Making a better Item

There was a time long ago in in the old world when magical items were immutable.  Once enchanted with function, they would never change from that.  This is how it was for hundred of years till a better method was needed.  Not because the items were not powerful, but because their creation was so dangerous.

To make an item imbued with magic required a long and complex ritual with rare materials and chaotic forces.  The risk of this process was that a item could be made of such devastating power and evil nature that it would destroy all that took part in the ritual.  And would then have to be hunted down and destroyed as it would call to the basest beings to protect it.

But in time this changed, with research into the weapons carried on Star Jammer class space ships being the key.  To make the weapons more versatile, their effect focus's were separated from how mana got to them.  This allowed the foci to be removed and a new one put into the gun changing how it worked.  Originally only used on larger capitol weapons other took note.

With the coming of the great war many were put to work on ways to get an advantage.  The Kudu researcher Glinbak Hardnut had been looking at ways to make magical items easier to make.  One day he came across plans for the next generation of space born weapon and had an epiphany.  If they can separate the focus of power from the gun...why could he not do it for a personal item?

Years went by and his efforts moved forward.  Eventually getting government funding and all the perks that go with it, Glinback did it.  He made a safer, easier, and more versatile magical item.

The legacy of Glinback Hardnut is that all magical items are broken into two parts.  The first is the conduit and the second is the focus.  The conduit is the item its self, bound to the character the conduit creates a stable path for the characters mana to be accessed.  But on it's own it has no power.

Foci are the lense for the characters mana.  They give the mana form and function.  Changing the chaotic nature of mana into a stable effect.  Foci can be slotted into any conduit item, drawing mana from the user, though the item, and into the focus.  Then imbuing the effects back into the item and the user.

This allowed a user to change foci at will, to alter his items with out having to carry twenty tons of spare equipment.  Just a small pouch with foci was all that was needed, and it was safe.  Foci them selves did not have power, so the item and the focus could be made safely with out needing to expose the creators to the chaos of the energies being harnessed.

In time this lead to new innovation in magic items.  Mana batteries called Universal Mana Crystals (UMC's), hand weapons that could accelerate a metal slug or launch a bolt of lightning.  Vehicles of any type one can imagine.  And even the great floating citadels of power on the planet Elttaes.

History of Magical Items, Abridged
Revised by Jacob Vanders, Human Historical Corp

Whipping out the Mojo, School of Water

The second primal element, water is every where. It is in the air, in the ground, and can be found in even the most desolate places. Water is the destroyer and the life bringer, and while a crushing torrent can destroy and move even the largest of stones. It's power to heal and refresh the body and mind are undeniable.

Resting your head...

Since my post was so small, I thought I would add some more for today. I spent a good portion of the day writing about inns with in Manifest Destiny. Many of the RPGs I have played always used inns and taverns as just a place to eat, sleep, and talk to a contact. But in this rpg, they are more. After the cataclysm, the inn has become the social hub of those towns that survived.

Inns are larger then many are used to. Able to accommodate hundreds of people at a time. They do not have separate rooms as we understand, instead they are more like a military barracks. Especially since the colonization is being done in a military manner.

The in will be the players home. They will sleep there, they will eat there, they will look for work and get to know the locals there. They may even help the inn keeper or find a good night in the arms of a bar maid there. ;-) The inn is the social center of the MD world...and as such deserves the time I put into their descriptions.

Whipping out the Mojo, School of Fire

There are numerous schools of spell casting in this rpg. The first is the school of Fire. Fire is the cleansing flame, destroyer and renewer alike. The school of fire can be used to light a fire, cleans a poison, heal the body, or incinerate an enemy.

The Cataclysm

The Cataclysm is the defining event of the new world. The culmination of stupid choices, ignorance, extraplanar magics, and a dragon. When it was all said and done, the Cataclysm wiped the new world of more then eighty percent of it's population.

The cataclysm was triggered by the dragon Valinthax as a way to reset the universe and stop it's impending collapse. But in doing so, a rift was opened and fire rained down from the container dimension that all universes exist in. This was necessary to purge the destabilizing energies from the universe, and they had to be replaced with something to maintain the balance.

Basically neutral to any universe, the energy that entered had one unfortunate effect. As it entered the universe it crystallized, having to conform to the physical laws of the reality. These crystals, when they impacted the ground, created an energy field that would suck the souls out of those in proximity to the crystal. What remained were nothing but shambling husks, left to the collective will of the spirits locked in the crystals.

The crystal zombies started to drag those not killed by the crystals to them. One touch would cause the persons soul to be absorbed into the crystal. In a short time, the major cities and many of the larger towns were nothing but cinders and the walking dead. This is the cataclysm, and it freed the new world from the grasp from the old one. It may be hell...but at least people are free to be what they want.

Nose to the Grind Stone...

This one will be short. I have been working on the story elements of the RPG. Kind of slow and plodding work but once they are all down, be they part of the book or not, they will be the ground work for more elements of the game universe. This to me is an important thing.

Admittedly, knowing what the queen ate one day is not that much of a big deal. But knowing where that snazzy armor came from or the history behind a physical modification could help you the player of GM to create a richer gaming experience. After all, the more of the reality you know about, the better your adventures can be...right?

So, I plod on with the writing. I do hope that every one will enjoy it. I know that some times I come into something that I enjoy...and it is in my head. Now if only I could just spoon it out of there a little faster.

A little bit of Color...

Sorry for not posting something yesturday, but things have been hectic and I could not get to this or anything really. But for those interested in something that I will be looking to get into the book, then I give you this. I hope you enjoy it.

How could this have happened? We were foolish, we did not listen to them, to him. That damn dragon told us this would happen and now...they are all dead. Faster, yes faster then we thought...and now trapped. It's just me, a couple guards and what is left of the staff. God they are coming, I can hear them trying to get through the door.

Why didn't we listen, why didn't we hear. Did we think we were so much better then a dragon? The arrogance we showed him. But it is done now, the cataclysm has come. The fire is raining from the rift. The people, oh god the people...men, women, even children...all of them are dead. Their very essences turned into those damn crystals. But their bodies...they move, they rise, they walk and thirst. Not for flesh but for life, that is why they are trying to get in.

They want to drag us away, to present us to the crystals. If we touch one, we will be nothing, trapped in it, our bodies looking for more to feed it's tainted power. Oh god, they are getting through the doors. There are to many...why didn't we lis..t.....

- Chronicles of the Cataclysm

- Written by Jeramie Drebin, Human observer of Regent Othelo Valdamark

A place in two Universes

Manifest Destiny takes place in two separate universes. The first universe, called the old world, is where the player comes from. While the second universe, the new world, is where the player will end up living. Bot universes present a unique opportunity for the role playing game experience.

The New World is the focus of the core RPG rule book. The player lives a life, becomes a colonist, and then is tossed through a portal to end up in the new world. Never to return to the old world and all she knew. This give you the opportunity to really break from the mold. As there are no archetypes, there is no real establishment, and the character can choose a path to do what ever. Be a raider, a thief, an enforcer, a hero, a guard, pretty much anything the player and the GM can come to agreement on.

The Old World is a place of established rules, of laws and cooperate task masters. Where the rich have the money, and the poor, if they get to rowdy, are hucked through a gaping hole in space and time. The governments of the old world are puppets and the wealthy keep it that way. This is really where your coming from, or being evicted from in Manifest Destiny.

I realized both areas are fertile soil for ideas. This has lead to my planning opportunities for players to play in these areas once I have completed my core book. Rules for table top battles in both space and on the ground. A game where you player a runner, attempting to escape forced colonization while committing criminal acts for the highest bidder. There is just allot of room for things in this two universe idea. That is why I did it...we are imaginative people. Why not use it.