Chaosium Digest Volume 14, Number 1 Date: Sunday, April 14, 1996 Number: 1 of 4 Contents: Announcement: Optifex (Michael C. LaBossiere) CALL OF CTHULHU Nephilim Australis Incogito, Part 1 (Timothy Ferguson) NEPHILIM Editor's Note: This time around, a short announcement of a new mailing list, and then a Nephilim magnum opus. You'll find in four parts a terrific article detailing Nephilim in Australia. For the coming weeks, I've got some old Nephilim material and some new Pendragon adventures pending, but contributions are still wanted. Call of Cthulhu and Elric! contributors have been especially quiet recently. Shannon -------------------- From: Subject: Announcement: Optifex System: Call of Cthulhu Opifex Bi-Monthly Contributors' Guidelines, 1996 Michael C. LaBossiere, ontologist@aol.com Kelly Rothenberg, Lemarchand@aol.com General Information Opifex Bi-Monthly is a bi-monthly electronic magazine (ezine) which is distributed in pdf format. The ezine is free and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or other software capable of viewing pdf files. Adobe Acrobat is free and is available on most online services and from Adobe (www.adobe.com). Opifex Bi-Monthly has four major sections. The first section is dedicated primarily to horror and science fiction games, such as Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu. The second section is given over to horror and science fiction short stories. The third section focuses on computers and the final section is dedicated to miscellaneous articles and topics. Opifex Bi-Monthly welcomes submissions of original text and graphics. For more information: Email Fiction: Kelly Rothenberg, Lemarchand@aol.com Games & everything else: Michael C. LaBossiere, ontologist@aol.com WWW http://user.aol.com/ontologist/web/opifex.obm.html -------------------- From: Timothy Ferguson Subject: Nephilim Australis Incogito, Part 1 System: Nephilim Over the last month or so, I've asked Chaosium for permission to adapt material from _Terror Australis_, a _Call of Cthulhu_ supplement, for the _Nephilim_ game. The material presented here is copyrighted to Chaosium, or to the authors of the original work, Penelope Love or Mark Morrison. Those parts not borrowed are mine. I apologize for any spelling errors, but my spell-checker chokes up on the Aboriginal words in this work. NEPHILIM AUSTRALIS INCOGNITO CONTENTS A Note About Game Mechanics V14.1 Indigenous Metamorphoses V14.1 Fire V14.1 Air V14.1 Namaradoo Jannok Water V14.1 Serpent Bunyip (Muldjelwangk) Moon V14.2 Snake Black Dog Earth V14.2 Mimi Nybol Alcheringa: The Dreaming V14.2 Waking from the Dream Agartha: Whitefella Dreaming? Dreaming: Asking spirits to do magic for you V14.3 The First Circle: Australia The Three Rings: Geography, Singing and People The Second Circle: Alcheringa The Three Rings: Travel, Trade-Paths and Devotions The Third Circle: Abstracts The Dream of Gondwana? Creatures of Alcheringa and Australia. V14.3 Arkaroo: Snake People The Dead Female Maneaters: Local Bab Yaga or Baen Sidhe? Jambuwal: Thunder Man Kurpannga: The Devil Dingo Little People Narghun: Monstrous Boulders Namarrkon: The Lightning Spirit Ninya: Ice Men of Mount Conor Ngarang: What Australia does for Dryads Quinkans: Guardians of Sacred Places Whowie: Great Lizards Wulguru: Death Incarnate Prior Incarnations in Australia V14.4 Pre-Contact Australia Robusta Human Torres Straight Islander Hunter (Male) Gatherer (Female) Age of Discovery. Maccassan Trader Marine Sailor Early Sydney Convict from Urban Background Convict from Rural Background Marine Sailor Officer The European Expansion Overlander The Gold Rushes Urban gold-digger Immigrant Gold-digger Licenese Inspector Bushranger The Depression Town Labourer Town Professional Farmer Swagman Federation Urban labourer Urban Professional Bush Poet Early politician Farmer Boer War Soldier The Great War The Second World War The Mineral Boom The Vietnam War The Nineteen Eighties and Nineties A NOTE ABOUT GAME MECHANICS The Nephilim of Australia are a mixture of indigenous spirits, European immigrants and Asian arrivals. In this material, descriptions of Asian Nephilim will assume that they are essentially identical to their European counterparts, as official supplements concerning them are not yet available. Once an Asian supplement is released, I'll try to design a supplement for this work. Aboriginal Nephilim will be described using a variant of the European model. INDIGENOUS METAMORPHOSES The ancestor spirits of the aboriginal tribes who shaped the land and lay within it are not easily classified into groups. Many of them take animal shapes, so that the Nephilim of one area might, for instance, always manifest themselves in a particular species of bird. In designing the groups below I've tried to find slightly more anthromorphic creatures who are generally not ancestor-spirits. I haven't had the opportunity to track down the original myths from which the "Terror Australis" descriptions are taken, so these should be considered adaptions of aboriginal lore, rather than accurate representations. That is, the personality traits are just what seemed right to me at the time, so they may not display traditional behaviours. Early in Australia's history, members of the Strength Arcanum went there and misidentified many indigenous Nephilim as Khaiba sufferers. In conjunction with Arcanum who desired to steal local magic and sacred places, they pitted themselves against the Aborigines, aiding the white invasion. As they possessed Orichalka, a foreign substance in this country since ore-smithing had never been developed, their pogrom was terribly successful in some areas. Eventually, an informal compromise was reached, with the two groups ceasing to attack each other. In modern times, the odd Australian Nephilim are occassionally used as aces in the hole against Eurocentric secret societies. The Tower Arcanum, for instance, greatly damaged one section of the Illuminati by having a Nybol paint a pentacle on his chest and pretend to be a homoculus. Fire I couldn't find any good myths concerning Fire creatures except that of the Rainbow Man, which is a little like the Prothemean myth. Even the myth of the creation of the Sun that I'm familiar with does not involve fire, since the Sun is made of spilled yolk. Air Namaradoo (Higher Air) "...their bodies are very thin, only flesh held together with sinew. They have thick hair and pointed jaws containing rows of interlocking teeth. Instead of fingers and toes they have long claws, and they fly through the night making whistling noises. If the sounds of their progress is heard overhead, the only way to avoid notice is to stand very still; otherwise they shoot their long claws at you. (Northern Australia)" -Terror Australis, p.38 Namaradoo are made up of five passions, like other Nephilim. Energetic: As the creature becomes more and more energentic, they become able to transmit energy to the air around them, creating winds which can, once this passion reaches 16+, lift them through the air. The winds alter its voice, so that it becomes a hollow whistle. Proud: As a Namaradoo's pride increases it becomes taller, towering above others. Reckless: Once this creature becomes truly reckless it can, and likes to, fire its claws at those nearby. A claw strike does 1d3+3 damage and without the assistance of elevation the maximum range for this attack is 50 meters, although this can be increased, if the creature has control over winds due to its Energetic passion, to 200 meters. Hands so changed have sharp, needle-like claws which emerge from the centre of the end of the fingers. Uncaring: As this passion increases the Namaradoo becomes increasingly emaciated. It ceases to maintain its body, so its internal organs shut down and are excreted. Although Namaradoo can drink and eat, they draw nutrients through their skin. Atlhough it looks normal to casual obsevers, microscopically stoma develop on the surface of the skin, like the gas-pores on leaves. Namaradoo begin to smeall like dried leaf litter at this point. Unpredictable: As the creature becomes increasingly unpredictable it begins to seem more fearsome of those nearby. It develops nasty teeth and claws instead of finger and toenails. These claws do an extra point of damage in a "Kick" or "Punch" attack, although they do far more when shot using the Reckless passion, as noted above. A Natural Phenomenon: The whistle of the wind. A Metal: What are metals? (Mercury) An Animal: The flying fox. A Colour: Midnight blue. A Mythological Being: Wing-sandaled Hermes. A Famous Human Being: The first skydiver. A Human Activity: Falling out of trees. A Work of Art: Time-lapse film of cloud formations. A Weapon: A nail-gun. An Object: Thistledown Jannoks (Lower Air) "Bird-like human hybrid-things. Their heads, backs and the edges of their arms bristle with feathers, and their scaly legs end in three-toed claws. Their heads are a repulsive combination of broad horn beak and human skulls." -Terror Australis, p.42. Private: As Jannoks come to value their privacy they become less substantial. Their bones become light and flexible and the outlines of their bodies cease to be sharply defined. Once this score reaches 16+ a Jannok inside a willy-willy is invisible to normal vision. Destructive: Jannoks like picking things up, carrying them for a way, then dropping them. It's unlucky to watch a willy-willy to see where it is going. Those who stare at willy-willies get cursed by the passing Jannoks, just in case this signifies that the person is spying on them with Ka vision. As the Jannok becomes more Destructive, its feet change to become birdlike, gaining the wicked kick of the Emu or Cassowary, which does an added two points on to of the usual amount. Rebellious: As the Jannok dedicates itself to the overcoming of structures, it deforms itself, by denying the correctness of its skeleton. Horrible deformities ensue, most notably to the skull, which grows avian extensions. The voice of the Jannok grows raucous and varies unpredictably in pitch and tone. Unpredictable: As the creature becomes more suprising, it begins to develop ugly plumage on its head, shoulders and upper arms. Angels find Jannoks particularly disgusting. Energetic: The vibrance of the Jannok allows it to create and control whirlwinds, or willy-willies, which it can, once its score reaches 16+, ride from place to place. There whirlwinds can also be directed to blow about things, tangle up humans and so forth, so long as they are within sight pof the Jannok. A willy-willy can be destroyed, but this requires attacks with weapons that do not impale and that do 21 points of damage. Things that cut the air currents, like fans for instance, do great damage to willy-willies. Jannoks who can make willy-willies smell like dust carried on a dry breeze. A Natural Phenomenon: Willy-willies. A Metal: Aluminum chip-wrappers tossed in the breeze. An Animal: A bird that soars on thermals. A Colour: Cassowary blue. A Mythological Being: An efreet. A Famous Human Being: Icarus. A Human Activity: Hand-gliding. A Work of Art: Digerido music. A Weapon: The returning boomerang. An Object: An electrical fan. Water Serpent (Higher Water) There is a tradition from the Uluru area that there was, long ago, a war between the venemous and non-venemous snakes. Additionally, Australian myths are filled with references to snake-spirits, many of which, although dangerous, are benificent. The Rainbow Serpent was a terrifying creature, well able to create enormous destruction, but, after all of that, it was the bringer of waters and the symbol of the fertile earth. Those who knew its rituals were able to placate and beseech it. It has none of the deceptiveness of the Snake, so I have made it and its kind the other side in the war at Uluru. Calm: Serpents are cunning, speculative creatures. They are not poisonous and they know that success requires careful planning, not wild strikes. As the Serpent becomes calmer, the temperature of its blood falls down many degrees, so that it seems cold-blooded. Calm Serpents choose not to speak often, reducing their speech to a few, key, expressive sentences. Honorable: The Serpent expects people to interact with it through a series of ceremonies that are of ancient vintage. As it begins to fulfil its role in the social contract with humans, it begins to fill out its serpentine shape, losing its arms and legs and becoming incredibly flexible. It also changes gender if the simulacrum is male, going through a period of hemephadotism during this process. Once this transformation is properly progressed, the Serpent gains a constricting attack, used in conjunction with the grapple skill, which does 1d3 per round ignoring flexible armour like chainmail or fencer's pads. For this particular attack, the grapple skill is boosted by the Serpent's flexibility, so that it is 50% higher than its skills might otherwise indicate. Once the Serpent has successfully entangled a target, they may not resist the attack in following rounds unless they succeed in an opposed Strength check. Private: As the Serpent becomes increasingly reclusive, it develops hard scales which are smooth and dry to the touch. Spiritual: As the eyes of the Serpent are opened to spiritual matters, its pupils change shape, becoming slits, and the sclera merges with the yellow iris of the eye. Additionally, a membrane as transparent as truths already mastered forms over the eye. Vengeful: When roused from its slumbers of quiet thoughts, the Serpent can lead storms from the North upon its enemies. It can, once its passion reaches 16+, create deluges and call lightning and hail down upon an area it considers accursed. These effects are not controlled sufficiently to target a single person or even a small building directly, but cathedrals and skyscrapers are fair game, as is the entire area within line of sight. These natural effects do not harm Serpents. Serpents with this power are surrounded by a cloud of ozone, which awaits their call to become the core of a thunderhead. A Natural Phenomenon: Storms. A Stone: Opal. An Animal: A python. A Colour: The colours of the rainbow. A Mythological Being: The Rainbow Serpent A Famous Human Being: A Human Activity: Cloud-seeding. A Work of Art: Bark paintings. A Weapon: a Wadi An Object: A shell of mother-of-pearl. Bunyip (Lower Water) "Bunyips are something like a crocodille and something like an enormous seal. Their eyes are like glowing coals, and their hide is an unwholesome mixture of fur, scale and feather. They swim with powerful flippers and on land walk on hind legs, towering twelve or more feet tall. They are soundless except for their hunting cry, which can be as dire and desolate as death or a savage roaring paean of hate, rage and hunger. They have long claws and hug their prey to death. They prefer eating women to men. They have control over bodies of water, and can suddenly raise or lower water levels to suit their whim. Proof of their supernatural nature is that they can never be successfully photographed." -Terror Australis, p.41. Bunyips were originally hunted by the Strength Arcanum, along with Nybols and Jannoks, under the assumption that they were Nephilim in Khaiba. This belief was reassessed when a Bunyip, hard-pressed by a Strength Arcanum hunting expedition, went into Khaiba and suffered gigantism, becoming a monster over fourty feet long. The Strength Arcanum has since given up hunting the metamorphoses described in this chapter. GMs should note that Bunyips are enormously powerful in melee combat. Unlike most metamorpheses, which get two magical abilities due to their emotions, the bunyip gets four. If you want to reduce this, then cut down on the statistic bonuses and declare the water-breathing and water control powers to be Sorcerous, bringing them back to two powers. Angry: The Anger of the Bunyip is seen in its burning eyes. As the anger is bottled inside it stretches the body of the Bunyip to inhuman proportions. At an Angry score of 16+ the statistics of a Bunyip are: STR: 10d6+10 (that is, add 8d6+4 to the Simulacrum's) CON: 4d6+12 (add d6+6) DEX: 3d6+6 (add 6) These substitute for the Ka-element bonus if they are higher than it, which is generally the case. Those Nephilim finding inspiration in their Anger so that the score rapidly goes above 16 are highly reminiscent of Nephilim suffering an attack of gigantism. You may wonder how you can have a 12' monster in your campaign. Well, it's sort of like having a character with fully developed wings or transparent skin and internal organs. It's an extreme that skillful players will need to work their way around. Conservative: Bunyips remember a time before water-pumps and irrigation schemes, when the waters of the great rivers were free and pure. Mourning for the loss of their home is the source of the hunting cry of the modern Bunyip. Apart from this, they are silent, seeing speech as an "Airy" sort of thing. Misanthropic: The greater the hatred of humans in these creatures, the more beastial they become. They grow strange body coverings like feathers and develop flippers in the place of their hands and feet. Deceitful: Animals and birds trust a deceitful Bunyip, living near its billabong so that humans think it safe to drink from. Deceitful creatures of this type can lie in wait for months under the water, hiding themselves from observation. This is aided by their simulacrum's capacity to survive in either air or water equally well. Bunyips do not have gills, however, just adapted lungs. Bunyips have burrows leading out of their billbongs which allow them to travel a fair distance away from it to suprise their victims. A Bunyip who is Deceitful can raise or lower the water level in a billabong, or bathtub or swimming pool, as it wishes. Decitful Bunyips are sometimes betrayed by their scent, which is of muddy water, even when dry and far from their billabongs. Destructive: Bunyips who are feeling Destructive grow enormous claws which they use to hug creatures to death. They also develop rows of serrated teeth. Their bite does 1d10 damge, plus 5d6 if Angry. Their hug does 5d6, but only if Angry. A Natural Phenomenon: Monsoonal flooding. A Stone: Haematite An Animal: The Platypus. A Colour: Muddy brown. A Mythological Being: Scylla (or do I mean Charbodys?). A Famous Human Being: The jolly swagman who camped by a billabong under the shade of a coolabah tree. A Human Activity: Drowning. A Work of Art: Cave paintings. A Weapon: The hand. An Object: A "No Swimming" sign, carefully submerged. Muldjelwangk (Lower Water) The Muldejelwangk are huge Australian Tritons. You should use them instead of, or as well as, Bunyips. They are given as an alternative since Bunyips are rather potent creatures and some Gamesmasters may not wish to include them in their campaigns. -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial electronic 'zine about Chaosium's Games. In no way should it be considered representative of the views or beliefs of Chaosium Inc. To submit an article, subscribe or unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.org. The old digests are archived on ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP.