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				MATRIX STONE MECHANICS
					BY JIM GRUNST

IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT A CHARACTER HAS A NATURAL LARAN GIFT, THEY MAY PERFORM THAT ONE LARAN POWER BETTER THAN OTHERS WHO MIGHT ALSO POSSESS LARAN. THEIR NATURAL LARAN GIFT HAS A CHANCE TO SUCCEED BASED UPON A PRE-ROLLED % NUMBER. AN ADDITIONAL 2% BONUS IS GIVEN FOR EACH LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE ATTAINED.THIS ONE LARAN ABILITY IS REFERRED TO AS A "GIFT", AND IS  A PREDOMINANT ABILITY WHICH IS USUALLY PASSED DOWN THROUGH FAMILIAL LINES.MATRIX STONES WILL ENABLE A CHARACTER TO USE THEIR LARAN  "GIFT" AT A HIGHER PROBABILITY CHANCE TO SUCCEED. THE LEVEL FOR ANY MATRIX STONE IS DETERMINED BY ROLLING A D20, EACH INCREMENT REPRESENTS 5%.THIS DOES NOT INCREASE THE PROBABILITY FOR A LARAN USER TO SUCCEED AT ANY OF THE OTHER LARAN TASKS, ONLY THEIR "GIFT" POWER. IF THE LARAN USER WERE ATTEMPTING TO USE THEIR FAMILY "GIFT" LARAN ABILITY, THEN THEIR "GIFT" % PROBABILITY IS ADDED TO THE % PROBABILTY FOR THE LEVEL OF THE MATRIX STONE.
EXAMPLE: SHANDRIEL EL HALYN, A LARAN USER WITH THE FAMILY GIFT OF PRECOGNITION,30%, AND A STONE OF LEVEL 5 (5X5=20%) WERE ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT A KINSMAN TELEPATHICALLY: THE  % CHANCE TO SUCCEED IS 30%. NOW, IF THE SAME LARAN USER WERE ATTEMPTING TO USE THE LARAN POWER OF PRECOGNITION, THE % CHANCE TO SUCCEED IS 30% (FAMILY GIFT) PLUS 20% (STONE) = 50 %.
IF THE PLAYER (OR GM) ROLLS UNDER THE % INDICATED, THEN THE TASK SUCCEEDS. ONLY ONE ATTEMPT MAY BE MADE EACH DAY TO EFFECT ANY MATERIAL OBJECT OR PERSON.
WHEN USING LARAN, IT IS POSSIBLE TO FUMBLE.IF A USER ROLLS A NATURAL,UNMODIFIED 99-100% ON THE DICE, CONSULT THE FOLLOWING TABLE:

%ROLL				RESULT
____________________________________________________________
01-25			UNCONCIOUS, 1-10 DAYS

26-50			TASK SIMPLY FAILS;NO ILL EFFECTS

51-75			EXACT OPPOSITE EFFECT(S) OCCUR

76-95			LARAN USER IMMEDIATELY SUFFERS 1-4 CRITICAL
				HIT EFFECTS,FROM HARGRAVES CRITICAL HITS.
				ALL DISABILITIES ARE PERMANENT!

96-00			INSTANT DEATH OF LARAN USER. IF/WHEN
				RESURRECTED, THE USER'S LARAN CENTERS
				ARE PERMANENTLY DESTROYED!

NEEDLESS TO SAY, LARAN BACKLASH IS NASTY! AND, FOR THOSE WHO EITHER DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO FUMBLE, OR THAT THE EFFECTS ARE TOO SEVERE OR UNAUTHENTIC, YOU NEED ONLY TO READ THE NOVELS!





LARAN USE IS LIMITED TO A SET NUMBER OF USES EACH DAY, BASED ON A POINTS SYSTEM: EACH TIME A CHARACTER PERFORMS A TASK, IT CONSUMES 1 POINT FROM A POOL OF POINTS.
THE NUMBER OF POINTS A CHARACTER HAS AVAILABLE IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FORMULA: STRENGTH + CONSTITUTION /2 + 2 POINTS /LEVEL.


A MATRIX STONE IS A WONDEROUS ITEM, FOUND ONLY ON DARKOVER,IN MINES AND CAVES. THE 'STONE HAS THE ABILITY TO ATTUNE ITSELF TO A USER'S THOUGHT PATTERNS,THUS REMAINING A PART OF THAT PERSON'S SOUL AND PSYCHE UNTIL DEATH, AT WHICH TIME THE 'STONE BECOMES A BLACKENED REMNANT.THE MATRIX STONE IS CUSTOMARILY GIVEN TO NEW BORN CHILDREN IN THE DOMAINS OF DARKOVER, AND ATTUNEMENT OCCURS IMMEDIATELY. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE MATRIX STONE DRAWS IT'S POWER FROM PLANETARY GRAVITY/ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS, A MATRIX STONE WILL ONLY FUNCTION ON A PLANETARY SURFACE. IF IT IS TAKEN OFF-WORLD, IT GOES DORMANT,AND REMAINS SO UNTIL PLANET FALL. GENERAL PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MATRIX STONE STATE THAT LOOKING INTO THE STONE, A VIEWER CAN DISCERN A FAINT "ENERGY" HELICAL, SUPPOSEDLY A MINIATURE DUPLICATE OF THE USER'S BRAIN-WAVE SCANS.THEORETICALLY, NO TWO MATRIX STONES ARE EXACTLY ALIKE.HOWEVER, ONE INSTANCE IS RECORDED THAT THERE WERE TWO "LIKE" STONES, ONE BEING THE LEGENDARY SHARRA MATRIX. SHARRA IS DESCRIBED IN DARKOVAN MYTHOLOGY AS THE GODDESS OF THE FORGE-FOLK, A DARKLY ALIGNED BEING OF FLAME.SHE IS DESCRIBED AS AN UNEARTHLY TALL WOMAN WITH RED HAIR, WREATHED IN FLAMES, WEARING GOLDEN MANACLES. IN ELDAR TIMES OF MYTH, A LORD NAMED HASTUR DID BATTLE WITH SHARRA IN THE "OVERWORLD" (READ AS ETHERAL OR ASTRAL PLANE) AND ULTIMATELY TRIUMPHED, BINDING HER IN THE GOLDEN CHAINS. SHE WAS THAN DISPLACED INTO A SMALL POCKET UNIVERSE, IMPRISONED,SUPPOSEDLY FOREVER.NOW, AS IT HAPPENED, THERE WERE ACTUALLY TWO IDENTICAL STONES, ONE IN THAT OTHER-WORLDLY DIMENSION,IMPRISONING OR IMPRISONED WITH THE GODDESS SHARRA. THE OTHER STONE EXISTS IN THE PRIME MATERIAL PLANE OF DARKOVER. IT IS THIS STONE WHICH KEEPS SHARRA DISPLACED/IMPRISONED. IN TWO INSTANCES IN RECENT HISTORY, LOYAL FOLLOWERS/WORSHIPPERS OF SHARRA SOUGHT TO FREE HER, AND THUS FULFILL AN ANCIENT LEGACY OF DARKOVER'S ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION IN A FINAL,FIERY APOCALYPSE.ONE OF THE DESCENDENTS OF THE HASTUR LINE, REGIS HASTUR,JOINED FORCES WITH TWO OTHER PEOPLE AND DID BATTLE WITH SHARRA. DURING THE BATTLE, REGIS HASTUR TOOK ON THE ATTRIBUTES OF A FULL GOD BEING, AND ULTIMATELY DEFEATED SHARRA, TO BANISH HER ONCE AGAIN TO HER EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL PRISON.

THE POWERS OF TRUE LARAN, AS RECORDED ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1: PRECOGNITION: THE ABILITY TO FORSEE FUTURE EVENTS.

2: FORCED RAPPORT: THE ABILITY TO FORCE TOTAL MENTAL RAPPORT ON ANY HUMANOID CREATURE.UNLESS THE RECIPIENT IS A CLOSE FAMILY MEMBER, THE SUBJECT WILL IMMEDIATELY DIE! THIS POWER IS SELDOM USED, EVEN BETWEEN FAMILY MEMBERS, DUE TO THE INCREDIBLE RISK OF DEATH.




3: EMPATHY WITH HAWK,HORSE AND DOG: THE USER MAY SHARE THE SURFACE THOUGHTS OF LOWER ANIMALS. THIS POWER ALLOWS FOR THE USER TO SUPERBLY TRAIN ANY ANIMAL, IN VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.

4: EMPATHY WITH HUMANS: THE ABILITY TO FEEL THE SURFACE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS OF HUMANS.NOTE: EMPATHY MAY ALSO BE USED TO IMPLANT THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS IN A RECIPIENT.

5: TELEPATHY: THE ABILITY TO SEND/RECIEVE THOUGHTS OVER A RANGE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES. TO DETERMINE A TELEPATH'S EFFECTIVE RANGE, ROLL % DIE. MULTIPLY THE RESULT BY 5 PER POINT OF WISDOM,INTELLIGENCE OR CHARISMA OVER 15.ADD TO THIS 10% PER EGO POINT OVER 30 POINTS EGO.THE RESULT IS EFFECTIVE RANGE IN MILES.A MATRIX STONE WILL EFFECTIVELY DOUBLE THE RANGE.A MATRIX STONE WILL ALSO ENABLE A TELEPATH TO COMMUNICATE WITH A NON-TELEPATH VIA TELEPATHY.TELEPATHY CAN BE COUNTERED BY SEVERAL MEANS.DISTANCE IS ONE.ALSO, LEAD SHIELDING. THERE IS ALSO A MATRIX-BASED DEVICE KNOWN AS A "DAMPER" WHICH WILL RENDER ALL PSI-POWERS INOPERABLE IN AN AREA OF EFFECT.

6: MINOR PSYCHOKINESIS: THE ABILITY TO MOVE SMALL OBJECTS. WEIGHT LIMIT= 1000GP PER LEVEL OF THE USER.

7: MAJOR PSYCHOKINESIS: THE ABILITY TO MOVE VERY HEAVY OBJECTS, AND TO CHANGE THE MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF MATTER,LIVING OR DEAD. ALSO, THE ABILITY TO TELEPORT ONESELF OR ANOTHER PERSON, SUBJECT TO A LIMIT OF 1000 GP PER LEVEL.

8: PSYCHROMETRY: OBJECT READING: THE USER MAY FIND OUT ALL OF THE PAST HISTORY OF AN ITEM, AND MAY PICK UP ANY PSYCHIC IMPRESSIONS OF PREVIOUS OWNERS. ALSO MAY BE USED TO LOCATE OBJECT.

9: RETROCOGNITION: OR, TIME-SEARCH: THE ABILITY TO PROJECT ONE SELF BACKWARDS THROUGH THE AGES, TO VIEW EVENTS OF THE DISTANT PAST, OR PERHAPS COMMUNICATE WITH ONE'S DISTANT ANCESTORS.THE USER WOULD BE VISABLE TO THOSE IN THE PAST AS A FAINT SHADOWY FIGURE, MISTAKEN PERHAPS AS A GHOST.THE JOURNEY BACK IS DESCRIBED AS TRAVELLING OVER A TREACHEROUS, EVERCHANGING LANDSCAPE OF HILLS,VALLEYS, CLIFFS, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, ETC... AND IS NOT AN EASY JOURNEY.

10: PROLONGED INTRACTABLE ILLUSION: THE POWER TO CREATE A VERY POWERFUL ILLUSION, PERMANENT, IN ANY FORM THAT THE USER DESIRES. IT IS USUALLY USED TO COVER ANOTHER FEATURE,OR EVEN CAN BE PLACED UPON A LIVING CREATURE. ONE EXAMPLE- MAKING A SLOW MOVING STREAM APPEAR AS A RAGING TORRENT!

11: MAJOR HEALING: RESTORES LOST HIT POINTS,CURES DISEASES,RESTORES SIGHT,REGENERATES LOST LIMBS

12: MAJOR BLIGHTING: IF SUCESSFUL, IT CAN REDUCE A CREATURE'S HIT POINTS (AS A HARM SPELL), CAUSE BLINDNESS,IMPOTENCY,PARALYSIS OR AN OTHER MALADY.

13: DNA MANIPULATION: THE ABILITY TO ALTER THE GENETIC STRUCTURE OF AN UNBORN FETUS, EITHER HUMAN OR ANIMAL, TO PRODUCE DESIRED TRAITS IN OFFSPRING. AT THE HEIGHT OF THE AGES OF CHAOS, PARENTS COULD SELECT THE LARAN ABILITIES OF THEIR UNBORN HEIRS.

14: WEATHER CONTROL: JUST AS IT SAYS, THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THE WEATHER, AS THE AD&D SPELL

15: OVER-SHADOWING: THIS IS A TABOO POWER ON DARKOVER. ESSENTIALLY, ALLOWS THE USER TO COMPLETELY TAKE OVER A TARGET CREATURE'S (OR HUMAN'S) MIND. SAME AS A "MAGIC JAR" SPELL, ONLY THE USER GAINS ALL OF THE KNOWLEDGE, AND ABILITIES ( INCLUDING SPELLS AND LARAN!) OF THE TARGET CREATURE.

16: VISUALISE ALL CONSEQUENCES OF A GIVEN ACTION: ENABLES USER TO MAKE DECISIONS BY SEEING CLEARLY ALL POSSIBLE OUTCOMES OF A GIVEN ACT WHICH THE USER OR HIS GROUP MIGHT TAKE. THERE ARE SIMILAR SPELL LIKE ABILITIES IN AD&D,COMMUNE AND THE LIKE.

17: DIMENSION SHIFT: THE ABILITY FOR THE USER TO SHIFT THEMSELF, OR ANOTHER, OR A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION. SEE AD&D SPELL, PLANE SHIFT. ONLY THE ORIGINAL USER WHO DID THE PLANE SHIFT MAY REVERSE THE PLANAR SHIFT, AND FREE THOSE TRAPPED ELSEWHERE.

18: MATTER TO ENERGY CONVERSION: THE ABILITY TO CONVERT ANY UNPROTECTED NON-LIVING MATERIAL TO ENERGY, IN WHATEVER FORM THE USER VISUALISES, FROM LIGHT ALL THE WAY UP TO PURE UNRESTRAINED ENERGY.HEAT, LIGHT, SOUND,COLDNESS, ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF ENERGY. THIS CONVERSION CAN BE VIRTUALLY UNLIMITED IN INTENSITY OR DURATION.LIMIT OF USE: 10 CUBIC FEET PER USE.

19: ENERGY TO MATTER CONVERSION: THE OPPOSIE OF THE PREVIOUSLY STATED POWER, THE ABILITY TO CONVERT ENERGY INTO SOMETHING MORE USEFUL, PERHAPS LESS DANGEROUS. AN EXAMPLE, CONVERTING AN INCOMING FIREBALL INTO A HARMLESS LIGHT MIST OF RAIN, OR A SNOW FLURRY.ANY TYPE OF LOW ORDER MATTER CAN BE CREATED THIS WAY-WATER,AIR,MUD,STONE. THE MORE COMPLEX MATERIALS ARE CREATED IN TOWER CIRCLES (SEE BELOW) ONLY.

20: INVISIBILITY, OR DETECTION THEREOF: THIS ENABLES THE USER TO EITHER MAKE THEMSELVES AND A SMALL GROUP INVISIBLE,AS A PROLONGED INTRACTABLE ILLUSION. OR, ENABLES USER TO SEE ANY PERSONS OR THINGS THAT ARE INVISIBLE.

A TOWER CIRCLE IS A GROUP OF TRAINED PEOPLE WHO OPERAT AS ONE BEING. THEY ARE TELEPATHICALLY LINKED SO CLOSELY THAT THERE HEART BEATS AND THOUGHT PATTERNS ARE ALL IDENTICAL! THERE IS ONE PERSON AT THE CENTER OF THE CIRCLE, REFERRED TO AS THE KEEPER,OR LARANZU. THE KEEPER IS SANCROSACT. TO TOUCH A KEEPER, OR TO STARE AT A KEEPER MEANT DEATH FOR THE OFFENDER. THE KEEPER HAD TO LIVE AN ABSOLUTELY CHASTE LIFESTYLE, ELSE RISK BEING FRIED TO DEATH BY THE HORRENDOUS ENERGIES WITHIN THE CIRCLE.THERE ARE SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF THIS HAPPENING, MOST NOTABLY, MARILIE, OF NESKAYA TOWER. SOME OF THE MATERIALS MANUFACTURED BY TOWER CIRCLES: CLINGFIRE, DESCRIBED AS A NEPALM WHICH NOT ONLY BURNS, BUT EATS THROUGH SOLID ROCK AND METAL! BONE WATER DUST- A HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE DUST WHICH EFFECTIVELY BLIGHTS LARGE TRACTS OF LAND FOR CENTURIES. ANY CREATURE GOING INTO AN AREA TREATED WITH BONE WATER DUST DIES SOON AFTER.
WELL, THAT CONCLUDES MY SUMMARY OF A DARKOVAN AD&D CAMPAIGN. I HOPE THAT IT HAS BEEN INFORMATIVE. UNTIL NEXT TIME I REMAIN-
				LORD DARRIEL DI ASTURIEN 
