It is almost done!
Now the last incantation
Wait, that can't be right . . .— Last words
A recurring theme in horror, dark fantasy, and conspiracy stories is "knowledge best left unused." This might take the form of an artifact, a technology, a ritual, or something less tangible. The common thread is that people who tinker with it
believe they know what they're getting into and view their goal as beneficial (at least to them!), but in reality are meddling with forces beyond their ken and control, and are likely to find madness rather than enlightenment, destruction rather than creation.
Like any tome of forbidden lore,
Pyramid #3/81: Horrific Creations provides a variety of ways to get into trouble. Items best left alone, horrific monsters best avoided, and deals best not made . . . choose your fate. Then again, maybe your fate will choose you, so it's best to be prepared:
- An hour ago, a Project SANDMAN team went radio silent right next a massive subduction zone; now the PCs are the only ones close enough to do anything about it. Iraqi Irruptor Blues, an adventure (by our own PK) for GURPS Horror: The Madness Dossier, pits the heroes against irruptors, toxic memes, and an unexpected psychotronic invention, as the Red Kings attempt to overwrite our history with their own Chaldean Babylonian "paradise."
- Utterly alien monsters can be terrifying, but in some ways it's even worse when the creatures are part human – when the similarities provide a stark contrast to the differences. In Too Similar, Too Different, Michele Armellini explains how and why to use human-monster crossbreeds in your game. Learn how to build these creatures, both thematically and game-mechanically. The four sample racial templates should inspire you, or at least give you nightmares.
- If you could wield a powerful enchanted sword, vanquishing your foes with ease simply by sacrificing one of their souls each year, would you? The answer may change (in either direction!) after you fall asleep and dream of the Hellblade and its dungeon. In this month's Eidetic Memory, David Pulver presents both a magical weapon and the Hell that resides within the cursed blade. Feed it, destroy it, hide it, force your way in and conquer it . . . the choice is always yours to make.
- You've heard rumors about how to sell your soul, but you'd better make sure you know the Anatomy of a Crossroads Bargain before you seek out the Devil. Learn what sorts of problems such a deal can solve and what kind of power it can grant – but also the cost to you, both physically and spiritually. And if you're clever enough, you might even be able to discover the "escape clause" that gives you a chance to cheat, overcome, or escape your fate.
- Sometimes the most powerful occult tools are the simplest. Any spiritualist or necromancer respects the common Bell, Book, and Candle – but these unique versions are incredibly potent! Command armies of the dead, call upon spectral agents of darkness, and learn the wisdom of ancient souls . . . if you can accept the cost.
- Those who traffic in enchanted items and potent magic often keep a piece of Altus Brat handy. And why wouldn't they? This amazing bread can bring a person back from the dead, if only for a limited time. Of course, it's important to understand its inherent drawbacks. After a while, that isn't the person you used to know – and eventually, the monster within will take its final form and lay waste to everything you hold dear.
- And the most terrifying creations yet may be our usual features, including a Random Thought Table that explores the balance between "useful" and "dangerous," and an Odds and Ends that give the Hellblade-wielder a chance to find the way out.