Chaosium Digest Volume 13, Number 12 Date: Sunday, April 7, 1996 Number: 1 of 1 Contents: The Adventure of Uther's Burial (Shannon Appel) PENDRAGON Herbs for Nephilim (Rick Festa) NEPHILIM Editor's Note: This time around, an article on Nephilim herbs, some of which originally appeared over on the Nephilim ML, and also a Pendragon adventure from my own campaign. Except for a few articles from the Nephilim ML which I want to reprint here, this clears out the current queue. So, send those new articles this week. Call of Cthulhu and Elric! articles have been light in recent weeks, so those are especially welcome. Shannon (FRENCH) MAGAZING SIGHTINGS: Thanks to Frederic Moll. * Elric! - "Le Coffre Sculpte", a four page scenario, Casus Belli #93 [April, 1996] * Nephilim (French) - "Les Chemins de l'Anti-Terre", a four page scenerio, Casus Belli #93 [April, 1996] -------------------- From: Shannon Appel Subject: The Adventure of Uther's Burial System: Pendragon This adventure, set in the year 495, assumes characters come from the Cambrian land described in "The Talgarth Campaign" V13.7. It can easilly be adapted to any other less civilized Kingdom, while the seeds of the adventure may be used in many other campaigns. The majority of this adventure simply involves travel. It is intended primarily to introduce characters to the setting and the Pendragon rulesystem. THE ADVENTURE OF UTHER'S BURIAL [Copyright 1996, Shannon Appel] Year: 495 Setting: Talgarth to London, and Back HUNT! As with all Pendragon campaigns, this one begins with a Hunt. It is April 17th, a Wednesday, and the hills of Cambria have finally warmed enough for people to venture forth from their hill forts and maenors. The young players have set out from Brecon looking for game. As the game opens, they have come across the track of a Boar, which clearly lies very near. Stress to the players how dangerous a wild boar can be. It is likely that they have never faced such a fearsome beast alone before. Players may be awarded [Prudent] checks if they elect to avoid the Boar. If this is the case, have them pick up the trail of a Fallow Deer [Pendragon pg. 341], Avoidance 18, a short time later. Let the players break up into as many groups as they wish. The leader of each group should make a Hunting roll on the HUNT VERSUS AVOIDANCE RESULTS TABLE (Pendragon pg. 306), opposed to the Boar's avoidance of 10. Remember that Cambrian natives get a +5 to their Hunting, and that all players get a -3 due to the Hilly Terrain (thus natives have a sum of +2, foreigners a -3). Once the boar is located, begin combat with it as usual, using the stats on Pendragon pg. 340. Remember that players must make an unmodified Valorous roll to face the beast. After each round of combat, allow uninvolved hunters to roll Hunting. Since the Boar is no longer avoiding, they only need make a normal Success to burst into the clearing where the combat is occuring. Glory: +5 to the hunter for found the boar, +10 to the warrior who slew it. THE RETURN HOME & TIDINGS The players may be a bit disappointed when they return home, for despite any trophy or wounds that they might bear, it is clear that everyone is interested in something else. [Proud] checks may be appropriate depending on how much the players flaunt their kill. [Intrigue. Success = Sawel (a local warrior who went to fight the Saxons with High King Uther) has returned. Critical = Sawel has brought word that High King Uther is dead.] If the players do not seek Chief Cadfael out on their own, he will shortly summon them. He is talking with Sawel, a Talgarth warrior who left two years ago to join High King Uther's army to fight the Saxon rebellion. When Cadfael sees the players, he will bid them sit down, and tell them of what he has recently learned: "I am glad that are returned. I am afraid that Sawel brings ill tidings. As you know, he has been in the British kingdom, helping High King Uther fight against the Saxons. Just a few weeks ago, Uther finally won a decisive victory, in the town of Saint Albans, near London. The Saxon forces were shattered. "But, the Saxons are dishonorable folks, unable to accept a honest defeat. That night, one of their spies snuck into the victory feast, and poisoned Uther's wine. The High King is Dead." Allow the players to express their shock. Those that come from Talgarth will probably be as upset with the misuse of the wine as they are with the High King's death. When order has returned, Cadfael will make a request of the players: "The High King Uther was not our Lord, but he was a valiant man who fought against the invading savages. He is to be buried on May the First, and I would like you, my first son and his friends, to go to London for the funeral, to represent Talgarth." THE TRIP TO LONDON All told, the trip from Brecon to London should take 11 days (see TRAVEL TIMES IN THIS ADVENTURE, below). Noted here are the Highlights of the trip. Llangorse Lake (Day 1) It is a tradition among the Talgarth to divine at Llangorse Lake before setting out on any great journey. When the players arrive, they will find the Lady of the Lake, puttering about, as usual. Today, the lake is thankfully dark blue. The Lady of the Lake is studied in Divination, and Llangorse Lake is a place that aids her in that art. When she speaks with the players, she will agree to divine for them provided that they gather some simple herbs for her. She is specifically looking for Fly Agaric, a type of mushroom. [Hunting at -5. Critical = You find a patch of 1d20 Fly Agaric. Success = You find one Fly Agaric. Fumble = You find a poisonous mushroom that you think is Fly Agaric.] Each Hunting roll represents half a day of searching. It may be appropriate to award [Generous] or [Selfish] checks depending on how hard the players work to find the Lady mushrooms. If the players have at least tried, the Lady of the Lake will divinate for them. Looking into the water she will say: "I see bleak times ahead. The ancient roads crack and fade away. Invaders surge over the land, and there is no King to drive them away. Two dragons war, and it is the Saxons who are victorious. Everything falls apart, in Britain and at home. The peace is gone, and there is only war." After such a dire reading, the players will likely be reluctant to continue forward on their journey. The Roman Road (Day 6) On the morning of the sixth day, the players will set forth on the ancient Roman road that leads out of Cirencester. This should be a sign of civilization and security to them. Though Cambria is home, it is a rough-and-tumble place. Now that they are upon the Roman Road, they are under the protection of the High King, and utterly safe. Or so things were under Uther. Ambush! (Day 7) Riding along the road, the players will see a knight ahead. He waves happily in greeting. [Heraldry. Failure = Appears to be one of Uther's knights. Success = You recognise the knight as Sir Ulprus, who is said to be a coward and a traitor.] If the players learn this information, but continue forward, they will gain [Trusting] checks. [Suspicious] characters may scan the nearby woods. [Awareness. Success = A number of men are hiding in the woods. Critical = There are 3 men hiding in the woods with bows drawn.] When the players get near, Sir Ulprus will approach the leader with a smile on his face, and then suddenly attack him. At the same time, three bandits will fire bows, leap forth from the woods, and attack. Their goal is to subdue the players, and then take the leader captive, and hold him for ransom. Use Ordinary Knight stats for Sir Ulprus (Pendragon pg. 329), but replace his armor with normal chain (10 pt) and Bandit stats (Pendragon pg. 330) for the others, but replace Light Crossbow with a normal Bow (3d6), and Great Spear with a normal Spear. The bandits are all cowards. Each must make a Valorous roll to avoid fleeing whenever another bandit goes down. If Sir Ulprus goes down, they will automatically flee. This fight will show the players that the Roman roads are no longer safe, since Uther's death. Glory: +50 for defeating knight; +10 per bandit More Bandits (Day 10) Just a day and a half out of London, the players will meet another group of 3 skulking bandits. They seem to size up the players when they see them, but unless they're badly wounded, the bandits won't try anything. The bandits will look very definitely guilty and up to no good, but it would be quite [Arbitrary] for the players to do anything without provocation. If the players do fight the bandits, use the modified stats from Pendragon pg. 330, as per the previous encounter. Glory: +10 per bandit defeated London! (Day 11) Finally, the players will arrive in London. Point out the grandeur of the city to them, so different from the maenors of home. It is clear that London is bustling with activity, and that many people have come to see the High King buried. THE STAY IN LONDON The players will probably arrive in London a few days before the funeral, and stay until the feast on the night of May First. Visiting London While waiting around in London, players will probably want to enjoy the town. Possible actions include: shopping (Pendragon pg. 242-243), carousing ([Indulgent] rolls), womanizing ([Lustful] rolls), sightseeing, etc. You may use the following random encounter table to further complicate player's lives: RANDOM LONDON ENCOUNTER TABLE 1. Sir Avitus, a [Cruel] knight who has upheld the law in London since Uther's death, strikes up a conversation with a player. He will be interested in word of lawlessness on the High King's roads, and will be quite friendly with anyone who captured or slew Sir Ulprus, the Robber Knight. 2. You encounter Prince Pellinore, a young Knight from the Isles. [Use Young Knight stats (Pendragon pg. 329), with the traits: Lustful 16, Modest 16 and Valorous 16.] Pellinore is not yet King of the Isles, and will be quite Modest about his Princely status. He will be quite friendly with the characters, since they hail from so near his homeland. 3. You meet Decmia, a young woman (APP 16) who loves stories of warriors [Chaste/Lustful]. If Decmia forms a relationship with a player, she will try and hold on to him. Unfortunately, she has no status and no dowry. 4. You encounter Young King Lot of Orkney [Proud 16, Reckless 16, Indulgent 16]. Players may not immediately recognize Lot as a King, and thus could inadvertantly insult him. He is quite proud, and will want little to do with the players. 5. A young rake purposefully insults a player. He is trying to draw them into a fight, so that he can kill them and take their weapons and armor [Prudent/Reckless. Use Notable Knight stats (Pendragon pg. 329), except the rake has no horse and only Leather (4 pt) armor]. If the player defeats the rake, they will be justified in taking the 1L in coins he carries. 6. Sir Galerus, a Knight of King Uther, will bring attention to a player, calling him a "Primitive". He doesn't particular intend to start a fight, but he doesn't like have Cambrians around. [Proud/Modest. If a fight does start, Sir Galerus is a Notable Knight (Pendragon pg. 329) with Chain (10 pt).] The Funeral for High King Uther Finally, May 1st will arrive, and the time will come for High King Uther to be put to rest. The ceremony before Uther is buried at Saint Paul's Cathedral is grand one. Due to their low status, the players will be relegated to the far back of the crowds at Saint Paul's. [Proud] players may push their way forward. The ceremony is conducted by Archbishop Dubricus, though Merlin is close at hand. This will probably be the first time that the players see either of these notables. During the burial ceremony, players may run into friends or enemies they have met earlier in London. Use these encounters to spice things up a bit. As the ceremony draws to a close, Dubricus will say the following: "Though the High King left us no heir of his own body, he did leave us an heir of his heart and mind: the Kingdom of Britain. If we keep alive that child, nurturing it carefully, then Uther's sacrifice will have been worthwhile. "The Supreme Colligium has found no man fit to be High King, and thus a Council of Regents has been elected. There are four: Bishop Baudwin, Duke Corneus, Duke Ulfius and Duke Cador. I swear to you on God that we will keep Uther's dream alive until there is a new King of All Britain." At that moment, there is a flash of light from outside. Players who have not pushed to the front of the crowd will be the first to see the block of red marble, the anvil atop it, and the sword thrust through the twain. If they can [Read Latin] they will be the first to read the words "Whoso pulleth out this sword from the stone and anvil is rightwise born King of all Britain". Glory: +10 for attending the funeral of High King Uther; +10 for attempting to pull the Sword from the Stone and Anvil. The Great Feast Following the surprising events at the Funeral of Uther, a great feast will be held. As usual, the players will be seated at low tables, but they will still find the foot quite delicious. The air is one of Indulence and frivolity. It is just the way Uther would have liked it. Use the FEAST EVENTS TABLE (Knights Adventurous pg. 114). Also, you may wish to let the characters run into allies and enemies that they've gained one more time before leaving London. Glory: notable skill use at the Feast will gain glory. THE RETURN HOME Finally, the time will have come to head home. If the players became friends with Prince Pellinore during their visit, he will ask to journey with them as far as Cirencester, before he departs Northwards, heading for the Isles. With all the warriors travelling to London and back for Uther's funeral, the roads have grown quieter, and there should be no problems on the way home. However, feel free to use encounters as per "Getting About" (_Blood & Lust_ pg. 15-16). MORE TIDINGS The rest of 495 should be relatively uneventful. Word will come later in the year that Saxons have invaded Hampshire, but it is unlikely that Cambrian players will wish to fight against this incursion. When winter comes, things will look bad for the British Kingdom, as it faces foes on all sides. Glory: +20 for each player who paid Talgarth's respects at the funeral of Uther. TALGARTH NPC STATS Sawel A tall and robust warrior, Sawel is one of Cadfael's favorite and most trusted men. Bored by the relative peace of Cambria, Sawel left two years ago to help High King Uther fight against the Saxons. Glory 1274 SIZ 17 Move 2 Major Wound 15 DEX 11 Dam 5D6 Unconscious 8 STR 13 Heal 3 Knock Down 17 CON 15 HP 32 Armor 6 (+shield) APP 7 Combat Skills: Spear 19, Battle 15, Horsemanship 18 Significant Traits: Energetic 18, Valorous 18 Significant Skills: Faerie Lore 10, Hunting 19 Horse: A dun Celtic pony who is unpleasant around everyone but Sawel, Damage 3D6, Move 5, CON 16 The Lady of the Lake An old gnarled crone, the Lady of the Lake is the oldest living person in Talgarth. She is skilled with prophecy, and uses the properties of the lake to help her look into the future. SIZ 7 Move 2 Major Wound 6 DEX 10 Dam 2D6 Unconscious 3 STR 6 Heal 1 Knock Down 7 CON 6 HP 13 Armor 0 APP 5 Significant Traits: Pious 17, Trusting 16 Talents: Divination 20 Significant Skills: Chirurgy 21, First Aid 21 Horse: A ancient chestnut Celtic pony who loves children, Damage 3D6, Move 5, CON 16 TRAVEL TIMES IN THIS ADVENTURE Brecon to Aberyavenny - 1 day Abervenny to Carlion-on-Usk - 1 day Carlion-on-Usk to Gloucester - 2 days Gloucester to Cirencester - 1 day Cirencester to Wandborough - 1 day Wandborough to Donnington - 1+ day Donnington to Silcester - 1 day Silcester to Staines - 1+ day Staines to London - 2 days Total - 11 days -------------------- From: Subject: Herbs for Nephilim System: Nephilim In this article, I will detail a few commonly used herbs for Nephilim. I should also note that you should get the GM Veil if you do not have it yet. It has a good list of poisons and effects. There are a few problems with it, most notably the entry about "Amanitia". The common edible table mushroom is in the genus Amanitia (A.bruncesens). I assume Chaosium meant the Death Cap (A.phalloides) or maybe the Destroying Angel (A.virosa). Amanitas cause about 90% of all mushroom deaths. The initial symptoms the GM Veil gives is not what kills you. The poisons in the mushroom wipe out your liver, and frequently, patients survive the initial symptoms and appear to recover fully. They get sent home by some poor first-year intern, and then they keel over and die at home without warning after about two or three days from end-stage liver failure. There are two other Amanitias worth mentioning. Notes on them, as well as several other interesting herbs, are included below. The Fly Agaric The FLY AGARIC (A. muscaria) is a very powerful hallucenigenic, which common people everywhere think is a poison. It has been used by numerous cults throughout history, from the Taoist Alchemists to the Hindu Kush, to the Egyptians (raven's bread), to the Greeks. Several Alaskan indian tribes still consume the plant. It can be smoked with tobacco, brewed, or eaten. It produces sexual arousal, clairvoyant visions, resistance to pain, and sensations of flying. One strange aspect of the mushroom is that its active ingredient, ibutenic acid, is processed by the body of the user into the final form, muscimol. Thus, it is intensified by the person consuming it, and then excreted in the urine. So, drinking a user's urine was the strongest way to use the drug, and an accepted way of sharing this limited resource. In game terms, this herb raises hit points by 20 - 50% for perhaps three hours. It causes a strong sense of bilocation, which drops Scan and Scrutinize rolls by say, 45%, and it increases Ka sense rolls somewhat, maybe +30%. If you want to allow ESP, it would allow maybe 10 minutes of clairvoyance. It was widely believed to allow divinatory visions, but this would require GM's input. The Panther Another Amanita is the PANTHER (A. pantherina). It was not widely used in herbalism or magic, but causes delirium, raving, and a coma-like deep sleep. It is thought that some of the Indian warrior cults of North America may have used it to produce a resistance to pain and even berserker rages. In game terms, this herb also raises hp by 20 - 50% for four to six hours, and heightens reflexes (Agility) by a similar amount. Unfortunately, it reduces the intelligence (Idea) and language ability (Persuade) of the user by 40%. Primary after effects include the mentioned coma-like deep sleep, and the mother of all hangovers. Balche Bark The bark of the BALCHE' tree (L. violaceus) was used in numerous rituals by the Maya, Lacandon, and Pokomchi peoples, who held it sacred. It is often brewed with honey water (which makes it a kind of mead). A large number of other herbs are often added to it, including Tobacco, Water Lilly (Nymphaea ampla or Nuphar luteum.), Thornapple (Datura spp.), spices (cocoa, vanilla, frangipani), toads (Bufo marinus and other spp.), and tree frogs (Dendrobates spp.). The choice of additional ingredients alters the effects substantially. Effects last eight to ten hours. The actual herbal beer contains 1-5% EtOH, and produces an intoxication similar to that of beer or other alcohols, with additional euphoric effects as well as other effects from the additional dissolved herbs. The ancient Maya practiced a ritual in which balche' was administered rectally. The Lacandon drink it in all-night bouts with thornapple (up to 17 liters in a period of two or three hours) that induce visions of the normally invisible domains. Balche' heightens perception, relaxes the muscles, empties the bowels and induces laughter. If large amounts of fresh bark are used, it acts as a mild psychedelic. In game terms Balche' has a wide set of possible effects. It gives the user every appearance of being seriously drunk (reduce HP by 10%, Idea and Resist by 20%). However, it also counteracts most poisons due to its purgative effects, increases Ka vision, Scrutinize, and Scan rolls in normal humans by 30%, and aids any medical roll by 30%, by easing pain and patient distress. Excessive use (which is hard to do according to the literature) causes loss of bowel control for several days, dehydration, and loss of drive. If Toads or Frogs were added, the user will experience heightened awareness of past lives (+50% to all rolls) and possibly gain knowledge which was forgotten or never even learned, but the player will have difficulty focusing on the present. Excessive use causes loss of contact with the present, or severe psycosis. If Water Lily was used, the user is considered to be protected from all forms of witchcraft and spirit presences, as well as acting as an aid to seeing such spirit presences.This may require a lot of GM interaction to play well. Excessive use causes respiratory paralysis. If spices were used, it tastes better. Betel Nut Betel Nut (Areca catechu) is one of the most popular drugs in the world, although few westerners have heard of it. Commonly called "supari" by the Hindus, and "ping lang" by the Chinese, it is a powerful CNS stimulant that aids physical labor and affects time perception. It is commonly mashed and mixed with lime for consumption, although the Malayans add nutmag, cardamon, or tumeric to flavor it. In India, it is commonly sold on the streets (without government control) as candy. Arecoline, the prime ingredient of the plant, is in the same group of compounds as muscarine, and thus shares some of the effects of consuming Fly Agaric. In Asia, the herb is commonly used as a means of intensifying journeys and ceremonial labors, but its attention-altering effects kill users with poor judgement every year, much like alcohol in the west. In game terms, this herb increases the user's work capacity (Con), so add 20% to it and 40% to Resist rolls, and add one action. All perception is enhanced (Ka vision +25%), and the mind fixes data easier, so any attempt to remember anything that happened while the player was under the influence is nearly certain. However, the user may not recognize something as important, or notice the severity of any injury recieved while under the influence, so always describe any injury to the player as if it was less severe than it is, and give them an altered amount of hit points lost, etc. Feel free to have any healers in the party notice the player's lack of concern. Keep track of the "hidden" points, and when the damage approaches the character's normal total, tell them that they are suddenly aware that they are VERY bady injured and give them every chance to survive this close call. the overall perceptual effect of the drug is to temporarily reduce Idea, Scan and Scrutinize rolls by 15% while under the influence, and to raise them and associated intelligence checks afterwards by 80%! Excessive use will cause dizziness, drunkeness, and diarrhea. Regular use damages the teeth from the lime, and semi-permanently stains the mouth, teeth, and gums a deep ruby red; but the stains are considered quite attractive in some asian countries. This drug is the original source idea for the memory drug from Frank Herbert's novel Dune. -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial discussion forum for Chaosium's Games. To submit an article, subscribe, or unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.org. 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