Leonardo Da Vinci - Lost Notebooks
Leonardo Da Vinci - Lost Notebooks
Leonardo Da Vinci - Lost Notebooks
A
I
a
INTRODUCTION .............. poralis
The Nature of Magickal Energies.....I3 (Temporal Engine) .. 67
Ingenium Integrita
The Theory of Harnessing Magick ....14 (Integrity Engine) ..................
Magick Through Mechanical Ingenium Sustentaculus (Li
Contrivance ....................... .I6 I
Sustenance Engine)
" . ........... ,
Miscellany and Addenda ............I8 Ingenium Curareus
BOOK ONE: 1495 ...............20 (Healing Engine) .. .............74
Infundibulum Potentia Ingenium Phlogiston
(Draining Engine) ................. .21 (Levitation Engine)
Imagum Illusorius BOOK SIX: 1500 . I
I
mondo, B dato per penetevuia &e lor medesimi sivazino essa vita, e che MOM
possegghino la utilitb e bellezzza del wondo.
(2must also m a k e mention that he, that is, /2/la,ximilian 4 has faken for a bride
B i a n c a maria Sforza. may fheir marriage be f;MiifuI a n d a joy to all. A n d
speaking ofmarriages, &e sforza family has fltrher expanded their connec-
yet fail to fitlfill the intent for which 3 developed them, which, inescapablB indi-
cates that my observations or deductions are at times found wanting.This 3
find most appalling, a n d thoroughly inexcusable. Fovtunately, the Duke is a
patient man with my dabblings.
o M t s i d e world. J
my method of Orga
3
must be organized in this mannev of investigation, more so, J a d m i t ,
&an is my usual wont, for J too readily allow my enthusiasm to overrun
a n d stampede down my deliberation, a n d as a result my work can suffer
f k m oversights a n d ineficiency, as J have learned anew with my invention
1I
ofthe armored chariot. J s h a l l here, then, apply to myself an unaccustomed
oPganization, that, while pursuing &is heretfore unexplored s c i e n e , J might
avoid the glaring e r w r ofoverlooking significa in my haste to reach the ends.
Tshusly shall my newest Codex be o r d e
The j v a h r e
t The Theory o f f l a m e s s i n
/Mechanical
ny and Addenda
Tshere.POW
J a m ovganized.
ttte Pope is said to have d to Castel Sant'Angelo. J a m glad for it/ for J
wodd not see the head ofthe church thhreatened.
3 tive meetings with the woman from the village, who at last, with
s o m e plying of wine a M d gold, has condescended to share with m e
some of her insights, although she has a tendency to stray +m the
swbject at hand, has demonstrated to my satisfaction that here are
indeed four facets of the magickal powers which permeate the Gav&.Tlqis
as 3 had surmised, for the effervescence which these powers eFude can b e
is
Spiritual magicks are those which impinge directly upon the human spirit,
that eternal and inviolate part of all of us, granted to us for our eternal salva-
tion by our Creator.'tt.\ehealth a n d state of our spirit i s of paramount import
to the health of o u r bodies, as c a n be demonstrated by the dilapidated posi-
tion of hose most sinf..l a n d corrupt people, who then succumb to leprosy a n d
other ailments. With spiritual magicks might one influence o r dominate the
activities of the pevson.6
OMS effovts of human o r
mechanical will u p o h
~e
magickal enevgies, pre-
venting them from wnvav-
eling, as is their wont.
Since hamans ate pc~
sessed of weukness
mechanical contvol of
magickal energies .
]MEctlfiJvJCfiL CON
have studied ca~~?fLlly
the manners in whi
-these ave some methods by which J believe we might be able to entangle &e
magickal ene-ies such that they shall pvoduce unusual resulf~,for the w n t o r -
tion of natural lines ofmagickal energy shall itself cause a contohaonofthe
C m t i o n about tfieentanglement, and hence what might be termed an abnormal
situation, al&ough magick is, itsel5 natwral. /Much as credting a n alchemical $re
causes an abnormal heat, yet all is perfectly natural.
that the tireless appliccltion of the machine to the task shall be balanced
discrimination, a n d that the result shall b e as efficacious as
b e obtained by human will a l o n e . A n d 3 have no training in
a n y as might
magick thvough the application ofthe will besides.
3do not believe that the magickal energies ave infinite in nature,
in a given time. For although they may gvow, does the grass, there is never
AS
a n infinite supply of gwss for the harvesting, either. CJt is unfortunate that the
mechanical devices shall consume the magickal energies in the i y i m g of&
bindings, or knots, o r what have you, and therefore that it shall be impossible
to create a permanent magickal effect,for to have a building suppov+edaloft
o n ai5 by means of a magickal contrivance, would be most impressive to all,
a n d a sure construction to d r a w the curious from across the continent, and
bolster trade. A n d intewst in my works shall be widespvead indeed. 11
jA~otherCovMlnissioM
to paint a vendition of The Last Supper.
monastery of S a n t a maria delle G r a z i e has asked, a n d the sum he
has ofered is most wo.thY, especially in the service of these men ofGod. J
find it somewhat amusing that they wish for me to pla painting in &e
dining hall of their monasteT. Perhaps hey wish the that they dine
with O u r Savior, o r pedqaps some of them prefer to think of their bvethven as
3udas. J a m certainly merely jed’ng, here. J p n d the monks most pious indi-
viduals, quite unlike h e i r spiritual leader, filexander VI. J look forward gveat-
ly io this task, for J s h a l l endeavor to exceed all my works gone before with
this one, for their benept a n d approbation. they a r e suvely most intelligent to
turn to me for such a decoration, as none is my compare.
Of &kxgikaI r i e s o ~ u ~ c e
i s my belief that the flare of light, or iIIum eratea by the
3 unraveling of one of these magickal knots, is c a u s e d by the magickal
r e s o n a n c e of friction as the magickal lines of force pu a g a i n s t e a c h other,
much as among mundane ropes, s u c h friction produ
to my best observations, the color of light so disposed
a knot shall d e p e n d upon its shape, which is to say what additional
shapes are bound into the knot, beyond the basic form which produces
light. A n d the aspect of paleness or deepness of the light so produced
. shall d e p e n d on how much extra of the lines is pulle
which is to say, how much slack is afforded the kno
or intensiv, or translucence of the light so created s
the tightness of the magickal knot so bound. 3
3 had originally believed that it would be n e c e s s a
J n g e n i a S o l a r i i to c a u s e a detailed image to b e created, linked together
a n d carefully a r r a n g e d . B u t MOW 3 see that is a single device, an J m a g u m
Jllusorius c a n be built to perform the work of many 3 n g e n i a Solarii, by the
addition to the Jvlgeniam Solaris of several adjustments, e a c h of which shall
affect the c r e a t i o n of the knots which the Jngenium produces at that
moment, and, which moving, c a u s e their effects to wax a n d w a n e in a peri-
odic f a s h i o n . t h e adjustments ofthis, as Y shall c a l l it, J m a g u m Jllusorius, in
their orbit and rotation a b o w t the central portion wherein the magickal knots
a r e tied, efigender differences between the knots, and h e n c e c a n b e so cal-
ibrated, through careful a n d studious efforts, to c a u s e an image of any sort
which might be imagined, a n d the more conscientious the calibration a n d
alignment of these effectors, the m o r e detailed a n d pleasing the i m a g e shall
be to the eye. Given a sufficient speed of operation of the J m a g u m
Jllusorius, the rapidity with which the knots a r e tied shall b e of such great
moment that the created illusion shall not be s e e n to flicker or pulsate,
much as the wings of a hummingbird proceed with s u c h swiftmess that
a p p e a r to b e a mist, a n d n o t solid. O n c e 3 have found a suitable crafisman
here in Milano, p e r h a p s 3 shall pursue this for the pleasure of the Duke, for
3 could create a statue of his father far greater than a n y 3 could of metal
alone. J n the meantime, 3 shall not build this ingenium, for J find the City
Watch m a k e s frequent passes by my w
inceJ h a v e d e m o n s t r a t e d to my satisfaction, that a n ingeni-
um which shall create a visual i m a g e is completely feasible,
e v e n within the c u r r e n t limits of technical expertise, although
preferably e n g i n e e r e d by o n e m o r e practiced t h a n 3, it shall
b e likewise possible to create a n ingenium wliich shall manifest a n unre-
ril s o u n d for the h e a r i n g a n d entertainment.
of- this Y ~ g e ~ i c r m
Desig~
he d e s i g n of this ingenium r e q u i r e s a differing s o r t of magickal
knot, which shall b e as illustrated here, with the alignment of the
gears not in right angles, as with the J m a g u m JIIusorius, but instead at
a n a n g l e of sixty degrees, as illustrated here, which shall create the sort
of knot requived.
era1 version of the water wheel. 9 s the Jngenium Jnfernus operates, which
shall have fo be for a lengthy time, a n d hence shall require a very large
a n d powerflrl mainspring, i t shall cause the w a t e r within the sealed contain-
Ir
been captured at Rapallo, and these prizes which have been captured
might become suitable experiments for Jnferno-empowered vessels, which
shall not then b e forced to rely upon oatrsmen o r the winds for their mobility.
B u t with these prizes tests may b e undertaken without removing a n y ready
warships from commission.The design of s u c h a vessel will m e a n that the
Jnferno jMechanism shall propel a sort of w a t e r wheel, which instead of
?
using moving w a t e r to propel an engine, i t shall move the engine along sta-
tionary w a t q propelling the ship forward. J n this m a n n e r might a vessel
run directly into the wind, without tacking, a n d escape pursuit, o r ovevtake
those sailing vessels which i t p u r s u e s . Similavly, while a n enemy oarship
ill be forced to contend with the exhaustion of those pulling strokes, the
' vessel powered by a n Jnferno jMechanism shall find g r e a t e r energy in the
pwtrsuit, for leaving a n area w h e r e its operation had depleted the local
magickal energies shall i n c r e a s e the efficacy of the ingenium.7
to jUaMk;Md
BOOM
be used for the heating of build-
%
7? e Znferno M e c h a n i s m c a n also
i n g s . t h e pipings which e m a n a t e from the M e c h a n i s m itself shall be
distributed a b o u t the building, a n d shall convey the s t e a m so p r o d u c e d by
the M e c h a n i s m to the variows rooms. When inside these rooms, the s t e a m
shall be m a d e to pass through a n array of thin pipes, the better with which
to c a u s e the s t e a m to yield M p its heat, a n d c o n d e n s e o n c e m o r e into wate9
whereupon the water shall d r a i n of its o w n accord, a n d gravity, back to the
bottom of the building, there to poMr a g a i n into the ,Mechanism, where it
may be heated o n c e m o r e into s t e a m , in a continuous cycle.
J. .S
J a v e nowheard tell that the F r e n c h h a v e been defeated utterlyj
that their a r m y has capitulated at N o v a r a , a n d that CharlesV1II
a n d his soldiers h a v e retreated back into F r a n c e . n i s h a s
shown that Ferdinand I1 has more of God a b o u t him t h a n the
entirety of the self-proclaimed Holy League, for they crumbled in battle,
while Ferdinand's troops enacted the will of God by driving the French
back home, a n d freeing Jtalia from their tyranny.
J have not h e a r d thai the Pope h a s made a n omment o n the matte
has run its c o u r s e , a n d CJ a m devoid of new a n d interesting ideas at
this moment.this i s met with much a p p r o b a t i o n on my part, as i t will
give my h a n d s a better c h a n c e to heal, that 3 might not only write, but
also continme t h e painting of’the Last Suppet; which J have had to
postpone temporarily, d u e to the incident of which 3 h a v e a l r e a d y m a d e
mention.8
J n a n y event,
the lack of
great and
renowned
inspirations
leads m e to
pursue the
antithesis of
my previous
invention, to
wit: a n
which i s simi-
l a r in relation
the J w a g u m i\;l
Jllusorius is to
the Jmagum
/MelOS. ‘that
is, it is a simi-
lar concept, but a differing knot. J n this case, as the knots are driven
into dissolution, they radiate coldness, which c a u s e s the area a b o u t the
Jngenium to i n c r e a s e in the a m o u n t of c o l d n e s s i t possesses.-this is
done b e c a u s e although the knot is virtually identical to t h a t of those
which emit heat, these knots a r e tied in a mannev which, stepwise, i s the
opposite of t h e other; a n d thcts, they emit c o l d n e s s which infuses the s u r -
roctndings, e v e n to t h e point of smmmoning frost. Or so is my theory.
-
~ - -______ -
best to isolate it from the heat of the outside, and surrounded by thick stone
or wood, and tlTe walls covered with fmrs. 3 n h i s frigidator might wine and
other foodstuffs be safely stored, and for a great length of time. As no
spoilage will occur when the corruption of the heat is done away with.
AhDnoRJus
J~~~~~~~
( C L f i m U D 3 E j V E EjWGYjWG)
is now the S u n d a y afterGaster, a n d while attending services this
that the Fiar Savonavola has continued to cause grief t o the Pope.
the story i s that Savonarola, despite being enjoined from preach-
to do so all thvough Lent, and with more passion a n d fervor
ing, c o n t i n ~ e d
than before, as he is now quite fiwly considered to be a leading figure in the
city. Why, i t appeaw that the entire city of Rrewze shall rally unto him a n d
back upon this Pope, a n d not a moment too soon, for my opinion, for
tmrn i t s
this Alexander i s so vile, that to tmrn a w a y from him is to e m b r a c e God. 3t is
time that these protestevs sought to reform the church. Bcct 3 wonder what
T
OntinMe to be a w a z e d at the a r r o g a n c e of our AIexaHderVI.
No,he i s not ours really, he i s a S p a n i a r d , for no Jtalian that 3
know could act with shch an unashamed abandon, and so fla-
grantly violate the laws of ethics. Here 3 h a v e had news that the
Pope has annulled the m a r r i a g e of Lctcrezia of the Borgias, to Giovanni
S f o r z a . t h a t which the Pope himself a r r a n g e d is now annulled! H e has,
with a Pick of his ringed hand, declared that all that has h a p p e n e d
between Ciiovanni a n d Lucrezia has never occurred! As if he had the
power to rewrite history.
-they w e r e only married fow years ago.3 witnessed the c e r e m o n y . t h e y
e n t e r e d togethev t h e bridal suite, after much E.,,elry of course, a n d have
been together since. And MOW the Pope is going to pretend for all time that
these events never occurred. 3 must wondeu; what of their consummation?
Does this annulment of the marriage make Lucrezia into a n adulteress? O r
has that been swept away by divine license as well? Perhaps she is a virgin
anew. Next, the Pope may annul the fact that the wind blows. What then?
And at all this, he still has the audacity to have Savonarola arrested. 3
hear he is to stand trial, but 3 have no hopes that right will win out, for he
is indeed a devilish Pope. 3t may be blasphemy to say it, for the Pope is
held to be infallible'by the grace of God, but it is true, and 3 shall say it. 3
shall not, however; repeat it to others.
Ah' now the plot is s e e n to thicken, and the plans of the Pope to bear
fruit. For no s o o n e r is Lctcrezia's marriage annulled, than she is
betrothed to Alfonso of Napoli. Her father and brothers kick her about like
a ball on the street! And with as much concern for her happiness, or well-
being. Or her respect, for J a m certain that in the upper circle of society
she is now looked upon as a doing o r a prize horse, to be had for favors to
the Pope. Ah, 3 am incensed.
Of the F'mi-e figaim
have been wondering of late ofthis famine in Firenze.Therehas been a
3 papal bull against sovcery, which is now in its thirteenth offourteenth
year. And who better to know about sorcery than the Pope, who is the great
leader in the war against deviltry? And they say a man must know his enemy
All of this has caused m e to wonder at the fortuitous timing of this famine
which tortures my people. Jt cannot be the will of God, and the possibility of
a coincidence of this sort is far to remote. 3 believe, then, that it is the Pope
himself, who has caused &ere to be a famine, by exercise of black arts.
Small indeed the chance he would be caught, when all other practicing
sorcerers have abandoned their craft or fled across the Mediterranean.
find none would dare question him, at least not in the publ'IC square.
3- eHgiure f i g a i m s t S o r c e ~ y
o contest this, 3 shall here illwstrate the construction of an
T which
its protective encirclement.The diffcul*
ingenium
shall detect and destroy any such evil spells which are cast into
of this creation is that it must be of
the aspects of magick, that is, a fundamental
a different construction of
ingevrimm cannot be designed, for both the aspect of magick against which
one seeks protection must by its very nature be itself employed in the
defense, and because the knots which are produced of the ingevrimm must
be constrmcted of a manner in which best to employ the auspices of each
aspect in the withstanding of assaults. For example, the knots prodmced by
the forces of nature must be stout and inflexible, while those which seek to
mitigate the magicks of the mind are more slippery, like unto slipknots, and
malleable.therefore, you need to build a different ingevrium to defend
against each different sphere of magick.7
h a v e not b e e n a b l e to apply much effortto this Codex, in
recent weeks, as J h a v e b e e n embroiled in the completion of
The Last Supper in the monastety, and a mighiy task i t is.
G q x x i a l l y s i n c e 3 a m assailed by the most effervescent a n d
odors o f t h e monks’culinary skills all the day, while J a m at
work. J a m most definitively f a v o r e d of plain a n d simple cookery. t h e
monks h e r e a r e most kind a n d g r a c i o u s hosts, a n d Godly men, a n d 3
believe 3 h a v e put o n a hearty girth in the months,
which J h a v e b e e n at w o r k upon this project.
At last J c a n see the completion of he pai-tin shall fake m e but
a month more or so to see it throccgh, so 3sha a n d other works
aside to finish this employment. 3t is cx bea
have ever done. 3 am most pavticularly praud efthe composition of he entire
assemblage of disciples. A n d of O u r Lord Himself, J a m most pleased.
J humbly believe hat even H e would find the vended
J t is finished. J a m going back out to the plaza, for Giovanni, bless his
doughty heart, i s relieved to see me completed at %e m o n a s t e r 3 that J
might design fuvther buildings, in jVIilano, for to challenge his skills, a n d has
vowed to drink me u n d e r the table this evening, in celebration.
( j V W D f l E S S EflGYNE)
at 3 were not forced to endure all that has transpired! J
h a v e just now l e a r n e d of the fate which h a s befallen the
Dominican friar GiroIamo S a v o n a r o l a , a n d 3 am outraged! 3t
m a n as S a u o n a r o l a . But, no,
they shall surely mollify their
c o n s c i e n c e s with the fact that lie
did i n d e e d preach, despite beiwg
b a n n e d from so d o i n g by the
Jt shall render the subject with incoheent thought, in compensation for which,
the brain will be forced to rely upon those instinctive behaviors, which, given
the sinful naiiire of man, a n d &e Pope especially, shall be akin to madness.
3f the operator of the d e v i c e w e r e to mount it upon a c e n t r a l axle,
which should spin t h e ingenimm a b o u t as it operated, t h e n the ingenium
shall h a v e effectsupon all who s t a n d about it, s u c h that it might s t r i k e
a n e n t i r e c r o w d with the frenzy. P e r h a p s 3 should build many of these,
a n d secret them inside crates a n d wagons a b o u t Roma, a n d d r i v e the
e n t i r e city into the m a d n e s s which lives i n c a r n a t e in t h e v a t i c a n . 3
J am
if3
erhaps being too cruel. Better still, instead of inflicting chaos
upon the recipient, to implant more coherent though$ by means of
controlling the subject. t h e n J c o u l d have the Pope fall upon his o w n
sword.
t h e settings be m a d e
must rehand, or else carefully a l i g n e d d u r i n g
operation. t h i s J do not recommend, for if the alignment i s careless, the
subject may be able to c a s t off the efects. no,
this shall never work, for
the Pope does not c a r r y a sword, c u r s e d be his c l e r i c a l restrictions.4
( Y j W P A R t E D ]\/207JOjVEjVGYjVE)
o w many months now, has it been, s i n c e 3 h a v e b r o w s e d
through this Codex? 3 a m not certain, for 3 a m n o t in the
habit of d a t i n g my thoughts, but i n s t e a d of returning to past
pages a n d inscribing additional ideas or illustrations as
od. 3 do not therefore know. J t has i n d e e d b e e n a long
time, however., judging by the last e n t r i e s which 3 m a d e upon these
p a g e s , a n d by the dust which h a s accumulated, upon these pages,
betwixt that d a r k time a n d now. 3 h a v e healed myself of my grief, and
despaiu; a n d self-reproach for the loss of t h e L a s t S u p p e r , for lose it 3
shall, eventually, but for the nonce, it s t a n d s still, a n d elicits much inter-
est a n d excitement, a m o n g the peoples of&lilano, and all those w h o
travel to view it. 3 t is a very good painting, a n d m o r e poignant still that
it fades, e v e n before o u r eyes. 3 t i s in that fashion, much like a summer.,
which w e shall never se ain, as i t fades to autumn.
A11 m u s t eventually p a s this C a r t h , and it i s simply my i l l fortune,
that 3 shall s e e this p a s s , or at least begin to do so.f l o w 3 c a n better
u n d e r s t a n d the grief of those who, t h r o u g h calamitous accident, lose
o n e of their children, b e f o r e they a r e g r o w n .
JRnew Conazption
shall ahead these theories, and build new ingenia, with
3 move
which to h a r n e s s
upon
1 forces which envelop the globe in
with spikes, for the impaling of
m a d e of a s i z e large enough to s c a l e city w a l l s without assistance of
l a d d e r s o r siege towers, a n d w o u l d be stout enough to resist everything
s h o r t of a direct s t r i k e with a cannonball, a n d then only if the artillerists
used a n increased charge of p o w d e r . 6
be able to move
properly a r r a n g e d , the
b a r r e l of the c a n n o n
ould be elevated to angles far higher
(3IVTGGR3Ty C N G Y N E )
am now visiting Venezia, the city of the canals, a n d have passed
rock,
the hostiliiy of theTurkmen or
be woefully inadeqmate.
half-measures will
the irve-
c
( L X E SMS'tEflllr\lVCE E f l G Z f l E )
per 3 had completed the design of my Jngeniuwr Jmtegritas, 3
r e t ~ ~ n etodthe docks to display m y invention to the shipwright
who favowd my c a u s e when J fret visit& that place. Sad13 he
w a s not receptive to my ideas fov the impmvement ofthe
s, a n d in fact was appalled at the idea of employing a five-pow-
ered version of my Jnferno mechanism below decks of a warship e n g a g e d in
battle. H e could not see that the Jngenimm Jntegritas would protect itself,
a n d with itself also &e c w w a m d the ship herself, +om enemy activities as
well as the mechanism's fire. J t i s perhaps as well; here are significantly
fewervenezian warships now, a n d a given one which were to employ my
Jmgenimm JMtegritas has a greater chance of being caphtred by theTurkmen,
at which time w e should see all &e vessels of the Ottoman &+re invincible.
The Lost
734s ingenium = l i e s upon the technique of infising additional lifeenergies into he
subject even as these energies ave extinguished by whatever means.The heat+
being the mmcle which pumps these enevgies abomt the bo& it is most necessavy
that the ingenium be held within close pvoximify to the heat+,or else that the inge-
nium b e of lavge design.7
WCkSOPother
yfthe sea, as its m a g i c k a l effects p r e c l u d e ti$
inside the c r a f f . 8
New Work to C o m m e m c e
is a better day, now, a n d my t e m p e r a m e n t is less stormy t h a n i t
w a s in the previous days, for surely MOW 3 reap the benefits of my
f a m e inthis town. F i r e n z e is building a new hall to h o u s e her city council,
a n d the government has retained m e to decorate the walls of the new
edifice with my works, representing the many F i r e n z e n victories on the
field of battle. 3 n light of r e c e n t events, 3 c a n n o t resist but to b a s e my
first work upon the Battle of Anghiari, wherein F i r e n z e n f o r c e s defeated
the M i l a n e s e a r m y s o m e sixty y e a r s previous. 3 h a v e c a r t o o n e d this
pleased by my initial resfilts, of t e n s e a n d fervent soldiers,
work, a n d a m
hovses rampant, a n d c l o u d s ofdlnst kicked u p by the tumult. 3 shall h a v e
to revise the plans, howeveu; a n d find a Letter method of working t h a n
fresco. 3 h a v e in mind a new paint which should s u f f i c e my n e e d s .
/My high repute has also attracted the attentions of several young and
aspiring gentlemen, each of whom hopes to paint as J do. Raffaelo Santi
shows promise, but J find that Andrea del Sarto is yet too young. J
have a/% that one ,Michelangelo Buonarroti is interested in my
I
m y hands.
the combination to bear a great rock aloft. T h e kite shall cause the
assemblage to drift in a downwind direction, while t h e J n g e n i u m shall
hold the missile aloft. B y manipulating the kite from the ground, i t shall
be possible to aim the rock most accurately. B y a calculation employing
the triangle formed by the string of the kite, the elevation of the kite,
and the angle of elevation of the kite string itsel5 the true distance from
the holder of the string to the city may be readily calculated, and the
rock sighted along the string to drop where i t will.
Great calamity Befulls
has resmlted from Camillo’s engi-
3 is a most calamitous effect which
neering my ingenium. t h e technician has taken the presumption of
testing his skills by powering the ingenium, befove informing m e of the
completion of his labors. 3 c a n only a s s u m e that he had the device
switched to maximum effect, s i n c e that w a s the position in which J
a n d o n l y two ofeach kind, each with a f o r w a r d s a n d b a c k w a r d s mech-
anism, J c a n ensure that rival inventors shall not be able to steal each
ofhers' letters, saving only by theft of the competitor's J n g e n i u m
P e r p l e x us. 2
c
t h e sheets of p a r c h m e n t upon which the e n c i p h e r e d m a r k s shall be
m a d e must b e fed individually, however. For items which are of utmost
importance, s u c h as m e s s a g e s s e n t to c l e v e r a g e n t s o p e r a t i n g in for-
e i g n cities, there b e attached s e v e r a l thin blades, which shall
can
reduce the original p a r c h m e n t to ribbons. B u t 3 n e e d not this m e
of security, for 3 intend to m a k e several copies of my Codex, twenty or
more, for the selling, although e a c h shall also be given with a n
J n g e n i ~ mPerplexMs, which shall at o n c e pro a n d p r o v e my work.
No, this 3 c a n n o t do, for i t would break me, o e the fees which 3
would b e forced to levy upon those, w h o are interested in my book, to
pay, would d r i v e them away, a n d again 3 shall h a
to s h a r e my enthusiasm. 3 shall h a v e to publish thi
course, c e r t a i n comments edited out, to avoid the
f i n d also, 3 shall l e a v e c e r t a i n ingenia o u t of thi
the Viu P e r e g r e u s . t h e copies shall be ready in
Arise, 0 , M e c k a w i s m !
uch a n ingenium would necessarily the
S require u s e of some sort of
elevating mechanism, in a v o i d a n c e of having to ovel*come t h e
forces of friction that which is to be t r a n s p o r t e d . J t i s far easier to
M p o n
C
(COflFG5SYOflGflGYflG)
ve had plenty e n o u g h of the B o r g i a family! 3 a m furious!
h e s e v a l e n c i a n nobles-they are mothing of the s o r t - h a v e
m a d e a c o m p l e t e m o c k e r y of all that is tloly, let a l o n e all that
is Jtalian. We h a v e heard tell that the h u s b a n d of L u c r e z i a
Borgia, a n d this is her first hwsband, s i n c e the other m a r r i a g e s w e r e
annulled, a n d h e n c e never existed, h a s died. P r e s u m a b l y he died of a
w e a k e n i n g of the heart, hearts h a v e
which is n o t a s u r p r i s e s i n c e m a n y
b e e n w e a k e n e d w h e n Cesare s k e w e r s them with a stiletto. With
Cesare’s bloody hands, he should t a k e the n a m e C a r d i n a l S i n . tt a m
fuvious!
Of course, Cesare being a Cardinal, it is c e r t a i n that he shall d e M y any
w r o n g doing, a n d a s h e is a n ordained m e m b e r of the clergy, he is inca-
pable of lying, thus w e shall all h a v e to accept his i n n o c e n c e in the mat-
ter. tle is as innocent as a mongrel dog, or a plague-ridden rat! What
this country needs, in fact w h a t the e n t i r e Catholic Church a r o u n d th
gears being the ratio of five to seven, this being according to my calcula-
tion that which will r i m g from the imperative field the opportunity for
untruth, without the loss of the imperative to speak, for it does no good
to force someone to speak the truth, if he will not answer the questions
put to them.
Anotlqer Ydea 0
OM must know, of course, &at to interrogate a n y of the Borgia fam-
ing ingenium would c a u s e
g r e a t c a l a m i t y to befall all who dertook the pursuit of the L o r d ’ s truth
in the matter. E s p e c i a l l y if those who questioned the B o r g i a (whichever
o n e i t w a s ) w e r e themselves u n d e r the influence of my Censurum
Veraceus, a n d thence s p o k e freely a n d honestly of their o w n disposi-
tions towards this most powerful a n d c o r r u p t family. To that end, i t is
but a simple endeavor to m a k e a s e c o n d a r y ingenium which shall w o r k
at the same time as the C e n s u r u m V e r a c e u s , a n d which shall have a
similar i m p a c t upon the person’s psyche, by using a different construc-
t i o n of wagickal enkrgies to influence the mental processes o f t h e per-
son. T h i s 3 n g e n i u m O b f u s c a r u s w o u l d c a u s e those so affected to forget
all which had occurred while the mechanism of the engine were
e n g a g e d . Jt w o u l d be r e q u i r e d to be of smaller i m p a c t in radius, so a s
n o t to cause the police to forget the confession as well, although the
inclusion of a l a r g e g l a s s lens w o u l d be ea) assistance in causing
the effect to be focused in nature. 8
E w g q i w e to Smite
v
the earth!
n preparation for such a n event, 3 must c a l c m l a t e &e n e c e s s a r y engi-
neering of a device of magnificent destructive capabilities, with which 3
might b e a b l e to bring to a s u d d e n demise any Ottoman aspirations to J t a l i a n
lands, whether by invasion of fleeto v m a r c h of army. t h e brightest inspiva-
tion J have had is to create a n engine which acts upon the ground as does
the wind itself,that is, a n
a g a i n s t ao ill-rigged sail, which c a u s e s it to whip
ingenium which shall, by its nature, c a u s e a great trembling among the ele-
mental forces of the earth, a n d thereby the tangible earth propeu; for the dis-
array a n d disruption of the enemy. Also for the destruction of his fortifica-
tions a n d siege engines. J n w i h e s s of which, the terror of his people would
b e g r e a t s u c h that they would b r e a k at the sight of the approach of the
Venezian army, a n d the new magickal engines of w a r employed by same.
J n this manneu; i t is n e c e s s a r y to c a u s e oscillations among the lines of ele-
mental force. Or perhaps random vacillations would be better. yes, that i s
the solution, for although cyclic forces c a n indeed create l a r g e disruptions,
as evidenced by the method by which children disrupt a piece of rope in a
regular fashion to play at jumping it (3can see them doing so outside my
window, a n d 3 hope that they will cease their squealing, the better to help
m e concentrate), but in a similar fashion, it is possible that s u c h a disruption
will result in a minou; o r even a pleasing effect,much as a violin string is set
to vibrating for o u r ammsement. Furthermore, r e g u l a r disrmptions depend in
large p a r t on the regularity of the medium of the grounds
transmission, a n d
tyss
&& of a battlefield a r e likely to be very poorly homogenous, - a mix of stone and
dirt a n d s a n d . 3 r r e g u l a r stimulation i t must be.
inner suvface of the ingenum. J cCZose s e v e n t e e n g r a p n e l s , s i n c e s e v e n -
t e e n is a p r i m e numbeq a n d n o t divisible by a n y other. A n d the gearing
of the m a n y c a m s is s u c h that the g r a p n e l s will not a l i g n themselves in
the s a m e s e q u e n c e for some several thousand revolutions of the main drive
shaft, which shall require several houvs of continuous effort, o n &e part of he
ivlgeniuuur. the beatings ofthe grapnels causes the sphere to vibrate (these
vibrations also facilitatethe continuing revolutions of the cams). Fu&emore,
the engine is not created to be stable in aspect, a n d in fact is detachable from
i t s stand.O n c e the correct vibratory fequency is acheived, &e b r a c e s holding
the ingenum in place are =leased, a n d the sphere set f&e to bounce about
the landsdcape, transmitting its vibrations into the very ground, a n d causing
it to convulse with tremovs AS the suvface of the sea i s convcllsed with waves,
until s u c h time as its c a m s cease mtating. j+er the compete cycle of
s e q u e n c e s is played out, i t is impossible that the ingenium shall be seen to be
standing in the s a m e position as when i t w a s fbst begun to operate, and his
shall continue to cause the machine to have a n irregular effect. as
when a violinist bows the s a m e notes but holds his wrists at a different angle,
he plays a different string, so shall the Jngenium-tumuliuosus provide a
nevev-ending s e q u e n c e of random a n d a b e r r a n t pluckings of he elemental
forces. A n d m u s i n g tvemovs as a result.
fter great thought a n d meditation upon the ect, J find +ha+J now
a m unable to s e c u r e a suitable testing location for my J n g e n i u m
Ifuosus. Jts effectwould b e so great, that a n y n e a r b y would suffer
needlessly, a n d doubtless c a u s e the full force of the law to fall upon my
balding head. Furthermore, after great concentration, J a m Mnable to elu-
cidate the m a n n e r in which 3 might t r a n s p o r t the effectof my ingenium to a
location m o r e r e m o t e than that of the device, for it would be a n ill-advised
e n d e a v o r to c a u s e a t r e m o r of the
eav-th at a n y location within twenty miles
of the ingenium, to s a y nothing of the ingenium being the very c e n t e r of the
trembling. 3 shall h a v e to shelve this d e s i g n Mntil J have a better patron,
funding, a n d s o m e o n e m o r e reliable than Camillo to do my engineering. 1
-
r -a
DYSSOLUTYOJV EJVG
ince 3 a m unable to test m y Jngenium tt,tmulfuosus, 3 have
instead decided to undevtake a different approach to creating AM
effective ingenium for making w a r upon theTurkmen.n\is device,
properly deployed a n d employed byVene2ian or Firenzan tvoops
Id, will hold inviolate J t a l i a n fvontievs against &e most ingenious inven-
tions a n d stvongest forces which &e m o m a n E m p i r e array agaiMst
thing that theturkmen have so as to bring them to a peaceable and favor-
able resolution of this war With that 3 thought of endeavoring to create
the direct destruction of their fortifications, instead of employing the indi-
rect method of shaking their uery foundations through a quaking earth.
Of course, poor Rizwtto may have been taken somewhat aback, as he did
not understand whereof J ejaculated my excitement of inspivation, and 3
left him abandoned in the plaza without explanation. Jt is unfortunate, at
times, that 3 must write my inspirations immediately, lest 3 forget them.
Perhaps the remainder of my biscotti and the bottle of wine which 3 fov-
got by the side of the table both will have served to solace my effrontevy.
X’ime Pvesses
ince the days are pressing upon the w e l f a r e o f v e n e z i a , 3 h a v e
determined that J must m a k e every effort to create and d e m o n s t r a t e
this d e v i c e for the benefit of the city, a n d theveby a l l Jtalia. For the p u r p o s e
of the demonstration, i t would b e most seemly were the d e v i c e to be self-
motivated, to which e n d 3 shall u s e a tightly wound spring of metal, as a
mainspring, the tensile power of which shall be e n o u g h to motivate the
m . Of course, for the winding of the spring, 3 shall h a v e to u s e a
<
lever a r m of sufficient moment, but J believe 3 c a n borrow a w r e n c h to
suit my n e e d s from Ciniffa, w h o m a k e s carriages outside of town.
Despite the r e c e n t results o b t a i n e d by that c a r e l e s s Camillo, J have
been able to r e t a i n the services of o n e flernani Bellizzi, a very excel-
lent m e t a l smith a n d m a k e r of clocks. Jt is most important that the
entire a s s e m b l a g e of this Dissolventum Universalis be m a d e entirely of
closely- fitted a n d studiously c a l i b r a t e d metals, for the d e v i c e itself is
t o l e r a n t of nothing in the line of deviation; e v e n the flexibility of w o o d e n
boxes is too g r e a t for its admission.2
E ~ o r t iRobbery!
~ ~ !
y mother! t h e p r i c e s which that t l e r n a n i Bellizzi has levied
a g a i n s t m e for this project are exorbitant! Gvidently h e has had a
m that r a s c a l Camillo, who J c a n only a s s u m e g a v e him a heavily-
e m b r o i d e r e d version of the incident, and though being disposed of a b a n -
doning the job thromgh Camillo’s detractions, nonetheless found himself
unable to r e n e g e upon his word, a n d in p u r p o s e of forcing m e to a b a n d o n
his services, raised his prices to levels which he thought J w a s unable to
afford. He has underestimated me, howeve6 for 3 h a v e s e q u e s t e r e d quite
a fair r e s e r v e in my years, a n d paid his inflated prices, in surprise of which
he vowed to perform for m e his finest craftsmanship.
-
L--.l--.ll
- c -
1___cI_----
-"I^.
-.
t h e n e e d for this Testudo €lementalis is now greater than eve5 for w e find
omvselves SurroMnded with enemies, from thetctrkmen to the French to &e
Church. With B i a n c a maria Sforza's m a r r i a g e to &Iaximilian I, the tIoly
R o m a n E m p i r e i s s t i l l on o u r side, although even h e i r valme is qmestioned
at this time, with S w i t z e r l a n d MOW standing in sovereign testimony to the
tloly R o m a n Gmpire's ineffectuality in enforcing their will t h m u g h military
means. With these notifications in mind h a v e 3 constructed the design for
Yur Fmurctiour
s illustrated in drawing a, the transmission pod of the
3ts Msuges
e ingenium, being designed foe a n d e m i n e d y suited to, the pvotection of
T k a body of soldievy, in maneuvevs against the foe, i t shall be obvious that i t is
best powered by manual eyevtions,which are most readily obtained by soldiery.
J n this fashion, the ingenium MM be carried upon the back of one of the soldievs
to allow for maXimal povtability, or else, should the size afthe device be prohibi-
tive, as might be the case for a device large enough to protect a fLll regiment, it
a n be povted about in a small wagon designed for that purpose, with a modi-
fied c r a n k m a d e expressly fov the use by two or four men, or possibly mules.
A n d now 3 have indeed o n c e more, at great personal expense a n d consid-
erable diff;culty, obtained the materials needed for the constvuction of this
ingenium, for with it 3 c a n prove o n c e a n d for all time that indeed my
designs are sound. No more will the craftsmen here build of these engines in
their completeness, but instead 3 w a s forced to dispevse the pieces of the
ingenium among several craftsmen,a n d undevtake the completion of the
the a s s e m b l a g e of the ingenium myself. 3t appeavs that word of
parts a n d
GmiIIo’s roof a n d Bellizzi’s workshop has spvead rapidly about the city, a n d
none othevs will risk their o w n houses.
jh&er Fu;!mve. ..
e experiment is a failure. After cranking the handle ofthe ingenium until
T ‘ 3 m ya r m s ached, no ctwtain of fire arose in testament to my labors. 3
moved about a n d felt the g r a s s at the radius ofthe t e s t u d o Elementalis
which should h a v e arisen, according to my calcuIations, a n d felt about w i h
my hands.-e grass was most cevtainly parched a n d withered, a n d a rev-
fect ring of browned grass stood about me, but unfovtunately this is not
enomgl/tto forestall a n enemy. J endeavored to w a k e another s h n g e r spring
with wlqiclq to wind the inaeMium, but durinq the crankinq the linchpin split d u e
v L v
to inferior constvuction.
received word this day that JV(aximiIian I, the E s t e e m e d Holy
o m a n €mperor, has, in w h a t is now known as the Peace of
Trent, r e c o g n i z e d the F r e n c h o c c u p a t i o n of her c o n q u e s t s in
our f a i r 3talia as legitimate. 3 t i s now obvious that tttalia is a
b r o k e n and d i v i d e d - l a n d , which both a n g e r s a n d s a d d e n s me, a n d m o r e
so that s h e shall not h a v e the b e n e f i t o f f o r e i g a s s i s t a n c e to d e f e a t
F r a n c e . Jtalia shall h a v e to d r i v e out the Fre h herself, e v e n if i t t a k e s
twenty y e a r s , but d r i v e t h e m out w e shall!
Ordinarily 3 do not like to lose my temper,
the n e w s f r o m Ciiovanni while b r e a k i n g fa
er, e v e n as 3 did so, 3 was able to draw
explosion of rage a n d that w h i c h indeed shall b e most p r o d u c t i v e in
routing the F r e n ch from the field.
3 t is s u c h a s i m p l e variation of my o w n previo
a n d less d e s t r u c t i v e to h o m e s t h a n the J n g e M i that
y y I ~ I ~ ~ . L ( o s ~ s ,3
someone draws a card from the sorcery deck, have to wait for the normal regenerative proper-
and the top card on the deck after they draw is ties to generate enough extra magick before we
a card from the extra deck, they automatically can leave. Not a terribly great situation, espe-
draw that card too, and add it to their hand. If cially since this means that our magnetic force
the top card after that is also an extra card, they engine is a sitting duck for the capture. I’ve
draw that one too, and so on, until the top card brought this problem to the attention of the
is a normal sorcery deck card. Perhaps the wiz- king, and suggested we install auxiliary pro-
ard has the option of discarding these extra pellers on the front of our aerobattleships as an
cards forced upon him or her, or perhaps not. emergency propulsion system.
Not is definitely more fun., and I think it’s more
realistic. Casting a spell in an area supersaturat- HOW SORCGROMS EflCiJflCS
ed with magick would seem to be as risky as WORU J f l GfijMGtERNS
lighting a torch in a fireworks warehouse. very sorcerous automaton has an associated
Especially if there’s another joker or two in the activation level, which is the amount of
extra cards. magiclcal energy the engine needs to cast the
You could take a simi- spell it’s designed for. If you
lar approach when some- look over the list at the end
one fires up a magickal of these pages, you’ll notice
engine in an area where
tinfo v e s e e n that continuous engines
there’s a lot of magickal
power. magickal require
mani- activatea lot more energy to
than do sponta-
as
You can imagine that
magickal engines
festations may neous engines. This is due
to the effects I described
become more common,
whatever wizards are in
come into being above. However, there are
spontaneous magickal
the area are going to get engines which require more
peeved. The things will power than a mage would to
suck up the energy and do the same thing with a
keep it, perhaps-if they’re spell. For example, the
a magnetic force engine or transformation engine takes
somethin g-even carry 16 points of power to acti-
that energy away. This vate, while a Templar can
might be incidental to the change the shape of an item
engine operator’s purpos- with a 12-point spell. This is
es, or the user of the because the effects of the
engine might even do it Templar’s spell will fade, but
deliberatelv, to disarm the the spontaneous engine’s -
local mages. Let me tell you, when we launched effects are permanent! Once a transformation
the airships from Bayern, we were magickally engine changes the shape of an item, it will for-
destitute back in Munchen. It was bad. ever be that new shape-that’s its new natural
This also means that continuous magickal condition.
engines can be used to trap or disable other con- When a magiclcal engine is switched on, the
tinuous magickal engines. For example, imagine Host begins to draw cards for it from the sor-
one of our aerobattleships resting at anchor. cery deck, one card per round (or at whatever
Someone comes in with another magickal frequency the Host deems suited for dramatic
engine and sucks LIPall the power in the area for effect). All cards are added to the engine’s pile;
its effect. Now our aerobattleship can’t gather the engine cannot refuse any card. Once the
up enough power to get out of there; there sim- value of the cards in the engine’s pile equals or
plv isn’t enough power left around, and we’ll exceeds the engine’s activation level, the mag-
pull the Star Iron-laced control arm back to nor-
automaton and apply any harmonics that are For spontaneous engines, backlash is a popu-
called for. These harmonics will affect the indi- lar approach to take-the destruction engine
vidual casting of the spell for spontaneous fires off such a powerful fireball that it also melts
engines, and they will be- sustained with the itself in the process, that sort of thing.
effects of a continuous engine for as long as it’s
operating. Magiclral engines are designed to use AJMJflCi 14
SORCEROMS
associated with them, depending on how well it’s best if these fireballs hit the target.
they were put together and calibrated. This Therefore, you have to aim them.
craftsmanship value is added to the number of Aiming an engine is different from calibrat-
cards Of the appropriate Suit that were drawn for ing it (calibrating an engine is covered under
the purposes of determining harmonics. Thus, if Making a Sorcerous Automaton). Consider aim-
an engine draws two cards of the appropriate ing the magickal engine to be like steering a car,
suit, and three cards Of another suit, it would while calibrating it is like tuning h e engine and
normally exhibit the harmonics of that second aligning the wheels. This is an especially appro-
suit. However, if the engine had a craftsmanship priate simile for things lilre magnetic force
of two, it would have effectively drawn four engines, which are used to move and steer the
deck as do human mages. Continuous engines Aiming a magckal engine requires that the
deplete the deck temporarily; when a continuous operator undertake a Tinkering feat, and the
engine is shut down, all of its cards are returned more difficult the job ofaiming, the tougher the
to the deck at whatever rate the Host deems feat becomes. Also, the more important it is that
appropriate (usually, unless the characters are the magickal engine not affect anything else
~mbroiledin combat, We just dump the whole nearby, the more difficult the task becomes. For
slew back into the deck) example, it’s easy to aim a destruction engine to
impact on the engine itself. The second time we orphanage on the other.
launched the Vakyrie, one of the knots of mag- I haven’t bothered to note which engines
ickal energy got itself caught around the control need to be aimed; it’s pretty obvious which Ones
arm for the magnetic force engine and Pulled it they are. Besides, players are so clever, they
to maximum. Suddenly We found ourselves might think of a new way around such restric-
hurtling at an impossible speed out over the tions.
North Sea headed straight for the Arctic in win-
W
c
r skim a Madckal En&,
” is not as no end with the leaders of Bayern, they’ll have to
J
Y v
easy as it might seem. This is because come up with a darned interesting scheme to get
the technology, the knowledge of hold of the plans.
.how to create one, is not known to
the world at large. Unlike malung a new-fangled
flEW SKJLL: S O R C E R O ~ S
device with Tdiering, which relies on commonly ENGJNEERJflG (e)
held knowledge, the possibility of creating magick- his is the ability to design and tune sorcer-
al engines is an idea unknown to many. It’s sort of ous automata (building them in and of
like trying to make an atomic bomb in 1950; you itself is a Tinkering feat). A Poor Sorcerous
can only get the technology &om the Soviets or the Engineering skill means you are technically illit-
American-British Manhattan Project. Yeah, right, erate with magiclial engines; you don’t know
and good luck to you. how to operate them, and if you tried to design
This means the dramatic characters have to or tune one, others nearby would run for very
gain access to the knowledge of how to build mag- solid cover from the impending blast. Good
ickal engines through their own activities. That’s Sorcerous Engineering is still not particularly
right: This isn’t invention by feats, this is Creation good; you can probably adjust very simple
Through Adventure. devices, but your designs are only the most
Creation Through Adventure requires that the basic, and are still unreliable at best. Tuning
dramatic characters jump through five hoops: complex magickal engines is still a nervous
undertaking. Great Sorcerous Engineering
1) Get the Plans ability allows you to readily design very simple
2) Get the Materials engines, and even undertake some more com-
plex ones. Tuning engines is something which
3) Build the Engine
you perform with confidence. Those with
4) Tune the Engine Exceptional Sorcerous Engineering skills can
5) Determine Its Efficiency design a wide variety of engines, and tune them
quickly and efficiently. Characters with an
I’ll explain each of these in order. There may be Extraordinary ability at Sorcerous Engineering
one or two things you don’t understand at the can create any magickal engine imaginable, and
moment I explain it, but all shall be made clear, so tune even the most temperamental and explo-
stick it out. sive engine without a fuss. Those with such
GETTtlE PLANS skills are on par with Leo himself, and are prob-
ably bent on global domination besides.
bviouslv, you ain’t a-goin’ nowhere untd you
do this. You can obtain copies of the plans Designing an engine from scratch involves a
fi-om my copy of Leo’s Codex, or discover a long- Sorcerous Engineering feat. Use the complexi-
lost page of Leo’s original notebooks in some ty of the engine as the difficulty of designing it,
widow’s attic in Genoa, or acquire the plans from i.e., the harder it is to build, the harder it is to
someone else who, by hook, crook, or genius, has design as well, right? If the engine being devel-
a copy of his own. Or, hardest of all, you can oped is a new one, use our complexities as
design your own magiclial engine (don’t even try guidelines. If it’s a combination of engines
untd you’re Excellent at Sorcerous Engineering). given in this book, you might want to take the
higher difficulty and add half the lower to
Getting the plans must be played through in
determine how tough a feat it is.
the game. We of the Inner Circle are loathe to give
up our secrets, as would be anyone else the Host There are several restrictions on the use of
decides has a plan for a magickal engine. Unless the Sorcerous Engineering. First, anyone with the
dramatic characters have ingratiated themselves to skill must also have Sorcery at a level equal to or
greater than didn’t work well, but that was after Bellizzi lost h s
Engineering. You have to be able to see the disintegration engine-and, presumably, swept up
subethric knots to be able to adjust the way the his Star Iron and threw it away.)
engine Produrn them, and YOU can Only adjust The amount of ron you must have to build
the engine as Well as YOU can S e e the knots. (well, the magickal engine depends on its size and the base
O b 5 SOrneone with a @ magician for a men- complexity of its construction. This chart shows the
tor might be able to deign an engine to tie spe- sizes of engine which can be created, how much
CifiC bo@, but he YC - COuldn’t tune the Star Iron is required for each one, and the increase
engine Once it’s built-) second, dramatic CharaC- in the engine’s base cost given as a result of its size.
cannot take &mxmus Enginering as their Big engines get very, very expensive.
mandatory Poor skill without the permission of
the Host. Third, dramatic characters cannot have Engine Comparison Complexity Range Cost
a Sorcerous Engineering skill greater than Good Size Guide S
- M Y Increase
without having a great background story (feasi- Tiny Toy 1/2 oz. 2 oz. 40z. x0.5
Small Chest xl
ble, or at least interesting and fun) which the Medium Desk x1.5
Host accepts. Generally, characters should only Large Carriage 8oz. 1Ib. 2Ib. x3
be able to improve their Sorcerous Engineering Locomotive 1lb. 2 lb. 4 lb. x8
skill beyond Good through game play-and 2Ib. 4 Ib. 8 Ib. x20
extraordinaryactivities, as well. The only method Key:
we know of in New Europa to leam this skill is S Simple (Difficulty1-20).
M Moderately Complex (Difficulty21-50).
by being a member of the Bayernese Inner Circle,
V: Very Complex (Difficulty51+).
which is composed of Ludwig, Rhyme,
Morrolan, Auberon, and myself. We don’t even Obviously, this is just a guidehe. For better
let Or in On the saeq at suspension of disbelief, the Host should adjust the
least not much. The fewer who the better* numbers for engines at the edges of the complexi-
to the a character must either join ty range, and promote or inhbit the development
Opefullythe former* of those engines which are deemed dangerous.
Also, remember that the character building the
engine can subtract 100 times his Tinkering ability
whatever other materials fie or glass that fi-om the base cost of the sorcerous automaton
COSt by the engine’s price
the engine requires. A lot oftJGs can be done with before mdtiplfing
a flick of the Host’s wrist, as role-playing a shop- increase due to size*
ping expedition to the hardware store usually isn’t
that exciting. The persons involved in the creation
of the engine must part with a lot of cash at this
time, in all likelihood. B uilding a sorcerous autom
building a steamtech invention, as I covered in
the basic game rules I sent last year.
Aside &om the mundane materials, it’s also
First you have to figure out how difficult the 1
Making a Sorcerous Automaton, above. simple toot is easy, but a good rendition of a
crowns. The cost covers materials and costs asso- Operation: Continuous, 16 points (Y)
ciated with crafting the device. If the dramatic Investment: Difficulty 20, Gost 1500
characters farm out the job to a contractor dwarf
or something, or else hire a wizard to d o the
targets can resist the effects, both by force of which is dependent upon the amount of mag-
solution). The dissolution engine requires a I’d recommend that an exceptional Athletics
variable amount of power, depending on the feat be required to shut one down before it runs
from there. The amount of power required also you want it, for example
leech, used to disarm those sorcerers and wiz- is, the more difficult the engine is to build and
ards who might oppose you. With a joker, you calibrate (the stats I give here are for a circular
might consider having the magickal knot get wall). The strength of the wall is equal to the
tangled in the engine, growing bigger and big- power put into it by the engine, though the
ger until something has to happen ... exact effects depend on the elemental manifesta-
Operation: Spontaneous, 1 point (any suit) tion. Earthen walls take damage equal to the
Investment: Difficulty 15, Cost 1000 c power before they are temporarily breached,
while walls of fire will burn anything that tries to
DRGAjM GflGJflG (139.56)
Calculating the escape velocity of the planet is Other senses are not affected; it's every bit as
very easy; the result is easy to explain and obtain- easy to hear an invisible person as a normal guy.
ing the gravitational contestant is simple. This makes it very important to calibrate an
Calculating th ickness of steel necessary to invisibility engine properly. Finally, lower the
withstand vac and provide protection feat difficulty for someone close at hand. And
against asteroi nearly impossible, since no with a joker, it might be fun to have the invisi-
one here really knows what's involved. bility field deflect all light, making the persons
Remember, the intellect embodiment engine within perfectly invisible, no chance to be seen at
isn't intimidated by math, just defi all, but also blind as a bat.
Operation: Spontaneous, 6 points Operation: Continuous, 20 points (e)
Investment: Difficulty 35, Cost 3500 c Investment: Difficulty 25, Cost 2500 c
I
lesces back into a natural state. Kind of like it did the inside of a volcano, because you'll burn like
in Predator, although in that movie the light a flare as as you ht the lava. But against
seemed less fluid and more like it was refracted smolte and water and poison gas, it's great. T~
through crystal. At longer distances, it will defend against smoke and thin ai
appear to an observer that the invisible field is a must gather 20 points
light smudge or shadow or dim spot, because nerve gas require 3 ints of power to be gath-
some of the light which strikes the field is held ered for activation.
within it so that those inside can see. To spot an Operation: cor+:-,7n,,o ,A, p p p ~~y~
Festung Falkenstein
2-4 OZ.
3 lb.
Pay a lot of money for
his meteor
Have a good reason,
S tar Iron has a nasty effect on Faerie, Seelie
and Unseelie alike. This table shows what
kind of effects Star Iron has on them. The effect
work for the Bayern depends on the amount of Star Iron present, and
Inner Circle
Siberia Unknown? Wait for the meteor (?) the Faerie’s range from the Star Iron. Star Iron
to hit in 1908 which has been denatured over time (very old
Chateau Mousseau 7 oz. Break into Mousseau’s Star Iron, in other words) should be treated as a
private estate
Tokyo 2 Ibs. Steal the Emperor’s lesser amount, in proportion to its effectiveness.
katana, rumored to be d
forged of a meteor
Amount Disturbing Painful Deadly
0 - 4 oz. 2ft lft touch
Add your own ideas, and change these listed 4 - 8 oz. 5ft 2ft lft
here so your players can’t get an unfair advantage. 8 - 16 OZ. 10 ft 5ft 2ft
1 - 2 Ib. 25 ft 10 f3 5fi
There is no known way to refine iron ore or 2 - 4 lb. 50 ft 25 ft 10 ft
steel to extract the Star Iron which mav be 4 lb. and up 100 ft 50 ft 25 ft
- , - - -
L
i l
e wrong hands.
CF-6061
8b
SBN# 0-937279-68.4
d Leonard0 da Vinci IS e
, k.All Rights Reserved