Of all religions and cults in the Old World, the Cult of Pherakhon is probably amongst the strangest ones. Pherakhon was said to be one of the most powerful elves, and is said to have discovered a kind of magic that was nothing like the Elf magic. Where the Elf magic uses the Winds of Magic, Pherakhon said he could create the same effects, using nothing but the psychological powers of the opponent.
All this had been ridiculed by the Elf sorcerers, and Pherakhon was banned from the Elf community. Nobody knows what happened to Pherakhon, all that is known is that he left in search for the Dwarf settlements, hoping they would be more willing to accept his beliefs. Nobody had seen Pherakhon since, but the word goes he lives on, as some kind of parasite, using his victim's bodies as shells in which he shelters until the body has become of no more use.
The Cult of Pherakhon is a small group of Priests, named Wyrd Priests, that try to use the Powers of the Mind. They live in the World's Edge Mountains, yet nobody has seen either of them and lived to tell. The Cult is lead by the High Priest of Pherakhon, keeper of the ancient stone of Pherakhon, a sapphire that is said to contain the Spirit home of Pherakhon, the only connection between the Inner World and the Old World. The owner of this stone can summon Pherakhon, although this is not without danger. Because if Pherakhon is summoned, and there is no valid reason for this (Pherakhon himself decides about that, and he is known to be a bit moody at times), insanity will strike anyone that is even near the stone at that time. Most of the former High Priests know all about that just too well.
The High Priest does not only possess the Sapphire, he is also the leader of all the Wyrd Priests there can be found in the Old World. He is responsible for their training, and has to discipline them when it is necessary. All the Priests have to choose one of the four major powers they want to use before they start their training. These powers are the Power of Matter, the Power of Fire, the Power of the Beast, and the Power of the Man. Only the High Priest can control all the four powers, however there are some that can control Two Powers. There are also Wyrd Priests that are known as Power Masters. They can control only one Power, but they are so skilled in this power, they are allowed to train the new Wyrd Priests, and assist the High Priest. There are at any time only four Power Masters.
From the moment they first enter the temple, the future Wyrd Priests are taught the basics of their Cult, and learn to control the enormous powers that can be found within the Inner World. The Wyrd Novices as they are called, learn how to affect the minds of their opponents, and create a vision as realistic as possible. As said before, the powers of Pherakhon are not of a magical nature, they are nothing but visions and illusions that are put into the opponents brain. And these visions seem to be so real, that the victim's subconscious takes them for real, and responds as such. For example, if a member of the Cult of Pherakhon makes you believe that you are drinking a healing potion, your body will act as such, and the body will start healing. The only problem is that the Priests are aware of this, and as such can't heal themselves!!!
When the High Priest thinks that a particular novice has the potential to become a Wyrd Priest, the novices can choose a Power in which they want to specialize. The High Priest accepts this decision without hesitation, because the more a novice is interested in a particular Power, the faster he will learn how to use it and the more powerful he will be. The Novices that have been selected become Wyrd Monks, and are being trained by one of the four Power Masters, according to the power they choose. Each seven years the High Priest selects 4 Novices, and strangely enough they all choose a different Power. The remaining novices can stay in the temple and try to improve their skills during the following seven years, or are allowed to leave the temple, yet they can't use their powers for anything else but self protection, otherwise Pherakhon himself will make sure they won't use their powers again.
This power grants the Priest the ability to alter somebody's perception as of how matter responds to them. As with three of the Wyrd Powers, there are six different ways in which it can be used:
Assail:
The victim believes he is being attacked by an invisible
attacker. Instead of hitting the victim as usual, the invisible
attacker will try to push the victim in a certain direction, towards
chasms or into pits, or even into combat with a monster. If the
victim is an Elf, or has a Dodge Blow skill, he can try to avoid
the attack on a D6 roll of 5+. If the warrior is pushed into combat
with a monster, he can NOT escape pinning, even when he has a
skill that would permit him to do so. The warrior is so focused
on the invisible attacker, he has no eye for the monster.
Hail Storm:
When the Wyrd Priest uses this power, he can try to
make the victim believe that the entire room is attacking the
warrior. The victim will see pieces of wall coming towards him,
loose rocks falling down from the ceiling, and pieces of litter
on the floor hurling towards him. To determine damage, use a strength
D6 attack with a number of attack dice equal to the Wyrd Power
Level. The attack hits automatically, but is modified for armour
and toughness.
Crush:
The Wyrd Priest can make his opponent believe that he is
being crushed by a falling ceiling. No matter where the warrior
tries to go, the ceiling keeps coming down. Throw a number of
dice, equal to the Wyrd Power Level. That is the number of Wounds
the warrior will suffer, unmodified for armour. While he is trying
to evade the crushing ceiling, the warrior will of course lay
down on the floor. This means he is at +1 to hit for that turn,
and needs an entire turn to get up. This rule is valid for all
the warriors except for Dwarfs, Slayers and Halflings, because
they are only as wide as they are tall, and don't feel a need
to get on the floor.
Brick Wall:
The Wyrd Priest can try to make the opponent believe
there is a wall standing between them. This attacks isn't made
against a single warrior, but counts for all the warriors. Use
a ruler or a piece of paper to indicate where the Wyrd erected
the imaginary wall. This wall can not be crossed by anyone (not
even the Wyrd himself, because it could reveal that the wall isn't
there), and it is impossible to fire weapons through it. The
wall can't be used to crush warriors. Any warrior standing in
the path of the wall has to be placed on one side of the wall,
chosen randomly. The wall will disappear at the start of the following
Monster Phase. Note that if a warrior is able to evade the power
(e.g. by a successful Willpower test), he can disregard the wall,
and the other warriors that haven't made their Willpower test
yet, gain a +1 modifier for each warrior that passed the test
and performs an action that would be impossible if the
wall would be there (e.g. shooting through the wall).
Displacement:
This power is one of the most mysterious powers
that can be used by a Wyrd Priest. The priest can use this power
to move a monster to any other position in the dungeon that has
already been discovered. While using this power the Wyrd Priest
doesn't affect the mind of the warriors, but the mind of the monsters.
The monsters can be moved over chasms, through locked doors and
even into combat with one of the warriors. If a monster has been
transported, it must make a successful initiative test of 7+ to
see whether it isn't too surprised or confused to attack. Note
that the Priest can't displace himself, because he can't program
his own mind.
Fists of Fury:
Sometimes the Wyrd Priests have to fight themselves.
And because they aren't trained to do so and lack the necessary
strength and weapon skill, they affect the opponent's mind to
think that they are extremely powerful. If he succeeds, he can
transform his hands into extremely potent weapons with strength
8, and increase their weapon skill by 1. This attack can only
be used against a single warrior, because the Wyrd Priest can't
influence the mind of two warriors at the same time.
One of the most deadly Powers the Wyrd Priest can have is the Power of Fire. Yet extremely hard to master, this power can really reflect the devastating effect of real fire.
Halo of Fire:
The Wyrd Priest can make the warriors believe he
is residing inside a ring of fire. All the warriors attacking
him with hand to hand weapons, have to make a fear roll. Roll
1D6. If the result is 4 or more, the warrior can fight as normal,
otherwise the rules for fear apply. Any warrior attacking the
Wyrd Priest suffers a strength 4 hit, unmodified for armour. In
addition, the Halo of Fire give the priest the possibility to
ignore any blow on a 6+. If the blow is ignored, any weapons used
against the Wyrd Priest are immediately destroyed, even if
they are magical !!!
Spontaneous Combustion:
With this power the Wyrd Priest can try
to set a warrior on fire, at least make the warrior believe he
is. If the warrior does not succeed his Willpower test, he will
suffer 3D6 wounds, with no modifiers for toughness or armour.
If the Wyrd has a higher power level, he can add 1D6 dice for
each power level. If there is a fountain in the neighbourhood,
the warrior can try to get inside it, and thus evading the effect.
Fireball:
This power is a very important one, as it is the first
power Pherakhon ever experimented with. Whilst in his laboratory,
Pherakhon tried to make powers that would be similar to the spells
cast by the might Elven Wizards, but that would be impossible
to dispel. With the Fireball-power he succeeded beyond expectation.
It has the same effect as the Fireball spell that can be cast
by the ordinary wizards, only does it cause 1D6 + 2x(the Wyrd
Priest power level) wounds.
See role-play book p.55 for further details on the Fireball-spell.
Lightning Bolt:
This is the second power Pherakhon discovered.
Again the damage is resolved as with the Lightning Bolt spell,
only does it inflict 2D6 x (the Wyrd Priest power level) wounds.
See the role-play book p.55 for further details.
Chasm:
The Wyrd Priest can use this power to create a chasm in
the brain of the warrior. The chasm is 1 tile wide, and goes from
one side of the room to the next. Any models that were standing
in the line of the chasm are moved to either side randomly, as
the room simply split in two. Unlike the ordinary powers, if the
warrior wants to succeed a Willpower test, he doesn't have to
make one test, but a number of tests equal to the Wyrd Priest's
power level, because the more power the Wyrd Priest has, the more
realistic the chasm will look like. And most warriors don't like
chasms very much. If the chasm power is played out by a power
level 2 Wyrd Priest, the warrior has to make two successful willpower
tests.
Melting Weapons.
The Wyrd can make a warrior believe his weapon
is on fire. The warrior will immediately throw the weapon into
a dark corner of the dungeon, as far away as he can. The warrior
can't get his weapon back until all the monsters are dead, and
will spend an entire turn looking for it. When the battle is over,
and the warrior is looking for the weapon, roll 1D6 on the following
table:
1 | Gone with the wind The warrior has thrown his weapon into a hole, or someone or something took it away. Remove the weapon from the warrior's record sheet. |
2 | Broken The warrior finds his weapon again, but there appears to be a crack in it. Throw 1D6. If the score is a 6, then the weapon can be used again without a problem. The crack wasn't but some dust. If the weapon is in some way magical, then it can be used on a score of 4, 5 or 6. Otherwise the weapon has to be removed from the warrior's record sheet. |
3 | Where is it Your warrior can't find the weapon. He has to spend another turn looking for it. Roll again on this table. |
4 | Placebo Your warrior hasn't found his weapon, but has found something else instead. Take a random treasure card (no, not an objective room card) |
5 | Other side of the room Your warrior sees the weapon on the other side of the room. All he has to do is go there and pick it up. During the movement phase, move the warrior to the oppose wall. |
6 | Found it You were just standing on the darn thing. You can pick it up and continue your quest without further hesitation. You'll have to learn how to throw, though. |
Sometimes it can pay off to affect the mind of an animal instead of the mind of a man. Anyway, a man can fight the Wyrd Priests power, whilst the animals can't, or rather won't even try to. The Wyrd Priests that have this power always have a monster or a group of monsters fighting with them. Once these monsters are defeated, the Wyrd Priest isn't but a simple novice, that can only use the secondary powers. In order to see which monsters are fighting with the Wyrd, randomly select a monster or a group of monsters from the monster table the warriors are currently at in case of a power level 1 Wyrd Priest, the next monster table in case of a Power level 2 Wyrd Priest, and so on. Note that this doesn't include non-monsters such as Skaven or Orks, or even Beastmen, as they won't follow the Priest without resistance. For example, if the warriors are fighting at BL8, and they encounter a power level 3 Wyrd Priest, they have to throw on the Battle Level 10 monster table. If you throw a 6 and a 4, you will have to throw again, as the Great Unclean One isn't monster enough for the job. A roll of 66 or 11 won't have any effect at all.
Taking total control of the opponent's mind is one of the most sacred goals of the Wyrd Priests. It takes a lot of concentration, and can be countered very easily by the opponents. If a Wyrd uses this power, he will try to take over the mind of his opponent directly, rather them giving him simple illusions. Because of the direct influence, and the possibility to sense the priest's thought-control, the warriors get a +1 modifier on their Willpower test. If the priest is a level 2 priest however, this modifier is canceled, and if the Wyrd has a power level of 3, you will have a -1 modifier.
Mind Control:
This skill allows the priest to take total control
over the warrior for the following turn. The warrior will do anything
the Wyrd Priest orders him to do, except performing suicidal actions.
He will attack his fellow warriors, will throw away valuable items
that are needed for the quest or even give healing potions to
monsters he was fighting a few seconds ago. The warrior has effectively
changed sides, and thus has to attack in the monster phase (except
when your party is using different house rules, right Joe :) ).
Horrible Visions:
Sometimes it might come in handy to let a warrior
flee rather than to take over his mind, as a fleeing warrior can
get out of control for an unknown number of turns, while a controlled
one can only be used one turn (or the power has to work again
in the following turn). If the power works, the warrior sees horrible
visions, and will start running towards the exit of the dungeon
as fast as he can. All the monsters that cause fear will cause
terror while the warrior is in this state, and all other monsters
will simply cause fear. If there would be a monster that causes
terror, and it is blocking the warriors path, or is standing in
front of him, the warrior will turn the other side, or, in the
unlucky case where this is impossible, he will feint, until he
succeeds a Willpower test, and the power will have ended. A feinted
warrior will have all his characteristics reduced to 0, except
for toughness, armour and wounds. He is completely at the mercy
of the monsters, and will probably get killed if the other warriors
don't do anything about that first, like attacking the monsters
or killing them. The warrior will not run into the dark because
it will be too scary. If he can't go further he'll sit down in
a corner waiting until he gets his nerve back.
Blindness:
The Wyrd Priest can strike the warrior with blindness,
so he can't see a thing. The warrior can't use any weapons this
turn, and is at +1 to hit. He can cast spells if he's allowed
to and these spells have nothing to do with vision, and he can
use healing potions.
Mental assault:
The first lesson the Novices get in the temple
is the following: You can't defend yourself from what's inside.
And that's what the mental assault is all about. While using the
mental assault power, the Wyrd Priest will try to control all
your bodily functions such as respiration and heartbeat. If the
power works, the warrior's wounds will have been halved, rounding
fractions downward. The warrior will not be able to attack during
the following turn either, because he is still recovering form
the mental blow. Any monsters that are trying to attack the warriors
will have to make a test for fear before they can do so, because
the warrior is shaking as if he was possessed by a daemonic power.
Hatred:
Rather than taking over the warrior's mind, the Wyrd Priest
can try to take over the mind of a monster that is standing on
the same board section. The monster will automatically fail his
willpower test, and hate all the warriors in sight. But in contrast
to the normal hate-rule, the monster will not suffer a -1 to hit
penalty, as the priest will assist the attacking monster in combat.
The number of monsters affected is equal to the priest's power
level.
Mental Strength:
As with the hatred power, the Wyrd Priest will
take over a monster's mind, and improving it's characteristics
for one turn. The Wyrd Priest can improve the monster's characteristic
by 2 points per power level. These improvements can't be given
to more than one monster. For example, a level 2 priest can give
4 improvement points to a single model, so he can reduce one from
the Ballistic skill, add one to monster's strength, and 2 to the
monster's weapon skill.
Any Wyrd Novice, Priest, Power Master or High Priest can use his powers once during the monster's phase. He can do this instead of any other attack. A warrior can try to evade the power by taking a willpower test. If he succeeds a willpower test, he is not affected by the power, and may continue to fight as normal. If the warrior succeeded a willpower test when trying to evade the power, he has a +1 modifier for the next power attack, and a +2 modifier for the third attack if he succeeded the second one and so on. If he fails a test, the next time he can't use the modifiers he gained the turns before that, regardless of the number of powers he evaded. Note also that a 1 always fails a test. If the Priest has access to several powers (such as the High Priest), he can attack using each of these powers one by one. If the priest is a Power Master, he can use the power twice instead of once.
Each time a priest uses a power, he must declare which power he is using (Matter, Fire, Beast or Man) if he has access to them, and then throw on the according table to see what he can do. If he wants to, he can also use his secondary power, this is the power he learned while he was a novice. Note that a Wyrd priest can't change his Power or even his Secondary Power, because it was the result of slow learning process.
Wounds | |||||
Move | |||||
Weapon Skill | |||||
Ballistic Skill | |||||
Strength | |||||
Toughness | |||||
Initiative | |||||
Attacks | |||||
Gold (each) | |||||
Armour | |||||
Damage |
Wyrd Novice: Wyrd Secondary Power 1, Wyrd power level 1
Wyrd Priest: Wyrd Secondary Power 1, Wyrd Power 1, Wyrd power level 1
Wyrd Power Master: Wyrd Secondary Power 1, Wyrd Power 1, Wyrd Power Level 2, Power Master
Wyrd Old Priest: Wyrd Secondary Power 1, Wyrd Power 2, Wyrd Power Level 2.
Wyrd High Priest: Wyrd Secondary Power 1, Wyrd Power 4, Wyrd Power Level 3, Magic Armour, has the Sapphire of Pherakhon.
If the High Priest has the Sapphire,
the warriors have a -1 modifier on their Willpower test, as Pherakhon
is helping the Wyrd Priest. However, any turn in which there is
a fight in the same room as the Sapphire, Pherakhon might get
disturbed and might intervene. Roll a 1D6 in the power phase on
the following table:
1 |
Pherakhon appears, expressing his anger by unleashing psychic energy. Every warrior has to take a leadership test, with a -2 modifier, as Pherakhon is attacking himself. If the warrior fails, he suffers 4D6 wounds with no modifiers. |
||||||||
2-4 |
Nothing happens. |
||||||||
5-6 |
Pherakhon attacks the High Priest: The priest suffers 5D6 wounds with no
modifiers. Roll another D6. If the result is a 6, then the High Priest has
totally gone bananas, and will use the following powers (if he isn't already
dead). Take the players one by one. Someone can't have two different Whacked
Powers. The Wyrd Priest will not affect the mind of a warrior for the second
time, if there is another warrior in sight, that hasn't been affected before
|
Note: This power has to be rolled as soon as the Novice or Priest
is placed on the board, and doesn't change as long as he hasn't
been killed.
11-16 |
None |
21 |
Pigs can Fly |
22 |
Float |
23 |
Flower power |
24 |
Fearful Aura |
25 |
Whacked Wizard |
26 |
Fast Forward |
31 |
Ghost n Phantoms |
32 |
Barbarian goes Berserk |
33 |
Spider on the Wall |
34 |
Sense presence |
35 |
Double warrior |
36 |
Zen Shootist |
41 |
Walk through walls. |
42 |
Poof |
43 |
Mirror of Doom |
44 |
Cloud of Flies |
45 |
Lucky Aura |
46 |
Bang-Flash |
51 |
Healing hands |
52 |
Remove Pain |
53 |
Deeper Wound |
54 |
Regain Strength |
55 |
Zen Protection |
56 |
Thought magic |
61-65 |
Multiple Minor Powers |
66 |
Extra Power |