Was Empire of the Petal Throne one of the main inspirations for the magic system in Arrows of Indra?

This is a direct, uncomplicated question.  It is possible to answer it with a simple “yes” or “no.”  When the response to such a question includes personal attacks, unsupported allegations, defensive rambling, bizarre premises, and irrelevant arguments, it is only natural to become suspicious of the respondent.

But let's start at the beginning.

Arrows of Indra is a role-playing game authored by a person who chooses to identify himself as RPGPundit – the guy in charge of theRPGsite.  On that site there is a forum thread about “Magic in Arrows of Indra.”  In this thread, a person who chooses to identify himself as Prince of Nothing asks the question which serves as the title of this post.  (Full disclosure:  Prince of Nothing is an habitué of YDIS and is thus 'peripherally affiliated' with your humble host.)  As a reply, RPGPundit says many things, most of which are irrelevant to the simple question put forth to him.  Part of me wants to address all of his asinine remarks – the part that cries out for justice amid an ocean of obfuscation; yet I shall stay true to my course.

The portion of RPGPundit's response that actually relates to the question is:  “There's some similarities in the magic system.”  I'm no linguist, but this might be Uruguayan slang for “well, I changed the names at least.”  The Prince has been banned from RPGPundit's site, so he has taken up his discourse at YDIS.  The Prince shows that, instead of “some similarities,” the likeness is more akin to 'substantially equivalent'.  The two magic systems are not identical, but they are so alike that RPGPundit made a conscious decision to mimic Empire of the Petal Throne.  I don't have a problem with that.  I do have a problem with RPGPundit's steadfast avoidance of admitting the truth.

I would like to use graphics to demonstrate the Prince's points.  Material from Arrows of Indra appears courtesy of the Open Gaming License and is used for purposes of education and critique.  Although I previously discussed the EPT magic system, I will briefly cover some of the same ground here.

In both EPT and AoI, each class has a set of skills.  In EPT, skills later in a list are more 'powerful' than skills earlier in a list and, generally speaking, as a character gains experience levels, he or she acquires new skills in list order.  In AoI, there are basic skills and advanced skills and, generally speaking, as a character gains experience levels, he or she acquires basic skills before advanced skills.  In EPT, many of the 'skills' for priests and magic-users are actually spells.  In AoI, many of the 'skills' for Priests and magic-users Siddhis are actually spells.  Let's take a look; the thick red lines connect an EPT skill (left) to the substantially equivalent AoI skill (right).

First, we have priests/Priests:

And now, magic-users/Siddhis:

In EPT, priests and magic-users have access to a common group of other spells called “bonus spells”.  In AoI, Priests and Siddhis have access to a common group of other spells called “enlightenment powers.”  In EPT, the 'other spells' are divided into three 'groups' according to power level.  In AoI, the 'other spells' are divided into three 'groups' 'ranks' according to power level.  As characters in either game gain experience levels, they have percentile chances of gaining spells/powers from different groups/ranks.  Admittedly, the method RPGPundit 'created' for AoI is more user friendly:

Here are comparisons of “bonus spells/enlightenment powers” for each “group/rank.”  Please note that the order of the EPT spells as presented here is different from the order presented in the book (not that it matters).

 

This post is not a condemnation of the OSR.  It is certainly not a condemnation of Barker's work.  It's not even a condemnation of Arrows of Indra.  (However, I would recommend Against the Dark Yogi rather than Arrows of Indra.)  This post is a condemnation of RPGPundit's misrepresentations.

In replying to the question, RPGPundit ought to have said something like, “I adapted the magic system from Empire of the Petal Throne because Professor Barker handled it very well.”  Evidently, such a statement is too onerous for his tender ego to bear.

RPGPundit stood upon the shoulders of giants; sadly, he chose to wipe his feet on them.

The Second Pandora

Art by Liz Danforth

Contemporaneous with the publication of Empire of the Petal Throne, Tunnels & Trolls was “...perpetrated on an unsuspecting world.”  Which game is the “second” role-playing game is a matter of debate.  Regardless, both games are important in the history of the hobby and each has a distinct reason for being.  It is my belief that EotPT is more of an adaptation of D&D while T&T is more of a response to D&D.

Professor Barker saw D&D as a way he could express his invention, Tékumel.  The most important part of EotPT is, of course, the setting.  However, Barker did not use Tékumel as a backdrop for D&D ; he crafted his own rules.  Admittedly, they were “inspired” by D&D, yet he chose to implement certain changes not as a consequence of the setting, but because he felt the changes resulted in a better game.  I mean changes such as (to name a few) percentile characteristics, the workings of magic, and the introduction of skills.  Just as Tékumel was an artistic endeavor, so was the game.  Barker had a career; he didn't expect to make a living off of Empire of the Petal Throne.  The changes he implemented represented an intellectual exercise equivalent to artistry.  Esthetics applied to game design?  Gygax thought so.  He wrote in the foreword for EotPT, “I simply state that it is the most beautifully done fantasy game ever created.”  Sure, Gygax had an interest in promoting the game; his company published it.  Still, there are many things Gygax could have written, yet he chose to describe the game as he did – as a thing that (in terms of beauty) surpassed his own creation.

One of the earliest versions of Tunnels & Trolls is currently available as a PDF.  In the introduction (technically it's a section called “Troll Talk”) Ken St. Andre states:

The people who created the game that T&T reacts against did the whole gaming world a tremendous favor in their pioneering of certain original concepts that all of role-playing gaming is based on.

It has been my impression that many gamers disdain Tunnels & Trolls.  I think they consider T&T to be a “rip-off” of D&D ; that T&T is an affront to the original role-playing game.  This is an unfair notion.  Quality and innovation are the products of diversity and competition.  Besides, in terms of actual “rip-off,” TSR did not have clean hands given their improper use of the intellectual properties of Tolkien and Burroughs.

As St. Andre indicates, Tunnels & Trolls is a reaction to D&D.  He recognized the wonderful potential of RPGs and tried to make a game that was more accessible than D&D.  While Barker focused on artistry, St. Andre focused on practicality.  To this end, he created a game (1) with a lower price, (2) that required only 'normal' six-sided dice as opposed to exotic polyhedrons, and (3) eschewed the complexities with which D&D was fraught.  While less complex, the rules were not altogether intuitive, even for people with D&D or wargaming experience.  Yet T&T continued to be developed and refined and, even now, “Deluxe” Tunnels & Trolls is in the works.  Regardless of it's longevity, Tunnels & Trolls let the genie out of the bottle or – perhaps more accurately – opened Pandora's box a second time.  D&D no longer had the field to itself; yes, Gygax and Arneson were the 'pioneers', but now the frontier was open to other creative efforts.  Among those efforts was RuneQuest, a game that diverged further still from the D&D paradigm.

RuneQuest dedication

Some Notes on Experience

A Priest of Karakán and a Pé Chói speaking with officers of the Palace Guard
in the great outer hall of the Court of Emperors at Avanthár

Similar to the rules stated in Men & Magic, characters in Empire of the Petal Throne gain experience points by “acquiring treasure” or “slaying hostile beings.”  The rules go on to specify, “No points are gained for casting spells or other types of activity.”  I find it interesting that Barker found it necessary to include such an admonition.  The notion of getting experience points for anything other than killing and looting must have existed even in those early days of the hobby.

'Normal' games, of course, have winners and losers, but normal games have a definite endpoint.  Role-playing games lack such an endpoint.  Have you cleared out the dungeon?  There's always another dungeon.  Did your character die?  Roll up a new character.  Victory and loss are subjective because the game can continue indefinitely.  Also, the concepts of 'winning' and 'losing' imply competition; role-playing games are co-operative.  A Game Master challenges players but does not oppose them.  The goal is enjoyment, not the determination of a win/lose binary condition.

Part of a player's enjoyment of a role-playing game lies with the continuation of his or her character.  If the character accomplishes something, so does the player – albeit vicariously.  Accomplishment (even when vicarious) is a satisfying sensation.  Experience points offer a record of accomplishment and when accumulated sufficiently, they lead to the in-game benefit of character improvement.  To borrow a marketing term, experience points are, in essence, a continuity program.  By continually investing in the product (i.e., playing the game), the player reaps a reward in the form of an improved character.

Given its wargame origins, it's hardly surprising that 'accomplishment' in Dungeons & Dragons equates to killing things and taking their stuff.  This works out well for murderhoboes and Visigoths, but role-playing is not limited to such characters.  Much of the attraction of role-playing games is due to the freedom of action that characters have.  This very freedom complicates the establishment of a standardized system for measuring 'accomplishment' among player characters.  This is the difficulty that Dave Wesely encountered when he tried to determine 'victory point' awards in the first Braunstein game; different roles had different objectives, so quantifying 'accomplishment' was a difficult task.

In the real world, people improve themselves through training.  Gygax acknowledges this in the Dungeon Masters Guide but rightly states that role-playing a character's training would not be entertaining.  Nonetheless, Gygax established that characters must undergo training before gaining the benefits offered by a given level.  Prior to reaching 'name level', a character must train for one to four weeks at a certain monetary cost per week.  The exact length of time – and hence the exact cost – is based on the Dungeon Master's subjective interpretation of how well the character adhered to the precepts of his or her class and alignment.

Character progression is desirable, especially if the progression is based upon the participation of the player.  Admittedly, quantification of such participation is problematic.

Although not a role-playing game, James Ernest's Escape from Elba has a system where characters gain fighting ability by losing fights.  The logic is that people learn from their mistakes; if a person performs a task successfully, he or she hasn't really 'learned' anything.  Along this line of thinking, if a character quickly dispatches a powerful monster by virtue of a few lucky rolls, does he or she deserve the same amount of experience as an equivalent character who struggled to overcome an equivalent threat?  What about a character that suffers several critical hits from a kobold?  If the character manages to defeat the kobold, should it be worth the same amount of experience points as a kobold that was killed before it had a chance to attack?

Although Encounter Critical has 'traditional' experience points, a character cannot “go up a level” unless and until the character performs a task appropriate to his or her class.  For instance, “A warlock cannot go up a level until he writes a new spell for himself and expands his grimoire.”  Also, “A warrior cannot go up a level until he defeats an equal or more powerful foe using a new kind of weapon.”  There is a 'pioneer' class:

A pioneer cannot go up a level until he discovers a new locale or secret of the wild.  The player should provide a description of any such discoveries, to enrich the scope of the scenario world.  Selling a new travel route may qualify if it can be described with interest.

In D&D, characters earn fewer experience points based upon the challenge they face.  As described, “an 8th level Magic-User operating on the 5th dungeon level would be awarded 5/8 experience.”  'Overqualified' experience is handled differently in Empire of the Petal Throne.  Each of the three professions has the same experience requirements up to level VII; thereafter, the experience point requirements for Magic-Users is somewhat less than for the other professions.  For all professions beyond level VIII, a flat 10,000 experience points are required to advance in level.  However, as characters rise in level, they earn less experience, “since it is proportionately more difficult for powerful characters to deserve experience points than for more vulnerable lower level characters.”  Characters earn only 50% experience at levels IV and V; 25% experience at levels VI and VII; 10% experience at levels VIII and IX; and only 5% experience thereafter.  Oddly, even though “it is proportionately more difficult for powerful characters to deserve experience points...,” characters with high prime requisite scores earn 5% or 10% more experience (just like D&D).  Also, “Any character with a constitution of 96-100 adds 5 percent to acquired experience points.”  The rich get richer and the poor struggle along.

Encounters on the Sábke Roads

JSTOR Early Journal Content

The Sábke Roads are a Tékumel combination of Roman roads and the Great Wall of China.  Barker himself makes the comparison to the Great Wall.  “They are raised, fortified highways” and they...

...well maintained, studded with watch towers, resthouses, and way-stations, and they are garrisoned by special units drawn from the surrounding population.

The Sábke Roads have three tiers.  The bottommost tier “is for caravans of goods, traders, and ordinary folk.”  The second tier is for military use while the highest tier is reserved “for Imperial officials, nobles, and messengers.”

Horses and similar animals are not available on Tékumel, so the usual mode of transport on the Sábke Roads is pedestrian.  Sometimes Chlén (beasts of burden) are used to pull freight carts; however, Chlén can travel only about nine miles in a day while “a healthy porter” can travel 25 - 35 miles on a Sábke Road transporting about 80 - 100 pounds.  “Litters and palanquins,” we are told, “are extensively employed for passenger transport.”

The network of Sábke Roads covers the Tsolyáni Empire as well as nearby nations such as Livyánu, Yán Kór, Salarvyá, and Mu'ugalavyá.  Barker states, “The Sábke Roads make it difficult for an invader to force his way into the Empire without being surrounded in an easily attacked cul-de-sac.”  I suspect that a skillful invader could use the Sábke Roads to his advantage via strategic deployment of troops and sabotage.
 
According to the rules, there is a 1-in-3 chance of an encounter (per day, I assume).  Percentile dice are rolled to determine the 'type' of encounter and another roll is made on the reaction table.  Even so, because the roads are “well patrolled,” most encounters “are likely to be harmless.”

There is a 5% of encountering 1 - 20 non-humans.  Referees are instructed to “roll 1-8 for race.”  In the 'Hiring of Nonplayer Characters' section of the rules, there is percentage table for non-humans; a total of eight races are listed therein.  While some races appear more frequently than others in the table, they all seem equally common (or uncommon) on the Sábke Roads.  A breakdown of the eight races would be as follows:

1:  Pé Chói
2:  Pygmy Folk
3:  Tinalíya
4:  Swamp Folk
5:  Páchi Léi
6:  Shén
7:  Ahoggyá
8:  Hláka

There is a 5% of encountering a “Caffle of slaves.”  (I suppose 'caffle' is an alternate spelling of 'coffle'.)  There are 1 - 100 slaves and 10 - 60 guards.  Maybe there should be 10 - 100 slaves with a number of guards based upon the number of slaves.  What if a referee rolled one slave and fifty guards?

There is a 10% chance of encountering 1 - 12 priests; 1d20 is rolled to determine God/Cohort.  The description states, “Roll other characteristics if needed,” but there is no reference to experience levels.  The table also lists a 5% chance of encountering a group of 1 - 20 adventurers and a 3% chance of encountering one magician (with 1 - 6 colleagues); however, with the adventurers and magician, referees are instructed to “roll for levels:  III - X.”  (Barker typically uses Roman numerals for experience levels.)  A range of '3 - 10' suggests 1d8 + 2, but it is reasonable to presume that 3rd level characters are more common than 10th level characters.  Perhaps 2d6 should be used to generate a flat distribution of 1 - 36.

01 - 08:  3rd level
09 - 15:  4th level
16 - 21:  5th level
22 - 26:  6th level
27 - 30:  7th level
31 - 33:  8th level
34 - 35:  9th level
        36:  10th level

There is a 3% chance of encountering a “Troop of 1-6 courtesans.”  The troop (troupe?) has an “entourage” of 1 - 12 musicians and 2 - 24 guards.

The most common type of encounter (20% chance) is a “Workgang of peasants, artisans, etc.”  Other than priests, the next most common type of encounter (10% chance) is with 10 - 1,000 Imperial soldiers.  The least likely encounters are with an Imperial messenger or a member of the Omnipotent Azure Legion (2% chance each).  Other possible encounters include “Tax collector,” “Caravan of merchants” and “Lord/lady.”

Spellcasting in Empire of the Petal Throne

IN ARCHIMAGO'S CELL – The evil dream (by H. J. Ford)

In a previous post, I briefly discussed spellcasting in Empire of the Petal Throne ; however, I think that a more thorough explanation is warranted in order to address certain misconceptions.

Jon Peterson's Playing at the World is an exhaustive volume chronicling the evolution of role-playing games.  However, nothing is perfect.  Commenting on Empire of the Petal Throne, Peterson states on page 521:

The magic system, in contrast to Dungeons & Dragons, allows casters to select from a flat list of spells – spells do not have tiers like in Dungeons & Dragons, and thus a first-level priest can just as easily select “Cure Light Wounds” as they could “Revivify”...

The accuracy of this statement is wanting.

There are two sources of spells:  'Professional Skills' and 'Bonus Spells'.

Each of the three classes has a distinct list of professional skills.  For warriors, the professional skills regard weapon use (e.g., slinger, bowman, spearman, et al.).  Most of the 'skills' in the priest and magic user lists are actually spells.  In fact, 'cure light wounds' and 'revivify' both appear on the priest list.  However, first-level characters do not have access to all of their profession's list of skills.  Percentile dice are rolled to determine how many professional skills any given first-level character may have.  A roll of 1-20 means, “Choose any 2 skills from the first 3.” A roll of 96-100 means, “Choose 5 from the first 7.”  'Revivify' is the eleventh 'skill' on the priest list; therefore, it is not available at first level.  The list is not flat.

Upon advancing to a higher level, a character obtains a new 'skill' from the appropriate list “with the least advanced skill being mandatorily chosen first.”  So, a character with the 'Choose 5 from the first 7' result gets five professional skills at first level.  When that character advances to second level, she gets the 'earliest' skill on the list among those she does not possess.  Such a character cannot get the eighth skill on the list until she has all of the preceding seven skills.  Seventh is the earliest level at which a priest may gain 'revivify', and that would only be for the 5% who have a '5 from 7' result.  Characters with the '2 from 3' result would have to wait until tenth level.

Aside from professional skills, priests and magic users have access to bonus spells which “are divided into three Groups of increasing importance.”  (I posit that “groups of increasing importance” could be referred to as “tiers” without undue strain upon the definition of “tier.”)  The 43 Bonus spells are the same for priests and magic users.  Thus the professional skills serve to provide specific abilities to priests and magic users of certain amounts of accomplishment while bonus spells allow for a diverse repertoire among individual spellcasters.  For instance, 'The Grey Hand' may only be cast by high-level magic users, but 'Door Control' may be cast by priests or magic users as early as second level.

When a priest or magic users attains a new level of experience, there is a chance that the character will learn one or more bonus spells.  There is a 'Level of Experience and Percentile Dice Score Needed' table with five rows:

• One spell of Group I
• One spell of Group II
• One Group I and one Group II spell
• One spell of Group III
• One Group II and one Group III spell

The indexed columns represent experience levels.  The second level column shows 'One spell of Group I' at 80% and 'One spell of Group II' at 90%.  The rules state that per level, “A person rolls only ONCE for this privilege [of gaining a bonus spell].”  So, upon reaching second level, does a character choose to attempt getting either the Group I spell or the Group II spell?  Or, instead, is there an 80% chance of gaining a Group I spell as well as a 90% chance of getting a Group II spell?  If the latter, it's possible for a fifth level character to gain as many as three spells from Group II and two spells each from Groups I and III.  Of course, it's also possible that the character won't get any bonus spells at a given level.  Regardless, the chances change as the experience level increases.  At 10th level, the chance of 'One spell of Group I' is 5% and 'One spell of Group III' is 30%.

If a character gains a spell from a group, any spell from that group may be chosen.  Each bonus spell can be used once per day; however, it is possible to take the same spell multiple times, thereby permitting multiple castings.

Spellcasting is not automatically successful.  For a 1st level spellcaster, there is only a 40% chance that any given spell will be successfully cast.  Starting at level nine, there is no chance of failure.  A greater than average Psychic Ability affords bonuses to the chance of success.

Among the Group I spells is 'The Hands of Krá the Mighty':  “This spell grapples and squeezes its victim.”  Was this the inspiration for the Bigby spells?

Even More Magic Items (and Monsters) in Empire of the Petal Throne

Amulet of Venus and Mars from Oedipus Ægyptiacus by Athanasius Kircher

Previously, I wrote about “Eyes.”  Among “other types of ancient mechanisms [that] are encountered [in the underworld],” there are Amulets.  With Eyes, a referee is encouraged “to insert other types into the game as he sees fit.”  Not so with Amulets; Barker describes exactly twelve types and does not suggest that others might exist.  Of course, there is nothing to stop a referee from inventing other Amulets, yet that was not Barker's intent.  Barker treated Eyes and Amulets differently and must have had a reason to do so.  Many of the Amulets could just have easily been Eyes, some even have 'charges' that are recharged in the same manner as Eyes.

Barker states that, “Like the 'Eyes,' Amulets are rather rare.”  Interestingly, when describing Eyes, he writes that Eyes are the “most frequently encountered” ancient devices with which “Tékumel abounds.”  I suppose the professor meant that most people neither own nor have access to working ancient technology/magic items.  Compared to Eyes, Amulets are much less common.  A 2nd level Non-Player Character Priest or Magic-User has a 13% chance of having – at most – one Amulet; however, that same character has a 20% chance of having at least one Eye (and possibly as many as six).  Also, according to the Treasure Determination Table, Eyes are more likely than Amulets to be included in any randomly generated treasure hoard.

It is assumed that if a character wanted to buy an Amulet, the likely way to purchase one would be from a temple (except there is only a ten percent chance that the temple would be willing to sell any given Amulet).  Prices for Amulets are determined like prices for Eyes; rare types can be more expensive than relatively common types by an order of magnitude.

The Amulets are described below.  They are grouped according to rarity.

Relatively Common Amulets
The Amulet of Finding Treasure in the Underworld:  This is a one use item.  Within a range of three hundred feet, “It infallibly guides the user to the nearest treasure hoard in the Underworld.”  What constitutes a treasure hoard?  Two thousand copper Qirgál?  A flask of water would be treasure to a man dying of thirst.  What does “nearest” mean?  Let's say there is a hoard 150 feet to the west and another 250 feet to the east.  To get to the western hoard, the party would have to traverse 500 feet of corridors but only 300 feet of tunnels to get to the eastern hoard.  Which is the nearer hoard?  What if, when infallibly guiding the user to a hoard, the Amulet detects another hoard that was previously out of range but is now closer than the original hoard?
The Amulet of the Good God:  Hrá are undead entities that can only be destroyed be depleting their hit points, then touching them with this Amulet.  Because of this, Hrá in the presence of the Amulet are likely to retreat; even other undead might retreat.  “[A]n evil being picking it up suffers 1-6 6-sided dice of damage...”
The Amulet of Mastery over Rényu:  Rényu (mentioned previously) are humanoid 'animals' that can be trained to speak and use tools and weapons.  This Amulet allows the wearer to control 1-3 Rényu without going through the process of subduing or training them.  What happens when a character removes the Amulet?  Does it still work as long as it is in his or her possession?
The Amulet of Perceiving the Scintillation of Metal:  By expending a charge, this Amulet “will point to the largest hoard of metal of any kind within [20 feet].”  'Largest' hoard in volume or mass?  What about degree of refinement of the metal?
The Amulet of Power Over the Undead:  This Amulet gives a Magic User an 80% chance to cause various forms of undead to retreat.  An Amulet can attempt to affect any given undead being only once.


“Rare” Amulets
The Amulet Against the Iniquitous Nshé:  A product of ancient sorcery, a Nshé is a being composed entirely of viscous, watery liquid.  It sometimes assumes a 'solid' form.  A person reading the inscription on this Amulet (written in the Language of Tsáqw) will cause Nshé to retreat automatically.  This is ineffective against any Nshé that “has taken on its man-like form.”  (The Nshé creature listing implies that the Amulet is ineffective after the Nshé adopts any form.)
The Amulet of Invincible Steel:  Ngáyu are “flattish crustacean creatures” that can “squirt some 20 feet” a liquid that destroys metal.  I think of them as the Tékumel equivalent of a rust monster.  This Amulet protects the wearer's belongings from the Ngáyu's secretions.  (The description of the Amulet makes specific reference to steel, but I suppose all metals are protected.)
The Amulet of Warding Off Thúnru'u:  Thúnru'u are known as 'the Eaters of Eyes' and they are “somewhat manlike, doughy and blubbery looking.”  Appropriately named, “This amulet causes 1-6 Thúnru'u...to flee.”  If one does not have access to this Amulet, Tsúral buds can repel Thúnru'u 80% of the time.


Very Rare Amulets
The Amulet of Peace Amongst the Servers of Ksárul:  As indicated previously, Ksárul is one of the 'evil' gods.  The Priests of Ksárul 'create' various Underworld creatures.  By expending a charge, this Amulet causes such creatures “to cease hostility against the user” for three turns (although they will defend themselves).
The Amulet of Protection Against the Grey Hand:  'The Grey Hand' is a potent spell learned by Magic-Users no earlier than eighth level.  It can be used once per day.  If the victim is successfully touched by the Magic-User, “the victim is reduced to a heap of greyish dust” – no saving throw.  The wearer of this Amulet, however, is immune.  Each Amulet attunes itself to its owner; until the owner dies, no one else can benefit from the Amulet.
The Amulet of Ruling the Ru'ún:  The Ru'ún are described as “manlike bronze demon-automatons some seven feet tall.”  They have three attacks per round:  “a powerful electric shock,” “a +1 sword,” and a “device...which casts steel bolts 30 feet.”  They cannot be surprised.  Anyway, assuming the owner knows the Llyáni language, this Amulet gives the owner a 60% chance of controlling 1-4 Ru'ún for two turns.
The Amulet of Safety Amidst Putrefaction:  The Shunned Ones are an intelligent race that has been on Tékumel since before the arrival of humans.  “This Amulet allows the wearer and 1-6 comrades to move unharmed among the Shunned Ones.”  Each charge lasts four turns.  My interpretation is that this Amulet counteracts the Shunned Ones' “terrible and repellent stench which drives off humans and non-humans alike.”  Let's say you have this Amulet and you have seven comrades.  At least one comrade will succumb to the Shunned Ones' odor.  When do you know how many are protected?  What decides which are protected and which aren't?

Alignment and Religion in Empire of the Petal Throne

Two Skull-Priests of Sárku, the Five-Headed Lord of Worms, are seen

calling forth the Fire Demon, Jnékshaa. (Art by Karen J. Englesen)

The first step in creating a character for Empire of the Petal Throne is to “choose between two 'alignments':  Good or Evil.”  (In fact, it is in the section on Alignment that Barker explains how to use dice.)  Barker explains that

For convenience's sake (and not to reflect reality necessarily), all characters are divided into two basic types:  those serving the Good Gods and their Cohorts, and those serving their Evil counterparts.  There are no “neutrals” on Tékumel...

Barker provides details about the Gods much later in the rules, but in the five paragraph section on Alignment he describes the behaviors to which good and evil characters are expected to conform.  Good characters do “not consort with” evil characters.  Good characters do not attack non-humans that are not hostile and they do not attack one another except in a mutually acceptable duel after an “honourable challenge.”  Barker states that “evil characters never attack each other within their own party.”  [Original emphasis]  “A party,” Barker explains, “is...a body of two or more players sharing an adventure together.”  (One assumes they are “sharing an adventure” via their characters.)  “Once a group has disbanded,” Barker continues, “evil characters may indeed state their intentions to begin hostilities with one or more ex-members of the group at the start of the following adventure.”

How do people of disparate alignments peacefully co-exist in society?  Barker explains that...

Most worshippers live out their lives without ever experiencing a God directly:  they go to the temples, celebrate the rituals, pay the tithes, and give lip-service – yet never face any real demands upon the depth and strength of their faiths.

Additionally, there is the notion of “noble” versus “ignoble” action – a concept of social etiquette that transcends alignment.

The last paragraph of the Alignment section says that a character can change his or her alignment by going to a temple of one of the Gods of the desired 'side' and rolling 60 or greater on percentile dice.  Later in the book, a more detailed procedure is provided.  Each character can be devoted to a single God or Cohort.  If a character wants to start worshiping a different God – even one of the same alignment – that character, “at the beginning of the adventure,” must make an offering to the appropriate temple and secure an “Agreeable” (or better) reaction from the priests by rolling on the NPC reaction table.  (Technically, this is a roll of 61 or better, not '60' as indicated in the Alignment section.)  The offering must consist of a number of Káitars equal to 1d100 × 1d10 × 1,000 (i.e., from one thousand to one million Káitars – good luck with that).

There are five “good” Gods (the Tlomítlanyal) and five “evil” Gods (the Tlokiriqáluyal).  For each God, there is a Cohort; collectively the Cohorts are the Hlimékluyal.  Thus, there are twenty 'deities':  5 “good” Gods along with 5 Cohorts and 5 “evil” Gods along with their 5 Cohorts.  However, deities tend to have Aspects, “particular facets of...identity...not separate deities but only specific manifestations...”  As an example, “Avánthe [Mistress of Heaven] has 93 Aspects, one of which is the personification of maiden beauty, another a fierce Aridáni warrioress, another a mother with a child in her arms, another an old woman wise in her years, etc.”

In a later supplement, Barker refines the Good/Evil dichotomy of the Gods – “the deities of Tékumel are only peripherally involved with 'ethics' or 'morality.'”  The “good” Gods  are actually the 'Lords of Stability' while the “evil” Gods are actually the 'Lords of Change.'  According to Barker:

These deities are really vastly powerful inter-dimensional beings, but for all practical purposes they are “gods” to such a limited and tiny being as man.  The Gods express not so much human objectives as their own viewpoints of existence and the eventual destiny of the cosmos.  The Lords of Stability urge a slow and gentle progress towards a final glorious stasis which will endure for all time to come.  The Lords of Change preach violent and constant mutability, unceasing, always ephemeral, and resulting only in ever more change.  The Gods are immanent and omnipresent.  There are innumerable documented instances of “miracles” and “manifestations,” and only a fool is an atheist in Tékumel.

Speaking of miracles, player characters can seek divine intervention.  If successful, “the player has obtained the ear of his or her deity, and then the referee then considers the request and responds accordingly (but not to such an extent that the game becomes unbalanced).”  Seeking divine intervention is not without risks.  Percentile dice are rolled with three possible outcomes:  successful intervention, “no effect,” and retribution.  Retribution means that the character sustains 1d6 of damage for each of his or her experience levels.  However, characters with higher levels of experience have a greater chance of success.  A second or third level character (first level characters cannot seek divine intervention at all) has a 70% chance of retribution and only a 5% chance of successful intervention; a fourth or fifth level character has only a 50% chance of retribution but a 20% chance of successful intervention.  It is easier to obtain intervention (as well as avoid retribution) from Cohorts than with A-list Gods.  Magic-users get a +3 modifier and priests get a +5.  Offerings of money (in 5,000 Káitar increments) and magic items also provide a bonus.  Sacrifices can also improve the odds.  The good Gods and Cohorts accept sacrifices of an undead being, Underworld creature, “or other large, dangerous, and inimical being” but “the evil Gods and Cohorts accept only human sacrifices.”  Finally, divine intervention is successful no more frequently than once per week; further attempts within a week result in automatic retribution.

More Magic Items in Empire of the Petal Throne

or “The Eyes Have It”

Among the types of magic items in Empire of the Petal Throne, first and foremost Barker discusses “Eyes” (thus capitalized).

...Tékumel abounds with devices surviving from the ancient and glorious days of high technology.  The most frequently encountered of these are the “Eyes,” so named because they are shaped like small, dull gems, with an eye-like aperture on one side and a protruding stud on the other, which activates the device.

Barker describes thirty-six Eyes, although he states, “The...list is not exhaustive, and the referee may insert other types into the game as he sees fit.”  Eyes are common enough that they are in circulation, so to speak.  Various private interests (including temples) are in possession of Eyes and they are sometimes available for purchase (rarely) or loan (more commonly).  Eyes are common enough that “Many fakes are manufactured.”

I would think that anyone possessing an Eye would have the wherewithal to retain it (i.e., guard it from the acquisitive), else they would not possess it for very long.  Still, what's the point in having an eye if you're not going to use it?  I'm certain Eye owners could be enticed to use them in the right circumstances.  Barker tells us that “The Tsolyáni themselves do not use money much, employing a system of cross-clan obligations and favours...”  I can easily believe that use of an Eye could constitute a “favour” – perhaps not often, but certainly something to consider when bargaining.  Given these circumstances, I imagine that most Tsolyáni have seen an Eye or two and – although not a common occurrence – have probably seen one being used.

The use of Eyes is all the more precious in that every type of Eye (save one) requires an expenditure of “charges.”  Apparently, each Eye can hold one hundred charges.  (When an Eye is found, percentile dice are rolled to determine the number of charges.)  About half of all Eyes have “a tiny dial just below their operating stud which indicates charges remaining.”

A person finding an Eye is, of course, ignorant of its function.  About half of all Eyes have “a tiny inscription on the back, written in one of the ancient languages.”  Eyes tend to have grandiose names, such as 'The Eye of Being an Unimpeachable Shield Against Foes' and 'The Eye of Ruling as a King in Glory'.  So, even if the inscription can be read, the name of an Eye does not necessarily describe exactly what happens when the Eye is activated.  Characters might need to experiment with an Eye to determine its function.

Eyes, of course, are very old – perhaps lying around unused for thousands of years.  A recently found Eye has a small chance of being defective.  There are four possible defects:  (1) the Eye no longer works at all, (2) the Eye has only half the number of charges indicated, (3) the Eye has a distorted or opposite effect, or (4) the Eye explodes when activated.

Barker states there is a ten percent chance of 'common' Eyes being available for purchase.  He provides two examples common types ('The Eye of Frigid Breath' and 'The Eye of Illuminating Glory'), but we are left to wonder what other types might be classified as common.  “Less common (or more destructive) types” might have a five percent chance of availability.  If available, common types can cost from 1,000 to 100,000 Káitars and less common types, ten thousand to one million Káitars.  Finally, “really rare varieties” can cost from one hundred thousand to ten million Káitars.  I assume these 'prices' are symbolic given the nature of the Tsolyáni economy.

Some examples of Eyes:

• The Thoroughly Useful Eye – This is the one type of Eye that does not cost charges to use.  In fact, the function of this Eye is to recharge other Eyes.  “It is naturally the rarest of all varieties of Eyes, there being only four known specimens in the Empire and two known in other lands.”
• The Eye of Retaining All Things – When activated, this Eye becomes a portal to an airless void where up to 100,000 Káitars in weight may be stored.  “Any size object may be sucked into this Eye, providing only that some small corner be small enough to fit within it.”  I assume magic prevents suction from drawing air and unintended items into the vacuum.
• The Eye of Strengthening the Majesty of Weapons – Each charge imparts a cumulative, permanent +1 to “weapons, armour, shields, etc.”  The maximum bonus to any article is +2, except edged steel weapons have a maximum of +3.
• The Eye of Opening the Way – Each charge allows the Eye to function for two turns.  During this time, it “automatically finds and opens secret doors” within its range and it buzzes when brought within one foot of a trap.
• The Eye of Calling Forth an Unconquerable Army – This Eye brings 1-100 automatons from “another dimensional plane” for a maximum of two turns.  They are only capable of fighting.  Successive uses still bring up to 100 automatons “even if some have been slain previously.”

Creatures of Tékumel

Vringálu vs human (art by Sutherland)

Being an alien world, Tékumel is populated with alien creatures.  Many (or most) of these are indigenous; however, some were brought to Tékumel by outworlders long ago.  It is natural to suppose that humans would have brought various animals with them – livestock, pets, and (inevitably) vermin.  However, there are few mentions of terrestrial fauna in Empire of the Petal Throne.  I am aware of only two:  the Chnélh (not to be confused with Chlén – see below) and “a descendant of the ancient earth cow.”  Whatever other Earth species – if any – that became integrated with the Tékumel ecosystem are not significant enough for inclusion in the rules.  The absence of known animals only serves to accentuate the alien nature of the setting.

Barker lets us know there are “no riding beasts available” on Tékumel.  Most travel is on foot; the only exception being “slow-moving carts pulled by domesticated Chlén.”  These six-legged beasts-of-burden have another use.  As mentioned previously, Chlén hide – when properly processed – serves as a substitute for metal in arms and armor.  Don't worry, integument is taken from a living Chlén “and it then takes two weeks for the animal to regenerate it, much like a human grows back a fingernail.”  It would seem that the procedure is much like shearing wool from a sheep.

The animal depicted above is a Vringálu.  Leather goods are made from its wings.  A tanner will pay 100 Káitars per wing.  (The Imperial Káitar – a gold coin – is the Tsolyani unit of currency; one hundred Káitars can buy a Chlén beast.)  The Vringálu is dangerous.  It does not check morale when attacking and its teeth exude a contact poison “which produces a hideous rotting gangrene.”  Exposure to the poison is fatal within three turns unless a 'Cure Disease' spell is used or Tsúral buds are applied.  According to page 67, Tsúral buds are an aphrodisiac.  They are commonly available for purchase at a mere two Káitars.  Ask for them by name!

The 'intelligent' races of Tékumel were listed in an earlier post; however, there are a variety of creatures that are semi-intelligent.  Excluding undead, automatons, and androids, these species are:

• Chnélh – These beings are “Ape-Mutants.”  Although they are untrainable, they are semi-intelligent and fight with spears and clubs.
• Dzór – Known as “Forest Giants,” Dzór “are shambling, hairy giants...[with] a beak of horny substance and three round eyes with nictitating lids.”  They cannot speak and they prefer using maces and clubs (as opposed to edged weapons).
• Khéshchal – These birds are valued for their plumage, which is used for decorative purposes and can fetch up to 2,000 Káitars.  A subdued specimen can be worth twice as much.
• Kýni – Another bird of “limited intelligence,” the Kýni can be trained to speak as well as spy.  They can be captured by luring them with Tsúral buds.
• Marashyálu – “These supernatural creatures of the ancients are set to guard treasure.”  They are capable of hypnosis and casting illusions.
• Mnór – This so-called “Shaggy Insect Creature” can use “heavy clubs in semi-intelligent fashion.”
• Ngóro – Otherwise known as “the Whelk,” this creature is reminiscent of the trapper.  Lying flat, “it appears much like the rough stone flooring of the Underworld.”  A Ngóro can hold miniature weapons with its “millions of tiny cilia.”
• Qól –“The Serpent-Headed Ones” were originally human but have mutated so that they have “a slender reptilian neck and a flat, diamond-shaped serpent head.”
• Rényu – Although they do not meet the qualifications of 'intelligence', these man-like humanoids can be trained to speak as well as use equipment (including weapons).
• Sérudla – Commonly called “the Pale Murderer,” a Sérudla “is semi-intelligent and fights with ordinary weapons.”  Although Sérudla are “not invariably hostile,” it is advisable to avoid their spit; a failed saving throw could cause up to 12d6 damage.
• Sró – These six-legged “mutants from some ancient reptilian stock are able to wield huge broadswords.”
• Tsú'uru – These creatures are related to the Marashyálu and serve a similar function.  They have the ability “to determine what the party is most likely to believe” and project an appropriate illusion.  A Tsú'uru “is totally immune to spells, and no form of ESP, clairvoyance, telepathy, etc. will reveal its true identity.”  Only death will reveal its natural form – “a bundle of ropy, lumpy tentacles with a central brain ganglion.”

Magic Items in Empire of the Petal Throne

Any sufficiently advanced technology

is indistinguishable from magic.

– Clarke's Third Law                    

When Tékumel entered the dimensional plane it occupies in the Empire of the Petal Throne setting, a series of cataclysms called the “Time of Darkness” occurred.

Old machines took on a divine aura, and as they failed, men lost the knowledge to repair them...Natural resources had been carelessly depleted...The wheels of technology require many types of natural resources and deprived of them, they slowly ground to a stop.

Articles of “ancient” technology are treated as magic items in EotPT.  Yet there is a great deal of 'magic' that is not technological per se.  Magic is explained as an interaction between psychic ability and extraplanar energies – and said energies are often associated with beings such as demons and gods.  Either the magic of Tékumel's plane conveniently meshes with old universe technology or the nature of technology has somehow been altered in Tékumel's current plane (or, perhaps, a measure of both).  What results is a mélange of science and sorcery à la Thundarr the Barbarian, not that the scholars of Tékumel would perceive any incongruity.

Among the miscellaneous 'magical' items described in EotPT, there are:

The Chariot of the Gods:  This is a flying vehicle, actually an ancient air car.
The Lightning Bringer:  This is actually a piece of ancient artillery.
The Little House of Tranquil Dwelling...This device was originally found on a planet far from Tékumel in the crater of some long burned out atomic explosion.

Additionally, there is “The Alluring Maiden of Ngá.”  This 'item' is an android with “the ebon hair and paper-white skin common to all androids of the ancients.”  This android operates as an assassin (6 Hit Dice; Armour Class 1).  However, “she is totally mindless” and “because of her lack of individual will she cannot speak or interact socially, and she cannot be assigned other tasks.”  I suppose she is “alluring” so as to have a better chance of approaching her victim.  What was the nature of the civilization of the ancients if they manufactured such technology?  Anyway, whenever her owner gives her a mission, there is a 35% chance she will attack her owner, “symbolising the breakdown of her ancient circuits.”  Of course, an android is an “automaton resembling a human being,” but there are other intelligent races on Tékumel.  One would suppose there would be “android” equivalents of Pé Chói or Tinalíya or other space-faring species friendly to man.  Perhaps such races are opposed to the idea of automatons that mimic them.

In contrast to the 'alluring maiden', there are Underworld beings called Yéleth or Angels of Doom.  These are androids (3 Hit Dice; Armour Class 6) and, like all androids, “They have paper-white skin and hair the colour of polished ebony.”  Unlike 'the maiden', they seem to have independent will and are encountered in groups of 1–4 (or 2–12 in their lair).  There is an item that allows evil Magic Users to create 1–6 Yéleth that will “serve their master loyally and permanently.”  This item is the Du'on Duqala Toruuna (or 'The Scroll of Bringing Forth the Unnamed') and the “text is written in flickering blue flame upon pages of brass.”  The same scroll permits evil Priests to create a similar group of undead beings called Mrúr.  “The construction of either of these beings requires the sacrifice of an equal number of human characters to Ksárul.”  (Ksárul is one of the Tlokiriqáluyal – the 'evil' gods of Tékumel; after the scroll is used once, “Ksárul sends his Black Angel to retrieve it.”)  So the scroll – property of an evil god – allows for the creation of undead or androids, depending upon the user.  In either case, human sacrifices are necessary; sacrifices of other intelligent beings are not sufficient.  This is a peculiar intersection of technology and magic.

A few other miscellaneous magical items are:

The Magical Chest of the Topaz God – like a Bag of Holding, except it's a box.
The Mighty Wall of Thúmis – creates a wall of bronze for two turns.
The Jade Bowl of the God-King of Purdánim – can be used to exchange minds with a member of the same species for 24 hours.
The Trumpet of Metállja – “can summon any android or automaton within a 6 inch radius to do the bidding of the user for two turns.”

Whence the Underworld

Underground City of Derinkuyu (source)

In order to prepare for a campaign, page 5 of Men & Magic provides the following advice:

First, the referee must draw out a minimum of half a dozen maps of the levels of his “underworld”, people them with monsters of various horrid aspect, distribute treasures accordingly, and note the location of the latter two on keys, each corresponding to the appropriate level.

Establishing an “underworld” is essential in early D&D ; indeed, the first word is 'Dungeons'.  The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures booklet explains how to create an underworld, but in-game rationale for these 'dungeons' is limited to mention of a “huge ruined pile, a vast castle built by generations of mad wizards and insane geniuses.”

Without a rationale, 'dungeons' are merely the backdrop for free-wheeling – if not gonzo – scenarios.  I cannot resist quoting Peterson on this matter:

...a funhouse-like underworld of wealthy monsters – a hole in the ground that exists for no discernible reason other than for adventurers to extract gold from it, filled with improbable creatures and situations...

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but such a thing is not well suited for a detailed, 'serious' setting like Tékumel.  Barker's world does not lack for adventure possibilities, yet there are many underworlds in Tékumel and Empire of the Petal Throne features underworld expeditions.  “It is...desirable,” Barker writes, “to have an Underworld developed upon logical...lines, with large complexes of tombs, temples, or other contents carefully worked out.”  While Barker falls short of adopting a paradigm of 'dungeon as community', he asks the prospective referee to consider the future ramifications of a party's explorations.

Barker explains why the underworlds exist:

Scattered over Tékumel are innumerable half-buried, half-forgotten ruins...there are tunnels of melted rock and steel constructed during the days of man's first glory; there are jumbled heaps destroyed by the cataclysms which rent Tékumel when the planet was cast into outer dimensional darkness; there are catacombs and subterranean labyrinths dating from more recent empires, cities, temples, pyramids, and fortresses dedicated to the lost and unremembered gods of half a hundred kingdoms.

Furthermore, there are underworlds beneath currently populated cities.  Barker explains this is due to the concept of Ditlána:

...the ceremonial “renewing” of many cities every 500 years:  cellars and foundations of an old city are filled in and roofed over, upper floors are razed, and then new and more splendid edifices are built upon this foundation.  Such earlier buried habitations are now full of burrows and tunnels built by humans, half-humans, nonhumans, and the many parasites and predators of Tékumel that subsist upon man's leavings.

Finally, many temples are maintained in the underworld, especially temples to evil gods, “and it is in these that many of the rich treasures of the ancients are preserved.”  (Since they're evil, it's OK to kill them and take their stuff.)

In the 'Developing an Underworld' section, Barker recommends various TSR products:  “These all give the mechanics...and discuss the construction of 'dungeons' in great detail.”  Regardless, he spends a few paragraphs going over the basics – using graph paper, making notations, etc.  Barker then supplies some examples, including “a brief sample of actual play” presented as a dialogue between a referee and the party leader as the party explores the Underworld.

In closing, I list some Underworld features described as “Saturday Night Specials” by Barker.

• The Revolving Rooms of King Ssirandár I, which whirl around and deposit a party in an unknown and unexpected part of the Underworld.
• Lelmiyáni, the Singer of Doom, who appears in the form of a little girl playing a flute.  Unless saving throws are made, she will lead a party into...
• The Garden of Weeping Snows, which contains a variety of people that have been magically paralyzed in moments of extreme agony.  At the far end of the garden is...
• The Palace of Frost, the habitation of Nyélmu the Wizard.  The good Gods have condemned Nyélmu to remain forever in the palace.  Nyélmu likes his guests to stay for an eon or two.
• The River of Silence is an underground river that cuts across one of the levels below Jakálla.  On an island in the middle of the river dwells Death Himself.

Combat in Empire of the Petal Throne

Art by Dave Sutherland

As might be expected, combat in Empire of the Petal Throne is handled much like combat in Dungeons & Dragons.  For a character to successfully strike an opponent, the player must roll a certain number or higher on a d20.  The specific number is found by consulting a table that indexes the attacker's experience level against the defender's “armour class.”  Non-human attackers instead consult a table that indexes hit dice against the defender's armour class.

Also like D&D, armour class in EotPT is descending; lower numbers represent a greater amount of protection.  Whereas armor class in D&D ranges from 9 (no armor) to 2 (plate armor & shield), in EotPT it ranges from 9 (no armour) to 1 (plate armour and shield of iron/steel).  On the world of Tékumel, iron is scarce; as a substitute, Chlén-hide is used.  A Chlén is “a great, slow moving hippopotamus like animal.”  The tanners' clan is able to alter Chlén-hide so that it is “harder than bronze but slightly softer than iron.”  Weapons and armour made of iron are rare; also, they are heavier and more expensive than their Chlén-hide counterparts.  In fact, metal items are not presented on the equipment list.  So, in EotPT, armour class 2 represents “Plate armour and shield of Chlén-hide.”  Armour classes 9 through 3 are the same in both systems.  Other than armour class 1, all references to plate armour, chainmail, and shields on the EotPT table presumably refer to Chlén-hide.  One could assume that metal items have the next 'better' armour class yet the rules do not state this.  In EotPT, magic armour does not improve armour class, instead it increases the “to hit” number by an amount equal to the bonus.

The chance of a successful hit by an EotPT character is usually slightly less than that of his D&D counterpart.  For example, a first level D&D character needs a result of ten or greater in order to hit an armor class 9 defender, but an EotPT character needs an eleven.

In D&D, the columns of the 'Attack Matrix' represent six 'steps' of three levels each:  levels 1-3, levels 4-6, levels 7-9, levels 10-12, levels 13-15, and levels “16 & +.”  The structure of the EotPT table is the same except the last column is “13-up.”  In D&D, the stated levels are for Fighting-Men; Clerics have 'steps' of four levels and Magic-Users have 'steps' of five.   So, for instance, a tenth level Cleric would use the “7-9” column while a tenth level Magic-User would use the “4-6” column.  In EotPT, the 'steps' are the same for all three professions; a fourth level Magic User has the same “to hit” number as a fourth level Warrior and a seventh level Priest has the same chance of success as a seventh level Warrior.

Priests and Magic Users have restrictions with regard to armour and/or weapons but it is still counter-intuitive that they should fight with the same expertise as Warriors.  As mentioned previously, Warriors have various weapon skills available to them.  Weapon skills are not among those available to Magic Users and Priests, yet those professions are capable of using (some) weapons.  This would seem to suggest that a Warrior's weapon skills allow for greater proficiency than someone without such skills; the rules, however, provide no enlightenment.

Rolling a “natural 20” when attacking means that damage is doubled.  (Damage bonuses are not doubled, however.)  Additionally, the d20 is rolled again.  If the second roll results in 19 or 20, “the opponent is instantly dead, whatever his hit dice may be.”

Sufficiently high scores in the 'talents' of Strength, Intelligence, Constitution, and Dexterity can provide bonuses to hit and damage.  Likewise, sufficiently low scores impose minuses.  None of the talents affect armour class.  Although Dexterity is described (in part) as “one's ability to parry blows,” the rules do not explain how this is accomplished.

Most weapons inflict 1d6 damage; however, “daggers, thrown rocks, and miscellaneous light missiles” cause 1d4 damage.  Some weapons – “battleaxes, flails, morning stars, maces, halberds, poleaxes, and pikes” – inflict 1d6+1 damage, but have a Strength requirement of at least 81.  “The great two-handed broadsword favoured by the barbarians of N'lýss” causes 1d6+2 damage, but it requires a Strength of at least 90 and – of course – cannot be used in conjunction with a shield.

As they advance in level, characters can inflict multiple dice of damage upon opponents (depending upon the hit dice of said opponents).  For instance, a fourth level Warrior rolls two dice of damage against opponents with one hit die; a sixth level Warrior rolls three dice of damage against opponents with one hit die and two damage dice against opponents with three hit dice.  The following table conveys the same information as the EotPT chart, albeit with a different presentation.

Table shows number of d6 to be rolled for damage

Warriors are better than the other professions in this regard; for damage increase purposes, Priests are treated as one level less and Magic Users are treated as two levels less.  If a character is combating several opponents equivalent to one another, damage in excess of what was needed to kill one opponent is automatically applied to another.  In this way, several opponents may be slain with one attack.

A character using a broadsword and a dagger “can strike two blows per combat round.”  (Presumably, one attack per weapon.)  For these attacks, the die result needed to hit is increased by one.

A character may attempt a “physical action” instead of 'attacking' a foe.  Attempting to 'capture' an opponent (instead of inflicting damage) is an example of a “physical action.”  Such an action requires a percentile dice roll; if the result of the roll is less than the average of the character's Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence, the action is successful.  If the result “is within 20 points of its maximum,” the victim should be allowed a saving throw against paralysis.

The Nature of Magic in Tékumel

Before engaging upon today's topic, I would like to point out that, today, several blogs are participating in the Obsolete Simulations Roundup, a worthy idea presented by Tim Snider.  Why am I not participating?

1. Apparently, I wasn't paying attention.  I blame the holidays.
2. This is pretty much the raison d'être of my blog anyway but what I normally stretch out over a couple of months, I would need to encapsulate in one post.

Still, I would be remiss if I did not mention it for the edification of the dozens of people who might view this page.  Enjoy!

Emblem of the Temple of Wurú The Unnameable, He Who Appears Where

Evil Dwells, the Many-Legged Serpent of Gloom, and Cohort of Hrű'ű

As mentioned previously, the Tékumel solar system left 'our' universe.  It then became a 'Plane' unto itself.  The “multi-dimensional space-time continuum” is “formless energy” that encompasses the various Planes (including Tékumel's).  On page 14 of The World of the Petal Throne, Book 2, M.A.R. Barker writes...

The “skin of reality” which separates one Plane from another is rather thin over much of the planet and it is much easier on Tékumel to “reach through” and tap this inchoate, primal power than elsewhere in the cosmos.

This “inchoate, primal power” (or “formless energy”) acts as the fuel for magic.  If the multi-dimensional space-time continuum is analogous to an ocean, then Tékumel's Plane is analogous to a bubble.  Just as there are many bubbles in the ocean, so do numerous Planes abound in the continuum.  “Nexus Points” are connections between Planes which may be used for inter-Planar travel.  Page 16 informs us that...

A skilled mage can sometimes open...a Nexus Point...A few of these Nexus Points are relatively stable and always give access to the same other-dimensional world...Most Nexus Points are impermanent and perilous to use.

Denizens of these other Planes are called Sharétlkoi (i.e., “Demons”).  There are many Demon races representing a range of power from “semi-intelligent beings, animals, or even lower forms of life” all the way to “beings of such inconceivable power that they approach the 'Gods'...”

On Tékumel, there are two forms of magic:  ritual and psychic.  “Ritual magic...is mostly powered by the forces of the Planes Beyond.”  Correct performance of ritual magic produces a consistent effect.  “Psychic magic relies mainly upon the talents of the user himself.”  Since entering their current Plane, the humans of Tékumel have had thousands of years to increase their once vestigial psychic powers.  Such aptitude is represented in a character's Psychic Ability talent.  The two forms of magic are not mutually exclusive.  “In order to work...a psychic spell still requires a little power from the Planes Beyond as a sort of 'catalytic booster.'”  Likewise, “a ritual spell...requires a spark of psychic energy as a catalyst.”

A caster of either form of magic must be able to contain significant amounts of magical power.  This reservoir is called Pedhétl and is one of the five “selves” which compose every living entity.  Each self “has a separate identity and a certain degree of independence from the rest.”  The selves are:

• Bákte – “the physical body”
• Chusétl – “the Shadow-Self”  This is the self that exists in dreams and as an astral projection.  When the Bákte dies, so does the Chusétl.
• Hlákme – “the conscious mind”  After the Bákte dies, “the Hlákme remains in the tomb, hovering near its bodily shell forever in a dreamless sleep unless returned to the corpse by necromancy.”
• Báletl – “the Spirit-Soul”  In the afterlife, the Báletl “sheds its burden of identity and memory in order to be born anew upon ever more distant planes of consciousness.”
• Penhétl – “the Enemy...the source of all emotion and passion and the motivating energy behind all action and ambition.”  After death, Pedhétl returns to the extra-Planar “sea” of energy.

Baker writes of “idiot savant[s]” with vast Penhétl but with limited intelligence and psychic ability.  These people are used by temples as “batteries.”  Barker also tells of “anti-psychic individuals” who automatically prevent spellcasting within a 1.5 meter radius.  Also, devices that use other-Planar energy do not work well (if at all) in proximity to such persons.

Humanity is not the only race to produce these “psychic dampeners.”  One-in-fifty Swamp Folk specimens are dampeners and the rest of that race “are genetically incapable of using sorcery of any kind.”  Also, “the Ahoggyá are generally poor magicians and one in every ten is a 'psychic dampener.'”  On the other hand, “Pé Chói and the Tinalíya are exceptionally good at sorcery.”

The energies of the Planes Beyond is more accessible at some locations and not others.  Regions where “spells work easily” are considered magically “fertile.”  Many cities – ruined or current – occupy such fertile areas.  In magically “barren” regions, “No spell operates...and even ancient technological devices work only once” and will not work again until removed from the area.  Aside from this more-or-less stable 'magic geography,' there are mobile “Nexus Points” that travel randomly over the world.

Intelligent Races of Tékumel

Long ago,“Man and his nonhuman interstellar colleagues” attempted to terraform the world of Tékumel.  “The blood-purplish jungles were poisoned with chemicals and replaced with the familiar plants of the hundred worlds of Humanspace.”  Intelligent species indigenous to Tékumel “were allowed to survive only upon remote 'reservations.'”  Thus, Tékumel was colonized.  Then something happened.

It is clear now that through some freak of space, some fault in the fabric of time itself, the solar system of Tékumel was cast into some great other-dimensional “hole in the sky.”

In the ages that have passed since that event (tens of thousands of years), technology has declined to medieval levels, magic has manifested, and the indigenous races are no longer confined.  There are various intelligent species on Tékumel, most of whom – including humanity – came from elsewhere.  In Empire of the Petal Throne, Barker describes twelve intelligent nonhuman races, some friendly to man, some hostile, and others neutral.  “There are still other species,” Barker writes, “but players are not likely to encounter them in the areas of Tékumel in which they will operate.”

Barker does not populate Tékumel with elf-analogs and dwarf-analogs, nor does he have 'aliens' that are essentially humans with pointed ears or blue skin.  Barker has crafted beings that are decidedly unhuman, both in form and in sentiment.  For practical reasons, there is only so much information the rule books can convey about each of the races.  This is just as well since – with few exceptions – the nonhuman races tend to stay apart from mankind.  Without further ado, here are the intelligent (nonhuman) species of Tékumel.

Pé Chói (by Karen J. Englesen)

Pé Chói (“the Listeners”) – Among the various races, the Pé Chói are perhaps the friendliest to Man.  The have six limbs and adults are approximately seven feet tall.  Their hightened senses of sight and hearing allow them to easily perceive secret doors and invisible/inaudible entities.  “On a roll of 6 on a 6-sided die they can ESP a neighbouring room or chamber” in a manner, I assume, similar to the Priest spell.  When one of their number is slain, the Pé Chói will exact revenge on the perpetrator unless (a.) the slain Pé Chói attacked first or (b.) the death occurred during a battle in which Pé Chói are serving on both sides.  They are able to do this because the Pé Chói have “racial telepathy.”  This would seem to be quite useful.  The most obvious use would be to establish a long distance communications network; however, Barker makes no mention of any use other than revenge.

Swamp Folk (by Dave Sutherland)

Nininyal (“the Pygmy Folk”) –   These rodent-like beings stand about one meter in height.  They have exceptional hearing and can “see easily in pitch blackness.”   They are known for travelling and trading.  “Although they are capricious, they must be counted friends of man.”  They are ferocious in battle as well as bargaining.  (There is a Tsolyáni proverb:  'To bargain with a Pygmy is to throw away one's purse.')

Heglethyál (“the Swamp Folk”) – The Swamp Folk are four to six feet tall and have six limbs.  “They are squat, rotund, rubbery white creatures...with long slanted foreheads, [and] a bony central crest rising from the forehead and slanting backwards to a point...”  Although they do not employ magic, they are capable sailors and can “detect sloping passages, traps, and dimensional nexus points.”

Tinalíya (by Katherine J. Grantham)

Tinalíya (“the Gnome-like Ones”) – Although referred to by the rules as “humanoid,” these two-foot tall beings have two arms, four legs, and are “covered with horny integument.”  Although scholarly, they are viscous fighters when attacked and need not check for morale.  Each of “their lairs will contain at least one book of magical nature,” at least one scroll, and a few of those ancient technological devices known as “Eyes.”

Ahoggyá (by Sutherland)

Ahoggyá (“the Knobbed Ones”) –

They are knobbly, brownish, bristly creatures 4-5 feet in height, though tremendously broad and strong.  Their upper “chest” is surmounted by four powerful arms, and their eyes and eating apparatus lie beneath these under a horny protective ring.

Hláka (by Sutherland)

Hláka (“the Furred Flyers”) – As their wings and name suggest, the Hláka are capable of flying.  They have three eyes and greyish fur.  “Two arms and two legs are supplemented by a powerful tail fitted with a poisoned rapier-like blade.”  Barker does not inform us of the effects of the poison, but he notes that “Hláka make poor slaves and are always clamouring to return to their homeland.”
Also on Tékumel are the Shánu'u, “larger and heavier cousins” to the Hláka.  Presumably, they come from the same world.  Parties of Hláka are often found accompanied by one or more Shánu'u.  I suspect the relation of Shánu'u and Hláka is analogous to greater primates and humans.

Páchi Léi (by Englesen)

 Páchi Léi (“the Forest Dwellers”) –

They are doughy in appearance and have eight articulated limbs, using the first four to eat, fight, etc. and the remainder to move and balance in the trees of their jungle homes...They have a good chance at detecting secret doors and passages as they pass by them...Their huge, platter-shaped eyes give them nocturnal vision.

Although listed among the neutral species, Páchi Léi have a modifier towards friendliness on the Nonplayer Character Reaction Table and “have often become citizens of the human nations, and one or two examples of generals over human troops are recorded in history.”

Shén (by James Garrison)

Shén (“the Demon Warriors”) –

Their gleaming black scales and dragon-like appearance make them appear to be tall, demonic human warriors in fantastic plate armour.  They have long beak-like snouts and a glittering crest of slender spines, which they can extend or keep flat along their skulls...They walk on two legs and have two arms, as men do, but they also have a muscular tail with a mace-like horny appendage at the end.

Hlutrgú (by Sutherland)

Hlutrgú (“the Swamp Frogs”) – The illustration to the right shows the Hlutrgú as having four limbs; however, Barker states that they are four-legged creatures and that they “carry darts for spearing or throwing, using their four long arms.”  To me this suggests eight limbs, but perhaps there are only four limbs that can be used either as arms or legs.  (The illustrated Hlutrgú is shown grasping a spear with his 'foot'.)  Regardless, they “hate humans and nonhumans indiscriminately” and “have a particularly ugly reputation for torture and atrocities upon humans who fall into their clutches.”
I have not been able to discern if the Hlutrgú are native to Tékumel or if, in ancient times, they were interstellar partners of mankind.

Hlýss (by Englesen)

Hlýss (“the Spawn of the Old Ones”) – The Hlýss are an insectoid race who pre-date humanity's appearance on Tékumel.  They are described as “aquatic cousins” of the Ssú (see below).  They live on the Isle of the Hlýss with the great Hlýss mother and sometimes travel the seas “upon their hive-like ships, made from a stony bodily secretion.”  They possess “six legs and light chitinous armour, with a row of razor-sharp mandibles beneath their probosces” in addition to a tail with a sting capable of paralyzing opponents.  When encountered, Hlýss are likely to have magical weapons and ancient items of technology.  “The Hlýss collect all sorts of weapons, gems, and jewellery and have the latter set into their body-armour permanently.”



Vleshgayal (“the Shunned Ones”) – The Shunned Ones also pre-date the presence of humanity on Tékumel (and may even pre-date the Ssú).  They tend to remain ensconced in their sealed cities but “emerge from their isolation to seek magical items in the labyrinths beneath ruined cities.”

They are tall, ragged-looking spectral beings, with two extremely long arms and legs...They have a terrible and repellent stench that drives off humans and nonhumans alike.

Ssú (by Jeff Dee)

Ssú (“the Enemies of Man”) –

They are tall, slender, six-limbed beings wrapped in what looks like greyish shrouds (actually a loose integument which keeps shredding and pulling off).  They smell like musty cinnamon and make a high, sweet chiming sound.

Aside from their competency with magic, each Ssú of at least level IV can hypnotize 1-3 persons once per day.  If a saving throw is failed, the victim will be under the control of the Ssú “and he can be freed only by the death of the Ssú commanding him.”