Occult Factions

2026-10-14T11:08:19Z

Bink: Bink moved page Occult Factions to Occult Entities

#REDIRECT [[Occult Entities]]

Occult Entities

2026-10-14T11:08:19Z

Bink: Bink moved page Occult Factions to Occult Entities

==Occult Entities==

Since the creation of the Pact and the sealing off of the UK, Cambridge has been exposed to many non-human entities. ‘Occult Entities’ can refer to any supernatural creature, but most people use more specific terms.

Occult entities can vary widely; some are from other worlds or dimensions known as ‘Outworlds’ and share common traits with others from the same Outworld, whilst other occult entities resemble supernatural creatures from Britain’s history, like ghosts.

==Outworld Entities==

‘Outworld entities’ are any creature that comes from another world/dimension (an ‘Outworld’); all the devils of Hell, for example, are ‘Outworld entities’. Outworld entities vary in power and appearance but they are defined by, and remain connected to, the Outworld from which they came

‘Greater Powers’ are the largest Outworld entities. They have no defined physical form and cannot leave their Outworld directly - instead, they are capable of possessing willing creatures, and legally acknowledged entities may do so freely. There is typically only one ‘Greater Power’ per Outworld.

‘Lesser Powers’ are fully capable of leaving their outworld and have a physical form. Many reside legally in the UK.

The below are all of the publicly known, and officially acknowledged, Outworld entities. Players will be aware of them and the information given below unless they have been deliberately avoiding this information.

Other Outworld entities exist and may be discovered in play. Players may wish to have interacted with other Outworld entities before play and should contact the ref team in such cases, but government groups, particularly MI-13, are extremely suspicious of such activities.

===The Minister for External Affairs===
[[Image:TheMinister.png|right]]
'''Designation:''' Greater Power

''Iron again, Jeremy? Why is it never flowers that smell of heartbreak, or something interesting?''

The original entity that started the cascade of change that saw the UK cut off from the rest of the world. Since the Pact (details highly classified) was created in 1946, the Minister has worked to provide the UK with the raw materials and money it needed to function after WWII. Whilst the majority of their work is for the Government as part of the [[Ministry]] of External Affairs, interest groups and other large projects are permitted to approach them for assistance

Despite being the longest-residing Outworld entity in the UK, little is known about them; they are quiet and soft spoken, they have publicly clashed with the Queen of Hell over policy, and whilst they are perfectly willing to provide basic raw materials, they prefer requests with a little more…imagination.

'''Likes:''' Imaginative thinking and ‘out of the box’ solutions, unusual requests

'''Dislikes:''' The unimaginative, insomniacs, the [[Queen of Hell]]

'''Known Epithets:''' Giver of Gifts

'''Outworld:''' Unknown at present

===Mirian, Queen of Hell===
[[Image:Mirian.png|right]]
'''Designation:''' Greater Power

''Ah! Of course I’m interested, petal, I’m always open for business! What do you have to offer me?''

Bursting into the public eye in the 1950s as the patron of the [[New Hellfire Club]], the Queen of Hell lives to make a splash. There are few high society galas that she does not grace, no area of the arts disdains her patronage, and her contacts in politics are many. Wherever she goes, she is determined to be the centre of attention.

The head of the Bureaucracy of Hell, served directly by the Triumvirate, the Ars Goetia and ultimately every lesser devil, she has a distinct love of the finer things in life; fine wines, beautiful fabrics, and of course, the most precious thing a girl can possess - the human soul. She is open to any deal, at any time, and claims she rewrote her Outworld specifically for humans to navigate and benefit from. She patronises poets, artists, gamblers and drug dealers, but above all, the ambitious.

'''Likes:''' Making deals, luxury, new experiences, cultural figures and hedonists

'''Dislikes:''' The same old same old, the meek and plain, freebies

'''Known Epithets:''' She Comes Crowned in Flame and Splendour, Gloriana, Bard of Bards

'''Outworld:''' The Bureaucracy of Hell

====Bael, Archdevil of Hell, Third of the Triumvirate====

'''Designation:''' Lesser Power

Patron of politicians and head of several political interest groups.

====Paemon, Archdevil of Hell, Third of the Triumvirate====

'''Designation:''' Lesser Power

Obsessed with pushing the limits of the world, they have taken an interest in the sciences.

====Asmodeus, Archdevil of Hell, Third of the Triumvirate====

'''Designation:''' Lesser Power

An ‘old school’ devil who deals in the occult; items, knowledge and power.

===Devils and Imps===
Whilst many inhabitants of Hell remain in their Outworld, many have chosen to move to the UK since the emergence of their Queen, and reside there as citizens.

Devils are physically similar to humans and possess human-like intelligence, but they can be distinguished from humanity by their prominent horns, mimicking those found on deer, rams, or goats.

Imps are created as simple servants, canon fodder, and lackeys, and are of limited intelligence and sentience. They range from what are essentially automata, non-thinking and non-speaking, to being capable of cognition and basic speech, though they interpret orders 100% literally without direct oversight.

==Native Entities==

‘Native’ entities, on the other hand, cover any creature of suspected supernatural origin that originates in the UK - no-one is entirely sure if they existed before the emergence of Outside entities, though of course there are stories going back centuries of witches, ghosts and other creatures. As such, native entities are far less easy to define and verify; spirits are the only native entities that have been confirmed by MI-13 to exist.

Spirits - Apparitions of the dead and consistent with the ghost stories of history, spirits are most commonly found around incursion sites but can be found anywhere. Debate amongst scientists and theologians has not led to agreement on whether they are truly ‘trapped souls’ or simply some imprinted reflection of the deceased. Whatever the case may be, while most are somewhat limited, repeating the patterns and habits of the deceased, they seem semi-aware and can be interacted with in a limited capacity. Others, however, are far more animalistic and violent, akin to the poltergeists of folklore.

There are even some stories of fully cognisant, sentient spirits who are otherwise indistinguishable from humans, but these reports are unverified.

Regular Order

2026-10-11T21:09:37Z

Bink:

Your regular order is the method by which you deliver calls granted by drinks in combat, tying to your regular order at the bar.

There are four choices - two for delivering melee calls, and two for delivering ranged calls.

These can be changed in-play, but doing so may be costly.

The calls delivered in this way depend on [[#Drinks|drinks]] from the Bar. The selection available can be increased in-play.

Regular Orders that grant melee calls also allow you to use a 24” weapon or a buckler in your off hand

{| class="wikitable"
| rowspan=2 | Melee
|Shots
|3 calls per encounter, no cooldown
|-
|Pints
|Unlimited calls, 10 second cooldown between each
|-
| rowspan=2 | Ranged
|Flutes
|3 calls per encounter, 10 second cooldown between each
|-
|Glasses
|Unlimited calls, 5 seconds of roleplay required before the call.

Movement (but not damage) interrupts the call.
|}

==Drinks==
The following drinks will be available at player start and provide the associated call:

{| class="wikitable"
!Top Shelf
!Middle Shelf
!Bottom Shelf
|-
|Cuba Libre - [[DOUBLE]]
|Mojito - [[DRAG]]
|Daiquiri - +2 Hits
|-
|Bushwhacker - [[SHATTER]]
|Mai Tai - [[REPEL]]
|Painkiller - [[HEAL]]
|-
|
|
|Fluffy Duck - Advanced weapon skills (access to polearms & full sized shields)
|}

Regular Order

2026-10-11T20:50:14Z

Bink:

Your regular order is the method by which you deliver calls in combat, tying to your regular order at the bar.

There are four choices - two for delivering melee calls, and two for delivering ranged calls.

These can be changed in-play, but doing so may be costly.

The calls delivered in this way depend on [[#Drinks|drinks]] from the Bar. The selection available can be increased in-play.

Regular Orders that grant melee calls also allow you to use a 24” weapon or a buckler in your off hand

{| class="wikitable"
| rowspan=2 | Melee
|Shots
|3 calls per encounter, no cooldown
|-
|Pints
|Unlimited calls, 10 second cooldown between each
|-
| rowspan=2 | Ranged
|Flutes
|3 calls per encounter, 10 second cooldown between each
|-
|Glasses
|Unlimited calls, 5 seconds of roleplay required before the call.

Movement (but not damage) interrupts the call.
|}

==Drinks==
The following drinks will be available at player start and provide the associated call:

{| class="wikitable"
!Top Shelf
!Middle Shelf
!Bottom Shelf
|-
|Cuba Libre - [[DOUBLE]]
|Mojito - [[DRAG]]
|Daiquiri - +2 Hits
|-
|Bushwhacker - [[SHATTER]]
|Mai Tai - [[REPEL]]
|Painkiller - [[HEAL]]
|-
|
|
|Fluffy Duck - Advanced weapon skills (access to polearms & full sized shields)
|}

2026-10-07T11:27:00Z

Bink: /* Scholar */

Each Career has a Root skill and several optional skills available. You start with '''2''' optional skills.

==Scholar==
{| class="wikitable"
!Skill
!Description
|-
|Séance (Root Skill)
|Create and dismantle OOPAs by leading a [[Séance]].

Must be performed as a [[Group Skill]].
|-
|Expert Contact
|Can call "[[Would You Kindly]] Accept My Credentials" as an academic expert on the subject

You can also take an additional [[downtime]] action to Investigate using your contacts
|-
|A Study in Batrachology
|1/interactive, can receive a hint from refs on your current puzzle.

Can send high-priority messages via the Frogsimile machine once per interactive. (You speak frog.) You can also send encoded messages via the Frogsimile machine, which can only be read by the recipient.
|-
|{{Definition|Eye for the Occult}}
|Can analyse [[OOPA]]s to discover hints about their cores; you can also look at Burdens before handing them out during a séance
|-
|Reference Encyclopedia
|When trying to research a single question, you can consult your store of magical reference materials. This consultation may give a direct answer to the question asked, but will most likely tell you where to look next to find the information needed.

Bigger or less specific questions (for example ‘What agreements were made in the Pact’) will provide vaguer answers, or will result in being given the next step, not the endpoint.
|-
|Protective Circle
|You can set up a static [[EFFECT]] on an area to keep something non-mobile dangerous out (or in). (Essentially, to buy time when exposed to something unexpected).
|-
|Magical Analysis
|You can analyse [[EFFECT]]s and magical items (i.e. spellbooks, magical wards, etc) to gain more information about them. Using this skill risks side effects.

Can be performed as a [[Group Skill]]. More people assisting can reduce the side effects
|}

==Official==
{| class="wikitable"
!Skill
!Description
|-
|Official Stamp (Root Skill)
|You can initiate [[contract negotiations]] with other entities, and have access to Writs that others do not.

During interactives, provided you are present and have declared yourself as an Official, Outside entities are disinclined to directly harm anyone present for fear of official repercussions.

Can be used as a [[Group Skill]].
|-
|Official Badge
|Can call "[[Would You Kindly]] Accept my Credentials as a Public Official"

You can also take an additional downtime to Engineer an Encounter using your credentials
|-
|Sanctioned Networking
|You begin play with a Ministerial Writ, allowing you to extract certain favours in contract negotiations at no personal cost.
|-
|Extra Requisitions
|You may request specific items via official channels - this may be a list of employees that work in a graveyard, the remains of a destroyed artefact, or access cards for a prohibited area. You may need to justify or make a deal for the request, depending on what you’re asking.
|-
|Gifted Speaker
|1/encounter, may call “[[Would You Kindly]] tell me, was that a lie?”

Once per encounter, you can call [[MASS]] [[EFFECT]]: Don’t Start a Fight after 15 seconds of conversation
|-
|Smooth Talker
|After 15 seconds of conversation, you can call [[EFFECT]]: Emotion on a single character. This works on Occult entities and creatures that may not understand you, though unintelligent targets may not react as expected.
|-
|Iron Will
|When under emotion [[EFFECT]]s, you may choose to respond instead with an emotion of your choice.

Once per encounter, when you would take a [[Would You Kindly]] call, you can choose to take it as an emotion [[EFFECT]] call of your choice instead of following the command.
|}

==Occultist==
{| class="wikitable"
!Skill
!Description
|-
|Student of the Outer Art (Root Skill)
|Can perform [[Rituals]] using a ritual circle
|-
|I Know A Guy
|You have access to an unregistered Frogsimile address for the criminal underground, allowing you to engineer an encounter in uptime with a dodgy character for information or resources. (This must be done before Last Orders are called.)
|-
|Occult Informer
|You can quickly assess a scene to see if the veil is thin, and more information might be obtained by investigating it.

If the veil is thin, you spend 15 seconds of roleplay to summon an entity and ask them one question about events that occurred in that location. More specific questions will obtain more specific answers but the answer will always be generally useful. The watcher may or may not extract a price for their information.

Can be used as a [[Group Skill]].
|-
|Arcane Resistance
|Can ignore 1 wound or RP effect generated by casting a [[ritual]]

You can use this skill to alleviate your current WOUNDS (not your wound tab) until the end of the event. Yo u can bolster terminal characters to allow them to function normally, but not to prevent them dying.
|-
|I’ve Seen This Before
|After 15 seconds of appropriate roleplay, you can analyse completed rituals for an idea of the effect.
|-
|Destruction
|You can use brute force on an object to destroy it (magical or otherwise). Can be used on doors, [[OOPA]]s, walls, etc, or on items resistant to mundane destruction. Call [[EFFECT]]: DESTROY.

For OOPAs, this effect will damage the housing beyond repair, preventing OOPA function, but specialised magic may be able to salvage the core.

Can also be used to destroy another EFFECT - larger effects may be replaced with smaller ones, possibly spread around. Either way, you’re probably going to improve the situation.

Can be used as a [[Group Skill]].
|-
|Sealing Ritual
|You can spend 1 minute of appropriate role-playing sealing an unresisting person or magical item to cut off any communication or magical [[EFFECT]]s it is causing, and suppressing any effects from contact with an Outside entity. By default, this lasts until the end of the event, but stronger effects may require a greater effort to seal away and may only last a few minutes.

Can be used as a [[Group Skill]]. More participants will result in a stronger seal.
|}

==Warden==
{| class="wikitable"
!Skill
!Description
|-
|Astral Anchoring (Root Skill)
|Can [[Astral Projection|Astrally Project]] and your spirit can interact loosely at the other end to learn more information
|-
|Standard Autopsy Protocols
|You can disassemble unusual biological corpses, or magical wreckage for information, or other resources. This cannot be performed on normal humans. This can only be done once per event per warden, and cannot be done while under pressure.

This is not the Destruction skill and cannot be used in place of it.

Can be used as a [[Group Skill]].
|-
|This One’s On Me
|Once per event you may take a live WOUND from another player after 15s of appropriate roleplay, when not under pressure. This WOUND goes onto your tab immediately. You permanently gain +1 to your maximum hits each time you do this.
|-
|Fearsome Reputation
|You can call [[Would You Kindly]] Fear.

Once per encounter you can use [[Would You Kindly]] Consider Me Dangerous.
|-
|Astral Accompaniment
|You can bring another person with you when astral projecting. They may go in a different direction to you exactly once, and can travel only one junction further independently without severe hazards. (If they reach an endpoint, great! If not, they might take Wounds to go further.)
|-
|Mundane Scout
|You can examine non-magical items to discern more information about them.

Three times/event you can theorise about what lies ahead. (Refs will let you know what the signs you’re seeing seem to indicate.)
|-
|Smuggler
|You can make a quick assessment of a character to determine if they are carrying any valuables, or specifically weapons (you can ask “OC do you have any unsmuggled game items?” and “OC do you have any unsmuggled weapons?”). This can't be used while under pressure.

You can smuggle two items up to the size of a one-handed weapon or buckler, and unlimited items up to the size of a dagger. Do not hand over those items to a searcher on the completion of a search, unless you are terminal or dead. You must plausibly physically conceal the items.
|}

==Group Skills==
Some skills can be performed as Group Skills (and a few must be performed as Group Skills). A group skill is led by a character with the skill, but other characters can assist them to improve the effect.

Group skills take at least one minute to perform. If you want to perform a group skill on an unwilling target then inform a ref and they'll brief you on any requirements and adjudicate.

If you are participating in but not leading a group skill and you stop roleplaying, your contribution is lost from the result and you cannot rejoin, but the skill can continue.

Open Palms:About

2026-10-07T03:12:27Z

Bink: Created page with "Open Palms is the game for Cambridge LARP Society for 2026-2027. Written by Seffie Davison, Gina Evans and Tom Merriam."

Open Palms is the game for Cambridge LARP Society for 2026-2027.

Written by Seffie Davison, Gina Evans and Tom Merriam.

MediaWiki:Privacy

2026-10-07T03:10:18Z

Bink: Created page with "-"

2026-10-06T20:58:56Z

Bink: /* Incipience - Skill Specialisation */

In Open Palms, characters specialise in many different ways, by a variety of means.

==Incipience - Skill Specialisation==
[[Image:Incipience.png|right]]
If you have been using a skill unusually, creatively, or both, you may discover an Incipience, as the way the skill works for you is about to change. These will be presented as a card with a new version of that skill, as well as the conditions to unlock it. Once unlocked, that becomes the way that skill works for you from then on.

For example, if you routinely use your Official Stamp to create Contracts for temporary favours, acting as a small-scale power-broker, you might receive the following Incipience: Power Broker.

Skill specialisation is permanent, but not mandatory: You can retrain away the skill at any time, or simply choose not to fulfil an Incipience when you get it. They are not rewards from the refs for preferred “styles” of play - if you feel you have been doing something creative and we haven’t noticed, please reach out and let us know! Chances are we’ve just missed it.

==The Copa de Cambio==
[[Image:Cambio.png]]
The reward for the bar’s [[Murder Mystery Nights]], the Copa de Cambio grants the drinker a single, one-word wish, which it fulfils according to its own mysterious whims. This will primarily affect the drinker’s physical and metaphysical attributes, rather than skills. While the effects in-character will be somewhat unpredictable, the refs will discuss the mechanical effects with the player involved, to make sure the results are both fun and balanced.

An example result might be a wish for FIREARMS, leading the drinker’s arms to be permanently made of fire; if the player wants a primarily combat-based effect, they might be able to add FLAME to any call. By contrast, if they want an effect linked to (for example) astral projection, they might find that they can manipulate shapes in the flame to communicate with those in the waking world while they travel the Aether. (These examples are weaker than a typical result would be!)

==OOPAs==
[[OOPA]]s are powerful, and customisable. A player might have a preferred item, and choose to make it the Housing of a powerful occult Core in order to further specialise their character. While not bound to the player (or character), this can be an effective way to gain a mechanical advantage linked to your preferred style of play.

==Rituals==
A character can be under the effects of one [[Rituals|Ritual]] at a time, each of which provides a different, typically long-lasting effect. At game start, this can include preventing up to one wound per event, but many more can be discovered in play.

==Contracts==
Binding others to you via [[Contract Negotiations|Contracts]] is both specific to the signers of the contract, and can be a great way to specialise a character. (For example, a Devil contracted to serve as a bodyguard will have a major impact on how your character moves through the world.)

==The Wider World==
Players can join cults, own buildings, start businesses, and otherwise interact with the wider world. This will mostly affect [[Downtime]], though major changes to the status quo in the game’s world may well be reflected in what goes on during events.

Murder Mystery Nights

2026-10-06T20:58:47Z

Bink: /* How to Play */

[[Image:Cambio.png|right]]
The Basilica plans to begin laying on Murder Mystery nights as soon as it can, which is likely to be a few weeks later than gaining its mandate for licensed occultism (interactive 3 or 4). Once they begin, however, the bar plans to run them every week, with a widely-coveted prize available: the greatest drink the bar can produce, the Copa de Cambio. Rumour has it that just one drop can - and does - change your life.

==How to Play==
Once the Murder Mystery nights begin, they will consist of five steps:

'''Acquisition:''' The murder weapon is always poison, ordered as the Last Drop from the bar. (We strongly recommend placing this order in secret.) There is only ever one available; if you try to order it and don’t hear back, it is sold out.

'''Envenomation:''' The poison is delivered. If you are in possession of the Last Drop, you can pass it on to someone else, or take a risk and drink it yourself. If you are poisoned, but do not wish to participate in the murder mystery night, simply hand it back to whomever handed it to you. However, if you do so, you are then forbidden from interacting with the mystery further, since you already know whodunnit. (Please hand it back covertly, so as to not spoil the mystery. If it’s not clear who gave it to you, please return it to the bar staff.)

'''Revelation:''' The attempt is revealed. This is done by the victim, within five minutes of being poisoned, loudly declaring “I’ve been poisoned!”. The first three people to approach the victim become the other participants in the mystery, for a total of up to five: culprit, victim, and witnesses.

'''Investigation:''' The witnesses have a further five minutes to gather information. They can question other patrons, look for clues, and generally seek out ways to discover whodunnit. (Patrons, particularly the victim, can lie! However, while there may be creative ways to use Skills to help determine guilt or innocence, no method is foolproof.)

'''Declaration:''' After the five minutes, the witnesses must come together to declare who they believe to be the culprit. When the three have chosen, the murder mystery draws to a close, and the Bar staff declare the result. If the witnesses are correct, the prize goes to them, if not, the culprit and victim share it. (This does mean the victim is incentivised to cover up their own murder.)

Whichever side wins, that team must decide who will drink from the Copa de Cambio. (If a decision can’t be made, it will be determined randomly from among the players who least recently did so.) They may then make a one-word wish, which the drink is known to attempt to grant. (Refs will talk to you about the mechanical implementation of this.) This is a fast, but comparatively unstable, means of [[Character Specialisation|character specialisation]], and will primarily affect your character physically or metaphysically, rather than making you better at a skill.

The losing team, however, will receive Wounds as a result of the backlash from the murder being redirected towards them.