Magical Base/Sanctum

[iamlibertarian]

Anyone have a lead on a Magical Base / Sanctum I could use?

 

Thanks!

[DShomshak]

There's an excellent description in Mystic Masters. Another good one in the adventure The House That Jack Built, but I don't recall offhand what issue of Adventurer's Club it appeared in.

 

Can you give any more details about what kind of sanctum you want? Classic Dr. Strange spooky-looking house with weird stuff inside? Lonely tower or Baron Mordo or Dracula-style creepy castle? Chic suburban home concealing dark secrets? Etc.

 

Dean Shomshak

[TheQuestionMan]

The Algernon Files has two Sanctum Sanctorums plus some other interesting resources.

[Opale]

I know there is another good one in the Ultimate Base sourcebook too.

 

Opale, maid of the sanctum

[iamlibertarian]

There's an excellent description in Mystic Masters. Another good one in the adventure The House That Jack Built, but I don't recall offhand what issue of Adventurer's Club it appeared in.

 

Can you give any more details about what kind of sanctum you want? Classic Dr. Strange spooky-looking house with weird stuff inside? Lonely tower or Baron Mordo or Dracula-style creepy castle? Chic suburban home concealing dark secrets? Etc.

 

Dean Shomshak

More of the Doctor Strange spooky type. Thanks!

[iamlibertarian]

I know there is another good one in the Ultimate Base sourcebook too.

 

Opale, maid of the sanctum

 

Thanks I used that one as a starting point. I am hoping to find even more to use which has even more mechanics. And I am not even sure I know what I mean by that. But it seems to me that a Doctor Strange style mansion would have... more?   

[iamlibertarian]

And, as a Doctor Strange style mansion, I would like the mansion itself to be "alive", and have the mansion be its own body. Able to sense and control itself.

[DShomshak]

Sounds like the base has an AI. Possibly bought as a Follower for the owner. Or possibly... not, because it has an agenda of its own.

 

<cough> At risk of immodesty, I also suggested some powers and stuff for Sanctums in my Ultimate Mystic and its earlier version, Ultimate Super-Mage. The latter included "Instant Sanctum" spells that mystics could cast to imbue a building with Powers that you might find inspirational. (Though many of the spells became thoroughly illegal in later versions of the Hero System.) The pdf of Ultimate Super-Mage is now once more available through the Hero Store.

 

Shameless Plug 'Em Dean Shomshak

[iamlibertarian]

Sounds like the base has an AI. Possibly bought as a Follower for the owner. Or possibly... not, because it has an agenda of its own.

 

<cough> At risk of immodesty, I also suggested some powers and stuff for Sanctums in my Ultimate Mystic and its earlier version, Ultimate Super-Mage. The latter included "Instant Sanctum" spells that mystics could cast to imbue a building with Powers that you might find inspirational. (Though many of the spells became thoroughly illegal in later versions of the Hero System.) The pdf of Ultimate Super-Mage is now once more available through the Hero Store.

 

Shameless Plug 'Em Dean Shomshak

Thanks Dean, that is exactly the type of stuff I am looking for (the powers and such, to make the Mansion I am building have a Feel of its own.

 

I don't suppose either of those also includes something about the building itself being alive, thinking and acting for itself? Either way, thanks again, and I will be obtaining Super-Mage. And I don't mind the 'illegal' stuff from Mystic, I am sure it will, as you say, at least be 'inspirational'.

 

I don't suppose you have heard anything about a 6E version of Ultimate magery type of book?

DC

[DShomshak]

First: Sorry, I misremembered some stuff: Ultimate Mystic and Mystic World mention Sanctums a little, but there's only a little. Pretty much just noting that they're a trope, and a few general suggestions. Don't buy them in hopes of getting sanctum-building suggestions, you'll be disappointed.

 

I never discussed the building itself being "alive" and sentient... but either USM or the Super-Mage Bestiary includes a 4e writeup for the House Haunt, a ghost-like enity that possesses a building and can affect people inside it without having a precise location within it. I don't remember which book offhand (it's been a long time), but you get both through Hero's "Bundle of Holding" deal.

 

Woo, more posts with product placement!

 

I never heard anything about a 6E Ultimate Mystic revision. To be fair, it's a pretty "niche" product.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Opale]

 

 

I never heard anything about a 6E Ultimate Mystic revision. To be fair, it's a pretty "niche" product.

 

Dean Shomshak

 

Well, to be fair, and alas, most settings and sourcebooks for Champions Are Now a "niche", Dean.  The Hero Systems Games are alive because we all still continue to use them or play them, but I'd say that's pretty much all left alas.

 

Nostalgic Opale

[iamlibertarian]

Woo, more posts with product placement!

 

 

Well, I have been buying PDFs only so far (I prefer them because they are searchable), but in this case I bought the whole bundle. Can't wait until they get here    I can't wait to see the House Haunt

[Amorkca]

Where did you buy the bundle?

[Marcus Impudite]

It all depends on your character's theme/taste in interior decor. Personally, I'm partial to the kind of sanctum that is it's own separate dimension; you couldn't ask for better privacy.

[Tjack]

If the mansion is sentient, just write him/her/it up as an NPC using as many points as are needed to do it right. This later gives you the justification to have the place act in a manner that the PC's may not understand at first, do things in their long term best interest/short term annoyance, or simply that the place is smarter than them or knows more about what's going on than they do.

All can make for interesting longterm subplots for a team that doesn't know the secrets of their new base. For examples of the idea; The Phantom Dennis, the ghost who lived in Cordelia's apartment on Angel, or DC Comics Secret Six using the House of Mystery as a base for a number of years.

[dmjalund]

If the mansion is sentient, just write him/her/it up as an NPC using as many points as are needed to do it right. This later gives you the justification to have the place act in a manner that the PC's may not understand at first, do things in their long term best interest/short term annoyance, or simply that the place is smarter than them or knows more about what's going on than they do.

All can make for interesting longterm subplots for a team that doesn't know the secrets of their new base. For examples of the idea; The Phantom Dennis, the ghost who lived in Cordelia's apartment on Angel, or DC Comics Secret Six using the House of Mystery as a base for a number of years.

tou can make a TARDIS in the same way

[Opale]

tou can make a TARDIS in the same way

 

 

I used theTARDIS map for a base to my group in Galactic Champions. Very useful and settling the things with awesomeness. A 8km radius base for a group of 6 to 12 Superheroes and all kind of rooms to justify tons of fun. 

 

Opale, always saving the Galaxy

[tombrown803]

First: Sorry, I misremembered some stuff: Ultimate Mystic and Mystic World mention Sanctums a little, but there's only a little. Pretty much just noting that they're a trope, and a few general suggestions. Don't buy them in hopes of getting sanctum-building suggestions, you'll be disappointed.

 

I never discussed the building itself being "alive" and sentient... but either USM or the Super-Mage Bestiary includes a 4e writeup for the House Haunt, a ghost-like enity that possesses a building and can affect people inside it without having a precise location within it. I don't remember which book offhand (it's been a long time), but you get both through Hero's "Bundle of Holding" deal.

 

Woo, more posts with product placement!

 

I never heard anything about a 6E Ultimate Mystic revision. To be fair, it's a pretty "niche" product.

 

Dean Shomshak

 

It's on page 14-15 of the super-mage bestiary

 

 

 

I used theTARDIS map for a base to my group in Galactic Champions. Very useful and settling the things with awesomeness. A 8km radius base for a group of 6 to 12 Superheroes and all kind of rooms to justify tons of fun. 

 

Opale, always saving the Galaxy

 

Where did you find a map of the TARDIS?

[Opale]

i googled for "space base" and took some time. It was ages ago

[iamlibertarian]

Where did you buy the bundle?

 

Here in the store somewhere...I had to scroll a bit...

[iamlibertarian]

It all depends on your character's theme/taste in interior decor. Personally, I'm partial to the kind of sanctum that is it's own separate dimension; you couldn't ask for better privacy.

 

Well, I do want to have the mansion itself semi-public (it does strange things, like get summoned away sometimes). Adds flavor. However, off the base is a Gate with a Trigger where the character goes for privacy and some of her work.

[DShomshak]

In the course of my Supermage playtest campaign, the PCs acquired a Sanctum. (It was built by the Anarchitect, the evil double of PC Artifex -- long story.) It looked like an unusually "gothick" and slightly ridiculous Victorian house. Most important feature? It was actually two houses: one on Earth, one in Babylon, with extensive connections between them. I wrote it up just as a constant Gate that encompassed the entire house: EDM (one location), Area Of Effect (number of Hexes), Continuous, 0 END Persistent, Invisible Power Effects (it wasn't obvious that the house existed interdimensionally).

 

Dean Shomshak

[DShomshak]

In case anyone's interested, here's the description of the aforementioned sanctum, written by one of my players. --DS

 

KEYSTONE KONJURORS KRONICLE #19

 

Well, after a month long break due to Thanksgiving, we again

continue the saga of our motley crew of spellcasters...

 

Last month you may recall, we fought and defeated the

Anarchitect; at the end, chaos went wild in the Anarchitect's

Babylonian base, with Artifex running in and trying to spell hack

the wild chaos to settle it. It succeeded, after a fashion. The

Victorian mansion is now bidimensionally located (in both

Babylon's Victorian London district and in our old lot on Earth

in Tacoma, WA). We rest a day, and then decide to explore our new

base together. I won't go into details of the exploration, since

no exciting battles or such developed, but the house has 9 floors

(maybe 10, depending on how you count). The first 4 floors are

Earthly, and are — with a few odd bits, such as the living

goldfish swimming in the crystal doorknob — a substantially

normal appearing Victorian mansion (allowing for some modern

conveniences; electricity, semi-modern appliances, etc.). On the

Earthly levels exist such rooms as the Kitchen, a Parlor (which

Jezeray is dressing this up as a Seance Room for her Fortune

Telling business), Library, Smoking Lounge, 3 bedrooms, a Music

room, and a Den. All are decorated in a substantially Victorian

style. There is also a Cellar floor with the utilities and a

now-unused coal bin, and a area perfect for Redeemer (who now has

taken to calling himself The Bishop) to convert for his crypt-

like quarters.

 

The "next" 4 floors (as we numbered them anyway) are Babylonian —

each is decorated in a style based on the 4 sons of Urthona (the

Supreme Lord of Art). His sons were Art's envoys to the other

Zoas. The bottom Babylonian floor is dedicated to Bromion, Art's

envoy to Order, and is decked out in Swedish Modern (all white

tile, chrome trim, very angular with lots of flush surfaces).

This floor has a Game Room, Pantry, Office (w/ obsolete PC

computer), and a very sterile bedroom.

 

The next floor up is in the style of Theotormon, Art's envoy to

Nature, and is decorated in a style we termed Oriental Fusion — a

mix of assorted oriental styles. This level has a parlor,

vestibule (w/the traditional low Japanese tables), a very lushly

appointed bedroom (which Artifex took dibs on), and a Buddhist

Shrine of all things.

 

The 6th floor is a tribute to Rintrah, Art's envoy to Chaos, and

is done in a style mixing Baroque and Heavy Metal elements —

imagine the ornate carvings and paintings of mad King Ludwig's

castles, but with images of punk angels in leather instead of

graceful swans or cherubim, and other similarly perverted

imagery. This level houses a trophy room, an Armory (complete

with medieval weapons and armor), a Salon, and the very ornate —

if somewhat disturbing — bedroom.

 

The last Babylonian floor is in the style of Palamabron, Art's

envoy to itself, and is decorated in a Art Nouveau / Surrealist

style. This level is much bigger inside than outside, and has as

its principle feature a Ballroom with a Musician's Dais. In

addition, there is a Costume Room (with racks of assorted

costumes; Jezeray stole a Gypsy costume to use in her job) and a

storage room with lumber — which we will use to fuel the non-gas

fireplaces that are located through the house. The main hallway

"wraps around" and connects back to itself.

 

There is also a floor that does not exist with Babylon or Earth —

in fact, when The Bishop used a Transform to open the skylight

glass there was literally nothing beyond except a diffuse white

light. The air started to get sucked out just like in a sci-fi

movie when you breach the hull. This is what we call the Garden

Level — it has a large garden, with a recessed bower to one side,

and a round, 20' diameter pool (steps leading in suggest it is a

swimming pool although the water is unheated) with a mermaid

fountain in the center. There is also an area to the side decked

out in plain white tiles. We think it would make a good gymnasium

if we put the equipment in.

 

Finally, the "tenth" floor, which is really the tower room (there

is only one, though it can be seen on the outside of the house in

both dimensions). This is where Anarchitect was holding his

ritual. It is somewhat reinforced and seems a good place to cast

chancy magic spells. It is a square room with a door in each

wall. 3 doors lead to fixed locations throughout the house (but

the room behind those doors is *not* the tower room), while the

fourth door seems to randomly lead to several possible doors.

 

I should also mention the elevator — it goes to every floor

except the tower room. It has only five buttons, however. The

first four (from bottom up) take you to the first four earthly

floors. The last button takes you randomly to one of the

Babylonian floors or the Garden floor. Of course, I have left out

a plethora of bathrooms, small storage areas, etc.

 

Well, I hope I haven't spent too much time on the base, which

understandably wouldn't interest you as much as me. Anyway, on to

the actual adventure... <CUT>

[iamlibertarian]

Tacoma, WA? Lol, where in Tacoma. Since I live there I want to see it, lmao.