by Fabio | Feb 20, 2015 | Foci
Your father was a Clockworker. Your grandfater was a Clockworker. Your mother worked as a specilised technician in a very important factory of the city, and you claim Central Tower Clock was made by one of your ancestor.You should be a Clockworker too, but something gone wrong: maybe your social class is too low, you lack the confidence, or you accidentally trip hot coffe on your chief supervisor’s clockgimp and now are fired. Maybe you where a clockworker, then you got quickened and decided you will leave the town to another recursion, inthe future.You know this town’s secret places, and you can repair almost everything is working on this town. You got the skill to be a wonderful Clockworker, and maybe you once where, before something happened and you started adventuring, or decided you should “have a life” outside the gears. tier 1: mechanical knowledge [+4 bonus to your intellect]everything is a tool (1 intellect) [ignore penalties for lack of normal tools if can use something else as a substitute] tier 2: hidden city knowledge [got an asset for chasing, finding hiding spots, or when an extensive knowledge of hidden place could be useful] tier 3: tinkerer [after 1 day tinkering with an artefact or cypher it works as 1 level higher. this applies only to the clockworker] tier 4: cyphersmith [after 1d6 days working on a depleted mad science/mechanical/clockwork cypher can create a new one (random generated) working at half level than previous one. Cannot be used on a depleted lvl 1 cypher. Only the clockworker can use it.] tier 5: mechanical resonance (3 intellect) [all clockwork brained, hybrid, or mechanical...
by Fabio | Feb 20, 2015 | Foci
You always had a talent for mechanics and repairing but lack of skill and dedication to be a Clockworker. You where just a child when you built your first mechanical bird, a little brass robin who did nothing else than funny noise while opening and closing his beak, and let you win the smile of a girl.Becoming adult you dediced to use your talent to create full mechanical pet and working mechanisms; the pet you make and sold to other people are no more than toy barely resembling organic pet, but the one you did for yourself are amazing: they can hear your command and act independently, and are a full replacement for organic pet. They also can be repaired, upgraded and if they “die” you can always rebuild from scratch. Some people think you are a genius, and someone think you are a mad, but that’s no problem because you have your companion who can always help you. tier 1: clockwork companion [a level 2, 6 hp, 2 damage; if destroyed can be created again in 1d6 days] tier 2: helping hand [the clockwork companion can help the master giving him an asset] tier 3: steam powered mount [a level 3, 9 hp mount; can’t attack but can defend. if destroyed can be created again in 3d6 days] tier 4: remote eyes [can perceive through sensor of clockwork companion]; improved companion [clockwork companion is lvl 4, 12 hp, 4 damage] tier 5: mechanical swarm [can create from scraps an horde of small creature who act as a level 4 one (or 5+ level 2); must be controlled each turn for no more than 10...
by Fabio | Feb 20, 2015 | Foci
[based on “fuses flesh and steel” from Numenera] You replaced a great part of your internal organs with mechanical clockwork ones; this could be a deliberate choice, or conseguencies of an almost fatal injury. Now your body is half mechanics, but this is not a fault in your eyes, but an enhancement of your former human capabilities. You’re not a fanatic, of course, and think everyone is free to choose to stay full organic, but this would’nt stop you from thinking everyone would be better with clockwork organs. tier 1: enhanced body [+1 Armor, +3 Might, +3 Speed]special healing [first 5 points of damage cannot be healed but must be repaired] tier 2: clockwork enhancement [after a few minute working on his modification gain asset on one single speed or might task] tier 3: weaponization [one light or medium weapon can be built inside the frame; user is Trained in using this weapon; this weapon is hidden until used] tier 4: integration [cypher and artifact can be connected to the body and are used as one level higher] tier 5: deep reserve [once day up to 5 points can be transfered from a pool to another one; 1 point/round] tier 6: ultra enhancement [+1 Armor and +5 to each of the three stat...
by David | Feb 20, 2015 | Recursions
The entirety of Junkworld is mountains of trash, piled so deep that digging into the depths sheds light into the different epochs of the ancient civilization that created it. Junkworld is sparsely inhabited with a few scattered ramshackle settlements, and while it is unknown how these inhabitants arrived here, they all have the spark of intelligence. These inhabitants scavenge the lands for survival, braving the dangers that lurk just out of sight behind every trash pile or burrowed under-foot. They clothe themselves in assortments of plastic sheets, torn cloth, metal plates and scrap wood lashed together. Buildings and public areas are built out of the same. These inhabitants have also managed to collect and foster compost heaps for use in agriculture and use the indigenous plant life in gardens and small fields. Junkworld is populated by various species of animals that evolved from the vermin of the original civilization, and who ironically have now long out lasted it. These animals are the equivalents of the rats, pigeons and cockroaches of the society. Having lived in this environment over the ages they have evolved in grotesque and strangely beautiful ways. Some travel in swarms while others lead a solitary existence. Again some are benign and even domesticated, while others are predatory and violent. In addition to these life forms there are the broken automata that wander serving obscure functions. They organize and rearrange trash endlessly, hunt only specific breeds of vermin, or organize into armies around gigantic structures to process specific components of the trash and distill it producing different forms of matter. The inhabitants of Junkworld dig mines winding...
by Forbinproject | Feb 19, 2015 | Recursions
Wolf’s Wood is a recursion formed from the myths and legends of Robin Hood that has been invaded by a sentient mutagenic virus from the Strange. The virus, which calls itself Kymera, has the ability to infect, possess and mutate its hosts into fearsome, monstrous beings called daemons by the superstitious inhabitants of Nottinghamshire. The forces of the Sheriff of Nottingham have fought the alien invader’s infected hosts to a standstill, and a precarious stalemate currently exists. Kymera’s most powerful pawns are the former heroes of Sherwood Forest – Robin Hood and Maid Marian – now transformed into the monstrous half-animal Wolfshead and the arboreal fury known as the May Queen. Silver is the recursion’s main defence against Kymera. The metal is anathema to the virus. Silver weapons disrupt Kymera and silver talismans worn in contact with the skin protect humans from infection. The Sheriff has forced his serfs to mine for silver, increasing their suffering and oppression, but ensuring that they are protected from Kymera. Kymera’s daemons occupy Sherwood Forest, under the command of Wolfshead and the May Queen, while the Sheriff and his soldiers remains safe in Nottingham Castle. Those serfs who work the mines endure a punishing existence, and the yeoman farmers of Nottingham live in fear of attacks from the ‘daemon outlaws’. The Wound At the heart of Sherwood Forest is The Wound, a fractal vortex connection to the Strange formed when Kymera first breached the recursion. The fractal vortex’s energy and connection to the Strange allows Kymera to exist within the recursion, overlaying the law of Mad Science on top of the original law...
by Otterpoet | Feb 19, 2015 | Recursions
Description Although a young Recursion, The Red Lantern has been the beginning point for some of the most tremendous events in The Strange. Not that one would suspect as much upon entering the small izakaya (sake house). Created by Lord Tanstaafl, a recursion miner, the Recursion serves as a comfortable drinking spot for the movers and shakers in the Strange. It serves as neutral ground for its visitors, offering complete anonymity in the most peculiar way. On any given night, members of the Estate, the Quiet Cabal, the Chaos Templars, and the Beak Mafia could be sitting across from one another, discussing business, politics, or hiring mercenaries, recursions miners, or undercover operatives. Recursors arriving at the Red Lantern discover themselves on a small island, floating upon an island above the swirling chaos of the Strange. The island itself is a lush and immaculate Japanese garden, featuring trees, ponds teeming with fish, and miniature waterfalls. A stone path leads to the tea house structure at the island’s heart. Two Lion Dogs flank the building’s only entrance, and will demand an entry fee from all visitors – new or old. Generally, this fee is a small Cypher or something of equal value. Anyone trying to enter without paying will be forced off the property (Lion Dogs are equivalent to Golems, p. 270 of The Strange corebook); attacks being meant to push the offenders off the island and into the Strange, rather than inflict true injuries. They will also prohibit any and all weaponry from being allowed inside The Red Lantern. The center of the Japanese style pub is...
by Matteo Signorini | Feb 19, 2015 | Recursions
Hundreds of years ago some people tried to escape from Ruk aboard a lifeboat made from the recursion itself; maybe they hoped to find freedom or only to escape the endless conflicts of their home; unfortunately during the initial moments of the flight something went horribly wrong and they foud themselves stuck into another recusion wich was a glorius dream of everything the old Roman republic should have been: glorious, powerful, righteous and eternal. The survivors after the accident instead of rebulding their craft started a vicious infighting about who was to blame and how to best remedy their situation, fast foward to the present and the recursion has become a nightmare of mutant armies battling bioenanched legions for the supremacy, indeed the survivors used their mad science to usurp the various seats of power and after having established themselves as senators, dictators, tribal leaders or pharaons used their knowledge and newly aquired armies into foolish wars to determine who was in the wrong, who was to blame and especially who is rigth. Today the recursion is extremely different from it’s roots as an utopia of the ancient world; weird machine beasts bred by the nothrn barbarians roam the countryside, in the romans cities artisans try to blend their craft with that of their inhuman masters to build the best weapons and armors while the pharaons of the south alter their subjects to create the perfect soldier. To a casual visitor this recursion would seem like stepping into the past if one could ignore the mutated slaves, that strange crossbow that a soldier is carring or the strange pland...
by Kelley | Feb 19, 2015 | Recursions
Shaelore Shaelore is a dark and dreary place, yet bright and beautiful as well. Techonlogically and geographically similar to modern day Earth, the presence or absence of light causes drastic changes in the environment with a twisted perspective leaning more towards disturbing – the entire recursion is the manifestation of single woman’s mind – Ellie Swanson. Ellie Swanson (Level 8) Ellie was a patient in a mental institution suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder (or Multiple Personality Syndrome), when she stumbled into the Strange. She took control of her own life again, and after wandering the Strange for many years, she created Shaelore. Ellie became a God there, but her personality split into two incarnations – the Umbramancer Zaerahan and the Goddess Ahnzaera; the two of which are constantly vying for absolute control of Ellie and all of Shaelore. Ellie is about 5′ 6″ and unhealthily slender, but still young and beautiful. She has long red hair and wears a straight jacket. She is locked in room 932 on the ninth floor the Gryvorum. If the door to that room is opened, Zaerahan and Ahnzaera will immediately appear and stand guard. They will not attack unless aggressive movements are perceived towards Ellie. The Umbramancer Zaerahan (Level 8) The Umbramancer Zaerahan is a pale skinned beauty, with hair that pulsates from dark black to crimson red. Her scarred left eye is a slit-pupil with a dull orange iris. Her right eye is milky and assumed to be blind. She has two immense bat-like wings and her left arm is strangely elongated, with long sharp claws at the tips of her fingers. The Umbramancer Zaerahan manipulates the Umbra and has complete control of any Shadowborne within long range of her. She can emit a pulse of Umbra that deals 8 points of...
by Darren White | Feb 19, 2015 | Recursions
Description Some people claim to have been abducted by aliens. Some of them claim to have been tested or examined. And some of them disappear forever. So do cows, pets and a thousand other animals no one ever realizes. The Lost Lands are a recursion that appears, initially at least, as a broad African veldt, dotted with loose groves of acacia and baobab trees, streams that swell and shrivel with the seasons, and rough, rocky outcroppings that bake in the harsh sun and offer shelter at night. In the perpetually hot weather, reptilian megafauna roam the Lost Lands, herds of smaller herbivores graze alertly, while larger ones can be found in small family groups. Large solitary hunters compete with smaller predatory packs for the herds, while even smaller bipedal mammals use cunning, tools and tactics to hunt the game. Feral, primitive humans eke out an existence amongst the giant dinosaurs and the smaller, clever raptors, taking shelter in the safety of caves and using their skills of tool making and knowledge of fire to survive in the hostile recursion. Life is grim and difficult but the intelligence of the human natives gives them the edge they need to compete against much larger predators or the smaller, more numerous raptors. That is, until the Greys arrived. Greys are a shy, scientific race, driven by an insatiable curiosity. Some have learned to travel between recursions in their sleek, saucer shaped vehicles and some of the more daring have even learned how to operate their ships in Sub-standard Physics environments by carrying a micro-recursion ‘bubble’ of Mad Science wherever they go. As...
by Lee | Feb 18, 2015 | Recursions
Picture an architect, a great one, full of talent and promise. Feed them exotic liqueurs and opiates. Warp his mind with a terror and madness so pure as to be almost elemental. Now tell them to build the grandest castle they can imagine. Now picture a whole army of architects working at cross purposes. That fever dream is Castle Dracula. Miles of twisted corridors connect a mad jumble of rooms. The normal logic of a castle layout has no sway here. Kitchens abut bedrooms. Massive ballrooms are found beneath grisly torture chambers. Myriad spires pierce the eternal night, each of them castles unto themselves. Rooms of every mundane function are here, but their adornments are anything but ordinary. The furniture and decorations were splendid once, rich and Gothic. Now cobwebs and mildew rule. Among the guestrooms and armories are stranger things, arcane laboratories and forgotten shrines. The only thing more varied and phantasmagorical than the castle are the monsters. If fearful tales of it have been told, it exists somewhere in Castle Dracula . Harpies, nuckelavees, penanggalans, nue, all these and more lurk in the darkened rooms. Most are content to stay put and guard their lairs from intruders, but some prowl the castle, looking for mortals to prey upon. And there are mortals, even in a place as dark and inhuman as this. They huddle together in small enclaves, fearful of the ever-present night. Some are nominally employed by the count as servants. There is an entire tribe of cooks in a Brobdingnagian kitchen, cooking endless banquets for ghouls and creeps. Others are outside of any supposed social...
