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| Artwork by Evlyn Moreau |
Downtime in Zyan is a downtime system for any rpg. Written by Ben Laurence of Through Ultans Door fame, the book uses a PBTA style procedure for downtime activities. Throughout the book are exquisite images of mole-rat men by Evlyn Moreau, many with their junk hanging out (Evlyn has been killing it in all the books they work on, I imagine you know this if your reading this blog, but its good to say anyways).
Quick Review: Overall, I enjoyed everything about this book immensely and have been getting a ton of milage out of it.
More Thoughts: I have been playing using the system for about a year now. PBTA works well when combined with the tables here which, in my experience, regularly generate interesting things for my brain to chew on. The tables are broad and flexible, and bolt onto OSE easy. Bell curves become really easy to apply to things after using the book for a while, and have become a go to tool for in my toolbox.
2d6 with success, fail, and push/mixed results is beautiful. It's painting with averages in five dimensions.
Here's a downtime activity I made, available after joining a religious faction. I'm going to implement it in my next session and see how it goes. I think it will work best if downtime ends the session, and and the activity is used to help focus prep. (More on my campaign structure in a future post linked here if I get to it).
Downtime: Pious Investigation: Order of St Alessandra:
GM Stuff:
St. Alessandra: Usually appears as a silver haired woman (think arthuriana Guinevere style).
Her Actual Form: A metallic Octahedron which moves through solid surfaces like we do through air. Its surfaces pulse in waves of fractal patterns centered on infinitely deep pockets. Framed by a great burning wheel covered in eyes which rotates clockwise at a rate that seems to sync with your heartbeat. Overwhelming, causes high blood pressure and chest pain, vertigo and spotty vision, if witnessed, save or die. Few have seen this form and fewer have survived it.
St. Alessandra is, mostly, that feeling you get while chewing on an idea and are suddenly inspired by it (First heard about that idea referenced in This videoessay, p.s, this is a cool channel if you like horror). St. Alessandra made the text deliberately vague to harness the power of the mortal imagination to rebuild the Silver City the way St. Alessandra remembers it.
Player Stuff:
There is no agreement within the order about what is literal and what is symbolic. Part of the responsibility of members is to grapple with the text and try to discern meaning.
If you (the player) have a theory about something contained within St. Alessandra's visions and would like to investigate, spend a downtime for Spiritual Exercises to study the the text and pray on it.
If you (the player) have a theory about something contained within St. Alessandra's visions and would like to investigate, spend a downtime for Spiritual Exercises to study the the text and pray on it.
Ask a yes or no question about the document OR find a lead on something relating to the story and roll:
2d6+Treasure (Swords, Armor, Weapons, ritually destroyed)
6: An important line
7-9: A shaky lead stemming from the prophecy
10+: A strong lead stemming from the prophecy
Dictated to Grand Cordon Bastalle by the Prophet St. Allesandra
In the beginning was The Auposis (Awe-poe-sis), born by Itself to Itself, in darkness and in glory.
With Its eyes it created The Horizon, which split the void into the Upper and Lower Realms, and upon seeing the first sight, It went to join Its creation.
The Auposis marched, with every step earth filled the void, and with every breath clouds filled the sky. But The Horizon grew no closer and in that moment Sorrow and Solitude, twin serpents, were born
The Auposis wrestled with the Twins, who bit and crushed their creator, before being cast to the earth, where they burrowed and fled into the cold ground.
From the wounds of the Auposis spilled venom and blood, which wet the earth and bore the beasts of the land, who raged and writhed in mud, churning the world into strange and profane shapes.
From the sins of the beasts, were born the Worms, Death and Pain and Pestilence. And the Auposis wept, for the earth was cruel and dark.
From Its cries were born the spirits of the air, who carried their creator to the heavens, where they washed the mud from Its feet, and tended the wounds of Its flesh.
The spirits sang, and from their songs they created a seat of honor for the Auposis in the heavens which shined as fiercely and brightly as the love they felt for their creator.
So grand, and so glorious was the edifice that it cast light upon the earth and drew the eyes the beasts, who lifted their heads from the mud and howled their crude prayers to the sky.
The Angels chose one among the beasts, called Man, and to them was given a sword of light, and a crown of fire that they may rise above their kin, and prove them self worthy of Heaven.
And so Man found purpose, which guarded their soul and made them mighty
In thanks, Man offered up sweet prayers of word and deed, and from these prayers the Angels built a great city of silver around the Throne of Auposis.
Each structure cast its shadow in the light of the Burning Crown, and Man saw these dark impressions, and used their frail materials to create a dull reflection.
Man grew content behind their stone walls, and up in their high tower, and while the beasts of the earth clawed at their foundations, they did not waver or fall
The Worm, Death, came to the tower, and spoke to Man of life and endings
And Man grew afraid of the Worm and its tidings, and the Worm went away, it’s business concluded.
Then the Worm, Pain, came to the tower, and spoke to Man of time and infinity,
And Man grew afraid of the Worm and its tidings, and the Worm went away, it’s business concluded
Finally, the Worm Pestilence came to the tower, and spoke to the man of decay and rebirth
And Man grew afraid of the Worm and its tidings, and the Worm went away, it’s business concluded
Thrice Man became afraid, and Thrice Man begged, for protection from time and decay and endings, and for each want, Man plucked the petal from a rose
And the Angels played their song which shook Heaven, and a golden pillar pierced the tower and from the pillar, roses bloomed.
And the trees clawed their roots through stone and earth and on rivers of time, and devoured mountains, and mountains, and mountains
And Man cursed the trees, and with fire so clear, burned the crumbling mountainside, and painted them self in its ashes, cladding them self in the tears of the earth doused in radiant fire.
6: An important line
7-9: A shaky lead stemming from the prophecy
10+: A strong lead stemming from the prophecy
Alessandra's Visions:
Dictated to Grand Cordon Bastalle by the Prophet St. Allesandra
In the beginning was The Auposis (Awe-poe-sis), born by Itself to Itself, in darkness and in glory.
With Its eyes it created The Horizon, which split the void into the Upper and Lower Realms, and upon seeing the first sight, It went to join Its creation.
The Auposis marched, with every step earth filled the void, and with every breath clouds filled the sky. But The Horizon grew no closer and in that moment Sorrow and Solitude, twin serpents, were born
The Auposis wrestled with the Twins, who bit and crushed their creator, before being cast to the earth, where they burrowed and fled into the cold ground.
From the wounds of the Auposis spilled venom and blood, which wet the earth and bore the beasts of the land, who raged and writhed in mud, churning the world into strange and profane shapes.
From the sins of the beasts, were born the Worms, Death and Pain and Pestilence. And the Auposis wept, for the earth was cruel and dark.
From Its cries were born the spirits of the air, who carried their creator to the heavens, where they washed the mud from Its feet, and tended the wounds of Its flesh.
The spirits sang, and from their songs they created a seat of honor for the Auposis in the heavens which shined as fiercely and brightly as the love they felt for their creator.
So grand, and so glorious was the edifice that it cast light upon the earth and drew the eyes the beasts, who lifted their heads from the mud and howled their crude prayers to the sky.
The Angels chose one among the beasts, called Man, and to them was given a sword of light, and a crown of fire that they may rise above their kin, and prove them self worthy of Heaven.
And so Man found purpose, which guarded their soul and made them mighty
In thanks, Man offered up sweet prayers of word and deed, and from these prayers the Angels built a great city of silver around the Throne of Auposis.
Each structure cast its shadow in the light of the Burning Crown, and Man saw these dark impressions, and used their frail materials to create a dull reflection.
Man grew content behind their stone walls, and up in their high tower, and while the beasts of the earth clawed at their foundations, they did not waver or fall
The Worm, Death, came to the tower, and spoke to Man of life and endings
And Man grew afraid of the Worm and its tidings, and the Worm went away, it’s business concluded.
Then the Worm, Pain, came to the tower, and spoke to Man of time and infinity,
And Man grew afraid of the Worm and its tidings, and the Worm went away, it’s business concluded
Finally, the Worm Pestilence came to the tower, and spoke to the man of decay and rebirth
And Man grew afraid of the Worm and its tidings, and the Worm went away, it’s business concluded
Thrice Man became afraid, and Thrice Man begged, for protection from time and decay and endings, and for each want, Man plucked the petal from a rose
And the Angels played their song which shook Heaven, and a golden pillar pierced the tower and from the pillar, roses bloomed.
And the trees clawed their roots through stone and earth and on rivers of time, and devoured mountains, and mountains, and mountains
And Man cursed the trees, and with fire so clear, burned the crumbling mountainside, and painted them self in its ashes, cladding them self in the tears of the earth doused in radiant fire.
Man shined like golden dawn, but the fire flowed fast, and heavy, and Man grew tired of war
And soon, Man laid down in the roots of the forest and slept. And the wind and the branches of the enemy fed on the foundations of heaven, and the sky fell to the earth.
Theorizing and brainstorming are my favorite hobbiesI hope you get some use out of this
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Here's a picture of an adventurer
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| Too late, a slime has finished its meal, and now it drinks the stone. |
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