War Stories, Week 14

Elias’ Thoughts – I’m feeling devious, of late. Evan has been encouraging me to explore creating a dungeon to house Her Repugnancy, in the Hadrea/Undercity sewers and the more I’ve thought about it, the more fun it sounds. With how I wrote Her Repugnancy, she is likely to bolt when combat begins and thus will probably try to hide if alerted to an intruder’s presence. This naturally led me to begin approaching it as a stealth dungeon, which also makes sense when considering sewer pipes and large, open garbage cisterns would amplify sound in a meaningful way. You probably won’t want a fully dehumanized Archivist tagging along for this one . The dungeon itself will likely have more environmental hazards than outright combat encounters and that stems from navigating the sewers, hunting down the rat queen that lives within. I’m thinking the hazards will mostly point to different ways that noise is made, which will alert the denizens of the dungeon to the intruder’s presence.

Of course, this then brings up the sticky question of how does one approach stealth in a dungeon exploration. Enter: The Angry GM’s Tension Pool. Evan and I have both used this method in-play before and it really adds a nice ratcheting sense of concern and a definite notice of the passage of time. I’ve yet to decide how I’ll be modifying it to be a “stealth pool” as well as what the consequences will be if the party is noticed, but you can find my initial noodling below.

Monday 4/1

Stealth Pool thoughts: 

• Consequences of Stealth Pool should be target moves deeper into the dungeon, necessitating more player resources to reach target
• Consequences of Stealth Pool should be party is attacked by patrol sent by target to investigate, necessitating more player resources to reach target
• Time Consuming Actions (add to pool) can stay on Stealth Pool but Reckless Actions (roll pool) should instead be Loud Actions
• Combat is Time Consuming but not necessarily Loud?
• Gunfire is inherently a Loud Action – could lead to an interesting play cascade…
  • Loud Action leads to combat which includes gunfire
  • Combat ends, but was Time Consuming (add to pool) and the gunfire was Loud (roll pool)
  • Which leads to new combat, which includes gunfire… Etc.
  • Represents wave after wave of Festerlings sent by Queen to attack the party. Good stuff.
• How to flag that target has moved deeper into the dungeon, should players be immediately alerted or just find “boss was here” sign when they reach appropriate chamber

Tuesday 4/2

Dungeon layout thoughts:

• Target should initially be relatively close to the surface (10 rooms?) and have space behind them to retreat (20 rooms?)
• Sewer network, should be three dimensional in scope
• Circular? What if party is consistently loud and Her Repugnancy is retreating before she’s even discovered and eventually retreats directly into party. Could be fun
• Offshoot spider lair, should be a shortcut area, populated by spiders preying on Festerlings that fall into their webs, dangerous but direct

Wednesday 4/3

Dungeon obstacle thoughts:

• Should be physical impediments that have potential to cause noise (Loud)
  • Glass bottles in the way
  • Garbage mountain to climb
  •  Slimy muck (slip hazard)
• Should be circumventable without rolls, but is Time Consuming (add to Pool) to do so
  • Keeping this in mind, boss should be moved back to room 13 so that if every obstacle is bypassed carefully, we still have two rounds of rolling the Stealth Pool to see if there’s a complication
• Can be navigated over but will require rolls to avoid making noise, if failed, is Loud (roll Pool)

Thursday 4/4

(Talent) Obstinate: When making an opposed Influence check, take a +1 modifier to avoid being swayed from your course of action.

Friday 4/5

(Talent) Strong-Arm: You can roll Assault instead of Influence when trying to get someone to do what you want. Rolling Assault in this way doesn’t represent an attack but rather a forceful action, such as punching a wall or slapping your palm against a table.

Saturday 4/6

(Talent) I Know a Shortcut: When traveling from one Location to another Location within the same Region, you can do so without expending the usual 1 Watch of time it normally takes to travel. This Talent is usable once per day.

Sunday 4/7

(Talent) Do Over!: When triggering a roll of the Hazard Die, you may choose to roll again after seeing the result of the original roll and can pick either result. As long as you choose the original result, this Talent can be used as many times a Day as you wish. Picking the second result is only usable once per Day.

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Evan’s Thoughts – Getting close on both the Bastille Judges and the Starling Legion Sects. I’m excited to finish both and move on to building out other factions. As is probably apparent, as I’ve been building out the Grand Cathedral the interplay of the factions present, namely the Judges, Bastille adherents, and Penitent prisoners, has evolved away from the original relationship. Now, as is demonstrated most obviously in the Rainbow Sanctum below, all three groups are resentful prisoners of the others within the Cathedral itself. This hopefully gives players an interesting set of levers to pull in order to set people against one another and cause chaos in the wake of their traversal of the dungeon. Once I have some more rooms developed I intend to start making a map of the space to better illustrate the interconnections and visualize the layout. Until then I hope my developing skills at dungeon room writing proves interesting!

Monday 4/1

Collecting Pond

Room (The Grand Cathedral)

A small pond of untainted water, the distant bottom clearly visible through the placid surface. The Grand Cathedral’s primary source of water. The continual sound of dripping rings out in meditative rhythm, water filtered by the mantle slowly replenishing the pool. Coins litter the bottom of the pond (6d6*10 money), settled into a gleaming fish scale lining. Beneath the coins a small crack is readily apparent in the bedrock, the source of the water leaking into the Cell of the Temptress. Widening it from either side would allow access between the locations, but would empty the pond and flood the depression of Selaphiel’s Respite, leaving Jephthah stranded on the island of his limbs and loom.

Ehud, the Second Judge spends much of his time sitting on the banks of the pond (5-in-6 chance), contemplatively tracing his delicate fingers across the water’s surface. Penitents are regularly seen cautiously flitting to the edge (3-in-6 chance of 1d6 Penitents), gathering water for the numerous tasks they attend, always careful not to disturb Ehud. Rarely, a group of Bastille adherents will be at the rim (1-in-6 chance of 1d4 Adherents), offering prayer and tossing coins into the pond, always on the opposite bank as Ehud.

Tuesday 4/2

Technocratic Sect: One of the philosophical schools of leadership within the Ideologue Assembly of the Starling Legion. Revolutionaries of this school believe society would be better led by forward looking luminaries, leveraging technological innovations to better serve the changing needs of humanity. The Technocrats see the current models of leadership as outdated, the source of developmental stagnation that pushes the survivors inevitably towards collapse. The ever growing resource needs of Peccatu can’t be maintained under the current system, and a revolution in technology is required to sustain humanity’s growth. Who then better to lead than those who are developing the technologies required to propel humanity to its next vaunted phase?

The Technocrats are backed by the Radium Crows, who seek to leverage the extraction and refinement operations of Peccatu to fuel their weapon development program. The Radium Crows provide the Technocrats with advanced arms, biological augmentations, and vehicular reinforcement. This support provides mutual benefit, granting the Technocrats force superiority amongst the Starling Legion sects, while the Radium Crows gain a steady supply of field test subjects for their latest inventions. The Radium Crows have little desire to lead, seeing the proposed revolution as little more than cover for necessary resource acquisition to fulfill their research needs, though one they are happy to exploit.

Wednesday 4/3

Grace Gibson

Quick, adaptive, opportunistic

“The tide of progress rises with or without you. Those that refuse to adapt, drown.”

The leader of the Technocratic Sect. Recognizes the true intentions of the Radium Crows, but happily takes advantage of the resources they provide. Content to let other sects do the heavy lifting of revolution, Grace bides her time and contributes just enough to achieve current goals. Intends to take control of the city herself rather than turn it over to the Radium Crows. She has preparations to deal with their inevitable power grab. Though hesitant to preemptively make her move, she fears missing the opportunity more.

Wants: Support in her eventual grab for power. Sabotage of the Radium Crows and other Starling Sects unconnected to her operations.

Knows: The weaknesses of Radium Crows. How to acquire advanced technology, specifically vehicles.

Thursday 4/4

Staking Hammer

Artifact

Weapon (Durability 3, Damage 2, Engaged)

2 Slots

The hammer of Deborah, the Fourth Judge. An enormous iron head set upon a sturdy helve of charred olive heartwood. The flowing patterns of once molten metal are visible upon the head, and the scent of coal smoke lingers after each swing.

The wielder of the hammer may choose to manifest a stake, nail, or other piercing object when it is swung. This object appears at the point of contact and is driven into the surface being struck, assuming it can be penetrated. Manifested objects are unremarkable but permanent. If this property is used as part of an attack, the attack deals an additional damage. Anything pinned to a surface or object is unable to free itself and can only be released by someone else removing the pinning stake(s).

If this property is used, an additional roll of the Fuel Usage Die is required the next time it has to be rolled (once if there is no other source using Fuel, twice if there is). Only one additional roll of the Fuel Usage Die is required in a day as a result of this effect, regardless of how often it is used.

“The pain must be excruciating. Simply exquisite.”

Friday 4/5

Ibzan, the Ninth Judge: One of the members of the Council of Twelve. Ibzan’s voice is the soft tinkling of shattered innocence, though few have heard its ring. Trapped within the Rainbow Sanctum, Ibzan is forced to subsist on the single font of sin offered to him by the Bastille.

In the flesh, Ibzan appears a disconcerting mockery of man; well sculpted musculature, hairless with near translucent skin, and penetrating black eyes. Veins of thin iron carve his body into a segmented patchwork, continually rearranging like a rippling mosaic. He rarely inhabits his flesh, however, strongly preferring to lurk in the glasswork of his cage. Waiting and watching, Ibzan delights in the slow torture of any foolish enough to wander into his influence, having long since grown bored of his broken cell mate.

Ibzan revels in his own cleverness, believing himself to be the pinnacle of guile and deceit. He engages in ever more elaborate games of torturous degradation, deriving amusement from the slow undoing of his prey. Ibzan always attempts to pit groups against one another, stoking existing divisions with a combination of his sin inflicting maneuvers and stealthy chicanery. Only once he has had his fill of sin and the last survivor of a party has realized the finality of their actions will Ibzan reveal himself and finish his elongated game of cruelties.

Ibzan, the Ninth Judge

Stats

HP: 8

NP: 15

Armor: 0

Attributes

Grit: 7

Finesse: 9

Logic: 14

Moxie: 16

Special:

• Ibzan can use a Fast Action to move to any glass surface the size of an adult human or larger within his sight. His likeness appears on the new surface, though it can be disguised in any colors, patterns, or other images on the new surface. If the surface Ibzan is on is broken, he immediately takes 3 HP damage and lands amongst the shattered glass.
• Ibzan can use a Fast Action to eat the sins of anyone within Medium Range. Consuming a sin restores up to 2 NP damage to a single target, and heals Ibzan for twice the amount of HP. Unwilling beings can be targeted by this effect.

Attacks:

1. Acedia – Ibzan drains the joy from a target within Long Range. Roll the attack with 6 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2. This damage is dealt to NP and ignores Armor. A target hit by this attack may choose to deal 1 point of HP damage to themselves instead of taking the NP damage.
2. Gluttony – Ibzan stokes an insatiable hunger in a target within Long Range. Roll the attack with 6 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2. This damage is dealt to NP and ignores Armor. A target hit by this attack may choose to roll a Supply Usage Die instead of taking the NP damage.
3. Wrath – Ibzan blinds a target in Long Range with a swell of fury. Roll the attack with 6 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2. This damage is dealt to NP and ignores Armor. A target hit by this attack may choose to make an attack against anyone other than Ibzan. If successful, the target does not take the NP damage.
4. Sloth –  Ibzan saps the will for action from a target in Long Range. Roll the attack with 6 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2. This damage is dealt to NP and ignores Armor. A target hit by this attack may choose to take an Exhaustion instead of taking the NP damage.
5. Tides of Sin – Ibzan releases a wave of the collected sins he has consumed, breaking it against all targets in Medium Range. Roll the attack with 8 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1. This attack deals damage to NP and ignores Armor.
6. Hail of Glass – Ibzan shatters the current glass surface he occupies, raining razor shards down upon all targets in Medium Range. Roll the attack with 10 Base Dice and Weapon Damage 5. Regardless of success, when Ibzan uses this attack he immediately takes 3 damage and reveals himself.

Tactics: Ibzan prefers to toy with enemies of the Bastille, simultaneously whittling them down and provoking them to sin for him to feed upon. Ibzan watches from stained glass windows and other glass surfaces, observing parties in secret until he has gathered enough information to exploit. He subjects any who enter his sanctum to a varied assault of Acedia, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth, preying upon their particular weaknesses or vices to drive the largest wedge between members of a party. Should he be discovered, Ibzan will use Tides of Sin to try to eliminate several weakened targets simultaneously. If he is wounded, Ibzan will not hesitate to heal himself by consuming the sins he has inflicted on enemies. If ever pressed, Ibzan will begin using his Hail of Glass to rain damage down on enemies, even at the expense of his own well being.

Saturday 4/6

Sin Stained Shard

Artifact

Object

1 Slot

A fragment of Ibzan, the Ninth Judge. A polychromatic piece of glass, patterns continually dancing upon the surface. A knotted pit of guilt settles into the stomach of those who hold the shard, dulled by a fuzzing euphoria, like opium on overdrive.

The bearer of the shard may choose to heal up to 2 NP on their turn as a Fast Action. If the bearer makes an attack the same round they restore NP, the attack is made with a positive modifier equal to the number of NP restored. If a character heals NP this way, they take Mental Exhaustion equal to the number of NP restored, regardless of whether or not they made an attack or if the attack was successful.

“The weight of indiscretion need not be a burden.”

Sunday 4/7

Rainbow Sanctum

Room (Grand Cathedral)

An extended walkway ending in a heavily used altar. The corridor is lined by a series of discrete stained glass vignettes. Collectively the panes create a historical timeline of the surface war, humanity’s retreat from the surface, the founding of Peccatu, and the construction of the Bastille. The dim light of distant starfire dances through the windows, bathing the walkway in prismatic radiance.

A single, narrow hall, continually lit by a sequence of three Candles of Virtue, is the only entry point to the room. Ibzan, the Ninth Judge resides in the glass work here, fed by the former Bastille adherent Gregor, chained to the altar and driven into a sin fueled madness by Ibzan. Heavily mutilated, erratic, and prone to aggressive behavior, Gregor is genuinely helpful to any he believes may free him. He knows the layout of the Grand Cathedral, but seeks revenge against the Bastille. If he believes someone won’t help him, Gregor quickly becomes hostile and will attempt to attack anyone within Short Range of the altar.

Behind the altar are 1d6 Bastille adherent corpses, their robes marred by minor damage and blood, but wearable. Additionally, silver platters and serving sets equal to the number of corpses are scattered about the area, worth (4d6*10 money) each. Each set occupies 1 slot.

Set a real time timer when the party enters the room. Every 3 real time minutes they spend in the room, Ibzan will attack a random target with Acedia, Gluttony, Wrath, or Sloth. If the Candles of Virtue are extinguished, Ibzan will attempt to escape the Rainbow Sanctum and roam the Bastille grounds.

The long march continues with another week of Lore 24 complete. Coming up on Thursday we have another Archetype Report fleshing out more character options. Then next week we have more Lore 24 primed and ready as always.

If you’re finding this sometime in the future, please check out the Lore 24 Post Repository to see a roundup of all the posts in this series.

We actively encourage comments, questions, and feedback; we’re excited to be sharing our work and would love to chat about it with anyone who’s interested!