The Enlightened Conclave of Ocultists
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Not occultist, not ocularists, but ocultists: a conclave of eye sorcerers. When one of them says, “I see what you mean,” chances are they mean it literally. Sight beyond the mundane, cosmic insights, divination of time, space, and soul, are the purview of these oculate sovereigns. Many of them are possessed of multiples of eye sockets, to better wear their ophthalmic opulence.
Names
Members of the Enlightened Conclave take a new name when they have mastered their arts. Many favor the letter “O”. Fellow cultists might bestow upon them a title to reward grand deeds.
| d12 | Name | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avalance | the Senocular |
| 2 | Carrewhippe | the Octonocular |
| 3 | Gwendolen/Gwendal | of the Seventh Eye |
| 4 | Irienne/Irian/Iridice | Keeper of the Voidlit Eyes |
| 5 | Onomaye/Onomar | the Gazer Beyond |
| 6 | Ophtalgis | the Collector |
| 7 | Orrerinne/Orrerin | Brave Bearer of the Eyes of the Unseen |
| 8 | Ovamasterre | the Insightful |
| 9 | Perregrimme | Exalted Dimensar |
| 10 | Quoththolmea/Quoththolmeus | the Soulful |
| 11 | Thomenghas | Architect of Chronovoyant Enlightenment |
| 12 | Xanodarre | Temporarch Prime |
Traits
Traits are extremely versatile: as long as you can describe how a trait helps in a given situation, it adds a die to a roll.
| d12 | Trait | Slots |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angst [Appearance] | ■ ■ |
| 2 | Cult Leader [Appearance] | ■ ■ |
| 3 | Oracle [Appearance] | ■ ■ |
| 4 | Nothing Unseen Is Certain [Conviction] | ■ ■ |
| 5 | There Are Always Deeper Truths [Conviction] | ■ ■ |
| 6 | I Am the Architect [Conviction] | ■ ■ |
| 7 | See Unto the Gods [Desire] | ■ ■ |
| 8 | Collect Sight Unseen [Desire] | ■ ■ |
| 9 | Method Behind Madness [Desire] | ■ ■ |
| 10 | Veneer [Flaw] | ■ |
| 11 | Greed [Flaw] | ■ |
| 12 | Monstrosity [Flaw] | ■ |
Powers
Powers are extremely varied, and often open-ended. Each power describes roughly how to use it, but it’s up to the imagination of the player to fill in the details, so long as everyone agrees.
| d12 | Power | Slots |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goetic Phlebotomy. In the veins of the sentient flows a life-giving current, precious and decidedly finite. With the correct rites, you can tap into this puissance and empower your own arcaneries. Inflict wounds on willing or helpless creatures and increase your Mind score by an equal number. This increase disappears at the end of the session, along with any damage on it. | ■ ■ ■ ■ |
| 2 | Expanded Ocular Capacity. Magical intervention and cleaving instruments aside, most people have 2 eye sockets, two eyes, and are perfectly content with that. Not so the ocular connoisseur. This power can be taken multiple times, adding an additional 2 eye sockets in a location of your body of your choice, through means eldritch and excruciating. Each pair gives you +1 Mind. This slot can additionally house 2 eyes. | ■ ■ |
| 3 | Morbid Mydriasis. Take 1d4 Mind damage and succeed on a Mind check to inflict sudden, wild dilation of the pupil on 1 (in the case of a partial success) or all nearby enemies (in the case of success). Consequences will vary, but rarely be good or painless. | ■ ■ |
| 4 | Acute Ommateum. Instantly develop compound eyes on yourself or another for a scene. A boon to those practiced and learned like yourself, you see all around you at once, in expanded spectrums—a sharp and sudden pain, and disorientation, to those not. | ■ ■ |
| 5 | The Allgaze. Focusing all your eyes upon one subject, and burning them (at least 4) out for the day, you might learn all about them: what is, what could be, what is meant to be (and which entities are quarreling for which fate), and what is truly hidden. | ■ ■ |
| 6 | Thy Mind’s Eye. Lock eyes with a person, leave a tiny mote of yourself hidden within their eyes, and take 1d4 Mind damage. Succeed a Mind roll to activate it before the end of the session, and see clearly through the person's eye for 1 scene. You may deposit as many motes by locking eyes as you wish, but you must take 1d4 Mind damage for each. | ■ ■ |
| 7 | Thy Extended Mind’s Eye. For 2d4 Mind damage, when you lock eyes with your Thy Mind's Eye power, the mote can stay the person's eye indefinitely. Ocultists are sometimes wrongly thought to be diviners. They are often just really well informed due to networks of ocular sleeper spies. | ■ ■ |
| 8 | Ocultism. Much of the outside world is processed and retained by the eyes. You know the art of extracting, preserving, and reactivating these ocular secrets and faculties. Take your time to extract an eye, and succeed on a Mind roll to see if you experience a gift, memory, or curse when looking through it. | ■ ■ |
| 9 | Eye of the Beholder. Given an eye suitably prepared through Ocultism, take 1d4 Mind damage to see through this eye, however far away, for 1 scene. While this eye will usually stay where placed, unmoving, with enough strength of will or cunning, you may be able to impart it basic motility. | ■ ■ |
| 10 | Entoptic Meditation. By concentrating on the things within your vision, and processing them slowly, individually, you regain a sense of grounding. And heal 1d4 Mind damage. | ■ ■ |
| 11 | Erubescence. You can make a person blush or shiver, with a glance and little concentration. | ■ |
| 12 | Psychometry. You see and vaguely digest the contents of any book (or book-like receptacle) simply by touching its cover. | ■ |
Equipment
The distinguished oculist values two types of things above all else: telestic eyes, and an opulent, domineering yet sage look. A close third might be relief from all the headaches. Unless otherwise stated, magical eyes must sit in an appropriate eye socket to function.
| d12 | Item | Slots |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robe of Eyes of the Mathematician and Natural Philosopher Hero of the Elements. Pregnant with parageometric tension, affecting challenge rolls with 2 or more dice rolled. All dice come up even: the result does maximum damage, effect, or impact. All dice show 1: you have been diminished; for the rest of the day, a random ability score of yours is reduced to 1. Any die shows a 7: the result transcends into the mystical, alerting an curious entity or possibility to your existence. The total of all dice is 11: you've caught the eye of Numielle, angel/demon of harmonies and mathematics; permanently gain +1 to an ability score of your choice. Maybe you dream of the angel, maybe they come to whisk you away one day. |
■ ■ ■ ■ |
| 2 | Eye of the Latter Day Moirai. You acquired the Fates’ single eye, and they will eventually come for you. Meanwhile though, you never roll for challenges (you’ve seen it all already through the eye). Instead, you have 1 critical failure, 2 failures, 3 partial successes, 3 successes, and 1 critical success. When, and only when, they’re all used up, you return to the same pool of results. You may use a result instead of another’s roll too—after all, you’ve seen it. | ■ ■ ■ ■ |
| 3 | Eye of Vecna. Purple-irised, softly glowing. Take 1 wound to: 1) see through nearby solid objects for a scene, 2) gain 1 die on a roll courtesy of clairvoyance, 3) control a beast for a scene, 4) cause another to feel sickly for a day~—~or comatose for a scene if you succeed a Mind check. | ■ ■ ■ ■ |
| 4 | Grimoire of Odilon Redon. “Everywhere Eyeballs are Aflame” embossed on the leather cover, forever hot to the touch. Contains a spell that the wielder can cast with a 28% miscast chance (as per Purgis Pact Grimoire Magic), which causes all nearby open eyes to burst into flame, for 1d4 damage per round, until doused. | ■ ■ |
| 5 | Murderthane. Black, beaded necklace, forever chill to the touch. Wearer attracts 1d8 crows if loitering in a place for a little while. They can be sent to attack with a Mind check (1d4 + number of crows damage), at which point they fly off. Until your next murderous loiter. | ■ ■ |
| 6 | Forked Whip of Insight. Pain sharpens the mind. Reinforce your station with a successful Agility check, by inflicting pain or hyper bodily awareness on another, and make them spill a secret (16% chance) or platitude (84%). And optionally 1d4+Agility damage. Inflict on self for 1d4 Brawn damage and 1d4 points of temporary Mind increase for a scene. | ■ ■ |
| 7 | Poncy Garb. An opulent frock or suit, gem-studded, intricately embroidered, befitting of (or aggrandizing) your station. Probably with eye motifs. Gain +1 Graces. Includes a scepter (1d4+Brawn damage) with a socket for an eye, which functions as it were in your skull, for as long as you hold it, and half an hour afterwards. | ■ ■ |
| 8 | Mystery Eye. A random eye from the What's That Eye? table. Can be taken multiple times. | ■ |
| 9 | Spare. It’s just a spare eye, in case something happens to another one. It gives you a random trait gift while worn. | ■ |
| 10 | Canopic Jar of the Ophanim. Ornate, lidded jar, filled with a formaldehyde-like substance to keep eyes fresh. | ■ |
| 11 | Collyrium. Generous jar of eye ointment (3d4 doses). Each dose heals 1d4 damage, but only one dose a day has an effect. | ■ |
| 12 | Spoon of Ponderous Scooping. Perfected by your cult over centuries to extract eyes with precision and ritual. +1 die on Ocultism rolls. | ■ |
Carousing
See Playing the Game for how and when to use this table. In any case, it assumes letting off steam in the way that only your cult can.
| d12 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | So. Sick. Of. Eyes. You tossed, turned, and sweated through a terrible nightmare, and now this whole eyes thing and the constant eye motifs, word plays, and expressions have you question your calling, sanity, and very being. Until magically soothed or a good night’s sleep, you refuse to use any eye-related things or powers (beyond regular sight)—they make you nauseous. |
| 2 | Electric Eye. Voltaic tension accumulated, hairs stood on end, then a random eye of yours messily exploded, probably in the company of others whom you tried to impress. Naturally you can now never see them again—for propriety’s sake, not because of the eye, after all you have others. Take 1d4 wounds, and feel ashamed. |
| 3 | Eye to Eye. You had yourself a little party with fellow eye swappers, and woke up with a wrong eye. One of yours is gone, and this one’s a little rancid and a lot cursed. The first time you lay eye on another with it, you feel compelled to utter something you dislike about them. The cursed eye is stuck in its socket until you've spent a full day without opening any eyelids. |
| 4 | Unblinking Eyes. You won an important staring content, but at what price? Take 1d4 Brawn damage from sore, dry eyes, and gain the Unblinking [Flaw] trait gift. |
| 5 | Gazed into the Abyss. Deep, existential introspection seemed like a good thing, but frankly, though you know yourself better now, you didn’t altogether like what you saw. Replace one of your conviction traits, or if you haven’t got one, gain the I Done Screwed Up [Conviction] trait gift. |
| 6 | Drank the Stars. Your eyes, that is. You gained a cosmic vision that allows you to declare a critical success on a single challenge without rolling, but begets a solid misfortune onto someone you closely know. |
| 7 | Evil Eye. A trist with the wrong person has left you cursed with -1 Brawn, but on the plus side you robbed them (choose a 1 or 2 slot item from the equipments table). |
| 8 | Eye of the Tiger. You’ve never felt more focused and goal-oriented. Your resolve is so strong, it’s reflected in your physique. Gain +1 Brawn. |
| 9 | Apple of Your Eye. You’ve been receiving so many compliments about your talents or looks that you decided to reciprocate them, and it’s made you endearing. Gain +1 Graces. |
| 10 | Blink of an Eye. You’ve nerded out all night, and mastered a form of phase stepping, blinking through cracks of space and time. Gain +1 Agility. |
| 11 | Turned a Blind Eye. You had all but written it off, but you persevered in your research and experimentation. Gain +1 Mind. |
| 12 | More than Meets the Eye. You’ve made a genuine connection with another person, whether intellectually or romantically. They wish to follow you, to learn or love. Beyond what they offer you through devotion of their acumen, gain +1 to an ability score of your choice. Decide for yourself whether you give up your poser ways. |
What’s That Eye?
Ocultists are likely to take eyes of any and all dead things they encounter, expecting them to have special properties. The GM is of course encouraged to invent properties relevant to the creature and situation. But sometimes you just need an eye, so roll on this table for a random one.
- Torralba. Get glimpes of what’s around a nearby corner, and a full picture if you watch for a few moments.
- Tapetum Lucidum. Glows at night, see like a cat in the dark.
- Polycoria. Has multiple pupils.
- Adjudication. Take 1d4 Mind damage to proclaim and enact judgement over hand-sized objects or smaller.
- Dream-Eating. Watch another dream, causing them 1d4 Mind damage at the end, and healing all your ability damage plus 1d4 wounds.
- Strong Impression. See a dead person’s recent past.
- Photaesthesia Ablepsia. Cannot see those who see by vision alone
- Catoptric Thief. Focus upon another's reflection and mayhap steal it for a night.
- Cæcus. Remain unencumbered by garish colors. Or, indeed, any colors.
- Devil's Cataract. Milky vision but collapse tracts of vegetation given time and uninterrupted staring.
- Barely Contained Potential. Filled with easily agitated, explosive glyceryl trinitrate, yet ensuring a healthy heart.
- Beauty. Everyone you behold is exceptionally gorgeous.
On Ocultism
Perhaps the signature power of this cult, it is open to interpretation by both the player and the GM—as it should—but should you wish some guidance, we suggest the following: add a die to the Mind roll if the character takes extra time or care, or the Spoon of Ponderous Scooping, then roll below; twice and pick the best if they used the Spoon.
- Curse. Something related to a character trait or flaw of the eye's originator.
- Memory. A clue about something they knew or wanted.
- Gift Trait. Appropriate to the eye's previous owner. 20% chance it's a flaw.
- Gift Power. A 1 or 2 slot power but only if the eye was extracted meticulously, otherwise fall back to a trait.