This is the first VOX of the new year. It's still our goal to get the newsletter
out on a monthly basis, but it's been very busy at Precedence. There's changes
coming up, and all of you who enjoy the IMMORTAL should be the first to
know.
Although IMMORTAL has been holding it's own in the market-place, we've been
losing ground because of the lack of product support, as all of you know.
The main reason for this problem has been the fact that our previous books
have been too expensive to produce. The expense, believe it or not, comes
from the color pages inside the book.
Although the color adds alot to the game (and to me personally as the creator
of both game and the artwork) it's cost prohibits us from adequately supporting
the line. To that end, I've had to make a decision to print books that have
black and white interiors with only color covers. This will cut down on the
costs of books and allow more information to get out to you who enjoy it.
My sense is that is what you want.
SHAPESHIFTER, which has been delayed because of this problem, is now back
on track under the new format. Keep in mind just because the art isn't color
doesn't mean it won't meet the quality you've come to expect in an IMMORTAL
book, like the Anopheles pictured above on her Abzulim Master.
I'm also standardizing the book series. With a hot new logo and a glossy
black cover, you'll be able to easily recognize books that support the line.
The Immortal Schedule has altered somewhat, with the following books planned
for release:
IMMORTAL SHAPESHIFTER (End of April) book of himsati powers, followed by
IMMORTAL DRACUL Pride Guidebook, follwed by
IMMORTAL: BOOK OF POWERS, a book detailing Serenade Attentions, enchanting
objects, Arks, and a lot of great stuff, followed by
IMMORTAL: PRIDE PERI Pride Guidebook, followed by
IMMORTAL: Player's Guide
I'm gratified that all of you are hanging in there. Believe me, I'll make
it worth your while with the quality of the books that will come out. Keep
the faith.
This summer will see the release of the Book Of Powers for IMMORTAL, a definitive
player/narrator reference on Serenades. Over 120 Attentions will be listed,
as well as the Secrets of the Prides. Information on using Arks, making Amulets
and Fetishes, Carnals, the dreaded Warlocks, melds, warps and other related
material will be found in this 96 page book. For members of Club Eternity,
however, some advanced info on the book, including how to play serenades,
will make up this month's newsletter.
Questions or comments can be relayed to club@eternity.com.
Attention Contest Extended
The Contest we announced in our October 1995 edition of Vox has been extended
until December 1996.
Club Eternity gives each of you a chance to go down in the pages of Immortal
History! Enter our Attention Contest today. There are no limit to the number
of entries a person can submit.
We want you to design an Attention according to the examples in the Immortal
main rules pages 187-224. Please do not duplicate existing Attentions. The
proper format for your entry should have the following.
Your Name
Your Address and Phone Number
Your Persona's Name, Pride and Calling
Name of the New Attention
A Short Description of the Attention
The Ranks of Effect for the Attention.
The Immortal production staff will evaluate your Attentions, and declare
five winners. The winners will have their Attentions published in Vox, and
in a upcoming Immortal product. Winners will also receive a contributor's
copy of the product in which their Attention was published.
The deadline for submissions is December 31, 1996. Winners will be announced
in the February 1997 edition of Vox.
This contest is open only to Club Eternity members, so send in your registration
along with your entries. Employees of Precedence Publishing are prohibited
from entering.
Some of the most often misunderstood mechanics in the Immortal system are
those surrouding serenades and serenade combat. So, we present the following
excerpt from the upcoming First Book of Powers. It will give you an in-depth
course on the mechanics of how serenades are played.
Attacking A Living Target
1. Choose your mark. If the target is living, your roll will aim for one
of the halo colors in his aura. You will make your attack roll (the PrImary
Hostile die) of the same color as the halo you are targeting.
2. Make your attack roll. You will take the number rolled on the Primary
Hostile (1 to 9, a 0 indicates automatic failure) and add to it your skill
in the Attention (1-6) and the number of your Free Immaculum (FI). The final
number determines what rank of effect (if any) the Serenade will have on
your target.
3. Determine target's resistance: Your living target has two choices. He
can:
a) take an entire round to counteract the Serenade, in which case he is allowed
make a resistance roll, adding his targeted halo and any rank of skill (1-6)
he may have in the same Attention you used. If you used Ember against his
violet halo and he possesses a rank 2 in Ember, he makes a roll (1-9) and
adds 2 for his skill in Ember and adds the number of Motes in his violet
halo. Note that if your opponent makes a resistance roll, he cannot do anything
else for the entire combat round. If your opponent does not have the requiSite
Attention, he is at a -5 for his resistance roll. Or:
b) take the hit from the Serenade. In this case his resistance is the number
of Motes in his targeted halo and any skill in the Attention he might possess.
If he has no skill in the Attention, he gains a -5 deduction from his overall
resistance. Note that even a single rank of skill in the same Attention that
is attacking him negates the target's -5 penalty. The penalty simulates the
target's unfamiliarity with the energy that is attacking him.
4. Compare the attack roll to the resistance roll. An equal or greater resistance
roll indicates no effect from the Serenade. A greater attack roll is compared
to the Rank Chart to determine the rank of effect the target suffers from
the Serenade. Each Attention listed in the Appendix has its 5 ranks of effect
detailed.
Ranks: For every 3 points an attack roll exceeds it's target's resistance
roll, the potency of effect advances one rank, up to a maximum rank of 5,
as expressed in the chart below. Note that it takes at least 3 over the
resistance of the target to have any effect at all.
| Attack Roll Exceeds Resistance By. . . |
Rank |
|---|---|
| 3 | 1 |
| 6 | 2 |
| 9 | 3 |
| 12 | 4 |
| 15 | 5 |
Optional Rule: Critical Resistance: If the defender rolls 15 or more over
the amount necessary for him to make his resistance roll, he can absorb the
energy targeting him and use it to cleanse any single Mote of Taint in his
aura. If he has no Taint in his halo, the critical resistance is inconsequential.
The cleansing is voluntary. Corrupt minions of the Sanguinary, for instance,
are not automatically cleansed of Taint if they make a critical resistance
roll.
System Note: Playing Serenades Without Attentions Any persona can attempt
any Vogue Serenade without the requiSite Attention provided he deducts 5
from his roll of the Primary Hostile die. Secret Serenades automatically
fail unless the persona possesses at least 1 rank of skill in the Attention.
Attacking A Non-living Target
1. Choose your mark: If your target is non-living (such as an inanimate object)
or extrinsic (such as weather, fire, time or other environmental elements)
you will use one of the Allies (black, white or gray) as your Primary Hostile,
depending on which one is called for in the Attention you are using.
2. Make your attack roll. As with attacking a living target, take the number
rolled on the Primary Hostile (1 to 9, a 0 indicates automatic failure) and
add to it your skill in the Attention (1-6) and the number of your FI. The
final number determines what rank of effect (if any) the Serenade will have
on your target.
3. Determine target's resistance: Because inanimate or extrinsic targets
have no halos, their resistance is based on a number of factors which depend
on how heavy, large, or hard they may be. A car's resistance is based on
it's weight and hardness while a building's is based on its hardness and
surface area. The sky you wish to brew a storm in has resistance built on
the total area you wish to effect plus the rank of the hostiles you may wish
to create with fog, sleet or rain.
Inanimate or Extrinsic objects get no resistance roll since they have no
guiding intellect (red halo.) The resistance of the target is always passive.
The chart below defines the resistance parameters, and should be applied
with common sense. The Narrator, of course, has the final word when mediating
the appropriate parameters to apply.
Resistance Parameters: Inanimate Targets
Two of these parameters are substitutions for one another: Where area of
effect is used, object weight is not. The weight parameter always presides
until the weight of the target becomes too great for easy calculation. At
that point, area of effect takes over.
Any object which has Free Immaculum placed into it (such as an enchanted
object, or ark) gains additional resistance. This is known as a Ward. More
detailed information about how to place Wards can be found in Chapter 5:
Relics and Servants. The resistance of a Warded object equals the number
of FI Motes placed within it plus the hardness of the toughest material composing
it, plus it's weight (or area of effect) When targeting an object in the
possession of a living creature, whether the object is warded or not, the
Free Immaculum of the creature, or the Free Immaculum of the object (whichever
is greater) forms the resistance. No roll is made.
Example: Cleopatra targets the sword of Heliaca with Ember to melt the blade.
The blade itself is magical; it has 2 Free Immaculum woven into its metal.
Heliaca herself has 6 Free Immaculum, more than the sword's 2, so 6 will
apply as the base resistance instead of 2.
Cleopatra makes an attack roll of a D10, achieving a 9, adds her skill in
Ember (rank 4) and her Free Immaculum of 6 for a total of 19. The Narrator
takes the resistance of the sword. Heliaca's 6 FI, its hardness of 9 and
its weight of 1 for a total of 16. Cleopatra compares her 19, and exceeds
the resistance of the sword by 3. The sword suffers an effect from the fire.
The hardness of an object makes it more or less susceptible to damage. This
modifier is added in conjunction with the weight of the object being targeted,
or in conjunction with the area of effect. An Immortal may want to destroy
a car, which has the hardness of steel and great weight, or he might want
to burn all of the paper in a building, which resists according to the area
of effect and the hardness of the targeted paper. Hardness ranges from 1
(notebook paper) to 15 (diamond) for normal objects, although supernatural
objects or materials such as Conundrum have a hardness of up to 30. Consult
the Hardness Table on pages 191-192 of the Main Rules for the appropriate
hardness of other materials.
The resistance of an object's weight is always applied jointly with it's
hardness. The resistance value is determined by the number of Light Wounds
the object possesses, according to it's weight as found on page 94 of the
Main Rules. For anything over 400 tons (weight resistance 23) add 1 to the
resistance for every additional 100 tons.
The resistance of an area targeted by a Serenade, especially those manipulating
fire, water, weather and temperature, is determined by the following chart:
| Radius Effected | Resistance Modifier |
|---|---|
| Yards: | |
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 5 | 3 |
| 10 | 4 |
| 15 | 5 |
| 25 | 6 |
| 40 | 7 |
| 60 | 8 |
| 100 | 9 |
| 150 | 10 |
| 250 | 11 |
| 400 | 12 |
| 600 | 13 |
| 800 | 14 |
| Miles: | |
| 1 | 15 |
| 2 | 16 |
| 5 | 17 |
| 10 | 18 |
| 15 | 19 |
| 25 | 20 |
| 40 | 21 |
| 60 | 22 |
| 100 | 23 |
| 150 | 24 |
| 250 | 25 |
| 500 | 26 |
| 1000 | 27 |
| 2000 | 28 |
| 4000 | 29 |
| Global | 30 |
If an Immortal uses a Serenade that will cause hostiles in an area (fog is
a good example) the area's resistance gains a bonus applicable to the rank
of hostile that will affect living creatures within the area. The rank of
intended hostile must be stated before the Serenade is played, so the appropriate
bonus can be ascertained. Even if he rolls a higher rank than he designates,
a persona's Serenade is confined to its intended rank. Note: All personas
in the area, friend or foe are affected by the hostiles of such Serenades.
A rank 1 hostile in the area adds a resistance of 3 to the roll, up to a
rank 5 resistance of 15. Note that the area of the effect parameter is added
to the intended hostile parameter to form the overall resistance of an area
being placed under hostiles.
Whenever a zero faces up on a Serenade's attack roll, it is known as a Null.
Nulls represent a wild response from the forces an Immortal is attempting
to harness and has dire consequences for himself.
The first consequence is automatic failure of his Serenade. No resistance
roll is necessary for the target since the Serenade did not properly,
harmonically coalesce.
The second consequence is the creation of Taint when the Ally he is using
attacks his own aura. Each time a Null is rolled during the playing of a
Serenade, one of the Immortal's halo Motes becomes Tainted, unusable. The
darkness in his aura will continue to grow with each failure until eventually
the Immortal is transported into the Vortex of the Blue Air, eventually to
arrive in the Dominions somewhere in the rest of the universe. In essence,
the more Taint acquired in an Immortal's aura, the less resilient, strong,
willful, agile and perceptive he becomes.
System Note: Hierarchy of Motes Tainted: Free Immaculum Motes always Taint
first. Once they are completely filled in, they are followed by the halo
with the highest number of Motes. If the blue halo has the most Motes after
the Free Immaculum is Tainted away, a blue Mote becomes Tainted. If the other
halos contain equal numbers of Motes, the player can randomly chose which
one of his halo Motes is affected.
System Note: Nulls on Secondary hostiles: During a Serenade, a null rolled
on any hostile, PrImary or secondary, results in a single Mote of Taint per
Serenade failed. In other words, if a persona rolls three nulls between his
Primary hostile and secondary ones (such as jeopardy, extended duration,
or voyage) he gathers only one Taint. If he rolls a null on secondary hostiles
but makes his roll on the Primary hostile, he still gains 1 Taint.
System Note: Exceptions To Tainting: The only Serenades which, when nulled,
do not Taint the individual who played them are those played on the self
(generally augmenting an Immortal) or those played within Mantles. These
are the only exceptions. In the case of rolling a null while in a Mantle,
the Taint that would have been applied to the persona is instead applied
to the Tryst of the Mantle. Since Trysts can also die under a burden of Taint,
their guardians severely punish those amateurs who botch their powers, at
the very least expelling them from the Mantle. The only remedy for this crime
is to voluntarily take the Taint on oneself from the Tryst.
System Note: The Crossing: An Immortal fades from the physical plane of the
Habitat after his Free Immaculum has been fully Tainted, when the number
of Tainted Immaculum Motes in his forte exceed the pure ones. It is only
in the six halo colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet) that
the balance is kept. An Immortal never has to worry about being pulled into
the Vortex until his Free Immaculum Motes are completely Tainted.
Once a persona has crossed into the Vortex, his fate is in the hands of the
Narrator. He may linger in the painful spiral of the tangled Nadir, or he
may find himself on a distant alien Dominion where the Stratagem doesn't
exist and the battle for survival in a barbaric world will be the order of
the day.
Chorus
Quite simply, a Chorus is the blending of two or more Attentions into a single
Serenade. This allows an Immortal to create hybrid Serenades that have multiple
effects occurring in the same clash.
System Note: Choruses Choruses are played like any other Serenade, although
a Primary Hostile for each Attention is required for the roll. A Null on
any of the Primary Hostiles indicates a failure of all Attentions in the
Chorus. The span of time a chorus is in effect is always determined by the
lowest duration rank of the Attentions involved.
Echoes
When an Attention is used against a halo other than it's normal intended
target color, it is known as an Echo. An example would be the use of the
Impulse Attention, which normally target's the red halo (the mind and will),
against the green halo (movement) instead. Serenades played in such a way
produce echoing patterns of sound which can cause hostiles to hamper the
efforts of the target.
The type of Attention used as an Echo determines the form the hostile will
take, it's special effect. Player's are encouraged to describe the Echoes
of their personas.
System Note: Echoes The hostiles created by echoes are similar to natural
hostiles, as defined in the Main Rules, and last until overcome. Echoes,
while they can inconvenience their target, also offers them protection against
other forms of Serenades. Any Serenade or Carnal used against the target
of an Echo automatically fails and dispels the Echo. Once the Echo is gone,
it no longer offers protection, and all subsequent Serenades affect the target
normally.
| Halo Targeted |
Hostile Type Created |
|---|---|
| Red | Pain |
| Orange | Held/Grappled |
| Yellow | Cramped |
| Green | Tactical |
| Blue | Visibility |
| Violet | Fatigue |
The following are news items taken from recent Radio Eternity News
broadcasts.
Dateline - Tintagel, Utah
Terrible storms have wracked the Bryce Canyon area for the last week as reports
that the Morrigan have discovered what may be a clue to renegade Juggler
Morgan Le Fey. Morgan, infamous in twilight literature as the evil sister
of Arthur Pendragon, is one of the most wanted criminals in Perpetual Society,
having turned her back on the Stratagem and taught her Pride's secrets and
gifts to a dynasty of Solitaires called the Raven Circle.
Morrigan lighters have been reported as far south as the Grand Canyon, and
a large number of Highbinders and Scourges have been dispatched to the area
to apprehend the renegade and her compatriots.
The town of Tintagel recently disappeared after, what was believed to be
a Tempest, blew through the area. Perpetuals claim to have found evidence
that the famous Juggler and her cohorts were bastioned in the area.
It is uncertain how long the Morrigan will be in the area, but all Solitaires
are warned to steer clear of Northern Arizona, Souther Utah, Colorado and
Nevada for at least the next 30 days.
Dateline - Djakarta, Indonesia
Recent raids on Radio Eternity by members of Pride Arachne have forced operations
to move once again. A number of Radio Eternity staff were taken into custody,
including our beloved Aaron P. , who brought you the Twilight Hour Requests,
an Ingenue help line.
Those who are interested in helping revenge this latest outrage by the Perpetual
Society and rescue our comrade, contact Robin at Canecao, Rio de Janeiro.
Dateline - Nivalea
Darkness swept over the Infinite City durig the last full moon. The cause
has yet to be determined. The lightless period lasted for approximately 3
minutes, during which time a shadow appeared in the skin of the Great Sconce
of Nivalea.
Rumors abound in the city concerning the event. Fear has sparked a number
of riots in the Firefall district near the summit of Mt. Erebus.