OSR: Here be Giants: Build your Own Mecha

by ChuckWalton

To make a Frame, use Flame Pomerium rules.  Just treat them like giant player-characters, with sufficient modifications to make it make sense.  Frames don't have a CHA score, for instance, because they can't talk, nor would they be likely to converse if they could.  

Frames have Four Ability Scores:

- STR: How hard a Frame hits and how much equipment it can carry.

- DEX: How agile and fast a Frame is.

- CON: How tough a Frame is.

- PSI: How much psychic potential a Frame has and how strong it's will. 

Roll 3d6 in order for each one of the above.

Other Stats:

Base HP = CON score 

Fighting Spirit = 1/3 CON + DEX or STR Modifier (which ever is higher)

Inventory Slots = STR score

Psychic Potential depends on the Frame's PSI score.  See table below.   

Then roll on the table below or talk to the Referee about what is available.

How big is the Frame?

  

1d4

1- Small.  Reroll DEX, choose higher result.

2- Medium.  Reroll PSI, choose higher result.

3- Heavy.  Reroll STR, choose higher result.

4- Super Heavy.  Reroll CON, choose higher result.

What percentage of it is organic/cybernetic?

1d6

1- 0% Cybernetic.  Increase the Frame's PSI by +2.

2- 20% Cybernetic.  Increase the Frame's PSI by +1.  Increase the Frame's Base FS by +1.  

3- 40% Cybernetic.  Increase the Frame's Base FS by +1.  It gains one more Inventory slot.

4- 50% Cybernetic.  Decrease the Frame's PSI by 1.  Increase the Frame's FS by +2.  It gains +1 Inventory slot.

5- 60% Cybernetic.  Decrease the Frame's PSI by 2.  Increase it's FS by +2 and gains +2 Inventory slots.

6- 80% Cybernetic.  Decrease the Frame's PSI by 2.  Increase it's FS by +3 and it gains +3 Inventory slots.  

What is it's psychic potential?

16-18: It has 1d3+1 Psychic Powers.  +2 Psi Dice. 

13-15: It has 1d2+1 Psychic Powers.  +1 Psi Dice.  

9-12: It has 1 Psychic Power.  

8 or lower: It has no Psychic Powers of it's own.

See the list of psychic powers here.  

  by ChuckWalton

What is it's personality/defining trait?

1d12

1- Violent/Aggressive.  While piloting this Frame, if presented with the chance to attack or inflict damage, the Pilot must save to resist the urge.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more hot-tempered or violent.   

2- Greedy.  If a piece of equipment is given to the Frame, it will be reluctant to ever let anyone take it back or swap it out for anything else.  If the Frame kills a Colossai or acquires any loot as a result of battle, the Pilot must save or try to claim everything for himself.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more greedy, materialistic or prone to hoarding behavior.  

3- Loyal.  The Frame is devoted to it's Pilot, willing to act to defend him.  If a battle looks particularly bad, the Frame may eject the Pilot in the hopes of saving his life.  If the Pilot is in danger, the Frame may also run to the defense of the Pilot.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more loyal and prone to self-sacrifice.    

4- Treacherous.  The Frame is interested only in it's own survival and has been known to ignore the orders of Pilots it does not trust or like.  If the Frame feels like it's destruction is imminent, it may attempt to flee.  The Pilot will have to overpower or persuade it to stay and fight.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him less loyal and more self-interested.  

5- Harmonious.  This Frame is soothing and peaceful, easily accepting almost any Pilot.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more zen and easy-going.  That is all positive, except for the fact that those are about the worst traits for a Pilot to have.  

6- Spirited.  The Frame is known for it's high spirits and wild impulses.  A steady, sober-minded Pilot would be ideal to contain it's almost childlike mirth.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more impulsive and free-spirited.  

7- Calculating.  This Frame has a cold mind and a low cunning.  It may suggest things to the Pilot, pointing out weaknesses and new attack vectors.  Despite, or perhaps because of this, it isn't fully trusted, as it seems just a bit too intelligent.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more cold-blooded and cerebral.    

8- Distractible.  The Frame has the attention span of a toddler hopped up on pre-Colossai candy, bouncing around and getting distracted.  A firm hand is needed to keep it in line.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more zany and less focused on tasks, even important ones.  

9- Needy/Clingy.  This Frame bonds very closely with one particular Pilot.  If you're it's favorite, it will work miracles for you.  But if you aren't, it will be stiff, stubborn and slow to respond.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more needy and flaky, similar to someone with BPD.     

10- Independent.  The Frame bucks like a wild bronco and kicks like a mule.  It is strong-willed and hard to tame.  Only an iron-willed Pilot can rein it in, and even then, he might just find out that he's the one riding the tiger.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more of a lone wolf and making it harder for him to cooperate with others. 

11- Partisan.  The Frame is choosy about who it wishes to fight and will not give it's full efforts unless it is fighting a hated foe.  For example, the Frame may prefer to fight Flying Colossai above all others, and resent having to do anything else.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him more tribal and less willing to compromise.     

12- Hateful/Spiteful.  This Frame never forgives and never forgets.  Any insult, injury or disrespect done to it will not be forgotten.  This applies to enemies, but also to ground crew who help to care for it and Pilots who command it.  This Frame may be known, or rumored to be, a Pilot-killer.  Prolonged use of this Frame may affect the Pilot, making him less willing to forgive and more willing to hold grudges.

by Pandajada

Equipment: 

Equipment comes in two categories, Standard and Exotic.  Standard equipment can be manufactured by any location with a sufficient technological and manufacturing base comparable to your average Shield City.  It will require time to make and funds to finance, but it can be done.  

Exotic equipment, on the other hand, cannot be directly manufactured.  If it is technological, it is because the information of how to create another one has been lost or the location you are currently in lacks the capabilities for such a massive project.  If it is biological, then it was harvested from a Colossus and is truly unique.  You might be able to take it off a dead or damaged Frame, but odds are you will never find another like it.   

Equipment Rules:

All equipment takes up 1 Inventory Slot, unless a number is in parathesis next to it.  If that is the case, then the piece of equipment occupies that many slots instead.  Armor also takes up a different number of slots, but that varies depending on the type.  

Armor:

- Light: Grants +3 Fighting Spirit.  Takes up four Inventory slots.

- Medium: Grants +4 Fighting Spirit.  Takes up five Inventory slots.

- Heavy.  Grants +5 Fighting Spirit.  Takes up six Inventory slot.  

- Shield, Physical.  Grants +1 Fighting Spirit.  Takes up one Inventory slot.  1/Round can reduce damage taken from an attack by 1d12 or shatter it to reduce the damage by 12.   

  

Standard Equipment:

- Radio: Enables communication between City, Base Camp and the Frames.  

- Shield Generator.  A device that is common in almost all Frames.  It enables the Frame to better protect itself without the need for Heavy Armor.  Each Shield Generator gives a Frame a Damage Reduction of 2 per Shield Generator.  This means that any damage directed at the Frame is reduced by 2 per Shield Generator.  But this only applies to fast-moving objects such as projectiles and psionic/psychic attacks.  Melee attacks can penetrate a shield, but only if made from sufficiently close range.  

- Radar.  A powerful radar that allows the sensing of objects and movement from a far distance.  You cannot be surprised by Colossai-sized creatures not using anti-radar countermeasures or otherwise immune to radar detection.    

- Scanner.  All Frames have built-in sensors, but this is a sensory device that would ordinarily require a room full of computers to run.  You can learn 1d6 facts about anything you can see if you take an action to scan it.  You also have a 50% of detecting ambushes and surprise attacks before they happen.

- Grappling Hook.  A huge metal hook on a chain, this is primarily used to attach a Frame to something sufficiently sturdy, but can also be used to grab targets and haul them towards the Frame.  

- Magnetic Plates.  These are metallic plates set into a frame that when charged with electricity, become electromagnets.  These allow metal objects to stick to them, enabling a Frame to easily pick up small metal objects or grapple with Colossai with high concentrations of metal in their bodies.  

Weaponry:

Types of Weapons:

Ranged:

- Projectile: Fire solid projectiles.  Firearms, railguns, missile launchers.  These require ammunition to work and must be reloaded if they run out.    

- Laser: Fire concentrated beams of light, do fire/heat damage.  They do not require attack rolls, as they are impossible to dodge, but a save is permitted to reduce damage.

- Plasma: Fire hyper-dense streams of blazing hot energy.  Utterly obliterate anything in their path, but have very short range.  Plasma weapons ignore all armor, except shields and armor from creatures resistant to heat.    

- Radiation: Weapons that fire or project other types of radiation, usually have exotic effects.

- Psi: Weapons that channel a Frame/Pilot's psychic might, amplifying it and allowing it to bypass armor and produce other unconventional effects.  These bypass all armor but shields, but are less effective against Psychically potent Colossai. 

- Organic: These are weapons derived or stolen directly from Colossai.  They are all unique and generally totally bizarre, though often high effective.   

Examples:

Autocannon: [Physical/Medium-Long Range] A rotating cannon with three barrels that fires high-explosive armor piercing shells, sufficient for slaying lower Colossai and the parasites of the larger ones, while still packing enough power to harm a greater one.  Does 1d8+1 damage, Reloads on a 9+.  Save vs Firearm.  Can be loaded with other types of shells, such as armor-piercing, incendiary, etc.   

Turbo-Laser: [Laser/Medium] A massive laser weapon that fires a concentrated beam of light in flickering bursts.  Does 1d10+1 fire damage, save for half.  It overheats on a 10+ and must cool down for 1d3 rounds until it can be used again.  No hit roll is required, unless the Pilot or Frame cannot ascertain the true position of the enemy or otherwise misses due to error.   

Plasma Lance: [Plasma/Close] This weapon vomits forth the fury of the sun, a wave of searing heat that obliterates almost anything in it's path.  It does 1d12+1 damage on a hit, save for half.  It overheats on a 11+ and must cool for 1d4 rounds before it can be used again.  Plasma ignores all armor, except from Colossai which are shielded or resistant to heat.    

Microwave Cannon: [Radiation/Medium] This weapon fires a sizzling ray of radiation that slowly raises an enemy's internal temperature, cooking them from the inside.  It does 1d6 damage per round and as long as line-of-sight is not broken, or the Pilot does not move out of range, the Pilot can keep doing damage for free on his turn, unless he takes an action to attack with another weapon.  Shielded Colossai are immune to this weapon.  

Psionic Crossbow: [Psi/Long]: This weapon fires bolts of psionic energy, invisible but devastating to the mind.  Creatures hit by it take 2d6 damage, save for half, with advantage if they are more psychically powerful than the wielder of the Psionic Crossbow.  Certain creatures may also have resistance to psychic energy, depending on their nature, armor or etc.  

Needle-Quill Launcher: [Organic/Close-Medium] This is the tail of a slain Colossai, long and muscular and tipped with 1d20+4 quills.  Each quill can be launched at a target to do 1d8 damage on a hit.  The Launcher can fire up to three quills at a time.  When all the quills are expended, the tail will regenerate the quills at a rate of 1 for every 1d3 days.

                         by benedickbana

Melee:

- Frameforged: Normal, no-frill weapons, but scaled up and designed for Frames.  Giant swords, knives, hammers, etc.

- Mechanized: Weapons affixed with rotating saws, buzzing blades and spinning drills.  Extremely effective against soft flesh, thick blubber and hardened fur or mucus, but largely ineffective against tougher armor.  

- Pulse: Weapons enhanced with energy shields.  Extremely rare, very powerful, but place a high burden in terms of weight and power on a Frame.  Excellent for bypassing thick armor, but less effective against blubber and flesh, which is Colossai often acts as a shock absorber.    

- Psi: Weapons that channel a Frame/Pilot's psychic might, amplifying it and allowing it to bypass armor and produce other unconventional effects.  These bypass all armor but shields, but are less effective against Psychically potent Colossai.  

- Organic: These are weapons derived or stolen directly from Colossai.  They are all unique and generally totally bizarre, though often high effective.  

Examples: 

Paul Bunyan: [Frameforged/Weight 1] A massive axe, wielded by the founder of the Shield City's Frame to destroy dozens of Colossai.  It is a symbol of hope, of the destruction of evil and the taming of the wilderness.  It does 1d8+Atk+STR damage on a hit. 

Vanquisher Buzz Saw: [Mechanized/Weight 2] A roaring saw, it fells forests as easily as it shreds the flesh of a Colossus.  It does 1d6+Atk damage on a hit, but if attacking a creature with soft flesh, can be driven into it and do free damage each round, as long the Frame stays attached to the creature it is attempting to damage.

Mjolnir Thunder Hammer: [Pulse/Weight 2] A huge hammer that crackles with energy.  When a creature is struck by this, it takes 1d8+Atk damage, plus an additional +1d6 damage if the attack is successful.  However, on a roll of maximum or minimum damage, the energy field overloads or shorts out and will need to be reset (takes an action) to turn it back on again.  Until the field is fixed, it only does 1d8+Atk damage.

Neural Glaive: [Psi/Weight 1]: A long, wide-bladed polearm that crackles with psionic energy.  Does 1d6+Atk damage, plus an additional 1d8 psychic damage on a successful hit.  However, creatures can save to reduce psychic damage, with advantage if they are more powerful psychics than the wielder of the Neural Glaive.  

Fangblade: [Organic/Weight 1] A wide sword made of living flesh, tipped with razor teeth and sharp hooks.  Does 1d6+Atk damage on a hit.  3/Day, if the Frame it is attached to is attacked, it can parry an attack, reducing it's damage by 1d6+Atk.  This is independent of any attempt to parry the Pilot or Frame may have made.  

Why Melee?

Many have asked the obvious question, why fight a Colossai in a close-up fight?  This is a valid question, as most Colossai are hugely powerful and dangerous in close-quarters combat and can often overpower or destroy a Frame totally.  The reason is simple: ammunition and high technology are both often scarce.  Shield Cities have limited resources and must not waste anything useful.  The overseers of the City must regularly make decisions such as "Do we make more ammunition for our Pilot's guns, or do we try to build another water desalination plant?" Melee weapons are thus often an excellent solution, as it allows a Frame to fight a Colossai with less resource expenditure.  

Additionally, as the Pilots (usually) compose a military caste, they greatly prize martial skill and melee combat, both in and out of their Frames.  As such, even if they were mostly vestigial, they would likely still insist on carrying such weapons, as badges of office or symbols of rank if nothing else.

            by MarcBrunet

OSR: Here be Giants (Lore and Background for a Mecha Game)

This post is heavily inspired by the Survival Paradigm series of posts from Blasted and Cratered, also this one from the Nothic's Eye.  

                                                                            by Grivetart

On June 16th, 20XX, the world ended.  No one realized it at the time, however.  On that day, a meteor was suddenly spotted on route to the Solar System.  This meteor entered our Solar System and was expected to pass by Earth on the way to the Sun, but instead rerouted suddenly, and unnaturally, and entered the Earth's atmosphere.

This meteor caused a brief panic due to it's immense size, but this quickly changed to wonder as the meteor began slowing down.  After it passed through the atmosphere it continued to slow down until it floated down and landed in the American Southwest, landing so softly that it didn't even rattle the needles on the nearby cacti.

This meteor proved even stranger then, as it moved.  The remaining stone broke away and a giant creature emerged.  Towering at almost 200 ft. tall, the giant creature resembled a man in the broad strokes, being bipedal with two arms, a head atop his body and a face that greatly resembled a human male, albeit a tad distorted.  

The giant man wore armor made of glittering metal, carrying an enormous shield and sword, each one truly titanic in size.  The Finally, one last detail stuck out at anyone who saw the giant man- he was wounded.  His armor had been beaten and battered, marked by the results of interminable conflict.  His sword and shield both showed signs of heavy use and what little skin wasn't covered in mail revealed scars and hints of old wounds.

Most disturbing of all though was the dagger that had been driven under his armpit into one of the armor's weak points, where it had pierced his flesh.  This dagger was mostly buried inside of the giant man, with only a small amount of blade and handle protruding.  That small amount was still over thirty feet long and seemed to ooze danger to any who gazed upon it.  

The Giant man then sat down and began to meditate, or perhaps pray.  The world began to change not long after that.

The Changes he Wrought:

The military attempted to quarantine the giant, but this was a hopeless endeavor.  Not only was this among the most exciting events EVER, it soon became apparent that part of the reason people were flocking to the giant man was that he was calling to them, or so it was claimed.  These people had repeated dreams of the man and an unexplainable, yet undeniable urge to go and see him.  These chosen people journeyed from far off places and met each other at the base of the giant man.  There they, through some method then unknown to us, were able to commune with the giant man.

After they did so, they declared three things:

1.  The Giant Man, who they quickly named The Paladin, or simply Paladin, had been a protector of the Earth and Humanity.  

2.  That he was wounded and could no longer protect the Earth.

3.  The Earth should now unite and prepare for the coming War.  

These people, who dubbed themselves "The First Brotherhood", then set about basically setting up a new religion, or if you were less charitable, a cult.  They claimed to ne able to commune with Paladin and sought warriors to help them defend Earth.  Their various miracle claims, intended to make them come off as more legitimate, only made them seem kooky.  So they were largely ignored, a massive error on the part of humanity, for five years.

That was when it showed up.  Another meteor descended from the sky and splashed down in the Indian Ocean.  23 hours later, a giant Beast emerged from the surf and stomped ashore near the city of Chennai, India and laid waste to the city.  The Beast destroyed everything in it's path and proved all but immune to conventional weapons, with the exception of the highest-end technologies, that did slow it down, though they still did only minimal damage.  

Eventually, after every option was exhausted, the central government authorized a direct nuclear strike to kill the Beast.  A single 20 megaton warhead was dropped and the rest of the city was reduced to glass.  And then the Beast stood back up, screamed at the heavens and disappeared back into the sea. 

In the aftermath, 2 million people were dead, almost five million were displaced and a truly staggering amount of damage had been done.  The world was utterly dumbfounded by the scale of the disaster.  Yet they soon found out that this was not going to be a one-time event.  People quickly made the connection between the First Brotherhood's prophecies and the Indian Beast.  

When questioned, the Speaker for the Brotherhood declared, "This was the first, but it will not be the last."  So a plan was needed and the Brotherhood provided one.  To fight monsters, a new breed of weapons was needed.  As our greatest technology had proven almost useless against the creatures.  Thus, when the First Brotherhood introduced the world to their radical proposal, the Paladin Program, many were willing to listen.

                           by Halycon450

Fifty Years Later:

Humanity has sharply retracted in size and power.  The majority of people live in "Shield Cities", heavily fortified, largely self-sufficient communities designed to protect against Colossai attack.  Each one is equipped with walls, bunkers, monstrous weapons and most important of all, Frames.

A Frame is a slang term for an artificial creature, a master-work of biotechnology and cybernetics.  A specially trained human will climb inside it, interface with the Frame and command it.  The Pilot will then go forward to face the enemies of the city, most commonly Colossai, as they will regularly assault Shield Cities, but also other foes in need of destruction and worthy of the incredible expense required to bring the Frame online.

  

If the Pilot is victorious, he slays the Colossus and will butcher the creature.  It's flesh, bones and organs can all be harvested for valuable resources that can greatly benefit the City and it's Frames.  If he is not and the Beast is not dissuaded from attacking, the City will utilize it's own weaponry to drive off or kill the Colossus.

Note: Frames are often also referred to as Warsuits, Mechs, Battle-Mechs, Chariots, Paladins, Spirit Beasts and Dragons.  The name is region and culture specific.

Pilots are also referred to by a variety of different titles such as Rider, Captain, Lancer, Knight, Paladin, Squire, Charioteer and Beast-master.

             by Infesth6

Exclusion Zones and Wild Peoples:

Exclusion Zones are areas deemed off limits by the Global or National Authorities, though such groups are largely toothless in a world of localism and neo-feudalism.  These are areas without Shield Cities or organized Pilot Corps, where any Frames that do exist are maintained by the locals, either through enormous personal wealth, scavenging, local cooperation, raiding or some combination of the former.

Exclusion Zones are areas most commonly near the coasts and were designated as such for a variety of potential reasons such as, they were deemed too difficult to defend, they host ruins to expensive to fully demolish or rebuild, they are too close to a common Colossai landing zone, they are a suspected Colossai breeding ground, they are infested with Colossai or smaller creatures dangerous to humans, they are toxic to humans in some way, such as being irradiated or contaminated with poisonous substances.

Now in many cases, people do live in Exclusion Zones.  Life here is often brutal, short and unpredictable, but it means freedom from the often oppressive rule of the Shield Cities.  Additionally, many people will enter Exclusion Zones in the hopes of gathering rare resources or looting pre-Colossai treasures from the ruins of the Old World.  

Wild People, by contrast, live nomadic lives very reminiscent of our ancient ancestors.  They often have access to little or no advanced technology, shunning civilization and Cities.  Some believe that technology itself attracts the Colossai, while others believe that Cities and fixed communities are simply too big of a target and thus continually wander.  Most Wild People are herdsmen, living off flocks of domesticated animals, while others act as hunter-gatherers.  Some do farm or are only semi-nomadic, but they are the exception, rather than the rule.

                        by Kronium

Pilots, Frames and Psychic Powers:

All Pilots are psychic, at least to some extent.  This was a talent that began occurring in humans after the Colossai began arriving in greater numbers.  What causes it and where it comes from is still unknown: some believe that being in the presence of a Colossai or Frame can awaken any psychic potential one might have, while others believe it is entirely hereditary, while still others that eating the flesh of a Colossai can awaken or even grant psychic abilities.  This latter view is semi-true, though the consumption of Colossai flesh just as commonly leads to mutation, sickness and death, so this is rarely recommended.

  

The reason why all Pilots must be psychic is that this is what enables them to pilot their Frame.  All Frames, as Pilots will tell you, have their own personality, temperament and habits.  A Pilot must somehow coerce, convince or force a Frame to do what he wishes.  This is a dangerous task, as if a Frame does not wish to do something, it can lash out at the Pilot, destroying his mind or killing him immediately.  This is rare, but it does happen.  Much more commonly is that a Frame will refuse to work or simply work less effectively.

  

The rate at which a Pilot and a Frame successfully interface is known as Synchronization.  Generally, the higher the Synchronization the better, though as it approaches the higher ends, the Pilot and the Frame become so inter-mingled the line of where Pilot begins and Frame ends becomes almost impossible to determine.  In such cases, depending on culture, law or tradition a Pilot may be forced to retire, destroyed along with the Frame, entombed within the Frame to spend the rest of his life united within it, or celebrated as having transcended mortal flesh to become a living God.

                  by Wuggynaut

Psychic Powers:

All Frames are a mix of biotechnology and cybernetics, but the ratio varies.  The more biological a Frame is, the greater it's psychic potential is.  Frames with high psychic potential can access and amplify a Pilot's natural psychic powers, as well as potentially unlock their own.  However, the higher a Frame's psychic potential is, the stronger the Frame's mind and the harder it is to tame.

A Frame with more cybernetics, on the other hand, has less psychic potential.  This means while it can often only slightly modify a Pilot's powers, it is much easier to fix, armor and arm.  It is also much easier to mount and ride.  As such, new Pilots often take their first ride on a Frame with a high level of cybernetics, so they aren't broken or overpowered by their Frame.

Some Frames with high psychic potential have been known in rare cases to overpower the Pilot and control it's own actions during the battle.  And while all Frames are supposed to be no smarter than dogs, some with high psychic potential display a disturbing level of intellect, and may hijack the Pilot's brain to further enhance their minds.

In  a few cases, Frames with high psychic potential have even "woken up" and broke out of the storage facilities they were kept in, fleeing out into the wilderness to act as Colossai.  This is rare, however and tends to occur only in Frames composed primarily of Colossai body parts or most commonly, entirely made from the modified body of a single dead Colossai.

  

Manufacturing Monsters:

 

Frames are made from Colossai.  In the past, they were almost entirely artificial, but that was only possible in the Pre-Colossai Age.  With the collapse of the global trade networks and the loss of much of mankind's industrial base, such a massive expenditures of money or material is simply not an option.  So, in order to create new Frames, a solution was required.

The solution that the humans arrived at was simple- what better to fight Colossai than Colossai themselves.  When a Colossus is killed, the Pilots will summon the Butcher-Engineers, who will evaluate the Colossus.  They will decide what parts of the Colossus can be sold, which parts destroyed and which parts weaponized.  Weaponized parts are integrated, usually after modifications, into the Frame itself.

  

This is part of the reason why Pilots do not just remain behind the walls and only fight to defend their city, but instead go on expeditions to fight and slay a specific Colossus.  It is so the Butcher-Engineers can harvest a particular weapon or technology from it's flesh.

            by MorkarDFC

Standard Pilot Missions:

- Defend a Shield City from Colossus attack

- Travel into the wilderness to hunt a particular Colossus 

- Travel into an Exclusion Zone to recover something rare or valuable 

- Destroy a Colossai breeding ground

- Protect a convoy or caravan transporting valuable goods

- Protect a group of salvagers looking to recover something lost

- Fight off a group of Frame-using pirates, marauders or brigands 

- Participate in War against another City or organization

What is the goal of the Colossai?

The Colossai do not have a goal, most of them are not even intelligent.  But over the decades, human scientists have noticed some strange things.  When Colossai blood lands on the ground or when they die, their bodily fluids trigger mutations in any creature exposed to them.  Some creatures almost entirely change, but most simply become altered.  The land grows more fertile and larger plants and animals begin to appear.  Deer grow larger and have more eyes, while trees rise to the height of skyscrapers.  In some places, all remnants of human civilization have been utterly replaced, as if mankind never existed.  

Yet the new fecundity of the Earth is not entirely positive.  Many of these new plants and animals cannot be eaten by humans directly, they must be heavily processed and purified.  Direct consumption by humans has resulted in outbreaks of disease, failing health, mutation and madness.  It is believed by some that this is intentional.  The Colossai are changing the world to better suit their needs and it is a world that humanity will not survive.

           by AlMaNeGrA

OSR: Sacraments of Hesayanism

by arsenixc

How the Church of the Unconquered Son Works:

The Authority is the Ultimate, the Supreme Being, the One who Created the Universe.  The Authority is said to only rarely directly intervene, but instead works through specific lower beings to accomplish his Ultimate Ends.

Zulin is his agent among the Gods.  Zulin, Prince of Heaven, Hand of the Authority, King of the Earth, Custodian of Hell is the prime God of Hesayanism.  However, unless you are King or a Priest of Hesayanism, you are not permitted to pray to him directly.

Hesaya the Prophetess, May She Live Again, is Zulin's wife and head of the Church, Zulin's spiritual Kingdom.  When she is alive, she leads the Church on Earth and acts as Supreme Pontifex.  When she is dead, she remains in Heaven for a time, then is reborn into a new body.  She is reborn as a baby each time and some time passes before she regains all of her memories.  The time for this varies dramatically, once during a crisis, she regained her memories at the age of 3, while in more peaceful times she occasionally will not regain her memories until seventeen.  

When the Prophetess is in Heaven, the Church is led by the Matriarch, the highest ranking Priestess in the Church.  

In some places, men and women can both become Hesayan Priests, while in more conservative areas male Priests are seen as a distortion, if not a heresy, of the sacred scriptures.

What if I worship another God?

The Church occasionally orders Crusades to spread the Faith, strike down Evil and unite all people in the Kingdom of Zulin.  When the Church's armies invade your lands, the Priests will speak to the Gods of that land and grant them a choice- submit to Zulin and accept his laws or be destroyed.  

Gods that accept are sanctified and permitted to join Zulin's Heavenly Court, where they can be worshiped not only be their own people, but by any of the faithful.  

Those that refuse this offer are destroyed.

The people of this land also must accept Zulin and swear fealty to him.  The Priests of the foreign religion will usually have to change their religious practices to fit Zulin's laws.  For example, Hesayanism does not permit unnatural marriages, sacred prostitution or human sacrifice.  Other changes are usually made on a case-by-case basis.  The goal is to redeem the practices of this foreign religion, saving the good and purging the evil, not annihilating it entirely.

Of course, if a God and his religion are evil, then he will not be granted quarter, but will be destroyed.

The Adversary and the Forsaken Immortals:

The Adversary, the Evil One, the Dark Star, the Ever-Burning One, Uzarth the Accursed is the Chief Agent of Evil in Hesayanism.  He is said to be the eternal enemy of goodness, justice, and anything positive and wholesome.  He lives to create destruction and ruin.  He works for evil ends, to destroy Zulin's Kingdom and bring about everlasting misery to all.  

Uzarth is also Chief of Wicked Spirits and Evil Gods, who serve him.  Lesser spirits of wickedness cause havoc and try to tempt the faithful to Evil, while others attempt to enter the world to cause suffering and spread evil in more tangible ways.  

The Forsaken Immortals are Gods who rejected Zulin.  Some work with Uzarth and have become one of the Dark Powers, his Anti-Pantheon to oppose Zulin's Heavenly Court.  Others are mere free agents, establishing secret sects and cults in an attempt to stand aloof from the conflict brewing in the Heavens.  But as the Prophetess declared long ago, the middle ground is rapidly shrinking and when the Last Day dawns, all will be forced to choose a side.

                          by Aranthulas

Sacraments of Hesayanism:

Hesayanism recognizes 7 Sacraments- the number of wounds and humiliations the Prophetess suffered at her sacrifice.

Swearing of Fealty- A person is brought before a Priest and swears to accept Zulin as his Liege-lord, to obey his laws and to serve him faithfully.  A Priest or Priestess of Hesayanism stands in for the God, who accepts the person's offer and promises protection, provision and a chance to join Zulin and the Prophetess in Heaven after death, and resurrection on the Last Day.  

In some places, a person will only swear fealty to Zulin when they reach the "age of reason", which varies by species.  Others delay the swearing of fealty until later, to receive a remission of sins commited later in life.  Some cultures also have infants swear fealty to Zulin, though his parents recite the oath for him.  The child will still be expected to swear again when he is old enough to understand the oath however.  

Boon: When you swear fealty to Zulin, all previous bonds placed upon you are broken.  All curses are broken, all sins forgiven, all past (spiritual) transgressions pardoned.  If your soul has been taken from you, Zulin will dispatch his paladins and Angels to see it returned to you.  

You also enter a Hallowed State.  When in a Hallowed State, anyone attempting to possess you has disadvantage on any rolls made to do so.  You also receive resistance to magic and the abilities from the Dark Powers and evil creatures, giving you Magic Resistance equal to your CHA modifier.  Ex: If you have a CHA modifier of +2, you have 20% magic resistance.

However, you will only remain in a Hallowed State until you sin.  Example Sins that can cause you to lose a Hallowed State include, but are not limited to thieving, murder, killing the helpless or innocent, refusing to help someone in need, not tithing 10% of your income to the Church, sex before marriage, drunkenness, destruction of property, necromancy, attempting to resurrect the dead without permission from the Church and consorting with demons or the Dark Powers.    

Affirmation of Fealty- When a believer is old enough, he will swear another oath to Zulin, reconfirming his fealty to Zulin and being anointed as his servant.

Boon: When you Affirm your loyalty to Zulin, you will receive a vision of your future, what Zulin and his Heavenly Court want from you.  This vision is not guaranteed to come true, but it will be their recommendation of what you should aspire to usually.  In other cases, it has been a specific mission sent from Heaven or a dire warning for the person or the whole people.

Appeal to the Throne- At certain times of year, or as determined by a high-ranking Priest or the Heaven itself, believers will be entitled to directly petition Zulin and the Throne of the Authority.  There are various rituals associated with this depending on the region.  Some write their requests on paper, dissolve them in water and boil the water so it rises to heaven, while others write their requests on kites and send them aloft, while others write them in flammable ink and burn them at night, so the inhabitants of Heaven can see the burning script from their lofty perches.

Boon: Your request has a chance of being answered.  It may not be immediate or in the way you want, but Zulin may extend his hand to grant you your request.  The Referee should determine if Zulin would grant this request based on the following criteria: Zulin seeks the moral perfection of all his subjects, that they might become strong and virtuous.  Would granting such a request help this person do so, or would it possibly make them worse?  Zulin may also grant requests if he sees a person as a useful agent against the forces of darkness.

by Madazu

Royal Pardon- When you sin, you offend the Authority and so become cut off from his special blessings, though still receive the common blessing of being allowed to continue existing as a thought in his mind.  The Royal Pardon is a sacrament where you come before a Priest of Hesayanism and confess your sins.  It is expected that you usually make a sacrifice for all sins, though for smaller offenses, it is not required.  For more grave sins, a sacrifice is expected and required to show true repentance.  

After presenting your sacrifice, the Priest will give you a task to perform.  It may be as simple as giving money to the poor or the Church or it could be as hard as slaying a Demon rampaging across the world.  Do so and your sins will be forgiven.  

Boon: By performing your penance, Zulin will blot out your sins from the Book of Judgement and restore you to a Hallowed State.

The Honorable Sacrifice of the Prophetess- At all Hesayanism Churches, the climax of the liturgy is thanking the Prophetess for her sacrifice of her life and praising Zulin for rescuing her from the Underworld.  This is done through the faithful cutting themselves on ceremonial blades and allowing some of their blood to spill into a chalice or a pool.  Then the Priests lift these containers and fill up a sacred vessel, usually one shaped like the Stake upon which the Prophetess was impaled.  Then they ask Zulin and the Authority to bless this blood and transform it.  If the Priest is righteous and in a Hallowed State, the blood will be transformed into the Water of Faith.  

Boon: The Water of Faith or Holy Water is produced through this sacrament.  By drinking it, a person in a Hallowed State regains 1d6 Fighting Spirit and is granted a new save against any magical or mental condition affecting their mind and body, such as Charm or Fear, whether it is caused by magic or by what has happened to them.  

If consumed by someone not in a Hallowed State, the Water of Faith provides no benefit but instead reminds them of all their sins and how far they have fallen from the blessings of the Authority.  

If consumed by an Evil creature or one sworn to the Dark Powers, it depends on that creature's strength.  Weaker creatures will be instantly consumed by divine vengeance and be destroyed, while more potent ones will be simply hurt.  Splashing the Water of Faith on an evil creature also causes it to take 1d6 damage if a mortal or 2d6 if an Undead, Demon or Agent of Supernatural Evil. 

It is said that the Water of Faith's power depends on the degree of authority invested in a Priest by a Church, so while the Water made by a village priest might not be that potent, the Water created by a Shepherdess, Pontiff or the Matriarch is degrees stronger, depending on rank.  It is said that the Water of Faith created by the Prophetess herself when she serves on Earth is said to be able to do almost anything.  

Marriage- As far as the Church is concerned, marriage is between one male and female.  Zulin and Hesaya are seen as the ideal example of marriage.  While some object to this, as they claim Zulin is a God, and thus a shapeshifter, the Church has always replied that physical sex is the least important aspect of masculinity and femininity.  While Zulin can change his form, he has a male soul, while Hesaya, though she has been reborn over and over, has always been born a woman because she has a female soul.  

Marriage celebrations and customs vary dramatically from culture to culture, but all the Church cares about is the following: 

- The marriage is legal, meaning that the bride and groom are not too closely related nor barred from marrying each other for some other reason

- A priest oversees the wedding

- Both man and woman swear to be faithful to their God, Zulin, the Authority and each other.  

If all that has been accomplished, the two can be wed and the celebrations can continue.  

Note that the Church does not believe in divorce, though it will annul unlawful marriages.

Reasons for Annulment:

- You or your spouse are still married to someone else at the time

- You are too closely related (first cousins or closer)

- The marriage was done under threats or coercion

- The marriage was officiated by a servant of the Dark Powers or a Demon   

- Heaven itself forbids this marriage (rare, but has happened at times)

Boon: If you are married and take a long rest with your spouse, you can reroll the amount of HP recovered and take the higher result, regardless of comfort level.  (This does not mean you have to have sex, of course.  If you want rules for that, write them yourself, or even better, try to be normal for once.)

      by SaraForlenza

Holy Orders- This is a sacrament intended only for the Priests and the Paladins of the Church.  It is a sacred oath to be holy, to serve Zulin or a member of his Heavenly Court.  This may grant specific boons depending on what God you swear to serve.  Below is the one for a Priest or Paladin of Hesayanism.  

Priest/Priestess of Hesayanism: 

You swear to obey the Authority and his laws, Zulin and the Church.  You swear to take no spouse, bear no children and maintain your chastity.  You swear to accept no riches, lands or titles and to use any resources you are charged with for the good of the poor.    

Boon: You are granted the ability to forgive sins through the power of Zulin and the Authority, perform marriages, transmute blood into the Water of Faith and accept oaths made to Zulin, the Prophetess and the Authority on their behalf.

Paladin of Hesayanism: 

You swear to obey the Authority and his laws, Zulin and the Church.  You swear to take no spouse without the permission* or consent of the Church or your superiors.  You swear to protect the helpless, the weak and the vulnerable.  You swear to fight evil when faced with it and grant it no quarter.  You will make no false oaths nor use any unjust tactic.  You will serve until your last breath (or released from this oath**).

Boon: When in a Hallowed State, you gain Magic Resistance equal to double your CHA modifier (min 20%).  This applies to all magic, not just that of the Dark Powers.  You can allow a spell to affect you, if you wish it too.  

*Some Paladin orders are allowed to get married, some are not.  This part may be altered or revised depending on the orders.    

**Not all Paladins serve for life, though many do.  

by DouglasRamsey