Hi guys,
A brand new PDF is now available from Mongoose Publishing - Purgatorium, Seasons of the Soul. Weighing in at 96 pages, it adds a whole new dimension (literally!) to character death. It can be found at;
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/detail.php?qsID=311&qsSeries=PDF
When a character dies, it is a monumental event. The sweep of a keenly honed blade or the fiery breath of a dragon can erase months or even years of playing and developing a character in an instant. Once the Games Master has made the prospect of death real to his player characters, it becomes a potent tool for creating fear, risk, terror, courage, motivations and even Challenge Ratings. Indeed, death is the universal quantifier against which all actions are weighted and measured. In relation to the player character, death is the ultimate nemesis and avoiding it is the true underlying challenge of every role-playing game. The bottom line is that death should never be trivialised. In a sense, this book is dedicated to death, not as a finality or end, but as a divine change that specifically concerns itself with the progression of a being’s soul.
The realm of Purgatorium is offered to Games Masters and players alike so it might aid them in defining the experience of dying and being dead within the scope of a fantasy world. As a campaign setting, Purgatorium is designed to fit seamlessly into any existing game world. A world between worlds, it allows both the players and the Games Master to experience death first hand and roleplay through it. There are no prerequisites for using the Purgatorium setting and accessing the realm is as easy for a 1st-level character as it is for a 20th-level one. Almost all the DCs for any saving throws that involve entering and exiting the realm are scaled according to a character’s level. Within these pages are dozens of options to help diversify the way you handle a player character’s death in your campaign including:
Creating solo adventures for dead player characters waiting to be resurrected that can be run between your regular gaming sessions.
Providing you with the framework for low-level characters without access to money or powerful magic to restore life to their departed comrades.
A source of unknown answers and ancient magic items waiting for curious sages or probing wizards to explore and study.
To help establish and develop your cosmology by direct interaction with the dead.
To provide a way for characters to communicate with departed friends and family members.
To defy the gods and fate, and fight your way back to the land of the living, allowing you to continue gaming even after the entire party has been slaughtered.
Finally, the setting offers something for players who might desire an alternate option to the traditional ‘kill and raise’ style of dealing with a character’s death. Strangely enough, by presenting players with new options, a character might even reach a profound understanding about himself and his relationship with his deity, and choose to continue on his spirit journey by embracing death and honouring the natural progression his soul is following.
Welcome all departed to the realm of Purgatorium, the Seasons of the Soul. A divine realm formed by magic older than gods where souls must prove themselves during the journey between mortal life and the ascension to the outer planes.
Chapters in Purgatorium:
Mythology of Purgatorium - This chapter concerns itself with laying the foundation of what the realm of Purgatorium is and how it works. It helps to define the realm, not only for player characters who want to help their dead companions return to the lands of the living, but also for individuals who want to continue their journey through the afterlife. For the most part, player characters will not participate in the all of the options presented in this chapter. They are included because they are necessary to establish the basic mythology of the realm. Knowing the details of how the realm works will aid the Games Master create a more realistic atmosphere, helping him to be prepared to deal with any unexpected course of action his player characters might take. Perhaps it may even inspire an ambitious Games Masters to run an entire campaign based on dead characters who have banded together in order to help each other complete the journey through the afterlife.
Inhabitants and Characters - Because Purgatorium is a realm of transition it has few inhabitants. In fact, the majority of the population of the realm is composed of creatures and spirits that are just passing through. While long-term occupants do exist, they are rare indeed. In order to protect themselves, those beings that attempt take up permanent residence must remain on a constant lookout for hostile outsiders and other predators. Because long-term inhabitants are hunted incessantly, permanent settlements are almost unheard of in Purgatorium and those who attempt to construct them are either inevitably killed or forced to flee. Any settlers that wish to remain alive eventually adapt themselves to a nomadic lifestyle. All of Purgatorium's inhabitants belong to one of three distinct types; departed souls, natives and immigrants. In this chapter you will find details on all these different inhabitants, as well as some great new feats and new uses for skills essential to help you survive on the route to the outer planes.
Prestige Classes - There are a host of fascinating characters to be found on the four Seasons of Purgatorium. Some are harmless souls struggling to comprehend their new existence, but others are more dangerous and sinister. Amongst these are the Astral Bounty Hunter, Channeler, Eiothain Empath, the Fate Defier and the Siphon. All of these prestige classes are fully detailed, allowing players to become more intimately involved with Purgatorium, perhaps even forging a career there.
Magic and Purgatorium - Purgatorium is a realm formed entirely out of divine magic; its snow does not melt and its trees are alive but do not grow. Everything from the soil to the sky carries some form of magical property. For the most part, arcane magic functions normally in Purgatorium and is used freely by both the living and the dead. On the other hand, because of the realm’s purpose and proximity to the deities, divine magic is often subject to variation. This is especially true for any departed souls who stand in direct defiance of the wishes of their gods. A claimed soul that has formally declared to continue on his spirit journey has full access to his divine spells and powers, as do druids and other characters that draw powers from forces not directly associated with specific deities. Non-denominational divine casters such as paladins and polytheistic clerics are still considered to draw their powers from a deity, not a force. Any divine spellcaster who attempts to thwart the progression of his soul by attempting to delay or avoid his death is immediately stripped of his divine powers and is considered an ex-cleric or ex-paladin. Such an individual is left with only three choices for survival in the after world: repent, convert or become a fugitive heretic. This chapter details heaps of new spells for channelers and siphoners, as well as magical and semi-magical items unique to Purgatorium.
Seasons of Purgatorium – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn; the four Seasons of Purgatorium. Each is an island, connected by a bridge to the next season in the chain, leading the departed souls to their final destination, the outer planes. It is no safe journey, though. There are those who would kidnap or steal souls for their own nefarious ends. Survival can depend on a good guide, or a friend prepared to risk the journey through the frost tide…
Running the Setting – This chapter provides a comprehensive guide for Games Masters, allowing them to confidently run this unique setting, immersing their players in the grim struggle of the afterlife. Weather conditions, encounters, plot hooks and much more are provided to ensure the setting works in all its desolate splendour.
Creatures of Purgatorium – You might think that the route to the afterlife would be a vast, cloudy and uninhabited place. Too many departed souls have made this fundamental mistake, and paid the price. From the indigenous eiothain tribes and the various ghalfung trees to the various outsiders, constructs, undead and the like who stalk Purgatorium, all are detailed here with sample characters as well.
Organisations - While most creatures view Purgatorium as a realm of passage, there are others beings whose perspective of the realm is quite different. Depending on the individual, Purgatorium can be interpreted as a realm of opportunity, a hunting ground, a home or even a prison. Just like any other place, beings with shared interests, ideas or perceptions often bind together to form organisations. Compared to the Prime Material Plane, most of the organisations in Purgatorium tend to be small. Ultimately, they are usually run by a few permanent members who employ a hundred or so individuals (either knowingly or unwittingly) who work to further the organisation’s ambitions and objectives.
Purgatorium: Seasons of the Soul is Mongoose Publishing’s most extensive and ambitious PDF product to date. It is a text-dominant product absolutely jam-packed with information detailing the land between life and death. There are only three ways to get to Purgatorium: through a frost tide, finding it in the Astral Plane. . . or death.
A brand new PDF is now available from Mongoose Publishing - Purgatorium, Seasons of the Soul. Weighing in at 96 pages, it adds a whole new dimension (literally!) to character death. It can be found at;
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/detail.php?qsID=311&qsSeries=PDF
When a character dies, it is a monumental event. The sweep of a keenly honed blade or the fiery breath of a dragon can erase months or even years of playing and developing a character in an instant. Once the Games Master has made the prospect of death real to his player characters, it becomes a potent tool for creating fear, risk, terror, courage, motivations and even Challenge Ratings. Indeed, death is the universal quantifier against which all actions are weighted and measured. In relation to the player character, death is the ultimate nemesis and avoiding it is the true underlying challenge of every role-playing game. The bottom line is that death should never be trivialised. In a sense, this book is dedicated to death, not as a finality or end, but as a divine change that specifically concerns itself with the progression of a being’s soul.
The realm of Purgatorium is offered to Games Masters and players alike so it might aid them in defining the experience of dying and being dead within the scope of a fantasy world. As a campaign setting, Purgatorium is designed to fit seamlessly into any existing game world. A world between worlds, it allows both the players and the Games Master to experience death first hand and roleplay through it. There are no prerequisites for using the Purgatorium setting and accessing the realm is as easy for a 1st-level character as it is for a 20th-level one. Almost all the DCs for any saving throws that involve entering and exiting the realm are scaled according to a character’s level. Within these pages are dozens of options to help diversify the way you handle a player character’s death in your campaign including:
Creating solo adventures for dead player characters waiting to be resurrected that can be run between your regular gaming sessions.
Providing you with the framework for low-level characters without access to money or powerful magic to restore life to their departed comrades.
A source of unknown answers and ancient magic items waiting for curious sages or probing wizards to explore and study.
To help establish and develop your cosmology by direct interaction with the dead.
To provide a way for characters to communicate with departed friends and family members.
To defy the gods and fate, and fight your way back to the land of the living, allowing you to continue gaming even after the entire party has been slaughtered.
Finally, the setting offers something for players who might desire an alternate option to the traditional ‘kill and raise’ style of dealing with a character’s death. Strangely enough, by presenting players with new options, a character might even reach a profound understanding about himself and his relationship with his deity, and choose to continue on his spirit journey by embracing death and honouring the natural progression his soul is following.
Welcome all departed to the realm of Purgatorium, the Seasons of the Soul. A divine realm formed by magic older than gods where souls must prove themselves during the journey between mortal life and the ascension to the outer planes.
Chapters in Purgatorium:
Mythology of Purgatorium - This chapter concerns itself with laying the foundation of what the realm of Purgatorium is and how it works. It helps to define the realm, not only for player characters who want to help their dead companions return to the lands of the living, but also for individuals who want to continue their journey through the afterlife. For the most part, player characters will not participate in the all of the options presented in this chapter. They are included because they are necessary to establish the basic mythology of the realm. Knowing the details of how the realm works will aid the Games Master create a more realistic atmosphere, helping him to be prepared to deal with any unexpected course of action his player characters might take. Perhaps it may even inspire an ambitious Games Masters to run an entire campaign based on dead characters who have banded together in order to help each other complete the journey through the afterlife.
Inhabitants and Characters - Because Purgatorium is a realm of transition it has few inhabitants. In fact, the majority of the population of the realm is composed of creatures and spirits that are just passing through. While long-term occupants do exist, they are rare indeed. In order to protect themselves, those beings that attempt take up permanent residence must remain on a constant lookout for hostile outsiders and other predators. Because long-term inhabitants are hunted incessantly, permanent settlements are almost unheard of in Purgatorium and those who attempt to construct them are either inevitably killed or forced to flee. Any settlers that wish to remain alive eventually adapt themselves to a nomadic lifestyle. All of Purgatorium's inhabitants belong to one of three distinct types; departed souls, natives and immigrants. In this chapter you will find details on all these different inhabitants, as well as some great new feats and new uses for skills essential to help you survive on the route to the outer planes.
Prestige Classes - There are a host of fascinating characters to be found on the four Seasons of Purgatorium. Some are harmless souls struggling to comprehend their new existence, but others are more dangerous and sinister. Amongst these are the Astral Bounty Hunter, Channeler, Eiothain Empath, the Fate Defier and the Siphon. All of these prestige classes are fully detailed, allowing players to become more intimately involved with Purgatorium, perhaps even forging a career there.
Magic and Purgatorium - Purgatorium is a realm formed entirely out of divine magic; its snow does not melt and its trees are alive but do not grow. Everything from the soil to the sky carries some form of magical property. For the most part, arcane magic functions normally in Purgatorium and is used freely by both the living and the dead. On the other hand, because of the realm’s purpose and proximity to the deities, divine magic is often subject to variation. This is especially true for any departed souls who stand in direct defiance of the wishes of their gods. A claimed soul that has formally declared to continue on his spirit journey has full access to his divine spells and powers, as do druids and other characters that draw powers from forces not directly associated with specific deities. Non-denominational divine casters such as paladins and polytheistic clerics are still considered to draw their powers from a deity, not a force. Any divine spellcaster who attempts to thwart the progression of his soul by attempting to delay or avoid his death is immediately stripped of his divine powers and is considered an ex-cleric or ex-paladin. Such an individual is left with only three choices for survival in the after world: repent, convert or become a fugitive heretic. This chapter details heaps of new spells for channelers and siphoners, as well as magical and semi-magical items unique to Purgatorium.
Seasons of Purgatorium – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn; the four Seasons of Purgatorium. Each is an island, connected by a bridge to the next season in the chain, leading the departed souls to their final destination, the outer planes. It is no safe journey, though. There are those who would kidnap or steal souls for their own nefarious ends. Survival can depend on a good guide, or a friend prepared to risk the journey through the frost tide…
Running the Setting – This chapter provides a comprehensive guide for Games Masters, allowing them to confidently run this unique setting, immersing their players in the grim struggle of the afterlife. Weather conditions, encounters, plot hooks and much more are provided to ensure the setting works in all its desolate splendour.
Creatures of Purgatorium – You might think that the route to the afterlife would be a vast, cloudy and uninhabited place. Too many departed souls have made this fundamental mistake, and paid the price. From the indigenous eiothain tribes and the various ghalfung trees to the various outsiders, constructs, undead and the like who stalk Purgatorium, all are detailed here with sample characters as well.
Organisations - While most creatures view Purgatorium as a realm of passage, there are others beings whose perspective of the realm is quite different. Depending on the individual, Purgatorium can be interpreted as a realm of opportunity, a hunting ground, a home or even a prison. Just like any other place, beings with shared interests, ideas or perceptions often bind together to form organisations. Compared to the Prime Material Plane, most of the organisations in Purgatorium tend to be small. Ultimately, they are usually run by a few permanent members who employ a hundred or so individuals (either knowingly or unwittingly) who work to further the organisation’s ambitions and objectives.
Purgatorium: Seasons of the Soul is Mongoose Publishing’s most extensive and ambitious PDF product to date. It is a text-dominant product absolutely jam-packed with information detailing the land between life and death. There are only three ways to get to Purgatorium: through a frost tide, finding it in the Astral Plane. . . or death.
