Numenera: Jade Colossus - Session 5

We’re getting close to the end of a solo Numenera arc, exploring the Jade Colossus in search of the Eye of Transcendence.

Resources and Notes

• Game: Numenera (Monte Cook Games)
  • Designed by Monte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, and Sean K. Reynolds
  • This and other books from MCG are TM and © Monte Cook Games, LLC. Material is cited here in accordance with the MCG Fan Use Policy.
• Additional Resources:
  • Numenera Discovery and Destiny corebooks (Monte Cook Games)
  • Jade Colossus: Ruins of the Prior Worlds [Jade Colossus] campaign sourcebook (Monte Cook Games)
  • Technology Compendium: Sir Arthour’s Guide to the Numenera supplement (Monte Cook Games)
  • Ninth World Bestiary [Bestiary] (Monte Cook Games)
  • Mythic GM Emulator 2e [Mythic] (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

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

1. Xanthia (she/her), a Rugged Glaive who Masters Defense (level 4, 12 health, 3 Armor, Sword-staff heavy weapon)
2. Thorn (it/its), a dritch (Jade Colossus p. 135) as a pet (level 4, 15 health, inflicts 4 damage)
3. Erish (she/her), an Aeon Priest who Controls Gravity (level 3, 9 health, 1 Armor, inflicts 2 damage)

I will use a d12 Usage Die (similar to what is used in The Black Hack and Ker Nethalas) to determine when they’ve reached the keyed location for the Eye of Transcendence from the Jade Colossuss sourcebook. (Previously, I actually used a d20, which was just a mistake.)

Session Log

Picking up from last time, the group is following the murden directions to find the Eye of Transcendence.

• A numenera sphere floating in a ruin. TM and © 2017 Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Scene 1: Following the Murdens

• Chaos Factor: 4 (from last session)
• Expected Scene: Following the murdens’ route to the Eye of Transcendence
• Testing the Expectation: Expected Scene

From here, they have a pretty decent sense of how to get to the Eye.

• Main Feature: 02 Corridor
  • Corridor Specifics: 18 Passage runs an immediate distance into an interstitial cavity, then runs an additional distance across that cavity’s entire width as a catwalk; roll on the Interstitial Cavity Table to determine nature of space passed through, and again on this table where the passage returns to normal (enclosed)
  • Interstital Cavity: 55 A massive crystalline object floats at the center of this cavity, slowly rotating, held in place by an unseen force
  • Corridor Specifics: 9 Passage extends a short distance
  • Exits: 13 (1 additional sealed exit)
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d8 does not step down

They traverse a long catwalk across another liminal space, this one with a gigantic crystal floating in it. Perhaps this has some particularly important function for the Jade Colossus, but this group is not here to study it. At the end of the catwalk, the corridor continues, then has two exits. One of those exits seems to have a door, but there’s a panel that doesn’t immediately open. In any case, the murden directions indicate the other door.

• Main Feature: 01 Corridor
  • Corridor Specifics: 20 Passage runs a short distance and comes to an X intersection; roll on this table for each branch
  • Branch 1: 20 Passage runs a short distance and comes to an X intersection; roll on this table for each branch
  • Branch 2: 5 Passage extends 20 feet, roll again
  • Branch 3: 12 Passage comes to a dead end
  • Branch 2 continuation: 5 Passage extends 20 feet, roll again
  • Branch 2 continuation: 13 Passage bends left
  • Exits: 7 (1 additional exit)
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d8 does not step down

They continue down the corridor, passing through an intersection. This part of the Colossus feels a bit labyrinthine, but the directions seem to be clear so far.

• Main Feature: 08 Corridor
  • Corridor Specifics: 02 Passage extends 20 feet, roll again
  • Corridor Specifics: 02 Passage extends 20 feet, roll again
  • Corridor Specifics: 17 Passage runs a short distance parallel to previous chamber or corridor, roll again on this table
  • Corridor Specifics: 02 Passage extends 20 feet, roll again
  • Corridor Specifics: 09 Passage extends a short distance
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d8 does not step down

The corridor just goes on and on.

• Main Feature: 82 Accessway
  • Accessway Specifics: 14 Accessway bends right
  • Exits: 01 No additional exits
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d8 steps down to a d6

The corridor narrows considerably, and they have to transit a section that’s only about 3 feet wide and high. But they’re definitely getting significantly closer to the Eye.

• Main Feature: 29 Chamber
  • Chamber Size: 13 30 feet across
  • Chamber Shape: 4 Square
  • Chamber Features: 1-11 Crystal dome shows planetary sphere (real-time view of Earth from high above in the void)
  • Exits: 18 (2 sealed exits)
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d6 does not step down

So here’s where things get a little more complicated. While the murdens have been helpful, they didn’t give them a way to get past this chamber. Erish and Draven will need to figure out how, while Xanthia will marvel. This is likely the first time she’s ever seen this, though perhaps she has a sense of what it is, at least.

To get past this door, they’ll need to figure out how to unseal it. Erish will try to use her gravity powers to manipulate the door, and Draven will look closely to see if he can find any hints.

• This requires a level 5 Intellect task by Draven, with an asset from Erish’s efforts and another from his own training in perception, reducing it to level 3.
• This requires a 9 or better on a d20, and he rolls a 5, which fails.

Even with the Aeon Priest pushing with her own abilities, Draven can’t find a way through. He’ll activate his phasing gloves:

These gloves can selectively phase through solid objects whose level is no higher than the cypher level in a fashion that allows the wearer to see what they are touching, providing an asset for anyone attempting to repair a disabled object or structure. Someone wearing the gloves could also search behind walls and under floors using the gloves.

• Destiny, p. 184

With this, he and Erish are ready to try again.

• It’s still a level 5 Intellect task, but he needs to apply a level of effort (2 Intellect points) to bring it down to level 4. Erish’s assistance and the gloves bring it down further to level 2, so he needs a 6 or better on a d20. He rolls a 12 and succeeds.

The gloves help him find some hidden controls, and he and Erish are able to open the door together.

• Chaos Factor increases to 5.

Scene 2: Closing in on the Eye

• Expected Scene: Finding the entrance to the Eye’s chamber complex
• Testing the Expectation: Expected Scene

They pass through the door and continue their exploration.

• Main Feature: 36 Chamber
  • Chamber Size: 11 30 feet across
  • Chamber Shape: 2 Circle
  • Chamber Features: 1-39 Wavering light sculpture resembling a human brain with three major divisions instead of two
  • Exits: 12 (1 additional exit)
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d6 does not step down

Within this chamber, they see a strange sculpture that seems to be a brain, but with an extra hemisphere - trisphere? Is that the word?

• Does the sculpture actually do anything as they pass through (unlikely)? 10 No

They’ll continue past this chamber.

• Main Feature: 14 Corridor
  • Corridor Specifics: 16 Passage slopes down
  • Exits: 5 (1 additional exit)
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d6 does not step down

The exit from the brain chamber leads to a downward slope.

• Main Feature: 38 Chamber
  • Chamber Size: 8 30 feet across
  • Chamber Shape: 6 Rectangle (60 feet deep)
  • Chamber Features: Empty
  • Exits: 15 (2 additional exits)
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d6 steps down to a d4

As they pass through a long rectangular chamber, their steps echo in the empty silence. But now they’re really quite close.

• Main Feature: 68 Creature
  • Location: 58 Chamber
  • Chamber Size: 1 Closet-sized
  • Chamber Shape: 15 Rectangle
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d4 does not step down
  • Creature: 95 Vape

In a small chamber, likely some sort of checkpoint or guard location, they find an odd two-dimensional creature.

A vape has no width. When it hunts its prey head on, it appears as nothing more than a thread-thin black line stretching up from the ground to shoulder height. Only when it turns, or if it’s seen from the side, is the vape revealed as a massive, furred canid, long muzzled and sharp toothed, with piercing eyes. The claws and fangs appear formidable, but the vape’s entire body is a molecule-thin blade. A vape is also referred to as a “bladehound.”

• Bestiary, p. 131

• Is the vape aggressive (very likely)? 12 Yes
• Is it in a pack (50/50)? Yes
• How large is the pack (d6)? 2

Unfortunately, these creatures are not going to let them pass without a fight. I decide everyone is at immediate range given the cramped quarters.

• Round 1: The creatures are level 2, indicating that target rolls for most tasks are 6 or better.
  • Initiative: Going before the bladehound will require a level 2 Speed task: the entire party succeeds.
  • Draven: Activates his Midnight Armor, giving him +1 Armor and an asset on stealth tasks relying on darkness.
  • Xanthia: Attacks the first bladehound with her sword-staff, with an asset from her skills: the attack succeeds and she deals 6 points of damage, leaving the bladehound (vape) at 4 health.
  • Erish: The Aeon Priest attempts to use her gravity powers to slow down the creatures (which would provide an asset on any defense rolls against them), but she rolls a 5 and fails.
  • Thorn: The little dritch leaps at the first bladehound, making a level 2 melee attack: it rolls a 17 for an extra 1 point of damage, defeating the first bladehound.
  • Bladehound: The remaining bladehound attacks either Xanthia or Erish (50/50): it goes after Xanthia, who has an asset from her defense and succeeds in any case.
• Round 2:
  • Draven: Attacks the bladehound with his verred (a forked sword, medium weapon), needing a 6 or better: he rolls a 6 exactly and deals 4 points of damage, taking the bladehound to 6 health.
  • Xanthia: Again she lays about with her sword-staff, and this time she rolls a 20, dealing an extra 4 points of damage. By itself, this one strike would have taken out a fully-healthy bladehound, so this one goes down as well.

These creatures can potentially be salvaged due to their incredibly sharp edges, but Draven rolls a 1 on his salvaging attempt. He cuts himself on molecular-thin body of the bladehound and takes 2 points of damage, which he then stops by applying pressure for a few minutes.

Before he tries again on the other corpse, they’ll need to rest for a bit. This time, the recovery will take a full hour, but he gets back 4 points to his Might pool (up to 6 now). By the time they get to the Eye of Transcendence, he’ll be in need of a full night’s rest for sure.

With the other set of remains, he successfully salvages a claw which is effectively a monoblade. (In hindsight, 2 points of damage for an item which effectively does 2 points of damage might not have been the best trade-off, although it does have a couple of other interesting properties.)

Regardless, they’re ready to move on.

• Chaos Factor increases to 6.

Scene 3: Reaching the Eye

• Expected Scene: Arriving at the complex housing the Eye of Transcendence
• Testing the Expectation: Expected Scene

Knowing they’re quite close, they press on, following the directions they’ve been given.

• Main Feature: 30 Chamber
  • Chamber Size: 17 50 feet across
  • Chamber Shape: 5 Rectangle (100 feet deep)
  • Chamber Features: 2-29 Beam of light suspends a massive stone cube scribed with strange writing; breaking the light beam causes the cube to crash down and break
  • Exits: 7 (1 additional exit)
  • Route Marker Present?: No
  • Eye of Transcendence: d4 steps down, this exit leads to the Eye

While they’re quite close, this huge cube is really interesting. Draven gives it a quick look, but he’ll make a roll to avoid accidentally breaking the beam.

• This will be a Speed check at difficulty 5 for the chamber. However, he has two levels of assets from his skills (Speed defense and balance & careful movement), reducing it to level 3. He’ll further spend a level of effort (spending 1 speed point) to reduce it to level 2, and thus he needs a 6 or better. He rolls an 11 and does not break the beam.

At the same time, he doesn’t get very far. In order to understand what’s the cube, he would need to find a way to open it. He does take a record of the writing on the cube for later study, whether by himself or by Erish.

• As previously noted, the Eye of Transcendence will be a session unto itself, and likely the culmination of this arc.
• Chaos Factor decreases to 5.

Wrap-Up

No XP this time, but if they can successfully find and somehow unlock the secrets of the Eye of Transcendence, they’ll be in for a big reward.