More About Colossus

 Hi and welcome back to my blog! This article will detail the lore of Colossus in more detail.

Long ago, the world as we knew it was destroyed in a battle between the humans of earth and the Yaun, reptilian aliens bent on dominating every planet they discovered. The humans used a toxic liquid known as miasma to kill all of the Yaun, but at a cost. The world ended. But then it was reborn. Now, in this dystopian land known as the Spire, Scouts protect the weak. They are the few who survived being dipped in the mysterious waters of miasma and gained supernatural powers. They use these powers as they patrol the wastes of the new world.

Scouts work for Lotus Inc., the leading science corporation in the Spire. Lotus has their hands in everything that transpires either in North or South Spire. Their main building is located in Crystal Heights. Lotus is run by three mysterious figures who hide behind giant mechanical dragon heads. While Scouts mostly find missions on their own, occasionally Lotus will send a letter or message to a Scout demanding a specific mission be completed.

There are 25 Scouts of the Spire, counting the main character, who is named either Iris or Sparrow and can be a woman or man or nonbinary, depending on your preference. For the most part, women of the Scouts are named after flowers and men are named after birds. There are two Scouts for each class. The main character (that’s you!) plays as the thirteenth class, the Jack, as in Jack-of-all trades. Unlike the other classes, the Jack isn’t bound to the four skills of a specific class and can pick any skill from any class when they level up.

As for the other classes, they pick from the four skills that are given to them up to level five, and that is when the customization really begins and you can start picking any skills for that character from any of the other classes.

So what is the Spire? The Spire is a land full of greedy bandits, bloodthirsty raiders, mutated bugs and animals, cyborgs and robots, and feral mutants. But it is also home to hardworking folk who just want to eat their meals, go to sleep peacefully at night, and enjoy their families. These are the people the Scouts protect from the dangers of the wasteland.

Who are Scouts, exactly? Scouts are Chosen, or survivors who were plunged into the miasma as children and survived. Most Chosen become Scouts, although others use their power over Miracles for more selfish reasons. Others become Keepers, scholars who study the effects of miasma and the mystery of Miracles. Usually when or if a Scout retires, he or she joins the Keeper’s organization. Most Scouts don’t retire, though. The wasteland is a harsh place. Many die in battle.

The Spire is divided into the North Spire and the South Spire by the Moare Highlands. North Spire has more dangerous terrain and is full of mysterious locations and ruins. South Spire is more civilized with grasslands and forests, but still just as dangerous with raiders and bandits and mutated creatures. To the northeast are the Strange Lands, where the Psychic Elves live. To the southeast is an island called Chesris Island, where a colony has been established to explore the new territory.

What are the character classes? Other than the Jack, which only the main character is, there are twelve other classes. They are: Red Rivers Native, Child of the Brier, Nymph, Psychic Elf, Cyborg, Survivor, Medic, Mutant, Gunner, Blade, Bard, and Android.

Red Rivers Natives are natural denizens of the Red Rivers territory going back hundreds of years. They reject most technology and fight with bows and machetes. They are highly connected to nature and easily make companions out of animals and explore rough terrain.

Children of the Brier are from the Brier in South Spire. They are a mystical race of people who are connected to the wilderness on a supernatural level. They don’t use any technology  (unless they are Scouts) and fight with staffs and clubs.

Nymphs are the sworn guardians of the Children of the Brier. They are protective over their “flock” and will sacrifice their own health to protect their friends. They use spears to attack which they can throw for double damage.

Psychic Elves are from the Strange Lands and are experts in using miracles. They use staffs to fight with which gives them an extra Ability Dice. Psychic Elves mate for life and always travel together.

Cyborgs are half man, half machine. They use their powerful gun arms to attack multiple enemies at once and fight with either machetes or pistols.

Survivors are experts in dealing with the wilderness and can mix ingredients even outside of settlements to make grenades and potions. They fight with axes.

Medics are healers who fight with daggers. They are experts at rationing their supplies.

Mutants are bare-fisted fighters who get to attack twice in one round. They are often looked down upon by society for their mutated appearance.

Gunners are experts in firearms. They only attack with pistols.

Blades are experts in two-handed swords. Their sword also acts as an extra Armor.

Bards are singers and dancers who enchant those around them, friend or foe. They attack with whips and flails.

Androids are an amalgamation of robot, human, and Yaun, remnants from the Great War. They make excellent tanks and attack with sword and shield.

Then of course there’s the Jack, which as I mentioned, can be anything and have any skills.

The party system in Colossus works as follows: You have a bond with someone that can be either Nemesis, Archenemy, Enemy, Rival, Stranger, Acquaintance, Friend, and finally Best Friend/Lover. Based on what your relationship is with that Scout (of which there are twenty-four besides the Main Character), you have a chance that they’ll go on an adventure with you. A Rival has a 2 in 6 chance of going on an adventure with you, a Stranger has a 3 in 6 chance, an Acquaintance has a 4 in 6 chance, a Friend has a 5 in 6 chance, and a Best Friend/Lover will always accompany you. You gain a Friendship Point each day that you travel with a Scout, and you can also spend extra time with them for another Friendship Point or give them gifts for 3 Friendship Points. At ten Friendship Points, you go up a Friendship Level. So it goes: 0 Stranger, +10 Acquaintance, +20 Friend, +30 Best Friend/Lover. For the negative bonds like Rival and Nemesis, it goes: -5 Rival, -10 Enemy, -15 Archenemy, -20 Nemesis.

The way you recruit Scouts to go with you is you go to the local tavern and roll on a table to see which 8 Scouts are currently there. Then you roll a d6 to see if the person you want to go with you will say yes.

So that’s all for now. I’ll probably post more about Colossus before I write up the excerpts of my current playthrough. I’d like to make a free PDF about the rules and lore in the future.