[Cypher] Numenera - Ashes of the Sea

[Retry]

Game Name Numenera: Ashes of the Sea | TM and © 2021 Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Game System Numenera (Cypher)

Theme A group of explorers must search some ancient ruins to find a way home!

Flavor Science/Fantasy, Exploration, Mystery, Survival, Social, One-shot

Overview Intro Boisterous chatter of bartering individuals and daily routines fill the air of the open market as you wade through on your way to your favorite broker. A sweet smell draws your attention to one stall donning a smiling apple sign, its vendor currently cooking something upon a floating plank of dark steel that pulsed low green light. It was only slightly crowded today so the calls for wares to peddle were often directed towards you specifically. Maybe some other time. Or never. Dotting your path was ten foot tall brass pylons that held aloft a canvas that expanded the entire market. Comprised of unknown fibers, it shifted in various hues as the day went on. Granting the breeze and light of the sky above through unobscured, yet prevented your skin from reddening from prolonged exposure. The broker's shack was tucked neatly away from prying eyes in the corner of the market. The broker was as human as anyone else here in the market. They stood a simple eight feet in height when the cybernetic cricket-like legs had extended up to their fullest length. A crooked smile upon their face greeted one of their favorite customers before the violet orb that took the place of their right eye flared to life projecting a detailed image of the region. A small red dot pulsed from a spot on the northern part of the rendered map and the details were relayed of a rumored outpost in waiting. Welcome to the Ninth World! TM and © 2021 Monte Cook Games, LLC. Come along and step into a world that was once ours, a billion years ago. The planet has endured but the rise and fall of mighty civilizations that held supreme power has definitely left its marks. There were eight in total and they might be referred to as eras, epochs, aeons, or ages - yet, you wouldn't be too far off to just view them as their own individual worlds. Each one ruled for many millennia before eventually meeting their end in some form; dying off or scattering, vanishing, or even transcending. Each one leaving behind pieces of its glory. With the demise of the previous eight worlds comes the birth of the ninth. One that has struggled and clawed its way from the artificial an artificial soildrit to prominence upon the corpses and bones of those long passed. Life is difficult but manageable through the excavation and use of the relics of old. Referred to as the numenera. These relics and artifacts of past worlds serve as boon to life - but also can be a bane to the careless. These devices make life quite different than any other point in the history of Earth. Those who would risk the mysterious dangers left behind in the derelict ruins and constructs are the warrior Glaives, science-wielding Nanos, and the ever-wily Jacks. Adventurers and explorers outright who seek out the numenera to bring back to the Aeon Priest to be fashioned into useful tools, weapons, or other items for the growing civilization. The items they find are very likely repurposed to perform a task that is alternate to the original purpose. An explosive might've once been a power source for a vehicle of some sort or a force field might've once been designed to contain radiation from a reactor. Yet, who is to say since the original creators are no longer here? So come, explorer, to this Ninth World! Where every discovery might be the key to saving you and crafting you into a legend - or be the cause to your untimely demise. You'll never know until you try!

Intro TM and © 2021 Monte Cook Games, LLC. Hook The outpost was tucked in a lowland valley pinched between what could be deemed the 'outskirts' of the Steadfast and the Cloudcrystal Skyfields. Its purpose was unknown, obviously, yet it was definitely from a past age. Which one was only a fool's errand to try and guess because you'd never be completely right regardless of which one you chose. The open door bathed in the light of a setting sun declared loudly that the site had been visited before. Whether it had been picked clean or not was but a simple toss of a Shin(s) - The primary form of currency within the Ninth World. Due to the technology of the previous worlds, most forms of metal or stone hold the same value. No one is truly rarer than another. So most civilized societies use a generic coin called Shins. They are typically metal, but can be crafted from different materials as well.shin. It was still within the realm of possibility that the place could be teeming with Numenera - A blanket term used to describe technology left behind from previous ages.numenera. Could this place be a treasure trove? Or would security systems of old make it your grave? After a few rooms your team has already scored a handful of Cypher - A small and/or minor item that typically only have a single use to them before they become nothing more than a mere curiosity or decoration.cyphers, Iotums - parts or materials that can be salvaged from ruins, constructs, or devices to repurpose into new numeneraiotums, and material that might serve as some shins. That already proved the trip wasn't utterly pointless. Yet, no real big find as of yet. But there surely had to be something better tucked away within this Outpost. You only had to dig a bit deeper. --- Following a rumor from a mutually-trusted source of information your team of three/four have ventured north from Navarene in the hopes of scoring big. Why you are together is up to you, although fame/fortune/power are reasonable and likely motivators. Your task is simple in nature but often can prove deadly when dealing with these relics of the past ages; find numenera, bring it back to the Aeon Priest, profit. This mission is no different. ---- Note from GM: This adventure is a simple one-shot that is free to download from the Monte Cook Games website. It is meant to introduce players (and GM) to the Ninth World and the Numenera/Cypher system itself. It is not very long, but I felt it likely perfect for dipping my toes into for the system. For those familiar with the setting, the bulk of the adventure will be taking place in an isolated section of the Beyond. Navarene was only placed in the intro for some aid seeding backstories. Your PC/team does not need to originate from Navarene nor are you expected to return there, if you so wish. If all goes well in this adventure we can discuss what comes next. Yet, that is a story for a different time.

 

Retry, the level 3 Dad How's it going? My name is rē-trī′Retry (he/him), and I've been a part of RPGx since late 2018 when I stumbled upon it from an internet search for a means to play ttrpgs online via text. I cut my teeth playing, DM'ing, and eventually teaching DND5e as a NPSG GM, but have found myself yearning for something outside of 5e. Nothing against it, just trying new things is all I enjoy story-telling and find entertainment in reading the creations players come up with and seeing the inner workings of their psyche that playing in person can't easily offer. Through the years of playing I've come to greatly appreciate the essence of Roleplaying over 'Roll'playing and try to do my part in providing interesting NPCs and locale for the players to interact with. I am, admittedly, not a well-learned writer. My vocabulary isn't very extensive and my grammar is atrocious - but I do what I can to paint a picture for you the best I can! I also often employ ambient music through youtube and art to help supplement my post. Here are some of my GM posts to help provide samples of how I narrate: "Welcome to Knotside (Red Claw, DND5e)" | "Hither (WbtWL, DND5e)" |"Morning in Leilon (Divine Contention, DND5e)" On a more personal side, I am an IT professional of almost seven years and father to three under the age of five. My job is a constant juggle of numerous tasks, projects, and user issues and my home-life is wrestling with three small children over simple things like bedtime and the reason why we wear clothes in public. That being said, its easier for me to post while at work and I am most active between the hours of 0700 and 1530 M-F. Off-hours, you can reach me via the OOC threads, a PM, or through Retry #2025, I am also in the newest RPGx discord server.Discord. I do not post on weekends as I am often with my wife and kids or DMing/playing D&D. Also, yes. I like bears.

Detail General Details: Most Important - New members/players to this system and setting are welcomed! I am new to it as well, lets learn together! I only ask you shed your yellow name status at the very least. This game will be played in third person, the intro was put in second person for immersion purposes only. The game will have an equal balance of combat and social encounters. As a GM you can expect my posts to mostly be serious in tone, but I am fine with your characters being quirky. I will be relying on the three core books (Discovery, Destiny, Player's Guide) for the bulk of things. I have yet to explore all the supplements out there. If you have a descriptor or focus that you wish to run, please let me know what they're from! OOC is very important to keeping a game alive. I am not expecting us all to be as thick as thieves, but I do want to know if you have any questions or if something is holding you up from posting. The game will be running at a comfortable pace. Somewhere between 1/wk or 1/2wks, depending on what the selected group decides. You will be starting at First Tier. I have no insight to if you will reach Second Tier. What I'm looking for: I am looking for 3-4 players that are willing to explore the unknown I am looking for explorers that can work well with others. They don't need to be a bucket of sunshine, but I have no interest in lone-wolfs in this system. A unique character you made for the game or system and isn't just ported over from an ad you didn't get in to (unless that ad was for Numenera as well). I am looking for Players that know how to play off of other player's posts just as well as the GM's post.   Special note: Monte Cook Games (MCG from here-on), does not provide a System Reference DocumentSRD for this game. Many who are new(er) to TTRPGs or started with DND might find this odd as WotC provided an SRD for their game... and then promptly put everything else behind a paywall. That being said, this creates a hurdle for those who are new to the system. After reviewing what is permittable through fan use of their content I will do what I can to ease this hurdle and provide some information. I will stress, however, that protecting RPGx from lawyers is my priority because without this site I'd probably go insane with boredom. MCG does, provide a quick start guide to playing the game along with some pre-gen characters you can download for free from their site over here: Link to MCG store. On the same page is the official player's guide for a fairly reasonable price in PDF format (~$8 USD).

Application Please make an application with the following: "I am a adjective noun who verbs"Your character statement or We can work out the descriptor, type, and focus later just a character concept Any overlapping focuses will be discussed if picked because no two PCs should have the same focus. A quick write-up on them. Have you played Numenera and/or Cypher before? Have you played this particular adventure? Can you provide some links to other posts you've made? If new, can you provide a link to your NPGS game (if any) or a RP sample in a spoilerbutton, please? Application Deadline: September 9th at 12:00 EST

[Retry]

In an attempt to make this game/system more inclusive to those unfamiliar with it, I have created an aid for piecing together a character statement. This guide will also provide some expectations of how you would play your character without diving too deeply into mechanics.

>LINK<

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Possible Explorers

Player Name Statement/Concept Status Strangemund Vinter Cultured Nano who Abuses Alchemy Complete HotsuSama Abanti Rugged Jack who Fuses Flesh and Steel Complete Talissen70 Cainus Curious Delve who Sees Beyond Complete Starflier Eshak Graceful Glaive who Employs Magnetism Complete hafrogman Clover Confident Arkus who Acts Without Consequence Complete Effete Jolm Mechanical Delve who Fuses Mind and Machine Complete wodine Chance Stealthy Nano who Explores Dark Places Complete QueenQatherine Violet Mercurial Glint who Augments Flesh with Grafts Complete Avner Riven Resourceful Seeker who Throws with Deadly Accuracy Complete ihinka Vish'na Empathic Nano who Talks to Machines Complete Mindsiege Gibraltar Mystical Wright who Builds Tomorrow Complete

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Asked Questions / Answers
Question	Answer
Do we need to buy the book(s)?	No. You are not required to purchase anything to apply/play in this game. However, there is a link to MCG's store in the ad if you are interested in buying anything.

[Strangemund]

Count me in.

Character Application Vinter Kheen is a Cultured Nano who Abuses Alchemy Name: Vinter Kheen Gender: Male (he/him) Occupation: Aeon Priest Concept: Vinter Kheen used to reside in the glorious city of Qi, home to both the Order of the Truth and the future. He served (and still does despite his current unfortunate circumstances) as a member of the aeon priesthood, dedicating his life, values, and others’ valuable time and money to exploring numenera and the secrets that lie within the mortal body. He is a scientist more than a mystic, and refuses to humor the very idea that the world around them was created by anything but geniuses of his equal. Vinter Kheen believes he will shepherd the Ninth World into a new age of knowledge and evolution. He just… has to figure out how to get back home first. As he didn’t actually plan to go to The Beyond, or anywhere outside the comfort of his luxurious laboratory. The one that was safely tucked away in the heart of the Durkhal. In fact, it was somewhat of an accident that he found himself teleported away from the life he knew. And no, no, no, it wasn’t his fault, it was the new scribe's fault, certainly the new scribe, but that’s fine, Vinter Kheen is a man of science~! Surely it can’t be that hard to survive in the wild, can it? Cypher/Numenera Experience?: I have played a multitude of Cypher and Numenera games, usually as a GM myself! I only briefly got the chance to play as a player years and years ago on RPGX, so I had to strike while the iron was hot and apply as a player here when the Ad popped up! I have not read the module at all. No idea what the adventure is about or what will happen, so I will be pleasantly clueless throughout the game! Roleplay Links: I have quite a few! Here are some recent posts: The aftermath of The Great Feng Wu’s loss at The Finger-Eater Trap. Krow Munday’s big reveal that the trees smell like poo! Harp Strum getting knocked out while I RP an NPC at the request of the GM! References: Abuses Alchemy is in Numenera: Character Options 2, page 51. Cultured is in Numenera: Destiny, page 43.

[HotsuSama]

I've been holding out for Cypher, so count me in too. I'll slowly add to and adjust this in bits and pieces.

Application - Abanti Abanti is a Rugged Jack who Fuses Flesh and Steel Abanti is a self-given name for what was once a member of a vast colony of human/machine hybrids. The colony fell apart in a storm of war and turmoil, and Abanti found themselves ... alone. No guiding hive-mind voice, no grand lines of workers and soldiers fulfilling the collective needs. Just Worker-8756, but with a quiet mind. The concept of 'self' has been a difficult one for Abanti to learn, and while it has been an interesting experience to act in independence, it's not enough. Abanti craves something more, whether it be a tangible connection with someone else or just the opportunity to fill the void left behind by having such a large part of their previous mental space taken away from them. Cypher experience: None, but I've been nursing Numenera Discovery for a while now and have had an idle interest in learning Cypher. Everything in Abanti's character statement is from Discovery. Post links: Stahl takes stock before leaving on a journey Har-Lann gets everyone wasted without a single drink Thalente prepares to engage in some shock-and-awe rampaging

[Talissen70]

WIP App Cainus Altor is a Curious Delve who Sees Beyond Cainus is largely a people-pleaser. And he has found that nothing pleases people more than him finding things, and otherwise staying quiet and out of the way. He has learned to excel at both. A nervy looking character, often wide eyed, Cainus talks in a hurried, contracted tone, smiles way too much and has more pockets that anyone would think possible. Most of them are full of crappy 'found' keepsakes which he generally rotates out as new ones come along. Constantly fidgeting and looking shady but very likeable once you realise he has little guile or dishonesty about him. He also has little memory of who he really is, where he originally came from or how he finds himself in most of his experiences. He has flashes of people from his past, but slippery, like the memory refuses to stick or something won't let him access the full reel. The only thing he remembers clearly are bright balls of light and as such he in more comfortable in a darker environment. Thats when he started 'seeing things' diffirent from others. It bothers him sometimes and he can have retrospective moments of silence. But never for long. Life is too interesting and there are always places to hide and new stuff to find. Have you played Numenera and/or Cypher before? Have you played this particular adventure? Nope, both will be new to me but happy to read up and work on a character with some GM guidance Can you provide some links to other posts you've made:   https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...68#post9480668 https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...22#post9467522 https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...03#post9447203

[Retry]

The main books for the setting are called Discovery and Destiny. But both are pricey. The Player guide covers the basic three types (glaive, jack, and nano), a handful of descriptors and foci; along with basic lore of the world.

Yet purchase is not required to apply/play in this game. I will pass along what I can and made a guide (link in post below ad) that states the various options available. It does not, however, explain any mechanics or nitty-gritty stuff as I dont want to tempt legal actions in any way

Edit: This is also why I offered the choice to do a concept instead of a statement. "I want to play a sneaky thief who warps about" can be broken into a statement later but tells me what you wish to be

[Marshmallow]

Curses Retry, here I am trying to reduce how much I'm on RPGX and you post this ad!

[SevenStones]

I love me some Cypher, but I've never played an actual Numenera game. Sad that I don't have time to put in an application, but I loved seeing this ad. Best of luck putting it together!

[Starflier]

I've got so many games on the go already, but how often does a Cypher/Numenara game come come along? Also, I put together half of an application while trying to talk myself out of it. I will try to post up my Graceful Glaive who Employs Magnetism tomorrow night...

...the next night:

Ashes of the Sea Character Statement Eshak Var is a Graceful Glaive who Employs Magnetism Brief Background Eshak Var learned early on that it was better to be quick than it was to be tough. Tough guys didn’t last long against the automated defenses of the long abandoned ruins that her town was built on, but she slipped past lasers and blades day-after-day to earn another meal and another night’s rest from the salvage she reclaimed. No one spent more time inside than she did, nor saw as much of that enigmatic place, and certainly no one else breathed in as much of the coppery metallic drit suspended in the lower levels as Eshak Var. It is human nature to covet or destroy that which is unique or different, and Eshak was such a thing to a great many people. Whether they wanted her, or wanted to destroy her, the girl learned to wield a blade and protect herself from all manner of threats. Soon enough she realized that staying in one place for too long was just as bad in life as it was in a fight, and so she took to the road in search of friends, adventure, and whatever else there was to find. Numenara/Cypher Experience I played two sessions of Numenara ages ago, not long after it came out, but nothing since so let’s go with ‘minimal experience’. I have the Corebook and Player’s Guide for Numenara, but most of the pdf’s I got in a Humble Bundle last year are With a smattering of Stars are Fire, Predation, Unmasked, and Gods of the Fall pdf’s that I’ve yet to exploreCypher or The Strange related. I love the setting for Numenara, or at the very least the ambition of it, but most of my interest has been in the flexibility of the Cypher system itself. I know nothing about this particular adventure. Roleplay Links Post #1 - Dwarven Arcane Trickster looking to sow a little doubt among the defenders of a castle. Post #2 - Half-Elf Wizard dividing treasure for the group. Post #3 - Rookie secret agent coming to grips with the situation.

[hafrogman]

Application Clover is a Confident Arkus who Acts Without Consequence Name: Clover Gender: Female (she/her) Occupation: Professional Troublemaker Clover excels at three things. Getting into trouble. Convincing her friends, against their better judgement, to get into trouble with her. Convincing other friends, against their better judgement, to help her get out of trouble. "Never again, Clover." is a common refrain among her acquaintances. But somehow, she always swings them back around to her way of thinking. Or... not so much 'thinking'. Whatever the opposite of 'thinking' is. Doing. That sounds about right. So where did she find all these friends? I'm glad you asked. Growing up, Clover saw more of the Steadfast by age ten than most of these dirt farmers will see in their whole lifetimes. A Thaemoran merchant and her minstrel husband, her parents trod the roads of the Nine Kingdoms and brought their only child with them. Their travels took them to all the great cities from Charmonde to Orrila and everywhere in between. But more often than not, competition from more established groups pushed them to the edges of these realms, backroads and forgotten villages, places little better than the aldeia of the Beyond, at least in the eyes of the nobility looking down from their ivory towers. Trade along these routes may not have been as profitable, often time barely scraping together enough shins to make it over the next rise, but in terms of experiencing everything the Ninth World (at least the civilized parts) had to offer, they were invaluable. Clover saw everything, talked to everyone and made friends everywhere. Ultimately, however, the life of traveling merchant wasn't for her. As she grew, the itch to carve her own path flourished within her. Not content to tread the same roads as the year before, bartering for other people's treasures and telling other people's stories. Instead, she has set out on a life of adventure and discovery... with the occasional side gig in order to make ends meet. A girl's gotta eat, right? Have you played Numenera and/or Cypher before? Never heard of it. No. I read through the original book when one of my friends got it c. 2013, but it felt lacking. They seem to have added a lot with the revision, not the least of which is three additional types, which I'm interested in exploring. Have you played this particular adventure? Nope. Can you provide some links to other posts you've made? I can, but it's late. So I'll get to that later. Shaw channels his inner Lon Cheney (Award winning Post of the Month!) Del apologizes to an elf Dances with Minotaurs

[delpinator]

I'm a swift glaive who exists partially out of phase
name: Jonathan swift
background Jonathan was twelve when it first occurred. Going to open a door and his hand went straight through. He later went on to train these skills working as a bodyguard for a wealthy merchant though was accused of theft and thrown to the streets to try and make it. Wip

[Retry]

I've been notified I had the guide private
The page has been fixed and should be viewable now.

[ElderOblex]

This is super cool!!! Wish I had the time and mental fortitude to learn this.

[Strangemund]

Listen, ya'll, Cypher is a super easy system to pick up. I'll tell you right now that after character creation is done, the mechanics rely on a single d20 and you trying to convince our lovely Storyteller that you have the skills to pay the bills. It's very much a collaborative story-telling system, where everyone works together to improve their chances at achieving really cool stuff!

Also. Just gonna say it. Retry is fantastic. He's a lovely writer, a cool bear, and I have been lucky enough to get to know him the last couple years. You definitely wanna game with him at least once during your RPGX experience!

[Effete]

Application Jolm Ornax is a Mechanical Delve who Fuses Mind & Machine The tower on the distant mountain had always fascinated Jolm from a young age. Many of the elders in the village feared it, remembering a time long ago when it unfolded and thousands of small devices came screaming out, whizzing through the sky in all directions. Since before Jolm was born, it had been taboo to approach the tower, and that only piqued the boy's interest more. After three days of rugged travel and precarious climbing, Jolm found himself at the base of the tower. Its gleaming metallic walls were even more impressive up close than from the vantage of the village. Small circular ports vented a warm air and offered a way inside the structure. With only a moment's hesitation, Jolm climbed into one of the ports and shimmied along it's smooth, warm surface. The drop from the vent placed the opening at an impossible angle to reach again, forcing Jolm to find another way out. This concerned him, but the anxiety he felt was mostly from the thrill of what he saw. Esoteric devices glittered with scintillating lights around a cylindric opening that must have dropped miles into the earth. Narrow tunnels spiderwebbed throughout the entire complex, and Jolm followed these randomly for what seemed like hours. Presently, he arrived in a small chamber littered with debris. It looked like a storage closet, or perhaps a small repair shop. The devices appeared inactive, and curiosity got the better of the boy. He tinkered with several of them, even managing to open a few up. One of the devices, however, was not entirely inert, and when Jolm separated its shell, thin metallic fibres spring out, piercing his skin and winding their way throughout his body. Pain like he never felt before lanced his body, and he lost consciousness. Jolm awoke to find small mechanical parts fused to his body: tiny ports (not unlike those on the tower)bore into his flesh, and little lights pulsed with a dim glow. Devices in various states of disassemby were strewn throughout the room and a flash of memory intruded upon the boy's mind. He had worked meticulously, harvested parts and fastening them to his flesh, the silver threads linking each part to his nervous system. No! He didn't do that... it did it. He could feel it now; something else existed in his head. It whispered to him, speaking in a language he intuited more than understood. He... knew things, now. The purpose of this tower. The satellites high above in orbit. He could picture the lay of the land for miles around. And he felt a thirst for knowledge. More than mere curiosity, it was a machine-desire, to complete a purpose. He needed to explore the ruins of old Worlds and sate this burning ambition. Experience with the system/adventure: None, but I'm a fast learner. Example Posts: Bill opens up to Samuel. (Deadlands: Hell on Earth) Oniver, the silver-tongued snake, manipulates a young barmaid. (Forbidden Lands) Gan apologizes to his halfling companion (two posts). (The Shadow of Aufstrag)