[Site] More Archetypes Added!

By Drohem | Published: August 30, 2010

I have added a good selection of new archetypes to the New Archetypes page. These new archetypes have been gathered from various archived Talislanta sites, The Library at Jalaad, The Minotaur’s Talislanta Page, and the Talislanta Yahoo! Group. A great deal of the material uploaded to the Files section of the Talislanta Yahoo! Group was by community member maehedrose, and the majority of the new archetypes uploaded there were by maehedrose. All but one of these new archetypes, the Cymrilian Disinstigator, are written for the 4e Talislanta rules system.

The Cymrilian Disinstigator is a new archetype written by Roger Bonzer and was archived from The Minotaur’s Talislanta Page, which was his Talislanta website. The Cymrilian Disinstigator was originally written for 3e Talislanta, but was later converted to the 4e Talislanta rules, and both versions were offered there. This new archetype describes Cymrilian’s who are agents devoted to the security and safety of the Seven Kingdoms, both internally and externally.

Here are the new archetypes archived from the Talislanta Yahoo! Group website:

Argonian Guardian: This is a reptilian race from the Elder Scrolls video games is adapted to 4e Talislanta, and placed within the swamps of Mog.
Baratan Sky Pirate: Here is a typical the air pirate based out of the Isle of Baratus.
Cymrilian Ghost Runner: This is a Cymrilian trained in the arts of the woodsman and woodland combat.
Ahazu Rage Master: A select few Ahazu seek the path to master their natural rage, and commune with their god.
Samir Huntsman: The Samir are from the Valleys of the Opal Mountains.
Saurud Barbarian: Here is a typical Saurud Barbarian from the Eastern Borderlands.
Tanasian Justicar: This new archetype describes a Tanasian raised in the Quan Empire that is trained in the both wizardry and combat.
Vandar Warrior: The Vandar Warriors are from the Plains of Armageddon.
Danuvian War Priestess: This new archetype describes a War Sister, which is a Danuvian priestess that venerates the goddess Danu through battle. It was uploaded by Talislanta Yahoo! Group community member imazahai.

Here are several new archetypes archived from The Library at Jalaad website, and these were posted there by website owner Dharus:

Caravan Bug: This new archetype describes a typical specimen of these intelligent insects.
Draconid: This new archetype describes these small creatures that can detect magical emanations near them.
Ravenger: This new archetype describes the ubiquitous Ravenger, a reptilian humanoid known for its ability to survive and thrive in any environment on Talislanta.
Sniper Bug: This new archetype describes a typical Sniper Bug ready to go to war with its enemy, the evil Whisps.
Jaka Cultural Notes: This document describes two new archetypes, the Oel-var’iz and the Thane Apprentice.

Lastly, the Additional 4e Archetypes document is a collection of 16 new archetype written for 4e Talislanta. They have been archived from various Talislanta websites, and were written by Adam Sonfield, Matthew Webber, Jason Leinen, Colin Chapman, Tadite, and Wade Durant. Here is a list of the new archetypes within this document:

Pharesian Innovator: Cymrilians look to the past in ancient lore to make the future, while this archetype chooses the path of invention to create a bold new world.
Farad Professional: This archetype describe an assassin who is all business.
Sindaran Mastermind: This NPC archetype describes a Sindaran who has subtle machinations in play at all times, and revels in the game.
Cymrilian Diplomat: This archetype describes an important post and civil servant.
Castabulanese Explorer: This archetype who is a field scientist bent on collecting data first hand.
Callidian Authenticator: These Callidians have left their sanctuary to put their knowledge to use in the field.
Quan Crimelord: This archetype describes Quan who work toward restoring their former status.
Danuvian Message Runner: Runners in the service of their Queen trek throughout the Wilderlands of Zaran.
Thaecian Thrill Seeker: This archetype describes Thaecians that needed to leave Thaecia in order to find new pleasures.
Cymrilian Diplomat (2nd version): Another version of this archetype.
Jaka Assassin: This Jaka archetype is a killer as well as a tracker.
Dracartan Justice: This archetype describes a Dracartan singled out for service to Jamba.
Phantasian Apprentice: Here is a Phantasian that has left Phantas to learn under a foreign master.
Marukan Impersonator: This archetypes describes Marukans trying to escape their cursed past.
Gao Worminger: As an Imrian slave, this archetype has learned how to master the powerful kra.
Chana Soul Seller: Here is an ex-slave that found a use for its knowledge in civilized lands.

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[S.P. News] Turns Out No News Is Good News!!

By Marques | Published: August 27, 2010

Well folks it has been a little while since I last spoke with you. Today marks the two month anniversary of the last Scanning Project news posting. I think we can say, with a fair degree of certainty, that the S.P. locomotion has transitioned from a hair to a tortoise. The initial big boom has finally passed and we now enter the long road. About a week ago it occurred to me that I hadn’t spoken our four scanning and two image cleanup volunteers. Life has been pretty hectic for me and the same has been true for our enlisted dogooders.

It had been so long since our last correspondence that I greatly feared some folks may no longer be able, or worse no longer interested, of investing time into this project. So with reluctance I sent out an email to all six requesting the status of their respective charge. It is with great enthusiasm that I am able to report that all six individuals are still on board. Life has been busy and progress has been slow but progress is indeed being made. Slowly but surely the Talislanta Library will be complete! HUZZAH!!

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[Site] More Items Added to the Fan Materials Page

By Drohem | Published: August 23, 2010

Here are new five items added to the Fan Materials page, which have been archived from the Talislanta Yahoo! Group files. Much of the files uploaded the Talislanta Yahoo! Group were done by community member maehedrose, and all five of the items added were contributed by him.

Ya’zu Shan is the first article and it offers a new martial arts skill for Ahazu characters in your Talislanta games. This new martial arts skill offers new techniques for combat, and was developed to utilize all six limbs of the Ahazu. It also serves as a counterpoints to the racial battle frenzy of Shan-Ya, which overtakes some Ahazu warriors. Additionally, the article offers suggestions for creations specialized Ahazu archetypes based around this new skill and martial arts style.

Looking to give your Talislanta characters a more heroic edge? Then the second article, The Luck System, may peak your interest. This is one of Yldarr’s House Rules that adds a Luck attribute to the game, and it incorporates the use of a standard deck of cards to be used and played during the game by the players. The new Luck Attribute combined with the use of cards during play can add a new twist and dimension to your Talislanta games.

The Critical Hits and Fumbles article is a game aid offering several charts to help a Gamemaster come up with unique outcomes on spectacular rolls; both good and bad! On each of these three charts, each entry has two levels depending on the success of the Attribute roll for that particular entry. A single chart covers all Critical hits, while there is a separate chart Weapon Fumbles and Magic Fumbles.

Talislanta: Advantages & Disadvantages is an article which offers an Advantages and Disadvantages system at character creation to customize and personalize characters above and beyond that of the standard archetypes. Each advantages and disadvantage is given a point value, and a player may purchase advantages only by taking disadvantages to cover the point value of the advantages chosen.

Lastly, Generic Talislanta is an article which converts the standard races and classes from 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons and translates them into the 4e Talislanta archetype system. The character’s race and class determine its starting Attributes, Skills, and Equipment. If you have ever had the itch to give the standard D&D fantasy tropes a whirl using the 4e Talislanta system rules, then this article is for you!

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[Site] The Minotaur’s Archived Talislanta Website

By Drohem | Published: August 12, 2010

The Minotaur’s Talislanta Page website by Roger Bonzer is an archived Talislanta site, and an excellent resource for information on the first through third editions of Talislanta and up to the year 2001. The site stopped being updated shortly after 4e Talislanta by Shootingiron Design was published. Besides being a Talislanta fan, Roger Bonzer was the Talislanta Line Editor for the 4e Talislanta book by Shootingiron Design.

The Talislanta Source Material page has each published book of the first through third editions of Talislanta listed with date of publication, ISBN number, a short description, and picture of the cover. It also has the few items listed for the 4e Talislanta line at the time of 2001.

The Minotaur also discusses the differences and similarities between the first through third editions of Talislanta on the Talislanta Editions page. Also, the Talislanta Archetypes List page has an extensive list of archetypes compiled from the books and source materials of the first through third editions of Talislanta. The Minotaur provides a table with book abbreviations to find the reference and notes as to the kind of archetype.

The Talislanta Adventures page contains a table listing full adventures and adventure seeds published in the materials of the first through third edition lines of Talislanta. He uses his abbreviations to make the chart a handy and quick reference for GMs looking for adventure ideas for their games. The Music of Talislanta page provides list of tracks and brief description of the track for the three Talislanta music albums published.

Another great resource of Talislantan lore is the Talislanta Apocrypha page. This lists some of the items around 2000 that did not’t make it full publication at the time for various reasons. With more excellent tables for easy reference, the Minotaur’s Talislantan Flora and Talislantan Fauna pages a quick list of the vegetation and animals of the Talislantan milieu from the first through third editions of the Talislanta line.

Finally, Home-Grown Stuff is the last section of The Minotaur’s Talislanta Page. This is where you can find 101 Ideas For Talislantan Collectibles, which a list of 101 random items and is an excellent GM aid. The list contains random items that could be quickly and easily determined for a NPC Sindaran Collector. The Festival of the Bizarre pages are a renowned collection of stories revolving around the annual event that takes place on the isle of Thaecia.

The Cymrilian Disinstigator is an original archetype for Cymrilian characters. The Disinstigator is a self-sufficient intelligence and counterintelligence agent tasked with thwarting Tanasian rebels, and other threats to the security of the Seven Kingdoms. The Cymrilian Disinstigator archetype was written for the 3e Talislanta game, but the Minotaur also offers a 4th edition version that was converted by Colin “Psygoblin” Chapman.

The last item in this section of the website is Equs Tales: The Three Lazy Equs, which is a story written by Roger Bonzer and it was the first place winner for the Legends of Talislanta writing contest. It is an excellent fable about four equs siblings and laziness. The Minotaur’s Talislanta Page was an excellent fan driven Talislanta website in the late 1990’s, and just prior to the release of the 4th edition of Talislanta. It was highly structured and detailed in the wealth of Talislantan information it offered to the Talislanta community.

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[Lost Books] Confirmed, Goodness Incoming!

By Marques | Published: August 8, 2010

I am very happy to report that I received the news that a brand new Lost Book release is just on the horizon. The second book in the Lost Book series is entitled The Underground Highway. In the mean time Doug and Paul have been kind enough to release a small preview! Of course this news wouldn’t be complete without shedding some light on the book and the talented man behind it! The following information was contributed by the author, Doug, and Lost Books PDF guru Paul.

Who is the author?
Bart Savenije, author of The Underground Highway, Picked up an RPG rulebook back in his college days just because the cover art was beautiful and he was curious to try out a new game. This was 2nd ed Talislanta. After college he moved house, lost the rulebook, took up a career instead and nearly forgot about roleplaying. A new group of gamers in a new town were the spark that re-lit the flame. Once he got his hands on the Big Blue Book, the group ventured all over the world of Talislanta and even into the Midnight Realm as different characters in various self-written mini campaigns.

Having contributed in minor ways to other RPG books, he jumped at the challenge to write a sourcebook on the Underground Highway for Talislanta. It was fun to write a world-spanning book that had to take into account every underground detail mentioned in any of the published Talislanta sourcebooks. The Underground Highway remains unfinished and is inevitably not matched with the information provided in any of the other unpublished books, but the author wishes anyone daring to go below the surface of Talislanta an interesting journey.

What book in the Lost Books line is this?
The second. The number of the book corresponds roughly to their location from West to East across Talislanta. The Underground Highway stretches for much of that; it’s placement as #2 is in relation to how much of the continent it spans and to the familiarity of the Underground Highway with the West, particularly Durne.

What is the complete page count of the final book?
Not sure just yet. Paul is trying to add in some maps to make the book a bit more ‘complete.

Just wanted to double check, the title is “The Underground Highway”? I’m not sure what this book will cover specifically. Is it a region of Talislanta or is this an adventure or?
The Underground Highway stretches much of the continent of Talislanta. While there is a well-known and patrolled stretch in the Seven Kingdoms linking to underground city of the Gnomekin, mention of its winding tunnels appear across the continent.

Technically, the Underground Highway is its own region in a way, but it has numerous separate sub-regions within it. There is enough in the Underground Highway to either expand and add a dimension to an ongoing game, or run a series of adventures based solely on its unique locales.

So there you have it folks! Keep those fingers crossed and those eyes fixed on the website for the upcoming release. A huge thanks to Doug, Paul, and of course the generous Bart Savenije himself! THANK YOU!!

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[Community] Dave Strikes Jhangara Gold Again!

By Marques | Published: August 5, 2010

A little over a month and a half ago, community member Dave L. graced us all with his glorious Jhangara map. Well I’ve got good news folks, Jhangara Gold has been struck again!! This is the second custom Jhangara Map created by Dave L. It is available in three versions; no hexes, 2m hexes, and 8m hexes. Each map is available in three different sizes; 473 x 640, 757 x 1024, and 1911 x 2585, all of which can be found in the Maps & Images article. Currently all hexes are numbered but if anybody out there would like a no numbers hexed version just drop us a line using our Contact Us form.

If you would like to see more of Dave L’s work you drop by his flickr account. I had the pleasure of meeting Dave over at the Piazza where a new Talislanta community is slowly growing. If you get a chance please consider dropping by. Currently there are are a number of conversations going on although my favorite is the thread on mixing Spelljammer with Talislanta by creating an accurate Talislanta Sphere. Good Stuff!! Thank You DAVE!!

473 x 640: No Hexes (299 KB) – 2m Hexes (359 KB) – 8m Hexes (328 KB)
757 x 1024: No Hexes (643 KB) – 2m Hexes (827 KB) – 8m Hexes (721 KB)
1911 x 2585: No Hexes (5.45 MB) – 2m Hexes (6.36 MB) – 8m Hexes (5.75 MB)

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[Site] Which method of character advancement do you like best?

By Drohem | Published: August 2, 2010

The Talislanta game system has gone through several edition changes over its life time but has remained relatively unchanged when compared to other role-playing games that have also gone through edition changes. One of the changes throughout the life of the Talislanta game system has been how a character spends experience points and advances in abilities.

In the first three editions of Talislanta, experience points are spent to advance a character’s level, obtain new skills, or improve existing skills. In the fourth edition, experience points are spent to obtain new skills, or to improve existing skills. In the D20 edition, experience points are spent to advance a character’s level. Finally, in the fifth edition, experience points are spent to obtain new skills, improve existing skills, or obtain new Quirks.

Which method of character advancement do you like best?

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[Site] More Archived Gems!

By Drohem | Published: July 29, 2010

In this article we’ll take a look at the archived Talislantan Imports website by Aina Rasalomalala. This web page was a sub-section of Aina’s Homepage, which had other RPG related items such as her own TUGS RPG. Talislantan Imports was a repository of 3e Talislanta rules and ideas, with much of the content contributed by Colin ‘Psychedelic Goblin’ Chapman.

Talislanta Archetypes Update is an article written by Colin Chapman that takes existing archetypes and adjusts them to his vision of the third edition Talislanta rules by Wizards of the Coast. There are 72 archetypes reexamined in this document from across all the geographical regions of the Talislanta continent; nine from the Seven Kingdoms, eleven from the Wilderlands, eleven from the Western Lands, seven from the Eastern Lands, nine from the Desert Lands, three from the North Lands, eight from the Central Regions, and fourteen from the Wild Coasts! This document has been added to the New Archetypes page of this website.

Cyclopedias Archetypes Conversion is another article by Colin Chapman where he takes existing archetypes from the Cyclopedia series and updates them for the 3e Talislanta system. This article updates 48 archetypes from several regions of Talislanta; nine from the Seven Kingdoms, seven from the Wilderlands of Zaran, nineteen from the Western Lands, six from the Eastern Lands, and seven from the Desert Kingdoms! This document has been added to the New Archetypes page of this website.

New Archetypes is a short article by Colin Chapman that offers six new archetypes for the 3e Talislanta rules by Wizards of the Coast. The new archetypes are the Thrall Rite-Master, the Thrall War-Medic, the Thrall Weapon-Master, the Aamanian Priest, the Djaffir Caravan-Guard, and the Jaka Shaman. This document has been added to the New Archetypes page of this website.

Combat Rules Addenda is an article by Colin Chapman which offers his House Rules regarding combat in the 3e Talislanta system. There are rules for a modified initiative system for melee, missiles, and spells in combat. Additional rules for combat include multiple attacks, knockouts, unarmed combat, surprise, disarming, shields, and defending against multiple foes. Lastly, there are new rules for hit point advancement and a hit location system for hit points. This article has been added to the Fan Materials page of this website.

Cabal Meteorlogica is an article by Colin Chapman that details a new office for the Lyceum Arcanum in the Seven Kingdoms’ capital city of Cymril, two new Cymrilian archetypes associated with the Cabal Meteorlogica, and new equipment. As an offshoot of the Aeromantic studies facilities of the Lyceum Arcanum, this new office was set up to monitor the weather patterns over the continent and seas of Talislanta. Recently, the Cabal Meteorlogica has started issuing daily weather reports for the citizens of Cymril. The two new Cymrilian archetypes are the Cymrilian Weather Watcher and the Cymrilian Storm Chaser. This document has been added to the New Archetypes page of this website.

Thaecian Magic is an article by Aina Rasalomalala which details a new type of enchantment known only to Thaecians, and the new magic item known as the Thaecian Spell Orb. Spells Orbs are more fragile than normal Thaecian Orbs and contain a spell within which is released once the orb is broken. This document has been added to the Magic, Spells, and Grimoires page of this website.

Finally, the Mana System is an article by Colin Chapman and Aina Rasalomalala which offers an Arcane Energy Points system for the 3e Talislanta system, and also adds a Magic Aura system representing magical energy stored or built up in specific locations. The level of Magic Aura in a particular area can affect a spell casters AEP total either positively or negatively. This document has been added to the Magic, Spells, and Grimoires page of this website.

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[Site] More Talislanta Website Archiving

By Drohem | Published: July 26, 2010

This article is going to focus on Colin ‘Psychedelic Goblin’ Chapman’s archived Codex of the Moons website, which was an excellent and unofficial website dedicated to the 10th Anniversary Edition of Talislanta. The different sections of the website are set up as the seven moons of Talislanta, which are Ardan the Purple, Drome the Amber, Jhang the Crimson, Laeolis the Blue, Phandir the Green, Talisandre the Silver, and Zar the Black.

However, many of these articles and materials found there way into the 4e Talislanta big blue book by Shootingiron Design. In addition, some of Colin Chapman’s 3e Talislanta materials were also updated in anticipation for the then upcoming 10th Anniversary Edition of Talislanta. I have added the materials that haven’t already been added to this site from the archived 4e Shootingiron Design website.

The article When World’s Collide has been added to the Fan Materials page, and this article deals with some of the issues regarding cross-breeding species in your Talislanta games. Colin discusses the factors as to why cross-breeds are very rare in the Talislantan milieu. The article also gives detailed information which species can mate and produce offspring, and which combinations are likely and the details surrounding such unions and breeding.

The second article is titled It’s Purely Cosmetic, and has also been added to the Fan Materials page. This short article discusses how to make your Talislantan characters, items, and spells varied and unusual with the application of the various forms of Talislantan magic. Colin’s advice is simply to embrace exotic nature and feel of Talislanta and use it to add color and flavor to your games.

Enchanted Tattoos is a short article written by Benjamin Lyngfelt. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using enchanted tattoos in your Talislanta games for either the player characters or the non-players characters. This article has been added to the Magic, Spells, and Grimoires page.

Talislanta’s Moon Phases is a game aid designed to help the Gamemaster determine which moons are in phase on any given day, and it has been added to the Fan Materials page. It is a simple chart and short system to help Talislanta GMs create the mood and atmosphere of the exotic seven moons of Talislanta on short notice, and to get back to the game.

The Vermilion Thorns is an article that details the origin, organization, motives, and methods of a secret organization of courtesan-assassins in Zandu. Included in this article is a new Talislantan Archetype, the Zandir Vermilion Thorn. This article has been added to the New Archetypes page of the website.

The Religions of the Desert Kingdoms and The Religions of the Eastern Lands are the companion articles to The Seven Kingdoms Religions article by Colin Chapman already posted on the Fan Materials page. These two articles are also posted to the Fan Materials page. In these articles you will find detailed on information on the doctrine, symbology, holy days, temples, clergy, and saints of the deities of the Dracartans, the Yassan, the Djaffir, the Farad, the Rajan, the Kang, the Vajra, the Chana, the Sauran, the Sunra and the Sun-Ra-San, the Mandalan, and the Nagra!

Generic Archetypes is an article that details 28 new Talislanta Archetypes based upon occupations for the various races of men! These occupational archetypes provide an average person of an occupation listed, and were intended as a quick aid for the Talislantan Gamemaster to create colorful and vibrant non-player characters quickly and easily. However, these new archetypes could easily be customized to be used by player characters as well. This article has been added to the New Archetypes page of the website.

The Codex Archetypes is the last document compiled from the Codex of the Moons archived website and it is a massive collection of 51 new archetypes for your Talislanta games! Some of these archetypes were updated from previous editions and presented for the new and upcoming 10th Anniversary Edition of Talislanta. However, these archetypes are also compatible with the 4e edition by Shootingiron Design. In this information packed document, you will find new archetypes representing all the geographical regions of Talislanta, and a wide selection of races too. This document has been added to the New Archetypes page as well.

Lastly, I have Added the New Archetypes page to the website to contain the extravaganza of new Talislantan archetypes available to download!

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[Site] Which is your favorite Talislanta geographical region?

By Drohem | Published: July 18, 2010

The continent of Talislanta is a land mass with a variety of rich and diverse geographical regions. Each region offers new and exciting peoples, cultures, plants, animals, and physical features to explore for wide-eyed adventurers. Which region is your favorite? In which region have you had the most fun with your Talislantan characters? Is there one particular geographical region in which you find most of your adventurers reside?

Which is your favorite Talislanta geographical region?

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