Chaosium Digest Volume 20, Number 4 Date: Sunday, July 6, 1997 Number: 1 of 2 Contents: The Branch Wise (Lawrence Whitaker) ELRIC! Bionics & Cybernetics (Dany St-Pierre) CTHULHUPUNK Editor's Note: Just two issues this week. In V20.4, a cult for Elric!, and more CthulhuPunk equipment. In V20.5, everything you wanted to know about Mi-Go, but were afraid to ask: the Mythos Card File and a Mi-Go deck. Send your articles for the next issue! Shannon NEW RELEASES: * Call of Cthulhu - _Secrets_ (Chaosium, 48 pg., $8.95) by Brian M. Sammons, is Chaosium's second Fright Night scenario book. The four 1990s scenarios in this book are each designed to be played in a single night of play. (The first Fright Night book was _The Compact Trail of Tsathoggua_.) RECENT BOOKS OF NOTE: * Call of Cthulhu - _Titus Crow: Volume Two_ (TOR, 318 pg., $24.95) by Brian Lumley is the second book collecting the Titus Crow series. It contains _The Clock of Dreams_, a journey into Lovecraft's Dreamlands, and _Spawn of the Winds_, the first of two novels concerning the battle against Ithaqua on an alien planet. Says the dust jacket "written with verve and brio". The third and final volume in this series is scheduled for later this year. NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES: The Mythos Mailing List mailto: majordomo@chaosium.com There's a brand new mailing list now, just for the discussion of Mythos. If you'd like to subscribe, mail to majordomo@chaosium.com. Include in the body of the message either the command "subscribe mythos" or "subscribe mythos-digest" Other Erzo.Org Mailing Lists mailto: majordomo@chaosium.com Other erzo.org Chaosium-related mailing lists have also moved to chaosium.com. These include nephilim and nephilim-digest (a discussion list for the Nephilim RPG), glorantha-digest (a discussion list for Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha), and chaos-info (an information list, which includes the montly R'lyeh Report, listing all the most recent news from Chaosium). To subscribe to any of these, mail majordomo@chaosium.com, and include the command "subscribe listname", where listname is nephilim, nephilim-digest, glorantha-digest, or chaos-info. The old erzo.org subscription lists have been carried over intact. -------------------- From: Lawrence Whitaker <100520.3552@CompuServe.COM> Subject: The Branch Wise System: Elric! The Branch Wise - A Cult for Elric! Characters in the Unknown East By Lawrence Whitaker This cult write-up gives information on the cult of Ish'ish'a'maal, Changshai's Lady of the Trees. It is tailored to Unknown East adventurers, but could, with work, be adapted for use in the Young Kingdoms. Possession of, or access to, _The Unknown East_ supplement is therefore an advantage. Cult Structure The Lady of the Trees is worshipped almost exclusively in Changshai, in the continent of Menastree, although Her worship is also known in Eshmir, Nisvalni-Oss, and parts of Anakhazan. No temples exist to Ish'ish'a'maal, but shrines are many. These shrines take the form of particularly old trees which are revered by either individuals or whole communities who build their settlements around the chosen tree. No formal priesthood conducts worship: people worship Her in their own ways, but observe Her teachings and do nothing to unfairly harm the forests. In Changshai, worship of Ish'ish'a'maal is more or less confined to those who are still loyal to the Drei Myur; Kaleg Vogun's followers having forsaken Her for other, less benevolent Gods. Why Ish'ish'a'maal Is Grome needed to clothe the world, for it was naked. So he created the lady Ish'ish'a'maal and charged Her with creating the trees and plants that would cover the world's nakedness and protect its soils. Ish'ish'a'maal thus gave birth to the trees and plants, and foremost of these were the trees, for they followed Her form. The flowers and other plants she created so that the clothes of the world would know beauty and grace. Ish'ish'a'maal continues to protect Her creations, for the world cannot be allowed to go naked. She communicates with the world through the whistling of the wind through the branches of the trees, and through the colours and scents of the flowers. In all these things can be seen Her beauty, and in understanding their forms, so one can divine Ish'ish'a'maal's will. The Branch Wise Despite its lack of a priesthood, Ish'ish'a'maal's cult has a small, particularly devout sect of worshippers. These are the Branch Wise, individuals who have dedicated their lives to the study of Ish'ish'a'maal's teachings and the way she communicates with the world. The Branch Wise do not preach or attempt to make converts. They protect the forest in Her name, and, in return for their devotion, receive particular gifts and knowledge. The Branch Wise do not distinguish themselves from commoners for certain reasons (see "Perils of Being Branch Wise" below), but are marked by Ish'ish'a'maal as being true to her. If the fingernails of a Branch Wise are examined closely, the observer may notice a greenish-tinge to the skin beneath the nail. This tinge grows deeper the longer one has been Branch Wise. The eldest Branch Wise have fingernails that are the colour of pale oak leaves. Becoming Branch Wise First, one must locate someone with Branch Wisdom. This is not always easy, but one possible way is described later. Then, one must persuade the Branch Wise of one's serious intentions to attain Branch Wisdom. This requires three successful Charisma rolls, or one Charisma roll with a critical success. Before Branch Wisdom is taught, the individual must prove one's devotion to Ish'ish'a'maal. In game terms this is summarised as follows: * 90% or greater in each of Climb, Natural World, and Scent/Taste skills * APP + POW of at least 30 * To have lived exclusively within a forest for at least 1 year * To have planted and protected a number of trees equal to APP during the course of 1 year * To have passed the initiation ceremony successfully. In games terms, this means a successful roll of POW x2 or less if the previous criteria have been met. If this roll fails, the prospective initiate must complete a task set by an existing Branch Wise and may reapply for initiation after 1 year. Those accepted into the ranks of the Branch Wise receive the following gifts and knowledge. * Increase of 30 percentiles in Natural World, 20 percentiles in Scent/Taste, and 15 percentiles in Climb * Teaching of the Bark Speech language, initially 15%, with a further increase of 1D6% each year. * Teaching of the Wind Song language, initially 10%, with a further increase of 1D6% each year. * Instruction in the magical teachings of Ish'ish'a'maal. In game terms, this provides a Branch Wise character with a specialisation in the Sphere of Flora, and any Rune. Branch Wise are forbidden to learn any other Spheres, although because Ish'ishi'a'maal taught the Sphere of Flora to Melnibone, any magic cast by Branch Wise does NOT attract any Chaos points, although there are no other gains for the other boxes. The casting of magic is exactly as described in the Magic chapter of The Unknown East. This magical training takes a full year of uninterrupted instruction in the company of a skilled Branch Wise magician. If, through gains in INT, a Branch Wise chooses to seek training in another Rune of Power, then a further 6 months of dedicated training is required to learn the new Rune. * The 5 secrets of Ish'ish'a'maal are told to the Branch Wise. Revealing these secrets to anyone without either Ish'ish'a'maal's direct permission, or the unanimous agreement of all other Branch Wise, is punishable by death. The 5 Secrets of Ish'ish'a'maal The trees, being long-lived, know many things. Through the winds, they can communicate over great distances, and the information they discover is given to Ish'ish'a'maal. So it is that Ish'ish'a'maal knows things forgotten by mankind, or known by only a very few. Of the things she knows, five secrets hold great importance for the world, and so that the Branch Wise might work on Her behalf, she teaches these secrets to them. * The location of the Dragons of Menastree - When Melnibone left Menastree, it did so in a hurry and was unable to wake several of its dragons from their slumber. Melnibone has now forgotten these dragons, who still slumber in caves beneath the Shenkh Mountains. Ish'ish'a'maal knows their whereabouts, and how to wake them. * The location of the Lost City of Spharain - Spharain was the greatest of the Menastrai cities, but was besieged when Melnibone conquered Menastree. Rather than surrender its secrets, of which it has many, Yragael, last Prince of the Menastrai, hide the city using complex magics. Many have sought in vain for Spharain, but Ish'ish'a'maal knows where it is and how to reach it. * The location of the four treasures of the Menastrai - Granted to the Menastrai by the Balance, these are the Globe of Future Nations (held by Anakhazan), the Greatsword of Yragael (in the lost city of Spharain), the Crucible of Fate (in a deserted city at the bottom of the Tears of the Land), and the Scales of Equity (held by the Valederian senate, although they do not know the importance of this treasure). The four treasures of the Menastrai, when brought together into the hands of a Champion of the Balance, provide a gateway to the world depicted by the Globe of Future Nations. It is believed that, come the End of the World, those loyal to the Balance (and Ish'ish'a'maal, for she too is loyal) can leave this world and move safely into the next. * The Calling of Ish'ish'a'maal - This song, which can only be used once in a Branch Wise's lifetime, summons Ish'ish'a'maal to his or her aid. The song itself is a low, hushed, series of sounds that resembles the speeding wind through the trees of a forest. As the song reaches its end (and it takes 5 combat rounds to sing), Ish'ish'a'maal may appear, rising from the earth in all her glorious splendour. A successful Wind Song roll is needed, along with a roll of POW x3 or less on 1D100. If only one of the rolls succeeds, Ish'ish'a'maal does not hear the song. If both rolls succeed, Ish'ish'a'maal manifests and provides whatever aid the Branch Wise requires before returning to the soil. If one of the rolls is a critical success, not only does Ish'ish'a'maal manifest, but she also gifts the Branch Wise with 1D3 points of POW. If both rolls are a critical success, the POW gain is doubled (ie, 1D3 and multiply the result by 2). Ish'ish'a'maal's form is that of a huge, but incredibly beautiful woman with smooth skin the colour of silver birch, her hair formed from a vast mane of golden oak leaves, and her body covered in ivy, moss and clematis, which climbs around her in a shimmering girdle of orange and gold. Ish'ish'a'maal is, like most manifestations of Gods, immune to any physical attack, and can only be harmed or injured by either another elemental lord, lord of Law, lord of Chaos, or a demon with a POW characteristic numbering 20D8 or greater. Ish'ish'a'maal can destroy physical objects, but, not being a Goddess of destruction tries not to. Nor will she take any action that would offend Lord Grome, or aid either Lord Straasha or the Lords of Chaos. If a Branch Wise attempts to invoke Ish'ish'a'maal to do any of these things, the summoning fails automatically. Perils of the Branch Wise The Tanghensi of Kaleg Vogun, Changshai's usurper, seek to capture the Branch Wise in order to learn the 5 secrets. So far they have failed, but many Branch Wise have died in Vogun's torture chambers. The Branch Wise can rely upon the Royalist forces of Drei Myur for protection, but they are not always around, and cannot devote considerable resources to protecting such a small sect. The Branch Wise are also targets of the Knights of Tumbru, Phum's warrior-priests. They seek the 5 secrets too, but more importantly, the 4 treasures of the Menastrai. They seek to subvert these treasures to the ends of Chaos, and several Knights are known to be actively involved in this quest. For these reasons, the Branch Wise rarely meet together, and spend much of their time engaged in their work either in the company of the non-Branch Wise or alone. Sometimes a Branch Wise will actively employ bodyguards if he or she believes there is a Tanghensi or Tumbru threat, and this is one way that adventurers and potential Branch Wise initiates might come into contact with Branch Wisdom. Duties of the Branch Wise The Branch Wise must perform the following services: * Never allow any tree to be wilfully harmed by any individual, without good cause. * Plant one sapling for every tree felled. * Observe Ish'ish'a'maal's holy days (first day of Spring, first day of winter) and fast on these days. * Keep secret the 5 secrets of Ish'ish'a'maal. * Dwell only in the forests and never within a town or city. * Take part in any deed or service that aids directly the Lord Straasha. * Never contradict the deeds or services conducted in either the name of Ish'ish'a'maal or Lord Grome. New Skills Bark Speech (00%) Taught only to the Branch Wise, this secret language is used whenever two or more Branch Wise meet. There is no written form of the language. Its sound is a complicated sequence of rasping consonants and emphasised vowels which is quite discordant when compared to pande. It is not a difficult language to learn, but can take a life time to master. It can only be improved through training, not by experience. Wind Song (00%) Taught, again, only to the Branch Wise, this is the language of the trees and plants as the wind flows through them. It has no written form. Those fluent in Wind Song may listen to what the trees say, and through this, hear the knowledge of Ish'ish'a'maal herself. Furthermore, Wind Song allows the speaker to understand the variations in colour and scents of other flora, which do not use the wind to communicate. Wind Song can be increased through experience. Branch Wise Adventurers There is nothing to prevent any Elric! Adventurers, either from Menastree or the Young Kingdoms, from attaining Branch Wisdom, as long as they have the necessary requisites, as described in the section "Becoming Branch Wise". If any adventurer who seeks Branch Wisdom has been loyal to another cult, then they must renounce it immediately. The initiation roll for such characters is POW/2 or less on 1D100. Any spells or magical knowledge they have is retained, but if it is used in any manner that might conflict with Ish'ish'a'maal's teachings, then they are automatically stripped of their Branch Wisdom. Notes for Gamesmasters The 5 secrets of Ish'ish'a'maal should be kept from your players unless one or more attains Branch Wisdom. May Grome and Ish'ish'a'maal curse you if they are revealed. The secrets can be used as the basis for whole campaigns, either with Branch Wise adventurers or a Branch Wise NPC employing the adventurers to help. For this reason, the whereabouts of the Dragons of Menastree, Spharain, and the four treasures, have been left deliberately vague. Place them where you will, and guard them as fiercely as you wish. Send hordes of Tanghensi and Knights of Tumbru after anyone who embarks on a quest to find any of the secrets. Final Notes When writing The Unknown East, it was my intention to include this level of detail for other Eastern cults: the Elithior, the beast cults of the Valni, etc. I encourage Elric! players and referees to develop these cults and either post them to the digest, or contact me so that I can compile such a codex for Menastree. Whatever you do, I hope the cult of Ish'ish'a'maal and the Branch Wise adds something to your Elric! campaigns. -------------------- From: Dany St-Pierre Subject: Bionics & Cybernetics System: CthulhuPunk These article is inspired by the cyber of Reindeer Games TWERPS campaign book 4 Robo-Punks. Its simplicity is perfect for a CthulhuPunk games. I have only slighty modified it in Cthulhu game terms. It's a good base for a street-samurai investigator pc or npc. Each bionic part is followed by a parenthetical number. This is the Sanity Loss for the investigator when he acquires the bionic part. BIONICS Bionic Arms & Hands: ARM (1D3): a mechanical arm which increases a characters STRength for all actions x 1.5; when used in pairs, the Strength is x2 for all actions. CLAWS (1D2): foot-long blades which pop out of the character's forearm. Base chance: 15%, damage: 1D8+1+db, 1 attack per round. FINGER TOOLS (1D2 each): A variety of tools that can be built into a bionic hand. FINGER CAMERA:Ideal to see or shoot in corners. FINGER CUTTING TORCH: 1D8 (10+cloth, fire%). FINGER DART-GUN: Base chance: 15%, damage: 2D6+1+drugs or toxins, base range:20, attacks per round: 1, shots: 1, mal:88. FINGER DERRINGER: Base chance:20%, damage: 1D6, base range: 3, attacks per round: 2, shots 2, mal:00. FINGER DRILL: damage: 1D6+2. FINGER FLASHLIGHT FINGER LOCKPICK FINGER SCREWDRIVER GUN (1D4): arm option with a built in gun. Base chance: 20% damage: 1D8+1D4, base range: 20, shots: 10, Mal:00. REMOVABLE HAND (1D2): Allows player to add any number of finger tools (see below) simply by removing the unit and attaching the appropriate appendage. TELESCOPING EXTENSION (1D4): telescoping bionic arm that can extend 1 hex. Bionic Bodies: ARMOR (1D6): Built-in armor protection (5 points of armor). CENTAUR (1D6): replaces lower torso with a set of four legs (movementx3) Bionic Ears: EARS (1D2): lets character hear much better (listen +25%). CELLULAR PHONE (1D2): ear option that has a tendency to ring at the worst times. RADAR (1D3): Ear option that allows the character to know his or her surroundings without actually having to see them. Characters with radar cannot be suprised from behind, and receive no penalties for working in complete darkness. Bionic Eyes: EYES (1D2): lets character see much better (spot hidden +25%). MICRO-CAMERA (1d2): eye option with removable digital film. TARGETING COMPUTER (1D2): eye option, +10% to hit with any gun. Bionic Legs: LEG (1D3): a mechanical leg which, when used in a pair, increases a character's movement x2. ROCKETS (1D6): when used with a pair of bionic legs, allows short- distance flight at movement x2. SKATES (1D2): when used with a pair of bionic legs, +2 movement on smooth surfaces. SPEED ENHANCEMENT (1D6): when used with a pair of bionic legs, increases movement enhancement to x3. TELESCOPING EXTENSION (1D5): when usedwith a pair of bionic legs, increases characters height by x3. Cyber Attachments: CHIPJACK (1D2/slot): allows PCs to use skill chips (max number = POW) CYBEREMOTE (1D2): remote control device that can control vehichles equipped with a vehicle remote. CYBERINTERFACE (1D6): allows PCs to interface with a computer linked to cyberspace. DANY CARNIFEX ST PIERRE --