This Perk represents a wizard’s access to supplies of orichalcum. He might get it by buying it from the Atlan (or as a gift from him), from his own small private orichalcum mine some- where in the Atlantean mountains, as tribute from extradimensional spirits he holds in thrall, or the like. Whatever the special effect, the amount of Character Points spent on the Perk defines how much END worth of saroi (consumable spheres of orichalcum) he receives per game month. The GM defines which sizes of sairoi the character receives; by default he receives all his sairoi in golf ball-sized spheres.
Lemurian Magical Substances
Lemurian sorcerers have to buy not one Perk to supply them with the material they need to cast spells, but
four, one for each of the elemental distil-
lations they use: ignaetium; crystallos; corusqua; and fulminor. The costs (and END acquired) are the same as for the
Orichalcum Supply Perk, but the Lemu-
rian sorcerer has to buy it four times. See page 105 for more information.
TAlenTS
For the most part the Talents in the main rulebook and Fantasy Hero work fine for Atlantean Age campaigns. (Turn Undead is one notable exception; Atlantean characters don’t have that sort of power over the undead, who are rela- tively uncommon during the Atlantean Age as compared to, say, the Turakian Age.) Here’s a setting-specific one:
VASARAN ORACLE
This Talent represents a character who’s capable of receiving visions at the Oracle of Vasaras (page 37). The exact nature of the visions he receives whenever he exposes himself to the Vasaran vapors is up to the GM, and often depends on who’s asking him the question, the question itself, and what the gods think of the matter. It costs 6 Character Points (Clairsentience, Precognition (40 Active Points); OIF Immobile (Cleft of Vasaras; -1½), Con- centration (0 DCV throughout; -1), Extra Time (minimum of 5 minutes, and often longer; -1½), Precognition Only (-1), Time Modifiers (-½), Vague And Unclear (-½)).
DISADVAnTAGeS
Most of the Disadvantages in
The HERO System 5th Edition, Revised
rulebook work fine in Atlantean Age campaigns. Here are setting-specific notes on a few.
AGE
Atlantean characters shouldn’t take this Disadvantage due to their long lifespans. The same applies to Lemurian characters. Characters from other races can take Age with the GM’s permis- sion, but he’ll have to adjust the Normal Characteristic Maxima threshold for the Disadvantage to reflect the standards of the campaign.
PHYSICAL LIMITATION
Physical Limitations are rare among Atlantean characters. Most long- term/permanent physical maladies can be cured by priestly magic... or, for the greatest of heroes, by the gods them- selves.
PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATION
Some Psychological Limitations specific to the Atlantean Age include:
Atlantean Honor
The Atlanteans have their own conception of “honor” and a code to enforce it, and many Atlantean char-
ATlAnTeAn AGe loRDSHIP
Value Atlantean Lemurian Tellat kaphtoran 2 Legalos (Lancer) Sieur Vaestor Soval
4 Aronos Baron Irandos Kral
6 Komos Count Ectar Hesav
8 Thokas Duke Torex Duruk
10 Vasilos Prince Prince Azadi
15 King Priest-King
20 Atlan Emperor Emperor
oRICHAlCUM SUPPlY
Value END Worth Of Orichalcum Sairoi Per Month 1 125 2 250 5 500 10 1,000 15 2,000 20 4,000
acters take this as a Psychological Limitation. The precepts of Atlantean honor include:
treat foes with the respect and cour- tesy due a fighting man. Declare your intention to fight and give your foe the chance to ready his weapons; ambushes and sneak attacks are beneath a hero. the law of hospitality — if you have shelter, food, a campfire, or other com- forts, and someone in need asks to share them, share them. If you ask for and receive hospitality, treat your host with courtesy and respect. Neither the host nor the guest may insult or attack the other, even if they are bitter enemies in other circumstances. Obey these pre- cepts, and the gods will look favorably upon you.
cowardice shames you, your family, your commander, and your Atlan. Even if you feel fear, never show it.
live life to the fullest, but not to excess. Give generously of what you have, not only money and food but your wisdom, bravery, and strength of arm to those who have them not. As an Atlantean you are gifted beyond other mortals, and should not shirk to use these gifts to help other, less fortunate, peoples. opportunities to learn, and to have adventures, are gifts from the gods; do not ignore them.
Hazarian Honor
The code of honor followed by Hazarian “knights” dictates:
your actions reflect not just on your- self, but on your family, clan, and lead- ers; do not shame them by acting in an ignoble, selfish, or cowardly manner. never ask for quarter, but give it if an honorable foe requests it.
seek help if you truly need it, but rely on yourself as much as you can.
do not show pain or weakness, lest an enemy take advantage of your vul- nerability.
death before dishonor
SOCIAL LIMITATION
Some Social Limitations in Atlan- tean Age campaigns include:
Non-Atlantean (Minor, Occasionally; 5 points): On Atlantis, non-Atlanteans can be citizens, but they don’t enjoy the full range of social privileges and access that true Atlanteans do. Even in the lands of the Dominion, an Atlan- tean can usually get things done easier, and enjoys more advantages, than the natives of the land he’s visiting. Slave (varies): Slavery in Atlantis is a relatively mild condition (Major, Occasionally; 10 points). In many other societies it’s a far more onerous state of existence (Very Frequently, Major; 20 points).
W
hile equipment isn’t as important a part of Atlantean Age cam- paigns as it is in mostFantasy Hero campaigns, due to the
power Atlantean characters possess, it’s still crucial in many situations. Equip- ment falls into two categories: ordinary and magical. Characters can have ordi- nary equipment (such as the everyday weapons and gear discussed in the
Fantasy Hero genre book) for free; they
don’t pay Character Points for it. Magical equipment is different — if characters want to have enchanted items, they must pay Character Points for them. Atlantean characters can begin the game with enchanted items due to the prevalence of magic in Atlantean society. But for the same reason, enchanted items in the Atlan- tean Age setting are not built using the Independent (-2) Limitation, and are usually defined as Universal
Foci rather than Personal Foci. If characters find magical items during the course of the campaign (say, by retrieving them from the corpses of their enemies), they cannot use them unless they pay Character Points for them (or the GM permits otherwise).
You can use the price list on pages 144-48 of Fantasy Hero for Atlantean Age campaigns, substituting boullioi for “gold pieces,” drakahms for “silver pieces,” and so forth.
WEAPONS
Most weapons listed on pages 164-66 are used somewhere in the Atlantean Age world (crossbows and gunpowder weapons being two nota- ble exceptions). The most common weapons by far are the spear, long- sword, battle axe, and bow. These four weapons are used universally, others (such as maces, warham- mers, greatswords, and other types of polearms) are usually confined to
one specific area, group, or culture. The accompanying table pro- vides game information for several Atlantean Age-specific weapons. The Centaur Bow is a type of bow used by Atlantean centaurs. Not only does it have too strong a draw for most humans to use, it’s too large for them; centaurs typically brace the bottom part of the bow on the ground with their right front hoof. The Kaphtoran Dagger is basically a normal dagger with a distinc- tive “wavy” blade that makes it a little more difficult than normal to throw (-1 OCV) but which Kaph- toran fighters and assassins claim increases bleeding from wounds. The Tellat Beastmaster Goad is described on page 85.
ARMOR
Most types of armor described in
Fantasy Hero are available somewhere
in the Atlantean Age world. Atlantean, Tellat, and Kaphtoran warriors typi- cally wear a suit of armor consisting of helmet, solid breastplate, vambraces, and greaves (covers Hit Locations 3-5, 7, 9-13, and 15-16), plus a large shield (+3 DCV). Lemurians and some other races favor chainmail. Only the Haz- arian knights wear full plate armor; other warriors consider it too uncom- fortable, confining, and restrictive.