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| Lords and Ladies of memory and possibility. Art By: Me |
Author's
Note:
Holy crizzap, I
actually wrote something and didn't just draw weirdo pictures. All
the art here is mine. Wooo writing!
In
plain language
A
group of memory merchants buzz around the world(s) buying and selling
memories, along with a selection of their own technology. Their city
is a weird flying red baby that melts into a giant city of Brutalist
architecture (Wiki Link). If this gets enough interest, I'll take the
time to make more illustrations and write more. There is a lot more
to these folks: what goes on in the baby's brain, the culture of the
Mnemosits, how they copy memories and resurrect people, neon
elementals, as well as the weird things they can do to reality and
probability. I really would dig seeing what you folks out there in
net-land thought about this thing. I've included all the art I've
made so far for this thing as well as some concept/early versions of
this place. In this post you'll find: prices/info about memory
copying and printing, Tiled Armor (a new armor type), and Shard
Shields.
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| I watched Fantastic Planet while drawing this. Art By: Me |
Lost in this memory
kingdom... (Fancy and Literary (Hopefully) Language)
Red
fetal thing, floating through heights unreachable by means of wings
and nature. A humanoid god-fetus, city sized, baby-faced mask blue
and sleeping, red eye staring from forehead, as unsexed as a child's
doll. Crimson skin pooling, rolling back and away in waves, detaching
from the body like ribbons in the wind. Urban forms emerge from its
back, stacked plaque-like upon one-another, cement structures in
basic shapes. A city from the back of a child, alive with light and
activity as any metropolis, tightly packed multitudes of innumerable
variety. The thing's excrement is that of a city, belching smoke,
expelling trash, eliminating sewage from out-flow pipes, and a
comet-tail of red light bursting from strange mechanisms hidden
within the city pile-up.
Packed
within the mile-high urban stack are hallways and floors, the exact
number arcane but to a few; uniform in height and width, squarely
shaped, thresholds circular, their entirety cement construction. Bar,
tubes, and bulbs illuminate these spaces, their light provided by
racing beings, running their circuits through the city. Clouds of
living light, elementals of neon, drugged into ecstatic luminosity
by the city's current.
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| Neon Elementals, so pretty, so blinding, so ELECTRIC!!! Art By: Me |
These
neon lives are played out in tubes, pipes, and ducts electrified by
the firing synapses of the sleeping child. They obsess over the forms
that race by on their endless trek to provide light to the city. Let
out to primarily provide protection to the floating metropolis, from
time to time they sneak from their confined spaces to sculpt their
obsessions from light. Given the space to stretch, they enjoy taking
the faces of the people they have glimpsed while running through city
spaces.
Masters
and tamers of the city, the Mnemosits direct the city in its aerial
travels, stopping over communities to ply their wares. Memory
merchants, they sell partial lives to the mundane folk visited by the
Mnemosit city. Injectable, these basic memories, lacking in emotion,
can grant skill and talent. Those memories filled with the identity
are only copied for the purposes of resurrection-dubbing, a unique
form of resurrection offered by the Mnemosits.
Lithe
and androgynous, they bear similarities to the city-child; mask-like
faces, skin that rolls off their hind-skull in ribbons and waves like
water in the wind. Uncovered by blue skin, their skull gleams white,
unburdened by meat. As the fetal-city's mask-face is blue, those of
the Mnemosit are red.
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| This was the second version I made of this drawing. I changed it after I figured out the color scheme. Art by: Me |
This
is but a grain, a passing reflection in water, there is more here
than what has been written. There can be more to this place, an
expansion of the story here, the only necessity an audience to listen
and view...
The Sharing and
Hording of Memories
The Mnemosits buy and sell non-identity memories that
grant certain knowledge, skills, and talents. Using this system a
person can buy and sell basic abilities granted to them by level
(to-hit and skill ranks), however, by selling these abilities, they
are permanently reduced in the selling character.
The Mnemosits usually buy memories for 50% of their
market price, though with exceptional bargaining they can be talked
as high as 75% and are “mysteriously” unable to go higher.
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| I made this for a short story series I am working on that is based on this world. Art By: Me |
Pathfinder
/ 3.X
Each skill point or attack bonus modifier sold
permanently reduces the selling character's total. A character may
not sell themselves into negative points/modifiers. A character
purchasing points/modifiers permanently increases the total by the
amount purchased. These purchased abilities are written memories into
the character, and are unaffected by magic dampening effects.
Base Attack Bonus -
Maximum: A
character may only have a total base attack bonus equal to their
level.
Minimum: A
character may only reduce their base attack bonus to +0 through sale.
Price Per Point: 15,000
GP
Skill Ranks -
Maximum: A
character may only have a total number of skill points in any one
skill equal to their level.
Minimum: A
character may only sell skill points they actually possess, and may
not sell themselves into a negative rating.
Price Per Point: 800
GP
LotFP
/ AD&D / OSR
Each skill point or attack bonus modifier sold
permanently reduces the selling character's total, or permanently
increases the character's total in the case of THAC0. A character may
not sell themselves into negative points/modifiers, or above 20 in
the case of THAC0. A character purchasing points/modifiers
permanently increases the total by the amount purchased, or
permanently decreases in the case of THAC0. These purchased abilities
are written memories into the character, and are unaffected by magic
dampening effects.
Base Attack Bonus OSR -
Maximum: A
character may only have a total base attack bonus equal to their
level.
Minimum: A
character may only reduce their base attack bonus to +0 through sale.
Price Per Point: 15,000
GP
Base Attack Bonus LotFP -
Maximum: A
character may only have a total base attack bonus equal to their
level.
Minimum: A
character may only reduce their base attack bonus to +0 through sale.
Price Per Point: 15,000
SP (Classes with Fighter to-hit progression) and 30,000 SP (All other
classes).
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| This is the first version before I decided on the color scheme. Art By: Me |
THAC0 -
Maximum: A
character may only have a total THAC0 equal to 21 – their level.
Minimum: A
character may only increase their THAC0 to 20 by sale.
Price Per Point: 15,000
GP
Skill Ranks (Skill Proficiencies) -
Maximum: A
character may only have a total number of skill points in any one
skill equal to their level.
Minimum: A
character may only sell skill points they actually possess, and may
not sell themselves into a negative rating.
Price Per Point: 600
GP
Skill Ranks (X out of 6) -
Maximum: 6.
Minimum: A
character may only sell skill points to reduce the rating to a
minimum of 1.
Price Per Point: 2560
GP (LotFP: SP)
Shields
and Broken Glass
Looking like orbiting shards of glass hued in and black,
red, and gray, they surround user in a blizzard of sharp edges. Those
who attack user, if they aren't careful, can be cut by the shards
surrounding the user.
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| Yet another version of the same drawing. I redid the face and shading. Art By: Me |
Pathfinder
/ 3.X
Benefits: They
provide a +1 shield bonus. If an attacker critically fails to hit the
user (roll of natural 1), the shield does 1D3 points of Slashing
damage to the attacker.
Slot: Amulet
(The shards emerge from, and return to, a large mirror like amulet).
Cost: 4,000 GP
OSR
/ LotFP / AD&D
Benefits: They
provide a +1/-1 shield bonus. If an attacker critically fails to hit
the user (roll of natural 1), the shield does 1D3 points of Slashing
damage to the attacker.
Slot: Amulet
(The shards emerge from, and return to, a large mirror like amulet).
Cost: 4,000 GP
Pits
& Perils
Benefits:
They provide a 1 HP shield bonus that refreshes at the end of every
battle. If an attacker rolls 2 on 2D6, the shield does 1 Hit of
Slashing damage to the attacker.
Slot: Amulet
(The shards emerge from, and return to, a large mirror like amulet).
Cost: 6,000 GP
Into
the Odd
Benefits: They
provide a 1 point of bonus armor. If an attacker is Impaired
while attacking the user, the shield does 1D3 points of Slashing
damage to the attacker.
Cost: 40 Guilders
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| An example of tiled armor. As you can see, the Mnemosits wear pointy soled shoes. Art By: Me |
Pieces
of Protection
The Mnemosits have mastered the ability to construct
armor using independent pieces that are not physically bound to one
another. Held into the shape by a probabilistic field, a field of
effect that manipulates the probability of the pieces always staying
in an armor-like shape, despite the movement of the wearer. The armor
may be made of any material, with the armor brought to the Mnemosits
being subjected to a process unique to them.
Tiled Armor is a mass of shaped material that is
constantly crawling and shifting over the wearer in a vaguely armor
shape. This constant movement can confuse would-be attacker's ability
to target the wearer, granting them an extra degree of protection.
The probabilistic field is created through more 'spooky' quantum
forces rather than magic, so it will continue to function normally
despite magic dampening effects. Tiled Armor may enchanted normally
as any other piece of armor. To be effective, the attacker must have
some sort of mind in order to become confused.
Pathfinder
/ 3.X
Armor must be masterwork in order to be subjected to
this process.
Benefits -
Light: +1 AC
Medium: +2 AC
Heavy:+3 AC
Cost to Modify-
Light: 3,500 GP
Medium: 7,000 GP
Heavy: 10,500 GP
OSR
/ LotFP / AD&D
Benefits -
Light: +/- 1 AC
Medium: +/- 2 AC
Heavy:+/- 3 AC
Cost to Modify-
Light: 3,500 GP
Medium: 7,000 GP
Heavy: 10,500 GP
Pits
& Perils
Benefits:
Increases the base difficulty to-hit the wearer by +1.
Cost: 10,500 GP
Into
the Odd
Benefits:
Increases the base armor protection by +1.
Cost: 20 Guilders
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| This is the original version of the first pic before I decided on a color scheme. Art By: Me |
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