Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
"!
INFINIVERSE
C A M P A I G N G A M E
Volume 1, Number 40 March/April, 1994  $3.00
"!
graphic artist Tim Bobko to the fold.
West End News and Notes
Tim, also known as  The Fashion
GAMA Show: WEG editor Ed Stark
King, brings skill, talent and height
and Sales Manager Bill Olmesdahl just
to the art department. (The art bullpen
returned from the Game Manufactur- is starting to look like an NCAA locker
ers Association Trade Show in New
room & )
CONTENTS
Orleans, LA. There they met with rep-
resentatives of other game companies,
Hell s Feast
major distributors and retailers, and
discussed all the exciting plans we Jack Deacon was just another aver-
have for the next year. age gumshoe on an average case. Un-
By the end of the convention, the til his client flashed a set of fangs, the
Rumor Report
buzz was all about Indiana Jones and sentinels came calling, and an out-of-
and News ..................... 2
Bloodshadows. Everyone seems to be town caster tossed a spell with his
enthused about the new projects, and name on it. Now he has to find a
Pocket Dimensions ..... 3 some of the best gaming authors in the bizarre killer or take the ultimate fall!
business are lining up to work on them! WEG is proud to announce the re-
In addition, Star Wars continues to lease of Hell s Feast, the first of three
Dispatches .................... 7
be one of the hottest games in the novels introducing the all-new
industry, and plans are moving ahead Bloodshadows universe! Written by
Your Letters ................ 11
for Torg 2nd Edition. Stick around, the Greg Farshtey, author of The River of
best is yet to come & God, Hell s Feast is fast-paced action
Herald Messages ....... 12
and chilling horror at its best.
Available in book and hobby stores
New Staff
in April!
West End Games welcomes new
REALITY CHECK by Brian Schomburg
Contributors This Issue:
An Akashan kiddie show we could live without...
Greg Detwiler, Greg Farshtey, Brian
Schomburg
®
20840
Creative Staff:
Fred Jandt, Nikola Vrtis, Scott Palter
Sales Director:
Sue Hartung
Accountant:
Karen Bayly
®, TM & © 1994, 2001 D6Legend Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
West End Games and WEG are trademarks of
D6Legend Inc.
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
Rumor Report and News
irst Indication reports on shoots them into space; and sends them
Convention News
the newest batch of rumors cheesy movies (the worst he can find).
West End Games is looking for
to which you have re- Dead even  False (11).
gamers planning to attend Origins  94
sponded. Continuing Re- 6. Rec Pakken searching for new
in San Jose, CA in July 7 10. We need
port updates the rumors High Lord; Tharkold/Nippon alliance
people both to run games for us and to
as more responses come in. The Wrap shattered. True (19).
help us work our booth. As usual,
Up gives you the tally after the rumor
anyone who helps out will receive
has reverberated throughout the
Continuing Report: Issue #37
credit toward WEG merchandise.
Infiniverse for about three months.
1. New villain, Dr. Cyclops, appears
We are also looking for game-
The wrap-up will be the last report for
in Berlin with the power to shrink his
masters to run Torg, Shatterzone, and
that rumor in Infiniverse.
enemies. Believed to be collecting
Star Wars at GenCon  94 in August.
Storm Knights. Holds at True (20).
If you are interested in helping us
2. New and charismatic leader,
out, contact West End Games, RR3
Rumor Report
Doomtak, appears in the Land Below,
Box 2345, Honesdale, PA 18431.
forging an army of conquest. Growth
For those of you who were disap-
The results are given a true or false,
spurt and True (16).
pointed at not being able to get into
followed by a parenthetical number.
3. Aliens from Star Sphere send ro-
your favorite WEG event last year,
That number represents the strength
bot craft to Earth as part of a trap for
take heart  WEG is getting extra
of the truth or falsehood throughout
unwary Humans. Slight jump to True
booth space this year so that we can
the Infiniverse. For example, a state-
(17).
run pick-up games during the show.
ment which is False (15) is false unless
The Wrap-Up: Issue #36
We will also be running MasterBook
the gamemaster decides to test the
1. Mobius plans to use reality tree to
games featuring Bloodshadows and The
statement; on a roll of 15 or better, the
convert Iceland to Nile axioms and
World of Indiana Jones at the booth. Stop
statement is actually true. Roll again
turn it into a floating battlebase. Big
by for the free prizes and see the new
on 10 and 20 when testing the truth or
jump to finish at True (25).
stuff for WEG  94.
falsity of a reported rumor.
2. Ghostdancer movement springs
First Indication: Issue #38
up among Gaea s Native American
Upcoming For Torg
1. Cyberpapists posing as
population in response to the domina-
Tharkoldu  voodoo cult wreak havoc
tion of the Gaunt Man. Another good- May: Infiniverse Update, Volume
in New Orleans. Starts at True (19).
sized jump to end at True (40). Three: And the first one not written by
2. Berserk team of Storm Knights
3. Negotiations going on between Greg! John Terra leads you through
rampaging through Aysle, tearing up
high-ranking cyberpriests and techno- the Possibility Wars 1994, featuring
stelae without regard to safety of Ords.
demons. No peace in our time  False shocking surprises, sinister plots and
True (17).
(20). the return of an old and adamant vil-
3. Wild West returns in the wake of
4. Colonel Cairo and Captain Car- lain (no, it s not Ensign Egypt!)
Nile axiom wash in Texas. Git along,
nage (the former Dr. Zap) clash in the
little Storm Knight  it s True (25).
streets of Thebes. Both vanish under a
4. Kanawa transferring goods and
pile of rubble. Neck and neck to the
personnel to South Korea. True (18).
end  True (11).
5. Mobius invents  weird science
space capsule; captures Storm Knights;
2
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
Pocket Dimension
food supports the troops of the ustanah miracles. As the ustanah are potential
Arachnidia
standing army, which defend the hunt- allies against the Living Land, this law
ers and gatherers from the domed punishes those trigger-happy charac-
The domed world of Arachnidia is
world s more dangerous wildlife, as ters who simply want to attack every-
connected to Core Earth by a series of
well as drilling for a final showdown thing in sight.
tunnels, most of which come up in the
with their edeinos enemy.
Living Land or Land Above. The best-
known entrance is a side tunnel in
The Realm
aformer Living Land chasm in Upper
The Law of
Michigan, from which the ustanah first
Arachnidia is a domed world simi-
reemerged into history. For this rea-
Cooperation
lar in appearance to Merretika and
son alone, the domed world is of im-
many others, with terrain features
portance in the Possibility Wars.
From the unanimity of onslaught
ranging from snow-capped mountains
similar to that of an outraged hive of
to deserts and tropical jungles. The
bees, the ustanah have evolved battle
major difference is this: the animal life
tactics that take full advantage of the
Axioms and World
of the realm, including the only native
principles of cooperation. The Law of
intelligent race, consists entirely of
Laws
Cooperation demonstrates this quite
invertebrates, chiefly arthropods. Due
well. Whenever two or more charac-
to the high Magic axiom, greatly en-
Arachnidia has the same axioms as
ters are working together toward a
larged versions of both normal Core
the Land Below in general, including
common goal, such as fighting the
Earth invertebrates are both possible
Merretika (Magic 12, Social 8, Spiritual
same individual enemy or using their
and common, providing Storm Knight
17, Technological 10). However, the
combined Strength totals to lift a heavy
explorers with a series of deadly
ustanah have no mages to take advan-
object, they receive a +1 to their ef-
threats.
tage of the first axiom, while their
forts.
Aside from native wildlife,
Stone Age society lags behind the
There is, however, only a single
Arachnidia is also home to many huge
realm s Tech potential. Spiritual power
modifiers for characters making a
invertebrates from other realms.
is their primary strength; the realm
single combined effort, as in the lifting
Mostly these are creatures from the
has a higher Spiritual axiom than any
example given above or the heavy
Living Land, such as the bonthkra,
other realm except the Living Land.
weapons skill roll for the operators of
karkata, langatok, meksobat, nosktret,
This turned the original edeinos/
a single crew-served weapon.
quartek, restra, ropraj, shestike, torada
ustanah war into a bitter religious cru-
and voskat. However, other immi-
sade that made the fighting even more
grants include giant desert beetles from
vicious. Now this domed world is the
The Law of the Hive
the Nile Empire, the kraken of Aysle,
last stronghold of the ustanah and their
and the weligar from the tunnels of the
religion. To illustrate this, any non- If Arachnidia is the last refuge of
Land Below. Also present are  wild
ustanah miracles performed in
the ustanah race in the cosmverse, then
versions of the wasps ridden by the
Arachnidia will be a one-case contra- the hive city is their last refuge in the
Darooni of Merretika. Still, there are
diction.
realm. Consequently, any characters
plenty of giant insects, spiders, scorpi-
Ustanah society is a cross between
foolhardy enough to attack the hive
ons, crustaceans, worms, etc. to give
an anthill and a city state of Classical
will discover the hard way that hives
Arachnidia its own distinctive flavor
times on Core Earth. As with spiritual
are fiercely defended. Characters de-
as regards fauna.
power, the Social axiom has been
fending a hive receive a +2 bonus to
Besides the kraken, a Core Earth
pressed to the limit here. The queen of
actions taken to protect it. This in-
sea monster that inhabits Arachnidia
the hive directs all activities, which
cludes uses of the dodge, maneuver, melee
is the tullimonstreum, an enormous
mostly consist of gathering food. Each
weapons, missile weapons, unarmed com-
marine worm that is the source of many
ustanah adult gathers his or her own
bat, test, willpower and  for those who
 sea serpent reports. This prehistoric
food; any surplus gleaned during the
have it - reality. The rare ustanah sha-
creature dates back to Paleozoic times,
day is placed into a communal storage
mans may also use it for their faith and
but only its young has been fossilized,
building. Among other things, this
focus rolls when casting combat
3
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
causing severe underestimation of the time for precise firing ranks to oper-
Web
true size of the  tully monster. Oddly ate. Ustanah believe in firing off all
Spiritual Rating: 15
shaped for a worm, it has a thick body their ammo at once, then marching in
Community Rating: 11
with a noticeable head and neck, close quarters, wielding their ataltl
Difficulty: 12
paddlelike flippers up front, and a devices as clubs and fighting with
Range: 5 (10 meters)
large triangular tail to the rear. It has a mandibles and pincers as the situation
Duration: 10 (100 seconds)
mouth full of sharp teeth. dictates.
Effect: Entangles a group of foes
Overall, it looks like a Mesozoic A favorite tactic is to have one or
plesiosaur, due to its similar lifestyle two appendages engage an equal num-
When web is cast, a large net of
and convergent evolution. It is 30 ber of enemies in combat, while the
spiderwebbing covers an area three
meters in length. remaining appendages in the quartet
meters wide by three meters high.
swing around to the flanks for a double
Anyone and everyone in this area will
Tullimonstreum
envelopment. Single flanking attacks
be entangled until the miracle s dura-
DEXTERITY 10
are also possible if the enemy is nu-
tion expires. Anyone trying to break
Swimming 10, unarmed combat 11
merous enough, and if the odds are
free must make a successful Strength
STRENGTH 20
equal, or against the ustanah, there is
check of 13 to do so. The strands are
TOUGHNESS 18
nothing the warriors can do but stand
wet with glue and cannot be burned.
PERCEPTION 7
where they are and fight.
Find 6
In battle, ustanah units communi-
MIND 6
cate with each other by means of vari-
The Other Realms
Survival 9
ous pheromones released by their scent
CHARISMA 3
glands. This works in Arachnidia, Aside from a handful of expedi-
Charm (25), persuasion (25), taunt
where the only winds are gentle tions sponsored by the US govern-
(25)
breezes, but has led to disaster else- ment, the Living Land is the only realm
SPIRIT 7
where. A strong wind, whether natu- to discover Arachnidia. In one of his
Intimidation (11)
ral or created by magic, will reduce last actions as Saar, Baruk Kaah sent a
Possibility Potential: None
their army to a collection of separate large war party to this domed world
Natural Tools: Hide, armor value
quartets operating out of step with on a punitive expedition. The edeinos
TOU+4/22; teeth, damage value
each other. When weather permits were beaten off with great loss of life.
STR+5/25; flippers, speed value 13
their system to work, they operate like The ustanah may well march on the
military automatons, reminding at surface in force at some point in the
least one scholar who saw them in future, as some already have. These
Ustanah Civilization
battle of the Roman legions and their roving bands are the ones being tar-
similar small-unit tactics. geted by the Gaunt Man s Horrors in
As noted above, the ustanah have
Current estimates are that there are an attempt to gather raw material for
refined hive life to the point where it is
at least 10,000 ustanah in Arachnidia, a super-chthon. Mercifully, the High
roughly equivalent to that of a human
with 4000 of them in the standing army. Lord of Orrorsh does not yet know of
city state. These insects are well-disci-
In times of emergency, virtually all Arachnidia s existence. It is certain that
plined, all working together for the
citizens are required to serve; they many of its hideous invertebrate mon-
good of the community. As such, they
already know what units they serve in sters would make excellent Horrors.
have no need for laws  the army is
and with what comrades. Thus,  re-
there to defend against outside threats
serve units are just as skilled in battle
alone.
as the  professionals, though whether
Land Below
Ustanah military organization is
this is due to instinct or practice is, as
based on multiples of four, with the
yet, unknown. Both male and female Update: Tharkold
smallest unit the  appendage of four
ustanah serve in the military.
warriors, corresponding to the four
and Akasha
Of the entire ustanah race, only the
limbs of an ustanah or human. One of
queen herself and perhaps a dozen
the four is in charge of all the others.
Since the publication of The Land
scholars are exempt from serving in
These units may work in pairs for
Below, there have been two new realms
the ranks. The queen does organize
hunting or gathering missions. In war,
added to the Torg universe, Tharkold
the warriors, as her pheromones have
though, the  quartet or 16 warriors is
and Akasha. As noted in The Land
a range of half a kilometer  the phero-
almost invariably the smallest unit to
Below, the tunnel systems immediately
mones of all other ustanah barely make
operate independently.
below each realm have taken on the
it 100 meters  making her the equiva-
In pitched battle, quartets advance
flavor of the invaders reality. There-
lent of a general.
in four rows, each row taking turns
fore, the following details the Land
The scholars are also the priests of
using its club/atlatl to hurl a volley of
Below areas between the two newest
the Colleh religion. In battle, they use
sharpened crystal disks at the enemy.
realities, with a description of them
combat miracles much as their edeinos
These disks may also be hurled by
and a few samples of typical wildlife:
enemies do, the most common being
hand at close quarters if there is no
web.
4
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
prey by using its mandibles, which Possibility Wars, when it became ap-
Tharkold
appear to be of brass. Its golden exosk- parent that a bizarre and unique sys-
eleton provides decent armor protec- tem of caverns had sprung into exist-
The tunnels beneath the Tharkold
tion, and it has a number of natural ence under each of the invading realms.
realm are a curious combination of
cybersystems. One of its eyes is a Now exploring Storm Knight teams
natural and artificial conditions. While
Dangerscan cybereye; the other is a have uncovered the true nature of these
the cavern format itself is natural, with
Darksight. It has a pair of antennae caverns.
dank, damp rooms of irregular shape,
which it waves incessantly; they serve The tunnels beneath Akasha are
all caves and tunnels are lit with dim
as substitute olfactory organs, with clearly man-made in nature, being
fluorescent and neon lights. The light
the left and right ones serving as long, straight, square galleries whose
they give is sufficient is for explorers
equivalents to the Windhunter and ceilings range in height from two to
to pick their way about with their na-
Windsniffer, respectively. Finally, it seven meters, with an average width
ked eyes, but it leaves plenty of areas
has a special adrenal gland which is a of three meters. These hallways lead
in shadow, particularly in the corners,
natural Adrenal Booster gland, giving to rooms both large and small. Some
where anything can lurk.
the creature its benefits once every full are empty, while others boast parts of
In addition, some areas are sealed
day (24 hours). a vast horde of plaques, statues, and
off by solid steel doors which, when
other items of copper, silver and gold.
blasted or battered through, seem to
Cyberpede
Contacts among the Space Gods
conceal nothing worth the effort of
DEXTERITY 11 (14)
claim that the passages and rooms
putting them there. Since the doors,
Dodge 14, maneuver 12, stealth 13,
were carved out of the solid rock by
like everything else, appeared with
unarmed combat 17
means of thermal drills tipped with
the Tharkold axiom wash, their true
STRENGTH 12 (15)
the metal wolfram  #$ among the last
purpose  if any  may never be
TOUGHNESS 12 (16)
items of  pure machinery the
known.
PERCEPTION 14
Akashans created  and electron ray
Entrances to Tharkold s Land Be-
Find 16, tracking 17, trick (16)
guns. These last are bazooka-sized
low may be anywhere, from the base-
MIND 6 (15)
versions of the biotech electronus, fir-
ment of a private home to an under-
Survival 17
ing bolts of electricity powerful enough
ground parking garage, from a natu-
CHARISMA 3
to blast apart rock strata too hard for
ral cavern to a subway system. Several
Charm (28), persuasion (22), taunt
the drill.
sealed entrances have been uncovered
(26)
The drill heats all debris to the melt-
by construction crews digging the
SPIRIT 6
ing point, and the resulting fluid then
foundation for new buildings.
Intimidation 17
solidifies to a diamond-hard glaze that
Whether in Los Angeles, San Diego,
Possibility Potential: None
covers the walls, floor and ceiling. This
Tijuana, or Berlin, the Tharkoldu Land
Natural Tools: Cybermandibles,
glaze is so hard that it holds the ceiling
Below may be stumbled upon at any
damage value STR+5/17; metallic ex-
up all by itself, without the need for
time, and its creatures are likewise
oskeleton, armor value TOU+4/16;
pillars or supports.
capable of appearing from any quar-
Darksight eye, see normally in dark-
It also makes the tunnel system
ter.
ness; Dangerscan eye, +3 to find hid-
watertight, with the only water present
Many of the creatures of this realm
den dangers; Windhunter antenna, +3
being those underground pools or riv-
are the wilder inhabitants of the cosm
to tracking by smell; Windsniffer an-
ers that were deliberately left uncov-
itself: bochdogs, direwings, necros,
tenna, +3 to Perception using smell;
ered to supply the residents.
quons, swarmrats, etc. In addition,
Adrenal Booster gland, +3 to Dexterity
some ghuls and rogue Tharkoldu use
Electron Ray Gun: Tech 30, dam-
and Strength (works once per day)
the more out-of-the-way caverns as
age value 31, ammo 50, range 3-150/
lairs to rest in between attacks on the
500/1k
human population. There are also ru-
Due to the artificial nature of the
Akasha
mors of rogue gospog  #$ those
halls, there is no wildlife that is native
Tharkoldu gospog who defeated the
In the Andes mountains, from
to them. However, many creatures
demons who tried to use the Law of
southernmost Ecuador to southern
from outside have come in to take up
Domination against them  roaming
Chile, and extending west into Bo- residence in them, just as if they were
the tunnels. They attack anything they
livia, Brazil, and Argentina, is a mas- ordinary caverns. Among them are
encounter.
sive and fantastic tunnel network.
many of the bizarre creatures the
The following is an example of a
There have been rumors that such ex- Akashans either brought with them or
creature unique to the caverns:
isted before the arrival of the Space
inadvertently created via their genetic
Gods (no doubt constructed by the
experiments. The iemisch, lemekanns,
Cyberpede
Machu Coar during the Akashans; first
and munjabu are most common, as are
visit to Earth), and is filled with in- mylodons (like megatheriums, but
One of the primary predators of
credible treasures.
only half as large). Other creatures
Tharkold s Land Below is the
Still, almost no one bothered to look
never recorded before have also been
cyberpede, a glittering golden centi-
into the matter until the start of the
encountered in the tunnels, such as
pede five meters in length. It attacks
5
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
the ahslans. quite literally in the hundreds of tons.
SPIRIT 7
Ahslans are poisonous serpents two Golden statues and statuettes of ani-
Intimidation 11
meters in length which have an innate mals from all over the world, or from
Possibility Potential: None
psionic power similar to telekinetic Natural Tools: Fangs, damage Akasha and other worlds of the Star
flight, but designed for atmospheric value STR+3/9; poison, damage value Sphere, predominate, but there are also
flight. This gives it a tremendous ad- 13 per round; telekinetic flight, speed books of gold or silver leaf and plaques
vantage over other snakes in the hunt, value 11 depicting scenes from Akashan his-
as it can actively chase down prey. tory. Finally, a few walls have been
Aside from wild animals, rogue
Their flight is totally silent, and what adorned with bas-reliefs of copper,
clans of Gudasko and small knots of
is worse from a Storm Knight s point silver or gold, showing the same scenes
Lorbaat dissidents have moved into
of view is the fact that they are gregari- as the plaques.
some of the rooms and hallways, us-
ous, coiling together in the corners of
Next to simple exploration, the most
ing them as a base of operations. Hu-
rooms in extended families of up to
common adventure Storm Knights will
man smugglers, guerrillas, and ban-
several dozen.
have in the tunnels is to either secure
dits have done the same. Storm Knights
Up to a half-dozen ahslans can at-
some of this vast treasure or prevent
who choose to explore the tunnels may
tack a man-sized target at once, with a
agents of the High Lords from doing
also run into bands of Monitors and
Many-On-One advantage. They are
so. Other possibilities include wiping
Comaghaz cells doing the same, or
quite fearless, relying on the speed of
out monsters, bandit or terrorist gangs,
teams of Nippon Tech agents searcing
their flight to keep them out of trouble
or groups of client race dissidents or
for some of the caches of precious
in combat.
Comaghaz cells. Although the glaze
metals. These last teams are quite
over the tunnels seems indestructible,
heavily armed, carrying the latest la-
Ahslan
it is possible that it might be shattered
ser and microwave weaponry of Mar-
DEXTERITY 16
in some spot, possibly allowing crea-
ketplace as well as whatever high-tech
Dodge 17, flight 13, maneuver 12,
tures from other parts of the Land
or biotech gear they ve managed to
unarmed combat 13
Below to find their way in. Some teams
steal from the Space Gods. In their
STRENGTH 6
might even decide to set up shop there
quest for treasure, they have only one
TOUGHNESS 8
themselves; as bases go, they could do
directive from 3327 concerning any-
PERCEPTION 10
worse.
one that gets in the way:  Shoot to
Find 11, trick (11)
kill.
MIND 6
The treasure to be found in these
Survival 10
caverns is quite substantial, with items
CHARISMA 5
made of precious metal to be found
Charm (40)
6
D. Gelon
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
Dispatches and Rumors
The tube is preset to  Marketplace. into northern France on three occa-
Dispatches
Any other destination would have to sions, attacking the villages of Nancy,
be loaded in, and there are no direc- Charmes and St. Mihiel.
tions evident for how to do that. Normally, priestburners live up to
1
Once the destination is entered, the their name, attacking only clergy (in
machine begins asking for a bewilder- this case, Cyberpapists). Unfortu-
(It s April, readers, and you know
ing series of instructions and data en- nately, passage through the fierce re-
what that means: time travel! It s time
tries. Make the characters sweat a little ality storms on the border of
for the traditional  Torg time travel
 let them think a wrong entry will CyberFrance have damaged the crea-
dispatch, which has thus far claimed
cause an alarm to sound or something. tures, so that they no longer track only
the lives of dozens of player charac- Finally, when the characters have clerics. Innocent residents of the target
ters.
made their way through all the in- towns have been incinerated by the
Onward:)
structions, the machine starts to hum. Tharkoldu servants.
Then one final block of text comes up: Now intelligence from Berlin indi-
The Storm Knights are in Tokyo,
cates that the town of Joinville is next
investigating what appears to be the
 Kanawa Corporation Transporta-
on the list. The Cyberpapists are al-
dismantling of Kanawa s empire.
tion Tube®,/TM and © 1994, Mobius
ready pulling out in advance of the
While there, they learn that key
Temporal Travel, Inc.
attack, but there are hundreds of civil-
Kanawa personnel have been making
At that point, the characters have
ians who could never escape in time.
use of a transportation device to es-
one round in which to escape the booth.
It s up to the Storm Knights to pro-
cape Earth. The logic is apparently
The doors have closed and locked be-
tect the town. One sound defeat of the
that, by sending them home this way
hind them, and a Strength total of 20
priestburners might be enough to get
rather than via maelstrom bridge,
will be required to open them. The
the Tharkoldu to call off the attacks
lesser employees will be unaware that
specially treated glass has a Toughness
and try another strategy.
their jobs  indeed, their very lives 
of 30.
may be in peril.
After a round, the machine gives
Priestburners (24)
Run the Knights through the gaunt-
off a blinding flash of deadly radiation
DEXTERITY 13
let to get to this transportation booth.
that disintegrates anyone within two
Dodge 15, energy weapons 17, fire
It s heavily defended, as befits a whole
meters of the machine (damage value
combat 17, flight 16, maneuver 16,
new method of cosm-crossing. Make
50). Any characters who haven t
stealth 15, unarmed combat 15
them work for it.
learned by now not to trust mysteri-
STRENGTH 10
When they finally reach the booth,
ous devices in the April issue of
TOUGHNESS 12 (21)
they ll discover it s large enough to
Infiniverse are now ashes & (Evidently,
PERCEPTION 10
accomodate the whole party. The walls
Kanawa has been using this device to
Divination magic 16, find 20, scholar
are of glass and it looks much like one
cut his payroll without going through
(religion) 15, trick 12 (15)
of Kanawa s ATM stelae.
the messy histrionics of mass firings.)
MIND 11
The console is lined with buttons,
Survival 13, test 13, willpower 15
Critical Event: As with any time
including one conspicuously marked
CHARISMA 5
travel device dispatch, the key to this
 On. Any investigation the Knights
Charm (20), persuasion (20), taunt
adventure is surviving. Doing so is a
make will reveal that there are no ob-
(22)
Good result (6 or above); failing to do
vious traps: no dynamite wired to the
SPIRIT 13
so is a Bad result (3 or less).
controls, no trapdoors in the floor.
Faith (Cult of the Dominant) 20,
The only button that will make the
intimidation 17, reality (Tharkold)
machine do anything is the  On but- 2
14
ton. Once pushed, the screen will light
Possibility Potential: All
up and begin presenting isntructions:
In the wake of serious reversals in
Natural Tools: Strafe dodge 22; in-
 Welcome to the Kanawa Corpo- the Cyberpapacy, Tharkold has de-
ternal laser, damage value 25, ammo
cided to seize their advantage and
ration Transportation Tube. Please
50, range 3-25/60/250; viral dart
strike at Malraux s domain. Flights of
enter destination:
launcher, damage value 18, ammo 50,
priestburners have been dispatched
range 3-40/80/150; talons, damage
7
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
value STR+3/13; interwoven metal
3 MIND 15
composite armor, value TOU+9/21;
Test 20, willpower 18
wings, speed value 15;  focus-finder,
CHARISMA 8
Pella, the Avatar of the Nameless
(divination magic 16), finds characters
Taunt (15)
One, has reappeared. A group of Storm
with specific focus skill. Difficulty is
SPIRIT 8
Knights exploring the tunnels beneath
target s focus value, range is 3 km.
Faith (Orrorsh) 12, intimidation 20
Tharkold (see this month s four-page
Note that the latter ability has been
Additional Skills: Two at +2 adds
section) were attacked by the former
damaged by the reality storm. The
Possibility Potential: Some (18)
Lady of the Houses of Aysle. Three of
priestburners are now picking up any- Natural Tools: Thick skin (armor
the five Knights were slain, and the
one with a faith skill (same rules as for value TOU+5/25; flesh only), statue
other two were trapped when a blast
focus) and burning them. form (armor value TOU+10/30);
of magical energy from Pella brought
Description: Priestburners re- claws, damage value STR+3/21; fangs,
down the walls.
semble a cross between a cygoyle and damage value STR+1/19. Ignores
The surviving Knights may have
a skat. Their wings are topped by four multi-action penalty to attack twice,
valuable information about Tharkoldu
miniature dart launchers, each of but three or more attacks invokes pen-
plans for a strike against Camp
which carries a nanotech virus. If one alty.
Pendleton. The party must dig their
of these darts should inflict a wound, Power Rating: Elemental alteration
way into the tunnels and rescue them,
the virus has entered the victim s (stone) ot elemental alteration (metal),
but beware: numerous Tharkoldu
plus 2
Corruption Value: 21
Fear Rating: 1
The Priestburner s virus will continue to overheat the
Perseverance DN: 14
victim until the body spontaneously combusts.
Weakness: Hindu holy objects
True Death: Cast pieces into a fire
blessed by a Hindu priest
bloodstream. Due to a symbiotic rela- predators have been drawn to the site
Description: The hexaphim are
tionship between the creature and the by the smell of blood, and aren t par-
modeled on Hindu temple statues, and
virus, it knows the moment this has ticular about whose blood they taste.
appear as three to four meter tall hu-
occurred and breaks off its attack (pro-
Critical Event: Rescuing the
manoids with six arms. Their skin is a
viding all targets have been accounted
trapped Knights is a Good result (6 or
deep red or blue, and their eyes are of
for). These particular priestburners
better); failing to do so is a Bad result (3
flame.
will attack all faithful, not just clerics.
or less).
Hexaphim can change into statues
Two hours after the initial injection,
of either stone or metal. While in statue
the virus causes the victim s pores to
4
form, they are still able to perceive the
cease functioning while speeding up
world around them. Use of true sight
the metabolism to overheat the body.
or divination spells will expose them
With his maelstrom bridges at-
The victim suffers a wound per hour
for what they are.
tacked and his fortress damaged in the
after the overheating begins.
past year, the Gaunt Man has decided
The pain of this is considerable  Critical Event: Defeating the
to beef up security at Illmound Keep.
willpower totals of 15 are required to hexaphim and ripping up the stelae is
Unfortunately, the long period when
perform anything other than a simple a Good result (6 or above); failing to
no bridges existed to Gaea meant some-
action. pull the stelae is a Bad result (3 or less).
thing of a shortage of Horrors, so the
The virus will continue to overheat
High Lord has drawn forces from
the body (alive or dead) until the vic-
around some of his stelae.
tim has taken seven wounds, where-
Rumors
Currently, the northernmost stelae
upon the body spontaneously com-
(in Thailand) is vulnerable, now pro-
busts. Tech 26 medicine is required to
tected only by a dozen hexaphim.
cure the virus, with a medicine total of
1
25 required to eliminate it. For every
Hexaphim
level of medical technology above Tech
Reality: Orrorsh
Strange new tidings of a massive
26 that can be brought to bear against
DEXTERITY 10
escalation of the war in the Tharkold
the virus, subtract -1 from the diffi-
Maneuver 11, melee weapons 15,
cosm have disturbed Jezrael and Race
culty of healing.
running 11, stealth 15, unarmed
leaders alike. Those Demon Princes
Critical Event: The Knights must
combat 15
who opposed Jezrael s ascension to
stop the priestburners from ravaging
STRENGTH 18
the post of High Lord have a new
Joinville. Doing so is a Good result (6 or
Climbing 20
leader, whom they claim is the legend-
better); failing to do so is a Bad result (3
TOUGHNESS 20
ary Tharkoldu leader, Krom-Ashur the
or less).
PERCEPTION 8
Undying. He is said to have led his
Find 10, trick (18)
followers into battle aroud the bor
8
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
ders of Aurioch, destroying as many properly, and although Kanawa is Dark and Wotan as they lead their
as a dozen fortifications. It is also also beginning to suspect this, the  reacti- respective attacks on southern England
rumored that he defeated Jezrael s son, vating of Alder has come as a pleas- and Russia. With this breathing space
Sidon, in battle, but this remains un- ant surprise and justified further ex- for both the Light Army and Core
confirmed. pansion. Earth forces, and increasing hostility
From what Race spies have been The Storm Knights would be well- from the Cyberpapacy, there is a
able to learn, there is a massive techno- advised to rescue Alder before Kanawa chance that the Warrior s overex-
demon running around wielding a can re-program him. Whether or not tended forces could be crushed.
huge obsidian axe that matches per- the Knights destroy the installation is Of course, once the opposing armies
fectly the description of Krom-Ashur s a secondary consideration. are locked in the final death grip, look
weapon, Soul Biter. The core of his  Paul Schmidt, for Nippon agents to take advantage
army is a force of both human and Auckland, New Zealand of the confusion to destroy the south-
demon ghuls, further bearing out the ernmost Ayslish stelae. Teams already
legend. in place will then take advantage of
3
Whether or not this is, indeed, the chaos to plunder the financial and
Krom-Ashur himself, or merely a pow- art treasures of major cities such as
With the horrible massacre of the
erful Demon Prince who has found his London, Stockholm and St. Petersburg.
folk of the Aysle realm by the Warrior
long-lost weapon, it is clear that both Once the Ayslish have been destroyed,
of the Dark s armies, and the spread of
Jezrael and the Race have a powerful Core Earth or Cyberpapal forces mov-
famine and disease in their wake, the
new foe on their home cosm. How this ing in to seize the realm may find their
population of the northernmost
will affect the Possibility Wars remains prize not worth the effort. This is the
reaches of the realm is in danger of
to be seen. final fate of Aysle realm, unless Storm
falling below the minimum of 25,000
 Greg Detwiler, Knights can unhinge 3327 s scheme.
needed to support the reality. This
Williamsburg, PA  Greg Detwiler,
means that casualties will seem mini-
Williamsburg, PA
mal (to a High Lord, if not to the Storm
2
Knights) should the stelae bounding
4
these regions be pulled up.
Worried by possible retribution for Since the serious fighting has now
past indiscretions against Orrorsh, bypassed those regions, the forces To date, it has appeared that the
Kanawa plans to distract the attention guarding the stelae have also been Comaghaz plague is just that  a
of the Gaunt Man by  reactivating depleted, shifted to Oxford and Rus- psionic plague. Now a group of Bra-
Storm Knights who have died in past sia. And one High Lord fully intends zilian Knights have uncovered evi-
battles against Orrorshan Horrors. to take advantage of this situation. dence that as a plague victim is in-
The plan is for agents of Kanawa to Nippon Arctic bases have sprung fected he begins to  leak possibility
produce clones from the cells of previ- up in recent months, while the troop energy, which is subsequently ab-
ously executed Storm Knights by way strength guarding the North Sea oil sorbed or channelled elsewhere.
of recently stolen weird science de- rigs is also being increased. 3327 means What s going on? Well, as Sarila
vices. It is hoped that if the project is to rip up all the stelae in the northern grows steadily more callous about the
successful, Kanawa will keep pres- regions of Aysle, both to punish the fates of her plague victims, she hears
sure on the Gaunt Man for the mo- Warrior of the Dark for supporting his the voice of the plague in her head
ment and so effectively postponing once and future enemy, Jezrael, and to more and more clearly. The  plague
his day of reckoning. eliminate all troublesome locals in that voice is, in fact, that of a Darkness
And if the project is discovered? vast area. Device disguised as bio-tech equip-
Well, it s disguised to bring the blame Once the stelae have been removed, ment and it was on this equipment
down on the High Lord of Aysle, and and Core Earth s reality immolates that Sarila originally conducted her
upon deeper investigation, to impli- almost all, 3327 s agents will move in Comaghaz experiments.
cate the redoubtable Dr. Mobius. Staff with relatively low-tech equipment After the victim is infected, the pos-
at the facility has been brainwashed and systematically plunder the region, sibility energy gained by the
into believing that they are working with emphasis on mineral wealth and Comaghaz is channelled back through
for Mobius. the like. the various cell leaders to the Device.
To date the only successful resur- This is seen as the first real blow in Although the method had proven suc-
rection has been that of NYPD officer 3327 s campaign to strip Earth of what- cessful, it produces only a fraction of
Rick Alder, although why this suc- ever isn t nailed down and leave be- the useful energy that the stelae
ceeded is unknown. Alder is currently hind nothing (other than possibility method produces.
confused but his memories are slowly energy) of value to the other High The Device is currently considering
returning. Lords. revealing itself to Sarila.
Note: The facility does not work Aside from the destruction it will  Paul Schmidt,
cause, this plan will wipe out the rear- Auckland, New
guard support for the Warrior of the Zealand
9
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
Your Letters
The Terra sourcebook was very years, brother, you ain t seen nothing transfer of supplies from one region to
good (but we would still like to see a yet! another, rather than a dozen guys have
REAL superhero cosm). Whatever 2. Plans are on the drawing board to attack a convoy with guns and gre-
happened to Paris Jaz? for a 144-page super-adventure/ nades. It doesn t feel like we think a
Can you give us more than sparse sourcebook entitled  War s End for war should feel in large part because
hints about what is going on in the next spring. it s not like any war ever fought on
GodNet? Do players have to play Drama Earth.
What is the current status of the cards into their pools in order to re-
Delphi Council? ceive three Possibilities at the end of
1. Mobius seems to be winning all
 Greg Gillespie, Jr. the adventure, or must they be in the
the way. Since Yugoslavia was just a
Philadelphia, PA player s unplayed hand in order to
sideshow, he hasn t suffered a real
receive the award?
defeat since the Israeli stelae was
 David Levesque,
The Paris Citybook went into limbo pulled. Is there no stopping this mad-
Rochdale, MA
due to problems with the author some man?
time ago. 2. If the Gaunt Man was manipu-
There are more details on the do- As long as the player possesses the lated by the Nameless One into kid-
ings in the GodNet in the upcoming card at the end of the adventure  napping and transforming Ardinay,
Infiniverse Update, Volume III. whether it s in his hand or in his pool does this mean Heketon is plotting
The Delphi Council has, for the most  he can turn it in for the three Possi- against him on behalf of its creator?
part, been destroyed. It was already bilities.  Greg Detwiler,
under Senate investigation when Mo- Williamsburg, PA
bius invaded Houston, and most of How many people have died so far
the powers that be were captured or in the Possibility Wars? I know that
1. Doesn t look like it, does it.
killed when the this is a game
Though he has been to known to be
Nile troops and is meant
slowed by a really bad head cold &
landed. The to be fun, but
2. Good question. Our feeling is
Spartans are sometimes I
that Heketon (and all the Darkness
currently in the find some of
Devices) are sapient pieces of the
process of being your publica-
Nameless One s essence. They may be
disbanded. See Infiniverse Update III tions lack the true feeling of the war.
bound to their High Lord, but they all
for more details. Especially in CyberFrance. Resistance
answer to the Nameless One in the
fighting is not the most enjoyable of
1. I ve heard rumors that Torg is end. It s doubtful Heketon would ever
activities  you have to start off on
ending. Is this true? refuse the commands of its creator.
the losing side  but your writings
2. You should really do a BIG su-
Can a Storm Knight spend Possi-
rarely seem to reflect this.
per-adventure entitled  Reign of the
bilities to mitigate armor s or
 Ian Stewart,
Torg.
vehicles s damage (spend Possibili-
Winnipeg, Canada
 Mike Lenzo,
ties on behalf of the object?)
Hudson, OH
 Alexis Diaz,
You bring up an interesting point,
APO, AA
1.Well, Mike, the Possibility Wars Ian. We have never really calculated
will be building to their climax over exact casualty figures. But you should
No, you can t spend Possibilities to
the next year. But when the smoke remember that, with a few exceptions
heal a vehicle or piece of equipment.
clears, we ll be coming out with a new (Nile, Aysle and the Living Land come
Any such damage must be repaired.
edition of Torg, tentatively titled Storm to mind), most of the battles in this war
Front and scheduled for July of 1995. It have not been out-and-out military
You ll find full (though optional)
will take the saga beyond the Possibil- clashes. In CyberFrance, for example,
rules for vehicle combat, damage and
ity Wars  and if you think Earth s a lone Resistance member might go
time it takes to repair in the Kanawa
seen some changes in the last four into the GodNet and sabotage the
Land Vehicles supplement.
10
Infiniverse Vol. 1, No. 40 " March/April, 1994
Herald Messages
 Life s hard, then you die. In Orrorsh, The Pope of Rome is saved! ties.
you should be so lucky. A terribly intricate Cyberpapal plot to The Martians are now reworking their
 Storm Knight survivor kill the Pope has been uncovered, with plan of conquest (secret plan #2) and have
cyberpriests posing as members of the sent for giant space monster B.
Storm Knights have uncovered a plot Vatican Secret Service revealed. Both
by Dr. Mobius to create a new form of Mobius and Malraux have been further  By Dunad, we are truly doomed!
super-villain, using Orrorshan occult discredited in the eyes of Rome. Roman  An elf mage in the Light High
powers and Nile Empire weird science. Catholic faith is still strong. Council, relating the news of
The Knights thwarted the villain, Hannes On a darker note, we discovered evi- Ardinay s disappearance
Brucker, but two test subjects appear to dence of Nippon and Akashan involve-
have escaped. ment, though we could not break through The Reign of the Torg has begun!
their schemes within schemes. Perhaps Ardinay has begun to suspect that
 Now, remember, the Church Police Rome is still in danger. Baruk Kaah may not be as dead as he
have our picture, so we should lie low for  St. Elias of House Gerrick seems, and the Gaunt Man has set in
a while. motion his plan to become Torg & but
 Hello, Dial-A-Pizza. Lugg want 50 A small fleet of Terran Martians have what does this have to do with the clones
supreme pizza and have lots of friends crossed over to our Earth in invisible space- of 3327?
named Frank to pay. Where is Lugg? Lugg ships. Their mission: the conquest of Earth,  Mike Lenzo,
at &  starting with Japan! They brought with Hudson, OH
them giant space monster A (Jidorra)
 I love you, who rampaged through the countryside  Um & okay, we use the gate power to
You love me, heading for Tokyo. But to the surprise of travel to a different cosmverse.
Let s invade the Cyberpapacy. everyone, Gordanra arose from the sea in  Typical Storm Knight reac-
 Theme song of the Living defense of the city, defeating the beast on to the end of  Bride of
Land s new High Lord. and causing the invader s heavy casual- Darkness.
11