Machina Ethikos

jake zetter
One becomes a philosopher by asking questions. One becomes a wizard by asking very dangerous questions.

Observation: It takes a lot of energy to be a good person. Where does that energy go?What is the relationship between this energy and evil? How might one harness that energy?

That last question was the inspiration for the Machina Ethikos, a senior thesis project so diabolical and perverse that the ad-board swore its inventors to secrecy--at least until the patent could be finalized.

Soular Energy

The principle is simple; a soul contains energy proportional to its moral strength (among other arcanometaphorical factors). To elevate the soul, one must expend energy. In turn, degrading the soul releases said energy.

This is why Evil is a distinct field of study in magic canon; it is the technique of harnessing one’s moral freefall. The deeper one’s depravities, the more energy can be released. Consider the widespread use of human sacrifice in traditional ritual magic.

This is also why great wizards are so often evil, or at least amoral. Power corrupts, in part, because corruption is a means to power.

Despite their best attempts, academics have yet to fully understand the mechanics of universal morality. Hexyard output for acts of evil appears to fluctuate wildly based on intention and cultural context, making it nearly impossible to study in a controlled environment. Only the angels are said to know the true nature of good and evil, but if they do, they refuse to share it.

angels angels angels

On the Nature of Angels

Angels are beings of pure morality. They are children of the Sun, although they speak fondly of the stars, as if they were distant relatives. Their souls are extremely energy-rich, so much so that they constantly shed light. The intensity and wavelength of an angel’s light describes the strength of their soul, and therefore their age. (blue = young and strong; red = old and experienced)

As time passes, angels expend their souls and slip closer and closer to human morality, until they are put down by their fellows—a holy ceremony called ignova. Angels who do not undergo timely ignova may develop self-preservation instincts, fleeing angel society and eventually sinking to demonhood.

It didn’t take a genius to make the connection: the market demanded energy, and angels had it in spades. The only question was extraction.

The Mechanism

Each Machina Ethikos is unique in design; mass produced prototypes are never as effective, as they lack in personalized cruelty. The device remains closed most of the time, so as to prevent a mess, although a porthole can be opened at the operator’s discretion.

Noise is not a concern until extraction is three-quarters complete, at which point the wick may suddenly develop a sense of pain. Once this occurs, the device should be relocated to a sub-basement or dungeon.

Generated magical power can be rerouted automatically into nearby artifacts, grimoires, and golems, or stored in crystal arrangements and personal leylines for later use.

Once extraction is complete, the Occupational Health and Sorcery Administration demands that any leftover demons be recorded and exterminated. To skirt these regulations, many wizards elect to simply release the runoff into the countryside.

 

Needless to say, the wizards have been at war with the angels for a long time.

and all for a 3.6 GPA

⚿ If you really want to learn, step inside.

Hunger Lives in the Wolf

pauliina kinjama / kipine

 "The endosymbiotic hypothesis suggests that mitochondria were originally independent organisms that fostered a symbiotic relationship with eukaryotic organisms. They generate power for the animal, and piggyback onto its reproductive success."

—heavily paraphrased wikipedia

Anyway.

Magic is and is not a part of the human organism, which plays host to a wide array of spells. These dwell in the body, tucked away in corners that cannot be dissected out, assisting oneself in the basic functions of life.

They make up what you might call your soul.

It is theorized that all animal drives—hunger, procreation, and so on—are magical in nature, which explains why great feats so often arise from great emotion. [Consider a mother lifting a car off of her child; isn’t that a kind of magic?]

No part of the soul is shared among all living things. Lust, for example, is unknown to certain species who produce purely asexually. Hunger is an alien concept to angels, who drift thru existence as filter feeders, deriving energy from meaning itself.

Likewise, some magicks are more pronounced in certain species or individuals. This is why no (relatively) sane sorcerer would turn their Pride against that of a high lord Crab; the crab wins 9 times out of 10.

(This also explains how certain individuals can be born with inherent magical prowess, why wizards often specialize in one type of magic, and why magic often follows a bloodline; its all genetic.)

The unifying theory of magic is thus: that magic is life, and life is magic. All living things are similar in the sense that they are magical, from the hungry wolf to the mana-made angel to the reanimated zombie. Humans are not just magical, but too magical in too fundamental a way to extricate themselves from the natural world.

Joesky Tax

Wolf-that-looks-like-a-blue-jay
HD as wolf; AC as wolf; maul as wolf
Appears: pack of 2d6
Special: always described as a blue jay, except by wizards, who describe it as an octarine jay. Does not fly because it is a wolf 

 

patterson clark

Scraps and Scrawlings: Dungeonfall over Bal-Caraid

quentin mabille

Some notes on the campaign I'll be running for my college friends this semester. Players, avert your eyes.

The Pitch:

There is a cloud that rains dungeons. Fifty years ago, one of those dungeons fell in a wetland valley. Adventurers pillaged the old ruins and built the city of Bal-Caraid on the wetlands with its riches. These days, Bal-Caraid is a hub of criminal activity, where you can buy and sell anything or anyone.

Soon, the dungeon squall will drift overhead. In anticipation of its arrival, the city is throwing a week-long festival. In spite of the fun, tensions are high; factions from outside the city are causing trouble, and the whole of Bal-Caraid seems infused with a sinister energy. Something terrible is going to happen here if you don’t act.

You’re here…
- …for the festival!
- …to find something/someone in Bal-Caraid.
- …to learn about the dungeon squall.
- …to make a profit.

The Twist:

The dungeon squall is actually a floating tomb-city, a la Laputa, wreathed in clouds and shedding pieces of itself as the magic supporting it fades. It belonged to an old empire, and is full of artifacts, traps, classic dungeon shit. It's also full of curses, and if it were to fall out of the sky it would crack like an egg and spill chaos over the continent.

concept art for Castle in the Sky

The Factions:

There are two rivers that feed into Bal-Caraid, the Tressent from the South and the Krahm from the North, and they refuse to mix. The rivers are feuding, probably because one of them has been steeped in cursed dungeon bits for a few decades (causing some unfortunate necromantic side effects downstream). River politicians navigate this conflict, trading favors with each river in exchange for safe travel for merchant clients. Thugs and druid cults serve the rivers in equal measure; think of them as wealthy, immortal, disaffected barons.

The Antiquarians are outsiders who follow the squall. They investigate its fallen dungeons, and pay handsomely for artifacts found within. Among their ranks are descendants of the lost imperials (by blood or belief) who seek to master the city and reclaim their heritage. If they are allowed to succeed, they'll drop the city back into the wetlands.

The Wizard Police are academy brats shepherded by a wizened old sage. They cruise about in their flying paddywagons and ask unwelcome questions to locals. Officially, they're here to root out necromancers and unlawful magic usage. Unofficially, they're here to throw their authority around and steal whatever magic shit they can get their hands on.

There are also local gangs, constantly battling over territory on the riverside, and the local detectives who hunt down traffickers. Both are deeply concerned for their communities and neighborhoods. Some worry that a dungeon will fall on their head, but they can't just leave the city. A huge Blue Lotus shipment is coming into harbor this week; if the two sides clash, it will be a bloodbath.

Also, sky pirates.

ruthless, greedy, and oddly sympathetic
they're the rival adventurers

Dragons are murderhobos

Dragons see the world as players do. No, not PCs; players.

Dragons are big, scaly murderhobos with breath weapons. Reality is a game to them, and they’re very concerned with winning it. They’ve been playing for a very long time.

They use XP for GP, obviously.

According to a dragon, everyone else is an NPC. You’ll need to demonstrate your own player-ness and buy into their worldview if you expect to be treated as a sapient being. Other dragons are rarely exempt from this scrutiny, although they do acknowledge that if anyone were to be a self-aware actor, it would probably be someone who looks like them.

Draconic is the language of ego. There is one subject pronoun (wild guess as to which one), and all other objects are discussed in relation to it. Treating others as self-aware actors is a great shame for dragon-kind.

No matter how long their lives, how big their hoards, or how potent their magicks, all dragons fear being some nerd’s role-playing device.

---

You can replace your eyes with a dragon’s—their eyes are huge, so this will take some effort—to see the world as a dragon sees it; pliable and comparatively unreal, like a reflection at water’s edge. Poor creatures; someone must have written them all wrong.

In times of uncertainty, you may hear murmurs, laughter, and the sound of clattering dice. By paying EXTREMELY close attention, you can attune yourself to the world beyond the veil and learn their secrets. Basically, this allows your character to metagame within the fiction by eavesdropping on players outside the game.

Try to prevent your character from understanding this too deeply; if they lapse too far into existential dread, they’ll go mad and become a dragon.

(Inspired by PCD's classic post)

BOSSRUSH: The Basics

timofey stepanov

You are a Hound.
Your objective is to kill bosses and take their souls.
Your secondary objective is to piece together your lost memories.
You start with a weapon, a random item, and a flask (heals you fully, refills at camp)
You have 3 primary tools at your disposal: VIOLENCE, WIT, and the ever-important DODGEROLL

VIOLENCE

VIOLENCE is measured in hits.
If you take 3 hits, you’ll die. Your team will have to find another Hound.
A Boss can take as many as 20 hits. You won’t beat them in a fair fight.
Hits don’t scale linearly: A standard hack, slash, or stab deals 1 hit. Firearms and explosives deal 2. Lightning and falling buildings deal 3.
Some enemies have physical or supernatural weaknesses, like fire or kindness or women. VIOLENCE from these sources deals +1 hit to them.

VIOLENCE can be emotional; the death of a loved one can hit as hard as a cannonball.

Attacks always land, but they don’t always “hit”.
Each enemy has a VIOLENCE threshold. This describes the minimum magnitude of harm that will inflict a hit on them. (i.e. fists, swords, cannonballs)
You can bypass the VIOLENCE threshold with WIT. A dagger won’t pierce plate armor in a stand-up fight, but if you describe wrestling them to the ground and stabbing them in the eyes, that’s going to count for a few hits.
You can raise your own VIOLENCE threshold with armor.

Example: Rudimentary Angel
6H; VT=Dagger; Paper-wax feathers weak to fire.
Airborne. Guards gates/VIPs. Imperious. Grovels if wings are lost.
After players act (d6):
1-4: Fly-by khopesh slash (1H)
5-6: Nurses fireball, winding up. Next action, hurl (2H, ignites area)

sam dutter

DODGEROLL

You can avoid attacks, ignore magic, evade notice, or abrogate responsibility with a well-timed DODGEROLL.

Each player has 5 six-sided dice. To DODGEROLL, roll any number of these.
If the sum equals or exceeds 6, you are safe. Otherwise, you take the hit.
Each die you roll is spent until you fail a DODGEROLL or take a breather.

If you have an edge, roll an additional die from outside your pool and add it to the sum.

This is the only roll players make, analogous to saves. Everything else is adjudicated via facts and logic(tm)

MIRACLES

To perform a miracle, sacrifice something important. Write down your sacrifice; each must be greater than the last.

DODGEROLL to determine your [sum] and [dice]. (So it really was a GLoGhack!)

MEMORIES

A magical lady follows your journey, always a safe distance from danger. She is mysterious, eccentric, and often refers to you in the past tense. She gives good advice, can point you toward the next Boss, and trades souls for memories.

Besides acquiring memories, all other advancement is diegetic; you don’t have stats or a “build”.
Your memories define you; each adds to your backstory and grants an ability. You start with two.
It’s not clear whether these are actually your memories or someone else’s, but does it really matter?

Example 1: The Frozen. The cold of winter creeping down your throat. Peace. You can’t feel cold.
Example 2: The Glutton. A porcine squeal rouses you from rest. Regret. Nothing in your stomach can harm you.
Example 3: The Beaten. The throb of lashes across your back. Hatred. You have an edge against whips and chains.

You can also use RATGLoG, adapt your own templates, or stick around for a more comprehensive list.

"sword collector"
michael macrae

Inspired by Dark Souls and all its descendants, particularly Iron Gates and Through the Veil, as well as VaatiVidya. I guess you could call this my love letter to a game I've never played.

Thanks for your patience as I procrastinated over and over on posting this project. Procedures, setting, and bosses to come, hopefully in a timely manner.