Blood Dawn The Prophecy

This is one of those books that I really have no idea how it got into my collection. I  know it was not a Half Price Books purchase because it has no sticker. It is possible  that I just don't remember buying it individually but more than likely it was bundled  with some other book that I wanted or bought as part of a huge lot. The sad part is that  is all I can say about the book personally. This got bought (not sure how), scanned and  boxed. Someone compared it to Fallout online but since it predates the games maybe the  comparison should go the other way. For the record I have never played any of the  Fallout games either.

Published: 1996
Pages: 240

Description (drivethrurpg):

In an instant, billions died. Now, sixty years after the nuclear holocaust the last  vestiges of mankind crawl around in the radioactive hell that is the United States and  Europe. In this desolate, post-apocalyptic world of magic, mutations, and machines, you  as prophet must rebuild civilization. Out in the Waste, a bullet is worth two weeks of  food, and reading and writing are illegal! Yet the fate of mankind lies in the hands of  you and a few others. You cannot fail in your mission to take the Earth back from those  who destroyed it.

Blood Dawn revolves around a group of Prophets (the players) who are sent out into the  blasted ruins of Earth by the Underground Collective, a secret society devoted to taking  the Earth back from those who destroyed it. The Prophets are a rag-tag bunch of misfits,  humans, mutants, or worse, who have been selected by the Underground Collective and then  "enhanced" to increase their power and survivability. The players must travel The Waste,  winning its denizens over to their side, in the fight against those who live in the  protected Dome cities, those responsible for the Earth's destruction.

Blood Dawn is a skill based system, utilizing a d20 as its base. Players can choose from  six races to play, and equip them with a wide variety of skills and equipment to make  each truly unique.

A|State, Siphoning Mist

This may be one of the creepiest covers I have ever seen for a game. I almost didn't buy it when I saw it as it was that disturbing to me for some reason. I am glad I finally decided to get it. The game is yet another I have not had a chance to play but I really want to. Rather than me try and describe it I am going to copy the Introduction from the publishers site. If that does not make you want to play it or pick it up there is nothing I could write that would make that happen.


Published: 2004
Pages: 256

From the back cover:

Welcome to The City…

A sepiatone world lit by guttering gas lamps and the flickering filaments of electric bulbs. A closed world, isolated and alone.

A world of contrasts and contradictions. The citizens live their lives in a tangle of technological obscurity.

A world of pain, fear, longing and hatred. Where the basest human emotions rise to the surface, where men will cripple each other for a dull shilling.

A world of superstition, folk tales, wild religion and rampant rumour. The Shift and The Bombardment are apocalyptic legends from the far past, feeding the nightmares and fantasies of current generations.

A world of strangers and beings who do not belong. The Shifted, strange entities, whispered about in pubs and taverns. Mentioned in guarded conversations, lest the very mention of their name summon them from the dark.

You will never forget the The City.
But The City will forget you.

From the publishers Site:

I n t r o d u c t i o n    t o    t h e    w o r l d    o f    a /  s t a t e  

Welcome to The City. A sepiatone world lit by guttering gas lamps and the flickering filaments of electric bulbs. A closed world, isolated and alone. Stinking canals radiate out through The City, thick with effluent and the detritus of millions of lives. Dank alleys wend between corroding concrete towerblocks, wide boulevards swarm with peddlers, traders, sellers, buyers, thieves and victims. The City is full of dark places where the lights of knowledge, morality and justice fail to glow.

Welcome to The City. A world of contrasts and contradictions. The citizens live their lives in a tangle of technological obscurity. In crumbling brick tenements, they crowd round dim televisions, sedated by the media output. In the factories, workshops, mills and yards, they toil and strain with rusting, decaying machinery. Above them all, the macrocorps stand like gods, islands of glittering advancement in a sea of black oil, flaking iron and reeking gas.

Welcome to The City. A world of pain, fear, longing and hatred. Where the basest human emotions rise to the surface, where men will cripple each other for a dull shilling. Yet light, life, love and hope manage to raise their voices, occasionally heard above the clamour of darkness. Through all the evil and wreckage, some still manage to retain a sense of decency and honour.

Welcome to The City. A world of superstition, folk tales, wild religion and rampant rumour. The Shift and The Bombardment are apocalyptic legends from the far past, feeding the nightmares and fantasies of current generations. Some pray to God for salvation, others pray to a cold, empty universe. In hidden places, black rites are carried out, for reasons as varied and obscure as The City itself. Folk heroes and villains stalk the streets: Ticktock Man, The Leaper, Iron Lady. They all contribute to the second city, the city carried on the tongues and in the minds of its citizens.

Welcome to The City. A world of strangers and beings who do not belong. The Shifted, strange entities, whispered about in pubs and taverns. Mentioned in guarded conversations, lest the very mention of their name summon them from the dark. The Ubel, twitching and creaking through the backstreets in their bloodstained rags, chittering incomprehensibly. Lugner, whispering maddening dreams in the night. Drache, as insubstantial as mist, clouds of unreason. Hager, assassins and kidnappers, looming figures cast in black cloth and pale flesh. The Simils, pitied and reviled in equal measure, clanking golems of iron, brass and stone.

Welcome to The City.
You will never forget The City.
But The City will forget you.

Nearly one thousand years ago, as far as anyone can tell, an event took place. Why and how this event happened remains unknown. But it happened, and since then, things have been different in The City. Philosophers, scientists and poets agree that the The City once had a name. In the present it is simply called The City, for there is nowhere else other than the blasted Outlands.

The event came to be known as The Shift, a change in reality so great that the very fabric of The City was changed forever. Places and people were altered, new beings sprang, fully formed into existence. One fact that is known is that almost immediately after The Shift, The City was subjected to a rain of fire known as The Bombardment. Infernos fell from the sky and laid waste to whole tracts of land. More important than the destruction of the physical was the destruction of knowledge that The Bombardment caused. Datacores were wiped, libraries reduced to ashes and the memories of the survivors scarred. No remnant of life before The Shift and The Bombardment remains, only a few structures of vast size and strength remain to remind the inhabitants of the past. For centuries people have lived in limbo, the only history that of the past hundred decades.

Rumours circulate that The Outlands were once fertile and green, now they are a blasted land of desert and rock. The City is a place of dark alleys, ponderous architecture and stinking canals. In the century following these two cataclysmic events, the survivors sought to band together and make some sort of life for themselves. Not only did they have to deal with a lack of technology, they had to deal with the creatures which became know as the Simils, the Ubel, the Drache and the Lugners. The struggles of the first century gave rise to organisations which still exist today. The eight macrocorps all grew from the ashes, each with their own unique story of war, decimation and survival.

Over the coming centuries, The City and its inhabitants would reach a twisted equilibrium with their situation. Society grew and expanded, the population stuttered, fell and then grew. Sciences and technologies were rediscovered, yet even today, many live in poverty and primitive conditions. The rediscovered technologies were harnessed by those who had the power and influence to utilise them. The macrocorps became bastions of knowledge, hoarding their precious discoveries to themselves, only to find them ripped away by unceasing war and the more subtle influences of espionage and treachery.

Now, centuries later, The City is a study in contrasts. The majority of the population live in tenements and towers built of brick, stone and concrete. Their dwellings are lit by gas piped in from huge rubbish heaps, their clothes made from crude fibres and their property that of a society barely reaching the industrial age. In the domains of the macrocorps, things are very different. The corporate citizens have access to the finest food, to unlimited power and light, to shining vehicles and well made clothes. Their soldier who guard them ward off rioters armed with black powder sparklock weapons, the soldiers themselves carrying sleek gauss rifles and compact lasers.

In the slums of Mire End, Dreamingspires and Fogwarren, life is a daily toil, making enough to get by as best you can. The middle classes fear the slums, envisioning them encroaching upon their own moderately comfortable lives. In the corporate bastions of Luminosity Tower, Konkret and The Forbidden City, the corporates look down upon the teeming million, their workforce and their potential doom.

Through the backstreets and alleys, Ubel stalk, ripping and tearing those who come too close, leaving only a cooling corpse as an echo of their passing. Simils made of iron and brass, surmounted with a human head, clank their way through the streets on lay down their existences in the hell of the Contested Grounds. Lugner spread rumour, fear and suspicion through their whispers and fleeting dreams.

Some seek to stand up to the despair and hopelessness. Lostfinders search and investigate for little or no reward while Stringers piece together fragments of information to feed into the hungry newswires and memory cores of the Dataflow. The Provosts of the Three Canals try to enforce some form of law and order in a chaotic society, holding on to the belief that there is the one place in The City where life is that little bit better. Others believe that the forces which prevent anyone leaving this place are corroding, that soon they will be able to leave this place for a better life among the stars.

The clouds will one-day part. And then, the people of The City will once again have that rarest and most precious of commodities: hope. 



Spell:

Siphoning Mist

Level: Third
Range: None
Duration: 2 Rounds/Level
Area of Effect: 6" Radius Sphere
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 4 Segments
Saving Throw: None

When this spell is cast the magic user brings into being a sphere of thin mist. The mist is thin enough that it can easily be seen through though obscuring vision is not the intended effect.

The mist will fill the allotted space in a matter of seconds once the spell is cast. The following round all creatures not connected with the caster ot their party will suffer 1d6 of damage. The DM will need to assign each creature affected to one of the casters party before rolling for damage. It will be possible that there may be multiple or no creatures assigned to a party member.

After assigning the creatures the DM will then need to assign one half of the damage that was syphoned from the victims to the party members. These points will heal any damage that has been taken but can not increase the hit points beyond the characters maximum. Any points not sued in a given round are lost as far as healing effect is concerned.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Abyss, Pass Weapon

Abyss is a role playing game based in the world of Dante's Inferno. It actually takes place in Hell and the player will be role playing demons. The demons are trying to vie for favor with their specific demonic patron and also move from the ranks of low level minions to the level of rulers themselves. One can only wonder how well this would have been received in the early 80's?

The game was released by Global Games in 1997. It was written and  designed by Marco Precota and Wes Johnson. Global games also  produced the game Inferno which is a tactical war game. The  combat system in Abyss is based on what is used in Inferno. I am  uncertain about how well the idea worked. The overall mechanics  of the game are D6 based were the players get to roll a certain  number of dice and a six signified success and more indicate  greater levels of success.

The character build is accomplished using Soul Points. Again I  have to think how that would have played out back in the era were  TSR had to rename Demons and Devils to use them. There are  archetypes provided but the player can decide to use their own  ideas and the game allows them to be unique in everything from  stats, to spells, to powers and to equipment. Since I think  character generation can be interesting and allow creativity,  and in some games th most fun to be had with it, this appeals to  me.

The cover art is easily recognizable as Brom and that is  something that will make the game stand out to many. The interior  art uses art from Gustav Dore who was already famous for his  illustrations of Hell. The problem is that not all is by Dore and  so the rest is a hit or miss collection. The layout of the text  could be done better. Designers need to really run that portion  of their books by more people. Creative is good but sometimes  simple is better.

I purchased the game to read though and will most likely never  play it. I am not sure I am fully comfortable with the setting  and the material. My fear is that to play demons and devils  correctly will end up not being fun for many and perhaps jarring  to those who play with anyone who can role play it right. For the  right group of players this could be a great game and loads of  fun. I wanted the book for mining purposes.  

Below is the material from the back of the book....

Abyss is a roleplaying game set in the fantastic world of Dante's  Inferno.

It is a world of treachery and evil, where violence is a  continual threat and doing a good deed could get you killed.  Powerful Archfiends dominate a world filled with the lost and the  damned, but are themselves dominated by the Lords of the Inferno.  It is a world where absolute evil is mirrored by absolute good.  Even the Lords of the Abyss must heed the servants of the Divine,  or face the Wrath of God and his sword, the Host.


Spell:

Pass Weapon

Level: Second
Range: None
Duration: Special
Ares of Effect: One Weapon
Components: V,S
Casting Time: One Round
Saving Throw: None

This spell enchants the magic user's weapon with the ability to  ignore armor while in combat. The spell does not affect the armor  or cause any effect for the weapon is used by others. The spell  only has any affect while the weapon is in use by the caster.

The spell will only ignore actual physical armor. If the target  is wearing items that magically improve their armor class then  these will be applied as if there were no other armor involved.  If there is an item that gives an armor class as if armor was  being worn those items will still work against the weapon.

The spell will remain in effect until the weapon has done a  specific amount of damage. The amount of damage is calculated  using the casters level and intelligence when the spell is cast.  There will be some bookkeeping involved with this spell. The  weapon will bypass armor until it has done damage equal to five  times the casters level plus three times their intelligence.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the  write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the  80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other  than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be  slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of  spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on  me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please  let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Hidden Invasion, Reclaim

Hidden Invasion is another in the long line of games I own but  have never played and have barely looked at. I was shocked to see  that I apparently have two copies of this game as I was scanning  through inventory to find something to write about. It is a game  of secret alien invasions and occupations of planet earth.

It was released by Nightshift Games in 1995 and is listed as  being one hundred and sixty pages long. Based on information from  rpggeek.com it is listed with Cinematic Adventures, FUDGE and  Theatrix under RPG Item Version. It includes conversion  information to let it work with those systems in addition to  being its own self contained system.

There is little doubt in my mind that the game had some  inspiration for it taken from the X-Files. The information on the  back of the book reads like it was taken from the episode lists  of the X-Files. The only problem with that is I liked the weird  episodes more often than than I liked the conspiracy ones. And  yet somehow I have two copies of it. Below is information from  the back of the book and some blurbs on Noble Knight.

* Mysterious lights appearing in the sky
* Strange sightings from remote parts of the world
* Men in Black harassing innocent people about what they have  seen
* People abducted from their homes in the dead of night, by  beings beyond description
* And there is nothing you can do about it
* Or is there?

Based on actual reports, Hidden Invasion is your best weapon  against the alien beings that threaten our world." Are they here  to help? Are they using us as Guinea Pigs for twisted genetic  experiments? Are all the Aliens working together?

Included is information on the alien races active on this planet,  as well as their technology, underground bases, secret networks  under the earth, and more. Also included is information on the  human co-conspirators, working with the aliens to turn the people  into cattle. You will not believe who the aliens control!

Hidden Invasion uses the innovative Cinematic Adventure System  created for ease of play and versatility. Also included are  complete conversion rules for using Hidden Invasion with Theatrix  by Backstage Press and FUDGE by Grey Ghost Games, as well as many  other popular role-playing systems.
 
Noble Knight:

They're here...and you've already lost. Greys have taken control  of our government. Reptilians use our population as test  subjects. And ancient conspiracies among humanity are helping  them. You, and a few like you, know what is happening. Only you  can do anything to stop it...

The first revelation of the conspiracy! Hidden Invasion uses the  innovative Cinematic Adventure system to simulate exciting action  and suspense without bogging down in useless rules. Includes  stats for all major alien races and 2 sample adventures plus  more! The most extensively researched alien-conspiracy game ever  published.


Spell:

Reclaim

Level: Second
Range: 3"
Duration: Permanent
Ares of Effect: One Cubic Foot/Level
Components: V,S
Casting Time: One Round/Component
Saving Throw: None

When this spell is cast the magic user is able to withdraw the  base components of an item and reclaim them as pure components.  This would allow them for example to extract copper and most  likely tin from a chunk of bronze. A block of mud could be  extracted out into water and earth.

The spell will require that the caster have some sort of  container for the reclaimed components otherwise they will simply  appear on the ground next to the caster. The magic user will need  to spend one round be base element that they wish to extract and  can stop the process at any point in time.

This spell may open itself up to some creative uses and the DM  may want to be selective on how the spell could be made to work.  It is intended to work on items that an amalgamation of multiple  elements. Using it to extract poison from a victim will not work  but removing one of the base metals in an alloy will work.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the  write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the  80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other  than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be  slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of  spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on  me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please  let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Evenings of Terror - Chill, Dancing Blades

Evenings of Terror is a collection of unrelated adventures for the Chill game system that the GM can use individually as filler for an existing campaign or when they need something on the spur of the moment and don't have anything ready. The adventures vary greatly as is often the case. This is very much the Chill version of the "Lairs" type of modules released by TSR. The list of adventures is below.

1. The Epidemic
2. Lanier House
3. A Little Room
4. Animal House
5. The House on the Hill
6. Still Life
7. Rounded by a Sleep
8. Crime Magazine
9. Haunt Thy Native Place

The module was released in 1985 and features a picture of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, on its cover. Having her as the face of the module is indicative of one a larger situation. One of the issues with older "modern' setting type games is that in twenty six years they are no longer modern. Some of the issues in these adventures are what is seen in older horror movies when viewed today. Now everyone, almost, has a cellphone or GPS etc. This means many of the plot devices no longer work. The GM will need to address these concerns unless they have their game set in the 1980's.

As I mentioned the quality of the various scenarios vary and some have complained that some are very cliched. I for one take all of that as homage to the theme of the module. The adventures are very similar to the types of movies she would have shown on the show she hosted. The adventures actually have her introducing and then closing the adventures for the GM. I think we often forget she was the original "Cryptkeeper" on TV.

One of the shows I watch fairly religiously is Supernatural. There was an episode in season four I think were the brothers got sucked into basically what was TV Land. I very much think something like that idea could be applied to all of these adventures making it into a campaign where some larger evil has pulled them into a "B-Movie Horror" universe for some nefarious reason.

In the long run the adventures are generic in theme enough that they could be ripped off for other games. There are some that have S.A.V.E. element but I think that those could easily be worked out or modified. I have been a Chill fan for years. It is not my favorite horror game but it is near the top. I would suggest getting this and most any of the Chill material, Pacesetter or Mayfair, that you can get your hands on.



Spell:

Dancing Blades

Level: Fifth
Range: None
Duration: One Round/Level
Ares of Effect: 6" Radius
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 4 Segments
Saving Throw: None

When this spell is cast the magic user causes the area of effect to fill with dancing blades. These will attack all who are opposed to the caster while they are in the area of effect. The caster can at will declare a target no longer valid and they will no longer be subject to attack.

The victims in the area will suffer a number of attacks per round as if the swords were being held by fighters of a level equal to that of the caster. In addition the swords will gain pluses just as a Sword of Dancing. The first round there will be no plus, then they will gain one plus per round up to plus four. After that they will reset and the process will begin again. The swords will be treated as long swords though the caster can specify a different appearance through the material component.

The material component of this spell is a miniature silver weapon. The design of the weapon will determine what the appearance of the weapons are. The caster can make it anything they want but the damage will be the same.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Angel RPG - Eden Studios, Ability Theft

Angel is based on the Buffy spin off. It deals with a vampire who has a soul  and the support cast. Most of the support cast came from either full time roles on Buffy or part time roles that caught on and go expanded upon.

The game system used in Angel is the same as that which is used in the Buffy  RPG. Both are published by Eden Studios who publish a number of other notable games in the horror line including All Flesh Must Be Eaten,  Witchcraft, and Conspiracy X. The book is written by C.J. Carella who has a  fair following amongst gamers.

The book is well designed and features many instances of full color art. This  makes it a game that will attract the Angel (and Buffy) fans even if they are  not drawn to other games in general. I for one am a huge fan of any book that  features full color, or any pictures for that matter, of Charisma Carpenter. 

The book clocks in at 256 pages and in addition to the rules for the game it  contains a starting adventure to help get the Director started. The book also  features a glossary that will help the Director with the lingo and  terminology that is in many cases unique to the TV series.

This is a book I am not sure i would of bought if I had not been a fan of  Angel and Buffy. If I had not been a fan it would have been a loss on two  fronts. First the TV show side and then the games. They are both well done  and can be used for material outside the licensed properties.

Spell:

Ability Theft

Level: Fourth
Range: Touch
Duration: Special
Ares Effect: Creature Touched
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 4 Segments
Saving Throw: None

When this spell is used the magic user steals the desired ability from the  victim/recipient of the spell. The person they are sealing the ability from  must be physically touched by the caster. If the victim is aware of what is  going on and is unwilling then the caster must make a successful To Hit roll.

The ability that is stolen may be one that innate because of the victims  race, class or any other reason. The caster could choose to steal the ability  to cast spells (from which they gain no benefit), pick locks or the monks  Quivering Palm. They could steal a dwarf's ability to detect depth and grade  or an elfs resistance to to sleep. The could even steal a demon's magic  resistance, infravision or a gnomes ability to speak with burrowing mammals.

The duration of the theft will be based on how the ability that is stolen is  going to be utilized by the caster once it is stolen. If the ability is  utilized after it is stolen then the theft will last four rounds plus an  additional 2D4 rounds. If the ability is simply stolen and not utilized then  the ability is stolen for a flat two turns.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups  last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology  may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I  did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any  duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If  anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in  advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Book of Unremitting Horror, Cassandra's Veil of Friendship

The Book of Unremitting Horror comes in two versions at this time. The one I am talking about is the the D20/3.x version. The other is for GUMSHOE system which in used by Fear Itself and Esoterrorists both published by Pelgrane Press who published this book. This version predates either of those and was released in 2005.

The books comes in at 160 pages pages and contains twenty three types of horrors though because some have multiple entries the total count will be thirty distinct horrors. Want to try and stay away from calling them monsters because they are so much more than that. They have stats and can be killed but they go beyond your vampires, werewolves and demons. These are the creatures in horror movies that make your skin crawl.

Each horror is given its own write up and this is done in more of an investigative manner than a simple entry was what you would get in a monster manual. They usually start with reports of one type or another from witnesses. These will include diary entries, transcripts, newspaper articles etc. The horrors will also have a section dedicated to the thorough descriptions of their behavior  and details of the clues they leave behind that will help investigators including descriptions of that the autopsies might reveal. The write ups also describe the origins of the horrors and their motivations. These write up all feature what could be multiple plot hooks to be used by the GM.

I feel the need to insert a warning at this point. The artwork in the book in many cases is jarring and not something that you may be well received being seen reading in public. The write ups of the horrors and what they do as well as the fiction used to elaborate on this is dark and may offend some. Please be warned this is not for the squeamish or those offended by truly dark horror.  

After the write ups of the horrors the book contains descriptions of  "artifacts" that will be connected with some of the horrors. There are a total of fifteen of these and they are not artifacts as they are normally described in other D20 or 3.x books. These do not radiate magic but many have effects connected with them and these are often undesired. I always think of someone deciding the read the Necronomicon straight through as it was described in the AD&D Deities and Demigods and immediately going insane.

Next the books has several pages dedicated to running a horror campaign and how to best incorporate the denizens of the book. The discussion covers character types, the use of weaponry and also how magic might be handled. It builds of information in the introduction pointing out that the horrors are not intended to be encounters but the big bad at the end of the story. Finally there is an adventure that will get the GM started using the material in book.

I loved this book and can not recommend it highly enough to the right persons. If you can stomach not only the gruesome and the occult this is something for you to check out. If not then maybe you would be best to avoid it. The horrors described in the book may leave a mark and that is not always a good thing for some people. I wanted to pint out that there is an excellent write up of the GUMSHOE version of the book located over at Stargazer's World.

Spell:

Cassandra's Veil of Friendship

Level: Third
Range: None
Duration: Special
Ares Effect: Caster
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 Round
Saving Throw: Negates

The casting of this spell enables the magic user to appear to any one group of individuals that they may encounter as someone friendly to them. This will have the effect of making them favorably disposed to the caster.

The saving throw for this spell will be modified by the casters knowledge of the group that they encounter. The save is made as a group using the individual with the best save option. For a group that the caster has no knowledge of the save will be made at +4. Should the caster have slight knowledge about them (i.e. they are evil brigands) the save will be made at +2. For a group that the caster has average knowledge of (i.e. they are the guards for the evil wizard at Blacktop Castle) the save will be made with no pluses or minuses. If the caster should have better than average knowledge about the group including others they might know then the save will be at -2. Should the caster have extensive knowledge such as having met a friend of the group, or having interrogated one, the save will be at -4.

This spell will make the magic user appear exactly like a friend or someone friendly to the group. The spell will even make the caster sound as the individual should to be the person they are perceived to be. The spell does not impart any specialized knowledge enabling them to better act the part of the perceived individual though..

The spell will remain in effect until the caster leaves the presence of the group for longer than three rounds. Affected individuals who leave and return will still perceive the caster as a friend provided that part of the group remained. Should the caster act in some way foreign to the expected behavior of the person they are perceived to be or say something totally alien to what would normally be said the victims are entitled to another save this time at +2 regardless of the previous modification.

This spell will only affect a finite group of beings (e.g all the people in a given room regardless of size) and may not be used as a blanket spell such as to affect all the guards in a  town or city. The spell will also only affect those that were in the specified area at the time of casting. Should new individuals arrive after the casting they will not be affected and see the caster as they normally would.

The material of component of this spell is a silken veil that has been laced with blood from an illusionist. The veil is worn while the spell is in effect but is not apparent to those affected.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

UnderWorld - Urban Fantasy, Pyrokinetic Force

UnderWorld is not a game based on the movies starring Kate Beckinsale or Rhona Mitra but a role playing game of subterranean urban fantasy. The game was released in 2000 by Synister Creative. There have been other games released in what I think is a new genre of role playing since then such as HEX, Dreaming Cities and Neverwhere. Most if not all of these are a direct result of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I know the TV show Beauty & the Beast and other stores before it had an affect but I think Gaiman brought it to the fore. The game system is good, the material is excellent but the presentation/quality is lacking. The rules themselves are very simple fitting on basically a single page and it uses a coin flip system (similar to D6 dice pool) for actions. The characters are based on Breeds (9) and then Guilds (again 9 or perhaps it was 10) in the Breed.. They then have Traits and Skills. The real gem of this book though is in the material that can be taken from it for other games. It has a good list of inspirational source materials but the real gem is the Random Adventure Seed Generator that can generate tens if not hundreds of thousands of possible adventure combinations. The game might best be served as source material for a LARP but if you are a fan of the Beauty & the Beast TV show or the Sandman comics you want to look at this.

Spell:

Pyrokinetic Force

Level: Fourth
Range: 1"/Level
Duration: Concentration
Ares Effect: 1/2"/Level
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 3 Segments
Saving Throw: Halves

By means of this spell the magic user is able to generate a field that causes the molecular bonds of all objects in the area of effect to become agitated causing the generation of heat. On metallic objects this will have the same effect as a Druid's Heat Metal spell with the same time frame and effects. Non-metallic objects will also be affected by this spell as well though. There will be a two round delay for the effect to occur but then items will be affected as if they were flammable objects that had come into contact with an ignition source.

Living objects in the area of effect will also be affected though in a slightly different way. Living beings will after three rounds begin to take damage. The damage will begin at 1d6 and then will increase by 1d6 per round. The damage max out at 10d6 after thirteen rounds in the area of effect. The effect will then continue at that level for as long as they stay in the area of effect.

Normal non-living objects in the area of effect are not entitled to a saving throw and will suffer the full effect of the spell. Magical items are entitled to a saving throw and will make the save vs. Magic as a magic user of the same level as the items own. There is a bonus of +2 to the save in addition of to any others that it might be entitled to. Items without an owner will save as an eighth level magic user. Items which make their save will be unaffected by the spell. Beings in the area of effect that make their save will only take half damage. The save is only rolled for once and applies for the entire time in the area of effect. If an item or creature leaves the area of effect and is out of it for more than three rounds and then reenter the process starts again with new saves.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Delta Green - Pagan, Mystical Healing

Delta Green from Pagan Publishing is an award winning campaign setting for the Call of Cthulhu. It takes place in the modern (1990s) era but the setting has a rich and detailed back story. The Delta Green organization was founded after the incident at Innsmouth mentioned at the end of  Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth". The group draws upon elements of most if not all the standard fare of governmental organizations (FBI,CIA, DEA, ATF, CDC etc) but is not one that operates in the light or with public knowledge. This idea in and of itself (very much like the SAVE group from Chill works to help support the campaign as it gives new or replacement characters an in. There are many like myself who want to compare this to the X-Files and and say that it must have spawned from that. The comparison is a fair one though even with the depth of Delta Green its mythology is easier to follow than the X-Files. The fact of the matter is that the first mention of Delta Green, from The Unspeakable Oath, predates the X-File for about a year. It will take some serious reading an has a bit of a learning curve but if you want a well thought out and detailed campaign setting for your CoC or any horror/modern game this would work for you.

Spell:

Mystical Healing (R)

Level: First
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Ares Effect: Creature Touched
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 3,5,7 or 9 Segments
Saving Throw: Special

This spell allows the caster to heal damage that they or another may have suffered to be healed. Damage that can not normally be cured through clerical based healing will also not be able to be healed by this spell though. The spell opens a very minor channel to the Positive Material Plane and then using themselves as a conduit to direct the energy into the recipient. The amount of damage that can be healed by use of this spell is dependent on the level of the caster as higher level casters can maintain the a larger channel for a longer period of time. The caster will heal an amount equal to their level plus a random amount. The amounts that can be healed and the casting times at various levels follows:

Level        Casting             Amount
1-5          3 segments        1d4
6-10        5 segments        1d6
11-15      7 segments        1d8
16+         9 segments        1d12

The reverse of this spell will by means of opening a channel to the Negative Material Plane cause an amount of damage equal to what would be healed at the same level and will have the same casting time. The reverse entitles the intended victim to a saving throw. The save if successful will mean that the victim only suffers half damage. If the caster misses the To Hit roll or if the intended victim makes their save then the caster will take the remainder (or whole amount) of the damage due to the negative energy remaining in their bodies.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Chill, Maximization

Chill was originally published by Pacesetter and then picked up by Mayfair. The edition pictured is the Mayfair edition though I have the earlier edition somewhere, just not scanned yet. I actually like the core rulebook for the Mayfair edition better for ease of use. Though the source books for the first edition get the nod when looking at supplemental material. Chill was the fallback horror game in our group after CoC though if we played horror for any extended period of time I think we would have fallen into playing Chill more. This may sound strange and not be a plus to some but it is a less dark horror game in that the baddies are less global and more what you think of as classic horror. Chill is a simple enough system though as I recall there were time when combat drug on a little bit. The system is well supported in both editions and Mayfair even published a board game based on the system but then again what else would Mayfair do :) In the end if you are looking for an alternative to the Elder Gods as prey or opponents why not join up with Societas Argenti Viae Eternitata and help save things on a smaller scale.

Spell:

Maximization (R)

Level: Fourth
Range: Touch or 6"
Duration: 1 Turn/Level
Ares Effect: One Creature
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 Round
Saving Throw: Special

By means of this spell the caster is able to cause the next spell to be cast on the recipient to have the maximum possible effect. If it is a spell with multiple options as far as effects got then the recipient can choose the one they desire. This spell is triggered by any spell cast on the recipient, even spells that or damaging or hostile in nature. This means that the maximum amount of damage is caused though normal saves are still allowed. If the harmful spell has variable effects then the recipient gets to select that as well. For the purpose of this spell magical effects from wands and the like will be considered spells.

The reverse of this spell is Minimization. When this spell is cast on an individual then the next spell cast on them will have the minimum possible effect for that spell. If there are multiple options then the least favorable option will be the one to occur. As with the former casting of the spell it will be triggered by any spell or spell effect regardless of the caster or thir intention.

The saving throw is determined by how the spell is cast on the recipient. If the recipient is touched by the caster either willingly or using a to hit roll in combat or is a willing recipient when the spell is cast with range then there is no saving throw allowed.  If the spell is cast at range and the recipient is not a willing recipient then they are entitled to a saving throw. A successful save means they are not affected.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

Call of Cthulhu - Chaosium

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn. This game more than any other I have played led to some great role playing. I have not played any of the White Wolf storyteller games so I can not gauge it against them but I hear they lend themselves to it as well. If you are playing CoC you have to get into the role playing because you won't have your character long enough to become attached to them. If they survive more than five or six session you aren't doing it right. They are supposed to die or go insane. I think it is time for Professor McManus to go lose some more sanity in Innsmouth.

Dark Conspiracy - GDW

I was only able to play this once. It was being run by someone who I used to play with and it was their first time ever running anything. I hate to admit this but I was a bit of a jerk. I ran roughshod over his game session and I ended up causing the whole thing to fall apart. He had ended up designing the session so that my character was pivotal and I refused to  cooperate. It seems like an interesting game but I never got to give it a full chance because I was a jerk. I guess admitting you are a problem is the first step isn't it?