Monte Cook Games-The Strange_ Ohunkakan_ the Living Myths-Monte Cook Games (2015)

7242019 Monte Cook Games-The Strange_ Ohunkakan_ the Living Myths-Monte Cook Games (2015)

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullmonte-cook-games-the-strange-ohunkakan-the-living-myths-monte-cook-games 16

OHUNKAKANTHE LIVING MYTHS

BY ALINA PETE AND ANTHONY PASTORES



WritersDesignersAlina Pete

Anthony PastoresDeveloper

Monte Cook

Creative Director Shanna Germain

EditorProofreader Ray Vallese

ArtistWinona Nelson

Graphic Designer Bear Weiter

Monte Cook GamesEditorial Board

Scott C BourgeoisDavid Wilson BrownEric Coates

Gareth HodgesMila Irek

Jeremy LandLaura Wilkinson

Marina WoldGeorge Ziets

copy 2015 Monte CookGames LLC

T983144983141 S983156983154983137983150983143983141 and its logoare trademarks of MonteCook Games LLC in the

USA and other countriesAll Monte Cook Games

characters and characternames and the distinctive

likenesses thereof aretrademarks of Monte Cook

Games LLC

In Ohunkakan the old stories still live Tale-tellers practice their art throughout therecursion the constant flux of their tellings andretellings weaving an ever-changing tapestryof myth that shapes the fabric of realityLandmarks villages and even the patterns of

stars shift across the landscape the familiarfreely mixes with the mythic and elements ofdim ages stubbornly persist alongside imagespulled from modern Earth Even today a taletold powerfully enough might just become true

The terrain of Ohunkakan is vivid andchangeable every object seems to shudderand breathe with life as if freshly imaginedThroughout the plains old men repair evenolder cars with parts dug up from middensdeep in the hills intermixed with ancientserpent bones and then they trade stories with

far-ranging hunters beside towering tipis ofshimmering hides Towns of stocky whitewashedhouses by day transform into rings of hoodoosby night the townsfolk whispering from withinthe stones Grandmothers watch sitcoms onflickering screens of painted hide while their

OHUNKAKANTHE LIVING MYTHSgrandsons wrestle giants in the wildernessLocals find nothing odd or out of place inthis Though Ohunkakan was spun from thetraditional stories of the Lakota people the ever-shifting flood of modern anachronisms showsthese traditions continue to change and evolve

Arrival First-time recursors arrive atop theflattened quartz-littered crown of Fallen StarButte which offers a sweeping view of the plains

SPIRITS AND ELDER SPIRITSThe inhabitants of Ohunkakan are as variableand inscrutable as the land Birthed by the storiesthemselves each was cast out into the worldwhen their tale was finished with them Most takehuman shape but others are animals plantsor inanimate objects delicate men whose stagantlers show only in shadow sparrow-eyed old

women who reveal a flash of wing when theydance and dirty heavy-footed men with faceslike granite are all possible As they are alreadytrained to understand the part their lives play inthe continuing cycle of myth the incidence of thespark among them is unusually high

CREDITS

The name ldquoOhunkakanrdquoderives from Ohuacuteŋkakaŋa Lakota word meaningldquomythrdquo or ldquostory of the

remote pastrdquo

Ohunkakan ispronounced o-HOON-

ka-kan ldquoordquo like ohldquoHOONrdquo like soon

ldquokardquo like spaand ldquokanrdquo like khan

Ohunkakan was seededthrough a genesis questbut when or by whom is

unknown

Genesis quest page 138

Ohunkakan spirittypical level 3 tasksrelated to telling and

creating stories as level 5

Throughout thisbook yoursquoll see pagereferences to variousitems accompanied

by this symbol Theseare page references to

The Strange corebookwhere you can find

additional detailsabout that item placecreature or concept Itisnrsquot necessary to look

up the referenced itemsin the corebook but

doing so will provideuseful information forcharacter creation and

gameplay

fdsafdsa fdafdsa - ebilphishmailinatornet - 167848



OHUNKAKAN THE LIVING MYTHS

983091

The oldest and greatest of these figures aretruly legendary These eldersmdashCoyote Iktomithe Stone Child the Blood-Clot Man and manyothersmdashcarry with them a pocket of warpedreality in which the logic of their own particularstory dominates Within these bubbles of

myth-time ancient dramas spring up naturallyincorporating unsuspecting wanderers asfresh actors in living stories Often escape isimpossible until the individual tale is brought toa satisfactory conclusion though clever victimsoften find ways to spin new endings onto old tales

For example where Coyote walks the worldis tinged with absurd humor and foolishnessalways leads to comedic consequences Thosepassing must be wary of being caught up inhis elaborate pranks Similarly the Grandfatherof Bears might force passers-by to hold up a

mountain with uncanny strength so he may digfor grubs underneath becoming angry if theycannot accomplish the task

Other less-revered spirits slip across thelandscape as well playing out their own endlessretellings in the wilds In distant and dangerousplaces fearsome things stalkmdashsome are well-known figures of story and song while othersare only vague memories of beasts slain longago in half-forgotten tales These giants man-eaters and double-faced horrors lure uncertainvictims down dangerous paths with their trickery

tempting heroes to venture forth and slay themBut as long as they are spoken of the monsterswill return for killing a story is a difficult thing

STORYTELLINGA peculiar kind of narrative magic is practicedin Ohunkakan allowing storytellers to alterthe world around them with the power of theirwords This ability is highly esteemed and thosewith powerful stories to tell are welcome inevery village Skilled storytellers might move avillage away from an oncoming storm calm along-standing feud between families or producemany other fantastic effects

Some professional tale-tellers act as healerscollecting curing tales to help the weary fend offmagical maladies or curses Each cure requiresparticipation from the patient to complete the taleOften this is a simple processmdashperhaps bathingin cedar smoke or spending a night atop a sacredbluff with a red ribbon tied around onersquos handsBut more complex curses require more complex

OHUNKAKAN ATTRIBUTESLevel 6Laws MagicPlayable Races HumansFoci Carries a Quiver Entertains Leads

Lives in the Wilderness Shepherds theDead Works Miracles

Skills Ohunkakan storytellingConnection to Strange Where the wills

of elder spirits collide occasional tears inreality rip directly through to the Strange Thebattlefields of the Thunderer and the HornedSerpent are particularly known for this

Connection to Earth Various gates alllocated at the sites of deeds celebrated instory

Size Exact size unknown due to

malleable nature but approximately aslarge as the Great Plains of North America

Spark 80Trait Strange The difficulty of tasks to

recognize and understand the Strangeand its denizens (including identifyingtranslated visitors from alternate recursionsas well as identifying and understandingcyphers) is reduced by one step

WHAT A RECURSOR KNOWS ABOUTOHUNKAKANbull Ohunkakan operates under the law of

Magic and is a place where stories fearsand dreams are made manifest

bull Though the inhabitants of Ohunkakanappear human most originate intraditional Lakota narratives having adeeper nature that if deduced might beused to predict their behavior

bull The reality of Ohunkakan is somewhat

unstable and the more powerful beingsof the recursionmdashcalled elder spiritsmdashwarp this reality simply by existing

bull Two of the more powerful elder spiritsthe Thunderer and the Horned Serpentare actively antagonistic toward eachother and their periodic struggles leavegreat swaths of destruction across thelandscape

Coyote level 6 trickeryand deception as level8 resist trickery anddeception as level 2regains 2 points of healtheach round

Easily fooled despite hisswagger Coyotersquos frightfulresilience allows him tobounce back from anysetback

Grandfather of Bears level 8 stories ensnaretargets within shortrange and hold them inthrall until the story isconcluded can conferlimited supernaturalabilities on targets whilethey are in thrall to a

story

Storyteller level 5 tasksrelated to telling andcreating stories as level 7can create story bubbleswithin immediate range

Creating story bubbles

is similar to creatingrecursions except nonexus is required and agood story properly toldtakes the place of thereality seed

Rules for CreatingRecursions page 138




The Thunderer level10 attacks with flashes

of lightning from hiseyes if killed reforms in

the clouds of the nextthunderstorm

The Thunderer GMintrusions Actions

near the Thunderer arereversed in target effect

or intent

The Horned Serpent level 10 gaze attack

causes victim to writhein pain and vomit blackearth if killed reforms

after one week beneaththe nearest lake

The Horned SerpentGM intrusions The

area around the HornedSerpent floods with waterhindering the movement

of those around it

cures and pity to the recursor whose ailment canbe cured only by a scale from the Horned Serpent

Other tellers specialize in retelling the stories

of those who have passed on calling echoes ofdeparted spirits back into the narrative of thepresent to take an empty spot around the ritualfire and answer questions for a short time A rarefew even have the ability to create story bubblesof their own places in which their own sort ofstory logic reigns just as the elder spirits do

A FRACTURED LANDSCAPEThe Thunderer and the Horned Serpent havebeen at war since time began Their continuousstruggle as regular and as unavoidable as weatheris terrible and awe-inspiring to behold Eachpossesses a will so powerful that the very natureof Ohunkakan cracks as their stories collideexploding in ribbons of amorphous blacknessacross land and sky Near these storms threads ofseparate tales freely mix and overlap birthing newhorrors to slink off into the night and terrorize thepeople These broken threads must be woven backtogether by skilled storytellers lest their nullityspread and open Ohunkakan to the Strange

The Thunderer He lives in thunder rumblingin the distant light of the west The Thundererappears suddenly taking the form of a great

bird or a horned rider with a blackened facewrapped in flaming cloud and circled in rainbowto walk or wing or ride across the heavensscattering hail in his wake His realm is the skyand a great wall of black clouds goes before himThe Thunderer inspires bravery and punishescowardice and his presence twists all thingsbackward Not purely destructive where hepasses life springs up vibrant and renewed

The Horned Serpent It lives in lakes andstreams and when it approaches the watergrows choppy and boils with crimson lightThe Horned Serpent has been slain manytimesmdashthe hills are strewn with its bonesmdashandreturned in many shapes both lizardlike andserpentine but it is always sinuous and crownedwith horns It slides from pool to pool beneaththe earth whispering from deep places to lurepeople to watery graves and shaking the landwith its thrashing Not always fell and malignthe Horned Serpent accepts offerings floated toits realm to ensure a good bounty each autumn





983093

OHUNKAKAN ARTIFACTS

FLUTE OF THE ELDER SPIRIT Level 1d6 + 1Form A delicate wooden flute with the symbol

of an elder spirit carved upon it

Effect There are as many kinds of flutes asthere are elder spirits When played the fluteconfers an ability of the elder spirit carvedupon it for one hour The kinds of flutesinclude (but are not limited to) the following

Owl Flautistrsquos Intellect Edge increases by 1Wolf Flautistrsquos Speed Edge increases by 1Bear Flautist adds 3 points to Might PoolHawk Difficulty of all perception tasks for the

flautist decreases by two stepsSnake Flautist deals 2 additional points of

venom damage on a successful melee attack

Transformation The flute transforms the flautistinto an animal of a specified type Theflautist takes on the physical characteristicsand abilities of the animal for the durationbut retains his own mind

Love Flautist can specify one character Thatcharacter falls in love with the flautist for theduration of the flutersquos song

Blood Flautist can willingly inflict 2 pointsof damage on himself His spilled bloodcoagulates and becomes a tiny man-shapedconstruct that can communicate a short

message to anyone in the recursion whosename the flautist knows

Sometimes the user of an activated animalflute exhibits some of the behavioralcharacteristics of the animal carved upon theflute even for non-transformational flutes

Depletion 1 in 1d20

TRICKSTERrsquoS CHARMLevel 1d6 + 4Form A yellow stone painted with a bestial eyeEffect The incidence of foolishness increases

dramatically near the tricksterrsquos charm Anyd20 rolls the bearer makes provoke GMintrusions on a result that is 1 higher thannormal which usually means 1 or 2 insteadof just 1 This effect does not require adepletion roll

The bearer also gains the ability to get a majoreffect on any task roll even a failed rollThe player and the GM should work out thedetails but the consequences of failure canrsquot

be nullified completely Usage of this abilityrequires a depletion roll

Depletion 1 in 1d10

WIND COCOONLevel 1d6 + 1Form A fist-sized butterfly cocoon rattling with

potencyEffect The wielder activates the cocoon by

prying it open manually releasing the

whirlwind trapped inside to manifest at alocation the wielder can see within longrange The whirlwind buffets objects andskews passing physical projectiles (modifiedby two steps in the defenderrsquos favor) withinan immediate distance of its origin point

If used outdoors the whirlwind also raises acloud of swirling dust that obscures sightand chokes breath Living creatures thatbreathe that are caught in the cloud suffer afit of coughing that renders them unable toact in the following round

The whirlwind lingers for a number of roundsequal to the artifactrsquos level Normally itthen rushes back into its cocoon but if thedepletion roll indicates that the artifact isdepleted the whirlwind instead spins off in arandom direction to wander the world of itsown volition

Depletion 1ndash3 in 1d20

TALES ACROSS GENERATIONSIktomirsquos Web Iktomi the trickster-spider of many tales knows of otherworlds and desires to travel to them He struts bandy-legged aboutOhunkakan spinning a thousand snares weaving a web to catch world-walkers so he might pry the secrets of translation from them Had

he access to an inapposite gate he would wreak unpredictable andterrifying havoc on the fabric of other worlds with his narrative powers

The Spreading Silence In the distant east a hole rips across theworld growing as legend and speculation fly to swallow up storiesin a star-filled stain of night-blue absence Around its edges realitydevours itself and spits out horrors trees with serpent brancheswrithing themselves apart animals giving birth to monsters andblood spilled across dust accreting into manlike shapes that sprintoff on rabbit legs The hole will unravel the world if not woven anending of its own

Iktomi level 6 trickeryand deception as level8 resist trickery anddeception as level 4anyone ensnared in atrap woven by Iktomimust succeed on anIntellect defense roll oract as the trickster-spiderdirects for up to one dayafter being released fromthe trap

Inapposite gatepage 135




GM Intrusion Thedouble facersquos entirebody shudders and

shrugs as its cackling

secondary face swims andstretches across its formimmediately subjecting

all within short range toits gaze

There also existldquomanyfacesrdquo with three

or more faces swirlingabout their form eachallowing an additional

gaze attack each round

Two visages mark the double face One it displays on the front of its head kindly and calm The secondit hides elsewhere on its body grimacing hideous and hateful The beast is otherwise well formed andpleasing to look upon able to conceal its monstrousness behind a human faccedilade Its loathsome nature

becomes apparent only when a second face emerges to gaze into the eyes of its intended victimsThe double face is a creature of human ills Greed impatience lust and gluttony define it Itlures human prey deep into the wilderness or back to its smoke-stained home to cook them alive inboiling kettles of human gore Despite the creaturersquos preference for solitary hunting these dwellingsare often home to human relatives and degenerate cohabitants who assist the double face in thepreparation of its gruesome mealsMotive Hungers for fleshEnvironment (Ohunkakan | Magic) Out on the plains alone and beckoningHealth 18Damage Inflicted 6 pointsMovement ShortModifications Trick and deceive as level 6 as it lies from one mouth while smiling with the otherCombat The double face strikes with ghastly strength using fists claws or whatever weapons are availableAs part of the same action it uses to strike one creature the double face can also attempt a gaze

attack against another creature within short range of the initial target Victims must succeedon an Intellect defense roll or become paralyzed for one round and suffer 4 points of Intellectdamage (ignores Armor) as their face and limbs twitch in exaggerated paroxysms of fear Thefaces of those killed by this attack are frozen in grisly inhuman contortions

A double face corpse that has been burned gutted or rotted away leaves behind many unspoiledtools and treasures Carrying any of these allows the ghost of the double face a chance topossess the holderrsquos body and drive him to evil if he fails an Intellect defense roll A possessedvictim is eventually distorted into a new double face

Interaction A double face will say anything to ensnare its victims offering food shelter flattery ordeclarations of eternal love to lure them into a position of vulnerability The creature displays agentle teasing manner that slowly gives way to impatience and anger

Use The double face appears in the wilderness when the PCs are at their most desperate offeringto lead them to a place of respite

Loot A double facersquos lair is filled with the former possessions of its victims hidden among theircleaned bones

CHILDRENrsquoS BOOKSTasunka A Lakota Horse Legend by Donald F Montileaux

(South Dakota State Historical 2014)A young warrior discovers an entirely new type of animal

Based on a traditional story told by elder Alex White Plume

The Star People by S D Nelson (Harry N Abrams 2003)Somewhat loosely based on the original but has a surreal

vibe that works well as inspiration

Uncegilarsquos Seventh Spot A Lakota Legend by Jill Rubalcaba(Clarion Books 1995)

Twin brothers (one of whom is blind) set off to fight theHorned Serpent

STORY ANTHOLOGIESStories of the Sioux New Edition by Luther Standing Bear

(Bison Books 2006)A go-to for Lakota legends The language is somewhat

dated but the stories are very traditional

Old Indian Legends (Zitkaacutela-Ša 1901)Another good but dated resource Includes six Iktomi

stories Difficult to find in print but archived athttpwebarchiveorgweb20080907033833httpetextlibvirginiaedutocmodengpublicZitLegehtml

DOUBLE FACE 4 (12)

SUGGESTED READING



WritersDesignersAlina Pete

Anthony PastoresDeveloper

Monte Cook

Creative Director Shanna Germain

EditorProofreader Ray Vallese

ArtistWinona Nelson

Graphic Designer Bear Weiter

Monte Cook GamesEditorial Board

Scott C BourgeoisDavid Wilson BrownEric Coates

Gareth HodgesMila Irek

Jeremy LandLaura Wilkinson

Marina WoldGeorge Ziets

copy 2015 Monte CookGames LLC

T983144983141 S983156983154983137983150983143983141 and its logoare trademarks of MonteCook Games LLC in the

USA and other countriesAll Monte Cook Games

characters and characternames and the distinctive

likenesses thereof aretrademarks of Monte Cook

Games LLC

In Ohunkakan the old stories still live Tale-tellers practice their art throughout therecursion the constant flux of their tellings andretellings weaving an ever-changing tapestryof myth that shapes the fabric of realityLandmarks villages and even the patterns of

stars shift across the landscape the familiarfreely mixes with the mythic and elements ofdim ages stubbornly persist alongside imagespulled from modern Earth Even today a taletold powerfully enough might just become true

The terrain of Ohunkakan is vivid andchangeable every object seems to shudderand breathe with life as if freshly imaginedThroughout the plains old men repair evenolder cars with parts dug up from middensdeep in the hills intermixed with ancientserpent bones and then they trade stories with

far-ranging hunters beside towering tipis ofshimmering hides Towns of stocky whitewashedhouses by day transform into rings of hoodoosby night the townsfolk whispering from withinthe stones Grandmothers watch sitcoms onflickering screens of painted hide while their

OHUNKAKANTHE LIVING MYTHSgrandsons wrestle giants in the wildernessLocals find nothing odd or out of place inthis Though Ohunkakan was spun from thetraditional stories of the Lakota people the ever-shifting flood of modern anachronisms showsthese traditions continue to change and evolve

Arrival First-time recursors arrive atop theflattened quartz-littered crown of Fallen StarButte which offers a sweeping view of the plains

SPIRITS AND ELDER SPIRITSThe inhabitants of Ohunkakan are as variableand inscrutable as the land Birthed by the storiesthemselves each was cast out into the worldwhen their tale was finished with them Most takehuman shape but others are animals plantsor inanimate objects delicate men whose stagantlers show only in shadow sparrow-eyed old

women who reveal a flash of wing when theydance and dirty heavy-footed men with faceslike granite are all possible As they are alreadytrained to understand the part their lives play inthe continuing cycle of myth the incidence of thespark among them is unusually high

CREDITS

The name ldquoOhunkakanrdquoderives from Ohuacuteŋkakaŋa Lakota word meaningldquomythrdquo or ldquostory of the

remote pastrdquo

Ohunkakan ispronounced o-HOON-

ka-kan ldquoordquo like ohldquoHOONrdquo like soon

ldquokardquo like spaand ldquokanrdquo like khan

Ohunkakan was seededthrough a genesis questbut when or by whom is

unknown

Genesis quest page 138

Ohunkakan spirittypical level 3 tasksrelated to telling and

creating stories as level 5

Throughout thisbook yoursquoll see pagereferences to variousitems accompanied

by this symbol Theseare page references to

The Strange corebookwhere you can find

additional detailsabout that item placecreature or concept Itisnrsquot necessary to look

up the referenced itemsin the corebook but

doing so will provideuseful information forcharacter creation and

gameplay





983091



























story













or intent






of those around it












983093

OHUNKAKAN ARTIFACTS












Depletion 1 in 1d20





Depletion 1 in 1d10










































DOUBLE FACE 4 (12)

SUGGESTED READING




983091



























story













or intent






of those around it












983093

OHUNKAKAN ARTIFACTS












Depletion 1 in 1d20





Depletion 1 in 1d10










































DOUBLE FACE 4 (12)

SUGGESTED READING








or intent






of those around it












983093

OHUNKAKAN ARTIFACTS












Depletion 1 in 1d20





Depletion 1 in 1d10










































DOUBLE FACE 4 (12)

SUGGESTED READING




983093

OHUNKAKAN ARTIFACTS












Depletion 1 in 1d20





Depletion 1 in 1d10










































DOUBLE FACE 4 (12)

SUGGESTED READING





























DOUBLE FACE 4 (12)

SUGGESTED READING

Documents

Monte Cook Games-The Strange_ Ohunkakan_ the Living Myths-Monte Cook Games (2015)