Weird Adventures Mailbag

Occasionally, people gearing up for Weird Adventures games drop me a line to ask about stuff I didn’t cover in the book and haven’t gotten to yet on the blog. Sometime rpg artist, Lester Smolenski wrote just this weekend to ask about languages in the Strange New World.

That’s something I can’t believe I haven’t covered!  Here’s a list of some of the most important ones:

Common: The language of the Union and Borea.  It grew out of a trade pidgin of predominantly Lluddish extraction, but informed by various Gallian dialects, Dwergen, and words borrowed from several Native tongues.  It’s distinct from Lluddish, but the two are (mostly) mutually intelligible.

Esparian: A language family originating in Ealderde, but now more widely spoken in Asciana and Zingaro.  It comes in several ethnic/national varieties including Zingaran, San Zancudan, Puerto Oroan, and Hidalgan, with various degrees of mutual intelligibility.

Gallian: A language family with varieties spoken in the states of the Gallian League and some places in the New World.  Varieties or dialects include Neustrien, Poitêmien, and  Averoignat.  The last is not fully intelligible to speakers of the first two.

Hobogoblin cant: A Common-based argot.

Korambeckish: The language of the eastern Empire of Korambeck.

Lluddish: The language of Lludd, Alban, and the Mer-folk.  See also Common.

Ruthenian: The language family originating in Ruthenia.

Staarkish: A language family of Western Ealderde.  Varieties include Staarkish proper, Luthan, Graustarkian, and Doppelkinnian, which are distinct but mutually intelligible.

Vatilian: A language of southern Ealderde.  All varieties (including Trysteran, Tryphemian, and Bengodian) are mutually intelligible.

Yianese: A language family of the Empire of Yian. It has many varieties.

Beneath the Fog Sea

The children of port cities are wont to crowd the docks when any airship comes in, but none generate the excitement that the return of a vessel laden with strange subnebulous treasures does. Many’s the young lad or lass who dreams of one day being one of the daring divers who brave weird miasmata and battle strange creatures to win fortune and fame.

The modern world has four strata. The highest is the upper atmosphere of relatively benign flying things. Just beneath are the High-Lands of plateaus and mountain-sides where humanity dwells. Lapping at these lands at the lowest elevations is the Fog Sea, a region of roiling, glowing, multicolored mists. These mists are eldritch things: toxic, mutagenic, or both, with lengthy and concentrated exposure. Inhospitable though this region may be to humans, there are many flying or floating creatures which make it their home.

The deepest depths of the fog shroud the lowest strata: the Low-Lands--the Undersea. Here one may find true oceans of water (gray and toxic from absorbing the overhanging fog), but more importantly, here lie the ruins of a once great civilization. This is thought to be the ancient home of man--before whatever happened, happened, forcing him to seek higher ground. Ancient treasures--both of wealth and knowledge--were left in these ruins. Though sailing a whole vessel through the fog is generally considered too risky a move, divers and diving craft are sent down to reclaim these treasures.

The fog isn’t the only danger. If the strange flying and floating things weren’t enough, the ruined cities themselves are inhabited by monsters. Some are mutated animals, others are humanoids--perhaps the degenerate descendants of the humans left behind. These savages view divers as violators of their territory at best--and potential meals at worse. In the shadowy depths divers do battle with these creatures, steel against steel--as firearms often misfire dangerously when submerged in the fog. The psychoactive properties of the mists have given strange powers to the creatures that dwell in it--but sometimes limited exposure does the same for divers, too.

Still, despite the dangers of death or loss of humanity, the rewards are great. There is no shortage of youths willing to sign on for a voyage beneath the Fog Sea.

If You're Just Joining Us

Art by Adam Moore

I'm still on vacation, but I noticed I picked up a couple of followers in the last few days and got a nice review over at Grognardia, so for new visitors I figured I'd point you to where you can get more information on Weird Adventures or the City.

Here's the link to an index of Weird Adventures related posts.  I haven't indexed all the back catalog, though, so it's worth perusing the previous posts.

I've got a Google+ game going in the City, though it's on vacation, as well, at the moment.  We've been using Lorefinder (Pathfinder/GUMSHOE mashup).  You can read about the whole weird affair beginning here. The first teaser post for their next mystery is here.

If you want another Weird Adventures review, the Gibbering Mouther has written a recent (and cogent) one here.

Regular programming will resume soon.  Stay tuned.

Warlord Wednesday

My issue by issue review is on hiatus this week while I'm on vacation.  Instead, I'll offer up a bit of educational content.  From 1st Issue Special #8, Travis Morgan explains the "science" of the hollow world of Skartaris:

The Multi-faceted Gnome

art by Filip Cerovecki

The gnomes of the distant future Earth known as the Planet of the Elves are dwarf-like beings of pure crystal. Not earthly beings, they are visitors from some elemental realm who came to this world long ago as colonists or explorers. They are contemplative folk, given to pondering the workings of the universe and uttering cryptic statements.  They have some sort of accord with the Mushroom Men, but often have some antipathy with the indiscriminate mining done by kobolds.

All gnomes ever encountered have appeared male.  Theere reproductive cycle is unknown but seems to involve rare elements and zealously guarded underground nests.

GNOMES
#App.: 1d8 AC: 2 HD: 3 Move: 60' Atks: 1 (1d6 or by weapon) Special: crystalline creature taking no damage from fire, cold, or electricity-based attacks.  Acid only does half-damage.  They are also magic resistant, making all saving throws against such at a +3. Sonic attacks do 1.5x damage. Gnomes can move through rock.

Belt of Vigor

Minor magic items are not uncommon in the City and its world.  These are typical of modern manufacture and not as powerful or as dangerous (mostly) as the magical equipment of adventurers.

The Health Belt was actually a girdle which ameliorated fatigue and bolstered the constitution.  It’s no surprise the primary use of this device is as an aid to amorous activity. Some adventurers use it to provide an extra bit of stamina and edge against poisons and shocks to the system.

[+2 bonus to Constitution and all that entails including hit points. These benefits last as long as the belt is worn, but wearing it longer than 3 hours is likely result in physical harm: 30% chance + 10% for every additional hour of a permanent Constitution loss of 1 point.]

Stuck in My Head

I keep thinking about a post-apocalyptic fantasy plus super-science game, played in FASERIP, maybe. Something like a well-known toy and cartoon property, but less kiddy: like the equivalent of Savage Sword of Conan to its Conan the Adventurer.

A world where the heroes are like this:

And they fight foes like this:

In situations like this: