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Showing posts with label Zalchis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zalchis. Show all posts
Friday, October 10, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Working on Zalchis...
These are a couple of samples of some of the illustrations in progress for the upcoming Zalchis thingy. Since the recent hard-drive crash, I'm re-building the character sheets and hope to have them ready in time for Con of the North.
The image above is one of the Spires that project inwards along the Inner Surface of the Great Ring, in this case, one of this Spire was recently broken by a rogue moon.
The image on the right is what is left of an ancient orbital fortress. The Cold Start game starts at the lowest tip of this object...
Friday, January 10, 2014
Shollog (Zalchis)
Shollog
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 300' (Projection)
Armor Class: 9
Hit Dice: 12
Attacks: 1 (Bite)
Damage: 4d4*
Save: F12
Morale: 11
Special: Unaffected by Charm or Sleep spells. They can only attack with their bite once every other round. *Shollog are able to swallow prey whole on an attack roll of 19 or 20. Those swallowed whole suffer 2d4 damage and must Save or age 1d100 years, per Round. After 2d4 Turns, the victim has passed beyond the reach of the beasts fore-parts, and is effectively beyond rescue.
Shollog are ponderous, slow-moving creatures. The majority of their massive bulk is rooted deeply in the past and only the barest fraction of their fore-parts protrude into current-time. Those whom they swallow whole are slowly, excruciatingly pulled back in time, however few survive the experience as they also suffer accelerated aging simultaneously...
There are reports that the disrupted temporal energies surrounding Shollogs are somehow intensifying, as if the huge things were being dragged forward through time. some believe that these things are somehow 'burrowing' their way to the very point of collapse, perhaps as part of some weird migration...
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 300' (Projection)
Armor Class: 9
Hit Dice: 12
Attacks: 1 (Bite)
Damage: 4d4*
Save: F12
Morale: 11
Special: Unaffected by Charm or Sleep spells. They can only attack with their bite once every other round. *Shollog are able to swallow prey whole on an attack roll of 19 or 20. Those swallowed whole suffer 2d4 damage and must Save or age 1d100 years, per Round. After 2d4 Turns, the victim has passed beyond the reach of the beasts fore-parts, and is effectively beyond rescue.
Shollog are ponderous, slow-moving creatures. The majority of their massive bulk is rooted deeply in the past and only the barest fraction of their fore-parts protrude into current-time. Those whom they swallow whole are slowly, excruciatingly pulled back in time, however few survive the experience as they also suffer accelerated aging simultaneously...
There are reports that the disrupted temporal energies surrounding Shollogs are somehow intensifying, as if the huge things were being dragged forward through time. some believe that these things are somehow 'burrowing' their way to the very point of collapse, perhaps as part of some weird migration...
Intro to Zalchis | Zalchis Index | Zalchis Bestiary | Zalchis Grimoire
Player Resources: Zalchis | GM Resources: Zalchis
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Nadume of the Ashen Maze (Zalchis)
"It is also said, in a more quiet voice, among the nihilomads who send their young girls to wait at one of the sacred wells for Nadume, that she might teach them certain spells and grant them such blessings as are in her power to bestow. Of course such things come at a price. But what use is a soul, what value does it hold for those who prowl the fractured perimeters of broken universes, rifling through the ruins of shattered worlds and places that by rights ought not to exist any longer? Of course it is not only the Nihilomads who seek out Nadume. There are others who would bargain with Her..."
from: Elegy of the Ashen Maze
The Lady...
Not quite a goddess. More than any mere demon. Nadume walks a dim and twisting path haunted by more things than just ghosts. For a small quantity of your blood she can tell you your fate and for a portion of your soul she can help you to forget. She will condense your liver into a gem or armor your brain within a labyrinth of glistening metal, if you meet her price. She also knows how to open the way to many desolate and abandoned places where a clever person might find something of more than passing value. But one must be careful in bargaining with Nadume, for she has many uses for men's souls.
Lamias fear her, succubi revile her, the barren hags of the razor crags mock her, but none of them can claim to have rejected the Tyrant Himself, who once sought to make her one of his sacrificial concubines. It was on account of the unwanted advances of the Tyrant of Zalchis that Nadume first donned her smooth, silk-silver mask to conceal her once legendary beauty. No one has seen her face in over a thousand years. Some say that Nadume no longer has a face any more, that she has become an empty spirit, one cursed to spend the rest of what days remain wandering the ashen wastes where once a mighty forest grew...
The Ashen Maze...
Bitter, barren and twisted...the Ashen Maze is a place beyond mere death, past destruction. Once it may have been some sort of interstitial wilderness, a verdant place full of life and living things that coiled and wound about thousands of worlds and underneath or behind multitudes of universes. Oh it was a marvel to behold then. Before the Tyrant of Zalchis murdered a cosmos and brought death unto the Hidden Forest.
Zalchis. Uttering the name in this place smears broken glass in a festering wound. It is blasphemous to speak that name here where the cancerous mechanical influence of that damned and doomed place lingers like an open and gangrenous wound of malevolent sorcery and toxic spite. It also draws the attention of unsleeping, unliving things that endlessly prowl the burning and bleeding edges of this realm where the age-old wrath of the Tyrant continues unabated, implacable and relentless. The region of ashes grows. The Old Woods die. In their place an empty place of sour echoes and poison shadows grows.
The burning, the killing, the despoiling continues. It is the will of the Tyrant. It is the price of Nadume's freedom. It is the intolerable bargain she struck for Herself...
Nadume appears most like a humanoid female. Her silk-silver mask obscures her features, large, hollowed-out opals cover her eyes allowing her to Discern Souls, Detect Magic and possibly more. Her shadow will sometimes slip away on strange errands all on its own. Her gloved hands can either harm or heal for 2d6 per touch. Sometimes she wields a weapon. Usually she prefers her spells.
The Veiled Hags of Ashadan claim that Nadume is immortal and will survive the ultimate death of Zalchis. The Sibylls of Kalrush refuse to speculate about such things--they fear this woman who spurned the Tyrant. The other Powers active within Zalchis tend to ignore or dismiss Nadume as she is trapped within the Ashen Maze and of little consequence to their schemes. Most suspect that her realm will collapse into nothingness soon after the final ending of Zalchis. If not, it will be of no matter; the Tyrant's Wrath will not end with Zalchis, if anything it will continue to destroy her realm for the rest of forever. In that, if nothing else, Nadume has indeed achieved some measure of immortality.
Nadume trades in souls. She is revered by the Soulless, despised and reviled by those faiths that would claim their follower's souls for their own purposes. Her favor comes at a steep price. It is left to those who pay her to decide if it is worth the cost.
The Ashen Maze...
Bitter, barren and twisted...the Ashen Maze is a place beyond mere death, past destruction. Once it may have been some sort of interstitial wilderness, a verdant place full of life and living things that coiled and wound about thousands of worlds and underneath or behind multitudes of universes. Oh it was a marvel to behold then. Before the Tyrant of Zalchis murdered a cosmos and brought death unto the Hidden Forest.
Zalchis. Uttering the name in this place smears broken glass in a festering wound. It is blasphemous to speak that name here where the cancerous mechanical influence of that damned and doomed place lingers like an open and gangrenous wound of malevolent sorcery and toxic spite. It also draws the attention of unsleeping, unliving things that endlessly prowl the burning and bleeding edges of this realm where the age-old wrath of the Tyrant continues unabated, implacable and relentless. The region of ashes grows. The Old Woods die. In their place an empty place of sour echoes and poison shadows grows.
The burning, the killing, the despoiling continues. It is the will of the Tyrant. It is the price of Nadume's freedom. It is the intolerable bargain she struck for Herself...
Nadume
Symbol: Her name inscribed as a cartouche within an opal, usually in a dead language.
Talisman: Silk-Silver Mask
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120' (40')
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 14 (Regenerates 2 hp per Turn)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2d6 (Life Drain), or by weapon
Save: C14
Morale: 10
Immunities: Charm, Domination, Gaze Attacks, Hold, Hypnosis, Illusion, Sleep, and Trap the Soul.
In addition Nadume only takes half damage (none if she Saves) from poisons, toxins or venoms (including radiation).
She cannot be summoned, but she can be Communed With and Contacted, if one knows the proper spells or has access to one of her opals.
Nadume Turns Mechanical Organisms and Machines as a 14th Level Cleric turning undead. (see p. 9, Labyrinth Lord.)
She uses spells as a 14th level spell-caster. Spells per day: 6,5,5,4,3,3,0. She has access to a formidable repertoire of unique spells, some of which are featured in the three Glyph-posts (links directly below). Full details of Nadume's grimoire of spells will be provided in The Ashen Maze pdf.
Symbol: Her name inscribed as a cartouche within an opal, usually in a dead language.
Talisman: Silk-Silver Mask
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120' (40')
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 14 (Regenerates 2 hp per Turn)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2d6 (Life Drain), or by weapon
Save: C14
Morale: 10
Immunities: Charm, Domination, Gaze Attacks, Hold, Hypnosis, Illusion, Sleep, and Trap the Soul.
In addition Nadume only takes half damage (none if she Saves) from poisons, toxins or venoms (including radiation).
She cannot be summoned, but she can be Communed With and Contacted, if one knows the proper spells or has access to one of her opals.
Nadume Turns Mechanical Organisms and Machines as a 14th Level Cleric turning undead. (see p. 9, Labyrinth Lord.)
She uses spells as a 14th level spell-caster. Spells per day: 6,5,5,4,3,3,0. She has access to a formidable repertoire of unique spells, some of which are featured in the three Glyph-posts (links directly below). Full details of Nadume's grimoire of spells will be provided in The Ashen Maze pdf.
Nadume appears most like a humanoid female. Her silk-silver mask obscures her features, large, hollowed-out opals cover her eyes allowing her to Discern Souls, Detect Magic and possibly more. Her shadow will sometimes slip away on strange errands all on its own. Her gloved hands can either harm or heal for 2d6 per touch. Sometimes she wields a weapon. Usually she prefers her spells.
The Veiled Hags of Ashadan claim that Nadume is immortal and will survive the ultimate death of Zalchis. The Sibylls of Kalrush refuse to speculate about such things--they fear this woman who spurned the Tyrant. The other Powers active within Zalchis tend to ignore or dismiss Nadume as she is trapped within the Ashen Maze and of little consequence to their schemes. Most suspect that her realm will collapse into nothingness soon after the final ending of Zalchis. If not, it will be of no matter; the Tyrant's Wrath will not end with Zalchis, if anything it will continue to destroy her realm for the rest of forever. In that, if nothing else, Nadume has indeed achieved some measure of immortality.
Nadume trades in souls. She is revered by the Soulless, despised and reviled by those faiths that would claim their follower's souls for their own purposes. Her favor comes at a steep price. It is left to those who pay her to decide if it is worth the cost.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Malevolent Vestiges (Zalchis Bestiary)
Malevolent Vestige
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 200' (Immaterial/Levitation)
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 8+
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2d6, or 1d4 per Round within Area of Effect
Save: F8
Morale: 6
Special:Unaffected by Charm or Sleep spells. Completely silent, they Move Silently (80%), and if that fails it is because of the reverberation of their internal psychic echoes being felt by their prey. They cannot Hide in Shadows, as they are made up of phantasmal wisps of light and energy. Darkness spells cause them damage (usually 1d6 per level of caster). Continual Darkness forces them to Save or collapse into a form of gritty residue for 1d10 hours. Every 4 points of damage they inflict allows them to drain 1 point from any Attribute for the next 8 turns. Any Attribute drained to zero will cause the victim to become undead (CON), a mindless drone (INT), a quivering host (STR), a petrified fossil (DEX), a mind-draining voidskull (WIS), or a hideous residuum (CHAR).
Broken, fractured things that were once living, thinking beings. They are mindless emotional echoes now, the lingering psychoplasmic residue of the defunct, the fallen, the extinct. Pure instinct and reflex, intuitive and irrational, these vile remnants seek out the vulnerable and the weak to consume their lifeforce. They are the appetite that remains after all else has gone. And they will devour the mind, body and soul of the unwary if given half a chance.
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 200' (Immaterial/Levitation)
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 8+
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2d6, or 1d4 per Round within Area of Effect
Save: F8
Morale: 6
Special:Unaffected by Charm or Sleep spells. Completely silent, they Move Silently (80%), and if that fails it is because of the reverberation of their internal psychic echoes being felt by their prey. They cannot Hide in Shadows, as they are made up of phantasmal wisps of light and energy. Darkness spells cause them damage (usually 1d6 per level of caster). Continual Darkness forces them to Save or collapse into a form of gritty residue for 1d10 hours. Every 4 points of damage they inflict allows them to drain 1 point from any Attribute for the next 8 turns. Any Attribute drained to zero will cause the victim to become undead (CON), a mindless drone (INT), a quivering host (STR), a petrified fossil (DEX), a mind-draining voidskull (WIS), or a hideous residuum (CHAR).
Broken, fractured things that were once living, thinking beings. They are mindless emotional echoes now, the lingering psychoplasmic residue of the defunct, the fallen, the extinct. Pure instinct and reflex, intuitive and irrational, these vile remnants seek out the vulnerable and the weak to consume their lifeforce. They are the appetite that remains after all else has gone. And they will devour the mind, body and soul of the unwary if given half a chance.
Intro to Zalchis | Zalchis Index | Zalchis Bestiary | Zalchis Grimoire
Player Resources: Zalchis | GM Resources: Zalchis
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Spells of the First Glyph-Stone (Nadume/Zalchis)
Not just any opal, this precious stone pulses and flashes with the rhythms of a soul that resides within. It is, if anything, an animate object. A living thing. In its own way.
The Glyph-Stone is very much aware of its surroundings and awake, even intelligent. Often more so than those who would covet or carry the thing.
Psyche: 8, INT: 12, Willpower: 22, Morale: 10
AL N, AC 3, HD 4 (Withstands 36 points of damage before exploding in a 4d8 fireball).
Communication: ESP (30' radius) and Telepathy (touch).
Languages: Aklo, Ashadanix (Hag-Speech), Vorut, 1d4 random additional languages.
Detection Powers: Clairvoyance, Detect Magic, Read Languages, See Invisible.
Spell-Like Powers: Banishing Glyph: Disperse Saiitii Influence, Oneiric Bubble, Protection from Aethyrial Intrusion, Safeguard Against Outermost Forces, Thought Wall, and Zone of Normality.
Other Powers: Carrying the Gem will slow one's aging process by a 12-to-1 ratio, in other words every twelve years they only grow older by one year. Unless they lose the Gem, in which case they must make a Save for every deferred year of aging, each failure aging them one full year instantly.
The Gem will gladly bargain with anyone who carries it longer than an hour.
A Dubious Offer
For one year of the bearer's life, the Gem will teach them any of its Detection Powers as a spell, or it will teach them one of its Spell-like Powers for two years of their life. If the bearer knows Nadume's Mark, the Gem will settle for 1d4 months in exchange for any one of the spells.
What the Gem does not mention is that the time exchanged is not simply drained-away, it is the amount of time that the Gem is allowed to take possession of the body of the person making the bargain.
A Better Deal
The First Glyph can be used pretty much as one would use a Holy Word spell. It can be unlocked by those willing to make an investment of 1d4 hit points for an additional 5% chance to 'unlock' the First Glyph. Success in this effort imprints the First Glyph onto the psyche of the investor, making it a spell castable as any other in their repertoire, but outside of the usual spell-slots. It can be cast once per day, even when all the spell-slots are used-up. However, the glyph consumes one language slot. If the character does not have an open language slot, they will lose one of the languages they already have learned in order to accommodate the first glyph. Those who unlock the First Glyph accrue a cumulative 1% chance per month to access another spell from the Gem for a similar investment of hit points as before. In this manner one can avoid the Gem taking possession of their body.
A Final Offer
The Glyph-Stone can, if the one holding it so desires, transfer one of their non-physical Attributes (INT or WIS) into itself for safe-keeping. Doing this grants the bearer a permanent +4 bonus on all Saves against Mental, Emotional or Oneiric attacks or effects. It also renders them effectively immortal. They no longer age and gain a form of regeneration; they regain 1d8 hit points of damage per level of spell they sacrifice to the Gem. Spells sacrificed in this manner are permanently lost, so the Gem will suggest that they use other people's grimoires, not their personal spell-books. Scrolls deliver double the usual amount. The Gem can also teach them how to drain magical items in order to convert those energies into replenished hit points. If asked correctly, the Gem can also reveal several methods for vampirically draining life energies from living victims. But in each instance, the gem will seek to bargain for more and greater concessions from its host.
The Glyph-Stone is very much aware of its surroundings and awake, even intelligent. Often more so than those who would covet or carry the thing.
Psyche: 8, INT: 12, Willpower: 22, Morale: 10
AL N, AC 3, HD 4 (Withstands 36 points of damage before exploding in a 4d8 fireball).
Communication: ESP (30' radius) and Telepathy (touch).
Languages: Aklo, Ashadanix (Hag-Speech), Vorut, 1d4 random additional languages.
Detection Powers: Clairvoyance, Detect Magic, Read Languages, See Invisible.
Spell-Like Powers: Banishing Glyph: Disperse Saiitii Influence, Oneiric Bubble, Protection from Aethyrial Intrusion, Safeguard Against Outermost Forces, Thought Wall, and Zone of Normality.
Other Powers: Carrying the Gem will slow one's aging process by a 12-to-1 ratio, in other words every twelve years they only grow older by one year. Unless they lose the Gem, in which case they must make a Save for every deferred year of aging, each failure aging them one full year instantly.
The Gem will gladly bargain with anyone who carries it longer than an hour.
A Dubious Offer
For one year of the bearer's life, the Gem will teach them any of its Detection Powers as a spell, or it will teach them one of its Spell-like Powers for two years of their life. If the bearer knows Nadume's Mark, the Gem will settle for 1d4 months in exchange for any one of the spells.
What the Gem does not mention is that the time exchanged is not simply drained-away, it is the amount of time that the Gem is allowed to take possession of the body of the person making the bargain.
A Better Deal
The First Glyph can be used pretty much as one would use a Holy Word spell. It can be unlocked by those willing to make an investment of 1d4 hit points for an additional 5% chance to 'unlock' the First Glyph. Success in this effort imprints the First Glyph onto the psyche of the investor, making it a spell castable as any other in their repertoire, but outside of the usual spell-slots. It can be cast once per day, even when all the spell-slots are used-up. However, the glyph consumes one language slot. If the character does not have an open language slot, they will lose one of the languages they already have learned in order to accommodate the first glyph. Those who unlock the First Glyph accrue a cumulative 1% chance per month to access another spell from the Gem for a similar investment of hit points as before. In this manner one can avoid the Gem taking possession of their body.
A Final Offer
The Glyph-Stone can, if the one holding it so desires, transfer one of their non-physical Attributes (INT or WIS) into itself for safe-keeping. Doing this grants the bearer a permanent +4 bonus on all Saves against Mental, Emotional or Oneiric attacks or effects. It also renders them effectively immortal. They no longer age and gain a form of regeneration; they regain 1d8 hit points of damage per level of spell they sacrifice to the Gem. Spells sacrificed in this manner are permanently lost, so the Gem will suggest that they use other people's grimoires, not their personal spell-books. Scrolls deliver double the usual amount. The Gem can also teach them how to drain magical items in order to convert those energies into replenished hit points. If asked correctly, the Gem can also reveal several methods for vampirically draining life energies from living victims. But in each instance, the gem will seek to bargain for more and greater concessions from its host.
Nadume is the only being to whom these Glyph-Stones owe any sort of loyalty. They serve Her as though She were a Queen in Her wasted realm. They come when She calls to them. They obey Her commands. They do not serve Her enemies.
Spells of the First Glyph-Stone | Spells of the Second Glyph-Stone
Spells of the Third Glyph-Stone
Spells of the Third Glyph-Stone
ZPG7: Warrior Z---
What use is a warrior without their legs? Without the use of their right arms? With only half a face? It is a shameful way to die, to out-live the glory in such a broken body.
It cost a great deal. But living out the remaining days in such a state was intolerable. Unacceptable.
It is amazing what becomes acceptable under such circumstances.
In Zalchis things would be different...
It cost a great deal. But living out the remaining days in such a state was intolerable. Unacceptable.
It is amazing what becomes acceptable under such circumstances.
In Zalchis things would be different...
Intro to Zalchis | Zalchis Index | Zalchis Bestiary | Zalchis Grimoire
Player Resources: Zalchis | GM Resources: Zalchis
Zalchis: Cold Start
Friday, December 20, 2013
ZPG6: Champion A---
Years spent in training. How to use every weapon. How to beat every type of defense. Strategy. Tactics. Endless drills. Endless waiting. Then the Call came.
Intro to Zalchis | Zalchis Index | Zalchis Bestiary | Zalchis Grimoire
Player Resources: Zalchis | GM Resources: Zalchis
Zalchis: Cold Start
Cold Start Pre-Gen Characters
Thursday, December 19, 2013
ZPG5: Field Officer L---
The battle raged. Violet streams of unlight visited destruction upon the enemy fortifications. Swarms of flickering drones fought rapid-fire duels across the skies overhung with a canopy of creeping poisons and black smoke. Casualties were atrocious. On both sides. But life is fleeting and of small consequence to the officers safely ensconced within the hardened Redoubts of Overcommand.
New orders were coming in. Then the Corps Telepath erupted into a shower of sparks and half-cooked meat. Then the Mortar-shells started falling on their position.
New orders were coming in. Then the Corps Telepath erupted into a shower of sparks and half-cooked meat. Then the Mortar-shells started falling on their position.
Intro to Zalchis | Zalchis Index | Zalchis Bestiary | Zalchis Grimoire
Player Resources: Zalchis | GM Resources: Zalchis
Zalchis: Cold Start
Cold Start Pre-Gen Characters
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
ZPG4: Lady C---
Her people's eternal enemies were scattered. Their hold over the land was broken. She strode proudly through the falling snows of a late winter with the grace of a feline predator. It had been her blade that had lopped off the head of her people's greatest oppressor. It seemed only right that she ascend to the throne that she had won through much blood and more suffering and betrayal.
She paused to ponder the heavy, ancient throne set upon its blood-spattered dais. It would be good to be a Queen.
The final betrayal came without a sound. A spell set by the serpent-folk. She was carried off from her throne never to be seen again. Carried off to Zalchis.
She paused to ponder the heavy, ancient throne set upon its blood-spattered dais. It would be good to be a Queen.
The final betrayal came without a sound. A spell set by the serpent-folk. She was carried off from her throne never to be seen again. Carried off to Zalchis.
Intro to Zalchis | Zalchis Index | Zalchis Bestiary | Zalchis Grimoire
Player Resources: Zalchis | GM Resources: Zalchis
Zalchis: Cold Start
Cold Start Pre-Gen Characters
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
ZPG3: Lord H---
Wounded unto death. His blood mingled in the dust with that of his foes and his allies and the horses. He hated the sounds the horses made when they had to be put down after such a calamitous battle. He mourned the loss of his loyal troops, of course, but it was the maimed and ruined horses that he really regretted. Such a waste.
Like his own life.
He tasted ashes in the wind. How fitting. His legacy would be those ashes now.
If only...
The hunchbacked monk cradled the fallen Lord's head. Whispered to him. Dark secrets. Bitter truths. A way to start over. To begin again.
Dying and desperate he seized upon the damned monk's twisted words. They had never liked one another. They were not friends. Barely even allies.
Even so. He muttered the vile words. Let his cooling blood purchase his passage. The monk laughed. Then it was over.
Like his own life.
He tasted ashes in the wind. How fitting. His legacy would be those ashes now.
If only...
The hunchbacked monk cradled the fallen Lord's head. Whispered to him. Dark secrets. Bitter truths. A way to start over. To begin again.
Dying and desperate he seized upon the damned monk's twisted words. They had never liked one another. They were not friends. Barely even allies.
Even so. He muttered the vile words. Let his cooling blood purchase his passage. The monk laughed. Then it was over.
Intro to Zalchis | Zalchis Index | Zalchis Bestiary | Zalchis Grimoire
Player Resources: Zalchis | GM Resources: Zalchis
Zalchis: Cold Start
Cold Start Pre-Gen Characters
Monday, December 16, 2013
ZPG2: Princess I---
She has spent many long days in this dismal place. At least she assumes it has been many days. After they destroyed her eyes and barred the doors, she's had no way to accurately mark the passage of time. Not that it mattered.
They took everything from her. Made her watch the executions. Then blinded her. Locked her in her rooms while they debated what to do with her. A legitimate princess held worth in certain quarters. Perhaps they would auction her off to some foreign noble. They argued.
She has spent her time dreaming in the darkness of her ransacked rooms. They never found the Gem hidden in her bedroom wall. The Gem her father had forbidden her to touch. The Gem she was supposed to have gotten rid of...but didn't.
The Gem whispered to her in her dreams.
It told her of a way to escape her captors.
She listened to the Gem. She did what it instructed her.
She would go to Zalchis.
They took everything from her. Made her watch the executions. Then blinded her. Locked her in her rooms while they debated what to do with her. A legitimate princess held worth in certain quarters. Perhaps they would auction her off to some foreign noble. They argued.
She has spent her time dreaming in the darkness of her ransacked rooms. They never found the Gem hidden in her bedroom wall. The Gem her father had forbidden her to touch. The Gem she was supposed to have gotten rid of...but didn't.
The Gem whispered to her in her dreams.
It told her of a way to escape her captors.
She listened to the Gem. She did what it instructed her.
She would go to Zalchis.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
ZPG1: Prince S---
"Is it far? This place you are taking me? I mean; will it take very long to get there? I do have to be back in time for supper."
"Distance is meaningless. As to time...I cannot say. This is an adventure. Things such as being late for supper or not being able to find your slippers are no longer relevant."
"Have you seen my slippers?"
"No."
"What do you mean by 'Distance is meaningless?' How do you get your voice to sound so serious?"
"We're almost to the designated threshold. It won't be long now."
"Who designated this thing? And why? What's this all about?"
"Ah. There it is. Fare thee well my little prince. You were ever so annoying."
"Wait. you can't just--"
"Yes. I can. I do hope you enjoy your little adventure in Zalchis your highness...for however long it lasts."
g
"Distance is meaningless. As to time...I cannot say. This is an adventure. Things such as being late for supper or not being able to find your slippers are no longer relevant."
"Have you seen my slippers?"
"No."
"What do you mean by 'Distance is meaningless?' How do you get your voice to sound so serious?"
"We're almost to the designated threshold. It won't be long now."
"Who designated this thing? And why? What's this all about?"
"Ah. There it is. Fare thee well my little prince. You were ever so annoying."
"Wait. you can't just--"
"Yes. I can. I do hope you enjoy your little adventure in Zalchis your highness...for however long it lasts."
g
Intro to Zalchis | Zalchis Index | Zalchis Bestiary | Zalchis Grimoire
Player Resources: Zalchis | GM Resources: Zalchis
Zalchis: Cold Start
Cold Start Pre-Gen Characters
Friday, December 13, 2013
Zalchis is Re-Awakening...
"There are fairy stories
to be written for adults.
Stories that are still
in a green state."
Andre Breton
Saturday, November 17, 2012
1144 (Art Every Day Month Challenge 2012)
This is my Seventeenth piece for the Art Every Day Month Challenge hosted by Leah Piken Kolidas, the instigator behind the Creative Every Day Challenge.
There will be more. Scheduling conflicts prevented a couple of pieces from getting posted at the proper time allotted, so they will be dealt with at the end of the run.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Valdrith
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Law
Movement: 240' (levitation)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 6+
Attacks: 1d4x2
Damage:
Save: F9
Morale: 10
Elders of a gentle race seldom seen within the worlds of the dreaming species, the Valdrith are travelers in both time and space who wait patiently for all to be revealed. They are implacably calm, extraordinarily rational and well-ordered beings who know a peace and a contentment rare among those still incarnate. Some say they are immortal, others claim that they are really all avatars or fruiting bodies of one central consciousness or hyper-organism. No one really knows.
Valdrith have the spell-casting capabilities of a Magic User or Cleric equal to their Hit Dice.
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Drala Thallu (Zalchis)
Drala-Thallu
No. Enc.: 1d2 (1d4)
No. Enc.: 1d2 (1d4)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 60'
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 8
Attacks: 1 or 2 (1 Eyebeam or 2 claws/weapons, or 1 claw/weapon and follow-up Tail-Blade)
Damage: 3d4/1d6/2d4/2d4, or by weapon
Save: F8 / L7
Morale: 10
Special: Use the Random Eye-Beam Table to determine which particular Eye-Beam they are each attack. More advanced specimens may have additional physical mutations, implanted/grafted weapons, psychic attacks or magical spells...
Special: Use the Random Eye-Beam Table to determine which particular Eye-Beam they are each attack. More advanced specimens may have additional physical mutations, implanted/grafted weapons, psychic attacks or magical spells...
The Drala-Thallu are invertebrate tinkers who seek out any and all forms of mechanical constructs, especially robots, whom they then attack mercilessly until they've hacked them to bits and pieces. The Drala-Thallu then sift through the wreckage and try to cobble together replacements or enhancements for their own, damaged systems, organs or limbs. The only loot that a Drala-Thallu will carry are cybernetic and other body parts, robotic limbs, artificial organs, synthetic or animal body-parts, and the like. They might have some mutant plant parts or samples taken from fungal colonies and the like as well, should they gain access to such things.
And yes, the Eyebeam Attack/Effect is intentionally left vague/randomly determined. They Dralla Thallu are continually self-modifying and upgrading, so it could be just about anything the DM desires...
We suggest using the excellent Random Space Debris Tables at The EXONAUTS! blog for possible scrap and junk that the Drall-Thallu might be carrying, hoarding or trying to peddle at some open-air swap-meat or flea market.
Slithering and silent, they approach with great stealth, hoping to ambush their prey with a hellish onslaught of rays and beams emitted from their terrible, cyclopean eyes.
After a battle, whether they fought or not, they slither about scavenging limbs, organs, and especially mechanical parts. When victorious in personal combat, they rip apart the mechanisms and machines of their enemies and eviscerate them, dissect them, carefully removing any organs, glands or other parts that they deem worthy of incorporating into their perpetually-enhanced bodies. But not just anything will do. No. Only those things that are strong enough, potent enough, powerful enough -- things that have been able to survive their dreaded eye-beam attack -- those are the things that a Drala-Thallu wants, and will have. One way or another. Whether a limb or organ is enchanted, runic, clockwork, golemic, or bionic -- they make no distinction. They can work with any and all of those modalities and more. They are the Drala-Thallu.
Drala-Thallu are fairly well known within Zalchis, where they prowl the ruined regions of the Great Ring looking for salvage and spare parts. There are rumors that they might also have been encountered in a number of ruined star systems left in the wake of various great wars. On more barbaric worlds the Drala-Thallu have engaged in limb-trading and organlegging without any regard for those affected by their dealings, entire regions have been completely decimated and wantonly depopulated by waves of over-hunting when ignorant or desperate locals discover that the Drala-Thallu will trade for exotic animal parts or bits and pieces of broken machines dragged out of old ruins that no one knows how to use or do anything with anyhow. Many a tribesman has sold internal organs or muscle fibers to these beings from beyond the sky in order to gain silver fists, sinister-looking new eyes, or other replacement parts and pieces that they believe will make them more powerful. Sometimes it works out that way, but always at a cost the recipient never fully imagined or could fully appreciate or understand. But it is a free market approach and Caveat Emptor is the cardinal truism all Drala-Thallu learn before all others.
Wherever or whenever you find them, the Drala-Thallu are great opportunists who are always trying to take advantage of whatever situation they find themselves in, and they are always looking to make a trade, swap or deal for spare parts and random junk that only they seem to think has any value. The Drala-Thallu often find some of the strangest old artifacts, relics and bizarre remnants imaginable by sifting through junk heaps, scrap-yards, or plundering regressed and forgotten neobarbarian worlds....
After a battle, whether they fought or not, they slither about scavenging limbs, organs, and especially mechanical parts. When victorious in personal combat, they rip apart the mechanisms and machines of their enemies and eviscerate them, dissect them, carefully removing any organs, glands or other parts that they deem worthy of incorporating into their perpetually-enhanced bodies. But not just anything will do. No. Only those things that are strong enough, potent enough, powerful enough -- things that have been able to survive their dreaded eye-beam attack -- those are the things that a Drala-Thallu wants, and will have. One way or another. Whether a limb or organ is enchanted, runic, clockwork, golemic, or bionic -- they make no distinction. They can work with any and all of those modalities and more. They are the Drala-Thallu.
Drala-Thallu are fairly well known within Zalchis, where they prowl the ruined regions of the Great Ring looking for salvage and spare parts. There are rumors that they might also have been encountered in a number of ruined star systems left in the wake of various great wars. On more barbaric worlds the Drala-Thallu have engaged in limb-trading and organlegging without any regard for those affected by their dealings, entire regions have been completely decimated and wantonly depopulated by waves of over-hunting when ignorant or desperate locals discover that the Drala-Thallu will trade for exotic animal parts or bits and pieces of broken machines dragged out of old ruins that no one knows how to use or do anything with anyhow. Many a tribesman has sold internal organs or muscle fibers to these beings from beyond the sky in order to gain silver fists, sinister-looking new eyes, or other replacement parts and pieces that they believe will make them more powerful. Sometimes it works out that way, but always at a cost the recipient never fully imagined or could fully appreciate or understand. But it is a free market approach and Caveat Emptor is the cardinal truism all Drala-Thallu learn before all others.
Wherever or whenever you find them, the Drala-Thallu are great opportunists who are always trying to take advantage of whatever situation they find themselves in, and they are always looking to make a trade, swap or deal for spare parts and random junk that only they seem to think has any value. The Drala-Thallu often find some of the strangest old artifacts, relics and bizarre remnants imaginable by sifting through junk heaps, scrap-yards, or plundering regressed and forgotten neobarbarian worlds....
Intro to Zalchis | Zalchis Index | Zalchis Bestiary | Zalchis Grimoire
Player Resources: Zalchis | GM Resources: Zalchis
Crannit (Zalchis)
No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 30' (90' directed levitation)
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 8
Attacks: 2 (weapon, spells)
Damage: 2d6, weapon
Save: F7 / L7
Morale: 7
Bizarre pseudo-crustacean-like perpetually-levitating beings who inhabit a spectrum of closely resonant planes, the Crannit are patient observers of myriad alternative cosmoses and adjacent universes who know many strange secrets. Each Crannit consciously occupies up to a dozen planes at once, but no two Crannits occupy all the exact same planes as any other. Their senses and perceptions extend across even more planes than they can physically interact with, thus they are very gifted oracles, seers, diviners and prognosticators.
The typical crannit prefers to dwell within places of intense magical energies, such as around Ley-line junctions, sacred sites, ruined temples, abandoned wizard's towers, etc. Crannits are uncannily aware of all manner of energies in their vicinity, their independently mobile eye-stalks can observe matters of interest upon two different planes simultaneously and they automatically Detect Alignment, Detect Lie, Detect Magic, Know Alignment, Read Magic, See Invisible, and will always know when someone is preparing to cast a spell in their immediate vicinity. They also can Plane Shift 3x a day at will, but for some reason they dislike to discuss crannits cannot use Dispel Magic. Ever. They also dislike resorting to Charms or other such coercive magics to get their way. But if they are confronted with no good alternative, they will do so and cope with the shame and revulsion later. Magic trumps morality with the crannit. Every time.
Crannits cast spells of any type or sort as though they were 8th level. They seek out all sorts of arcane lore and knowledge and will gladly exchange spells, trade scrolls, or discuss magical manners with anyone at any time. However, a crannit will attack anyone who seeks to deny it access to some bit of magic that it knows that they are not voluntarily sharing or trading. They can also use any magic item, armor, weapon or device except one that involves the active dispelling of magic.
Crannits also have the ability to digest or imprint spells from scrolls that they are directly observing, meaning that they can remove a spell off of a scroll and replace it with another spell that they know.
Yirgao
No. Enc.: 1d4 (1d8)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120' (40')
Armor Class: 1
Hit Dice: 5 to 12*
Attacks: 3 (Bite, weapon, constrict)
Damage: 3d4 (+1d6 blood drain)/byweapon/2d6+free bite every other turn
Save: F5 to 12 (same as Hit Dice)
Morale: 9
Vile, inhuman and wicked beings withouteither backbones or souls, the Yirgao are driven only by hunger andvanity. They respect no one but themselves, trust no one but themselves, and will fight, kill or eat anyone, including themselves -- as functional self-fertilizing hermaphrodites, the Yirgao givebirth to their own cloned offspring that literally do eat their way out of their parent-host. Most of the time the parent is severely weakened, but they do survive the experience, if they have planned ahead and provided an alternative food-source for their ultra-voracious young.
The Yirgao prefer to subdue and enslave opponents whenever possible. They can be bribed with offer of slaves and fresh bodies.
Yirgao are natural telepaths and have theability to cast the following spells at will: Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, Detect Magic, ESP, and Ventriloquism.
Yirgao are natural telepaths and have theability to cast the following spells at will: Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, Detect Magic, ESP, and Ventriloquism.
The Yirgao are malign invertebrates with decentralized nervous systems and delusions of grandeur that include subjugating all other races as fodder and slaves within the great empire that they have never quite gotten established, mostly because the Yirgao are incapable of cooperation amongst themselves for any real length of time...
Yirgao regenerate 2 hit points eachround after taking damage until completely healed. They also continueto regenerate until they are reduced to negative hit points equal totheir normal amount, i.e. a Yirgao with 38 hit points would need tobe reduced to -38 hit points before the regeneration would cease. Fire works wonderfully well. So does acid.
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