Kyle's Muses

Ok so on Tuesday we're gonna do the Highway men idea. SO we will be rocking out at 3rd level bitches so have yer charcters ready to go. The Money amount will be half that of the starting 3rd level charcter. So we'll see you than

Kyle's Muses

Ok so I got some ideas I stormed up here. So you guys read these over ask questions and hopefully we can decide what people want to do on Tues day Ok?

- Characters are a group of reavers haunting the coasts in search of a ancient artifact that could bring all their desires to them. Or could it?

- This one is my favorite of them all. Characters are a bunch of petty highway men who happen upon something that could change it all for them. This could be a event object or the like

- Charcters are the chosen champions of a alliance of gos (evil or good the party choses) but the alliance is either attempting to change the flow of the world to let their gods walk the earth. If you were good you'd be like fuck that thosae bitches cant be doing that

- charcters are different essences of a scattered god and must find a way to become whole agian


Like I said the second one is my favorite but the first one is col to. I'm not sure about the others. It's up to you guys man leave some comments and we'll see where this goes.

Campaign Resources - Character Dossier

I've updated the character sheets, and now they're in a form fillable PDF!

So, you can fill out your character's information and print it up all nice and neat with matching fonts and everything.

SAME Character Dossier.

EDIT: I screwed up the qualities part. I'll upload a new one with it fixed. Sorry about that...

EDIT: Fixed.

Soapbox - Season's Greetings

So, now that everybody's back for a while, why don't we all get together for some actual gaming this time?

Schedules, front and center!

U gaiz bettr b3 redy lolz

Hey homies, I'm heading home tomorrow :) I'm not sure yet when in terms of time of day, but I'll be back in Germantown sometime in the late afternoon/early evening.

Just a heads up, see ya laterz.

Setting Details - Major Species

Update: I cut some of the sections down, and moved some descriptions to places where I thought I had overlap. I'll leave it to you to guess where and whatever I switched.

Sentient creatures of Agartha
"Why was that man wearing those large beads?" - "He's an orc."
"And the braid?" - "He thinks it makes him look younger."


Agartha is a world not unlike Earth, so you might expect that things work the same way they do here. Day follows night, and night follows day. The tides rise and ebb according the pull of the moon. Big things eat smaller things.
However, unlike Earth, there is more than one intelligent species residing on the stale crust above sea level. To imagine the implications of a global environment dominated by more than one group of intelligent creatures is quite an undertaking, but for the sake of fantasy, we'll abandon the major problems and say that the 4 groups of intelligent beings on Agartha function like cultural divisions rather than evolutionary ones.
For the most part, Humans are the same unbearably resilient people that they are on Earth. Every story that people have to tell about humans on Earth has a parallel on Agartha. You know how nearly each trait you can think up to describe the Human condition has entire libraries of fiction and non-fiction devoted to examining it? Well, it's the same way on Agartha. Humans do not represent one idiotically broad concept, but can develop in as many ways as there are people to be developed. In specific, however, people who live together on the same continent, in the same country, in the same geographic region, and right down to the same town will tend to exhibit similar traits.

Calderans - Caldera was once a hotly contested tropic continent. The Efreeti reduced the jungles to ash and sand. The Ancients warred with them to gain control of the strangely strong Mana of the continent. When they drove the fireborn from their lands, the Ancients worked to replenish the jungles. Through their efforts, much of the lush environment was restored to its previous vibrancy. When the Ancients were themselves reduced to cinders, the ruins of their cities allowed the (admittedly primitive) humans to start strong in a harsh environment. Even with what little information they had on the Ancients, Calderan humans were able to make great strides in a relatively short span. Now, the Calderan Empire is working diligently to uncover the secrets of the Ancients, other previous rulers of the continent.
They are a resourceful bunch, and strive hard to achieve their goals. They are often obsessive to a fault (Imperials), and are known to have a fondness for exorbitant amounts of wealth(Guildies). The Empire was once incredibly aggressive, and at various points had control of several colonies on other continents. Through repeated defeats in these distant lands, however, they've learned to keep more to themselves. They maintain good ties with the Guilds, who are technically more powerful than them. The Guilds, born out of Caldera, are now world-spanning organs that serve several countries. In Northern Caldera, it is customary for men to wear a ceremonial sash or kilt called a Serasen. This sash is usually made out of the hide of the area's primary livestock, specially treated to gain an uncanny vibrancy. However, particularly powerful men have their Serasen crafted from the hide of a powerful animal, and, in rare cases, Wyvern scales.

Fyrissians - Upon the tideswept shore of Fyriss did Man first walk his first steps on the road of life, or so the Fyrissians believe. Where else could Humanity have first flourished other than the island paradise of Fyriss? There is no denying that the islands themselves, thousands in number, are of a beauty unheard of anywhere else. However, the actions of more recent inheritors of the island nations (the past 100 generations) have cast serious doubt on the validity of that statement. The waters of Fyriss have been plagued by piracy for the past 400 years, and to make matters worse, there is talk of tribal madmen and cannibals dwelling on numerous islands. Fyriss is known as the Gilded continent, and not without reason.
The civilized portions of Fyriss house a wide variety of island cultures, all stemming from a thousands-old tradition of migration and cultural division. It is a common practice in Fyriss for children who reach adulthood to embark on a journey across the oceans, being allowed back onto their island when they bring back a symbolic item of their own maturity. The failures of earlier generations settled on other islands. In general, Fyrissians tend to be a bit more jovial and sociable than other humans, if they aren't savages, of course.

Lemurians - Long before the continent of Lemuria split into present-day Lemuria and Mu, the ancient Lemurians were a divided people. The Easterners believed the Westerners needed killing due to their blasphemous ways, while the Westerners thought the Easterners were a bunch of cowardly fools with too much power for their own good. So, they went to war. What ensued was one of the bloodiest feuds ever enacted on the face of Agartha, led by the two Gods Igni and Magni, the brothers of war. Tirelessly they waged fierce and brutal conflict upon each other, until after one thousand years of intense rivalry, the two sides were seperated in the great Cataclysm that shook the very core of Agartha and split the continent in half. What was left of the ancient Eastern Kingdom became the new Lemurian Kingdom, and the Western Kingdom became Mu. The old civilizations are long since dead and gone, and the only records of these events are the accounts of two historians discovered on Mu and Lemuria.
Present-day Lemurians have calmed down since the old, bad days, but they still have the same air of superiority and entitlement that they used to. Their kingdom is great, no doubt, but its people are bit xenophobic and racist.

Muus - After the Cataclysm, it is believed the new continent of Mu was carried across the oceans over thousands of years to its new location half a world away by a gigantic sea turtle. Well, that's not the only belief, but that one is pretty popular. For a long while, the denizens of the hilly continent had no idea they were even related to the Lemurians, until the uncovering of the old legends came about. When the citizens of Mu learned of their roots, some ancient mysteries began to make sense.
Still, modern day Muus have no care for the blood-feud, having long since forgotten where they originally came from. Many of them are quite adaptable to new ideas, and this one is just another in a long series of stories they are told to believe by the Kingdom.

Elves

Had the world of Agartha never been connected to Mana, it might have never seen the face of the Elves. When the denizens of the outer Spheres looked into the jewel that was Agartha, they saw a world ripe for the taking. The firey Efreet saw to it that the jungles of Caldera be reduced to a desert more like their arid homelands. The Giants moved mountains of rock and stone to lift an entire continent's worth of land into the sky. The Jord forged ice and iron into glorious mirror-sheened palaces. On and on this mechanism of change went, bringing more outsiders into the realm of Agartha. Eventually, some of the great mages of that time decided to mold the forces of Mana to make for themselves eternal servants. While their attempts at replicating their own immortality yielded no results, their numerous experiments were eventually termed "Elves."

Elves that were born from different masters exhibit different natural talents, suited best to the tastes of their previous masters.

Calderans - The strive for survival is the spark that drives the elves of the desert, having long ago usurped their masters in this realm. The Efreeti left Agartha due to the war with the Ancients, but their cities still stood. The Elves were quick to assume the same positions as their firey masters, adopting their customs and practices, the most famous and brutal of which is the Trial by Fire, a contest of arms and magic between males reaching adulthood. The desert is a harsh, lethal environment, and the elves seek to cull the weak from their ranks to ensure their continued existence.

Tigiritians - The forests of Tigris were once home to the Dryads, who molded their servants from the earth and the trees, harboring in them a reverence for nature in all its forms. When the Dryads went into their eon-long slumber, the Elves were left to tend to their work. Much like the Dryads themselves, the Elves of Tigris are flighty but deeply empathic and intuitive. They dislike direct confrontation, and when coerced into fisticuffs they prefer to either assail their opponent from a distance with spells and ranged weaponry or, if there isn't much at stake, simply flee the area. At times they seem to have an uncanny awareness of terrain, especially within an abundance of foliage. Some even appear to have a unique bond with certain fauna as well, as their cities are known to use various exotic animals for labor or transport. It is not uncommon to see a Forest Elf who is wearing a mask over the lower half of their face, called a Moriki. This covering is symbolic of the Elves' ties to the Dryads, as the Dryads themselves used to wear such a covering made of giant fronds.

Midgard - The Jord, or Frost Giants, were callous and malicious people, and when they carved their simulacrums from the ice and earth, they instilled into them the same hatred for other beings. The Jord began their long slumber many millennia ago, hiding away deep within Agartha, at the roots of the world, waiting for the time of the Isneverden, or Frozen World. The elves, left to care for the kingdoms of the Jord, immediately sought to conquer the whole of Agartha. While they hold only a portion of the tremendous strength of the Jord, they have gleaned a measurable cunning and foresight and hold an incredible contempt for the other races. They have been preparing, for the longest time, for a great engagement that may very well shake the whole of Agartha. But, for now, they are content to wait in their frozen holds. Thought to be vampiric, or, at the very least, bloodthirsty, the Frozen Elves have gained the amnesty of a great many people. Frozen Elves wear the furs of numerous polar animals, sometimes etching within the hides runic symbols that tell stories of how the beast came down. In the case of a particularly vicious beast, the Frozen Elves will adorne their armors with the horns, fangs and skulls of their previous foes.

Orcs

Brutish, rough and straightforward, Orcs occupy a place in the Agarthan strata of society that te upper rungs go "ew" at. That's not to say that Orcs aren't without their own graces and polite customs, but they are a people who have crafted their civilizations upon a series of intertribal wars that last for generations. So, it stands that they aren't very patient with the facades the other cultures, even other orcs, like to keep.

Fyrissians - Although they have grown a bit weary of the near-constant war, Fyrissian Orcs are still no slouches when it comes to fighting. They have shown themselves more than capable of establishing a rigid and steady dominance over a majority of the southern islands, and very few organizations care to try and uproot them. Throughout their history, they have been known to be capable magicians and deeply spiritual combatants. Their best warriors are signified by the large ceremonial beads draped on their shoulders. Orcs are a warborn people, and Fyrissians in particular are a special breed.

Tigritians - Woolly and untidy, the Orcs of Tigris don't get along with a lot of people. They have little in common with their tropical cousins, instead they seem to have a kinship with the bipedal creatures in Enlil called Yeti. These Orcs have cosigned themselves to be the outcast culture, owning little land of their own, and having no real kingdom to owe a debt of alliance to. Instead, the Orcs are content to war with one another over the tiny crusts of land the other cultures thought to cut off from their sandwiches. There are a variety of Orcish clans, but too many of them die out or are destroyed by another clan before there any have the time to establish real traditions. The only real surviving ritual that any Orcs can agree on is that they hate each other.

Therians

Talk to 10 different Therians about where their people come from, and be prepared to get 11 different answers. Yes, they are that unsure about their own origins. Regardless of how they actually come to live on Agartha, they're here, they're weird, get used to it.

Many short-lived people mistakenly label the Therians "Beastmen," usually within earshot of one. This is, of course, severely insulting to the Therian. Though apt after the Therian's done with the idiot, the term drums up a few unflattering images as to the Therian's character as a species. Yes, it would seem that Therians are a mixture of a bipedal sapien of some ilk, and an indigenous mammalian predator, hence the colloquialism. But Therians are so much more than that, at least according to the Therians.

Lycan - Midgard is a harsh land at the very roof of the world. Much is taken by the relentless cold, and little is given back. Still, somehow there have formed disparate tribes of the wolf-like Lycan trying desperately to eke out their existence in this unforgiving land of ice and snow. They have learned the meaning of sacrifice, and have become as cold and unremitting as their environment. They show no hesitation when their lives are on the line, and keep a merciless cunning born of thousands of years of bitter strife. A common export from the Therians of Midgard are the parts of the great Reamfish, or Narwhals. A great many of them are hunted by whaling vessels, and their "tusks" are especially valuable.

Pantheran - Pantherans are a mixture between any of the panther sub-family other than Lions, such as Panthera tigris or Panthera pardus. They dwell on the southeastern islands of Fyriss and the western coast of Mu. Considered by many to be the world's greatest martial artists, Pantherans are gifted in that respect. The Striped branch in particular are renowned for their ferocity and grace, garnering a reputation as invincible combatants. That's not actually true, but I'm sure the Striped don't really mind. The Spotted branch is known to favor a mixture of magic and physical might when they are pressed into battle, however reluctant they are to do so. Lastly, the Onyx branch are known to employ a fighting style that, to many, is impervious to attack. Opponents of Onyx Pantherans say that fighting one is an exercise in futility.

Leon - In Tigris, it is believed that Leons came from clay, shaped by the gods to impart their will on the world, given wisdom by the winds and knowledge by the trees. In this way, the lion-like Leon Therians of Tigris have developed a deeply ingrained sense of self-worth and a mind for philosophy. Even though they have split themselves into numerous city-states, each fostering their own unique view of the world around them, they all show a pride in their accomplishments far outside what is really necessary. At times they seem arrogant and high-minded, but they are not without their own humility. Victors of athletic or military events are gifted with a laurel made of the leaves plucked from an old Ironwood tree. These trees are typically guarded fiercely by the Forest Elves, so being awarded such a gift indicates a great honor.

• Behind the Curtain: Obviously there's a lot of huhbub when a Therian walks into a bar. I mean, come on. If you saw a 9-foot tall bear-headed guy just waltz right into your diner, you'd need a new change of pants. Two, even. So, it makes sense that Therians aren't real welcome in a lot of places. That's a big flavor element that I'm not really willing to get rid of, seeing as "being accepted" or "triumphing over initial prejudices" is a big element of a lot of fantasy fiction, especially FR crap.
  

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Scary Monsters i.e.: Here be Dragons.
"I once killed a drake thi~s bi~g."

There are a few things you're gonna have to accept when you build your house in the middle of the Drakodan Valley. First thing: You're house isn't staying there for very long. The second? Property values are really low, so buy in bulk!
The planet is populated by all manner of ferocious beasts, magical or otherwise, that all want to kill you. On Earth, it's a big deal when a bear mauls three people and eats their food. On Agartha, that's old hat. What's really cool are the dragon raids, the Mana beasts, elementals, etc. There's a big part of fantasy fiction devoted to describing and detailing all kinds of weird creatures, and a lot of them have some play on Agartha. Here, however, I'll be talking about the changes to some major presences in sci-fi literature, and some new ones that I think are original. Kinda. Maybe.

Dragons - Dragons of Agartha are magnificent beasts who are more akin to a forces of nature than monster. In the past, dragons were of surprising intelligence, imparting their great wisdom to those of the the lesser intelligences who proved themselves worthy of regard. Today, they are more primal and instinctual than logical and minded. Still, they are not without a ferocious cunning, and it is unwise to face a dragon thinking them to be simple beasts. There are numerous species of dragon, but all follow a basic description; they seem as though they are made from raw elemental forces, and take a shape akin to a large reptile. Certain kinds are known to manipulate the forces of Mana with incredible finesse, while others seem only capable of the most basic magic.

Mana beasts - Mana beasts are incredible creatures, monstrous and wondrous at the same time. They are physical manifestations of Mana in an area saturated with a particular element. At times, they seem to form when a specifically powerful force has disrupted the area, and at other times they seem to coalesce out of nowhere. Whatever the case is for their creation, they are not to be trifled with. There are some Beasts who are so powerful or dangerous that they have become worldwide legends. For example, there is Cohkul the Rot, a beast formed of Void and Leaf, who is believed to have poisoned the waters around the Jolinne Lake in Tigris, causing all plant life in the area to become diseased and wicked.

Elementals - Elementals are ordinary (if you might call them that) creatures who become infused with a particular element from prolonged exposure, so much so that their very nature becomes defined by that element. So, the Flame Boar of the Hamahn village in Caldera was a Boar who was exposed to enough of the Raging Fire to become a boar literally made of flame.

• Behind the Curtain: Elementals can be made from any creature, mundane or fantastic. So, expect to see Fire Zombies or Ice Gryphons or Void Boa Constrictors.

Netherspawn - Netherspawn are the antithesis to Mana Beasts. They are utterly devoid of any connection to Mana, and in fact are immune to its effects. To some, the Netherspawn are masses of inky darkness illuminated from within by an eerie colorless glow. To others, particularly to powerful mages and the like, they are a vague terror that they know in their heart of hearts is the essence of the abyss. It is difficult to describe the Netherspawn, for they seem to be utterly alien creatures, whose origins must lie far from this realm. Ever shifting, ever changing, they are the essence of nothingness made flesh.

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Soapbox - Pony Up.

We're gonna play on Saturday at 8:00. Kyle, I know you don't get off work until 9:00, but I was figuring about 30 minutes to an hour prep time anyway. The prep time will be for Bryan mostly, to make a character and get acquainted with SAME. We'll be playing until everybody leaves.

That is all.

Hey guys, I'm flying into Milwaukee next Tuesday. Yes, I'm flying from Minneapolis to Milwaukee, I guess the flight is one hour. I'm home for about 5-ish days so we need to hang, Josh says I can come and be gay with you guys but idk wat he iz talkin 'bout roflz.

On another note, apparently Assassin's Creed ain't that great : /

http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3153357

Damn it all >_<

Ah well, still looks fun. See you next week :)

[Edit: No slurs, dude. You know I hate hearing that word.]

Soapbox - Things are winding down!

As we near Thanksgiving, I feel it is my obligation to pad this sad little menagerie of failure that is our gaming blog, as the rest of you have yet to pony up and give something to the community (of course Kyle is exempt from this verbal thrashing.) I am only one man, people. While I certainly am capable of providing content for the blog, much of it would be impertinent and, frankly, boring to behold.

Still, while you all sit back and enjoy watching this vessel of ideas sink beneath the black fathoms, this ol' captain's not letting it go down without a fight. So, ha, pansies.

Anyway. I'm starting a few newbies on the hobby in two weeks, and I figured I could squeeze some help from you sods. That's right, I insult then request. That's how I's be doing mah bidness.

When we start our first gathering on the 17th, I intend to go on a long diatribe dispelling many misconceptions of the genre; namely, class association (Conan's a Rogue) , time-period confusion (it's Grecian-Roman fantasy instead of Medieval) and spell system haziness (spell-components are a joke).

After I'm done being an idiot and after they're done asking me stupid questions such as "Can I be a Fire demon?," I intend to do a lengthy adventure that should take them up to 4th or 5th level.

This is what I've got planned so far.

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The Bronze Colossus

For generations, the lands of Corsinia were menaced by the Bronze Colossus. This immense marvel of machinery and engineering was a moving mountain styled in human features. It could level cities with one swipe of its gigantic arms, and did so rather frequently.

A few hundred years ago, however, the machine broke down and sank underneath the earth, so that only its 20-meter head was the only thing left aboveground. As things would have it, people began to venture inside the hollow Colossus in search of knowledge and valuables tucked away in its depths.

They would be surprised to know that while the Bronze Colossus had stopped destroying their houses, the machinery inside continued to run. This lead to an awful lot of deaths, so people stopped bothering to go inside it. Some of what was inside was taken, but what lay farther beneath still remains to be taken by those stupid enough to venture inward.

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The placed would be laden with "traps" that are just the moving parts of the Colossus, such as gears and burst piping. The major "treasures" would be the heart of the machine (a magical urn that spreads fluid into the bronze "veins" coursing throughout the entire structure), the fire-wrought engines placed at each joint (literally a big bunch of magical fire put under the pipes to heat the fluid to create steam that pushed rods, and in turn, the gears that moved the colossus).

Any suggestions? What would you guys want to see out of an adventure like this?

Soapbox - Intermediary post

Thanksgiving looks to be the event when most of us will be back in town; I'm not confident of that statement concerning some of you, but I'm positive that Bryan and I will be back during that time. I'd hope that at some point we can all get together to have some fun.

I'd like to play a session of the Agartha SAME, as I feel like I should continue the story so you all don't get bored with it. Two months is a long time to take in between turning the metaphorical pages, but I'll take what I can get.

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In the meantime, I'd like to requisition something for all of us. That being, a Nerf Maverick.

These little handguns are the coolest things even before you mod them, and afterward they become a purchase on par with something like a house or a car. You'll get that much mileage out of them, I promise. (They're about 10 bucks at Toys 'R' Us.)

Would you kindly acquire a single or a pair of Mavericks before we all reconvene by Thanksgiving? If you want to mod them, that's fine. I've already modded mine to have the dart holder spin more easily and come out of the frame farther when reloading, and I must say it's loads of fun. When we all get together, I'd relish the opportunity to take these guys outside and have a shootout.

If you have some ideas, just put in a comment and let your voice be heard.

Rant, Setting Details - Kopesh

Hokies.

I'm coming home next weekend for MIAD's fall break. I'm back from the afternoon of the 12th to the 16th. Any time within that span, we can convene to indulge ourselves in gaming.

You know... It'd be pretty neat if I had some way of contacting you all without having to resort to such static and infrequent measures as this. Oh, wait! We're in the information age! There exist such things as instant messengers. What a wonder, those IMs. With them, you can send messages back and forth between two computers connected to the Internet, almost instantaneously! It is truly a marvel to behold. Now if only I had some sort of catalogue of emails (E-mail being short for electronic mail, you know) that those I wish to contact using this fabled "Instant Messenger." Hmmm...

Seriously. I'm not joking here. I have Kyle and Cody listed in my contacts list, but two of you, and I'm not naming names, are suspiciously absent.

And it wouldn't hurt you guys to come down and visit me, you know.

Onward.



Setting Details - Kopesh
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The City

The city of Kopesh is situated on one of the many bends in the Eryes, one of the great rivers that meanders through the Wastes. This provides several benefits to its citizens, not the least of which is a constant water source. During the Wastewar the Eryes was the target of many attempts at sabotage from both sides of the conflict, but it has remained roughly the same as it was since over 14,000 years ago, when the lush jungles turned to the scraping dust of the Wastes.

Lining the shores of the Eryes is some incredibly fertile soil; in many eyes, the most fertile in the world. Foliage grows readily, almost eagerly, on the banks of the great river, making riverside accommodation very highly coveted land in the Wastes. The city of Kopesh was established roughly 300 years prior to the Wastewar, and is one of the oldest Guild-built cities near the Eryes. It's population is in the area of 20,000 people, but this number shifts with the seasons and the swiftness with which the Eryes flows. The city is built around an almost perfect grid of streets and corridors, looking much like a maze when viewed from a high vantage point. Kopesh has plenty of them, with much of the city resting on hewn tiers in a cliffside. In a sense, the city is much like a stadium.

Kopesh sports some of the best architects this end of the Wastes, making even the most mundane of structures a marvel to behold. There are three great bridges that span the Eryes, with many smaller bridges covering the intervals and across the smaller rivers that flow into it. Each one is spaced with great care and precision, so each one is almost exactly the same distance apart. The buildings are created with the river in mind, with many having doors that open toward the banks.

The People

The citizenry of Kopesh is composed of roughly 15,000 Humans from all across Caldera and beyond, about 2000 Wasteland Elves, 1500 Extra-continental Elves, with the remainder comprised of Therians and Orcs from around the globe.

About 75% of Kopesh's populace owes allegiance to a Guild, in one fashion or another. The rest are merchants, artisans, royalty with vacation homes, what-have-you. The Eryes is prime real-estate in the Wastes, and many people flock to the riverside cities in the hopes of eking out a better life. Kopesh is significant in that it has a lot of shore to spare, being built around and across one of the bends so near to the oceanic coast.

The city has expanded a great deal each passing year due in no small part to the Wastewar and reconstruction efforts. The recent uncovering of the city of Mahde has certainly aided in expansion efforts, generating a steady influx of travelers from up the Eryes and the inlands of the Wastes.

Setting Details - Local Legends

Until next month!

For now, feast upon a couple of local legends, about the old city of the Ancients, Mahde (the site of excavation) and about the city you live in, Kopesh.

Mahde

The Haunt - According to local rumors, before the old city was uncovered, great obelisks stood tall out of the sand. These obelisks were destroyed when the city was uncovered, but before their obliteration, people used the area as a graveyard. They viewed the obelisks as a sign of some spiritual significance, and attributed the surrounding area's overgrowth of desert fauna as proof of such. Many people were buried here, but few found the eternal rest they had sought. Rumors of corpses visiting their families in the middle of the night, wrapped in reeds and cloth floated up and down the river Eryes, eventually causing most people to avoid the area entirely.
The Terror of Mahde - Upon the faces of the obelisks were engravings and reliefs that depicted an immense beast, in the shape of a hermit crap. Two great, bloodied claws and a mottled azure carapace were the most prevalent details that survived every story in local rumor. By the Ancients' canon of proportions, the creature must have stood 80 feet high. According to Efreeti texts, such creatures were fairly rare around the inner regions of the Wastes, ecnountered mostly around the coasts and on the Sand Dollar Isles. It wore a wyvern skull and was said to be a sea creature of great power and malice.
The Last Legend of Mahde - The only known myth that has survived the ages about Mahde from its glory days concerns the river it resides near. Long ago, the Wastes were not the arid lands they are today, they once were like the jungles to the north and east. During that time, the river would have been home to numerous creatures, one of which is the Spear Koi. This particular fish was revered, for it's sheer size and the durability of its scales after they were hardened. The people of Mahde were said to wear the scales of the Spear Koi into battle, which was believed to grant superior protection against the Manas of The Blissful Wind and The Torrential Water.

Kopesh

The Time to Stay Indoors - Around Kopesh, some strange things happen, albeit infrequently. Every full moon, the waters of the Eryes rise and widen. Often, this causes trouble for those next to the water, who now build their houses on stilts. However, that does little to protect them from the watery denizens that come to live in the deeper areas of the river during that time. About 3 times every year, from the end of the Last quarter to the end of the First quarter in the moon phase calendar, strange lizard-beasts nest in the reedy waters of the Eryes, unfortunately choosing spots in Kopesh more often than the city's citizens would like. Whenever the creatures choose to set up their "grounds" inside the city, groups of angry mobs try to shoo them away. Almost never works, unfortunately.
The Ghost Woman - A ghostly old woman, who, on her deathbed made a pact with the spirits of the Eryes to preserve her essence, is sometimes seen wandering the banks of the river, usually looking seaward, her visage covered in seaweed and dripping wet. The citizens prefer to avoid her, for it is said that anyone who tries to speak with her is drowned the next day.
The Moving Building - Once, about a decade ago, a merchant tried to sell a storehouse full of magical contraband to a friend. The friend, familiar with the merchant's tricks, let the Guildwatch know that something was up. Soon, however, it was discovered that the storehouse was not where it was supposed to be, much to the bewilderment of the merchant and the Guildwatch. Every now and then, a building will pop up in an area of the city where there isn't supposed to be one, such as in the middle of the river or in a public bath.

That's it for now. Figured I'd add some local flavor for the game. The doodle of the hieroglyph is on my doodle blog, ArtlessPeon.

Setting Details - Prologue

I'll be coming home next week to play games and, you know, do stuff. I've got a game to go to on Saturday around early-late evening until well after 1 o'clock, so if you guys want to do this thing on Friday, that's cool. After 6 would be most preferable.


---

Agartha

I hate it. I hate the wars, I hate the desert, I hate the heat. I am so damn tired of all this, I just want it to end. I wonder if Tigris has a vacation plan...

Not soon after the 2nd Season started in 23 S.E., a war erupted in the south of Caldera. A few of the Elves that held some of the abandoned Efreeti city-states grew jealous of the Trade Guilds' hoarding and decadence. When they extended their reach into the Guilds' coffers, the lids snapped shut and daggers were drawn. Three city-states that stood isolated from the rest of the Elven portions of the Wastes, versus the Nine.
The Elves, with their fire-born magicks and sand-caked creatures of devious craft, and The Guilds, with their assassins and pilfered artifacts. Fighting started to erupt into the streets of Wasteland cities and towns, leaving nothing but ghosts in the wake of their destruction.

Years after this fighting started, it ended with the last Elven leader's beheading (31 S.E). The Trade Guilds were down two houses, leaving the Seven to pick up the pieces. The renegade elven city states were put to the flame, and the only one left mostly in one piece is the southern city of Kardal, charred and blackened from fire, warped and cracked from wild magic.

The affected cities and Guilds are:

Elven cities
Kardal - A southern city-state. Left intact, but warped and broken.
Jeddah - City furthest east. Controlled one of the major Northern ports out of the Wastes. Is now a dead port, with wild magic and torrential sands ripping the stone walls and wooden docks down each passing day.
Sidys - City in the thickest of fighting, furthest south of the three. Blown apart in the war, few monuments are left standing. Perpetually shrouded in a purplish-haze, the very air is poison.

Guildcities (The main cities of the Nine)
Guided Hand - A guild based heavily in information-trade, this guildcity was burnt to the ground, and its constituents were assimilated into the Ashen Winds guild.
Fallen Palm - Dealt with timber and woodstuffs from all across the globe. Naturally, burnt to the ground. Folded into Prevailing Trades guild.
Ashen Winds - Dealt mostly with exports and travel out to Fyriss, Lemuria and Tigris. Small fleet of ships. Left alone, as it was furthest from the rest, and not technically in the Wastes.
Prevailing Trades - Dealt with imports from across the globe, even from the frozen continent Midgard. Guildcity was based on the Sand Dollar Isles, along with the Horn guild and Sand Dollar guild. The Isles were hit pretty heavily in the war, but have made great efforts for restoration.
Horn - Alarmists and prophets of doom. Dealt with precarious goods found in the Efreet and Ancient ruins, and had hopes to access the Floating Isles, but those plans were scrapped once the Wastewar started.
Sand Dollar - Moneymaking and various trade goods. Supporters of making a Gold standard, but their efforts were wasted when the Wastewar broke out, as most people traded for weapons, not money.
Wyvern and Wing - Expert weaponcrafters and explorers. Mapped out the entirety of the surface of the Wastes, and had hoped to uncover the Ancients' lost cities and ruins. Wastewar blah blah blah... Some excavation sites were destroyed, but new ones uncovered.
Saddle - Overland trade and information brokerage. Made out of the War with a lot of newly acquired wealth, as their services were employed heavily and at greatly inflated prices. Establishing a second headquarters on the Sand Dollar Isles, as it is highly coveted land and a mark of status.
Salt and Saw - Miners and builders. Primary owners of the major salt and limestone mines. Headquarters is situated along the Northern coast, away from the fighting. Making a lot of money helping others rebuild their homes, at inflated prices of course.


---

You could have been in Upper Caldera, part of one of the Guilds/Renegades, a Calderan/Elf of the neutral city-states, or simply a bloke from nowhere in particular who got swept up in the chaos. You are beginning the adventure in one of the Guild-controlled cities along the Southernmost coast, which has been restored after the Wastewar.

Some folk want to leave Caldera in the wake of the Wastewar, and you might be one of them. Or, you're a profiteer looking to make a living selling spoils back to whoever owned them previously. Or, you're whatever you feel like being. Consider your character's age, and create a background accordingly. Keep in mind that the culture is very tropic, seeing as Caldera is within Agartha's tropic band. Craft your look after the jungles/tropics of Asia, Africa, Hawaii, South America, Mediterranean etc.


EDIT: I've uploaded your sheets again, this time with corrections and name changes. I didn't include the Description and possessions areas because the text would be too small to handle efficiently.

Messenger Information

So. Seeing as two of us are varying degrees of distance away from the Germantown area, the hub as it were, it seems only natural that we'd like to stay in touch through various web-based means. Such as it is, an instant messenger client is the most obvious and, depending on who you ask, one of the more efficient forms of online communication.

As most of you have probably never even considered the idea of IRC, I'll skip over it in favor of instant messengers. Yahoo, Windows Live/MSN, AOL (god forbid), just to name a few.

Get one, you sods. Or I swear to whatever cosmic entities there are, I will kill myself and haunt you all until you join me in the Ether, at which point I will continually kick you in your incorporeal balls. Over and over. And there'd be nothing you could do about it. The universe would see my cause just, and allow my actions to continue unabated.

My MSN account can be reached at epiclevel@yahoo.com. I have the handle Artless.

Kyle's Muses

Basis: Lord of the Rings

Basically, this is years after the fall of Sauron most of the heroes of that time are either dead or not in their prime. But the Dark One is still abound. Only in spirit now, though with a force of will he can manifest himself. The forces of good are now scattered , the elves are no longer in this realm and the dwarves dwell deeper into their mountains. Each race looking to it's own and rebuilding after the War. It's a time of adventures, shrewd businessmen, and grizzled veterans. The forces of evil are also scattered as warlords rise and fall. Yet, the call of the Dark Lord is growing stronger as he makes his move for control. And a gathering is happen in the depths of Mirkwood now that the elves are gone, a gathering of the Dark Lords disciples.

In the game the party will choose which side they will be on; good or evil. Or perhaps everyone will be what they want. But each side has it's own races which I've got somewhat worked on. Then, depending on the side you're on, it will change the story we try for. So I'll cook up more for this either way. So... yeah.

Setting Ideas - SAME Content cont.

Okies. Now that we've gone through the process of making preliminary characters, I though it would be best to show you at least a small amount of the actual spells, qualities and abilities I've made up.

First off, the most important qualities a character can have are their Light Arts and Dark Arts paths. These two qualities are unchanging, as they represent the character's basic connection to the world's Mana. Everybody manipulates Mana in different ways, and everybody has things they are naturally better at doing with it. They represent your character's natural affinity towards one element or a special connection to Mana that gives them abilities outside normal humans. I've got a host of Paths lined up, but most of them fall into a general pattern appropriate for the two arts. For Light Arts, paths general focus on augmenting Utility spells and abilities, while Dark Art paths focus on augmenting Attack spells, etc.

Here are some of the ones I've cooked up:

Light Arts

Ember Path - Fire-based utility spells are constant
Wave Path - Water-based utility spells are constant
Zephyr Path - Wind-based utility spells are constant
Tortoise Path - Earth-based utility spells are constant
Sapling Path - Leaf-based utility spells are constant
Perception Path - Light-based utility spells are constant
Empty Path - Void-based utility spells are constant
Celerity Path - You have a speed of 60
(There'll be more.)

Dark Arts

Martial Path - Attack spells deal 4 more damage in Melee range
Blessed Path - Attack spells are cast with a +2 bonus to hit.
Flame Path - Fire-based attack spells deal 4 more damage
Searing Path - Fire-based attack spells affect 2x as many targets
Frost Path - Water-based attack spells deal 4 more damage
Drowning Path - Water-based attack spells affect 2x as many targets
Storm Path - Wind-based attack spells deal 4 more damage
Prevailing Path - Wind-based attack spells affect 2x as many targets
Mountain Path - Earth-based attack spells deal 4 more damage
Sifting Path - Earth-based attack spells affect 2x as many targets
Razor Path - Leaf-based attack spells deal 4 more damage
Entangling Path - Leaf-based attack spells affect 2x as many targets
Luminous Path - Light-based attack spells deal 4 more damage
Shining Path - Light-based attack spells affect 2x as many targets
Hex Path - Void-based attack spells deal 4 more damage
Crushing Path - Void-based attack spells affect 2x as many targets
(There'll be more.)

Qualities come in all shapes and sizes, with varying degrees of use. You can make them up and have them approved by me.

Spells and abilities, while varied and powerful, follow a basic outline for categorizing their effects.
Utility spells affect the character in some way that usually benefits them, and are dependent on the Mana resources available.
They follow no real naming scheme.

Attack spells affect another character in a generally harmful way, and are dependent on Mana resources available.

Shard spells are on the lowest tier. They affect one target up to MNF ranges away, and deal 14+E damage.
Shock spells are on the lowest tier. They affect up to 3 targets up to MNF ranges away, and deal 10+E damage.
Bolt spells are more powerful versions of Shard spells, and deal 18+E damage to one target up to MNFD ranges away.
Blast spells are more powerful versions of Shock spells and affect up to 3 targets MNFD ranges away, dealing 14+E damage.
Strike spells are more potent versions of Shard and Bolt spells, and affect 1 target up to MNFDC range away, dealing 22+E damage.
Burst spells are more potent versions of Shock or Blast spells, and affect up to 3 targets up to MNFDC range away, dealing 18+E damage.
Nova spells are a special category, as they deal 14+E damage to everyone out to the F range.
Torrent spells are more powerful versions of Nova spells and deal 18+E damage to everyone within NF range.
Tide spells are potent spells that deal 22+E to everyone up to NFD range away in a straight line that is 60-ft. wide.

Specific Spells

These spells are unique and produce a variety of effects, though these are only examples of named spells. If you have an idea for a cool maneuver you want your character to do, run it by me and I'll try to think of something. The ones listed are considered Tier 2 spells, and specific conditions must be met before acquiring them.

Flash - A Light-based spell that produces a great flash of searing light that radiates from the user dealing 18+E damage to one target and Blinding every target up to N distance away. A blinded creature can take no actions save a single move in any direction and has its defenses lowered by 4 (meaning they calculate it as 4+A or M instead of 8+A or M.) Creatures who are naturally blind do not suffer from these effects. Requisite: Must have Light Blast as a spell and the Headshot ability.

Flamestrike - A Fire-based spell that produces a column of flames that continues to burn even after the caster has turned his attention elsewhere. This stationary fire, usable for two attacks, deals damage to any creature who enters it equal to 18+E. It will burn for an eternity if it is never drained of its uses, but can be dismissed by whim of the caster or by a Dispell.
Requisite: Must have Flame Bolt as a spell and the Press Your Luck ability.

Undine's Crest - The caster conjures a blue-colored insignia in the air in front of them, and a wall of impenetrable ice forms in any shape in front of them, dealing no damage but seriously pissing off those on the other side. This wall (2m long or thick for each point of damage it would inflict) functions as a stationary "character" with a 10-wound death threshold. This Water-based spell is useful for hindering enemy movement or protecting a particular charge, though is a potent attack spell in its own right. Any creature in the area of the spell at the time of casting that is hit by the user's attack is trapped in the wall. They cannot do anything at all, and the only method of freeing them is to destroy the wall with a Dispell or by dealing enough wounds to it that it crumbles to icy shards.
Requisite: Must have the Bind ability.

Djinn's Calling - The caster sings a song that floats on the wind, and carries a message to his adversaries, "Join us." A single creature suffers 14+E damage from this Wind-based spell. If it is dealt wounds by this attack, it now aids the player as a thrall to their whims, acting immediately after the player in initiative order. They continue to serve the player until the damage is healed or they fall dead at their feet. Requisite: (Still working on this one's requirements.)

Golem - This Earth-based spell forms mud and clay into a cohort for the caster. This Golem will last until dismissed, has a Strength of 16, an Agility of 8, a Moxy and Elan of 4, and a speed of 8m. It has a basic Earth attack that deals 14+S damage. It has a 10 wound death threshold. Requisite: Must have at least one Earth Elemental core, and the Cunning Infusion ability.

The Creeping Death - This Leaf spell attacks every creature within F range. They suffer 18+E damage and are immobilized until the spell is dismissed or Dispelled. Requisite: Must have Leaf Blast as a spell, and the Hamstring ability.

Magnetism - This Void spell strikes at every creature within N range. They are sent hurtling 10m toward the nearest sturdy object, be it a wall or another creature. They suffer 16+E damage initially, and if they collide with something they suffer damage in aggregate equal to 10+(the object's Strength score. A stationary object or normal wall has a Strength of 8.) Requisite: Must have Void Blast as a spell, and the Leverage ability.

Dispell - This spell drains an area's supply of mana, making it impossible to maintain spells and difficult cast new ones. The caster of Dispell is now the only creature within F range able to cast spells, unless a Mana-user resupplies the area with mana through whatever means. (Elemental essence, Manastone, tapping a Font, etc.)Requisite: Must have the Drain ability.

Infuse - This spell infuses an object or creature temporarily with a single type of Mana. A weapon with Infuse cast on it can deal damage of either elemental type, decided on the user's choosing. A defensive item with Infuse cast on it blocks both elements an amount equal to its original resistance modifier. Infuse lasts until the end of the next encounter (or the current encounter, depending on when the spell is cast.) Requisite: Must have at least one Bolt spell and the Cunning Infusion ability.

Setting Ideas - SAME content

I realized I wouldn't want to work so much on my setting for a while, since I finally had an outlet for all of the ideas that pop up whenever I brainstorm for content. (Namely, the Sowing Seeds article.)

However, I wanted to try and bring myself back into detailing my setting, so I figured now's a good a time as any, seeing as I'll be having some free time on my hands after orientation week is over. For reasons that may be apparent to those such as I, it's hard to enjoy what you produce. So I probably won't be doing any fluff material for a while. This article will be dealing with the SAME rules and guidelines for Agartha, but soon will switch back to location details, etc., just as soon as I start liking the setting again.

First off; Creative process.
I want the player characters to feel like they have a definite impact on the world at large (or small, whatever) so I'm trying to tailor some things to make it feel like your character is really important.

This can happen a couple of ways. First on the list is a larger time in the spotlight, and weight added to your choices. You guys are the movers and shakers of the world, so obviously a lot of attention is going to be paid to your actions and their consequences. The people you meet along the story's arcs will also be similarly engaging (hopefully), and would present adequate, if not exemplary, merit for being a part of the story's focus. Obviously this is bad for the setting, as if only a select few people are really capable to doing anything important, what use is there for those NPCs who don't have "it?" A really easy, but ultimately poor, solution is to just treat things as they would be if the character's didn't have the power to move mountains with their minds. This is just like how the main character's in traditional CRPGs are treated within the game world, and is really stretching believability.

The second, and more easily handled point on the list is to just give you guys better stats. Obviously this presents the same problems as the story-driven aspect above, but is easier to deal with. If you guys have better abilities, you handle tougher challenges. But, yet again the same problem creeps up: What use is everybody else?

Well, someone's gonna need all that rescuing. Also, they make food and clothes while you fight demons.

Mechanically, this is the way it'll work.

While most people have just about 10 points to put into their SAME scores, you dudes have got 30. That's right. You are worth 4 people, not counting whatever special abilities and spells you have at your call. That means that when a Behemoth comes a knocking on your door, and it takes you and 3 of your buddies to kill it, it would've normally taken a whole town's worth of militia.

You can spend 30 points on SAME attributes, with a 4-point gap between your lowest and highest scores. Your skills are derived from your base attributes, but can be altered by reducing a score and increasing another, with an 8-point gap limit instead of 4. There are 7 elementals in Agartha, with the classical four being present in addition to Leaf, Light and Void. You get an 8, 6, 4 and 2 to put into 4 of them.

So, a typical PC warrior would look something like this:

S:10 A:8 M:6 E:6
Athletics:12Acrobatics:8Intuition:4Poise: 6
Endurance:12 Sneak:4Logic: 8Deception: 6
Fire:6Water:4Wind:2Earth:8Leaf:0Light:0Void:0

With various special abilities tacked on to make him more formidable.

As normal for SAME, target Defenses are based on 8+Agility/Moxy and damage is derived from the attack/weapon base+Strength/Elan.

Skills are resolved almost like attacks, without the soak roll. There's just the test, which is d20+skill mod versus the Target number. (Usually about 10+multiples of 5)

Ranges are taken from this table:
Self
0-5 ft: Melee
5-25ft: Near
25-100: Far
100-400: Distant
400-Quarter Mile: Crazy
Quarter Mile up: Super Awesome

So a typical weapon attack would have range of M, or NF if it's a ranged weapon. A Path maneuver can have a range from M all the way up to S depending on the nature of the ability and battlefield conditions.

Normal weapons usually deal Void damage, but enchanted, natural, and specially crafted weapons deal damage of whatever type is thematically appropriate. A wooden sword deals Leaf damage, a rock deals Earth damage, etc.

Armor is like normal SAME, with random elemental resistances. Everybody starts out with armor worth 6 points of elemental resistance. You'll get better stuff when you find it.

---

This will be edited further in the future to contain a list of spells/maneuvers and special abilities.

Kyle's Muses

Basis: Demigods, Black And White 2

Basically, the land is torn by War, famine and death. The people pray to the gods for general aid; this is where you come in.
You guys would play the demigods sent to deal with this "problem". The Aspects of your powers would be entirely up to you; be as good or evil, warlike or peaceful, as you like . All up to you, baby. You'd start off as a low-ranking, pitiful creature, and work your way up in the world through your chosen aspects.
It would be a no-holds-barred grudge fest between you all and the winner would be whoever's "tribe" of followers can elevate the Aspect to godhood. It's a bit patchy now, but if you guys are into it I'll sort out the rough edges and reveal more to chomp on later.

i go 2 skool 2 morrow

...and by the time you read this, 2 morrow will probably be "2 day".

Yup, moving up to Minneapolis tomorrow guys. At any rate, my cell # is 414-202-5449. CALL ME ITS SO LONELY AND COLD UP THERE I DON'T KNOW WAT I'M GUNNA DO MY EMAIL IS bryandyer14@yahoo.com O.O

At any rate, stay in touch homies.

-Bryan

*P.S. So what's the deal Josh? Is you're roommate a total douchebag or what? How's MIAD? Smoke any pot yet? Why haven't you sent me any? Why do you insist on holding out on me? Have you fucked up rotation?

*P.S.P.S. I'm Stephen Baldwin.

Sowing Seeds - Victorian Ribaldry

Roots: My love of Tesla and fiction of the Victorian era.

Premise: An alternate Earth, late 19th century. A man named Nikola Tesla has just made a breakthrough in his labs; He has created a fully artificial intelligence. This automaton, named TER-1 (Tesla Experimental Robot; Terry), has caused quite a commotion in the scientific community. Tesla proclaims to his peers that his new partner in science will help mankind reach a golden age of civilization. Edison is pissed. His recent works in steam-operated cybernetics were nearing a breakthrough but this new revelation in robotics dwarfs his previous accomplishments. Word on the street and in the pub is, Edison's got something big planned to save his reputation and draw attention away from Tesla. Something huge.

Branches:
-There'd be more automatons created, not just Terry. Maybe some would be based off creatures in the natural world, like a Rhino or an Ox. Most would follow the same bipedal template, though.
-Their main function has been modified by the American and British military as expendable, resilient soldiers. It takes quite a bit of firepower to down an automaton, let me tell you.
-Edison's big invention is set to be revealed at the 1893 World's Columbian Expo in Chicago (alongside the public reveal of the Automatons), and it's promised to be quite a show...

Canopy: Either you guys are one of the automatons, or a guard at the World's Fair (Either for Edison or Tesla). You've got to deal with Edison's inventions, whatever they may be. (Something sinister, I'd bet.)

Bryan sad :(

Josh gone? Guess I'm next. I'm heading off to Minneapolis this Thursday guys...*sniff*... ah well, s'not like I'm going to stop talking to any of you anyway, but it would help if some of you got profiles on Facebook and be emo like me and Cody. Oh the laughs we have! They are a-plenty.

But more importantly, fucking BIOSHOCK on Tuesday! Alex, you're going to be there, I know. Word up homes.

I didn't bother to preorder it, but I have doubts it'll be hard to get. Oh, and expect me to make frequent posts breaking up the topics on here Josh, cuz i leik 2 h@ve fun on teh internetz.

Peace out for now homies.

- bryn

Next Time

Well, with Josh leaving wew got to figure out what to do. Bye Josh, have fun. But for us it goes on so, if you got any ideas on when, wherer or what to play post them. Something you want to try or play? Let us know damn it. That means all you guys.(Alex and Cody) Even if it's idea you want to play in I'll work on it but we got to get this all straight. Comment damn it.....please.

Soapbox

So next week is probably going to be void of tabletop gaming, at least on my end. It'll be an adjustment period, and I'll need to get my bearings straight before I figure how I'm going to get together with you losers to play games and such.

In other news, this fills me with both dread and anticipation. I'm just wondering what they're going to do to cock up the next edition.

Here's hoping my apprehensive optimism opposes and triumphs over my overwhelming nihilism.

Kyle's Muses

Basis: Wild West/Paranormal

It's the old west but with a twist. A plague is spreading, one that ravages bodies, corrupts the soul and devours flesh. In select locations whole towns have been left a bloody mess. The "dead" walking again. Everything is desecrated. Demons walk among God's children, calling the shots and setting the stage for something bigger. A grand finale at the end, with the cameo of the Blood Angel himself Temozarela.There is still hope though. There is one weapon that we must hold to and that is faith. Just remember the teachings of the good Lord my brothers. Remember Psalms: 23 my brothers.

Basically one of the characters will be a priest with the basic idea of what's what. There can be more than one priest but there must at least be one. Others in the party may be hired guns, zealots, ex-marshals and so on. Either way the priest will have a general idea of the wolves who stalk the sheep. It will be the group's task to figure out what's going on and stop it.

Permissions

I'm going to change the permissions on the site so that you guys can make posts if you want. Just post with your Blogger accounts in the comments if you want the privilege. If you don't have a Blogger account, just post your email so I can send you GMail invite. Then, sign in with the Gmail account and post a comment. Then you need to check your email when I give you authorship on the blog so you can accept the invitation.

Happy trails.

Sowing Seeds - Speakeasy

Roots: Prohibition-era and gangster fiction.

Premise: It's 1926. Chicago. Prohibition's in full swing and lots of people are taking advantage of local speakeasies and dives to fulfill their insatiable thirst for whiskey and gin. Socialites and hayseed folk alike take part in the bounty of successful rumrunners and continue to search for the next glass of the ol' umber syrup. You are one such band of merry rumrunners, staking your claim under one of the local cafes called the "Fleur De Lea." All around, gangsters and rival runners try to halt your progress and take your rum for themselves. It'll be a long few years...

Branches:
-Sessions take place in very separate timelines. One session starts things off before prohibition sweeps the nation, with you guys being part of a crew of miscreants in the employ of a powerful entrepreneur named Albert Wisely. Your job's to "buy out" the competition in the risky trade of alcohol and, to a lesser extent, opium. The next session would be during Prohibition, with you guys taking part in a raid of one of your competing establishment's distilleries. The next would be fending off policemen when your operation is found out, etc.
-You've got to talk in 1920's period slang. No real reason, it's just funny.
-I'd do a spit more research on Prohibition-era customs and lifestyles to give the game a more authentic feel. There'd be car chases, heists, raids and shady deals aplenty though.
-Thompsons.

Canopy: I got in the mood for a gangster game and I think it'd be a lot of fun to just mess around with Mafia-folk, bootleggers, and Cajuns and junk. Plus, you could wear a Pinstripe suit and nobody'd care.

Soapbox

So this week... I really don't know what's what.

If anyone's got any bright ideas, I'm ready to hear them.

Soapbox

I post now from the glorious altar of my new computational device, ramshackle in its construction but devious in its operation. Bow before your new media overlord and master, for I am but a god among ants.

Seriously though. Next week is my responsibility, so expect some spiffy scenarios. I guarantee you'll go a whoopin' and a whompin' on a certain... luminous creature.

In the meantime, I'd like you all to familiarize yourself with your characters again, and try to expand upon your character's foundation. That is, what material plane are they from? What region(s) of that plane? what did they do before mysteriously washing alongside Flotsam's walks? Etc.
I'd also like you guys to put in a comment that displays what you'd like to do at least once in game. An action scene you'd like to emulate, a story you'd enjoy seeing parodied (in a comedic or serious fashion), or something along the "scenario I've always wanted to do" line.

Till next week, toodles.

Addendum - Costly Deeds

I've liked the Costly Deeds SS article. I think the premise shows... promise. Some things need some work or reworking, but I like the visions I have in my head that illustrate the setting.

I liked the idea so much that I devoted nearly 30 minutes to a sketch solely for it. This bad boy is an example of a typical human. I get this kind of Jin-Roh/Helghast feel off of it, and that makes me giddy.

Soapbox

So Alex will be MC for next week, if he's still up for it when the time rolls around.

In the meantime, I'd like to take this opportunity to provide some links for the Tomes Series rules supplements I've grown so very fond of.

For the threads containing the Tomes individually, look no further.
Tome of Fiends
Tome of Necromancy
Races of War
Dungeonomicon

Or, if you'd like it compiled into a nice, easy to read PDF, I can supply that too.
Direct from the source: Zam.

Or a Rapidshare, for those not wishing to burden AlphaNerd's site: Pow.

And a quick reference document for the mechanics presented within: Frank and K SRD

Sowing Seeds - Costly Deeds

Roots: Faust and thematically similar works, Alternate Earth stories.

Premise: It's Earth as it will be after the collapse of humanity. In a couple hundred years, the current crop of humans will be wiped off the face of the planet, giving rise to the next generation of human evolution and history. Gods and Demons walk the earth alongside Man, denied their divine providence. Stripped of their powers, some have turned to the nether in the hopes that they might regain their lost grace. The abyssal spawn that inhabit the chasms below the earth are happy to oblige, all the while laughing behind a veil of lies.


Branches:

-Magic comes at a terrible price. Although the costs of its use are not readily apparent, the effects of even the most mundane use of arcana make themselves known in due time.
-Only those called Gods or Demons are able to use magic. Humans are completely shut out of the loop, having only technology to rely upon.
-Seeing as they aren't able to use magic out-of-the-box anymore, Gods and Demons have to make pacts with the shadowy spawn of the netherworlds to acquire a new source of power.
-During whatever deal is made for a God or Demon to use magic again, the Netherspawn requires a list of deeds to be performed in its service, as they cannot enter into our realm. In case this list of requests cannot be performed or acquiesced, the Netherspawn requires an item of considerable value to the God or Demon be placed in its care. (Usually a heart, or soul. Something vital. Not your Corvette.)
-Seeing as thousands and thousands of Gods and Demons are making deals with the Netherworld, the properties of that place are starting to seep into our realm in the places magic is used. These places are getting bigger every year and are host to strange and ferocious beasts.

Canopy: The basic idea was that you are one of the divine who is now stripped of whatever it was that made you more than Human. With nowhere else to turn, you'd either embrace your mortality and live it up with the hume's or deny your current lot and make some shady deals to regain your power.

Some Hapnins.

Got nothing really stellar to add to any article, so I'm just padding the blog with a quick review.

In tabletop gaming:

Monster Manual 5 is supremely bad. It left a malodorous stench that pervaded the entire store when I set it back down, reeling from the immense failure I had just born witness to. Not only is each monster detailed in the irredeemably long thousand line breaks format, but every single creature in the book is beyond salvation. I'm not going to grace it with further attention.

I highly recommend you don't get it. Unless you want septicemia. In that case, have at it.

Soapbox

So, next week's game will be Alex's responsibility. He's due for some anyway.

You know, what with being him and all. Always slacking off that one. He's gonna be the death of himself.

Actually, scratch that.

Forget what I wrote in the last post. Now that I think more on it, (having given the idea a grand total of 2 minutes before I started typing it), it wouldn't make sense for there to be areas where there's no magic and areas where there's heaps of it. At least, not the way I've explained it.

If it were working like I had explained it, wouldn't the low-magic zones have accumulated a great deal more magic that previously thought? Since I gave no auxiliary method for the magic to diminish other than its direct use by someone, there'd be no reason to assume the magic just "seeps" out and fades away. For example, one of the climate zones I mentioned was the desert. Now, obviously there's little magical input by way of the wind or occasional raining season, but what does accumulate stays there for centuries and centuries before being used in exceedingly rare occasions. Not only that, but I said that the sun heaps magic down onto the world's surface. The sun's been active far longer than any organic magic user, making it increasingly unlikely that there is any chance of magic from an area being drained.

So forget what I said. After 5 more minutes of thought and a modicum of debunking, that idea's just silly. Besides, I wasn't going anywhere with it anyway.

Funny how nobody thought to challenge me on that one. Makes me think you guys aren't reading these. Not that I mind or anything, but I'd appreciate some input. Why else do you think I put these up here? To flaunt my ability to pad a 1 minute idea with a paragraph of text? I think not.

Again, I'm asking for some challenges to be brought to light for me to work over if my idea presents any. I'd also like some secondary addenda if you've got any to provide. Work with me people. With me.

Setting Ideas - Magic

Alright. Time I got to explaining the way things work in the setting.

This time around, I'll be talking about the Ken. It's the idea of "magic" for Agartha and is sort of like a local well. When a Wielder taps into the well, he's drawing out an amount of magic from the surrounding area to fuel whatever his spell needs. Over time this magic replenishes, much like a puddle drying up and filling in again when it rains.

What this means for the game is that casting spells can only be done in areas where there's enough magic to fuel the spell. In D&D, this means that there are areas where there's only enough residual magic to fire off 1st level spells and that there are areas where you could cast 9th level spells all day not worrying about a damn thing. In SAME, it means that available maneuver levels are determined by how much magic there is in the area. Expert to Awesome are the maneuver levels where spells typically fall under, and the Ken is supportive of different levels for different areas. (To make it so that you can still do stuff in the game even in a low-magic zone, you can cast an infinite amount of spells up to the maximum level with only limited Xth spells available. X being the maximum level in that last phrase. There'd also be special items that siphon magic to hold in gems or something.) These low-to-high magic zones are much like precipitous areas of natural climate; where there's a lot of energy being put into an area from flowing water or wind currents, there's going to be a lot of magic. Where there's very little activity, (like a desert) there's not so much. Thankfully, the sun provides a lot of energy to all spots on the planet, so there's nowhere on Agartha you wouldn't be able to cast at least some spells. Except underground. But thankfully there's nothing so stupid as the Underdark to make that all that important. Dungeons are another matter altogether, as they are typically crafted with magic anyway. They'd have residual magic buildup from decades or centuries of going unused and whatever junk was going on in the area (Magic portals, etc.). Anyway, on with these ideas.

For example: Rei has gotten himself into a bit of a mess with some Fyrian Lycans. They assault him on the beach. The area is flush with magical energy, as it is constantly replenished by the sea and winds. He feels pretty confident that he can use his Dark Arts abilities all he likes without worrying about running out of juice.

Obviously there are other little details attached to these general ideas about how magic works, such as below:
You are able to use higher-level magic in low-magic zones, but doing so requires concentration. When you cast a high-level spell without sufficient magic in the area, it takes twice as long to cast. (D&D would be just moving the casting time up one step in actions; Move to Standard, Standard to Full, etc. SAME would just be taking two actions to cast a spell.)
Teleporting is tricky business with the Ken, as you have to do it from one specially prepared high magic area to another. You can get lost in the intermittent space between worlds (eventually ending up at Flotsam, but that's another story.)
There are creatures, instinctively connected to the Ken, that deposit raw magic in their bodies as food or fuel for their supernatural feats of magic. Dragon's breath or the Lycan's transformation would be two readily apparent examples for this natural defense mechanism at work.

But, we'll leave it at that for now.

Here's a picture of somewhere that might qualify as a "diamond in the rough" of sorts. I.E., a high-magic zone in the middle of a large low-magic zone. Plus, it looks really cool.

Sowing Seeds

This is the first of (hopefully) many posts where I'm just throwing out whatever I happen to be mulling over in my head. Often times this amounts to Campaign Seeds; thoughts and basic premises that define the direction that a game would be taking should the idea ever be utilized.

This first one is going to also be a testbed for the format I'd use for the rest of these. If I don't like how this one works out, I'll switch it up in the next one. This first one is merely a throw-away idea I had a couple days ago. An introduction of sorts. It's not worth your time. Review the format, and tell me if you like it.

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Roots: EVE online, Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star.

Premise: Sometime in the distant future, when humankind has extended their control to the stars, life can still be pretty tough. Corporations are the ruling bodies in the galactic frontier, and you'd best not cross them. Numerous factions sprout up that promote inclement ideals, essentially splitting humanity into several idealogical and evolutionary paths.

Branches:

-The Corps that run the sectors of Human-controlled space are always at war with one another, leading to full-scale confrontation to become a natural course of business.
-Small-scale conflicts are resolved by a "governmental" body, Olympus. This group of Corp-elected officials controls the central sectors of Earthspace and make sure Corps that war with each other have the approval of the other Corps before they throw down the gauntlet and obliterate one another out in the open. Corps still fight with each other, but utilize more subtle means a lot of the time.
-Almost everyone lives either on a Terraformed planet, or in giant spatial habitats called Hubs.
-Some sectors of space aren't fully policed by the Corps or Olympus, making these spots full of outlaws, pirates and rebels.
-The factions that arose when Earthspace expanded have become ways of life for their members, with each faction supporting different aspects of human life and its interaction with technology and space. (There are those who support Splicing, Biotech, Expansionism, Isolationism, etc.)
-Xenomorphs are known to some of humanity, but mostly only those not within the control of the Corps and Olympus. Those on the fringes of Earthspace don't typically want much to do with the Corps and don't have much in the way of interstellar communication. Some xenomorphs are friendly, but most are hostile.

Canopy: This idea is basically that corporations run the sectors that people live in, and the fringes of human space are like typical D&D worlds: lots of sapient creatures, but almost all of them hate player races.

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Man, the premise sounded a lot better in my head before I tacked on the fringe ideas and the faction crap.

Soapbox

Next week will probably be something from either Alex or whoever pipes up in the intermittent period.

Probably gonna be doing it on a weekday, as most people seem to be their freest in that span.

Just post your schedules in the comments for this post, and I'll get back to you.

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I'd like some suggestions for what you'd like to see in one game, be it from the Tomes game I ran just yesterday or if you want something done in my tenth-done setting.

Anything and everything is accepted. Except that. You know what I mean. Seriously. Come on. For reelz.

Cultural Flotsam

(This premise is borrowed from FrankTrollman, seeing as the guy's a repository of good ideas and campaign seeds. I am also using his and K's Tomes series to supplement the game. I like his work, so sue me.)

Premise (borrowed from a thread on the Gaming Den in this thread under the Sinking Ship heading. Alright, I pretty much stole it, but it was such a good premise that I couldn't not use it.):

So, the world's overlap a bit, and in the space between lies the island of Flotsam. It's a mish-mash of bits of old ships, wood and stone that has somehow made their way to the ocean in between the cosmos. The city itself is home to a wide variety of pleasant and unpleasant people, hailing from as far around the multiverse as you could possibly think. There are elementals from the Energy planes, outsiders from the myriad number of celestial and lower planes, even the numerous Prime planes; Ebberon, Faerun, Rokugan, Greyhawk; you name it. There are even the alien aberrations from the planes not thought connected to the "wheel," such as the abyssal denizens of Earth's oceans and the Old Gods of the universe.
The city is divided into two general sections, with each one then being split into 5 Wards. Topside, which is where everyone who needs air to breathe lives, is broken up into the North, East Wake, West Wake, Center and Wakeside Wards. The Underside, home to such folk as Sahaugin, constructs, elementals and such, is divided into the Breakside, East Break, West Break, Deep and South Wards. Each Ward is likened to whatever plane most of it's ship-buildings hails from, such as the North Ward being made mostly of the sunken galleons and warships of the seas in Greyhawk. The cultural make up varies wildly, however, mixing such incompatible people as Solars and Pit Fiends in a generally tolerable manner. Most denizens have gotten used to new things coming in every day, so they don't cling to the beefs most species have with one another. The city has its share of problems, however, as recently some disasters have plagued the city's Wards in great sweeps of bad luck. First and foremost, something caused the Wakeside tower to fall into the waters below, leaving many people without the watchful eye of the Ward Patron over their businesses or the Brig, Flotsam's prison. Many believe it to the be the great quakes that have wracked the Wakeside and South Wards, but there are rumors that a fair share of people, who were at the site when the tower fell, heard a rythmic chanting and booming noises coming from below the shaky foundation. Some suspect it was due to the South Ward's dislike of the Wakeside populous, but the South Ward officials have denied any involvement and vehemently protest their peoples' innocence in the matter. Whatever the case, after the tower fell in, things took a turn for the worse. While the North Ward's tower didn't fall, it might as well have. The Matron who runs the North Ward has gone missing, along with her retainers and assistants, last being seen the day before the Wakeside tower disaster. Suspicion is high, and tensions are running thick in the city. At least, they should be.

Who knows? The night is young (at all times. Flotsam never experiences what you'd call "daylight," seeing as the sky above is an expansive view of a starlit cosmos. Lots of bright colors, big bands of ether and whatnot, but nothing so annoying as a Sun.) There's doors to every place known by any creature if you've got the right key, and mystery lies behind every corner. Best be on your guard, or ye'll be walking the many planks that pass for edge-side walks.

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Characters:

Ise: 6th level Human Samurai (Crane Clan, Rokugan [Tomes Samurai])
Marius: 5th level Jester/1st level Human Fighter (Thillonrian [Probably Stonehold], Greyhawk, [Tomes Jester/Fighter])

"Cole, be a pal and pour me a cup of the '45 West vineyard from there up on the wall."
Cole, the enigmatic and, most importantly, dead tender for the Gossiping Banshee hotel/tavern, looks up and gives the Jester a stern glance. His bone fingers scraping against the glass of the bottle, Cole wrenches the wine from its hole in the wall. Uncorking the dusty container, sets down a clean glass, and pours until the deep red liquid comes even with the lip of the cup. Marius, impressed with Cole's impeccable serving capabilities, takes the glass and sips the sweet wine quietly. A table away from the bar, within earshot, sits a large man with strikingly exotic features. A Djinn from any number of planes, the hulk of mysticism and grace sits idly while chatting with a human who sat next to him. Dressed in a gleaming regalia of Mithril plates, Ise the Swallow Tail asks his Genie friend, "what's up with all those quakes? Has anything like this happened in the city before?"
The Djinn, always happy to oblige the younger races, replies with a simple gesture and shrug. He quaffs a large gulp from his barrel of drink, and smiles at the rest of the bar.
Ise, bored with this reaction, saunters over to the bar and drops a few Rokugan coins on the counter. Cole eyes the gold, and drops the coins into his gullet, to the open coinpurse in his equally open stomach.
At the far end of the bar, two human men sit discussing the recent news in earnest. They wonder to themselves if it was one of the needlessly powerful mages or sorcerers from somewhere like Faerun or Greyhawk. The Kyton a table over (yes, there's a Kyton here.) simply drinks his beverage in solitude, scoffing at such inane babble.
Cole rushes under the bar in a fit, gesturing for those close to the bar to do the same. Perplexed, they oblige. The tables shake, the chandeliers sway and the dozens of cups and glasses Cole so neatly stacked on the counter tops and shelves crash to the floor. The bar starts to heave, angling awkwardly like a sinking ship. The humans' drinks fall from their table and stop, their fall broken by the Kyton's face. As the quake subsides, the Kyton starts to throw a fit, gesturing wildly and yelling at the two humans in some Abyssal tongue. Frustrated with having no effect with his misunderstood shouts, the Kyton drops his chains and makes short work of the insolent humans. The Djinn, obviously upset by this fight, positions himself to stop the Kyton. However, as soon as he is about to punch the devil, he clutches his stomach and mutters a curse. With a bang, he vanishes. Taken to the Brig, some would think. They often place enchantments on previous offenders to keep them in line. With no clear threat, the Kyton moves to the bar, and begins to browbeat Cole into relinquishing the coins in his stomach.
Ise, happy to show off his prowess with a blade, cuts a clean swipe along the Kyton's flank. Although the blade went deep; a blow that would've killed a steer; the wound drew no blood. The fight comes in to full swing, with Ise, Marius and the Kyton trading blows, until a furious Ise drops the sadist punk with a kiai! The skeleton guards, who were previously enjoying their break, enter the bar and drag the Kyton out to toss him off the side of the rails to the fathomless depths below. Ise and Marius follow, just to make sure.
With nothing really to do, the Jester and Samurai decide to do a little digging into these "quakes," and try to get Wakeside.
A slaad, obviously acting with the good of the rest of Flotsam in mind, is holding the doorway hostage. (The doorway is one of many on Flotsam. When you build a city out of old ships and bits of wood, you sometimes need to leave out a few passages. The doorway leads to a dimensional junction that also connects to the Wakeside.)
He preaches a quick sentence about how the Wakeside should be left to fall into the ocean, and that no one should be allowed entry for their own good, before tossing the Gate keys into the junction to seal the door behind himself. A clamor of people rush inward to the wood-laid gap in space, reaching for the Gate keys. The slaad, upset at people's inability to listen to him, croaks in a stunningly loud fashion, prompting Ise to shut him up with his blade. Marius leaps inward to the junction, and pelts the slaad with a Color Spray. The slaad, taken aback by this undeniably hostile reaction his behavior is getting, leaps into the junction as well, trying to get to the keys. Ise is too quick for him, grabbing the keys and leaping out the door. Marius soon follows, with a few of the stunned stragglers being dragged behind him. Ise slams the door in the slaad's face, leaving him with a few hours to calm down or head Wakeside.
Marius and Ise decide they should talk things over with the Matron, having not heard the news. When they reach the North Ward Watchtower, they are clued in to the breaks. They enter the watchtower, hoping to find some clues as to the Matron's whereabouts, having a bit of luck with a recent ledger entry and a page of doodles that have been Secret Paged. They get the pages to reveal themselves, and learn that she is apparently crazy or very paranoid about people seeing what she writes. They examine the scrying pools situated around her panoramic office of sorts, spying into some locales as the Plane of Fire and Ash, the Ebberon city of Sharn, and some others not worth mentioning.
They venture out, taking a few things from the office with them; such as an Everburning torch, and the Matron's notes and ledgers. The two travel Wakeside again, noticing the dimensional door ajar and the slaad lying dead in the archway. Not paying the body a second glance they enter into the Wakeside Gate. They are affronted by the numerous shops and shopkeeps who are all trying so very hard to sell them things they don't need. One man, Mark, deals in oddities and people. He fills them in on the way Wakeside's Patron ran things, being careful to note how lazy the man was.
They visit another store owned by a Water Elemental by the name of Seafoam, who deals in aquatic apparatuses. After trying futilely to understand the Elemental's Aquan tongue, they purchase some amulets of waterbreathing from him for a steal, and head Underside. They question both the South Ward and Breakside Patrons, who either don't want to talk, or don't speak at all.
Up to Topside they go, leaving the day's actions to settle themselves.