Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has ten rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Hearsay that can be found in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.
Angusks are giant multi-legged creatures that have somehow evolved the ability to direct the Island of Undoing’s leach of energy to a specific leg, which withers and falls off to be replaced by another. Some believe that there’s no way to angusks could have evolved this mechanism on their own.
Cephaleen spiders have, if killed, something that is notoriously hard, or found dead, metres of sticky webbing inside them that can be harvested. It’s rumoured that some are trying to come up with a way of breeding and keeping the spiders in captivity, so that the webbing can be more easily harvested.
Delormi is protected by a large fence to stop the island’s creatures from attacking. It’s rumoured that the fence is slowly deteriorating, due to the villagers lacking the resources needed to maintain it at full strength, and that there are worries the wall might either have to be made smaller or risk having it give way under an attack.
Most plants on the Island of Undoing that the form of multicoloured moulds. There are rumours that being exposed for too long to any specific type of mould is unhealthy for the one doing so, and that in some cases they may be devoured by the mould’s spores and turned into fertiliser for the next generation.
The Carrils are a Carriles cult of worshippers outside Delormi who believe that the island is a god and they are seeking a way inside the village’s wall to destroy the Tower of Life. It’s rumoured that the leader, Tiass, is seeking out any newcomers to the island to see if they have anything that would breach the wall.
The Island of Undoing drains the health from living creatures on it, but there’s a rumour that this only applies to creatures that are on or near the surface. Some believe that if you were to dig down deep enough, you would be protected from the island’s effects.
The Tower of Life in Delormi on the Island of Undoing is a machine that thumps the ground at night, protecting those within the affected area from the island’s draining of life. Some want to examine the machine to see if its effects can be duplicated, but most are opposed to tampering with it out of fear that doing so could break it entirely.
Those bitten by cephaleen spiders whose bites turn into the symbols found on their stomachs can open the doors to beneath that also bear the same symbols. This has led to rumours that the spiders are some kind of mechanism for opening the doors that has malfunctioned over the aeons.
Tiass, the current leader of the Carils, found the majority of the group from the survivors of a shipwreck. Though up until now those survivors have been eager to follow Tiass’s god rather than their own, it’s rumoured that some of the former crew are becoming increasingly uncertain about this.
Zunak are abhumans who live on the Island of Undoing. It’s said that zunak cannot be found anywhere else, leading to rumours that the abhumans are created by the Island from some of those who die from the island draining all their health, who are then reborn, or reanimated, as creatures who are now immune to the effects.
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In a futuristic setting, characters may need to break into, or out of, a prison and 100 Security Measures for Futuristic Prisons has 100 ways to make this harder, from electronic defences to physical ones to the prison’s location.
100 Water Sources and Features to Find in a Dungeon (PFRPG) has 100 different water sources that could be found in a dungeon or other location, along with suggestions for customising some of them. These range from small to large and some are definitely hazardous in nature. This is a conversion of the original supplement to Pathfinder.
Fey forests can be strange places and some of them are dark and unfriendly. 100 Encounters for a Dark Fey Forest (SWADE) has 100 encounters for such a forest that can be used to enliven a journey.
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The Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has ten rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.
Bacteria are common in Microcosmica, and are naturally, given the scale of the recursion, significantly more dangerous to recursors than normal bacteria. It’s rumoured that, just like normal bacteria, they can cause illnesses, and that some of these might translate out of the recursion if the recursor isn’t adequately prepared.
Chief Researcher Reggie Garner of Nereus One is constantly depressed that the other research bases were all abandoned after what happened to Nereus Five. It’s rumoured that he’s planning a mission to see what did happen, perhaps prodded into doing so by recursors, and that he may be on the verge of having the spark kindled in him.
Entering Microcosmica through inapposite means would be disastrous, but the recursion tends to prevent inapposite gates and other forms of inapposite travel. It’s rumoured, though, that some have been attempting to create inapposite gates, though for what reason isn’t known.
ImmuneSuppres is a drug that keeps the bad reactions from the quantum miniaturisation process at bay, and those left untreated eventually die and degrade into rotting goo. There are rumours that this goo can take on a life of its own, and that a few bodies of dead researchers are currently roaming the hidden areas of Nereus One as animate protoplasm.
Immunologist Helen Rodrigues on Nereus One is one of the few human Microcosmica natives with the spark, though she doesn’t realise this as yet. It’s rumoured that some recursors have been wondering how best to exploit this fact to their own benefit.
It’s rumoured that the Karum of Ruk have agents in Microcosmica, because the sort of research done in the recursion and the recursion itself are both compatible with what Ruk is often doing, and that the Karum believe they will gain an advantage back home.
Nereus One is the main science base in Microcosmica and the place where recursors usually translate in. It’s rumoured that no-one knows when the base was originally built or who by, and that the first users found it already up and running, though deserted.
Nereus Two is one of the other facilities in Microcosmica that was decommissioned after the Nereus Five incident. It’s thought that attempts are being made to get approval to start using Nereus Two again, so that more researchers can be brought it.
The main science base in Microcosmica is Nereus One, a massive metal sphere. The station has a torpedo bay, as Microcosmica is regularly unfriendly to outsiders, and it’s rumoured that it has other, hidden, defences should the situation ever truly get out of hand.
There are access locks on Nereus One, through which people can enter and leave the station to explore the rest of Microcosmica. It’s rumoured that the station’s computer has been recording these opening and closing when no-one is known to have entered or left.
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In a fantasy setting, trinkets reputed to be magical may be found, but they don’t necessarily have any power. 100 Pseudo-Magical Trinkets to Find has 100 such charms to find.
A Baker’s Dozen of Black Market Magical Items II (C&C) has 13 new magic items of dubious use. Some have both uses that are both legal and illegal, others will be illegal most places. They will most likely be found in the possession of dubious characters.
Characters may hear rumours whilst asking around for information and 100 Hooks and Rumours for Fading Suns: Lost Worlds III has 100 such to hear. They can be used as colour, misinformation or potential adventure hooks.
Map – Town 2 is a hand drawn map of a town 300dpi resolution in eight versions that can be used for personal and commercial use.
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In this video, I dismantle an old combined clock, radio and phone, in my twelfth dismantling of items looking for greebles and other parts that might be usable in scratchbuilding.
10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe
This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about Spain. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.
Bandits are becoming an increasing problem in parts of Spain and the government in Madrid has proven to be very indecisive on the matter. It’s rumoured that some of the bandits have been getting equipment and weapons of an unusually high calibre, leading to suspicions that they are being supplied by someone who wants to see Spain in turmoil.
Basque nationalism has been on the rise in Spain, and it’s rumoured that the Spanish government has started getting its act together for once in an effort to bring a halt to this before terrorist attacks become a problem as they have in the past. Whether the government handles this badly or well is open to question.
Bullfights are still incredibly popular in Spain and famous toreros are better known than the politicians. It’s rumoured that some of the best-known toreros have therefore been considering getting into politics, as they might well win based on recognition alone.
Germany pays well for Spain’s support and occasionally France tries to bribe the country, when it’s not trying to intimidate Spain, which results in Spain getting the largest part of EC development subsidies. These are spent keeping the Spanish economy propped up, and it’s rumoured that France has realised this and has started trying to pull all support for Spain in order to make the economy collapse.
Real flamenco is now extinct in Spain with only the tourist version remaining. It’s said that some Spaniards are trying to bring real flamenco back from the dead, and are campaigning the EC to provide funding to allow them to do this.
Spain has too much pride in its past achievements and not enough desire to create more. Some, however, are trying to use that pride int he past to advance Spain’s future, by linking potential future achievements to those of the past, showing that this is what it means to be Spanish.
Spain is in the middle ground of the EC, not being as strong as the powerhouses of the north but better off than the poor relatives of the fringe, and moreover is greatly committed to the EC. It’s said that this commitment means that Spanish Eurocrats seek to benefit Spain above all other countries, in the hopes of helping it join the upper ranks of the community.
Spain is now, following the Plague, one of the most difficult countries in the world to get into. Only European citizens can easily enter and those from restricted countries cannot even enter. Though there is movement to expand the restricted list to include the USA, there are also mutterings that Spain’s current financial position is due to the lack of tourist income and that the restrictions should be eased.
The only constant in Spanish politics is being anti-France and pro-Germany, and it’s rumoured that some politicians are wondering if this is limiting the country. Not that they have any interest in altering these broad stances; rather, they are considering broadening things out when it comes to other EC nations.
The Rural Employment Plan was effectively an unemployment plan for the depressed agricultural regions of southern Spain, and ending it resulted in the creation of bandits. It’s rumoured that some within the Spanish government are pressing the EC for funds in order to start the REP up once more.
D10: Europe Rumours: Spain is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.
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