Monstrous Mondays: Starchild (Occult D&D)

 For years, I have been getting these little blank journals. My kids used to like to get them and give them to me for birthdays, Father's Day, and Christmas. Anyway, I typically keep them next to my desk, my bedside stand, and my end tables where I read or watch TV. I have dozens of them filled up, and maybe twice that number that are partially filled. 

This past summer, I have been working on collecting these into something. Not 100% sure what that something is, but I have been scribbling it all down under the header of "Occult D&D."  

Here is a "monster" I have been playing around with for a little bit. The first version of this was from a notebook I had all the way back to my earliest AD&D 1st Edition days. Revised heavily in the 1990s, and picked back up this past July.

Starchild - Photo by Alesia  Kozik

STARCHILD

(Custodes Sidereus, Ascended Master, Starborn)

Astral Celestial (Unique/Extraplanar)

FREQUENCY: Very Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -2
MOVE: 15"/48" (Fly)
HIT DICE: 14–16
% IN LAIR: 15%
TREASURE TYPE: see below (Astral Cache only)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 (touch) or by spell
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2–12 (psychic touch) or by spell
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spell use, see below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +3 or better weapon to hit; immune to charm, sleep, fear, illusion
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%
INTELLIGENCE: Supra-Genius (20–22)
ALIGNMENT: Variable (see below)
SIZE: L (10'–12' tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 200
Attack/Defense Modes: All / All
LEVEL/XP VALUE: IX / 19,500 + 20/hp

Starchildren appear as radiant humanoid beings of flawless beauty and serenity. Their physical forms are idealized, genderless or androgynous, glowing with starlight or surrounded by cascading auroras. In some traditions, they appear as translucent, elven-like sages robed in constellations; to others, they are shining spheres of cosmic intelligence, barely contained in mortal shape.

Starchildren rarely engage in physical combat, preferring pacifism, diplomacy, or departure. However, they will defend others from destruction, particularly mortals of magical inclination. They attack once per round with radiant energy (3d6 damage), or may cast spells as a 20th-level magic-user, 20th-level witch, or illusionist, depending on which magical tradition is strongest in the region.

They also possess the following innate abilities, usable at will unless noted otherwise:

• Teleport without Error
• Plane Shift
• True Seeing
• Detect Magic
• Telepathy (universal languages)
• Contact Other Plane (always succeeds, never drives them mad)
• Banishment (3/day)
• Akashic Memory (see below)

Once per week, a Starchild may grant a mortal access to the Akashic Record as per the Access the Library ritual spell. This is usually done only for profound magical seekers or as part of a sacred pact.

Starchildren possess all psionic defense and attack modes and may use any of the "sciences" or "devotions" as needed in a particular situation. 

No two sources agree on what the Starchildren are. Some witches say they are the ascended forms of the first witches, elevated beyond mortal limits. Others insist they are celestial beings from the stars, what modern occultists call Star People or Elder Teachers. Still others view them as sentient emanations of the Cosmic Consciousness, a universal mind from which all magic flows.

They do not reproduce, nor do they maintain societies in the conventional sense. However, Starchildren have appeared to witches in times of great need, offering insight, visions, or magical gifts.

Starchildren are known to walk the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Realm, and other dimensions unknown to mortals. They are believed to be custodians of the Akashic Record, a vast, extradimensional archive of all knowledge, magic, thought, and possibility.

Starchildren do not eat, breathe, or sleep. Their presence warps reality subtly, nearby spellcasting becomes easier, plants grow slightly better, and dreams become filled with symbols and visions. Prolonged contact with a Starchild can result in magical mutations or spiritual awakening, depending on the soul of the one exposed.

A slain Starchild does not leave a corpse, but transforms into stardust and ascends, its essence dissolving into the Astral Light.

Though they do not hoard material goods, a Starchild’s sanctum may contain:

• A spellbook containing 1d6 unique or forgotten spells.
• Crystalline artifacts imbued with planar energy.
• An Astral Map that allows access to unknown planes.

Starchildren as Patrons. If the Starchildren were once patrons of witches, as many believe, they are no longer. Though all traditions have something in their teachings that many conclude is a product of the Starchildren. 

Each Witch Tradition interprets them differently:

• The Aquarian Tradition see them as the progenitor of their tradition and the form they ultimately aspire to transcend to.
  
  
• The Atlantean Tradition believes they are the architects of the great crystal cities beneath the waves.
  
  
• The Classic and Pagan Traditions see the Starchlidren as the messengers of the old gods of their faiths. They would be called angels in other philosophies. 
  
  
• The Daughters of Baba Yaga whisper that Baba Yaga herself is the most terrible and wise of the Starchildren.
  
  
• The Followers of Aradia believe the Starchildren first taught Aradia the language of the stars.
  
  
• The High Secret Order seeks audience with them for the secrets of deep occult power.
  
  
• The Scaled Sisterhood refer to them as Cosmic Serpents, and some suspect the great Dragon/Serpent Anantanatha is one.

Names of the Starchildren

These are the Starchildren known to occult scholars.

Unceph the Dual-Flame: The one who whispers across mirrored selves. Keeper of the Seventh Gate of Thought. They are male and female, both eternally. 

Lioriel of the Infinite Choir: Angel of harmonics and secret words. Her voice is a thousand singing stars.

Xavhalon the Prism-Eyed: All colors bend through their gaze; they dream in radiant geometry.

Astraema of the Crystal Veil: Watcher of fates yet unformed, veiled in moonlight and deep water.

Seraphex, Keeper of the Burning Glyph: Bearer of the first word etched in flame. Those who read it are forever changed.

Urilathe the Memory Unbound: He who walks the halls of unchosen pasts. Wields the Book of What Might Have Been.

Omniala the Pale Aurora: She dances on the threshold of death and dreaming, trailing silver fire.

Zyntharion of the Thirteenth Ray: Patron of heretics and innovators. The ray no one remembers seeing.

The Archon Selador: Who guards the spiral path inward. All questions asked three times.

Velek-Tha of the Outer Spiral: The serpent-form of stellar wisdom. They uncoil thought from the void.

Galithriel, She of the Star-Seeded Womb: Mother of the Starborn. Cradles the souls of those who dream beyond the veil.

Nocturiel the Dream-Encoded: Sleeper beneath the silver sphere. His sigils bloom in moonlit minds.

--

One might be excused for thinking that this all originated from weird post-70s New Age thinking. And yes, that is true, but it was equal parts that, equal parts of Chariots of the Gods?, and equal parts of television shows like The Phoenix. The catalyst, though, had to be Juice Newton's cover of "Angel Of The Morning."  My thought was, if there is an Angel of the Morning, are the others? Of course there are. 

I make no claim that Lioriel looks like Juice Newton circa 1980. But I also do not not claim it.

Witches of Appendix N: Robert E. Howard, Part 3: Kull, Kane and "Accidental Feminism"

 Today I conclude this "mini-series" on the pivotal works of Robert E. Howard, one of the most influential authors in Appendix N, shaping the Dungeons & Dragons experience. 

I have already covered Conan in Part 1, and his horror stories in Part 2. Today I am going to talk two of his other characters, King Kull of Atlantis and Solomon Kane.

Kull of Atlantis: Silence Where a Witch (or even Women) Might Be

Kull’s stories are dreamlike, almost mythic, often more about philosophy than plot. Women of any kind are scarce, and witches are entirely absent. When sorcery intrudes, it comes from male figures: Thulsa Doom, the snake-men, necromancers, shadowy priests.

Is Kull even interested in women? Howard never shows him with lovers, nor does he pit him against the temptations or sorceries of an enchantress. Kull broods on law, on identity, on the shifting unreality of his throne, but not on witches, or even women for that matter. Their absence says much: the philosopher-king is concerned with metaphysical threats, not the seductions or mysteries that witches (and sorcerers) often embody in Howard’s other tales. 

Kull's most significant interaction with a woman comes from one of his earliest tales. A girl in his village is being burned at the stake for taking a lover from the wrong tribe. Kull, not seeing the justice in this, uses his own flint dagger to give her a merciful, quick death. For which he is hunted. 

Speaking of flint daggers. Kull is supposed to be taking place around 100,000 BCE. So really pre-history, but it feels more like 100 BCE in terms of "technology." Granted it is "lost age" the same sort you see working in Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age. Credit where it is due, Howard does do a great job of making it feel like Kull predates Conan by centuries. 

If Kull, and Conan, are covered well by Wasted Lands and other Fantasy RPGs, then Kane is dipping right into horror.

Solomon Kane: A Puritan Without Witches

If Kull’s Atlantean dreamtime excludes witches entirely, Solomon Kane’s early modern setting seems tailor-made for them. The 16th and 17th centuries were rife with witch trials and burnings, and Kane is a zealous Puritan avenger. You’d expect him to clash with witches by the dozen. But he never does.

Instead, Kane’s foes are vampires, demons, revenants, and African sorcerers. Women in his stories are usually victims or innocents caught in evil’s path, never witches themselves. Was this deliberate on Howard’s part? Perhaps he didn’t want women as Kane’s outright antagonists, preferring instead to cast him against inhuman horrors or exotic magics.

One exception worth noting is Nakari from The Moon of Skulls. She is cruel, manipulative, and queenly, with many of the trappings of a witch, save for actual sorcery. She does have a coven of sorts, her "Starmaidens" and she knows some Atlantean rituals.  She rules through charisma and cruelty, not spells. And despite her names she is neither demon nor vampire. Kane’s crusade against her feels witch-hunter-like, yet Howard stops short of giving her magic. Again, we see the absence: Kane fights monsters, not witches.

Kane is adventure fiction, but it dips into horror and horror themes more often than not. 

Kull, Conan, and Kane make up an interesting trinity of Howard protagonists. All are cut from the same cloth and each could be a reincarnation of the previous.

Accidental Feminism?

Now, I do want to say upfront that Howard considered himself a feminist. He had some very progressive views for his time, but also some fairly typical ones. People are complicated. 

If Conan’s world has some witches and Kane’s and Kull’s are completely barren of them, what does that say about Howard? His female characters are sometimes villains (Salome, Tascela, Nakari), but they are also commanding presences, equal to or greater than the men who face them. When Howard leaves witches out, women almost vanish. But that absence makes it striking when he does put women at the forefront, because when he does, they are unforgettable.

Think of Bêlit, the Queen of the Black Coast, who is as fierce and ambitious as Conan himself. Or Valeria of the Red Brotherhood, a woman who makes her own choices and follows her own path. Red Sonya of Rogatino and Dark Agnes de Chastillon are not sorceresses at all, but warrior women who seize the agency the world denies them. These characters aren’t “witches” in the pulpy sense, but they are Howard’s women: strong, willful, larger than life, and often overshadowing the men around them. Red Sonya appears in one tale, yet "Red Sonja" has hundreds, including comics, novels, and a new movie out. Bêlit & Valeria have also appeared in plenty of comics together, often sans Conan, to prove they are interesting enough characters in their own right. Even if I am getting a bit of a Betty & Veronica vibe from them sometimes. Though Red Sonja has teamed up with Betty & Veronica in the past.

Bêlit, Red Sonja, (and Conan) and Valeria by Geof Isherwood

That duality shows up outside the stories too. In a famous letter to Harold Preece, Howard rattled off a litany of great women, from Sappho and Aspasia to Joan of Arc, Emma Goldman, and Edna St. Vincent Millay, defending their genius, passion, and rightful place in history. “Women have always been the inspiration for men,” he wrote, “and… there have been countless women whose names have never been blazoned across the stars, but who have inspired men on to glory.”  

Howard’s pulp tales are not feminist manifestos, but they carry a paradox I’d call his “accidental feminism.” In his fiction, women may be cast as temptresses, pirates, or witches, but they are never weak. And in his private words, he saw women as philosophers, poets, and warriors equal to any man. It may be accidental, but it left us with heroines and enchantresses who still burn as brightly on the page today as they did nearly a century ago.

Conclusion

There are more Robert E. Howard tales. Lots more, and many that could be fundamental to what the D&D experience was going to become. But here is where I part ways with the author. I found his sword & sorcery tales to be captivating, his horror stories fascinating, and his heroes equally as wonderful in their own imperfect ways. There is a reason why we all know of Conan and Kane, and to a lesser degree, Kull. Even his forgotten "step-daughter," Red Sonja.

When it comes to witches, Howard doesn't give me enough, though what he does give is wonderful. Salome and Tascela are fantastic characters who I would have loved to see more of, or more to the point, more like them. Too bad that they died in their respective tales; they would have made great antagonists for Bêlit, Red Sonja, and Valeria.

Mail Call Tuesday: Witch Mountain Board Game

 Sometimes I have the impulse control of a toddler. 

I saw this game, Witch Mountain, featured in a post (Gen Con, I think), and I thought, "Damn. I need that." So a quick trip to eBay and I found one, cheap, and still in shrink wrap. Plus it says right on the box, a game with "Witches & Dragons."  Sounds like the RPGs I have been playing for the last 45 years.

A few days later, it was mine. 

I pulled off the shrink and was treated to the game inside. 

The game board is neat. The objective is to get your colored pawns into the center, "Witch Mountain" before the other players, and avoid the witches and dragons flying around. 

Gameplay largely relies on the luck of the dice roll. Though it does have the nicest dice rolling cup I have ever seen in a game. Nice hard plastic lined with cork. The board is sturdy, typical of the 1980s. The play reminds me of "Sorry!" The dice are colored sides with a mix of the player colors and an occasional witch or dragon. 

Given the date of 1983 I can't help but think the "Witches & Dragons" is an attempt to grab some of that fantasy game market.

Traveller Envy

In my ongoing obsession with adding some board game experience to my Fantasy RPG and Horror RPG experiences, I have been thinking about how to add this. Obviously the pawns are all rival witch covens who need to get to the top of Witch Mountain. The witches flying around are the current occupiers of the mountains and the dragons do their bidding.

Come to think of it. It seems odd to me that I have not codified a more permanent "Witch Mountain" in my games. One of the milestone events in my love of witches was the 1975 Disney film "Escape to Witch Mountain" and it's sequel "Return from Witch Mountain." Although I was disappointed that there were no real witches in it, despite many of the trappings, I still loved the movies. The 2009 "Race to Witch Mountain" was also good. I will admit that I have always given any witch character I play TK and telepathy/empathy of some sort as my nod to Tia, played by Kim Richards, in the first two movies. 

I do have a set of mountains outside of my West Haven setting called "The Broken Mountains," which is my homage to the Brocken mountain in Germany. Given it's, and Pendel Hill's,  importance to witch lore ([1] and [2]), I really should have something.

I do have the Montblanc Family, and they come from near a "white mountain."  Maybe they are the witches in control of the Hexenberg. I have always said they were a very old, and very rich, witch family. Having control of a few dragons is not really a stretch for me to consider. 

So I hope to come up with some more ideas for der Hexenberg. Or even an adventure featuring the Witch Mountain. I have been wanting to write more adventures.

Links

• Witch Mountain at BGG

#RPGaDay2025 Day 7 Journey

"Not all journeys begin on roads. Some start on broomsticks, others in dreams, or through a mirror no one else sees."

 - From the Journal of Larina Nix

A few days back, I talked about the Tavern as the iconic adventuring location, maybe as famous as the dungeon itself. But that’s only one, very early stop on the Journey. Capital J.

When I think of the Journey for characters, I can’t help but go full myth-nerd and drift back to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and the whole Hero’s Journey structure. That moment of Departure, when the character leaves the known world behind and enters the realm of magic, danger, and transformation? That’s the real start of the story. Not the tavern. Not the rumors. Not the first goblin in a dark hallway. But that choice, that first real step.

Now, for most D&D-style characters, that might be heading off with sword and/or spellbook, saying goodbye to the family farm, or signing on for a job in a shady city.

But for witches? It’s a little different.

Their journeys often begin in the unknown. It’s not “go out and find magic.” It’s “magic came calling, and now you’re part of it whether you like it or not.” It starts when the moon speaks. When the cat stares too long. When you dream of fire and wake with cinders in your hair. When you start to understand what the crows are saying.

Larina’s journey didn’t begin on a trail or caravan road. It began the moment she heard the voice of the Goddess, when she could see ghosts, and when she stepped behind her grandmother’s mirror and realized she could see her own reflection walking away.

That moment, the crossing of the first threshold, is crucial. And in gaming terms, it’s one of the most rewarding to roleplay, even if most of the time we skip right past it with a background paragraph.

But what if we didn’t?

What if we slowed down and let that Journey take shape in play? What if we saw the moment a young hedge witch received her first vision, or a would-be warlock stood at the edge of the Standing Stones, whispering a name they don’t remember learning?

Journeys matter. Not just because they get you from Level 1 to 20, but because they reveal who your character is, and what they’re willing to become.

And for witches, that journey never truly ends. It just spirals onward, like a sigil carved in bone, leading deeper into the mystery.

For witches I replace the circle of the Monomyth with the Spiral Dance.  

I'll come back to this more. 

Questions

When. Proud. Adventure.

When was my proudest moment in an adventure? So many, really. When my kids discovered the plot concocted by the demons to kill all the gods of the sun to invade the world. When they killed Strahd. When *I* killed Strahd nearly 30 years prior to that. When running Ghosts of Albion Blight and one group REALLY embraced their roles as the Protectors of Ériu. It's why I keep dong this!

https://www.autocratik.com/ • https://www.castingshadowsblog.com/

#RPGaDay2025 Day 1 Patron

 Today is the start of the #RPGaDAY2025. 

This year, in addition to the prompts detailed below, I am going to write a lot on my Occult D&D project and some upcoming adventure ideas. It will help me focus on where those projects need to go.

We start this year’s #RPGaDAY with Patron, and I’m diving in with something near and dear to my design heart: Patrons for witches and warlocks.

Now, the usual suspects are easy to name; demons, devils, faerie lords and ladies, and Lovecraftian horrors from beyond the veil. And yes, I use all of them. Often. Enthusiastically.

But lately I’ve been thinking more about the other kinds of patrons. The less obvious ones. The ones that add flavor and complexity beyond the usual infernal bargain.

Here are a few I’ve been playing around with:

Dragons

Honestly, I should have done this ages ago. My oldest is dragon-obsessed, and I’ve lost count of how many dragon miniatures, plushies, and LEGO sets we have in the house.

Dragons are ancient, magical, and powerful. Why wouldn’t a warlock or witch swear themselves to a mighty drake of time or flame? Not just as treasure-hoarding monsters, but as elemental, almost divine beings with long memories and stranger agendas. Only the most ancient and cunning ones offer pacts, and they always come with a price.

Angels

This one’s a bit unexpected, but stick with me.

Crack open any New Age spellbook or Victorian spiritualist guide, and you’ll find incantations invoking angels, Raphael, Michael, Uriel, and so on.

Why should only demons offer deals?

The Watchers of Enochian lore taught witchcraft, after all. And their punishment? Eternal exile, watching their children, the Nephilim, fall. There’s something beautiful and tragic there. An angelic patron might offer guidance, power, or forbidden knowledge, but at what cost to their divine purpose?

Animal Lords

Briefly touched on this in one of my warlock projects, but worth revisiting. These are like the Archfey, but aligned with the primal wild. Lords of the Fox, the Raven, the Serpent, the Stag, each with their own ancient cults, taboos, and riddles. A warlock bound to the Panther Lord might wear shadows like a cloak. A witch devoted to the La Lechuza, the Owl Queen, might speak only in questions and dreams.

Witch Queens

When a witch becomes powerful enough, she doesn’t kneel to a patron, she becomes one.

Witch Queens are legendary figures of folklore and power. Some, like Aradia, are benevolent guides. Others, like Babylon, the Mother of Harlots, demand devotion, transformation, and sacrifice. These patrons are perfect for witches who walk the line between mortal and myth.

Daimons

Not demons. Not daemons. Not even spirits in the traditional D&D sense.

Daimons, in the Platonic and Gnostic traditions, are spirits of knowledge—divine intermediaries who speak in symbols, guide seekers to hidden truths, and sometimes lead them into madness. A warlock who binds themselves to a daimon may not fully understand what they've done. But the dreams come anyway. And the visions never lie.

Honestly, I have way more, an absurd number, really. But these are some of my favorites right now. I love patrons that aren’t just “here’s some spells, go cause chaos,” but instead add weight and weirdness to a character’s story. The best patrons change their warlocks and witches. Slowly. Irrevocably.

And that’s where the real fun begins.

Questions

There are also questions I can answer. So let's roll and see what I get. 

I got "How," "Grateful," and "Person." 

Translating..."Who is a Person I am Grateful for and How?"

Hmm...Assuming I am keeping this in the game sphere...I am going to say Len Lakofka. Len passed away a few years ago, but not before we could establish a good online correspondence. His articles in Dragon were some of my favorite, so being able to talk to him much later in my life was a real treat. I am sad to see he is gone.

Witches of Appendix N: Robert E. Howard, Part 2: Horror Stories

 I am continuing on my journey through the titles of Appendix N, looking for the Witches that haunted those pages. This week, I have Part 2 of my overview of the Witches of Robert E. Howard, this time focusing on his horror tales.  As I covered in Part 1 of Howard, his DNA is deeply woven into the core of D&D. This is easy to see in Conan, the wandering mercenary (in many tales) having adventure after adventure. what I didn't expect was see so much, maybe even more, from his tales of horror.

Howard's horror runs all over the place.  He was obviously significantly influenced by Celtic history, especially with his Bran Mak Morn character, and a lot of these feed into his horror tales. There is a Conan-like character in his "The House of Arabu" doing battle with none other than Lilith herself and other demons. He even dips into Lovecraftian tales. Now, some people have called these "pastiches," but to me, they are nothing of the sort; they are original contributions to the mythos that are every bit as valid as Lovecraft's own and on par with Clark Ashton Smith. Where Howard shined, though, was "Southern Gothic"; he was to the south and south-west (esp. Texas) what Lovecraft was to New England. Many of tales are interlinked and there is some good opportunities for deep scholarship on how his tales link to each other and to his contemporaries (like Lovecraft) and even how his stories influenced others. I can't say for certainty, but his tale "The Haunter of the Ring" (already steeped in his own mythos connected to Conan) feels like it could have influenced Fritz Leiber's "Conjure Wife."  

What really surprised me was not that Howard was a good writer; he is full stop. But how great his horror stories are. Lovecraft himself sang Howard's praises, and he was worthy of them.

So who are the witches of Howard's Horror tales? Let's take a look.  Instead of going by witch, I am going to go by tale. Each witch is very much situated in each tale.

"Sea Curse" (1928)

Moll Farrell is an archetypical "Sea Witch." She lives in an old hut near the sea, where the tide almost comes to her doorstep, with her daughter. She collects shells and mussels and everyone thinks she is a witch. She proves it by laying a deadly curse on the two men who raped and killed her daughter. The men die, more or less, at each other's hands.

The tale drips with old-world superstition, the inevitability of doom, and the slow, creeping vengeance of the sea. Moll is an agent of vengeance and could have been found on a different coast on the Atlantic in some Celtic dream-hidden past.

The best part of the tale is the Ghost Ship filled with sailors who have committed foul crimes coming up from Hell to take the souls of the men. The image is fantastic. 

"Rattle of Bones" (1929)

A short Solomon Kane tale involving a haunted inn, a skeleton that rises from its resting place, and hints of ancient sorcery. Our "witch" here is an ancient necromancer from Russia who comes back from the dead for his vengeance. Not explicitly a witch, but the tale feels like it was ripped right out of a D&D adventure. 

"The Hills of the Dead" (1930)

Another pivotal Solomon Kane story where Kane teams up with N’Longa, a powerful African shaman and necromancer. N’Longa gifts Kane the magical Staff of Solomon, a potent artifact used to destroy vampires. N’Longa’s magic includes spirit possession and resurrection.

N'Longa's magic is called "voodoo" but that word wasn't used in Kane's time. The religious practices that went into voodoo (Vodún) did exist. 

Again, no explicit witch, though N'Longa is a great character, this tale is great for the abandoned city of vampires.

"Dig Me No Grave" (1937)

What would you get if Howard decided to write about the death Aleister Crowley 10 years before he died? You might get something very much like "Dig Me No Grave."

This tale deals with the temptation of forbidden knowledge. A scholar inherits an occult tome linked to a demon-worshipping cult. The story is Lovecraftian in tone, but the ritual magic and descent into damnation echo the witch-pact trope.

"The Children of the Night" (1931)

This tale is filled with ideas that Howard would come back to many times. 

First, there is the dream/reincarnation story that ties modern characters to ancient, savage rites. In later tales he even he explicitly links Conan and Bran Mak Morn to modern day people. 

Secondly, it features the Serpent People and hints at sorcerous cults and blood sacrifice. The Serpent People are the literary creature from whence a lot of D&D monsters spring. The Yuan-ti and Ophidians are the obvious ones, but in truth, these creatures bear more than a little resemblance to the class D&D Troglodytes. It might be that these were the root of those creatures. 

Third, and this one is big, it contributes to the Lovecraftian mythos by introducing the "Unaussprechlichen Kulten" of von Junzt. This is it's first appearance in print. This is one of the reasons why I say that Howard is not an imitator of the Lovecraftian mythos, he is a bona fide contributor. 

Lastly, the infamous "Black Stone," which will feature in many of his tales in one form or another.

"The Black Stone" (1931)

Speaking of which. This tale also features the Black Stone and "Unaussprechlichen Kulten." 

Arguably Howard’s most Lovecraftian tale. A monolithic stone and the rites performed there by a degenerate cult speak to primal, prehistoric sorcery. There’s an implied witch-queen who led the rites.  The monolith is now located in a village in Hungary called "Stregoicavar," meaning something like "Witch Town."  

Howard gives us a lot of history with ancient rites and even connects this to Margaret Murray's work on the Witch Cult of Europe. The toad-god the witches are worshiping is likely CAS;s Tsathoggua, a creature who would appear again in "The Thing on the Roof."

The Necronomicon gets name checked here as well.

"The Thing on the Roof" (1932)

This tale features forbidden books (Unaussprechlichen Kulten) , temple ruins, and an occultist who ignores all warnings. 

There is even a pre-Aztec Lich worshiping evil gods (likely Tsathoggua, but only described as a toad-like thing), and evil rituals.

I included this tale and the previous two not so much for their witches, but for their cults and their connection to the Mythos. 

"People of the Dark" (1932)

A man relives a past life where he was involved in betrayal and murder. This tale our narrator, John O'Brien, is the reincarnated Conan, and he enters Dagon's Cave to kill a rival for the hand of a woman. This one features almost everything. Conan, Lovecraftian connections, and even the Little People/Children of the Night. 

"Worms of the Earth" (1932)

Bran Mak Morn allies with a banished witch named Atla to awaken the Worms, ancient subterranean horrors, to take vengeance on the Romans. The story is primal, grim, and unrelenting. 

The worms appear to be another name for the quasi-human Children of the Night. The more and more I read about them the more I am convinced this where the D&D interpretation of the Troglodytes came from. 

Alta, the witch-woman of Dagon-moor, is one of our very few named witches. She is half-human and "half-worm" or Children of the Night. The implication here is that the Children were human or at least akin to humans.  She is human enough that her price to help Bran is that he must spend the night with her. Likely meaning there is some new half-human descendant of Bran out there now. 

This also features the Black Stone. Are these pieces all part of the monolith of ancient times? Hard to say. The piece that Bran uses is small enough for him to carry. 

Dagon's Moor, Dagon's Meer, and Dagon's Barrow are all mentioned here as further connections to the Mythos.

"The House of Arabu" (1952)

This tale was also published as "Witch From Hell’s Kitchen" though that title doesn't do it any justice. 

This tale features Pyrrhas, who is Conan in all but name really. Our main antagonist (well...) is Lilitu (really summoned by one of Conan's, I mean Pyrrhas's enemies), she appears very much as does the Lilitu of ancient myth with her mate Ardat-Lili. Of course Ardat-lilî is also a female demon (like the same sources as Lilitu) so imagine my humor when Howard describes Ardat-Lili as male. I guess somethings were still a bridge to far when he wrote this.

There are spells and the most interesting thing to me is the Lilith - Tiamat connection. Something I have explored more on these pages. 

"Black Canaan" (1936)

Southern gothic horror meets voodoo-style witchcraft. The antagonist is Zekura, a beautiful and deadly sorceress who wields spiritual power and commands zombies. She’s both feared and revered.

Normally I don't comment on the racism of some of these tales, but this one seem a bit much even for the time. Or maybe I just know how bad it actually was. Apropos of nothing, Lovecraft thought this was one of Howard's best tales. 

"The Haunter of the Ring" (1934)

A ghostly avenger stalks the land after being wronged in life. The haunting is linked to curses and violated oaths. No witches, but damn, this feels like it could have influenced "Conjure Wife."

It does feature the Ring of Thoth-Amon, a magical artifact possessed by a spirit that can possess its wearer. A form of sympathetic magic, where the curse leaps through the ages. This ring has appeared in Conan tales before. 

"Pigeons from Hell" (1938)

Howard’s most famous horror story. Southern gothic with heavy voodoo and ghost-witch elements. A woman in the Blassenville family turned to witchcraft and exacts revenge from beyond the grave as a zuvembie. Features zombified servants and spectral appearances.

Stephen King called this Howard's finest tale.

--

So there is a lot to dig into here. Howard obviously had heard of or read Murray's Witch Cult Hypothesis, since so many of tales embrace the central themes. Where Murray saw a continuous line of ancient fertility cults in a positive light, Howard saw an ancient pre-Christian and degenerate religion honoring dark, forgotten gods. In reality both points of view are as real as the other, and both suit my purposes well.

Moll Farrell and Atla are his main "named" witches, and each serves her role well. Moll feels like a solid Sea Witch, whereas Atla is something else. I have been exploring the concept of "Dragon Witches" within a tradition I've coined the Scaled Sisterhood. I could include ideas from ancient serpent cults too. 

Again, no "Conclusion." I want to venture deeper into the tales of Kull, Solomon Kane, and Bran Mak Morn for Part 3.

Mutants & Masterminds Monday, Part 2!

 I opened up my BlueSky to a real treat this afternoon!

Steve Kenson, the creator of Mutants & Masterminds, saw my post from earlier today and offered his version of Larina for the soon-to-be-released Mutants & Masterminds 4! I mean, really? How awesome is that? 

Here is what he did.

Nix the Witch Queen

Abilities • 40 points
Strength 0, Stamina 2, Agility 2, Intellect 5, Awareness 6, Presence 5 

Skills • 20 points
Insight 4 (+10), Investigation 5 (+10), Magic 7 (+12), Perception 6 (+12), Persuasion 6 (+11), Ranged Combat: Witchcraft 4 (+10), Stealth 4 (+6), Technology 2 (+7), Treatment 2 (+7)

Advantages • 6 points

Connected, Contacts, Fearless, Evasion, Improvised Effect: Magic, Well-Informed

Powers • 67 points

Warding Sigils: Array (6 points) • 11 points

• DAE – Sigil of Deflection: Enhanced Dodge 6
• DAE – Sigil of Fortitude: Enhanced Fortitude 6
• DAE – Sigil of Will: Enhanced Will 6

Witchcraft: Array (21 points) • 34 points

• DAE – Divination: Enhanced Senses 10: Detect Magic, Acute, Analytical, Ranged; Postcognition 3; Precognition 3
• DAE – Glamour: Hallucination 7
• DAE – Levitation: Flight 10
• DAE – Part the Veil: Teleport 5, Accurate, Extended
• DAE – Spellbind: Ranged Paralyze 10, Accurate
• DAE – Witchfire Bolt: Blast 10, Accurate
• DAE – Witchfire Ward: Protection 10, Hardened, Sustained

Witch’s Familiar: Summon 4: Cotton the Cat: Use the 20-point Cat archetype plus Insubstantial 4; Continuous, Heroic, Mental Link; Enhanced Danger Sense, Enhanced Insight 2, Enhanced Perception 2 for Nix • 22 points

Combat • 28 points

Initiative +2, Attack 6, Defense 8

Resistances • 6 points

Dodge 8/14, Fortitude 7/13, Toughness 2/12, Will 7/13

(base rank/maximum rank with power effects)

Complications

Motivation: Responsibility – Uses her powers to protect and guide those who are Gifted or lost in the veil.

Enemies – The Necromancer and the Refrigerator

Power Loss: Spellcasting – Incantations and gestures are required for spellcasting. If unable to do either, Nix cannot use powers.

Relationship: Cotton – Her familiar is bound to her soul; if destroyed, Larina’s Will is Impaired for a day.

Reputation – Known in mystical circles; feared by some, worshipped by others.

Secret – Her knowledge of other worlds and timelines is dangerous to certain factions.

Notes

This is Nix based on how Tim presented her for M&M 3e. Were I Tim’s GM, I’d ask if having Nix’s Mystic Shield and Flight in her Witchcraft Array was preferred to having them as independent powers she could use at all times, although either is a perfectly viable option. A few particular conversion notes:

The playtest draft doesn’t use 3e’s Dexterity or Fighting abilities, although the Attack ability subsumes some of their functions.

Nix’s skills are largely unchanged, apart from replacing Expertise with the Magic skill.

Advantages not present in the playtest draft were removed, so there’s definitely room to add some additional ones. Improved Effect replaces Ritualist. She might qualify for Fearless 2 rather than just 1 rank (1 is now Resistance, 2 is Immunity). Nix’s is a great candidate for the Impressive Superiority or Instant Counter reaction advantages, or replacing her Attractive ranks with more interaction skill ranks. Second Chance could be replaced with Resistance to Mental Powers (5 points) or Resistance to Will Effects (15 points).

I assumed all of her Array Alternate Effects were Dynamic; which gives her a lot of flexibility, albeit a lot to juggle and manage in the midst of play as well.

This version of Nix is 167 points total, just a few over the PL 11 starting amount, and a bit low for PL 13, but her listed traits only hit the PL 12 limits, and even that only because of her max Dodge + Toughness: Her resistances can’t all be at their maximum at the same time because they’re Dynamic Alternate Effects.

Compare and contrast Nix with the Origin Edition Mystic archetype for some similarities and differences!

I mean, how can I argue with any of that? 

When the Origin Edition draft for Mutants & Masterminds Fourth Edition is out next week and the full game is out later on, I'll come back to her and see. 

Yes. This is going to be a lot of fun. Hey, does this mean that Larina has been visiting Freedom City? I am looking forward to hearing what she did there.

Mutants & Masterminds Monday

 Something a little special today. ‪Steve Kenson of Green Ronin announced on BlueSky and YouTube that there will be a new edition of his best-selling Superhero RPG, Mutants & Masterminds. I have long been a fan of this game. It also seems timely since we are now ushering in a new DC Universe on the big screen. Ever since Green Ronin had published DC Adventures as their lead-up to M&M 3.0, I have been tying my own Mutants & Masterminds games more directly to the DC Universe.  

It has been 15 years since M&M was updated, and even a couple of years ago, I was asking for a new edition. So a new edition is long overdue. I am excited about it.  

The Hero Handbook will be the first book out and there will be a quickstart/playtest version out soon and a limited print run for Gen Con.

Honestly, it could not come at a better time. Like many RPG publishers, Green Ronin is getting screwed over in the Diamond Bankruptcy filing. 

I have been writing about and working on so much "Occult D&D" lately, I have not really had the bandwidth for any supers thoughts, that's one of the reasons why my "Countdown to Superman" posts were just movie reviews and not character write-ups as well. BTW if you want fun write-ups check out Pun's posts over at Halls of the Nephilim. 

I had a lot of fun exploring the Atlantean roots of Larina on Friday. I pulled out her M&M sheets and thought maybe I should update her. Afterall Steve Kenson is a witch, and Green Ronin recently re-released their 3rd Era/d20/OGL "Witch's Handbook" one of my favorite witch books, also by Steve Kenson. I have stats here for her for Prowlers & Paragons, Mighty Protectors, Superbabes, and DC Heroes.  This might give me more ways to explore A.R.T.E.M.I.S. as well.  

Larina Nichols aka "Nix the Witch"
(Mutants & Masterminds 2.0)

Concept: Multiversal Witch, Protector of the Gifted 
 Identity: Secret
 Power Level: 11
 Power Points: 165

Abilities

Strength: 10 (+0)

Dexterity: 12 (+1)

Constitution: 12 (+1)

Intelligence: 20 (+5)

Wisdom: 18 (+4)

Charisma: 20 (+5)

Saves

Toughness: +8 (+1 Con, +7 Force Field)
Fortitude: +6 (+1 Con, +5 base)
Reflex: +6 (+1 Dex, +5 base)
Will: +12 (+4 Wis, +8 base)

Combat

Initiative: +3

Base Attack: +4

Ranged (Magic Blast): +8

Melee (Dagger): +4

Defense: 20/14

Hero Points: 1

Movement Base 30 / 60 /120

Skills

Bluff +13 (8 ranks)
Concentration +12 (8 ranks)
Diplomacy +12 (8 ranks)
Gather Information +8 (4 ranks)
Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +20 (16 ranks)
Knowledge (Behaviorial Sciences) +12 (8 ranks
Knowledge (Current Events) +12 (8 ranks)
Knowledge (Theology/Philosophy) +13 (8 ranks)
Notice +12 (8 ranks)
Sense Motive +12 (8 ranks)
Search +13 (8 ranks)

Feats

All-out Attack
Artificer
Attractive (2)
Attack Specialization (1)
Connected
Contacts
Fearless
Dodge Focus
Ritualist
Second Chance (Will saves vs mental effects)
Well-Informed

Powers

Magic Control Array (22 PP, Dynamic)
   Magic-based powers linked through versatile casting

Mystic Blast – Damage 10 [Ranged, Magic descriptor]
   Power Feats: Accurate 2 (+4 to hit), Dynamic

Glamour – Illusion 6 [All senses]
   Concentration, Resist: Will, Dynamic

Witchfire Ward – Force Field 7 (Sustained)
   Power Feats: Subtle, Dynamic

Spellbind – Paralyze 8 (Will save, Magic)
   Extras: Ranged; Flaws: Action (Standard), Dynamic

Divination – Super-Senses 6 (Postcognition, Precognition, Detect Magic – Ranged/Accurate/Acute)

Teleport (Mirror Walk) – Teleport 6 (600 ft)
   Extras: Accurate, Extended; Flaws: Medium (mirror or water), Dynamic

Familiar: Cotton (8 PP)

Summon 3 – Small incorporeal white cat
  Heroic
  Extras: Mental Link, Feature: Danger Sense (for Larina), +2 to Notice/Sense Motive when nearby
  Cotton may take Independent actions to warn or investigate

Complications

Motivation (Responsibility): Feels a duty to protect young witches and the magically gifted
Enemies: The Necromancer, The Refrigerator
Fame/Infamy: Known in occult and supernatural circles; mistrusted by certain agencies
Power Loss: Incantations and gestures required for spellcasting

Notes: I combined about three different write-ups here for her. I like her starting at PL 11, a nice nod to her stats in AD&D when I wrote my first Witch books (Magic-user 1/Witch 10 dual class). 

---

Larina Nicohols aka "Nix the Witch Queen"
(Mutants & Masterminds 3.0)

Concept: Multiversal Witch, Protector of the Gifted 
 Identity: Secret
 Power Level: 13
 Power Points: 197 (2 over)

Strength 0
Stamina 2
Agility 2
Dexterity 2
Fighting 3
Intellect 5
Awareness 6
Presence 5

Skills
Athletics  (+0), Deception  (+5), Expertise: Occult 7 (+12), Expertise: Magic 7 (+12), Insight 4 (+10), Intimidation  (+5), Investigation 5 (+10), Perception 6 (+12), Persuasion 6 (+11), Stealth 4 (+6), Technology 2 (+7), Treatment 2 (+7)

Advantages
All-out Attack, Artificer, Attractive 2, Connected, Contacts, Fearless, Evasion 1, Ritualist, Second Chance 1, Well-Informed, Accurate Attack [Arcane Blast]

Offense
Initiative +2

Defense
Dodge 14, Parry 7
Toughness 12 (Def Roll 0), Fortitude 13, Will 13

Powers

Witchraft (Magic)
     Witchfire Blast: Blast 10 [Accurate]
     Alt: Mystic Shield: Protection 10
     Alt: Part the Veil: Teleport 4
     Alt: Divination: Senses 6
     Alt: Binding Curse : Affliction 8
     Alt: Glamour : Illusion 6
     Alt: Call Familiar (Cotton): Summon 4
     Alt: Fly: Flight 7

Warding Sigils
     Warding Sigils - Dodge: Enhanced Dodge 6
     Alt: Warning Sigils - Fortitude: Enhanced Fortitude 6
     Alt: Warning Sigils - Will: Enhanced Will 6

Second Sight
     Second Sight: Senses 6

Familiar: Cotton
     Familiar - Cotton: Summon 4

Complications
Motivation: Responsibility – Uses her power to protect and guide those who are Gifted or lost in the veil
Fame/Infamy – Known in mystical circles; feared by some, worshipped by others
Power Loss (Silenced) – Incantation and gestures are required for spellcasting
Relationship: Cotton – Her familiar is bound to her soul; if destroyed, Larina suffers a -2 to all Will-based effects for 24 hours
Uncovered Secret – Her knowledge of other worlds and timelines is dangerous to certain factions
Enemy: The Necromancer, The Refrigerator

Notes: For 3rd edition, I bumped up her PL to 13.  I figured she gained some power.  Again this is the combination of about two or three (one was a version of the other, so 2.5) different versions of her. The two different editions are not continuous versions of her, but rather what I wanted to do at the time. 

That is one of the strengths of M&M, you can build a character so many different ways. That's one of the reasons I have so many different versions of her. 

Mutants & Masterminds 4.0 should be fun as well and I am really looking forward to it.

Fantasy Fridays: Atlantis The Second Age

 Today's game is not something I am proposing as a D&D replacement, which is interesting given the game and the history of the games that led up to it. I was thinking about it after going through the Barbarians of Lemuria RPG a bit ago. These two games, though, are a good addition to your current Fantasy games. And maybe, for the right table, it is the game they need.

Atlantis: The Second Age

Morrigan Press Edition, 2005, 411 pages
Khepera Publishing Edition, 2014, 368 pages

Atlantis: The Second Age, both versions, is the spiritual successor of the classic Atlantean Trilogy and Talislanta by Bard Games, which, of course, were developed after the Complete Adventurer, Spellcaster, and Alchemist books.  Those books were written to be used with "any fantasy role-playing game," but the obvious choice was AD&D 1st Edition. 

The book is titled “Atlantis, the Second Age,” so it is Atlantis, after the Flood. A bit odd, but I’ll go with it. Plenty of information on the world, and despite the name, you could run it as a pre-flood/pre-sinking Atlantean empire. Tons of new races, spells, and magic, all pulled from the old Bard Games books and a variant of Talislanta’s rules. If you've played Talislanta before, you'll feel right at home especially since this is a spiritual descendant. 

The game uses the Omni System for the 2005 edition and the Omega System for the 2014 edition. I'll get to the Omni System after a bit, but both are very similar to each other. The systems are similar to True20, and can be used in conjunction with True20 with some adjustments. Well. Some radical adjustments, but it can be done. For a bit in 2005 I tried a short Atlantis based game using True20, it worked out well. 

The 2005 edition was originally published by Morrigan Press and is the one I was most familiar with. Though here on out I'll focus mostly on the 2005 Morrigan Press version, with bits from the Khepera Edition as they come up. Khepera Publishing, which is Jerry D. Grayson, published the revised and updated edition in 2014. Both editions are now published by Khepera Publishing. 

Atlantis

Let’s start with the world, because that’s the real star here. This is mythic prehistory, a time before the oceans swallowed everything, when man fought serpent-men and sorcerers whispered to gods that had no names.  These are set in the Atlantean Age world, which is similar to the Hyborian Age, but maybe a bit before it. It has a solid Conan-esque feel to it. Except there are a lot of non-human species here. 

Think Conan, but written by Clark Ashton Smith and Michael Moorcock and published in Heavy Metal.

What I like about this game is the Greco-Egyptian feel to this world. Obviously, this is due to the stories and tales of Atlantis. It also feels like a world out of mythology. If you never play this game, the background is something I keep coming back to time and again. I recall reading the Morrigan Press edition while holding my oldest son when he was a baby.  The Khepera edition is an improvement over the Morrigan Press edition, but both are great. There are enough differences between the games to warrant discussing them as different games, but enough similarities that I am keeping them together. The setting remains the same, and the basics of the rules are sufficiently similar.

Background

The game begins with a background familiar to many who have played D&D or read any of the Appendix N books. It is a Mythic Age before recorded history in a world that looks like ours. As I mentioned above it has a solid Conan/Pulp feel to it. Ophidians are the bad guys at the start of this and can be an ongoing threat. I also can't help but get a little Edgar Rice Burroughs / Mars feel from this. Lots of different species/races all living on the same planet. It feels like a Conan game, only with more Greco-Egyptian elements.

The 2005 Morrigan Press version has more background on the geography of the world, a little more than half the book to be honest. For this reason, it makes it a good buy if you want to play in this Atlantean world. The 2014 Khepera version has more historical background and a good timeline of events. 

The games are set up in similar fashions. Choose your background, race/species, and then select either a profession with some skills (Morrigan) or a set of skills with a profession (Khepera). Both get you the same places in the end. If you are familiar with the old Arcanum books, then you know what sorts of "classes" and species you have choices of.  While there are professions/classes of sorts, it is skills that really define what your character can do. 

The species, in particular the Andaman, are particularly fun. The Ahl-At-Rab make for a very playable Lizard Man species and this might even be the origins of my Saurian-Ophidian war in my current games. Feels right even if I can't fully recall it.  An aside: This is one of the main reasons I enjoy revisiting these older games; it's the memories they stir up in me. 

Of note. The 2005 Morrigan Press edition does have Elves and Dwarves. The 2014 Khepera Publishing one drops them in favor of focusing more on the unique species of the lines and adding the "First Born" the Djinn. All of these can be ported over to your favorite D&D-like with little effort. 

The Khepera Publishing version has their "Walk Life Paths," which help define who your character is since you are already starting out as a hero among normal humans. It is quite interesting to be honest, and easily adaptable to pretty much any game. 

Magic

While there are magical professions, there are also magical traditions. Witchcraft is one, as are shamans and practitioners of the Dark Arts. Both games have you build your spells based on the different Modes of spellcraft, and some traditions are better and worse at some modes than others. It this sounds a little like Mage and their spheres then you have the right idea, though it is not as complicated as that. 

It can be a dynamic system, and there are some example spells to get you going.

Omni & Omega Systems

The system for each is similar. Close enough that broad strokes will suffice. Both are d20-based systems. Roll a d20 add modifiers from abilities and skills, look for a target number. I mentioned they are both very similar to True20 in this respect since all you need really is a single d20. 

The Omega system has characters that are slightly more powerful than a standard normal person. So more powerful than say a 1st level AD&D character, but maybe not as powerful as a 1st level D&D 5e character. The Omega system also features a lifepath system that helps to flesh out a character's background, providing them with a history and motivations from the outset. This also informs how your character moves forward, or maybe a better phrasing is how they could possibly move forward since the options are still up to the player.

Both systems, though, are easy to pick up. Morrigan Press still sells the Omni System as a separate generic system. 

Larina Nix for Atlantis: The Second Age

A dedicated witch tradition and a funky magic system? You know I am going to try that out. Though stating up Larina for an Atlantean game is really not a stretch. Back in college, in the last days of AD&D 1st ed, I ran an off-and-on "Atlantean" campaign. I would later supplement the lore with bits from the Talislanta RPG that was released later (90s). It was largely divorced from my high school game, except at two points. First, my necromancer "Big Bad" Magnus was there before he turned completely evil.  It was in a sense his big origin story. Additionally, the "very first" incarnation of Larina was also there. While her first version was my AD&D 1st ed version, I was coming up with the idea that she was reincarnated many times, and her first incarnation was a priestess or witch who died when Atlantis sank below the waves. I do not recall if I ever had Magnus and Larina meet in Atlantis. Nor even if I ever had planned them to meet. Magnus was always more an enemy of the Werpers and the occasional ally of my assassin. Magnus and Larina knew of each other in AD&D and beyond, but she avoided him. 

So yeah, I really just took a lot of late 70s Atlantic Lore about psychic powers, energy crystals, an episode of In Search Of, a cheesy documentary I had watched in the early 80s, and the Doctor Who episode The Time Monster. A heady brew to be sure.  The point is, if there was questionable scholarship about any sort of occult topic, I was going to try and add it to my games and somehow, somewhere, one of my witches was going to be there. 

Working through the character creation was a lot of fun and really shows where the  2014 Khepera edition grew. It also highlighted the similarities and the differences of the two systems. To be fair the differences are subtle and you could play either system and switch to the other with only a few problems. The differences are akin to Basic D&D and Advanced D&D 1st ed. My opinion that both games would work well together still stands. Each has something to offer the other. 

I don't remember everything about Atlantean Larina. I knew she was not an Atlantean native. I was using my own experience of going away to college to say she had also left her home to study magic at Atlantis. So I kept that bit and said she comes from Alba (England/Scotland). As I was generating her stats I opted to have her at age 25 for the 2014 Khepera edition and 35 for the 2005 Morrigan Press edition. I used 35 because that is how old I was when I originally created her stats for the Morrigan Press edition. I do remember she was in Atlantis when it finally sank beneath the sea, and she died with everyone else. Hey, death is a part of the life-death-rebirth cycle, and no one knows that better in my worlds than witches. 

I am taking scans of her sheets to show what they look like. I particularly like the 2014 Khepera version. It is colorful and there are page numbers on the sheet to help find where the rules for that section are. That is a rather nice touch. Click to see larger.

Khepera Publishing (2014), Larina age 25

Morrigan Press (2005), Larina age 35

I am rather happy with these. I have filled out everything, but you certainly can get the idea. She would be a good witch in this game. I am going to say in the 10 years she has been in Atlantis, she has picked up more skills and the Astrology and High Sorcery traditions of magic work. This is a subtle nod to the crazy 70s and 80s "documentaries" I watch on Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, and related topics. 

Given the image I created (thank you, Hero Forge!) I think that the Orichalcum pentagram she is carrying must be important. Maybe a quest for a different incarnation of Larina.

Who Should Play This Game?

There is not much here that can't be found in other games, really. Nearly every Conan game does something similar, and Wasted Lands does the best job of all. BUT that is not a reason for you not to play. Some fun things are going on in this game. The 210+ pages of geography in the Morrigan Press edition are engaging, and the history and backstory in the Khepera Publishing edition are also great. Together, they create a compelling world. 

The system is easy to learn and flexible enough for most gamers. 

Essentially, I have been using them both, along with my Bard Games Atlantis books and The Arcanum as another campaign world for D&D. This was my campaign world in the last years of the 1980s when I first went off to college. Both Larina and Magnus were prominent NPCs in that campaign. 

No one will leave D&D 5e for this system. But I can see people coming from 3e or even 1st ed to give it a try. 

Khepera Publishing has quite a few products for their version and the Morrigan Press one. I am still a fan of the Atlantis: Bestiary, even if it is full of creatures I have seen many times over. 

Both games are excellent Sword & Sorcery games of the old cloth. They were criminally underrated when they were new, and that is more true now. 

The Morrigan Press edition is largely a Fantasy Heartbreaker, albeit one with a good history and an interesting idea. The Khepera Publishing one elevates into something else above a heartbreaker.

It has been a decade since the last edition of this game came out, and from what I can tell, it is still supported. 

This one would be fun to see an update for, especially if Jerry D. Grayson continues the evolution of the game. In fact, I think we are overdue for an update.

Links

Khepera Publishing

• Main website
• Atlantis section
• DriveThruRPG
• Facebook
• Twitter/X

Occult D&D: The Coven of the Shattered Crowns

 Work continues on my ideas for occult D&D. There are a lot of ways I could crack this nut, but in true occult fashion, I just took everything I was working on and followed where it led me. It led me to a very interesting new coven. 

While trying to figure out a Grand Coven that would have Rhiannon and Briana Highstar as members, as well as Moria, Amaranth, and maybe others. All have different patrons, come from different traditions, and none share any alignments. 

They all did have one thing in common, though.  Each of their patrons had been cast down by the gods. So demons, devils, old gods, and other things, all gone from their seats of power, and "new gods" sat on them. They combed through every old text they could find, borrow, or steal. All leading them to the same conclusion.  

The Gods need to be cast down.

The Coven of the Shattered Crowns

Yesterday I talked about Rhiannon and Briana's "great works," this is it. They found the texts and gathered other witches to their cause. Right now, I am at the stage of the start of this cult, but I have some good ideas.

We were not born in shadow, nor forged in ancient fires. We were not whispered into being by crones in the wood or scribed into dusty tomes. We are new, terrifyingly new. And yet, every stone we unearth bears our mark, every sealed vault cracks open at our touch, and every false god flinches when we speak the names They tried to erase.

The divine order is a lattice of lies. The gods did not shape the world, they conquered it. They did not bring wisdom, they buried it. And those They cast down, the dragon mothers, the star-wives, the daughters of dust and light, those are our Patrons. Their crowns were broken, their thrones scattered, their names struck from prayer. We will restore them, not in temples, but in ourselves.

This is the Grand Work. Not resurrection, but replacement. Not worship, but ascent. Let them tremble on their gilded thrones, for we walk paths They cannot follow. And we walk together.

No God rules where witches walk.

- The Manifesto of the Shattered Crown,
Penned by Briana Highstar, Archwitch

That is what I have so far. 

Here are some of the occult ideas going into this. It's not everything yet, but it is what I have written so far. A lot of this should look really familiar to regular readers.

The Witch-Cult Hypothesis (Margaret Murray, Aradia Mythos)

• Key Theme: Pre-Christian pagan religion suppressed by patriarchal churches. 
• Parallels: Witches worship ancient goddesses and spirits that were demonized.
• Application: The Coven of the Shattered Crowns doesn’t want to restore the old religion; they want to become the new pantheon, using what was lost to rewrite the future.

The Witch-Cult hypothesis is a perennial favorite of mine. While Margaret Murray's anthropology is in question, her ideas are highly relevant to my writing here. This new Coven takes the Witch Cult and Aradia myths to the next level. 

I'll likely add in bits of James George Frazer here as well.

The Gnostic Traditions

• Key Theme: The Demiurge (false god) created the flawed material world, while the true divine lies beyond, or within.
• Parallels: 
• The ruling gods are deceivers.
• The soul contains divine sparks trapped in flesh.
• Salvation comes through secret knowledge (gnosis), not worship.
• Application to the Coven of the Shattered Crowns: Each witch could view her ascension as liberating the divine within, unmasking the false gods of law, light, and judgment.

I have been dying to use more Gnostic ideas in my books, but never found the right hook.

Luciferianism (Occult/Philosophical, not Satanic)

• Key Theme: Lucifer as a symbol of rebellion, enlightenment, and personal divinity.
• Parallels:
• The rebel angel is not evil, but a bringer of light, cast down by an authoritarian god.
• Emphasis on self-initiation, wisdom, and apotheosis.
• Application: Many of the witches' Patrons are seen in this light. Their “fall” is a misinterpreted liberation, and the Coven of the Shattered Crowns seeks to reclaim their truth.

This one is obvious, at least to me. I am focusing on the occult and philosophical aspects, rather than the satanic aspects. I did that already. I like the idea of using Luciferianism here too. More than a couple of my witches here are "diabolic." The fit is good.

The Hermetic Tradition (Hermeticism, Alchemy)

• Key Theme: Ascent of the soul through the Great Work—uniting opposites, becoming one with the divine.
• Parallels:
• “As above, so below.” The microcosm (witch) reflects the macrocosm (god).
• The world has fallen, but can be transmuted.
• Godhood is attainable through discipline, knowledge, and inner purification.
• Application: The Coven of the Shattered Crowns' path to godhood could be Hermetic in structure—alchemical steps, planetary correspondences, sacred geometry.

If I am going to explore occult themes, then I will incorporate the Hermetic Tradition. More than once in fact. Hermetic Wizards, brotherhoods of occult scholars, and ideas like this. 

The witches of this Coven of the Shattered Crowns are very much like members of the Hermetic Orders.

The Qliphoth (Kabbalistic, Inverted Tree of Life)

• Key Theme: The Qliphoth are shells or husks—cast-off divine powers that became demonic or chaotic.
• Parallels:
• These are exiled forces outside the Tree of Life.
• Some occult traditions seek to traverse the Qliphoth in reverse to regain hidden wisdom or godlike power.
• Application: The witches’ Patrons could be seen as Qliphothic beings, those cast out by divine order, but still holding fragments of creative force. Traversing the “Tree of the Cast Down” could be part of their Grand Work.

I have talked about the Qliphoth before. I think they are a great idea, and I have wanted to use them more. I am not using them here, really, but the idea is similar. Plus, if you were an occultist reading about this, you would apply it to your own situation. 

Chaos Magick

• Key Theme: Belief is a tool. Identity and metaphysics are mutable. Personal reality can be rewritten.
• Parallels:
• The gods are constructs. Power lies in will, not worship.
• Ritual is a lens for self-transformation.
• Application: The Grand Coven may not want to return to any tradition—they want to overwrite cosmic order using the same chaos the gods feared. Each witch becomes her own “god-form.”

I LOVE Chaos Magick. Back in the 90s I really got into Chaos Theory and related topics. The result is why my Tiâmat is Chaotic Evil. Some of that has been added here. 

A bit scattered, but that's typical of many occult writings. I am really thrilled with where this is going.