or Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (currently in its third edition) was developed from Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), the first roleplaying game. AD&D is based on heroic fantasy and published by TSR Inc.
is commonly presented as a magical art, related to chemistry, which produces magic potions.
is, more generally, a type of power which produces magical effects from the "natural" properties of objects. A physical object is often imbued with these effects for later use. A person does not typically need to have magical ability to use Alchemy or the items created with Alchemy.
See Also: Magic, Technology.
define far-reaching and opposed ends of the infinite continuum of reality, and are unreachable for all practical purposes. Amber represents structure, discipline, law, and endings. Chaos represents disorder, power, creativity, and beginnings.
Both the nobility of the realms and the realms themselves are extremely dangerous. The nobility of Amber and Chaos have skills and power over reality that most characters cannot hope to match. They are tricky, treacherous, and most have lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
Amber is also a diceless roleplaying game published by Phage Press™ based on the series of novels by Roger Zelazny.
See also: Coordinates.
are spirits that are particularly concerned with an individual family, clan, or bloodline. Often identified as the souls of deceased ancestors, they typically exist in a spiritual realm apart from the physical world, but are concerned with the living and offer aid to those who meet their requirements.
See also: Local Spirit, Totem.
are powerful entities associated with Heaven. The conceptions of angels are many and varied, ranging from the purely spiritual to the powerfully physical. As my games define the terms, there is nothing to prevent an angel from being a deity or vice versa.
refers to living creatures which are distinguished from mortals in that they lack both sentience and soul. Animals typically possess some form of mobility, spirit, and mind.
or Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth™ is an amazingly complicated roleplaying game published by Last Unicorn Games.
is a far-reaching legend. Throughout the continuum there are many stories of lost civilizations which reached great heights, and then destroyed themselves through its own hubris or carelessness. Almost every game system or story defines its own type of atlantean.
is the process of changing an organism to improve existing abilities. Such changes can be major or minor, but must already exist in the organism in some form.
See Also: Embellishment, Modification, Replacements.
are spirits which have been confined or "chained" to physical items. Such spirits may be aware or "sleeping," and the item may do nothing special or use the spirit's power to produce a spiritual effect. (Storyteller calls such effect-producing items fetishes.) The best known bound spirits are the bottled djinni and efreet found in Arabian myth.
refers to the process of selecting which organisms are allowed to reproduce themselves. By choosing organisms which have traits the breeder desires, the species comes to better meet the breeder's needs. Breeding is a highly limited means of changing organisms as traits must come into existence naturally before they can be developed. Thus, changes will only happen slowly.
or Arthurian Myth is another realm-type with many variations. The legends of King Arthur and the knights of the round table have seen many variations since their earliest times and can be a fruitful, but unpredictable realm to game in.
is a hazy concept involving a continuing series of gaming sessions (a single session is called a "one-shot") where the game action takes place in related settings with similar characters and themes and typically under a single GM.
See Also: Realm
is a type of power usually associated with martial arts. It permits astounding feats (usually physical, sometimes mental) by its practitioners.
is all the places that exist. It is not a single universe, but many different universes, linked and unlinked. The Continuum is infinite and its possibilities cannot be exhausted. (This doesn't mean that everything exists somewhere, you can have an infinite amount and variety of fruit and still not have one orange.) The Continuum is sometimes called alternity or the multiverse.
are used to locate a person's position. For locating position in the continuum there are almost as many systems as there are means of travel. However, I find a short series of three values useful from a general point of view. In this view, koph is a realm's position between the infinite extremes of Amber and Chaos and corresponds to the 'Quantum Number' of GURPS Time Travel. Sigma is the arc occupied by a realm within its koph slice. Aleph is the distance from the realm to the direct line between Amber and Chaos.
are the parts of a gaming system which are basic (if not absolutely necessary) to playing the game.
See Also: Supplements
are entities which are able to make use of worship energy. These entities may be intelligent, free-willed, or physical, or may not be. In some worlds worship energy may gather in a pool which certain individuals can tap. In others, deities may simply provide power as they see fit.
Using ~Primal Order rules, deities are ranked (in increasing order) as godling, demigod, supported god, lesser god, greater god, and supreme god. Beyond the ranks of the gods, in a relation to them much as gods are to immortals are the elder gods. The power and nature of elder gods are so far beyond those of mortals that it is pointless to speculate or game their nature.
See Also: ~Animals, Immortals, Mortals.
exist in a wide variety. In general, they are horrifying creatures from other planes of existence. They range from some of the denizens of Hell to "ordinary" dimensional travelers.
are a quick and simple way of defining what sort of things will work on a particular world. Ranging from 0 to 16, these offer a very basic idea of what to expect from a particular world. However, be aware that not all Tech/8.3 worlds are the same, and the variations can kill you if you are not careful.
The six measures of development are: Arcane, Organic, Psionic, Social, Spiritual, and Technological. Each rating represents not only a level of knowledge of the particular art, but also the basic attitudes (strengths and weaknesses) of how a culture thinks. Economic Rating may be derived from the other six ratings.
is a generic term for a tool or ability which enables a person to accomplish specific tasks. Devices may be technological (machines), organic (drugs), arcane (spells), or of almost any nature. Where devices are mentioned in these pages it is assumed that the appropriate development rating is high enough to support such. If it isn't, no such devices can be developed.
See Also: Gear
in many strange shapes are often encountered in role-playing games. In addition to the standard dice various combination can be used if they are needed.
d3: use a d6 counting 1-2 as 1, 3-4 as 2, and 5-6 as 3, or count 1-3 as the number shown and 4-6 as that number minus 3.
d30: use a d3 and a d10, either subtracting 1 from the d3 roll to get the 10's place, or count a 3 result as a 0.
Another useful technique is roll dice of a higher value than you need, and simply reroll if the value is over what is needed.
are powerful spirits from Arabian legend. They are able to manifest a physical form and have many and varied powers. Djinni come in many types including Dao, Efreeti (or Ifrit), Jann, and Marid (the most powerful). Djinni may be friendly or malicious, and are subject to the limitations of spirits, such as being bound by certain symbols.
See Also: Faerie
is the process of adding something totally new to an organism. Embellishment grants entirely new organs or functions. For example, wings could be added to a human, making a new, six-limbed being.
See Also: Augmentation, Modification, Replacements.
is a race or group commonly based on ancient european myths and legends, although most areas of the globe have their own versions of "faerie folk." As with most such things, there are many possible interpretations of the faerie folk (or Fae, or Fay), ranging from near-human mages (or products of high technology) to completely spiritual beings. While the least powerful Fae can be easily defeated by most mortals, the most powerful rival the power of some deities. Most Fae are vulnerable to iron and christian artifacts. Once again, however, there are many possible reasons for this, ranging from a physical reaction to magnetism to a reaction to scepticism.
is the homeland of the Fae. This may be a different physical dimension, or an area reachable by mortals, but set aside in some way. Non-fae traveling in faerie should be aware that there are special rules which apply. The plane of Faerie is highly malleable, and no one who enters ever reports seeing the same thing in the same way.
One possible set of rules for travel in faerie:
See Also: Djinni
is the generic term for all physical equipment, of whatever type of development. Gear does not include such built-in things as cybernetics, magic tattoos, or genetic modifications. In general, if it can be stolen, it's gear.
See Also: Device
are the spirits of beings who once lived.
A GM or Game Master is the individual who prepares the game that other people will participate in. Many systems have their own name for this person: AD&D uses Dungeon Master or DM, White Wolf uses Storyteller.
are organic devices, unable to survive on their own, which are attached to a living organism. Grafts may replace or augment organs, and modify or embellish the entire organism. (One type of replacement graft is an organ transplant.) Some parasites may function as grafts during parts of their life cycle, but their overall nature classes them as symbionts.
See Also: Prosthetic, Supplement
or the Generic Universal RolePlaying System is published by Steve Jackson Games. It's a roleplaying game intended to be used to represent any type of world and for any type of campaign.
represent the extreme locations on the scale of good and evil just like Amber and Chaos represent the extreme locations of law and chaos. In most of my games Heaven and Hell occupy different "energy continua" than the "normal" realms that World-Jumpers travel in (but are still a part of the continuum).
It requires a greater than infinite amount of (mortal) energy to reach Heaven from the mortal realms. The same holds true for demonic energy reaching the mortal realms from Hell. However, this barrier disappears when worked the opposite direction. Mortal energy may reach easily into hell, and Heavenly energy may reach easily into the mortal realms. In general, the inhabitants of Heaven don't seem interested in doing this, but many mortals do it deliberately or accidentally.
While travel to Hell is possible, even easy, it is an extremely hostile realm. You may also end up there permanently if you haven't made arrangement to "anchor" yourself in the mortal realm.
is essentially the same as Alchemy, only based completely on natural, organic products instead of including synthetic, technological ones.
are a type of being intermediate in power between mortals and gods.
are spirits with the ability to possess the bodies of the living. They often have followers who feed them and allow them to use their bodies. See GURPS Voodoo: The Shadow War for more information.
are similar to ancestor spirit, except that they associate with an area instead of a family. Some local spirits may be bound to a particular area or landmark, but more often they are free to travel between the physical spiritual realms. Often, local spirits "sleep" in their domain until "awakened" by one with the ability to do so.
can be either professional users of magic or anyone who uses magic. (Which should be clear in context.)
is the ability to change reality.
See Also: Alchemy, Development Ratings, Mages, Mana, Psionics
determines how easy magic is to use in a particular area. It can vary with geography, time, or activity. In its most common conception mana is viewed as "powering" magic (much like electricity powers modern technology), but it can also be viewed as the "weakness" of reality in a specific area. Some systems a lot different types of mana to different types of mages.
Mana ranges through the following: nonexistent, low, standard, high, powerful, and extreme! As there's no cross-genre or cross-system way to measure mana, any estimate that makes sense for your game is appropriate. In GURPS, Mana is both mana rating and added spell fatigue from powerstones and the like. In Storyteller, mana is the inverse of paradox and gauntlet.
are changes to parts of an organism so that they function differently. Arms may be modified to wings, or posture may be modified from horizontal to upright.
See Also: Augmentation, Embellishment, Replacement.
~
is an alteration of biological inheritance which produces changes in an organism. Inheritance means genetics in our world, but other realms may have other systems.
Mutation is very much a random, hit or miss affair. Realistically, most mutations are negative. Deliberately using mutations to create desired changes typically involves inducing millions of mutations and keeping only the few changes that are desired. Even in realms where mutations are more controllable there exists the possibility of extreme negative effects.
See Also: Synthesis.
is a roleplaying system published by Palladium Books. The system is divided into different sets of rules favoring different campaign styles. Heros Unlimited, Palladium Fantasy, Rifts, Robotech, and many others are subsets of the Palladium system.
is a catch-all term for phenomena that are either beyond the capacity of science to analyze or do not fit into the scientific paradigm. In most cases, of course, we are talking about the science of our world, but in some cases, paranormal may refer to things beyond the science of another world or time.
or Player Character is the term used to indicates the characters and personalities in a roleplaying game which are controlled by the players instead of the GM. GM (or visitor) controlled characters are known as NPC's or Non-Player Characters.
are alternate dimensions; a places which can't be reached by traveling in any direction through our normal three-dimensional universe. Most commonly, different planes have changes in their laws of nature (often reflected through development ratings) which means that things which are common on one plane (or in our own universe) may be unusual or impossible in another, or vice versa.
See Also: The Continuum, Realm
are non-living devices which act to replace an organic body part.
are non-physical entities who interact with the physical world through psionics. Most exists primarily on the astral plane. They can be considered a type of spirit.
Psionics is the power to alter one's environment through thought. One explanation for this is that psionics works at the quantum level, using the observer effect to affect probability.
is the generic term for an area of the continuum that is the focus of a campaign. There is no set size or nature for a realm. A GM may define his campaign as containing multiple realms; in which case each realm is a distinctively different area of the campaign. Realms can be based on geography (the deserts of x), attitudes (the realm of religion y), laws of nature (device z works in realms where . . .), or any other type of grouping.
replace an existing organic function or part. Organ transplants are one example of a replacement.
See Also: Augmentation, Embellishment, Modification.
are members of a race of world-jumpers. They are distinguished from the Vaash by their philosophy. Sesh make extremely powerful opponents, apparently seeking to dominate various areas of the continuum.
is a no-longer-in-print game designed for science fiction roleplay originally published by Fantasy Games Unlimited, Inc. © 1980 Edward E Simbalist, A. Mark Ratner, Phil McGregor.
are entities which have no requirement for physical bodies (though some can manifest such). On most worlds they occupy their own domain, which only occasionally impacts that of physical creatures. Spirits come in many types, including Ancestor Spirits, Bound Spirits, Djinni, Ghosts, Loa, Local Spirits, Psionic Intelligences, Totems, and some types of Faerie, Angels, Demons, and deities can also be spirits.
Spirits range in power from those confined to the spiritual realm with no special powers and no ability to be seen or affect the material realm to those with a multitude of earth-shattering abilities.
were created by Palladium Books for the Palladium system. They are a monstrous alien race who have conquered a number of other races, and have a dimension-spanning empire. The Sesh consider the Splugorth one of their major opponents.
A fictional genre that looks outward from the perspective of the latter half of the 19th century with particular emphasis on the technology and economics of the more "advanced" regions of that period.
is a game system published by White Wolf Publishing, Inc. emphasizing modern or historical supernatural roleplaying. While individual volumes in the series use the same system, they often require work to use together. The major volumes are: Aberrant, Changeling: The Dreaming, Mage: The Ascension, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Wraith: The Oblivion, and Vampire: The Masquerade.
in general gaming parlance, are volumes published to aid in gaming, but which are not necessary. (Compare with Core Rules.)
in biological terms, are compounds (drugs/vitamins/potions) which aid or improve a creature's organic processes.
See Also: Graft, Prosthetic, Replacement, Symbionts
are living creatures which works with another creature, and depends on that creature for its life.
is a biological process which creates or redesigns organisms from their basic components. While genes are one type of basic component (and genetic engineering a type of synthesis) realms with different natural laws may have different components. For example, a realm based around aristotelian philosophy may have a synthesis based on spontaneous generation.
See Also: Mutation.
is, simply, tool-use. Tech Levels or Tech Ratings measure how developed a particular culture is in using tools. Tools can include not only simple physical tools but also machines and even ways of thinking, but is limited to those tools which demonstrably operate within the natural laws of a realm.
See Also: Development Ratings
is a multi-genre role-playing game originally published by West End Games. It is one of the few games to deal with actual changes in reality.
are spirits who lend people aid. Totems are most often associated with animals, but may be associated with elements, ideas, or nothing in particular.
was the first science fiction roleplaying game. There have been many editions, the most recent under the aegis of Steve Jackson Games.
is a term refering to "that which nothing can be greater than," the end point of creation and the continuum. In short, God (capital "G").
is the process of changing an animal into a civilized being. This includes synthesizing the race from the original species and creating a culture for the new race.
Created for the War for Reality campaign, Vaash are a race of genetically engineered and spiritually blessed humans with world-jumping abilities. Vaash and Sesh are racially identical. They are faster, stronger, more durable, and more intelligent than most versions of humanity. All Vaash believe that their first duty is to do no harm to the cultures of the worlds they visit.
is the collective name for a number of demonic demonic races. Originally descibed by Iron Crown Enterprises (in their Dark Space setting and elsewhere), they have become powerful adversaries across many different realms. Originally from a realm very alien and destructive to the "normal" races, they recently escaped the plane where they were imprisoned, and are in the process of attempting to take over others.
is the innate ability to travel between the different worlds and realms of the continuum. While possible with magic, technology, or spiritual gifts, most world-jumpers use some form of the World-Jumper advantage from GURPS Time Travel or GURPS Compendium I.
is the means by which deities gain powers beyond the capabilities of mortals. The power of Primal from The Primal Order© by Wizards of the Coast® Inc. is the most common way of using worship energy, but not the only one. No one who is not a deity has succeeded in measuring this energy.
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