How The World Fell Under Darkness (Custom)

[Grey]

Right, to celebrate the upcoming launch of Crucible in February, I've concocted an alternative version of the setting that I fancy might be fun to play in. I mention it here because, frankly, the more I develop this variant, the more it resembles a really bizarre Exalted analogue, and I think some of you may be interested in playing. It's utterly non-canon, so it's not spoiling the metaplot, either.


Essentially... Hell, where to begin...


The Darkening has come to Eliphay, in the far South. The once proud warrior nation is destroyed, replaced by dark and eldritch things that twist the landscape and living things. In an unlikely truce, the Vampires, Skinshifters, and humans of Lama wage a desperate war against the Black Princes of the Outer Dark. Further north, in Central Imeria, the Sorceror-Kings send what forces they can spare between their internecine wars and politicking.


The skies are alive with magical airships - and piracy too. The Changelings and Treekin defend Sylanna viciously from aggressors, and the Stormlords of Kelen grow fat controlling shipping lanes. In H'kaer, duty does not end in death. Kroms runs a profitable slave trade, though the other Vampire clans are scattered to the winds. The Technocracy of Hrothgard strives for perfection, gradually leaving their flesh behind. The Dead Regiments defend the borders of the Curselands, at whose black heart lies Shaydensea, a place of distorted gravity home to all manner of brigands and cutthroats. And quietly woven throughout it all are the Infernal Houses, great and noble bloodlines who trace their lineage back to demonic parentage.


Player characters can include:


Treekin (Dryads & Spriggan)


Rattus (Ratmen)


Trollkin (Goblins, Orcs, Trolls)


Murklyres (FOOKIN' PRAWNCE!)


Humans


Changelings (Humans with a little... unusual ancestry)


Phayders (Those touched by the power of the Outer Dark)


Demonspawn (Scions of the Infernal Houses)


Player characters can choose from the following careers:


Captains (I GET TO DRIVE DE BOAT!)


Eotran Monks (Monster hunting martial artists)


Inquisitors (Policing Magi and Demonspawn)


Freelancers (Everyday heroes)


Engineers (Ave Machina!)


Dreamchasers (Monsterslaying pilgrims on the path to enlightenment)


Spiritseers (Commanding and bonding with Spirits of nature)


Bloodhunters (Human who prey on Vampires)


The Vengeful Dead ('Raziel, you are worthy...')


Magi (Squishy wizard? Let me introduce you to my flaming claymore)


I'm just gauging interest, here. The actual game and further details will wait until then.

 

[Midboss]

That sounds fun. I'll definitly want in on that.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

heh, what's Crucible? <Slinks away to a corner so no one can hit him for not knowing>

 

[Grey]

Glad to have your support, Midboss.


Claws - It's my game, self-published starting next month. I've been running a test game on here, in secret.


Hell, I have to remember to incorporate one of these days. Copyrights are safe, at least.

 

[cletius]

Posting interest! :mrgreen:

 

[Sarodinian]

Hm. This looks interesting...

 

[happerry]

This world sounds quite interesting, please count me in as a definitely interested individual.

 

[Grey]

Anyone else? I'll be going ahead with this soon, I've been working on it to relax in between getting the bloody book ready.

 

[Aurellian]

For some reason, the idea of a Rattus Eotran Monk appeals.


has nothing to do with teenagers, mutants, ninjas or turtles. Honest.


I'm willing to give it a shot.

 

[Madmal]

I would be up for trying as well, even if Aurellian just hijacked my mind.

 

[Dreanyth]

I'm interested !!!

 

[Brekkir]

I might just be interested. What's the magic like?

 

[Grey]

I might just be interested. What's the magic like?

Depends on the type of Magic. Demonic Magic is narrow-focus and largely internal, but risk-free. Fae Magic is more external but passive, and likewise less risky. Standard Magic is near-godlike and versatile, but potentially fatal. Ideally I'd be asking you to randomly roll for Magic, if you play a standard race (Rattus, Human, Troll, Murklyre, Treekin), but if I get a really good concept for a Mage I'd cheerfully allow it.

 

[Brekkir]

I'm somewhat tempted to play a Phayder Magus (going full mystical am I?), but not knowing the universe beyond the somewhat concise exposition of the OP, I do not know the RP or mechanical constraints of such a combination.


Also, is there a way to reduce the risks of standard magic, like ritual casting or rare components?

 

[Dreanyth]

I'm quite interested by Engineer ou Captain

 

[Grey]

I'm somewhat tempted to play a Phayder Magus (going full mystical am I?), but not knowing the universe beyond the somewhat concise exposition of the OP, I do not know the RP or mechanical constraints of such a combination.
Also, is there a way to reduce the risks of standard magic, like ritual casting or rare components?

The combination is, I'm afraid, not possible. In the metaphysics of the game, Magic is tied to the soul. Phayder are former Magi who survived contact with The Outer Dark by the sacrifice of their Etheric Weave, the essence that defines them as a Magus. They become deadly, magic resistant physical combatants with a suite of Corruption effects that are safer and more reliable to use, but lack the sheer power and broad application of the Magic they once knew.


Basic cantrips of Magic carry no risk at all, but as one uses more powerful Magic, the chance of incurring an attack by Ether Fiends increases, as the power within you flares like a beacon to them. However, not every spell guarantee a Fiend attack, and even when the Fiends strike you can roll to resist. Eventually they will get you, but they can't insta-kill you, and with enough Willpower you can hold them off for a long time. Ritual casting can be used to mitigate the effects, but it may not be as effective.

 

[Brekkir]

Allright-o. Anything else ? When you speak of "godlike", what is the magnitude and diversity of effects available? Can we cast a Dragon Slave a la Slayers :mrgreen: ? Are magi polyvalent by default, or is magic versatile, but mages more specialized? Is healing restricted to 'divine' magic?

 

[Grey]

Well, all Magi are determined by two things: Logos, and Pattern.


Etheric Pattern determines their field of Magic. It is drawn in part from practice, and in part tied to the Magus' personality. There are twelve Patterns;


The Silver Tree - Life


The Golden Flame - Fire


The Bronze Mountain - Earth


The Emerald Sea - Water


The Ruby Heart - Mind


The Leaden Skull - Death


The Sapphire Storm - Wind


The Amber Eye - Fate


The Glass Desert - Space/Time


The Ivory Sun - Light


The Ebon Night - Shadow


The Diamond Soul - Antimagic


A Magus can only use Magic relating to his or her Pattern, with the exception of Conduits of the Diamond Soul, who can use ALL Magic to a degree. However, the scope of each Pattern is very broad, and Magic is attracted by abstractions - for example, Conflagrants of the Golden Flame are not just limited to fire, they can also stoke the flames of valour in their allies.


Logos is the power of a Magus. Logos 1 means you can only use basic, simple magical effects - fire from fingertips, for example. Logos 2 allows you to affect the world around you more. Logos 3 is your standard fireball. Logos 4 is a small bomb. Logos 5 is the current maximum, and if we stick with our fire example, equates to a small thermonuclear detonation. The eventual max is Logos 10, which is effectively Godhood. Most Magi survive only to Logos 8, which is still incredible power.


Communers of the Silver Tree are the best at healing Magic, but some other Patterns can achieve healing if they're clever. For example, a Necromancer can cure a bacterial infection by killing the bacteria.

 

[Brekkir]

I don't get it - if the Diamond Soul Pattern is antimagic, how come they can get a bit of all magics? Do they learn to use it universally, then focus their power like a wave in phase opposition to negate magic? Is it an especially rare and potent pattern, or is there some heavy catch that balances it out with the other patterns?

 

[Dreanyth]

Great MD, what is the differents between engineer and captain ?

 

[Brekkir]

The captain has a career feature called : "The engineer does all the work and the captain gets all the credit (and the women!)" :mrgreen:

 

[Grey]

Well, essentially, a Logos 1 Conduit can use basic antimagic and nothing else. At Logos 2, they can use better antimagic - and Magic from all other fields at Logos 1 level. However, the Pattern is very rare, and using Magic from other Patterns will always incur a Fiend check. It's brute force Magic, direct manipulation of Magical energies without the ease and finesse of other Magi.


Dreanyth - The Engineer receives the Perks (think of them like Charms, for now) of Construction, Ascension, and Workshop. Construction allows you to build things, Workshop guarantees you a place to use your other Perks, and Ascension is cybernetic augmentation. The Captain gains the Perks Ship, Star, and Crew. Ship represents the quality of your airship, Star is used for piloting and navigation, and Crew is the size of your loyal crew - your actual crew may be larger, but those represented by the Perk are completely loyal NPC minions.

 

[Brekkir]

Mmh, I might just try one if you do not forbid it. The general ability to negate magic is useful in itself (since magic in general appears powerful, a countermeasure skill might be in high demand), the raw versatility can be helpful in itself...


Just to get an idea, what are the statistical odds of a 'bad' Fiend check? Is it in the order of 10%, 20% or more?

 

[Grey]

I have to admit, I haven't worked out the probabilities. As a Conduit, which I would allow, you would not have to worry about Fiend checks when using antimagic - Fiends are attracted to Magic, afterall, not the repulsion of it. However, using any of the other Patterns will result in an instant Fiend check. When this happens, you roll your Willpower + Lore (Magic) - you need one success to avoid harm. The next time you suffer a Fiend check, you need 2 successes. Then three. Then four. The number keeps rising until a Fiend finally hits you, then resets to 1.

 

[Brekkir]

The counter doesn't reset with downtime?


Ok, now I would like to know more about the various races. Are the Trollkin barbarian and unsophisticated, or can they be integrated into society? (Since reading Errant Story, I've toyed with the idea of playing an intelligent and cultured Troll mage) What are the Myrklyre exactly (I didn't get the reference).