Oops! Missing TFT Magic Items

I was going to announce that TFT Tekumel was in layout, but then I remembered a chapter that was still sitting on my Google Drive, that was not converted over from EPT -- Magic Items!

So in honor of that, here are a few magic items for your enjoyment.

For those unfamiliar with Tekumel, Eyes are small magico-technological devices of the ancient Humanspace space empire that settled settled the planet millennia ago. They are about the size of a human eye with an aperture on one side and a stud and perhaps a counter in some unintelligible script on the other. Some have inscriptions painted on them by more recent owners, and some of the counters have been renumbered in more modern scripts as well. These devices can store up to 100 charges and can only be recharged by a Thoroughly Useful Eye, the rarest of all the Eyes. Wars have been fought over a single Thoroughly Useful Eye.

Excellent Ruby Eye

This device puts the targets into permanent time stasis, until released by another charge from the Ruby Eye. The victims cannot be harmed by any means. The name comes from the reddish luster that victims of this eye acquire. Persons have been released from the effects of this Eye after many millennia with no ill effects. This Eye affects all within a megahex and has a range of 20 yards. Treat as a missile weapon for distance modifiers. Targets get a 3d/DX roll to avoid the effects.

Ineluctable Eye of Healing

This Eye casts the Cure Serious Wounds spell on the subject. Roll 2d for the number of ST healed. It can cure blindness and deafness caused by magic or injury. This device may also be used instead of a ST roll for either poison or disease, but must be used before the roll is attempted. This Eye has a range of 3 yards, with no range modifiers.

The Clockwork Automaton of Qiyór

This device is a magical robot warrior that will fight for ten turns and then needs one turn to rewind. The automaton has ST 50, DX 14, IQ 8, and MA of 12. Its steel body stops 7 hits. It is equipped with two +2 damage broadswords. The book "Básrimyal hiMazák" (Men of Power) by Tlekku Beshyene states that the wizard Qiyór made ten of these devices for his patron. One is known to have been destroyed recently in Milumanayá, and the Red Hats of Mu’ugalavyáni have another.

Pyramid exploration card game Kickstarter

I love card and board games. I have a large collection.

This one looks great. I'm supporting it.

Perilous Pyramids is described as "A fast paced, competitive card game for 2 - 6 players, Perilous Pyramids is set in the heyday of pyramid exploration, the 1920's!  Watch out for tricks, traps, and most importantly your fellow explorers as you race to be the first to the central chamber!"


Perilous Pyramids Kickstarter project

Jeff Dee's Tekumel Art Kickstarter

Here is an update from Jeff Dee regarding his Kickstarter Project of Tekumel Art:

Another bonus drawing has been unlocked in my Kickstarter project to re-visit my "Legions of the Petal Throne" illustrations from Dragon Magazine #6! Every set of prints now also includes the Tsu'uru (the Illusion-Masters)!

Next in line: Marashyalu (the Whimperers):
"These supernatural creatures of the ancients are set to guard treasure. They are masters of illusion, appearing as children, women, wounded friends, etc., and they weep, imploring help. A saving throw against hypnotism is needed by the nearest 1-6 beings in the party, since this being can captivate this number per combat round. A victim can then be commanded to fight against his own party. If the Marashyalu succeeds in carrying off a victim, it sucks all the soft organs out of his body by inserting a long proboscis into the mouth or other opening. This vicious creature can be driven off by a Protection from Evil/Good spell."

Funding for this project ends at Midnight on Sunday, Dec 2. You can help unlock more bonus drawings by spreading the word to your fellow gamers and Tekumel fans, making a pledge, or raising your pledge level. Thanks so much for all your support!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeffdee/revisiting-my-legions-of-the-petal-throne-art

NaGa DeMon

Apparently, I've been living in a cave. I've never heard of NaGa DeMon until today. Well, actually, someone mentioned it in a post this week, but I skipped over it and ignored it.

So, I posted about the TFT Tekumel rules on the NaGa DeMon Roll Call.

Yay!

Great News! TFT Clone published!

I just received word that a new TFT clone, Heroes and Other Worlds, has just been published this weekend. The timing is very interesting, considering my TFT Tekumel playtest.

I've already ordered a copy through Lulu, which the author provided a 20% off coupon toward. It is a digest-sized book of 120 pages.

The above link is to the blog. The latest post has a pointer to Lulu and the coupon.

TFT Tekumel Playtest wins the election, declares Fox News

Bob Cook, Taylor Martin, and Eric Gilbertson (from the left).
Photo c. 2012 by John Everett Till

I ran the birthday game of TFT Tekumel yesterday. I think it turned out to be a complete success. The players seemed to understand the combat system quickly. My memory of the rules was pretty sharp, considering I haven't played TFT for 14 years. The scenario seemed to be fun for everyone.No one in the party died, but they also didn't take home thousands in treasure either.

I think my assessment of TFT for use with Tekumel was good. It is close to the speed of the original EPT rules, while providing the players with designed characters, rather than randomly rolled ones.

And my port flowed freely. John got to use his inherited Waterford crystal aperitifs.



Here are some photos of the event (since you needed proof):

Map of the Broken Reed clan house
Photo c. 2012 by John Everett Till

Fighting a chnelh in a sloping tunnel
Photo c. 2012 by John Everett Till

The Tomb of King Mrutarka

So I'm using a very old Jakalla underworld map from Professor Barker that he designed in the 1970s for the birthday game I'm running in a couple weekends. One of the features of this dungeon are several 'specials' -- areas that make a cohesive whole, such as the Temple of Hru'u that I've used on numerous adventures over the years. Between the Specials, are areas that consist of random rooms and corridors, especially corridors with a single pencil line of wall between them. Those pencil line walls are at most a foot thick, and I feel that the weight of the roof would collapse them. I often feel that someone could simply crash through them, like they were made of plaster board.

So, I've been modifying the map, filling in some unnecessary corridors and wiping out whole areas in order to put in my own take on what is between the specials. So last night I came to this big blank spot on my map and wondered what should go in there. I decided that this section of the Underworld had too many ancient temples and not enough tombs. I decided that I needed to design a tomb to plop into that space.

I took my inspiration for this design from Johnn Four, a smart fellow who has been writing a fabulous newsletter and blog on GMing called Roleplaying Tips for the last 11 years. He came up with an idea for the Five Room Dungeon, dungeon being any small place of adventure, not necessarily an actual dungeon. Each dungeon features five rooms -- the Entrance with Guardian, the Puzzle, the Trick or Setback, the Climax, and the Reward/Revelation/Plot Twist. These rooms are also units of adventure design, not limited to actual rooms. He ran a contest and published a set of 88 five-room dungeons.

So my tomb has five rooms, unless you count corridors and little secret rooms here and there. King Mrutarka was a 'king' during the Time of No Kings, about 2500 years prior to the founding of the current Second Imperium. That's all I'm going to reveal, since some of my players are reading this blog.

Kickstarter for New Tekumel Artwork

Jeff Dee, who drew Tekumel critters and people for The Legions of the Petal Throne article in Dragon #6, has created a Kickstarter project to recreate the same scenes from that article, since the originals were thrown out by TSR. See if this is your cup of tea and support a Tekumel artist.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeffdee/revisiting-my-legions-of-the-petal-throne-art

Non-humans for TFT Tekumel

Now I've converted some of the alien non-humans for my TFT Tekumel game in a couple weeks. Here is a preview of some of my designs.

Pé Chói (The Listeners)

In the western forests of Tsolyanu live the Pé Chói, beautiful insectoids with considerable magical talents. These six-limbed beings are 6’ to 7’ tall, they have two legs and four arms, and they are capable of using all four arms at once. They have fan-shaped external ears and a long jaw. They easily join human society, rising nearly as high as humans within the bureaucratic hierarchies. Pé Chói seek revenge on those who kill their kind without provocation.
Pé Chói characters start with ST 8 DX 10 IQ 8 and 8 extra points. They have an MA of 10. Pé Chói chitin stops two hits, and they also make armor and weapons suited to their unique anatomy. Their lower set of arms are at -2 DX, and when attacking with more than two arms, all attacks are at -4 DX.

All Pé Chói can learn spells and talents at normal cost. The race’s excellent hearing and sight gives them natural Alertness. They have a psychic connection to members of their own race, which allows them to detect the death of one of their own within a 3 mile radius. Beyond that, they have an innate awareness of all living things, allowing them to perceive the presence of lifeforms within a range of 2 yards (same effects as Detect Life spell, except Pe Choi can tell the difference between animal and plant life).

Gray Ssú (Enemies of Man)

These rather shaggy, six-limbed beings are one of the native races of Tékumel, cousins to the Hlüss. These magically adept beings live in their subterranean cities north of Salarvyá. Their bodies exude the odor of musty cinnamon, they speak in high chiming voices. Needing only small blue lights, the Ssú can be found in the tunnels and installations of the ancients, looking for the remnants of old technology. 

Grey Ssú start with ST 10, DX 8, IQ 8, and 8 extra points to spend. They have an MA of 10. They rarely wear armor, but warriors will often use shields. Ssú have two arms and four legs, the front pair having crude manipulators (-2 DX) making them capable of being used as hands. They have a keen sense of direction underground, as well as good night vision. All Grey Ssú can learn spells and all talents at normal cost. Grey Ssú can hypnotize victims within five meters, making them obey metal commands (treat as a Disbelieve action -- the Ssú makes 3d/IQ roll  to succeed and the target gets a 3d/IQ roll to resist). Only the death of the commanding Ssú can free one so enthralled. Ahoggyá, Swamp Folk, and Tinalíya are immune to this effect.