Shall We Punish The Baker For Leaving Out Their Bread? Art by James Fenner |
The first druids to escape reality quickly became lost in the manifold, unable to climb themselves out of places of real chaos. In their vain attempts to maintain lucidity they came across a demi-plane, tucked deep within the walls of non-reality, and unveiled a thing known only as The Optithaum. It was a beacon of law in the roaring sea of quantum, a lighthouse in the dark, and so the druids scrambled to grasp any sign of safety amongst its lapis plateaus and opal towers.
Planes are strange. In most cases, they seem to go on indefinitely; some more obvious in their trickery than others. But this place held no secrets. In fact, it became quite clear to the druids just how small this space truly was. These masters of the primeval found sanctuary in a place contrary to its surroundings. Water where there exists only fire. Once the panic left them all, terror set in.
As with all things beyond the material, there is no one truth to The Optithaum's existence. It may very well be a contraption devised by higher beings, or a living organism of peculiar shape, or perhaps simply the consequence of all possible combinations.
Two of these truths lie uncontested: it knows of us, and it calls to us.
Two of these truths lie uncontested: it knows of us, and it calls to us.
THE OPTITHAUM
+1 Initative per two templates
Starting Skill: 1) Optometry 2) Divination 3) Semiotics 4) Time-Keeping 5) Visual Calculus 6) ??
Starting Items: Needle Sword (1d8 Piercing), Obscure Eyewear, Leather.
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A – Anomaly, Occlusions
B – Gaze of the Gaps
C – Scripture
D – Mind Quantum, Spotlight
Anomaly
You make others uncomfortable around you, much to your own advantage. You gain a +1 to checks you make to weird people out, or to similar checks where such an outcome would be suitable (e.x. distracting a patron, scaring off a pair of goblins, counter-haggling for clean socks).
Occlusions
Occlusions
You look upon the world with a strange disgust, for you see things that others do not. Your vision fills with strange objects, dazzling lights, floating globs of vitreous, and other shadowy things. With time and effort, you have learned to embrace the power brought upon by these sigils by purposefully accepting them, receiving power from their originator. Whatever that may be.
Whenever you take an Optithaum template, you gain an Occlusion from the table below. For every two templates you take, gain an additional Occlusion.
Whenever you take an Optithaum template, you gain an Occlusion from the table below. For every two templates you take, gain an additional Occlusion.
Roll for 1d10 Occlusions
- Diplopia. Now you see me, now you...? +1 Defense & +1 Attack.
- Floaters. Meet machine elves. See into the Astral Plane & meet potentially helpful contacts.
- Shadows. Visual seeps within material. +2 Stealth.
- Stars. Do you see what I see? You learn the Light spell & +1 MD.
- Halos. Light illuminates light. +10' vision from light sources & notice incredibly dim/distant light.
- Lightning. Do I see white or red? +1 Damage & +1 to combat maneuvers.
- Phosphene. That's the secret, I'm always dazzled. Adv vs blindness.
- Snow. Fill the gaps. You learn the Illusion spell & +1 MD.
- Field. Tunnel vision is good, actually. +2 Move.
- Fog. Used to it. Ignore weather vision effects & +1 Save.
Gaze of The Gaps
When looking upon the world, your visual static fills holes in places uninteresting and benign, but curiously avoids occupied spaces. When you enter a room, you become aware of anything hiding within the environment (such as behind furniture or in the darkness of a corner) but do not immediately recognize their type. You also become aware of invisible creatures.
Scripture
You can spend some time appealing to the things in the shadow of your eyes (who is likely the cause of those killer migraines). You can ask at any time with a 2-in-6 chance of a 'response', but conditions improve if it is nighttime, you're in public, or you're high as balls (+1 for each). On a success, ask a single question, to which the figures will respond with cryptic shapes or visions, resembling anything from epileptic flashes to floater-shaped handwriting.
You may only attempt to acquire such knowledge once per day. For every consecutive image received, you gain a -1 penalty on your next attempt. This penalty is reduced by 1 for each consecutive day you don't attempt to receive.
You may only attempt to acquire such knowledge once per day. For every consecutive image received, you gain a -1 penalty on your next attempt. This penalty is reduced by 1 for each consecutive day you don't attempt to receive.
Spotlight
Once per session, you can synchronize your vision with up to four other allied creatures. Until the end of the session, so long as a synchronized creature is within 15 feet of you and the check is physical in nature, they can reroll a single d20 of their choice (e.x. searching for hidden symbols, dodging a giant boulder, or attempting an attack). You also gain this benefit.
Mind Quantum
Whenever you would die, you can choose to survive instead. One of your eyes explodes, you are knocked unconscious, and your condition becomes stable. You cannot access your Occlusions without eyes, so the best avenue to not going completely blind may involve attempts to acquire a working replacement. Or maybe just more eyes.
1d8 Obscure Eyewear
- Thick silver goggles. Each lens is layered with dozens of scaling monocles. Think Spy Kids.
- Strange octangular glasses. Project an uncomfortably close image of your eyes.
- Glass visor with an opal mono lens. Glistens even without a light source.
- Portruding pyramidal lenses. Sharp but fashionable. Somehow you see out of these.
- Black, foggy eyewear. Smoke appears to be floating behind the lenses, obscuring your eyes.
- Waterlogged goggles. Seemingly airtight.
- Wireframe design. Filled with intricately moving brass gears which do something.
- Two square lenses are embedded in your face, just below the eyes. Stick out horizontally, others suffer from mild versions of your occlusions with prolonged contact.