This post is a sketch or a collection of notes... or maybe a starting-off point. It is an attempt at addressing a self-imposed problem: that of making an environment that is also a character, not just a spirit of the place, but a spirit-as-the-place.
The Genius Loci
The words are latin: "genius" = spirit (hence genie, which was also used to translate the Arabic word jinn) and "Loci" = [of the] place (locus).
I never came across it until I was studying landscape architecture, when we were introduced to the English landscape garden, the picturesque and cultural appropriation ("chinoiserie" and "orientalism") in our singular design theory module in the first year. This introduction came via Pope, who was a garden designer as well as a poet:
Consult the genius of the place in all;
That tells the waters or to rise, or fall;
Or helps th’ ambitious hill the heav’ns to scale,
Or scoops in circling theatres the vale;
Calls in the country, catches opening glades,
Joins willing woods, and varies shades from shades,
Now breaks, or now directs, th’ intending lines;
Paints as you plant, and, as you work, designs.
That tells the waters or to rise, or fall;
Or helps th’ ambitious hill the heav’ns to scale,
Or scoops in circling theatres the vale;
Calls in the country, catches opening glades,
Joins willing woods, and varies shades from shades,
Now breaks, or now directs, th’ intending lines;
Paints as you plant, and, as you work, designs.
...and through an unnecessarily complex process of backwards and forwards engineering, learned that the term originally meant a Roman guardian spirt but has come to mean the ambience/character/"personality" of a space in contemporary architectural discourse.
I preferred the original definition, but also didn't really see much of a distinction.
Before we brush this aside, I just want to add a nice design quote form a former teacher of mine:
"The genius loci must be consulted... but it does not have to be obeyed..."- Tom Turner
Spirits of Place in PARIAH
I like to think I've put some thought into how the wilderness works in PARIAH, and that the process of designing this game feature is evolving and iterative. What has come to be of increasing importance to me is the sense that the environment the pariahs navigate is alive: not just in a purely biological sense, but in a spiritual or teleological sense. Perhaps what I'm really saying is that the environment is sapient.
The spirit of place embodies the environment (conveniently, the six-mile hex the pariahs are traversing) in all aspects and vice versa. This means:
- Encounters
- Weather
- Hazards and mishaps
- Foraging
A Note About Ruling Spirits
I think I've described spirits sort of fitting into something akin to a feudal hierarchy, but really that's only shorthand... a ready frame-of-reference for RPGers to comprehend the nature of this fantasy animist world. In my ACTUAL imaginary reality I picture them more like one giant organism, in the same way that you exist as part of a larger ecosystem and might be viewed as a marginal component by a greater intelligence, just as you don't really think of your own blood cells as being individuated (though they might have other ideas).
Reaction Rolls
The most obvious place to return to is the reaction roll table. I feel I don't need to add any further qualification to that sentence, although I will add that it grants us a graded series of bands but can also be divided into 11 individual parts:2 HOSTILE
3-5 AGGRAVATED
6-8 NEUTRAL/AMBIVALENT/OBLIVIOUS
9-11 CURIOUS
12 FASCINATED
- The GM makes a reaction roll in lieu of and as often as they would make an encounter roll.
- Under ordinary circumstances, roll 2D6.
- If the pariahs have damaged or disrespected the environment in some way, roll 3d6 and keep the lowest 2 dice.
- If the pariahs are favoured in some way, roll 3d6 and keep the highest 2 dice.
- Modify further if required (no more than +/- 2)
...and because I like to keep things varied, I'll make an additional die roll to randomise the encounter variety that occurs at each step (1d8).
HOSTILE
The pariahs' very presence has angered the ruling spirit. the sky darkens, the air cools (or gets dramatically warmer) and the environment grows quieter.
- It materialises, demanding they leave immediately and tells them not to return.
- Refusal to comply is met with violence., but offers of tributes may ameliorate the spirit.
- Weather worsens (max 2 steps) until the pariahs leave the hex.
- Foraging yields nothing of value.
AGGRAVATED
The pariahs have annoyed the genius.
- Weather worsens (max 1 step) until pariahs leave the hex.
- Chance of getting lost increases by one step.
- Foraging is disadvantaged or somehow penalised.
- Reaction rolls with non-human entities is at -1.
NEUTRAL/OBLIVIOUS/AMBIGUOUS
CURIOUS
The atmosphere lightens. A feeling of positivity pervades the environment. The spirit is interested to see how the pariahs will respond to this elevation: if their gratitude is not expressed on their next visit, the consequences could be dire.
- Weather improves (max 1 step) until pariahs leave the hex.
- The chance of getting lost reduces one step.
- Foraging is at advantage
- Reaction rolls with non-human entities is at +1.
- Reduce the chance of being surprised by an encounter by one step.
FASCINATED
The spirit has taken a shine to the pariahs, perhaps one particular (determine randomly). In addition to the above effects, the spirit manifests in an awesome display and wants to communicate the importance of their [hex] to the party/band. It may provide them with a special quest or gift (see below).
A NOTE ABOUT REACTIONS
Note that the reaction of the Genius does not dictate how any monsters, beasts, humans or other encounters will respond to the pariahs: make a separate roll, though note sometimes this should be modified to reflect their awareness of the land's impressions of the party.
Mishaps, Hazards, Discoveries, Fortunes
Among the potential encounters are several alternatives to the conventional monster/beast/NPC. These are divided into four types:
- Mishaps are strokes of bad fortune that can strike individuals or the whole party (usually a result of not honouring the spirit-of-the-place) such as item loss, food spoilage, fatigue or minor illness.
- Hazards are the wilderness equivalent of traps: these could be closely linked to the natural environment (falling rocks, crevasses, quicksand etc...) or more supernatural in nature (haunted trees, spirit-rings, temporal loops etc.)
- Fortunes are minor strokes of good luck that can might befall individuals or the whole party.
- Discoveries are unusual, strange but on the whole beneficial (or at least neutral) discoveries in the wilderness, ranging from the mundane (an enormous beehive, abandoned altar) to the unusual (lost cities, meteor craters) to the magical (healing pools, portals to other realms, alien space ships, tombs of sleeping gods etc.).
Form of the Genius Loci
Should the spirit-of-the-place materialise, it's form will be dictated by the terrain:
Shrines & Altars
Any pariah can identuify a landmark as being sacred to the genius loci if:
- They have previously visited that landmark
- The landmark epitomises the site in some way
- The landmark is easily identifiable (note: this can be achieved and/or augmented by altering the landmark i.e. tying a ribbon round a tree, leaving a statue by a rock, painting, etching etc.
This landmark is now a shrine.- Visiting this shrine prompts a reaction roll (roll 2d6).
- If the pariahs spend some time cleaning and/or decorating the shrine when they visit, roll 3d6 and drop the lowest die. Alternatively, the may make a votive offering: the shrine is now an altar. Note there is no quantifiable difference in PARIAH, just that the spirit will expect to be honoured with such an offering regularly.
Fighting the Genius Loci
Any pariah can identuify a landmark as being sacred to the genius loci if:
- They have previously visited that landmark
- The landmark epitomises the site in some way
- The landmark is easily identifiable (note: this can be achieved and/or augmented by altering the landmark i.e. tying a ribbon round a tree, leaving a statue by a rock, painting, etching etc.
- Visiting this shrine prompts a reaction roll (roll 2d6).
- If the pariahs spend some time cleaning and/or decorating the shrine when they visit, roll 3d6 and drop the lowest die. Alternatively, the may make a votive offering: the shrine is now an altar. Note there is no quantifiable difference in PARIAH, just that the spirit will expect to be honoured with such an offering regularly.
In lieu of any one conventional attacks, the spirit of the place may invoke a spell-spirit (max 3 a round).
In place of all conventional attacks the GENIUS LOCI may conjure an elemental appropriate to its own realm.
At the end of each combat round it makes an additional "environmental" attack, regardless of initiative order:
Falling rocks Geysers or lava plumes Entangling vines Carnivorous plants Quick sand Dust storms, blizzards or localised thunderstorms
In lieu of an environmental attack, it may summon a random encounter appropriate to the hex, which arrives immediately.
Instead of making an environmental attack or summoning local creatures, the genius loci may instead change form (choose another on the list), re-rolling its HP in the process (healing both magical/metallic and non-magical damage). It may not do this if grappled or magically bound in some way.
At 0 HP the spirit is considered subdued: the pariahs have the option to slay it, or re-negotiate terms on a more favourable basis.
Killing the Genius
Well done! You've murdered the environment.
For a time the hex is in utter disarray:
- Roll for encounters using 1D12, as opposed to 2d6.
- Re-roll all encounters with spirits, or choose an adjacent mundane creature.
- Ignore all environmental effects, positive or negative.
- All creatures will flee at the sight of the party.
- Forage as normal.
- If the party are still present during that time, the genius will petition them to return (see "becoming the genius", below)
- If the party have left, when they next return roll the hex's reaction using 3d6, dropping highest.
Becoming the Genius
Whether through violence or diplomacy there can be no avoiding the inevitable: ultimately, the party will "become" the spirit-of-the-place: it is but a manifestation of all the life that occupies the territory, human or otherwise.
This is the bit that still needs development, but essentially there's the idea of stewardship or guardianship of an area: they might be summoned to defend the hex against a threat or unwanted interlopers; conversely, they might summon creatures of the hex to help defend it.
* * *
This post was mentioned in issue #18 of The Glatisant:
If you like this sort of thing please be aware that hard copies of PARIAH are available to buy from the following retailers:
You can obtain PDFs from the following online vendors:
...and there is, of course, a free edition available here:
This is exciting stuff - it's like the spirit generator you did a while back, something about it/it as a whole lights fuses and touch-papers of the mind.
ReplyDeleteYour former teacher appears to have leavened wisdom with risk.
The trick, or so I've heard, is not to fear it...
ReplyDeleteI thought that was the reaper?
DeleteThis is super cool! Very interested to see how this develops.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Just out of curiosity, did come to this post by way of the Glatisant?
DeleteReally late reply, as I don't get notifications and forgot that I posted this:
DeleteI can't remember if it was Ben Milton's newsletter that send me here, but seeing date I posted the reply I think I must have, as I do try to read up on the Glatisant whenever it comes in my inbox.
Still very excited about this idea and I have tried to do something inspired by it that I will share in a blogpost pretty soon.
If you happen to be interested, I'll be sure to share it in the OSR discord and the OSR reddit blogrolls.
I've streamlined this idea somewhat, feedback appreciated:
Deletehttps://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/11/spirit-of-wilderness-second-look-at.html