Traditional RPG Portals Vs. Dynamic Elemental Portals

Read PORTALS MANUAL to empower your games with portals, and expand your repertoire in game mastering with multiple dimensional constructs. Add over 40 portals of power to your bag of tricks. Implement new vorpal weaponry in your arsenal. Inscribe new Necro elite spells into your tome of power! 

Portals—whether they function traditionally or dynamically—play an important part in the process of storytelling for role-playing games.

You detect a slight draft in the south junction of the temple, and in an alcove at the south-east corner of the oratory you can see a faint beam of light touch the head of Abraxar upon the altar of Arathor.

Typically, a game master will decide on whether to make a portal visible or to merely hint at the presence of a portal. The decision to make a portal obvious may have everything or nothing to do with the sequences of events and encounters that the game master has planned out for players. Yet, making this distinction between the obvious and elusive portal is the craft of the cunning game master. (The process of declaring a portal is predetermined in the master control document, or it may be annotated on the portals router with a simple hash mark or other indicator of the game master’s preference). Players who can see a portal may be tempted to enter the portal without having a better look around the environment. Perhaps, keeping the portal in the shadows will allow for a more likely encounter with pursuers coming up the rampart on the heels of the players.

 There are myriad reasons to consider forehand the nature of portals when plotting a router. A closed in arena, for instance, may have portals of particular elemental nature, and perhaps even a diabolic or necro portal. Warping from other elemental planes, or smashing through the locks and guards across the galaxy, monsters emerge from four towering portals (rolling d20) they attack!

In essence, portals are traditionally considered a magical passageway through space/ time between two places. For the most part, this default is largely agreed upon. Dynamic portals, however, greatly enhance the overall richness of fantasy-adventure storytelling.

Fundamentally, dynamic portals are constructs of magic which are deeply rooted in ancient lore or elemental properties. To make more sense of such diversity in portals, the entire portal system is divided into a hierarchy of greater and lesser gates.

The archetypal portals, those portals which existed in the beginning of the physical universe, are classified as Greater Portals or primordial portals. Within the category of the greater portals are the primary portals (ice/ fire/ water/ air), secondary portals (metal/ poison/ gas/ necro), and the one ultimate portal (earth).

Lesser portals are those portals which are in common use, namely variants of the traditional portal. These portals include, but are not limited to, the following categories: chaos, techno, and supernatural.

The greatest exception, and by far the most diverse of portals, is the chaos portal. While chaos portals are considered lesser portals, the power of such portals is unbound by the laws of order.

high level w/ portals both hidden and visible, by Thomas P. Walton

This means that chaos portals do not heed any laws of the greater elemental portals, and can be used to move from anyplace on one map to anyplace on the same map or any other map.

Chaos portals can act as a conduit between realms of extreme opposites, or simply teleport a wizard from his front door to the local tavern on the same map.

Diversity in portals procures consequences in game play, particularly for the player characters. There are as many mutations and psychological effects from some portals as there are various gifts and experience points awarded or bestowed upon player characters (See the original Portal Master’s Guide [Gui de Mestre Portal]).

Portals also present solutions to problems. Consider their myriad uses.

A necro portal, for instance, may act as a gateway to the deceased spirits with knowledge of hidden treasure rooms.

Mylia places the urn containing the ashes and bone of bygone king Ashram on the alter before a 9’ black mirror standing in the center of the chamber. A smoky mist rises from the urn, and without warning a grim and ancient face forms on the black mirror. Aritole pores over a book written in an arcane language, when his cry of “ah-hah!” startles everyone. “I’ve found the name of the long dead steward of Kryarthenon!”

While the necro portal in this example merely summons the souls of the dead into a vessel, there are far other uses for necromancy in role-playing adventures. For instance, the infamous necromancer elite has been building a series of doors between strategic areas for an undead strike on the town of Caladrake or some other realm.

portal router sample, Thomas P. Walton

A portal router will help the game master keep track of where undead emerge from, and where the players can travel to other maps, and so on.

Portals in most games are merely the pinnacle between dimensions, or the threshold between two separate places. In the Nine Portals universe such portals are the conduits of the gods, maintained by the elusive fiery spirits of the netherworld.



To be continued...

Relevant books:
Portal Master's Guide - 1st edition

Ultimate Portal Master's Guide

Book of Doors RPG

The Goddess of Portals for Role-Playing Games

 This portal role-playing book follows the path on the elemental wheel of the polarity of salt, as well as the powers of venom. To begin this saga of Necro portals, we must recognize the deity responsible for the creation of the first necromancer's portal. Mural is her name. 

Murol is the goddess of portals in the Nine Portals RPG Necroverse. This deity is the link in a growing chain of portal lore which bridges the gap between fantasy and technical details in role playing with portals. Read the Lore and Introduction to this marvelous new addition to the role-playing fantasy world:

Teleportation technology is man's greatest triumph over the realms. Wielding the power of the gods, man has now claimed a new frontier beyond the space/ time continuum. A new era of quasi-worlds and virtual realms has made it possible for humankind to reach up into the higher planes of existence in a parallel [multi] dimensional construct known to the high-tech civilizations as a slip-gate. 

All the wonders of the universe are now open to humanoids of all races [and other species]. But, alas, so are the horrors of the deepest and darkest abysses in the ultimate void. 

Our first unforeseen consequence of this portal technology begins with the story of Talos. 

Above is my first printout and sketch of the portals manual for necromancers. The title is Necro Portal RPG: The Goddess of Portals. 

In this wondrous volume on role-playing with portals, Necro Portal takes us into the dark realms wherein all fantasy characters are subject to the laws of diabolical technology, insidious magic, and sardonic sorcery. Whereas most of Nine Portals books are presented in an open-ended fashion, featuring the multitude of portals and portal constructs, this particular volume is truly for the necromancer character and the game master who delves in the darker corners of role-playing games. 

Read this first volume of Necro Portal, and learn how Murol turned away from the All-Father, Alu, his son and the King of the Golden Age, Gygatherion, and betrayed even her mother, the goddes Venom, for immortality and power. This is a manual for strategically placing necro portals and networks of diabolical portals in a fantasy adventure game, as well as a lush volume of lore about the goddess of portals. 

Available on Amazon Kindle... 

9 Portals Cards and Miniatures

Conceptualizing the next stage of Nine Portals/ 9Portals Role-Playing Enhancements. Currently suggesting project to prospective partners in the same publishing industry. Michael D. Miller has created some excellent work in the role-playing publication industry, and Nine Portals is interested in collaborating on some new game concepts.

The following is a sample page of what 9Portals RPG would like to do.

Now, as this information has been around for some time (several years now), the concept isn't entirely new. What we're really interested in is bringing good ideas (old and new) together into a medium which will expand the joyful experience of role-playing with portals and portal lore. It is this writer's belief that Nine Portals RPG can, and will, incorporate portals into the might and main of fantasy-adventure gaming.

Take this opportunity to learn about the lore and fictitious history of the portals of power! Get yourself read up with one of our books on portals and role-playing. The wiser game master will consume the latest version of 9PRPG by reading Portals Manual. Then enhance the overall game with the new Necro Portal reference guide and book of lore. The combination of these two books gives the game master a vast wealth of portals (both spells and constructs) to choose from, as well as a means of networking darker portals into a solid fantasy-adventure game. Let us not forget, that a wealth of lore and mythology makes the backbone of collaborative storytelling experience. Never fail to include this!

Para Portals

You heard it first from 9Portals RPG--A Para portal is a cack in the fabric of space/time due to instabilities in the environment caused by an existing portal. In essence, a chaos portal opening for an extended period of time, and over a course of many openings, could cause a temporal rift to open nearby, and within the same vicinity as the original portal of influence. A smash portal, for instance, is a very big--albeit, destructive--para portal which is caused by a time storm phenomenon. 

Para portals can be made into and cast as spells. A para portal spell makes a good getaway spell, and an excellent diversion for when the spell-caster is being pursued by enemies. This is because the para portal opens for a very temporary period of time, typically no more than one or two rounds. 

For more information on the use of portals in role-playing games, please read Portals Manual , by Thomas P. Walton, on Amazon Kindle. 

Roll Save Vs. Mind Numbing

1, 2, 3... Evolution or devolution? Or do you recognize the initiative to monopolize on your predictability? For those who arrived at middle earth during the mobile phone culture this consideration may seem nonsensical. The argument can always be made that better technology is always better than the outdated tools of our forebears. This is fundamentally true, but only so much as the person has experienced having not before having. In essence, the man of technology is like a man of great wealth. Yet, to have a broader perspective gives the game master an idea of what true role-playing essentially is. The less tools players have, the more these players must rely upon imagination to build their world. I found this realization especially true when I first progressed from basic Dungeons and Dragons to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. And this is not to say anything wrong about either game style. Both are solid.  In some ways, older gamers coming to a game table are like a minority coming to a new first world nation. We bring with us a certain wisdom and experience which cannot be superseded by plastic print ups or circuit boards. Well, at least not entirely. 

Necro Portal RPG: The Goddess of Portals, Core Book One

Publishing a short manual on the Goddess of Portals. This first edition of Necro Portal (not the free one that's been on my web page all this time) is in part a book of lore, and a book of minimal technical specs on a variety of necro portals not previously shared publicly. Bookmark 9prpg.blogspot.com

This shortened manual on necro portals dives into constructs of necromancy for portals in role-playing games (paper and dice games). Necro Portal RPG is just 99 cents on Amazon Kindle.

https://www.amazon.com/Necro-Portal-RPG-Goddess-9Portals-ebook/dp/B01K4C64SU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471114124&sr=1-1&keywords=Necro+portal+RPG%27s

Read about the gods and goddesses of the primordial planes, and the necro cyborg alliance.And learn about how the portals were made. Make note of tips for including hints and clues for the presence of necro portals--specifically for necromancy themes and plots!

Open Portals to Role Playing and Fantasy Worlds! Nine Portals RPG!

The NEW version of your ultimate guide to using portals in role-playing games is Portals Manual. It's like a monsters manual, but it is for portals. Just shy of 200 pages, this Kindle version recognizes the primordial hierarchy in portals, boasts rich lore on the gods and the giants who built the first universal portals, including 40+ miscellaneous portals, rules for portals in operation (including specs) and combat (stats), and new spells and monsters relevant to elemental and chaos portals. Just under 3 dollars today. 

Download the new Portals Manual for $2.98 on Amazon Kindle! This deal is for a limited time. 

With the new portals manual game masters can easily create portal routers, reference matrix charts, and keep track of bountiful adventures with dynamic control documents, a feature provided only by 9Portals, the original creator of portal systems for role-playing games! 

As part of this special publication, the Portals Manual includes new NPC encounters for specific portals, and conversions for player characters (Including mutations and supernatural transmutations). Join the borg or necromancer elite, and create prestige class characters, fully capable of traversing the evil dimensions of the necroverse or the technological realms of the cyborg rangers. Explore both traditional Dungeons and Dragons style portals and elemental/ chaos portals in this volume of lore and strategy. 

PORTALS MANUAL is the one and only guide to portals for all of your favorite RPG's! 

Routing Portals to the Underhalls and Catacombs of the Necromancer Elite

Routing portals to the Necroverse requires a basic understanding of the structure of the Necroverse, and its myriad levels. While the big book on Necro portals is in the process of editing, fortunately for my readers there are some simple rules which I will be graciously posting on this blog in the meantime. 

So, first, let us look at the following diagram. 

The majority of the time, your player characters are unlikely to come upon a Necro portal by chance alone. Unless, as a matter of course, your players are grave robbers or tomb raiders. No. For the most part your campaign will intentionally seek the entrance to the portal due to some key components in a quest. 

Motives can be anything from grave robbery, unreasonable encounters with the undead, or kidnappings where shadows are rumored to carry off the mayor's numerous offspring to the city's graveyard, where they disappear, and are never seen again (or perhaps they're seen again as zombies or ghouls). 

Finding the portal will depend on whether the portal is disguised, hidden, or literally invisible. Thus the means to discovering the portal entrance will vary by design. 

Now, as to how the entire Necroverse (the quasi universe of the necromancer elite) is organized, this post details the routing of portals to the Underhalls. That is, the first level, or prequel to the Necroverse. 

A portal in a graveyard will typically route to another graveyard, a cemetery, a shunned temple, or a foresaken place in nature. Let us say, for the sake of example, that your portal in the graveyard is disguised as a headstone over a grave. The magic user in the party casts a remove illusion spell. A dim light appears in the form of phantasmic mist over the headstone portal. The portal transports anyone who steps through it to an accursed asylum, long ago forsaken and abandoned. 

Now, at this point there could be hours or days upon days of adventure just searching within the asylum for the necromancer who stole away with the crown of the King. The key portal on this map will route to the Underhalls. 

Once within the Underhalls, players sense that space and time are disrupted. The long rows of catacombs stretch for miles in each direction at the threshold of a crossroad. Selecting the next portal, the one which leads to the innermost heart of the Necroverse (where the necropolis and other fouls realms coincide in an evil coalition against the world of the living), will require some thought and imagination. 

The portal routing to the innermost heart of the Necroverse will reside in one of the corridors' chambers. Perhaps the sarcophagus of the pharaoh or the tomb of an ancient King will house the nefarious greater portal. 

Keep us bookmarked for updates to the next 9PRPG book, Necro Portal.

The Epoch of Primordius and the First Diabolic Portal for RPG

Drip. Drop. A distant sound of water falling in a pool somewhere. Perhaps, a well, the black robed figure thought. He followed the sound to an enclosure in the caverns far below the city of Talos. In an alcove the man saw a podium fixed into the brimstone floor with heavy bolts. Upon this surface rested an ebony stone. 

The cowled man examined the stone more closely. It was, it seemed, a perfectly smooth sphere of crystal, placed into a fixture which resembled a nest of serpents intertwined. As the man gazed into the black surface of the stone, he had an uncanny feeling that someone, or some thing, returned his gaze with a vexed malice. 

He could not take his eyes from it. So, the black robed man stood in a sort of trance, fixed upon the beauty and charm of the object. 

It seemed an epoch before the man reflected upon his purpose. 

Adventure is for the young and restless. Treasure is for the self-obsessed materialist. Death is for us all, but what do I care for such things? My purpose is the written word. The word is the only true path to immortality! 

After a time, the man began to feel weary. A sort of tiredness stole over his arms and legs. Then, without warning, something reached out of the stone. It was, in that brief and terrible moment, what had appeared to be an inky, black hand. Six fingers which ended in points like claws had ceased the cowled man, and pulled him in to the stone. 

It was the darkest creature imaginable which confronted the robed man. He gazed into a black space, like an inverted mirror, seeing himself as the terrible creature, whose name is shunned eternal... Primordius! The clawing chaos of the ultimate void. Clawing at nothing, for there was naught to devour in the eternal present of darkness victorious. 

Therein the depths of space, in the recesses of darkness, in the expanse of all time, and in the irony of timelessness, the great enigma of existence was known to Primordius. All was known to him. And then there was nothing. 

Like a spark in the pitch blackness of space, a dream awakened the ancient creature. He stood in the dream, looking around, and at first disoriented, for in one moment he slithered or floated as a primordial force or simple creature, consuming all, and in the next he was a humanoid form. There in the darkness of the caverns under Talos, Primordius walked into the world as a man. Behind him ebbed the powerful currents of the galaxy's first diabolical portal. The portal of Primordius yawned into infinite darkness. 

A cowled, black robed man ascended from the caverns, and strode eagerly into the lively peninsula city of Talos. Vibrant and joyous were the people of Talos. 

To learn how to implement dynamic portals and maps in traditional role playing games, please purchase the Portals Manual ebook for Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/Portals-Manual-Nine-RPG-Supplements-ebook/dp/B019W34GXW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

The Portal of Bel or Ba'al

While portals in the role-playing system of 9PRPG are entirely fictional, there are sources from history and myth, legend and lore from which we can draw examples from. Such history is about to be made in cities like New York and London very soon. 

An archway from the temple of Baal in Syria is expected to be replicated, and then under construction in New York City in April of 2016. 

For those who haven't read this news, please visit:

http://themostimportantnews.com/archives/will-a-gateway-be-opened-when-the-arch-from-the-temple-of-baal-is-reconstructed-in-times-square

And in historical reference, from Wikipedia: 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Bel

However, there is some history particularly left out of these references. This history which I refer to is that of ancient Erin, known to us now as Ireland. In ancient times, Erin was ruled by the elite class known then as the Druids. The Druids opened portals of some kind in their gloomy groves, wherein they sacrificed the Irish to their god(s) Bel. It is believed that this god may be the same fiery spirit from the Far East, which the Spanish may have encountered before the Irish came under rule of the oppressive Druid elite. In the last days, in the 1600's A.D., if I remember correctly my studies of Erin, the last battle between the Irish Christians and the Druids was fought fiercely, ending with the victory of the Irish people. Then, came the Danes, which ensued more wars for the Irish. Yet, in their preoccupations, it may very well be that the Christians did not cleanse or banish Bel from those wicked groves of the Druids. This is entirely possible, because when the next season came round when Bel's sacrifices were ordinarily performed by the Druids, and there being no Druids left in power after the conversion of the arch Druid by Saint Patrick, and the final wars fought in Erin, there came a great storm which punished the people of Ireland. Over time, however, this was forgotten. History became legend, and legend became myth. 

...

To learn how to implement dynamic portals and maps in traditional role playing games, please purchase the Portals Manual ebook for Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/Portals-Manual-Nine-RPG-Supplements-ebook/dp/B019W34GXW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Necro Portals RPG Update

Necro Portals RPG 

N9PRPG

Thomas P. Walton

Necro Portals 

By Thomas P. Walton

2016

Prepared by Thomas Walton for Nine Portals RPG

The infinite void is the ultimate potential for creation, manifestation, and the birth of new universes. Of all universes none is so dreadfully feared by the mortal races than the infamous Necroverse. 

The Necroverse exists as a quasi universe, a sort of virtual world laid over the realm of the dead. In this verse the necromancers elite reigns supreme. However, this Necroverse is not independent of other worlds. Rather, all mortal realms provide the necessary foundation for which the Necroverse is built upon. 

Spanning infinite realms of man and beast is a network of portals which allow for the necromancers  to enter and exit the lands of the living at will. Hidden in the tombs of kings or in the shunned necropolises or in the graveyards of modern cities are the gates to the Necroverse. 

In this infamous volume, we will explore the realm of mankind's most dreaded enemy, the undead. As a matter of course, this tome of evil fantasy will serve as a manual for game masters to map the Necroverse, plot necro portals in strategic locations, and route teleportation across various maps. 

The peak of your darkest fantasy gaming experience is limited only by your imagination. 

The Lore of Necro Portals

From the essential salt of the dead, a mixture of stone, bone, and sometimes various metals, are combined to create the arch for the entrance to the infamous realm of the undead wizards. The Necroverse must feed from the world of the living, or its magical framework will collapse into the world of the true dead. 

Once there existed the great kingdom of Gaia Saar, which was ruled by the wise and gifted seer King Futharion. It was in the south peninsula of Futharion's kingdom where the necromancers first revealed themselves to the men of Gaia Saar. This peninsula was named Talos. In ancient Talos the wizards of Alu guarded a wealth of ancient knowledge concerning the portals of the original and primordial world before Futharion's ancestry set a throne upon Gaia Saar. The vorpal technology of lord Gygatherion, Futharion's father, was the very power which destroyed the cyborg invaders of Emperor Veximus. However, the interruption of a new player on the battlefield destroyed the entire world. That player is the necromancers elite. 

It is rumored by the sages throughout ancient Erin and the realms of Medieval Europe that the necromancers came first from Egypt, having been the ancient arts of the pharoah to practice divination with the dead. As the old world of Egypt crumbled into ruins, largely abandoned by the indigenous peoples of that part of Africa, the Greek wizards preserved bits of this ancient art of necromancy, and greatly innovated the the practice into their very own system of spells and hexes. Yet, there was another race which came from someplace beyond the earth, and of which was a species mutated and horrible to look upon. These beings taught new necromantic arts, and combined a sort of bio wizardry, or splicing technology, allowing their followers and initiates to grow new appendages, breathe under water, and resist the harsh cold of outer space. 

In and throughout the ancient world these beings were bred and wedded to mortals, creating the first hybrid race of the necromancers elite. As they were so tremendously feared as outsiders to the growing nations around Greece, the necromancers fled to the isle of Hydra, and some to the land now known as Switzerland, and Finland. The Swedes waged war against their unfavorable neighbors for a time. The family of necromancers was reduced to smaller numbers, and their inability to breed lead them to seek out new and more dangerous arts. 

Via a dark sorcery and super technological breakthrough in teleportation, the necromancers divided their dwindling numbers p, moved across Europe and Asia, and plotted their portals as a network which would one day allow their eventual takeover of the world. 

In the graveyards across countless city states, and in the hidden tombs of long forgotten kings, and on the shunned fields of ancient battles, the necromancers hid their portal entrances from mortal eyes. These Necro portals formed a network through which necromancers could travel the world, particularly through the underworld. 

Then came the discovery of the Necroverse. A quasi reality or virtual layer of reality fixed between the realms of the dead and the living. This universe became a hub for the evil undead emperor, Virulus. 

Virulus taught the necromancers the art of undead magic. In turn, the necromancers worked with the minions of Virulus to create the first new race of Necro golems. This became the legions of cyborg zombie mutants who would guard the invisible doors to the Necroverse. 

How the Necroverse is Organized

Each necroportal entrance is paired to either another door exiting to a cemetery, opening to a hidden chamber, or some other shunned vestige. There are greater portals which open directly to the Necroverse, but this are rare and well hidden. Most portals open to the nexus. 

The nexus is a series of dark corridors, typically the under halls of catacombs, which cross one another in a series of enigmatic mazes. It is within the nexus that adventurers will discover hubs between portals to the outer world and the deeper underhalls. In the darkest corridors of the nexus exist the greater doors to the Necroverse. 

Residents of the Necroverse 

Within the Necroverse there are many necropolises. These cities belong to the lords of the undead, and are home to the legions of vampire intelligences therein. 

As to the necromancers elite, they reside in their own dark towers or black pyramids at the edge of most cities of the dead. These dark wizards tend to avoid the true undead, and require a lifestyle free of distraction to perform their endless research in the dark arts of biomechatronic necromancy. 

Operation of Necro portals 

The portals which open to the nexus of dark hubs, underhalls, and to other places of the dead, are typically invisible. These portals are detectable as a barely visible shadowy substance. Spirits can pass through these portals freely. Living or undead creatures must wait for the portal to become active, or activate the portal depending upon the design of the builder of the portal, and his intended functioning. 

A portal made visible will typically have an arch made of bones, salt crystals, earth from the grave, or stonework. Metal necro portals do exist, but these are much rarer to find. A pendulum will typically be hung under the arch for a portal which operates at certain times. When the portal begins to become active, the pendulum will oscillate. 

In order to make a Necro portal visible one must either detect the portal with a spell, or have some means of seeing invisibility. If additional adjurations exist, such as illusion spells, wards, charms, or traps, then these additional obstructions must be declared in the master document by the game master. 

There are a number of means for detecting invisible portals. 

A pentacle or medallion which allows one to see the invisible world can be worn to see the portal. A remove illusions spell can reveal the true form of a disguised portal. Say for instance, a slab of stone, a tombstone, headstone, or a withered tree in a graveyard are all possible disguises for a Necro portal. 

Casting the Remove Illusion spell can reveal the portal. 

A Detect Evil spell will simply give the magician a sense of the general direction of an open portal. Throwing sand into the air can reveal the contour of a portal arch (If the portal is a physical construct). 

Traversing the Portals

Not all Necro portals are for human travel. There are those portals through which only the spirit can traverse. Thus, some portals exist for the sole purpose of summoning a gate through which demonic spirits or vampiric intelligences can enter our physical world. However, a magician casting an astral projection spell can leave his or her body, and essentially enter the spirit portal. If the portal closes, the player character is trapped in the realm where the portal open ended to. The human body will lose 1d4 life points per day without the astral body.

Most Necro portals allow for human teleportation. 

When entering the threshold of a physically constructed Necro portal, the character is impartial to the external world. That is, the humanoid form takes on the form of a shadow just as he or she is coming under the arch. The player or non-player character is declared an unhittable target. This means that no projectile can hit or harm the character under the arch entrance of the portal. Melee weapons will hit if the attacker is also shadowed by the archway. In the latter case, both characters are impartial to the physical world, and each will take on the properties of a shade while under the arch of an active portal. 

A flat surfaced portal, like that of an oval shaped mirror, does not have an arch. The character standing next to this portal can be attacked by ranged or melee weapons. However, touching the portal energy vortex with a finger, hand, head, or foot will make the target character impartial to the physical world, and thus unhittable. 

Some Necro portals can manifest on the material plane by the will of an outsider. However, the point in space/ time must be within a place where such power is strong, and the barrier between worlds is weak. Thus, portal rangers and clerics of good alignment will often cleanse an area after destroying Necro portals. Failure to banish evil residue may result in a potential future breach in the fabric of space/ time at such unclean or unhallowed vicinities. 

Other means of creating a Necro portal include spell casting or technology, sorcery or super science.

A necromancer with the required skill can cast a Necro portal spell. This spell is included in the Portals Manual ebook, under spells for necromancer elites. 

... Coming soon to RPG books on Amazon.

Necro Portals N9PRPG

Necro Portals RPG 

N9PRPG

Thomas P. Walton

Necro Portals 

By Thomas P. Walton

2016

Prepared by Thomas Walton for Nine Portals RPG

The infinite void is the ultimate potential for creation, manifestation, and the birth of new universes. Of all universes none is so dreadfully feared by the mortal races than the infamous Necroverse. 

The Necroverse exists as a quasi universe, a sort of virtual world laid over the realm of the dead. In this verse the necromancers elite reigns supreme. However, this Necroverse is not independent of other worlds. Rather, all mortal realms provide the necessary foundation for which the Necroverse is built upon. 

Spanning infinite realms of man and beast is a network of portals which allow for the necromancers  to enter and exit the lands of the living at will. Hidden in the tombs of kings or in the shunned necropolises or in the graveyards of modern cities are the gates to the Necroverse. 

In this infamous volume, we will explore the realm of mankind's most dreaded enemy, the undead. As a matter of course, this tome of evil fantasy will serve as a manual for game masters to map the Necroverse, plot necro portals in strategic locations, and route teleportation across various maps. 

The peak of your darkest fantasy gaming experience is limited only by your imagination. 

The Lore of Necro Portals

From the essential salt of the dead, a mixture of stone, bone, and sometimes various metals, are combined to create the arch for the entrance to the infamous realm of the undead wizards. The Necroverse must feed from the world of the living, or its magical framework will collapse into the world of the true dead. 

Once there existed the great kingdom of Gaia Saar, which was ruled by the wise and gifted seer King Futharion. It was in the south peninsula of Futharion's kingdom where the necromancers first revealed themselves to the men of Gaia Saar. This peninsula was named Talos. In ancient Talos the wizards of Alu guarded a wealth of ancient knowledge concerning the portals of the original and primordial world before Futharion's ancestry set a throne upon Gaia Saar. The vorpal technology of lord Gygatherion, Futharion's father, was the very power which destroyed the cyborg invaders of Emperor Veximus. However, the interruption of a new player on the battlefield destroyed the entire world. That player is the necromancers elite. 

It is rumored by the sages throughout ancient Erin and the realms of Medieval Europe that the necromancers came first from Egypt, having been the ancient arts of the pharoah to practice divination with the dead. As the old world of Egypt crumbled into ruins, largely abandoned by the indigenous peoples of that part of Africa, the Greek wizards preserved bits of this ancient art of necromancy, and greatly innovated the the practice into their very own system of spells and hexes. Yet, there was another race which came from someplace beyond the earth, and of which was a species mutated and horrible to look upon. These beings taught new necromantic arts, and combined a sort of bio wizardry, or splicing technology, allowing their followers and initiates to grow new appendages, breathe under water, and resist the harsh cold of outer space. 

In and throughout the ancient world these beings were bred and wedded to mortals, creating the first hybrid race of the necromancers elite. As they were so tremendously feared as outsiders to the growing nations around Greece, the necromancers fled to the isle of Hydra, and some to the land now known as Switzerland, and Finland. The Swedes waged war against their unfavorable neighbors for a time. The family of necromancers was reduced to smaller numbers, and their inability to breed lead them to seek out new and more dangerous arts. 

Via a dark sorcery and super technological breakthrough in teleportation, the necromancers divided their dwindling numbers p, moved across Europe and Asia, and plotted their portals as a network which would one day allow their eventual takeover of the world. 

In the graveyards across countless city states, and in the hidden tombs of long forgotten kings, and on the shunned fields of ancient battles, the necromancers hid their portal entrances from mortal eyes. These Necro portals formed a network through which necromancers could travel the world, particularly through the underworld. 

Then came the discovery of the Necroverse. A quasi reality or virtual layer of reality fixed between the realms of the dead and the living. This universe became a hub for the evil undead emperor, Virulus. 

Virulus taught the necromancers the art of undead magic. In turn, the necromancers worked with the minions of Virulus to create the first new race of Necro golems. This became the legions of cyborg zombie mutants who would guard the invisible doors to the Necroverse. 

How the Necroverse is Organized

Each necroportal entrance is paired to either another door exiting to a cemetery, opening to a hidden chamber, or some other shunned vestige. There are greater portals which open directly to the Necroverse, but this are rare and well hidden. Most portals open to the nexus. 

The nexus is a series of dark corridors, typically the under halls of catacombs, which cross one another in a series of enigmatic mazes. It is within the nexus that adventurers will discover hubs between portals to the outer world and the deeper underhalls. In the darkest corridors of the nexus exist the greater doors to the Necroverse. 

Residents of the Necroverse 

Within the Necroverse there are many necropolises. These cities belong to the lords of the undead, and are home to the legions of vampire intelligences therein. 

As to the necromancers elite, they reside in their own dark towers or black pyramids at the edge of most cities of the dead. These dark wizards tend to avoid the true undead, and require a lifestyle free of distraction to perform their endless research in the dark arts of biomechatronic necromancy. 

Operation of Necro portals 

The portals which open to the nexus of dark hubs, underhalls, and to other places of the dead, are typically invisible. These portals are detectable as a barely visible shadowy substance. Spirits can pass through these portals freely. Living or undead creatures must wait for the portal to become active, or activate the portal depending upon the design of the builder of the portal, and his intended functioning. 

A portal made visible will typically have an arch made of bones, salt crystals, earth from the grave, or stonework. Metal necro portals do exist, but these are much rarer to find. A pendulum will typically be hung under the arch for a portal which operates at certain times. When the portal begins to become active, the pendulum will oscillate. 

In order to make a Necro portal visible one must either detect the portal with a spell, or have some means of seeing invisibility. If additional adjurations exist, such as illusion spells, wards, charms, or traps, then these additional obstructions must be declared in the master document by the game master. 

There are a number of means for detecting invisible portals. 

A pentacle or medallion which allows one to see the invisible world can be worn to see the portal. A remove illusions spell can reveal the true form of a disguised portal. Say for instance, a slab of stone, a tombstone, headstone, or a withered tree in a graveyard are all possible disguises for a Necro portal. 

Casting the Remove Illusion spell can reveal the portal. 

A Detect Evil spell will simply give the magician a sense of the general direction of an open portal. Throwing sand into the air can reveal the contour of a portal arch (If the portal is a physical construct). 

Traversing the Portals

Not all Necro portals are for human travel. There are those portals through which only the spirit can traverse. Thus, some portals exist for the sole purpose of summoning a gate through which demonic spirits or vampiric intelligences can enter our physical world. However, a magician casting an astral projection spell can leave his or her body, and essentially enter the spirit portal. If the portal closes, the player character is trapped in the realm where the portal open ended to. The human body will lose 1d4 life points per day without the astral body.

Most Necro portals allow for human teleportation. 

When entering the threshold of a physically constructed Necro portal, the character is impartial to the external world. That is, the humanoid form takes on the form of a shadow just as he or she is coming under the arch. The player or non-player character is declared an unhittable target. This means that no projectile can hit or harm the character under the arch entrance of the portal. Melee weapons will hit if the attacker is also shadowed by the archway. In the latter case, both characters are impartial to the physical world, and each will take on the properties of a shade while under the arch of an active portal. 

A flat surfaced portal, like that of an oval shaped mirror, does not have an arch. The character standing next to this portal can be attacked by ranged or melee weapons. However, touching the portal energy vortex with a finger, hand, head, or foot will make the target character impartial to the physical world, and thus unhittable. 

... Coming soon to RPG books on Amazon.

Diabolical RPG Adventures with Dynamic Portals!

Take courage, players! The dungeon master has some new evil goodies for you! Here we break the notion of tradition, and stand goodness on its whining head! 

Buzz! Whrr! The machinery of wickedness turns, and the gears of destruction grind at the seals of light! Before you can say "Merlin's beard!" a black portal opens, and tentacles reach out to pull you and you companions in. A most diabolical adventure commands your respect? 

Roll to save vs grappling. 

And read about these portals, you would-be heroes! 

http://9prpg.blogspot.com/2015/11/traditional-vs-dynamic-portals.html

Linear and Orbital Portal Routing Maps for RPG Fantasy Adventure

"Charge in! Break down dungeon doors! Or, seek ancient enigmas across thresholds! Linear/orbital RPG routers are different devices for different campaigns!" 

Create linear maps to run encounters in sequence. Employ linear maps for RPG adventures wherein the campaign must follow a set course of events.

Use orbital (cyclical) maps for role-playing where the universe is a far more complex array of dynamic events, spectacular interdimensional battles, and in the use of portals between numerous maps. 

If your player characters set out on a fantasy adventure quest which requires moving between maps frequently, then chances are you are running a campaign with multiple portals. A linear map is too stringent, and is intended for a low level reference map, say a kingdom or a city. The orbital map is your best friend as the game master in this situation of events, encounters, plot, and so on. 

Implement numerous maps into your role playing game by linking high and low level maps through a documented matrix of portals. 

Read Portals Manual...

 http://www.amazon.com/Portals-Manual-Nine-RPG-Supplements-ebook/dp/B019W34GXW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Chaos in RPG and Real World Comparatives

"Disregarding physics as you know it, a vortex of mist forms a doorway rippling in space/ time before you!"

Welcome wizards and warriors of fantasy and sci fi. No doubt this post is something a lot of people will enjoy a great debate about. The subject is chaos.  Well, let's dive straight in, shall we? 

The word chaos tends to bring almost instantly to mind all manner of destructive imagery. This is because modern thinkers associate dualities in nearly every aspect of life. So entrenched in this reasoning of comparable opposites, we have rather taken up our entire philosophy in science and spirituality with duality, trinity, and all manner of absolutes. This is also because critical thinkers tend to divide the components of the material world, and its functionality into terms people can comprehend on a human level. 

Got news for ya! The universe doesn't follow human laws. 

In role-playing games like Warhammer, we see chaos as a demonic force owing its allegiance to dark gods of the abyss. However, in 9Portals RPG supplements chaos is treated as a state of nonlinear, unquantifiable, and absolute stasis. 

This concept of stasis is something of a reworking of the arcane mystery in 9Portals fictional lore. In ancient times, occultists believed that chaos was a state of no movement, complete stasis, a lack of kinetic activity at any level. It is the no thing of the universe, the great void that can only be accessed by the experienced dream traveler. Well, the rest of us can at least glimpse some aspect of this absolute void, or as the Norse referred to it the well of Mim Mir. We see the absolute potential when we read of old science fiction later becoming science fact. 

But, now, back to RPG... 

What does all of this philosophy have to do with portals? 

The primary, secondary, and ancient primordial portals of the Nine Portals system are all products of this original state of non being, and these portals operate in a system based on order in the cosmos. That order, for those who have not read Portals Manual, was described in the lore regarding Gygatherion, King Futharion, Lord Veximus, the sisters of poison, and the battle for Talos. 

Now, a chaos portal construct is a teleportation device or platform which transcends the forces of order. In essence, chaos portals operate in a non linear system, and a part of the universe which is unquantifiable. Thus, chaos portals do not suffer any penalty rules for being in close proximity to other portals. This also means that chaos portals can operate in any realm or dimensional world, be it physical or virtual. Water portals tend not to operate well in infernal realms, for example. However, chaos portals work just fine in either infernal or aquatic, or wherever. 

Chaos portals are not bound to the limitations of the space/ time continuum. In fact, chaos portals are the basic building block for many artificial portals. 

Read Portals Manual here ... http://www.amazon.com/Portals-Manual-Nine-RPG-Supplements-ebook/dp/B019W34GXW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Necro Portal RPG

Climbing bone cobbled steps up to a crystal skull resting on a Dias, you sense evil behind you!

Heads up! I am working on the next epic book for Nine Portals. And this one is all about our favorite portal. Necro portals! 

Well, my favorite portal class anyhow! 

Here's what I have as a teaser for you all so far. Happy reading! 

Necro Portal 

By Thomas P. Walton

2016

Prepared by Thomas Walton for Nine Portals RPG

The infinite void is the ultimate potential for creation, manifestation, and the birth of new universes. Of all universes none is so dreadfully feared by the mortal races than the infamous Necroverse. 

The Necroverse exists as a quasi universe, a sort of virtual world laid over the realm of the dead. In this verse the necromancers elite reigns supreme. However, this Necroverse is not independent of other worlds. Rather, all mortal realms provide the necessary foundation for which the Necroverse is built upon. 

Spanning infinite realms of man and beast is a network of portals which allow for the necromancers  to enter and exit the lands of the living at will. Hidden in the tombs of kings or in the shunned necropolises or in the graveyards of modern cities are the gates to the Necroverse. 

In this infamous volume, we will explore the realm of mankind's most dreaded enemy, the undead. As a matter of course, this tome of evil fantasy will serve as a manual for game masters to map the Necroverse, plot necro portals in strategic locations, and route teleportation across various maps. 

The peak of your darkest fantasy gaming experience is limited only by your imagination. 

The Lore of Necro Portals

From the essential salt of the dead, a mixture of stone, bone, and sometimes various metals, are combined to create the arch for the entrance to the infamous realm of the undead wizards. The Necroverse must feed from the world of the living, or its magical framework will collapse into the world of the true dead. 

Once there existed the great kingdom of Gaia Saar, which was ruled by the wise and gifted seer King Futharion. It was in the south peninsula of Futharion's kingdom where the necromancers first revealed themselves to the men of Gaia Saar. This peninsula was named Talos. In ancient Talos the wizards of Alu guarded a wealth of ancient knowledge concerning the portals of the original and primordial world before Futharion's ancestry set a throne upon Gaia Saar. The vorpal technology of lord Gygatherion, Futharion's father, was the very power which destroyed the cyborg invaders of Emperor Veximus. However, the interruption of a new player on the battlefield destroyed the entire world. That player was the necromancers elite. 

... Coming soon to RPG books on Amazon. Read Portals Manual first, to gain a thorough understanding of the order of portals, primordial gates, polarities, and other properties of teleportation in RPGaming! 

http://www.amazon.com/Portals-Manual-Nine-RPG-Supplements-ebook/dp/B019W34GXW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Slip Gate Portals for Role Playing Gamers

Buzz. Whrrr. Portal access *granted*! A steel door slides open into a vortex!

This is the new illustration for slip gate artificial portals for role playing games.

A slip gate is an artificial portal created by engineering. Slip gates are powered like teleport pads, but can operate in a broader range of teleporting locations. A tele pad can only move one player character from one point on a low level map to another point on the same map. Slip gates can open to entirely other worlds, and due to their often having a data input peripheral or control panel screen, these teleport constructs can imitate elemental and primordial portals. 

Here is an example of plotting slip gates on the same map. 

The slip gates in the illustration above indicate imitation of elemental and primordial portals. 

In the illustration above we have several slip gates, and possibly a gas portal arrival point since there is an illustration of multiple players arriving at a point of reference. Each slip gate in this example has an alpha-numeric label, thus pointing to a reference on the portal router document. A second level is indicated by grated out and transparent backdrop grid. 

Here is another map. 

This map indicates a hydra portal. There is a one way arrival point indicated by a red spiral in the dead center of the map. 

An alternative map is illustrated above.

In the above illustration I am moving around objects in Visio. These objects indicate encounters. Encounters can be graphical icons, symbols, or alphanumeric callouts referencing a controlled document, usually the matrix document. 

See Portals Manual ebook on Kindle to learn more about documenting portals. 

http://www.amazon.com/Portals-Manual-Nine-RPG-Supplements-ebook/dp/B019W34GXW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Portal Crisis RPG Maps

SMASH PORTAL RPG

Portal Crisis is the Smash Portal RPG fantasy-adventure campaign set in a series of quantum leaps through various planetary pandemic scenarios. Play this RPG supplement with Dungeons and Dragons or Rifts as your base game.


First map... The overview of the lava realm.

BELOW ARE SOME POTENTIAL EXIT/ POINT OF ARRIVAL MAPS. Use these maps or your own to mark arrival points from the portals on the previous (above) maps from Portal Crisis. Alternatively, you can read the eBook for additional Portal Crisis: Book of Doors maps.

Threshaven Original RPG Maps for Portal Masters and Fantasy Gamers

The following maps were created by Thomas P. Walton for Nine Portals Fantasy Adventure RPG.

Mt. Threshaven illustrated by Frederic Havez (FHC).

 Zorbos and Threshaven inter-connected maps

 


Threshaven is the birthplace of the nine portals of power. The first appearance of the portal hub was recorded by the sage Malaar on the planet once known as Gaiasaar, but which exists now primarily as the shattered moons of Zorbos, the asteroid belt which marks the beginning of the deepest reaches of space.

The first map is the moon base HQ and command center in the region of outer-space known as Zorbos I. This moon base is a hub to all other (known) portals in this region of space.

The second map is the overview of the halls of Threshaven. It is merely one concept. Threshaven may be recreated in a number of ways by the portal master.

The third map is a lower level view of the first tier of the corridors of Threshaven.

The fourth map is the second level of tiers in the under-halls of Threshaven. A trap or portal is located in the center of the nexus of halls. This level of Threshaven is home to the necro portal and metal portal. A series of encounters are indicated in the map key.

The fifth map is the prayer room located in the Temple of the Dark Ones, as indicated on the Threshaven overview map.

The sixth map is the secret chamber of the Temple of the Dark Ones. There is a corridor of beacons, water nodes, and pillars between the two portals on this map (Slip gate on the left. Water portal on the right.).

The seventh map is an overview of the hidden hydro portal.

The eighth map is another variant of the under halls of Threshaven.

The ninth map: Tunnel access mechanical fact sheet.

The tenth map is the second HQ, controlled by the machine men (enemies of humanity), which is located in that section of space known as Zorbos II.

The eleventh map is the mechanical cube base of the machine men. This massive, mega damage construct is located in the ultimate void. A teleportation platform at the center of the map is linked to the previous map of Zorbos II.

Random tunnel map generated on the right. This linear map has a few options for entry/ exit points, and encounters with NPC's.

This portal matrix demonstrates the approximate non-localized inter-connectivity of the various realms, including Terra X (cube planet), the celestial planes of space, the outer planes of Zorbos, and the elemental planes as potential arrival points for your other portals.

In order to route these portals properly, you'll need this portal router chart, or one similar to it.

The following router demonstrates how routing portals across various maps/ realms is accomplished, as well as what documents contain mechanical or portal specs relevant to the maps.

For those players who really enjoy the necroverse, and the use of necro portals, please implement this router into your quest.