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WORLDS NUMBERLESS

AND STRANGE
CREDITS
Writers/Designers Bruce R. Cordell and Monte Cook
Developer Monte Cook
Creative Director Shanna Germain
Editor/Proofreader Ray Vallese
Cover Artist Matt Stawicki
Graphic Designer Bear Weiter

Artists Marius Andrei, Jacob Atienza, chrom, Nicholas Cloister, Sam Cullum, Dreamstime.com, Jason Engle, Erebus,
David Hueso, Baldi Konijn, Guido Kuip, Brandon Leach, Eric Lofgren, Patrick McEvoy, Brynn Metheney, Grzegorz Pedrycz,
Mike Perry, John Petersen, Michael Phillippi, Roberto Pitturru, Eric Quigley, Nick Russell, Joe Slucher, Lee Smith,
Matt Stawicki, Cyril Terpent, Cory Trego-Erdner, Tiffany Turrill, Chris Waller, Cathy Wilkins, Ben Wootten, Kieran Yanner

Cartographer Hugo Solis

Monte Cook Games Editorial Board Scott C. Bourgeois, David Wilson Brown, Eric Coates,
Gareth Hodges, Mila Irek, Jeremy Land, Laura Wilkinson, Marina Wold, George Ziets

Recursion Codex Contributor Darren White (Lost Lands)

Dedicated to the memories of Leonard Nimoy, Sam Simon, and Terry Pratchett,
who showed us how to build beautiful worlds

2015 Monte Cook Games, LLC. THE STRANGE and its logo are
trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries.
All Monte Cook Games characters and character names, and the
distinctive likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Printed in Canada
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 1: EXPLORE CREATE DEFEND 5
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 6
Chapter 2: EXPLORING FICTIONS 7
Chapter 3: IMPORTING FICTIONS AND GAME WORLDS 13

PART 2: WORLDS NUMBERLESS 15


Chapter 4: ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 16
Chapter 5: RECURSIONS 34
Chapter 6: RECURSION SEEDS 168

PART 3: WORLDS STRANGE 195


Chapter 7: CHARACTER OPTIONS 196
Chapter 8: CREATURES 209

PART 4: BACK MATTER 219


RESOURCES AND INSPIRATION 220
INDEX 222
Part 1:
EXPLORE CREATE DEFEND

Chapter 1: Introduction 6
Chapter 2: Exploring Fictions 7
Chapter 3: Importing Fictions and Game Worlds 13
C H AP TER 1

INTRODUCTION
You know what excites me? New things, unfamiliar places, and opportunities to explore them.
If youre reading this, the same is probably true for you. And that means you probably also
remember the opening for the popular science fiction television show Star Trek, which invited
Throughout this
viewers to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go
book, youll see
page references where no man has gone before!
to various items The first time I saw the original series (on a black-and-white television), I was six or seven years
accompanied old. What I saw enthralled me: people wandered through crazy ruins, which were dominated by
by this symbol. a time gate that talked. When the people jumped through the gate, it was to a different world. I
These are page didnt know then that it was actually to a different time; all I knew was that it was amazing and I
references to The wanted to go there.
Strange corebook,
I couldnt, of course. As wonderful as it was, Star Trek required the viewer to imagine being
where you can find
additional details in the far future where spaceships routinely bypassed the lightspeed barrier. This conceit was
about that item, required in order for the crew to discover worlds populated by humanoids close enough to
place, creature, humans for meaningful stories to unfold. Dont get me wrongthat was great! Ive been a science
or concept. It fiction fan ever since.
isnt necessary But what if you didnt have to wait for the future to arrive? What if those worlds were close
to look up the enough to touch, if you just knew how? Thats what The Strange offers. Reaching strange new
referenced items
worlds doesnt require a starship. Thousands of limited worlds called recursions lie just across
in the corebook,
but doing so will a dimensional divide separating the universe of normal matter from worlds seeded by human
provide useful imagination, where fictions become realities. When you explore, you can find recursions where
information for dragons rule empires, spaceships ply the star lanes, talking rabbits live beneath grass-covered
character creation downs, anime characters battle unimaginable threats, investigators seek to quell Lovecraftian
and gameplay. horrors, evil demigods search for the lost artifact that will grant them domination, and so much
more. Maybe even recursions created by you.
Worlds Numberless and Strange offers detailed glimpses into
dozens of recursions, giving the game master all she needs
to send her PCs for a brief visit to any one of them,
for NPCs to slip from them to visit the characters
on some other recursion or on Earth, or for the GM
to use them as the basis for more in-depth setting
material of her own creation.
So go forth, explore these strange new recursions,
seek out what lies within them, and physically go
where only fiction has gone before!

6
EXPLORING FICTIONS 1
C H AP TER 2

EXPLORING FICTIONS
Maybe one day Ill stumble into a recursion where I became a famous movie star, not
a has-been child actor. Or does it not work that way?
~L. G. Babcock III

Recursions are unique but limited worlds leakage are a few created by conscious design,
hosted in the dark energy network of the including the sorcerous land of Ardeyn and Ardeyn, page 160
Strange. They are not parallel worlds. The the shipwrecked recursion of Ruk. All told,
Ruk, page 190
concept of parallel worlds was popularized thousands of recursions speckle the dark
by the Many Histories or Many Worlds energy web around Earth. They are places of
interpretation of quantum theory. The wonder, adventure, danger, and opportunity for
limited alternate worlds of the game, called those who can travel to them, explore them, or
recursions, are created by fiction, not branching create them.
possibilities. Novels, myths, movies, and
even urban legends seed themselves into the NO MULTIPLE PARALLEL WORLDS
Strange, and implausible new locations are Generally speaking, an explorer wont find
born. alternate versions of herself. Nor would she
discover multiple similar worlds spinning
RECURSIONS FROM FICTIONS off from historical inflection points. So an
Many recursions were seeded into the network explorer shouldnt have to deal with befriending
by the creative resonance of pure imagination (or deciding to murder) another version of
(called fictional leakage). Because recursions herselfat least, not as a natural consequence
are seeded from fiction, someone able to of how recursions work. This also means
explore these realms can find Oz, Pellucidar, that the semblance of time travel, where an
limited worlds where Nazis won World War explorer might try to go back in time to kill
II, several worlds based on popular anime, her grandmother, doesnt actually split off a
Zed Omega recursions experiencing zombie new timeline, as popularized in movies like
apocalypses, Supers worlds based on comics, Back to the Future. In The Strange, time travel
worlds derived from iconic fantasy trilogies, isnt generally possible. (That said, certain
recursions seeded from popular science recursions seeded from time-travel fiction
fiction movies, and regions born from long- might grant the illusion of time travel.)
standing myths from every present and past
society. In some recursions, fairy creatures NARRATIVELY CLOSED RECURSIONS
hang the stars at night; in others, monstrous Some recursions are quite true to their source
evil sleeps beneath the waves; while in others, and do not vary. In these recursions, explorers
pagan gods of prehistoric people still wander. might say that the narrative is closed. In such
Among the many recursions created by fictional places, most natives go through their existence

7
without varying from the roles first imagined a recursion that is far richer in possibility. Thus,
for them in the fiction that created them. Such natives of such recursions are more likely to
Spark, page 22 inhabitants do not have the spark of self- possess the spark or gain it over time. This
awareness that might allow them to realize that is both amazing and potentially amazingly
Moriarty, page 307
their world is limited or to imagine traveling dangerous, which has proved to be the case
Quickened, page 22 beyond the borders of the story that seeded for Moriarty, who also is quickened and able to
their recursion. travel to multiple recursions.
Sometimes the recursions seeded from
FUSED AND NARRATIVELY OPEN multiple stories, where at least 10 percent of
RECURSIONS the population has the spark, generate entirely
Some recursions are not defined or described new events over time. These recursions drift
by any one narrative, but instead are created farther and farther away from the original
by a mixture of several different but related narrative. An explorer (also called a recursor)
stories in the same genre. For instance, all the who visits such a recursion may find a
various books, plays, movies, and campfire limited world where events vary widely from
stories about Alice in Wonderland have created the original fictional source. In some cases,
a recursion where not all the individuals (such an event can snap the recursion back to
as the Red Queen, the Mad Hatter, and the something closer to the original narrative.
White Rabbit) are drawn from the exact same Such events might be the completion of a
narrative. This collision of fictions can lead key quest, the murder of a key individual, or
to situations not accounted for in the stories the apparent destruction of the recursion
that seeded the recursion. For example, a Red itself. Thats possible in recursions where the
Queen who is not merely barking mad but a spark is still under 30 percent or so. But once
devious schemer with long-range plans informs the spark climbs much higher than that, its

8
EXPLORING FICTIONS 1
almost impossible to snap a recursion back the planetovore explores the nested recursions
in this fashion. Some explorers suggest that a hosted by the world. Earth might just be
significant-enough event could instead cause a experiencing a normal period of interaction
recursion to fission, creating a separate limited with the Strange before a planetovore inevitably
world closer to the original story, while the snaps up the planet, but there is reason to
more developed recursion continues forward to believe it might enjoy protections that most
find its own unique destiny. other planets in the universe do not.

THE STRANGE HOSTS RECURSIONS EARTH ENJOYS A SPECIAL STRANGE


Though the fictions of Earth seed recursions, CONNECTION
the medium in which they grow into limited Earths moon was formed by an interstellar
alternate worlds is called the Strange. Also impactor, which was a small piece of the
known as the Chaosphere, the Strange is a mechanism the aliens used to create the
data network constructed by technologically Strange billions of years ago. The disaster, in
advanced aliens billions of years ago. The which the aliens lost control of the Strange,
Strange was originally created to facilitate apparently sent fragments of a solar-system-
intergalactic travel across the universe. The sized object spraying into the cosmos. And
aliens would upload themselves into the dark one fragment, which some call the Aleph Aleph component,
energy web and then print themselves anew component, hit the Earth. A very long time after page 148
at some distant star, without having to travel that, evolving sapient life on Earth triggered a
the light years between the two locations in residual function in the component. It released
the normal universe. But something went a unique quantum field energy that connected
disastrously wrong. The builders of the Strange Earth to the Strange in a way that few, if any,
lost control of their creation and were either other prime worlds ever were. Each recursion
killed or consumed by it. is like a brick in the wall, keeping the planet
Over subsequent billions of years, the safe from direct contact with the Strange
Strange continued to spread through the itself. (Unfortunately, a large recursion could
universe, and it is evident to most scientists become a jarring hole in Earths defenses if A prime world is a world
on Earth as a mysterious dark energy. Within the recursion were ever collapsed, but thats a in the universe of normal
matter.
its immense and ever-expanding volume, the different topic.) Today, the Aleph component is
Strange is capable of hosting almost limitless buried deep beneath the Earths mantle, but its
amounts of information. existence is a secret no longer.
Organizations cognizant of the Strange
believe that recursions are not as likely to be EXPLORATION
hosted around alien worlds in other parts of the Getting from one recursion to another is
universe of normal matter. They believe this for possible using a few different methods. The
two reasons: Earth has avoided the fate of other most common is called translation. When Translation, page 125
worlds, and it has a special connection to the player characters translate, they take on the
Strange. context of the recursion they travel to. They
inhabit entirely new forms with different
EARTH AVOIDS THE FATE OF OTHER WORLDS capabilities and gear. In a given scenario, the
Most alien worlds did not have the same good characters might travel to multiple worlds to
luck that Earth has (so far) enjoyed in avoiding accomplish their goals, discover secrets, or
planetovores. Once a planetovore manages confront foes. They can also capitalize on the Planetovore, page 8
to find and map a prime worlds location in equipment and abilities they gain in different
the Strange, it can forge a linkage and, by recursions to solve problems and perform
calling on ancient protocols, print itself into tasks.
existence on that prime world to consume For example, an agent from Earth arriving in
and convert the planet for its own use. This the magic recursion of Ardeyn no longer has
practice is assumed to destroy any connected her sidearm and suit, but maybe instead has a
recursions, either directly or afterward when sword, a shield, and chainmail. Translation can

9
also involve more drastic changesa character but no translation occurs. Thus, if an explorer
might change appearance, gender, or race as from Earth goes through an inapposite gate,
well as gain new possessions and clothing. she still carries her handgun in her holster even
Whats more, the changes are mental as well as though shes in Ardeyn. Moreover, she has no
Focus, page 51 physical. When the Earth agent translates and special knowledge of Ardeyn, and her focus
becomes a new being in the context of Ardeyn, remains the same as it was on Earth. On the
Translation gate,
page 134
she inherently knows a few things about the other hand, her gun (an artifact of Standard
recursion, like how to speak the predominant Physics, not one of Magic) continues to
Standard Physics, language, where the largest city lies, who rules function, as described below.
page 136 that city, and so on.
Mad Science, page 137 LAWS NOT ALL EQUAL
TRANSLATION GATE Recursions that have grown and flowered in
Magic, page 137 In addition to translation, recursors might also the Strange each possess a particular set of
travel to another recursion via a translation rules that govern them. These laws mean that
Psionics, page 137
gate. Most things that are true of translation amazing things can occur in a recursion that
Substandard Physics, are true of a gate, except that recursors arent could never happen on Earth. The designations
page 137 the ones initiating the transfer. Whoever or are generally recognized as Standard Physics,
Exotic, page 137
whatever set up the gate has already focused Mad Science, Magic, Psionics, Substandard
it on a particular recursion. When recursors go Physics, and Exotic.
Inapposite gate, through, they appear in a specified location in Though some recursors commonly assume
page 135 the target recursion. However, if the gate wasnt otherwise, in most cases recursions that
focused to provide that benefit, they instead operate under Magic or Mad Science also
appear in the spot where they last exited the presume an underlying Standard Physics
Flatland, page 176
recursion. (If the travelers never previously framework. So unless a recursion specifically
visited the target recursion, they appear at its excludes baseline Standard Physics, recursions
Shoals of Earth, default arrival location.) that operate under the laws of Magic, Mad
page 214 Science, or Psionics can support artifacts of
INAPPOSITE GATE (MATTER GATE) Standard Physics if they arrive there through an
The Estate, page 148
Explorers might discover an inapposite gate, inapposite gate.
OSR, page 157 also called a matter gate. If they pass through a On the other hand, recursions that operate
matter gate, they arrive in the target recursion, under the law of Substandard Physics do not,
by definition, allow technology derived from
Standard Physics to function.
Finally, when it comes to Exotic recursions,
everything is up for grabs, even how many
dimensions the natives exist within. For
example, a recursion based on Flatland, a place
that exists only in two dimensions, operates
under the Exotic law.

ORGANIZATIONS OF NOTE
Many explorers in the Shoals of Earth operate
independently, without the support of an
organization. They do so either because they
prefer to travel on their own, or because theyre
not aware of organizations that operate across
recursions.
Many more recursors explore on behalf of
one or more organizations interested in the
Strange, such as the Earth-based groups known
as the Estate and OSR, or Ruk-based groups

10
EXPLORING FICTIONS 1
Ipsa scientia potestas estknowledge itself is power
written on the first page of many of the reports
and journals stored in Collections

that include the Karum and the Quiet Cabal. hundred years. A record of most of those Karum, page 193
But at least one other organization exists, one activities can be found in a section of the
Quiet Cabal, page 153
thats far more loosely connected than others: groups headquarters called Collections.
the Implausible Geographical Society.
COLLECTIONS
IMPLAUSIBLE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY Several rooms in the IGS lodge are given
The Estate believes its own founding operatives over to Collections, which holds a couple of
were the first on Earth to discover recursions centuries worth of discoveries, including
and the Strange. Theyre wrong. As it happens, expedition reports and journals, recursion
a secret offshoot of the Royal Geographical maps, photographs, paintings, and objects
Society of London (founded in 1830) has long
been aware of recursions. This secret sister
society was originally made up of a handful
NEW RECURSIONS AND OLD
of regular Royal Society members: those who
Most of the recursions known and visited
were also quickened and able to translate. The
in the modern era did not exist when the
so-called Implausible Geographical Society
Implausible Geographical Society was
met clandestinely within the confines of the
founded because the fictions that seeded
larger organization until 1913. Thats when the
them had not yet been written. Many
regular Royal Society moved into the Lowther
recursions explored by IGS members were
Lodge in Kensington Gore, when the ban on
based on fictions and myths popular at the
female membership was lifted, and when the
time, including Pellucidar, the Forgotten
Implausible Geographical Society (IGS) moved
World, and the myths of humans of every
to its own, separate headquarters. In fact, the
culture. The Garden of Eden was reputed
IGS moved to a virtual duplicate of Lowther
to be a favorite, though its dangers were
Lodge, located not on Earth but in an Earthlike
equal to its delights.
recursion of London based on the writings of
The question is, once these recursions
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
were discovered, what became of them?
The Royal Geographical Society was
Few recursors, either associated with the
founded to advance geographical knowledge
IGS or employed by agencies such as
and science. The Implausible Geographical
the Estate, seem to find such recursions
Societys purpose is the same, except its
any longer, and if they do, the worlds
members explore both known and new
are usually small and without much
recursions. Unlike the more well-known
occurrence of the spark among natives.
society, the IGS doesnt widely broadcast its
Some people suspect that as fictions lose
discoveries or publicly award medals to its
attention in the modern world, recursions
members who have achieved amazing things
seeded from those fictions are negatively
in the face of adversity. The IGS keeps all it
affected. A competing hypothesis is that
learns secret among its members. However,
older recursions somehow drift away
that membership is quite large. In fact,
and become harder to reach. Either way,
several individuals who the Estate regards as
because IGS members have the advantage
lone recursion miners are affiliated with the Recursion miner,
of a record stretching back nearly two page 150
Implausible Geographical Society.
hundred years, theyre in a unique position
The truth is, members of the IGS have been
to explore these questions.
active in the Shoals of Earth for almost two

11
(brought by inapposite gate travel) from especially when it comes to choosing a new
alternate recursions. In total, Collections destination to explore. Creswicke is also
comprises over a million discrete items. An available to teach new members how to use
associated reading room is available for visiting various cartography tools. In some recursions,
members who wish to consult the trove. With a a sextant and a compass are worthless, but in
little research, information found in Collections many, those items work fine, as does GPS or
can form the seed for new expeditions, which in more advanced positioning techniques.
Dame Amanda Wallace: turn could lead to yet more documents, maps, Dame Amanda Wallace: Wallace occupies
level 5, tasks related to and objects being brought back to IGS. the office of the president, but she hasnt taken
games of chance and
recursion knowledge as that role, nor would she want it; the Society
level 7 MEMBERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE hasnt had an acting president in thirty years.
Explorers are usually explorers for a reason Her main duties are to provide IGS Lodge
theyre not particularly happy around other security, to vet new member applications for
people, and several are downright antisocial. potential red flags, and to make certain that
Thats why some explorer-recursors could never knowledge of the group doesnt leak out.
be happy within the confines of a group like Wallace also nurses a gambling problem and
the Estate. But these very same independent- sometimes slips out to put money down on
minded recursors enjoy their association with the horseswhich is how she came to the
Moriarty, page 307 the Implausible Geographical Society. Members attention of Moriarty, a cross-recursion criminal
are essentially left to their own devices, there of the worst sort. So far, Moriarty has been
are no managers or supervising officers, and, content to observe Dame Amanda Wallace and,
in fact, theres no expectation that a member through her, the activities of the Implausible
will return to the Lodge ever again. But most Geographical Society. For her part, Wallace
do check in from time to time to file the knows that she has come under observation,
maps and reports of their latest discoveries and shes preparing a trap of her own if
in previously unknown recursions, to ask for something dangerous comes of it.
Richard Hunt: level 6, advice from other explorers, or to engage in a Richard Hunt, Geographer: Cantankerous
tracking and resisting little uncharacteristic social time among others but a man of his word, Hunt is tougher than
disease and poison as
level 7 of like constitution in the common room. any three other Geographers put together.
New members are selected by invitation When he leads an expedition, he doesnt put
only, but any full-fledged Geographers up with weaklings, and in fact he makes those
(as members often refer to themselves) who travel with him agree to be left behind if
can extend an invitation. Invitations can be they become a liability. As a result, opinions
given to other recursors or to someone with about Hunt among other members range from
a keen interest in alternate worlds who isnt those who revere him to those who think hes
quickened. However, the society sees itself as the worst human ever. The latter are happy that
an exclusive club, which means that knowledge hes rarely at the IGS Lodgemainly because
of the Implausible Geographical Society isnt hes always out looking for ever more extreme
to be spread beyond the group and its actual recursions to explore and map.
members. When information does escape, One of Hunts pet theories has to do
volunteer Geographers are sent to erase it by with missing explorer Percy Fawcett, who
whatever means necessary (and they often use disappeared in the Amazon on Earth in 1925.
artifacts culled from different recursions, such Hunt believes the explorer tumbled into a
Memory eraser, page 102
as memory erasers acquired from a recursion recursion of particular mystery, one that has
New York Grey, page 95 called New York Grey). resisted discovery to this day. Lately, most of
Sir Raymond Creswicke: Like Dame Amanda Hunts expeditions have to do with finding this
Sir Raymond Creswicke: Wallace, Creswicke is one of the few IGS particular recursion (which he calls the City of
level 5, tasks related to members permanently installed in the Lodge. Z), even though most other Geographers think
IGS history and recursion
He is in charge of seeing to the organization hes bound to fail, just as Fawcett did before
knowledge as level 7; given
time, can always fix his of Collections. Given half a chance, hes keen him.
position to give advice to new or prospective members,

12
IMPORTING FICTIONS AND GAME WORLDS 1
C HAP T ER 3

IMPORTING FICTIONS
AND GAME WORLDS
If youre like us, you have a shelf (or more) For example, if you played Star Wars, Call of
devoted to games and works of fiction. These Cthulhu, Star Trek, or a particular Dungeons
might include games of dungeon delving, & Dragons module with your friends, you
eldritch investigation, superheroes ripped from probably had one or more exciting encounters
the comics, world domination, and maybe with memorable NPCs. Why not begin where
adventuring mice. And dont forget novels your enthusiasm and fond recollections are the
detailing the exploits of ring-bearing hobbits, strongest, and import those key NPCs and sites
starship crews, and ringworld explorers. The as a recursion within The Strange? When next
point is, youve got a cornucopia of fiction your players gather for a game and translate
settings at your fingertips. And as you know, into this new recursion, those who played in
The Strange is perfect for hosting fictions as the original game will probably be amazed, Resources and Inspiration,
individual limited worlds called recursions. delighted, and possibly afraid of whats going to page 220
The Cypher System that underlies The happen next.
Strange is ideal for importing settings from
games, novels, and movies because its MINIMAL MECHANICS
lightweight while providing a solid description Since NPCs in The Strange dont use the same
of abilities, rules, and mechanics used by most rules as player characters, you might not have
tabletop roleplaying games. The Cypher System to do anything more than assign a few levels
is very amenable to adaptation. In fact, weve and task difficulties to imported NPCs and the
provided an entire book on this topic (the situations that surround them. If youre worried
Cypher System Rulebook) to inspire you in far about making up abilities on the fly, take a look
more depth than we have room for here. at the NPCs in The Strange corebook, and use
That said, this chapter has good advice to get their deviations from standard-level abilities as
you started creating recursions right now for a guide.
your game of The Strange. For instance, if you import a powerful
vampire NPC and his misty castle into The
START WITH THE FAMILIAR Strange as a recursion, starting him out as a
Conceptually, its easy to feel overwhelmed level 6 creature is probably a good first step,
when importing one setting into another. especially if you make many of his servitors
Thats why you need a strategic place to start. level 3 or 4. The mechanics of the vampires
Being thorough might sound appealing, but original game probably provide concepts for
its not the most efficient way to accomplish abilities that you can use easily enough. For
your goal, especially given the limited nature of instance, if the vampire has a mesmerizing
recursions. Instead, consider converting NPCs ability in the original game, thats just a
and places that your players have previously difficulty 6 Intellect defense roll for a PC to
encountered, ones that you want them to resist, and so on.
encounter again, but this time within the
confines of a game of The Strange.

13
FOCUS ON IMPORTANT NPCs dont have such literal ends. Instead, theyre
Most fictional settings, especially those hidden. Popular edges include the following.
from movies and novels, have strong NPC Surrounding hallways, streets, paths,
characters, both protagonists and antagonists. landscapes, and so on loop back so that
When you import a fiction as a recursion, you travelers find themselves on the opposite side
have to decide whether youre importing only of the recursion.
the setting or if youre also bringing in the Mist surrounds the location, causing
central NPCs. For example, if your characters travelers to become lost, get turned around,
visit Wonderland, will they merely adventure or sometimes be translated into alternate
through its peculiar areas, or will they also meet recursions.
the Red Queen, the Mad Hatter, or Alice? Surrounding hallways, streets, paths,
If the latter, its important to remember that landscapes, and so on seem to extend
youre implicitly indicating that the Red Queen, indefinitely when travelers insist on moving in
the Mad Hatter, and Alice actually exist. They a particular location. So if a character jumps
Spark, page 22 might have the spark and thus be conscious in her car and tries to drive to New York, shed
enough of the player characters arrival that never get there.
theyll wonder whats going on. And once that Surrounding hallways, streets, paths,
happens, whos to say that those NPCs (or landscapes, and so on slowly lose color and
others in another recursion youve created) texture until travelers find the merest outline of
wont leave their home recursion and go to Oz, the world, now revealed as the ragged ends of
Ardeyn, or Earth? a recursion. Beyond this point, apply one of the
other edge conditions (mist, looping, an abyss
EDGES ARE NOT IMPORTANT into the Strange, and so on).
IMMEDIATELY
If youre importing a setting that includes
multiple locations or even entire planets,
dont worry about dealing with everything at
once. Just be ready for one or two specific
locations where most of the action will take
place. Merely by creating the proper context
within a recursion, such as a rowdy cantina that
serves space pilots from a hundred different
star systems, you create the perception of a
much greater universe. Even in the original
fiction from which the recursion is drawn, most
of those star systems and planets are never
shown or describedthey dont need to be for
the story to be told. Likewise, a recursion of a
singular location enjoys the same advantage of
context.

WHEN EDGES BECOME IMPORTANT


Of course, a PC or NPC may decide to
investigate the edges of a given recursion
that suggests a much larger scope. When that
happens, you have to decide how to handle it.
All recursions have edges because theyre all
limited. But the edge looks different depending
on the recursions context. In Ardeyn, the edge
is a literal abyss beyond which the Strange is
visible. But most recursions based on fictions

14
Part 2:
WORLDS NUMBERLESS

Chapter 4: ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 16


Chapter 5: RECURSIONS 34
Chapter 6: RECURSION SEEDS 168
C H AP T ER 4

ARDEYN AND RUK


EXPANDED
It came as something of a shock to the Implausible Geographical Society that other groups had formed
and become active in the Shoals of Earth after we enjoyed near-exclusivity among the limited worlds for
so long. Then one of our early members discovered Ruk and aliens who could translate. As a policy, IGS
explorers stayed clear of Ruk, for fear of what the aliens might do if they learned that Earthmen could
accomplish the same sort of travel. But sometimes, explorations of recursions birthed by primitive human
myth led, almost inexorably it seemed, back to Ruk. Thats when we learned that Ruk played a part in
human development, perhaps even in our very evolution.
As astonishing as that revelation was, the discovery of Ardeyn, springing into existence as a fully
formed, developed, and massive recursion overnight, was even more alarming and upsetting. Maybe
thats because the discovery of Ruks possible association with human origins was made before my time,
and was presented to the current members as received knowledge.
On the other hand, I was the one who stumbled upon Ardeyn, where there had been no such recursion
before. With its thousands of years of history, its powerful paranormal entities, and its active population
of recursors, I had to reexamine everything I thought I knew about limited worlds. In particular, the Earth
organizations known as the Estate and the September Project are particularly active in Ardeyn, and as far
as we can tell, up to no good purpose.
~Sir Raymond Creswicke,
in a letter to his paramour Irene located in a constructed recursion called Paradiso

ARDEYN: THE GLASS DESERT Once, Ardeyn was guarded from Lotan the
As described in the corebook, Ardeyn is a Sinner by the Maker, his Seven Incarnations, and
recursion of extravagant sorcery, mystic blades their angelic qephilim servants. But when they
Ardeyn, page 160 sheathed in living souls, and an evil god called fell long ago, they left Ardeyn open to attack.
Lotan the Sinner whose prison is the world. At Now mortals (humans and fallen qephilim alike)
Glass Desert, page 176
Ardeyns core, Lotan burns. have taken up the fight to protect the place
Dragons, soulshorn, homunculi of the known as the Land of the Curse.
Betrayer, invaders from alternate recursions, This section further details an interesting
demons of Lotan, and other insidious threats location in Ardeyn known as the Glass Desert
that hide in ancient qephilim ruins are ever- and the associated Makers Hall.
present in Ardeyn.

16
ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 2

GLASS DESERT was during the Age of Myth, when things were
The Glass Desert sprawls across the southern still pristine and new, before Lotan made his
Daylands in a contested region called Kuambis. bid to escape. Kuambis, page 176
The sere plain of reflective glass is covered here Legends tell of the Silver Sword, a blade of
and there in drifting dunes of sparkling sand glass visible every nine years as a reflection in
composed of ground glass particles, which are the deserts surface. The sword can be claimed
abrasive and dangerous if exposure persists. for a brief time by one who is worthy and used
In fact, the desert is arguably one of the most to shrink the borders of the Glass Desert. So
treacherous stretches of land in Ardeyn. Even the Reclaimers patiently wait out the decades
the weather can kill an unprotected traveler: and attempt to reclaim the artifact each time
when the winds blow, the dunes are taken it appears. Currently under the leadership of
up into the air. If creatures dont take shelter
quickly enough, their flesh is ground from their
bones. ARDEYN IN THE COREBOOK Sere spirit, page 215
In addition, the Glass Desert is inhabited Refer to The Strange corebook
by pirates, spirits of those who died in the to get a basic grounding
wind (sere spirits), and at least one dragon. A in Ardeyn, the Land of the Player characters learn
guild known as the Reclaimers is based on the about qephilim when
Curse. The material presented they first visit Ardeyn, and
northern edge of the desert where the waters of here expands on a few locations in the they can even choose to
Oceanus meet the plain. corebook. If characters spend enough become qephilim when
they translate. Qephilim
time in Ardeyn, they may learn of these
are a race descended from
RECLAIMERS locations as well. immortal angelic beings
The Reclaimers want to eradicate the Glass who served the Maker and
Desert and return it to the glorious garden it his Incarnations.

17
Galeta Swan, the Reclaimers occupy a fortress be judged by the Court of Sleep. That said,
Court of Sleep,
page 184 on the northern edge of the desert, where the Calometh seems eager to redeem a soul
waves of Oceanus lap upon beaches made of even before it leaves a living creatures body,
jagged sand. just to get a jump on things, so to speak. The
A couple of decades ago, the secret of larger body of the Court of Sleep has labeled
the Silver Swords existence leaked. Now Calometh a dangerous lunatic and cast him
the Reclaimers must compete for the sword out. Thus, he wanders the Glass Desert, killing
with glass pirates, random adventurers, and glass pirates (and any other human he happens
Umber judge, page 285 Calometh, a particularly vengeful umber judge across) for the sake of their souls while he
from the Night Vault. waits for the time of the next reflection of the
Green Wilds, page 170
Galeta Swan: In her youth, Galeta was Silver Sword.
captured from the edges of the Green Wilds by
glass pirates. She escaped slavery in Kuambis GLASS PIRATES
thanks to a talent for magic her captors never Braving the inhospitable glass plain, a handful
suspected. But rather than return home, Galeta of pirate clans ride ships that skate on magic
Galeta Swan: level 5;
health 25; Armor 1; long- instead swore to bring the Green Wilds to the blades. Most glass pirates operate along the
range cold attack inflicts desert, in a manner of speaking, by erasing the edges of the desert by sending sorties into the
7 points of damage and scar of ancient destruction the desert represents. more habitable surrounding lands to raid for
freezes target from moving
(but not taking other
Some people brand her as a driven fanatic, but food, gold, slaves, and other valuables. Then
actions) until it regains at others are drawn to her cause. they escape pursuit by fleeing on their special
least 2 of those points Calometh, Umber Judge: Calometh seeks the ships into the burning heart of the plain, where
Silver Sword as vehemently as the Reclaimers only the desperate and deranged would attempt
Calometh: level 4; health
23; Armor 1 (can gain +4 do, but not because he wishes to return the to travel without similar means.
to Armor for ten minutes); ancient garden to Ardeyn. Instead, the qephilim The pirates are anything but a cohesive force.
long-range spiritual blight believes that he can use the blade to sever the Opposing clans compete for raiding territory.
attack from wand artifact
evil taint from demonssouls that have been Truces usually hold, but when two ships of
inflicts 4 points of damage
(ignores Armor) stained by Lotans maliceso they can finally different clans meet, its even money whether

18
ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 2
is usually sufficient to deter those whod Typical glass ship (with
HAZARDS OF EXPOSURE otherwise bad-mouth their superiorsunless 15 or more crew): level 3;
The Glass Desert is dangerous merely health 30; Armor 3; moves
theyre willing to find themselves fighting for a long distance each round
to visit. Heat, dehydration, and the their lives at a moments notice. on a magic iron blade;
particularly abrasive ground glass sand are Siraja of the Revenge: Siraja has the full and melee ramming attack
the main culprits. inflicts 10 points of damage
feared reputation of a glass pirate, but the truth
after a move of at least a
Heat and Dehydration: A character who is that shes only in the business of hunting short distance; two long-
spends an hour or more active in the Glass other pirates. She keeps this practice secret lest range ballistae attack for 5
Desert during the day without sufficient the other pirates come together in a real truce points of damage each
water to drinkabout a cup (0.2 L) of to stamp her out. Siraja manages this facade
water per hourtakes 2 points of Speed by employing a network of tall-tale tellers who Siraja: level 6; Armor 1;
damage (ignores Armor) each hour after spread her supposed merciless escapades carries two grenade cyphers
the first without water. This does not apply in taverns and markets across Ardeyn. This most of the time
to characters who have the focus Abides in terrible reputation even cows some
Stone or who otherwise dont need water. of the other glass pirates.
Glass Sand and Wind: Even without Abides in Stone,
wind, the abrasive ground glass sand is page 51
dangerous. Each ten hours a character
spends active in the Glass Desert results
The blades on which glass
in skin abrasions and inhalation of fine ships skate are magic
particles, which cumulatively inflict 1 artifacts; see page 22
point of ambient damage at the end of the
period.
If the wind picks up enough to create
a sandstorm, the danger becomes much
more urgent. Characters should seek
shelter immediately or face a flensing. In
such a sandstorm, visibility is reduced to
immediate range, and characters without
shelter suffer 1 point of Speed damage
(ignores Armor) each minute.

it results in a skirmish or a parley. Likewise,


conflict is common within pirate crews, where
only the particularly cruel rise to the top of the
command structure.
Two ships have acquired such a reputation
that their names are sometimes heard far from
the Glass Desert: the Nightstar, captained by
a qephilim named Taimin, and the Revenge,
captained by a qephilim named Siraja.
Taimin of the Nightstar: Taimin prefers to
decorate himself with grandiose amulets,
bracelets, and expensive layers of clothing. He
gives his crew a lot of latitude in determining
Taimin: level 7; Armor 2;
the hierarchy underneath him as long as carries at least one cypher
squabbles dont interfere with the smooth for defense or escape
operation of the ship and their raids. Taimins
favorite tactic is to decree death matches
between feuding crew members. This policy

19
A secret even more dear than the true nature created the desert itself, when Lotan slagged
of the Revenge is the truth behind Sirajas rise the Makers Hall during the Age of Myth.
to her present position. Only a few people In truth, there is no singular Glass Desert
Carter Strange, know that she and Carter Strange were allies dragon. Instead, there is an entire brood
page 161 for a brief time. She once helped him out of a of glass dragons, none as powerful as the
particularly tight spot when he was at his most whispered legends tell. Only one or two haunt
vulnerable. the desert at any one time because most prefer
Glass dragon, page 212 to dive from Ardeyns southern edge and hunt
DRAGON OF GLASS the Strange. Several have created cavern homes
Several dragons inhabit Kuambis, and many in Ardeyns cliffside Borderlands region or out
more congregate there during the month of on one of the floating skerries. Individual glass
Borderlands, page 178 Suntide for the Harrowing. Supposedly, only dragons return to the plain every few years
Harrowing, page 177 one dragon lives on the glass itself, and its not and bake in the unrelenting sun at the deserts
a dragon in the truest Ardeyn sense. Instead heart for a minimum of three days. They do
of feathers, shards of splintered glass cover its so to maintain the link of continuity between
body. More so even than normal dragons, the themselves and the ancient disaster that
Glass Desert dragon is a creature of magic. As spawned them.
such, it is not merely a living creature, but the
animate embodiment of an elemental disaster. MAKERS HALL
Learned sorcerers suggest that other The Glass Desert is what most people believe
dragons of disaster probably exist in Ardeyn, to be all that remains of the Makers Hall, a vast
having been spawned by various unnatural castle of glass originally serving as the Makers
catastrophes (or natural ones that were citadel in Ardeyn. The Hall was slagged and
particularly violent). The disaster that spawned melted when Lotan burned hottest in Ardeyns
the Glass Desert dragon is the same event that prehistory. Beneath the desert, in bubbles

20
ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 2
the reflection) for the sky. A single entrance
GHOST SHIPS is visible in the glass, and here a visitor may
The Glass Desert has witnessed many attempt entry. Those who manage to get
conflicts, going all the way back to the inside have a chance to seize the power of the
one that birthed it. Skirmishes between Maker himself, and with that power, remake
rival pirates, traders, glass dragons, and Ardeyn in their own image. The possibilities are
occasional travelers across the flat expanse stupefying to consider.
have smashed hundreds of blade-skating Lest your dreams grow too ambitious,
ships over the years, scattering their dying know that entering the Makers Hall is almost
crews across the merciless sun-baked impossible. Even if a seeker survives the threats
plain. But sometimes, those ships return. of the Glass Desert and finds the correct
Those that carried strong magical cargo location near the center of the plain, it is said
or powerful individuals are most likely to that gaining entry (and surviving what one
come back as spectral ships visible day finds within) is possible only for those who can
or night, with their former crew held in call upon spells of a potency rarely achieved in
undead thrall. Sometimes ghost ships Ardeyn. Another rumor suggests that a seeker
move like a normal glass ship, with sails who has the mighty keys of an earlier agea
rigged, and other times they appear handful of rings that the Incarnations once
as shadowed wrecks out on the glass. used to spark their powercan also gain entry.
Those who encounter them are likely to Other stories say that perhaps a seeker merely
be shanghaied as fresh crew. Would-be needs to appear at the right spot in the Glass
victims who are strong enough to escape Desert at the right time, when the seven moons
might come away with amazing treasures of Ardeyn are full during the final hour of the
hidden away in the holds of ghost ships month of Fear, and other celestial objects are in
that have been plying the desert for rare alignment.
hundreds of years or more. Beyond this, little is known, but much is Hall soul sorcerer:
Another terrifying aspect of ghost ships rumored. The Makers Hall seems impervious level 5; long-range spell
is their ability to sail off the edge of the attack inflicts 5 points of
to all magical attempts to divine what might lie damage plus a curse on
Glass Desert and appear hundreds of inside, as well as attempts to use translation a failed Might defense
miles away in some other part of Ardeyn. within it. The outer ramparts are said to be roll (the difficulty of tasks
This apparently occurs when members of a attempted by cursed foes
infested with a hive of ancient soul sorcerers
is increased by one step for
particular crewnow only spirits, or spirits who hope to one day find a route to the one minute); some carry
inhabiting decaying fleshoriginally hailed innermost chambers. Supposedly, one of the random cyphers
from that same location. princes in Marhaban sent a party of salvagers
to the Hall a little more than a decade ago,
only to discover the right hands of the group
members piled on his bedroom floor a few days Marhaban, page 174
later. One story describes how the Betrayer
Kray, page 276
briefly gained entry to the Hall years ago, and
his attempt to claim the power of the Maker
nearly brought down the walls of Ardeyn as
and hollows, adventurous types can discover hordes of kray from the Strange threatened to
amazing artifacts from the Age of Myth. But consume every living thing in the recursion.
these are just the merest sprinkling of the No credible accounts of the Halls interior
treasures waiting to be claimed if one could exist, and tales from occasional survivors vary
find the surviving entrance to what remains of widely in regard to layout and architecture.
the Makers Hall. Most people agree that soul sorcerers do infest
Under the proper conditions, the Makers the entryway, though many say theyre not
Hall is revealed as a reflection in the surface living, but truly dead. That doesnt make the
of the Glass Desert, an astounding series of sorcerers any less jealous of other explorers
mounting, shining ramparts that reaches (in only more vengeful.

21
Effect: Glass ship blades vary in length, but
IMAGES THROUGH THE GLASS the longer the blade, the larger the weight
Red Bubble: Part of the ruins of an ancient of a mounted platform that it can magically
qephilim city buried under molten glass stabilize and hold upright. On a suitably
when the desert formed, the Red Bubble hard and smooth surface (such as ice or the
is one of the most mysterious sites in the mirrorlike surface of the Glass Desert), the
Glass Desert. The upper reaches of the blade promotes travel and provides a bit of
ruinslender, blackened towersare additional impetus if propelled by wind or
visible to those who look directly down other forms of locomotion. Using the blade in
while passing overhead. The center of the this fashion doesnt require a depletion roll.
encased area is stained translucent red, A glass ship blade can be keyed to a single
though movement within it is sometimes individualusually the person designated
visible. At night, radiance occasionally as the captain, if mounted to a ship. The
leaks from the bubble up through the captain can activate the blade (which
glass and shines on the surface. When this requires a depletion roll) to coax a sudden
happens, unearthly music is also audible. acceleration out of it for up to ten minutes,
useful for ramming enemy vessels or for
Glass Desert Dragon Bounty: The moving a ship on windless days.
Queendom, page 166 Queendom has posted a bounty for the Depletion: 13 in 1d100
Glass Desert dragon (either alive or as
a carcass) to permanently curtail its PLUTONIAN IRON KNIFE
incessant raiding of Queendom shipping Level: 1d6
in southern Oceanus. The posting Form: A night-black blade in which distant stars
promises to pay 2,000 gold crowns and and nebulae are sometimes visible
doesnt acknowledge the idea that there Effect: This knife functions as a normal light
might be more than one such dragon. weapon. However, if the wielder wishes, on
Black Moon explorers, A group of Black Moon explorers led by a successful attack the special qualities of
page 167 Syrengarii is already hunting the desert, so the knife inflict additional damage (ignores
if another group takes on the bounty, they Armor) equal to the artifacts level. If this
will have competition. damage reduces a target to 0 health, the
targets soul is drawn into the blade. The
Artifact of Note: A character learns that an soul remains trapped there for up to three
Plutonian iron is mined
from underworlds in artifact she has newly acquired (or perhaps days, after which time it is consumed.
recursions that operate long held) was at one point a much more (Alternatively, the wielder can release the
under the law of Magic. powerful item. It could potentially be soul to whatever its fate would otherwise be.)
It has inherent antilife
restored to its original state if brought As a separate activation, the wielder can ask
qualities even as an ore,
which predisposes artificers to the Makers Hall and allowed to bathe three questions of a creature whose soul is
to craft life-quenching in the fires of the Creation Forge once trapped in the blade and not yet consumed.
weapons from it. moreor so an oddly realistic dream leads After answering the third question, the soul
the character to believe. is consumed.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

ARDEYN ARTIFACTS SILVER SWORD


Level: 1d6 + 4
Glass ship blades are rare GLASS SHIP BLADE Form: A radiant talwar (large scimitar) forged
and quite valuable because
no one knows how to
Level: 1d6 from reflective metal
make them. The ones that Form: A metallic blade at least 20 feet (6 m) Effect: This weapon functions as a normal
currently exist have been long with mounting screws (usually found heavy weapon; however, attacks with it are
quarried from a qephilim attached to the underside of craft suited to modified by one step to the wielders benefit
ruin, and no one is sure of
their original purpose. skating across the Glass Desert) (which doesnt require a depletion roll).

22
ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 2
The Silver Sword possesses the following SPELLBOOK OF GLASS
supernatural functions, which do require a Level: 1d6 + 1
roll when activated. Form: A thin tome bound with plates of warm
Sever Glass: The weapon can cut through glass glass
(and other amorphous solids, such as Effect: When the user incants from the
amber) as easily as scissors cut through spellbook, she creates a level 6 wall of glass
paper for up to one minute per activation. within short range that is 1 foot (30 cm)
Sever Stranger: A level 3 demon, spirit, inimical thick and up to 20 feet by 20 feet (6 m by A Stranger is the term for
Stranger, or similar creature struck by the 6 m) in size. It appears resting on a solid any creature native to the
Strange, rather than Earth
weapon is destroyed or banished. Each foundation and lasts for about ten hours. If or a recursion.
additional depletion roll risked per activation the incanter risks a second depletion roll,
increases the maximum level of the target. the glass wall is permanent until destroyed
Thus, to destroy or banish a level 5 target naturally. Action to initiate.
(two levels above the normal limit), the Depletion: 1 in 1d20
wielder must roll for depletion three times.
Splice Recursion: If the wielder uses Sever Glass to
create a circle in the Glass Desert at least 100
feet (30 m) in diameter and then calls on this
ability, that section of glass is dropped into
a closed pocket dimension, and a section of
lush forest or grassland (taken from a random
recursion) appears in its place. Creatures
inside the circle when it is completed are
shunted to the pocket dimension.
Renewal: If the artifact is depleted, it
disappears. However, it reappears nine
years later as a reflection in the Glass
Deserts surface, which a viewer can claim
by grasping for it and succeeding on a
difficulty 3 Intellect-based task.
Depletion: 12 in 1d100

SPELLBOOK OF THE DRAGONS


MAW
Level: 1d6 + 1
Form: A tome inscribed with a rearing dragon
Effect: When the user incants from the
spellbook, he fashions and controls a
hovering phantasmal construct of magic
within long range that resembles a dragons
head. The constructs level is equal to the
artifacts level. The construct lasts for up to
an hour, until it is destroyed, or until the user
incants from this spellbook again. While the
construct persists, the spellcaster can use
it to manipulate large objects, carry heavy
items in its mouth, or attack foes. To use it
to attack foes, the spellcaster must spend his
action directly controlling the phantom maw
for each attack. Action to initiate.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

23
Spellbook artifacts could SPELLBOOK OF SEARING LIGHT prefer to recruit Earth natives for specific tasks.
produce additional related
effects if the GM allows.
Level: 1d6 Why? Because Earthborn are better suited
For example, the spellbook Form: A slender book bound with a white cover for specialized activities involving a location
of searing light might also that glows dimly in Harmonious known as the Scar, and in
temporarily blind a foe. Effect: When the user incants from the operating a special vessel created by Zal known
spellbook, she collects available light into a as the Resolution.
If a character has the Inks beam of searing light focused on a location
Spells on Skin focus, the she can see within long range. The beam EARTH RECRUITMENT CENTER
GM may allow her to learn
persists each round in which she uses her As with everything in Ruk, if a need for a service
a new spell from an artifact
spellbook. The GM and action to concentrate. The beam can set or commodity exists, a faction steps in and
player must work out the fire to flammable objects, boil water within provides it. Lately a need for Earthborn natives
specifics of the spell. a few rounds, melt some metals after a few to fill specialized roles has surfaced in Ruk.
more rounds of concentrated attention, Sometimes a faction that wants such natives
Inks Spells on Skin, or attack a creature within range (dealing does its own recruiting. But most times, that
page 200 damage equal to the artifact level, plus an recruitment is outsourced to a third party: Zal.
additional 3 points if the user is standing in Zal is one of the many factions of Ruk, but
full daylight when making the attack). The its the one an Earth native is most likely to
spell doesnt work in full darkness. find familiar because it operates in many ways
Zal, page 194
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 like a wealthy multinational corporation. It
Ruk, page 190 has interests all over Ruk and in several other
RUK: EARTHBORN WANTED recursions as well. Though Zal already provides
All Song communal, As described in the corebook, Ruk is a services to every Rukian (in the form of All Song
page 198
recursion where the marvels of science communals), the faction is not content to rest
fiction are commonplace, especially those of on its laurels. It constantly seeks more profits,
genetic manipulation, biological shaping, and more influence, and more control. Thats why it
technological wonder. Though Rukians look created the Earth Recruitment Center.
humanoid, they are not humanthey are aliens
who fled the destruction of their homeworld FIRST CONTACT
through the Strange, until they finally ran Potential recruits need not be recursors; Zal
Shoals of Earth, aground in the Shoals of Earth. In effect, their has access to translation and inapposite gates
page 214 entire recursion is a shipwreck caught fast for applicants who make it far enough in the
thanks to the inexplicable properties of Earth. interview process. Those who are not recursors
Ruks warring factions, powerful and ancient, (but who have the spark) can pass through a
strive against each other as they always have. translation gate and gain many of the same
Lately, their strife has come to a head, and benefits as a player character (such as a focus,
Earths fate hangs in the balance. though not a type).
This section expands on a couple of Anonymous Social Media Contact: Zals
important initiatives in Ruk by factions that preferred method of contact is somewhat self-
selecting. Representatives trawl social media
on Earth, generating online advertisements
designed to get the attention of two different
RUK IN THE COREBOOK kinds of individual.
Refer to The Strange corebook The first recruit targeted is someone looking to
to get a basic grounding in the expand their frontiers and take a break from the
recursion of Ruk. The material everyday. These kinds of ads use language similar
presented here is a supplement to that used by the Peace Corps or the French
to the corebook. It includes a section on Foreign Legion, offering a life-defining experience
recruiting Earthborn, the neighborhood of serving abroad for a two-year contract that includes
the Scar in Harmonious, and the special training, opportunities for advancement, cross-
ship called the Resolution. cultural understanding, and a facility with technical
subjects not normally possible.

24
ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 2
The living Internet sounds fun in comparison to what the All Song is really like.
Imagine youre in the middle of a swarm of billions of insects, all of them heading
right for you. Each promises to give you the thing you seek, if youll only let it in.
Opalescent beetles against your eyeball. A furred hatch of spiders at the corner
of your mouth. A marching ant colony seeking passage in your nose. And all
of the unknown entities, the ones youve never seenthe silvered grubs, the
black maggots, the torn-winged bloodmoths, the unnamed, the shadowed, the
glistening, the newly hatched bodies that burrow and borrow and bite and eat.
~Jules Rodriguez, Quiet Cabal agent

The second kind of recruit sought is translation into a new recursion, will not break
someone who seems prone to flights of fancy down and, in fact, will take to the new situation
or feats of imagination, but who has strong without extended handholding.
social skills. These are the traits most likely Once potential recruits are identified, they
to produce a recursorsomeone who, upon are either sent a mysterious package or
contacted directly with a visitation.
Mysterious Package: A few companies
specialize in engaging clients with an exciting
narrative by using props such as letters,
pamphlets, and other associated objects.
The idea is to provide an enhanced sense
of the reality of the story. One of those
companies is run by Zal. The mysterious
package actually contains elements of truth.
The letter tells a story of aliens who live in
a shadow dimension alongside Earth,
aliens who need help from Earthborn
explorers. Coordinates are provided
for a local contact, and a cypher of
some sort is included as proof of
alien involvement. If the recipient of
a package has the nerve to visit the
location indicated, he is offered a
contract and training.
Visitor at the Door: This contact
scenario works similarly to the
Mysterious Package option, except
it is delivered in person by a Zal
agent or two who initially come
across as concerned government
agents or proselytizers of an
evangelical affiliation.

25
Tilman-har, sales RECRUIT TRAINING MISSIONS Brain Excavation: A series of crimes in
associate: level 3, all
tasks related to molecular, Graft Courier: A package containing highly Harmonious leaves citizens dead, their brains
cellular, and biological valuable genetic material must be delivered missing. Myriand (the Ruk police force)
research as level 4 to a man named Tilman-har working in have had no luck locating the group, which
Semerimis Tower. The tower hosts a business probably means they are operating without
For more details about
Whole Body Grafts, see called Whole Body Grafts, which offers using the All Song. Finding the perpetrators
The Dark Spiral, page 67 Rukians a range of decorative and useful will require pure physical detective work.
body modifications. Part of the training
mission involves finding Semerimis Tower Faction De-escalation: Two minor factions are
in Harmonious and delivering the package. fighting it out in Harmonious. Its something
Myriand, page 198 of a nuisance, but worse for those caught in
Recruits are also evaluated on whether
they can resist the hard sell that Tilman-har the crossfire. Someone needs to go in and
provides in return, especially because they create a peace, one way or the other. Guiding
have no bits, so they must go into debt to pay the Myriand to the faction leaders would be
for any modifications they receive. another way to end the fighting (because the
Myriand would likely wipe out both groups).

RUK TRAINING FOR EARTHBORN into the bloodstream erases the experience.
A few who respond to outreach on Earth are Those who accept training are assigned a
brought to Ruk, where the reality of the Strange, few missions in or around Ruk. The missions
Ruks place in it, and the concept of recursions are usually directly by Zal, though sometimes
is explained and a training period is offered. representatives contract out this portion of the
Those who react negatively, who cant handle training (possibly to one of the other factions
using the All Song, who break down, or who seeking Earthborn in the first place).
refuse the offer are returned to Earth, but not The training missions are relatively short.
before a memory-dissolving enzyme introduced Theyre designed as a test and as a way

26
ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 2

to familiarize the trainee with potentially from the citys disc. But not a clean one;
dangerous and exotic situations. straggling spars and splintered structures
An important part of a training mission is to protrude and dangle everywhere, and much
assess how well a recursor reacts to using the of what was once part of the Glistening City
All Song. Some Earthborn react violently to it, proper has smashed down onto the Shadowed Shadowed City,
so much so that they are actually injured by the City beneath Ruk, forming towerlike heaps of page 202
experience. Those with the wrong disposition destruction that also bridge the two cities into
All Song, page 192
who fail a difficulty 5 Intellect roll dont discover one continuous vertical arc of desolation, albeit
what they were looking for and descend one one that is inhabited. Shome, page 205
step on the damage track. Living in Harmonious requires a citizen to
Harmonious, page 196
If the training is a success, or close enough, be in good standing with a faction. Thats not
the trainee is sent to one of several factions true in the Scar. The regular All Song does not
looking for Earthborn (including the Quiet penetrate it, and Myriand do not patrol it. Even
Cabal or the Karum), to the Geshimmar who are organized black marketeers out of Shome that
attempting to understand and eradicate the Scar, operate in the Shadowed City have mostly failed
or to Captain Melana-shem of the Resolution. to find lasting influence or purchase in the Scar.
Its a region of disorganized spar growth, gangs
THE SCAR: A HARMONIOUS DISTRICT of the truly desperate, the dregs of destroyed
Even the city of Harmonious, with all its factions, and, just perhaps, the nucleus of new
amazing technology capable of literally lifting ones.
the natives to new heights, has a slum. Known
as the Scar, this wide and unsightly district
blights the edge of Harmonious. From a
distance, the Scar appears like a bite chewed

27
SCAR ORIGIN THE SCAR NEEDS EARTHBORN
The Scar was created almost a thousand Actually, its not the Scar that needs Earthborn
years ago in a massive explosion. Because the so much as the Geshimmar does. The
incident happened so long ago, most Rukians Geshimmar is a small faction that presents
dont know what created the slumto them, itself as the group best suited to cleaning up
its just a place most people avoid. Querying the Scar because of its multifaceted approach.
the All Song provides few additional details, Geshimmar tactics stand on two pillars:
which is odd in itself. Its almost as if all the research and exploration.
easily accessible knowledge regarding the Scar Research is handled by top-notch faction
has been excised from the network. Those who bioengineers working to determine why the
Organimer, page 194 press deeper discover that the All Song that All Song is so corrupted when accessed within
pervades the Scar is twisted, damaged, and the Scar, why the organimer spars that should
prone to driving those who connect to it mad. initiate self-repair do not, and what collided with
Scar GM Intrusions: The All that anyone really knows about the Scar Harmonious to create the Scar in the first place.
floor gives way. The ceiling
collapses. All Song static comes from word of mouth, which implies Exploration is handled, in large part, by
rends minds (Rukians are that the area was created by some sort of Earthborn, who are recruited mainly because
especially vulnerable). Vat collisionthough a collision with what, the All humans are naturally repelled by the All Song.
rejects attack. Spars animate Song does not record. Even when they translate, they dont share the
and pummel intruders.
low-level natural connection that native Rukians
possess. Thus, an Earthborn who spends a lot
of time in the Scar isnt slowly driven barking
mad by seclusion from the All Song.

SCAR LANDSCAPE
Much of the Scar is a sloping, metallic and
synthetic dystopia of splintered spars and half-
revealed chambers, broken towers, smashed
buildings, and less-identifiable bits. The interior
of the Scar extends almost a thousand feet,
with tunnels, tubes, and chambers that share
many of the traits of the exterior. Several direct
connections hold the heaped towers, whose
foundations lie in the Shadowed City below, to
the portion hosted by floating Harmonious. The
quasi-living metal organimer that Harmonious
is built from often and unaccountably loses
its residual programming in the Scar, creating
strange patches of vegetation not seen in other
parts of Ruk. Sometimes a gaping component
squirts odiferous gasses with odd properties,
and other times sections spark, arc with odd
energies, or move about.
The Scar offers many distinct dangers to
travelers who trawl its broken roads looking
for the occasional cypher or hidden truth.
The one constant danger that everyone in the
Scar faces every day is the potential for a fall
from the heights of the Glistening City, a fall
precipitously ended several hundred feet farther
down. Most such falls are lethal.

28
ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 2
Silver Strands: Scar explorers occasionally find
odd loops of silvery material emerging from the RESTORATIONS IN THE SCAR
detritus. Called silver strands, these 100-foot (10 Lost Children: Youths in Ruk are always
m) long cords feel more plastic than metallic, getting into trouble. Theyre too young to
are warm to the touch, and give the sense that join a faction in full standing and too old to
some sort of liquid is moving within. If these remain entertained by full-time immersion
level 5 objects are cut open, milky fluid spills in the All Song. A group of seven kids has
out. It smells strongly of oily fish, an odor that recently gone missing, and it seems likely
draws hungry foragers to lap at the apparently that they entered the Scar. The question
nutritious fluid, including desperate vat rejects. is, are they dead, or are they the prisoners
(The liquid is akin to a very nutritious but highly of vat rejects, maddened criminals, or
alcoholic rotting-fish puree.) something worse?
Vat Rejects: Venom troopers, commonly
cloned entities in Ruk, are mass produced. Karum Dissidents in Hiding: A breakaway
When that production goes wrong, vat rejects subfaction of the Karum has kidnapped Scar vat reject: level 3, or
are born. Most are destroyed, but some escape Arbiter Maru-shtal, the head of the Factol level 5 for one minute after
Council that regulates Ruk. The dissidents sipping milky fluid from
and make their way to the Scar. Though their silver strand
warped forms mean that they are constantly retreated to the Scar. Maru-shtals only
in pain, vat rejects in the Scar try to make chance is a rescue because the other
a community of their own, so they do not factions will never give in to the dissidents
Arbiter Maru-shtal
welcome death in the same way that vat rejects demands to blast Earth to cinders within and the Factol Council,
with no other options seem to do. That said, the week. page 196
they are unstable almost by definition, and
explorers who come across a colony of vat The Pod: A recent explorer of the Scar
rejects in the Scar should tread lightly. returned with a crystal sphere a little less
Chaotic Spar Groves: The ubiquitous, semi- than 1 foot (30 cm) in diameter. Inside,
living spars visible in other parts of Ruk are it alternatively appears to be empty, to
especially obvious in the Scar because few have be filled with red fluid, or to contain the
repaired themselves, and several sections have replica of a human head made of silvery
given rise to tiny jungles of crazy foliagereeds, metal. Whenever this last image appears,
grass, trees, and oddly glowing fruits composed whoever is closest to the pod disappears,
of spar organimer. Sometimes these groves along with the image of the head. The
produce what seem to be All Song umbilical Church of the Embodiment currently has Church of the
the pod but is looking for someone to take Embodiment, page 197
connections. No Geshimmar agent or Earthborn
recruit in their employ has dared to try one of it off their hands and, if possible, locate
these connections to see what happens. those previously abducted (presumably to
Nucleus: Within the deepest tangle of the a location within the Scar).
Scar is a conclave of entities that few in Ruk
have ever laid eyes on. Called crucibles, these Crucible: level 5, Speed
odd creatures seem to lie along the continuum have an origin somewhere out in the Strange, defense as level 2,
knowledge of recursions
between inert matter and living tissue. They are or possibly from a highly radical recursion and the Strange as level 8;
composed of polymers and alloys seamlessly where Mad Science operates. teleport a short distance
fused with flesh and pumping blood. every other round as a
move; short-range attack
Apparently intelligent and definitely dangerous, THE RESOLUTION with tendrils; absorb matter
a crucible has the ability to absorb organic and As has been mentioned, Zal has numerous to regain 5 points of health;
inorganic material to repair itself or adapt to interests, supporting several dozen disparate for more details, see The
new situations. Its entirely possible that these projects simultaneously. One of those is the Strange Bestiary, page 34
crucibles (or a single, founding crucible that manufacture and construction of the Resolution.
gave rise to others) are the entities that crashed The Resolution is a strangecrafta ship
into Harmonious and lodged there, creating the capable of traveling through the Strange
Scar. Since they are not native to Ruk, they likely itselfrecently constructed on the periphery

29
of Ruk in the city of Jir. The Resolutions stated is frighteningly similar to the kinds of radiation
Jir, page 206 mission is to travel into the Strange to gather the Qinod Singularity gives off. If whatever
Reality seed, page 138 reality seeds. Zal has previously financed such mysterious entity behind the manifestation
expeditions, though never with a ship so large of the Qinod Singularity in Ruk is becoming
Qinod Singularity, page and well outfitted. A skeleton crew of Rukians active in the realm of normal matter, Earth (as
208
has been assigned to the craft, but the ships well as all the recursions in the Shoals of Earth,
captain, Melana-shem, still hasnt filled the including Ruk) could be in terrible danger.
Captain Melana-shem,
page 31 roster to her liking because the Resolutions
actual mission is secret. EARTHBORN CREW ARE CRITICAL
Captain Melana-shem believes that Earthborn
THE RESOLUTIONS REAL MISSION crew members are crucial because the abilities
The Resolution has basic facilities to traverse of many Rukians are best suited for Mad
the Strange and mine reality seeds, but thats Science. It just wont do, she believes, to have
just a cover. Though the ship and its systems most of her crew operating at reduced capacity
were manufactured using Ruks state-of-the-art if the Resolution makes the inapposite transition
Mad Science technology, the resulting craft to normal space. Earthborn crew wont suffer
can operate solely in conditions of Standard from such a deficiency.
Physics, if necessary. Thats because the
real mission of the Resolution is to conduct ABOARD THE RESOLUTION
The Resolution: level 8 operations not only in the Strange but also in The strangecraft Resolution is massive, sized to
the universe of normal matter, in and around accommodate a crew of several hundred people
Resolution crew member:
level 3, starship operation
the Sol system that hosts the planet Earth. on expeditions lasting months or longer. The
tasks as level 5; short-range Why is the Resolution secretly outfitted ship includes a bridge, quarters, engineering,
taser pistol attack inflicts to operate in normal space? Because Zal stasis chambers, a power core, and engines
4 points of damage technology has detected a disturbance there that capable of functioning both in the Strange and

30
ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 2
in normal space. Each crew member is also circumstances, as well as individual control over
issued a lifesuit. stasis when a person is assigned a static shift Lifesuit, page 93
Power Section: The antimatter collected and in a stasis chamber.
contained within the magnetic vessel in the Bridge: Captain Melana-shem can usually
power section is a few orders of magnitude be found on the bridge with Weapons Officer
more plentiful than what could have been Brian Mason. Melana-shem is an Apoptosis- Captain Melana-shem,
easily collected in normal space under the law class battle chrysalid modified to function Apoptosis chrysalid: level
6; health 45; Armor 1;
of Standard Physics. Thats why the Resolution entirely under the law of Standard Physics long-range radiation attack
didnt collect it therethe ship manufactured (which degrades her abilities by a few levels). inflicts 6 points of damage
the antimatter using Mad Science methods Thanks to her onboard systems and because on all targets within
immediate range of each
of Ruk and created a containment vessel most Resolution systems are computerized, she
other; two melee attacks
strong enough to hold it. There is enough as one action each inflict 6
antimatter to power the ship for several years points of damage; regains 1
without refueling. The power section requires point of health per round
a small team of technicians, which is headed
up by an Earthborn, Leslie Matthews, who Leslie Matthews: level 3,
was a theoretical physics post-grad with dim knowledge tasks related
to physics and antimatter
prospects until she was offered a position containment as level 7
aboard the Resolution. Leslie is not quickened,
but she knows her way around antimatter.
Engines: The engines that power the ship
provide propulsion and a secret method of
transitioning between the recursion of Ruk and
the universe of normal matter.
The propulsion method, beamed core
antimatter, allows the Resolution to thrust rapidly
through the universe of normal matter as well as
the chaotic surge of the Strange (and, should it
ever prove necessary, above the disc of Ruk).
Of more concern is the mechanism that
allows the ship and her crew to transfer
between Ruk and normal space. Special
gantries in Ruk (in the city of Jir) are fitted
with inapposite hardware to cast the ship
into normal space at a predetermined location
orbiting Earths moon. Matching hardware on
the shipgreat rings that encircle the vessel
can be used to drag it back to Ruk.
The engines are tended by a team of
technicians under the leadership of a dour
Scot chief engineer recruited from a recursion Chief Engineer: level
where he was famous for being able to handle 4, tasks related to
engineering and beamed
anything thrown at him when it came to core antimatter systems as
starship systems, especially engines. level 7; long-range directed
Stasis Chambers: The stasis chambers aboard energy pistol attack inflicts
the Resolution are essentially empty pods just 5 points of damage
large enough to accommodate one occupant.
The pods are scattered about the ship. Most
dont have associated stasis equipment because
crew members are assigned stasis rings that Stasis ring, page 33
provide emergency life support in dangerous

31
Endeavor, page 228 RESOLUTION MISSIONS wrest control of the Resolution from Zal hands
Apotheme Rangers,
Recover the Endeavor (Strange): Endeavor, a and deliver it to the Karum. Itll take Earthborn
page 224 Rukian craft sent out to explore the Strange, to stop the mutiny, given the number of
disappeared with all hands three hundred Rukians who are now in the employ of the
Rogue Star, page 229 years ago. Apotheme Rangers recently found Karum. (The mutineers disguise tech fails
it adrift with no crew, but with hundreds of over the course of a few hours after the ship
Fundament, page 214
ghost-white oblong spheres of unknown origin transitions to normal Earth space.)
Karum, page 200 filling its hold. The Resolution has been tasked
with checking out Endeavor to determine the Save the ISS Astronauts (Earth space): A
Qinod deconstructor, true nature of the spheres and, if possible, tow toxic ammonia leak requires an emergency
page 287 the recovered vessel back to Ruk. evacuation of the International Space Station.
Six crew members in the US section of the
The Scar, page 27 Rendezvous with the Rogue Star (Strange): station took refuge in the Russian section,
A mysterious object called the Rogue Star but the leak is pervasive and fast becoming
Mytocytic pool: level 10, blazes through the Strange, leaving behind untenable. Unfortunately, one of the pair
Speed defense as level 3; a trail of torn fractal patterns and shattered of Soyuz lifeboats normally attached to the
health 120; long-range station is defective, and only three astronauts
fundament. According to a warning delivered
melee pseudopod attack
inflicts 10 points of damage; by Strange explorers, its heading directly were able to flee. Unless a miracle occurs,
for more details, see The for Ruk. The Resolution needs to reach and the three remaining astronauts will perish,
Strange Bestiary, page 90 intercept the object however it can. and the ISS will likely burn up. The Resolution
could provide aid. But can it do so without
Patrol the Scar (Ruk): The region of revealing the nature of its existence to those
Harmonious called the Scar is dead to the it saves?
normal All Song. Recently, that dead zone has
begun creeping outward into other parts of Intercept the Giant Asteroid (Earth space):
Harmonious, and no one knows why. Several According to NASA scientists, Earth will be
factions are scrambling to investigate and safe from the giant asteroid Apophis when it
deal with the situation, including a team flies extremely close to our planet in 2029, and
of Earthborn assigned to the Scar by the then returns for seconds in 2036. In reality,
Geshimmar faction, but the Resolution is also finer-scale calculations show that the asteroid
called on to assist. will indeed impact the Earth, with devastating
consequences. Earth governments have
Eradicate Mytocytic Pool (Ruk): Ruk has been chosen to keep that a secret while they try to
plagued with the occasional appearance come up with a plan. When the Resolution isnt
of seepage from bandit genetic labs that busy with more urgent missions, it is directed
sometimes gains sentience. These mytocytic to divert the asteroid.
pools can birth twisted parodies of life that
go on to become scourges all their own. Qinod Eruption (Earth space): Sensors
The pools are difficult to destroy, given their reveal a growing source of radiation in
mutable properties and their ability to birth orbit around Jupiter, though one that is not
a variety of defenders that adjust to meet associated with any of the planets moons.
the threat. The Resolutions weapon systems This is the reason the Resolution was built!
might be enough to take one out if away Upon receiving these readings, the captain
teams can distract it first. sends the ship toward Jupiter at full speed
(with an acceleration of 0.5 G for the first
Karum Mutiny (Resolution): A selection of the half of the trip and a deceleration of 0.5 G
crew brought aboard during the last rotation for the second half). As the ship approaches,
in Ruk are actually Karum members who sensors reveal several small objects orbiting
replaced the real crew using level 6 Rukian in space, each 20 feet (6 m) in diameter, that
technology to disguise their appearance. At look frighteningly like Qinod deconstructors.
some point (probably while the ship is on However, unlike their namesake, they are
another mission), they begin their operation to building something strange.

32
ARDEYN AND RUK EXPANDED 2
doesnt need a large complement of officers NANO DRONE
to help her guide the ship, deploy sensors, Level: 1d6
or direct the course, though she does rely on Form: Flying device small enough to fit in a pocket
Mason if they come under threat. Her Zal Effect: A nano drone can be keyed to one or
superiors believe that she is well suited to more uses by the application of the correct
holding the leash of command, but those under passphrase (or a hardware hacking success).
her do not love her ways. Other Rukians on the The drone provides aid in the form of
ship believe that she coddles the Earthborn. knowledge (voice activated), surveillance,
For their part, Earthborn crew members often communication with other users of nano
find her cynical, strict, and given to playing drones, and offense (once every other round,
games instead of saying what she means. And, it can fire a short-range maser beam that
of course, the mere sight of her is unsettling inflicts damage equal to its level).
to Earthborn. But Melana-shem is just being Depletion: (The drone must be recharged every
Rukian. She puts nothing before the success of few days, either manually or with a charge gun.)
the Resolution and its mission.
STASIS RING
RUK ARTIFACTS Level: 1d6
All artifacts described below operate under the Form: Thick ring with a control dial and contact
laws of Standard Physics and Mad Science. surface
Effect: The wearer can adjust the ring from one to
AR GLASSES six settings, corresponding to one minute, one The AR in AR glasses
Level: 1d6 hour, ten hours, one hundred hours, 1,000 stands for augmented
reality.
Form: Stylish glasses with tinted lenses hours (a bit longer than a month), and 10,000
Effect: The wearer can adjust the tint from hours (a bit longer than an Earth year). If the
slight to dark enough to stare into the heart contact surface is depressed, the wearer goes
of a star without sustaining eye damage. into stasis for the amount of time set on the
In addition, the wearer can receive help on ring. While in stasis, the wearer can take no
knowledge-based tasks (including repair actions, doesnt age, and gains +10 to Armor
or infiltration tasks that require special against all forms of damage, even kinds not
knowledge) by someone else wearing normally reduced by Armor. If a wearer in
AR glasses who is on the same network. stasis takes enough damage to get through his
Some AR glasses come programmed with Armor, the stasis effect immediately ends.
computer animation aids on a limited Depletion: 1 in 1d20
selection of topics (such as starship
operation tasks, for instance) that can also TATTOO GRAFT
provide assistance even without a paired Level: 1d6
helper on the same network. Form: Injection
Depletion: (Requires daily charging to operate.) Effect: When injected under the skin, organic
nanomachines able to stimulate and adjust
CHARGE GUN skin cells give the semblance of inked tattoos of
Level: 1d6 various designs. Each tattoo graft comes with a
Form: Handheld device with several extended static template, but a user can concentrate on
metallic prongs the tattoos and, over the course of one minute,
Effect: The wielder targets a device in long create any design on her skin she can imagine.
range that runs on an electrical charge, and the She can also animate a design or make a tattoo
device is repowered in whole or in part. visible only under certain wavelengths. Each
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 design change requires a depletion roll. Finally,
she can cause a tattoo to emit light, and if the
design is concentrated enough, it can emit light
in a bright beam reaching a short distance.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100

33
C H AP T ER 5

RECURSIONS

Over the years, a few misfiled reports led normal Royal Geographical Society
members to deem one or two of their previously celebrated explorers to be guilty
of penning reams of delirious writing. In fact, these were nothing more than real
reports meant for the Implausible archives, but which were unaccountably placed
in the normal archives. Its possible that the misfiling was done purposefully by
another member either as a joke or as a means to discredit the report writer.
More likely, the report writer may have felt that his discoveries merited wider
attention. Either way, stories of Atlantis, fantastical craft flying through the
luminiferous aether of space, hidden lodges, real magic, and realms where myths
walked as living, breathing entities did nothing positive for the reputation of these
authors. Most later rescinded their papers or, in the case of Fawcett, disappeared
altogether.
~Sir Raymond Creswicke,
in a letter to his paramour Irene in the constructed recursion of Paradiso

Fictional leakage created the vast majority of in each. Worlds Numberless and Strange
Atom Nocturne, recursions, including Atom Nocturne, Cataclyst, greatly expands the number of recursions for
page 234 Crow Hollow, Oz, Wonderland, and other characters to explore.
locations described in The Strange corebook.
Cataclyst, page 238
A few recursions were purposefully created (or RECURSION ATTRIBUTES
Crow Hollow, page 242 purposefully modified), including Ardeyn, Ruk, Every recursion has associated attributes,
Homebound, and others. Regardless of how which are the summary of its basic conditions.
Oz, page 253 they came to be, over time these recursions A recursions attributes include its level, the
Wonderland, page 253
have matured into places that are quite real. laws that operate within it, the foci available
Each recursion has its own laws of Mad Science, to first-time player characters, and so on. This
Ardeyn, page 160 Magic, or something odder still, which means section describes the most common attributes
that amazing things can occur in a recursion and their relevance.
Ruk, page 190
that could never happen on Earth.
Homebound, page 251 The Strange corebook describes several LEVEL
recursions with enough detail to run one A recursions level determines how difficult it
or more encounters (or entire adventures) is to translate there. Certain locations within

34
RECURSIONS 2
a recursion might be more difficult (or less Substandard Physics: In a recursion where
difficult) to translate into. Unless specified Substandard Physics is law, many of the
otherwise, a recursions level is also associated miracles of modern science fail to function,
with its materials, inhabitants, and other including gunpowder, artificial electricity,
attributes. artificial radio, and so on. Generally speaking,
a world of Substandard Physics can support
LAWS technology and effects on the level of Earths
A recursions laws broadly determine the kinds early Iron Age.
of rules that exist there. Without certain laws Exotic: The Exotic law is the catch-all category
to support them, a given recursion cant host that particularly odd recursions might fall into.
related kinds of foci, effects, and inhabitants. Usually, an Exotic recursion is one where the
For example, without the Magic law, Seishin substance of the recursion itself is unusual Seishin Shore, page 131
Shore couldnt support its Names focus. Most perhaps its composed of living flesh, fire,
recursions operate under one law (because dream, acidic slime, solid starlight, writhing
the more extreme laws assume an underlying worms, fairy wings, or another unexpected
baseline of Standard Physics), but a recursion form. Generally speaking, a recursion lower
could have more than one. than level 4 cant support Exotic elements.
Laws include the following.
Standard Physics: Most recursions operate PLAYABLE RACES
under this baseline law, as does Earth. Science When a recursor translates into a recursion
is the route to understanding and knowledge for the first time, she might choose to be
in these recursions. Unless noted otherwise, embodied in one of its races instead of her
Standard Physics is also supported as a own. For example, a character traveling to
baseline in recursions that operate under more Mesozoica could choose to be a hominid Mesozoica, page 72
extreme laws. instead of a human.
Magic: Recursions that operate under the law
of Magic allow residents to create a wide variety FOCI
of sorcerous effects through spellcasting, true A recursion could support one or more foci.
names, sympathetic magic, voodoo, witchcraft, When a PC translates into such a recursion for
and so on. Different recursions usually support the first time, she might choose one of those
different styles, traditions, and rules of magic, foci instead of dragging her previous focus (if
but the underlying Magic law is what makes it is draggable). For instance, a recursor who Draggable foci, page 52
them all possible. translates to Halloween could choose the Trick-
Mad Science: Perfect clones, AIs, gravitons, or-Treats focus.
faster-than-light drives, personal flying armored Halloween, page 64
suits, and ray guns might exist in a recursion
that operates under this law. As with Magic, a
Mad Science recursion probably supports only
FOCI FROM OTHER SOURCES
a few particular superscience themes, not every
The foci described for each recursion
possible permutation.
represent only the base options available
Psionics: A mental plane or similar mindspace
there. If the GM has a source for other foci
framework in a Psionics recursion supports a raft
that she decides are appropriately themed
of mental effects. A recursion with Psionics as a
(such as other foci from the corebook,
law might feature astral projection, psychometry,
from In Translation: The Strange Character
pyrokinesis, telepathy, hive minds, telekinesis,
Options, from third-party publishers, or
psychic surgery, aura reading, bilocation, and
adapted from the Numenera corebook and
similar effects. As with Magic and Mad Science,
Numenera Character Options), she should
a Psionics recursion usually supports only a
feel free to allow them in a given recursion
few particular threads of psychic development
on a case-by-case basis.
according to a specified tradition of accessing
mental powers, not every possible permutation.

35
SKILLS
Recursion natives without the spark probably
still have some kind of culture, which means
they also know one or more skills unique to the
recursion. A player character who translates
to the recursion usually cant pick up that skill
as part of the translation (unless its granted
by a chosen focus), but any PC could choose
to learn such a skill as part of normal tier
advancement, if desired. Other skills are also
available in a recursion as is appropriate to
the context, even if not specifically called out.
For instance, fishing, sailing (skyships), and
library research are all skills that are available in
Seishin Shore because they fit the recursions
context, even though they are not described in
this book.

CONNECTION TO THE STRANGE


Most recursions can serve as gateways into
the Strange. The nature of that connection is
described under this attribute.

CONNECTION TO EARTH
Even though every recursion is hosted by the
Strange, it must also be connected to a prime
world somehow. The nature of that connection
to the local prime world (in most cases, Earth)
is described under this attribute.

SIZE
All recursions, no matter how small or big,
have a shape and size. Additional explanation
regarding the layout is usually found in the
main entry for the recursion.

THE SPARK
This entry indicates the percentage of recursion
inhabitants who have the spark.

TRAITS
Each recursion has one or more traits that
could affect visiting recursors. For example, in
a recursion with the Honorable trait, when a
creature engages in a truly honorable act (as
judged by the GM), the difficulty of the next
task it attempts within the hour is reduced
by one step, assuming that task doesnt
contravene the honorable act.

36
RECURSIONS 2
ARRIVAL
All else being equal, the first time recursors translate into a recursion, they appear in a default
location. This entry describes that location.

RANDOM RECURSION TABLE


When you need a recursion, choose from this table or roll 1d100 for a random result.
01 20K 52 Middlecap*
02 221B Baker Street* 53 Moonbase Tranquility
03 AD 802,701 54 Neverland
04 Antikytheracosm 55 Neverland-4
0512 Ardeyn* 56 New Centropolis
13 Atlantis 57 New Kingdom
14 Atom Nocturne* 58 New York Grey
15 Avalon 59 Nights Edge
16 Borderlands of Sol 60 Oceanmist
17 Camelot Le Morte 61 Old Mars*
18 Castle One 62 Oz*
19 Cataclyst* 63 Panopticon
20 Crow Hollow* 64 Pantamal*
21 Cyberscape 65 Paradiso
22 Cygnus Station 66 Pellucidar
23 Dead Earth 67 Plague Kingdom
24 Desktop Terrene 68 Posthuman Apocalypse
25 Eleventh Reich 69 Qoph
26 Entopia 70 R639
27 Eschatos 71 Rebel Galaxy
28 Flatland 72 Ring
29 Flying Dutchman 73 Riverside
30 Frog Lake 74 Rlyeh
31 Gingerbread House 7581 Ruk*
32 Gloaming* 82 Samurai Sky
33 Goodland* 83 Seishin Shore
34 Gorilla Planet 84 Silverwood
35 Gothic Playground 85 Singularitan*
36 Graveyard of the Machine God* 86 Starship Heinlein
37 Halloween 87 Strawberry Fayre
38 Happy Island 88 Sunspot Meadows
39 Hell Frozen Over* 89 Sword Realms
40 Homebound* 90 Sycorax Island
41 Innsmouth* 91 Telluria
42 Kiplingverse 92 Theater of War
43 Krayol 93 Truetopia*
44 Labyrinth 94 Urania*
45 Lost Lands 95 Urban Wizardry
46 Magicians Sanctum 96 War of the Worlds
47 Mandala Zero 97 Wonderland*
48 Manifest Silicon 98 Wrecked Starship
49 Meintome 99 Wuxia City
50 Mesozoica 00 Zed America
51 Microcosmica *Recursions marked with asterisks appear in
The Strange corebook.

37
ATLANTIS
Now in this island of Atlantis there existed a confederation of kings, of great and
marvelous power, which held sway over all the island, and over many other islands
also and parts of the continent.
~Plato, Critias

The story of Atlantis is one of the oldest myths. Alumust interacted with these new beings
Supposedly 9,000 years before Plato first wrote humans on Earthand took some of them
of its existence, a great civilization arose on back to his laboratory, which by this time had
the now-lost continent. Information held by become a complex of different labs. Using
the ancient Greeks about Atlantis was said to these subjects, he was able to engineer and
have come from the older Egyptian civilization, create a new offshoot of humanity that was far
which may have gleaned it from even earlier superior in health and intelligence. He placed
The baryonic universe is the
universe of normal matter, sources. his creations back on Earth, planning to let
Earths universe. There is truth to the myth, but it has them infiltrate and eventually conquer the
become distorted by timeand by intentional
deception.
This recursion is one of glistening towers of ATLANTIS ATTRIBUTES
Adapts to Any
Environment, page 54 crystal and shining metal rising above the sea. Level: 6
The wonders of Atlantis give rise to the heights Laws: Magic and Mad Science
Conducts Weird of sophistication, power, and immortality itself.
Science, page 57 Playable Races: Human,
Arrival: Recursors arriving in Atlantis appear Atlantean
Entertains, page 61 in the domed merchants city section, on a Foci: Adapts to Any Environment,
street that appears paved in gold. Conducts Weird Science, Entertains,
Integrates Weaponry,
Integrates Weaponry, Leads, Operates
page 63
A RECURSIVE RECURSION Undercover, Practices Soul Sorcery,
Leads, page 65 The being known as Darum Tal Alumust is Processes Information, Regenerates
originally from the baryonic universe, his world Tissue, Wields Two Weapons at Once,
Operates Undercover,
destroyed by planetovores of unknown name or Works Miracles
page 70
origin. He somehow escaped into the Strange Skills: Atlantis lore
Practices Soul Sorcery, and found his way to a minor cyst in the Connection to Strange: Deep, deep
page 71 network, where he hid for millennia. underwater
Processes Information,
Eventually, Alumust set up a laboratory there. Connection to Earth: At least one gate in
page 74 He began to conduct experiments and work the heart of the island
on scientific projects. Much to his surprise, Size: 20,000 square miles (51,800 square
Regenerates Tissue, the laws of physicsor what he thought of as
page 74 km)
physicsworked slightly differently in his new Spark: 20%
Wields Two Weapons at home. He created a gateway back to his original Trait: Intelligent. Any creature with the spark
Once, page 82 universe, only to discover that the world in adds 1 to its Intellect Pool maximum
closest proximity to the cyst in which he had while in the recursion. The point is lost
Works Miracles,
page 82 been hiding now sported intelligent life that upon leaving the recursion.
was in the very earliest stages of civilization.

38
RECURSIONS: ATLANTIS 2
In effect, Atlantis is a recursion created by
WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT the fiction that it initially engendered. It seeded
ATLANTIS itself.
Atlantis operates under the laws of Atlantis stretches for miles in all directions,
Mad Science and Magic, with both high filled with salt water below and beautiful skies
technology and sorcery for Atlanteans above. The weather is always the same, with
to command. gentle breezes blowing pink clouds above
The recursion is very oldperhaps one smooth, bottomless seas. Anyone who plumbs
of the oldest. their depths far enough emerges directly into
Atlantis is ruled by a being called the Strange itself.
Darum Tal Alumust, a godlike creature Most of the recursion is open water, but at
neither human nor Atlantean, who no its center lies a city of grandeur. Its less than
one ever sees. the continent of myth and not really an island;
Atlanteans are long-lived, beautiful nevertheless, when recursors speak of Atlantis,
humans with an affinity for science and it is the city they mean. The city is made of
sorcery. twenty-five circular sections, from which rise
towers and domes. Each section is connected
to the others via golden highways, along which
growing civilizations so he could return to his self-driven carriages and transports of elegant
proper universe and set himself up as the ruler design race at high speeds. Some residents use
of the young world. flying craft to get from section to section, with
However, Alumust discovered, to his dismay, landing pads and access hangars throughout
that the planetovores were still out there, all levels of the city.
searching. Rather than risk drawing their attention Each section descends well below the waters
to Earth (and thus himself), he and his creations surface, and most are open at the top, so they
retreated to his hiding place in the Strange. That seem more like shafts that plunge down into
was when things began to change. Over the next the sea.
few thousand years, stories on Earth (particularly Unlike the inhabitants of most recursions,
in Europe, Africa, and Asia) of these advanced the people of Atlantis (both Atlantean and
people who had emerged from the west began human) are aware of the Earth and the fact
to spread. The tale grew so that they lived on an that their home is not a part of it. Most believe
island in what we now know to be the Atlantic that Atlantis is a pocket dimension just outside
Ocean, with great command of science and Earth. They also believe that the planet remains
magic. With these wonders, they supposedly in the state it was in about 4,000 years ago,
conquered much of Europe, Africa, and Asia, and and that Atlantis rules over Earth figuratively or
perhaps even the Americas. Over time, the stories literally.
sparked by Alumusts initial intrusions on Earth
created fiction that shaped his hiding place in the DARUM TAL ALUMUST
Strange. The cyst became a recursion as the result In Atlantis, the inhabitants see Darum Tal Darum Tal Alumust: level
9, almost all scientific
of fictional leakage. It gained a new name and Alumust as a deity, referring to him as the God- and magic lore as level
became the Atlantis of myththe myth Alumust King. He is the ruler of Atlantis and therefore 10; health 100; Armor 7 (5
had inadvertently created. the master of everything. As the source of all against mental or ambient
attacks); uses spells and
devices to attack up to
six targets within 1 mile
as a single action; uses
No one knowsand perhaps no one could ever understandthe nature of the telepathy, mind control,
and matter and energy
cyst that Darum Tal Alumust initially found. A waystation created by the Stranges reshaping, as well as
original engineers? Some sort of service node to be used for maintenance? Whatever teleportation and distance
viewing (both anywhere in
it was, it is now almost entirely overwritten with the recursion of Atlantis. Atlantis)

39
Almost everyone aware of Darum Tal Alumusts existence is afraid of him and
what he might do. Many of the organizations involved in the Strange keep tabs
on him, either because of his growing power or because his activities could draw
the attention of planetovores. Or both. Few people know of (or would probably
believe) his true ultimate goals.

knowledge of science and magic, he wields DAJMORIA


Dajmoria: level 5, all supreme power over time and space, matter Dajmoria is an Atlantean who does not see
stealth tasks as level 6 and energy. Alumust as a god. She wants to overthrow him,
This is, of course, not entirely true. By Earth and the only way she can see to do that is to
standards, Alumust is an alien. His natural expose him as a fallible, mortal being. She has
form is that of a massive worm almost 20 feet a number of followers in her secret rebellion,
(6 m) long, with writhing pseudopods and the vast majority of them Atlanteans.
a rather humanlike face. Using the magical Although they hoard weapons and such,
science he has perfected in Atlantis, he can take their rebellion will not win by force of arms,
the form of a golden-skinned man about 7 feet and they know it. Ultimately, they will win by
(2 m) tall with long, flowing hair and crystalline exposing their enemy to the people of Atlantis,
eyes. He uses this form when he makes one of so Dajmoria and her allies scheme for a way to
his very, very rare public appearances. do that.
Despite what his subjects believe, Alumust Dajmoria is aware of Ardeyn, Ruk, and other
is not all-knowing or all-seeing, but he spends recursions. She hopes to find allies outside
almost all his time continually developing his Atlantis, and she is not choosy about whether
power. He is virtually immortal, can reshape she gets help from the Estate, the Karum, or
matter and energy, and can see and move another groupshe has no interest in Earth,
anywhere within Atlantis whenever he wishes. only her home. Rumors say she has even
This isnt enough for him, however. He spoken with representatives of Moriarty, but
strives to develop even greater weapons and there was little assistance he could offer (so
defenses to achieve his goals. Put bluntly, he far).
craves enough power that he need not fear the What Dajmoria does not realize is that
planetovores that drove him into the Strange Alumust is well aware of her and her followers.
in the first place. He wishes to return to the In fact, he covertly supports them. He believes
universe of his birth and establish an empire that conflict breeds strength, and one day he
there. Very likely, this means traveling to Earth, will need his people to be strong enough to
conquering it, and using it as a place to build fight against planetovores. There have always
defenses and weapons against the beings been secret rebellions against Alumust, and he
out there who would wish to conquer it for has always secretly fostered them. Further, for
themselves. As the seat of Alumusts potential his own plans to come to fruition, he will likely
empire, Earth would become a fortress, and all need far more of the residents of Atlantis to
its inhabitants slaves and soldiers. possess the spark and perhaps be quickened.
To accomplish this, however, he would have He hopes to manipulate events so that while
to change Earth so that it is governed by the Dajmoria does not succeed in her goals, her
laws of Atlantis, and that means rewriting efforts increase a general awareness among the
actual reality. So his goals are lofty, to say the populace, and thus begin the spreading of the
least. spark.

40
RECURSIONS: ATLANTIS 2
ATLANTEANS AND HUMANS THE WONDERS OF ATLANTIS
Atlantis is home to more than three million Magic and technology coexist in a mlange
residents. About a third of these are Atlanteans, of power in Atlantis. It is nearly impossible to
descendants of the humans that Darum Tal see where one ends and the other begins. If a
Alumust first brought here and modified. The sorcerer levitates into the air, for example, is
other two-thirds are humans created as the he doing so because of a spell or antigravity
recursion grew. The vast majority of residents suspensors hidden in his clothing? The answer
who have the spark are Atlanteans, not might very well be both.
humans. People get around in flying and ground
Atlanteans stand 6 to 7 feet (1.8 to 2.1 m) tall. vehicles. High-speed elevators and people
Their skin ranges from gold to dark bronze. movers transport citizens within city
Their hair flows long, and their faces are always sections. Many people wear ear-mounted
beautiful. Atlanteans are extremely long-lived, communicators that have a range of the entire
some remaining in good health for almost recursion, and visual communicators are often
1,000 years. They are immune to conventional found in homes and offices.
diseases. The military and police forces of Atlantis are
In Atlantis, humans are clearly a lower called the guardians, and they use handheld Atlantis guardian: level 3,
class, although this is not an official standard. weapons (a bit like laser pistols and a bit like perception as level 4; Armor
2; melee and long-range
Atlanteans hold all positions and offices of wands) that fire energy bolts. These same attacks
power. Humans carry out all menial labor devices can create blades of energy in melee
and service jobs. Despite having a high level combat. The guardians wear lightweight metal
of science and sorcery, the people of Atlantis weave armor.
almost never use robots or conjured servitors Everything in Atlantis is ornately crafted and
like demons or elementals. beautiful in form, regardless of purpose. Even

41
Sometimes, the most valuable things that undercover Atlantean merchants bring
back from Earth are ideas. Inspiration for entertainment, food, art, or technology
is useful, and such things are frequently copied without most Atlanteans ever
knowing the true source. Atlantis Has Talent is one of the most popular video
entertainments, for example.

a broom or a dustbin is a thing of beauty. Its a THE UNIVERSITY


bit of a mystery where the craftspeople procure The people of Atlantis enjoy lives of comfort,
the precious metals, gemstones, and crystals most of their needs met without effort.
they use in their work. Likely their existence is This freedom encourages them to spend
an innate part of the recursion. their lives enriching their minds through
knowledge. Many residents spend many,
LOCATIONS IN ATLANTIS many years as students in the huge university,
The city is divided into twenty-five sections, which encompasses an entire city section.
most of which are residential areas, businesses, Here, instructors teach all manner of
laboratories, and recreational areas. knowledge, science, and lore. Philosophy and
contemplation are highly valued as well.
ALUMUSTS CITADEL
In the center of Atlantis lies a palace of gold and THE MERCHANTS CITY SECTION
crystal, the home of Darum Tal Alumust. This All types of beautiful art and crafted works, as
is, by far, the largest structure in the city, taking well as technology and magic, are for sale here,
up almost one entire section. No one other than as well as mundane items and food. Despite
Alumusts Trusted are permitted inside. all its technology, Atlantis still uses small gold
Alumusts Trusted coins as currency.
are all Atlanteans, The recursions
and most are at least The beauty of a thing is as important other permanent
five hundred years inapposite gate to
old. These 1,000 or to an Atlantean as the function of Earth is here. This
so individuals are that thing. one leads to the site
among the most of an ancient Mayan
knowledgeable ruin deep in the
andin their masters opiniontrustworthy jungles of the Yucatan. Traders use this gate to
in the city. Most of them work in laboratories. go to Earth, sell items of great craftsmanship
Only perhaps 1 percent of the Trusted interact (not technology, for it would not function
directly with the God-King more than once or long there), and return with special foods or
twice during their time in the citadel. other items of interest. Most of the citys food
In the innermost sanctum of the citadel is created by technology to be nutritious and
is the original structure that Alumust found delicious, but a natural piece of fruit or a loaf
long ago. Both a part of the Strange and not of bread brought back from Earth can be a
a part of the Strange, it is a tiny node, almost wondrous thing.
suggesting that something more substantial Certainly, many items classified as cyphers
The two inapposite gates once connected to it (or was meant to). Only can be found in the merchants section, and
in Atlantis are closely Alumust is allowed in this inner sanctum, and some recursion miners travel to Atlantis just to
controlled by the guardians, it is where he spends the majority of his time. shop in the markets.
and no one is allowed
The citadel has one of two permanent
to use them (in either
direction) without specific inapposite gates that lead to Earth. This gate
sanction. leads to a hidden spot on the island of Crete.

42
RECURSIONS: ATLANTIS 2
NEW MYTHS OF ATLANTIS
Saboteurs! Someone is using high explosives to scheme has slipped out, and people in the city
destroy vital parts of the city, causing highway (some from outside Atlantis) have different
collapses, flooding, and other calamities. So opinions on whether the idea is good or bad.
far, dozens of residents have been killed and Destabilizing Atlantis could result in disaster.
hundreds injured in these terrorist attacks. No But bringing down Darum Tal Alumustif
one has claimed responsibility, and those in the that is indeed what would happenmight be
know suspect that the saboteurs come from a blessing. Or is this all just a scheme within a
outside the recursion. But whats their motive? scheme created by the God-King himself?

Stolen Legacy. Dajmoria and her followers Creatures of the Deep. Although the waters
are ready to launch their attack. They have of Atlantis are traditionally peaceful, giant
learned that Alumust keeps journals to record predatory sea creaturessome unlike anything
his thoughts for posterity. If anything should seen since Earths prehistoric timeshave been
happen to him, the books would be his lasting attacking divers and craft. No one knows where
legacy. Dajmoria plans to infiltrate Alumusts they came from or why they are so aggressive.
citadel, steal his personal journals, and reveal Is there a common link among those who have
his secrets to the public. But word of her been attacked?

Thomas Sizemore: level 5;


THE CRAFTERS CITY SECTION THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL disguise, lying, and stealth
This section is where the craftspeople do their This location is the deepest part of one of the as level 6
work. While a flying belt or a food-producing central city sections, where a single narrow
Other organizations have
machine might be developed, engineered, or tube descends to the edge of the recursion. An
secret bases in Atlantis,
built somewhere else, the crafters section is elevator provides access to the Bottom of the including but not limited to
where it is made beautiful. The beauty of a Well; the ride down takes eight full minutes. the Quiet Cabal, the OSR,
thing is as important to an Atlantean as the From this small spot, exploratory craft designed and the Karum.
function of that thing. by Darum Tal Alumust, capable of navigating
Hav Lomals Wonders: This location is a front the Strange, can be moored and launched. Typical Gifted One: level
for an Estate safehouse and base of operations. Alumust is wary of traveling in the Strange 7, all magic- or science-
related tasks as level 8;
The lead operative is an Atlantean known as and would not do it himself, but there may Armor 4; attack at a range
Loman Oraph, but his real name is Thomas be secrets in the dark energy network or in of 200 feet (61 m); fly, use
Sizemore. The operatives here are under strict other recursions that can help him achieve his telepathy and mind control,
orders to do nothing but observe. ultimate goals. very likely to have 1d6
cyphers that provide other
capabilities
THE GIFTED ONES
In one of the residential city sections is a
sprawling complex of towers owned by a
group of Atlantean science-sorcerers who
call themselves the Gifted Ones. They see
themselves as superior to others in the city
and use their considerable powers for their
own gain. In particular, they enjoy mentally
subjugating humans to make them into slaves.
Sometimes, the Gifted Ones use technomagic
to transform these slaves into guards, beasts of
burden, or other things. Though ruthless and
self-serving, these science-sorcerers are loyal
servants of Darum Tal Alumust and true sons
and daughters of Atlantis.

43
ATLANTEAN ARTIFACTS hour. It obeys the thoughts of a pilot who
Today, the wonders of Atlantis are a fusion of must concentrate each round to make
magic and science woven so tightly together it fly. The skiff can carry up to five other
that they can never be separated. The devices passengers or an equal amount of cargo.
need a healthy dose of both to function. Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check each day)

DIVING SHELL GUARDIAN WEAPON


Level: 1d6 + 1 Level: 1d6 + 1
Form: A belt with a single metal device that fits Form: A curved wand of bronze and glass that
on the wearers side flows to fit perfectly in the wielders hand
Effect: When the wearer is fully submerged Effect: This device has two functions. It can
in liquid, the belt creates a shell of force fire a blast of superheated energy up to
around her, filled with air. This shell is fairly long range, which inflicts damage equal
tight around her form but allows her to to the artifact level. It can also produce a
breathe normally and swim underwater as constant bladelike beam 2 or 3 feet (61 to
easily as she can move through the air when 91 cm) long that can be used in melee as
on the surface. a medium or heavy weapon (users choice
Depletion: 1 in 1d10 upon activation). Once activated, the blade
remains for one minute.
GOLDEN SKIFF Depletion: 1 in 1d10
Level: 1d6 + 3
Form: An open-top vehicle of gold and glass, 12 LEARNING HALO
feet long and 5 feet wide (4 m by 2 m) Level: 1d6 + 2
Effect: This vehicle can fly through the air at Form: A golden torc that flows to fit perfectly
speeds of up to 200 miles (322 km) per around the wearers head
Effect: When worn, the artifact grants
knowledge in one area. The wearer is
trained in one of the following tasks:
0115 Melee attack
1630 Ranged attack
3140 Speed defense
4150 Might defense
5160 Intellect defense
6165 Biology
6670 Physics
7176 Chemistry
7779 Magic lore
8084 Repair
8590 History
9192 Mythology
9394 Sneaking
9596 Swimming
9798 Perceiving
99 Climbing
00 Escaping
Depletion:

44
RECURSIONS: ATLANTIS 2
But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day
and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and
the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea.
~Plato, Timaeus/Critias

SONIC HARMONIZER WATER WAND


Level: 1d6 Level: 1d6 + 2
Form: A metal and glass device with a handle Form: A golden wand with a clear inset crystal
that flows to fit perfectly in the wielders on both ends that flows to fit perfectly in the
hand wielders hand
Effect: The device launches a floating glass Effect: This device causes water within
sphere that moves up to a short distance immediate range to take a solid shape as
away. Once it is in position (the following the wielder desires. She can create any
round), all creatures and objects within single solid object with no moving parts
an immediate range are harmonized that could fit in a 3-foot-by-3-foot cube (91
via sonic vibrations. Devices work better, cm by 91 cm). Although the object appears
creatures operate more efficiently, and so to be made of water, it is as solid as metal
on. All objects in the area offer an asset to (but only half as heavy). Alternatively, the
their use or operate at one level higher than water wand can be used to create a thin
normal, whichever is more appropriate. shield or wall about 8 feet by 8 feet by 1 inch
The difficulty of all tasks for creatures in (2 m by 2 m by 3 cm). This level 6 structure
the area is reduced by one step. This effect is as hard as steel.
lasts for a number of rounds equal to the Depletion: 1 in 1d20
harmonizers level.
Depletion: 1 in 1d6

45
CAMELOT LE MORTE
In the midst of the lake Arthur was ware of an arm clothed in white samite, that
held a fair sword in that hand.
~Le Morte dArthur, by Thomas Malory

Camelot Le Morte once The maladie de la machine hit Arthurs kingdom his bedchamber, Lancelot escaped unchanged
belonged to a class of in the heart of the realmCamelot. Many of but infected, while Gwenhwyfar was overcome
recursions called the
Arthurians because of its
the Knights of the Round Table were absent and transformed. Now Gwenhwyfar rules in
association with the King from the castle, as they were on a quest for Camelot as its queen, but not as a human. As
Arthur myth, but that was the Holy Grail. Without their protection, the a mcanisme, she is a creature of ironlike metal
before its collision with fair court fell to the ungodly disease. Where that does not sleep or feel pity. She has vowed
a Mad Science recursion
created by comic book humans once walked, buzzing things of iron that all the land will become as she, and once
fictional leakage, which afterward shambled with the facade of people that is accomplished, she promises to set her
created the current fused but the hearts of devils. Arthur was slain in sights on other realms.
recursion.
the fighting and lies dead (but uninfected) in In the aftermath, only a few knights,
including Sir Bors, continue to pursue the
quest for the Holy Grail. If anything, Bors
searches with even greater fervor than before,
believing that the holy relic is the only way to
purify the kingdom. Other knights, including
Lancelot, have joined with Mordred in his
fortress of Camboglanna. Mordred, a warlock
of some repute, can keep the maladie de la
machine at bay with his magic. Other forces in
the kingdom continue their own fights, some
against Camelot, others against Camboglanna,
and still others caught up in their own quests in
a land already rich in danger and deception.
Residents of the recursion call their land
Albion. Only recursors who understand its
nature refer to the place as Camelot Le Morte,
a name that purposefully conjoins English
and French, reflecting the unnatural blended

People converted into mcanismes


are tougher and can sometimes call on
machine abilities, but their minds are
often lost in the process.

46
RECURSIONS: CAMELOT LE MORTE 2
Carries a Quiver,
CAMELOT LE MORTE WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT page 55
ATTRIBUTES CAMELOT LE MORTE
Level: 5 Camelot Le Morte operates under the Entertains, page 61
Laws: Mad Science and Magic laws of Magic and Mad Science and
Infiltrates, page 62
Playable Races: Human and mcanisme was seeded when stories, movies,
Foci: Carries a Quiver, Entertains, and myths of King Arthur collided Leads, page 65
Infiltrates, Inks Spells on Skin*, Leads, with modern stories about nanovirus
Looks for Trouble, Metamorphosizes, plagues that transform victims into Looks for Trouble,
page 68
Regenerates Tissue, Shepherds the something with cyber-organic flesh.
Dead, Slays Dragons, Solves Mysteries, Camelot Le Morte is a recursive version Metamorphosizes,
Spawns, Wields Two Weapons at of the isle of medieval Great Britain, page 69
Once, Works Miracles but congruences are by no means one
Regenerates Tissue,
Skills: Camelot Le Morte lore to one. page 74
Connection to Strange: Certain tombs and The maladie de la machinea disease
archways open to the Strange that turns people into walking, buzzing Shepherds the Dead,
page 76
Connection to Earth: An erratically things of iron called mcanismes
functioning inapposite gate cursed controls part of Albion, most notably Slays Dragons, page 77
by Merlin before his departure; in the body of Gwenhwyfar, who rules
Solves Mysteries,
Gwenhwyfar has mcanisme knights in Camelot. Arthur is dead, Lancelot
page 78
working on its repair joined Mordreds revolt, Merlin remains
Size: 80,000 square miles (207,200 square km) missing, and Morgan Le Fay has Spawns, page 79
Spark: 15% retreated to her hidden realm of Avalon.
Wields Two Weapons at
Trait: Brash. For any creature with the spark Some Knights of the Round Table have Once, page 82
attempting to overcome or ignore the been transformed by the disease and
effects of fear or intimidation, the difficulty serve the queen, while others are free Works Miracles,
is modified by one step to its benefit. and have joined with Mordred. Still page 82
others continue their quest for the
* indicates foci found in this book Holy Grail, hoping that it can heal their
recursor must be a mcanisme to take this focus home of its hellish blight.

nature of many natives and presuming that the Other modifications are likely necessary to
recursion may soon come to a bad end. massage a given focus so it fits the context
Arrival: Camelot Le Mortes initial default of the recursion. For instance, if a character
translation location is standing on the road to chooses Works Miracles, the context presumes
Camelot, with the grand towers of the fantastic that the miracles are being granted by the
capital in view. Abrahamic God.
Camelot Le Morte also offers the focus Inks Inks Spells on Skin,
CAMELOT LE MORTE FOCI Spells on Skin. page 200
Most of the foci that player characters
can choose in Camelot Le Morte are MALADIE DE LA MACHINE
straightforward, with a few exceptions. The maladie de la machine is what the natives of
Only characters who choose to be Camelot Le Morte call the disease that converts
mcanismes can take the foci marked with a normal creature into a mcanisme. The
in the Attributes box. On the other hand, disease is a level 4 transformative virus that
mcanismes can choose any foci listed, as well turns living flesh into a cybernetic equivalent.
as any other foci that the GM makes available. An infection can take days to completely
A character who chooses to translate into the convert a creature, though the process can
recursion as a mcanisme, as described below, be accelerated to less than one minute if
faces additional challenges. another mcanisme is the direct vector. People

47
converted into mcanismes are tougher and CASTLE OF CAMELOT
can sometimes call on machine abilities, but Life in the castle has taken a vast turn from how
their minds are often lost in the process. In things looked before the cyber-virus struck the
addition to the obvious downsides, a victim so recursion. The cooks, gardeners, grooms, and
transformed usually becomes subject to a level other servants, as well as the nobles, knights,
4 rooted directive that switches his loyalty to counselors, and other fixtures of the court,
the command module, currently housed in the now spend most of their time rooted in one
body of Queen Gwenhwyfar. place, connected to one another via strands of
Lucky, page 48 Recursors who translate into Camelot Le thin metallic wire that stretch throughout the
Morte choose whether to appear as human structure like spiderwebs. Unless the castle is
or mcanisme. A recursor who chooses the roused in full defense mode, only a few Knights
Mcanisme soldier: level latter option gains +1 to Armor and has access of the Round Table are active at any given time.
2; Armor 2; sword attack to a bonus Cyber Pool that contains 4 points These include the soldiers walking patrol under
inflicts 3 points of damage
(this Pool functions like the Luck Pool of the the command of Sir Kay, the lesser knights led
The Source, page 52 Lucky descriptor). However, the recursor must by Sir Galahad hunting unconverted humans
fight to maintain control of her mind upon far beyond the castle walls to bring them into
Sir Galahad: level 6; Armor first translating into the recursion, each time the fold, and Sir Percival, who looks variously
4; often rides a level 3 she moves down one step on the damage for the Holy Grail and an artifact called the
mcanisme steed; lance
attack inflicts 8 points of track, and whenever another fully converted Source. In addition to the knights, Queen
damage; infectious mcanisme touches her. Gwenhwyfar is also active.
The chamber of the Round Table is thick with
the wire communication webbing so ubiquitous
in the castle. In the past, a few mcanismes
tried to sit in the Siege Perilous, the Round
Table seat reserved by Merlin for the person
who would one day find the Holy Grail, but they
were instantly killed. Since then, the invaders
leave the chamber alone.
Sir Galahad: As is true of many of the
converted, remnants of Galahads original
personality persist within his electronic brain.
Thus, the once-cheerful Galahad, son of Sir
Lancelot, is now a brooding, threatening
presence, even to other mcanismes. The
more the part of him that was loyal to King
Arthur tries to resist, the more the controlling
intelligence clamps down, making him
humanitys most dangerous foe. He detests
his father Lancelot most of all. The fact that
Lancelot has yet to submit to the infection
is the only source of strength that Galahads
remaining humanity holds to, so the controlling
intelligence has made Lancelots conversion (or
death) its number one priority.
Sir Galahad also constantly feels the conflict
created by the presence of the Siege Perilous
in the chamber of the Round Table. Given
that his name appeared on the seat that has
killed everyone else who dared to sit there, he
believes that he is the one fated to use it to gain
a vision of the Holy Grail. However, the queen

48
RECURSIONS: CAMELOT LE MORTE 2
has strictly forbidden days, the struggle is
Galahad from trying ongoing. If Percival
the seat or looking The queen wields Arthurs sword, can find the Source,
for the Grail. She Excalibur. As long as she doesnt lose he believes he can
fears that either could complete the process
her hold on it, the sword remains hers.
strengthen the human and remake the Sir Percival: level 6; Armor
part of his mind, recursion completely, 4; often rides a level 3
allowing him to break perhaps setting mcanisme steed; two
sword attacks as a single
free of the mcanisme controlling intelligence. himself in Gwenhwyfars place. action; infectious
Sir Percival: Not much of Sir Percivals Sir Kay: Where Percival is noncommunicative,
original personality remainsthe maladie de the controlling intelligence of Kay allows much
la machine struck him particularly hard. This of what he was to bubble to the surface, making
Sir Kay: level 5; Armor 4;
means that unlike some others among the this knight positively loquacious. However, long-range crossbow attack
court in Camelot, Percival has little obvious his courteous manner doesnt mean hell inflicts 3 points of Intellect
personality and isnt given to engaging betray the queen. In fact, if he finds anyone of damage (ignores Armor);
infectious
unconverted humans in dialogue. He splits his note beyond the castle walls, he escorts his
time between questing for the Holy Grail, under honored guests into Camelots throne room
command from the queen to find and destroy for a meeting with Her Majesty.
it before any other knight finds it, and secretly Queen Gwenhwyfar: The queen wears the Queen Gwenhwyfar:
searching for the Source, the original shard of clothing and crown of royalty with relish, an level 6; Amor 4; wields
Excalibur; carries two
infection that came to Camelot. Thanks to a echo of Gwenhwyfars original personality. That random cyphers; infectious
concerted fight put up by Merlin, Arthur, and echo is perhaps why she keeps the rotting body
even Morgan Le Fay, the Source was broken, of Arthur rooted with communication web in
and the greater part of it lost. What remained the royal bedchamber instead of the dungeon.
was still enough to do serious damage, but An underlying spell continually attempts to
rather than converting the recursion in just pull the body away from Camelot. Gwenhwyfar

49
doesnt know the destination (the spell is trying in the leadership role. Because once it is
to pull the body to a linked recursion called converted, Gwenhwyfarwho is quickened
Avalon, page 171 Avalon), but the energized web ties the corpse plans on expanding her dominion into other
in place. Arthur being dead, the queen wields recursions, and finally to Earth itself.
Excalibur, page 54 his sword, Excalibur. As long as she doesnt
lose her hold on it, the sword remains hers. If CAMBOGLANNA
she should ever lose her grip, both the sword This ancient Roman fort is commanded by
and Arthurs corpse would fade and come Mordred, who leads much of the organized
Morgan Le Fay, page 171 under the control of Morgan Le Fay. resistance to the queen and her active
Gwenhwyfar tells her mcanisme subjects that propagation of the maladie de la machine.
she has knights spending all their time looking Under Mordred, Camboglanna has become an
for the Source. But thats a lie. If events had expansive and robust fortification guarded by
Brigand: level 2; Armor
1; sword and bow attacks proceeded as theyd been meant to, and the brigands, freed slaves, and a small company of
inflict 3 points of damage Source had fully converted all the inhabitants, animate suits of armor called hollow knights.
she and those with individual personalities Sir Lancelot and a handful of less storied
Mordreds hollow knight:
like hers wouldnt have come into existence at knights, previously of Camelot, can also be
level 4; Armor 3; sword
attack inflicts 5 points of all. If she knew that Sir Percival was looking found in Mordreds fortress. Though they work
damage; defeated knight for the Source, she would have him destroyed. with the former traitor, old slights and betrayals
explodes, inflicting 5 points She wants to convert the recursion with herself are not forgotten.
of damage to all creatures
within immediate range
Mordred: The illegitimate son of Arthur
and Arthurs half-sister Morgause, Mordred
was fated to bring down the king and, in so
doing, earn an early death. That was before
the recursions narrative was knocked askew.
Now Mordred is a weathered warrior and
accomplished warlock able to code magic into
tattoos. He uses his power to create his hollow
knights, prevent the spread of infection to
those inked with his protective sigils, and cast
other useful spells.
To those whose original loyalties didnt
lie with Camelot, Mordred can show human
sympathy. Anyone formerly associated with
Arthurs court will tell you that Mordred is
Mordred: level 5; Armor 4 cruel and sadistic, leading through fear and
from platemail and magic; intimidation. Its to those he associates with his
long-range spell attack father that he is most cruel. This is why instead
inflicts damage and blinds
foe for one round; wields of curing Lancelot, which he could have done,
dragon pen artifact he merely scribed the knight with a spell to hold
the infection at bay. As long as Lancelot serves
Dragon pen, page 53
Mordred and Mordred remains alive, Lancelot
remains human.
Lancelot: level 8 (6 when Sir Lancelot: One of the most accomplished
drunk); Armor 3; sword warriors ever to sit at the Round Table, Lancelot
attack inflicts 8 points of
damage; carries everfull has become an embittered and drunken shell of
wine horn artifact his former self. He is heartbroken that his sweet
Gwenhwyfar has become the face of the enemy.
Everfull wine horn, page 54
Hes mortified that the infection on his arm,
held in check by Mordreds magic, has put him
into the warlocks service. And hes disgusted

50
RECURSIONS: CAMELOT LE MORTE 2
with himself over reliance on torcs of Torc of mindfulness,
not having died at mindfulness, minor page 54
Arthurs side, fighting As much a trickster as a wizard, artifacts created by
for his king. Thanks Merlin vanished into the Strange Caerleon smiths.
to a magic wine horn Located on the River
itself. He hopes to glean from some
provided by Mordred, Usk not far from the
Lancelot is always other Mad Science recursion what he Severn Sea, the city
somewhat intoxicated needs to win the daysomething he remains rich despite
and muddle-minded, the war between
but despite that, he
calls the Red Dragon. Mordred and Camelot.
remains deadly on the In fact, the citys
field. smiths are kept busy
supplying both sides with weapons and armor.
That said, should one side finally win out over Sir Bors: level 6; Armor 3
QUEST FOR THE HOLY GRAIL the other, no one in Caerleon doubts that the
Supposedly a cup used to collect the blood victor wont next turn an acquisitive eye on
Green Knight: level 6,
of Christ upon his removal from the cross, their city. Rogue mcanismes, human warlocks, tasks related to detecting
the Grail of Camelot Le Morte is a holy relic and smiths have combined their skills to create falsehoods and solving
believed to have the ability to cure all disease a great henge of protective stones around puzzles as level 8; Armor 3;
fades to green mist as an
and ailments, including the decrepitude of age. the city. Each stone is infused with magic and action
Many lesser knights search for it in hopes of
saving the realm. The only Knight of the Round
Table who still actively searches for the Grail
is Sir Bors, who, along with his companions,
has adventured across the length and breadth
of the recursion, and into a few alternate
recursions as well. Some of the locations in
Camelot Le Morte where Sir Bors has searched
for the Grail include the following.

GREEN CHAPEL
A name feared throughout the recursion, the
Green Chapel is an accursed church where,
according to local belief, demons incant
all-night prayer services to the Lord of the
Damned. The chapel is actually an extensive
monastery, where ghosts, demons, and lost
souls wander at the behest of the Green Knight.
Those who seek a boon from the knight are
allowed to enter, but only upon agreeing to try
their hand at a series of tests. If a petitioner
fails these fiendish tests, he never leaves,
becoming one more lost soul wandering the
Green Chapel in service to its inscrutable lord.

CAERLEON
The great city of Caerleon remains inhabited
during the strife, and many rogue mcanismes
reside therein, along with normal humans.
These mcanismes resist the base programing
encoded in their cyber-organic flesh by

51
the essence of the machine virus. If Caerleon But entry is exactly what Queen Gwenhwyfar
ever comes under attack, a magic shield of sought, in hopes of freeing, and infecting, the
protection (level 7) will stutter into place, greatest magician of the land to bring him over to
generated by the henge. her side. Free Merlin she did, though he escaped
before she could infect him. He had spent the
INVISIBLE CAVE years of his imprisonment mentally casting his
Merlin: level 8; health 40; Crafted as a prison to hold Merlin, the realms mind into other realms. In time, he learned of the
Armor 2; long-range magic greatest wizard, the Invisible Cave is difficult nature of recursions. When the mcanisme queen
staff attack inflicts 8 points
of damage on target and all
to find, as the mouth moves from location appeared, he was ready. As much a trickster
within short range; for more to location with the weather. If finally found as a wizard, Merlin vanished into the Strange
details, see The Strange (within a bank of fog), the cave leads to a itself. He hopes to glean from some other Mad
Bestiary, page 156 large subterranean keep with many wards and Science recursion what he needs to win the
defenses. Created by Morgan Le Fay to hold a daysomething he calls the Red Dragon. He
creature with both human and demon blood left behind within his prison an amulet frozen
running through his veins, the defenses are in ice. If someone true to the realm finds it and
also dangerous to those seeking to gain entry. uses the amulet to call him, Merlin will translate
back to Camelot Le Morte and provide aid on one
endeavor. However, when he leaves again, he will
take the amulet with him.
Stonehenge spirit: level
5; immaterial; short-range
psychic attack inflicts 5 STONEHENGE
points of Intellect damage Built by the wizard Merlin, the circle of stones
(ignores Armor)
is a place of magical power. Beneath each stone
lies the body of a warlock, demon, or fey being
who attempted to best Merlin but failed. He
interred each in turn, slowly constructing the
henge as it stands today. These spirits protect
the henge, repairing damage caused by visitors
and the elements over the years. For one who is
able to cast magic, meditating in the center of
the stones allows communion with one or more
of the spirits interred within. Doing so is risky,
because a contest of wills occurs as contact is
made, in which the spirit attempts to replace the
meditator with its own mind. But if the meditator
wins the battle of wills, she can learn a new spell.
In fact, Merlin used Stonehenge as a sort of spell
repository, since he was immune to the psychic
attacks his defeated foes levy on others.
According to local legend, the stones
sometimes assemble into the shape of a figure
and walk the land, striking down anyone they
come across. Sir Bors attempted to catalyze the
creation of the Stone Man, thinking it would
lead him to the Holy Grail, but he failed to
make the construct rise.

OLD KEIG AND THE SOURCE


Like Stonehenge, Old Keig is a circle of
standing and recumbent stones. It is situated
at the northern edge of Camelot Le Morte

52
RECURSIONS: CAMELOT LE MORTE 2
it is an entity that calls itself Crnn. Everyone Crnn the Source: level
LEGACY OF THE FALLEN KING else in the recursion, however, refers to the 3, all tasks when cyber-virus
Find the Grail: The Knights of the Round heritage manifests as level
creature as the Source.
8; Armor 4
Table arent the only ones looking for Before the Source was broken in a fight with
the Holy Grail. An entity from the lost Merlin, Arthur, and Morgan Le Fay, it was the
recursion of Atlantis also seeks it, using primary vector of the intelligent cyber-organic Atlantis, page 38
intermediaries from Earth to do so. infection. It came to the recursion to convert the
land rapidly and completely before moving on to
Broker an Alliance: A group of Saxon other realms. However, severed from its command
soldiers has come up from the south. programming in battle, the greater part of the
Under the command of Ulric the Bold, the Source was like a newborn, albeit an incredibly
soldiers are unaware of the situation in smart and powerful newborn. It took on a basic
Camelot and are preparing to lay siege. If human shape and name, and now it lives in
they do, the infection will almost certainly relative peace at the edge of the recursion with a
creep over them, making more soldiers for small band of performers who often travel the land.
the queen. Only if they can be convinced As Crnn, the Source could almost pass
to fight under Mordreds banner will they for a human of indeterminate gender about
be saved. But Mordreds evil reputation ten years of age. But when startled or angry,
precedes him. Crnns skin is revealed as cyber-organic,
and threats to it and any of its friends are
Mists of Avalon: A rare planetary alignment swiftly dealt with. If someone like Gwenhwyfar
is set to open a path to Avalon. Queen or another powerful mcanisme could Avalon, page 171
Gwenhwyfar plans on leading a contingent subdue Crnn, its possible that its original
across the mists and into the fey realm to programming could be reactivated, and the
claim it for herself. Though the sorceresses Crnn personality would be subsumed or
that rule in Avalon can defend themselves burned away. Thus, Crnn does its best to stay
if need be, the outcome is by no means anonymous at the recursions edge.
certain.If doughty warriors could be
convinced (by bribes or sorcery) to engage CAMELOT LE MORTE ARTIFACTS
the queen and her forces with guerrilla
tactics as she marches to the temporary DRAGON PEN
path, perhaps shell be late and miss the Level: 1d6 + 2
window of opportunity. Form: A quill made from a green feather
Effect: If suitably inked, the dragon pen can render
Obtain a Sample: The Estate, having an object or creature that becomes real for one The Estate, page 148
become aware of the cyber-virus minute. The object or creatures level is half the
infesting Camelot Le Morte, worries that artifacts level, +1 level if the user is trained in
it will mutate and threaten Earth if left drawing, or +2 levels if the user is specialized
unattended. Operatives are briefed and in drawing. Once released from the page
ordered to bring back a sample using or surface it was drawn upon, the object or
special inapposite transfer containment creature swells until it reaches the appropriate
vessels. Preferably, the head of someone size, but no bigger than an immediate distance
infected by the virus will be secured and in width, depth, and height. If a creature is
returned to the Estate campus. made, it does the bidding of its creator.
Someone versed in magic, such as someone
who has the Inks Spells on Skin focus,
beyond it lies only misted moors that turn can use the dragon pen to cast spells.
explorers back the way they came. Sometimes, When doing so, the difficulty of one task
the central remaining arch of Old Keig flares associated with the spell (such as an attack
with energy, and a connection to the Strange roll) is decreased by one step.
itself is made. The only creature around to see Depletion: 1 in 1d10

53
HOLY GRAIL
Level: 1d6 + 4
There drew he forth the brand Excalibur, Form: A modest bronze cup
And oer him, drawing it, the winter moon, Effect: Anyone who drinks from the Holy
Grail is immediately healed of all wounds,
Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth
diseases, toxins, and malign mental
And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt: influences. A drinker who suffers from one
For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks, or more curses is released from them all,
and unwelcome transformative effects are
Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work completely reversed. Furthermore, the ill
Of subtlest jewellery. effects of age are wiped away, rendering
~Morte dArthur, Alfred, Lord Tennyson someone older than 25 years back to that
approximate physiological age. The drinker
is not made immortal, however, or immune
to normal aging thereafter.
EVERFULL WINE HORN Depletion: 1 in 1d10 (Upon depletion, the Holy
Level: 1d6 Grail disappears. A new quest to find it, if
Form: Ornate drinking horn successful, restores the artifact for another
Effect: When held to the lips, the horn magically span of time.)
fills with red wine.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 SIEGE PERILOUS
Level: 1d6 + 4
EXCALIBUR Form: A black gem, usually set in a chair or
Level: 1d6 + 2 table
Form: Heavy sword inset with jewels and Effect: When someone sits in a chair set with
engraved with Latin phrases (Take me up the artifact or at the place on a larger table
and Cast me away) on opposite sides of where the artifact has been installed, she
the blade gains a true vision about one topic of her
Effect: This sword functions as a normal heavy choice. However, most users immediately
weapon. The first time Excalibur is drawn die as the vision comes over them, before
each day, all enemies within long range they can communicate it to anyone else.
are blinded for one round (depletion roll Certain individuals (Sir Galahad being one)
required). can safely use the Siege Perilous. But those
Constructed of magically enhanced meteoric not so chosen must succeed on a level 7
iron, Excalibur can cut through wood, Intellect defense roll or immediately fall
stone, and normal metal without losing its dead.
edge; the blade inflicts 1 additional point of Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Upon depletion, the
damage (no depletion roll required). gem disappears, possibly to reappear in
Finally, Excalibur has the ability that Earth myth another time or recursion, potentially in a
often confers to the blades scabbard, different form with different, though no less
and can keep the wielder healthy even if impressive, abilities.)
wounded. When this ability is used, 1d6
points are restored to any stat Pool the TORC OF MINDFULNESS
wielder wishes. Though using Excalibur in Level: 1d6
this fashion requires a depletion roll, it does Form: A bronze necklace or circlet
not require an action. Effect: For the wearer, the difficulty of resisting
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (If depleted, the sword unwelcome mental influence or commands
becomes embedded in the nearest boulder is reduced by a number of steps equal to
and will not come free except in the hand the artifacts level.
of its maker or the rightful ruler of the Depletion: 1 in 1d100
recursion.)

54
RECURSIONS: ELEVENTH REICH 2

ELEVENTH REICH

Gandhi, revered for his positive political activism, considered the following traits
to be the most spiritually perilous. In the Eleventh Reich, theyre considered virtues,
which tells you almost everything you need to know about the recursion.
Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Science without humanity
Knowledge without character
Politics without principle
Commerce without morality
Worship without sacrifice.
~from the Estate dossier on the Eleventh Reich

The conspiracy theorists were right about Nazis


surviving, but their imagination didnt come ELEVENTH REICH Conducts Weird
close to the real truth. The ideology of the Third ATTRIBUTES Science, page 57
Reich (Nazi Germany, 1933 to 1945) survived, Level: 6
but not because specific individuals were given Entertains, page 61
Laws: Mad Science, Magic
safe haven by sympathetic organizations. No, Playable Races: Human Integrates Weaponry,
it survived because the strength of the Nazi Foci: Conducts Weird Science, Entertains, page 63
mythology bled over into the Strange, creating a Integrates Weaponry, Is Licensed Is Licensed to Carry,
recursion where Germany won World War II and to Carry, Leads, Looks for Trouble, page 64
went on to create an empire that rules most Operates Undercover, Quells Undead*,
of the planet (or, in this case, the parts of the Solves Mysteries, Wields Two Weapons Leads, page 65
planet that exist within the limited world of the at Once, Works the System Looks for Trouble,
Eleventh Reich). Skills: Eleventh Reich lore page 68
The Eleventh Reich is typified by rampant Connection to Strange: Within some
military glorification, mandatory military Operates Undercover,
radioactive craters spotting the edge page 70
enlistment, extreme racism, scientific research of Welthauptstadt Germania
unrestrained by ethics or morality, fascination Connection to Earth: None currently Solves Mysteries,
with biblical magic talismans, and extreme Size: 35,000 square miles (90,650 square km) page 78
paranoia in an environment where anyone Spark: 10% Wields Two Weapons at
could be called out as an enemy of the state for Trait: Brutal. The difficulty of tasks related Once, page 82
any reason. Out of fear, most of the populace to pleasant social interaction is
goes along to get along, while high-ranking increased by one step.
Works the System,
officials glory in their power, authority, and page 83
* indicates foci found in this book
moral freefall by ascending to a state beyond
death. Quells Undead, page 206

55
COMPETITION WITHIN THE REICH
WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT Even in the Eleventh Reich, where everything
THE ELEVENTH REICH runs on time like a well-oiled machine (or
The Eleventh Reich operates under the else), disparate governing bureaus feud for
laws of Mad Science and Magic, though the favor of the Fhrer. The primary players
Wissenschaftsbro: the
Science Bureau the technology and magic that most include the scientists of the Wissenschaftsbro,
natives see from day to day function at the historians of the Schule der Archologie,
Schule der Archologie: mid-twentieth-century levels. and the Schutzstaffel (SS). And of course,
the School of Archeology,
Each citizen of the Eleventh Reich has though no one wants to admit it to the office
page 58
a military rank, which begins when of the Fhrer, there are also hints that a real
Schutzstaffel or SS: the children are inducted into the Nazi Resistance exists, in spite of everything.
paramilitary police, page 59 Youth at age 7, the age of reason.
The Schutzstaffel (also known as WISSENSCHAFTSBRO
the SS) operates outside the regular Nazi ideologues are happy to explain how the
military, and everyone fears them. Eleventh Reich finally came to pass because
The SS sponsors superscience of a triumph of superior science. The bureau
laboratories staffed with mad responsible for promulgating and directing
scientists, as well as hidden schools research is the Wissenschaftsbro. It is
of magic where ritualists study relics contained in several adjacent buildings, which
Weapon engineer: level and talismans collected from dead house support staff (including the weapon
2; long-range pistol attack religions. engineers and lab scientists who actually do the
inflicts 5 points of damage
High-ranking Eleventh Reich officers research), parts, prototypes, chemicals, human
can choose to ascend by undergoing subjects, and the science labs where the edges
a process that turns them into of weapon tech and human performance are
bermensch, which are essentially explored daily.
Generalfeldmarschall undead cyborgs. Generalfeldmarschall Katja Dietrich:
Katja Dietrich: level 5;
Generalfeldmarschall Dietrich commands the
Armor 1; long-range pistol
attack inflicts 5 points of bureau. The Generalfeldmarschall is a scientist
damage; carries a death by training, though she rarely gets time in
mask artifact By any measure, the Eleventh Reich is a any of the labs sponsored by her department,
Death mask, page 61 horrible place. Recursors who find themselves which goes double since she stepped into her
here should avoid staying more than a day, current role. The previous head of the bureau,
because the Schutzstaffel (the paramilitary an ascended bermensch, disappeared under
police, also known as the SS) apparently have mysterious circumstances. Dietrich is certain
a method to identify intruders to their land, as that the Shule der Archologie is responsible.
well as a way to zero in on a recursors current She is considering ascending herself, but not
location relatively quickly. before she gets to the bottom of the mystery
Arrival: Standing along the Avenue of surrounding her superiors unannounced
Splendors in the capital city, Welthauptstadt absence.
Germania (a rebuilt Berlin).
Draggable foci, page 52 WEAPONS LAB
ELEVENTH REICH FOCI The Weapons Lab focuses on projectiles,
The foci that player characters can choose in particle beams, poisons, chemical weapons
Eleventh Reich soldier: the Eleventh Reichas well as any foci that with especially nasty characteristics, and
level 3; Armor 2; long-range are dragged into the recursionare modified more. When weapons are perfected, they are
HK416 rifle attack inflicts 5
points of damage by the recursions context, as appropriate. moved from development into production, and
For example, if someone chooses Integrates these facilities also lie under the Weapons Lab
War walker (driven): level Weaponry, replace all connections to Ruk and umbrella. The lab is kept secure by a company
5, Speed defense as level 6
Ruk features (such as the True Code) with of soldiers armed with Heckler & Koch HK416
due to mechanized shield;
Armor 4; long-range attack connections to the Eleventh Reich and its rifles, and backed up by one or two soldiers
inflicts 8 points of damage features (such as adherence to Nazi science). driving war walkers.

56
RECURSIONS: ELEVENTH REICH 2

Sometimes weapons are tested on pigs or application of a magical relic in their archives,
goats, but final tests are always conducted on called the Holy Grail, made the process
live human subjects, which are usually drawn possible. Prior to that, neither group on its
from nearby prisonsor, in a pinch, from own could produce an bermensch with an
experimental subjects who havent yet been appropriately long lifespan, great strength and
assigned a trial in the Human Performance lab. resistance to harm, and, especially important,
Generalleutnant Werner Emmerich: an intact mind. Generalleutnant Werner
Generalleutnant Emmerich heads the Weapons The lab scientists test all manner of genetic Emmerich: level 3,
tasks related to weapon
Lab. He was the staunchest of Reich supporters manipulations, exposure to exotic radiations development as level 6;
until the SS took his daughter into custody on and chemicals, and mental stimulation long-range pistol attack
a trumped-up charge, and her life was ended techniques in hopes of pushing human inflicts 5 points of damage
in the very lab where her father had put in so performance. Of course, the price of science
Lab scientist: level 3, tasks
many years. Outwardly, Emmerich retains his requires a sacrificein this case, the sacrifice
related to science as level 5
apparent loyalty, but he has secretly reached of live human subjects. Rejects and failed
out to the Resistance. experiments are many, and while some live
on in shattered husks of their former selves,
HUMAN PERFORMANCE LAB most die and are disposed of in secret bunkers
Research from the Human Performance Lab beneath the bureau.
was partly responsible for the breakthrough Generalleutnant Helene Meyer: Cooperation Generalleutnant Helene
Meyer: level 4, tasks related
that led to ascension and bermensch. with the Schule der Archologie is essentially
to science as level 6
However, the complete procedure for ascension a thing of the past now that the Human
required a rare bit of cross-departmental Performance Lab is under the command of
cooperation between the Wissenschaftsbro Generalleutnant Helene Meyer. She presses
and the Schule der Archologie, whose forward without any magic props (as Meyer

57
calls them) to get in the way of pure science. Each major mythological object is assigned a
As much as the bermensch program is unique circle of acolytes and one head curator.
considered a success, Meyer (and, frankly, The curator and acolytes use hard-won magical
almost everyone) would prefer a process that techniques of protection each day they bring
conferred all the advantages of the current forth from the archives an object to study
program but didnt render the subject undead. and master. But magic isnt a science, and no
matter the safeguards, the school loses one or
SCHULE DER ARCHOLOGIE two research acolytes every month to a curse,
Rumors of how many mythological objects leaking spell, or psychic residue.
reside in the archives of the Schule der
Archologie far exceed the actual number of HOLY GRAIL CIRCLE
relics stored there. And of those, only a small Eternal life is just one of the secrets supposedly
number are understood well enough to be used held by the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, it is
to the benefit of the Eleventh Reich on even a also a powerful and stubborn relic unwilling
limited basis. The fact is that many relics and to give up its secrets to the Reich. It has a
Zombie: level 3, Speed mythological objects, especially those deemed tendency to turn anyone who drinks from it into
defense as level 2; health holy, have a tendency to misbehave in Nazi a walking corpse no different than a zombie.
12. If an attack would hands. In fact, thats still what happens to those who
reduce the zombies health
to 0, it does so only if the In addition to the archives (a series of level 7 have not first been prepared with a series of
number rolled in the attack vaults within a larger protected vault), the school technological adjuvants in the form of surgically
was even; otherwise, the hosts a university-grade library, occult classes, implanted wiring, resistors, and related tech
zombies health is reduced
and a large museum where artifacts without installed by the Wissenschaftsbro. (This
to 1 instead; for more
details, see The Strange dangerous or magical properties are kept on explains why the stable of zombies housed by
Bestiary, page 145 display for the greater glory of the Reich. the Schule der Archologie is so large.) Those

58
RECURSIONS: ELEVENTH REICH 2
who receive the proper preparation and drink managed to escape this fate, but they all had Rittmeister Dakota
from the Holy Grail ascend and become to be destroyed with poison gas before they Hanssen (bermensch):
level 6, Speed defense as
bermensch. realized the potency of the weapon in their level 4, tasks related to
Rittmeister Dakota Hanssen: The man hands. archaeology and feats of
in charge of discovering the secrets of the strength and toughness as
Holy Grail is called Dakota by his friends (or, SCHUTZSTAFFEL level 8; health 70; melee
attack inflicts 7 points of
at the very least, those hoping to curry favor The SS is housed in many different structures damage; carries Sessho-seki
with him). The Rittmeister is credited with in Welthauptstadt Germania. The largest part splinter artifact
salvaging the relic for the Reich, following one of the SS is its armed soldiers, the Waffen-SS.
Sessho-seki splinter, page 62
of his archeological expeditions to the east. Regular soldiers and citizens alike fear them,
He finally ascended once all the kinks were because the normal rules (such as they are)
worked out of the process. Afterward, finding dont apply to Waffen-SS soldiers on a mission. Waffen-SS soldier: level 4;
that he no longer needed to sleep, he was able They serve both as army units and as police in Armor 2; long-range HK416
rifle attack inflicts 5 points
to accelerate his research on the Grail and a the Eleventh Reich. of damage
few other objects under his direct purview, Reichsfhrer Himmler: A recursive duplicate
including the Armor of Karna and the Spear of of Himmler still leads the SS in the Eleventh Reichsfhrer Himmler
Longinus. Reich. Referred to as the Reichsfhrer, Himmler (bermensch): level 6,
is a dangerous lunatic feared by everyone Speed defense as level 4,
tasks related to feats of
KAVACHA CIRCLE and not merely because hes an ascended strength and toughness
This elaborate suit of armor, called the Kavacha bermensch. Its also because he has no as level 8, tasks related to
or the Armor of Karna, supposedly protects the loyalty to anyone except the Fhrer. Hell betray deception and pleasant
wearer from both mundane and supernatural any trust, exploit any weakness, and trample social interaction as level
7; health 70; melee attack
attacks. And indeed, whenever an innocent over any principle if it advances him or the inflicts 7 points of damage;
human lab rat is forced into the armor, the Reich. One of his most deeply held beliefs carries a recursor dowsing
wearer is able to survive all manner of attacks, is the importance of racial purity, though his rod artifact
even direct fire from a tank. But whenever the definition of race is loose enough that anyone
Recursor dowsing rod,
Kavacha is taken from the archives and used can fall afoul of it when that suits his agenda. page 62
by a legitimate officer of the Reich, something Upon recently learning of recursors and
goes wrong, and the wearer inevitably perishes, alternate fictions, Himmler gained the
though the duration before death increases spark. He isnt quickened, but he directed
with each sacrifice. The Rittmeister publicly the Wissenschaftsbro and the Schule der OSR, page 157
says that its only a matter of time until the Archologie to create a method to detect odd
Armor of Karna becomes conditioned enough paradimensional energies that certain foreign
so that anyone of the Reich can safely use it. spies radiate. To provide them with raw Karna: a great warrior of
Privately, he doubts that, which is why he loans material for their efforts, Himmler handed over ancient India who battled
the armor out only to his political enemies a couple of OSR agents he captured. Now, he adversity and was known
stupid enough to accept gifts from him. has a magic dowsing rod, fashioned from the for keeping his word under
all circumstances
spine of one of those agents, that alerts him
LONGINUS CIRCLE whenever recursors visit the Eleventh Reich. Kavacha, page 62
What happens when an irresistible force meets
an immovable object? Its sort of like asking OFFICE OF THE FHRER
what happens when someone wielding the No one except for Himmler and a few other
Spear of Longinus attacks a target wearing high-ranking Reich officials know where the Spear of Longinus, page 62
the Armor of Karna. Supposedly, the Spear Office of the Fhrer is located. Thats because
of Longinus can wound anything, even gods. the office is in a secret bunker deep beneath
Perhaps wisely (for the moment), the Eleventh Welthauptstadt Germania. Visitors usually
Reich has decided not to test that directly, interact with the Fhrer only electronically,
and is instead working on reliable ways to not in person. That doesnt stop him from
prevent an officer of the Reich from turning giving monthly addresses, which are broadcast
into a burning pillar of fire upon grasping the to every public and most private screens
spears shaft. Some of the human test subjects simultaneously. Viewers see a vigorous man

59
STATE SECRETS OF THE REICH
Ghost Parade: Under certain conditions, a 9mm rounds and showed signs of having
ghostly parade is visible streaming down the been attacked by some kind of bird of prey.
Avenue of Splendors, apparently wearing The relics missing from the archives include
military uniforms, but not those of the Reich. Pandoras Box, the Book of Thoth, and
The see-through phantoms march to an weathered clay chunks labeled the Tablets of
unfamiliar tune, one that sends a shiver of Destiny.
fear through all loyal patriots.
Killing the Fhrer: Plans for the Fhrers
Memories of War: The triumph of the Reich bunker, including schematics, power sources,
required investment in all manner of military and its location, have been leaked. The Reich
machines, though many of them have since is in a secret uproar. Anyone who destroys
fallen into disrepair. To the west of the city the plans or returns them to safekeeping
lies a landfill that houses thousands of and even better, leads officials to the capture
damaged, broken, or decommissioned tanks, of those responsiblewill be made a hero.
planes, and odder wheeled, walking, and
burrowing craft. New reports suggest that Foreign Spies: Himmler warns that hes
some of the old war machines might not be discovered a network of foreign spies
as dead as the military claimed. routinely penetrating the Eleventh Reich.
Other officials wonder what foreign power
Missing Relic: A thief broke into the Schule these spies could represent, given the
der Archologies archives, killed several complete Nazi domination of the world.
guards, and made off with a number of relics But Himmler insists the spies come from
interdicted for the danger they represent to elsewhere and, to prove his point, has
the Reich. Clues regarding the identity of the captured several, including a few saboteurs
The Estate, page 148 thief are few, but the guards were shot by from an organization called the Estate.

in his prime, patriotically calling on them to RESISTANCE


keep their faith in the Fatherland alive. Most The Reich is almost all-powerful. Almost.
watchers come away with an appreciation Even though resistors are nearly certain to
of the Fhrers vitality and amazing public eventually be caught by Waffen-SS or betrayed
speaking skills. by an informer, a group of organized resistors
In fact, the Fhrer has grown old, and radical persists in Welthauptstadt Germania. Using the
steps had to be taken to keep him alive after a symbol of a white rose, the Resistance prints
failed attempt at ascension. Now, the Fhrer is and secretly distributes anti-Nazi literature.
Fhrer (frozen head): level only a head frozen in a vat of supercooled fluid. The Resistance also conducts less-publicized
5, leadership and knowledge Various wires, computers, and a few magic activities, such as attempts to shut down
of the Reich as level 7;
Armor 4 (crystal container);
spells keep him conscious, if not necessarily factories, free prisoners, and in at least one
no direct physical attacks alive. The image projected for public display is (failed) case, assassinate the Fhrer.
a triumph of puppetry that the head controls on The Resistance operates in cells of two to five
Fhrer puppet a suitably impressive-looking set. The Fhrer individuals that remain separate from other
(puppeteered): level 4;
health 30; long-range pistol can mentally manipulate the puppet as if it cells, so that if one group is compromised, the
attack inflicts 4 points of were real for an hour or so at a time, but only other groups remain safe. Given some of the
damage within the confines of the bunker. technological (and magical) breakthroughs of
In addition to the head and its support the Reich, keeping activities secret is a difficult
machinery, the Office of the Fhrer contains a challenge.
support staff of specially selected Waffen-SS One of the most successful cells is led by a
soldiers, including a couple in war walkers. woman who other Resistance members know as

60
RECURSIONS: ELEVENTH REICH 2
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundring like a man in fire or lime...
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
~from Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

Lady Falcon. She has led several effective actions GAS GUN Lady Falcon: level 5, stealth
against the Reich and has risen to the top of the Level: 1d6 +1 tasks as level 6; Armor 1;
long-range Luger attack
SS and Gestapos most-wanted lists. Lady Falcon Form: Wide-barreled pistol connected to inflicts 6 points of damage;
is described as wearing a pearl-colored domino backpack canister with hose has a level 3 trained war
mask and has been seen with a pet falcon on one Effect: The wielder can select different chemical falcon
shoulder and a Luger 9mm holstered on her hip. gasses, though some gas guns may come
equipped with only one kind of cartridge.
ELEVENTH REICH ARTIFACTS An attack projects a gas grenade up to a
long distance and floods the area within
DEATH MASK immediate range of that point with the
Level: 1d6 selected gas.
Form: Gas mask with scarlet goggles Acidic: An acidic cloud melts most substances,
Effect: Wearer is immune to most poison inflicting damage equal to half the artifacts
gasses and attacks propagated by chemicals level each subsequent round for one minute
entering the eyes or lungs. The wearer can or until the chemical is washed away.
also see normally at night and through Anticoagulant: After a few minutes, victims
banks of fog, smoke, or clouds of obscuring begin bleeding from the eyes, mouth, ears,
airborne chemicals. and skin. Bleeding is gradual, but unless
Depletion: an antidote is given, a victim will bleed to
death within a few hours.
ENIGMA MACHINE Coagulant: After a few hours, victims notice an
Level: 1d6 + 2 odd stiffness to their limbs as their blood
Form: Bulky machine (similar to a typewriter) in begins to clot in their veins. The process
a carrying case is gradual, but unless an antidote is given,
Effect: This electromechanical rotor encryption a victim will stiffen until dead within a day
machine can be used to encode and decrypt (and remain stiff as an embalmed corpse).
text messages (no depletion roll required). Lachrymator: Victims cry, sneeze, cough, find
A percentage of Eleventh Reich enigma machines it hard to breathe, and are partially blinded
are enchanted. If an encrypted message for ten minutes or more, increasing the
created on such a machine is addressed difficulty of all tasks by two steps.
to a specific individual and delivered to the Poison: Victims are initially fine, but each
target as a document, the target can read it hour, they lose a number of points equal
normally, even though the message seems to the level of the artifact; the lost points
like gibberish to everyone else. If the message usually cannot be healed through ordinary
is phrased as a command, the target is methods.
compelled to do as the message asks. Depletion: 1 in 1d10
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

61
Many Eleventh Reich HOLY GRAIL, NAZI TAINTED RECURSOR DOWSING ROD
artifacts are slightly
more powerfuland
Level: 1d6 + 4 Level: 1d6
historically epicthan Form: Tarnished brass cup Form: Rod formed of the preserved upper spine
regular artifacts. For such Effect: A Nazi or other evildoer who drinks and skull of a human, swaddled in circuitry
artifacts, letting the GM water from the cup is granted eternal life Effect: While one or more creatures not native
determine how long they
function is a better option by being converted into a mindless undead to the recursion are present anywhere in the
than leaving depletion zombie. If the imbiber isnt a Nazi (or isnt Eleventh Reich, the skulls eye sockets glow
to random dice rolls. otherwise an evil prick), the Grail might still red. The wielder can use the rod to learn
covert him into a zombie because of the the direction of the closest non-native in
Nazi taint. On a roll of 1 or 2 on a d6, the the recursion; it points to that target for the
drinker becomes a zombie. On a roll of 3 to next hour (requires a depletion roll).
6, the Holy Grail heals all wounds, restores Depletion: 1 in 1d10
lost limbs, and cures any diseases and
other negative conditions the imbiber might SESSHO-SEKI SPLINTER
be suffering. Level: 1d6 + 3
Depletion: (GM Intrusion: the Holy Grail Form: A knife-shaped splinter of stone from a
disappears, lost in another location in the shattered statue
Eleventh Reich or, possibly, in another Effect: The stone splinter functions as a light
recursion. Finding it again would require a weapon. If the wielder also calls on the
quest.) splinters power, a hit inflicts 10 additional
points of damage.
According to the Hindu KAVACHA (ARMOR OF KARNA) Depletion: 13 in 1d20
epicMahabharata, Level: 1d6 + 4
Karna was an ancient
king of India.
Form: Breastplate and helm SPEAR OF LONGINUS
Effect: Grants +2 to Armor in addition to the +3 Level: 1d6 + 4
to Armor that heavy armor usually provides. Form: Heavy spear
It doesnt completely cover the wearer, but Effect: This heavy two-handed weapon inflicts
the suits protection applies to damage that 2 additional points of damage beyond the
often isnt reduced by typical armor, such as 6 points that heavy weapons usually inflict.
heat, cold, and Intellect damage. A character hit by the spear also moves one
Depletion: (GM Intrusion: the wearers step down the damage track.
heart is not pure enough to permit the Depletion: (GM Intrusion: the wielders
wearing of the armor. If he continues to heart is not pure enough to permit the
wear the Kavacha regardless, all subsequent use of the spear. If he attempts to use it
attacks against him are treated as level 10 regardless, during each round in which
attacks.) he remains in direct or indirect contact
with the shaft, he is subjected to a level 10
pyrotechnic attack.)

By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even
heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise. Make the lie big, make it
simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.
~The Fhrer

62
RECURSIONS: ELEVENTH REICH 2
WAR WALKER Finally, the wearer gains a long-range gun
Level: 1d6 + 2 attack that inflicts damage equal to the
Form: Weaponized, motorized exoskeleton artifact level.
covering the wearers body Depletion: (GM Intrusion: at any time, the
Effect: The war walker serves as heavy armor but GM can rule that the armor has sustained
doesnt debit a players Speed Pool or Might enough damage to lose its atmospheric
Pool; the walker is driven as much as worn. It and environmental protections, that the
also grants +1 to Armor in addition to the +3 mechanized exoskeleton that allows the
to Armor that heavy armor usually provides. war walker to be driven has been destroyed,
Further, it is entirely sealed and has its own or that the mounted gun has run out of
synthesized internal atmosphere, which ammunition.) Germans who wish to use
firearms should join the SS
protects against poison and chemical gases or the SA. Ordinary citizens
and allows the wearer to operate in an airless dont need guns, as their
environment for up to an hour. The suits having guns doesnt serve
protection also applies to damage that often the State.
~Heinrich Himmler
isnt reduced by typical armor, such as heat
or cold damage (but not Intellect damage).
In addition, the wearer can deploy a shield that
acts as an asset for Speed defense rolls,
but which doesnt require the use of the
wearers hand.

63
HALLOWEEN
Halloween is often dim but rarely dark. The
full moon is fixed in Halloweens midnight WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT
The edges of Halloween sky, bright and clear except when streaming HALLOWEEN
stretch off into foggy clouds veil it. Leering pumpkins lit by goblin Halloween operates under the law of
woods that invariably Magic and is seeded by decades of
turn travelers around so
lamplighters stare from windows and walls,
that they find themselves bonfires on surrounding hilltops are tended by holidays of the same name and related
retracing their original witch covens, and the firefly gleams from trick- stories.
departure path. or-treaters candles dot the narrow streets. Halloween is one large city. Each
Halloween is a mammoth city, but its neighborhood is controlled by a
Powers of the Night, neighborhoods are as unique as different separate individual or group. Rulers are
Halloweens rulers, include collectively called Powers of the Night.
the following:
varieties of candy. A few boroughs are sweet
and light, others are bitter and mysterious, Rules are important in Halloween, as
Hazel Jenkins, page 69 laid out in the Halloween Accords, which
some are dark and rich, and several contain
Night Watchman, page 68 hidden razor blades that can sicken or kill (among other things) give a special
Coven of the Rusted Knife, the unwary. Its difficult to escape the smell protected status to trick-or-treaters.
page 69 Halloween currency is counted in
of autumn leaves and candied apples, to blot
Gomez Snake, page 68 out the sound of distant screams and maniac individual pieces of wrapped hard candy.
Tattooed Woman, page 70 laughter, or to avoid the attention of slinking

64
RECURSIONS: HALLOWEEN 2
PRACTICES SOUL SORCERY
Abides in Stone,
HALLOWEEN ATTRIBUTES In this context, the focus Practices Soul Sorcery page 51
Level: 4 doesnt call on spirits of Ardeyn, but spirits of
Laws: Magic Halloween. Other modifications include the Looks for Trouble,
Playable Races: Human, goblin page 68
following.
Foci: Abides in Stone, Inks Tier 1: Phylactery. The phylactery resembles a Metamorphosizes,
Spells on Skin*, Looks for Trouble, leering creature or witchs mask. It could also page 69
Metamorphosizes, Operates be a hat or living black cat.
Undercover, Quells Undead*, Practices Operates Undercover,
Tier 2: Clothe Spirit. A target body used page 70
Soul Sorcery, Trick-or-Treats* to clothe the spirit could be a cloth doll or a
Skills: Halloween lore wooden or straw-stuffed scarecrow. Practices Soul Sorcery,
Connection to Strange: Those who fly high Tier 4: Vicious Soul. The spirit isnt a page 71
enough (a few miles, or about 5 km) qephilim, and it takes up residence in a piece
find that the faux-dark side of the moon of candy, which must be eaten to transfer the Inks Spells on Skin, page 200
contains a gate to the Strange. benefits. Quells Undead, page 206
Connection to Earth: A few gates hidden Tier 6: Escape the Vault. The spirits of
in tombs, in closets, or at the center of creatures with the spark that are killed in Trick-or-Treats, page 207
some witches magic circles
Size: 1,000 square miles (2,590 square km)
Spark: 35%
Trait: Scary. The difficulty of tasks related
Draggable foci, page 52
to scaring or intimidating other
creatures is modified by one step to the Wields Two Weapons at
frighteners benefit. Once, page 82
* indicates foci found in this book

black cats with eyes as green as glow-in-the-


dark toys.
Arrival: Halloweens initial default
translation location is on the streets of a
neighborhood called the Hollows, not far from
the Old Hangman Pub.

HALLOWEEN FOCI
The foci that player characters can choose
in Halloweenas well as any foci that are
dragged into the recursionare modified
by Halloweens context, as appropriate.
For example, if someone drags Wields Two
Weapons at Once into Halloween, the two
light weapons chosen might burn with ghostly
radiance. If someone chooses two blunt
weapons (like maces or clubs), the heads of
each weapon might resemble a pumpkin head
carved in iron. And so on.
Other foci listed in the Halloween Attributes
box are modified even further, as described
below.

65
Halloween enter the Graveyard; otherwise, this in The Strange corebook. Those with the focus
ability works similarly. do not transform into battle chrysalides.
Instead, they transform into some kind of
METAMORPHOSIZES fearsome Halloween-themed beast, such as
In Halloween, the focus Metamorphosizes is a werewolf, a mummy, a creature from dark
different (but similar) to the version described waters, or a massive black crow. Otherwise, this
focus works essentially as described, without
alteration to the stat and special ability boosts.
TRICK-OR-TREATERS IN HALLOWEEN
When not wandering the streets begging TRICK-OR-TREATS
or vandalizing, native trick-or-treaters Trick-or-Treats is a focus available in various
return to their homes, which could be in recursions spawned by the Halloween holiday.
any of the urban neighborhoods, including
the Hollows. Some trick-or-treaters have HALLOWEEN ACCORDS
families they support through their activity, Most Powers of the Night abide by rules
others do it for the rush, and some just they agreed to in order to keep the city from
fell into it as children and never grew older devolving into bloody chaos. Those accords are
or wiser. Trick-or-treaters are motivated codified in long scrolls. Several of the Powers
to play tricks because each time they have copies. The Accords essentially boil down
pull one off without getting caught, they to the following.
earn prestige from their acts of bravery Neighborhood Borders: The accords spell
prestige thats worth honors, stories, and out the boundaries of each city neighborhood,
most important, hard candy currency. such as the Hollows, the House on the Hill, the
Graveyard, and all the rest.

66
RECURSIONS: HALLOWEEN 2
A geas (pronounced gesh)
is a magically binding
People found wandering an unsafe neighborhood who arent trick-or-treaters are obligation to perform a task
dealt with as if they were trick-or-treaters who got caught. The Vow of Begging or quest for whoever sets
the geas. A recursor saddled
endows real trick-or-treaters with an easily identifiable essence that any other with a geas can temporarily
escape it by translating to
native of Halloween can sense by spending an action studying the subject while a recursion that doesnt
operate under the law of
within immediate range. Magic.

Dispute Resolution: When Powers come into Trick-or-Treaters Who Get Caught: Powers
conflict, the Accords describe the process of can do whatever they want to a trick-or-treater
arbitration. Powers, or their representatives, who breaks the rules. Some Powers are lenient
meet at the Midnight Circus every eleven nights and merely lay a geas on the miscreant. But
(its always night in Halloween, but theres most Powers are unforgiving and take the
night, and then theres night). Disputes are trickster as a slave, feature her in an elaborate
aired, debated, and resolved by all the attending sacrificial ritual, eat her (perhaps as part of a
Powers as a group. Sometimes resolution is pie, or roasted on a spit), or do something else
determined through Trial by Monster, in which equally horrific.
each Power selects a champion (or, far more
rarely, represents herself) for a fight to the HALLOWEEN GOBLIN RACIAL OPTION
death at a designated time. Instead of appearing as a human, a recursor
Sanctity of Trick-or-Treaters: Trick-or-treaters could choose to translate into the recursion as
are Halloween natives who took the magical a Halloween goblin. A Halloween goblin looks
Vow of Begging instead of settling down to somewhat like the original recursor but is about
a traditional trade. Theyre a special class of 4 feet (1 m) tall, with green-hued skin and a
citizen. They enjoy a protected status, but at predisposition for a pointy nose. In addition,
the same time are viable prey for any monster the difficulty of all tasks related to deception
of Halloween who can beat trick-or-treaters and resisting fear is decreased by one step.
at their own game. To remain safe while (This latter quality cancels out the Scary trait of
wandering the neighborhoods and begging the recursion for Halloween goblins.)
door to door, trick-or-treaters must abide by Ghost: level 4, stealth tasks
three primary rules. HALLOWEEN NEIGHBORHOODS as level 7, tasks related to
1. A trick-or-treater must not eat or use The following are only a sampling of the frightening others as level
6; immune to mundane
anything offered to her while she is on her many neighborhoods in Halloween; more damage, takes half damage
rounds, but instead must save it for later. neighborhoods seem to melt into existence from most other sources;
If she is caught eating a treat or using a each year, while others can fade away over time. short-range Intellect attack
inflicts 4 points of ambient
gift while on her rounds, she loses her
damage and freezes foe in
protected status for one night. THE HOLLOWS place; can move through
2. A trick-or-treater on her rounds must burn The Hollows neighborhood is characterized by solid objects; for more
her candle to show her status. One who crowded, tall, and somewhat spindly buildings details, see The Strange
Bestiary, page 60
is found to be burning her candle while that often lean over the streets. The architecture
engaged in some other activity loses her forms dark hollows through which streets
protected status for one night. meander in a mazelike fashion. Even those who Pumpkin golems resemble
3. Though its expected that trick-or-treaters know their way around sometimes get lost and scarecrows with a lit
pumpkin in place of a head.
will attempt pranks, tricks, cons, or thefts, end up in blind, dead-end alleys haunted by lost
they must not get caught while doing so, and vengeful ghosts, or by shambling pumpkin Pumpkin golem: level 3;
or get caught trespassing inside a private golems that indiscriminately attack anything health 20; while pumpkin
head is lit, golem has
residence if not invited in. If caught, a trick- they come upon.
Armor 2 and attempts all
or-treater loses her protected status for one That said, the Hollows is one of the safe tasks, attacks, and defenses
night. neighborhoods of Halloween, and recursors as if level 5

67
can usually move about without being GRAVEYARD
assaulted in the streets by monsters. The This misty neighborhood covers a large
Gomez Snake: level 5; neighborhood is ruled by Gomez Snake, a portion of Halloween and borders many
tasks related to politics, Power of the Night. other neighborhoods. Thus, the rutted roads
knowledge of current
events, and learning secrets Gomez keeps a room at the Old Hangman through the gravestones, mausoleums, and
as level 6; health 30; Armor Pub and holds court in the common room leafless trees can be used to get around
2 from scales; short-range there. Besides ruling the Hollows, Gomez is quickly, even though the Graveyard isnt
poison attack inflicts 6
an information broker who is cognizant of the safe for anyone but trick-or-treaters or
points of Speed damage
Strange and other recursions. He pays (either those whove made a previous arrangement.
with hard candy or with information of his The Graveyard is definitely not safe for naive
own) for knowledge he doesnt already have strangers, natives not currently under the
Moriarty, page 307 about current events, especially those that protection of the Accords, or those without a
stretch beyond the confines of Halloween. He written right-of-passage (and sometimes even
also happens to be a friend of a cross- those safeguards are no guarantee). Danger
Halloween spirit: level 1; recursion criminal mastermind manifests in the form of the ghosts, spirits, and
flesh-rotting touch deals 1 named Moriarty, which means ghouls that haunt the place, not to mention the
point of ambient damage Gomez is far more connected Night Watchman.
than it might otherwise seem. Anyone killed in Halloween (even someone
Ghoul: level 3; two claw
attacks as a single action The friendship also means that from another recursion) continues to exist as
inflict 4 points of damage Moriarty sometimes takes a a spirit. The spirit is drawn to the Graveyard,
each; on reaching 0 health, room at the Old Hangman Pub. where it may eventually find peace if its remains
the ghoul immediately
makes one final claw attack
are interred there and allowed to decompose
before expiring naturally. Spirits remain plentiful because
ghouls, hungry for flesh (even rotting flesh),
dig up about one in ten fresh graves. Ghouls in
Halloween are goblins who have developed a
taste for the flesh of their fellows.
Night Watchman: The Night Watchman is
a ghoul, and he allows his children their
occasional feasts to keep them in line. But far
more succulent than a dead body is one thats
still alive and kicking while its chewed on.
The Night Watchman is a Power of the
Night. Hes in charge of seeing to the orderly
interment of Halloweens dead and wrangling
the spirits that drift like cloud wisps across the
dark ground when they manifest.

HOUSE ON THE HILL


The House on the Hill isnt really a
neighborhood in the strictest sense, but the
house is so large and rambling, and the walled
grounds that surround the structure cover so
much territory, that its actually larger than
some traditional city neighborhoods.
Night Watchman: A handful of well-kept rooms in the east wing
level 6; two claw attacks
are let out to denizens of Halloween and to
as a single action inflict
7 points of damage each; recursors who are brave (or stupid) enough to
regains 2 points of health follow the signs that advertise a vacancy. Those
each round; carries a jack- who stay are usually safe as long as they remain
o-lantern artifact
in their rooms and dont look for the source of
Jack-o-lantern, page 71

68
RECURSIONS: HALLOWEEN 2
strange noises or enter doors that werent there Each coven maintains a house or cave hidden Hazel Jenkins: level 7;
the night before. (The latter is a trap set by the in Forest Hills, usually accessible via the narrow health 32; Armor 3 from a
spell; long-range fire attack
resident bogeyman.) paths that wind through the dark groves and inflicts 9 points of damage
The House on the Hill is owned by the jagged hills. Only some of these paths are safe. or turns victim into Hazels
witch Hazel Jenkins. Unlike the witch covens Knowing which coven is looking for trade and slave for one minute from
a spell; fly a long distance
that inhabit Forest Hills, Hazel Jenkins works which wants fresh meat for the stew pot is
each round on witchs
alone except for her familiar, Black Posie (a information best garnered before wandering broom artifact
cat with paws like tiny human hands). She is into the neighborhood. Once a visitor sees a
also served by a household of scurrying slaves black cat or other familiar staring back from the Witchs broom, page 71
that shes made of trick-or-treaters and a few window of a dark house in the woods, its too Black Posie: level 4, all
recursors shes caught on her property. (Over late to flee. tasks related to stealth as
time, shes caught an order of magnitude level 6; able to manipulate
more trick-or-treaters than currently work for objects as well as a human
despite feline form
her as slaves because most catches become
ingredients for her stew pot or her many Crying bat swarm: level
experiments.) 5; melee attack inflicts 4
Though its an ill-kept secret among other points of ambient damage
on all targets within
Powers of the Night, Hazel Jenkins is a
immediate range of each
monster-maker. She fashions monstrous other
creatures through magic, forced
breeding, and bloody and painful Witch: level 5, deception
surgeries. The entire attic level of and disguise as level 7,
Speed defense as level 6
her mansion is devoted to these
due to familiar; health 21;
practices, and many of the hopeless attacks include shrivel and
screams that echo out over Halloween charm; can cast spell to
originate from these slant-ceilinged gain +11 to health and +3
to Armor for one minute;
rooms. Shes the one who created the for more details, see The
pumpkin golems that now wander the Hollows. Strange Bestiary, page 143
Her newest creations are swarms of bats
with tiny faces of human children that cry like
Witchs familiar: level 3;
infants as they fly. Individually creepy, a swarm Armor 1; modifies a witchs
of crying bats is terrifying and can strip victims Speed defense by one step
of their flesh in minutes, leaving nothing but to the witchs benefit
bones.

FOREST HILLS
A large, hilly region on the outskirts and partly
surrounding Halloween is home to several
witch covens. The covens generally get along
with one another, though sometimes magical
turf wars, hard-fought with hexes and curses,
light up the sky. The Coven of the Rusted Knife
is the current Power of the Night that controls
the neighborhood, which means the witches
making it up share authority. The Rusted
Knife recently fought off an attempt by the
Starry Cauldron coven to usurp its position.
Rusted Knife was finally victorious because
its champion in a Trial by Monster proved the
better witch, but a deep hatred between the two
covens simmers just beneath the surface.

69
MIDNIGHT CIRCUS
A broad stretch of property in Halloween is set MIDNIGHT WHISPERS OF HALLOWEEN
aside for the Midnight Circus. Hundreds of Missing Trick-or-Treater: A trick-or-treater
patchwork tents, rickety rides, sideshow carts, in the Hollows is long overdue, and the
games of chance, and sweets dealers move missing persons children are desperate
about from night to night. But the red-and- for someone brave enough to go looking
white big top tent is always visible at the center for their parent in the House on the Hill.
of the sprawl, usually glowing and flashing Thats where the trick-or-treater went to
with entertainments going on within. (The big play a prank on Hazel Jenkins.
top tent is also where the Powers meet every
eleven nights.) Rides, exhibitions, games, and Bonfires of the Soul: Even the covens
special events are routinely staffed by shrunken seem terrified of a new presence that has
carnies whose mouths have been sewn invaded Forest Hills, a strange mist that
Tattooed Woman: level 7;
health 32; Armor 1; action closed. has burned entire coven housesand
to animate one or more The Tattooed Woman is the Power controlling all the witches and warlocks unable to
personal tattoos that serve the Midnight Circus. When addressed, she escapeto so much ash.
her without question
prefers Your Inked Majesty. Her tattoos are
Animate tattoo creature: elaborate and beautiful in a horrific sort of way Trial by Monster: A shoemaker needs a
level 4; a killed victim fades and feature Halloween monstersghosts, champion to prove his claim against the
and appears as another Night Watchman and retrieve the spirit of
witches, zombies, ghouls, skeletons, and so on.
image on the Tattooed
Womans flesh At her command, the tattoos animate, wiggle his son from the Graveyard.
free from her skin, and do as she asks. This
Fabien: level 5, deception ability makes the Tattooed Woman one of the Wax Model: A Power of the Night who
tasks as level 6 controls a relatively small neighborhood
most feared Powers, and it helps to explain why
the others agree to meet in the Midnight Circus known as Wax Lane is looking for a model
instead of somewhere else. for a new series of wax mannequins. The
pay is good, but models have a way of
becoming an integral part of the work.

CIRCUS EXHIBITIONS
The Midnight Circus is a safe neighborhood
to wander. But thats not true of some of the
rides, exhibitions, and games, including
the Carousel of Chance and the exhibit
featuring the Five-Headed Thing.
Carousel of Chance: The caller for the
Carousel of Chance is Fabien, a dapper
clown dressed in orange. He advertises
rides for 1 hard candyor free for those
willing to take a chance. A great reward
could be yours, he claims, if
youre willing to risk it all! Those
who take Fabien up on a ride
without paying whirl around on a
painted wooden horse for several
fun-filled revolutions. When the
carousel stops, these free-riders roll a
d20. On a 1720, the rider gains either
a random cypher or 10 hard candies. On

70
RECURSIONS: HALLOWEEN 2
a 1 (or a GM intrusion), the rider must succeed WITCHS BROOM
on a difficulty 5 Might-based task or become Level: 1d6 + 2
one of the shrunken, mouthless carnies who Form: A 6-foot-long (2 m) wooden broom
serve the Midnight Circus, or a tattoo on the Effect: As a vehicle, the broom can be ridden a
Tattooed Womans flesh. This curse can be long distance each round, but on extended
lifted, but only if a friend of the victim agrees to trips, it can move up to 100 miles (160 km)
risk her own ride. On any roll other than a 1, the per hour.
curse is lifted. On a 1, the carousel claims yet Additionally, a witchs broom can induce a
another victim. powerful hallucinogenic state in a user
Five-Headed Thing: A painted sign at the who desires it. Hallucinations last for four
door of a yellow tent reads, See the Five- hours, during which time the difficulty of Five-headed thing: level
Headed Thing! But never alone. Tent visitors all tasks is increased by one step. After the 6; touch inflicts 4 points of
Intellect damage (ignores
who ring a bell are graced by the appearance of hallucinations end, the difficulty of Intellect- Armor); killed victims
a large hooded humanoid who enters the tent based tasks is decreased by one step for ten incorporated as new face
viewing area from the rear. When the humanoid minutes. on thing
draws the voluminous hood from its head, Depletion: 1 in 1d20
whats revealed are five human-sized heads
nestled in the upper body of a fat man. Four
of the heads are gagged. The head thats free
to speak is cultured and urbane, but it doesnt
answer questions about the other heads. It
offers to reveal a special secret to one visitor,
but anyone else present must first leave the
tent. Anyone left alone with the Five-Headed
Thing is usually never seen againthough
isnt it odd how the gagged heads resemble the
missing?

HALLOWEEN ARTIFACTS
JACK-O-LANTERN
Level: 1d6 + 3
Form: A brass lantern sculpted to resemble a
traditional Halloween pumpkin
Effect: When lit, the lantern provides bright
light within immediate range and dim light
within short range for one hour per use. The
user can also call on various abilities of the
lantern, including the following:
Reveal invisible or otherwise unseen
creatures for one round.
Command (level 1) spirits for ten minutes.
Gain +1 to Armor against damage from
spells.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

71
MESOZOICA
Dinosaurs roam the lush, semitropical Three volcanoes crown Mesozoica. The
recursion of Mesozoica. Flocks of T. rexes, peaks smear pillars of smoke across the sky.
The edge of Mesozoica is the triceratops, ankylosauruses, and other Sometimes the entire land shakes with seismic
surrounding ocean, which
spills into a surrounding creatures that lived during the Mesozoic Era violence, and when that happens, fire flares on
waterfall that empties into occupy the recursion. Various other terrestrially the volcanic heights.
the Strange itself. extinct but anachronistic creatures also inhabit Arrival: Mesozoicas initial default translation
Mesozoica, including mammoths, saber- location is standing on the rocky beach in
toothed cats, and a couple of primitive hominid one of the very few breaches in the cliff walls
species. This recursion is classified as one of surrounding the islands interior, facing inland.
Draggable foci, page 52
the Lost World recursions where dinosaurs
Adapts to Any yet roam for any number of reasons. MESOZOICA FOCI
Environment, page 54 Mesozoica is a massive island ringed by The foci that player characters can choose
Carries a Quiver,
fearsome cliffs. Colossal boulders, many of which in Mesozoicaas well as any foci that are
page 55 resemble eroded sculptures of enigmatic creatures dragged into the recursionare modified
and faces, extend away from the cliffs into the by the recursions context, as appropriate. If
Leads, page 65 surrounding surf. Inland past the cliffs, the air is someone selects Slays Dragons, for example,
Lives in the Wilderness, moist and warm. Jungle smothers much of the the focus doesnt refer to dragons, but to
page 66 interior. Day or night, the noises of thousands dinosaurs. Other modifications include
of living creatures blend into a soundscape of replacing the sword or lance with a heavy rifle
Regenerates Tissue,
buzzing, singing, and occasionally roaring life. (if desired), both under Equipment and under
page 74
the various tiers that grant training.
Slays Dragons, page 77
MESOZOICA ATTRIBUTES DINOSAURS, HOMINIDS, AND
Wields Two Weapons at
Once, page 82 Level: 3 HAZARDS
Laws: Mad Science Exploring Mesozoica is dangerous. Every
Playable Races: Human, hominid few hours, recursors moving across the
Foci: Adapts to Any Environment, Carries a island might have a random encounter with
Pterodactyl: level 5, Speed
defense as level 4; health Quiver, Leads, Lives in the Wilderness, a wandering dinosaur or stumble across
30; flies a long distance Regenerates Tissue, Slays Dragons, an island hazard. These encounters should
each round be introduced as GM intrusions. Not all
Wields Two Weapons at Once
Tyrannosaurus rex: level Skills: Mesozoica lore, paleontology encounters necessarily lead to combat;
7, perception and Speed recursors should know when to run.
defense as level 5; health 50
Connection to Strange: Waterfalls that
endlessly spill Mesozoicas ocean into
Deinonychus: level 3, the Strange d6 Event
perception as level 5, Speed 1 1d6 + 1 pterodactyls
defense as level 4; health Connection to Earth: A few gates, including
15; Armor 1; bite inflicts 4 an inapposite gate that occasionally 2 1d6 tyrannosaurus rexes
points of damage forms in an underwater tunnel 3 1d6 + 2 deinonychus
connecting an interior lagoon with the (velociraptors)
For more details on
pterodactyls, T. rexes, and surrounding ocean 4 1d6 saber-toothed cats
deinonychus, see The Size: 3,000 square miles (~8,000 square km) 5 2d6 savage hominids
Strange Bestiary. 6 Hazard; roll for details:
Spark: 25%
Saber-toothed cat: Trait: Primitive. The difficulty of any attempt 12 Tar pit
level 5; bite inflicts 7 points 3 Insect web
to calm an aggressive or enraged
of damage 45 Hominid hunters trap
creature is increased by one step.
Savage hominid, page 75 6 Earthquake

72
RECURSIONS: MESOZOICA 2
HAZARDS
The island is thick with hazards. Some WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT
are natural, and others were fashioned by MESOZOICA
hominids, serpent people, or giant insects. Mesozoica operates under the law
Tar Pits: Sometimes tar pits are obvious, but of Mad Science and is seeded by
sometimes theyre obscured by tricks of the hundreds of popular stories, movies,
terrain or situated to catch creatures that slip myths, and misconceptions about the
and tumble from a higher location. Tar pits are age of dinosaurs.
filled with a sticky, black, clinging, semisolid Mesozoica is contained on one
fluid called bitumen. Victims who fall into a immense island. Dinosaurs inhabit the
tar pit must be pulled free or succeed on a island, but so do several varieties of
difficulty 5 Might-based task before they sink hominids, mammalian megafauna, and
beneath the surface in 1d6 + 1 rounds. a remnant, degenerate race of serpent
Insect Web: Webs of almost any variety can people descended from a far more
be found, or blundered into, on Mesozoica. advanced culture.
Some are created by spider colonies, where An outpost called Fort Erish is
each spider is no bigger than a recursors head. sometimes inhabited by recursor
Others are created by insects large enough traders out of Ardeyn, but its
to challenge a T. rex. Its usually only a few periodically overrun by wildlife.
rounds before a victim struggles free with a
successful difficulty 4 Might-based task (unless
he becomes particularly entangled, as might the web, a victim is almost certain to alert
happen with a GM intrusion). The bigger whichever insect (or insect colony) spun the
issue is that in struggling to free himself from web that dinner is served.

73
Hominid Hunters Trap: The primitive MESOZOICA SITES OF NOTE
hominids of the recursion hunt large game by The following are just a few of the interesting
creating camouflaged spiked pit traps (level locations hosted by Mesozoica, most of which
5). Explorers who fail a Speed defense roll fall can be found only after an expedition through
20 feet (6 m) onto sharpened wooden spikes the deep jungle. Fort Erish is the exception.
that inflict 6 points of damage. Sometimes
the hominids are close enough to finish off FORT ERISH
whatever stumbles into their trap. Fort Erish hunkers behind a surrounding
Earthquake: An episode of unstable footing stockade wall of stone thats pierced by a main
isnt too bad, unless explorers happen to be gate, over which two wooden watchtowers
inside a cave, or the earth tears open beneath glower. At night, torches are lit along the wall
them. In both cases, a Speed defense roll tops. The fort is located along the coast, within
(whose difficulty is equal to the magnitude one of the few gaps in the cliffs that ring the
of the quake) gets a target out of immediate island. Trade ships (including chaos skiffs
danger. Those who fail to find safety during retrofitted to sail on water as well as in the
a cave-in either are buried under a rockfall Chaosphere) sometimes lie at anchor in the
or find that their route back to the surface waters beyond the crashing surf.
Ardeyn, page 160 has collapsed. Those who fall into a newly Traders of Ardeyn (under contract to Jagger
formed crevasse face all manner of unpleasant Shipping) claim Fort Erish, though they
Jagger Shipping,
page 172
possibilities, including a very long drop, a didnt build it. They found the fortress empty
crushing experience when the crevasse flexes and partly in ruins, with few clues about the
shut, or a dip into flowing magma. original owners. The traders rebuilt the fort
as best as they were able. Their repairs were
crude because Ardeyn operates under the law

74
RECURSIONS: MESOZOICA 2
Native hominids arent advanced enough for
RICHES OF MESOZOICA a formal language, but they can communicate
Veins of gold and crystal, deposits of oil broad sentiments to one another through
and gas, dinosaur meat, and exotic plants grunts, screams, and violent displays. Its
useful for spell components, perfumes, entirely likely that individual outliers exist
poisons, and medicines can be had in
among both tribes, but most hominids of the
Mesozoica, if one knows how to collect
recursion lead a savage life, where its better
these bounties. Additionally, artifacts of
the ancient serpent people are sometimes to kill strangers than try to communicate
found deep within caves and weathered with them. After all, when youre a cannibal Greeneye warrior: level
temples far inlandartifacts that, despite who believes youll gain the strength of your 3, tasks related to stealth
enemies by roasting them alive and eating as level 5; short-range
their power, operate under the law of
poisoned dart attack
Standard Physics. their still-sizzling brains, doing anything else is paralyzes victim for two
counterproductive. rounds
Greeneyes: The slighter, tailed hominid
of Magic, and the traders had to accomplish subspecies dyes the fur around their eyes Scarback warrior: level
4, tasks related to being
their construction using less exotic, brute-force bright green and lives predominantly in brave as level 5; short-range
methods available in a recursion that operates nestlike structures hidden in the jungle canopy. thrown rock attack
under the law of Mad Science. Greeneyes employ poison on their spear and
Mammoth: level 6, Speed
Every few months, the traders are forced to dart tips that can paralyze or kill.
defense as level 3; health
flee the fort or be slaughtered by a dinosaur Scarbacks: The upper torsos of the larger- 30; Armor 1; tusk attack
infestation, a hominid uprising, poisonous boned, hulking hominid subrace are covered in deals 8 points of damage;
volcanic gasses, or something less well ritual scarification symbols. Scarbacks tend to trample attack deals 8
points of damage on all
understood but blamed on the degenerate race inhabit eroded cliff dwellings carved by a much victims in immediate area
of serpent people that live on the island. The more advanced and apparently extinct race of
evacuations arent always successful, but a new creatures, which were probably not human.
expedition usually arrives within a few months Scarbacks sometimes ride mammoths when
regardlessthe resources of Mesozoica are too they hunt.
rich to ignore.
When the fort is occupied by traders,
visitors who stumble upon the place are
greeted by Captain Marab, who heads
most expeditions. Marab treats civilized
explorers well, and he puts them up
for several days within the safety of
the walls without any expectation of
payment. Accommodations are basic,
but food and ale are plentiful, as are
stories and trade opportunities. Captain Marab: level 4;
health 20; long-range pistol
When the fort is vacant, explorers find attack with bullets coated
evidence of hasty evacuation, more than in level 5 poison
a few bodies of traders who failed to get
out in time, and probably remnants of the
danger that forced the evacuation.

HOMINID DWELLINGS
Mesozoica hosts two savage hominid subspecies
that constantly war with each other. The traders
of Fort Erish refer to them as Greeneyes and
Scarbacks, respectively (not to mention a slew of
other less polite names, including those tailed
fuckers and the brain-eating brutes).

75
TEMPLE OF TIME
A structure of black stone slabs shot through TRACKS IN THE JUNGLE
with veins of yellowish crystal stands near Enlightened One: A serpent person
the base of Mesozoicas largest volcano. The wearing clothing and wielding tools was
massive slabs lean against each other to create seen entering the Temple of Time. Since
a not-quite-symmetrical cone. Accessing the then, the savage serpent people have been
interior is as easy as walking through any one agitated, traveling to locations around
of the wide openings between the leaning the island where they havent previously
slabsor it would be, if the site wasnt guarded ventured. Several seem intent on sailing a
by scaled humanoids with snakelike heads hollowed-out log to the recursions edge,
Serpent person: level 3; wielding crude weapons. The serpent people of and perhaps beyond.
spear attack for 4 points of Mesozoica may be devolved and have lost the
damage; for more details, Fort Erish Slaughter: Something so
see The Strange Bestiary,
technology and magic of their forebears, but
page 120 they retain strong racial instincts. They react sudden and terrible happened in Fort Erish
violently against mammals, especially those of recently that none of the traders there
the humanoid variety. managed to evacuate safely. Unlike with
The enclosed space within the structure previous attacks, whatever happened in the
seems larger inside than outside. The air is cold outpost left behind no blood, no squatting
and dry, illumination from the exterior doesnt hominids or dinosaurs, and no lingering
reach inside, and the floor is completely sickness. Everyone just disappeared. Jagger
smooth. At the center is a haze of swirling Shipping wants to find out why.
yellowish radiance almost 10 feet (3 m) in
diameter. The blot of rolling light constantly T. Rex Testing: OSR scientists put a tracker
produces a series of tones and belling chimes. on a T. rex they affectionately call Ellen
Anyone entering the light must succeed on a and have been tracking her for several
difficulty 3 Intellect-based defense roll or suffer months for research purposes. Now the
a baleful time-related effect chosen by the GM: tracker has gone offline, and the scientists
a victim ages a couple of years, disappears for a are concerned for their experiment data,
and perhaps for Ellen herself. They want
someone to venture into Mesozoicas
dangerous interior to the location of the
last tracking signal and investigate.

few hours and reappears without having


experienced any intervening time, or
devolves into something like one of the
hominids (or, if already a hominid, into
a large ratlike creature).
Someone who succeeds on the
Intellect defense roll gains a limited and local
mastery over time, and she can choose to move
back in time (taking up to three willing allies) to
any temporal point that overlaps with her own
presence in Mesozoica. Doing so is dangerous,
because if her original-time self ever becomes
aware of her time-traveling self, one is
randomly annihilated, which might strand the
survivor in a sealed time loop.

76
RECURSIONS: MESOZOICA 2
Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution, have
just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have
the slightest idea what to expect?
~Dr. Alan Grant, Jurassic Park

As it happens, many sealed time loops are If a time key is brought into the Temple of
stored in the Temple of Time. Many are filled Time and activated, one named creature
with horrifying creatures, NPCs, and cursed or object stored in a sealed time loop is
objects, and restoring any of these prisoners released. If no creature or object is named
would likely be exceedingly dangerous. (or if no creature or object answers to the
For instance, one of the many time-looped name provided), a random creature or
prisoners is a primeval creature the serpent object is released.
people know as a naga. The black-scaled naga Depletion: 1 in 1d10 Naga: level 8, Speed
has multiple heads and is well over 100 feet (30 defense as level 3; Armor 1;
three attacks as one action
m) in length. In addition to its brute strength,
the naga is a veteran schemer and has power
over the weather.

MESOZOICA ARTIFACTS
SERPENT RING
Level: 1d6
Form: Bronze ring shaped like a coiled serpent
Effect: The difficulty of all tasks associated
with interacting with dinosaurs and reptiles
is modified by one step to the wearers
benefit. This effect requires no activation or
depletion roll.
When the ring is activated, it emits a ray of
slithering energy at a foe within long range.
The snake-shaped ray inflicts damage equal
to the artifacts level. If the wearer chooses
to fire an empowered ray (which requires
two depletion rolls), it deals 3 additional
points of damage.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

TIME KEY
Level: 1d6 + 3
Form: Fist-sized orb of solid, swirling light
Effect: When the device is activated as part
of another action, the user can look
ahead to see how her actions might
unfold. She then has an asset on
the first task she performs before
the end of the next round.

77
MICROCOSMICA
The medieval philosophers were right. Man is the center of the universe. We
Microcosmica was created
through fictional leakage.
stand in the middle of infinity between outer and inner space, and theres no
limit to either.
~Peter Duval, Fantastic Voyage

Distant, regular beats throb through the sun; its influence gives life and purpose to
soft corridors and twisted flesh mazes of everything. It is literally the heart of existence. If
Microcosmica, impossible to ever shut out it stopped, everything would wither and rot. The
completely. The beat vibrates through a visitors substance of the recursion is itself alive and
bones. The sound is like a normal worlds seems to stretch in every direction, creating
a vast wilderness of fluid-filled cavities, blood
vessels, bile ducts, bone, mucus, and fiber.
Visiting Microcosmica is like being immersed
MICROCOSMICA ATTRIBUTES
in the center of a sloshing, salty sea of
Level: 5
viscous particles, all of which are alive. Some
Becomes Bacterial,
Laws: Mad Science
are indeed ravenous bacteria with a keen
page 196 Playable Races: Human
interest in the appearance of intruders whose
Foci: Becomes Bacterial*, Conducts
chemical makeup marks them as different
Weird Science, Entertains, Is Licensed
Conducts Weird and, potentially, as food. That goes double
to Carry, Leads, Looks for Trouble,
Science, page 57 for the especially aggressive leukocytes that
Operates Undercover, Solves Mysteries,
congregate like police to any scene of violence,
Entertains, page 61 Works the System
regardless of whether intruders were fighting
Skills: Microcosmica lore, any advanced
Is Licensed to Carry, off aggressive bacteria, cutting through a cavity
page 64
scientific lore or engineering related to
wall to access a larger arterial, attempting
biology
to repair vessels or other cell structures
Leads, page 65 Connection to Strange: Certain kinds of white
of Microcosmica, or merely looking for
blood cells, called strangeocytes, have
Looks for Trouble, somewhere to escape.
page 68 engulfed gates, tears, and other direct
Luckily for first-time translators, the narrative
openings to the Strange. See Leaving
Operates Undercover, inherent to Microcosmicas creation involves
Microcosmica (page 79) for important
page 70 scientific investigators who prepared their own
safety notes if accessing a strangeocyte.
visit by creating life support systems, including
Solves Mysteries Connection to Earth: Translation only
various bases, protective gear, and conveyances
page 78 Size: Approximately human-sized (visitors
that resemble submarines. Otherwise, a
become approximately bacterium-sized)
Works the System, recursor appearing unprepared in a random
page 83 Spark: 5%
portion of Microcosmica would quickly
Trait: Analytic. Any creature with the spark
suffocate in the airless environment, even as
attempting to understand a scientific
Chemotaxis is a term a host of hungry bacteria congregate using
principle, set up an experiment, or
used to describe bacteria chemotaxis to vector in on the newcomer.
moving toward higher gather data finds the task modified by
Arrival: First-time recursors who translate
concentrations of a one step to its benefit.
chemical they find into Microcosmica appear in the observation
interesting. * indicates foci found in this book deck of an artificial outpost called Nereus One.

78
RECURSIONS: MICROCOSMICA 2

MICROCOSMICA FOCI More important, when leaving the recursion


The foci that player characters can choose in via translation, the recursor should be sure
Microcosmicaas well as any foci that are to translate out from Nereus One or another
dragged into the recursionare modified by artificial habitat able to support human life. Draggable foci, page 52
the recursions context, as appropriate. Foci Otherwise, if she ever translates back, she
that are shared with Earth are almost exactly will return to the same location she translated
the same. But if a recursor selects Conducts away from, and find herself floating without
Weird Science, for example, the kind of science equipment and protection in the smothering,
she studies is likely to be biological in nature. fluid-filled cavities of Microcosmica.
Finally, entering Microcosmica through
LEAVING MICROCOSMICA inapposite means would be disastrous.
Leaving Microcosmica can be lethal if a traveler Thankfully, the nature of the recursion tends
exits by any means other than translation. to prevent inapposite gates and other forms of Translation, page 125
Translation ensures that the recursor appears inapposite travel.
Inapposite gate,
in the target recursion (or on Earth) at her page 135
normal size. But someone who translates DIRECTIONS
into Microcosmica and then leaves via an Its hard to know exactly where you are
inapposite gate appears in the new recursion in Microcosmica, even if using scientific
bacterially sized, which limits her ability to equipment available in Nereus One. By
interact with anything except other bacteria convention, two major directions are commonly
(assuming the new recursion even has any). used: toward the extremities (extremis),
The only sure way to regain ones proper or toward the heart (heartward). Given the
dimension and mass is to translate to yet complexity of the recursions structure, which
another recursion, which will reset the traveler. is not particularly close to a real humans

79
Typical bacterium:
level 2; tolerates harsh anatomy, its difficult to be more precise.
environments; bite inflicts 3 Organs of various kinds are sometimes found WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT
points of damage; explosively duplicated, larger or smaller than would be MICROCOSMICA
lyses when reduced to 0 Microcosmica operates under the
health, inflicting 1 point
expected, or never found at all, such as is the
of damage to creatures in case for the brain of Microcosmica. Of course, law of Mad Science and is seeded by
immediate range for people the size of bacteria, the recursion is stories, movies, and myths of scientific
vast, and exploration may one day discover the voyagers to inner spacethe space
Lysis is the dissolution of a
truth. inside a living organism.
cell, usually due to a rupture.
Microcosmica is the interior of a
Basophil: level 3; bite injects FLORA AND FAUNA normal-sized living creature, but
anticoagulant that deals recursors who visit it are translated
Sometimes its hard to tell the difference. The
damage every round until
the victim makes a recovery general rule is that fixed tissue is Microcosmica down to the size of bacteria. (The
roll or uses other healing terrain, but free-roaming cells are usually recursor doesnt gain knowledge of the
bacterial in nature and are normal parts nature of the living creature that makes
Eosinophil: level 5; when up Microcosmica.)
damaged, splits into two
of the environment. In sum, the bacteria
level 3 eosinophils that make something called the microbiome, the Microcosmica is filthy with bacteria,
cant split further community of commensal, symbiotic, and which outnumber the constituent cells
pathogenic microorganisms that populates by 10 to 1. If given the chance, many of
Lymphocyte: level 4; bite
the recursion (of course, to recursors, these bacteria will find bacteria-sized
deals damage and injects a
cell-dissolving enzyme that microorganisms arent particularly micro). humanoids a tasty morsel.
moves the victim one step Add the immune response that Microcosmica First-time human translators appear
down the damage track on in a scientific station called Nereus
sometimes mounts, which floods an area with
a failed Might defense roll
an aggressive swarm of various kinds of white One that has the technology and
ImmuneSuppres, page 81 blood cells (including basophils, eosinophils, equipment required for human survival
and exploration of Microcosmica. That
includes important daily injections of
ImmuneSuppres.

lymphocytes, and more), and any particular


location can go from crowded to swarming
quickly.

GETTING AROUND
Arteries are relatively easy to find in
Microcosmica. They are the preferred way for
recursors in protective gear or some kind of
bioaquatic submersible to get around, at least
Bioaquatic submersible:
for those moving extremis. If theyre moving
level 4; Armor 4; moves heartward, veins are preferredthe recursors
up to a long distance dont travel nearly as fast, but they dont need
each round; can carry to attempt to pierce tissues.
eight travelers plus a
pilot in a life-supporting Regardless of the location, it usually has
environment; carries two enough liquid matrix for a recursor (or
spare dive suits bioaquatic submersible) to move about in
cavities and layers. Most tissue layers that
Dive suit: level 3; provides
Armor 1 plus air and impose a barrier can be pierced merely by
warmth in an aqueous spending a round or two applying pressure,
environment; includes suit and the hole created heals itself within a few
lights, radio, and tools for
collecting samples days (though this risks drawing an immune
response from white blood cells).

80
RECURSIONS: MICROCOSMICA 2
SITES OF INTEREST
Microcosmica contains several sites that
recursors will want to visit, especially those
with a scientific bent.

NEREUS ONE
The stainless-steel-and-glass science base
known as Nereus One is anchored to the side
of a tissue wall deep within Microcosmica. The
base is essentially a massive sphere striped
with encircling glass viewports. Opaque metal
bands are interspersed with the translucent
viewports. Given that the metallic portions
of the base are painted with a yellow non-
bioactive coating, base researchers sometimes
affectionately call it the Bumblebee.
The base contains several different
sections, including a science level where most
experiments are run, a galley for preparing
and eating food, crew living quarters, a main
observation deck, a sick bay for storing
medicine and treating hurt crew, a nuclear
power plant and associated engine room,
a bridge for when the base is detached and
moving, an equipment room with spare dive
suits and two bioaquatic submersibles, and a
torpedo bay.
ImmuneSuppres: Researchers take daily
shots of a drug called ImmuneSuppres. This
red-colored fluid keeps bad reactions from
the quantum miniaturization process at
bay. Recursors who stay more than a day in
Microcosmica are subject to the same bad
reactions, since theyve taken on the same
context as the researchers. PCs who do not
take daily injections of ImmuneSuppres notice
a discoloration and swelling in their skin. If left
untreated, PCs begin moving down the damage
track after a few days. NPCs left untreated die
and degrade into so much rotting goo.

NEREUS ONE RESEARCHERS


From five to twenty researchers inhabit Nereus
One. When present in the base, the scientists
are busy with exacting and obscure experiments
on the science level. These experiments involve
teasing out eclectic signals from tissue assays
on samples collected from distant parts of
Microcosmica. When scientists are not in the
base, theyre out gathering samples, running
other tests in the field, or simply gone. In the

81
latter case, theyre absentaccording to the documents in the trash file of a computer
narrative of the recursionbecause theyve that indicated that illicit biological research
been reassigned or otherwise retrieved by the was being conducted on Nereus Five, but she
university department they work for. wasnt able to determine any more details.
Calvin Meyers: level Any scientists the PCs are likely to meet on Associate Researcher Calvin Meyers: Calvin
5; Armor 1; long-range Nereus One do not have the spark, so they works for a foreign state (within the context
hydraulic pistol inflicts 6
react as if the characters are new researchers of the narrative) and keeps tabs on everything
points of damage
assigned to the base. If the scientists are going on in Nereus One. He reports back to
quizzed about where they come from, where his handler via illicit calls from the radio room
they go when theyre reassigned, and what kind once every few days. Calvin knows that actions
of creature theyve been nanosized and inserted of his state led to the loss of Nereus Five, but
into, most become incredulous, annoyed, or he doesnt know exactly what went down. If an
possibly confused by such stupid questions. expedition is mounted to find it, hell be the
As is true in any similar situation, continually first volunteer to go in case he needs to ensure
rubbing the nose of a recursion native in the that its secrets are kepteven if that means
oddity of his existence could eventually kindle killing everyone else on the expedition.
the spark in an NPC.
Three researchers stand out from the pack. NEREUS TWO
Dr. Reggie Garner: level 3; Chief Researcher Reggie Garner: Dr. Garner This supposedly mothballed research base
short-range harpoon gun is a hardworking scientist with little time actually has one secret, active researcher
inflicts 4 points of damage
for chit-chat. He stays apprised of the other aboard: Shumala-shamash, a recursor from
scientists progress during a daily briefing held Ruk. She discovered the recursion by accident
Shumala-shamash: level
5; health 25; Armor 2; long-
on the main observation deck (the widest level and realized that it was a treasure trove
range bioelectric attack at the spheres midpoint). Dr. Garner has a of potential biological secrets, accessible
inflicts 5 points of damage despondent air, and if pressed, he describes his from a unique perspective that not even the
on all creatures within sadness over how the other Nereus research superscience of Ruk could duplicate. If her
immediate range of each
other; carries two cyphers bases were decommissioned and now float in experiments pan out, she hopes to sell the fruit
other parts of the research organism, empty of her labors to the highest bidder in her home
and mothballed. They were decommissioned recursion, which would likely be a toss-up
after Nereus Five was lost with all crew under between the Karum and Zal.
Ruk, page 190 mysterious circumstances. The university If Shumala-shamash is discovered, she
Karum, page 193
pulled back its support, focusing only on claims to be an ordinary researcher named
Nereus One. In all, Garner says there are seven Sylvia Collins. However, if she recognizes the
Zal, page 194 bases similar to the Bumblebee. If anything PCs as fellow recursors, she panics and attacks
could rouse Dr. Garner from the status quo, them in what she considers self-defense.
it would be the opportunity to discover what
happened to Nereus Five. NEREUS FIVE
Dr. Helen Rodrigues: level Immunologist Helen Rodrigues: Dr. The fate of Nereus Five was sealed when base
4; health 18; short-range Rodrigues hasnt grasped the fact that her researchers tried to engineer intelligence into a
harpoon gun inflicts 4
points of damage home doesnt actually exist, and that the component of Microcosmica that was fifty times
span of her entire experience, despite vague smaller (on average) than a bacterium-sized
memories suggesting otherwise, is confined to creature: a virus. In truth, the experiments were
her time in Nereus One. However, she is one of not authorized. The chief researcher was secretly
the few human NPC natives in Microcosmica a double agent working for an enemy state, which
with the spark. Subconsciously, she fears hoped to create a virus capable of selectively
Nereus Five fused being recalled and reassigned, because she targeting victims back in the real world.
creature: level 7, Speed rightly worries that it could mean the end of What they got instead was a nightmare: a
defense as level 5; can her existence. Dr. Rodrigues also suspects contiguous mass of writhing flesh made of
fission off level 3 humanoid
some sort of foul play was involved in the loss all the former researchers on the station. The
servitors; can engulf up to
two creatures in immediate of Nereus Five, possibly related to the actions fused creature mimics intelligence, though
range as one action of a secret agent of a foreign state. She found it may not actually be intelligent. Luckily for

82
RECURSIONS: MICROCOSMICA 2
RESEARCH TOPICS
Necrotizing Fasciitis: A population of typical Stranded Researchers: Trouble found a group
bacteria was radicalized, transforming them of researchers in a submersible. The impeller
from useful symbiotes to tissue-eating engine on their transport broke, and their
monsters. To synthesize a cure, scientists sporadic communication with Nereus One
on Nereus One need a sample from the indicates that they need replacement parts.
infection, which requires a dangerous trip Urgency is required because their broken
into an infected organ that already shows submersible is lodged in a spot overlooking a
excessive necrosis. The organ is a free-for-all stomachlike cavity, but not lodged especially Staphylococcus aureus:
level 4; tolerates harsh
of white blood cells versus the radicalized permanently.
environments; bite inflicts
bacteria (the scientists call the bacteria 5 points of damage;
staphylococcus aureus). Fever: Its heating up! The temperature all explosively lyses when
across Microcosmica has exceeded safe reduced to 0 health,
inflicting 2 points of
Brain Quest: A free-roaming instance limits (safe for continued normal function of damage to creatures in
of the AI that controls the recursion of the tissue of Microcosmica), and white blood immediate range
Singularitan is mounting an expedition cells are everywhere, acting crazy, lashing out
into Microcosmica. This creature, a data against benign tissue with a vengeance
sentinel, seeks the brain and believes that as well as any researchers who draw too
by finding the mysterious organ, it will near. Something is very wrong, requiring a Singularitan, page 251
achieve an ascendant state as great as (or journey to a massive wound site to neutralize
perhaps greater than) the instance of the AI particles of a foreign object. That foreign
in its home recursion. Presumably, the data object might well be the shattered shards of a Data sentinel: level 4,
sentinel has an idea of where to look. An wholly different recursion. knowledge tasks as level
7; health 18; Armor 2;
ascendant state risks conferring planetovore long-range energy attack
status on the sentinel. inflicts 4 points of damage;
for more details, see The
Strange Bestiary, page 37
the surrounding tissues of Microcosmica,
the blob hasnt quite mimicked intelligence
well enough to escape from the lockdown
the last few survivors managed to put the
station under. Knowing that later investigators
who found Nereus Five would risk spreading
contamination, they also disengaged the
anchor failsafes and set the base adrift in
Microcosmica. Its now a plague ship, one that
virulently infects, transforms, and absorbs any
who find it and risk coming aboard.

STOMACH CAVITY
The stomach cavity discovered by researchers
is only a days travel from Nereus One by
submersible. The cavity stretches away in all
directions, and its floor is flooded with an acid
a couple of magnitudes stronger than the acid
of a normal human stomach, which is hard on
dive suits, submersibles, and everything else.
The researchers are interested in discovering
how the cavity lining can both produce the acid
and remain protected from its effects.

83
We cannot fathom the marvelous complexity of an organic being; but on the
hypothesis here advanced this complexity is much increased. Each living creature must
be looked at as a microcosma little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating
organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars in heaven.
~Charles Darwin

BRAIN The immediate effect paralyzes the target for up


In humans, the brain This mythical organ, if it exists, would to one minute, after which the target has no
is the only organ in the presumably be something like the god of memory of that time period. The secondary
body without nerves,
even though it controls
Microcosmica, though possibly one largely effect could be any one of the following,
the nervous system. unconscious of the processes that go on within depending on the nature of the DNA
In other words, the its confines. Or so say some researchers. injector (each injector has only one kind of
brain feels no pain. These same scientists theorize that harnessing secondary effect).
the brainpower of Microcosmica from a Calm: The targets aggressive tendencies are
miniaturized state might be possible, and damped down for up to twelve hours,
in so doing, they could increase the linked during which time the target responds to
intelligence a thousandfold, possibly launching attacks but never initiates them.
it into a posthuman state. Other researchers Aggression: The targets aggressive tendencies
call this belief ludicrous, pointing to the fact are increased for up to twelve hours,
that the brain has yet to be discovered. during which time the target attacks almost
anything it encounters.
HEART Transformation: The target transforms into a
The heart is one of the main sources of life leukocyte over a twelve-hour period. A fully
in Microcosmica, and its continual beating is transformed recursor loses all memory
always present in the recursion, even aboard of his former existence, but a successful
one of the research stations. Getting close to translation before the transformation is
the heart is as difficult as it would be for an complete salvages those memories (and
astronaut to get close to the sunthe beat resets the recursors form to fit the context
is so loud that it overwhelms all baffles in of the new recursion).
submersibles and dive suits, and it renders Depletion: 1 in 1d20
the researcher unconscious. More than one
submersible has been lost by venturing too DNA SAMPLER
close to the heart. Level: 1d6 + 1
Form: A 4-foot-long (1 m) metallic rod with a
MICROCOSMICA ARTIFACTS barbed propulsive head
Effect: The DNA sampler is used like a cattle prod.
DNA INJECTOR When its business end is applied to a living
Level: 1d6 + 1 target (possibly in a melee attack), it removes
Form: A 4-foot-long (1 m) metallic rod with a a sample of the targets tissue and analyzes
barbed propulsive head it. A readout shows what, if any, special
Effect: The DNA injector is used like a cattle prod. abilities the target possesses. If the wielder
When its business end is applied to a living wishes, she can then use the DNA sampler
target (possibly in a melee attack), it injects a on herself and gain one of the special abilities
potent cocktail of DNA, RNA, ribosomes, and from the last creature sampled. A transferred
other promoters that have an immediate as ability lasts for one minute. Sampling and
well as a long-term effect on the target. transferring each require a depletion roll.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

84
RECURSIONS: NEW CENTROPOLIS 2

NEW CENTROPOLIS
If you havent been this close to superhumans, you dont understand what
its like to fight them. Even when youve got powers yourself, the predominant
impression is one of shock. The forces moving around you are out of human scale,
and your nervous system doesnt know how to deal with it. Its like being in a car
accident, over and over again. You never feel the pain until later.
~Austin Grossman, Soon I Will Be Invincible

Not everyone used to believe superhumans NEW CENTROPOLIS FOCI


walked among us. That changed when the fair New Centropolis is one of several Supers Radioactive Girl Is Not
city of Centropolis was rendered into a toxic recursions, which are recursions seeded by Dead, page 89
crater. Radioactive Girl did it, sacrificing herself comics, anime, and movies about superhuman
to save us from the alien Kasrang. Hovering heroes. When a character takes a focus offered
over the city like an oversized zeppelin, the in a Supers recursion, it could be in the role
Kasrang Mother Virus had already converted of a hero or a villain in that recursion. The
everyone who hadnt fled the city into fresh GM could make available the foci from In
contamination vectors. Radioactive Girl went Translation (if available), such as Wears an
supercritical not only to destroy Kasrang, but Iron Suit, Grows to Towering Heights, Throws
also to save the entire world. Boulders, Projects Energy, and so on. However,
New Centropolis was founded afterward. Over
the next thirty years, it grew into the thriving
metropolis we know today. New Centropolis
NEW CENTROPOLIS
openly affirms and accepts the existence of
ATTRIBUTES
superhumans. In fact, the city hosts several,
Level: 5
including the Blaze, Emerald Witch, Corvid,
Laws: Mad Science, Magic, Psionics
Galaxia, and Robot Lad. Thanks to the efforts of
Playable Races: Human
the Department of Superhuman Affairs (DSA),
Foci: All corebook foci and the Supers foci Foci, page 51
activities that would normally be classified
of In Translation (if available)
as vigilante acts are often given legal status.
Skills: New Centropolis lore
Otherwise, there would be only supervillains.
Connection to Strange: Within the depths
Not all superhumans are civically minded, DSA
of the Crater where old Centropolis
or not. Many superhumans are motivated by
once stood
greed, lust for power, or vengeance. This means
Connection to Earth: A few gates locked up
that despite the wonders that live and fly in New
in the labs of superscientists and mad
Centropolis, calamity and tragedy at the hands
villains
of supervillains are far more common than they
Size: 45,000 square miles (116,550 square km)
should be (literally true, in the case of Calamity, the
Spark: 20%
supervillain able to negatively affect probability).
Trait: Heroic. Characters gain a +1 bonus
Arrival: First-time recursors arrive in New
on rolls that involve tasks directly
Centropolis standing in Centropolis Square, the
protecting the safety of another while
city center, which features a massive memorial
endangering their own life.
to Radioactive Girl.

85
if you dont have access to those or you want to
stray further afield, almost any focus could be WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT
adapted to become a Supers focus with only a NEW CENTROPOLIS
tiny bit of work reimagining the story behind it. New Centropolis operates under the
Solves Mysteries, page 78 For instance, take the focus Solves Mysteries. laws of Mad Science, Magic, and
A character with this focus in New Centropolis Psionics, though the technological and
might decide to take it in the guise of a magical level that most natives see on
superhero. Instead of wearing sensible clothing a day-to-day basis is similar to that of
and comfortable shoes, the character might twenty-first-century Earth.
decide that while fighting crime, he wears a Superhumans live in New Centropolis.
superhero costume that includes a cape, a Some are heroes, some are villains,
utility belt, and a mask. This essentially comes and some hide their identity so as not
down to giving the character a superhero suit. to become involved.
The Department of Superhuman Affairs
(DSA), a federal organization, actively
tracks superhumans and sometimes
works with sanctioned superhumans to
apprehend supervillains.
The original Centropolis was blown up
when Radioactive Girl sacrificed herself to
destroy the alien Kasrang before it could
infect and enslave everyone in the world.
The best known superheroes include
Blaze, Emerald Witch, Divine Bullet, and
other members of the superteam known
as the Spectaculars. Feared supervillains
include Gearbox, Mister Genocide,
Calamity, and Nightmare Chill.

TIER 1: SUIT
The tier 1 Suit feature is added to a focus
only when the GM wishes to make that
focus available in New Centropolis. The
Suit feature grants the character a specially
made outfit that serves as light armor. The
PC is practiced in wearing the suit, so she
can wear it for long periods without the
usual Might cost per hour or Speed Pool
reduction. The suit also usually comes with
a utility belt, a mask or helmet, integrated
smartphone functionality, and so on.
(A basic utility belt includes a custom
communication device, 50 feet [15 m] of
coiled level 6 fiber, a custom flashlight,
and space for other small devices.) Finally,
the suit makes the character look suitably
superheroic.

86
RECURSIONS: NEW CENTROPOLIS 2

In fact, when adapting a focus to be a Supers outright illegal, the DSA may issue a warrant for
focus, the GM is encouraged to add a Suit her arrest. This warrant also acts as a bounty.
feature if the focus doesnt already have it. Anyone (but usually another superhuman)
could try to collect on a DSA bounty, even those
LEGAL VIGILANTES who are not already licensed bounty hunters.
Wielding superpowers in a Supers recursion is
usually just as fraught with potential issues as it NEW CENTROPOLIS SIGHTSEEING
would be on Earth, if such powers existed there. Many locations and persons of interest can be
Problems such as the sanctity of secret identities, found in the city where superheroes soar across
unexpected side effects of superpowers, and being the sky.
charged as a vigilante are just the beginning. At
least in the case of being charged as a vigilante, DEPARTMENT OF SUPERHUMAN AFFAIRS
New Centropolis has developed a legal framework DSA headquarters are in a secure office
to deal with the issue. building on Broadway, only a few blocks from
The idea of people wearing suits to fight Centropolis Square. Within it, determinations
crime might be romantic, but separating such are made as to which superhumans are heroes
activity from simple vigilantism is still work. and which are villains. The DSA mostly gets it
If a superhuman is involved in some sort of right.
incident, the Department of Superhuman The streets outside the building often host
Affairs (DSA) looks into it after the fact. If demonstrations. Some protesters demand that
the efforts of the superhuman in that event the DSA lock down the vigilantes and put an
are found to be in the interest of the public end to federal cooperation with superhumans.
good, all is well. However, if the acts of the Others scream that the DSA is too hard on
superhuman are found to be questionable or heroes and should let them do their jobs.

87
Those designated as supervillains and Hughes manages the quantum collapse facility.
sentenced to prison time are also remanded to Alicia Reardon: Reardon was just another
Alicia Reardon, DSA: level
5, all movement-related the DSA, which maintains a special facility able DSA agent running down cases in the streets of
tasks as level 2; wears power to hold even the most powerful superhuman. New Centropolis. Then she made the collar of a
bracers of invulnerability Using a little-understood technology lifetime. She and her team managed to capture
artifact
called quantum collapse (invented by the the terrorist Mister Nefarious. She was injured
Power bracers, page 93 superhuman Doctor Amazing), prisoners are in the process and now walks with a limp
collapsed to nonexistence, which makes it hard thatll likely never go away, rendering her unfit
for them to escape confinement. But as sure as for field work. But instead of letting her go,
Blaze loves Emerald Witch, some supervillain the agency promoted her to head of the DSA
Quantum collapse arch, somewhere is looking for a way to do it. Since office in New Centropolis. Alicia takes her job
page 94
someone imprisoned through the use of the seriously and does it well. She also wears a set
quantum collapser no longer exists, the DSA of power bracers of invulnerability. Technically,
Warden Hughes, DSA:
headquarters has no prisonjust temporary being a superhuman or using superhuman-
level 5, tasks related to
hand-to-hand combat as holding cells. Instead, theres a processing created hardware is a conflict of interest for
level 6; melee unarmed facility at either end of a short hallway where DSA agents, so Reardon uses the bracers only
attack inflicts 5 points of the quantum collapse arch is installed. To a in desperate straits, and she doesnt advertise
damage
prisoner just released, no time seems to have the fact that she has them.
passed, although severe nausea is usually a Warden Hughes: Hughes has a first name
DSA Agent: level 4; Armor
1; long-range pistol attack symptom of returning to existence. (George), but no one uses it. Nor does anyone
inflicts 5 points of damage; In addition to its agents, the DSA employs socialize with Hughes, who is given to brooding
may carry foam restraint a herd of lawyers and data analysts, as well as and never says two words when one (or none)
artifact
support staff. The head of the agency side of will do. He is the only DSA agent currently
Foam restraint, page 93 the department is Alicia Reardon, and Warden authorized to use the quantum collapse arch,

88
RECURSIONS: NEW CENTROPOLIS 2
which makes him the warden. Because he The Busker: Street musicians rotate through Busker: level 5, answering
never has to worry about riots, abusive guards, Centropolis Square each day, but none play with singular questions as level 10
feeding and recreation for prisoners, or related as much amazing ability as the Busker. Many
matters, Hughes has excess time on his hands. people suspect that she is a superhuman, but
He usually spends that time training in martial one whose abilities are not given to conflict
arts down in the DSA dojo. When he goes and crime-fighting. If money is first dropped
home, it is to a small apartment he shares with in her instrument case, the Busker will answer
his aging mother. any one question by a given person truthfully,
whether or not
CENTROPOLIS there is any way she
SQUARE Im waking up, I feel it in my bones could possibly know
Centropolis Square is the answer. Once
a major commercial Enough to make my systems blow someone receives a
intersection and a Welcome to the new age, to the new age true answer, further
neighborhood at the questions are met
junction of Broadway
~Radioactive, Imagine Dragons with a shrug and a
and Spectacular smile.
Avenue. Lavishly
decorated with electronic billboards, it is the SPECTACULARS SANCTUARY
busiest pedestrian intersection in the city. In The superteam called the Spectaculars owns
addition to all the stores and theatres it hosts, a magnificent skyscraper along Broadway. In
the square also contains a massive memorial to addition to businesses and apartments near the
Radioactive Girl: a 300-foot (91 m) statue of the street level, the structure also houses several
superhero who died to save everyone. superhumans, including the Spectaculars
A plaque at the base of the statue themselves, as well as apartments set aside
summarizes the story: Radioactive Girl died for friends of the team. The Sanctuary also
gloriously defending us from the Mother Virus. contains facilities for superhuman training,
In the aftermath, our grief overwhelms us. learning, research, and construction, and a
Though she cannot hear it, the millions still garage for the special equipment and vehicles
alive because of her give thanks. To assuage available to the teams current roster.
the anguish of our bereavement, this memorial The Sanctuary is something of a magnet to
Defensive drone: level 3,
will serve as a physical reminder of what we all supervillains who want to make a name for perception as level 6; Armor
loved and lost. themselves by destroying it. As a result, the 2; fly a long distance per
Corvid: Visitors to the memorial also usually skyscraper enjoys many defenses, including a round; long-distance laser
attack inflicts 5 points of
see Corvid, a superhuman who looks something fleet of drones and automatons built by Robot
damage
like a human crow. Corvid has apparently Lad.
selected himself for the job of keeping
Corvid: level 4, tasks
Centropolis Square safe from muggers and related to perception and
keeping the statue of Radioactive Girl in good RADIOACTIVE GIRL IS NOT DEAD commerce as level 6; fly a
shape, free of graffiti and trash. Hes developed long distance each round;
Radioactive Girl exploded with the force
carries two random cyphers
something like religious awe of the memorial of a hydrogen bomb. Thats not the end
and is not shy about telling people that of the story, though, because she is slowly
Radioactive Girl will return in our darkest hour! reforming somewhere down in the Crater.
Corvid is actually a kro recursor from Crow No one yet realizes it because at this point, Kro, page 243
Hollow who keeps an eye out for interesting shes still mostly without substance. But Crow Hollow, page 242
technology in New Centropolis that might be eventually, shell return. And when she
saleable back home. He uses the connection to does, disaster may well unfold, because the
the Strange in the depths of the Crater where Kasrang Mother Virus managed to infect
old Centropolis once stood to transport goods her right before she exploded.
out of the recursion every few months.

89
Blaze: level 7; Armor 8;
fly a long distance each In addition to Robot Lad, the Spectaculars ranged weapons on her person but has been
round; long-distance roster includes Blaze, Divine Bullet, Emerald known to check out powerful weapons from the
heat attack can target all
creatures in immediate Witch, Galaxia, and Synesthesia. Most of the team equipment cache for important missions.
range of each other support staff are humanwhich is not to say In her secret identity, Atsuko is a top-ranked
Divine Bullet: level 4, that normal humans arent also a threat. With online gamer, but one who doesnt have to put
tasks related to aiming or the right equipment or training (or both), a in the hours practicing that other competitors
requiring balance as level 8 normal person could take down a superhuman. do.
Emerald Witch: level 7; fly Its happened before. Emerald Witch: Real name Candace Russell,
a long distance each round; Blaze: Real name Jermaine Lewis, Blaze is a Emerald Witch can create temporary solid
create any level 7 object or quadruple threat. He can fly, hes hard to hurt, matter from green light in whatever form she
attack that she can imagine
out of solid green light hes strong, and he can emit blasts of inferno- can imagine. In her secret identity, Candace is a
hot fire. In his secret identity, Jermaine is an nurse at New Centropolis hospital, where shes
Galaxia: level 5, Speed
defense as level 7 due animal control officer for the New Centropolis overworked and on report for being late too
to deflection power animal shelter, which is why the Sanctuary has often (because shes fighting crime).
bracers, all science- so many cats and dogs. Galaxia: Real name forgotten even by herself,
related tasks as level 9
Divine Bullet: Real name Atsuko Lane, Divine Galaxia is often referred to as the smartest
Robot Lad: level 3, tasks Bullet has the superhuman ability of perfect person on the planet. Doctor Amazing would
related to robotics as level aim and balance. She carries a variety of light quibble with that if he hadnt been sent through
7; two or more defense
drones always on hand the quantum collapse arch after trying to
take over the world, but he was an egotistical
Synesthesia: level 6; create
minor or major level 6 bastard. Galaxia possesses superhuman levels
sensory illusions or attacks of intelligence but doesnt seem inclined
up to long range (up to to use it to rule over everyone. She spends
five targets at once)
most of her time in the labs in Spectaculars
Sanctuary, working on projects more obscure
than the mechanisms that Robot Lad produces
(which she considers fairly straightforward).
For instance, her latest project has to do
with scanning alternate dimensions for
anomalous signals. In fact, she is on the cusp
of discovering the truth about her world and
recursions in general.
Robot Lad: Real name Dale Henderson,
Robot Lad has the superhuman ability to
fashion independent, autonomous machines
in mere minutes. The robots seem completely
loyal to Robot Lad, even in the face of attempts
to contravene their programing. In his secret
identity, Dale is a straight-A student in high
school, though he has trouble with social
integration. He is on the autism spectrum and
doesnt read social cues particularly well.
Synesthesia: Real name Max Garfield,
Synesthesia can induce sensory confusion in
others, which can cause blindness, nausea, or
seeing and hearing things that arent there. In
his secret identity, Max is the bass drummer
for a band called No Map, and he sometimes
fails to make an appearance in his role as
Synesthesia due to excessive partying.

90
RECURSIONS: NEW CENTROPOLIS 2
NEW CENTROPOLIS UNDERWORLD and fights, a foe is jostled by an allys misstep,
Criminals of all sorts live in New Centropolis. a foes weapon misfires, a foe accidentally
Some are white-collar embezzlers. Others are attacks an interposing ally, and so on.
muggers, drug dealers, or illegal purveyors Doctor Amazing: Real name Todd Lacey, Sunspot cannon, page 94
of services. And a few are superhumans. Doctor Amazing is currently off the grid, but
Calamity: level 5, Speed
Supervillains engage in the same kinds of his incarceration through the quantum collapse
defense as level 7 due to
crime but do so using abilities that regular arch is due to end in a few years. Everyone attackers bad luck, tasks
crooks can only dream about, often while knows that Doctor Amazing created the attempted as level 7 due to
wearing a colorful suit designed to strike fear in technology behind quantum collapse, and they Calamitys good luck
victims. recognize the irony of it being used on him. Doctor Amazing/
Superhuman villains sometimes make What everyone should have realized is that this Ghostmancer: level 5,
alliances, the longest lasting of which was is Doctor Amazing they were talking about. Of science-related tasks as level
assembled by Doctor Amazing. Calling course he put a back door in the programming. 9; long-range ghost gun
attack inflicts 10 points
themselves the Conquerors, the group Instead of being collapsed out of existence, he of dissolution damage;
managed to commit all manner of larcenies was teleported to a previously prepared secret wears power bracers of
and even killed Silver Torch, the previous lair. And rather than crow about his deception intangibility
leader of the Spectaculars. But like most such (yet), Doctor Amazing adopted a secondary Power bracers, page 93
alliances, the team eventually fell apart when
the villains turned on each other. Doctor
Amazing planned to use the group as patsies
all along, and before they dissolved, they
stole the technology he required to finish
his sunspot cannon. He promised to use it
unless New Centropolis (and the world)
gave him complete control. It never came to
that; Doctor Amazing was ultimately stopped,
mostly because of the betrayal by the rest of the
Conquerors.
Doctor Amazings team included Calamity,
Fission, Gearbox, Mister Genocide, and
Nightmare Chill. Supervillains come and go;
if theyre caught, they go because they literally
do not exist anymore, at least until their
sentence is up. Now that the Conquerors are
no more, the various supervillains act alone, or
with a small group of cronies that are usually
human.
Calamity: Real name Arn Weldon, Calamity
has the ability to affect probability in his own
favor, usually at a cost to other people. He
doesnt control probability directly; he cant
usually decide whats going to happen. Instead,
he concentrates on the task at hand, and thats
when his luck kicks in, which is probably bad
luck for anyone attempting to stop him. For
instance, if Calamity tries to evade a pursuer,
the pursuer faces random impediments of
increasing severity, such as open manholes
underfoot, collapsing walls closing off a path of
pursuit, runaway vehicles plowing directly into
her, and so on. If Calamity stands his ground

91
Fission: level 4; Armor 1; codename: Ghostmancer. Using a pair of becomes ill, even if he isnt actively using his
long-range pistol attack bracers of intangibility, plus other technology power. All his cronies usually wear gas masks
inflicts 4 points of damage;
fragment rush attack
he adapted to his new ghostly facade, hes and protective clothing. Mister Genocide cares
inflicts 5 points of damage begun an all-new bid to take over the world. more about robbing banks (or holding high-
on all creatures within Fission: Real name Shayla Lukeson, value targets for obscene ransoms) than killing
immediate range of Fission Fission has the ability to split into several for killings sake. But he doesnt hesitate to kill
after she moves up to a
short distance; creates nearly identical versions of herself, including anyone who stands in his way.
multiple versions of herself basic clothes and weapons. When she does, Nightmare Chill: Real name Nelle Rives,
(1d6 per round) to help her fragments have most of the originals Nightmare Chill can suck heat out of the
with tasks
memories and motivations, and they usually environment so quickly that she can create and
act in concert with their prime, though Fission manipulate ice. She usually armors herself in
Nightmare Chill: level 5;
Armor 4 (ice); creates any doesnt mentally control them directly. Her ice before engaging in illicit activity. She also
level 7 object or attack from fragments lack the ability to fission any further. calls on her powers offensively to trap victims,
ice that she can imagine Producing fragments is tiring, and Fission cant defensively to create barriers, and imaginatively
keep it up indefinitely. But she can split off large as the need arises to create various solids and
squads of commandos with little care for their objects. Like Mister Genocide, Nightmare Chill
safety to accomplish defined goals, create one seems most concerned with living the good life.
or two fragments to confuse a trail or act as She always says that if she scores big enough,
body shields, or send a fragment on a suicide she might retire her name and take up yachting.
mission. Fragments not reabsorbed eventually
explode (though they can trigger the explosion THE CRATER
much sooner, if desired). On the outskirts of New Centropolis lies the
Unlike many villains, Fission has an active vast cavity where the heart of the original city
secret identityShayla Lukeson is a well-known was located before Radioactive Girl detonated
musician in New Centropolis. She sometimes there. A massive concrete bunker walls off
creates less-perfect fragments to fill out her the Crater from easy access, and the area is
band or sing backup. patrolled by police and several automated
Gearbox, driving typical Gearbox: Real name Jan Kinsley, Gearbox has surveillance systems. Still, teenagers
war machine: level 6; the ability to interface directly with machines. sometimes manage to get through on a dare
Armor 4; long-range attack
inflicts 8 points of damage Like Robot Lad, Gearbox is adept at creating so they can look out across the mist-filled
mechanical automatons. But she usually void. Everyone says the Crater is radioactive
creates singular, immense war machines with because of its origin. In fact, there is a curious
herself installed as the driver. Rumor has it absence of radiation, almost as if something is
that shes building her largest war machine yet, absorbing it instead of giving it off.
one taller than skyscrapers. Gearbox is one of The deeper a climber descends into the
those superhumans whose motivations are Crater, the steeper and smoother the sides
muddledshe seems in it more for the thrill become, and the thicker the odd mist. After
of destruction. She also nurses a lingering hate several explorers and one scientific team went
for the loss of her young son, a civilian casualty missing, the enthusiasm for mounting further
from twenty years earlier when the Spectaculars explorations evaporated. Though no one knows
of that era took down Doctor Nefarious (with for sure what happened to the missing, its
Crater cockroach: level DSA help). As it happens, her son survived and assumed that the oversized cockroaches that
4; Armor 4; climb a short is now part of that same superhero group. His inhabit the Crater got them.
distance each round
name is Robot Lad, but Gearbox doesnt know Sometimes, the mist swirls and thickens,
it. taking on an almost humanoid shape. People
Mister Genocide: level 5; Mister Genocide: Real name Alfred Webster, who have witnessed the phenomenon think
Armor 1; level 7 poison can Mister Genocide has the unfortunate ability its the spirit of Radioactive Girl, haunting the
target up to ten victims
within short range as a to synthesize deadly poison from his skin. His Crater.
single action; immune to touch can kill, but if he wishes it, so can his A connection to the Strange lies at the nadir
poison spittle or even his breath. Anyone who spends of the crater, though locating it in the swirling
too much time in Mister Genocides presence mists can be difficult.

92
RECURSIONS: NEW CENTROPOLIS 2
SUPERHEROES WANTED
Missing CEO: The CEO of a large manufacturing corporation which means the effect wears off sooner and sooner, and
called Energy Systems Consolidated has gone missing. So that tends to end their career when they finally splatter on
far, no ransom notes have been delivered, but police the pavement. Someone named Dusk Hawk is behind the
assume that its just a matter of time. A few of the CEOs distribution of the drug.
family members think he hasnt been abducted by a
supervillain, but instead finally went through with his Haunting: The supervillain known as Ghostmancer
attempt to create a superpowered suit in his hidden lab. has been especially active of late. Hes been caught on
surveillance cameras ghosting into high-tech research
Spectacular Snafu: Several of the Spectaculars are in the labs and making off with expensive prototypes. The
hospital after battling Gearbox to a standstill. However, Spectaculars have been called away on a mission to
in their absence, petty crime is on the rise, and the DSA deflect a meteor, so Ghostmancers crime spree is going
thinks its only a matter of time before bigger-name unchallenged.
criminals take advantage of the lull in superhuman
security. Robot Uprising: Robot Lads many drones and
automatons turned on him. In the confusion, they made
Drugs of Doom: A new designer drug has hit the streets off with Robot Lad and Galaxia, who are still missing.
of New Centropolis. Users call it drop because after The remaining Spectaculars assume that one of their old
taking it, they can fall from apparently any height and walk foes is behind the attack, but theyve had little success in
away unharmed. The effect of each hit of the drug lasts determining who. Theyve put out a call for aid.
about a minute. Heavy users begin to develop a tolerance,

NEW CENTROPOLIS ARTIFACTS Bracers of Deflection. The difficulty of the users


Speed defense rolls is decreased by two
FOAM RESTRAINT steps for ten minutes.
Level: 1d6 + 2 Bracers of Energy. The user emits a long-range
Form: Two-handed rifle with a wide mouth heat ray attack that inflicts damage equal to
Effect: This device emits a short-range stream the artifacts level.
of orange liquid that foams over a target Bracers of Intangibility. The user can pass
and hardens into a body restraint that through solid objects for one minute,
lasts for ten minutes. Restrained victims during which time she cannot interact with
cant move or take actions that require or attack tangible objects or creatures.
movement. Targets whose level is higher Bracers of Invulnerability. The user gains +5 to
than the artifacts level can usually break Armor for one minute.
free within one or two rounds. Bracers of Soaring. The user gains +1 to her
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 Speed Edge and gains the ability to fly a
long distance each round for one hour.
POWER BRACERS Bracers of Strength. The user gains +3 to her
Level: 1d6 + 2 Might Edge for ten minutes.
Form: Matching ebony bracers etched with Bracers of Supersense. The difficulty of the
nanoscale circuits users perception tasks is decreased by two
Effect: The bracers bond to the wearer and are steps for one hour. Each use of the bracers
extremely difficult to remove until depleted. usually focuses on one sense enhancement:
A pair of depleted bracers may regain its hearing, sight, touch, taste, or smell.
power spontaneously a few months or Depletion: 1 in 1d100
years later. Different bracers confer different
abilities. Known power bracers include the
following.

93
You couldve turned the gun into steam, the bullets into mercury, the bottle into
goddamned snowflakes but you didnt, did you? You really dont give a damn
about human beings. Youre driftin out of touch, Doc. God help us all.
~Edward Blake, Watchmen

QUANTUM COLLAPSE ARCH SUNSPOT CANNON


Level: 1d6 + 3 Level: 1d6 + 4
Form: Wide rectangular frame that is 7 feet (2 Form: Huge technological cannon requiring a
m) tall and 3 feet (1 m) wide gimbaled mount to use
Effect: Controls on the frame allow a user Effect: Firing the sunspot cannon at the sun
to set a time limit ranging from minutes produces a purplish ray. Seventeen minutes
to millennia. A creature that walks (or later, a massive solar storm envelops
is pushed) through a prepared frame the sky, creating a terrifying aurora that
apparently ceases to exist for the period potentially knocks out satellites and
of time set. Once the designated period burns out power grids and other electrical
elapses, the quantum-collapsed target equipment. Repeated use of the artifact on
reappears on the opposite side of the arch; the sun would have even more deleterious
for the target, no time has passed, and it effects.
went through the arch normally. Depletion: (GM Intrusion: The sunspot
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (if depleted, only a cannon overheats and either shuts down,
superhuman genius can fix the artifact) requiring days of repair before it can be
used again, or explodes.)

94
RECURSIONS: NEW YORK GREY 2

NEW YORK GREY


Theyre out there, and now everyone knows it. Revelation. However, the reality is that greys,
That wasnt always the case. When the aliens on the whole, view average humans as useful
known as greys first came to Earth, they did so servants or pets, not equals. The Revelation has New York Grey was created
secretly. They surreptitiously studied humans, rendered humans into second-class citizens, by fictional leakage.
sometimes abducting them to do advanced no matter their merit or pedigree. Greys have
research. Eventually, the greys learned risen to positions of power and prominence,
everything they needed, and they emerged while most humans have tumbled. Those who The UN Building serves
from the shadows in a historic event (known as retain their status feel they do so only by the as the headquarters for
the Revelation) in front of the United Nations sufferance of the greys, who often control major the United Nations, a
body that seeks to foster
Headquarters in New York. The greys promised industries either directly or behind the scenes. international cooperation.
to partner with humanity, help them through Many jokes revolve around the idea that
their many troubles, and usher in a new golden greys are somehow sexually stimulated by
age where grey and human worked side by side humans, though most humans dont really
for a better tomorrow. believe that. Jokes that most people find far
A few humansand maybe even a few less funny describe how greys have developed a
greysstill believe in the promises of the secret taste for food made from people.
Most greys operate in public and live in
posh high-rise apartments around New York.
But a few, known as the Directorate, remain
NEW YORK GREY in the Mothership, which is sometimes
ATTRIBUTES visible hovering over the city. The Directorate
Level: 4 apparently sets grey policy for the species as a
Laws: Mad Science whole.
Playable Races: Human, grey Arrival: New York Greys initial default
Foci: Conducts Weird Science, Entertains, translation location is in front of the UN
Conducts Weird
Is Licensed to Carry, Leads, Looks Science, page 57
building in New York.
for Trouble, Operates Undercover, Entertains, page 61
Processes Information, Solves NEW YORK GREY FOCI
Mysteries, Works the System The foci that player characters can choose in
Is Licensed to Carry,
Skills: New York Grey lore page 64
New York Greyas well as any foci that are
Connection to Strange: Transitory gates dragged into the recursionare modified Leads, page 65
within the hearts of thunderheads and by the recursions context, as appropriate.
other high-energy events Looks for Trouble,
For example, if someone chooses Processes page 68
Connection to Earth: A few gates in Information, replace all connections to Ruk
research labs around New York and Ruk features (such as the All Song) to Operates Undercover,
Grey, though native scientists dont connections to New York Grey and its features
page 70
recognize them for what they are (such as the Internet). Processes Information,
Size: 54,500 square miles (141,154 square km) page 74
Spark: 20% NEW YORK GREY RACIAL OPTION
Trait: Paranoia. Characters must eventually Instead of appearing as a human, a recursor
Solves Mysteries,
fight the feeling (or give in to the page 78
could choose to translate into the recursion
feeling) that a mysterious other is as a grey. A grey is the size of a human child, Works the System,
watching their every move and slowly doesnt wear clothing, has enormous eyes, and page 83
drawing plans against them. has no obvious secondary sexual organs. Draggable foci, page 52

95
DISCORD IN NEW YORK GREY
Though the news and popular entertainments WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT
Grey: level 4, knowledge show greys as happily integrated into life NEW YORK GREY
tasks as level 6, Speed in New York City, thats not really true. The New York Grey operates under the law
defense as level 5; can
average person feels a vague disquiet when of Mad Science, but most inhabitants
activate a shield that grants
+5 to Armor but renders the thinking about the greys, and some are use technology available on Earth.
grey incapable of making actively paranoid. In truth, a hidden struggle New York Grey is like the actual New
attacks York in many ways, except that aliens
is being waged in the back alleys and high-rise
boardrooms of the city. Many greys openly known as greys live among humans.
feel that humans are an inferior race, and they Greys have achieved high status, and
wouldnt raise much of a fuss if legislation were humans have tumbled from positions
enacted to make the greys the legal guardians of power. In some ways, humans are
of people everywhere. Many humans seem second-class citizens, in some cases
resigned to this eventuality, but some fight treated no better than pets.
onlegally, when possible, but sometimes in Not all greys get along with one
secret. another, but most seem happy with
Many greys who believe that humans should their prominent leadership roles in
be owned belong to a group known as the human society.
Radiant Sun. Greys who actively oppose this Humans still use cash for transactions,
idea belong to a much smaller group called as do greys, but greys value service
the Oath. Many greys do not belong to either hours even more dearly.
organization but have sympathies to one or the
other.

96
RECURSIONS: NEW YORK GREY 2
The human-led group of people who believe Charlie, Grey Ambassador: Unlike many
(as it turns out, rightly) that greys mean bad greys, Charlie believes in the mission the
things for humans is called the Green Hills embassy proclaims and would like humans
Society. and greys to succeed together, which makes it
the perfect ambassador. In fact, Charlie is the
GREY CULTURE AND NAMES secret leader of the Oath, and not even most
When greys interact with humans, they use other greys know that. Charlie comes across Grey NPCs appear in the
uninflected human languages, including as guileless, full of energy and ideas, and stat blocks of this section.
For more details on greys,
popular idioms and obscenities. They appear unaffected by bad news, other than to say that see The Strange Bestiary,
as celebrities on talk show programs. They take any particular setback is an opportunity to do page 64.
up human hobbies with relish. They also take better next time. Charlie can provide characters
on human names, usually choosing simple and with tickets to Club Gr3y, hints of information
innocuous names such as Billy, Cathy, Charlie, about the Mothership, and other connections
Joey, Sally, Freddy, or Kelly. in the grey community. In dire need, Charlie can
Despite the fact that some names the greys also connect visitors with other Oath members
take are more masculine or more feminine, and possibly even with the Green Hills Society.
greys dont really have (or havent revealed to
humans) a specific gender. So calling a grey it
is not an insult, though humans often lapse
into he or she, depending on a particular
greys chosen name.
Greys refuse to wear clothing, and though
they are usually loquacious and friendly, they
never share their own culture, language, or
origins with humans.

NOTABLE LOCATIONS
Most places a recursor could visit in New York
on Earth are also locations in New York Grey,
including Times Square, Central Park, the
Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building,
and most other sites. The following locations
stand out because of their relationship to the
grey colonization of Earth.

GREY EMBASSY
The Grey Embassy keeps its offices in one of
the many buildings near the UN Plaza, only
a few blocks from the East River. Many of the
same things a visitor could accomplish in a
terrestrial embassy are also possible here. For
instance, a visitor can request entertaining
educational materials regarding the grey
arrival on Earth (sanitized), opportunities
for terrestrial/grey partnerships (limited),
information about grey culture (not particularly
helpful), and so on. Visitors can also request a
meeting with the grey ambassador, who goes
by the name Charlie.

97
However, Charlie is not alone in the embassy; vicious vigilante justice against those who
the Radiant Sun has installed a deputy do him or his friends wrong. These hits are
ambassador named Molly. performed by various toughs, including both
Molly, Grey Deputy Ambassador: Molly humans and greys, that work for Johnny.
doesnt like humans and is happy in its role as Amy, Comedian and Recursor: One of
a mole for the Radiant Sun. It rarely handles Johnnys biggest hits is the stand-up grey
meetings with visitors to the embassy, but it comedian called Amy. Amy performs every
goes through the notes afterward and sends all other week to a packed hall, and the audience
information to the group that installed it. Molly loves her (the pronoun she prefers). Amy
keeps its affiliation secret from Charlie, who is secretly quickened. She travels recursions,
would likely be put out that Molly was working gathering jokes and experiences. At first,
against its goals. becoming quickened was wondrous. But
over time, her mood shifted. She realized an
CLUB GR3Y underlying truth (or at least, what she believes
An exclusive nightclub called Club Gr3y is to be a truth): New York Grey is a lie; greys are
popular in the city. Humans and greys looking not a real alien race; and the struggle of the
for a good time might enjoy one of the many Radiant Sun, the Oath, and all the humans
shows or dances hosted by the club. On the who fight the growing oppression is in vain
other hand, many less-than-legal deals, games, because its merely a narrative being played out.
and exhibitions also occur in the clubs private In the last few months, her jokes have grown
rooms. Club Gr3y is owned by a grey called darker, centering on more apocalyptic themes.
Johnny. Thats because Amy has begun to explore the
Johnny, Club Gr3y Proprietor: Johnny isnt possibility of collapsing New York Grey and
part of either the Radiant Sun or the Oath. ending the charade.
He (as he prefers to be referred to) is his own
grey. He views his establishment as a place for DEFENSE GREY INVESTIGATION SERVICE
fun and profit. To the latter end, he also runs The Defense Grey Investigation Service (DGIS)
a few illicit businesses on the side, with the is a human organization with ties to the feds. It
cooperation of other local business people. is tasked with investigating crimes perpetrated
He can be gracious to friends and those he against greys by humans, and vice versa.
considers innocent victims, but he will order Because its funding relies on prosecuting more
DGIS agent: level 4, grey of the former than the latter, DGIS agents
lore as level 6; Armor 1; have learned to investigate reports of grey
long-range pistol attack
misconduct in secret. So while they publicly
inflicts 5 points of damage CLUB GR3Y ULTIMATE VARIETY SHOW
bring to justice humans who perpetuate hate
crimes, violence, and attempted murder
COME SEE:
against greys, the DGIS has assembled a
Alpha, the universally renowned grey
small hidden library of detailed reports on grey
juggler!
individuals and groups who apparently do not
have the best interest of humanity at heart.
The Crazy Murphies, the husband-and-wife
DGISs secret agenda includes finding the
acrobats whose stunts will astound!
actual location of the Mothership, discovering
which greys actively participate in Radiant Sun
Westwind, the man who can take a fall
activities, and learning whether there is any
from any height and walk away!
truth to rumors of a factory where homeless
people are rendered into food for greys who
Amy, the grey comedian whose jokes
have developed a taste for human beings.
are so insightful that both humans and
Maria Simons, DGIS Agent: Maria is a true
greys laugh together at her outrageous
believer in the idea that the greys are working
anecdotes!
against humans. She was a child when the
greys first announced their presence, but

98
RECURSIONS: NEW YORK GREY 2
Marias father was an abductee before that. decommissioned subway station under the
Though mainstream media (owned by the city. The hidden base enjoys state-of-the-art
greys these days) scoffs at the idea that alien facilities, thanks to the secret involvement of a
abduction stories of the past had anything figure that no one on either side of the conflict
to do with them, Maria witnessed firsthand could predict: a grey named Manny. Only a few
events that can be explained no other way. Her humans (and, so far, no greys) know about
father never recovered from the experience Manny.
and eventually took his own life. As a result, Manny/Dr. Carlos Manard: Manny is a Manny (grey): level 4,
Maria can be a bit quick with a pistol when grey scientist, one of several among the knowledge tasks as level 6,
Speed defense as level 5;
investigating secret grey activities and often grey population that has sympathy for the can activate a shield that
has to be talked down by her partner, Agent human plight. But Manny is the only grey who grants +5 to Armor but
Coleman. has done more than raise objections to the renders Manny incapable
of making attacks; wears a
Marshawn Coleman, DGIS Agent: Marshawn, Directorate in the Mothership; Manny has
human suit artifact
a once-renowned American football player, instituted several initiatives to weaken grey
was inducted into the DGIS after a knee injury influence, including being a vital part of the Human suit, page 102
permanently sidelined him. Being brought Green Hills Society. When it visits the groups
into DGIS was something of a media stunt, base or conducts other delicate operations
instigated by Marshawns biggest fan, a grey where it wishes to hide its grey affiliation,
named Cally. From Marshawns point of view, Manny wears its Dr. Carlos Manard human
the greys have their good side, as he can suit.
personally attest. Though that doesnt make Lobo, Green Hills Enforcer: Lobo is a Lobo: level 4, tracking
him a blind sycophant, he doesnt always robot, fashioned by Manny, and shaped like a as level 9 (even across
recursions); health 21;
assume the worst in a situation where greys massive hound made of metal. Lobo possesses short-range howl (usable
are involved the way his partner, Agent Simons, artificial intelligence and patrols subway once per minute) can send
does. tunnels surrounding the secret base to keep one target into a random
away intruders. It also responds to security alternate recursion

GREEN HILLS SOCIETY issues in the base. Lobos artificial intelligence


A radical group of humans calling themselves was induced by downloading the mind of a
the Green Hills Society believes they must human being, and sometimes that personality
rise up and eject the greys from Earth, the emerges. Lobo knows its just a copy, and
sooner the better, and no matter the cost. This its fine with that. Sometimes, however, Lobo
ideology makes them terrorists, though many secretly watches over the human whose mind
human sympathizers secretly agree. Green spawned it. Other times, it explores further
Hills once had more open support, before a few afield. Lobo has recently become quickened,
operations targeting greys left several human though it doesnt quite know what it all means.
casualties behind. The radicals claim those
incidents were false flag operations planned SUNNY FLAKES FACTORY
by the greys to discredit the Green Hills The Sunny Flakes factory, located in one of New
movement, but whether or not thats true, the Yorks industry zones, has had amazing success
damage was done, and the radicals had to go since it got grey sponsorship several years
undergroundliterally. The secret headquarters back. Now that its known that greys prefer it,
of the Green Hills Society is an abandoned and many humans have learned to love the cereal,

Everyone loves Sunny Flakes! Sunny Flakes is magic in a bowl! Sweet, crunchy,
and full of yummy protein, Sunny Flakes taste GREAT! And remember, kids: greys
prefer Sunny Flakes!
~Sunny Flakes cereal box

99
too. Nearly every household pantry has a box meeting space for the Radiant Sun, as well as
of Sunny Flakes or some other related product. a separate cereal line where humans are dried,
The factory is huge, but much of its workforce powdered, and processed into an innocuous-
is robotic. Only a few humans work there, looking ingredient that is fed back up to the
usually in positions of maintenance, upkeep, regular factory floor. Yes, Sunny Flakes is
Sunny Flakes security and security. Of course, the office wing of the people.
guard (human): level 3; factory is well staffed with managers, lawyers,
Armor 1; long-range pistol
attack inflicts 4 points of
marketers, and executives, including the CEO, MOTHERSHIP
damage Sheila Calvin. The Mothership, for humans, is a bit like the
Sheila Calvin, Sunny Flakes CEO: Sheila bogeyman. Although they would never say
(a human) only recently took control of the so publicly, most humans are afraid of the
Sheila Calvin: level 4 company, when her father Max Calvin went Mothership, which comes and goes in the
missing and was presumed dead. Shes always skies as a massive shadow across the clouds.
Mothership: level 10; been something of a partier, and few people The few times it is fully visible, the miles-wide
health 100; Armor 10; think shes up to running a company as large shape, with its oddly organic components,
missile with a reach of
and successful as Sunny Flakes. Sheila is out to does nothing to reassure. Everyone knows that
1,000 miles (1,610 km)
inflicts 20 points of damage prove the naysayers wrong, but an even more the Directorate lives aboard the Mothership,
to all within long range of pressing issue concerns her. She is still very but no one knows which greys make up the
the impact site curious about what happened to her father, and Directorate, what they think about the grey
she suspects foul play. cohabitation of New York, and what the greys
Ginny (grey): level 4, Ginny, Sunny Flakes COO: Ginny, the grey ultimate plan for humanity really is.
knowledge tasks as level 6, who really runs things at Sunny Flakes, seems Although no grey will admit it, most of
Speed defense as level 5;
can activate a shield that like an affable and approachable chief operating them dont know, either. Thats because the
grants +5 to Armor but officer. What few realize is that Ginny is also greys now on Earth are all hybrids, genetically
renders Ginny incapable a hardcore proponent of the Radiant Sun, engineered by the Directorate to survive
of making attacks; carries
the grey organization that advocates for the thrive, evenon the planet. This is also
memory eraser artifact
complete subjugation of the human race. Ginny why genetic analysis of greys has turned up
Memory eraser, page 102 is responsible for Max Calvins disappearance, modified human DNA, though all such lab
after Max learned about the factorys secret tests are usually destroyed before they can be
level beneath regular processing. It includes made widely available. The truth is that the

100
RECURSIONS: NEW YORK GREY 2
NEW YORK GREY ARTIFACTS
CONSPIRACY THEORIES
Alien Eggs: Strange stones that turned GREY GAZER
up in alleys and parks have been brought Level: 1d6
to DGIS for investigation. The stones are Form: Circlet with inset black sphere
fist sized but weigh almost as much as resembling a grey eye
a grown human. They give off a yellow Effect: Wearer can activate eye as an action.
glow when handled. More interestingly, An activated eye is a level 3 object with no
humans who touch the stones are afflicted attacks that can fly a long distance each
with strange dreams where they wake in round under the mental command of the
the body of a grey. For their part, greys wearer. The eye transmits to the wearer
confiscate any stones shown to them and what it sees while it remains within 3 miles
will not answer questions about the odd (5 km) of the wearer. The eye can fly for
objects. up to an hour before it must return to the
circlet.
Broadways Best: A new show on Broadway Depletion: 1 in 1d10
called Mirrors: A Story of What If? is
about a man named Duncan who has the GREY GUN
ability to travel into parallel dimensions, Level: 1d6 + 1
where he meets other versions of Form: A tiny, silver gun-shaped object with no
himself that live under radically different moving parts
According to some
circumstances. Sometimes Duncan calls Effect: This ranged weapon is a maser. It beams estimates, more than 50%
audience members up on stage to travel collimated microwaves at targets within of alien encounters on
with him through the temporary portals he long range, initially inflicting damage equal Earth are with greys. All
of these are presumably
creates. Rumor has it that those audience to the artifact level, and then inflicting half the figments of overactive
members are never seen again. that amount in each of the two subsequent imaginations.
rounds. A living creature killed by a grey
Skinned Alive: The DGIS is looking into gun explodes as if it had been cooked in
reports of greys being found dead without a microwave. The grey gun can also burn
their skins. Alien autopsies reveal that the through solid objects of its level or lower.
greys were likely alive when the skinning Depletion: 1 in 1d100
process started and died of shock and
blood loss after the process was over. Who HUMAN HELPER
is skinning greys and why are questions of Level: 1d6
great concern not only to DGIS but also to Form: A ring with a generic human face design
all greys in general. Effect: The ring ejects a pellet that rapidly
inflates to create what seems to be a normal
human, though one with limited vocabulary
Mothership is a colony ship, but it creates and ability to reason. The human created
colonists at need. Within its ring-shaped is level 1 and does as instructed for one
halls, abominations slither that bear not the minute, and then slumps and melts into so
least resemblance to earthly creatures. Their much reddish goo.
intelligence is vast, their technological tools are Depletion: 1 in 1d20
potent, and their reach is frightening.
Luckily for Earth, the Mothership and its
Directorate are not quickened, nor likely
have the spark. If that were to change and
the Mothership passed into the Strange, it
might decide to try to colonize the Earth in the
universe of normal matter.

101
HUMAN SUIT PERSONAL SAUCER SHIP
Level: 1d6 Level: 1d6 + 2
Form: Folds of cloth and fleshlike substance Form: Wristband (inactive) or a 10-foot (3 m)
(inactive) or a specific human individual diameter silver saucer (active)
(active) Effect: These artifacts are usually keyed to
Effect: The wearer of a human suit is completely function for specific greys, but they can be
disguised as a specific human individual; modified to work with other individuals.
add the artifact level to any disguise task Activating a worn wristband causes a
attempted. A human suit is usually no one compartment on the band to rapidly inflate,
in particular; each suit is designed to allow engulfing the wearer in a silvery miniature
whoevers wearing it to adopt a new human flying saucer that can fly a long distance
persona, not pretend to be someone each round for up to ten hours per use. The
famous. A suits technology is such that it saucers level is equal to that of the artifact.
will adapt to fit a wearer ranging from half A passenger is kept safe from harsh external
the size of a normal human to one that is environments while the saucer remains
almost the same size (including another intact.
human). Human suits usually come with Depletion: 1 in 1d100
attached clothing.
Depletion: PSYCHIC INVERTER
Level: 1d6
MATTER UNRAVELER Form: Harness
Level: 1d6 Effect: Whenever the wearer takes damage, 1
Form: Ring with heavy metal stud point of that damage isnt actually taken;
Sometimes when an Effect: When pressed against an object, the instead, it is converted to a point of Intellect
objects molecular structure
objects molecular structure loosens. The and added to the wearers Intellect Pool,
is loosened by a matter
unraveler, instead of object becomes weightless with respect to unless that Pool is already full.
exploding after an hour, it the ground for one hour. Other objects can Depletion: 1 in 1d10
disappears, possibly shunted pass through the target object during this
into a different recursion or
into the Strange.
period as if the target was mist. If the artifact
is pressed against an object larger than a
10-foot (3 m) cube, an area within the larger
objectup to a volume equal to a 10-foot
cubebecomes similarly immaterial. At
the end of the hour, an object whose level
is less than the artifacts level explodes in
immediate range, inflicting energy damage
equal to the artifacts level.
Depletion: 1 in 1d10

MEMORY ERASER
Level: 1d6
Form: Handheld cylinder with a dial and a flash
Effect: A flash of light erases the last minute
(or more) of memory in all creatures
within immediate range that are looking at
the flash without protective eyewear. The
memory eraser has a dial with increments;
the higher the dial is set before the device
is used, the larger the swath of memory
erased by the flash.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

102
RECURSIONS: OCEANMIST 2

OCEANMIST
Somethings changed. They didnt used to notice me. But last time I combed the
beach for cyphers, the dragon came out of its cave. The pirate tried to kidnap me.
The prince screamed filth. And the princess...well, she almost trampled me with
a giant starfish. I barely escaped, and I dont plan on returning.
~Erica Laughton, recursion miner Erica Laughton, page 105

The beach stretches for miles down the coast, or not passing, when the boom and flash of
lit by a fractal-studded nightscape where the cannon fire skips to the shore across the waves.
stars wheel and flow in massive spiral galaxies. Arrival: Oceanmists initial default translation
Several nights each month, a gargantuan moon location is standing on a sandy beach, staring
rides high through the sky. Its light washes down the strand toward a cave mouth from
out the stars, but whether by moonlight or which mist pours.
starlight, the surf sparkles with strange glints
and glows. Shadowed ridges run down to the OCEANMIST PHASE CHANGE
sea. The ridges suggest the walls of some The narrative of the recursion once demanded
ancient fortification or castle that has suffered that pirates fight each other and the royalty, that
hundreds of years of neglect and erosion. the royalty fete each other and fight pirates, and
Oceanmist is a small recursion featuring that both groups ignore the dragon lest they
a sparkling nighttime beach. Out toward the rouse it to vengeance.
watery horizon, the silhouettes of pirate ships But thats changed.
are sometimes visible passing in the night

OCEANMIST ATTRIBUTES WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT


Level: 3 OCEANMIST
Laws: Magic Oceanmist operates under the law of
Playable Races: Human Magic and is seeded by folk songs,
Foci: Entertains, Leads, Lives in childrens stories, and escapist Entertains, page 61
the Wilderness, Slays Dragons, Wields literature.
Leads, page 65
Two Weapons at Once, Works Miracles Oceanmist is rich in cyphers. New
Skills: None cyphers wash ashore every few days Lives in the Wilderness,
Connection to Strange: Far out into and can be collected like seashells page 66
the ocean, the recursions edge is a along the beach.
Slays Dragons, page 77
massive waterfall that empties into the A dragon resides in Oceanmist, and the
Strange pirates that fight out past the waves bring Wields Two Weapons at
Connection to Earth: A few gates it booty and treasure as a sign of respect. Once, page 82
Size: A few miles (5 km) across, several A phase change recently occurred in Works Miracles,
dozen miles (80 km) long Oceanmist, and the recursion went page 82
Spark: 5% from no natives with the spark to
Trait: None almost one in twenty.

103
WAKING NATIVES Princess Latanya Valois: Princess Latanya
Spark, page 22
Three prominent natives recently gained looks out for herself first. Thanks to her brilliant
the spark: a prince, a princess, and a pirate mind, she does quite well at it. She gets around
In the context of recursion captain. Each is jealous of the others, and each Oceanmist riding a massive starfish (a mist star)
natives, a shadow independently concluded that it was necessary named Avery, which is adept at defending itself and
refers to someone to win the dragon as an ally. the princess. Latanya lives in a small castle several
without the spark.
The dragon of Oceanmist remains a shadow; miles inland, one that only recently condensed
Prince Garland: level 5, it doesnt have the spark. As such, it usually from the edges of the growing recursion. Her
wielding a sabre as level 7; stays in its cave unless roused, which has been larger goal is to explore the lands that she knows
wears seven league boots
happening more and more lately, thanks to lie beyond Oceanmist and discoverif she can
Seven league boots, page 106 the efforts of the vying royalty and pirates. Its what it means to be a recursor.
believed that whoever is the first to learn the Captain Katherine Calamity Kelly: Captain Kelly
Princess Latanya: level 6,
tasks related to reasoning dragons true name will gain power over the commands a ship called the Red Pearl. She doesnt
and puzzle-solving as level mighty creature. trust the royals farther than she can spit, but then
7; often mounted on a mist Prince Garland Lancaster: Prince Garland is a again, shes given them no reason to trust her, either.
star named Avery
clothes horse, can be swayed with flattery, and Shes lost count of the number of their soldiers and
Mist star, page 214 often gives in to a cruel streak. The prince gets sailors that shes killed. Captain Kelly carries a magic
around Oceanmist using magic seven league flintlock of certainty that never fails to find its target.
Captain Kelly: level 5;
boots. He lives in a tower by the sea filled with Before the phase change, dead soldiers and sailors
health 30; long-range
attack with flintlock of servants and soldiers that never fail to tell him invariably returned; the narrative demanded it. Now,
certainty always hits its how grand and wonderful he is. The prince though, the captains not sure the same rules apply,
target and inflicts 6 points wants even more validation, so his larger goal so shes taking a more cautious tack. Shes not really
of damage
is to thaw more lands out of the mists, lands sure what she wants, though keeping the royals in
Flintlock of certainty, page 106 that acknowledge him as their liege. check seems prudent, at minimum.

104
RECURSIONS: OCEANMIST 2
GROWING RECURSION DRAGONS LAIR
Oceanmist is growing thanks to the phase The dragon doesnt have a name, or if it does, Dragon, page 267
change. The change was likely brought about it hasnt told anyone. It answers to dragon or,
thanks to the number of recursors that have as the pirates and royal heirs call it, Your Fiery
visited recently (including recursion miners Eminence. Its difficult to miss the dragons
Erica Laughton and LeRoy Cain). Interactions caveits visible from the default translation Erica Laughton: level 5;
these and other beachcombers have had with location, which means that every first-time usually carries a few level 5
ray emitter cyphers
the natives sparked the change, probably visitor who translates into Oceanmist sees it.
literally. That in turn catalyzed the recursions The interior of the cave is dark and misted, LeRoy Cain: level 4,
growth. After all, when a prince, princess, and the sound of heavy snoring is often audible perception tasks as level 6;
or pirate goes home at night, that home is at the caves lip. The mist is thicker than ever sawed-off shotgun attack
inflicts 6 points of damage
required to exist. In this case, the recursion in the cave, but at the farthest end of a winding to two targets within
pulled a tower, a castle, and a pirate ship into tunnel (about 100 feet, or 30 m), it clears. If immediate range; carries a
existence, each one fully staffed with servitors, the dragon is in residence, it lies atop a bed level 5 vanisher cypher
soldiers, and pirates. of coins and cyphers within a 50-foot (15 m)
Given that Oceanmist seems to be becoming diameter chamber. The dragon is scaled, not
more popular among recursors, its possible feathered like those in the recursion of Ardeyn. Ray emitter, page 325
that the recursion is on the cusp of becoming The dragon doesnt currently possess the Vanisher, page 331
another order of magnitude larger. This could spark, nor does it rouse unless someone wakes
happen if the spark finally awakens in the it or filches from its hoard. In the latter case, or
nameless dragon. if it is attacked, it hunts miscreants down to the The dragons forgotten true
edges of Oceanmist. More than one pirate ship name is inked on a piece
BEACHCOMBING FOR CYPHERS was burned and sunk for such crimes before of paper that no longer
resides in the recursion.
Each hour a beachcomber spends searching the pirates changed their tactics. Not even a quickened
the beach for cyphers provides her with a The dragon is clinically depressed. It engages characters special ability
chance to find one. If she succeeds on a only if forced to defend itself or its hoard, or information-gathering
cypher can deduce the
difficulty 6 Intellect-based roll, she discovers or if visitors suggest a game. Dragons love
name directly.
a random cypher tossed up by the surf. No games, and this one is no different. It perks
matter how many creatures search along the right up for riddle contests, Tic-Tac-Toe, jacks,
beach, the surf throws up a maximum of seven
Cypher list, page 312
cyphers each week.
Cyphers can be randomly generated from the
cypher list in The Strange corebook.

105
cards, or any other sort of game. During these
interactions, visitors can question the dragon MESSAGES IN THE SAND
or plant the seeds of future glory, as visiting Rival Privateers: A red-sailed ship appeared
princes, princesses, and pirates are wont to in Oceanmists waters and immediately
do. On the other hand, when royals and pirates began hunting mist stars, apparently
accidentally show up at the cave at the same prizing them for the meat in their arms.
Herzog: time, the bickering that breaks out can make The ship is captained by a particularly
human form: level 5; the dragon especially cross. hairy man named Herzog, who comes
werewolf form: level 5; from a recursion called Gloaming. He and
health 28; bite attack
inflicts 6 points of damage; OCEANMIST ARTIFACTS his sailors have the ability to transform
regains 1 point of health per into werewolves when attacked. Princess
round except damage from FLINTLOCK OF CERTAINTY Latanya is willing to offer much to anyone
silvered weapons; silvered who can stop the slaughter.
weapons inflict 2 additional
Level: 1d6 + 1
points of damage and end Form: Classic flintlock inscribed with glowing
werewolf transformation magical runes The Iron Whale: A whale apparently
Effect: The flintlock fires a magic bullet to constructed of rusting iron swims beneath
a range of 200 feet (61 m) and inflicts the waves, sometimes ignoring ships and
Gloaming, page 249 damage equal to the artifacts level. If the beachcombers, other times launching from
wielder can see the target, the attack always the water to fall with lethal weight upon its
hits. In the hands of a PC, the wielder target. The pirates want the whale stopped
should still roll for the attack because and gutted (if it has guts) because the
Iron whale: level 7; Armor 4
results of 17 to 20 grant special effects. On beast swallowed a treasure galleon whole.
the other hand, a roll of 1 doesnt result in
a miss (though it might indicate that the Name the Dragon: Prince Garland offers to
wielder slips immediately after firing or reward recursors with any prize they name,
suffers some other mishap). including his seven league boots, if they
The flintlock is not a rapid-fire weapon and discover the dragons name and deliver it
Spray, page 27 cant be used with the Spray or Arc Spray to him.
special abilities that some characters have.
Arc Spray, page 28
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

SEVEN LEAGUE BOOTS


Level: 1d6
Form: Stylish red leather boots
Effect: When the boots are activated as part of
a movement, the wearer can leap through
the air to any location she can see within
300 feet (91 m).
If the wearer chooses to jump farther, she can
leap through the air to any location she
can see within about 3 miles (5 km). This
use requires two depletion rolls and might
require the wearer to spend several rounds
moving swiftly (but not instantaneously)
between the two points.
If the wearer falls unexpectedly, she can
attempt a difficulty 3 Speed defense roll to
land on her feet and take no direct damage
from the fall.
Depletion: 12 in 1d00

106
RECURSIONS: R639 2

R639
In some ways, R639 resembles Seattle in closets, and any other place they could hide. It
December. Cloud cover is constant, grey, didnt save them. Something caught the natives,
and oppressive. Coats and gloves only partly leaving behind thousands of sets of clothes R639 was originally thought
to have been created
protect from a seeping damp chill that pervades (and pet collars) filled with desiccated dust and
accidentally as the result of
everything. But R639 takes gloominess orders ash. fictional leakage combined
of magnitude further, because the recursion is Arrival: Its nearly impossible to translate with propulsion experiments
a version of Seattle without power and, more into R639 (a difficulty 10 translation task); by Hertzfeld in the
recursion lab of the Estate.
immediately noticeable, one where everyone the few travelers whove visited the recursion More recent exploration
has vanished. Streets are empty. Cars are parked have come through an inapposite gate or a suggests that might not
as if their owners expected to return. Chalky flickering interface with the Strange. However, if be true; the recursion is
dust covers everything thats not exposed to the recursors somehow manage to translate there, a mysterious outlier.
weather. Nothing moves in the parks but for the R639s initial default translation location is in Reality scar, page 110
sway of empty swings in the wind. Silence lays as the street in front of an empty version of the
heavy as a shroud over the Seattle of R639. Estate campus.
Hertzfeld, page 149
If a recursor explores further, a horrifying Translating out of R639 is also hard: the
truth becomes clear: the residents of R639 difficulty of all translation attempts is increased Recursion lab, page 152
didnt abandon their shadow-Seattle. They fled by two steps, or by three steps if attempted
The Estate, page 148
to their basements and sublevels, attics and within a reality scar.

107
R639 ATTRIBUTES
Level: 4 (10 for translation tasks)
Laws: Standard Physics, Exotic
Playable Races: None
Foci: As Earth
Skills: As Earth
Connection to Strange: Above the clouds
lies the Strange (above 40,000 feet,
or 12 km; flying so high draws the
attention of thonik flocks)
Connection to Earth: When one inapposite
gate is destroyed, a new one forms a
few months later in a random location
Size: Indeterminate
Spark: 0%
Trait: Afraid. The difficulty of all rolls to
resist or fight off anxiety, fear, or panic
is increased by one step.

NOTABLE LOCATIONS
The following are a few of the terrifying
locations and situations that visitors should
stay far away from if they have the misfortune
of visiting R639.

SEATTLE STREETS AND BEYOND


Its easy to find a parked or abandoned car
in R639. Vehicles can be hot-wired, though it
might be easier to find the keys in a nearby
home or apartment. Whether driving or
walking, visitors find Seattles streets empty
of people or moving vehicles (but see the
Karum outpost). The city streets stretch
from downtown to the water and out into the
Karum outpost, page 112
suburbs. In fact, no matter how far an explorer
travels, the recursion seems to stretch farther.

WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT


R639
Even if a recursor manages the almost
impossible task of translating into R639,
nothing is learned from context. Its as if
she entered via an inapposite gate from
Earth. That dearth of information says
something, implying that R639 breaks the
fundamental rules of recursion travel. It is
a glitch in the Strange.

108
RECURSIONS: R639 2

However, long before that intuition can be A killing white light is an eye-watering point Killing white light: level 5;
flies a short distance each
disproved, one or more terrifying encounters of brilliance, though its emanation isnt warm. round; blazing nimbus
likely ends any push for the recursions borders. Despite the blazing intensity, a killing white attack inflicts damage in
Those who travel any of the major light is cold: it drains heat and life from living immediate range; moves
thoroughfares also see, painted over faded things caught in its radiance. The creature away from strong light
sources other than itself;
graffiti, a series of new messages in purple is normally encountered only in darkened for details, see The Strange
spray paint: Help! Were hiding in the Virginia areas, though one might chase potential Bestiary, page 75
Grayson Medical Center! Some of these victims into the street at night. A victim killed
messages seem to be only a week old at most. by one of these creatures is rendered into so Virginia Grayson Medical
Center, page 111
Street Encounters: Visitors who stick to the much blowing ash, though his clothing and
streets may encounter a flight of thoniks or find equipment is unharmed.
a vehicle infested with green pods.
Thonik, page 294
Characters who survive an encounter with
thoniks and have any knowledge of the Strange
realize that the creatures are native to the dark
GM INTRUSIONS: FEAR AND PANIC Green pod, page 213
energy network. The thonik presence in R639
The influence of R639s trait (afraid) is
suggests that the recursion has somehow been
pervasive in the recursion. If characters
flayed open, allowing creatures of the Strange
encounter a creature and one or more
to enter it, perhaps at will. Thats not a good
of the PCs is frightened, its a great cue
thing. A second possibility also exists: What if
for a GM intrusion: characters who fail
thoniks are not native to the Strange after all
an Intellect defense roll suffer a round
but originate in R639?
of panic (and thanks to R639s trait, the
difficulty of the roll is increased by one
SEATTLE BUILDINGS step). Panicked characters spend a round
The typical Seattle structure, whether its a
running scared, standing frozen in horror,
place of business or an apartment building, is
fainting, or screaming their fool heads off
dusty and uninhabited but doesnt show overt
(their choice). Afflicted characters find that
signs of violence. Dozens or hundreds of sets
the difficulty of defending against attacks
of clothing are hidden away in the nooks and
by the triggering creature is increased by
crannies of each building. Pet remains are often
two steps, and a character who faints is
found with their previous owners, little piles of
automatically hit if targeted by an attacking
dust surrounding a collar with a tag.
creature.
Building Encounters: Visitors exploring and
looting buildings may eventually encounter
more green pods or a killing white light.

109
LOOTING IN R639 a triggering event to collapse it to its final state
Visitors can find lots of everyday things just (and cypher type). If someone translates out
by searching buildings, but looters are best of R639 with a lump, it also translates and
Analeptic, page 313 served by hitting a mall. The Southcenter area becomes a known cypher (such as an analeptic
south of Seattle is (or was) a shopping mecca, or a gravity inversion grenade). The cypher
Grenade (gravity
inversion), page 319
and looters who go there are likely to find functions normally if used, but afterward, it
anything they might desire. Characters who doesnt evaporate in a swirl of fractal light.
load up on material goods and travel back to Instead, it hatches as a killing white light.
Earth via a matter gate are enriched. Of course, Reality Scar: A reality scar in R639 manifests
each looting trip requires another gauntlet run as a bubble of perceptual static about 200
through the horrifying, dead recursion. Is it feet (61 m) in diameter. From the exterior,
really worth it? its difficult to perceive the boundary of a
Amid the normal things one might expect scar, given the misted, gloomy nature of the
to find while looting a building, characters can recursion. Once a visitor has crossed into a
also find the following. reality scar, everything within appears as if seen
Pseudo-Cypher: Searchers sometimes through a filter of old-timey television static,
discover single lumps of volcanic glass the sound is pinched and weak, and the senses of
color of milk in dark corners, under beds taste, touch, and smell are muted. This has the
and couches, and in basements. Quickened cumulative effect of increasing the difficulty of
characters who examine a lump get the sense an explorers tasks by one step and decreasing
that the object is a cypher. However, when put her line of sight to immediate range, though
Paradox, page 30 to the test by a paradox or someone else able she can make out imperfect outlines of objects
to identify a cyphers function, the glass lumps and people up to short range. At first, some
resist immediate analysis, suggesting that the of those people seem to be echoes of former
cypher is in a state of superposition, requiring residents. But they dont respond to hails, they

110
RECURSIONS: R639 2
What is going on with R639? I have been asking myself the same question every
day. Every time I negate one entrance, a new one seems to pop up somewhere
else. Ask anyone. I do not understand. Nor do I understand the true nature of the
Lost in the Strange,
horrible things that linger in the recursion. Maybe I should stop investigating it. page 215

~Hertzfeld, Estate Research Chief


Mirror of fading beauty,
page 113
melt away when approached, and sometimes Samantha Chaudhary (resident physician): Justin Brown: level 3, tasks
they shiver into horrifying shapes a moment Since the change, Samantha has coped by related to stealth as level 5
before disappearing completely. trying to keep Justin and Dr. Radakovich (and
Samantha Chaudhary:
Finally, characters who become incapacitated herself) alive and in good health. She recently level 3, tasks related to
(or suffer some other grievous shock, as noticed a strange infection on one of her arms, healing as level 5
determined by the GM) within a reality scar
must succeed on a difficulty 1 Intellect defense
roll, or they are immediately ejected to a
random location in the Strange and treated as
if lost.
Actual Cyphers and Artifacts: Searchers can
find actual cyphers in addition to the pseudo-
cyphers described above. In addition, they
might find cursed artifacts, such as the
mirror of fading beauty.

VIRGINIA GRAYSON MEDICAL CENTER


Located in the heart of Seattle on Earth, the
Virginia Grayson Medical Center is an acute care
hospital with more than three hundred beds.
In R639, the beds are empty except for dust
and ash, a reality scar fills the lobby and all the
ground floor entrances, and a group of human
survivors hides in the upper floors, scavenging
for food and survival as hope dwindles. The
survivors are down to just three people. All
of them are dazed, confused, and desperate,
with big gaps in their memory (which cluster
around the transition from their former life to
their new existence). None of the survivors has
the spark, but all are on the edge of developing
itDr. Radakovich more than the others, given
his recent proclivities.
Justin Brown (former patient): Sixteen-year-
old Justin came into the hospital for a broken
arm. The next thing he knew, everyone was
dead. Justin sometimes ventures out of the
building to salvage food and supplies for the
others. Hes the one whos been painting
the messages for help using spray paint he
liberated from a home improvement store.

111
which manifests as a slowly growing brown
crust. She keeps her sleeves long to hide it. BAD FEELINGS ABOUT R639
This worrying development is probably why Perchance to Dream: Characters who sleep
shes failed to wonder more about Radakovichs in R639 may experience the same repeating
increasing instability. dream of a run-down shed at night in a
Benjamin Radakovich: Benjamin Radakovich (psychiatrist): nondescript rural backyard not far from
level 5, wields level 6 reality- Benjamin insists on being called Doctor Seattle. A swaying old-timey heat lamp
tearing knife artifact
Radakovich, even in the face of the change, provides erratic lighting. Rain beats down
which is just a symptom of how completely hes in torrents. The dream perspective slowly
Reality-tearing knife,
page 113 lost his mind. He has been secretly murdering advances on the scene as a feeling of
the other survivors when he can get them horror mounts for the dreamer. Something
alone, and then storing gruesome trophies of is digging up from the sodden earth
flesh and skin in a medical refrigerator (which behind the shed; the mound of disrupted
has no power, so the interior is a rotting soil grows larger each night. But the dream
mess). Radakovich believes that he is slowly always ends before the dreamer sees
transforming into a god, and to complete his what is emerging from the ground. Thats
apotheosis, he must kill everyone else first. probably a good thing.

THE ESTATE Under the Cinder Block: A cinder block


Amputated animate arm: Explorers familiar with the Estate on Earth can find holds down an amputated, yet still writhing,
level 3, Speed defense rolls human arm. The cinder block in question
its dim replica on R639a replica sans any people.
as level 5; regains 3 points
of health per round even Despite being a copy of the real-world is at the corner of two prominent streets
when reduced to 0 health campus, the Estate in R639 doesnt have the in downtown Seattle, behind a mailbox.
cyphers, the artifacts, the working translation Any interaction with the arm or the cinder
and inapposite gates, and other specialized block (even shooting at it from a distance)
equipment the real Estate possesses. That said, risks releasing the arm. If released, the arm
searching the remains yields 1d6 randomly tries to murder any living thing it can sense
determined cyphers. in the recursion via vibration through the
Something Familiar: A search of the campus ground and air. If the PCs probe the arm
reveals a few additional features, including the with special abilities, they might learn that it
remains of known Estate members (at least, used to belong to a human recursor named
Ardeyn, page 160 their distinctive clothing and a lot of loose Garland of the Fall, from Ardeyn. Its not
dust). These include Katherine Manners, the revealed where Garland is currently, whether
Fixer, and potentially the PCs themselves. It hes alive or in pieces, or how his arm
can be particularly upsetting for a character to became animate, amputated, and caught
find a copy of himself who was crammed under under a cinder block.
a bed, in the corner of a bathroom stall, or
huddled under a desk when death struck.
There Is Another: Visitors to the Estate KARUM OUTPOST
campus can also find evidence that someone A small team of Karum agents from Ruk
systematically tossed every office in almost discovered R639 via a particularly catastrophic
every structure, leaving a litter of upended file translation failure. At first, the team thought
cabinets, torn couch cushions, and ripped theyd found the real Earth, though that idea was
wallpaper in their wake. All but one building dispelled quickly enough. Still, they decided to
(the Library) has been ravaged, and its only use the mishap as an opportunity to learn more
a matter of time before the responsible party about the world they despise, starting with one of
returns to finish the job. The perpetrators are their chief rivals, the Estate. To that end, the agents
none other than a group of Karum out of Ruk set up a base in the sub-basement of a nightclub
who have come to steal whatever Estate secrets called Trinity in downtown Seattle, commandeered
they can from the dim replica of R639. trucks in which to drive about and conduct their
investigations, and settled in for a short stay.

112
RECURSIONS: R639 2
The oppressive and dangerous nature of MIRROR OF FADING BEAUTY
R639 proved more than the Karum team was Level: 1d6
prepared to handle. Of the five originals, Form: A hand mirror
only two still survive: Ur-galrum (a female) Effect: A user who gazes at himself in the Ur-galrum: level 5; health
and Dram-edin (a male). The survivors are reflective surface activates the device. The 25; Armor 3; wields a level 7
blister glove artifact
deeply torn over whether to continue their user gains access to an additional stat Pool
investigation or devote all their energies to called Beauty that has a number of points Dram-edin: level 5,
trying to escape the recursion. Ur-galrum wants equal to the artifact level. The Beauty Pool subterfuge-related tasks as
level 6, mechanical tasks
to stay, and Dram-edin wants to go. So far, all lasts for one day or until it is used up,
as level 7
of Dram-edins translation attempts have failed. whichever comes first. When spending
When he and another team member figured points from any other Pool, the user can
out how to fly a plane from nearby Boeing Field take one, some, or all the points from the
to see what they could find above the clouds, Beauty Pool first.
hundreds of thoniks came after them and killed With each use of the artifact, the users
the pilot. reflection in this mirror and in all other
Characters who come across the Karum reflective surfaces changes, becoming more
operatives find either enemies or short-term horrific and threatening until the thing
allies who are willing to help find a way to staring back is monstrous. The monstrous Mirror of Fading Beauty
escape R639, depending on how the interaction reflection lasts after the Beauty Pool is used GM Intrusions: The users
reflection mouths threats at
goes. However, if it looks like the allied group up and the artifact is depleted, even if the
her. The reflection attacks
has a chance of escaping the recursion, Ur- user translates to other recursions. an ally. The reflection
galrum betrays everyoneshes come down Depletion: 1 in 1d20 attacks the user.
with some kind of psychosis. (The blister glove
she wears is something she found beneath a REALITY-TEARING KNIFE
pile of green pods.) Level: 1d6 + 3
Form: A shard of dull steel, sharpened along
ARTIFACTS OF R639 one edge
The artifacts in this section rely on R639s Effect: This large knife can be used as a normal
Exotic law, but they will function normally for a medium weapon. When its special power
few days under any other law. is activated as part of an attack, the knife
emits a silent pulse of reality-twisting
BLISTER GLOVE force that sweeps out to short range in all A blister glove wearer can
Level: 1d6 + 2 directions. Creatures in the area other than attempt attacks using other
hand signs, but the results
Form: Fingerless glove sewn from ratty denim, the wielder are knocked prone and stunned are less certain. Flipping
covered with rusted rivets for one round, losing their action. Unfixed someone the bird with the
Effect: If the wearer points with her gloved hand objects are toppled or moved at least 5 feet glove might do nothing, or
at a target she can see within long range, (2 m). Cracks form in walls, floors, and it could open a crack in the
earth beneath the target or
the target blisters across its extremities, ceilings, and a reality scar is left behind in summon a flight of thoniks.
feels extreme pain, and suffers ambient the area.
damage equal to the artifact level. Fleshy Depletion: 12 in 1d10
pustules also form on objects, the ground,
and other structures near the target.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

113
REBEL GALAXY
Nothings better than a fast ship and your trusty A RECURSION AS BIG AS A GALAXY
blaster at your side in Rebel Galaxy, a recursion Rebel Galaxy, it would seem at first, is an
Rebel Galaxy is the name created by fictional leakage from action-packed enormous recursion, involving an entire
given to the recursion by space opera films and books, particularly those galaxy of inhabited planets and the empire
members of the Implausible
popular in the last forty years or so. In Rebel that controls it. And to those who live there,
Geographical Society,
who were the first people Galaxy, the forces of good face near-impossible and even those who translate there, that
from Earth to discover it. odds but struggle on in the name of freedom seems an accurate description of the place.
Natives call it the Grand from oppression. Here, rebels fight to free the But its not true. In this recursion, no one ever
Imperium or perhaps
simply the galaxy.
galaxy from the tyrannical Imperium one planet explores an entire planet, and the vast gulfs
at a time. What neither side of this interstellar of space between planets are quickly crossed
war realizes, however, is that outsiders seek to by a hyperspace drive. The truth is that each
stoke the flames of the conflict for their own planet is really just a few dozen miles across,
ends. with the implication that the rest of the world
Arrival: Just outside Korjis Spacer Bar, near is more of the same. In Rebel Galaxy, there are
the hangar bays in the spaceport of Haranbar, desert planets, forest planets, swamp planets,
on the planet Aranolis. frozen planets, and so forth, each an expression
of a single environment.

114
RECURSIONS: REBEL GALAXY 2
Conducts Weird
REBEL GALAXY ATTRIBUTES WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT Science, page 57
Level: 5 REBEL GALAXY
Laws: Mad Science Rebel Galaxy operates under the law Entertains, page 61
Playable Races: Human, alien of Mad Science, with high-energy
Infiltrates, page 62
Foci: Conducts Weird Science, weaponry and extremely advanced
Entertains, Infiltrates, Integrates technologies existing amid far more Integrates Weaponry,
Weaponry, Is Licensed to Carry, simple ones, like conventional swords. page 63
Leads, Looks for Trouble, Operates The recursion is far, far smaller than
Is Licensed to Carry,
Undercover, Wields Two Weapons at the natives believe it to be. page 64
Once, Works the System The recursion is controlled by the
Skills: Rebel Galaxy lore, starship piloting, Grand Imperium and the Empress Leads, page 65
space battles Tahali V, who has countless legions of
Looks for Trouble,
Connection to Strange: Hyperspace Imperium troopers and the dreaded page 68
Connection to Earth: None currently Imperium starfleet as her weapons.
Size: 100,000 square miles (259,000 A ragtag band of rebels fights against Operates Undercover,
page 70
square km) the Imperium, their determination,
Spark: 10% bravery, and skill making up for their Wields Two Weapons at
Trait: Brash. For any creature with the lack of numbers and supplies. Once, page 82
spark attempting to overcome
Works the System,
or ignore the effects of fear or page 83
intimidation, the difficulty is reduced
by one step.

However, it is impossible to get from one


planet to the next without a starship that has
a hyperspace drive. Such a journey takes a few
hours, regardless of the starting point and
destination. The starships are in truth less
like vehicles and more like conduits between
otherwise inaccessible areas of the recursion.
This doesnt make Rebel Galaxy any less real
a place, however. It just has a physical structure
that is unlike anything we are used to, and
unlike anything the inhabitants believe.

SPACE BATTLES
Battles between starships of various kinds
from gigantic capital ships to single-pilot
fightersare a frequent occurrence in the
galactic war in this recursion. If the PCs are
involved in a space battle, here are some quick
and easy guidelines for handling the situation.
On this scale, combat between vehicles isnt
like traditional combat. Dont worry about
health, Armor, or anything like that. Instead,
just compare the levels of the ships involved.
If the PCs ship has the higher level, the
difference in levels becomes a reduction in the
difficulty of attack and defense rolls involved. If

115
If you have a hard time imagining how Rebel Galaxy works, picture movie sets
from a space opera film. The actors move from the set of a jungle planet to the
set of the starship interior. Then they move to the set of a spaceport on a water
planet. We believe that they travel multiple light-years to accomplish that, but
we never actually see it, except as streaks of fast-moving stars on their bridges
viewscreen. In reality, all recursions could be thought of like movie sets.

In some cases, the GM the PCs ship has the lower level, the difference frigate. Since the frigate is level 4, the difficulty
may wish to use the level is an increase in difficulty. If the levels are the of the attack starts at 4. But the attacking craft
of an NPC pilot rather
than the level of the
same, there is no modification. is weaker than the defender, so the difference
ship, but this is only for These attack and defense rolls are modified in their levels (2) is added to the difficulty. The
special circumstances, by skill and Effort, as usual. Further, if two ships fighter pilot must make a difficulty 6 attack
such as a very skilled coordinate their attack against one vessel, the on the frigate. However, the fighter is trying to
or very inept pilot.
difficulty of the attack is reduced by one step. If swoop in and damage the frigates drive, which
three or more ships coordinate, the difficulty is modifies the attack by another three steps, for a
reduced by two steps. total difficulty of 9. If the fighter pilot is trained
The attacker must try to target a specific in space combat, she reduces the difficulty to 8,
system on an enemy ship. This modifies the but its still impossible without help. So lets say
attack in the defenders favor based on the that two other PCsalso in level 2 fighters
system targeted: join in and coordinate their attack. Three ships
coordinating an attack on one target reduces
Targeting Task Modification Effect
the difficulty by two steps, resulting in a final
Disable Two steps One or more difficulty of 6. Still, the attacking PC would be
weapons of the ships wise to use Effort.
weapons
Then the frigate retaliates and the PC needs
no longer
function to make a defense roll. The level difference
between the ships is a two-step modification
Disable Two steps Difficulty of
in the frigates favor, so the difficulty of the
defenses attacks against
the ship are defense roll starts out at 6. But the frigate tries
reduced by to take out the fighters weapons, reducing the
one step difficulty of the defense roll by two steps. Thus,
Disable Three steps Ship cannot the PC needs to succeed at a difficulty 4 task or
drive move, or lose her main weapons systems.
movement is Its important to remember that a failed
hampered attack doesnt always mean a miss. The target
Disable Two steps Ship cannot ship might rock and reel from the hit, but
maneuverability alter its the bulk of the damage was absorbed by the
present shields, so theres no significant damage.
course
This bare-bones system should allow
Strike power core Five steps Ship is the GM and players to flesh out exciting
completely encounters involving the whole group. For
destroyed
example, perhaps while one PC pilots a ship,
another mans the guns, and another frantically
Thats a lot of modifications. But its not attempts to repair damage to the maneuvering
really that hard. Lets look at an example. A thrusters before they crash into the space
PC in a small level 2 fighter attacks a level 4 station theyre trying to defend.

116
RECURSIONS: REBEL GALAXY 2
During a space battle,
SAMPLE STARSHIPS AND LEVELS theres a lot of chatter
about shields failing,
Starship Level Crew Weapon Systems hull integrity, being
Imperium dagger fighter 1 1 1 outmaneuvered, coming
in too fast, and whatnot.
Rebel eagle interceptor 2 1 1 These sorts of details are
Freighter 3 (4 for defense) 4 1 great, but theyre all flavor,
so theyre represented in
Frigate 4 20 4 the rules generally, rather
than specifically.
Rebel cruiser 4 25 5
Imperium battleship 10 1,000 36 Since its frighteningly easy
to die in a space battle
if your ship is destroyed,
Crew indicates the minimum number of people needed to operate the ship. Many ships most vessels have escape
can carry more passengers. Weapon Systems is the maximum number of different enemies pods. Even fighter craft
the ship can target at once (only one attack per ship in any circumstance). A quick check have ejection systems that
shoot pilots into space in
of the math makes it pretty clear that getting into a fight with a level 10 battleship is a risky their environment suit. In
proposition. other words, GMs should
try to give PCs a way out of
immediately dying if they
get on the wrong end of a
ALIENS APLENTY overthrown and the Grand Imperium took space battle.
Rebel Galaxy is filled with aliens of all types. power, putting the entire galaxy under the
The vast majority of these are humanoid in thumb of Empress Tahali. The current empress,
configuration, but with fur, horns, leathery skin, Tahali V, has sat upon the throne for nine years Tahali V: level 3, all matters
large or extra eyes, tusks, tendrils, a particularly and is as ruthless and terrible as all those who of diplomacy, including
deceit and seeing through
tall or short stature, and so on. However, these came before her. Each Empress of the royal line deceit, as level 7; Armor 3
differences are entirely cosmetic. is so similar, in fact, that some believe them to from personal force field
Essentially, player character recursors be a succession of clones rather than natural generator
translating into Rebel Galaxy can choose to offspring. But this is not the official story
be an alien species of their own design. They related in historical educational broadcasts.
should design a name and appearance for their The worlds of the Imperium are connected
race. Further, a few traits or quirks would be thanks to starships with hyperspace drives.
appropriate, such as: This technology allows travel from any planet
Dislikes space travel in the galaxy to another in just a few hours.
Eats only meat Most planets have at least one busy starport.
Likes high temperatures
Avoids bright light

However, PCs should not have traits that


would affect the game in a major way, either as
advantages or disadvantages. When it comes
to fighting, fixing things, talking to NPCs, and
so on, a reptilian humanoid with three eyes
holding a blaster and a set of tools is basically
no different than a human with a blaster and a
set of tools.
Most alien races have their own language,
but the vast majority of individuals speaks
Galactic Standard.

THE GRAND IMPERIUM


More than a hundred years ago (time relative
to the recursion), the Galactic Council was

117
Hyperspace drive makes it economically
feasible to conduct all manner of interplanetary
trade and has brought hundreds of intelligent I have a bad feeling about this.
races together, so many that no one seems to ~L. G. Babcock III
be familiar with them all. (The Grand Imperium
is very humanocentric, however, and its
governors and military commanders are always offered excellent opportunities. They wormed
human.) their way through the Imperium ranks and took
The Imperium attempts to control travel and up important roles where they could observe
trade, but smugglers and unlicensed ships and subtly control events.
slip through their fingers on a regular basis.
Nevertheless, the Imperium starfleet is feared THE REBELLION
throughout the galaxy. Almost as soon as the Imperium took
Imperium starships come in many varieties, control, the Rebellion was born. Originally
but the most common are the half-mile-long led by generals still loyal to the Galactic
battleships and the swarms of small fighter Council, twelve years ago the Rebellion won
craft called daggers. the sympathy of Prince Narlell of the planet
Even more than the ships of the fleet, Juruntan. When the Empress learned of
Imperium trooper: level 2; however, Imperium troopers are the face of Narlells secret support, she had Juruntan
Armor 2; long-range blaster the Grand Imperium, ubiquitous on all the scoured by devastating weaponry developed by
inflicts 3 points of damage
galaxys worlds. Always clad in glistening silver the Imperium fleet.
armor, marked with the griffon symbol of the Reducing the jewel-world of Juruntan to a
Imperium military, and carrying blasters and radioactive wasteland secured more support for
Prince Narlell: level 6, all
matters of diplomacy as swords, troopers patrol the streets of every the Rebellion than ever before. For Juruntan!
level 8, tactics as level 7 city on foot, in large hovercraft, or mounted is now a popular slogan and war cry among the
on indigenous beasts appropriate to the rebels. And perhaps most significantly, Prince
It is possible that the
terrain. They serve as keepers of order, but they Narlell took an active role as the leader of the
decision to lay waste to
Juruntan may have resulted make for a terrible police force. Troopers are Rebellion.
from manipulation by the the fist of the Imperium, more interested in The Rebellion has been scattered across the
Zal, who wished to escalate maintaining control than in preventing crime or galaxy in small cells at various times, but it is
the war and give more
support to the Rebellion.
helping citizens. strongest when it can mass its forces to make
When troopers need heavy support, significant strikes. Thus, whenever possible,
wardroids are sometimes brought in. These the rebels have a single secret base on a planet
Imperium wardroid: level
5; Armor 3; long-range fearsome robots are ruthless even by trooper somewhere on the galactic fringe. Currently,
blaster inflicts 8 points of standards and are known to kill innocent this is the planet Lantiv IV, but the base is the
damage; can attack up to bystanders as often as foes. It is said that when third they have had in the last four years, as
three foes in one action
wardroids are unleashed, wise troopers fall Imperium spies, probes, and bounty hunters
back and take cover. are always searching for them. If the Imperium
Shortly after Rebel Galaxys first appearance ever found the base and caught the rebels
in the Strange, Rukian explorers from the unawares, they could likely put an end to the
Zal, page 194 Zal faction found their way here. Practiced at war in a single stroke.
infiltration, these agents quickly realized that The Rebellion fleet is a motley assortment
this large, industrial, and warlike recursion of ships, best known for its large numbers of

There are many theories as to why Rebel Galaxy expands at such a rapid rate
compared to other recursions, but no one knows for certain. The Estate, for one,
would greatly value more investigation into this.

118
RECURSIONS: REBEL GALAXY 2
eagle interceptors, which are better armed A level 9 energy shield around the palace
and more maneuverable than the Imperiums protects it from attack, although none has
dagger craft. On the other hand, the Imperium ever been attempted. Hundreds of warships
mass-produces its fighters, so they outnumber remain in orbit around the planet to defend the
the rebels in most confrontations, sometimes Empress.
by as much as 5 to 1. The city surrounding the palace, which
Rebel soldiers are loose knit, often operating technically sprawls across the continent amid Rebel soldier: level 3;
more like a gang of terrorists than a military. parks and gardens, is simply called Toruntan. Armor 1; long-range blaster
Almost always outnumbered in any given Most of the residents are extremely wealthy
engagement, they and use their riches to
use hit-and-run give themselves lives Rumors speak of an
underground network of
tactics and are often Life expectancy on Killarus is very of utter leisure and thieves and smugglers that
better saboteurs and comfort. The Toruntan operates on Toruntan,
seditionists than shortfor most people, a few months weather is controlled partially to prey on the
wealthy but also secretly
warriors. at best. and thus always
sponsored and harbored by
The Zal have pleasant. certain influential residents
infiltrated the of the world.
Rebellion as well as the Imperium. They KILLARUS, PRISON PLANET
use their connections not only to keep tabs A name feared throughout the Imperium, A black market version
on things but also to help ensure that the Killarus is an inhospitable desert planet that of the nav program that
resistance fighters are never entirely crushed. serves as a prison for the worst (apprehended) allows access to Killarus is
Many of the best rebel spies are actually Ruk criminals alive. The planet is surrounded by a said to be available, but the
cost is exorbitant.
natives who have contacts with other Zal natural debris field orbiting the world, making a
infiltrators in the Imperium. safe approach to the surface almost impossible
unless guided by an extremely complex
PLANETS OF THE IMPERIUM computer program provided only to a few
There are thousands of worlds in the Grand Imperium starcraft.
Imperium, although some may exist only in Once on the surface, prisoners are left to Typical prisoner: level
reference, not in actual fact within the recursion their own devices. Only the extremely well- 3, tasks involving desert
survival as level 4; Armor 1;
of Rebel Galaxy. In other words, although the
armed with a stone knife
recursion is quite large, it does not actually
contain thousands of worldsyet. Various
experts have noted that Rebel Galaxy is one of People living in Rebel
the fastest-growing recursions ever discovered, Galaxy think of the
with whole new worlds appearing on a regular recursion as being larger
than it is, because they
basis. believe its a whole galaxy,
Its worth noting that each planet is even though its not.
only about the size of a city, or a city and its
surrounding environsprobably no more than
a dozen miles across at most.

TORUNTAN, IMPERIUM CAPITAL


With two glistening suns in the sky, carefully
tended gardens and orchards, precisely
engineered sparkling waterfalls, crystal towers,
and mirrored domes of elegant majesty,
Toruntan is a beautiful planet. The Imperium
Palace alone covers a full 2 square miles (5
square km) and has a staff of 10,000, not
including servant androids. Servant android: level 2

119
fortified starport offers any semblance of real native to this recursion. Most are translated
civilization, and that is surrounded by huge, Ruk natives, but some were brought through
blast-proof level 6 walls and towers with level 5 inapposite gates, and a few are recursors from
sonic cannons. Earth or other recursions who crossed the Zal.
The prisoners form nomadic tribes to
survive. These tribes raid each other and exist F-B41, FACTORY PLANET
in a constant state of war. Life expectancy on The Imperium controls many factory planets,
Killarus is very shortfor most people, a few entire worlds devoted to the mass production
months at best. of goods needed by the rest of the galaxy. F-B41
Probably one of the most infamous prisoners is important, however, because its factory
Guialla: level 6, military on the planet is Guialla, a former general of androids manufacture weapons. It is the source
tactics as level 8, attack the Imperium fleet who left her post to join of most of the blasters, blaster rifles, and blast
and defense as level 7;
armed with a stone knife
the Rebellion. She served as a rebel leader cannons used by Imperium troopers.
and bow for almost two years before her frigate was Thus, the Zal took particular interest in this
captured in a huge space battle. planet when they first came to the recursion.
Factory android: level 2;
In secret, the Ruk faction known as Zal has Their agents have infiltrated F-B41 at all levels,
Armor 2 manipulated Killarus for its own ends. First, slowly skimming weapons from the production
it used a powerful machine to surround the lines and transporting them through temporary
planet with a translation wardrecursors inapposite gates back to Ruk. The laws that
can translate into Killarus, but not out. govern Ruk allow the weapons to function there,
Then Zal used its undercover agents in the where the resources for creating such weaponry
Imperiums ranks to ship its own prisoners to are limited. Not only do the Zal use the weapons
the world, forever marooning its enemies in to arm their security forces back home, but they
an inhospitable, near-inescapable prison in a also sell the weapons to other factions in Ruk
far-off corner of a backwater recursion. As many and to other recursions where they will operate.
as one-quarter of the Killarus prisoners are not The leaders of Zal believe that one day

120
RECURSIONS: REBEL GALAXY 2

soon, the sales of these weapons expanding ARANOLIS, JUNGLE PLANET


throughout the far reaches of the Strange will Mostly uncivilized, the jungle planet of Aranolis extends about 10
be their greatest revenue driver. Because of Aranolis is notable for the hidden spaceport miles (16 km) beyond the
edges of Haranbar.
these projections, the Zal also secretly support of Haranbar, a hideout for smugglers and
the Rebellion to ensure that the war in Rebel criminals looking to lay low from the eye of
Galaxy never ends. the Imperium. This, of course, makes it a
convenient place for the Rebellion as well.
There are about 10,000 people in Haranbar
at any given time, although half of them are
temporary residents or just passing through.
EQUIPMENT IN THE GALACTIC WAR
As a smugglers haven, Haranbar is known
Light blaster: light weapon, long range
for seedy bars, flophouses, and no-questions-
Blaster: medium weapon, long range
asked businesses catering to spacers on
Blaster rifle: heavy weapon, rapid-fire
the edge of the law: starship supplies and
weapon, 200-foot (61 m) range
repair, stolen goods fencing, weapon sales,
Blast cannon: heavy weapon, 4 additional
mercenaries for hire, identity changers, and so
points of damage, requires two people
forth. Although theres said to be a camaraderie
to use (otherwise, increase difficulty by
among those who frequent Haranbar, the
two steps)
truth is, a smart traveler watches her back
Incendiary grenade: explodes in an
at all times. Press gangs, pickpockets, and
immediate radius for 4 points of
bandits are common, and there isnt a soul
damage (1 point even if the attack fails)
in the spaceport who wouldnt cheat his own
Combat vest: light armor
grandmother if he thought he could get away
Trooper armor: medium armor, encumbers
with it.
as light armor
Of particular interest to recursors is Korjis
Spacer Bar, a cantina near the hangar bays. This
is a den of thieves, pirates, and smugglers, but

121
Var Norillic: level 5, space its also frequented by Var Norillic, a space pilot controls a planet. Considering the importance
piloting and space battles as whose real name is Phil Rogers. A native of Earth, of the Great Wheel, in other respects the
level 6; long-range blaster
Phil is a recursor who decided to live permanently administrator job is far more influential.
in Rebel Galaxy. Here, as Var, he owns a starship Kelia maintains an elite police force on the
and will take newly arrived recursors anywhere space station. These fearsome interrogators and
they want to gooncein exchange for news enforcers are members of a scaled reptilian race
Zaalish: level 3; from Earth. Hes friendly and a good source of called the Zaalish. They ensure that commerce
interrogation, intimidation, information on the recursion. Hes also on good on the station proceeds without interruption
and stealth as level 4;
terms with most major Earth organizations or incident. They do not work with Imperium
Armor 1; long-range blaster;
level 4 poison gas grenades interested in the Strange and remains neutral in troopers, who are also prevalent on the Great
induce unconsciousness for any conflicts between those groups. Wheel (and are also technically under Kelias
ten minutes in a cloud with Outside of Haranbar, the inhabitants of the command), and the two forces resent each other.
an immediate radius
planet are dinosaurlike saurians of all types, Rebel agents use this division to their advantage.
as well as muscular, shaggy humanoids called By playing the two groups off each other, rebels
Kren: level 3, climb as level Kren, who build wooden homes high in the have stolen entire shipments of much-needed
5; long-range bow trees. supplies for their base on Lantiv IV.
Despite these actions, Kelia is not entirely
LANTIV IV, REBEL BASE unsympathetic to the Rebellion. In fact, she
A mountainous world of crags, spires, and would like to see many of her Imperium rivals
deep canyons riddled with caves, Lantiv IV is taken down a peg or two by the rebel forces.
mostly lifeless except for giant batlike creatures She would be willing to secretly negotiate with
and serpents of all sizes. Far from any well- the Rebellion, sharing valuable information
charted areas of the galaxy, the rocky planet about targets far away from her operation on
makes an excellent hiding place for the heart of the Great Wheel.
the Rebellion. The rebel base is located in the
caves and canyons, its starship hangars and THYRUL III, WATER WORLD
defensive batteries well camouflaged as normal The third planet in the Thyrul system, this is
crags and peaks. This is where one will find a water-covered world. However, the sea beds
Prince Narlell, all the military commanders, and are rich in a variety of important minerals,
the majority of rebel personnel. so Imperium-sponsored companies operate
The base boasts about 12,000 people at any complex mining operations here. Most
given time. About 7,000 of these rebels are soldiers underwater facilities reach the surface via long
or pilots, and the rest serve in support roles. elevators connected to floating platforms where
Some of the rebels have captured and trained starship freighters wait to carry ore to other
Flitat: level 3; Armor 1; flies the batlike creatures, which they call flitats. worlds (usually factory planets like F-B41).
a long distance in a round They use the beasts as mounts while on patrol The deep waters of the planet are home to
or to get from one part of the sprawling base to all manner of marine life, including colossal
Colossal predatory fish:
level 6; health 35; Armor 1 the other. predatory fish. Some of these creatures are
more than willing to attack the surface and
THE GREAT WHEEL, COMMERCIAL STATION submersible craft used to get around.
Not a planet, the Great Wheel is a massive Thyrul III has seen some conflict in the galactic
space station 10 miles (16 km) across, shaped, war; the Rebellion would love to take control of
not surprisingly, like a giant, ever-turning wheel. the mines or at least keep the Imperium from
The Great Wheel orbits a red giant star and getting the ore. Of even more interest, however,
serves as a trading port for goods of all kinds. is a small base of operations here established
The Estate, page 148 A surprising percentage of Imperium goods by the Estate. The base is mobileessentially,
transported from one planet to another passes its a large submersible craft. There are a dozen
through the station. or so operatives on the base at any given time,
Kelia Turnage: level 5 Administrator Kelia Turnage runs the Great using sophisticated monitoring devices to
Wheel. Her position is equal in many respects keep tabs on developments in the war and the
to that of an Imperium governor, who normally activities of known Rukian agents in particular.

122
RECURSIONS: REBEL GALAXY 2
Although the Estate doesnt necessarily want to lead field agent here is Isadora Delgado, who runs Isadora Delgado: level 6,
interfere with the war, it does want to minimize a tight ship (literally) and demands that Estate submersible craft piloting
and administrative duties
the Zal influence. And in truth, most operatives operatives in the recursion report to her upon as level 7
feel sympathy for the Rebellions efforts and arrival.
occasionally attempt to help in ways that dont
usually draw them directly into the fighting. The REBEL GALAXY ARTIFACTS
ROBOT ASSISTANT
Level: 1d6
RUMORS ACROSS THE GALAXY
Form: Robot half the size of a human that
Unexpected Help: Terrath Nuar, a rebel
comes in various shapes, from humanoid
commander, has a plan: recruit and train
to cylindrical to hemispherical, and has
the Kren of Aranolis to serve as shock
wheels or legs for movement
troops for the Rebellion. First, however,
Effect: Provides an asset for three different
someone has to go into the jungles and
tasks (roll three times):
establish relations with the savage tribes.
01-10 Diplomacy
To make things more complicated, not
11-16 Interrogation
everyone in the Rebellion agrees that this
17-30 Repair
is a good idea for either the rebels or the
31-40 History
Kren.
41-50 Biology
51-60 Physics
Meeting on the Great Wheel: None of the
61-68 Piloting
select few who are privy to the information
69-75 Navigation
understand it, but apparently a strange
76-85 Healing
gathering will soon be held in a private
86-90 Searching
section of the Great Wheel. It involves
91-96 Computer use
high-ranking members of the Imperium
97-99 Robot interaction/interface
military and government from throughout
00 Translation (speaks virtually
the galaxy as well as important rebels and
all languages in Rebel Galaxy)
a few independent individuals. The truth?
Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (roll once each day)
The agents of the Zal are gathering, even at
the risk of their cover identities. But why?
HANDHELD SCANNER
Level: 1d6 + 1
The Pirate King: Blistering Bral, the Blistering Bral: level 6, all
Form: Handheld device with a screen, controls, attacks as level 7; health
leader of a fleet of pirate ships infamous
and a long antenna 20; Armor 2; usually has a
throughout the galaxy, has recently blaster in each hand and
Effect: This device comes in two varieties.
declared allegiance with the Rebellion. can fire both as a single
Analyzer: You scan an area in short range that action
With his support, the rebels significantly
is equal in size to a 10-foot (3 m) cube,
increase their numbers (and more
including all objects or creatures in that
important, their number of war-ready
area. Scanning a creature or object always
starcraft), even if most of the pirates
reveals its level. You also learn whatever facts
are less than savory. Perhaps even more
the GM feels are pertinent about the matter
interesting, Bral has made it known
and energy in the area. Many materials and
that hes not from this galaxy. Hes from
energy fields prevent or resist scanning.
someplace called Massachusetts. The
Detector: You specify a general material, quality, or
Estate and the Zal would like to find out
essence that can be measured (such as iron,
who this apparent recursor from Earth is
energy weapons, humans, heat, and so on),
really working for. Unfortunately, he has
and the device reveals how many instances of
recently been captured and sent to the
it are within 200 feet (61 m), along with the
prison planet, Killarus.
distance and direction to each.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

123
SAMURAI SKY
Forbearance is the root of quietness and assurance forever.
Samurai Sky was created ~Ieyasu Tokugawa
by fictional leakage.

The Implausible Geographical Society gives Japanese simply as Nihon. In Samurai Sky, the
the recursion the codename Samurai Sky, but economic and cultural prosperity enjoyed by
the natives refer to the place in their native the Land of the Rising Sun during the historical
Edo period (1603 to 1868) never ended. The
rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and Karou
essentially feudal governors and regional feudal
WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT
lords, respectivelyremains under the putative
SAMURAI SKY
control of the Emperor, but the Shogun in Edo
Known as Nihon to its natives, the
has the most day-to-day power.
recursion operates under the law of
Partly thanks to founder Ieyasu Tokugawas
Standard Physics except under certain
forward-thinking policies and philosophies
phases of the moon, during which time
(which were themselves developed from
Magic also operates.
Confucian teachings), most Samurai Sky
Samuraifamed warriors who follow
natives have a chance to live comfortably and
the code of Bushidodo not directly
enjoy popular arts and culture that, in previous
own land, but instead serve a Karou
eras, were enjoyed only by the wealthy and
or shogun. A samurai who leaves the
powerful. In fact, a breakdown in the rigid and
service of either is called a ronin.
highly formalized social order, which created
Edo, page 126 The city of Edo is the cultural center of
something of a middle class among the
Samurai Sky and has nearly a million
merchant and peasant orders in Samurai
residents. The city is laid out around
Sky, was aided by a technological revolution
magnificent Edo Castle and contains
that never happened in the historical Edo-
areas of urban culture, Buddhist
era Japan. Steam engines, the beginnings of
temples, shops, restaurants, theater,
electrification, the appearance of firearms in
colleges, and more.
limited quantities, and several time-saving
Edo is built along the coast, which
machines, which would be anachronisms on
means it keeps fleets of fishing and
Earth during the same historical period, are
merchant vessels. It is also a railroad
part of what make Samurai Sky such a unique
Confucius was a Chinese hub, and tracks provide paths for
philosopher who lived place.
steam engines to travel quickly to and
sometime before 400 BC. Arrival: First-time recursors arrive in Samurai
The teachings attributed from the far parts of Nihon.
Sky in the city of Edo, standing on the platform
to him affect societies to Oni in Samurai Sky are more than
this day.
of the Grand Imperial Station. It provides
folklore, though most are not as trollish or
access to various points in the city via boats
devilish as recursors might presume. Many
and barges, as well as selected points inland via
are simply people who study the phases of
a steam engine train.
the moon in hopes of understanding why
Magic works sometimes, but not always,
and never reliably.
SAMURAI SKY FOCI
The foci that player characters can choose
in Samurai Skyas well as any foci that are

124
RECURSIONS: SAMURAI SKY 2

dragged into the recursionare modified by instance, Edo city doesnt have cops. It has
the recursions context, as appropriate. For samurai who serve as police, soldiers, special Draggable foci, page 52
example, if someone chooses Is Licensed to forces, or whatever military need arises.
Entertains, page 61
Carry, replace references to modern-day life on If a character chooses Inks Spells on Skin
Earth with equivalents from Edo-era Japan. For or Works Miracles as her focus, she discovers Is Licensed to Carry,
page 64

Leads, page 65
SAMURAI SKY ATTRIBUTES
Level: 4 Connection to Earth: During Looks for Trouble,
page 68
Laws: Standard Physics, Magic under certain certain phases of the moon,
phases of the moon some abandoned temples Operates Undercover,
Playable Races: Human may open translation gates to page 70
Foci: Entertains, Follows the Code of Earth
Solves Mysteries,
Bushido*, Haunts the Rooftops*, Is Size: 27,000 square miles (70,000 square km) page 78
Licensed to Carry, Inks Spells on Skin* Spark: 15%
(when Magic is active), Leads, Looks for Trait: Honorable. If a creature engages in a Wields Two Weapons at
Once, page 82
Trouble, Operates Undercover, Solves truly honorable act as judged by the GM,
Mysteries, Wields Two Weapons at Once, the difficulty of the next task it attempts Works Miracles,
Works Miracles (when Magic is active) within the hour is reduced by one step page 82
Skills: Samurai Sky lore (assuming that task doesnt contravene
Connection to Strange: Infrequent whirlpools the honorable act). Follows the Code of
off the coast can drag unlucky voyagers Bushido, page 198
into the Strange * indicates foci found in this book Haunts the Rooftops, page 199
Inks Spells on Skin, page 200

125
that using the focus abilities is difficult except EDO
Edo was historically during certain periods when the moon is in the The Emperor lies in far-off Kyoto (and
referred to as the proper phase, as described under Moon Magic. isnt actually part of the recursion, per se,
Venice of the East.
When the law of Magic is not active, every task except as a belief). Edo is the center of power,
related to using a focus ability is one step more government, economy, and social life in
difficult than normal, which means that even Samurai Sky. Here, the cultural renaissance
routine uses of an ability require a check. of Nihon never ended, and indeed, it was
Samurai Sky also allows a character to be enhanced with elements of technology and
a samurai if she chooses to be someone who magic that never graced the real city.
Follows the Code of Bushido. Canals are laid out in a regular grid. In fact,
the network of canals (plus rivers and moats) is
MOON MAGIC more reliable than the streets, which can lead
On Earth, Edo eventually Though everyone knows that supernatural pedestrians astray. Thus, trade and transport
became the city of Tokyo. effects are possible depending on the phase of heavy goods are accomplished on the water.
of the moon, few people know which phases Boat traffic is thick most hours of the day and
are the Magic phases. The relevant phases night, and some people live in houseboats
constantly shift according to a schedule thats instead of on land.
as hard to foretell as the weather. The GM
determines the schedule, but generally speaking, EDO CASTLE
Magic functions flawlessly one day in four. The Shogun lives in Edo Castle. An architectural
Even when Magic isnt ascendant, abilities wonder, Edo Castle is imposing and graceful,
and creatures related to Magic can sometimes with several rings of moats and defensive
still be encountered. However, they are walls. The castle grounds within the inner
tentative, pale, and weak. moat stretch in a great oval that is well over

126
RECURSIONS: SAMURAI SKY 2

a mile (2 km) wide. The grand residences of Karou Choko Tanenaga: Another Karou living Karou Tanenaga: level 4,
many Karou and their attendant samurai are on the grounds of Edo Castle, Tanenaga is tasks related to perception
as level 6; katana melee
built on the grounds, as well as quarters for charged with keeping trade active and fair, a job attack inflicts 6 points of
thousands of officials and castle servants. A that she has managed amazingly well. During damage; usually carries a
few random cyphers
marvelous garden can also be found here, one one of her tours to an outlying province beyond
with walkways, bridges, ponds, and exotic trees. Edo city, Tanenaga chanced across an explorer Karou Hirotomo: level 4,
The Shoguns residence is the most impressive from another land who showed her how the tasks related to civil
administration as level 6;
structure of all. Nihon she lived in was merely jumbled stories katana melee attack inflicts 6
Karou Akita Hirotomo: Anyone who brings reflected from a higher reality. Tanenaga gained points of damage; long-range
revolver attack inflicts 4 points
official business before the Shogun must the spark, but not the means to translate. of damage; returns to life a
deal with a Karou first, usually Hirotomo and Since then, she has concentrated on finding a few days after being killed
a section of samurai under his command. way to break free of the prison that her world
Samurai: level 4, initiative
Hirotomo might pass a particularly important represents, and she has become increasingly tasks as level 6; health 15;
message upward or deal with it himself, reckless with each failure. Lately Tanenaga is Armor 1; katana melee
attack inflicts 5 points of
depending on the situation. exploring methods for collapsing the recursion damage (or 7 points if the
Like the Shogun, Hirotomo enjoys an altogether, beginning with the assassination of samurai made the first
unnaturally long life owing to a mysterious the Shogun. Aiding her is a secret cabal of a few attack on a foe)
event that occurred in the old days (as other Karou shes been able to suborn, as well Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa:
described under the Shoguns entry). Despite as entities from the Northeast Quarter. level 6, tasks related to
civil administration and
more than a hundred years of loyalty, Hirotomo The Shogun: The Shogun, who is none other pleasant interaction as
is considering the whispers of a few secretly than Edos original founder, Ieyasu Tokugawa, level 7; melee attack with
seditious Karou, including Choko Tanenaga, has survived many generations longer than a Kusanagi (sword artifact)
inflicts 8 points of damage;
who teach that reality is a lie and that everyone normal person. Those under him attribute his returns to life a few days
is trapped in an illusion. longevity to the grace of the gods. Few have after being killed

127
Elite samurai: level 5, complaints with the Shogun, as he is fair in his The Shogun is usually protected by two or three
initiative tasks as level 6;
health 18; Armor 2; katana decrees and generous to those of every class. elite samurai at all times.
melee attack inflicts 6 On the other hand, he is also known for never
points of damage (or 8
points if the samurai made
allowing laws to be bent. He has ordered Karou SHINAGAWA
the first attack on a foe and others beneath him to commit seppuku Several areas of Edo conduct lively commerce,
rather than make an exception to the rules but the quarter known as Shinagawa contains
Seppuku is ritual suicide.
because of extenuating circumstances. the most popular shops and inns. Because
Matsudaira: level 5; health Before the founding of Edo, Tokugawa and Edo is a destination, travelers are common,
25; melee bokken (wooden
sword) attack inflicts 7 three others (including Hirotomo) encountered and Shinagawa does its best to lure them
points of damage an oni during a phase of the moon when with parties, festivals, and welcoming
Nobunori (enenera): level Magic swirled. The oni and its horde of a establishments. If one wishes to conduct trade,
3, stealth tasks as level 7, hundred brigands attacked the group, but the buy something peculiar, make a deal with ronin,
knowledge of myths as level swordplay and superior tactics of the defenders or have a good time in Edo, Shinagawa is the
5; health 12; can transform
between immaterial smoke, kept the attackers at bay. Enraged, the oni place to visit.
an inanimate object, and called upon fell spells, attempting to rip the Imperial Ryokan: This inn has a public house
a kimono-wearing woman
armed with a katana that life from the four and feed it to the brigands. where drinks and food are served as well as
inflicts 4 points of damage; Possibly because of the relic artifact carried by communal baths and tatami-matted rooms for
for details, see The Strange
Bestiary, page 50 Tokugawa, the spell rebounded. It was the oni travelers. It is one of the best places in Edo to
and the brigands who died, and in so doing, hear gossip, make connections to the locals, and
Tengen: level 3, tasks
related to deceit and their life force was magically infused into have a good time. The proprietor, Matsudaira, is
pleasant social interaction Tokugawa and his three companions. Now, reputed to have been a brigand who became a
as level 5; learns one when any of the four die, that life is instead merchant. Whether true or not, people are afraid
random fact about a person
or location within short debited against the one hundred and one extra to cross him. Despite his white hair, he still
range that is pertinent to a lives given to the group. When all of those lives stands almost 7 feet (2 m) tall.
topic he designates
are used up, the original four will finally die a Nobunoris Electric Marvels: One of the most
normal death. popular shops in Shinagawa sells technological
marvels such as revolvers, electric fans,
batteries the size of gallon milk jugs, and
more. Nobunori is rarely aroundin fact, shes
available to talk with customers only when
Magic is high because she is a mythological
creature known as an enenera. When Standard
Physics is high, she usually takes the form of
a piece of equipment in her store. Like many
mythological creatures, she is fascinated by
marvels of science.
Fortunes Told: A fortune teller wrapping
himself in colorful fabrics wanders the
Shinagawa quarter, offering to tell the fortunes of
those he meets, for a price. He isnt a native of
Edo, but a recursor from Earth on the run from
those whove sworn vengeance against him.
Everyone in Samurai Sky knows him as Tengen
(short for fortune teller), but on Earth he was
known as Michael Crawford. To safeguard his
position in an Earth organization, he employed
tactics to make himself seem indispensable,
no matter which of his friends he had to betray.
In the end, his deeds were discovered. The
organization he sought to remain a part of put
a price on his head. Unfortunately for Crawford,

128
RECURSIONS: SAMURAI SKY 2
recursors were part of the organization, so he NORTHEAST QUARTER
fled through the Strange to a limited world that Evil spirits travel from the northeast, or so
not even the Estate or OSR had heard of. Tengen local Edo legends tell. And when Magic is high,
keeps a wary eye out for other recursors, and he its literally true. Phantoms sometimes visibly
likely reacts with violence if he encounters one. stream from the graveyards in that area, and
oni disguised with devil masks and spells brave
daylight (or the night) to gather rare herbs,
EDO EDICTS flowers, and other ingredients that appear only
Moonstorm: The phase of the moon has at those times. Nuppeppo: level 2; health
frozen in the sky, and Magic is high all the Anyone looking to hire an assassin, acquire 12; Armor 1; sticky flesh
time, causing oni, phantoms, and other an evil spell, dig up a grave, or transgress in forces victim to make a
some other fashion that involves death and difficulty 5 Might-based roll
creatures of the Northeast Quarter (and to pull free; melee attack
other places) to run wild. Discovering why pain should come to the Northeast Quarter. inflicts necrosis (1 point of
Magic has frozen and how to restart the However, intruders are recognized immediately Speed damage per round
by gangs of toughs (some of which contain until the affected flesh is cut
normal cycle is the Shoguns number one away, dealing 4 points of
priority. ronin) or, worse, wandering nuppeppos.
damage); for more details,
Nuppeppos are animated lumps of human see The Strange Bestiary,
Sumo at Ryogoku Bridge: The riverbanks flesh that walk on vaguely defined limbs page 100

beside Ryogoku Bridge are lined with food and smell of decay and death.
stalls, restaurants, and crowds of people. Theyre mostly harmless,
Often, theres an exciting sumo match to but sometimes they
watch, but lately a contender who wears a go after strangers in
demon mask has defeated all comers. The groups of up to
newcomer, who calls himself Kyoto Killer, eight.
has unfortunately lived up to his name,
and now few wrestlers dare to challenge
him. Someone needs to challenge the Killer
to a match and show him up, or the sport
of sumo may be doomed in Edo.

Machine Mayhem: A giant mechanism,


perhaps 100 feet (30 m) high, armed with
cannons and more dire electrical weapons,
tramps toward the city. Presumably crafted
by the enemies of Edo, the machine
must be stopped, or it will wreak untold
destruction on the city and its populace.

Blind Swordsman: A blind ronin wearing


a black scarf tied over his eyes has been
challenging any samurai he finds to a
duel. Given that refusing a challenge is not
especially honorable, and that fighting the
blind is even less so, most samurai give
the swordsman the honor of the first cut.
That is a mistake, because the challenger
seems preternaturally gifted with the
sword, and if not stopped, he will continue
to kill off Edos samurai.

129
SAMURAI SKY ARTIFACTS KUSANAGI
Level: 1d6 + 3
ELECTRIC KATANA Form: Long blade forged of white metal
Level: 1d6 Effect: This weapon functions as a normal
Form: Katana fitted with power cables and a heavy weapon requiring two hands to wield.
battery backpack If a target lies while the tip of the blade is
Effect: This katana functions as a medium pointed at him, the wielder feels a vibration
weapon if wielded with one hand or a heavy in the hilt.
weapon if wielded with two hands. When it If the wielder spends a round concentrating,
strikes a foe, the wielder decides whether she learns the exact location of every
to activate the electrical charge as part of creature within long range, regardless of
the same action, which deals additional how well hidden they might be.
points of damage equal to the artifact level. Finally, if the wielder attacks a foe with the
If the weapon is depleted on a use, the blade, she can choose to inflict 2 points of
final electrical charge is dealt to the wielder damage in addition to the 6 points normally
instead of the target. dealt by a heavy blade, inflicting 8 points in
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 all.
Each special use of the weapon requires a
HAMMER OF WISHES depletion roll. If the artifact is depleted, it
Level: 1d6 finds a way to become lost and pass on to a
Form: Hammer inlaid with kanji that read new wielder.
Uchide no Kozuchi Depletion: 1 in 1d100
Effect: A wielder who spends a minute using
the hammer on a solid surface of stone, SPIRIT REVOLVER
metal, or a similar substance can wish for Level: 1d6 + 1
an object and tap it into existence. Objects Form: Six-shooter with custom ammo inscribed
created can last for several days, depending with kanji
on their simplicity and purpose. The level Effect: This revolver functions as a normal
of the item is determined by the GM but is medium ranged weapon. The special
no greater than the level of the artifact. The custom ammo deals full damage plus
more powerful the object, the more likely additional damage equal to the artifacts
the GM will limit its existence. For example, level to undead, spirits (even if intangible),
an object with a cypherlike effect probably and other paranormal creatures (generally
lasts for only one use, like a regular cypher. speaking, creatures that rely on the law of
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 Magic to exist). Once depleted, the revolver
can still be used normally. Additional
custom ammo could be fashioned, though
it would take someone skilled in both the
manufacture of bullets and spellcasting.
Depletion: 1 in 1d6

130
RECURSIONS: SEISHIN SHORE 2

SEISHIN SHORE
The Cloud Sea streams across Seishin Shore visit the Library, but not for too long, lest they
under a cerulean sky that seems to go on become bound and shelved.
forever. The Cloud Sea can be tempestuous. Its Seishin Shore is a recursion of loss, memory, Seishin Shore was created
storms and fathomless deeps are both famous. magic, and adventure. It is a changeable by fictional leakage.
Giant skyships in all their bewildering variety place; new creatures and locations sometimes
fish the depths of the sea, called the Cloud appear in the Cloud Sea without notice or Tetsu are dragonlike
Deeps. Motes of land float amid the cumulus, apparent reason. Seishin Shore is neither a creatures of magic; many
cumulonimbus, and a dozen other cloud land of everlasting peace nor one of relentless in Seishin Shore are cloud
or water spirits, but not all.
varieties. Some motes are covered in amazing evil; both dwell together in the heart of See page 216.
landscapes where peculiar creatures dwell, every creature who abides there. Natives
and others contain simple or grand structures, can be disinterested, be potentially helpful,
Namers are Seishin Shore
including the famous Library. Natives yearn to or seem like frightening monsters. Visitors
sorcerers who use common
may enjoy the wonderful vistas and unique and hidden names to
entertainments, but they should take care not change the nature of other
to run afoul of obscure social taboos or act creatures and objects.
SEISHIN SHORE ATTRIBUTES
selfishly in front of the wrong tetsu or namer.
Level: 5
Arrival: Seishin Shores initial default Cloud Sea, page 132
Laws: Magic
translation location is the wide square before
Playable Races: Human, yobuko
the steps of the Library.
Foci: Abides in Stone, Adapts Library, page 133
to Any Environment, Entertains,
Infiltrates, Lives in the Wilderness,
Looks for Trouble, Names*, Operates
Abides in Stone,
Undercover, Wields Two Weapons at
page 51
Once, Works Miracles
Skills: Seishin Shore lore WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT Adapts to Any
Connection to Strange: Some books in the SEISHIN SHORE Environment, page 54
Library open onto doorways into the Seishin Shore operates under the
Entertains, page 61
Strange law of Magic and is a land seeded by
Connection to Earth: A few rare books in a blend of Asian myths mixed with Infiltrates, page 62
the Library open onto gates to Earth; contemporary stories, comics, and
Lives in the Wilderness,
the transitory centers of some storms films of related magical lands. page 66
and rolling fog banks lead to similar Seishin Shore consists of many
manifestations on Earth locations hovering within the Cloud Looks for Trouble,
Sea. Some are great ships, and others page 68
Size: 100,000 square miles (259,000
square km) are motes of land containing structures Operates Undercover,
Spark: 55% or wild landscapes. page 70
Trait: Inquisitive. The difficulty of tasks The Library is one of the most
Wields Two Weapons at
related to learning something new, important institutions in Seishin Shore,
Once, page 82
whether talking to a local to get and the knowledge it contains extends
information or digging through old across several recursions and even Works Miracles,
Earth. page 82
books to find lore, is modified by one
step to the learners benefit. Seishin Shore natives conduct
* indicates foci found in this book
transactions with barter or books. Names, page 204

131
SEISHIN SHORE FOCI retrieves her mask, she is essentially blind
The foci that player characters can choose in and deaf in the vicinity of her body). A yobuko
Seishin Shoreas well as any foci that are must be vigilant that an enemy does not steal
Draggable foci, page 52 dragged into the recursionare modified by her mask and lock it in a chest. Yobuko are
the recursions context, as appropriate. For somewhat resistant to the magic of namers.
example, if someone chooses Abides in Stone, Whenever name magic is used on a yobuko, the
the shape and nature of the character wont difficulty of the defense roll is modified by one
look like an Ardeyn golem, but a temple statue step to the yobukos advantage.
common in the recursion.
Seishin Shore also offers a focus called NOTABLE LOCATIONS
Names. The following are only a sampling of the many
amazing sites in Seishin Shore.
YOBUKO RACIAL OPTION
Instead of appearing as a human, a recursor CLOUD SEA
could translate into the recursion as a yobuko. The Cloud Sea is a single vast ocean filling
A yobuko has a slender humanoid body and the recursion. Clouds drift at various levels, as
always wears a mask. A player and GM can do motes of solid land, some as large as cities,
decide together what the characters mask others as small as boulders. The depths of the
looks like. Behind the mask is an utterly blank sea are lightless and crushing. The heights
expanse of flesh; the mask is also the yobukos slowly give way to empty vacuum where no
face. Sometimes a yobuko removes her mask, ship can go. The remaining cardinal directions
possibly to hide it somewhere so she can see seem to go on forever, but natives rarely travel
and hear whats going on in that location even to the edge because when they do, they tend
when she is a few miles away (until a yobuko to disappear. That said, the Cloud Sea is used

132
RECURSIONS: SEISHIN SHORE 2
for travel and trade across the many cultures papers, cookbooks, diaries, travelogues,
of Seishin Shore. The sea is home to flying fish instruction manuals, and more. But the Lost
(and stranger beasts) of all kinds, as well as Stacks contain even more esoteric knowledge,
awful predators, privateers, and truly disastrous including secrets otherwise known to only a
storms, which is why many of the ships tend to few individuals, or even just one. Accessing
be so large. the Lost Stacks requires permission from the
Master Librarian, and a would-be researcher
THE LIBRARY faces two additional challenges. The first is
The Library, its attendant structures, and the finding the desired piece of information (a
surrounding gardens cover a floating mote research task of a few days whose difficulty
a few miles (5 km) in diameter. Like many is set by the GM, depending on the obscurity
civilized motes, a portion of one edge bristles of the information sought). The second is
with long piers where ships of all kinds put avoiding the rogue Compilers who wander the
in, while the truly large skyships hold station stacks looking to make new books out of recent
farther out. Natives (humans, yobuko, and visitors.
other native creatures with unique shapes) Two competing factions control the Library:
wander the grounds of the Library. Those the Keepers and the Compilers.
wearing scholarly robes read from large tomes
or engage in deep philosophical conversations. MASTERS KEEPERS
Knowledge of every kind is stored in bound The Keepers serve the Master Librarian. The Master Librarian: level 5,
volumes in the Library, including knowledge Master is a yobuko of special power who is perception in and around
the Library as level 8; to kill
of Seishin Shore, other recursions, and even able to control dozens (perhaps hundreds) him, every mask belonging
Earth. General information is fairly easy to of masks simultaneously. Most Keepers who to the Master must be
find, but specific details or secrets might be serve him are yobuko who lost their own masks destroyed
contained in thick volumes kept secure in a and became mouthpieces of the Master out of
vaulted chamber, itself filled with many limited desperation. The Master Librarian also hides
recursions containing yet more shelves, known extra masks (sans bodies) he controls in nooks Why the Lost Stacks?
as the Lost Stacks. and crannies around the Library, which allow Thats what theyve always
If a title has ever been published in the him to keep tabs on his dominion of books. been called, and the Master
Librarian says theres a
Shoals of Earth (or on Earth itself), a copy of The Master Librarian is an authoritarian with
good reason for it. But its
that book is potentially shelved somewhere a high opinion of himself. He is easily angered, not a reason hes willing to
in the Lost Stacks. Titles include research and breaking even a minor rule of the Library divulge.

133
Typical Compiler: level 4; is a quick path to being ejected from the mote LIBRARY COMPILERS
long-range attack deals 5 or, worse, turned over to the Compilers for Many of the Compilers of the Library are
points of damage and robs
target of its action in the binding. On the other hand, the Master is a namers. Compilers are responsible for
subsequent round; usually yobuko of his word, and if he makes a deal with preserving the books already contained on the
carries a random cypher; someone, he wont be the first to break the shelves and for expanding the collection. Thus,
some can translate contract. He usually provides week-long passes they deal with book merchants from across
Compilers to the Lost Stacks for those who agree to do a Seishin Shore and other recursions. Any given
who translate to other useful service for the Library first. These tasks Antiquarian Book Fair hosted in a large Earth
recursions to obtain new often include dealing with threats to the Library city might well attract a Compiler or two in
books for the Library can
from privateers, creatures of the Cloud Sea, or translated form.
manipulate the name of
the book they wish to bring book thieves who must be tracked down no Compilers can also bind living creatures to
back to Seishin Shore. They matter how far theyve translated. create new books, at least in recursions that
can grant a book-sized The Master Librarian detests the Compilers, operate under the law of Magic. If a creature
or smaller object in their
possession the capacity despite their importance to the Library. Hed gives its consent, Compilers with namer
to translate between prefer to fire them all and start fresh with abilities use a special name to turn the target
recursions without taking non-namers. Namers, hes found, rarely agree into a book containing all the knowledge the
on a new context.
to wear one of his extra masks, no matter the creature possessed. Consent can be given
incentive. normally, but also implicitly by losing a bet or
by having debt assumed by a Compiler.
Visiting researchers often encounter
Compilers amid the Lost Stacks. Compilers
are very interested in visitors from other
recursions and challenge them to a contest
of wit or, better yet, a game of chance. If the
visiting researchers win, the Compilers guide
them to the particular tome containing the
information sought. If the visitors lose, one or
more of them is magically bound, transformed
into a tome holding all the knowledge the
creature possessed, and shelved in the Library.
A recursor bound into a book that is translated
(by a third party) out of the recursion returns
to normal, but if she ever translates back to
Seishin Shore, she becomes a book once more.
A creature bound as a book can be returned
to flesh again while in the recursion, though
without a Compilers help, the process is a
level 7 Intellect task that requires knowledge of
magic and sorcerous rituals.
Compilers, almost to a one, detest the
Master Librarian. They think hes too strict,
too unyielding, and unfailingly unappreciative
of even the most spectacular gambling
opportunity or prank. If they could, theyd
depose him and set one of their own in the
Masters place.

ASHIHIRA
The city of Ashihira is built on the edge of a
much larger forested mote some 50 miles (80
km) northeast of the Library and 3 miles (5 km)

134
RECURSIONS: SEISHIN SHORE 2
First Mate Setsuko: level
deeper in the Cloud Sea. At any given time, over a year ago, and First Mate Setsuko (a 5; short-range exploding
roughly 6,000 residents (humans, yobuko, human woman) has commanded the ship seishu bottle attack against
targets within immediate
and unique creatures) are active in the city, in Reis place. If asked when Captain Rei will range of each other every
but thats only because another 6,000 or so be back, Setsuko always replies, Soon, so other round; magic boots
are plying the Cloud Sea in skiffs, caravels, soon you wont even realize he was gone! return her to the deck of
the Unyo if she falls off or
and larger skyships. In addition to its thriving though that assurance has begun to wear thin.
wills it
fishing trade, Ashihira salvages water from For her part, First Mate Setsuko is an able
the quivering lakes that form as floating liquid leader, though one more fond of seishu than Unyo: level 8; health 100;
motes in the deeper layers. Salvaging water is ship repairs. The parties aboard the Unyo are Armor 5; up to 1,000
residents and crew; flies a
dangerous business because even the smallest often epic, but they come with the risk of an long distance per round;
lake is usually guarded by a territorial tetsu inebriated celebrator leaning against a rotted lighting cannon attack with
that regards the mote as its home, and larger railing and tumbling overboard. a range of 2 miles (3 km)
ones are inhabited by territorial whale men. But The Unyo bears many scars from past deals 12 points of damage
to the primary target and
water is nearly as valuable as books in Seishin engagements with privateer skyships and fights everything within short
Shore, and Ashihira controls most water trade with creatures of the Cloud Deeps that did not range of it
in the recursion. want to be fished. As such, the Unyo is outfitted
The ruler of Ashihira is Matsuko the Thin, with several smaller gunboats, as well as a Matsuko the Thin: level
a woman who exists only in two dimensions; couple of lightning cannons able to target foes 6; can become invisible
as part of another action,
when she turns sideways, she seems to through the haze of intervening clouds. but only to creatures along
disappear from view. She normally does so one sight line; can squeeze
only to escape overbearing councilors or ship PRIVATEER SHIP PALOMBARO between narrow spaces
captains come to plead fishing or water rights. The Palombaro is a privateer ship. Privateer
Matsukos rulership is conferred via popular is really just another word for pirate, but Skyship gunboat: level 5;
Armor 3; up to 10 crew;
acclaim during a city gathering that normally many of those crewing the Palombaro think of flies a short distance per
happens every seven years. themselves as the most polite pirates sailing round; long-range lightning
The chief thorn in Matsukos side is the the Cloud Sea. They (usually) board and gun attack deals 7 points
ex-captain of a water-salvaging ship. The ship loot ships only if they have received a legal of damage to the primary
target and everything within
disappeared with all hands several years ago commission to do so from one of the larger city immediate range of it
near Lake Natoriall hands, that is, except for motes or the Library. Further, they hardly ever
Captain Yama. Captain Yama is humanoid but take on new crew who dont want to become Captain Yama: level 5, tasks
has skin as white as paper, with no hair and a privateers, and they never damage a ship so related to persuasion as
level 6; health 25; crossbow
mouth a few times too large for his face, which much that it sinks into the Cloud Deeps (unless inflicts 3 additional points
he says is made for laughing. He uses it these nothing else will do). of damage
days mostly for demanding that Matsuko be The Palombaro is captained by a troll-like
removed from office for offenses against the creature called Juro. Juro is covered in red fur,
Captain Juro: level 5, feats
common good. Captain Yama has convinced a stands 10 feet (3 m) tall, and can bite an iron of strength or attacks as
fair number of Ashihirans of the legitimacy of level 7; health 23; regains 1
his claim. Others whisper that he is to blame point of health per round
for the loss of his ship. SKYSHIP PROPULSION AND LIFT Palombaro: level 7; health
A red mineral called aka runs in veins 50; Armor 4; up to 200
UNYO through floating motes and gives them crew; flies up to 300 feet
The city-ship Unyo sails the Cloud Sea. The (91 m) per round; three
their lift. Aka is taken up through the roots long-range cannon attacks
Unyo feeds its population of almost 1,000 of many trees and other woody vegetation as a single action
residents with occasional catches from fishing growing on the motes. When those trees
runs straight through the heart of dangerous are harvested for lumber and ships are
cumulonimbus thunderheads. It enriches itself built from that lumber, the resulting
by bartering excess fish to city motes, other great skyships can hover like motes and travel
skyships, and the Library in return for repairs, by propulsion from wind, magic, or beast
upgrades, and luxuries (including seishu, an (depending on the ship in question).
alcoholic drink common in the recursion).
The Unyos Captain Rei went on sabbatical

135
Typical whale person: level bar in half. When Captain Juro growls an order, equally massive whale people. Whale people
4; health 50; swims a long the crew leap to obey. However, it is the captain typically reach 20 feet (6 m) in length, and
distance each round
who ultimately enforces the polite pirate they congregate in the center of Lake Natori
motif currently in fashion on the Palombaro. in a hidden city that rarely welcomes visitors.
When he isnt around, things get a bit rougher. Whale people enjoy trade, and whenever a ship
Juro wasnt always the captain of the ship; he or other conveyance comes near the surface of
won the position when he saved the privateers the lake, a sortie of several whale people leap
from his ten older siblings that live at the from the surface on gliders specially made to
bottom of a cloud whirlpool the Palombaro support their bulk. They often barter for needful
dived too deep into.
Polite or not, the Palombaro has gone head to
head with other famous skyships, including the CREATURES OF THE CLOUD SEA
Unyo. Neither vessel got the upper hand in that AND DEEPS
conflict. Though the Unyo is better armed, the Flying fish of every size and shape shoal
Tetsu, page 216 Palombaro is much faster. throughout the Cloud Sea. Tetsu of various
temperaments are less commonly seen,
LAKE NATORI but that doesnt mean they dont watch
Lake Natori is one of many accumulations what happens across the recursion. In the
of liquid water floating in the Cloud Sea, just Cloud Deeps, vast tentacled things lurk
skimming the truly dangerous Cloud Deeps. probably squid of improbable size, though
The waterplant ecosystem in each lake is no ship or creature pulled to the crushing
enriched with the same red mineral (aka) depths has ever returned with a sketch to
that keeps motes and skyships aloft. Lake say for sure.
Natori is particularly large and is populated by

136
RECURSIONS: SEISHIN SHORE 2
defense roll or be pulled into the pages
Atom Nocturne,
LEGENDS OF SEISHIN SHORE and converted into an appendix that details page 234
Wagering Tetsu: A tetsu named Gari leaps the victims biography. Another reader
from cloud to cloud. Disheveled and could later release the victim as an action, Nefarious Star,
mangy by tetsu standards, he still reaches page 236
assuming the reader isnt caught herself.
a respectable 15 feet (5 m) in length. If If the libram of names is depleted, all
Gari sees a potential mark, he approaches appendices revert to living creatures.
and suggests a wager (usually of guessing Depletion: 1 in 1d20
cards, dice, or weather). Those who lose
must give up a treasure or be in Garis MASK OF TERROR
debt. The tetsu is in the habit of selling his Level: 1d6 + 1
debt to privateers or Library Compilers. Form: Simple black-and-white mask with head
strap
War of Whales: Exiled from Lake Natori Effect: Action to animate mask into a terrifying
for being too disruptive, a whale woman effigy. The wearer makes an Intellect attack
named Izanami has become something of a roll against all creatures in short
warlord, especially after she commandeered range who look at the transformed
the skyship Danarik and outfitted it for mask during that round.
piracy. According to rumors, Izanami plans Affected creatures are
on building a force beyond reckoning to terrified for up to a
wage war on her home lake and people. minute, during which time
they try to get away from
Stolen Mask: The Master Librarian is the wearer. The effect
offering a reward of seven days free ends sooner if the
passage in the Lost Stacks for anyone who wearer takes off the
finds the thief who stole one of his favorite mask or leaves, or
masks and escaped into the Strange. The if an ally of the victim
Master gives investigators the thiefs name offers sufficient verbal
and home recursion: Nefarious Star of encouragement.
Atom Nocturne. A yobuko can use this mask
as her primary mask
and keep her original as a
things with amazing songs that most of them temporarily nonfunctional
produce with just their voices. Even so, its rare fallback. If someone
to find a whale person without a flute, koto, who isnt a yobuko
shamishen, or other musical instrument. wears and activates
Unlike many other lakes claimed by tetsu, this mask, he must
Lake Natori is ruled by a council of whale make a Speed
people called the Eleventh Pod. defense roll upon
removing it, or his face
SEISHIN SHORE ARTIFACTS is erased (effectively, he
becomes a yobuko).
LIBRAM OF NAMES Depletion: 13 in 1d20
Level: 1d6 + 2
Form: Simple bone flute
Effect: Someone with the Names focus who
spends an action reading this book gains
an asset on her next task or attack, if it is
related to her focus.
Someone without the Names focus who reads
this book must succeed on an Intellect

137
STARSHIP HEINLEIN
Mr. Spock: Incredible as it may seem, these people have no idea theyre living on
a spaceship.
Captain James T. Kirk: I wonder how many generations have lived out their lives,
and...been buried here, without ever knowing that their world is hollow?
~For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky, Star Trek

The Light is jealous of her priestesses and divine plan. The angels who are blessed to live
punishes the World when new acolytes are in the World are jubilant to serve, and they do
not given unto her in the green of each new so in many ways. The biomancers keep food
cycle. The Light is the life of the World, housed on the tables, the wiredancers keep the glows
in the Holy Cathedral. Without the Light, the alive, and the datasingers appease fluctuations
World would founder and fall into the Abyss, in the warms and coolseveryone has a part
where souls are forever snuffed out. But the to play because all the angels are blessed. The
priestesses and acolytes are just one part of the angels satisfy the holy requirements of the

138
RECURSIONS: STARSHIP HEINLEIN 2
command module connected along the hub
STARSHIP HEINLEIN of rotation where the bridge, maintenance and
ATTRIBUTES engineering sections, and antimatter engine are
Level: 4 housed (the Holy Cathedral, which houses the
Laws: Mad Science Light).
Playable Races: Human
Foci: All Earth and Ruk foci WORLD ABOVE Foci, page 51
Skills: Starship Heinlein lore The World Above is a maintained artificial
Connection to Strange: Some escape pods environment whose inhabitable area was
jettison directly into the Strange originally designed like a Japanese garden.
Connection to Earth: None known The environment is a blend of natural and
Size: 20,000 square miles (51,800 square km) parklike precision. Although the angels have
Spark: 5% retained some semblance of the knowledge
Trait: Dogmatic. The difficulty of required to keep a starship operational (which
attempting to convince someone who they consider rituals of worship, not science),
believes in a revealed truth is increased blights and other malfunctions have turned
by one step. some parts of the World Above into truly wild
locations.
Angels: The angels (that is, humans) in Typical angel: level 2,
Light so the World shall continue forever and the World Above hum joyous tunes as they pleasant social interaction
as level 4; Armor 2 (angelic
ever without end, amen. go about their days. Most believe they are vestment artifact)
At least, thats how the average angel of working in harmony with the Light, which
the World sees things inside the starship is purpose enough for anyone. Angels may Angelic vestment, page 142
named Heinlein. But when the ship left Earth serve as priestesses (though these are usually
a thousand years ago with state-of-the-art found in the Holy Cathedral) or in a host of
antimatter engines boosting it toward Alpha other positions required to keep a starship
Centauri, the original crew was well aware that active, despite the ritualized and supernatural
they traveled aboard a generation ship. The names those positions now possess. Those
Revelation: level 3, Speed
Heinlein was designed to survive more than who manipulate genes and cause fruit to defense as level 5 due to
a thousand-year journey through space by ripen according to needs are biomancers, tiny size, understanding
replacing crew over time with new generations those who fix malfunctions and restore proper and manipulating ship
of people who would be trained to be as illumination are wiredancers, and so on. systems as level 6; flies a
long distance each round;
competent as the previous generation. But all Revelation: Angels each have a revelation, short-range laser attack
the failsafes failed, because Starship Heinlein which is proof of their divine heritage. A inflicts 4 points of damage
is seeded from dozens of similar stories
where thats what happens.
Arrival: First-time recursors arrive
in Starship Heinlein (natives call it the
World) standing in an observation bubble
overlooking the World Above (one of the
two rotating wheels of the starship) from
the Holy Cathedral Overlook (at the hub of
the rotation, where the command module
and engines are located).

MAJOR SHIP SECTIONS


The World consists of a few main parts.
These include two rotating wheels where
artificial gravity is maintained (the World
Above and World Below), as well as the

139
WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT ALTERNATIVE RECURSOR KNOWLEDGE
STARSHIP HEINLEIN ABOUT THE STARSHIP
Starship Heinlein operates under the Instead of providing the behind-the-scenes
law of Mad Science and is a generation information described in What a Recursor
ship hurtling through space, originally Knows About Starship Heinlein, you could
designed as a colonization ship for give the PCs the fake version that most
Alpha Centauri. natives believe to be true as if it were the
Starship Heinlein has flown for around truth. Then let the PCs figure out whats
a thousand years (ships time), during really going on as encounters on the
which the purpose of the trip, and the starship play out.
fact that the natives inhabit a starship
at all, has mostly been forgotten.
Starship natives believe they are angels coasting. The illumination is indirectly visible
who serve the Light, a divine and from both the World Above and the World
omniscient god who keeps everyone Below. The priestesses teach that when the
safe from the Abyss. Food of God is fed to the Light, contact with
According to the natives, the World Her numinous flesh causes an explosion,
Above is where the angels live, the Holy which emits pure holy exultation that scalds the
Cathedral is where the priestesses and wicked but purifies those who accept the Light
acolytes directly serve the Light, and into their hearts.
Priestess: level 5, pleasant the World Below is where evil dwells. Priestesses: The angels of the World who
social interaction as level 4; serve the Light take a vow of service in which
Armor 2 (angelic vestment
artifact); long-range
they are expected to give up their former lives
electrical attack with staff revelation gives an angel limited power over and become holy extensions of the Lights will.
of prayer inflicts 6 points of the surrounding environment, including the Each priestess learns rituals for worship of
damage ability to change the temperature and lighting the Light, which (though muddled and mostly
conditions, access food, and call for transport. irrelevant to the needs of an antimatter engine)
Each revelation is a ring-shaped drone that accomplish enough to keep the engines in
provides owners with basic access to certain working order. Priestesses are also tasked
functions provided by the starship. Revelations with dealing with those who spout the Heresy,
speak with a unique synthesized voice and have as well as dealing with contaminations that
limited abilities to keep their appointed angels sometimes make their way out of the World
safe from harm. Below. Thus, in addition to their revelation
Staff of prayer, page 142 companions, each priestess also carries a staff
HOLY CATHEDRAL of prayer that provides additional functions,
Most of the Holy Cathedral is off limits even including a method to cleanse heretics and
to the priestesses, including the bridge, the demons with searing pulses of holy glory.
cryobay where some of the original crew is still The Heresy: Every so often, someone
maintained in stasis, and the shuttle bay. The shows up claiming that the Light is an artifact
parts normally accessed by the priestesses of mortal construction, that angels are just
allow them to control the interface with the animals called humans, and that the World
Light (the antimatter engine) and the Food of is a craft that has lost its way. These heretics
God (the magnetic storage where antimatter say that Heinlein wasnt the first prophet of
fuel is stored). Although the tasks are mixed the Light, but rather is the name of the craft
up with a lot of ritual, the priestesses keep everyone lives on, named for a long-dead
the antimatter engine running and, generally writer of fictions. The reason the Heresy wont
speaking, in good health. die, despite how harshly each new heretic is
The Light: The Light is the literal glow the expunged, has to do with the cryobay. The
engine makes when in a thrusting phase, original builders of the Heinlein included a
though a residual glow persists even when failsafe mechanism by arranging for a few

140
RECURSIONS: STARSHIP HEINLEIN 2
hundred crew members to be frozen in Demons: People who survive contact with Demon (human): level 2,
cryosleep and thawed out every few decades to sinroots occasionally come away with horrible unarmed attacks as level 4
make certain that the mission was proceeding disfigurations and harmful mutations to go
accordingly. Unfortunately, each crew member with their homicidal tendencies. This makes
thawed by the automatic systems becomes them an even easier target of angel hate and Harmful mutation,
a hunted criminalbranded as a servant of page 240
the Demon Lordand ejected into the Abyss
(space), burned alive in the glory of the Light
OMENS AND PROPHECIES
(the engines), or sent to fend for himself in the
Kuma Gera: A man appeared in the
nightmarish World Below (the other spinning
Holy Cathedral. He wore the clothing of
habitat).
the angels and was accompanied by a
revelation. At first, he was confused and
WORLD BELOW suffering from frostbite, so the priestesses
Although still spinning and thus creating
saw to it that he was housed in the World
artificial gravity, the World Below is mostly
Above. But then he began speaking
dark and cold. An alien seed from a midspace
heresies about the World, the angels, and
collision with a rogue planetesimal infected the
the Light. Before he could be dispatched to
crew of the Heinlein, which is probably when
the World Below, he fled, and now he hides
things first got so confused. In order to save
somewhere among the angels, spreading
the mission, the commander of that lost era
his evil whispers.
ordered one entire habitat wheel quarantined.
Residual populations inhabit the World Below,
Leak: An accident caused by a wiredancer
but the disease kills most of those it infects
overstepping his bounds has created an
and turns the rest into homicidal maniacs that
atmospheric leak in the ship bulkhead that
regular angels refer to as demons.
automatic repair systems cant handle.
The same alien seed also germinates into
Angels and priestesses believe the wind
thick, hallucination-inducing vegetation that
and growing cold in the area of the leak are
now overgrows a good part of the planned
trials to be overcome, but without eventual
parklike environment of the World Below, called
intervention, the leak could become a
the Forest of Perfidy. Portions of the vegetation,
major catastrophe.
called sinroots, sometimes animate and hunt
heretics and demons living in the World Below.
Demon Incursion: The Demon Lord has
Angels who venture into the World Below
developed an insidious plan to plant sinroot
must face demons, sinroots, and recalcitrant
seeds in the Holy Cathedral and take it
revelations. Many of the blessings (functions)
as his own, proving himself to be both a
that revelations normally provide to angels fail
demon and a heretic. But certainly the Light
in the World Below.
would never allow its most sacred house to
Sinroots: These shambling, not-quite- Sinroot: level 4; Armor
become compromised by evilwould it? 1; moves an immediate
humanoid beings resemble trees. They are
distance each round; long-
sentient, mobile, aggressive creatures that use
Interstellar Incident: Lights and alarms range exploding pod attack
barbed roots to feed on blood. When active, deals 4 points of damage
of uncertain meaning sound in the Holy
they shed faint light in darkness. A sinroots and inflicts maddening
Cathedral. Although they are intended to visions until those points
seeds are highly hallucinogenic, and ingesting
warn the crew that a close approach to a are restored
or having one of the barbed seeds lodged in
stellar oddity is imminent, the priestesses
the skin induces distressing visions of torture,
and acolytes know only that something
ecstasy, homicidal thoughts, and everything in
is amiss. Ancient knowledge, perhaps
between. While the visions last, a victim must
contained within the head of a heretic
consciously attempt to wrench her mind back
condemned to the World Below, is required
to reality each round with a successful Intellect-
to navigate the upcoming emergency.
based roll.

141
disgust. But that doesnt hurt the feelings of a Demon Lord retains more of his original
demonwhen one smells an angel, a heretic, intelligence from when he was brought out of
or a hurt demon, it descends with primal stasis, branded as a heretic, and banished to
bloodlust. The only thing demons have going the World Below. If he ever put that knowledge
for them is that the mobile extensions of the to use, he could be one of the greatest threats
Forest of Perfidy do not target them. facing Starship Heinlein.
Demon Lord: level 5, Demon Lord: The current homicidal maniac
knowledge of starship who claims control of the others has a colorful STARSHIP HEINLEIN ARTIFACTS
systems as level 6; Armor 2
title. The Demon Lord also has a few pet
sinroots that serve him at all times. Although ANGELIC VESTMENT
he is just as murderous as his subjects, the Level: 1d6
Form: Articulated bodysuit with deployable
helm
Effect: This armor is designed to allow a
human to survive comfortably in a vacuum
or poisonous atmosphere for up to three
days at a time. It is light armor but grants
+1 to Armor in addition to the 1 point that
light armor usually provides. The suits
protection also applies to damage that
often isnt reduced by typical Armor, such
as heat or cold damage (but not Intellect
damage).
Depletion: (After three days of continuous
use, or if the GM rules that the vestment
has sustained enough damage that its
atmospheric and environmental protections
cease, the suit is no longer spaceworthy but
still functions as armor.)

STAFF OF PRAYER
Level: 1d6 + 1
Form: Quarterstaff of synthetic wood and
circuitry
Effect: The staff has three functions.
Cleanse: When used to attack, the tip of the
staff releases a bolt of searing electricity at a
target within long range, inflicting damage
equal to the artifact level.
Transport: The staff levitates the user up or
down to a short distance each round, or
horizontally to an immediate distance, for
up to ten minutes per use.
Analyze: Each round spent analyzing a creature
or object within short range yields one
pertinent piece of information about it, such
as its level, toxicity, or other noteworthy
features.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

142
RECURSIONS: SWORD REALMS 2

SWORD REALMS
Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of
Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear The Sword Realms were
created through fictional
the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who leakage.
alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!
~The Wizard, Conan the Barbarian

The Sword Realms are not a single recursion, the spark risk an existence of fear and drudgery,
but rather the name for several connected whether as a serf, a slave, a prisoner, or a victim
recursions shaped by wizardry, hidden elvish of a monstrous creature or cruel warlord. But
enclaves, ambitious human kingdoms, those with open eyesincluding recursors
rapacious dragons, barbarian outlanders, see the opportunities the Sword Realms offer
marauding orc tribes, trolls and mountain to the brave and daring. These conspicuous
giants, half-forgotten deities, and amazing few practice the kata of the blade, spell, coin,
treasures of gold and magic. Natives without or prayer. They are destined for great things in

143
a pass in the Thunderstone Mountains,
SWORD REALMS ATTRIBUTES looking down across the sprawling Free City of
Abides in Stone, Level: 6/3; see Realms of the Dyranmar.
page 51 Sword and Translation
Carries a Quiver,
Laws: Magic SWORD REALMS RACIAL OPTIONS
page 55 Playable Races: Human, elf, Instead of appearing as a human, a recursor
dwarf, halfling could choose to translate into the Sword
Entertains, page 61 Foci: Abides in Stone, Carries a Quiver, Realms as a dwarf, an elf, or a halfling. Dwarves
Leads, page 65
Entertains, Inks Spells on Skin*, Leads, are stocky with beards, elves have pointed
Lives in the Wilderness, Masters ears and androgynous features, and halflings
Lives in the Wilderness, Foot and Fist*, Names*, Practices are child sized with hairy, bare feet. They also
page 66 Soul Sorcery, Quells Undead*, Slays gain the following advantages: dwarves gain
Practices Soul Sorcery, Dragons, Solves Mysteries, Wields Two +1 to their Might Pool, elves gain +1 to their
page 71 Weapons at Once, Works Miracles Speed Pool, and for halflings, the difficulty of
Skills: Sword Realms lore tasks related to stealth and pleasant social
Slays Dragons, page 77
Connection to Strange: Active magic circles interaction is decreased by one step.
Solves Mysteries, keep openings to the Strange well guarded
page 78 Connection to Earth: Occasional transitory SWORD REALMS FOCI
translation gates in cellars, mirrors, The foci that player characters can choose in
Wields Two Weapons at
Once, page 82 and wardrobes the Sword Realmsas well as any foci that
Size: Hundreds of closely connected are dragged into the recursionare modified
Works Miracles, recursions, many of which blend into by the recursions context, as appropriate. For
page 82 each other almost seamlessly example, if someone chooses Works Miracles,
Draggable foci, page 52 Spark: 15% the power to heal another creature is channeled
Trait: Adventurous. Once per day, a character from one of the deities that are revered, feared,
attempting a task for the first time that or cursed in the Sword Realms.
Inks Spells on Skin, page 200 entails some risk can reroll the die. As is true for any recursion, the foci indicated
Masters Foot and Fist, * indicates foci found in this book as being available in the Sword Realms are just
page 203 the base options. Many more foci are possible,
especially those that replicate abilities of classic
Names, page 204
the Sword Realms because practice and iron adventuring roles. The GM can use appropriate
Quells Undead, page 206 will give them the means to rise above their foci from the corebook, from In Translation, or
circumstance and enter a world of adventure. from other sources.
The inputs of a thousand fantasy novels,
movies, and tabletop roleplaying games REALMS OF THE SWORD AND
comingled to seed the Sword Realms in the TRANSLATION
Strange. If a concept, creature, object, or A native is likely to be blind or indifferent to the
character exists in fiction somewhere on Earth, concept that Sword Realms locations might
a reflection of it likely exists somewhere in the be in separate recursions. Thats especially
Sword Realms. As a class of similar recursions true when it comes to the wide forest known
rather than one specific recursion, the Sword as the Gloomwood and the elvish enclave of
Realms are somewhat more difficult to Ilucara hidden within it. When its obvious that
navigate. Borders are in fluxtwo places in the one place is not directly connected to another,
Sword Realms might be located in two different a native of the Sword Realms might view a
recursions (though that distinction is not distant recursion as lying on another plane of
always clear to natives), and sometimes known existence. From a natives perspective, all such
locations are inaccessible until the proper alternate recursions are usually called realms,
phase of the moon comes around or some anyway. So the realm of the human Empire
other external ingredient is provided. of the Gold Throne is separate from the Free
Arrival: First-time recursors who translate City of Dyranmar, both of which are separate
into the Sword Realms find themselves on from the sea that divides them, and so on.

144
RECURSIONS: SWORD REALMS 2
The realm of Abysm is harder to reach but is
still connected, which means its not separate
WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT enough from a natives point of view.
THE SWORD REALMS Recursors notice something odd about the
The Sword Realms operate under the law Sword Realms: translating into any particular
of Magic and are seeded by thousands part of the realms from an unaffiliated
of fantasy novels, movies, and tabletop recursion or from Earth is a difficulty 6
roleplaying games. translation task. However, translating from
If a concept, creature, object, or one of the Sword Realms recursions to a
character exists in fiction somewhere on connected recursion is usually only a difficulty
Earth, a reflection might be somewhere in 3 translation task (and often, moving from one
the Sword Realms. to the next is as simple as walking across the
Spirits of the dead sometimes live on in edges of the connected recursions, an event
the Sword Realms and might be drawn into that may go unnoticed by all but the most
the hellish realm of Abysm; a recursor who sensitive). Translating out of a Sword Realms
dies in the Sword Realms could face the recursion from any recursion inside is also
same fate. harder, and recursors find the difficulty of the
Two places in the Sword Realms might translation task increases by two steps.
be located in two different recursions
(though borders between neighboring PANTHEON OF THE SWORD REALMS
recursions are always clear). A host of gods is revered and worshipped
in the Sword Realms, culled from the many
fictions that seeded the linked recursions.
Natives might be heard to call on any number

145
Aeltun Withe: level 5, tasks of deities, as determined by the GM. If the GM Lord Merchant Aeltun Withe numbers among
related to trade, deception, has a favorite fantasy setting, she might use the the most influential in Dyranmar, thanks to
and pleasant interaction as
level 6
gods from that world as the pantheon of the the thriving trade in cloth, lumber, and items
Sword Realms. stocking shops in the Market Ward that he
This means that if a recursor traveled far controlsand also thanks to his rumored
enough through the connected realms, she contract with the Slavers Guild. When those
might find her way into the presence of Zeus, in Withes employ displease him, they tend to
Odin, or one of the many gods made familiar disappear and, according to stories, show up
by various games or novels (or religions). on the block in the Slavers Ward.
However, its not wise to press the boundaries Lords of Dyranmar: The Lords of Dyranmar
of a recursion, because doing so could cause set the rules for commerce and civil interaction
such a god, who previously existed only in a in the Free City. Some of the Lords are corrupt,
state of possibility, to precipitate into existence. some do both good and ill, and a few attempt
And no one, whether they are a native of the to keep the city actually free. They meet three
The Estate, page 148 Strange, an Estate operative, or an agent of days out of seven in the Lords Agora, an open
the Karum, wants to risk a crazy bastard like auditorium on the edge of the Castle Ward, and
Karum, page 200
Zeusor any number of other godsgaining discuss issues of the day.
Spark, page 22 the spark. The Lords of Dyranmar have putative
control over the Lawkeepers (the city watch)
REALMS OF NOTE and the War College (the military), but both
The following are only a sampling of the many organizations have a tendency to act first and
locations within the Sword Realms. More seek forgiveness afterward.
Lord Myrdan (recursor): realms seem to pop up all the time, while Lord Myrdan is the current Speaker of the
level 7; long-range spell others fade away. Agora. He is independently wealthy, has a manor
attack inflicts damage
on all targets within
in the Castle Ward, and is an accomplished
immediate range of each FREE CITY OF DYRANMAR wizard in his own right, though he is not part
other; carries Myrdans staff A traveling adventurer is unlikely to come of the Wizards Guild. Hes one of the strongest
artifact across another city as large, as old, as proponents for the commoners of the Free
Myrdans staff, page 152 magnificentand at the same time as decrepit, City and has done much to expose corruption.
as corrupt, and as dangerousas Dyranmar. Myrdans secret hobby is exploringhe has
Built on the confluence of two mighty rivers the power to translate into other recursions
where they empty into the wide Sea of Storms, unrelated to the Sword Realms, and even to
Dyranmar has enjoyed unequaled trading Earth. Myrdan hasnt yet realized that its his
opportunities for hundreds of years, despite realm that is a reflection of the prime world, but
being fenced on one side by the towering he is beginning to have his suspicions.
Thunderstone Mountains. Slavers Guild: Criminals in Dyranmar are
Trade is king in Dyranmar; at least, thats sentenced to hard labor, usually as slaves to
a popular saying. Another saying is that All the winning bidders in the daily auctions. By
things come to Dyranmar, which fits many decree of the Lords of Dyranmar, slaves are
situations, including the fact that many factions bound to service only for the given term of their
vie for power in the Free City. The short list of sentence, which is magically marked on their
major organizations provided here is only a skin by a Lawkeeper tattoo. When the term is
subset; many more exist. up, the tattoo dissipates. To damage a slave
Merchant Guilds: Just short of nobility, or hold one beyond the length of his term is a
merchants are nonetheless given leeway that crime all its own, and if proved, the slave owner
commoners resent. Those who reach the can be convicted and sentenced to a term of
highest ranks within their particular guilds slavery himself.
are called lord merchants. The guilds elect The Slavers Ward is comparatively small,
three of their number every three years to sit as but it sees a lot of daily traffic, given that it
rotating members of the body called the Lords also houses the Lawkeepers and their various
of Dyranmar. operations.

146
RECURSIONS: SWORD REALMS 2
Its illegal in Dyranmar to traffic in slaves that Castia Lyone is a young woman whose family Castia Lyone: level 5, tasks
havent been sentenced and processed by the traces its lineage back to the days when royalty related to stealth and
thievery as level 7
Lawkeepers. However, beyond the city gates, ruled Dyranmar. She lives in the Castle Ward in
anecdotes suggest that the Slavers Guild has a sprawling manor owned by her grandparents.
another, far more brutal operation in place. She is also a principal of the Golden Masks.
Umar Bulzidbab, the face of the organization She specializes in stealing information rather Umar Bulzidbab: level 5,
in the Free City, does little to quash these than goods, and she usually provides it to Lord lore related to dwarves and
slaves as level 6; health 25;
rumors. The dwarf slavemaster feels that fear Myrdan (though he doesnt know her true Armor 2
of his organization is the most powerful tool in identity).
his arsenal. Certainly most people, even many
lords, are afraid to cross him. THUNDERSTONE MOUNTAINS
Wizards Guild: More of a research university This brutal range of peaks is mostly
than a vital part of the Free City, the Wizards snowcapped, except for the tallest, which is
Imilas Lindorion: level
Guild consists of members who usually remain a thundering, smoke-spewing volcano called 7; casts spells for offense,
holed up in their guildhall, a massive stone the One. Only a few passes provide entry into defense, and utility as
structure with many towers and dungeons that other realms of required; artifact staff
delivers a lightning attack
makes up the entirety of the Wizards Ward. the connected with a range of 3,000 feet
Practicing magic seems to be a drug to most (1 km) that inflicts 7 points
wizards, whether it entails studying the spells of damage (ignores Armor)
of others or researching their own spells. The
more magic they do, the more they want to do,
and the less happy they are when not doing it,
which leads many wizards right out of social
and adventuring life. Only a few regularly (or
permanently) leave the guildhall to take an
interest in the city or to adventure beyond
Dyranmars confines.
High Wizard Imilas Lindorion isnt bookish
and introverted like most wizards, making her
a great choice to serve as head of the guild. As
an elf, she is already descended from magical
beings. Magic came easy for her and didnt
prove addictive, as it does for so many humans.
Imilas hails from Ilucara, and while she
remains in the Free City, a tenuous tie exists
between the two realms. Imilas also serves as
the guild representative in the Lords Agora,
though she usually sends a second in her stead.
Shes done this more frequently of late, as
shes become worried about an orc infestation
growing in the Thunderstone Mountains.
Golden Masks: A guild of thieves is quite active
in the Free City, but never openly. In truth, little
is known about them other than the evidence of
their thefts, and the rumor that when the guild
principals meet, they wear golden masks to hide
their true identities from one another. Its likely
that some of them are prominent members of
other organizations, including the Slavers Guild
and the Merchants Guild, and a few may even
number among the Lords.

147
recursions, and all of them are dangerous, Beneath Eshadus and the Circle, a growing host
threatening travelers with blizzards in the high of lesser vampires and other undead menace
passes, lava flows near the One, or a variety of nearby realms.
giants, ogres, orcs, and other menaces. Wybury: A small human and elf settlement
Ogremarch: An ogre colony infests an ancient called Wybury lies along the eastern edge of the
watchtower along one of the major passes. Gloomwood. It hasnt succumbed to the Circle
Ogre, Thunderstone: level It contains about thirty ogres and double of Glory or the Bloodgod, but its walls and
6; immune to lightning that number of orcs and human slaves. The townsfolk have come under attack, more all
and electrical attacks;
alternate attacks are
ogres operate like bandits and are capriciously the time. Travelers who wish to cut through the
charged with lightning and sinister. Sometimes they demand a toll from Gloomwood to reach Ilucara are best advised
inflict 3 additional points of travelers, and other times they may capture an to start at Wybury and hire a local guide. The
damage entire party to use as food and replacement most famous guide is the half-elf Alwel, whose
Orc, Thunderstone: level slaves. bow is rumored to have taken down more than
3, Speed defense as level 4 The One: This volcano is so tall that travelers one Circle of Glory vampire.
from shield; if two or more find it hard to breathe near the summit. Far Windswept Stones: In addition to Ilucara,
orcs attack the same target
worse are unexpected lava flows, billows the Gloomwood shelters an ancient grouping
in melee, treat their attacks
as level 5 of invisible bad air, and occasional phoenix of stones of indeterminate origin at the center
attacks. But treasure seekers, especially of a clearing. The weathered stones are roughly
dwarves, brave the heights, looking for 1 foot (30 cm) thick, 4 feet (1 m) across, and 9
Alwel the half-elf: level 5, rare minerals belched forth by previous feet (3 m) tall, with the inward surfaces covered
bow attacks and navigation
expulsions. The most valuable prize is a with arcane magic runes.
tasks as level 7; carries a
bow of vampire slaying special variety of obsidian glass known as soul The stones protrude from the ground in a
artifact obsidian. Weapons made of soul obsidian are pattern that is rarely the same from day to day,
stronger than normal metal weapons, take as they occasionally move under their own
Bow of vampire slaying,
page 151
enchantments better, and usually burn targets power. Each stone also has unique properties,
for 1 additional point of damage. as determined by the runes covering it. One
Phoenix, volcano-born: Phoenixes are common sights circling the stone reveals secrets of fire, another ice;
level 4; flies a long distance caldera around the peak, and they usually leave one deals with spells of binding, another of
each round; bite inflicts 4
points of fire damage and
visitors alone. However, if a visitors soul is necromancy, another of wind (which constantly
blinds victim with ash for sufficiently weighed down by some past crime, sends winds blowing through the clearing,
one round one or more phoenixes are drawn to her and giving the stones their name); and so on. The
attack. runes are difficult to puzzle out, and doing
Kharkad Gundush: level 5;
health 21; Armor 3; has a The dwarf prospector Kharkad Gundush is so is usually a task of several months for
foldable keep artifact found on the slope more often than not, with someone who has an aptitude with spells. But
a personal bodyguard of several ogres to keep after spending this time, someone who uses
Foldable keep, page 151
him safe from phoenixes and physical threats, an ability related to the stone studied finds the
and a magic foldable keep to protect him from task easier. Usually, this confers a +1 bonus to
environmental hazards. Kharkad is usually an associated effect, as determined by the GM.
good for a story and a meal inside his keep. For instance, a wizard who successfully studies
the stone of fire finds that all her fire spells
GLOOMWOOD inflict 1 additional point of damage.
This forest is foreboding and shadowed, even Wizards and clerics who have studied the
when the sun is high. The Gloomwood was Windswept Stones over the years believe that each
once part of the larger forest that contains new formation opens a potential road to a new
the elvish realm of Ilucara, but a bloodborne realm. With study (or directions), visitors might
corruption burrowed up out of a hellish be able to wait for a particular formation to find a
realm under the earth, filling a portion of the specific realm, or they might decide to strike out
wood with gloom, evil, and, most terrifyingly, blindly and see where they end up. However, the
vampires. The sinister vampire lord known as latter method risks a one-way trip to Abysm.
Eshadus the Bloodgod leads an undead group One circle formation opens a path to Ilucara,
of other vampires called the Circle of Glory. which is the recommended route for traveling to

148
RECURSIONS: SWORD REALMS 2
the elf city. This secret road is one of the reasons
most first-time visitors to Ilucara require a guide. STAR LORD CELADANS FAVORITE
On the other hand, Ilucaran elf warriors often SPELLS Ilucaran elf warrior: level
guard the Windswept Stones, and they may turn Alluring Starlight: Long-range mind control 4; health 18; Armor 1; long-
range bow attack deals
away any group they dont like. attack converts the target into a friend and
5 points of damage that
Hidden Lodge: A castle formed from undead, willing ally for one hour. ignore cover and shields
animated trees in the Gloomwood makes up
the Hidden Lodge, where the vampire lord Pyre of Cleansing: Long-range flame
Eshadus the Bloodgod resides, along with the attack inflicts 7 points of damage on the Eshadus, vampire lord:
Circle of Glory and many lesser vampires and target and on creatures and objects within level 9; health 40; Armor
immediate range of it. 2; bite or weapon inflicts
other undead. Entrances to the Hidden Lodge 10 points of damage;
simply do not exist by day. They are found traditional methods for
only at night or by a path charted through the Skin of the Ancient: Gain +3 to Armor for killing vampires are only
Windswept Stones. Beneath the lodge, the one hour. temporary setbacks for
Eshadus; for more details,
greater part of the Bloodgods forces resides in see The Strange Bestiary,
connecting tunnels that sprawl for miles under page 132
the trees. When the Hidden Lodge first made Star Lords rule Ilucara, eleven in all. The Star
Ithrenwen, vampire:
itself known, sorties out of Ilucara attacked it Lords are elves of immense age, wisdom, and
level 6; health 24; bite or
with some success. But the last sortie ended in magic. Thanks to their guidance and leadership, weapon inflicts 7 points
disaster for the elves, resulting in their death, no enemy force has ever found its way into the of damage; harmed only
and in the turning of their greatest captain, elf retreat. In recent years, that guidance has by fire, running water,
holy water, sunlight, or an
Ithrenwen, into a vampiric member of the led to a new initiative, spearheaded by a Star expertly applied wooden
Circle of Glory. Its possible that Ithrenwen Lord named Celadan who became quickened. stake; for more details,
secretly retains some loyalty to her former Celadan wishes to sever Ilucaras ties with the see The Strange Bestiary,
affiliation, but her existence is now shackled to Sword Realms, making it a recursion all its page 131
Eshadus. own. More audaciously, he wants to convert
Star Lord Celadan: level 7;
In any case, today Ilucara wants nothing to the city into a traveling recursion, like Ruk once uses spells for offense and
do with the Hidden Lodge, and less and less to was, and send it sailing through the Strange, defense; carries two random
do with any other location in the Sword Realms. looking for a refuge around some distant star in cyphers
the universe of normal matter. To achieve this,
ILUCARA Celadan seeks a reality seed in the Chaosphere,
Many humans in the Sword Realms believe thinking to fashion it into a navigation engine Ruk, page 190
that Ilucara is only a myth because of how that will enable Ilucaras transformation. His
Reality seed, page 138
secluded it has become. This elf city lies in an goal is so bold that he hasnt revealed its full
isolated valley thats nearly impossible to find, scope to anyone, fearing that most others wont
as its ties to the Gloomwood and the rest of the share his dream.
Sword Realms grow more tenuous every year.
The only sure way to reach Ilucara is via one of SEA OF STORMS
the transitory roads created by the Windswept Between the Free City of Dyranmar and the
Stones. (The same is true for a quickened Empire of the Gold Throne, a tempestuous,
individual. A recursor who translates away from storm-wracked sea stretches. Only a handful
the Sword Realms while in Ilucara and later of harbors break the cliffs stretching north and
attempts to translate back faces a difficulty 10 south away from the city, and the pirates of the
task, and failed attempts deposit recursors on Sea of Storms threaten all ships that seek to
the edge of the Gloomwood.) trade between Dyranmar and the Empire.
The city is built into the natural walls of a Isle of Fear: Only hinted at by most sea
steep valley. It is a wonderland of shaped stone charts, the Isle of Fear is the last place
bridges, stairs, catwalks, galleries, magical shipwrecked refugees wish to find themselves.
trees, terraced vineyards, and buildings of Waves crash ceaselessly upon a coast dotted
amazing beauty. A company of elf warriors with colossal boulders like the scattered teeth
guards the only approach. of a dead god. Beyond the rocks is a jungle

149
wall of thick trunks, palms, pods, creepers, and everyone in the Empire is a slave, literally,
hanging vines that limit visibility, save for the though some are more elevated than others.
intermittent flash of bright feathers above the Regardless of their circumstance, all serve the
canopy. The air is hot and as thick as a bath. Empresss desires. There is no freedom under
All manner of beasts and monsters live on the gold throne, and most natives lives are
the island, as well as a few primitive human miserable and short.
tribes. Some of the pirates that threaten trade The Empire is defended by legions of soldiers
on the Sea of Storms also use hidden bases on wearing iron armor that shines like polished
Gold Empire legionnaire: the Isle of Fear, so pirate maps sometimes lure gold. Being a legionnaire means that ones life
level 3; Armor 1; melee treasure seekers to the island. Ancient ruins is slightly less miserable than average, but its
spear and ranged javelin
attacks inflict 4 points of dot the center of the island, which the pirates also measurably shorter. The Empress regularly
damage and tribes alike believe to be corrupted with sends legionnaires to distant reaches of the
something unspeakably foul. Sword Realms to fight for areas not under her
Gold Empire legionnaire
control. Those posted within the confines of the
captain: level 4; health
15; Armor 1; melee spear EMPIRE OF THE GOLD THRONE Empire dont get off any easier because they are
and ranged javelin attacks The Empress, leader of the Empire of the constantly tested in deadly war games.
inflict 4 points of damage; Gold Throne, is human. But due to the divine Legionnaires who are promoted to the rank
carries gold throne reliquary
artifact
intervention of her deity, she is over a thousand of captain or higher might carry a special divine
years old, and thus she matches the age and charm that reincarnates them once. Some of
Gold throne reliquary, power of the Star Lords of Ilucara or perhaps the them come back with no ill effects, but others are
page 152 strength of the Bloodgod in the Hidden Lodge. wracked with pain that grows worse over time.
The Empire lies across the Sea of Storms A few become sociopathic killers, their identities
from the Free City of Dyranmar. This is slowly subsumed by a ravaging madness.
fortunate for the residents of the city, because

150
RECURSIONS: SWORD REALMS 2
ABYSM
The hellish realm of Abysm is straight out of ADVENTURES IN THE SWORD REALMS
a fantasy hellscape. It includes regions where Orc Blight: A tribe of orcs that paint their
victims burn endlessly in lava, a plain of ice bodies with glowing blue dye has emerged
where victims are frozen in place like grotesque as a sudden threat in the Thunderstone
terrain, and a forest of dead trees where victims Mountains. Its not known what the color
strangle forever at the ends of gibbets while signifies or why they have become so active
crows pick at their eyes and other exposed bits. and dangerous. Their leader is supposedly
Victims are usually the souls of dead creatures a magic sentient axe that sweats the dye
from other parts of the Sword Realms, but the orcs paint themselves with.
some are living creatures who found their way
(or were stolen away) into Abysm. Adding Zauber Maleficarum: The spellcasters
to the nightmare are all manner of demons, of the Wizards Guild in Dyranmar have
including the insidious sword demons and discovered a particularly foul book of spells Sword demon: level 5;
chain demons. in the stacks of their library. Supposedly Armor 2; sword attack
haunted by the ghosts of its authors, the inflicts 7 points of damage,
Abysm has a lord called Janus, who takes on and poison deals 3 points of
physical form when a second face grows on the book has gained far too much agency. To Speed damage per round
body of one of the victims, demons, or statues destroy it, someone must douse the book, for three rounds
in the realm, allowing Janus to hijack it for a page by page, in the blood of one or more
Chain demon, page 211
brief time. Janus is a fallen god of beginnings vampires.
and endings, and Abysm is where the lord Janus: level 9; bodiless
chooses endings for some and new beginnings Free the Prisoner: An elf of Ilucara was but manifests as a second
snatched by demons and dragged into face on another creature in
for a lucky few by setting them free.
Abysm
Abysm. The Star Lords have offered a
SWORD REALMS ARTIFACTS substantial reward in the form of treasure
and magic items for anyone brave enough
BOW OF VAMPIRE SLAYING to travel into the hellish realm and extract
Level: 1d6 + 1 the prisoner. A complicating factor is that
Form: A medium longbow carved with magic the elf crossed Janus, the lord of Abysm, so
runes that glow golden like the sun freeing the prisoner will probably require
Effect: Arrows fired from this longbow deal 1 some sort of amelioration as well.
additional point of damage. In addition,
vampires (which usually can be harmed
only by special weapons) take normal FOLDABLE KEEP
damage from the arrows. Level: 1d6 + 1
Depletion: Form: A thick sheet of stiff parchment inked
with intricate fold guides
CLOAK OF ELFKIND Effect: If one minute is spent folding this
Level: 1d6 + 2 sheet of parchment, a tiny keep takes
Form: Cloak of fine greyish-green cloth shape. Upon completion, it expands and
Effect: When the cloak is activated by drawing transforms, becoming a broad stone keep
the hood over the wearers head, the some 50 feet (15 m) high and 35 feet (11
difficulty of all stealth tasks she attempts m) in diameter. The keep takes the form
is decreased by two steps. The effect lasts of a tower with battlements. The interior
until the hood is lowered again. If the is furnished and stocked with enough
wearer cannot see in the dark already, the supplies to feed and outfit a small group
active cloak grants her that ability. of travelers for up to seven days. The keep
Depletion: 1 in 1d00 persists for up to seven days, or until the
keystone above the fireplace in the Great
Hall is pressed, at which point the keep
begins to unfold, returning to its sheet form

151
over the course of one minute. Creatures JADE DRAGON
and foreign objects inside the keep that do Level: 1d6
not exit before the end of that minute could Form: A 2-inch (5 cm) jade statuette of a dragon
be ejected or stored in stasis until the next Effect: When the statuette is activated, a living
time the keep is folded, depending on the level 5 creatureapparently a dragon
particular foldable keep. grows and obeys the users commands,
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 persisting for up to eight hours. The dragon
can bear up to three human-sized creatures
GOLD THRONE RELIQUARY on its back, attack with a bite, or (once every
Level: 1d6 + 1 other round) breathe fire at short range on
Form: Ornament in the shape of a gold throne up to three targets within immediate range
fastened to clothing with a hinged pin and of each other. Once used, the jade dragon
catch cannot be activated again for one day.
Effect: If the wearer of a gold throne reliquary Depletion: 1 in 1d20
is killed, he returns to full health in the
following round. However, he could suffer MAGIC WAND
from spiritual malaise as a result, due to the Level: 1d6 + 2
hidden reason he returned to life: he has Form: A wand
been possessed by a random soul plucked Effect: When you spend points from a Pool to
from Abysm. The GM determines how this trigger a special focus or type ability, you
affects the wearer. It could be nothing, or can attempt to draw some or all of the
it could be wracking pain that grows worse points from the held wand instead. The
over time, a ravaging madness that begins wand contains a number of points equal
to turn the wearer into a monster, a second to the artifact level. Using the wand is a
personality that works against the character, routine Intellect-based task, but each time
or something else. you use it again before your next ten-hour
Reversing the spiritual malaise is possible, but recovery roll, the difficulty increases by one
it requires powerful magic or dispensation step.
from the Empress of the Gold Throne Depletion: 13 in 1d20
herself.
Depletion: 1 in 1d10 MYRDANS STAFF
Level: 1d6 + 2
Form: Staff of black iron set with an eye-shaped
crystal headpiece
Effect: The wielder can use the staff to gain one
of the following effects, one per activation.
Influence: The wielder makes a mental attack
on a creature within immediate range by
providing a suggestion. An affected target
follows any suggestion that doesnt cause
direct harm to the target or its allies.
Lightning: The wielder discharges a stroke of
lightning that attacks all targets along a
straight line within long range, inflicting
damage equal to the artifact level.
Shield: For one hour, the wielder gains the
protective effect of a normal shield, but this
effect is invisible and doesnt require her to
hold an actual shield.
Depletion: 1 in 1d100

152
RECURSIONS: WUXIA CITY 2

WUXIA CITY
Just remember what ol Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison
Wuxia City was created
arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just through fictional leakage.

looks that big ol storm right square in the eye and he says, Give me your best Wuxia (pronounced woo-
ZSH-ya) generally refers to
shot, pal. I can take it. the exploits of martial arts
heroes and related stories
~Jack Burton, Big Trouble in Little China from Chinese fiction.

San Francisco is a big place with a lot going host of secret societies, sorcerous colleges, and
onprobably far more than you realize or could martial arts dojos where mystical power is real
even accept. But heres the thing. You know all and the most respected (and feared) teachers
those action movies where people zip through are beings who first came into their strength
the air, smashing swords and flinging lightning centuries ago in ancient China. Regular citizens
at each other? Where some poor schmuck, dont know or believe in any of it, but that
minding his own business, is suddenly dragged doesnt stop the constant power struggles,
into a fight between assassins, warring gangs, dramas, and intrigues from playing out in the
and evil spirits of the ancient world? You know back streets and hidden places. Abides in Stone,
the ones I mean? Well, theyre all true. You just Residents of the recursion call their city San page 51
gotta open your eyes. Once you do, youll never Francisco. Only recursors who understand its
see the world the same way again. nature refer to the place as Wuxia City. Carries a Quiver,
page 55
Wuxia City is a San-Francisco-sized recursion Arrival: Wuxia Citys initial default translation
with many of the actual neighborhoods, location is standing before the Gateway Arch Conducts Weird
businesses, and establishments of the city it (also called the Dragon Gate) on Grant Avenue Science, page 57
was seeded from. However, it also contains a at Bush Street.
Entertains, page 61

Is Licensed to Carry,
page 64
WUXIA CITY ATTRIBUTES
Level: 5 Connection to Earth: An Leads, page 65
Laws: Magic inapposite gate hidden
Practices Soul Sorcery,
Playable Races: Human beneath the roots of a massive, page 71
Foci: Abides in Stone, Carries a Quiver, ancient redwood in Golden Gate Park
Conducts Weird Science, Entertains, Size: 231 square miles (598 square km) Solves Mysteries,
Haunts the Rooftops*, Is Licensed to Spark: 35% page 78

Carry, Leads, Masters Foot and Fist*, Trait: Brash. For any creature with the spark Wields Two Weapons at
Practices Soul Sorcery, Solves Mysteries, attempting to overcome or ignore Once, page 82
Wields Two Weapons at Once, Works the the effects of fear or intimidation, the
Works the System,
System, and most other foci appropriate difficulty of the task is modified by one
page 83
for Earth step to its benefit.
Skills: Wuxia lore
Haunts the Rooftops,
Connection to Strange: Certain arches open page 199
at certain phases of the moon, or when
triggered by magical rituals * indicates foci found in this book Masters Foot and Fist,
page 203

153
WUXIA CITY FOCI to ancient Chinese entities whose once-godlike
The foci that player characters can choose power is now in decline. Thus, theyre always
in Wuxia Cityas well as any foci that are seeking ways to reawaken their ancient strength
Draggable foci, page 52 dragged into the recursionare modified by in the modern age.
the recursions context, as appropriate. The foci
that are shared with Earth are almost exactly
the same. But if someone selects or drags
Wields Two Weapons at Once (for example),
the weapons are likely to be nunchaku, sais,
WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT
or similar martial weapons appropriate to the
WUXIA CITY
recursion.
Wuxia City operates under the law of
Wuxia City also offers the foci Haunts the
Magic and is seeded by stories, movies,
Rooftops and Masters Foot and Fist.
and myths of the modern wuxia genre.
Wuxia City is a recursive version of the
WAR OF HIDDEN SCHOOLS city of San Francisco, but congruencies
A war has raged beneath the surface for
are by no means one to one.
thousands of years between powerful forces
Assassins, ancient sorcerers, and cocky
referred toas a groupas the Hidden
toughs with more spirit than sense
Schools. Each Hidden School is different, and
strive for ascendency, for survival, or to
though some are secret academies where
do whats right beneath the veneer of
those of like mind train warriors or sorcerers to
modern city life.
promulgate their philosophies and spy on their
rivals, some are groups of demons in service

154
RECURSIONS: WUXIA CITY 2
THE STORM
DEMONS OF WUXIA CITY The Storm is a college of sorcerers and
The demons of Wuxia City are not the same affiliated dojos made up primarily of mortals.
kind of demons as normally understood in The Storm believes that humans are the rightful
western literature or recursions born from inheritors of existence, and they are pledged to
those myths. Chinese demons (sometimes defend humans from the curses and entities
called yaoguai) are often spirits of vicious of the ancient world, even if they must use the
animals, the lost pets of deities, or other same tools to do so. Members of the Storm
supernatural beings. Not all are evil, but often go further and take it as their solemn
most people dont take the time to assess duty to hunt ancient creatures and destroy
the distinction. Most demons seem to ancient artifacts, no matter their provenance or
have the goal of achieving immortality likelihood to be a threat to humans. Needless
through deification, no matter how mean to say, in their eyes, that makes them perpetual
their circumstances. hunters of the Darkness, the Hidden School of
ghouls and eaters of flesh.
The Storm has a secret campus beneath
a warehouse in the middle of the city, but it
also keeps a couple of affiliate traveling
dojos around town, which never meet in the
same location twice. The Storm is ruled by a
triumvirate: the twin sorcerers Lei and Mei,
who never seem to agree on anything, and the
monk Shan, who casts the deciding vote when
the sorcerers are deadlocked.

155
Lei Who Thunders: level Lei Who Thunders: Lei broods, certain that Mei Who Flashes: Where Lei is silent and
6; Armor 2; long-range the time of the Storm, and perhaps of all retreating, Mei is talkative and quick. Like a
thunder attack inflicts 5
mortals, will soon draw to a close if the demons hummingbird, she flits between schemes,
points of damage on targets
within immediate range of of the ancient world are not finally bottled up deals, and assassination attempts on members
each other before the coming of an auspicious celestial of rival Hidden Schools. She worries about
event hinted at but never named in certain old the demons but sees them as dusty, out of
Mei Who Flashes: level 7;
long-range lightning attack scrolls. He searches constantly for something touch, and something to be cleaned up rather
(from red ruby spectacles) called the Ten Demon Bag, which he believes than openly feared. Even when she discovers a
blinds struck target for one will offer final salvation before its too late. Hell magical entity that isnt malicious, she arranges
round
sacrifice anything and anyone to get what he to have it put down with prejudice. Mei can
Red ruby spectacles, page 159 seeks, because he believes that otherwise, the project red lightning from a pair of red ruby
world will be consumed. Lei has power over the spectacles that have fused to her face.
Shan Who Strikes: level 6; booming thunder. Shan Who Strikes: Shans wondrous clothes
health 30; Armor 2; melee
attack inflicts 5 points of
seem to be sewn from flower petals, though
damage that ignore Armor they obviously have the strength of sturdy
fabric, else they would be shredded when
Ghoul: level 3; Armor 1; she unleashes her martial arts beatdowns on
bite inflicts 4 points of
damage, and the difficulty enemies of the Storm. When she isnt fighting,
of the victims Speed Shan is mild, kind to strangers, and generous
defense rolls against further to enemies who are beaten. Her politics within
bite attacks is increased by
the Storm are somewhat mysterioussome
one step
would say undisciplined. But its probably her
influence that keeps the Storms reputation
as untarnished as it is. So far, her implacable
will has derailed the worst of the atrocities
planned by the twins Lei and Mei. Shans calm
demeanor tends to bamboozle foes who dont
know her reputation and doubt that such a slip
of a womanwith her ready smile and helping
handcould also be so deadly with hand, foot,
and elbow.

THE DARKNESS
The Darkness is more of a Hidden School than
the Sun Chasers, in the sense that they instruct
those who wish to walk the lightless paths
beneath the earth. However, its more induction
than instruction, as those who fully commit to
the Darkness are transformed into flesh-eating
ghouls without the chance of ever going back.
The Darkness keeps miles of warrens beneath
Wuxia City, some of which open into basements,
cellars, and sewers of the city above.
Each night, hand-picked ghoul celebrants
practice a ritual called the Gathering where
they accept the Offerings of the Night. This
entails that they creep out and feed on dead
human bodies they find buried under heaped
garbage in alleys, sunk in the bay, or stashed in
dumpsters. If sufficient offerings are not found,
a champion is designated among the ghouls,

156
RECURSIONS: WUXIA CITY 2
who is responsible for obtaining more offerings In Wuxia City, a ghoul is
by kidnapping living humans from the street LIGHT-DRAINING ATTACK a person who sought the
sacrament of the Darkness
and dragging the victims below for a special The victim of a Sun Chaser light-draining and willingly became a
event of particular grisliness. attack feels icy cold. The attack deals 1 supernatural entity of endless
The Darkness doesnt believe they are additional point of damage. The light hunger. Ghouls can see
in the dark, are immortal
secondary to those who live in the lightquite drained from the victim burns like
unless killed through
the contrary. The warrens and lightless tunnels miniature suns in the attackers palms or violence, and are among
are the true world, and the thin skin of light and eyes, and it can be stored and unleashed the few to understand the
as additional damage in another attack transcendent pleasure of
habitation on the surface is secondary, a place
gnawing human flesh.
where cattle roam and, sometimes, dangerous within the hour. For example, if a Sun
threats arise (and must be put down). Those Chaser adept who normally deals 4 points
from above who wish to join this Hidden School of damage on a strike hits a target twice
can petition for entry, but many become a meal with light-draining attacks, she deals a total
instead of a member, and its hard to know of 10 points of damage and also stores
ahead of time what a petitioners fate will be. that amount. She could unleash all the
The Hungry Emperor (also called the stored light in another attack that deals 10
Emperor of the Ghouls) leads the Darkness. additional points of damage.
He rarely stirs from his throne chamber in the
deepest warrens. The closest that most people,
Hungry Emperor: level
ghouls, or other demons get to him is through generous grants by the Illumiway Corporation, 7; health 37; Armor 2; bite
his many intermediaries, called the Ninety- are open and welcoming. But the dojos are inflicts 10 points of damage
Seven Counselors. a facade for the actual Hidden School. At its and moves victim one step
down the damage track on
Hungry Emperor: The Emperor is so ancient core, the Sun Chasers (mostly unknowingly)
a failed Might defense roll;
that he may predate the demon-god Kua Fu shelter the living embodiment of a figure out regains 3 points of health
of the Sun Chasers. But like so many other of Chinese mythology: the giant who wished per round unless remains
supernatural beings from across the ocean, to capture the sun. According to that story, the are exposed to sunlight
the Emperor now claims that his empire is giant Kua Fu died before he could accomplish
Ghoul Counselor: level
America, and his capital city is San Francisco, his goal because he lacked adequate support
5; Armor 1; bite inflicts
even if most living people there have never and protection from extreme heat. 6 points of damage,
heard of the Darkness or the Emperor of the Xia Chen: Kua Fu still exists. He now usually restores 1 point of health
Ghouls, except in nightmares. wears the guise of Xia Chen, a successful to Counselor, and restricts
victims movement to an
Ninety-Seven Counselors: As a group, the businesswoman in Wuxia City. Xia owns a immediate distance each
Ninety-Seven Counselors are powerful ghouls controlling share of the Illumiway Corporation round for one minute;
who can, in a pinch, speak for the Emperor in and sits on the boards of many others. She also carries one random cypher
many situations. Individuals from the surface covertly runs the Hidden School of the Sun
world who seek to join the Hidden School of Chasers, an organization that on the surface
the Darkness usually do so in the hopes of provides lessons to help practitioners unlock Xia Chen (Kua Fu): level
8; unarmed light-draining
becoming one of the Ninety-Seven, given the their inner potential, but which is secretly melee attack; can grow to
turnover rate of several per year. A few of the designed to reflect worship and life force toward 60 feet (18 m) in height,
Ninety-Seven are also recursors, accorded Xias true aspect, Kua Fu. One day, Xia hopes to making short-range melee
attacks that inflict 12 points
special privileges for the treasures and take up her ancient goal once more, this time so
of damage on all creatures
wonderments they bring from places beyond swollen with energy that plucking the sun from within immediate range of
the warrens. If one of them could bring an the sky will be childs play. each other
artifact capable of quickening the Emperor to Few know that Xia Chen is the secret
the status of a recursor, the Emperor promises headmistress of the Sun Chasers, nor do they
to make that one his consort. realize that shes a mythological being several Sun Chaser martial artist:
thousand years old who can become a giant in level 4; health 20; two
THE SUN CHASERS moments of fury or need. Those who stumble unarmed attacks inflict 4
points of damage each as a
Most people wouldnt classify the Sun Chasers upon these secrets are drained of their light by single action, or one light-
as a Hidden School. The well-lighted dojos Xia herself or by the martial artists trained in draining melee attack
around the city, which operate thanks to her dojos.

157
TOMB OF THE NINE DRAGONS
Somewhere under the Bay Bridge lies a HEARSAY ON THE STREET
flooded complex colloquially known as the Down With the Police: Rumors are rife
Tomb of the Nine Dragons. The Nine Dragons that the head of the San Francisco police
were powerful criminals (both mortal and department, Daniel Skagen, has crossed
supernatural) who ruled Wuxia City with fear the wrong Hidden School, and his days
and terror so extreme that all the Hidden are numbered. Whether or not thats true,
Schools came together for the first and last several protests with Skagens picture on
time in an alliance to deliver the city. The posters have raged through the streets,
defeated Nine were locked away in a magical and most have turned into riots that
prison filled with their demons, spirits, brought out the police. Events seem likely
warlocks, and other servitors. If anyone from to continue to spiral out of control.
the surface finds the entrance to the Tomb, the
magical defenses do not keep intruders out; Empty Skyscraper: An apartment building
instead, the spells suck intruders inside and has been discovered abandoned, with no
deliver them to the mercies of the inmates. trace of any living thing inside. Its as if all
Despite the supposed inviolate nature of the the people and their pets simply walked
Tomb, rumors periodically circulate that one or out in the middle of their daily morning
more of the Dragons has found a way out and activities. An odd blue shine glimmers on
is rebuilding their old empire in secret, under certain walls and ceilings, but so far, no
the noses of the Hidden Schools who, in their one knows anything more.
pride, refuse to believe such tall tales.
Demon Eggs: Every now and then new
KANGS APOTHECARY construction turns up massive egglike
Need traditional Chinese herbal remedies to sacs. Usually, a hibernating demon of the
help with your pain, disease, or disability? Go old world is found resting inside, and these
Doctor Kang: level 7; see Doctor Kang at his apothecary, which carries are best not disturbed. However, most
Armor 2 (spell); long-range only the highest quality remedies in Wuxia have fallen so far in power and influence
mystic blast inflicts 9 points from what they once were that theyll never
of damage; carries several
City. The shop is large and high ceilinged, but
doses of demon powder a forest of dark wood cabinets with hundreds wake again. A secret black market exists for
at all times and a Seven of drawers keep space at a premium. Various such eggs, and for pieces of the creatures
Demon Bag types of incense and the smells of brewing teas that sleep within them.
Seven Demon Bag, page 160 haze the air, but in combination, it all creates a
welcoming and cozy atmosphere.
Kangs is a popular destination for regular bitter rivals on several occasions. When his
people who know little and suspect less about wisdom proves insufficient, Kang falls back
the mystical underbelly of the world. They on his own repertoire of sorcery, potions, and
appreciate how Dr. Kang is often available in artifacts to accomplish his goals.
his shop to provide top-notch advice to those
seeking to cure an ailment. WUXIA CITY ARTIFACTS
However, most of Dr. Kangs clientele lives
on the other side of the veil, so to speak. They DEMON POWDER
come to him for mystical components, rings, Level: 1d6 + 1
mirrors, magic potions, and powders that Form: A leather pouch filled with yellow powder
confer or create sorceries both ancient and Effect: A pinch of powder cast at targets in
contemporary. One of his most requested immediate range deals damage equal to
items is demon powder, able to banish demons the artifacts level and causes victims to
or ghouls. Patrons also come to Dr. Kang when run in abject terror for up to a minute, or
conflicts between the Hidden Schools threaten to cower if fleeing is not an option. The
to boil over and spill into the public arena. powder works on targets whose level is
Kang has brokered peace deals between the equal to or less than the artifacts level and

158
RECURSIONS: WUXIA CITY 2
who are supernatural creatures of Wuxia until it is keyed to someone else or the
City (including ghouls, demons, and some target sheds the mystical entanglement.
supernatural beings from other recursions The wearer of a keyed ring always has
that operate under the law of Magic). a low-level sense of the targets mental
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 state and can faintly feel when the target
is angry, surprised, happy, and so on. If
EYEGLASSES OF MEMORY the wearer concentrates, she can activate
Level: 1d6 + 2 the ring for one minute, during which
Form: A pair of silver spectacles time she can mentally communicate with
Effect: The wearer can duplicate a special the target, use abilities or attacks on the
ability that she witnessed an ally or foe target that normally require the target to be
perform within the last few rounds. This within sight or closer, or attempt to briefly
can be an attack, the creation of a special inhabit the targets body and control it
effect, the application of skilled knowledge like a puppet. This latter effect requires a
to complete a task, and so on. The effect depletion roll each round it is used.
created by the spectacles knows few Depletion: 1 in 1d20
bounds, though the wearer may have to
make an attack roll or perform another task POTION OF INVINCIBILITY
to use the duplicated ability. For example, Level: 1d6
if the wearer sees a giant asp deliver Form: A golden decanter filled with steaming
a poisonous bite that shrivels flesh in liquid
seconds, she can attempt to do the same, Effect: When consumed, the potion confers
but she must succeed on the attack roll. a sense of overweening confidence and
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 well-being for one hour. This effect counters
fear effects, psychic attacks that attempt
HAND MIRROR OF AFAR to cripple a victims mind, and similar
Level: 1d6 psychological manipulations. The user
Form: A compact mirror in a stylish folding case also immediately gains 3 experience points
Effect: For up to one minute, the user can view (XP) that can be used to reroll failed rolls.
a location she has previously visited in the If these 3 XP are not used by the end of the
recursion and spy on what occurs there, hour, they fade away.
though if she fails a stealth task, targets Depletion: 1 in 1d20
being spied on may get an odd feeling
that they are being watched. The user can RED RUBY SPECTACLES
choose to move to the viewed location Level: 1d6 + 3
(taking the hand mirror along), which is a Form: A pair of spectacles whose eyepieces are
difficulty 3 Intellect-based task. On a failure, opaque ruby crystal
she might still arrive in the new location, Effect: The wearer can see normally through
but as if having fallen from a height of at the spectacles, which correct any vision
least 30 feet (9 m), which requires an extra impairments, including blindness. In
depletion roll because the mirror has a addition, the wearer can project scarlet-
chance to break. hued lightning from the crystals at up to
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 three targets within long range, inflicting
damage equal to the artifact level. If an
MOOD RING attack misses, the ruby spectacles fuse
Level: 1d6 + 1 to the wearers face on a failed difficulty
Form: A simple metallic ring clasping a pale 2 Might defense roll. Once fused, the
stone spectacles cant be removed until the
Effect: The wearer can attempt to key the ring artifact is depleted, and even then, they
to a target within short range. If successful, leave the victims face scarred.
the ring remains keyed to that individual Depletion: 1 in 1d20

159
SEVEN DEMON BAG Lwp: A monstrous humanoid covered in dank,
Level: 1d6 + 2 waterlogged weeds (which smell horrific)
Form: An ebony bag sewn with fangs, claws, instead of fur. This demon responds to
tusks, shanks of fur, and similar beast parts simple commands of the user. Battering
Effect: The owner of the bag can pull forth a fist attack inflicts damage, and odor stuns
small leathery, furry, or slimy lump and victim for one round.
cast it down within immediate range. The Heifeng: A black bear whose roar unleashes
lump immediately expands and becomes a terrible wind. This demon attacks all
a demon whose level equals the artifacts creatures indiscriminately. Long-range
level. Seven distinct demons can be attack inflicts damage on all targets within
pulled from the bag, but no more than immediate range of each other.
one at any given time, and the choice is Xuzhe Bi: An old man wearing scholarly
mostly random. A demon persists for up white robes and a staff. This demon offers
to a minute (or until it is killed) before advice to the user. If the user attempts a
evaporating into vapor. knowledge-related task with the demons
The demon named Baigujing is never randomly help, the difficulty is reduced by two steps.
chosen. It emerges only on a GM intrusion, Hutu: A humanoid with a tigers head and
in the presence of malign magic, or when claws. This demon responds to simple
the bag would otherwise be depleted. commands of the user, but it turns on the
Heiy: A scaled humanoid with a snakes head user if the user fails a persuasion task.
that can unfurl its neck like a serpent on Hutus attacks inflict 1 less point than its
an attack. This demon responds to simple level indicates; two claw attacks against a
commands of the user. Armor 1; bite inflicts target and if both hit, it also makes a bite
damage plus poison that causes severe attack as part of the same action.
pain in victim for one minute, during which Hnghizi: A cute red ape about 3 feet (1
time all tasks are modified by one step to m) tall. This demon responds to simple
the victims detriment. commands of the user. A hug from it
restores 3 points to a stat Pool (for a PC) or
3 points of health (for an NPC).
Baigujing: A 9-foot (3 m) tall skeleton wearing
shreds of a womans gown. This demon
viciously attacks the user when freed.
Claws deal damage and on a second failed
Speed defense roll, the user is captured
and stuffed into the skeletons rib cage.
If the user cant escape before Baigujing
would normally return to the bag, the
user dissipates and is pulled into the bag
instead. If this occurs, Baigujing remains
free, and the user becomes one of the
demons of the Seven Demon Bag.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20

160
RECURSIONS: ZED AMERICA 2

ZED AMERICA
Which idiot authorized viral sample return from Zed America?
Zed America was created
~Colonel Angela Whitesides, Office of Strategic Recursion by fictional leakage.

Most of America has returned to nature Zed America is one of several recursions Unanticipated
and to once-human hordes that shamble that hosted a zombie apocalypse. Most of complications related
through the smoldering corpses of cities these Zed Omegas arent as fortunate as Zed to human regenerative
virus (HRV) therapy were
and stagger down wreck-strewn roads. High- America, where civilization survived by finding responsible for the zombie
security fortress enclaves and lonely keeps are a new equilibrium. The status quo is an uneasy apocalypse in Zed America.
scattered points of light in the surrounding one, because every year, new HRV replication Patient Zero is still out
zombie darkness. Within these safe zones, events convert fresh victims, sometimes even there somewhere, mutated
almost beyond recognition,
the American way of life continues, one that those who hunker behind high fortress walls. and still spreading HRV.
includes daily HRV blood screening, walls Arrival: Zed Americas initial default translation
bristling with automated guns and drones, and location is just outside the main gates of New
lives separated by miles and miles of zombie- Chicago, which can be a hairy arrival if a zombie
infested highways in poor repair. horde happens to be active there.

161
Zed America Regenerates ZED AMERICA FOCI even granted certain individuals the ability
Tissue GM Intrusion:
You go into uncontrolled
Most foci that player characters can choose to regenerate tissue. The application of an
HRV replication. To avoid in Zed America are just like those available on engineered retrovirus called the human
becoming a zombie, you Earth, with a few exceptions. regenerative virus (HRV) combined with
must succeed on three daily meditation using special biofeedback
difficulty 3 Intellect-based
tasks before failing two. INTEGRATES WEAPONRY techniques allows a character to heal wounds
According to Zed Americas narrative, advanced that would kill a normal person. Most people
biotechnology brought on the zombie apocalypse. live with a weak strain of HRV, but a person
But some good came of it as well, including this with the Regenerates Tissue focus has been
focus, which grants a character the ability to inoculated with the real thing. Of course,
directly integrate weapons into her body. its best not to advertise that one is HRV-
positive. Most people who caught the virulent
REGENERATES TISSUE strain went into uncontrolled replication and
Advanced biotechnology led to wonders converted into hard-to-kill zombies.
of regenerative medicine and longevity. It
QUELLS UNDEAD
Many Zed Omega recursions offer foci
that grant natives (and recursors who visit)
improved skills in hunting zombies.

Quells Undead, page 206


ZED AMERICA ATTRIBUTES
Castle One, page 172 Level: 4
Laws: Mad Science
Playable Races: Human
Foci: Carries a Quiver, Conducts
Weird Science, Entertains, Integrates
Weaponry, Is Licensed to Carry, Leads,
Quells Undead*, Regenerates Tissue,
Solves Mysteries, Works the System
Skills: Zed America lore
Connection to Strange: Connections to the
Strange are inconstant and spring up
Carries a Quiver, only at the center of zombie hordes
page 55
with a population topping 1,000 zed
Conducts Weird per square mile (3 square km)
Science, page 57 Connection to Earth: None known, except
Entertains, page 61 for an indirect connection through
Castle One, an OSR-controlled
Integrates Weaponry,
page 63 recursion
Size: 85,000 square miles (~220,000
Is Licensed to Carry,
page 64 square km)
Spark: 20%
Leads, page 65
Trait: Quick Healing. A weak strain of
Regenerates Tissue, human regenerative virus (HRV)
page 74 infects everyone in Zed America. When
Solves Mysteries, characters make a recovery roll, add 1
page 78 to the result.
Works the System, * indicates foci found in this book
page 83

162
RECURSIONS: ZED AMERICA 2
ZOMBIES OF ZED AMERICA is infected with a virulent strain of HRV (a
Humans who undergo a runaway HRV replication level 8 disease). Every twenty-four hours after
event convert over the course of one hour into the initial bite, the victim must succeed on Zombie: level 3, Speed
hard-to-kill, aggressive, cannibalistic serial killers, another Might defense roll or move one step defense as level 2; health 12.
their minds burned out with hunger. Theyre down the damage track. While the disease is If an attack would reduce
the zombies health to 0,
commonly called zed, zombies, Z, or walkers. active, normal recovery rolls arent sufficient it does so only if the attack
Zombies arent intelligent, but enough of to move a victim back up the damage track. If roll was an even number;
them together sometimes exhibit emergent a victim dies while infected or because of the otherwise, the zombies
behavior, just as ants can coordinate activities infection, he rises as a zombie 1d6 hours later. health is reduced to 1
instead; for details, see The
across a colony. More worrying is the continual Sometimes, conversion happens much more Strange Bestiary, page 145
evolution of the HRV infection. It began as a quickly, over the course of just an hour, and no
retrovirus that, once within an organism, turns one really understands why. Zombie hulk, page 218
on genes long dormant in higher mammals. In addition to regular zombies, Zed America
Zombie sprayer, page 217
This same capacity has had the additional long- hosts zombie hulks, zombie sprayers, and
term consequence of mutating base zombies, zombie sprinters. Zombie sprinter, page 217
creating tougher, faster, or smarter versions,
sometimes with frightening new abilities.
Of course, the infectious nature of zombies
makes them most dangerous. A zed bite
either infects someone with HRV or triggers a
replication event in a Zed America native that
already harbors a weak version of the virus.
In the former case, a victim bitten by a
zombie within the previous hour must succeed
on a Might defense roll whose difficulty is equal
to the zombies level. Failure means the victim

WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUT


ZED AMERICA
Zed America operates under the
law of Mad Science and is seeded
by hundreds of zombie stories and
movies. Unexpected side effects of
what was supposed to have been a
miracle drughuman regenerative
virus (HRV)touched off the change.
Zed America, despite its name, is only
about the size of a few states. Zombies
roam vast swaths of the recursion,
but American culture persists, spread
across a series of fortress enclaves
and keeps, the largest of which is New
Chicago.
Technology is slightly ahead of
that of Earth, but those advanced
developments are mostly in service
to defending against and destroying
zombies.

163
Automated gun turret:
level 3
SITES OF NOTE (sparse as it is) seeking to pass into and out of
The following sites are a few of the many the city along Interstate 94. Anyone who wants
fascinating places that recursors can discover into the city, even well-known citizens who
Autonomous flying drone: in Zed America. drove out just minutes earlier, must submit to
level 3, perception tasks
as level 6; long-range a blood test administered by an autonomous
movement when flying NEW CHICAGO drone before the gates are opened.
New Chicago incorporates the northern portion
Fire Brigade firefighter:
of the original city, but most of the buildings lie LIVING IN NEW CHICAGO
level 3; short-range behind the New Chicago Wall. Inside the wall, New Chicago resembles
flamethrower deals 5 points a well-to-do collection of normal Earth
of damage and burns the
target for 1 additional point
NEW CHICAGO WALL suburbs surrounding an inner core of
of damage per round until This 40-foot (12 m) high wall of steel and skyscrapers. People work, go to school, talk
the target spends an action concrete (level 5) encloses the area of New on smartphones, drink coffee, and watch
dousing the flames Chicago, where regular folks live. Automated shows streamed on the New Chicago intranet
gun turrets dot the wall tops, though coverage (a limited remnant of the World Wide Web).
Ordinary zombies that isnt complete, and mechanics are always on Businesses and malls are open during the day,
catch on fire normally dont call to deal with frequent jams and other issues. and nightclubs and theaters draw crowds at
spend actions dousing their
flames, which means they
A handful of autonomous flying drones patrol night. Most people in New Chicago lead a fairly
eventually go down. along the wall, mostly for surveillance. If the normal life and never, ever go beyond the wall.
drones detect an advancing horde, the Chicago Mayor Eleanor Adams: PR savvy and
Fire Brigade is called to reinforce the wall fashionable, Mayor Adams currently runs
Mayor Eleanor Adams:
level 4, tasks related turrets, usually from the safety of the wall top. things in New Chicago, though her detractors
to interaction and Access through the New Chicago Wall is are many. Some accuse her of overstating the
administration as level 6 highly regulated. The main gate controls traffic fear of a new zombie apocalypse and holding

164
RECURSIONS: ZED AMERICA 2
BLOOD TESTING IN ZED AMERICA
Blood tests to screen for HRV are conducted light and emits a pleasant tone. If someone
frequently in Zed America. Mandated testing fails, the drone activates a siren and tries
is required for people entering a fortress to restrain the target. Failing a blood test
enclave (like New Chicago), for those whove is serious business and at minimum sees
had contact with zed, and for those entering someone expelled, though, more often,
and leaving a secure biolab. Law enforcement targets are immediately euthanized.
may also demand tests based on suspicious The test examines a creatures viral load of
activity at their discretion. Anyone who HRV; everyone in Zed America has some, but
refuses testing is treated as if hed failed the past a certain threshold, a subject is deemed
test. to be in imminent danger of going into wild
Blood tests are routinely applied by replication and converting. A character with
white drones emblazoned with red medical the Regenerates Tissue focus had better
insignia. The blood draw is a quick jab, and hope he has a medical card describing his
results are analyzed and displayed on a situation, or he will be assumed to be on the
screen within a few rounds for all to see. If verge of zombie conversion.
someone passes, the drone flashes a green

onto power by making people afraid with throats, though their rivalries fade in the face
too-frequent HRV warnings and blood tests. of fresh meat when travelers move between
But Eleanor, for her part, does what she thinks fortress enclaves and keeps. Caravans of three
is right for the community. She knows how or more vehicles are less likely to be targeted,
dangerous the world really is, high walls or no, though sometimes larger caravans draw more
and that the thing that lives in the Milwaukee bandits to investigate. And of course, conflicts
Ruins is something that must be dealt with with guns and racing motors are so loud that
eventually. That said, shes not above taking a wandering horde of zed is almost sure to
down political rivals by fair means or foul. follow.
A lot of the most obvious salvage in the
OLD CHICAGO RUINS Badlands has already been picked over, but
Spreading south from New Chicagos walled much remains to be found. Vehicles, gasoline,
perimeter lies a much larger swath of original canned food, weapons, tools, spare parts,
Chicago, now in ruins. Despite occasional and treasures of all kinds can be found
forays by firefighters to clean the area, in abandoned homes and garages across
lone zombies and zombie hordes are likely what was once America (or at least the part
encounters. That doesnt stop treasure hunters contained in the limited landscape of the
and scientists from entering the old city recursion).
looking for salvage or data, though doing so is
incredibly dangerous.

BADLANDS Dont wanna be an American carrier.


Anyplace outside a fortress enclave or a keep is Dont want a nation under zed influenza.
considered Badlands. In the Badlands, the rule
of law is nonexistent, so meeting another group Can you hear the sound of hysteria?
of humans along a wreck-strewn road isnt The walker apocalypse America.
necessarily a meeting between friends. Several
~lyrics from a popular song in
gangs of highway bandits roam the Badlands, Badlands bandit: level 3;
including Carlas Rednecks, Diamondbacks, and New Chicago Armor 1; long-range firearm
attack deals 4 points of
the Psycho Choir. Theyre usually at each others damage

165
The Badlands also host small inhabited zombie outbreak. This might be true, though
keep enclaves. These are usually fortified recursor visitors to Zed America theorize that
compounds established by an extended family, he may not be a native zombie. He could be
Keep scientist: level 3, a religious group, or a team of scientists whats known as a crowned shambler, a variety
tasks related to research working on a Z cure (with concentrations of of zombie born in a recursion that operates
and biotech as level 5
HRV deemed too dangerous to be used inside under the law of Magic. Whatever his origin,
a fortress enclave). Some keeps are friendly to Patient Zero possesses several uniquely scary
Crowned shambler: level visitors, others not. abilities, including the power to control other
6; short-range bone-tipped
viscera attack moves zed, whole hordes at a time. The Milwaukee
victim one step down the MILWAUKEE RUINS Ruins literally crawl with zombies, and many
damage track; regains 2 In Zed America, many towns (or parts of are atypical zed, with abilities even less
points of health per round
towns) lie in ruins. But Milwaukee is special. understood than those of sprinters, hulks, and
while its health is above 0;
regains 1 point of health per Its home to a unique zombie called Patient sprayers.
minute while its health is Zero. Most people believe hes the source
0; controls zombies within of the mutant strain of HRV that caused the
short range; for details,
see The Strange Bestiary,
BRAIDWOOD NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT
page 147 About an hour out of Chicago lie the ruins of
Braidwood, once a city of some 6,000 people.
Near it is the Braidwood Nuclear Generating
Plant, whose unique silhouette is always visible
on the horizon. When zombies overcame
the workers at the plant, the nuclear process
spiraled out of control. This ultimately led to
a catastrophic power increase in one of the
reactors, which was closely followed by core
explosions. Thankfully, the reactor was mostly
shielded by a hard containment vessel, or a
much wider swath of the landscape would have
been irradiated.
However, the plant itself is highly irradiated,
and for reasons not immediately clear, has
Radioactive: Zombies attracted a large collection of resident zombies
with this quality inflict 1 of all types, but especially zombie sprayers.
additional point of damage
It should come as a surprise to no one that
per attack. On a failed
Might defense roll, a victim the zombies infesting the Braidwood Nuclear
subtracts 1 from all recovery Generating Plant are highly radioactive. When
rolls for the next three days. they come swarming out of the facility every
Multiple hits escalate this
penalty.
few nights, they glow with a flickering, greenish-
blue light. Where the radioactive swarms travel,
they leave a blackened trail of dead plants and
animals in their wake, which is impossible to
miss.
Three zombies at the center of the nuclear
plant never leave with the swarm, possibly
because they have merged into a tripartite
being in a fusion of melted flesh and bone.
Unlike the others, these three operate with
a scary level of self-awareness and refer to
Ulysses: level 7; radioactive themselves as a single being: Ulysses. Ulysses
has plans for its growing brood of radioactive
zombies, which include growing the swarm

166
RECURSIONS: ZED AMERICA 2
large enough to overrun Patient Zero and ammunition when fired. With the scope,
its forces in the Milwaukee Ruins. For now, the rifle can be fired at a target within
Ulysses seems uninterested in taking down 1,600 feet (488 m), inflicting damage equal
New Chicago, possibly because the occasional to the artifact level. A target that fails a
living captives the radioactive swarm brings Might defense roll suffers an episode of
back are the only people Ulysses can talk to HRV replication. If the target fails three
until they inevitably die of radiation poisoning. subsequent Might defense rolls before
succeeding on two, she falls into a coma
ARTIFACTS OF ZED AMERICA and rises ten minutes later as a zombie.
The replication rifle is not a rapid-fire weapon.
REPLICATION RIFLE Depletion: 1 in 1d20
Level: 1d6 + 1
Form: Precision military rifle with fused ZED BURNER
bioreactor module and telescopic sight Level: 1d6 + 1
Effect: The bioreactor contains live, Form: Cherry-red flamethrower plastered with
concentrated HRV, which coats the anti-zed stickers
Effect: This weapon sprays a short-range
line of flaming, high-pressure liquid
SCRATCHES AT THE BARRICADE at up to three targets standing next to
Rewire America: Entrepreneur Kwan Kaya, each other, inflicting damage equal to
a woman of formidable determination, the artifact level. Affected targets are
has turned her attention to a new project: also doused in burning liquid,
repair Zed Americas Internet so that far- catch on fire, and take 2 points
flung enclaves are connected once more. of damage each round until
The engineers require protection as they they succeed on a Speed-
travel into the Badlands to accomplish based task to smother the
their goal. flames. A zombie target
that has the special
What the Heck Is It? A new variety of ability to retain 1 point
zombie has been sighted several times of health is overcome
in the old Chicago ruins. It looks like a one round after it
regular zombie, but its bulging stomach is would normally
translucent and filled with sloshing fluid. be reduced to 0
New Chicago scientists want a sample for health.
study. The zed burner is
not a rapid-fire
Call of the Wild: Concerned father Denis weapon.
Lin is looking for someone to smuggle his Depletion: 1 in 1d20
zed-positive son out of the secret room
in the attic where hes been kept since he
converted, and then release the boy into
the Badlands, where hell have a chance.

Us or Them: Mayor Adams is putting


together a scouting team to go north
into the Milwaukee Ruins. Shes received
reports that Patient Zero is building
something called a Zed Conversion
Bomb, and she wants to see if its true.

167
C H AP TER 6

RECURSION SEEDS
The final authentic letter we received from Elizabeth Tooley, IGS explorer
extraordinaire, is dated 06 May 1975. She warned us before setting off to explore
a region of related recursions she called the Conspiracies that we should not
be surprised if we failed to hear from her for a year or more, and that her long
absence should merely be seen as a sign that she was deeply embedded, rather
than that she had failed. In the decades since, having heard nothing of our dear
Liz, I am afraid that we were forced to conclude that she was lost after all. But
we all like to imagine, despite the wild stories and overhyped claims revealed as
hyperbole, that she is still out there somewhere. That she just decided never to
come in again, and is instead happy, healthy, and still exploring.
~Sir Raymond Creswicke,
in a letter to his paramour Irene in the constructed recursion of Paradiso

RECURSION NAMES Mysteries and Leads are fine for the recursion
Flatland, page 176 The given name for a recursion is often a code of Flatland, they seem woefully inadequate for
name bestowed by visiting explorers and does a recursion like Desktop Terrene. And thats all
Desktop Terrene, page 175 not necessarily reflect the name that natives right. Exotic recursions are expected to break
of that recursion use to refer to their limited the rules, which means that they might not
world. Unless a recursion is especially well offer any foci at all. Or if they do, it might be
known, like Ardeyn or Ruk, explorers like to just one focus, and as in the case of Desktop
label recursions with names that say a little Terrene, it might not be one that a recursor
something about them. For instance, in the wants to take.
Manifest Silicon, page 182 recursion Manifest Silicon, disembodied minds
have been uploaded to a computerlike system, A SELECTION OF RECURSIONS
creating a society of sentient software. The total number of recursions in the Shoals
of Earth is a magnitude greater than that
FOCI OFFERED BY EXOTIC estimated by operatives of the Estate. The
RECURSIONS Implausible Geographical Society puts the
Some recursions that operate under the Exotic number in the thousands, but they further
law are so unlike other recursions that the foci note that as fictions continue to be created
they offerwhich are normally chosen by the on Earth and consumed by Earth natives in
GM from a list of all possible fociare likely to their millions, more recursions continue to
be quite limited. For example, although Solves bubble into existence. This makes detailing

168
RECURSION SEEDS 2
each and every oneeven in a cursory
mannerproblematic. But that doesnt mean ARTIFACTS
the IGS and other explorers havent tried, and Recursion miners and others who seek
a selection of those efforts are reprinted as to transfer artifacts between recursions
follows. usually have a method in mind for doing
so. These methods include a special ability
20K (STANDARD PHYSICS) granted by a focus or type, knowledge of an
Utterly alien, this rogue recursion isnt inapposite gate, a plan to travel between
connected to the Shoals of Earth, but recursions using the Strange itself, the
instead floats alone through the Strange, ability to create temporary inapposite
disassociated from whatever alien prime gates, a cypher, or something else.
world seeded it. Despite this fact, recursors
sometimes accidentally translate to 20K
and find themselves converted into sentient periods of time, perhaps even indefinitely.
pools of liquid helium on a small moonlike Natives exist in 20K, but most have entered
object under a sky empty of stars. As blobs of into long-term hibernation, rendering them 20K superfluid entity: level
superfluid, recursors may find that some of into crystal-like nodules decorating the moons 5; melee pseudopod attack
inflicts 3 points of Intellect
their normal abilities are no longer accessible. surface. Touching one instills crazed visions damage (ignores Armor)
Communication requires that recursors mix of philosophy, mathematics, and concepts
a portion of their fluid bodies with another too alien to name, which incites awe but risks Fumala Kapoor: level 5;
can choose one held object
similar being. Thoughts and intentions seizures in the investigator.
to translate along with
move slowly, but recursors can persist in a A recursion miner named Fumala Kapoor her as if taken through an
meditative, mindful state for extremely long has pioneered a method by which she is able to inapposite gate

169
In Antikytheracosm, the surface of Earth is a cast piece of bronze with marble,
wood, and crystal fittings that give the semblance of a tiny world. Overhead,
metallic shells with rotating, painted surfaces move according to simulated
celestial cycles and internal gears.

transport portions of the alien crystals to Earth, ANTIKYTHERACOSM (EXOTIC)


where she sells the thawed fluid as an exotic This recursion is probably constructed, though
(and sometimes fatal) drug. if so, it was created at least a few thousand
Few recursors come to 20K intentionally years ago, when the greatest minds of Earth
because most dont know of its existence. believed that the planet was the center of the
universe. When a recursor travels here, she
AD 802,701 (MAD SCIENCE) learns what it truly means to inhabit a limited
This recursion depicts one possible far, far world. In Antikytheracosm, the surface of Earth
future where the human species has split is a cast piece of bronze with marble, wood,
into two morphologically distinct branches: and crystal fittings that give the semblance of
morlock and eloi. (The recursion was seeded a tiny world. Overhead, metallic shells with
by the H. G. Wells novel The Time Machine rotating, painted surfaces move according
and its many reimaginings.) to simulated celestial cycles and internal
Morlock: level 2; some have The morlocks are albino, apelike humanoids gears. One half shell depicts the sun set with
energy pistols that make with massive eyes and furry bodies who tend brilliant amber, another the moon in pearl, and
long-range attacks
enormous underground machines that regulate the outermost shell is scorched ebony with
the environment. Weaker than humans of thousands of tiny diamond points depicting
Earth, the morlocks might swarm a recursor ancient constellations.
(or eloi) who they deem to be a good meal, or To stand on the surface of Antikytheracosm
if prepared, they could attack with superscience is a dizzying experience because a recursor
weaponry. understands that she is contained within a
Eloi: level 2; pleasant social The eloi, childlike and trusting, are fed and tiny faux cosmos, the sky of which she might
interaction as level 5; tasks
clothed by the morlocks, who take payment in be able to reach up and touch. At the same
related to knowledge and
reasoning as level 1 eloi flesh. Attractive creatures, they are for the time, she seems appropriately sized to inhabit
most part too docile and inbred to develop the the tiny bronze world, to take shade from the
spark. noonday amber crystal sun under the trees
A recursor might visit AD 802,701 to see carved of wood, and to gather in the marble
the Time Traveler appear, which he does every amphitheater to converse with the natives.
three and a half months, like clockwork. Each The natives are tiny carved figures with
time he appears, it is after having made some limited articulation. They resemble people,
adjustment to events further in the past. He horses, birds, and a few creatures that have
hopes to erase the dreadful sequence of events gone extinct on Earth. Some wander the land,
that led to the cannibalistic morlocks predating but many gather in the amphitheater every few
the defenseless eloi. If he ever succeeds, any days to discuss great questions of philosophy
visiting recursors might find themselves wiped and reason, which is why they are called
away with the change. Philosophers. In their thought experiments,
A recursor might wish to visit this recursion most Philosophers have considered the idea
to study the travelers time machine or to that Antikytheracosm might be an artificial
grab a piece of strange technology from the construction.
morlocks. However, unless she wants to end A recursor might visit this world to
up as morlock food or the subject of a science pose a question of the Philosophers in the
experiment, she should leave quickly. amphitheater, who usually arrive at a correct

170
RECURSION SEEDS 2

answer after some debate. However, a Avalon is an idyllic place of lakes, streams,
significant downside to translating here is that and groves of fruit trees, especially apple trees.
the difficulty of any translation task to leave is Some of the fruit is enchanted, and eating it
increased by two steps, and all failures deposit provides a variety of temporary boons, such as
the recursor back in Antikytheracosm. healing, knowledge, or fecundity. Other fruit is
cursed and brings quick death.
Lesser sorceress: level 5;
AVALON (MAGIC) The fey beings of the island include nine
Armor 1; long-range curse
This magical island, often lost in the mists, is sorceresses, sisters all, who rule Avalon. One of inflicts damage and puts
where the magic sword named Excalibur was the sisters is Morgan Le Fay. Other natives also victim to sleep
first forged by fey beings and spirits of the land. live on the island, but they seem to appear and
Morgan Le Fay: level 8;
Avalon is one of a class of recursions called disappear according to the whims of the sisters Armor 2; long-range curse
the Arthurians because of their association or their own impenetrable natures. The sisters inflicts damage and puts
with the King Arthur myth. Indeed, Avalon has rarely see eye to eye on all things, and indeed, victim to sleep; carries six
direct connections to other recursions where Morgan Le Fayoften portrayed as an evil random cyphers she can
cast as spells
other portions of the Arthurian myth play out, entityisnt the worst of her siblings. On the
including Camelot Le Morte. other hand, she is quickened, and in addition Camelot Le Morte, page 46

Avalon is one of a class of recursions called the Arthurians because of their


association with the King Arthur myth. Indeed, Avalon has direct connections to
other recursions where other portions of the Arthurian myth play out, including
Camelot Le Morte.

171
to traveling to connected Arthurian recursions, exchange for a quantity of antimatter normally
sometimes she visits unassociated recursions, impossible to gather in a Standard Physics
possibly even Earth. She is responsible for recursion. Now the Dynamic League holds the
Merlin, page 52 killing more than a few versions of Merlin, and balance of power, if theyre willing to use their
she hunts others as they turn up. It may be doomsday weapon. On the other hand, they
her meddling that gave at least one version of might simply be trying to build engines with
Merlin the spark, though the wizard maintains beamed core antimatter technology that would
that it was the other way around. give them easy access to Sols outer system and
A tomb surrounded by an Avebury-like henge all the riches in the Oort cloud.
stands in the center of the island. On the A recursor might visit the Borderlands of
central stone is inscribed, Here lies Arthur, Sol to trade for technology that would work on
the once and future king. Normally, the grave Earth, or to track down whats become of the
is empty. But it may one day hold Arthur of Resolution.
Camelotor one of him, at least; there are
many Arthurians. CASTLE ONE (MAD SCIENCE)
Recursors who venture to Avalon might do This constructed recursion was fashioned by
OSR, page 157 so because they are looking for a magical fruit, the Office of Strategic Recursion (OSR) on
the Holy Grail, Excalibur, or Arthurs aid. More Earth. Only about a mile (2 km) in diameter,
likely, they find one of the nine sisters, perhaps the site is devoted to research and was staffed
even Morgan Le Fay. with hundreds of scientists and support
personnelbefore the incident. OSR used
BORDERLANDS OF SOL Castle One to conduct all manner of crazy
(STANDARD PHYSICS) experiments under the law of Mad Science.
Seeded from stories and movies of mankinds They hoped to create amazing tools, insights,
eventual colonization of the inner solar system, and strategies that they could bring back to
this recursion features a spinning station Earth through inapposite gates. They had only
orbiting Earth, domes on Mars, tunnels on limited success. Sure, they were able to develop
Ceres (in the asteroid belt), outposts on a few handheld laser pistols, exoskeletons that
moons of Jupiter, and hundreds of spacecraft looked like black three-piece suits (complete
moving between these locations. Unlike many with fedora and black sunglasses) that any
recursions seeded by sci-fi, the Borderlands of government official would be comfortable
UN marine: level 3; Armor
Sol operates under the law of Standard Physics, wearing, and all types of handy items. But
2 from powered armor; which means that its technology pushes the by and large, OSR scientists lacked the long
long-range rifle attack very edge of Mad Science but is compatible experience of the technologists of Ruk. Almost
inflicts 5 points of damage with Earth systems with some retrofitting (and everything created by Castle One labs had a
Mars trooper: level 4; inapposite travel). The powers that be include limited shelf life on Earth after being brought
health 23; long-range the UN of Earth, the Empire of Mars, the Ceres througheverything, that is, but a formula
flechette attack with Confederacy, and the intelligent robots (called meant to sustain badly wounded soldiers on
programmable payloads
dynamics) that inhabit Jupiters moons in such the battlefield. This formula, called Second
inflicts acid, explosive, or
fire damage profusion that its hard to give them a single Seed, came from one of the so-called Zed
name; theyre usually referred to collectively Omega recursions and showed signs of
Dynamic drone: level 3; as the Dynamic League. As vast as the potential efficacy on Earth.
long-range electrical attack
also weakens software of
resources of the solar system are, those easily Its not clear if OSR shut down Castle One or
enemy suits, weapons, reachable by ion engines and human/robotic if a lab accident caused the zombie outbreak
or systems hit, increasing ingenuity are finite, which has led to strained in the recursion. It doesnt matter anymore. All
difficulty of all tasks by one relationships and armed skirmishes. known gates were closed, and an emergency
step per hit
In one particularly memorable event, the ward was raised, making it more difficult to
Resolution, page 29 alien spacecraft Resolution appeared in the translate into the recursion. A rescue attempt
recursion without warning. It made some kind tried to save as many of the unconverted
of deal with the Dynamic League, apparently scientists as possible. In the aftermath,
gaining one or two dynamics as crew in Castle One remains a sealed, zombie-infested

172
RECURSION SEEDS 2
recursion littered with Mad Science gadgets, A recursor who translates into Cyberscape
weapons, research, and artifacts, some of appears as an avatar, usually resembling a
which were brought there through inapposite node of light trailing glyphs that tag him.
gates from other Mad Science recursions for The glyph tag provides at a glance his name,
study. descriptor, and type to anyone who cares to
Castle One is a veritable treasure trove, but look. The natives are similarly tagged, though
its guarded by hard-to-kill walking dead, many they run the gamut from bots of various ability
of which have mutated as a result of strange and function to the occasional avatar of a real
energies leaking from the castles containment person jacked into the consensual world to do
facilities. research, affect repairs, or steal data.
In Cyberscape, explorers are essentially free-
CYBERSCAPE (MAD SCIENCE) willed data packets, which gives characters the
A grid of green lines a stark plain. On the run of the system. However, because theyve
horizon blazes a city whose architecture taken on the context of the recursion, the same
features lines of light of unthinkable complexity. intrusion countermeasures electronics (ICE)
Constellations of data wheel overhead, that can fry a bot or an avatars mind are just
each pinpoint a database. Cyberscape is as effective on recursors. The more intruders
one of several limited worlds seeded into tamper, the greater the chance theyll call down
the Strange by stories about a virtual world military-grade ICE, which can burn out their Military-grade ICE: level
created by computer connections. (In a way, synapses and eject them from the system. If this 5; short-range discharge
inflicts 4 points of Intellect
the dark energy network of the Strange itself happens to a recursor, his body appears in its damage that ignore Armor
is the cyberspace that operates the universe home recursion (or on Earth), in a coma that
of normal matter, so visiting Cyberscape is could prove permanent, or in a body thats just
somewhat meta.) suffered a bout of spontaneous combustion.

173
Cygnus Station relies on a technological miracle called the Entropy Engine. It
allows the station to maintain both its position over the gravitational maw of the
black hole and its safety from radiation within a surrounding spacetime bubble.

A recursor might choose to visit Cyberscape on a technological miracle called the Entropy
after learning that an enemy organization (such Engine. It allows the station to maintain both
as the Karum) has been experimenting with its position over the gravitational maw of the
the recursion to store data, to steal a databot black hole and its safety from radiation within a
to use as a high-level researcher in a different surrounding spacetime bubble. Excess energy
recursion or context, or to look for characters and gravity flow around the bubble like water
from any of the fictions that seeded the place in flows around a river rock.
hopes of gaining a temporary ally. As the various narratives that seeded Cygnus
Station might suggest, the situation aboard the
CYGNUS STATION (MAD SCIENCE) station is not copacetic. The chief scientist, Dr.
Dr. Axel Streiber: level 4; This moderately sized space station is caught Axel Streiber, experienced a serious psychotic
tasks related to science, in the extreme gravitational grip of a massive break. He believes hes on the cusp of achieving
engineering, and station
operation as level 6; black hole known as Cygnus X-1. In addition communion with bulk beings that live in
long-range gravity collapse to its crushing gravity, the black hole and its the black hole. When the rest of the crew
inflicts 12 points of damage binary companion, a blue supergiant star, give tried to relieve him of duty for his crazy talk,
(usable once per minute)
off intense radiation. Cygnus Station relies Streiber began murdering them. By the time

174
RECURSION SEEDS 2
they realized that Streiber was responsible, it experimental rocket fuel began a chain reaction
was too late. The last of the crew died when of iron nuclei disintegration. Nothing survived,
Streiber selectively warped the Entropy Engine though visiting recursors can find the wreckage
and spaghettified the final survivors. Now of the instigating rocket, which lies in a ruin on
he works alone except for his loyal robotic the rusted plain.
companion, Agatha. Dead Earths are forlorn, empty places, devoid Agatha (robot): level 6;
Over the years, various alien explorers have of life and incapable of supporting it (though Armor 3
found Cygnus Station and attempted to learn many have residual atmospheres). The only
the secret of the Entropy Engine. Most failed, reason a recursor might choose to visit one
but some left behind cysts or eggs, or they is because most have no active threats and,
entered a state of suspended hibernation in indeed, might serve as the ultimate getaway
case the situation changes. from everything.

Desktop Terrene is almost certainly a constructed recursion, possibly created as a


trap for recursors who are unaware of the danger it represents.

Visiting recursors, who take on the context of DESKTOP TERRENE (EXOTIC)


station crew, initially find Streiber surprised and The hot light in the sky is a desk lamp beating
delighted by the company. However, the good down on the wood-veneer plain that stretches
doctors paranoia eventually takes over, sooner away in all directions. That plain is littered with
rather than later if he is questioned closely a jumbled terrain of piled reference books,
about what happened to the previous crew. folders, pens, and used coffee mugs. The only
Its only a matter of time until he betrays his hint of greenery is near one knife-edge cliff: a The Entropy Engine of
visitors, perhaps by locking them in a section potted plant whose stalks stretch away into the Cygnus Station might be
of the station filled with alien cysts, by sending haze as if toward some unattainable utopia. an artifact, an imprisoned
his robot Agatha to murder them in their sleep, A recursor who translates into this small alien, a secondary
wormhole, an artificially
or by arranging for them to be ejected into the recursion discovers that he has apparently maintained tear in the
black hole. become an inert object on a desk, having fabric of the recursion (and
Recursors might choose to visit Cygnus taken on the context of a pen or pencil, a pair therefore dangerous!), or
something else.
Station to get an eye-popping view of an active of scissors, a pin in a corkboard, a postcard, a
black hole that is available in few other places. reference book, or something similar. Though
Those who know about the Entropy Engine able to sense his surroundings, the recursor
might visit to see if they can use it in another discovers that his new form is inanimate,
recursion. But whether they arrive purposefully unless special abilities granted by his type
or accidentally, recursors shouldnt overstay are able to create some form of locomotion.
their welcome. The only focus offered in Desktop Terrene, Is
an Object Found on a Desk, confers but one
DEAD EARTH (MAD SCIENCE) ability: an increasing acceptance of ones placid
A class of recursions known as the Dead existence in the recursion.
Earths has a somewhat self-explanatory Desktop Terrene is almost certainly a
name. All (or almost all) life on Earth has constructed recursion, possibly created as
been destroyed in a cataclysm, usually a trap for recursors who are unaware of the
brought about by fictions that trace out the danger it represents. Few choose to come here
ultimate conclusions or worst-case scenarios of their own volition.
of doomsday fears. For instance, one Dead
Earth recursion is covered in red rust like dust
because it burned up when a catalyst in an

175
Women in Flatland are straight lines and are required by law to sound a peace cry
as they move in public places so they do not accidentally stab anyone to death.

ENTOPIA (MAD SCIENCE) ESCHATOS


Recursors appear in Entopia on the slopes of a (MAD SCIENCE AND MAGIC)
massive ant colony. They keep the same form Many fictions and several scientific hypotheses
they had on Earth and retain their fociits include the concept of the end of the universe, the
just that now theyre apparently the size of end of time, and the final dissolution of matter
ants. Most of the recursions insects are not as the universe continues to expand. Eschatos
sentient; theyre drones, foragers, or warriors, is a recursion seeded from several of these
and they act as nature intended, which means concepts. It features a sterile, moonlike surface
that recursors appearing in the nest could on which the sprawling magitech structure called
be attacked and torn to shreds in moments. the Last City rests under a sky mostly empty of
Ant queen: level 7; short- However, the queen of the ant colony is sentient starstheyve died and gone out. The Last City
range pheromone attack and has the spark. If recursors can manage to is home to around a million beings. Most of
creates willing servants
while in the queens
be brought before her in a living state, they can the natives are reconstituted humans, many of
presence and for up to a communicate and perhaps make a deal. The whom skipped millennia of existence in magical
day afterward queen has been visited by recursors before. stasis; these are the so-called Sleeper clades.
Though first she dined on them, she learned Other clades exist, including the Engineers, the
not to be so hasty, and now she demands that Artists, the Hedonists, and the Gamers, and each
they entertain her with stories of other places. has modified themselves in some magical or
Usually, recursors are enslaved in the colony technological fashion that allows them to pursue
until the day they manage to escape, though their pastime more efficiently.
the queen feeds them the same hormone-laced The city is overseen by a magitech entity
food she gives her drones to maintain control called Eris and her many golemlike angels,
over them. each of which appears like a different extinct
A recursor might visit Entopia to gain a terrestrial animal forged of silver. Eris is
sample of the queens mind-control substance. responsible for keeping the Anarch Ritual
Alternatively, they might try to convince her to active, a magitech shielding spell that retards
translate into another recursion to help stem the final dissolution of the moon and the Last
a magical insect plague or a technological City resting upon it. But each year, anarchy
disaster brought on by an invasive species. beyond the city increases as spacetime
stretches further and further. Eris has come to
realize that her struggle may eventually prove
insufficient, and that even Eschatos will end.

FLATLAND (EXOTIC)
This recursion exists in two dimensions, and
Fast gliding along, a gloomy bark recursors who translate here find that many
Her sails are full, though the wind is still, of their physical abilities are limited or non-
existent. This geometrically stratified society
And there blows not a breath her sails to fill.
exists in a region simply called The World that
~Thomas Moore, Written on Passing Deadmans Island has many congruences with Victorian London.
The choice of gender that recursors enjoy when
first translating into a new recursion is a rather
important one in Flatland. Men are many-sided
polygons. Women are straight lines and are
required by law to sound a peace cry as they

176
RECURSION SEEDS 2
move in public places so they do not accidentally to be distant stars, though the atmosphere is
stab anyone to death. Circles are considered breathable and even a bit on the warm side.
perfect, and no native has that shape. A recursor Recursors discover that their hands and feet are
who chooses such a shape might be hailed as a sticky, like a frogs, allowing them to adhere to
messiah (and could face the ultimate penalty by the pane.
officials fearful of losing their own power). At the center of the crystal pane is a
A recursor who visits Flatland might do so pockmark, as if the glass had been hit by a
on behalf of the Estate, which keeps watch massive celestial hammer. Jagged fractures
on the odd recursion by sending occasional emanate from the pit and zigzag across the
patrols. They worry that stories the natives tell pane. The only native of the recursion is a
of higher-dimensional beings transitioning massive tree frog that spends much of its time Massive frog: level 7,
through the world might be entities from the in the pit, except when recursors visit, at which Speed defense as level 4
due to size; health 32; long-
Strange, not part of the original fiction that point it emerges and attempts to feed. range tongue attack inflicts
birthed the recursion. Recursors generally visit Frog Lake only by 3 points of damage and
accident. If they do show up, theyre advised to sucks victim into frogs belly
FLYING DUTCHMAN (MAGIC) begin a translation trance as quickly as possible on a second failed Speed
defense roll; swallowed
The pernicious legend of a Dutch man-of-war before the hungry lone resident finds them. target suffers 5 points
ship lost off the Cape of Good Hope in the of damage each round
1700s spawned a recursion of the ship itself. (ignores Armor) until freed
or the frog dies
All the original crew, guilty of an unspeakable
crime, exist as phantoms, like their vessel.
They are condemned to sail the oceans forever
Nibble, nibble, little mouse,
in penance. Despite being its own closed Who is nibbling at my house?
recursion, the ship sometimes manages to ~Hungry witch, Grimms Fairy Tales
travel (perhaps via the Strange) into other
recursions, where it appears in the depths of
storm, fog, or other calamity to real vessels as
an omen of their coming doom. GINGERBREAD HOUSE (MAGIC)
Captained by the specter of Hendrick This delightful enchanted dwelling, located Captain Hendrick
Vanderdecken, the Flying Dutchman is loaded in a discreet, out-of-the way portion of the Vanderdecken: level 6;
insubstantial unless he
with great wealth, thanks to atrocities the crew dark woods, dates back to the early 1800s. chooses otherwise as an
committed in acts of savage piracy. Visiting What happens inside is never discovered action; if destroyed, reforms
recursors who do not offer the captain and crew beyond the Gingerbread Houses sweet eaves. within three days
something of real value to add to that hoard Accommodations span three floors, including
Flying Dutchman
will soon find themselves victims. Recursors a cellar and attic. An expansive oven on the crew member: level 3;
who successfully parley with the captain may main floor cooks anything placed within to insubstantial unless he
ask a boon of him. Sometimes quickened perfect, tender sweetness with each use. chooses otherwise as an
action; if destroyed, reforms
individuals are kidnapped by the crew and Perhaps most delightfully, the entire house is
within seven days
brought aboard to serve as spiritual food for built of gingerbread and garnished with candy
the starving specters. decorations. Even the windows are made of
Recursors might choose to visit the Flying clear sugar. Hungry witch: level 5,
deception and disguise as
Dutchman to ask a boon of the captain, such However, prospective new owners and those level 6; health 25; short-
as transport to a secret land, an item from the out for a quick snack soon discover the hungry range sleep spell affects
hoard, information otherwise lost to history, or witch who lives in the Gingerbread House. victim for one minute
a ride to a hard-to-reach recursion or location Despite being almost blind, she gets along well
Bird servitor: level 3, Speed
in the Strange. enough thanks to her magic, her flock of bone- defense as level 4 due to
white bird servitors that roost in the attic, and a size; peck attack deals
FROG LAKE (EXOTIC) small army of gingerbread men that lie stacked damage
This exceedingly dangerous recursion is quite in the cellar. She prefers the taste of children,
Gingerbread man: level 4;
small. It features a pane of crystal floating but so wondrous is her oven and so capacious bash attack inflicts 5 points
vertically in empty space, lit by what appear is her hunger that anyone will do. of damage

177
GORILLA PLANET (MAD SCIENCE) Recursors who arrive in Gorilla Planet can
Seeded from a blend of 1950s-era science choose to be an ape or a human. Hopefully,
Advanced ape: level 5, fiction and stories of apes taking over the they choose ape, because otherwise theyre
science-related tasks as level
planet, this recursion is home to advanced stuck as a head on a tree. Thats why recursors
6; long-range laser pistol
attack inflicts 6 points of apelike beings who enjoy a level of technology dont come to Gorilla Planet if they can avoid it.
damage much beyond that of Earth. Humans are for
the most part extinct, except in one gruesome GOTHIC PLAYGROUND
particular. When the apes assumed control, (MAGIC AND MAD SCIENCE)
Dracula (vampire lord): they preserved their progenitor species. Arriving in this recursion is to plunge into an
level 9; health 40; Armor They blended human DNA with genetically 1890s Victorian England where Dracula is all
2; moves a long distance
engineered vegetation, creating the famous too real. The vampire lord has successfully
each round; claw or
bite inflicts 10 points of Forest of Humans. It propagates like a normal pushed his influence into London proper,
damage; able to mesmerize forest, but it also keeps a strain of humanity though he retains ties to his castle in
victim; standard vampire alivein a manner of speaking. The humanity Transylvania as well. He poses as a visiting
weaknesses; for more
details, see The Strange
in the wood is revealed only once a year, when noble of foreign blood, one with money to
Bestiary, page 132 the fruits ripen into fully functional human invest should he find the proper opportunity.
heads that are capable of speech until they In reality, when he finds a business he likes,
Reanimated: level 6; starve and shrivel. The seeds inside this he enslaves the owner and adds the company
health 70; moves a long
distance when jumping; fruit propagate new human trees. However, to his power base. Dracula and his vampiric
melee attack inflicts 7 if a human fruit is plucked at the height of clan are opposed by the Van Helsings,
points of damage; regains freshness and given the proper treatment, it who in desperation have turned to occult
health when struck by
sprouts into a fully articulated normal human. methods of their own. One of those methods
electromagnetic energy;
for more details, see The The apes do this sometimes for fun, sport, or has yielded a way to create a deathless
Strange Bestiary, page 113 scientific inquiries. soldiera reanimatedunable to be turned

178
RECURSION SEEDS 2
to vampirism, but at an ethical cost. The first in a common language and their reliance on
reanimated, referred to as Frankensteins the Law of the Jungle. The Law lays down a
Monster, seems to have secret motivations of complex set of codes providing guidance on
its own. interaction within your own pack or tribe, and
A recursor might visit Gothic Playground to with packs of other species. The Law also
gain a sample of vampiric blood for study, to prohibits killing humans, except under specific
find a holy relic useful for destroying vampires and limited circumstancescircumstances
in other recursions, or to discover the method that include humans suddenly appearing in the
of creating a reanimated. heart of the Kiplingverse, as recursors do if they
choose human form. These humans are given
HAPPY ISLAND (EXOTIC) over to the tiger Shere Khan, who harbors a Shere Khan (tiger): level 6,
Recursors who translate here find themselves long-running grudge against their kind. Speed defense as level 4 due
to limp, deception tasks as
in the body of a cloth or plastic toy that can In addition to Shere Khan, the powers that be level 7; health 24; Armor 1
move and talk as if alive. Within the narrative include monkeys, which are essentially a gang
of the recursion, Happy Island is a place where that terrorizes every other group because they
Baloo (brown bear):
action figures, dolls, and similar humanoid toys scoff at the Law of the Jungle. But the teacher
level 5, pleasant social
live in an eclectic society where they attempt of the LawBaloo, a sleepy brown bear who interaction and law as level
to govern themselves. Every so often, a godlike becomes fierce if angeredstrives constantly 6; health 20; Armor 1
hand reaches down from above and stages the against them. In his efforts
figures like the toys they once were. But most to keep the Law, Baloo is Bagheera (black panther):
of the time, they go about their business, which aided by others, including level 4; health 18
often devolves into in-fighting, violence, and Bagheera the black
factional carnage. Sometimes this violence
leads to beheadings, and victorious factions
parade around the island, holding up the
plastic heads of their victims. Recursors who
arrive with no obvious allegiance to a faction
are usually marked as enemy spies and set
upon until they are completely disassembled
and scattered. This might be the end for them.
However, given that the figures are toys,
being beheaded or drawn and quartered isnt
necessarily a death sentence. Someone with
enough skill with hot glue, needle, and thread
can bring many casualties of Happy Island back
to life.
Recursors dont usually visit Happy Island on
purpose because being a plastic, animate figure
feels too much like being dead.

KIPLINGVERSE (EXOTIC)
When recursors translate into this recursion,
they can choose to be human or be an animal
of their choice. In the Kiplingverse, bears,
panthers, wolves, monkeys, pythons, birds, and
other creatures go about their lives somewhat
like regular animals on Earth (they belong to
specific packs or tribes), but they are also part
of a larger social community encompassing
different species. This community is
engendered by the animals ability to converse

179
In Krayol, everyone and everything appears as two-dimensional articulated pieces
of crayon-colored paperrendered by a not particularly proficient handposed
on a similarly two-dimensional cityscape background.

Kaa (python): level 4; bite panther and Kaa the python. Baloo has the LABYRINTH (MAGIC)
inflicts 4 points of Speed spark, and though he is not quickened, he This elaborate structure is like a Mobius
damage that ignore Armor
has seen previous recursors visit. Most were strip in that it has no exterior. Its interior is a
killed by Shere Khan and hundreds of hungry twisted and changeable maze of meandering,
monkeys before the visitors quite realized many-leveled paths through stone and bronze
their danger. When possible, Baloo warns new corridors. They lead to traps, dead ends, lethal
recursors of their eventual fate if they overstay riddles, and caches of treasure from previous
their welcome; its the Law of the Jungle. victims of the maze. Visitors also encounter
A recursor might visit the Kiplingverse out of creatures and other explorers in the maze who,
nostalgia, for historical research, or perhaps in an depending on how long theyve been lost, may
effort to locate the trail of Mowgli, a native who have descended into hungry savagery. The most
Minotaur: level 8, tasks was kidnapped out of the recursion by unknown famous inhabitant of the maze is the Minotaur,
related to solving puzzles as people some time ago for unknown reasons. the singular beast from which all lesser
level 9; health 44; Armor 1
minotaur myths descend. The product of a
KRAYOL (EXOTIC) god-cursed union between human and bull, the
A struggle for absolute power shakes the streets Minotaur is monstrous, and only the flesh of
of Krayol, which would appear something like people can nourish it. It is lost in the Labyrinth,
a large modern city, except for one thing. In which was created to contain it. But every
Krayol, everyone and everything appears as two- century, the Minotaur comes closer to finding
dimensional articulated pieces of crayon-colored a way out, especially since it gained the spark
paperrendered by a not particularly proficient thanks to visiting recursors. Now it realizes that
handposed on a similarly two-dimensional escaping isnt as simple as merely finding the
cityscape background. The only recursor who correct path. It must find the correct person to
has managed to escape describes the recursion help it leave its reality altogether.
as being a peaceful, childlike wonderland The Minotaur sometimes leaves trails of
one moment, and a war-torn land of extreme silver Knossos coins (stamped with a labyrinth
brutality the next, where natives blithely shred symbol) that lead to its lair. It does so to lure
and burn each other with psychopathic abandon. fresh explorers for food and for the possibility
Apparently, a child named Amanda, often seen of finding someone who can help it escape.
wandering the streets, might be the creator of A recursor might choose to visit the
the recursion, thanks to an unrecognized power Labyrinth to gain a relic of ancient Crete or to
she possesses. She fell into one of her drawings converse with a being born from a myth well
one day while coloring in her notebook. over 2,000 years old. However, leaving the
Confused and lost, Amanda makes do as best maze isnt as easy as entering it. The difficulty
she can, but she essentially has the powers of of all translation tasks is increased by three
a god in Krayol. Crossing her is not something steps, and all failed translation attempts return
to undertake lightly. When natives bleed, the the travelers back to wherever they started in
red goes outside the lines in a most unpleasant the maze.
fashion.
A recursor might translate to Krayol to
attempt to rescue Amanda from her self-
created prison recursion.

180
RECURSION SEEDS 2
LOST LANDS Recursors usually dont choose to visit this
(SUBSTANDARD PHYSICS) place, given the Substandard Physics law that
This wide recursion is akin to Mesozoica in holds sway except under the domes and the Mesozoica, page 72
broad detail and was likely seeded by similar limited foci available (which include Hunts
fictions. Dinosaurs from mismatched terrestrial Beasts and Makes Fire). However, a recursor
eras, megafauna including mastodons might translate into the Lost Lands to rescue a
and giant sloths, and herds of buffalo particular abductee or to liberate the grey Mad
anachronistically roam the veldt-like landscape Science exclusion bubble technology.
dotted with acacia groves and baobab trees.
Several species of hominids eke out an MAGICIANS SANCTUM (MAGIC)
existence among the giant dinosaurs, saber- This recursion is a three-story home (plus
toothed tigers, and rival hominid tribes. a basement) constructed by a master of
But the Lost Lands differs from Mesozoica magic to serve as a secret lair. In addition to
in one important detail: silver domes glint here accommodations able to host up to seven
and there under the harsh sun. Under many of people comfortably, including bedrooms,
these domes, bubbles of Mad Science operate laundry, kitchen, and study, the sanctum has
and grey scientists conduct experiments. Greys specialized facilities perfect for a practitioner.
are popular in many novels and movies, and The sanctums library is filled with tomes,
one of these grey strains learned the trick of scrolls, and spellbooks about sorcery, taken
traversing recursions via the Strange. The greys from dozens of recursions that operate
who have invaded the Lost Lands use it as a under the law of Magic. The collection
vast laboratory to learn more about recursions. includes several enchanted tomes taken
To this end, greys abduct natives from other from recursions seeded by popular fantasy
recursions and let them loose on the veldt to and horror roleplaying games. The expansive
see how they respond. Abductees usually hail laboratory is similarly stocked with reagents
from recursions that operate under the laws and components for researching magic and
of Standard Physics, Mad Science, or Magic, making potions, its shelves lined with specialty
which means that the equipment they carry materials from related recursions (including
(cell phones, laser pistols, or magic wands) one based on fictions about a school of
quickly degrades under the law of Substandard magic for children). One locked chamber
Physics. is a repository for powerful and dangerous
Some abductees are housed with a hominid magic items and artifacts, some kept against
tribe, harvested for tissue, or devolved and a specific future need, and others secured
recombined with other species roaming because they should never have been removed
the Lost Lands, apparently just to see what from the fiction that birthed them in the
happens. Grey curiosity is insatiable and not first place. The vault is also stocked with an
shackled by ethics. Only one abductee ever impressive number of cyphers.
escaped: a human named Darren White. How The Hall of Doors in the basement
he managed to get away is something the greys never seems to contain the same doors on
want to know, so they scour the veldt and other subsequent visits. Some of the doors require a
recursions, looking to recapture him for further key, and some open to a touch. The doors lead
study. (via translation or inapposite gate) to other
The hominids native to the Lost Lands have recursions, including several that are known
learned to stay away from the silver domes to organizations like the Estate, but also to
and the occasional flitting saucer overhead. many more that are wholly new and potentially
The hominid known as Lasting Ember recently deadly. Lasting Ember: level
managed to down one of the saucers by disabling The original builder of the Magicians 5; health 23; Armor 1
(tyrannosaurus hide); long-
its Mad Science module and sinking it in a tar pit. Sanctum is long gone, or at least on an range burning spear inflicts
With that success notched into his spear, Lasting extended sabbatical. Other quickened 4 points of damage for
Ember has new aspirations, and now he seeks a practitioners have squatted in the sanctum three rounds
method to drive away or destroy the greys. for various spans of time. Some return now

181
Yantra ghost: level 5; melee and then to refer to a book in the library. geometric shapescalled yantra ghostsrise
bash inflicts damage and However, each visit requires a delicate up from the pattern and attempt to force her to
moves victim an immediate
distance; if killed, creates a
negotiation with X, the sanctum guardian. turn back.
gap in the mandala pattern X, who resembles a woman made of iron, is Safety lies at the center of the mandala, as
a magically animated automaton who keeps does enlightenment. Rumor suggests that
X: level 7; Armor 3; long- the sanctum presentable and kills visitors she each visitor who makes it to the center finds
range disintegration ray judges to be unworthy. A smart way to get on something differentperhaps the answer to a
also inflicts damage on all
creatures within immediate
Xs good side is to contribute a magic book, question, the awakening of new abilities, or a
range of target artifact, reagent, or cypher to the sanctum. glimpse into the far future or distant past.
In return, the gift-giver is granted permission
Chain demon, page 211 to stay and make use of the sanctum for up MANIFEST SILICON (MAD SCIENCE)
to a month. If X is compromised, a magical An explorer who translates into this limited
failsafe summons a fleet of chain demons to world has the option to manifest either in flesh
the sanctums defense from one of the locked or in software. If she chooses the former, she
doors in the basement. finds herself on a barren plain. The bloated
A recursor might visit the sanctum for the sun in the sky gives no warmth. Trying to suck
reasons described above, to meet a practitioner sustenance from air with depleted oxygen
from fiction who currently lives there, or maybe becomes a task. The only item of note is a
just to get away from it all. smooth, silvery dome half buried in the dust,
apparently a technological remnant of a
MANDALA ZERO (MAGIC) vanished humanity.
This relatively small recursion is a collection If the recursor chooses to manifest in
of city skyscrapers and smaller buildings, each software, she appears as a disembodied
floating on a separate mote of crumbling earth intelligence within that dome, inhabiting a
that holds the buildings framing. The buildings computer-simulated reality of her choosing.
float through an apparent starry void. An Billions of other minds exist in the same
atmosphere allows visiting recursors sufficient computronium substrate; theyre the natives.
air, though temperatures hover just above Each has control over a limited region of its
freezing. Most of the buildings show damage own environment, which means that most
as if from fire or perhaps combat: gunfire, realities are not consensual. When two or more
explosions, and massive claw marks. Inside, the natives meet as avatars, they do so in specially
structures are mostly empty, though refugees created consensus zones, most of which last
from other recursions sometimes take shelter for the length of a meeting. Life in Manifest
in them. The buildings slowly drift, following Silicon is as varied as the natives who make it
faintly glowing, intangible lines of light laid up. Threats are usually external, but sometimes
out where the street level would otherwise particularly clever delinquent natives manage
be. The lines could reasonably be mistaken to get into the base code, threatening all of
for the ghosts of lost streets, but if followed existence with their exploits.
inward to the city center, theyre revealed as the A recursor might visit Manifest Silicon to win
outermost lines of an immense design similar the cooperation of a sentient software agent
to a mandala. that she could deploy in computerized systems
At the center, the design has physical solidity, in other recursions.
unlike the lines of the outlying pattern, and
a recursor can walk upon its surface without MEINTOME (PSIONICS)
falling through into the void. Walking the This small city in middle America is a recursion
mandalas pattern poses new challenges: that suffers some kind of corruption in its
if a recursor doesnt follow it toward the connection to the Strange. Meintome has
center, but instead steps across the lines to citizens, but only some of them persist at
make shortcuts, electromagnetic discharges any given time. No one suddenly blinks out
destructively flow through her. But even of existencenothing so dramatic. But if a
when someone follows the design perfectly, native or recursor breaks off speaking with a

182
RECURSION SEEDS 2
Neverland-4 is a mix of various Neverland recursions and has several natives with
the spark and even a few quickened individuals, including the fairy Tinker Bell and
Captain Hook.

friend, goes elsewhere to grab a cup of coffee, Someone from an Earth organization learned
and then returns, its fifty-fifty whether the of the presence of vast amounts of helium-3
friend is still there. Most natives dont seem in a certain hard-to-reach secret facility. Two
to notice this irregularity. If Jamala doesnt see rival groups with limited access to recursors
Reginald on Monday, she probably sees him concurrently sent translation teams to
on Wednesday, and things move on. However, Moonbase Tranquility to determine if they could
a few citizens have become wise to the somehow transport the material back to Earth.
phenomenon, gaining the spark after a visiting In the fight that followed, the robotic caretakers
recursor called attention to the odd goings-on. of the base were radicalized and reprogrammed
The head of Meintome, Mayor Valles, has themselves to kill all humans on sight. Now the
the power to levy harsh punishments on moonbase is a battlefield with three factions:
the citizens of the recursion even for minor two rival human groups and one group of killer Killer robot: level 2; Armor
offenses, including jaywalking, littering, and use robots that continually modify themselves to 2; electrode touch inflicts 5
points of damage
of improper grammar and punctuation. Those improve their odds of slaughtering humans.
penalties have recently expanded to include Given that the killer robots of Moonbase Killer robot, v2.0: level 5;
questioning the status quo, especially in regard Tranquility operate under the law of Standard Armor 3; electrode touch or
to the periodic disappearances. Those charged Physics, its lucky that this recursion has no short-range electrode dart
inflicts 8 points of damage
and found guilty are usually never seen again, inapposite gate to Earthyet.
as if the corruption responsible for the effect A recursor might visit Moonbase Tranquility
swallowed them completely. to gain technology or high-tech materials that
A recursor might visit Meintome to find a would function under the law of Standard
psionic artifact able to selectively remove or Physics that operates on Earth.
manifest targets from the timestreamif such
a thing actually exists. NEVERLAND-4 (MAGIC)
A handful of recursions are based on the story
MOONBASE TRANQUILITY of Peter Pan. Some are more true to the original Tinker Bell: level 6, Speed
defense as level 8 due
(STANDARD PHYSICS) works, and others incorporate non-canon to tiny size; flies a long
This recursion has the trappings of Mad Science, elements from hundreds of later adaptations. distance each round;
but in fact, its seeded from hard science fiction Neverland-4 is a mix of various Neverland creates minor magic effects
with fairy dust; has two
novels, movies, hopes, and dreams about recursions and has several natives with the spark random cyphers
creating a base on the moon. A series of domes and even a few quickened individuals, including
and tunnels, Moonbase Tranquility is operated the fairy Tinker Bell and Captain Hook. Peter Pan Captain Hook: level 6;
by robots of limited scope and ability, though was also quickened, but he went missing while health 30; Armor 1; long-
range magic flintlock attack
theyre proficient in their particular specialties. exploring recursions far afield from the original inflicts damage on two
One of those specialties is the collection of narrative that birthed him. In his absence and targets as one action; has
helium-3 from the moons surface. An unproven presumed death, Tinker Bell leads a coalition two random cyphers
theory on Earth is a fact in Moonbase Tranquility: of fairies, birds, and other residents of the
over billions of years, solar wind from the sun island against Captain Hook and the surviving
embedded a layer of helium-3 in the moons Lost Boys who joined Hooks crew after Peter On Earth, helium-3 is
regolith. Autonomous drones crisscross the abandoned them. Fighting is fierce and of interest because of its
potential use in nuclear
moon (or, at least, the limited portion of it that casualties are common, but the recursion has a weapons research and
makes up the recursion) mining the isotope, and way of birthing new recruits on either side of the nuclear fusion.
huge magnetic helium-3 tanks are stored near conflict; Tinker Bell calls them brave volunteers,
the base. and Hook calls them fodder.

183
Recent escalations include Captain Hooks previous pharaohs are scattered about the
trip to an alternate Neverland. He returned with lands edges, and each contains elaborate traps
another version of himself, allowing him to be and vicious guardians protecting the body and
in two places at once. Meanwhile, Tinker Bell grave goods of the former rulers, ensuring their
made an inapposite connection to a different place in the afterlife. The center of the realm is
recursion that operates under the law of Magic the vital Nile, which provides life, water, fish,
and returned with a sword of immense power. and trade.
If she names a victim and tosses the sword in The New Kingdom is especially dangerous to
the air, it finds that victim, wherever he might visit. Recursors, regardless of their translation
be in the recursion, and kills him. Of course, choices, often arrive in bodies that set them
she hasnt yet used the sword, because a Lost apart from regular natives. Such was the curse
Boy would likely grab the blade and toss it back of Anubis, pronounced to protect his people.
her way. Instead, she uses the threat of the Thus, a recursor might find herself with the
sword (and the subsequent mutually assured pale skin of an outlander, a disfigured face,
destruction) as a tool of diplomacy. and a tail, wings, horns, or other deformity
that makes the average Egyptian know at a
NEW KINGDOM (MAGIC) glance that she is not to be trusted, and is likely
Seeded from the myths of ancient Egypt interested only in stealing the treasure of the
commingled with modern stories of that pharaohs.
period, the New Kingdom is a recursion located As it happens, recursion miners do
along an alternate Nile where pharaohs yet sometimes visit the New Kingdom with
rule the land, and gods such as Anubis, Isis, the express hope of stealing the treasure
Nephthys, Osiris, Ra, and Tefnut are revered, of the pharaohs, so the natives fear is not
as is the Pharaoh himself. Great pyramids of unwarranted.

184
RECURSION SEEDS 2
NIGHTS EDGE PANOPTICON (MAD SCIENCE)
(STANDARD PHYSICS) This high-tech city exists beneath a climate-
What immediately distinguishes this recursion controlled dome on a world supposedly ruined
from Earth is that its only accessible locations by overpopulation. Under the dome, citizens
are a handful of home interiors, offices, a live under direct and constant scrutiny by the
doctors office, and a senators office. Theres State. They must comply with strict schedules,
nothing else; when someone looks out a curfews, strip searches on command, and other
window, it is either night or the glass is too indignities. Only approved entertainments
glazed to see anything. are allowed, which means that most books,
The number of natives is likewise limited. plays, movies, poems, and other arts
Inhabitants include members of the Porter whether physical or electronicare outlawed.
family, the Crenshaws, the Fischers, the Jones- Those who are deemed to be dissidents are
Newmans, and a few others. The most active disappeared and rendered to Truthdroids
natives are the Crenshaws, a working-class well versed in torturing a confession of guilt
family, and the Porters, a wealthy family with from anyone, regardless of actual seditious
an uncle in politics (Senator Edward Porter). activity. Citizens exist within well-defined
And in Nights Edge, relationships are usually castes that determine status, rations, access to
a tangled, dramatic mess. A couple may love entertainment, and other benefits. The lowest-
each other fiercely for a few months, only to caste citizens have virtually no rights, but even
grow to despise each other when one discovers those of the highest caste live in constant
the infidelity (apparent or actual) of the other. anxiety because the State isnt stable.
Any given day includes lies, forgiveness, trust, The State is actually a schizophrenic mind
and betrayal. made up of seven founding citizens whose
In addition to Senator Edward Porter (whos brains are frozen in liquid nitrogen and linked
always scheming to increase his political via a computer-assisted network to drones,
power), Nights Edge includes Edwards surveillance cameras, and the many complex
estranged wife Janice (a brain surgeon with systems that keep Panopticon a functioning
a dark secret), their daughter Tiffany (who is artificial environment. The State has grown
currently enjoying a secret fling with one of the increasingly unstable over the years, fearing
Crenshaw twins), Mark Crenshaw (a carpenter that the citizens plot against it. Of course, the
with aspirations for more), his loving wife Alice harsher the States policies become through
(a waitress at Sams Diner), and their children, fear of revolution, the more it engenders those
the twins Alex and Alisha (high school students very same feelings among those it rules.
who get up to entirely too much trouble). Arriving recursors appear in the correct
Recursors who stumble into Nights Edge context, which means they dont immediately
are immediately sized up by whatever native raise warning flags with the States monitoring
happens to be around and incorporated into equipment. However, given that complex
whatever drama is currently unfolding. For algorithms track a citizens normal activities
example, if recursors translate into Edward against abnormal ones, it probably isnt long
Porters office, the senator might treat them before intruders are noticed and flagged for
as potential wealthy campaign donors, as an questioning. Will the PCs be contacted by
astroturfing committee sent by his political rogue revolutionary elements before the States
rivals, or as the detectives he hired to look in on drones (or deputized citizen police) find them? State drone: level 5; Armor
his estranged wife. 2; long-range laser attack;
short-range immobilizing
Its best not to enter Nights Edge, because PARADISO net attack
the longer a recursor stays, the more likely she (SUBSTANDARD PHYSICS)
will become entangled with the natives and Paradiso is one of several small, constructed
become unwilling to leave. In Nights Edge, recursions seeded by the Implausible
recursors can actually lose the spark. Thats Geographical Society. It is constructed like a
what happened to Sam Johnson, owner of the small resort island, featuring balmy seas, sandy
town diner.

185
beaches, and amazing weather. Paradiso was PELLUCIDAR
conceived of as a place where explorers of the (MAD SCIENCE AND PSIONICS)
society who had seen and experienced too Created directly from fictional leakage,
muchwho had, in fact, contracted various Pellucidar continues to exist as a recursion.
Post-traumatic stress forms of PTSDcould convalesce for extended The upper mantle and crust of Earth form a
disorder (PTSD) can periods of time in a stress-free environment. shell containing Pellucidar, a massive region in
develop in survivors of long-
term horrific situations.
The idea of something threatening, dangerous, the planets hollow center. The interior world
Symptoms include or disruptive appearing in Paradiso is anathema mirrors the exterior in some ways, though
constant anxiety, anger, to the membership, even though most hope they in reverse: the surface worlds oceans are
and afflicting visions of the never end up spending too much time there. In Pellucidars land masses, and its continents
trauma(s) that make it
impossible for the victim addition to explorers, Paradiso also welcomes are Pellucidars seas. Illumination is provided
to live a normal life. natives of recursions with the spark who need by a tiny sun hovering in the exact center of the
asylum or who wish to escape the narrative of hollow world. A moon of this tiny sun (though
the limited world of their birth. Thus, the island a moon that doesnt move) provides the one
hosts more than one fictional character who area of perpetual night in Pellucidar, known
is supposedly dead and gone but is instead as the Land of Awful Shadow. The recursions
enjoying mai tais on the beach and reading true dimensions are much smaller than looking
literature shipped in from Earth. around might suggest, though the realm grows
A recursor who is associated with the IGS more developed each year as Implausible
probably visits Paradiso to recuperate and rest. Geographical Society explorers continue to
Those not associated with the society are likely press the boundaries. So far theyve found
to find the recursion only if brought there. kingdoms of primitive peoples, prehistoric
creatures, and dinosaurs. Theyve also found
the Mahars, a dinosaurlike species that lives

186
RECURSION SEEDS 2
Some groups of soon-to-be posthumans modified themselves to live in the sea
without the anxiety and stress that intelligence can bring, creating the so-called
dolphinid clade.

in cities and possesses mental abilities. Who OSR knows of the Plague Kingdom and is
knows what additional oddities can be found if interested in collecting a sample of the disease
exploration continues? to study. Attempting to stop the organization
A recursor might visit Pellucidar to learn what from doing this is probably the only reason a
lies in the Land of Awful Shadow. sane recursor would choose to visit the Plague
Kingdom.
PLAGUE KINGDOM (MAGIC)
A monumentally devastating influenza plague POSTHUMAN APOCALYPSE
killed off almost everyone in the modern (MAD SCIENCE)
world. Survivors are scarceperhaps only Several recursions were seeded by fictions
one in a few thousand, if that. Some of those about a future shattered by humans who
that remain have pulled together in a small modified their minds and bodies too far, too
United Kingdom town theyve renamed Hope. fast. Specific details vary, but such recursions
There, they try to move forward, with some the Posthuman Apocalypsesare similar in
initial success. However, they are opposed broad strokes. Life extension, intelligence
by survivors who give allegiance to a magical enhancement, and nerve integration with
entity responsible for the Plague: Pestilence, nanomachines were only the beginning. Some Pestilence: level 8; touch
one of the supposed Four Horsemen of the groups of soon-to-be posthumans modified inflicts level 8 influenza
(moves the victim one step
Apocalypse. Pestilence rages, because he themselves to live in the sea without the anxiety down the damage track
managed to evolve a strain of humanity that is and stress that intelligence can bring, creating each day unless cured);
immune to his powers of disease. But rather the so-called dolphinid clade. Other clades regains 4 points of health
than give up, he uses survivors who are easily made themselves into beings near enough each round

controlled by lust and greed to do his bidding. to gods that arriving recursors are unlikely
Pestilences ultimate goal is to kill about 20 to know the difference. Unfortunately, these Dolphinid: level 5, tasks
percent of the population. By doing so, he will posthumans kept many of their human foibles related to cognition and
open a doorway into the recursion through as they bootstrapped themselves to become communication as level 1
which his compatriot, Death, can enter and higher beings, and war briefly lit heaven. The
finish the job in grand style. recursion is partly blasted from this war, though
Recursors who translate into the Plague habitable areas remain. Of the posthumans, Posthuman: level 9; health
Kingdom find themselves on the outskirts only a few survive, and they spend most of their 99; Armor 5; can duplicate
the ability of any cypher
of Hope. Hope natives are always overjoyed existence in slow-time aboard streaking orbital of up to level 5; for more
to find new survivors; however, nearly every habitats, waiting for something interesting details, see The Strange
recursor who visits comes down with a severe to happenwhich might be the arrival of Bestiary, page 107
cold within a day of arrival. Unless they can exploring recursors. For all their wizardry,
escape the Plague Kingdom within another day posthumans would consider it an exciting new
or less, they almost certainly die of the same frontier to gain the abilities of a recursor, one
plague that, according to the narrative of the way or another.
recursion, killed off most of the natives. A recursor might visit one of these
Pestilence has become aware of the existence apocalypse recursions to gain access to
of recursors. He thinks they might be angels Mad Science relics left behind by warring
of the enemy come to stand in the way of the posthumans, or to attempt to stop a
promised apocalypse. But he wonders why posthuman who is well on her way to becoming
all these angels seem so susceptible to his quickened.
power.

187
QOPH (MAD SCIENCE) research and experimentation. Most octopus
This recursion exists mostly underwater and sapiens here view humans as pernicious
is inhabited by a species of intelligent octopi, vermin, made all the more dangerous because
as well as a normal range of sea life. These they have achieved self-awareness. Qophan
octopus sapiens refer to themselves as the sympathy for a human is vanishingly rare.
people and use their skin chromatophores The octopi live in drowned cities of living
to rapidly flash messages to one another. coral that contain egg hatcheries, larvae
A recursor who translates in as an octopus playgrounds, plankton farms, and ink art
sapien can speak the same way, but one who academies, as well as air-filled chambers
arrives as a normal human will find it difficult for interrogating humans, research labs for
to communicate. Recursors who become creating new forms of Mad Science technology
octopus sapiens find it relatively easy to take that will work both above and below the waters
up a position within the egalitarian society surface, and ongoing research in land-walker
the creatures enjoy. However, recursors who technology. The octopus sapiens have already
Octopus sapien in choose to remain human are immediately developed personal exosuits that allow them to
exosuit: level 4; Armor 3; taken to special holding chambers (with air) for move on land for a limited time without harm.
moves a short distance each
round on land; long-range However, research continues on a massive
energy attack inflicts 5 mechanical land-walker that can hold a small
points of damage city of exosuit-wearing octopi for a full invasion
of the land. Using high-energy weapons, the
invaders might finally eradicate the humans
that pollute the sea with their garbage, spent
fertilizer, and pharmaceuticals.
Recursors who visit Qoph usually do so
accidentally while aiming for a different
recursion entirely.

RING (MAD SCIENCE)


This limited world is actually immense, as
it is a massive ring around a sun, seeded by
novels, settings, and games about similar
structures. Natives live on the inner ring
surface in the artificial gravity created by the
spinning artifact. The surface area of the
ring, if it existed in the universe of normal
matter, would equal the combined surface
area of hundreds of worlds, but the actual
area of the recursion is far smaller, centered
on just a few locations. The Ring builders are
superintelligent, supertough creatures who
might be distant ancestors of humanity
within the context of the recursion, anyway.
The aliens guard their relic against interlopers
from within the Ring and from recursors who
pop in for a visit. Sometimes the aliens appear
humanoid, and other times they send android
proxies to deal with intruders.
A recursor might choose to visit the Ring
to make use of the advanced superscience
gadgets available there, which range from

188
RECURSION SEEDS 2
The nightmare corpse-city of Rlyeh...was built in measureless eons behind
history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the dark stars. There
lay great Cthulhu and his hordes, hidden in green slimy vaults.
~H. P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

handheld weapons of immense power to RLYEH (MAGIC AND MAD SCIENCE)


devices designed to stimulate pure pleasure in Rlyeh is a city of alien construction whose
a hominid brain. mind-bendingly bizarre architecture is
impossible to achieve in worlds that operate
RIVERSIDE (SUBSTANDARD PHYSICS) solely under the law of Standard Physics. The
In this land ruled by a mighty river piercing a city is usually drowned at the bottom of the
dangerous jungle, bows, clubs, and spears are ocean, but sometimes it rises partly to the
the height of traditional technology, though surface, where hapless sailors (and recursors)
the ancient lore kept by the inhabitants is deep might stumble upon its coast-line of mingled
and amazingly effective. The river is filled with mud, ooze, and weedy Cyclopean masonry
vicious flesh-eating fish and dreadful parasites, that, by itself, is enough to send terror sleeting
and the jungle is a false paradise of poisonous through human minds. Recursors, who gain
snakes, malarial mosquitoes, toxic plants, a basic understanding of the recursion into
and cannibalistic white apes. On first glance, which they translate, viscerally recognize the White ape: level 6, Speed
a recursor might discount the inhabitants as place as the nightmare defense as level 5; health 33;
two melee attacks as one
savages and Riverside itself as a deathtrap. corpse-city of action
While thats true for the uninitiated recursor,
as evidenced by the many spectacular deaths
of visitors, the inhabitants live in harmony with
their environment. They dont need modern
medicine when they know which plant to use
to cure nearly any ailment. They dont need
intensive animal husbandry or agriculture
because they know the sounds to make
to lure fish to the surface for an easy
catch, or where to look for tubers,
berries, and fruits. In fact, the life of
a native is mostly serene, filled with
music and calming rituals, feasts,
and pleasures of every kind.
Equality is a given, and except for
the occasional white ape raid
and recursor visits that usually
end in a funeral ceremony for a
visitor who wouldnt listen to sage
advicelife is good.
A recursor might visit Riverside to have
the natives teach her new and amazing
pharmaceutical uses for any number of the
recursions tropical plants.

189
Silverwood sees its share of nameless bandits, US Marshals, American Indians,
cowboys, and similar characters whod be right at home in a western. Its also
occasionally visited by specific fictional characters from well-known westerns.

Cthulhu: level 10; mere Rlyeh...loathsomely redolent of spheres Cthulhu, were he to wake, would tower
existence is anathema to and dimensions apart from any other limited well over 100 feet (30 m). Writhing lengths of
human sanity
world seeded into the Strange. In fact, many tentacle depend from his horrific face, while
organizations aware of the dark energy his somewhat humanoid body is drenched
network keep a list of banned recursions their in slime. Immense leathery wings allow him
members are told never to visit, lest their maneuverability in both air and water. Cthulhu
interference give the spark (or worse) to one of is a god himself, but he is also a high priest of
the inhabitants. Rlyeh is one such recursion, still greater entities of horror.
Shoggoth, page 289 because in its deepest vaults, Cthulhu sleeps, Various lesser creatures also sleep with
but according to the narrative will eventually Cthulhu but are not as somnolent as their lord.
Deep one: level 4; health return. These include shoggoths, deep ones, and other
15; Armor 2; claw attack monsters trapped in Rlyeh. Even in their sleep,
inflicts 5 points of damage; they can be heard to repeat the phrase Phnglui
for more details, see The
mglwnafh Cthulhu Rlyeh wgahnagl fhtagn
Strange Bestiary, page 39
(In his house at Rlyeh, dead Cthulhu waits
dreaming).
Recursors should stay away from Rlyeh.
Those who ignore this travel ban face stiff
sanctions afterward, if they are ever found out.
For example, the Quiet Cabal kills agents who
visit the recursion.

SILVERWOOD (STANDARD PHYSICS)


As described by one Estate operative,
Silverwood is where westerns go to die.
Seeded by countless books and TV shows,
Silverwood is located in a town of the same
name in the American Old West, somewhere
in the last half of the nineteenth century.
Silverwood sees its share of nameless bandits,
US Marshals, American Indians, cowboys, and
similar characters whod be right at home in a
western. Its also occasionally visited by specific
fictional characters from well-known westerns.
When these individuals arrive, its often on a
mission of vengeance, even if the individual
is a lawman also serving the interests of the
mostly absent government.
Silverwood hosts a few saloons. The busiest
is the Second Chance, where a cowpoke can
find firewater, a game of chance, sensual
diversions in the upstairs rooms, or, as often as
not, a gunfight. Recursors new to Silverwood
who show up at the Second Chance are

190
RECURSION SEEDS 2
recognized as strangers. To demonstrate their main colony, Strawberry Fayre, is a fairly happy
worth, or for their own good, they might community led by Grandmother Rabbit, who
be forced, at gunpoint, to swallow a fifth of tells many tales of wonder at night in the warm
100-proof rye whiskey. embrace of the burrow. By day, rabbits creep
A perennial threat in Silverwood is the forth and graze on a strawberry field gone to
Montgomery Gang, whose members routinely seed near an abandoned farm. Unfortunately Montgomery Gang bandit:
ride into town, shoot up the place, and make for everyone in the recursion, a rival colony level 3; short-range pistol
attack inflicts 4 points of
off with valuables and services without paying. across the valley was recently founded by a damage; usually astride a
They also usually leave a few corpses in their crazy rabbit with strange abilities. The rival horse that moves a long
wake. At least one native gained the spark leader is a recursor originally native to the distance each round
after an altercation with the Montgomery Eleventh Reich who brought his insane agenda
Lucy Shattuck: level 5;
Gang. Seeking a way to fight back, Lucy to Strawberry Fayre. If not stopped, horrors will health 22; two long-range
Shattuck used peyote to unlock corners of eventually unfold here. pistol attacks each inflict
her mind few in Silverwood knew existed, and Recursors might visit Strawberry Fayre 6 points of damage as
one action; carries a few
she became quickened. Now she hunts down because theyve been tracking quickened random cyphers
criminals in Silverwood and other recursions natives of Nazi-themed recursions and
and brings them to vigilante justice, six- stamping them out like the infection they are. Eleventh Reich, page 55
shooter style.
A recursor might visit Silverwood to SUNSPOT MEADOWS (STANDARD
experience romantic notions of the American PHYSICS)
West; however, he had better be quick on the Anyone who arrives in this recursion by
draw. inapposite travel would instantly burn up in
the heat. The temperature reaches 10,000
STRAWBERRY FAYRE (MAGIC) degrees F (5,500 C) because the recursion is
This idyllic countryside contains farms, seeded from stories of sentient creatures in the
pastures, fields, and people, but recursors find photosphere (the visible outer layer of the sun)
it difficult to become a human upon arrival. that feed on magnetic field lines, especially
Instead, they become sentient, talking rabbits those around sunspots. Recursors who arrive
living in one of a few colonies in the area. The via translation find themselves in the form

191
of Sycorax. Caliban would prefer nothing less
than to eat the intestines of the father and
despoil the daughter. Rather than kill him
outright, Prospero keeps Caliban as a slave.
If by your art, my dearest father, you have Of everyone on the island, only Caliban has
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them. the spark. He knows that he lives in a limited
universe, and he seeks a means of escape
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
in books of magic left by his mother and in
But that the sea, mounting to the welkins cheek, Prosperos library. Hes collected a stash of
Dashes the fire out. cyphers that washed up on the shore and
experiments with them carefully, trying to
~Miranda, unlock their secrets.
in Shakespeares The Tempest To keep himself and his daughter fed,
Prospero occasionally commands Ariel to call
up a tempest on the sea to draw mariners to
wreck upon the isle. Then Prospero, Caliban,
of a magnetovorea creature composed of and other spirits under the magicians power
magnetic field lines able to eat radiation and sift through the detritus for foodstuffs, items
gain sustenance from stripped electrons and of interest, and survivors. If recursors familiar
other high-energy particles. Natives are sentient with the fiction that birthed the island are
and can gather in vast complexes to calculate, treated roughly and protest to Prospero that
interact, and come to consensus. Generally, he is no villain, he agrees in a most solicitous
existence is idyllic, as a magnetovores life and convincing manner, which makes it all the
mostly consists of flying across a warm easier for Caliban to cut the survivors throat.
meadow eating at mana fountains as they A recursor might choose to visit Sycorax
arise and move. In fact, its so idyllic that the Island to learn additional spells for a focus like
Inks Spells on Skin, few recursors who visit Sunspot Meadows find Inks Spells on Skin.
page 200 it difficult to leave such a bountiful utopia.
However, threats do exist, including much TELLURIA (PSIONICS)
larger predators, sunspot instability, and the The following history of the planet Telluria
potential supernova of a nearby binary star never actually happened, but as was true
Age of Myth, page 162 thats been siphoning off solar atmosphere for Ardeyns Age of Myth, it retroactively
from the magnetovore primary star. crystallized a thousand years into the past.
A recursor might visit Sunspot Meadows to Thats why historical documents, if found,
Prospero: level 6, experience life as a radically different kind of indicate that humans of Telluria originally
persuasion tasks as level 7; creature, or to gain a deeper appreciation of colonized the planet. But that happened so
Armor 3 from a spell; long- and insight into solar magnetohydrodynamics. long ago that theyve forgotten the world
range spell attack inflicts
isnt their original home. Rather than the
Intellect damage (ignores
Armor) SYCORAX ISLAND (MAGIC) technological society one might expect of the
Sycorax Island is named after the sorceress descendants of spacefarers, Telluria is feudal.
Ariel: level 7; can be who once lived on it. Even after her death, Not long after planetfall, an unexplained
harmed only by magic;
1-mile-range stormsurge
the island remains home to several magical psychic disease ripped through the population.
attack (usable once per creatures and spirits previously enslaved It killed many elders, rendered many others into
minute) inflicts 10 points of by the sorceress. Some are yet bound by high-functioning special needs people, and
damage on the target and the instructions she left before dying, but robbed the colony of institutional knowledge.
all creatures within short
range others answer to a new master: Prospero The same plague, if thats what it was, woke
the magician, as mighty in word as in magic. psychic abilities in the children.
Caliban: level 5; health 28; Prospero lives with his daughter Miranda. He Over the generations, those psychic abilities
Armor 3 from thick skin;
also commands the elemental powers of Ariel, formed the basis of noble familiesthe First
knife attack inflicts 6 points
of damage; carries two a spirit of wind and water. Father and daughter Familiesknown for a particular talent that
random cyphers are served by Caliban, the deformed offspring runs true in descendants. The families include

192
RECURSION SEEDS 2
the Fane family (mind reading), the Anson URBAN WIZARDRY (MAGIC)
family (mind influence), the Tang family At first glance, this recursion seems like
(telekinesis), the Savile family (pyrokinesis), the modern-day Earth. But peel back the facade just
Blackwood family (healing), and several others. a bit, and revealed is a world where magic and
Many of the First Families keep elaborate creatures of the night are all too real. Vampires
manors in the city-state of Noel under the rule and werewolves exist in their nests and packs,
of King Savile XV, but others stay in their keeps as do fae creatures, demons, and humans who
and claimed lands in distant parts of Telluria have drunk too deeply of magic and become
with their retinues and servants. evil wizards. Opposing these horrors and
The Zhou family rose to early prominence their twisted plots are other humans who also
on the strength of its psychic ability (matter perform magic as part of a group known as the
manipulation), but its members were hunted to Pale Conclave. Its mission is essentially to keep
extinction by the other families several hundred a lid on magic, withholding knowledge of its
years ago. At least, thats what everyone existence from regular people for their safety
thought, until rumors of a Zhou heir rising in and sanity. Visiting recursors are likely to be
the west, wielding the power of genesis itself in considered wizards, which can lead to mistrust
vengeful hands, began trickling into Noel. since they are not part of any organization,
A recursor might visit Telluria to make use of fair or foul. Eventually, this could lead to being
any number of potent psionic artifacts. hunted by wizards of the Pale Conclave and
by evil wizards and creatures of the night who
THEATER OF WAR (STANDARD want the recursors strange sorceries and
PHYSICS) access to new dimensions.
World War II yet rages here. Tanks assail the Several recursions akin to Urban Wizardry
borders, bombs rain down on London in exist, seeded by the plethora of urban fantasies
blitzkrieg attacks, V-2 missiles gouge fiery lines in novels, TV, and movies. Recursors often refer
across the sky, and soldiers take, lose, and to them as belonging to the class of Urban
retake strategic positions across the Theater of Fantastic recursions.
War (which is mostly central Europe). A recursor might visit Urban Wizardry to
Visiting recursors first appear in London, and make use of potent magic artifacts, or because
their arrival is usually enough to trigger another a threat in some other recursion or on Earth
bombing raid. Recursors had better stay calm has been traced back to a quickened fiction-
and be light on their feet so they can make it to born menace.
the nearest bomb shelter, or their journey into
history will likely be short-lived. WAR OF THE WORLDS (MAD
The Theater of War has a way of drawing SCIENCE)
recursors of failed translation attempts. An explorer who stumbles into this recursion
Moreover, some physical relics of World War discovers a war-torn Earthlike place. Alien
II that survive on Earth sometimes open brief tripod walkers tower over most buildings, Martian tripod walker:
level 8; health 40; Armor
translation gates that trap unwitting victims, unleashing rays of frightening heat able to
4; moves a long distance
usually those who are not quickened. This leads devastate the best that twentieth-century each round; heat ray inflicts
to the main reason recursors might choose to science can throw at them. The walkers 12 points of damage to a
visit the Theater of War: to rescue those who hail from Mars, where intelligences greater range of 3 miles (5 km)
have become trapped in the past. than human slowly and surely drew their

The walkers lumbering across the War of the Worlds are just one part of a
multipronged attack force hailing from Mars, where intelligences greater than
human slowly and surely drew their plans of invasion.

193
plans of invasion. The walkers lumbering more bodies that float in frozen isolation about
across the War of the Worlds are just one the craft, joining the original crew and any
part of a multipronged attack; the Martians previous visitors who met the same fate.
work diligently on additional fronts to bring The starship is powered down and dead, but
the Earth under their sway. For example, it remains contaminated by encounters with
theyre working on plans to convert Earths dangerous alien life. These might include body-
Body-stealing pod: level environment to be more like Mars, on better stealing pods in the terrarium, flesh-dissolving
4; immediate-range tendril procedures for turning captive humans into nanobots in the engineering section, or a
attack puts victim in coma,
allowing replication if not
food and slaves, and on better ways to adapt negative-energy entity in the black-hole drive.
disturbed their own physiology to the surprisingly robust The ship could also have an insane original
community of bacteria and viruses that even crew member or two in cryosleep who will turn
the least organism on Earth contains. homicidal if thawed and given the chance.
But the world fights on. Military units, Salvagers willing to brave these hazards
scientists in secret bases, and ragtag teams can find blasters and phasers, antimatter fuel
of surviving townsfolk find ways to muck up frozen in handy crystals, various cyphers, a
the Martian war machine, often with limited working holodeck, perhaps a crew member in
success. However, any success is worth cryosleep who isnt insane, and the ultimate
celebrating when failure likely means the prize: the ship itself. If the vessel can be purged
eradication of humanity. A promising research of its hazards and powered up, it might be
direction is the intensification of the bacterial capable of making one or two inapposite jumps
and viral strains that already seem antithetical before finally giving up the ghost.
to Martian physiology, especially given that
at one point, everyone thought the offensive
had been stymied by the common cold. Sadly,
that episode was only a brief reprieve, lasting
until the next wave of Martians landed. But as
the Earthlings say in the face of this crushing
development, Keep calm and culture your
microbiome.
Recursors might visit the War of the Worlds
to study how Martians scrounge regular Earth
technology, such as vacuum cleaners, toasters,
TVs, and radios, to create immensely advanced
technology, such as weapons, communication
systems, and make-do survival suits for
Martians caught out of their walkers.

WRECKED STARSHIP (MAD SCIENCE)


Floating at zero G somewhere in space is a
recursion seeded from stories of the same
ignominious fate visited upon so many fictional
craft. The wrecked starship is mostly open
to vacuum, having been holed by some sort
of explosion. Recursors who translate into
the recursion take on its context, and thus
are usually lucky enough to appear wearing a
sophisticated space suit. But sometimes they
appear in the vacuum without protection and
have about thirty seconds (five rounds) to find
a suit, an escape pod with power, or some
other salvation. Otherwise, they become just

194
Part 3:
WORLDS STRANGE

Chapter 7: CHARACTER OPTIONS 196


Chapter 8: CREATURES 209
C H AP T ER 7

CHARACTER OPTIONS

Its lucky that we in the Implausible Geographical Society pride ourselves on


being open-minded, because weve found quite a few individuals inhabiting the
Shoals of Earth that would shock those with a more conventional bent. But then
again, explorers are not cut from average cloth, but instead are forged from the
souls of those who delight in the new, the unexpected, and the strange.
~Sir Raymond Creswicke,
in a letter to his paramour Irene located in the constructed recursion of Paradiso

New recursions mean new options for BECOMES BACTERIAL


characters who translate into them, as they take You are invested with the amazing
on the context of their destination. Usually, this abilities of a bacterium, which
includes new foci to choose from. allows you to withstand harsh environments
Some of the new foci in this section, such that would kill a normal human outright.
Microcosmica, page 78 as Trick-or-Treats or Becomes Bacterial, When most recursors visit Microcosmica,
are particularly appropriate for characters for example, they must wear protective suits
who translate into the recursions in Worlds to explore the vast biological expanse, or
Numberless and Strange. Others, such as Inks theyll suffocate and die almost immediately.
Spells on Skin, Follows the Code of Bushido, and Not you. You can move about the recursion
Masters Foot and Fist, have a wider application, freely and without concern. As your ease
and a GM could offer them in recursions other with your abilities grows, you gain additional
than the ones presented in this book. bacterial options, including the ability to
sense your environment chemically, go into
stasis indefinitely, and attack others with lethal
Becomes Bacterial NEW FOCI excretions.
GM Intrusions: You Becomes Bacterial You look a bit odd to normal humans. Your
inadvertently release a Follows the Code of Bushido skin is slightly translucent with a greenish,
dangerously noxious odor. gel-like color. Your eyes are white with biofilm,
White blood cells attack you Haunts the Rooftops
as an invading organism. If Inks Spells on Skin and you have no ears. Regardless of the
you become incapacitated, Masters Foot and Fist environment, you dont need to cover yourself
you transform into a in protective gear, so you tend to go minimally
Names
mucous blob until you are
Quells Undead clothed.
no longer incapacitated.
You unexpectedly divide Trick-or-Treats Anyone who needs to survive in harsh
asexually. environments for extended periods should

196
CHARACTER OPTIONS 3
consider this focus, though vectors are most learn the species, sex, wellness, and other Although Becomes
commonly drawn to it since some of the related biological facts about a living target you Bacterial is offered in the
context of Microcosmica,
abilities require an investment of Might. sense with this ability. Enabler; action to learn it would also be suitable
Connection: If this is your starting focus, additional information about a target. in many Mad Science
choose one of the following connections. recursions, including Ruk,
1. Pick one other player character. She gave Tier 3: Nitric Burst (3 Might points). You release as well as some Exotic
recursions.
you the injection that made you this way. a burst of concentrated nitric oxide that inflicts
2. Pick one other PC. You saved that 5 points of damage on all creatures within
characters life when his equipment failed on a immediate range. Alternatively, you can launch
Mad Science, page 137
survey mission. a vacuole of nitric oxide to any point you can
3. Pick one other PC. When she first saw you, see within long range, where it bursts on Ruk, page 190
she took you for a dangerous native creature contact, creating the same effect. Action.
and tried to kill you. Exotic, page 137
4. Pick one other PC. He throws off your Tier 4: Stasis. You enter a state of suspended
chemokinetic sense. When hes next to you, you animation by encasing yourself in slime that
cant use chemokinesis at all. hardens to amberlike solidity within a round,
Equipment: Silvery shorts and tunic, one providing +10 to Armor. While suspended,
weapon of your choice, a radio communicator, you do not age, respire, or otherwise express
an inertial tracker and compass, and $100. metabolic processes, and you cannot take
Minor Effect Suggestion: You regain 1 point actions. The stasis lasts for a predetermined
lost to damage. amount of time, though it ends if you take
Major Effect Suggestion: You regain 3 points damage while in stasis. Action to initiate.
lost to damage.
Tier 5: Cytokinetic Signal (4 Might points).
Tier 1: Withstand Harsh Environment. Your You release an invisible stream of signaling
body adapts to your environment, allowing molecules into the environment. In
you to function in locations normally lethal to Microcosmica or a similar recursion, this
humans. You can operate underwater (even draws one or more white blood cells to the
at great pressure), in poisonous gas, in the area within a few rounds. The summoned cells
vacuum of space, in arctic conditions, and indiscriminately attack creatures you designate
in oven-hot conditions. This protection is or biological structures within short range.
suited to passive environmental conditions. If used in a recursion unlike Microcosmica,
Against active damaging effects (such as your touch is an attack that causes the
attacks using fire, cold, poison, or pressure) or victims immune system to briefly turn against
extreme environmental effects (such as acid, itself, inflicting 5 points of damage for three
superheated plasma, and similar conditions), consecutive rounds. Action.
you gain +1 to Armor. Enabler.
Native Bacterium. If you would otherwise Tier 6: Phagocytic Embrace (6 Might points).
be killed, you instead revert to a formless, You attempt to bodily engulf and digest your foe.
mindless bacterium, and wander off to pursue Your body structure loses cohesion and swells,
new goals and adventures finding food and becoming a bloated, translucent mass as you lunge
replicating. Enabler. at a target within immediate range. The victim
takes 7 points of damage from enzymatic acid
Tier 2: Chemokinesis. You have a sixth sense, each round it remains caught in your embrace. The
akin to scent but far more sensitive and only action available to most victims is to attempt
informative. You can sense your surroundings to pull free on its turn. If the victim is killed while
within long range regardless of sight in your embrace, you automatically consume and
conditions, even if youre otherwise blind absorb it into your form, regaining 6 Might points.
or objects of interest have cover (unless its However, you cant regain your normal humanoid
complete and chemically sealed cover). As a form for one minute as your body digests its meal.
difficulty 2 Intellect-based task, you can also Action to initiate.

197
Follows the Code of FOLLOWS THE CODE OF strapped to your waist. When outfitted for
Bushido GM Intrusions: BUSHIDO battle, you slip into your o-yoroi armor (great
A ronin appears and
besmirches your honor. A samurai follows the code of armor), which includes an impressive helm
Your daimyo accuses you Bushido, which stresses the mastery designed to intimidate your foes.
of a betrayal. The hapless of the blade, loyalty to a higher purpose or Vectors are most drawn to becoming samurai
victim you attempt to aid is
master, and honor above all. For samurai, death when they visit recursions that grant this focus.
revealed as an ambush set
by enemies. is preferable to staining their honor or the Connection: If this is your starting focus,
honor of that which they serve (which is usually choose one of the following connections.
a Karou, but some samurai become ronin and 1. Pick one other PC. She is your Karou.
serve an ideal or purpose rather than a master). 2. Pick one other PC. He is the reason you
Life can be straightforward for a samurai who broke with your Karou to become a ronin.
trusts his Karou, because things simply become 3. Pick one other PC. She found you dying on
a matter of doing what the Karou commands the field of battle as an enemy. Instead of killing
or dying in the attempt. For a ronin, life is more you, she saved you. Youre not sure yet how that
complicated, since to other samurai, the ronin affects your honor.
has already betrayed one of the virtues of the 4. Pick one other PC. He knows the real
Bushido code: loyalty. reason you stayed with your Karou when
As a samurai in day-to-day life, you wear a everyone else abandoned him and became
double-layered silk kimono. Your swords are ronin.
Equipment: Double-layered kimono, katana
(medium or heavy weapon, depending on
whether you wield it with one hand or two,
respectively), wakizashi (light sword), o-yoroi
armor (medium or heavy armor, your choice),
book of poetry, and 20 gold coins.
Minor Effect Suggestion: You push your foe
to the ground.
Major Effect Suggestion: If your foes weapon
or armor is mundane, you destroy it. If it is
special, you knock it loose, requiring your foe
to spend a round retrieving it or fixing it back in
place.

Tier 1: Iaijutsu Student. When you attack before


an opponent has acted in the encounter, the
difficulty of your attack is reduced by one step.
On a successful hit with this iaijutsu attack, you
inflict 3 additional points of damage. Enabler.
Bushido Training. You are trained in tasks
related to understanding and attempting to live
by the code of Bushido. Enabler.

Tier 2: Initiative Training. You are trained in


initiative. If you are already trained in initiative,
you are specialized. Enabler.

Tier 3: Iaijutsu Practitioner. On a successful hit


with an iaijutsu attack, you inflict 4 additional
points of damage (a total of 7 points of
additional damage). Enabler.

198
CHARACTER OPTIONS 3
Tier 4: Shield of Righteous Honor. You are it happen before. In fact, your graduation test
difficult to dissuade from your purpose. The was to take care of a former graduate of your
difficulty of your Intellect defense rolls is school. Some call you an assassin. Regardless,
decreased by one step. you maintain a secret life, because to reveal
your true skills could mean your death.
Tier 5: Samurai War Cry (5 Might points). You You typically wear dark clothing that includes
release a resonating shout, a great kiai, that split-toed tabi boots and socks, a jacket with
pushes your foes back on their heels or takes pockets for hidden weapons, and (when you are
the fight out of them altogether. When you on a mission) a mask. You might have a change
utter your war cry, foes of level 3 or lower within of clothing for when youre not on a mission, but
immediate range run or surrender. Foes of level its probably just as dark and good for hiding.
4 through 6 stand stunned, unable to take an Anyone could be invited to a hidden school to
action for a round. For foes of level 7 or higher, train as an assassin, though the preponderance
the difficulty of all tasks is increased by one of those asked are vectors.
step on their next turn. Action. Connection: If this is your starting focus,
Stewardship. If you serve a Karou, you are choose one of the following connections.
awarded stewardship of a holding, such as a 1. Pick one other PC. She provides you with
small manor. You can invest as much or as little the simple ingredients you need to make your
time in the property as you wish, but if you are home-brewed poison.
not available to deal with the staff and grounds, 2. Pick one other PC. You worry that he
you must delegate the tasks to someone else might be a graduate from an opposed Hidden Hidden School, page 154
associated with it. School, so you keep an eye on him, hoping its
You can tell other PCs the
If you are a ronin, you do not gain the not true.
truth of your craft, but only
automatic advantage of stewardship, though 3. Pick one other PC. You were supposed if you swear them to secrecy
you are not barred from owning property to assassinate him, but instead you faked the first. If you dont trust
through other means (as is the case for a evidence of completing the job to your clients. them, it might be better to
hide the truth.
samurai in the service of a Karou). Enabler. If the truth ever gets out, both of you will face
new attempts at assassination.
Tier 6: One-Cut Kill (7+ Might points). All the 4. Pick one other PC. She knows about your
cuts and attacks a samurai learns are meant affiliation. Youve let it slide this long, but
to be lethal, but it takes a master to apply the eventually you need to figure out your next
technique perfectly. With this ability, you can move.
kill a level 1 target with one blow. Instead of Equipment: Dark clothing and mask, handful
applying Effort to decrease the difficulty, you of smoke pellets, 20 doses of home-brewed
can apply Effort to increase the maximum level poison, blowgun, light sword (wakizashi), one
of the target. Thus, to kill a level 5 target (four light weapon of your choice, and 20 gold coins.
levels above the normal limit), you must apply Minor Effect Suggestion: Youre a quick
four levels of Effort. Action. learner. You gain a +1 bonus to similar actions
involving the same task (such as making
HAUNTS THE ROOFTOPS attacks against the same foe or climbing the Haunts the Rooftops
Spying, fighting in secret skirmishes, same building). GM Intrusions: You
arent actually hidden. You
and assassination are the tasks Major Effect Suggestion: You can take accidentally poison yourself.
youve mastered in a secret school another action immediately. A rival assassin attacks
for assassins that everyone says doesnt at just the wrong time. A
exist. If you ever betrayed the trust of that Tier 1: Hide in Shadow. You can attempt to hide poisoned dart strikes your
ally by accident.
school by publicly divulging the truth of its even if under direct observation by distracting
existence or the names of your instructors observers (by throwing a rock, detonating a
or fellow students, youd become a target smoke pellet, throwing your voice, or using
of assassination yourself. Once you were some other technique) and then sinking behind
disappeared, your accusations would be made cover or into shadow. This is a Speed-based
to look like the ravings of a lunatic. Youve seen task in which you are trained, and the difficulty

199
Inks Spells on Skin GM is equal to the level of the highest-level unallied INKS SPELLS ON SKIN
Intrusions: You lose your observer watching you. Action. Your enchanted heritage is etched upon you.
spellbook. The spells area
includes an ally. The spell Weapons of Stealth. You are practiced using Studying strange formulas, mystic runes, and
reflects back on you. blowguns, knives, crossbows, and other light magical glyphs to learn spells is one thing.
weapons that you can easily fold up and Making spells truly a part of you is another,
conceal about your body. Enabler. but thats exactly what you do when you apply
magical inks to create intricate spell tattoos
Tier 2: Poison User. You always have a ready across your body. Each tattoo you inscribe
supply of mild poison, with which you can coat on yourself is not merely a design, but the
a weapon tip or blade as part of an attack. The keystone of a spell, giving you the ability to cast
poison inflicts 1 additional point of damage it at will. Because your tattoos are magical, you
when you hit with the coated weapon. If you can continually add to those youve already
acquire more potent poison or one that has accumulated without ruining the designs,
a different effect, you can substitute it for the allowing your mastery over magic to grow.
milder poison until its used up. Enabler. You often wear clothing that bares your arms
and perhaps other parts of your body to expose
Tier 3: Spot Weakness. If a creature that you your tattoos, so that others know you for a
can see has a special weakness, such as a caster of spells.
vulnerability to fire, a negative modification to Paradoxes and spinners often choose this focus.
perception, or so on, you know it. (Ask and the Connection: If this is your starting focus,
GM will tell you.) If you also have the ability choose one of the following connections.
Find the Flaw, page 48 Find the Flaw, then even if you cant detect a 1. Pick one other PC. He is responsible for
given creatures specific weakness, the difficulty destroying your inking set, which put you
of the first attack you make against it in a given back a few months. Its up to you whether you
conflict is reduced by one step. Enabler. forgive him or not.
2. Pick one other PC. Her favorite pet ran off,
Tier 4: Unexpected Strike. If you attack a and you promised to find it. When you failed,
creature that wasnt previously aware of your you conjured a duplicate instead. Youre not
presence, you deal 5 additional points of sure whether she knows her pet is fake.
damage. If you have another ability that deals 3. Pick one other PC. You think he would
extra damage from a surprise attack, add the make a great spellcaster, and you need an
points together. Enabler. apprentice.
4. Pick one other PC. You accidentally linked
Tier 5: Evasion. You are trained in all defense yourself to her via sympathetic magic. Now
tasks. Enabler. whenever you are hurt, she feels phantom pain,
and vice versa.
Tier 6: Step Through Shadow (7 Speed points). Equipment: Special ink and needle quill
You can move up to 300 feet (91 m) as your for inscribing tattoos, staff (light or medium
action by sliding along the skin of a recursion. weapon), a slab of basalt carved with strange
This is a difficulty 2 Speed-based task. To glyphs, and 30 gold coins.
observers, you seem to disappear from one Spellcasting Special Abilities: If you perform
location and instantaneously appear in another revisions or twists, you do so as spells you
location farther away (if they see you at all). You invoke, which involve an arcane gesture or
can attempt to step into locations you cant two, a few mystical words, and possibly a
directly see, such as a presumed shadow behind pinch of dust or other material. (Your revisions
a locked door or inside a blocked cave. However, and twists appear as spells codified in your
doing so increases the difficulty by one step, and spellbook.) This alteration changes nothing
possibly more if the area you are attempting to except how you trigger the effects.
step into is protected in some fashion or warded Minor Effect Suggestion: Your spell marks the
against translation (which affects this ability as if targets forehead with a glowing glyph of your
you were translating into the location). Action. choice for one hour.

200
CHARACTER OPTIONS 3
SPELL TATTOO COLLECTION If you have access to the
Casts Spells focus in the
A caster who Inks Spells on Skin compiles every spell she knows as tattoos on her body. character options book
However, she can cast only a subset of those spellsher readied spellsat any given In Translation, you can
time. For instance, though she has two spell tattoos at first tier, she can cast only the readied substitute a spell from that
focus when you advance
one; the other is merely an interesting design unless she changes out the readied spell with
in Inks Spells on Skin, or
a different one of the same tier inked on her body. To switch out readied spells, the caster vice versa. Alternatively,
spends one minute in meditation, after which time one readied spell is changed. A caster the spells described in
can vary her spell selection up to twice per day, immediately after a one-hour or ten-hour Casts Spells might serve
as additional spells you
recovery roll. can tattoo on your skin, if
you can track them down
and learn to inscribe them.
Additionally, the GM may
Major Effect Suggestion: Your spell marks the the object and could be temporarily suppressed allow you to learn spells out
targets forehead with a glowing glyph of your if the object is enclosed in wrapping or a of an artifact spellbook, if
choice for one day. container. Action to initiate. you find one.
Enchant Creature (2+ Intellect points). A level 1
Tier 1: Spell Tattoos. You ink two spells onto creature in immediate range does as you suggest
your body. Choose one of the following spells on its next action (but will not follow suggestions A caster who Inks Spells
on Skin doesnt normally
as your readied spell for tier 1. to harm itself or its allies). Instead of applying require the spellcasting
Abysmal Touch (2 Intellect points). Poison Effort to decrease the difficulty, you can apply aids that wizards of other
visibly suffuses the flesh of the creature you Effort to increase the maximum level of the target. traditions sometimes use.
However, rumors suggest
touch, inflicting 3 points of damage that ignore Thus, to suggest a course of action to a level 5
that one who uses her own
Armor and rendering the creature unable to target (four levels above the normal limit), you blood to cast a spell could
move on its next action. Action. must apply four levels of Effort. Action. increase its powerat the
Fleet of Foot (2 Intellect points). For the next risk of her soul.
ten minutes, a creature within immediate range Tier 3: Spell Tattoos. You ink two additional
can move an additional short distance each spells onto your skin. Choose one of the
round when it moves. A normal creature affected following spells as your readied spell for tier 3.
by this spell could both move a short distance Lightning Flash (4+ Intellect points). You
and take an action on its turn. Action to initiate. release a stroke of lightning, which travels in
a relatively straight line for a long distance,
Tier 2: Spell Tattoos. You ink two additional inflicting 4 points of damage on all targets
spells onto your skin. Choose one of the standing along that line (its hard to line up
following spells as your readied spell for tier 2. more than two targets when only a handful of
Eclipse (2 Intellect points). For the next ten foes are present). Effort applied to one attack
minutes, light drains from an area within long counts for all attacks against targets along the
range that is no bigger than an immediate line. If an attack misses, a target along the line
distance in diameter. Light cannot enter the still takes 1 point of damage. Objects along
area of eclipse, and creatures that normally can the line that conduct electricity may retain a
see in the dark cannot see in the area. If you residual charge. Action.
cast Eclipse on an object, the effect moves with

201
Mist Flesh (3 Intellect points). You or a Elemental Protection (4+ Intellect points).
willing target you touch, along with all carried You and every target you designate within
equipment, is transformed into a colorless immediate range gains +5 to Armor against
mist for up to one hour. Someone transformed direct damage from one type of elemental
to mist can flow in any direction, including damage (such as fire, lightning, shadow, or
upward, an immediate distance each round thorn) for one hour, or until you cast this spell
(even against a strong wind), penetrate any again. Each level of Effort applied increases the
area that isnt hermetically sealed, and enjoy elemental protection by 2. Action to initiate.
immunity to mundane physical attacks. Incapacitate (5+ Intellect points). A creature
Someone transformed to mist cannot speak, in short range collapses and is unable to move
interact with objects or carried equipment, or or take actions for one round. The target must
use special abilities. If you begin falling a short be level 3 or lower. Instead of applying Effort to
or longer distance, you can invoke Mist Flesh decrease the difficulty, you can apply Effort to
quickly enough to avoid striking the bottom increase the maximum level of the target. Thus,
(shorter falls do not provide enough time). to incapacitate a level 5 target (two levels above
Action to initiate. the normal limit), you must apply two levels of
Effort. Action.
Tier 4: Spell Tattoos. You ink two additional
spells onto your skin. Choose one of the Tier 5: Spell Tattoos. You ink two additional
following spells as your readied spell spells onto your skin. Choose one of the
for tier 4. following spells as your readied spell for tier 5.
Granite Wall (7+ Intellect points). You create
a level 6 granite wall within short range. The
wall is 1 foot (30 cm) thick and up to 20 feet by
20 feet (6 m by 6 m) in size. It appears resting
on a solid foundation and lasts for about ten
hours. If you apply three levels of Effort, the
wall is permanent until destroyed naturally.
Action to initiate.
Door (6+ Intellect points). You create a
simple opening in a level 5 or lower barrier of
wood, stone, metal, or other solid substance,
which persists for an hour. The opening is no
more than an immediate distance across, and
it extends up to a short distance through the
material. When the effect ends, the barrier
returns to its original condition, and anyone
using the doorway is swept back to the
entrance. For each level of Effort you apply, you
can increase the level of the barrier by 1. Action
to initiate.

Tier 6: Spell Tattoos. You ink two additional


spells onto your skin. Choose one of the
following spells as your readied spell for tier 6.
Petrify (6+ Intellect points). A target within
short range is turned to stone. You can incant
this spell in reverse to turn a magically petrified
target back into flesh. In either case, the target
must be level 3 or lower. Instead of applying
Effort to decrease the difficulty, you can apply

202
CHARACTER OPTIONS 3
Effort to increase the maximum level of the Minor Effect Suggestion: The targets
target. Thus, to petrify a level 6 target (three weapon is knocked from its hand. Retrieving
levels above the normal limit), you must apply the weapon or drawing a new one means the
Chain demon, page 211
three levels of Effort. Action. next attack the target makes with the weapon is
Summon Chain Demon (8+ Intellect points). modified by one step to its detriment.
A chain demon appears within immediate Major Effect Suggestion: Make an additional A living creature turned
to stone enters a state of
range, plucked from Abysm of the Sword attack with your weapon on your turn. suspended animation.
Realms. If you applied a level of Effort as part If the creature is later
of the summoning, the demon is amenable to Tier 1: Magic Strike. Choose your preferred reverted to flesh, its fine,
your instructions; otherwise, it acts according element: ice, wind, or earth. When you make but any damage it suffered
while petrified could prove
to its nature. The demon persists for up to one an attack with a melee weapon, which could defacing, debilitating, or
minute before returning to its nether realm. be your unarmed attack, it is sheathed with a fatal, depending on the
Action. visible manifestation of your chosen element, severity.
which has the following effect.
MASTERS FOOT AND FIST Ice: If you roll a natural 17, 18, 19, or 20 and Masters Foot and Fist
Youve trained your body and your will so the attack succeeds, the target is frozen stiff GM Intrusions: Your
connection to your element
relentlessly that you can harness ambient in a thin layer of ice, preventing it from taking falters unexpectedly.
magic and focus it through your physical an action on its next turn. This effect replaces Opponents with weapons
attacks, defenses, and moves. When you have greater reach. An
strike a foe, elemental energy suffusing your elemental creature opposed
to your chosen element
weapon, foot, or fist is discharged into your foe, appears and attacks.
along with the momentum of the strike itself.
The full effect of the blow depends on your
elemental connection, which means you could
freeze, blow back, or blind your opponent. You
are usually referred to as a monk because of
the long hours of discipline required in the
monastery where you learned to chain your
body to elemental flows.
You probably wear flowing robes that do
not restrict your movements or get in your
way. You might also have one or more tattoos
that highlight your physical prowess and your
connected element.
Vectors are most likely to be monks.
Connection: If this is your starting focus,
choose one of the following connections.
1. Pick one other PC. You and that character
were the only two survivors of an enemys
attack on your previous group.
2. Pick one other PC. You think she might be
a member of a secret organization, one that
you wouldnt mind joining yourself.
3. Pick one other PC. You lost to him in a fair
fight. You dont hold a grudge, but then again,
you wouldnt be adverse to a rematch.
4. Pick one other PC. That character is your
half-brother or half-sister.
Equipment: Robes, hood, two weapons of
your choice, haversack, 50 feet (15 m) of rope,
one or more tattoos, and 30 gold coins.

203
the minor or major special effect you would Finally, you no longer age and wont die of the
normally gain. Enabler. ailments that advanced age engenders (though
Wind: The attack inflicts 1 less point of you can still be killed through violence, poison,
damage than normal, but it blows the target an and similar means). Enabler.
immediate distance in a direction you choose.
Names GM Intrusions: Enabler. NAMES
A named target attacks Earth: You inflict 1 additional point of damage You are a namer. You can discern someones
you instead of standing
calm or doing as you
to the target, or, instead of dealing damage, common, given name (such as Jack, Chihiro, or
command. A named law your blow blinds the target for one round with a Sebastian) merely by looking at him, and with
of reality bends differently spray of grit and sand. Enabler. practice, you can also learn that persons true,
than you expected. A hidden name. Knowing a persons hidden name
named object breaks from
stress or explodes. You Tier 2: Precise Attack. You know where to cause gives you power over him. As mastery comes,
forget your own name the most damage when you strike a foe, so your you can eventually hide someones name, know
for a round and stand attacks inflict 1 additional point of damage. Enabler. his thoughts, or even change his name, and
unable to take an action.
with it, his form. To be a namer is to be a force
Tier 3: Punch Through. Your melee attack of creation and change, though some walk a
ignores 2 points of your foes Armor. Enabler. darker path and attempt to erase the names of
Wuxia Leap (5 Speed points). You can leap everyone and everything that displeases them.
to a location within short range and make You tend to wear a guise that doesnt look
a melee attack at any point along that path entirely human, perhaps because you are a master
as part of the same action. If your elemental of disguise, because you use masks to manifest
manifestation is wind, you can leap within long your magic, or because youre truly not fully human
range. Action. in the recursion where you become a namer.
Spinners are the most likely character types
Tier 4: Elemental Skin (4 Speed points). When to be namers, but the focus has almost equal
you wish it, your body exudes an aura of your draw for paradoxes.
chosen element for up to ten minutes, which Connection: If this is your starting focus,
has the following effect. Action to initiate. choose one of the following connections.
Ice: You gain +2 to Armor. 1. Pick one other PC. That character borrowed
Wind: Whirling winds make it hard for others an important book from you and has never
to land an attack on you. The difficulty of returned it.
Speed defense rolls to avoid physical attacks is 2. Pick one other PC. You gave her a short
decreased by one step. rhyme that brings good dreams when she says
Earth: You add 6 points to your Might Pool. it before she sleeps, but you wonder if the
Any points in your Might Pool above your nightmares are building up in the dark.
normal maximum fade when the effect ends. 3. Pick one other PC. Youre pretty sure that a
name you made up out of the blue summoned
Tier 5: Redirect Attack. When you are the target that character into existence some time ago. If
of a melee or ranged attack, you can attempt the PC knows that you believe this, he might
to redirect it with your defense roll. If you think youre full of yourself, think youre crazy,
roll a natural 17, 18, 19, or 20 and the defense or possibly believe it himself.
succeeds, you redirect the attack away from 4. Pick one other PC. She asked you for a
you, either harmlessly into the ground or into name that would allow her to stand up to a
an object or creature within immediate range. cruel authority figure. You told her youd find
The target of the redirected attack has a chance the perfect name for her need, but youre
to avoid the attack as normal. Enabler. having trouble with the syllables.
Equipment: Scholars clothes, quill and ink,
Tier 6: Perfect Soul. You draw energy from reference book, notebook, a weapon of your
your chosen element and no longer need choice, and 30 crowns.
food or water to sustain you. You also gain Minor Effect Suggestion: You learn a deeply
an additional one-action recovery roll per day. buried secret the target was trying to hide.

204
CHARACTER OPTIONS 3
Major Effect Suggestion: Foes within short and laws bend to your aid when you namethem,
range are dazed for one round upon hearing and the difficulty of a task you attempt is
you speak a hidden name. During this time, the reduced by two steps. For example, if you name
difficulty of all tasks they perform is modified by a level 4 wall prior to attempting to climb it, you
one step to their detriment. treat the climb as a level 2 task. If you try to jump
across a gap between cloud ships and name the
Tier 1: Name (1 Intellect point). You attempt to local force of gravity, a difficulty 5 Might-based
discern the common, given name of a person, task becomes difficulty 3.
creature, or object within short range. This For each 2 additional Intellect points you
ability doesnt give you power over the target, spend, the difficulty of the task decreases by
but it does allow you to address the target by one additional step. Enabler.
name or potentially learn the real identity of
someone in disguise or the common name of Tier 5: Command Name (6+ Intellect points).
an odd object. Knowing the name of a person If youve previously used Steal Name on a
who hasnt revealed it to you could provide target, you can attempt to control the targets
an asset to your attempts to persuade, fool, actions if it is within short range and canhear
intimidate, or ingratiate yourself with the target, and understand you. If you succeed, you
depending on the situation. Action. control the targets actions for two rounds by
Onomatology. You are trained in the origin, verbal command. Instead of applying Effortto
history, and use of names. Enabler. decrease the difficulty, you can apply Effort
to increase the duration of control; each level
Tier 2: Steal Name (2 Intellect points). You applied extends the duration of Command
steal the name of a target within short range by Name by one round. When the effect ends, the
lifting it directly from the creatures thoughts. target recalls being under your control unless
An affected target ceases taking actions forup you prevent that by succeeding on an Intellect-
to one minute as it attempts to recall its name, based attack whose difficulty is equal to the
or for as long as you use your action each targets level. Action to initiate.
round to concentrate on hiding the name from
it. If the target is attacked, endangered, or
seriously provoked, it stops worrying about its
name and acts normally. Action.
Name Meld (1 Intellect point). When you
successfully use Steal Name on a target, you
also read the targets surface thoughts at the
same time, even if the target tries to prevent
you from doing so. You can continue to read
the targets surface thoughts for as long as you
keep its name hidden from it by using Steal
Name (up to one minute). Enabler.

Tier 3: Anti-Name (3+ Intellect points). You


speak a name that is antithetical to up to three
targets within long range. The Anti-Name
inflicts 2 points of damage that ignore Armor.
For each level of Effort you apply, you can attack
an additional target. Action.

Tier 4: Name Object or Force (4+ Intellect


points). Your study of names goes beyond
creatures and extends to objects and even the
laws of reality. Objects become more cooperative

205
Quells Undead GM Tier 6: Change Name (7+ Intellect points). If QUELLS UNDEAD
Intrusions: You get bit by youve previously used Steal Name on a target, You specialize in destroying that
the undead. You discover
an allied NPC is actually
you can attempt to transform the target intoa which nature has already killed once.
undead. A powerful undead natural animal by changing its true name. The These abominations, often called
recognizes you as its target must be level 2 or lower. The effect is undead, include zombies, mummies, vampires,
nemesis. permanent unless you later return the creatures some varieties of ghouls, ghosts, and many
true name to it as an action, leave the recursion more. All share the trait of not really being alive.
for longer than three days, or die. Instead of Your job is to eliminate that final link to their
applying Effort to decrease the difficulty, you can former life: animation. Why you are so intent
The Change Name ability apply Effort to increase the maximum level of on ending the reign of the dead is up to you,
essentially lets a character the target. Thus, to change the form of a level 5 but most people dont take this focus unless
change another creature
into a frog, newt, or some target (three levels above the normal limit), you they had a terrifyingly close encounter with the
other innocuous creature, must apply three levels of Effort. undead in the past.
if she so chooses. As such, The form you change the target into must be You wear normal clothes for your recursion,
it is one of the most feared
that of a natural wild animal, and its mass cant heavy gloves, and some kind of eye covering, and
abilities a namer can call
forth. be more than double the original creatures you might display a disfiguring scar from past
size. On the other hand, you can reduce a large run-ins with the undead as a badge of honor.
target down to something as small as yourfist. Destroying undead wherever they appear
For instance, you could turn a giraffe into a could be a passion for a character of any type,
duck, or a human into a turtle. The changed though vectors most commonly choose this
creature isnt under any compulsion to obey focus.
you. Over time, its nature may come to suit its Connection: If this is your starting focus,
new form, as determined by the GM. Action. choose one of the following connections.
1. Pick one other PC. If that character is next
to you and is attacked by an undead, you can
choose to be attacked instead.
2. Pick one other PC. You worry that she
might have been influenced mentally by a
vampire, and you keep a close eye on her in
case she does something suspicious.
3. Pick one other PC. He once saved you from
an undead, beating you at your own specialty.
4. Pick one other PC. She strongly reminds
you of a friend or family member who was killed
by undead.
Equipment: Clothing appropriate to the
recursion, leather coat (light armor), helmet,
two weapons of your choice, and a lethal dose
of poison in case you need to prevent yourself
from being turned into an undead.
Minor Effect Suggestion: You disable (or
completely remove) the undeads arm, which
keeps it busy for one round as it figures out
how to attack with its other arm and mouth.
Major Effect Suggestion: The undeads head
nearly comes off, which confuses it for a round
as its head lolls. In subsequent rounds, the
difficulty of the undeads attacks and defenses
is modified by one step to its detriment.

206
CHARACTER OPTIONS 3
Tier 1: Death Dealer. You inflict 1 additional TRICK-OR-TREATS Trick-or-Treats GM
point of damage when fighting. If your target Trick-or-Treats is a focus available in Intrusions: You knock over
something that makes a
is an undead creature, you inflict 2 additional the various recursions spawned by loud clatter. You drop your
points of damage. Enabler. the Halloween holiday. As a trick-or- bag of treats down a hole.
Undead Lore. You are trained in knowledge treater, you are considered a recursion native. Your mask slips. The target
related to undead, including their habits, You enjoy the protections of the Halloween of a trick realizes what
youre doing.
strengths, and weaknesses. Enabler. Accords as long as you observe them in turn,
which includes holding a lit candle while going
Tier 2: Unfeeling Callus. Fighting the dead has about your rounds. Youre allowed a lot of Halloween (the recursion),
left you tougher. You gain +1 to Armor. Against leeway on your nightly rounds of begging as page 64
damage from direct attacks by undead, as well long as you never eat what youre given and
as attacks that accelerate rot or necrosis, you are never caught trespassing or vandalizing as Halloween Accords: Most
gain an additional +1 to Armor. Enabler. you slip through the shadows of Halloween. Powers of the Night (the
rulers of the Halloween
All in all, you can make a decent living trick-or-
neighborhoods) abide by
Tier 3: Evade the Dead. When you attempt a treatinga living occasionally punctuated by agreed-upon rules to keep
stealth task, the difficulty is reduced by one running for your life. the city from devolving into
step. If attempting to hide from undead, the You usually wear a costume of some sort, bloody chaos. The accords
define boundaries, when
difficulty is reduced by two steps. Enabler. possibly one so realistic that others think it the sanctity of trick-or-
Improved Death Dealer. If your target is an is your true appearance, though usually your treaters is enforceable, and
undead creature, you inflict 3 additional points candle and treat sack give you away. how disputes should be
of damage (bringing the total to 5 additional Everyone likes treats, though only a subset of lawfully resolved.

points). Enabler. people enjoy tricking others. Be that as it may,


spinners are the most likely character types to
Tier 4: Horde Attack (3 Might points). You can choose this focus.
attack all foes within immediate range. Make Connection: If this is your starting focus,
separate attack rolls for each foe, but all attacks choose one of the following connections.
count as a single action on your turn. When using 1. Pick one other PC. Youre jealous of her
this ability, you do not gain the benefit of Death costume.
Dealer, Improved Death Dealer, or Perfect Death 2. Pick one other PC. You suspect that he is
Dealer, but otherwise anything that modifies your cursed by one of the witches of Forest Hills, but
attack or damage applies to all attacks. Action. you dont know if you should be more afraid for
him or of him.
Tier 5: Stunning Attack (4 Might points). You 3. Pick one other PC. He showed you a secret
can stun a living foe so that it loses its next door in an alley that saved your life when
turn, but the attack deals no damage. If you use zombies came for you.
this ability on an undead creature, the attack 4. Pick one other PC. At night, you dream
deals damage normally and stuns the target so about her, but when you wake, you can never
that it loses its next turn. Action. remember if they were good or bad dreams.
Equipment: Disguise of your choice (must
Tier 6: Fight Death. You fight death in all its be some kind of frightful creature), treat sack,
forms, even when it comes for you. When supply of candles and matches, one weapon of
you would normally die, you instead fall your choice, a couple of chocolate bars, 50 feet
unconscious for one round and then awaken. (15 m) of thin rope for creating snares, and 20
You immediately gain 1d6 + 6 points to add to pieces of hard candy.
your stat Pools. If you die again before you take Minor Effect Suggestion: Your foe loses
your next ten-hour recovery roll, you cant use track of you in the night and moves just out of
this ability again. Enabler. immediate range before realizing its error.
Perfect Death Dealer. If your target is an Major Effect Suggestion: Your foe is confused
undead creature, you inflict 5 additional points by your suit. On its next turn, it attacks one of its
of damage (bringing the total to 10 additional allies instead of you before realizing the truth.
points). Enabler.

207
Tier 1: Treat Seeker. You are trained in tasks Tier 3: Not Afraid. You are trained in Intellect
related to searching and hiding. Enabler. defense tasks and initiative tasks. Enabler.
Halloween Native. Trick-or-treaters enjoy Poke and Run (3 Speed points). When you
special status in Halloween (and similar attack a creature that has one or more eyes,
recursions), and you are considered to be one the difficulty of the attack is increased by one
by all natives who encounter you. Enabler. step. If you hit, the creature has trouble seeing
for the next hour, and you can move or attempt
Tier 2: Trick Artist. You are trained in to hide as part of the same action. Tasks the
lockpicking and tinkering with devices. Enabler. creature performs that rely on sight (which is
Night Eyes. You can see in dim light as if it most tasks) are modified by one step to its
were bright light. You can see in total darkness detriment. Action.
as if it were dim light. Enabler.
Tier 4: Trap Trick. You are trained in creating
simple traps, especially many varieties of
deadfalls and snares using natural objects from
the surrounding environment. You can create
a trap in under a minute. When you lay a trap,
decide whether you want to hold the victim in
place (a snare) or inflict damage (a deadfall).
Next, attempt an Intellect-based task with a
difficulty of 3 (for a snare) or a difficulty equal
to the number of points of damage you want to
inflict (for a deadfall). For example, if you want
to inflict 4 points of damage, thats a difficulty 4
task, though your training reduces the difficulty.
On a success, you create your trap, which is
considered level 3 for the purposes of avoiding
detection before it is sprung and for a victim
trying to struggle free (if a snare). If you are
trained in stealth, disguise, or similar tasks, the
trap is considered level 4 for these purposes; if
you are specialized, level 5. Action.

Tier 5: Veteran Halloweener. Youve been


exposed to all sorts of terrible things as youve
gathered treats and escaped the consequences
of your tricks, and youre developing a general
resistance. You gain +1 to Armor and are
trained in Might defense tasks. Enabler.

Tier 6: Ghostly Trickster (4+ Intellect points). For


the next ten minutes, you are trained in sneaking
tasks (or specialized, if youre already trained).
During this time, you can move through solid
barriers (but not energy barriers) at a rate of 1 foot
(30 cm) per round, and you can perceive while
phased within a barrier or object, which allows
you to peek through walls. When you make melee
attacks against creatures while ghostly, your attacks
ignore your foes Armor each time you spend 3
additional Intellect points. Action to initiate.

208
CREATURES 3
C H AP TER 8

CREATURES

Hungry beasts, biting insects, voracious fish, and the various parasites of the
Amazonian interior are fearsome. Too many explorers have disappeared there
for anyone to claim otherwise. But when one compares piranha to actual sea
monsters, malaria to the Andromeda strain, various parasites to facehuggers,
and so on ad infinitum, its clear that being an explorer of the Strange is Ernest Shackleton led
the first expedition to the
far more demanding and dangerous. Shackleton may have faced freezing Antarctic on Earth.
temperatures and starvation on his trip to the Antarctic, but he didnt face
abominable snow monsters trying to eat his face and make his skin into a coat.
Yes, he was the first to reach the South Pole, and he deserves recognition. All
the explorers restricted to Earth deserve the praise theyve received. But we are
the ones who explore the recursions birthed by the worst fears and nightmares
humanity has to offer, and not for the celebrity and honors others gain. Its
because we gain the real experience.
~Sir Raymond Creswicke,
in a letter to his paramour Irene located in the constructed recursion of Paradiso

This chapter describes some of the common its level. The target number is three times the
and uncommon creatures that the player level, so a level 1 creature has a target number
characters might meetand fightwhile of 3, a level 2 creature has a target number of 6,
adventuring through recursions numberless and so on.
and strange.
Description: Following the name of the
UNDERSTANDING THE LISTINGS creature or NPC is a general description
Level: Each creature has a level attached to of its appearance, nature, intelligence, or
it. Like the difficulty of a task, all creatures background.
(and NPCs) have a level. You use the level to
determine the target number a PC must reach Motive: This entry is a way to help the GM
to attack or defend against the opponent. understand what a creature or NPC wants.
In each entry, the difficulty number for the Every creature or person wants something,
creature or NPC is listed in parentheses after even if its just to be left alone.

209
Environment (Recursions of Origin | Laws 15 (for difficulty 5) instead of 12 (for difficulty
of Origin): This entry describes whether the 4). In special circumstances, some creatures
creature tends to be solitary or travel in groups have other modifications, but these are almost
and what kind of terrain it inhabits (such as always specific to their level.
They travel in packs through dry wastes and
temperate lowlands). This entry also lists the Combat: This entry gives advice on using the
creatures recursion of origin and the law that it creature in combat, such as This monster
operates best under. uses ambushes and hit-and-run tactics.
Youll also find any special abilities, such
Health: A creatures target number is usually as immunities, poisons, and healing skills.
also its health, which is the amount of damage GMs should be logical about a creatures
it can sustain before it is dead or incapacitated. reaction to a particular action by a PC. For
For easy reference, the entries always list a example, a mechanical creation is obviously
creatures health, even when its the normal immune to normal diseases, a character cant
amount for a creature of its level. poison a being of energy (at least, not with a
conventional poison), and so on.
Damage Inflicted: Generally, when creatures
hit in combat, they inflict their level in Interaction: This entry gives advice on using the
damage regardless of the form of attack. creature in interactions, such as These creatures
Some inflict more or less or have a special are willing to talk but respond poorly to threats,
modifier to damage. Intelligent NPCs often use or This creature is an animal and acts like it.
weapons, but this is more a flavor issue than
a mechanical one. In other words, it doesnt Use: This entry gives the GM suggestions for
Cataclyst, page 238 matter if a level 3 Cataclyst mutant uses a how to use the creature in a game session.
sword or clawsit deals the same damage if it It might provide general notes or specific
hits. The entries always specify the amount of adventure ideas.
damage inflicted, even if its the normal amount
for a creature of its level. Loot: This entry indicates what the PCs might
gain if they take items from their fallen foes (or
Armor: This is the creatures Armor value. trade with or trick them). It doesnt appear in
Sometimes the number represents physical the game stats if the creature has no loot.
armor, and other times it represents natural
protection. This entry doesnt appear in the GM Intrusion: This optional entry in the
game stats if a creature has no Armor. stats suggests a way to use a GM intrusion
in an encounter with the creature. Its just
Movement: Movement determines how far the one possible idea of many, and the GM is
creature can move in a single turn. Creatures encouraged to come up with her own uses of
have movements of immediate, short, or long, the game mechanic.
which equate to the ranges of the same name.
Most PCs have an effective movement of short,
so if they are chasing (or being chased by) CREATURES BY LEVEL
a creature with immediate movement, their Zombie sprayer 3
Speed tasks are one step easier; if the creatures Zombie sprinter 3
movement is long, their Speed tasks are one Sere spirit 4
step harder. Chain demon 5
Green pod 5
Modifications: Use these default numbers when Zombie hulk 5
a creatures information says to use a different Mist star 6
target number. For example, a level 4 creature Tetsu 6
might say defends as level 5, which means Glass dragon 7
PCs attacking it must reach a target number of

210
CREATURES 3
CHAIN DEMON 5 (15)
The ring and clatter of metal on metal precedes the arrival of a chain demon. Lengths of rusted
chains wrap this humanoid figure like funerary linens wrap a mummy. Chain, barbed and hooked,
unfolds like ungainly wings from the demons back. Additional lengths extend from both its
forearms, giving the creature a greatly extended reach with claws of animate, hooked iron links. Sword Realms, page 143
Chain demons appear in several recursions seeded by (or that include) hellscapes, including the
Sword Realms and Hell Frozen Over. A chain demon is usually created from a human soul of such
wretched evil that, upon reaching the afterlife, it is promoted to become a bleak angel of its new
Hell Frozen Over,
environment. Chain demons are great at torturing those already trapped in the demons native page 251
hellscape, but even better at catching fresh targets and pulling them down with hell-hot chains.
Motive: Delight in causing anguish
Environment (Magic): Any hellscape
Health: 21 GM Intrusion: Instead
Damage Inflicted: 5 points of being drawn into the
Armor: 2 demons embrace, the
character is wrapped in
Movement: Short; long when being lowered, raised, or pulled by animate chain
animate chains, which
wings threaten to completely
Combat: A chain demon can animate its chains to attack a target cocoon her. Meanwhile,
within short range. If the demon desires, a creature damaged the chain demon turns its
attention to other victims.
by its attack must succeed on a Might defense roll
or be snared by a chain hook. The snagged target
is drawn into the demons embrace if it fails a
second Might defense roll on its next turn (on a
success, the victim breaks free). A victim drawn
into the embrace takes 7 points of damage
each round if the chain demon wishes to inflict it
(no defense roll allowed), and the difficulty of the Might
defense roll to break free is increased by one step.
Interaction: A chain demon is demonically motivated to inflict
anguish, and it may engage in drawn-out negotiations
only to betray its target at a time guaranteed to inflict the
most spiritual pain.
Use: An influential recursor without a moral compass sends a
chain demon to kidnap a target. He provides the demon with
inapposite access to a recursion long enough for it to snatch its prey
and flee.

211
GLASS DRAGON 7 (21)
Imagine furnace heat, Glass dragons are rabid accumulations of knife-sharp glass layered in sheets and shards like
searing glass, and brilliant scales. Their wings are traceries of glittering light, and each of their eyes is the image of the sun as
light bound into one living,
malignant force, and youve
if focused by a lens. Draconic only in broad outline, these creatures appear as animate collections
got an inkling of what its of shattered glass. Their fangs and claws are crystal-hard, flashing with reflected light. By day, the
like to face a glass dragon. form of a glass dragon is easy to lose in a haze of brilliant light, which risks blinding an onlooker
~Iron Stave of the Black who stares overlong at the creature hunting him.
Moon Explorers
Motive: Resolving grudges
Environment (Ardeyn | Magic): In or near the Glass Desert (but sometimes, beyond the recursions
borders, hunting in the Strange)
Health: 33
Damage Inflicted: 7 points
Armor: 3
Movement: Short; long while flying
Modifications: Perception as level 8; Speed defense as level 6 due to size.
Sere spirit, page 215
Combat: A glass dragon can bite one foe or claw two foes in immediate range as a single action.
A bitten target is immobilized until he succeeds on a Might defense roll to break free (or until
the dragon drops him).
Kray, page 276 Glass dragons also have one or more additional abilities they can use in combat, including the following.
Blinding Flash: A glass dragon can emit a chaotic series of light pulses so bright and fast that
creatures within short range who fail a Might defense roll are blinded for one round.
GM Intrusion: A character Burning Beams: A glass dragon can emit twin beams of focused light from its eyes to long range,
damaged by the glass inflicting 9 points of damage on the target and all creatures within immediate range. This
dragons fangs or claws
ability cannot be used in consecutive rounds.
continues to bleed, taking
2 points of Speed damage Mirror Passage: A glass dragon can physically enter a reflective surface it can see (even one as small
(ignores Armor) per round as a hand mirror) and reappear up to hundreds of miles away through another reflective surface
until she can regain at least that it has previously prepared. This ability cannot be used more than once every ten hours.
2 points, which stops the
bleeding.
Sere Spirit Rider: Some glass dragons host the reflections of sere spirits. A dragon host can either
release the sere spirits into a nearby reflective surface, or
display the spirits within its own reflective body to its foes.
Once it does so, the sere spirits attack the dragons prey
without any additional action from the dragon.
Interaction: Glass dragons are well known for their
grudges, and, unfortunately, humans and
qephilim top the list for payback. Only
negotiations that promise a dragon even
greater vengeance have a chance of
succeeding.
Use: A glass dragon is attacking kray out in
the Strange, which seems to be drawing
larger and larger swarms of the creatures
back to Ardeyn.
Loot: A glass dragon usually carries a couple
of cyphers and 1d6 10 gold crowns.
A dragons hoard might contain 2d6
cyphers, 1d6 200 gold crowns, and
possibly a few artifacts.

212
CREATURES 3
GREEN POD 5 (15)
Green pod clumps are sometimes found in closets, on basement ceilings, inside elevators, in the
back seats of abandoned cars, and in other places where sunlight doesnt directly reach. A clump
of green pods typically masses not much larger than a typical human, and each individual pod
varies in size from a few inches to almost a foot (3 to 30 cm) in diameter. Each pod is sticky and
soft to the touch, and they usually adhere to form a contiguous whole.
Exactly what the pods represent is difficult for a human mind to grasp. Whether they are eggs,
waste matter, fungus, or a manifestation of an intelligence from the Strange extruded into a
recursion is up for debate. What isnt up for debate is how incredibly toxic a mass of green pods is
to living creatures.
Motive: Reproduction
Environment (Standard Physics or Exotic): Anywhere out of the way, out of direct sunlight
Health: 25 GM Intrusion: Striking the
Damage Inflicted: 5 points green pod clump causes
one of the pods to detonate
Movement: None immediately, even though
Combat: Since a clump of green pods doesnt move, the wisest choice someone who finds one its out of turn.
can make is to simply flee. Those who stumble
into a clump of pods by accident, or who decide
to investigate the mass of glistening emerald
spheres, discover that the clump can selectively
detonate its pods once per turn. When a pod
detonates, green fluid sprays everywhere. The
fluid can have one of the following effects,
depending on the pod, but never the same effect
twice in two rounds.
Flesh Reacting: Anyone within immediate range who
fails a Speed defense roll takes 5 points of damage
from the clinging fluid. If this kills the target, its
flesh is explosively converted in a gruesome chain
reaction, and the target explodes one round later.
Paralyzing: Anyone within immediate range who fails
a Might defense roll is paralyzed by the clinging
fluid. Each round, the paralyzed victim can
attempt another Might defense roll to shrug off
the effect.
Toxic: Anyone within immediate range automatically
takes 1 point of damage from the caustic, clinging
substance. Each round thereafter, the victim must
succeed on a Might defense roll or continue to
take damage as the green fluid eats away at its
flesh.
Interaction: No real interaction with green pods is
possible.
Use: Green orbs are found clinging to the exterior
of a robotic deep sea submersible that has just
returned from checking out a new fissure in the
ocean floor.

213
MIST STAR 6 (18)

Whos my big, good boy? You are, Avery, you cutie!


~Princess Latanya Valois

This massive creature can reach a diameter of 20 feet (6 m) when fully grown. A mist stars
eyes are located on the outer edge of its arms. Eight arms means eight eyes, giving a mist star
a 360-degree field of view. Each arm also hides a stinger at the tip, which can inject venom to
paralyze prey.
Constellations of mist stars live wild in the oceans of some recursions that operate under the
law of Magic. Mist stars can be used as riding animals by those with the patience and skill to train
one, becoming loyal companions. They can travel on land, on the water, and underwater. Thanks
to the creatures somewhat magical heritage, an air-breathing rider does not drown while mounted
on a mist star thats traveling underwater.
Motive: Self-defense
Environment (Oceanmist | Magic): Mist stars hunt in large constellations in warm oceans but are
sometimes used as mounts
Health: 27
Damage Inflicted: 6 points
Armor: 2
GM Intrusion: The
characters weapon (or Movement: Short when swimming or walking on land
other held item) is grabbed Modifications: Speed defense as level 5 due to size.
by a mist star and yanked Combat: A mist star batters foes with its arms and can attack up to two foes in immediate
from her hands. Getting it
range as a single action. If a mist star feels especially threatened, it extends its stingers.
back is a Speed-based task,
and failure means taking Foes damaged by a stinger-tipped arm must also succeed on a Might defense roll or take an
damage from a stinger. additional 3 points of Speed damage (ignores Armor). Worse, the poison continues to inflict 1
point of Speed damage per round until the victim succeeds
at a Might defense roll.
Interaction: Wild mist stars are dangerous, but tame
specimens used as mounts are generally safe.
Mist stars are somewhat intelligent,
and those that serve as companions
and mounts can understand some
languages. They cant speak, but
they communicate with each
other using puffs of complex
scents.
Use: A sailing ship attacked by
a constellation of mist stars
sinks to the sea floor.
Something valuable (a magic
artifact of some sort) lies in
the ships hold. The search is
on to find someone who
agrees to salvage the hold and
deal with the mist stars
guarding the wreck.

214
CREATURES 3
SERE SPIRIT 4 (12)

If you can see a sere spirit, it can see you.


Glass Desert, page 17
~Glass pirate truism
GM Intrusion: When the
sere spirit hits and deals
damage, it also pulls
When a human or qephilim dies in the Glass Desert, theres a chance that the spirit will be the character into the
trapped instead of finding a way to the Roads of Sorrow and, eventually, the Court of Sleep. Driven reflection, which seems to
slowly insane by exposure to their own empty image reflected back endlessly, these sere spirits erase her from the physical
world. The character
take refuge in the glass itself, finding surcease from their spiritual pain by remaining unmoving remains as a reflection until
and unfeeling. A sere spirit remains in this uneasy state of suspended existence until a living she regains at least 1 point
creature catches sight of the spirits reflection where none should be, jolting the spirit back to of the damage dealt by the
spirits attack.
consciousness and, usually, to fury.
Motive: Unreasoning fury
Environment (Ardeyn | Magic): Anywhere in the Glass Desert; occasionally
bound in other reflective surfaces
Health: 21
Damage Inflicted: 5 points
Movement: Short
Modifications: Speed attacks and defense as level 5 due to reflection
displacement; see Combat.
Combat: A sere spirit is never visible directly, but only in a reflection. That
reflection is usually in the surface of the Glass Desert, but it could be
in any reflective surface. Once a potential victim sees the sere spirits
reflection, the spirit in turn sees him and can attack with a sun-hot
touch (though it appears that the spirit is attacking the targets
reflection, the target feels the attack directly). In order to attack the
spirit back, the victim must make an attack as if at empty space,
using his reflection and that of the spirit to orient the action.
Attacking the glass where the reflection happens to fall has no
effect.
Once a victim comes to the attention of a sere spirit, he cant simply close
his eyes or direct his attention away from the reflection to find safety. As
long as he continues to cast a reflection on the surface, he remains a
target. A victim might find safety by reaching a place where he no longer
casts a reflection, by rendering himself invisible, or by covering the
surface of the glass with something that prevents reflections.
Interaction: Sere spirits moan and scream in rage. The rare few that retain
reason can speak in a sepulchral voice, and they may even negotiate, but
the only thing a sere spirit wants is for its corporeal remains to be found
and removed from the Glass Desert (or whatever location is keeping the
spirit locked in its reflective state).
Use: A grieving trading family offers a bounty to find the remains of a caravan
lost in the Glass Desert. Unfortunately, the souls of several merchants
were trapped and became sere spirits, which haunt the site of the dead
caravan out on the glass.

215
TETSU 6 (18)
Tetsu tide jewels can quell
storms or transfer someone
between any two known
points in Seishin Shore. If we could bind and shelve a tetsu, imagine what wonders of magic and
Doing either reveals the
jewels true nature as a tetsu knowledge that tome would contain!
egg, which hatches and
releases a tetsu hatchling. ~Orika the Flayer, Library Compiler
Tetsu hatchling: level 3;
flies a long distance each
round
When sailors notice a sinuous form undulating across the sky, most wisely choose to go below
GM Intrusion: The tetsu decks rather than catch the notice of a traveling tetsu. A tetsu that has emerged from the lake it
divines the characters protects or doffed the streaming cloak of clouds in which it normally hides is a tetsu that has been
next action, and it moves
or otherwise does exactly roused to action and probably rage.
whats required to cancel Tetsu are dragonlike creatures seeded by Japanese myth. Despite their lack of wings, inborn
out that action.
magic allows them to fly. In addition to flight, a tetsus magic
gives it a host of potential abilities, which often include taking
human or yobuko form, producing magic tide jewels, and
divining the true intentions of other creatures.
Motive: Protection
Environment (Seishin Shore | Magic): Usually alone, protecting a lake or
cloud realm
Health: 32
Damage Inflicted: 6 points
Armor: 2
Movement: Long while flying or swimming; short while on the
ground
Modifications: All tasks related to empathy and divining another
creatures true nature (and detecting falsehoods) as level 7.
Combat: Tetsu can bite or claw opponents while in dragon form,
or attack with appropriate weapons while in humanoid form. A
tetsu can switch between forms as an action.
In either form, a tetsu can call up a storm blast against a group of
targets within half a mile (1 km) that are within immediate range
of each other. Affected targets suffer damage and are blown up to a long
distance. A tetsu can use its storm blast once every other round.
Interaction: Tetsu are usually remote and unconcerned with individuals, mostly
because the creatures feel responsibility for large regions and focus on the good
of the many over the few. That said, tetsu sometimes notice the plight
of individuals, especially those who are kind or good-hearted, and they can
become fierce (if often absent) friends.
Use: A pirate skyship ransacked the treasury of a tetsu that was out traveling
and made off with several tide jewels. The tetsu, reluctant to leave its
domain again, promises to reward those who return its precious jewels
or, failing that, deliver vengeance upon the thieves.
Loot: In addition to a tide jewel or two, a tetsu may possess one or two
cyphers or an artifact (though it normally has the latter only while in
humanoid form).

216
CREATURES 3
ZOMBIE
Most zombies are mindless, shambling, hungry, and infectious. But some are as fast as Olympic
sprinters, as strong as bulls, or able to spread infection by spraying stomach bile in a blinding
aerosolized cloud.

ZOMBIE SPRAYER 3 (9)


The glistening, translucent skin covering a zombie sprayers bulging stomach reveals a cavity Whats wrong with its
belly?
sloshing with greenish bile. The sprayers mutant physiology allows it to spew the material from its
~Billy Downs, playing
mouth in a vomitous cloud. After it does so, chasing down the blinded and partially digested prey beyond the walls for the
is much easier. last time
Motive: Hunger (for flesh, cerebrospinal fluid, certain human hormones, and so on)
Environment (Zed America | Mad Science, Magic, or Psionics): Almost anywhere, usually alone or
in groups of three
Health: 9
Damage Inflicted: 3 points Darkness, page 111
Movement: Short
Combat: A zombie sprayer can attack with claws or a bite. However, early in any conflict, it uses
Zombie infection, page 163
its ability to spray infectious, acidic bile. This creates a cloud that can affect every non-zombie
creature in a diameter of short range. Targets must succeed on a Might defense roll each Badlands, page 165
round they remain within the cloud or be blinded for one round and suffer 3 points of damage.
(Blinded characters act as if they are in complete darkness.) A zombie sprayer can spray about
GM Intrusion: The
once every hour. characters protective
When a zombie sprayer is killed, its stomach bursts, creating another acidic bile cloud centered on clothing is damaged by the
the zombie, though the diameter of this cloud is only immediate range. acidic cloud, and her Armor
is reduced by 1 until it can
Zombie sprayers are infectious, and that goes double for the spray they produce. The difficulty of the be repaired.
Might defense roll to resist infection is increased by one step (making it a difficulty 4 roll).
If an attack would reduce the zombie sprayers health to 0, it does so only if the number rolled in
the attack was an even number; otherwise, the zombie is reduced to 1 point of health instead. GM Intrusion: The
character caught in the
Sprayers can see in the dark at short range. cloud of aerosolized zombie
Interaction: Perhaps the same smarts that allow zombie sprayers to target their bile clouds bile must succeed on an
effectively give them the capacity to know when they are overmatched, which is why they additional Might defense
roll or breathe in too much
sometimes retreat from a conflict thats not going their way.
and begin to choke and
Use: The owner of a keep enclave in the middle of the Badlands is offering a substantial reward to retch. She loses her next
whoever clears out a zombie sprayer nest that seems centered on land hes trying to cultivate action and cant defend
for potatoes. herself from attacks until
her next turn.

ZOMBIE SPRINTER 3 (9)


The zombification process usually produces a misfiring wreck of a nervous system, good only for
shambling and groaning. But for some, the process ignites new connections between nerves and
muscles, hastening them well beyond human norms. A single fit defender can usually hold off
a single normal zed with a baseball bat or similar implement. Not so a zombie sprinter, whose
speed, ferocity, and crazed screams can make its attack seem unstoppable.
Motive: Hunger (for flesh, cerebrospinal fluid, certain human hormones, and so on)
Environment (Zed America | Mad Science, Magic, or Psionics): Almost anywhere, usually alone or
in groups of four

217
Health: 12
Damage Inflicted: 3 points
Movement: Long
Modifications: Speed defense as level 4.
Combat: A zombie sprinter attacks with its bite and claws. If its melee attack deals damage, it begins
an amplification attack, making another attack as part of the same action. It can keep making
additional attacks as part of the same action until it misses or until it makes five attacks as a
single action. Once a zombie sprinter pulls off an amplification attack that strings together three
Zombie infection, page 163 or more attacks as part of a single action, it is too tired to do it again for about a minute.
If an attack would reduce the zombie sprinters health to 0, it does so only if the number rolled in
GM Intrusion: The the attack was an even number; otherwise, the zombie is reduced to 1 point of health instead.
character has a hard Sprinters can see in the dark at long range.
time dealing with the
fast-twitch reflexes of
Sprinters are infectious.
the zombie sprinter. Interaction: Sprinters are always hungry and move at maximum speed toward living creatures.
Until he successfully They do not reason, cannot speak, and never stop pursuing identified prey unless something
hits the sprinter with an else edible comes closer.
attack, the difficulty of
all his attacks on it is Use: The sound of rapidly pattering feet is heard every night, echoing out of the darkness from
increased by one step. somewhere near the abandoned highway. What could it be?

ZOMBIE HULK 5 (15)


Some varieties of zombies, despite their semblance to corpses, enjoy a regenerative process that
keeps them active regardless of grievous wounds, rotting flesh, and sometimes missing limbs or
organs. That same process kicks into overdrive in some zombies, converting everything they eat
into additional mass and muscle. The result, a zombie hulk, is three times as massive as a regular
zombie and five times as dangerous.
Motive: Hunger (for flesh, cerebrospinal fluid, certain human hormones, and so on)
Environment (Zed America | Mad Science, Magic, or Psionics): Almost anywhere, usually alone or in pairs
Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: 8 points
Movement: Short
Modifications: Speed defense as level 3 due to size.
Combat: A zombie hulk bashes with massive, permanently balled fists stained with the gore of
past victims.
Additionally, a zombie hulk can bite a victim. When it does so, its almost impossible to force the
hulks jaws apart again. When a victim takes damage from a bite, she must also succeed on
a Speed defense roll or one of her limbs is clamped in the hulks mouth. The only way to get
the hulk to release its grip is to destroy the creature. While the victim remains clamped in the
hulks mouth, she automatically takes damage each round, and the difficulty of attempts to get
Zombie infection, page 163 free is increased by one step.
If an attack would reduce the zombie hulks health to 0, it does so only if the number rolled in the
GM Intrusion: The attack was an even number; otherwise, the zombie is reduced to 1 point of health instead.
character hit by the
zombie hulk is grabbed. Hulks can see in the dark at long range.
The difficulty of her Speed Hulks are infectious.
defense roll to avoid the Interaction: A zombie hulk may choose to smash a nearby structure instead of going straight
hulks bite is increased
toward food, but otherwise it is a typical mindless, unreasoning zombie.
by one step until she
gets free of its hold (or Use: Those who can command zombies and similar creatures are likely to have a few zombie
until it bites her). hulks around for muscle (figuratively and literally).

218
Part 4:
BACK MATTER

Resources and Inspiration 220


Index 222
RESOURCES AND
INSPIRATION
When it comes to recursions seeded from human imagination, sometimes its easy for a reader to spot the influences.
Other timesespecially when recursions are blended from multiple stories, television shows, graphic novels, and movies
its more difficult to guess all the inspirations. The following list attempts to identify the major works of fiction that seeded
the named recursions, though of course sometimes its impossible to fully know where ones ideas spring from. The
synthesis of what has gone before is the soul of creativity, and we want to not only credit those sources but also share them
so they can inspire you as well.

Atlantis: Critias, Plato; Arion, Lord of Atlantis (1982 comic Cyberscape: Halting State, Charles Stross; Neuromancer,
book series) William Gibson
Avalon: The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley; Cygnus Station: The Black Hole (1979 movie); Interstellar
Camelot (1967 movie) (2014 movie)
Borderlands of Sol: Dark as Day, The Ganymede Club, Cold as Entopia: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989 movie)
Ice, Charles Sheffield; Known Space novels, Larry Niven
Eschatos: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Douglas
Camelot Le Morte: Camelot (1967 movie); Monty Python and Adams; Raft, Ring, and other Xeelee Sequence novels,
the Holy Grail (1975 movie); The Once and Future King, T. Stephen Baxter
H. White; The Crystal Cave, Mary Stewart
Flatland: Flatland, Edwin Abbott
Gingerbread House: Grimms Fairy Tales, Brothers Grimm
Gothic Playground: Dracula, Bram Stoker; Frankenstein,
Mary Shelley
Kiplingverse: The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling
Magicians Sanctum: Supernatural (2005 TV series); Doctor
Strange comics, Steve Ditko
Manifest Silicon: The Golden Age, John Wright; Diaspora,
Greg Egan
Mesozoica: The Lost World (1960 movie); Land of the Lost
(1974 TV series)
Microcosmica: Inner Space (1987 movie); Fantastic Voyage
(1966 movie)
New Centropolis: All the superhero comics and all the
novels about superheroes, with special callout to Soon I
Will Be Invincible, Austin Grossman

220
PART 4 HEADER 4
Panopticon: 1984, George Orwell; Logans Run (1976 movie); Strawberry Fayre: Watership Down, Richard Adams
Paranoia (1984 RPG)
Sunspot Meadows: Up the Walls of the World,
Pellucidar: Pellucidar, Edgar Rice Burroughs James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Bradley Sheldon)
Posthuman Apocalypse: Babylon 5 (1994 TV series); Ilium, Sword Realms: All my D&D yesterdays
Dan Simmons
Sycorax Island: The Tempest, Shakespeare
Rebel Galaxy: Star Wars (1977 movie); Firefly (2002 television
Telluria: Radix, A. A. Attanasio; Children of Hastur, Marion
series)
Zimmer Bradley
Ring: Halo (Xbox game), Ringworld and The Ringworld
Urban Wizardry: Rivers of London novels, Ben Aaronovitch;
Engineers, Larry Niven
Alex Verus novels, Benedict Jacka; Harry Dresden novels,
Riverside: The Lost City of Z, David Grann Jim Butcher; Greywalker novels, Kat Richardson
Rlyeh: The Call of Cthulhu, H. P. Lovecraft War of the Worlds: The War of the Worlds, H. G. Wells
Samurai Sky: Cowboy Bebop (1998 TV series); Samurai Wrecked Starship: Lost in Space (1965 TV series; 1998
Champloo (2004 TV series) movie); Event Horizon (1997 movie); Startide Rising,
David Brin
Seishin Shore: Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Grave
of the Fireflies, and most every other Hayao Miyazaki Wuxia City: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000 movie);
production. Big Trouble in Little China (1986 movie)
Starship Heinlein: For the World Is Hollow and I Have Zed America: All the zombie movies, novels, and short
Touched the Sky (Star Trek TV series); Dust, Elizabeth Bear; stories, with special callout to the Newsflesh novels by
Pandorum (2009 movie) Mira Grant

221
INDEX
KEY: Haunts the Rooftops W 199 Ring W 188 foldable keep W 151
C = The Strange corebook Hell Frozen Over C 251 Riverside W 189 gas gun W 61
W = Worlds Numberless Hidden Schools W 154 Rlyeh W 189 glass ship blade W 22
and Strange Himmler W 59 Ruk C 190 gold throne reliquary W 152
Homebound C 251 Samurai Sky W 124 golden skiff W 44
20K W 169 Hominids (Mesozoica) W 72 Scar (Ruk) W 27 grey gazer W 101
221B Baker Street C 253 HRV (human regenerative Seishin Shore W 131 grey gun W 101
AD 802,701 W 170 virus) W 162 sere spirit W 215 guardian weapon W 44
Antikytheracosm W 170 Ilucara (Sword Realms) W 149 Shoals of Earth C 214 hammer of wishes W 130
Ardeyn C 160 ImmuneSuppres W 81 Shogun W 127 hand mirror of afar W 159
Atlantis W 38 Implausible Geographical Silverwood W 190 handheld scanner W 123
Atom Nocturne C 234 Society W 11 Singularitan C 251 Holy Grail
Avalon W 171 inapposite gate C 135 Standard Physics C 136 (Camelot Le Morte) W 54
Avenue of Splendors W 56 Inks Spells on Skin W 200 Starship Heinlein W 138 Holy Grail
Becomes Bacterial W 196 Innsmouth C 253 Storm, the (Wuxia City) W 155 (Eleventh Reich) W 62
Borderlands of Sol W 172 Kiplingverse W 179 Strange, the C 212 human helper W 101
Camelot Le Morte W 46 Krayol W 180 Strawberry Fayre W 191 human suit W 102
Castle One W 172 Labyrinth W 180 Substandard Physics C 137 jack-o-lantern W 71
Cataclyst C 238 laws W 35 Sun Chasers (Wuxia City) W 157 jade dragon W 152
chain demon W 211 Library (Seishin Shore) W 133 Sunspot Meadows W 191 Kavacha W 62
Chaosphere C 8 Lost Lands W 181 Sword Realms W 143 Kusanagi W 130
Creswicke, Sir Raymond W 12 Mad Science C 137 Sycorax Island W 192 learning halo W 44
Crow Hollow C 242 Magic C 137 Telluria W 192 libram of names W 137
Cyberscape W 173 Magicians Sanctum W 181 tetsu W 216 magic wand W 152
Cygnus Station W 174 Makers Hall (Ardeyn) W 20 Theater of War W 193 mask of terror W 137
Darkness, the (Wuxia City) W 156 maladie de la machine W 47 translation gate C 134 matter unraveler W 102
Dead Earth W 175 Mandala Zero W 182 Trick-or-Treats W 207 memory eraser W 102
Defense Grey Investigation Manifest Silicon W 182 bermensch W 56 mirror of fading beauty W 113
Service (DGIS) W 98 Masters Foot and Fist W 203 Urban Wizardry W 193 mood ring W 159
Department of Superhuman matter gate W 10 War of the Worlds W 193 Myrdans staff W 152
Affairs (DSA) W 87 mcanisme W 47 Welthauptstadt Germania W 56 nano drone W 33
Desktop Terrene W 175 Meintome W 182 Wonderland C 253 personal saucer ship W 102
dwarf (Sword Realms) W 144 Mesozoica W 72 World Above plutonian iron knife W 22
Dyranmar (Sword Realms) W 146 Microcosmica W 78 (Starship Heinlein) W 139 potion of invincibility W 159
Earth Recruitment Center W 24 Middlecap C 252 World Below power bracers W 93
Earthborn W 24 mist star W 214 (Starship Heinlein) W 141 psychic inverter W 102
Edo W 126 moon magic (Samurai Sky) W 126 Wrecked Starship W 194 quantum collapse arch W 94
Eleventh Reich W 55 Moonbase Tranquility W 183 Wuxia City W 153 reality-tearing knife W 113
elf (Sword Realms) W 144 namers W 204 yobuko (Seishin Shore) W 132 recursor dowsing rod W 62
Entopia W 176 Names W 204 Zed America W 161 red ruby spectacles W 159
Eschatos W 176 Nereus One W 81 zombie hulk W 218 replication rifle W 167
Exotic C 137 Neverland W 183 zombie sprayer W 217 robot assistant W 123
Flatland W 176 Neverland-4 W 183 zombie sprinter W 217 serpent ring W 77
Flying Dutchman W 177 New Centropolis W 85 Sessho-seki splinter W 62
Follows the Code of Bushido W 198 New Kingdom W 184 Seven Demon Bag W 160
Frog Lake W 177 New York Grey W 95 ARTIFACT INDEX seven league boots W 106
Fhrer W 59 Nights Edge W 185 angelic vestment W 142 Siege Perilous W 54
ghost ship W 21 Oceanmist W 103 AR glasses W 33 Silver Sword W 22
Gingerbread House W 177 Old Mars C 253 blister glove W 113 sonic harmonizer W 45
Glass Desert (Ardeyn) W 17 Oz C 253 bow of vampire slaying W 151 Spear of Longinus W 62
glass dragon W 212 Panopticon W 185 charge gun W 33 spellbook of the dragons maw W 23
glass pirate (Ardeyn) W 18 Pantamal C 250 cloak of elfkind W 151 spellbook of glass W 23
Gloaming C 249 Paradiso W 185 death mask W 61 spellbook of searing light W 24
goblin (Halloween) W 67 Pellucidar W 186 demon powder W 158 spirit revolver W 130
Goodland C 250 Plague Kingdom W 187 diving shell W 44 staff of prayer W 142
Gorilla Planet W 178 planetovore C 8 DNA injector W 84 stasis ring W 33
Gothic Playground W 178 Posthuman Apocalypse W 187 DNA sampler W 84 sunspot cannon W 94
Graveyard of the Machine God C 244 Powers of the Night W 64 dragon pen W 53 tattoo graft W 33
Green Hills Society W 99 Psionics C 137 electric katana W 130 time key W 77
green pod W 213 Qoph W 188 enigma machine W 61 torc of mindfulness W 54
grey (New York Grey) W 95 Quells Undead W 206 everfull wine horn W 54 war walker W 63
halfling (Sword Realms) W 144 R639 W 107 Excalibur W 54 water wand W 45
Halloween W 64 Rebel Galaxy W 114 eyeglasses of memory W 159 witchs broom W 71
Halloween Accords W 66 Reclaimers (Ardeyn) W 17 flintlock of certainty W 106 zed burner W 167
Happy Island W 179 Resolution (Ruk) W 29 foam restraint W 93

222
Heading into Earths shoals?
Dont go unprepared!
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Hundreds of new abilities, cyphers,


descriptors, and fociplus the
complete Cypher System rules
including special rules for a variety
of genres. Build new recursions for
The Strangeor whole new worlds
for whole new campaigns!

Victorian horror or the zombie


apocalypse? High fantasy or
high-powered supers? Espionage?
Galaxy-spanning space opera?
The Cypher System Rulebook
gives you everything you need
to launch new campaigns,
or to take your campaign of
The Strange even further!

Available now from the MCG web store:


www.montecookgames.com

f b.com/MonteCook @MonteCookGames

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