Game Master

Game Master (a.k.a. D'em)

The game master is a BBEG who is confrontational towards everyone. Even to the actual GM. As a consequence, there are certain rules for how the real GM can interact with the game GM.
Storywise, D'em is aware of the game being played and endeavours to seize control For self actualization.
In practice, the game master introduces a multitude of back-to-back mini games to either test the PC's or to try to kill them.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Search

Nobody can say with certainty what D'em's after, but the pattern implies a search of some kind.

For whatever reason, if satisfied, D'em targets up to two of the characters within its pocket of control. Each target must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or be teleported to alternate plane. A target fails automatically if it is incapacitated.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Observed from inside the Tesseract Mucube Complex, the game master resembles an enormous hand holding a giant ball.

— Ptychē from the Court of Eyes

D'em is an omnipresent being whose closest manifestation to the player characters is as an omnipotent voice or a strange presence behind them.

Special abilities

Reality Bending

D'em's most feared ability is sealing a target into a closed-off and isolated space that swallows the area surrounding the victim and manifest various effects under D'em's control. This environment will follow the target so that they roughly remain at the center of a 50km radius area of effect. In addition, the game master might overlay an extreme landscape over the real landscape:

Lethal lava fields that deal ongoing fire damage

Boreal landscapes that deal ice damage

Thunder plains that rain down lightning strikes at periodic intervals

Monsoon regions with zero visibility

A type of mist shrouded world

Tab 1 - 20

1d20	Landscapes	Area Effect
1	A flat plateau with a 1000m drop	Falling Damage 20d6
2	A flat, white landscape that causes optical illusions and reflects colours
3	A river carved canyon
4	A small volcanic island with several hundred brave inhabitants and constantly spewing lava fountains, gases and ash	Fire Damage 1d6 Lava Damage 2d6 Smoke Damage 1d6 per 2 turns
5	A wet and windy path twisting through a group of seals	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks
6	The longest and deepest fjords, with high vertical cliffs, deep waters and giddy waterfalls	Falling into Water 1d6
7	Small mud volcanoes spew thick gray mud regularly	Slow Suffocation 1d6
8	A deep saltwater lake at a high altitude surrounded by snowy mountains	Cold Damage 1d6
9	A 300 square kilometer caldera with dramatic vistas and where lions, rhino, leopards, elephant and buffalo are present	Starvation 1d6 Constitution against (DC10 +1 for every previous roll)
10	A trail meandering through a canyon's depths	Heat stroke 1d4
11	An island where giant cacti grow in the middle of a salt lake	Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6
12	Underground limestone caves filled with vivid colours	Darkness -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks
13	A sandstone plateau surrounded on all sides by 400m cliffs	Falling Damage 3d6
14	Three valleys that form a network of connected lakes, waterfalls and rivers	Water Dangers 1d3
15	A gorge filled with gorgeous turquoise waters flowing through it	Falling into Water 1d6
16	An isolated oasis surrounded by a sandy desert	Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Starvation 1d6
17	A network of chambers with an upper and a lower gallery stretching for nine kilometers and accessible by an underground river	Darkness -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks
18	A blue streak lake home to thousands of flamingos
19	A hotel made almost entirely of salt	Falling Object 1d6
20	A giant sandstone mass 350m high and more than 9km wide	Falling Damage 20d6

Tab 21 - 40

1d40min21	Landscapes	Area Effect
21	Cascading waterfall dropping 60m down the sheer cliff into a river	Falling into Water 1d6
22	A 30-km long glacier trapping water under it which causes a spectacular rupture	Cold Damage 1d6
23	A double lake with deep crystalline waters that mirror pine forests, soaring mountains and endless sky
24	Steaming sulfurous mineral water comes out of the ground and cascades over a series of small waterfalls into dozens of pools on consecutive levels	Light Acid Damage 1d6 Immersion Damage 10d6 DC 13 Constitution save or take a 1d4 Constitution Damage per 2 turns
25	Turquoise waters that lap around white sands and huge rocks that shelter an area of rock pools and granite terraces
26	Coastal rock formations filled with a system of cave lava tubes	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks
27	Towers of petrified lava built up into mountains
28	A 900m waterfall that cascades over a table-top mountain	Falling Damage 20d6
29	A deep cleft cut into steep limestone precipices	Falling Damage 20d6
30	Unbroken waterfalls at 300m dot a rift that disappear into wisps of spray before hitting the bottom	Falling into Water 1d6 Heat stroke 1d4
31	200m cliffs above an ocean that stretches for 8km	Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6
32	Overhanging wall of geometric black basalt rocks by a waterfall	Falling into Water 1d6 Falling Object 1d6
33	A vast expanse of water cloaked in a light mist	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks Drowning Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or 1d6
34	An unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats	Water Dangers 1d3
35	A series of shallow lakes with clear waters pooled in between rocky canyons and dramatic waterfalls gushing over cliff edges	Falling into Water 1d6
36	Wide-open stretches of sand and shallow seas	Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Starvation 1d6
37	A river that cascades over a cliff stretching more than 2 km	Falling into Water 1d6
38	An 8km long subterranean river that boasts limestone karst formations, stalactites and stalagmites	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks
39	Natural rocky harbors overlooking choppy waters and inlets	Falling into Water 1d6
40	An archipelago of 21 tropical islands made of idyllic sandy beaches, marine life and hiking trails	Falling into Water 1d6

Tab 41 - 60

1d60min41	Landscapes	Area Effect
41	3000 km of a great coastal reef	Drowning Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or 1d6
42	A landscape of limestone plateaus and hundreds of caves	Cold Damage 1d6 Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks
43	A 21 km cave with impressive rock formations resembling a fairy tale city	Darkness -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks
44	A smoking crater inside a sea of sand	Smoke Damage 1d6 per 2 turns Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6 damage
45	White sand beaches, pink granite rock formations and hazardous peaks are among the stunning coastal scenery
46	A curtain of water drops 90m over a 4km wide ledge	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks Falling into Water 1d6
47	A small active volcano inside the much larger caldera of an ancient extinct volcano	Fire Damage 1d6 Lava Damage 2d6 Smoke Damage 1d6 per 2 turns
48	Spiky limestone rock formations and mangrove forests	Falling Damage 20d6
49	A tropical and otherworldly scape around a red river
50	An underground cavern containing giant selenite crystals, 11m long	Falling into Water 1d6 Heat stroke 1d4 Constitution check (DC 15, +1 for every previous check) or take 1d4 damage
51	Unique basalt sculptures bombarded by the seawater rush along a coast	Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6
52	A flooded mine tunnel	Falling into Water 1d6 Falling Object 1d6
53	Thousands of small islands and standing stacks overgrown with green shrubbery	Drowning Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or 1d6
54	A bay with extreme tidal highs and lows	Water Dangers 1d3
55	A trading junk with brown panel sails	Falling into Water 1d6
56	A 7km esker with calm lakes on either side	Falling into Water 1d6
57	Tall pines providing shade for moss, giant toadstools and blueberries
58	A sea frozen over	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks Cold Damage 1d6 Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take 1d4 damage
59	Granite spires on a high ridge more than 6000m above sea level	Falling Object 1d6 Falling Damage 20d6
60	A 13km ice mass with large chucks of ice breaking off the face	Falling into Water 1d6 Falling Object 1d6 Cold Damage 1d6 Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take 1d4 damage

Tab 61 - 80

1d60min61	Landscapes	Area Effect
61	Giant waves rolling across an open ocean	Drowning Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or 1d6
62	Cities carved into a mountain range
63	A rainforest of winding rivers and diverse wildlife	Darkness -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks Water Dangers 1d3
64	A blood red salt lake in the shadow of a mountain range	Heat stroke 1d4 Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6 damage
65	Seemingly endless heights of a bamboo grove
66	Intricate stone ruins perched atop the flattened peak of a lush green mountain surrounded by a barrier of peaks	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks Water Dangers 1d3
67	Volcanic craters potmarking an island	Fire Damage 1d6 Lava Damage 2d6 Smoke Damage 1d6 per 2 turns Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6 damage
68	Rock formations standing tall and emerging vertically from the ground	Falling Damage 20d6
69	Thousands of sandstone pillars
70	An ancient stratovolcano with a 19000 foot summit that drops into a vast, flat plain on all sides	Falling Damage 20d6 Heat stroke 1d4 Constitution check (DC 15, +1 for every previous check) or take 1d4 damage
71	Red sand dunes covered with skeletal trees	Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6 Heat stroke 1d4
72	Craggy peaks, verdant hills and turquoise waters lined by white-sand beaches	Falling into Water 1d6 Falling Object 1d6
73	A 1600m deep freshwater lake filled with thousands of species of plant and animals	Drowning Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or 1d6
74	A beach of jet-black sand and spectacularly shaped basalt columns	Water Dangers 1d3
75	Lush green mountains rippling across scree slopes and ridges for more than 1300m before dipping into the ocean	Falling into Water 1d6
76	An archipelago of verdant valleys, steep oceanside cliffs, rows of blue hydrangeas and scattering of waterfalls	Falling into Water 1d6
77	Isolated, crescent shaped, sandy beaches
78	Forest of colossal trees
79	Stone needles resembling an ancient petrified forest	Falling Object 1d6 Falling Damage 20d6
80	Surreal blue glaciers, active volcanoes, rough waterways and untouched snow	Falling into Water 1d6 Falling Object 1d6 Cold Damage 1d6 Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take 1d4 damage

Tab 81 - 100

1d100min81	Landscapes	Area Effect
81	16 terraced lakes connected by waterfalls and various shades of blue	Drowning Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or 1d6
82	A beach with rose pink waters
83	A tree-lined road haunted by ghosts	Darkness -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks Water Dangers 1d3
84	Field of wild flowers in a desert environment	Heat stroke 1d4 Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6 damage
85	Purple, pink, and blue-hued lupin flowers bloom against crystal clear water
86	Mountain trails crowded with vineyards	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks Water Dangers 1d3
87	Volcanic crater with a magma pool at the center	Fire Damage 1d6 Lava Damage 2d6 Smoke Damage 1d6 per 2 turns Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6 damage
88	Trees covered in thick layers of snow	Cold Damage 1d6 Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take 1d4 damage
89	A place of fuzzy green hills rolling into the distance with butterfly gardens, strawberry farms and tea plantations
90	Cliffs, caverns and natural arches made of red sand	Falling Damage 20d6 Heat stroke 1d4 Falling Object 1d6 Constitution check (DC 15, +1 for every previous check) or take 1d4 damage
91	Dry, icy desert	Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6 Heat stroke 1d4
92	An abandoned freighter ran aground on white sand beaches	Falling into Water 1d6 Falling Object 1d6
93	A chain of jagged lava peak islands clad in green jungle, palms sprouting out of sheer cliff walls and mist drifting in and out of deep canyons	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks Drowning Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or 1d6
94	Bioluminescent water emanating a dazzling blue glow from a night beach	Water Dangers 1d3
95	Millions of acres of shimmering lakes and jagged mountains	Falling into Water 1d6 Falling Damage 20d6
96	A saline, electric-blue lake with palm tree-lined mountains and white, serpentine salt formations	Falling into Water 1d6 Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take Thirst 1d6 Heat stroke 1d4
97	Fairy pools and endless undulations of hills
98	Vast stretches of lavender fields
99	Meteor shower over a spring field	Falling Object 1d6 Falling Damage 20d6
100	Tall palm trees set against the backdrop of misty green hills and craggy mountains	Low Visibility -2 Movement -2 penalty to AC -4 Search, Strength and Dexterity Checks Cold Damage 1d6 Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for every previous check) or take 1d4 damage

The landscapes listed are generally very beautiful but severely out of place. As they appear to move within the vast near emptiness surrounding the players' vessels like an asteroid sanctuary. In addition, they can either be entirely spectral (i.e. they are out-of-phase wit the real environment alongside the characters) or material (i.e. they interact with things that come into contact) at the GM's discretion. Roll for Landscape Group
If the real GM wishes, they can choose to forgo an elaborate landscape and simply have the same area size be blank and customizable to the game GM's whims.

Escaping D'em's hold counts as exposure to an alternate dimension and can lead to meta awareness.

Mental characteristics

Morality & Philosophy

Anti-Authority

Game Master seems to take great offense to those baring authority over them. Therefore, the game GM is more resentful of the real GM than any player.

As such, their very presence in a game changes the number of dice used in skill checks and increased randomization that complicate character motivations.
It works on a see-saw-like principle where when you use your points you automatically subtract the number of costs (never more than 3) from your pool and add them to the threats that the GM can inflict on you. You can use it after you roll but before you know the result.
The same applies for the when the GM inflicts their meta threats. The players' meta points increase again.

Initial Meta Pool

Meta Points	Description	Cost
Information	Character asks the game GM a question and get a truthful answer on the situation, environment or enemies present	Varies
Ignore Complication	Avoid an upcoming complication	2
Bonus Dice	Gain a dice bonus for next skill roll. This can only be used three times per game and at incremental cost	1-3
Escalation	Specific action or decisions that circumvent the game GM's environmental changes	1
Confidence	Gain +1 Charisma (max +4) until the start of the next turn	1
Circumstances	Every time the game GM changes the environment	1-2
Unconscious	A target is rendered prone	2
NPC Momentum	Unspent points (min 3) are pooled to guarantee an NPC action	Varies by Success

Initial Meta Threats= (number of players x 2) + 1

Meta Threat	Description	Cost
Increase Difficulty	-1 die roll for 1 skill per cost	2
Truth	Change or create a truth appropriate to the circumstances	2
NPC Generation	Add the number of skill dice of an NPC to the player's meta cost	Varies
Reinforcements	Summon a number of low-level NPCs	2
Buy-off	Temporarily take control over an NPC or NPC suffers a complication	2
Traits	Change, remove or create a character quality in an existing PC or NPC	2
Narrative Changes	Trigger or cause problems in the scene/environment	Varies
Rival Action	Introduce an unexpected or unknown enemy to the current situation	1-3 depending on notability
Doubt	NPC gains a critical success	3

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Dominance

The special statuses of natural ones and 20s when rolling dice are extended to other numbers, in order to throw off everyone. D'em may not immediately instigate this exaggerated rule change.

After rolling a natural multiple of 20: 2, 4, 5, 10 and 20.

1d100	Critical Hit
1 - 5	Max Damage
6 - 9	Max Damage x 2
10 - 14	Max Damage + second attempt
15 - 18	Max Damage + opponent roll fumble
19 - 40	Double Damage
41 - 47	Double Damage + second attempt
48 - 53	Double Damage + opponent roll fumble
54 - 59	Double Max Damage
60 - 64	Triple Damage
65 - 68	Triple Damage + second attempt
69 - 72	Triple Damage + opponent roll fumble
73 - 76	Triple Max Damage
77 - 79	Quadruple Damage
80 - 81	Quadruple Damage + second attempt
82 - 83	Quadruple Damage + opponent roll fumble
84 - 85	Quadruple Max Damage
86 - 89	Action reduced by 1 until healed/repaired
90 - 94	Opponent blinded for 1d6
95 - 96	Loss Appendage: Max Damage + 1d20 per attack
97 - 99	Stunned for 1d6
100	Instant Death

After rolling a natural 1, 3, 7, 11 and 13.

1d100	Fumble
1 - 9	Drop Item
10 - 17	Drop Item 10 feet away
18 - 23	Drop Item 20 feet away
24 - 27	Drop Item 30 feet away
28 - 37	Prone
38 - 45	Prone + Drop Item
46 - 51	Prone + Drop Item 10 feet away
52 - 55	Prone + Drop Item 20 feet away
56 - 57	Prone + Drop Item 30 feet away
58 - 62	Lose initiative next turn
63 - 68	Next attack have all rolls disadvantaged
69 - 73	Opponent attempt another hit
74 - 78	Hit self at regular damage
79 - 84	Opponent automatically hits next turn 1d20
85 - 88	Opponent automatically hits on all attacks next turn 1d20
89 - 93	Lose next attack
94 - 96	Lose this and next remaining attacks
97 - 98	Opponent immediately critically hits
99	Weapon or vital item breaks If not applicable, treat as 98
100	Automatic hit on closest ally within 10 feet of PC If not applicable, treat as 99

Therefore, only numbers 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 on the "Vindictive Results Chart" have unchanged rules.

Social

Social Aptitude

Vindictive

GM has a poor attitude when interacting with everyone. This manifests in wanting to keep certain skill checks, that the PCs roll, a secret until the effects reveal themselves. PCs choose 1 or 2 skills (for the sake of fairness) and every time they use those skills, the have to rely on the pre-roll chart.

Using the chart below at the start of each session, players roll 2 sets for their respective checks and the results are recorded for a total of ten each. Remember to include all the positive and negative modifiers abilities that are normally considered with those roles.
Then the real GM rolls that die for the column number being referenced and the values under the column for the particular player will be the skill check. The next time the stated skill needs to be checked, the real GM will use the values from on the next column; and so forth and so forth.
Where bonuses, or any other advantages or disadvantages, come into play, the real GM includes the next immediate column value and choses the highest or lowest among them.

10d10	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
PC 1
PC 2
PC 3
PC 4

Alignment

Chaotic

Current Status

Imprisoned

Current Location

Lurker Threshold

Conditions

• Meta Awareness

Realm

Mucube Complex

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Narrator

Mother

Game GM

Current Residence

Phylactery

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Halo-like Blue

Related Plots

• Cosmic Furnace

Known Languages

Omilingual