TEXT: The Mystic World
  Dean Shomshak
  The Mystic World
  
  The Mystic World
  A Setting Book for Champions
  Author: Dean Shomshak
  Editing & Development:  Steven S. Long
  Layout & Graphic Design:  Andy 
  Mathews
  Cover Illustration:  Jonathan Davenport
  Interior Illustration:  Nate Barnes, 
  Warren Beckford, Jeﬀerson Cram, Robert 
  Cram,  Keith Curtis, Newt Ewell, Jeﬀ 
  Hebert, Jason Ingel, Nick Ingeneri, Eric 
  Radamaker, Barry Winston
  SPECIAL THANKS
  Special thanks to the Digital Hero playtesters, 
  who’ve worked their own particular form of 
  magic helping us keep our books as error-free 
  and useful as possible.
  Special thanks also to Allen Varney, whose 
  Mystic Masters sourcebook inspired much 
  of what you’ll ﬁnd herein, and who was kind 
  enough to oﬀer his input on Tyrannon, the Van-
  daleurs, and other aspects of the mystic side of 
  the Champions Universe.
  DEDICATION
  Dedicated to my players, who let me build a 
  Mystic World through the Seattle Sentinels and 
  Keystone Konjurors campaigns. Big thanks to 
  Kurt Dingler, Greg Ewing, James Ganong, Scott 
  Haley, Terje Locklingholm, Corey Ovendale, Jeﬀ 
  Skagen, and Wade Yamauchi. This book could 
  not exist without them (or at least it wouldn’t 
  be as good).
  Hero SystemTM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system.
  Hero System © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Champions © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Fantasy Hero © 2003 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  The Mystic World © 2004 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Star Hero, Justice Inc., Danger International, Dark Champions, Pulp Hero,  
  Western Hero © 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, 
  electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by 
  any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the 
  Publisher:  DOJ, Inc., 1 Haight Street, Suite A, San Francisco, California 94102.
  Printed in the U.S.A. First printing June 2004
  Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games.
  Stock Number:  DOJHERO212 • ISBN Number:  1-58366-032-1
  http://www.herogames.com
  The Mystic World
  
    TABLE OF CONTENTS
  INTRODUCTION ................................4
  CHAPTER ONE:   
  WORLDS UPON WORLDS
  THE FOUR WORLDS ..........................6
  THE SEPHIROTHIC TREE OF LIFE .......6
  Assiah ..........................................6
  Yetzirah .........................................7
  Briah ............................................8
  Atziluth .........................................9
  The Qliphothic World ......................9
  SPECIAL DIMENSIONS ...................10
  THE ASTRAL PLANE .......................11
  GENERAL NATURE .........................11
  DIVISIONS OF THE LOWER ASTRAL .13
  Sample Regions ..........................14
  ASTRAL INHABITANTS ...................15
  TRAVEL ON THE ASTRAL PLANE .....16
  ADVENTURE USE ...........................18
  FAERIE:  THE LAND OF LEGENDS ....19
  GEOGRAPHY .................................19
  Sample Regions ..........................20
  INHABITANTS ................................21
  SPECIAL CONDITIONS ....................22
  ADVENTURE USE ...........................24
  THE NETHERWORLD .......................25
  GEOGRAPHY .................................25
  Sample Regions ..........................25
  INHABITANTS ................................27
  SPECIAL CONDITIONS ....................27
  ADVENTURE USE ...........................29
  ELYSIUM .........................................30
  GEOGRAPHY .................................30
  Sample Regions ..........................31
  INHABITANTS ................................32
  SPECIAL CONDITIONS ....................33
  ADVENTURE USE ...........................34
  BABYLON: THE CITY OF MAN ..........35
  GEOGRAPHY .................................35
  Sample Locations ........................36
  INHABITANTS ................................37
  SPECIAL CONDITIONS ....................38
  ADVENTURE USE ...........................40
  MISCELLANEOUS DIMENSIONS ......41
  MALKUTH:  LOEZEN .......................41
  YESOD: YGGDRASIL, REALM  
  OF PLANT LIFE ............................42
  HOD:  THE CITY-STATES OF YONG ..42
  NETZACH:  THE MILLWORKS  
  OF BROMION ..............................43
  TIPHERETH: VEIL OF THE TEMPLE ...43
  TIPHERETH: DEATH’S DOMINION ....45
  PACHAD:  THE GARDEN OF  
  EARTHLY DELIGHTS .....................46
  CHESED: REALMS OF THE  
  FOUR ZOAS ................................46
   Ulro ..........................................47
   Beulah ......................................47
   Generation ................................47
   Golgonooza ...............................47
   QLIPHOTHIC: THE SHINING  
  DARKNESS .................................48
  CHAPTER TWO:   
  THE SHADOW WORLD
  MYSTIC PEOPLE .............................50
  MYSTICS AND SUPER-MYSTICS .....50
  FACTIONS .....................................51
  Occult Dynasties .........................51
  The Circle of the Scarlet Moon .....51
  The Trismegistus Council .............52
  Shamballah And Agharti ...............53
  Cults ...........................................53
  DEMON ......................................53
  The Dark Renaissance .................54
  IMPORTANT INDIVIDUALS ...............54
  Archimago ..................................54
  Dark Seraph ................................54
  The Iron Imam .............................54
  Nyssa Tarchaniotes ......................55
  Takofanes The Archlich ................55
  The Eternal Tulku .........................56
  Zarrindokht .................................56
  THE ARCHMAGE ............................57
  Leading Candidates .....................58
  OTHER MYSTICAL CREATURES .......59
  GODS ...........................................61
  The Ban ......................................61
  BEYOND EARTH .............................63
  MYSTIC PLACES .............................65
  MAGICAL POWER SITES .................65
  Natural Sites ...............................66
  Death Sites .................................66
  Calendar Sites .............................66
  History Of A Power Site:   
  The Roche Building ...................67
  LEY LINES .....................................68
  NEXUS POINTS ..............................68
  WEIRDNESS MAGNETS AND  
  DESTINED LANDS ........................69
   Washington, D. C And The  
  American Occult Republic ..........69
   The Valley Of The Nagas ............70
  CHAPTER THREE:   
  THE BOOK OF WISDOM
  HEROIC AND SUPERHEROIC MAGIC ..72
  THAUMATURGY ..............................73
  ATTACK SPELLS ............................73
  DEFENSE SPELLS ..........................79
  SENSORY, MOVEMENT, AND  
  MISCELLANEOUS ........................80
  ESPECIALLY POWERFUL SPELLS ....84
  MAGIC ITEMS AND ARTIFACTS .......87
  PERSONAL MAGIC ITEMS ..............87
  MAGIC ARTIFACTS .........................88
  Personal Artifacts ........................88
  CHARACTER CREATION ..................92
  SKILLS ..........................................92
  PERKS ..........................................92
  POWERS .......................................92
  POWER ADVANTAGES ....................96
  CHAPTER FOUR:   
  MYSTIC MASTER VILLAINS
  SKARN THE SHAPER ......................98
  Skarn the Shaper ......................101
  THE ROYAL FAMILY ......................103
  Arthon ......................................104
  Torvost .....................................107
  Brell .........................................109
  SOLDIERS OF THE CONGERIES .....111
  Hussar ......................................111
  THE CONGERIES ..........................112
  Region Generator ......................113
  Skarn’s Hunting Preserves .........113
  Skarn’s Palace ..........................114
  TYRANNON THE CONQUEROR ......115
  The Tree Throne ........................119
  Lesser Throne ...........................122
  Viceroy .....................................125
  Emissary ...................................127
  TYRANNON’S VARIED POWERS ....128
  MINIONS .....................................133
  Signifer .....................................134
  THULKOS ....................................135
  FIGHTING TYRANNON ..................137
  THE DRAGON AND THE NAGAS .....138
  The Dragon Bound ....................141
  The Dragon Incarnate ................143
  The Tiamat Brazier ....................146
  Ophite ......................................148
  The Nagas ................................149
  Glossary ......................................153
  Index ..........................................155
  
  4 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  C
  omic books have included magical and 
  mystical characters from their earliest days 
  as a medium. While all superheroes are 
  special in their own ways, mystic charac-
  ters have always seemed particularly unusual and 
  intriguing because of the aura of mystery which 
  surrounds the arcane arts... and those who practice 
  them. The Champions Universe reﬂects this tradi-
  tion with heroes like Witchcraft (from Champions) 
  and villains like Takofanes, the Crowns of Krim, 
  and Zorran the Artiﬁcer (all found in Conquerors, 
  Killers, And Crooks).
  But mystical characters do not exist without 
  a context. Super-sorcerers must learn their magic 
  somewhere; demons, gods, and spirits come from 
  realms of their own; ancient relics need someone to 
  make them. The Mystic World oﬀers that context for 
  Champions. It’s a guide to the realm of the mystic 
  and arcane in the Champions Universe and other 
  Champions campaigns. It provides resources for 
  players who want to make mystical characters, and 
  GMs who want to make the supernatural an impor-
  tant part of their game.
  Chapter One, Worlds Upon Worlds, describes the 
  dimensions beyond Earth. Mystics frequently inter-
  act with these supernatural realms:  they visit other 
  dimensions, or encounter beings who come from 
  them. This chapter explains the structure of the 
  Multiverse, and details the ﬁve dimensions most 
  closely associated with Earth.
  Chapter Two, The Shadow World, explores the mys-
  tical subculture on Earth. Mystics gather in factions 
  and occult conspiracies; this chapter describes the 
  most important groups and individuals, and how 
  they interact with each other. It also describes loca-
  tions of occult power that mystics exploit.
  Chapter Three, The Book Of Wisdom, covers magic 
  itself from a superheroic perspective. In addition 
  to a distinctive style of comic-book sorcery, this 
  chapter describes several potent magic items heroes 
  or villains might own or seek. It also has a few notes 
  about game elements frequently used to create 
  mystic characters or their powers.
  Chapter Four, Mystic Master Villains, describes 
  three of the greatest evils to confront mysti-
  cal heroes:  Tyrannon the Conqueror; Skarn the 
  Shaper; and the enigmatic Dragon. Each master 
  villain comes with an assortment of henchmen… 
  or hench-creatures.
  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
  Players and GMs can ﬁnd inspiration for char-
  acters, villains, settings, and stories in The Mystic 
  World. For GMs, this book provides a complete 
  mystical Multiverse for their campaign. Want to 
  bounce characters through a series of weird dimen-
  sions? This book supplies more than a dozen. Need 
  a cosmic villain to threaten the world? Take your 
  pick from three intriguing ones.
  The Mystic World isn’t just for GMs, though 
  — players want to know about the secret world 
  their mystical characters inhabit. A PC might come 
  from an occult dynasty like the Vandaleurs, or ﬁght 
  an arcane conspiracy like the Circle of the Scarlet 
  Moon. He could even come from one of the dimen-
  sions described here:  mythic races from Faerie, 
  tall-tale heroes from Babylon, and exiled rebels 
  against transdimensional tyrants are only a few 
  possibilities.
  The Mystic World ties these characters and fac-
  tions together through several ongoing conﬂicts. 
  The plots and counter-plots range from a conspira-
  torial battle over Washington, D.C. to a billion-year 
  struggle by malign elder gods trying to free them-
  selves. What looks like a simple robbery or murder 
  might actually be a move in a conﬂict centuries 
  old. Gamemasters can build their own adventures 
  around these ongoing conﬂicts; PCs may be moti-
  vated by their allegiance or opposition to one side 
  or another of a supernatural struggle. The deeds 
  and choices of the heroes may well decide the out-
  come of these conﬂicts.
  Gamemasters and players can also ﬁnd this 
  book useful simply as a resource for designing their 
  own characters. The Mystic World describes dozens 
  of spells, of various power levels, you can use for 
  your own characters. You may even want to rewrite 
  one of the sample villains as a hero instead:  just 
  change the character’s personality and you can use 
  his character sheet with only a few modiﬁcations 
  (assuming he ﬁts into the campaign’s parameters, of 
  course!).
  As always with HERO System sourcebooks, 
  The Mystic World is meant to inspire your creativ-
  ity, not replace it. Its dimensions, factions, mystical 
  places and secret struggles are frameworks to help 
  you design your own adventures. You can use them 
  as-is, or adapt them as you see ﬁt.
   THE GM’S VAULT
  Unlike most other set-
  ting-related books pub-
  lished by Hero Games, 
  The Mystic World does 
  not include a “GM’s 
  Vault” of information 
  that only the GM should 
  know, for two reasons. 
  First, given the nature 
  of the book’s contents, 
  separating the “secret” 
  information would make 
  the text much less enjoy-
  able to read. Second, 
  in most campaigns the 
  sort of mystic characters 
  whose players are likely 
  to read this book closely 
  either know the “secret” 
  information, or can ﬁnd 
  out about it with the right 
  spells, Skills, or Contacts; 
  therefore it makes sense 
  to keep it all together.
  As always, the GM can 
  forbid players to read 
  sections of the book 
  he doesn’t want them 
  to know about. In par-
  ticular, players should 
  not read Chapter Four, 
  which contains descrip-
  tions and character 
  sheets for many villains.
  ARCANE  
  ADVERSARIES
  The Mystic World refers 
  to many villainous super-
  mages, occult threats 
  from other dimensions, 
  and other mystically-
  powered enemies the 
  PCs may face. Three of 
  the most powerful are 
  described in Chapter 
  Four. You can ﬁnd many 
  others in Arcane Adver-
  saries, a companion 
  volume to The Mystic 
  World which contains 
  more  than 50 villains 
  with mystic abilities.
  INTRODUCTION
  Continued on page 6
  
  chapter one:
  chapter one:
  CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE MULTIVERSE
  WORLDS UPON WORLDS
  
  6 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  T
  he Champions Universe extends beyond 
  Earth’s space-time continuum into countless 
  other spaces, realms, and dimensions. As a 
  whole, these form the Multiverse — the total-
  ity of existence. Mystics interact a great deal with the 
  realms beyond Earth. Priests and cultists worship 
  gods who dwell on other planes of existence. Sorcer-
  ers summon demons and other minions from a vari-
  ety of spirit-realms. Heroic mystics battle invaders 
  from other dimensions, while evil mystics ally with 
  such invaders in hopes of gaining power.
  This chapter describes what Champions Uni-
  verse mystics know about their Multiverse... or 
  think they know. The bulk of the chapter describes 
  the “Imaginal Realms,” or spirit-realms tied to 
  Earth. Naturally, mystics interact most with these 
  local dimensions. The chapter concludes with brief 
  descriptions of several more exotic planes GMs can 
  develop as they choose.
  THE BASICS OF THE MULTIVERSE
  The Multiverse contains more dimensions 
  than anyone can count. Mystics try to make sense 
  of it all by classifying dimensions into some sort of 
  structure. The structures imposed by these schools 
  of thought often diﬀer based on culture, species, or 
  other factors.
  Western mystics use the language of Kabbal-
  ism to describe the general arrangement of the 
  Multiverse as they perceive it (many other human 
  occultists have adopted this scheme as well, but some 
  use other methods, or perceive the dimensional 
  structure diﬀerently). They divide reality into four 
  levels of being, which they call the Four Worlds. At 
  the bottom comes ASSIAH, the Material World. Next 
  comes YETZIRAH, the Formative or Astral World; 
  BRIAH, the Creative or Mental World; and ﬁnally 
  ATZILUTH, the Archetypal World. The myriad 
  dimensions ﬁt within these four layers.
  Assiah contains the universes that run by the 
  purely material principles of natural law. Earth’s 
  cosmos is a typical example. Inhabitants of Assi-
  atic planes may use magic, but their worlds don’t 
  run by magic.
  The planes of Yetzirah do run by magic. On 
  these dimensions, symbols and beliefs control 
  matter and energy. An ASTRAL PLANE links the 
  myriad dimensions of Assiah and Yetzirah. (That’s 
  why mystics call Yetzirah the “Astral World.”)
  The worlds of Briah are completely spiritual. 
  They embody concepts, states of mind, and abstract 
  aspects of Reality such as Time, Death, or Number. 
  They aren’t made of matter at all. Conceptual enti-
  ties — the truly cosmic beings — dwell on these 
  dimensions.
  Atziluth contains the ultimate aspects of 
  Reality, beyond time, space and even separation 
  into distinct entities. Only the most powerful and 
  enlightened mystics can even perceive Atziluthic 
  planes in visions, let along travel there physically.
  THE SEPHIROTHIC  
  TREE OF LIFE
  Mystics superimpose a more detailed scheme 
  called the Tree of Life over the general plan of the 
  Four Worlds. The Tree of Life consists of the ten 
  “Sephiroth” (emanations from God) cascading 
  down from Kether (“the Crown”) through various 
  concepts to Malkuth (“the Kingdom”). Western 
  occultists use the Sephiroth to subdivide the planes 
  into various groupings of “related” dimensions. 
  Mystics endlessly argue details about which planes 
  belong in which sephiroth, but they agree on the 
  general classiﬁcation scheme. The layers of Atziluth, 
  Briah, and Yetzirah each contain three of the sephi-
  roth; Assiah receives just one.
  Assiah
  The bottom of the Tree of Life holds MAL-
  KUTH, the Kingdom or material world. Earth’s 
  universe is a Malkuth dimension, but this sephira con-
  tains many other worlds as well. If a world resembles 
  Earth in important ways, mystics describe it as a Mal-
  kuth-world. Assiah also includes dimensions whose 
  systems of natural law make them very unlike Earth 
  and its cosmos. Every Malkuth-world is in Assiah, but 
  not every Assiatic realm is in Malkuth. Careless mys-
  tics sometimes mix up these divisions, though.
  Some mystics also confuse the Hebrew Assiah 
  with the Greek Asia (from Askia, “Place With-
  out Shadows,” originally a reference to southern 
  Turkey). Mystics’ narratives of “travels in Asia” may 
  have caused those old stories about India and Cen-
  tral Asia being inhabited by cyclopses, dog-headed 
  men, and other strange creatures.
  Because Assiatic realms don’t run by magic, or 
  usually feature common or widespread use of magic, 
  they’re rarely the home of dimension lords like Tyran-
  non the Conqueror or Skarn the Shaper. The closest 
  equivalent is Istvatha V’han, Empress of a Billion 
  Dimensions, who can travel through the dimensions 
  by non-mystical means, and whose territory is mostly 
  Assiatic. However, some Assiatic planes possess great 
  power or potential for power, making them desireable 
  acquisitions for dimension lords; Earth’s plane seems 
  particularly valuable to many such beings.
  THE FOUR 
  WORLDS
  Continued from page 4
  OTHER BOOKS
  Besides Arcane Adver-
  saries, several other 
  Hero Games books 
  provide details about the 
  Mystic World, or oﬀer 
  resources for GMs and 
  players with mystical 
  characters. Champions 
  Universe and Conquer-
  ors, Killers, And Crooks 
  mention or describe sev-
  eral mystic characters 
  and organizations. This 
  book does not repeat the 
  information from those 
  other publications in 
  detail, but neither work 
  is necessary to read and 
  use The Mystic World. 
  Similarly, in many ways 
  The Ultimate Mystic is a 
  companion book to this 
  publication, but you do 
  not need it, either. The 
  Mystic World and The 
  Ultimate Mystic look at 
  supernatural adventure 
  and magical characters 
  from quite diﬀerent per-
  spectives — the former 
  covers only superheroic 
  mysticism, while the 
  latter examines arcane 
  powers and characters 
  in any genre.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  7 
  Yetzirah
  The Yetziratic World holds most of the dimen-
  sions mystics visit. First come the Imaginal Realms 
  (or Inner Planes) that accompany the Earth. 
  Beyond them lie the Outer Planes, whose variety 
  has no end.
  The Astral Plane contains several sections of 
  its own. Most importantly, mystics divide it into a 
  Lower, Middle, and Upper Astral Plane. The Lower 
  Astral Plane connects the Imaginal Realms to Earth 
  and each other. The Lower Astral also contains the 
  Dreamzone, a psychic realm composed of all the 
  dreams being dreamed at any given moment.
  YESOD:  THE IMAGINAL REALMS
  YESOD, the Foundation, is the ﬁrst divi-
  sion of Yetzirah. Yesod holds the Astral Plane and 
  Earth’s psychic “Imaginal Realms,” so called because 
  human imagination creates them from the Astral 
  Plane. Mystics also call these realms the Parterres 
  (the “Lands To The Side”). The chief Imaginal 
  Realms are Faerie, also called the Land of Legends; 
  Babylon, the City of Man; the Netherworld; and 
  Elysium. Some mystics refer to the Parterres and 
  the Astral Plane as the “Inner Planes” because they 
  are easily reached from Earth.
  Faerie embodies the myths and legends of the 
  ancient world — and some modern myths, too. 
  Elves, nature spirits, mythological beasts, and pagan 
  gods dwell in this Land of Legends. Such creatures 
  tend to act amorally, following codes that pay little 
  attention to good or evil. See page 19.
  Babylon, on the other hand, embodies the 
  social settings humanity builds for itself. For better 
  or worse, it is the epitome of cities. See page 35.
  The Netherworld contains all the Hells ever 
  imagined. It’s dismayingly easy to enter... but much 
  harder to leave. See page 25.
  The syncretic Heaven of Elysium, in contrast, 
  is the most diﬃcult Parterre to reach. This dimen-
  sion of self-proclaimed pure Good can be as dan-
  gerous to visit as the Netherworld, for many lords 
  of Elysium do not tolerate mortal imperfection. See 
  page 30.
  Humanity is not the only species to shape the 
  Astral Plane. Animal life on Earth creates its own 
  Parterre called the Blood Tide. Even plants get into 
  the act, creating the astral realm of Yggdrasil (page 
  42). Humans ﬁnd these dimensions extremely alien, 
  dangerous, and hard to enter, even though they 
  count as Inner Planes.
  HOD AND NETZACH:  THE OUTER PLANES
  From Yesod, the Tree of Life ascends to the 
  sephiroth HOD (Glory/Splendor/Fame) and NET-
  ZACH (Conquest/Victory/Permanence). These 
  divisions of Yetzirah contain magical worlds with 
  no connection to Earth or humanity. To reach 
  them, mystics must pass through the Middle Astral 
  Plane. Because of their greater “distance” from 
  Earth, astrally speaking, mystics call these dimen-
  sions the Outer Planes.
  Mystics generally assign to Hod planes that 
  run by magic but still run by themselves. In Hod-
  The Sephirothic Tree Of Life
  
  8 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  realms, magic acts like a system of natural law, 
  with rational, quasi-scientiﬁc rules that anyone 
  can follow. Each Netzach plane, on the other hand, 
  holds a controlling intelligence who may unite with 
  the whole substance of his dimension. There is no 
  natural law, only the ruling entity’s will. Thus, Net-
  zach planes are also called “Dominions.”
  The inhabitants of the Outer Planes use magic 
  in their daily life and may possess innate super-
  natural powers. Outer Planes are often ruled by a 
  “dimension lord,” a spirit or sorcerer who wields 
  absolute power over the realm’s inhabitants. The 
  dimension lords called Skarn the Shaper and 
  Tyrannon the Conqueror both want to add the 
  Earth to their realms. Tyrannon seems far more 
  tightly bound to his home dimension than Skarn is, 
  but both are powerful, dangerous, and insane.
  Many Outer Planes owe allegiance to the 
  cosmic abstractions of Order, Chaos, Artiﬁce, and 
  Nature. The dimension lords of such planes are 
  called “Lords of Order,” “Lords of Nature,” and so on.
  DEMI-PLANES
  The Yetziratic World contains countless tiny 
  demi-planes with simple structures and contents. 
  For instance, the Trefoil Plane consists of nothing 
  but golden trefoil shapes ﬂoating in a cubic mile of 
  otherwise empty air.
  Mystics don’t agree where to ﬁle the demi-
  planes. Some say they belong in Yesod by default. 
  Others suggest Hod, because the demi-planes seem 
  fully supernatural but lack any spiritual aspect or a 
  ruling intelligence. Still other mystics just list them 
  under “Miscellaneous Yetzirah,” and leave it at that.
  SMALLER GROUPINGS
  Just as Earth and the Parterres form a cluster 
  of linked dimensions, various Outer Planes may 
  have special connections to each other. The larg-
  est such cluster consists of the many worlds ruled 
  by Tyrannon the Conqueror. This mighty entity 
  conquers dimensions faster than he can merge 
  them into his native plane. Until then, he links his 
  demesnes through interdimensional portals.
  Other dimensional clusters occur naturally. 
  Earth’s mystics know of a federation of dimensions 
  called the Storlian Realms, whose senators travel 
  to parliamentary meetings using a spell called the 
  Vapors Of Vata, now famous throughout the Mul-
  tiverse. Earth is not the only Malkuth-world to bud 
  oﬀ a set of astral realms for its gods and spirits, 
  too. Champions GMs can deﬁne such dimensional 
  groupings as they please.
  Briah
  Anyone can reach the planes of Assiah or 
  Yetzirah by magic — he merely needs to know how 
  to ﬁnd his destination. The planes of Briah are dif-
  ferent. Before someone enters Briah, he must pass 
  through a realm called the Veil of the Temple, the 
  “highest” division of the Astral Plane (see page 43). 
  Passing the Veil takes wisdom, and no mortal is 
  exempt, no matter how great his power. Those who 
  fail the test are hurled back to the realms of matter, 
  or succumb to dangerous monomanias. Those who 
  succeed pass to the realms of the gods — the Upper 
  Planes.
  No corporeal being perceives the Brialic 
  planes as they really are. Human visitors perceive 
  these realms as material, because human senses and 
  minds cannot perceive pure Spirit. Brialic realms 
  also sometimes carry emotional auras.
  The three sephiroth in Briah are TIPHERETH 
  (Beauty), PACHAD (Strength/Justice) and CHESED 
  (Greatness). The Veil goes in Tiphereth, the lowest 
  sephira. The Prime Avatars of Order, Chaos, Art, 
  and Nature, the highest of the Brialic powers, keep 
  their realms in Chesed. Other notable Upper Planes 
  include the Garden of Earthly Delights, where all 
  physical desires ﬁnd satisfaction; the Plane of Num-
  bers, a realm of mathematical concepts; the City of 
  Pyramids, a place of perfect knowledge and intellec-
  tual despair; and Death’s Dominion. Some of these 
  planes can entrap visitors.
  Even the mightiest deity or dimension lord 
  remains a ﬁnite creature, but in Briah mystics 
  encounter entities that personify universal con-
  cepts. Mystics call these conceptual entities the 
  Archetypes or Avatars. Some of the more famous 
  of these beings include Death; the Trickster; the 
  Triple Goddess; and Kryptos, the Lord of Secrets. 
  The mightiest of these entities are the Four Zoas, 
  or Prime Avatars. Urizen, the Archetype of Order, 
  rules the starry wheels and labyrinths of Ulro. 
  Urthona, Prime Avatar of Artiﬁce, dwells in the 
  cosmic city of Golgonooza. Tharmas, master of all 
  Nature, commands a realm simply called Genera-
  tion:  things have no names in nature, so neither 
  does his dimension. Luvah the Anarch, the Zoa of 
  Chaos and passion, occupies an ambiguous Eden 
  called Beulah.
  Although dwellers in the material worlds have 
  great diﬃculty reaching Briah, the Brialic powers 
  can send emissaries into the lower worlds. Sorcer-
  ers may summon such emissaries, though they run 
  the risk of angering the spirits’ masters. The Avatars 
  themselves may send anthropomorphic personiﬁ-
  cations of themselves, of great but ﬁnite power, or 
  they may possess the gods known to mortals. For 
  instance, the Native American god Coyote is usu-
  ally a minor deity in Faerie — but when the Trick-
  ster possesses him, he gains nigh-inﬁnite powers of 
  transformation, deception, and illusion. Only the 
  most powerful sorcerers try to summon or control 
  the Avatars, and few of them succeed.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  9 
  Atziluth
  Beyond the realms of the Four Zoas lies the 
  Abyss, the edge of space, time, and division into 
  discrete entities. The Abyss is an even more diﬃcult 
  barrier than the Veil of the Temple. Anyone who tries 
  and fails to cross the Abyss is annihilated, body and 
  soul, or warps into something monstrous beyond 
  recognition. Those who succeed pass into Atziluth.
  Atziluth contains three sephiroth, each consid-
  ered a single plane by mystics. They call BINAH (or 
  Understanding) the Dark Sea of Being. It is an inﬁ-
  nite reservoir of power for creation or destruction. 
  CHOKMAH (or Wisdom) is called the Bright Sea 
  of Forms. It contains every possible archetype of 
  objects, actions, ideas, structures, or any other cat-
  egory you could name. Mystic tomes say the light 
  of Chokmah shines on the dark waves of Binah 
  — form combines with substance — and the spar-
  kling reﬂections oﬀ the waves forms the Multiverse.
  Even the distinction between form and sub-
  stance breaks down in KETHER, the Crown, the 
  most inaccessible of the planes. Kether, also called 
  the Primum Mobile, the Mundane Shell, or the 
  Aleph, is the ultimate realm of indivisible being. 
  In Kether, everything becomes One. Someone who 
  reaches Kether will see everything, in fact be every-
  thing, the whole multiversal expanse of time, space, 
  and dimension.
  Reaching Kether isn’t a feat for a mystic, 
  because anyone who could reach Kether wouldn’t 
  be a mystic anymore. He’d be God — Supreme 
  Being of the Multiverse. What’s more, to those on 
  the lower levels of reality he has 
  always been God, because Kether 
  stands outside Time. (Everyone 
  else who ever has or ever will 
  reach Kether is God too — but 
  don’t think about this too hard, 
  you’ll hurt your brain.)
  The Atziluthic World also 
  includes a fourth element, the 
  “lost sephira” called DA’ATH:  the 
  link between Wisdom and Under-
  standing, balanced in the Abyss 
  between timeless Atziluth and the 
  realms below. Archimedes said, 
  “Give me a lever long enough, and 
  a place to stand, and I will move 
  the Earth.” Da’ath is that place. 
  From Da’ath, a mystic can call 
  on the limitless power of Binah, 
  shape it with the archetypes of 
  Chokmah, and cast his creation 
  into the realms of Time. Only the 
  mystic’s intelligence, patience, and 
  skill limits what he can create, 
  from a ﬂower to a galaxy. What’s 
  more, since Da’ath exists outside 
  time, the mystic can insert his 
  new creation at any point in his-
  tory — past, present, or future. 
  Da’ath’s nature renders it, rather 
  understandably, one of the great-
  est secrets in sorcerous lore.
  The Qliphothic World
  Some sorcerers add a ﬁfth level to the kab-
  balistic scheme, the QLIPHOTHIC realm — either 
  resting below Assiah, or as a sort of dark “back side” 
  to the Tree of Life. The Qliphothic World contains 
  ancient dimensions whose energies decayed into 
  forms inimical to all normal sorts of life and exis-
  tence. No mystic has ever explored more than a few 
  dimensions in the Tree of Death. Seeking knowl-
  edge of the Qliphothic Realm is morally and physi-
  cally dangerous:  the mystics who study the Tree 
  of Death tend to die messily, or they develop a sick 
  fascination with destruction and oblivion.
  Just as the Atziluthic world holds the fountain-
  head of all existence, the Qliphothic world holds 
  the drain down which all existence eventually runs. 
  At the absolute limit of negative existence lurks 
  the Solipsist or the Decreator — the Anti-God. 
  The Decreator itself is unknowable:  Just as anyone 
  who reached Kether would become one with the 
  Creator and Creation alike, anyone who reached 
  the Solipsist would join its total Unbeing and suﬀer 
  annihilation.
  The closest any being can come to the Solip-
  sist is the entity called Quemetiel, the “Crowd of 
  Gods.” Quemetiel is a churning, chaotic fusion of 
  long-defunct cosmic entities. It mindlessly sucks in 
  anything that comes near, like a supernatural black 
  hole. Anything eaten by Quemetiel is gone forever.
  AN ANCIENT  
  WARNING
  Step not down, there-
  fore, to the darkly-shin-
  ing world:  beneath is 
  spread the Deep, forever 
  formless, lightless, 
  foul, joying in illusion, 
  irrational, precipitous 
  and sinuous, ceaselessly 
  whirling around its own 
  maimed depth, eternally 
  wed to a shape inert, not 
  breathing, and void.
  —The Chaldean Oracles
  
  10 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  SPECIAL DIMENSIONS
  The Tree of Life isn’t a perfect or total model of 
  the Multiverse (in fact, perfectly or totally modeling 
  the Multiverse is probably impossible, even for the 
  likes of Tyrannon and Istvatha V’han). The GM can 
  treat any location that’s not accessible by normal 
  travel through space as another dimension; and 
  characters can reach such locations using Extra-
  Dimensional Movement. Some of these “dimen-
  sions” are well known to mystics, but are too small 
  or localized to count as complete planes of reality. 
  The Superheroic Age also exposes mystics to realms 
  and aspects of reality they never imagined, such as 
  microverses, parallel worlds, and cyberspace.
  POCKET WORLDS
  Pocket worlds form a notable exception to 
  the Tree of Life model. A “pocket world” is a space 
  entirely tucked within some object — for instance, 
  a painting you can step into and it becomes real. 
  A djinn bottle is another example:  the interior of 
  the bottle is a “dimension” whose deﬁning property 
  is that once once you enter, you cannot leave until 
  someone uncorks the bottle.
  Mystics cannot normally reach pocket worlds 
  by Extra-Dimensional Movement through the 
  Astral Plane. Instead, they must ﬁnd the object 
  that contains the pocket world. Extra-Dimensional 
  Movement works at that point. Often, the object 
  itself carries the magic to bring people to the 
  pocket world (in game terms, an Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement power is built into the object 
  itself, so that anyone, not just mystics, can access 
  the pocket world).
  MINDS AS DIMENSIONS
  A person’s mind and memories form an entire 
  world of their own. Mystics may enter another per-
  son’s mind, perhaps corporeally, to explore memo-
  ries or hidden thoughts. Normal astral travel can 
  take a mystic into a person’s dreams, but not into 
  other areas of the mind:  mindscapes count as their 
  own class of dimension, distinct from astral realms.
  MICROVERSES
  Superbeings with shrinking powers sometimes 
  report worlds that exist on the scale of bacteria, 
  atoms, or subatomic particles. Mystics believe such 
  characters ﬁnd natural portals to other dimensions. 
  Reported “microverses” seem to follow strange 
  but consistent natural laws, so most mystics think 
  they must be Assiatic realms. Some microversal 
  explorers, however, tell stories of talking bacteria, 
  a Quantum Casino where God plays dice with the 
  universe, and other oddities. Mystics speculate 
  that these super-shrinkers may ﬁnd their way into 
  strange Yetziratic or even Brialic realms.
  Some mystics also believe that macroverses 
  may exist — zones of reality only perceived and 
  entered by creatures the size of planets, solar sys-
  tems, or galaxies. A few mystics actively research 
  hyper-Growth spells in hopes of discovering mac-
  roverses before the likes of Skarn or Tyrannon ﬁnd 
  and exploit them.
  ALTERNATE HISTORIES
  Mystics have long experience with magic 
  that sems to change history, such as a demon who 
  grants a pacter’s wish to occupy high oﬃce, or 
  spells to pull the It’s A Wonderful Life trick of show-
  ing how the world would change if a person never 
  lived. You can represent such magic as a form of 
  Extra-Dimensional Movement into an alternate 
  history. Until the Superheroic Age, however, mystics 
  never imagined that such “Alternate Earths” could 
  maintain a permanent existence, as “real”as the 
  mystic’s own world.
  Mystics still don’t know what to make of par-
  allel worlds. Does every dimension have alternate 
  histories? Is there an inﬁnite number of alternate 
  Skarns and Tyrannons? The mystic masters of the 
  Outer Planes don’t seem to have heard of parallel 
  worlds; so far, travel between alternate Earths is 
  mostly limited to time machines and rare, innate 
  superpowers (such as those of Istvatha V’han).
  Spells for time travel or changing history call 
  power from Brialic dimensions such as the Stream 
  of Eternity, or cosmic entities like Los the Smith, an 
  aspect of Urthona. Because of this, some mystical 
  theorists speculate that parallel worlds exist in a 
  hitherto-unknown Brialic plane where all possibili-
  ties become real. Other mystics caution, however, 
  that the Tree of Life model may be incomplete:  per-
  haps mystics ﬂat-out cannot access certain aspects 
  of the Multiverse. Only the GM knows for sure.
  CYBERSPACE
  Cyberspace falls completely outside mystics’ 
  experience. The virtual worlds within computer 
  networks count as a sort of dimension, but no 
  mystic in the Champions Universe has invented a 
  spell to access them. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t 
  happen — only that no one has done it yet.
  Some mystics believe, however, that humanity’s 
  machines generate an astral realm of their own. 
  This hypothetical realm of “machine conscious-
  ness” would not be cyberspace, exactly, but it might 
  enable a mystic to enter such virtual realms. The 
  Brialic Plane of Numbers might also provide a key 
  to entering cyberspace by magic.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  11 
  O
  f all dimensions, the Astral Plane has the 
  closest connection to Earth. Every point 
  on Earth touches part of the Astral Plane. 
  Human souls touch the Astral Plane as 
  well, and may travel to that dimension in dreams, 
  or sojourn there after death. Mystics consider 
  the ability to see the Astral Plane one of the most 
  important occult arts. Advanced mages may even 
  learn to leave their bodies and travel through the 
  Astral Plane as “living ghosts.” The Astral Plane 
  provides access to all the other Inner Planes, too. 
  Mystics who visit the Astral Plane soon learn, how-
  ever, that it can be an interesting — and dangerous 
  — place in its own right.
  GENERAL NATURE
  The Astral Plane doesn’t have geography. It 
  has various divisions, each with its own distinctive 
  nature and appearance, but they’re not arranged 
  according to north or south, up or down, or other 
  normal conceptions of space. “Here” may connect 
  to “there” because they look like each other, or 
  because they have a similar emotional aura.
  The ability to reach one section of the Astral 
  Plane by Extra-Dimensional Movement does not 
  automatically grant a character the ability to reach 
  the other divisions:  in some ways, the Astral Plane 
  actually consists of several loosely-connected 
  dimensions. Each section contains access routes to 
  other divisions, though.
  Mystics divide the Astral Plane into the Lower, 
  Middle, and Upper Astral.
  The Lower Astral Plane
  The Lower Astral Plane impinges directly on 
  Earth and its dimension (or any other Malkuth 
  realm). It includes various divisions of its own, 
  such as the realm of dreams. Dimensions in other 
  “levels” of the Multiverse have their own Lower 
  Astral zones, but these tend to be rudimentary:  
  Outer Planes realms conserve their innate magic, 
  instead of spilling it out to form astral shadow-
  realms. Only the fully material worlds of Malkuth 
  seem to generate complex Lower Astral Planes. 
  When mystics speak of the “Lower Astral” without 
  other qualiﬁers, however, they mean the Lower 
  Astral Plane of Earth.
  The Lower Astral Plane has several “divisions,” 
  discussed below.
  The Middle Astral Plane
  The Middle Astral Plane (a.k.a. Limbo) 
  enables mystics to move between all the worlds 
  within Assiah and Yetzirah. An astral voyager 
  moves from Earth’s Lower Astral, to the Middle 
  Astral, to the Lower Astral of the other plane, and 
  from there perhaps to the dimension itself.
  The Middle Astral Plane connects the Outer 
  Planes. Travel through the Middle Astral looks like 
  ﬂying though a kaleidoscope. Glittering, rainbow-
  hued circles, ellipses, and other shapes swirl in 
  an endless, multi-dimensional vortex. Countless 
  smaller gyres spin within Limbo; a traveler who 
  enters one of these vortices ﬁnds it explodes out-
  ward, revealing another level of whirling motion 
  with its own smaller gyres.
  From close up, each colorful ﬂeck within the 
  Middle Astral provides a view into another dimen-
  sion. An astral traveler seeks the proper gyre for 
  his target plane, then selects a portal for a speciﬁc 
  region. The portals to a plane share a similar shape 
  and color. Finding the right portal in the ever-
  changing swirl is entirely a matter of intuition and 
  force of will, like any astral journey. A portal grows 
  large enough to accommodate any creature who 
  wants to pass through it. Astral voyagers constantly 
  see strange denizens of other planes pop out of dis-
  tant portals or dive into them again.
  Most mystics don’t spend much time in Limbo. 
  Whenever a mystic uses Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment to go to or from an Outer Plane, however, he 
  glimpses the fractal swirl of the Middle Astral.
  The Upper Astral Plane
  The Upper Astral Plane grants access to the 
  higher, spiritual dimensions of Briah, but mortals 
  do not easily make the passage to the Upper Planes.
  THE ASTRAL 
  PLANE
  VISITING AND PERCEIVING 
  THE ASTRAL PLANE
  If a character wants to travel to any part of the Astral 
  Plane, he needs to buy Extra-Dimensional Movement 
  to “a related group of dimensions”; travel to a single 
  dimension has to be deﬁned as taking him to either the 
  Lower, Middle, or Upper Astral. From there they may 
  be able to go elsewhere, as described in the text.
  On the other hand, if a character just wants to per-
  ceive the Astral Plane, it counts as a “single dimen-
  sion” for purposes of the Dimensional Sense Modi-
  ﬁer and the like.
  See page 96 for suggested rules for using Transdimen-
  sional attacks against or within the Astral Plane.
  
  12 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Ectoplasm
  None of the Astral Planes are made of normal 
  matter. Instead, they and their denizens are made 
  of ectoplasm — a substance that bridges the gap 
  between ideas and matter. On the Lower Astral, 
  thought can create objects all by itself. That’s how 
  ghostly pirates get ghostly ships to sail, for example. 
  Buildings, objects, or places that become the focus 
  of great thought and emotion for a long time can 
  endure on the Lower Astral long after their mate-
  rial form was destroyed. For example, on the Lower 
  Astral Plane Stonehenge and the Parthenon stand 
  undamaged. In fact, thoughts can create quasi-
  living beings on the Lower Astral Plane. Such spir-
  its form a signiﬁcant fraction of the Lower Astral’s 
  population.
  CONNECTIONS TO OTHER PLANES
  The Lower Astral Plane connects to several 
  other dimensions that grew out of it. A character 
  can reach the many districts of Faerie, the Nether-
  world, Elysium, or Babylon from the Astral Plane 
  by normal astral movement, without using any sort 
  of additional Extra-Dimensional Movement power. 
  Once characters enter these realms, however, they 
  can leave only through some sort of EDM or by 
  pre-existing nexus points.
  Human life and thought created the Lower 
  Astral zones known to most sorcerers, but mystics 
  know that animal and plant “consciousness” bring 
  their own astral planes into existence. Currently, the 
  most popular names for these dimensions are the 
  Blood Tide and Yggdrasil. Only masters of astral 
  travel can locate and enter these strange, inhuman 
  dimensions.
  If a mage travels in the right direction through 
  the Lower Astral — “into the Fourth Dimension,” 
  as mystics sometimes say — he leaves Earth for the 
  colorful, swirling chaos of the Middle Astral. From 
  here a mystic can reach countless other dimensions. 
  Again, this doesn’t require any sort of additional 
  Extra-Dimensional Movement power. It’s just a 
  matter of knowing which route to take — in game 
  terms, of using the Navigation (Dimensional) Skill. 
  (Characters who buy EDM powers to take them to 
  other dimensions don’t need this Skill; buying such 
  a power confers proper knowledge of how to use 
  it.) If anything dwells permanently on the Middle 
  Astral, it remains unreported so far. Some mystics 
  call this dimension Limbo, or the Void, because 
  nothing exists there except a way to someplace else.
  Beyond the Middle Astral lies the Upper Astral 
  Plane, also called the Veil of the Temple. Because of 
  the Upper Astral Plane’s importance and unusual 
  properties, it receives a separate description (see 
  page 43).
  PERCEIVING EARTH
  A person traveling in the Lower Astral sees the 
  point on Earth (or whatever other world he’s on) 
  corresponding to his location in the Lower Astral. 
  However, colors are washed out and everything has 
  a silvery cast, as if it shone with a faint greyish light. 
  This “astral glow” does not provide any real light; it’s 
  just an odd eﬀect of normal light as seen from the 
  Astral Plane. If there isn’t enough light to see at that 
  point on Earth, a character in the Lower Astral can’t 
  see anything, either. An astral traveler in a pitch-
  black cave would be just as blind as a normal person.
  The Lower Astral mutes all other sensations, 
  too. Sounds made in the material world come 
  thinly, as if from a distance. Astral entities suﬀer 
  a -2 penalty to PER Rolls for hearing sound from 
  the material world. Taste and smell don’t exist 
  on the Lower Astral. The astral counterparts of 
  Earthly objects can be felt only faintly (and cannot 
  be picked up, thrown, or manipulated unless the 
  character has a Transdimensional power enabling 
  him to do so). Texture and temperature hardly exist 
  at all. Even pain from attacks diminishes, though 
  damage stays just the same.
  Astral Awareness
  As discussed on page 92, characters can apply 
  a Dimensional Sense Modiﬁer to various Senses or 
  Sense Groups (primarily Sight) to see into other 
  dimensions. For the most part, this Sense Modi-
  ﬁer has only one one application on Earth:  to see 
  and hear the Astral Plane (primarily the Lower 
  Astral). Mystics sometimes call this “second sight.” 
  The most precise term, however, is Astral Aware-
  ness. Most people cannot see or hear astral travelers 
  and spirits, because these entities exist in another 
  reality. People with Astral Awareness, however, see 
  and hear astral entities that are in the Lower Astral 
  location corresponding to that person’s location on 
  Earth (or whatever other world he’s on). Spiritual 
  entities look transparent and almost colorless, like 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  13 
  a stereotypical ghost, and speak with a thin, hollow 
  voice. People with Astral Awareness also see “ghost” 
  buildings that no longer exist in the material world, 
  and other such “objects.”
  The other Inner Planes impinge on Earth 
  in a few places. A person with the appropriate 
  Dimensional Sense Modiﬁer could see through 
  these nexus points to the various Inner Planes, 
  but few mystics bother to develop such talents. 
  Nexus points leak onto the Lower Astral as well, so 
  a person with Astral Awareness can spot a nexus 
  anyway, and probably guess where it leads:  Neth-
  erworld portals reek of evil and dread, while Faerie 
  portals carry an aura of mystery and allure. Nexi to 
  Babylon feel exciting, while portals to Elysium radi-
  ate peace and holiness.
  DIVISIONS OF  
  THE LOWER ASTRAL
  Travel between the various divisions of the 
  Lower Astral sometimes may be diﬃcult, but it 
  requires no special powers once a character gets to 
  the Lower Astral. In other words, in the Champions 
  Universe setting, Extra-Dimensional Movement to 
  the Lower Astral provides a character with access 
  to various other dimensions “for free,” due to the 
  fact that the Lower Astral “links” to so many other 
  planes. These include:  the “astral realms” described 
  below; and the Quaternion Planes (Faerie, the 
  Netherworld, Elysium, and Babylon).
  Reaching the appropriate nexus point or “link” 
  in the Lower Astral to a plane the character wants 
  to visit may entail some travel within the Lower 
  Astral itself. This may be dangerous — the fact that 
  characters can use these nexi without paying Char-
  acter Points for the privilege doesn’t mean they’re 
  exempt from what goes on in the Lower Astral as 
  they travel it. That’s why some mystics (and other 
  characters) buy better forms of Extra-Dimensional 
  Movement that allow them to travel to such planes 
  directly, bypassing the Lower Astral in game terms. 
  (In setting terms, they still pass through the Lower 
  Astral; they’re just guaranteed to do so safely.) See 
  Travel On The Astral Plane, page 16, for general 
  rules about this “free” astral travel.
  This list is not meant to be exclusive. The GM 
  can add other astral territories as desired.
  ASTRAL EARTH
  An astral traveler can merely skim the edge, 
  as it were, of the Astral Plane. He exists astrally, but 
  can still see and hear the material world, and move 
  through material objects like a ghost. (In game 
  terms, this means buying an Astral Form power 
  such as the one on page 80, which has Desolidiﬁca-
  tion and other powers.)
  Places that no one thinks about “thin out” or 
  compress in the Astral Plane. The Lower Astral 
  oceans, for instance, fade into grey limbo a few 
  miles from shore, because nobody pays much atten-
  tion to any particular part of, say, the mid-Atlantic. 
  Antarctica hardly exists at all on the Astral Plane. 
  The same fading occurs if a traveler moves up into 
  the sky of Astral Earth, or down below the surface. 
  An unwary traveler might stray in the trackless 
  silver glow, and end up in another division of the 
  Lower Astral.
  Mystics call this zone of interface “Astral 
  Earth.” Astral projectors begin on Astral Earth. 
  From there, they can travel to other divisions of the 
  Astral Plane — all the way to Briah, if they possess 
  enough skill and courage.
  IMAGINARY PLACES
  The Lower Astral includes locations with no 
  physical counterpart at all — they grow from the 
  imagination. To locate most of these places, charac-
  ters must abandon the guide of Earthly geography. 
  Some imaginary places are archetypes, generalized 
  examples of locations. The ghost city of Windyburg, 
  for instance, grows from memories and stories about 
  the “age of gangsters.” Windyburg doesn’t correspond 
  to any particular city in 1920s America, but it con-
  tains the classic elements of any city from a tale of 
  cops, gangsters, speakeasies, and bootleggers. Other 
  imaginary places grow from common dreams, such 
  as the Spooky Empty House, the High School Where 
  You’re Naked, or the Sky Where You Fly.
  THE DREAMZONE
  Most of the time, people’s astral selves stay 
  safely connected to their bodies. When humans 
  dream, however, their spirits enter a special section 
  of the Lower Astral called the Dreamzone.
  An astral traveler can enter the Dreamzone 
  just by ﬁnding a person who sleeps and dreams. 
  That person’s astral self now exists in the Dream-
  zone. A skilled astral traveler can follow the link 
  from body to spirit, and so enter the person’s 
  dream. (In game terms, this typically requires the 
  Navigation (Astral) Skill.) Mystics enter dreams to 
  learn about people, to deliver messages, or some-
  times to torment sleeping victims.
  Similar dreams tend to overlap, enabling 
  a mystic to move from one person’s dream to 
  another. In fact, ordinary dreamers sometimes stray 
  into other people’s dreams without knowing it.
  A mystic can leave a dream and return to 
  Astral Earth, but other destinations are possible, 
  too. If a dreamer wakes up suddenly, astral intrud-
  ers are cast into a dark space studded with count-
  less transparent, silver-glowing sacs of various sizes. 
  Each womblike sac holds a transparent human 
  form, curled in fetal position — the astral selves of 
  everyone on Earth. The tiny sacs of unborn chil-
  dren glow with ﬁerce brilliance. As people grow 
  up, their sacs enlarge but most of them dim. When 
  a person is awake in the material world, his astral 
  form sleeps and becomes faint almost to invisibil-
  ity. When the person dreams, his astral form’s eyes 
  open and the dream plays out in a soap-bubble 
  shimmer across the shining surface of the sac.
  Astral projectors do not have such a Dream-
  zone womb; they birthed themselves into the 
  wider Astral Plane. Either they keep their astral 
  bodies safely locked within their bodies when they 
  dream, or they wander the dreams of all humanity. 
  That’s not entirely a good thing for astral travelers, 
  
  14 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  because the dream-womb provides nearly inde-
  structible protection for a soul. Astral projection 
  means abandoning this protection from demons 
  and other malign astral forces. Freedom, as always, 
  has its price.
  CYSTS
  Powerful magic or strong, weird thoughts may 
  create pockets of the Astral Plane with incredibly 
  strange properties — Astral Cysts. No one could 
  catalogue all of these pockets of strangeness. They 
  appear and disappear without warning in the 
  remote, unfrequented areas of the Lower Astral. 
  Some powerful enchantments can create an Astral 
  Cyst and shape it to order.
  Sample Regions
  Here are some example locations astral voyag-
  ers might visit.
  THE GHOST HOUSE
  This house in what is now a slum district 
  existed for almost a century. It acquired three 
  ghosts. The real house burned down a decade ago; 
  its lot remains vacant. The astral house still exists, 
  though, maintained by the ghosts. The spirits are 
  friendly in most ways, but they protect their phan-
  tom home ﬁercely.
  PUERTO MUERTO
  This ramshackle port consists of old-fash-
  ioned, run-down buildings of wood and stucco on 
  the shore of a Caribbeanesque bay. Clumsily-built 
  docks reach out from the sandy shore. Dilapidated 
  boats with rotting sails are tied up at the docks 
  or rest at anchor further out in the little bay. The 
  whole town is totally quiet. At ﬁrst, characters see 
  no one except a ﬁsherman mending a net out on 
  the dock. His shabby clothes drip water. He’s miss-
  ing an eye, the ﬂesh has fallen away from his bones 
  in a few places, and he’s slightly translucent. Wel-
  come to Puerto Muerto, a real ghost town.
  Visitors see the other inhabitants of Puerto 
  Muerto only after they meet the net-mending ﬁsh-
  erman. The village features all the people of an old-
  time waterfront:  ﬁshermen, ﬂoozies, sailmakers, 
  carpenters, tradesmen and their wives, even a few 
  guttersnipe children. Everybody is a translucent 
  specter. Some look quite lifelike. Other ghosts range 
  from the merely drowned or knifed, through vari-
  ous stages of decay, to skeletons in seafaring garb. 
  The people don’t like “breathers,” as they call the 
  living, but fear or a good bribe in booze or Spanish 
  gold can overcome their surliness.
  The best place in Puerto Muerto to meet 
  people and get information is a sleazy waterfront 
  dive called Cutthroat Carl’s. You can see how it 
  got its name:  Carl the bartender has a slit throat. 
  Lurly the barmaid is downright gorgeous. The way 
  her damp, low-cut gown clings to her body could 
  make any man ignore the seaweed in her hair. 
  Lurly ﬂirts with visiting men but she’s a dangerous 
  girl to romance, for her kisses literally drown men. 
  “Lurly” is actually Lorelei, the ghost of a woman 
  who drowned herself in the Rhine because of a 
  faithless lover, and subsequently lured men to a 
  watery doom. What she’s doing in Puerto Muerto is 
  anybody’s guess.
  A few miles up the shore from Puerto Muerto, 
  another inlet holds a small, ruined fort occupied by 
  ghost pirates. The skeletal pirates roister in Puerto 
  Muerto now and then, or they sack the town. For-
  tunately, none of the people in Puerto Muerto can 
  really die because they’re already dead (or imagi-
  nary). The pirates occasionally sail their ghost ship 
  to Earth’s waters, though....
  Half a mile from shore, the grey sea fades 
  away into the grey space that lies between astral 
  locations. The same happens only a quarter mile 
  inland. Puerto Muerto thus consists of a strip of 
  coastline a few miles long, fading out on every 
  side into nothingness.
  THE SPOOKY EMPTY HOUSE
  This zone grew from nightmares about being 
  chased by unseen monsters through an endless 
  house. Once you enter the Spooky Empty House, 
  the nightmare begins. If you let the nightmare run 
  its course, the monsters (which you never see, only 
  hear) chase you for several minutes. Eventually you 
  open a door and fall down an endless precipice 
  back to the general Dreamzone, or back to Astral 
  Earth — wherever you encountered the Spooky 
  Empty House. A character who succeeds with an 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  15 
  EGO Roll can break out of the dream’s storyline 
  and change its course, such as turning and facing 
  the monsters. The monsters turn out to be less ter-
  rible than he imagined.
  NEW GOLGOTHA
  This Cyst consists of a few distorted, night-
  marish city blocks. It folds back on itself:  moving 
  four blocks in any direction brings you back 
  where you started. New Golgotha grew from a 
  paranoid’s fantasies of power and persecution. 
  He believed he was Jesus and that the CIA was 
  after him with pain-ray projectors. As a further 
  complication, the paranoid died long ago but 
  his ghost keeps the fantasy running. To escape, 
  characters must confront the paranoid’s ghost and 
  make a convincing eﬀort to counter his delusions. 
  Not only do the CIA Men in Black stalk the lost 
  characters, the paranoid responds to challenges by 
  calling blue bolts from Heaven.
  ASTRAL INHABITANTS
  Many sorts of beings visit the Astral Plane. 
  Some creatures dwell there permanently. Normally, 
  everyone on the Astral Plane is visible and solid to 
  everyone else, though astral beings may be harder 
  to damage than physical creatures.
  GHOSTS
  Large numbers of ghosts dwell on the Lower 
  Astral Plane. Most ghosts spend only a short time 
  (if any) on the Lower Astral before they evapo-
  rate and the person’s soul moves on to its eternal 
  reward, but Earth’s vast population ensures a steady 
  supply of new ghosts. A few ghosts endure for 
  decades or even centuries. Ghosts usually stay in 
  Astral Earth, but some of them move to imaginary 
  places or other astral regions.
  DREAMERS
  Dreamers stay within the Dreamzone, but 
  occasionally they venture into the general Lower 
  Astral without realizing it, as spontaneous astral 
  projectors. Dreamers can also enter the Lower 
  Astral through dreams that become so common 
  they achieve independent existence and generate 
  locations in the Astral Plane. Common nightmares 
  like the Spooky Empty House, for instance, can act 
  as portals from the Dreamzone to the rest of the 
  Astral Plane.
  People who die while dreaming may endure as 
  ghosts. Some move from the Dreamzone to Astral 
  Earth, while others remain caught in a dream that 
  never ends.
  IMAGINARY PEOPLE
  Many of the imaginary locations come with 
  imaginary people to complete the scene. The 
  Spooky Empty House has its elusive monsters, 
  while Puerto Muerto boasts a complete popula-
  tion of imaginary ﬁshermen, sailors, and trades-
  men. Most of these imaginary people seem like 
  ordinary humans except they never really die and 
  they cannot leave their assigned roles. For instance, 
  Cutthroat Carl cannot leave his bar in Puerto 
  Muerto, while characters can never persuade New 
  Golgotha’s Men In Black to stop pursuing the para-
  noid who dreamed them into existence.
  ATAVISMS
  When humans experience strong, visceral 
  emotions such as rage, pain, ecstasy, or terror, they 
  create a grotesque little spirit on the Lower Astral 
  — an atavism. These spirits might evaporate in a 
  few days, or hang around for centuries. Most ata-
  visms are not actually evil, but they embody raw 
  emotions and drives most good magicians prefer 
  to restrain. Some evil magicians deliberately create 
  and control atavisms.
  A creature who kills and eats an atavism 
  experiences the sensation or emotion that created 
  the spirit. Since most atavisms owe their creation 
  to very unpleasant feelings, spirits leave most ata-
  visms alone. On the other hand, atavisms from sex 
  and other strong pleasures seldom survive long 
  before someone eats them. The massed thought 
  of religious ceremonies can create strong positive 
  atavisms. In particular, spirits ﬂock to ceremonies 
  in which an animal is killed, cooked, and eaten, 
  because that lets the ghosts smell and taste food 
  again. Demons, on the other hand, feast on the 
  most negative atavisms.
  VISITORS FROM OTHER PLANES
  Spirits from Elysium and the Netherworld 
  enter the Lower Astral to observe human aﬀairs 
  
  16 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  and prompt good or evil thoughts. Entities from 
  Babylon or Faerie may visit the Lower Astral too. 
  For instance, an astral traveler might encounter a 
  mythological god moping around a shrine where 
  mortals once worshipped him, or a demon whis-
  pering temptations into a mortal’s ear. Rare astral 
  travelers from the Outer Planes visit as well. Not all 
  the visitors from other planes are friendly... some 
  are indiﬀerent to humans, and some are astral 
  predators.
  THE DRAGON
  The Dragon is the most powerful dweller in 
  the Astral Plane. It falls in a class by itself, as a god 
  to the gods. The Dragon ceaselessly watches the 
  Dreamzone’s myriads of silver bubbles from across 
  the Void of Dreamless Sleep, and it watches every 
  bubble at once. Its belly holds the Netherworld 
  and Faerie rests on its back. Men give the Dragon 
  many names — Tiamat, the Midgard Serpent, Satan 
  — but these myths capture only a fraction of the 
  Dragon’s awful reality. (For more information about 
  the Dragon, see page 138.)
  TRAVEL ON THE  
  ASTRAL PLANE
  Distance doesn’t mean the same thing on 
  the Astral Plane as it does on Earth. Places can be 
  “near” or “far” based on their similarity. To an expe-
  rienced astral voyager, the grainﬁelds of Kansas are 
  nearer the grainﬁelds of the Ukraine than to the 
  mountains of Colorado. Astral Colorado, in turn, 
  is not far from Astral Chile or Astral Switzerland 
  — they are all lands of high, rugged mountains.
  Characters have three options for astral travel. 
  First, they can travel through Astral Earth by fol-
  lowing landmarks on Earth. Second, they can travel 
  more quickly, using “astral shortcuts,” if they have 
  enough will and skill. Third, a skilled traveler may 
  be able to travel instantly from one point on the 
  Astral Plane to another.
  MUNDANE TRAVEL
  A traveler on Astral Earth can follow the mate-
  rial world’s geography using his normal movement 
  abilities. All the freeways, road signs, and cities 
  remain visible from the Lower Astral. Many of the 
  most interesting parts of the Astral Plane are purely 
  imaginary, however, and do not correspond to any 
  speciﬁc place on Earth. A character cannot reach 
  them unless he uses the Navigation (Astral) Skill.
  FAST TRAVEL (SHORTCUTS)
  Characters may want to bypass normal geog-
  raphy, or reach imaginary locations such as Puerto 
  Muerto. To do this, a character thinks about the 
  desired location as strongly as possible, and keeps 
  moving. It doesn’t matter whether he walks, ﬂies, or 
  rides an astral train. Eventually he arrives. A char-
  acter taking an “astral shortcut” like this can lead 
  other characters with him.
  How quickly the scenery shifts depends on 
  the character’s mental discipline (i.e., his EGO) 
  and experience (i.e., his Navigation (Astral) Skill). 
  A successful shortcut requires nothing more than 
  a successful EGO Roll, but the character may use 
  Navigation (Astral) as a Complementary Skill 
  Roll. The GM may rule that some shortcuts aren’t 
  possible at all unless the character has Navigation 
  (Astral) as a Skill.
  A “shortcut” journey never takes more than 
  one hour, or less than one minute. A trip between 
  similar locations takes less time than a trip between 
  very diﬀerent locations. A character can more 
  quickly and easily reach a familiar location than 
  one he knows little about. If people travel in a 
  group, they all travel at the rate set by the person 
  with the highest EGO. A character who succeeds at 
  an Navigation (Astral) skill roll automatically beats 
  anyone who didn’t, even if he doesn’t have the high-
  est EGO.
  Gamemasters who want some more precise 
  system can start by assuming that an astral shortcut 
  takes 20 minutes, and adjust the duration up or 
  down the Time Chart based on how well the char-
  acter succeeded at his EGO Roll, the similarity or 
  familiarity of the regions, and other factors. See the 
  accompanying text box for modiﬁers.
  Characters can never leave the Lower Astral 
  through shortcuts. Reaching other Inner Planes or 
  the Middle Astral always requires use of the Navi-
  gation (Astral) Skill.
  If two characters would make an astral journey 
  in the same time, as indicated by the chart, use the 
  diﬀerences between their EGO scores, Navigation 
  ASTRAL SHORTCUTS
  Modiﬁer Time Chart Adjustment Factor*
  +1 
  Destination resembles starting location 
  (example:  desert to desert, city to city)
  +1 
  Destination is a mystic site
  +1 
  Destination is a focus of great emotion and 
  attention (example:  the Statue of Liberty)
  +1 
  Willing to spend an hour reaching  
  destination
  +1 
  Familiar with target location (example:   
  the character’s best friend’s home)
  +2 
  Intimately familiar with target location 
  (example:  the character’s own home)
  +1 
  Maintain a Mind Link or a basic Mind Scan 
  lock-on to a person at the target location
  +2 
  Maintain an EGO +10 Mind Scan lock-on 
  to a person at the target location
  +3 
  Maintain an EGO +20 Mind Scan lock-on 
  to a person at the target location
  -1 
  Target is in another section of the Lower 
  Astral (Dreamzone, Astral Earth, or the like)
  -2 
  Target is an imaginary location or astral cyst
  -3 
  Character is lost and lacks the Navigation 
  (Astral) Skill
  *:  The base time for an astral shortcut is 20 Minutes. A 
  “+” indicates to take a step or steps up the Time Chart, 
  which reduces the time needed; a “-” to take a step or 
  steps down the Time Chart, which increases the time 
  needed. The GM can vary the time as desired instead 
  of sticking rigidly to the Time Chart steps if he prefers 
  (for example, he could rule that a “5 Minutes” result is 
  actually 6.5 minutes, or 8 minutes, or the like).
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  17 
  (Astral) rating, and target familiarity to deter-
  mine who arrives ﬁrst. If he prefers, the GM can 
  ignore such complexities and simply decide who 
  arrives ﬁrst. As a genuinely supernatural place, 
  the Astral Plane does not have to follow consis-
  tent, scientiﬁc rules.
  If a character fails the EGO Roll to take an 
  astral shortcut, he can try again, and again if need 
  be — but he cannot be sure he failed until an hour 
  has passed. A character with MegaScaled move-
  ment may ﬁnd it quicker and easier to eschew astral 
  shortcuts, at least if he stays on Astral Earth.
  INSTANTANEOUS TRAVEL
  Some spirits and experienced astral voyagers 
  can move anywhere in the Astral Plane at the speed 
  of thought. A character who succeeds at a Naviga-
  tion (Astral) roll can disappear from one place and 
  appear at another. The character does not need any 
  special Power to perform an “Astral Jump.” Such 
  instantaneous travel is a property of the Astral 
  Plane. A character using instantaneous astral travel 
  cannot take other characters with him, or lead them 
  to where he’s going.
  For instantaneous travel within the Lower 
  Astral, modify the Navigation (Astral) Skill Roll 
  using the same chart as for astral shortcuts, apply-
  ing the modiﬁers to the Skill Roll rather than the 
  Time Chart. For instantaneous travel to another 
  dimension or division of the Astral, such as reach-
  ing the Middle Astral or one of the Parterres, a 
  character simply has to make an unmodiﬁed Navi-
  gation (Astral) roll to ﬁnd the appropriate “link” or 
  “nexus” (or just to cross over into the next “layer” of 
  Astral space).
  The catch with instantaneous travel lies in 
  arriving at the right place. If the character fails his 
  Navigation (Astral) roll, he does not appear where 
  he wants. Failing the roll by 4 or more guarantees 
  the character becomes utterly lost:  He isn’t even 
  in the same zone of the Lower Astral. He might 
  ﬁnd himself in an astral cyst, in the Dreamzone, or 
  shunted to one of the other Inner Planes.
  MegaScaled Teleportation on the Lower Astral 
  follows the rules for instant travel, unless the char-
  acter moves to a Fixed Point on the Astral Plane. 
  The entire Lower Astral counts as one dimension 
  for purposes of Teleportation, but remember that 
  some locations (such as dreams) may cease to exist 
  after a time.
  Of course, a character can buy an Extra-
  Dimensional Movement power that takes him 
  directly to a plane such as the Middle Astral or 
  Babylon. In game terms, that lets him bypass all 
  the Skill Rolls and other such diﬃculties. In setting 
  terms, he still travels through the Astral Plane to get 
  there, he just does so unerringly and without diﬃ-
  culty (unless the Limitations on the powers expose 
  him to diﬃculties...).
  GETTING LOST
  As long as a character remains in the same 
  division of the Lower Astral, such as Astral Earth or 
  the Dreamzone, getting lost does not present seri-
  ous problems. He can “shortcut” back to a familiar 
  location and start over. Occasionally, however, char-
  acters run into problems.
  Astral cysts and other weird and disorienting 
  locations that lack connections to Earthly geography 
  can be hard to leave. A character cannot just attempt 
  Skill or EGO Rolls over and over. Characters must 
  wait a while between attempts, which means they 
  must interact with the new environment.
  The GM decides how long characters wait 
  before they can try again to escape. As a suggestion, 
  however, the character’s condition must change 
  and he must experience a dramatic scene of some 
  sort. At its simplest, this scene could consist of the 
  character(s) exploring the location and discovering 
  a route back to the normal Astral Plane. To raise the 
  drama level, perhaps the character must experience 
  some emotion or perform some action before he can 
  escape. In such cases, the GM should provide plenty 
  of clues about what the character should do. After all, 
  this is an interruption, not an adventure of its own.
  Some locations may include inhabitants who 
  help or hinder lost characters. Lost travelers may 
  need to face some danger or gain the help of a local 
  spirit to escape. Strange locations may sport equally 
  strange inhabitants. Indeed, some bizarre pockets 
  of the Astral Plane can be intrinsically damaging in 
  physical or mental ways.
  
  18 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  ADVENTURE USE
  Mystics most often use the Astral Plane as a 
  route to other places, but the divisions of the Lower 
  Astral may themselves become the site of adventures.
   Astral Earth’s chief value for mystics lies in 
  surveillance. From the Astral Plane, a character can 
  spy on people in the material world with no chance 
  of discovery... unless the target is another mystic 
  (who may have Astral Awareness) or has mental 
  powers (in which case the subject may feel that 
  someone is watching).
  The Dreamzone provides a somewhat unreli-
  able view into other people’s memories and moti-
  vations. For instance, the dreams of a supervillain 
  may provide clues to his current activities as well 
  as his past and his Psychological Limitations. 
  The GM may rule that a character who wants 
  to obtain information from dreams needs PS: 
  Dream Interpretation.
  Astral cysts and imaginary locations provide 
  unusual locations for adventures. For instance, 
  characters could try a little swashbuckling in 
  Puerto Muerto. If no one in a group of mystics can 
  reach the Outer Planes, astral cysts and imaginary 
  places oﬀer a second-best substitute as unearthly, 
  magical environments.
  Both heroes and villains can come from 
  the Astral Plane. Ghost characters, for instance, 
  normally exist on the Astral Plane (even if the 
  character sheet uses Desolidiﬁcation to repre-
  sent walking through walls and similar abilities). 
  Characters with “dream powers” typically have 
  some connection to the Astral Plane, whether 
  they are trained mystics or not. For instance,  
  a character could merge with his “dream self”  
  to become a superhero. You could even create  
  a “Haunted Hero” campaign in which all the  
  characters are ghosts, mediums, or astral-project-
  ing mystics.
   ASTRAL VERSUS 
  DESOLIDIFICATION
  Anyone on Astral Earth 
  is eﬀectively Desolidiﬁed 
  to anyone in the material 
  world, and Invisible to 
  anyone who lacks Astral 
  Awareness. Any attack 
  with the Aﬀects Desolidi-
  ﬁed Advantage can aﬀect 
  entities in Astral Earth, 
  however; so can Mental 
  Powers and other abilities 
  that can aﬀect Desolidi-
  ﬁed beings.
  Characters who are astral 
  beings, or who have “Astral 
  Form” powers or the like, 
  have to pay Character 
  Points for these abilities 
  (Desolidiﬁcation [aﬀected 
  by magical attacks or the 
  attacks of astral beings] 
  and Invisibility). Some, 
  like certain ghosts, have 
  such strong connections 
  to Earth that they don’t 
  buy any sort of Extra-
  Dimensional Movement 
  power — they simulate 
  their “astral-ness” with just 
  the Desolidiﬁcation and 
  Invisibility (and possibly 
  other powers reﬂecting 
  aspects of those abilities, 
  adding Aﬀects Physical 
  World to attacks so they 
  can hurt solid beings). 
  Others have Extra-
  Dimensional Movement 
  so they can place them-
  selves fully in the Astral 
  Plane, then use powers 
  with the Transdimensional 
  Advantage to aﬀect the 
  world (such a character 
  would even need Transdi-
  mensional Images just to 
  allow people on Earth to 
  see him).
  Normally, everyone on 
  the Astral Plane is solid 
  to each other, whether 
  they dwell permanently 
  in that dimension, reach 
  it through Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement, or have 
  Desolidiﬁcation deﬁned 
  as “astral form.” Charac-
  ters with suitable special 
  eﬀects for Desolidiﬁca-
  tion may interact with 
  astral entities, too, but 
  they cannot leave Astral 
  Earth or employ short-
  cuts or instant travel:  
  they remain too bound to 
  the material world.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  19 
  F
  aerie, sometimes called the Land of Legends, 
  is the home of nature spirits and pagan 
  gods — beings born when people imagined 
  everything in Nature possessed a human 
  will. For millennia before the “ethical religions” 
  pushed the Godhead beyond the sky, every stream, 
  mountain, and forest grove had its ruling spirit. 
  Greater gods spoke in the crash of thunder and 
  the ocean waves. These gods and spirits were not 
  abstract or symbolic. Few people did not encounter 
  a god, elf, or spirit sometime in their lives. Faerie 
  and Earth intertwined.
  Did human beliefs change and push the gods 
  and spirits from the world? Or did Faerie pull away 
  from Earth, and mortals responded by inventing 
  new faiths? The gods themselves do not know. By 
  around 500 B.C., however, Faerie became a rec-
  ognizable dimension of its own and the “legends” 
  became legendary. Spontaneous nexus points from 
  wilderness areas still cast the occasional human into 
  Faerie, or let an elf or satyr visit its former haunts. 
  As humanity cut the forests, plowed the land, and 
  bound the world in concrete and steel, such nexus 
  points became more rare. Century after century, the 
  Ban on travel between worlds became tighter.
  But gods now walk the Earth again — mortal 
  gods, bound by no mystic law or covenant. The 
  ancient Ban crumbles in the new Age of Heroes. 
  Ancient powers wake, eager to reclaim their 
  empires, unwilling to sleep again.
  GEOGRAPHY
  Faerie has forests, seas, meadows, deserts, 
  mountains, and all the other landscapes of the nat-
  ural world. Nexus points to Faerie always lead from 
  an Earth location to a very similar region in the 
  Land of Legends, so a person could walk through 
  Faerie for hours without knowing it.
  The Land of Legends, however, is a “good bits” 
  version of the mortal world. Large, homogeneous, 
  boring regions such as oceans, deserts, or steppes 
  are smaller in Faerie than on Earth. Faerie holds 
  nothing the size of the Atlantic Ocean, Sahara 
  Desert, or American Great Plains. A few days by 
  boat or horseback suﬃces to cross any district of 
  the Land of Legends.
  Faerie geography does not make sense on 
  the large scale. Landscapes ﬂow into each other 
  in impossible ways:  mountain into swamp, jungle 
  into desert. Diﬀerent regions can experience dif-
  ferent seasons.
  Connections between regions aren’t consistent, 
  either. For instance, suppose two travelers set out 
  from the same location in Faerie. One traveler goes 
  100 miles north, then 100 miles east. The other 
  traveler goes 100 miles east, and then 100 miles 
  north. They do not arrive at the same place! Con-
  nections between regions can change depending on 
  the time of day, the weather, or other factors.
  Faerie does, however, possess structure on 
  the largest scale. It is ﬂat, not a sphere. The sky is 
  a dome of unbreakable blue glass during the day, 
  star-spangled black glass at night; the Sun and 
  Moon move along their tracks by hooks hanging 
  from the dome.
  The Land of Legends also has a bottom. It 
  rests on the back of an immensely, impossibly 
  huge dragon, the Dragon, chained beneath Faerie 
  until the end of the world. Beneath the Dragon lies 
  Chaos — the Astral Plane.
  LANDSCAPE ELEMENTS
  Certain elements occur again and again in 
  Faerie landscapes. The most wondrous, unearthly 
  regions are set on islands, mountains, or under-
  ground. The Land of Legends has no modern cities, 
  but spectacular, fairy-tale castles dot some regions. 
  These castles can be made of gold, or perch on 
  clouds or pillars, or spin like tops. Other traditional 
  elements include fountains, jewels, caves, and 
  gardens with miraculous trees or ﬂowers. Many 
  regions seem caught in perpetual spring or early 
  summer. Evil regions look ugly and frightening. 
  Faerie includes nightmare forests of twisted, dead 
  trees and deathly fungi, and wastelands inhabited 
  by slinking abominations.
  PANTHEON REALMS
  The lesser spirits, such as the elven-folk, hold 
  most of Faerie in common. Old (and not so old) 
  pantheons such as the Greco-Roman, Celtic, Norse, 
  Yoruban, and Shinto gods rule pockets of the Land 
  of Legends.
  The pantheons once kept to themselves and 
  closed the borders of their demesnes. In recent cen-
  turies, however, the pantheons have communicated 
  more. Even if humans stopped believing in some 
  of them, they could believe in each other and live 
  oﬀ the immense reserve of stored belief that is the 
  Land of Legends itself.
  FAERIE: THE LAND 
  OF LEGENDS
  
  20 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Sample Regions
  Here are a few notable locations within Faerie.
  ACHAEA
  The demesne of the Greek gods takes as its 
  name the most ancient appellation for Greece. 
  Zeus, Hera, and the other Olympian gods rule 
  over a realm of nymphs, centaurs, satyrs, and other 
  sylvan creatures, as well as thousands of humans. 
  Every “city” (actually, fortiﬁed villages) has a patron 
  god. Half-divine kings, heroes, and warlords battle 
  monsters and each other for glory, revenge, lust, or 
  booty. The gods themselves live atop Mount Olym-
  pus, in the middle of the realm. Achaea is much 
  smaller than the historic Greek realm, but shows 
  Greece’s characteristic landscape of rugged moun-
  tains and an island-studded sea.
  THE ONYX KINGDOM
  A cave in the Dragon Mountains leads through 
  miles of passages to a huge cavern hung with gigan-
  tic stalactites. Equally huge stalagmites squat about 
  the cavern ﬂoor. All the cavern, however, is made of 
  black onyx. Dim light shines from huge jewels hung 
  from the stalactites on silver chains. The largest sta-
  lagmites bear delicately carved little onyx palaces. 
  This is the Onyx Kingdom, principality of the svar-
  talf Clan Ectol, and the original home of Vilsimbra 
  the Dark Elf (see Arcane Adversaries). The Dark 
  Elves devote their immortal lives to endless, tangled 
  intrigues for prestige. They try to ensnare mortal 
  visitors into these plots and counter-plots.
  WONDROUS ISLANDS
  Many islands dot the seas of Faerie, and they 
  tend to be quite strange. A few have useful or 
  dangerous features or inhabitants; most are just 
  colorful bits of scenery to pass by. For instance, 
  a spike-topped brass palisade carrying a brass 
  ﬁshnet encircles one island. The wind in the net 
  makes a menacing hum. A dense forest of wild 
  shrubbery and gloomy cypresses covers most of 
  the island. The center holds a natural fountain 
  of water perfumed with bittersweet myrrh. This 
  “Water of Death” repairs any damage to a corpse, 
  but infallibly slays any living creature that drinks it. 
  The magic water also acts as a 15d6 Dispel against 
  magic when sprinkled on something or someone.
  For inspiration, see accounts of the voyages 
  of Maeldun, St. Brendan, or Sinbad the Sailor, all 
  of whom clearly spent much of their time sailing 
  Faerie’s seas.
  THE EVEN WILDER WEST
  North American Indians once had their own 
  large section of Faerie — but even here, the white 
  man invaded. A ﬂood of dime novels and movies 
  created a surge of old-style mythic belief about the 
  Western Frontier. That belief grounded in the sec-
  tion of Faerie most like the mortal West. The Native 
  American mythic realm swelled.
  Native Americans themselves became the ﬁrst 
  inhabitants of the changing realm. Sometimes, the 
  Ghost Dance really worked. Hundreds of Native 
  Americans transported themselves to the Land of 
  Legends, where the buﬀalo roamed and the white 
  man did not. As the myth of the West grew, how-
  ever, Faerie insisted on players to ﬁll all roles. Nexus 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  21 
  points sucked in cowboys, homesteaders, outlaws, 
  Ambrose Bierce, and anyone else convenient. Within 
  a few decades, the Even Wilder West took shape.
  The land itself encourages mortal visitors to 
  act like cowboys, sherriﬀs, prospectors, school-
  marms, and other classic roles. It even supplies 
  clothing and other necessary props through outra-
  geous coincidence. Visitors and residents interact 
  with Native American tribes, but also with Native 
  American-styled elves, gods, spirits (“manitous”), 
  and monsters. The whites have guns (which hardly 
  ever need reloading); the Native Americans have 
  magic and the friendship of the supernatural 
  powers. Unlike the real world’s history, the two 
  sides are quite evenly matched.
  INHABITANTS
  Faerie’s inhabitants are as diverse as mythology 
  itself. In some parts of Faerie, legendary creatures 
  now live all mixed together, without regard to their 
  mythology of origin. Visitors might encounter 
  North European elves, Greek satyrs, the Russian 
  Baba Yaga, and Japanese tengu in the same forest. 
  In other parts, beings remain strictly segregated by 
  culture and the like. Fortunately, in Faerie every-
  body (including visitors) speaks the same language. 
  The inhabitants fall into six general categories.
  FAIRY-FOLK
  Cultures around the world believe in a human-
  oid but supernatural race. Europeans called them 
  Sidhe, Tylwyth Teg, or Fays (among many other 
  names). The Persians call them Peris. Cherokee 
  legend describes the Nunnehi — and that’s only the 
  beginning of the roster. For convenience, they can 
  all be called by their most familiar name:  elves.
  Some traditions divide the elves into “good” and 
  “bad” tribes, such as the Gaelic Seelie and Unseelie 
  Courts or the Norse Light Elves and Dark Elves. None 
  of the fairy-folk, however, are truly “good” in a human 
  sense. Some races of elves simply do not actively seek 
  to harm humanity. The careless immortals of folklore 
  are capricious, deceptive, and dangerous. Elves are 
  amazingly generous when it suits them, but they can 
  just as easily wreck a mortal’s life for sport.
  Elves live in forests, grottoes, or palaces under 
  hills. Variant races live in other environments. 
  Undines, for instance, reside in lakes or beneath the 
  sea; the sinister svartalfar, the Dark Elves, dwell in 
  caverns deep underground and fear the Sun.
  The ranks of the faerie-folk also include 
  numerous intelligent but distinctly nonhuman 
  races, such as Greek centaurs and satyrs, Norse 
  giants and dwarves, and Japanese tengu. As with 
  the elves, these are ﬂesh and blood creatures like 
  humans, rather than spirits. Some of these races 
  have magical powers; others do not.
  TRUE NATURE SPIRITS
  The fairy-folk often show strong connections 
  to the powers of Nature, but the Land of Legends 
  also holds spirits who embody speciﬁc natural 
  phenomena. Dryads, for instance, are the spirits of 
  the trees; they wield magic powers over vegetation. 
  Air-spirit Sylphs dwell in the clouds. Naiads live in 
  rivers, lakes and fountains.
  Nature spirits wield great magical control 
  over their own home, and some count as low-
  powered gods. For instance, the Wild Huntsman 
  or the supernatural hag Baba Yaga are powerful 
  enough to ﬁght whole superhero teams with a 
  good chance of winning.
  MYTHOLOGICAL MONSTERS
  Many cultures tell tales about monsters. All of 
  them now live in Faerie. Listing all the mythologi-
  cal monsters possible would take a very large book, 
  but The HERO System Bestiary and Monsters, Min-
  ions, And Marauders are good information sources 
  about such creatures.
  GODS
  Not every godling or tribal spirit survives. 
  Lots of people must believe in a god for hundreds 
  of years before it coalesces out of the Astral Plane 
  and takes up residence in Faerie. The gods of small 
  tribes are usually just diﬀerent names for the same 
  spirits held in common by a wider culture.
  Some pantheons command more power than 
  others. The old European and Middle Eastern gods 
  barely scrimp by after two millennia of Christianity 
  and Islam. Still-worshipped pantheons such as the 
  Japanese and West African gods remain power-
  ful and active. The gods of weakened pantheons, 
  however, still wield much greater power than 
  most superhumans — at least within their own 
  
  22 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  demesnes. The mightiest mythological gods can 
  overpower even the most formidable mortal.
  The diﬀerent cultural pantheons don’t like 
  each other, any more than diﬀerent human cultures 
  like each other. The common threat posed by the 
  “ethical religions,” however, prompted an indeﬁnite 
  truce between most pantheons. The unprecedented 
  contact between pantheons results in inter-cultural 
  amours, and even a few children — new godlings 
  unknown to mythology.These nascent demigods 
  have power comparable to powerful superhumans.
  TALKING ANIMALS
  Faerie includes Earthly wildlife. Some animals 
  can talk or display other remarkable powers. In 
  fairy tales and legends, talking animals help the 
  hero in return for some favor the hero did for them. 
  But talking animals seldom ﬁght — they’re advi-
  sors, wish-granters, and givers of gifts, not another 
  notch on the sword.
  HUMANS
  Humans still slip into Fairyland now and 
  then. Not all of them get out again. Mortals who 
  live in the Land of Legends must ﬁnd roles for 
  themselves suitable for a myth or fairy tale. Faerie 
  accepts humans who become hermits, consorts 
  to elﬁn lords or ladies, peddlers, knights, poor but 
  honest woodcutters, and the like. Some regions, like 
  the Even Wilder West, come with their own set of 
  archetypal roles. A human who ﬁnds a place among 
  the mythic races — with the satyrs, centaurs, 
  dwarves, or tengu, for instance — transforms into a 
  member of that race after a few days.
  The elves eventually capture humans who 
  refuse any sort of assimilation and place them in 
  an enclave with other stubborn humans. This little 
  village of exiles lies within the Sullen Country. 
  Treacherous, viper-infested bogs completely sur-
  round this drab moor. As long as the exiles don’t try 
  to leave, the faerie-folk let them farm in peace. The 
  exiles have a hard life, with the dubious compensa-
  tion of immortality.
  SPECIAL CONDITIONS
  Faerie is not just Earth with magic — its 
  fundamental laws of reality change in far-rang-
  ing ways. Representing these diﬀerences in terms 
  of game mechanics is often diﬃcult, and usually 
  pointless. Fortunately, GMs can simply treat them 
  as plot devices, as much a natural part of the world 
  as air or gravity on Earth.
  FLEXIBLE TIME
  The passage of time in Faerie bears little rela-
  tion to time on Earth. A person can spend months 
  in Faerie, yet return to Earth mere hours after he left 
  — or he can return from a night’s revels in Faerie 
  and ﬁnd that decades passed back home. The diﬀer-
  ence between Earth time and Faerie time is usually 
  less extreme (in game terms, only 1 step diﬀerence 
  on the Time Chart either way) — but you never 
  know. Time remains consistent only within a group 
  of visitors. If anyone leaves the group for more than 
  a few minutes, time might go funny for him.
  The GM should not impose severe time diﬀer-
  entials arbitrarily or often. Minor time diﬀerentials 
  simply emphasize how the heroes passed “beyond 
  the ﬁelds we know.” The threat of more severe 
  time distortion gives heroes an added reason to 
  stay together in Faerie:  characters will think twice 
  about striking oﬀ on their own if they know they 
  could come back a day later and ﬁnd the rest of the 
  group gave them up for lost and returned to Earth 
  weeks ago.
  On the other hand, if circumstances sepa-
  rate one hero from the group, a time diﬀerential 
  can create mind-blowing eﬀects. The separated 
  PC might experience an adventure lasting weeks 
  or even years (narrated in summary by the GM) 
  — then rejoin the other PCs and ﬁnd he was gone 
  only a few minutes! In short, the GM should use 
  time diﬀerentials to enhance a story, not just to 
  make the characters’ lives more diﬃcult.
  Gods and the greater faerie lords can control 
  the time diﬀerential. For instance, if the heroes 
  please the elf-king Oberon, he might make their 
  two-week quest through Faerie take only two hours 
  on Earth. Conversely, if the PCs visit an elf-mound 
  and give oﬀense, their host might make their night 
  in Faerie last a century on Earth... but only if the 
  GM wants to do a time travel adventure next.
  The time distortions become especially severe 
  in the Australian section of Faerie, called the 
  Dreamtime. Here, time hardly exists at all. Events 
  replay themselves, and even death is not perma-
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  23 
  nent. Mortal visitors to the Dreamtime soon feel 
  like they were always there, and always will be. Per-
  haps, in some sense, they are. Even other faerie-folk 
  ﬁnd the Dreamtime uncanny.
  RETARDED AGING
  The natives of Faerie remain one age forever. 
  Human residents and visitors may gain the same 
  beneﬁt in some regions, or if a powerful spirit or 
  faerie lord wills it. In most realms, humans age 
  slowly but consistently, equal to 1 to 4 points of 
  Longevity. The exact amount depends on the gods 
  or creatures who dominate a demesne. In Achaea, 
  the district of the Greek gods, mortals receive two 
  points of Longevity. The Egyptian gods’ demesne 
  grants 4 points of Longevity:  the Egyptians placed 
  great store on an immortal afterlife. The Even 
  Wilder West grants just one point of Longevity. 
  The Sullen Country makes all residents completely 
  immortal... but Faerie’s agelessness carries a curse 
  as well as a blessing.
  In the Land of Legends, mortal fertility drops 
  as lifespans lengthen. Mortals completely exempt 
  from time cannot have children. Any children who 
  enter Faerie remain children forever, like Peter Pan. 
  Gods or elf-lords can suspend this eﬀect if they 
  choose, at least long enough for a child to be born 
  or grow up. Pantheon leaders typically extend this 
  beneﬁt to their realms, so that their mortal subjects 
  can breed more of themselves.
  Sometimes aging is merely deferred, not 
  avoided completely. On returning to Earth, a 
  person might gain back lost aging — based on the 
  passage of time on Earth rather than Faerie. If the 
  deferred aging amounts to decades, returning home 
  can be a shock, as Rip Van Winkle found out! Leg-
  ends speak of gods or elf-lords storing the deferred 
  aging in a small box they give to a returning mortal, 
  with instructions never to open it. Unfortunately, 
  the human never receives an explanation of why 
  the box should remain closed... so eventually some-
  one opens it, and the person instantly grows old.
  FIXED PATHS
  The Land of Legends tries to ramrod visitors 
  into its ancient story motifs, and sometimes it isn’t 
  at all subtle. A danger foreshadowed becomes a 
  danger unavoidable:  if the PCs learn the route to 
  their goal holds certain hazards, Faerie might not 
  let them bypass those hazards. For instance, if a 
  hermit says you must face a monster to get through 
  a mountain pass, it’s no good trying to ﬂy, teleport, 
  or tunnel past the monster. The pass just goes on 
  forever, and when you ﬁnally stop, there’s the mon-
  ster again, waiting to ask its riddle, demand its trib-
  ute, or issue its challenge.
  This doesn’t mean a whole adventure in 
  Faerie must run on rails. Characters can always 
  choose how they deal with a foreordained situ-
  ation. The Land of Legends even adjusts itself 
  to reﬂect the characters’ choices. For instance, if 
  visitors insist on ﬁghting every adversary, Faerie 
  reacts by casting them as warrior-heroes like 
  Beowulf, and supplying more monsters to battle. 
  If the characters try to outwit opponents, Faerie 
  oﬀers riddles, illusions, and other chances for 
  heroes to show oﬀ their cleverness.
  GMs can reﬂect this “story reality” by applying 
  bonuses to Skill Rolls if the characters actively try 
  to play out legendary roles and storylines. In Faerie, 
  what Champions refers to as “appropriate unlikely 
  actions” (i.e., dramatically, if not realistically, proper 
  
  24 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  conduct) become more likely to succeed than they 
  would on Earth. The Land of Legends seldom, if 
  ever, imposes penalties for refusing to follow a par-
  ticular style or story, however. Heroes who refuse to 
  follow one plot create a new story of their own — a 
  new legend for the Land of Legends.
  CURSES
  Any permanent resident of Faerie can curse 
  anyone who deeply wrongs him. Typical situations 
  for laying a curse include:  a dying person, upon his 
  killer (if he didn’t die in a fair ﬁght); a host, against 
  a treacherous guest; a guest, against a treacherous 
  host; a parent, against an ungrateful child; or on 
  yourself, as a penalty if you break an oath. People 
  can also lay a “whoever” curse, linked to a place 
  or item, such as the curse Alberich placed on the 
  Rhinegold when Wotan robbed him. A person must 
  possess a genuine grievance for a curse to work, 
  such as murder, theft, or betrayal of trust. Merely 
  disliking someone does not suﬃce.
  Game mechanics cannot represent a proper 
  Legendary Curse because its eﬀects are so complex 
  and far-reaching. If GMs absolutely must represent 
  a Legendary Curse as an attack, treat it as a Major 
  Transform:  Person to Cursed Person. Since this 
  power operates only within Faerie, however, the GM 
  can leave it as a plot device. The curse’s eﬀects, how-
  ever, can hound a victim through the Multiverse.
  A Legendary Curse does not involve direct 
  attacks. Instead, it manipulates future events to 
  the victim’s detriment. Curses can wait for years to 
  act. No one can avoid a Legendary Curse:  the very 
  actions the victim takes to block a curse can set its 
  eﬀects in motion.
  Legendary Curses often backﬁre, making the 
  curse a hollow vengeance. A classic case forms the 
  plot of the Iliad. The Greek hero Achilles asks his 
  mother (a goddess) to make the Greeks lose battles 
  until the Greek leader Agamemnon apologizes 
  for an insult. The curse works:  the Greeks suﬀer 
  a crushing defeat and Agamemnon grovels... but 
  Achilles’s best friend Patroclus dies in the battle.
  The person who set a curse can revoke it. A 
  few extremely powerful persons — pantheon heads 
  and the mightiest faerie monarchs — can lift some 
  curses. So can most cosmic entities. Persuading 
  someone to break or revoke a curse usually requires 
  some diﬃcult and/or dangerous act of atonement. 
  Some curses come equipped with atonement loop-
  holes:  “Henceforth, you will suﬀer [ﬁll in the tor-
  ment] until you [ﬁll in the task].”
  The GM should use Legendary Curses with 
  caution. Curses are a threat to prevent PCs from 
  charging through Faerie as if it were a shooting gal-
  lery or a monster-ﬁlled dungeon crawl. One good 
  curse from an elf they beat up should convince 
  most PCs to mind their manners in the future.
  A Legendary Curse can drive an adventure, 
  even when the heroes aren’t the target. A really big 
  curse can start wars, manipulate kingdoms, propa-
  gate through generations, and drag in the gods 
  themselves.
  ADVENTURE USE
  Faerie can easily become an important part 
  of a campaign, since a GM can work with all of 
  mythology and folklore. A quest through the Land 
  of Legends can make an uncommonly memorable 
  adventure. The goal of the quest matters less than 
  the striking characters the PCs meet along the way:  
  tricky elven nobles, helpful talking animals, pagan 
  gods, wicked witches in gingerbread houses.... 
  Mythic quests often include contests where things 
  are not as they seem (perhaps because an opponent 
  is disguised through illusion, or because of some 
  danger a hero did not know about).
  Questing heroes can seek many useful things 
  and people in Faerie. If a recipe for a magic potion 
  calls for dragon scales or centaur blood, characters 
  must go to the Land of Legends. What’s more, some 
  of the Land’s inhabitants know much that is hidden, 
  or have special magic powers. The trick is getting 
  them to help. Gods or wizards of long ago might 
  hide powerful magic items in remote corners of 
  Faerie.
  Faerie makes an excellent source for heroes 
  and villains. In the Champions Universe, superbe-
  ings create new legends every day. What could be 
  more natural than for some of the old legends to 
  join them? Arcane Adversaries describes three char-
  acters from Faerie (the dark elf Vilsimbra, the fairy-
  tale hag Mother Gothel, and the god Tezcatlipoca) 
  who bring their evil to Earth. Gods can project 
  avatars or empower mortals; the new generation 
  of demigods may seek adventure on Earth as well. 
  Mortals cast into Faerie may return with magic 
  weapons or powers.
  A daring GM can even set campaigns in Faerie 
  — after all, it’s a place built on stories. The charac-
  ters could be anything from mortal children cast 
  into Faerie to aspiring demigods hoping to make 
  new legends. For a twist on an old story, maybe the 
  characters are Heroic-level Faerie denizens hurled 
  to a disbelieving Earth, who must complete a quest 
  to go home before they end up shot, in jail, or in 
  an insane asylum. A sneaky GM could even start 
  a campaign that seems to be set in mythic Greece, 
  a Weird Wild West, or some other fantasy setting 
  — and let the players gradually discover the setting 
  is actually much wider and much stranger.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  25 
  T
  he Netherworld is the Imaginal Realm built 
  from human ideas of evil. Here dwell the 
  demons — incarnations of hate, fear, rage, 
  and all other negative emotions — in a cha-
  otic landscape as hostile as themselves. The Nether-
  world isn’t just Hell:   it’s every Hell ever imagined, 
  mashed together.
  GEOGRAPHY
  The Netherworld has no consistent, large-scale 
  geography. It can seem completely diﬀerent from 
  visit to visit. Particular regions are locally stable, but 
  the connections between them remain ﬂuid. Large 
  sections of the Netherworld seem to follow some 
  overall plan, but diﬀerent visitors can ﬁnd com-
  pletely diﬀerent geographies. On one visit, heroes 
  might land in the nine descending circles of Dante’s 
  Inferno. On a return visit, they might ﬁnd the 
  city of Pandemonium from Milton’s Paradise Lost 
  instead. If a visitor travels long enough, though, 
  eventually he can ﬁnd any Hell he wants.
  LANDSCAPE ELEMENTS
  The Netherworld’s landscape varies widely 
  but it is all unpleasant, composed of elements that 
  people ﬁnd ugly or frightening. There’s lots of tra-
  ditional ﬁre, smoke, lava, and barren stone. Most 
  of the Netherworld is dimly lit and the air reeks. 
  Other traditional features for Netherworld scen-
  ery include:  sandy desert; glaciers and plains of 
  ice; pits and trenches; swamps; rivers and lakes of 
  ﬁre, boiling blood, pitch, slime, or icy black water; 
  garbage and oﬀal; dark, trackless forests; reptiles; 
  vicious beasts; insects, worms, and maggots.
  CULTURAL HELLS
  The Netherworld includes more than the Judeo-
  Christian-Islamic ideas of Hell. A Hindu visitor 
  arrives in that religion’s demon-realm of Naraka. A 
  Taoist or Buddhist encounters the Chinese Hells. 
  Even the Greek Hell of Tartarus and the Norse Hell 
  of Niﬂheim survive, although visitors probably 
  would not appear in them spontaneously. In fact, 
  no matter what Hell a character appears in, he can 
  enter other cultures’ Hells — for instance, he could 
  descend a crevasse in the icy ninth circle of Dante’s 
  Inferno and end up in equally chill Niﬂheim.
  DEMON LORD FIEFDOMS
  The more powerful demon lords shape stable, 
  personal desmesnes according to their tastes. 
  Here they torment the souls of former pacters and 
  people whose ruling passion placed them in the 
  demon’s jurisdiction. The tortures of the damned 
  often show a certain rough justice... or would if 
  they were not inﬁnite punishment for ﬁnite crimes.
  PERSONAL HELLS
  The Netherworld also tucks in very personal 
  Hells. Everyone has “personal demons” — pri-
  vate fears, feelings of guilt, situations they dread 
  facing. A visitor to the Netherworld can turn a 
  corner and step into his private Hell. Personal 
  Hells need not be conﬁned to a single location:  
  they can take the form of a subplot or a sequence 
  of characters threaded through other sections of 
  the Netherworld.
  The GM should design a “personal Hell” 
  scene for at least one character on any adventure 
  to harrow the Netherworld, using the character’s 
  personality and history as a guide. Encountering 
  a personal Hell might be no more than a jab at a 
  character’s Psychological Limitations, or it might 
  put a hero in deadly peril.
  Of course, everything that heroes hear and 
  see in their private Hells is a lie:  all the characters 
  they encounter who accuse them and play on their 
  guilts, fears, hatreds, and desires are demons in dis-
  guise or illusions, and they’re lying their heads oﬀ. 
  One seldom ﬁnds truth in the Netherworld.
  Sample Regions
  Here are a few regions characters might ﬁnd in 
  the Netherworld.
  PANDEMONIUM
  The town-sized palace of Pandemonium 
  is the seat of government for the Descending 
  Hierarchy. Here Mephistopheles, the Emperor of 
  Pride, ﬁles the pacts between devils and mortals 
  and coordinates the ceaseless war against God for 
  human souls. All the demon lords of the Descend-
  ing Hierarchy keep apartments at Pandemonium, 
  and the palace forms the principle setting for their 
  intrigues. Pandemonium is built entirely of gold 
  and jewels; mortal visitors describe it as gaudy and 
  tasteless, but with a certain grotesque grandeur 
  from its sheer size. The palace-city is built on the 
  shore of a lake of all-destroying ﬁre. According 
  to Milton’s Paradise Lost, the rebel angels fell into 
  this lake of ﬁre and emerged as devils. According 
  to the Book of Revelations in the Bible, at the Last 
  Judgment God will consign all the devils and the 
  damned to this lake. The ﬁre shall destroy them 
  instantly and utterly, but the smoke of their burn-
  ing shall rise forever.
  THE  
  NETHERWORLD
  
  26 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  THE WAR ZONE
  Baphomet, Emperor of Wrath, receives the 
  souls of people who lived by anger and violence. 
  His desmesne is a patchwork of battleﬁelds from 
  humanity’s dirtiest wars, from the jungles of Viet-
  nam to the trenches of Gallipoli. Here damned 
  soldiers and terrorists ﬁght and re-ﬁght their wars 
  for eternity, against each other and against the 
  gangs of thugs and brigands who revelled in brutal-
  ity. Superhero visitors to Baphomet’s war zone will 
  certainly meet a few deceased supervillains — and 
  maybe a former hero or two.
  MOUNT MULCIBER
  Mulciber, Hell’s greatest smith and artiﬁcer, 
  maintains a very small desmesne.  The Demon-
  Smith keeps his forges and workshops in the 
  cavern-riddled depths of a barren, black volcano. 
  Since very few people fall into evil through a pas-
  sion for craftsmanship, Mulciber buys damned 
  souls from other demon lords. But they are raw 
  materials, not slaves — Mulciber does his best work 
  in soul-alloyed metal.
  THE LABYRINTH OF GREED
  The Lord of Avarice, Lucifuge Rofocale, owns 
  a spectacular desmesne of twisting, jewel-studded 
  caverns. Magical darkness shrouds the caverns, 
  however, because Lucifuge Rofocale is so greedy 
  that he can’t stand the thought of anyone but 
  him even looking at his possessions. Here avarice 
  demons oversee chain gangs of pirates, con men, 
  industrial robber barons, petty thieves, bankers, 
  and princes — all people whose lives were ruled by 
  greed, slaving for eternity among unseen riches.
  NIFLHEIM
  Niﬂheim is the Norse Hell, the destiny of those 
  who died “straw deaths” as cowards. (The Prose 
  Edda says this included all men who died of sick-
  ness or old age, but other epics tell of men who 
  died peacefully yet achieved Valhalla. The GM can 
  decide the truth of the matter.) Hela, daughter of 
  Loki, rules Niﬂheim. She is normal ﬂesh color on 
  one side of her body and the blue-black of dead 
  ﬂesh on the other.
  Icy fog wreathes dark Niﬂheim. The fortress 
  hall of Hela is named Sleet-Cold; its threshold, Fall-
  ing To Destruction. Hela’s dish is Hunger; her knife, 
  Famine; her servant, Idler; her maid, Sloven; her 
  bed, Disease; and her bed cover, Unhappiness. A 
  gigantic dog called Garm, whose breast is sprinkled 
  with blood, guards Hela’s hall.
  Niﬂheim includes a special hall for the very 
  worst sinners, set apart on Nastrand, the Shore of the 
  Dead. As the Prose Edda explains, “It is all woven of 
  serpent backs like a wattle house; and all the snake 
  heads turn into the house and blow venom, so that 
  along the hall run rivers of venom; and they who 
  have broken oaths, and murderers, wade those rivers.”
  BU JING SUO
  The Chinese possess hundreds of Hells, each 
  specializing in its own punishment for particular 
  malefactors (see the text box on page 29). These are 
  arranged in ten tribunals, overseen by the Yama-
  Kings and a bureaucracy as large (and bribeable) as 
  the old Imperial government. Unlike the Abraha-
  mic Hells, most Chinese Hells are temporary. Sin-
  ners expiate their crimes, then have their memory 
  erased before reincarnation.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  27 
  Bu Jing Suo, in the ﬁrst tribunal, punishes 
  lazy Buddhist priests, monks, and nuns who did 
  not perform the prayers and devotions that other 
  people paid them to, and so endangered their cli-
  ents’ souls. These dishonest clerics must copy the 
  prayers and scriptures they neglected, over and 
  over, in a cold and windy schoolroom, with no light 
  except a tiny, ﬂickering oil-lamp.
  INHABITANTS
  All the Netherworld’s inhabitants are spirits. 
  They fall into two main groups:  the demons and 
  the damned.
  DEMONS AND DEVILS
  The dominant inhabitants of the Netherworld, 
  of course, are the demons. Gamemasters can get 
  a lot of gaming mileage from demons based on 
  Judeo-Christian-Islamic mythology, but a little 
  research in mythology and folklore can turn up 
  fascinating demons from other cultures, such as 
  Hindu Rakshasas or the plague-causing Maskim 
  from Mesopotamian myth. Several gods of evil or 
  death from defunct mythologies remain active as 
  demon lords. In fact, famous demons like Beelze-
  bub and Astaroth started as the gods of nations 
  competing with the ancient Hebrews (most notably 
  the Phoenicians and Syrians).
  Mystics sometimes call the demons of the 
  Abrahamic traditions “devils,” to distinguish them 
  from the evil spirits of other mythologies. The 
  lords of devilkind hold feudal ranks such as Earl, 
  Marquis, Prince, and King, in an infernal Descend-
  ing Hierarchy. Some devils also claim titles such 
  as Chancellor or Knight Commander. Devils even 
  boast their own order of knighthood, the Order of 
  the Fly, whose members compete in deeds of awful-
  ness. The Descending Hierarchy is not very orderly:  
  Devils may hold multiple ranks, and their intrigues 
  for power surpass the Borgias for ruthless treach-
  ery. The mightiest archdevils call themselves the Sin 
  Emperors — supreme exemplars of one particular 
  brand of evil. Mephistopheles, Prince of Lies, claims 
  the title of Emperor of Pride; Baphomet styles 
  himself Emperor of Wrath; Beelzebub, leader of 
  the cohort of fallen Middle Eastern gods, became 
  Emperor of Envy through jealousy of the God who 
  supplanted him.
  Demonic Animals
  In some parts of the Netherworld, animals 
  assist the demons. Many demon lords ride some 
  sort of beast:  the grimoires describe demons 
  riding horses, wolves and crocodiles. Infernal “hell 
  hounds” are traditional, too. (The HERO System 
  Bestiary describes both hell hounds and demon 
  steeds.) Dragons, vipers, and other vicious beasts 
  also help the demons torment their charges.
  DAMNED SOULS
  Damned human souls form the largest bloc 
  of the Netherworld’s inhabitants. The damned 
  usually look just as they did at their time of death 
  — aside from any damage inﬂicted on them by 
  their torments. Depending on what punishment 
  they receive, the damned might be naked, dressed 
  in tattered clothes they wore in life, or something 
  more exotic. In Dante’s Inferno, people who sold 
  holy oﬃces had to walk in immensely heavy cowled 
  robes of gilded lead. In some cases, the damned 
  might be altered in strange and horrible ways. In 
  Dante’s Wood of the Suicides, for instance, the 
  damned are turned into bleeding, speaking trees.
  SPECIAL CONDITIONS
  The Netherworld and its denizens follow a 
  number of special rules. The GM doesn’t have to 
  represent these special conditions in terms of game 
  mechanics, any more than he needs to write up 
  Earth’s gravitational ﬁeld as Telekinesis — these 
  conditions are intrinsic features of the dimension 
  itself.
  INDESTRUCTIBLE SPIRITS
  None of the Netherworld’s inhabitants can 
  truly die or lose consciousness no matter what 
  torture or mutilation they endure, because they’re 
  already dead. Conditions that would spell death for 
  a living person (suﬃcient negative BODY) merely 
  incapacitate a damned soul. Given time, the demon 
  or damned soul regenerates at a rate of 1 BODY 
  per Turn. Likewise, negative STUN simply means 
  a damned soul cannot act. The person remains 
  aware of what happens around him, or to him, as if 
  
  28 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  he were continually Stunned. This lets the demons 
  do truly horrible things to their charges... and the 
  damned stay conscious through it all.
  On their home turf, demons share these 
  immunities. They can’t be dispelled, and they ignore 
  pentagrams and magic circles. Certain special 
  methods can, however, truly destroy a demon or a 
  damned soul. Being eaten is one method:  demons 
  and devils feed upon damned souls. The more 
  reﬁned demon lords have their own version of 
  gourmet cooking. Lesser demons who fail in their 
  assignments may end up on the dinner table, too.
  Some kinds of magic might permanently 
  destroy a soul or spirit. These should be fairly exotic 
  attacks, such as AVLD Killing Attacks or Adjust-
  ment Powers. A Killing Attack whose only defense 
  is a Mental Defense Force Field, a Penetrating 
  BODY Drain, or a strong enough Dispel once a 
  demon or soul is incapacitated by BODY loss might 
  suﬃce. Avarice demons Transform the damned into 
  metal and stone, then break them up for raw mate-
  rials for their craftsmanship; this is pretty ﬁnal, too.
  Any method chosen to kill a Netherworld 
  inhabitant should be somewhat diﬃcult. Christian 
  theologians call Hell “the Second Death.” Delivering 
  a third and ultimate death to a spirit should be a 
  momentous event that holds serious consequences 
  — not something a character does lightly.
  ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
  The highest ranks of the Netherworld’s lords, 
  the true Arch-Devils and Demon Kings, wield 
  special power over their personal demesnes. This 
  is really a power of the demesne itself, to respond 
  to its master’s desires. A demon lord’s large Vari-
  able Power Pool can generate these eﬀects. In most 
  cases, though, GMs do not need exact numbers. 
  They are plot devices. None of these environment-
  control eﬀects cost any END.
  Change Environment
  A Netherworld demesne’s master can produce 
  any environmental condition that has no signiﬁ-
  cant combat eﬀect (i.e., no more than a single -1 
  penalty) and is even remotely appropriate for the 
  master’s territory. This can cover as much of the 
  desmesne as the demon lord wants. Typical eﬀects 
  include greater light, gloom, wind, rain, heat, cold, 
  or odors.
  Topographic Control
  A demon king can change its demesne’s land-
  scape at will to create or destroy hills, valleys, rivers, 
  gorges, and other landforms. The demon cannot 
  use this by itself as an attack, though topographic 
  control may serve as the Special Eﬀect of an attack 
  (see below). Changing the landscape can still 
  inconvenience intruders. For instance, a demon 
  king might fracture the land with a network of can-
  yons to hinder someone who tries escaping on foot.
  Illusions
  A demon king can create wide-area, virtually 
  undetectable illusions in its demesne. Archdevils 
  use illusions to deceive intruders about where they 
  are, who they face, and what sort of danger they’re 
  in. Any combat automatically breaks the illusion. 
  Illusions are especially popular with the subtler sort 
  of demon lord, who would rather trick and seduce 
  the heroes.
  Limited Omniscience
  The master of a Netherworld demesne has 
  great awareness of local events. The demon king 
  eﬀectively has Clairsentience with all its Senses, 
  enabling it to look anywhere in its demesne that it 
  pleases. The demon king can also Mind Link with 
  any of its minions at will. Fortunately for heroes, 
  archdevils don’t spend all their time spying on their 
  ﬁefdoms — they do so only if they have reason 
  to suspect a threat, or once in a while just to keep 
  their minions paranoid.
  Environmental Attacks
  Demon lords can evoke and control features of 
  the environment as attacks. In a volcanic demesne, 
  for instance, a demon king can create small erup-
  tions (RKA Explosion) and streams of lava (RKA 
  with Area Of Eﬀect [Line]). In a swamp, a ruling 
  spirit can lay down belts of quicksand (Entangle 
  with Area Of Eﬀect and Limitations) and animate 
  the plant life to clutch and strangle (Nonselective 
  Area Telekinesis).
  If the GM doesn’t want to create environmental 
  attacks through a Variable Power Pool, simply set the 
  Active Point cost of such attacks at about the same as 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  29 
  the demon king’s main attack powers, but give them 
  the following Power Advantages for free:  Continu-
  ous, Uncontrolled, Indirect, and No Range Modiﬁer.
  The GM should give long-distance environ-
  mental attacks a fairly low OCV:  It’s no fun for 
  a player to have his character exterminated by 
  an enemy he never sees. Environmental attacks 
  should also come with fair warning, such as a small 
  earth tremor and wisps of smoke a Phase before 
  a volcanic eruption, or a light sprinkling of acid 
  rain a Turn before it becomes a deadly downpour. 
  Environmental attacks serve to weaken and hinder 
  heroes, not kill them outright, and to demonstrate a 
  demon lord’s power on its home ground.
  Once the heroes face the demesne’s master 
  directly, though, GMs can suspend this gentlemanly 
  code. A demon lord can use its environmental 
  attacks simultaneously with its personal attacks 
  (remember, the land itself attacks, not the demon), 
  and the demon uses these powers to maximum 
  eﬀect in combat. Doubling a demon lord’s attack 
  capability is not in the least bit fair to the players... 
  but what sort of idiot expects fair play in Hell?
  ADVENTURE USE
  Heroes can ﬁnd many reasons to harrow Hell. In 
  fact, a trip to Hell is practically obligatory for heroes 
  in mythology. While modern heroes (mage or other-
  wise) might simply be stranded in the Netherworld 
  by accident and have to escape, mythic heroes go to 
  Hell deliberately. Many legends tell of heroes who go 
  to Hell to obtain something they need. A demon lord 
  might own an artifact the PCs require, or one of the 
  damned might have knowledge the heroes cannot 
  obtain any other way. If a demon lord or evil god 
  holds a hero’s DNPC captive, the hero must go to the 
  Netherworld to free him.
  A demon lord’s plot to wreak havoc on Earth 
  could also draw heroes to a personal confronta-
  tion in the Netherworld. Heroes should be warned, 
  though, that attacking a high-ranking demon lord 
  in its own fortress is extraordinarily dangerous. 
  Foolhardy, even. And in the Netherworld, there 
  really are fates worse than death.
  The Netherworld is, of course, an unlimited 
  reservoir of villains ranging from feeble minion 
  imps to evil gods like Beelzebub and Mephistoph-
  eles. Other villains might be mortals who sell their 
  souls for power. Heroes from Hell take more work 
  to justify, but some Eastern traditions stress that 
  demons exist to punish sin, not encourage it. Bud-
  dhism describes an especially large panoply of such 
  “righteous demons.” A mortal might be fused with 
  a demon or discover partial diabolical parentage, 
  and strive to use his powers for good instead of evil. 
  Such characters ﬁnd themselves torn between their 
  human morals and demonic passions — good for 
  some angst-ridden roleplaying.
  SAMPLE TORMENTS  
  OF THE DAMNED
  In the unlikely event that a GM lacks a suitably sadistic, 
  perverted imagination, here are some typical punish-
  ments for the damned. They come from that excellent 
  guide to the Netherworld, the Inferno of Dante Aligh-
  ieri, and from traditions about the Chinese Hells. 
  THE INFERNO
  THE LUSTFUL are blown about like leaves in per-
  petual storms.
  HOARDERS AND WASTERS, natural enemies, spend 
  eternity trying to smash each other by rolling huge 
  rocks around.
  HERETICS are sealed into tombs of red-hot iron.
  MURDERERS wade through a river of boiling blood. 
  Centaur archers on the banks prevent them from 
  getting out.
  FLATTERERS march through excrement that comes 
  from their own mouths.
  FORTUNETELLERS march with their heads twisted 
  backwards; nevermore will they see where they’re 
  going.
  SOWERS OF DISCORD get sliced up by demons, over 
  and over.
  TRAITORS are frozen into a lake of ice.
  CHINESE HELLS
  Here are some examples of the hundreds of colorfully-
  named Chinese Hells; see page 14 of Ninja Hero for 
  many more.
  Prison of Scooped Eyes
  Prison of Forced Drinking of Medicine
  Severing Kidney and Rat-Biting Prison
  Small Prison for Amputating Limbs
  Barbed Netting and Leeches Prison
  Hand-Baking Small Prison
  Carrying Stone Slab and Crouch-Walking Prison
  
  30 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  T
  he realm of Elysium formed from human 
  ideals of Goodness; more speciﬁcally, the 
  ideals set by the so-called “ethical” religions. 
  Elysium coalesced out of the Astral Plane 
  around the ﬁfth century BC. The previous 400 
  years saw a remarkable wave of religious reformers, 
  prophets and mystics. In China, Lao Tzu revealed 
  the mystic vision of Taoism; Confucius proposed 
  a more worldly philosophy of good conduct and 
  social contracts. In India, Siddhartha Gautama 
  became the Buddha — the Enlightened One — and 
  set forth a path of inner peace and transcendence. 
  Vardhamana, founder of Jainism, preached a doc-
  trine of total nonviolence and reverence for all life. 
  In Persia, Zoroaster proclaimed the duty of every 
  person to choose the right side in the eternal war of 
  Good and Evil. The Jews in Palestine reformed the 
  Torah after their captivity in Babylon, and so laid 
  the foundations for Christianity and Islam as well. 
  In Greece, philosophers like Thales and Pythagoras 
  explored rational inquiry and humanism.
  All these thinkers rejected the capricious, 
  all-too-human gods of their time. They created 
  new moralities based on higher laws than mere 
  tribal custom and the whims of ﬁckle deities. They 
  intended their new laws for all people and all cir-
  cumstances. New beliefs created new spirits and 
  new spirit-realms that gradually pulled away from 
  the Land of Legends, even as Faerie pulled away 
  from Earth.
  GEOGRAPHY
  Elysium is the most diﬃcult Imaginal Realm 
  to reach from the Astral Plane. Without an invita-
  tion from a resident or a total religious commit-
  ment, all attempts to reach Elysium suﬀer a -5 
  penalty on Navigation (Astral or Dimensional) 
  rolls. The GM may even want to require a roll from 
  characters whose Extra-Dimensional Movement 
  powers normally work automatically.
  It’s not easy to go from one section of Elysium 
  to another, either. In the other Parterres, connec-
  tions between regions are easy and visible:  it’s just 
  a matter of traveling the right path. In Elysium, 
  however, the regions did not grow together tightly. 
  To pass from one region to another, a traveler 
  must locate hidden nexus points, or use Extra-
  Dimensional Movement powers. As a general rule, 
  the Heavens of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, 
  Christianity, and Islam) have pretty good access to 
  each other. The Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist 
  Heavens also enjoy good connections, and even 
  admit each other’s existence. Between the Eastern 
  and Western Heavens, however, there is no direct 
  contact. A traveler from one set of demesnes to 
  the other must ﬁnd paths through small, marginal 
  regions of Elysium.
  On the other hand, nexus points link Elysium 
  to the other Imaginal Realms — even its enemy, 
  the Netherworld. The Abrahamic Elysians care-
  fully guard all nexus points from the Netherworld 
  and Babylon, but the zones of the Eastern religions 
  maintain strong, even promiscuous, connections to 
  regions within the Netherworld and Faerie. Taoism, 
  for instance, is only half an ethical religion:  popu-
  lar Taoism retains its ties to older, animistic beliefs 
  in gods, nature spirits, and ancestor worship. The 
  Celestial Emperor’s court in Elysium rules the Chi-
  nese sections of Faerie and exchanges diplomatic 
  missions with the Yama-Kings in Chinese Hell.
  LANDSCAPE ELEMENTS
  Many cultures imagine Heaven in terms of 
  gardens and palaces. Even when the abode of the 
  blessed features mountains and forests, these are 
  stylized, well-behaved landscapes, with terraces and 
  pavilions from which characters can enjoy the view.
  All the symbols of ease and pleasure show up 
  repeatedly in Elysium. Palaces, fountains, and even 
  trees are made of silver and gold. Jewels appear 
  as gravel in streambeds, or form the pavement of 
  halls. Fruit trees and ﬂowers abound. The blessed 
  wear clothes of costly fabrics and dine on the ﬁnest 
  food and drink, but no one has to do laundry or go 
  to the bathroom.
  The regions where the Great Powers themselves 
  dwell, however, go for grandeur instead of luxury. 
  Here the scenery runs to mammoth temple-palaces 
  of gold, marble, and jewels, with rivers of ﬁre, blazing 
  light, and hosts of spirits singing praises.
  RELIGIOUS HEAVENS
  Most regions of Elysium derive from the 
  Heavens or Paradises envisioned by a particular 
  religion. Here you ﬁnd the luxurious Seven Heav-
  ens of Islam, the paradisaical island of P’eng-lai 
  from Chinese mythology (and many more — pop-
  ular Taoism and Buddhism have invented dozens 
  of Heavens). Since human ideas of Paradise are 
  often quite fuzzy, many regions in Elysium merely 
  echo general ideas of what a Heaven should be, 
  without following speciﬁc myths too closely.
  The Jewish, Christian, and Muslim demesnes 
  form the most isolated bloc of Elysian regions. 
  These regions communicate somewhat because 
  the three religions share their God (even if they 
  disagree on His message). The Abrahamic spirits, 
  however, refuse to admit the existence of the other 
  Heavens. In fact, the angels are under orders not 
  ELYSIUM
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  31 
  to tell the blessed of each religion that believers 
  in other Abrahamic faiths made it to Heaven. The 
  Eastern-bloc spirits (Buddhism, higher Taoism, and 
  higher Hinduism) think this is funny.
  Ironically, the region that gave Elysium its 
  name is small and isolated from the rest of the 
  dimension. The original Elysium was the Paradise 
  envisioned late in the history of Greek religion, 
  when Pythagoras and other mystics created an ethi-
  cal religion on a mixture of Greek, Middle Eastern, 
  and even Hindu ideas. Pythagoreanism lasted until 
  at least the second century AD, but the triumph of 
  Christianity stiﬂed it.
  POPULAR HEAVENS
  Several of Elysium’s regions were never for-
  mally deﬁned by dogma. These Paradises grew 
  from the popular imagination. Here, for instance, 
  one ﬁnds the Heaven of folk Christianity, all ﬂuﬀy 
  white clouds and harp music. Specialized Heavens 
  for particular occupations fall into this category 
  too, such as Gourmet Heaven (all dining room) and 
  Doctor’s Heaven (a golf course). There’s a Lawyer’s 
  Heaven too, but it’s completely empty.
  Sample Regions
  Here are some examples of Elysian demesnes. 
  Some come from “oﬃcial” religious doctrines (with 
  descriptions drawn from various scriptures), while 
  others come from popular mythology.
  THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM
  “It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and 
  at the gates twelve angels... The wall was built of 
  jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. The 
  foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with 
  every jewel... and the twelve gates were twelve pearls, 
  each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the 
  street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass... 
  And the city had no need of sun or moon to shine 
  upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp 
  is the Lamb” (Revelations 21:12-23).
  The Christian districts of Elysium all connect 
  to the Heavenly Jerusalem. The most devout of the 
  blessed dwell within. The Book of Revelations says 
  that after the ﬁnal defeat of Satan, this divine city 
  shall manifest on a transformed Earth. Until then, 
  anyone who seeks a face-to-face meeting with the 
  saints must dare the city’s golden streets. The truly 
  righteous and redeemed may enter in safety, but 
  any mortal who is less than perfectly devout and 
  penitent commits blasphemy just by passing the city 
  gates. The Heavenly Jerusalem’s guards punish such 
  blasphemy with death and consignment to Hell.
  The Garden Of Eden
  “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, 
  in the east... And out of the ground the Lord God 
  made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight 
  and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst 
  of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of 
  good and evil” (Genesis 2:8-9).
  Four rivers spring from the hill where the 
  Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge grow. Eden 
  never sees rain, but a mist periodically rises from 
  the ground to water the plants. All kinds of ani-
  mals dwell in peace within the Garden, except the 
  accursed serpent.
  Unlike most paradises, Eden looks relatively 
  natural. The trees and plants bear ﬂowers and fruit 
  continuously, and the animals are all vegetarians, 
  but the plants are still just plants and the animals 
  are just animals (they aren’t made of gold or any-
  thing like that). Even the Trees of Knowledge and 
  Life look like regular fruit trees — an apple and a 
  peach, as it happens.
  Although Eden connects to other Abrahamic 
  Heavens, access is forbidden. Angelic guards with 
  ﬂaming swords stand at Eden’s access points with 
  orders not to let any human enter for any reason.
  Pop Heaven
  Countless movies, cartoons, and TV commer-
  cials portray Christian Heaven as a realm of puﬀy 
  clouds inhabited by white-robed men and women 
  with white wings and tinsel haloes. Some of them 
  carry little harps. Pop Heaven is entered through 
  a gate of golden ﬁligree. The gatekeeper, St. Peter 
  (or at least someone who says he’s St. Peter) owns a 
  book listing who’s due to arrive.
  JANNAT
  The Koran describes Jannat (“Garden”), the 
  Heaven of Islam, thus: “This is the similitude of 
  Paradise which the godfearing have been promised; 
  therein are rivers of water unstaling, rivers of milk 
  
  32 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  unchanging in ﬂavor, and rivers of wine — a delight 
  to the drinkers; rivers, too, of honey puriﬁed; and 
  therein for them is every fruit, and forgiveness 
  from their Lord” (Sura 47:16).
  Other stanzas mention the houris, the beauti-
  ful, dark-eyed and perpetually virginal maidens who 
  wait to pleasure the faithful Muslim man when he 
  wants a change from drinking water, milk, honey, 
  and the wine that was forbidden to him in life. The 
  Koran is a little fuzzy about any corresponding 
  rewards for faithful Muslim women. Muslim theo-
  logians say the rewards of Jannat are symbolic, and 
  therefore gender-neutral. As always, however, the 
  popular imagination stays ﬁrmly literal.
  P’ENG-LAI SHAN
  These three islands form the Eastern Paradise 
  of popular Taoism. Here life is all ease and pleasure. 
  The houses are built of gold and silver, and the trees 
  bear coral and pearls. The snow-white birds and ani-
  mals drink, like the inhabitants, from the Fountain 
  of Life. Flowers scent the breeze with delicious per-
  fumes, and their seeds grant immortality to whoever 
  eats them. P’eng-lai’s most famous inhabitants are a 
  group of deathless sages called the Eight Immortals.
  Legends claim that P’eng-lai is hard to reach 
  even for an Earthly paradise. The water around the 
  islands has no buoyancy, so ships sink; the three 
  islands can only be reached by magic. Actually, 
  P’eng-lai never existed on Earth at all, but it’s still 
  true that no one can sail or swim in the waters 
  around these blessed isles.
  AMITABHA
  Amitabha is only the most well-known of the 
  Buddha-land Heavens. Amitabha features lotus 
  ponds, avenues of trees decorated with jewels, birds 
  that sing in tune with spirit musicians, perfumed 
  air, and jewels strewn like gravel. Buddhas, bod-
  dhisattvas (Buddhist “saints”), angelic spirits, and 
  minor gods dwell in Amitabha along with other 
  blessed souls.
  Unlike most religions, the Heavens of Bud-
  dhism are not places for permanent residence after 
  death. They merely serve advanced souls as pleas-
  ant way-stations between incarnations. The real 
  goal of Buddhism is nirvana — dissolving the self 
  into the Cosmic Mind that is the only true reality. 
  The wise inhabitants of Amitabha are just a few 
  steps from this goal, or have done so but resumed 
  mortal limitations to teach the rest of humanity. 
  The blessed who attain Amitabha learn how to take 
  those ﬁnal steps, and the Buddha-land’s sages know 
  many great secrets of the Multiverse.
  ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN
  “Oh, the buzzing of the bees in the peppermint 
  trees, and the soda water fountain....” The modern 
  version of the garden of luxury, as envisaged by a 
  hobo, features candy growing on trees and other 
  tasty surprises. A fellow can loaf to his heart’s con-
  tent, or tease the ineﬀectual, wooden-legged cops 
  and the dogs with rubber teeth. Rock Candy Moun-
  tain gets boring after a while, though.
  No supernatural powers have yet claimed this 
  pagan bit of Paradise. Rock Candy Mountain is one 
  of the safest parts of Elysium to visit. It also con-
  tains hidden nexus points to other folk Heavens, 
  and the Land of Legends.
  INHABITANTS
  The inhabitants of Elysium lack the diversity 
  of Earth’s other Parterres, but they include some 
  of the most powerful of spirits. Billions of people 
  actively worship the gods of Elysium, so they 
  receive abundant magical energy to share with their 
  subordinates.
  Some of the Elysian spirits have roles in 
  more than one religion. The Archangel Gabriel, 
  for instance, is an important ﬁgure in Judaism, 
  Christianity, and Islam. Gabriel must hop between 
  demesnes and pretend in each one that the other 
  Heavens don’t exist; he is not a happy archangel.
  All Elysians are good, by the standards of the 
  religions that spawned them. They are not neces-
  sarily gentle, merciful, or in other ways “nice.” Most 
  religious codes of morality place a strong emphasis 
  on punishment... or at least most believers think so, 
  even if the oﬃcial doctrine centers on forgiveness 
  or renunciation of violence.
  ANGELIC SPIRITS
  Each of the ethical religions deﬁnes its own 
  classes of servitor spirits. The Abrahamic traditions 
  call them angels. The amschaspands and yazatas 
  of Zoroastrianism are very similar. Hinduism 
  and Buddhism share the devas. Popular Taoism 
  describes assorted fairies and genies called shen. 
  Confucianism propounds no spirits of its own, but 
  advises followers to revere their ancestors and the 
  gods of Taoism, because they are part of tradition.
  The Abrahamic angels are currently the most 
  active and militant Elysian spirits. Most of them are 
  not warm and fuzzy benefactors of mankind. Only 
  the Angels of Mercy ﬁt that modern, watered-down 
  conception. Older lore says that angels punish as 
  often as they reward or assist.
  BLESSED SOULS
  Just as notably evil souls go to the Nether-
  world, the souls of notably good people go to 
  Elysium when they die. Elysium’s population of 
  former mortals is considerably smaller than the 
  Netherworld’s.
  Saints And Sages
  The mightiest among the blessed are the saints. 
  Their god delegates power to them. Some saints 
  developed magic powers of their own, before their 
  death; some even receive signiﬁcant worship on 
  their own. The term “saint” here refers not just to 
  Christian ﬁgures, but also to Hebrew prophets such 
  as Elijah and Isaiah, Muslim imams and Suﬁ mul-
  lahs, great Hindu gurus and yogins, Buddhist bod-
  dhisattvas, and Taoist and Confucian sages. Even 
  a few secular people whose virtues brought them 
  reverence become saints in Elysium, including rare, 
  saintly wizards such as Apollonius of Tyana.
  Having been mortal themselves, saints feel 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  33 
  more sympathy for the problems of ordinary 
  people than the great lords of Elysium ever do. 
  The Ban (page 61) seldom permits saints to help 
  people on Earth directly. They may help the faithful 
  through visions, however, or through subtle mira-
  cles on behalf of mortals who are themselves holy.
  GODS AND DEMIGODS
  The gods of the various religions dwell in Ely-
  sium. Their ranks include Jehovah/Christ/Allah, 
  Shang Ti the Celestial Emperor, and deiﬁed found-
  ers of religions such as the Buddha and Lao Tzu. 
  These powerful ﬁgures tell the angelic spirits what 
  to do, and bear the responsibility for their actions.
  Worship by billions of mortals makes the gods 
  of Elysium tremendously powerful by mortal (or 
  even super-mortal) standards. There’s no point 
  in writing up such powerful characters (even if 
  doing so would not be deeply oﬀensive to believ-
  ers). In most case, the GM can treat the gods as 
  plot devices:  they talk, and if need be can do pretty 
  much anything they want, but heroes and villains 
  chieﬂy interact with the saints and angelic spirits.
  For all their power, however, the rulers of 
  Elysium are not the cosmic ﬁgures that oﬃcial 
  doctrine claims. They merely embody mortal ideas 
  about gods. The Jehovah who rules the Heavenly 
  Jerusalem is not the Supreme Being and Creator 
  of the Universe; neither is the Buddha found in 
  Elysium the actual, historic Buddha. The gods of 
  Elysium are not all-knowing or truly all-powerful. 
  They make mistakes and have temper tantrums. 
  Kabbalistic mystics refuse to call the God in Ely-
  sium by the name of Jehovah. Instead, they call 
  him the Shekhinah, or “Countenace” — the mask 
  of God. Most Christian and Muslim sorcerers also 
  follow this practice, while Eastern mystics refer to 
  Elysium’s gods and Buddhas as avatars. The Ely-
  sians may help simple folk approach the divine, but 
  the wise treat them as conduits for worship rather 
  than the subjects of worship in their own right.
  SPECIAL CONDITIONS
  Like the other Parterres, reality in Elysium fol-
  lows certain rules that visiting characters must keep 
  in mind. Some of these rules echo the conditions in 
  the Netherworld.
  INDESTRUCTIBLE SPIRITS
  Like the demons and the damned of the Neth-
  erworld, the blessed spirits of Elysium cannot be 
  destroyed by any normal means. “Death” on other 
  planes just dispels them back to Elysium, and 
  “death” in Elysium itself just forces a temporary 
  discorporation. The spirit eventually forms again. 
  Certain terrible magic spells can bring true death to 
  an Elysian — but if giving the ﬁnal death to one of 
  the damned is a thing not done lightly, think how 
  portentous it must be to kill one of the blessed!
  IMMORTALITY
  In all the districts of Elysium, there is no sick-
  ness or death (at least, no natural death). While in 
  Elysium, mortals become immortal:  all diseases are 
  healed and aging stops for the duration of the visit. 
  Visitors easily become permanently immortal (i.e., 
  they can buy Life Support [Immunity and/or Lon-
  gevity]), if one of the Great Powers concurs; steal-
  ing immortality is more diﬃcult and a character 
  can make powerful enemies that way. In fact, some 
  districts of Elysium contain items that cure disease 
  and prolong life even if taken to Earth, such as the 
  Peaches of Immortality from Chinese mythology.
  ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
  Just as the chief powers of the Netherworld 
  can control the environment or their personal 
  demesnes, the Great Powers of Elysium can manip-
  ulate the Heavens under their control. (See the 
  Netherworld description for details.)
  
  34 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  ADVENTURE USE
  With all the enemies heroes have, they’d like a 
  few powerful friends. Elysium would seem to oﬀer 
  such allies. Actually, Elysium oﬀers fewer friends 
  than characters might expect.
  The Great Powers of Elysium are not espe-
  cially cordial. Some gods won’t oﬀer anything but 
  advice. Others expect a complete religious commit-
  ment from anyone who asks for help. Elysians may 
  demand that characters prove they deserve any 
  help, and they have very high standards. The Ely-
  sians certainly insist on favors in return.
  What’s more, misery on Earth is not necessar-
  ily bad for Elysium. Secularism presents as great a 
  threat to the gods of Elysium as any evil power of 
  the Netherworld. Religion — all religion — ﬂour-
  ishes in times of trouble. As long as a menace 
  doesn’t directly threaten to reduce their worship, 
  Elysium’s gods might not care.
  Desperate characters may try to steal some aid 
  from Elysium. For instance, a person with a DNPC 
  dying of cancer or AIDS might try to steal an all-
  curing apple from the Tree of Life in Eden. This 
  would lead to conﬂict with Elysian spirits, either in 
  Elysium or on Earth afterward.
  Since the religions that created Elysium do 
  not all tolerate each other, neither do the Elysian 
  powers. Religious conﬂicts on Earth may invite 
  supernatural intervention — for example, heroes 
  who try to stop a “holy war” may ﬁnd themselves 
  ﬁghting against Elysian spirits. After that, one of the 
  Great Powers might put them on a hit list. Elysians 
  may also be deceived, deluded, or misguided, or just 
  in the wrong place at the wrong time..
  Elysium makes an excellent source for heroes, 
  though. An angel or boddhisattva could decide 
  his duty lies on Earth, among mortals. Such a 
  hero probably suﬀers a form of exile for placing 
  mortals above doctrine, but sets an example of 
  virtue second to none. Wizard-saints like Albertus 
  Magnus or Lao Tzu could also give superpowers 
  to people of great moral courage, to help humanity 
  ﬁght the Netherworld’s minions.
  Supervillains may come from Elysium as well, 
  but these villain are not so much evil as inﬂexible. 
  For example, a warrior angel exists to destroy the 
  enemies of God. He wasn’t created to make moral 
  judgments of his own. Left unsupervised, he might 
  attack pornographers, “inﬁdel” (i.e., Hindu or Bud-
  dhist) temples, or people who work on the Sabbath.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  35 
  BABYLON: THE 
  CITY OF MAN
  B
  abylon completes the Great Quaternion 
  of the Inner Planes. This dimension was 
  once very small, but it exploded in size 
  and power as the human race multiplied 
  and bound the Earth in railroads, highways, and 
  cities. The lords of Elysium and the Netherworld 
  view Babylon’s rise with both hope and fear, for it 
  tips the ancient balance of power. An alliance with 
  Babylon could give either realm a ﬁnal victory... or 
  Babylon might conquer all the Parterres and make 
  Man truly the measure of all things.
  Babylon echoes all the great cities of the past 
  and present, real and imagined — perhaps even 
  cities to come. Mere size does not confer greatness:  
  a city must radiate its image into men’s thoughts, 
  so it became a thing of symbol as much as of wood 
  and stone and steel, before Babylon reﬂects its 
  qualities. The London of Queen Victoria is more 
  real than the London of today — at least in Baby-
  lon. Hiroshima, whose famous cherry groves bloom 
  a short walk from humanity’s most terrible feat of 
  destruction, echoes more powerfully in Babylon 
  than does Osaka, a sprawling megalopolis that 
  exists only because it is useful.
  Babylon thus resembles every great city on 
  Earth, only more so. Its skyscrapers tower impossibly 
  high. Its freeways sprawl wider than football ﬁelds; 
  its back alleys form a cramped and tangled maze. It 
  is built on a bay, a river, a crossroads, and an oasis. 
  Like Rome and San Francisco, it has seven hills. In 
  its malls, department stores, arcades, and bazaars 
  you can buy anything possible to human art or fancy 
  — but some things cost more than money.
  Babylon is, above all, the realm of secular 
  ambition. Power, money, and skill rule aﬀairs in 
  Babylon. True, the world’s great religions often 
  place their hearts in cities:  Jerusalem, Rome, 
  Mecca, Benares. Babylon holds many a temple, 
  cathedral, and mosque. But the cities ﬁnd so much 
  more to occupy men’s minds; so many ways to 
  distract people from religion. St. Augustine advised 
  Christians to renounce the City of Man for the City 
  of God. As fewer and fewer people take his advice, 
  Babylon grows. What happens to the gods when 
  humanity realizes it can build a new Heaven and 
  new Earth all by itself?
  GEOGRAPHY
  Characters can journey to Babylon directly, or 
  approach it from the Astral Plane. From the Astral 
  Plane, Babylon looks like a tightly bounded blur of 
  towers. Once you enter the city gates, however, Bab-
  ylon explodes outwards and you stand in the thick 
  of the city. From the inside, in fact, Babylon doesn’t 
  seem to have an outside:  whichever way a charac-
  ter goes, he ﬁnds more city. Babylon’s main streets 
  seem to go straight but actually form closed loops. 
  You can ﬁnd the city gates again and leave for the 
  Astral Plane, but you must know the proper route.
  The city contains many districts, each with its 
  own character. The districts interpenetrate, appear-
  ing and disappearing like overlaid mirages. A ﬂight 
  of steps might connect imperial Beijing to a Middle 
  Eastern bazaar or a modern mall. Walking down a 
  single road, a character might see examples of the 
  architecture and customs of cultures separated by 
  thousands of miles and thousands of years stand-
  ing side-by-side, or just across the street from each 
  other. Somewhere in Babylon — it’s not shown on 
  any map — a subway leads to the city of Pandemo-
  nium in the Netherworld, and an elevator reaches 
  the New Jerusalem in Elysium.
  Characters can buy guides to the mazy, shift-
  ing streets of Babylon, but interpreting the multi-
  dimensional maps is a task ﬁt for an Einstein. Inex-
  perienced visitors should hire expert help, such as a 
  cabby or a street urchin.
  HISTORICAL DISTRICTS
  Most districts of Babylon mimic the great 
  cities of the past and present, from ancient Athens 
  to modern Los Angeles. Some of the oldest districts 
  are fading, though. Only fragments remain of cities 
  more than 2,000 years old.
  IMAGINARY DISTRICTS
  Babylon also contains hints and fragments of 
  imaginary cities such as the Emerald City of Oz or 
  the sky-piercing spires of the traditional science 
  ﬁction city, complete with monorails and hovercraft 
  pads. Visitors may see these districts in the distance, 
  but it’s quite diﬃcult to actually reach them.
  ABSTRACT DISTRICTS
  Some districts are based on abstract, 
  stripped-down aspects of cities. Babylon includes 
  a neighborhood where only the plumbing of the 
  buildings stands; a huge, tangled cloverleaf where 
  it’s always rush hour and the traﬃc is always 
  jammed; and a district entirely composed of 
  funeral parlors and tombs.
  
  36 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Sample Locations
  Here are a few of the unusual or important 
  places within Babylon.
  FUTUROPOLIS
  This classic sci-ﬁ movie city features mile-
  high, Art Deco skyscrapers and aircars ﬂitting 
  about. Everyone is Caucasian and wears a silver 
  jumpsuit. Fins make buildings, vehicles, and 
  machines look aseptically high-tech, in a quaint 
  and clunky sort of way. There’s no sign of plant or 
  animal life, wild or domesticated.
  BYZANTIUM
  Artiﬁce shows itself most beautifully in the 
  administrative district of Babylon. Byzantium 
  features broad streets and plazas lined with stately 
  public buildings and villas, with lots of white 
  marble, columns, domes, mosaic ﬂoors, and carved 
  friezes. Even the apartment buildings, shops and 
  taverns on the district’s fringe show a crisp, Classi-
  cal dignity (regardless of what cultural or architec-
  tural style they embody).
  In the middle of Byzantium stands the palace 
  compound of the Emperor. The vast, labyrinthine 
  place includes gardens and barracks. The huge 
  throne room features a vaulted roof of dark blue 
  lapis lazuli set with jeweled constellations. Abso-
  lutely everything in the palace is beautiful, or at 
  least not ugly. The palace contains enough Greek 
  statues, Ming vases, Japanese scroll paintings, jew-
  eled Fabergé knicknacks, and Persian carpets to pay 
  oﬀ the debts of every nation on Earth. Whole busi-
  nesses in Byzantium work full time creating more 
  objets d’art to divert the Emperor and his court.
  In some ways, the Imperial Palace is a micro-
  cosm of Babylon, just like Babylon is a microcosm 
  of Earth. The Palace extends into several districts 
  of Babylon, where it takes the form of celebrated 
  palaces from history and legend. In the Old China 
  districts, the Palace resembles the Forbidden City. 
  In Istanbul, you enter it through a copy of the Top-
  kapi Palace. In Victorian London, the Palace looks 
  and feels like the Tower of London.
  THE LIBRARY
  The Library’s hushed chambers hold copies 
  of nearly every book or magazine ever formally 
  published on Earth, and a lot that weren’t. It is the 
  greatest repository of information in the Parterres. 
  A character with a borrower’s card can read news-
  papers, novels, or magazines in languages he doesn’t 
  actually know:  everyone within the Library’s walls 
  receives the Universal Translator Talent for pur-
  poses of reading the Library’s contents.
  The most amazing materials reside in the 
  closed stacks. The Library boasts extensive collec-
  tions of works lost to Earth, such as the plays of 
  Sophocles that burned with the library of Alexan-
  dria, or the histories that the ﬁrst emperor of China 
  burned so people would know nothing from before 
  his reign. Special vaults hold scrolls, tablets, and 
  tomes from lost civilizations, all the way back to the 
  Turakian Age and beyond, though these collections 
  are far less complete.
  The Library’s acquisitions program extends 
  to books that might never exist. One endless 
  room in the Library’s basement holds millions of 
  automated printing presses churning out every 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  37 
  book that could ever be written. For centuries, the 
  presses simply printed pages of random letters, on 
  the theory that eventually they would print out 
  everything. In 1973, however, the master wizard 
  Archimago gave the Library a spirit of Artiﬁce 
  that sifts meaningful information out of random 
  processes. The spirit ensures that the presses print 
  syntactically meaningful statements — real words 
  in real languages, not gibberish. Archimago’s gift 
  vastly accelerated the Library’s program, though the 
  librarians still face the problem of ﬁnding out what 
  stuﬀ is actually true. The spirit knows nothing but 
  grammar; it can’t sort truth from falsehood.
  A borrower’s card for the Library of Babylon 
  is a 1-point Fringe Beneﬁt. This lets a character use 
  the Library’s reference services at a low level. Eﬀec-
  tively, the Library has at least an 11- rating in every 
  conceivable Knowledge Skill. Reference searches 
  take hours to days, at GM’s whim, with no beneﬁts 
  for extra time. A card-holder cannot consult the 
  closed stacks, however, without special permission 
  from a librarian or various city oﬃcials.
  A privileged membership costs 5 Character 
  Points. This raises the Library’s eﬀective knowl-
  edge rating to at least 13-, and lets the character 
  use the closed stacks (though he still cannot check 
  out these special books). No PC can start as a high 
  priority user. The Library grants this Fringe Ben-
  eﬁt only in return for a bequest as magniﬁcent as 
  Archimago’s information-spirit.
  THE ROOKERIES
  The name comes from Victorian London, but 
  most major cities contain these noxious, violent, 
  crowded slums — the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the 
  ghettoes of modern American cities, and more. 
  Babylon’s Rookeries are the worst of all. The slab-
  like public housing high-rises of concrete jostle 
  smaller tenements of decaying red brick. Streets 
  and alleys between buildings have been roofed 
  over and divided into rooms. Shanties perch on the 
  rooftops; improvised bridges, tunnels, and ladders 
  connect the various structures. The chief industry is 
  crime; the inhabitants see all intruders as targets for 
  robbery and murder. If a criminal escapes into the 
  Rookeries, nothing short of magic can locate him 
  or drag him out again.
  INHABITANTS
  A city is made of people as much as streets and 
  buildings. The people of Babylon are as remarkable 
  as their home.
  HUMANS
  Most inhabitants of Babylon are just ordinary 
  humans, gathered from all the great urban civiliza-
  tions. Most Babylonians live with their own kind 
  in their own districts, but they travel through the 
  city freely. Walking down a street in Babylon, visi-
  tors see a Chinese rickshaw 
  dodge an elephant bearing a 
  sumptuous Indian howdah, 
  a medieval bishop arguing 
  theology with a Greek phi-
  losopher, pinstriped Chicago 
  mobsters eyeing Los Angeles 
  gangbangers strutting in their 
  colors, a French courtier drip-
  ping with lace and jewels, 
  Victorian streetwalkers, spac-
  ers from future cities in the 
  asteroid belt, and merchants 
  of Timbuktu.
  Every native of Babylon 
  speaks at least three lan-
  guages ﬂuently. This usually 
  includes English. More people 
  live on Earth now than in all 
  of history put together, so 
  the languages that are most 
  popular on modern Earth are 
  also the most common lan-
  guages in Babylon.
  CONURBITES
  This magical race is anal-
  ogous to the elves of Faerie. 
  The conurbites live TV-com-
  mercial lives of glamor and 
  conspicuous consumption. 
  They look mostly human; 
  some of them sport “cyborg” 
  machine parts, and their skin 
  has a plastic sheen.
  
  38 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Like the faerie-folk, conurbites possess innate 
  abilities. Conurbite powers usually deal with con-
  trolling or reshaping matter. Each one also has a 
  special attack form based on an appliance, such as 
  “morphing” a hand into an electric carving knife 
  (HKA) or a super-powerful blow dryer (EB with 
  Double Knockback). The conurbite race is very 
  new, and hasn’t found its ﬁnal form yet.
  POP ICONS
  People, real or imagined, can materialize in 
  Babylon if enough people think about them. John 
  F. Kennedy and Elvis live in Babylon. So do Sher-
  lock Holmes, Bugs Bunny, and Ronald McDonald. 
  Watch out for Jack the Ripper:  Babylon’s version 
  is as lethal and unstoppable as people imagine Jack 
  to be, making him far nastier than the real Ripper. 
  Iconic real people never appear in Babylon until 
  they die.
  THE EMPEROR
  The Emperor of Babylon might be human, but 
  then again he might not. Nobody knows what the 
  Emperor looks like, because he always goes masked 
  or in disguise. The Emperor often moves about 
  Babylon incognito. He is reputed to be an extremely 
  powerful magician or spirit:  this would explain 
  how he balances the many competing factions of 
  Babylon and keeps the city from self-destructing.
  The Emperor does not care about good or 
  evil; he simply tries to keep Babylon from tearing 
  itself apart. He is The Man — authority without a 
  face. Anyone who wants his help must show some 
  respect for procedure, and explain why a course of 
  action beneﬁts the city. Still, the Emperor is a bit 
  of a trickster, too. Petitioners sometimes ﬁnd the 
  minor functionary they badgered for an audience 
  was actually the Emperor himself.
  INTELLIGENT ANIMALS
  Just like cities on Earth, many animals live 
  in Babylon. The city’s rats, pigeons, and roaches, 
  however, are sometimes intelligent. The sentient 
  animals set up their own communities outside the 
  view of most humans.
  LIVING MACHINES
  Everybody treats the machines in their lives as 
  though they had thought and will... so in Babylon, 
  some of them do. Earthly cities have problems with 
  packs of stray dogs; Babylon has problems with 
  packs of stray cars.
  LIVING ART
  People in Babylon encounter the occasional 
  living statue, store mannequin, or gargoyle. Even if 
  these creatures can’t move, they can talk. Talking 
  paintings are common, too. In Babylon, anything 
  that counterfeits the human form tends to come 
  to life.
  REALLY WEIRD THINGS
  Babylon now generates strange creatures 
  worthy of the wildest urban legends. More than one 
  hook-handed serial killer stalks Babylon’s streets. 
  You really don’t want to meet the mutant alligators 
  in Babylon’s sewers, or the elementals of smog and 
  toxic waste. This is ﬁnal proof, if any were needed, 
  that Babylon has come of age as a dimension:  it 
  generates places, creatures, and images of its own, 
  instead of merely copying directly from human 
  imagination.
  SPECIAL CONDITIONS
  Except for its geographic peculiarities, the 
  dimension of Babylon has few physical conditions 
  that could aﬀect adventures. In many ways it is 
  the most Earthlike and “human” of the Parterres. 
  Most of Babylon’s “special conditions” are social 
  or economic. For instance, how does Babylon feed 
  its population? It’s magic... and anyone who wants 
  more of an explanation must discover the truth 
  for himself.
  FINDING YOUR WAY
  All movement within a district follows normal 
  rules. Travel between districts, however, becomes 
  more problematic.
  Like the Astral Plane, distance in Babylon 
  depends on the traveler’s will and how much the 
  destination resembles the starting-point. Use the 
  rules for astral shortcuts to ﬁnd how long a char-
  acter takes to ﬁnd a particular district:  such travel 
  takes a base time of 20 minutes and involves cross-
  ing several districts. You can attempt a quicker, 
  more direct journey, but at less chance of getting 
  where you want to go. But Navigation (Astral) 
  doesn’t Complement the EGO Roll to reach the 
  desired location; instead, characters can buy CK: 
  Babylon and use it as a Complementary Skill. See 
  the accompanying text box for additional modiﬁ-
  ers; as with astral shortcuts, these indicate steps up 
  or down the Time Chart from 20 Minutes, not dice 
  roll modiﬁers.
  For every 2 points by which a character 
  succeeds with his EGO Roll, the duration of his 
  journey improves by one step up the Time Chart 
  (minimum of 1 Minute). Failing the roll means he 
  ends up somewhere he didn’t plan, but carries no 
  worse penalty.
  A character’s actual movement rate does not 
  aﬀect cross-district travel. A character who ﬂies at 
  100 miles an hour, for instance, arrives no sooner 
  BABYLON TRAVEL
  Modiﬁer Time Chart Adjustment Factor
  +1 
  Destination comes from the same time 
  period as the starting district
  +1 
  Destination comes from the same culture as 
  the starting district
  +1 
  Destination is a major city landmark (exam-
  ple:  Acropolis of Athens)
  +2 
  Destination is Byzantium
  -1 
  Destination is a city more than 2,000 years 
  old that no longer exists
  -1 
  Destination is a non-historical district 
  (example:  Futuropolis)
  -2 
  Destination is an abstract district (example:  
  Plumbing District)
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  39 
  than a person who simply walks:  he moves faster, 
  but passes through many more districts.
  Teleportation does not work between dis-
  tricts unless the destination is a Fixed Point or the 
  character can actually see his target location. If a 
  character looks down a cross-street and see another 
  district, he can Teleport there. Characters who want 
  to travel instantly to locations in other districts 
  must use Extra-Dimensional Movement and suc-
  ceed at a CK: Babylon roll, with the same modiﬁers 
  as normal movement. The character may use Navi-
  gation (Astral) as a Complementary Skill Roll.
  LONG-RANGE SCANNING
  Babylon’s twisted, interwoven, many-folded 
  space makes it both easier and diﬃcult to locate 
  things at a distance (as by Mind Scan or Telescopic 
  Enhanced Senses). For purposes of scanning, noth-
  ing in Babylon is more than 1 kilometer (500”) 
  away. After that, range modiﬁers stop. On the other 
  hand, characters cannot register the direction of 
  anything more than 100 meters (50”) away. A scan 
  beyond this range registers a shimmer of readings 
  from all directions, appearing and disappearing 
  as the districts rearrange themselves. Babylon is a 
  great place to hide.
  Mind Scan In Babylon
  Characters can still use Mind Scan to form a 
  mental link across districts of Babylon, or to target 
  Mental Powers. (Similarly, they can maintain a Mind 
  Link across districts, unless the GM rules otherwise 
  based on special eﬀects, dramatic sense, or other 
  considerations.) To target other characters across 
  districts, however, requires that the Power used have 
  the Advantages Indirect (at least +½) and Transdi-
  mensional (to or within Babylon; +½). The character 
  still doesn’t know his target’s actual location, no 
  matter how good a Mind Scan lock-on he obtains.
  Most districts have a population in the thou-
  sands. Mind Scanning such districts suﬀer a penalty 
  from -6 to -8. If a character does not know what 
  district his Mind Scan target occupies, he must 
  scan the entire dimension at a -14 OECV penalty 
  — equal to scanning the largest cities on contem-
  porary Earth.
  MONEY
  Babylon accepts all forms of currency, from all 
  periods in history. You may have trouble ﬁnding a 
  shop that accepts stone disk money from Yap, but 
  the banks can handle it. You can pay for something 
  in ﬂorins and receive change in a mixture of dollars 
  and denarii.
  None of the money in Babylon, however, is 
  quite like any on Earth. Archaic money looks new.  
  An Earthly numismatist might pronounce it a fair 
  copy of an old coin, but worthless except for the 
  metal it contains. Contemporary paper money 
  isn’t even a convincing fake. A Babylon dollar, for 
  instance, looks like “Monopoly” money.
  You can spend Earth money in Babylon. In 
  fact, it’s worth more in Babylon than on Earth — 
  about ﬁve times as much! The Babylon government, 
  however, frowns on people tossing Earth money 
  around freely. Any honest citizen directs visitors 
  from Earth to the nearest bank, where they can 
  exchange their cash or (in modern districts) with-
  draw money from their Earthly checking accounts 
  in Babylon currency. Dishonest citizens accept the 
  Earth money, but lie about how much it’s worth, or 
  do not oﬀer the full exchange rate.
  Money from Earth has such value in Babylon 
  because money is concentrated secular power — a 
  talisman carrying the power of the State, and that’s 
  big magic. The Netherworld takes power from 
  damned souls; Babylon takes power from money. 
  As more money from Earth lodges in Babylon, 
  the city-dimension becomes more real and gains a 
  tighter connection to Earth.
  SECRET SOCIETIES
  Politics turns bizarre in Babylon. The diverse 
  population holds no consensus about how to rule 
  the city. To make things worse, beings from other 
  dimensions — demons, gods, and dimension lords 
  — lobby and conspire for inﬂuence. The result is a 
  plethora of scheming secret societies. A major frac-
  tion of Babylon’s population belongs to one society 
  or another. Mystics often lead these societies, and 
  the Emperor personally inﬁltrates most groups. 
  Here are two of the largest conspiracies:
  The Shadow Cabinet
  The Shadow Cabinet serves the cause of Order. 
  It seeks to subvert the government of Babylon and 
  create a regimented society, as prelude to taking 
  over the Earth itself. Many rich and powerful 
  
  40 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  people in Babylon belong to the Shadow Cabinet. 
  The supreme leaders, however, all serve various 
  Lords of Order, such as Bromion (see Arcane 
  Adversaries). The Shadow Cabinet oﬀers group soli-
  darity and protection, a religious experience of the 
  Great Unity, and the promise of power and inﬂu-
  ence in the New World Order.
  The Shadow Cabinet controls an array of 
  spirits with strange powers and even stranger 
  appearances. These include the War Pigs, large hogs 
  with self-working machine guns mounted on their 
  backs; the Futures Traders, two-faced men in suits 
  who talk backwards and forwards and remember 
  the future as well as the past; and the Young Pio-
  neers, truculent boys in coonskin caps, armed with 
  oversized hatchets and paralyzing squirt-guns.
  The Fool’s Parliament
  The Shadow Cabinet’s chief enemy promotes 
  Chaos through a program that outsiders describe as 
  “political surrealism” but which the leaders describe 
  as “Jell-O wrestling with penguins.” Order-lovers 
  often deride individuality and impulse as foolish. 
  The Fool’s Parliament replies that if freedom is folly, 
  they are glad to be fools — and dress the part, too.
  Membership in the Fool’s Parliament oﬀers 
  some practical beneﬁts. The secret society acts as 
  a labor union of sorts, helping workers deal with 
  management injustice or ﬁnancial problems. Those 
  who want a pietistic religious experience can ﬁnd 
  one with a Lord of Chaos. Some people join for a 
  chance to strike back at society, or for a chance to 
  wear a silly outﬁt. A few people even join for seri-
  ous philosophical reasons.
  The Parliament’s greatest weapon is Carni-
  val. By declaring Carnival, the Fools can paralyze 
  whole districts of Babylon as revelry draws people 
  from work to jam the streets. Carnival can force 
  business leaders to take the Parliaments’s demands 
  seriously. The Fools can also cause or provoke sab-
  otage, walkouts, and other labor actions. Against 
  politicians, they prefer weirder methods such as 
  guerilla home redecoration.
  The Fool’s Parliament controls its own strange 
  creatures and agents. These include living toys, the 
  insidious Men In Plaid with their hypnotic googly-
  eye glasses, and the enigmatic Balloon Man.
  ADVENTURE USE
  Babylon’s merchants can obtain just about 
  anything (if the price is right). Its library inﬁnitely 
  surpasses anything on Earth. Finding an object or 
  consultant in Babylon, however, can be an adven-
  ture in itself — especially if someone else doesn’t 
  want the PCs to succeed. Of course, mystic villains 
  can exploit Babylon, too. Villains ﬁnd Babylon 
  especially useful as a hideout, since location spells 
  and powers are nigh-useless in the City of Man.
  Both real and imaginary celebrities manifest 
  in Babylon. The City of Man gives PCs a chance 
  to team up with Sherlock Holmes or superheroes 
  from their favorite comic books. On the other 
  hand, heroes might have to ﬁght Al Capone’s gang 
  or Jack the Ripper — or both!
  Heroes and villains themselves could come 
  from Babylon. The City of Man could produce 
  urban analogs to “tall tale” characters like Paul 
  Bunyan or Pecos Bill. Such characters could have 
  adventures both in Babylon and on Earth. Babylon 
  also permits characters who seem to come from 
  other periods in history, without the need for actual 
  time travel. On the other hand, urban legends could 
  inspire some very grim villains, too.
  You could even create campaigns set in Baby-
  lon. For instance, a “Cops in Babylon” campaign 
  could combine the police of all ages, from Roman 
  city guards to futuristic “science police” — with 
  equally diverse perps. For a lighter campaign, “Be 
  Prepared” takes on new meaning for the young 
  heroes of a Babylon boy scout troop.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  41 
  N
  ot all dimensions call for the detailed 
  treatment suggested for the Astral Plane 
  and the Parterres. These brief sketches 
  illustrate the sorts of worlds found in the 
  various divisions of the Multiverse. If a dimension 
  isn’t meant to become an important setting within 
  a campaign, you don’t need more than a few strik-
  ing images and important characters. If the players 
  enjoy their characters’ visit to a dimension, or want 
  to create PCs from that world, you can invent more 
  details. Some dimensions could become the settings 
  for major story arcs or whole miniature campaigns.
  MALKUTH: LOEZEN
  A dying green star gives this ancient world a 
  tenth as much light as Earth receives from its sun. 
  Bright stars remain visible even during the day. Life 
  persists on Loezen thanks to magical megaliths that 
  boost the sun’s light for miles around them, giving 
  light equal to a heavily overcast day on Earth. The 
  civilized folk of Loezen dwell near the megaliths. 
  Beyond the areas of full eﬀect, the light gradually 
  dims and the land becomes colder and wilder.
  Humans, or beings much like humans, form a 
  majority in the civilized regions. Loezen also holds 
  human-animal hybrids, such as the pterodactyl-like 
  rhamphors, and wholly alien intelligences. About 
  half a million years ago, Loezenian mages explored 
  other planes and imported numerous species from 
  them, including some that were sentient. Other 
  things came too, unbidden — subtle forces that the 
  wizards did not detect until it was too late to con-
  trol or dispel them. One of these caused the sun’s 
  decline:  a Qliphothic entity entered the heart of 
  Loezen’s sun and has grown larger for hundreds of 
  millennia, draining away the sun’s energy.
  Long ago, Loezen’s mages created the megalith 
  network to delay planetary death and hold back the 
  monsters. Since the Time of the Blazing Star, how-
  ever, the greatest magical knowledge has been lost. 
  As the emerald sun weakens and erosion and mis-
  chance take their toll, a megalith falls every few cen-
  turies; less often, a Loezenian 
  mage repairs one. The wild 
  regions grow, and the monsters 
  become bolder and more pow-
  erful. By now, some former set-
  tlements couldn’t be restored 
  even if someone drove away 
  the monsters. Ancient spells 
  mixed and decayed there, 
  producing perils to the soul as 
  well as the body.
  The perils of the wild-
  lands include many terrifying 
  monsters:  “They Who Laugh 
  and Leap,” degenerate hyena-
  like humanoids; Spidertrap 
  Vines, which telepathically 
  lure victims to the deadly 
  heart of their nets of tendrils; 
  the three-headed Slow Howl-
  ers; and the Specter Groves, 
  where bizarre mutilations of 
  the spirit take place. Some 
  of Loezen’s more prominent 
  sorcerers include:  the Sacred 
  One, who wields incred-
  ible telekinetic powers from 
  within the sarcophagus that 
  holds his aged body in sus-
  pended animation; Norom 
  Barcaldine, the Prince Who 
  Never Was, who erased 
  his kingdom from history 
  MISCELLANEOUS
  DIMENSIONS
  
  42 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  through an ill-considered experiment with time 
  magic; and Queen Charsadda of the city of Olm, 
  whose eternal youth and beauty may have some 
  connection to the Talisman of Invulnerability she 
  inherited from her late husband, Olm’s last king.
  Loezen stands out from most worlds in having 
  almost no astral extension. The planet’s Lower 
  Astral Plane is dark and wracked with ﬁerce spiri-
  tual winds. Anything caught in the wind blows 
  further and further from Loezen until the astral 
  storm carries it into the sun. Loezen’s gods all tie 
  their spirit realms to the planet as pocket worlds so 
  they don’t blow away. No ghosts haunt this ancient 
  world:  the astral storm takes any deceased spirit 
  who lacks a god to oﬀer refuge.
  Clearly, Loezen is a doomed world. The 
  ancient wizards understood this. They intended 
  the megaliths as a stopgap measure. In time, they 
  folded Loezen’s god-realms into the Blazing Star 
  and most Loezenians departed for another world, 
  leaving the planet with its maimed Astral Plane. 
  Some people, however, stayed behind. Rescuing 
  Loezen from its slow doom would be an impres-
  sive quest for Earthly super-mages. Many powerful 
  mystics still live on Loezen, but they are all too jeal-
  ous of their own power and independence to work 
  together. Most of them would rather ﬂee to another 
  world, such as Earth, and leave the rest of their 
  world to die.
  YESOD: YGGDRASIL, 
  REALM OF PLANT LIFE
  Yggdrasil is most simply deﬁned as the 
  Astral Plane created by plant consciousness, but 
  this requires some explanation. Plants possess no 
  consciousness in any human sense, but they react 
  to their environment and to each other. An indi-
  vidual plant’s “mental” ﬁeld is much weaker than a 
  human’s, or even an animal’s, but there are an awful 
  lot more plants in the world than there are sessile 
  creatures! Yggdrasil, the ash tree supporting the 
  world in Norse myth, supplies the most popular 
  name for the dimension created by these massed 
  “mental” ﬁelds.
  Unlike Faerie, which grew from human ideas 
  about Nature, Yggdrasil is truly a realm apart from 
  humanity. A wizard who enters Yggdrasil — physi-
  cally, astrally, or clairvoyantly — ﬁnds nothing 
  comprehensible in human terms. Sight and sound 
  do not exist in Yggdrasil. Something like touch, 
  taste, and smell exist in this dimension, since plants 
  react to tissue damage and chemicals, but even 
  these senses register in ways alien to human minds. 
  Just learning to interpret the sensations of Yggdra-
  sil can take years.
  Yggdrasil is deadly. Humans who think plants 
  are placid and gentle don’t know much about the 
  vegetable kingdom. Plants compete with each other, 
  as individuals and as species. The trees in a forest 
  strive to overspread each other and claim a greater 
  share of precious light. Diﬀerent species secrete 
  chemicals to attract or repel insects, or to boost or 
  inhibit another species’ growth, a vegetable diplo-
  macy known to every master gardener. Parasitic 
  plants slowly, vampirically feed upon their hosts. 
  Forests and ﬁelds are places of silent, ruthless war.
  Yggdrasil reﬂects this war. Human visitors 
  to Yggdrasil encounter the psychic equivalent of 
  chemical warfare, parasites burrowing into their 
  bodies, and even less comprehensible attacks, all 
  driven by passionless, relentless hunger. Yggdrasil 
  doesn’t ignore animal intruders:  to the spirits of 
  Yggdrasil, animals are fertilizer that needs to stop 
  moving. Visitors must leave quickly or go mad... or 
  maybe not leave at all.
  HOD: THE CITY- 
  STATES OF YONG
  On the plane its inhabitants call Yong, the larg-
  est bodies of matter are no more than a few miles 
  in diameter. These planetoids have surface gravities 
  comparable to Earth, but the gravity fades quickly 
  with altitude. Yongese animal life looks reasonably 
  Earthlike as well, though the plants resemble giant 
  mushrooms and fungi. The inhabitants look like 
  Caucasian humans, except for catlike eyes and hair 
  colored black, green, blue, or purple, fading to grey 
  or white as they age. Orbiting rings of glowing, 
  yellow-white rocks illuminate these small worlds. 
  Meteor streams of such rocks occur naturally.
  Groups of these planetoids form the City-
  States. A cluster has just one city. Notable city-states 
  include Yelbock in Pinchwell cluster, Vimpstead in 
  Skartaven, and Pelferlost (cluster and city have the 
  same name).
  A council of each cluster’s leading merchants 
  elects an Autocrat. To cement the election, the new 
  Autocrat receives superhuman magical powers. The 
  Autocrats are all intense rivals, though the physical 
  nature of the plane makes real war and conquest 
  impractical. Espionage is an accepted part of inter-
  city relations, and has a code of professional ethics 
  of its own. Most of the Yongese are farmers, but a 
  sizable minority lives in the cities as tradesmen and 
  artisans. Pirates raid the remote clusters.
  The entire plane is ﬁlled with air. Pterodactyl-
  like riding beasts and magical ﬂying boats carry 
  people and goods between planetoids. The little 
  worlds within a cluster are only a day or so apart, 
  whereas travel between clusters can take up to a 
  month. Of course, Yong doesn’t actually have “days” 
  or “months.” Instead, Yongese tell time by “oscilla-
  tions” of the rings, which last from 16 to 48 hours.
  The Yongese accept magic as a normal part of 
  life. Yongese magic always requires lengthy rituals, 
  so sorcerers prefer to craft magic items for ready 
  use. All magic items incorporate yongspar, the 
  glowing mineral that makes up the rings.
  Autocrats gain their powers through a some-
  what risky magic ritual, but few are themselves sor-
  cerers. No two Autocrats receive exactly the same 
  powers, but physical enhancement and energy 
  projection are common results. The ritual is kept a 
  great secret, because it strains the fabric of Yong’s 
  reality and can have unpredictable side eﬀects. For 
  instance, the ring around Pelverlost City is pale 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  43 
  green instead of yellow, because the empowerment 
  ritual was used three times in a single day.
  Yongspar retains some of its magical value on 
  other planes. In terms of game mechanics, incor-
  porating yongspar into an Independent magic item 
  contributes 1 Character Point to the item’s Real Cost. 
  The very rare yongspar crystals act as 10 point Vari-
  able Power Pools that add to a sorcerer’s existing 
  spellcasting, but these crystals never hold more than 
  6 Charges of this eﬀect, and cannot be recharged.
  NETZACH:  THE MILL-
  WORKS OF BROMION
  A Lord of Order called Bromion (see Arcane 
  Adversaries) rules a plane called the Millworks. This 
  dimension consists of two interpenetrating spaces. 
  The ﬁrst space is a vast foundry and machine shop 
  full of gears, lathes, furnaces, triphammers, and 
  conveyer belts, lit by gas jets and vats of molten 
  metal. The second space is mostly empty and lit by 
  sourceless, clear white light. Huge, silvery spheres 
  ranging from 100 to 200 feet in diameter hang in 
  the void. Irregular, rounded holes in the spheres 
  give access to the second space. Occasionally a con-
  veyer belt, chain, or curving bridge of silver metal 
  reaches between spheres.
  The machine space has normal gravity and lots 
  of catwalks to walk upon. The sphere space seems 
  to have normal gravity — a ﬁxed “up” and “down” 
  — but a person can walk 
  around in empty space as if 
  there was a ﬂoor. Eﬀectively, a 
  character’s Running becomes 
  an equal amount of Flight. If 
  a person wants to move up or 
  down, he walks up or down 
  an imaginary stairway. If a 
  person stands still for more 
  than a few seconds, a disk of 
  silvery metal two meters in 
  diameter grows under his feet. 
  Such disks vanish shortly after 
  people leave them.
  A race of bizarre human-
  oids tends the Millworks. 
  These creatures have the legs 
  and head of a horse and a four-
  armed humanoid torso, but are 
  covered in shiny black chitin 
  and have large compound eyes, 
  like an insect. These workers 
  never tire and obey Bromion 
  without question. They are also 
  completely devoid of original 
  thought:  they do only what 
  Bromion commands, even to 
  the point of letting someone 
  kill them because Bromion 
  did not order them to defend 
  themselves.
  Bromion and his work-
  ers try to capture all intruders 
  and “reprocess” them in the 
  machines to turn them into loyal servants of Order. 
  This involves melting captives down in special fur-
  naces and casting a new person from the resulting 
  soul-metal.
  TIPHERETH: THE VEIL  
  OF THE TEMPLE
  Beyond the Middle Astral lies the endless, rip-
  pling greyness that every visitor ﬁrst sees on enter-
  ing  the Upper Astral — the Veil of the Temple. 
  Actually, the Upper Astral Plane is a very important 
  dimension, but by its nature, very little about it can 
  be deﬁned in advance. What characters encounter 
  in the Veil of the Temple depends entirely on them 
  and the GM.
  The Upper Astral Plane is almost inﬁnitely 
  responsive to thoughts — so responsive that it exter-
  nalizes and makes real any hopes, fears, or expecta-
  tions a visitor has. A character can materialize whole 
  phony dimensions from the Veil of the Temple. On 
  the Upper Astral, all gods and beliefs become true, 
  because the dimension shapes itself to ﬁt.
  The great challenge of the Veil, in fact, is to 
  stop projecting onto it. The Upper Astral can copy 
  anything. Does the character keep on his guard 
  against attack? The Veil obligingly creates enemies. 
  Does a character seek Enlightenment? God Himself 
  appears to give it... but this God says nothing the 
  character did not think already. Within minutes 
  
  44 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  of a character’s arrival, the Upper Astral Plane 
  cocoons him in a pocket dimension patterned on 
  his personality.
  Mystics call this plane the Veil of the Temple 
  because it blocks access to the Brialic Planes of 
  pure Spirit. To enter the realms of the cosmic con-
  ceptual entities, characters must confront their own 
  minds. Successfully passing the Veil is one of the 
  greatest initiations a wizard can undergo.
  Pocket dimensions created by the Veil have 
  any attributes the GM wants. Anything can happen 
  in them, for essentially the characters are subjected 
  to a Mental Illusion of unlimited power. Characters 
  can revisit their own past, meet omnipotent gods 
  (or experience godhood themselves), die and be 
  reborn — anything. But none of it is real; none of it 
  has any eﬀect outside the astral pocket, except for 
  what the characters may learn about themselves 
  and each other.
  Adventures in the Veil tend toward psycho-
  drama. The Veil of the Temple chieﬂy responds to 
  the unconscious minds of visitors:  It isn’t an Instant 
  Magic Wish-Fulﬁlling Dimension. The Veil builds 
  its pocket dimensions based on visitors’ memories, 
  deep-seated attitudes, and mythic archetypes. Visi-
  tors to the Veil often ﬁnd painful memories replay-
  ing themselves, perhaps in disguised form. Phobias, 
  obsessions, and other neuroses ﬁnd expression. In 
  short, the Upper Astral Plane wrenches characters by 
  their Psychological Limitations.
  Visitors to the Veil may even become more 
  than one person. The Veil often externalizes sup-
  pressed aspects of a person’s psyche. A macho, 
  tough-guy character might encounter his Anima, 
  the suppressed feminine side of his personality. 
  A character much concerned with virtue might 
  meet his Shadow, a compilation of amoral drives 
  he never wanted to face. Conversely, a cynical vil-
  lain might be shocked to encounter his own lost 
  idealism in the person of his younger self... and if 
  this sounds a lot like “A Christmas Carol,” well, it is. 
  Dickens wrote an excellent model for adventures 
  on the Upper Astral Plane.
  All this psychological wrenching has its 
  rewards, though. An adventure in the Upper Astral 
  gives characters a great excuse to buy down a Psy-
  chological Limitation that has become too much of 
  a nuisance. Cosmic entities may use the Veil of the 
  Temple as a testing ground for PCs, to see if they 
  deserve a boon.
  Anyone who wants to gain access to the Brialic 
  dimensions must run the gauntlet of the Upper 
  Astral. Characters can pass the Veil in two ways. 
  The usual way is to show spiritual progress in a 
  psychodrama. A character could encounter an 
  “other self” and reconcile with it in a convincing 
  display of roleplaying; or he might triumph over 
  an important Psychological Limitation. Instead of 
  Experience Points, the character receives the Fringe 
  Beneﬁt Access To Briah (3 Character Points).
  Alternatively, however, a character might 
  pass the Veil by totally, dismally failing the Veil’s 
  challenges. Every Psychological Limitation chal-
  lenged in the psychodrama gains 5 points of eﬀect 
  — either the character becomes more fanatical, 
  or becomes more sensitive to circumstances that 
  could trigger the Limitation. (The character does 
  not receive any extra Character Points because of 
  this.) For instance, a character with the Psychologi-
  cal Limitation, Vengeful (Common, Strong) could 
  have his obsession become Total (he cannot keep 
  himself from seeking revenge), or Very Common 
  (any insult or defeat becomes grounds for consid-
  ering revenge). Only a few Brialic planes become 
  accessible to a person who becomes crazier in the 
  Veil — the ones belonging to the cosmic entities 
  most related to one’s obsessions.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  45 
  TIPHERETH:  
  DEATH’S DOMINION
  Everyone has his own image of Death’s 
  Dominion. For one person, Death might be a 
  desert under starlight. Another person might see 
  the realm of Death as an endless graveyard, while 
  a third person might imagine Death’s Dominion as 
  an inﬁnite slaughterhouse where the dead hang on 
  hooks like so many slabs of beef.
  Whatever form it takes, Death’s Dominion is 
  cold, still, and dark. The dead wait, buried or not, 
  patient and unmoving as a trunk of forgotten mag-
  azines in the attic. Nothing moves, for this is where 
  all stories end.
  Only the living can bring change to Death’s 
  Dominion. Living visitors, who cast no shadows 
  here and leave no footprints, can brieﬂy rouse the 
  dead. In most cases the dead merely speak for a few 
  seconds but do not move. The specters of family, 
  friends, and loved ones can be roused to movement 
  and speech for a few minutes, but no more. Visitors 
  ﬁnd the dead who matter to them more easily than 
  they ﬁnd strangers, but there’s no rush. It’s too late 
  for Time.
  Sooner or later, a visitor comes to the one ﬁxed 
  part of Death’s Dominion, a palace of ebon stone. 
  The doors stand always open. A tall, vaulted passage 
  leads to Death’s throne room. Light comes from 
  torches on the walls, their heatless white ﬂames 
  caught in mid-ﬂicker forever. Death’s stark, angular 
  throne looks empty... but anyone who looks upon 
  it somehow knows that it is occupied. To speak 
  for Death, a vistor’s deceased relative or loved one 
  stands at the foot of Death’s huge throne. The living 
  cannot see or hear Death itself, no matter what 
  their power.
  Aside from being creepy, Death’s Dominion 
  follows several rules of its own.
  The GM picks one character to supply the 
  image for Death’s Dominion. This might be the 
  character with the highest EGO, or the GM can 
  choose randomly. Ask the player how his character 
  imagines Death.
  Everything in Death’s Dominion is absolutely 
  indestructible, except visitors. What visitors do to 
  each other is their own business. Characters have 
  no way to harm the dead, or even to take a souvenir 
  from this plane.
  Time in Death’s Dominion is an illusion. No 
  matter how long a visitor stays in Death’s Domin-
  ion, he returns to the worlds of time and matter 
  at the same moment he left. Visitors do not need 
  to eat, excrete, or sleep, and nothing in Death’s 
  Dominion could cause them harm except Death 
  itself, who usually won’t bother. Heroes may ﬁght 
  Death’s avatars — mere gods of death, the “masks” 
  it wears to make itself seen and heard by mortals 
  in the lower worlds — but on its home turf, Death 
  wears no mask and cannot be fought. No one can 
  even target Death, no matter what Enhanced Senses 
  the character might possess.
  Characters can bargain 
  with Death to restore some-
  one to life, but Death always 
  demands a life in return:  If 
  someone lives beyond the span 
  of years allotted by fate, some-
  one else must take their place 
  in Death’s Dominion. Some-
  times, Death demands that 
  heroes fetch to its Dominion 
  someone who cheated Death 
  and lived too long, such as by 
  becoming undead or by steal-
  ing other people’s bodies.
  The true measure of 
  Death’s power comes with the 
  restoration to life if a bargain 
  is fulﬁlled. This is no vulgar 
  opening of tombs. Death 
  simply rewrites the past so 
  the person didn’t die:  the 
  fatal bullet missed, the heart 
  attack wasn’t quite so bad, or 
  the medics arrived sooner. 
  Only the people who went to 
  Death’s Dominion know that 
  history changed; even the 
  person restored to life won’t 
  remember. The resurrection, 
  however, is not a rejuvena-
  tion. If the person died when 
  old, he remains old when he 
  comes back.
  
  46 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Alternatively, Death can restore a person 
  through transmigration. Someone must oﬀer to 
  die so the other person can live again — to sac-
  riﬁce all his remaining years. In this case, Death 
  puts the resurrected person’s soul in the selﬂess 
  person’s body, to live out that person’s destined 
  lifespan. Death never says how long that will be.
  The ﬁnal mystery of Death’s Dominion con-
  cerns its relationship with the lower astral realms 
  such as the Netherworld and Elysium. How can 
  the deceased exist in both Death’s Dominion and 
  whatever afterlife his religion decrees, or as a 
  ghost on the Astral Plane? Some mystics propose 
  that people have multiple souls, with multiple des-
  tinies after death. Others say that Death can fetch 
  souls out of any “afterlife” whenever it pleases and 
  lodge them in its Dominion for visitors to meet, 
  or that the solid specters in Death’s Dominion are 
  mere “records” of the dead, like a photo album 
  equipped with memories. No one knows for sure... 
  except Death, and he isn’t telling.
  PACHAD: THE GARDEN OF 
  EARTHLY DELIGHTS
  At ﬁrst, visitors to the Garden of Earthly 
  Delights might think they landed in a section of 
  Elysium. The Garden is just that — a lush, fantastic 
  garden or park ﬁlled with fruit, ﬂowers, and bril-
  liantly colored birds. This dimension’s magic sur-
  passes Elysium, however. In the Garden of Earthly 
  Delights, anything a visitor wishes for, becomes real.
  Anything.
  That is, anything physical. The Garden cannot 
  grant knowledge or wisdom. It can, however, sat-
  isfy any desire for pleasure, possessions, power, 
  or nearly anything else. It materializes whatever 
  objects, people, or other “props” it needs. Want to 
  be Emperor of the World? The Garden of Earthly 
  Delights create a whole phony Earth if it must.
  So what’s the catch? Simply this:  nothing that 
  happens in the Garden is real. It seems real by any 
  test that any visitor could attempt, but nothing cre-
  ated by the Garden can pass beyond it. The luxu-
  ries, the perfect friends and lovers, the powers given 
  by the Garden vanish the moment you try to take 
  them from the Garden to another dimension. The 
  Garden is the sweetest, most seductive trap imagin-
  able:  everything a character could want, with no 
  responsibility, forever. But a gilded, upholstered, 
  perfumed cage is still a cage.
  The ultimate futility of the Garden’s pleasures 
  is best shown by two visitors trying to ﬁght. The 
  Garden accommodates them both by tracelessly 
  substituting a fake for each opponent. That way, 
  both people can win — and yet neither of them 
  really achieved anything. They both received pri-
  vate fantasies of victory, and the Garden keeps 
  them separate to preserve the delusion.
  The Garden is limited by the visitor’s imagina-
  tion — the one thing this dimension can’t create is 
  a surprise. By the time the Garden becomes boring, 
  though, a visitor might lack the will and discernment 
  to leave:  he wants to go, so the Garden makes him a 
  Gate... that leads to another simulation conjured from 
  his memories.
   CHESED: REALMS  
  OF THE FOUR ZOAS
  Chesed holds the four highest astral realms, 
  the domains of Order, Chaos, Art, and Nature 
  — the four great abstractions that contend in the 
  lower worlds, personiﬁed by the cosmic entities 
  called the Prime Avatars, or the Four Zoas. Each of 
  these dimensions ﬂickers between a set of images. 
  In fact, mystics say the realms of the Four Zoas are 
  really just one dimension, viewed four diﬀerent 
  ways. The best evidence for this view comes from 
  the dark forest called Entuthon Benython, which 
  exists in all four realms.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter One 
  47 
  Ulro
  Ulro is the realm of Urizen the Prince of Light, 
  Prime Avatar of Order. Ulro shows four faces to the 
  visitor. First a visitor sees the Forest of Entuthon 
  Benython. The entire forest grew, banyan-like, from 
  the Tree of Mystery that sprang up under Urizen’s 
  heel as he sat writing his books of laws. The tree 
  trunks rise like pillars; the leafy branches interlace 
  in a dense web, creating dark, vaulted spaces like 
  caves, the second image of Ulro.
  In this view, Ulro becomes a labyrinth of cav-
  erns, with the peculiar property that every path, 
  from every point, leads downhill. You cannot back-
  track, because the caves change behind you. Crys-
  tals in the walls and ceilings glitter with points of 
  light like stars in the night sky, the third image.
  Ulro becomes a huge void holding layer on 
  layer of slowly turning, concentric rings bearing stars 
  and planets, like an old armillary sphere model of 
  the Solar System. The rings themselves are made of 
  crystal, only visible by an occasional glint of reﬂected 
  light. The sky of Ulro is full of clockwork.
  Each star or planet is an entrance to a shining, 
  crystalline space, the fourth face of Ulro, where 
  dwell the spirits who serve Urizen. The “sun” in 
  the center of the starry wheels is Urizen’s palace 
  of marble and crystal, blazing with light to illumi-
  nate all the space around it. Around the palace are 
  Urizen’s garden and orchard, including the Tree 
  of Mystery, which easily expands and darkens to 
  become the Forest of Entuthon Benython again.
  Urizen is not always found in his palace. 
  Sometimes he explores the cave and forest with a 
  globe of ﬁre in his hands, seeking he knows not 
  what. Sometimes he makes adjustments to his 
  starry wheels. He often goes to the Tree of Mystery 
  to argue fruitlessly with Orc — one of the forms 
  taken by the Prime Avatar of Chaos.
  Beulah
  The demesne of Luvah, Prime Avatar of 
  Chaos and emotion, is a moonlit realm of 
  summer nights and perfumed bowers. It also 
  manifests as the wilderness of Entuthon Beny-
  thon in its ﬁercest aspect. Beulah changes to 
  echo the mood of visitors. The Realm of Chaos 
  can become a maudlin romance-land, a garden 
  for play, a hellish waste of hate and violence, or 
  anything in between — but the moonlit, summer 
  garden of love and the wilderness of tortured, 
  twisted passions are its most common forms. In 
  the latter form, Luvah takes the form of Orc, a 
  young giant wrapped in ﬂames, chained to the 
  Tree of Mystery. In the romance-land version 
  of Beulah, Luvah and his feminine aspect Vala 
  appear as young lovers. Luvah and Vala take 
  many other forms as well, one for every passion 
  ever felt by mortals.
  Generation
  The realm of Tharmas, Prime Avatar of Nature, 
  has no proper name. Names do not exist in Nature. 
  “Generation” describes what Tharmas does:  he 
  creates and maintains the blind cycles of birth, life, 
  and death.
  Under the inﬂuence of Tharmas, Entuthon 
  Benython becomes wild and tangled, almost a jungle, 
  with spirits resembling wild animals. The forest can 
  change without warning to other images, such as a 
  forest-like kelp bed (but visitors can breathe under-
  water), or the tangled jungle of veins, nerves, and 
  tissues inside a vastly magniﬁed living body.
  The central image of Generation, however, is a 
  wild and rocky shore. Entuthon Benython surrounds 
  a dark and bitter lake called Udan Adan. This lake 
  can expand in a moment to a seashore, with Thar-
  mas rising from the water like a tidal wave.
  Golgonooza
  Golgonooza is the city of Urthona, Prime 
  Avatar of Art. The forest of Entuthon Benython 
  completely surrounds the city, with the farmlands 
  of Allamanda as a buﬀer zone. Golgonooza is a 
  square, fortiﬁed city with castellated, golden walls, 
  four gates in each wall, and four massive statues by 
  each gate. Golgonooza’s walls are low but the inter-
  connected buildings within tower thousands of feet 
  into the air.
  Golgonooza lacks most of the features of a real 
  city, like shops or vehicles. This architectural fantasy 
  of towers, terraces, streets, and courtyards is more 
  an idea of city-ness than a city itself.
  In the middle of Golgonooza stand the twin 
  citadels of Luban and Cathedron. Luban holds the 
  great forge of Los the Smith, one aspect of Urthona. 
  Cathedron holds the looms of Enitharmon the 
  Weaver, Los’s wife and another aspect of Urthona. 
  There do Los, Enitharmon, and their children 
  create spaces and times for other beings to inhabit. 
  Anyone can see that Luban and Cathedron have a 
  top, but no one can ever reach it, no matter how far 
  or how fast they travel.
  The character of Golgonooza changes to suit 
  the visitor’s mood. The buildings of Golgonooza 
  can be made of gold like the walls, or silver, iron, or 
  brick and stone. The city may hold crisp, Art Deco 
  spires like something from an old science ﬁction 
  illustration; or lush palaces with carved walls, onion 
  domes, and minarets; or the grim, forbidding sky-
  scrapers of an urban nightmare. Golgonooza shows 
  all the faces of Artiﬁce, from the best to the worst.
  
  48 ■ Worlds Upon Worlds 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  QLIPHOTHIC: THE  
  SHINING DARKNESS
  Nearly everything in this mystical cosmos is 
  black, in a multitude of shades and hues. Darkness 
  itself becomes a form of radiation in this dimen-
  sion. Human eyes do not like to see the Shining 
  Darkness. Many sorts of Qliphothic entities dwell 
  in this plane; you cannot say such creatures live....
  In the Shining Darkness, huge, angular masses 
  rise from vast, warped planes in utter disregard for 
  gravity. Indistinct things ﬂop and writhe between 
  them. Every few miles stands a loose cluster of 
  humanoid statues, like huge, squatting fetuses made 
  of compacted grey ash. Qliphothic horrors nest in 
  the empty eyesockets of their oversized heads.
  Humans and other organic beings face 
  danger just from being in this realm. The dark-
  ness slowly leeches away life energy and replaces it 
  with the plane’s own mysterious energies. In game 
  terms, mortal visitors suﬀer 
  a Major Transform 1d6, Pen-
  etrating every 10 minutes. As 
  the Transform proceeds, a 
  visitor’s skin darkens. When 
  the Transform is three-
  fourths complete, the char-
  acter’s body turns completely 
  black and starts to glow with 
  the Shining Darkness’s radi-
  ance. When the Transform 
  completes, the being’s body 
  crumbles and the victim 
  becomes a Qliphothic entity.
  If the victim returns to 
  Earth before the Transform 
  is complete, he radiates a 1” 
  radius ﬁeld of Sight Group 
  Darkness for one minute 
  for every point of Trans-
  form damage taken over the 
  victim’s BODY. (This would 
  make a great mystical “radia-
  tion accident.”)
  Mundane light sources 
  such as ﬂashlights or matches 
  explode the moment someone 
  activates them in the Shaining 
  Darkness, as the dimension 
  rips out their stored energy. 
  A simple kitchen match 
  becomes an RKA ½d6 Explo-
  sion; a ﬂashlight or cigarette 
  lighter full of ﬂuid becomes 
  an RKA 2-3d6 Explosion; a more powerful light 
  source produces an even more powerful blast. 
  Other energy-emitting Powers and devices suﬀer a 
  similar eﬀect, turning into RKA Explosions of 1½ x 
  the Active Points of the Power, and using up triple 
  END or Charges.
  Within the Qliphothic planes, devices and 
  many types of powers don’t work properly at ﬁrst; 
  they have to “adjust.” Characters must roll every 
  Phase to determine whether an ability has adjusted; 
  the GM should make these rolls out of sight from 
  the player (so the character doesn’t know if he suc-
  ceeded until he uses the ability). For technological 
  devices and weapons, the character must succeed 
  with an Inventor roll at -3. Characters with spell-
  casting ability must make a Spell Research (Inven-
  tor) roll at -3. Characters with innate energy pro-
  jection powers must make both an INT Roll and 
  an EGO Roll, both at -3. Other abilities are usually 
  unaﬀected, though the GM may impose rolls on 
  other characters as he sees ﬁt.
  
  chapter two:
  chapter two:
  MYSTIC PEOPLE AND PLACES
  THE SHADOW WORLD
  
  50 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  T
  he Mystic World has its own values and 
  conﬂicts. Its arcane geography extends from 
  occult architecture to portals to other planes. 
  Ordinary people seldom see the Mystic 
  World’s power, but sometimes the rivalries of wiz-
  ards can shape the destiny of nations.
  The real movers and shakers in the Mystic 
  World often hide themselves, even from other 
  mystics. Prestige comes not from high visibility, but 
  from being known as a rumor, a shadow, a mystery 
  whose power is guessed but not tested. Above all, 
  the Mystic World scorns publicity in the everyday 
  world. For some dwellers in the Mystic World, such 
  as scheming vampires or murderous Satanists, 
  public exposure means death or imprisonment. All 
  serious mystics understand, however, that super-
  natural power becomes most eﬀective when least 
  suspected — so enemies cannot take precautions 
  against it.
  Mystics who become superheroes or villains, 
  therefore, do not win much favor in the Mystic 
  World. Open spell-battles are... well... gauche. Other 
  mystics may respect super-sorcerers for many rea-
  sons, but appearing on the front page is not one 
  of them. Actually seeking out publicity — writing 
  books, appearing on talk shows, issuing outrageous 
  supervillainous demands — almost guarantees 
  scorn from the Mystic World.
  Raw power does not bring as much prestige as 
  outsiders may think, either (though it’s undoubt-
  edly something mystics pay attention to). Until 
  the start of the Superheroic Age, mystic power 
  depended almost entirely on knowledge. No 
  amount of raw talent let a would-be wizard bypass 
  years of arcane study and diﬃcult initiations. That’s 
  no longer true:  several young “wild talent” mys-
  tics display power far beyond their training, while 
  mystic artifacts, potions, and rituals occasionally 
  confer great power on people with little or no 
  occult knowledge. Senior mystics call such charac-
  ters “dabblers” and speak of the need to guide them 
  onto the true path. Super-mages themselves often 
  suspect a case of sour grapes.
  Knowledge, above all, determines who gains 
  respect from other mystics. A true adept knows 
  many spells and prodigious amounts of lore. So 
  what if it takes him an hour to cast a spell? He’s 
  still a greater mystic than the masked moron who 
  knows only a few spells, even if he casts them with 
  a wave of his hand.
  MYSTICS AND  
  SUPER-MYSTICS
  In the Champions Universe, most self-styled 
  mystics have no real power. They may believe they 
  can divine the future, expel evil spirits, or curse 
  their enemies; they may convince other people, too. 
  At most, they possess minor arcane talents such as 
  a bit of Mental Defense or the ability to see astral 
  creatures. These minor mystics may function as 
  Contacts or Followers for superhuman mystics. 
  They can also lead a seeker to more skilled adepts 
  who do not advertise their powers.
  Most true spellcasters are Heroic-level mystics. 
  Their magic may lack the ease and power of true 
  superpowers, but Heroic-level mystics can still 
  overpower a superhero if they have time to prepare 
  and take him by surprise — especially when the 
  mystics act in groups. Mystical characters typically 
  have Heroic-level teachers.
  True super-mages are quite rare in the Cham-
  pions Universe. They inspire admiration, fear, envy, 
  and sometimes outright hatred from Heroic-level 
  mystics. Lesser mystics want to know why some 
  students of the Arts Arcane cast spells with ease, 
  while the rest need elaborate rituals.
  Flat-out genius is one factor. Many super-
  mystics could excel at anything they tried. They 
  happened to try magic. Some of the greatest mys-
  tics actually came to the Arts Arcane from suc-
  cessful careers in medicine, law, science, business, 
  or other ﬁelds.
  Other mystics receive supernatural help. Any 
  mystic can gain super-spells if he sells his soul to 
  a demon. Contacting a demon doesn’t take much 
  magic, either — occult knowledge and a great deal 
  of wickedness suﬃces to attract the notice of the 
  infernal. Other super-mages obtained help from a 
  god or dimension lord. Supernatural patrons tend 
  to expect service in return, so some mystics cau-
  tion students against accepting help from gods. 
  Powerful magic artifacts can also elevate a mystic 
  to superheroism or villainy. Prudent mystics use an 
  artifact as a springboard to develop power of their 
  own, in case an enemy takes the artifact away.
  Some super-mages have parents or other 
  relatives who practice mysticism. Two families, 
  the Vandaleurs and Sylvestris, produce a signiﬁ-
  cant fraction of the super-mages in the Western 
  world. Other such families, including the infamous 
  deMorphants, died out or were destroyed long ago.
  Some mystic scholars claim, however, that the 
  most common factor is destiny itself. Just like other 
  sorts of superbeings, super-mages often come to 
  MYSTIC  
  PEOPLE
  OTHER OCCULT 
  DYNASTIES
  The Chunhu:  The 
  “Tiger Lords” began 
  during the Boxer Rebel-
  lion, when a Chinese 
  rebel leader became 
  a weretiger. After the 
  rebellion failed, the rebel 
  became a warlord, and 
  his children ruled part 
  of southern China until 
  the Cultural Revolution. 
  Since then, the Chunhu 
  have sought to bring 
  other Eastern shape-
  shifters into their small 
  but growing family. Few 
  family members practice 
  sorcery, but the therian-
  thropic dynasty holds 
  an inﬂuential position 
  in the eastern Mystic 
  World. Hong Kong’s 
  hero Tiger-Man comes 
  from the Chunhu family.
  The Kayvanzadi:  This 
  Middle Eastern lineage 
  claims descent from the 
  alchemist Zarrindokht 
  (see page 56) by way of 
  her reputed grandson 
  Kayvan (“Saturn” or 
  “Universe”), a sorcerer 
  who ﬂourished in the 
  fourteenth century. The 
  Kayvanzadi special-
  ize in alchemy and a 
  Middle Eastern form of 
  ritual magic much like 
  Hermetic theurgy. They 
  also have family con-
  nections to certain peri 
  nobles and djinn. The 
  “Saturn-Born” currently 
  include sorcerers like 
  the alchemical menace 
  Solvent, who works with 
  Hezbollah and other 
  radical Islamist groups, 
  and the Iranian super-
  mage Dr. Saturn.
  Continued on next page
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  51 
  their power through amazing coincidences, lucky 
  breaks, or tragic accidents. Instead of a nuclear 
  accident or a glowing meteor, though, they ﬁnd a 
  grimoire, an artifact, or merely a rumor that leads 
  them to a teacher.
  Whatever their “origin,” most mystics study 
  just one arcane tradition, such as Hermetic ritual 
  magic or Taoist alchemy. Not uncommonly, how-
  ever, super-mages studied two or more mystic tra-
  ditions. The cross-fertilization of ideas and magic 
  styles seems to confer greater power.
  FACTIONS
  Super-mages probably cannot avoid the petty 
  politics and vendettas of the Mystic World. Mystics 
  love to gather in little secret societies with gran-
  diose names. Few mystic cabals grow very large 
  or last very long, though. Intellectual vanity and 
  jealousy tends to splinter mystical groups, as mem-
  bers jockey for leadership or take oﬀense at each 
  other. The truly enlightened try to drop out of the 
  Mystic World’s squabbling, but other mystics may 
  not leave them a choice. Super-mage characters 
  may ﬁnd other mystics assuming they support one 
  side or another in a conﬂict, based on their deeds 
  or past associations, and treating them as friends or 
  enemies based on that presumption.
  Mystic societies that achieve signiﬁcant size, 
  longevity, or power tend to have strong and stable 
  leadership, or a clear and deﬁnite goal. Cults, for 
  instance, can last for centuries:  the god supplies 
  both the leadership and the goal. Most mystic 
  societies, however, don’t exist for more than a few 
  decades before they schism or dissolve.
  Occult Dynasties
  Family connections hold some mystical fac-
  tions together. The Vandaleur and Sylvestri lineages, 
  for instance, have spawned many learned occult-
  ists and powerful sorcerers over the centuries. No 
  one penetrates very deeply into the Mystic World 
  without learning about these two great families 
  and their immortal founders. Giacomo Sylvestri, 
  perhaps the Dragon’s most powerful servant in the 
  Western world, rules his clan of Satanists with an 
  iron hand. Adrian Vandaleur makes few demands 
  on his descendants and spends most of his time 
  incognito, but inspires great fear and obedience 
  when he chooses to exercise his authority. (See 
  Arcane Adversaries for details about these two rival 
  aristocracies of the Mystic World.)
  The Vandaleurs and Sylvestris are not the 
  only occult dynasties in world history. In medieval 
  France, for instance, the Faussesﬂammes and the de 
  Morphants both earned powerful and evil reputa-
  tions for sorcery. The Sylvestris and Vandaleurs 
  absorbed most of Europe’s older or smaller lineages, 
  however, and no more recent Western dynasty has 
  become so proliﬁc, or shown such potential for 
  power. Other parts of the world boast their own 
  mystic lineages (see sidebar).
  The occult dynasties squabble and scheme 
  much like Europe’s old royal families. Now and 
  then, their leaders seek a truce through marriage 
  alliances; these never last very long. Occult dynas-
  ties are far from monolithic, though. Without an 
  external threat to draw them together, the Sylvestris 
  and Vandaleurs indulge in petty vendettas against 
  each other.
  The Sylvestris and Vandaleurs are deeply 
  inbred. The patriarchs of both lineages interbreed 
  with their descendants, for reasons of their own. 
  Unions between cousins frequently occur, whether 
  from snobbery about “lesser blood” or just because 
  it’s hard to ﬁnd a spouse who accepts the weirder 
  family customs.
  Scions of an occult dynasty enjoy great advan-
  tages in studying magic. Sheer propinquity mat-
  ters just as much as hereditary talent:  it’s easier to 
  become a mystic if your relatives already own gri-
  moires and can provide training. A mystical career 
  also looks more feasible when you have living 
  examples before you.
  The Circle of the  
  Scarlet Moon
  The largest and most powerful occult society 
  in the Western world ﬁnds a degree of stability 
  through the simplicity of its goals. The Circle of 
  the Scarlet Moon exists to gain and wield power. 
  Even the perpetual inﬁghting between the Circle’s 
  leaders serves this goal:  the High Coven holds the 
  most skilled and seasoned mystic conspirators in 
  the world, and they know it. They also know that if 
  they carry their rivalries too far, their enemies will 
  destroy them all. The Circle has aspects of an occult 
  dynasty, in that members tend to marry other 
  members and induct their oﬀspring in turn.
  The Scarlet Moon dates back two centuries. 
  It accumulated vast ﬁnancial and political power, 
  as well as mystic acumen — too much to remain 
  completely hidden from the everyday world. People 
  who hear rumors about the Circle usually dismiss 
  it as a crazy conspiracy theory. The few who take it 
  seriously think the Circle is a cult of Satanists. The 
  truth is a bit more complex; see page 108 Cham-
  pions Universe for how outsiders view the Scarlet 
  Moon, and Arcane Adversaries and page 140 of 
  Champions Universe for the inside story.
  The Trismegistus Council
  The Mystic World knows the Trismegistus 
  Council as the leading group of “good” mystics. For 
  almost two centuries, the Council has fought to 
  contain the Circle of the Scarlet Moon and destroy 
  other occult menaces. The Council survived so 
  long because it kept its goals simple and it chose 
  its members with great care. No one becomes a 
  member of the Council before proving his compe-
  tence and devotion to protecting the world from 
  supernatural evil. Council members practice any 
  sort of magic, or simply know a great deal of arcane 
  lore. The rivalries between members seldom esca-
  late too far because most members possess unusual 
  The Magambo:  This 
  family or cult came to 
  the attention of the rest 
  of the Mystic World only 
  recently, but it appears 
  to have spread through-
  out Central Africa, espe-
  cially the eastern Congo 
  region. The local people 
  fear the Magambo as 
  witches who foster the 
  horriﬁc warfare and 
  brigandage aﬄicting 
  the region, and gain 
  power from it. Outside 
  investigators do not yet 
  know if the Magambo 
  are demon-worshippers, 
  necromancers, vampires, 
  or some combination, 
  but their power seems 
  to grow at an alarming 
  rate. Their name gives 
  no clue:  it’s an ordinary 
  Central African family 
  name, with no ominous 
  meaning.
  Continued from last page
  
  52 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  wisdom and moral fortitude.
  Just because the Trismegistus Council is “good” 
  does not mean all members are “nice.” The Council 
  can be as secretive and ruthless as the Scarlet Moon 
  in protecting humanity. Few members would sac-
  riﬁce ordinary people to thwart a supernatural evil, 
  but superbeings and other mystics are fair game:  
  they knew the job was dangerous when they took it. 
  Council members try to help mystical heroes, but 
  do not always tell everything they know until they 
  feel sure a hero has the dedication and knowledge 
  to match his power. See pages 104-05 and 139-40 of 
  Champions Universe for a more detailed look at the 
  Trismegistus Council.
  Other mystics vary widely in how they view 
  the Trismegistus Council. Many call the Council 
  “a bunch of self-important do-gooders.” Privately, 
  many mystics view Trismegistans with caution:  
  over the decades, the Council has amassed more 
  arcane knowledge than any group except maybe the 
  Scarlet Moon, and they possess considerable politi-
  cal acumen as well. Mystics who aﬀect to scorn the 
  Council still ask for its help when they encounter 
  occult danger too great for them to handle.
  Shamballah And Agharti
  In Asia, the secret cities of Shamballah and 
  Agharti ﬁll opposing roles like the Trismegistus 
  Council and the Circle of the Scarlet Moon. Legend 
  says both cities are older than recorded history, and 
  lurk in a vast cavern network beneath the Tibetan 
  Plateau. Eastern mystics view Shamballah as the 
  acme of wisdom and benign magic, and Agharti 
  as the wellspring of evil sorcery. The reach of 
  Agharti and Shamballah extends to all the regions 
  surrounding Tibet, particularly India and China. 
  Legend says the mystic masters of both cities 
  reincarnate and preserve memories and lore from 
  civilizations before recorded history. Some mystics 
  believe the masters of Shamballah are actually the 
  secretive nagas (see page 149).
  Few mystics claim they have actually visited 
  these cities of wizardry, though. Eastern mystics 
  also don’t believe the cities’ ruling magi engage in 
  the same political machinations as the Circle or 
  Council. Western mystics aren’t so sure. The Scarlet 
  Moon, at least, ﬁnds every attempt to gain power 
  in Asia blocked by sorcery as subtle and powerful 
  as its own, and sometimes as ruthless. The Scarlet 
  Moon’s leaders see Agharti as a rival to the Circle’s 
  global ambitions. The Council and a few heroic 
  mystics hope they may persuade Shamballah to ally 
  with them.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  53 
  Cults
  Cults play an important role in the Mystic 
  World and may form part of a character’s back-
  ground. Many gods and other supernatural beings 
  recruit mortal worshippers to work their will. In 
  addition to pagan gods from Faerie, known cults 
  serve arch-devils from the Netherworld, dimen-
  sion lords from the Outer Planes, and the Kings of 
  Edom. Some cults split oﬀ from public religions 
  such as Christianity or Hinduism, but they strive 
  as hard as any other cult to hide from the everyday 
  world. Cults range from groups of benign mystics 
  who seek enlightenment through meditation, to 
  gangs of murderous mages who commit crimes as 
  sacriﬁces. Any sort of cult might help empower a 
  superpowered avatar to further their god’s interests 
  on Earth, or hunt the servants of rival gods.
  The Dragon boasts the largest single fraction 
  of humanity’s cultist population. The Cult of the 
  Red Banner is the biggest Draconic cult in the 
  East, and possibly in the world. This cult empha-
  sizes martial arts as well as dark magic. Some 
  mystics fear that the crime syndicate VIPER 
  might be the front for a powerful and secret cult 
  of the Dragon. (See VIPER:  Coils Of The Serpent 
  for the inner mysteries of the global crime cartel, 
  and decide for yourself.)
  DEMON
  Most people think DEMON is a Satanic cult 
  turned to high-proﬁle crime. That’s just what 
  DEMON’s leaders want the world to think, and the 
  deception worked for several decades. DEMON 
  even fooled the Descending Hierarchy into help-
  ing it gain power. In the last ten years, however, 
  DEMON’s true secret escaped to the rest of the 
  Mystic World. DEMON actually serves the Kings 
  of Edom. Even those mystics who never heard of 
  the Edomites know that DEMON serves something 
  worse than demonic — something so monstrous 
  and alien that Hell itself recoils.
  When they can avoid doing so, devils no 
  longer repay DEMON’s sacriﬁces:  the cult’s Mor-
  bane leaders must wrest power and aid from the 
  Netherworld by raw force (including, simply, sum-
  moning spells that devils cannot resist, regardless 
  of their personal opinions). Other evil cults and 
  mystical villains have generally cut their ties to 
  DEMON. Increasingly, the cult must create its 
  own superpowered agents, such as the supervillain 
  Morningstar (see Conquerors, Killers, And Crooks), 
  or call upon the Kings’ monstrous minions when 
  they can.
  Rumors have spread that other mystic factions 
  plan a grand assault on DEMON to destroy these 
  servants of cosmic madness. 
  Some mystics say the Tris-
  megistus Council leads the 
  harrowing, others suspect the 
  Circle of the Scarlet Moon, 
  and a few whisper that both 
  societies have set aside their 
  diﬀerences for a joint assault. 
  Just about every other power-
  ful faction or individual has 
  also been nominated as the 
  leader of this hypothetical 
  war. Less excitable mystics 
  suggest that any grand alli-
  ance is more likely to pursue 
  Takofanes as the more imme-
  diate threat to the Mystic 
  World.
  For more informa-
  tion about DEMON, see the 
  DEMON:  Servants Of Dark-
  ness sourcebook.
  
  54 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  The Dark Renaissance
  A few mystics always reject the secrecy of the 
  Mystic World and try to go public. Not only do 
  they ﬂaunt their magical powers, they try to make 
  sorcery more common. The super-mage Demon-
  ologist recently gave voice to this dissenting view 
  and named it the Dark Renaissance. With entities 
  like Dark Seraph and Takofanes rampaging in full 
  public view, he says, what’s the point of staying 
  secret? But the Demonologist wants more:  he sees 
  the current surge in magic as a chance for sorcery 
  to overthrow the reign of science and technology.
  The Demonologist has gathered a number of 
  like-minded discontents into a supervillain team 
  called the Devil’s Advocates (described in Arcane 
  Adversaries). Few mystics openly support his 
  call for a Dark Renaissance, but more may agree 
  with him than admit it to their peers. DEMON, 
  of course, seeks its own sort of Dark Renaissance 
  based on freeing the Kings of Edom to ravage the 
  world, while Takofanes apparently wants to enslave 
  all humanity, living or dead. So far, at least, these 
  three sides do not work together. Each of them has 
  come terribly close to seizing global power, how-
  ever, and other mystics fear the result if any two of 
  these factions should team up.
  IMPORTANT INDIVIDUALS
  Mystics themselves have diﬃculty identifying 
  the movers and shakers in their esoteric subculture, 
  since secrecy is, after all, part of their stock in trade. 
  All the characters listed here, however, have achieved 
  some degree of fame or notoriety for their power or 
  knowledge. This section describes how other mystics 
  regard these characters, whether the public knows of 
  them at all. See also Chapter Four and Arcane Adver-
  saries for descriptions of several evil mystic masters 
  and how their fellows view them.
  Archimago
  When the mystical villain John Fulten dared 
  take the name of Archimago, many mystics feared 
  his assumed title was no idle boast. In 1950, Fulten 
  was already one of the mightiest mystics in the 
  world. He kept getting more powerful as he escaped 
  each pact by pledging himself to even fouler entities, 
  until he served the Solipsist itself. When Archimago 
  died of a simple heart attack, the Mystic World 
  breathed a collective sigh of relief. A group of mystic 
  masters burned his body and cast every spell and 
  rite they knew to bind and exorcise his soul, to make 
  sure he wouldn’t come back in any form.
  When Takofanes erupted into the world a few 
  years later, many mystics feared Archimago had 
  returned. They soon learned their double mistake. 
  Takofanes is not Archimago... but John Fulten 
  remains active beyond death. Through books, 
  magic items, and enchanted minions, Archimago 
  still works to fulﬁll his many debts and destroy the 
  world — and many mystics fear he may succeed. 
  Unwary mystics and would-be sorcerers treasure 
  Archimago’s notebooks and tools as sources of easy 
  power, guaranteeing that the master wizard remains 
  an active player in the Mystic World.
  Dark Seraph
  Sir Dennis Walthingham once enjoyed a cer-
  tain respect from other evil mystics. He knew a 
  great deal about the occult for one who came to 
  mysticism so recently. Then he summoned the Iron 
  Crown of Krim in an awful rite of murder and 
  betrayal, and transformed himself into the mighty 
  Dark Seraph (as described in Conquerors, Killers, 
  And Crooks).
  Sir Dennis actually lost prestige from that deed. 
  As many mystics like to say, Dark Seraph doesn’t 
  have real power — just an artifact. So what if he 
  can wreck a skyscraper? Ordinary mortals do that 
  without magic. Sir Dennis only dazzles the sicker 
  wannabe-wizards; the masters scorn him... though in 
  the case of other evil mystics, this disdain sometimes 
  comes from envy. It isn’t fair, either. Dark Seraph 
  still knows a great deal about dark magic, and works 
  impressive feats using the power locked in artifacts, 
  relics, mystically-charged places, and secret rituals. 
  Were he to develop true spellcasting abilities, the 
  Mystic World would tremble in fear.
  The Iron Imam
  Among the servants of Light, few on Earth 
  equal the mystic called the Iron Imam. This 
  Muslim sorcerer dwells in Mogadishu, Somalia, and 
  remains vigorous despite being over 80 years old. 
  He practices a form of theurgy that calls on angels 
  and the secret names of God. From Morocco to 
  Pakistan, the Iron Imam hunts the minions of Hell 
  and guards the world against supernatural invasion.
  The Iron Imam seldom looks beyond his 
  chosen bailiwick, however, and he does not work 
  with inﬁdels. Muslim mystics call him the Iron 
  Imam in admiration of his unyielding war against 
  evil. Other mystics wish he would yield a little on 
  other matters. The Iron Imam particularly insists 
  that mystics must never interfere with mundane 
  problems. For instance, when a group of low-pow-
  ered mystical heroes tried to succor the starving 
  people of Somalia, the Iron Imam told them civil 
  war and famine were Man’s choice and God’s will, 
  and drove them out. Heroes are glad to see the Iron 
  Imam rain holy ﬁre on demons while he shouts, “In 
  the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassion-
  ate!” — but few mystics like him.
  Nyssa  
  Tarchaniotes
  Not everyone in the Mystic World is alive. 
  Nyssa Tarchaniotes claims that in life, she was an 
  oracle at Delphi — and although Apollo withdrew 
  his gift of prophecy when a vampire raped her 
  into undeath, Hecate replaced it. Nyssa’s diary, the 
  Chronicles Of Antioch, became a standard reference 
   DIABOLICAL 
  RIVALRY
  “Dork Seraph? A cheap-
  jack charlatan wielding 
  borrowed power. With-
  out the Iron Crown, 
  he’s nothing. A true 
  master needs only his 
  own knowledge and will 
  — and he doesn’t submit 
  to demons or gods, they 
  submit to him! Work 
  with me, and I will show 
  you true magic and true 
  power.”
  —The Demonologist, to 
  a group of Satanists he 
  recruited for a scheme
  “This self-styled Demo-
  nologist whom you 
  served? A rash and 
  deluded fool. He seeks 
  to wield the darkness. 
  I am the darkness, and 
  he shall feel the same 
  torment and despair as 
  the rest of you mortal 
  cattle when the world 
  becomes my abat-
  toir! Now worship me 
  — worship me! And I 
  will let you live to tell 
  the tale of what hap-
  pened here.”
  —Dark Seraph, to the 
  lone survivor of the 
  cultists
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  55 
  for supernatural events in the 
  Near East from the third century 
  through the First Crusade.
  Nyssa still has a high repu-
  tation as a seer. Stories say she 
  dwells in Istanbul, Athens, or 
  still in Antioch. Only a true sor-
  cerer can track her down and 
  penetrate the illusions that cloak 
  her dwelling. In addition to cash, 
  Nyssa charges each client a pint 
  of his blood. She uses a bit of the 
  blood to seal a contract bind-
  ing the client never to harm her, 
  and to defend her from harm 
  on one occasion. Nyssa sees her 
  visions in the rest of the blood, 
  which she drinks at the end of 
  the session. Many potent mystics 
  are said to owe Nyssa favors and 
  bear her geas.
  Rumor says Nyssa avoids kill-
  ing the mortals she feeds upon so 
  heroic mystics won’t decide she is 
  too evil to consult. But she does not 
  discriminate in her clients:  good, 
  evil, or neutral mystics may all seek 
  her help. The vampire-seer never 
  issues false advice, though at times 
  she cannot answer a question to 
  her client’s satisfaction — and her 
  prophecies are sometimes Delphi-
  cally ambiguous.
  Takofanes  
  The Archlich
  The “King of the Throne of Human Ivory” ter-
  riﬁes other mystics. Sorcerers have gleaned some 
  information about the Archlich’s identity, power, 
  and goals through potent divinations and queries 
  to spirits of knowledge — that’s how anyone even 
  knows Takofanes’s name and self-assumed titles. 
  The Undying Lord’s origin lies so far in the past, 
  however, that even the gods can’t ﬁnd much infor-
  mation about him.
  Takofanes has no allies, only slaves, as the 
  few mystics who have tried to cut deals with him 
  learned to their very brief and painful regret. Most 
  mystics want the Archlich destroyed as much as 
  everyone else does. Then some of them want to loot 
  his sanctums for the enchanted artifacts he seems 
  to produce without eﬀort. Wiser heads suggest the 
  Archlich’s toys are best destroyed too, lest they call 
  him back from oblivion.
  The Eternal Tulku
  Of all the world’s masters of thaumaturgy, the 
  greatest teacher is surely the Eternal Tulku. Legend 
  says he’s a former Archmage who stepped down 
  from the position but retained great longevity. 
  Tulku is over a thousand years old... and looks it. 
  He’s also been senile for centuries. He lives at the 
  DETECTIVE  
  AND SEER
  When Witchcraft took 
  us to see this sup-
  posed vampire oracle, I 
  expected... I don’t know. 
  A hag-witch with fangs. 
  A glamorous Mistress of 
  the Dark. Not a plump, 
  middle-aged-looking 
  Greek woman. Matronly, 
  I’d call her.
  Then she greeted us 
  all by name. Our real 
  names, which we hide 
  behind the masks. I 
  don’t know what I felt 
  more:  fear at her power 
  to penetrate secrets, 
  or sheer envy. I spend 
  weeks tracking down a 
  criminal’s identity, and 
  this woman just knows 
  at a glance.
  She told us exactly 
  where Takofanes took 
  the children, so we res-
  cued them and stopped 
  his plan in time. After 
  watching this Nyssa 
  Tarchaniotes slurp down 
  our blood, though, I 
  don’t envy her anymore.
  —from the private logs 
  of Nighthawk
  WHO IS KRIM?
  Every mystic on Earth now knows the name of Krim, 
  thanks to Dark Seraph and his allies in the Crowns of 
  Krim. Before Dark Seraph, however, Krim was an elu-
  sive ﬁgure known only through a few prophecies and 
  books of secret lore. Several mystics now seek informa-
  tion about this obscure demon-god.
  Mystics know Krim once possessed terrible power. 
  Some sources call Krim “the ﬁrst child of the Dragon.” 
  Others say the Dragon is a child of Krim. He was a 
  king of demons, and in some times and places a god of 
  destruction and evil, during the Turakian Age. Some 
  dark books of lore even hint at a connection between 
  Krim and the modern-day “one who has twice deﬁed 
  death” (Takofanes?).
  Krim’s heyday passed tens of thousands of years ago, 
  it seems. So far as anyone knows, the demon-god now 
  exists only through the Crowns and their wearers. Pre-
  sumably, Krim wants to turn the world into a Hell ruled 
  by itself, through the person of Dark Seraph and the 
  other crown-wearers. As long as the Crowns exist, so 
  does Krim; destroying the Crowns would end his evil 
  at long last, but no one yet knows how to accomplish 
  this feat.
  For more information on Krim, see The Turakian Age.
  
  56 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Lamasery of the Silver Hand, a secret temple once 
  located in Tibet, where the mystics cared for him 
  and helped him become lucid when a worthy pupil 
  arrived. Tulku did not teach novices:  his precious 
  hours of clarity were saved for thaumaturges who 
  already proved their skill and were ready for greater 
  mastery.
  When the last Archmage died, the Trismegis-
  tus Council hoped the Eternal Tulku could tell 
  them how to appoint a new one. His answer was 
  apparently not helpful. The Mystic World thought it 
  lost Tulku in 1959, when the Lamasery of the Silver 
  Hand vanished during Communist China’s violent 
  suppression of Tibetan Buddhism. The next year, 
  however, the lamas restored contact with Eastern 
  mystics. As the Chinese army closed in, the lamas 
  ﬁnally roused Tulku and he moved the entire lama-
  sery onto the Astral Plane. Since then, the Lama-
  sery of the Silver Hand has wandered through the 
  Inner Planes, appearing in Faerie, Babylon, Nepal, 
  Switzerland, the Scottish Highlands, and Eveleth, 
  Minnesota. The lamas sometimes take sabbaticals 
  to train mystics who are not yet ready for Tulku’s 
  lessons.
  Zarrindokht
  This daughter of ancient Persia has a repu-
  tation as the world’s greatest living alchemist. 
  Romantic legend calls her the daughter of a shah. 
  More prosaic stories say her father was an apoth-
  ecary in twelfth-century Qum. At that time, Persia 
  was a center of scholarship, including sorcery and 
  alchemy. The apothecary’s daughter studied with 
  the greatest alchemists of the age and surpassed 
  them all by making the Philosopher’s Stone and the 
  Elixir of Life. For this she gained the name of Zar-
  rindokht, “Daughter of Gold.”
  Over the centuries, Zarrindokht is said to have 
  devised potions for every purpose, raised the dead, 
  taught Paracelsus and Pasteur, inspired Shake-
  speare’s sonnets to a “Dark Lady,” seduced and 
  borne children to kings of men, faeries, and djinn, 
  and generally lived as an immortal, mystical femme 
  fatale. Rumor says she now lives in Babylon, but 
  keeps residences in Ispahan, Monte Carlo, and Los 
  Angeles (where her alchemically-enhanced beauty 
  bewitches every man who sees her). More skepti-
  cal mystics suspect these stories owe far more to 
  overheated imagination than to reality:  How could 
  such a ﬂamboyant ﬁgure avoid the public eye, even 
  in Babylon? Every year, though, inquiring mystics 
  ﬁnd people who believe they encountered a power-
  ful and attractive woman with seemingly magical 
  powders, pills, or potions.
  PROFESSIONAL 
  REGARD
  “The latest stories? I 
  heard one that movie 
  stars enslave themselves 
  to Zarrindokht in return 
  for renewed youth and 
  beauty. I remember that 
  movie and do not think 
  the story is true.
  “I also heard a claim 
  that Zarrindokht uses 
  her potions to give 
  people superpowers... 
  but she hides this from 
  them, so the people 
  think their powers come 
  from lightning bolts, 
  glowing meteors, and 
  such, or that they are 
  simply mutants. These 
  heroes and villains 
  serve as her dupes in 
  secret plans. This story I 
  cannot dismiss so easily.
  “I would like to meet 
  this remarkable woman, 
  yes. Whatever she asked 
  for the secret of the 
  Elixir of Life, I would be 
  glad to pay.”
  —Overheard conversa-
  tion between Corne-
  lius Liefeld and Bocal 
  McFarlane
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  57 
  THE ARCHMAGE
  The Archmage is not a person, but an oﬃce 
  — the most powerful mystic on Earth, blessed 
  with sorcerous gifts surpassing all others. (Other 
  homeworlds of sentient species, and some other 
  planets as well, may have their own Archmages.) 
  At the death or retirement of each Archmage, his 
  chosen successor gains the oﬃce’s awesome power, 
  no matter where in the Multiverse either person is 
  at the time.
  The Archmage’s chief power is an eﬀortless 
  facility with spells. An Archmage does not need 
  the chants, talismans, potions, magic circles, or 
  other paraphernalia used by most sorcerers. He 
  casts spells by will alone. At present, only super-
  mages such as the likes of the horriﬁc Takofanes 
  perform magic with such eﬀortless ease.
  An Archmage also gains an extended lifespan. 
  Archmages live for centuries, until they encounter 
  something able to kill them or they voluntarily 
  step down and once more age at a normal rate. 
  (The Eternal Tulku may have become immortal 
  before he became an Archmage.)
  The Archmage wields tremendous authority 
  over the spirit world. He may call on any power 
  within the Inner Planes. He can invoke the light 
  of God to burn and banish demons, or the ﬁres 
  of Hell to chastise angels. He can borrow a pagan 
  god’s mastery of nature, or the urban magics 
  of Babylon. Ghost, ghoul, and god all ﬁnd the 
  Archmage summoning the power most baneful to 
  them. Invaders from the Outer Planes encounter 
  an even greater threat:  the Archmage can curse 
  them through the power of Earth’s four great 
  spirit-realms, to render the Inner Planes deadly to 
  them.
  Over the centuries, the Archmages accumu-
  lated many of Earth’s greatest mystic artifacts and 
  relics. They employed some of these magical trea-
  sures; others, too dangerous for human use, they 
  locked away to keep them from unwary hands.
  According to occult legend, a being called 
  Thanoro Azoic initiated the line of Archmages, 
  longer ago than anyone now can say. “Azoic” 
  means “no life”:  some mystics believe Thanoro 
  Azoic came from another plane before life existed 
  on Earth, and guarded the planet for eons until 
  the ﬁrst human wizards became powerful and 
  wise enough to assume his burden. Other mystics 
  believe the First Archmage bore some connection 
  to the mysterious nagas who taught mystics and 
  heroes long ago. Most sages opine, however, that 
  “Azoic” must be a mistranslation of some other 
  word or name.
  After Thanoro Azoic, the line of Archmages 
  has broken twice that mystics know. The ﬁrst 
  time happened in antiquity. This interregnum 
  lasted more than a century. The Hellenistic magus 
  Thestor restored the line of Archmages after a 
  quest to ﬁnd Kryptos, the cosmic personiﬁcation 
  of secret knowledge. Thestor’s grimoire, the Kryp-
  ticon, became the most treasured possession of 
  succeeding Archmages.
  Seven more Archmages followed Thestor:  four 
  men and three women, from all around the world. 
  The oﬃce returned to Europe in the seventeenth 
  century with the accession of the Russian mystic 
  Bohdan Stanislavski. The Circle of the Scarlet Moon 
  murdered Stanislavski in 1908 in a magical cataclysm 
  such as the world had not seen in millennia — and 
  Stanislavski lacked an heir, his ﬁrst apprentice having 
  died ﬁghting an Edomite horror in Africa. (The 
  Circle’s attack likewise destroyed most of the arcane 
  artifacts the Archmages had collected for centuries.)
  Many contemporary mystics dearly want to 
  restore the oﬃce of Archmage and regain humani-
  ty’s greatest safeguard against supernatural danger. 
  Unfortunately, everyone who deﬁnitely knows the 
  secret of doing so can’t or won’t talk. The serpen-
  tine nagas, whose knowledge of the mystic arts 
  has no equal on Earth, remain silent for their own 
  inscrutable reasons. Perhaps they think it’s useful 
  for humanity to lack one clear mystic authority... 
  or perhaps, as some mystics whisper, these ancient 
  entities no longer care what happens to the world. 
  The retired Archmage called the Eternal Tulku once 
  knew, but he slipped into senility long ago. Most 
  of the time, Tulku doesn’t know his own name. 
  Perhaps someone can learn the secret of anointing 
  a brand-new Archmage during one of Tulku’s rare 
  moments when his intellect returns.
  Regardless of the general mystery surround-
  ing the process of accession to the position of 
  Archmage, mystics know the following:
  ■ A future Archmage shows great mystic mastery 
  even before his anointing. Specialists and dabblers 
  need not apply. Documented Archmages followed 
  every major style of sorcery — Hermetic ritual 
  magic, Taoist wizardry, shamanism, and more 
  — except for alchemy.
  ■ Moral requirements seem lax. Although an 
  Archmage’s duties include refereeing conﬂicts 
  between the spirit powers and defending the Earth 
  from supernatural invasion, not all of them have 
  been exactly heroic. A few mystics quite seriously 
  believe that Takofanes the Undying, considered by 
  some the most evil and powerful villain on Earth, is 
  an Archmage from remote antiquity who rose from 
  the dead and reclaimed his power.
  ■ A prospective Archmage must learn the spell 
  that curses invaders from the Outer Planes. Any 
  sorcerer could learn the Quaternion Banishment, 
  but the mystic must ﬁrst receive gifts of power 
  from the gods of Faerie, Babylon, Elysium, and the 
  Netherworld. For more than a thousand years, no 
  one except apprentice Archmages ever ﬁlled this 
  requirement. Mystics who hope to anoint a new 
  Archmage — or take the oﬃce themselves — strive 
  to rediscover the Quaternion Banishment and 
  obtain the necessary gifts of power.
  ■ On the other hand, a nascent Archmage may 
  not bind himself to any single god or spirit. The 
  Archmage speaks for all humanity in the quar-
  rels and councils of the gods. To do this, he must 
  remain neutral — receiving power from gods, but 
  not becoming beholden to them.
  COUNSEL OF 
  CAUTION
  “Beware the immortals, 
  lass. Mystics who cheat 
  death for centuries don’t 
  think like you or I. Their 
  plans are long and slow 
  and subtle. They justify 
  present evil with future 
  good, and hide future 
  evil with present good. 
  They see us as mayﬂies, 
  and sacriﬁce us without 
  regret.
  “The trouble is, by the 
  time you realize you’re 
  a pawn in an immortal’s 
  plan, it’s probably too 
  late. Yes, I found that 
  out the hard way — I’ll 
  tell you that story some 
  other time. At least 
  don’t you go looking 
  for them! Sure, and it’s 
  a foolish mayﬂy who 
  seeks a chat with the 
  spiders.”
  —Dweomer, 
  to Witchcraft
  
  58 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Beyond these minimal requirements, every-
  thing else is conjecture. Skilled astral voyagers 
  search the Upper Planes for the elusive Kryptos. 
  Scholarly mystics seek letters from old Archmages, 
  memoires by mystics who knew them, and any 
  other text that might give more hints. The reclusive 
  loremaster Tobias Vandaleur, a.k.a. the Toad, is 
  particularly active in this global manuscript hunt. 
  Some mystics curry favor with the Toad because 
  they think he already knows the secret, and merely 
  waits until he likes someone enough to divulge it... 
  or someone oﬀers him a large enough bribe.
  Leading Candidates
  Here are a few people whom other mystics think 
  might become the next Archmage, or who actively 
  seek the position for themselves. Player characters 
  could easily join the list. At present, no clear “front 
  runner” candidate for Archmage has yet emerged.
  Some of the names not on the list are tell-
  ing — several of Earth’s mightiest mystics seem 
  to be out of the running. For instance, Giacomo 
  Sylvestri cannot become Archmage because he 
  sold his soul to the Dragon, while the Iron Imam 
  will not treat with any realm except Elysium. The 
  few Western mystics who know the power of Dr. 
  Yin Wu believe the reclusive Chinese magus could 
  seize the Archmage’s oﬃce if he chose — but he has 
  already outlived at least three Archmages. So has 
  the founder of the Vandaleur dynasty. Either these 
  immortal masters don’t want the oﬃce, or some 
  other commitment forbids them.
  ROBERT CALIBURN
  The “Magnum Mage” of Vibora Bay is not as 
  obvious a candidate as other heroes such as Witch-
  craft or Dweomer. This less-than-public hero pos-
  sesses formidable skill at Hermetic theurgy, but he 
  still needs lengthy rituals to cast most of his spells. 
  Caliburn ﬁghts his supernatural battles using magic 
  items he enchants in advance. He says Azrael, the 
  Angel of Death, and the Hindu god Shiva blessed 
  his two guns, however, and if so that gives him a 
  start on divine gifts of power.
  THE DEMONOLOGIST
  Not all the candidates are heroes. The villain-
  ous Demonologist presents himself as a potential 
  Archmage. He points to his prodigious knowledge 
  and undeniable power. Though he chieﬂy calls on 
  the Netherworld, he has never sold his soul and 
  exploits powers from Babylon and Faerie, albeit 
  not on a divine scale. Through partnership with 
  his Devil’s Advocates, he gains unique experience 
  with many schools of sorcery. The Demonologist 
  suggests it’s only a matter of time before he wrests 
  power from gods of all four Parterres — and the 
  sooner other mystics help him in this quest, the 
  sooner Earth receives protection from dimensional 
  conquerors. A faction within the Circle of the Scar-
  let Moon supports this former member. Several 
  lesser evil mystics also pledge their readiness to 
  accept the Demonologist as the next Archmage, 
  chieﬂy from fear that he really will seize the oﬃce.
  DWEOMER
  Some Trismegistus members suggest the Irish 
  hero Dweomer could become the next Archmage. 
  This latter-day druid’s command of natural phe-
  nomena has few equals; he holds the respect (and 
  fear) of many intruders from the Land of Legends. 
  His own powers draw on Faerie, where Queen Mab 
  granted him increased power for a battle against 
  the demonic fomorians. Dweomer has not received 
  gifts of power from other gods so far as anyone 
  knows, but he survived a visit to New Jerusalem 
  and a raid into Pandemonium, and that’s a start. 
  Dweomer now seeks gifts of power from the other 
  Parterres, and his skill at dealing with spirits may 
  win him through.
  RASHINDAR
  Not all potential Archmages come from the 
  Western world. The Indian hero Rashindar presents 
  himself as a candidate. The six-armed sorcerer is 
  one of the world’s greatest living masters of thau-
  maturgy, a school of magic that calls on power 
  from dimension lords and other denizens of the 
  Outer and Upper Planes. Rashindar believes he 
  can obtain most of the needed gifts of power from 
  the Hindu pantheon, which has representatives 
  in Elysium, Faerie, and the Netherworld. Beyond 
  that, he suggests the power he already wields, and 
  his experience with the Outer Planes, make him 
  the mystic best qualiﬁed to take the Archmage’s 
  oﬃce. Most Indian mystics (including some of his 
  enemies) support Rashindar’s bid because of the 
  glory he would bring to the region. Several Third 
  World mystics think it would be grossly unfair for 
  the Western world to claim the Archmage’s oﬃce 
  twice in a row.
  STINGRAY
  The Atlantean supervillainess Stingray (see 
  pages 90-92 of Champions Universe) nominates 
  herself for Archmage. Other mystics who’ve met 
  her concede she knows a great deal of Atlantean 
  and Lemurian occult lore, but her practical magic 
  does not impress anyone with its versatility or 
  power. She is also blatantly insane. “The Toad has a 
  better chance,” Talisman once said.
  WITCHCRAFT
  Many members of the Trismegistus Council 
  believe the hero Witchcraft could become the next 
  Archmage. She shows remarkable power at a com-
  paratively early age. More importantly, she shows 
  remarkable range of magic through her witcheries, 
  and she casts spells by will alone. Trismegistus 
  mystics who perceive spiritual forces also cite the 
  remarkable brilliance and complexity of her aura, 
  a feature noted in descriptions of past Archmages. 
  Other mystics suggest the Council’s advocacy 
  of Witchcraft owes more to her close ties to that 
  organization. Although Witchcraft shows potential 
  for great power, she has not yet developed that 
  potential in full. Her occasional crises of conﬁ-
  dence also seem unsuitable for Earth’s supreme 
  mystic authority.
  SO, WHO BECOMES 
  ARCHMAGE?
  Readers familiar with 
  Galactic Champions 
  know that in the year 
  2020, Witchcraft is the 
  Archmage of Earth. 
  However, that’s not nec-
  essarily the whole story.
  First and foremost, GMs 
  using the Champions 
  Universe setting may 
  choose not to follow 
  the “oﬃcial” take on 
  things described in Hero 
  Games books. If the GM 
  prefers another candi-
  date (particularly a PC), 
  he should make what-
  ever changes he wants to 
  for his own campaign.
  Second, the fact that 
  Witchcraft holds the 
  oﬃce in 2020 doesn’t 
  mean she’s the only one 
  to hold it between now 
  and then (nor does 
  it establish when she 
  got the job). Given the 
  danger posed to mystic 
  superheroes by villains, 
  dimensional invaders, 
  and the like, it’s entirely 
  possible one or more 
  of the other candidates 
  became Archmage 
  before her and was slain 
  by his enemies or had to 
  give up the position.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  59 
  OTHER MYSTICAL  
  CREATURES
  Not all the Mystic World’s denizens are living 
  humans, or ﬁt neatly in the roles of hero or villain. 
  The Mystic World also includes ghosts, vampires, 
  and other formerly-living persons; werewolves and 
  other shapeshifters; spirits and mythic creatures 
  who dare live on Earth permanently, or at least 
  make regular visits; and occasional oddities such as 
  mummies, stray cars from Babylon, or people rein-
  carnated as talking animals.
  See The HERO System Bestiary for HERO System 
  character sheets for many typical mystic creatures.
  GENIUS LOCI
  Elementals, demons, and other spirits cannot 
  easily exist on Earth. They belong in the Parterres, 
  not the material world. Nevertheless, some loca-
  tions — usually the sorts of mystic power sites 
  described later in this chapter — can sustain a spirit 
  so that it doesn’t slip back to its home dimension. 
  Spirits who dwell in such locations are called genius 
  loci, a Latin phrase that simply means “the spirit 
  of a place.” (Mystics use the term as both singular 
  and plural.) Mystics value genius loci as Contacts 
  for their powers, knowledge, and help in learning 
  magic related to the spirit’s special ﬁeld of expertise.
  Elementals and other spirits of natural phe-
  nomena form the most common sort of genius 
  loci. Such a spirit may haunt a patch of woodland, a 
  lake, a mountain, or some other landscape feature. 
  Demonic genius loci are more rare, and may be 
  trapped by magic. Urban genius loci — elementals 
  of smog and plastic, metal and glass — are increas-
  ing in number now that more than half of human-
  ity lives in cities and Babylon gains stronger ties 
  to Earth. Angels and other Elysian spirits seldom 
  become genius loci, though the angels called 
  Ophanim specializes in guarding holy locations.
  A genius loci can exert some degree of control 
  over its home ground. For example, it may be able 
  to cause the vines and plants in its grove to reach 
  out and grab people who threaten it, or change the 
  color and coolness of local water.
  GHOSTS
  Every serious mystic encounters ghosts. Most 
  spirits of the dead haunt ﬁxed locations, but the few 
  ghosts who travel often become closely involved 
  with local mystics wherever they “visit.” Interaction 
  with the living helps the dead retain their memory 
  and sanity, but few ghosts can manifest at will to 
  ordinary mortals. They prize those living souls who 
  see and hear the spirit world, whether because of 
  inborn talent or occult training.
  Large or old urban areas may accumulate 
  enough ghosts to form a community of their own. 
  Every “ghost town” is a unique case, since they 
  form in isolation and seldom communicate with 
  each other.
  THERIANTHROPES
  Werewolves, weretigers, and other shapeshift-
  ers are collectively called therianthropes. They tend 
  to remain solitary or gather in small, insular packs. 
  Beyond that, shapeshifters vary widely in their cus-
  toms and attitudes — before the twentieth century, 
  few therianthropes ever met more than a few others 
  of their kind. The Chunhu family of China hopes to 
  change this.
  
  60 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Some people become therianthropes by con-
  tagion from another were-creature; other shape-
  shifters come from family lines of their kind; still 
  others are the victims of curses, or deliberately use 
  magic on themselves. But no matter how a person 
  becomes a shapeshifter, he cannot avoid interaction 
  with the rest of the Mystic World. For one thing, 
  some mystically-savvy mortals hunt therianthropes 
  who prey on humanity. Not all were-creatures are 
  ravening monsters, though. Some therianthropes 
  use their animalistic power to become bodyguards 
  to mystics, or other sorts of mystical mercenaries. A 
  few even become superheroes.
  VAMPIRES
  The undead do not easily dwell near each 
  other for long:  every other vampire is a competi-
  tor for their mortal prey. Now and then, however, 
  a senior bloodsucker leads a gang of vampiric oﬀ-
  spring. Such master vampires may recruit mortals 
  through promises of immortality, but they often 
  treat their scions as expendable thralls.
  Few vampires become sorcerers, but their 
  longevity and innate supernatural powers make 
  them formidable creatures. Mortal mystics are 
  more likely than other folk to recognize a vampire 
  moving among unsuspecting humans. Vampires 
  and evil mystics sometimes form alliances, but this 
  is not common. The harsh necessity to feed oﬀ the 
  living turns most vampires quite evil, but beyond 
  that, the undead possess motives as complex and 
  idiosyncratic as the living.
  SAMPLE SUPERNATURAL 
  CONTACTS
  Lieutenant Mark Gentry, Deceased:  This police lieuten-
  ant died when his partner accidentally shot him in 
  the line of duty. His partner didn’t admit his mistake, 
  and blamed the shooting on the escaped perp. Gentry 
  now provides investigative services for mystics who 
  can perceive him in return for favors to the city’s less 
  mobile ghosts, such as passing messages to loved ones 
  and protection against astral predators.
  Dr. Ibrahim Khalseran:  When the Nazis unearthed this 
  Egyptian priest-magician’s tomb, they awoke the mum-
  miﬁed priest, who expressed his dislike of graverobbers 
  quite forcefully. He eventually created the identity of 
  Dr. Khalseran and found work in the Egyptian National 
  Museum. Khalseran doesn’t look for trouble, but he 
  protects the museum — and the legacy from his era 
  — with a terrifying array of curses. Mystics who need 
  to learn about ancient Egypt’s magic, including the 
  mysterious Dr. Ka of Vibora Bay, can ﬁnd no better 
  teacher than Dr. Khalseran.
  Slash:  A family curse turned Sam Lupescu into a 
  werewolf when his grandfather died. Sam already had 
  military training; he coped with his new abilities by 
  becoming a professional bodyguard for mystics. Slash 
  works for anyone who pays, good or evil, but does not 
  himself commit crimes.
  Charles Torres:  The romantic glamour of this young 
  artist’s “Night Scenes” and “Night Portraits” attracted 
  a female vampire’s notice. First, she hired him to paint 
  her portrait, and then she made him a vampire. She 
  thought his artistic soul would ﬁnd glory and beauty in 
  nocturnal unlife... and in her. Undeath revolted Charles, 
  however, and he found the strength of will to ﬂee. Now 
  he paints grim, dark visions of night life, tries to obtain 
  blood without killing, and wishes he could ﬁnd the 
  strength to destroy himself.
  The Paper Lady:  Most people think the Paper Lady 
  is just a mad old woman who lives in an abandoned 
  building, surrounded by stacks of old newspapers. 
  Actually, she’s a genius loci, and the building is a minor 
  mystic site drawing power from Babylon. The Paper 
  Lady’s body is made of yellowed, wadded-up news-
  papers. She can animate and control all paper around 
  her. She also has a ﬂawless memory for everything ever 
  published in her city’s newspapers.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  61 
  GODS
  The gods are the most powerful inhabitants 
  of the Mystic World. To mystics, a “god” can be any 
  powerful spirit dwelling in the Parterres. Zeus is a 
  god under this nomenclature; so are the archdevil 
  Mephistopheles, the Emperor of Babylon, and the 
  Buddha of Compassion. These “gods” did not create 
  the world, much less the Multiverse, and have no 
  power beyond Greater Earth. (They also diﬀer from 
  “space gods,” a term for certain cosmically-power-
  ful beings such as the Galaxars or the Corelords; 
  see Galactic Champions.)
  The gods of Earth possess plenty of power by 
  mortal standards, though. A god’s power waxes 
  and wanes based on the worship he receives, 
  but even the weakest, most forgotten god wields 
  more power than most mortal superbeings. Gods 
  who receives the active worship of hundreds of 
  millions of people, such as the Afro-Caribbean, 
  Indian, or Chinese pantheons, can overpower the 
  mightiest mortals.
  Mystics typically encounter gods only if they 
  travel into the spirit realms. Gods suﬀer a super-
  natural Ban against entering the mortal world. 
  Gods can evade the Ban in a few very speciﬁc ways, 
  for short times. Overall, though, gods cannot work 
  their will on Earth through raw power.
  Earth’s gods suﬀer a more terrible restriction 
  against creatures from the Outer Planes. Human 
  belief sustains the gods, and so their supernatural 
  power does not directly aﬀect anyone or anything 
  beyond the Inner Planes. The gods cannot protect 
  the Earth from dimensional conquerors such as 
  Skarn or Tyrannon. The Irish supermage Dweo-
  mer, for instance, reports that when Skarn invaded 
  Faerie in 2001, he handily defeated the war-gods of 
  six pantheons:  Skarn’s magic worked against them, 
  but they could ﬁght him only with raw strength.
  The Ban
  Long ago, gods and spirits walked the Earth 
  freely. That started to change around 700 B.C. 
  Prophets like Zoroaster and the Buddha taught 
  mortals to worship truth, virtue, and law instead of 
  parochial gods with all-too-human failings. As the 
  new “ethical religions” spread and multiplied, the 
  gods found it harder to manifest on Earth. When 
  a preacher in Judea declared that men need not 
  sacriﬁce to gods because God would sacriﬁce him-
  self for Man, the Ban locked shut completely. No 
  god walked the Earth for almost 2,000 years. Gods 
  recruited mortal worshippers through persuasion 
  instead of displays of power. Even the lesser spirits 
  found the mortal world turned deadly, and they 
  kept their visits brief.
  The Ban weakened in 1938, with the start of 
  the Superheroic Age, but gods still cannot visit the 
  mortal world with ease. Most gods continue to 
  guide or command their followers through dreams, 
  the inner voices of conscience and temptation, or 
  other subtle means. Gods who want to act more 
  directly have several options.
  
  62 ■ The Shadow World 
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  AVATARS
  A god can materialize a body on Earth with a 
  fraction of the god’s full divine power. The weaker 
  the avatar, the longer the god can remain on Earth. 
  An avatar of no greater power than a standard 
  superbeing can stay in the mortal world indeﬁ-
  nitely. More powerful avatars might vanish if they 
  suﬀer unconsciousness or damage that would 
  mortally wound a human; many of the “demon 
  lords” encountered by mystic heroes are actually 
  such projections. While his avatar is active on earth, 
  a god’s true self remains in a trance — just like a 
  mortal mystic during astral projection.
  A god can send more of his power to Earth, 
  and avoid the need for a trance, if he fuses his 
  power to a mortal host. Such a deiﬁed mortal 
  receives a weaker version of the god’s powers, per-
  haps along with some or all of the god’s personality 
  traits. Some avatars overwhelm their mortal hosts, 
  who think they actually become the god. Other 
  gods simply grant some power and ask the mortal 
  to act as their agent. Mortal avatars usually fall in 
  the same power range as other superbeings.
  HALFBREEDS AND DEMIGODS
  A more patient god can gain a divinely-pow-
  ered agent in the person of a half-mortal child. 
  Before the Ban, the Greek gods became notori-
  ous for their mortals by-blows, some of whom 
  became gods themselves. Unless a mortal corpo-
  really enters a Parterre, however, gods now have 
  few opportunities to breed with mortals. A male 
  god’s projected avatar can father a child who may 
  develop superpowers, but a male human needs 
  to supply mortal seed as well. The greatest and 
  ghastliest attempt to breed half-divine children 
  happened in 1989, in the “Zodiac Working” of the 
  master wizard Archimago. The evil sorcerer sum-
  moned twelve devil princes to rape kidnapped 
  women so their hell-tainted oﬀspring could 
  become vessels for their sires’ power. Heroes 
  thwarted the plan before its completion... but 
  there may be several demon-children out there 
  who don’t know their dark heritage.
  The Ban also applies only to full-powered 
  gods. Since the Ban closed, some gods had children 
  of considerably lesser power. These demigods can 
  live on Earth as long as they want. The golden-
  skinned, winged hero Chrysaor, for instance, says 
  he is the son of a warrior angel and the goddess 
  Aphrodite; he comes from the Land of Legends to 
  win fame through heroic deeds.
  SACRIFICE
  A sacriﬁce of suﬃciently great spiritual energy 
  enables a god to enter the mortal world for a few 
  minutes and wield its full power. The death of hun-
  dreds of ordinary humans can supply the necessary 
  force to defy the Ban; so can the ritual murder of a 
  superbeing. The ceremonial destruction of a power-
  ful magic item may suﬃce as well. Of course, pow-
  erful magic items are exceedingly rare, and only the 
  most evil gods bid their followers to arrange a mass 
  human sacriﬁce.
  NEXUS POINTS AND GATES
  Some locations naturally intersect with a Par-
  terre, and powerful mystics can create such portals 
  between worlds. A god can stand in such a portal 
  and use his full power on nearby areas, because 
  he has not yet left his own realm. When the portal 
  closes, the god remains in his own realm.
  DIVINE RELICS
  Before the Ban closed, a few gods created 
  magic items to channel their power. In some cases, 
  a god can act in the mortal world as long as he stays 
  near his relic. Relics usually need some extra source 
  of power to activate them, such as the death of 
  mortals or lesser spirits, or being struck by power-
  ful magical attacks. Experienced sorcerers tell their 
  apprentices to cast their spells cautiously around 
  a god’s relic, or they may receive a very powerful 
  visitor.
  MASSIVE MAGIC
  Other sorts of very powerful magic may grant 
  a god free access to a limited territory. For instance, 
  Tezcatlipoca once transformed a Mexican village to 
  its appearance in pre-Columbian times. The people 
  believed they lived under Aztec rule, and wor-
  shipped Tezcatlipoca as he dwelled among them. 
  When a group of Mexican heroes convinced the 
  people of the truth, Tezcatlipoca’s spell broke and 
  he vanished. Few creatures except a god can work 
  magic on such a large scale, though.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  63 
  BEYOND EARTH
  Beyond the realms of Greater Earth, the Multi-
  verse holds a plethora of powerful entities:  dimen-
  sion lords, the Kings of Edom, the conceptual enti-
  ties of Briah, and more. They, too, interact with the 
  Mystic World.
  Some mystics invoke dimension lords in their 
  magic. Many dimension lords long ago invented 
  powerful spells and taught them to disciples on 
  other planes. But calling on a dimension lord’s power 
  does carry a few risks. Some dimension lords may 
  demand a service as repayment for years of using 
  their signature spell, or may block its use from mys-
  tics who displease them. No prudent mystic invokes 
  the Kings of Edom, because their magic invariably 
  leads users to horror, madness, enslavement, or death 
  — but some mystics are not prudent.
  Mystics rarely encounter the conceptual 
  Avatars in their own persons, because few mystics 
  achieve suﬃcient will and enlightenment to visit 
  the Brialic realms. On occasion, some Avatars send 
  visions of themselves to great mystics, as a way 
  to impart wisdom or warn of truly cosmic dan-
  gers. Avatars can also possess gods, the same way 
  demons possess mortals, as a way to manifest in 
  other realms. A god possessed by an Avatar wields 
  even greater power than usual, and with no restric-
  tions. For instance, the Native American totem-
  god Coyote is normally a god of relatively modest 
  power, dealing mainly with illusion and transfor-
  mation. Coyote, however, is also one culture’s name 
  for the cosmic Trickster. When the Trickster puts 
  on the mask of Coyote, the god can transform the 
  world. Fortunately for mankind, the Avatars seldom 
  exercise this cosmic power... but they are the gods 
  to whom gods pray.
  Hundreds of gods and demigods dwell in the four Ima-
  ginal Planes. Here are a few who are unusually active 
  on Earth in one way or another. See also Tezcatlipoca in 
  Arcane Adversaries.
  St. Albertus Magnus:  In life, St. Albert of Ratisbon was 
  a pioneering chemist as well as an alchemist, mage, and 
  a leading theologian of the Roman Catholic Church. St. 
  Albert now serves as the patron of Christian sorcerers, in 
  addition to his recognized role as patron saint of scien-
  tists and scholars. As a saint, Albert does not try to evade 
  the Ban, but devout mystics who ask God for his help 
  often receive advice in dreams. His greatest regret is that 
  the Ban prevents him from joining in mortal scientiﬁc 
  research.
  Anubis:  The Egyptian god of mummiﬁcation and pas-
  sage between worlds is not happy. His evil uncle Set — or 
  someone posing as Set — gave a mortal a perverted 
  imitation of Anubis’ powers. The Jackal at Death’s Gate 
  seeks access to Earth so he can “clear his name” — but he 
  also wants to punish the modern world for despoiling the 
  tombs dedicated to him.
  Dionysus:  The Greco-Roman god of intoxication and 
  sacred frenzy sometimes projects an avatar of himself to 
  Earth. As “Dion Bach,” he’s a rock megastar. People die 
  from drug overdoses and dance-induced exhaustion at 
  Dion Bach’s concerts, but the god of wine receives wor-
  ship every time someone listens to his CDs.
  Hecate:  The Greek goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, and 
  portals has long patronized the Circle of the Scarlet Moon 
  from afar. She also now ﬁnds worshippers among lycan-
  thropes, neo-pagans in search of the roots of their faith, 
  and seekers of vengeance.  She also visits Witchcraft and 
  other mystic heroes now and then to ask how far they’ll go 
  to win — she wants to hedge her bets.
  Mara:  The Buddhist supreme power of evil acts through-
  out south and east Asia. Mara has no physical power, but 
  he can whip passions into dangerous monomanias. He 
  tries to tempt new superbeings into mad obsessions so 
  they become supervillains, and goads heroes toward self-
  destruction.
  Marduk:  The Mesopotamian god of kingship and cities 
  wants every city to have a resident superhero. From his 
  temple in the Mesopotamian district of the dimension of 
  Babylon, Marduk mentally nudges new heroes to go where 
  they’re needed, and draws heroes into teams when one 
  hero isn’t enough — new pantheons for the mortal world. 
  In the long term, Marduk wants a world of city-states and 
  empires ruled by superheroes, the way divine kings like 
  Gilgamesh ruled the city-states of Sumeria.
  Mephistopheles:  The most active archdevil in the 
  Descending Hierarchy walks up and down the world 
  seeking mortals who oﬀer their souls for power, revenge, 
  or other goals. “Old Harry” cannot aﬀect anyone who 
  does not grant him permission to do so — but his powers 
  of illusion are almost as dangerous as his truly diaboli-
  cal sense for the hopes, fears, and desires of humanity. 
  Mephistopheles can grant people superpowers; see Hell 
  Rider in Arcane Adversaries for one of Mephisto’s pacters.
  Ogun:  Most people think the West African superhero 
  Ogun wears a suit of powered armor and controls metal 
  using magnetism. Hardly anyone realizes that the hero 
  received his powers from the real Ogun, the Yoruba god 
  of blacksmiths. Ogun granted his powers to a West Afri-
  can engineer beaten near death for trying to expose cor-
  ruption in a construction project. Not only does Ogun’s 
  avatar ﬁght supervillains and brigands, he digs wells, 
  builds roads, and does other construction projects to 
  improve the lives of ordinary people.
  NOTABLY ACTIVE GODS
  
  64 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  In addition to Skarn, Tyrannon, and Bromion (see Chap-
  ter Four and Arcane Adversaries), here are brief descrip-
  tions of a few more dimension lords who may help or 
  hinder Earth’s mystics. In some cases, GMs can easily 
  modify villains from Conqueror, Killers, And Crooks as 
  “quick and dirty” character sheets for dimension lords.
  Balthus:  This relatively minor dimension lord feeds on 
  fear. It tries to lure dimensional travelers into its small 
  Netzach-realm, and then terrorize them for sustenance. 
  Balthus specializes in magic of darkness, entrapment, and 
  fear, typically using grotesque special eﬀects to maximize 
  the horror felt by its victims. Anyone who bungles an 
  attempt at interdimensional travel in the Outer Planes 
  might ﬁnd himself in Balthus’s realm. The Baleful Bonds 
  Of Balthus (page 73) are often used by sorcerers.
  [Use Eclipse for Balthus, but remove the villain’s Focus, 
  or replace it with some other Limitation. Also, replace 
  Eclipse’s Energy Blast and Ranged Killing Attack with the 
  Baleful Bonds and a spell to evoke the target’s fears.]
  Cassai:  This minor dimension lord covets greater magi-
  cal energy and tries to steal it from other dimensions. He 
  is paranoid and suspects all visitors to his realm of trying 
  to rob his stores of mystical power. (Admittedly, his fear is 
  often justiﬁed.) Cassai is also one of the Multiverse’s best 
  crafters of magic items. Mystics who oﬀer Cassai large 
  amounts of mystical energy can hire him to design and 
  build powerful enchanted objects.
  [Thunderbolt I makes an adequate Cassai. Convert his 
  Electricity Attacks Multipower to a suite of Adjustment 
  attacks against STUN and magic eﬀects, plus a Transform 
  for creating magic items. Recast the electrical Elemental 
  Control to spellcasting eﬀects and add suitable Skills.]
  Fuzon:  According to legend, the Prince of Fire is a child 
  of Urizen who rebelled against his sire and became a 
  Lord of Nature instead. Fuzon rules a realm called the 
  Burning Sky; the Fuzonic Flames spell (see page 74) calls 
  on the power of this realm. The Prince of Fire despises 
  the servants of Order and sometimes attempts large feats 
  of ﬁery destruction to force people into facing the “natu-
  ral” exigencies of life and death.
  [Use Firewing, but add a 40-point Magic Pool for dimen-
  sional travel, special defenses, and other minor eﬀects. 
  Also add a Multipower slot to Summon ﬁre-creatures 
  from the Burning Sky.]
  Koriol:  This immortal Archmage lived on the world of 
  Loezen (see page 41) some millennia ago. He left his 
  homeworld to explore the Multiverse, and now rules 
  a small dimension. Koriol transformed the folk of his 
  dimension into living crystal to save them from their 
  increasingly hostile realm. In return, they made him 
  king. Koriol isn’t evil, but he’s extremely protective of his 
  adopted people and suspicious of mystic intruders:  care-
  less sorcery can rouse the destructive forces that once 
  threatened the realm. Koriol also imposes dangerous tests 
  on anyone who comes seeking his help.
  [Use Binder for Koriol, but replace his Glue Gun with 
  a rod that casts the various Crimson Crystal spells, and 
  remove the Focus Limitations from all his defenses. Also, 
  add a 94-point Magic Pool with the Cosmic (+2) Advan-
  tage, and suitable Skills.]
  Thiralatha:  The “Lady of the Dreamful Caves” is well 
  known for teaching mystic servants of Artiﬁce. In her 
  realm, everything constantly changes its form and sub-
  stance, and whatever people imagine becomes real, to the 
  degree allowed by their will. Thiralatha herself possesses 
  vast power to Transform matter, energy, and magic. She 
  does not discriminate between good and evil mystics, but 
  treats all courteous visitors kindly.
  [Start with Gravitar, but replace her Gravity Powers 
  Multipower with Transforms, transmutation eﬀects such 
  as an Entangle (changing the air into bonds), and Adjust-
  ment attacks against magic. Recast her Gravitic Mastery 
  Elemental Control and Gravitic Defense Power with 
  sorcerous or transmutative special eﬀects, and replace her 
  Skill Levels with a small Magic Pool with the Cosmic (+2) 
  Advantage for miscellaneous divine powers. As a goddess, 
  she also has total Life Support, including immortality.]
  OTHER DIMENSION LORDS
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  65 
  M
  ystic sites vary widely in form and 
  power; this discussion can describe only 
  the more common types of mystic sites, 
  and how sorcerers use them. See Cham-
  pions Universe for more examples of Earth’s most 
  magically potent locations, and Vibora Bay for a 
  detailed look at one of them.
  MAGICAL POWER SITES
  Some locations become important to mystics 
  because their arcane power assists spellcasters in 
  some way. The weakest mystic sites do not carry 
  intrinsic power for sorcerers to tap — they merely 
  satisfy a precondition for certain feats of ritual 
  magic. For example, mages can cast some spells 
  only on holy ground, a gravesite, or at a natural 
  spring. Other sites actually enhance a mystic’s 
  spells, or provide raw magical energy anyone can 
  tap through rituals, special tools, and suﬃcient 
  occult knowledge. Some locations even give access 
  to other planes, for the wise who know how to open 
  such portals. Although some power sites appear 
  naturally, most exist because mystics created them.
  POWER SITE ORIGINS
  Not all mystic power sites exist for an obvi-
  ous reason:  Some places carry magic and no one 
  knows why. Many mystics suspect these “enigmatic” 
  sites mark unrecorded magic spills, or sites con-
  structed by lost civilizations.
  These examples merely describe the more 
  familiar sorts of power sites. GMs may deﬁne other 
  sorts, too.
  Architecture:  The geometry and materials of a 
  building may concentrate mystical forces. An entire 
  ﬁeld of mystical study, called sacred geometry, 
  deals with using architecture to shape supernatu-
  ral power. Most ancient monuments incorporate 
  sacred geometry; so do most mystical sanctums. 
  Edomite cultists employ a weirdly twisted, non-
  Euclidean geometry in some of their magic.
  Astronomy:  Structures aligned to the cardinal 
  directions and signiﬁcant astronomical phenom-
  ena attract supernatural power. Mystics call these 
  “calendar sites” because many cultures used special 
  monuments to tell the seasons. For example, on the 
  spring equinox the sun rises over a certain megalith 
  at Stonehenge, perhaps the world’s most famous 
  calendar site. Calendar sites often incorporate 
  sacred geometry as well.
  Death:  Mass death may charge a location with dark 
  power suitable for necromancy or demonology, 
  particularly if the deaths are especially sadistic. 
  The Trismegistus Council and a number of heroic 
  super-mages and holy orders work to exorcise 
  death sites, but locations such as Auschwitz and the 
  killing ﬁelds of Cambodia are so deeply corrupted 
  they defy cleansing. The Circle of the Scarlet Moon 
  favors death sites as the easiest sort of mystic power 
  site to create — it just takes murder and cruelty, 
  repeated long enough.
  Geology:  Natural power sites most often occur at 
  unusual geological formations, such as geysers, bal-
  ancing rocks, limestone caves, and meteor craters.
  Geography:  Natural alignments of mountains, val-
  leys, rivers, tors, and other landscape features may 
  create zones with mystic potential. Volcanoes are 
  often slightly magical.
  Magic Spills:  Large, uncontrolled discharges of 
  magic may taint a region with supernatural power. 
  Magical battles can leave such “magic spills”; so 
  may the death of a powerful supernatural creature, 
  such as a demon prince or a dragon, or shedding 
  the blood of a god.
  MYSTIC  
  PLACES
  
  66 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Trees:  Very old trees may draw power from Ygg-
  drasil. Mystics sometimes transplant trees from 
  Faerie or Elysium to draw power from those 
  realms. Trees also tend to absorb and preserve 
  magic spills.
  Natural Sites
  Cheiron’s Oak:  Country folk around Mount Pelion, 
  in Greece, say that the mythic centaur Cheiron 
  planted a certain immensely large and aged oak. 
  The legend is in fact true. Cheiron’s Oak grew from 
  an acorn brought from Faerie, and it augments any 
  magic related to fertility or vegetation.
  Cheiron’s Oak:  Aid Magic 3d6, any fertility or 
  vegetation-related Magic spell one at a time 
  (+¼), Trigger (any such spell use; +¼) (45 
  Active Points); Independent (-2). Total cost:  
  15 points.
  Mount Fuji and Mount Rainier:  Mount Fuji is one 
  of Japan’s most famous sights. Mount Rainier, 
  another snow-capped volcano, similarly domi-
  nates the horizon of western Washington state. 
  Japanese immigrants arranged a marriage between 
  the ruggedly masculine Rainier and the goddess 
  of Mount Fuji — and linked two powerful mystic 
  sites across the Paciﬁc. The Circle of the Scarlet 
  Moon and the Trismegistus Council both suspect 
  a plan by Shamballah.
  Magic Enhancement:  Variable Power Pool 
  (Magic Pool), 22 base + 11 control cost; Only 
  To Augment Existing Spells (-1), Independent 
  (-2), Requires A Magic Skill Roll (-½), Vari-
  able Limitations (requires -2 worth of Limi-
  tations suitable for a mystic ritual; -1). Total 
  cost:  24 points.
  Ley Line Travel:  Teleportation 10”, MegaScale 
  (1” = 1,000 km; +1) (40 Active Points); Only 
  Between Fixed Locations (-1), Independent (-
  2), Requires A Magic Skill Roll (-½) (total cost:  
  9 points) plus two Fixed Locations (Mt. Fuji, 
  Mt. Rainier). Total cost:  11 points.
  Yellowstone Park:  America’s ﬁrst national park 
  occupies the maw of an immense volcano called 
  a caldera. The park’s geysers and hot springs draw 
  mystic energy from deep underground. None of 
  Yellowstone’s mystic sites are very powerful, but 
  the park contains more than a dozen of them. 
  Sometimes the air veritably hums with arcane 
  power — the eerily musical “Yellowstone Lake 
  Whispers,” which scientists explain as steam 
  whistling from geysers, groans from bending rock 
  strata, or wind blowing over the valley like the 
  mouth of a giant soda bottle. The early hero 
  MeteorMan, of course, found his power-granting 
  stone in Yellowstone Park.
  Death Sites
  Manaos:  Rubber tycoons built this city deep in the 
  Amazon basin. African and Native American slaves 
  did the work and died in droves. One particular 
  rubber tycoon lit his garden parties by dipping 
  Indians in rubber latex, tying them to stakes, and 
  burning them alive as torches. That garden is now 
  the vilest mystic site in Brazil.
  The House of Xander O’Riordan:  One of the most 
  horriﬁc serial killers of modern times, Xander 
  O’Riordan kidnapped nearly ﬁfty young women 
  between 1995 and 2002 and ritually butchered them 
  at his home in the wilds of Pennsylvania, hiding or 
  burying the remains of the corpses at various places 
  around his property. No one knows why he did this, 
  since he was killed resisting arrest. Even after the 
  authorities located and removed all the bodies, the 
  death-energy of the place remains strong.
  Calendar Sites
  Literally hundreds of these sites dot the world, 
  some of them older than recorded history. Mystic 
  legend says a lost civilization — perhaps Atlantis, 
  perhaps someone else — built the ﬁrst calendar 
  sites. Some modern mystics build calendar sites of 
  their own, but none can equal the power of mighty 
  monuments like Stonehenge or the Great Pyramid 
  of Giza.
  Chaco Canyon:  The lost Anasazi culture built the 
  world’s most powerful collection of calendar sites 
  in the American Southwest, in Chaco Canyon. 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  67 
  These “cities” and “fortresses” were not built so 
  people could actually live in them. They existed 
  only to concentrate cosmic energy through their 
  alignments to the sun, moon, and each other. The 
  Anasazi priests and rulers used the celestial power 
  to control the weather and fertilize the land, and 
  their civilization ﬂourished for centuries. When 
  the priest-magicians strove to master time and 
  death and turn themselves into gods, the rebellious 
  population wrecked the mighty calendar-cities as 
  best they could, ending Anasazi civilization. The 
  ruins remain powerful but erratic. Mystics who 
  tap the power of Chaco Canyon risk their lives by 
  doing so; surviving observers report involuntary 
  journeys through time, loved ones erased from 
  history, aging nigh unto death (or infancy), and 
  even stranger or more horrible eﬀects. At present, 
  the main factions in the Mystic World leave Chaco 
  Canyon well alone.
  Chaco Canyon Sites:  Variable Power Pool 
  (Magic Pool), 40 base + 20 control cost; Only 
  To Augment Existing Spells (-1), Independent 
  (-2), Requires A Magic Skill Roll (-½), Side 
  Eﬀects (if the Magic Roll fails, the GM inﬂicts 
  the most sadistic eﬀect he can imagine on the 
  magician and anyone nearby, Active Point 
  value unlimited; -1¼), Variable Limitations 
  (requires -2 worth of Limitations suitable for a 
  mystic ritual; -1). Total cost:  43 points.
  Forest Swastika:  During the 1930s, a Nazi mystic in 
  the RSvKg planted trees in a swastika shape in the 
  middle of an East German forest. This giant swas-
  tika is only visible from the air in the fall, since the 
  leaves turn a diﬀerent color than the surrounding 
  trees. The swastika was originally a solar symbol, 
  and the forest swastika’s alignment to the cardinal 
  points makes it a weak calendar site. The Circle of 
  the Scarlet Moon now controls this place.
  History Of A Power Site:   
  The Roche Building
  Special care and repeated use can increase 
  the power of a mystic site. The Roche Building, an 
  oﬃce tower the GM can locate in any city he wants, 
  illustrates the origin and growth of a site devoted to 
  dark magic.
  On October 3, 1924, an ambitious young 
  mobster named Joey Sisto murdered his boss, the 
  capo Leo Corone. He did this at a restaurant called 
  Marco’s, in the presence of Corone’s mother, wife, 
  and daughter. A low-ranking member of the Scarlet 
  Moon noticed the maiden-mother-crone element 
  in the murder. This suggested the ritual killing of 
  a vegetation king as the year turned from summer 
  to winter. The Circle member also noted that “Leo” 
  means “lion,” and the lion is one of the traditional 
  symbols for St. Mark the 
  Apostle. He reported a pos-
  sible power site in the making.
  Six months later, the 
  local coven arranged for 
  Leo’s younger brother Berto 
  to murder Joey Sisto in the 
  same restaurant, complet-
  ing the cycle of king-killing. 
  Additional props at the scene 
  reinforced the connections to 
  lions, astrological signs (Scor-
  pio for Leo’s murder, Aries for 
  Joey’s) and the Triple God-
  dess. The restaurant became a 
  weak mystical site.
  In 1936, a Circle member 
  with Nazi sympathies turned 
  the restaurant’s basement into 
  a Satanic chapel. Here he sum-
  moned demons (well, imps) 
  to assist his Bundist allies. The 
  mystery-man Black Mask dis-
  rupted one ceremony and shot 
  their demon. The restaurant 
  caught ﬁre in the brawl and 
  burned to the ground, but the 
  Bundists’ sacriﬁces and spilled 
  demon blood strengthened the 
  site’s power.
  After World War Two, 
  a block of shops and apart-
  ments covered the loca-
  tion and the power site lay 
  fallow for decades. The block 
  retained an uncanny aura, 
  
  68 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  though. Its value stayed low as business after busi-
  ness failed or moved away. Six murders took place 
  over the years, three of them directly above the 
  onetime Satanic temple. The building gained a jus-
  tiﬁed reputation for ghosts.
  In 1968, the wizard Archimago built a secret 
  sanctum in the now dilapidated building and sac-
  riﬁced the ghosts in a ritual to contact the Kings 
  of Edom. Pursuit by the Trismegistus Council 
  persuaded Archimago to mothball his sanctum, but 
  not destroy it. The Trismegistans found Archima-
  go’s sanctum, but the site’s dark energies were now 
  too powerful to exorcise completely.
  By 1980, the whole neighborhood was a 
  decrepit, violent slum. DEMON took over the build-
  ings and expanded Archimago’s sanctum into a 
  Demonhame. Superheroes thwarted DEMON’s plot 
  to destroy the city with a demonic invasion, and the 
  brawl left the entire building a pile of rubble.
  Ten years later, the city razed the neighbor-
  hood to make way for new construction. The Roche 
  Building’s architect was Jeﬀ Sisto... Joey’s grandson. 
  Jeﬀ Sisto redesigned the skyscraper three times 
  in the middle of construction before he fell to his 
  death. The Circle arranged Sisto’s hiring, knowing 
  the malevolent site would aﬀect his mind and use 
  him to reconstruct itself. The Circle also arranged 
  Sisto’s fatal “accident” to complete the working.
  The geometry of the Roche Building’s walls, 
  girders, and wiring channels the site’s evil power 
  up the core of the building, to the top ﬂoor. The 
  local Scarlet Moon coven claims the top ﬂoor and 
  central basement area as its demesnes; various 
  businesses occupy the rest of the building. Sensi-
  tive people instinctively dislike the Roche Build-
  ing but can’t give any reason except, “It’s ugly,” or 
  “It has a bad vibe.”
  The Circle’s best wards can’t entirely hide 
  the Roche Building’s fell power. Several powerful 
  groups in the Mystic World keep their eye on it, 
  most notably DEMON and the Trismegistus Coun-
  cil. The blighted tower’s magic is easily detected 
  from nearby, and enough of its history is public 
  record that a learned mystic such as Dark Seraph 
  could guess at its importance.
  The Roche Building oﬀers the following bene-
  ﬁts to mystics. Discovering each aspect of its power 
  requires a separate Analyze Magic Roll.
  Unholy:  The entire building counts as unholy 
  ground.
  Dark Fountain:  Variable Power Pool (Magic 
  Pool), 22 base + 11 control cost; Cosmic (+2); 
  Only To Augment Existing Spells (-1), Only 
  For Witchcraft Or Satanic Magic (-½), Side 
  Eﬀect (Major Transform 1d6, BOECV [mystic 
  turns evil if he isn’t already]; -½). Total cost:  
  31 points.
  Dark Magic Is Easy:  +3 to Magic Skill Rolls (15 
  Active Points); Only For Witchcraft Or Satanic 
  Magic (-½). Total cost:  10 points.
  LEY LINES
  Mystic power sites become especially valuable 
  if they fall along a line or form a regular geometri-
  cal shape. The intersection of two lines of power 
  sites can become a power site of its own. Mystics 
  call these alignments ley lines.
  Societies such as the Scarlet Moon and the 
  Trismegistus Council devote considerable eﬀort to 
  securing control of power sites. Mystics can use a 
  ley line to combine their power, and the power of 
  the sites themselves. Arcane geographers map ley 
  lines around the world:  some lines stretch only a few 
  miles, while others cross continents. The powerful 
  St. Michael Line, for instance, reaches from Skel-
  lig Michael in Ireland, through Mont St-Michel in 
  Brittany, all the way to Mt. Carmel in Palestine. The 
  Circle and Council have fought full-scale mystic 
  wars over the St. Michael Line; the Trismegistans 
  hold it at present. During World War II, the RSvKg 
  occupied dozens of mystic sites and linked them into 
  a ley line net for the dreadful Walpurgisnacht Work-
  ing that initiated the Superheroic Age.
  A mystical character might build his own 
  sanctum on a mystic power site to claim its ben-
  eﬁts... but enemy mystics may try to seize the site 
  from him, of course. Characters may also receive 
  oﬀers (or threats) from mystics who want to link 
  their site into a ley line. On the other hand, they 
  may strike their own bargains when they need to 
  muster extra power against a foe such as Tyran-
  non... inconvenient, when the only ley line they 
  could tap belongs to the Scarlet Moon....
  NEXUS POINTS
  Mystics particularly value locations where 
  Earth, or at least its astral shadow, intersects with 
  the Parterres. Most of these “nexus points” lead to 
  Faerie; some of them even reach into the material 
  world at certain times, enabling mortals to enter 
  Faerie without using magic. They also grant Faerie 
  creatures access to Earth. Nexus points to the Neth-
  erworld are fortunately rare, and generally appear 
  only where great evil has been done for a long time. 
  Portals to Babylon occasionally open in cities, but 
  these seldom remain stable. Nexus points to Ely-
  sium occur least frequently of all.
  The Taj Mahal:  When Shah Jahan built this monu-
  ment to his dead wife, he created a vision of Heaven 
  on Earth. On the Astral Plane, the Taj Mahal is 
  a nexus point to Jannat, the Muslim district of 
  Elysium. Few locations equal the holiness of this 
  monument to love. The very dust swept from the 
  Taj Mahal’s ﬂoor burns demons. (In game terms, 
  the dust acts like holy water or a holy symbol with 
  regard to the Susceptibilities of demons or the 
  undead.)
  Fairy Stones and Wells:  The British Isles hold 
  dozens of standing stones and wells that local 
  legend paints as haunts of fairies. Many of these 
  legends are true:  on certain nights, nexus points 
  open at the stone or well. Brave (or careless) mor-
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Two 
  69 
  tals may wander into the Land of Legends, or 
  faerie-folk may visit Earth. Ireland alone holds 
  more than a dozen of these nexus points. Fairy 
  stones and wells also assist any magic that draws on 
  nature-spirits or pagan gods, making them greatly 
  valued by the Circle of the Scarlet Moon.
  Alexander’s Gate:  According to legend, Alexander 
  the Great defeated the savage tribes of Gog and 
  Magog. He drove them behind an impassable 
  mountain range in Central Asia, and built a massive 
  gate across the one pass through the mountains. 
  Someday, the legend says, a fox will dig its way 
  under the gates and release the savage hordes to 
  overrun the world.
  Alexander’s Gate isn’t quite what the legend 
  says. This great barrier blocks a portal to Loezen, 
  opened by a wizard who sought an army from that 
  world. The savage hordes settled down long ago and 
  became decadent esthetes, but a re-opened Gate to 
  Loezen might still endanger the Earth.
  WEIRDNESS MAGNETS 
  AND DESTINED LANDS
  Sometimes a wide region — a city or part of 
  a county — possesses a subtle mystic aura that 
  attracts other magic. Mystics move there; spirits 
  visit from other realms; cults appear and all manner 
  of strange events take place. The city of Vibora Bay 
  (see the eponymous book, or Champions Universe) 
  is perhaps the largest such “weirdness magnet” in 
  the United States, but hardly the only one.
  Cities, counties, and whole nations may pos-
  sess special importance in the Mystic World in other 
  ways, too. For instance, London became a center of 
  mystical events during the nineteenth century, just as 
  it ruled the British Empire and the ﬁnancial world. 
  Mystics who meddle in worldly aﬀairs like to go 
  where they can meddle most eﬀectively.
  Regions may acquire darker destinies. Some 
  parts of the world seem cursed to draw out the 
  worst of human nature through centuries of war 
  and chaos. For instance, some mystics think there’s 
  something deeply wrong with the former Yugo-
  slavia. Nowhere else in Europe do people seem to 
  nurse such fanatical and murderous grudges over 
  events from centuries ago.
  The mystical signiﬁcance of a city or nation 
  eventually wanes. The British Isles still hold many 
  mystics and power sites, but the magic slowly 
  fades. The United States, on the other hand, domi-
  nates the Mystic World almost as much as it domi-
  nates military, political, and economic aﬀairs. The 
  vampire-oracle Nyssa Tarchaniotes recently told a 
  client that American mystic hegemony would like-
  wise fade in a century or two, and then... “Watch 
  Botswana,” she said.
  Washington, D. C. And The 
  American Occult Republic
  The nascent Trismegistus Council and Circle 
  of the Scarlet Moon each saw that the ﬂedgling 
  United States of America carried the potential for 
  great mystical and temporal power. Both organiza-
  tions set out to shape the new nation into their 
  vision of an ideal state to dominate the world. The 
  Trismegistans want to build a republic of the wise, 
  where power defers to law and prosperity comes 
  to all. The Scarlet Moon seeks a tyrannical Occult 
  Empire, ruled by itself through magic and conspir-
  acy, and ruling the rest of the world through armed 
  terror and economic exploitation. The Circle always 
  thinks it’s about to win, but never quite succeeds.
  The nation’s capital became one of the chief 
  battlegrounds. Not only do both conspiracies 
  seek to inﬂuence government oﬃcials, they try to 
  shape destiny itself by creating mystic power sites 
  in alignment with the streets, utilities, and public 
  buildings. As usual with magic of time and destiny, 
  this involves calendar sites — from the star map 
  of the Einstein Monument to the cut-glass zodiacs 
  that surround light ﬁxtures in the Federal Reserve 
  Building. Each new site alters the city’s ley lines of 
  power, focusing them to the advantage of one side 
  or the other.
  America’s prophecied mystical hegemony takes 
  an unexpected form. In most parts of the world, 
  the local mythology ordains (or was ordained by) a 
  
  70 ■ The Shadow World 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  limited range of spirits and supernatural creatures. 
  Djinn visit the deserts of the Middle East and Cen-
  tral Asia — not Australia. Satyrs stalk the forests of 
  Greece — not Japan. Rakshasas stay in India; were-
  leopards stick to Africa. But any and all of them 
  can appear in the USA (or nearby parts of Canada 
  and Mexico), and some of them take up permanent 
  residence. The Occult Republic attracted mortals 
  from every culture in the world, and their spirits, 
  gods, demons, and monsters came with them.
  The Valley  
  Of The Nagas
  Most of the time, the nagas (see page 149) 
  dwell in a valley hidden in the mountains of 
  Central Asia. The most obscure lore of the nagas 
  calls this valley Avalon. It inspired the legend of 
  an otherworldly island for dead heroes. “Avalon” 
  means “Apple-Land,” for wild apple-forests cover 
  these mountains. The nagas’ valley also holds hun-
  dreds of monuments to great mystics and heroes, 
  all the way back to the Turakian Age and beyond. 
  Each memorial holds an account of that hero’s life. 
  When ancient evils rise again, the nagas consult the 
  records of the heroes who defeated them — or the 
  ones who failed, to learn what won’t work. A few 
  times in a millennium, human champions are privi-
  leged to visit the First Avalon as well.
  Do some of these structures hold more than 
  memories? Do the souls, or even the bodies, of 
  long-forgotten heroes sleep amid the ancient apple-
  trees, until the nagas shall rouse them for a ﬁnal 
  battle? Perhaps. Only the nagas know.
  One thing is for sure:  the Dragon’s servants 
  seek this valley. They have sought it for tens of 
  thousands of years. Once, they sent waves of ﬁerce 
  nomads through the apple-mountains, seek-
  ing knowledge of the nagas’ lair. Now they pore 
  through satellite photos. The nagas hide their valley 
  well, however, and the Dragon is denied.
  But for how long? The nagas know nothing 
  lasts forever. The rise of Takofanes, fresh gambits 
  by the Dragon, the powers of magic unexpectedly 
  surging to create a new generation of heroes and 
  demigods — these herald a great change in the 
  world. This could be the start of a new age, when 
  the nature of reality itself shall change. Perhaps a 
  Dark Renaissance of sorcery is truly at hand, when 
  the Ban falls and everyone shall dwell in a Mystic 
  World. Or perhaps the Superheroic Age is just the 
  last gasp of magic before the end, and the forces of 
  science and the Machine shall reign unchallenged... 
  at least until the next turning of an age.
  Only time will tell.
  
  chapter three:
  chapter three:
  CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE GRIMOIRE
  THE BOOK OF WISDOM
  
  72 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  T
  his chapter describes the sort of magic used 
  by mystical superheroes and villains in the 
  Champions Universe (and which you can 
  use in other settings if you like). It includes 
  many examples of super-spells mystics can cast, 
  and also provides several magic items, ranging 
  from magic weapons to cosmic artifacts of high 
  wizardry. Of course, the spells and items described 
  here are just a few of the ones developed by mystics 
  during recorded history (and sometimes before), so 
  you can easily make up more if you like.
  SUPERHEROIC AND HEROIC MYSTICS
  Heroic-level and Superheroic-level mystics 
  diﬀer in more than the Active Points of their spells. 
  Other HERO System products describe Heroic-level 
  magic in depth. (See especially The Ultimate Mystic, 
  Fantasy Hero, and The Fantasy Hero Grimoire.) In 
  brief, however, Heroic-level spells tend to carry 
  lots of Limitations, such as Charges, Concentra-
  tion, Extra Time, Focus, Gestures, Incantations, 
  or a Required Skill Roll. Diﬀerent styles of magic 
  (called “arcana”) may favor particular Advantages 
  and Limitations. For example, an alchemist’s magic 
  always carries the Focus Limitation, in the form of 
  various potions (and similar items).
  Super-mages, on the other hand, apply few, if 
  any, Limitations to their spells. In terms of game 
  mechanics, at least, very little separates a super-
  shaman from a super-kabbalist — or a mutant, 
  for that matter. The diﬀerences between mystic 
  traditions become mere details of special eﬀects 
  or visual style. For instance, perhaps an image of 
  the Thunderbird ﬂashes around the shaman when 
  he casts a lightning bolt, while the sigil of an angel 
  brieﬂy glows before the kabbalist. Mechanically, 
  though, their lightning bolts diﬀer not a whit from 
  that of any other superhero. Similarly, even though 
  they may gesture and incant when they cast spells, 
  that’s just done for eﬀect — it’s not necessary, so it 
  entails no Limitation.
  The distinction between Heroic-level and 
  Superheroic-level magic is not absolute. Novice 
  super-mages, in particular, may apply signiﬁcant 
  Limitations to their spells. But even in such cases, 
  magic remains as quick and easy to use as any other 
  superpower. A super-mage deﬁnes his Focus as a 
  wand, while a Heroic-level mystic might need a 
  wand, a magic circle, and a brazier of incense.
  To create Superheroic-level versions of spells 
  described in other HERO System products, just 
  strip away Limitations and adjust the Active Points 
  to the level of the campaign. You can also place 
  spells in Power Frameworks — super-sorcerers 
  routinely know lots of diﬀerent spells. Multipowers 
  with many slots and Variable Power Pools are par-
  ticularly common for such characters.
  MAGIC STYLES
  In the Champions Universe, mystics practice 
  several forms of magic besides Thaumaturgy (see 
  below). These many forms of magic group into a 
  few broad categories, though:
  Theurgy emphasizes complex occult theories 
  and rituals. Theurgists often invoke gods, but as 
  symbols of power instead of objects of real wor-
  ship. Most civilizations develop their own style of 
  theurgy. European ceremonial magic, for instance, 
  is called Hermetic Theurgy. It draws upon Hebrew 
  kabbalism and demonology, astrology, and the 
  Hermetic and Neoplatonist magic of late antiquity. 
  Hermetic mystics often work their magic using 
  talismans consecrated in occult rituals. The Taoist 
  Theurgy of China uses the I Ching and the Five 
  Elements as its mystical theory. Tantric Theurgy, 
  from India, uses meditation, repetition of mantras, 
  and other ascetic practices to confer magic powers 
  on a mystic. Many other forms of theurgy exist.
  Alchemy exploits the magical properties of 
  minerals, plants, animals, and other substances. The 
  laboratory processes of alchemy serve as mystic rites 
  to concentrate and direct the inherent magic of the 
  ingredients, and store them so they can be used later. 
  Alchemical products are often called “potions,” but 
  alchemists also package their magic as powders, pills, 
  crystal, and other forms. Europe, India, and China all 
  have ancient traditions of alchemy.
  Witchcraft blends together a little of every-
  thing. “Witches” craft talismans like theurgists, but 
  invoke gods and spirits in a more overtly religious 
  fashion, and draw upon folk traditions more than 
  the abstract symbolism of theurgy. They also use 
  herbs, potions, and other mystical substances, such 
  that their art overlaps with alchemy.
  Most schools of magic fall into one of these 
  categories. For instance, a necromancer like Dr. 
  Teneber (see Arcane Adversaries) practices a form 
  of witchcraft, while the Demonologist (also found 
  in Arcane Adversaries) uses Hermetic theurgy to 
  extort power from devils.
  See The Ultimate Mystic for a more in-depth 
  discussion of the various styles of magic.
  HEROIC AND 
  SUPERHEROIC 
  MAGIC
  A LITTLE 
  KNOWLEDGE...
  “Mystical power is not 
  impersonal or ethically 
  neutral. A gun does 
  not care who pulls the 
  trigger. The gods and 
  spirits who dominate 
  the supernatural world, 
  however, care a great 
  deal who uses their 
  power. Those who 
  attempt sorcery without 
  proper training and dis-
  cipline become unwit-
  ting puppets —con-
  trolled by forces with 
  their own passions and 
  goals, that do not care 
  about human life, happi-
  ness, or freedom.
  “I would sooner hand 
  out loaded pistols on a 
  playground than pub-
  lish the true secrets of 
  magic. The results would 
  be less bloody.”
  —Alajos Veszprem, 
  Trismegistus Council 
  member
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  73 
  M
  ystics in the Champions Universe refer 
  to the  stripped-down, ﬂashy, combat-
  oriented style of magic used by super-
  mages as thaumaturgy. To cast a spell, 
  a super-mage just waves his hands. He might pro-
  nounce the name of the spell, such as, “I call on the 
  Scintillant Suns of Saravane!” or “Let the Baleful 
  Bonds of Balthus ensnare you!” Balls and beams of 
  light appear from the mystic’s hands to strike at his 
  foes, deﬂect attacks, and do whatever else he wants. 
  The alliterative names often refer to powerful mys-
  tics or dimension lords who invented the spells.
  Hog-tying and gagging a super-mage may pre-
  vent him from casting spells, but nothing less will 
  do. Despite appearances, super-mages do not actu-
  ally use Gestures and Incantations:  a super-mage 
  can ﬁre oﬀ spells while being slammed with attacks 
  that would ruin any Gestures, and he doesn’t have 
  to call out the spell’s name. Restrainable, at -¼, may 
  be appropriate to represent how an enemy could 
  prevent a captured super-mage from casting spells, 
  but even it’s not worth taking in most cases. The 
  greatest masters, including dimension lords, per-
  form magic with no Limitations at all.
  Thaumaturgical spells tend to come in many 
  variations. A super-mage might cast a mystic bolt 
  to strike one target, or an area; one time, the spell 
  might blast apart brick walls, yet leave not a mark 
  on another occasion. Shared special eﬀects, or a 
  common origin, link other spells. Therefore, many 
  spells are represented as Multipowers instead of 
  single Powers.
  A character doesn’t need to buy every varia-
  tion of a spell, or place every spell within its own 
  Multipower. A Multipower or Variable Power Pool 
  with many seemingly “unrelated” spells is perfectly 
  appropriate. For example, a mystic might buy a 
  Multipower with two slots of Koriol’s Crimson 
  Crystals, three Sorcerer’s Stars, and a Hypnotic 
  Helix. A second Multipower or Elemental Control 
  could hold spells for defense, movement, or other 
  purposes — or you could simply give the character 
  a Multipower reserve large enough for him to use 
  two slots at once. See below, and the characters in 
  Chapter Four, for some examples.
  ATTACK SPELLS
  Sorcerer heroes often ﬁght mystical villains. 
  They possess a wide range of spells with which 
  to attack each other. Thaumaturgy may employ 
  unusual combinations of Powers and Modiﬁers, but 
  even a simple Energy Blast or Entangle becomes 
  wondrous if you give it a suitably mystical special 
  eﬀect.
  THE BALEFUL BONDS OF BALTHUS
  Effect:   
  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, Stops A 
  Given Sense (Sight and Hear-
  ing Groups)
  Target/Area Affected:   One character
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Range:   
  300”
  END Cost:   
  6
  Description:  This spell materializes a horde of black, 
  sticky, sluglike creatures, each about a foot long. 
  These viscous creatures wrap around the target’s 
  limbs, eyes, and ears so that he cannot see, hear, or 
  move. Although the slugs seem quite tough, they 
  dissolve into stinking, black vapor if they take any 
  damage. Any Light Of Luathon instantly destroys 
  the Bonds, so experienced sorcerers prefer to use 
  other spells of restraint. (See page 64 for a brief 
  description of Balthus.)
  Game Information:  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, Stops 
  A Given Sense (Sight and Hearing Groups) (60 
  Active Points); Entangle Has 1 BODY (-½), 
  Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), Susceptible (to 
  any of the Lights Of Luathon; -¼). Total cost:  
  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Bonds I:  Increase to Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF. 
  80 Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  2)  Strong Bonds II:  Remove Entangle Has 1 BODY 
  (-½). Total cost:  40 points.
  THAUMATURGY
  
  74 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  THE BINDINGS OF BROMION
  Effect:   
  Mind Control 12d6/10d6; 
  Entangle 2d6, 3 DEF, BOECV; 
  Telekinesis (20 STR), BOECV
  Target/Area Affected:  One character
  Duration:   
  Instant/Instant/Instant/
  Constant
  Range:   
  LOS
  END Cost:   
  6
  Description:  The dimension lord Bromion, one of 
  the Ordainers of Urizen the Lawgiver, began the 
  use of these potent spells.  Bromion hates free will 
  in other beings; he calls it “rebellion.”  He shared 
  his Bindings with sorcerers on other planes who 
  also served Urizen, to help them quash “rebellion.” 
  From them the knowledge spread, not always with 
  their blessing. Centuries later, sorcerers of whom 
  Bromion would never approve use the Bindings, 
  too. (See Arcane Adversaries for more information 
  about Bromion.)
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  62 
  The Bindings Of Bromion:  Multipower,  
  62-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  First Binding:  Mind Control 12d6
  6u 
  2)  Second Binding:  Mind Control 10d6, 
  Telepathic (+¼)
  6u 
  3)  Third Binding:  Entangle 2d6, 3 DEF, 
  BOECV (+1), Takes No Damage From  
  Physical Attacks (+¼), Works Against EGO, 
  Not STR (+¼)
  6u 
  4)  Fourth Binding:  Telekinesis (20 STR), 
  BOECV (+1)
  Total cost:  86 points.
  THE CERULEAN SPELLS
  Effect:   
  Ego Attack 5d6
  Target/Area Affected:   One character/1” Radius  
  Nonselective
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Range:   
  LOS
  END Cost:   
  2/6
  Description:  These psychic bolts are a very common 
  mystic attack. Even minor sorcerers often know 
  lower-powered versions of the Cerulean Spells. 
  These attacks appear to the victim, and anyone with 
  Mental Awareness, as sparkling beams of blue light.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  62 
  The Cerulean Spells:  Multipower,  
  62-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Cerulean Spear:  Ego Attack 5d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  6u 
  2)  Cerulean Spray:  Ego Attack 5d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀect Nonselective (One Hex; +¼)
  Total cost:  74 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spells:  Increase reserve to 75 points and 
  both slots to Ego Attack 6d6. Total cost:  89 points.
  2)  Weak Spells I:  Decrease reserve to 37 points and 
  both slots to Ego Attack 3d6. Total cost:  45 points.
  3)  Weak Spells II:  Decrease reserve to 25 points 
  and both slots to Ego Attack 2d6. Total cost:  29 
  points.
  4)  Expanded Spell:  Some mystics also use a Ceru-
  lean Spell that’s not a bolt of psychic force, but a 
  sort of ﬁeld that envelopes the victim and lasts as 
  long as the mystic maintains it (i.e., pays END for 
  it). Add a third slot, Ego Attack 3d6, Continuous 
  (+1). Total cost:  80 points.
  THE FUZONIC FLAMES
  Effect:   
  RKA 2½d6-4d6, with various 
  Advantages
  Target/Area Affected:   One character (or 1” Radius)
  Duration:   
  Instant/Instant/Instant/
  Constant
  Range:   
  300”/300”/300”/310”
  END Cost:   
  6/6/6/6
  Description:  These spells evoke the awesome, ﬁery 
  energy of the dimension called the Burning Sky.  
  That dimension’s ruler, Fuzon, apparently never 
  objects to anyone tapping the energies of his realm. 
  (See page 64 for a brief description of Fuzon.)
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  62 
  The Fuzonic Flames:  Multipower,  
  62-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Raw Flames:  RKA 4d6
  6u 
  2)  Bursting Flames:  RKA 2½d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀect (One Hex; +½)
  6u 
  3)  Focused Flames:  RKA 2½d6,  
  Penetrating (+½)
  6u 
  4)  Devouring Flames:  RKA 1½d6,  
  Continuous (+1), Penetrating (+½)
  Total cost:  86 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spells:  Increase reserve to 90 points and 
  the slots to RKA 6d6, 4d6, 4d6, and 2d6+1, respec-
  tively. Total cost:  126 points.
  2)  Weak Spells:  Decrease reserve to 40 points 
  and the slots to RKA 2½d6, 1½d6, 1½d6, and 1d6, 
  respectively. Total cost:  56 points.
  3)  Fuzonic Manipulations:  Some sorcerers learn 
  other ways to invoke the Fuzonic Flames, which 
  they buy as additional slots for the Multipower. 
  Here are several examples, each costing 6 points:
  Field Of Flames I:  RKA 2½d6, Explosion (+½)
  Field Of Flames II:  RKA 2d6, Area Of Eﬀect (3” 
  Radius; +1)
  Agonizing Flames I:  Energy Blast 6d6, NND 
  (defense is Power Defense or Life Support [Safe 
  Environment:  Intense Heat]; +1)
  Agonizing Flames II:  RKA 2½d6, +2 Increased 
  STUN Multiplier (+½)
  Unavoidable Flames I:  RKA 2½d6, Indirect 
  (always comes from caster, but can strike target 
  from any direction; +½)
  Unavoidable Flames II:  RKA 2½d6, Line Of 
  Sight (+½)
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  75 
  4)  Hellﬁre:  Some mystics learn a similar set of 
  spells that involve working with Hellﬁre, a type of 
  mystic ﬂame that originates in the Netherworld. 
  Hellﬁre is intended to cause pain as much as lethal 
  injuries. To create a Hellﬁre spell, substitute the 
  equivalent DCs in Energy Blast for the RKAs listed 
  for the Fuzonic Flames.
  HYPNOTIC HELIX
  Effect:   
  Mind Control 12d6/6d6
  Target/Area Affected:   One character/7” Cone
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Range:   
  4”
  END Cost:   
  6/6
  Description:  The glowing spiral of multicolored 
  light created by this spell makes people extremely 
  suggestible. Sorcerers throughout the Multiverse 
  have used the Hypnotic Helix, or spells just like it, 
  for thousands of years. Many variations exist:  The 
  slots given here are just the two most common ver-
  sions of the spell.
  Unscrupulous sorcerers often use a Hypnotic 
  Helix to force people to serve them. Champions of 
  Good prefer to use the Helix to make bystanders 
  forget traumatic supernatural events.  For most 
  people, forgetting they had a supernatural scare is 
  an action they want to do anyway, so a mystic does 
  not need much Mind Control.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  34 
  Hypnotic Helix:  Multipower, 60-point 
  reserve; all slots Concentration (½ DCV; -¼), 
  Limited Normal Range (4”; -½)
  3u 
  1)  Focused Helix:  Mind Control 12d6;  
  Concentration (½ DCV; -¼), Limited 
  Normal Range (4”; -½)
  3u 
  2)  Expanding Helix:  Mind Control 6d6, Area 
  Of Eﬀect (7” Cone; +1); Concentration (½ 
  DCV; -¼), Limited Normal Range (4”; -½)
  Total cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spells:  Increase reserve to 90 points and 
  the slots to Mind Control 18d6 and 9d6, respec-
  tively. Total cost:  61 points.
  2)  Weak Spells:  Decrease reserve to 40 points and 
  the slots to Mind Control 8d6 and 4d6, respectively. 
  Total cost:  27 points.
  THE ISKARINE COLORS
  Effect:   
  Various Attack Powers
  Target/Area Affected:   One character
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Range:   
  300”/300”/300”/310”
  END Cost:   
  6/0/6/6
  Description:  The mage Iskari, sometimes known 
  as Iskari the Prismatic or Iskari the Artist, was 
  fascinated by the artistry of thaumaturgy — the 
  interplay of colors, shapes, and eﬀects created by 
  the release of mystical energy. He devised several 
  spells that are as well known for their bright and 
  wondrous displays of color and light as they are for 
  the eﬀects they accomplish.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  62 
  The Iskarine Colors:  Multipower, 62-point 
  reserve
  6u 
  1)  The Scintillant Shackles:  Entangle 5d6, 5 
  DEF, Stops A Given Sense (Sight Group)
  6u 
  2)  Iskari’s Invoked Iridescence:  Sight and 
  Hearing Group Flash 7d6, Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½)
  6u 
  3)  Iskari’s Prismatic Stars:  RKA 2d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀect (3” Radius; +1)
  6u 
  4)  Iskari’s Intense Iridescence:  Energy Blast 
  5d6, AVLD (defense is Sight Group Flash 
  Defense; +1½)
  Total cost:  86 points.
  KORIOL’S CRIMSON CRYSTALS
  Effect:   
  Entangle 4-6d6, 4-6 DEF; Force 
  Wall (10 PD/10 ED)
  Target/Area Affected:   One character/Varies
  Duration:   
  Instant/Instant/Instant/
  Constant
  Range:   
  300”/300”/300”/310”
  END Cost:   
  6/6/6/2
  Description:  Koriol, a mighty sorcerer from the 
  world of Loezen (see page 41), invented this spell 
  ensemble a few millennia ago, and it soon became 
  popular on other worlds. Swirls of light coalesce 
  into shards of red glass to envelop the target or 
  form a protective barrier. (See page 64 for a brief 
  description of Koriol.)
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  62 
  Koriol’s Crimson Crystals:  Multipower,  
  62-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Crystal Shell:  Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF
  6u 
  2)  Crystal Bonds:  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, 
  Takes No Damage From Attacks (+½)
  6u 
  3)  Reﬂective Crystals:  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, 
  Backlash (+½)
  6u 
  4)  Crystal Wall:  Force Wall (10 PD/10 ED), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  Total cost:  86 points.
  
  76 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  THE LIGHTNINGS OF LARETHIAN
  Effect:  
  Various Attack Powers
  Target/Area Affected:   One character (Slot 4 is Explo-
  sion)
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Range:   
  300”/225”/375”/375”
  END Cost:   
  6/7/14/7
  Description:  Larethian (or “the Loyal Larethian,” 
  as he’s most often described) was the apprentice 
  and assistant of two diﬀerent Archmages from the 
  alternate Earth dimension of Kalvrezon. He’s often 
  held up to other apprentice mystics as a model of 
  loyalty, diligence, and respectfulness. But Larethian 
  was a skilled wizard in his own right, for all that he 
  spent most of his long life helping even more pow-
  erful mages. He created several spells, but one suite 
  of his magics — a group of attack spells based on 
  mystically-created lightning bolt-like blasts — has 
  become popular with super-mages in many dimen-
  sions, including Earth’s. The caster can control the 
  color and general appearance of the lightning bolts 
  if he wishes; most casters make them a single color, 
  such as red or black.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  75 
  The Lightnings Of Larethian:  Multipower, 
  75-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  The Lucent Lightnings:  RKA 2½d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½)
  6u 
  2)  The Livid Lightnings:  RKA 3d6 plus Sight 
  Group Flash 6d6; Linked (-½)
  5u 
  3)  The Lethal Lightnings:  RKA 5d6; 
  Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½)
  7u 
  4)  The Labyrinthine Lightnings:  RKA 3d6+1, 
  Explosion (+½)
  Total cost:  99 points.
  THE LIGHTS OF LUATHON
  Effect:   
  Various Attack Powers and 
  other abilities
  Target/Area Affected:   Varies
  Duration:   
  Varies
  Range:   
  Varies
  END Cost:   
  Varies
  Description:  Mystics throughout the Multiverse use 
  this set of eleven spells, which provide both attacks 
  and a variety of useful eﬀects for knowledge, con-
  cealment, and deception. The Lights range from 
  a laser-like beam to dramatic lighting that makes 
  the user appear powerful and impressive. These 
  spells create globes of light around the caster’s 
  hands, which radiate beams or glows to accomplish 
  a particular eﬀect. Each caster manifests a unique 
  pattern of colors, so the Lights are as good as a ﬁn-
  gerprint to identify a particular mystic.
  According to legend, Earth’s ﬁrst Archmage, 
  Thanoro Azoic, learned these spells directly from 
  Luathon. In other words, the Eleven Lights are so 
  old no one can say what name Luathon now uses, 
  or if this entity still exists.
  Game Information: 
  Cost Power
  63 
  The Lights Of Luathon:  Multipower,  
  63-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  The First Light Of Luathon:  Sight Group 
  Flash 8d6, Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½)
  6u 
  2)  The Second Light Of Luathon:  Energy 
  Blast 8d6, Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½)
  6u 
  3)  The Third Light Of Luathon:  Energy  
  Blast 5d6, AVLD (Sight Group Flash  
  Defense; +1½)
  6u 
  4)  The Fourth Light Of Luathon:  RKA  
  2½d6, Penetrating (+½)
  6u 
  5)  The Fifth Light Of Luathon:  Dispel  
  Invisibility 21d6
  6u 
  6)  The Sixth Light Of Luathon:  Dispel  
  Magic Powers 16d6, any Magic power one  
  at a time (+¼)
  6u 
  7)  The Seventh Light Of Luathon:  Sight 
  Group Images, -6 to PER Rolls, Increased 
  Size (4” radius; +½), Invisible to Mystic  
  Sense Group (+¼), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½)
  3u 
  8)  The Eighth Light Of Luathon:   
  Telepathy 6d6
  3u 
  9)  The Ninth Light Of Luathon:   
  Invisibility to Sight and Mystic Groups  
  (but not including the Tenth Light),  
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  3u 
  10)  The Tenth Light Of Luathon:  Detect 
  Invisibility (Mystic Sense Group), Ranged, 
  Sense, Targeting
  1u 
  11)  The Eleventh Light Of Luathon:  +30 
  PRE; Only For Making Presence Attacks  
  (-1), Visible (dramatic lighting eﬀects; -¼)
  Total cost:  115 points.
  THE SAFFRON SPHERES
  Effect:   
  Sight Group Flash 4d6; Energy 
  Blast 2d6, AVLD; Sight Group 
  Images
  Target/Area Affected:   1” Radius/1” Radius/16” 
  Radius
  Duration:   
  Instant/Instant/Constant
  Range:   
  150”
  END Cost:   
  3/3/0
  Description:  Beginning thaumaturges often learn 
  this spell, though versions that are more powerful 
  exist. A glowing yellow ball darts out and explodes 
  in a blinding yellow ﬂash or a strobing, disorienting 
  burst. Another form simply radiates bright yellow 
  light; it’s sometimes known as “Witchlight.”
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  33 
  The Saﬀron Spheres:  Multipower,  
  33-point reserve
  3u 
  1)  First Sphere:  Sight Group Flash 4d6,  
  Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½)
  3u 
  2)  Second Sphere:  Energy Blast 2d6, AVLD 
  (defense is Sight Group Flash Defense; +1½), 
  Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½)
  2u 
  3)  Third Sphere (“Witchlight”):  Sight Group 
  Images, +4 to PER Rolls, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½); Only To Create Light (-1)
  Total cost:  41 points.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  77 
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spells:  Increase reserve to 45 points, Slot 
  1 to Sight Group Flash 6d6, Slot 2 to Energy Blast 
  3d6, and add to Slot 3 the Advantage Increased 
  Radius (4” radius; +½). Total cost:  55 points.
  THE SCINTILLANT SUNS OF SARAVANE
  Effect:   
  Sight Group Flash 4-6d6
  Target/Area Affected:   One character or 8” Cone
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Range:   
  LOS
  END Cost:   
  6/6
  Description:  The starlike bodies in the dimension of 
  Saravane radiate a “psychic light.” By calling upon 
  the light of Saravane, a sorcerer can blind a foe no 
  matter how carefully shielded the foe’s eyes might 
  be (but psionic defenses provide protection). The 
  Scintillant Suns don’t work very well against other 
  mystics, but can blind many other foes.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  60 
  The Scintillant Suns Of Saravane:  Multip-
  ower, 60-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Narrow Beam:  Sight Group Flash 6d6, 
  BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1)
  6u 
  2)  Broad Glare:  Sight Group Flash 4d6, 
  BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1), Area 
  Of Eﬀect (8” Cone; +1)
  Total cost:  72 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spells:  Increase reserve to 90 points, 
  Slot 1 to Sight Group Flash 9d6 and Slot 2 to Sight 
  Group Flash 6d6. Total cost:  108 points.
  2)  Weak Spells:  Decrease reserve to 45 points, 
  Slot 1 to Sight Group Flash 4d6 and Slot 2 to Sight 
  Group Flash 3d6. Total cost:  53 points.
  SORCERER’S STARS
  Effect:   
  Energy Blast 4-12d6, with  
  various Advantages
  Target/Area Affected:   One character or 1” Radius
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Range:   
  300” (Slot 4 is 310”)
  END Cost:   
  6/6/6/6/6
  Description:  This ﬂexible spell — whose name 
  comes from the fact that each version of it ﬁres a 
  many-pointed ball of light at the target — provides 
  a wide range of basic mystic bolts. It’s one of the 
  most common thaumaturgical spells; many other 
  variations of it exist.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  62 
  Sorcerer’s Stars:  Multipower, 62-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  First Star:  Energy Blast 12d6
  6u 
  2)  Second Star:  Energy Blast 8d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½)
  6u 
  3)  Third Star:  Energy Blast 8d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀect (One Hex; +½)
  6u 
  4)  Fourth Star:  Energy Blast 5d6, AVLD 
  (defense is Power Defense; +1½)
  6u 
  5)  Fifth Star:  Energy Blast 4d6, AVLD 
  (defense is Power Defense; + 1½), Area Of 
  Eﬀect (One Hex; +½)
  Total cost:  92 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spells:  Increase reserve to 75 points, Slot 
  1 to EB 15d6, Slots 2-3 to EB 10d6 each, Slot 4 to 
  EB 6d6, and Slot 5 to EB 5d6. Total cost:  110 points.
  2)  Weak Spells:  Decrease reserve to 45 points, Slot 
  1 to EB 9d6, Slots 2-3 to EB 6d6 each, Slot 4 to EB 
  3½d6, and Slot 5 to EB 3d6. Total cost:  65 points.
  3)  Many Stars:  Here are several examples of other 
  types of Stars, each costing 6 points:
  Shattering Star I:  Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Explosion (+½)
  Shattering Star II:  Energy Blast 6d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀect (3” Radius; +1)
  Slumbrous Star:  Energy Blast 6d6, NND 
  (defense is Power Defense;+1)
  Arcing Star:  Energy Blast 8d6, Indirect (always 
  comes from caster, but can strike target from 
  any direction; +½)
  Unavoidable Star:  Energy Blast 8d6, Line Of 
  Sight (+½)
  
  78 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  THE VIPERS OF VORKILL
  Effect:   
  Dispel Magic 18d6; Drain 
  Magic 4d6; Suppress Magic 
  9d6
  Target/Area Affected:   One character
  Duration:   
  Instant/Instant/Constant
  Range:   
  250”
  END Cost:   
  0
  Description:  This spell, named for its extradimen-
  sional creator, summons the magic-eating entities 
  called “necheshiron” in astral form. Necheshiron, 
  which look like black silhouettes of snakes, can 
  weaken or destroy spells. Unfortunately, sometimes 
  the necheshiron escape the caster’s control and 
  swarm on the caster (at the GM’s option, the Side 
  Eﬀect may continue against the caster or random 
  mystics in the vicinity in later Phases). Suﬃcient 
  energy might enable necheshiron to manifest phys-
  ically — a prospect that terriﬁes any sane mystic, 
  since necheshiron reproduce when they eat magic.
  Game Information:   
  Cost Power
  31 
  The Vipers Of Vorkill:  Multipower, 70-point 
  reserve, Activation Roll 15- (-¼), Side Eﬀects 
  (caster suﬀers the full eﬀect himself, see text; -1)
  3u 
  1)  First Viper:  Dispel Magic 18d6, aﬀects 
  any Magic power one at a time (+¼); Activa-
  tion Roll 15- (-¼), Side Eﬀects (caster suﬀers 
  the full eﬀect himself, see text; -1), Limited 
  Range (250”; -¼)
  3u 
  2)  Second Viper:  Drain Magic 4d6, aﬀects any 
  Magic power one at a time (+¼), Ranged (+½); 
  Activation Roll 15- (-¼), Side Eﬀects (caster 
  suﬀers the full eﬀect himself, see text; -1)
  3u 
  3)  Third Viper:  Suppress Magic 9d6, Aﬀects 
  any Magic power one at a time (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); Activa-
  tion Roll 15- (-¼), Side Eﬀects (caster suﬀers 
  the full eﬀect himself, see text; -1), Limited 
  Range (250”; -¼)
  Total cost:  40 points.
  ZYTO’S SOLID SEEMINGS
  Effect:   
  Images in various  
  conﬁgurations
  Target/Area Affected:   1”/4”/1” Radius
  Duration:   
  Constant
  Range:   
  Varies
  END Cost:   
  0
  Description:  No one could be sure what was real 
  around Zyto of Bohemia. The notorious wizard 
  enjoyed stunts such as making a goose seem to pull 
  a heavy wooden beam, or making his own leg fall 
  oﬀ. Zyto created illusions people could touch and 
  heft. He even evoked simple, solid-seeming illu-
  sions that could continue for a short period of time 
  without him maintaining them at all. A mystic who 
  fakes out his opponent with Zyto’s illusions — for 
  instance, sending an illusory double of himself to 
  ﬁght while studying his enemy’s spells — can gain a 
  crucial advantage.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  62 
  Zyto’s Solid Seemings:  Multipower,  
  62-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Incomparable Illusion:  Sight Group, 
  Normal Hearing, Normal Touch, and Detect 
  Magic Images, -10 to PER Rolls, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  6u 
  2)  Expansive Illusion:  Sight Group, Normal 
  Hearing, and Normal Touch Images, -6 to 
  PER Rolls, Increased Size (4” radius; +½), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  6u 
  3)  Enduring Illusion:  Sight Group, Normal 
  Hearing, and Normal Touch Images, -5 to 
  PER Roll, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), 
  Uncontrolled (lasts for up to 1 Hour, or  
  until someone uses violent force against 
  Image; +½)
  Total cost:  80 points.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  79 
  DEFENSE SPELLS
  Unlike mutants, gods, victims of lab accidents, 
  and most other sorts of superbeings, super-mages 
  remain as fragile as ordinary people. Battling mys-
  tics need potent spells to shield themselves from 
  damage — or prevent themselves from getting hit 
  in the ﬁrst place.
  DEFLECTING DISK
  Effect:   
  Force Field (10 PD/15 ED);  
  Missile Deﬂection, +5 OCV
  Target/Area Affected:   Self
  Duration:   
  Constant
  Range:   
  Self
  END Cost:   
  1/0
  Description:  One of the most common defensive 
  spells creates a disk of light that darts in front of 
  attacks and actually pulls mystical attacks into itself. 
  The disk (sometimes called a “Wizard’s Shield”) 
  expands to shield a character from area attacks, too. 
  Some forms of Deﬂecting Disk merely reduce the 
  damage from attacks, while others try to deﬂect 
  ranged attacks.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  31 
  Deﬂecting Disk:  Multipower,  
  31-point reserve
  3u 
  1)  Shielding:  Force Field (10 PD/15 ED), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  3u 
  2)  Deﬂecting:  Missile Deﬂection (all Ranged 
  attacks), +5 OCV
  Total cost:  37 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spells I:  Increase reserve to 44 points, 
  Slot 1 Force Field (15 PD/20 ED) and Slot 2 to +10 
  OCV. Total cost:  52 points.
  2)  Strong Spells II:  Increase reserve to 56 points, 
  Slot 1 Force Field (20 PD/25 ED) and Slot 2 to +15 
  OCV. Total cost:  61 points.
  3)  Weak Spells:  Decrease reserve to 20 points, Slot 
  1 to Force Field (8 PD/12 ED) with no Reduced 
  Endurance, and remove the +5 OCV from Slot 2. 
  Total cost:  24 points.
  MANTLE OF MASTERY
  Effect:   
  Force Field (10 PD/10 ED/10 
  Mental Defense/10 Power 
  Defense)
  Target/Area Affected:   Self
  Duration:   
  Constant
  Range:   
  Self
  END Cost:   
  0
  Description:  This spell, one of the most powerful 
  arcane defenses known, manifests as a halo of pris-
  matic light around the caster. For the good of heart, 
  the Mantle Of Mastery sparkles brightly; for the 
  evil, it shines in dark and murky hues. A magus can 
  sustain the Mantle as long as he remains conscious, 
  and it protects against most forms of mystical and 
  mundane attack.
  Game Information:  Force Field (10 PD/10 
  ED/10 Mental Defense/10 Power Defense),  
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active 
  Points); Side Eﬀects (coloration of Mantle 
  reveals caster’s generally Good or Evil nature, 
  always occurs; -½). Total cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spell:  Increase each category of defense 
  to 15 points. 90 Active Points; total cost 60 points.
  2)  Weak Spell I:  Decrease each category of defense 
  to 8 points. 48 Active Points; total cost 32 points.
  3)  Weak Spell II:  Remove Reduced Endurance 
  (+½). 40 Active Points; total cost 27 points.
  4)  Disguised Spell:  Some casters have such control 
  over this spell that they can control its color, making 
  it impossible to judge their intentions from it alone. 
  Remove Side Eﬀects (-½). Total cost:  60 points.
  THE SHADOWS OF SHALDUS
  Effect:   
  Darkness to Sight Group,  
  Personal Immunity
  Target/Area Affected:   1” Radius
  Duration:   
  Constant
  Range:   
  No Range
  END Cost:   
  0
  Description:  This spell wraps a mantle of impen-
  etrable darkness around the caster. This doesn’t stop 
  attacks, but it does make the caster harder to hit 
  (since most attackers can’t perceive him with a Tar-
  geting Sense). The caster, on the other hand, can see 
  out of the Shadows perfectly well. Since the spell 
  has No Range, the Darkness ﬁeld moves with the 
  caster as he moves.
  Game Information:  Darkness to Sight Group 
  1” radius, Personal Immunity (+¼), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (17 Active Points); No 
  Range (-½). Total cost:  11 points.
  
  80 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  WIZARD WALLS
  Effect:   
  Force Wall (various  
  conﬁgurations)
  Target/Area Affected:   Varies
  Duration:   
  Constant
  Range:   
  Varies
  END Cost:   
  0
  Description:  Sorcerers use these spells to defend 
  an area, or for all-out defense with their other 
  defensive powers. These barriers of force look like 
  vertical disks of pastel light hanging in the air, con-
  nected by arcs of light; attacks are drawn to strike 
  the disks. Wizard Walls that are transparent to some 
  forms of damage also allow for tactical ﬂexibility if 
  a mystic has an attack that bypasses the wall, and 
  his enemy does not. Mystics have invented many 
  other sorts of Wizard Walls besides the versions 
  listed here.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  68 
  Wizard Walls:  Multipower, 68-point reserve
  7u 
  1)  Corporeal Wall:  Force Wall (10 PD/ 
  10 ED, 3” long), Reduced Endurance (½ 
  END; +¼)
  7u 
  2)  Arcane Wall:  Force Wall (10 Mental 
  Defense/10 Power Defense, 3” long), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  7u 
  3)  Energy Wall:  Force Wall (0 PD/14 ED, 3” 
  long), Transparent (physical; +½), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  7u 
  4)  Psychic Wall:  Force Wall (20 Mental 
  Defense, 3” long), Reduced Endurance (½ 
  END; +¼)
  Total cost:  96 points.
  SENSORY, MOVEMENT,  
  AND MISCELLANEOUS
  Mystics require more than attack and defense. 
  Much of their power depends on sources of infor-
  mation denied to other mortals. They also often 
  possess special means of travel, and a wide range of 
  spells for strange and unexpected eﬀects that help 
  them work their will without a ﬁght.
  AKASHIC EYE
  Effect:   
  Telepathy 12d6
  Target/Area Affected:   One character
  Duration:   
  Constant
  Range:   
  4”
  END Cost:   
  0
  Description:  Eastern mysticism holds that humans 
  can develop a “third eye” for psychic perception. 
  This spell creates an eye of glowing light on the 
  mystic’s forehead that enables him to probe a 
  person’s thoughts and memories. The Akashic Eye 
  works only on nearby targets, though.
  Game Information:  Telepathy 12d6 (60 Active 
  Points); Limited Normal Range (4”; -½). Total 
  cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spell:  Remove Limited Normal Range 
  (-½). Total cost:  60 points.
  ASTRAL FORM
  Effect:   
  Duplication (create one 350-
  point Duplicate), Altered Dupli-
  cate (100%)
  Target/Area Affected:   Self
  Duration:   
  Persistent
  Range:   
  Self
  END Cost:   
  14 to activate
  Description:  The character can create an “astral 
  form,” a second self composed of pure mystic 
  energy that leaves his body and can act on its own. 
  While the astral form exists, the character’s physical 
  body remains helpless, incapacitated, and unable to 
  act, with 0 DCV (comatose, essentially). However, 
  because the two are both just aspects of the same 
  being, any damage inﬂicted upon one is inﬂicted 
  on the other as well (thus, killing either form kills 
  both). Additionally, the two can only remain sepa-
  rate for up to 24 hours; if they do not recombine 
  within that time, they both die.
  The astral form possesses all the character’s 
  mystical powers, all of his Intellect and Interaction 
  Skills, and all of his memories (similarly, the char-
  acter retains the astral form’s memories after the 
  two rejoin). It may or may not possess his physical 
  abilities, but typically does not. Even if it does, it 
  can only use them on other astral forms and like 
  characters, for it is intangible (it must buy Desolidi-
  ﬁcation, Reduced Endurance (0 END), Persistent, 
  Inherent, Always On, and thus must apply the 
  Aﬀects Physical World Advantage to any powers, 
  magical or otherwise, it wishes to use to aﬀect the 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  81 
  solid world). Most astral forms can ﬂy (they buy 
  Flight); many can cross the world in the blink of an 
  eye (MegaScaled Flight or Teleportation).
  The write-up below assumes the character is 
  built on at least 350 Character Points and that he 
  builds his astral form on exactly that many points. 
  It further assumes that at least 51% of the points in 
  the astral form are spent on abilities diﬀerent from 
  those of the original character.
  See Chapter One for more information about 
  the Astral Plane in the Champions Universe.
  Game Information:  Duplication (creates 350-
  point astral form), Altered Duplicate (100%; 
  +1) (140 Active Points); Costs Endurance (to 
  activate; -¼), Original Character Is Incapaci-
  tated And Helpless While Duplicate Exists (-1), 
  Extra Time (must enter trance and meditate 
  to allow astral self to leave its ﬂeshy prison, 1 
  Hour; -1½), Feedback (-1), Both Characters 
  Die If They Do Not Recombine Within 24 
  Hours (-½). Total cost:  27 points.
  Options:
  1)  Recombination Mastery:  The astral form can 
  recombine with the character easily and from a 
  distance. Add Easy Recombination (Half Phase 
  Action at half DCV), Ranged Recombination (+½). 
  187 Active Points; total cost 36 points.
  2)  Astral Projection:  The character can quickly and 
  easily unleash his astral form. Remove Extra Time 
  (-1½). Total cost:  37 points.
  3)  Astral Brother:  The character remains awake, 
  alert, and able to act while his astral form exists. 
  Remove Incapacitated (-1). Total cost:  33 points.
  4)  Astral Form Variant:  The character can only use 
  his astral form for reconnaissance and spying; it 
  cannot attack others, move things, or perform any 
  other actions but observation. Change to:
  Cost Power
  33 
  Astral Form (Variant):  Multipower, 67-point 
  reserve, all Character Is Incapacitated And 
  Helpless While Using Power (-1)
  2u 
  1)  Local Remote Viewing:  Clairsentience 
  (Sight and Hearing Groups), 16x Range 
  (2,400”); Character Is Incapacitated And 
  Helpless While Using Power (-1)
  3u 
  2)  Distant Remote Viewing:  Clairsentience 
  (Sight and Hearing Groups), MegaScale (1” = 
  1,000 km, can scale back to 1” = 1 km; +1¼); 
  Character Is Incapacitated And Helpless 
  While Using Power (-1)
  Total cost:  38 points.
  FADA’S FAR SEEKINGS
  Effect:   
  Mind Scan and Clairsentience 
  in various conﬁgurations
  Target/Area Affected:   Varies
  Duration:   
  Constant
  Range:   
  Varies
  END Cost:   
  Varies
  Description:  These classic spells enable a mystic 
  to locate people far away, or even on other planes. 
  Once a mage knows a target’s general location 
  through the Mind Scan, and travels to that region, 
  he can use the Clairsentience to pinpoint the tar-
  get’s location. Typically the Transdimensional Mind 
  Scan slot only reveals which dimension the target 
  occupies (at best). The Clairsentience with the 
  Dimensional Sense Modiﬁer views a swath of that 
  dimension so the caster knows what environment 
  he can expect when he goes there. The standard 
  version used on Earth scans the Quaternion. Other 
  versions scan groups of Outer Planes.
  The spell creates a spinning disk of iridescent 
  light. Threads of light radiate out to inﬁnity from 
  the disk; only the caster and mentally aware people 
  can see these threads as they sweep through the 
  world or beyond, seeking their target. When the 
  caster uses the Clairsentience options, the center 
  of the disk opens into a view of the desired region. 
  Fada’s Far Seekings demand most of the user’s atten-
  tion, so mystics prefer to use the spell only when 
  they know they’re safe.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  60 
  Fada’s Far Seekings:  Multipower, 90-point 
  reserve; all slots Concentration (½ DCV 
  throughout; -½)
  6u 
  1)  Search The World:  Mind Scan 18d6; Con-
  centration (½ DCV throughout; -½)
  6u 
  2)  Search The Planes:  Mind Scan 10d6, 
  Transdimensional (Inner Planes; +¾); Con-
  centration (½ DCV throughout; -½)
  6u 
  3)  View The Region:  Clairsentience (Sight 
  Group), 16,000x Range (1,600,000”, or 
  about 2,000 miles); Concentration (½ DCV 
  throughout; -½)
  6u 
  4)  View The Planes:  Clairsentience (Sight 
  Group), Dimensional (Inner Planes), 1,000x 
  Range (200,000”, or about 250 miles); Con-
  centration (½ DCV throughout; -½)
  Total cost:  84 points
  
  82 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  PAX ARCANA
  Effect:   
  RKA 1d6, NND, Does BODY, 
  Trigger
  Target/Area Affected:   1” Radius
  Duration:   
  Instant (see text)
  Range:   
  No Range
  END Cost:   
  25
  Description:  Quarreling or suspicious mystics use 
  the Pax Arcana to secure truces. If two sorcerers 
  agree to a Pax Arcana, they cannot magically attack 
  each other (or take any other agreed-upon action) 
  without risking their own lives:  the attacker suﬀers 
  hideous pain as red lightning plays about his body. 
  The eﬀect lasts for a time period agreed upon by the 
  participants; beyond that its eﬀects dissipate, allow-
  ing the participants to attack one another freely.
  When cast, the spell evokes a ball of red light-
  ning. All the participants thrust a hand into the 
  lightning and pledge not to attack each other. If 
  anyone pledges falsely, he immediately suﬀers the 
  spell’s eﬀects; all others have the eﬀect “attached” to 
  them waiting to be Triggered, as described below.
  Pax Arcana is so useful that every major 
  mystic tradition has its own version; the one 
  described above is the standard thaumaturgic form. 
  Alchemists create a Pax Arcana potion that partici-
  pants drink, while Hermetic theurgists write their 
  name or monogram in a special magic circle.
  Clever mystics can ﬁnd ways to work around 
  a Pax Arcana, from associates primed to rush in 
  and attack a foe, to a magical illusion of the spell. 
  Faking or betraying a Pax Arcana guarantees no 
  mystic will trust that sorcerer again, though, so 
  even the most evil mages usually honor the spell-
  enforced truce.
  In game terms, the Pax Arcana is an RKA 4d6, 
  NND, Does BODY, Trigger that aﬀects a One Hex 
  area and takes eﬀect over a Turn (Gradual Eﬀect — 
  1d6 per 3 Segments). All the participants (including 
  the one chosen to cast the spell) stand in the hex 
  when it’s invoked. At that point the Triggered eﬀect 
  “latches onto” each of them so that they’ll suﬀer the 
  spell’s attack if they break the pledge. The as-yet 
  un-Triggered eﬀect can be Dispelled, but every Pax 
  includes “attempting to Dispel the Pax, either by 
  myself or with the assistance of another” as one of 
  the conditions for breaking the pledge. Therefore 
  the only way to take advantage of this would be for 
  a participant to accidentally be caught in a Dispel 
  or Adjustment Power that aﬀects all Magic spells 
  and powers (a powerful one, given the spell’s eﬀec-
  tive Active Points for such purposes).
  This spell requires the GM’s permission to buy 
  or use, since it deﬁnes an unusual condition as the 
  defense for the NND. However, given the spell’s 
  high cost, usually only NPC super-mages know it, 
  thus allowing the GM to control its use anyway.
  Game Information:  RKA 4d6, NND (defense 
  is not attacking anyone else involved in the 
  pledge; +1), Does BODY (+1), Area Of Eﬀect 
  (One Hex; +½), Trigger (participant attacks 
  another participant using magic, or otherwise 
  breaks the pledge; +¼), Diﬃcult To Dispel (x4 
  Active Points; +½) (255 Active Points); Caster 
  Must Be In Hex Aﬀected (and thus be aﬀected 
  by spell as well; -¼), Gradual Eﬀect (1 Turn, 
  1d6 per 3 Segments; -¼), No Range (-½). Total 
  cost:  127 points.
  TENG WEI’S TRANSLOCATION
  Effect:   
  Teleportation 20-25” in various 
  conﬁgurations
  Target/Area Affected:   Self
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Range:   
  Self
  END Cost:   
  6/6/6
  Description:  The ancient Chinese magus Teng Wei 
  developed several spells of teleportation, which he 
  taught to a few other sorcerers in his travels around 
  and oﬀ the Earth. In the 2,800 years since Teng 
  Wei’s apparent death in a teleportation accident, 
  other sorcerers created more variations on his 
  spells. These are only a few variations.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  62 
  Teng Wei’s Translocation:  Multipower, 62-
  point reserve
  6u 
  1)  First Translocation:  Teleportation 25”, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  6u 
  2)  Second Translocation:  Teleportation 20”, 
  x4 Increased Mass, x8 Noncombat
  6u 
  3)  Third Translocation:  Teleportation 20”, 
  MegaScale (1” = 10 km; +½)
  Total cost:  80 points.
  TONGUE OF ENITHARMON
  Effect:   
  Universal Translator, Usable 
  Simultaneously
  Target/Area Affected:   Up to 8 characters
  Duration:   
  Constant
  Range:   
  Touch
  END Cost:   
  0
  Description:  Mystics often call this “a simple spell 
  of comprehension,” which is bragging in the guise 
  of modesty:  gaining the magical ability to speak 
  other languages is easy, but passing the gift to a 
  large group of people is impressive magic. The 
  spell invokes Enitharmon, one aspect of the Prime 
  Avatar of Artiﬁce, to transform the recipients so 
  they can speak any language they encounter. The 
  spell lasts until a recipient hears and speaks his 
  native tongue again. When a mystic casts the spell, a 
  shimmering net wraps around each recipient while 
  he hears a myriad voices whispering at once.
  Game Information:  Universal Translator (INT 
  Roll), Usable Simultaneously (up to eight char-
  acters at once; +1) (40 Active Points); Only 
  Applies To Speech, Not Writing (-1), Recipient 
  Loses Power If He Speaks/Hears Own Tongue 
  (-½). Total cost:  16 points.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  83 
  THE UNSPEAKABLE 
   ENCHANTMENTS OF ULTOR
  Effect:   
  Shape Shift (any shape), Major 
  Transform 2d6 (anything to 
  anything)
  Target/Area Affected:   Self/One character
  Duration:   
  Constant/Instant
  Range:   
  Self/375”
  END Cost:   
  5 to change shape/7
  Description:  The extradimensional Archmage Ultor 
  created these spells to alter the form and substance 
  of objects, oneself, or other people — or he stole 
  them; reports diﬀer. Whatever their origin, the 
  Unspeakable Enchantments surpass many previous 
  spells of transformation. The spell creates a swirl-
  ing fog around the target; when the fog clears, the 
  target has changed.
  The spell has an unusual, but severe, restric-
  tion:  the caster must cast them in absolute silence... 
  while resisting a powerful urge to speak. Succumb-
  ing to that urge (by failing an EGO Roll) induces 
  temporary idiocy. Ultor built this ﬂaw into the 
  Enchantments:  the lost brainpower ﬂows to him, 
  and he stores it for when he feels the need for extra 
  cunning. Ultor himself does not suﬀer this ﬂaw 
  when he uses the Enchantments.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  37 
  The Unspeakable Enchantments Of Ultor:  
  Multipower, 75-point reserve; all Requires 
  An EGO Roll (assumes EGO Roll of 14; -½), 
  Side Eﬀects (Drain INT 4d6; -½)
  3u 
  1)  Change Self:  Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, 
  Smell/Taste and Touch Groups, any shape), 
  Imitation, Costs Endurance Only To Change 
  Shape (+¼); Requires An EGO Roll (assumes 
  EGO Roll of 14; -½), Side Eﬀects (Drain INT 
  4d6; -½)
  4u 
  2)  Great Change:  Major Transform 2d6 (any 
  physical change, heals by the casting of this 
  or any similar spell with the intent of revers-
  ing the change), Improved Results Group 
  (anything; +1), Partial Transform (+½); 
  Requires An EGO Roll (assumes EGO Roll 
  of 14; -½), Side Eﬀects (Drain INT 4d6; -½)
  Total cost:  44 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spells:  Increase reserve to 112 points, 
  Slot 1 stays the same, Slot 2 increases to Major 
  Transform 3d6. Total cost:  65 points.
  THE VAPORS OF THE VATA
  Effect:   
  Extra-Dimensional Movement 
  in various conﬁgurations
  Target/Area Affected:   Self
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Range:   
  Self
  END Cost:   
  7/7/5
  Description:  Mystics use the Vapors Of The Vata 
  to travel between dimensions. One version trans-
  ports the caster and one other normal-sized person 
  to any dimension; another lets the caster return 
  another person to that person’s home dimension 
  (the caster doesn’t have to know what or where the 
  home dimension is; the subject merely has to think 
  of home while the spell’s being cast). The third ver-
  sion creates a magical trap:  the eerie, violet Vapors 
  erupt around a person who touches a trigger object 
  and send the victim to a particular dimension, 
  which a caster must select when he learns this spell.
  “Vata” isn’t a person, place, or thing — it’s a 
  title held by the mages who rule a group of small 
  dimensions called the Storlian Realms. The Vata use 
  this spell to travel between their demesnes and the 
  Realms’ capital in the dimension of Corravanta.
  Game Information:   
  Cost Power
  70 
  The Vapors Of The Vata:  Multipower,  
  70-point reserve
  7u 
  1)  First Vapor:  Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment (any physical location in any dimen-
  sion), Increased Weight (3,200 kg)
  5u 
  2)  Second Vapor:  Extra-Dimensional  
  Movement (any physical location in a related 
  group of dimensions [the home dimensions 
  of the target of the spell]), Usable As Attack 
  (defense is having Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment or dimension-manipulating powers; 
  +1); Only Works Against Beings Not Native 
  To The Dimension They’re Currently In (-½)
  5u 
  3)  Third Vapor:  Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment (single location in a single dimension, 
  chosen when character learns the spell), 
  Usable As Attack (+1), Trigger (victim 
  touches trapped object; +¼)
  Total cost:  87 points.
  
  84 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  WINDS OF THE ZEPHIRIM
  Effect:   
  Flight 10-15” in various con-
  ﬁgurations
  Target/Area Affected:   Self or up to eight characters 
  simultaneously
  Duration:   
  Constant
  Range:   
  Self/Touch
  END Cost:   
  4/4/4
  Description:  This spell of transportation calls on the 
  spirits who dwell in a dimension of clouds, winds, 
  and storms. Swirls of light lift the magician, and per-
  haps other people, and carry them through the air or 
  around the world. Many mystics only learn the Tire-
  less Wind form of this spell (perhaps buying it in an 
  Elemental Control with other spells).
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  45 
  Winds Of The Zephirim:  Multipower,  
  45 point reserve
  4u 
  1)  Tireless Wind:  Flight 15”, Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½)
  4u 
  2)  Shared Wind:  Flight 10”, Usable Simul-
  taneously (up to 8 people at once; +1), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  4u 
  3)  World-Spanning Wind:  Flight 15”,  
  MegaScale (1” = 1 km; +¼), Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  Total cost:  57 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Spells:  Increase reserve to 60 points, Slot 
  1 to Flight 20”, Slot 2 to Flight 13”, and Slot 3 to 
  Flight 20”. Total cost:  78 points.
  2)  Weak Spells:  Decrease reserve to 30 points, 
  Slot 1 to Flight 10”, Slot 2 to Flight 6”, and Slot 3 to 
  Flight 10”. Total cost:  39 points.
  ESPECIALLY  
  POWERFUL SPELLS
  Mystics may encounter spells with sig-
  niﬁcantly higher Active Points than usual for the 
  campaign, and eﬀects that stagger the mind. These 
  aren’t just spells with extra dice of damage:  the 
  greatest of them trespass on the powers of gods. 
  A GM could build an entire story arc around one 
  world-shaking spell, and make learning it a high 
  point of the campaign.
  Characters cannot buy or use any of these 
  spells unless they have the GM’s permission. Not 
  only are they expensive and unbalancing, they have 
  the potential to completely disrupt the campaign. 
  Additionally, some of them use NND defenses or 
  the like which require the GM’s approval.
  THE QUATERNION BANISHMENT
  The gods cannot defend against dimensional 
  conquerors, but mortal mystics can if they know 
  this spell. The Quaternion Banishment hurls the 
  life-force of all humanity against an Outer Planes 
  intruder. A ﬂaming symbol, the Quaternion Seal, 
  appears around the target. The target suﬀers a 
  Transform that only aﬀects beings from the Outer 
  Planes; conversely, those beings cannot defend 
  against it. When the Transform completes itself, 
  Earth and its whole panoply of Imaginal Realms 
  become deadly poison to the invader. Henceforth, 
  the target suﬀers a Susceptibility (3d6 STUN per 
  Phase) from being in any dimension of the Quater-
  nion. A mystic can cast the spell only once per day. 
  The spell’s eﬀects cease at the end of the Phase if the 
  caster is Stunned, Knocked Out, or ﬂees the Inner 
  Planes; they end immediately if the target volun-
  tarily leaves the Inner Planes before the Transform 
  completes itself. (However, the Transform “damage” 
  remains in eﬀect until healed as speciﬁed; if the 
  invader returns before being healed, it’s easier for 
  the caster to complete the Transformation.)
  The Quaternion Banishment has reversal 
  conditions. First, the curse lifts if a spirit from any 
  of the Inner Planes of its own free will invites the 
  target to return. The target can also evade the curse 
  by possessing the body of a human, elf, or other 
  creature from a Quaternion plane. Finally, the 
  caster’s death ends the banishment.
  Before a mystic can learn the Quaternion 
  Banishment, he must receive power from spirits of 
  all four Parterres. For instance, the caster might at 
  some point be healed by an angel, extort a magic 
  power from a devil, have a curse removed by the 
  Emperor of Babylon, and wield the magic weapon 
  of a pagan god. Only someone who meets this con-
  dition may invoke the power of the entire human 
  race. For centuries, the Banishment was handed 
  down from Archmage to Archmage. Unfortunately, 
  since the death of the last Archmage, no one in the 
  Champions Universe knows how to cast the spell or 
  has fulﬁlled its preconditions.
  The Quaternion Banishment also carries a 
  terrible cost. All the Imaginal Realms draw their 
  power from humanity... so the curse’s power ulti-
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  85 
  mately comes from human life. As the Banishment 
  burns into an invading entity, the spell’s caster feels 
  people die. He sees them. He knows them. The sick 
  and old die ﬁrst, but within two Turns, the spell 
  draws upon the fragile lives of infants too. Each 
  person knows why he dies, and accepts it. Some 
  mystics calls this spell the Masada Curse, for in 
  casting it a magus declares humanity’s intent to die 
  rather than submit to an invader’s rule.
  Quaternion Banishment:  Major Transform 
  2d6 (Outer Planes native to Outer Planes 
  native with Susceptibility: to being in the Inner 
  Planes [takes 3d6 damage per Phase], heals 
  as described in text), NND (defense is being 
  a Quaternion native; +1), Continuous (+1), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) (97 Active 
  Points); Limited Target (Outer Planes beings; 
  -½). Only Works In The Inner Planes (-¼), Can 
  Only Be Cast Once Per Day (-0). Total cost:  55 
  points.
  THE LOOM OF SPACE
  This spell creates a new dimension from 
  scratch. The caster projects raw power into Limbo, 
  creating not just the matter of his new plane, but 
  space and time for it to occupy. A mystic can design 
  the new cosmos any way he wants, to the limits of 
  his imagination. A new universe always holds a few 
  surprises, though, and a mystic wields no intrinsic 
  control over its destiny.
  In game terms, the Loom Of Space is the 
  special eﬀect for a character’s 
  being able to buy an entire 
  new dimension of his own 
  design as a Base, using the 
  standard rules for purchas-
  ing the Base Perk. Of course, 
  most such Bases are going 
  to be incredibly expensive, 
  given their size and contents; 
  the character may also have 
  to buy lots of Followers or 
  other Perks to properly ﬁll his 
  dimension. (Of course, the 
  character could restrict him-
  self to creating a small “pocket 
  dimension,” one that costs far 
  fewer Character Points.)
  As always, special eﬀects 
  are important. The GM should 
  not allow a mystic to buy a 
  dimensional Base and justify 
  it by saying, “I know the Loom 
  Of Space.” The Loom is an 
  extremely rare spell, one that 
  few mages can learn. Casting 
  it is a long and arduous task, 
  involving whatever diﬃcul-
  ties or prerequisites the GM 
  sees ﬁt to impose (“To cast the 
  Loom, ﬁrst you must make 
  a three foot tall jade incense 
  burner by hand from a block 
  of raw jade...”). At the very 
  least, casting the Loom should 
  be incredibly tiring, and perhaps even pose a risk of 
  permanent physical injury. Furthermore, the dimen-
  sion-creation process is not absolutely predictable; 
  the mystic expresses what he wants as part of the 
  casting, but may not get exactly what he has in mind. 
  Diﬀerences both subtle and gross may make their 
  way into the weaving of a dimension, with results 
  even the most powerful mystic cannot plan for.
  Most importantly, creating a dimension with 
  magic doesn’t lead to exactly the same result as 
  allowing one to evolve naturally. Many mages 
  believe that Loom-created planes are “fragile” — it’s 
  easy for them to break apart (or be broken by an 
  attacker), or even for them to have Achilles’s heels 
  that make them easy to discorporate back into the 
  stuﬀ of Limbo.
  THE WORD OF UNMAKING
  This attack calls upon the Solipsist, the Avatar 
  of Unbeing, to de-create the target. Not only is the 
  target destroyed, it never existed! The “retroactive” 
  aspects are gradual and unreliable, though:  memo-
  ries and records of an unmade thing take several 
  days to disappear, and a few strong-willed people 
  might remember its existence. Gathering those 
  records and people might suﬃce to restore a de-
  created target.
  In game terms, the Word is three Linked 
  eﬀects. The ﬁrst is a massive Continuous/Persistent 
  RKA, NND, Does BODY that keeps working until 
  it has destroyed the target (in the case of really 
  
  86 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  large targets, such as planets or dimensions, this can 
  take some time). The second and third are enor-
  mous Transforms that remake Reality to erase the 
  traces of the target (it’s assumed that a +10 value 
  for MegaScale is enough to encompass an entire 
  dimension). The Transforms (which also keep 
  working until they complete their task) do not start 
  working until the RKA has “slain” the target.
  Most sorcerers regard the Word Of Unmak-
  ing as a crime against reality. Even many villainous 
  mages would seek to destroy a user of the Word 
  — as self-preservation, if for no other reason. The 
  Word Of Unmaking requires great precision, as 
  well. Any disruption of the spell’s casting turns its 
  eﬀects against the magician.
  Unmaking things can have far-reaching con-
  sequences. Reality tries to accommodate, but the 
  greater the causal ties between a target and the rest 
  of the world, the more seriously the spell wrenches 
  reality. Unmaking an ordinary person or a patch 
  of desert probably won’t aﬀect the rest of the world 
  much. Unmaking a world leader or the Empire 
  State Building would severely twist reality:  many 
  people would remember the change, and all sorts of 
  weird disruptions of time and matter could occur. 
  Some mystics think that careless use of the Word 
  unmade whole civilizations, or pushed them into 
  the prehistoric past. Perhaps Atlantis was contem-
  porary with Athens, like Plato said... in a history 
  now erased.
  Once the Word is spoken, it runs until it anni-
  hilates its target. Only the Loom Of Space can stop a 
  Word Of Unmaking. The Loom is cast as if it were a 
  Dispel being used to “interrupt” an attack, but cast-
  ing the Loom automatically succeeds in stopping 
  the eﬀect — though it doesn’t heal or reverse eﬀects 
  that have already occurred.
  Cost Power
  400 
  Word Of Unmaking (Destroy Target):  RKA 
  20d6, NND (defense is the protection of the 
  Solipsist; +1), Continuous (+1), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) 
  (1,200 Active Points); No Range (-½), Side 
  Eﬀects (any disruption of the spell automati-
  cally turns the spell’s full force against the 
  caster; -1), Loom Of Space Automatically 
  Stops Eﬀect (-½)
  1,264 Word Of Unmaking (Erase Physical Traces):  
  Major Transform 20d6 (Reality into Reality 
  with no physical traces of target, heals back 
  through intervention of the Solipsist), NND 
  (defense is the protection of the Solipsist; 
  +1), Continuous (+1), Area Of Eﬀect (One 
  Hex; +½), MegaScale (1” = Reality; +10), Per-
  sonal Immunity (+¼), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (4,425 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), Side Eﬀects (any dis-
  ruption of the spell automatically turns the 
  spell’s full force against the caster; -1), Loom 
  Of Space Automatically Stops Eﬀect (-½), 
  Linked (to RKA; -¼), Only Starts Working 
  After RKA “Slays” Target (-¼)
  1,371 Word Of Unmaking (Erase Memories):  Major 
  Transform 20d6 (Reality into Reality where 
  no one has memories of target, heals back 
  through intervention of the Solipsist), NND 
  (defense is the protection of the Solipsist; 
  +1), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1), 
  Works Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼), 
  Continuous (+1), Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; 
  +½), MegaScale (1” = Reality; +10), Personal 
  Immunity (+¼), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½), Persistent (+½) (4,800 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), Side Eﬀects (any dis-
  ruption of the spell automatically turns the 
  spell’s full force against the caster; -1), Loom 
  Of Space Automatically Stops Eﬀect (-½), 
  Linked (to RKA; -¼), Only Starts Working 
  After RKA “Slays” Target (-¼)
  Total cost:  3,035 points.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  87 
  E
  nchanted items vary widely in power. The 
  least of them supply some modest, low-
  key power, such as a few points of Power 
  Defense. The mightiest mystic artifacts can 
  shape the destiny of worlds. Artifacts are further 
  distinguished from ordinary magic items in that 
  they always have the Independent Limitation.
  In the great ages of sorcery before recorded 
  history, perhaps magic items were common enough 
  that one could speak of a magic sword or a blasting 
  rod. But by the Superheroic Age, every signiﬁcant 
  magic item has a name and a body of legends. The 
  most powerful artifacts also tend to be the oldest. 
  In the last two millennia, few mystics wielded 
  enough power to enchant truly powerful items. 
  Since the unblocking of magic, however, many of 
  the old items seem to have gained power. Owning 
  a single magic item may suﬃce to qualify a person 
  as a superbeing; and indeed, items of power now 
  seem to carry a subtle enchantment that raises their 
  wielder’s reﬂexes and stamina to the level of other 
  heroes and villains. It certainly worked for the 
  members of the Crowns of Krim.
  PERSONAL MAGIC ITEMS
  BELT OF STRENGTH
  Many gods and heroes of legend possessed 
  items — typically pieces of clothing — that aug-
  mented their strength. The most famous of these is 
  Megingjord, the belt worn by the Norse god Thor, 
  and it’s on that belt that this item is based. It aﬀects 
  not only the wearer’s STR but Figured Character-
  istics derived from STR, since the OIF Limitation 
  applies to all of them. 
  Belt Of Strength:  +40 STR (40 Active Points); 
  OIF (-½). Total cost:  27 points.
  BLASTING ROD
  The Blasting Rod comes from the Western 
  tradition of ceremonial magic. The Grand Grimoire 
  promises to tell how to make “the dreadful Blast-
  ing Rod, which causes the spirits to tremble; which 
  God also used to arm his Angel when Adam and 
  Eve were driven out of the Earthly Paradise; where-
  with ﬁnally, he smote the rebellious Angels, pre-
  cipitating their ambitions into the most appalling 
  gulfs by the power of this very Rod — of this Rod 
  which collects the clouds, disperses tempests, averts 
  the lightning, or precipitates each and all upon any 
  portion of the Earth at the pleasure of its director.”
  Well, not quite. Maybe God’s own Blasting Rod 
  can do all this, but mere mortals must settle for a 
  less awesome instrument. The Blasting Rod remains 
  a formidable weapon, though. It raises or calms 
  storm winds in areas small by natural standards 
  but big enough to humans, throws lightning bolts 
  and bolts of supernatural force, and both compels 
  and dispels spirits. The Grand Grimoire describes a 
  Blasting Rod made of hazelwood with caps of mag-
  netized steel. The procedures to enchant a Blasting 
  Rod are so convoluted, however, that no one has 
  made one in centuries.
  Cost Power
  32 
  Blasting Rod:  Multipower, 65-point reserve; 
  all slots OAF (-1), 16 Charges for entire  
  Multipower (-0)
  3u 
  1)  Lightning:  Energy Blast 13d6; OAF (-1)
  3u 
  2)  Concussive Force:  Energy Blast 7d6, 
  Double Knockback (+¾); OAF (-1)
  3u 
  3)  Mystic Force:  Energy Blast 5d6, AVLD 
  (defense is Power Defense; +1½); OAF (-1)
  3u 
  4)  Raise/Disperse Tempest:  Change  
  Environment 1” radius, +/-4 Temperature 
  Levels, Multiple Combat Eﬀects, Varying 
  Combat Eﬀects, Varying Eﬀect (alter the 
  weather; +1), MegaArea (1” = 1 km broad 
  and wide; +¼); No Range (-½); OAF (-1)
  2u 
  5)  Chastise Spirits:  Dispel Summon 21d6; 
  OAF (-1), Only Aﬀects Spirits (-1)
  2u 
  6)  Command Spirits:  Mind Control 13d6; 
  OAF (-1), Only Aﬀects Spirits (-1)
  Total cost:  48 points.
  THE TARNKAPPE
  The dwarf Alberich and his brother Mim 
  created the original Tarnkappe. The giant Fafnir 
  used it to turn himself into a dragon. Later, the 
  amnesiac Siegfried used the Tarnkappe to imper-
  sonate a fellow called Gunter. (See The Ring Of The 
  Nibelungs for the full sordid tale, although Wagner 
  changed the cape into a helmet — the Tarnhelm.)
  Alberich’s Tarnkappe is lost, but the dwarves 
  of Faerie created an inferior copy for the giantish 
  sorcerer Jormunrek in the eighth century, who was 
  not long after defeated and slain by the Archmage 
  of that time when he (Jormunrek) made a mystic 
  bid to rule Scandinavia. Jormunrek’s Tarnkappe 
  changes size to ﬁt the wearer. Its wearer can turn 
  invisible or adopt the superﬁcial form of any living 
  creature with the same mass. A human could 
  use the Tarnkappe to take the shape of a dragon, 
  but would not gain a dragon’s size, bite, ﬂight, or 
  ﬂaming breath. The Tarnkappe itself disappears 
  when the wearer changes shape, but a person who 
  MAGIC ITEMS 
  AND ARTIFACTS
  
  88 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  grappled with the character could feel the magic 
  cloth and pull it oﬀ. The more powerful, original 
  Tarnkappe could form the basis of a formidable 
  character all by itself.
  Cost Power
  35 
  Tarnkappe:  Multipower, 52-point reserve; all 
  IAF (-½)
  2u 
  1)  Change Form:  Shape Shift (Sight, Hear-
  ing, and Touch Groups, any living creature), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); IAF (-½)
  3u 
  2)  Walk Unseen:  Invisibility to Sight Group 
  and Detect Magic (including targeting ver-
  sions), No Fringe, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½); IAF (-½)
  Total cost:  40 points.
  MAGIC ARTIFACTS
  The greatest artifacts often pose dangers to 
  their users. Their magic might be too powerful for 
  humans to use safely. Worse, black magic artifacts 
  often enslave their wielders — a very deliberate 
  curse built into the artifact by its evil creator.
  Earth’s last Archmage owned all these artifacts. 
  Some he used; one, the Scepter of Night, he owned 
  to keep it from evil hands. Neither the Trismegistus 
  Council nor the Circle of the Scarlet Moon found 
  any of them in the area where the Archmage’s 
  sanctum once stood. While they may have been 
  destroyed, rumors of at least some of them (not to 
  mention many other artifacts the Archmage once 
  owned) have surfaced in many parts of the world in 
  the century since Bohdan Stanislavski’s murder.
  Personal Artifacts
  These are examples of artifacts that a magus 
  might use out in the ﬁeld. They are small enough to 
  be portable, so a mystic might carry them into battle.
  THE KRYPTICON
  The Krypticon is Earth’s greatest tome of thau-
  maturgy. The ancient Greek magus Thestor wrote 
  the book tome based on what he learned from the 
  cosmic entity Kryptos, god of secrets. The Kryp-
  ticon tells fabulous secrets of magic dealing with 
  space, time, and dimension.
  Subsequent owners added their own magical 
  discoveries to the Book Of Secrets, making the Kryp-
  ticon very long but also an excellent research aid. The 
  Krypticon not only raises its owner’s eﬀective rating 
  in all magic-related Knowledge Skills, it greatly 
  increases the chances of successful Spell Research.
  A sorcerer must be able to read Greek to use 
  the Krypticon. In game terms, the book is deﬁned 
  as a Multipower; each slot represents some power 
  or ability the book confers due to the wisdom its 
  pages contain. To learn to use a slot, a character must 
  study the book for a week, then succeed with a Spell 
  Research roll at a penalty of -1 per 10 Active Points 
  in the slot. Once he makes this roll, he can use the 
  slot whenever he wants without having to make 
  more Spell Research rolls, subject to the rules below. 
  If he fails, he can try again after another week’s study.
  The primary magics of the Krypticon (i.e., the 
  ones bought as Multipower slots, and the Cloud 
  Memory power) are so powerful a character’s mind 
  cannot encompass them all at once. A character 
  must spend 1 Hour studying and “memorizing” a 
  spell he wants to use. Once he’s done that, he can 
  keep the spell in his mind until he casts it. Once 
  it’s cast, it fades from his memory; he cannot cast 
  it again unless he spends another hour studying it. 
  (In game terms, this is represented as 1 Recoverable 
  Charge for the Multipower.)
  None of the book’s primary magics are really 
  intended for combat use; they all take time and other 
  requirements to cast. Furthermore, they generate 
  such magical energy that anyone with the appro-
  priate mystic senses near the caster (“near” being 
  deﬁned as “within one planetary diameter of”) can 
  perceive their use. That may cause trouble for the 
  possessor, for the Krypticon is valuable — too valu-
  able. Other wizards and mystic entities will try to 
  take the Book Of Secrets, by force or stealth. In eﬀect, 
  the possessor becomes Hunted by many beings of 
  great power.
  The Krypticon also enables the book’s owner 
  to contact entities on other planes. The Mind Scan 
  component of this spell is not strong enough to force 
  contact with most cosmic entities, but dimension 
  lords will notice and probably allow contact anyway:  
  everyone who’s anyone in the Multiverse recognizes 
  a call from the Krypticon.
  In fact, dimension lords and cosmic entities 
  keep their eyes on whoever uses the Krypticon. 
  Whether he wants it or not, the book’s owner 
  becomes entangled in the intrigues of the Great 
  Powers, all the way up to the Zoas themselves.
  The Book Of Secrets is unique:  no one ever suc-
  ceeds in hand-copying Thestor’s text. Copy machines 
  short out. Photographic ﬁlm burns if it catches the 
  image of a Krypticon page. Mystic scribing-spells fail 
  to work if used to copy its words and diagrams.
  Cost Power
  12 
  The Krypticon:  Multipower, 150-point 
  reserve; all slots OAF (-1), Independent (-2),  
  Concentration (0 DCV throughout casting 
  time; -1), Extra Time (1 Hour to prepare; -3), 
  Extra Time (1 Turn to cast; -1¼), Gestures 
  (throughout casting time; -½), Incanta-
  tions (throughout casting time; -½),Visible 
  (noticed by anyone with mystic senses, see 
  text; -¼), 1 Recoverable Charge for entire 
  reserve, (-1¼), Costs Endurance (-½)
  1u 
  1)  Open Dimensional Gate:  Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement (any location in any 
  dimension), Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½), 
  Continuous (+1), Usable By Other (+¼); 
  OAF (-1), Independent (-2), Concentration 
  (0 DCV throughout casting time; -1), Extra 
  Time (1 Hour to prepare; -3), Extra Time (1 
  Turn to cast; -1¼), Extra Time (Extra Phase 
  to close; -½), Gate (-½), Gestures (through-
  out casting time; -½), Incantations (through-
  out casting time; -½), Visible (noticed by 
  anyone with mystic senses, see text; -¼)
  1u 
  2)  Banish I:  Extra-Dimensional Movement 
  (any physical location in a related group of 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  89 
  dimensions [target’s home plane, whatever 
  that is]), Usable As Attack (defense is inter-
  rupting the casting of the spell in any way; 
  +1), x64 Mass (+1½), Ranged (+½); OAF (-
  1), Independent (-2), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout casting time; -1), Extra Time (1 
  Hour to prepare; -3), Extra Time (1 Turn 
  to cast; -1¼), Gestures (throughout casting 
  time; -½), Incantations (throughout casting 
  time; -½), Visible (noticed by anyone with 
  mystic senses, see text; -¼)
  1u 
  3)  Banish II:  Dispel Summon 50d6; OAF (-
  1), Independent (-2), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout casting time; -1), Extra Time (1 
  Hour to prepare; -3), Extra Time (1 Turn 
  to cast; -1¼), Gestures (throughout casting 
  time; -½), Incantations (throughout casting 
  time; -½), Visible (noticed by anyone with 
  mystic senses, see text; -¼)
  1u 
  4)  Mass Banish I:  Dispel Summon 25d6, 
  Area Of Eﬀect (8” Radius; +1); OAF (-1), 
  Independent (-2), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout casting time; -1), Extra Time (1 
  Hour to prepare; -3), Extra Time (1 Turn 
  to cast; -1¼), Gestures (throughout casting 
  time; -½), Incantations (throughout casting 
  time; -½), Visible (noticed by anyone with 
  mystic senses, see text; -¼)
  1u 
  5)  Mass Banish II:  Dispel Summon 25d6, 
  Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½), MegaScale (1” 
  = 10 km wide, deep, and tall; +½); OAF (-1), 
  Independent (-2), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout casting time; -1), Extra Time (1 
  Hour to prepare; -3), Extra Time (1 Turn 
  to cast; -1¼), Gestures (throughout casting 
  time; -½), Incantations (throughout casting 
  time; -½), No Range (-½), Visible (noticed by 
  anyone with mystic senses, see text; -¼)
  1u 
  6)  Spellbreaking I:  Dispel Magic 40d6, any 
  one Magic power or spell one at a time (+¼); 
  OAF (-1), Independent (-2), Concentration 
  (0 DCV throughout casting time; -1), Extra 
  Time (1 Hour to prepare; -3), Extra Time 
  (1 Turn to cast; -1¼), Gestures (throughout 
  casting time; -½), Incantations (throughout 
  casting time; -½), Visible (noticed by anyone 
  with mystic senses, see text; -¼)
  1u 
  7)  Spellbreaking II:  Dispel Magic 25d6, any 
  four Magic powers or spells at once (+1); 
  OAF (-1), Independent (-2), Concentration 
  (0 DCV throughout casting time; -1), Extra 
  Time (1 Hour to prepare; -3), Extra Time 
  (1 Turn to cast; -1¼), Gestures (throughout 
  casting time; -½), Incantations (throughout 
  casting time; -½), Visible (noticed by anyone 
  with mystic senses, see text; -¼)
  1u 
  8)  Spellbreaking III:  Dispel Magic 10d6, all 
  Magic powers or spells simultaneously (+2); 
  OAF (-1), Independent (-2), Concentration 
  (0 DCV throughout casting time; -1), Extra 
  Time (1 Hour to prepare; -3), Extra Time 
  (1 Turn to cast; -1¼), Gestures (throughout 
  casting time; -½), Incantations (throughout 
  casting time; -½), Visible (noticed by anyone 
  with mystic senses, see text; -¼)
  53 
  Cloud Memory:  Major Transform 8d6 (sen-
  tient beings into sentient beings without a 
  speciﬁed memory, heals back by re-experienc-
  ing the subject forgotten or being told about 
  it by someone who was subjected to this 
  spell but not aﬀected, or if character who cast 
  the spell voluntarily restores the memory), 
  BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1), Works 
  Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼), Area Of Eﬀect 
  (48” Radius; +1), Indirect (+¾), MegaScale 
  (1” = 1 km; +¼), Personal Immunity (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF (-1), 
  Independent (-2), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout casting time; -1), Extra Time (1 
  Hour to prepare; -3), Extra Time (1 Turn to 
  cast; -1¼), Gestures (throughout casting time; 
  -½), Incantations (throughout casting time; 
  -½), Limited Target (sentient beings; -¼), No 
  Range (-½), Visible (noticed by anyone with 
  mystic senses, see text; -¼) 
  15 
  Contact The Great:  Mind Scan 12d6, Trans-
  dimensional (any dimension; +1); OAF (-1), 
  Independent (-2), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout casting time; -1), Extra Time (5 
  Minutes; -2), Gestures (throughout casting 
  time; -½), Incantations (throughout casting 
  time; -½)
  28 
  Contact The Great:  +14 OECV with Mind 
  Scan
  4 
  Contact The Great:  Mind Link, any one mind 
  at a time, any distance, any dimension; OAF 
  (-1), Independent (-2), Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout use; -1), Only Works Through 
  Mind Scan Lock-On (-1)
  4  
  Reference Source:  +8 with Spell Research; 
  OAF (-1), Independent (-2)
  4 
  Reference Source:  +5 with Mystic Knowledge 
  Skills; OAF (-1), Independent (-2)
  Total cost:  128 points.
  
  90 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  THE SCEPTER OF NIGHT
  This artifact is much older than humanity. In 
  fact, it predates life on Earth. The Kings of Edom 
  created the Scepter Of Night so lesser beings could 
  tap their incredible power. Like all Edomite arti-
  facts, however, the Scepter presents peculiar dangers 
  to its wielder — in this case, an involuntary Psychic 
  Bond to the Kings of Edom. Each time a character 
  uses the Scepter, he must make an EGO Roll. If he 
  succeeds, nothing happens to him. If he fails, he 
  forms a Psychic Bond (see the HERO System 5th 
  Edition rulebook, pages 132-33) to a King of Edom 
  (see Arcane Adversaries for more information on 
  the Kings). The owner of the Scepter can have Psy-
  chic Bonds to more than one King.
  The character who possesses the Scepter and 
  has a Psychic Bond with the Kings receives dreams 
  from them, and those dreams are always weird and 
  frightening. Some of them tell how to use the func-
  tions of the Scepter, or teach him more Edomite 
  magic. As time goes by, the King deepens the link, 
  gaining more power over the Scepter’s wielder and 
  eroding his sanity.
  Getting rid of the Scepter does not break the 
  Psychic Bond(s); that requires a Major Transform 
  of the Mind (“psionic surgery”). Thus, anyone who 
  uses the Scepter Of Night almost always eventually 
  becomes a gibbering madman or a fanatical slave of 
  the Kings, if not both.
  The Scepter does, however, provide many 
  useful powers. It can warp space for instantaneous 
  travel or access to worlds once ruled by the Kings, 
  slow time, drain life energies, or project stunning 
  mental force. It can summon certain lesser Edomite 
  entities, and also lets the wielder communicate with 
  such creatures (alas, the communication is one 
  way:  the wielder can send thoughts, but not receive 
  them). Edomites recognize the Scepter as a tool of 
  their masters, so they probably obey the wielder for 
  a while, but the Scepter provides neither real control 
  over Edomite horrors, nor any way to banish them.
  The Scepter can even grant people superpow-
  ers. What powers and what side eﬀects are left to 
  the GM’s fevered imagination, but they should be 
  thoroughly grotesque and leave the augmented 
  person open to control by the Kings.
  Physically, the Scepter is a slender rod of pitted 
  black stone, about four feet long and an inch wide, 
  bound in a web of shiny black metal. At the end, 
  a claw grip holds a globe of crystal that seems full 
  of dark, swirling clouds. The stone, the metal, and 
  the crystal are all unknown to science. Nothing less 
  than a cosmic entity or a supernova could destroy 
  the Scepter Of Night.
  Cost Power
  23 
  Scepter Of Night:  Multipower, 125-point 
  reserve; all slots OAF (-1), Independent (-2), 
  Requires An EGO Roll (assumes an EGO 
  Roll of 14-; -½), Side Eﬀects (involuntary, 
  nigh-unbreakable Psychic Bond to a King of 
  Edom; -1)
  2u 
  1)  Mental Bolt:  Ego Attack 10d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼); OAF (-1), 
  Independent (-2), Requires An EGO Roll 
  (assumes an EGO Roll of 14-; -½), Side 
  Eﬀects (involuntary, nigh-unbreakable Psy-
  chic Bond to a King of Edom; -1)
  2u 
  2)  Slow Time:  Drain SPD 7d6, Ranged (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); OAF 
  (-1), Independent (-2), Requires An EGO 
  Roll (assumes an EGO Roll of 14-; -½), Side 
  Eﬀects (involuntary, nigh-unbreakable Psy-
  chic Bond to a King of Edom; -1)
  2u 
  3)  Life Drain:  Drain Characteristics 4d6, 
  aﬀects STR, CON, BODY, and STUN at once 
  (+1), Delayed Return Rate (points return at 
  the rate of 5 per Minute; +¼), Ranged (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); OAF 
  (-1), Independent (-2), Requires An EGO 
  Roll (assumes an EGO Roll of 14-; -½), Side 
  Eﬀects (involuntary, nigh-unbreakable Psy-
  chic Bond to a King of Edom; -1)
  2u 
  4)  Mass Life Drain:  Drain Characteristics 
  2d6, aﬀects STR, CON, BODY, and STUN at 
  once (+1), Area Of Eﬀect (875” Radius; +2¾), 
  Delayed Return Rate (points return at the 
  rate of 5 per Minute; +¼), Personal Immu-
  nity (+¼), Ranged (+½), Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END; +¼); OAF (-1), Independent (-2), 
  Requires An EGO Roll (assumes an EGO 
  Roll of 14-; -½), Side Eﬀects (involuntary, 
  nigh-unbreakable Psychic Bond to a King of 
  Edom; -1)
  2u 
  5)  Cast Gloom:  Change Environment 250” 
  radius, -4 to Sight Group PER Rolls, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Uncontrolled (ends 
  after 1 Hour or if “attacked” with any Light 
  Of Luathon; +½); OAF (-1), Independent (-
  2), Requires An EGO Roll (assumes an EGO 
  Roll of 14-; -½), Side Eﬀects (involuntary, 
  nigh-unbreakable Psychic Bond to a King of 
  Edom; -1)
  2u 
  6)  Call Edomites:  Summon up to 16 
  Edomite monsters built on up to 300 Char-
  acter Points each, Expanded Class (Edomite 
  monsters; +¼); OAF (-1), Independent (-2), 
  Requires An EGO Roll (assumes an EGO 
  Roll of 14-; -½), Side Eﬀects (involuntary, 
  nigh-unbreakable Psychic Bond to a King of 
  Edom; -1)
  1u 
  7)  Send Thoughts:  Telepathy 5d6 (Edomite 
  class of minds); OAF (-1), Independent (-
  2), Broadcast Only (-½), Requires An EGO 
  Roll (assumes an EGO Roll of 14-; -½), Side 
  Eﬀects (involuntary, nigh-unbreakable Psy-
  chic Bond to a King of Edom; -1)
  2u 
  8)  Empower:  Major Transform 3d6 (person 
  to person with superpowers or like abilities 
  related to Edomites, heals through another 
  application of this power), Continuous (+1), 
  Improved Results Group (can grant a wide 
  range of powers; +½); OAF (-1), Indepen-
  dent (-2), No Range (-½), Limited Target 
  (willing sentient beings; -¼), Requires An 
  EGO Roll (assumes an EGO Roll of 14-; -½), 
  Side Eﬀects (involuntary, nigh-unbreakable 
  Psychic Bond to a King of Edom; -1)
  2u 
  9)  Gate Within Dimension:  Teleportation 
  10”, x2 Increased Mass; MegaScale (1” = 10 
  billion km, can scale down to 1” = 1 km; +3); 
  ULTIMATE POWER
  Mythology describes 
  several enchanted items 
  whose power transcends 
  all others. Such power 
  corrupts:  heroes do 
  not use these ultimate 
  magics except in the 
  most dire emergencies. 
  More often, villains seek 
  these artifacts so they 
  can rule the world.
  Here are a few examples. 
  The GM can try deﬁn-
  ing these objects in 
  game terms as he likes, 
  but it’s easier to to leave 
  them as plot devices. An 
  artifact sets a story in 
  motion (and is a great 
  excuse for origins), but 
  its power is not suited 
  for one-on-one confron-
  tations.
  The Book of Thoth:  
  Egyptian tales tell of 
  a grimoire written by 
  Thoth, god of magic. The 
  spells in this scroll make 
  its owner the master of 
  all the powers of nature, 
  gods, and the dead; he 
  incidentally understands 
  the speech of birds and 
  beasts. A terrible curse 
  protects the Book from 
  mortal hands, though. 
  The last person to seize 
  the Book, the priest 
  Na-nefer-ka-ptah, lost 
  his entire family to the 
  curse, and ended up as 
  the grimoire’s ghostly 
  guardian.
  The Holy Lance:  The 
  spear that peirced 
  Christ’s side is one of 
  the four great relics 
  of Christianity, along 
  with the Holy Grail, the 
  Crown of Thorns, and 
  the Cross itself... and the 
  Lance, also called the 
  Spear of Destiny, is the 
  only weapon on the list. 
  Legend says the Lance 
  makes its owner invin-
  cible. Reputed owners 
  include the Roman 
  emperor Constantine, 
  Charlemagne... and 
  Adolph Hitler. The gods 
  of Faerie, Babylon, and 
  the Netherworld all fear 
  Continued on next page
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  91 
  OAF (-1), Independent (-2), Requires An 
  EGO Roll (assumes an EGO Roll of 14-; -½), 
  Side Eﬀects (involuntary, nigh-unbreakable 
  Psychic Bond to a King of Edom; -1)
  1u 
  10)  Gate Between Dimensions:  Extra-
  Dimensional Movement (any physical loca-
  tion in the Qliphothic planes), x2 Increased 
  Weight; OAF (-1), Independent (-2), 
  Requires An EGO Roll (assumes an EGO 
  Roll of 14-; -½), Side Eﬀects (involuntary, 
  nigh-unbreakable Psychic Bond to a King of 
  Edom; -1)
  2 
  Gate Within Dimension:  2 Floating Fixed 
  Points for Teleportation (deﬁned by each 
  possessor when he takes possession of the 
  Scepter); OAF (-1), Independent (-2)
  2 
  Creeping Madness:  Mental Defense  
  (8 points plus EGO/5); OAF (-1), Indepen-
  dent (-2), Does Not Work Against Edomites’ 
  Attacks (-1)
  Total cost:  45 points.
  THE STAR OF URIZEN
  The Prime Avatar of Order created this talis-
  man for his favored servants. Many such talismans 
  exist, but Urizen assigns only one Star per dimen-
  sion. Not only does a Star Of Urizen provide several 
  useful powers to its wielder, it can enhance the 
  power of any spell its wielder already knows.
  Urizen does not permit a Star to stay long in 
  the hands of a mystic who does not serve his cause. 
  As long as a Star’s owner uses it to seek out and 
  destroy the minions of Chaos, Urizen asks no more, 
  but if a Star’s owner uses it too much for personal 
  causes, eventually the Prime Avatar sends one of his 
  spirit minions to take the artifact away. Such min-
  ions can deactivate the Star or even make it attack 
  its owner.
  A Star Of Urizen is a golden disk about four 
  inches in diameter, with a band of geometric 
  engraving around the rim, and a spiky, multifaceted 
  crystal about two inches wide in the center. 
  The crystal glitters with white light when the 
  Star is in use. A character could wear a Star Of 
  Urizen as a necklace or a brooch (for instance, as 
  the clasp for a cloak).
  A Star Of Urizen does not take the Focus 
  Limitation so its possessor can use it while in astral 
  form:  a Star does its own astral projection along 
  with its wearer. Since the Star is Independent, how-
  ever, it can still be stolen or lost.
  Cost Power
  18 
  Star Of Urizen:  Multipower, 54-point 
  reserve; Independent (-2)
  1u 
   1)  Appeal To The Servants Of Order:  Mind 
  Scan 7d6, Transdimensional (to Ulro; +½); 
  Independent (-2)
  1u 
   2)  Augment Spell:  Aid Magic 4d6, any one 
  Magic spell or power at a time (+¼); Inde-
  pendent (-2)
  1u 
   3)  Command To Depart:  Dispel Summon 
  18d6; Independent (-2)
  1u 
   4)  Demand Obedience:  Mind Control 10d6; 
  Independent (-2)
  1u 
   5)  Inquisition:  Telepathy 10d6;  
  Independent (-2)
  4 
  Commune With The Servants Of Order:  
  Mind Link to any one minion of Order, any 
  distance, any dimension; Independent (-2), 
  Costs Endurance (-½), Concentration (0 
  DCV throughout use; -1) 
  2
  5 
  Sense Chaos:  Detect Chaos Magic (Sight 
  Group), Sense; Independent (-2) plus 
  Telescopic (+10 versus Range Modiﬁer for 
  Sense); Independent (-2), Costs Endurance 
  (-½), Visible (beam of white light shines 
  from the Star to the source of magic; -¼)
  Total cost:  32 points.
  the Holy Lance. They 
  believe that since the 
  Spear already tasted the 
  blood of a god, it can 
  deliver true and total 
  death to other gods.
  The Rhinegold:  The 
  Ring of the Nibelungs, 
  from Norse/Germanic 
  myth, was forged from 
  magic gold guarded by 
  spirits of the Rhine. That 
  gold is nothing less than 
  the sparkle of the sun 
  on the river... an echo 
  of the cosmic light of 
  Form shining on the 
  dark sea of Substance, 
  in the Atziluthic realm. 
  Whoever takes the Rhi-
  negold and forges it into 
  a ring gains mastery of 
  the world, but he must 
  renounce love to do so, 
  and can only become a 
  villain.
  The Tablet of Destiny:  
  The primal chaos-
  dragon Tiamat was the 
  ﬁrst owner of this tablet 
  that ordains the laws 
  of the universe and the 
  social order. When the 
  Mesopotamian gods 
  defeated Tiamat’s army 
  of monsters, they took 
  the Tablet as well. When 
  the storm-bird Anzu 
  stole the Tablet, the gods 
  lost their power. Perhaps 
  the Tablet controls the 
  relations between gods 
  and the mortal world, 
  in which case it could 
  overthrow the Ban at 
  a stroke. The tablet’s 
  power comes from 
  the Dragon, however, 
  making it perilous in the 
  extreme for mortals to 
  wield.
  Continued from last page
  
  92 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  F
  or the most part, building a character who’s 
  a super-mage, a divine avatar, a therian-
  thrope, or any other denizen of the Mystic 
  World is no diﬀerent than designing any 
  other Champions superhero. Mystic characters 
  often tend to favor unusual Power-Advantage 
  combinations, and rely on Power Frameworks, a 
  bit more than other character types, but the same 
  basic character creation rules apply. Here are a few 
  additional or expanded rules addressing matters of 
  interest to mystics.
  SKILLS
  NAVIGATION
  Chapter One mentions two types of Naviga-
  tion common to super-mages. The ﬁrst is Naviga-
  tion (Astral), which allows characters to move 
  through the Astral Plane with comparative ease.
  The second is Navigation (Dimensional), 
  which helps a character travel from one dimension 
  to another by the most eﬃcient course. It does not 
  help a character journey within a single dimension 
  — for that, a regular specialty like Land or Space 
  might suﬃce, or the character may need a dimen-
  sion-speciﬁc specialty like Astral. But for ﬁnding 
  one’s way home across the myriad planes, or track-
  ing a villain who’s ﬂed into uncharted areas of the 
  Multiverse, it has no equal.
  POWER
  While most mystics in Champions can cast 
  their spells eﬀortlessly, without the need for the 
  Skill Rolls so common in Heroic genres (such as 
  Fantasy), some do have the Requires A Skill Roll 
  Limitation on some or all of their spells (this is 
  particularly common for apprentice super-mages, 
  weak spellcasters, and the like). In that case, they 
  usually buy a form of the Power Skill to use to cast 
  their spells. In most campaigns, they can simply 
  call this form of the Skill Thaumaturgy and have it 
  apply to any type of spell. They don’t have to buy a 
  diﬀerent Skill for each spell or type of magic they 
  can use.
  PERKS
  ACCESS
  With the GM’s permission, characters can use 
  this Perk to represent the fact that they have the 
  right and/or power to enter certain dimensions 
  (such as the Brialic planes) that most characters 
  cannot. The cost depends upon the diﬃculty of 
  entering the dimension, and how useful or impor-
  tant it is to the character to be able to enter that 
  dimension.
  FRINGE BENEFIT:  DEITY
  At the GM’s option, some mystic characters 
  might be able to buy the Fringe Beneﬁt Deity for 50 
  Character Points. This means some group of sentient 
  beings worships the character as a deity (the GM 
  may adjust the cost if he feels that the character has 
  only a small number of worshippers, or otherwise 
  isn’t as inﬂuential as the average deity; see The Ulti-
  mate Mystic for more information).
  However, this Fringe Beneﬁt confers no 
  powers. The character’s worshippers aren’t Follow-
  ers; if he wants them to obey him implicitly, he 
  must pay Character Points to buy them as such. 
  Nor does he gain the ability to access Elysium, to 
  Transform water into wine, to sanctify people and 
  places, or anything else of the sort — he has to pay 
  Character Points for any such divine abilities, just 
  like any other god.
  POWERS
  The following options and expansions for 
  Powers were used in the construction of the spells 
  and enchanted items described earlier in this chapter.
  ENHANCED SENSES
  Two aspects of Enhanced Senses apply par-
  ticularly to mystics.
  The Mystic Sense Group
  For ease of game play, and to better deﬁne the 
  special eﬀect of “magical senses” and spells that aﬀect 
  them, the GM can allow mystic characters to deﬁne 
  Senses as belonging to the Mystic Sense Group. (Or, 
  he may consider all Senses deriving from magic, par-
  ticularly Detect Magic and the like, as belonging to 
  it as well as any other Sense Group they belong to.) 
  The Mystic Sense Group grants no Sense Modiﬁers 
  to a Sense, and has no standard Senses that belong 
  to it. Any Senses in the Mystic Group can be aﬀected 
  by Sense-Aﬀecting Powers speciﬁcally designed to 
  CHARACTER 
  CREATION
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  93 
  aﬀect them (it’s considered a Targeting Sense Group, 
  since so many mystics buy Targeting for their Detect 
  Magic spells and the like).
  The Dimensional Sense Modiﬁer
  Mystics sometimes need to perceive into 
  other dimensions. One way to do this is by buying 
  Clairsentience with its own Dimensional modiﬁer 
  — but it’s also possible to expand Dimensional into a 
  general Sense Modiﬁer that can apply to any Sense.
  A Sense with Dimensional can perceive into 
  one or more dimensions in addition to the one the 
  character’s currently occupying. It doesn’t grant 
  any extra range to the Sense; the character merely 
  perceives whatever he can at the point in the other 
  dimension that physically corresponds to his loca-
  tion in his current dimension. If appropriate, the 
  GM may apply the “Dimensional Range Modiﬁer” 
  described under Transdimensional, below, so that 
  it’s much harder for characters on Earth to perceive 
  into the Brialic or Atziluthic dimensions than into 
  Assiatic or Yetziratic ones.
  Cost:  To perceive into a single other dimension:  5 
  Character Points for a single Sense; 10 Character 
  Points for a single Sense Group.
  To perceive into a related group of dimensions:  10 
  Character Points for a single Sense; 20 Character 
  Points for a single Sense Group.
  To perceive into any dimension:  15 Character 
  Points for a single Sense; 25 Character Points for a 
  single Sense Group.
  EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL MOVEMENT
  This Power is extremely important for super-
  mages; they’re more likely to use it than just about 
  any other type of character. However, there are 
  some gaps in the existing version of it in the HERO 
  System 5th Edition rulebook, and these may cause 
  problems. The GM should consider using this 
  expanded version of the Power:
     EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL MOVEMENT 
  Type:   
  Movement Power
  Duration:   
  Instant
  Target:   
  Self Only
  Range:   
  Self
  Costs END:   
  Yes
  Cost:   
  See Extra-Dimensional  
  Movement Table
  A character with this Movement Power can 
  travel from one dimension to another, or can travel 
  through time. Some examples of Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement include wizards who can open 
  gates to other planes, starships capable of breaching 
  dimensional barriers, and time travel machines. 
  Extra-Dimensional Movement costs END to use.
  When buying Extra-Dimensional Movement, 
  a character must ﬁrst pay a base cost of 20 points. 
  That allows him to travel to a single physical loca-
  tion in a single other dimension — for example, 
  only to Odin’s Hall in Valhalla, or only to the Infer-
  nal Gates in Hell. (The character may, of course, 
  also return to his native dimension.) If a charac-
  ter wants to travel to more locations in that one 
  dimension, or to more than a single dimension, he 
  has to pay Character Points for additional modi-
  ﬁers to the power (see text below, and the Extra-
  Dimensional Movement Table).
  Using Extra-Dimensional Movement takes a 
  Full Phase. It does not involve acceleration, deceler-
  ation, or a Turn Mode. Traveling to another dimen-
  sion, or through time, breaks Line Of Sight for the 
  purposes of maintaining Constant Powers, Usable 
  By Others powers, Mental Powers, and the like.
  Normally, a character with Extra-Dimensional 
  Movement can only move himself, his clothing, 
  and his personal equipment (including any Foci). 
  To move more weight, the character must buy an 
  Adder (see below) for his Power.
  DIMENSIONAL TRAVEL
  The standard use of Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment is to travel to other planes and dimensions. 
  This is a separate ability from traveling through 
  time (see below). See Chapter One for descrip-
  tions of many dimensions characters can travel to 
  (though that “list” is far from exhaustive).
  Number Of Dimensions The Character Can 
  Travel To
  To travel to a related group of dimensions 
  (such as the Nine Hells or the Four Elemental 
  Planes) costs +5 Character Points. The GM deter-
  mines what constitutes “a related group”; there’s no 
  speciﬁc numerical limit.
  The ability to travel to any dimension costs 
  +10 Character Points.
  Regardless of how many dimensions a char-
  acter can travel to, he can only travel to a single 
  physical location in each one, and he must deﬁne 
  the speciﬁc location in each dimension when he 
  buys the power.
  Physical Locations The Character Can Reach
  As noted above, the default with Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement is that a character can only travel 
  to a single physical location in any dimension he 
  ASTRAL 
  AWARENESS
  One of the most 
  common uses for the 
  Dimensional Sense 
  Modiﬁer is to create 
  Astral Awareness, the 
  ability to perceive astral 
  beings and things:
  Dimensional for Sight 
  and Hearing Groups:  20 
  Character Points.
  
  94 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  can travel to, and he has to deﬁne that location 
  when he buys the power. (Once he reaches that 
  single location he can, of course, travel freely under 
  his own power, unless some outside force or circum-
  stance prevents him from doing so.) A character 
  may expand the number of locations he can travel 
  to with additional modiﬁers.
  If the character can only travel to a single 
  dimension, the ability to travel to any location in 
  that dimension costs +5 Character Points.
  If the character can travel to a related group of 
  dimensions, the ability to travel to any location in 
  any of those dimensions costs +10 Character Points.
  If the character can travel to any dimension, 
  the ability to travel to any location in any of those 
  dimensions costs +15 Character Points.
  If a character can travel to “any location” in a 
  target dimension, but is restricted to only traveling 
  to physical locations in other dimensions corre-
  sponding to the physical location he occupies in the 
  dimension he’s currently in, that costs -3 points.
  Generally speaking, Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment does not give a character any enhanced 
  movement in his home dimension; a character in 
  New York cannot transport himself to Valhalla 
  and then back to Tokyo. A character either returns 
  to his home dimension in the same location from 
  which he left it, or he only travels as far as he 
  travelled in the alternate dimension. At the GM’s 
  option, if the character has paid the points to be 
  able to travel to any location in any of the dimen-
  sions he can travel to, he can likewise return to any 
  location in his home dimension.
  TIME TRAVEL
  “Time” counts as a single dimension for pur-
  poses of Extra-Dimensional Movement, but it’s 
  separate from all the other dimensions — a char-
  EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL 
  MOVEMENT TABLE
  Cost 
  Effect
  20 
  Travel to a single location in a single  
  dimension
  Number Of Dimensions Modiﬁers
  +5 
  Travel to a single location in a related group 
  of dimensions
  +10 
  Travel to a single location in any dimension
  Dimensional Location Modiﬁers
  +5 
  Any physical location in a single dimension
  +10 
  Any physical location in a related group of 
  dimensions
  +15 
  Any physical location in any dimension
  -3 
  Character can only travel to the physical 
  location in the other dimension correspond-
  ing to his physical location in the dimension 
  he’s currently in
  Time Travel Modiﬁers
  +20 
  Travel through time to a single moment in 
  time
  +5 
  Travel to a related group of discrete 
  moments in time
  +1 
  Travel forward or back in time by up to 1 
  Turn in either direction; +1 point for each 
  additional increment on the Time Chart; if 
  character can only travel to the past or to the 
  future, halve this cost
  Time Travel Location Modiﬁers
  +0 
  No change in physical location; character 
  remains in the physical location he occupies 
  when he activates the power
  +2 
  Any single physical location in the same 
  dimension the character occupies when he 
  uses the power, deﬁned when the power is 
  bought, regardless of where the character is 
  when he activates the power
  +5 
  A limited group of physical locations, in 
  the same dimension the character occupies 
  when he uses the power, in the moments in 
  time the character can travel to
  +10 
  Any physical location, in the same dimen-
  sion the character occupies when he uses the 
  power, in the moments in time the character 
  can travel to
  EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL  
  MOVEMENT SUMMARY TABLE
  Cost 
  Travel To A Single Dimension
  20 
  A single location
  25 
  Any physical location
  22 
  Any physical location corresponding to  
  his physical location in the dimension he’s 
  currently in
  Travel To A Related Group Of Dimensions
  25 
  A single location in each dimension
  35 
  Any physical location in each dimension
  32 
  Any physical location in each dimension, 
  corresponding to his physical location in the 
  dimension he’s currently in
  Travel To Any Dimension
  30 
  A single location in any dimension
  45 
  Any physical location in any dimension
  42 
  Any physical location in any dimension, 
  corresponding to his physical location in the 
  dimension he’s currently in
  Travel In Time:  Physical Location Same As  
  Starting Location
  40 
  Travel to a single moment in time
  45 
  Travel to a related group of moments in time
  67 
  Travel to any moment in time within 50 Bil-
  lion Years, future or past
  Travel In Time:  Single Physical Location Other  
  Than Starting Location
  42 
  Travel to a single moment in time
  47 
  Travel to a related group of moments in time
  69 
  Travel to any moment in time within 50 Bil-
  lion Years, future or past
  Travel In Time:  Limited Group Of Physical Locations
  45 
  Travel to a single moment in time
  50 
  Travel to a related group of moments in time
  72 
  Travel to any moment in time within 50 Bil-
  lion Years, future or past
  Travel In Time:  Any Physical Location
  50 
  Travel to a single moment in time
  55 
  Travel to a related group of moments in time
  77 
  Travel to any moment in time within 50 Bil-
  lion Years, future or past
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Three 
  95 
  acter cannot travel through time by buying Extra-
  Dimensional Movement to travel to “all dimen-
  sions,” he has to buy time travel separately.
  To travel in time, a character must pay +20 
  Character Points (in addition to the base cost of 
  20 Character Points for Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment). For that total base cost of 40 Character 
  Points, the character can travel to a single moment 
  in time, deﬁned when the power is bought. Time 
  travel occurs only in the physical dimension 
  the character is in when he uses the power. For 
  example, a character on Earth cannot time travel to 
  Hell or Valhalla (though he could have two Extra-
  Dimensional Powers, one physical and one tempo-
  ral, that in combination allowed him to do that).
  If a character wants to travel to more than 
  a single moment in time, he must pay more 
  Character Points. The ability to travel to a related 
  group of moments in time, in the past or the 
  future, no matter how far removed in time from 
  the present moment, costs +5 Character Points. 
  The GM determines what constitutes a “related 
  group”; examples typically include all instances 
  of a particular date (e.g., any July 4 in any year), 
  or any date within a speciﬁc, limited span of time 
  (e.g., one speciﬁc year).
  Some characters may want to travel to any 
  moment in time within a particular timeframe, 
  such as “within my lifetime” or “within 500 years, 
  past or future, from the present moment.” To do 
  this, they spend points to buy the range across 
  which they may travel. For +1 Character Point, the 
  character may travel forward or backward in time 
  by up to 1 Turn (12 seconds). Thus, if he were in 
  Segment 6 of Turn 2 of a combat, he could travel 
  to any Segment up to Segment 6 of Turn 3 (but no 
  further into the future), or to any Segment back to 
  Segment 6 of Turn 1 (but no further into the past). 
  For each additional +1 point, he may expand his 
  range of travel by one step down the Time Chart 
  (see the accompanying Expanded Time Chart). 
  Thus, to travel to any point in time within 50 Bil-
  lion Years in the future or 50 Billion Years in the 
  past costs +27 Character Points (for a total cost of 
  67 points for the power). If the character can only 
  travel one direction in time (backward to the past, 
  or forward to the future), halve this cost.
  Regardless of how many moments in time a 
  character can travel to, he can only time travel to 
  a single physical location in the dimension he’s in 
  when he uses the power. By default, this location 
  is deﬁned as the location he’s in when he activates 
  the Power — if he starts in Chicago in 2002, he can 
  travel back to 1636 or forward to 3312, but he’ll 
  still be in Chicago (or whatever it used to be/will 
  become — which may prove hazardous for him!). 
  For +2 Character Points, he may deﬁne his time 
  travel as always taking him to the same location, 
  no matter where he is when he uses Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement — he always time travels to 
  London, no matter where he is when he activates 
  the Power. For +5 Character Points, he can go to 
  a related group of physical locations in the same 
  dimension (say, any place in England). For +10 
  Character Points, he can go to any physical location 
  in the same dimension. However, characters cannot 
  use this as a cheap form of worldwide Teleporta-
  tion (e.g., “I’ll travel to two seconds from now in 
  Tokyo!”) — they must engage in what the GM con-
  siders legitimate time travel.
  Caveat
  Extra-Dimensional Movement is a “stop 
  sign” power, and time travel doubly so. The time 
  travel method outlined above is not intended as a 
  combat ability, or a way for a character to go back 
  and “re-do” the actions of the past few Segments 
  or Turns just because they didn’t turn out the way 
  the character wanted. If a character wants to have 
  time-manipulation powers that work in combat, 
  he should buy those as speciﬁc Powers with a “time 
  manipulation” eﬀect. Gamemasters should carefully 
  monitor all uses of Extra-Dimensional Movement 
  in general, and time travel in particular, to prevent 
  abuse or loss of game balance; as always, the GM 
  should forbid any use of a power he considers 
  improper or harmful to the game.
  OTHER USES
  Characters can create “gates” to other dimen-
  sions or times by applying the rules for Gates under 
  Teleportation (see page 149 of the HERO System 5th 
  Edition) to Extra-Dimensional Movement.
  You can also use Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment to simulate any situation in which a character 
  is in a diﬀerent state of being, cannot interact with 
  the “real world,” or is any place which is inaccessible 
  to others. For example, a character with Shrinking 
  could, theoretically, buy enough Shrinking to get 
  inside molecules (the “microverse,” so to speak). 
  However, it’s easier to buy this ability as Extra-
  Dimensional Movement to the microverse “dimen-
  sion.”  Other such uses include stopping time (the 
  character “travels to the dimension” where he is the 
  only thing in the world not frozen in time); grant-
  ing wishes (the character “travels to the dimension 
  where he has received whatever he wished for”); 
  the “virtual dimension” of cyberspace; creating 
  an “impenetrable ward” to protect some place or 
  object (the place or object is in another dimension, 
  and thus generally cannot be aﬀected by characters 
  in this dimension); and the like. It may be necessary 
  for a character to purchase special Senses or other 
  Powers for use only in the dimension(s) he travels 
  to; if so, he can usually purchase these with a -1 (or 
  greater) Limitation.
  This Power is extremely tricky, and can be dif-
  ﬁcult to use in a campaign setting. The GM should 
  consider regulating Extra-Dimensional Movement 
  in some fashion; otherwise characters will use it 
  every time they get into trouble. For example, per-
  haps characters have to buy it in such a way as to 
  make it unreliable — if the character misses a Skill 
  or Activation Roll, he goes oﬀ course, to another 
  dimension (or time). This Power is best used by the 
  GM when it ﬁts into his plans; otherwise it should 
  be strictly controlled.
  TIME CHART 
  (EXPANDED)
  Time Period/Duration
  1 Segment
  1 Phase
  1 Turn  
  (Post-Segment 12)
  1 Minute
  5 Minutes
  20 Minutes
  1 Hour
  6 Hours
  1 Day
  1 Week
  1 Month
  1 Season (3 months)
  1 Year
  5 Years
  25 Years
  1 Century
  5 Centuries
  2,500 Years
  10,000 Years
  50,000 Years
  250,000 Years
  1 Million Years
  5 Million Years
  25 Million Years
  100 Million Years
  500 Million Years
  2.5 Billion Years
  10 Billion Years
  50 Billion Years
  MEETING YOURSELF 
  IN THE PAST
  The HERO System rules 
  do not oﬀer or suggest 
  any particular theory 
  as to how time travel 
  works, what eﬀects char-
  acters traveling to the 
  past can have on their 
  present (or future), or 
  any of the many other 
  thorny issues related to 
  the subject. Each GM 
  must determine for 
  himself how time travel 
  works in his game. There 
  are plenty of books and 
  science ﬁction stories 
  about the subject for 
  readers interested in 
  doing some research.
  
  96 ■ Book Of Wisdom 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
  Increased Mass:  For each +5 Character Points, the 
  character can transport 2x normal human mass 
  (100 kg) when using Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment.
  Safe Blind Travel (+¼):  If a character uses Extra-
  Dimensional Movement and travels to a dimension 
  where there’s a solid object occupying his arrival 
  point, roll on the Teleportation Damage Table. How-
  ever, if the power has this Advantage, the character 
  instead appears in the open space nearest to his 
  target location large enough to hold him (though 
  this isn’t necessarily a safe location; the nearest open 
  space may be right next to an angry dragon).
  POWER ADVANTAGES
  TRANSDIMENSIONAL
  Mystics sometimes have to ﬁght targets in 
  other dimensions. This requires the Transdimen-
  sional Advantage for an attack. In addition to the 
  rules in the rulebook, the following apply:
  Applying Transdimensional to a power doesn’t 
  grant a character the ability to perceive targets in 
  the other dimension for free. If a character doesn’t 
  have a Sense that can perceive into the target 
  dimension (such as Clairsentience or an Enhanced 
  Sense with the Dimensional Sense Modiﬁer), then 
  he’s at 0 OCV when attacking with the Transdi-
  mensional power.
  A character can use a Transdimensional power 
  against a target in the same dimension he’s in if he 
  wants to. He still has to pay END for the Advantage, 
  allocate reserve points to it if it’s in a Multipower, 
  and the like, but he’s not restricted to attacking only 
  dimensions other than the one he’s currently in.
  Characters can apply Transdimensional to 
  non-Ranged powers if they want to. However, the 
  vast majority of Transdimensional powers are 
  Ranged.
  As noted on page 135 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition rulebook, the normal Range Modi-
  ﬁer applies to Transdimensional attacks. There’s 
  no additional “Range Modiﬁer” just for attacking 
  through a dimensional barrier, or for crossing mul-
  tiple “dimensional layers” between the character’s 
  current dimension and the target dimension, or 
  anything of the sort.
  The Dimensional Range Modiﬁer
  Notwithstanding the above, GMs interested 
  in adapting the general Transdimensional Advan-
  tage to the Multiverse of the Hero Universe (as 
  described in Chapter One) should consider impos-
  ing a Dimensional Range Modiﬁer for attacks made 
  against distant dimensions. The accompanying 
  table lists suggested penalties based on the “dis-
  tances” between dimensions.
   
  DIMENSIONAL  
  RANGE MODIFIER
  “Range” 
  OCV Modiﬁer
  Each level diﬀerence between the Four  
  Worlds (Assiah, Yetzirah, Briah, Atziluth) 
  -4
  Attacking the Qliphothic Realm from 
  anywhere 
  -4
  Another dimension in the same sephiroth  
  (e.g., attacking another Malkuth dimen- 
  sion from Earth) 
  -0 or more*
  Another dimension in the same level but a  
  diﬀerent sephiroth (e.g., attacking another  
  Assiatic dimension from Earth, but not 
  one in Malkuth) 
  -2 or more*
  Another layer of the Astral Plane (Lower,  
  Middle, Upper) while in the Astral Plane 
  -1 per step
  For example, if Witchcraft uses an Energy 
  Blast, Transdimensional to attack an entity 
  on a Brialic plane, she suﬀers a -8 OCV pen-
  alty — -4 for each of the two steps between 
  Assiah and Briah. If she used the same spell 
  against a target in a Qliphothic plane, she’d 
  suﬀer a -4 OCV penalty. If she were in the 
  Middle Astral Plane and used the spell to 
  attack a target in the Lower Astral Plane, 
  she’d suﬀer a -1 OCV penalty.
  * Depending on how “nearby” the GM judges the target 
  dimension to be
  
  chapter four:
  chapter four:
  MYSTIC MASTER VILLAINS
  
  98 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Background/History:  Many mystics acknowledge 
  the sinister Skarn, Shaper of Worlds, as one of the 
  most dangerous dimension lords. Skarn has existed 
  for over two thousand years. In that time, he’s con-
  quered hundreds of dimensions and added them to 
  his insane, patchwork realm — the Congeries.
  Superﬁcially, Skarn does not seem to occupy 
  the apex of power. The Shaper is stronger than 
  any would-be conqueror who’s smarter than him, 
  however, and smarter than anyone who’s stronger 
  than him. Whereas other dimensional conquerors 
  rely on their own power, or on hordes of soldiers, 
  Skarn combines raw power, abundant minions, and 
  a large cadre of lieutenants who wield considerable 
  power in their own right. Chief among these min-
  ions are his two sons, the cunning sorcerer Arthon 
  and the brutal warrior Torvost; most people forget 
  about Skarn’s comparatively weak daughter Brell.
  The Shaper became a dimensional conqueror 
  by accident. Originally, he was merely a sorcerer 
  from a little dimension called Orom. The Oromians 
  ruled themselves through a collective presidency 
  of sorcerers called the Triumvirate. Skarn was a 
  Triumvir.
  The other two Triumvirs hated each other 
  beyond party rivalry — indeed, beyond sanity. 
  Their hatred led them to invite possession by 
  cosmic entities. Each Triumvir hoped to crush 
  his rival and make his own party supreme. One 
  became a Lord of Nature called the Beast, devoted 
  to razing Orom’s cities and making its people live 
  simple lives in harmony with their environment. 
  The other became the Lord of Art called Nomarch 
  Phase, equally determined to let everyone shape 
  their part of the world however they wanted.
  The battles between the Beast, Nomarch Phase, 
  and their followers devastated Orom. Skarn vowed 
  to save his world by destroying both cosmic enti-
  ties. After great eﬀort, he learned a spell that could 
  link their life-forces into a vicious circle of mutual 
  destruction. Skarn had no idea if he himself would 
  survive.
  Skarn tricked the Beast and Nomarch Phase 
  into casting bolts of destruction at him at the same 
  instant. He caught both attacks and bounced the 
  power back, changed into spells of life-draining. 
  The Beast sucked the life out of Nomarch Phase; 
  Nomarch Phase drained the Beast, with Skarn in 
  the middle. Both cosmic entities struggled against 
  the curse, but neither would let the other one go. 
  They dragged each other into death, evaporating 
  like an evil dream.
  But what of Skarn? He served as the conduit 
  for the life forces of two gods as opposite as night 
  and day. When they died, their power and souls 
  crashed together into Skarn — and merged. Skarn 
  became more than mortal, a living paradox of con-
  trary cosmic forces. Worse, the three minds shat-
  tered as they came together. A new mind coalesced 
  from the fragments of memory and passion, a mind 
  that called itself Skarn but certainly was not the 
  sorcerer who risked everything to save his world.
  From Nomarch Phase came a passion to 
  change the world. From the Beast came an equally 
  strong will to force people to live in harmony with 
  their environment. The original Skarn provided a 
  messianic streak. All three had an iron determina-
  tion to see their will done, no matter what the cost.
  The new Skarn quickly conquered Orom; the 
  war-exhausted populace had little will to resist. 
  Many people welcomed a return to order at any 
  price. Once Skarn reshaped Orom to his satisfac-
  tion, he turned his attention to nearby dimensions. 
  Rallying his power, Skarn merged the smaller 
  dimensions with Orom so he could “improve” them 
  in turn. Over the centuries, Skarn spliced dozens of 
  little dimensions together with Orom, producing a 
  composite universe called the Congeries. Now he’s 
  ready to tackle bigger game. Earth, with its billions 
  of inhabitants, sets Skarn drooling with anticipa-
  tion. Ultimately, Skarn wants to merge the entire 
  Multiverse into the Congeries, with himself as 
  “benevolent” despot leading everyone to universal 
  Utopia — no matter how much death and destruc-
  tion he must cause along the way.
  Personality/Motivation:  Skarn is a fanatical Utopian 
  reformer as well as a megalomaniac. He wants to 
  create a perfect universe full of perfect people. 
  Skarn’s notions of perfection, however, have little 
  to do with what anyone else wants. If he thinks 
  a region needs rains of acid every Thursday, he 
  reshapes the region to ﬁt. If the people are lucky, he 
  remembers to reshape them to withstand the acid. 
  Skarn’s subjects know him as a capricious god who 
  sends blessings and curses almost at random.
  Since Skarn ﬁrmly believes he does everything 
  for the best, he’s very hard to turn aside from any 
  course of action. Nothing is too vicious for him, 
  because “the end justiﬁes the means.” Anyone 
  who disagrees with him proves himself an enemy 
  of reality (or at least a victim of false thinking) 
  whom he must destroy for the good of the Multi-
  verse. Even if a hero can out-ﬁght Skarn, the hero 
  wins only a brief reprieve. Skarn can, however, be 
  tricked into renouncing his claim on a world — at 
  least for a while.
  Skarn takes godhood very seriously, in his fash-
  ion. He justiﬁes his conquests through his own sup-
  posed perfection, and refuses to show any sign he is 
  less than perfect. Thus, he must keep any promise he 
  MYSTIC MASTER 
  VILLAINS
  This chapter describes 
  three beings whose 
  incredible power is 
  equalled only by their 
  evil. These mystic 
  master villains want to 
  conquer the Earth and 
  enslave humanity. But 
  unlike Dr. Destroyer and 
  his ilk, these master vil-
  lains are not human and 
  do not act from human 
  motivations. They seek 
  to conquer or corrupt 
  humanity because they 
  must; they are incarnate 
  forces of will.
  The master villains 
  described here are:
  Skarn the Shaper
  Tyrannon the  
  Conqueror
  The Dragon
  SKARN THE 
  SHAPER
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  99 
  makes because as a god, he can’t show such “merely 
  mortal” failings as lying or treachery — though he 
  can split hairs and twist meanings to ﬁnd a way 
  around inconvenient promises, given time.
  The Shaper also shows godlike generosity 
  in repaying his debts or rewarding “oﬀerings.” 
  To place Skarn in your debt; however, requires 
  doing him an extraordinary favor that comes as a 
  complete surprise. For instance, Skarn would not 
  oﬀer to spare the Earth in return for the heroes 
  fetching a powerful magic artifact. Haggling is 
  not very divine. On the other hand, if someone 
  surprised Skarn with something he greatly desired 
  or enjoyed — a powerful artifact, the life of an 
  enemy, or the best laugh he’s had in centuries — 
  the Shaper might oﬀer to grant that person any-
  thing within his power. (Abdication is not within 
  Skarn’s power, because the fundamental nature of 
  reality is to be ruled by Skarn.)
  The Shaper also likes a good ﬁght. His love of 
  sport can temporarily override his messianic com-
  plex. Skarn especially loves to hunt sentient prey 
  (such as PCs) through special “game preserves” 
  in the Congeries, using only his physical powers. 
  Skarn always expects to win, and so he may rashly 
  accept side bets... such as relinquishing his claim 
  to the Earth. If he loses, he also asks for a rematch:  
  “Same thing next year?”
  Quote:  “Rejoice, puny mortals! I, Skarn, have come 
  to transform your worthless, insigniﬁcant lives!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Even without magic, Skarn is a 
  strong and skillful brawler (part of his heritage 
  from the Beast). He can make himself nearly 
  impossible to damage by transforming himself 
  into a living hole in space (part of his heritage 
  from Nomarch Phase) — if he wishes, things can 
  fall through him into endless Limbo. In this state, 
  Skarn gains the powers listed under the Living Hole 
  In Space heading, plus Hardened defenses, and his 
  claw or bite attacks become Armor Piercing and 
  Penetrating. Skarn keeps his Living Hole In Space 
  active most of the time, but he drops it for non-
  magical duels. He (temporarily) loses these Powers 
  if Stunned or Knocked Out.
  Skarn is also a sorcerer of nearly limitless 
  ﬂexibility. He was quite skilled even before his 
  apotheosis. Becoming a god, and the cosmic knowl-
  edge gained from Nomarch Phase, raised his power 
  even more. As long as Skarn stays in the Congeries, 
  his link to its manifold mystic energies lets him 
  cast whatever spell he wants, instantly. On other 
  planes, where he doesn’t know the mystical condi-
  tions so well, Skarn must spend a brief period (a 
  Phase) changing the roster of spells in his Power 
  Pool. Unlike some mega-sorcerers, Skarn can apply 
  his Cosmic Thaumaturgy to 
  augment his other Powers, 
  or to increase his physi-
  cal prowess. He usually 
  produces a 100-Active 
  Point attack spell, and then 
  assigns the remaining 20 
  points of the VPP to a 
  movement, defensive, or 
  sensory power. If he must, 
  Skarn uses further Limita-
  tions (such as a Focus; his 
  crown serves as an OAF) to 
  reduce the ﬁnal cost of his 
  spells so he can pull more 
  of them from the Pool. But 
  Skarn prefers not to rely on 
  tools in a brawl, since that 
  impugns his omnipotence.
  Skarn ﬁghts fair, at 
  least in formal combat. One 
  on one, he restricts him-
  self to his opponent’s SPD 
  unless he’s clearly losing; 
  then he goes one SPD 
  higher. If Skarn still loses 
  — why, he meant to lose, as 
  a reward for a gallant foe. 
  At the start of a combat, 
  Skarn doesn’t use tacti-
  cal subtleties such as Held 
  Actions.
  The Shaper would 
  rather lose than violate the 
  conditions of a duel, but 
  woe betide any outsider 
  who intrudes on a ﬁght, 
  CHARACTER SHEET 
  NOTATION
  Generally, the text of 
  the character sheets 
  in this book should be 
  pretty straightforward 
  and easy to understand. 
  Consult the Glossary 
  in the HERO System 
  5th Edition, and the 
  example powers in 
  that book, if you have 
  any questions about 
  abbreviations, terms, or 
  notations. The Writer’s 
  Guidelines, available on 
  the Hero Games website 
  (www.herogames.com), 
  also provide some infor-
  mation about character 
  sheet formatting.
  In a Multipower, a “u” 
  next to the cost indicates 
  a Fixed (or “ultra”) slot, 
  and an “m” a Flexible (or 
  “multi”) slot.
  Under the END column, 
  a number in brack-
  ets indicates Charges 
  (however, the bracketed 
  number next to STR is 
  an END cost).
  
  100 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  even to help him! The Shaper can devise quite hor-
  rible punishments. If an enemy insulted him, or 
  did not negotiate any formal rules, Skarn uses all 
  his power to annihilate his opponents as quickly as 
  possible, with whatever backup he has available.
  Resources:  As the god-king of a fairly large dimen-
  sion (as magical dimensions go, anyway), Skarn can 
  muster thousands of magical warriors, hundreds 
  of thousands of relatively mundane soldiers, and 
  whatever magical Vehicles and superweapons he 
  can imagine. A large and diverse cadre of super-
  powered oﬃcers also serves the Shaper. (Use 
  characters from this book, Conquerors, Killers, 
  And Crooks, or other Champions supplements, but 
  change their names and appearance to give them a 
  “magical” style.) Skarn’s chief restriction is that he 
  cannot bring all his forces to bear at once:  most 
  of his military stays on guard against Tyrannon 
  (and, to a lesser extent, Istvatha V’han). Thus, Skarn 
  attempts quick conquests using limited numbers of 
  elite troops (including his cadre). If Skarn secures a 
  strong beachhead on a world or dimension, he can 
  open a massive Gate to bring in reinforcements, 
  and ﬁnally merge the world with the Congeries. 
  Once Skarn brings a world into the Congeries, he 
  can devote his military to a full-scale conquest.
  Relations With Others:  Now and then, sorcerers and 
  lesser dimension lords hear of Skarn’s power but 
  not his madness, and ask for his help. Sometimes it 
  pleases Skarn to grant the request, if his petitioner 
  grovels well and oﬀers him a great gift of magic, 
  lore, or lives. Sometimes Skarn solves the petition-
  er’s problem by annexing his world.
  The Shaper loathes any spirit, sorcerer, or 
  mystic entity who rivals his power. He and “that 
  upstart” Tyrannon constantly scheme to under-
  cut each other, and each one hopes to destroy the 
  other and absorb his realm and power. Skarn might 
  oppose Takofanes the Archlich or other power-
  ful villains from a similar desire to prove his own 
  superiority and thin the competition.
  Skarn has a tempestuous relationship with 
  Istvatha V’han, the self-proclaimed “Empress of a 
  Billion Dimensions.” On the one hand, she rules a 
  lot more than he does. On the other hand, she also 
  opposes Tyrannon, and she shows little interest in 
  conquering magic-rich dimensions. Their encoun-
  ters range from skirmishes over dimensions they 
  both covet to romantic trysts when one of them 
  hopes to manipulate the other.
  Campaign Use:  The Shaper shows neither the 
  impenetrable malevolence of Takofanes, nor the 
  blind megalomania of Tyrannon — multiple pas-
  sions drive the mercurial Shaper. Victory over 
  Skarn may depend less on raw power than on 
  exploiting his personality, such as leading Skarn 
  to accept a challenge the heroes can win. On the 
  other hand, Skarn plans with considerable strategic 
  subtlety once he realizes raw power cannot achieve 
  his objectives. He can practice deeper deceits than 
  his chief rivals, or try to subvert heroes instead of 
  destroying them. Skarn’s cadre also enables him to 
  pursue more than one scheme at a time, and attack 
  from more than one angle.
  If Skarn needs to be more powerful for your 
  campaign, increase his Characteristics, give him 
  a few more Innate Magic attacks better suited 
  to counter the PCs’ defenses, or increase Skarn’s 
  defenses. Keep in mind, however, that although 
  Skarn is meant as a powerful foe, he is not meant to 
  swat PCs without eﬀort:  heroes of normal power 
  can defeat Skarn in a straight-up ﬁght, if they 
  manipulate him into accepting certain limits on his 
  own power. To make Skarn less powerful, reduce 
  his SPD and VPP, and decrease the damage of his 
  Energy Blasts.
  Skarn is quick to Hunt heroes who thwart him, 
  but not to the extent he would violate the letter of 
  a promise. He may let other dimension lords and 
  mystic mercenaries know how much the PCs’ death 
  would please him, without baldly putting out a con-
  tract on them. On the other hand, if Skarn believes 
  he lost honorably, he may “Hunt” the heroes by 
  trying to recruit them. For instance, he might place 
  heroes in diﬃcult positions and then oﬀer to rescue 
  them in return for their fealty, or solve some vexing 
  problem for a hero (such as Aunt Mary’s medical 
  problems), and then demand a “favor” in return 
  — or he withdraws his “gift.”
  Appearance:  Skarn is a 7’ tall, bearlike humanoid. 
  When his Living Hole In Space power is active, he 
  seems to be made of star-ﬂecked space, with indigo 
  reﬂections oﬀ body contours. He still shows his 
  luminous, yellow-orange eyes and his short, ivory 
  horns, claws, and teeth. If Skarn wishes, he can 
  return to physical form, in which case he has a sleek 
  auburn pelt over a formidably muscular body. He 
  wears a golden loincloth and a spiky golden diadem 
  that hooks over his horns, with a glittering jewel in 
  the center. Skarn’s spells look like typical thaumatur-
  gical globes, beams, and other shapes of light.
  SKARN PLOT SEEDS
  The heroes ﬁnd them-
  selves in a horribly 
  disastrous situation. 
  Skarn opens a portal 
  and oﬀers to solve their 
  problem if they release 
  him from a promise not 
  to attack the Earth. By 
  accepting Skarn’s oﬀer, 
  the heroes can save 
  many lives — at cost of 
  endangering the future 
  of all humanity.
  A female hero impresses 
  Skarn during a confron-
  tation, so he decides to 
  marry her. Skarn’s idea 
  of courtship is to send 
  “gifts” such as a dozen 
  slaves to serve the hero-
  ine, or the severed heads 
  of her enemies. He also 
  conquers a dimension 
  in her name. Eventu-
  ally Skarn abducts the 
  heroine to the Conge-
  ries... and he won’t take 
  no for an answer to his 
  proposal.
  Skarn sets up an interdi-
  mensional Great Tour-
  nament for sorcerers. 
  The winners of the early 
  heats receive impres-
  sive magical gifts. A foe 
  of the PCs wins one of 
  these prizes and uses it 
  to defeat them, drawing 
  the heroes into the con-
  test. Skarn promises the 
  tournament’s victor a 
  prize greater than all his 
  other gifts put together. 
  Only once someone 
  wins the tournament 
  (a PC, perhaps?) does 
  Skarn reveal that the 
  great “prize” is a chance 
  to ﬁght Skarn himself, 
  for no reward but the 
  glory of the battle.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  101 
  SKARN THE SHAPER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   50 STR 
  40 
  19- 
  Lift 25 tons; 10d6 [5]
   30 DEX 
  60 
  15- 
  OCV:  10/DCV:  10
   50 CON 
  80 
  19-
   20 BODY 20 
  13-
   30 INT 
  20 
  15- 
  PER Roll 15-
   30 EGO 
  40 
  15- 
  ECV:  10
   40 PRE 
  30 
  17- 
  PRE Attack:  8d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   31 PD 
  21 
   
  Total:  31 PD (31 rPD)
   31 ED 
  21 
   
  Total:  31 ED (31 rED)
   7 SPD 
  30 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
   25 REC 
  10
   100 END 
  0
   70 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  373
  Movement: 
  Running: 16”/32”
   
  Swimming:  7”/14”
   
  Teleport  20”/40”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  260 
  Cosmic Thaumaturgy:  Variable Power  
  Pool (Magic Pool), 120 base + 60 control  
  cost plus Cosmic (+2) for VPP; Does  
  Not Work Outside The Congeries (-½) 
  var
  150 
  Innate Magic:  Multipower, 150-point  
  reserve
  13u 
  1)  Sorcerer’s Star:  Energy Blast 18d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  14u 
  2)  Sorcerer’s Star:  Energy Blast 10d6,  
  AVLD (Power Defense; +1½), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  6
  13u 
  3)  Missile Of Mystic Mastery:  Energy  
  Blast 12d6, Variable Advantage (+½  
  Advantages; +1), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) 
  6
  13u 
  4)  Spellbreaking Bolt:  Dispel Magic  
  Powers 30d6, any Magic spell or power  
  one at a time (+¼), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) 
  5
  8u 
  5)  Power Boost:  Aid Magic Powers 2d6,  
  Can Add Maximum Of 22 Points, all  
  Magic spells and powers simultaneously 
  (+2), Ranged (+½), Indirect (+½),  
  Transdimensional (any dimension; +1); 
  Others Only (-½) 
  12
  9u 
  6)  Reshape Area:  Major Transform  
  2d6 (complete change to anything or  
  anyone in area, reversed if Skarn driven  
  away within 48 hours or if he wills it so), 
  Improved Results Group (any physical  
  alteration; +1), Partial Transform (+½),  
  Area Of Eﬀect (256” Radius; +2¼), Selective 
  (+¼); Extra Time (Extra Phase; -¾) 
  15
  7u 
  7)  Reshape Person:  Major Transform  
  5d6 (person to anything Skarn wants,  
  healed back by touch of any Earthly “god”  
  or Skarn willing it so), Improved Results 
  Group (any physical alteration; +1); Extra 
  Time (Extra Phase; -¾), Limited Target  
  (sentient beings; -¼) 
  15
  6u 
  8)  Create Dimensional Gate:  Extra- 
  Dimensional Movement (any physical  
  location in any dimension), Area Of Eﬀect 
  (One Hex; +½), Continuous (+1),  
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼),  
  Usable By Other (+¼); Gate (-½), Extra  
  Time (1 Turn to activate; -¾) 
  6
  6u 
  9)  Gate Snatch:  Extra-Dimensional  
  Movement (to Congeries, Skarn’s own  
  location), x4 Increased Mass, Usable As 
  Attack (does not work on anyone with  
  Desolidiﬁcation, Extra-Dimensional  
  Movement, or dimension-warping  
  powers; +1), Ranged (+½), Indirect (+½), 
  Transdimensional (any; +1); Extra Time  
  (1 Turn; -1¼) 
  14
  50 
  Link Dimensions:  Extra-Dimensional  
  Movement (to Congeries, any location), 
  Usable Simultaneously (+½), Area Of  
  Eﬀect (144” Radius; +2), Continuous (+1),  
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½),  
  Uncontrolled (ends when Skarn defeated or 
  another Gate created within it; +½); Gate  
  (-½), Extra Time (1 Minute to activate; -¾), 
  Gestures (-¼), Incantations (-¼) 
  0
  55 
  Shields Of Skarn:  Multipower,  
  55-point reserve
  5u 
  1)  Mental Shield:  Force Field (10 PD/10 
  ED/10 Mental Defense), Hardened (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  5u 
  2)  Mystic Shield:  Force Field (10 PD/ 
  10 ED/10 Power Defense), Hardened (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  5u 
  3)  Stability Shield:  Force Field (10 PD/ 
  10 ED), Hardened (+¼), Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½) plus Knockback 
  Resistance -8” 
  0
  5u 
  4)  Shield Wall:  Force Wall (8 PD/8 ED,  
  3” long), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 2
  53 
  Living Hole In Space — Attacker Falls In:  
  Extra-Dimensional Movement (one  
  location in Limbo), Usable As Attack  
  (does not work on anyone with Desolidiﬁ-
  cation, Extra-Dimensional Movement, or 
  dimension-warping powers; +1),  
  Continuous (+1), Damage Shield (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only 
  Aﬀects Attackers Who Grab, Use Move 
  Through, Or Haymaker On Skarn (-½) 
  0
  20 
  Living Hole In Space — Ranged Attack Falls 
  In:  Missile Deﬂection (all Ranged attacks) 0
  10 
  Living Hole In Space — Ranged Attack Falls 
  In:  +5 OCV with Missile Deﬂection 
  0
  60 
  Living Hole In Space — Shunt Away  
  Damage:  Physical and Energy Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50% 
  0
  56 
  Claw/Bite:  HKA 3d6 (up to 6d6 with STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2
  30 
  Cosmic Claw/Bite:  Armor Piercing (+½)  
  and Penetrating (+½) for Claw/Bite; Linked  
  (to Living Hole In Space Damage Shield; -½) 4
  10 
  Cosmic Resilience:  Hardened (+¼) for  
  31 PD/31 ED; Linked (to Living Hole In  
  Space Damage Shield; -½) 
  0
  26 
  Cosmic Resilience:  Damage Resistance  
  (31 PD/31 ED), Hardened (+¼); Linked (to 
  Living Hole In Space Damage Shield; -½) 
  0
  
  102 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  10 
  Godlike Eyes:  Sight Group Flash  
  Defense (10 points) 
  0
  15 
  Godlike Ego:  Mental Defense  
  (21 points total) 
  0
  10 
  Spiritual Substance:  Power Defense  
  (10 points) 
  0
  5 
  Skarn Has No Weakness:  Lack of  
  Weakness (-5) for Normal Defenses 
  0
  50 
  Eternal As Reality Itself:  Life Support:   
  Total (including Longevity:  Immortality) 0
  40 
  Pounce Between Dimensions:   
  Teleportation 15”, Increased Mass (400 kg) 3
  5 
  Pounce Between Dimensions:  One  
  Floating Fixed Location for Teleportation 1
  20 
  Predatory Speed:  Running +10” (16” total) 2
  5 
  Predatory Speed:  Swimming +5” (7” total) 1
  22 
  Keen Mystic Perceptions:  Detect Magic  
  (no Sense Group), Discriminatory,  
  Analyze, Ranged, Sense 
  0
  10 
  Keen Mystic Perceptions:  N-Ray  
  Perception (Sight Group; blocked by  
  magical Force Field/Force Wall) 
  0
  5 
  Keen Mystic Perceptions:  Mental Awareness 0
  20 
  Astral Awareness:  Dimensional (Astral 
  Plane) for Sight and Hearing Groups 
  0
  5 
  Animal Senses:  Discriminatory for  
  Normal Smell 
  0
  5 
  Animal Senses:  Tracking for Normal Smell 0
  5 
  Animal Senses:  Nightvision 
  0
  3 
  Animal Senses:  Ultrasonic Perception  
  (Hearing Group) 
  0
  Perks
  3 
  Access:  The Brialic Planes
  50 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Deity
  10 
  Reputation:  can do anything (in the Outer 
  Planes; 11-) +5/+5d6
   
  All the Followers, Vehicles, and Bases  
  he could possibly want
  Talents
  3 
  Bump of Direction
  15 
  Combat Sense 15-
  20 
  Universal Translator 15-
  Skills
  20 
  +2 Overall
  3 
  Acrobatics 15-
  3 
  Analyze Magic 15-
  3 
  Breakfall 15-
  3 
  Climbing 15-
  3 
  Concealment 15-
  3 
  AK: The Congeries 15-
  2 
  Navigation (Dimensional) 15-
  3 
  Oratory 17-
  15 
  Power:  Thaumaturgy 21-
  21 
  Spell Research (Inventor) 24-
  3 
  Stealth 15-
  3 
  Tracking 15-
  3 
  Scholar
  2 
  1)  KS: Cosmic Entities And  
  Dimension Lords 15-
  2 
  2)  KS: Empowerment Magic 15-
  2 
  3)  KS: Magical Military Strategy 15-
  1 
  4)  KS: Magic Styles 11-
  2 
  5)  KS: Thaumaturgy 15-
  2 
  6)  KS: Transformative Magic 15-
  1 
  7)  KS: Ultimate Cosmic Secrets 11-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  1,325
  Total Cost:  1,698
  200+ Disadvantages
  30 
  Enraged:  Berserk when humiliated  
  (Uncommon), go 14-, recover 11-
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Demands Respect 
  And Submission (Very Common, Total)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Never Lies Or 
  Breaks A Promise (Very Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Devoted To 
  Reshaping All Existence (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Loves A Good 
  Fight Or Contest (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Reputation:  messianic, lunatic conqueror, 
  14- (Extreme, Limited Group [Outer Planes 
  and Mystic World])
  15 
  Susceptibility:  to being gated/Teleported 
  by surprise, takes 3d6 damage instantly 
  (Uncommon)
  15 
  Susceptibility:  to dimension-warping 
  attacks, even if Deﬂected, takes 3d6 damage 
  instantly  (Uncommon)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed attacks, 
  even if Deﬂected, takes 2d6 damage instantly 
  (Uncommon)
  15 
  Unluck:  3d6
  1,318 Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  1,698
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR COSMIC THAUMA-
  TURGY POWER POOL
  Send Earth Into The Congeries:  By adding his Power 
  Pool to his innate power to link another dimension 
  to his own, Skarn can move an entire planet into the 
  Congeries. (This requires the GM’s permission, since 
  it involves buying a naked Advantage through a VPP.) 
  Skarn creates the planet-sized Gate ahead of the plan-
  et’s orbit so it sails through. Because a planet has so 
  much mass, it takes many Phases to pass through the 
  gate. If the heroes can break Skarn’s concentration, 
  the planet returns unharmed to its normal orbit.
  MegaScale (1” = 1,000 km wide and broad; +1) 
  for Link Dimensions power (9 Active Points); 
  OAF Bulky (ﬁve huge, glowing jewels; -1½), 
  Concentration (½ DCV throughout; -½). Total 
  cost:  3 points.
  Strobing Bands Of Skarn:  This spell evokes bands of 
  glaring, ﬂickering light that wrap around the target 
  to dazzle and stun him. If Skarn spots a gap in a 
  foe’s defenses, he might craft a spell like this to take 
  advantage of it.
  Energy Blast 6d6, NND (defense is Sight Group 
  Flash Defense; +1), Reduced Endurance (½ 
  END; +¼) (67 Active Points); Restrainable 
  (-½) (total cost:  45 points) plus Sight Group 
  Flash 5d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  (31 Active Points); Restrainable (-½) (total 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  103 
  cost:  21 points). Total cost:  66 points.
  Sun Of Submission:  Skarn could use a magical 
  superweapon like this to conquer a city or small 
  dimension. The swirling, magical light of this crys-
  talline orb saps the will of everyone who sees it, 
  until they become drones willing to obey any com-
  mand. Because the spell is Uncontrolled, Skarn can 
  launch the Sun and then switch his VPP to some-
  thing else.
  Drain EGO 2d6, Delayed Return Rate (points 
  return at the rate of 5 per Minute; +¼), Ranged 
  (+½), Area Of Eﬀect (9” Radius; +1), Con-
  tinuous (+1), MegaScale (1” = 1 km wide and 
  deep; +¼), NND (defense is Sight Group Flash 
  Defense; +½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½), Uncontrolled (until orb is destroyed or 
  surrounded by a Mental Defense barrier, or 
  Skarn voluntarily ends it; +½) (110 Active 
  Points); OAF (crystal orb; -1), Restrainable 
  (-½). Total Cost:  44 points.
  Spiritual Strength:  If Skarn wants to ﬁght an astral 
  spirit (or some other Desolidiﬁed opponents), he 
  magically adjusts his Living Hole In Space power so 
  he can aﬀect the foe with his normal Strength. (This 
  requires the GM’s permission, since it involves 
  buying a naked Advantage through a VPP.) The 
  spell creates a ghostly shimmer about half an inch 
  thick over Skarn’s body.
  Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½) for 50 STR, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½). Total cost:  37 points.
  THE ROYAL FAMILY
  Skarn’s a family man, of sorts. At least three of 
  his many wives and concubines lived long enough 
  to bear him children. Arthon and Torvost are 
  Skarn’s most trusted lieutenants. The Shaper dotes 
  on Brell, his youngest child, but she does not seek 
  power. Skarn may have other children, too, not yet 
  revealed or perhaps even unknown to their father.
  SKARN’S CADRE
  Other important minions of the Shaper include:
  Commander Klek-T-Kak:  The commander of the palace 
  guard looks like a humanoid praying mantis made of 
  living crystal. He is a devastatingly quick and powerful 
  martial artist, enchanted to see and strike spirits as well 
  as material foes
  Exalted Delth/Clavarn:  The High Priest/Priestess of 
  Skarn is a two-headed hermaphrodite made by fusing 
  male and female acolytes. Delth/Clavarn is a skilled 
  thaumaturge.
  General Kirth:  Skarn gave this devoted soldier super-
  strength and toughness, an extra pair of arms, and 
  enchanted gauntlets. General Kirth leads from the front 
  and readily brawls with superpowered opponents.
  Herald Gand:  Skarn’s herald looks like a middle-aged 
  woman’s head ﬂoating in the air, with a cluster of ten-
  tacles instead of a body. Gand can go nearly anywhere, 
  and is nigh-invulnerable, but has no other powers.
  Major-Domo Frask:  The chief of staﬀ for Skarn’s palace 
  (and Gand’s husband) looks like a middle-aged man’s 
  head with tentacles instead of a body. Frask constantly 
  frets about his budget and palace maintenance. His 
  touch can inﬂict stunning pain.
  Spymistress Tharlis:  Skarn’s chief of spies is a leather-
  clad woman with a magic whip. She hides her hopeless 
  love for her master, but becomes insanely jealous if any 
  heroine catches the Shaper’s eye.
  
  104 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  ARTHON
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   25 STR 
  15 
  14- 
  Lift 800 kg; 5d6 [2]
   21 DEX 
  33 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   23 CON 
  26 
  14-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   23 INT 
  13 
  14- 
  PER Roll 14-
   21 EGO 
  22 
  13- 
  ECV:  7
   25 PRE 
  15 
  14- 
  PRE Attack:  5d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   20 PD 
  15 
   
  Total:  20 PD (5/20 rPD)
   20 ED 
  15 
   
  Total:  20 ED (5/20 rED)
   5 SPD 
  19 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   10 REC 
  0
   46 END 
  0
   40 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  183
  Movement: 
  Running: 6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  93 
  Improvised Thaumaturgy:  Variable Power 
  Pool (Magic Pool), 75 base + 37 control cost; 
  Maximum 25 Real Points Per Power (-1)
  101 
  Practiced Thaumaturgy:  Multipower,  
  101-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  First Sorcerer’s Star:  Energy Blast 12d6 6
  6u 
  2)  Second Sorcerer’s Star:  Energy Blast 
  8d6,  Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½) 
  6
  6u 
  3)  Third Sorcerer’s Star:  Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Armor Piercing (+½) 
  6
  6u 
  4)  Aura of Élan:  Telekinesis (32 STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  6u 
  5)  Aura of Élan:  Telekinesis (24 STR),  
  Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  6u 
  6)  Gate Attack:  Teleportation 12”, Usable  
  As Attack (does not work on anyone with 
  Teleportation, Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment, or dimension-manipulating powers; 
  +1), Ranged (+½) 
  6
  10u 
  7)  Soul Binding:  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, 
  BOECV (+1), Takes No Damage From  
  Physical Attacks (+¼), Works Against  
  EGO, Not STR (+¼) 
  6
  3u 
  8)  Deﬂecting Disk:  Force Field (12 PD/ 
  12 ED), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 1
  3u 
  9)  Shared Deﬂecting Disk:  Force Field  
  (9 PD/9 ED), Usable Simultaneously (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  3u 
  10)  Dimensional Contraction:  Shrinking 
  (.25 m tall [about 10 inches], .2 kg mass,  
  -6 to PER Rolls to perceive character, +6 
  DCV, takes +9” KB) 
  3
  3u 
  11)  Dimensional Expansion:  Growth  
  (+30 STR, +6 BODY, +6 STUN, -6” KB,  
  6,400 kg, -4 DCV, +4 PER Rolls to  
  perceive character, 8 m tall, 4 m wide) 
  3
  7u 
  12)  Gate:  Extra-Dimensional Movement 
  (any physical location in any dimension), 
  Continuous (+1), Usable By Other (+¼); 
  Gate (-½) 
  10
  53 
  Living Hole In Space — Attacker Falls In:  
  Extra-Dimensional Movement (one  
  location in Limbo), Usable As Attack (does 
  not work on anyone with Desolidiﬁcation, 
  Extra-Dimensional Movement, or  
  dimension-warping powers; +1),  
  Continuous (+1), Damage Shield (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only 
  Aﬀects Attackers Who Grab, Use Move 
  Through, Or Haymaker On Skarn (-½) 
  0
  20 
  Living Hole In Space — Ranged Attack  
  Falls In:  Missile Deﬂection (all Ranged 
  attacks) 
  0
  60 
  Living Hole In Space — Shunt Away  
  Damage:  Physical and Energy Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50% 
  0
  5 
  Mundane Resilience:  Damage Resistance  
  (5 PD/5 ED) 
  0
  10 
  Cosmic Resilience:  Damage Resistance  
  (+15 PD/+15 ED); Linked (to Living  
  Hole In Space; -½) 
  0
  7 
  Cosmic Resilience:  Hardened (+¼) for  
  20 PD/20 ED; Linked (to Living Hole In 
  Space; -½) 
  0
  3 
  Cosmic Resilience:  Hardened (+¼) for 
  Damage Resistance (total 20 PD/20 ED); 
  Linked (to Living Hole In Space; -½) 
  0
  12 
  Godlike Ego:  Mental Defense  
  (16 points total) 
  0
  5 
  Divine Eyesight:  Sight Group  
  Flash Defense (5 points) 
  0
  5 
  Divine Heritage:  Life Support  
  (Longevity:  Immortality) 
  0
  5 
  Divine Heritage:  Power Defense (5 points) 0
  25 
  Slide Between Dimensions:   
  Teleportation 10”, x2 Increased Mass 
  2
  22 
  Keen Mystic Perceptions:  Detect Magic  
  14- (Sight Group), Discriminatory,  
  Analyze, Ranged, Sense 
  0
  20 
  Astral Awareness:  Dimensional (Astral 
  Plane) for Sight and Hearing Groups 
  0
  Perks
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Upper Nobility of Congeries
  6 
  Reputation:  Skarn’s viceroy (in the Outer 
  Planes, 11-) +3/+3d6
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Practiced Thaumaturgy Multipower
  3 
  Analyze Magic 14-
  3 
  Cryptography 14-
  2 
  AK: The Congeries 11-
  15 
  Power:  Thaumaturgy 20-
  3 
  Spell Research (Inventor) 14-
  3 
  Scholar
  2 
  1)  Cosmic Legends 14-
  2 
  2)  Dimension Lore 14-
  2 
  3)  Dimension Lords And Cosmic Entities 14-
  1 
  4)  Empowerment Magic 11-
  1 
  5)  Magical Military Strategy 11-
  2 
  6)  Thaumaturgy 14-
  1 
  7)  Transformative Magic 11-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  568
  Total Cost:  751
  ARTHON  
  PLOT SEEDS
  A new sorcerer appears 
  in the Mystic World. 
  He’s arrogant, but seems 
  powerful, learned, and 
  willing to trade mystic 
  secrets. The sorcerer 
  invites Earth’s other 
  mystics to a symposium 
  where he will give away 
  copies of a grimoire 
  thought long-lost. The 
  sorcerer is actually 
  Arthon in disguise; the 
  symposium is a trap 
  to capture as many of 
  Earth’s potential mystic 
  defenders as possible.
  Torvost leads an inva-
  sion of another dimen-
  sion. Arthon contacts 
  the PCs and oﬀers to 
  sell them the invasion 
  plans in return for some 
  magical secret in their 
  possession. Is Arthon 
  really willing to betray 
  the Congeries, or is it a 
  trap?
  Tyrannon captures 
  Arthon, but the Son 
  of Skarn manages 
  to send a message 
  through the dimen-
  sions — to the PCs, 
  the most competent 
  group of sorcerers he 
  knows outside the Con-
  geries. Arthon doesn’t 
  call his father because 
  that would make him 
  look bad. Since he’s no 
  fool, Arthon forges his 
  message so it seems to 
  come from someone 
  the PCs actually would 
  rescue. (Not that they 
  can expect any gratitude 
  from Arthon afterward.)
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  105 
  200+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Hunted:  Skarn 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Demands Respect 
  And Obedience (Very Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Devious And 
  Treacherous (Very Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy For Magi-
  cal Power (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Fear/Dislike Of 
  Close Combat (Very Common)
  15 
  Reputation:  Skarn’s son, 14-
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with Torvost, for 
  Skarn’s favor; Rival Aware of Rivalry)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to being gated/Teleported 
  by surprise, takes 2d6 damage instantly 
  (Uncommon)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to dimension-warping 
  attacks, even if Deﬂected, takes 2d6 damage 
  instantly  (Uncommon)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed attacks, 
  even if Deﬂected, takes 2d6 damage instantly 
  (Uncommon)
  421 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  751
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR IMPROVISED 
  THAUMATURGY POWER POOL
  Transﬁxion Sigil:  Arthon throws a small tablet 
  engraved with a spiky rune at his target while he 
  shouts a magic word. The tablet ﬁres hundreds of 
  spines of mystic force that paralyze anyone they 
  impale. The victim can overcome the paralyzing 
  eﬀect through either sheer strength or force of will. 
  The tablet reappears in Arthon’s hand after dis-
  charging, but can be taken away.
  Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF, Takes No Damage From 
  Attacks (+½), Area Of Eﬀect (5” Radius; 
  +1) (75 Active Points); OIF (sigil plaque; 
  -½), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), Susceptible 
  (removed by successful EGO Roll at -3; -1), 
  Requires A Thaumaturgy Roll (-½), 4 Charges 
  (-1). Total cost:  18 points.
  Noose Of Nioko:  This spell conjures a noose of 
  mystic force that strangles its target. Physical force 
  cannot remove the Noose, but the victim can banish 
  it by eﬀort of will before the END invested in it 
  runs out (it costs 1 END per Phase of eﬀect). This 
  version is an example of a spell that Arthon might 
  improvise in the middle of a ﬁght; if he prepared, 
  his Noose Of Nioko would probably be more power-
  ful and channeled through a talismanic Focus.
  Energy Blast 2d6, NND (defense is Self-
  Contained Breathing; +1), Continuous (+1), 
  Uncontrolled (ended by victim succeeding with 
  an EGO Roll, may roll once per Turn; +½), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) (37 Active 
  Points); Requires A Thaumaturgy Roll (-½). 
  Total cost:  25 points.
  Varthian Veil:  Sorcerers throughout the Multiverse 
  know this standard invisibility spell. Streamers of 
  colored light brieﬂy wrap around the caster before 
  he vanishes from view. The spell also shields the 
  user from all magical senses, including targeting 
  magical senses. If Arthon expects a ﬁght, he uses a 
  small amulet (IAF) to further reduce the total cost.
  Invisibility to Sight Group and Magical Sense 
  Group, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) (37 
  Active Points); Requires A Thaumaturgy Roll 
  (-½). Total cost:  25 points.
  Background/History:  Skarn’s son Arthon inherited 
  his father’s great skill at magic, but only a small 
  measure of his bodily strength and toughness. 
  Arthon became the Congeries’s second-most 
  powerful sorcerer, and a formidable mage by any 
  standards. He often acts as Skarn’s proxy on magical 
  military operations.
  Personality/Motivation:  Skarn’s eldest son is a cold-
  blooded schemer who keeps an eye out for his own 
  advantage. He particularly wants to increase his 
  own powers of magic, and will exploit and betray 
  anyone else to get what he wants — so long as this 
  doesn’t directly compromise Congeries security.
  Anyone who doesn’t bow and scrape to the 
  arrogant Arthon receives a “lesson in manners” 
  that may well prove fatal. Absolutely nobody except 
  Skarn likes Arthon, but Arthon thinks people obey 
  
  106 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  masters they fear better than masters they love.
  Arthon loathes his half-brother Torvost, whom 
  he considers a stupid, vulgar brute. Arthon isn’t 
  ready to murder Torvost as long as Skarn lives, but 
  he won’t miss a chance to make his brother look 
  bad.
  Quote:  “One would think that even outworlders 
  would have better manners when meeting royalty; 
  but no. It seems one will have to deliver a lesson.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Arthon has dimensional powers 
  like his father’s. He is also tremendously learned in 
  Thaumaturgy, but his technique is less than perfect. 
  He still needs the “crutches” of ritual procedures 
  for maximum eﬀect; thus, he cannot easily muster 
  his full power in combat. Most of his spells remain 
  slightly unreliable (he must make a Thaumaturgy 
  Skill Roll not only to change his VPP, but usu-
  ally applies it as a Limitation to Powers produced 
  through his VPP). Without applying any Limita-
  tions, Arthon cannot produce Powers exceeding 
  25 Active Points from his VPP. He can increase 
  the power of his spells by using Limitations such 
  as Focus (he always keeps several OAF talismans 
  stashed in his belt), Gestures, and Incantations. If 
  necessary, Arthon accepts Increased Endurance 
  Cost. He uses Extra Time or Concentration for 
  non-combat spellcasting; only dire need would 
  make him accept Side Eﬀects on a spell. To produce 
  a 75 Active Point spell, Arthon needs -2 worth of 
  Limitations; usually he can employ such power-
  ful spells only at the start of a ﬁght. The magic he 
  improvises later is less powerful, as he exhausts his 
  Foci and falls back on other Limitations. Changing 
  the VPP also requires a Thaumaturgy Skill Roll and 
  a full Phase.
  Since Arthon isn’t especially brave and dislikes 
  bruises, he prefers to ﬁght from behind a screen of 
  expendable soldiers. He never goes to all-out attack; 
  he prefers to Hold his Action and maintain good 
  defenses. Arthon often dedicates his entire Multi-
  power to defense by putting up both of his Mystic 
  Shields, adding Dimensional Contraction to raise his 
  DCV, then using his Power Pool to craft a pair of 
  devastating 75 Active Point attacks. The remaining 
  25 points of his VPP go into miscellaneous defenses 
  or Invisibility. Even if Arthon lacks time to adjust 
  his Power Pool for this, his VPP “default setting” 
  should include a number of defensive spells and at 
  least one full-power attack.
  Campaign Use:  If the PCs lack the power to face 
  Skarn, Arthon serves as a substitute. The heroes 
  can gain practice and experience by ﬁghting him 
  before they face the Shaper himself. The treacher-
  ous Arthon also serves as a foil to Skarn’s odd sense 
  of honor. Arthon doesn’t keep promises, and heroes 
  can count on him to betray any allies. Clever PCs 
  can probably lure Arthon into a trap baited with 
  an opportunity to gain greater personal power, or a 
  chance to discredit Torvost.
  If you need to make Arthon more powerful, 
  increase the strength of many of his Multipower 
  slots (which only have about 60 Active Points in 
  their powers), increase the size of his VPP, and/or 
  apply Advantages to let him change his VPP more 
  quickly and easily. If Arthon is too powerful for the 
  PCs, reduce his VPP and possibly his SPD as well.
  Arthon readily Hunts heroes who defeated 
  him, and may even Hunt heroes who won a prom-
  ise of safety from Skarn. But Arthon conducts his 
  attacks through proxies because he’s a coward (and 
  to maintain plausible deniability if he breaks one of 
  his father’s vows).
  Appearance:  Arthon looks like a slender bear-man 
  standing 6’6” tall, with small horns and delicate 
  claws. He wears a long, belted tabard with a high 
  collar and a large, talismanic brooch on his chest. 
  When not using his dimensional powers, he has 
  short, light brown fur. When his dimensional shield 
  is up, his body seems made of black, starry space.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  107 
  TORVOST
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   60 STR 
  50 
  21- 
  Lift 100 tons; 12d6 [6]
   26 DEX 
  48 
  14- 
  OCV:  9/DCV:  9
   30 CON 
  40 
  15-
   20 BODY 20 
  13-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   20 EGO 
  20 
  13- 
  ECV:  7
   30 PRE 
  20 
  15- 
  PRE Attack:  6d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   35 PD 
  23 
   
  Total:  35 PD (20 rPD)
   30 ED 
  24 
   
  Total:  30 ED (20 rED)
   7 SPD 
  34 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
   20 REC 
  4
   60 END 
  0
   65 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  286
  Movement: 
  Running:  12”/24”
   
  Swimming:  7”/14”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  80 
  Brick Tricks:  Variable Power Pool,  
  60 base + 30 control cost; Only For Brick 
  Tricks (-½) 
  var
  53 
  Claw/Bite:  HKA 3d6, Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed 
  (+½), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼);  
  No STR Bonus (-½) 
  3
   
  Martial Arts:  Congeries Commando Training
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  5 
  Choke Hold 
  -2 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb; 
  2d6 NND (2)
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 70 STR
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  75 STR Escape
  5 
  Kick/
   
  Roundhouse 
  -2 
  +1 
  16d6 Strike
  4 
  Punch 
  +0 
  +2 
  14d6 Strike
  20 
  Divine Resilience:  Damage Resistance  
  (20 PD/20 ED) 
  0
  5 
  Divine Heritage:  Power Defense (5 points) 0
  5 
  Divine Heritage:  Life Support (Longevity:  
  Immortality) 
  0
  6 
  Super-Healing:  Healing 1d6 (Regeneration;  
  1 BODY per 5 Minutes), Reduced End- 
  urance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); Self 
  Only (-½), Extra Time + Increased Time 
  Increment (1 BODY per 5 Minutes; -1¾) 
  0
  12 
  Predatory Speed:  Running +6” (12” total) 2
  5 
  Predatory Speed:  Swimming +5” (7” total) 1
  20 
  Astral Awareness:  Dimensional (Astral 
  Plane) for Sight and Hearing Groups 
  0
  6 
  Animal Senses:  +2 PER for all Sense Groups 0
  5 
  Animal Senses:  Nightvision 
  0
  6 
  Animal Senses:  +4 versus Range Modiﬁer  
  for Sight Group 
  0
  6 
  Animal Senses:  +4 versus Range Modiﬁer  
  for Hearing Group 
  0
  Perks
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Upper Nobility of the  
  Congeries
  Talents
  3 
  Ambidexterity
  17 
  Combat Sense 14-
  20 
  Universal Translator 12-
  Skills
  3 
  Acrobatics 14-
  3 
  Breakfall 14-
  3 
  Climbing 14-
  3 
  Concealment 12-
  10 
  Defense Maneuver I-IV
  11 
  Power:  Brick Tricks 18- (DEX-based)
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  20 
  Survival (Arctic/Subarctic, Mountains, 
  Temperate/Subtropical, Tropical, Deserts, 
  Marine, and up to four other 2-point group-
  ings deﬁned by the GM) 12-
  7 
  Tracking 14-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  363
  Total Cost:  649
  200+ Disadvantages
  15 
  Enraged:  if tricked or humiliated (Very 
  Common), go 8-, recover 14-
  10 
  Hunted:  by Skarn 8- (Mo Pow, NCI,  
  Watching)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Won’t Surrender, 
  Flee Or Refuse A Physical Challenge (Very 
  Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Expects Respect 
  And Obedience (Very Common, Moderate)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Loyalty To Skarn 
  (Very Common, Moderate)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Won’t Lie, Cheat 
  Or Break A Promise (Very Common,  
  Moderate)
  15 
  Reputation:  Skarn’s champion, 14-
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with Arthon, for 
  Skarn’s favor; Rival Aware of Rivalry)
  324 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  649
  Background/History:  Skarn’s son Torvost inherited 
  his father’s physical prowess, but not his magical 
  skills. Torvost developed his combat skills until in 
  some ways he surpasses even Skarn. Torvost often 
  leads armies invading other dimensions:  he’s no 
  tactician, but in close combat he can out-ﬁght most 
  opposition.
  Personality/Motivation:  Torvost’s two favorite 
  things in life are a good ﬁght and a good party. 
  Not only is he the Congeries’s greatest warrior, 
  his godlike constitution makes him the ultimate 
  party animal. He’s mostly honest, absolutely fear-
  less, and all in all a pretty decent chap. Admit-
  tedly, being a demigod gives Torvost a teeny little 
  ego problem, but he rips people’s heads oﬀ only 
  when they gravely insult him or circumstances 
  make him look foolish. Of course, he wouldn’t 
  dream of disobeying his father.
  TORVOST  
  PLOT SEEDS
  Torvost and a crew 
  of Congeries soldiers 
  invade a city and start 
  tearing things up. When 
  confronted, however, 
  Torvost insists this is not 
  an attack:  Skarn sent 
  him to ﬁnd a person, 
  place, and object that 
  could endanger all real-
  ity if they come together. 
  Perhaps Skarn really 
  does want to forestall 
  some cosmic danger 
  — but the Shaper surely 
  has some deeper plot 
  as well.
  Torvost learns human-
  ity has developed more 
  advanced combat 
  techniques than are 
  known in the Congeries. 
  He comes to Earth to 
  learn from a martial 
  arts master. Torvost 
  initially hooks up with 
  a supervillain such 
  as Shadowdragon or 
  Cheshire Cat, and they 
  go on a spree of rob-
  beries. Torvost would 
  switch his alliance to a 
  hero, however — even 
  a PC — if he can oﬀer 
  superior training. The 
  PCs could gain a power-
  ful ally for a time, but do 
  they want to make the 
  Son of Skarn even more 
  formidable?
  Skarn decides he wants 
  to study samples of 
  Earth’s most powerful 
  technologies. He sends 
  Torvost and a team of 
  soldiers to steal a super-
  computer, a fully-armed 
  ﬁghter plane... and a 
  nuclear warhead. Can 
  the heroes stop Torvost 
  before he smashes his 
  way into a missile silo 
  and perhaps provokes a 
  nuclear incident?
  
  108 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Torvost spends much of his time with the 
  rank-and-ﬁle soldiers of the Congeries, who adore 
  him. The only person in the Congeries Torvost 
  ﬂat-out hates is his half-brother Arthon, whom he 
  considers a bloodless, cowardly sneak.
  Quote:  “Hey, let’s ﬁght! C’mon, it’ll be fun. Well, at 
  least it’ll be fun for me.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Torvost is a “brick” with unusu-
  ally reﬁned ﬁghting skills. In addition to normal 
  combat maneuvers, he knows some special tricks 
  — for example, he can wrap an opponent up 
  with convenient sturdy objects, throw things 
  tremendous distances, or use his STR to aﬀect 
  astral or Desolidiﬁed beings. (See The Ultimate 
  Brick for dozens of possible abilities he could 
  use.) You can simulate these abilities through his 
  Brick Tricks Variable Power Pool; the GM should 
  allow him to buy naked Advantages for his STR 
  through the VPP. Torvost is also highly resilient. 
  He cannot cast spells but possesses a few innate 
  magical abilities.
  Like Skarn, Torvost prefers ﬁghting one 
  on one. His tactics aren’t very subtle (since he 
  can usually win through raw force), but he isn’t 
  stupid. If an opponent proves unusually tough, or 
  Torvost must ﬁght a group of competent foes, he 
  employs more sophisticated combat maneuvers. 
  For instance, he might Grab one opponent to 
  throw at another.
  Campaign Use:  Torvost oﬀers super-sorcerers 
  the challenge of a highly physical adversary. 
  Although he has few defenses against mysti-
  cal attacks, his high STUN makes him hard to 
  defeat quickly, and he probably gets in a few 
  good attacks of his own. He works especially well 
  against a mixed group of superheroes:  Torvost 
  can battle the non-sorcerers while the mystics 
  ﬁght other adversaries.
  If Torvost is not powerful enough for your 
  characters, increase his Strength, add Damage 
  Classes to his martial arts, or the like. To scale 
  back Torvost’s power, reduce his STR, SPD, 
  defenses and VPP to appropriate levels.
  Torvost is not vindictive enough to Hunt a 
  character. Skarn might send his son to attack his 
  enemies, though.
  Appearance:  Torvost is a shaggy, hugely muscular 
  bear-man standing just over seven feet tall. His 
  fur is a deep golden brown. Like Skarn, he has two 
  small horns on his head. Normally he wears black 
  metal wristbands and a breechcloth-like plaque on 
  a chain-link belt.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  109 
  BRELL
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   20 EGO 
  20 
  13- 
  ECV:  7
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   18 COM 
  4 
  13-
   15 PD 
  11 
   
  Total:  15 PD (5 rPD)
   15 ED 
  11 
   
  Total:  15 ED (5 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  134
  Movement: 
  Running:  16”/32”
   
  Leaping:  14”/28”
   
  Flight:  10”/20” 
  Cost Powers 
  END
  48 
  Thaumaturgy:  Multipower, 60-point  
  reserve; all slots Only When In  
  Humanoid Form (-¼)
  4u 
  1)  Sixth Light of Luathon:  Dispel Magic 
  Powers 12d6, any Magic spell or power  
  one at a time (+¼); Only When In  
  Humanoid Form (-¼) 
  4
  4u 
  2)  Cerulean Spear:  Ego Attack 4½d6;  
  Only When In Humanoid Form (-¼) 
  4
  4u 
  3)  Koriol’s Crimson Crystals:  Entangle  
  3d6, 3 DEF, Takes No Damage From  
  Attacks (all attacks; +½); Only When In 
  Humanoid Form (-¼) 
  4
  3u 
  4)  Mystic Mirror:  Missile Deﬂection (all 
  Ranged Attacks), Ranged (+1); Only  
  When In Humanoid Form (-¼) 
  0
  4u 
  5)  First Sorcerer’s Star:  Energy Blast 9d6; 
  Only When In Humanoid Form (-¼) 
  4
  2u 
  6)  Third Saﬀron Sphere:  Sight Group 
  Images, +4 to PER Rolls, Increased Size  
  (4” radius; +½), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½); Only When In Humanoid 
  Form (-¼), Only To Create Light (-1) 
  0
  2u 
  7)  Shield Of Skarn:  Force Field  
  (8 PD/8 ED), Hardened (+¼); Only  
  When In Humanoid Form (-¼) 
  2
  2u 
  8)  Change The Living:  Major Transform  
  2d6 (any change to a living creature’s  
  body), Improved Results Group (any  
  physical alteration; +1); Only When In 
  Humanoid Form (-¼), Concentration  
  (0 DCV; -½), Extra Time (Full Phase; -½),  
  Limited Target (living beings; -¼)  
  6
  3u 
  9)  Augmentation:  Aid Characteristics  
  3d6, aﬀects STR, CON, BODY, and STUN  
  at once (+1); Only When In Humanoid  
  Form (-¼), Concentration (0 DCV; -½), 
  Extra Time (Full Phase; -½) 
  6
  54 
  Mutable Form:  Shape Shift (Sight,  
  Hearing, and Touch Groups; any shape), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  22 
  Blend In:  Persistent (+½) for Shape Shift, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only 
  When Assumes A Humanoid Form (-¼) 
  0
  37 
  Bigger Forms:  Growth (+30 STR,  
  +6 BODY, +6 STUN, -6” KB, 6,400 kg, -4 
  DCV, +4 PER Rolls to perceive character,  
  8 m tall, 4 m wide), Costs END Only To  
  Activate (+¼) 
  1
  75 
  Smaller Forms:  Shrinking (0.124 m tall, 
  0.062 m wide, 0.0240 kg mass, +12” KB, +8 
  DCV, -8 PER Rolls to perceive character), 
  Costs END Only To Activate (+¼) 
  5
  25 
  Function Follows Form:  Multipower,  
  25-point reserve 
  1u 
  1)  Protected Eyes:  Sight Group Flash 
  Defense (5 points) 
  0
  1u 
  2)  Extra Arms:  Extra Limbs 
  0
  1u 
  3)  Suckers/Insectile Legs:  Clinging  
  (normal STR) 
  0
  1u 
  4)  Fins:  Swimming +5” (7” total) 
  1
  2u 
  5)  Long Legs:  Running +10” (16” total) 
  2
  2u 
  6)  Wings:  Flight 10”, x4 Noncombat; 
  Restrainable (-½) 
  2
  1u 
  7)  Leaping:  Leaping +10” (14” forward,  
  7” upward) 
  1
  22 
  Function Follows Form:  Variable Power  
  Pool (Biological Pool), 16 base + 8 control 
  cost; Only For Powers Suitable To Shape  
  Shift Forms (-¼) 
  var
  5 
  Divine Resilience:  Damage Resistance  
  (5 PD/5 ED) 
  0
  6 
  Divine Heritage:  Mental Defense  
  (10 points total) 
  0
  5 
  Divine Heritage:  Life Support:  Immortality 0
  Perks
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Upper Nobility of the  
  Congeries
  9 
  Reputation:  Skarn’s Mercy (throughout  
  the Congeries), +3/+3d6
  Talents
  3 
  Bump of Direction
  20 
  Universal Translator 13-
  Skills
  2 
  AK: The Congeries 11-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Scholar
  2 
  1)  KS: Body Alterations 13-
  2 
  2)  KS: Congeries Geography 13-
  2 
  3)  KS: Congeries Races 13-
  1 
  4)  KS: Thaumaturgy 11-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  388
  Total Cost:  522
  200+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Alien Magical Aura 
  (Not Concealable; Always Noticed; Detect-
  able Only With Unusual Senses)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Abhors All 
  Combat (Very Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Protective Of Con-
  geries Population (Very Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Loyalty To Skarn 
  BRELL PLOT SEEDS
  Skarn decides Brell 
  ought to do her part 
  to expand his rule. He 
  sends her to Earth to 
  acquire certain mystic 
  artifacts. She uses her 
  shapeshifting and 
  modest magic to steal 
  the artifacts. Although 
  the heroes surely want 
  to stop Brell’s thefts, 
  they cannot help notic-
  ing that this mysteri-
  ous new supervillain 
  seems remarkably soft-
  hearted:  Brell leaves a 
  trail of magical healings 
  and rescues as well as 
  burglaries. She could 
  easily fall in with a “nice 
  villain” team such as 
  GRAB.
  A magical villain (such 
  as Dark Seraph) kid-
  naps Brell in hopes of 
  extorting a ransom from 
  Skarn. Wild with rage, 
  the Shaper nulliﬁes any 
  previous pledges to 
  leave Earth alone and 
  invades Earth in force 
  to recover his daughter. 
  The heroes must rescue 
  Brell before Skarn con-
  quers the Earth. But did 
  an Earthly villain really 
  kidnap Brell... or did 
  Tyrannon frame some-
  one for the deed?
  After the heroes meet 
  Brell a few times and 
  both help and receive 
  help from her, she pro-
  fesses her love for one of 
  the characters — though 
  she’s not yet ready to 
  move to Earth. How 
  does the hero respond 
  to this declaration?
  
  110 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Swayed By Noble 
  Hearts (Common, Moderate)
  10 
  Reputation:  Skarn’s daughter 8- (Extreme)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to being gated/Teleported 
  by surprise, takes 2d6 damage instantly 
  (Uncommon)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to being forced into her true 
  form, takes 2d6 damage instantly  (Uncom-
  mon)
  222 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  522
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR FUNCTION  
  FOLLOWS FORM POWER POOL
  Aquatic Form:  Brell could take the form of an 
  aquatic creature such as a ﬁsh, or simply grow ﬁns, 
  gills, and a tail for activity underwater. (The GM 
  allows her to buy the Environmental Movement 
  Talent in her VPP to simulate this.)
  Life Support:  Expanded Breathing (Underwa-
  ter) plus Environmental Movement (Aquatic 
  Movement). Total cost:  8 points.
  Spider Maiden Form:  Brell takes a cue from Earthly 
  spiders and grows two extra pairs of arms. (This 
  requires the GM’s permission, since Extra Limbs 
  are a Special Power.)
  Extra Limbs (4). Total cost:  5 points.
  Mirror Beast Form:  The Mirror Beasts of the Con-
  geries — which look something like huge, silver-
  plated horses with tusks like a warthog — dwell in 
  a region of deadly light and heat. Brell can take the 
  form of a Mirror Beast to defend herself against 
  similar conditions. (She must also use Growth, 
  since Mirror Beasts are quite large.)
  Armor (8 ED) (12 Active Points); Only Works 
  Against Limited Type Of Attack (light and 
  heat; -¼) (total cost:  10 points) plus Sight 
  Group Flash Defense (6 points) (total cost:  6 
  points). Total cost:  16 points.
  Background/History:  Skarn’s daughter Brell is con-
  siderably younger than her half-brothers. Arthon 
  and Torvost frequently told her she could never 
  hope to equal their power, so she never tried. She 
  has not greatly developed either her physical or 
  magical powers, and doesn’t involve herself in 
  palace rivalries or other aﬀairs of state. As a result, 
  the movers and shakers in the Congeries ignore her.
  Brell spends much of her time out in the Con-
  geries, helping the people cope with Skarn’s latest 
  modiﬁcations to them and their environment. Her 
  good works make her the most popular of Skarn’s 
  children with the common folk of the Congeries.
  Personality/Motivation:  Brell is quite modest and 
  unassuming — a remarkable thing in a family of 
  raging egomaniacs. Her “charity work” started as an 
  excuse to stay away from the palace, and grew into 
  a genuine interest in the 
  Congeries and its diverse 
  population.
  Brell is probably the 
  only important person 
  in the Congeries who 
  might give the PCs a fair 
  hearing. Although she 
  feels great respect for her 
  divine father, she admits 
  Skarn’s will can be awfully 
  inscrutable.
  Quote:  “Please, you 
  mustn’t judge my father 
  harshly. He only wants 
  what’s best, in his fashion.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Brell’s 
  parentage gives her 
  incredible vitality by 
  human standards, and 
  she has casually picked 
  up a bit of thaumaturgy. 
  Her single greatest abil-
  ity is shapeshifting. She 
  can assume an incredible 
  variety of forms and stay 
  in any humanoid form 
  indeﬁnitely (though she 
  cannot perfectly copy 
  other forms).
  As long as Brell 
  stays in humanoid form, 
  she can also cast spells 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  111 
  for attack and defense. But Brell strongly dislikes 
  combat; she ﬁghts — physically or magically 
  — only if she must.
  Brell wields more inﬂuence in the Conge-
  ries than anyone realizes, including herself. The 
  common people like her a lot more than Arthon or 
  Torvost. Skarn also thinks of Brell as “Daddy’s Little 
  Princess,” and may grant her requests that he would 
  deny to anyone else.
  Campaign Use:  Brell doesn’t have to be an enemy. 
  She might help the heroes, if they can persuade 
  her that annexing Earth to the Congeries would be 
  wrong or that one of her father’s plots could harm 
  the people of the Congeries. A hero’s selﬂess nobil-
  ity might lead her to question her obedience to 
  Skarn, though not to the point of helping anyone 
  harm her father.
  The Daughter of Skarn generally doesn’t need 
  to be made more or less powerful because combat 
  is not her function within adventures (though you 
  could increase her versatility by applying some 
  Adders to her Shape Shift, such as Imitation or 
  Instant Change, or adding more Sense Groups). 
  She speaks for all the Congeries people who might 
  suﬀer in an all-out war against Skarn, and human-
  izes the Shaper and his family. She could become 
  a Contact within the Congeries, or even a love 
  interest for a hero. She would not Hunt a PC on her 
  own, but Skarn, Arthon, or Torvost could draft her 
  into one of their schemes.
  Appearance:  Brell can look however she wants. In 
  her natural form, she’s a humanoid female with 
  sleek, cinnamon-hued fur, a bearlike head with 
  small ivory horns, and small claws on her ﬁngers 
  and toes.
  SOLDIERS OF  
  THE CONGERIES
  Skarn commands a military as heterogeneous 
  as his dimension. Congeries troops perform the 
  same functions as any soldiers in a villainous orga-
  nization. They serve as a petty obstacle between the 
  heroes and the main villain; supply combat support 
  for the main villains; occupy conquered territory 
  and push around the civilians; and conduct leg-
  work in tracking down heroes and making their 
  lives miserable. Masses of soldiers standing at atten-
  tion or marching in formation also make a leader 
  look more impressive. Congeries soldiers tend to 
  say things like, “By your command, my lord!” and 
  “It shall be done, sire!”
  HUSSAR
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   14 EGO 
  8 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   8 PD 
  5 
   
  Total:  15 PD (7 rPD)
   8 ED 
  5 
   
  Total:  15 ED (7 rED)
   3 SPD 
  5 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  0
   28 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  66
  Movement: 
  Running:  7”/14”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  31 
  Glaive:  Multipower, 62-point reserve;  
  all slots OAF (-1)
  2u 
  1)  Blade:  HKA 3d6+1, Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼); OAF (-1),  
  No STR Bonus (-½) 
  2
  3u 
  2)  Force Ray:  Energy Blast 10d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼); OAF (-1) 
  2
  3u 
  3)  Life Drain Ray:  Energy Blast 5d6,  
  AVLD (defense is Power Defense; +1½); 
  OAF (-1) 
  6
  3u 
  4)  Paralysis Field:  Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF, 
  Takes No Damage From Attacks (+½),  
  Area Eﬀect (One Hex; +½); OAF (-1) 
  6
  15 
  Lasso:  Telekinesis (20 STR), Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF (-1),  
  Limited Range (6”; -¼), Only Aﬀects 
  Human-Sized Or Smaller Objects (-¼),  
  Only To Grab And Possibly Squeeze (-¼), 
  Can Only Aﬀect One Target At Once (-¼) 0
  14 
  Warding Harness:  Armor (7 PD/7 ED);  
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  3 
  Warding Harness:  Power Defense  
  (5 points); OIF (-½) 
  0
  13 
  Bracers:  Missile Deﬂection (all Ranged 
  attacks); OIF (-½) 
  0
  1 
  Venom Tolerance:  Life Support:  Immunity 
  (Harridan venom) 
  1
  2 
  Fast March:  Running +1” (7” total) 
  1
  Perks
  29 
  Harridan Steed:  145-point Follower (see 
  text)
  Skills
  15 
  +3 with Glaive and Lasso
  2 
  Animal Handler (Flying Steeds) 12-
  3 
  Breakfall 12-
  3 
  Riding 12-
  3 
  Teamwork 12-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  145
  Total Cost:  211
  
  112 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  50+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Devotion To 
  Skarn And Mission (Common, Total)
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with other Congeries 
  soldiers, for glory)
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  116 
  Experience Points or Disadvantages speciﬁc 
  to the individual Hussar
  Total Disadvantage Points:  211
  Description:  The Hussars are an elite cavalry unit 
  noted for their religious devotion to Skarn. Hussars 
  never surrender, and only overwhelming opposition 
  can make them accept the shame of aborting a mis-
  sion and retreating.
  Hussars carry a nonmagical lasso and a magi-
  cal polearm called a glaive, and ride harpy-like ﬂying 
  creatures called Harridans which are specially trained 
  to serve a speciﬁc Hussar (for these, use the Medium 
  Warhorse from page 170 of The HERO System Besti-
  ary, but give the creature Flight 10” in addition to its 
  other abilities). The glaive shoots a variety of magical 
  blasts from its jeweled tip, while its blade can chop 
  through a brick wall. Standard tactics have one Hussar 
  paralyze a target, then other Hussars immediately 
  attack with force-rays or life-draining blasts, Phase 
  after Phase. Once they incapacitate an opponent, the 
  Hussars either carry him oﬀ with their lassoes or land 
  and hack the enemy to bits with the blades of their 
  glaives. In a mass battle, Hussars target opposing oﬃ-
  cers. In such a case, they alter the routine to paralyzing 
  the targets, the lasso him, then blast him as he dangles 
  from the rope. The Hussar holding the lasso steadily 
  ascends with his captive so that even if the victim can 
  work his way loose, he faces a lethal fall.
  Most Hussars look essentially human (though 
  perhaps with odd hair and skin colors), but they wear 
  sword-and-sorcery outﬁts of leather straps, metal 
  plates enameled with mystic glyphs, helmets, cloaks, 
  rune-engraved arm bracers, and swash-topped boots.
  ALL-PURPOSE PETTY OBSTACLE WARRIORS
  The Hussars are Skarn’s elite cavalry troops. He’s 
  got countless other soldiers and guards who aren’t 
  as skilled and powerful as they are. To create one of 
  those characters, simply change the Hussar. Get rid of 
  the Harridan Follower and the Lasso, reduce Char-
  acteristics as appropriate, and change the Glaive to a 
  more appropriate, less powerful weapon, and so on. 
  (Sometimes each one has a single major attack power, 
  one strong enough that most PCs cannot ignore it.) 
  Petty Obstacle Warriors range in appearance from 
  oddly-garbed humans to weird, alien thingies.
  Their leaders may send Petty Obstacle Warriors 
  on many diﬀerent missions, but they all fulﬁll one 
  role:  token opposition for the heroes. Petty Obstacle 
  Warriors lack the power to win an open ﬁght with a 
  superhero, but defeating a small group of them should 
  take a few Phases. An attack by Petty Obstacle War-
  riors has little chance of success, but it lets the PCs 
  know someone wants to stop them. Similarly, these 
  mystical soldiers can’t truly defend anything against 
  superheroes, but their presence indicates the existence 
  of something worth defending. The GM can also use 
  Petty Obstacles early in an adventure to show the 
  heroes that dirty work’s afoot; for instance, a hero 
  encounters a group of Petty Obstacle Warriors sent to 
  kidnap someone or steal something.
  Skarn uses Petty Obstacle Warriors for several 
  purposes. His palace guards, for instance, are Petty 
  Obstacle Warriors with secondary spells or items 
  geared to detecting concealed intruders. He may send 
  a platoon of various Petty Obstacle Warriors to attack 
  the PCs and watch the ﬁght via scrying as a way to 
  gauge the PCs’ power and look for weaknesses. These 
  soldiers carry more lethal attacks and have stronger 
  defenses.
  THE CONGERIES
  The Congeries began as a small realm called 
  Orom. After Skarn ascended to godhood, he 
  merged Orom with hundreds of other little dimen-
  sions, each with its own wildly diﬀerent environ-
  ment. Then Skarn capriciously altered local envi-
  ronments still further. By now the Congeries has 
  literally thousands of diﬀerent environments. Some 
  look like strangely altered Earthly landscapes:  a 
  brass and crystal forest; a hill of quivering ﬂesh; a 
  lake of ﬂuid darkness. Other regions fuse or trans-
  pose objects in unearthly ways:  a garden where 
  ﬂowers walk and humans grow rooted to the soil; 
  a river of dust inhabited by stone ﬁsh; a ﬁeld of 
  boulders where every rock is a lump of solid ﬂame. 
  Much of the Congeries, however, looks like noth-
  ing recognizable at all — just abstract shapes and 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  113 
  smears hanging in space.
  The size of the Congeries is hard to judge. 
  Space itself is warped, twisted, and so riddled with 
  wormholes that whether a location is “near” or “far” 
  may depend on which route you take. Most of the 
  Congeries’s volume, however, is just air or other-
  wise uninhabitable. Some of these empty places 
  are big enough to hold the Earth. The relatively 
  “normal” zones where humanlike creatures live add 
  up to an area no larger than North America. Few 
  domains within the Congeries exceed more than a 
  few hundred square miles.
  At the “center” of the Congeries lies the former 
  dimension of Orom, a broad, ﬂat ribbon of land 
  twisted into a trefoil knot. Several platforms of 
  land drift nearby. The ribbon and platforms bear 
  compact towns, farmland, and forest, with only 
  small anomalies such as pits of blue ﬁre that should 
  pierce the ribbon but don’t, or patches of living 
  quicksand. In the very center of Orom a knot of 
  interlocking wormhole portals (the Thousandfold 
  Doors) leads to other sections of the Congeries, 
  including Skarn’s palace. Bridges lead from the tre-
  foil band to the portals.
  The Congeries’s inhabitants are as diverse as its 
  geography. The original Oromians are humanoid, 
  though their skin has a light red-violet hue and 
  their hair comes in shades of blue or purple. Skarn 
  prefers to annex dimensions with similar inhabit-
  ants, but even the humanoid Congerites vary wildly 
  — from ones who seem like Earthly humans to 
  talking rock formations.
  All the people of the Congeries have one thing 
  in common, though. Skarn is their god. They dare 
  not question his will.
  Region Generator
  The Congeries is far too diverse to list its 
  regions. Instead, GMs can create weird environ-
  ments as needed for adventures. Most of the pocket 
  environments have a short descriptive phrase of the 
  form “<Place Term> of the <Adjective> <Noun>” 
  instead of, or in addition to, proper names. Using 
  the lists below, you can quickly generate new place 
  names and evocative settings. Roll for random 
  combinations, or pick something that sounds good.
  Skarn’s Hunting Preserves
  Skarn created several special enclaves in the 
  Congeries. These zones of space are accessed only 
  by one or two wormholes. These areas are game 
  preserves where he amuses himself by hunting 
  using only his physical abilities. He stocks the 
  preserves with ﬁerce and powerful beasts from 
  throughout the Multiverse. Skarn also pops cap-
  tured enemies into game preserves if he thinks they 
  might give him good sport. Typically, Skarn wagers 
  on the hunt:  anyone who survives the hunt and 
  ﬁnds the hidden way out of the preserve can go free 
  and maybe win some other boon as well.
  One typical hunting preserve consists of a 
  bubble of space about three miles in diameter, 
  giving it an area of 30 square miles. (Gravity works 
  diﬀerently, so the entire inner surface is “down.”) 
  The entrance is a door in Skarn’s palace. If that door 
  is closed — which is usually the case — the only 
  exit is a cunningly hidden wormhole that leads to a 
  waiting room back in the palace. The waiting room 
  has strong walls, locked doors, and no windows, in 
  case some ferocious beast ﬁnds the wormhole.
  A “ﬂoor” of earth lines the preserve, but this 
  “ﬂoor” has gaps. Anyone who steps through a gap 
  emerges half a mile up, on the opposite side of the 
  bubble. Looking through a gap, then, a character 
  can see the opposite ﬂoor! Light shines evenly from 
  the horizonless sky.
  Dense forest covers the preserve’s rolling ter-
  rain, with patches of marsh, brush, and a few ponds. 
  Both ﬂora and fauna are varied, fantastical, and occa-
  sionally dangerous. The largest plant is a huge tree, 
  up to half a mile tall. Its blue-green foliage consists 
  of round, cupped leaves ﬁve to 10 feet wide. One 
  such tree grows up through a gap in the sky, where 
  its leaves hide the gap. Most of the forest, however, 
  grows less than a hundred feet high. Hazardous 
  plants include vines that can grasp and strangle, 
  fungi that explode like hand grenades, adhesive 
  moss, and giant pitcher plants that oﬀer treacherous 
  concealment or fruit within their depths.
  The preserve always holds several large, dan-
  gerous animals. The GM should design these as 
  fairly serious hazards, at least if Skarn stripped the 
  PCs of some of their powers. The HERO System 
  Bestiary supplies plenty of critters a GM can turn 
  into Congeries beast just by changing their appear-
  ance and maybe adding a template. Typical beasts 
  could include a truculent herbivore like a rhinoc-
  eros covered in iron scales, or a cross between a 
  puma and a centipede. In addition to these “show-
  piece” beasts, the preserve has various “nuisance” 
  beasts, such as:  giant, camouﬂaged land clams 
  that try to swallow people whole; horned snakes 
  POPULATING  
  THE CONGERIES
  The Congeries holds 
  hundreds of diﬀerent 
  sentient races and sub-
  races, and any number 
  of weird monsters 
  — more than a GM 
  could ever ﬁnd time to 
  design. So don’t! Use 
  creatures from the The 
  HERO System Bestiary 
  or Monsters, Minions, 
  And Marauders. Make 
  their appearance even 
  stranger by changing the 
  color scheme, adding 
  antlers, or making other 
  minor changes. Apply a 
  template if you like. If 
  you feel more ambitious, 
  adapt monsters and 
  races from other games 
  — the more bizarre, the 
  better.
  Under most circum-
  stances, it’s enough to 
  provide a brief descrip-
  tion of a strange crea-
  ture and move on. Like 
  on Earth, most people 
  and creatures in the 
  Congeries aren’t looking 
  for a ﬁght. They func-
  tion as “local color.”
  CONGERIES REGION  
  GENERATOR
   Place  
  Term 
  Adjective 
  Noun
   
  1 
  Mountain(s) 
  Red/Orange 
  Stones
   
  2 
  Valley 
  Yellow/Green 
  Statues
   
  3 
  Plain 
  Blue/Purple 
  Walls
   
  4 
  Hills 
  Black/Dark 
  Windows
   
  5 
  River 
  White/Pale 
  Spires
   
  6 
  Lake 
  Grey/Brown 
  Eyes
   
  7 
  Marsh 
  Silver/Golden Mouths
   
  8 
  Garden 
  Brazen/Iron 
  Faces
   
  9 
  Forest 
  Crystal 
  Hands
   10 
  Desert 
  Burning 
  Giants
   11 
  City 
  Frozen 
  Flowers
   12 
  Hall 
  Liquid 
  Trees
   13 
  Castle 
  Flowing 
  Slime/Ooze
   14 
  Caverns 
  Flying 
  Beasts
   15 
  Dungeon(s) 
  Dancing 
  Men
   16 
  Island(s) 
  Singing 
  Blades
   17 
  Domain 
  Moaning 
  Gates
   18 
  Land 
  Screaming 
  Mirrors
   19 
  Temple 
  Dreadful 
  Fires
   20 
  Place 
  Shining 
  Mists
  
  114 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  that leap from trees to impale their victims; giant 
  insects; and something that shoots huge, grasping 
  tentacles out of the ground.
  Skarn’s Palace
  One of the warp-portals in the center of the 
  Congeries leads down a hallway to the massive 
  doors of Skarn’s palace. A pair of living statues of 
  sphinx-like beasts guards the doors, but skillful 
  sorcerers can sneak past or deceive them without 
  much trouble. (Skarn is so sure of his power that 
  he never bothered to install locks on the doors or 
  really paranoid and perceptive doorkeepers.)
  The doors open on the central courtyard of 
  the palace. The courtyard is actually a large, hollow 
  space surrounded by the palace — an Escher-
  like labyrinth of warped perspectives, staircases, 
  arcades, towers and intersecting planes of gravity.
  Skarn’s palace is virtually a self-contained 
  town. The palace has all the normal ﬁxtures of a 
  royal residence:  throne room, ballroom, council 
  chamber, kitchen, bedrooms, servants’ quarters, 
  storerooms, administrative oﬃces and so on. Very 
  little else about this palace is normal, though. The 
  GM should try to keep a visit to Skarn’s palace 
  constantly disorienting through a constant stream 
  of funny, macabre, and just plain strange sights and 
  encounters (see sidebar).
  SKARN’S THRONE ROOM
  Skarn’s grandiose throne room is built of pastel 
  marble disks edged in gold, assembled into a huge, 
  hollow globe. Golden ﬁligree studded with jewels 
  ﬁlls the gaps between the disks. More marble disks 
  ﬂoat about the throne room, carrying petitioners, 
  courtiers, and servants in sublimely random disre-
  gard of gravity. Another disk carries a large, round 
  mirror. The only stable platform, hanging opposite 
  the entrance, carries Skarn’s throne of gold, ice, and 
  ﬂames caught in mid-ﬂicker.
  THE ALL-SEEING EYE OF SKARN
  The huge All-Seeing Eye Of Skarn hovers in 
  the middle of the palace courtyard. The one hex-
  wide eyeball turns to look at (and magically scan) 
  everyone who comes through the doors... and it’s 
  harder to fool than the doorkeeper golems. If it 
  sees any person or object whose visual, magical, 
  and Spacial Awareness images do not match, the 
  Eye ﬁres its Dispelling beam and raises the alarm. 
  The Eye also scans the palace with its Clairvoyance. 
  When it ﬁnds inconsistent images, ﬁghts, or anyone 
  who goes where he should not, it alerts guards to 
  investigate.
  Skarn and some of his cadre can set other 
  duties for the Eye as well. The Eye can look into 
  virtually any section of the Congeries and watch for 
  speciﬁed objects or activities. Since the Eye lacks 
  genuine intelligence, however, it needs detailed, 
  speciﬁc instructions to conduct a search.
  THE IMAGE-PROJECTING MIRROR
  This 1” wide, ornate mirror ﬂoats in Skarn’s 
  throne room. It acts as a “terminal” for the All-
  Seeing Eye Of Skarn, allowing the Eye to show what 
  it sees. (The connection with the Eye is a 0-point 
  ability, analogous to a TV screen hooked up to a 
  computer-controlled security system. For the Con-
  geries, this is “oﬀ the shelf technology.”) The mirror 
  can also project huge, multiple images of whatever 
  happens before it throughout the Congeries. Skarn 
  uses this power to make public announcements.
  The Image-Projecting Mirror:  Sight and Hear-
  ing Group Images, +4 to PER Rolls, Increased 
  Size (250” radius; +2), Autoﬁre (20 shots; 
  +2½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1) (175 
  Active Points); OAF Immobile (-2), Set Eﬀect 
  (whatever’s in the hex in front of the mirror; 
  -1). Total cost:  44 points.
  SAMPLE PALACE 
  STRANGENESS
  A door labeled “Sand-
  box.” It opens to a sandy 
  beach on a sea of green 
  champagne. The beach 
  and sea are in a vaulted 
  room at least half a mile 
  square, lit by a huge, 
  glowing banana hung 
  from the ceiling.
  A concert hall with a 
  rack of disembodied, 
  still-living heads on 
  stage. Skarn gathered 
  the best singers of the 
  Congeries and gave 
  them dubious immortal-
  ity and “freedom from 
  distractions,” then forgot 
  about them.
  Rooms with no walls 
  or ceiling and nothing 
  under the ﬂoor. They are 
  just platforms hanging 
  in a psychedelic void, 
  with doorways in and 
  out.
  An impossible stairway 
  that somehow forms 
  a closed loop without 
  ever changing direction. 
  Someone who walks up 
  or down the stairs even-
  tually comes to the place 
  where he started.
  Mirrors that reﬂect 
  things reversed top to 
  bottom instead of side 
  to side.
  Ranked desks of skel-
  eton clerks with quill 
  pens, doing the palace 
  paperwork.
  Quivering, tentacled 
  balls that drift through 
  the air to no apparent 
  purpose.
  A hallway where every-
  one else walks on the 
  walls. They give strange 
  looks at the characters 
  walking on the ﬂoor.
  THE ALL-SEEING EYE
  Farseeing:  +10 versus Range Modiﬁer for Sight 
  Group (15 Active Points); OAF Immobile (-2). 
  Total cost:  5 points.
  See In Darkness:  Nightvision (5 Active Points); 
  OAF Immobile (-2). Total cost:  2 points.
  Sense Magic:  Detect Magic 12- (no Sense 
  Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, Ranged, Sense 
  (22 Active Points); OAF Immobile (-2). Total 
  cost:  7 points.
  Displacement Sense:  Spatial Awareness (no 
  Sense Group), Ranged (27 Active Points); OAF 
  Immobile (-2). Total cost:  9 points.
  Search The Congeries:  Clairsentience (Sight 
  Group, Detect Magic, Spatial Awareness), 
  1,000,000x Range (entire Congeries), Reduced 
  Endurance Cost (0 END; +½) (195 Active 
  Points); OAF Immobile (-2). Total cost:  65 
  points.
  Dispelling Beam:  Dispel Magic 30d6, all Magic 
  spells and powers simultaneously (+2), Reduced 
  Endurance Cost (0 END; +½) (315 Active 
  Points); OAF Immobile (-2). Total cost:  105 
  points.
  Not Truly Intelligent:  Computer (50 points) to 
  represent the Eye’s “brain”
  Total cost:  243 points.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  115 
  Background/History:  Throughout the Outer 
  Planes, mages and spirits fear the name of Tyran-
  non. The Thousand-Headed God, mystics call 
  him, and Sunmaker — or the Cosmic Cancer, 
  or the Eater of Souls. Tyrannon’s most common 
  epithet, however, is the title he chose for himself:  
  the Conqueror. Tyrannon inspires such terror 
  because he does not merely exile, enslave, or kill 
  mystical foes. He eats them, and resurrects them 
  as new incarnations of himself. The newest Great 
  Power to arise in the Multiverse lives in hundreds 
  of bodies at once.
  The trillions who suﬀer under Tyrannon’s 
  rule do not know this, but Tyrannon began as a 
  mortal mage, just ﬁve centuries ago. He was born 
  on a world called Thulkos. Mystics now use that 
  name for the entire plane. Although matter in this 
  dimension collected in circular loops rather than 
  spheres, Thulkos resembled Earth in many ways. 
  Life appeared on Thulkos billions of years ago and 
  eventually evolved into a sentient race very much 
  like Earth-humans. Unlike Earth, however, this 
  dimension’s supernatural energies could act only 
  through matter. Mystics practiced various sorts of 
  alchemy or crafted magic items.
  The supernatural energies spontaneously gen-
  erated a thousand or so “gods.” These elemental 
  spirits remained formless and mindless, though 
  they showed aﬃnities for diﬀerent types of matter 
  or living creatures. Sometimes a god infused itself 
  into matter for a brief incarnation. The Thulko-
  sians regarded their mindless “gods” as natural 
  disasters. Only the most powerful mystics could 
  inﬂuence them.
  Tyrannon became a spell-smith in an age of 
  industrial magic. (Old Thulkosian technomagic 
  bore similarities to the forge-alchemy of the Lemu-
  rians; the resemblance is probably coincidental.)  
  He was not the most brilliant or powerful magus 
  of his time, but he had enough skill to participate 
  in his civilization’s most ambitious project. Dozens 
  of spell-smiths, and hundreds of followers, set 
  out to merge themselves with Thulkos’s elemental 
  gods. They hoped to free their world from mindless 
  divine rampages. They expected to become power-
  ful, but not so mighty that Thulkosian spell-weap-
  ons could not defeat them. The spell-smiths crafted 
  mighty talismans and rituals. Each participant 
  fused with a god:  spirits of ﬁre and water, wood 
  and earth, light and life, and many more.
  Tyrannon merged with one of the most pow-
  erful gods. His strong will enabled him to master 
  his powers quickly. Tyrannon liked his power, and 
  wanted more. He attacked a weaker mage-god, killed 
  him, and stole his power and his soul. Now Tyran-
  non had even greater power, and a will strengthened 
  by the subsumed spirit of his victim — and he 
  wanted still more. He attacked a second weak mage-
  god and subsumed him as well. The more Tyrannon 
  defeated and devoured, the more he hungered, until 
  Tyrannon devoured most of the incarnate gods. 
  Each spirit he consumed, however, eroded a bit more 
  of Tyrannon’s own personality. Tyrannon the mage 
  became Tyrannon the Conqueror.
  The nations of Thulkos had prepared for several 
  hundred man-gods with their own varied interests 
  and loyalties. They were not ready for one crea-
  ture with the power of several hundred gods. The 
  Thulkosians and the remaining man-gods united 
  to destroy Tyrannon... and failed. The Conqueror 
  slaughtered billions in his conquest; he forced the 
  survivors to worship him through more death and 
  blood. The gods whom Tyrannon could not devour, 
  he imprisoned, exiled to other planes, or drove into 
  the far reaches of the Thulkosian universe.
  Worship and sacriﬁce gave Tyrannon enough 
  power to change reality itself. One world did not 
  satisfy Tyrannon any more than one god’s power 
  had. He warped Thulkos’s dimension to bring 
  other inhabited worlds within his reach. The 
  Conqueror spent a century reshaping and master-
  ing his universe. He broke Thulkos’s ring-shaped 
  star and reshaped the fragments into a new shape 
  — spheres — that he used as shining prisons for 
  eight defeated gods.
  When Tyrannon ran out of worlds to con-
  quer in his own universe, he turned his gaze on 
  other dimensions. He learned to open gates to 
  other planes and sent some of his bodies to con-
  quer their inhabitants. Once he ruled another 
  dimension, Tyrannon gathered all his many 
  bodies into one form of incredible power. He 
  ripped wide the barriers between realities and 
  merged the other plane with Thulkos. The laws 
  of Thulkos overwhelmed the natural laws of the 
  other spaces, and their environments became 
  copies of Thulkos’s own.
  Eventually, Tyrannon encountered beings 
  comparable to himself, who could ﬁght back. 
  Some were other conquerors and would-be con-
  querors. Others were merely powerful mystics 
  determined to protect their homeworlds. No one, 
  however, can block Tyrannon from every possible 
  universe. The Conqueror seeks dimensions with 
  high populations to worship him, but few power-
  ful mystics to oppose him. In his endless search 
  through the Multiverse, Tyrannon recently discov-
  ered a plane that seems ideal:
  Earth’s.
  TYRANNON THE 
  CONQUEROR
  
  116 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Personality/Motivation:  The Conqueror wants more 
  power, so he can conquer even more of the Multi-
  verse and gain still more power. He seeks to merge 
  all the dimensions into one, and make himself the 
  sole ruler — indeed, to absorb the Multiverse into 
  himself so that nothing exists but him.
  Tyrannon possesses the knowledge of every 
  soul he conquered and devoured. In theory, this 
  makes Tyrannon extremely knowledgeable. In 
  practice, Tyrannon has a bad memory. None of 
  Tyrannon’s forms carries all his knowledge, and 
  only his greatest forms have signiﬁcant access to 
  the memories of devoured victims. Tyrannon’s KS: 
  Knowledge From Consumed Spirits is a plot device 
  for him to know whatever he needs for the sake of 
  an adventure, without giving Tyrannon any broader 
  information about a subject.
  The Conqueror lacks the patience for devi-
  ous scheming. His deceptions seldom become 
  more complex than disguising a Viceroy as some 
  other creature, handing a magical superweapon 
  to an ambitious but gullible mystic, or promising 
  someone that he can rule the world in Tyrannon’s 
  name if he helps the Conqueror. Such promises are 
  worthless:  the Conqueror never shares power, and 
  an erstwhile ally merely becomes a slightly more 
  favored slave. Tyrannon considers his directness 
  a sign of his superiority:  “Knowledge? Cunning? 
  Tyrannon does not need such things. Tyrannon 
  rules by power alone!”
  Quote:  “Understand, mortals:  Tyrannon is no crea-
  ture like yourselves. Tyrannon is an incarnation of the 
  inﬁnite and ultimate. In Tyrannon do all things reach 
  their completion. The storm, the sea, the circling suns 
  of your galaxy — they are nothing in comparison. 
  Now see the power of Tyrannon... and tremble.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Tyrannon’s greatest power consists 
  of his legion of Duplicates. The Conqueror nor-
  mally lives in 888 bodies at once, scattered through 
  multiple dimensions, in constant communication 
  through psychic links. This makes it nearly impos-
  sible to kill or imprison Tyrannon:  as long as 
  one Duplicate remains free, the Conqueror might 
  regain his power.
  The Conqueror’s bodies vary in power. The eight 
  Throne forms wield the power of whole armies. Each 
  Throne represents a class of life or matter:  elemental 
  earth, ﬁre, and ﬂuid, plus tree-like, insectoid, octo-
  poid, reptilian, and avian Throne forms. The most 
  powerful form, the Tree Throne, rules the densely-
  populated core of Thulkos itself. The seven lesser 
  Thrones oversee provinces of Thulkos’s dimension or 
  conquered planes not yet merged with Thulkos. Each 
  Throne personally guards some location of great stra-
  tegic importance, such as concentrations of magical 
  energy Tyrannon can exploit.
  Each Throne controls ten Viceroys, who serve 
  as principle enforcers of Tyrannon’s will. Some 
  Viceroys make war upon other dimensions. Tyran-
  non posts others to guard strategic resources and 
  locations, or to teach obedience to conquered 
  populations. Still other Viceroys serve as roving 
  troubleshooters who punish those who fail to serve 
  Tyrannon to his satisfaction.
  Each Viceroy, in turn, creates ten Emissaries, 
  the least powerful of Tyrannon’s forms. Emissaries 
  scout new worlds for conquest and police the Con-
  queror’s far-ﬂung demesnes. When an Emissary 
  sees something Tyrannon doesn’t like, he sends a 
  Viceroy to deliver the appropriate correction. Emis-
  saries wield power comparable to a typical super-
  mystic. A team of heroes can defeat an Emissary 
  with ease — but as soon as one of Tyrannon’s forms 
  comes under attack, his other bodies know in sec-
  onds. Other Emissaries... or a Viceroy... or maybe 
  even a Throne soon appear to join the ﬁght.
  Each of Tyrannon’s forms has a psychic link 
  to several other Duplicates. Emissaries are linked 
  only to their parent Viceroy. Each Viceroy has 
  a link to all ten of its subject Emissaries, to its 
  parent Throne, and to ﬁve other Viceroys from that 
  Throne. Thrones have links to all ten of their Vice-
  roys, to the other seven Thrones, and to ﬁfteen of 
  their subject Emissaries. Information rapidly passes 
  up and down the chains of psychic links, with the 
  Thrones as coordinators.
  Fortunately for everyone else, Tyrannon 
  cannot concentrate many of his forms in one place 
  — especially the Viceroys and Thrones. If more 
  than 2,000 Character Points’ worth of Duplicates 
  spend more than a Turn within 8” of each other, the 
  less powerful Duplicates merge with the more pow-
  erful forms. For instance, Tyrannon might commit 
  a Viceroy and three Emissaries to a ﬁght. Let a 
  fourth Emissary join the crew, however, and the 
  Viceroy must absorb one Emissary. If six Emissar-
  ies gather in one place, they fuse and are replaced 
  by one Viceroy, summoned from elsewhere in 
  the Multiverse. Likewise, three Viceroys would 
  merge and be replaced by one Throne. Necessarily, 
  Thrones never associate or ﬁght alongside Viceroys 
  — the Throne would absorb the Viceroy, or one 
  Throne would absorb the other. Tyrannon does 
  not want to reduce the number of his Duplicates 
  in this way. On the other hand, Tyrannon can cycle 
  through Duplicates, bringing new bodies to a ﬁght 
  while others retreat and recover.
  Sometimes, however, the Conqueror delib-
  erately merges his many selves to work his most 
  awesome feats of magic, such as fusing dimensions. 
  Tyrannon can do this safely only at special align-
  ments of Thulkos’s eight suns, because only then 
  can Tyrannon emanate his Duplicates again. When 
  Tyrannon occupies just one body, he becomes far 
  more vulnerable to attack despite the vast power 
  of his combined self. These crucial alignments do 
  not happen very often, and they last for less than 
  an hour; they impose signiﬁcant restrictions on the 
  Conqueror’s plans.
  Each of Tyrannon’s 888 forms can cast a 
  variety of mystic bolts and evoke magical shields. 
  These spells remain nearly the same for all of 
  Tyrannon’s forms, except for their power level, 
  though Thrones and Viceroys know a few more 
  spells than Emissaries. Tyrannon’s forms are also 
  physically strong and tough.
  Tyrannon’s eight “elemental” classes of forms 
  possess a few special powers based on their 
  physical forms or a particular sort of magical or 
  TYRANNON  
  PLOT SEEDS
  An Emissary comes 
  to Earth and enslaves 
  a remote community. 
  Psychically sensitive 
  people around the world 
  start having nightmares. 
  The heroes must follow 
  the slender clues from 
  these dreams to ﬁnd 
  the Emissary. By then, 
  however, the people 
  have ﬁnished building 
  the pylons to stabilize a 
  dimensional bridge. Just 
  as the heroes defeat the 
  Emissary and think that 
  Tyrannon’s not so tough, 
  the Emissary’s control-
  ling Viceroy appears.
  When Tyrannon invades 
  a dimension in force, 
  war refugees scatter to 
  other worlds, including 
  Earth. Some refugees 
  have magic powers and 
  turn to banditry. The 
  heroes must defeat this 
  secondary invasion. 
  They could drive away 
  the refugees, ﬁnd them 
  a new home, or even 
  try to save their home 
  dimension from Tyran-
  non.
  Tyrannon’s agents ﬁnd 
  a clue to an awesomely 
  powerful magic artifact, 
  which he believes would 
  place the entire Multi-
  verse at his command. 
  The heroes learn that 
  Tyrannon seeks the arti-
  fact. The race is on to see 
  who ﬁnds it ﬁrst!
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  117 
  natural phenomenon. For instance, the 
  Fire Throne and its emanations all have 
  Damage Shields because their bodies 
  are indeed made of ﬂame. The Reptile 
  Throne and its emanations can bite, but 
  the Throne and Viceroys also wield magic 
  of time and probability because the primal 
  Thulkosian gods of these phenomena felt 
  a mysterious aﬃnity to reptiles. Each class 
  of Tyrannon’s bodies also suﬀers one or 
  two special weaknesses based on its sub-
  stance or the form’s favored class of magic.
  The Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon 
  deserves a special mention. Mechanically, 
  this spell works the same for every form:  
  it’s a Continuous RKA that bypasses every 
  defense except Resistant forms of Mental 
  Defense. The special eﬀect of the spell, 
  however, varies for each elemental class of 
  forms. For example, a ﬁre form makes the 
  victim combust from the inside out, while 
  a time-controlling reptilian form can age a 
  victim to death. 
  The eight Thrones draw additional 
  power from the worship and sacriﬁce by 
  Tyrannon’s subjects. The Conqueror can 
  use this power, represented as a Variable 
  Power Pool, to do almost anything he 
  can imagine. Tyrannon usually ties up a 
  Throne’s Power Pool in some special magi-
  cal feat intended to conquer a dimension 
  at a stroke. Forcing Tyrannon to use his 
  Power Pool in combat may thwart his 
  plans. Fortunately, Tyrannon cannot use 
  his Power Pools to increase the power of 
  his spells, augment his Characteristics, 
  or add Advantages to any of his Powers. 
  The Conqueror also does not like to use 
  Limitations, so a Throne will not use 
  them to buy more Powers from the Pool. 
  Still, the Power Pool enables a Throne to 
  tailor attacks against a foe, perform multiple-power 
  attacks, or create defenses, movement modes, or 
  other powers to counter an enemy’s strengths.
  In combat, Tyrannon trusts in his mystic 
  shields and innate toughness to protect him while 
  he blasts away. He may use the Hand Of Tyran-
  non to throw one opponent at another, or hold a 
  foe that he then bludgeons with raw strength. The 
  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon works better as a threat 
  than as an attack against a group of heroes:  Tyran-
  non may use it to torture a bystander until the 
  heroes submit or retreat to save the innocent’s life. 
  Against single foes who lack suitable defenses, how-
  ever, the Deadly Wrath becomes Tyrannon’s single 
  favorite attack.
  Thulkos’s primal gods were powerfully bound 
  to the physical substance of that dimension, and 
  Tyrannon absorbed that connection along with 
  the gods’ power. The Conqueror’s greater forms 
  cannot spend much time away from Thulkos with-
  out suﬀering damage. Tyrannon can work around 
  this weakness by relying on Emissaries or stay-
  ing near an active Gate to Thulkos. Thrones and 
  Viceroys cannot move more than one mile from 
  such a Gate without suﬀering this Dependency. 
  Tyrannon’s ﬁrst act in invading a dimension, 
  therefore, is usually to build a stable Dimensional 
  Bridge between the target plane and Thulkos. A 
  world’s defenders can force a temporary retreat by 
  ﬁnding and destroying the special disk or pylons 
  that sustain the Gate.
  Tyrannon’s arrogance oﬀers heroes their great-
  est advantage over the Thousand-Headed God. He 
  may agree to limit his own power in battle, to make 
  his victory that much more glorious. For instance, 
  Tyrannon likes to believe he doesn’t really need 
  his worshippers, and so a Throne might forego the 
  use of its Power Pool in combat. Heroes might also 
  challenge Tyrannon to ﬁght them without cycling 
  through multiple forms, or to accept some other 
  restriction. Tyrannon isn’t vain and stupid enough to 
  accept blatantly self-defeating conditions, but heroes 
  can play on his egotism to make a ﬁght more fairly.
  No promise binds Tyrannon for long. The 
  Conqueror might wager an entire invasion on a 
  duel between one Emissary and one hero, but he 
  only risks one invasion. If Tyrannon loses the duel, 
  he withdraws to Thulkos, ponders how the heroes 
  defeated him, then tries again once he can allocate 
  
  118 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Duplicates to the attack.
  Resources:  Tyrannon rules multiple dimensions, 
  with a total population in the hundreds of trillions. 
  Some of the worlds in his empire are larger and 
  more populous than Earth. Tyrannon commands 
  an army of more than a billion soldiers, though 
  most of this force is tied up ﬁghting the Conquer-
  or’s rivals or pacifying newly-conquered regions. 
  Tyrannon commits his armies only after he person-
  ally destroys a world’s most powerful defenders.
  Not all of Tyrannon’s resources are magical. 
  Some conquered worlds retain technology com-
  parable to Earth’s, though technology stops work-
  ing once a dimension fully merges with Thulkos. 
  Tyrannon dislikes nuclear weapons and other 
  technological devices, but his satraps may use such 
  weapons in attempts to please him.
  Relations With Others:  Tyrannon has no allies, 
  only dupes and slaves. Dupes do not stay dupes 
  very long:  Tyrannon destroys them if they fail, or 
  enslaves them if they succeed.
  The Conqueror counts Istvatha V’han as his 
  greatest enemy; Skarn the Shaper is his second-
  most-powerful foe. The Multiverse’s more mysteri-
  ous cosmic evils, such as the Kings of Edom, either 
  do not know about Tyrannon or view him as a rival 
  who could interfere with their own plans. Tyran-
  non, for his part, thinks he can conquer or exploit 
  any other cosmic power, and this may lead him to 
  free a King or unleash other powers he cannot con-
  trol. Tyrannon does not know about Takofanes, the 
  Dragon, or any of Earth’s other powerful entities 
  (and so far, they seem to know nothing of him).
  Campaign Use:  Tyrannon is the deﬁnitive dimen-
  sional conqueror. He works well as the main vil-
  lain of a campaign devoted to defending Earth 
  against invaders from beyond. He can bully 
  lesser dimension lords and tempt evil mystics 
  with greater power, oﬀering further story options 
  while keeping Tyrannon as the prime mover of 
  most adventures.
  In all his forms, Tyrannon is a blowhard’s 
  blowhard. He cannot actually hold a conversation. 
  Sometimes Tyrannon’s pompous, bragging solilo-
  quy has something to do with what another person 
  said; sometimes not.
  The GM can play Tyrannon as campy, but you 
  can easily present him as a deadly serious, terrify-
  ing threat to humanity and reality itself. Heroes 
  have almost no way to remove his menace once and 
  for all. At most, the Sunmaker gives Earth a respite 
  while he conquers other worlds. Months, years, or 
  decades later, the Conqueror will try again. Heroes 
  who want to stop Tyrannon for good must engage 
  in a long campaign to destroy his Duplicates one by 
  one, or seek magical powers as dark and deadly as 
  Tyrannon himself.
  To make Tyrannon more powerful, increase 
  the number of Duplicates he can bring to a ﬁght, or 
  increase the power of his innate magic. Reduce his 
  power by reducing his innate magic, his defenses, 
  or his SPD. An Emissary’s attacks and defenses 
  should fall in the same range as a starting super-
  hero, with Viceroys’ attacks about 20 Active Points 
  greater and Thrones’ attacks 10 to 15 Active Points 
  beyond that.
  In his own mind, at least, Tyrannon Hunts 
  anyone who thwarts his plans — no exceptions. 
  Tyrannon seldom Hunts anyone at more than 8- 
  frequency, though. He has so many enemies that 
  even with 888 bodies, he can’t ﬁnd time to Hunt 
  them all at once. Tyrannon may increase his Hunt-
  ing to 11- if a character emerges as his most deter-
  mined foe.
  Appearance:  None of Tyrannon’s forms looks 
  exactly alike. Thrones look partly humanoid; at 
  least some Viceroys look humanoid; and Emissar-
  ies look like smaller versions of their controlling 
  Viceroy. See the character sheets for further details 
  about Tyrannon’s forms.
  All of Tyrannon’s bodies bear his sigil, a sort 
  of three-pointed arrowhead crossed by a cres-
  cent, unless they Shape Shift to conceal this mark. 
  Tyrannon’s sigil usually appears on the forehead (if 
  a form has a recognizable head, of course).
  Tyrannon’s Duplicates also share a “distinc-
  tive feature” not visible to the eye. The Conqueror’s 
  power is so vast that magical senses become Mega-
  Scaled for detecting his presence. The range incre-
  ments for sensing an Emissary increase from hexes 
  to kilometers; to tens of kilometers for Viceroys; 
  and to hundreds of kilometers for Thrones. Psychi-
  cally sensitive people also dream about Tyrannon 
  when one of his bodies enters a world, while actual 
  precognitives suﬀer horrifying nightmares about 
  the devastation he will inﬂict. Such dreams may 
  provide clues to Tyrannon’s location and plans, but 
  they are always vague, symbolic, and uncontrollable 
  — a way for the GM to alert PCs that a menace 
  needs stopping, not provide instructions about how 
  to do it.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  119 
  THE TREE THRONE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   85 STR 
  75 
  26- 
  Lift 32.8 kt; 17d6 [8]
   28 DEX 
  54 
  15- 
  OCV:  9/DCV:  9
   40 CON 
  60 
  17-
   35 BODY 50 
  16-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   28 EGO 
  36 
  15- 
  ECV:  9
   50 PRE 
  40 
  19- 
  PRE Attack:  10d6
   4 COM 
  -3 
  10-
   30 PD 
  13 
   
  Total:  30 PD (30 rPD)
   30 ED 
  22 
   
  Total:  30 ED (30 rED)
   8 SPD 
  42 
   
  Phs:  2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12
   25 REC 
  0
   160 END 
  40
   100 STUN 
  2 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  439
  Movement: 
  Running:  0”/0”
   
  Swimming:  0”/0”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  310 
  Divine Power:  Variable Power Pool  
  (Magic Pool), 150 base + 75 control cost; 
  Cannot Add To Or Modify Other Powers  
  Or Characteristics Or Change  
  Form (see text; -¼) plus Cosmic (+2);  
  Only When In Thulkos (-¼), Cannot  
  Add To Or Modify Other Powers Or  
  Characteristics Or Change  
  Form (see text; -¼) 
  var
  54 
  Tyrannon’s Full Godly Might:  Variable  
  Power Pool (Magic Pool), +30 base plus  
  +15 control cost; Cannot Add To Or  
  Modify Characteristics Or Other Powers  
  Or Change Form (see text; -¼), Cannot Be  
  Used When Duplication Is Active (-½) plus  
  Cosmic (+2); Only When In Thulkos  
  (-¼), Cannot Add To Or Modify Other 
  Powers Or Characteristics Or Change 
  Form (see text; -¼), Cannot Be  
  Used When Duplication Is Active (-½) 
  var
  169 
  Tyrannon’s Mighty Magic:  Multipower,  
  169-point reserve
  9u 
  1)  Power Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast 15d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  9u 
  2)  Ire Of Tyrannon:  Ego Attack 7½d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  9u 
  3)  Hand Of Tyrannon:  Telekinesis  
  (28 STR), BOECV (+1), Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  9u  
  4)  Might Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast  
  12d6, Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½) 
  9
  9u 
  5)  Bonds Of Tyrannon:  Entangle 4d6,  
  5 DEF, Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½), Cannot  
  Be Escaped With Teleportation (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  9u 
  6)  Curse Of Tyrannon:  Dispel Magic  
  25d6, any Magic power or spell one at a  
  time (+¼) 
  9
  9u 
  7)  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon:  RKA  
  1d6+1, BOECV (+1), Does BODY (+1),  
  Continuous (+1), +2 Increased STUN  
  Multiplier (+½), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  9u 
  8)  Tyrannon Is Legion:  Summon four  
  400-point Emissaries 
  9
  4u 
  9)  First Shield Of Tyrannon:  Force  
  Field (10 PD/10 ED/6 Power Defense),  
  Hardened (+¼), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½) 
  0
  3u 
  10)  Second Shield Of Tyrannon:  Missile 
  Deﬂection (all Ranged attacks), +7 OCV 
  0
  4u 
  11)  Quelling Will Of Tyrannon:  Suppress 
  Magic Powers 7d6, any Magic power or  
  spell one at a time (+¼) 
  4
  4u 
  12)  Astral Phasing:  Desolidiﬁcation 
  (aﬀected by spirit magic) 
  4
  3u 
  13)  Tyrannon Sees All:  N-Ray Perception 
  Sight Group) (blocked by magical  
  barriers), Telescopic (+22 versus Range  
  Modiﬁer) 
  0
  9u 
  14)  Fury Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast  
  9d6, Area Of Eﬀect (9” Radius; +1),  
  Double Knockback (+¾), Personal  
  Immunity (+¼); No Range (-½) 
  13
  8u 
  15)  Gift Of Tyrannon:  Aid Magic 2d6,  
  Can Add Maximum Of 22 Points, all  
  Magic spells and powers simultaneously 
  (+2), Ranged (+½), Indirect (+½),  
  Transdimensional (any dimension; +1); 
  Costs Endurance (-½) 
  10
  7u 
  16)  Dimensional Bridge:  Extra- 
  Dimensional Movement (any physical  
  location in any dimension), Area Of eﬀect 
  (One Hex; +½), Continuous (+1), Uncon-
  trolled (until another EDM/Teleportation 
  Power used within the Bridge; +½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), 
  Usable By Other (+¼); Gate (-½),  
  Extra Time (5 Minutes to activate; -1) 
  0
  5u 
  17)  Thulkosian Dimensional Bridge:   
  Teleportation 10”, Area Of Eﬀect (12”  
  Radius; +1), MegaScale (1” of  
  Teleportation distance = 1,000 km, can  
  scale down to 1” = 1 km; +1¼), MegaScale 
  (1” of range = 1,000 km, can scale down  
  to 1” = 1 km; +1¼), Continuous (+1),  
  Ranged (+½), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½), Usable By Other (+¼); Gate  
  (-½), Extra Time (5 Minutes to initiate; -1) 0
  8u 
  18)  Animate Plants:  Summon any Plant 
  Monster built on up to 300 Character  
  Points, Expanded Class (plant monsters;  
  +¼), Devoted (+¾); Summoned Being  
  Must Inhabit Locale (-½) 
  12
  9u 
  19)  Mastery Of The Vegetable Kingdom:  
  Major Transform 5d6 (any change to any 
  plant), Improved Results Group (any  
  change, as long as it involves plants; +¾); 
  Limited Target (plants; -½) 
  13
  5 
  Dimensional Bridge Anchor:  Area Of  
  Eﬀect (15” Radius; +1) on Dimensional 
  Bridge; OAF Immobile (circle of pylons 
  inlaid with images of Tyrannon; -2);  
  Extra Time (5 Minutes to activate; -1) 
  0
  40 
  Devour Souls:  Aid END and STUN 4d6, 
  two Characteristics simultaneously (+½), 
  Delayed Return Rate (points fade at the  
  rate of 5 per Hour; +1); Self Only (-½),  
  
  120 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Only Works If A Sentient Being Died  
  Within 3” Of Tree Throne Within Two  
  Segments Prior To The Phase When Tree 
  Throne Activates Power (-1) 
  0
  149 
  Tyrannon’s Many Forms:  Duplication  
  (create up to 887 Duplicates built on up  
  to 1,342 Character Points), Easy Recom-
  bination (Zero-Phase Action at full DCV), 
  Altered Duplicate (25%; +¼); Extra Time 
  (1 Turn to initiate; -¾), May Only Activate 
  During Alignments Of The Kae Linn (-½), 
  May Only Have 2,000 Character Points’ 
  Worth Of Duplicates In One Location At  
  The Same Time (-½) 
  0
  474 
  The Gathering Of The Forms:  Ranged 
  Recombination (+½) for Duplication,  
  Armor Piercing (+½), Indirect (+½), 
  Increased Maximum Range (640 billion 
  hexes, or about 800 million miles; +3),  
  Transdimensional (any dimension; +1), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Extra 
  Time (1 Turn to initiate; -¾), May Only 
  Activate During Alignments Of The Kae 
  Linn (-½) 
  0
  63 
  Tyrannon Grasps The Spirit World:  Aﬀects 
  Desolidiﬁed (+½) for 85 STR, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  5 
  A Thousand Clutching Roots And Branches:  
  Extra Limbs (thousands), Inherent (+¼) 
  0
  65 
  A Thousand Clutching Roots And Branches:  
  Stretching 13”, Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½); Only With Extra Limbs (-½) 0
  14 
  Tyrannon’s Toughness:  Hardened (+¼)  
  for 30 PD/30 ED 
  0
  37 
  Tyrannon’s Toughness:  Damage Resistance 
  (30 PD/30 ED), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  10 
  Tyrannon Has No Weakness:  Lack Of  
  Weakness (-10) for Normal Defenses 
  0
  12 
  Tyrannon’s Pitiless Gaze:  Sight Group  
  Flash Defense (10 points), Hardened (+¼) 0
  24 
  Tyrannon’s Invincible Ego:  Mental Defense 
  (25 points total), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  5 
  Tyrannon’s Invincible Ego:  Damage  
  Resistance (10 Mental Defense) 
  0
  19 
  Tyrannon’s Mystic Fortitude:  Power  
  Defense (15 points), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  90 
  Tyrannon’s Godhood:  Life Support  
  (Total, including full Immunity as  
  described in Galactic Champions and  
  Longevity:  Immortality) 
  0
  20 
  Astral Awareness:  Dimensional (Astral 
  Plane) for Sight and Hearing Groups 
  0
  10 
  Mystic Awareness:  Detect Magic 13-  
  (Sight Group), Discriminatory  
  0
  10 
  A Thousand Eyes:  Increased Arc Of  
  Perception (360 Degrees) for Sight Group
  25 
  One Will In Many Bodies:  Mind Link,  
  speciﬁc group of up to 32 forms of  
  Tyrannon, any distance, any dimension,  
  Psychic Bond; Only With Others Who  
  Have Mind Link (-1) 
  0
  -12 
  Rooted To The Ground:  Running -6”  
  (0” total) 
  0
  -2 
  Rooted To The Ground:  Swimming -2”  
  (0” total) 
  0
  Perks
  50 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Deity
   
  All the Bases, Vehicles or Followers that he 
  wants
  Skills
  3 
  Interrogation 19-
  3 
  AK:  Domains Of Tyrannon 13-
  3 
  KS: Knowledge From Consumed Spirits 13-
  3 
  KS: Blood Image Magic 13-
  3 
  KS: Dimension Lords 13-
  2 
  KS: Fertility Magic 11-
  2 
  KS: Magic Styles 11-
  2 
  KS: Necromancy 11-
  2 
  KS: Old Thulkosian Forge Alchemy 11-
  3 
  KS: Outer Planes 13-
  5 
  KS: Plans Of Tyrannon 15-
  3 
  KS: Plant Magic 13-
  4 
  Navigation (Dimensional) 14-
  3 
  Oratory 19-
  17 
  Power:  Thaumaturgy 20-
  3 
  SS: Botany 13-
  3 
  Teamwork 15-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  1,835
  Total Cost:  2,274
  200+ Disadvantages
  30 
  Dependence:  must remain in Thulkos (or 
  near a wormhole to it) or suﬀer 3d6 damage 
  per Minute (Very Common)
  35 
  Enraged:  Berserk when “betrayed” 
  (Common), go 14-, recover 11-
  10 
  Hunted:  Istvatha V’han 8- (As Pow, Kill)
  10 
  Hunted:  Skarn the Shaper 8- (As Pow, Kill)
  5 
  Hunted:  assorted cosmic entities and dimen-
  sion lords 11- (As Pow, Watching)
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Others’ Magic Senses 
  are MegaScaled to Detect Tyrannon (Fre-
  quently; Slightly Limiting)
  15 
  Physical Limitation:  Gargantuan (64m tall; 
  -10 DCV, +10 to PER Rolls to perceive) (Fre-
  quently, Greatly Impairing)
  5 
  Physical Limitation:  Rooted To The Spot 
  (no innate movement modes; cannot use any 
  possible movement except Teleportation and 
  Extra-Dimensional Movement, both with lots 
  of Increased Mass for a suitable quantity of 
  soil) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Driven To  
  Dominate All The Multiverse (Very 
  Common, Total)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Convinced Of His 
  Utter Superiority (Very Common, Total)
  25 
  Unluck:  5d6
  20 
  Susceptibility and/or Vulnerability based on 
  form (see pages 128-32)
  1,859 Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  2,274
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  121 
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR TYRANNON’S FULL 
  GODLY MIGHT POWER POOL
  Reshape Galaxies:  At his full power, Tyrannon 
  can change the architecture of an entire galaxy, 
  or at least a major portion of one. The Sunmaker 
  reshaped most of Thulkos’s cosmos using powers 
  like this, collapsing it to a fraction of its former size. 
  Keep in mind that the BODY of stars and planets is 
  divided among millions of hexes. By Transforming 
  the matter in every hex at once, Tyrannon can alter 
  such enormous masses in hours or days rather than 
  centuries. If Tyrannon annexes a world like Earth, 
  he uses a variation on this Power to spin it into a 
  ring-shaped world like Thulkos.
  Major Transform 1d6 (change location and 
  form of stars, planets, and space itself; heals 
  back if Tree Throne destroyed within 1 month 
  of change), Area Of Eﬀect (12” Radius; +1), 
  Continuous (+1), Diﬃcult to Dispel (x2 
  Active Points; +¼), Indirect (aﬀects interior of 
  buildings, stellar bodies, and the like without 
  diminishment of eﬀect; +¾), MegaScale (1” 
  = 10,000 light-years wide and deep; +4½), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼). Total cost:  
  131 points.
  Cosmic Fusion:  Tyrannon establishes his rule using 
  Dimensional Bridges no larger than a small oﬃce 
  building. Once he controls a world and secures 
  the worship of its people, he creates a world-sized 
  dimensional bridge to fuse the other plane to 
  Thulkos. The natural and magical laws of Thulkos 
  eventually overwhelm and reshape the other 
  dimension, if Tyrannon himself does not speed the 
  process using his own power.
  Like all Tyrannon’s Gates, Cosmic Fusion 
  requires a Focus to stabilize it. In this case, the 
  Focus consists of hollow statues represent-
  ing Tyrannon’s eight Throne forms, cast in pure 
  diamond and ﬁlled with the blood of sacriﬁced 
  mortals. Tyrannon sets the eight statues spinning 
  in a ring and creates the vast Gate between them. 
  The spell consumes the statues, however; a Cosmic 
  Fusion can be broken only by creating another Gate 
  within it (or, at the GM’s option, attacking it with 
  other dimension-warping powers). The collapsing 
  of a Gate is a great excuse to send heroes into some 
  weird dimension.
  Extra-Dimensional Movement (to a single loca-
  tion in any conquered dimension), Increased 
  Mass (400 kg), Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½), 
  Continuous (+1), MegaScale (1” = 10,000 km 
  wide and deep; +1¼), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½), Uncontrolled (lasts until another 
  Gate is created within it, or some similar form 
  of dimension-warping attack is used against 
  it; +½), Usable By Other (+¼) (175 Active 
  Points); OAF Immobile Expendable (Very Dif-
  ﬁcult to replace; -2¾), Extra Time (5 Minutes 
  to activate; -1). Total cost:  37 points.
  Background/History:  The Tree Throne is Tyrannon’s 
  most powerful form. It is the “real” Tyrannon, inso-
  far as Tyrannon’s other forms converge on the Tree 
  Throne when he gathers his power for his mighti-
  est feats of magic. The Tree Throne has to be the 
  focus of Tyrannon’s power because it cannot move. 
  If someone destroyed the Tree Throne, another 
  Throne form would eventually take its place as 
  Tyrannon’s center.
  The Tree Throne dwells at the center of 
  Thulkos. Tyrannon’s subjects worship the Tree 
  Throne as the god of agriculture and the cycle of 
  life and death.
  Personality/Motivation:  Tyrannon takes special care 
  to protect the Tree Throne because of its role as his 
  central form and executor of his greatest magic. 
  Here, alone, Tyrannon might bargain with enemies 
  to save one of his lives. By the same token, the Tree 
  Throne is least likely to accept self-defeating condi-
  tions on a ﬁght.
  Quote:  “You have found the heart of Tyrannon. You 
  have found your doom!”
  Powers/Tactics:  The Tree Throne possesses the 
  greatest physical strength and toughness of any of 
  Tyrannon’s forms. Tyrannon can crush just about 
  anything, matter or spirit, that comes within reach 
  of the Tree Throne’s enormous arms. He can also 
  clutch at opponents with the smaller branches and 
  roots that radiate from his body. Although the roots 
  and branches are deﬁned as Extra Limbs, Tyrannon 
  has so many of them that breaking one limb inﬂicts 
  no meaningful harm on him. (And of course, he 
  can always use his spells to Heal himself.)
  Tyrannon can gather all his Duplicates into 
  the Tree Throne at any time (this is represented by 
  the Gathering Of The Forms power). When Tyran-
  non does this, the Tree Throne doubles in size and 
  its Variable Power Pool increases in power. (See 
  the Lesser Throne character sheet for feats using 
  the basic Variable Power Pool. The Tree Throne 
  examples all use the augmented VPP.) But while 
  the Conqueror can gather his forms at any time, he 
  can Duplicate himself, only when the eight suns of 
  Thulkos form certain conjunctions or alignments. 
  Even then, restoring his multiplicity takes Tyran-
  non twelve seconds. During this time, the Dupli-
  cates grow like fruit on the Tree Throne’s branches. 
  Once the Duplicates grow and separate themselves, 
  they must immediately move away from the Tree 
  Throne or be absorbed again.
  Tyrannon’s mightiest form can consume 
  and reincarnate other souls or spirits, the fate of 
  defeated dimension lords or mystics (this is mostly 
  a “plot device” ability, so it’s not represented in 
  HERO System terms). Devoured souls can fuel the 
  re-creation of destroyed Duplicates, or Tyrannon 
  can resurrect slain foes as fanatically loyal slaves. 
  Indeed, Tyrannon could turn a consumed spirit 
  into a new Duplicate outside the eight normal 
  classes of Thrones, Viceroys, and Emissaries by 
  paying points to add more Duplicates. The GM can 
  use these “extra” Duplicates to surprise heroes who 
  think they know the Conqueror’s limits.
  
  122 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  The Tree Throne is rooted to the spot. If the 
  Tree Throne wants to move, Tyrannon must use a 
  Dimensional Bridge or teleport using its Power Pool 
  (and take a large volume of soil with himself). This 
  is also the only Throne that cannot disguise itself 
  through Shape Shifting.
  The Tree Throne possesses a few special spells 
  for transforming and aﬀecting plant life. This form 
  also has a special aptitude for magic related to 
  plants, birth, growth, death, and necromancy.
  Campaign Use:  Meeting the Tree Throne is a pivotal 
  event in an adventure. Either the heroes launched a 
  daring attack at the heart of Tyrannon’s power — or 
  they are captured and about to die, if they cannot 
  escape quickly.
  On the other hand, the Tree Throne oﬀers 
  heroes their best chance to destroy Tyrannon. 
  When the Conqueror gathers himself together, the 
  heroes have a short period of time in which to kill 
  or imprison him before he re-grows his Duplicates 
  and becomes the Thousand-Headed God once 
  more. Simply destroying the Tree Throne would 
  greatly weaken Tyrannon for months, until another 
  Throne took over its role and Tyrannon defeated 
  and devoured a spirit powerful enough to metabo-
  lize into a new Throne form.
  See the introduction for suggestions about 
  making Tyrannon’s forms more or less powerful. 
  The Tree Throne cannot Hunt characters directly.
  Appearance:  This form of Tyrannon looks like 
  a gigantic tree 200 feet (30”) tall. A thick trunk 
  rises from a welter of roots that spread out over 
  and under the ground. Two powerful, branch-like 
  limbs sprout from the trunk, while ridges and 
  gashes in the trunk form a gnarled face. Hundreds 
  of smaller branches sprout from the tree-trunk. 
  The Tree Throne’s form and foliage slowly changes:  
  sometimes it looks like an oak, sometimes a pine, 
  a willow, or any other sort of tree, including trees 
  never seen on Earth. Dozens of heads, Thulkosian 
  and otherwise, grow like fruit on the branches, 
  giving the Throne the power to see all around itself. 
  Sometimes Tyrannon speaks from the Throne’s 
  main face; sometimes all the heads speak in unison.
  When the Tree Throne absorbs Tyrannon’s 
  other forms, it swells to twice its normal height and 
  girth. The Throne also looks more humanoid:  Its 
  trunk reshapes into a humanoid torso, with a crested 
  Thulkosian head instead of a face within the trunk. 
  The Tree Throne’s skin remains furrowed bark, 
  however, while branches bearing foliage and smaller 
  heads still sprout from the torso and the pair of great 
  arms — though the branches look much smaller in 
  comparison to Tyrannon’s colossal body.
  LESSER THRONE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   60 STR 
  50 
  21- 
  Lift 100 tons; 12d6 [6]
   28 DEX 
  54 
  15- 
  OCV:  9/DCV:  9
   40 CON 
  60 
  17-
   30 BODY 40 
  15-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   28 EGO 
  36 
  15- 
  ECV:  9
   50 PRE 
  40 
  19- 
  PRE Attack:  10d6
   4 COM 
  -3 
  10-
   30 PD 
  18 
   
  Total:  30 PD (30 rPD)
   30 ED 
  22 
   
  Total:  30 ED (30 rED)
   8 SPD 
  42 
   
  Phs:  2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12
   25 REC 
  10
   100 END 
  10
   80 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  387
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
   
  Flight:  5”/10”
   
  Teleportation:  15”/30”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  207 
  Divine Power:  Variable Power Pool  
  (Magic Pool), 100 base + 50 control cost; 
  Cannot Add To Or Modify Other Powers  
  Or Characteristics Powers (-¼) plus  
  Cosmic (+2); Only When In Thulkos  
  (-¼), Cannot Add To Or Modify Other  
  Powers Or Characteristics Powers (-¼) var
  169 
  Tyrannon’s Mighty Magic:  Multipower,  
  169-point reserve
  9u 
  1)  Power Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast  
  15d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  9u 
  2)  Ire Of Tyrannon:  Ego Attack 7½d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  9u 
  3)  Hand Of Tyrannon:  Telekinesis  
  (28 STR), BOECV (+1), Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  9u  
  4)  Might Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast  
  12d6, Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½) 
  9
  9u 
  5)  Bonds Of Tyrannon:  Entangle 4d6,  
  5 DEF, Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½), Cannot  
  Be Escaped With Teleportation (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  9u 
  6)  Curse Of Tyrannon:  Dispel Magic  
  25d6, any Magic power or spell one at  
  a time (+¼) 
  9
  9u 
  7)  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon:  RKA  
  1d6+1, BOECV (+1), Does BODY (+1),  
  Continuous (+1), +2 Increased STUN  
  Multiplier (+½), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  9u 
  8)  Tyrannon Is Legion:  Summon 4  
  400-point Emissaries 
  9
  4u 
  9)  First Shield Of Tyrannon:  Force Field  
  (10 PD/10 ED/6 Power Defense),  
  Hardened (+¼), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½) 
  0
  3u 
  10)  Second Shield Of Tyrannon:  Missile 
  Deﬂection (all Ranged attacks), +7 OCV 
  0
  4u 
  11)  Quelling Will Of Tyrannon:  Suppress 
  Magic Powers 7d6, any Magic power or  
  spell one at a time (+¼) 
  4
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  123 
  4u 
  12)  Tyrannon Goes Where He Wills:   
  Extra-Dimensional Movement (any  
  location in any dimension), Increased  
  Mass (200 kg) 
  4
  4u 
  13)  Astral Phasing:  Desolidiﬁcation 
  (aﬀected by spirit magic) 
  4
  4u 
  14)  Astral Leap:  Teleportation 15”,  
  Armor Piercing (+½) 
  4
  9u 
  15)  Fury Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast  
  9d6, Area Of Eﬀect (9” Radius; +1),  
  Double Knockback (+¾), Personal  
  Immunity (+¼); No Range (-½) 
  13
  7u 
  16)  Dimensional Bridge:  Extra- 
  Dimensional Movement (any physical  
  location in any dimension), Area Of 
  Eﬀect (One Hex; +½), Continuous  
  (+1), Uncontrolled (until Lesser Throne  
  loses consciousness; +½), Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Usable By Other 
  (+¼); Gate (-½), Extra Time (5 Minutes  
  to activate; -1) 
  0
  5 
  Dimensional Bridge Anchor:  Area Of  
  Eﬀect (15” Radius; +1) on Dimensional 
  Bridge; OAF Immobile (circle of pylons 
  inlaid with images of Tyrannon; -2); Extra 
  Time (5 Minutes to activate; -1) 
  0
  14 
  Tyrannon’s Toughness:  Hardened (+¼)  
  for 30 PD/30 ED 
  0
  37 
  Tyrannon’s Toughness:  Damage Resistance 
  (30 PD/30 ED), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  5 
  Tyrannon’s Toughness:  Lack of Weakness  
  (-5) for Normal Defenses 
  0
  10 
  Tyrannon’s Pitiless Gaze:  Sight Group  
  Flash Defense (10 points) 
  0
  19 
  Tyrannon’s Invincible Ego:  Mental  
  Defense (25 points total) 
  0
  5 
  Tyrannon’s Invincible Ego:  Damage  
  Resistance (10 Mental Defense)
  15 
  Tyrannon’s Mystic Fortitude:  Power  
  Defense (15 points) 
  0
  90 
  Tyrannon’s Godhood:  Life Support  
  (Total, including full Immunity as  
  described in Galactic Champions and  
  Longevity:  Immortality) 
  0
  10 
  Mystic Awareness:  Detect Magic 13-  
  (Sight Group), Discriminatory 
  0
  25 
  One Will In Many Bodies:  Mind Link,  
  speciﬁc group of up to 32 forms of  
  Tyrannon, any distance, any dimension,  
  Psychic Bond; Only With Others Who  
  Have Mind Link (-1) 
  0
  20 
  Tyrannon Ignores Gravity:  Flight 5”,  
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½),  
  Persistent (+½) 
  0
  125 
  Special Powers based on Throne’s form  
  (see see pages 128-32)
  Perks
  50 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Deity
   
  All the Bases, Vehicles or Followers that he 
  wants
  Skills
  3 
  Interrogation 19-
  3 
  AK:  Domains Of Tyrannon 13-
  3 
  KS: Blood Image Magic 13-
  3 
  KS: Dimension Lords 13-
  3 
  KS: Knowledge From Consumed Spirits 13-
  2 
  KS: Magic Styles 11-
  2 
  KS: Old Thulkosian Forge Alchemy 11-
  3 
  KS: Outer Planes 13-
  3 
  KS: Plans Of Tyrannon 13-
  4 
  Navigation (Dimensional) 14-
  3 
  Oratory 19-
  13 
  Power:  Thaumaturgy 18-
  3 
  Teamwork 15-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  955
  Total Cost:  1,342
  200+ Disadvantages
  30 
  Dependence:  must remain in Thulkos  
  (or near a wormhole to it) or suﬀer 3d6 
  damage per Minute (Very Common)
  35 
  Enraged:  Berserk when “betrayed” 
  (Common), go 14-, recover 11-
  10 
  Hunted:   Istvatha V’han 8- (As Pow)
  10 
  Hunted:   Skarn the Shaper 8- (As Pow)
  5 
  Hunted:   assorted cosmic entities and 
  dimension lords 11- (As Pow, Watching)
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Others’ Magic Senses 
  are MegaScaled to Detect Tyrannon  
  (Frequently; Slightly Limiting)
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Enormous (up to 8m 
  long or tall, up to 6,000 kg weight; -4 DCV, 
  +4 to PER Rolls to perceive) (Frequently, 
  Slightly Impairing)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Driven To  
  Dominate All The Multiverse (Very 
  Common, Total)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Convinced Of  
  His Utter Superiority (Very Common, Total)
  25 
  Unluck:  5d6
  20 
  Susceptibility and/or Vulnerability based  
  on Throne form (see pages 128-32)
  937 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  1,342
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR DIVINE POWER 
  POWER POOL
  Dimensional Surveillance:  For all his arrogance, 
  Tyrannon still appreciates the value of spying on 
  his enemies. A Lesser Throne can whip up a spell to 
  scry across dimensions to Earth — one lesser mys-
  tics have little chance to detect.
  Clairsentience (Sight, Hearing, and Magic Sense 
  Groups), Dimensional (Earth), Invisible to 
  Magic Sense Group (+½). Total cost:  75 points.
  Hole In The World:  The Earth Throne can command 
  the ground to split — all the way down into a plan-
  et’s mantle. Within an hour, this creates a volcano 
  that erupts for the next several million years until 
  it’s the size of, say, Hawaii. A group of heroes must 
  act quickly to ﬁnd a way to plug the hole before the 
  volcano buries a city.
  Tunneling 1” through 8 DEF material, Mega-
  Scale (1” = 100 km; +¾), Usable As Attack 
  (+1). Total cost:  71 points.
  
  124 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Infantilized Population:  The Reptile Throne can use 
  its mastery of time to reverse aging, rapidly Trans-
  forming everyone within hundreds of miles into 
  small children. They shall grow up again learning to 
  worship Tyrannon as their terrible Divine Father.
  Major Transform 1d6+1 (adult sentients to 
  children; reversed by killing/dispelling the 
  Reptile Throne), Area Of Eﬀect (6” Radius; 
  +1), Continuous (+1), MegaScale (1” = 100 
  km wide, broad, and deep; +¾). Total cost:  75 
  points.
  Tailored Attack:  If Tyrannon recognizes that a par-
  ticular enemy lacks a particular defense, he can 
  design an attack to exploit that deﬁciency. He could 
  also tailor attacks to exploit known Vulnerabilities 
  or Susceptibilities. (Is this fair or game balanced? 
  Of course not. Tyrannon is a cosmic entity who 
  doesn’t have to play by the same rules as the PCs.)
  Energy Blast 6d6, Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; 
  +½), NND (defense is something he knows the 
  target doesn’t have; +1). Total cost:  75 points.
  Background/History:  Each lesser Throne claims juris-
  diction over an area and population larger than the 
  Earth. They are Tyrannon’s ultimate weapon:  when 
  he sends one of his greatest selves into war, he intends 
  death and destruction on a scale of nations, if not 
  continents. Tyrannon’s subjects know the power of 
  his Thrones very well indeed. When a Throne appears 
  in a region apart from a scheduled state visit, they 
  know someone has displeased their god and they 
  shall soon face his awful and inescapable wrath.
  Personality/Motivation:  The Lesser Thrones show 
  Tyrannon’s arrogance and will to power in full 
  measure. Unfortunately, they also have the power 
  to back up the boasts. Tyrannon expects his Throne 
  forms to crush any opposition.
  Quote:  “Know, insolent worms, that at last you 
  face the full power of Tyrannon. Take pride in this 
  honor... in the few moments before you die.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Lesser Thrones combine awesome 
  physical power with nigh-limitless magical ability. 
  In addition to innate spells of formidable power, 
  each Lesser Throne has a hefty Variable Power Pool. 
  When a Throne assaults a world, it often generates 
  MegaScaled attacks to devastate wide regions and 
  incapacitate or kill entire populations.
  Their Variable Power Pools give Thrones diverse 
  options in personal combat, and they are smart 
  enough to use their powers eﬃciently. For instance, 
  a Throne could make itself Invisible to almost every 
  sense imaginable, ﬂy in, start Entangling enemies, 
  and then reveal itself to gloat a while. If Tyrannon 
  discovers a foe’s weakness, he will certainly tailor 
  an attack to exploit it. On the other hand, the Con-
  queror enjoys making a Throne invulnerable to 
  anything the heroes can throw at it, then laughing as 
  he blasts away with his innate spells... though heroes 
  may surprise Tyrannon with a power he didn’t antic-
  ipate and can’t defend against right away.
  Campaign Use:  When heroes encounter a Lesser 
  Throne, either they went looking for trouble, or 
  they made Tyrannon very angry. Tyrannon does 
  not send Thrones into action for any mission less 
  important than conquering a world, defeating an 
  army — or destroying his most persistent foes. PCs 
  should encounter a Lesser Throne only after clashes 
  with Emissaries and Viceroys, so they appreciate 
  the menace of Tyrannon’s greatest incarnations.
  See the introductory section for details about 
  making Tyrannon’s various forms more or less 
  powerful. Tyrannon commits a Lesser Throne to 
  Hunting characters only if they blocked several of 
  his attempts at conquest.
  Appearance:  Lesser Thrones are each about the 
  size of an elephant (unless a Throne uses its Vari-
  able Power Pool to change its size). Each Throne 
  combines diﬀerent aspects of its class of creature 
  or matter in an ever-changing fusion. For instance, 
  the Reptilian Throne might have the body of a huge 
  turtle, a long, snakey tail, scaled but humanoid arms 
  and legs, and the head of a crocodile, while the 
  Earth Throne is veined and layered with diﬀerent 
  metals and minerals. A Throne’s appearance changes 
  from hour to hour, or Turn to Turn in combat, as 
  body parts change their form or substance. A Lesser 
  Throne always includes some humanoid element, 
  and its head always bears the three crests typical of a 
  Thulkosian. A Lesser Throne may Shape Shift to look 
  like anything it wants, but Tyrannon always resumes 
  his true form in combat so his enemies will know 
  who destroyed them.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  125 
  VICEROY
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   50 STR 
  40 
  19- 
  Lift 25 tons; 10d6 [5]
   24 DEX 
  42 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   30 CON 
  40 
  15-
   20 BODY 20 
  13-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   24 EGO 
  28 
  14- 
  ECV:  8
   35 PRE 
  25 
  16- 
  PRE Attack:  7d6
   4 COM 
  -3 
  10-
   30 PD 
  20 
   
  Total:  30 PD (20 rPD)
   30 ED 
  24 
   
  Total:  30 ED (20 rED)
   6 SPD 
  26 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   20 REC 
  8
   100 END 
  20
   60 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  293
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
   
  Flight:  5”/10”
   
  Teleportation:  13”/26”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  146 
  Tyrannon’s Mighty Magic:  Multipower,  
  146-point reserve
  8u 
  1)  Power Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast  
  13d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  8u 
  2)  Ire Of Tyrannon:  Ego Attack 6½d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  8u 
  3)  Hand Of Tyrannon:  Telekinesis  
  (24 STR), BOECV (+1), Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  8u  
  4)  Might Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast  
  11d6, Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½) 
  8
  8u 
  5)  Bonds Of Tyrannon:  Entangle 5d6,  
  4 DEF, Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (+½), Cannot  
  Be Escaped With Teleportation (+¼) 
  8
  8u 
  6)  Curse Of Tyrannon:  Dispel Magic  
  Powers 22d6, any Magic power or spell  
  one at a time (+¼) 
  8
  8u 
  7)  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon:  RKA  
  1d6+1, BOECV (+1), Does BODY (+1),  
  Continuous (+1) 
  8
  3u 
  8)  Tyrannon Is Legion:  Summon 400-point 
  Emissary; Extra Time (One Turn; -1¼) 
  8
  4u 
  9)  First Shield Of Tyrannon:  Force Field  
  (10 PD/10 ED/6 Power Defense), Hardened 
  (+¼), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  3u 
  10)  Second Shield Of Tyrannon:  Missile 
  Deﬂection (all Ranged attacks), +5 OCV 
  0
  4u 
  11)  Quelling Will Of Tyrannon:  Suppress 
  Magic Powers 6d6, any Magic power or  
  spell one at a time (+¼) 
  4
  4u 
  12)  Tyrannon Goes Where He Wills:   
  Extra-Dimensional Movement (any  
  physical location in any dimension) 
  4
  4u 
  13)  Astral Phasing:  Desolidiﬁcation 
  (aﬀected by spirit magic) 
  4
  4u 
  14)  Astral Leap:  Teleportation 13”,  
  Armor Piercing (+½) 
  4
  8u 
  15)  Fury Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast  
  8d6, Area Of Eﬀect (8” Radius; +1),  
  Double Knockback (+¾), Personal  
  Immunity (+¼); No Range (-½) 
  12
  6u 
  16)  Dimensional Bridge:  Extra- 
  Dimensional Movement (any physical  
  location in any dimension), Area Of  
  Eﬀect (One Hex; +½), Continuous (+1), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Usable  
  By Other (+¼); Gate (-½), Extra Time  
  (5 Minutes to activate; -1) 
  0
  9 
  Dimensional Bridge Anchor:  Uncontrolled 
  (until anchor-disk broken; +½) for Dimen-
  sional Bridge; OAF Bulky (disk inlaid with 
  images of Tyrannon; -1½) 
  0
  20 
  Tyrannon’s Toughness:  Damage  
  Resistance (20 PD/20 ED) 
  0
  5 
  Tyrannon’s Toughness:  Lack of Weakness  
  (-5) for Normal Defenses 
  0
  5 
  Tyrannon’s Pitiless Gaze:  Sight Group  
  Flash Defense (5 points) 
  0
  15 
  Tyrannon’s Invincible Ego:  Mental  
  Defense (20 points total) 
  0
  15 
  Tyrannon’s Mystic Fortitude:  Power  
  Defense (15 points) 
  0
  90 
  Tyrannon’s Godhood:  Life Support (Total, 
  including full Immunity as described in 
  Galactic Champions and Longevity:   
  Immortality) 
  0
  10 
  Mystic Awareness:  Detect Magic 12-  
  (Sight Group), Discriminatory 
  0
  22 
  One Will In Many Bodies:  Mind Link,  
  speciﬁc group of up to 16 forms of  
  Tyrannon, any distance, any dimension,  
  Psychic Bond; Only With Others Who  
  Have Mind Link (-1) 
  0
  29 
  Tyrannon’s Malleable Form:  Shape Shift 
  (Sight and Touch Groups, any shapes of  
  that Viceroy’s class), Costs END Only to 
  Change Shape (+¼) 
  3
  20 
  Tyrannon Ignores Gravity:  Flight 5”,  
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½),  
  Persistent (+½) 
  0
  75 
  Special Powers based on Viceroy’s form 
  (see pages 128-32)
  Perks
  30 
  150 points for Bases and Followers
  10 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Head of State
  Skills
  3 
  Interrogation 16-
  3 
  AK:  Domains Of Tyrannon 12-
  2 
  KS: Blood Image Magic 11-
  3 
  KS: Magic Styles 12-
  3 
  KS: Outer Planes 12-
  3 
  KS: Plans Of Tyrannon 12-
  4 
  Navigation (Dimensional) 13-
  3 
  Oratory 16-
  7 
  Power:  Thaumaturgy 14-
  3 
  Teamwork 14-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  631
  Total Cost:  924
  200+ Disadvantages
  25 
  Dependence:  must remain in Thulkos (or 
  near a wormhole to it) or suﬀer 3d6 damage 
  per 5 Minutes (Very Common)
  35 
  Enraged:  Berserk when “betrayed” 
  (Common), go 14-, recover 11-
  
  126 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  10 
  Hunted:  Istvatha V’han 8- (As Pow)
  10 
  Hunted:  Skarn the Shaper 8- (As Pow)
  5 
  Hunted:  assorted cosmic entities and dimen-
  sion lords 11- (As Pow, Watching)
  5 
  Physical Limitation:  Large (4m tall; -2 DCV, +2 
  to perceive) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
  15 
  Physical Limitation:  Magic Senses are MegaS-
  caled to Detect Tyrannon (Frequently; Greatly 
  Limiting)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Driven To Dominate 
  All The Multiverse (Very Common, Total)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Convinced Of His 
  Utter Superiority (Very Common, Total)
  20 
  Unluck:  4d6
  20 
  Susceptibility and/or Vulnerability based  
  on Viceroy form (see pages 128-32)
  534 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  924
  Background/History:  Each Throne form emanates 
  ten Viceroys. These are smaller, less powerful ver-
  sions of the Throne. If Lesser Thrones ﬁll the role of 
  ICBMs, submarines, and other strategic weapons in 
  Tyrannon’s military plans, Viceroys are ﬁeld artillery 
  and attack aircraft:  they deliver a lot of damage on 
  a smaller scale, and they are hard for a small group 
  of ﬁghters to defeat without special weapons. A few 
  Viceroys can conquer, pacify, or destroy a city or a 
  small dimension.
  Personality/Motivation:  Viceroys display Tyrannon’s 
  self-absorbed megalomania in full measure. They have 
  enough power to ﬁght and win against many foes, but 
  are not as omnipotent as Tyrannon thinks. Viceroys 
  are also less intelligent than Thrones, and less skilled 
  overall. Viceroys are not actually stupid, but Tyrannon 
  tends to overestimate the skills of his Viceroys as well 
  as their power.
  Quote:  “You thought you knew the measure of Tyran-
  non. Now learn the depth of your mistake... for Tyran-
  non is legion!”
  Powers/Tactics:  A Viceroy has a good selection of 
  attack spells (though they lack the Variable Power Pool 
  that gives the Thrones such combat ﬂexibility). Vice-
  roys also have strength and toughness comparable to 
  a typical “brick,” and a variety of spells for perception 
  and movement.
  Viceroys keep a stable baseline form, but can use 
  magic to alter their shape into anything within their 
  particular class of life or matter:  thus, a Fluid Viceroy 
  can look like anything — but it’s still made of some 
  sort of liquid. An Insectoid Viceroy can look like any 
  sort of insect, though it keeps its huge size.
  Tyrannon’s Viceroys usually engage in straight-up 
  battles. A Viceroy’s favorite strategy is simply to keep 
  its Force Field up and blast away. If Tyrannon ﬁnds his 
  Viceroy outmatched, however, he may employ basic 
  deceptions such as pretending to retreat (using Deso-
  lidiﬁcation or Teleportation) while actually ﬁnding a 
  place to spy on his enemy from a distance and waiting 
  for a chance to take the characters by surprise.
  A Viceroy may possess a Base or Vehicle, possibly 
  including a magical superweapon. The Base or Vehicle 
  probably includes a stabilized Dimensional Bridge, 
  since Viceroys wither and die without such a contact 
  to Thulkos (or some other world where the people 
  worship Tyrannon). Lesser Thrones have Bases too, but 
  they keep them back in Thulkos or subject dimensions; 
  Viceroys may possess ﬁeld Bases built by Emissaries 
  and enslaved local labor.
  Campaign Use:  Tyrannon usually relies on his Viceroys 
  to ﬁght hero teams. One Viceroy gives a hero team a 
  good ﬁght, but a team can beat it; two Viceroys, or a 
  Viceroy and a few Emissaries, have a good chance to 
  defeat a team of typical superheroes who do not ﬁght 
  strategically. Viceroys show that Tyrannon is a force 
  that surpasses the PCs, but not hopelessly so.
  See the introduction for suggestions about 
  making Tyrannon’s forms more or less powerful. 
  When Tyrannon Hunts his enemies, he uses Viceroys 
  for straightforward assaults upon them.
  Appearance:  Just as each Throne presents a hybrid or 
  generic form of a state of life or matter, each Viceroy 
  looks like a speciﬁc type within that class. For instance, 
  the Reptile Throne has Viceroys shaped like a lizard, a 
  crocodile, a snake, a turtle, various sorts of dinosaurs, 
  and so on. The Earth Throne has Viceroys look like 
  misshapen, humanoid lumps of diﬀerent metals and 
  minerals. Fire Viceroys range from slender gas-jet 
  ﬂames to masses of hot ash and coals. Each set of ten 
  Viceroys includes one that looks like a Thulkosian, 
  shaped from the appropriate substance or given a suit-
  able integument. Viceroys are generally 12 to 13 feet tall 
  or long.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  127 
  EMISSARY
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   35 STR 
  25 
  16- 
  Lift 3,200 kg; 7d6 [3]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   23 CON 
  26 
  14-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   20 EGO 
  20 
  13- 
  ECV:  7
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   4 COM 
  -3 
  10-
   25 PD 
  18 
   
  Total:  25 PD (10 rPD)
   25 ED 
  20 
   
  Total:  25 ED (10 rED)
   5 SPD 
  20 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   15 REC 
  6
   46 END 
  0
   40 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  172
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
   
  Flight:  10”/20”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  94 
  Tyrannon’s Mighty Magic:  Multipower,  
  94-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Power Of Tyrannon:  Energy Blast 12d6 6
  6u 
  2)  Ire Of Tyrannon:  Ego Attack 5d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2
  6u 
  3)  Hand Of Tyrannon:  Telekinesis  
  (18 STR), BOECV (+1), Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  6u 
  4)  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon:  RKA  
  1d6, BOECV (+1), Does BODY (+1),  
  Continuous (+1) 
  6
  6u 
  5)  Banishment Of Tyrannon:  Dispel  
  Magic 16d6, any Magic spell or power  
  one at a time (+¼) 
  6
  6u 
  6)  Tyrannon Goes Where He Wills:   
  Extra-Dimensional Movement (any  
  physical location, any dimension), x16 
  Increased Mass 
  6
  3u 
  7)  First Shield Of Tyrannon:  Force Field 
  (8 PD/8 ED/5 Power Defense), Hardened 
  Defense (+¼), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  3u 
  8)  Second Shield Of Tyrannon:  Missile 
  Deﬂection (all Ranged attacks), +5 OCV 
  0
  3u 
  9)  Astral Leap:  Teleport 10”, Armor  
  Piercing (+½) 
  3
  10 
  Spiritual Substance:  Damage Resistance  
  (10 PD/10 ED) 
  0
  11 
  Mighty Will:  Mental Defense  
  (15 points total) 
  0
  5 
  Mystic Defense:  Power Defense (5 points) 0
  5 
  Mystic Awareness:  Detect Magic 11-  
  (Touch Group) 
  0
  10 
  One Will In Many Bodies:  Mind Link  
  to parent Viceroy, any distance, any  
  dimension, Psychic Bond; Only With  
  Others Who Have Mind Link (-1) 
  0
  30 
  Special Powers based on the Emissary’s  
  form (see pages 128-32)
  Perks
  10 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Head of State
  Skills
  3 
  Interrogation 13-
  2 
  KS: The Plans of Tyrannon 11-
  3 
  Oratory 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  228
  Total Cost:  400
  200+ Disadvantages
  35 
  Enraged:  Berserk when “betrayed” 
  (Common), go 14-, recover 11-
  10 
  Hunted:  Istvatha V’han 8- (As Pow)
  10 
  Hunted:  Skarn the Shaper 8- (As Pow)
  5 
  Hunted:  assorted cosmic entities and dimen-
  sion lords 11- (As Pow, Watching)
  20 
  Physical Limitation:  Dispelled When 
  Knocked Out (Frequently, Fully Limiting)
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Others’ Magic Senses 
  are MegaScaled to Detect Tyrannon (Fre-
  quently; Slightly Limiting)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Driven to Domi-
  nate All the Multiverse (Very Common, 
  Total)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Convinced of His 
  Utter Superiority (Very Common, Total)
  15 
  Unluck:  3d6
  20 
  Susceptibility and/or Vulnerability based  
  on Emissary form (see pages 128-32)
  25 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  400
  Background/History:  Each Viceroy of Tyrannon 
  emanates ten Emissaries, the weakest of the Con-
  queror’s forms. They form Tyrannon’s heavy infan-
  try as well as his messengers and recruiters. As the 
  most numerous class of Tyrannon’s forms, they are 
  also the aspect of the Conqueror that his enemies 
  encounter most often.
  Note that Emissaries are not immortal, nor 
  resistant to environmental eﬀects. Of all Tyrannon’s 
  forms, they are most often absorbed and re-created; 
  none of them exist long enough for natural aging to 
  become an issue. Normally, Duplicates would age 
  (or not) along with the original character. In this 
  case, however, the GM can ignore such details in 
  the interest of dramatic sense.
  Personality/Motivation:  Emissaries are just as over-
  bearing as Tyrannon’s greater forms. They are also 
  less intelligent than the Conqueror’s other forms. 
  An Emissary can carry out complex tasks under the 
  guidance of a Viceroy or Throne, but Tyrannon’s 
  Emissaries don’t adapt to suprises very well. When 
  an Emissary encounters something it ﬁnds con-
  fusing or surprising, it calls its parent Viceroy to 
  investigate.
  Quote:  “Fools! You face but the tiniest fraction of 
  Tyrannon’s power. Surrender now, and spare your-
  selves the pain and humiliation of defeat!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Tyrannon’s weakest forms are not 
  much more powerful than a typical starting super-
  hero. Emissaries have a limited selection of spells, 
  but are physically tougher than the average mystic. 
  
  128 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Their greatest strength is that they lack the greater 
  forms’ Dependence on planes where people wor-
  ship Tyrannon:  Emissaries can go to any dimen-
  sion and stay as long as they want.
  Instead, Emissaries suﬀer a more ambiguous 
  weakness. An unconscious Emissary vanishes and 
  returns to Thulkos, just as many spirits are dis-
  pelled by “killing” or knocking out their corporeal 
  form. On the one hand, Emissaries seldom truly die 
  in combat. On the other hand, once an Emissary 
  drops to negative STUN, it’s gone from the ﬁght 
  and has no chance to recover.
  Emissaries often scout a world before Tyrannon 
  invades in force. They learn about the people and 
  the world’s defenses, and may enlist ﬁfth columnists 
  through promises of favor under Tyrannon’s rule. 
  Most importantly, Emissaries can prepare the disks 
  and pylons needed to stabilize a Dimensional Bridge. 
  This requires the use of local artisans, since Tyran-
  non lacks the skills to build anything himself. An 
  Emissary simply bullies or bribes local people into 
  making the basic Foci, then consecrates the disks 
  and pylons through human sacriﬁce.
  Campaign Use:  A group of Emissaries can function 
  like a supervillain team. Emissaries can also act as 
  ﬁeld agents for a Viceroy that ﬁlls the role of a mas-
  termind villain — though of course, Viceroy and 
  Emissaries are really all the same character. That 
  may not be obvious the ﬁrst time heroes encoun-
  ter Tyrannon, if the Viceroy and Emissaries come 
  from diﬀerent classes of Tyrannon’s bodies. The 
  Conqueror may also use Emissaries for relatively 
  stealthy missions, such as recruiting gullible natives 
  as lackeys to prepare the way for an invasion.
  See the introduction for notes about increas-
  ing or decreasing the power of Tyrannon’s forms. 
  Tyrannon uses Emissaries to Hunt PCs in hit-and-
  run attacks, since he can most easily spare them 
  from other duties. Once Tyrannon knows an ene-
  my’s location, Emissaries Gate in and attack.
  Appearance:  Emissaries look like smaller forms 
  of their controlling Viceroy. A typical Emissary 
  stands six feet tall, though some are slightly larger 
  or smaller. Each one of an Viceroy’s Emissaries has 
  a diﬀerent color:  red, orange, yellow, green, blue, 
  purple, black, white, grey, and brown.
  TYRANNON’S  
  VARIED POWERS
  Avian Forms
  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon Special Effect:  Victim 
  shakes and vibrates, tearing himself apart.
  Cost Throne Powers and Skills 
  END
  45 
  Wings:  Flight +20” (25” total), x4 Non-
  combat, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
  Restrainable (-½) 
  0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  11u 
  1)  Tornado:  Energy Blast 14d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀect (7” Radius; +1); Does Not Work 
  Underwater Or In A Vacuum (-¼),  
  Random Knockback (see Champions,  
  page 153; -0) 
  13
  10u 
  2)  Wind Blast:  Energy Blast 14d6,  
  Double Knockback (+¾); Does Not  
  Work Underwater Or In A Vacuum (-¼) 12
  12u 
  3)  Suﬀocation:  Energy Blast 8d6, No  
  Normal Defense (defense is Life Support 
  [Self-Contained Breathing]; +1),  
  Continuous (+1) 
  12
  11u 
  4)  Airborne Supremacy:  Suppress Flight  
  or Gliding 8d6, one Power at a time (+¼), 
  Area Of Eﬀect (7” Radius; +1), Personal 
  Immunity (+¼), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) 
  5
  9u 
  5)  Weather Control:  Change Environment  
  8” radius, +/-10 Temperature Levels,  
  Multiple Combat Eﬀects, Varying Combat 
  Eﬀects, Varying Eﬀect (+1), MegaArea  
  (1” = 1 km broad and wide; +¼); No  
  Range (-½) 
  14
  3 
  Bump of Direction
  17 
  Power: Wind/Weather Tricks 20-
  3 
  KS: Air Magic 13-
  2 
  KS: Dimensional Magic 13-
  1 
  Navigation (Air; adds to Dimensional) 14-
  Total Cost:  +124 points
  Cost Viceroy Powers and Skills 
  END
  41 
  Wings:  Flight +18” (25” total), x4  
  Noncombat, Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½); Restrainable (-½) 
  0
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  129 
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  10u 
  1)  Tornado:  Energy Blast 12d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀect (6” Radius; +1); Does Not Work 
  Underwater Or In A Vacuum (-¼),  
  Random Knockback (see Champions,  
  page 153; -0) 
  12
  8u 
  2)  Wind Blast:  Energy Blast 12d6,  
  Double Knockback (+¾); Does Not  
  Work Underwater Or In A Vacuum (-¼) 10
  8u 
  3)  Weather Control:  Change Environment  
  8” radius, +/-7 Temperature Levels,  
  Multiple Combat Eﬀects, Varying Combat 
  Eﬀects, Varying Eﬀect (+1), MegaArea  
  (1” = 1 km broad and wide; +¼); No  
  Range (-½) 
  12
  3 
  Power: Wind/Weather Tricks 12-
  3 
  KS: Air Magic 12-
  1 
  Navigation (Air; adds to Dimensional) 12-
  Total Cost:  +74 points
  Cost Emissary Powers and Skills 
  END
  29 
  Wings:  Flight 15”, x4 Noncombat  
  Movement, Reduced Endurance (½ END; 
  +¼); Restrainable (-½) 
  1
  1 
  KS: Air Magic 8-
  Total Cost:  +30 points
  Val 
  Avian Form Disadvantage
  20 
  Susceptibility:  to Entangles, Grab, or  
  other restraints, 1d6 damage per Phase  
  of restraint (Common)
  Earth Forms
  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon Special Effect:  Stone 
  needles erupt from the victim’s ﬂesh.
  Cost Throne Powers and Skills 
  END
  69 
  Earth Passage:  Tunneling 7” through  
  DEF 7 material, Fill In, x8 Noncombat, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2
  11 
  Stone Body:  Armor (6 PD), Hardened (+¼) 0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  4u 
  1)  Earth Barriers:  Entangle 8d6, 5 DEF,  
  Variable Special Aﬀect (any mineral sub-
  stance; +¼); Only To Create Barriers (-1) 8
  6u 
  2)  Earthmoving:  Telekinesis (50 STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); Only 
  Versus Earth/Rock (-½) 
  4
  6u 
  3)  Tremors:  Energy Blast 12d6, Explosion 
  (+½), Personal Immunity (+¼); No Range 
  (-½), Only Aﬀects Targets On The Ground  
  (-¼), Only Does Knockdown, Not  
  Knockback (-0) 
  10
  6u 
  4)  Earth Lance:  Energy Blast 8d6,  
  Indirect (+¾); Target Must Be Within 8”  
  Of Earth Or Rock (-¼) 
  5
  9u 
  5)  Augment Earth:  Succor Earth Powers 
  9d6, any Earth power one at a time (+¼), 
  Ranged (+½), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  9u 
  6)  Quell Earth:  Drain Earth Powers  
  4½d6, any Earth power one at a time  
  (+¼), Ranged (+½), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  3 
  Power:  Earth Powers Tricks 13-
  2 
  SS: Geology 11-
  Total Cost:  +125 points
  Cost Viceroy Powers and Skills 
  END
  45 
  Earth Passage:  Tunneling 7” through  
  DEF 7 material, Fill In 
  4
  7 
  Stone Body:  Armor (4 PD), Hardened (+¼) 0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  3u 
  1)  Earth Barriers:  Entangle 6d6, 5 DEF,  
  Variable Special Aﬀect (any mineral sub-
  stance; +¼); Only To Create Barriers (-1) 8
  5u 
  2)  Earthmoving:  Telekinesis (40 STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); Only 
  Versus Earth/Rock (-½) 
  3
  5u 
  3)  Tremors:  Energy Blast 10d6,  
  Explosion (+½), Personal Immunity (+¼); 
  No Range (-½), Only Aﬀects Targets On  
  The Ground (-¼), Only Does  
  Knockdown, Not Knockback (-0) 
  9
  5u 
  4)  Earth Lance:  Energy Blast 7d6,  
  Indirect (+¾); Target Must Be Within  
  8” Of Earth Or Rock (within 8”; -¼)
  3 
  Power:  Mineral Tricks 12-
  2 
  SS: Geology 11-
  Total Cost:  +75 points
  Cost Emissary Powers and Skills 
  END
  30 
  Earth Passage:  Tunneling 6” through  
  DEF 6 material 
  3
  Total Cost:  +30 points
  Val 
  Earth Form Disadvantages
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Sonic/
  Vibration Attacks (Uncommon)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x BODY from Sonic/
  Vibration Attacks (Uncommon)
  Fire Forms
  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon Special Effect:  Target 
  catches ﬁre and burns from the inside out.
  Cost Throne Powers and Skills 
  END
  78 
  Flaming Body:  HKA 3d6, Continuous  
  (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); 
  Always On (-½), No STR Bonus (-½) 
  0
  20 
  Flaming Flight:  Flight +10” (15” total) 
  2
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  9u 
  1)  Fire Blast:  RKA 5d6, Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  8u 
  2)  Augment Flames:  Succor Fire 9d6,  
  any Fire power or spell one at a time 
  (+¼), Limited Range (20”; +¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  7u 
  3)  Quell Flames:  Drain Fire 4½d6, any  
  Fire power or spell one at a time (+¼), 
  Limited Range (20”; +¼) 
  7
  3 
  Power:  Flame Tricks 13-
  Total Cost:  +125 points
  Cost Viceroy Powers and Skills 
  END
  43 
  Flaming Body:  HKA 1½d6, Continuous  
  (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Reduced  
  
  130 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); 
  Always On (-½), No STR Bonus (-½) 
  0
  20 
  Flaming Flight:  Flight +10” (15” total) 
  2
  Added Multipower Slot:
  9u 
  1)  Fire Blast:  RKA 4½6, Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  3 
  Power:  Flame Tricks 12-
  Total Cost:  +75 points
  Cost Emissary Powers and Skills 
  END
  26 
  Flaming Body:  HKA 1d6, Continuous  
  (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); 
  Always On (-½), No STR Bonus (-½) 
  0
  Additional Multipower Slot:
  4u 
  1)  Fire Blast:  RKA 3d6 
  4
  Total Cost:  +30 points
  Val 
  Fire Form Disadvantage
  5 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from Water 
  Attacks (Uncommon)
  5 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x BODY from Water 
  Attacks (Uncommon)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to being in vacuum, under-
  water, or in other ﬁre-suppressant environ-
  ments, 1d6 damage per Turn character is in 
  such an environment (Uncommon)
  Fluid Forms
  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon Special Effect:  Victim’s 
  body dissolves into water or some other ﬂuid.
  Cost Throne Powers and Skills 
  END
  40 
  Fluid Body:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by 
  cold, heat, or ﬁre attacks); Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½), Cannot Pass Through 
  Solid Objects (-½) 
  0
  40 
  Fluid Movement:  Swimming +27”  
  (29” total), x4 Noncombat, Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  3 
  At Home In The Water:  Environmental 
  Movement:  Aquatic Movement (no  
  penalties in water) 
  0
  5 
  Watery Tentacles:  Extra Limbs (as many  
  as Throne wants) 
  0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  8u 
  1)  Dehydrate:  Energy Blast 6d6, NND 
  (defense is Power Defense or a body that 
  lacks liquids; +1), Aﬀects Physical World 
  (+2), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼);  
  Victims At Least 50% Immersed In Water 
  Get A Free Recovery Of This Damage  
  Each Phase (-½) 
  6
  9u 
  2)  Fluid Shaping:  Telekinesis (20 STR), 
  Aﬀects Porous, Area Of Eﬀect (96” Any  
  Area; +2), Reduced Endurance (0 END;  
  +½); Only Aﬀects Fluids (-½) 
  0
  14u 
  3)  Fluid Blast:  Energy Blast 8d6, Aﬀects 
  Physical World (+2), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½) 
  0
  3 
  AK: Thulkosian Seas And Oceans 13-
  3 
  KS: Physical Transformations 13-
  Total Cost:  +125 points
  Cost Viceroy Powers and Skills 
  END
  40 
  Fluid Body:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by 
  cold, heat, or ﬁre attacks); Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½), Cannot Pass Through 
  Solid Objects (-½) 
  0
  3 
  At Home In The Water:  Environmental 
  Movement:  Aquatic Movement (no  
  penalties in water) 
  0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  6u 
  1)  Dehydrate:  Energy Blast 4d6, NND 
  (defense is Power Defense or a body that 
  lacks liquids; +1), Aﬀects Physical World 
  (+2), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼);  
  Victims At Least 50% Immersed In Water 
  Get A Free Recovery Of This Damage  
  Each Phase (-½) 
  4
  5u 
  2)  Fluid Shaping:  Telekinesis (18 STR), 
  Aﬀects Porous, Area Of Eﬀect (5” Any  
  Area; +1), Reduced Endurance (½ END; 
  +¼); Only Aﬀects Fluids (-½) 
  3
  4u 
  3)  Fluid Movement:  Swimming +27”  
  (29” total), x4 Noncombat, Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  12u 
  4)  Fluid Blast:  Energy Blast 7d6, Aﬀects 
  Physical World (+2), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½) 
  0
  3 
  AK: Thulkosian Seas And Oceans 13-
  2 
  KS: Physical Transformations 11-
  Total Cost:  +75 points
  Cost Emissary Powers and Skills 
  END
  27 
  Fluid Body:  Desolidiﬁcation (aﬀected by 
  cold, heat, or ﬁre attacks); Cannot Pass 
  Through Solid Objects (-½) 
  4
  Additional Multipower Slot:
  3u 
  1)  Fluid Movement:  Swimming +20”  
  (22” total), x4 Noncombat Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2
  Total Cost:  +30 points
  Val 
  Fluid Form Disadvantage
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from Heat/Fire 
  Attacks (Common)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x BODY from Heat/Fire 
  Attacks (Common)
  Insect Forms
  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon Special Effect:  Victim 
  glows and gradually dissolves into luminous vapor.
  Cost Throne Powers and Skills 
  END
  60 
  Wings:  Flight +20” (25” total), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  10 
  Sticky Feet:  Clinging (normal STR) 
  0
  5 
  Light-Adjusted Eyes:  Sight Group Flash 
  Defense (+5 points; 15 points total) 
  0
  5 
  Master Of Mystic Defense:  Power Defense 
  (+5 points; 20 points total) 
  0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  9u 
  1)  Wizardbane Web:  Major Transform  
  7d6 (remove ability to cast one spell,  
  heals through another application of this 
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  131 
  spell or the death of the Throne);  
  Improved Results Group (remove any  
  one spell; +¼); Limited Target  
  (spellcasters; -½) 
  13
  9u 
  2)  Ward-Crushing Blast:  Energy Blast  
  9d6, NND (defense is Power Defense; +1) 9
  9u 
  3)  Solar Burst:  Sight Group Flash 8d6,  
  Area Of Eﬀect (5” Radius; +1), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  8 
  +4 Levels with Flight
  3 
  Analyze Magic 13-
  4 
  KS: Magic Item Enchantment 14-
  3 
  KS: Metamagic 13-
  Total Cost:  +125 points
  Cost Viceroy Powers and Skills 
  END
  25 
  Wings:  Flight +10” (15” total), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  10 
  Sticky Feet:  Clinging (normal STR) 
  0
  5 
  Light-Adjusted Eyes:  Sight Group Flash 
  Defense (+5 points; 10 points total) 
  0
  5 
  Master Of Mystic Defense:  Power Defense 
  (+5 points; 20 points total) 
  0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  11u 
  1)  Enchantment:  Major Transform 5d6  
  (give item magical powers, heals through  
  any successful application of a Dispel, the 
  death of the Viceroy, or another application  
  of this power), Improved Results Group  
  (any powers; +¼), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  8u 
  2)  Ward-Crushing Blast:  Energy Blast  
  8d6, NND (defense is Power Defense; +1) 8
  8u 
  3)  Solar Burst:  Sight Group Flash 7d6,  
  Area Of Eﬀect (4” Radius; +1), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  3 
  KS:  Enchantment 12-
  Total Cost:  +75 points
  Cost Emissary Powers and Skills 
  END
  20 
  Wings:  Flight +10” (15” total) 
  2
  10 
  Sticky Feet:  Clinging (normal STR) 
  0
  Total Cost:  +30 points
  Val 
  Insect Form Disadvantage
  20 
  Susceptibility:  to Sight Group Darkness 
  ﬁelds, 1d6 STUN per Phase Viceroy is within 
  such area (Common)
  Octopoid Forms
  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon Special Effect:  Victim 
  perceives an attack by whatever he most fears.
  Cost Throne Powers and Skills 
  END
  5 
  Many Tentacles:  Extra Limbs (6) 
  0
  20 
  Many Tentacles:  +2 SPD 
  0
  15 
  Long Tentacles:  Stretching 2”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  4 
  Aquatic Movement:  Swimming +4”  
  (6” total) 
  1
  3 
  At Home In The Water:  Environmental 
  Movement:  Aquatic Movement (no  
  penalties in water) 
  0
  22 
  Mental Sense:  Detect Minds 13- (no Sense 
  Group), Discriminatory, Targeting, Sense 0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  9u 
   1)  Enslaving Touch:  Major Transform  
  4d6 (target gains the Psychological  
  Limitation Believes He’s Part Of Tyrannon 
  [Very Common, Total], heals back when 
  Tyrannon so wills), BOECV (+1),  
  Works Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼);  
  No Range (-½) 
  13
  14u 
  2)  Psionic Surgery:  Minor Transform  
  5½d6 (remove or change a target’s  
  memories of events within the past year, 
  heals back normally), Improved Results 
  Group (any type of memory alteration;  
  +¼), BOECV (+1), Works Against EGO,  
  Not BODY (+¼) 
  14
  9u 
  2)  Tyrannon Commands The Senses:   
  Mental Illusions 18d6 
  9
  9u 
  3)  Tyrannon Commands The Will:   
  Mind Control 18d6 
  9
  9u 
  4)  Tyrannon Knows Your Inmost  
  Thoughts:  Telepathy 18d6 
  9
  3 
  KS: Mental Magic 13-
  3 
  PS: Psionic Surgeon 13-
  Total Cost:  125 points
  Cost Viceroy Powers and Skills 
  END
  5 
  Many Tentacles:  Extra Limbs (6) 
  0
  20 
  Many Tentacles:  +2 SPD 
  0
  7 
  Long Tentacles:  Stretching 1”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  2 
  Fast Swimmer:  Swimming +2”  (4” total) 1
  3 
  At Home In The Water:  Environmental 
  Movement:  Aquatic Movement (no  
  penalties in water) 
  0
  5 
  Mental Monitor:  Mind Link increased to  
  any mind 
  0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  8u 
  1)  Enslaving Touch:  Major Transform  
  3½d6 (target gains the Psychological  
  Limitation Believes He’s Part Of Tyrannon 
  [Very Common, Total], heals back when 
  Tyrannon so wills), BOECV (+1),  
  Works Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼);  
  No Range (-½) 
  12
  8u 
  2)  Tyrannon Commands The Senses:   
  Mental Illusions 16d6 
  8
  8u 
  3)  Tyrannon Commands The Will:   
  Mind Control 16d6 
  8
  8u 
  4)  Tyrannon Knows Your Inmost  
  Thoughts:  Telepathy 16d6 
  8
  1 
  KS: Mental Magic 8-
  Total Cost:  +75 points
  Cost Emissary Powers and Skills 
  END
  5 
  Many Tentacles:  Extra Limbs (6) 
  0
  20 
  Many Tentacles:  +2 SPD 
  0
  2 
  Aquatic Movement:  Swimming +2”  
  (4” total) 
  1
  3 
  At Home In The Water:  Environmental 
  Movement:  Aquatic Movement (no 
  penalties in water) 
  0
  Total Cost:  +30 points
  
  132 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Val 
  Octopoid Form Disadvantage
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from Area Energy 
  Attacks (Common)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x BODY from Area 
  Energy Attacks (Common)
  Reptile Forms
  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon Special Effect:  Victim 
  withers and ages to death.
  Cost Throne Powers and Skills 
  END
  37 
  Bite:  HKA 2d6 (4d6 with STR), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  9 
  Scaly Skin:  Armor (3 PD/3 ED) 
  0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  9u 
  1)  Slow Time:  Drain SPD 5d6, Ranged  
  (+½), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 3
  9u 
  2)  Fast Time:  Aid SPD 6d6, Ranged (+½) 0
  9u 
  3)  Age Change:  Major Transform 5d6  
  (any being or object into older/younger  
  version of itself; heals via the application  
  of any chronal manipulation power), 
  Improved Result Group (+¼) 
  9
  6u 
  4)  Time Senses:  Clairsentience (Sight  
  Group, Normal Hearing, and Mystic  
  Awareness), Precognition, Retrocognition, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼);  
  Precognition and Retrocognition Only (-½) 3
  3 
  Absolute Time Sense
  31 
  Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, out of 
  combat, Sense) 16-
  9 
  Lightning Reﬂexes:  +6 DEX to act ﬁrst with 
  All Attacks
  3 
  KS: Time Magic 13-
  Total Cost:  +125 points
  Cost Viceroy Powers and Skills 
  END
  31 
  Bite:  HKA 1½d6 (3d6+1 with STR), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  7u 
  1)  Slow Time:  Drain SPD 4d6, Ranged  
  (+½), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 3
  6u 
  2)  Age Change:  Major Transform 3½d6  
  (any being or object into older/younger  
  version of itself; heals via the application  
  of any chronal manipulation power), 
  Improved Result Group (+¼) 
  6
  5u 
  3)  Time Sight:  Clairsentience (Sight  
  Group and Mystic Awareness),  
  Precognition, Retrocognition, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼); Precognition  
  and Retrocognition Only (-½) 
  3
  3 
  Absolute Time Sense
  20 
  Danger Sense (self only, out of combat) 12-
  3 
  KS: Time Magic 12-
  Total Cost:  +75 points
  Cost Emissary Powers and Skills 
  END
  25 
  Bite:  HKA 1½d6 (3d6+1 with STR) 
  2
  Additional Multipower Slot:
  5u 
  1)  Slow Time:  Drain SPD 3d6, Ranged  
  (+½), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 2
  Total Cost:  +30 points
  Val 
  Reptile Form Disadvantage
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to environments colder than 
  40 degrees Fahrenheit, Drain DEX 1d6 per 
  Turn (Uncommon)
  5 
  Vulnerability: 1½ x STUN from Cold attacks 
  (Uncommon)
  5 
  Vulnerability: 1½ x BODY from Cold attacks 
  (Uncommon)
  Tree Forms
  Deadly Wrath Of Tyrannon Special Effect:  Vines, 
  mushrooms, or other plants sprout from and con-
  sume the victim’s body.
  Cost Viceroy Powers and Skills 
  END
  27 
  Tropisms:  Spatial Awareness (no Sense 
  Group), Range 
  0
  5 
  Grow Branches, Roots, And Vines:  Extra 
  Limbs (thousands), Inherent (+¼); No 
  Fine Manipulation (-¼) 
  0
  15 
  Extend Branches, Roots, And Vines:   
  Stretching 3”, Reduced Endurance (0  
  END; +½); Only With Extra Limbs (-½) 
  0
  Additional Multipower Slots:
  6u 
  1)  Animate Plants:  Telekinesis (20 STR), 
  Area Of Eﬀect (16” Radius; +1½), Selective 
  (+¼), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); 
  OIF (suﬃcient quantity and type of plants  
  of opportunity; -½) 
  4
  8u 
  2)  Command Plants:  Mind Control  
  13d6 (Plant group of minds), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  3 
  Thicketmaster:  Environmental Movement:  
  no penalties to combat or movement from 
  dense vegetation 
  0
  6 
  Concealment 16-; Only In Forests/Dense 
  Vegetation (-½)
  2 
  KS: Plant Magic 11-
  3 
  SS: Botany 13-
  Total Cost:  +75 points
  Cost Emissary Powers and Skills 
  END
  27 
  Tropisms:  Spatial Awareness (no Sense 
  Group), Range 
  0
  3 
  Thicketmaster:  Environmental Movement:  
  no penalties to combat or movement from 
  dense vegetation 
  0
  Total Cost:  +30 points
  Val 
  Tree Form Disadvantage
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to herbicides, 1d6 damage per 
  Turn of exposure (Uncommon)
  5 
  Vulnerability: 1½ x STUN from Death/
  Disease-based Attacks (Uncommon)
  5 
  Vulnerability: 1½ x BODY from Death/
  Disease-based Attacks (Uncommon)
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  133 
  MINIONS
  Tyrannon doesn’t rely exclusively on his own 
  power to conquer and rule other dimensions. His 
  demesnes spread so far that even the Thousand-
  Headed God can’t oversee them all. Reluctantly, 
  Tyrannon must delegate authority and recruit 
  minions.
  The Sunmaker’s army consists of Competent 
  Normal or Heroic-level people armed with minor 
  magical weapons or innate mystical abilities. 
  Tyrannon recruits his armies from throughout his 
  demesnes, so his soldiers possess a wide range of 
  abilities. The GM can use Skarn’s All-Purpose Petty 
  Obstacle Warrior (page 112) to represent the war-
  riors in the Legions of Tyrannon.
  Tyrannon foists the administration of con-
  quered territories onto satraps brought from 
  Thulkos or elevated from the native population. 
  Satraps seldom wield signiﬁcant personal powers 
  — Tyrannon permits no potential rivals — but 
  they can command large military forces in the 
  Conqueror’s name, build their own superweapons, 
  and launch their own assaults.
  Satraps gain little joy from their positions. 
  Tyrannon permits them any personal luxury or 
  abuse of the subject population... but a satrap must 
  fulﬁll any command the Conqueror places upon 
  them, no matter how unreasonable or impossible. 
  Failure means death, unless a satrap can persuade 
  Tyrannon that someone else caused the failure (and 
  even this does not work all the time).
  As a god, Tyrannon has priests. The Conquer-
  or’s priests remind his subjects of their absolute 
  submission to their god, make sacriﬁces to him, and 
  perform other priestly duties. Priests may possess 
  minor magic based on invoking Tyrannon’s various 
  forms (see accompanying text box).
  Satraps, soldiers, and priests retain their free 
  will, but only because they lack real power of their 
  own. Captured mystics or spirits face a more hor-
  rible fate:  Tyrannon turns them into puppets. The 
  Tree Throne can resurrect as a servant anyone 
  whose soul Tyrannon devoured. Any Throne can 
  brainwash a captured mystic or spirit so the victim 
  becomes fanatically loyal to Tyrannon; the Octo-
  poid Throne does this by touch. Tyrannon’s sigil 
  appears on the victim’s forehead as a visible token 
  of subjugation, even when the Transform is entirely 
  mental in game terms.
  Tyrannon makes his slaves believe they are 
  part of his collective identity, and a Throne may 
  monitor a slave through a Psychic Link. Mystics 
  who encounter the Slaves of Tyrannon do not 
  always realize they face a brainwashed victim 
  instead of an actual Duplicate. Since the Conqueror 
  has thousands of brainwashed slaves, some mystics 
  believe the Conqueror lives in thousands of bodies 
  at once, instead of hundreds.
  A telepath can free a Slave of Tyrannon by 
  reaching into the victim’s memory and remind-
  ing the victim of his connection to humanity (or 
  whatever species he comes from). If the telepath 
  can access the victim’s unconscious mind, he may 
  ﬁnd stray thoughts Tyrannon left by accident. These 
  may oﬀer clues to the Conqueror’s schemes.
  When Tyrannon invades a world, however, his 
  favorite minions are the Signifers. These jabbering 
  runts are one of the Conqueror’s weaker sorts of 
  slave — but they make more of themselves.
  TYRANNIST MAGIC
  Just as Western sorcery uses the elements, the planets, 
  or the sephiroth of Kabbalism to classify and control 
  all phenomena, Tyrannon’s sorcerer-priests use his 
  throne forms as the categories of existence. Each 
  throne represents a collection of concepts and powers, 
  as well as a type of life or matter:
  Form 
  Concepts And Powers
  Avian 
  Air, Space, Motion, Sound
  Earth 
  Minerals, Permanence, Restraint, Darkness
  Fire 
  Fire, Destruction, Mastery, Order
  Fluid 
  Water, Matter, Transformation, Artiﬁce
  Insectoid Energy, Light, Spirit, Metamagic
  Octopoid Mind, Emotion, Sensation, Illusion, Chaos
  Reptile 
  Time, Destiny, Chance, Luck
  Tree 
  Life, Death, Fertility, Nature
  Priests buy magic from Tyrannon through their sac-
  riﬁces. A Tyrannist sorcerer carries ﬁnger-sized idols 
  of the thrones. When he invokes that throne’s power 
  in a spell, he pierces his own ﬂesh with a needle and 
  smears a drop of blood on the appropriate ﬁgurine. The 
  disks and pylons that stabilize Dimensional Bridges 
  carry stylized representations of Tyrannon, and are 
  enchanted by bathing them in the blood of victims, 
  with appropriate rituals in praise of the Conqueror.
  
  134 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  SIGNIFER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   5 STR 
  -5 
  10- 
  Lift 50 kg; 1d6 [1]
   17 DEX 
  21 
  12- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   6 BODY -8 
  10-
   5 INT 
  -5 
  10- 
  PER Roll 10-
   14 EGO 
  8 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   2 COM 
  -4 
  9-
   7 PD 
  6 
   
  Total:  13 PD (6 rPD)
   7 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  17 ED (10 rED)
   3 SPD 
  3 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   5 REC 
  0
   36 END 
  0
   18 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  35
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  9”/18”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  48 
  Sign Of Tyrannon:  Major Transform  
  1d6 (physical change to Signifer, heals by 
  washing oﬀ Sign); Limited Target  
  (sentient beings; -¼), 12 Charges (-¼)  
  plus Major Transform 1d6 (mental  
  change to Signifer; reversed by washing  
  oﬀ Sign), BOECV (+1), Works Against  
  EGO, Not BODY (+¼); Limited Target  
  (sentient beings; -¼), Linked (-¼), 12 
  Charges (-¼) plus Major Transform 1d6 
  (spiritual change to Signifer; reversed by 
  washing oﬀ Sign), BOECV (+1), Works 
  Against EGO, Not BODY (+¼); Limited 
  Target (sentient beings; -¼), Linked (-¼),  
  12 Charges (-¼) 
  [12]
  16 
  Armored Costume:  Armor (6 PD/ 
  10 ED), OIF (-½) 
  0
  7 
  No Thought But Service:  Mental Defense  
  (10 points total) 
  0
  7 
  No Thought But Service:  +15 PRE; Only  
  To Protect Against Presence Attacks (-1) 
  0
  5 
  Tyrannon Does Not Grant Permission To Die:  
  Life Support (Longevity:  Immortality) 
  0
  6 
  Swift Scuttling:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  2
  Skills
  6 
  +3 OCV with Sign Of Tyrannon
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  95
  Total Cost:  130
  50+ Disadvantages
  25 
  Dependence:  must stay near Tyrannon’s 
  magic or suﬀer 3d6 damage per Hour 
  (Uncommon)
  15 
  Physical Limitation:  Mute (communicates only 
  by gestures) (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
  5 
  Physical Limitation:  Small, suﬀers +3” 
  Knockback from attacks (Infrequently, 
  Slightly Impairing)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Suicidally Obedi-
  ent To Tyrannon Or A Designated Master 
  (Very Common, Total)
  10 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  130
  Description:  Tyrannon created several dozen of 
  these servants through his vile magic. Over the 
  centuries, the Signifers expanded their number 
  to thousands, then millions — because their sole 
  attack changes their enemies into more Signifers. 
  These creatures have overrun whole worlds at the 
  Conqueror’s command, like a mystical plague.
  These spindly creatures stand just three feet 
  tall, and their hunched posture makes them look 
  even smaller. They have bone-white skin, big, bald 
  heads, pointed ears, and tiny shark eyes. Signifers 
  smell like vinegar, and jabber nonsense in thin, 
  shrill voices. They communicate by pointing, 
  jumping up and down, or other simple gestures. 
  Black, rubbery armor something like an articulated 
  wetsuit covers all of a Signifer’s body but its face, 
  hands, and feet. The chest of the armor bears the 
  sign of the Throne or Viceroy whom the Signifer 
  serves. Tyrannon’s sigil also glistens on a Signifer’s 
  forehead, as if the symbol were drawn in oily paint.
  A Signifer can project a mystic beam from the 
  sign on its forehead. Not only does this beam shock 
  targets, it leaves an oily copy of Tyrannon’s mark. 
  The victim feels his spine hunch for a moment, 
  or brieﬂy thinks about the need to serve the Con-
  queror, but the attack causes no long-term eﬀect 
  — unless the Transform accumulates enough to 
  change the victim into another Signifer, with his 
  own forehead mark and loyalty to Tyrannon. All 
  Signifers project identical attacks; at the GM’s 
  option, the Transform damage from diﬀerent Signi-
  fers can cumulate into a single “Transform attack.” 
  Dispelling any increment of the Transform restores 
  a Signifer to its former state; simply scrubbing oﬀ 
  the Sign Of Tyrannon with soap and hot water also 
  reverses the change.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  135 
  Tyrannon decreed that the 
  Signifers could not live without 
  him. They wither and die in hours 
  if they do not spend some time 
  every hour within 16” of one of 
  Tyrannon’s forms, or some person 
  or object empowered by the Con-
  queror’s magic. Tyrannon sometime 
  loans Signifers to duped minions, 
  or sends a force of Signifers to 
  accompany an Emissary. One of the 
  Conqueror’s simpler plans is simply 
  to wrap a world in some magi-
  cal eﬀect (a MegaScaled Change 
  Environment, for instance) and let 
  the Signifers multiply. Although a 
  single Signifer is a pathetically weak 
  opponent for a superhero, they 
  rarely appear less than a dozen at 
  a time.
  THULKOS
  Thulkos began as an Assiatic 
  dimension. Like Earth’s cosmos, 
  Thulkos started with a Big Bang. In 
  Thulkos, however, matter gathered 
  into circular loops rather than spheres. Thulkos 
  itself was a slender ring of rock, metal, water, and 
  air 500 miles thick but more than 160,000 miles 
  in diameter. This noodle-shaped world spun along 
  a threadlike “star” 2,000 miles wide but forming a 
  loop hundreds of millions of miles long. Thulkos 
  shared its star-thread with several other worlds of 
  various sizes. Some worlds were themselves ringed 
  by doughnut-shaped moons. Millions of other stars 
  circled in a ring-shaped galaxy over a hundred 
  thousand light-years wide, the only galaxy in this 
  Reality.
  After he conquered Thulkos, Tyrannon 
  reshaped his home dimension into a series of shells 
  centered on himself. In the process, he drastically 
  shrank Thulkos. This concentrated the dimension’s 
  ambient magic, permitting a cosmic structure that 
  would never work under previous natural laws. By 
  imposing his will on such a scale, however, Tyran-
  non also bound himself to Thulkos’s reality. Only 
  his weakest forms can survive without some con-
  nection to Thulkos.
  The very center of the dimension holds 
  Tyrankos, the Conqueror’s capital. Tyrankos is a 
  disk 100 miles wide and seven miles thick. One 
  side is landscaped with farmland, towns, temples 
  to Tyrannon, and concentration camps for sac-
  riﬁcial victims. The Tree Throne lives at the very 
  center of Tyrankos, so the entire dimension orbits 
  around Tyrannon’s mightiest form. The underside 
  of Tyrankos is bare, jagged rock. Tyrannon didn’t 
  bother giving Tyrankos’ underside gravity. Ironi-
  cally, the very heart of Tyrannon’s empire holds a 
  place the Conqueror ignores.
  Dozens of Thulkosian world-loops form a 
  ﬁligree cage around Tyrankos. The smallest world-
  loop is about 60,000 miles in diameter, while the 
  largest is 150,000 miles wide. The world-loops hold 
  bands of land and ocean, with mountains, deserts, 
  rivers, and other landscapes like those on Earth, 
  though many plants and animals look somewhat 
  diﬀerent. In all, the world-loops have a surface area 
  twenty times that of Earth.
  Air extends from Tyrankos all the way to the 
  outermost world-loop. Huge, magical sky-galleons 
  ﬂy from world to world. Their sails, painted in blood 
  with the sign of the Avian Throne, catch astral winds 
  created by Tyrannon for this purpose. For more rapid 
  transportation, Tyrannon created Gates between 
  worlds. A hundred billion people — humanoid 
  Thulkosians and several other species — live in this, 
  the heartland of the Conqueror’s empire.
  THE KAE LINN
  Around this shell of world-loops orbit the eight 
  globes called the Kae Linn. These eight magical 
  suns orbit between one to two million miles from 
  Tyrankos. Thulkosians receive day when their part of 
  a world-ring faces outward, toward the nearest Kae 
  Linn, and night when they face inward to Tyrankos. 
  On Tyrankos itself, at least half the distant Kae Linn 
  are in the sky at all times, so Tyrannon’s capital 
  receives a dim but constant daylight.
  Tyrannon created the Kae Linn by magic 
  — and each orb imprisons a god of sunlight, fertil-
  ity, and healing. Releasing these gods, who are also 
  called the Kae Linn, would snuﬀ the eight suns and 
  doom billions of Thulkosians to freezing death.
  
  136 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  BEYOND THE KAE LINN
  Beyond the Kae Linn lies a second and greater 
  shell — but this is a shell of star-threads. These 
  loops of glowing gas are thousands of miles thick 
  and hundreds of millions of miles wide. The larg-
  est are a billion miles in radius. Up to a dozen 
  world-loops of various sizes slide along each star-
  thread. Only one world-loop per star is habitable, 
  though. Tyrannon moved all the worlds settled 
  by Thulkosian humans to the core shell of worlds, 
  along with the homeworlds of the other sentient 
  races in his cosmos. The second shell received the 
  aliens’ colony worlds, and most of the other habit-
  able worlds Tyrannon found within his galaxy. 
  Trillions of people, from many species, live in this 
  second shell.
  A tenth of a light-year from Tyrankos, the third 
  layer begins. Thousands of star-threads, many with 
  world-loops, orbit the dimension’s core in a vast 
  smoke-ring of stars. This smoke ring extends out-
  ward two light-years, becoming sparser with greater 
  distance from the core. These thousands of stars are 
  all that remain of the rest of Thulkos’s galaxy:  Tyran-
  non destroyed every star-thread that was too small 
  or faint to support a life-bearing world, since he 
  didn’t want billions of “useless” stars and planets in 
  his universe. The Conqueror once planned to create 
  more habitable worlds in this outer star-ring, but 
  he now sees the conquest of other dimensions as a 
  quicker means to expand his rule.
  Tyrannon gives a low priority to patrolling the 
  sparesely-settled, widely-scattered worlds of this 
  cosmic hinterland. Instead of sending Emissaries, 
  he leaves the job of managing these frontier worlds 
  to merely mortal servants and soldiers. Anyone 
  who can escape to the star-ring can easily pass 
  beyond the reach of the Thousand-Headed God, so 
  long as Tyrannon does not think they are impor-
  tant. Beyond the intensely magical core of Thulkos, 
  however, the star-threads orbit in vacuum, so a 
  traveler between worlds needs some form of magi-
  cal transportation, such as a Gate.
  Beyond the smoke ring, a few star-threads and 
  sunless world-loops drift through the dark void. 
  Most of these are just bits of Thulkos that Tyran-
  non missed when he reconstructed the universe. 
  Some, however, hold gods imprisoned by Tyrannon 
  or hiding from him, both protected and isolated by 
  light-years of empty space. Exiled gods create small 
  environments to suit themselves. Gods in hiding 
  might even collect small communities of worship-
  pers through raids into the hinterlands of Thulkos. 
  The exiles hate Tyrannon... but that doesn’t neces-
  sarily make them better than him.
  MERGING WITH THULKOS
  When Tyrannon merges another dimension 
  with Thulkos, he places it in the star-shell or the 
  outer star-ring. Small dimensions often ﬁt on a single 
  world-loop. A whole planet, such as Earth, goes in 
  orbit around a star-thread. If Tyrannon does not 
  reshape the planet right away, the planet crumbles 
  and the wreckage forms a new ring-shaped world 
  around the star. Because Tyrannon commands it, 
  large sections of the inhabited surface remain intact. 
  The planet’s crumbling does not doom all the inhab-
  itants — just a large fraction of them.
  Tyrannon favors his native species in govern-
  ing his empire. Thulkosians look humanoid, but 
  their heads are longer than human’s. Instead of 
  hair, Thulkosians have three ridges or crests that 
  begin over the bridge of the nose and meet again 
  at the base of the skull. One ridge extends over the 
  top of the head, while the other two pass about an 
  inch over each ear. Thulkosian eyes have epicanthic 
  folds, giving them a somewhat Asian appearance. 
  Thulkosian skin ranges from pale green to dark 
  blue. Avian, reptilian, octopoid, and insectoid spe-
  cies come from other Thulkosian worlds. Tyrannon 
  also brings other races into Thulkos as he expands 
  his empire and merges dimensions, and these range 
  from utterly alien creatures to humans indistin-
  guishable from Earth-dwellers.
  The bulk of Tyrannon’s empire, however, lies 
  in other dimensions — the war with Istvatha V’han 
  prevents Tyrannon from merging dimensions as 
  often as he’d like. The Conqueror rules hundreds of 
  worlds or dimensions, ranging from little taﬀy-pull 
  realms with a few thousand inhabitants, to plan-
  ets as large and populous as Earth. Larger realms 
  receive more frequent visits from Emissaries and 
  Viceroys. Gates link these realms to Thulkos and 
  each other. Dozens of large Dimensional Bridges 
  might lead to a major world, while small realms 
  might be linked by just a few smaller Gates.
  Tyrannon conquers for the sake of conquest, 
  but also to gain ever-greater numbers of sacriﬁcial 
  victims. The Conqueror runs his empire like a 
  pyramid scheme. Each world must supply a certain 
  number of sacriﬁcial victims over a given time 
  period. The victims do not have to come from the 
  demesne’s own population, however. If the people 
  of that world assist in conquering another realm, 
  they may draw upon the other realm for their quota 
  of victims. That plane, in turn, may do the same by 
  assisting in the subjugation of a third dimension. If 
  Tyrannon’s vassals also want to squeeze demesnes 
  lower in the pyramid for other sorts of tribute, 
  that’s their own business. Tyrannon desires only 
  blood and any other sources of magical energy a 
  plane may possess. As his empire spreads, the Con-
  queror demands greater numbers of victims, and so 
  his power grows.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  137 
  FIGHTING TYRANNON
  Characters may despair of defeating a villain 
  as powerful as Tyrannon, who has multiple bodies 
  to boot. Nevertheless, Tyrannon has weaknesses to 
  exploit. If the heroes can’t destroy Tyrannon, perhaps 
  they can at least force him to leave Earth alone.
  THE KAE LINN
  Life in the inner shell of worlds depends on 
  the light of the Kae Linn. The Tree Throne also 
  needs this light — this form is a supernatural 
  tree, but a tree nonetheless, and plants need light 
  to survive. A convincing threat to destroy the Kae 
  Linn could penetrate Tyrannon’s arrogance and 
  force him to negotiate. Of course, destroying the 
  Kae Linn would also mean killing a hundred bil-
  lion people, and true heroes would balk at such 
  a deed — but Tyrannon doesn’t know that. He 
  killed billions to get his way, and assumes every-
  one else would, too.
  Less drastically, heroes could release the Kae 
  Linn without destroying the magical suns. How 
  to release gods imprisoned within planet-sized 
  globes of white-hot plasma is an exercise left to 
  players and GMs. Aside from their innate power, 
  and that Tyrannon doesn’t dare kill them, the 
  Kae Linn could start a religion to compete with 
  Tyrannon’s. The Conqueror presents himself as 
  the sole source of life in Thulkos — but the freed 
  Kae Linn could prove he isn’t, and so undercut 
  Tyrannon’s worship and sacriﬁce. Admittedly, 
  starting a religious war on Thulkos is a long-term 
  strategy against the Conqueror.
  THE EXILED GODS
  The man-gods whom Tyrannon exiled to the 
  deeps of space or other dimensions would gladly 
  help anyone who opposed Tyrannon. Whatever 
  their own morals may be, they want revenge on the 
  Conqueror. They would not make such good pros-
  pects for competing religions as the Kae Linn, but 
  they can certainly supply more ﬁrepower for a ﬁght.
  Most importantly, however, the exiled gods 
  remember how they, as mortals, merged with 
  Thulkos’s elemental spirits. That information 
  might help an expert magus design spells to bypass 
  Tyrannon’s defenses — perhaps even to sever the 
  bonds between his many selves. The exiles are also 
  the last beings who know how to repair and operate 
  the old Thulkosian magical machines.
  RELIC TECHNOMAGIC
  Once he conquered Thulkos, Tyrannon 
  outlawed the old alchemical technology. He did 
  not, however, change the laws of magic so that it 
  wouldn’t work. He became a god through such 
  devices; after becoming the Conqueror, Tyrannon 
  was no longer a skilled enough theorist to predict 
  the consequences of destroying the very magic that 
  created him. He might destroy himself too!
  Tyrannon did try to ﬁnd and destroy all exam-
  ples of spell-smithing, and purge all knowledge of 
  the art, but a few well-hidden caches of weapons 
  survive. Tyrannon probably is not Vulnerable to 
  spell-smith devices, since the old Thulkosians failed 
  to destroy him with such weapons, but heroes who 
  ﬁght the Conqueror need every weapon they can 
  get. Some devices might be powerful enough to kill 
  or incapacitate a Viceroy, if heroes used it properly.
  THE QUATERNION BANISHMENT
  Earth’s best protection against Tyrannon, 
  however, remains the Quaternion Banishment 
  (see page 84). Tyrannon cannot conquer the 
  Earth if the entire world becomes deadly to him. 
  He may still attack the Earth, but he could never 
  rule it... and the Multiverse has plenty of other 
  dimensions to conquer. Unfortunately, the last 
  mystic qualiﬁed to use the Quaternion Banish-
  ment died in 1908 — the last Archmage.
  OLD THULKOSIAN  
  MAGICAL NULLIFIER
  This specimen of Old Thulkosian technomagic consists 
  of several crystal globes mounted on an array of gim-
  balled metal rings, like an orrery. When the apparatus 
  turn, it casts a powerful ﬁeld that reduces any one 
  magical eﬀect by 30 Active Points. The device con-
  sumes enormous amounts of mystical energy; the Old 
  Thulkosians attached the device to a magical generator, 
  but heroes could try running it oﬀ their own power 
  — for a little while.
  Suppress Magic 10d6 (standard Eﬀect:  30 
  points), any Magic power one at a time 
  (+¼), Area Of Eﬀect (10” Radius; +1), 
  MegaScale (1” = 1 km wide, deep, and 
  broad; +¼), Power Can Draw END From 
  Character Or Endurance Reserve (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) (150 
  Active Points); OAF Bulky (-1½), Extra 
  Time (1 Turn to activate; -¾), Indepen-
  dent (-2), Requires A Spell Research Roll 
  (-½). Total cost:  26 points.
  
  138 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Background/History:  Cultures around the world 
  describe snakes or part-snake creatures as bestowers 
  of magical knowledge and power. Some of them work 
  for good; others, for evil. Here are a few examples:
  SUMERIA:  The primal dragon Tiamat owns the 
  magical Tablet of Destiny that gives rulership 
  of the Universe.
  EGYPT:  The solar serpent called the Uraeus 
  shows the king’s divine right to rule, granted by 
  Ra, the King of the Gods.
  CHINA:  Dragons are mostly benevolent crea-
  tures who control rivers and the weather and 
  have many magical powers. The trigrams of 
  the I Ching appear on the back of a “dragon 
  horse.”
  GREECE:  The semi-divine snake-man Cecrops, 
  an early king of Athens, teaches humans how to 
  build in stone. One story of Teiresias, Greece’s 
  most famous seer, says he gained his prophetic 
  powers when a serpent sent by Athena licked 
  his ears. A serpent led the healer-god Asclepius 
  to a magic herb. On the other hand, evil giants 
  like Typhon have serpents for legs.
  INDIA: The Nagas of India, like the Chinese 
  dragons, control rivers. Some legends paint 
  them as malevolent, but in other stories, they 
  guard Heaven and teach heroes.
  SEMITES: The Serpent, “subtlest of beasts,” 
  persuades Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from 
  the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The 
  name of the Seraphim, one of the highest 
  orders of angels, translates as “Fiery Serpents.”
  CENTRAL AMERICA: The Aztec Quetzalcoatl and 
  Mayan Kukulkan taught the civilized arts to 
  Man when they ruled as wise and good kings.
  Wizards know that all this is more than coin-
  cidence. The Mystic World includes two reptilian 
  powers. The Dragon is Earth’s supreme Power of 
  Evil. It wants to corrupt and rule mankind. The 
  mystic race of Nagas opposes the Dragon; they 
  seem to care about human welfare, although the 
  details of their motives remain inscrutable.
  Mythology remembers the Dragon under 
  many names:  Tiamat, Apep, the Midgard Serpent, 
  and many others. But these legends omit the great-
  est and most terrible truth about this primal power 
  of evil:  the Dragon exists within us, in the collec-
  tive unconscious of humanity.
  Strictly speaking, the Dragon does not occupy 
  a physical location. Wherever any human goes, the 
  Dragon goes too. The Dragon does, however, have 
  a focus of awareness and action, an astral form 
  chained beneath Faerie, glaring down on the Void 
  of Dreamless Sleep. Its vast mouth is a portal to the 
  Netherworld, which is why medieval artists repre-
  sented Hell within the jaws of a monster. As long as 
  that astral form remains bound, the Dragon cannot 
  use its full power against humanity.
  The titanic chains binding the Dragon only 
  seem to be made of steel — nothing physical can 
  bind the very idea of evil. Ancient magic forged the 
  Dragon’s chains out of the noblest aspects of human-
  ity, such as courage, altruism, faith, and honor. Tra-
  dition says a thousand chains restrain the Dragon. 
  When humanity follows its higher instincts, the 
  chains tighten. In times of cowardice or surrender to 
  evil, chains break, and the Dragon’s power grows. If 
  the Dragon broke free, humanity would cease to be 
  human — if anyone survived at all.
  For countless millennia, the Dragon has tried 
  to escape into the physical world — to become real. 
  In every age, various cults and sorcerers fall under 
  its sway and try to help it. The Dragon taught black 
  magic to mankind and spawned demons; its min-
  ions created the curses of lycanthropy and vam-
  pirism; it taught the ﬁrst empires how to rule by 
  armed terror and religious mystery. It still broods 
  and schemes to corrupt mankind, slipping its mon-
  strous dreams into the minds of humans too much 
  ruled by hate, fear, greed, and ambition.
  Where did the Dragon come from? How did 
  it lodge in the human soul? The few entities that 
  might know refuse to divulge the secret. Mystics 
  oﬀer many theories, though. Christian mystics 
  believe the Dragon is Satan himself:  just as the 
  Yahweh in Elysium is a mask for the true Supreme 
  God of the Multiverse, so the Dragon is a mask 
  for His adversary. Other mystics think the Dragon 
  might be a degenerate shadow of one of the Four 
  Zoas, or a spirit from the Outer Planes that some-
  how became trapped in the Astral Plane. A theory 
  that the Dragon personiﬁes the reptilian hindbrain 
  — the ancient part of the human brain responsible 
  for territoriality, aggression, and the will to power 
  — has become popular with mystics interested in 
  the new discoveries of science. Most mystics think 
  the remaining theories, like one occultist’s sug-
  gestion that the Dragon is a fusion of malevolent 
  ghosts from a prehistoric civilization of sentient 
  dinosaurs, are too wacky or stupid to need refuting.
  Regardless of the Dragon’s origin, how can 
  humanity get rid of this cancer on its collective 
  soul? So far, the only known way to destroy the 
  Dragon is to exterminate mankind. No one cares 
  much for that solution.
  THE DRAGON 
  AND THE NAGAS
  HIS VOICE IS HEARD 
  IN THE HURRICANE
  Hidden in the caverns of 
  inaccessible mountains, 
  or coiled in the unfath-
  omed depths of the sea, 
  he awaits the time when 
  he slowly arouses himself 
  into activity. He unfolds 
  himself in the storm-
  cloud, he washes his 
  mane in the darkness of 
  the seething whirlpools. 
  His claws are in the fork 
  of lightning, his scales 
  begin to glisten in the 
  bark of rain-swept pine 
  trees. His voice is heard 
  in the hurricane, which, 
  scattering the withered 
  leaves of the forest, quick-
  ens a new spring. The 
  dragon reveals himself 
  only to vanish.
  —Okakoro Kakuzo, 
  Book Of Tea
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  139 
  Even if humanity found some other way to 
  kill or expel the Dragon, psychic adepts warn of 
  appalling consequences. The Dragon is too much 
  part of us. Losing it, and the Netherworld in its 
  belly, would be the psychic equivalent of hack-
  ing oﬀ a limb. Faerie would fall apart without the 
  Dragon’s support as well, and that’s another hefty 
  chunk of the collective unconscious. The psychic 
  maiming would surely drive all humanity insane. 
  The Dragon, then, cannot be destroyed. Humanity 
  can only work to contain the Dragon and mitigate 
  its inﬂuence.
  Some mystics even suggest the coming of 
  the Dragon — the loss of humanity’s innocence, 
  however it happened — was a fortunate fall. The 
  Dragon, they say, links humanity to the spirit world. 
  Without it, humans could not work magic. As so 
  often happens with mysticism, however, no one can 
  prove or disprove such claims.
  Will this battle ever end? Will humanity never 
  escape this blight on its soul? The mystics oﬀer one 
  faint and distant hope. A few adepts — a very few 
  — break free of the Dragon’s inﬂuence by rising to 
  the ultimate heights of mental self-mastery. They 
  completely wall oﬀ or excise the part of their mind 
  that holds the Dragon; in a sense, their minds are 
  no longer human. Such masters progress beyond 
  even the Archmages. They usually lose all emo-
  tional commitment to humanity and depart for 
  other planes. Once every several hundred years, 
  though, a Master retains human compassion and 
  stays a while to help the rest of humanity through 
  his teachings. If all humanity can reach Enlighten-
  ment — not abandoning human nature but tran-
  scending it — the Dragon will be exorcised forever.
  Personality/Motivation:  The Dragon doesn’t have a 
  reason. It is evil, like water is wet. It has two great 
  desires:  to break free, and to conquer humanity. 
  If it ever succeeded in ruling the Earth, it would 
  plunge the world into ultimate misery, until Earth 
  and the Netherworld merged and even death would 
  not bring escape.
  Heroes cannot maneuver the Dragon into 
  helping them ﬁght other cosmic evils. The Dragon 
  would enjoy seeing most of the human race die 
  horribly, as long as some of its worshippers survive. 
  It doesn’t care if Skarn, Tyrannon, or anyone else 
  conquers humanity:  these cosmic evils might even 
  give it a chance to escape its bondage. In that case, 
  it would not need its minions any more and would 
  gladly destroy them as well.
  Quote:  “You would try to deceive Me? I know you 
  better than you know yourself:  your dreams, your 
  terrors, your darkest desires....” (Here the Dragon 
  tells the PC about something he thought was 
  utterly secret.)
  Powers/Tactics:  While bound on the Astral Plane, 
  the Dragon is indestructible. Only mind-based 
  attacks — Mental Powers, BOECV powers, Mental 
  Transforms, and the like — can possibly aﬀect the 
  Dragon (and its high Mental Defense makes that 
  unlikely). On the other hand, the Dragon has very 
  little power to aﬀect its surroundings. For all practi-
  cal purposes, GMs can treat the Dragon as an AI 
  controlling a set of powers (and that’s how he’s writ-
  ten up, though it also has PRE and Interaction Skills).
  Face to face, the Dragon attacks through its 
  unbelievable Presence. Seeing a monster whose 
  eye is the size of a city can be rather overwhelm-
  ing! The Dragon’s voice alone can terrify or compel 
  attention, and only persons of exceptional will-
  power can resist its hypnotic gaze. A character 
  who uses mental powers on the Dragon, however, 
  encounters something far worse. The Dragon 
  readily opens its mind to the character... and lets 
  him feel its inﬁnite foulness, the evil that he car-
  ries within himself. This usually overwhelms even 
  the strongest-willed mortal. However, the Dragon 
  cannot really control the long-term eﬀect of this 
  mammoth Presence Attack. Some maddened vic-
  tims might worship the Dragon (which the Dragon 
  likes), but enduring terror is more likely.
  The Dragon possesses equally formidable 
  psychic powers based on its connection to every 
  human mind. It can ﬁnd any human’s mind, any-
  where. This may take a while, in the case of people 
  with very high EGOs or who go to an Outer Plane, 
  but the Dragon can ﬁnd them eventually. No one, 
  either the target or any mentalist nearby, can detect 
  this Mind Scan, and no amount of Mental Defense 
  can block it, because the scan comes from inside 
  the target’s own mind. On the other hand, the 
  Dragon cannot locate nonhuman minds.
  Once the Dragon locates its target, it can 
  read the target’s mind. The Dragon must assign 20 
  points of the eﬀect rolled to making the Telepathy 
  unnoticeable. The Dragon’s Telepathy also accesses 
  minds from the bottom up — the reverse of the 
  way normal telepaths do. By rolling more than 
  the target’s EGO on its Telepathy roll, the Dragon 
  accesses the target’s unconscious mind. Through 
  this, it can tap into people’s dreams, neuroses, 
  and drives. At EGO +10 eﬀect, the Dragon reads 
  memories. Only at EGO + 30 can the Dragon read 
  surface thoughts, and it cannot reliably achieve 
  such a good result.
  Since Mental Defense counters the Dragon’s 
  Telepathy, a strong-willed character seldom needs 
  fear the Dragon getting anywhere close to his 
  conscious thoughts. The Dragon can watch his 
  dreams, however, and these may reveal a great deal 
  about the character. Eventually, the Dragon can 
  probably access the character’s memories. Unless 
  the Dragon’s target has an EGO + Mental Defense 
  total of at least 50, the Dragon can learn the char-
  acter’s Secret Identity, loved one, and major weak-
  nesses in a matter of weeks. The Dragon cannot 
  act on this information — but it may relay the 
  data to minions who can.
  Anyone willing to crawl between the Dragon’s 
  mighty teeth and down its throat ﬁnds himself 
  plummeting into the Netherworld. The Dragon 
  can deactivate this Power if it wants, but why 
  would it want to keep anyone out of Hell? With 
  the Dragon’s jaws chained, only a few people at 
  once can enter the Netherworld this way. Fortu-
  nately, only a few demons at a time can leave the 
  Netherworld this way, too. The Gate in the Drag-
  on’s gullet opens both ways.
  THE DRAGON  
  PLOT SEEDS
  One of the world’s most 
  famous heroes, whose 
  courage and honor 
  inspire millions (per-
  haps including the PCs), 
  starts acting erratically. 
  It could be because of 
  a string of bad luck, 
  from villains who make 
  unexpected getaways 
  to an embezzlement 
  scandal in the hero’s fan 
  club. Concerned PCs 
  ﬁnd the situation is far 
  worse than it seems:  
  the Dragon torments 
  the hero in his dreams, 
  advises the villains he 
  ﬁghts, wrecks his mar-
  riage, and makes him 
  suspect betrayal from 
  everyone close to him. If 
  the heroes cannot help 
  him break the Dragon’s 
  grip on his life, the hero 
  will spectacularly self-
  destruct. Even if the 
  hero doesn’t become a 
  supervillain, his disgrace 
  would disillusion mil-
  lions of people... and 
  break a chain on the 
  Dragon, for the hero is 
  himself a living chain.
  If the heroes fail to stop 
  a major villain’s plan, 
  thousands of people 
  might die. Only then 
  do the heroes discover 
  (because the GM 
  just decided) that the 
  Dragon put the plan 
  in the villain’s head, 
  as part of a scheme to 
  invade the material 
  world. Draconic cultists 
  and sorcerers such as 
  Giacomo Sylvestri were 
  nearby, ready to chan-
  nel the mystic power 
  of the deaths into a 
  spell to Summon the 
  Dragon Incarnate. Now 
  the heroes face a much 
  worse threat.
  A Draconic cult or 
  sorcerer creates the 
  Tiamat Brazier. Mystics 
  might notice the wave 
  of malignant psychic 
  force sweep over the city 
  at the next new moon. 
  Detective heroes and 
  Continued on next page
  
  140 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Finally, the Dragon has a Variable Power Pool 
  it cannot use — at least, not very much. The GM 
  decides how many powers the Dragon can produce 
  through its VPP, but the number should not be 
  large. Whenever the Dragon breaks a chain, it gains 
  another power through its VPP. When a new chain 
  is forged, the Dragon loses a slot.
  The Dragon can certainly use its Variable 
  Power Pool to force telepathic contact on anyone 
  who comes within its Line of Sight on the Astral 
  Plane. It can also Summon a few demons to attack 
  astral voyagers. Most Netherworld creatures obey 
  the Dragon without question and are happy to 
  murder some poor fool caught in the Dragon’s 
  mental snares or its overwhelming Presence. Other 
  powers should be based on mental eﬀects or the 
  Dragon’s close connection to the Netherworld. 
  The Dragon can use its Variable Power Pool 
  freely under one circumstance:  if some mortal 
  contacts the Dragon’s mind, the Dragon can create 
  any mental eﬀect it wants. The Dragon can only 
  aﬀect that character, however, on that Phase, and 
  the power cannot cost END.
  Resources:  The Dragon retains inﬂuence despite 
  being bound — after all, it’s part of every human 
  soul. Normally, the Dragon cannot access peoples’ 
  conscious minds, but it reads or inﬂuences dreams. 
  Sometimes its promptings slip through as a whis-
  per in the back of one’s mind. One whisper led 
  an arrogant explorer to a strange serpent’s cave in 
  Africa. Another prompted a geneticist to invent the 
  COIL gene and become King Cobra. No one could 
  say how much of the dark side of history was due 
  to the Dragon.
  Many people serve the Dragon directly. 
  Some are human cultists who deliberately open 
  themselves to the Dragon. Satanic cults further 
  the dragon’s goals, too. The entire Sylvestri clan of 
  sorcerers and Satanists (see Arcane Adversaries) 
  works for the Dragon.
  The Dragon also has inhuman servants. It 
  and its human servants create whole races of 
  monsters such as the Ophites. The greatest wave 
  of monster creation took place millennia ago, in a 
  conﬂict later mythologized as the battle between 
  Marduk and Tiamat. The Dragon’s servants strive 
  to locate surviving monsters from that battle, 
  sleeping in long-lost crypts or hidden places 
  of this and other worlds. They also create new 
  “Dragon Warriors” when they can.
  The Dragon’s greatest resource, however, 
  is its counsel. The Dragon is the ultimate secret 
  mastermind. It gathers vast amounts of informa-
  tion through peoples’ dreams and memories and 
  shares what it learns with its minions. Game-
  masters can assume that if any human knows 
  something, the Dragon can discover it in a month 
  or so. It can tell its minions about Mr. Big’s secret 
  escape tunnel, or a hero’s Secret Identity, or the 
  launch code for a nuclear missile....
  Campaign Use:  Skarn and Tyrannon are relatively 
  straightforward, in-your-face villains. The Dragon 
  is an example of a more metaphysical sort of master 
  villain, one who presents a spiritual threat more than 
  a physical danger (though the Dragon’s minions 
  provide plenty of menace to heroes’ lives). While 
  bound on the Astral Plane, the Dragon cannot ﬁght 
  characters directly — but it can tempt them, threaten 
  them through its minions, or try to drive them to 
  despair. The heroes can never hope to defeat the 
  Dragon through raw force, because it exists as an 
  idea in every human mind rather than as a corporeal 
  entity. To ﬁght the Dragon is to ﬁght Evil itself, in the 
  persons of its many mortal servants.
  The Dragon wants to become a physical crea-
  ture so it can work its malice against humanity 
  without the need for minions. Occasionally its ser-
  vants magically create a body on Earth as a conduit 
  for the Dragon’s mind and power. Bodies for the 
  Dragon vary widely, according to the power and 
  skill of their makers — they might be golems, crea-
  tures of magically-altered ﬂesh and blood, or con-
  structs of ectoplasm. The Dragon prefers to possess 
  bodies that resemble its base form, and its minions 
  try to satisfy it, but it may have a body that doesn’t 
  look at all draconic. Naturally, the Dragon’s ser-
  vants try to give it as powerful a body as they can 
  manage. When the Dragon incarnates itself, heroes 
  can ﬁght it directly. Destroying one of the Dragon’s 
  bodies merely thwarts one of its plans, though. The 
  real Dragon still exists.
  The Dragon is not the forgiving sort. It Hunts 
  anyone who thwarts its plans. If the Dragon cannot 
  locate an enemy’s mind directly, it searches other 
  people’s minds for memories of its target. The 
  pursuit could take months, even years — but the 
  Dragon has plenty of time. By itself, the Dragon can 
  send horriﬁc nightmares. Its minions can arrange 
  painful deaths. The Dragon relents only if its enemy 
  submits and accepts miserable, degrading servitude 
  of body and soul.
  If the Dragon is too powerful a foe, even while 
  chained in the Astral Plane, reduce or eliminate its 
  Variable Power Pool. The Dragon Bound cannot 
  ﬁght heroes anyway, unless they deliberately con-
  front it; the GM decides how much time and eﬀort 
  the Dragon allocates to Hunting the characters 
  through its proxies, and how much information 
  about them it passes to its minions. To make the 
  Dragon more powerful, remove Limitations on its 
  VPP so it has more ways to directly aﬀect charac-
  ters who confront it.
  Appearance:  Bound on the Astral Plane, the 
  Dragon looks about 400 miles long. Its stony scales 
  are the size of football ﬁelds; its eyes seem like lakes 
  of swirling, dark ﬁre. Mammoth iron chains wrap 
  about it, each link the size of a supertanker. Its back 
  sinks into the underside of the Land of Legends. A 
  few of the chains have broken, their ends trailing 
  into the void beneath.
  the police notice the 
  monthly spikes in crime. 
  Can the heroes ﬁnd the 
  cult’s secret temple and 
  destroy the Tiamat Bra-
  zier before the city sinks 
  into a mire of crime 
  and corruption? “On 
  the edge” heroes with 
  Enrageds or strong Psy-
  chological Limitations 
  might themselves have 
  committed crimes under 
  the Dragon’s inﬂuence.
  Continued from last page
  Ancient Serpent
  ‘And he seized the dragon, that ancient  
  serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and 
  bound him for a thousand years...’
  —Revelations 20:2
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  141 
  THE DRAGON BOUND
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   30 INT 
  20 
  15- 
  PER Roll 15-
   35 EGO 
  50 
  16- 
  ECV:  12
   10 DEX 
  0 
  11- 
  OCV:  3/DCV:  3
   40 PRE 
  40 
  17- 
  PRE Attack:  8d6
   4 SPD 
  20 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
  Total Characteristics Cost:  130
  Cost Power 
  END
  305 
  Potentially Inﬁnite Power:  Variable Power 
  Pool (Magic Pool), 175 base + 87 control 
  cost, Cosmic (+2); Very Limited Use (see 
  text; -1) 
  var
  16 
  Commanding Gaze:  +40 PRE; Only  
  For Presence Attacks (-1), Eye Contact 
  Required (-½) 
  0
  97 
  All The Evil Of The Human Soul:   
  +35 PRE; Only To Make Fear-Based  
  Presence Attacks As Part Of Mental  
  Damage Shield (-2) plus Damage Shield 
  (Mental; +½) for 115 PRE, Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  257 
  Locate Minds:  Mind Scan 30d6, Invisible 
  Power Eﬀects (Fully Invisible; +½),  
  Transdimensional (any dimension; +1), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only 
  Aﬀects Earth-Descended Humans (-½), 
  Mandatory Eﬀect (Dragon must always  
  allocate 20 points of eﬀect to making  
  Mind Scan unnoticed by victim; -¼) 
  0
  200 
  Read Minds:  Telepathy 20d6, Indirect  
  (+½), Invisible Power Eﬀects (Fully  
  Invisible; +½), Transdimensional (any  
  dimension; +1), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½); Only Aﬀects Earth- 
  Descended Humans (-½), Mandatory  
  Eﬀect (Dragon must always allocate 20 
  points of eﬀect to making Mind Scan  
  unnoticed by victim; -¼) 
  0
  80 
  Jaws Of Hell:  Extra-Dimensional  
  Movement (to a single location in the sky  
  of the Netherworld), x16 Increased Mass, 
  Area Of Eﬀect (12” Radius; +1), MegaScale 
  (1” = 1 km wide and deep; +¼),  
  Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½), Usable By Other (anyone in  
  area, but not the Dragon itself; +¼); Gate 
  (-½), Others Only (-½) 
  0
  15 
  Vast Eyes:  Sight Group Flash Defense  
  (15 points) 
  0
  15 
  Vast Ears:  Hearing Group Flash Defense  
  (15 points) 
  0
  7 
  Vast Will:  Mental Group Flash Defense  
  (7 points) 
  0
  35 
  Mind Like An Ocean:  Mental Defense  
  (35 points total), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  25 
  Beyond The Power Of Puny Mortals:  Power 
  Defense (20 points), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  35 
  Inescapable Awareness:  Detect Human 
  Minds (Mental Sense Group), Targeting, 
  Telescopic (+20 versus Range Modiﬁer) 
  0
  35 
  In Your Thoughts:  Mind Link, any four 
  human minds at a time, any distance, any 
  dimension 
  0
  Talents
  5 
  Eidetic Memory
  20 
  Universal Translator 15-
  Perks
  50 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Deity
   
  All the Followers and other resources it 
  “needs”
  Skills
  40 
  +20 OECV with Mind Scan
  25 
  +5 with any Background Skill
  3 
  Analyze Magic 15-
  3 
  Concealment 15-
  3 
  Conversation 17-
  5 
  Cramming
  3 
  Deduction 15-
  3 
  Persuasion 17-
  3 
  PS: Researcher 15-
  19 
  Spell Research (Inventor) 23-
  3 
  Scholar
  2 
  1) KS: Black Magic Horrors 15-
  2 
  2) KS: Current Events 15-
  2 
  3) KS: Human Evil 15-
  2 
  4) KS: Magic 15-
  2 
  5) KS: Mystic World 15-
  2 
  6) KS: Secret Things 15-
  2 
  7) KS: Subcultures 15-
  2 
  8) KS: Who Does What 15-
  2 
  9) KS: World History 15-
  2 
  10) KS: World Politics 15-
  3 
  Traveler
  1 
  1) AK: Astral Plane 11-
  1 
  2) AK: Babylon 11-
  2 
  3) AK: Earth 15-
  1 
  4) AK: Elysium 11-
  2 
  5) AK: Dreamzone 15-
  1 
  6) AK: Land of Legends 11-
  2 
  7) AK: Netherworld 15-
  Total Abilities Cost:  1,340
  Total Character Cost:  1,470
  200+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Hunted:   Nagas and their allies 14- (Less 
  Pow, Bind Further)
  10 
  Hunted:   Great Powers of Babylon, Elysium, 
  and Faerie 8- (As Pow, Destroy/Bind Fur-
  ther)
  25 
  Physical Limitation:  Bound, can act in only 
  limited ways (All The Time, Fully Impairing)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Lusts To Rule And 
  Corrupt Humanity (Very Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Relishes Fear And 
  Pain (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Hates/Fears Non-
  human Or Transcendent Minds (Uncom-
  mon, Strong)
  15 
  Reputation:  supreme power of evil, 14- 
  (Extreme, Limited Group [Mystic World])
  1,145 Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  1,470
  THE MIDGARD 
  SERPENT
  Straightway Odin cast 
  the serpent into the 
  deep sea, where he lies 
  all about the land; and 
  this serpent grew so 
  greatly that he lies in 
  the midst of the ocean 
  encompassing all the 
  land, and bites upon his 
  own tail.
  —Snorri Sturluson, The 
  Prose Edda
  TIAMAT
  Sharp of tooth and 
  unsparing of fang.
  [Tiamat] ﬁlled their 
  bodies with venom 
  instead of blood.
  She cloaked ferocious 
  dragons with fearsome 
  rays,
  And made them bear 
  mantles of radiance...
  —Enuma Elish
  
  142 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR POTENTIALLY 
  INFINITE POWER POWER POOL
  Dreamscape:  The Dragon forces a group of people 
  into a shared hallucination. It may use this dreams-
  cape to tempt the characters, threaten them, reveal 
  damaging secrets, or delude them with subtle lies.
  Mental Illusions 14d6, Area Of Eﬀect (11” 
  Radius; +1); Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½). 
  Total cost:  175 points.
  Forced Mental Contact:  The Dragon forces a tele-
  pathic communion on a group... whether the 
  people want it or not. Everyone learns the worst 
  about each other. Characters can resist the eﬀect 
  with an EGO Roll, but suﬀer a -3 penalty if they 
  have any Strong Psychological Limitations, or -5 
  for Total Psychological Limitations or Enrageds. 
  This power works on all sentient creatures, human 
  or not.
  Telepathy 10d6, Area Of Eﬀect (13” Radius; 
  +1), Usable As Attack (defense is EGO Roll to 
  hide one’s thoughts and resist peeping on others, 
  see text; +1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½). 
  Total cost:  175 points.
  Horriﬁc Hypnosis:  If the Dragon snares someone with 
  its hypnotic gaze, it can paralyze the victim with sheer 
  terror and despair. This also works well on foolish 
  mentalists who try to attack the Dragon’s mind.
  Entangle 4d6, 5 DEF, BOECV (+1), Takes No 
  Damage From Physical Attacks (+¼), Works 
  Against EGO, Not STR (+¼), Invisible To Sight 
  And Hearing Groups (+¾), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½). Total cost:  169 points.
  Killing Thought:  The Dragon can hurl its malevolent 
  will against someone who contacts its mind, caus-
  ing a brain stroke through sheer overload of terror.
  RKA 3d6+1, BOECV (+1), Does BODY (+1), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½). Total cost:  
  175 points.
  Master The Mad:  Anyone driven insane by contact 
  with the Dragon’s mind might become the Dragon’s 
  slave. The Dragon can ensure this happens by strik-
  ing directly at the foolhardy mentalist’s will.
  Major Transform 4d6 (normal human to 
  human with the Psychological Limitation 
  Worships The Dragon [Very Common, Total], 
  heals back through psychoanalysis or the like), 
  BOECV (+1), Works Against EGO, Not BODY 
  (+¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (165 
  Active Points); Limited Target (only people who 
  suﬀer an EGO + 40 eﬀect from the Dragon’s 
  Presence Damage Shield; -1). Total cost:  82 
  points.
  Usurp The Will:  The Dragon can take over the body 
  of anyone who meets its dreadful gaze or opens his 
  mind to it, turning the person into a puppet.
  Telekinesis (30 STR), Fine Manipulation, 
  BOECV (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½). Total cost:  137 points.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  143 
  THE DRAGON INCARNATE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   110 STR 
  100 
  31- 
  Lift 100 ktons; 22d6  [11]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   40 CON 
  60 
  17-
   35 BODY 50 
  16-
   28 INT 
  18 
  15- 
  PER Roll 15-
   30 EGO 
  40 
  15- 
  ECV:  10
   40 PRE 
  30 
  17- 
  PRE Attack:  8d6
   0 COM 
  -5 
  9-
   30 PD 
  8 
   
  Total:  30 PD (30 rPD)
   30 ED 
  22 
   
  Total:  30 ED (30 rED)
   6 SPD 
  32 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   30 REC 
  0
   80 END 
  0
   110 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  379
  Movement: 
  Running:  10”/20”
   
  Flight:  30”/240”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  175 
  Potentially Inﬁnite Power:  Variable Power 
  Pool (Magic Pool), 120 base + 60 control 
  cost, Cosmic (+2); May Only Be Used  
  Once Per Turn (-1), May Only Create  
  One Power At A Time (-1), Cannot Add  
  To Or Modify Other Powers Or  
  Characteristics Powers (-¼) 
  var
  100 
  Monstrous Attacks:  Multipower,  
  100-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Swat:  HA +11d6, Area Of Eﬀect  
  (One Hex; +½), Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 4
  7u 
  2)  Wing/Tail Sweep:  HA +8d6 HA, Area  
  Of Eﬀect (18” Cone; +1¼), Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼); Hand-To- 
  Hand Attack (-½) 
  4
  9u 
  3)  Claw/Bite:  HKA 5d6 (10d6 with STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3
  5u 
  4)  Swallow Into Hell:  Extra-Dimensional 
  Movement (to a single location in the sky  
  of the Netherworld), Area Of Eﬀect (One 
  Hex; +½), Usable As Attack (defense is 
  dimensional powers; +1) 
  5
  9u 
  5)  Fire Breath:  RKA 5d6, Personal  
  Immunity (+¼); 16 Charges (-0) 
  [16]
  10u 
  6)  Lightning Breath:  Energy Blast 20d6;  
  16 Charges (-0) 
  [16]
  9u 
  7)  Frost Breath:  RKA 2d6, NND (defense  
  is Safe Environment:  Intense Cold, or  
  having ﬁre/heat powers; +1), Does  
  BODY (+1); 16 Charges (-0) 
  [16]
  10u 
  8)  Rip The Mind:  Ego Attack 8d6,  
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  10u 
  9)  Delude The Senses:  Mental Illusions  
  16d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  10u 
  10)  Master The Will:  Mind Control 16d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  10u 
  11)  Know Inmost Thoughts:  Telepathy  
  16d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  8u 
  12)  Psychic Lock:  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, 
  BOECV (+1), Takes No Damage From  
  Physical Attacks (+¼), Works Against  
  EGO, Not STR (+¼); Cannot Form  
  Barriers (-¼) 
  10
  110 
  All The Evil Of The Human Soul:  +75  
  PRE; Only To Make Fear-Based Presence 
  Attacks As Part Of Mental Damage  
  Shield (-2) plus Damage Shield (Mental;  
  +½) for 115 PRE, Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½) 
  0
  27 
  Tireless In Combat:  Reduced Endurance  
  (½ END; +¼) for 110 STR 
  0
  5 
  Legs And Tail:  Extra Limbs (3) 
  0
  90 
  Long Reach:  Stretching 12”, Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  14 
  Steel-Hard Scales:  Hardened (+¼) for  
  30 PD/30 ED 
  0
  37 
  Steel-Hard Scales:  Damage Resistance  
  (30 PD/30 ED), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  10 
  Huge Eyes:  Sight Group Flash Defense  
  (10 points) 
  0
  5 
  Huge Ears:  Hearing Group Flash Defense  
  (5 points) 
  0
  5 
  Accustomed To Hell’s Stench:  Taste/Smell 
  Group Flash Defense (5 points) 
  0
  30 
  Immense Bulk:  Knockback Resistance -15” 0
  5 
  Too Vast To Harm:  Lack of Weakness  
  (-5) for Normal Defenses 
  0
  17 
  Godlike Will:  Mental Defense (20  
  points total), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  25 
  Divine Defense:  Power Defense (20  
  points), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  90 
  Immortal And Indestructible:  Life  
  Support (Total, including full Immunity  
  as described in Galactic Champions  
  and Longevity:  Immortality) 
  0
  8 
  Massive Legs:  Running +4” (10” total) 
  2
  58 
  Mighty Wings:  Flight 30”, x8 Noncombat, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼);  
  Restrainable (-½) 
  3
  30 
  Sense The Soul:  Detect Soul/Spirit 15-  
  (no Sense Group), Discriminatory,  
  Range, Targeting 
  0
  5 
  Dark-Adjusted Eyes:  Nightvision 
  0
  12 
  Keen Eyes:  +8 versus Range Modiﬁer for 
  Sight Group 
  0
  25 
  Connection to All Humanity:  Mind Link,  
  any one human mind, any distance, any 
  dimension 
  0
  Perks
  50 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Deity of several cults
  Talents
  5 
  Eidetic Memory
  20 
  Universal Translator 15-
  Skills
  15 
  +5 with Monstrous Attacks Multipower
  25 
  +5 with any Background Skill
  3 
  Analyze Magic 15-
  3 
  Concealment 15-
  3 
  Conversation 17-
  5 
  Cramming
  3 
  Deduction 15-
  3 
  Persuasion 17-
  13 
  Power: Thaumaturgy 20-
  3 
  PS: Researcher 15-
  CULTS OF  
  THE DRAGON
  Many cults serve the 
  Dragon, though not all 
  of them fully under-
  stand what they serve. 
  These range from inter-
  national cults with thou-
  sands of members, to 
  tiny covens of less than 
  a dozen people. Here are 
  some of the more pow-
  erful cults:
  The Bone Children:  
  Vampires lead this small 
  but noxious cult, which 
  combines Draconic wor-
  ship with necromancy. 
  The vampire-priests 
  promise the cultists 
  “immortality” if they die 
  in service to the cult... 
  then reanimate the cult-
  ists as zombies. Very 
  few cultists reach the 
  ultimate reward of being 
  turned into a vampire to 
  join the leadership.
  The Cult Of The Red 
  Banner:  Located in 
  China, the Dragon’s 
  largest cult worships 
  it in the form of Lóng 
  Wang, the “Dragon 
  King.” Higher initiates 
  learn their god’s other 
  name:  Szé Lóng, the 
  Death Dragon. The cult 
  takes its name from its 
  symbol, a red ﬂag bear-
  ing a Chinese ideogram. 
  Red Banner cultists 
  practice martial arts, 
  and high-ranking priests 
  can cast spells. The cult 
  has trained or empow-
  ered several superhu-
  man operatives, and is 
  far larger and more dan-
  gerous than the Chinese 
  government believes.
  Ouroboros:  One of the 
  principle Western cults 
  worships the Dragon 
  under the name of 
  Abraxas, a Gnostic god 
  of time, enlightenment, 
  and magic. Ouroboros 
  claims descent from 
  ancient Gnostic cults, 
  though the actual orga-
  nization began in the 
  nineteenth century. 
  The cult teaches mem-
  bers that their status 
  Continued on next page
  
  144 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  3 
  Spell Research (Inventor) 15-
  3 
  Scholar
  2 
  1)  KS: Black Magic Horrors 15-
  2 
  2)  KS: Current Events 15-
  2 
  3)  KS: Human Evil 15-
  2 
  4)  KS: Magic 15-
  2 
  5)  KS: Mystic World 15-
  2 
  6)  KS: Secret Things 15-
  2 
  7)  KS: Subcultures 15-
  2 
  8)  KS: Who Does What 15-
  2 
  9)  KS: World History 15-
  2 
  0)  KS: World Politics 15-
  3 
  Traveler
  1 
  1)  AK: Astral Plane 11-
  1 
  2)  AK: Babylon 11-
  2 
  3)  AK: Earth 15-
  1 
  4)  AK: Elysium 11-
  2 
  5)  AK: Dreamzone 15-
  1 
  6)  AK: Land of Legends 11-
  2 
  7)  AK: Netherworld 15-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  1,176
  Total Cost:  1,555
  200+ Disadvantages
  30 
  Enraged:  Berserk when deﬁed or insulted 
  (Very Common), go 11-, recover 14-
  15 
  Dependence:  must receive 100 human 
  sacriﬁces every day or suﬀer 3d6 damage 
  (Uncommon)
  15 
  Distinctive Features:  Every sensitive on Earth 
  knows it’s loose (Not Concealable; Cause 
  Horror; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses)
  10 
  Hunted:  Nagas and their allies 14- (Less Pow, 
  Capture)
  10 
  Hunted:  Great Powers of Babylon, Elysium, 
  and Faerie 8- (As Pow, Destroy/Capture)
  20 
  Physical Limitation:  Colossal (about 60” 
  long and weighs 6 ktons; suﬀers -12 DCV 
  and +12 on PER Rolls to perceive him) (All 
  The Time, Greatly Impairing)
  15 
  Physical Limitation:  Very Limited Manipula-
  tion (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Lusts To Rule And 
  Corrupt Humanity (Very Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Relishes Fear And 
  Pain (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Hates/Fears Non-
  human Or Transcendant Minds (Uncom-
  mon, Strong)
  15 
  Reputation:  supreme power of evil, 14- 
  (Extreme, Limited Group [Mystic World])
  15 
  Unluck:  3d6
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from attacks with 
  BOECV and Does BODY (Uncommon)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x BODY from attacks with 
  BOECV and Does BODY (Uncommon)
  5 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from attacks with 
  Transdimensional (Uncommon)
  5 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x BODY from attacks with 
  Transdimensional (Uncommon)
  5 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from attacks with 
  Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (Uncommon)
  5 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x BODY from attacks with 
  Aﬀects Desolidiﬁed (Uncommon)
  1,105 Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  1,555
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR POTENTIALLY 
  INFINITE POWER POWER POOL
  Entropic Fire:  The Dragon growls, its eyes shine 
  with dark ﬁre, and a wide area shimmers with the 
  dark iridescence. Flesh and wood rots, girders rust, 
  glass cracks, and stone and concrete crumble into 
  sand. People die and buildings collapse after just a 
  few uses of this attack.
  RKA 2d6, Area Of Eﬀect (24” Radius; +1½), 
  Indirect (ignores barriers to act throughout an 
  area; +¾), Penetrating (+½). Total cost:  112 
  points.
  Hell Gate:  The Dragon can call open Gates to the 
  Netherworld, so demons can invade. The Hell Gate 
  manifests as a circle of black stone ﬂickering with 
  sulfurous ﬂames.
  Extra-Dimensional Movement (any physical 
  location in the Netherworld), x2 Increased 
  Mass, Area Of Eﬀect (One Hex; +½), Con-
  tinuous (+1), Usable By Other (+¼), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½). Total cost:  97 points.
  Horriﬁc Hypnosis:  If the Dragon snares someone 
  with its hypnotic gaze, it can paralyze the victim 
  with sheer terror and despair.
  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, BOECV (+1), Takes No 
  Damage From Physical Attacks (+¼), Works 
  Against EGO, Not STR (+¼), Reduced Endur-
  ance (½ END; +¼). Total cost:  110 points.
  Killing Thought:  The Dragon can hurl its malevolent 
  will against someone who contacts its mind, caus-
  ing a brain stroke through sheer overload of terror.
  RKA 2d6, BOECV (+1), Does BODY (+1), +2 
  Increased STUN Multiplier (+½). Total cost:  
  105 points.
  Description:  This is an extremely strong ectoplas-
  mic body for the Dragon — one powerful enough 
  to devastate armies and defeat whole teams of 
  heroes. Creating such a body for the Dragon would 
  require the use of a high-powered artifact like the 
  Tablet of Destinies and the sacriﬁce of hundreds, if 
  not thousands, of mortal victims. More likely, the 
  Dragon’s minions would incarnate it in a less pow-
  erful body and increase its power through further 
  rituals of mass human sacriﬁce.
  Thus incarnate, the Dragon loses much of 
  its contact with the minds of all humanity, but it 
  gains tremendous destructive power. Its gigantic 
  body can crush a tank in one bite, knock over a 
  skyscraper with a swat of its paw, or send a whole 
  convoy ﬂying with a sweep of its wing or tail. Nor 
  need the Dragon fear most mundane weapons.
  On top of that, the Dragon still wields 
  immense magical power. Some are physical (for 
  as divine souls makes 
  them no longer bound 
  by conventional notions 
  of good and evil — they 
  can do what they want, 
  or whatever Abraxas 
  commands, because the 
  deeds of the body do 
  not aﬀect the enlight-
  ened soul.
  The Sons Of Kingu:  
  This small Middle 
  Eastern cult worships 
  Tiamat, the primal 
  power of chaos from 
  Mesopotamian mythol-
  ogy. According to myth, 
  after the gods defeated 
  Tiamat and her army 
  of monsters, they 
  made humanity from 
  the blood of Kingu, 
  the chief lieutenant of 
  Tiamat. The Sons of 
  Kingu try to awaken the 
  divine-diabolic power of 
  Kingu’s blood in them-
  selves, gaining minor 
  mystical powers such 
  as unnatural strength, 
  toughness, and endur-
  ance. The cult seeks an 
  artifact called the Milk 
  of Tiamat, which they 
  believe will transform 
  them into monsters — a 
  new army for Tiamat.
  Vritrasangha:  This cult 
  in India worships the 
  Dragon under the name 
  of Vritra, the serpent-
  demon of drought and 
  death who threatens the 
  gods in the Hindu Vedas. 
  Vritrasangha members 
  gain their magic through 
  extreme asceticism that 
  would kill anyone who 
  didn’t spend years train-
  ing to endure such self-
  torture. Like the Circle 
  of the Scarlet Moon (see 
  Arcane Adversaries), the 
  cultists can combine 
  their powers in group 
  rituals, but most of 
  their spells take a week 
  or more to cast. Vritra-
  sangha is particularly 
  skilled at death-curses 
  and materializing coun-
  terfeit people called 
  tulpas.
  Any of these cults might 
  work together, if the 
  Dragon ordered it.
  Continued from last page
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  145 
  example, it can exhale devastating blasts of ﬁre, 
  lightning, or cold); others are psychic, for the 
  dragon remains a master of minds. If the Dragon 
  wants to take the time, it can cast powerful spells 
  for any other eﬀect it wants. It retains its Damage 
  Shield:  anyone who invades the Dragon’s mind 
  encounters the concentrated horror of all human-
  ity’s evil.
  Free to act with this sort of power, the Dragon 
  ravages the world, destroying whole cities for the 
  fun of it. In a few days, however, it settles down 
  to establishing its New World Order. It selectively 
  annihilates centers of government and uses its 
  mental powers to enslave political, military, busi-
  ness, and cultural leaders. The very people needed 
  to rally humanity against the Dragon become its 
  front men.
  The Dragon then sets itself up as a god, with 
  Giacomo Sylvestri as chief acolyte. The various 
  Satanic cults join it at once. King Cobra and VIPER 
  soon follow as they rec-
  ognize the true Supreme 
  Serpent. The Dragon’s 
  minions recruit other evil 
  organizations (such as drug 
  syndicates, racist groups, and 
  opportunistic supervillains) 
  by promising them power 
  over their enemies. Gates 
  to the Netherworld unleash 
  the Hordes of Hell on the 
  Dragon’s enemies. Unless the 
  heroes can destroy the Drag-
  on’s body, within a month 
  it rules the world and the 
  Earth becomes a Hell of tor-
  ment and despair — forever.
  Fortunately, such a 
  mighty incarnation comes 
  with correspondingly severe 
  weaknesses. The Dragon 
  Incarnate is still only a pro-
  jection or extension of the 
  real Dragon, and that makes 
  it vulnerable to attacks that 
  disrupt its astral cohesion. 
  It needs at least 100 human 
  sacriﬁces presented to it 
  every day, in a ritual that 
  takes 20 minutes; without 
  that ritual, its ectoplasmic 
  body starts to unravel. If 
  the Dragon can go a month 
  with a proper sacriﬁce every 
  day, it loses this Depen-
  dence.
  The Dragon’s aura 
  of evil is so powerful that 
  every mystic and psychic in 
  the world knows it’s loose, and has some idea where 
  it is. Within an hour of its manifestation, it’s likely 
  that every heroic super-mage in the world (and 
  some villains) will mobilize to ﬁght the Dragon and 
  its minions. The Heavenly Hosts of Elysium follow 
  as soon as they can ﬁnd a way to Earth, to engage 
  the infernal legions of the Netherworld. Babylon 
  and Faerie send what aid they can, though the 
  Dragon’s servants surely raise havoc in these realms 
  as well. But can even these mighty forces defeat the 
  massed legions of Evil itself?
  In this form, the Dragon stretches about 400 
  feet long from nose to tail. It resembles a classic 
  European dragon, with batlike wings, huge claws 
  and teeth, scales the size of shields, and a jagged 
  crest running along its head and down its spine. 
  Most of its slender body is shiny black, but the 
  scutes along its belly are blood-red.
  
  146 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  THE TIAMAT BRAZIER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   35 STR 
  25 
  16- 
  Lift 3,200 kg; 7d6 [3]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   25 CON 
  30 
  14-
   14 BODY 8 
  12-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   23 EGO 
  26 
  14- 
  ECV:  8
   30 PRE 
  20 
  15- 
  PRE Attack:  6d6
   0 COM 
  -5 
  9-
   29 PD 
  22 
   
  Total:  29 PD (13 rPD)
   29 ED 
  24 
   
  Total:  29 ED (13 rED)
   5 SPD 
  22 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   15 REC 
  6
   50 END 
  0
   45 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  210
  Movement: 
  Running:  12”/24”
   
  Swimming:  0”/0”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  43 
  Mental Flame:  Multipower,  
  75-point reserve; all slots IAF Fragile  
  (ﬂame in head; -¾)
  4u 
  1)  Breathe Fire:  RKA 4d6, Reduced  
  Endurance (½ END; +¼); IAF Fragile  
  (ﬂame in head; -¾) 
  3
  3u 
  2)  Hypnotic Flaming Eyes:  Mind Control 
  10d6, Telepathic (+¼), Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END; +¼); IAF Fragile (ﬂame in head; 
  -¾), Eye Contact Required (-½) 
  3
  4u 
  3)  Burn Into The Mind:  Telepathy 12d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); IAF 
  Fragile (ﬂame in head; -¾) 
  3
  4u 
  4)  Scorch Psychic Foes:  Ego Attack 6d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); IAF 
  Fragile (ﬂame in head; -¾) 
  3
  1u 
  5)  Fan The Flames Of Id:  Mind Control  
  6d6, Telepathic (+¼), Area Of Eﬀect  
  Nonselective (5” Radius; +¾), MegaScale  
  (1” = 1 km; +¼), Trigger (next selﬁsh,  
  antisocial urge; +¼); IAF Fragile (ﬂame  
  in head; -¾), Set Eﬀect (Act on urge; -½),  
  No Range (-½), Only At The Dark Of The 
  Moon (-2), Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2) 
  7
  37 
  Claws:  HKA 2d6 (3½d6 with STR),  
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  13 
  Made Of Iron:  Damage Resistance  
  (13 PD/13 ED) 
  0
  10 
  Sees By Magic:  Sight Group Flash  
  Defense (10 points) 
  0
  15 
  Will Of The Dragon:  Mental Defense  
  (20 points total) 
  0
  7 
  Animated By Magic:  Power Defense  
  (7 points) 
  0
  50 
  Animated By Magic:  Life Support:  Total 
  (Includes Longevity:  Immortality) 
  0
  10 
  Large Iron Body:  Knockback Resistance -5” 0
  12 
  Long Legs:  Running +6” (12” total) 
  2
  -2 
  Sinks Like A Rock:  Swimming -2” (0” total) 0
  10 
  Knows All Minds:  Targeting for Mental 
  Awareness 
  0
  Perks
  25 
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Divine avatar, revered by 
  minor cult
  Talents
  20 
  Universal Translator 13-
  Skills
  6 
  +2 OCV or DCV with Claws
  3 
  Analyze Magic 13-
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  3 
  Concealment 13-
  3 
  Deduction 13-
  3 
  Persuasion 15-
  3 
  Scholar
  2 
  1)  KS: Black Magic Horrors 13-
  2 
  2)  KS: General Magic 13-
  2 
  3)  KS: Human Evil 13-
  2 
  4)  KS: Mystic World 13-
  2 
  5)  KS: Secret Things 13-
  2 
  6)  KS: Who’s Who in Everything 13-
  2 
  7)  KS: World History 13-
  2 
  8)  KS: World Politics 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  306
  Total Cost:  516
  200+ Disadvantages
  30 
  Enraged:  Berserk if head ﬂame extinguished 
  (Common), go 14-, recover 14-
  15 
  Enraged:  when deﬁed or insulted (Very 
  Common), go 8-, recover 14-
  15 
  Hunted:  Doctor Teneber 11- (As Pow, 
  Destroy)
  15 
  Physical Limitation:  Very Limited Manipula-
  tion (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Large (2” long, weighs 
  800 kg, -2 DCV and +2 to others’ PER Rolls 
  to perceive it) (Infrequently, Greatly Impair-
  ing)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Exists To Corrupt 
  And Rule Mankind (Very Common, Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful (Very 
  Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Relishes Pain And 
  Suﬀering (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  supreme power of evil, 11- 
  (Extreme, Limited Group [Mystic World])
  15 
  Susceptibility:  to head ﬂame extinguished, 
  1d6 damage per Turn until it re-ignites ﬂame 
  (Common)
  15 
  Susceptibility:  to being inside a Mental 
  Defense area or barrier, 1d6 damage per 
  Phase (Uncommon)
  131 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  516
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  147 
  Description:  The Dragon could manifest on Earth 
  by possessing a golem body specially created for 
  that purpose — such as the Tiamat Brazier. Any 
  halfway competent group of sorcerer heroes can 
  defeat and destroy the Tiamat Brazier; even a single 
  hero could do it with good strategy. Of course, the 
  heroes have to get past its cultists or other defend-
  ers ﬁrst....
  The Tiamat Brazier’s strength, claws, and resis-
  tance to most forms of damage make it a formidable 
  combatant. Its mystical powers make it even more 
  dangerous. It can breathe jets of ﬁre, read minds, and 
  hypnotize anyone who meets its ﬂaming eyes.
  Worst of all, on the night 
  of the new moon, it can send 
  a wave of psychic force sweep-
  ing outward for about three 
  miles. Everyone in the Area 
  of Eﬀect has his mind opened 
  further to the Dragon’s inﬂu-
  ence. The next time the 
  person feels some selﬁsh, 
  antisocial urge — to shoplift 
  something he can’t aﬀord, 
  to beat the hell out of that 
  annoying kid, to force himself 
  on the pretty girl who keeps 
  saying no — the Dragon 
  nudges him act on that urge. 
  (This is an EGO + 10 Eﬀect:  
  something the target wouldn’t 
  mind doing.) After the Tiamat 
  Brazier Fans The Fires Of Id, 
  an incredible wave of beat-
  ings, muggings, thefts, rapes, 
  and murders follows. Strong-
  willed heroes can ignore the 
  Tiamat Brazier’s perﬁdious 
  inﬂuence... but what happens 
  to the city?
  The Tiamat Brazier is 
  a knobby, black iron statue 
  of an emaciated, wingless 
  dragon. The top of the head, 
  however, is cut oﬀ to form 
  a bowl of ﬁre. This ﬁre also 
  shines through the red glass 
  eyes. This ﬁre is the Tiamat 
  Brazier’s greatest weakness:  if 
  the ﬂame goes out, the golem 
  goes berserk, cannot use its 
  mental powers, and gradually 
  loses its magical life-force. It’s 
  an ordinary ﬂame, susceptible 
  to all the usual methods of 
  extinguishing it — a Called 
  Shot to the head with a blast 
  from a ﬁre extinguisher, or 
  any other such attack that 
  could disrupt a small ﬁre. A 
  similar but more rapid weak-
  ening happens if the Brazier 
  enters an area protected by 
  Mental Defense; for instance, 
  if a Mental Defense Force 
  Wall surrounded it. Such an area interferes with the 
  Dragon’s possession of the golem body.
  The Dragon does its best to keep the Tiamat 
  Brazier free and active. Not only does the golem 
  increase the Dragon’s grip on thousands of people 
  at a time, it lets the Dragon gain direct experience 
  of the material world. The Dragon does not hesitate 
  to sacriﬁce the minions who created the Brazier if 
  necessary — with its power to read human desires 
  and exploit them, the Dragon can recruit new min-
  ions easily enough.
  
  148 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  OPHITE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   23 STR 
  13 
  14- 
  Lift 600 kg; 4½d6 [2]
   17 DEX 
  21 
  12- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   8 INT 
  -2 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   14 EGO 
  8 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   2 COM 
  -4 
  9-
   17 PD 
  12 
   
  Total:  17 PD (6 rPD)
   17 ED 
  13 
   
  Total:  17 ED (6 rED)
   3 SPD 
  3 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   9 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   32 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  89
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Martial Arts:  Wrestling
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  38 STR versus 
  Grabs
  3 
  Grab 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two 
  Limbs, 33 to 
  STR for holding 
  on
  3 
  Take Down 
  +2 
  +1 
  4½d6 Strike; 
  You Fall, Target 
  Falls
  26 
  Claw/Bite:  HKA 1d6 (1½d6 with STR), 
  Armor Piercing (+½), Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  6 
  Scaly Skin:  Damage Resistance  
  (6 PD/6 ED) 
  0
  10 
  Gecko Hands and Feet:  Clinging  
  (normal STR) 
  0
  5 
  Tail:  Extra Limb (1), Inherent (+¼); Limited 
  Manipulation (-¼) 
  0
  Skills
  3 
  Breakfall 12-
  3 
  Concealment 11-
  3 
  Stealth 12-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  66
  Total Cost:  155
  50+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Hunted:  Draconic cult’s leader 11- (Mo Pow, 
  Watching)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Fanatical Devo-
  tion to the Dragon (Very Common, Total)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to magical Adjustment 
  Powers used as attacks and Transforms, takes 
  2d6 STUN instantly (Uncommon)
  60 
  Experience Points or Disadvantages speciﬁc 
  to the individual Ophite
  Total Disadvantage Points:  155
  Description:  Ophites look like muscular men (they 
  are actually neuter) covered with heavy scales. They 
  have a tail, distorted, snakelike heads, and impres-
  sive claws and fangs.
  Some of these creatures were fanatical cultists 
  who willingly had themselves transformed into rep-
  tile-men, the better to serve the Dragon. Draconic 
  cults also kidnap, brainwash, and change people 
  into ophites. After a week as an ophite, the spell can 
  no longer be lifted through a simple Dispel:  return-
  ing an ophite to humanity requires physical, spiri-
  tual, and mental counter-Transforms.
  Cults of the Dragon often use ophites as 
  guards. In combat, one ophite Grabs or knocks 
  down an opponent, and the other ophites claw and 
  bite the helpless target. Ophites may use Clinging 
  and Concealment to set ambushes, lurking above 
  doors to leap down on victims.
  Ophites suﬀer only one physical weakness:  
  the magic that transformed them isn’t perfect, so 
  any magic that changes an ophite in other ways, or 
  drains their life force, causes them pain and disori-
  entation.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  149 
  THE NAGAS
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift 100 kg; 2d6  [1]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   28 INT 
  18 
  15- 
  PER Roll 15-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV:  6
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   10 PD 
  8 
   
  Total:  23 PD (13 rPD)
   10 ED 
  6 
   
  Total:  23 ED (13 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  4
   40 END 
  0
   25 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  118
  Movement: 
  Running: 6”/12”
   
  Flight:  13”/104”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  120 
  Master Of All Mystic Arts:  Variable Power 
  Pool (Magic Pool), 60 base + 30 control  
  cost, Cosmic (+2); OIHID (-¼), Only  
  Magic (-¼) 
  var
  50 
  Seraphic Mastery:  Variable Power Pool 
  (Magic Pool), +30 base + 15 control cost, 
  Cosmic (+2); OIHID (when in Seraph  
  form; -¼), Side Eﬀects (character suﬀers 
  Drain CON 1d6 each Turn spent in  
  Seraph form, points return at a rate of 5  
  per Hour, always occurs; -½), Only  
  Thaumaturgy (-½) 
  var
  17 
  Seraphic Aura:  Elemental Control,  
  60-point powers; OIHID (when in  
  Seraph form; -¼), Side Eﬀects (character  
  suﬀers Drain CON 1d6 each Turn spent  
  in Seraph form, points return at a rate of  
  5 per Hour, always occurs; -½)
  18 
  1)  Shining Shield:  Force Field  
  (13 PD/13 ED/9 Power Defense),  
  Hardened (+¼), Reduced Endurance  
  (0 END; +½); OIHID (-¼), Side Eﬀects 
  (as above; -½) 
  0
  21 
  2)  Radiate Flames:  RKA 2d6,  
  Continuous (+1), Damage Shield (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼);  
  OIHID (-¼), Side Eﬀects (as above; -½) 
  2
  17 
  3)  Rainbow Wings:  Flight 14”, x32  
  Noncombat, Reduced Endurance (½ 
  END; +¼); OIHID (-¼), Side Eﬀects 
  (as above; -½) 
  2
  18 
   4)  Energized Self:  Aid Characteristics  
  2d6, all Characteristics except CON, INT, 
  and COM simultaneously (+2), Delayed 
  Return Rate (points fade at the rate of 5  
  per 5 Minutes; +½; OIHID (-¼), Side 
  Eﬀects (as above; -½), Self Only (-½) 
  4
  12 
  Tough Scales:  Armor (5 PD/5 ED),  
  OIHID (-¼) 
  0
  12 
  Invincible Will:  Mental Defense  
  (14 points total), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  5 
  Innate Mystic Defense:  Power Defense  
  (5 points) 
  0
  15 
  Immortality And Perfect Health:  Life  
  Support (Longevity:  Immortality;  
  Immunity:  all terrestrial diseases and bio-
  warfare agents) 
  0
  29 
  Assume Human Form:  Shape Shift  
  (Sight and Touch Groups, any humanoid 
  form), Costs Endurance Only To Change 
  Shape (+¼) 
  17 
  Mystic Perception:  Detect Magic 15-  
  (no Sense Group), Discriminatory, Range, 
  Sense 
  0
  20 
  Astral Awareness:  Dimensional (Astral 
  Plane) for Sight and Hearing Groups 
  0
  4 
  Tail:  Extra Limb (1), Inherent (+¼);  
  Limited Manipulation (-¼), OIHID (-¼) 0
  5 
  Tail Reach:  Stretching 1”, Reduced  
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OIHID (-¼),  
  No Noncombat Stretching (-¼) 
  0
  Perks
  5 
  Reputation:  legendary fount of magic (in 
  Mystic World) 11-, +5/+5d6
  Talents
  5 
  Eidetic Memory
  20 
  Universal Translator 15-
  Skills
  20 
  +2 Overall
  3 
  Analyze Magic 15-
  3 
  Conversation 13-
  5 
  Cramming
  3 
  Cryptography 15-
  3 
  Deduction 15-
  3 
  AK: Inner Planes 15-
  3 
  AK: Shamballah 15-
  2 
  AK: Agharti 11-
  2 
  AK: Mystic Power Sites 11-
  13 
  Power: Magic 20-
  2 
  PS: Personal Choice 11-
  3 
  Spell Research (Inventor) 15-
  6 
  Individual Skills speciﬁc to a particular naga 
  (GM’s choice)
  3 
  Scholar
  2 
  1)  KS: Gods and Spirits 15-
  2 
  2)  KS: Legends 15-
  2 
  3)  KS: Lost Civilizations 15-
  2 
  4)  KS: Magic Styles 15-
  2 
  5)  KS: Magical Beings 15-
  2 
  6)  KS: Mystic History15-
  2 
  7)  KS: Mystic World 15-
  2 
  8)  KS: Thaumaturgy 15-
  2 
  9)  KS: Theurgy 15-
  2 
  10)  KS: World History 15-
  2 
  11)  KS: Personal Area of Expertise 15-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  496
  Total Cost:  614
  200+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Accidental Change:  to Naga form when 
  struck by magical attack 14- (Common)
  15 
  Distinctive Features:  aura of vast mystical 
  power (Concealable With Eﬀort; Causes 
  Major Reaction [awe or intimidation])
  NAGA PLOT SEEDS
  The basic naga plot:  a 
  mysterious stranger 
  oﬀers a hero a cryptic 
  warning of some evil 
  brewing. A more subtle 
  naga can arrange for a 
  clue to reach a hero by 
  seeming coincidence, 
  such as posing as a 
  concerned citizen who 
  saw an evil cult’s ritual, 
  or planting a clue at the 
  scene of a mystic villain’s 
  crime. A naga might 
  keep this up for a long 
  time before the heroes 
  realize their witnesses 
  don’t exist and their 
  enemies are more care-
  ful than they thought.
  A naga comes to trust 
  a group of mystic 
  heroes enough that it 
  becomes their mentor. 
  After a while, though, 
  the characters realize 
  their mentor has other 
  irons in the ﬁre. In 
  fact, the naga also uses 
  several false identities 
  to manipulate supervil-
  lains, positioning them 
  for a massive battle 
  that will surely destroy 
  the evil and dangerous 
  regime of a small nation 
  (such as Awad or Lur-
  ranga, from Champions 
  Universe). Do the heroes 
  permit this, regardless of 
  the loss of civilian lives 
  that will surely happen? 
  Do they stop the plan, 
  despite their mentor’s 
  assurance that the 
  regime is about to cause 
  immensely greater harm 
  to the world? Do they 
  try to ﬁnd some other 
  way to stop the regime?
  The nagas themselves 
  need help when a mysti-
  cal master villain like 
  Takofanes, or a group 
  like the Crowns of Krim, 
  penetrates their hidden 
  valley. They call in the 
  PCs, since they have 
  worked together in the 
  past (even if the heroes 
  didn’t know it).
  
  150 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  25 
  Hunted:  the Dragon and its minions 14- 
  (Mo Pow, Kill)
  10 
  Hunted:  assorted evil mystics 8- (As Pow, 
  Capture/Kill)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Always Uses Mini-
  mum Force (Very Common, Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Committed To 
  The Welfare Of Humanity (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Secretive (Very 
  Common)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to the Dragon, its avatars, or 
  its creations, suﬀers 1d6 damage per Turn 
  spent within 5” of them (Uncommon)
  274 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  614
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR MASTER OF ALL 
  MYSTIC ARTS POWER POOL
  Most of the spells from Chapter Three scale 
  down to 50-some Active Points without much trou-
  ble. These examples are of magic a naga might use 
  in the course of guiding or assisting a hero.
  Evade The Dragon:  The Dragon’s servants Hunt the 
  nagas whenever the Dragon suspects their inter-
  ference. This spell helps a naga and an ally escape 
  psychic and mystical attempts to ﬁnd them, or 
  inﬁltrate a Draconic stronghold with less chance of 
  being noticed.
  Invisibility to Mental and Mystic Sense Groups, 
  Usable Simultaneously (up to two people at 
  once; +½), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼). 
  Total cost:  44 points.
  Invulnerable Serenity:  If a hero intends to confront 
  the Dragon, a naga can at least protect him from 
  the Dragon’s overwhelming Presence. This spell 
  calms the subject’s mind and quells his passions 
  so he more easily resists attempts at intimidation, 
  persuasion, or other forms to inﬂuence his think-
  ing, though it doesn’t protect against actual mental 
  attacks.
  +30 PRE, Usable By Other (+¼), Uncontrolled 
  (one hour, or until person acts on a Strong Psy-
  chological Limitation; +½) (52 Active Points); 
  Only To Protect Against Presence Attacks (-1). 
  Total cost:  26 points.
  Psychic Healing:  Mystics sometimes suﬀer damage 
  to their brains, or even their souls, because of their 
  battles. A naga can heal the psychic damage that 
  deﬁes mundane medicine and even powers of cor-
  poreal healing. The example uses Intelligence, but a 
  naga can also heal damage to Ego or Presence.
  Healing INT 4d6. Total cost:  40 points.
  See Possible Destinies:  To inﬂuence history, the 
  nagas need to ﬁnd people who can do what they 
  need, where and when 
  they need it. They prefer 
  people who would serve 
  their goals willingly, 
  but don’t consider this 
  essential. Nagas can look 
  forward along a person’s 
  timeline to ﬁnd points 
  when he might make 
  decisions that beneﬁt or 
  hinder their plans. When 
  they ﬁnd such people, the 
  nagas can subtly create 
  situations that encourage 
  the person to make the 
  decision they want. Find-
  ing a suitable moment of 
  decision in the manifold 
  possibilities of the future 
  requires a successful PER 
  Roll.
  Clairsentience 
  (Sight 
  Group 
  and 
  Normal 
  Hearing), Precognition 
  (45 Active Points); Pre-
  cognition Only (-1), No 
  Range (only works on a 
  person with whom the 
  naga has contact; -½). 
  Total cost:  18 points.
  
  The Mystic World ■ Chapter Four 
  151 
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR SERAPHIC 
  MASTERY POWER POOL
  See Chapter Three for typical thaumaturgy 
  spells. In Seraph form, a naga typically uses the 
  VPP to create a 60-point attack, a 30-point defen-
  sive or movement power, and allocates any remain-
  ing points to an Enhanced Sense or special defense 
  such as Flash Defense or Life Support (all this 
  assumes, of course, that the GM allows it to create 
  Special Powers with its Power Pool). Under special 
  circumstances, a naga might instead cast exception-
  ally powerful spells using the full Active Points of 
  the VPP.
  Banishment:  At full power, a naga can force extra-
  planar creatures to return from whence they came, 
  wherever that may be.
  Extra-Dimensional Movement (a single physi-
  cal location in a related group of dimensions 
  [the home dimensions of the target of the 
  spell]), Usable As Attack (defense is having 
  Extra-Dimensional Movement or dimension-
  manipulating powers; +1), Ranged (+½) (62 
  Active Points); Only Works Against Beings Not 
  Native To The Dimension They’re Currently In 
  (-½). Total cost:  41 points.
  Close Gate:  A naga can destroy Gates, even very 
  powerful ones such as Tyrannon’s Dimensional 
  Bridges. This may take several Phases, though. 
  During this time, the naga may need protection 
  from heroes.
  Dispel Extra-Dimensional Movement 15d6, 
  Cumulative (+½), Increased Cumulative 
  Points (180 points; +¼) (79 Active Points); 
  Only Works Versus “Gate” Forms Of Extra-
  Dimensional Movement (-½). Total cost:  53 
  points.
  Background/History:  Humanity never stood alone 
  against the Dragon. For countless millennia, the 
  nagas have served as helpers and advisors. Curi-
  ously, the Dragon’s eternal foes are also reptilian. 
  Mythology speaks of serpents, dragons, and snake-
  men as bringers of wisdom, prosperity, and civiliza-
  tion as often as it portrays them as corruptors and 
  destroyers.
  The nagas refuse to disclose their own origins, 
  but they have existed as long as the Dragon. Cer-
  tain secret traditions say the nagas and the Dragon 
  founded the ﬁrst civilizations and used them to 
  make war on each other — a war for the future of 
  humanity. That war continues to this day.
  Nowadays, the nagas stay in the background. 
  They seem bound by an inscrutable code of con-
  science:  they raise empires and cast them down, 
  but never meet force with force. Unlike the Dragon, 
  the nagas do not compel people to do anything. 
  Instead, they create situations where the right 
  person is in the right place, at the right time, to do 
  what the nagas want... and pay the personal cost. 
  The nagas are a bit more straightforward with 
  mystics who show concern for humanity — they 
  often warn super-mages about major plots by the 
  Dragon. But even then, they give only the informa-
  tion a hero absolutely needs to stop the plot.
  What are the nagas? From whence did they 
  come? Why do they oppose the Dragon? Masters 
  of occult lore agree that solving the mystery of the 
  nagas would also solve the mystery of the Dragon, 
  or vice-versa. No one seems to know the answers 
  but the nagas themselves, and they won’t tell. They 
  say only that until humanity can master the Dragon 
  on its own, they must follow their duty.
  Personality/Motivation:  Despite their commitment 
  to human destiny, the nagas are paciﬁsts. Only 
  a truly desperate situation prompts them to act 
  directly, and even then, the nagas avoid violence. 
  They may help humanity’s champions, but they 
  insist that humanity must solve its own problems 
  and ﬁght its own battles.
  Quote:  “My identity is unimportant. I believe you 
  should know that a threat to Humanity is growing 
  on Sakhalin Island — I must say no more. Here are 
  plane tickets, if you need them.”
  Powers/Tactics:  All nagas are masters of both thau-
  maturgy and various sorts of theurgy drawn from 
  many diﬀerent human cultures. Their encyclopedic 
  knowledge of the mystic arts enables nagas to per-
  form any sort of magic.
  Nagas have three forms:  one with a human-
  oid torso and serpent tail (their standard form); a 
  form that looks like a human being; and a “Seraph” 
  form in which the basic naga body becomes white 
  and translucent, surrounded by a swirling aura of 
  iridescent light, with rainbow wings. The OIHID 
  Limitation represents powers a naga can only use 
  when in its basic form.
  In its basic “humanoid torso, serpent tail” form, 
  a naga has a 60-point Magic Pool. When in human 
  form, a naga must take a Phase and succeed at a 
  Thaumaturgy Skill Roll to shift the Power Pool. In 
  a crisis, a naga can assume its full-power, “Seraph” 
  form in which its Cosmic Power Pool increases to 
  90 points and it gains several other powers besides. 
  However, a naga can use the extra Magic Pool 
  points only for thaumaturgy. Nagas can use their 
  full power for only a short time; taking Seraph form 
  tires them greatly. (This gives them a practical as 
  well as a philosophical reason for making humanity 
  look after itself.)
  Until someone directly attacks a naga, it 
  employs its magic to prevent confrontation. A naga 
  uses illusions to keep potential menaces distracted, 
  at least long enough for innocent bystanders to get 
  away; then it vanishes.
  Campaign Use:  The nagas function as teachers, 
  advisors, and sometimes manipulators. The GM 
  can use a naga to bring a hero team together 
  (especially a team of super-mystics). Their naga 
  mentor might appear now and then to warn the 
  characters about threats to humanity, teach new 
  spells, and perhaps even help them obtain a Base. 
  He will not, however, solve their problems for 
  them. Nagas seldom become Contacts because 
  they appear when it suits their purposes — not 
  the heroes’.
  
  152 ■ Mystic Master Villains 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  To make the nagas more powerful, increase 
  their Characteristics or remove Limitations on their 
  two-step Magic Pool. To make them less powerful, 
  remove the Seraphic Mastery enhanced VPP.
  The nagas would never Hunt heroes who 
  remain heroes. In fact, they may be the only people 
  who believe a hero who’s been framed for some 
  evil deed, or who remain willing to help a fallen 
  hero return to the straight and narrow path. On the 
  other hand, the nagas care very little about individ-
  uals:  if the nagas need a hero to sacriﬁce himself to 
  stop some great evil, they will 
  maneuver the hero to make 
  that sacriﬁce.
  Appearance:  Nagas have 
  three forms (although they 
  can assume any form through 
  magic). Their basic “Naga” 
  form is a humanoid torso on 
  a long snake body. Yellow-
  green, dark green, and bronze 
  scales cover their bodies. A 
  naga has a narrow, triangular 
  face topped by a saw-toothed 
  crest instead of hair. Humans 
  usually describe nagas as 
  male because they show no 
  female sexual features, but no 
  one really knows if they have 
  gender.
  When nagas use their 
  full power, they change to 
  their “Seraph” form. The naga 
  becomes white and translu-
  cent, surrounded by a swirl-
  ing aura of iridescent light. 
  Feathered wings of rainbow 
  light unfurl from the naga’s 
  shoulders.
  More often than not, 
  however, nagas use their 
  magic to take human form. 
  They assume a racially neu-
  tral appearance. A shape-
  shifted naga has a totally 
  bald head; the eyebrows, the only hair they show, 
  are black but the eyes might be any color. Nagas 
  dress conservatively and unobtrusively. In the 
  Western world, for instance, a naga might wear 
  a tan suit with a green tie and a golden tie-tack 
  shaped like a Chinese dragon as the only distinc-
  tive element. Again, nagas seem male, but that’s 
  probably just to ﬁt cultural assumptions about 
  authority ﬁgures. They use obvious pseudonyms 
  like “Mr. Smith.”
  
  The Mystic World 
  153 
  Here’s a quick summary of important terms 
  and concepts relating to the Multiverse of the Hero 
  Universe. See the Index for page references to these 
  subjects.
  Abyss, the:  The barrier between Briah and Atziluth.
  Achaea:  The realm of the Greek gods in Faerie.
  Aleph:  Another term for Kether (q.v.).
  Allamanda:  The farmlands around Golgonooza.
  Archetypal World:  Atziluth (q.v.).
  Archmage:  An oﬃce held by the most powerful 
  mystic on Earth, who’s charged with protecting 
  Humanity from occult threats. Earth has not had 
  an Archmage since 1908.
  Assiah:  The Material World, the lowest level of the 
  Multiverse, containing the sephiroth Malkuth.
  Astral Plane:  A Yetziratic realm in the sephiroth 
  Yesod that connects Earth’s dimension to countless 
  other realms. It’s divided into the Lower, Middle, 
  and Upper Astral, each with its own properties.
  Astral World:  Yetzirah (q.v.).
  Atziluth:  The highest level of the Multiverse, con-
  taining the sephira Binah, Chokmah, and Kether.
  Azoic, Thanoro:  The ﬁrst Archmage of Earth.
  Babylon:  The City of Man, one of the four main 
  Imaginal Realms. It embodies the achievements 
  and powers of Man. It resembles every city on 
  Earth, but moreso.
  Balthus:  A dimension lord who feeds on fear.
  Ban, the:  A mystical phenomena that prevents the 
  gods and their chief servants from coming bodily 
  to Earth except in limited ways.
  Beulah:  The realm of Luvah, Prime Avatar of 
  Chaos.
  Binah:  “Understanding,” an Atziluthic sephiroth, an 
  inﬁnite reservoir of power.
  Briah:  The Creative World, the second-highest level 
  of the Multiverse, containing the sephira Tiphereth, 
  Pachad, and Chesed.
  Bright Sea Of Forms:  Chokmah (q.v.).
  Bromion:  A dimension lord and Lord of Order who 
  serves Urizen. He controls the Millworks, a dimen-
  sion in Netzach.
  Cassai:  A dimension lord, known as one of the 
  Multiverse’s best crafters of enchanted items. He’s at 
  once hungry for power and paranoid about others 
  stealing his power.
  Cathedron:  The citadel in Golgonooza that holds 
  the loom of Enitharmon the Weaver.
  Chesed:  “Greatness,” a Brialic sephiroth that con-
  tains the realms of the four Prime Avatars.
  Chokmah:  “Wisdom,” an Atziluthic sephiroth 
  that contains every possible archetype of objects, 
  actions, ideas, structures, and so on.
  Circle of the Scarlet Moon, the:  An evil cabal that 
  uses its mystic powers to try to obtain power and 
  wealth.
  City Of Man, the:  Babylon (q.v.).
  Creative World:  Briah (q.v.).
  Cysts:  Pockets of Astral Space with strange properties.
  Da’ath:  The lost sephiroth, the link between 
  Wisdom and Understanding, from where a mystic 
  could call on the power of Binah and shape it via 
  Chokmah.
  Dark Sea of Being:  Binah (q.v.).
  Death’s Dominion:  The realm of Death in the sephi-
  roth of Tiphereth.
  DEMON:  An evil occult organization that worships 
  the Kings Of Edom.
  Descending Hierarchy:  The rulers of the Neth-
  erworld, including Mephistopheles, Baphomet, 
  Beelzebub, Astaroth, and other demon princes and 
  arch-devils.
  Dominions:  Dimensions in the sephiroth Netzach, 
  each ruled by a controlling intelligence.
  Dragon, the:  A being who embodies the primal 
  power of evil within the human mind and soul.
  Dreamtime, the:  A dangerous region of Faerie (q.v.) 
  where ﬂexible time becomes even more ﬂexible and 
  distorted than ever.
  Dreamzone:  A division of the Lower Astral Plane 
  composed of all the dreams being dreamed by 
  humans at any given moment.
  Elysium:  The Imaginal Realm formed from human 
  ideas of goodness, Heaven, and so forth as deﬁned 
  by the “ethical religions.”
  Enitharmon the Weaver:  One aspect of Urthona, 
  Prime Avatar of Art; wife of Los.
  Entuthon Benython:  A dark forest that exists in the 
  realms of all four Prime Avatars.
  Faerie:  The Imaginal Realm that’s home to fairies, 
  nature spirits, and pagan gods. In part it derives 
  from human ideas about, and anthropomorphiza-
  tion of, nature.
  Formative World:  Yetzirah (q.v.).
  Four Worlds:  The Multiverse, so called because mys-
  tics typically organize it into four “levels”:  Assiah, 
  GLOSSARY
  
  154 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Yetzirah, Briah, and Atziluth.
  Fuzon:  A dimension lord and Lord of Nature who 
  rules a dimension called the Burning Sky.
  Generation:  The realm of Tharmas, Prime Avatar of 
  Nature.
  Golgonooza:  The city of Urthona, Prime Avatar of 
  Art.
  Hod:  “Glory/Splendor/Fame,” a sephiroth in Yetzi-
  rah, containing dimensions that run by magic but 
  still run by themselves (i.e., where magic follows 
  rational, quasi-scientiﬁc rules).
  Imaginal Realms:  Dimensions created from the 
  Astral Plane by the human imagination, including 
  Faerie, the Netherworld, Babylon, and Elysium.
  Inner Planes:  The Imaginal Realms (q.v.).
  Kether:  “The Crown,” the highest and most inacces-
  sible of the planes — the ultimate realm of indivis-
  ible being.
  Kings Of Edom, the:  Malevolent, or at least uncar-
  ingly powerful, beings from the Qliphothic Realms.
  Koriol:  A dimension lord, once the Archmage of 
  Loezen.
  Kryptos:  The Lord of Secrets, an Archetype who 
  dwells in Briah.
  Land Of Legends, the:  Faerie (q.v.).
  Loezen:  A dying dimension in the sephiroth Mal-
  kuth.
  Los the Smith:  One aspect of Urthona, Prime 
  Avatar of Art; husband of Enitharmon.
  Luban:  The citadel in Golgonooza that holds the 
  forge of Los the Smith.
  Luvah:  The Prime Avatar of Chaos.
  Malkuth:  “The Kingdom,” the lowest sephira of the 
  Multiverse.
  Material World:  Assiah (q.v.).
  Mental World:  Briah (q.v.).
  Mundane Shell:  Kether (q.v.).
  Nagas:  Mysterious serpentine beings who protect 
  humanity from the Dragon.
  Netherworld, the:  The Imaginal Realm formed from 
  human ideas of evil. It’s the home of demons, devils, 
  and other foul beings.
  Netzach:  “Conquest/Victory/Permanence,” a sephi-
  roth in Yetzirah, containing dimensions ruled by a 
  controlling intelligence (a.k.a. Dominions).
  Orc:  A form taken by Luvah, Prime Avatar of 
  Chaos.
  Outer Planes:  Dimensions in Hod and Netzach.
  Pachad:  “Strength/Justice,” a sephiroth in Briah, 
  containing, among other dimensions, the Garden 
  Of Earthly Delights.
  Pandemonium:  The seat of government for the 
  Descending Hierarchy (q.v.).
  Parterres:  The Imaginal Realms (q.v.).
  Prime Avatars:  Urizen, Urthona, Tharmas, and 
  Luvah, the cosmic entities who embody the con-
  cepts of Order, Art, Nature, and Chaos, respectively. 
  Also called the Zoas.
  Primum Mobile:  Kether (q.v.).
  Qliphothic Realms:  The dimensions “below” or 
  “behind” the Tree Of Life — realms of decay, dark-
  ness, and evil.
  Quaternion:  The four primary Imaginal Realms of 
  Babylon, Elysium, Faerie, and the Netherworld.
  Sephirothic Tree Of Life:  The organizational scheme 
  used by Western mystics to describe the Multiverse, 
  consisting of sephiroth (“emanations from God”) 
  that cascade down from Kether to Malkuth in a 
  series of Four Worlds (Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah, and 
  Assiah).
  Skarn the Shaper:  A powerful dimension lord who 
  rules the Congeries and wants to merge all other 
  dimensions with his own.
  Solipsist, the:  The Decreator, the Anti-God, the 
  absolute limit of negative existence who dwells in 
  the Qliphothic Realms.
  Tharmas:  The Prime Avatar of Nature.
  Thaumaturgy:  The style of magic used by super-
  mages and their ilk.
  Thiralatha:  “The Lady of the Dreamful Caves,” a 
  dimension lord  and Lady of Artiﬁce who possesses 
  vast transmutative powers.
  Tiphereth:  “Beauty,” a sephiroth in Briah, contain-
  ing the Veil Of The Temple and Death’s Dominion, 
  among other dimensions.
  Trismegistus Council, the:  A cabal of “good” mys-
  tics opposed to the Circle of the Scarlet Moon, 
  DEMON, and other evil occult organizations.
  Tyrannon the Conqueror:  A powerful dimension 
  lord, ruler of Thulkos, whose self exists in 888 
  forms. He wants to merge other dimensions with 
  his own to increase his power.
  Udan Adan:  A dark and bitter lake in Generation.
  Ulro:  The realm of Urizen, Prime Avatar of Order.
  Upper Planes:  The Brialic dimensions.
  Urizen:  The Prime Avatar of Order.
  Urthona:  The Prime Avatar of Art.
  Vala:  The feminine aspect of Luvah.
  Veil Of The Temple, the:  The Upper Astral Plane, 
  which forms a barrier between the Yetziratic and 
  Brialic planes.
  Yesod:  “The Foundation,” the lowest sephiroth in 
  Yetzirah. It contains the Astral Plane and the Ima-
  ginal Realms.
  Yetzirah:  The Formative World, the second-lowest 
  level of the Multiverse, containing the sephira 
  Yesod, Hod, and Netzach, as well as various demi-
  planes and the like.
  Yggdrasil:  The Yetziratic dimension of plant life.
  Zoas:  The Prime Avatars (q.v.).
  
  The Mystic World 
  155 
  INDEX
  Abyss, the .......................................9
  Access (Perk) ...............................92
  Access To Briah  
  (Fringe Beneﬁt) .........................44
  Achaea ..........................................20
  Achilles .........................................24
  Advantages ..................................96
  Agharti .........................................53
  Aging in Faerie ............................23
  Akashic Eye (spell) .....................80
  Alberich .................................24, 87
  Alchemy .......................................72
  Aleph ..............................................9
  Alexander’s Gate .........................69
  All-Purpose Petty Obstacle  
  Warriors .................................. 112
  All-Seeing Eye Of  
  Skarn, The ............................... 114
  Allah .............................................33
  Allamanda ...................................47
  Alternate histories or Earths .....10
  American occult republic ..........69
  Amitabha .....................................32
  Amschaspands ............................32
  Angelic spirits .............................32
  Anti-God, the ................................9
  Anubis ..........................................63
  Apep .......................................... 138
  Arcane Adversaries ........................4
  Archetypal World .........................6
  Archetypes .....................................8
  Archimago .................37, 54, 57, 68
  Archmage, the .............................57
  Art, Prime Avatar of ...................47
  Arthon ....................................... 104
  Artifacts .................................87-91
  Assiah .............................................6
  Astaroth .......................................27
  Astral Awareness .............11, 12, 93
  Astral Cysts ..................................14
  Astral Earth .................................13
  Astral Form (spell) .....................80
  Astral Inhabitants .......................15
  Astral Plane .............................6, 11
  Astral Travel ................................16
  Astral World ..................................6
  Atavisms ......................................15
  Athens ..........................................35
  Attack Spells ................................73
  Atziluth ..........................................9
  Auschwitz ....................................65
  Autocrats of Yong .......................42
  Avalon ..........................................70
  Avatars .....................................8, 61
  Avian Forms of Tyrannon ...... 128
  Azoic, Thanoro ......................57, 76
  Babylon, the City  
  of Man ..............................7, 35-40
  Bach, Dion ...................................63
  Baleful Bonds Of Balthus,  
  The (spell) ..................................73
  Balkans .........................................69
  Balloon Man ................................40
  Balthus .........................................74
  Balthus (dimension lord) ...........64
  Ban, the ..................................33, 61
  Baphomet ....................................26
  Beast, the ......................................98
  Beelzebub .....................................27
  Belt Of Strength ..........................87
  Benares .........................................35
  Beulah ......................................8, 47
  Beyond Earth ..............................63
  Bierce, Ambrose ..........................21
  Binah (Understanding) ................9
  Bindings Of Bromion, The  
  (spell) .........................................74
  Blasting Rod ................................87
  Blessed souls ................................33
  Blood Tide .....................................7
  Bone Children .......................... 143
  Book Of Thoth ............................90
  Borrower’s Card  
  (Fringe Beneﬁt) .........................37
  Botswana .....................................69
  Brell ........................................... 109
  Briah ...............................................8
  Bright Sea of Forms ......................9
  Bromion .................................43, 75
  Bu Jing Suo ..................................26
  Buddha ...................................30, 33
  Bugs Bunny .................................38
  Burning Sky .................................74
  Byzanitum ...................................36
  Calendar Sites .............................66
  Caliburn, Robert .........................58
  Cambodia ....................................65
  Carl ...............................................14
  Carnival, in Babylon ...................40
  Cassai (dimension lord) ............64
  Cathedron ....................................47
  Celestial Emperor .................30, 33
  Cerulean Spells, The (spell) .......74
  Chaco Canyon .............................66
  Chaos ...........................................19
  Chaos, Prime Avatar of ..............47
  Character Creation .....................92
  Charsadda, Queen ......................42
  Cheiron’s Oak ..............................66
  Chesed ..........................................46
  Chesed (Greatness) ......................8
  Chinese hells ...............................29
  Chokmah (Wisdom) ....................9
  Christ ...........................................33
  Chronicls Of Antioch ...................55
  Chunhu, the ...........................50, 59
  Circle of the Scarlet  
  Moon, the ................51, 57, 67, 69
  City of Man ............. see “Babylon”
  City of Pyramids ...........................8
  City-States of Yong, the ..............42
  Clan Ectol ....................................20
  Clavarn, Exalted ....................... 103
  Confucius ....................................30
  Congeries ............................ 98, 112
  Conurbites ...................................37
  Corelords .....................................61
  Cosmic Cancer ......................... 115
  Coyote ............................................8
  Coyote ..........................................63
  Creative World ..............................6
  Crowns of Krim ..........................54
  Cult of the Red Banner ..... 53, 143
  Cults, generally ............................53
  Cultural Hells
  Curses in Faerie ..........................24
  Cutthroat Carl’s ...........................14
  Cyberspace ..................................10
  Cysts, Astral .................................14
  Da’ath .............................................9
  Damned souls .............................27
  Dante’s Inferno ............................25
  Dark Elves ....................................20
  Dark Renaissance .......................54
  Dark Sea of Being .........................9
  Dark Seraph ................................54
  Death (Archetype/Avatar) ...........8
  Death sites ...................................66
  Death’s Dominion ...................8, 45
  Decreator .......................................9
  Defense Spells .............................79
  Deﬂecting Disk (spell) ...............79
  Deity (Fringe Beneﬁt) ................92
  Delth, Exalted ........................... 103
  Demi-Planes ..................................8
  Demigods ..............................33, 62
  DEMON ................................53, 68
  Demonic animals ........................27
  Demonologist, the ................54, 58
  Demons, generally ......................27
  deMorphants .........................50-51
  Desceding Hierarchy ............25, 27
  Devas ............................................33
  Devil’s Advocates ..................54, 58
  Devils, generally ..........................27
  Dimensional (Sense Modiﬁer) ..92
  Dionysus ......................................63
  Divine relics .................................62
  Divisions of the Lower Astral ...13
  Doctor’s Heaven ..........................31
  Dominions .....................................8
  Dr. Saturn (Iranian superhero) .50
  Dr. Scarab (Vibora Bay  
  superhero) .................................60
  Dragon Bound ......................... 141
  Dragon Incarnate ..................... 143
  Dragon, the ..............16, 23, 138-48
  Dreamers .....................................15
  Dreamtime ..................................23
  Dreamzone, the ...........................13
  Dweomer .....................................58
  Dynasties, occult ...................50-51
  Earth, Astral .................................13
  Earth Forms of Tyrannon ....... 129
  Earth, perceiving from the  
  Astral Plane ...............................12
  Earths, alternate ..........................10
  Eater Of Souls .......................... 115
  Ectoplasm ....................................12
  EDM ........................................... see 
  “Extra-Dimensional Movement”
  Elvis ..............................................38
  Elysium ..............................7, 30-34
  Emerald City ...............................35
  Emissaries  
  (Tyrannon forms) .......... 116, 127
  Emperor of Babylon ...................38
  Enhanced Senses (Power) .........92
  Enitharmon the Weaver .......47, 82
  Entuthon Benython, Forest of ...47
  Environmental control of  
  Netherworld or Elysium ....28, 33
  Especially Powerful Spells .........84
  Eternal Tulku, the .......................56
  Ethical religions ........19, 22, 30, 61
  Even Wilder West, the ................20
  Extra-Dimensional  
  Movement (Power) ..................93
  Factions, in the Mystic World ...51
  Fada’s Far Seeings (spell) ...........81
  Faerie ..................................7, 19-24
  Fairies ...........................................21
  Fairy stones and wells ................68
  Faussesﬂames ..............................51
  Fighting Tyrannon .................. 137
  Fire Forms of Tyrannon ......... 129
  Flexible time in Faerie ................22
  Fluid Forms of Tyrannon ....... 130
  Fool’s Parliament, the .................40
  Forest of Entuthon Benython ...47
  Forest Swastika ............................67
  Formative World ...........................6
  Four Worlds ...................................6
  Four Zoas  ......................................8
  Frask, Major-Domo ................. 103
  Fringe Beneﬁt:  Deity .................92
  Fulten, John (Archimago) ..........54
  Futures Traders ...........................40
  Futuropolis ..................................36
  Fuzon (dimension lord) .......64, 74
  Fuzonic Flames, The (spell) .......74
  Gabriel ..........................................32
  Galaxars .......................................61
  Gand, Herald ............................ 103
  Garden of Eden ...........................31
  Garden Of Earthly Delights ..8, 46
  Garm ............................................26
  General Nature ............................11
  Generation ...............................8, 47
  Genius Loci .................................59
  Gentry, Lt. Mark ..........................60
  Ghost House ................................14
  Ghosts ....................................15, 59
  Gilgamesh ....................................63
  Glaive ........................................ 112
  Glossary .................................... 153
  GM’s Vault .....................................4
  Gods .................................21, 33, 61
  Gog ...............................................69
  Golgonooza .............................8, 47
  Gourmet Heaven ........................31
  Great Powers ...............................30
  
  156 ■ Index 
  Hero System 5th Edition Revised
  Grimoire of super-spells ......71-86
  Halfbreed gods ............................62
  Harridans .................................. 112
  Haunted Hero campaigns ..........18
  Heavenly Hosts ........................ 145
  Heavenly Jerusalem ....................31
  Hecate ..........................................63
  Hela ..............................................26
  Hell ................... see “Netherworld”
  Heroic and Superheroic Magic .72
  Hezbollah .....................................50
  High Coven .................................51
  Hiroshima ....................................35
  Histories, alternate ......................10
  Hod (Glory/Splendor/ 
  Fame) .....................................7, 42
  Holy Lance ...................................90
  Humans
   in Babylon .................................37
   in Faerie .....................................22
  Hunting Preserves, Skarn’s ..... 113
  Hussar ....................................... 111
  Hypnotic Helix (spell) ................75
  Image-Projecting Mirror,  
  The ........................................... 114
  Imaginal Realms ...........................6
  Imaginary People ........................15
  Imaginary Places, on the Astral 
  Plane ...........................................13
  Imperial Palace ...........................36
  Inferno, Dante’s ...........................25
  Inhabitants of the Astral Plane .15
  Inner Planes ...................................7
  Insect Forms of Tyrannon ...... 130
  Intelligent animals, in Bablyon .38
  Introduction ..................................4
  Iron Imam ...................................54
  Iskari .............................................75
  Iskarine Colors, The (spell) .......75
  Istvatha V’han .............. 6, 100, 118
  Jack the Ripper ............................38
  Jainism .........................................30
  Jannat ...........................................31
  Jehovah ........................................33
  Jerusalem .....................................35
  Jormunrek ...................................87
  Kae Linn, the .......................135-37
  Kayvan .........................................50
  Kayvanzadi, the ...........................50
  Kennedy, John F. .........................38
  Kether (the Crown) ......................9
  Khalseran, Dr. ..............................60
  King Cobra ............................... 140
  Kings of Edom ..........53-54, 68, 90
  Klek-T-Kak, Commander ....... 103
  Koriol (dimension lord) ......64, 75
  Koriol’s Crimson Crystals  
  (spell) .........................................75
  Krim .............................................55
  Krypticon ..........................57, 88-89
  Kryptos (Archetype/Avatar) .......8
  Labyrinth of Greed .....................26
  Lady of the Dreamful Caves ......64
  Land Of Legends ........see “Faerie”
  Lao Tzu ..................................30, 33
  Larethian ......................................76
  Lawyer’s Heaven .........................31
  Leading Candidates ....................58
  Lesser Throne ........................... 122
  Ley lines .......................................68
  Library of Babylon .....................36
  Liefeld, Cornelius ........................56
  Lightnings Of Larethian,  
  The (spell) ..................................76
  Lights Of Luathon, The (spell) ..76
  Limbo ...........................................11
  Living art, in Babylon .................38
  Living machines, in Babylon .....38
  Loezen ..............................41, 69, 75
  Loki ...............................................26
  London .........................................35
  Longevity in Faerie .....................23
  Loom Of Space (spell) ...............85
  Lord of Secrets   .......see “Kryptos”
  Lords of Order, Nature, etc. .........8
  Lorelei ..........................................14
  Los Angeles ..................................35
  Los the Smith ..............................47
  Lower Astral Plane ...............11, 13
  Luathon ........................................76
  Luban ...........................................47
  Lucifuge Rofocale .......................26
  Lurly .............................................14
  Luvah ........................................8, 47
  Maeldun .......................................20
  Magambo, the ..............................50
  Magic items and artifacts ....87-91
  Magic styles .................................72
  Magical Power Sites ....................65
  Magog ..........................................69
  Malkuth (the Kingdom) ........6, 41
  Manaos .........................................66
  Manitous ......................................21
  Mantle Of Mastery (spell) .........79
  Mara .............................................63
  Marduk ........................................63
  Maskim ........................................27
  Material World ..............................6
  McFarlane, Bocal ........................56
  Mecca ...........................................35
  Megingjord ..................................87
  Men In Plaid ................................40
  Mental World ................................6
  Mephistopheles .....................27, 63
  MeteorMan ..................................66
  Microverses .................................10
  Middle Astral Plane ....................11
  Midgard Serpent .............. 138, 141
  Millworks of Bromion ...............43
  Mim ..............................................87
  Mind Scan, in Babylon ...............39
  Minds, as dimensions .................10
  Minions of Tyrannon .............. 133
  Miscellaneous Dimensions .......41
  Money, in Bablyon ......................39
  Monsters ......................................21
  Morningstar ................................53
  Mother Gothel ............................24
  Mount Fuji ...................................66
  Mount Mulciber ................... XX
  Mount Olympus .........................20
  Mount Ranier ..............................66
  Mulciber .......................................26
  Multiverse ................................6-10
  Mundane Shell ..............................9
  Mystic people ..............................50
  Mystic places ...............................65
  Mystic Sense Group ...................92
  Mystic World, the ..................49-70
  Mystics and super-mystics ........50
  Mystics, generally .................50, 72
  Mythological creatures ...............21
  Nagas, the .................................. 149
  Native Americans .......................20
  Natural Sites ................................66
  Nature, Prime Avatar of .............47
  Nature spirits ...............................21
  Navigation (Skill)
   Generally ...................................92
   Astral ....................................13, 16
   Dimensional ..............................12
  Necheshiron ................................78
  Netherworld, the ...............7, 25-29
  Netzach (Conquest/Victory/
  Permanence) .........................7, 43
  New Golgotha .............................15
  New Jerusalem ............................35
  Nexus points ..........................62, 68
  Niﬂheim .................................25, 26
  Nomarch Phase ...........................98
  Noose Of Nioko, The (spell) ... 105
  Norom Barcaldine, the  
  Prince Who Never Was ............41
  Numbers, Plane of ..................8, 10
  Nyssa Tarchaniotes .....................55
  O’Riordan, Xander .....................66
  Oberon .........................................22
  Occult dynasties ....................50-51
  Octopoid Forms of Tyrannon 131
  Ogun ............................................63
  Olm ...............................................42
  Olympians ...................................20
  Onyx Kingdom ...........................20
  Ophite ....................................... 148
  Orc ................................................47
  Order of the Fly ..........................27
  Order, Prime Avatar of ...............47
  Orom ................................... 98, 113
  Osaka ............................................35
  Other Mystical Creatures ..........59
  Ouroboros ................................ 143
  Outer Planes ............................7, 11
  Oz .................................................35
  P’eng-lai ..................................30, 32
  Pachad (Strength/Justice) ......8, 46
  Palace, Skarn’s ........................... 114
  Pandemonium ............................25
  Pantheon realms .........................19
  Paper Lady ...................................60
  Paradise Lost ................................25
  Parterres .... see “Imaginal Realms”
  Parthenon, the .............................12
  Pax Arcana (spell) .......................82
  Pelferlost ......................................42
  People, mystic ..............................50
  Perceiving Earth from the  
  Astral Plane ...............................12
  Perceiving the Astral Plane ........11
  Perks .............................................92
  Personal Artifacts .......................88
  Personal hells ..............................25
  Personal Magic Items .................87
  Petty Obstacle Warriors .......... 112
  Pinchwell cluster .........................42
  Places, mystic ..............................65
  Plane Of Numbers ..................8, 10
  Pocket Worlds .............................10
  Pop Heaven .................................31
  Pop icons, in Babylon .................38
  Popular heavens ..........................31
  Power (Skill) ................................92
  Power Advantages .......................96
  Powers ..........................................92
  Presley, Elvis ................................38
  Prime Avatars ................................8
  Primum Mobile ............................9
  Prince of Light ............................47
  Prose Edda ...................................26
  Puerto Muerto ............................14
  Pythagoras ...................................30
  Qliphothic Realms ..................9, 48
  Quantum Casino ........................10
  Quaternion Banishment  
  (spell) .....................57, 84-85, 137
  Quaternion Planes ..........................
  see “Imaginal Realms”
  Quemetiel ......................................9
  Quetzalcoatl ............................. 138
  Rakshasas .....................................27
  Rashindar ....................................58
  Realms of the Four Zoas ............46
  Red Banner, Cult of the ..... 53, 143
  Region Generator .................... 113
  Relics, divine ................................62
  Reptile Forms of Tyrannon .... 132
  Rhinegold ..............................24, 91
  Roche Building ...........................67
  Rock Candy Mountain ...............32
  Rome ............................................35
  Ronald McDonald ......................38
  Rookeries .....................................37
  Sacred One, the ...........................41
  Sacriﬁces ......................................62
  Saﬀron Spheres, The (spell) .......76
  Sages .............................................33
  Saints ............................................33
  San Francisco ..............................35
  Saturn-Born, the .........................50
  Scarlet Moon, Circle of the ........51
  Scepter Of Night, the ..................90
  Scintallant Suns Of Saravane, The 
  (spell) .........................................77
  Secret societies, in Babylon .......39
  Sensory, Movement, and Miscella-
  neous ..........................................80
  Sephirothic Tree of Life ...............6
  Set .................................................63
  Seven Heavens ............................30
  Shadow Cabinet, the ...................39
  
  The Mystic World 
  157 
  Shadow World  
  (the Mystic World) .............49-70
  Shadows Of Shaldus, The  
  (spell) .........................................79
  Shamballah ..................................53
  Shehkinah (Countenance) ........33
  Sherlock Holmes .........................38
  Shining Darkness, the ................48
  Shortcuts, Astral ..........................16
  Siddhartha Gautama ..................30
  Signifer ...................................... 134
  Sinbad the Sailor .........................20
  Skarn the Shaper .........6, 8, 98, 101
  Skarn’s Hunting Preserves ...... 113
  Skarn’s Palace ........................... 114
  Skartaven .....................................42
  Skills .............................................92
  Slash .............................................60
  Slow Howlers ...............................41
  Smog elementals .........................38
  Soldiers of the Congeries ........ 111
  Solipsist ....................................9, 54
  Sons Of Kingu .......................... 144
  Sorcerer’s Stars (spell) ................77
  Souls, blessed ...............................33
  Souls, damned .............................27
  Special dimensions .....................10
  Specter Groves ............................41
  Spidertrap Vines .........................41
  Spooky Empty House, the .........14
  St. Albertus Magnus ...................63
  St. Augustine ................................35
  St. Brendan ..................................20
  St.Michael Line ...........................68
  Stanislavski, Bohdan ...................57
  Star Of Urizen .............................91
  Stingray ........................................58
  Stonehenge ............................12, 65
  Storlian Realms .......................8, 83
  Stray cars ......................................38
  Strobing Bands Of Skarn  
  (spell) ...................................... 102
  Sullen Country ......................22-23
  Sunmaker .................................. 115
  Super-mystics, generally ............50
  Sylvestri, Giacomo ............. 51, 145
  Sylvestris ................................50-51
  Tablet Of Destiny ........................91
  Taj Mahal .....................................68
  Takofanes the Archlich ........54-55
  Talisman of Invulnerability .......42
  Talking animals ...........................22
  Tarchaniotes, Nyssa ....................55
  Tarnkappe ....................................87
  Technomagic, Thulkosian ....... 137
  Teng Wei ......................................82
  Teng Wei’s Translocation  
  (spell) .........................................82
  Tezcatlipoca .....................24, 62-63
  Thales ...........................................30
  Tharlis, Spymistress ................. 103
  Tharmas ...................................8, 47
  Thaumaturgy ...............................73
  The Ban ........................................61
  Therianthropes ............................59
  Thestor .........................................57
  Theurgy ........................................72
  They Who Laugh And Leap ......41
  Thiralatha (dimension lord) ......64
  Thor ..............................................87
  Thousand-Headed God .......... 115
  Thousandfold Doors ............... 113
  Throne Room, Skarn’s ............. 114
  Thrones (Tyrannon forms) ..... 116
  Thulkos ............................. 115, 135
  Tiamat ......................... 91, 138, 141
  Tiamat Brazier ......................... 146
  Tibet .............................................53
  Time of the Blazing Star ............41
  Time travel ..................................94
  Tiphereth (Beauty) .......................8
  Tiphereth43-46
  Tongue Of Enitharmon (spell) .82
  Torah ............................................30
  Torres, Charles ............................60
  Torvost ...................................... 107
  Transdimensional (Advantage) 96
  Transﬁxion Sigil (spell) ........... 105
  Travel on the Astral Plane .........16
  Tree Forms of Tyrannon ......... 132
  Tree of Death .................................9
  Tree of Life .....................................6
  Tree of Mystery ...........................47
  Trickster, the  
  (Archetype/Avatar) ..............8, 63
  Triple Goddess  
  (Archetype/Avatar) ....................8
  Trismegistus Council ...........52, 69
  Tulku ............................................56
  Tyrankos ................................... 135
  Tyrannist magic ....................... 133
  Tyrannon the Conqueror 6, 8, 115
  Tyrannon’s Varied Powers ....... 128
  Udan Adan ..................................47
  Ulro ..........................................8, 47
  Ultor .............................................83
  United States, as mystic power ..69
  Unspeakable Enchantments Of 
  Ultor, The (spell) .......................83
  Upper Astral Plane .....................11
  Upper Planes .................................8
  Urizen ...........................8, 47, 74, 91
  Urthona ....................................8, 47
  Vala ...............................................47
  Valhalla ........................................26
  Valley of the Nagas .....................70
  Vampires ......................................60
  Vandaleur, Adrian .......................51
  Vandaleurs .............................50-51
  Vapors Of Vata, The (spell) ....8, 83
  Vardhamana ................................30
  Varthian Veil, The (spell) ........ 105
  Veil Of The Temple .................8, 43
  V’han, Istvatha ............. 6, 100, 118
  Vibora Bay .............................60, 69
  Viceroys  
  (Tyrannon forms) .......... 116, 125
  Villains .................................97-152
  Vilsimbra ...............................20, 24
  Vimpstead ....................................42
  VIPER ................................. 53, 140
  Vipers Of Vorkill, The (spell) ....78
  Visting the Astral Plane .............11
  Void Of Dreamless Sleep .. 16, 138
  Vorkill ..........................................78
  Vritrasangha ............................. 144
  Walpurgisnacht Working ...........68
  War Pigs .......................................40
  War Zone .....................................26
  Warriors, All-Purpose ............. 112
  Washington, D. C and the  
  American Occult Republic ......69
  Water of Death ............................20
  Weirdness magnets .....................69
  Were-creatures ............................59
  Winds Of The Zephirim  
  (spell) .........................................84
  Witchcraft (type of magic) ........72
  Witchcraft (superheroine) .........58
  Wizard Walls (spell) ...................80
  Wondrous islands .......................20
  Word Of Unmaking (spell) .85-86
  Wotan ...........................................24
  Wu, Dr. Yin ..................................58
  Yama-Kings ...........................26, 30
  Yazatas ..........................................32
  Yelbock .........................................42
  Yellowstone Park .........................66
  Yesod (the Foundation) .........7, 42
  Yetzirah ..........................................7
  Yggdrasil, Realm of Plant  
  Life ..........................................7, 42
  Yong, City-States of ....................42
  Yongspar ................................42-43
  Young Pioneers ...........................40
  Zarrindokht ...........................50, 56
  Zoas ..........................................8, 46
  Zoroastrianism ...........................32
  Zyto ..............................................78
  Zyto’s Solid Seemings (spell) .....78
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero System/Hero System - Mystic World dojhero212-OEF.pdf