Chaosium Digest Volume 11, Number 4 Date: Tuesday, July 25, 1995 Number: 1 of 1 Contents: The Tangler Gun (Charlie Seljos) RINGWORLD The Adventure of the Missing Hawk (Eric Rowe) PENDRAGON Editor's Note: Welcome to another issue of the Chaosium Digest. Within you'll find another Ringworld article (to complement the one in V10.1 of the Digest), and also a brand new Pendragon Solo. Submissions to the Digests have been a bit light of late, so if you've been thinking about submitting something, please do so! NEW RELEASES: * Glorantha - _Wyrm's Footprints_ (Chaosium, $15.95) is an extremely nice-looking reprint of all the most useful material from the late, lamented Wyrm's Footnotes magazine. It has the complete Gods and Goddesses of Glorantha series, and lots of other nice stuff. NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES * Lovecraft Pictures ftp://ftp.csua.berkeley.edu/pub/cthulhu/pics A number of new photographs of Lovecraft's New England landscape have been uploaded to ftp.csua, thanks to the work of Donovan K. Loucks. These new pictures are also considerably smaller in size than the old ones, and thus it's worth downloading even the ones that you've seen before. * Necronomicon Press Rare Books ftp://ftp.csua.berkeley.edu/pub/cthulhu/necropress/rarebooks.txt This is a new catalog of some rare Arkham House (and other) books that Necronomicon Press has acquired. If you collect out-of-print AH books, this is well worth looking into. -------------------- From: The Seething Nuclear Chaos Subject: The Tangler Gun System: Ringworld Here's yet another obsolete (pre-Ringworld era) weapon for the Ringworld game. Tangler Gun (Bellepax, Inc., Earth - now defunct) WEIGHT: 2.2kg VOLUME: short, bulky rifle -- 5cm x 17cm x 48cm RANGE: short 15m, medium 30m, long 50m DAMAGE DONE: entangle + possible 1d2 ENERGY USED: 5/shot POWER SUPPLY: 100/5/350g/N + 20 round magazine, sold as one unit ARMOR: 3 points HIT POINTS: 12 APPLICABLE SKILL: Rifle (projectile) COST: 200 stars (2210 a.d. currency); ammunition/power supply units cost 6 stars each. A backpack version, for controlling very large crowds, costs 28 stars, weighs 5kg, and has 120 rounds of ammunition. Tangler guns were the precursors to mercy weapons. They fire a projectile of memory plastic which is designed to entangle and immobilize a target without causing it significant harm. The 2.5cm round bursts upon impact in a 1 meter radius pattern of strong adhesive memory plastic ribbons, which almost instantly curl around the point of impact then rapidly tighten. When struck by a tangler round, the target should make a Luck roll. If it succeeds, it takes no damage; otherwise, the impact of the rather weighty projectile does 1d2 hit points of damage to the hit location struck. Note that a tangler's tangling ability is effective regardless of the hit location. An entangled target must make a balance roll at half its skill rating every round to remain standing. Furthermore, the target's arms will be pinned to its sides unless it overcomes the entangling ribbons' STR rating of 25. The GM may decide if the target gets one try to break the tangles, or one try for each arm. Finally, the entangled victim will be stuck [STR 25] to any surface he or she falls to, and if both limbs are trapped, he or she will be unable to squirm away from the area. Sinclair monofilament cable cuts through entangling ribbons fairly easily. A hullmetal knife would do so extremely slowly, rquiring over an hour of work -- work most likely impossible to an entangled victim. The proper way to free oneself of "tangles" is to spray a solvent on them. On the Ringworld, weapons similar to this may be found in the possession of Healers, City-Builders, and any other reasonably advanced species. A crueler variant of the weapon might employ strands of monofilimant wire in the projectile, or simply fire a large tangle of monofiliment wire. Such rounds would be expensive, but deadly. -------------------- From: "Eric Rowe" Subject: The Adventure of the Missing Hawk System: Pendragon The Adventure of the Missing Hawk: A Solo Adventure for Pendragon INTRODUCTION This adventure begins with the player's lord calling for a day of Falconry. Ideally, this should be Arthur, but lesser Knights may have lesser lords. All are to meet at a well known field near a well-stocked forest. As this is to be a grand day, many ladies and followers are coming along to enjoy the festivities. Music and the odor of flavoured meat fill the air. Despite the festive nature of the occasion, Arthur (or other lord) always insists the Falconry be done by the book, as is Just. Clergy must use Sparrow Hawks; Ladies, Merlins; Knights, Goshawks; Earls, Peregrin Falcons; and Kings/Princes, Jerfalcons. The order of turns follows that pattern as well, generally going from lowest to highest glory. If a contestant does not have the correct type of falcon he has several minutes to come up with the correct type. Players who succeed in their skill roll receive 10 Glory, if they have a Critical success before such a large gathering, they receive 50 Glory. All goes well, until the mid-afternoon, when it is Arthur's turn. Arthur releases his favorite Jerfalcon correctly, but while it is flying high over the nearby forest their is a flash of light, and the bird is gone. Everyone suspects foul play, and Arthur is irate about the loss of his favorite bird. "A fine charger from my stables for whomever returns my Falcon!" screams out Arthur seconds before all the nearby knights and squires start a frantic rush to their mounts. The player, and squire if present, then join the mass of knights headed into the woods. Unknown to all, the local forest is protected by a Maiden of the Woods. An evil witch has recently trapped the Maiden, but needs a knight to finish her off. Thus, she has captured the Jerfalcon to lure knights into the forest. INTO THE WOODS The player knight eventually separates from the other knights once they enter the densely wooded forest. Once no other knights are present the player knight passes a tree with an interesting feature, a small faerie sitting on a limb above the knight's head. The little faerie is friendly and always speaks in rhyme. A possible introduction is: Greetings to you good Sir Knight. Are you looking for a bird that was lost in flight? I'm Cathaen, up here looking for mice, folk round here come to me for advice. If the player knight is friendly, Cathaen passes along the following advice. When deeper in the woods you find yourself Take the far right path, to find the elf Or bear left for a fight that's a chore But, to find the bird you are looking for Take the middle path, go straight and true Look for the old woman, dressed in blue. But beware of honeyed words and her wiles Lies lurk behind those withered old smiles. Harm not the forest, be it squirrel, bear, or tree, Or the curse will be far, far greater for thee. After the faerie has been thanked (or attacked) he disappears with a small flash of light. After another hour or two the player knight wanders deeper into the forest and comes upon a small meadow. There, the paths ends only to begin in three places at the far side of the glade. All of the paths look similar. The knight must choose which path to follow (it should be an easy choice). THE PATH TO THE RIGHT If the player knight takes this path, he eventually comes across the small faerie he had met before. Why, good Sir knight did you choose to come this way? Perchance, you like me, and want just to stay? Whatever reason the player had for coming this way is not important. The faerie elf teases him for a little while before finally saying Well, it has been fun, but it has had its cost You've wasted much time, and now you've lost! Once the player leaves the faerie he suddenly realizes that it is almost sunset, his brief chat with the elf took several hours and someone else has completed the quest. 10 Glory and a check in Faerie Lore for attempting to recover the king's Jerfalcon, but meeting an elf. THE PATH TO THE LEFT This path leads deeper into the woods, to the home of a large, angry bear. The bear is upset at the loss of the Maiden of the Wood and fights anyone who comes by. 25 Glory for defeating the bear, but the time wasted has enabled someone else to fulfill the quest and return the Jerfalcon to the King. THE MIDDLE PATH The middle path leads to a beautiful shady glen. A small hut stands in the center of it, with a beautiful weeping willow overhanging a small pool close to the hut. If the player knight knocks of calls out, the door is opened by an old woman dressed in a tattered and worn blue dress. She is very ugly, and happily invites the knight in for a drink. Once inside, it can be seen that the hut is in noticeably better condition than the old woman. Lace curtains hang from the windows, and embroidered silks cover shelves and tables. A brightly glazed teapot is sitting on the small wood-stove, piping away happily. Most importantly though, a hooded Jerfalcon is resting atop the headboard of the bed. By its markings, this is none other than Arthur's bird. The old woman pretends to be a dotering old grandmother, and refuses to talk of the Jerfalcon or other matters until her guest has been seated and been served some tea. Hospitable knights should await the old lady, while Worldy or Reckless knights may ignore her and try and grab the falcon. In this last case, the old woman allows the player knight to steal the Jerfalcon, but when they return with it to Arthur he points out a new curse. The old witch has reduced their Appearance by three. Glory 50 for returning the Jerfalcon despite being cursed, and a fine new Charger. If the player knight is polite and sits with the old woman she babbles on a bit and eventually offers them two choices. They are dependent upon whether or not the knight has already drank her tea. If they have, then she cackles evilly and shows them a mirror. Their Appearance has been lowered by five! The only way to cure it she says is to take the axe by the door and cut down the Willow tree just outside the hut. If they refuse to drink the tea, she tells the player knight she will return the Jerfalcon if they simply cut down the Willow outside for her. If they refuse at this point and just take the Jerfalcon, the same results as mentioned before occur. Eventually the player knight should find themselves standing before the Willow with axe in hand, trying to decide what to do (He may be there to get the Jerfalcon, or remove the curse and get the Jerfalcon). If the player hesitates, or looks like they are about to start chopping, a small squirrel leaps out of the tree and attacks them. The squirrel attacks until the knight retreats or the squirrel is dead. If the squirrel is killed, a large angry bear charges out of the woods and attacks the knight until the knight retreats or kills the bear. The knight is then free to chop down the tree if they so wish. If at any time the knight decides that his curse and/or the king's Jerfalcon is not worth the price of harming the Willow Tree and starts to leave, he completes the quest. The Willow Tree quickly transforms into a beautiful maiden dressed in green silk. She is a Maiden of the Woods, protector of the forest. The old witch had tricked her and transformed her into a willow tree, until either she was chopped down or some brave knight refused to kill her for their own benefit. The witch did not dare kill the Maiden herself, for then the Maiden could give her a dying curse. The Maiden of the Woods summons her bear (another, if the first has been slain) and it chases the old witch out of the hut and out of the forest. If any of the animals were harmed by the player knight before the curse was broken the Maiden returns the Jerfalcon and any curse the player is under (ugliness), then politely asks the knight to leave her forest. 100 Glory and a fine charger for returning the Jerfalcon to Arthur and helping rid the forest of the evil witch. In the best scenario, the player knight refused immediately to harm anything in the forest. In this case, the newly freed Maiden is most grateful. She offers her own personal hospitality, as well as that of her whole forest, anytime the knight so wishes to visit. If cursed, the knight is cured and, as in the other case, the bear is summoned to chase off the old witch. Also in the best scenario, the Maiden develops a slight Amor of the player knight and gifts him with a pet squirrel. This little fellow is quite intelligent for a squirrel. Since the Maiden cannot leave the forest she protects, the squirrel can be a reminder to the knight of her presence. The squirrel can also help the knight return to the Maiden's hut, or other places in the woods. 150 Glory for completing the quest, plus a fine charger and a cuddly squirrel. Angry Bear SIZ 25 Move 8 Major Wound 18 DEX 10 Damage * Unconcious 11 STR 25 Heal Rate 4 Knockdown 25 CON 18 Hit Points 43 Armor 7 APP angry Avoidance: 5 Modifier to Valorous: 5 Glory to Kill: 25 * Attacks: 2 paw swipes @15. Bears may attack only one target per melee round. If the bear wins the round with an attack roll, it makes two 3d6 damage rolls instead of the usual single attacks. When combating a mounted foe, this bear usually attacks the mount first. A bear always completes one more attack after his hit points reach 0, he becomes unconcious, or recieves a Major Wound. Thus a bear fights one round after he is dead. Frisky Squirrel SIZ 2 Move 2 Major Wound 4 DEX 16 Damage 1d6 Unconcious 2 STR 3 Heal Rate 1 Knockdown 2 CON 4 Hit Points 6 Armor 0 APP cute Avoidance: 18 Modifier to Valorous: +10 Glory to Kill: 0 The squirrel can give anyone he accompanies a +5 when Hunting in the woods. He tries to communicate with little chittering noises. Maiden of the Woods There is more than one Maiden of the Woods. Each one is born from a tree in their forest and lives there as guardian of it. They can speak to all the animals and plants in their forest. Different Maidens have different amounts of innate magic, often depending upon the amount of Faerie in their woods. SIZ 10 Move 2 Major Wound 14 DEX 13 Damage 3d6 Unconcious 6 STR 9 Heal Rate 2 Knockdown 10 CON 14 Hit Points 24 Armor 1 (clothes) APP 18 Attacks: None Significant Skills: Awareness 16, Hunting 20, First Aid 15 Significant Traits: Prudent 16, Temperate 18 Significant Passions: Loyalty (Forest) 20, Hospitality 13 Evil Witch Insight 2705 SIZ 13 Move 2 Major Wound 16 DEX 11 Damage 4d6 Unconcious 7 STR 9 Heal Rate 3 Knockdown 13 CON 16 Hit Points 29 Armor 1 (clothes) APP 5 Attacks: None Significant Traits: Lustful 16, Energetic 16, Generous 16, Honest 17, Proud 16 Significant Passions: Love (Cerridwen) 15 Significant Skills: Celestial Lore 9, Faerie Lore 19, First Aid 9, Folk Lore 14, Geomantic Lore 10, Religion (Pagan) 10, Sight 18 Magic Limit: 162 Magic Defense: 81 Personal Life Force: 4d20 Significant Talents: Animal Friend 7, Bless 10, Curse 19, Sacred Space 12, Summon Faerie Creature 14*, Weather Control 12* * = Natural Talent Talismans: Curse 162 -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial electronic 'zine about Chaosium's Games. 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