Since we're officially back in the saddle, it seemed only appropriate to kick this first week of August (how??) off with a brand new Echoes From The Underground! Let's see if we can keep this thing going, shall we?

Pro-tip: Don't forget to check out this month's Question for The Oracle at the end of this article!

July's Member Bonus: Tidal Child Species

Whether you're playing in a more traditional fantasy setting or are enjoying the recent release of It's Only Magic by the fine folks over at MCG, the tidal child species makes for a fun and unique player option to add to your games. 

Choose from one of four different water fey ancestries–the asrai, nereid, nixie, and undine–each with their own physical traits, personality quirks, and special ability. If you're feeling particularly bold or are a little disappointed that we didn't include your favorite water fey (there are...a lot) feel free to use our supplied ancestries as a template to create your own.

Let us know if you do in the comments below!

Now Exiting The Post-Apocalypse

With the release of Cypher Shorts: Post-Apocalypse Shorts Vol. 3, we have officially exited our post-apocalypse shorts cycle!

This volume, like all previous releases, contains three very different shorts for three equally different post-apocalyptic scenarios.

• What if we foolishly woke the dragons that slumber deep beneath the Earth's crust? 
• What if the citizenship test to enter paradise required more of you than you could imagine?
• What if the very water that we need to survive turned against us? 

Find out the answers to all of the above in our latest release.

Now on to those dark supers shorts!

Free Materials Update: Insidious Knowledge Rule

As I'm sure you've already read, when we hit new free member milestones we take an exclusive article from our catalog of member-only materials and make it available to all of our free supporters. 

Our latest update now includes the insidious knowledge rule, which is perfect for any cypher games where you're dealing with the sorts of dark, demonic, or eldritch beings that have access to the characters' deepest flaws and fears and are more than happy to use them against them. 

(If you're not already a free member, drop your email here and check out our current catalog of freebies.) 

Question For The Oracle: Species As A Descriptor? 

Hey guys, My question is of course Cypher related. What is your take on race as a descriptor? I personally feel like making a player pick a race instead of a descriptor feels a little funny. It also implies that everyone from the same race has the same traits, which isn't great storytelling in my opinion...I was just wondering what is your thoughts on this topic. Thank you for your time.

 - Spiggs18 or Anthony from Cypher Unlimited

We are 100% of one mind there, Spiggs.

The Underground Oracle Publishing character sentence for Cypher System includes species as well as a descriptor. So far we’ve only presented it in Harrow, but we consider it our in-house standard and it’s how we prefer to play our games.

I like to look at it as combining both the nature and the nurture aspects of a character. Species being the “nature” qualities (like wings, horns, inborn abilities, etc) or the things that might be picked up by living in the home culture. And descriptor representing the “nurture” qualities, or those things picked up from the character’s lived experiences and their reactions to them.

It’s also just incredibly fun to have more options at the table, so why limit a PC who wants to get creative in a way that isn’t going to hurt the overall table experience?

Do you have a question for The Oracle? Comment below and you could see it in the next Echoes From The Underground!

Members' Corner

• Congrats to free members Moddy Moon, Matt Blakeley, and Skywarp, the winners of our August Sage tier upgrades!
• Missing your member notifications? Make sure to whitelist emails from undergroundoracle.com to keep them in your inbox. 
• Have questions or concerns for the UO Team? Send a direct message to Jess through the member's section right here on the site!