Six Suns of Mizar

Picture something like this. Art by Dirk Terrell

IN REALITY…

The Mizar system is a collection of 6 stars (or 7) about 83 lightyears from Earth in Ursae Majoris. It is composed of three binary pairs orbiting a common center of gravity.

IN THE GAME…

The violet-glowing super-jovian Mizar, also known as Nemesis in various cultures, and Tyche by the elves, wheels through the heavens with its myriad moons. It is lit by 3 pairs of stars, each suffusing the worlds of Mizar in weird energies. These worlds are teeming with life and choked with the ruins and treasures of a thousand empires from across the last million years of their barbaric history – and beyond.

A MILLION YEARS AGO

Long ago, the Serpentfolk descended from beyond the stars. They established their ophidian empire among the worlds of Mizar. Requiring slaves, the Serpentfolk uplifted a native species of savage ape into what we now know as humans. Humanity was an early success in Serpentfolk bio-thaumaturgy and were a perfect slave species: hardy, adaptable, and semi-intelligent. Humans formed the template for many later slave-races developed for more specialized duties. Serpentfolk mages further refined their success by breeding the prismatic races of man for use in their obscene sorcerous rituals in contacting and binding the Old Gods.

TIMEKEEPING AMONG THE MOONS

Most cultures among the moons measure the 41-day months by two orbits of the Fire Witch around the Red King, each taking 20.5 days. This is further divided into four half-orbit weeks of ~10 days each. These weeks end on either a hiding-day or a feast-day. On a hiding-day, the Witch eclipses the King, and her baleful gaze might curse you. On a feast-day, the aging king blocks the Witch’s power, and is a good omen. Since a Mizar year is 410 days, this divides the year neatly into ten 41-day months.

At least one of these months is a “dark month” where the King and Witch are eclipsed by Mizar, and the only light for weeks at a time is a lurid magenta glow. This time of the year is often the subject of fear and superstition, and for good reason.

The Beasts, true to their name, circle one another like stalking predators every 5 months, marking the sowing and harvest in most cultures.

Even more distant, the Reaper and the Forgotten One are often known as the “grave stars.” They orbit one another every 80 Mizar years (90 Earth years), marking the typical lifespan of the oldest humans. Many believe that anyone who can see the Reaper but not the Forgotten One will die by year's end. This associates poor vision with old age and accidental death.

HOW DID ALL THESE MONSTERS GET HERE?

I stole this wholesale from Joseph Manola, specifically here.

Serpentfolk are believed to be responsible for many of the bizarre anomalies of Mizar. Due to their potent sorcery and science, they were capable of warping animals and worlds to suit their inhuman whims. During this infernal age they bred most of the creatures of the worlds as we know them.

DEMIHUMANS

Halflings were bred from human slaves genetically modified for doing delicate jobs on the inside of giant machines.

High Elves were originally human slaves genetically and magically modified for use as laboratory and research assistants, and later became inheritors of the Serpentfolk empire. The Low or Wood Elves were a later development.

Dwarves were human slaves genetically modified for mining and heavy gravity construction.
Monstrous Races

Orcs were originally human slaves devolved closer to their apish ancestors with an admixture of porcine DNA, bred specifically for warfare. High Elf ethnologists speculate that this is why they are perpetually seen as minions of more powerful beings; they are always looking for a commanding officer, trying to fill an ophidian-shaped hole in their psyche.

Goblins were a defective castoff of the orc creation project. Their massive genetic defects, the result of their malfunctioning genetics, explains their very high rate of mutation and insanity.

Giants were thermodynamic anomalies bred from slaves for use as shock troopers. Multiple subtypes were created for different environments (cold climate operations, high-altitude operations, etc.), thus leading to a proliferation of sub-races.

Dragons were gigantic bio-engineered terror weapons and tax collectors. Genetically programmed to assert dominance over a region through displays of terrifying force, gather up all useful local resources, and then hand over the materiel thus accumulated to the Serpentfolk armies when they finally turn up.

Beholders were mobile weapons platforms designed for use against high-threat magic-using targets.

Vampires were recipients of a prototype immortality treatment which had reached the animal-testing (i.e. human) stage, though still exhibited an unacceptably high number of negative side-effects (blood dependency, light vulnerability, etc.) by the time the Serpentfolk empire fell.

There were many, many more beyond these. Creatures like the chimeras, manticores, harpies, and other 'crossbreed' creatures were the Serpentfolk equivalents of PhD theses: engineered by up-and-coming Serpentfolk biomancers as demonstrations of bio-thaumaturgical skill. Like PhD theses, the best ones were preserved for posterity in menageries which functioned as living libraries. After the empire fell, they escaped and established breeding populations in the wild.

Mizar Session Report 1

Session 1

Dramatis Personae:

·         Aires the Dwarf Berzerker, former forester, with dog Titan

·         Atreyu the Halfling Specialist, former Mercenary

·         Siddharth the Elf Trickster, former Juggler

Campaign Intro: The party begins play lying on the deck of a void ship in astral space, with no memory of the preceding day, and finding the ship mysteriously abandoned.

The ship is a 3-masted caravel with 3 decks and six cannon.

Facts known about the ship:

·         No obvious damage

·         All the food barrels have long-since spoiled

·         Captain’s quarters were blocked from the inside with furniture, including the void helm from the upper deck

·         There was a smear of blood on the floor of the captain’s quarters, as well as a pile of paper ash

A bone-white galley with black sails approaches and proceeds to close in on a direct course.

The party recognizes the void helm for what it is, installs it on the aft deck, and Siddarth bonds with it, attempting to escape the approaching ship.

As Siddarth is maneuvering (poorly, as he is only a level 1 Trickster), the others are readying cannon and filling barrels with powder and shrapnel (in the form of forks, broken glass, and wood).

As the oncoming black and white ship comes up alongside their own, Aires and Atreyu begin throwing cannon balls and barrels by hand, with some small success. They see now that the deck of their pursuer is crawling with skeletons waving bronze swords and bows, and on the aft deck there is a figure in a black cape and feathered hat, with porcelain armor and mask, commanding the void helm.

Siddharth decides to ram the pursuing white ship, and at the same time, Atreyu fires a cannon into them, but nearly kills himself as he loaded far too much powder into it. He did manage to blow a sizable hole into the enemy ship, however.

At the same time, Siddharth realizes that after ramming the ships together, the rigging of the two became fouled, and it would take far too long to untangle in combat. The captain of the enemy vessel seems to realize this as well and begins to exert his ego on the players’ vessel; in a contest of will, Siddharth loses, and the gravity begins to shift. Thinking quickly, Siddharth tries to spin his ship so that, while tangled, his ship is oriented upside-down from the perspective of the skeleton galley, connected by the fouled shrouds.

At this time, Atreyu, with his preternatural stealth skill, begins climbing down along the rigging to attempt to assassinate the enemy captain, but even more dramatically, Siddharth decides, as the gravity becomes weakest on his caravel and “down” becomes the direction of the white galley, to jump rapier-first at the porcelain clad enemy… and rolled a clutch natural 20.

After many cheers and laughs, the enemy, skewered shoulder-to-hip through the heart, and doubly shanked kidney-wise by the halfling, is revealed as a vampire and necromancer. With a snarl and a sizzle the vampire is reduced to black ash, and the skeletons unceremoniously clatter to the deck.

In the aftermath, the party finds a half-dozen naked and emaciated humanoids, clearly feed-stock for the vampire. In the hold and captain’s quarters, they find additional treasure.

Treasure Total: 8000 silver, 13 gemstones, porcelain plate armor, 12 bronze swords.

Spinel 500 sp, Alexandrite 100 sp, Black Opal 1000 sp, Smoky Quartz 50 sp, Chalcedony 50 sp, Spinel 100 sp, Tiger Eye Agate 10 sp, Eye Agate 2 sp, Aquamarine 500 sp, Blue Quartz 10 sp, Opal 1000 sp, Moss Agate 10 sp, Sardonyx 50 sp

Current Ship Stores: 5 cannon, 1 damaged cannon, 81 cannonballs, 10 barrels of spoiled food, 3 ½ barrels of powder, 4 lengths of fuse, 300’ of loose rope

A Hack of My Very Own

I have been using Google+ quite a bit more recently and I ran across David Black's Whitehack & OD&D inspired The Black Hack. Within days I also discovered Luke Gearing's blog and his Dying in a Tomb rules, which are too brutal for me to describe here. Go check them out, they're great.

I had a chance to sit down and brainstorm. I loved both of these, so I decided to work out a way to marry them in a way that fit my play-style and in a way my players would appreciate. I came up with The Rat Hack.



Most of the heavy lifting was done by David Black's rules, with liberal amounts of actual OD&D descriptions, ideas from Luke's blog, and a few key rules gleaned from Arnold K (see the carousing table - that's all him).



Stealing Vorn

Vorn and the Church of Vorn were wholly created by this guy. Most of this content was also stolen from here.

Adding a Minor God to the Tøtenwäld pantheon.

The magisteria of Vorn are iron, rust, rain, still water, truth, and mystery. The Church is perhaps best known for its mysteries, unfolded to the clergy and lay-followers as cryptic tasks. They may not always be effective, but the blessings priests of Vorn receive from their tired god are evidence enough that they are in essence right and true to His order.

The powers Vorn bestows are inherently linked to the hierarchy of the Church. As one rises is stature one learns to subsume one's petty logic to better view His unfolding plan. An altogether purer instrument of faith. When a lay brother dons the chains and takes up his holy mission he enters an organisation of Byzantine avenues and arbitrary superiors. A Deacon may ask that you collect all the beetles to be found on the southern wall of the Windowless Tower and bring mass to the lower city, feeding said beetles to all who receive it. There will be no reason given, no reward and no results. It is to be done and is part of Vorn's plan.

Each time a priest strengthens Vorn's order at the behest of the Church there is a chance that it was indeed the correct interpretation (5%). If the task is of suitable proportions then you can expect a greater chance of correctly finding the trail of His ineffable plan (50% if it's an adventure, more if it's really big). Roll on the following table each time you get it right.

Lose all powers if you ever use arcane magic, including scrolls or other spell making devices. 
Lose all powers if you deliberately strike anyone with anything other than a bladed weapon. Force is final.

1. No Harm But Mine. The priest's touch rusts metal. It can be used as a response to being struck, whereupon the weapon bursts into a shower of rust falling like evening snow. Once per day per Hit Die, Dexterity Save if the thing being rusted is attached to someone.
2. Baptise in Iron. Once per day per Hit Die you may baptise yourself or another, healing 1d8 damage. It need not be full immersion or fully brown, a rusty nail in a glass of water will do.
3. He Was Born in Battlehymn. Priests of Vorn are no strangers to violence, use your Wisdom score when making attack rolls.
4. Rain, Walk With Me. You can never be hurt by any rainy weather related unpleasantness. This includes hail and natural lightning, but not magical versions of the same.
5. Tears of St. Paitr. Target cries brown rusty water. Uncontrollable guilt overpowers one touched person for one turn per level (Wisdom Save), during which they can't do anything but cry. If they are attacked they will defend themselves and snap out of it. Used at will.
6. Blood of the Martyr, Blood of Mine. You are part of the plan, your death will be too. When you die you do not lose any experience. Party members may gain experience through funeral expenses as usual.
7. The Bounds of Love. Tie them up with iron chains and they won't dare lie. They must make a Wisdom Save or answer truthfully to any questions, each correct answer deals 1d4 damage to them as the chains tighten (the truth hurts).
8. At the Roots of the Earth I Lay Sleeping. Once per week the priests can cast someone down and let the earth take them. If the priest can physically throw someone to the floor they must make a Strength save or they will fall into a small encystment where they shall be sustained in perpetuity. If the save is successful they are instead thrown down with great force, fracturing the earth and taking 1d8 damage per Cleric level.

Religions of the New World, Part 1

The Minister of Teresh raised his golden staff and began speaking in a foul, gutteral tongue, his eyes rolling back until nothing but white showed. Horatio knew it as the forbidden tongue of the dead, and made the sign of Maris across his chest, pleading to his god for mercy. Brother Horatio's prayers were not answered that day. - Mother Contessa, Heirophant of the Reformed Temple of Maris

Tøtenwäld Level Titles

I have a bit of a soft spot for old-school level titles. They are good at evoking a certain atmosphere from the game with little in the way of rules-bloat. It's a small thing to change "level 3 Cleric" to "Petitioner of Anu, Lord of Light and Law." Here are some of my house level titles. They are completely optional. 

	Fighter	Magic-User	Cleric	Specialist
1	Warrior	Adept	Sycophant	Helper
2	Soldier	Augur	Acolyte	Adventurer
3	Veteran	Conjurer	Petitioner	Apprentice
4	Sergeant	Beguiler	Diviner	Knave
5	Marauder	Invoker	Minister	Craftsman
6	Captain	Theurgist	Prelate	Factotum
7	Legionnaire	Warlock	Hierophant	Journeyman
8	Champion	Magister	Ecclesiast	Artisan
9	Lord	Mage	Hierarch	Master
10	Warlord	Archmage	Harbinger	Grandmaster

A side note: in changing demi-humans from standalone classes to races, the level titles  for Dwarves and Elves may be taken by themselves, ignored completely, or combined with class titles. I could have simply dropped the race titles, but I felt they were a part of the setting I wanted to keep. 

	Elf	Dwarf
1	Churl	Grave-Robber
2	Drang	Barrow-Thief
3	Chief	Crypt-Bandit
4	Hersir	Iron-Stealer
5	Housecarl	Brass-Pillager
6	Armiger	Bronze-Vandal
7	Gesith	Copper-Burglar
8	Thane	Silver-Raider
9	Knecht	Electrum-Looter
10	Jarl	Gold-Reclaimer

Be Fruitful and Multiply, Fill the Earth

Races of Men

In Tøtenwäld most characters are humans living between the Fellmoors to the west and the Icy Waste to the south, having settled from various far-off lands and eking out a living in squalid little hamlets. Those humans are of various creeds and ethnicities, some of which are outlined below.

All of the Mannish folk living in Tøtenwäld speak the common Trade Tongue as a second language, a pidgin version of the High Imperial tongue mixed with the ancestral languages of the peoples that have migrated to the New World. It is the language spoken by the most of the people of the Tøtenwäld.

Anubians

A desert people steeped in mysticism and folklore, with traditions and mysteries as old as the sand they walk. They have nearly black skin, like polished ebony or obsidian, and their deathly-white eyes lack visible pupils. Anubian religions usually involve a great number of desert-dwelling djinn and devas, warning the faithful to beware these spiritual tempters.

Anubian men and women typically dress in silk robes and loose tunics and breeches, usually gold or crimson or royal purple in color and dripping with jewelry and precious stones.

Anubians receive a +2 bonus on saves to avoid the effects of extreme heat, starvation, and dehydration, and can move unhindered by loose sand.

Anubians speak the Eldritch Tongue as their native language and any Anubian will have a 20% of also being fluent in High Imperial, the language of the Old Empire and the Temple. This is in addition to any other languages they are allowed to know due to high Intelligence.

Male Names: Ur-Abba, Abaris, Ikram, Maradook, Khamisi, Harthamah, Baako, Belqzabat, Astaroth, Giramis, Baal, Abu-Bakr

Female Names: Nasiriya, Nammah, Li-Lit, Alala, Delphyne, Mahnoosh, Baba-Mon, Hakate, Anusheh, Sabah, Bellona, Scylla

Surnames: Nammahani, Muttalib, Olgchak, Mephistos, Belilai, Burkan, Abiodun, Mahmoud, Moloch, Abbadus, Barrabus, Hipparchus

Gaelish

The pale-skinned mongrel children of the Old World, with hair ranging from black to red to blond. The Gaelish are organized into large familial clans, often with only a single extended clan or two in a whole town. The Gaelish have a deep respect for nature and the flow of life and death, with most of their faiths revolving around the minor gods of woods and rivers.

The Gaelish typically wear traditional wool shirts and hose with dark cloaks, and sometimes a knee-length unisex skirt. Jewelry and other adornments are often of a natural motif (leaves, birds, trees).

Gaelish adventurers gain a skill point in Nature at 4th, 7th, and 10th levels.

Gaelish speak Low Imperial as their native language (another mutated version of the High Imperial tongue).

Male Names: Cuthbert, Harold, Baldur, Wine, Ethed, Todd, Teowy, Waldo, Eddard, George, Geoffrey, Edmund

Female Names: Burga, Bricha, Jane, Eleanor, Witha, Tanhe, Brea, Brynda, Elsa, Drusilla, Wynna, Hilda

Surnames: Balwic, Bastow, Caford, Marsh, Dalham, Badün, Hafeld, Mayhurst, Haig, Bruegehel, Dunnmohr, Blackhert

Etruscan

The more “civilized” olive-skinned cousins of the Gaelish, the Etruscans are renowned horse-lords of the Old World. Etruscans typically represent affluence, old money, and conservatism in an age of enlightenment and progress. Etruscan faiths typically revolve around ancestor worship and small household gods, with many adventurers taking a totem of their ancestors or hearth-spirits with them for luck. Above these small deities however, Etrucans revere the triune godhead of Teresh-Menva-Maris, brought with them from the Old Empire.

Etruscans are typically seen in whatever fashions dominate the region, not wanting to appear out of touch with the current modes. When among their own kind they will most often be seen in loose pants and blouses of pastel shades, with vests and hats of crushed velvet and high boots of lamb or calf leather.

The Etruscans cosmopolitan nature gives them a natural 2-in-6 in Lore. Their renown with horses also gives them a 3-in-6 on Nature rolls to calm, break, control, or otherwise handle horses, and a 2-in-6 for a more exotic mount.

Having been the original founders of the Empire, Etruscans speak High Imperial as their native language.

Male Names: Darius, Florian, Cornelius, Remus, Solivius, Magnus; Nicodemus, Horatio, Lazzaro, Arnestus, Adelard, Fabian

Female Names: Margot, Evangeline, Contessa, Salome, Morgan, Tatiana, Petra, Mariella, Cordelia, Violetta, Aspeth, Bethany

Surnames: Quartermaine, du Masque, Fontaine, del Castillo, du Mond, de Cruix, Lacroix, du Caddis, Sanguine, Devereux, Baachen, Voldaris

Nördish

A severe folk hailing from a land of frozen pine forests hiding dark secrets and icy fjords that look out over waters too deep for any healthy mind to fathom. The Nördish are a hardy people, given to distrusting outsiders and keeping long secrets. The Nördish religion centers on worship of the Frost Shepard, known variously as the Ice Father, Culler-of-Herds, and He Who Precedes the Final Day. It is an apocalyptic faith that looks grimly toward the ending of this evil world and the coming of the next.

Nördish travelers commonly wear simple woolen garb with fine leather boots and a fur cloak, weather permitting. They are gifted sailors and craftsmen, and are often selling fish and handcrafts in all the major port cities.

Nördish adventurers receive a +2 bonus on saves to avoid the effects of extreme cold, and starvation, and can move unhindered by snow.

Nördish speak the Old Tongue as their native language, an ancestor of High Imperial and the language spoken by Greatkin, barbarians, and witches. Any Nörd will have a 20% of also being fluent in Tongue of the Dead, the secret language of gravediggers, death cultists, and the restless dead. This is in addition to any other languages they are allowed to know due to high Intelligence.

Male Names: Heinrich, Rolff, Corfus, Claus, Amundsen, Sigmundsen, Manfred, Hans, Einrich, Brockhaus, Moldof, Engelbert

Female Names: Nastia, Gretel, Blodwyn, Agatha, Friga, Olga, Lenore, Winifred, Ingrid, Caerwyn, Moira, Morrigan

Surnames: Haaren, Riksch, Vorschom, Geothe, Gunderhelm, Vermeersch, Mölden, Juergen, Reichalt, Albrecht, Stanislaus, Mohrghast

Faeryfolk, Fair-Skinn'd, & Elves

Known variously as the Fairy-Folk, the Gilded People, or simply Elves, these alien beings are the children of the Faerie, and share every bit of their ancestor’s cruel indifference within the world of Men. Though they appear as men, Elves typically are fairer skinned, thinner, and with white-blonde to silver hair. They appear much like ghosts from a distance.

These creatures of ethereal nature live by and with the sea. Their appearance is ghostly; slender, fair of hair and skin, with piercing grey eyes, yet their disposition can be unthinkingly inhumane, if not brutal. When they are not in their secluded communities, they pillage indiscriminately along the coasts of other lands, their victims by and large the Menfolk who make their living there.

The Elves’ natural affinity for the Fae and Wyrd give them an enhanced sense for magic, giving them a 2-in-6 Arcana skill at first level, with an extra point at 4th, 7th, and 10th levels.

Elves speak the Faery Language as their native tongue, the language of Elves, Dwarves, Littlekin, and Faeries. Any Elf will have a 20% of also being fluent in Language of the Trees, the secret language of trees, druids, and other denizens of the Wildwood and Deadwood. This is in addition to any other languages they are allowed to know due to high Intelligence.

Delving Folk, Dwimmerkin, & Dwarves

Known to the Mannish races as Dwarves (due to their short stature), the Delving Folk are a stunted and ugly people, a shadow of their former glory. Once the most powerful people in the world, consorting with gods and kings of old, their decline has left them a spiritually shattered people.

Once known for their powerful magics and dweomercraft, the few Dwarves left now scrounge a living through banditry and plundering the picked-over hoards they once held in ages past. To a Dwarves, nearly all gold and jewels are theirs – and they are nearly right.

With their exceedingly long lives and ancient knowledge, Dwimmerkin are filled with the lore of the former and current world, and have a greater Lore score than most other characters, and one additional point in Arcana (2-in-6). Dwarves start with 2-in-6 in Lore, gaining an extra point at 4th, 7th, and 10th levels.

Dwarves are able to bear incredible burdens; they take no Armor Class penalty from carrying Dead Weight, and only a -2 AC penalty for being Overweight, though they still cannot do anything more than stagger under weights greater than this. Dwarves receive a +1 bonus to their Constitution modifier (so a Dwarves with a 12 Constitution has a +1 modifier instead of the usual 0 modifier, for example).

Dwarves speak the Faery Language as their native tongue, the language of Elves, Dwarves, Littlekin, and Faeries.