death note

Whoa, a meme!

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:10:45 GMT

But only because cloversix asked me to.

1. Your Middle Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song or Album:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
9. Do we know each other outside of LJ?
10. What's your philosophy on life?
11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty?
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
13. What is your favorite memory of us?
14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the "world peace, etc." malarkey) - what are they:
17. Can we get together and make a cake?
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
19. What is your big weakness?
20. Do you think I'm a good person?
21. What was your best/favorite subject at school:
22. Describe your accent:
23. If you could change anything about me, would you?
24. What do you wear to sleep?
25. Trousers or skirts?
26. Cigarettes or alcohol?
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
28. Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you?

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:00:28 GMT

Killjoy Cooking With the Dungeons & Dragons Crowd

Lore Sjöberg 14 hours ago
Cookbooks are a lot like Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games. They contain seemingly rigid rules that, in practice, require a certain amount of adaptation for your own tastes.

So how come cooking gets its own TV channel and role-playing games don't even get a show on G4? Maybe the population at large doesn't want to pretend to be a half-elf. Maybe RPGs take more imagination than most people have.

However, it just might have something to do with the role-playing community. If geeks talked about cookbooks the way they talk about RPG books, the results would not be pretty:

Posted: 12:15 a.m. by LordOrcus I'm so mad that there's a new edition of The Better Joy Cookbook out. Thanks for making my old copy obsolete, you greedy hacks! For five years now, my friends have been coming over for my eggplant Parmesan, and now I'm never going to be able serve it again unless I shell out 35 bucks for the latest version.

Posted: 12:42 a.m. by Kathraxis Hey, I have a question! When you preheat the oven, can you start it before you measure out the ingredients, or do you have to do it afterward? Please answer quickly, my friends and I have been arguing about it for four hours and we're getting pretty hungry.

Posted: 12:48 a.m. by Goku1440 I found an awesome loophole! On page 242 it says "Add oregano to taste!" It doesn't say how much oregano, or what sort of taste! You can add as much oregano as you want! I'm going to make my friends eat infinite oregano and they'll have to do it because the recipe says so!

Posted: 1:02 a.m. by barrybarrybarry I can't believe I spent 35 dollars on a cookbook that doesn't have a recipe for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When I buy a cookbook, I expect it to tell me how to cook. And don't tell me to just make a PBJ myself, I'm not some sort of hippy artist pretentious "freeform cook."

Posted: 1:08 a.m. by jvmkanelly Where are the recipes for chatting with friends while cooking? Where are the recipes for conversation over the meal? When I throw a dinner party, I want it to be a PARTY. I guess the idiots who use the Better Joy Cookbook just cook and eat in stony silence, never saying a word or even looking each other in the eye.

Posted: 1:23 a.m. by LordOrcus Hey, guess what? They're coming out with The Better Joy Book of Hors D'oeuvres. It just goes to show that the publishers are a bunch of corporate greedheads who care more about money than they do about cooking. Is it too much to ask for a single cookbook that contains all possible recipes?

Posted: 1:48 a.m. by specsheet Hey, everyone. I can tell just by reading the recipe that if you prepare eggs benedict as written, the sauce will separate. My mom always said the other kids made fun of me because they were jealous of my intelligence, so I must be right. Everyone who's saying that they followed the recipe and it came out perfect is either lying, or loves greasy separated hollandaise sauce.

Posted: 1:52 a.m. by IAmEd As I have pointed out MANY TIMES, several of these recipes contain raisins, and I, like most people, am ALLERGIC to raisins! And before you tell me to substitute dried cranberries, I will reiterate that I am discussing the recipes AS WRITTEN. I do not appreciate your ATTACKING ME with helpful suggestions!

Posted: 2:12 a.m. by Herodotus I just have to laugh at the recipe for Beef Wellington. In Wellington's day, ovens didn't have temperature settings! And pate de foie gras certainly didn't come in cans. It's like the authors didn't even care about replicating authentic early 19th century cooking techniques!

Posted: 2:17 a.m. by LordOrcus I have read the new Better Joy Cookbook and I am devastated to my very core. Their macaroni and cheese recipe, the very macaroni and cheese I've been making since I was in college, has been ravaged and disfigured and left bleeding on the page. Where once it contained only cheddar cheese, now the recipe calls for a mix of cheddar and Colby. It may contain macaroni, and it may contain cheese, but it is not macaroni and cheese. This is a slap in the face and a knife in the gut. You have lost me, Better Joy Cookbook. I would bid you goodbye, but I wish you nothing but the pain and rage you have delivered unto me.

Events

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:34:51 GMT

For those interested, this year's Out in the Park is at Lincoln Park, rather than Wright.

Also, apparently I'm kinda booked for August. The 1st-3rd I'll be at Faerieworlds in Oregon (and about a day on either end I'll be in Portland hanging out with Puck). Somewhere approximating the end of said month I'll find myself at PAX. So I guess anybody wandering into either event should look around for me.

Furthermore, now that it's been released, I can fairly comment that I like 4th edition D&D. It's fun. I don't like it as much as HERO (obviously), but it's still neat.

said during Rock Band

Sat, 31 May 2008 02:02:03 GMT

"My amp is just a big dude. He yells a lot when my bass puts electricity into him."

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:19:45 GMT

www.lolthulhu.com

That will be all.

Mission Briefing

Sun, 11 May 2008 21:20:50 GMT

It's been a while since I made one of these. That has to do with the fact that I haven't been working much lately, and also the work I have been doing is on paper. First, I've come to some conclusions about Between the Spaces. Most notably, I'm dropping the Planescape campaign aspect. I'm going to use BtS exclusively as the campaign arc that leads into the end of the Mythic Age. Additionally, I'm dropping the middle section of the arc. It'll just be Portal-Slayer and Requiem. However, I am currently running a BtS Planescape game, and I'll have some campaign journal action at the end of this post. I'm a little concerned that my PCs are planning the inevitable murder of Slayer, but I think I can work with that, if it happens.

Secondly, I've been doing a lot of concept and background work on Mission: Zodiac and the Mythic Age setting. At Ariel's suggestion (she's kind of like the Zodiac copilot now) I'm starting at ~~the~~ a beginning with the Mythic Age. Once I get the Mythic Age all worked out and playable, I'll probably write some adventures for it (most notably Between the Spaces) and then start work on the Modern Age. In this way I'll eventually have all three Ages worked out and playable. I have some ideas for the way the mechanics will go (again, on paper), and I think I'm likely to use something resembling these skills, although there are to be some changes given the work I've done since then.

These notes are a couple months old, so I expect I'm not going to be quite at my storytelling best regarding them. Still, it gets the story told so far.

Our story starts, as many do, in Sigil, the City of Doors. Kinishka is a female kobold, and a priestess of Wee Jas in the city. She's also an Indep, and it's through her friends in the faction that she heard of a device known as the void engine. She collects together some companions she's worked with at various points in the past - Detimee Dulech, called "Deter" is a male dromite elementalist with the Ciphers; Talos is a male aasimar swordmaster with the Ciphers; Burüf, the Black Talon is a male human daggermage with the Takers; Shari Indrani is a female bird maiden akashic with the Indeps; Hay U is a modron outcast trancefighter with the Ciphers; and Belinik the Gavel is a male human star knight with the Takers. Though they have some differing unspoken reasons for seeking the void engine, they all follow Kinishka's lead into the tunnels beneath the Foundry.

The story is that during the Faction War the Believers of the Source were commissioned to create this void engine as a weapon. The War ended before it was completed, and presumably the engine lies dormant in the tunnels of Sigil Below. Heading down into the basement levels of the Foundry, the group eventually descends into Undersigil tunnels rather than halls of worked stone. Shortly after this change, Kinishka noticed a ring of writing in the language of the yugoloth: "We control these tunnels. Proceed no further." Ignoring the warning, they proceed into an area that again seems like worked stone chambers. As the tunnels are searched, the group can't help but notice that something is distinctly amiss. Some rooms have an indeterminate yet baleful odour. At one point in the halls a strange, putrescent goo leaks from the ceiling stones. One room has a large bloodstain that smears across the hallway into another room - no body in either. Finally they find the chamber they sought.

The room was obviously a workstation. Though there is a large spot on the ground where a heavy object obviously lay for some time, it is empty now. A strange, malevolent symbol is inscribed on the floor. Through magic, Kinishka reads the symbol, a single glyph in the ancient language of the baernoloths. It suggests a malice towards all things, as well as apathy and despair. Most notably, it speaks of a name/title: the Wanderer. As Kinishka divines this, the others stumble across a note written again in the yugoloth script. It speaks of the void engine being taken to the Gloomstones, on the Waste, for further work. As the group prepares to depart, an ominous rumbling precedes a strange creature bursting through the wall. Though it mildly resembles a mezzoloth, it has a set of rubbery, flailing tentacles and drips a foul, clear ichor. The creature is Hafazur, and it used to be a yugoloth.

After defeating it, they return to Sigil Above. The group learns that the best way to find anything on the Waste is through the City at the Center. A bit of dealing later, a portal to Center is found through Portal Schmortal. While Burüf speaks to a small, shady man about how to best find the Gloomstones, Shari and Belinik were interested in a different fare - an arcanaloth selling slaves. After some haggling, they acquired a young tiefling boy by the name of Ergan. Ergan has a budding psychic talent which seems to manifest itself through precognitive abilities. Shari gives the boy some food and sets him free to the dismay of Belinik, who thought the boy could clearly be of use to them. Off at the dark stall, Burüf has acquired a form of planar map to the Gloomstones, which could be used by any seeking to teleport there. If only someone could teleport. However, they are in the largest city on the Waste, so services can be found. A circle of nine spellcasters can offer the group passage to the Gloomstones, for a fee.

Arriving at the Gloomstones, it is obvious that a battle occurred and there is no void engine present. A portal is quickly found and taken, however. The portal leads into a milky fluid space, where distant enormous silhouettes drift through strange and simultaneous layers of space. At Deter's insistence, they approach one of these titanic beings. Only Talos remembers coming near the horrid bulk and the powerful, alien scorn set upon them before they are pushed back into normal planar spaces.

The group found themselves on a small earthberg floating high above a trackless sea. Shari accesses the akashic memory to find it carries a strange-feeling record, but learns that they are currently in Ouno, called by some the Storm Realm. After only a few minutes a hurricane is upon them. To make matters worse, they are set upon by a flying castle and its storm giant occupants. Three are sent out to take what they can from the group. In the midst of the battle they notice a strangely stiff black dragon approaching their earthberg, which arrives just as they are driving off the giants. The dragon turns out to be the corpse of a dragon converted into a flying ship, piloted by a half-elven man named Harvock. When he hears of what's happened to them, he suggests that they need to go to the Nexus if they're looking for an obscure portal. He's heard of a path to the Nexus, through an underground realm known as Sleeping God's Soul. After a journey across the Ethereal Sea, Harvock drops them off on the quiet upperlands of Sleeping God's Soul, and wishes them good luck.

Journey through the clockwork tunnels of Sleeping God's Soul is a remarkably comforting experience for Hay-U, and they are able to find the chamber with the door they seek. The custodians of the Nexus have placed a guardian there, however, to keep people out. After unsuccessful attempts to negotiate passage with the marut, Belinik attempts to walk past into the door, and the creature attacks. After a prolonged battle, the marut steps aside and allows them past, for if it were to allow itself to be destroyed it would be unable to continue to serve its duties. Through the portal, the group finds themselves in the Nexus, a series of multi-levelled hallways lined with portals to a number of unrecognisable places. Eventually the group finds a portal that shows a familiar landscape: the strange fluid-space they found themselves in after leaving the Grey Waste. Though the portal is warded against passage, Burüf is able to temporarily suppress the ward, and they go through. This time Kinishka uses magic to shift them back to the Waste, and though there is some resistance to the breach between planes she manages to make it work.

The spell transports them back to the Gloomstones, where they spend some time searching for any other clues. They find a book on oddities of the Ethereal Plane, and one section seems more strongly referenced than any other - one speaking of a place called Leicester's Gap. This is an ether gap, a hole in the ethereal plane. Hoping that the void engine was moved to this Gap, the group heads out to the Ethereal. Upon arrival, they find a large stone sphere with strange rods sticking out of it - Leicester's research station. Entering the station, they find it is empty, damaged, and mildly haunted. Deep inside, they find the arcane engine which keeps the station running and free of the strange influences which leak out of the Gap, and discern that it's not working properly any more. As Hay-U contemplates the tools he would need to restore it to order, a writhing betentacled beast looms out of the dark - the Lurker in Lost Potential, which was, on the surface, like a dharculus. Upon slaying the creature, the group leaves the station, disappointed that not only was the void engine not present, they were out of clues for finding it.

Their exodus introduces them to a man crouched on one of the station's support struts, gazing at the Gap. He has no name, though he is called by some the Slayer. He muses, first, that it is unfortunate an ether gap is too large for him to close. That, however, is not his task. He is driven by destiny towards a different portal. His task, set upon him by forces much higher than man, is to keep the multiverse safe from the Outside. Portals - not all portals, just certain ones - are a danger to all life and must be shut down. He has been granted the ability to do so. He seeks the void engine as well, for he believes it can open the multiverse to the threats of the far realms. After some discussion, he agrees to let the group travel with him.

Slayer leads the group to a portal onto the plane of Ice. After a day of travel, they reach their destination - a large iceberg with an ancient battle frozen within. Primordial fiends and celestials worked together to battle strange creatures, spiked and tentacled and distinctly unnatural. As they muse upon this, a force of frost giants and elementals comes around the corner of the ice block with what looks like a mining device. Upon notice of the group, they dispatch the elementals to do battle while they bore into the ice. After a short battle, the group defeats the ice creatures. Slayer insists that they leave through a nearby portal, so that he may close it forever. A portal this close to frozen void creatures is of a supreme threat to the multiverse, he says. The portal leads to a tunnel deep in Pandemonium. Slayer insists that destiny calls him away alone. He suggests that the group should go to a nearby psionic academy for answers. But the group is starting to think that Slayer is as much of a danger as he claims to be fighting. They're not sure letting Slayer leave by himself is a good idea.

And it's the middle of that argument where we ended last time.

More updates as they come up.

How dissapointing

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:19:33 GMT

I just watched 2001: A Space Odyssey. I read the books about a year ago and was pleased with them, so I was looking forward to seeing the movie. I was sorely disappointed. Not merely because it's the movie version of a book, as I'm accustomed to the differences therein. It's because it's a horribly composed movie. There are huge empty spaces of movement or drifting or just nothing really at all, sometimes softened with classical music. The worst part was the ending, which was beautiful but completely meaningless; making no effort to explain or even properly exposition what was going on. That's the big endemic problem with the movie - it made very little (if any) effort to detail the plot or link together storyline elements.

It's been a weekend

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:15:01 GMT

Sakuracon was this weekend. Unlike the past three years, I didn't go. I think I needed to not do it one year to understand why I like doing it.

Instead, I played some video games. genechildmewtwo recently acquired an Xbox 360, and so I played it while he was at con. I played Mass Effect, which is pretty cool. Also I played Rock Band, which I am quite impressed with. I've played bass and drums so far. Bass (and, presumably, guitar) utilise my Guitar Hero skills, and so I do that reasonably well. Drums are a little more complex, and will require development of a game skill I'm not particularly possessed of. I watched gcm do vocals, and that seems reasonably non-complex.

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:26:37 GMT

I've been watching River Tam Beats Up Everybody. It's pretty great.

Mission Briefing

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:56:47 GMT

I finished up that work on the Mission: Zodiac Planescape Document I was talking about. Basically, I wanted the magic/psychic system to emulate (in a faint way) the same systems from Planescape's native D&D. Note that the system allows for more "spells" and "powers", if desired. Now I'm back to work on Between the Spaces.

Some random updates

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:31:50 GMT

First, in the list of wacky things I've actually said to someone, "You're right. ARRRRR! is a masculine name."

I killed (almost) everyone in Expedition to Castle Ravenloft today. Hopefully it goes better next time.

Also, big sexy televisions make video games way cooler.

Mission Briefing

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 06:41:03 GMT

So, yeah. Haven't been working on much over the past week or two.

However, I've got a couple new things going now. First, I've decided the Mission: Zodiac Planescape Document requires some revision. Second, I'm working with darkain on some redesigns for the website, because I believe in RMX Theory. I'll be sure, as you know, to notify when anything is done.

WHAT

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:12:17 GMT

A lamp powered by gravity has won the second prize at the Greener Gadgets Conference in NYC.

This is amazing. I mean, powered by gravity?

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:06:11 GMT

This message is mostly for people who live in Washington, although I suppose it's generically applicable to other people in my country, as well.

It's a political message, which is a bit weird for me. But for those in my state, our caucus is tomorrow. We've been labouring under a bad president for eight years, and here is a chance to deal with it. Here in Washington, the Democratic candidate is chosen by the caucus only - your vote in the primary is irrelevant. So if you support a Democrat for president, the caucus is an important step in getting that candidate supported, so you can vote for him (or maybe her) in November. For my state, the caucus is tomorrow (that is to say, 9 February) at 13 (or, for some people, 1 PM). There's a handy online tool here to find your caucus location.

Mission briefing

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:07:37 GMT

I'm reworking Act I of Between the Spaces: Portal-Slayer. I've decided I would really prefer for it to start out as a planar game, rather than beginning on the Prime and segueing into it. I'm not exactly sure where it's going to pick up, but really it just needs to alter Act I. Act II is nice and planar. Although, actually, it would also require a reworking of Act V, as that was sort of an introduction to Sigil. Maybe I'll make Act V into Act I, and then rework Act V. That could work.

I have terribly important advice for everyone

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:53:57 GMT

If any of you have the chance to watch Requiem for a Dream:

Don't. It's a horrible, horrible movie. It is completely empty and futile, and not in that cool way we see exemplified in the Grey Waste. Just avoid it. And tell other people to avoid it.

Don't be like my asshole of a friend Ben and recommend it to people.

Mission briefing

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:41:11 GMT

Little bits of touch-up today. I made a list of generically applicable skills for Mission: Zodiac, which cascaded into a small flurry of changes to the Mission: Zodiac Planescape Document. Most notably, I added a new skill (Initiative), which is one I've felt a need for but hadn't gotten around to doing anything about. Also, I folded Science and Knowledge skills together, so they're just Knowledge now. Also, all of those skills in the MZPD (like Logic) that were simply Knowledge skills with their own entry are gone. Now they are, for example, Knowledge (Logic). More streamlined that way.

Mission briefing

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 07:08:35 GMT

So what have I been doing?

Reading, mostly. See, I've decided to put another project on my plate. I've recently acquired some Call of Cthulhu books, and I'm working up some ideas for a campaign. I've completed my initial perusal of them, and now I need to let some ideas tumble around in my head for a bit. That's part of my process. I don't expect this to supercede work on Between the Spaces, just another project that I'll work on concurrently.

Some more old things

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 06:20:56 GMT

I've updated Mission: Zodiac with the first couple chapters of some stories I have in progress (The Alchemist and the Fiend and Nexus: The Elemental Gates).

Oh, I've also put up the intro page and prologue for Between the Spaces: Portal Slayer. It's about time I got started on that.

For victory we ride

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 08:04:07 GMT

Some big uploads to Mission: Zodiac. Mostly to the idea that it's where I'm putting all my projects there. As such, current and future stories will show up there, as well as my gaming work. Essentially, if you like what I do it can all be found at M:Z. I'll still be updating people here on what it is that I'm doing, so you don't even have to go anywhere to hear about my amazingness.

Mostly because of a fox

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:08:18 GMT

I used a Christmas gift to acquire Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. I've heard it's a very Planescapey-themed book, and from what I read off the inside cover it sounds terribly interesting. I don't know if I'll start on it immediately since I'm in the middle of another book right now, but I might put that one on hold for something as interesting as this.

Wasn't there a recent issue of Dragon that had an article on gaming in New Crobuzon? Does anybody know how good said article was?

Planar HERO

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 03:43:53 GMT

So, yeah. A couple weeks ago I finished up my basic guidelines for Planar HERO. Here they are now.

Dissatisfied with the standards of fantasy gaming, you seek to play in a bigger, more sophisticated world. Dissatisfied with lesser gaming systems, you seek to use HERO. In combination of these desires, you find Planar HERO – using the HERO system to play a Planescape game. Feel free to fix or ignore anything present here. In the spirit of both Planescape and HERO, it is not strict adherence to the books and the rules that allows you to play a wonderful game – it is change and tinkering, finding what works for you and the people you play with. Once this work leaves my hands, it is no longer mine. It is yours. Use or discard any or all of it as suits your fancy. Having understood all of this, we will first assume that you are not familiar with Planescape’s themes or principles at all. Firstly, then, I provide an introduction for the uninitiated.

The multiverse is a big place. It’s a set of nested infinities, really. One big infinity divided into smaller sub-infinities, some of which are further subdivided. This brings me to the point of theme. In such a huge space, it means less to speak of what fills the space (although we will), and is more relevant to discuss the themes of that space. As we divide our infinities into ever more specific regions, we’ll have more specific themes for them, but there are a few themes that tend to cover the whole multiverse.

Rule of Three: This has a few interpretations. First, things happen in threes. Not everything, of course, but significant things. More relevantly, there are always three sides: two opposites and the median. It is this second aspect of the rule of threes that will come up more often, but don’t forget about the first meaning, either.
Centre of All: The multiverse is spatially infinite. So, really, there can’t be a single multiversal centre. No one place or event is more important than any others. On the other hand, in an infinite space anywhere is the centre. So, wherever you are is the centre of the multiverse. This ties in with Arrogance, below.
Unity of Rings: The multiverse is also temporally infinite, although not in the sense of stretching on forever in all directions. There will always be a multiverse and there has always been a multiverse. Things tend to work in circles, and often you’ll finish a journey just to find yourself back where it began. There is also a sense of interconnectedness, even between opposites. Good and evil mirror and feed each other.
Power of Belief: On the Outer Planes, belief is power. What a character believes shapes how she interacts with the world and what enough characters believe can reshape the planes. Usually, though, this is dealt with on a small scale: a character’s beliefs give her strength.
Biggest Fish: There isn’t one. There will always be someone stronger than you. A canny planewalker survives by knowing when to fight, when to talk, and when to just run away.
Arrogance: Planars are an arrogant lot. They’re often better than you, and they’re definitely better than primes. Despite Biggest Fish, above, strength isn’t always the way to win a battle. Planewalkers often defeat a much stronger opponent through wits, bravado, and sheer luck. Planars also often get too bold for their own good and get themselves scribbled into the dead-book. Unity of rings, and all.

Having said all that, we can get down to the core of the matter: cosmology. In a normal fantasy game, cosmology is likely only of marginal importance: it’s somewhere for gods to live, somewhere for fiends to come from, and a structure for characters to believe in. In a Planescape game, cosmology is the setting. The demesne of gods and demons, angels and devils, lands of belief and legend, these are where we play. The planes are divided into a number of small groupings: Inner, Outer, Prime, and Transitive. There are a few other planes that don’t entirely fit this mould, but seem to exist anyway. Those will be touched on later, but for now we can refer to them as pseudo-planes. The inner planes are the building blocks of the multiverse, providing raw physical substance to build the rest of the planes out of. The Ethereal plane is one of the transitives, existing as a conduit of unformed possibility that connects the inner planes to the prime. The prime material plane (sometimes called the prime or the material) is the plane filled with ‘normal’ worlds, the type of campaign settings a typical fantasy game uses. The Astral plane is the second transitive, existing as a conduit of mortal belief and spirits that connects the prime to the outer planes. The outer planes are the planes of belief, composed entirely out of mortal ideals and beliefs. According to the rule of three, centre of all, and unity of rings, we expect there to be a third transitive plane, which we’ve named the Ordial, which connects the outer planes to the inner planes. However, no reliable sources have been able to find the Ordial, and we’re not sure what its properties are. Its existence would imply, however, that it somehow transports belief from the outer planes to the inner planes. We will speculate no further on the Ordial here, though. I mentioned earlier that all the planes are infinite. This is a matter under dispute by some in the planes. Guvners, especially, claim that infinities are a mathematical impossibility. Others simply say that there’s no way to know for sure, because who can travel an infinite distance? Still, it’s common belief that the planes are infinite in nature, so we will continue to treat them as such.

There are traditionally three parts to making a character: who she is, what she is, and what she can do. In Planescape, there is a fourth part, equally as important – or more important – than the other three: what she believes. Let us deal with each of these things.

Who she is – this is the character’s basic personality. It’s shaped by her past, her beliefs, and often what she is. I don’t have a lot of advice or guidelines for constructing this part of your character.

What she is – this is the character’s race. Fantasy games are filled with humanlike races, generally based on the works of Tolkien. In Planescape we introduce new races, most of them called planetouched. These are characters that have some spiritual or genetic tie to extraplanar energies. The most common planetouched are aasimar, tieflings, chaonds, zenythri, tuladhara, and genasi. There are also a few non-planetouched planar races that are considered reasonably ‘standard’ in a Planescape game. These are rogue modrons, bariaur, githyanki, and githzerai.

Aasimar: These planetouched are infused with the essence of the Upper Planes, often through lineage with celestials. Aasimar are naturally inclined to be good. They often have a few faint features of their celestial ancestor, and tend to have powers related to Good or similar abilities to the celestial bloodline they carry.
Tieflings: These planetouched are infused with the essence of the Lower Planes, often through lineage with fiends. Tieflings are naturally inclined to be evil. They often have a few faint features of their fiendish ancestor, and tend to have powers related to Evil or similar abilities to the fiendish bloodline they carry.
Chaonds: These planetouched are infused with the essence of the Planes of Chaos, often through lineage with anarchics. Chaonds are naturally inclined to be chaotic. They often have a few faint features of their anarchic ancestor, and tend to have powers related to Chaos or similar abilities to the anarchic bloodline they carry.
Zenythri: These planetouched are infused with the essence of the Planes of Law, often through lineage with axiomatics. Zenythri are naturally inclined to be lawful. They often have a few faint features of their axiomatic ancestor, and tend to have powers related to Law or similar abilities to the axiomatic bloodline they carry.
Tuladhara: These planetouched are infused with the essence of the Planes of Conflict, almost exclusively through lineage with rilmani. Tuladhara are naturally inclined to be neutral. They often have a few faint features of their rilmani ancestor, and tend to have powers related to Neutrality or similar abilities to the rilmani bloodline they carry.
Genasi: These planetouched are infused with the essence of the Inner Planes, often through lineage with genies. Typically each genasi carries the bloodline and abilities of a single element. Genasi have no inclination towards any particular alignment, as such things are of considerably less importance on the Inner Planes. They often have a few faint features of their elemental ancestor, and tend to have powers related to their element or similar abilities to the elemental bloodline they carry.
Rogue Modrons: Mechanus is the plane of perfect law. Its clockwork structures are diligently and perfectly tended by the modrons, exemplar of law on a cosmic scale. Every once in a while, though, something goes wrong. Something goes amiss in the modron hierarchy and programming. Every once in a while a modron goes rogue and gains independence from the collective. Often these rogue modrons are found and destroyed so that their energy can be returned to Primus. Sometimes, though, one will escape and make a new life for itself on the planes. Typically a rogue modron keeps its old form, although most of its modron powers are lost in the process of severing from the collective. A disproportionate amount of rogue modrons seen on the planes come from the quadrone caste. Nobody’s really figured out why this is. Rogue modrons are still usually lawful. A rogue modron tends to have a few Law-related powers and often retains some semblance of its previous modron abilities.
Bariaur: Bariaur are a centaur-like race originally native to Ysgard. Unlike centaurs, bariaur resemble a combination of goat and human, rather than horse and human. Male bariaur have curling horns, like a rams, while females lack this feature. Bariaur tend towards being extremely nomadic, and are often uncomfortable with most buildings. Most bariaur are extremely individualistic, and this expresses itself most often in tattoos or special colourations of their fur. Most bariaur are chaotic.
Githyanki: The githyanki are a violent, imperial, xenophobic race from the Astral Plane. Depending on the tone of the campaign and the allowances by the GM on PC viewpoints, many PC githyanki are likely to be outcasts from their race. Unlike rogue modrons, outcast githyanki are not slain on sight by their kind. This is mostly because githyanki don’t have any way of discerning that one of their own is a rogue. Still, it would be wise for a githyanki outcast to stay away from Tu’narath. Githyanki are tall and thin, angular and gangly. Their skin is a sallow yellow, and their hair is most often auburn or red. Githyanki are highly ritualistic and decorated. It is an oddity of githyanki psychology that they have an amazing inclination towards intricate and beautiful baroque designs. Githyanki focus heavily on the maintenance and style of their armour and weapons. Githyanki also have a deeply ingrained racial hatred towards githzerai. Githyanki have a tendency to be both lawful and evil, although many games are likely to forbid evil PCs, depending on the allowances of the GM. Githyanki are naturally psychic, and often possess innate mental powers.
Githzerai: Githzerai are fiercely independent, introspective humanoids native to Limbo. They have a passing similarity to githyanki, though they tend to be less angular and more fluid with their motions. Githzerai have an ancient monastic tradition, and this leads to most githzerai having a great amount of self-control and discipline. Despite this training, githzerai are most often irrepressible seekers of personal freedom and tend to be chaotic. Githzerai are naturally psychic, and often display psychokinetic abilities.

Additionally, just about any race found anywhere on the planes can be suitable for a PC. Some may be unavailable at lower power levels (lupinals and pit fiends are not 200-point characters), and some may not be suitable for the adventuring lifestyle (non-rogue modrons have very little independence from the collective). If you have any exotic ideas, speak to your GM to find out what’s possible.

What she can do – these are the abilities of your character. Is she a warrior, a magician, a ninja, a merchant? The beauty and elegance of the HERO System is that given sufficient character points, you can have your character do anything. It’s important to have a strong character concept and idea of her capabilities, because HERO doesn’t make character creation easy on you. There are no pre-packaged sets of abilities that express a given concept. You have absolute freedom – and absolute responsibility. Here are some assumptions and mechanical guidelines for use in Planar HERO.

1. The baseline power level for PCs is assumed to be 200 points – 100 base points and up to 100 points from disadvantages. Certainly, characters in your game can be of any value, but for internal consistency purposes Planar HERO will assume most normal adventurers are built on 200 points.
2. Most non-exemplar characters will be required to take Normal Characteristic Maxima, however they will be allotted the 20 points for taking the disadvantage. A character with sufficient reasoning for not requiring the disadvantage can, as usual, go without it. In some cases, a non-human character may buy 2-3 points of a characteristic or two as a power, representing some kind of “racial bonus”. The function of this is to allow characters to circumvent their Normal Characteristic Maxima in one or two areas. GMs should keep an eye on a PC’s usage of this caveat to avoid overuse.
3. Equipment is to be bought with character points, like any other power. It can be represented as equipment through the Focus limitation and, when appropriate, the Real Weapon or Real Armour limitations. When possible, I encourage characters to use the weapon and armour write-ups in HERO 5th Edition or The Ultimate Martial Artist, altered to suit specifics. Characters will also have wealth, as guided by the Wealth perk/disadvantage. The purpose of wealth is to govern the places a character can stay, how easily she can travel, and the like, rather than to buy equipment with.
4. Characters should not be subject to point maxima. If a player wants to spend 150 of her 200 points on a single power, that’s her problem. Encourage a player to realise that it’s a bad idea, but don’t forbid it. If she insists on doing it anyway, display to her through game play why it was unwise. The lesson is more effective that way.
5. Most characters have an alignment. Alignment is a measurement on two axes: law/chaos and good/evil. A character can be lawful, chaotic, or neither. A character can also be good, evil, or neither. These values are largely independent of one another. Alignments are to be represented by Psychological Limitations, with the strength and frequency of the disadvantage being indicative of how strongly the character subscribes to that part of her alignment. A character who is neutral along one or both axes does not gain a Psychological Limitation for it unless she is really neutral. A simple lack of devotion to either ideal is not sufficient.
6. Optional HERO rules that I assume will be used: Knockback, Hit Location, Weapon Familiarity.
7. A Planar HERO character’s everyman skills are as follows: Acting, Climbing, Concealment, Conversation, Knowledge (some kind of planar knowledge, most likely related to the character’s home plane), Navigation (as appropriate to the character’s home plane; usually Land and Dimensional), Paramedics, Persuasion, Stealth.
8. Regarding languages. First, literacy is free, although this doesn’t necessarily mean all characters are literate in all languages they are able to speak. Secondly, a character’s native language is assumed to be based on either race or home plane. This means nobody has Planar Trade as their native language. Most characters take Planar Trade anyway, though, as it makes communications considerably easier.
9. Magic on the planes. Most magics are assumed to be based on one of the multiverse’s energies. These energies are of two kinds, Inner and Outer. The Inner Planar energies (most often used by mages and elementals) are Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Positive, Negative, Ice, Ooze, Smoke, Magma, Radiance, Steam, Mineral, Lightning, Ash, Salt, Dust, and Vacuum. Plenty to choose from. The Outer Planar energies (most often used by priests and exemplar) are Good, Evil, Law, and Chaos. Any attack based on any of these energies is entitled to the following limitation:
Elemental (-1/4): The power uses one or more elemental forces to deliver its effect. This means that some characters will resist the effect more, and some will have increased effect from it. Elemental spells are notoriously difficult to cast on opposing planes, although there might be a small bonus on the matching plane.
Many defences will be built with the limitation "Only works against (element)" or "Doesn’t work against (element)". Also, some spells or abilities may be tied to one of the Transitive Planes. If that’s the case, the following limitation is of use:
Requires Astral/Ethereal (-1/2): The power requires a connection to either the Astral or Ethereal Plane. If the character is on a plane not connected to the required plane, it cannot be used.

This brings us to the final, and most important, part of a character: What she believes. As mentioned earlier, belief is power on the Outer Planes. Now, everybody believes in something, although what it is might be a very detailed and complicated answer. A lot of characters have faith in a deity, and follow that power’s teachings. But a character’s beliefs are more than just religious faith. What makes the multiverse tick? What makes your character tick? In Sigil, the City of Doors, fifteen factions have arisen to capture the beliefs of the people, and sway the masses to think that their way of believing is best. The thing is that a character’s belief in certain principles has a tendency to manifest itself as real power. There are also a number of smaller groups, called sects, scattered around the planes. The difference between a faction and a sect is, largely, a matter of popularity.

You recall how I claimed that in the Outer Planes belief is power? Most people have realised this, and in fact in the city of Sigil, atop the Spire, fifteen groups of like-minded cutters came together to enforce the power of their belief. There were more, over six hundred years ago, but by decree of the Lady of Pain the number of factions within Sigil was reduced to fifteen. Out on the Ring there are more groups, smaller in number and narrower in scope, known as sects. These sects don’t have any lesser hold on the Truth than factions do, but by virtue of their presence in the Cage factions are more popular and often considered more powerful. For those of you familiar with the Planescape setting, herein I assume that Faction War (and, indeed, any of the Planescape modules) has not taken place. Ergo, the original fifteen factions are presented here. I have chosen this option mainly so that groups are able to run these modules themselves, or choose to have had their events happen in the background, or ignore them altogether.

Most factions have four levels of membership, although each faction might call them something different. They are, in increasing order: namer, factotum, factor, and factol. Most of the people tied to a faction are namers, these are people who believe in what the faction is about but mostly couldn’t be bothered to help the faction as a whole progress in its goals. A namer has friends in the faction, and may occasionally be able to call a favour if it isn’t too serious. Namers will often be asked to perform minor services for the faction, but this is likely not to be anything too taxing or inconvenient. Factotums are full-time factioneers, who consider work for the faction as their primary occupation. Factotums are often the people around Sigil giving tours, introducing newcomers to the city and, more importantly, giving their spiel with the faction’s spin on it. Factotums have more contacts within the faction and greater ability to call in favours. They are also more responsible for undertaking tasks to benefit the faction’s interests. Factors are the faction’s high-ups, the people who make decisions. They tend to answer only to the factol, and as such often have reasonably free reign in how they handle faction business. Factotums are expected to listen to orders come down from factors, and they usually consider that they can boss around namers, as well. The factol (there is only one for a faction) is the faction’s leader. The factol is somebody who believes very strongly in the tenets of the faction and has capacity for leadership and management of the faction’s proceedings.

Although each faction has different benefits and restrictions, based on their philosophy and (sometimes) organisational scheme, all factions have some benefits and restrictions in common. First off, being in a faction means you know people. This leads to Perks like Access, Contacts, Favours, and sometimes Fringe Benefits or Reputation. In terms of restrictions, factions often impose varying degrees of Distinctive Features (in terms of uniforms or faction symbols), Hunted (especially Indeps and Anarchists), Reputation (the Disadvantage), and Social Limitation (usually Subject to Orders).

I: The Athar
Defiers, The Lost
Factol: Terrence, human priest of the Great Unknown
Faction HQ: Shattered Temple, Lower Ward
Home Plane: Astral Plane
Core Beliefs: The Athar are all about decrying the gods as frauds. They’re not like common Prime atheists, who doubt the existence of the powers – living on the Wheel one can clearly see that they exist. They also don’t necessarily deny the existence of divinity, merely that the so-called gods don’t have any. A popular belief among the Athar is in something they call the Great Unknown – this is true divinity, unknown and unknowable by mortal minds. Most Athar are proactive in their beliefs – it doesn’t do a whole lot of good to disbelieve in the powers if everybody else is feeding them belief and worship. Good Athar tend to be interested in “saving” people – especially priests – from this great con that the gods are putting on everybody. Lawful Athar feel that the rule of the gods is false and incomplete, and should be cast down in favour of the real order. Chaotic Athar view the multiverse without any particular order or reason, and powers are just faking it – what god, after all, doesn’t impose rules and restrictions on its followers?
Joining and Advancing: A body can join the Athar simply by presenting themselves at the Shattered Temple as interested members. Factotums in the Athar are called athaons, which is said to mean “godless” in an almost-forgotten language. Advancing to the rank of athaon requires a special ceremony held at night in the Shattered Temple. The basher must bring three objects imbued with the fraudulent magic of a deity and destroy them during the ritual. Advancing to the rank of factor requires a significant victory over the forces of a power. The factol is chosen by the factors when the old one is no longer able to hold office competently. The factor to be chosen must defile an active chapel or temple before he is able to assume his duties as factol.
Common Powers: An Athar’s belief in the non-divinity of deities tends to grant her resistance to magic provided by followers of these alleged powers. This often manifests itself in the form of Armour, Mental Defence, or Power Defence, typically with the limitations Only Against Divine Magic.
Restrictions: Athar may not willingly accept divine magic. Actually worshipping a Power is certainly out.

II: Believers of the Source
Godsmen
Factol: Ambar Vergrove, half-elven ranger
Faction HQ: Great Foundry, Lower Ward
Home Plane: Ethereal demiplanes
Core Beliefs: Life is a forge. Its purpose is to test us, giving us a variety of “life lessons” by which we can be hammered into a superior form. It is our duty to rise to these lessons, accept our challenges, and come out the other end a better person. With enough forging, a basher could end up as a power one day. One life is not enough time to reach perfection, though. It is through reincarnation that we can cumulatively add up the experiences of our lives, striving ever higher on the ladder of perfection. Evil Godsmen tend to be interested in inhibiting another’s progress towards divinity, while good cutters feel that a certain amount of help along the path is warranted.
Joining and Advancing: Joining the Godsmen entails plenty of work at the forge. When a sod shows up at the Foundry claiming he wants to join, he’s put to work at the forge. And it’s not easy work, either – a basher had better be ready for some true effort. If he can stick through it, though, he’s in. Namers interested in delving deeper into the workings of the faction can acquire unofficial sponsors from among the factotums. When a sponsor feels his charge is ready to advance, he’s presented to a group of factors, who assign him a series of challenges to explore his fears, limitations, and capabilities. A similar test is applied to would-be factors.
Common Powers: Most Godsmen, due to their belief that anybody can become divine, tend to treat others fairly. This often translates to superior interaction skills, and could be used to justify a higher Presence.
Restrictions: Godsmen cannot be raised from the dead, unless the process is through reincarnation. Godsmen are unlikely to become priests of deities, as they view the gods as just bloods higher on the ladder of progress than they are. Godsmen priests are more often priests of the Source, from whence all power in the multiverse radiates.

III: The Bleak Cabal
Bleakers, The Cabal, Madmen
Factol: Lhar, half-orcish warrior
Faction HQ: The Gatehouse, Hive Ward
Home Plane: Pandemonium
Core Beliefs: Nothing matters. There isn’t any kind of greater truth to the multiverse or anything in it. Some Bleakers take this rationale towards despondency, but most think that the only purpose to be had is that which you choose – a cutter’s life only has meaning if he feels what he does is important. Most Bleaker’s seek to ease the pain and suffering of others, as said suffering has no meaning or purpose of its own, and so why wouldn’t these poor sods want to be comfortable?
Joining and Advancing: Joining is easy, on the surface. Anybody can go to any Bleaker and claim he’s interested in joining the faction. He will then be summarily ignored for a few months before he’s accepted in, and a number of Bleakers may even offer quite convincing arguments as to why he shouldn’t bother joining, and to give up. Eventually, if the supplicant’s heart is truly bleak, he will be accepted as a namer. Beyond that, the Cabal has little in the way of advancement and differing ranks.
Common Powers: Bleakers, since they’re already at least half-mad, are surprisingly immune to the mental manipulations of others. Thus, they often have a fair amount of Mental Defence. Many are also able to absorb the insanities of others, completely curing them of their afflictions. This power is represented thusly:
Absorb Madness: 5d6 Major Transform (Remove a Psychological Limitation) [75]; Based on ECV [+1], Works Against EGO, not BODY [+¼]; Activation Roll (13-) [-3/4], Concentration (0 DCV, totally unaware, concentrate throughout long activation) [-1½], Extra Time (6 hours) [-3½], Gestures (both hands) [-½], No Range [-½], Side Effects (Character suffers a Psychological Limitation for two days afterward, occurs automatically whenever power is used) [-½]; Active Points: 169; Real Points: 20; Endurance Cost: 17
To use this power, the Bleaker must meditate and clear his mind of all thoughts – this is difficult for a Bleaker to do, thus the Activation Roll. During the process (which takes approximately six hours) both the Bleaker and the recipient of the power must sit quietly, as the Bleaker gently massages the head of the poor sod he’s using the power on. For two days after a successful use of the power, the Bleaker is subject to the madness he absorbed, until he’s able to process and integrate it harmlessly into himself.
Restrictions: Members of the Bleak Cabal are inevitably shackled with madness to one degree or another. Most often this presents itself as a periodic depression, but feel free to be creative. Lawful characters don’t join the Bleak Cabal, as they cannot accept that there is no meaning – to be lawful is to inherently believe that there’s an underlying purpose to it all.

IV: The Doomguard
Sinkers
Factol: Pentar, human ranger
Faction HQ: Armoury, Lady’s Ward
Home Plane: Negative quasiplanes
Core Beliefs: Entropy. It’s all about entropy. One day, everything will end. Everything falls apart eventually. Beyond this, though, the Doomguard is split into three major camps. First is the idea that entropy is proceeding too slowly. These bashers aim to help destruction along, and they tend to be pretty dangerous. Second is the idea that entropy is going just right, and doesn’t need a lot of their help. Besides, every act of creation is, in fact, a number of smaller acts of destruction. Old things must be broken and reshaped if they are to become new things. Third, and in the distinct minority, is the idea that entropy is proceeding too quickly. These Sinkers actually seek to stop processes of destruction, enabling the multiverse to live out its full, natural existence.
Joining and Advancing: A prospective Sinker is subject to three tests to determine his worth. The first test is to smash his own weapon against the walls of the Armoury. The second is to take a pouch filled with at least 500 gold coins and scatter it among the people in the Hive. The third test is to prevent the dabus from clearing razorvine from a building for a whole day. Any basher who can do all three tests is given a Doomguard-forged blade and welcomed into the faction. The Doomguard makes no distinction between namers and factotums: the key is, a basher’s either a Doomlord or not. Factors in the Doomguard are called Doomlords. These cutters are veritable forces of nature, and unswervingly loyal to Pentar – I mean, the factol. A cutter chosen to become a Doomlord undergoes a terrible transformation on one of the negative quasiplanes. Doomlords wear robes and black and red masks emblazoned with the faction’s symbol. Doomlords are said never to remove their masks again. Though there are only four greater Doomlords, a number of lesser Doomlords exist. Each of the greater Doomlords is tied to one of the negative quasielemental planes. Doomlords will occasionally raise a factioneer to the temporary status of champion of entropy. Such a champion is given a specific task to further the cause of entropy, and granted a special blade to do so. There are four kinds of entropy blade, each one tied specifically to the Doomlord and quasiplane that created it. All entropy blades are represented by the following power:
Entropy Blade: 1½d6 Hand Killing Attack [25]; +1 STUN Multiplier [+¼], 0 END [+½], +2 OCV [5]; OAF (Sword) [-1]; Active Points: 49; Real Points: 27
Furthermore, each specific type of entropy blade displays individual powers, as listed below:
Ash Blade: 14 ED Armour [21]; OAF (Sword) [-1], Only Works Against Fire [-½]; Active Points: 21; Real Points: 8
2d6 Energy Blast [10]; OAF (Sword) [-1], Elemental (Ice) [-¼], No Range [-½], Linked (Drain) [-½], Uses Endurance Reserve; Active Points: 10; Real Points: 3; Endurance Cost: 1
1d6 Drain DEX [10]; Delayed Return Rate (5 Points/Minute) [+¼]; OAF (Sword) [-1], Elemental (Ice) [-¼], Uses Endurance Reserve; Active Points: 12; Real Points: 5; Endurance Cost: 1
Endurance Reserve (10 END, 2 REC) [3]; OAF (Sword) [-1]; Active Points: 3; Real Points: 1
Total Ash Blade Cost (Real Points): 44
Dust Blade: 14 PD Armour [21]; OAF (Sword) [-1], Only Works Against Earth [-½]; Active Points: 21; Real Points: 8
3d6 Ranged Killing Attack [45]; OAF (Sword) [-1], Only Works Against Earth or Stone [-1], Uses Endurance Reserve; Active Points: 45; Real Points: 15; Endurance Cost: 4
Endurance Reserve (10 END, 1 REC) [2]; OAF (Sword) [-1]; Active Points: 2; Real Points: 1
Total Dust Blade Cost (Real Points): 51
Salt Blade: 7 PD/7 ED Armour [21]; OAF (Sword) [-1], Only Works Against Water [-½]; Active Points: 21; Real Points: 8
3d6 Ranged Killing Attack [45]; OAF (Sword) [-1], Only Works Against Water [-1], Uses Endurance Reserve; Active Points: 45; Real Points: 15; Endurance Cost: 4
Endurance Reserve (10 END, 1 REC) [2]; OAF (Sword) [-1]; Active Points: 2; Real Points: 1
Total Salt Blade Cost (Real Points): 51
Vacuum Blade: Life Support (Self-Contained Breathing) [10]; OAF (Sword) [-1]; Active Points: 10; Real Points: 5
3d6 Drain STR [30]; Delayed Return Rate (5 Points/5 Minutes) [+½]; OAF (Sword) [-1], Uses Endurance Reserve; Active Points: 45; Real Points: 22; Endurance Cost: 4
Endurance Reserve (10 END, 2 REC) [3]; OAF (Sword) [-1]; Active Points: 3; Real Points: 1
Total Vacuum Blade Cost (Real Points): 55
Whatever its powers, an entropy blade always crumbles to dust when its purpose has been fulfilled. This is indicative of the character no longer being a champion of entropy.
Common Powers: All Sinkers are trained to use swords. This entails, at minimum, Weapon Familiarity that includes at least one sword, and often expands into Combat Skill Levels with a sword. Being so in tune with the forces of destruction allow many cutters to employ an entropic blow, which is just a fancy way of saying their attacks do a lot of damage. Entropic powers have more than just destructive capabilities, though. Many Sinkers have developed a limited form of psychometry, wherein they are able to handle a destroyed object and view its destruction:
Sift: Clairsentience (Retrocognition) [40]; No Range [-½], Blackout [-½], Retrocognition Only [-1]; Active Points: 40; Real Points: 13; Endurance Cost: 4
Restrictions: Sinkers refuse healing magic, whether it is to restore damaged Characteristics or lost STUN or BODY.

V: Dustmen
The Dead
Factol: Skall, lich mage
Faction HQ: Mortuary, Hive Ward
Home Plane: Negative Energy Plane
Core Beliefs: We’re all dead. This multiverse is a form of purgatory where we must let go of the trappings of Life so that we are able to reach True Death. The only way to move on in this natural cycle is to release our passions, as they are what hold us to the Life we used to have. Don’t seek True Death, though, that’s missing the point.
Joining and Advancing: Joining the Dead is easy. Any body can join the faction just by signing up at the Mortuary. Namers who show promise are advanced to factotums, called Initiates within the Dead. This involves attending one’s own funeral, dissociating himself from his life, and making peace with those he knew. New Initiates are Initiates of the Fifth Circle. Another ritual takes one up to the Fourth Circle, and the jump from Fourth to First Circles is reserved for prospective factors. Chant is that the Second and Third Circles are reserved entirely for undead.
Common Powers: All Dustmen are under the protection of the Dead Truce. This is a 5-point Perk whereby no undead will attack a member of the Dead unless he initiates hostilities first. This amicable relationship with the undead often evolves into having undead companions or followers.
Restrictions: Dustmen cannot be restored to “life”.

VI: The Fated
Takers, Heartless
Factol: Duke Rowan Darkwood, human ranger and priest of Heimdall
Faction HQ: Hall of Records, Clerk’s Ward
Home Plane: Ysgard
Core Beliefs: Everything you want is out there. All it requires is the strength to take it and the will to hold on to it. We’re all responsible for our own lives. Don’t blame other people, the gods, or fate: if you wanted something and didn’t get it, that’s your fault. The point is to know what you want and be willing to do what is needed to obtain it.
Joining and Advancing: Every week the Fated take a look at the applications of potential members and select some of them for testing. A potential member of the Fated needs to first pass basic mental and physical exams. The third test is set up to see if the cutter’s really Fated material. Some time in the next few days the body finds a great prize: a bag of jink, a hende magic item, or the like. But the way it’s set up, the basher doesn’t need to do a thing to do it – he can just walk away with the thing for free. If he takes the loot, he’s denied entrance. Takers don’t just acquire things for free; they only take the things they’re entitled to – the things they’ve earned. Nothing is ever given or taken for free.
Common Powers: Takers are self-sufficient. As such, they often have a broad base of skills and knowledge. Takers also excel at haggling, and have a similar 2-point Perk as the Indeps: Merchant Connections. This allows Takers to acquire material goods at a cheaper price than usual.
Restrictions: Takers cannot be both Lawful and Good. Furthermore, the Heartless don’t believe in anything being free – they will never give or accept charity.

VII: Fraternity of Order
Guvners
Factol: Hashkar, dwarf sage
Faction HQ: City Court, Lady’s Ward
Home Plane: Mechanus
Core Beliefs: Knowledge is power. More specifically, knowledge of law is the supreme power. All a body has to do is understand all the laws of the multiverse, and he’ll have power over the whole thing. Now, clearly it requires an ordered and disciplined mind to research the laws of the multiverse, and the laws of mortals are no less important. Remember – we never break the law. We just understand it to a greater degree than anybody else.
Joining and Advancing: Anyone who passes the initial tests (which deal with laws and general knowledge) is accepted as a namer, or aide. Every 100 days a series of tests is held to allow aides to advance to factotum, or administrator, status. Administrators rank from A10 (the lowest) to A1 (the highest). One advances through the administrator ranks by taking a series of tests offered every 100 days. A particularly exceptional score will advance a cutter two ranks instead of one. For an A1 to advance to factor, or bureau chief, requires a test, although it can only be done if a bureau chief position is vacant. Bureau chiefs rank from B5 (the lowest) to B1 (the highest). When the position of factol is open, all of the B1s vote on one of their own number to take the position. In the case of a tie, all bureau chiefs are allowed to vote.
Common Powers: Guvners excel in seeing patterns. As such, many of them possess the Universal Translator talent (20 points). Guvners also tend to develop the ability to manipulate probability in their favour. This most often represents itself through Luck. The most famous Guvner power, however, is the ability to discover a loophole in the laws of the multiverse. This ability can manifest itself in any number of ways, and can justify gaining just about any power.
Restrictions: Guvners must be Lawful. They have such a respect for laws (all of them) that they do not willingly break laws (any of them). Loopholes, on the other hand…

VIII: The Free League
Indeps
Factol: None
Faction HQ: Great Bazaar, Market Ward
Home Plane: Outlands
Core Beliefs: Freedom. That’s all. Everybody’s free to make their own choices, to live as they want. To believe as they want. Don’t let a bunch of factions or hierarchies get in your way – that’s oppressive, really. Just go your own way. Do your own thing. And let other people do the same. And, I suppose, while you’re at it look out for fellow free thinkers. There’re a lot of people out there with a grudge against our kind.
Joining and Advancing: Anybody can join. And there’s no advancement – all Indeps are equal.
Common Powers: Indeps are big on freedom. This asserts itself as a heavy resilience with regards to mental control or influence. Indeps tend to have a decent amount of Mental Defence. Some Indeps have figured out a spell to figure out what faction a body’s in (using either Detect: Faction or Detect: Philosophical Beliefs as a base). Also, Indeps have a lot of connections in the Great Bazaar and trade posts around the Land. This is represented by a 2-point Perk, Merchant Connections. This allows Free League members to acquire material goods at a cheaper price than usual. Finally, the Free League is the best source of information in Sigil – Indeps always know what’s going on. This is represented by the Indep Information Network. Ask a few questions to your fellows and within a few hours or days you’ll have quite a bit of input come back to you. Indeps, more than any factioneers, tend to have a lot of Contacts.
Restrictions: Indeps frown on extremism. Anybody with a heavy commitment to one of the aligned forces (generally speaking, a character with a Strong or Total Psychological Limitation for any alignment other than neutral), while not specifically excluded from joining the faction, receive lesser benefits from being a member. Specifically, such members do not have access to the Indep Information Network, and frequently will have fewer Contacts than other Indeps. Also, being not officially a faction, Indeps have no representatives in Sigil, and their legal rights in the city are somewhat diminished.

IX: Harmonium
Hardheads
Factol: Sarin
Faction HQ: City Barracks, Lady’s Ward
Home Plane: Arcadia
Core Beliefs: The Harmonium seeks to bring peace and harmony to the entire multiverse. This sounds like a tall order, but fortunately the Hardheads know how to do it. Everybody needs to embrace the same philosophy, and that happens to be the Harmonium philosophy. Differences in belief create dissent among individuals, which is clearly deleterious to peace and harmony.
Joining and Advancing: Bashers can join the Harmonium in one of two ways: approaching the faction or being approached by the faction. Either way, new recruits are gathered up every four weeks for Factol Sarin’s indoctrination speech. Directly afterwards, they’re shipped off to an eight-week training program in Arcadia. Those that don’t make it are welcome to try again later, if so inclined. Those that do are now notaries, common soldiers of the Harmonium (and their equivalent of a namer). Rank proceeds from Notary One to Notary Five, depending on length of service. Every six months promising notaries are selected to receive advanced training that makes them measures (or factotums). These also rank from Measure One to Measure Five. The factors, or movers, select new members for their strata from among the Measure Fives. Again, they rank from Mover One to Mover Five. Promotion among the movers is handled by the factol (which is known as the composer). The composer keeps her position as long as her officers deem her competent. When she steps down, one of the Mover Fives is promoted to composer, and in turn promotes a Mover Four to replace her.
Common Powers: Harmonium members often possess Mind Control, so as to help enforce their will on the planes. They also receive extensive military training, and most Hardheads have a Combat Skill Level or two to represent this. As befits their nickname, Harmonium members are notoriously difficult to compel. They often have Mental Defence.
Restrictions: Hardheads must be Lawful. More so than other factions, Harmonium soldiers are Subject to Orders.

X: Mercykillers
The Red Death
Factol: Mallin/Alisohn Nilesia
Faction HQ: Prison, Lady’s Ward
Home Plane: Acheron
Core Beliefs: Justice. Justice is everything. The unjust must be punished, if any rightness is to remain in the multiverse. The Mercykillers are most strongly guided by their Eight Tenets of Justice:
I. I will uphold Justice before all else, purging the multiverse of those who break the law.
II. In all situations I shall weigh the rights and wrongs with a clear and impartial mind.
III. I shall decide where Justice must fall under the law, and I will mete out that Justice with a firm and unyielding hand.
IV. I believe in the righteousness of my faction; we alone answer to the higher law of Justice.
V. I will not pass judgement on good or evil, only on law-abiding and law-breaking, for therein lays wrongdoing.
VI. I will punish the guilty as the crime demands.
VII. I will be diligent in my pursuit of the guilty, and while so engaged I will remain innocent of any wrongdoing in the eyes of others.
VIII. I will never release a lawbreaker until his sentence has been carried out.
Joining and Advancing: Once every fortnight the Mercykillers hold an enlistment meeting. Anybody interested in joining engages in discussion about the Eight Tenets of Justice and then swears to uphold them. Advancing to justice and justiciar (factotum and factor, respectively) requires training and study.
Common Powers: In their pursuit of Justice many Mercykillers are able to discern when a person is lying (Detect: Lies). They also often develop a special ability to deal extra damage with an attack, if done in the name of Justice. Finally, Mercykillers may requisition a special poison from the Prison:
Blood of Justice: Mind Control 6d6 [30]; Based on CON [-1], Cannot be Used Through Mind Link [-¼], Charges (3) [-1 ¼], Does not Provide Mental
Awareness [-¼], OAF (Poison) [-1], Set Effect (“Confess all crimes in past 24 hours”) [-1]; Active Points: 30; Real Points: 5
Restrictions: Mercykillers are required to be Lawful. Also, thieves and criminals of any sort are denied admittance.

XI: The Revolutionary League
Anarchists
Factol: None
Faction HQ: None
Home Plane: Carceri
Core Beliefs: Revolution is the game. Power structures – all of them – are restrictive to a body who likes her freedom. Working in secret, the Revolutionary League seeks to throw down all power games and all the factions. Watch your back – they’re all out to stop our noble cause.
Joining and Advancing: Joining is a problem. First thing: if you’re the kind of berk to stomp around the Cage, loudly declaring your intent to join the Anarchists, you’re the wrong kind of berk for this group. You’ll never find ‘em. Be more subtle, though, and eventually someone will approach you. This person will remain your only contact until she trusts you, at which point you’re introduced to a cell. That’s how they work, see, in cells. A cell ranges from three to eight anarchists, some of whom will know a person or two from another cell. Keeps the faction safe that way. Advancement is largely nonexistent, although there are rumours of “central” cells that contain the leaders of the faction.
Common Powers: Anarchists need abilities regarding stealth and infiltration. Most importantly, many Anarchists possess Shape Shift so as to change their identity easily. Also, Anarchists possess an uncanny ability to infiltrate other factions and pose as a member, though this doesn’t (usually) give them any faction-related abilities.
Restrictions: Anarchists don’t accept Lawful types. They may not hold power or any position of authority.

XII: The Sign of One
Signers, Dreamers
Factol: Darius
Faction HQ: Hall of Speakers, Clerk’s Ward
Home Plane: Beastlands
Core Beliefs: We create reality. It is a reflection and reaction to our thoughts and minds. With focus and proper thought, we can shape the multiverse however we wish. Because we are the centre of all.
Joining and Advancing: To join the Sign of One, a body must convince representatives of the faction that she can shape the multiverse with her thoughts. After sufficient work in the faction, she can do so again to advance in rank.
Common Powers: Signers imagine reality into forms they desire. This is reasonable justification for just about any ability.
Restrictions: Signers tend to be self-centred, due to their outlook. As such, most Interaction skill rolls are made with a -1 penalty.

XIII: The Society of Sensation
Sensates
Factol: Erin Montgomery
Faction HQ: Civic Festhall, Clerk’s Ward
Home Plane: Arborea
Core Beliefs: To sense and to feel is to know. In experiencing the multiverse, a unique truth is had about it. And in knowing truth, we achieve enlightenment. Don’t sit in here and listen to me talking, get out there and experience!
Joining and Advancing: Joining’s easy. Just bring the Festhall an interesting experience from each of the five senses. Standing in the faction is largely unofficial – artists of all kinds are looked on with favour, as are people who bring back the most interesting experiences for the recorder stones.
Common Powers: As they focus so much on experience, Sensates often have all manner of Enhanced Senses. Also, some Sensates have gained a special power they call the sensory touch – this is the ability to heal others, with the Side Effect that some portion of the damage is taken by the character, as the character opens herself to the pain of another. The Society is also a fairly rich faction – members tend to have varying degrees of Wealth.
Restrictions: Sensates can’t resist the allure of new sensations. Only obvious peril is enough to sway a Sensate from trying something new.

XIV: Transcendent Order
Ciphers
Factol: Rhys
Faction HQ: Great Gymnasium, Guildhall Ward
Home Plane: Elysium
Core Beliefs: There’s a pulse, a rhythm, to the multiverse. Ciphers call it the “Cadence of the Planes”, and they seek to unite with it. The idea is that if you know your place in the multiverse, action is reflexive and intuitively taken. Most call it “action without thought”, but that’s often misinterpreted as “thoughtless action”. If you don’t see the difference, don’t worry – you will, else you’re not likely to stick with the faction for long.
Joining and Advancing: Joining is easy – you just do it. Advancement happens when – in accordance with faction philosophy – everyone feels it’s right.
Common Powers: Ciphers tend to have two main powers – the action trance, and Cipher intuition. Though the two are related (a character is in tune with the Cadence when she invokes an action trance and senses the right course of action) they have some distinctions. The Cipher intuition is a form of precognitive Clairsentience, generally with No Conscious Control. It allows a Cipher to know the right course of action. The action trance is a trick many Ciphers employ in combat, and tends to involve increases in Dexterity and combat ability for short periods of time.
Restrictions: Characters who want to join the Transcendent Order need to be at least a little neutral – which is to say that they shouldn’t have two alignment-based Psychological limitations. Also, over time, Ciphers tend to drift towards being completely neutral – it’s a consequence of the philosophy.

XV: Xaositects
Chaosmen
Factol: Karan
Faction HQ: The Hive, Hive Ward
Home Plane: Limbo
Core Beliefs: Chaos is great! We should spread chaos ALL OVER THE PLACE, all the time. There are, of course, various permutations and interpretations of this ethos, but that’s the basic idea.
Joining and Advancing: Joining the Xaositects just requires a sod be sponsored by an existing member. (Although there was the time a pair of tiefling sisters sponsored each other, and nobody noticed that neither was a member beforehand.) This can be as simple or as complex as the winds of chaos demand on that given day. Sometimes Chaosmen advance in rank, sometimes there’s not much notion of rank between them. Usually, when advancement is a fashionable concept, it comes by somebody having a great idea that other people of higher rank like a whole lot.
Common Powers: Xaositects tend to have chaotic powers. Sometimes this means they have powers somehow related to chaos, and sometimes it means they have a seemingly random and eclectic selection of abilities.
Restrictions: Xaositects are always Chaotic. It’s not that they discriminate, just that non-chaotic cutters can’t handle the concepts. Okay, sometimes they discriminate.

I got it from anowyn this time

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 22:36:18 GMT

YEAR IN REVIEW: Take the first sentence (or two) from the first post of each month of 2007. That's your year in review. Italics are updates if need be.

JANUARY
No one was left who could remember how it had happened, how the world had fallen under darkness.

FEBRUARY
Interviews from mbd1981 and pairatime (in that order):

MARCH
http://www.xkcd.com/c197.html

APRIL
It's about the brain adapting to new and expanded senses.

MAY
I was just thinking it would be awesome to start a metal band and sing songs about Norse people. Does anybody play guitar?

JUNE
When I saw this quiz on his LJ, my first thought was that it was one of those worthless quizzes.

JULY
According to this quiz I got from my friend Roy, I'm Odin:

AUGUST
~~and serves as content, since I don't really update anymore.~~

SEPTEMBER
I got two responses from my questionnaire last time, and they both agreed with what I thought already.

OCTOBER
Sammadre (male bariaur expert 5, free league)

NOVEMBER
I've been tinkering with Mission: Zodiac again, and I think I've settled on a final version (at least for now).

DECEMBER
(This seems to be my first post this month)

In other news, I saw The Golden Compass yesterday. I thought it was pretty good. Casting was great, and most of the differences from the book were just because a movie is a different medium than a book. Also, Serafina Pekkala is both amazing and hot.

M:Z On Skills

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 08:31:06 GMT

Skills are the main component of Mission: Zodiac, and they're so open-ended that I feel they require further discussion. Basically, it requires some thought beforehand to determine the campaign standards. It's largely a matter of generic vs. specific. This has a number of applications - knowledge-type skills could be general (Theology) or specific (Procedural Doctrines of the Church for the Inner God). Weapon Skill could be bought with single weapons (WS: Shamshir) or weapon groups (WS: Swords). Probably most important and most complicated are how a character's special or extraordinary abilities function. First, this could take a number of forms (mystic martial arts, magic, or psychic powers, for example). Then, again, comes the idea of generic vs. specific. You could have broad groupings of powers (Necromancy, Elementalism) or very specific skills (Elemental Bolt, Flight). As with most other things in M:Z, the specifics you choose will always be okay. Just be consistent (mostly), and things should flow smoothly.

Another idea is to combine the two - some skills (especially knowledges) may be generic, but allow a character to focus in a specific aspect thereof. A skill focus grants a bonus in the focused area (reduced target or extra dice) while inflicting the same amount and kind as a penalty when using the skill for generic purposes. As an option, whenever a character gains enough experience to increase that skill, another focus may be taken instead.

It's that time of year again

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 03:24:12 GMT

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

This year I've been busy!

In August I gave xfuneralxrosex a life-saving blood transfusion (50 points). Last Saturday I punched horitsu_kami in the arm (-10 points). In July on a flight to Bangladesh, I stole the emergency flight information card (-40 points). Last Thursday I gave moshker a kidney (1000 points). In September I stole the_monkey_king's purse (-30 points).

Overall, I've been nice (970 points). For Christmas I deserve a Lego set!

Sincerely,
bluegodjanus

Maybe it'll look better if I don't specify that the blood and kidney weren't mine.