Coming Hypostasis, a game of Abrahamic Horror, Survival and the Inevitable Passage of Time

[sesantaru]

Hypostasis is a game of Abrahamic Horror, Survival and the Inevitable Passage of Time. Set in a biblical post-apocalyptic world with an already "old new order" that will eventually fall apart. It uses a roll-under D100 system based on BRP with tons of little rules for: survival, "blind" exploration (there is a map but players can't see it), diplomacy with a variety of abominations: goetian demons, Nephilims, Liouds, Grigoris (fallen angels), collective spirits, and more, all this in a world filled with geopolitics, and a system for the movement of History. There are hundreds of powers (magic), narrative powers (powers that give the players decisions to alter and affect the world and its history), body corruptions characteristics that players get in a random manner, (they can't choose them like in most RPGs), and sinergies that are applied when players get certain combinations of powers/perversions. Finally, characters constantly die and reincarnate in another member of their family. It's a crazy world.

I'm still writing it, the lore is complete, and i'm testing the mechanics which are too chaotic and OP sometimes, but that's the point anyway. If you are interested enter to my site and suscribe to the mail list. That way I can know if the game has potential for a kickstarter. Also I must say i'm the writer, designer and artist, so i seriously want this book to be filled with art and well thought design, like in Mork Borg, but more focused in giving information and hopefully without losing the good design and art in the process.

www.sesantaru.com

Any advice is welcome, also corrections for my grammar and spelling, i'm a native spanish speaker so i usually commit mistakes, thanks!

 

[tommybahama]

The art on your home page, especially the second portrait, is worth a click through if nothing else!

A post-Book of Revelation game might be interesting, but I think anyone that nominally identifies as Christian might be turned off by the presentation on your home page.

It uses a roll-under D100 system based on BRP

What is BRP?

Finally, characters constantly die and reincarnate in another member of their family. It's a crazy world.

I'm pretty sure that's not Biblical ("And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment"). Do you mean it as a curse? Instead of living once and dying , they are cursed into reincarnation? I think that would work with the horror theme.

You mentioned Mork Borg so I looked it up. How many people ever play these types of indie games versus people that just read the book just for fun or inspiration? I know one guy that buys all the D&D campaign books and gets a lot of enjoyment reading them after playing through them as a player but never intends to DM them ever. Is that the kind of market these games sell to?

 

[sesantaru]

The art on your home page, especially the second portrait, is worth a click through if nothing else!

Thank you!

A post-Book of Revelation game might be interesting, but I think anyone that nominally identifies as Christian might be turned off by the presentation on your home page.

Yeah I thought about that, but it's hard to please everyone. I restrained myself from the more NFSW stuff i painted though. Also some older but still popular RPGs have touched these themes decades before me. Personally, being raised as a catholic christian, all these themes are really interesting because of the fear I had about them when i was a kid.

What is BRP?

Basic Roleplaying, a generic system based in good ol' Runequest, made by Chaosium. It has a SRD right now, but I'm waiting for Openquest 3rd edition to decide if i'm going to use that system instead of BRP. Both are nearly the same thing with minimal changes.

I'm pretty sure that's not Biblical ("And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment"). Do you mean it as a curse? Instead of living once and dying , they are cursed into reincarnation? I think that would work with the horror theme.

Actually this game is really jewish at his core, I say biblical, but most of the inspiration comes from the old testament than the new testament or even the Revelations book, also I take a lot of information from the Apocrypha, specially 1 Enoch and 2 Enoch, and a lot of inspiration from the Kabbalah. So the reincarnation thing is actually the Gilgul cycle with a twist, players get reincarnated in their most loved family member. Why? Because they are cursed in the game, only them, not the rest of humanity.

You mentioned Mork Borg so I looked it up. How many people ever play these types of indie games versus people that just read the book just for fun or inspiration? I know one guy that buys all the D&D campaign books and gets a lot of enjoyment reading them after playing through them as a player but never intends to DM them ever. Is that the kind of market these games sell to?

That is really hard to know, though Mork Borg is really really popular right now. As designer wannabe i don't want to criticize other people's work, specially a ENnie winner, but i just only find hard to learn their system with that pretty design and art all over the place. I would like to make a balance of good information combined with good design and art.

Thank you again Tommy for the interest! It's been hard to get attention, and i really want to make this game exist.

 

[tommybahama]

I think there is a bias with me and probably a lot of people to think New Testament whenever the Bible is mentioned. I think most nominal christians and secular people jump to the same conclusion.

Abrahamic Horror might be confusing. Google didn't bring up anything for me. But if you described it as "Old Testament horror from the Apocrypha and Kabbalah" then I think (but what do I know?!?) more people will be interested, especially those interested in occult horror and creepypasta. That may also get around any knee-jerk reactions by Christians or secularists, if you know what I mean.

Good luck!

 

[sesantaru]

I think there is a bias with me and probably a lot of people to think New Testament whenever the Bible is mentioned. I think most nominal christians and secular people jump to the same conclusion.

Abrahamic Horror might be confusing. Google didn't bring up anything for me. But if you described it as "Old Testament horror from the Apocrypha and Kabbalah" then I think (but what do I know?!?) more people will be interested, especially those interested in occult horror and creepypasta. That may also get around any knee-jerk reactions by Christians or secularists, if you know what I mean.

Good luck!

Thank you Tommy for the advices. Abrahamic horror is made up, but i like how it sounds, is more concise, and if in case i wanna add muslim beliefs i could easily do it with that name.

Thank you again, and if you are interested subscribe to the mailing list. Is my way to know if I could kickstart this game

 

[sesantaru]

King Baal, Leader of Leaders. The current cover of my site

King Baal, leader of leaders, first demon of hell, cautious teacher of the most deserving people. Humble and intelligent, unlike other hellish creatures. He commands legions of poor Eliouds, the weak children of the Nephilim, and controls vasts territories of the earth and hell.
In game he can be a main NPC if the GM choses him to be part of his/her campaign. He gives essential knowledge to the players (if they ally to him or one of his demon allies), and some personal powers that cannot be acquired in other places. He is the leader of the political line of demons that want to maintain the status quo at all costs, a conservative in the first part of the game, a reactionary when things start to change.

 

[sesantaru]

A Hungry Spirit, one of the many billions that roam the Earth

This spirit is just one the billions that walk aimlessly through the post apocalyptic earth, unable to completely enter our world or any of the afterlife dimensions, in a constant thirst and hunger that he cannot satiate, with infinite kinds of emotions but only one that imposes itself over the rest: craving. These spirits are mostly the remnants of the old humanity, most of them died in the process known as the Darkness and could not completely leave their old home. Today just a few thousands humans are still alive, hidden in the mountains, the old world is there no more.

These are probably the most dangerous beings that partially exist in the Old New Order of earth. Some poor humans and eliouds have physically contacted one or more spirits at the same time, only to die after a few seconds of blunt wounds and dozens of cuts. After hundreds of years of craving the touch and love of a physical being they kill everything they can physically be in contact with, only the most capacitated and intelligent beings can interact with a single entity, separating the masses of craving spirits with one that could maintain part of his of her psyche. But the danger of letting the spirits hordes escape is always there.


If you are interested in learning more go to www.sesantaru.com, and please subscribe here if you want to support us with only your attention!

 

[sesantaru]

A Nephilim in the slow process of becoming an "Abomination"

The new lords of humanity. Frail and weak, quiet and introspective, their minds are shattered and their bodies deformed with each year that passes. After enslaving the last portions of Humanity they escaped to the farthest mountains of Earth, establishing old fashioned fiefdoms based on fealty and tithe, each one ruled by just one Nephilim, far from any other individuals of his own species. Even though humans ignore it, the Nephilim fear their own potential as well as they fear all the other kinds of monstrosities that roam the world. If a Nephilim completely loses his sense of reality, his potential will be liberated. It is a slow process that their unreliable companions prefer to supress before it gets too complicated to control.

If you are interested in learning more go to www.sesantaru.com, and please subscribe here if you want to support us with only your attention!

PS: I seriously want to rework a little bit the painting of this illustration. I wanna add some cyan as illumination and maybe a reddish black for the shadows. Let's think all this art as just the "beta" version that will be refined after a succesful crowdfunding.

 

[sesantaru]

A Common Human, the near extinct species that live hidden between the mountains

Since the new dawn the majority of humanity has worked around the earth under the rule of their Nephilim lords. It has been their only way to survive the dangers of the Old New Order, all their ancient weapons were systematically melted, there are no states anymore, no human nations, no racial divisions. Just them, their religion and their masters.

Everything is a threat for humans today, even going out of their family land is dangerous. The new nature is hostile to them, and humanity is at the bottom of the new food chain. They needs their masters to survive, some humans even love them for that.

If you are interested in learning more go to www.sesantaru.com, and please subscribe here if you want to support us with only your attention!

 

[sesantaru]

A middle aged Elioud with a “third eye” corruption. They look exactly like a normal Nephilim before any change in their mind and body.

The abandoned children of humans and the Nephilim. They are forbidden from stepping the fiefdoms of their parents, so they aimlessly walk through the ruins of Earth. Even though they are weak as any other human, their demonic blood appeases the less intelligent beings that try to attack to them, giving them more “freedom” or just less chances to die.
Thanks to their human blood they organize themselves into bands that not infrequently have enmity with each other. War, hate, love and depression are common in the Elioud just as in any other human. The luckiest of their species live peacefully in hidden places, but most of them work for Demons or the Catholic Church, while a few are forced to work as slaves.

This is a character for my future RPG Hypostasis, a game of Abrahamic horror, Survival and the Inevitable Passage of Time. Enter www.sesantaru.com to get more information, and please subscribe to the mailing list to make this project exist!