Saturday, April 8, 2023

Crits and Fumbles for Rituals from Published Scenarios

After writing the original post, I considered doing the same thing for every other 'official ritual,' but put it off for a while. As of now, I've written up enough of them to show off. Obviously, spoilers for scenarios and campaigns follow, though I tried my best to put them in the order of when they were released. That way the more recent stuff is harder to accidentally read.

Currently, I have material written for Night Visions from Control Group, Hourglass, Impossible Landscapes, Iconoclasts, and Presence. I'll try to keep this list updated as new things are published, but it'll take a while. I can't read everything the second it comes out and others I'll be holding off on because I want to play in them.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Control Group (Night Visions) 
Devil Blocking Hymn
Prevents Téthuans (a monster unique to Night Visions) from coming too close to the operator.
Critical Success: The ritual’s protection lasts for 4 turns. Additionally, the operator can attempt to fail a SAN test to learn the Elder Sign. This only teaches them the gestured version (like a conductor directing a choir), but increases a musical Art skill by 1D4% and Unnatural by 1%.
Fumble: The operator dissociates, distracted by the alien melody and rhythm, granting any Téthuan a +20% bonus to their next attack roll against the operator.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hourglass
Deathless Flame
Creates a candle out of someone's corpse-fat and brain matter so you can converse with them after death until the wax burns out, in which case you have to activate the ritual again.
Critical Success: The candle will never run out of wax to burn as it draws on the WP of those around it. Let it burn too long alone and it goes out like a flame deprived of oxygen.
Fumble: The brain or melted remnants of the candle are destroyed. The spirit is lost forever.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impossible Landscapes
The Preliminary Invocation to Primeumaton
Summons a 'demon' from the Ars Goetia that can perform a task for the operator or temporarily grant them an unnatural ability.
Critical Success: If the operator leaves the circle before inscribing the final seal, they have a premonition, 1/1D6 SAN from unnatural unless the operator is adapted to helplessness. This allows them to avoid their Misfortune unless they hesitate or deliberately leave themselves in harm's way. If the operator resisted the distractions, they know what powers the summoned demon possesses. They can also name a power. If any demon possesses it, they learn its name. If no such demon exists, the operator learns the closest candidate if they succeed on an INT test. However, they lose the maximum amount of SAN from using or witnessing the demon’s powers.
Fumble: If failing the activation roll lowered the operator’s Corruption below 2, there is no effect. Otherwise, they are subject to a Misfortune corresponding to their new Corruption level within the next 4D6 hours unless they remain within the circle.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Iconoclasts
Call Forth Those From Outside (Father of War)
Summons the avatar of Nyarlathotep that is one of the main antagonists of the scenario.
Critical Success: If the operator can succeed in an opposed POW test with the Father of War, they can impress one command upon him. If this contest fails, the operator can spend permanent POW to force control. This costs 1, D4, D6, or D8 points depending on if the operator rolled a critical success, regular success, failure, or fumble on the opposed POWx5 contest.
Fumble: The sky darkens and a hunting-horror or a host of 1D6 winged servitors arrive to scour clean the area of the operator and any trace of their assistants.

Clear the Path
Shifts one metric ton of material per Willpower Point spent to create a path to walk through.
Critical Success: Each WP spent moves two metric tons of material. If attempting to use this against a flood of obsidian chips from the Father of War, they use their initial WP score to oppose the Father’s roll, temporarily increasing it by the amount of WP spent on the ritual.
Fumble: The ritual appears to work, albeit costing half as much WP and SAN (rounding up and down respectively) and the edges of the path tremble suspiciously. Any time someone walks down it, there’s a percentage chance the passage collapses equal to the total number of people who have entered. It automatically collapses if the operator tries to enter. Anyone trapped inside can roll Dodge to escape at the Handler’s discretion.

The Closing of the Breach (Father of War)
Banishes the Father of War
Critical Success: If the Throne of Blood remains unsealed by an Elder Sign, the operator and their assistants can spend 20 WP to create one to block the Father of War’s return. If already sealed, the cursed amphora implodes, taking the Elder Sign with it as the Father’s obsidian chips melt into nothingness. He can never be summoned again unless someone builds a new Throne.
Fumble: Minuscule cuts appear all over the operator, their assistants, and any nearby allies, who each lose 1D4-1 HP. The Father of War adds this total to his HP or WP, distributed as he prefers.

The Flower of Dilmun
A ritual used by Rassam to unnaturally extend his lifespan at the cost of his own mind.
Critical Success: The potion lasts 4 hours and grants 18 CON. Drinking it also cures the ‘wasting disease’ caused by a fumbled activation roll (described below). 
Fumble: The operator loses 1 SAN and must spend 4 WP and 1 HP as they mix the potion incorrectly. It only adds 2D4 points to their CON score, which continues to drop by 1 point a month even after the ritual’s effects wear off. Realizing this costs 0/1D6 SAN from helplessness.
The operator can Study the Unnatural to research a cure with a successful Unnatural test. A critical success lets the operator cure themselves in the same Home scene. Failure only points them towards Healing Balm, though using it this way certainly counts as a flawed ritual (HG p 169). A fumble costs 1 SAN as the operator realizes they will eventually die at zero CON. 

Geasa
A more powerful form of Infallible Suggestion with indefinite duration.
Critical Success: The operator receives a +20% bonus on their opposed POWx5 roll and the compulsion does not end if the operator is killed.
Fumble: For the next 1D4 hours, the operator loses 1 WP whenever they refuse a command or request. Observers with the Psychotherapy skill can tell the operator is very suggestible. Unnatural 15% or a successful test confirms this (and tells the observer about the WP loss).

Transmutation
The operator can turn any element from the Periodic Table of the Elements into any other element with the power of alchemy and Azathoth.
Critical Success: The operator enters a thoughtless trance as their mind feeds off the powers they invoke. They can either transmute elements even without a sample of the final product, or violate the conservation of energy and increase the yield mass by INTx5%.
Fumble: Time flows both ways, and neither Azathoth nor the universe care which direction its arrow points. The sample of the final product is transformed into the precursor element.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Presence
It ended up being too much to sneak in here, so I put it in a separate blog post. 

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