Hardunathe Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 03:06:53 -0600 From: "Corinth, aka James T Gleason" To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [TORG:147] Hardunathe v3.0, Part Zero(Overview) Hardunathe is my old AD&D campaign setting adapted to TORG. As an AD&D game, it developed as a specific counter to the literal tempest of munchkin AD&D campaigns I've seen, heard, played, and run over the years. I tried my damndest to put the "medieval" back into "medieval fantasy role-playing". Instead, all I did was succeed in breaking or mutating all the bad AD&D stereotypes. That was over three years ago, and I've not played a sequel to the original campaign yet. (Silly Note: the campaign itself came to be called "A Falk in the Worest" after an innocent joke slung by one of the players.) For better or worse, I no longer desire to do so. I have a number of better RPG systems to use it with, including TORG, so why not adapt it? This is the third version of my fantasy world, and it probably won't be the last. With my penchant for perfectionism, I probably won't stop tinkering with it until it's large enough to be a TORG sourcebook in its own right- complete with accompanying artwork. ;-) (I can just see it now: "Hardunathe- The Sourcebook For Dark Fantasy". Maybe I'll win the lottery too...) The cosm itself will be split into a series of posts, each with a subject line similiar to this one. As much as possible, I'll attempt to mimic the structure of the published cosm sourcebooks. Feel free to discuss them, shoot holes through them, compare them to previous cosms, compare me to JMS (*j/k*), or wonder when I'll finally snap and design Frostbite Falls as a pocket dimension of the Cartoon Cosm- complete with stats for Moose and Squirrel. ;-) [Shameless Plug Alert!] In the meantime, logoff and run- don't walk- to your nearest theater and plop down the dough for a ticket to see _Rumble in the Bronx_! I did, and it was the first time since _Wings of Honneamise_ that I felt *good* about spending seven dollars and over two hours on a movie. Not even _Goldeneye_ was that good, and I'm a dedicated James Bond fan. Date: Tue, 27 Feb 1996 16:48:50 -0600 From: "Corinth, aka James T Gleason" To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [TORG:156] Hardunathe v3.0, Part One(Axioms) The reality of Hardunathe, at it's foundation, is that of a medieval fantasy world. In this respect it is similiar to Aysle and Avalon. However, there are some subtle differences worth noting. Here are those differences as expressed by the cosm's axioms. *Magic: 18 The study and use of magic is an old and established pursuit. Impressed spells are commonplace, magical creatures of great power exist, and powerful workings of lasting or permanant effect are possible. But, the common man cannot make use of it as can his Aylish counterpart. In Hardunathe, becoming a wizard requires that one possess a kind of genetic trait called "the Gift", "the Sight", or "the Mark" depending on just where you came from. If one does not possess this trait, then one can never be a wizard. Though the cosm's magical level is respectable, there are a few places scattered all over the cosm that have a localized axiom boost. These areas are at Magic 20, and it is here that the most incredible of magics are performed: the wish parsers of legend, jealously guarded by those mages and monsters who possess them (and the places they can be safely cast). Magic in Hardunathe was, at one time, not confined to the stodgy robed book-hoarders of Core Earth fiction. There were many magical orders, traditions, and groups. However, due primarily to the Law of Supremacy, they warred ceaselessly amongst themselves for control of the world's magic. While a great many of these groups are gone now, little more than a biography or two in some far-off library, one important thing many of these groups had still exists: the theorem of Community. It is practiced by one of the remaining magical traditions, the Druids of the Southern Lands, who escaped with the last of the Free Kingdom fleet when High Lord Brokenridge completed his conquest of the cosm proper. *Spiritual: 17 Spiritual power, like magical power, has always been present in Hardunathe. In many places in the world, prior to Brokenridge's rise to power, the line between mage and priest blurred due to the use of the Community theorem. (In the Eternal Empire of High Lord Brokenridge, this is not the case.) While many of those remarkable sects and orders are gone, some of their holy sites are not. Sacred groves, springs, and caves are not unknown. These places are known for the ability to grant miracles without the need for a community or priest, such as the Healing Waters of the Winter Spring in northern Hardunathe. Brokenridge has order the priests to seek out these places and bring them to heel, converting them as they would a living heathen. *Social: 15 The first and only nation-state in this cosm is the High Lord's Eternal Empire. Under Brokenridge's rule, this state grew from a bunch of tribes into a brutal, ambitious, aggressive, civilized, militaristic empire. The High Lord sits as both supreme political and religious leader, donning the title of "Divine Emperor". Due to his apparent immortality, the people of the Empire believe him to be a living avatar of their god. Imperial society, while centuries past their tribal beginnings, still shows those roots. Men do the fighting, politicing, run the church, and make up most of the wizards. Women are the backbone of the society. They raise the children, manage the households, and take care of the day-to-day affairs of Imperial life. All men are obligated by law to serve in the military, unless the church or a wizard takes him first, and until very recently most boys born to Imperial women came home from military service in a bronze urn. Due to millenia of experience with necromancy, the Empire (and most of the kingdoms conquered by it) practices cremation of the dead instead of burying corpses in the ground. At this time, Brokenridge has limited knowledge of gospog. He has brought up the issue with his senior advisors, but they have yet to come to a decision on what do yet. *Technological: 13 Hardunathe is a mature Tech 13 cosm. The Empire has mastered the art of steel, making high-quality swords and armor for their legions of soldiers. In addition, through the use of magic and magical metals, it is possible to build cybernetic-style prostetics. However, most of the knowledge of this unique art of magical artiface was lost in the final battles with the last Free Kingdom. Only one known artifact exist, and Brokenridge wears it. The leader of the Eternal Empire wants to recover this knowledge, for he believes that this could give him a very fine edge over future opponents. Date: Thu, 29 Feb 1996 04:41:36 -0600 From: "Corinth, aka James T Gleason" To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [TORG:183] Hardunathe v3.0, Part Two(World Laws) "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." - Anonymous Hardunathe is best summarized as a dark fantasy reality. The laws of this cosm serve to reinforce the brutal, violent, and often confrontational approach to life that dominates here. *The Law of Competance: This law eliminates all incompetant NPCs. It is assumed that they died as a result of their ineptitude or quickly found another way to support themselves, whatever that may be. This law punishes unskilled use, making failure a real bitch, and encourages focusing attention on honing the skills central to one's vocation. 1) Character Generation: All Hardunaic templates aren't as flexible in initial skill distribution as those from other cosms. Like martial artists, each template has somewhere between two and five skills that *must* be bought. If a player spends the minimum one add, this requirement is fulfilled. However, a player who spends two adds on all required skills may do one of two things. The first option is to spend the remaining adds as normal; the second is to take the remaining adds and make them into attribute points at a ratio of two-to-one (round down) up to the limit values. 2) Character Development: All Hardunaic templates recieve a point break for their tag skill and the required skills. The cost is based on the *existing* number of skill adds, not the level being reached. In addition, the attribute the tag skill is based upon recieves a point break of 25% up to the limit values. That attribute may be bought *above* the limit; the first level is at standard cost and each level above the first is calculated at 3.25x instead of 3x. 3) Unskilled Attempts: Using a skill a character has no adds in is harder to use. Ords can't have reroll at all, and P-rated folks can't get a bonus number higher than the governing attribute w/o multiple dice rolls. Failure is also harsh; failing automatically Stymies the poor soul, and a disastrous failure causes an automatic Setback. Truly epic failures are a GM's Call. *The Law of Supremacy: This law combines elements of the Tharkoldu Laws of Ferocity and Domination, but doesn't quite go to the same extremes that these two awesome laws reach. The effect of this law is to make tolerance an almost foreign concept, as there can be only one way of doing anything. In effect, this is a scaled-down version of the Everlaw of One that affects culture, politics, history, and all things internal to the cosm rather than the cosm itself. 1) Conflicts: Unlike the Law of Ferocity, one need not be in a literal combat to be affected. Two philosophers debating a point is just as valid a conflict as two warriors fighting a duel so far as this law is concerned. All that is required is that there be two or more opposing sides and a clear object of immediate contention. A party in the conflict recieves an automatic Roll Again when they successful attempt to damage their foes. This is defined below on the chart. *Combat: Positive result points on non-physical Approved Actions; getting a K, O, K/O, KO, or Knockdown result; putting down a foe by wounds or shock. *Social: Positive result points on Taunts, Charms, and Persuasion rolls in an oppossed contest of skills. If the foe is making unskilled attempts he suffers from the Law of Competance as well. In addition, the concept of the duel is *very* well regarded in Hardunathe. This is an encouraged outlet, and is not limited to just swordsmen. Debates are also called "Theory Duels", and are far more confrontational than on Core Earth. This is handled like a Martial Arts duel, with this bonus: a character who succeeds at an Approved Action draws *two* cards, three if it was a Glorius result, in addition to the normal effects described above. Unlike the Law of Ferocity, characters recieve no bonuses to their skills or attributes. Neither are they penalized in non-combat social interactions nor do they recieve surprise bonuses. 2) Sovereignty: There can be only one ruler, one god, one magical practice, one way of doing things, etc. While the question of how is dealt with above, this subclause dictates that it *must* be done! There can be no compromise, no tolerance, and no quarter given or taken. This is the reason for the myriads of wars, great and small, that happen throughout the history of this cosm until the unification-by-conquest of Brokenridge and his Eternal Empire just recently. Because of the power granted by the Law of Resonance and honed by the Law of Competance, this compells those individuals to seek one another out and war upon each other. It's a partial check on their numbers, a check that is now due for a new day with the ascension of Divine Emperor Brokenridge I. *The Law of Resonance: The people of this cosm believe in the Divine Right of Kings. This law is the source of that belief. This isn't so much a morality law as it is a karmic law. Being evil isn't going to punish a character any more than being good will reward him. What matters is how much power a character wields and literally *how* he wields it. The reason for the belief of the Divine Right is because a ruler is mystically tied to his land. Over time, he and the land change in look and feel until that king becomes the living personification of his land. Rulers, being the supreme people of their holdings, wield great power and in return they are shaped by it. In practical terms the definition of "power-wielder" includes the following: kings/rulers, mystics (priest or mage), and everyone who is P-rated. If any one of them applies, they have a special psuedo-skill (like Aylish Honor and Corruption) called "Resonance" based off Spirit. The initial adds depend upon how many of those categories apply, and they can apply more than once. (Yes, this means that a P-rated wizard- priest who's also a king would have at least six adds.) Foreign characters entering Hardunaic reality automatically gain this skill at the appropriate number of adds and immediately suffer the effects. A character checks for Resonance whenever the following occurs: 1) He conquers a realm and/or becomes a ruler. 2) He has a Glory result. 3) He invents a new spell/miracle/theorem. 4) He slays someone with equal or higher Resonance. 5) He acquires a higher title, such as being knighted. 6) He gains his first add in Focus or a magic skill. 7) He gains an add in Reality, but only after transcending or transforming to Hardunaic reality. Even if he doesn't possess any adds, the character checks anyway. While this is an unskilled attempt, it is the *only* attempt exempt from the Law of Competance. He rolls against his current Resonance skill value. If he succeeds, check the result points against the General Results Table. Under most conditions, he only gains one add. If he rolls a Spectacular or better result then he gains two adds. (No cards, Possibilities, or other rerolls/modifiers may be used save the standard ones for 10 and 20.) If the character is an Ord, then he gains the Resonance skill at +1 add because of transcendance and has a number of Possibilities equal to half his Spirit. As one's Resonance grows, so does the power granted to him. Consult the table below for the benifits granted. +1: Able to use Resonance Detection. +3: May Roll Again once per adventure. +5: May use Seize Initiative once per adventure. +7: May invoke Second Chance once per adventure. +9: May Inspire oneself once per adventure. +12: May invoke Opponent Fails " " ". +15: May Rally himself and his allies " " ". *Resonance Detection works identically to the Inclination Detection of the Nile Empire. As one's Resonance grows, so does the effects it has upon the body. This is the only instance where good and evil factors in, as it changes ones appearance as if one had either Honor or Corruption at half the skill adds (round down). In addition, the people of the cosm look to Resonance-endowed character for leadership and guidance. Remember that most of those who have this skill do so because their are rulers or subordinates thereof. Enforce the obligations they incurred. Resonance also affects the lands they rule and/or dwell within, having similiar effects, until (if the character stays in one place long enough) he epitomizes his homeland. This accounts for the dark look and feel to the cosm as a whole, for Brokenridge now rules it all! Date: Tue, 5 Mar 1996 01:24:06 -0600 From: "Corinth, aka James T Gleason" To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [TORG:232] Hardunathe v3.0, Part Three(High Lord) "Hey, hey, hey- clear the way! There's no escape from my authority. - I tell you- I am the one, the only one; I am the god of kingdom come. Gimme the prize- just gimme the prize!" - Queen, "Gimme The Prize" "Unification. Conquest. They both mean the same thing." - Beld, "Record of Lodoss War" * * * * * * * * * * The High Lord of Hardunathe- Divine Emperor Brokenridge I Strength: 17 Climbing-27, Lifting-27 Dexterity: 19 Beast Riding-40, Dodge-35, Heavy Weapons-30, Long Jumping-29, Manuever-45, Melee Weapons-50, Missle Weapons-35, Running-29, Stealth-35, Swimming-30, Unarmed Combat-45 Toughness: 18 Perception: 20 Find-30, First Aid-30, Language-35, Scholar (Politics)-45, Scholar (Strategy)-45, Scholar (Tactics)-45, Scholar (Hardunathe)-50, Trick- 35, Water Vehicles-30. Mind: 20 Artist (Writing)-40, Survival-35, Test-40, Willpower-40. Charisma: 20 Charm-40, Persuasion-40, Taunt-40. Spirit: 22 Reality (Hardunathe)-42, Faith (HotASE)-32, Intimidation-42. Possibilities: 60 (more if he tapped his Darkness Device recently), plus those in his eternity shard. Equipment: Enchanted black plate mail (+10/28; no fatigue), Dolmaya- the Demon Sword (bastard sword: +9/26 1-hnd./+12/29 2-hnd.), a coal-black destrier warhorse w/ saddle and gear, black plate barding (+7 to horse's TOU), the prostetic hand of Lord Cedric Cammthril (an eternity shard), a golden crown, a signet ring. History: The orc known as Divine Emperor Brokenridge I began his life as the son of a tribal chieftain over 700 years ago. At that time, the orcs of Hardunathe were a scattered group of tribes fighting amongst each other in the wake of the Second War of Extinction. His father ruled a small tribe, the Blood-Eyes, known for cunning and deceptive tactics. He was the second of five sons, so his father groomed him not as a leader of orcs, but as a battle-captain. He took well to this education, and expressed his superior intelligence at an early age. He went on his first raid at the age of 10, and led one at 13. By the time of his wife-taking, at 16, he was a full-blooded member of the tribe and the favorite of many members both for his fighting prowess and for his tactical expertise. Surprisingly, he had no ambitions for anything other than faithfully serving his father and elder brother. He had his dreams of grand conquest, of restoring the orc race to great stature and finishing the damned elves and dwarves once and for all time, but he knew them to be simple dreams- unless and until he could find a way to conquer his own people first. Until that occurred, he would content himself by being the right-hand orc of the chieftain. In a cavern far away from the tribe's holdings, a shimmering black sword felt the frustration of the young orc prodigy. It knew that this youth was the true master it required. This sword was the Demon Sword, wielded by the leaders of the last two Extinction Wars who dared to oppose the imperialist elf-dwarf alliance, that Brokenridge learned of in the oral tradition of his people. It's name was "Dolmaya", meaning "Dark Spirit" in the elf tongue, and it called out to him. Brokenridge took a band of his fellows and rode out to raid a neighboring tribe for their young women. On the return trip, he subconciously led the raiding party and their captives to the cavern. Slaying the firelizard (a kind of wingless dragon) that took up residence since the original occupant left and died in the last war, they took the meager remains of the loot and camped for the night. It was here that Brokenridge "found" Dolmaya. The sword revealed itself to its new High Lord, showing the young warlord the past two Extinction Wars and the ill-fated predecesors who went before him. High Lord and Darkness Device attuned to each other, and the next morning saw the victorious raider ride into camp with his prizes. His brother, now chieftain, demanded that Brokenridge surrender Dolmaya to him. He beheaded his brother in reply and took his place, and thus began the rise of Brokenridge from battle-captain to Divine Emperor. The next century is the time refered to in scholarly texts as "The Unification". Brokenridge fought and conquered tribe after tribe, killing those who opposed him and absorbing the survivors. It was during this period that the orcs evolved from a tribal to an early feudal society. Brokenridge was crowned "King of Uruknor", parcelled the orc homeland to his trusted lieutenants and enobled them as warlords. They, in turn, gave land to old thanes who were past their prime. With the backing of the newly-formed Order of the All-Seeing Eye, these rulers were given the approval of their god and became tied to their lands. On his 125th birthday, King Brokenridge began the first of his invasions. This period, called "The Northern Wars", marked the first conflict with a human kingdom. They lasted a combined total of 75 years, and ended with Brokenridge establishing dominion over the conquered realms. He expanded the nobility to include the new domains, and raised himself to the status of High King with the coronation of his son Saltha as King of Sturlund, and his own cornornation as High King of the Orc People. The rest of the cosm didn't fail to notice the wholesale warfare, so the refugees appealed to the High Kings of the Elf Nation and the Dwarf Realm. They agreed, especially once they learned Dolmaya had resurfaced, and gathered their armies to march upon Brokenridge. This marked the beginning, formally, of the Third/Final War of Extinction. The 500 years since then can be split into four periods. The first was a time, about 50 years, of orc setbacks. This ended when Brokenridge got innovative with his warfare and (independantly) developed many of the same ideas that Core Earth's Sun Tzu did. This is also when he wrote down his thoughts on personal combat and tactics, which is now widely read and studied ala _The Book of Five Rings_ and _The Tao of Jeet Kune Do_ in Imperial schools. He recovered all the lost territory and conquered the Dwarf Realm. This second period, also lasting about 50 years, was the last period of all-out warfare between the powers for some time. With both sides exhausted, they scaled-back to border wars and covert actions. This period lasted 100 years, and introduced the High Lord to P-raiding. Brokenridge observed that he needed his armies to be on a constant level of readiness, and simple training and rotation was not enough for this need. Dolmaya helped its High Lord to make use of maelstrom bridges and stelae, singled out a simple cosm, and Brokenridge made his first P-raid. This cosm, recorded as "Simia" due to the predominant life-form (monkeys, gorillas, etc.) fell within a decade to the might of the High Kingdom, even after accounting for the many mistakes made by Brokenridge and his men. Brokenridge, remarking at the increase of Resonating thanes due to this most unusual war, rotated most of the veterans of this campaign to the front made two more raids. (The victims were Trogland, a cosm where trogladytes became the dominant race, and Giantland- what Core Earthers would call the "Primal Rage" cosm.) The overall increase in Resonating orc warriors was slim (maybe 5%), but the influx of P-energy was a godsend. The next 350 years, to the foes of Brokenridge, seemed as if his orc armies were an avalanche and they were the poor fools in the path. One dominion after another fell, again and again, until a single kingdom remained. This was the Kingdom of Hardunathe (for which this cosm is currently named), and by then Brokenridge had further refined his state into a nation-state (the Empire) with himself at the head. With the entirety of the cosm's free peoples compressed into an area about one-third of the U.S. (as oppossed to a land mass the size of Panagea), this proved to be a tough nut to crack. Victory came in the form of the Great Red Wyrm, Khirmalla (pronounced KEER-mah-lah), the oldest known dragon in the cosm. Securing its power with the help of Dolmaya, Brokenridge rode the titanic beast into battle. Within a year of its arrival, the last Free Kingdom was gone. The few survivors fled by ship away from the continent to someplace unknown. (This could be another cosm, a pocket dimension, or both.) In the few decades between the completion of his conquest and the beginning of the P-Wars, he consolidates his power throughout the cosm and makes a sucessful raid upon the cosm of Redland (similar to the Mars of E.R. Burroughs' _John Carter of Mars_ series). After returning from this raid, he discovered both a Kanawa spy in his court back in Uruknor and the existance of Core Earth. He decided not to invade, but rather to send his scouts into Core Earth to explore and assess the situation. (A total of 100 orcs, split into 20 teams of five, were sent. Since the start of the wars, 25 of them were killed in action and another 25 are missing.) He hasn't decided to invade or not yet, as he's quite wary of his fellow High Lords. Goals and Ambitions: 1) Make a Decision About Invasion: Brokenridge must make a firm decision about whether or not to invade Core Earth. If he decides to spare Core Earth, he might invade one of the High Lord's cosms instead. (Takta Ker looks inviting to him, as does Marketplace.) 2) Keep His Cosm a Secret: He has ordered his scouts to claim they are from Aysle, or Avalon if an Aylish character is present. He knows that his existance, if revealed, would force his hand and wishes to prevent that. (That Kanawa spy didn't return to report his findings.) 3) Explore Core Earth: More than any other cosm encounted, this one intrigues and facisnates him. While he hasn't personally travelled to the warzone of the P-wars, he has studied the field reports intently and finds the richness of diversity both shocking and threatening. Not since he was a child has Brokenridge been so taken with something new. 4) Assess His Sitaution: This is a catch-all for everything else, covering something simple like finding some time for his latest mistress all the way up to decide what he wants to do now that he's attained his dream of world-conquest. The Darkness Device, Dolmaya: Strength: 0 Dexterity: 0 Toughness: 200 Perception: 20 Mind: 40 Charisma: 25 Spirit: 40 Possibilities: At any given time, several thousand. Powers: All listed in the Torg rulebook, and in addition it can absorb P-energy from those it slays in combat. (Simply put, if it kills a "living" being it absorbs the P-energy and devours the soul.) It can also detect, with a red glow, those people (SKs) and things (Shards) aligned to Aperios within 15 miles. (The sole exception is the HLs metal hand.) Date: Wed, 6 Mar 1996 04:55:46 -0600 Errors-To: torg-owner@buddha.intecom.com Reply-To: torg@buddha.intecom.com Originator: torg@buddha.intecom.com Sender: torg@buddha.intecom.com Precedence: bulk From: "Corinth, aka James T Gleason" To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [TORG:252] Hardunathe v3.0, Part Four(Mechanics and Miscellania) X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Comment: The Torg Mailing List "'Couldn't you think of some really snazzy quote for this? 'Nope. My selection isn't that big, and I didn't feel like making one up. I'll fix it in the next version." - Corinth & Friends, "Talkin' 'Bout Hardunathe" * * * * * * * * * * Character Creation To be a cosm native of Hardunathe is to be an orc, most of the time. Humans, elves, dwarves, and other fantastic races exist in small numbers here and there. These are often used in slave-level capacities, with the elves and dwarves often kept as specialist slaves much like Race slave scientists in Tharkold. Those who are free are granted legal Imperial citizenship and may make his way in the Empire like any orc can. Those who are taken by a magical order automatically gain citizenship (lest the wizards come down and blast you to pieces), and the clerics are often given the same consideration. Orcs have limit values of 13 on their attributes, just like humans do in Core Earth. Elves and dwarves have identical values to their Aylish counterparts. All beginning characters have the normal 16 skill points and 10 Possibilities. In addition they begin with +1 add in Resonance free of charge. Those who begin the game as magic users have the normal 12 points to by AKs and spells. As mentioned under the LoCompetance, the spending of initial skill points is restricted. Each template, examples of which will be posted later, have two to five required skills which *must* be bought. At least one skill add have to be allocated to each skill. The rest may be spent normally, with the exception of Resonance. One additional add of Resonance may be bought. This costs two adds *AND* one Possibility. This usually represents a noble title gained before play, such as knighthood, or becoming a mystic (cleric/mage). Wizards and "The Gift" Unlike Aysle, the ability to use magic is limited to those who possess an inheirited trait. In Core Earth terms, this is a (very) recessive genetic trait and often sex-linked to the mother. If one does not possess this gift, one can *never* use magic (i.e. gain an add in a magic skill). This results in wizards being both rare and powerful, despite the high Magic axiom, leading (in concert with the LoSupremacy) to many secretive magical orders who exert political power far in excess of their numbers. (Who wants to mess with demon-summoning power-mongers, especially when you can't defend against their magics?) A PC Hardunaic wizard must, at character creation, spend five skill adds and five Possibilities to become a wizard. Three of those adds goes towards the tag skill, which *must* be a magic skill, while the remaining two go towards raising the initial Resonance adds to +2. Two of the five spent Possibilities go towards the Resonance add, while the other three are spent on the Gift itself. There is no adventure cost to being a mage. Yes, this means that only P-rated folks become wizards. The Clergy of the Imperial Church of He of the All-Seeing Eye A PC Hardunaic cleric is slightly better off. He spends a total of five skill adds (two on Resonance, three on Faith(HotASE)) and two Possibilities (Resonance add). In addition, he is required to put one add in Focus and one in Scholar(HotASE). Since his miracles are not magic _per se_, he does not require The Gift. New Skills (Sort Of...) *Scholar (Order of Luingul): This subset of the Scholar skill covers the history, traditions, and laws of the dominant magical tradition in the Empire- the Grand Order of the Brotherhood of Luigul (pro: LOO-in-ghoul). It is a required skill in the (yet to be posted) example wizard template. An example of this skill would be answering a question like "Why do all your members were royal blue robes?" ("It is in honor of our founder, the blue-clad elf for whom we are named and from whom our magic decends.") *Scholar (HotASE): This skill covers the rituals, teachings, dogma, and practices of the Imperial Church. It is a required skill of the example cleric template. *Magical Artiface: This currently-lost skill covers the gap between the Magic and Tech axioms, allowing for rare and unique creations such as Brokenridge's prostetic hand. This skill, because of its need for magic, can only be used by a P-rated character and is contradictory outside of Hardunathe. It's based off Mind. No NPCs in Hardunathe have this skill, but certain enslaved survivors have told their Imperial masters that the knowledge lives on with those who escaped and fled the cosm proper.