I still have some more work to do, but we're significantly closer to characters being accepted.
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| Mummy: the Resurrection Game on the Chat http://unmodchat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=6487 |
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| Author: | Vil [ Sun May 10, 2015 2:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Mummy: the Resurrection Game on the Chat |
I'm working on an online tabletop of Mummy: the Resurrection. My own mummy character will *not* be getting experience in it, and his involvement as an NPC will be minimal (common sense should explain why). Characters will be free to play in open RP with whoever else they want, when we're between sessions. Obviously, if we're in an unfinished scene, where characters might get sent on a death cycle, then I will request that players not take their characters into open RP, until such scenes are concluded. I'm presently working on a write-up that clarifies some contradictions on character creation (which the developers settled), as well as a few other matters. When this is complete, I will link the details to this thread. The game is open to all. Personal bullshit has no place there. I don't care if I think that you're the coolest player on here, or I utterly hate your guts. Your welcome is no different. I will, however, refuse to run for people that opt to bring drama into this game and make players miserable. I have a zero tolerance policy for that. If anyone has interest, you can reply on this thread. If you have Skype, I will ask you to private message Me your Skype details, as I will be making a skype chat for the mummy players, to help coordinate the game. (Being on Skype is not mandatory, but it does help.) I'm an adult with a real life, so I understand that there will be scheduling issues. It's the nature of the beast. To help with this, I will be keeping players advised to My schedule as often as I get it from work and can work it out. Assuming that this game grows enough, I will assign an assistant storyteller. Because such a player will have inside information on plots, I will run stuff on the side for them to make up for the loss that comes with this. More details will come in time. |
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| Author: | Vil [ Mon May 11, 2015 7:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mummy: the Resurrection |
I'm taking a little time to give a minor update. Stories: I've laid down the groundwork for 10 storylines, of which one is a larger plot that will take place in the backdrop of several of the others. That one will conclude after several other, smaller stories. I'll refrain from giving spoilers; sufficed to say, I hope that people have as much fun playing it as I've had writing this stuff up. Locations: At this time, I've planned out 18 key locations. These are mostly fleshed out in terms of concept, although it will be a while before I have sufficient time to give them full details. Because I have a life outside of game, and I don't want that to make this take so long that it's months before we can launch, I'm offering players that join the game the chance to design some of the locations (not those which would give them spoilers). In return for their assistance, I will either provide them with a limited number of additional freebie points at character creation, or experience immediately after character approval. Either way, it will be within reason. No one helping out with this is getting a god character. Non-Player Characters: I'm not going to map out all of the extras, although I may come back and flesh out any extra that somehow becomes more than that. Meanwhile, I've detailed which of the Resurrected are in the area by name, Dynasty, and faction. I've similarly done this with Followers of Set, Asekh-sen, and other characters to be found among allies, antatonists, or somewhere in between the two. When I have more time, I'll be giving these characters statistics. This is something that I'll be doing without assistance, as I can't possibly hope to have a player help without giving away spoilers. Player Characters: At this time, I have a couple of people thinking about player characters. I've asked them to hold off on anything beyond outlining a concept for them, as I've yet to post character creation specifics online. I'm willing to discuss game with anyone who is interested, however I won't be accepting actual character submissions at this time. This leads in to the final stage: Linking Story Elements: There is a limit to how much of this I can do. For example, if people join after the game has started (and I hope that they do), I can't really do this next part ahead of time (although I will try to work things in as I get new characters). What I intend to do, before the game starts, is to look over character histories and see how I can tie this in to storylines that I've planned out and/or how I can use these to create more plots. On that note, please also be aware that I take your merits and flaws seriously. If you have a flaw, expect Me to exploit the living hell out of it. Yes, that is within reason, yet flaws are flaws for a reason. If you don't want that to happen, don't take the flaw. I'll post another update as this develops further. |
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| Author: | Vil [ Fri May 15, 2015 1:27 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mummy: the Resurrection |
Regarding 20th Anniversary Edition: At this time, there is no 20th Anniversary Edition of Mummy: the Resurrection. When crossover happens, we will interact with characters that have a 20th anniversary edition. Thus, for them, Technology is a knowledge, not a skill. Dodge exists for Mummy: it does not for them. This can be a little confusing in situations of crossover. The way that we will handle it is simple. However they have it is right. How we have it is right. When 20th anniversary edition comes out (or when I go through the painstaking work of making updates), characters will be given adjustments. For example, while I dislike the athletics is dodge rule, I will work with the ground rules of 20th anniversary. Anyone with dodge will have their dodge skill replace their athletics skill. Whatever dots they had in athletics (if any) will be moved for free, into a different talent of their choice. If their Athletics was higher than their Dodge, then the dots that they had in Dodge will be moved into another talent of the player's choice at that time. Technology will become a knowledge. The dots will move over accordingly, and this will just be how it was. No matter what, no one will be shafted on points. Other necessary changes will be made as needed. Please bare with Me. Character Creation Rules: By and large, we follow the rules presented in Mummy: the Resurrection and the Mummy Players' Guide. With that being said, I require that all players build their characters according to the step-by-step directions found within Mummy: the Resurrection, on pages 56 and 57. Additionally, the website for our game has an expanded list of Merits and Flaws, both from the core and players' guide, previous editions (where appropriate), and some reasonable customs. In addition to this, I require one other thing of players. This is not to be overbearing at all, but to simplify the process of counting dots on the sheet and approving your characters: a tally list on your notes. What I'm listing here is just an example, one given that showcases the format that I'm asking you to use. This will make character approval a fast, smooth process, and I appreciate your assistance in this regard: Stage One: The Second Life Stage One Freebie Points: (5) (2) Ability: Occult (from 3 to 4) (2) Secondary Ability: Area Knowledge (Name) (from 0 to 2) (1) Background: Resources (from 2 to 3) Total: 5 Stage Two: Rebirth Stage Two Attributes (2) (1) Stamina (from 4 to 5) (1) Wits (from 2 to 3) Total: 2 Stage Two Abilities (5) (3) Awareness (from 0 to 3) (1) Divination (from 0 to 1) (1) Alertness (from 3 to 4) Total: 5 Stage Two Freebie Points (17 = 10 + 7 from Flaws) (5) Attribute: Wits (from 3 to 4) (4) Ability: Awareness (from 3 to 5) (8) Advantage: Balance (from 1 to 3) Total: 17 It should not have to be said, but the list doesn't represent what Abilities, Attributes, etc, that a player is expected to take for their character. It is merely a layout of the format that I require, in order to speed up the process of approval. Note that secondary abilities are half cost. Thus, in the Stage Two Abilities section, each dot in a secondary ability counts as a half dot. Also be aware that if a secondary ability is a primary ability in any other system, that it is a a primary (if extra) ability, and not a secondary ability. Demolitions, for example, should not be half cost for the Reborn, and full cost for the Imbued. There is some contradictory information in the book. For the purpose of clarity, starting Sekhem is equal to the starting Balance of a character. As such, Sekhem has no freebie point cost. MERITS & FLAWS Merits and flaws often represent holdovers from the mummy's previous lives or peculiarities of the joining that made him into one of the Reborn. The Resurrected can have merits and flaws found in Vampire: the Masquerade, Mage: the Ascension, or other Storyteller games, so long as said merits and flaws are not limited to a specific type of supernatural creature. The following list of recommended and disallowed merits and flaws is not entirely exhaustive, yet it provides a great standard by which to judge any merit or flaw that isn't on this list. PHYSICAL Recommended: Acute Sense (any), Catlike Balance, Huge Size, Insensible to Pain (costs 3 points for Sefekhi), Smell of the Grave, Deformity, Disfigured, Child, Monstrous, Permanent Wound. Disallowed: Ageing, Bad Sight, Eat Food (mummies can already do so), Blind, Blush of Health, Deaf, Degeneration, Diminished Attributes, Efficient Digestion, 14th Generation, Infectious Bite, Lame, Mayfly Curse, Paraplegic, Primal Marks, Thin Blood, Disease Carrier. SOCIAL Recommended: Natural Leader, Enemy, Hunted (or Witch-Hunted), Probationary Member. Disallowed: Prestigious Sire, Infamous Sire, Sire's Resentment, or any other that requires you to belong to a specific group of supernatural entities other than the Reborn. MENTAL Recommended: Eidetic Memory and Amnesia (only for memories from the mummy's Second and Third Lives; the Memory Background covers memories from the First Life), Ability Aptitude, Concentration, Iron Will, Nightmares (particularly involving the character's First or Second Death). Disallowed: Deranged, Code of Honour (devotion to Ma'at effectively includes this concept), Prey Exclusion, Lunacy, Conspicuous Consumption. SUPERNATURAL Recommended: Green Thumb, Magic Resistance (which affects Hekau, as well as vampire Thaumaturgy), Oracular Ability, Unbondable, Lucky (known as Bes' Blessing), Touch of Frost. Disallowed: Avatar Companion, Circumspect Avatar, Cyclic Magic, Devil's Mark, Manifest Avatar, Nine Lives, Repulsed by Garlic, Repelled by Crosses, Can't Cross Running Water, Grip of the Damned, Light Sensitive, Shattered Avatar, Storwarden, True Faith (Reborn get aspects of this with Balance, and more so with the merit: Blessing of Ra), Twin Souls (but see Soulmate), Unaging (mummies already have this ability). Also, all merits and flaws dealing with Sphere Magic, Disciplines, or other abilities that mummies don't have. Merits: Andean Native: (1) Your character's mortal form is a native of the Andes and is able to perform all activities in the cold, thin air, without a handicap. Blessing of Ra: (3 or 7) Imbued with holy wrath, your character can turn away the foul minions of Apophis far more easily than other mummies. Reduce by two the difficulty of any Forbiddance attempt (Mummy: the Resurrection core, p.142). Additionally, creatures successfully banished by your character suffer one level of aggravated damage, as your righteousness scars their tainted soul. For seven points, your character also makes reflexive Forbiddance attempts whenever he touches a malign entity. Since this reaction is automatic, it does not require an action. Characters with either form of this merit have a golden nimbus surrounding their aura. Clear Sighted: (5 – 4 for Sakhmu) You are able to see past all levels of vampiric Obfuscate, Chimestry, and other related Disciplines, Gifts, or similar supernatural powers of illusion, with a Perception + Alertness roll against the opposing power's level +3. The difficulty cannot exceed 10, however powers over level 7 should require additional successes. For example, seeing through a level 8 power should require 2 successes at difficulty 10, a level 9 should require 3 successes, and a level 10 power should require 4 successes. Sufficed to say, such higher-level powers aren't something that should be encountered very often. Deja-Vu: (2 – 1 for Teomallki) Whenever your character encounters someone or something connected with a memorable First Life experience, the Storyteller should secretly roll your character's Intelligence + Memory. The difficulty of this roll depends on how vivid or important the experience was, while the number of successes determines the clarity of recall. One success is enough to get a vague sense of familiarity, while five successes triggers a complete five-sense flashback. Obviously, characters without the background, Memory, cannot take this merit. Divine Emissary: (7) Like Udja-sen, your character is not bound to the Web of Faith. If reduced to zero lifeforce, he may continue to regain his spiritual power normally, without succumbing to semektet. Mummies with this merit are greatly prized as agents in foreign lands, and ambassadors to other Reborn. Wu T'ian and Capacocha can also take this merit, freeing them from the dragon nests of the Middle Kingdom and the boundaries of the Teomallki's Andean homelands, respectively. Dragon Nest: (1-5) Your character has been entrusted with a wellspring of Chi, one of the few places of spiritual power left in the Middle Kingdom. At a dragon nest, all attempts to recover Lifeforce with the Blessing of Heaven automatically receive a number of extra successes equal to the value of this merit. Remember that this wellspring is a priceless treasure. Unscrupulous shen may try to steal its power, and demons will certainly want to defile it for their own twisted ends. The Amenti version of this blessing is called, “Oasis,” while the Capacocha have their own, “Wellspring,” which functions much the same. Fascinating Gaze: (2) The eyes are the windows to the soul, and your character's are particularly engaging. Something about his eyes draws and holds the attention of others. They might be an unusual colour, have a particular shine to them, or somply seem to reflect the wisdom of the ages. Your character's come-hither look can melt the coldest heart, while his intimidating glare is like the paralyzinig stare of a viper. Reduce the difficulty of any social roll in which eye contact is made throughout by two. Gift of Ma'at: (3) Attuned to the ways of Balance, your character can naturally sense the presence of those who serve or oppose the cosmic order. Whenever anyone with a Balance or Corruption rating enters the range of your character's natural senses, your Storyteller should secretly roll your Balance (difficulty 8). Success reveals the presence of a righteous or unrighteous being somewhere in the area. It is up to your character to determine who – or what – triggered the sense. Gift of Thoth: (5) Like the legendary magicians of ancient Egypt, your character is especially gifted in the use of a particular Hekau path. Choose one path (most likely your character's Dynasty's specialty, although this doesn't have to hold true). Sekhem costs for all spells and rituals of that path are halved (round up). High Pan Tolerance (3 – 1 for Sefekhi) Your character can shrug off the effects of injury more easily. Reduce all of your character's wound penalties by one point. The Amenti functions as if he is unhurt when Injured, Injuried when he's wounded, and so forth. Your character still suffers damage normally, and he still drops when he's incapacitated. Imhotep's Blessing (4 or 7 - Khri-habi only) Your Khri-habi has an even greater ability to heal with a touch than other Khri-habi, who manifest their Purpose. Most Khri-habi can touch themselves or another and heal 2 levels of Bashing damage or 1 level of Lethal damage per success on their player's Balance roll. Your Khri-habi has an even greater ability to heal, restoring 2 levels of Bashing or Lethal damge or 1 level of Aggravated damage per success on the same roll. Imhotep's blessing is even more evident in these rare Khri-habi, who have the strongest connections to their Ba. Khri-habi with the 7pt version of this Merit heal 2 levels of Bashing, Lethal, or Aggravated damage per success on a Balance roll, when they touch themselves or another in an attempt to heal through manifesting their Purpose. Immune to Disease: (3) The powerful Sekhem in your character's body renders him immune to normal diseases and infections. As long as the Amenti has at least one Sekhem point, he cannot become infected with any non-magical disease. If his Sekhem drops to zero, your character becomes just as vulnerable to disease as anyone else. If your character is infected, but he restores his Sekhem later, the disease's toxin rating decreases by the Amenti's current Sekhem rating. If the toxin rating drops to zero, your character is cured. For information on diseases, see Chapter Five of the Mummy: the Resurrection core rulebook. Immune to Poisons: (3) Your character's strong Sekhem protects him entirely from normal poisons, although poisons and potions created using Alchemy still affect the Amenti normally. If his Sekhem drops to zero, your character becomes vulnerable to poisons. If your character is poisoned, and he restores his Sekhem later, the poison's toxin rating decreases by the Amenti's current Sekhem rating. If the toxin drops to zero, your character purges the poison completely. For more information on poisons and their effects, see Chapter Five of the Mummy: the Resurrection core rulebook. Insensible to Pain: (5 – 3 for Sefekhi) Your character feels no pain. Ignore all wound penalties until he is dead. Legendary Ability: (4) Your mummy possesses the potential for superhuman proficiency with one particular ability. This ability may be raised up to 6 dots. Should your mummy ever reach greater enlightenment, allowing for other abilities to reach this pinnacle, his legendary ability will reach even greater heights. At Balance 6, this one ability can be a 7, at Balance 7, it can be 8, and so on. At Balance of 10, it provides no further benefit, save that if his balance rating should fall, that one ability will maintain its higher potential than all others. Legendary potential confers other benefits, aside of being able to surpass one's peers (even without a 6th dot). Once per game session, when a roll is made using your legendary ability, your Storyteller should allow you to reroll any roll that comes up as a failure or a botch. The new result is applied whether it is better, worse, or the same as the previous attempt. Of course, when rolled in conjunction with a legendary ability, the results can be truly frightening. Storytellers may choose to disallow that combination. In addition to being able to reroll the specific ability that benefits from this merit, the target number of all rolls made using your legendary ability are reduced by one, to a minimum of 3. Characters that excel in such a way are certain to draw notice. Other Reborn may come seeking them out as mentors, as might other supernatural beings. Hunters and other enemies (including agents of Apophis), who become aware of your distinct advantage will consider you to be a higher-priority target. Having others seeking you out as a mentor has obvious rewards, however, as your legend spreads, this will often happen at the worst possible time, creating all manner of inconveniences. The Storyteller is encouraged to take advantage of his fact. When making your character, this merit applies to the Third Life. As such, this ability may be taken to 6 dots by means of Stage Two bonus abilities, by State Two freebie points, or through experience points earned in game, after the fact. Also, while Secondary Abilities are less expensive to develop, the potential for a sixth dot (and higher later) is a powerful edge. This merit does not have a reduced cost when applied to Secondary Abilities. Legendary Attribute: (5) Your mummy has a superhuman attribute, something in which he has the potential to be greater than human. Although this attribute is not necessarily automatically better, the mummy could potentially exceed the bounds of human ability. Such a gift is rare and precious, and many Reborn with this capacity never even manage to fulfil their true potential in their first century of existence. In your character’s legendary attribute, your character has the potential for a rating of six dots. Thus, your mummy might have the Strength of Apis or the Intelligence of Thoth. This merit does not confer such a rating automatically; it must still be purchased with attribute points, freebie points or experience. In addition to the potential for inhuman power, your character has some miraculous capability tied to that attribute. A mummy with legendary stamina might have the ability to roll soak against aggravated damage, for instance, while a mummy with legendary wits might be able to shift his initiative category by one place in any given turn automatically. This power is generally automatic, and it is subject to the Storyteller’s approval. Its potency varies with the character’s actual Attribute rating, so a character with a legendary Stamina of 1 has a weak legendary power that might grow with time and experience. This Merit obviously has the potential for abuse, and it is not appropriate for all chronicles or characters. Light Sleeper/Sleepless: (1-3) The Great Rite changed your body in such a manner that you need less sleep than you used to, before the Second Death. Perhaps you don't even need sleep at all. For one point, you need only four hours of sleep per night; for two points, you need only two hours of sleep. For three points, you cannot sleep, and the land of dreams is forever forbidden to you, unless you're knocked into a coma or forcibly put to sleep through magical means. Mallki Prestige: (3) Maybe you were a great hero among the Capacocha in your First Life. Maybe you befriended one of the ancients more recently. Whatever the reason, your name is known to the surviving mallki of your suyu – and perhaps beyond. You have powerful friends, upon whom you can call for aid, but your reputation will likely attract equally powerful enemies, and perhaps a jealous rival or two (assuming that it hasn't already). Obviously, only Teomallki may take this merit. Noble Bearing: (1) Perhaps your character's tem-akh was of noble blood (or, for those with Lesser Resurrection, perhaps you were of noble blood), or perhaps that blood flows in the veins of his khat. For whatever reason, your character has a noble bearing and manner befitting a king or Pharaoh. Others take notice and heed the Amenti's words. Reduce the difficulty of any social rolls in situations where your character can bring his force of personality to bear, by two. The Storyteller has final say on situations in which this benefit might apply. Osiris' Gift: (1) Your character has a gift for cultivating flora, even in the desert. He can make grass grow, flowers bloom, plants sprout, and so forth, with a simple touch. Plants tended by your character always do well, although they must survive in the natural environment, on their own, once the Amenti has left them behind. Precognition: (4 – 3 for Mesektet and surviving Cabiri) You are the mouthpiece of Ra (or whatever diety you follow). He speaks to you in signs, portents, visions, and images. Some visions may be precognitive; others might offer warnings or advice. You cannot request or induce a prophetic vision, though; they come on their own. Such visions range from the obvious to the symbolic. The exact nature and content of the visions are up to the Storyteller. This merit should provide dramatic moments, and players should not come to rely upon visions at the expense of clever play. Seductive: (1) Filled with vibrant life, each Amenti is a naturally sensual being. Your character finds that others are particularly drawn to him. It may be smoething about his appearance, manner, bearing, or simple joie de vivre. Still, your character is likely to earn more than his share of bitter rivals (as well as, possibly, angry, jilted paramours and spouses). Reduce the difficulty of any seduction rolls, and likewise reduce the difficulty for any subterfuge attempts that exploit your character's sensuality, by two points. Soothing Voice: (3) Your voice is calm and soothing, almost entrancing. You may add two dice to all rolls that directly involve use of your voice – singing, debating, leading, etc. Note that this may include some Nomenclature spells or rituals, provided that these spells involve compelling or commanding another being. It will not aid such spells or rituals that don't have a social component, such as Asking the Trees or Forgetting the Stone. Some common sense should be applied, and the Storyteller has final say on when Soothing Voice should not count. Soulmate: (4 – Amenti and Teomallki) Your Tem-akh was especially strong, and more than one piece of it survived the Dja-akh, creating a literal soulmate. The other piece went to another Amenti with an identical Inheritance. When in physical contact with your soulmate (in the Lands of the Living or the Lands of the Dead), the two (or more) may share Sekhem (Lifeforce) and use Hekau as one, taking the highest rating in Hekau and temporary knowledge of spells and rituals. Through the use of the skill of Divination, your character will always be able to pinpoint his soulmate (or soulmates) and vice-versa. Use of Celestial Hekau, for greater divination into the fate and state of being of your character's soulmate is considered to always have an automatic success (meaning that you can never botch). If one soulmate dies, the other(s) must make a Willpower roll, difficulty 8, to avoid following the other(s), due to psychic shock. Failure induces a coma that lasts for (11 – Balance) days. A botch on this roll results in the character entering a Death Cycle and following the fallen soulmate into Duat. He must wait until his soulmate has resurrected before the power may again be shared, unless both (or more) soulmates are on the same side of the Shroud. Fortunately, for those Resurrected with multiple soulmates, one must only wait until at least one soulmate has resurrected, not for each joined mummy. Reborn can reap the benefits of this merit while they're spirits in Duat, so long as both (or more) of the soul twins are in the Underworld together (or the deceased have manifested physically, in the Land of the Living, such as with the Necromancy spell: Manifestation). If one or the other is currently in Duat, the connection between remains dormant, until they're both on either side of the Shroud. NOTE: The characters cannot be the same Dynasty, as the original Wraith was split into two or more parts, which separately became the Tem-akh for your Amenti. The characters connected in this manner may not be played by the same person. Teomallki may also have this merit, but it can never be between more than two Teomallki. Two Hearts: (3) Your character is a witch, who has two hearts. Therefore, he can survive a shot or strike that would kill another person. The Storyteller will have to determine when your character's extra heart would be able to save him (e.g., it would not help against strangulation, decapitation, or burning to death). Uncarved Block: (1) Your character is naturally “natural,” and can enter a state, called “pu” - being “like a block of wood, not carved.” Anyone seeing him, speaking with him, or knowing anything about him will assume that he is simply an ordinary person who is doing ordinary things, such as a common peasant, worker, or student. This merit adds one point to Arcane or to any dice pool intended to convince anyone that he is merely what he seems. Note that this will not work if the character is doing something grotesquely unnatural or inhuman, such as performing Hekau spells or rituals wherein the onlooker can observe him exhibiting skills that on one could possibly have. Unity of Being: (5) Your character does not distinguish between flesh and soul, existing as a single physical entity. Although he looks and feels completely human, the character is actually an embodied spirit. If killed, he evaporates and re-materializes at the Gates of Heaven (or in the underworld) at the Incapacitated health level. Any other time that the character's spirit must return, his entire being transports to his relevant celestial realm. The advantage of this state is that one only ever needs a single success on a resurrection roll to materialise in the Lands of the Living. The disadvantage is that resurrection rolls heal no lost health levels, and fate alone dictates where the character re-materialises. Fortunately, what ever agency controls his return ensures that he will never appear in front of witnesses. Flaws: Anachronism: (5) Something went wrong with your character's joining. Perhaps the mortal spirit was too weak or too far gone. Perhaps the cultists made a minor error when they performed the Spell of Life. Whatever the reason, the mortal psyche has fled, leaving only the tem-akh's scarred personality in control. Therefore, your character has awakened in a strange, new world, with incomplete memories of his First Life, in Egypt. Your character has no memories of his Second Life, and he can only recall his First Life by using the Memory background (Mummy: the Resurrection p.66). At character creation, your character has access to only those skills that his tem-akh could have known. Therefore, the character may have no modern abilities, such as computer or firearms (including speaking a modern language). Also, no starting ability can have a rating higher than your character's Memory score. The Amenti can learn modern skills with practice (and experience points). Your character also has difficulty pretending to be whoever he appears to be, resulting in possible trouble with ties from his Second Life. Bound Head: (1) Your character's head was artificially flattened in childhood, by his own people, giving him a bizarre appearance. This does not affect mental attributes, but appearance counts only for your character's own people. For all others, appearance will be at least two points lower, although not below 1. In addition, everyone stares at your character everywhere that he goes, and anthropologists will likely be bothering for interviews all of the time. Chains of Chi: (1) Geomancers (practitioners of Feng Shui) seek and map the rivers of force flowing in the body of the Earth, using south-pointing needles and other mystic tools. Some immortals are cursed by their vulnerability to the Earth's forces and cannot move or act against the flow. You have three fewer dice when you try to move against the natural flow of Chi in any place, at any time. This may make you unable to drive a car, even forcing you to remain motionless in times of major Chi activity. The Storyteller may map the flow and patterns of Chi in any given place, but will not reveal the complete scheme of things to you. Character Curse: (2 to 5) You cannot see, hear, speak, or write a commonly used Chinese character. This incapacitates you and can be a very annoying problem. To represent this flaw, the Storyteller will choose a common syllable or short word. Any time that your character sees, hears, or speaks the word, you will take a number of levels of bashing damage equal to the points of the flaw. The damage may be soaked with stamina (difficulty 7), but the character's pain is obvious to anyone around and will continue as long as he is force to remain in the presence of the word. He will take the damage at the beginning of each new scene, unless he manages to somehow shield himself from the cursed icon's presence. Flashbacks: (2) Your character sometimes recalls some traumatic experience that he experienced in one of his past lives. Additionally, your character may mistake people, places, and things, for similar ones in his memory, and he may act on these erroneous conclusions. Make a Willpower roll at a +1 difficulty whenever the Amenti is in a situation similar to that experience, or when he encounters something that reminds him of it. On a success, your character avoids being overwhelmed by frightful memories during that scene. If you botch the Willpower roll, your character becomes almost catatonic, entirely lost in his recollections. Instead of making the roll, you can spend a point of Willpower to ignore the effects for one scene. Forsaken of Thoth: (6) Although you possess immortality and the powers of your Balance, you are forever denied the magical heritage of your brethren. You do not begin play with any Hekau paths, and you cannot ever learn any Hekau, aside from your primary Hekau path. Those cursed with this flaw are restricted to the study of one path for their entire existences. In addition, their rating in this one path may never exceed five, regardless of their Balance score. Karchakka: (7 – Teomallki and Capacocha only - BANNED) Your character's sexual partner is a relative (sibling or cousin), or this was true of his parents. The mummy is a damned creature, a karchakka, or “were-llama”. Whether or not your character is aware of this, it has cursed him. He will, at times, become a beast of some kind: llama, ox, or moose are all possible. It is important to note that karchakka are not true shapeshifters, so they can't change voluntarily. The chance can happy at any inconvenient time, usually at night. Your character's enemies will try to catch him in beast form, either to kill him or expose him as a pervert, and the mummy will do anything to keep this secret safe. Should it become known, everyone will shun the character, and even former friends and loved ones may wish him harm. Kusna: (1 – Uchnumallki) Your mallki was “made” by smoking over a fire, and it shows. He is a kusna, a “smoked” mummy. In all mortal manifestations, the character has a “burnt” or smoky smell. Everyone notices this odour, and some hunters may even be able to use it for tracking. Also, fire causes one extra health level of damage to the character's form. Lesser Resurrection: (3) This flaw can only be taken by certain non-Amenti. Examples include: Cabiri, Ishmaelites, and ancient Capacocha. For such mummies, this flaw also allows breaking of the normal 7-point Flaw cap, instead making it 10. This flaw is also mandatory for such character types. Some renegades left from earlier resurrections have avoided the new Spell of Life, due to fear of the judges or Horus, or for some other reason. Such rebels suffer the condemnation of the Shemsu-heru and related cults. Your character is one of the Shaunkhsen, also called the Lifeless. The mummy is alive, but not perfectly. Your character has all of the physical properties of life, but he has no true life force. Such an unfortunate mummy may not have children, and he registers as unusual to any superantural senses that detect deficiency in the life aura. Having this weaker link to life, you must succeed on a Stamina roll when your character is Incapacitated, to keep him from dying. This Flaw also renders the mummy's blood stale and devoid of sustenance to vampires. Lifeblood: (5 – 2 for Udja-Sen or 4 – 1 for Udja Sen) Like the Udja-sen, your character cannot draw Sekhem from any external source, including the Web of Faith. Instead, the mummy must expend his own lifeforce. Your character has no Sekhem to spend. Any time that your character would use Sekhem, he must spend the corresponding number of health levels (in bashing damage), instead. The 4 point (or 1 point for Udja-Sen) version of this flaw works almost the same way, however, once your character has reached his Crippled health level, he can draw from his own lifeforce even further, and at greater peril. Such mummies may convert basing levels to lethal, to draw upon even more stores of power, should the need arise. With either version of this flaw, your character cannot have the merits: Immune to Disease, or Immune to Poisons. Limited Resurrection: (6) Like the Maalki of old, your character cannot return to life if his body is destroyed. Although the new Spell of Going Westward still shields the corpse from decay, he can never again resurrect, if his body suffer damage beyond the Crushed/Burned level. If this occurs, he must wait in the underworld until his spirit is once again summoned from someone in the living lands, to join his earthly form. Offensive to Animals: (1) Something went wrong with the Great Rite, which has left a hint of your Khaibit exposed. This has subtly marked you in a manner that makes animals uncomfortable around you. You have a two-die penalty in any actions involving animals. If your character has the Companion background, such animals are an exception to this rule. Probationary Member (3) Your character is not entirely trusted as a member of an organisation, such as the Cult of Isis. Older members look upon him with suspicion, and they don't trust him with the group's secrets or any major responsibilities. On the other hand, if there's drudgery to be done (or a suicide mission), you can bet that they'll pick your character to do it. Ra's Rest: (3 – 1 for Mesektet) When night falls, the sun god falls into the sleep of death, as his great barge sails through the underworld. According to legend, the dead stand guard over Ra's body and fight off the demons of Apophis, who seek to consume him and keep the sun from rising again. Whether your character seeks to protect Ra, or he is bound helplessly into the sun god's rhythm, the Amenti follows Ra's cycle of death and life. Each night, when the sun sets, your character falls dead and does not return to life until dawn. Sunrise does not repair any damage that the Amenti suffered during the night. It is possible that your character could be hurt badly enough that he plunges into an actual death cycle. When dead due to the sun having fallen, your character has the benefit of the Ka's protection of the khat, however his Ba is asleep. It does not journey through Duat. Rotting: (3 – 5 – Requires Lesser Resurrection) Something happened to your khat while you were dead. Although you are not missing any limbs (unless other flaws require this), your skin is rent and missing in places, so that muscle and other tissues show through. The difficulties of social interaction rolls with mortals increase by one to three points, unless you conceal or disguise this damage. As you are a living being, this can make you more susceptible to disease, at the Storyteller's discretion. For 3 points, your appearance score is reduced to 0 without proper concealment and/or cosmetics, and you receive a +1 difficulty to resist diseases. For 4 points, the difficulty to resist diseases is a +2. For 5 points, no amount of concealment can hide the stench of rot seeping from your body. The difficulty to resist diseases is a +3, and magic used to cure you of sickness receives a +1 difficulty penalty. There is a strong likelihood that your condition is responsible for most of your trips to Duat. Reduce the point value of each version of this flaw by 1 point, if you have the Merit: Immune to Disease. Slow Healing: (3) Your character has difficulty healing injuries to his khat. The Amenti's natural healing rate is half that of a normal person, and special healing methods (such as alchemical potions and other forms of Hekau)are only half as effective. Soul Tag: (3) Your soul is bound into a part of your character's physical self, such as a queue of long hair, a beard, uncut nails, genitalia, or even bound feet. If the part of you is removed (haircut, castration, unbinding of feet), you will lose your character's soul and must pass on to another incarnation. The soul can be “summoned” back by powerful Arts, as mentioned in the ancient poem, “The Summons of the Soul,”this may not work. If your character's enemies know of this flaw, you can be in serious trouble. Soul's Reflection: (1 – Amenti and Teomallki) In mirrors and other reflections (including conventional photographs, not not video) your character appears as he did in his First Life. For instance, the Amenti might appear in reflection as an African woman, despite having the khat of an Englishman in current times. Obvious, this flaw can sometimes cause problems with hiding your character's Undying nature. Sterile/Impotent: (1 – Amenti/Teomallki/Wu T'ian only) According to legend, Osiris was torn apart by his murderous brother and returned to life, emasculated, because the birds of Isis could not find his phallus. Your character suffers from a powerful link to that bit of the ancient story, and even the new resurrection has not overcome it for some reason. Although your character lives and is not actually missing any organs, he is infertile and sexually important. Sefekhi may not take this flaw, since they have already duplicated its effects in their gruesome ritual of rebirth. Teomallki and Wu T'ian may have this flaw, although for them, it doesn't represent a mystical connection to Osiris. Instead, it represents a minor flaw in the performance of the Spell of Going Westward, or a minor imperfection in the Elixir of Eternal Life. Technophobic: (5 or 2 – Imkhu, Cabiri, Ishmaelites, and similar ancients, or newer mummies with Anachronism, only) The blossoming of technology over the last 150 years, and the way it reaches into every part of life, makes you very uneasy. You see technology as a dark, unpredictable force, far more inexpicable and threatening than the familiar magic and superstition with which you grew up. Some of the newer contraptions seem to be controlled by some malign intelligence, and a few of them seem as though they're personally out to get you. You have a two-die penalty on all attempts to deal with devices powered by steam, internal combustion, or electricity. This is a five-point flaw for ancient mummies. For newer Reborn that suffer from the Anachronism flaw (Mummy: the Resurrection, p.69), this is only a two point flaw, due to the severe problems faced by such Resurrected. Either way, welcome to being a modern-day Luddite. Throwback: (1 to 5) Your character's tem-akh exerts unusually strong control over his personality. Wheneve ryou wish to take an action that your ancient half finds objectionable (Storyteller's discretion), you must roll Willpower against a difficulty of your Memory + 3. If you fail this roll, you may not carry out the contested action, although you can always try it again later. A botch leaves the character unable to perform the action for the remainder of the scene. The value of this flaw equals your character's Memory rating. Touch of Death: (4) Unlike other Amenti, your character paid a heavy price for his release from the Lands of the Dead. He carries some of the power of death within him, affecting whatever he touches. Simple living things, such as plants and insects, wither and die at your character's touch. Hardier creatures also suffer damage, losing one health level for every hour after the first, in which they remain in contact with your character. The injured and ill cannot heal in the Amenti's presence. Healing spells and rituals are at a +1 difficulty, if they are performed within three yards of him. Your character can heal normally, but he suffers the increased difficulty if someone tries to use healing magic on him. Your character is likely to be shunned or pitied by others for this curse. This Flaw is most common for Sefekhi mummies, as well as the Shaunkhsen, and it is often coupled with the Gift of Thoth in Necromancy. Vengeful Illi: (2) Your character's ancient half still harbours bitterness toward the Spanish invaders and their descendants (or perhaps a more recent group, in the case of Uchumallki). As a result, he automatically assumes the worst about everyone associated with his “enemy” and gladly picks fights over the slightest provocation, unless he forces himself to swallow his hate. He must succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 8), or else spend a Willpower point to resist jumping into conflict with the offending person. Vulnerable to Eclipses: (1) The life-giving sun or moon endanger life when their power is withdrawn. This flaw means that during a solar or lunar eclipse, some of your character's powers will weaken: personal effects will fail, break, or even shapeshift into dangerous vermin, and Hekau will be impossible. The Storyteller determines what effects occur when an eclipse strikes, but they should be serious. Legends tell of weapons breaking during battle, tools and furniture becoming snakes or scorpions, and the most powerful of spells failing. |
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| Author: | Vil [ Fri May 15, 2015 1:32 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mummy: the Resurrection |
I still have some more work to do, but we're significantly closer to characters being accepted.
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| Author: | Vil [ Sun May 24, 2015 2:12 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mummy: the Resurrection |
Mummy Lexicon The following is an alphebetical list of words commonly used by the Resurrected. A'aru, Fields of: A relm in Duat purported to be the Egyptian equivalent of heaven. After the destruction of Amenti, surviving Egyptian spirits relocated here. Anubis guides spirits who have been judged worthy of attaining paradise to this place to rest. Ab: The heart, thought to be the seat of consciousness, animal life and good and evil. In the afterlife, the Ab was weighed against the feather of Truth (Maat) to judge the deceased. Amenti: The former stronghold of the Egyptian dead, destroyed by the Dja-akh. Also called the Dark Kingdom of Sand. Recently, it has become the collective name of the mummies created by spirits from that place, regardless of their specific Dynasty. Amkhat: "Corpse eater." One of a cult of mortals who eat the flesh of humans and mummies to gain their strength and power. Apophis: The Great Serpent, enemy of Ma'at and Osiris, that seeks to devour the sun. A terrible, corrupting influence on all living things. Also called the Corrupter. Apepnu: Another term for Children of Apophis. Asekh-sen: "The reapers." Lesser Bane mummies with a limited number of resurrections, created as agents of Apophis and enemies of the Reborn. Ba: In ancient Egyptian culture, the portion of the soul that journeys deep into the underworld. Bane Mummies: See Children of Apophis. Bane Rite: A variant of the now-defunct original Rite of Rebirth, used to create Bane Mummies. Cabiri (singular Cabirus): Mummies from Europe and Asia Minor who were created with a variant of the old Spell of Life. Children of Apophis: Servants of the corrupting force known as Apophis, these creatures include those Bane mummies created by Set as well as other minions like the Asekh-sen. Also called Apepnu. Code of Horus: The laws that guided Egyptian mummies throughout the millennia. Dja-akh: "Ghost storm." Dja-akh is the latest great cataclysm to tear through the Shadowlands, the uppermost portion of the Lands of the Dead. It destroyed Amenti, and it still poses a danger for travelers to Duat. (See the bottom section of this page.) Duat: The underworld, realms of spirit where ghosts reside and mummies go during their death cycles. Also called the Lands of the Dead. See also Neter-khertet. Dwar: A collective of mummies that strive toward a similar goal while working together to watch each other's backs. This is similar to a coiterie of vampires, a pack of werewolves, or a circle of wraiths. Dynasty: A particular group of Amenti, such as the Sefekhi or the Udja-sen. This term also refers to different kinds of mummies such as to differentiate between Amenti and Others. In this sense all of the Amenti would be a Dynasty, while the Amenti recognize the Wu T'ian and the Capacocha as foreign, or other Dynasties. Just as the Amenti refer to different kinds of Amenti as Dynasties, so too do the other more obscure Dynasties of Resurrected use their own terms. For example, the Capacocha divide themselves into 4 Suyu, and the Wu T'ian divide themselves into 2 Incarnations. First Death: The ending of the First Life. First Life: The time that the mummy's tem-akh spirit spent on Earth in ancient Egypt. Followers of Set: Vampires descended from Set; masters of sin, temptation and degradation. Also known as Setites. Great Rite: The magickal formula which creates mummies. Also called the Rite of Rebirth and the Spell of Life. Hamartia: Tragic flaw. The mortal's greatest failure, lost opportunity or weakness during his Second Life. The hamartia is often the key to knowing which tem-akh offers him the chance for resurrection. Hekau: Egyptian magical arts, now practiced solely by mummies and to a much lesser and weaker extent, some rare mortal cultists. Horus: Son of Osiris and Isis, one of the first mummies. Imkhu: Literally, "revered." Refers to Horus and the loyal Shemsu-heru who committed ritual suicide and were resurrected by the Children of Osiris using the new Spell of Life. Isfret: Chaos, darkness or disorder. That which exists in the absence of Ma'at. Ishmaelites: Renegade Egyptian mummies who have abandoned the Code of Horus. Isis: Wife of Osiris and powerful sorceress. One of the originators of the Spell of Life. Joining, the: The combining of a tem-akh spirit and a recently deceased mortal host. Ka: The portion of the soul that remains in the vicinity of the tomb to guard the body. Khaibit: The shadow portion of the soul responsible for drive, desire and aggression, closely related to the ka. Khat: The physical body, which is left behind when the spirit enters the underworld. Khem: "The Black Land." Ancient Egypt, specifically Lower Egypt, near the Nile Delta. Kher-minu: "Tomb Watcher." The name given to mummies with strong ka spirits. Khri-habi: Scroll-bearer." The titel for mummies who have strong ba spirits. Khu: The "shining." A psychic covering that surrounds the mummy's body and spirit. Known Name: The name by which Shaunkhsen and the Imkhu were known in the First Life, and by which such mummies are still known to other Reborn. This sometimes applies to the tem-akh of the Amenti. Lands of the Dead: See Duat. Lands of Faith: All the lands within the boundaries of the Web of Faith. Lands of the Living: The physical world, inhabited by living beings. Maat: Cosmic order, justince and balance. Mummies believe that Ma'at has been overturned, and they seek to restore it. The concept of Ma'at is embodied in a goddess of the same name, who judges the souls of mummies in the underworld. Mesektet: "Night Sun." The label applied to those mummies with strong sahu spirits. Mummy: A human for whom death is only temporary; after a period in the underworld, a mummy returns to the lands of the Living. Plural, mummies. Nehem-sen: "Saved one." The term given to the mortal approached by the tem-akh upon his death and offered the resurrection. Neter-khertet: Egyptian name for the uppermost layer of the underworld that echoes the living world. Also referred to as the Shadowlands. The region most grievously affected by the Dja-akh. Osiris: Egyptian ruler of the underworld. THe first mummy and originator of the Spell of Life. Osiris' spirit now resides within the Web of Faith. Reborn, the: Another name for mummies. Ren: The true name -- a vital part of a person's existence and soul. Resurrected, the: Another name for mummies. Sahu: The spiritual body, an everlasting and eternal soul. Sakhmu: "Spirit Scepter." The name given to those mummies with strong khu spirits. Sebayet: "Teachings." A body of literature that describes the origins and goals of the Shemsu-heru. Second Death: The ending of the Second Life. Second Life: The life of a modern mortal host before the joining. Also known as the life of the khat. Among Shaunkhsen, the Second Life is to them as the Third Life is to the Amenti. Sefekhi: "Unbandaged One." The term for mummies with powerful khaibits. Sekhem: Power or life-force, similar in many ways to the Chinese concept of chi. Semektet: The weakened state of a mummy with no Sekhem remaining. Set: Brother of Osiris and slave of Apophis. Set has been the enemy of the Reborn since the time of Horus. Setites: See Followers of Set. Shanu-atiu: The inner circle of ghostly priests who watched over Osiris in the underworld city of Amenti. These holy spirits taught the god's ancient commandments and interpreted the words he spoke in his rare moments of lucidity. Shaunkhsen: A derogatory word that means "Lifeless." It is used to describe the few remaining survivors that were Resurrected through the old and now defunct Great Rite. Their lifeforce is not as strong as that as the Amenti. Shemsu-heru: The Followers of Horus. Egyptian mummies who follow the leadership of Horus and abide by his code. Once, this was used to describe all Egyptian Reborn save for the outcast Ishmaelites. Now it describes a particularly strong sect of the modern Reborn. Shroud, the: The barrier separating the Lands of the Living from the Lands of the Dead. Spell of Life, the: The magical formula that creates mummies and gives them eternal life. Also known as the Great Rite and the Spell (or Ritual) of Rebirth. tem-akh: "Completing spirit." The incomplete spirits of Amenti rescued from the Dja-akh by Osiris and sent to join with willing mortals to create mummies. Third Life: A mummy's eternal life that begins after the Great Rite. Thoth (Pronounced Tawt or Tot): Egyptian god of knowledge and learning. Believed to have taught magic to Isis. True Death: The final annhialation, from which a mummy can not return. While exceedingly rare and requiring efforts of great power, such is a possibility. True Name: See ren. Udja-sen: "Judged One." The term for mumies who lost a portion of their soul in judgment by the Judges of Ma'at. Undying, the: Another name for mummies. Use-Name: An alias adopted by Shaunkhsen and the Imkhu to avoid attracting attention. Names like Tchacta-em-ankh just aren't passable in normal society. Vessel: An object capable of storing Sekhem for later use. Vizier: Administrator of the Shemsu-heru. The term has fallen out of use with the Imkhu, although it may be used in a different capacity by mortal Shemsu-heru cultists. Web of Faith: A network of holy sites and Sekhem (mystical energy) found throughout the Middle East. The Web of Faith serves to house and sustain the spirit of Osiris.[/b] This list assumes that the characters are Amenti, the primary types of mummies in the system. Other Reborn have specific words that are not on this list. I may add to it, or create additional lexicons for the Teomallki and Wu T'ian, as and if such becomes appropriate. The DJa-akh (Ghost Storm) at a Glance The Dja-akh, the Sixth Great Maelstrom, led to a lot of events in the classic World of Darkness. Most importantly to Mummy: the Resurrection, this directly led to the destruction of the Dark Kingdom of Sand (Amenti), the awakening of Osiris, and the creation of the new Spell of Life, which saw the merger of the shattered wraiths caught in that storm, and the souls of the newly deceased being brought together by the Great Rite. As a lot of the later canon is either excised entirely or scaled back, I'm waiting to see what Wraith 20 does with this, and for that matter, eventually Mummy20. For the time being, I'm taking a step back with the Dja-akh in game. The ghost storms will still be the usual threat that they are in the underworld, but I'll leave definitive connections off to the side for now. This way, as Wraith 20th and other relevant material becomes available, transition will be a simple matter later down the road. |
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| Author: | Vil [ Sun May 31, 2015 4:15 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mummy: the Resurrection |
(This is just a bump, to note an adjustment on the Merits and Flaws. I've added the Merit: Imhotep's Blessing (4 or 7 - Khri-habi only).) |
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| Author: | Vil [ Sat Jun 06, 2015 4:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mummy: the Resurrection |
WORDS OF POWER This is a list of clarifications and house rules on Hekau, as well as a guide providing for some unique Spells and Rituals. There are almost no system changes, as I personally hate house rules. In order to balance out a few quirks, what minor adjustments have been made are listed here. In addition to this, I've provided some Dynasty-specific Hekau that is highly unlikely ever to be taught to Amenti of other Dynasties, or to the Others out there. Dynasty-specific Hekau is not available upon character creation. The Spells and Rituals have been carefully considered, to make sure that they are no more powerful than any other Hekau of comparable levels. They're not intended as twink bait. They exist as some role-play incentive. Dynasty-specific Hekau is not known to every single member of a Dynasty, any more than every Necromancer knows the Ritual of Sin Eating. They're marks of prestige, earned by deeds that the individual Dynasties consider worthy of praise. They are a metaphysical status symbol. In short, they exist as a reward for deeds that your character does, which shine above the rest. They provide something extra for your character to strive to learn, without unbalancing the game. HEKAU RULES UPDATES First and foremost is to consider the nature of the game. Mummy is a game about personal development, second chances, redemption, responsibility, and most importantly, about hope. Unlike the other games in the World of Darkness, with the power that the Undying wield, there comes a great responsibility. Those who can't wield their power responsibly lose that power. Often times, the consequences are more dire, depending upon how far astray the mummy's actions have been from upholding the natural order. As our game opens, it is base book. Characters can become powerful over time, but our game opens with characters that are all base book. Either they're fresh out of their period of indoctrination after resurrection (or just blew that off entirely), or if they're older reborn, something has happened to them that has rendered them no more powerful that some of the newly-resurrected. Characters face continual trials, be they directly from the Judges of Ma'at, or from other circumstances. Neither are mummies expected to be perfect, although they strive toward spiritual perfection. To rise, fall, and get up again is what mummy is about. That's not just dying and rising again, but in the terms of their personal growth, it means that they all learn and grow, make their mistakes, learn from them, and then reattain what they've lost before. This is what you, the player, should keep in mind when you play your character. Learning uber Hekau should not be the central point to your role play. The following house rules have been carefully considered and only applied where needed. The added Spells and Rituals are for flavour, yet they exist only as rewards for outstanding role-play and in character achievements. They do not exist to condone nor to aid people in silly powergaming nonsense. With all of this having been said, please look over the following rules updates to the Hekau system; you may also want to browse over some of the new bits that have been put in, and remember that they are absolutely not available at character creation. Rather they're only Level One, or something grand enough to be Level Five, they must all be earned through outstanding deeds that are worthy of recognition within one's own Dynasty. Even the weakest of these Spells or Rituals is considered to be an honour for which to strive. Consider them a possible minor goal that your character may develop later or perhaps something that may just be taught to your character after he or she earns such through deeds. What it should never become is the central point of your character. DYNASTY-SPECIFIC HEKAU The following is a list of Spells and Rituals known only within the mentioned Dynasties under which they're listed. Even then, they're not known to all members of the Dynasty. Only those who have proven themselves worthy are taught these Spells and Rituals, and to be able to truly claim to have been granted secret knowledge is a badge of honour. Amenti who teach these secrets to outsiders find themselves the targets of the wrath of their fellows, and their students are equally hounded to make sure that their secrets remain their own. KHRI-HABI ALCHEMY Given the natural affinity the Khri-habi have for Alchemy, it is unsurprising that the bulk of the Spells and Rituals unique to the Dynasty are from this particular Path of Hekau. Name Imhotep's Gaze Level: 1 Type: Spell Dice Pool: Medicine + Alchemy Difficulty: 7 Cost: None The Khri-habi are renowned healers. It's little surprise then that one of their most cherished Spells is named in honor of Imhotep, who was in life, among many things, a renowned healer. This Spell is similar to the commonly-known Alchemy Spell, "Analyze Material," in that it requires merely a gaze from the alchemist. Rather than to assess the material that makes up an object, this particular spell allows a Khri-habi to gaze upon a subject and see from what the person being observed is suffering. With a single success, the Amenti can tell if his patient suffers from common sicknesses or injuries. In the case of injuries, they need not be outwardly apparent; this Spell reveals them to the Khri-habi. Three successes are required to pick up severe, life-threatening ailments and injuries that are not apparent. Five or more successes will reveal even supernatural ailments and injuries. This Spell only works on the living. The dead, such as vampires, walkers, risen, and the like, are beyond the reach of this Spell, although a level 3 variant, "Imhotep's Lingering Gaze," costs one point of Lifeforce, will also work on the dead, but is otherwise mechanically the same. Life From the Nile Level: 3 Type: Spell Dice Pool: Medicine + Alchemy Difficulty: 5 or 7 Cost: 0 or 1 The waters of the Nile give life. Khri-habi who know this Spell can use the life-giving qualities of any naturally-flowing water to heal the sick and injured. The Khri-habi brings his hands together, palms up, and uses them to scoop up water, which he then pours over himself or another. The Difficulty of the Spell, and the cost to use it, depend on the nature of the wounds. Bashing or Lethal levels of damage are a Difficulty of 5 and cost nothing. Aggravated wounds are a Difficulty of 7 and cost 1 point of Lifeforce. Some diseases might be treated as Aggravated for the purpose of healing. The water used in this Spell must come from a live body, such as a stream, lake, etc. Tap or bottled water will not work, nor will bottled natural spring water, as it has been cut off from its source for too long. KHER-MINU AMULETS The Kher-minu are masters of protection, both of themselves and of their chosen charges, sacred places, and relics. Their mastery of Amulets is second to none. It's no surprise then that the bulk of the secret Spells and Rituals that they have are those belonging to this particular Path of Hekau. Sanctum of the Ka Level: 5 Type: Combination Ritual Amulets + Necromancy Requirements: Amulets Level 5, Ritual: Major Ward (any), Necromancy 1, Ritual: Summon the Dead Dice Pool: Cosmology + (Amulets or Necromancy, whichever rating is lower) Difficulty: 7 Cost: 10+special When the need for protection is truly dire, the Kher-minu have this ritual upon which to draw in order to guarantee the safety of that which they've chosen to protect. Provided that the Amenti is protecting something considered sacred enough to merit it, with this Ritual, he can ensure protection in both the Living Lands and the Lands of the Dead. The ritual requires that the area to be protected (usually a well-hidden tomb) be purified. (Precisely what that entails is up to the Storyteller and depends entirely upon circumstances.) The Tomb Watcher then stays within the area to be sanctified, fasts, and meditates for a period of days equal to the area's Shroud rating. At the conclusion of this time, the Kher-minu then draws into place a series of images or characters (usually heiroglyphs, although any language will suffice) that spell out the boundaries, and that all within them, who belong within them, will be kept safe. The player may then have his character start to spend Lifeforce for this Ritual. Without the aid of a vessel, this will take at least a few days, in which the character may still do very little else. Once all of the Sekhem has been invested into the site, the Kher-minu declares aloud his oath to protect the sanctified area and all kept within it as his player rolls the Ritual's affect. Provided that it succeeds, the Shroud rating within the area affected drops by as many points as the character has points of Balance (to a minimum of 3), and a wraith appears to protect the sanctified ground. For each additional 2 points of Sekhem spent into the Ritual (not the initial points nor any given for automatic successes) an additional ghost is called. Each spirit, chosen totally at random, is bound for a year and a day to protect the sanctified area, which it treats as a Level 5 Haunt, with all of the benifits of such. It suits the Kher-minu that does this well to consider the needs of the spirit(s) summoned, for there is nothing to prevent the ghost(s) from protecting the sanctified area from the very Tomb Watcher that trapped it there. Use of this Ritual causes potential detrimental affects upon Wraiths so coerced into helping the Undying. As such, it's an easy way to loose Balance poins. Depending upon circumstances, some ghosts may prefer to be bound in such a way (after all, the ritual creates a very powerful Haunt for the ghosts that it binds into service), but for the Kher-minu to not do their utmost to find out is indeed an offense against Ma'at. NECROMANCY Although Necromancy isn't the first thing that comes to mind when the Tomb Watchers are a topic of discussion, they have found particular uses for this path of Hekau that would not even occur to the dreaded Sefekhi. Sacred Arc of the Ka Level: Three Type: Ritual Dice Pool: Thanatology + Necromancy Difficulty: 6 Cost: 2 Sometimes the salt ritual isn't good enough. That rite is merely a declaration, a note to other Kher-minu of the protected status of a place, a reminder to themselves and their followers of their duty to such a place, and to enemies who know it, a dire warning. Messages, alone, can not always serve as a method of defence, especially against foes who take sadistic delight in destroying that which their enemies consider sacred. This is a ritual never undertaken lightly, for while it helps to defend a place of importance to the mummy that cast it, it does so directly at the Reborn's perill. The Tomb-Watcher must sit upon the property that he wishes to protect at its central point, and there he must meditate for the duration of the Ritual, taking no other actions. At the end of the ritual, his player rolls the dice and expends 2 points of Sekhem. The Lifeforce expended serves as a bridge between the caster's Ka and the place he wishes to protect. The place in question receives all of the benefits of the Purpose of the Kher-minu, but limited not according to the mummy's Balance, but rather to a maximum number of dice per round as the mummy's Ka Background (but not in excess of his Balance rating). During this time, the Kher-minu may chose, during any round of combat, whether his Ka protects him or the area sanctified by this Ritual. At any given round in which this Ritual is active, a location protected by the mummy, or the Tomb-Watcher himself, may use the benefits of his Purpose, but never both in the same round. When the mummy dies, the affects of this Ritual end, as the Ka must protect the khat. There is a level 5 version of this Ritual that requires 3 Sekhem rather than two. It works differently, in that the Kher-minu grants a dice pool equal to his Balance + Ka to protect a given area. When the protection dice are used by the Kher-minu's player to protect the mummy rather than the chosen place, the dice pool remains as it normally would, equal to his Balance rating per round. This Ritual can not be used as a twinky way to increase the Purpose dice pool of the Kher-minu. Both versions of this Ritual may also be cast upon any living or undead being, however casting this Ritual upon supernatural creatures is going to be questioned by the Judges of Ma'at. Kher-minu are thus very selective in upon whom, other than other mummies, neteru, and other mortals in their defense, that they cast this Ritual. MESEKTET CELESTIAL As seers of fate and masters of Celestial Hekau, the bulk of the Mesektet's more secretive arts are Celestial in nature. Mantle of Divine Authority Level: 4 Type: Spell Dice Pool: Leadership + Celestial Difficulty: 7 Cost: 2 The Mesektet have a reputation for being smug and self-important, and misused, this Spell goes a long way to back up this belief. By reciting the names of the Ennead, the Mesektet garners their favor for the remainder of the scene. If he doesn't have the Merits, "Noble Bearing" and "Fascinating Gaze," he is assumed to have both. He also gains a number of dots to spread between Charisma, Manipulation, Leadership, and Intimidation as he has successes on the activation roll. None of these can go above 8. At the end of the scene when the power wears off, all affected Attributes and Skills drop to 1 (or 0 if there was no prior ranking) and remain that way for a number of days equal to half of the successes that were scored on the initial roll (rounded down to a minimum of 1). There is a hefty price for authority that the Mesektet command with this Spell. SAKHMU EFFIGY Effigy Hekau in the hands of a talented mummy can be put to many applications. The Sakhmu, however, take these uses to heights to which other Undying would never be able. Papyrus of Thoth Level: One Type: Ritual Dice Pool: Academics + Effigy Difficulty: 6 Cost: 1 The Spirit-Sceptres have a knack for artistic expression, the likes of which gives them greater insight into artistic endeavours. This Ritual allows them to extend that benefit to others, if in a limited way. The Sakhmu spends 15 minutes in meditation, while soaking a sheet of paper in anointing oils and burning special incense (of the quality acceptable in a temple). During this time, the Sakhmu may do nothing else but meditate on the nature of wisdom, expression, and beauty. At the end of this 15-minute period, the Sakhmu's player rolls Effigy + Academics at a difficulty of 6. If successful, the paper absorbs all of the oil and dries instantly, having a mild fragrance of whatever incense had been burned during its creation. Upon failure, the paper dissolves. When anyone uses the paper to write, or for any artistic purpose, they gain a number of automatic successes equal to the successes of this Ritual, but never exceeding the Balance rating of the Mummy who performed the Ritual, as it was at the time that the Ritual had been cast. Sakhmu that know this Ritual find great ease in casting it, for if the Sakhmu chooses to retry a less-favourable result via the Sakhmu rules for Purpose (it is specifically valid in the case of this particualr ritual, for it is both an artistic endeavour - in the form of crafting - and inspiration for more to come, the automatic successes granted from this Ritual carry over to the new roll. Each Papyrus of Thoth may be used only once. Using the Papyrus of Thoth for dishonest means, such as counterfeiting, is an offence against Ma'at. Not only is this Ritual a secret among the Sakhmu, it is one that only they can use, for it draws upon the very power of their Khu, which is shared by no other Undying. Loss of Words Level: Three Type: Ritual Dice Pool: Crafts + Effigy Difficulty: 7 Cost: 1 or 2 The Sakhmu can make a mask, the features of which are a mockery of whoever looks upon it. This can be designed for any who look upon it, or for one particular person. If it is crafted for any onlooker, the effect is lesser and less draining on the part of the Artisan. If cast with the intent of a specific onlooker, it's more draining to the Artisan, but the effects are more devastating. Once created, this mask need only be worn in the presence of the target or targets. Targets who fall victim to this mask's affects find themselves stripped of their creativity. The Sakhmu crafts this mask so that it fits to the contours of his face, while meditating upon its intent. If intended for a multitude of onlookers, only one Sekhem is invested into its creation. If intended for one specific target, two Sekhem are invested into its creation. When used against a group, the mask causes all onlookers to feel stripped of inspiration. Victims suffer a reduction of dice to any dice pools governing creativity as the Balance of the caster at the time that the mask was created. When used against a singular target, not only are so many dice removed from dice pools involving creativity, but they are replaced by automatic "ones". This can cause catastrophic botches best left to the imagination of the Storyteller. In case it needs to be said, misuse of this Ritual is an offence against Ma'at (depending on the Sekhmu's Balance score). The mask will only work but one time, and after being used, it shatters and is reduced to fine, white dust. SEFEKHI NECROMANCY As Necromancy is the Hekau that comes easiest to the Sefekhi, it is no wonder that most of the Spells and Rituals hoarded by the Unbandaged Ones are from this Hekau Path. Dead Skin Mask Level: Two Type: Ritual Dice Pool: Thanatology + Necromancy Difficulty: 7 Cost: 2 This Ritual is a favourite among enterprising Sefekhi, who believe that even their trophies can serve as weapons. Through the use of this Ritual, the Sefekhi can easier infiltrate his enemies and slay them with the element of surprise. The Necromancer must have skinned the face off of an enemy. The skin must be preserved (which is normally done through Necromantic means) before this Ritual is performed. The Necromancer must write a true story about his former victim (many mummies do this in Hieroglyphics on papyrus, but anything will suffice, even "elite" hacker scrawl on a smartphone, although any Sefekhi that caught wind of that might give the mummy that did it by such a means a sound beating) and then spend 10 minutes contemplating the story as he wears the face of his victim. If successful, the victim's face becomes his face for the duration of the ritual's affects (until sunrise). During this time, the Necromancer will pass to all five natural senses as the deceased, although those that know the deceased are very likely to know something isn't right if the mummy doesn't play the part well. Supernatural means of detection pierce the illusion with the usual limitations. The Necromancer may spend an additional point of Sekhem for each additional day that he wishes to extend the affects of the Ritual to a limit of however much Sekhem the mummy is both willing and able to spend. The Visitation of the Vengeful Khat Level: 4 Type: Combination Ritual: Necromancy + Celestial Requirements: Necromancy Level 4, Ritual: Animate Corpse, Celestial level 1, Ritual: Hanging the Stars Dice Pool: Occult + Necromancy (Necromancy is the main Path involved. Even if the character's Celestial is a great degree higher, Necromancy is the main contributor.) Difficulty: 8 Cost: 4 A particularly nasty "dirty trick" of some of the Unbandaged Ones, this combination ritual is a refinement from a Sefekhi's particularly ingenious use of the Hanging the Stars Ritual and the Necromancy Ritual, Animate Corpse. Where the casting of the two separate rituals will also achieve much of the same result, this particular Ritual takes less time to perform and is much more effective. Being that this Ritual requires the death of the mummy himself, it is not a Ritual that is cast lightly. When the Sefekhi know that they're going into a fight in which their death is inevitable, some choose to turn their own death into an added weapon against the enemy. The khat of the Reborn, thanks to the Ka, is more resilient to damage than their living body. Lady Neith realized that if they could make their dead body get up and keep fighting, their khat, being more resilient than when it lives, can farther hamper the efforts of their enemies; it could even guarantee that the mummy isn't the only one to die. This inspired her to concoct this Ritual as a means to make the Unbandaged Ones even more lethal enemies of the forces of Apophis. Some rumors linger that this Ritual was actually stolen from Kharebutu, the Fourfold Fiend, or from Tutu, the Doubly-Evil One, or that perhaps on a less sinister note, that it was stolen from less corrupt Shaunkhsen. Most Sefekhi, however, shrug this off not really giving a damn if the Apepnu or Ishmaelites created the Ritual. Whoever may have implemented it first, if it was not them, have conveniently added to the arsenal of the Sefekhi. Seeing how many Sefekhi actually use this Ritual, some Amenti of other Dynasties might beg to differ were they to see it implemented. By successfully casting this combination Ritual, the Sefekhi turns himself into a deadly weapon that activates upon his death. At the top of the round following his death, the Sefekhi's body gets back up and continues to fight. Where the similar effect is achieved through the separate use of Celestial and Necromancy Hekau, the khat gets up in a state of being similar to a Walker. Under the influence of this improved combination Ritual, the khat retains all of the stats it had in life, has 15 health levels without wound penalties, and soaks all forms of damage with Stamina + Ka. As soon as the fight is over (by either the Sefekhi or his foes falling), however, the corpse falls to the ground and is instantly reduced to the Ash Khat Level, making his next Resurrection more difficult and less likely to be successful upon the first attempt. Should a Kher-minu ever learn this combination Ritual, it is almost always an offence that causes them to loose 1 point of Balance, and it is extremely difficult for one of the Kher-minu to justify the use of this Ritual. Indeed, given how protective they are of their bodies, few of the Tomb Watchers would even want to learn this Ritual. Being how protective the Sefekhi are of this particular Ritual, the chances of an outsider learning it are slim, and such who would receive this honor are charged with never teaching it to another. Sefekhi who abuse this Ritual will answer to the Judges of Ma'at, for even the ferocious Sefekhi, despite their approach to upholding Ma'at, must never forget that life is sacred and that even their immortal existence is not such to be cast needlessly to the wind. On a botch, the mummy's Khat is reduced to ash the next time that he dies, regardless of rather he dies in the expected fight or years down the road. CELESTIAL As much as they would prefer it to be true, the Mesektet aren't the only Undying to look to the heavens and command the attention of the gods. While this flows as naturally to the Mesektet as fashioning protective mektet does to the Kher-minu, the Sefekhi have developed (or uncovered) Celestial Spells and Rituals that they hoard among their own. Feed the Scarabs Level: Three Type: Spell Dice Pool: Brawl + Celestial Difficulty: Varies Cost: 2 + 1 for each additional round A gruesome, and efficient way to kill someone, this spell is often cast as a way to intimidate other enemies while disposing of one when the Unbandaged Ones must depend upon the loose tongue of their enemies. This spell almost borders on being a ritual in as much as that it requires a brief preparation, all be it one that takes but moments. The mummy must first chew upon a scarab. The scarab may be dead first, and many Amenti prefer this, however a good number of the Sefekhi prefer the scarab to be alive, as it adds to the fear that they instill in their foes. The mummy spits the chewed remains of the scarab at his enemy. His player rolls for the spell and spends the necessary Lifeforce (detailed below) to enact the Spell's affects. The target may attempt to dodge and does so as if this was a normal physical attack. The difficulty of the mummy's roll is determined by terrain. The target resists by attempting to dodge (if he has an action to do so and provided he can move). So long as the mummy's player has at least one success after the roll is resolved, his player rolls to activate the spell. If the roll succeeds, the spell takes affect immediately. Scarabs burst out of the ground and swarm over the mummy's foe, devouring him in a whirl of scarabs, flying blood, and screams. The difficulty for loose sand or similar ground is a 4, for wet, compacted soil is a 5, through wood or similar is an 7, through stone is 9, and through solid steel or harder is a 10. The scarabs do 3 aggravated levels of damage per round (soakable by anyone that can soak aggravated damage - this is treated as if it were the teeth/claws of other supernatural creatures) and last only for one round unless the Celestine invests more Sekhem with each additional Lifeforce point spent keeping the scarabs around for another round. At the end of the Spell's duration, the scarabs flee back from whence they came. They leave no trail, save for the holes that they bore into the location where they fed. A failure results in nothing happening, and it appears to be a childish, disgusting display on the part of the mummy. A botch is very catastrophic and is viewed by many Unbandaged Ones as Khepera's displeasure at the abuse of this Spell. The scarabs appear as though the caster had spent 1 more Lifeforce in the activation of the Spell than the number of "1s" rolled in the botch, however they don't attack the mummy's intended target, but attack him instead. The Sefekhi are very protective of this spell, but that is not to say that it's implementation has not been witnessed by other Undying. Some Mesektet in particular site this Spell as additional proof that the Unbandaged Ones are unable to live in accord with Ma'at and will one day need to be swept aside, by force if necessary. UDJA-SEN Mistrusted, mocked, and hated by the other Undying, the Udja-sen are outcasts among the Undying who are often barely tolerated. As such, the unique arts practised by these mummies are designed with payback in mind. NECROMANCY The Judged Ones have their own Necromantic Spells and Rituals and continually work on others. One such Ritual allows them to target the souls of their fellow Undying and inflict suffering upon them. Were more Amenti to learn of this, the Udja-sen might gain more respect among their peers, or the final die might be cast against them and the Dynasty would be hunted down by the combined might of all of the other Reborn. Harvest of Tears and Scorn Level: Three Type: Ritual Dice Pool: Divination + Necromancy Difficulty: Seven Cost: 3 Woe to the mummy who has earned the ire of the Judged One that has learned this Necromantic Rite, for it specifically strikes at the souls of the Resurrected! A victim of this Ritual is truly hated by the Udja-sen, for it requires them to kill the mummy so afflicted. A wound lasting lifetimes is cut deep into the target's soul. When the target of this Ritual is Resurrected into the Lands of the Living, they suffer the Liability of the Udja-sen. The Judged One must kill the intended victim. This can be by any means so long as it's not carried out by another party. When the victim is slain, the Udja sen must take some small part of him, his hair, his blood, a nail clipping, an eyelash, even a personal belonging will suffice, so long as the item in question was truly cherished. (Truly evil and corrupted Udja-sen may even use a child or other loved one of the Mummy in question.) This piece of the victim is soaked on a silver plate bearing a single drop of the Udja-sen's blood for 45 minutes, at which point the blood dries and flakes away. The object must then be destroyed with fire, by the Udja-sen. The Mummy affected by this Ritual knows he is cursed, but he will not know the specific nature of the curse until the first time it's affects are truly felt. When the Mummy Resurrects successfully into the Lands of the Living, he comes back bearing, in addition to his own Liability, that of the Udja-sen (but not their Purpose). When used against other Udja-sen, the damage taken from the use of Sekhem becomes Aggravated. When used against characters with the Flaw: Lifeblood (including Udja-sen), the number of levels of damage from the use of Sekhem doubles (2 for every point used). The effects of this Ritual begin when the Mummy thus targeted Resurrects into the land of the living and last for as many lifetimes as the successes the caster had in performing the Ritual (3 needed to match the cost counts as 1 success, 4 as 2 successes, 5 as 3 successes, and so on) but can not exceed the Balance (or Corruption) of the Udja-sen that cast it. For the purpose of this Ritual, a "Lifetime" is time spent in the Lands of the Living and as a spirit in the Lands of the Dead, with each such lifetime ending with successful Resurrection into the Lands of the Living. Resurrecting as a spirit in Du'at if slain in the Underworld does not count. Nomenclature Similarly to how the Udja-sen have turned Necromancy against their fellows, so too have they learned to use Nomenclature with the Undying who manage to earn their ire in mind. Whispers of Spite Level: One Type: Spell Dice Pool: Occult + Nomenclature Difficulty: 6 Cost: 0 or 1 Udja-sen bear abuse from the other Dynasties of the Amenti at a near constant. It should then come as no surprise that many of the Udja-sen have become embittered. This Spell is simplistic, but when coupled with the True Name of a target, it can become a lifetime of hell. The Udja-sen's whispers become a harrowing curse that can make the lives of their contemporaries very unpleasant. Some Udja-sen question the origins of this Spell, and conspiracy theorists within the Dynasty believe that it may have been given to them by a Bane Mummy. To enact this Spell, the Udja-sen must know the True Names that govern the concept of "curse" and of "luck." Some enterprising Udja-sen have created other variants, however "luck" is the standard curse, as its application can be felt far and wide. The affects of this Spell are somewhat random, and it is up to the Storyteller when they will unfold. If the Mummy also has and includes the True Name of the victim of this Spell, then at the cost of 1 Sekhem, the effects can be made to last a lifetime. For the purpose of this Spell, a lifetime includes time in Du'at as a spirit, however successful Resurrection into the Lands of the Living effectively ends this Spell's affects. In case it needs to be said, Resurrecting into Du'at after being destroyed as a spirit does not count. Targets affected by this Spell find that random actions of which they partake, equal to the number of successes of the Judged One's casting, are all but doomed to failure. Such actions automatically receive a number of "ones" equal to the Balance of the Judged One who cast this curse upon them. Targets who had their True Name targeted suffer exactly the same, but there is no set number of times that the curse may strike. It can happen at any time and at any place and can only be undone when the Mummy has died and subsequently been Resurrected into the Lands of the Living. If this Spell is cast upon mortals or any other being that doesn't Resurrect, it ends with their death. Reapers, for example, would be treated the way that Reborn are for the purpose of the duration of affects. Amkhat cultists would no longer be affected by this curse unless they continued on as a Wraith, at which point it would end after a Destruction Harrowing, regardless of rather or not they were destroyed in the Harrowing. THE OTHERS The Amenti are not the only Undying that walk the world in the modern nights. They believe themselves to be the only ones fully, vibrantly alive, and this is untrue. Just as it is that other Reborn in the world are just as vibrant and full of life as any of the Undying, so too is it that even now there are others less live yet still living none the less that hold on to what imperfect grasp of life they've had for centuries and even millennia. It should be no surprise then that the Dynasties of the Amenti are not the only ones to have Dynasty-specific Hekau. The Cabiri and the Ishmaelites, for example, have their own specialty arts. Who is to say what the Mallki of the various Dynasties of Capacocha are holding back from the Teomallki and what the Teomallki hold from one another? CABIRI Although their weaknesses differ greatly from the Mesektet, their strengths are identical. It's no wonder then that the Fate-Touched have such a strong grasp of Celestial Hekau and have mastered secrets that would make the miracles of the Mesektet seem as mere parlor tricks. CELESTIAL As Fate-Touched and masters of Celestial Hekau, the bulk of the Cabiri's more secretive arts are Celestial in nature. Severing Lachesis' String Level: 5 Type: Spell Dice Pool: Occult + Celestial Difficulty: 7 Cost: 5 One of the most fearsome powers that the Cabiri possess, this Spell allows the Cabiri to turn fate against a living target and abruptly bring that life to its conclusion. This Spell has no affect upon most Undead, however it will send reapers into a Death Cycle and vampires into torpor. The Cabiri need only see their target or know its given name for this Spell to work. Having both sight of the target and its given name confers no special advantage. A well-known nickname is sufficient enough, so long as it's something the target answers to and not just a moniker given by others and not acknowledged by the intended victim of this Spell. The Cabiri glares - either staring off into space or staring at his target, and he makes a scissor gesture with his fingers. The player rolls for the Spell, and the target resists with Willpower at a Difficulty of 8. As long as the caster as at least one more success than the target, the victim drops dead on the spot. Mummies killed this way go into a Death Cycle. Most supernaturals, just as any mortal, die on the spot. ISHMAELITES The Ishmaelites were those Shemsu-heru that left Horus' service, either by choice or decree. Thousands of years of separation and varying thoughts on how to uphold Ma'at (or if they should even bother) have given them plenty of time to create their own unique spells and rituals, although collaboration hasn't always been a strong point. When Ishmael (after whom the Ishmaelites are named) was cast out, there was no practice of Dynasty-specific Hekau. It began with the Cabiri, who wanted spells and rituals against which the Shemsu-heru would not be familiar or prepared. The Shemsu-heru never bothered with anything specific. After all, they had all of the secrets of Hekau! Why should they care about the pathetic, second-rate mystical shenanigans of those whose resurrection was naught but an act of theft? On the other hand, the Ishmaelites were concerned that some Cabiri might target them for having previously been Shemsu-heru, and they held no illusion that run-ins with the Shemsu-heru had to be peaceful. Just the same, the Ishmaelites also didn't feel that the best answer to every problem was to have to rely upon a spell or ritual. While these could be useful edges, these specialised spells and rituals quickly became symbols of status among the Ishmaelites. Their authors earned them by the toil of their creation. Others earned them for deeds of prestige that were seen as having proven their worth for such knowledge. In fact, it is whispers of these practices by early Amenti that posessed tem-akh that had been Ishmaelites, which led to the development of Dynasty-specific Hekau among the Amenti. This doesn't explain similar practices among Asian and South and Central American Dynasties of the Resurrected. At this time, no spells and rituals are listed for the Ishmaelites. These will be added in the future. (Likewise, writeups, spells, and rituals, will be included for others not yet listed.) SYSTEM CLARIFICATIONS This section is designed to clarify rules on Hekau usage without changing anything from how it's already depicted in the Mummy: the Resurrection core rulebook and the Players' Guide unless the change is absolutely necessary. I am not fond of house rules and prefer to keep them minimal. ALCHEMY There are at this time no clarifications needed for Alchemy. Should questions arise enough to prove that a clarification is necessary, it will appear here. AMULETS There are at this time no clarifications needed for Amulets. Should questions arise enough to prove that a clarification is necessary, it will appear here. CELESTIAL The system for Celestial Hekau is actually pretty easy, however the chart for weather magic can be a bit daunting. In addition, there are some clarifications needed on some of the Spells and Rituals, but fear not. I think you'll find that I was able to get a good handle on these. Some house rules have also had to be implemented, at least in the case of one Spell, which is detailed below. Hanging the Stars (Ritual/House Rule): This Ritual works exactly as described in Mummy: the Resurrection pages 98 and 99 with the few following changes: 1.) On page 98, it states "Triggering the hung ritual requires spending another Sekhem and making an Occult + Celestial roll (difficulty 7). Success activates the stored Hekau that turn as if it was a standard one-turn spell effect. Failure disperses the ritual's energy ineffectively, while a botch may cause the Hekau's energy to backlash upon the unfortunate mummy." This is unchanged, but has an addition. A mummy may opt to set the magic to a trigger (which can be almost anything, the mummy might chose to snap his fingers over his head or pick the moment he draws first blood in a duel for example). The difficulty remains unchanged, and botches play out when the trigger's condition is met. Triggered Hekau will dissipate when a number of days pass that surpass the number of successes of the activation just like any regularly hung Hekau. 2.) Although this Ritual is almost always cast upon one's own Spells and Rituals, it can also be used to aid another Mummy. In such a case, the celestine only pays the Hekau necessary to set and trigger the hanging and release of the magic. As the hung Spell or Ritual is not of the celestine's doing, the celestine needn't put any Sekhem into their casting. They must, however, pay the additional activation cost (1) to trigger the spell or ritual. 3.) Although worded that it affects Rituals, Hanging the Stars can be used to suspend Spells as well as Rituals. The same rules otherwise apply. 4.) In addition to Hekau, this Ritual can be combined with the affects of other supernatural powers if the celestine works in tandem with another supernatural creature, however it always adds 2 to the Difficulty to suspend such a power. As the other power in question was cast by the other creature, and the celestine only arranges when it will happen, it falls squarely on the shoulders of the mummy in question as to when the power will take affect in a manner identical to how Hanging the Stars affects Hekau. Mummies are rightfully leery of using this Ritual to aid another supernatural creature in the use of its own powers, for should the affect in some way violate Ma'at, such as by bringing harm to any innocents, then the Judges of Ma'at hold the celestine entirely at fault. Example: A Mage casts an affect that will turn the air in a room into corrosive acid. After everything is resolved, the Difficulty assigned to the Mage's player to perform this feat is a 7. The Difficulty for the Mummy to hang the power is a 9 (if the power targeted a specific person, the normal default of 8 with Hekau would be a 10). Sekhem costs are as otherwise described in the core rulebook. Hiding the Stars (Ritual/Clarification): It should probably not even need to be said, but just in case, here it goes. As you probably know, the number of successes needed to successfully cast a Ritual is equal to the cost of a Ritual in Sekhem/Lifeforce. Hiding the Stars has a cost of 0. This does not mean that the Ritual automatically works! The number of necessary successes can never be less than one. Weather Magic (Simple, Lesser, Major, Greater, and Potent - Ritual: Clarrification + House Rule): The chart for Weather Magic found on page 100 lists the Weather Magic Rituals as Simple, Lesser, Minor, Major, and Greater. It should read (as is for the names of the Rituals by levels 1-5) as Simple, Lesser, Major, Greater, and Potent. Otherwise, the Chart remains unaltered. The sample castings under Simple Weather Magic, Lesser Weather Magic, etc are just that: examples. Always refer to the chart on page 100 to determine if you're able to perform such a feat. Each type of change is listed under columns by the type of alteration, and then out from left to right by the level of the Ritual being used. For example, a Temperature Change ranging downward from +/- 10 to+/- 50. If something is dashed, it can't be done by a particular Ritual level as indicated by corresponding columns. Match each effect parameter by the number listed for each Difficulty to get the total Difficulty of the Ritual (and thus it's Sekhem cost). Here's an example: Eli Whittaker decides to drop the temperature over the whole of London by 20 degrees for the duration of a week. To do this, he uses Lesser Weather Magic. We find that Lesser Weather Magic can meet these parameters (had he wanted a 30 degree drop he'd have needed Major Weather Magic). The chart under Lesser shows a Difficulty 2 for the 20 degree drop, a Difficulty 2 for an area the size of a large city (London), and a Difficulty 5 for making this Ritual's affects last for a whole week. The total Difficulty is 9 (2 + 2 + 5). The cost to do this will be 2 Sekhem, since any effects at Difficulties 6 - 9 require 2 Sekhem. Please keep in mind that the unmods aren't structured, yet our game is. If we're in a city other than "Necro" (and we will be, from time to time), then what I'm saying here doesn't matter. Given that Necro is not run by cohesive storytelling, effects that blanket the city will still really only have impact where it impacts the Mummy: the Resurrection game. Come up with whatever theories you like for your character to have for why all of Necro isn't experiencing a cold front in July. I can only tell you that you'll just have to deal with it. When I ran this game on Jusnoctis: London by Night, due to the site-impacting nature of Weather Magic, this Hekau was not be cast if I was not present. Such scenes would be frozen if I wasn't available, and I would handle them in as fast a manner as possible. For this game, I'm just reminding you that I do consider Balance for everyone's actions. Please keep Me informed of any use of such Hekau. Call the Stars (Ritual/Clarification/House Rule): This Ritual is potentially very damaging due to the scope of what it does. I have made the following table to modify the Ritual. When I ran on London, this table did not mean that this Ritual can ever be used without Me present. Here, it will be allowed, but keep in mind what I said about city-wide effects in a largely non-definitive setting such as Necro. This will be far more effective when characters are visiting other locations (in which case, do keep in mind that the Judges of Ma'at tend not to be happy with people dropping fireballs on the heads of innocents). Additionally, I want to clarify the damage done by this Ritual, as it is very disgusting. Remember that you play creatures of Balance. The Judges of Ma'at don't entrust the ability to access this kind of magic to one who would use it frivolously. The damage in this Ritual does is 1 + the number of successes achieved beyond what was necessary to successfully utilize this Ritual, per turn. In addition, fires spring up. The Aggravated damage from the fire is 3 dice and is rolled every round, except for when dealing with creatures especially weak to fire, like vampires. In the case of such beings, the damage from fire is Automatic (and some vampires take more fire damage than others, see Setites and Lasombra). As the meteors are exceedingly hot, the damage that they do against Vampires and other creatures similarly weak to fire is also automatic. Damage from the spell and damage from the fire, for those who can soak Aggravated damage, is soaked separately. This is an extremely destructive Ritual, the likes of which the misuse thereof will gain the greatest ire of the Judges of Ma'at. Due to its nature, this Ritual should not be used without a Storyteller present. So, when in free play in the unmods (and not paused in an unfinished scene), consider the scope of what you're doing. People aren't going to be excited about playing with someone dropping meteors on their head, and from a role-play perspective, you have to weigh whether the destruction is justified. Sure, there are circumstances that call for it. Ultimately, the system of damage is determined instead by the chart below (with the above being but one possibility on the chart). The following list does not factor in the above rules for fire. Please consult the following chart: Area Of Impact: Person Difficulty 1 Building Difficulty 2 Square Block Difficulty 3 Square Mile Difficulty 4 Small Town Difficulty 5 Severity of Impact: Difficulty (1 Barrage/4 Singular): Least - one small meteor or other space-faring object (base 5 Aggravated levels of damage), or a lighter barrage doing one agg per 3 turns (see the Duration chart below, as barrage attacks use this chart) A Least Severity impact can hit any sized target. Difficulty (2 Barrage/6 Singular): Average - one decent-sized meteor or other space-faring object (base 7 levels of Aggravated damage), or a medium-sized barrage doing one agg per 2 turns (see the Duration chart below, as barrage attacks use this chart) An Average Severity impact can hit any sized target. Difficulty (3 Barrage/8 Singular): Severe - a large meteor, certain to leave a memorable crater (base 15 Aggravated levels of damage), or a lengthy barrage doing 1 agg per turn (see the Duration chart below, as barrage attacks use this chart) As with Weather Magic, the Cost in Sekhem/Lifeforce is 1 for anything Difficulty of 5 and below, Difficulty 2 for anything between 6 and 9, and 3 for anything at a Difficulty of 10. A Severe Impact has become too great in mass, either in a single blow, or spread out over a longer period of time, for the celestine to limit it to an area any smaller than a square mile. It is absurd to think that you'll target only a single person with a giant meteor that will leave a crater the size of a square block (the devastation of which would spread out much further) or a full-on barrage causing one Aggravated level of damage per turn (that's every turn that happens within a single combat round, and a combat round is 3 seconds - you do the maths). Duration of Impact (barrage only): Difficulty 1: Two Rounds (short 6-second burst) Difficulty 2: Five Rounds (mild 15-second burst) Difficulty 3: Seven Rounds (21-second downpour) Difficulty 4: Thirty Seconds Per Point of Balance (30 Rounds @ 3 Balance/40 @ 4/etc) Difficulty 5: One Minute Per Point of Balance (60 Rounds @ 3 Balance/80 @ 4/etc) EFFIGY There are at this time no clarifications needed for Effigy. Should questions arise enough to prove that a clarification is necessary, it will appear here. NECROMANCY There are at this time no clarifications needed for Necromancy. Should questions arise enough to prove that a clarification is necessary, it will appear here. NOMENCLATURE Nomenclature is a particularly tricky system, so it does require a little clarification. Known True Names: Every mummy who learns Nomenclature is taught 3 True Names, one that governs a particular rock or metal, one that covers a type of animal, and one for the concept of "self." These particular True Names have no prerequisite skill as they are drilled into a mummy's head by an instructor. Learning additional Names requires that a Mummy first meets certain Ability requirements covered in the core rulebook of Mummy: the Resurrection. For every point with which you start in Nomenclature, your character gets 3 True Names. The first 3 are listed above, and the remainders are picked as a player chooses, but may never include the True Name of a sentient being. Those must be learned in game through extensive role-play. Lastly, True Names necessary to allow a Spell or Ritual to work are considered to automatically be learned, for example, the Ren that governs "forgetting" for the Spells "Forgetting the Stone," and "Forgetting the Tree." The need of True Names: A common misconception is that every single Spell or Ritual in Nomenclature which affects another being requires this being's True Name. Unless a Spell or Ritual specifically states such to be the case (such as Forgetting the Person, which is the very reason why mummies go to lengths to protect their personal Ren), this is not a requirement. Not only would such make the hostile applications of Nomenclature (other than the nigh-disgusting ability to erase someone from having existed) laughably inept, but it would also make the helpful applications of Nomenclature (such as Mend Flesh) equally pointless. Generally speaking, the True Name of a target is necessary for the most destructive effects. The write-ups of different spells and rituals specify the need or lack thereof. The costs for learning True Names: This boils down entirely to time and research. In tabletop games, I would impose at the end of such a 3-pt Experience cost. As we don't use such, time and effort are the requirements. Some names are very easy to learn, while others are extremely difficult. In addition, a character must also possess certain Ability requirements. These are listed on page 125 of the core rulebook. Provided that one meets those requirements (either having them already or learning them through play), the scribe can then go through the task of researching the True Name that he desires. Most often, this will lead to lengthy quests, sometimes in both the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead. Needs for advancement (My own house rule): A scribe must know a minimum of 3 True Names at each level beyond those automatically granted for the use of Spells and Rituals in order to be able to advance their understanding in a Path. (In other words you must know 3 ren at Nomenclature 1, another 3 for a total of 6 ren at Nomenclature 2, another 3 for a total of 9 at Nomenclature 3, and so on. A mummy with Nomenclature 3 and 5 ren would be unable to learn the 4th level of Nomenclature, but a mummy with 6 or more ren at Nomenclature of 3 most certainly could. This is in addition to, and not a replacement for the Balance prerequisites. |
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| Author: | Vil [ Sat Jun 06, 2015 4:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mummy: the Resurrection |
MUMMY LORE The following information comes first from the Mage: Storyteller's Handbook (Revised Edition). It is the most detailed and best in terms of being thought-out source for lores and does a good job giving an honest overview of Lores and doesn't slant them toward Mage but gives you the info according to how each system works thus leaving any slanting up to individual Storytellers. I will reference the page number underneath and kindly remember that it is copywrite of White-Wolf Game Studios. I wrote the additional sub-lores, but they're still the full domain of White-Wolf. I have included Bane Mummy Lore on here. Please remember that just because I allow a lore that does not in any way mean that I will ever allow you to play a Bane Mummy. Don't even ask. I doubt anyone will ask, but I didn't write up an "Ishmaelite Lore" because that in of itself is covered somewhat at higher levels of Mummy Lore, and they weren't so much a different Dynasty of mummies as they are rogues of the original Shemsu-heru. With that said: Mummy Lore • Student: You know for sure that mummies exist and are just beginning to learn the basic fallacies of normal occult lore regarding their kind. Mummies do not shamble around in bandages, for example. •• College: You know that mummies are created by a powerful ritual that grants serial immortality. You may even know of the existence of the Cult of Isis, Children of Osiris and Ashukhi Corporation. ••• Masters: You are well-versed in mummy lore and probably even know of the existence of the Eset-a and the Shemsu-heru. You may know that Horus is a real being, though it is doubtful you would know where to find him. •••• Doctorate: You know as much as most of your subjects. Your knowledge of mummies is comparable to that of some of the wiser cults, including some awareness that the Amenti are not the only mummies. ••••• Scholar: You know your subjects better than many of them know themselves. Your knowledge of mummies is comparable to that of the Shemsu-heru. Should this come to the attention of certain Imkhu, your entire existence might be in danger. Specialties: Mummy Magic, Mummy Weaknesses, a particular cult. Additional Lores are as follows and are sub-knowledges off of Mummy Lore. Amenti Lore covers the bulk of Reborn characters in the Mummy: The Resurrection game. In addition, I have presented Lores that cover other Dynasties of Reborn. These later lores are likely to be of less use, but who knows what with the plots I might have in store, and with one or two characters either PC or NPC from time to time. Amenti Lore • Student: You know that the most common of the mummies are the Amenti, and are named after the city of the same name, that was once the home of the ghosts of Egypt. You are just beginning to learn the basic lore pertaining to the Amenti. For example, Amenti are divided into six Dynasties all though you probably don't know what a Dynasty entails. You might even know that a group of mummies are called a dwar. •• College: You know that these particular mummies are created by a more powerful version of the ritual that grants serial immortality. You might or might not know that the older version doesn't work anymore, but you know that the new version of the ritual somehow merges part of an ancient ghost to the soul of a modern person. You may even know of the more obscure sects within Amenti society such as the Hand of Thoth, the Unbound Scroll, the Spiders of the Sand, and the like. ••• Masters: You are well-versed in Amenti lore and probably even know of the existence of the most obscure of their sects and without doubt know the difference between the Shemsu-heru who were the older Reborn (and some who still are) and the Shemsu-heru cult composed of mortals and Reborn alike that serve Horus The Avenger. You may know the identity of the 12 Imkhu, though it is doubtful you would know where to find them. •••• Doctorate: You know as much as most of your subjects. Your knowledge of the Amenti is comparable to that of some of the wisest among the cults, including a definative grasp on each of the six Dynasties of Amenti and how they differ from one another as well as how similar they really are to one another. ••••• Scholar: You know your subjects better than many of them know themselves. Your knowledge of the Amenti is comparable to that of the Imkhu. Indeed, you are a walking vault of informatin that may be dangerous for the Amenti, for yourself, and countless others. Should this come to the attention of certain Imkhu, your entire existence might be in danger. Specialties: Hekau, Dynasty Weaknesses, a particular Dynasty. Wu T'ian Lore • Student: You know that there are immortal beings that hail from Asia. While these creatures were few and far between in ages past, they are now becoming more and more numerous. You are just beginning to learn the basic lore pertaining to the Wu T'ian. For example, Wu T'ian are divided according to their natures. •• College: You know that these particular mummies are followers of the Tao. You may even understand that they see themselves as servants of Heaven and that they have a detailed code of honor that is somewhat difficult to understand and probably to adhere to as well. ••• Masters: You are well-versed in Wu T'ian lore and probably even know of the existence of their sects and which ones draw their members from the Wu Feng as opposed to which ones draw their members from the Xian Lung. You are begining to understand that they have an outlook both fatalistic and hopeful in which they see themselves as the defenders of Heaven against the Demon Emporer as much as they see themselves as the guides of mankind to bring them quickly and as painlessly as possible through the Sixth Age. •••• Doctorate: You know as much as most of your subjects. Your knowledge of the Wu T'ian is comparable to that of some of the wisest sages in the Middle Kingdom, including a definative grasp on both the Wu Feng and Xian Lung as well as the rumors of the existance of a fabled Third Incarnation and the terrifying rumors of Wu Keui. ••••• Scholar: You know your subjects better than many of them know themselves. Your knowledge of the Wu T'ian is comparable to that of the Eight Immortals. Indeed, you are a walking vault of informatin that may be dangerous for the Wu T'ian, for yourself, and countless others. Should this come to the attention of the Eight Immortals, your entire existence might be in danger. Specialties: Arts, Incarnation Weaknesses, a particular Incarnation. Capacocha Lore • Student: You know that there are immortal beings that hail from Central and South America. Their numbers were never great, but over the last few years more and more have come into the world. You are just beginning to learn the basic lore pertaining to the Capacocha. For example, the Capacocha are divided into 4 Suyu. •• College: You know that Capacocha are created by a powerful ritual that grants serial immortality. You may even know of the existence of the various Allyu responsible for performing the Spell of Going Westward. ••• Masters: You are well-versed in Capacocha lore and probably even know of the basics about the different factions among each of the Suyu. •••• Doctorate: You know as much as most of your subjects. Your knowledge of the Capacocha is comparable to that of some of the wiser cults, including some awareness that the Capacocha fracturalised moreso than other Reborn. ••••• Scholar: You know your subjects better than many of them know themselves. Your knowledge of the Capacocha is comparable to that of the Maalki. Should this come to the attention of certain Maalki, your entire existence might be in danger. Specialties: Immu, Suyu Weaknesses, a particular suyu. Cabiri Lore • Student: You know for sure that some Cabiri still exist and are just beginning to learn the basic fallacies of normal occult lore regarding their kind. The Cabiri are not all nessessarily Greek, for example. •• College: You know that the Cabiri were created by a stolen variant on the old Egyptian Spell of Life and that there may or may not be surviving copies of these Secret Writings of Cabirus somewhere. ••• Masters: You are well-versed in Cabiri lore and probably even know of the identity of a few lingering Cabiri and of the dreaded Hand of Thoth that hunts them. •••• Doctorate: You know as much as most of your subjects. Your knowledge of the Cabiri is comparable to that of some members of the Arcanum, including that the Cabiri are the most disorganised of all of the Reborn having little to no common banner. ••••• Scholar: You know your subjects better than many of them know themselves. Your knowledge of the Cabiri is comparable to that of the Shemsu-heru. Should this come to the attention of certain Cabiri elders, your entire existence might be in danger. Specialties: Theurgia, Cabiri Weaknesses, the Secret Writings of Cabirus. Bane Mummy Lore • Student: You know for sure that the Bane Mummies exist to this day and are just beginning to learn the basic fallacies of normal occult lore regarding their kind. Foul as they are, bane mummies do not shamble around in bandages, for example. •• College: You know that the Apepnu were created by a corrupt version of the original Egyptian ritual that once granted serial immortality. You may even know of the loose and ever-waning connection the Apepnu have to the Followers of Set. ••• Masters: You are well-versed in bane mummy lore and probably even know of the existence of the asekh-sen. You may even know of the Hand of Thoth, a fanatical group of Shemsu-heru that hunts them. •••• Doctorate: You know as much as most of your subjects. Your knowledge of bane mummies is comparable to that of some of the wiser Amenti, including some awareness of the places one might be more likely to encounter the Children of Apophis. ••••• Scholar: You know your subjects better than many of them know themselves. Your knowledge of bane mummies is comparable to that of the most dilligent Shemsu-heru. Should this come to the attention of any of the Children of Apophis, your entire existence will be in danger, and a slow death before that is a guarentee. Specialties: Hekau, Powers, Bane Mummy Weaknesses, a particular Apepnu. |
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| Author: | Vil [ Sun Jun 07, 2015 12:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mummy: the Resurrection |
WHEN MAKING A MUMMY Now that character submissions are open, I need to go over some points with each of you, in order to help move this along smoothly. This is a step-by-step walk-through of character submission. 1. Select "Create Character" from the main page. Classic World of Darkness will come up on the pull-down menu. You don't even need to hunt for it. Click on the "Create Character" button. The character type remains the same, where it says, "Classic World of Darkness," atop your sheet. 2. Note that the sheet lists you as a vampire. Use the pull-down menu to select the mummy option. Note the changes on the format. Fill in the name, gender, and age fields, and put whatever password you want on your sheet. Just make sure that I get a copy of that password, as I will need to read your sheet on a regular basis, for game. Also fill in the Concept line and use the two empty fields below the "Mummy" pull-down selection as follows: (first line) Dynasty: (insert whatever your type is, Mesektet, Wu Feng, Cabiri, etc) (second line) Nature: (insert one) / Demeanor: (insert one) When looking at your sheet, filling in the description, and inserting a picture (if any) URL are both self-explanatory. 3. There isn't a whole lot to be said for filling in the dots. The earlier part of this forum thread covered the step-by-step character creation rules. This is where these apply. Just fill in the notes (on the Equipment and Notes field, at the bottom of your sheet) on character creation, and keep in mind to plan to be entering stuff above this. After you've listed a few other details (which we'll cover shortly) and all of your Hekau, the character creation notes should be the very last thing listed. Later, in game, as you play and develop your character, new notes that you need can be below that, or keep it above if you prefer. This is only for the sake of quick and easy character approval, and My always being able to double-check what Hekau, Merits, and Flaws you have, when I need to double-check those things. If you have any problem with these, you can catch Me in chat and get My help with it. 4. Stuff wasn't able to be listed on your sheet. These include: Hamartia, Inheritance, Second Death, a list of known languages, any additional fields for backgrounds or abilities (rare at start, but it can happen), Balance, Permanent Sekhem, Temporary Sekhem (this will change a lot if you use Hekau with any regularity), your Hekau notes (I am going to cover formatting these under point #5), and finally any additional notes (if needed). I understand that this is all very anal-retentive sounding, but the reason for this is all about ease of reference. It goes a long way toward making the game easier to run, so your cooperation with these formatting rules for this game are highly appreciated! 5. Okay. This is the fun part. This is where we list our bag of tricks. I'm going to write it out, step by step, and then I'm going to post a list on here, just to give an idea of how the format would look. It's very structured, for ease of reference. Basically, we're making a list of fields for Hekau (all of the basic paths that you can learn, and for this example, assuming that you are Amenti), and it's one to which we can add, later. For example, if you have Alchemy of 2 on a character, we don't really need to dedicate a line to level 3 spells and rituals, since it will be a while before you can learn any in game. On the reverse side of this, if your character only has level 1 spells and rituals, although he does know level 2 Alchemy, I'd still suggest having the line dedicated to level 2 spells and rituals. After all, these are likely to be learned relatively soon. In posting first line (denoting Hekau), I bold-face "HEKAU" and leave the rest normal: HEKAU (Paths are boldfaced/Spells are labeled (S)/Rituals are labeled (R)/All are listed under their level ) ((as you'll see, below, as I'm listing it again, so that as you read this, you see how the format looks)) In posting the remaining lines, I list all Hekau, but I keep it relevant. The names of the Hekau Paths are bold faced; everything else is in normal text: HEKAU (Paths are boldfaced/Spells are labeled (S)/Rituals are labeled (R)/All are listed under their level ) Alchemy 1 (1) Analyze Material (S) Drink of Seven Days' Rest (R) Amulets 2 (1) Eye of the Horizon (S) Simple Ren (Name) Ward (R) (2) Scarab of Life (R) Celestial 2 (1) Hanging the Stars (R) Hiding the Stars (R) (2) Effigy 0 Necromancy 0 Nomenclature 0 Known True Names: 6. Known True Names. I should see a field dedicated to this, right underneath Spells and Rituals, because, even if you don't presently have Nomenclature, it's not out of the realm of possibility that it may be learned. Even some of the other Reborn, who don't have it as one of their primary paths of magic, may learn it. If you do have known Ren, this is where they should be listed. 7. Character history: Before I approve any character (if we need to make changes, you can just edit your sheet - it's really easy), I want to read the back story. This shouldn't be a novel. It shouldn't be so long that I don't have time to do anything else or approve any other character. It also shouldn't be a two sentence explanation that tells nothing. Just write something that you like, which is brief enough and covers all of the important points on your character. Keep in mind the steps that you take in character creation, and don't forget to have a little bit about the First Life, so that I understand your tem-akh. Trust Me, things like this do get woven into stories that I run. Some players on here will attest to this... There is the issue of privacy. You can post it on the Classic World of Darkness OOC Forum, with a title that says, "Mummy Character Backstory: (insert name here)." Just keep in mind that this is a bad idea, if you have anything about your character that you don't want the entire unmoderated chat to know. The second option is to email Me the backstory. I will give an email address to players who ask for it, but to avoid sharing that with any bots, I'm NOT listing it here. After I have read your character's history and discussed it with you (I do My best not to have to change anything, but circumstances can require it and have in the past), I will then go over the points on your sheet, to get you fully approved. 8. Finally! Christ! I'm practically out of breath from typing all of that! If you have any questions, feel free to ask Me on the chat. |
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| Author: | Vil [ Sat Jul 11, 2015 3:40 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mummy: the Resurrection Game on the Chat |
THE RESURRECTION CULTS I've been considering some updates to the various resurrection cults that aid the Reborn. These are being looked over on a case-by-case basis. My reason is that I felt that there was a lot of room left for clarification in what was described in the core book and players' guide. This being said, it is not My intention to deviate from the established canon. What it means is that, while anything that I add is obviously not what was established in the books, I will be taking care not to make any of the existing factions something other than what was described. My aim is to add depth, and to actually change it from what was established would have the opposite effect. The first on My list is the Ashukhi Corporation. As described in the books, Ashukhi is basically a shipping company run by mummies and mortals that are aware of them. At the same time, they also make them far much more than a mere shipping company, noting that they funnel money (really, launder it) between identities when a mummy dies in such a way that they have to change their identity. They also describe them as working on creating vast wealth and influence, so that when Osiris rises, he will have access to this. Finally, they also make it clear that while the company is strong, that they're not powerful enough to be a real threat to some of the evil, corporate monstrosities, like Pentex. From here, I'm looking at the fact that it is 2015, not 1999. One has to assume that if the Ashukhi Corporation hasn't been dissolved, or otherwise crushed and consumed by Pentex, that they've likely grown more powerful. I don't mean that they've grown so powerful that they're an effective rival for the Pentexes of the World of Darkness. Should that happen, I would want it to be the achievements of player characters that make it happen. No, instead I simply mean that I'm making the company more diverse and giving players with interest in Ashukhi some further options. I've created five subsidiary companies of Ashukhi, and I will give a brief explanation of each. I've put the limit on five for what I will make, however, should players wish to create more, I will allow it. The condition of such is that no player character (or group of them) will come in starting to be a part of something player-created. Instead, characters can come together in game and work on that. I'm not restricting players from coming up with their own companies. If you have the backgrounds for it, and if you have a good back history to explain it, great! If you want to add to the Ashukhi family of businesses, however, this must be done in game and would make for some interesting role-play. At this time, I won't go into detail about what I'm doing with other resurrection cults, because I'm looking at them on a case-by-case basis. As further additions are included for the other resurrection cults (if they are), I will edit them into this post, on this thread. With that having been said... THE ASHUKHI CORPORATION The Ashukhi Corporation is somewhat controversial among the Resurrected, for many of the more religious among the Amenti question the true motives of the company. This is nothing new (and is further detailed in the core rulebook). There is much that is not known to the Undying outside of the Ashukhi Corporation, and not really because of secrecy. Instead, it's simply because the Resurrected, by and large, don't bother to look into the company. If they find it distasteful, they simply avoid dealings with them (this doesn't mean that a player character can't be more suspicious and decide to look into them). Characters that are a part of the Ashukhi Corporation can assume that they know the information that I'm providing here. First, the Ashukhi Corporation has a U.S. corporate office within the city. Their head corporate office is still in Cairo, Egypt. The ram's head logo remains in use. The U.S. office is in the business district. In addition to this, the corporation has 10 shipping/receiving stores throughout the city and surrounding suburbs. What is far less known is that the company has five subsidiaries. These are: 1. Renewable Lumber and Land Reclamation Services, LTD (lumber company) The company practices environmentally-friendly logging, witha strong focus on replanting, limiting the cutting of trees, and triple surveys of all lands gathered for their lumber. Many such holdings are presently untouched. 2. Ashukhi Construction Enterprises (Construction firm) The company acquires 90 percent of their lumber from Renewable Lumber and Land Reclamation Services, LTD, and 10 percent comes from other lumber companies that practice ethical logging. All of their projects use permaculture. The company focuses on geodomes, underground homes, and other Earth-friendly methods of building. 3. Greener Farms and Pastures, LTD (Organic aquaponic and free-range farm) The company practices organic aquaponic growth, free-range feeding of animals, and quick, pain-free killing of livestock. 4. Ennead Pharmaceutical Labs, INC (drug manufacturers) The company focuses on cures from nature. They create medicines through the use of Alchemy hekau, as well as from the usual, more mundane means employed by pharmaceutical companies. They lobby in favour of environmentally-friendly regulations that are also minimalist, in order to provide necessary environmental protection in the least restrictive way possible, in order to allow and encourage the free market to work to the betterment of peoples' lives. 5. Sensible Decisions Planning (Banking & Investments) The company focuses on strong investment portfolios for clients, which don't include investments in harmful businesses. This is the part of the Ashukhi Corporation, which funnels investments for the Reborn, between their lives when needed. |
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