in primitive nomadic tribes or small fortified villages in the harshest wildernesses of the world, but some do integrate into human society, often as mercenaries, guards, and general “muscle”.

Nethermen are basically neanderthals in appearance, looking like bigger, beefier, and slower humans with mottled brown skin. They do have one notable trait: Their eyes are white, with black sclera, looking “reversed” from other races.

Now, personality wise Nethermen are possibly the most alien of the various races. They are, to a man, total psychopaths. They lack the ability to feel fear of any sort, and cannot form emotional attachments with others. Nethermen see everything through the lense of their personal interest. All that matters to a Netherman is their own personal needs and desires. This does not mean they are evil though, Nethermen can operate in “normal” society perfectly well and are able to intellectually understand and even imitate the thoughts and emotions they can’t feel. Just… don’t put too much trust in them unless you’re sure that you’ve giving one the best possible offer.

Attributes
-1 INT, -1 DEX, -2 MR, they are not very bright, a bit sluggish, and terrible and spellcasting, but christ, +3 STR and +2 CON make them wonderfully suited for a big beefy bruiser.

Racial Abilities

• Magic Immunity
  Atlantean alchemy accidentally imbued Nethermen with an inherent resistance to magic. A Netherman adds double their CON to any resistance roll regarding magical effects, and any damage done by magic or magic weapons is reduced by twice the CON of the Netherman. It only affects the magical part though, so if a magic weapon also does mundane damage, that goes through as normal.
  
  
• Too Dumb to Die
  Nethermen are so tough they can shrug off crippling injuries that would end the career of any other Hero. How this works is as follows: This can be activated a number of times per adventure for every -1 the Netherman has in INT (minimum of once per adventure) when activated, for a number of rounds equal to three times the Hero’s CON the Netherman Hero automatically succeeds all Death Saves and ignores critical hit penalties. Critical hits have a chance to either instantly KO or add a penalty of -5 on all rolls. Nethermen with this activated still make the necessary rolls and still are given the KO or penalties, but aren’t affected by them until the duration of the ability is over. The Death Saves is easier to explain: If this is active and the Netherman hits 0 HP they are knocked unconscious, but unless they take more damage afterwards they will recover completely with no need for medical attention and no permanent or lasting injuries.
  
  
• Eaters of the Dead
  Nethermen can eat the heart of a dead being, as long as they’re freshly killed, and after devouring it they gain one of their innate abilities at a level equal to the Hero’s CON (If applicable of course). The Netherman can then use that ability a number of times also equal to their CON before it is expended. As a side effect though, any vice, disadvantage, or weakness possessed by the dead is also transferred.
  

And that’s it for the races! Next time: Cultural Packages and Professions!

Cultural Packages and Professions

posted by Wapole Languray Original SA post

Cultural Packages and Professions

After picking Race, the next step is cultural package! What this determines is where your character is from, what culture they were born and raised in, and gives them several starting skills and a +1 bonus to one attribute. I am not going over them, because there’s literally 100+ of them. The actual locations will be covered when I get to going over the Geographica, the setting book, but for now I’m skipping them. Of note, there is no rule-based racial exceptions for Cultural Package. While there are many that fit one race better than another, there’s nothing stopping you from playing a Triton with the Lemurian Cultural Package. So, moving on to…

Profession



It’s basically your class! Though a better way to understand it would be a starting package, as you’re in no way locked into or limited to any particular build. Still, it’s the biggest defining part of how your character will play, so picking something you enjoy is important.

Every Profession gives you a +1 to one of your stats, the majority of your skill ranks, one starting Talent (Feats essentially), your starting gear, and starting money (Abstracted out into a Pseudo-attribute called Wealth Rating). All professions have a starting Wealth Rating of +1, equivalent to the average spending power of a free laborer unless otherwise specified.

The Professions are split into four overall categories with specific professions being classified as The Slayers, The Takers, The Shapers, and The Teachers. As you can guess, these pretty well line up with traditional RPG Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, Priest themes. So with that explained, let’s get into what your choices actually are!

The Slayers
These are the Fighter types, focusing on skill in weapon based combat and martial skill. All Slayer professions in the core book get a +1 to CR.

Scout
Representing explorers, wilderness scouts, military recon, and your classic fantasy Ranger types. Dodgy fighters who are good at wilderness survival, guiding people through wilderness, being stealthy, and tracking people. They start with a complete set of Light Armor, a weapon of choice, a bow, horse, and set of Travelers Gear (Basic Adventuring Supplies).

The starting talent is Advanced Missile Training. This has two benefits, the first is that if the Hero spends an action to aim a ranged attack, they can add triple their PER (minimum +3) to any one ranged attack roll the next round. The Second is the ability to perform free multiple attacks with a ranged weapon. The Hero can perform his DEX +3 ranged attacks on their turn, a number of times per day equal to their CR (minimum of once) for free. This is incredibly good, as normally to make multiple attacks each extra one is subject to a stacking penalty that very quickly tanks your chances of succeeding.

Soldier
Your professional warfighter. Career military men, professional mercenaries, and men-at-arms. They get a basic skill package of combat abilities, making them perfectly well rounded fighty-types, with the only interesting Skill being a Profession (Soldier) +10. They start with a full set of Heavy Armor, two weapons of choice, a bow, spear, horse, and Travelers Gear.

Soldier’s get Advanced Militia Training, which lets the Hero consider their STR doubled (minimum of +2) when determining armor penalties because of weight. This is better than it sounds: Heavy armor is really effective at keeping you alive in this game, but does come with some major penalties so this is a definite help for anyone wearing bronze-plate underoos.

Warrior
This is more your master swordsman, dedicated martial-artist, tribal brave, mighty-thewed barbarian, etc. Basically a someone trained to fight in combat, but not in the context of military action. They’re also well-rounded fighting types, but are very skilled at unarmed combat in addition to the normal fighting skills like Weapons, Evade, and Parry. They start with a full suit of Medium armor, two weapons of choice, a horse, and Travelers Gear.

Warriors get that old-favorite Cleave! Yep, it works basically like what you think it does! If you successfully hit an enemy, and do at least half your weapon’s DR in damage to them (Meaning the hit wasn’t mostly absorbed by armor) then you can use that same attack roll to hit another enemy in range for half-damage. Special effects of the attack such as from critical hits only apply to the first enemy. Cleave can hit a number of enemies equal to the Hero’s CR, each enemy after the first getting hit for half-damage. The Cleave stops when you reach an enemy the attack roll would have missed, or you run out of targets. You can use Cleave a number of times equal to the Hero’s CR per day.

Pirate/Brigand
Your outlaws, bandits, pirates, and general criminal-y types who prefer violence over stealth to get what they want. Get’s skills to navigate, Pilot vehicles, Profession (Criminal), etc. in addition to standard combat skills. They start with a Half-Suit of Light Armor (Less protection than a full suit), a weapon of choice, dagger, horse, and Travelers Gear.

The starting Talent for Pirate/Brigands is Second Wind, which… yes works kinda like it did in 4th Edition D&D. Once per day the Hero can recover HP equal to 5 plus triple their CON (minimum of 5HP). You have to have less than 5 HP to do it though, and it can’t go over your normal max. Your average character has around 20 HP to start though, so this is a pretty hefty heal in a game where in-battle healing is not common at all.

The Takers

Your rogues, thieves, and sneaky-types. All Takers professions get a +1 to DEX.
Assassin
Come on, you’re an assassin, hitman, killer-for-hire or a cause. Sneaky mc-stablsalot. They’re sneaky, and stabby, and good at assassinating. They get a Full Suit of Light Armor, weapon of choice, a vial of poison, bow, horse, and Travelers Gear. Assassin's get a Wealth Rating of +2, equivalent to a craftsman, artisan, or common merchant.

The Assassin’s starting Talent is Shadow Walking. This lets the hero triple their DEX (minimum of +3) and apply that to any rolls pertaining to stealth a number of times per day equal to their DEX (minimum of 3 times per day). So, a few times per day, they get big honking bonuses to any stealth-related rolls, not fancy but very useful.

Burglar
Thieves, cat burglars, pickpockets, etc. This is the closes to your classic RPG Thief/Rogue type. Lots of stealth skills, bonuses to Investigate/Search and Shadowing, it’s a thief. They get a Half-Suit of Lightweight armor, a weapon of choice, dagger, thieves tools, a horse, and Travelers Gear.

Burglar’s get to start with Great Escape, which works kinda like Shadow Walking. Get to add triple your DEX or PER (Your choice, and a minimum of +3) to any roll involving escape. YOu can do this a number of times equal to your DEX (minimum of once). Since Burglar’s are meant to be sneaking into places and then getting out again, without a fight, this fits perfectly well.

Swindler
Con artist, fast talkers, perfect for the party face. In addition to the standard stealthy-skills Swindler’s get Literacy, Lore (Etiquette), Perform, and a massive +9 in Deception to beef up their social skills. They start with a Half Suit of Lightweight armor, weapon of choice, dagger, cards, dice, a horse, and Traveler’s Gear.

Misdirection is the starting Talent of the Swindler! It’s similar to the others, but a bit more complex. Misdirection applies to either Influence or Sleight of Hand rolls. You can add triple your DEX or CHA (whichever makes sense) to any Influence (must be related to conning or tricking someone, honest discussion doesn’t count) or Sleight of Hand roll (minimum of +3), this may be done a number of times per day equal to the Hero’s DEX (minimum of 3).

Thug
Your Heavy, muscleman, brute, enforcer, criminal with muscles type of thing. Basic stealth-skills, but they also pack a bigger bonus to Unarmed Combat and a Weapon skill for extra punch. Basically a more combat-focused stealth character. They get a Half-Suit of Light armor, weapon of choice, dagger, club, a horse, and Travelers Gear.

The Thug gets to start the game with Amazing Dodge, which reinforces their nature as a hybrid Stealth/Combat profession. They get to add triple their DEX (minimum of +3) to any Evade roll. This can be done a number of times per day equal to the Hero’s DEX +3 (minimum of 3 times). As any Taker should be packing big DEX, this is a big boost to survivability when mixing it up.



The Shapers
This is the category for spellcasters, so there’s some explaining I’ll have to do to touch on the spellcasting system. First: What kind of magic you can cast is dictated by your Tradition. There are four: Shamanism, Sorcery, The Dark Arts, and Witchcraft, but I won’t go over them here. All you need to know is they determine the theme, methodology, and limitations of the characters magic. You should pick a Tradition before settling on a Profession, but I’ll cover them when we get to Magic. The other thing you need to know is what Modes are. The actual skills rolled when casting Magic are called Modes, and they define what the spell actually does. The Modes are: Attack, Illusion, Influence, Kinetic, Manifest, Manipulate, Sensory, Shield, Summoning. Now some can’t be used by certain traditions, and I’ll go over what they actually do when I cover the Magic chapter but for now you have enough to know roughly what “They start with 3 Modes” means. All Shapers get a +1 to MR.

The Sorcerer
This profession represents civilized, dedicated spellcasters. Another Profession covers more tribal or primitive magic-users, but this one represents your more typical city-dwelling mage or sorcerer. A dabble of social skills, literacy, several knowledge skills, etc. all make them better suited to polite society. Magic wise The Sorcerer starts skilled in 4 Modes of magic. They get a Light Half Suit of armor, dagger, two sets of Noble quality robes, a horse, and Traveler’s Gear. Sorcerer’s start with a Wealth Rating of +2, like Assassins.

This profession starts with The Gift. This talent is incredibly useful, and is basically mandatory if you want to be a dedicated spell-caster, but is kinda boring. This talent lets you cast spells with Spell Levels greater than 5. Basically, you need this to cast powerful magic.

Shaman
This is a counterpart to the Sorcerer, representing more rural or wild spellcasters. Tribal shamans, witchdoctors, the village Wise Woman, etc. No social skills and less knowledge, but they get Medicine and Perform instead. They start with 3 Modes of magic. Shaman start with a Light Half Suit of armor, dagger, a horse, travelers gear, and an animal companion of the player’s choice (dog, cat, some small animal).

They get The Gift as well, see Sorcerer above.

The Martial Wizard
This is the Fighter/Wizard combo profession. You get some fighting skills, though lower than the Slayer professions, and 3 Modes of magic. They start with a Half-Suit of Medium armor, weapon of choice, dagger, Noble quality robes, a horse, and Travelers Gear.

They start with Fast Cast, which lets them work the spell and cast it in the same round without multiple action penalties.

The Charlatan
The Wizard/Rogue combo profession. Stealth skills in addition to 3 Modes of magic. They start with a Half-Suit of Light armor, a dagger, playing cards, divination bones, a horse, and Travelers Gear.

Their starting gift is Tradition which just means Charlatan’s start the game with two traditions instead of one.

The Teachers
This category is a sort-of-strange combination of professions, but in essence the unifying concept is learned people who don’t do Magic. They actually get varied attribute bonuses, so that will be covered in the respective Profession.

Emissary
Ambassadors, diplomats, messengers, politicians, etc. This profession is the majority social focused one, Deception, Influence, high language and literacy skills, Perform, etc. If you want to be the party face, or are doing a political campaign emissary is a great choice. They start with a half suit of Light armor, a dagger, jewelry equal to +4 Treasure (Basically Hero Points for buying stuff), 3 noble quality robes, Travelers Gear, and a horse. They also start with a Wealth of +2. Emissaries recieve a +1 bonus to WIL.

The Emissary starting Talent is Righteous Words. When used, the Hero and their groupd gain a bonus to any one action equal to double the Hero’s CHA (minimum of +2). This bonus stays in effect until the task is done, or the Hero stops speaking. This bonus only applies to the first action taken by a character in a round, so it doesn’t apply to multiple actions after the first. This can be used a number of times per day equal to the Hero’s WIL (minimum of once). So, basically as long as the Emissary is giving motivational speeches, everyone else in the party gets a nice fat bonus to their actions as long as they’re working towards a unified goal. This Talent is a major force multiplier, and makes the Emissary very useful as a support character.

Priest/Priestess
Representing people who are formally trained in religious matters. Priests skill-spread is very similar to the Emissary, but they trade Social Skills for better Lore (Theology) and a decent rating in Resolve, the skill used to withstand mental and emotional stress. They get a +1 to their CHA, and start with several religious texts, a half suit of light armor, a dagger, Travelers Gear, a holy relic worth +4 Treasure, and a mule.

Priests get to start with God’s Ear, which improves sacrificing or votive actions. Any Hero can make sacrifices or perform religious acts to get Hero Points, representing garnering the favor of the Gods. A number of times per session equal to their CHA (minimum of once) the Priest/Priestess gets double the Hero Points from their religious observation.

Saint
This is the Profession better suited to your typical D&D style Cleric or Paladin. This profession represents someone bestowed with some power of their chosen Gods, or is particularly favored by the Divine. Saints get basically the same skills as Priest/Priestess, with the addition of some bonus to Unarmed Fighting, and Instinct, the skill that basically acts as a sixth sense to sense danger, or improves your perception in social situations. Saints get a +1 to WIL, and start with a holy symbol, a holy relic worth +4 Treasure, a staff, a dagger, and Travelers Gear.

Saints start with the Dominion Access talent, which essentially gives them access to Atlantis’s version of Clerical magic. It’ll be explained later when I cover Gods and such, but it lets you perform a ritual that lets you perform various supernatural abilities or feats based on your chosen Gods’ dominions.

Scholar
Learned folk, philosophers, scientists, academics, etc. THey get lots of Lore skills, big bonuses to Investigate/Search, and are the people who know and can find out lots of things. They get a bonus of +1 to INT, and start with several tomes of scholarly work, a dagger, ancient trinkets equal to +4 Treasure, a horse, and Travelers Gear.

Scholars get the Alchemical Scientist talent, giving them access to the Alchemy subsystem. This lets them make a variety of magical substances and objects.

And that’s it for Culture and Profession! The next section is the Lifepath system and a final Point Buy part to customize your character to your liking, and let you pick up any skills or Talents or such you didn’t get in the previous parts. These bits aren’t really going to work summarized, and it’s the point where you really need a character to apply them to to make sense, so that’s what I’ll be doing!

So, next time: Making A Character: Life Paths, Point Buy, and maybe Renown and Hero Points!

Let’s Make a Character!

posted by Wapole Languray Original SA post

Let’s Make a Character!

To continue with character creation, it’s best to actually have a character to illustrate various points with, as from now on the choices are more freeform than multiple choice. So, let’s make something!

Step 1: Race

I’m avoiding magic and the Gods for the moment, as that’d just add complexity without covering the Magic and Gods chapters, so let’s go with a fight-mans type. We’ll be starting with Nemean as the race, giving us a starting loadout of:

Race: Nemean

INT: +0 PER: +0
WIL: +0 CHA: +0
STR: +1 DEX: +0
CON: +1 SPD: +0
CR: +2 MR: -2

HP: 20

Racial Abilities

• Natural Weapons: Bite DR4, Claws DR3 (Armor Piercing). If first attack of round, claws can be used to attack twice without penalty.
  
  
• Lord of the Beast-men: Bonus of (3 x CHA) to social interactions with other Andamen.
  
  
• Beast Language: Bonus of (CHA) to Animal Handling Skill used with canine, feline, aquatic, or avian life.
  
  
• Lion’s Roar: Usable (CON) times per day. Either provide allies bonus of (2x CHA) to one dice roll or force enemies to perform WIL roll (DoD 3x CHA), if failed receive penalty of (CHA) for (CON+1) rounds.
  

Step 2: Culture

Not a bad start, but now let’s see where he comes from! Hopping over the Geographica setting book, I control+F for Nemean and see what pops up! Looks like Nubia would be a good fit! They have the highest population of Nemeans in the world, and the Nubian Great Chieftain has often been Nemeans, or have taken Nemean wives.


Sounds good to me! The Nubian culture package is as follows:

Skills: Athletics +1, Evade +1, Instinct +1, Lore (survival, Savannah) +1, Parry +2, Speak Language (Khem) +10, Weapon (melee) +4.

Attribute: +1 CR.

When applied to our existing character:

Race: Nemean
Culture: Nubia

INT: +0 PER: +0
WIL: +0 CHA: +0
STR: +1 DEX: +0
CON: +1 SPD: +0
CR: +3 MR: -2

HP: 20

Skills
Athletics +1, Evade +1, Instinct +1, Lore (survival, Savannah) +1, Parry +2, Speak Language (Khem) +10, Weapon (melee) +4

Racial Abilities

• Natural Weapons: Bite DR4, Claws DR3 (Armor Piercing). If first attack of round, claws can be used to attack twice without penalty.
  
  
• Lord of the Beast-men: Bonus of (3 x CHA) to social interactions with other Andamen.
  
  
• Beast Language: Bonus of (CHA) to Animal Handling Skill used with canine, feline, aquatic, or avian life.
  
  
• Lion’s Roar: Usable (CON) times per day. Either provide allies bonus of (2x CHA) to one dice roll or force enemies to perform WIL roll (DoD 3x CHA), if failed receive penalty of (CHA) for (CON+1) rounds.
  

Step 3: Profession

Obviously, the best fit for this would be one of the Slayers: More particularly Warrior. A Nubian adventurer would most likely be a Mercenary, as that’s Nubia’s main export apparently. Looking at the Geographica again, most nubians are armed with spear and shortsword, some use bows, and they seem to operate in smaller elite forces than as large unified armies. Going with the Warrior profession that gives me:

Attribute: CR +1

Skills: Athletics +3, Evade +8, Instinct +4, Language (Atlantean) +3, Parry +4, Profession (slayer) +10, Unarmed Fighting +7, Weapon (player’s choice) +10, Weapon (player’s choice) +4

Bonus Talent: Cleave

Starting Gear: Full Suit of Medium armor, two weapons of choice, a horse, Travelers Gear

WR: +1

So apply that and:

Race: Nemean
Culture: Nubia
Profession: Warrior

INT: +0 PER: +0
WIL: +0 CHA: +0
STR: +1 DEX: +0
CON: +1 SPD: +0
CR: +4 MR: -2

HP: 20
WR: +1

Skills
Athletics +4, Evade +9, Instinct +5, Lore (survival, Savannah) +1, Parry +6, Speak Language (Atlantean) +3, Speak Language (Khem) +10, Profession (slayer) +10, Unarmed Fighting +7, Weapon (player’s choice) +10, Weapon (players choice) +4, Weapon (melee) +4

Racial Abilities

• Natural Weapons: Bite DR4, Claws DR3 (Armor Piercing). If first attack of round, claws can be used to attack twice without penalty.
  
  
• Lord of the Beast-men: Bonus of (3 x CHA) to social interactions with other Andamen.
  
  
• Beast Language: Bonus of (CHA) to Animal Handling Skill used with canine, feline, aquatic, or avian life.
  
  
• Lion’s Roar: Usable (CON) times per day. Either provide allies bonus of (2x CHA) to one dice roll or force enemies to perform WIL roll (DoD 3x CHA), if failed receive penalty of (CHA) for (CON+1) rounds.
  

Talents

• Cleave: Can use (CR) times per day. When you deal at least half your weapon’s DR to an opponent, can hit additional opponents in range. Keep original attack roll. All hits do half damage. Subsequent hits only succeed if Full or Critical success, partials count as failure. Critical hits and special effects only apply to initial target. Can hit number of enemies equal to (CR).
  

Inventory: Full Suit of Medium armor, two weapons of choice, a horse, Travelers Gear

So, that’s up to where we are now. So, next post will be coming soon: Life Paths!

Life Paths!

posted by Wapole Languray Original SA post

Life Paths!

It’s time to roll a mess of dice! Well, a D20 several times at least. First, let’s remember what we have so far:


Now let’s get started going down the lifepaths!

Upbringing
This is the first roll, and all characters get to do it. First, you choose whether your character’s Upbringing would be considered Civilized, Rural, or Savage. As our Nemean is a Nubian, a people who mostly live as nomadic hunter-gatherer bands the best fit would be Savage. That gives us a bonus of Unarmed Fighting +2 and Instinct +3, before we roll. And let’s do just that! Roll them bones….

Nat-20! Which is the 19-20 result: Child of a Warband Leader. Gain +1 Influence.

Hm, fits quite well. Possibly our Nemean’s parent was a captain or other officer in one of the Mercenary bands from Nubia. But, let’s move on to…

Childhood Encounter
A less impressive name that what it means: The event that propels our character from Zero to Hero. It’s essentially some notable important event that marks your character as special and destined for greater things. Our result is:

9, You saw something, then 8, Witnessed the death of a parent you were helpless to stop.

Family Status
This is the next one, and the last for our character’s early-life. This is how our family is seen by both others and the Gods.

We roll a 3, Entire family killed in a great war.

Early Life Summary

Previous Adventures

Now, our character is considered to have come of age, and started their life. The Previous Adventures section is split into several Life Paths: High Adventure, The Mage, The Priest, The Rogue, The Sailor, The Scholar, and The Warrior. You can pick up to five paths to roll on, and can pick the same multiple times. Each path takes a variable number of years to accomplish, affecting your character’s starting age.

Each path also has a sub table of events, noting a specific occurance that happened during your time: Scholarly Pursuit, Battle, Enemy, Relationship, Great Fortune, Tragedy, or a Special Event unique to that path.

So, let’s go through a full 5, using a random number generator for any decisions as well. So, first let's pick 5 paths in order:
4: The Rogue, 3 Years
7: The Warrior, 1 Year
1: High Adventure, 6 Years
5: The Sailor, 4 Years
2: The Scholar, 3 Years

A nice spread of results, By the by, the Time for High Adventure is always doubled.

The Rogue, 34 Years

This represents time spent as a rogue, rapscallion, criminal, and general ne’er do well. For picking this path, your character gets +1 Stealth.

We get 17 for the General Event, indicating a Rogue Special Event!

12: Crime does pay. You have spent 4 years in prison and learned from the best criminal
masterminds the known world has seen. Gain +1 in any skill you see fit. Instead of
rolling for age, add four years.

So, that’ll retroactively make the time spent 4 years, but a free +1 to anything we want is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, now we got Prison Pals! Like any GM can resist throwing in some guys from the slammer to complicate an adventure, toss out a plothook via favor owed, or to be invoked by the Hero as a resource or NPC connection.

The Warrior, 1 Year
Time spent as a fightman, warrior, mercenary, protector of the weak, caravan guard, etc. For picking this path, you get +1 Weapon Skill of your choice.

Appropriately we roll a 9, giving us the Battle result:

11: Battled alongside the great Nubian warrior Shabataka. He taught you the art of
misdirection and evasion. Gain +1 Evade.

So, another bonus to a very useful combat skill, and another connection to an NPC, this time named even.

High Adventure, 6 Years

High Adventure represents going out and doing typical PC stuff, exploring, having big adventures, etc. This path gives you a +1 to any skill of your choice.

We get a 2, for Scholarly Pursuits:

5: Found a golden, mechanical bird that whistles bits of wisdom. He’s become your constant
companion and grants you +4 to any ancient history lore roll when he is around.

Holy shit we got a Bubo!



Aww yeah, robot bird buddy with possible mysterious connections to ancient civilizations, effective skill in a useful adventuring Lore category, and the dang thing is basically an adventure dispenser for any half-competent GM.

The Sailor, 4 Years
Much more of the world is covered in ocean than in the modern days, and sailing is the number one way to get around. It’s sailing, spending time on the sea. You get a +1 Pilot (Sailing) for picking this one.

We get a 14, for Great Fortune!

10: Befriended by a Veddan prince and given one of his fastest horses. (+4 to its SPD)

Vedda is essentially an India-equivalent: Tropical caste-based society, from Jambu, the Asia-equivalent, and a major trading port. So, we’re buddies with a Prince, another nice NPC to throw into games, and we get a special super-horse. +4 SPD is insane bonus-wise for an attribute. By default a Riding Horse is SPD +4, so that’s a +8, equivalent in speed to… Well, it’s faster than an Eagle can fly… Hell, your horse has a running speed equivalent to most ships, and definitely faster than pretty much every other animal natural or supernatural being in the world through sheer movement speed. Somethings have high speed, but that’s representing lightening fast strikes like cobras.

The Scholar, 3 years

This represents working as a philosopher, physician, academic, etc. a seeker of knowledge. This gives you a +1 Lore or Handicraft skill of your choice. We get a 6 for Enemy. THis is actually three table rolls:

We get 19, a Naga, one of the nobility of the Ophidians, a race of evil hearted and sorcerous serpent-men.

Then we get a 7, they are our enemy because we are fated to kill them.

And then a 10, indicating that they want us dead.

So, as a acting as a scholar of some sort, we’ve made an enemy of a magical snake-man who wants us dead to thwart some prophecy foretelling their death.

So let’s tally up everything:

+1 Stealth, +1 Skill of Choice, +1 Weapon Skill of Choice, +1 Evade, +1 Skill of Choice, a Magic Golden Bird, +1 Pilot (Sailing), a horse with +4 SPD, and +1 Lore or Handicraft of choice.

Let’s try and resolve some of those: From Prison I’ll say we learned a bit more Stealth skills, to bump that up to a +2. For the High Adventure skill choice, I’ll decide… we tried our hand as a tomb-robber and ruin explorer, giving is a +1 to Lore (Ancient History) which matches well with our bird-bud. The Weapon skills I’ll finalize when we get to picking equipment, and the Lore or Handicraft I think I’ll but into Lore (Ancient History) to give us a bit more of an adventure-archeologist feel.

So let’s see the changes:

So that’s it for the LIfe Path system, next up is the final section, which covers point buy, derived stats, and other such things!

Other Stuff: Age, Point Buy, and Derived Statistics

posted by Wapole Languray Original SA post

Other Stuff: Age, Point Buy, and Derived Statistics

It’s time to finish up the last few parts of character creation, so as a reminder this is what we have:


Age
First step is our character’s Age, which is based on your race and life paths. The Age fits into four categories, Adolescent, Adult, Elder, and Venerable, with Attribute and Renown adjustments. All characters start calculating at the maximum Adolescent age minus 3 years.

For an Andaman like our Nemean that would be 15, so starting age calculation at 12 years old. We have a total of 18 years in our Life Paths for starting-play age of 30. That lands firmly in the Adult age category, which comes with no stat adjustments.

Adolescents get bonuses to STR and DEX, but lower INT and WIL, Elder gets lower STR, CON, and PER, but higher INT, WIL, and CHA, plus they start with 1d20 extra Renown. Venerable the same as Elder but with bigger bonuses and penalties, and +2d20 Renown.

Point Buy

Next players get to do some point buy to round out their characters, get any skills they didn’t in creation, mess with their attributes a bit, or just buff your niche. Every character gets 30 Customization Points, and each type of thing you can buy has it’s own little rules so let's go over them real quick.

Attributes
Probably the most complicated thing to spend points on. At its simplest, you spend 5 points to get a +1 to an attribute. Or, you can lower an attribute to get 2 customization points per attribute point you lower it down to a minimum of -5. If you raise at Attribute over your racial Attribute Maximum then it costs 10 points. The attribute maximums are based on race, but the average is +5. It’s a table, don’t really need to go over it.

Skills
Raise a Skill by 1 for 1 point, easy peasy. You can’t raise a skill over +10 at character creation through point buy. If life paths and such got you over +10 great! But you can’t raise that skill any higher before play starts.

Talents
Yep, you can buy new Talents as well. There’s not many here, but other supplements of course increase the number. Talents cost 5 points per if they are the in the same Profession category, or 10 points if part of a Profession in a different category.

That’s it! So let’s do that real quick.

5 Points to buff our DEX to +1, to round out our physical Attributes a bit and help with our defense in combat.
5 Points for our WIL, as if nothing else it helps us not get mind controlled by evil wizards.
5 Points to pick up the Advanced Missile Training talent, giving our ranged combat abilities some more teeth to match our melee skills.
3 Points in Stealth to bring us up to a +5 bonus.
3 Points in Influence to improve our social skills.
4 Points in Animal Handling so we can get our Beastmaster on, synergizing well with our racial abilities.
1 Point to get our Athletics up to +5.
4 Points in Ride, which also affects mounted combat.

And, just because we can, we’ll also calculate our final HP, which is CON + our Racial base HP which is 20 for Nemeans. As part of finishing up our Skills, it’s also time to pick and define any that need specializations or similar still. In our case that would be Instinct, our Profession, and all the Weapon skills.

Instinct is a special skill, as it’s basically two in one. Instinct (Intuition) is modified by your PER and acts as a sort of sixth sense ability. Detecting ambushes, spotting traps, sensing danger, etc. It also lets you read people in social situations, detect if someone’s lying, bluffing, or detect hidden meaning in conversation and assess trustworthiness. Instinct (Initiative) is modified by SPD and just helps with Initiative rolls for when combat starts.

In our case we got three bonuses to our Instinct skill, a +1 from our Culture, +4 from Profession, and a +3 from our Savage upbringing. We can match those however we want, so I’ll make it a +4 in both categories to make it nice and even. Profession is specific but also flavorful, and the ones pre-provided are basically just suggestions. I’ll go with Profession (Mercenary).

Finally Weapons are category based: Melee, Ranged, Heavy (siege weapons), Guns, Thrown, and Vehicle. I’ll combine our Weapon (player’s choice) +10, and Weapon (melee) +4 for a Weapon (Melee) +14. Then the Weapon (players choice) +4 and Weapon (players choice) +1 to get a +5 Ranged.

So that all together gets us:


So, that’s it for the Point Buy section. Our Attributes, Skills, and Talents are done for now, and we’re ready to finish up! Sorta. Next time it’s Renown and Hero Points!