Talislanta

[Necron 99]

Talislanta is an RPG that broke out in the 80s. I recall seeing books for the game in various shops, but never knew anyone that played the game or saw much promotion of it. One thing I do remember about the setting though, is the mention of "No Elves". In an effort to distance itself from other bog standard fantasy settings, it is devoid of elves, dwarves, hobbits, etc., the usual races found in D&D and such.

Yesterday I was looking at some artwork from Rodney Matthews when it occurred to me that his artwork seemed similar to the style of artwork I was seeing in some of the old gaming magazines, either in advertisements or reviews of Talislanta. Curious, I decided to hit Google and check it out, what I found is actually pretty cool.

The game is still around, the current iteration seems to be kickstarting in the future, working towards making the setting compatible with D&D 5e. However, there are 5 original editions of the game and what is really neat, is that all of the PDFs are free, from the Talislanta Library, of the main website.

Below is a blurb about the game and setting:

Talislanta is a truly fantastic place with dozens upon dozens of exotic races and cultures, enough to fuel just about any type of fantasy campaign you’d like to run. Very few of these races are considered inherently good or evil. They are just different peoples with different ways of life. Talislanta itself is actually a continent roughly divided into seven large sections, each of which shares certain characteristics or qualities. There is no “baseline” race that populates most of the world, so you can’t learn about one race and thus have knowledge of how most of the world works.

Every race has its own geographic homeland, although many of them do travel the world and intermingle for business and other purposes. The lack of a standard and overly dominant primary race, like humans for example, really adds to the exotic feel and fantastic nature of the setting. A Talislanta campaign can easily be modified to reflect a variety of gaming styles, from cinematic “larger-than-life” Heroic Fantasy to gritty “by the skin of your teeth” Dark Fantasy. Talislanta focuses on breadth instead of depth. While there are so many different lands and cultures in the book that I won’t even attempt to count them all, due to the time and effort it would take, each of these lands or peoples is described in an average of about 3 pages.

Most sections cover the same common areas: Ancestry, Society, Customs, Government, Magic & Religion, The Arts, Language, Defenses, Commerce, and Worldview. With only about 3 pages per culture, that means that usually each section gets 1-3 paragraphs of detail. Each culture is remarkably compartmentalized in the book, so it is easy to drop into the middle of the book, read about one culture that you have an interest in, and then exit back out without having many hanging references that require you to read many other sections as well.

Gamemasters should view this as a good thing. What it means is that you are given a vast world with limitless possibilities and well-defined cultures. At the same time you are spared the minutiae and laborious detail that other settings focus on. Something that scares many GMs away because they feel trapped or locked in by the extreme amount of definition. You won’t have this problem in Talislanta. Talislanta’s setting is a very large and varied framework, but it is still just a framework. There is ample opportunity for the GM to insert his own settlements, enterprises, and intrigues without feeling they are violating canon or “breaking the setting” at all. It gives you both detail and freedom at the same time, which is quite a trick.

I downloaded both the 4th and 5th edition PDFs of the game, started reading through them last night. So far I'm fairly intrigued by both the simplistic system and setting.

The magic system sounds like it would be very fun for magic-using characters. Magic can be cast from something (tomes, scrolls, etc.) or they can be cast from memory, but the spells are not memorized via Vancian magic, spells are cast on the fly and spells are also not restricted to an actual spell. Casters can essentially create spells, delineating aspects of the spell and outcome, applying necessary modifiers and rolling for success or failure. Casters can also enchant items via spell casting, giving items temporary magic (and in some cases permanent).

The setting boasts something like 100 races and a multitude of archetypes (classes) for characters to choose from, along with a broad and evocative setting, if somewhat dark and perilous. So far I'm enjoying the read through, may have to give it a try some time.

From the website, there is also a cool 7 minute video that does a rundown through the setting. Definitely has that 70s/80s vibe going on.

[Necron 99]

You know, I really wish I had heard more about this game when I was initially playing table-top RPGs. Spent some time reading through the 4th edition book, which, from what I've gathered is the best edition (that and 2nd) to get started in.

Years ago, when I was in a stage of wanting to write my own "D&D" version like so many out there, one of the mechanical aspects I thought would be an improvement was to remove attributes and just put the modifiers in the blank next to each one. So instead of having an 18 STR with modifiers for attacks and damage, etc., you'd just have a +1 or whatever based on what you rolled.

And of course I find out that Talislanta already does this. Attributes for characters do not have a static number, they simply have the modifier that would be added or subtracted from the d20 roll when making Attribute or Skill checks. It's a brilliant aspect of the system, making actions and resolutions a breeze.

The action system is ridiculously simple too, maybe even easier than Basic D&D. The core rules for resolving actions fit in about 10 pages of a 500 page rulebook. If you include the more detailed rules for things such as Character Creation, Skills, Magic, Spells, etc., it brings that total to about 90 pages. The rest of the book is setting material, GM advice, charts, tables, index and misc. other reference material.

As I said, resolving actions, including casting spells is wicked easy, resolution always involves 4 steps; a) roll a d20, b) add or subtract an attribute or skill modifier, c) add or subtract the degree of difficulty, d) compare total to the Action Table.

The Action Table has 5 outcomes:

• 0 or less: Mishap
• 1 - 5: Failure
• 6-10: Partial Success
• 11-19: Full Success
• 20 or more: Critical Success

Action Table Key

• Mishap: not only does the attempted action fail, but it fails miserably and may have additional negative consequences (accidental damage to the character attempting the action, opposite of the intended effect, etc.). It’s the GM’s job to determine the actual results of any Mishap, based on the circumstances surrounding the attempted action.
• Failure: the action fails to achieve the intended result.
• Partial Success: the action is only moderately successful, achieving part but not all of the intended effect (such as half-damage from an attack or partial effect from a spell, for example).
• Full Success: the action achieves the intended result.
• Critical Success: the action is even more successful than intended, achieving the player’s stated intent and also yielding additional benefits of some sort (attack causes a Critical Wound that disables the opponent, increased effect from a spell, etc.). It’s the GM’s job to determine the actual results and extent of any Critical Success, based on prevailing circumstances.

And that's it...quite literally...that's all the basic knowledge a player needs to sit down and play the game with a character.

Now, if the action is an opposed action, then you would add/subtract the reverse of the opposing NPC/monster/trap modifier to the roll. (example, if an opponent had a combat skill of +3, then a -3 would be the difficulty modifier to an attack roll of the player attempting to hit the opponent, or in the case of a player sneaking passed a guard, if the guard has a poor perception of -2, then the player would get a +2 difficulty modifier to their roll to sneak passed the guard)

The Degree of Difficulty, which GMs assign to action resolution is also pretty easy in that it's simply a table with numerical range from +10 (easier) to -10 (harder).

Difficulty Modifier

• No chance of failure: No need to roll
• Any fool could do it +10
• Very Easy +7
• Easy +5
• Simple +3
• Routine +0
• Tricky -3
• Difficult -5
• Very Difficult -7
• Extreme -10

[Necron 99]

Magic in Talislanta has two parts, the Order and the Mode. Orders, are essentially "schools" of magic in AD&D or the "winds/colors" of magic from WFRP. Modes are the effect that a spell can have or produce.

The Ten Orders of Magic

• Cartomancy: The magic of, luck, circumstance, and fate as represented in the cards of the Zodar.
• Cryptomancy: The study of magical runes, sigils, and symbols.
• Crystalmancy: The study of crystals and their magical properties.
• Elemental Magic: Magicians of this Order draw their power from one of the Elemental Planes of Water, Earth, Air, or Fire.
• Invocation: Members of this Order call upon supernatural entities for magical power.
• Mysticism: This Order deals with the powers of the mind, will, and soul.
• Natural Magic: The magic of animals, plants, and the natural world.
• Necromancy: The magic of death, decay, and entropy.
• Shamanism: Members of this Order draw their power from the totem-spirits of animals and the Dreamrealms.
• Witchcraft: The most ancient and secret of Orders, tracing its heritage to the first primitive Archaens.
• Wizardry: Wizards produce their effects by manipulating the flux of arcane energy that permeates the omniverse. This versatile Order is the most common in Talislanta today.

The Twelve Modes of Magic

• Alter: Alters attribute and skill ratings.
• Attack: Projects destructive magical energy.
• Conjure: Produces objects, materials, or elemental substances.
• Defend: Protects against damage — mystical or mundane.
• Heal: Repairs damage to living beings or objects.
• Illusion: Produces illusory images of varying realism and complexity.
• Influence: Controls the thoughts and emotions of others.
• Move: Affects all types of motion, including flight, levitation, and telekinesis.
• Reveal: Enhances awareness, including scrying and divination.
• Summon: Transports creatures from other planes of existence.
• Transform: Turns one thing into another.
• Ward: Provides immunity to diseases, poison, the environment, mind control, etc.

What's interesting is that magic-using characters, don't use Vancian style magic, where casters and priests memorize, then use and lose. Casters in Talislanta simply accrue penalties for each spell cast within a period of time (usually a day); the penalty is generally a -1 (cumulative) modifier per spell cast, though sometimes a GM may increase the penalty for specific circumstances. Resting for a full night or via some other method, reduces the character's modifier back to zero.

Even though players can make up their own spells, based on Order and Modes known to the character, the book does provide examples and plenty of spells already. This aspect of the magic system reminds me a lot of how Savage Worlds handles powers and "spells", where the powers fall into a specific type of action (mode) and the players gets to design the "trapping" or effect that the power produces.

Below are some examples given, of how Order and Mode play a role in the magic system of Talislanta.

The player of Moranar the Diabolist describes his spell “Infernal Terror”: “I summon a 1' tall demon that will arc through the air and claw someone's face, then disappear back from whence it came.” The spell seems to involve summoning a demon, but the primary effect here is a simple attack. The Attack Mode is the obvious choice. Later, Moranar’s player describes a different spell, “I want to summon a demon that will fight the whole band of beastmen while I run away.” This spell’s primary effect goes beyond simply doing damage to a target. The player wants to create an autonomous entity which can fight, create a diversion, and move about on its own. This is truly a Summon Mode spell.

Calabaz the Geomancer is in a tough spot. He has fled from a pack of bloodthirsty Banes while in the forests of Werewood and has come to an impassable clump of briars and thorns. Calabaz can hear the slavering cries of the Banes and knows they will be on him in moments. Calabaz’s player tells the GM that he would like to conjure a pile of dirt and rocks in mid-air so that it falls and crushes the Banes when they burst from the trees. The player calls this spell “Vengeance of Stone.” The primary effect of this spell seems to be dealing damage, so the GM tells the player to use his Attack Mode rating to cast the spell. Unfortunately, Calabaz has no rating in Attack. The player argues, saying, “But Calabaz has the Conjure Mode! If he can Conjure rock and dirt whenever he wants, why can’t he do it so it falls on the Banes?”

The reason Calabaz can’t do this is because it falls outside his realm of knowledge. He knows lots of little spells to create rocks and dirt from nothing (represented by his Conjure Mode) but he does not know any spells that conjure anything in a way to effectively attack someone. Calabaz himself might very well call such a harmful spell a “conjuration”, but it remains part of a body of knowledge (attack spells) that he has not studied. Of course, Calabaz can still cast a similar spell (using his Conjure Mode) and though the Banes will not be attacked by it, they will be slowed down as they scramble over a large pile of loose dirt and jagged rocks.

Cyrila casts an Aeromancy spell that her player calls “The Touch of the Wind”. This spell moves objects around by blowing them with a powerful breeze. This is obviously a Move Mode spell. This spell would be perfect for blowing leaves from Cyrila’s workroom, but would not work well for moving a torch across a room since the winds would blow out the flame.

Zaisho the Pyromancer also wants to cast a Move Mode spell, “Pillar of Emerald Fire”. This spell makes a jet of green flame appear beneath an object, lift it, and then move across the ground as the pyromancer wills. This spell would be very poor for clearing out a dusty workspace, but the flames cast a faint light which would help the pyromancer guide the spell in the dark. Neither of the above example spells would be good for moving a piece of fragile, old parchment. The blowing winds might rip the paper, and flames would certainly singe or even burn it.

However, a Wizard casting “Magic Fingers” would have no trouble carefully manipulating the fragile document with disembodied hands of arcane force.

[Ancalagon]

Orders and Modes of magic remind me more than a little of Ars Magica's Forms and Techniques method. I like it! :wink:

[Necron 99]

Some other aspects of the game that I really like:

Experience
Experience points are awarded by the Gamemaster, as follows:

• 1-20 XP per adventure or gaming session, based on the difficulty of the adventure and the style of campaign being used by your group.
• Bonus of 1-10 XP for good role playing, based on the persona that the player has created for his or her character. The GM may elect to increase or reduce this figure based on the style of the group’s campaign.
• 1 XP per each game week that a character devotes to training, which can be used to improve the Skill being practiced.

Reminds me a bit of WFRP, increasing skills and abilities, not levels. It definitely has a more organic feel to it, than D&D's level system. Going back to Spells and Magic, I found this to be a pretty cool mechanic:

Counterspell
Any spell or magical effect can be dispelled by casting a counterspell of the same Mode. If the counterspell is of a different Order than the original spell, the magician takes an additional -5 penalty to his casting roll. Counterspells have the same range and duration as regular spells of the same Mode.

Casters having the opportunity to counterspell sounds pretty wild. I know DCC allows for this, it's a mechanic I think fits well in "magic" based settings.

[Necron 99]

Taking a look at some other supplements for the 4th edition of Talislanta.

The Codex Magicus goes into more detail on spells, magic, and orders, and modes. A new Order is described in the book, this one being Astromancy.

This magical field governs all aspects of the suns, moons and stars of the Talislanta skies. It is related to the field of astrology and concentrates upon the art of reading starsigns, predicting and controlling the weather and similar uses. Astromantic magic is often used to reveal the future, divine the past or quite often, to attempt to control or alter fate, be it personal or more general as in meteorological control.

Just as Elementalists harness and manipulate elemental powers, Astromancers draw upon the latent magical energy of the Aetheric Sea or Astral plane. It is from this source that Astromancers draw their power and as such, many Astromancers are also scholars of metaphysics and other planes of existence. Astromancers often serve as advisors and administrators of windship crews for their knowledge of navigation and their skills at weather magic is unparalleled.

Another area of the book, describes the planes and how the planes play a role within the setting, collectively known as the Omniverse. I really like the descriptions and brief detail that is given to each location. While AD&D has Manual of the Planes, it never really had any life until the end of 2nd edition when Planescape was developed and produced as a setting, entirely within itself.

[Necron 99]

A nice, huge map of Talislanta. You can right-click the image and open in a new tab to zoom in and get a better look. Also attached is a b/w PDF version.

Map of Talislanta.pdf

[Necron 99]

More misc. information from the core rulebook:

Talislantan Cosmology
Talislanta has two suns and seven moons, all purported to exert powerful magical influences. Many Talislantans believe that these celestial bodies are home to divine, diabolical, or demonic entities. It has even been theorized that the moons are actually gateways to other dimensions, or realities – tears in the dimensional fabric, caused by forces unleashed during The Great Disaster. The moons’ peculiar cycles have long been a source of fascination for Talislantan seers, astromancers, and the like.

The Talislantan Calendar
Talislantans observe a lunar calendar based on the cycles of the seven moons. The calendar is divided as follows:

• Seven days = one week
• Seven weeks = one month
• Seven months = one year

Forty-nine weeks (343 days) in a year.

Talislantan months are named after the seven moons, each of which has its own sphere of influence. In order, these are:

• Ardan: the purple moon, signifying romantic love
• Drome: the amber moon, associated with protection and conjurations
• Jhang: the blood-red moon, said to grant favor to warriors and hunters
• Laolis: the blue moon of sorrow
• Phandir: the green moon, a sphere of mystery and destiny
• Talisandre: the silver moon, regarded as a capricious influence
• Zar: the dark moon, signifying death and destruction

Talislantan days have no names, but are referred to by number, as in the twelfth of Ardan, the thirtyseventh of Drome, and so on.

The People of Talislanta

The humanoid peoples of modern-day Talislanta are remarkably diverse in outward appearance, exhibiting an uncanny variety of skin colorations, facial features, and bodily forms. Yet despite these discrepancies, the continent’s humanoid inhabitants are all believed to be descended from one of four root sources:

The Wild Races
Primitive tribesfolk such as the Yrmanians, Druhks, Za, Beastmen, Jaka, and Ur.

The Archaens
“Civilized” humanoids such as the Cymrilians, Phantasians, Thaecians, Hadjin, Aamanians, Zandir, and Mandalans.

Magical Hybrids/Mutations
A wide-ranging group consisting of hybrids such as Thralls, Muses, Bodor, Green Men, Araq, and Yassan; mixed breeds such as Rajans and Virds; magically evolved or devolved species such as the Gryphs and Aeriad; and magically mutated species such as the Ahazu and Moorg-Wan.

Extra-dimensional Entities
Includes the Sindarans and Ariane; also, so-called demons, devils, and other entities who have come to Talislanta from other planes of existence.

[Necron 99]

Some various artwork:

[Ancalagon]

Sounds pretty cool thus far! Looking forward to a demo session :wink: