Previous -- NextFinally! Once you've reacted to this update, I'll put up an "adventure complete" notice for having learned the secrets of bloodbinding. That'll give you all +3 to current and maximum HP!
So . . . why am I telling you now but not actually giving it to you?
You're about to bump into a previously-undocumented rule: you can never raise your max HP by more than double. You all started at 10 and cannot go above 20.
Dustan (Dustan Hache) is currently at 18 while
John (ziizo) is at 19. What next?
Next you learn the secrets of bloodbinding, that's what.
After various distractions and side conversations, you arrive at the home/temple of several prominent members of the Theia family. A carved stone building like all the others, but rather a large one. Dwain has been here before; you did bookkeeping work wherein you saw that the fees for this "bloodbinding" thing are high. Good thing you have friends, now.(I don't intend to draw maps for everything in Rock Bottom. I have the home of the alchemists up above because the players got in combat near there, but the temple doesn't need that. Yet.)
You find Europa and Titan in the main temple hall, where a handful of locals pray before images imitating the religions of the world above and certain other forms you don't recognize offhand. They are welcoming newcomers to the fold, flock, community, kinhood, or solitary order of their choice. "If the latter is your preference, monastic cells are available for immediate exclusion on the floor above."
Tikhomir and Militsa wait politely, and, when the heads of the house sweep over to you, they explain the good service you did in saving their alchemy lab and dealing a crippling blow to the hoarding wastrels at the Hoarding Wastrel Camp.
"Splendid," responds Europa--more a statement than an exclamation. "There are many forces in this underworld, and we struggle here to keep the benevolent ones in positions of dominion. Every advance we make, the hoarding wastrels seek to corrupt. Their faith is one of pure darkness."
Titan directs you to the unfamiliar holy symbols. A brown "¶"; a teal "₪"; an orange "∩"; it goes on. "Our society survives because of the bounty of the underworld's minerals; indeed, many thrive on healthstone alone. There are lessons to be learned within them; a philosophy of life. With years of study you may draw upon their powers, but in gratitude for your good service, we can offer you bloodbinding."Titan continues. "With bloodbinding, we ingrain the essence of the mineral into your body; under the skin; inside the blood. Then, whenever you wish to invoke its power, you may wake the mineral with the tiniest fraction of your strength, and it will grant you a new strength unlike any you have known before."
"Bring us your minerals," concludes Europa, "and we will make you as one with the underworld.". . .
Here are rules!Bloodbinding, the shortcut to magical power, involves sacrificing a point of your maximum HP to develop a connection to one of the underground's minerals. First you choose a mineral, like one of those 2 kg units of
etherstone (either rough stones or metal bars). The ritual performed in the temple consumes whatever mineral you choose and activates your power--which, you will see, may be more or less useful when outside of combat like this (
healthstone is a good one).
When adventuring, you may activate a power again by expending 1 more max HP. Benefits are sometimes permanent, sometimes they last for a whole time period (morning, afternoon, or evening). Careful use of bloodbinding expands your opportunities for turning the tide of battle (
glowstone could win a fight scene for you), and, for that matter, making money.
A player may bloodbind with the whole rainbow of weird fantasy minerals (no, mundane things like
opal do not work) if willing to give up enough HP. A player may also bloodbind again with the same mineral four times (for a total of five). Workstone is the exception (see next).
I'm updating the "minerals" list with your possible benefits:
Glowstone, 4 kg rough stone, value 16 opal each
When bloodbound: Spend 1 max HP to make firebreath attacks for the rest of this time period. Once used, smoke causes everybody to add Fail by succeeding/fail terribly for the round. Additional bloodbinding adds more "Succeed" results to the attacks just as improving weapon quality does.
Workstone, 6 kg rough stone, value 12 opal each
When bloodbound: Spend 1 max HP after a combat where an iron or workstone weapon or armor piece was used to raise its quality permanently by one level (up to fine, then superior, then masterwork). May not be bloodbound more than once, but works for weapons and armor of other material types if the user is also bloodbound to a relevant mineral for that item.
Bindstone, 5 kg rough stone, value 10 opal each
When bloodbound: Spend 1 max HP to craft a magical item without tools, making a normal crafting roll that can vary by difficulty. Does require bars if the material in question is ordinarily smelted into bars first. Additional bloodbinding improves crafting chances just as a good match with tools does.
Healthstone, 1 kg rough stone, value 5 opal each
When bloodbound: Spend 1 max HP to restore all health plus a fifth to anybody by touch. Extra health that is not lost in battle will fade upon sleep. Alternately, spend 1 max HP to increase one person's carrying capacity permanently by 5 kg, to a maximum of 150%. Additional bloodbinding allows an extra fifth HP and raises the maximum increase for carrying capacity by 10%.
Etherstone, 2 kg rough stone, value 8 opal each
When bloodbound: Spend 1 max HP to walk through walls (slowly), levitate or descend up to one z-level in height (slowly), and make your enemy add Fail for the rest of this time period. Additional bloodbinding allows you to transport an ally alongside you by touch and share the defense bonus (you may not "let go" while any ally is suspended in stone.)
Obviously, you'll want to limit your expenditures based on your max HP "income." Looking back to the "adventures complete" list in
the opening posts, you'll see I've given from +1 to +3 for completing these things. And I just conveniently listed further adventures for you to earn more.
I also trust you will note how I have been pushing for months to get
soulshine lanterns into your hands. Dead high-level traveling companions are
max HP piñatas. (With that in mind, I've upgraded them from siphoning 1/2 of the dead person's level-up HP to
all of the HP from now on.)
And because some of you will be wondering:
This bloodbinding system was my effort to hit the following goals:
1). Cap your max HP, but give experienced players a use for "wasted HP" that would go above your max-max.
2). Turn dead allies into power-slushies, via soulshine lanterns, conveniently giving me more reasons to kill you all.
3). Give you a power you'd use about once per adventure, instead of going crazy like this world's "real" magicians can.
4). Make those once-per-adventure powers, nonetheless, be worth your time.
5). Compel you to take as many of my contrived adventure hooks as possible out of greed for more max HP.
6). SECRET HIDDEN GOAL.
Lastly, I have updated the following in my massive first-post update extravaganza:
"Rolls and rules" -- now with bonus section for "Way more detail on those rules"!
"Known equipment"
"Minerals"
"Bestiary"
"Known maps" -- the recent underground river ambush is not included as it was a random map and you saw so little memorable content
I've added "Current events," as stated
And the big one . . . I've added "The Story So Far"! Here is a snapshot so you all can see where we stand:
Background
Many are exiled to the mines. The criminal; the politically inconvenient; the embarrassing and hopeless. No one has returned.
So what happens next is rather a mystery.
Exiles find themselves lowered by scaffold into a great sinkhole. They bear tools to mine the stone, yet the powers above make no effort to retrieve the spoils. They find a wealth of practical, usable minerals; yet before, when still on the surface, they had never heard tell of real mines that exploited wealth such as this. In fact, despite the mechanism that delivers exiles down from the roof, no one in the depths can see a hole to the sky . . .
Life in the depths
The impossibilities continue, as the creatures living down here are unlike any found on the surface. Beasts such as the "bug bat bird" and the "scaled turkey" abound. Mineralogical wisdom sees limited use: the stone is shale, and in this sedimentary rock relevant minerals such as coal can be found; but then there are the unfamiliar "glowstone" and "healthstone." You can eat healthstone.
Generations of exiles have harnessed these new resources to begin their own civilization. The central hub is the town of Rock Bottom, ruled by established families including Svarog, Theia, and Salt. Further out is the Halfway House, a stopping point for exiles/miners to trade as they bring in resources. Further out beyond that, one comes to the realm of the other sentients, the ugly mugs and the hoarding wastrels.
Yet travel in the depths can be confusing. It would appear that after you see a section of caves--yes, you personally--you have a single day before the section is shuffled on a great big game board alongside all the others. You will not know where you will arrive next after you leave. The only point of stability is a general one: places that are between Rock Bottom and the Halfway House remain there, as do places between the Halfway House and the other humanoid civilizations.
And with that, even directionality is impossible: heading west or east leads to the Hoarding Wastrel Camp; heading north or south leads to the Ugly Mug Outpost. Is there is some "plan" behind this?
Recent events
Since the most recent groups of exiles have entered, phenomena have arisen to challenge the status quo. First and foremost are the carvings.
Someone, or several someones, have been chiseling images in the walls that can only be representative of the ugly mugs and the hoarding wastrels. Given that the latter are the only ones so far seen to possess hammer and chisel, apparently it is they. Yet what are they trying to communicate? Given that they attack humans on sight, apparently it is not intended for the exiles to know.
Second are the powers. Multiple mystical forces seem at play simultaneously. Not so much gods or grand wizards, but rather spiritual forces, perhaps religious. The Theia family offers the ability of "bloodbinding" to those who meet their favor (or their fees; but these recent exiles have earned favor): by infusing into them the unique minerals of the depths, bloodbinding grants magical powers. It would seem that the people of Rock Bottom explicitly revere the minerals.
This is in contrast to the hoarding wastrels, who have their own spiritual strength which is at odds with those of the humans. They also have their own magic. This is in addition to their more base urges, which seem to be thievery of anything and everything.
The ugly mugs, as far as has been seen, have no religion or mysticism of any sort. They are equally sentient, though rather violent, and neither they nor the hoarding wastrels seem capable of human-intelligible speech.
Yet is there still another power somewhere? It has been felt only in the deepest meditations, and even then it is unclear. There is much more to learn.
. . . Whaddaya think? Are we good? Did you follow me here?
(And I'll gladly wait for people who have scattered to the four winds by now.)
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Topic: Magical ASCII Mine-diving Adventure, Day 20 - At Rest (Read 238931 times)