liber fanatica 4 part 4

7/29/2019 Liber Fanatica 4 Part 4

1/11

54


2/11

by Wim van Gruisen

his issue of Liber Fanatica contains anumber of articles about astrology and magic

in which the Warhammer solar system plays arole. This system has been described in TheBurning Shore, a novel by Robert Earl, and that isthe source we used.

According to The Burning Shore, the solar systemof the Warhammer world has seven planets. Inorder of proximity to the sun, these planets areCharyb, Deiamol (the burning world), Tigris, the

Warhammer world, Verdra, Lokratia andObscuria. There are hints that an eighth planetexists, but this planet is not named or specified,so we ignored it.

Now, do you remember that, in the real world, welost a planet last year? Our solar system wentfrom nine to eight planets when Pluto wasdemoted to dwarf status. In fantasy settings theinverse can happen and if it does, it usuallyhappens at the worst possible moment.

The articles were written, proofread, rewritten,checked for spelling errors, rewritten again, and

we were preparing everything for print. Then weheard that the upcoming Tome of Salvationwillprovide details about the WFRP solar system. Thegood news is that this information will also bebased on The Burning Shore. The names of theplanets and their order remain the same. The badnews is that not only an eight planet isintroduced, but a ninth and a tenth are as well.Isharna, Loekia and Voelia can be found betweenthe orbits of Lokratia and Obscuria.

What were we to do? Rewriting the articles wouldbe one possibility but in some cases this isdifficult. The Sources of Magicarticle is quitedependent on there being just nine heavenlybodies: the sun, the two moons and the six otherplanets. This corresponds nicely to the eightcolours of magic, plus Dhar. Adding three moreplanets sort of spoils the symmetry. Onepossibility would have been to omit the planetarycorrespondences from the article, but that woulddiminish its value. In the end, we decided not to

add the three new planets. They are consideredmagically inert but if you want to use them, youcan make them correspond to necromancy,demonology, shamanism and other icky stuff, forexample.

It might have been a bit easier to insert the newplanets into the Astrologyand Natal Chartarticles. However, knowing only the planetsnames, we would rather not assign meaningsthat could be contradicted in official sources. Andbesides, rewriting those articles at this pointwould mean time lost in a new round ofproofreading, re-rewriting, and so on. Using the

new planets in the astrology articles but not inthe Sources of Magicarticle is also something wewanted to avoid. So in the end, we decided toleave the articles as they were. For now, anyway.When the Tome of Salvationis published and wefind out what the new solar system looks like,perhaps we will write updates for the articles andpost them on our website for you to download.And perhaps we wont, instead leaving you withthree new planets to use as you wish.

55


3/11

by Wim van Gruisen

or a number of articles in this issue, it isimportant to determine the positions of the

planets in the zodiac. This is a rather boringchore, involving lots of dice rolls andcomputations, particularly if you want todetermine the natal charts of a dozen differentNPCs, or if the wizard in your group regularlyasks about the position of all the planets. Pleaseexcuse us for that. At the end, some alternativemethods are suggested.

This article is based on the Star Sign table (WFRPrulebook, page 25), which is consulted to seewhere in the zodiac the planets are placed at anygiven moment. Modifiers may produce values of

less than 1 or more than 100 on the table. Insuch cases, add or subtract 100 from the value toget back within the range.

Sun: Use the Star Sign table on p. 25 of therulebook. Note the number; this is the SunNumber. It is needed to determine the position ofthe planets that are closer to the sun than theWarhammer world.

Mannslieb: Use the Star Sign table on p. 25 ofthe rulebook. Roll again to determine the moonsphase:

Roll Phase

01-10 New moon11-25 Waxing toward half moon

26-35 Half moon

36-50 Waxing toward full moon

51-60 Full moon

61-75 Waning toward half moon

76-85 Half moon

86-00 Waning toward half moon

The fuller the moon is, the more significant itsinfluence.

Morrslieb: First determine how visible the moonis:

Roll Visibility01-65 Not visible at all

66-95 Growing stronger day by day

96-99 Almost full or full

00 Waning

If the moon is visible, use the Star Sign table onp. 25 of the rulebook.

F This text asks you to roll some ususual dice d40, d60 and d80. So, if you still have four-sided, six-sided and eight-sided dice lyingaround, heres your chance to use them again.For a d40, roll a d4 for the tens value and ad10 for the ones value. For any result over40, subtract 40. So if you roll a 4 on the d4and a 6 on the d10, the result would be 46.After correction, the value would be 6.

If you are a hardcore WFRP fanatic and havechucked away all your dice which werent ten-sided, or if you want to do everything with ten

and hundred-sided dice as a matter ofprinciple, you can simulate the d40, d60 andd80 by rolling d100/2.5, d100/1.667 andd100/1.25 respectively. Have fun!

56


4/11

The inner planets (those closer to the Sun thanthe Warhammer World) are always leading ortrailing the sun. For these planets, their distanceto the sun is measured using the Star Sign table.If the modified result falls outside the range of 01to 100, then add or subtract 100 to get a validresult.

Planetary motions are, in reality, a lot morecomplicated and less random than how theyare represented by the mechanics here. A yearon Charyb (the planet closest to the sun) lastsonly 80 days, while at the outer perimeter ofthe solar system, a year on Obscuria lasts 300Warhammer years. In other words, Obscuriawould remain in the same star sign for fifteen

years twice as long in Gnuthus the Ox. Butwhere would the fun in that be? So weapproached the inner planets somewhatrealistically, but the outer ones less so. Andno realism is attempted at all where themotion of Morrslieb is concerned. Our

justification, if necessary, is that the collapseof the warp gates threw the solar system intoturmoil, sending a number of planets intoerratic orbits.

Charyb: Always leads or trails the sun.Roll a d40, add the Sun Number and subtract 20.

This gives Charyb a position within 20 places ofthe Sun.

Deiamol: Always leads or trails the sun, but at alarger distance than Charyb.Roll a d60, add the Sun Number and subtract 30.

Tigris: Like the other inner planets, Tigris alwaysleads or trails the sun.Roll a d80, add the Sun Number and subtract 40.

Outer Planets: roll on the Star Sign table onpage 25 of the rulebook. The outer planets areVerdra, Lokratia, Isharnia, Loekia, Voelia andObscuria.

When drawing a natal chart (see the Natal Chartarticle), the positions of the Ascendant, MediumCoeli, Descendant and Imum Coeli are important.

These four positions are equidistant to eachother. In other words, on our 1 to 100 table theyare always 25 numbers apart.

Ascendant: Roll on the Star Sign table on page 25of the rulebook.

Medium Coeli: Ascendant + 25Descendant: Medium Coeli + 25Imum Coeli: Descendant + 25

Again, rolling all these dice to determine thepositions of the planets can be tedious. We made

the task a bit easier for you though. From theLiber Fanaticawebsite, you can download aspreadsheet (called zodiac.xls atwww.liberfanatica.net/Addenda.html) which doesall the computations for you. Random dice-rollingis not the only way to determine the positions ofthe planets, by the way. Someone suggested thatplayers determine their characters natal chartsby throwing darts at a dart board (one dart foreach planet), which is certainly a charming idea.Furthermore, if a GM thinks that havingMannslieb residing in Mummit the Fool is goodfor the story, he can just place it there instead ofrelying on the dice.

57


5/11

by Wim van Gruisen

t is well known that the movements of the

sun, the moon and the stars influence thosewho were born under them. Womens monthlycycles are regulated by the waning and waxing ofMannslieb, and those unfortunates who sufferfrom lycanthropy are governed by the moonswhims as well. The cycle of the sun regulates thecoming and going of the seasons, and the besttimes to plant new seeds or to harvest their fruitsis determined by its passing. Heavenly bodiesclearly influence everyones life (only lunaticswould argue otherwise), and the science thatstudies their impact is called astrology.

A large field of stars surrounds the earth; we can

see it at night when the sky is clear. In this field,groups of stars form constellations, or star signs.These stars are fixed; their positions relative toeach other never change. Each star signrepresents a force that influences our lives. Nextto those fixed stars there are a number of otherbodies moving through the sky. We distinguish

the sun, the moons Mannslieb and Morrslieb,and a number of wandering stars that we refer to,using an arcane word, as planets. These movingbodies all follow the same path, a path thatcrosses twenty constellations which together formthe zodiac. The list of these star signs can befound in the WFRP rulebook (page 25, table 2-12).

These wandering stars carry meaning just likethe constellations do, and the position of a

wandering body relative to the constellationsindicates a combination of influences andmeanings that guide our lives. A wandering staror constellation doesnt carry meaning on itsown; it is the combination of the two that issignificant. The meanings of the star signs arealready listed in the rulebook and in the WFRPCompanion. This article briefly discusses whatthe sun, the moons and the planets represent,and goes on to discuss ways of reading thestars.

IThe Sun is the main object in the sky. Itstands for illumination, enlightenment,wisdom and truth. The place of the sun in thezodiac at the time of someones birthdetermines his star sign.

Mannslieb, the major moon, is the sign ofdreams and thus also of inspiration,predictions and fortune.

Morrslieb is the Chaos moon. Its appearanceis never a sign of good news, but the omen isdoubly dark when the moon is in theWitchling Star.

Charyb bears the signs of logic, knowledgeand money.

Deiamol, the burning planet, rules passionsand love.

Tigris guides peoples instincts.

Verdra rules over life, fertility and progeny.

Lokratia, a planet with a crust pockmarkedby craters, covers change, endings and death.

Obscuria is, as the name suggests, difficult toobserve (-10 on Astronomy tests to find it). Itis the planet of secrets and misdirection.Further, if Obscuria is located in the same

star sign as another planet, it reverses themeaning of that planet.

58


6/11

To determine the positions of the sun, moons andplanets in the zodiac, check the article TheMechanics of Planetary Motion on pages 56.

Then determine what each combination ofplanets and star signs can mean, and put all thistogether into a (relatively) coherent story.

Example: Jacob Liebling is having doubts abouthis relationship. At the fair, he sees a two-pennyastrologer, pays the man a shilling and asks himhow to proceed. The astrologer asks Jacob hisstar sign (which is the Greased Goat) and drawsa horoscope. The GM begins rolling dice:

Sun: The GM rolls an 84 the Greased Goat. Thesame star sign as Jacob. Illumination andenlightenment being the signs of the sun, this iswhat Jacob can expect shortly. Or perhaps, asthe Greased Goat is the sign of denied passions,he may gain some insight to why his passions aredenied.

Mannslieb: This moon is full (59) and in thehouse of Dragomas the Drake (26), the sign ofcourage. Mannslieb stands for inspiration,dreams, and so on, implying that if Jacob iscourageous, he will be able to fulfil his dreams.

Morrslieb: Just visible (63). The Chaos moon islocated in Grungnis Baldric (38), the sign ofmartial pursuits. This seems to indicate thatfuture combats will have a slightly adverseoutcome.

Charyb: 82. Like the Sun, Charyb too is in the

Greased Goat,, the sign of denied passions. Inaddition to insight and understanding, Jacob willalso gain full knowledge of why his passions aredenied.

Deiamol: 74. Deiamol is in Vobist the Faint, thesign of darkness and uncertainty. With Deiamolstanding for passion, it seems that Jacob isunsure about his passions, or how they arereciprocated.

Tigris: 4. Tigris, which stands for instinct, islocated in Wymond the Anchorite, the sign ofenduring. It seems that if Jacob follows hisinstinct, he will endure.

Verdra: 61. The Drummer, sign of excess andhedonism. Verdra stands for life, fertility andprogeny. It seems that Jacobs life of excess willlead to progeny, or perhaps his children will leadhedonistic lives.

Lokratia: 15. The Limners Line, sign of precision.Lokratia stands for death, endings and change.

This is a difficult fortune to interpret perhaps itsignifies that an ending or point of change can bepredicted with precision. Or it could mean thatacting carefully and precisely may lead to (orprevent) death.

Obscuria: 63. The Drummer is the sameconstellation as Verdra, so that planets prophecyis now reversed. Leading a life of excess will not

lead to progeny. Or Jacobs children may appearto be hedonistic, but arent really.

This reading gives the astrologer a number ofsnippets of prophecy, which he then combinesinto one story. Something like this (but with a lotmore mumbo-jumbo):

Jacob is in a situation where he doesnt know ifhis love is being reciprocated (Deiamol). The

positions of both the Sun and Charyb suggest thatit isnt, and this will become clear shortly. Verdraand Obscuria show that, although it seems likeJacobs hedonistic life will lead to a family and

progeny, this isnt true. Lokratia states though,that if Jacob acts with care and precision, he canend his current situation. Some combat will benecessary according to Morrslieb; a combat whichwill have an adverse outcome, but Mannsliebshows that if Jacob is courageous, he will be ableto fulfil his dreams. Moreover, Tigris states that if

Jacob trusts his instincts he will endure, andemerge from his current situation a stronger man.

Whether this story is anywhere near the truthdepends on the astrologers proficiency atdetermining the stars positions and interpretingthem. But lets be honest, he is a two-pennyastrologer at a country fair would you trustsuch a mans prophecies?

59


7/11

People dont only use astrology to see what thefuture holds for them. They also understand thatit is wise to wait with important ventures untilthe planets are in the right positions, because thesuccess of any venture is influenced by the starsand planets.

Say a merchant wants to open a new shop. Anauspicious day would be when Charyb (Planet ofKnowledge) is in Cackelfax the Cockerel (Sign ofMoney and Merchants). A Warhammer yearlasting 400 days, the merchant generally has towait 1d100 x 4 days for Charyb to enter theCockerel. But this day only coincides with theposition of one planet. If the merchant wants asecondplanet at a specific position, he will haveto roll a d10 and multiply by the originaloutcome. And multiply by another d10 for everyother heavenly body that needs to be in a specificposition.

For each celestial body not predetermined,calculate its position as indicated in the articleThe Mechanics of Planetary Motion. Thosebodies may end up in unfavourable star signs. Ifour merchant therefore decides not to proceed onthat date, he will have to wait another d100 x 4days, multiplied again by d10s equal to thenumber of additional planets with predeterminedpositions.

If a number of different star signs are acceptablefor the first planet, then divide the 1d100 x 4result by the number of acceptable star signs (upto a maximum of 4), then roll a die to determine

which of those it ends up in.

The questor may not care about timing hisventure for when the stars are right, but justwants to avoid a time when the stars are wrong.In such cases, determine the positions of theplanets on the first day when the venture couldtake place, and check whether any of them are inthe wrong star signs. If so, they will remain therefor another 2d10 days.

Example: Sanna, a witch, wants to find afamiliar. A familiar, she believes, would becovered by the planet Tigris, and thus she wants

Tigris to be in one of the following signs: Gnuthus

the Ox (sign of dutiful service), the Bonesaw (sign

of skill and learning) or The Witchling Star (signof magic). Furthermore, Mannslieb, which standsfor inspiration and dreams, should be in the signof Mummit the Fool (Sannas own star sign).

The GM rolls a d100 and gets 27. Sanna wouldthus have to wait 27 x 4 days (108). This number

is divided by 3 because she picked three differentstar signs so 36 days for Tigris alone to enteran acceptable sign. A d10 is rolled for Mannslieb(which must also be in a good position) with aresult of 4. Sanna will have to wait (36 x 4 = 144)days to find both Tigris and Mannslieb in a goodposition to find her familiar.

Now, it could be that on the designated day, oneof the other planets is in an unfavourableposition. Obscuria might appear in the sign of the

Trickster that day, which would indicate anunreliable familiar. If Sanna doesnt want to lookfor a familiar on that day, she will have to waitanother (4 x d100)/3 x d10 days for the next timewhen the stars are right.

As indicated in The Mechanics of PlanetaryMotion, rolling dice like this (or using the zodiacspreadsheet) is only one way to determine thepositions of planets. The GM is free to just pick anumber at his discretion that contributes to theplot. The GM should also decide how strong theastrological influence of the Sun, moons andplanets actually is. Is it all just superstition, ordo the stars have tangible influence on theWarhammer world? The first option may besimpler, but the second adds spice to the settingand makes it a bit less like the humdrum world

we call reality.

60


8/11

by Wim van Gruisen

hen an astrologer wants to drawsomeones horoscope, looking at the

positions of planets in the zodiac is a bitunsatisfactory. After all, the planets are in thesame position whoever the querent is.Horoscopes drawn in this way are rarelypersonal, but predict roughly the same future for

e,

the

er of

erson,

ies,

d to their places in the

,

t be

ich

o that

amilies might consulte village witch instead.

e

ign

great

- Melchior Windesto his apprentice Hans

anyone who is asking.

In order to draw someones personal horoscopthe astrologer should use that persons natalchart. A natal chart is based on the positions ofthe sun, moon and planets at the moment thatperson was born, and from there determines

positions of the astrological houses for thatperson. Since even a quarter mile, or a quartan hour, can make a difference to the natalchart, these charts are unique for each pand thus a good tool to draw a personalhoroscope. The astrologer drawing a horoscopewill interpret the positions of the heavenly bodwith regard to the houses on the natal chartinstead of with regardifferent star signs.

As the positions of several houses must bedetermined by the exact time and place of birthand people are usually not paying attention tothe stars at that time, a natal chart canno

determined accurately for many persons.Astrologers who claim that they can do so areusually charlatans and conmen. Nobility and rburghers may hire an astrologer to watch theheavens when they are expecting babies, sa good natal chart can be drawn for theiroffspring. Less fortunate fthHans, quick, run to the Graf. Tell him that if th

Gravin can keep her little tot inside for anotherthirty-eight minutes, he will be born under the sof Dragomas the Drake and he will become a

and courageous leader. Go run, my boy!

heim, court astrologer,

The major houses and their meanings aredescribed below.The Rising House

This house is determined by the charactersascendant; the position in the zodiac which wasrising on the eastern horizon at the exactmoment the character was born. This housedetermines a characters appearance, outwardidentity, self-image, and the way that peopleregard him.

Midheavens houseThis house is determined by the charactersMedium Coeli; the position in the zodiac that is

highest in the heavens at the moment of birth. Itdetermines a persons status, career, andaspirations.

The Sinking HouseThis house is determined by the charactersdescendant; the position in the zodiac which wasdescending on the western horizon at the exactmoment of birth. This house predicts acharacters relationships to others and prospectsfor marriage.

Midnights HouseThis house is determined by the charactersImum Coeli; a position in the zodiac that is

mostly hidden from observation at the other sideof the earth. Imum Coeli is opposite the MediumCoeli in the circle of the zodiac. Midnights housesignifies a persons roots and foundations.

The following houses are governed by the Sun,moons and stars. Their positions on a natal chartare determined by the location of that body at thetime of the characters birth.

The House of the Sun (also known as StarSign)

This house is governed by the sun. Since the sunmoves slowly through the zodiac, taking about

twenty days to travel from one star sign to thenext, determining the House of the Sun is not ashard as the other ones. People usually know theposition of this house as their star sign. Thepositions of the planets in this house directlyinfluence a characters current situation andnear future.

The House of Manann (also known as TheHouse of Dreams)Mannslieb governs this house. It rules a personsinspirations and long-term goals.

The House of Chaos (often referred toerroneously as The House of Morr)

This house is governed by Morrslieb. It indicateshow Chaos will cross the characters path and

W

61


9/11

influence his life. With regard to the Chaos Gods,the question is never whether all mens liveswill be influenced by them. The relevantquestions are how, when and how seriously.

The House of KnowledgeThis house is governed by Charyb. It governs a

characters prosperity and status in life.

The House of FireGoverned by Deiamol, this house rules acharacters passions.

The House of Primal UrgesThis house is governed by Tigris. It controls acharacters instincts.

The House of LifeThis house is governed by Verdra. It influences acharacters health and fertility.

The House of Death (also known as The Houseof Morr)

Governed by Lokratia, this house provides insightto the end of a characters life; the occasion whenhe will enter Morrs kingdom (if Khaine does notget him first). The House of Death has a majorinfluence on a characters Dooming (WFRPpage172).

The House of Secrets (or The Hidden House)This house is governed by Obscuria. Astrologersare still debating what this house stands for (andif it even exists), but a consensus is forming thatthis house stands for secrets. Whether thismeans secrets kept bythe character or secretshiddenfromthe character remains a point of

debate.

The table of star signs on page 25 of the WFRPrulebook represents the band of the zodiac. Thethirteen houses are placed on this table. Each

house occupies a spread of seven positions, thecentral position of the house being flanked bythree positions on each side. So if the centralposition of a house is 34, the house is positionedon the zodiac from 31 to 37, in The Gloaming andin Grungnis Baldric.

Houses can partially or completely overlap (this isdifferent from how the houses of the zodiac workin real-world astrology). There is no problem withthat.

There are two ways to read someones horoscope;one for long term predictions and another forshort term ones. For a long term horoscope,determine the natal chart. The positions of thehouses in this chart with regard to the star signsshows what a persons life will be like.

A short term horoscope is based on a persons

natal chart. The current position of the planets inthe zodiac is determined, and these will then berelated not to the signs of the zodiac, but to thehouses in the natal chart. A planet currentlyresiding within a house exerts influence uponthat house; the closer to the central number, thestronger that influence. Generally, positionsbelow the central number of a house indicatethings that have happened already, withconsequences influencing the character.Positions higher than the central numberindicate things that will happen in the nearfuture.

This horoscope can only be drawn if a natal chart

is known, or can be determined. When this isntthe case, an astrologer can only look at theposition of the planets in the zodiac.

by James Jester

he purpose of this article is to back up someof the descriptions behind the star signs withgame statistics. Most importantly, these rulesare meant to add a little more colour to yourcharacters, and are used at your discretion.

There has been no real attempt to make thedifferent star signs game effects balanced, andsome are definitely better than others, but theyare all equally interesting to roleplay.

The table on the follow page should be used after

your initial stats are rolled up, but beforegenerating any of your random, regional or racialskills and talents. The player must decide before

rolling on the table how much his charactersstarting sign has influenced his development. Ifthe player wishes the star sign to have been moreinfluential, then he spends his free advance toroll on the table and suffers or benefits from thePossible Effect. If the player does not wish tospend his starting free advance on this roll, thenhe still rolls on the table to determine his starsign, but does not suffer the effect.

The 20 star signs have also been placed within

their respective areas of the calendar. This is notofficial canon, but was done using best guessesand knowledge of the Warhammer calendar.

T

62


10/11

% Roll Sign Calendar days Possible Effect

01-05Wymund the Anchorite-The Sign of Enduring

11th of ForeWitching- 30th of Fore Witching

Lose -1D10%/2 from WP orAG, Gain +1D10%/2 to INT,

Gain Hardy Talent.

06-10The Big Cross-

The Sign of Clarity31st of Fore Witching

- 16th of After Witching

Gain +1D10%/2 to INT,Gain Perception Skill, Gain

Strong Minded Talent.

11-15The Limners Line-

The Sign of Precision17th of After Witching

-4th of Year TurnGain Artistic Talent Or Gain

+1D10%/2 to WS Or BS

16-25Gnuthus the Ox-

The Sign of Dutifull Service5th of Year Turn

-10th of Plough TideGain +1D10%/2 to WP

26-30Dragomas the Drake-The Sign of Courage

11th of Plough Tide- 30th of Plough Tide

Gain +1D10%/2 to S Or WPOr FEL

31-35The Gloaming-

The Sign of Illusion and Mystery31st of Plough Tide

- 17th of Sigmar TideGain +1D10%/2 to WP

36-40Grungis Baldric-

The Sign of Martial Pursuits18th of Sigmar Tide

4th of Summer Tide

Gain +1D10%/2 to WS OrT. Also may roll your careeron the Military background

table.*

41-45Mammit the Wise-

The Sign of Wisdom

5th of Summer Tide

- 24th of Summer Tide

Gain +1d10%/2 to INT andGain Academic

Knowledge(any one)

46-50Mummit the Fool-

The Sign of the Indistinct25th of Summer Tide-10th of Fore Mystery

Gain Luck Talent

51-55The Two Bullocks-

The Sign of Fertility and Craftsmanship11th of Fore Mystery- 30th of Fore Mystery

Gain +1D10%/2 to FEL andGain Artistic Talent

56-60The Dancer-

The Sign of Love and Attraction31st of Fore Mystery

- 16th of After MysteryGain Suave Talent

61-65The Drummer-

The Sign of Excess and Hedonism17th of After Mystery- 4th of Harvest Tide

Gain Consume Alcohol Skill

66-70The Piper-

The Sign of the Trickster5th of Harvest Tide

- 24th of Harvest TideGain +1D10%/2 to FEL and

Gain Schemer Talent

71-75Vobist the Faint-

The Sign of Darkness and Uncertainty25th of Harvest Tide- 10th of Brew Month

Gain +1D10 Insanity Points

76-80 The Broken Cart-The Sign of Pride

11th

Of Brew Month- 30th of Brew Month

May start as Noble career.

81-85The Greased Goat-

The Sign of Denied Passions31st of Brew Month-17th of Chill Month

Lose -1 Fate Point, Lose 1D10/2 to Fel

86-90Rhyas Cauldron-

The Sign of Mercy, Death, and Creation18th of Chill Month- 4th of Ulric Tide

Gain Fearless Talent andGain Hatred of Mutants

Talent.**

91-95Cackelfax the Cockerel-

The Sign of Money and Merchants5th of Ulric Tide

- 24th of Ulric Tide

Gain Dealmaker Talent andalso may roll your career onthe Mercantile background

table.*

96-98The Bonesaw-

The Sign of Skill and Learning25th of Ulric Tide

- 2nd of Fore Witching

Gain +1D10%/2 INT andalso may roll your career onthe Bourgeois background

table.*

99-00The Witchling Star-The Sign of Magic

3rd of Fore Witching- 10th of Fore Witching

Gain +1d10%/2 WP and +1to MAG score***

* See Liber Fanatica Ifor the modified backgroundtables mentioned in these entries. If you do not haveLiber Fanatic I, then your GM should allow you to picka particular career with the background mentioned** Hatred of Mutants functions the same way asGrudge Born Fury, but only towards mutants.*** The Witchling Star Sign can allow a newly

generated character to start with a 1 MAG score. Thisdoes not allow the character to cast any spells until helearns a Lore or individual spells. It is up to the GM ifthis counts as an advance or it could allow the

character to have a Magic score of 5 at Wizard Lord.The excellent article within the WFRP Companion byKevin Hamilton and Robert J. Schwalb expanded upon

the 20 star signs of the Old World and was a directinspiration for this article.

The table above uses the same percentile rolls todetermine the star sign as in the core rulebook. As thestar signs have been broken down into the actual daysthat they fall on, it could be helpful to generate theactual birthday of the character. An excellent methodfor determining a birth date is available from DavidGraffam athttp://www.davesgames.net/wfrp2/pdf/birthdate-

morrslieb.pdf

63


11/11

by Wim van Gruisen and Jude Hornborg

Ephemeris: An ephemeris (plural: ephemerides)is a book containing tables with the positions ofplanets for each day of a period. Extensive onesalso show the positions of ascendant,descendant, medium coeli and imum coeli by thehour, or for even shorter periods. Note thatplanets can only be charted from a fixed location;a few dozen miles to the east or to the westsignificantly changes the position of these pointson the zodiac. Ephemerides of Nuln and of

Talabheim would be quite different. Manyephemerides only give the positions of the planetsfor one time of the day (usually noon). Anastrologer worth his money should be able to use

this information to compute planetary positionsat other times during the day. This would be aHard (-20) Astrology check, or an Average (+0)test if the astrologer has Academic Knowledge(Mathematics).

The quality of books like these is measured ondifferent criteria. One is the physical state of thebook; is it in good condition, can the text easilybe read? However, equally important is thequality of the information. A good qualityephemeris can give up to +30 on thedetermination of a persons natal chart. Anephemeris with faulty information makes any

derived natal chart worthless (but the astrologerwouldnt know that, if he trusts the informationin the charts).

Telescope: A telescope is an astrologers maininstrument for making direct observations of theposition of the planets. A good quality telescopegives a +10 bonus on these observations.

Planetariums and Orreries: A planetarium is amechanical model that shows the currentpositions of the world, the sun, moons and stars.

The mechanism revolves slowly, showing howthese positions change throughout the day, andthe year. The most precise planetariums, such as

the one of the Order of Verena at Wurtbad, are

created and maintained by Dwarven Engineers,and can accurately predict and showastronomical occurrences such as eclipses andthe like. A small, handheld planetarium (usuallywith a wind-up mechanism) is called an orrery. Agood orrery is an instrument highly in demand byastrologers and mages, and can give up to a +30for determining the positions of planets.

Astrolabe: An astrolabe is an instrument used innavigation and astrology. It indicates thepositions of different celestial bodies andconstellations at specific times. In order to use anastrolabe properly, it must be set to the correct

date, time and latitude. Astrolabes were firstused in Araby, but have become popular in theOld World too.

Quadrant (or Sextant):These devices are usedfor measuring the altitude of celestial bodiesabove the horizon. Quadrants consist of a curvedgauge mounted on a frame, and providemeasurements ranging from 0-90 (or 0-60 forsextants). Most quadrants are portable handhelddevices, but larger versions may be constructedat observatories for improved accuracy.Navigation and Astrology tests relying uponcelestial observation receive a +10 bonus whenaided by a quadrant (+15 if an astrolabe is alsoused).

Academic Knowledge Astrology (Intelligence Advanced)

Average Tasks: Draw a horoscope or natal chart Pick an auspicious day for a task

Perfect A perfect horoscope is drawn, the positions of all the stars are computed correctly.This horoscope gives more detail than usual or the day picked for a job is morethan perfect for it. The job is far easier than usual.

Success The information in the horoscope is correct, the correct day is picked.

Failure Small mistakes were made in computing the positions of one or two stars.Although mainly correct, the horoscope contains a few items with falseinformation. The day picked is wrong.

Botch There was too much contradicting information. It was not possible to draw ahoroscope or to pick a good day for the task.

Fumble The information in the horoscope is disastrously wrong. A worse day for the taskcouldnt have been picked.

64

liber fanatica 4 part 4

Documents