Spes Magna Games

Centuries ago, when we moved into Stelo Sector to explore and colonize, settlers discovered the first Konstruaĵo sites, which, by that time, were already hundreds of centuries old. To this date, no one can say with certainty what happened to the Konstruaĵo or even what the Konstruaĵo looked like.

What is known? Well, this:

* Konstruaĵo architecture was designed to blend into the natural environment. Many Konstruaĵo structures extend into subterranean spaces.

* No stairs or ladders have been discovered in Konstruaĵo sites. The Konstruaĵo did make use of ramps, some of them quite steep.

* Most curiously perhaps, no depictions of Konstruaĵo life have ever been found. Likewise, xenoarchaeologists have uncovered very few Konstruaĵo artifacts. Those artifacts that have been found are invariably simple tools or utensils, most of them broken.

* It is believed the Konstruaĵo had a highly mystical culture. After the discovery of the Traduko Codex, which led xenocryptologists to reconstruct portions of the Konstruaĵo language, translations of rare Konstruaĵo literary fragments were completed.

* It appears as if Konstruaĵo religion centered on the idea that “enlightened ones” could manipulate reality via “purified senses”. It is almost certain that at least some Konstruaĵo were psychics.

* Inferences drawn from Konstruaĵo texts indicate that the Konstruaĵo were not bipedal humanoids. It is likely that the Konstruaĵo did not consume solid foods, but rather they had a system of externalized digestion, using enzymes to liquefy food before consumption.

The Traduko Codex

Among the many mysteries associated with the Konstruaĵo is the origin of the Traduko Codex, discovered accidentally by construction workers on Ryloth when the ground beneath an earth mover caved in, uncovering an ancient Konstruaĵo cave dwelling. Quite improbably, the fragmentary Traduko Codex included text in both the Konstruaĵo’s language as well as eme-ĝir, the standard dialect of ancient Sumeria, a Terran culture that dates back to the beginnings of recorded history on the human motherworld.

This Konstruaĵo-Terra connection has fueled speculation for decades. It must be that the Konstruaĵo visited Terra during the earliest periods of Terran history. What purpose these visits may have had, when the visits began, when they ended, et cetera, are questions that have yet to be answered.

Tags: place of power, Stars Without Number

I decided to experiment with the new “Pay What You Want” option at DriveThruRPG. Currently, these PDFs are available for prices ranging from free to however much money you think they’re worth:

Ars Metamagica: Underwhelmed by metamagic feats? Wish your casters had more flexibility when modifying their spells? Then get Ars Metamagica today. This 13-page, printer-friendly PDF describes an alternate metamagic system that replaces metamagic feats with a metamagic check mechanic.

Dodeca Decor: What will your players do when they see claw marks on the ceiling? Find a dead three-headed snake? Detect a thick, reptilian odor? These are just three of more than 144 details that Dodeca Decor randomly adds to your game, all contained in 13 printer-friendly PDF pages.

Dodeca Encounters: Dodeca Encounters includes two blank tables on a page on which GMs can create their own customized random encounter tables. Each table uses 1d12 plus 1d8 to generate a number between 2 and 20 with most of the numbers falling into Average Party level +0 or -1 range.

Dodeca Weather: Dodeca Weather helps restore the noble d12 to a position of respectability and importance by making it the randomizer that determines your campaign’s weather from day to day. This printer-friendly, 20-page PDF presents a plethora of tables that help GMs determine daily weather by taking into account season, climate, altitude, and terrain.

Gazae et Monstri: This 14-page PDF includes 6 magic items and 5 monsters drawn from Greek and Roman myth. Arm your fighter with the cesti of Eryx. Quest for Pandora’s box. Trade blows with the mighty Antaeus, or match wits with the terrifying Python.

Making Craft Work: Do you wish the rules for the Craft skill made sense? Do you wish it were possible to craft equipment and still have time to adventure? Well, your wishes are our commands! Making Craft Work presents a new system for the Craft skill that uses complexity rather than price to determine how long it takes to finish an item. This is an 8-page, black-and-white PDF.

Quid Novi? Perilous Penguin Edition: Do you know what’s Quid Novi? Well, now you can find out with this free PDF. The Perilous Penguin Edition presents the complete contents of one of Spes Magna’s Quid Novi? e-letters. Included in the Perilous Penguin Edition are a strange disease, a magical glove, two arctic creatures, an arcane trap, a dangerous haunt, and a musical cantrip.

The Baykok: Baykoks stalk forests. Since they favor humanoid prey, they tend to stay close to communities, especially frontier settlements. A baykok, however, seldom ventures within the confines of a community. Instead, it prefers to haunt the outskirts and near wilderness, hunting people who venture into the woods.

The Swamp Isle of the Croaking Priestess: The Croaking Priestess and her boggard followers run a brisk business trading magical potions for sacrificial victims. Local marshfolk have suffered the predations of wicked swamp denizens long enough. They need adventurers to head into the muck, assault the Swamp Isle, and finally put an end to the Croaking Priestess’s evil.

Trekking to the Side: Trekking to the Side features two short adventures originally published for Quid Novi? subscribers in June and July 2012. The Ruined Fort is suitable for 5th-7th level PCs. The Coming Storm is suitable for 9th-11th level PCs. In addition to the short adventures, this printer-friendly PDF includes a new monster, new haunts, new afflictions, and more.