[HMtW] Hilbert Whales and the Tools Used to Harvest Them

Hilbert Whales

Beast Dungeon Lord

Descending from higher Euclidean n-spaces to feed, the Hilbert Whale is a native to the Flesh realm, just a different geometric part of it. Long ago gams* of Hilbert Whales were seen traveling the astral space on a regular basis, but once Wizards learned of the powerful astrogris and stochastaceti all up in their guts, the numbers dwindled from constant harvesting without time allowed for the numbers to repopulate.

Attributes: Swords 8 | Pentacles 0 | Cups 2 | Wands 2

Likes: 8D Krill, the echoing songs off of Minerva Cascade

Hates: Harpoons, Lances, Whalers

Special Rules

• The Whale itself is a big ass creature, consisting of several zones unto itself, each an antagonist: Head, Tail, Body, Left Tentacle Node, Right Tentacle Node.

• Each zone has lesser and greater dooms associated with it. If a particular  zone is disabled, entangled, or defeated, it can no longer use those abilities. 

• Despite having separate pools of HD for each section, Whales have only a single Initiative.

Head

Health/Defense: 4/6

Frontal part with all the thinking bits, hard cranial shell for ramming, and big bitey bites for chomping. If this part is defeated, it is Blind.

Lesser Dooms

• Bite: Usually a filter feeder, it’ll still bite the shit out of you. Doing a big chomp, it makes an Attack and Roots the target on a success, until it opens its mouth again. 

Greater Dooms

• Bile Attack: Feeding on linear causality, it can regurgitate its recent meal as chaos. Forces everyone within a zone to draw from a random maleficence table.

• Swallow: Any foes currently being Bit may be Swallowed. The victim is held in an extra dimensional space composed of higher geometries, until they fall into the whale's stomach. Killing the whale causes it to automatically barf up all swallowed creatures.

• Victims can use the Test Fate actions to test Swords while swallowed. 
• If they succeed 3 times, they make the whale vomit them up. 
• If they fail 3 times, they fall into the whale's stomach and are annihilated. 
• Greater outcomes count as 2 outcomes for free/annihilated purposes.
• Smart ideas may cause the whale to barf up all swallowed creatures.

Left/Right tentacle clusters

Health/Defense: 5/0 (each)

Typically used for feeding, they can also be used for limited defense. Once defeated, these limbs become useless.

Lesser Dooms

• Grab: Roughhouse to attempt to grab a foe. While grabbed, an adventurer is Rooted. 

• While grabbed, a foe can be Squeezed, Thrown, or moved to the mouth for Biting. 

Greater Dooms

• Sweep: A tentacle lashes out, sweeping across the zone. Performs an Attack against everyone in the Zone. 

• Squeeze: Play a greater doom to squeeze all grabbed foes, automatically dealing them a Wound. 

Body

Thick fur covers the body making it extremely hard to injure, but also climbable. If you’re into that. The flippers are located here and, if defeated, it will be unable to steer itself.  

Health/Defense: 6/6

Notes

• Tough. Actions targeting this section must exceed its Initiative. 

Greater Doom

• Ram: With a mighty thrust of its flippers, the whale rushes forward crashing through with its mighty cranial shell. Both Attacks and Roughhouses whatever it crashes into. 

Tail

A bifurcated, Y-finned…uh, tail. Also its primary form of locomotion. Defeating this section causes the beast to be unable to Dash.

Health/Defense: 7/0

Greater Doom

• Thrash: Through a broad sweep, the tail attacks every target in the zone.

Yeah, the front part is more active than the back.

Harvestables

You're not out here butchering these beautiful creatures for nothing. Besides pay. Once you harvest the whale, though, its technically company property, so these reagents will have to be purchased.

Potions: Using the astrogris within the intestines you're able to make a Love potion, which effectively drags anyone experiencing the wearer two positions towards "Admiration" on the Disposition star. 

Bomb: Using the stochastaceti from inside the skull, you make a bomb which forces the target to draw against a random maleficence table as stochastic energies crackle around the area. 

Oil: The blubber of the beast creates one helluva oil. Lanterns burning this whale oil gain an extra flicker, but forever reek of a fishy smell. 

Oil: The astrogris may also be rendered into a frictionless oil that is used to power many magical machines.

Food: Preparing the dark, tender, red meat is possible in multiple ways: steak, sashimi, salt-cured, dried (jerky), or in hot pot dishes. Consuming it, however, swarms with consumer with visions of multiple possible futures, leaving them Stressed. Much like mince pies of the mid-1800's though, the nightmare experience is part of the appeal. 

Wearables**: Whale hide and fur may be made into light armor with 1 extra Notch. 

Tools of the Trade

Harpoon

Harpoons are technically spears: Wooden shaft, metal tip, made for jamming into soft meat bits. Whaling harpoons were much heavier than the war spears, intended not to be thrown and retrieved, but only thrusted into a whale long enough to deliver the barbed iron tip, tied to ropes leading back to the whaling boat. This tied off bard was then used to tire out the whale and keep it in place while it was getting killed by the lance. Technically, it should be a petty officer doing the harpooning, but this is a game, make the players do it. 

Mechanically, the harpoon does 1 damage, as standard. When a harpoon is struck, the thrower is Rooted to the larger creature. If the combined Swords of all harpoon-wielders is greater than the total Health of the larger creature, the creature is Rooted instead. Requires two hands.

Lance

Lances are what did the gruesome killing on a whale. Vicious blades jammed into the vital organs of the tired out whale and jambled around until everything keeping the whale alive stopped working. Technically, this should be a mate or the captain, but this is a game, make the players do it. 

Mechanically, the Whaling Lance does Critical damage to Rooted targets. Requires two hands. 

____________________
* Hold up, hold up, hold up. A pod of whales can also be called a "gam," right? Well, habitual readers will note from the last entry that whalers called their social gatherings "gammings." They named their social gatherings after whale pods. Those dork ass losers. No wonder no one liked them. 

** I could have sworn someone wrote a subsystem for armor crafting in one of the gamejams. Damned if I can find it now, though.

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[HMtW] Encounters Upon the Astral Sea

Whaling Upon an Astral Sea

Some dang fool blorbed an astral whaling ship into their prep, but never reckoned the players would set foot on the Most Interesting Thing. 

The entries are written assuming the Players have taken on as Greenhands (180th lay), unless the character's have relevant failed Careers: Blacksmith (20th lay), Carpenter (120th lay), Cook (120th lay), Cooper (30th lay). If that is the case, then the characters may hire on as an Idle and receive higher pay.  

It's also assumed the environment is more of a Treasure Planet style Etherium, awash in neon magenta and vibrant purples, along with all the oxygen you could ever want to huff down, rather than the cold, cruel void of realistic space.

The Meatgrinder

01. Lanterns Gutter

02. Lanterns Gutter

03. Lanterns Gutter

04. Lanterns Gutter

05. Lanterns Gutter

06. [Curiosity] The deck of the ship begins to become encrusted in salty rime.

07. [Curiosity] The Oldhands, as one, begin to sing a grim sea shanty of lost shores and forgotten loves. 

08. [Curiosity] A lonely dyson sphere has come unmoored and drifts lost and forgotten. 

09. [Curiosity] Out, just on the edge of vision, something red and blinking follows the ship for a watch, before turning off and returning to the eternal night. 

10. [Curiosity] If you strain your ears, you swear you can hear a thin, monotonous whine of accursed flutes drifting upon the solar winds.

11. [Travel Event] A nearby star has gone super nova. The initial gravitational wave has knocked out the helmsman, with other crew, and the coronal mass is rapidly growing closer. If the card is [upright] the former star forms a diffuse nebula, or [reverse] it collapses into a black hole. Which brings it's own set of problems.

12. [Travel Event] The ship passes within view of a galactic void, long thought haunted, and the Oldhands of the crew make a sign of warding. Anyone who doesn't is Stressed by an odd foreboding sense. 

13. [Travel Event] An Oldhand, scarred and grizzled, challenges a character to a wager of Five Finger Fillet. Two options here: test of Pentacles to avoid stabbing yourself, OR letting the player test their skill in the real world (their choice, obviously, and preferably with something safe, but I ain't your momma.) If successful, coin! If unsuccessful, the character takes a Wound as they stab their own hand.

14. [Travel Event] Just off to port, coming from the passing asteroid field, drifts the song of space sirens. Gods, it's enchanting! More and more of the crew are beginning to agree and REALLY want to get over there for a better listen.

15. [Travel Event] Chronowaves wash over the ship, revealing the ghost of a lost Cosmonaut. It largely stands there and screams, head aflame, unable to fully interact with the world around it. The distracting scream causes Disadvantage on tests of Fate aboard the ship until it's dealt with.

16. [Random Encounter] Many cultures interact with the astral space differently. One has sent out an arcane Von Neumann probe, which has attached to the ship and created [characters+1] aggressive copies of itself before setting off again. 

17. [Random Encounter] With colors nailed, a pirate ship sets its eyes on the player's ship. The symbols upon their flag make it clear: there's to be no quarter offered or accepted.

18. [Random Encounter] A comet of burning green ice shoots overhead, dumping [characters] worth of Astro-zombies onto the deck of the ship. 

19. [Random Encounter] A tear in reality reveals a Hilbert Whale returning to Real Space, diving down from a higher dimension to feed. These things are swollen with astrogris and stochastaceti; and are the reason you're out here. 

20. [Random Encounter] From nova's heart I stab at thee! The captain has spotted the white Hilbert Whale and craves their revenge. All current quests and agreements are forgotten, all that matters to the captain is revenge. The captain's commands from here on out should be reckless and endanger everyone.

21. [Quest Rumor] A ship in distress, lulls in the distance to starboard. Convincing the Captain to give aid and succor to the ship allows the adventures to meet a traveling sage who surprisingly knows about the McGuffin the characters are after. 

One day I'll get the patience to put that in a table to make it easier to read. Not today.

New Camp Action: Tattooing

Without devolving into another anti-capitalist rant (which I did half type out), I'll simply state that my brief research suggested that American whaling companies did not often keep maritime tradition, including that of line-crossing and tattooing. But, fuck 'em, this is a game about magically sailing a boat through space to hunt space whales. You're getting tattoos.  

Until I've time to make them into a whole _thing_, they are Advantage in social situations among people who would be impressed by such things (sailors, former sailors, youth dreaming of adventure, etc). 

Getting Paid

Whalers were paid in lays, rather than a wage. These were basically fractions of the profit from the overall voyage, which would return with $35-50K worth of oil. This meant, should a Greenhand not desert over the 2-4 years at sea, they would end the journey with a cool $200 lining their pocket. Assuming they didn't take on any debts with the company, that is. They most likely did.

Game wise, you can just reward the players with 100 gold per whale harvested. OR consult the list if you want to bring in their skills and importance to the ship: 

Greenhand: 100 gold

Blacksmith: 900 gold

Carpenter: 150 gold

Cook: 150 gold

Cooper: 600 gold

If you've got some made up profession important to your "totally serious and need for complete accuracy space whale hunting game" the pay rate equation is ((36000/lay)/2) in gold per whale harvested. 

Gamming

I seem to just be adding in random bits at this point. 

Whalers weren't really liked in maritime social circles. Merchants and Navy folk often saw them as unfit sailors with subpar ships. This was basically true given the company owners cut costs at every turn, would hire anyone, and instructed the captains to encourage desertion on the return trip, so the owners wouldn't have to pay the sailors. Again, turning away from the rant, this didn't exactly breed competency. This in turn caused other sailors not to like being around whalers. So, they had to stick to themselves. 

Gamming was a form of socializing at sea among whaling vessels. Basically when two ships met, they would come together, man and officers mingling ships, to trade gossip and information. Newspapers and gifts were often exchanged. Dances were common. 

Mechanically, what this means, is if another whaling ship is encountered, a modified City action can be taken by the party. If you're gonna go into a whole whaling side adventure.

References

Most of what I learned about whaling came from here. Surprisingly interesting. I have learned too much about whaling to ever be happy again. 

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Every Table has that one friend who wants to play, and we want them to play, but their awful schedule makes committing to anything nearly impossible. I'm currently that friend and because of that I've been fascinated with the idea of a class based around not always being able to make it. Something that can keep up with the other classes, even if it's been a while. Technically, yes, that's all of them, but new features are fun to get and the lethality of the system can make it hard get anyway after too many missed sessions.

Originally the idea centered around abilities powered by how many sessions you've missed. I'm still taken with the idea, but after some late night sci-fi, I went in a different direction. One where your "not knowing the plot" or "not having a clue about the current situation" is a feature. 

It's geared towards usage in Some Weird Sin, but there shouldn't be any actual hindrance in using it in another GLoG rule set or setting. It might get a little Mary Sue-ish, but c'mon, your friend can't make it often, and also there's the high lethality again.

The Leaper

Not a Batroc sort of leaper, mind you. More the Sam Beckett sort. Or Ben Song. (It was a decent follow up series and you fucking know it. Other than their pure cowardice at not continuing the outrageous future fashion trends.) 

You're someone from the future who has, for some reason or another, chosen to travel back in time, only to find out you have no actual control of where and when you're going. Also, instead of traveling through space, you seem to be traveling through aura - that is replacing the physicality of a person with your own, while wearing their aura and thus looking like them. That might sound weird, or unscientific, but you were foolish enough to step into an untested time travel machine. So, glass houses.

There's only one level to the Template as it's intended to grow in breath rather than depth. Delta templates still affect you, however.

Starting Gear: None

A. Quantum Replacement, Upgrade Points, Holographic Companion, Holographic Interface, Super Computer

Quantum Replacement

You jump into the initial scene of the current game session, physically replacing an NPC, but keeping their aura attached to you. Mechanically, this means you look like them, but carry your own stats with you from session to session. While you exist in their place, the NPC is in the future with your aura, kept sedated in a medical bay. Should you die while replacing them, they are forever trapped in the future. 

Additionally, this also means you don't have starting gear, or any gear, other than what the NPC had on them. 

Upgrade Points

You don't have the standard XP progress everyone else has. Instead, your Conviction is replaced with a goal related to the person you've replaced, often revealed by the Companion a moment or two after getting your bearings. Completing this goal nets you an Upgrade Point, which is spent on 'purchasing' Features of the Super Computer, which in turn adjust your abilities. Explain it however you feel most comfortable. Use the word "quantum" a lot.

Holographic Companion 

You've a Holographic Companion that only you can see and hear. Transmitted from the future through quantum signaling brainwave transmission bullshit, they're also able to see and hear your general surroundings, but not physically interact with them, or you. (Though sometimes they can sit or lean on unattended surfaces? It's not very clear). They serve as your connection between the present and the future, able to communicate with the rest of the support staff. Note, though, that while they are genuinely concerned for your safety, they have their own life they also have to attend to and may not be experiencing time in the same order or rate as you.

Holographic Interface 

In the future there exists a Holographic Imaging Chamber which allows your Companion to communicate with you, and see what you see. Through a series of technobabble that you didn't pay attention to, the Imaging Chamber is able to adjust your visual and audio experience based on the assorted abilities of the Super Computer. I'm going to call this an Overlay Attempt and doing so requires a 1d6 roll on your part, dealing 1 point of Fatigue damage on a 3+.

Super Computer 

The project operates on such a scale of unfathomable probabilities that normal computers, even future computers, aren't able to handle the calculation load. Luckily, there exists a multi-story, multi-room super computer covered in aesthetic lighting and containing more qubits than grains of sand on a beach. Also, maybe your DNA for some reason? It needs its own fusion reactor to meet it's computation needs. 

Features

Language Databases

Every point in this feature gains you access to an additional Language. Your Companion will slowly interpret or translate for you, potentially making things awkward. An Overlay Attempt is needed in order to speak said language.

Location Lookup

Every point in this feature improves the Super Computer's chances (x-in-6) of being able to locate a particular person at the current moment. Cycling through related camera feeds from the past takes a few moments, though, so be patient. An Overlay Attempt generates a visual trail to their location, allowing them to be followed if on the move.

Password Database

For each point placed in this feature, there's an X-in-6 chance the Super Computer can estimate the password for a given system. 

Signal Detection

Through better aligning with your biological neural network residual frequency and...uh...aura, the Super Computer is able to detect potential radio signals to decode and playback, given an Overlay Attempt. 

Skill Databases

Every point placed in this feature gains you access to an additional Skill. Well, not you, but the Super Computer. But, you can ask questions of it as you would normal Skill you had OR with an Overlay Attempt, you can physically use the skill as if you knew it yourself by following the training dummy only you can see.

Visual Augment

For each point put in this feature, the Super Computer is able to analyze an additional light frequency and display it over your vision with an Overlay Attempt. Frequencies include: Magnetic, infrared, x-ray, ultraviolet, radiation, light-to-dark, and dark-to-light. Only one may be accessed at a time and each change requires a new roll.

Additionals

Evil Leaper

Evil assholes from your future's future, trying to stop you from doing something you'll probably do in the future. Real jackasses. Because both of you exist within the holographic quantum display interface relay thing, you're able to see past the aura they wear to their real self underneath. I'm saying that you'll be able to actually be able to see them, and them you, rather than each seeing the person replaced. So you'll know 'em when you see 'em.

The Final Leap.

Finally got a decent schedule you can commit to and looking to get back to a normal template? Go on, then, cash out and send your Leaper on one final leap (they never make it home). Afterwards, take the number of Update Points you have, multiply them by 100, then us that much in Cred when making a new character.

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It just occurred to me that all this time I've assumed "Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home" meant he was still out there, continuing to leap and help people. It could just as easily be that, without Al's help, he screwed up the very next leap on his own and is dead, somewhere back there in the past. Like all those forgotten Cosmonauts.

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