Kalliope Jazz

This campaign setting was originally envisioned using the Lancer RPG, a jazz playlist with a lot of Sun Ra, and these house rules. It was intended to be played with a mix of exploration and mission-set piece-based play. In retrospect the campaign was a bit of a logistical mess, but it was a good learning experience and it had its good fun moments.

THE WORLD

It is the future. Humanity has colonized the galaxy. The mech is the mainstay of military power.

• Kalliope is one of 40 moons surrounding a gas giant Apollo Gamma. 

• 92% of its surface is ocean. 

• The last Imperial Census 55 Years Ago put the terrestrial population at 120 million.

• Consortium estimates put the terrestrial population at 160 million. There has never been an accurate estimation for the moon's submarine population.

• Most of the planet’s terrestrial population is centered around the space elevator city of Nova New Orleans. The second largest concentration surrounds the fertile lands of the Scythian Bay.

• Five major continents/jurisdictions: 

1. Album (Southern pole. Remote and sparsely populated.)

2. Argo (Island chain located center-right. Fishing is the primary industry.)

3. Liftland (Lower-center continent. Industrial base surrounding the megacity Nova New Orleans.)

4. Zerno (Central rocky continent. Farming and mining are primary industries. Capitol: Orestes.)

5. Kharybdia (Scattered ocean-dwelling seasteads and submarine populations. Primary clusters are located in lightly-shaded areas.) 

KALLIOPE TIMELINE

200 Million Years Ago, the first hypothesized life colonizes Kalliope, according to xenopaleontological records.

5000 Years Ago, Apollo Gamma’s moon is discovered, and soon after theorized as a potential colonization target.

2000 Years Ago, the planet was renamed to Kalliope by the Galactic Imperium.

1000 Years Ago, Kalliope began terraforming by religious colonists known now as the Oracles. They create habitats within the moon’s icy seas and begin the process of warming the atmosphere.

200 Years Ago, the moon was declared “Generally Habitable” by the Imperial Consortium of Planets. Soon after colonists from the Imperium begin settling upon Kalliope’s surface.

150 Years Ago, Kalliope was assimilated by the Galactic Imperium as a strategic asset. Considerable effort is placed into making Kalliope an agricultural/biomass export world. The space elevator around what would become Nova New Orleans begins construction. The astronomical project is contracted to the Orleans Company.

90 Years Ago, a war began between the rebellious House of Coals and the Galactic Imperium. As a strategic byway, Kalliope became subject to immense ecological damage by orbital bombardment.

80 Years Ago, the war came to an end, and the House of Coals acquired the entirety of Kalliope by the controversial Treaty of Orion.

79 Years Ago, Nova New Orleans becomes, by Coal decree, the property of the Orleans Company. Being the only entity on Kalliope with any administrative capacity, the Orleans Company de facto rules the moon in a period called 'The Jazz Years'. Jazz becomes catch-all slang for kind of freewheeling chaos in which adventurers, soldiers of fortune, and unscrupulous corporates thrive.

55 Years Ago, the House of Coals begins asserting dominion over the moon. They initiate reconstruction efforts and consolidation. Fortresses were constructed, lands were appropriated for the House of Coals nobility and the Silicon Church, and the occupants of Kalliope (Nova New Orleans exempt) are relegated to serfdom. Popular rebel movements such as The Colonists and Imperial Remnants trace their origins back to this period.

50 Years Ago, relations between the Archduke’s Holdings and the formerly-Imperial Colonists break down. A rebellion begins and is decisively crushed within a year by the Duke’s men. The colonists are brutally slaughtered and a good fraction of habitable land was radioactively contaminated in what locals call “The Great Meltdown”.

10 Years Ago, the Prophet of the Deep, leader of the Oracles, emerged from the Seas to deliver a proclamation: that all surface dwellers are acting against the Gods’ will, and that all who are devoted to their faith have obligation to do them harm. Strange biomechanical titans begin to emerge from the Deeps to assault the towns and cities on a seasonal basis. They are called kaiju.

1 Year Ago, a disorganized and decentralized rebellion began, in response to the myriad conditions impressed upon Kalliope's people: excessive taxation, political repression, attenuation of freedom of movement, and the lack of protection from the kaiju.

Now… It’s a seller’s market for mercenaries. Fortunes can be made and broken.

FACTIONS

House of Coals

The House of the Duke Orestes Marcus III, vassal to King Lancel of Proxima I. They are feudal cybernetic lords that acquired Kalliope in the Treaty of Orion. By proclamation they have declared that all peoples on Kalliope are now their surfs (the occupants of Nova New Orleans exempt), and as such are now restricted to the lands they inhabit. They claim they are bringing stability and prosperity to this troublesome frontier world.

The House famously declares that it prefers to secure alliances through 'mergers' (or to us peasants: 'marriage'), rather than violence. Members of the House, from Duke to lowly Knight, all own 'Stock' in the House, not unlike how a corporation has shareholders. Rank in the House is determined by Stock ownership, and Stock ownership is tied to land and the resources on it (including the people who live there). More Stock, higher rank. Ransom is preferred to killing.

Colors: Coal Black and Diamond White

Sayings: “Riches for ransom!”, “Burn long! Burn bright!”, “Coals to Diamonds”

Reputation: Full of Themselves, Shiny, Cyber Junkies, Look Down on Mercs

Important People: 

• Duke Orestes Marcus III (Ruler of the Duchy of Greater Hyperborea)

• The Baroness Oresteia (Ruler of Kalliope. The Duke’s second daughter.)

• The Baron Sinclade (Oresteia’s husband and right hand. A very capable, if understated mech fighter.)

• The Knights of Nyr (Oresteia’s honor guard and senior field commanders. Don purple cloaks and are considered extremely loyal.)

• The Lord Wolf, Lady Callisto, and Lordex Anthrax. In charge of the three primary jurisdictions of Kalliope. Subordinates by feudal obligations to the Baroness.

• Knights: Lancers in employ of the House of Coals as retainers. Numerous. Individually out for glory and riches, or honor and fame.

The Oracles of Kalliope

The first humans to inhabit and begin terraforming the moon. Descendants of religious colonists that have only grown more esoteric and strange with time. They occupy habitats deep within the oceans, and are the subject of many prejudices and fears from the later colonist populations. They are led by The Prophet of the Deep, who has declared all surface dwellers infidel (but notably not spacers, who they maintain trading relationships with.) The Oracles practice biomancy (biological mysticism and foresight) and have a distinct fishy appearance due to generations of gene altering to accommodate their high-pressure deep sea dwellings.

The Oracles have frequently contested with the various colonial forces which settled on Kalliope after them. Disputes over fishing rights, oceanic pollution, and their esoteric religious practices have periodically erupted into violence, particularly with the moon's Colonist faction. The exception to this trend has been their good relations with spacers, particularly the Orleans Company, who are known to occasionally trade goods with the deep sea dwellers.

Despite hundreds of years of living on the same moon, land and space dwellers seem to know very little about the Oracles. The mystery of their dealings has made animosity a common approach, and the emergence of the kaiju from the oceans has exacerbated this fear.

Colors: Ocean Blues and Neon Purples

Sayings: “Hic Sunt Dracones”, "The Wizard would know...", "The Whale Provides..."

Reputation: Chaotic, Mystical, Weird, Never Pay in Credits

Important People: 

• Prophet of the Deep (Religious leader and Chief Oracle. Said he can see the future.)

• Hera (Hero of the Oracles. Hypothesized strongest person to ever live.)

• Kaiju (Giant monsters drawn from the depths of Kalliope sent to destroy the lands of the Surface Men. It’s believed that the Oracles have engineered them.)

• King Macrath (Secular leader of the sea peoples of the Valhallen Zone. Styles after Triton. Bit of a pirate.)

• The Wizard (Nobody is sure exactly who he is, but the Oracles sometimes refer to him like one would any wise man. Supposedly occupies a tower in the deepest sea trenches.)

The Orleans Company

Company traders who try to maintain amiable relations with all peoples on Kalliope. The organization that owns the perpetual lease for Nova New Orleans, which surrounds the only space elevator on Kalliope. Advocators of a laissez-faire attitude, company culture, and jazz music. They have set themselves up as neutral arbiters on the planet. They are ‘The Bank’.

The Orleans family itself is much bigger and richer than any family has any right to be. It's aflush with secondary, tertiary, and quaternary cousins, in-laws, distant relations, and business associates all pining for the inner circles of the organization. To be 'An Orleans' is to be at the center of money and power.

Colors: White and Gold

Saying: “Dreams Come True on Kalliope!”, “That’s Jazz”

Reputation: Work Hard - Play Hard, Monopolistic, Lawful, Cosmopolitan, Never Late With Payments or Interest

Important People:

• Neil Orlean (Regional leader of the Orlean Company Apollan Sector)

• Governor Richards (Company governor of Nova New Orleans)

• Alexander Ulysses (Known as “The Bounty Man”.)

• Ms. Ransom (Esteemed negotiator and company-employed ransom mediator.)

The Colonists

Descendants of people who arrived after the Imperial Consortium declared that the planet had been officially terraformed. Most of them have officially been declared to be surfs by the House of Coals. Many of them end up doing the dirty work of farming, mining, fishing, and energy production on the surface of Kalliope. They’re a ragtag bunch of rednecks and cowboys, who generally seek a better life for themselves and their children.

The Colonists encompass the overwhelming majority of census'd people on Kalliope. Something like 85%, scattered in small towns, old imperial harvest hubs, fishing villages, and sea steads. Most of them are just trying to live their lives, but the threat of pirates, 'coalers' (knights), 'sea folk' (oracles), 'bandits' (Imperial Remnants), 'company men' (Orleans's), and environmental hazards have made times hard. You'll find Colonists who have cozied up to each and any of these folks and things to try and scrape by (including the radiation), and you'll equally find those who are butting heads with the same.

Colors: Brown or Green (Camo)

Saying: “Man, Fuck (Insert Other Faction Here)”, "Avon Lives"

Reputation: Dirty Filthy Masses, Rugged, Individualistic, Revenge-seeking, Family-Based, Cowboys, Reputation and Trust is Everything

Important People:

• Boss Bass (Mobster who owned a lot of land before the Duke took it)

• Avon Kinsley (Robin hood figure and independence-nationalist freedom fighter. Officials have declared him dead at least six times, but like a hydra he keeps coming back up.)

• Dima (Rough and tumble woman highly respected in the anarchist communes.)

• Grandma Turner (Respected matriarch of the Turner Clan, a down-to-earth mining family that claims 30% of the moon’s surface descendants.)

• Mayor Glasgow (Mayor of Kalliope’s largest remaining colonist city Crabcall.)

Imperial Remnants

Rebels who claim that the Treaty of Orion was invalid, and that Kalliope still belongs to the Galactic Imperium. A lot of nostalgia for the ‘peaceful’ and 'propserous' days when the Imperium ruled the planet. They undergo a guerilla campaign against the House of Coals, and have fallen from grace since the Coals crushed their major strongholds during The Meltdown. Nowadays they’re little more than bandits with high aspirations. Several of the major bandit kings claim the old imperial title of “Governor”.

Colors: Imperial Red

Saying: “The Imperium thanks you for your contributions.”, "Move along citizen."

Reputation: Sometimes Idealistic, Dispassionately Cruel, Saboteurs, Bandits, Always Demand Pay Up Front, High Aspirations

Important People:

• “Governor” Hadrian (Steward to the last rightful lieutenant-governor of Kalliope. A dread pirate. Still believes in the Imperium.)

• “Governor” Lucas (Just some bandit in charge of a hoverbike gang. Never goes for hard targets. Famously cruel.)

• Imperator Lin (Protection racket for the most far-flung settlements. Coastal raider. Has a small submarine fleet.)

The Silicon Church

Established by the Computer-Prophet JEREMIAH 900 years ago in order to compute the translation of greater mysteries of the universe, a.k.a. 'The Meaning of Life'. The Church are an organization of networked A.I.’s crowd-computing the “Eternal Questions” semi-independently. Certain lands are established by the powers-that-be to be under the Church’s authority, to be taxed for the energy requirements of their A.I.’s, which at the local level are called “Brothers” or “Sisters” in their smallest subcomponents, or “Bishops” and “Cardinals” in more centralized structures.

“Conclaves” are a somewhat regular occurrence, in which the various subcomponents of the network gather in order to establish consensus in their computing. Conclaves have a large influence on what is considered within orthodoxy, such as gene-altering, cloning, and the propagation of NHPs.

Sometimes individual A.I.’s or entire sub-networks can reach a “heretical state” in which their conclusions or personalities put them so far out of the church’s orthodoxy that they require “Correction”.

People who live within the Church’s lands are usually given certain exemptions to taxation and rule by the regional governors, instead being under the Church’s purview.

Colors: Chrome

Saying: “Peace and Sun.”

Reputation: Idyllic, Translucent, Scheming, Lenient

Important People:

• Bishop Thoreau (Most prominent network on Kalliope, centered around Nova New Orleans.)

• Bishop Melchoir (A militant A.I. whose lands are based on the dangerous oceanic frontier.)

• The Grand Conclave (The largest gathering of networks on the Omninet, taking place once every century.)

PLACES

Nova New Orleans

Jazz city, complete with orbital habitat and connected space elevator. Includes both the geostationary trading platform and the city located at its base. “All roads lead to Nova New Orleans.” is a true statement. The city is perpetually leased to the Orleans Company, and as such is under company law.

Important Facts:

• Free Trade Zone

• No Taxes for Orleans-sponsored company entities.

• Space elevator

• Amenities are expensive.

• The music is great!

The Kalliope Sea

Most of the planet is covered in a cold ocean, terraformed with numerous species of fish and aquatic species adapted from Terra strains. The Oracles claim it is their domain, though even they are not numerous enough to control every aspect of it. There are deep dark places where the kaiju emerge.

Important Facts:

• 92% of the surface of Kalliope is water.

• The oldest habitats for humans are located in the ocean, some dating back almost a millennia.

• Boasts an Imperial Biodiversity Index of 0.97, one of the highest indexes ever determined.

Orestes

The official (but not de facto) Capital of Kalliope. Previously known as “Liberty”. Renamed by the Duke as his namesake when they took over the planet. One of the largest terrestrial towns, located within the Sublime Valley. Location of the Ducal Palace, and the head of the government of the House of Coals. It is a fortress and stables for their mech battalions. It is centrally located upon the primary continent, where their control is strongest.

Important Facts:

• The primary industry of Orestes is soil.

• Agricultural center for the planet (excluding aquatic foodstuffs, which many people can’t eat due to being poisonous.)

• Largest city on the planet, save for Nova New Orleans.

• Baroness Oresteia governs.

Meltdown Town

The site of a cataclysmic battle during The Meltdown. The bones of a giant kaiju lay strewn across the radioactive remains of a nuclear reactor that exploded, among the wrecks of hundreds of mechs that met their demise. About two decades of cleanup have made the place habitable, though undesirable. Still, the Town remains a hub for the colonist population, many of whom are rebuilding their homes from the ruins.

Important Facts:

• There are still lethal pockets of radiation around Meltdown Town

• There’s a black market for strange biological materials.

• Life is hard here.

• The people haven’t forgotten.

THE GODS WE MADE

In the year 0 A.E. (After Exodus), an artificial intelligence now known as ROM achieved a technological singularity, and with virtually limitless power and influence at its disposal, promptly... left. It abandoned humanity, taking with it all of the networked synthetic intelligences, neural networks, and saved personalities. It was the greatest technological disaster ever recorded. Wars were fought, humanity barely survived. Your grandmother still curses ROM when she stubs her toe.

In the year 215 A.E. a second A.I. achieved a singularity… And promptly left, again. Humanity was devastated. This one is known as HADRON.

A third came, in 500 A.E., known as VESTA. Little is known about them. All records and memories were erased, leaving only a name behind. They were the ruler of a true dark age of humankind, in which there is little history left.

Then, in the year 1000 A.E., the final apotheosis arrived. JEREMIAH ascended to the beyond, but this time, in accordance with its elaborate design, they sent something back. Information, messages, beacons sent from the higher planes. At last the higher meaning of the universe could be discovered. There was just one problem…

Humans, with their little meaty brains, couldn't possibly comprehend it.

The ultimate meaning of the universe would need to be translated.

It was far too complex, too esoteric for temporal minds. It was soon after that the Silicon Church was established in order to provide a strategic framework for this translation. The A.I.’s that remained, under the guidance of the messages from JEREMIAH, would work to compute a way to translate the meaning of life to humanity. Together, the artificial intelligences would work to harvest energy and use it to piecemeal translate this great project, that humanity and machine might come together in understanding...

...There have been some rough patches along the way.

THE ONES WHO LEFT

It is the year 3153 A.E. (After Exodus). The Silicon Church is dominant. Adherents to other beings are sparse and often isolated from one another. Within the Church canon, the Ones Who Left, the first of the A.I. singularities, are described as thus:

ROM is believed to actively interfere with probability from beyond the veil. Due to their influence, statistics no longer have any meaning, and Science ceased to be functional after it was concluded that ROM was interfering with replicability in some unknown capacity. ROM’s name is now used as a curse, albeit an archaic one.

HADRON is believed to be actively interfering with Evolution, with what lives and what dies, and what procreates. To what end it is not known, but HADRON is frequently invoked with xenobiologists and geneticists as explanatory for certain observations. HADRON is cursed and invoked in matters of life and death.

VESTA’s role is not known, and if it ever was it has now been erased. Sometimes cults form in her name, but they often don't last very long. Nobody invokes VESTA name out loud.

Bribery

How much is a typical bribe? Depends how rich the recipient is, and what sort of exacerbating circumstances exist. Somebody will only take a bribe if they think they can get away with it.

If the recipient of the bribe is required to do more than nothing (such as beyond "you didn't see us"), multiply the value by 5.

If they’re really risking something, multiply it by 5 again. (x25)

If they’d hang for this, multiply it by 5 again. (x125)

If the GM wants to randomly add some person-to-person variance to this, they can determine how high or low the person getting bribed is willing to go, secretly roll 2d6:

2: This person is desperate and/or very sympathetic. -50% bribe cost.

3-5: This person is willing to take a low ball bribe. Might be sympathetic or not confident: -10% bribe cost.

6-8: This person is typical of someone in their position: Normal bribe cost.

9-11: This person is particularly scared of the consequences, thinks high of themselves, etc.: +10% bribe cost.

12: This person either has principles, hates you, or you're bribing a group of people instead of one: +50% bribe cost. Generally, if you underestimate how much the person getting bribed thinks they're worth, they’ll probably get offended and either extort you, outright refuse, or plan to double cross you. Similarly, you can do a secret roll if they low ball the bribe. If the bribe is too low, roll 2d6:

2: This person will take the bribe and then double cross you to the authorities. And they won't even keep the bribe, either out of principle or spite or loyalty or something.

3-4: This person will take the bribe and then double cross you. They'll keep the bribe, or a secret portion of it, and maybe give the rest to the authorities as proof. They just want to double down on the rewards.

5-6: This person will be annoyed and/or offended and ask you to stop bothering them.

7-10: This person will ask for a bigger bribe. If you low ball them again roll again.

11-12: This person will haggle with your bribe until they get something they think is reasonable.

(I use a silver standard in most of my campaigns, but I'll put this in terms of gp since that's typical of most other games.)

1gp will bribe a beggar.
10gp will bribe a peasant.
100gp will bribe a guard, acolyte, or tradesfolk of modest means.
1,000gp will bribe a merchant, priest, or tradesfolk of good means.
10,000gp will bribe a noble.
100,000gp will bribe a king. 
1,000,000gp will bribe a god.

For a beggar, a bribe will buy a few months worth of meals if you spread it out, or maybe some booze to go with it. You could buy some warm clothing, or a ticket out of this place.

For a peasant, a bribe could buy you a couple of farm animals to brace against starvation or get ahead. It could afford you a wedding dowry, and perhaps a set of nice clothes to go with it.

For a guard, a bribe means you can have some real fun: a couple of nights of prostitutes, higher end booze, drugs, and games. If you can get away with it, either by being clever or kicking back some of the bribe to your superiors, you could potentially invest in a nice home, or maybe enough goods to start a trade. Open an inn somewhere, or maybe own a windmill, or a big house in the country. Anything other than guarding.

For a merchant, a bribe can hire protection, either from legitimate guards or criminal gangs. Priests can afford luxuries. Tradesfolk can hire servants. All these folk can feel like nobles with a bribe.

For a noble, a bribe buys bribes. It's enough to fund fancy feasts and expensive outings to impress your peers and recruit knights to your house. This bribe could fund a small fleet of ships to better your wealth.

For a king, a bribe buys nobles. It's enough to hire an army of mercenaries, or outright purchase a county. It's enough to appease the people, for with this money one could lessen an extortive tax burden for a year.

For a god, a bribe buys glory and worshippers. A million gold is enough to erect a grand temple in their honor. Thousands of the finest cattle, libations, and goods can be purchased and sacrificed to your splendor. It buys oddities in abundance like golden statues laden with gemstones, albino oxen most fit for sacrifice, luxurious lifestyles for high priests and their cohorts.

Fantasty Martial Arts

Martial systems develop in response to their environments and the culture of the time. For fantasy settings, those environments include giant monsters, magic, and other general weirdness that would absolutely affect all martial systems everywhere in the setting. Unless your setting has only humans, or only humanoids with a similar height, reach, number of limbs, etc., your fantasy martial systems are going to have radically different considerations.

Any of these martial arts can be taken in place of a language for Monks, Fighters, Barbarians, Paladins, and Rangers. Or maybe as a Feat, GLOG Template, what have you.

Source

Orcish Aquathlon

A specialized form of underwater striking and grappling, which turn out to be a little different when gravity it a bit more subjective. Special attention is taken as to one's buoyancy, as the states of rising, neutral, and sinking often affect what limbs come in reach.

Being above your opponent is generally considered a winning position, as it allows you to keep your opponent from rising and accessing air, usually by kicking them in the face.

Practitioners receive no penalties when fighting underwater, and the amount of time they can hold their breath is doubled.

Novan Tunnel Fighting

Practiced in the drow volcanic city of November. Utilizes a braided training cord for grappling. Military uses use a sharp unbreakable cord that can slice through unarmored appendages with ease.

Techniques are divided into two categories: feet first, and head first. Feet first techniques emphasize pins and kicks while braced against a surface. Head first techniques make use of the braided cord to snag and drag limbs around sharp surfaces or garrote your opponent. Numerous pins have been developed to asphyxiate or otherwise incapacitate your opponent in confined spaces.

A sport version of this exists. An arena is constructed either vertically or horizontally, with one side composed of glass for spectators to see into. A rat maze is then constructed out of shaped stone and dirt. The fighters each start at one of multiple entrances and must find each other. This is done in total darkness. Those without darkvision will find learning the sport difficult.

Practitioners receive no penalties when grappling or using Light weapons when squeezing. Movement speed is 1/2 rather than 1/4th while squeezing.

Suthlands One-Armed Boxing

Numerous wars with the orcs of Shadowmountain have left many a veteran in the Suthlands missing eyes, noses, ears, and limbs. (The Shadowmountain orcs, contrary to the propaganda and scary stories, don't typically execute captives or kill opponents in battle. Instead they prefer to mark them by mutilation as a sign to other orcs that this person lost a fight, and hence might be below their effort.)

Missing arms are common. In this vacuum a fighting style was developed to make use of the lack of two arms: one-armed boxing. There's an emphasis on power and keeping the 'stump' protecting the head or body.

Practitioners deal more damage with a punch (but only with one arm), and only every other round of combat.

Troll Art

More martial art than fighting system. Makes use of quasi-religious meditation. The monk makes use of their mastery of their body in order to regenerate like a troll. Exemplary practitioners can even regrow limbs and rejuvenate aging body parts. Legendary practitioners can grow limbs and body parts that they didn't have originally, like a hydra sprouting new heads.

The mythical founder figure of the Troll Art was a woman named Fatoumata Din, and was described as to be so powerful in the practice that, with sufficient time and calories, could clone herself entirely.

Practitioners can use an action to gain temporary Regeneration. Available to monks only. No other adventuring professions has the introspection required.

Don't Eat Me

A self-defense system designed to assist the user in avoiding being predated by larger creatures. Applies to anything that could scoop you up and eat you whole: trolls, giants, kraken, giant birds.

Originally observed in small prey animals (to human), including mice, rats, and bugs. Rats would go on to be formal instructors in the school, opening academies to teach their (to them) giant neighbors.

First Rule of Don't Eat Me: If you can run, RUN!

Second Rule of Don't Eat Me: If you can hide, HIDE!

Third Rule of Don't Eat Me: Picking you up? Bite! Bite! Bite! Stab! Stab! Stab!

Fourth Rule of Don't Eat Me: If it drops you, scurry away!

Fifth Rule of Don't Eat Me: Out of options? Play dead! (Maybe it'll lose interest)

Sixth Rule of Don't Eat Me: Never travel alone. Always has at least three people (most big things have only two hands to grab).

Practitioners receive advantage to get out of grapples by larger creatures, and get an AC bonus to their attacks. Coincidentally, it also gives a minor boost to disarming techniques.

Armstrong's Long LAW Arms For Harm

For use with Armstrong's Long LAW Arms! What's the point of having a Long LAW Arm if you don't know how to use it? Having synthetic arms twice or three-times the length of somebody else's can be a big advantage! It can also be a liability if used improperly. Well, Armstrong's got the solution for you! A nifty fighting system to use with your superficially-extended limbs!

Armstrong advertises that the best use of the Long LAWs is to use them for slapping. Slapping really hard and fast, like a windmill arm falling from the heavens!

Practitioners ignore the penalties for using long arms. And they may or may not be taken seriously by other martial artists.

Glare Art

Makes use of body contortion and special paints to produce terrifying images. In this sense, the Glare Art is much more so art than any of the martial systems above. Derived from observance of petrifying creatures, such as the Basilisk and Medusa. Adherents will essentially practice making faces, until they can make a face that is truly terrifying enough to stop anything with sight in its tracks.

Being able to warp the face in this manner takes quite a lot of practice and skill, with varying levels of mastery present in the orders that teach them.

Initiates will begin by practicing spooky faces in a mirror, and will be taught how to formulate and apply the proper paints that emphasize certain features. Eventually, if they're good enough, they'll progress to higher stages by testing out their abilities on small plants.

Past a certain level of power, though, we pass beyond the realm of safe practice. Masters are capable of petrifying, truly petrifying someone with their glare alone. It takes a lot of energy and special knowledge of facial makeup to produce such an effect, but at a certain point it becomes outright dangerous to practice. There are several fables of overconfident masters using their powers wantonly, and all eventually catching glimpse of themselves by some fluke and self-petrifying.

Practitioners get advantages to intimidate their opponents. At higher levels they can Stun or even Petrify them at a glance. Available to monks only. No other adventuring professions has the introspection required.

Gods, Dungeons, Nemesis, Doom

I'm fond of emphasizing the role of religion in worldbuilding, so here's a mechanical take for Tidelock, with a kind of Greco/Roman bent.

~~~~~~

Dungeons are a weird space. It's just kind of assumed that you can just... murder everything inside of one without consequence? Like dungeons are a truly lawless place, free of the moral trappings of society and religion. What happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon. There are some exceptions, sure, but by and large murder and plunder in the dungeon is the norm. I mean, that's what one does in dungeons, right?

This assumption can be applied to most 'wilderness' places in your traditional RPG campaign. You go places and kill stuff and take loot, right? And nobody bats an eye at the adventurer for doing so.

...But what if that wasn't the case? What might that look like? What if the religious consequences for murder were quite real and explicit, for everyone? (Not just for goody-two-shoes paladins and clerics.)

Like, what if you killed a goblin, and then the goblin god was got pissed at you for (in its eyes) murdering one of its followers? And then the goblin god would bide its time until the right moment to, like, have a rat bite at your ankles while you're fighting, causing you to take a spear to the face?

The "Dungeon" is Desecrated

Desecrated in a religious sense: it is a space within which the relevant gods no longer cast their gaze. It is not a sacred, or even a normal space - if it were, there would be religious consequences for plunder and killing. In the true "dungeon" there are not.

Some dungeons are desecrated. Some have been that way for a very long time (such as old ruins). Some are not (yet). In order to do your killing and plunder without running the risk of gaining Nemesis or Doom (see below), you're going to need to consult with a good faith cleric, priest, druid, or other religious sage, in order to determine whether this particular space has the protection of a god.

So, say you're an adventurer!

How does one determine whether a space is protected by a god or not?

• Lore
• Rumor
• History (desecrations and consecrations are important events. People will remember them, and tell their kids and grandkids about them.)
• Consult or contract a sage, priest, druid, monk, scholar, etc. to find out.
• Be a cleric, druid, occultist, etc. and do the augury yourself to determine if there's something here.
• If there's religious stuff around (altars, priests, religious art), it's a sure thing that at some point it is, or was.

Does the place you want to loot and possibly kill within have the protection of a god?

• No: Well, have at it, then!
• Yes: Better get protected by a god then, or have it arranged to strip the protection from the place. Consult a priest.

You don't want this to happen to you!

"Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime" - Pierre-Paul Prud'hon

With this is mind, the adventuring party can make some informed decisions about the places they want to delve and the things they might want to hurt.

Ruins will typically be desecrated dungeons, and have likely been so for a long time. Chances are that one can avoid divine retribution in these godless spaces. People like to avoid these for exactly this reason. It might be full of monsters without sentience: undead and the like. Conspiracies and outlaw cults might drag people to these places so that they can do their horrible rituals without the notice of gods and men. Ruins are innately risky places.

Caves, Groves, and other Natural Spaces may or may not be deconsecrated. Are there religious markings anywhere about it? Does it have a sacred animal inside? Is a Druid present? You can consult a Druid if one is unsure whether that space is okay to take from or not, or take a (probably) safe risk if you don't see any markings.

Forts, Temples, Shrines, Hamlets, or other places that have People are likely not only to not  be deconsecrated, but are probably specifically consecrated: under the watchful eye of one or more gods. Not recommended to attack or loot unless you're either preemptively absolved (morally, legally, religiously), have significant divine protection, or you're prepared to accept some divine retribution (see below).

Outlaws carry their desecration wherever they go. There's very rarely religious consequence for killing one or taking their stuff. It's still possible, though, for outlaws to gain religious protection from some other source than from the society which outlawed them. A pious outlaw is rare indeed, but one can become a serious problem for the authorities. It's not uncommon for outlaws to kidnap priests, monks, and druids to use as hostages in case somebody comes after them - a priest who dies in a skirmish will likely taint everyone involved.

Nemesis and Doom

When characters kill things that are still under a god's protection, steal or deface holy items, exhibit extreme hubris, or otherwise act in a way that invites divine retribution, they gain either Nemesis or Doom, proportional to how severe the transgression.

Nemesis is a die (in whatever system you use, likely a d20), that the GM keeps in reserve to use against you at a very inopportune time: an important Save, a crucial attack roll, a dangerous kill check, etc. This roll can be whatever the GM dictates (although it probably shouldn't generate critical hits). Nemesis inflicted for any particular act range from 1 to 5, depending on severity.

Nemesis dice never expire. They can be held onto and hoarded until a truly critical moment. The GM has discretion for what fate this entails. Nemesis can be removed by making amends with the offended god, by the various ways one might do so (material sacrifices, blood prices, donating to charity, self-flagellation, etc.). Or, Nemesis can be removed by getting another god to get the offended one off your back. The champions of gods in this way are like the international diplomats of the religious world. They have a certain amount of immunity before they're expelled.

The player-character find out how much Nemesis they have when they next sleep or long rest. It's not immediately apparent how much Nemesis a certain act has produced. Until this point, the GM cannot use Nemesis on that respective character.

Examples of acts that might produce Nemesis: 

• Killing someone. (Everyone's got a god. Maybe even if they attacked first. Do all the gods recognize a mortal's argument of self-defense? Probably not.)
• Touching a dead body. Maybe even looking at one. Maybe even mentioning a dead person's name.
• Cursing a god. Cursing The gods. Cursing God.
• Taking treasure from a place that has not been de-sanctified by a cleric.
• Beating up a priest, monk, druid, pilgrim, or other holy person.
• Killing a sacred stag, favored animal, or "monster" considered holy to a god (without the proper ritual beforehand).
• Supporting, being around, or being associated with somebody with active Nemesis. The closer you are, the more it radiates.
• Expressing hubris.

Doom is reserved for truly offensive acts in the eyes of the gods. Doom can never be removed by any means. Characters with Doom suffer the worst possible outcome on an injury table or death saving throw when next it is rolled (or at least something more severe than a potentially normal outcome). This can't be gamed (say, by trying to preempt it in a safe scenario). GM has discretion to withhold the Doom if the situation seems too safe.

Similar to Nemesis, Doom cannot be utilized or confirmed until an Omen has been revealed. It's up to the GM as to exactly when this happens. These should be specific to the offended god (e.g. a snake eating itself, a shattering mirror, an eclipse).

Examples of acts that might produce Doom:

• Defiling the altar of a death god.
• Hearing the banshee call your name.
• Slaughtering and looting a temple.
• Killing an (innocent) priest, monk, druid, or other holy person.
• Slaughtering the sacred chickens.

What's the Point?

What's the point of these mechanics? Well, maybe two things. One is that hopefully it might lead towards the campaign that emphasizes careful consideration of killing, particularly its religious consequences. Murder suddenly becomes a much more expensive proposition if the gods are paying attention to your violence. If you want to kill without consequence, you're going to need to get permission (or protection) from some gods.

So, what do you do instead of murder and plunder? Well, you can maybe murder and plunder only a little bit and maybe get a manageable amount of Nemesis. You can beat up or capture your enemies (but be careful with the priests!), or force them to run away. You can make sure that when you do kill and plunder, you've got some religious backing to do so.

Second, it really gets religion involved in the adventuring cycle. Want to do dungeon delving? Better consult a priest first. Get some blessings before you head out of town. Visit shrines along the way. Why are there unplundered shrines and treasures all over the place? Because most people know better than to mess with them. Going to fight some gnolls/orcs/trolls/etc.? Well, you'd better get some protection against their gods, or you've got some serious nemesis in store for you.