PREVIEW: The Rite of the Engraved Heart
over 4 years ago – Sun, Nov 17, 2019 at 03:21:50 PM

Arise, backers!

Let's learn more about Mummy today! I've got some fun bits for your listening ears (a podcast!), and a fun bit for your reading eyes (a preview!).

THE ONYXPATHCAST - DEEP DIVE INTO MUMMY

The OnyxPathCast is a weekly podcast featuring the terrific trio of lead developers from Onyx Path. In the most recent episode, Eddy, Dixie, and Matthew talk about the upcoming second edition of the Chronicle of Darkness game Mummy: The Curse.

Give it a listen when you have a moment: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-byzec-c62895

And, add it to your weekly subscription list, if you have one. There's always new and exciting information shared in these podcasts, and they're a fun and funny group!

LET'S HIT A STRETCH GOAL

Before I get to today's preview of The Rite of the Engraved Heart, let me repeat my regular refrain: please share your excitement and enthusiasm for this campaign, and invite others to join our cult... I mean, backer community! We're getting so so close to hitting our next Stretch Goal, which launches the first supplement for this game (The Book of Lasting Death) and adds more options and content (new playable minor guilds!). All backers receiving the Mummy: The Curse Second Edition PDF will automatically have The Book of Lasting Death PDF added to their rewards list if we achieve this goal. Getting more backers participating in this project is a great way to add to the reward list for current AND future backers!

At $50,000 in funding  – NEW SUPPLEMENT: The Book of Lasting Death PDF - Ab. Onyx Path will create a Player’s Guide to Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition called the Book of Lasting Death, with rules and information on playable minor guilds. All backers receiving the Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition PDF as part of their pledge level will automatically have the Book of Lasting Death PDF added to their rewards list.

And now, to today's preview, which is just a small taste of what's coming for backers on Tuesday, when we share our next kickstarter preview manuscript section.

The Rite of the Engraved Heart

The exact methods of the Rite of the Engraved Heart differ between guilds, but each requires an exchange between the mummy and their intended Sadikh. This exchange has to be something of true worth, such as each participant’s true name, the sacrifice of a loved one, or a permanent self-mutilation. The mummy must then cut open their target, and inscribes their eternal name on the Sadikh’s heart. The chest wound magically heals itself shut, but leaves a scar symbolizing the mummy, their guild, or their Judge.

The Rite of the Engraved Heart

• Action: Instant action. The mummy must have made the exchange of value and cut open their target. The mummy’s player removes a permanent Willpower dot from their character’s sheet. The target’s player adds a permanent Willpower dot to their character’s sheet.

• Cost: 1 permanent dot of Willpower.

• Memory Loss: Reflexive action. The act of creating a Sadikh offends the Judges, causing any mummies of Memory 6 or higher to roll their Memory rating as a Breaking Point, to determine if their Memory decreases by a dot.

• Only One: A mummy may only have one Sadikh at a time. That Sadikh does not age. The Sadikh falls and rises in linear time, which means a mummy can create another Sadikh at a point in time before their last Sadikh was made, or long after their last one was destroyed.

• Rise and Fall: Sadikh stay awake for a number of chapters equal to their permanent Willpower, following the mummy’s Descent to henet. If they wish to stay awake beyond this, they must succeed at a Resolve + Composure roll each scene, at −1 die for the next scene, the −1 growing to −2, −3, etc. for each subsequent scene, until the Sadikh’s player only rolls one die to remain awake. The Sadikh rises as the mummy does so.

• His Master’s Will: Sadikh possess a telepathic bond with their mummy master and may broadcast their location and immediate feelings, such as danger, joy, excitement, etc. with no roll. The mummy can do the same in return. Via this telepathic bond, the mummy has power over the Sadikh’s will. With the expenditure of a Willpower point, the Arisen can prevent the Sadikh from overly countermanding any of his master’s efforts or wishes, with discreet actions against the mummy acting at a −2 dice modifier.

• Resilient Body: Sadikh convert all damage to bashing damage, except for magical / supernatural attacks, which are treated as lethal. They do not die when their Health track is filled with lethal damage, instead falling into a repose and waking when the mummy next wakes. If further damage is inflicted to the sleeping Sadikh, or their Health track fills with aggravated damage, they die and leave no ghost, as their soul becomes Sekhem and their body becomes a vestige. If this vestige is drained, the Sadikh is gone for good. If the mummy wishes to resurrect a fallen Sadikh, they must spend a permanent Willpower dot, which causes the Sadikh to form from Sekhem. This Willpower dot does not get added to the Sadikh’s character sheet. The reformed Sadikh bears scars from the wounds that killed him, but no damage to his Health.

• Blessed Memorial: Once per story, when a mummy attempts to recall a point in history during which their Sadikh was present, the mummy can call on the Sadikh’s true name and gain +2 dice to their remembering. This benefit also applies if the mummy is at a Breaking Point and at risk of losing Memory, conveying the +2 dice to their Memory roll.

• Entwined Fates: Sadikh possess a Sekhem rating equal to half of their master’s current total, rounded up, for the purposes of resisting in a Clash of Wills (see p. XX). This resistance is rendered inert against the Sadikh’s Arisen master.

• Sybaris Immunity: The Sadikh is immune to all Sybaris Conditions.

• Power Channeling: Once per scene, a Sadikh may use any one of his master’s Affinities, or one of his master’s Utterances, providing he has seen the Utterance used. Pillar and Willpower costs for use of these powers are paid by the Arisen, though any dice pools except for Pillar ratings are made up from the Sadikh’s Traits. Pillar ratings are derived from the mummy’s character sheet.

• Devoted Heart: A Sadikh whose master has a Pillar rating of Ab 5 gains +2 dice to resist or overpower a character who attempts to sway the immortal servant from his master. The Sadikh may give his master any Willpower he recovers from fulfilling his Virtue or Vice, instead of gaining the benefit himself.

• Loyal Soul: A Sadikh whose master has a Pillar rating of Ba 5 incurs no penalties when blinded or in darkness. The Sadikh conveys a +2 dice modifier to his master’s initiative rolls when they’re together, as the immortal servant acts as the mummy’s eyes and ears.

• Perfected Body: A Sadikh whose master has a Pillar rating of Ka 5 may exchange up to 4 bashing wounds or 2 lethal wounds to or from his master, with permission from the mummy, as a Reflexive action. The Sadikh cannot accept further wounds if he has any aggravated wounds. This power is effective irrespective of distance but the two must occupy the same space in time.

• Reverent Name: A Sadikh whose master has a Pillar rating of Ren 5 shares a true telepathic bond with his master and can mentally communicate in whole sentences with the mummy after speaking the Arisen’s name. The Sadikh cannot communicate in this way if he has suffered any aggravated wounds. This power is effective irrespective of distance but the two must occupy the same space in time.

• Shadowed Hand: A Sadikh whose master has a Pillar rating of Sheut 5 gains +2 dice on all Stealth and Larceny rolls, and for the cost of one Willpower point can magically shift the appearance of his face as a Reflexive action. This shift cannot imitate another person, but makes the Sadikh appear distinctly different from before. The shift remains in place until the Sadikh wills it to end. Multiple facial shifts prevent reversion to anything but the most recent facial appearance.

#Mummy2e

#MummyTheCurse

#RiteOfTheEngravedHeart

BELOVED SERVANTS part 4
over 4 years ago – Sat, Nov 16, 2019 at 10:52:26 AM

BELOVED SERVANTS

Tristian looked up at the skyscraper, shaking his head. “Robbing a corporate headquarters in broad daylight. You people are my kind of crazy.”

“It’s the only way we can get to the relic,” Farah said. “If Pert-en-hat’s visions are right, it’s in Mr. Collins’ personal safe, and we need him to open it up before you move in.”

“Right.” He looked over the building’s blueprints. “I’ve gotta say, this is a way better deal than what I thought we were going to get when we robbed his tomb. I could get used to this.”

“He recruited you,” Farah said, “because he saw potential. If it had been any other tomb, you and your friends would not be alive right now. Remember that, before you get too comfortable.” She waved over a woman to join them.

“This is Emma,” she said. “She’s the eldest of us. She’ll be heading in for an interview with Mr. Collins. Once she gets him to open the safe, she’ll signal your team over the radio.”

“Good to meet you, Emma.” Tristian took her in, low-cut dress and all. “You know, for the oldest member, you don’t look a day over 22.”

Emma smiled. “Thanks, but she was 26 when I stole her body.” She winked at him and walked into the building.

He laughed. “She’s kidding, right? Right?”

Farah pulled out a jar of red liquid from her jacket and drew a sigil into the ground.

#MummyTheCurse

Preview: CULTS
over 4 years ago – Fri, Nov 15, 2019 at 12:33:59 PM

Arise, backers!

It is I, James, your devoted servant!

Like Shifting Sands, let's talk Target Numbers

As I noted yesterday, there is still a process of review and development that these rules are going through. You're seeing a pretty complete draft, but there are still many steps to the final release. It's great to preview the material, so that you know what you're getting with this project, and so that the developers and writers can see how it's received.

Matthew has been in touch to say he's been reviewing backer feedback closely, and wants to address the sticky subject of shifting target numbers. This rule feature existed in Mummy 1e originally, and after discussion between he and Chris Allen, one of the authors of Mummy 2e, they decided to re-implement it in this edition to reflect mummy abilities affecting fate, probability, and whatnot. They have however reviewed the feedback received so far, and agree that it would be best to bring Advanced Actions forward from Werewolf 2e (paired with a new system called Blighted Actions) to reflect the same without the target number issue. What's more, this should free up word count, so that's now the plan! Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

CULTS

Cults are an extension of the Arisen, just as the Arisen are an extension of their Judge. They are the mummy’s eyes, ears, and fists, even when she lies in henet.

A mummy always rules a cult, but their relationship is more symbiotic than the name implies. Cults provide mummies protection, access to the current era’s sources of power, and the languages and etiquettes necessary to adapt to changing times. In return, mummies provide wealth, power and purpose that exists well beyond a cultist’s lifetime.

Cult Traits

Cults are organizations of individuals called to serve a mummy and their agenda. They operate not only as individual characters, but as a unified force providing mummies with knowledge and access. Cults are represented with game terms, just like a character.

Attributes

Cults don’t use the Attributes individual characters use. Instead, they use two Attributes: Reach and Grasp. These Attributes provide a highly abstracted summary of the cult’s qualities and how it prefers to act, no matter what era the game is currently set.

Reach measures a cult’s presence and spread. Cults with low Reach prefer to stay in one city or region, and cults with high Reach have agents all over the world, and perhaps even beyond. Reach is used to take legal or socially acceptable actions. These include business acquisitions, access to private events and politically important figures, and expedited means of travel.

Grasp measures a cult’s ruthlessness. Cults with low Grasp are hesitant to do a mummy’s dirty work, and cults with high Grasp will do whatever it takes to achieve their master’s will, laws and morals be damned. Grasp is used for illegal or socially unacceptable actions. These include falsely incriminating someone, acquiring a contraband trade route, or committing an act of mass violence.

Cult Attributes

• Rating: Attributes are rated from 1-5 dots. Cults with high Dominance may have Attributes rated at 6 or more dots.

• Use in Actions: Most cult actions use Attribute + Dominance as their dice pool.

Merits

Merits represent the collective abilities of the cult. They aren’t a generalized statement of the capabilities of every single member. A cult with four dots in Status (Federal Government) doesn’t solely consist of members a mere heartbeat away from the president’s ear but may instead represent a powerful political front group, or a very influential politician who pays the cult tribute.

Every cult provides the Scorpion Cult Initiation Merit in exchange for membership.

Cult Merits

• Rating: Merits are rated from 1-5 dots.

• Not a Cult Action: Using a Merit is not a cult action, and not subject to the limitations of cult actions.

• Dice Pool: Merits with the Cult tag have an entry denoting what dice pool, if any, to roll.

Doctrines

Doctrines are the goals, ideals, and orders that define the cult’s identity. Acting in accordance with a cult’s Doctrine grants them Cult Beats, which allows players to further entrench their power into the world.

Their power has a price. Even the most compartmentalized Conspiracy must hold to their Doctrine, especially ones that a Judge directly grants. They are difficult to change without ceding power. Breaking them leads to mistrust and distress in a cult and breaking a Judge’s Doctrine can lead to the presence of emanations and avatars.

Doctrines

• Pillars of Faith: Cults have three Doctrines. Two are phrased as active tenants of the cult’s faith. One is a Judge’s goal or agenda.

• Cult Beats: At the end of the chapter, for every Doctrine the cult has advanced or actively lived by, the cult takes a Cult Beat. The entire group decides whether the cult has advanced its Doctrines.

• Redefining Doctrines: The cult may sacrifice a dot of Dominance to re-write one of their Doctrines, or to select another Judge Doctrine. Doctrines may be redefined in the wake of a mutiny.

• Broken Doctrines: If a cult action, a player’s character, or a Storyteller character with Scorpion Cult Initiation •••+ openly violates one or more Doctrines, the cult gains the Shaken Faith condition.

• Wrath of the Judges: Violating a Judge’s Doctrine is always a trigger for a Judge’s manifestation, even if the rest of the cult is unaware of the violation.

Virtue and Vice

Virtues and Vices are how a cult acts when it lives out its Doctrines. A cult’s Virtue represents its best quality, or what drives it to pursue its goals. A cult’s Vice represents its worst quality, or indulgences that hold it back from fulfilling its orders.

Virtue and Vice

• Virtue: Fulfill Virtue: All participating cultists regain all Willpower, twice per Chapter.

• Vice: Fulfill Vice: All participating cultists regain 1 Willpower, once per Scene.

Fidelity

Instead of Health, a cult has Fidelity, calculated by adding 5 + Lowest of Reach or Grasp. This measures a cult’s loyalty, morale, and overall well-being. Damaged Fidelity represents cultists losing faith, questioning the truth behind its Doctrines, or being too injured to serve.

#Mummy2e

#MummyTheCurse

#JoinTheCult

Creating Characters & Utterance Updates
over 4 years ago – Thu, Nov 14, 2019 at 09:53:52 AM

Arise, backers!

It's me, your devoted servant and kickstarter concierge.

On Tuesday, we shared the latest draft of Chapter 3 of the manuscript with our kickstarter backers. For those wondering, Chapter 3 is all about "Creating a Mummy, and presents character creation in a simple, step-by-step fashion, with an example to follow along. It also presents the game’s Affinities and Utterances, being the godlike powers at a mummy’s disposal."

I love the example on how to create characters included right in the book. But, if you want EVEN MORE examples of character creation in Mummy: The Curse Second Edition, I've got an awesome video podcast for you to check out!

Red Moon Roleplaying have recorded a special Mummy: The Curse Second Edition session, in which Storyteller Matthew Dawkins takes players Craig, John Burke, and Bianca Savazzi, through the character creation process, where a mummy, an immortal, and a mortal are created.

You can download your backer kickstarter manuscript preview and listen along!

And, Speaking of Listening...

If you look at the project track on the Onyx Path Monday Meeting Notes posts, you'll see several slots for manuscript drafts and revisions, as well as slots for editing and development (and even post-editing development!) These games go through a lot of revisions and fine-tuning as they work to their final stage and end release.

One of the great things about running these projects through kickstarter is the ability to gain feedback from a wide variety of participants earlier in the process. Onyx Path shares the manuscript at the kickstarter stage to let you know what you're diving into, but it's also at a point before editing and a few subsequent development rounds have hit it, so may grow and develop a bit as it matures.

But, the development team is also paying attention to your comments, and honing in on the bits that need to be filed down or buffed up. Based on the feedback from fans so far, Dixie, Matthew, and the creative team will be making some tweaks to the existing Utterances.

 But that's not all ... 

Onyx Path has also heard your interest in even MORE UTTERANCES! And, with a successful campaign already funding the book, it's possible to add even more content and word count!

At $47,000 in funding  – ADDITIONAL CONTENT: New Utterances. Due to fan demand, Onyx Path will add a dozen new Utterances to the Mummy: The Curse Second Edition core book.

So, remember to share your excitement and enthusiasm with your friends and gaming group! Tell your social circle and spread it on your social media! Lets get a dozen new Utterances added to the book!

#AdditionalUtterances

#MummyTheCurse

BELOVED SERVANTS part 3
over 4 years ago – Wed, Nov 13, 2019 at 05:41:16 PM

BELOVED SERVANTS

The young man expected to see one of the master craftsmen when he entered the guildhall. Instead, the seven cloaked guildmasters of the Tef-Aabhi beckoned him from the atrium into a private hall, and shut the door behind him.

He fell to his hands and knees before them.

“Most holy Shan’iatu!” He prostrated. “Forgive me; I did not intend to shirk my labor, only to demonstrate my craft.”

He looked up, just for a moment. Their faces were well-hidden by the hoods of their cloaks.

One of them spoke in a husky, feminine voice. “We know what you’ve done. Show us what it can do.”

“Of course.” The man stood up. He invoked the Pharaoh of Mice, speaking its name and holding it above his head. A mouse poked its head from a crack in the floor. Another squeezed through a crevice in the ceiling. Mice from all over the guildhall poured into the room, crowding the floor and standing at attention.

“It controls the weak,” the man said. “As long as you believe you rule them, they cannot disobey. Watch.”

He commanded the vermin to leave. They fled the room. The workers outside shrieked and cursed as the rodents ran as one through the guildhall’s exit. The mice continued into the town, and then to the sands beyond.

He said, “If it pleases the Shan’iatu, I shall add this treasure to the panoply and take my place as master craftsman.”

There was a moment of silence.

“No,” said the husky voice. “You have earned something greater, should you accept it.”

The man blinked. “Yes, of course! What is it?”

The Shan’iatu looked at him, and for a moment he saw the heads of animals, not people.

“You will learn,” the husky voice said, “In due time.”

#MummyTheCurse