Numenera: Jade Colossus - Session 1

Numenera from Monte Cook Games is a science fantasy game and one of my absolute favorite settings. Called the Ninth World, it’s technically one billion years in the future on Earth, but the real conceit is Clarke’s Third Law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

I’ve played this game before in a group setting, though the one time I’ve run it for a group didn’t go very well. So this solo campaign is a chance to explore the setting (as I’ve done in a few other games) and to see how the system works in a solo context.

I’m using a modified version of Valley Standard to log this campaign.

Cover Sheet

Game: Numenera (Monte Cook Games)
- Designed by Monte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, and Sean K. Reynolds
Additional Resources:
- Discovery and Destiny corebooks (Monte Cook Games)
- Jade Colossus: Ruins of the Prior Worlds campaign sourcebook (Monte Cook Games)
- Mythic GM Emulator 2e (Word Mill Games, written by Tana Pigeon)
- “Wizard Dad: Solo Cypher System Hacks” (retrieved 2024-08-28)
Notes:
- Solo play relying on the Follower rules from Numenera Destiny p. 17 modified by the Wizard Dad hack
- Using the 2d10 Fate Check method from the Mythic GM Emulator 2e

The main character is Draven (he/him) a Graceful Delve who Taps the Void. He has two followers:

Xanthia (she/her), a Rugged Glaive who Masters Defense (level 4, 12 health, 3 Armor, Sword-staff heavy weapon)
Thorn (it/its), a dritch (Jade Colossus p. 135) as a pet (level 4, 15 health, inflicts 4 damage)

One of Draven’s parents was a minor official with access to many privileges and much information. That’s what set him on the path to exploring the Jade Colossus. Xanthia convinced him that joining the Heritors of the Colossus would be in his best interest. Thorn was a surprisingly friendly creature that first exposed Draven to the midnight stones and void matter.

“A dritch has a mottled carapace that resembles a midnight stone [greenish-black] and glows with a faint greenish light. It is slender and sleek, with a head on a long neck, two arms, and a long torso that narrows to a snakelike coil. A variety of antenna-like protuberances stud its glistening form.

Draven and Xanthia are in Ballarad as “detached” members of the Heritors of the Colossus, a group that describes itself as “interested in human welfare brought about by leveraging assets discovered in prior-world ruins”. During previous exploration of the Colossus, Draven had found a room that changes location by shifting through time; as the rest of the structure changes around it, it ends up in different places.

The Heritors have ongoing operations within the Jade Colossus, a massive structure that has recently burst up through the ground for unknown reasons. They, along with other explorers, have discovered a number of particularly significant relics that vaguely resemble body parts, one of which is known as the “Eye of Transcendence”. Only select members know its location and the specifics of its powers. For some reason, that same leadership has become agitated recently about the Eye. They’ve put out word to their members that they want more information about the Eye - and the rumor mill has it that the Eye is missing somehow!

Session Log

As this is the first scene, I’m starting with an Opening Scene from the Jade Colossus. There’s only one thread, “Find the Eye of Transcendence”, and no characters on the Character List.

Scene 1: Leaving the Colossus

Chaos Factor: 5

Draven staggers out of the Colossus, tired but safe. Xanthia and Thorn are with him, but they’re all surprised at the state of the night sky. It should still be afternoon, but clearly the sun set some time ago, judging by the darkness around them.

Are there any other people around (50/50)? 14 Yes

Here at the Midnight Gate, a woman named Gavaran stands watch. She lives in a small home next to the Gate, but this time she’s sitting outside on a stool. The woman has her long hair woven into a thick braid and some sort of symbolic tattoo on her forehead. She watches the group for a moment before speaking.

What kind of Character Conversation ensues? 40 Generous

She can immediately see that they are particularly confused and calls out to them. Draven explains the problem: they went into the Colossus in the morning and only spent a few hours in there, but now it’s night. Gavaran checks the date with him; a few days have passed since they entered the Colossus, not just a few hours.

That’s somewhat alarming, but given the strange nature of the Colossus, the explorers consider it as another data point to report back to the Heritors. Gavaran considers this tidbit of information as a fair trade for the news she has to share: the Heritors are looking for the Eye of Transcendence, but they’re trying to keep that quiet. Draven and Xanthia exchange a look; this could be their ticket to moving up in the organization.

Regardless, they need to regroup and plan for their next move. They thank Gavaran, hand her a shin as a token of their appreciation, and head to the Ballarad Inn nearby.

Chaos Factor decreases to 4
New Character: Gavaran, Keeper of the Midnight Gate

Scene 2: In the Inn

Expected Scene: Discuss the missing Eye of Transcendence in a quiet corner and plan their next expedition
Testing the Scene: Interrupt Scene
Event Focus: 27 NPC Action
New NPC: Kuran Bluelake, proprietor of the Ballarad Inn
Action: 59 News
Descriptor: 10 Clean

The proprietor, Kuran Bluelake, is a massive, grizzled man who has a notably courteous demeanor. He’s cleaning a table nearby and speaks to the group as they sit down. He recognizes them as members of the Heritors and asks if they’ve heard the news. They pretend not to know, preferring to wait and see what he might tell them, encouraging him to continue.

Is he talking about the Eye of Transcendence (50/50)? 5, No.
Ballarad Hearsay (d4): 1, Spreading Laaks

Kuran tells them that he met a man who swore that laaks (a type of small venomous reptile) swarmed into his house and stole his daughter, dragging her into the Colossus. The proprietor shakes his head and mutters that Tharad better be telling the truth about what happened to his daughter, or he’ll have to face justice. Draven furrows his brow and promises that they’ll keep an eye out for her as they explore the Colossus.

The two go back to their conversation. Finding the Eye would certainly guarantee them a better position in the Heritors, but it won’t be easy. They need to get back in there soon, as undoubtedly others are looking for it as well. While it’s late at night here, they’re not particularly tired due to the time shift. They each order a drink and decide to head back into the Colossus at sunup.

Chaos Factor decreases to 3
New Character: Kuran Bluelake, Innkeeper at the Ballarad Inn
New Thread: What happened to Tharad’s missing daughter?

Scene 3: Back to the Colossus

Expected Scene: Enter the Colossus via the Midnight Gate
Testing the Scene: Expected Scene

The Midnight Gate is really an artificial tunnel built into the hole left when explorers blasted their way into the Colossus and held it open with large metallic gates. Gavaran charges 1 shin to each group that enters, which Draven pays from his nearly-nonexistent funds. They pass through the gates into the Vestibule, which is more or less a wooden bridge leading over the detritus from the explosions. This detritus has, over time, been packed down into a rough floor made of drit (a combination of soil and microscopic pieces of ancient unknowable technologies) as well as shards of metal and synth (materials similar to plastic).

Kuran had suggested that, supposedly, Tharad’s daughter was taken by laaks into the Colossus and that her body was somewhere underneath the Vestibule. A colony of laaks does reside here, although the explorer community generally treats them more like pets than pests. Draven decides to hop down and see if he can find any indication of the girl’s presence.

Difficulty 4 Intellect task. Draven is trained in Perception tasks and will spend a level of Effort to reduce the difficulty to 2 for a target of 6.
d20 = 8, success!
Is there any actual indication of the girl (unlikely)? 6, No.

Draven spends some time looking around the laak colony, but he doesn’t find any sign of the girl. He’s fairly confident that, whatever happened to her, she isn’t here and likely never was. That’s worth mentioning to Kuran later, who seemed to have a personal interest in the matter. The group heads on over the bridge into Wranna’s Way, the corridor that leads to the Colossus interior.

Chaos Factor decreases to 2

Scene 4: Wranna’s Way

Expected Scene: Pass through Wranna’s Way
Testing the Scene: Expected Scene

This corridor is named for a fairly well-known explorer who hasn’t been seen in some time. She has a reputation as a careful record keeper and someone who often shares information about the routes she discovers within the Colossus. The Heritors aren’t her biggest fans, as they like to keep their routes to themselves (or potentially as information assets to be sold to others).

At the moment, it’s quiet. The corridor has some vertical, or nearly so, shafts that lead up and further into the interior.

Rather than engage the Numenera Ruin Mapping Engine already, I’m going to use a keyed location from the sourcebook for now. If an unexpected event or something else indicates that they are led off the main path, then I can bring it into the game.

Using their climbing equipment, they’ll take care when ascending. Certainly they’ll look out for any indications about the Eye or Tharad’s daughter, but they also think this route should take them to the Mouth of Exaltation, another significant location within the Colossus housing one of the most important relics found so far.

Difficulty 2 Speed task. Draven is trained in balance and careful movement tasks, reducing this to difficulty 1 for a target of 3.
d20 = 4, success!

The pair of humans make their way up without difficulty. Thorn stays with them, occasionally wrapping itself around Draven’s neck but generally able to climb on its own. They reach the next chamber and take a breath for a moment while looking around.

Is anyone else around at first glance (unlikely)? 6, No.

They seem to be alone at the moment. Thorn sniffs around, pausing when something has its attention. However, rather than a midnight stone (one of the kinds of objects that they come into the Colossus to look for), the group has found what looks like a clutch of eggs - hundreds of them, all about fist-sized, but seemingly made of synth. Thorn is interested and somewhat excited, but Draven can’t see a reason to spend time on them. That said, he doesn’t want to damage them, either; who knows what might lie within, or be attracted to the explorers by the sound?

Still, he has difficulty pulling Thorn away; the little creature seems to be trying to tell him something. Draven decides to spend some more time hunting around the area for midnight stones, which will keep the dritch occupied.

Finding a midnight stone is a Difficulty 5 Intellect task and requires several hours. Thorn provides an asset to the task, reducing the difficulty to 4 for a target of 12.
d20 = 2, failure!

Despite their best efforts, eventually they determine that there are no midnight stones in this chamber. Thorn has had enough time to sniff at the eggs and finally gets the message that they’re not going to be fiddling any more with them.

Does anyone else show up during their search (50/50)? 2, Exceptional No.

It’s extremely quiet here; normally, they’d expect at least to hear some far-off sounds, whether from other explorers or other unknown sources within the Jade Colossus. But the corridors in this place shift in unexpected ways; the other exits they observed when they entered are no longer visible. They’ll need to map their own way forward through the new exit corridor. (Hopefully this wasn’t a time shift like before!)

Chaos Factor increases to 3

Scene 5: Leaving the Egg Chamber

Expected Scene: Map the new corridor
Testing the Scene: Interrupt Scene
Event Focus: 70 Close a Thread
Thread (d2): 2, What happened to Tharad’s missing daughter?
Is the daughter alive (50/50)? 3, Exceptional No
Corridor: 17, extends a short distance
Exits: 1 additional exit (beyond what’s at the end of the corridor)
Exit Feature: 01 Corridor

Draven leads Thorn and Xanthia into the corridor, where they pull up short. A woman’s body lies on the ground at a junction with another passage.

Is her body in good condition (50/50)? 7, No
Is anything else around here (very likely)? 5, No

Her body is mangled and torn, having experienced some form of violence. Whether that’s from natural phenomena or some kind of predator is difficult to say, but Draven will look closely.

Difficulty 3 Intellect task. Draven is trained in Perception tasks, reducing this to difficulty 2 for a target of 6.
d20 = 1, GM Intrusion!
+2 XP for Draven (there’s no other PC to give the second XP to)

While he’s kneeling and looking at the body, something comes upon them!

Creature Encounter: 30 Varakith
Does it attack (very likely)? 16, Yes

An vaguely insectoid creature appears. Its elongated body, over 3 meters in length, seems to writhe like a living thing, covered in chitinous plates that glint with an otherworldly sheen. Its multiple legs, tipped with razor-sharp spears, flex and extend as if probing for prey. The air is heavy with the stench of decay as it tries to drag its latest conquest - a limp, lifeless form - onto its back, where spines and hooks hold it in place like macabre trophies. (Description partially generated by Llama3B from the Numenera Discovery corebook p. 258.)

Initiative is a Difficulty 5 Speed task (target 15). Xanthia will go first, then the Varakith, then Draven.
Xanthia, a Rugged Glaive who Masters Defense, attacks with her Sword-staff. This is a Difficulty 5 Might task, reduced to level 4 for her combat prowess (target 12).
d20 = 5, miss
Varakith attacks Xanthia randomly, who must make a Might defense roll at difficulty 5, eased to 3 for her Masters Defense focus (target 9).
d20 = 15, success!
Draven activates his Midnight Armor, spending 2 Speed points (-1 Edge) to activate it for 1 hour. This gives him +1 Armor and an asset to stealth tasks related to moving in darkness.

Round 1: Xanthia sweeps at the creature with her sword-staff without success. The insectoid attacks her with its spearlike legs but she fends it off with her weapon. Draven concentrates for a moment, drawing on the void matter that has infused his body, and some of it extrudes out to cover him in a protective layer and giving him the appearance of a lightless silhouette.

Xanthia shouts at Draven to get the woman’s body and prepare for them to flee. She attacks again with a target of 12.
d20 = 9, miss
Varakith attacks Xanthia randomly, who makes a Might defense roll eased to 3 for a target of 9.
d20 = 7, failure
The creature strikes her, dealing 6 damage (reduced to 3 by her Armor, leaving her at 9 health).
She must make a Speed defense roll at level 5 (eased to 4 by her Masters Defense) or be knocked prone and held immobile.
d20 = 17, success! She stays on her feet
Draven moves to the woman’s body and prepares to pull it back to the egg chamber in the next round, gathering her limbs and positioning himself.
Thorn spits up a glob of void matter at the Varakith, which must make an Intellect defense task at level 4 (target 12) or be stunned for one round.
d20 = 16, success. The varakith is unaffected.

Round 2: Xanthis calls for a tactical retreat; they have no interest in fighting this creature to the death (likely their own). She still can’t hit it, but it slashes into her with its legs. Fortunately, she stays on her feet rather than be pinned to the ground. Draven makes ready to try to take the corpse back to the egg chamber, and Thorn covers him buy spitting up a globule of void matter at the creature. It misses, though.

Xanthia attacks with a target of 12.
d20 = 5, miss
Varakith attacks Draven randomly, who makes a Might defense roll at level 5 (target 15).
d20 = 17, success!
Draven needs to make a Difficulty 5 Speed task to move the body back to the egg chamber on this round. He is trained in balance and careful movement tasks, reducing this to level 4 for a target of 12.
d20 = 16, success!
Thorn tries to bite the Varakith, making an attack at level 5 (target 15).
d20 = 5, miss

Round 3: Xanthia is still locked in melee with the creature, which turns its attention to Draven. He smoothly ducks out of the way before pulling the woman’s body back to the egg chamber with Thorn and Xanthia covering him.

Xanthia attempts a Difficulty 5 Speed task to evade the creature and move back to the egg chamber. As a Rugged Glaive who Masters Defense, I’ll ease that one step to level 4, target 12.
d20 = 10, failure
Varakith continues to attack Xanthia, who must make a Might defense roll at level 3 (target 9).
d20 = 10, success!
Thorn also retreats to the egg chamber, making a Speed task at level 5. Due to its nature tied to this place, I’ll ease that to 4 (target 12).
d20 = 12, success!

Round 4: Xanthia tries to get away from the creature, but its assault is relentless (albeit ineffective in hurting her). Draven is securing the corpse in the egg chamber, and Thorn’s carapace strobes green light as it races back in there as well.

Xanthia makes another Speed task at level 4 (target 12) to evade.
d20 = 5, failure
Varakith attacks Xanthia, who makes a Might defense roll at level 3 (target 9).
d20 = 5, failure, takes 6 damage (reduced to 3 by Armor, leaving her at 6 health)
Xanthia must make a Speed defense roll at level 5 (eased to 4 by her Masters Defense) or be knocked prone and held immobile.
d20 = 10, failure, she is knocked prone
Draven draws his forked sword (verred) and rushes back to Xanthia
Thorn stays in the egg chamber

Round 5: Again, the bodyguard can’t get away from her assailant, which pins her to the ground. Draven readies his verred (a forked sword that also functions as a defensive weapon) and rushes back to her side. Thorn paces ferociously around the eggs, paying little attention to the human corpse.

Xanthia has lost her turn due to being immobilized
Varakith automatically hits Xanthia, dealing 4 damage (reduced to 1 by Armor, leaving her at 5 health)
Varakith also attacks Draven, who makes a Might defense roll at level 5, eased by one step to 4 due to his weapon, target 12
d20 = 6, failure, takes 6 damage (reduced to 4 by Armor, reducing his Might pool to 9)
Draven must make a Speed defense roll at level 5, but he is trained in Speed defense and in balance and careful movement tasks, reducing this to level 3 for a target of 9.
d20 = 5, failure, he is knocked prone and immobilized
Thorn sees Draven go down and rushes to his side, trying to bite the Varakith. This will be a Difficulty 5 Speed task, eased to 4 for its nature, target 12, to be able to get there and attack.
d20 = 17, success!
Thorn attacks the Varakith at level 5 (target 15).
d20 = 13, miss

Round 6: The insectoid drains some of Xanthia’s blood while she’s held down, then pins Draven as well. Thorn speeds back into the battle but is unable to hurt the creature attacking its companions.

Xanthia is still immobilized but may make a Might defense roll at Difficulty 5, eased by 2 steps due to her Descriptor and Focus, target 9.
d20 = 7, failure, takes 4 damage (reduced to 1 by Armor, leaving her at 4 health)
Varakith automatically hits Draven, dealing 6 damage (reduced to 4 by Armor, leaving him at 5 Might)
Varakith attacks Thorn, who makes a Might defense roll at Difficulty 5 (target 15).
d20 = 5, failure, takes 6 damage (now at 9 health)
Draven is still immobilized and loses his turn

Round 7: The Varakith continues to drain Xanthia’s blood as she struggles futilely against it. Draven is still pinned down and is being drained as well before the creature turns its attention to Thorn, spearing it.

Xanthia is still immobilized but may make a Might defense roll at Difficulty 5, eased by 2 steps due to her Descriptor and Focus, target 9.
d20 = 2, failure, takes 4 damage (reduced to 1 by Armor, leaving her at 3 health)
Varakith automatically hits Draven, dealing 6 damage (reduced to 4 by Armor, leaving him at 1 Might)
Varakith automatically hits Thorn, dealing 6 damage (now at 3 health)
Draven reaches for a handheld device on his belt to activate it. Normally, activating a cypher does not require a roll, but he is immobilized and must make a Speed roll at Difficulty 5, eased by 2 steps due to being trained in balance and careful movement tasks as well as Speed defense, target 9. He will spend for 2 levels of effort to reduce it further to Difficulty 1, target 3. This costs 4 Speed points (reducing that pool to 10).
d20 = 17, success!
He activates his Travel Bubble, which encapsulates him and his two companions in a spherical force field, protecting them from the Varakith
The Travel Bubble level is d6+4 = 6, which is higher level than the Varakith, so it can’t penetrate the bubble

Round 8: As the group finds itself being drained by the insectoid, their prospects look dim. Draven twists his body, pinned beneath the varakith, and is able to activate a cypher that encapsulates the three of them in a protective bubble, pushing the varakith away.

Does the Varakith continue to attack (unlikely)? 2, Exceptional No

The creature is repelled by the force field, throwing it down the corridor. Before they leave, they take a moment to breathe and recover.

Draven’s recovery roll: 1d6+1=3, Might pool is now at 4
Xanthia’s recovery roll: 1d6+1=5, Health pool is now at 8
Thorn’s recovery roll: 1d6+1=3, Health pool is now at 6

The varakith skitters away, but in their weakened state they have no choice but to retreat back to the Vestibule, where they will feel slightly safer.

Chaos Factor increases to 4
Thread “What happened to Tharad’s missing daughter?” is closed
New Thread: “Why did the laaks take Tharad’s daughter?”

Scene 6: Recovering in the Vestibule

Expected Scene: Rest and recover in the Vestibule
Testing the Scene: Expected Scene

Once the travel bubble has them back in the Vestibule, Draven allows it to collapse. They’re a bit worse for the wear, but here they can take a few more minutes to recover.

10-minute recovery for each character
Draven: 1d6+1=5, Might pool is now at 9
Xanthia: 1d6+1=5, Health pool is now at 12 (full)
Thorn: 1d6+1=7, Health pool is now at 13

Despite the fact that they did not get very far, at least they can inform Kuran about Tharad’s daughter. Recovering her body wasn’t possible, but they can give a grieving father and the rest of the community some closure.

Is anyone else in the Vestibule (unlikely)? 12, Yes
Are there creatures here (unlikely) or explorers? 9, Explorers
Count: d6+1=3 explorers
Types: 5 Explorer, 10 Aeon Priest, 8 Nano
Explorer Situation: 09 One of the explorers tries to defect to the PC’s group after alienating some of their own group by being a liar, a coward, and a thief
Which explorer is it? d3=2, Aeon Priest
Aeon Priest: level 5, defends as level 6, resists mental effects as level 6
Random artifact: 37 Hover Belt

A group of explorers enter from another direction, arguing and shouting. The target of their ire, judging by her robes and medallion, is an Aeon Priest, a member of perhaps the most well-known organization in the Ninth World. The other two claim she has been lying to them and using them for her own purposes. She reaches to her belt for a moment, an oddly-fit mesh accessory with a metal box sporting dial controls. When she sees Draven and his companions, though, she turns back to her own group and throws a fistful of shins at them. “Take your money; we have no need of it,” she says, and then she walks over to the group.

The two explorers that entered continue to spit invectives and insults, but they see the weapons that Draven and Xanthia carry and stay where they are for a moment before leaving the way they came.

The Aeon Priest introduces herself as Erish.

Is she a member of the Jade Protectors (likely)? 6, No
Character Motivation: 40 Hide

She reassures them that she’s not a member of the Jade Protectors, an organization more or less opposed to the Heritors of the Colossus. She does indicate, however, that she has been keeping a low profile. When Draven asks her about the spat with the other explorers, she hems and haws for a moment.

Does she tell them a lie (likely)? 15, Yes

Erish responds that she had hired them to take her to a specific location within the Colossus, and when they were unable to reach it, they insisted she had to pay them anyway. Clearly, she says, she ended up giving them their money regardless, but she will still need to find another way to her destination. The woman gives the group an appraisng look and asks if they might be interested in helping her.

Draven says that they can do it, but they’ll need to negotiate some sort of payment (as a Heritor of the Colossus, this is normal practice for them). She agrees in principle, but for now they’ll leave the Colossus and head back to Ballarad where they can discuss the details.

Chaos Factor decreases to 3
New Character: Erish, Aeon Priest
New Thread: “Lead Erish to her destination within the Colossus”

Wrapping Up

While they didn’t recover any cyphers, they did discover the fate of Tharad’s daughter (who they will want find out more about, including her name). I’ll give Draven another 1 XP for that, giving him a total of 3 XP. (Followers don’t gain XP per se.) Erish will also count as a follower for Draven, although I will flesh that out at the next session.

I’m pretty sure I made some significant mistakes in the rules, particularly in combat. Each session will be a learning experience, for sure, and I’ll try to capture that in the cover sheet and similar notes as I go.

The Ruin Mapping Engine provides a lot of geometric fidelity, but I will likely simplify that. In general, it’s clear that this group is not able to stand up for long in a fight, but that’s not what this game is for. So far, this has been more focused on exploration for its own sake than my previous OD&D game, and I’m glad for that. This is still a relatively experimental campaign, though; it could grow organically into something deeper, or it could just provide a test bed for me to reacquaint myself with the mechanics of Numenera before a wider-ranging campaign.

Appendix

Known locations include Ballarad and the main establishments within it, as listed in the Jade Colossus sourcebook.

The lists below reflect the state of the game at the end of the session:

Character List

Gavaran, Keeper of the Midnight Gate
Kuran Bluelake, Innkeeper at the Ballarad Inn
Erish, Aeon Priest

Thread List

Find the Eye of Transcendence
Why did the laaks take Tharad’s daughter?
Lead Erish to her destination within the Colossus

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