More ANARCHYCORE - a cult and some tables

Paul SchaeferYesterday 11:37 AM (edited)

+Joey Lindsey you great gob of putrid pus, make me a cult that sews things together all Franstein/Dr. Moreau style.
Anyone else, I will draw some of your stupid ideas and make them seem like treasures to humanity.

THE STITCH

This cult's members believe that everything is better remade. Natural forces do not guide anything to it's best form. All must be cut asunder and stitched back into new combinations. Some carry this edict out physically, as crude brutes or refined serial killers, cutting up human, demihuman, and animal, and attempting to give life to new creations from the pieces.

Other members of this cult are more subtle. Seemingly innocuous, they give friends advice and happen to have the right bit of gossip to break up couples - but hey, they also know just the right person to encourage your affections toward next. They often take government positions, hiding their agenda, sewing discord and mistrust until treaties are broken and revolutions and wars erupt. They will then work to form new alliances, forge new pacts.

They see no contradiction in breaking up alliances and combinations they themselves previously formed, after a time. The seams must show. When the scars fade and the stitches come out, whether physical or metaphorical, it is time once again to cut and reassemble.
Members can be identified when searched by the results of their initiation - two initiates cut off a finger and sew on that of the other.

Scrap PrincessYesterday 12:26 PM

+Joey Lindsey landspeeders are stupid, you are stupid , make me a stupid table of city encounters

Scrap PrincessYesterday 1:07 PM

Actually I don't want that anymore +Joey Lindsey , make me a "so you decided to become a wizard table"

SORRY SCRAPPER YOU GET BOTH

STUPID TABLE OF CITY ENCOUNTERS
1. A wandering baby hippo with huge cute eyelashes that the city folks cower from in fear and try to pretend isn't there.
2. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Nobleman and Scholar. He writes down everything you say, but seems to miss the point. He can make the most interesting events seem boring, and wants to follow you everywhere, narrating what is happening.
3. Street closed. Workers from the "Oh Shit Construction Co" are working. The whole block looks mysteriously like really even blue lines and shaky pencil sketches.
4. A really sexy person who isn't interested in talking to you, but asks a leading question every time you try to walk away.
5. A Deity doing paperwork, listening to worshipers, and sweeping up the temple because their Priests formed a union and got the day off.
6. Meeting of the Priests' Local Union 103. They are violently arguing about dental care or something.
7. A big ol alligator that all the children and some adults are playing with, like it's a huge puppy. Scratching it's chin and everything.
8. Yourself, coming the other way. The other you is super awkward for some reason.
9. A Thief's Guild has set up a little booth with streamers, stuffed animals, and pamphlets, hoping to recruit.
10. The Big Bad you killed last month, undead (again), being super nice and all apologies.
11. A bear on a motorcycle being chased by slimes. "Get on, there's no time to explain."
12. A bunch of lawyers who want to take you out to lunch.

SO YOU DECIDED TO BECOME A WIZARD
1. GREAT! Waddaya want me to do about it? Good luck with that. Here's a hat.
2. A creature who lives in the dangerous forest/volcano lava/local dungeon/clouds has cast "Find Wizard", and you're the closest schmuck with no familiar calling yourself a Wizard. You feel uncontrollably compelled to seek them out.
3. A real Wizard hears you wrong and polymorphs you into a lizard. Oops! That was off a one-use scroll. They feel real bad about it though, and would be happy to take you on as a lizardy apprentice.
4. Geez, if you'd realized there was so much paperwork, you might have said something else - Fighter, Assassin, I mean hell, even Elf! Oh well, now you're signed up with the Inter-Regional Magic Authority. Hope you like writing quarterly reports.
5. "The Wizard! You have come! Just as the prophecy said! Let us show you to the dragon..."
6. You begin as a 0-level human that can cast Nahal's Reckless Dweomer a number of times a day equal to your INT bonus. If you choose this path, you skip 1st level, and are 0-level until you have the XP for 2nd.
7. You are actually just a person who is followed around by 2 0-level theater people in black catsuits and masks who do their best to carry out (with props) how they imagine the effects of whatever spell you say you're casting are. They pretend they aren't there, like no one could see them. You pretend you're a Wizard. Maybe it'll work out?
8. That's cool, but somewhere in the world your nemesis has been unleashed. It can track you by the energy from your spells, so better move on pretty quick after casting.
9. Bonus! A local witch just threw down her flying broom and said, "I quit! Take this, you'll need it."
10. Wizard Bus pulls up with a bunch of senior citizens in cargo shorts and Hawaiian shirts. You signed up just in time for the Annual Beach Retreat!
11. A bear on a motorcycle being chased by slimes pulls up. "You the Wizard? Get on, there's no time to explain."
12. Everybody's like "Oh god I hope it's a phase. But you follow your dreams, honey." Mom buys you a whole second set of equipment (double starting cash, but must spend it).

The Black Veil (Cult of Kalak-Nur)

Many powerful artifacts of magic and technology have accumulated on Kalak-Nur. Those objects which give one power over fellow creatures do not always help one survive the land, or the ravages of time. The Black Veil are a group, somewhere between a philosophy and a cult, that seek out, protect, and learn the use of such objects. Anyone seeking to use an artifact "Under the Black Veil" can count on having their worthiness and determination tested.

                   (Image Left)


 Sometimes alien children are marooned near Black Veil strongholds and raised in the order (Image Right)

To try to avoid corruption and use of the objects by their own ranks, the Black Veil do not use magic as it is commonly understood. Instead, through years of harsh training and asceticism, they develop powers of the mind and flesh. They are the only known users of Psionics native to Kalak-Nur, although those who have gained Psionic powers via other means have briefly visited from other worlds. Many have tried to develop these powers on their own to no avail. Without the training and guidance found in the Black Veil's citadels, their Book of Practices, and starting at a very young age, one simply cannot reach the extreme states of mind and body required.

"If I have to spend any more time in this dusty tower reading these stupid books, I'm going to...go out into that barren wasteland...and probably starve to death." (Image from the film Stalker)

The Black Veil are known for their use of laser swords. Indeed, they are the only group known to possess them. In a few solitary cases, a creature has slain a Sister of the Black Veil and taken her laser sword, but this is exceedingly rare and usually swiftly rectified. The laser sword cuts through metal and bone as if they were butter, and can be controlled by powerful psions to fight remotely when needed. The Veil will pay a hefty price for the return of errant laser swords, proof of a lost Sister's fate, and proof a menace to them has been killed.

A foul brute who has managed to kill two Sisters and take their laser swords.

(Image) 

Some cynics say the only reason anyone respects the Black Veil is because they were the first to stumble upon a cache of laser swords. To most Kalak-Nur natives, however, the group are considered holy and respected in their own right, keeping powerful objects out of the hands of would-be tyrants. To attack a Sister is to betray the masses. Anyone attacking a Sister will receive a psionic mark upon the forehead visible to all, marking them for doom. The ability to mark an attacker is so ingrained that even Sisters suffering sneak attacks have a chance to deliver a mark.

There are known to be two factions within the Black Veil - the Orthodoxy and the Symbolists. The Orthodoxy wear black veils, full robes, and tend to be seen in groups. The Symbolists dress and behave however they want, considering "The Black Veil" to be the metaphorical protective or obscuring covering the group itself provides to items of power. Symbolists tend to be encountered alone, making their way as adventurers, only revealed for who they are when they use their mind powers or find an item they feel needs the Veil's protection. 

Above: members of the Symbolist faction, loathe to use their laser swords unless absolutely necessary.(R Image from the film Days of Heaven)


(L image by Ellen Rogers Photography)
















It is known that the Veil are handmaidens for a Demigoddess of Knowledge and Magic, Prometha, who has clerics that serve the Veil but are not of it.

In the modern day, the exact whereabouts of the Black Veil's strongholds and outposts are kept secret, and their current projects obscure. The people trust them, however, and their overall goals seem the same as always. 

Children of Cthon, Eye of Cthon (NPC/monsters for D&Dish games)

 "Oh I guess it's obvious, I also like to bite!"*

Cthon was a half-elven general thousands of years ago who preached elven superiority and led crusades against other races. He is the most significant historical figure in the culture of East Trepan.

Children of Cthon were once human children. The elves of East Trepan kidnap human children to use as manual labor. They keep them drugged and in trance states. Those that show a special aptitude for magic and/or cruelty are given to the elven Blood Witches to become something else.

After a ritual during which most of the child's blood is drained and replaced with a special alchemical sludge, the child sleeps for 2 weeks and awakes a Child of Cthon. Part of the sludge is the blood of an elven witch (or witches), who the Child is then forever bonded to and receives commands from.

Their eyes and hair are solid black or white; their skin is white, rubbery, and constantly secreting a clear goo that is unpleasant to the touch. They carry long, curved daggers that are often poisoned. They are known to sneak up on prey, then giggle in a whisper to unnerve them.

Child of Cthon
No. of appearing: 1d6 per Elven Witch present
HD: 2
AC: 5 or 15
Movement: as human child
No. of Attacks: 1 + Special
Damage: 1d4 (bite) or 1d4+2 (dagger); poison causes Sleep or a random effect upon a hit and failed save
Special Abilities: They are completely silent and can hide in shadows as Thieves
Scream: Once per combat they can let loose a Scream, which will cause Fear as the spell and cause anyone failing their save to flee from the Child as fast as possible. The Scream also can communicate one sentence of information to the Child's bonded Witch. Elves and Children of Cthon are immune.

There is a 30% chance the PCs encountered the Child in the past when it was human.

From the film, "Grave Encounters"

If slain by magic, there is a 50% chance their heart will animate and burst forst as an Eye of Cthon. These look like a bundled mass of muscle and tissue with a large elven eye in the middle and 1d6+2 tentacles radiating out from its sides. Eyes of Cthon will not attack elves.

Eye of Cthon
No. of appearing: see above
HD: 1
AC: 4 or 16 (small, fast)
Movement: as a human running
No. of Attacks: 2 or Special
Damage: 1d4/1d4 (tentacles)
Special Abilities: If they land two successful hits on a creature with tentacles in the same round, they are latched to that creature with barbs and auto-hit each round until destroyed. The tentacles will cause damage until the creature or Eye is killed, even if severed.
Eye: Every three rounds, an Eye of Cthon may emit a Ray of Confusion that acts like the Confusion spell to any non-elf that can see it within 15 feet. Children of Cthon are immune to this.

I have a picture in my head of an Eye of Cthon, but can't find anything good online. I may add one later.

*The image at the top shows up on film blogs that talk about vampires from a couple of years ago, but I couldn't find a source or credit.

Shen-Drath, "Ol' Two Face", God of War (for old school D&Dish games)

A player in my home game asked about gods, and joked about the next player being forced to play a cleric. I don't think about religion a lot, and for some reason gods are real boring to me; I'm trying to make them interesting, though! I've got at least 2 others to write up. They probably won't be this lengthy or complicated.

Image by Bill Sienkiewicz from here

Shen-Drath, or "Ol' Two Face", is the God of War. Shen, his first aspect, represents training, strategy, order, and duty. Drath, the other aspect, represents chaos, bloodlust, berserker rages, disorientation, and the collapse of order. Together, they are the duality of war.
Shen-Drath's holy symbol is half human face, half bloody skull. The entire symbol is used, even by factions that worship one half over the other. Divisions within the church have emerged over arguments about how many arms the god has - those who favor Shen claim two, those who favor Drath claim many, many more - that he slices off the arms of foes in battle and attaches them as his own.
There is also disagreement as to whether Shen-Drath is a specific being that ascended to godhood through mighty deeds of war in ancient times, or whether the name is a kind of title. Believers of the latter say the mightiest warrior in the land can rise to become the god through a great ritual during which he survives burning away all the flesh on half of his body. A mortal is compelled to undertake this ritual when he or she reaches a level of martial prowess the other gods feel inappropriate for a mortal. Whether born of old or made anew, all agree he is the best military strategist and most bloodthirsty berserker in the land.
Casually worshipped by: Generals, politicians during war, some soldiers and berserkers
Seriously worshipped by: Soldiers, mercenaries, war priests, tacticians, some berserkers and generals

PC INFO:
Worshippers favoring Shen must follow orders, know their rank, carry out agreements and treaties, and treat prisoners of war well. Surender and retreat are acceptable if they are the optimal strategy for the situation.
Clerics favoring Shen have the normal armor and weapon choices of the Cleric class.
Worshippers favoring Drath must never retreat, take prisoners during combat, surrender, or spare a foe.

 Clerics favoring Drath or the deity as a whole may use any weapon, but may not wear armor greater than Chain Mail.

Paladins who worship Shen-Drath can not cure diseases or radiate Protection From Evil as other Paladins do.
Clerics may choose to Turn or Command Undead at the time of Turning.

Abilities:
-A History of Violence: The player of a Cleric or Paladin of Shen-Drath may keep a list of all the foes his or her PC has faced in battle; when facing a foe of the same type or from the same area again, the PC intuits some useful knowledge about their strategy, level of sophistication, or something else useful about fighting them. ("The orc tribes of Morath always attack in groups of 3." "Goblins in this area use stone weapons, which easily break." "Pirates from the isles of Neverbottom always ram ships from starboard." [Can you tell I'm not a military type? I hope you get the idea anyway. It should be potentially relevant or useful, but not give the fight away.])
-The Many Arms of War*: At levels 3, 6, 9, and 12, Clerics of Shen-Drath may forgo one of their spells to gain the following ability: during battle, if the Cleric can sever the arm of an animate foe, he or she may attach that arm and command it as if it were one of his/her own. This arm may make weapon attacks, aid in defense, hold items, or anything an arm can do. The foe must be alive or animate at the time the arm is severed; if severing the arm kills the foe, the arm will still work. At the end of the battle, the arm falls off and decays. (IE one arm at level 3, two at 6, etc.)
Paladins who worship Shen-Drath gain The Many Arms of War at 3rd level and may use as many arms as half their level, rounded down.
-Drath's Fury: By covering their face with the removed face, skull, blood, or viscera of a fallen foe, a Paladin or Cleric of Shen-Drath may enter a battle frenzy. During this frenzy, they gain temporary HP and bonus to hit and damage equal to half their level, rounded up. Their AC takes a penalty of 2 in this state and does not benefit from Dexterity bonuses. They must choose one enemy and attack that enemy until it is down, then will move on to the closest creature to attack next. If this is an ally, the Paladin or Cleric may make a saving thrown VS Spell aided by any Wisdom bonus to skip over them for the next nearest creature. If the saving throw fails, the frenzy has overtaken their senses and the ally is attacked until unconscious or dead.
A Paladin may not Lay On Hands the same day they have entered Drath's Fury. A Cleric must give up one spell that day to use this ability (which is gained back as normal at rest).

DM INFO:
Shen-Drath's manifestation is 30' tall and appears as one half man, the other half bloody and skeletal - made up of the bodies of mighty warriors and high priests of the past. One arm of any creatures falling in a battle with Shen-Drath will fly to him and defend him, or attack his foes, falling to dust after the battle is over. Shen-Drath carries a mighty battle-axe that he throws unerringly and has hideous laughter. His laughter can Paralyze whether he wants it to or not, but he will not attack helpless foes.
Shen-Drath is part of the Celestial Order, Gods who enforce universal constants, organize to determine rules of reality and enforce restrictions on their priesthoods and those of others. He wants to be the God of Death, and thus both hates and lusts for Derketa. He occasionally schemes to have her deposed or destroyed, but has not been successful. Shen-Drath is respected and considered useful by other Gods; Derketa is feared and beloved.
AC: -4 or 24, HP 400, No of Attacks: 1d4+number of creatures killed so far in combat, First attack 10-100 DMG, second and others 10-40+16; Abilities of a 15th level Cleric and 20th Level Paladin; Laughter causes Paralysis on a failed save.

Students of the Green Beast (a cult for your science-fantasy game!)

A captive audience.

I rolled on the random cult generator and got Students, Green, and Beast. For "Thing worshipped" I got a construct, golem, animated statue, frankenstein thing, etc. I was kinda still thinking about the moon with lots of crashed spaceships from the Haruspectre post.

A new human convert takes her turn at the "godpedal."

A tiny window into the future?

 Students of the Green Beast are primarily kobolds, but their membership is spreading to other races fast. Their sacred place of worship is kept in the strictest secrecy. In truth, it is a pedal-generator hooked to a television, set up and abandoned by spacemen who crashed here millennia ago. When one of the kobolds pedals on the stationary bike generator, a TV is powered, showing classic giant monster movies of 20th century Earth on a loop. The TV is damaged, so the black and white is green-tinged.

They believe this is a scrying device gifted by the gods, showing the inevitable end-times. This has caused two primary factions of the cult to form. One faction believes they should assist all creatures in farming and civilization, so that there will be many fat creatures for the Green Beast to eat and many tall buildings for it to knock down. The other faction are anarchists and nihilists, as the Green Beast will destroy all so what's the point of caring? 

The two factions remain friendly, as they must share a place of worship, and negotiate who will influence which settlement towards anarchy or order.

Wear on the components of the TV cause it to flicker just beyond the edge of perception, putting any creature watching it into a highly suggestible state. Curious nobles and merchants have been known to suddenly donate their entire fortune to the cult. Both factions of the cult will occasionally kidnap people and force them to watch, delivering a sermon the entire time. They are not consciously aware of the flickering effect, but believe in the convincing power of the images themselves.

The Future.