Rather than post about the series finale of Battlestar Galactica, I will simply point you to Pete's blog post on the topic.
March 2009 Archives
Think of it like X-Men meets The Red Badge of Courage. This Favored Land is the first supplement for Wild Talents Second Edition (actually releasing well before the core rulebook, although the stripped-down Essential Edition is available now). Where Wild Talents' progenitor Godlike presented gritty supers in World War II, This Favored Land takes them to the War Between the States.
On October 7, 1849, two events happened. First, Edgar Allan Poe died. Second, certain individuals across North America asleep in their beds shared a singular dream. At the end of this dream, each was shown an image of a supernatural Gift they might receive if their future transpired in just the right way. In the morning, the dreamers awoke and many wrote about the Dream in journals, but none remembered the last part, the part about their Gift.
It is now 1861, and War rages. The Gifted are feared and reviled, so they hide their abilities. Some put on uniforms. Others fight behind the lines in the name of freedom or hatred. And still others just try to keep their heads down.
This Favored Land includes excellent guidelines for keeping powers low-key and for introducing some of the nastier sides of 19th-century warfare, including bleeding and infection and rules for amputation. Author Allan Goodall includes an extensive history of the real Civil War, making this a sourcebook for purely historical gaming as well.
If you're looking for an historical supers setting that focuses on covert powers and a feeling of "secret history" rather than alternate history, I highly recommend This Favored Land.
This Favored Land is available in PDF now; hard copies are available for pre-order. Arc Dream Publishing. 226 pages; $14.99 (B&W PDF); $29.99 (B&W Softcover)
I've been reading this supplement for Shadowrun Fourth Edition, and I have to say it is one of the best RPG supplements I've read, probably ever. The book is split into three sections (covering Hong Kong, Seattle, and four minor cities respectively), and the chapter on Hong Kong is worth the price alone. I know practically nothing about Hong Kong in real life, but Runner Havens gives me enough information in 55 pages on the city's history, geography, political landscape, criminal activity, and magical and supernatural weirdness to run an entire campaign. In fact, I'm strongly thinking of running my eventual Shadowrun game there; that's how compelling the stuff in this book is.
Kudos to Jason Levine for the HK material and to the rest of the gang at FanPro (now Catalyst).
Runner Havens is available in PDF from several online distributors. See the official page for links. 144 pages; $18.00 (B&W PDF)
While house shopping, Deiria is approached by Heironymous, the strange man who may or may not be a dragon that the party met a few days earlier. He tells her that he has been instructed to take her to someone for a conversation. When they arrive at their destination (a posh townhouse), Heironymous tells Deiria that she must kiss the woman she is about to meet. He gives her 10 platinum pieces to convince her to go along with it.
Deiria is taken inside to find Lady Carthelian in a coma in her bed. Figuring platinum is platinum, Deiria leans over and kisses the unconscious wizardess. In a flash, Deiria receives a vision of the future.
In the aftermath of the coming storm, Deiria, Galdar and Melvina emerge from the keep of Kalaman after having spent two days protecting civilians from the demons that blew in with the weather. Hundreds have died in the battle, including almost the entire elite Council Guard as well as Lena Kirian, their sorcerer friend. Most of the wealthier portions of the city have been spared destruction, but a chasm has been cut into the district of Greymaire.
The heroes head first to the warehouse above the Zeboite shrine where the spellcasting Councilors performed the ritual. As they arrive, they find the building in ruins. Lord Kransin emerges first, and Galdar informs him of his daughter's passing. Kransin immediately flies off toward the keep. Templar Gareth and the other Councilors emerge, followed by Etch, who carries an obviously dead Allie in her claws. Bereft, Galdar wanders off in an attempt to quell his grief-fueled rage.
The others tell Gareth of the chasm in Greymaire, and the group heads there to investigate. They find the chasm to be 40 feet wide and at least 500 feet deep. The air smells heavily of ozone, and the earth has been partially fused into beads of glass. Before anyone can do anything, however, a great shape emerges from the chasm and kills them all.
Needless to say, this somewhat unsettles Deiria.
It seems that Deiria's kiss awakened Lady Carthelian in addition to passing the vision. She tells Deiria that they have to come up with some way to stop whatever was in the chasm.
Deiria runs to the temple of Kiri-Jolith and finds Allie waiting for Galdar and Melvina to return from their trip to Southgate. Deiria tells Allie about her vision, including Allie's death. Allie is not surprised. The two decide to tell Lord Kransin; the Black Robe is quickly overwhelmed by the kender and the panicked human and asks them both to leave so he may get back to his research.
On the way back to the temple, Allie suggests that Deiria return to Lady Carthelian for more information on the vision. Deiria does so, only to find Heironymous sitting with the White Robe. He explains that the shape in the vision may be a very old blue dragon (a lightning dragon), which would explain the assorted evidence around the chasm. Lady Carthelian asks Deiria to tell Templar Gareth of her recovery and send him to her.
Deiria goes back to the temple and informs Gareth, then fills the other heroes in on the vision. The group decides to head to Greymaire to see if they can uncover whatever the dragon was after in digging the chasm. They ask Prince is he knows of any "shinies" under that part of the city, and he says he does.
Prince leads them to a wizard's basement laboratory, where he accidentally summons a fire elemental. The party dispatches this foe easily, and then Allie and Prince uncover a secret door with stairs leading down...down...down...
Nearly 200 feet below Kalaman, the group comes out into a tunnel system. Prince locates and disables a falling brick trap and leads them into a chamber with two exits. He heads to one of the doors, but before he can open it, a shadow emerges from one of the walls. The shadow's incorporeal nature makes it a difficult opponent, but Galdar uses his vambraces of the "horn" to gore the spirit, and with some additional help from Allie's sound burst spell, they drive the shadow away, straight down through the floor.
Allie and Prince both nearly get pricked by poison needle traps when they try the exits, then Prince leads them through a short tunnel and into a very cramped chamber with four skeletons hidden in deep alcoves. Two more skeletons enter from the far door as the battle commences. The close quarters make the fight somewhat tricky, but a grease spell slows down a few skeletons, allowing everyone (except Prince who was pretty hurt by this point) to get their whacks in and send the restless dead back to their rest.
Through this last door, the group discovers a pitch black pit with shining lights at the (incredibly distant) bottom. As they stare down into the abyss, a skeletal figure with bedecked in many trinkets and holding a staff appears.
"May I help you" the figure intones.
