Neon bibles and churches

Neon elementals, part of the mini-setting I am writing. Wooo procrastination through art...

Where I attempt some fiction, and look for constructive feedback

Hey folks, this is the fiction part of a post I hope to make tomorrow. Since this is the first full on piece of narrative I have made on my blog, I would dig your feedback. I made some illustrations to go with it.

Ballad of a Memory Addict – Pt. 1: I remember, don't worry...

I'm going to try to get this all down, words and my rough pictures, because either I am going to be dead soon or, later, a vegetable, because I'm all out of memories and cash. The Lethe is moving faster now, removing memories quicker than I can replace them. Not long now, it will eat my memories of reading, language, bladder continence, and everything else that forms the basis of 'me'. I can't emphasize enough how screwed I am.

I could point to everything from the past and say 'This is why I'm here.' but that doesn't work for entertaining stories. I need this story to be interesting, entertaining, otherwise you won't read it. I need you, who ever you are, to read this, its all that's left of me by the time you get this...

I woke up with a spike in my arm, the rig shot dry, the tie still on tight enough to hurt. Most folks react the same when the memories hit them, they blackout as their brain tries to organize the new engrams into a memory-narrative. Actually, I only know what humans do, I haven't heard what happens to the other races; I don't really care either.

I pulled the works out of me and undid the tie, acting quick before the new freight came crashing in. Sometimes it requires a certain stimulus, a particular event, which meant I had to get up and move around like an old man when the memories didn't come to me on my bed. It was the mirror above the sink.

Another mirror, seeing myself

Blood dripping off fingers, hair, blouse

Silver hammer in my hands

Beating her head in

THOCK, CRICK, SHPLIT, DAP

Been watching her for weeks, gotta know who I go for, can't get interrupted

Holding her from behind with one arm, pressing the barrel into her back with the other

Standing over her, head's a flat ball now

Looking in the mirror again

I gotta make the gesture, can't NOT do it

Won't do it this time

Not an animal

I wait, can master it this time

No

Left hand over mouth, right over right eye, saying the words into my palm

Bang Bang, Bang Bang, Bang Bang

Push hard with hands

Gore in my long hair

I look good in blood

Gore on my hands

I've got blood on my breasts

I vomited for an eternity, dry heaving in the sink, tears rolling from my eyes, fifteen minutes gone by, I was done. I curled into a ball on the cold tile, and was there for the true hours marked by clocks instead of the mind. Daylight crawled across the wall as I watched.

When the memories get in you, its you in them, its you seeing yourself in those yesterdays. It doesn't matter that these people, the other you, are nothing like the true you, identification with the memorizer is inevitable. Thus, I had been a middle-aged woman who had killed another woman, it didn't matter I was a thirty-five year old man.

I was paranoid, sopping with guilt, crying on my bathroom floor, convincing myself that I really hadn't killed anyone. With the hours on the floor, I eventually sorted out myself from myself, intellectually convinced that I hadn't murdered anyone, though still jumping with every sound outside my roach-house apartment, ready for the police to take me. With what few memories that were in the junk I shot-up all sorted, I got up and tried to vomit again. All I managed to do was blow out a few blood vessels in my eyes.

My life had been a sack of crap up til that point, and looking back it doesn't surprise me that things happened the way they did, but at the time I felt that angry self-pity of 'Why Me?'. Honestly, everything that's happened to me was my fault.

I was a mail courier, and as most people feel, I wasn't getting paid enough. So, I took to raiding the dead-parcel room, grabbing handfuls of letters to take home. Most of the other employees did it from time to time, I just made it more of a habit than others. 

One night I open a letter, its address smudged to illegibility, and that's it, no more memory for days. My next memory is laying on a table, staring up at a bright white square moving away from me. A Mnemosit doctor had been talking, but I just started paying attention a moment before. They told me what had happened.

I had opened a weaponized chain-letter, a left over from a war fifteen years past, a set of symbols or words (the government won't tell anyone the particulars) that rewrites the imperatives of the brain. One moment you're opening a letter you think is from your aunt, next you're reproducing the chain-letter until your hand cramps into a useless claw. Once at the 'claw' phase, you root out every last bit of money you can, like a junkie needing a fix, before rushing off to the courier's office to buy postage to send all your closest loved ones a big surprise.

They had caught me in the 'claw' phase, having emptied my savings, back at work trying to buy postage, dressed in: my nicest shoes, mismatched socks, a pair of woman's undergarments, and a dress shirt. I can only assume, or hope, that the knickers were from a previous lady-friend who had left them at my place by accident.

The Mnemosits buy and sell memories, though the memories they do sell are the non-specific talent or skill types, they don't do the personal and emotional stuff. Flying around in a city that is half urban pileup and half monster fetus, they go about the world providing their services. They also figured out a way to fix idiot mail-couriers that open dangerous chain-letters, though the 'fixing' isn't perfect.

See, the clever bastards that made those first letters created a memetic disease that is transferred through symbols or written language. Read, or see, the wrong thing, and you're scribbling brain-death as fast as your hands will allow. But, that's not all, the disease also starts consuming sections of your memory, starting with the ones most charged with emotion/pleasure/pain and working back until you've forgotten everything while laying in a puddle of your own excrement.

The Mnemosit fix-up allows a person to do things other than chain-letter writing, but doesn't get rid of the memory burn. It's called Lethe, and it'll take everything that makes you who you are, leaving a sack of drooling meat in its wake. Mnemosits, being heartless and weird, don't do identity memory transfers, the emotionally charged ones, outside of the resurrection-dubbing process. This was a problem for me, because if you can keep dumping other people's memories into your own brain, you can give the Lethe something else to eat besides yourself. They fixed me only to allow for a much slower, and much more demeaning, process of forgetting myself to death. I've been told its not all that bad.

After convincing my employers that I had come in contact with the letter as part of my normal, and much more lawful, activities, they were very willing to grant me a stipend of money that would allow for me to see out the rest of my short days in relative comfort. All of this marked the beginning of a life dedicated to buying illegally acquired memories with the majority of my money, while using the rest to buy cheap food and roach infested accommodations.

People, the avant-garde and thrill-seeking, use these illegal memories as a form of entertainment and compensation for being generally worthless. If you can't be what you want, at least you can remember being someone else. Those desperate enough to risk the possibility of wiping out their memories, can sell them on the black market for quite a bit of money.

All of this ties back in to how I got where I was, and why, for the most part, I deserved everything that I got.

I was losing my mind from the memory of murdering a woman with a hammer while getting a form of sexual gratification from it. I was vomiting because I recognized my behavior at the end of the memory; covering my eye and mouth, whispering bang-bang to no one at all, having to do it every time I stepped in front of a mirror.

I had a friend growing up, really my only one. Looking back, I can see how messed up he was, but up close he was normal enough for me. Though I only learned this later, he liked doing awful things to animals and starting random fires. He would hold his mouth with one hand and his eye with the other every time he came in sight of a mirror. He told me he had to do it otherwise something bad would happen, he just didn't know what.

His name was Gilles, and while he wasn't the me I saw in the mirror, I could feel his echo in the memory. While vague, I remember thinking about another face in another mirror, another yesterday, a face of a younger man holding his eye and mouth the same.

I loved Gilles, as one outcast might love another that accepted them, and that's why I decided to find him, despite the fact he was a murderer. I had nothing left really, just a life of buying other memories. Not sure if I was planning on joining him, or killing him. Still not sure even now.

I went to find my dealer, Stella...

A kingdom on a comet, a city in a child

So, this is what I have been working on for the past few days. If you have followed my previous strange posts, then you will understand that this is the "comet" that flies about the world(s) for its memory selling occupants. So, yeah, I hope to actually write something soon...

Like a moth to strangeness

It's a Moth-Fox. Just a weird idea that came to me. I kinda like how it turned out, I will make stats for this thing later.

Good to be king

Another request... There is stuff about the pic I am happy with, and other parts that are meh for me. I am going to try to post something substantial soon, I hope.

Forgetful Snow

Simple, yet kinda elegant. I think this is a good balance of the detailed and simplistic styles I like. I'd like to thank Chris Dunlap for helping me with an idea. The Comet Kingdom will be strangely beneficiary to the people of the Infinite City, their powers/abilities focusing on probability and memory. Any ideas? Please let me know!

Trying to find inspiration

Still trying to find inspiration and figure out where I want to go with the city and with my art. So, yeah, kinda feeling meh by it all... So, yeah, any advice would be appreciated.

More Art and Ideas

Still trying to balance out the detailed and simplistic styles, I think I made the face too simplistic. So, I am working on a mini-setting idea, something to cleanse the pallet a bit before getting back to my city. Basic idea: the Comet Kingdom, a huge floating rock that brings with it ice and snow as it glides over the world(s) (might be able to travel through space, dunno yet). They wear outlandish clothing with pointy soled boots. The floating rock is filled with machinery that is run through the prayers of the people to the machines themselves. I got more ideas but I am unsure how to use them, and more importantly, how to make them gameable. Also, I am beginning to think that I do need to publish something, just not sure what and how big it should be. Anyway folks, let me know what you think.

I love OpenCanvas

I just got OpenCanvas. Art By: Me

I bought OpenCanvas 6 tonight, and Sweet Fancy Moses, it ROCKS! I never realized how much GIMP sucked at drawing as compared to OpenCanvas. Woot Woot!

Someday, my inner robot will be free

Everyone has a robot inside of them. Art By: Me

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this one, I think it comes close to the 80's Moebius / Heavy-Metal Magazine vibe. Anyway, let me know what you think. This is a request from someone on r/Worldbuilding on Reddit.

Who needs sleep?

Less embarrassing than the last one. Art By: Me

The more I looked at my last picture while laying in bed, the more I grew to dislike it. I like this one a bit more, but I still am having trouble capturing the Moebius simplicity and grace. I am not a fan of the hair, but it's 5:30 am and I don't want to mess with this anymore. As always, comments and feedback are appreciated.

Art in an endless loop

Another attempt at Moebius. Art By: Me

So, I figured out how to work the filters on GIMP to give the grainy look that Moebius had in his earlier art. I am happy with parts of this, and meh about other parts. This is a request from someone one Reddit's r/Worldbuilding. As always, feedback is really appreciated.

Stealing Other Folks' Style

I wish I was Moebius. Art By: Me

So, I am still trying to figure out my own style. A guy on Reddit requested I make a World War 1-esque soldier with goggles, a gorget, and a cavalry saber. I have been reading a lot of comics drawn by Moebius, so I thought I'd try to steal his style for a bit. Lemme  know what you think.

Meditation and water are wedded for ever - Part 2 (Pathfinder)

 

A lad quite insane (Variant). Art By: Me

Author's Note: As you can see, I've reused some art from my previous post as well as created new art for this post. If you haven't read my previous post, I recommend doing so, otherwise you might not understand what is going on here. Here's the link for my previous post: (LINK).

In this post you will find stats for Thought/Psychic Whales, possible rewards for PC's that accept they really are a psychic whale, and information about strange wandering vending machines modeled after David Bowie as well as some strange items they sell. Systems used in this post: Pathfinder / DnD 3.X, OSR / LotFP / AD&D, Pits & Perils, and Into the Odd.

(Fluff)

Faulk, Edmund (6M – 279). Minds Within the Depths: A Study of Thought Whales. Infinite City: Kellig University Press. Pg. 36

They are titanic, gliding through the Inner City Sea as a cloud through the sky. However, it is not their considerable waterborne which is their greatest quality. Rather it is their minds, granting them insights into the universe that no man or machine might process.

But, before we get to the full capabilities of their minds, we must examine what fuels them. To do that we must look to their prey, a species of plankton named Dictyocysta Coeus, know commonly as Mad Plankton or Psychosis Plankton (often shortened to Psycho Plankton).

Giants of the depths. Art By: Me

There is a dearth of reliable information about Dictyocysta Coeus, with most sea naturalists finding little interest in the study of plankton. They possess a protein-based bell shaped shell protecting their organs. Dictyocysta Coeus use a number of cilia that extend from the opening of their shells. Measuring 25 micro-meters, they are invisible to the naked eye.

While there is a scarcity of reliable information about Dictyocysta Coeus, one may find an extensive “study” of their physiology by Doctor Kellis Blue. Like many great minds, Dr. Blue skated the razor edge between insanity and genius for many years before falling fully into madness. I am unsure of the exact etymology of the term Mad Plankton and Psychosis Plankton, but I am sure Dr. Blue's descent into mental illness is linked to it.

According to Dr. Blue's book Tiny Minds of Genius, they possess approximately twelve-thousand neurons (11,976 to be exact), though how she reached this number is unknown. Furthermore, she writes that the average human possessed eighty-six billion neurons in their cerebral cortex. These numbers must be pure conjecture as there is no means either mechanical, meta-mechanical, or occult to determine the exact number of neurons in any creature due to their extremely miniscule size.

Dr. Blue goes on to posit that the Dictyocysta Coeus is capable of some form of neural among other members of the species to create complex neurological structures. In essence, they are able to literally pool their mental resources to engage in complex mental tasks. Through simple arithmetic, we can estimate that it would require 7.18 million individual Dictyocysta Coeus to match the mental abilities of a human being; though this estimation is based on information that is more than likely to be the ramblings of a madwoman.

The tentacled sensory organ of the Thought-Whales. Art By: Me

According to her writings, the Dictyocysta Coeus can form a single colony organism similar to the Iberian Man o'War, which she refers to as a Cabal. While it is not outlining her paranoid delusions, it is sufficient to say that Dr. Blue believed that these Cabals were engaged in nefarious actions aimed against other species which includes humans. Unfortunately, she committed suicide three years prior to these writings. It is a tragedy that her mind was lost before she could add to knowledge of our Inner City Sea.

The Dictyocysta Coeus would still be a mystery to the world had not the body of a Thought-Whale been discovered near a City-Ship. An incredible number of these small beings were found partly digested in the stomach of the Thought-Whale, which provided the answer to the question of Thought-Whale nutrition and expanded our knowledge of Inner City Sea plankton...

Anonymous “Words from the streets” Undiluted Truth (Infinite City) 17^th of Pyanepsion 6M – 283 pg. A5

Each week I wander the streets of the city, and find individuals who are willing to give their insights about it. This week I met with Jareth Leroy DeGobelin, one of the many homeless of the city looking for shelter as the we move towards winter. I asked Jareth for any insights about the city, this is what he said:

Poor Mister Jareth.

Yeah... Yeah I got somethin'. Y'see there are these vendin' machines that look like peoples. Only they got coin slots for eyes, gray skin, and a speaker-box instead of a mouth. Theys called Dream Engines, and they can talk to ya.

Give them a copper and they'll spray this rainbow light on ya, you'll be warm for two days, or cool iffin it be hot out. Theys got this triangle in theys chest, that's where the light comes from. They all got the same name, Mister Sane. And theys right nice sometimes, givin' somebody warmth if them helps clean theys skin.

They all work for this king named Jones, he's the king of Blackstar. That's where all the money goes. I'm supposed to go see Mister Sane tonight, he said Jones has got work for me! Imma gonna be rich!

You's real nice for buyin' me this new coat and all this food. I'll remember ya when Imma rich and powerful.

Mister DeGobelin offered to meet with me the next day to speak about his experience with the Blackstar King, but he never appeared for our appointment...

The Skinny (Stuff in Plain Words / Non-Fluff)

Our psychic whales, like many other whale species, feed by filtering large amounts of sea water for tiny organisms call Plankton. Their favored food source is Psycho Plankton, tiny animals that can link their tiny minds together to create complex neurological structures. This linking allows them to create a colony organism called a Cabal, similar Portuguese Man o'Wars. On their own, they possess the basic intelligence of a Pond Snail, together they can be as intelligent (or more so) as a human.

I based the idea of Psycho Plankton on the Portuguese Man o'War (WIKI LINK), the number of neurons that various species possess (WIKI LINK), and the intelligence of Honey Bees: (WIKI LINK) and (Jon Lieff M.D. BlogLink).

Some fun facts:

Bees routinely solve the advanced mathematical problem of the traveling salesman. (Traveling Salesman WIKI LINK)

Bees can handle two different abstract concepts at the same time and make decisions based on these in new situations.

A bee brain contains roughly 1 million neurons in its 0.5 mm size, as opposed to a human's 86 billion.

Bees distinguish landscapes scenes, types of flowers, shapes and patterns.

Now, this doesn't mean that bees are some kind of insect super-geniuses, so no need to worry about the bees overthrowing humans. However, their abilities do call into question what the exact relationship between brain size and intellectual abilities.

Look out for my next post about Psycho-Plankton and their nefarious plans!

Whales and Vending Machines

If you remember my previous post (LINK), Dream Engines are somehow linked to the Thought-Whales, though how is up to you or a fun chart I've included. As you may have noticed, they are a huge fan-boy, pun filled love letter to David Bowie. I have included some stuff they sell, though you are more than welcome to add to their menu of items sold. These strange vending machines work well for strange or powerful items you make available to your players for purchase. Plus, since they are mobile, you can use them to limit how often these items become available. Another use is a mobile merchant that can appear in dungeons randomly for the PC's to stock up on various adventuring items. Just like David Bowie, these machines are capable of a lot.

Since I was in a rush with my last post, I didn't include stats for the Thought-Whales. I have included them in this post, though their abilities are still up for interpretation. If any of you folks have advice for improving the mechanics, please let me know. Finally, if anyone is good at statting up monsters for 5^th edition DnD, I would be happy to post your write-up on my blog for your workup of Thought-Whales. I have included a list of possible rewards you could give to a PC that plays along with the whole 'Guess what? You're a psychic whale!'. 

A page from a ship's naturalist's journal. Art By: Me

 

Thought-Whales

Pathfinder / DnD 3.X

CR 14 (?) - 38,400 xp

N Colossal animal

Init -1; Senses low-light vision, Scent, Blindsense 60 ft; Perception +27

Defense

AC: 26, touch 1, flat-footed 26 (-1 Dex, +25 natural, -8 size)

HP: 184 (16d8+112)

Fort +17, Ref +9, Will +18

Offense

Speed: Swim 40 ft.

Melee: Tail Slap +21 (8d6+24 plus stun)

Ranged: Telekinetic Blast +11/+6/+1 (4D6+11 / P, S, or B) Range: 30 ft.

Space: 30 ft.

Reach: 30 ft.

Special Attacks: capsize

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 16th)

At will— Mindlink [PAIZO LINK] (DC 17), Telepathy (DC 20), Telekinesis (DC 21), Hypnotic Pattern (DC 18), Illusory Wall (DC 20), Mirage Arcana (DC 21), Persistent Image (DC 21), Programmed Image (DC 22), Project Image (DC 23), Veil (DC 22)

3/day—Dominate Monster (DC 25), Create Mindscape [PAIZO LINK] (DC 21), Mindscape Door [PAIZO LINK] (DC 20), Modify Memory (DC 20), Synaptic Pulse [PAIZO LINK] (DC 19), Synaptic Scramble [PAIZO LINK] (DC 20), Riding Possession [PAIZO LINK] (DC 20)

Statistics

Str 42, Dex 8, Con 25, Int 41, Wis 36, Cha 22

Base Atk +12

CMB +36

CMD 45 (can't be tripped)

Feats

Awesome Blow, Diehard, Endurance, Improved Bull Rush, Iron Will, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (tail slap)

Skills

Perception +27, Swim +35, Knowledge (All of them plus any you make up on the fly) +30, Sense Motive +25, Diplomacy +22, Bluff +22, Stealth +14; Racial Modifiers +12 Perception

Languages

Telepathic Bond (65 ft), Northern Whale, Southern Whale, Orca, Dolphin, Narwhal, Akklo, Common, Space Whale, Crabbish

SQ: Hold Breath

Ecology

Environment: Any Oceans (Inner City Sea in my world)

Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Pod (3-18)

Treasure: None

Special Abilities

Hold Breath (Ex): A Thought-Whale can hold its breath a number of rounds equal to 10 times its Constitution score.

Stun (Ex): A Thought-Whale's fluke can deliver a powerful stunning blow. A creature struck by this attack must succeed at a DC 34 Fortitude save or be dazed for 1 round. If the strike is a critical hit and the target fails its save, it is also stunned for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Strength-based.

Tail Slap (Ex): A Thought-Whale's tail slap is a primary attack and applies 1-1/2 times its Strength bonus on damage rolls.

Capsize (Ex): A Thought-Whale can attempt to capsize a boat or a ship by ramming it as a charge attack and making a combat maneuver check. The DC of this check is 25, or the result of the captain's Profession (sailor) check, whichever is higher. For each size category the ship is larger than the creature attempting to capsize it, the creature attempting to capsize the ship takes a cumulative –10 penalty on its combat maneuver check.

PC Rewards - 1D6

Here are a few minor rewards for PC's that play along with the Psychic Whale origins. Each advantage comes with a minor physical change to the PC's body. You can roll on this chart, or just choose a reward.

1. Blindsense: Character gains blindsense with a 5 ft maximum range. Physical Change: A small, but noticeable bump, forms at the center of the character's forehead. This bump is a resonance chamber, creating and receiving high-frequency pulses used for echolocation.
2. Powerful Lungs: Character can now hold their breath twice as long as they could before. Physical Change: The character's lungs and ribcage expands, making the character look more 'barrel-chested'.
3. Cold Resilience: Character can now survive extreme cold from natural environments, such from an arctic ocean. This does not make them immune, or even resistant to, magical cold effects such as ones from Cone of Cold. Physical Change: The character's appearance softens, losing some definition on bone structure. This change comes from the character gaining a new layer of super-dense fat to act as insulation. This layer is thin, which reduces the amount of change to appearance that would occur.
4. Great Swimmer: The character gains a swim speed equal to their base speed. Physical Change: Character develops minor webbing between their digits as well as a broadening of their shoulders and thickening of thighs.
5. Kinetic Blast: Character gains the ability to fire off a Kinetic Blast of bludgeoning damage. The damage done by this blast is 1D6+Int Mod, with a maximum range of 30 feet, the character must make a successful ranged attack. The character may use this ability once per day, the character gains an extra use per day for every three levels beyond the first. Physical Change: The character's forehead bulges slightly as their brain and skull expands.
6. Empathic Communication: The character may transmit their emotions to another willing individual within 40 feet. These transmitted emotions do not effect the emotions of those receive them, rather the receiver just gains knowledge of the transmitter's current emotional state. The character may use this at will, with only one target at a time, this target must has a minimum Wisdom score of 3. Physical Change: The character's eyes change to a sea-green color that glows slightly when the character uses this ability.

Mister Sane. Art By: Me

 

The Men who Fell to Earth

These wandering mechanized merchants are purveyors of the strangest services and baubles. In the next post I will provide stats for them, but if you need stats now use the stats of a Flesh Golem but medium sized. Mr. Sane always plays a song when dispensing their items or services, I've included a Youtube link for each service.

Golden Glow – Golden Years (LINK)

Mr. Sane emits a rainbow light from its chest that bathes the target. For the next 24 hours, the target is immune from any adverse effects from weather related temperature. The target is completely comfortable no matter the how hot or cold it is where they are.

Cost

Pathfinder / DnD 3.X: 1 cp

You Can Be Heroes – Heroes (LINK)

Mr. Sane sings for an individual, casting an amazing prismatic light show on the target. The character gains a morale bonus to certain actions for 3 hours.

Rules and Cost

Pathfinder / DnD 3.X: +1 to-hit, damage, and saves. Cost: 6 gp

Strange Rainbow Eggs. Art By: Me

Moonage Dream Stuff – Moonage Daydream (LINK)

While singing and emitting rainbow light, an egg sized and shaped object emerges from the hole in its chest. The 'egg' emits a soft glow as prismatic colors crawl ceaselessly over its surface.

The egg, when not in use, will orbit the user's forehead much as ioune stone might. Using their will, the character can shape the egg into any mundane tool, a buckler, or any weapon that is no larger than a short-sword. This object can be formed into a short-bow, but the user must supply their own arrows. The egg can only be formed into simple shapes without moving mechanical parts.

Rules and Cost

Pathfinder / DnD 3.X: Character must make a Will save DC 12 as a standard action the provokes and attack of opportunity to shape the object, a failure means the object isn't shaped. A critical failure permanently increases the DC by +1, the effects of numerous critical failures are cumulative. Cost: 100 gp.

Bang Bang, she shot me down. Art By: Me

Bullet Blasting Blues – Running Gun Blues (LINK)

While singing and emitting rainbow light, strangely shaped bullets/arrowheads emerge from the hole in its chest. These bullets/arrowheads fire targeted spells instead of projectiles.

Rules and Cost

Pathfinder / DnD 3.X

All bullets/arrowheads only require a touch attack to deliver spell effect. Each bullet costs 25 gp each. The DC for the Will save is 14.

1. Dream Snake: The target begins to dream while awake, experiencing a form of hallucination. The target has a 20% miss chance when attacking a target. Each round there is a 25% chance that the target will confuse allies for enemies and enemies for allies. A successful save results in the target being only effected for 1 round, and unsuccessful save results in the target being effected for 6 rounds.
2. Miss Bedtime: The target is put to sleep standing up. Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action). Sleep does not target unconscious creatures, constructs, or undead creatures. A successful save results in the target being effected for 1 round, a failed save results in the target being asleep for 6 rounds.
3. Wet Dreams: The target is filled with lust and desire for a single creature or object as designated by shooter at the time of casting. That creature or object must be within the spell's range and perceivable by the target of the spell. The target is filled with the compulsion to rush to the subject of its lust and passionately kiss or caress that subject on its next turn, taking no other actions. If the target would not normally have lustful feelings toward the designated creature or object, it receives a +4 bonus on its saving throw. A successful save results in the target being effected for 1 round, while a failed save results in the target being effected for 6 rounds.
4. Flying Dreams: This bullet/arrowhead is meant for friends, loved ones, and yourself. Those who are successfully shot are granted the ability to fly at 60 ft with good maneuverability. This effect lasts for 6 minutes.

Meditation and water are wedded for ever - Part 2 (OSR)

 

A lad whose quite insane (Variant). Art By: Me.

Author's Note: As you can see, I've reused some art from my previous post as well as created new art for this post. If you haven't read my previous post, I recommend doing so, otherwise you might not understand what is going on here. Here's the link for my previous post: (LINK).

In this post you will find stats for Thought/Psychic Whales, possible rewards for PC's that accept they really are a psychic whale, and information about strange wandering vending machines modeled after David Bowie as well as some strange items they sell. Systems used in this post: Pathfinder / DnD 3.X, OSR / LotFP / AD&D, Pits & Perils, and Into the Odd.

(Fluff)

Faulk, Edmund (6M – 279). Minds Within the Depths: A Study of Thought Whales. Infinite City: Kellig University Press. Pg. 36

They are titanic, gliding through the Inner City Sea as a cloud through the sky. However, it is not their considerable waterborne which is their greatest quality. Rather it is their minds, granting them insights into the universe that no man or machine might process.

But, before we get to the full capabilities of their minds, we must examine what fuels them. To do that we must look to their prey, a species of plankton named Dictyocysta Coeus, know commonly as Mad Plankton or Psychosis Plankton (often shortened to Psycho Plankton).

Giants of the Depths. Art By: Me

There is a dearth of reliable information about Dictyocysta Coeus, with most sea naturalists finding little interest in the study of plankton. They possess a protein-based bell shaped shell protecting their organs. Dictyocysta Coeus use a number of cilia that extend from the opening of their shells. Measuring 25 micro-meters, they are invisible to the naked eye.

While there is a scarcity of reliable information about Dictyocysta Coeus, one may find an extensive “study” of their physiology by Doctor Kellis Blue. Like many great minds, Dr. Blue skated the razor edge between insanity and genius for many years before falling fully into madness. I am unsure of the exact etymology of the term Mad Plankton and Psychosis Plankton, but I am sure Dr. Blue's descent into mental illness is linked to it.

According to Dr. Blue's book Tiny Minds of Genius, they possess approximately twelve-thousand neurons (11,976 to be exact), though how she reached this number is unknown. Furthermore, she writes that the average human possessed eighty-six billion neurons in their cerebral cortex. These numbers must be pure conjecture as there is no means either mechanical, meta-mechanical, or occult to determine the exact number of neurons in any creature due to their extremely minuscule size.

One of the whales' tentacled sensory organs. Art By: Me

Dr. Blue goes on to posit that the Dictyocysta Coeus is capable of some form of neural among other members of the species to create complex neurological structures. In essence, they are able to literally pool their mental resources to engage in complex mental tasks. Through simple arithmetic, we can estimate that it would require 7.18 million individual Dictyocysta Coeus to match the mental abilities of a human being; though this estimation is based on information that is more than likely to be the ramblings of a madwoman.

According to her writings, the Dictyocysta Coeus can form a single colony organism similar to the Iberian Man o'War, which she refers to as a Cabal. While it is not outlining her paranoid delusions, it is sufficient to say that Dr. Blue believed that these Cabals were engaged in nefarious actions aimed against other species which includes humans. Unfortunately, she committed suicide three years prior to these writings. It is a tragedy that her mind was lost before she could add to knowledge of our Inner City Sea.

The Dictyocysta Coeus would still be a mystery to the world had not the body of a Thought-Whale been discovered near a City-Ship. An incredible number of these small beings were found partly digested in the stomach of the Thought-Whale, which provided the answer to the question of Thought-Whale nutrition and expanded our knowledge of Inner City Sea plankton...

Anonymous “Words from the streets” Undiluted Truth (Infinite City) 17^th of Pyanepsion 6M – 283 pg. A5

Each week I wander the streets of the city, and find individuals who are willing to give their insights about it. This week I met with Jareth Leroy DeGobelin, one of the many homeless of the city looking for shelter as the we move towards winter. I asked Jareth for any insights about the city, this is what he said:

Poor Mr. Jareth...

Yeah... Yeah I got somethin'. Y'see there are these vendin' machines that look like peoples. Only they got coin slots for eyes, gray skin, and a speaker-box instead of a mouth. Theys called Dream Engines, and they can talk to ya.

Give them a copper and they'll spray this rainbow light on ya, you'll be warm for two days, or cool iffin it be hot out. Theys got this triangle in theys chest, that's where the light comes from. They all got the same name, Mister Sane. And theys right nice sometimes, givin' somebody warmth if them helps clean theys skin.

They all work for this king named Jones, he's the king of Blackstar. That's where all the money goes. I'm supposed to go see Mister Sane tonight, he said Jones has got work for me! Imma gonna be rich!

You's real nice for buyin' me this new coat and all this food. I'll remember ya when Imma rich and powerful.

Mister DeGobelin offered to meet with me the next day to speak about his experience with the Blackstar King, but he never appeared for our appointment...

The Skinny (Stuff in Plain Words / Non-Fluff)

Our psychic whales, like many other whale species, feed by filtering large amounts of sea water for tiny organisms call Plankton. Their favored food source is Psycho Plankton, tiny animals that can link their tiny minds together to create complex neurological structures. This linking allows them to create a colony organism called a Cabal, similar Portuguese Man o'Wars. On their own, they possess the basic intelligence of a Pond Snail, together they can be as intelligent (or more so) as a human.

I based the idea of Psycho Plankton on the Portuguese Man o'War (WIKI LINK), the number of neurons that various species possess (WIKI LINK), and the intelligence of Honey Bees: (WIKI LINK) and (Jon Lieff M.D. BlogLink).

The amazing bee.

Some fun facts:

Bees routinely solve the advanced mathematical problem of the traveling salesman. (Traveling Salesman WIKI LINK)

Bees can handle two different abstract concepts at the same time and make decisions based on these in new situations.

A bee brain contains roughly 1 million neurons in its 0.5 mm size, as opposed to a human's 86 billion.

Bees distinguish landscapes scenes, types of flowers, shapes and patterns.

Now, this doesn't mean that bees are some kind of insect super-geniuses, so no need to worry about the bees overthrowing humans. However, their abilities do call into question what the exact relationship between brain size and intellectual abilities.

Look out for my next post about Psycho-Plankton and their nefarious plans!

Whales and Vending Machines

If you remember my previous post (LINK), Dream Engines are somehow linked to the Thought-Whales, though how is up to you or a fun chart I've included. As you may have noticed, they are a huge fan-boy, pun filled love letter to David Bowie. I have included some stuff they sell, though you are more than welcome to add to their menu of items sold. These strange vending machines work well for strange or powerful items you make available to your players for purchase. Plus, since they are mobile, you can use them to limit how often these items become available. Another use is a mobile merchant that can appear in dungeons randomly for the PC's to stock up on various adventuring items. Just like David Bowie, these machines are capable of a lot.

Since I was in a rush with my last post, I didn't include stats for the Thought-Whales. I have included them in this post, though their abilities are still up for interpretation. If any of you folks have advice for improving the mechanics, please let me know. Finally, if anyone is good at statting up monsters for 5^th edition DnD, I would be happy to post your write-up on my blog for your workup of Thought-Whales. I have included a list of possible rewards you could give to a PC that plays along with the whole 'Guess what? You're a psychic whale!'. 

From a ship's Naturalist. Art By: Me

Thought-Whales

OSR / AD&D / LotFP

Type: Ultra Intelligent Animal

Activity Cycle: Usually Day

Diet: Plankton

Intelligence: Godlike (25+)

Treasure: None

Alignment: Neutral

No. Appearing: 1 OR 2 to 7 (1D3+1)

Armor Class: 22 / -2

Movement: 40 ft (Swimming)

Hit Dice: 16

THAC0/To-Hit: 6 / +14

No. of Attacks: 1 (Tail-Slap) or 2 (Kinetic Blasts)

Damage:

Tail Slap: 6D6+10 (Bludgeoning)

Kinetic Blasts: 3D6+3 (Bludgeoning, Slashing, or Piercing) Max Range: 40 ft.

Spell Resistance: 40%

All Saves: 9

Experience Award: 20,000

Special Abilities:

Echolocation: Can 'see' in complete darkness as long as sound can be transmitted.

Caster Level 16

At Will – Telepathy, ESP, Forget, Charm Person, Suggestion, and Mind Blast.

Mind Blast: A Thought-Whale’s preferred method of attack is the mind blast, projected in a cone 60 feet long, 5 feet wide at the Thought-Whale, and 20 feet wide at the opposite end. All within the cone must make a saving throw vs. Spell or be stunned and unable to act for 3d4 rounds. While their opponents are stunned, the Thought-Whale will usually flee.

3/Day – Confusion, Hallucinatory Terrain, Maze, and Projected Image

1/Day – Alter Reality (Limited Wish), Prismatic Spray, and Prismatic Wall.

PC Rewards - 1D6

Here are a few minor rewards for PC's that play along with the Psychic Whale origins. Each advantage comes with a minor physical change to the PC's body. You can roll on this chart, or just choose a reward.

1. Blindsense: Character gains the ability to see in any lighting condition with a 5 ft maximum range, this ability is negated in the presence of sound dampening. Physical Change: A small, but noticeable bump, forms at the center of the character's forehead. This bump is a resonance chamber, creating and receiving high-frequency pulses used for echolocation.
2. Powerful Lungs: Character can now hold their breath twice as long as they could before. Physical Change: The character's lungs and ribcage expands, making the character look more 'barrel-chested'.
3. Cold Resilience: Character can now survive extreme cold from natural environments, such from an arctic ocean. This does not make them immune, or even resistant to, magical cold effects such as ones from Cone of Cold. Physical Change: The character's appearance softens, losing some definition on bone structure. This change comes from the character gaining a new layer of super-dense fat to act as insulation. This layer is thin, which reduces the amount of change to appearance that would occur.
4. Great Swimmer: The character gains a swim speed equal to their base speed. Physical Change: Character develops minor webbing between their digits as well as a broadening of their shoulders and thickening of thighs.
5. Kinetic Blast: Character gains the ability to fire off a Kinetic Blast of bludgeoning damage. The damage done by this blast is 1D8, with a maximum range of 30 feet, the character must make a successful ranged attack. The character may use this ability once per day, the character gains an extra use per day for every three levels beyond the first. Physical Change: The character's forehead bulges slightly as their brain and skull expands.
6. Empathic Communication: The character may transmit their emotions to another willing individual within 40 feet. These transmitted emotions do not effect the emotions of those receive them, rather the receiver just gains knowledge of the transmitter's current emotional state. The character may use this at will, with only one target at a time. Physical Change: The character's eyes change to a sea-green color that glows slightly when the character uses this ability.

Watch out, it's comin' for ye! Art By: Me

Pits and Perils

Attacks: 1

Level: 9

Move: 50' Swimming

Size: Huge

Side: N

Number: 1, 3, or 5

Treasure: Type III B

Special Abilities:

At-Will: Send, Aura (P&P II)

3/ Day: Bolt, Link, Ruse (P&P II), Lift (P&P II)

1 / Day: Fear, Stun, Rout (P&P II), Slow (P&P II), Copy (P&P III)

PC Rewards - 1D6

Here are a few minor rewards for PC's that play along with the Psychic Whale origins. Each advantage comes with a minor physical change to the PC's body. You can roll on this chart, or just choose a reward.

1. Blindsense: Character gains the ability to see in any lighting condition with a 5 ft maximum range, this ability is negated in the presence of sound dampening. Physical Change: A small, but noticeable bump, forms at the center of the character's forehead. This bump is a resonance chamber, creating and receiving high-frequency pulses used for echolocation.
2. Powerful Lungs: Character can now hold their breath twice as long as they could before. Physical Change: The character's lungs and ribcage expands, making the character look more 'barrel-chested'.
3. Cold Resilience: Character can now survive extreme cold from natural environments, such from an arctic ocean. This does not make them immune, or even resistant to, magical cold effects such as ones from Cone of Cold. Physical Change: The character's appearance softens, losing some definition on bone structure. This change comes from the character gaining a new layer of super-dense fat to act as insulation. This layer is thin, which reduces the amount of change to appearance that would occur.
4. Great Swimmer: The character gains a swim speed equal to their base speed. Physical Change: Character develops minor webbing between their digits as well as a broadening of their shoulders and thickening of thighs.
5. Kinetic Blast: Character gains the ability to fire off a Kinetic Blast of bludgeoning damage. The base damage done by this blast is 1 Hit, with a maximum range of 30 feet, the character must make a successful ranged attack. The character may use this ability once per day, the character gains an extra use per day for every two levels beyond the first. Physical Change: The character's forehead bulges slightly as their brain and skull expands.
6. Empathic Communication: The character may transmit their emotions to another willing individual within 50 feet. These transmitted emotions do not effect the emotions of those receive them, rather the receiver just gains knowledge of the transmitter's current emotional state. The character may use this at will, with only one target at a time. Physical Change: The character's eyes change to a sea-green color that glows slightly when the character uses this ability.

A whale's eyes are totally unlike a doll's eyes. Art By: Me

Into the Odd

Str 18, Dex 6, Will 20, 20 hp, Armour 2

Driven to go about their inscrutable plans.

Acts as a Detachment in combat. Tail Slap: D12 OR Mind Blast: 1D8 w/ up to 3 targets within sight.

At-Will: Mind Probe

3/ Day: Painful Thoughts, Weight of the Soul, Tyrant's Command

1/ Day: Call to Madness and Mind Wipe (Reverseable)

Mind Probe: The Thought-Whale are able to view the innermost thoughts of the target. They may pass a Will save to resist.

Painful Thoughts: Target must pass a Will save or lose d6 Str.

Weight of the Soul: Target must pass a Dex save to avoid the Thought-Whale's gaze, or feel a weight on their very soul and lose d6 Will.

Tyrant's Command: Order a target to drop, fall, flee or halt unless they pass a Will save.

Call to Madness: The Thought-Whale sends a barrage of alien thoughts into a target's mind. The target must pass a Will save or lose d12 Will.

Mind Wipe: Target must pass a Will save or become a mindless automaton. The Thought-Whale can return the mind back to the target at any time they wish, from any distance.

PC Rewards - 1D6

Here are a few minor rewards for PC's that play along with the Psychic Whale origins. Each advantage comes with a minor physical change to the PC's body. You can roll on this chart, or just choose a reward.

1. Blindsense: Character gains the ability to see in any lighting condition with a 10 ft maximum range, this ability is negated in the presence of sound dampening. Physical Change: A small, but noticeable bump, forms at the center of the character's forehead. This bump is a resonance chamber, creating and receiving high-frequency pulses used for echolocation.
2. Powerful Lungs: Character can now hold their breath twice as long as they could before. Physical Change: The character's lungs and ribcage expands, making the character look more 'barrel-chested'.
3. Cold Resilience: Character can now survive extreme cold from natural environments, such from an arctic ocean. This does not make them immune, or even resistant to, magical cold effects such as ones from Cone of Cold. Physical Change: The character's appearance softens, losing some definition on bone structure. This change comes from the character gaining a new layer of super-dense fat to act as insulation. This layer is thin, which reduces the amount of change to appearance that would occur.
4. Great Swimmer: The character gains a swim speed equal to their base speed. Physical Change: Character develops minor webbing between their digits as well as a broadening of their shoulders and thickening of thighs.
5. Kinetic Blast: Character gains the ability to fire off a Kinetic Blast of bludgeoning damage. The base damage done by this blast is 1D8, with a maximum range of 30 feet. The character may use this ability once per day per level. Physical Change: The character's forehead bulges slightly as their brain and skull expands.
6. Empathic Communication: The character may transmit their emotions to another willing individual within 50 feet. These transmitted emotions do not effect the emotions of those receive them, rather the receiver just gains knowledge of the transmitter's current emotional state. The character may use this at will, with only one target at a time. Physical Change: The character's eyes change to a sea-green color that glows slightly when the character uses this ability.

Mister Sane. Art By: Me

The Men who Fell to Earth

These wandering mechanized merchants are purveyors of the strangest services and baubles. In the next post I will provide stats for them, but if you need stats now use the stats of a Flesh Golem but medium sized. Mr. Sane always plays a song when dispensing their items or services, I've included a Youtube link for each service.

Golden Glow – Golden Years (LINK)

Mr. Sane emits a rainbow light from its chest that bathes the target. For the next 24 hours, the target is immune from any adverse effects from weather related temperature. The target is completely comfortable no matter the how hot or cold it is where they are.

Cost

OSR / LotFP / AD&D: 1 cp

P&P: 1 Gold

Into the Odd: 1 Penny

You Can Be Heroes – Heroes (LINK)

Mr. Sane sings for an individual, casting an amazing prismatic light show on the target. The character gains a morale bonus to certain actions for 3 hours.

Rules and Cost

OSR / LotFP / AD&D: +1 to-hit, damage, and saves. Cost: 6 gp / sp for LotFP

P&P: +1 to-hit and saves. Cost: 12 Gold

Into the Odd: +1 to damage and saves. Cost: 6 Shillings.

A strange floating egg. Art By: Me

Moonage Dream Stuff – Moonage Daydream (LINK)

While singing and emitting rainbow light, an egg sized and shaped object emerges from the hole in its chest. The 'egg' emits a soft glow as prismatic colors crawl ceaselessly over its surface.

The egg, when not in use, will orbit the user's forehead much as ioune stone might. Using their will, the character can shape the egg into any mundane tool, a buckler, or any weapon that is no larger than a short-sword. This object can be formed into a short-bow, but the user must supply their own arrows. The egg can only be formed into simple shapes without moving mechanical parts.

Rules and Cost

OSR / LotFP / AD&D: Character must roll beneath their Wisdom Score on 1D20. A failure means the egg is not shaped. Anytime the character rolls a 20, the Wisdom of any user is considered 1 point lower for the purposes of using this item. The effects of rolling multiple 20's is cumulative. Cost: 100 gp / sp for LotFP.

P&P: The user must roll a 6 on 2D6 in order to shape the object. A failure results in the object not being shaped. If a user ever rolls a 2 on the 2D6, the target number is permanently increased by +1. Multiple 2's are cumulative.

Into the Odd: The character must make a successful Will save to shape the egg. A failed save results in the object not being shaped. If a 1 is ever rolled for a Will save to shape the object, anyone who uses the object is at a -1 penalty to their Will save to shape it. The effects of multiple 1's rolled is cumulative on the object. 

Strange bullets for any gun. Art By: Me

 

Bullet Blasting Blues – Running Gun Blues (LINK)

While singing and emitting rainbow light, strangely shaped bullets/arrowheads emerge from the hole in its chest. These bullets/arrowheads fire targeted spells instead of projectiles.

Rules and Cost

OSR / LotFP / AD&D

All bullets/arrowheads require a successful attack w/ a +4 bonus to-hit. The target must make a save versus Wand/Staff/Rod to resist the effects. Each bullet/arrowhead costs 25 gp each, or 25 sp for LotFP.

1. Dream Snake: The target begins to dream while awake, experiencing a form of hallucination. The target has a 20% miss chance when attacking a target. Each round there is a 25% chance that the target will confuse allies for enemies and enemies for allies. A successful save results in the target being only effected for 1 round, and unsuccessful save results in the target being effected for 6 rounds.
2. Miss Bedtime: The target is put to sleep standing up. Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action). Sleep does not target unconscious creatures, constructs, or undead creatures. A successful save results in the target being effected for 1 round, a failed save results in the target being asleep for 6 rounds.
3. Wet Dreams: The target is filled with lust and desire for a single creature or object as designated by shooter at the time of casting. That creature or object must be within the spell's range and perceivable by the target of the spell. The target is filled with the compulsion to rush to the subject of its lust and passionately kiss or caress that subject on its next turn, taking no other actions. If the target would not normally have lustful feelings toward the designated creature or object, it receives a +4 bonus on its saving throw. A successful save results in the target being effected for 1 round, while a failed save results in the target being effected for 6 rounds.
4. Flying Dreams: This bullet/arrowhead is meant for friends, loved ones, and yourself. Those who are successfully shot are granted the ability to fly at 60 ft with good maneuverability. This effect lasts for 6 minutes.

Pits and Perils

All arrowheads require a successful attack w/ a +2 bonus to-hit. The target must make a save to resist the effects. Each bullet/arrowhead costs 40 Gold each.

1. Dream Snake: The target begins to dream while awake, experiencing a form of hallucination. The target has a 20% miss chance when attacking a target. Each round there is a 25% chance that the target will confuse allies for enemies and enemies for allies. A successful save results in the target being only effected for 1 round, and unsuccessful save results in the target being effected for 6 rounds.
2. Miss Bedtime: The target is put to sleep standing up. Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action. Sleep does not target unconscious creatures, constructs, or undead creatures. A successful save results in the target being effected for 1 round, a failed save results in the target being asleep for 6 rounds.
3. Wet Dreams: The target is filled with lust and desire for a single creature or object as designated by shooter at the time of casting. That creature or object must be within the spell's range and perceivable by the target of the spell. The target is filled with the compulsion to rush to the subject of its lust and passionately kiss or caress that subject on its next turn, taking no other actions. If the target would not normally have lustful feelings toward the designated creature or object, it receives a +2 bonus on its saving throw. A successful save results in the target being effected for 1 round, while a failed save results in the target being effected for 6 rounds.
4. Flying Dreams: This bullet/arrowhead is meant for friends, loved ones, and yourself. Those who are successfully shot are granted the ability to fly at 60 ft with good maneuverability. This effect lasts for 6 minutes.

Into the Odd

The target must make a Will save versus to resist the effects. Each bullet/arrowhead costs 25 Shillings each.

1. Dream Snake: The target begins to dream while awake, experiencing a form of hallucination. The target has a 20% miss chance when attacking a target. Each round there is a 25% chance that the target will confuse allies for enemies and enemies for allies. A successful save results in the target being only effected for 1 round, and unsuccessful save results in the target being effected for 6 rounds.
2. Miss Bedtime: The target is put to sleep standing up. Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action. Sleep does not target unconscious creatures, constructs, or undead creatures. A successful save results in the target being effected for 1 round, a failed save results in the target being asleep for 6 rounds.
3. Wet Dreams: The target is filled with lust and desire for a single creature or object as designated by shooter at the time of casting. That creature or object must be within the spell's range and perceivable by the target of the spell. The target is filled with the compulsion to rush to the subject of its lust and passionately kiss or caress that subject on its next turn, taking no other actions. If the target would not normally have lustful feelings toward the designated creature or object, it receives a +2 bonus on its saving throw. A successful save results in the target being effected for 1 round, while a failed save results in the target being effected for 6 rounds.
4. Flying Dreams: This bullet/arrowhead is meant for friends, loved ones, and yourself. Those who are successfully shot are granted the ability to fly at 60 ft with good maneuverability. This effect lasts for 6 minutes.