nwod mythos.pdf

WOD DIVERSIONS

MYTHOS

v1.1

A CALL OF CTHULHU CONVERSION

FOR THE STORYTELLING SYSTEM

(nWOD)

Jan-Tjeerd Mulder / alamarja@xs4all.nl

ONCE UPON A TIME...

... the world was whole and good. Each knew its place and everyone was glad with

the tasks they were given. All this lasted an eternity. It ended when Doubt and

Curiosity were born. All of a sudden, like a flash of brilliance, people

questioned their place and abandoned their tasks. They were no longer content,

and abandoned their purity.

THIS WAS THE FIRST FALL

The growing imbalance threatened to destroy the World-As-It-Is. Concepts lost

their meaning and even the environment was unsure of what purpose it served. The

World threatened to break. Finally the impurities were expelled and the World

closed around them.

THIS WAS THE SECOND FALL

The New People, confused about their state and lost without a purpose found

meaning in war. Without a given place, the people murdered to find one. Long and

epic battles were fought. None were fought decisively. People called to the

heavens, their former home, for mercy.

But it was not their fellow spirits that answered. From amongst unfathomed

depths came the first heralds of destruction. The Gods answered and gave the

people what they so desperately wanted.

THIS WAS THE THIRD FALL

Slave to their new masters, gifted with immensely powerful weapons and enlivened

by their blood-lust the people rose to terrible heights. Many were the

casualties, horrors and transgressions but a new order did emerge. On a small

rock outcropping, surrounded by endless sea, a group of worshippers learned to

focus their anger. Thus was born the First State.

Proud they were and full of themselves. They grew to despise their Gods and

thought themselves better than Them. Some even claimed They no longer existed

(for rarely did the Gods appear in person).

In their hubris, the people banished their Gods and, with them, lost Their

extraordinary gifts.

THIS WAS THE FOURTH FALL

Aeons passed and long forgotten were the ancient truths. Still, fragments could

be found, echoes of the old days. Misguided individuals chose to remember only

the benefits of this power, claiming the Darkness as accidental and the effect

as personal victory. Little do they know.

FOR I KNOW TRUTH AS I HAVE SEEN IT

There is no universal goodness, or power, in a human's mind. Joy is derived from

misguided blindness. All we are is inconsequential, abomination, a Lost People

without meaning or soul. True power comes from Those-Behind-The-Shadows, the Old

Gods, Powers beyond human comprehension.

And you will serve them.

preface

Mythos is a Call of Cthulhu conversion for the new World of Darkness. It assumes

some familiarity with H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, but not with the original

game. You may notice some of the 'converted' concepts have taken on a slightly

different meaning in this game. I trust this will not confuse or upset too many

people.

It has been my intention to make the many excellent Call of Cthulhu adventures

playable in the new World of Darkness. This conversion also allows for easy

integration of Call of Cthulhu concepts in the World of Darkness.

theme/mood

Mythos is about incalculable odds and powers beyond human understanding. It is

about the unknowable and the pettiness of mortal life. It is about the

fundamental absence of meaning. The primary themes of Mythos are emptiness and

alienation.

Mythos' mood focuses on the shallowness of opinion. It is about transcending

conventional truth and awareness. It is the realization that the world doesn't

make sense. The central mood of Mythos is uncertainty and dread.

On the bridge between opinion and experience stands knowledge. Knowledge is not

only a tool of enlightenment but also of dread - knowing that reality isn't half

as nice as imagined. Knowledge may lead to insight as well as disaster.

systems

Mythos introduces a few variations on the Storytelling system. It can be played

with or without Dark Sorcery. Technology was added as a general skill to replace

Computer in a historical setting. Sanity replaces Morality as it represents one

of the defining features of both the original game and its inspirations. Magic

rules have been rewritten to better approach the existing adventures and the

atmosphere of the stories.

- new skills

New Skill : Technology (replaces computer)

Technology involves practical knowledge of mechanics and engineering. It

includes the ability to adapt these principles to new and unknown situations. It

may also apply to household electronics and simple repairs.

Possessed by : handyman, tinkerer, local helpdesk, DIY person

Specialties : juryrig, home improvement, sabotage, computer, gear

(NOTE: this focuses Crafts on specific creative endeavours and Technology on

broad practical applications)

(NOTE: hacking and programming would fall under Science (IT), Technology covers

replacing a harddrive and day-to-day operations)

- new advantages

Dark Sorcery

Dark Sorcery, or Cthuloid Magic, is the method by which a Sorcerer may tap the

unimaginable power of the Mythos Deities. Most spells take the form of a humble

entreaty whereby the Sorcerer pledges his eternal devotion in exchange for a

sliver of the Deity's power.

The Storyteller is encouraged to use the spells listed in Mage: the Awakening as

reference material with the following caveats:

- Dark Sorcery uses ritual (extended) spellcastings exclusively.

- Sorcerers do not have access to the Arcana and do not add them to their

dicepools.

- At the Storytellers discretion, Sorcery is powered by the Abyss and does not

run the risk of Paradox.

See below for additional information.

Practice of Summoning

Dark Sorcerers may gain access to the Practice of Summoning, a hidden practice

known by and connected to the Mythos Deities. This practice is more commonly

known by its five 'levels' of accomplishment as it encompasses a whole range of

options and is rarely learned in order anyway. The five 'levels' are:

* Contact Make a certain being aware of your presence.

** Call Petition a certain being to aid or approach.

*** Dismiss Petition a certain being to leave or forgive.

**** Summon Force a certain being in your presence.

***** Bind

Force a certain being to obey a single command.

Add the following general modifiers to your roll, depending on the being

summoned :

Summon Independent / Servitor Race (inhuman)

-3

Summon Great Old One / Deity (unreal)

-6

Magic Points

Dark Sorcery uses Magic Points as a measure of ready power. Philosophically,

Magic Points are emanations of True Reality as personified by the Mythos

Deities. The closer one gets to this reality, the more receptive one becomes to

these fundamental aspects of being. Maximum Magic Points are equal to 10-Sanity.

Magic Points may be gained by:

- Cult Worship. Magic Points are stolen from those present. Roll Cthulhu Mythos

+ Composure, once per ceremony (minimum one hour). Successes equal Magic Points

gained.

- Self Mutilation. Gain 3 Magic Points per lethal damage taken. This damage must

heal naturally.

- Blood Sacrifice. Gain 1 Magic Point per lethal damage inflicted before death.

You may gain up to twice your Cthulhu Mythos score per day.

Magic Points are spent for certain effects, as noted in the spell description.

Magic Points are antithetical to wholeness and order and cannot be used for

Pattern Restoration (healing).

Cthulhu Mythos

Cthulhu Mythos is a measure of one's knowledge of and experience with the hidden

reality of our world. It can be increased by reading forbidden tomes or by

gruesome experience and discoveries. This dreadful insight permanently lowers

your maximum Sanity, but also provides a measure of protection against

supernatural entities and effects. Cthulhu Mythos determines:

- Resistance against supernatural effects. Add Cthulhu Mythos as you would any

Supernatural Advantage (Blood Potency, Gnosis, etc).

- Duration of rituals - the time one roll takes. 1-2 : 3 hours, 3-4 : 1 hour,

5-6 : 30 min, 7-8 : 10 min.

- Combined castings. 1-2 : impossible, 3-5 : combine two spells, 6-8 : combine

three spells.

- Your casting total. Add Cthulhu Mythos to your dice pool when casting spells.

Sanity

Your sanity is a measure of attunement with the greater community. It is a

measure of faith in the accepted order of things, including base truths about

the universe and man. Witnessing or learning about the inexplicable may erode a

character's Sanity.

Sanity replaces Morality on the standard character sheet. Your Sanity may not be

greater than 10-Cthulhu Mythos; this may force a degeneration roll. The

following chart summarizes Sanity thresholds:

10 Read paranormal magazine

9 Witness occult ceremony

8 Read occult book

7 Enact occult ceremony

6 Read Lesser Mythos Tome, encounter supernatural (humanoid)

5 Summon independent / servitor race (inhuman)

4 Read Greater Mythos Tome, encounter independent / servitor race (inhuman)

3 Summon great old one / deity (unreal)

2 Read Other Mythos Tome, encounter great old one / deity (unreal)

1 Submit to mythos entity

Mythos Tomes are classified Lesser, Greater and Other according to their

content. Lesser Tomes can raise Cthulhu Mythos to two, Greater Tomes to four and

Other Tomes have no limits. Also, the number of spells contained may raise the

value of a Mythos Tome (up to two for a Lesser or four for a Greater Tome).

Mythos entities include a default degeneration dice pool which may be modified

according to circumstances. Non-Mythos supernatural effects and encounters may

force degeneration as well, scaled from strange (humanoid) to scary (inhuman) to

mad (unreal).

- actions

Library Search

Dice Pool : intelligence + academics

Action : extended (successes depend on rarity of subject; each roll represents

30 minutes of research).

Library Search is the actual quest for useful data. It involves reading

registers, following up on footnotes or hyperlinks and judging the relevance and

reliability of different sources. Library Search fully depends on the presence

of information, so the Storyteller may declare a certain topics 'off-limits' or

'unavailable'.

Relatively common or straightforward research-subjects may require only 1-3

successes, while obscure, hidden or protected subjects may require in the order

of 5-10 successes.

Suggested Equipment : extensive library (+1 to +3), specialized source (+2); see

research p.56 (core)

Possible Penalties : damaged source (-1), noisy surroundings (-1); see research

p.56 (core)

Spot Hidden

Dice Pool : wits + investigation

Action : instant

Spot Hidden is rolled to notice clues hidden in plain sight. It cannot be used

to find the lost clippings under the rug (that would be 'examining a crime

scene' p.59 (core)).

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