Ere the wind doth whisper through the mountains. Sour, sweet, and sanguine it slithers through my nostrils, provoking a terror so primal that for a moment, I fear as though I am no longer the hunter. It is a distant memory, screaming with the voice of a thousand ancestors, but I was too far past to hear their screaming. More sanguine in the wind this time, if only I could have heard. - Final Entry, Journal of an Unknown Corpse.
Welcome to Between the Mountains, an unabashed rip-off of a game by Micelus. All the good things in here belong to them. In this game players will join this world as newborn gods, and decide the future of this world for themselves, or die in the process.
Rules
Entity Characteristics
Each entity has two types of characteristics, Physical and Spiritual. Physical characteristics are those involving powers of the self and having an effect on the material world. These include a being’s destructive and creative powers, as well as things like speed and combat strength.Spiritual characteristics are those that do not rely on the being’s own capabilities or directly deal with the mundane. These includes entering the spirit realm, scrying, telepathy or interacting with the dead.
PHYS(ical):
Creative Power (CP): The power to create and alter the world. As a rule, altering is easier than creating same-tiered objects/concepts/beings.
Destructive Power (DP): The power to destroy and alter the world*
Speed (SP): How many hexes an entity can move per turn. A deity within their influence network can move thrice as fast. E.g., an entity with Sp=3 can move 9 hexes within their territory. If an entity travels along a path partially outside their influence network, they use up the normal SP cost for the hexes outside of one’s influence range.
Physical Strength (PS): An entity’s ability to fight in direct physical combat. A PS of 1 is roughly equivalent to 10 or so average human warriors.
Accoutrement Slots (AS): How many accoutrements an entity can hold at any one time. Unlike other stats, this is completely dependent on one’s Form (refer to Entity Forms).
*Alteration can be performed with both CP and DP but via different methods. Altering with CP adds to a concept, being or object. Using DP subtracts from a concept, being or object.
SPIR(itual)
Influence (Inf): The extent to which one can exert control through the minds of others. Each additional Inf allows you to freely choose a hex connected to your present Inf range where you can act with impunity. Regardless of Inf, all entities are able to act in a radius of one hex around themselves, as well as the hex they are on.
Ego (Ego): The ability of an entity to walk the spiritual plane and utilise the powers of scrying or divination. This is further explained under the Spiritual Plane header.
Spiritual Strength (SS): An entity's ability to fight in the spiritual plane. This is especially useful for godquesting. An SS of 1 is roughly equivalent to 10 or so average spiritwalking human shamans.
Wounds (W): How much damage your soul can sustain before breaking apart. Wounds usually regenerate at a rate of 1W/turn.
Changing Characteristics
The characteristics of each deity can change by actions performed in the game, such as acquiring artifacts of power, worshipers, mythmaking or godquesting.
Entity Forms
An entity is not limited to the form they start out with as this is ultimately unimportant as long as the prime soul remains alive. Without the prime soul, the idea of the entity dies and withers away. Switching between forms can be done via mythmaking, godquesting, crafting,sufficient worship or more esoteric methods. At the start of the game, all entities are either Demons or Guardian Spirits. In addition, two other forms that are known to all are Idols and Vessels. There are of course, others. All forms have their own statistics, and some are clearly better than others in some aspects. Changing between forms usually takes a turn, but once declared, no other actions can take place for the rest of the turn, INCLUDING EDITS. Note that you can still perform action before declaring transformation. Changing form usually requires more than the will to do so; the appropriate items and powers must be collected. Each transformation is different and so different requirements are given each time.
A form change counts as an action.
Note that a form’s stats are separate to any stats accrued by the deity unless otherwise stated. The form stats do not carry over.
Demons: A mobile spirit possessing a corporeal body, demons are ideas and emotions made flesh and given thought.
PHYS: CP: 2 DP: 4 SP: 8 PS: 4 AS: 3
SPIR: INF: 0 EGO: 1 SS: 1 W: 3
Guardians: Immobile spirits that embody a place, they are often the soul of an area’s physical aspects.
PHYS: CP: 3 DP:2 SP: 0 PS: 8 AS: 3
SPIR: INF: 0 EGO: 3 SS: 3 W:5
Immobile: SP is always 0.
Protector: The Guardian’s hex cannot be landshifted by any entity besides the Guardian.
Idols: A spirit entombed into a material representation of themselves, they are immobile in this form but are able to exert much influence over their followers
PHYS: CP: 4 DP: 2 SP: 0 PS: 0 AS: 0
SPIR: INF: 6 EGO: 5 SS: 5 W:1
Immobile: SP is always 0.
Worshipful: People seem to want their gods to be idols and will come to worship an Idol far quicker than many other forms.
Vessels: An spirit placed into a mortal body, they are godly compared to mortals but average to other entities. Vessel forms, are able to produce offspring with greater success. However, as the bodies are themselves mortal, mundane vessels will need to be replaced often.
PHYS: CP: 2 DP: 3 SP: 4 PS: 3 AS: 2
SPIR: INF: 2 EGO: 3 SS: 2 W:2
Fertile Loins: Higher chance to produce offspring. Highest chance if breeding with same species as vessel.
Mortal: Vessels need to be replaced every awakening. It is harder to increase PHYS as a Vessel.
Combat is a simple enough affair of rolling dice. However, both SS and PS modify the number of dice you get; SS in the spiritual plane and PS in the physical plane respectively. All deities start with a 1d6, but each point of SS/PS (depending on plane where combat takes place) adds another 1d1 (for you math nerds, that's 1d(6+n) where n is SS/PS). The fighter(s) with the higher value wins; loser(s) receive a Wound. If a entity reaches max wounds, they die.
In combat situations with more than two fighters, each fighter must choose a target to attack and can only deal damage to that target. In all combat sequences, a fighter can only deal Wounds to the fighter they have targeted. Should a fighter win a combat where they are the defender against someone who is not the target, they do not deal Wounds to them.
Combat continues until there is only one side remaining or a side decides to retreat. Retreating involves rolling a 1d6+1d1*SP vs the pursuer’s 1d6+1d1*SP. A successful retreat ends combat and the retreater cannot be engaged by the same opponent again on that turn. A failed retreat results in a wound. In the spiritual plane, retreating is usually much simpler for trancers, requiring only the will to leave the spiritual plane.
Of course, the opposing side can choose not to pursue. Alternatively, a side can Surrender. Sometimes, all sides may call a Draw. If two sides retreat or surrender at the same time, it is automatically a Draw. There are no further repercussions for a Draw.
No CP,DP or Essence may be used during combat.
Note that in case where entities kill entities, the victor may choose to absorb the power of defeated entity(/ies).
In some cases, a god may oppose another's actions. In that case, they can (as an action) cancel out the action by using up the opposite Power. Should the target god be using 5CP, the opposed party must use 5DP to cancel it. If desired, anyone involved can permanently use up EGO to add 1 to their Power. Regardless of outcome, all contributed Power, and Actions, are used up for this.
Power is used to alter, create and destroy on the physical plane. As explained in Entity Characteristics, CP is used for creation while DP is for destruction. Both can be used to alter. CP for adding to an object, entity or concept and DP for subtracting from an object, entity or concept.
Power can only be used within one’s Influence Network, which is exuded by areas of significant worshiper inhabitation, places of power, artifacts, or one’s base INF stat.
Nearly everything has a minimum cost of 1 Power, even with discounts, unless stated otherwise.
Note that Power and Essence DOES NOT carry over between turns.
Most applications of Power should fit into the following guidelines. If not, always feel free to ask.
Landshifting: The terraforming of the world
Alter 1 hex to a similar environment. E.g. a desert to an arid environment: 1CP/DP.
Alter a hex to a radically different environment. E.g. a desert to tropical rainforest: 3CP/DP.
Increase the elevation of 1 hex. Deeps>Lowland>Flat>Highland>Mountain: 1CP.
Decrease the elevation of 1 hex: 1DP.
Create water source: 2CP.
Destroy water source: 2DP.
Preserve environment of one hex, disallowing Logical Consequences of environment creation or elevation changes: 3CP.
Destroy environment of one hex, rendering it Barren to all life: 3DP.
Create a Natural Wonder, a place of power that passively affects the tile and potentially the surrounding landscape. At least 6CP/6DP (depends on effect).
Miracles: Temporary application of power. Note that cursing includes outright killing. Via meteor strike, if you prefer and are able to. Minor miracles are things like inflicting common cold, temporarily increasing the strength of an army, conjuring food or forcing wildfire. Major miracles include temporarily making an army into werewolves, making all sand in a hex into maggots, granting a few thousand craftsmen the ability to forge without tools or allowing people to subsist on gravel.
Bless/Curse (Minor) hex: 3CP/2DP.
Bless/Curse (Majr) hex: 6CP/4DP.
Bless/Curse (Minor) individual: 1CP/1DP.
Bless/Curse (Major) individual: 2CP/2DP.
LifeMUST USE THE SHEET TEMPLATE WHEN MAKING LIFE.The creation of life is a much more costly task than the mere alteration of life. Creating life involves either the creation of an organism ex nihilo or altering an organism to such a state that it bears very little resemblance to it’s prior form. Altered life must bear a resemblance to its previous form physiologically and morphologically. As with previous examples, note that DP AND CP can be used to alter. CP adds while DP removes.
Alter an organism: 1CP/DP
Alter a group of organisms: 2CP/DP
Create a mundane organism: 2CP.
Create a group (enough to populate a hex) of mundane organisms: 3CP.
Create fantastical organisms: 3CP.
Create a group (enough to populate a hex) of fantastical organisms: 4CP.
Grant sapience to an individual: 1CP.
Grant sapience to a group of organisms: 4CP.
Remove sapience from an individual: 1DP.
Remove sapience from a group: 2DP.
Minerals: A solid substance, minerals are divided into categories based on their perceived usefulness. All can be assumed to be enough to act as a long-term source of the substance for at least a few centuries.
Stone and the like with little purpose beyond being stone. E.g. granite or basalt. 1CP
Minerals of limited use by themselves. E.g. tin. 2CP
Minerals of moderate utility/value. E.g. gold. 3CP
Minerals of heavy utility/value. E.g. marble. 5CP
Subsouls:MUST USE THE SHEET TEMPLATING WHEN MAKING A SUBSOUL. Entities that act as an entity’s immortal subordinates. These include monsters, champions, avatars or even lesser aspects of yourself. When created, subsouls must have their Initiative set. A subsoul can have None, Moderate or High. Mortal creatures granted subsouls consume them, becoming empowered by you but not enslaved to your will.
None: No Initiative means that the subsoul does *exactly* what its been told to do and has no free will. If the subsoul faces an issue that it cannot deal with within the parameters given to it, it will not act about the issue. Furthermore, they cannot do anything beyond the commandments assigned to it.
Moderate: Moderate Initiative means that the subsoul is able to act with some free will, being able to interpret the prime soul’s commandments with some free will. They are however, still unable to act beyond their commandments
High: High Initiative means that the subsoul is practically independent, being able to not only follow its assigned commandments but also being able to act beyond them. They are however, not automatically loyal to their creators and may in some cases leave your service.
Each subsoul can only have a certain amount of commandments assigned to it, depending on the amount of invested Power.
Create Servant. 2 Stats/Traits to distribute. 2CP. 1 commandment.
Create Greater Servant. 6 Stats/Traits to distribute. 5 CP. 2 commandments .
Create Avatar. 10 Stats/Traits to distribute. 9CP. 5 commandments .
Raise Disciple/Beast from organism/living entity. 3 Stats to distribute. 1CP. 3 commandments . Always High Initiative..
Raise Champion/Monster from organism/living entity. 6 Stats to distribute. 3CP. 6 commandments . Always High Initiative.
Refer to the Power/Trait Guidelines for further information on the effective power of traits.
Accoutrements:MUST USE THE SHEET TEMPLATING WHEN MAKING ACCOUTREMENTS. Artifacts, equipment, teaching devices, whatever you wish to call them. Accoutrements provide a utility either providing stat boosts or having other purposes. E.g. increasing chance to Retreat in combat, granting extra Wounds, ensuring loyalty in servants and so on.
Accoutrements can be made with either CP or DP, depending on what they can do. Generally, destructive accoutrements and those that are thematically destructive (e.g. a book on murder) use DP. Generally constructive accoutrements and those thematically creative (e.g. a spear that creates maggots from spilled blood.
CP can only be used to increase EGO, SP, EGO and INF. In addition, it can be used to affect the use of CP. For non-stat related utilities, CP is used to govern abilities thematically/spiritually related to creation or preservation. E.g. a tool that helps in forging.
DP can only be used to increase SS or PS. For non-stat related utilities, DP governs abilities thematically/spiritually related to destruction or change. E.g. converting blood to stone or creating a fountain that cures diseases.
Note that Accoutrements cannot be used to directly increase CP/DP. Instead, accoutrements can be made that act as a CP/DP battery that can be filled with Power.
Accoutrements can only function when held by a being, and only if they are attuned to said being; this takes up 1 AS or more. They cannot be used to affect the stats of those not attuned/wearing them.
Accoutrements are generally portable.
Minor Accoutrement. These grant 1 stat boots or have a minor trait like ensuring loyalty in weak minions: 1CP/DP.
Average Accoutrement. These grant 3 stat boosts or have a moderate trait: 3CP/DP
Powerful Accoutrement. These grant 6 stat boosts or have a powerful trait. 6CP/DP.
Monuments: edifices constructed by divine hands, or at least imbued with their essence. Monuments provide a passive and constant effect on the hex by broadcasting an entity’s power. Each monument, once created, require the use of at least 1 CP/DP per turn to operate. This is assumed to be automatically given by the patron deity every turn unless otherwise stated. Monuments, like accoutrements can be captured, which is made easier as they usually cannot be moved.
Minor Monument: Grant a weak effect such as extending lifespan by a few years or decreasing disease occurrence slightly. 4CP/4DP
Average Monument. Grants a moderate effect such as extending lifespan by a decade or decreasing disease occurrence moderately. 8CP/8DP
Powerful Monument. Grants a powerful effect such as extending lifespan by three decades or decreasing disease occurrence severely. 12CP/12DP
Mythmaking: Myths are naturally gained by performing feats or saying certain things. That is to say, through actions you do such as teaching knowledge, slaying entities, being friendly to certain things/people or the like. Basically, anything worthy of being made into a story. These myths garner power, adding abilities to an entity or increasing their stats. However, myths can also be forced into creation via the use of power and dreamleaf. These myths are not necessarily true, but by divine action and sufficient herb-assisted magic, the world can come to believe it’s true.
2CP/2DP AND 3 Dreamleaf. Minor Myth. These include a myth of teaching a group, killing a minor divine, or saving a village from starvation.
4CP/4DP AND 6 Dreamleaf. Major Myth. These include a myth of killing a major divine, saving a city from destruction or teaching the riddle of steel.
Due to specific demand, guidelines. Do note that these aren't at all hard fast rules. Each CP or DP used in a new servant or accoutrement can be used for either one trait or one stat increase. Created objects with multiple effects will split the power between them. Thus a 6CP artifact with one trait will follow the guidelines below, but if it has two traits, each one will have the equivalent of a 3CP effect.
0cp: A cosmetic effect which has no bearing on the power or effectiveness of the item, but adds flavor. Such as turning the skin blue, or causing flowers to occasionally bloom.
1cp: 1 minor effect. E.g. igniting a small jet of flame
2cp: 1 moderate effect. E.g. conjuring a campfire-sized flame
3cp: major effect. E.g. conjuring a bonfire-sized flame
4cp: powerful effect. E.g. igniting the entirety of a small village
5cp: extreme effect. E.g. igniting a large village
6cp: gross effect. E.g. igniting a town
Each turn, a god may conduct 3 actions.These include using power, utilising the spiritual plane, moving, fighting or any other act. Action resolution is done partially via dice roll but also by what is thematically/logically supposed to happen.
When moving, either draw your path on the map, or state in which direction you are walking to. State the side of the hex you are currently on. For the purpose of this game, the top side of the hex is side 1. Continuing clockwise, the next side is side 2 and so on. For brevity, shorten this to s1. So if a person wants to move 3 spaces, they could type ‘s1,s6,s1’.
Giving other entities CP/DP/Accoutrements within influence range/network a free action.
Talking to other players/subsouls within inf range/inf network is a free action. Talking to mortals within inf range/inf network is an action.
Educating mortals/giving tech is an action. Educating mortals is identical to a talking action.
All actions performed by a player are unknown to every other player UNLESS they are within Influence range of the acting player.
Actions may also be sent secretly, if desired. A secret action is an action which a player attempts to do without entities (or their spies) within influence radius/network observing them.
Once all players have acted, their entities return to sleep, awakening next turn in 50 years’ time.
The world is creation, home to all that is material and home to all sorts of wonderful creatures and thingamajigs. But it is not the only plane of existence, not all of creation. Interlaced with the land of the living and material, are several other planes of existence, each rife with intrigue, danger, and knowledge. Many spiritual planes resemble the world of the living in form and shape. A mountain in the physical plane may exist as well in the spiritual. However, whereas most mountains in the physical world is but stone and dirt, a mountain in the spiritual plane may be a spirit as lively and corporeal as any other. It is in the Plane Spiritual that one may communicate across vast distances, even as one’s body is in trance. It is here where the myths of the past, present and future may be discovered and changed. It is here where the souls of the dead drift towards, before being dragged into the gates of the underworld.
To exist coherently and consciously within this plane requires a sense of self. Unlike in the physical plane, only Ego and SS matter here. Ego is one’s sense of self and the greater one’s Ego, the more they believe themselves real; all too important in a land of dreams. To even enter the spiritual plane requires effort. Essence or Power cannot be used within the Plane Spiritual.
Note that not just players can access the spiritual plane.
Spirit Sight: Once per turn may attempt to peak into the spirit world without fully entering it. This may allow glimpses of the world beyond, but does not allow for most spirit actions. One may communicate with denizens of the spirit world while using spirit sight, so long as they are nearby.
Ingress
To enter the plane spiritual, one must enter trance. Ingressing can be attempted via DP. Only those with sufficient ego or power may attempt this method. The amount of DP required to enter the spirit world proper is 4+SS-EGO. Those with higher strength of spirit find it is harder to keep themselves whole within the spirit world, requiring greater ego to perform this method.
The second method is deep mediation. One may simply spend an action to ingress into the spirit world. When one uses this method, they can take one ingressed action as a free action.
There are other ways one may enter the spirit realm, such as sacrificing a great deal of worshipers or a large collection of wealth in an effort to weaken the walls between the realms. Dreamleaf and other methods are also options.
A 1d(6+EGO) roll will take place to determine how deeply the entity ingresses into the spirit plane.
Alternatively, use up 1 Dreamleaf to access deeper levels of the spiritual plane.
Actions
Consuming 1 unit of Dreamleaf confers ‘free’ spiritual actions. Consuming Dreamleaf is a free action.
Spiritwalk: A tranced entity can spiritwalk 3 hexes per point of ego, with a minimum of 3 hexes. This does not change your physical location. This counts as an action.
Communicate: Beings on a spiritual plane can communicate at long distances. All tranced beings can communicate with other trancers/spirits within a 6 Hex Radius. Communicating with your own subsouls is usually free. For each point of Ego, this is increased by 4.
Scry: Attempt to spy on an area or being. This can discover secret actions or actions beyond your deity’s purview.. The higher one rolls, the better the info. Any roll 4< is a failed scry attempt.
Godquest: Attempt to change myths, which thus change the physical world. Can also be done to discover information. Attempting a Godquest can be arduous or very simple depending on the objective. Godquests are conducted on Discord for the reason of speedy completion. Only 1 Godquest can be attempted each turn. Each Godquest consumes at least 1 Dreamleaf. Cost may be higher.
Other: Think of anything else you could do? Feel free to ask!
Dreamleaf: a herb of some rarity useful for entering the spirit world. These plants take a prodigiously long time to grow.
Essence: Consolidated Power that can be used for CP or DP. As with Power, it disappears at the end of the turn. Unlike Power, it can be easily traded. For unlike Power, Essence is physical matter and may be thus physically transported. Can be gathered via a variety of methods such as blood sacrifice, accessing places of powers or killing a god.
Worship: the faith of mortals is an all-too prized possession, which can result in a variety of advantages to an entity. The formation of a cult dedicated to an entity can even garner myths, which empower the being.
Death is not an end to one’s existence, only one’s physical being. Upon death, an entity’s soul phases into the spiritual plane and indeed, they are still able to act there. All PHYS stats are reduced to 0 but SPIR stats remain the same. After an amount of turns equal to an entity’s EGO, an entity’s soul is dragged to the underworld. They will be questioned and judged and enter the final rest. Perhaps.
Clarification on Influence Networks: entities and subsouls entering the influence network of another deity are sensed by the owning entity.
Terrain: Mountains, River and Ocean are generally impassable to mortals without preparation, be it boons or technology. In general, higher elevation aids mortal defenders. To entities, water is generally a non-issue, but mountains require twice the SP cost to cross.
Trading Power: Entities may trade power if within Inf Range/Network or if Inf Networks/Range are adjacent to each other. Normally, this is 1 hex away. E.g. (for purpose of this example, H=hex, E=entity). As such, trading power is difficult for the movement impaired or those distant from one another. Instead, one may wish to convert Power into Essence. How? Who knows.
Trading Accoutrements: Entities may trade Accoutrements under the same rules as with trading power. However, they may also send agents to send them; this may risk interception by other powers however.
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Topic: Between the Mountains: A Gods Adrift Homage (Read 2819 times)