Wilderness Locations of the Regifting

Last January, I gave away a copy of The Gnomes of Levnec, if people commented on my post with a description of a wilderness location. I never collected all those descriptions into a new post. So, I'm remedying that now.

Wilderness Locations

1. The trees parted to reveal a golden meadow, glowing in the light of the stars.
2. A jagged boulder rising out of the bushy landscape, on top of which is a pool of rainwater that never seems to run dry no matter how long between rains, where on magical occasion sprites and pixies can be seen at play.
3. In the center of a lush valley laid an enormous rock the likes of which have never been seen heretofore.  The sections of the rock that are not covered with vegetation gleam like the eye of a lusty old man in shades of violet and yellow.  Signs of worship can be seen around it and small altars have been set up that appear to crush sacrifices to death.
4. Near an overgrown orchard of pale and mottled fruits floats an ornate mahogany door that rattles in the wind.
5. Under the dark boughs, against the rough bark, upon the needle-covered sward, the flesh-withered skeleton sat and smiled.

The Excellent Travelling Volume: a review

Many Tekumel fanzines have popped up over the years. The Tekumel Journal was the first in 1977 and Seal of the Imperium the most recent (1999-2009). My first game writing was published in The Journal of Tekumel Affairs, consisting an Amulet Determination Table similar to the Eye Chart from Dragon #4 and an Imperial Dispatch. So the Tekumel fanzines are very close to my heart.

There's a new Tekumel fanzine in town. +James Maliszewski's The Excellent Travelling Volume is the latest in the long history of Tekumel fanzines. I just received my copy last week, and I thought a review was in order.

Jim's introduction to the print-only zine explains that it focuses on Empire of the Petal Throne (EPT), because that's what he uses at home in his campaign.

The first section has some minor modifications to EPT to correct some leftover D&Disms. First, realigning Alignment from Good vs. Evil to Stability vs. Change, and also renaming Magic Users to Lay Priests, as described in Swords and Glory.


Next comes a new class for EPT, the Shaman. Jim has created a nice, well-thought out class. The Professional Skills are all spells, like the Lay Priest (formerly Magic User). Bonus Spells for the Shaman are also included, many of them translated from the Swords and Glory magic system. Any 'Fresh Off the Boat' scenario utilizing barbarians from distant lands should have a Shaman or two along.

The Patrons section includes five patrons, each with four variations on ways of using them with the PCs. Jim gives enough of a personality description to define these patrons while still leaving room for referee customization.

In the Bestiary, twelve creatures are translated from The Tekumel Bestiary to EPT, bringing some new blood to your animal and underworld encounters. The bizarre A'ab, the Bazhaq -- the only known riding beast for humans, used by the Tane, the debris-hidden Churstalli, the Dlikken -- a large segmented worm related to the Epeng, the Gayacha, the Hlu'un, the Jajgi -- the exalted undead, and a few more.

Six new Magical Devices are presented in the next chapter. These are at the level of Miscellaneous Magic Items. Since many magical devices are unique, it's always nice to have more.

Lastly, The Hidden Shrine, a short beginning adventure. This adventure is suitable for characters of levels 1 through 3. The lovely map was drawn by +Simon Forster. A priestess of Ksarul hires the PCs to investigate a shrine to Ksarul in the hills. The adventure contains several Tekumelisms that cleatrly show this is Tekumel.

In all, the first issue of The Excellent Travelling Volume is a great start to the new fanzine.

Congrats, Jim.

Random Table: I wonder what happens if I inject its blood?

#Narcosmos

What's the first thing an adventurous spacer says after defeating the alien?

"I wonder what happens if I inject its blood?"

Roll d30

1. Die instantly and melt into a puddle of goo. No chance of resurrection, though cloning might work.
2. Become immortal.
3. All damage and scars removed. Lost limbs restored.
4. Suddenly very attracted to and attractive to members of the alien species.
5. Become mindless slave of the alien race.
6. Gain telepathy with alien race.
7. Gain mind control over members of alien race.
8. Change into an alien in times of stress.
9. Coma for d6 days.
10. Coma for d6 months.
11. Gain 1d4 random psychic powers.
12. Gain 1d4 random mutations.
13. Lose psychic powers.
14. Contract a wasting disease of the GM's choice.
15. Your blood can cure others. Someone's going to try to get your blood.
16. You become a vampire.
17. You become the opposite sex over the next week.
18. Nothing happens for three months. Then some physical mutation occurs -- scales, feathers, head ridge, wings, tail, whatever.
19. You crave the strange foods of the alien species.
20. Your intelligence goes up by 5.
21. You get very sick for a week, aches, fever, chills, sleepy. Then you never get sick again.
22. Your skin begins to slough off until you are just exposed muscles. Then it is replaced by scales.
23. Synesthesia: your five senses are confused for 2d4 days. You see flavors, smell colors, hear touch, feel smells, and taste sounds or some variation. 
24. Blood turns into acid. Attacked with sharp objects, attacker suffers 1d3 acid damage.
25. Bad reaction. Your insides turn out. You die horribly in 20 minus CON rounds!
26. Hemophilia. When damaged, you suffer an extra 1 point per 5 points of damage.
27. You start to sweat LSD. And you smell like psychedelic drug factory. Someone would want to make you his living drug machine for sure! And look out for those bums trying to lick your skin for a cheap high!
28. The alien hosted a sentient nanoswarm that now attempts to take control of you body and mind. Save or be assimilated. If you resist, save again or listen to their voices in your head for 1d6 months.
29. The character turns into a chrysalis. 2d6 weeks later they emerge transformed. Final form is up to GM.
30. You get a surge of eldritch power and can cast spells as a 8th level magic user/druid/cleric/illusionist for d3 turns.

Thanks to +Thaumiel Nerub and +George Hammond for a few suggestions.

Rayahlto for Narcosmos

Rayahlto

This planet's exotic atmosphere contains a small amount of sexaphene gas, which is the only known aphrodisiac that affects all known sophont species. Well, all known sophont species except for the Rayahltonians.

The sexaphene gas extraction industry has made the Rayahltonians hyper-rich, to the point where no one needs to work, and they can devote themselves to the austere and ascetic lifestyle full of meditiation and sober discussion over shared hot water. All workers in the sexaphene industry are off-worlders, and all other necessities are imported from off-world, paid for by the obscene profits.

The sexaphene is supplied to many of the drug bars across the sector. It is inhaled, either via pocket inhalator or a party inhalator, similar to a old-Earth-style hooka. It is most popular in the Star-Spangled Realms, where inter-species sex is the cultural norm, as well as in most space stations, where stocking a single aphrodisiac is preferred over needing several drugs to satisfy a wide variety of species.

#Narcosmos