Puck

To bad, I will try to keep you up to date though. I have been trudging away all summer and I have most of the Setting, Cultures and Magic Stuff close to finished, I still have to add monsters, NPC's and such. Hopefully those will go pretty fast. I had some serious real world problems and then a nasty computer virus that really slowed things down. In the mean time I am waiting on the artist and the editor, who have been leaking stuff back to me. I think I will go over my original target date of October, hopefully it will be done before Christmas. I would still love to see your undersea world get translated into English some day. You really have something there. Yeah! that book really pulled me into its setting. If I can even pull off half the environment and mood Nivan did there it would be great. It has got to be one of my favorite sci fi settings.

I have much of the magic and traditions for the Green finished. Although the guy who is editing the material does a great job he is not very experience with brp or the rules in general. Not being particularly persnickety myself, I am looking for a volunteer or volunteers who can help look through and edit the rules heavy portions and head off mistakes and make suggestions. I am particularly concerned about chapters on magic, alchemy and creating magic items. If anyone would be interested please let me know.

Sounds like a great place to start. It allows for a lot of elbow room for a lot of ideas in other sectors as well.

Holy Smokes, :eek: I remember there was a whole endcap of those Perry Rhodan novelettes at an old K-mart or something when I was a kid. It was about the time of the first Star Wars Craze. I used to look at the pictures on the front covers and even bought one. I cannot remember the content at all but I think it is still in my classroom with the books I lend out to kids. Those are still coming out? It seemed like there were a hundred books already back then. Glad to see this part of the forum hopping again. It makes life much more interesting. The Empire in decline sounds like a great idea and can allow for and generate all sorts of fun possibilities: Smaller fragmented "kingdoms" rising up in the power vacuum, systems on the rim that were never under its control, remains of vast city or hive worlds that no longer get the required food shipments and have fallen to barbarism, scientific colonies that were cut off and not affected by the fall, pirates, or even alien invaders in quadrants chopping up the remains. Could be a little like Azimov's Foundation Empire where people slices off a piece of the pie to develop and fill in details.

I have been looking forward to this for some time. All the little hints and teasers sure makes Pharos sound interesting. If this setting ever hit the shelf (in English) I would certainly pick up a copy.

Whoops:o I got it now. Thanks!

I probably couldn't take part as writing the Green is taking up a lot of my free time, but I would suggest that instead of individual races people could make up individual worlds or planets similar to Rust's Beneath Alien Waves. That would allow for a bit of individual freedom as well as allowing other people playing BRP sci-fi to visit the world for an adventure or two. It seems like with a few different planets or star systems on the Wiki this could be a valuable resource for gamers who are gallivanting though the final fronter in search of strange new worlds.

Has anyone noticed that helmets Under Primitive and Ancient and Medieval armor only have +1 and +2 for AP. Is this right? Seems like a lot of peoples faces may be getting horribly scarred.

Greeting Publius and Drifter. Good to have someone else who uses their hand as a map here. It is a shame I live on the opposite coast of the mitten. My very first run-in with Runequest back in the eighties was with a group out of the Davison-Flint area.

I think I am going to write up a version of George the Trucker for the Green setting. Kind of like the eternal champion or something. In the Green he can be George the boatman (no trucks in the Green), hauling news and goods up and down the rivers.

I just thought I would chim in and say I enjoy what your doing with the monster write ups MurfinMS. It is nice to have a bank of these at hand in case the need arises. :thumb:

I seem to be on the right track then. What I got going is pretty close. It is in slightly a different order and an emphasis on new cultures (new magic/orders/cults) and interesting places. I have not written anything for scenarios as yet. Everything else needs to be finished and set in stone first. I was thinking that instead of one or two long scenarios, including a bunch of little small adventure hooks and possibly "one session" adventures like Griffin Mountain did.

Wheew! I have been drinking some strange brew from Guatemala. I am glad I have never heard of monkey's living there! :shocked: Most of this stuff is fun to write and goes pretty fast. It is the rules heavy stuff that really starts bogging things down. But it is pretty necessary to flesh out the cultures properly. As far as creatures go I was debating about whether to include "monsters" that already have stats in other BRP or Runequest type books.... dinosaurs and giant insects for instance. I wonder if those should be rehashed as they take up valuable space. (Especially all the hit location charts). It would be nice for any people new to BRP or do not have out of print books. The thing is I have feel like I am plagiarizing by taking the stats out of old monster books. By the way I was thinking of using a type of beetle that would help "manufacture" goods in a similar way as the monkey and coffee bit. I think I read something in the wikipedia about beetle products. Thanks for the ideas. Although the guys helping me have roleplayed some they are not very familiar with BRP and it really help to get input from a variety of sources. I had put aside the Ichorites for a while and went on to the Gazetteer, but now I have a lot of ideas flying about alchemy and it seems to be coming together better than the first time through. Thanks!

Exactly, at least I think so. I am not sure what Ethnobotany is. Yep, the only problem is that every time I start bugging around with Wikipedia to much, days go by with no writing getting done. It sure is useful though. Crazy thing is many herbs help with stuff like congestion, digestion, sore feet, rheumatism.etc. I really need to find more in game effects. I agree with you on both points. What I was thinking would be to give a list of items that are commonly used, the basics, and then leave it kind of open ended for the GM to develop. The reason Ichorites are in the Green is to research and develop new products... some good adventure hooks here. Later on, on a website, or the Green II, a more exhaustive list could be developed. Even so I am still messing with how to do the lists. There are more variables that one would expect. 1. A list of valuable items and ingredients found in the Green and their prices "per dose". Some would have effects on their own, some would need to be "refined" 2. A list of items that are "refined" and created from the other items, their effects and prices per dose, as well as type of skill necessary to "refine" them. 3. There are many items which use tree products, that are not potions per say but need certain ingredients. The relative price for these ingredients should be included somewhere as well. I figure that characters entering the deep Green would always have to keep their eyes open for little hoards of herbs and valuable tree things that they could use or bring back and trade for other cool stuff. Herbal lore will be a very valuable skill to have. Yep, but many do not have the alchemical skill to make the most of some herbs. Ichorites are always looking for rumors of medicine men and any previously unheard of remedy, use for herbs, or other weird concoction.

I Just took a look. There seem to be a lot of sites on alchemy. I'll spend a little more time at it shortly. The Ichorites are not necessarilly alchemists in the classic sense though. I am pretty much avoiding the metal stuff and the philosopher's stone and all. Ichorites are always looking for fabled or magical tree products though and are invaiders of sorts from the world outside the Green. Refining is really just a term. I really need three terms to describe the different levels of working with tree ingrediants to produce products of increasingly greater value. I though about going with the one product one skill idea, kind of like magic, but that makes a character really good with one thing and not much help with others. I am not sure but the tiered skills may allow a character to be good at a lot of little stuff at first; varied and useful, but not all powerful in one area.

I remember really liking that system as well. One time I did a fantasy campaign using a cobble pot conversion from James Bond and it worked very smooth. As a GM I loved the ability to set the ease factors of various tasks characters would attempt.

MMn, I never really owned or looked at much Arduin stuff. Must be my local shop did not carry it back in high school and college days. It has been mentioned numerous times around the forum here though. I just looked it up. Looks very interesting. I cannot find much stuff on Green Hell. I will look some more though, thanks. I am almost afraid to find it as it probably has already gone places I am trying to go right now. I hate it when I feel I have come up with a cool original idea and then find someone else has already done almost the exact same thing.>:-> Lots of interesting ideas on the Arduin website though. Very similar to a lot of stuff I was working with; Herbalism in particular... that will probably be very important in the Green. I am still working out a way to do an herbalist/alchemist type of skill set. I do not know how well it is really going to work, but I was thinking of trying levels of skills. So one must have one skill at a certain percentage, say 70%, in order to learn the next skill. Kind of like mathematics. You need to know Arithmetic at a certain level in order to begin learning algebra. Well, with alchemy you would have to know herbalism at 70% in order to begin learning Refining. You must know Refining at 70% in order to know Alchemy. Each level would allow the Ichorites(alchemist of the Green) to learn to make increasingly powerful potions. I am not sure how well this will work though.

Wow, that does sound really great! I'll see if I can get my hands on a copy. I already checked and it is not in my regional libraries. Next time I go to Barnes and Nobles I will scrounge around. I have not spent much time on the giant fauna yet. So far I have just been working on the humanoid monsters and cultures as well as locations and magic. This book may fire up some ideas. Thanks:)

Cool! It would be Great to see something happening with this again. It was a lot of fun while the Shared-world was active.

I have continued to mess around with a now "Glyphic" system of magic that can work as the basis or core for several magic traditions in the Green. It is still in a rough form, but it is starting to come together bit by bit. I would love any suggestions, ideas or comments. What are Glyphs? Glyphs are pictographic symbols or ideograms representing the essence of a particular power, concept, or force in the physical world. The glyphs themselves do not contain any power, and by themselves are only a symbol or type of writing but to those talented in their use glyphs become much more. They are a mystical focus representing a spoken sound as well as a hand or body motion. These gestures and utterances used in concert with particular thoughts, images, and beliefs, may bring about magical and physical manifestations in the material world. Glyphic Magic Glyphic magic is the prevalent magic that is used in the Green. It incorporates elements of both Magic and Sorcery. In order to use glyphic magic a character must be spiritually or psychically bound or attuned to a particular Glyph. Characters who are attuned to a Glyph are often called talented. The binding ceremony often must be accomplished in a location that is particularly strong or infused with the power of the particular glyph and often during portentous times. To become talented a character generally needs the guidance of a teacher or spiritual guide who is already talented and skilled in the use of the Glyph. The process of binding a glyph costs the recipient a point of permanent Pow. Once a character is talented they gain the Glyphic Skill of the particular glyph at a level equal to their Int + Pow. Attunement with a glyph assumes a character has a deeper mystical understanding and belief in the tenants and primacy of the particular glyph and the power it represents. Once a character is talented they may begin to learn spells and enchantments associated with that glyph. All spells within a glyphic realm are cast using the pertaining Glyphic Skill. In order to successfully wield spells a character must have a matrix for that particular spell within his vision as well as be able to make the particular gestures and utterances to bring about the effects of the spell. Spells may also require certain components to be cast successfully. As with other forms of magic, characters may only know as many spell levels as they have points in Int. The glyphs themselves represent the particular concept or idea and alone are simply a form of writing or symbol. The pictograph can then be combined with accent marks to add verbal action, meaning, and manipulation to the glyph. Visually speaking the glyph and the accents intersect forming essentially a new spell glyph called a matrix. For instance the glyph Fire incorporating the accent “inception”, to ignite, and accent “throw” would denote the matrix to magically hurl flaming missiles at an enemy. Each spell tied to a particular glyph has a pictographic symbol or matrix depicting the glyph itself modified by the accents necessary to affect the spell. Spell matrices are usually inscribed on weapons, jewelry, staffs, rods, or as tattoos on hands and arms. When characters learn spells it is assumed that they learn the required accents, as well as the gestures and utterances that when added to the glyph will bring about the spell effects. Many traditions combine multiple glyphs into a common idea. These are called compound glyphs and essentially work the same as singular glyphs but tend to be less powerful but magically speaking but have a wider variation of effects. There are also several very powerful accents called suffixes that are glyphs in their own right and must be attuned like any other Glyphs. When combined with other “core” glyphs to cast spells suffixes can be very powerful. The use of Suffixes and how they interact with the core glyph are usually closely guarded secrets and only taught to highly trusted individuals within magical traditions. Durative Suffix : Casters who are attuned to the Durative glyph may double the duration of many spells by rolling under both the Glyphic skill of the base spell as well as the glyphic skill of the durative glyph. In order to double the duration of the spell an additional point of power must be spent; In order to triple the length of the spell two point must be spent etc. The durative suffix also allows effects of some spells to become permanent. This Suffix is necessary to infuse items with permanent magical powers. The use of the durative glyph in this way generally cost permanent Pow. In order to permanently endow spell effects onto an item a magician must first know the spell in question to at least the level they intend to enchant the item with. They must then prepare the object to be endowed with the enchantment with the proper glyphs. An enchanter must expend the permanent Pow necessary to fuel the enchantment and roll below both the core glyphic skill as well as the durative glyphic skill to enchant the item. A success will permanently bestow the enchantment upon the item. A failure requires the Enchanter to begin the process anew. If the Enchanter rolls a fumble they loose the expended Pow and the enchantment fails. On a critical success the item may be endowed with greater effects as if the enchanter has spent one extra Pow when casting the spell. Spells commonly used in enchantments are weapon and armor enhancements of various kinds as well as the enchantment for magic staffs. Enchantments may also infuse an item with the knowledge and ability to cast particular spells. In the case of magic staffs this magic works slightly different. The enchantment of magic staffs is a cooperative effort between the enchanter and an initiate or applicant to a particular tradition. The spell is cast using the enchanters skill, but the permanent Pow necessary to enchant the staff is expended by the applicant. The durative glyph appears as a circle surrounding the core glyph and represents the unending or infinite cycle of the glyphs power. Mastery Suffix: The mastery suffix allows magicians to cast spells at a greater level than may normally be possible. The glyph of mastery may be added to any spell allows variable spells to be cast at any level as long as the caster knows the spell at its basic level. The spell still requires the allotted Pow expense. For instance: If a Spell user knows Sorcerers Sharp Flame at a level of “one” they may cast it as if they knew it at a level of five as long as they rolled under both their Fire Rune skill and their Integral Rune Skill. The spell would require the expense of five points of power to cast. Casters talented in the mastery suffix no longer need matrices or components to cast spells as they have infused the essence of the core glyph into their bodies and minds. A magician casting spells without components or matrixes must roll under both the core Glyphic Skill and the Integral Suffix Skill. Those who would become talented in the mastery suffix must know the core Glyph at a skill of at least 90%. The mastery suffix is required by those who would teach or bind others to the core glyph. The mastery suffix appears as a enclosed arch surrounding the core Glyph with the pediment beneath and the arching crown above. Alteration Suffix Some glyphs may allow the use of the alteration suffix. It is sometimes called the Glyph of forms. This glyphic suffix allows talented to take on a slightly different shape or form based on the glyph in question. Not all glyphic traditions teach the alteration suffix. It is particularly common among the totemic and wealding glyphs. The effects differ from practice to practice and is discussed in the individual selections. The alteration suffix appears as a stick figure transposed by the core glyph.

Sounds like we are chomping at pretty much the opposite ends of the same rope. I have not really got the magic system hammered down, at least in terminology, but do to suggestions made here on the forum, have decided to use the word "glyphs" instead of runes. I too have totemic glyphs that are used by a non-humans called trogod or simply, goblins. The China-dinosaur connection sounds:thumb: pretty cool.

Keep us posted. I would love to hear how this turns out. I've never read the Eden series but it sound interesting just the same.

This sure would be nice, I can only dream.

Sweet! That was quick. I'm going off to get it right now.

It did not seem like a lot was happening there. The thing that really made me think about submitting this to Chaosium was actually a couple of posts you made a while back about making the Shared-world a new fantasy setting for BRP. The Green still has all the bits that can connect it to the shared world: Gates are still there. I hope submitting the Green to Chaosium has not caused any bad feelings. By the way Check your PM's Frogspawner.