My Favorite Magic Items in Atlantasia

John Holland, in his The Realms of Atlantasia, presents a copious number of magic items – presents, but does not necessarily describe in detail. More precisely, Holland lists numerous magical effects (what he calls ‘suffixes’) which can be associated with a variety of items. For example, Johann Nederland – spy mage – owns ‘saddlebags of charity.’ There are also ‘dice of charity,’ ‘belts of charity,’ ‘pouches of charity,’ ‘packs of charity,’ ‘books of charity,’ ‘cards of charity,’ and the ever-convenient ‘crystal balls of charity.’ They each have the same effect which, according to Holland, is “never pays for food or lodging.”*

The existence of a variety of items with the same effect is important in Atlantasia because there are restrictions with regard to the number of magic items that a given character can have ‘active’ at a time. For instance, a character can only wear one cape or cloak at a time. So, if you have a ‘cape of agility’ and a ‘cape of protection,’ you can benefit from one only at the expense of the other. If, however, you have an ‘amulet of agility’ and a ‘cape of protection,’ then you’re in business. (You can have ten amulets or broaches, but only three medallions. Don't worry, you can keep track of it all on page four of the character profile.)

In Atlantasia, potions are brewed by alchemists.  There are twelve potions that only particular alchemists can make.  For instance, the ‘Potion of Shadow Dragon Control’ is made exclusively “by the Shai-elf Dragon-mage Trahl-issyss.”  This makes for some passable adventure seeds -- the king needs a potion, the player characters have to track down the alchemist, maybe they have to negotiate a price, maybe they have to help the alchemist out of a predicament or perform a favor, maybe they need to gather the ingredients, etc. So far, so good.  Yet once again, Holland seems to have a good idea going only to make a sharp left and pass into the inexplicable realm of WTF.

First, the potions are described twice (pp. 42-43 as well as pp. 188-190).  Yeah, sure, it’s only a couple of pages but considering what the 545 page book doesn’t cover, it’s a shame two pages couldn’t have been devoted to character movement or other absent rules.  Second, the pricing is odd -- big surprise.  The potions are rare and powerful, so it’s understandable that they’re expensive; however, for expensive items, the prices are rather precise.  For instance, the ‘Potion of Dimensional Travel’ has a price of 59,950 gold chips as opposed to a nice, round 60,000.  It’s not like there’s competition and you need to advertise $9.95 instead of $10.  Third, some of the effects are peculiar.  The ‘Potion of Mass Illusion’ “infects between 20-50 targets with a terrifying illusion.”  Do the targets drink the potion?  The ‘Potion of Seasonal Change’ “was developed to change the season you are in.”  How does that work?  Does the imbiber travel through time or does the potion somehow change the nature of reality?  Actually, any confusion about effects is rendered moot due to the next fact.  About these potions Holland tells us…

NONE OF THEM WORK!!!!... (they are all frauds)

That’s right, Holland goes through the trouble (not once, but twice) of describing a dozen potions, identifying their respective creators and assigning them a precise cost, only to tell us that they’re fake.  I can only assume that their fraudulent nature is generally unknown, but how well known would the potions be even if they worked?  So, the limited number of people who know of them at all are ignorant of their falsity.  Don’t you think that the first customer who was fooled (and survived) would make life difficult for the alchemist or at least spread the word about the swindle?  Maybe it’s like “The Royal Nonesuch” in Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; people are embarrassed that they fell victim to the ruse and they want others to suffer similarly.

Here are a few other magic items.

Cape of Electric Retard (p. 209):  I would have called it the ‘Cape of Protection from Lightning,’ but whatever.

Bell of Invisibility (p. 204):  This item is ideal if you want to avoid detection by deaf people.

Amulet of Sleep (p. 246):  Any person wearing this amulet “goes to sleep every time they try to attack.”  This is supposed to be a cursed item, but I think it would be beneficial since it prevents people from hurting themselves.

*  I’m not sure how this is supposed to work. Let’s say that Johann has been staying at an inn. The proprietor approaches him with the reckoning. Does Johann tap the saddlebags and then the proprietor just smiles and waves good-bye?

Combat in The Realms of Atlantasia

Since I recently expounded upon combat in Metamorphosis Alpha, it is only fitting that Thoul’s Paradise examine the particulars of combat in John Holland’s memorable role-playing game, The Realms of Atlantasia.  To accomplish this, let us stage a hypothetical conflict between Johann Nederland, cosmic spy mage, and a run-of-the-mill goblin.  For the sake of effective example, this bout shall occur in a pit – small enough to prohibit retreat, but open enough so that Johann may bring his exquisite quarterstaff to bear. 

Lest my devoted readers foster unrealistic hopes, allow me to explain that beginning TROA characters seem to be quite fragile; I do not expect Johann to survive this theoretical monomachy.  Atlantasian goblins have a minimum of 35 Life Points; Johann has a mere thirteen.¹  (May Priss-nee-ich preserve him!) 

If conditions permitted Johann to cast his ’Falling Star’ spell, it is likely that he could readily dispatch the goblin.  Alas, the casting time for said spell is one semi-segment; the goblin would doubtless disrupt the spell before completion.  However, we can assume that Johann cast casted his ‘Sun Shield’ spell immediately prior to the combat.  This gives Johann +5% defense for 5 semi-segments. 

According to their description on page 69, goblins have a 20% chance of having armor. A roll of the dice indicates that Johann's opponent does not have armor. Any given goblin may or may not have a weapon. Since a goblin's fangs can potentially cause more damage than a broadsword (d12 vs d10), our goblin will just rely on his fangs. 

Attack order starts with the being having the highest dexterity and continues with successively lower dexterity scores until all combatants have attacked. I guess we roll a d10 for the goblin's dexterity. The result is 7; Johann goes first. 

We previously determined Johann's 'to hit' value at 25%. He attacks...and misses. We now roll “to determine how bad the miss is.” With a 14, the result is “player slips and hits them self [sic] (damage is at x2).”² Let's just assume that the character hits himself. (Better him than me.) A quarterstaff does 1d6 and with a roll of 6, Johann does 12 Life Points of damage to himself. He has 1 Life Point left.

It's now the goblin's turn; his 'to hit' value is 23%. He attacks...and misses! A roll of 31 on the 'miss' table means the goblin slips and does damage to himself. Specifically, the goblin loses 3 Life Points. Goblins get two attacks per semi-segment and with his second attack...he (barely) misses. On this occasion, the goblin does x2 damage to himself. He takes 8 Life Points of damage and is thus reduced to 24 Life Points. 

I suppose that Johann and the goblin spend the remainder of the semi-segment (7 minutes, 12 seconds) chatting about how gnomes are ruining the economy. 

In the next semi-segment, Johann has first attack.  However, thinking that the best tactic would be to allow the goblin to bite itself to death, Johann forgoes his attack. (My calculations indicate that, whenever Johann attempts an attack, he has a 26.5% chance of hurting himself. So, it is more likely that he will hit himself than an opponent.) 

The goblin lunges...and misses. Yes, he manages to hit himself again. He takes an additional 11 Life Points of damage; he has 13 Life Points left. On his second attack...he hits. Upon a successful hit, the goblin "must determine where the attack connects" by rolling on the placement chart. A roll of 64 means "chest & upper arms (roll for which and which arm)." ³ Uh, OK...Let's say even = chest and odd = upper arms. Our realistic method of determination indicates that the attack connects with Johann's chest. Now the goblin must determine the precision of the attack by rolling on the precision table; this will affect the amount of damage inflicted. Depending on the number rolled, the attack could do anywhere from x¼ damage to x10 damage. The goblin rolls 28, meaning no damage multiple. 

Now, Johann makes a defense calculation. His total defense is 36%, which is greater than the goblin's 'to hit' %, and so he rolls on a certain table. (Had his defense been lower than the opponent's to hit roll, he would roll on a different table.) With a roll of 90, the result is "attack glances off armor (0 damage, armor takes 1d4 off durability)." YESSS! Johann still has a chance! The durability of Johann's chest armor is reduced to 8.

With a smile of grim determination, Johann forgoes his attack in the third semi-segment. The goblin attacks...and misses. A roll of 94 on the 'miss' table means “weapon glances off opponent's armor taking 1d4 off durability.” Does the armor lose durability? The weapon? Both? Let's call it a wash. The goblin attacks again...and misses again. With a roll of 92 on the 'miss' table, it's the same result as before.

It's the fourth semi-segment and Johann lets the goblin attack. He attacks...and misses. A roll of 10 on the 'miss' table means the goblin does x3 damage to himself. A roll of 12 for damage means the goblin takes 36 Life Points of damage. He's dead! Johann is the winner! Take that, punk! Mess with the best and die like the rest!

Of course, had this been an actual combat, Johann would have used his Blanket of Translocation to get away.

Let us reflect upon the moral of today's story; if your attack is more likely to cause damage to you instead of your opponent, then don't attack.

 

¹  A 1st level, single-classed warrior without a constitution bonus would have 11 Life Points on average.

²  It seems that if a being misses its attack roll, there is a 35% chance it will inflict damage on itself.

³ With a roll of 100, the goblin would have decapitated Johann.

The Magic of Atlantasia

Continuing the glorious creation of Johann Nederland – Cosmic Spy Mage

In our post last week, Johann purchased a set of clothes; however, I forgot to have him buy footwear. Let us correct this oversight at once. In Atlantasia, one can buy short boots or high boots and there are three options for each type: soft leather, hard leather, and “hard with trinkets.” For high boots, the costs are 1 gold chip, 15 gold chips, and 30 gold chips respectively. Johann buys high boots made of soft leather for one gold chip and – what the heck – let's splurge for a hard-with-trinkets wide belt for three gold chips. (Wide belts are the only kind available.) For those of you keeping track at home, Johann has 97 gold chips left.

On Atlantasia, careers have talents which are like specializations; priests, however, for reasons known only to John Holland, do not have specialized talents. Talents are determined by random rolls. Johann's spy talent is “spider (+30% to climb walls).” His mage talent is “scroll writer (+40% to scroll writing rolls).”

At first level, Johann's spy abilities are:

     Locate Traps 1%

     Locate Secret Doors 1%

    “Extra Hearing” 10% (Extra Hearing is not explained.)

     Climb Walls 35% (this includes the spider talent; normally, it would be 5%)

     Hide in Shadows 5%

     Use Disguise 10%

As a mage, Johann has a 20% chance of detecting magic within an item. At first level, he knows the first three spells of his school (cosmic). These spells are: Sun Shield (+5% to defense for 5 semi-segments, magic cost 2), Falling Star (1 star doing 1d4 damage, magic cost 3), and Free Breath (“This spell allows the mage to breathe when there is no air available for a period of time,” magic cost 7).*

So how does spell combat work in Atlantasia? Well, it can involve several rolls of the dice, especially during the Season of Chaos. “The first roll of the % dice will determine if the spell is successfully casted [sic].”** There is a 15% chance that the spell will backfire and a 20% chance that the spell with otherwise fail; this means an attack spell will be successful 65% of the time. There are no modifiers to this roll; a first level character has the same chances as a twentieth level character. “The second roll of the % dice is to determine the power behind the spell.” Thankfully, Holland tells us that we don't have to determine the power of an unsuccessful spell. Not only is that realistic, but I'm certain that it saves a lot of time! There is a 10% chance on the 'power roll' for a spell to fizzle, so even a successful spell can wind up being unsuccessful.

In the Season of Chaos, it is possible for a spell to have effects beyond what the caster intended. Depending upon the specific cycle during the season, the 'chance of altered spell' can be anywhere from 1% to 95%. If a spell is altered, another d% roll is made to determine the effect. There is a 5% chance that 1-20 “garter snakes fly out” and there is a 15% chance that “strange bird sounds erupt.” Whether or not a spell is altered, there is a chance that the spell will hit a companion; there is also a chance that the spell will backfire (presumably only if it doesn't hit a companion). For a period of seven cycles in the middle of the Season of Chaos, the chance for backfire is 100%.

If a spell successfully hits a target, a d% roll is made and the result checked on the 'Placement Chart.' (In other games, this is called a Hit Location Chart.) It's not that damage can affect different parts of the body differently; a roll is made on the 'Placement Chart' to determine which piece of armor or article of clothing (if any) is subject to damage.

Sometimes, a target will have a certain degree of resistance to certain forms of magic. For instance, Johann's resistance to cosmic spells is 32%. This resistance is not the chance Johann has of ignoring the effects of the spell; instead, this is the amount by which damage caused by the spell is reduced.

That's it for magical combat! “Wait,” you ask, “what about the spell save roll? It has a modifier derived from Psychic Defense.” Well, what about it? Oh, you think that “spell save roll” is defined somewhere in the rules? No, not a chance; it's not even mentioned anywhere other than the Psychic Defense table. In that regard, it's just like “reaction roll.” Does Holland mean for the “spell save roll” modifier to be applied to resistance? I guess it's possible, but resistance isn't rolled.

There's more to come.


*  We assume, of course, that air will become available after said period of time expires.

**  Yes, John Holland, author of The Realms of Atlantasia, uses “casted” for the past tense of “cast.” (Or is that pasted tense? Gosh, the English language can be difficult at times.)

On Atlantasia You Will NEVER Find a Silk Cap!

When we last left our nascent Atlantasian character, Johann Nederland – Spy Mage, we were attempting to determine if he had sufficient fiscal resources to afford a quarter-staff (price = 400 gold chips). (A wooden spear only costs 200 gold chips; maybe Johann could buy a spear and remove the spearhead.) Johann has two platinum chips. How many gold chips are they worth? John Holland, the author of The Realms of Atlantasia, doesn't provide any details regarding the rates of exchange among the various types of “chips.” That's OK, Johann will save the platinum chips for a rainy day. After cashing in the jewels, he has 900 gold chips to spend.

I really want him to have a quarter-staff so I have him buy one. This leaves five hundred gold chips. Johann is going to look somewhat conspicuous with 'saddlebags of charity' but no horse. Well, the cheapest mount is a pony at 750 G.C., so the Spy Mage will just have to look conspicuous. Perhaps it's just as well, in Atlantasia ponies have to eat or they'll die. (I don't think Johann could afford the food.)  Fortunately, Johann has a 'blanket of translocation' so his transportation needs are covered. Also, with the 'saddlebags of charity' he doesn't have to pay for room and board.

There is no indication in the rules that mages cannot wear armor; in fact, page 67 suggests that they can wear armor. Leather shin guards, bracers, chest protector, and helm have a combined cost of 350 gold chips. Johann has 150 gold chips left.

On page 37, there is a clothing chart; rows represent articles of clothing and columns represent material. So, if you wanted a cotton tunic, you would check the “cotton” column of the “tunic” row to find the price (9 silver chips). Unfortunately, Johann does not have any silver chips and no way to convert platinum or gold chips to silver chips. I guess he will just have to shell out for high-end clothes. Costs are not listed for silken hats; evidently, such things are not possible in realistic Atlantasia. A silk cloak, tunic, breeches, and stockings have a combined cost of 49 gold chips. Before spending the remaining 101 gold chips, let's see what else needs to be done with Johann.

Remember, Johann has a Ring of Reward (+ 1-2 psychic strength) and a Ring of the Gods (+ 1-2 all attributes). I have determined randomly +1 or +2 for each attribute (+ 2-4 for psychic strength). Johann's current attributes are:

Strength 6 (constitution 4)

Intelligence 12 (mental quickness 6)

Wisdom 9 (mental retention 12)

Dexterity 10 (agility 7)

Charisma 6 (magnetism 5)

Psychic Strength 15 (psychic defense 11)

This entitles Johann to: +1 damage bonus, +4 languages, +25% to diplomatic rolls, +3 to spell rolls, +25% to reaction rolls, +10% to pickpocket rolls, +20% to charm rolls, x5 spell damage, +25% to spell save rolls.

Johann has a magic resistance of 32% with regard to his school of magic (which we haven't chosen yet). His mental resistance is also 32%.

Remember when we calculated Johann's weapon proficiency at 25%? I hope you didn't think that was his 'to hit' number. Weapon proficiencies merely modify the 'to hit' number. Everybody's 'to hit' number starts at 10%. Because Johann's weapon proficiency is only 25%, his 'to hit' number is reduced to 5%. (If Johann had a 100% weapon proficiency, his 'to hit' number would be 20%). Because of his strength and dexterity, Johann's 'to hit' number is increased to 25%. Well, what do you know? It matches his weapon proficiency score after all!

Johann's base defense is 20%.

'Magic Source Points' are determined by rolling 3d6 and applying modifiers. Due to his high psychic strength, Johann has 20 magic source points.

Thanks to a high mental retention score, Johann can memorize a total of eight spells for any given cycle (1d4 + modifiers).

With regard to languages, everyone knows Common and (for non-humans) their racial language. “Cosmic Magi will also know Light Dragon.”* Cosmic Magi? I think we just found Johann's school of magic. Watch out Atlantasia, here comes Johann Nederland – COSMIC Spy Mage!

Well, it looks like I'm going to milk this Atlantasian character 'set-up' for all it's worth.  Next time I'll try to select spells.

* Light Dragon – According to page 165,

These are magnificent beings to behold! They are 150' - 200' long and encased in glowing gold scales. These dragons are beings of light and therefore, in a dragon’s neutral way, are pure compassion. However, that compassion could be turned against you if you interfere with what the dragon is compassionate about.

Can someone please explain to me the logical flow from "beings of light" to "dragon's neutral way" and then to "pure compassion"?  That would be great.

Atlantasia: It's Worse Than I Thought

In an earlier post, your humble host started to make a character for The Realms of Atlantasia, Johann Nederland – Spy Mage. In this post, I shall endeavor to continue this task. Previously, we determined that Johann had a bonus of +25% to reaction rolls. Allow me to clarify. This bonus is derived from Dexterity, so it's not “Does the NPC like me?” reaction, but more of “Get out of the way” reflex reaction. At least, I assume this is the case; reaction rolls are not explained anywhere in the rules. Other than the Dexterity bonus chart, there is no mention of 'reaction rolls.'

In Atlantasia, as mentioned in the earlier post, one cycle equals one day, but does one Atlantasian day equal one Earth day? If we assume this, we encounter some wonky issues with time. According to page 17, “20 segments = 1 cycle” and “10 semi-segments = 1 segment.” If one Atlantasian day equals one Earth day, then one segment equals 1.2 hours and one semi-segment equals 7.2 minutes (or 432 seconds if you prefer). A semi-segment is “one round of engagement.” Either Atlantasian days are very short or John Holland's calculations are off by at least an order of magnitude.

Let's see if we can figure this out. What's the standard movement rate for characters? Um...Character movement rates are not discussed in the rules. There is no indicated place anywhere on the eight page character profile to record a character's movement rate. There's a place to record the durability of each of a character's gloves, but not movement rate. Wait, there's a place for the “speed” of a horse. What do the rules say? On page 110, Holland graces us with this bit of knowledge, “all horses have a speed (roll d% for m.p.h.).” So, in Atlantasia, any given horse can have a speed anywhere between one and one-hundred miles per hour... Of course, we don't know what “hour” means in the Atlantasian reckoning of time. Does Holland mean a segment? Well, what about other creatures with Earth analogs? Many of the entities described in the “Encounter Compodium” (sic) don't have a movement rate, but antelopes are listed as very fast (300 ft per semi-segment). So, if an antelope was able to travel at maximum speed for an entire Atlantasian day, it would cover just over 11 miles. On Earth, an antelope's hourly speed is easily four times that distance. Perhaps Earth antelopes differ from Atlantasian antelopes (or Earth miles differ from Atlantasian miles). Sweet, merciful Trithereon, save me! Wait, why should we worry about this? The speed at which a character can move will probably never come into play (as opposed to the amount of damage a glove can sustain). Let's proceed...

The Atlantasian atlases have not yet been published, so for Johann's birthplace, let's just put “the City of Baba-Luna” and speak no more of it.

On the character profile sheet, there is a place for Alignment; however, there is no description of alignments. Certainly, alignment is mentioned in the book; there is a 'know alignment' spell and a curse that changes a character to the 'opposite' alignment. Alignments are neither defined nor discussed in the rules. Somebody on page 174 has an alignment of “NE” and mention is made on page 230 of an alignment of “UE.” I think that 'neutrality' is a viable option, so that will be Johann's alignment.

Next on the character profile sheet is Deity. Is there a convenient listing of Atlantasian gods? Of course not! How silly of me to ask. OK, I'm just going to go with Priss-nee-ich, apparently the goddess of venereal diseases. (No, I'm not making this up; it's on page 292.)

Now for “Life Points,” which are based on career. According to page 31, “[D]ouble or triple class characters use all class rolls.” So, Johann gets 3d6 + 1d4 Life Points – the result is 13 Life Points.

According to page 262, “All magic using careers only get 1 attack per engagement round (1 / ss)...” One attack per 7.2 minutes? That's harsh! Nothing indicates that spies get any additional attacks.

Under 'Weapon Proficiencies' on page 27, we find the following instruction:

To begin one must find their dominant hand (or if they are ambidextrous). To do this the player rolls % dice once. If they roll 100% they are ambidextrous. If not, they roll % dice two more times (once with their right hand, once with their left hand). These percentage numbers are listed on the first page under R.H. & L.H.

The first page of the character profile? Actually, 'right hand' and 'left hand' are spelled out. Anyway, Johann is not ambidextrous; his 'right hand' is 91% and his 'left hand' is 9%. What does this mean? I fear that I shall never know.

I assume that Johann has one weapon proficiency. “For each weapon proficiency...the player will roll the % dice once...This will be their starting proficiency.” For Johann, I roll 25. Ah, but what weapon? Some weapons have strength and/or dexterity requirements, but there doesn't seem to be any restrictions due to one's career. Since Johann is a spy, he needs to be subtle. A quarterstaff seems pretty innocuous and it does more damage than a dagger (1d6 vs 1d4). The strength requirement is 3, so Johann can handle it. The cost is...wait, this can't be right...400 gold chips?!?! A quarterstaff costs the same as two canvas topped wagons? (It's the gnomes; they're ruining the economy!) Maybe I should go with the dagger; it's only 100 gold chips.

Before I continue, I guess I need to determine Johann's starting possessions and see what weapon he can afford. First, there are the finance charts on which Johann receives a -40% modifier because he is low class. From the finance charts, Johann acquires: 2 platinum chips, 200 gold chips, and four jewels (1 @ 300 G.C., 1 @ 200 G.C., and 2 @ 100 G.C.). (Each jewel is valued at 50 – 500 G.C., so I rolled 1d10 and multiplied by 50.) Due to the unequal distribution of wealth on Atlantasia (for which the gnomes are undoubtedly responsible), Johann has no silver chips, copper chips, or gems. (I have no idea why Holland distinguishes jewels from gems.) Next, there are the 'Magical Stuff' charts; Johann's rolls are modified based upon his career choices and his low class status. Johann has no magical weapon and no magical armor; however, he is entitled to: one roll on the Magical Ring Chart, one roll on the Special Ring Chart, one roll on the Magical Items Chart, and one roll on the Special Items Chart.

Here are Johann's magic items.

Ring of Reward – grants + 1-2 psychic strength

Ring of Edged Perfection – grants x10 damage to edged weapons but is only usable by a 50th level priest(ess) of Ta-Khu. (That's bogus, I'm rolling again.)

Saddlebags of Charity – according to page 249, the possessor “never pays for food or lodging.” The catch is that “the player must be riding the horse or carrying the saddlebags” – the player, not the character.

An enchanted jewel – the enchantment is determined based upon the value of the jewel. (The value of the jewel is not given, so I'm rolling again.)

Johann's re-rolled magic items.

Ring of Divine Power – cast two spells at once (Only for priests, I'm rolling again.)

Blanket of Translocation – “translocates to a pre-determined location.”

Third time's the charm.

Ring of the Gods – grants + 1-2 to all attributes

Alas, it looks like at least one more post will be necessary to complete Johann.

As you can see, there will be plenty of challenges facing you as you adventure in Atlantasia!

                                                     – Atlantasia web site

Is The Realms of Atlantasia a Fantasy Heartbreaker?

Ron Edwards introduced the term 'fantasy heartbreaker' here and further elaborated upon it here. (tl;dr? A brief definition can be found here.) Does The Realms of Atlantasia qualify? John Holland's masterpiece may well be the epitome of fantasy heartbreakers. However, the reason such games are 'heartbreakers' is because they tend to...

...have one great idea buried in them somewhere.... That's why they break my heart, because the nuggets are so buried and bemired within all the painful material...

Is there a great idea buried in TRoA? Your humble yet intrepid host will attempt to uncover this hypothetical kernel of creativity and report his progress to his cherished audience.

In order to grasp the mechanics of TRoA, I shall try to generate a character. Please, do not try this at home. Thoul's Paradise represents a controlled environment and your humble host is fully cognizant of the risks involved.

Evidently, the first step in creating a TRoA character is to select a race. There are four player character races in Atlantasia: humans, gnomes, dwarves, and various flavors of elves.* Apparently, the Atlantasian gnome is intended to be “cute.” From page 8:

Gnomes do not actually take things from people they pass, things magically transfer into a gnome's pouch...and for this reason, other races perceive gnomes as outright thieves. If someone catches a gnome with something that is theirs, they will immediately give it back with a "Don't know how that gots there but must be yers cause ya can describe it."

I have an intense dislike for Atlantasian gnomes. Humans are the only player character race that does not tolerate gnomes; therefore, my character shall be human. Let's call him Johann Nederland.

Of course, I want to gain an understanding of Atlantasian magic, so Johann will be a spellcaster; specifically, a Mage. The only class with which Mages may “double-class” is Spy. A Spy Mage sounds pretty cool; I'm going to go for it.

Next, we determine the attribute values. Page 11 states, “Your attributes are listed as 2 attributes per main (shown as an outer and an inner)...” I think this means there are six pairs of attributes; each pair consisting of “an outer and an inner” seemingly related to one another. The attributes are as follows (inner attributes are in parentheses):

Strength (constitution)

Intelligence (mental quickness)

Wisdom (mental retention)

Dexterity (agility)

Charisma (magnetism)

Psychic Strength (psychic defense)

For each outer attribute, 3d10 are rolled and the highest result becomes the value for that attribute. For each inner attribute, 2d10 are rolled and the higher result becomes the value for that attribute. Wait a minute. If the attributes in a pair are not related, why pair them together? If they are related, why doesn't the outer affect the inner or vice versa? As it is, the attributes in a pair can have values at opposite extremes. (What I would have done is, for inner attributes, take half of the paired outer attribute, round down, and add 1d6. Whatever.) There are no racial adjustments for humans, but each career provides adjustments. Since Johann is 'double-classed,' he gets the adjustments for both careers. So, including adjustments, here is how Johann looks:

Strength 5 (constitution 2)

Intelligence 10 (mental quickness 5)

Wisdom 8 (mental retention 11)

Dexterity 9 (agility 5)

Charisma 4 (magnetism 4)

Psychic Strength 12 (psychic defense 10)

Based on these results, Johann has +2 languages, +10% to diplomatic rolls, +2 to spell rolls, +25% to reaction rolls, x4 spell damage, and +25% to spell save rolls. Yeah, that's right, quadruple spell damage.

The Social Status Chart on page 16 requires a d% roll. For Johann, we roll a 19. This means he is “low class.”

Next, a character's day of birth is determined. In Atlantasia, days are called cycles; Holland confirmed this back when the Atlantasia site displayed comments. Anyway, there are 360 cycles in a rebirth (i.e., year). A rebirth has five seasons; one season for each of the classic elements (air, fire, water, and earth), having 80 cycles each, and a season of chaos, having 40 cycles. How or if these seasons compare to Earth seasons is unknown. Magic seems to ebb and flow with the seasons. Magic is weak at the beginning of a season, then it becomes powerful and intense with an apex mid-season and thereafter subsides, becoming weak by the end of the season. The season of chaos is a special case; magical mishaps are prone to happen. There is almost no chance of mishap at either end of the season but a certainty of mishap mid-season. (The season of chaos exists because that's when the Chaos Dragons engage in their mating ritual...) Anyway, Johann was born on the 22nd day of the fire season.

So far, this hasn't been too bad, but when we continue, I'm afraid it's going to get ugly.

*  Perhaps the most well known fact about TRoA is that there are no half-elves. However, the possibilities of half-dwarves and half-gnomes are not addressed. The foul shadow of Tolkienian racism extends quite far; very few games consider the potential of non-elf 'demi-human' crossbreeds. To my knowledge, only High Adventure Role Playing from Iron Crown Enterprises provides for such pairings.