#anandi

(art by Astanael on DeviantArt)

The secrets of the occult and the things beyond mortal ken is not a pursuit for the faint of heart or the inflexible of mind. Indeed, one might destroy oneself if one were to uncover the wrong secret at the wrong time, either mentally or sometimes physically, and in either case only sometimes because of some eldritch entity or force.

But the risks and the fearful lack of understanding from critics fails to deter some, and so we have the likes of the eldritch researcher, an archetype that earns it’s name in not just researching the occult and the magic associated with it, but also in the nature of aberrations and the strange gods often associated with them.

To most, such beings are utterly unnatural and alien, an unsettling reminder that not every creation in the universe was made by sane or benevolent beings… But much like the marine biologist, an eldritch researcher understands that such beliefs are informed by biases based on erroneous assumptions like “normality” and “wholesomeness”. Certainly aberrations may seem very different to your average hominid, but when viewed from the lens of their home environment and the needs therein, such creatures don’t seem so strange. Conversely, the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods seem less mind-bogglingly frightening when you consider they are divinities that have never wanted nor needed the approval of mortals, and therefore have no reason to take a form that appeals to their sense of aesthetics, let alone beauty.

Now does that means such creatures are just misunderstood and harmless if left alone? Certainly not! Most of them are sentient beings perfectly capable of choosing cruelty just like any humanoid, and those that aren’t intelligent can still be as threatening as any wild animal. Their methods of violence or wickedness might be especially horrifying, but the end result is the same.

But despite the horrors not just of these entities but of the mystical mysteries of the occult in general, these researchers carry on despite claims by others that they are digging too deep into what mortals were never meant to know. They meet such sentiments with derision. After all, is it not the duty of any scholar to research, explore, and document?

The base dedication for this archetype grants either an arcane or occult cantrip, as well as training in either of those mystical studies. Their knowledge also makes them quite good at investigating phenomena and identifying magic.

Some also learn minor magic that mirrors that granted by the knowledge, secrecy, or truth domains, though the tradition matches that which they chose earlier. This grants some the ability to better recall knowledge, hush voices to prevent others from overhearing, or speak a statement that they believe is true and everyone understands their honesty. They can of course expand their study into the other domains as well

With a bit of clever occult magic, these mystics can touch a body of knowledge and instantly hold the full knowledge of it’s contents in their minds without study for an hour. This allows them to understand it for that time, even if it’s written in a language they do not know, but it does not automatically decode any ciphers, requiring them to actually study the text to properly permanently learn it and decipher it as need be.

Their fascination with aberrations and oozes gives some of these scholars a knack for predicting and avoiding their movements, reducing damage from their physical strikes.

Getting into the occult means learning a lot about rituals, and these researchers are quite practiced at following such rites to the letter.

Sometimes, fate itself seems to conspire against these scholars and the trail goes cold, but this does not stop them, for they learn magic to locate objects and later individuals related to their quest for knowledge.

So deep is their knowledge that they often have much more to say about the topics they recall than most would.

With greater mastery, they can improve their mastery of their pseudo-domain or domains to gain the advanced magic associated with their previous choice. This includes the ability to translate a text into different languages, weaponize a foe’s own secret knowledge against them, or project an aura that pierces illusions so that they may see past them.

Some learn a handful of curses that affect the mentality of the target to cause them to behave in abrasive or distracted ways. Basically three flavors of the negative aspects of being neurodivergent without the years of learning to live with them. However, you might convince you GM to substitute other curse spells as well.

As one might expect from a delver into the eldritch unknown, these mystics eventually learn to summon forth such entities, either in a combat minion capacity, or for longer periods to entice them to give answers about a subject, though their answers are always vague due to mindset differences and mischief in equal measure.

Sometimes quick thinking is required in a dangerous situation, and that means recalling and processing information quickly. The greatest of these scholars are experts at this, though their focus on this is so great that they can’t immediately act on their knowledge with other skills and abilities.

This archetype is definitely fun for a game with a lot of cosmic horror in it, and it offers a nice mix of knowledge utility and spell utility alike. Naturally, this works best with wizards, psychics, and investigators as well as other brainy classes, but the only requirement is sufficient interest and knowledge in those areas, so feel free to explore other options!

To play this archetype is to be daring enough to face the unknown. However, despite their drive for knowledge, there are some things that, while not necessarily not meant to be known, are still too dangerous to be known by all. Grappling with that fact and the obvious threats to body and mind that come with those secrets is what defines the struggle of these researchers.

Though their patron goddess is known by most as The Weaver, she is not the only divinity to be known by that title. For their part, the anandi deny any history, however fringe, with the one known as the Weaver of Nightmares, but if one digs deep enough, one can find evidence of a dark time in the spider-folk’s history, one they would rather see buried forever.

Utterly obsessed with the secrets of the occult in life, Elgor Brandrick did not seek understanding, but bragging rights, eager to put down fellow scholars and laypersons for their ignorance and hoarding great knowledge. Now in death, he returns as a totenmaske, his knowledge scattered and confused. Now he takes on disguises to capture mortals, seeking to twist them like sculptures of the memories he has of the terrifying eldritch horrors he only ever saw in esoteric tomes.

World: Alternia

Name: Anandi Marana

Meaning: once again, none :( she’s an old troll.

Anandi is a real human name that’s relatively well known, so I think we should move away from that to… Apsind? Which is a discombobulation of Spinda. You’ll see an explanation down below. For the last name, what about Cotsch? As a mixup of Scotch, a reference to Hopscotching. I know it’s kinda a big changeup of names, but it’s probably worthwhile considering Marana is a Place In Arizona. 

Age: 6 sweeps

Gender: gender fluid, will be referred to as she for now to prevent confusion.

Theme/Story: Anandi’s main theme is jade who wants to be free, which is the same as most other jades actually. Funny. As well as childhood games and toys like jump roping, bubbles, and jacks. She often got punished misbehaving when she was younger, and always being told what to do and where to go and how to act. She used to listen, and just go with flow, but when she started meeting other trolls she changed, and tried to make her own freedoms.

So a big theme you have going on here is a kind of childishness/interest in childish games (which makes sense because she’s a kid) and her outfit design almost looks sportlike, like a basketball player’s clothes, so combining those two observations, I think an interesting thing to add to her themeing might be like… professional Competitive Fiduspawn Player 

Maybe in an almost… Jared Hess’ “Nacho Libre” sort of narrative. She loves the grubs and wants to take care of them, but she dreams of bigger things (and bigger paychecks), too! But fiduspawn is such a lowbrow game and she’s a semi-noble! So she’s gotta forge her own path and become the Masked Fiduspawner. 

It’s just a fun extra narrative layer on top of what you’ve already got going on.

Goals: design would help a lot, I’m not happy with how she looks. General overview is good too!

Strife Specibus: jumprope kind. Trust me, it can be a weapon

Fetch Modus: Jacks: she has to pick up the items like playing a game of jacks to put them into her modus.

How does she deposit them? Just tossing jacks? 

Blood Color: jade

Symbol and Meaning: virun, sign of the eager

(My recommendation would be:)

( VIRUS, SIGN OF THE ADAPTABLE) Handle: destructiveBubbles[DB]

How about plushyFirebrand? Plushy as a subtle reference to Host Plushies and firebrand calls to mind more Excitability and Change drive than ‘destructive’, which sounds hostile. 

Quirk: replaces i with ! And uses lots of exclamation points.

You could also make her have xx’s on both sides of her messages to represent Jacks. 

Special Abilities: none

Lusus/Guardian: none, she’s a jade

Interests: games such as jacks, jumprope, hula hooping, and so on. As well as taking care of grubs!

Appearance: I really don’t like this sprite, but I’ve remade it too much already lol

Personality: Anandi is a cheerful and stubborn troll, having changed a lot since she was a younger jade. She wants to make her own destiny, and have the freedom and confidence to do so! She tries to inspire the other jades in her cloister, as well as her online friends. She acts brave and selfless most of the time, but in a panicked situation she can get quite scared and meek. She’s kind to all, which is part of her jadeblood nature. She will do anything to help, even if it includes breaking the rules.

(This, really, is a Prospit character. A Prospit character who’s recently decided to become a revolutionary, but a Prospitan nontheless. The cheer, the destiny references, the lack of facades… I could go on.) (Not all Dersites are freedom fighters. Trizza Tethis, of Hiveswap, is a Derse/Blood player. Dersites rail against things, true, but wanting to change society/the path you’re on is not exclusive to them.)

Dancestor: Arekha Marana, the seer of breath

Ancestor: the Huntress, a rogue jade who didn’t want to live a docile life if caring for grubs and instead became an assassin.

Lunar Sway: Derse

As SA discussed above, I think she’d make a better prospitan. She has the adaptability and mutability of a prospit friend. She’s also emotionally reactive and doesn’t necessarily think things through thoroughly, which is the hallmark of Derse. 

Title: Maid of Breath

I don’t know if she has the same narrative structure as a maid… I’d almost be tempted to say witch? Have we said witch for one of yours yet? Keeping classpects straight in big collections of characters is so hard when they’re not your own. Well, if we haven’t said Witch yet, I’d probably say witch. 

Land: Land of Sky and Towers

Design Party!:

I just neatened things up, added some more details and like, unique fashion pieces (jacket time!) and then gave ‘er eyebags and updated the symbol! 

Thank you! You always do such a great job with these.

I’m glad you think so! Thank you for sharing! <3

My very first dragonbirb has an upgraded look now! She’s a proper Oriental Bay Owl now! <3

(art by ThemeFinland on DeviantArt)

When it comes right down to it, a weapon is an tool used for inflicting harm upon other living things, usually other people. Some are nonlethal, at best maiming the target, but most are designed to kill, ending their life by violently disrupting their bodily functions, traditionally by converting all of the blood inside their body into blood outside their body, though any injury works.

Now, there are plenty of weapons that are, you know, designed to be weapons. Swords, spears, guns, and so on… but in truth, any sufficiently durable, heavy, and/or sharp object can be a weapon at least for a few good swings, and anyone will happily take advantage of such a weapon when all other options have run out.

But there are those that actually specialize in using such improvised weapons, turning nearly anything in their hands into a deadly tool. They might be martial artists focusing on such tools to prove a point (or be an expy for Jackie Chan), or they might be another martial or partially martial character that has been in enough bar fights to get a knack for using anything on hand, or they might even be spellcasters that needed one last desperate option to protect themselves.

Either way, there are some who are not afraid to turn to any tool, no matter how awkward, poorly weighted, or ridiculous when their lives are on the line.

This archetype calls to mind several First-Edition equivalents seen with the monk, fighter, and brawler classes that do the same thing: turning any old improvised object into a weapon, so let’s see how this stacks up!

The base dedication for the archetype lets them use improvised weapons just as effectively as manufactured ones, not just in terms of accuracy, but making sure they have a baseline minimum damage die that at minimum they get, guaranteeing even the feeblest weapons is somewhat useful.

Many learn to push past the stress limits of their chosen weapon, hitting harder at the risk of breaking it, and even allowing them to conduct magical properties from magical handwraps they wield. They can even use this with more durable magical items that won’t break, but doing so means their crits aren’t as effective.

Very few people expect to be beaten with everyday objects, so many of these improvisors take advantage of that by catching a foe off guard.

By using their weapon in a manner close to that of actual weaponry, some learn to get various bonus effects on an especially accurate hit.

These warriors are never far from their next weapon, able to grab the nearest object and strike in one fluid motion.

Finally, those that risk breaking their improvised weapons can choose to deliberately destroy them utterly in one powerful destructive strike, dealing a lot of extra damage in addition to the crit.

This is a fun archetype, and one that lots of characters can dip into if they ever worry about not having a proper weapon on hand or just really wanna trash their foe’s entire home décor while beating them. Obviously martial classes will get the most out of it, but don’t discount other possibilities too.

The archetype gives guides for how the GM should determine the damage die for improvised weapons, as well as any properties they have, but you as the player should be considering how the character would actually use them as a weapon. A broom might make a crude staff, while a melon might be a decent one-time ranged bludgeon, while a gear shaft for some disassembled clockwork mechanism might deal heavy damage when wielded like a mace. The sky’s the limit when you understand the role weight plays and where the best lethal parts of any object are.

Blessed by the might of dragons, the dragonblood anandi known as Ipali has to endure a lot of attention over his heritage, but where he really shines is in his cleverness, finding ways to create improvised tools and weapons using his webbing. A bit of silk and a heavy rock is as good as any flail to him.

Said to have been founded by the hound archon Resolute Thunder, the House of the Grasping Hand is a school of thought that it is not enough for champions or any other guardian of good to specialize only in a few weapons in the pursuit of justice, they must accept all, even the humblest weapon when the time comes and lives are at stake, from the mightiest holy avenger to a humble branch driven broken-end first into a demon’s eye. To them, the most blessed weapon is the one the gods conspired to find it’s way into your hand.