Aasimar of Lingusia in Old-School Essentials

 More OSE goodness! Now for the celestialborn aasimar of Lingusia, as well as a bonus listing on the Seraphim of Lingusia:

Celestialborn (Aasimar)

   Aasimar are a variant race and counterparts to tieflings. Like tieflings the aasimar have a parent or ancestor with planar blood. Unlike the tieflings, the aasimar have been touched by a divine spark from a good or beneficient being such as a seraph or other angelic entity. A few may even have godling ancestry.

   Aasimar are physically similar to humans, but they tend to have perfect skin, white or golden hair and eyes of liquid gold. Their beauty is unrivalled by most other mortals, though aasimar themselves are also often long-lived.

   Aasimar stand out most of the time, and for this reason they often find life relatively difficult when growing up, especially if they do not know their true lineage or parents. Young aasimar are often subjugated to slavery and abuse at the hands of those who marvel and covet their beauty, though just as many may be fortunate enough to live in a caring community or have a good parent.

Aasimar Adventurers

Aasimar have not been adapted to OSE (that I can find), so what follows may be their first official presentation in the system.

Prerequisites: Aasimar are naturally radiant in their charisma and appearance, and have a minimum Charism and Wisdom of 9.

Ability modifiers: +1 WIS or CHA, -1 CON or -1 STR

Languages: Common and one other (may choose Celestial or Arboreal); Lingusia does not have alignment languages.

Class Limitations: Lingusian aasimar have no level limits and may belong to any class.

Special Traits: Choose or roll for one of these options:

D20        Aasimar Traits

1-5         dispel darkness once/day; 2/day at level 5 and 3/day at level 9

6-8          Necrotic resistance (May make a Save vs. Death to negate undead energy drain effect once/day; 2/day at level 5 and 3/day at level 9)

9-12       Imbue Magic (render one weapon magical for one minute once/day; 2/day at level 5 and 3/day at level 9)

13-15     Continual Light (once/day; 2/day at level 5 and 3/day at level 9)

16           Has wings and may fly at MV (180’) 60’; wings are difficult to hide

17-18     Infravision (60’)

19           Unaffected by charm spells

20           My cast Charm Person  once/day (may instead cast Charm Monster once/day Level 9 in any class)

Holy Beings: Aasimar find their natures impossible to hide from fiends and beings of chaos, who instinctively can sense their celestial natures.

Aasimar Lineage: If you play a celestialkin, you should pick one of the classes of Seraphim to determine what your character’s celestial origin is. Roll a D100 for some randomness:

 

D100                     Celestialkin Orign

1-50                      Elohim (category; servitors)

51-75                    Einheriar (category; warrior spirits)

Each of the following are unique beings; their gift to an aasimar may be bestowed through miracles or any other means. See the Seraphim listing that follows for their natures; imagine what the lineage of a being of each nature might look like to sculpt the image of your aasimar:

76                          Ascrael

77                          Archamnios

78                          Gamnaes

79                          Dremnesal

80                          Critaere

81                          Minhara

82                          Magenta

83                          Dryleah

84                          Incenar

85                          Masros

86                          Thanadan

87                          Erizahn

88                          Chamnios

89                          Diaban

90                          Alasmian

91                          Delistray

92                          Cordone

93                          Aspriel

94                          Glaumfiel

95                          Hemanial

96                          Eristar

97                          Esilenta

98                          Sekaryth

99                          Elcorala

00                          Unique Origin! Roll Again:

               01-50     Roll/choose two origins

               51-80     Unknown origin!

81-90     Roll one celestial origin but secretly also have one infernal origin

91-00     divine origin! Pick a deity

 The Seraphim

Profile: each seraph has a specialized portfolio in service to the god(s) each one is obeisant to

Realms of Worship: The seraphim are venerated in the Middle Kingdoms

Genders Allowed: all

Races Allowed: any

Alignment: any lawful good or lawful neutral; lawful evil seraphim are devils

Favored Weapons: numerous (pick any four as suits the nature of the Seraphim for the clerical worshipper to wield with comfort as if proficient)

The seraphim are actually a large host of divine minions who serve the celestial kingdoms of the gods. These beings are the counterparts to the demonic devonin (demons), and are not usually worshipped by any individuals, though they may be called upon for specific spells and instances. There are many seraphim, some of which are listed as follows. Like devonin, seraphim can materialize on the mortal plane when called upon; they can only manifest to try to balance an act of chaos against an act of order.

Some of the Seraphim: This list is by no means complete:

Elohim: The angelic servants of the sun, keepers of the eternal flame.

Einheriar: The eternal warriors of light, the army of the apocalypse.

Ascrael: Lord of the Seraphim, general of the Einheriar.

Archamnios: The spirit of battle.

Gamnaes: Slayer of enemies.

Dremnesal: The spirit of perseverance.

Critaere: The spirit of creation.

Minhara: Protector of the heart and soul.

Magenta: The servant of Time.

Dryleah: The servant of the woodlands.

Incenar: The spirit of flames and loss.

Masros: The hunter of evil.

Thanadan: The protector of the gates of Death.

Erizahn: The androgynous patron of love.

Chamnios: The destroyer of demons.

Diaban: The patron of knowledge and lore.

Alasmian: The patron of trade and commerce.

Delistray: The all-seeing observer, record keeper.

Cordone: The patron of sorcerers and wizards.

Aspriel: Patron of the land, keeper of the mountains.

Glaumfiel: The patron of the waters and water voyages.

Hemanial: Patron of suffering and caretaker of the ill.

Eristar: The patron of dreams and the astral.

Esilenta: The patron of storms and rain.

Sekaryth: The mistress of  Set, patron of lies and Queen of the Nine Hells.

Elcorala: The embodiment of blind justice.

 The Mysteries of the Seraphim: The seraphim are practically a miniature pantheon in their own right, each spirit slaved to the service of one or more greater gods. Those most ancient of scholars who have studied the mysteries of the Prehunate Empire have found evidence to suggest that in those ancient prehuman days, the most loyal prehunates of the day were rewarded for their dedication to the gods with a small portion of divinity, and were given the roles of the Seraphim. Others speculate the seraphim are taken from divine races which exist beyond the mortal plane, and that some have never even set foot on the mortal plane before their appointment. There are nine hundred and ninety nine seraphim listed in the Idean Codices and more recent texts that are living, and another four hundred and twenty seven that are recorded as fallen or slain; since a fallen seraphim is replaced almost immediately, then it is possible that both notions on the origin of the seraphim might be right. 

Seraph of the Nine Hells: most such seraph are in fact infernal devils, and do not produce Aasimar. Sekaryth is the sole exception, who maintains her radiance and purity as a Queen of Hell and mistress to the dark god Set even in the face of the lies and deception that surround her. She is considered a martyr and is worshipped in the Middle Kingdoms by mendicant cults of priestesses who feel they must devote their lives to her, that she may have their strength to persevere and observe the malevolent dealings of Set's infernal realm. 

Tieflings of Lingusia in Old-School Essentials

Returning to Old-School Essentials has proved very inspiring to me. I may finally have found the system that will let me return to publishing content and ideas for my campaign worlds. Here's some stuff now in fact!

Tieflings of Lingusia

   Tieflings in Lingusia are surprisingly common, an enigmatic race of men and women with clear infernal or abyssal ancestry. The exact origins of a specific tiefing depends largely on ancestry, but the following are common; these are available as optional background paths for your character:

Ancient Bloodlines of Hyrkania

   Many tieflings come from cursed families. These families, often Galonian or Hyrkanian, find that their bloodline suffers corruption every eight or nine generations, and sometimes more often, especially if a family member angers a witch or hag near birth. The suspicion is that such families may have been tainted in some way by the corruption of outsiders in the distant past. A more pragmatic expectation is that these are families descended from the era of the Old Empire and the time when the War of the Gods transpired. During that period a veritable army of demons descended upon the mortal plane, and that which the demons did not kill, they defiled. Like as not, even in families where infernal offspring were slain, the taint lingered forever more within the bloodlines themselves.

Purebloods

   Less common are pure-bloods who find that one or both parents were possessed at some point or under the influence of evil outsiders. These tiefling offspring appear unexpectedly, unless the possessors are in it for the long haul, and this can be quite a surprise to the parents (sometimes).

Dark Heritage of Kadantania

   A handful of tieflings can lay claim to the heritage of lost Kadantania. This sorcerous empire ruled for two thousand years in the Jungles of Amech, during which the repulsive sorcerers of this lost kingdom struck a pact with the infernal devils of the Nine Hells, the domain of order dominated by Set and other evil gods of order. The Kadantanians sought to emulate the power of the lost Prehunates (the ancient prehuman demigods of old), but in their hubris they dug too deep into the dark arts, condemning their entire lineage to infernal corruption. All of the old noble bloodlines of lost Kadantania touched by darkness to become tieflings. Many tiefling clans to this day claim such heritage, and a few still believe Kadantania lives on in the lost city of Ur, where fabulous inheritance and incredibly dark magic awaits them if they can but find it.

The Tieflings of Starthias

   The vile domain of Starthias along the eastern continental shores of the Bloodsea is a new proving ground, for it is here that a new era of power-seeking fools have made infernal pacts with the devils and demons demons within the last two generations, transforming their kind in to tieflings. The overlord of Starthias, the dark sorcerer-king Anharak, has encouraged his people to seek power at all costs; his exodus to the Silver Mountains in the west caused a power-gap in the kingdom, which has already come close to shattering the eastern empire with civil war.

   Tieflings from Starthias are the most dangerous of all, for their corruption is recent, and their belief in its utility as a means to an end is absolute and deeply corrupting. They lack the humility of the Kadantanian tieflings, or the fear of the bloodline-descended tieflings.

Tieflings in the Middle Kingdoms

   Life can be very hard for these half demons and half devils. Some get lucky enough to find small communities of their kind, a kindly wizard to take them in as apprentices, or a demonic parent who finds the novelty of a child too compelling to resist. Most tieflings are raised as ambivalent, hateful beings, but a few get lucky and grow up surprisingly balanced and “normal.”

   Tieflings are sometimes familiar with both their extraplanar and their mortal parents, but many can only guess at such, having been abandoned at the doorsteps of wizard’s guilds and temples by horrified peasants. Wizards love tiefling orphans; they make excellent apprentices.

Tiefling Adventurers

Tieflings in OSE are found in Carcass Crawler Issue 3, which provides an extra layer of fine detail you can draw from, as wll as a racial class. What follows is the core details needed for Lingusian tieflings, in case you do not have access to CC#3. In brief:

Prerequisites: Tieflings are cunning and have a minimum intelligence of 9

Ability modifiers: +1 DEX, -1 WIS

Languages: Common and one other (may choose Infernal or Abyssal); Lingusia does not have alignment languages.

Class Limitations: Lingusian teiflings have no level limits and may belong to any class.

Special Traits: use the expanded rules in CC#3 or choose one of these options: darkness once/day; fire resistance (1/2 damage); fiery blood (melee attackers take ½ damage dealt from a melee strike that deals HP damage).

Unholy Beings: holy water deals damage to tieflings.

Infravision: tieflings have 60’ infravision.

Tiefling Random Heritage Chart (D20):

1-4         Kadantanian Lineage

5-8         Starthian Nobility

9-12       Ancient Hyrkanian Bloodline

13-16     Pureblood

17-20     Born of foul Witchcraft and Magic

February Plans: A Return to the Indie, OSR and ALT-RPG Scene!

 While doing a lot of reorganizing in my home office and study I realized I had a metric ton of small brochure and zine shaped RPGs and sourcebooks, predominantly for Mork Borg and Mothership, but Shadowdark came in at a close third, followed in no special order by Cairn, OSE, Swords & Wizardry and sundry other weird abominations, including one of my latest favorites, Outcast Silver Raiders. 

In short: the indie RPG zine-scene is thriving, and it is often blending in interesting and weird ways with the OSR scene thanks in no small part to Old School Essentials and Shadowdark, which is admittedly less OSR and more "5E, after you take a weed-wacker to it." 

So, for February I am going to focus on a medley of the choicest gems to have arrived from this otherworldy dimension of chapbooks, fanznes and weird art experiments that exist like mynocks on the fringe of the giant ship that is the conventional expensive hardcover RPG scene. Should be a blast!

In no particular order I plan to dive in a bit on:

Outcast Silver Raiders (the coolest blend of grimdark, weird and OSR yet)

Cairn Boxed Set 2E

Liminal Horror's latest offerings and where its Kickstarter is at

What's up with Mothership stuff lately

Mork Borg....is there no end to the flood?

2021: Death Bat's Top 5 Role Playing Games (Tabletop)

 The top 5 for role playing games...those things you play in person or in VTT, you know....this is a harder list to assemble as a lot of good stuff came out this year. Still, I think I can narrow it down a bit to the following distinct books which have had the greatest impression on me in 2021, and which will continue in to 2022:

#5 Open Quest 3

This third edition of Open Quest is very much the best edition of the game to date, with great interior design, layout, artwork and smart improvements to the rules all around. Newt Newport and D100 Games has easily crafted the best non-Runequest BRP iteration on the market, next to Mythras (which at this point feels like the "advanced" edition to OQ3's basic edition style). The game is so well written and designed that it just begs to be played.

#2 Old School Essentials Advanced Edition

The OSE Advanced Player's and Referee's Manuals from Necrotic Gnome let you play classic B/X D&D or AD&D as you see fit, with an enormously inclusive ruleset that give you all the tools to make what you will of your own game, no fuss and no muss. Its support with a series of modules that provide copious content in an economy of style are equally impressive. 

#3 Mythic Babylon (Mythras)

This is the best sourcebook out there on gaming in ancient Mesopotamia during the rise of Babylon, and not only is worth looking at for Mythras fans but for fans of serious, well-researched historical gaming. The only way it could be better is if it were also statted for GURPS at this point.....but Mythras is itself ideally suited for this sort of historical gaming and the Design Mechanism has once again outdone themselves.

#2 Traveller Core Rules 2022 Update

I actually got my copy of the new Traveller Core Rules a couple of weeks ago, so I am including it in this list even though it is, technically, the "2022 update." This revamp of the current edition of Traveller is primarily focused on clearly restating the rules, fixing some errata, and reworking the layout, design and art to match the current reign of products, which are bar none top of the line. The old days of Mongoose being known for subpar design is long gone, and the newest iteration of Traveller amply demonstrates this. I am already planning a new Traveller campaign for 2022, and this new update of the core rules is one of my favorite "surprise releases" of this year.

#1 Mothership RPG v.0

Mothership just finished a massively successful Kickstarter for a version 1 boxed set of the game which I backed at the top level, as this game, which takes the genre of horror SF and blends all of its influences into one giant pot, is easily the most fun I've had with an RPG in years. From a design which compels the players to act out as if they were trapped on the Nostromo or the Event Horizon to a wealth of chapbook scenarios and trifolds which use the new-style "economy of information" to layout comprehensive scenarios that don't require a huge slog for the GM (warden) to prep, this is easily the best new game with a pickup-and-play aesthetic on the market. Even better, its smartly written and its design is easily understood by most, something not a lot of other chapbook/zine era RPGs are as good at. Game of the Year from Camazotz, hands down.

No honorable mentions, though there are many books that came out which were certainly worthy of consideration. My main problem this year was that a nontrivial portion of my gaming time was focused on older stuff....D&D 3rd edition (3.5) mainly, and lots of Call of Cthulhu, which always stands out as worthy books to buy, read and play. So....yeah! Overall just a good year all around for cool new RPG stuff.