ARCHINT: The Abacus

From PLUNGE #3; art by Stuart Immonen, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Deron Bennett

In my previous post, I mentioned a necromantic abacus as a possible artifact. Here's a writeup for it, more in line with mellonbread's game design philosophy.

Agents with adequate Archeology skill, or Anthropology paired with Foreign Language (Whatever Culture Made the Abacus), can interpret the symbols and archaic writing on the abacus. The gist is that it uses the divine power of numerals to commune with the dead. The most basic translation tells the Agents that they have to set the abacus "upon the dead man's heart" and "let the beads speak." Occult recognizes references to "The One in All" and "Hungering All," a syncretic deity described as a gatekeeper of knowledge who listens to the whispers of the dead and dying. Unnatural 15% or a successful test identifies this as Yog-Sothoth and/or the death-god of the ghouls (Handler's choice) who has allowed sorcerers to speak with the dead and defy death since time immemorial.

To use the abacus, the operator picks a prime number and performs a series of numerologically significant calculations on it using the abacus while it rests on a corpse. Then they spend that number of Willpower points and lose 1D6 SAN. They can ask the corpse one question for each WP spent. It answers these questions to the best of its ability, unless the deceased was a powerful sorcerer, in which case it may try to resist, twisting its words to pervert the truth. Due to their unnatural experiences, the dead may also be able to answer less wholesome questions, as if they had gained a few points of Unnatural post-mortem.

Properly conducting this mathematical seance requires 50% in Anthropology, Archeology, or Occult. Lacking that expertise, the operator must make a Ritual Activation roll, applying half their highest relevant skill as a bonus. They just have to mess around with the abacus until they feel invisible forces tugging at the beads and their fingers. Resolve a successful activation roll as per the mechanics in the above paragraph. A failed roll raises the corpse as a zombie (Handler's Guide, page 232), 0/1D6 SAN¹ from unnatural. However, it attacks with 50% Unarmed Combat and doesn't suffer from CLUMSY. It will still answer whatever questions the operator asks while trying to tear them to pieces. Unfortunately, the operator suffers a -20% penalty to any rolls made to attack or defend while asking a question. Shouting over one's shoulder while sprinting away at full tilt is acceptable, though a roll still might be required. Either DEX to not trip while distracted by asking questions and listening for the answers, or CON to blurt out coherent sentences while one's lungs are occupied.

1 The operator and anyone closely examining the abacus may lose an initial 0/1 SAN from the 'spooky action' of the beads^↩