Tempest Tome Games

Tempest Tome is a cabal of nightsky wizards, gathered in nocturnal communion to weave interactive worlds for the initiated. Rejecting the mundane realms of modern gaming, we conjure thematic and mechanically unique experiences that focus on atmosphere and darkness. Our work is done for those curious outsiders who seek the cryptic and macabre in the corners of all worlds.  

[tempesttomegames]

"Kevin Lynch was born to a European American family in the Republic of New England, which—along with the California Republic—has now split off from the economically unstable United States of America. Corporal Lynch served as a Green Beret in the United States Army Special Forces with Sergeant Scott Burton, who influenced him to become an Asatruar and join a small kindred, of which Burton was Gothi. When Burton retired from military service, Lynch took over his role as leader of the kindred.

A few years later, when Lynch had been promoted to the rank of Sergeant, he was contacted by Burton and invited to join an unofficial mercenary mission in Kurdistan. Lynch expressed incredulity about abandoning a legitimate military career for this sort of work, but when Burton disclosed the nature of the Cryptonaut program to him—explaining it as an opportunity to be part of a new frontier of exploration worthy of an Asatruar—Lynch was won over. Through the influence of Nauticus, he was able to receive an honorable discharge from military service without delay and shipped off to Kurdistan to be a part of the Alpha wave of Cryptonaut exploration."

KEVIN LYNCH is the AMBUSHER, a sneaky ranged Mercenary class Cryptonaut from the CRYPTIC EXPLORERS board game...

The Ambusher serves as a specialist mercenary, able to take a good position and exploit it against incoming monsters who threaten his squad. He specializes in using the Prepare action, which "saves" a Cryptonaut's action, allowing them to act when a monster has entered vision or otherwise threatens them by moving/shooting/etc.

LIE IN WAIT is the Ambusher's starting ability, giving him increased damage on his piercing Carbine weapon while he is Prepared, and making it even more dangerous for a monster to push into his sight while he is Prepared.

Kevin's second ability is HIT AND RUN, giving him a free 3 space Move after performing a Prepared Attack, allowing him to reposition himself immediately after his ambush.

TACTICAL SIGHT improves the range of the Ambusher's Carbine weapon, increasing the area he threatens while Prepared.

CAMOUFLAGE SUIT is the Ambusher's final ability, allowing him to Prepare himself once each Round as a Free Action - ensuring that he is always Prepared.

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A preview of ARTIFACT cards from the CRYPTIC EXPLORERS tabletop game...

Cryptonauts that have delved into the Realms of Death seek Knowledge therein, and to that end Artifacts provide occult secrets to the Cryptonaut that wields them.

Artifacts all grant unique abilities, and some are used as weaponry, giving considerable advantages to the Cryptonauts who collect them. Like Cryptonauts themselves, Artifact cards can be fed Souls to unleash further power...

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"When Corporate States mercenaries started talking about how Nauticus was paying generous wages to anyone who was willing to do a long tour of duty in Kurdistan, Reid signed up and insisted that her fee would be twice as much, since she was bringing A.T.T.I.S., who could fight better than most human soldiers. They got their price, but they had no idea what they were getting into.

During her time with the Beta wave, Izem fought alongside Edmund Jonas and Helen “The Hellion” Reid as part of a special combat unit dubbed the “Chalice squad,” which was formed by Xian Tzu with the purpose of training experienced fighters with no aptitude for magic to use the “Soul Devour” technique. Little did she know that every time he used it, she was annihilating the soul of a person who had once been alive—perhaps a fellow soldier, an old friend, or one of his own ancestors."

HELEN REID is the INFANTRY, a highly versatile and combative Mercenary class Cryptonaut from the CRYPTIC EXPLORERS board game...

The Infantry serves as generalist Cryptonaut combatant, with 3 different starting attacks (the most of any Cryptonaut), and abilities to adapt to many combat situations.

COVER FIRE is Helen's starting ability, giving her a bonus to aim and range while within sight of an ally, and allowing her to work well in a tight-moving squad.

The Infantry's second ability is TRUDGE ONWARD, giving movement and a bonus to stamina checks, helping the Infantry escape from adjacent monsters, avoid hazards, and push across the Realm faster.

ARSENAL SUIT gives a boost to each of the Infantry's starting attacks, and her final ability.

SPIRIT BAZOOKA is the Infantry's Soul Devour ability, consuming a soul to fire off a powerful area-of-effect explosion that kills monsters and destroys the environment alike...

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"You see them? You see the things that float and flop about you and through you ever moment of your life? You see the creatures that form what men call the pure air and the blue sky? Have I not succeeded in breaking down the barrier; have I not shown you worlds that no other living men have seen?"

~ H.P Lovecraft, "From Beyond"

Image by Eemeling on DeviantArt.

[tempesttomegames]

"We breached through the Maw of Thanatos into the Realm of Death. Before us stood towering walls covered in ancient and obscure hieroglyphics, pictographs, texts, runes, sigils - not unlike the old pyramids and temples of Earth. We stood nearly silently within a kind of dark vestibule, the only audible sound being our periodic and nervous gulps of oxygen within our suits. After standing in awe and dread for some time, we proceeded towards a large stone doorway, closed but not locked. We walked slowly and carefully, avoiding the massive and seemingly endless pits in the tiled floor beneath us, until we entered..." Logs of Wendell Danuser, Archaeologist Cryptonaut, Tomb of Ivory Sands Expedition The TOMB OF IVORY SANDS is a Realm of Death Game Board in the CRYPTIC EXPLORERS board game... Each Realm is a unique 21" x 21" pre-designed game board / arena with its own specific objectives, hazards, layout, aesthetic, and lore. The Tomb, like all Realms of Death, has two objectives. The Cryptonauts must complete one or both objectives to escape the Realm with their coveted Knowledge of Death cards. The first objective is LOOT THE SARCOPHAGI: There are 5 sarcophagi scattered around the Tomb. Each can be looted by Cryptonauts, but triggers a dangerous trap. Once the trap has resolved, the looting Cryptonaut gains a Soul from the sarcophagi. If all 5 are looted, the objective is completed! The second objective is ACTIVATE THE ALTAR: There is a single large Altar in the Tomb that can be activated by a Cryptonaut. Once activated, the Goddess summons many monsters within the Altar chamber, and the Cryptonauts must survive their onslaught until the next Round, at which point the objective is completed! Each Realm also has its own unique environmental hazards. In this case, the Tomb has not only the traps from the sarcophagi, but the IVORY SANDS, which swallow up the Souls and Artifacts of Cryptonauts who die upon them, sinking beneath the surface and irrecoverable for their teammates...

[tempesttomegames]

"Dr. Sven Maurer’s papers were written in German, so when he perished with the rest of the Alpha wave of Crypronauts, Nauticus had to find a German speaking archaeologist to resume his work where he left off. While teaching at a prominent Swiss University, Dr. Danuser’s groundbreaking work in near eastern antiquities attracted the attention of Nauticus, who contacted him and offered him a generous sum to do some top secret “field work” collecting artifacts in Kurdistan. In this way, Danuser inherited Dr. Maurer’s position and papers without knowing anything about the Thanatos facility. This pudgy, pipe-smoking professor did not realize that he was signing up for an adventure in the Realms of Death."

WENDELL DANUSER is the ARCHAEOLOGIST, a Scientist class Cryptonaut from the CRYPTIC EXPLORERS board game...

The Archaeologist serves a unique role as a Cryptonaut focused on obtaining and utilizing artifact cards better than any other Cryptonaut.

EVOCATION MASTER is the Archaeologist's starting ability, Soul Charging each artifact his squad carries, and giving them immediately more value when obtained.

Dr. Danuser's second ability, READ THE GLYPHS, allows his squad to gain particular artifacts from the deck, rather than drawing them completely at random, and sets up the squad to form powerful combos between their abilities and the artifacts they gain.

GRAVITY INVERTERS dramatically increases the gathering capabilities of the Archaeologist's squad, giving them a ranged free action that collects tokens from the Realm.

Lastly, TOMB RAIDERS makes traversing the Realm to collect artifacts much easier for the Archaeologist's squad, as they have improved stamina checks to avoid danger, and immunity to environmental hazards.

[tempesttomegames]

"A prototype for a line of a line of military robots that never ended up going into production, ATTIS (Standing for “All Terrain Tactical Infantry Support”) was sold at a discount price to an arms dealer, who pawned him off to a group of Sudanese rebels. When the rebels ran out of money, they sold him to the captain of a Somali pirate vessel—Ismail Isse.

Short on money as he prepared to embark on a short voyage ferrying explosives from Kochi to Sri Lanka, Isse accepted payment from Hellen “The Hellion” Reid for clandestine passage out of the country. During the transit, Reid was able to win her money back from Isse at the card table. Already in dire financial straits and determined not to lose to a woman, Isse wagered ATTIS against all Reid’s winnings in a single hand. Reid won again, so the furious Isse decided just to kill her instead. He didn’t count on the fact that ATTIS now considered Reid his owner and would protect her.

The robot killed Isse before he could touch Reid, and all hell proceeded to break loose as the two fought their way off of the ship. Deciding that she would even the score for having to put up with such poor hospitality, Reid proceeded to detonate the vessel’s cargo load of explosives, killing everyone onboard. ATTIS escaped with Reid in a small motorboat and has been with her ever since."

A.T.T.I.S. is the ROBOT, an extremely durable combat-centric Mercenary class Cryptonaut from the CRYPTIC EXPLORERS board game...

The Robot serves as a powerful forward-pushing Cryptonaut, able to handle many monsters alone with his incredible defenses and array of attacks.

OBSIDIANITE BODY is the Robot's starting ability, giving him bonus armor and unyielding, which prevents the robot from being knocked back. This dramatically increased durability comes at a price, as A.T.T.I.S. restores his vitae and stamina more slowly than other, fleshier Cryptonauts.

The Robot's second ability, RELENTLESS, reduces the cost he must pay for additional actions by 1 Stamina, making him able to take many actions in a single round.

HEAVY PLATING further increases A.T.T.I.S.' natural armor at the cost of his movement, his body being weighed down with additional plating.

Lastly, LEAPING SLAM is an unlockable attack, dealing damage to an enemy monster as A.T.T.I.S. leaps through the air and slams into them, allowing the Robot to move and attack in one action.

[tempesttomegames]

"Of the strange beasts we have chronicled in our missions, one of the minions of Sk'Zaak stands out as a formidable foe. This creature stands much taller than a man, skeletal and covered in decaying wrappings, wielding a gnarled spear, and possessing incredible durability, resisting even potent firepower from our Cryptonaut weaponry. When first observed, Hugo dubbed these creatures the "Tomb Guardians". While the Tomb Guardians appeared to move very slowly, and almost shambled with inhuman focus and tenacity, they seldom left the vicinity of the monoliths or chambers they appeared to protect from mortal interlopers, seeming to draw power from their watchful vigil over them..."

~ Cryptonautical Mission Log of Xian Tzu, the Magus

The TOMB GUARDIANS are minions of SK'ZAAK, the Goddess of Burial in the CRYPTIC EXPLORERS board game...

Tomb Guardians are powerful zoning and defensive units with a large pool of health, but slow movement. Protectors of the divine Knowledge of Death, the Tomb Guardians gain a boost to damage and armor while near a monolith or door, making them very difficult for the Cryptonauts to directly combat and push into without overwhelming or disabling them.

[tempesttomegames]

"Negrescu was trained by Xian Tzu as part of a special unit within the Beta wave, focused upon harnessing the occult secrets hinted at by Yugura’s Key. Jealous of Xian’s skill and knowledge, he secretly began experiments of his own in his quarters, attempting to open more direct channels of power between the Goddesses of the Realms of Death and himself. The results of his experiments gave him power to rival Xian’s (courtesy of Sk’Zaak), but they also took a toll upon his mortal body, which was only barely able to contain the dark power he had called into it. Negrescu’s decayed form became so monstrous that he was forced to hide away from the rest of the staff and contractors at the Thanatos facility, only emerging from his chambers to don his Cryptonaut suit and go on missions down the maw of the Thanatos reactor."

DRAGOMIR NEGRESCU is the NECROMANCER, a cunning and evil Spellcaster class Cryptonaut playable in the CRYPTIC EXPLORERS board game...

The Necromancer's benefits to his Cryptonaut squad are in fighting monsters and bringing dead Cryptonauts back from beyond the Realms of Death.

DRAIN ESSENCE is the Necromancer's starting ability, a damaging spell that restores vitae, giving the Necromancer longevity fighting monsters. WEAKENING reduces an enemy's damage and aim, protecting allies. BLACK ARTS powers up Drain Essence, giving the Necromancer more Vitae. Lastly, REANIMATION is the Necromancer's signature ability, restoring a deceased Cryptonaut to the edge of life, but at the cost of a Soul token...

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Daniele Valeriani is a modern day digital and traditional artist of exceptional macabre skill living in Italy. He is adept at creating evocative works inspired by infernal daemons of the Ars Goetia and the inherently complex and beautiful darkness of Nature... Daniele has also worked on graphics and illustration for extreme metal bands, and arcane tomes published by Aeon Sophia Press and others.

His works impressively appear to be traditional oil paintings, complete with texturing and scratches/wear, but are in fact digital paintings, only adding to the atmosphere of each image. The detail and exactness of his linework and rendering is incredible, rivaling even an old master like Dürer, with an impressive mastery of anatomy and texture.

Pictured is "Belial At the Hellmouth" by Daniele Valeriani.

View Daniele's work on his Facebook, and Follow him here: https://www.facebook.com/daniele.valeriani1974

[tempesttomegames]

"We had trudged far through the thick sands of the realm, when we discovered a most peculiar structure: a large stone monolith, columnal and foreboding, stood towering before us. As we approached it, our instruments at the ready to analyze, a beast emerged from the structure. As a crocodile might surface from water, a skeletal canine spilled forth into the realm from some otherworldly place. It paused briefly enough to reveal its long horns, crooked fangs, and a full mane of matted hair, before running towards us with the size and speed of a horse, its silent and hollow sockets gazing menacing at us."

~ Hubert Hirsch, the Geist Hunter

The CRYPT HOUND monster sheet from CRYPTIC EXPLORERS... The Crypt Hounds are lithe, skeletal, canine beasts loyal to SK'ZAAK, the Goddess of crypts, bones, and burial.

This monster moves at incredibly fast speeds, easily catching their Cryptonaut victims and locking them into melee combat. Once adjacent, the hounds will attack, summoning more hounds to their pack, and eventually overwhelming their target.

Crypt Hounds are used by Sk'Zaak as a swarming infantry unit, moving quickly and blocking off key areas to the Cryptonauts. Meanwhile, these hounds also chip away at the Cryptonauts with damaging FANG attacks and protect more important and larger monsters from attacks...

[tempesttomegames]

"When Wendell Danuser discovered Dr. Maurer’s correspondence with Hubert Hirsch, he petitioned Nauticus to bring the German geist hunter onto the Thanatos facility payroll as a full-time consultant on the late archaeologist’s work. The request was accepted, and Hirsch was thrilled to travel to Kurdistan to be a part of the project.

When he reached the Thanatos facility, he was extremely excited at the prospect of making actual contact with the dead, and submitted an application to become not just a research consultant, but a member the Cryptonaut program tasked with gathering new knowledge of the Realms of Death..."

HUBERT HIRSCH is the GEIST HUNTER, a Scientist class Cryptonaut specializing in combating enemy monsters head-on and collecting their Souls, trapping them in his specialized necrologist equipment, and upgrading his PROTON BEAM.

HUSTLE is the Geist Hunter's starting ability, allowing him to quickly shift a couple of spaces during his turn, affording better positioning or simply running to/from enemies much more quickly.

EXPERT HUNTER gives the Geist Hunter bonus damage to his Proton Beam, and prevents it from missing, making each attack a certainty for dealing damage.

SOUL PRISON steals the Souls of slain monsters and gives them to the Geist Hunter's squad of Cryptonauts, fueling their upgrades at a much more rapid pace.

Lastly, TACHYON BEAMS further empower the Proton Beam attack native to the Geist Hunter, giving it bonus range, and enabling it to shoot through walls, monsters, and anything else that blocks sight with the Smiting modifier...

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"The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.

The unnamable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things.

Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.

Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness.

Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding."

- Passage I, the Dao De Jing

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"Jeanne Bellerose was a mountain climber and professional explorer looking for her next big challenge when she heard a rumor that Nauticus was offering serious money to people who would be willing to do dangerous exploration in hostile environments. The Thanatos facility was not what she expected, but the pay was generous and the mountaintop location offered her plenty of opportunity for adventurous climbs.

Lacking real combat training beyond what she received at the facility, she was unprepared for the Realms of Death and suffered a traumatic head injury at the hands of a Goatwolf Slayer. Close to death, she was rescued by HILDA, who had accompanied Bellerose’s squad to provide medical support. When they returned to the facility, Gao Zhi rebuilt Bellerose’s crushed skull and saved her life. He has since become her friend and mentor."

JEANNE BELLEROSE is the TRAVERSER, an Expert class Cryptonaut, specializing in movement and terrain traversal. The Traverser brings movement utility and mastery over the Realm environments to her squad of Cryptonauts.

Her first ability is TETHER LAUNCHERS, granting her entire squad the ability to move over pit spaces, and easily collect hidden Souls or Artifacts that would normally be very difficult to access. Crossing pit spaces can also be used to ellude and avoid any monsters that lack the Floating modifier.

The Traverser's GRAPPLING GUN allows her to launch herself from one space to another, provided her landing is adjacent to a wall or structure. This is particularly useful for escaping monsters.

The VOYAGER SUIT gives the Traverser increased movement speed and the Unyielding modifier, which prevents her from being involuntarily moved by things like Knockback.

Lastly, the Traverser's GRAVITY PICKAXE is a powerful piercing melee attack that can typically destroy Monoliths and doors with a single swing, making it strong for gaining access to locked areas of the Realm and preventing the Goddess from using her precious Monoliths for her magics...

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"When Emily Ansel lost her mind after the first mission to the Realms of Death, Gao assisted Rauf Sabir in organizing her unfinished work. Together, they helped director Price to restart the Cryptonaut program.

After one of the beta program’s first Cryptonauts — Jeanne Bellerose — suffered a traumatic head injury at the hands of a Goatwolf Slayer, Gao Zhi rebuilt her crushed skull and saved her life. Since the experience, he takes a grandfatherly attitude toward her."

GAO ZHI, the CYBORG is a Mercenary class Cryptonaut focused on annihilating enemy monsters with his trusty BLASTER. The Cyborg is a powerful combat centerpiece for any Cryptonaut squad and benefits greatly from receiving many Souls to unlock all of his abilities.

AUXILLARY BLASTER initially starts as a free melee-range attack with the Cyborg's trusty Blaster, giving the Cyborg more damage-dealing capabilities right at the start of the game. As his Blaster's Range attribute increases, the Auxillary Blaster becomes far more formidable, being able to reach targets outside of melee range.

TARGETING EYE allows the Cyborg to exploit an enemy monster's injuries and deal additional damage. Coupled with his free Blaster attack from his Auxillary Blaster ability, this can make short work of a wounded monster.

The Cyborg's potent ION SHELLS improve the Blaster's capabilities dramatically, increasing its range and allowing it to bypass enemy armor with the Piercing modifier.

Lastly, the Cyborg's POWER FIST is an extremely damaging melee attack that pushes monsters away with the Knockback modifier, making it very powerful! However, unleashing so much force is exhasuting to the Cyborg, who loses Stamina as a result of using this attack...

[tempesttomegames]

"When the Alpha Wave of Cryptonaut exploration ended in disaster, Nauticus called upon Xian Tzu to lead a new unit within the Beta Wave, which would be focused upon harnessing the occult secrets hinted at by Yugura's Key. Working closely with the archaeologist Wendell Danuser, Xian used his unique insight to unlock many of the mysteries embedded in the late Dr. Sven Maurer’s notes. He is responsible for training the Hierophant, the Cabalist, the Necromancer, and the Abjurer in the use of the dark magics of the ancients..."

XIAN TZU, the MAGUS is a Spellcaster Cryptonaut that has a focus on blasting enemy monsters into ashes, but also has good utility spells. The Magus is an excellent Spellcaster for nearly any Cryptonaut squad, as his generalized kit of abilities is easily fit into many strategies, and his combat potential is formidable.

ELDRITCH BLAST is the Magus' starting spell, and serves as a straightforward and source of damage that both ignores armor and has very far range.

Xian's second spell, ARCANE BINDING reduces an enemy monster to only one action in a round, and can be cast more than once in a round. This spell is best used on larger, more powerful monsters that are more readily crippled by a reduction of their actions.

AETHER STEP allows Xian to move through solid objects, such as walls and even other Cryptonauts or monsters, allowing him to access generally difficult areas of the Realm or escape dicey combat situations. However, the spell only targets the Magus himself, and so he must be careful not to travel somewhere alone and be isolated and killed by the Goddess' monsters.

MAGICAL SALVO is the Magus' final ability, a Soul Devour ability that requires the consumption of a Soul, and allows Xian to fire three Eldritch Blasts that also knockback any monsters struck, all as a single action. This unleashing of power can quickly reduce even a group of monsters to smoldering remains...

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The DEMOLITIONIST from CRYPTIC EXPLORERS is an Expert class Cryptonaut focused on blowing stuff up - both the Goddess' monsters and the Realm's terrain. Edmund Jonas is a retired saboteur that joined the NAUTICUS THINK TANK to put his considerable talents for creating explosions to use against otherworldly threats. His face is horribly disfigured from narrowly surviving many explosions during warfare.

Edmund brings some utility and combat potential to any Cryptonaut squad: the ability to deal a considerable amount of area-of-effect damage, being a strong armored fighter, and the ability to destroy walls and terrain.

The Demolitionist's starting ability BOMB SUIT gives him Armor right from the start of the game, allowing him to immediately enter the fray of combat with hostile monsters feeling nominally protected.

STONESPLITTER CHARGE is the Demolitionist's key ability, allowing him to SOUL DEVOUR (sacrifice a Soul token) to destroy parts of the environment. While useful for destroying Arcane doors and Monoliths in a pinch, the STONESPLITTER CHARGE is typically used to destroy Walls and allows Cryptonauts to enter hard-to-access areas of the Realm much more easily.

AURA GRENADES are another SOUL DEVOUR ability, this time causing monsters to explode, rather than parts of the environment, dealing significant amounts of damage in an area-of-effect, and bypassing Armor with the Piercing modifier. The threat of the AURA GRENADES forces the Goddess to be careful with grouping or swarming her monsters, lest she lose many to a single action from the Demolitionist.

Lastly, REMOTE MINE is a very damaging ranged attack, and also bypasses Armor, but can only be used if the Demolitionist has Prepared that Round. The very threat of this attack allows the Demolitionist to setup his Preparation in a room and make it much more difficult for the Goddess to invade it with monsters, knowing that the first monster that enters his vision will be dealt significant damage...