Shibboleth
It's a setting! It's an RPG! It's Shibboleth!
CHAPTER ONE: THE SET-UP
Your character: is in a fantasy world, a world very different from our own.
Technology is medieval at best.
Poverty is everywhere. Almost all wealth is owned by less than one percent of the population.
The nation where your character lives is named Paravia.
The state religion is that of the god Terbis, allegedly the god of prosperity, peace, and laws.
All other gods and goddesses have been outlawed.
The problems with the worship of Terbis being the state religion are:
1. He's the god of laws, in that the state uses his name to demand that everyone do as they're told.
2. He's the god of prosperity, in that those with wealth generally get to keep it.
3. He's the god of peace, in that his name is used to protect the status quo.
4. When people worship him, he doesn't even show up.
That last one has not been your experience with other gods and goddesses.
Hell, even evil spirits show up sometimes when they're worshipped... and you should know: you make it your business (or part of your business, at least) to put a stop to that sort of thing.
The peace of the city is kept by the City Guards. Unlike in our world, in Paravia, those who guard the peace of the city are all evil. Yeah. You heard me. Every single one of them.
Those who specialize in hunting down evil cults for the nation-state of Paravia are The Inquisitors. Guess what? They're evil too.
Paravia wasn't always such an evil place, but it's been a long, slow slide into inequality of wealth and power for quite a while now-- just barely slow enough that no one did enough to stop it until things got to where they are now.
Your character is not a member of either of those groups (though maybe they used to be, for a little while, very early on, before waking up to the lies of the establishment).
Paravia is ruled by The Council, which consists of nine people-- the most wealthy and powerful people in the city-state.
But while they agree about staying in power and staying rich... each of them wants more. They don't really get along. If the PCs gather information carefully and play their figurative cards right, they can foster division amongst The Council... do that enough, and you might eventually be able to pull off a revolution...
CHAPTER TWO: GROUPS YOUR CHARACTER MIGHT BE A PART OF:
You (well, you know, your character) and your allies (the other player characters, if any) are a member of one of the following groups (though you might also pretend to be a member of more than one):
--The Vigilant: like Inquisitors, but good. Look, just because it's the job of The Inquisitors to put a stop to evil cult activity, and just because The Inquisitors are, themselves, evil, that doesn't mean that there are no evil cults. There are, and they're trouble... and The Inquisitors don't actually hear about them all... well, they do, but sometimes it's too late.
The Vigilant are not a cult. They don't do rituals. You'll see why I mention that in a little bit.
The Vigilant TRAITS: If you are one of The Vigilant, choose ONE of these to start with:
--Disarm: When you roll a 2 or better in combat, instead of dealing damage, you can choose to disarm your opponent. If you're using the right sort of weapon, this can sometimes mean natural weapons, too, like cutting off a giant scorpion's sting (not possible with a fencing foil nor a dagger, but if you have a big sword or axe...)
--Now You've Done It: When an opponent damages you in combat, you subtract 1 from your rolls against them for the rest of combat. You can only do this with one opponent per combat.
--Just Plain Tough: You start with 5 HP instead of 4.
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC one of The Vigilant if you want to save everyone who deserves saving-- the poor, the downtrodden, the oppressed.
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for The Vigilant:
--Bouncer: You're tough and strong and good in a fight and you love stopping trouble before it starts. Why not get paid for it (sometimes)?
--Bartender: For that matter, why not be the guy behind the bar, who's got a first-hand view of who's maybe getting too drunk? Might be a great way to hear gossip.
--Carter: Some cults start out in the countryside. How about making your living driving a wagon? You might hear some good rumors that way, too...
--The Cunning Folk: The Inquisitors call them witches and sorcerers. The Cunning Folk are what they call each other. The funny thing is, the Cunning Folk don't actually practice any witchcraft nor sorcery. They just have special mental gifts that no one else has... But despite being born with these abilities-- in the same way that most humans are born with the capacity to swim or climb-- the Cunning Folk are treated like followers of an evil god, and hunted just the same, because whether they do rituals or not (they don't), whether they talk to forbidden gods or not (they don't), they have power, and that's something reserved specifically for those who rule the Paravia...
CUNNING FOLK ABILITIES (Pick TWO to start with if you are one of the Cunning Folk):
--Animate: Everyone else thinks it's magic, but this is really telekinesis-- moving stuff with the mind. Cunning Folk can move up to half their own body weight with their mind, and can throw stuff around. Why not just throw stuff around physically, you ask? Well, because this way, people don't see you doing that, so there's the element of surprise-- in fact, you can throw stuff at people that's behind them, even if you aren't behind them. This kind of attack gets +1 to hit-- and you roll with your Insightful stat. If you fail your Insightful roll, it doesn't work (or you accidentally hit an ally-- GM's choice), and you can't use this again until you rest for at least an hour.
--Sleep: Roll with your Insightful stat to attempt to put a number of targets into a light sleep. It's strongest at first-- gently falling to the ground doesn't wake them (nor hurt them). After that, anything like a slap or a really loud noise will wake them up. What determines the number of targets affected is their (base) HP level = it's equal to your level. (More about levels in a minute.) NOTE: this doesn't affect undead at all, or anyone who you aren't high-enough level to affect (so if the target has 2 hp and you're first level, it won't work on them). If you fail your Insightful roll, it doesn't work (or you accidentally make an ally drowsy? GM's choice), and you can't use this again until you rest for at least an hour.
--Ignite: You ignite something flammable that you can see: (dry) clothing, a torch, paper, curtains, a rug, a haystack, a wolf's (dry) fur, whatever. People with their clothes on fire take 1 hit per round... once it really gets going (which won't be the first round, unless their clothes are really oily or something). If you fail your Insightful roll, it doesn't work (or you lose control of the power? GM's choice), and you can't use this again until you rest for at least an hour.
--Intuition: This is sort of a precognitive/clairvoyant ability. You concentrate (and roll Insightful): if you're successful (if you succeed in your roll), you get a gut sense about something, such as-- just for example-- which direction would be best for you or someone else to go (or NOT to go). If you fail your roll, though, the next roll anyone takes about what you asked the question about has a 2-point penalty.
--Healing Touch: You can (if your roll is successful) heal someone for 1 hit-- but if you fail your Insightful roll, you lose 2 hits (if this reduces you below remaining hp, this can knock you unconscious). This ability can also heal you (or knock you out!). However, you can't use this ability during combat (nor running, nor anything else). You need a minute or two of total peace and quiet and concentration.
--Pain: If you're not at full health, you can mentally broadcast your pain to a target. This doesn't actually do any damage to them, but it can make them do nothing for a round. (You can't use it for two rounds in a row.) If you fail your roll, though, it affects random nearby targets-- very possibly including your allies (GM decides).
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC one of The Cunning Folk if you want to have amazing abilities (without messing around with dangerous rituals).
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for The Cunning Folk:
--Scrivener: Most people in Paravia can read at least a little, and write their names. For many, though, it's hard to do more than that. Maybe you're a letter-writer for hire.
--Physicker: Maybe you tend to the sick, trying to make people healthy? (It could be especially easy if you have the amazing ability to heal people...)
--Merchant: Paravia is currently a very capitalist society. Might as well make your living buying and selling stuff people need...
Now, like The Vigilant, the Cunning Folk are also not a cult. They, therefore, like The Vigilant, do not do rituals.
Every group listed below this, whether they're really a cult-y cult or just a group that the government has labelled as a cult, has the ability to do rituals.
If you're one of The Vigilant, you have to go to someone else-- someone you either really trust, or you've tricked them into thinking they can trust you-- for magical stuff and information.
If you're one of The Cunning Folk, you have some special abilities, yeah, but you don't actually do rituals.
Every group below this, I repeat, can do rituals, although how often they choose to actually do them might be another story. But they can.
So before we get to them: what is a ritual, in this context?
Well, there's always lots of chanting. The more people chanting, the better. There's often music of some kind, though sometimes just one instrument, be it a drum or whatever.
Sometimes, one or more persons do some kind of a wild dance. And then there might be all sorts of other details added, but the finish is always one of two things: either nothing else special happens... or something does happen. Namely, a god or spirit possesses someone, or otherwise blesses (or curses) someone. Sometimes that person answers questions.
Sometimes, they are changed. Usually, in fact... it's just that usually, they're just changed temporarily... but sometimes, that person is changed permanently...
So having said all that, let's take a look at some of these other groups...
--The Ravens: basically, anarchists plotting to overthrow the government. Well, the government deserves it, after all. Anthan is the name of the god of thieves and rebels.
Paravia had a well-stocked pantheon of deities (including Anthan, and other gods and goddesses you'll read about below) until the humans in control of Paravia started outlawing the worship of "subversive" deities, and then they slid right on down that slippery slope to just outlawing all of them (except for Terbis, who never does anything one way or the other).
The Inquisitors call those who steal and plot rebellion a cult, whether they do it in Anthan's name or not. Really, not all Ravens even worship Anthan. Many of them are loyal only to bringing down those in power and replacing their institutions with... well, pretty much anything else would probably be an improvement.
If you are a Raven: You roll with ADVANTAGE when trying to steal stuff. (Roll twice, and take the better of the two rolls.)
Rituals: Basically hoping Anthan will possess someone and recommend a good government target to hit. If they're lucky: Anthan will give someone special supernatural abilities for the rest of the night.
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC one of The Ravens if you want to be a fierce punk thief who robs from the rich and powerful whose main priority is to bring down the oppressive status quo ruling all of Paravia (especially the city). You're not just here to protect-- the people are running out of time for that! You're here to burn, destroy, and tear down the system!
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for The Ravens:
--Thief: You're uniquely qualified to rob from the rich and sell it for a profit.
--Fence: You know so many thieves-- maybe you might specialize in helping them get rid of hot treasure-- for a cut of the profits.
--Storekeeper: The perfect cover for a thief, maybe. "What? That's stolen? I had no idea!"
--The Cult of Chirosa: Chirosa is the goddess of women and vengeance... So of course her worship was outlawed. That just drove those who meet to do her works underground.
If you are a member of this cult: You roll with ADVANTAGE when dealing with someone the cult has MARKED (more on this later). (Roll twice, and take the better of the two rolls.)
Rituals: Basically hoping Chirosa will possess someone, and give someone special supernatural abilities for a while (an hour, several hours, usually 18 hours at the very most).
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC one a follower of Chirosa if you want revenge against specific targets... especially if you want those targets to be men in power (they almost always are). Rituals can make you a temporary ass-kicking demigoddess of battle... if your sect asks Chirosa nicely enough...
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for followers of Chirosa:
--Cook/Baker: Everybody needs to eat, and women are seen as good at cooking and baking.
--Seamstress: Everybody needs clothes, and women are seen as good at making, altering, and repairing them.
--Maid: It's a living-- and you might hear some important gossip.
--The Cult of Mahve: Mahve is the goddess of ancient things, and madness. Whether or not her followers are good or evil depends entirely on who exactly is leading those followers. Sometimes their goals are rebellious... but sometimes they just lead to trouble for everyone...
If you are a member of this cult: You roll with ADVANTAGE when dealing with anything very old/ancient. (Roll twice, and take the better of the two rolls.)
Rituals: Basically hoping Mahve will possess someone and give some wisdom. If they're lucky: Mahve may give someone special supernatural abilities for a while (an hour, several hours, usually 18 hours at the very most).
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC one of the followers of Mahve to have your PC learn secrets that were ancient when the world was young, and to role-play your PC losing their mind sometimes (as a way of getting things done)... sometimes temporarily. Sometimes the wild strangeness doesn't 100% wear off...
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for followers of Mahve:
--Midwife: somebody's got to make sure babies are born healthy (and that their mothers are as healthy as possible too)
--Gardener: The rich take pride in their gardens and greenery-- but they don't maintain them themselves...
--Storyteller: You know a lot of ancient stories that go back to before people were writing things down...
--The Cult of Ronsi: Ronsi is the little goddess of children and games... Even The Inquisitors used to ignore the followers of Ronsi. But one day, honoring Ronsi was outlawed-- it was said that her followers were acting as messengers for The Ravens. No one really remembers if it was true. The followers of Ronsi are good... but some chapters of her followers can get very weird...
If you are a member of this cult: You roll with ADVANTAGE when trying to use a non-Forceful roll to circumvent a problem without using violence. (Roll twice, and take the better of the two rolls.)
Rituals: Basically hoping Ronsi will show up and play with them. If they're lucky: Ronsi may give someone special supernatural abilities for a while (an hour, several hours, usually 18 hours at the very most)... or she might enchant a toy...
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC one of the followers of Ronsi to role-play someone who's a kid-- or just a big kid at heart.
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for followers of Ronsi:
--Orphan: Job? Your job is survival on the streets! Who else is going to take care of you?
--Innocent: You're just a sweet and innocent child that only the most evil people don't want to help.
--Trickster: You trick others out of their money easily-- whether you're young or just young at heart, you see your job as having fun tricking and pranking others, whether that's setting a guard's pants on fire and then running away, or a huge and well-planned scheme to make an Inquisitor look and feel stupid.
--The Cult of Nairi: Nairi was the goddess of the stars and prophecy. The Inquisitors considered this harmless... until a prophecy started circulating about the fall of the government... Now honoring Nairi is officially outlawed.
If you are a member of this cult: You roll with ADVANTAGE when acting against targets if you know the star sign they were born under. (Roll twice, and take the better of the two rolls.)
the 12 constellations//signs:
the horse: earth I move.
the dragon: fire I burn.
the catapult: air I challenge.
the wave: water I continue.
the castle: earth I endure.
the snake: fire I strike.
the ship: water I float.
the eagle: air I soar.
the hand: fire I grasp.
the sword: air I cut.
the orca: water I hunt.
the tree: earth I grow.
Rituals: Basically hoping Nairi will possess someone and give some prophecy (or at least hint at the star sign of an enemy). If they're lucky: Nairi may give someone special supernatural abilities for a while (an hour, several hours, usually 18 hours at the very most).
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC one of the followers of Nairi in order to get to role-play someone mysterious and wise who can prophecy things and then they come true-- but not as wild and bizarre as a follower of Mahve.
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for followers of Nairi:
--Tutor/teacher: Everyone wants their kids to be smarter, whether you're paid by the city to educate kids, or whether you're paid by the rich to educate just one or two or three kids...
--Weaver: You, who understand the weave of fate and destiny, are very comfortable weaving tapestries...
--Bookbinder: People do often want to write things down...
--The Cult of Rain: Chumul was the god of rain and floods... The Inquisitors considered the worship of Chumul to be relatively harmless... until a high-ranking public official was struck by lightning and killed during a rainstorm. Asking Chumul for favors was officially outlawed the next day. Whether or not the followers of Chumul are good or evil depends a lot on who exactly is leading those followers. Sometimes their goals are rebellious. Sometimes they're selfish... Sometimes they just want it to rain...
If you are a member of this cult: You roll with ADVANTAGE when it's raining (even if it's just sprinkling a little). (Roll twice, and take the better of the two rolls.) Also, you get 1 Armor if it is literally raining on you during combat.
Rituals: Basically hoping Chumul will possess someone and make it rain. If they're lucky: Chumul may give someone special supernatural abilities for a while (an hour, several hours, maybe longer). If they're UNLUCKY: Chumul may decide to just KEEP possessing the person he's possessing. Chumul is creepy that way... that's when the local area starts slowly having more and more rain, and things are in danger of dangerously flooding. Often the only solution is to physically beat Chumul out of the possessed person... and it isn't easy, fighting someone that a god has possessed...
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC a follower of Chumul in order to wash the filth off the streets figuratively (okay, and also literally). There's a lot of power your PC can call on... and you get the fun of keeping Chumul himself from getting out of hand, too.
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for followers of Chumul:
--Dyer: Why not earn your living dying cloth? It lets you work with water...
--Water Carrier: People not lucky enough to live close to a good well need to walk far to get water for their home every day. The rich will pay you to do it.
--Streetcleaner: Somebody's got to do it-- and you get paid whether Chumul sends rain to do your job for you or not.
--Cult of the Sun: If there's a god of the sun, no one seems to know his name. But there's definitely a cult of the sun, who honor the sun as "the master of crops, and vanquisher of evil spirits." Whether or not the followers of the Cult of the Sun are good or evil depends a lot on who exactly is leading those followers. Sometimes they get into battles with the Cult of the Rain... In fact, many of the cults don't get along with one another, but the Rain/Sun enmity is especially strong.
If you are a member of this cult: You roll with ADVANTAGE (Roll twice, and take the better of the two rolls) when the sun is shining directly on you (clouds getting in the way cancel this).
Rituals: Basically hoping the power of the sun will possess someone and bless them. If they're lucky: Someone might get special supernatural abilities for a while (an hour, several hours, usually until sunset the next day at the very most). If they're UNLUCKY: One or more cultists might get temporarily blinded-- or even burnt to a crisp.
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC a member of the Cult of the Sun if you're less interested in sneaking around in the shadows of the night by moonlight and you just want awesome sunlight powers that can put the fear into the bad guys in broad daylight...
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for members of the Cult of the Sun:
--Candlemaker: Like hundreds of tiny suns.
--Glazier: someone has to make glass...
--Blacksmith: Withstanding the heat of the forge is no big deal for you.
--Cult of the Wolf: Basically, these are skinchangers, who hold rituals to allow them to temporarily turn into animals. (Mahve takes a strong interest). Whether or not the followers of the Cult of the Wolf are good or evil depends a lot on who exactly is leading those followers... but honestly, the answer is often that they are evil.
If you are a member of this cult: You roll with ADVANTAGE (Roll twice, and take the better of the two rolls) when you are wearing an animal-fur cloak. (But this makes it almost obvious to Inquisitors that you're in the Cult of the Wolf!)
Rituals: Basically hoping the power of nature (or maybe Mahve?) will possess someone and bless them all. If they're lucky: Someone might turn into a half-human, half-beast for a while (usually until sunrise). If they're UNLUCKY: the resulting beast-person might have the mind of a beast, too, and attack them all-- if things go really wrong, it might not wear off at sunrise, either... or it might... only to start again the next night...
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC a member of the Cult of the Wolf if you wanna get awesome werewolf abilities temporarily (...or not-so-temporarily...?)
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for members of the Cult of the Wolf:
--Butcher: You're a carnivore. Might as well make money from it.
--Tanner: What is killed in the wild, you can make into leather.
--Hunter: You're too effective a hunter to eat it all. Make coin by selling some to others.
--Cult of the Snake: Worship snakes and reptiles. Whether or not the followers of the Cult of the Snake are good or evil depends a lot on who exactly is leading those followers... but honestly, the answer is often that they are evil.
If you are a member of this cult: You roll with ADVANTAGE (Roll twice, and take the better of the two rolls) on Agile and Charming rolls when you are warm enough-- a hot summer day, a room with a roaring fire in the fireplace-- or maybe a place with a roaring ritual bonfire, or with a whole lot of torches lit. On the other hand, you roll with DISADVANTAGE (roll twice, and take the WORSE of the two rolls) when you are cold.
Rituals: Basically hoping the power of snake-ness will possess someone, and will bless them all. (They're hoping for eternal life, or really really long life.) If they're lucky: Someone might get snake powers for a while (an hour, several hours, maybe even longer). If they're UNLUCKY: the resulting possessed person or person might have a reptilian mind, too, and attack them all-- if things go really wrong, it might not wear off at all, ever...
WHY WILL THIS PC BE FUN TO PLAY? --Make your PC a member of the Cult of the Snake if you want to play some sort of kobold or dragonborn... or if you want to be a were-snakey-person now and then (or not just now and then...?)
What's My Day Job? Okay, so I'm part of a secret society of people... what's my day job, though?
Three suggestions for members of the Cult of the Snake:
--Gambler: You've got ice in your veins-- no one does a poker face like you.
--Cobbler: If the snake doesn't need its skin anymore, you can make boots out of it...
--Ratcatcher: Surviving by killing vermin comes naturally to you...
CHAPTER THREE: ALWAYS-EVIL CULTS (YOUR CHARACTER CAN'T BE IN THESE):
The following cults are always evil, or at least evil enough that player characters are NOT allowed to be in them. They are always trouble.
--Cult of the Deep Sea. These cultists call out to a powerful being they believe lives at the bottom of the sea (most often sleeping). Whatever it is, it sometimes (wakes up and) answers them.
Rituals: Basically hoping the being they're calling out to will wake up long enough to possess someone, and will bless them all, whatever that might mean. If they're lucky: Someone might get supernatural abilities for a while (an hour, several hours, maybe longer). If they're UNLUCKY: the resulting possessed person or person might be insane (or even more insane), and attack everyone present-- if things go really wrong, what the ritual turns them into might not wear off at all, ever...
--Cult of Calum: Calum's followers claim that she is the dark goddess of blood and the moon. Everyone else says that Calum is just an evil spirit who uses her followers to become more powerful, and not even a real goddess at all. Who cares what the truth is, really?
Rituals: Basically hoping Calum will possess someone, and will bless them all, whatever that might mean (they're hoping for eternal life). If they're lucky: Someone might get supernatural abilities for a while (an hour, several hours, maybe until sunrise). If they're UNLUCKY: what the ritual turns the possessed person into might not wear off at all, ever...
--Cult of Abri: Abri's followers claim that he is the god of monsters. Who cares what Abri really is-- the important part is that Abri is dangerous as heck.
Rituals: If they're very lucky: Abri might give them a monster-- or turn someone into a monster-- that they can command for whatever purpose they might want. (Usually, they want to kill someone and/or destroy someplace.) If they're UNLUCKY: what the ritual summons or creates is NOT controllable... or it is controllable UNTIL it carries out an order or two or three, but after that it may break free of the cult's control...
--Cult of Ossein: Ossein's followers say he's the god of bones. (Sometimes they say he's the god of death. Sometimes they say other things. They don't always have their story straight.) He's definitely bad news.
Rituals: If they're very lucky: Ossein might give them an undead that they can command for whatever purpose they might want. If they're UNLUCKY: A cultist dies and becomes an undead that is NOT controllable... or it is controllable UNTIL it carries out an order or two or three, but after that it may break free of the cult's control...
--Cult of the Gibbet: Like the Cult of the Sun, this cult doesn't name a god that it's calling upon.
Rituals: Like the Cult of Ossein, the rituals of the Cult of the Gibbet make undead. The difference is that in their case, they're all spectral undead, y'know, the ghostly kind. If they're very lucky, they might summon an undead ghost that they can command for whatever purpose they might want. If they're UNLUCKY: A cultist dies and becomes a ghost that is NOT controllable... or it is controllable UNTIL it carries out an order or two or three, but after that it may break free of the cult's control...
CHAPTER FOUR: MORE STUFF ABOUT CULTS:
--Ritual sites: Most rituals seem to do better at night. Even for the exceptions, like those of the Cult of the Sun, it's still tempting to do them at night, because they don't want anyone (especially not The Inquisitors) catching them doing things like that. Ritual sites are usually marked by blood (sometimes just a little, sometimes a lot-- especially the really evil ones), or water, or runes, or tears. Other things-- bones, seaweed, fire, talismans, amulets-- are often also involved. Like the chants themselves, these things differ from group to group.
--Shibboleths: A shibboleth-- or at least the definition that's relevant to this context-- is:
----a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning
This often takes the form of passwords or passphrases that cults and related groups use to be sure that someone they're dealing with who claim to be one of them really is for real, someone who can be trusted.
Another thing that works in a similar way to a shibboleth is wearing something-- a ring, an amulet, a bracelet, or some other slightly-unusual piece of clothing.
Another thing that works in a similar way to a shibboleth is getting a certain kind of tattoo. That really says commitment! But such things are also carefully guarded, because if The Inquisitors find it, it's not only pretty hard to deny, it also means that The Inquisitors would know to search for other people who have the same tattoo.
--MARKED: Shibboleths are quite different from being MARKED. One is said to be Marked if a cult has decided to make you a target of hostility (sometimes including just stealing from you, in the case of The Ravens). But being Marked has another, more literal sense-- sometimes being Marked means that you're literally marked in some supernatural way. For example, if you wake up and there's a mark on your hand like a trident, The Cult of the Deep Sea has apparently decided you've got to go, and sooner or later, they're going to attempt to get rid of you somehow (unless they're stopped first somehow).
When you are Marked by a cult, you get a 1-point penalty at dealing with anything involving that cult.
The good news is that it works both ways-- if your group is able to do a ritual where they Mark someone, you (as a member of that group) get a 1-point advantage when you deal with that person. (Of course, as mentioned before, The Vigilant aren't a cult, but there are ways they can get others to help-- get the Ravens to Mark someone, and then the Ravens loan you a special weapon or something that gives you the advantage anyway, for example.)
CHAPTER FIVE: PARAVIA AND ITS CAPITOL CITY:
The city has 6 sections:
--Center: Downtown. Lots of young rich people, businesses.
--West side: Old money families, big houses.
--North side: Nouveau-riche, very successful merchant class
--South side: Merchant-class and artisans, middle class to the bottom of the middle
--East side: The poorest of the poor.
--South-east side: Used to be the poorest of the poor, now almost lower-middle.
--Center: Evil cults in the catacombs and sewers... Lots of Cult of the Gibbet.
--West side: Evil cults... Mostly Cult of Calum.
--North side: Evil cults... Some Cult of the Wolf.
--South side: Merchant-class and artisans, middle class to the bottom of the middle. The Vigilant have their base here (which they move around the area from time to time to avoid Inquisitors finding it).
--East side: The poorest of the poor. Some Cult of the Snake, of Chirosa, of Mahve.
--South-east side: Used to be the poorest of the poor, now almost lower-middle. The Ravens have their base here (which they move around the area from time to time to avoid Inquisitors finding it).
NOTE: A thing about the City Guards (and The Inquisitors) is that if there's a problem or danger in what they consider an "undesireable" neighborhood-- like a big monster attacking people and/or destroying buildings, they will absolutely NOT rush to respond. Let the monster kill people and/or destroy buildings, who cares about the people in those neighborhoods? It's only the wealthy districts they feel motivated to rush to try to do something about. So:
--Center: the authorities care a lot about bad stuff happening here.
----They'll rush to respond as soon as they're aware of a problem here.
--West side: the authorities care a lot about bad stuff happening here.
----They'll rush to respond as soon as they're aware of a problem here.
--North side: the authorities care a lot about bad stuff happening here.
----They'll rush to respond as soon as they're aware of a problem here.
--South side: the authorities don't care TOO much about bad stuff happening here.
----As soon as they're aware of a problem here, they'll respond... in less than an hour, mmmmaybe.
--East side: the authorities REALLY REALLY don't care a lot about bad stuff happening here.
----As soon as they're aware of a problem here, they will absolutely ignore it as long as it doesn't seem like whatever the problem is might spread to the north side or the center of the city.
--South-east side: the authorities don't care TOO much about bad stuff happening here.
----As soon as they're aware of a problem here, they'll respond... in less than an hour, mmmmaybe.
--UNDER: under the city are catacombs and sewers. Their tunnels are all over, but especially the closer you get to the center.
--NORTH: North of the city are farms and ranches and small rural villages. Light woods are common in-between the villages. A strong cult up north is the Cult of Chumul.
--NORTH-EAST: Northeast of the city are small farms and small rural villages. Pine forests grow thick here. This is where the Cult of the Forest was before the Inquisitors put a stop to it (or did they?)
--EAST: A deep valley, leading downward to the sea. Not a lot of people live here because of the flooding. There's a bit of Cult of the Snake people...
--SOUTH: South of the city are farms and ranches and small rural villages. However, the land is much more dry than to the north. The Cult of Ossein is strong here.
--SOUTHWEST: Very hilly country. The Cult of the Hills was here until the Inquisitors put a stop to it (or did they?)
--NORTHWEST: This is miner country... the Cult of the Mines was here until the Inquisitors put a stop to it (or did they?)
--WEST: A big lake. A chapter of the Cult of the Deep Sea operates here...
THE COUNCIL:
--The Golden Seat. The head of The Council is in charge of making sure everything runs right in the business of Downtown.
--The West Seat: The Council member in this position is in charge of making sure that the Old Money families are kept happy.
--The North Seat: This Council member is in charge of making sure that the Merchants' Guild is kept happy, or at least complacent.
--The South Seat: This Council member is in charge of making sure that the middle class doesn't get ideas about the status quo.
--The East Seat: This Council member is in charge of the City Guards, and making sure that the people in the city's poorest districts are kept in line.
--The Inquisitive Seat: This Council member is in charge of the Inquisitors, and the southeast side of the city.
--The Seat of Roads: This Council member is in charge of imports and exports.
--The Supply Seat: This Council member is in charge of the mines and logging industries, specifically.
--The Seat of Stone: This Council member is in charge of infrastructure-- that the walls, streets, and buildings of the city are in as good repair as The Council needs them to be.
Each of the outlawed gods and goddesses has a special grudge against one or more respective Council seats (and therefore whomever sits in them):
--Anthan, god of rebellion: The Golden Seat and The North Seat
--Chirosa, goddess of women and vengeance: The East Seat and the Inquisitive Seat
--Mahve, goddess of ancient wisdom: The Supply Seat and the Seat of Roads
--Ronsi, goddess of children: The South Seat
--Nairi, goddess of stars and prophecy: The West Seat
--Chumul, god of rain: The Seat of Stone (The former occupant of The Seat of Stone was the one who got killed by lightning.)
However, it's also important to remember that just as it's important to try to increase division between the Council members... it's also important to try to get the non-evil "cults" to work together, or at least not against each other...
CHAPTER SIX: THE FOUR STATS:
(Everything before this has supposed that you were just interested in a details of a new setting to use with the fantasy game of your choice... but we're getting into mechanics stuff now, so to proceed, we'll be using some simple rules that aren't specifically a part of any other game (although they're a lot like a wide variety of other games and/or systems, especially The Black Hack).)
STATS:
You have four stats: Forceful, Agile, Insightful, Charming.
Starting characters distribute these numbers amongst those stats: 6, 7, 8, 9.
When you want to do something challenging, roll 1d12. You're hoping not to roll low (Low = the 1 end of things.)
If the GM thinks it's only a little challenging, or that you have some special advantage, you'll get to knock a point or two off your roll result.
If the GM thinks it's extra-challenging, or that you have some extra disadvantage, you'll need to add a point or two to your roll result.
Final roll result of:
--1 or lower: Extra-good, AND knock 1 point off your next roll! --Lower than your stat number: success.--Exactly the stat number you needed to roll: Success, AND knock 1 point off your next roll.--Higher than the stat number you needed to roll: Failure.--12 or higher: Extra-big failure!
CHAPTER SEVEN: PLAYING NON-HUMANS:
"Hey, is everyone in Paravia human?"
Yes.
"So, but, what if I want to play something else?"
That can be done, actually! You USED to be human, but you got caught up for a while in a cult that changed you.
--Cult of the Forest: Some people who were involved in this rural cult got changed-- pointed ears, taller, thinner... more beautiful, but also strange and haunted... they became elves.
----You get a 1-point advantage (so, subtract 1 point from the roll) when doing archery, and a 2-point advantage to hiding and stealth (and therefore eavesdropping) amongst plants (trees, bushes, vines, stuff like that.
----You feel claustrophobic in small enclosed spaces.
Roll an Insightful roll any time you have to enter a narrow or confined space. If you fail it, you get a 1-point penalty (so, add 1 point to the roll) to all your rolls until you're out in the open again.
----You spook some people (but fascinate others). When you roll a Charming roll, you get an extra-big failure if you roll 2 or lower, and an extra-big success if you roll 11 or over.
--Cult of the Mines: Some people who were involved in this rural cult got changed-- they got shorter, stockier, stronger, tougher... they became dwarves.
----You get a +1 bonus to using axes, pickaxes, and/or hammers. You also get a +1 bonus to resisting both poison and/or magic.
----Dwarves rub some people the wrong way. When you roll a Charming roll, you get an extra-big failure if you roll 2 or lower.
----Agoraphobic: Dwarves get anxious under the open sky. When you have to enter a big, wide-open space with nothing but sky up above, roll Insightful. If you fail it, you get a 1-point penalty (so, add 1 point to the roll) to all your rolls until you're out in the open again. NOTE: You get to subtract 2 points from that Insightful check if it's overcast, and 1 point if it's nighttime. (So, three, if it's overcast AND it's nighttime.)
----After you have distributed the numbers for your stats, you may add 1 point to Forceful... IF you subtract 1 from Agility.
--Cult of the Hills: Some people who were involved in this rural cult got changed: they got shorter, sneakier... they became halflings.
----You are practically invisible as long as you hold perfectly still, and hold your breath. People who know you're there will even (temporarily) forget you're there when they glance away from you for several seconds. This effect ends the second you breathe, move, or make a noise.
----Once a day (dawn to dawn), you can recover health just by eating a big meal-- 1 health point per big meal.
----Halflings get +1 to their Charming rolls (so, subtract 1 point from the result) when there's any kind of music in the background.
----After you have distributed the numbers for your stats, subtract 2 points from Forceful.
You get the idea. Here's some more:
--Goblins: created by the Cult of the City. Many goblins feel most at home in the tunnels of the catacombs and sewers beneath the city.
---- +1 to Agility but -1 Forceful and -1 Charming.
---- +2 when charging into battle.
---- +2 when trying to give enemy any sort of disadvantage-- distracted, blinded, deafened, startled, surprised, scared, on fire, etc. Once enemy has a disadvantage, you do double damage when you hit.
--Kobolds: created by the Cult of the Snake.
----Subtract 2 from Forceful, but add 1 to Insightful and 1 to Agile-- or subtract 2 from Forceful and 2 to insightful.
----Geniuses with traps. +3 to detect, disarm, or set traps (all Insightful). (Also, +2 to pick locks (also Insightful).) +2 to attempt to safely lead/trick enemies into traps (yours, or traps you find) (Agile roll). You can set:
* 1 trap just with stuff you have on you. If you dismantle it again, you can use the materials to re-set somewhere else. Otherwise you'll have to find more materials.
* 3 traps if you have materials and time to set up* 4 traps if you have lots of extra materials and time to set up
----Aarakocra/Kenku: created by The Ravens
----Dragonkin: created by Cult of the Snake
----And so on, you get the idea. (I trust you to flesh out the details on those last ones for yourselves.)
CHAPTER EIGHT: HIT POINTS:
Enemies can take a certain number of hits before they fall unconscious/die.
YOU start with FOUR hit points, because you're already a bit of a badass. Many people you'll be hitting, shooting, or doing other violent things to won't have that many.
1 hp: basic dumb cultists with little-to-no combat abilities nor training, and/or targets that are smaller than you are. Also things like skeletons.
2 hp: the kind of cultists who get made the honorary guards for things, basically the cult's bouncers. Also things like zombies, or skeletons wearing armor. Also things like cult leaders.
3 hp: the kind of cultists who are tougher than just bouncers and door guards, they're good enough to be bodyguards for the cult leader, or zombies wearing armor.
4 hp: The kind of cult leader who got to be leader because he (or she, or they) could fight anyone else in the cult and win if they needed to.
5 hp: A cult member who's kind of scrawny and weak in real life, but who is currently being possessed by something (or otherwise temporarily empowered) as a result of a ritual. Also, the average Inquisitor.
6 hp: Some cult guy who's been transformed by a ritual and is now a minotaur or a lizardman or something like that.
7 hp: Chumul is perfectly happy having a body to live in and enjoy drinking and smoking in, and he's not in the mood to let you kick him out just because you don't want the city to flood. Also, possibly, a particularly badass Inquisitor might have 7 hp.
CHAPTER NINE: OTHER GAME STUFF:
SO.
GROUP AFFILIATIONS: The Vigilant are basically fighters, The Cunning Folk are basically mages, everyone else are basically like zero-level clerics BUT they can team up to do rituals that can make them a lot higher than that-- asking a god for advice, for temporary power, etc. Ravens have the god of thieves, etc.
"Do all PCs have to have the same group affiliation?" Heck no. But you can if you want.
STUFF:
Every new character starts with normal clothing (you describe) and 2 weapons, OR 1 weapon and armor (you describe).
Armor protects you from one hit you take per combat (you choose when)-- BUT it can also get damaged, and be time-consuming or costly to fix (or maybe both).
You can get more armor, but it'll cost you more than you have handy when you start the game.
ROLLS:
Roll a stat check when you want to do anything challenging.
During a player’s turn, a character may move and perform an action. The PC can attack, look for a clue or try to figure something out, talk to an NPC, do a Cunning Folk thing if they can, and so on. Often, PCs will test their attributes to determine the outcome.
When a character attacks, they must roll below their Forceful stat for a Melee Attack or Agile for a Ranged Attack. If they fail, they'll usually take a hit from their opponent themselves.
To make a Melee Attack an opponent must be Close.
Ranged Attacks against Close opponents are possible, but the attacker suffers a Disadvantage-- you roll twice, and take the higher result.
All humans and humanoids do 1 hit per attack. Some monsters might do more than 1 hit per attack-- but first-level PCs shouldn't encounter those...
--Two-handed melee weapons: Larger, more deadly weapons are handled simply by adding +2 to attack with them. They deal two hits at a time, but are also harder to hit with.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:57, Sun 06 Aug 2023.
