[adrpg] Castle Amber's Abyss Power

Legal disclaimer: None of the following is intended as a challenge to any

copyrights or licenses held by Phage Press, the Amber Corporation, Arkham House, or
Chaosium, Incorporated. So there!

I didn't put this up on a Web page earlier because there were still players in my
game who had Abyss Power. They've both left now, so I don't think it will hurt if I
post this.

The Abyss and the Amberverse

Back at the beginning of the game, when a long-gone player set up his Shadow, he
asked that it be inhabited by evil cults of Trump Artists. I always love it when
players give me evil ideas, and the evil idea that ran through my head was this:
Trump Artists open Gates, don't they? Who's the Key and Guardian of the Gate? IA
YOG-SOTHOTH!

I decided that eons ago, there wasn't even pre-Logrus Shadow. I can't even conceive
of what the Amberverse, which then was part of a greater whole of dimensions, was
like. There was one region of somewhat lesser randomness. Lesser enough that one
might actually be able to observe chaotic (as opposed to completely random)
behavior, with the faint hope of something actually predictable.

When this was found, Those Beyond weren't certain what to do with it. Well, most of
Them weren't certain. The being later known as the Serpent decided to lay claim to
it, aided by the being later known as the Unicorn. To keep everyone else OUT, the
Serpent created a barrier almost as chaotic as the beings it guarded against: the
Logrus.

For eons, Those Beyond beat at the barrier, getting nowhere. Even the weak points
of the Logrus were too strong. Then another power was created. The two of them
interacted, of course, sometimes cancelling each other out. Even in the nodes,
though, the barriers were too strong.

Then one day, some fool of a Trump Artist reached through from the other side....

Abyss Power - The Points

I'd like to thank James R. Palmer and Semion R. Sellers IV for helping me with the
design of this power. Help yourself to a copy, but remember to give us the credit.
Fans of Gideon Weinstein's partial powers lists will recognize this format. For
those of you who aren't used to it, I'll explain as I write. Costs of powers are
given in square brackets.

# Shapeshifting - 35 points , Chaos Psyche, Chaos Endurance. These things are

absolutely required to purchase any Abyss Power at all. The Abyss is so mutable
that one would not survive it without Shapeshifting. Chaos-ranked Psyche and
Endurance are required to survive the stresses of Shapeshifting.

[15 ] Attunement to the Abyss - Allows one to survive immersion in the Abyss as
well as be nourished by it. An absolute prerequisite for purchasing any other Abyss
Power.

Now, we have four branches of the power: Trump of the Mind, Summon Abyss, Abyssal
Influence, and Instill Abyssal Energies . Trump of the Mind covers the powers the
creatures of the Abyss use to move through it. Summon Abyss allows a character to
open tiny holes in the Amberverse to the Abyss, with various results. Abyssal
Influence applies the characteristics of the Abyss to other things. Instill Abyssal
Energies should be obvious. A character could buy powers from only one branch of
Abyss Power, or it could buy powers from all four branches, or some other mixture.

Trump of the Mind - these powers allow one to move through the Abyss, perceive it
more clearly, and alter some of the energies perceived.

[25] Summon Trump Of the Mind - Allows one to "draw" Trumps by imagination
alone while in the Abyss, no physical form needed. Inside the Amberverse, normal
Trump Sketches and Trumps can be created. None of the other abilities of Trump
Artistry are conferred. You must take this before taking the further Trump-related
powers.
[10] Trumps of Desire - Works much like Shadows of Desire, but travel is not
required. All one would need to do is think very hard about the desired place.
[5 ] Trump Defense - Works exactly like Trump Defense for Trump Artists, but
one's mental Trump would be used.
[5] Abyss Sight - See the influences of other powers and currents of Abyss
power. It's easiest to analyze Abyss power, of course.
[5] Trump Disconnect - The character has the ability to reach into Shadow and
disconnect a Trump contact. This occurs by breaking the mystic link between two
Trumps using Abyssal energy. If a character is caught in the Trump stream when this
occurs they are ejected on either side with an amount of damage determined by the
GM.

Summon Entropy - Allows one to call forth the powers of the Abyss. This is only the
stepping stone to the later powers.

[5 ] Entropic Breach - Allows one to open holes to the Abyss. These are small
holes. Many things can be done with an Entropic Breach and the appropriate power.
[5] Summon Abyssal Creatures - Once the breach has been made, you can now
summon beings from the Abyss. If the summoner wants creatures with any sort of
qualities, this call can take up to 1 hour/point of quality.
[10] Summon Flotsam of the Abyss - Now one can grab from the Abyss items that
have been lost within it. Finding junk is easy. Finding anything really worthwhile
could take a long time.
[5] Item Storage - The ability to store items that are useful to the character.
They are brought back through an Abyssal Conduit or Entropic Breach. Items can be
anything from a sword to hanging spells in the Abyss. The character has an idea on
where to open the portal, but anyone can access the items who has Abyssal Power.
However the Abyss is a vast place and the chances of someone else finding your
items are slim.

Entropic Influencing - By calling forth the power of Entropy you can now use its
destructive nature to influence Shadow, create pathways between Shadows, and
destroy whole regions of Shadow.

[5] Taint of Entropy - Like how the Broken Pattern influences on a Shadow
create areas of disease, death, mire, and destruction, so too does the power of
entropy work. Once infested in the Shadow the taint grows, devouring the shadow
into a mire of misery and annihilation as it slowly tries to rejoin the Abyss.
[10, or Taint of Entropy +5] Mold Shadow - Through gentle manipulations of the
entropic forces one can mold Shadow much like a Logrus master can, or can, to an
extent, fuse Shadows together, creating a world of two possibiltiies or more.
[5] Create Abyssal Tunnel - Here one can rend holes through Shadows to the
Abyss, then connect them to other worlds. Whole networks of these tunnels can
exist, working in much the same manner as a Way in the Courts of Chaos.
[5] Call the Abyss - This final power of influence allows one to create a
direct link to the Abyss, allowing it to run amok in the Shadow. Given any time at
all, the Abyss will appear to behave just like a black hole. If not contained, it
can swell to immense size devouring whole worlds, whole Shadows, and creating
Shadow storms. The Abyss could be banished by the correct application of either
Pattern or Logrus (NOT an easy task). On the other hand, the called Abyss is the
only thing known that not only can definitely stand up to Primal Chaos, but can
devour it.

Instill Abyssal Energies - At this level one can call forth the powers of the Abyss
and instill them within oneself for defense and attack.

[5] Abyssal Well - Once summoned, this hole through eternity siphons off any
effects of magic or lesser powers. The Well is a pretty good physical defense, too.
It works as defense against Pattern and Logrus forces as well, although it will be
weaker against them. The user must position the Abyssal Well.
[10, or Abyssal Well +5] Soul Of Oblivion - Once summoned the Abyss Master can
now bring the powers of the Abyss within themselves. All creatures of the
Amberverse (who do not have Abyss Powers) cannot comprehend this and risk madness
(check Psyche versus the wielder's Psyche for degree of madness, then look at
Endurance for physical effects)

If one wants this broken up into Basic and Advanced Abyss, I think it would look
like:

Basic Abyss Powers:

Attunement to the Abyss

Summon Trump of the Mind
Abyss Sight
Entropic Breach
Summon Flotsam
Item Storage
Taint of Entropy
Abyssal Well

Advanced Abyss Powers:

Trumps of Desire
Trump Defense
Trump Disconnect
Summon Abyssal Creatures
Mold Shadow
Create Abyssal Tunnel
Call the Abyss
Soul of Oblivion

Abyss and Other Powers

Broken Pattern Imprint - It can be difficult to tell the difference between the
side effects of Broken Pattern and the side effects of Abyss. The Game Master might
decide that Broken Pattern Tendrils can reach right through an Abyssal Well to
strike the Abyssal creature behind it. The Game Master might also create a new
Abyssal Power: Manipulate the Break. An initiate of a Broken Pattern could advance
to Abyss Power, delving into the secrets of the break. In that case, the points
invested in Broken Pattern should be used as a discount on Abyss.
Conjuration - It's hard to imagine a fight between these two powers. Given
enough time, Called Abyss can eat, and destroy, anything a Conjuror could conjure.
An Abyssal character normally would find desired objects rather than create them.
Such a character could learn Conjuration inside the Amberverse.
Logrus Mastery - The Logrus is one of the two great barriers keeping the Abyss
out of the Amberverse. Abyss Power will be at a disadvantage fighting Logrus. As
already noted, Advanced Logrus Masters can actually banish Called Abyss. This does
require a Psyche contest with the Abyss wielder, however. An Advanced Logrus Master
can also attempt to undo the damage done by Taint of Entropy and Mold Shadow.
Viewed through the Sign of the Logrus, an initiate of the Abyss will have a very
disturbing and distinctive aura. I honestly cannot conceive of a character bearing
both an attunement to the Abyss and the Logrus.
Pattern Imprint - The Pattern is the other great barrier keeping the Abyss out
of the Amberverse. Abyss Power will be at a disadvantage fighting Pattern. As
already noted, Advanced Pattern Initiates can actually banish Called Abyss. This
does require a Psyche contest with the Abyss wielder, however. An Advanced Pattern
Initiate can also attempt to undo the damage done by Taint of Entropy and Mold
Shadow. Viewed through the Pattern lens, an initiate of the Abyss will have a very
disturbing aura, if the character looking is examining auras. I honestly cannot
conceive of a character bearing both an attunement to the Abyss and the Pattern.
Power Words - Power Words are usually too feeble to fight the Abyss. A
character with Abyss would need to find Power Words inside the Amberverse, but
should have little trouble using them.
Shapeshifting - Shapeshifting is required for Abyss Power. A Shapeshifter can
shrug off the effects of Taint of Entropy. A kind Game Master might give a
Shapeshifter swallowed by Called Abyss the opportunity to acquire Attunement to the
Abyss, probably losing other powers in the process.
Sorcery - Sorcerors will need to do some creative targeting to hit anyone who
can summon an Abyssal Well. On the other hand, an Abyss Master can't alter Shadow
quickly enough to turn off Sorcery during a fight, either. Denizens of the Abyss
are unlikely to begin the game with Sorcery, but they may learn it. If they do, the
Game Master may allow them to rack spells with Item Storage. The Game Master might
also have the Abyss alter the racked spells.
Trump Artistry - Trump is distantly related to the energies of the Abyss. In my
campaign, Trumps work just fine in the Abyss. A character with Trump Disconnect can
give a Trump Artist problems, but then a Trump Artist can do more. Trump Defense
can soften or negate the effects of Soul of Oblivion. A character could easily
possess both Abyss and full Trump Artistry. A Trump Artist using her ability to
detect Trump energies on an Abyss wielder with Trump of the Mind will sense Trump
energies, but the energies will seem warped and twisted.

Go back to the Castle Amber library.

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