Impossible Jargon

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Wikipedia defines jargon as:

Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, or group. In other words, the term covers the language used by people who work in a particular area or who have a common interest. Much like slang, it develops as a kind of short-hand, to express ideas that are frequently discussed between members of a group. A standard term may be given a more precise or unique usage among practitioners of a field. In many cases this causes a barrier to communication with those not familiar with the language of the field. As an example, the words RAM, Hard Disk Drive, CPU, and Graphics Card are jargon terms related to computing.

Gamers end up having their own jargon to refer to situations. Not just as a shorthand but sometimes it is necessary to get shades of meaning that one never needs in real life.
This week we're talking about the word impossible.
impossible can have many meanings because when measured against the possible it is a much larger territory. In games and in fantasy the performance of impossible deeds becomes commonplace. Still within the architecture of a well made world some things remain impossible, even when impossible things are being done. As you can see within this paragraph the term is beginning to be ambiguous.

In our gaming group we have three categories of impossible, called category 1 category 2 and category 3. unfortunately although many of our players arr quie inventive in terms of plot, setting, problem solving etc. overall the group is a bit Leonard of Quirm when it comes to naming things.

Category 1 impossible things are things you cannot do but are not actually outlawed by the laws of reality, like jumping to the moon. You can't do that but jumping does cause you to move upward and one can attain escape velocity and aim correctly you may be able to land on the moon, surviving would be a trick but there's nothing in physics that states that if enough power were put behind a jump it wouldn't work.

Category 2 impossible things are things that could not have happened but their current state is ok. Momotoro a boy that grew out of a peach, or the Death Star. A boy is a perfectly reasonable object, a sphere of metal is reasonable. the laws of the universe have no problem with these. A peach is reasonable as are lumps of metal ore. But there are no set of circumstances that could cause a peach to produce a boy, or lumps of ore to become a moon sized space station, several times during the construction it should have collapsed or something. Category 2 impossible things may be here now but there is no possible way to get to where they now are.

Category 3 impossible things are not happening. Pi being made to equal 3, or the moon being made of cheese. Even if someone were to instantaneously turn the moon into cheese it wouldn't be made of cheese in about 5 minutes as it collapses in on itself and is made of compressed carbon and other things.

In short category one impossible things, you can't do, category 2 impossible things did not happen and category 3 things are not happening.

a problem comes with the many logical fallacy that happens in many gamers heads when they see someone perform a category 1 impossible thing and therefore assume they can do category 2 and sometimes 3 impossible things.

Larp Advice for Malkavians and other crazy people

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THIS

Do that. With every character not just the malkavians.
specifically this quote

What's the point - of you in particular?
Actually, this is a valid question for any vampire character, but it’s worth repeating here. Vampires hardly ever Embrace someone on the spur of the moment - particularly not in a Camarilla city. The Malkavians have a particular reputation for watching their would-be childer for a long time - even years - before their Embrace. A would-be childe must possess some extraordinary quality, something that simply demands it be preserved for the ages. Anything less, and the subject could just be ghouled - or even Dominated - to whatever purpose the would-be Sire has in mind. After all, it's a lot easier to obtain a ghoul in a Camarilla town, than to receive the right to Sire childer.
And don’t cop out with that “My Sire Embraced me without permission” copout – unless you’re playing in an Anarch troupe. Put some thought into why you were created.

Signs of the times

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenamontanus/sets/72157594323393196/with/264116790/
So I've been listening to "No Children" by The Mountain Goats. I haven't any links to them as all of the links I have found give popups. but they're a worthwhile band. I think My brain is melting out of my ears. but now there's a rituals section on the vampire.echoesofempires.org I am trying to get the wraith stuff out on time but if any of you readers have anything you want to see in a wraith supplement you let me know.

Plot Hooks

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Do, whatever you want, some times the pcs just won't take the plot hook, fight the badguy, run to save their lives etc. Make your peace and move on

Wyld Mutations 2 of 4

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Boons:

lvl 1
claws/fangs - your attacks do lethal damage, the claws and fangs are retractable
enhanced sense - +1 mental to perception challenges, also non obvious
working tail - +1 to athletics

lvl 2
chameleon - +2 trait on all stealth challenges
Mer-gills - can breathe comfortably on land or water as one sees fit, no visible mutation except when underwater.
Prehensile tail - gains a 2 trait, grappling weapon that does 1 bashing, does not take up a hand.

lvl 3
true omnivore - character can get nourishment out of any digestible material, it need not have nutritive value but it cannot be toxic.
enhanced cognition - gain 1 mental trait

lvl 4
Gigantic - as per huge size merit
Poison - character can at will secrete a poison that coats their hands or mouth that they themselves are immune to. the poison converts 1 level of damage to ag
wall climbing - character can cling to walls like spiderman for no discernible reason. moves at 1/2 speed rounded down
Blind sense - allows character to see in complete darkness but not fog or smoke or other obscuring conditions
quick step - has additional step per round
Aura of inspiration - character has an additional social trait.

lvl 5
Armored hide - skin acts as lvl 1 soft armor.
Wings- flies at 1 step per action
Spiked - retractable quills can exit the character's skin causing their unarmed damage to be lethal and any who grapple them or attack them bare handed to take a level of lethal damage
Wellspring - character regenerates 1 lethal health level per day
Redundant organs - character has an extra health level
Enhanced fecundity- if the creature has a gestation cycle it is reduced to 1/4 time. if it does not, it gets one with a rate of 1 child per year.

Kiths 4 of 6

The Fairest Of Them All


Fairest: they're pretty and artsy. lute elves, Tolkien elves. Blessing can spend glamour on socials as per blood, Merit retest on all expression and leadership. Curse:-2 to all challenges on a virtue chosen at creation. Their contract is Vainglory.
Fairest kiths
Bright Ones - made of light, sparkly pixies, lantern archons glowy people
Blessing:they glow giving a 1 trait equipment penalty on socials, they can spend a glamour to on a successful mental vs physical challenge blind a person for a round
Dancer - music box people, jugglers or courtesans
Blessing: Defense only discipline physical retest as per earth kith and skitterskulk
Draconic - exactly what they sound like
Blessing: offense only discipline physical retest as per fire kith
Flowering - flower faeries, pixies, sexy dryads
Blessing: offense only social discipline retest as per awe
Muse - exactly what they sound like
Blessing: Can grant a mortal, must be mortal and no way supernatural, a discipline retest on any extended static craft or expression challenge.

picture provided from
http://boyofbow.com/2009/04/02/katrina-pallon/ it has some nice pictures

Kiths 2 of 6

Darklings: insubstantial wispy creatures of smoke shadow and darkness. Blessing A merit retest to any stealth or subterfuge challenge. can spend glamour on mentals as per vampires spending for physicals. Curse: 3 trait penalty to all actions performed in daylight. -2 penalty to all actions performed during the day. Their contract is Darkness.
Darkling Kiths:
Antiquerian: scholars and historians
Blessing: Discipline retest on all academics or investigation challenges
Gravewight: goths, necromancers
Blessing: for 1 glamour, shroudsight as per necromancy for one hour
Leechfinger: horrible swamp things like leeches
Blessing: on a successful unarmed attack, drain a point of blood from creature touched, Leechfinger turns an ag to a lethal or a lethal to a bashing or heals a bashing from himself.
Mirrorskin: creepy putty people, Dopplegangers
Blessing: Discipline retest to any disguise attempt as their body and face shift to look different.
Tunnelgrub: gooey worm people
Blessing: spend a point of glamour and become a liquid for a round, still susceptible to damage but can slip through cracks or around things.

Seemings and Kiths Part 1 of 6

Seemings and Kiths

Seemings are the shape of the character's soul in broad terms. The shape into which they were forged by their Fey Masters. They come in six varieties, these are: Beasts, Darklings, Elementals, Fairest, Ogres, and Wizened.

Beasts: Beasts all have some sort of animal feature. The Blessing granted by their bestial nature are a merit retest to any challenge versus an animal (nonhuman), They can also spend glamour to raise their social traits as per vampires spending blood for physicals. Their Curse: the character suffers a 3 trait penalty on all mental challenges not involving animal ken or survival. Yes they get screwed on defensive mentals. Their Contract is that of Fang and Talon.
Beast kiths:
Broadback - big dray beasts, Camels, Elephants, Horses, Mules, Etc.
Blessing: +2 traits on all defensive physical challenges
Hunterheart - Large Predatory, Wolves Bears, Wildcats Crocodiles
Blessing: All unarmed attacks do Lethal instead of bashing
Runnerswift - Fast Prey, Hares, Rabbits, Antelopes,
Blessing: 3 additional steps at no penalty.
Skitterskulk - Creepy Insects, flies, spiders, centipedes
Blessing: Additional Discipline retest to defense/dodge
Steepscrambler - arboreal critters monkeys, raccoons, squirrels, geckos
Blessing: can climb any surface at no step penalty
Swimmerskin - aquatic critters, fish, otters, mermaids
Blessing: can breathe underwater and swim at full running speed
Venombite - venomous critters spiders, snakes, platypus
Blessing: must make a grapple, when in a grapple can spend a glamour for an unarmed attack that does additional damage equal to characters Wyrd
Windwing - flying critters, birds, butterflies and bats
Blessing: can fly, poorly 1 step per round

any animal that doesn't fit in these categories may fit into one of the other kiths as they have animal and mythical beats templates.

Dream Crafting

Dream Crafting/ Dream Riding/ Onieromancy:

Dreams each have a strength usually equal to the dreamer's willpower/2 round up, which is the amount of glamour that can be harvested from the dreams without damaging the dreamer. Glamour is harvested from dreams by spending the night in the dream. Twice this amount can be gathered at the cost of a permanent willpower on the part of the sleeper. Sleepers have defenses to prevent this from happening. See later sections, combat and weaving for more details.

Entering a dream, the dreams of one's fetch can be entered at any time for free. The dreams of anyone you have an intimacy towards or has an intimacy towards you can be entered for free. All other dreams require a challenge using the worst of the dreamcrafter's mentals or socials vs the best of the target's mentals or socials, craft dream can be used as a retest. In order to make the test you must touch the desired dreamer's pearl, which exists in the dreaming.

When inside a dream a caster can perform dream combat, dream weaving, dream tasking, and dream reading.

Dream reading are all perception based mental challenges with empathy as a retest.

Dream Reading In order to perform any dream reading the caster must engage in an opposed mental challenge with the dreamer. Failure of this results in expulsion from the dream without damage. The information gained from the dream reading are the presence/absence of dream poison, the presence/absence of any derangements, though each derangements must be checked for by relevant virtue and each derangement check is a separate challenge. You can learn the value of one of the virtues of the dreamer or their nature, demeanor, or motivation. Dream reading also allows the caster to determine the strength of the dream after they have entered it without any challenge or cost.

Dream tasking is a social challenge using craft: dream as a retest. Dream tasking can do the following four things; healing sleep, stress relief, sleep teaching, ravaging and nightmares. Healing sleep reduces the time required to heal any one wound level by one category, ag to lethal, lethal to bashing, or a single level of bashing to zero.

Stress relief causes the subject to regain an additional willpower for that nights sleep. Social challenge is required as stated above.

Sleep teaching allows the crafter to teach the dreamer one subject as per the teaching rules. You cannot gain XP reductions such as equipment or live fire, but you can learn overnight.

Nightmares! With a successful social challenge and a successful difficulty two compassion check the crafter can demolish the dream landscape so that the dreamer does not regain willpower for that night's sleep.

Ravaging With a social challenge using dream craft as a retest, the taskmaster does one bashing level of damage to the dreamer. The dreamer can spend willpower as a retest. the Taskmaster gains one glamour.

Dream Weaving

Dream weaving does not require a challenge.

Dream Binding - The caster must spend a willpower and invest a point of glamour. this point of glamour will not return, lowering their permanent pool until the effect ends. They bind this will and magic into an item in the subject's dreams that will persist until the item is broken. Upon binding someone's dream the caster can choose one level of one of their contracts to grant the sleeper access to. While the sleeper is bound they can perceive the world as a changeling does and have access to a glamour pool equal to their highest virtue. The bindings loose themselves on the next new moon and must be renewed. The changeling does not lose the contract just the glamour. Multiple powers can be given at the cost of multiple glamour. Mortals cannot learn contracts on their own.

Mind Sharing - A changeling can play for the dreamer a scene from their own memories. No game effect. This is narrated by the player not the staff as it is the character's capacity to re-enact the scene.

Dream Combat:aka. Onieromachy

A character engages in dream combat not with the dreamer, but with other creatures such as a fey beast, another changeling, or possibly one of the True Fae. Regardless the sleeper loses a temporary willpower once per hour of combat at the beginning of the hour. So at the beginning of combat the dreamer loses a willpower and if the fight is still going on an hour after that they lose another willpower. If the sleeper is dropped to zero willpower during this process the crafter and whatever the crafter is in combat with take the dreams strength in aggravated damaged and are ejected into the waking world, dead or alive. The dreamer takes one bashing from this ejection. There are three types of dream combat, shaping the self, shaping the environment, and shaping the opponent. When a person shapes themselves they spend a point of glamour and for their next action use the greatest of their attributes with the normal skill appropriate to the action. For instance if you have socials as your highest attribute and wish to stab someone you make a social challenge with melee as a retest.

In shaping the environment the crafter reaches out to shake the dream itself, their opponent must make a virtue test equal to the caster's Wyrd using the virtue of the caster's choice or be ejected from the dream suffering two levels of aggravated damage. This causes the dreamer to lose a point of temporary willpower regardless of outcome. This damage stacks with damage suffered if combatants are ejected out of the dream due to the dreamer losing all willpower.

The last and most risky option is shaping your opponent. The caster engages a challenge with the virtue of their choice, the loser of the challenge also loses a permanent point of that virtue. In the case of a tie, both opponents lose a permanent point of that virtue. Dream craft is the skill retest and willpower can be used defensively.


Dream Venom aka The Withering aka Morphean Bile

The True Fae and some of their minions can poison the dreams of men. With the investiture of a willpower and glamour a Denizen can poison the dream of a corporeal creature. This poison infects a dreamer with a virtue penalty of -1 to all virtues, this penalty increase once every month, unless the poison is removed, until one of their virtues is effectively zero. At that time the Denizen can ride the host, dreamer, in the waking world. The dreamer can also relent at any time to the Denizen allowing the Denizen to possess the dreamer. The Denizen has access to all of the Denizen's and mortal's powers, abilities, and willpower, but is limited to the mortal's attributes. The Denizen replaces the virtue which was dropped to zero with its own, but uses the other virtues of the mortal. If the dreamer relented to the Denizen the mortal chooses which virtue will be replaced. A Denizen can be exorcised by dropping their virtue which is active rather than the mortal's to zero. This banishes the Denizen to Neverland and cannot come closer to reality for a year and a day. A Denizen can also leave if it chooses to, perhaps it was persuaded, the body its possessing repeatedly beaten, etc. If the host dies, the Denizen is free to resume its activities at sunset the next night using a different host.

never is enough

the Never Never


0 reality Regain 0 glamour per night

1 Dreamtime Regain 1 Glamour per night

2 Hedge/Looking Glass Regain 3 Glamour Per night

3 The Realm Fantastique/Neverland/The Ever After/Mirrorlands Refill Glamour Completely each night.

4 The Outer Edge/The Far Side

5 Primal Chaos

The first edge of the never is the dreamtime. it is the echoes and reflections of the dreams of the world . this is similar to the penumbra effectively except for the small pearls formed when someone is asleep or actively dreaming. These pearls can be entered through oneiromancy but otherwise are bubbles of dream that surround and protect sleeping mortals. Throughout the Dreamtime and the entire never never are songlines. travel is easier along songlines (takes only 75% of time) and if the traveler knows the right key to a given songline they may find themselves moving up to 100 times their speed along their journeys. All changelings even in the physical world if they travel along the place where a songline runs in the border dreaming move more quickly. Permanent songlines are worn into the landscape between places of great power or great emotional importance. large crowds, festivals or great events can generate temporary songlines pulling the creatures of the never never into their orbit. Any changeling that sets upon these border songlines may be pulled aside into these happenings. The Dreamtime covers the whole world in width but is only one realm deep, in some rare places 2 realms deep anyone pushing deeper into the Never Never heads into the Wyld proper.

Songlines also lead deeper into the Never never, out of the Dreamtime and into the edge of the Wyld.


The first stage of the Wylds, second stage of the never never for those keeping score, often called the hedge or the Looking Glass Realm. The Looking Glass realm is much like our own except twisted and warped in some ways. Fires may burn Green, the Trees may be made of bone, a garden could grow fragrant crystal flowers. it is in these places mutations begin. more on that in mutations section. Here there are waypoints places devoted to an emotion or aesthetic. a lover's garden of opal and ruby, an ancient battlefield where the hearts of the fallen grow on strange trees. The land between waypoints still exists and there are approximately one waypoint every 30 miles or so, travel along a songline though will cause one to get to the next waypoint in anywhere between an hour and a round key dependent. Leaving the songline's however is not only possible but a way of construction new waypoints. the land is mostly stable and changes only occur over the span of months. a hill will not become a mountain overnight, not a desert to a lake. Over the course of a month A hill might become a heap of garbage in a dump, or grow to be a fairly sized cliff.
Songlines can lead one deeper into the Never Never, 20 waypoints deep. On the whole it is about 20 waypoints wide as well. The Millions of places of power in the dreamtime winnow down to the mere hundreds in the Hedge after you do 20 waypoints in, the 21st is in:


the Realm Fantastique, Neverland, the Ever After. this is the closest to reality the True Fae can come without taking crushing damage. This is the area from which most of the characters escaped. Places between waypoints are no longer relevant. The journey from one to another is "a maze of twisty corridors all alike", or "a multi hued pebbled highway. Here one should not step off the path. Never step off the path. Travel that is not along a songline leads to instant mutation and calls dark and terrible things to devour the unwary traveler. even should they survive the things the Wyld itself eats the character's Clarity at a rate of a point per round. Travel along a songline is comparatively safe one only meets the various denizens of the waypoints and freeholds of the fae. In this realm, the one glamour cost to activate any contract is waived. Here the realm changes constantly except when nailed in place by the will of a Lord. The hills skip like rams, the mountains like lambs. over the course of a day a volcano may become a geyser then a fountain and finally an asphalt parking lot. The hundreds of Looking Glass waypoints choke down to a mere 6 or so waypoints wide. Almost every waypoint here is occupied or was once occupied by a fae lord. Those places not under the thumb of a being of such power tend to drift apart and lose importance. The fey that choose to live such a base and physical existence are few.
The songlines do not end here. Neverland is 60 waypoints deep (although this number varies it is never less than 50 or more than 66).

The Outer Edge, The Far side, A thin band around the edge of the Mirrorlands maybe 2 to three waypoints deep hold the last skin on reality before the very end. Here are no distinctly different places or waypoints., A tree might flower in a moment, drop its leaves which become birds that are devoured by a chorus of aerial singing pigs. the area defies description save that large swaths seem to have a theme of some sort. The Fae here are truly at home, answering to no logic form or continuity, they change with the protean landscape. Things here are entirely defined by their virtues, their physical form has no true meaning. Beings here know nothing of the humdrum realm of Earth and care even less. Clarity immediately drops to one for all present. Contracts have no cost. The ragged edges of songlines still run. All the way into:


Primal chaos, even the Fae do not send their consciousness to this place. it is a realm of unreason, to gaze upon it is to be dissolved. All virtues are lost at a rate of one per round. Clarity becomes 0.


Song Lines

All song lines can be used for the activation cost of one glamour. All song lines have a catch that can defray this cost. The catch can be anything from a song to a feeling to a rose. every song line has a power rating the rating is the average of the power ratings of the two points it connects. Travel time along a song line is divided 2 at rating 1, divided by 3 at rating 2, 4 at 3 and so on. Large crowds or important events can deform a song line like gravity distorting space or a whirlpool pulling water. These major events essentially form temporary waypoints of varying power, feeding a song line.

Wyrd Science

Wyrd is a measure of how much Wyld or Dreaming or flat out supernatural energy is in the changeling. how close they are becoming to being a creature of pure idea no longer clad in flesh. Wyrd is also one of those words like faerie, or wyld or olde tyme that has an extraneous and pretentious y to show that its all mystycal and magykal. Its moderately irritating but it does help differentiate it from being just plain weird or wild. All Changelings with a high Wyrd are very weird but not all changelings or people for that matter who are verry weird have high wyrds and acting weird won't particularly help your Wyrd. The difference between a girl gone wild and a girl gone wyld is that a girl gone wyld may well have piranha teeth or a third breast or breathe fire. Either way its a better video series than just some college lesbian experimentation on camera at mardi gras. Although I think I might pay to see Brian Froud's Girl's Gone Wyld with maybe Neil Gaiman or David Bowie as Snoop Dogg.





Now Game Mechanics

Wyrd costs 8 exp times desired level to increase, Wyrd can only be increased by spending a month in the Never Never in an area at least as deep as the dreamtime. A changeling 's Clarity cannot exceed 10 - their Wyrd. Wyrd costs 10 points per level to buy down. A character can buy off their first point of Wyrd for 30 exp and upon achieving clarity 10 become mortal. They must not have any supernatural intimacies, and must not have a living fetch in the physical world. At a Wyrd of 6 a changeling's trait max increases by 1 and they gain access to lvl 6 powers, and lvl 6 abilities. at Wyrd 8 they get access to level 7 powers, at Wyrd 10 they become a Denizen, their mortal body crumbling before the might of their glamour.


A changelings Can only have a number of vows active equal to Wyrd + intimacies. Any attempt to forge a vow beyond the character's maximum causes all involved to know the vow has failed. A changeling's Wyrd rating


A character ages at a reduced rate per point of Wyrd, 1/2 speed at Wyrd 1. 1/3 at Wyrd 2, 1/4 at Wyrd 3 and so on.


Creatures of Wyrd 6 and higher cannot catch mortal Diseases

Creatures of Wyrd 8 and higher cannot be poisoned by mundane means.

Creatures of Wyrd 6 or higher must gather their Wyrd -5 in glamour per night or their Wyrd drops by a level permanently.

Clarity

Not to be confused with
Celerity:



Clarity is a measure of how closely a changeling's senses hew to the tapestry of creation. How well they can see what is actually going on. Their alien perspective can sometimes grant the kind of insight only an outsider can have on a situation.

now a system dump

Clarity

Clarity is the connection between the changeling's senses and the tapestry of creation. an average human sees the world as if they had a clarity of 6. Clarity works as a measure of sanity as well as the capacity of the changeling to see what is really going on, mundane or otherwise.

Clarity is equal to conviction + temperance to start but can change with play.

A changeling's clarity cannot exceed 10 - their Wyrd

Clarity has breaking points. If a character performs an action listed as a breaking point they face a temperance challenge equal to the difference between the point and their rating. For example if Sam has a clarity of 7 and kills a changeling (a lvl 5 problem) it is a difficulty 2 Temperance challenge or lose a clarity. Anyone who takes a Code of Honor loses a point of clarity, no test if they break the tenets of their code.


10 - Bodily entering the Never Never, Dream Crafting, Using magic to accomplish a task when it could be done just as well without. Minor Unexpected life changes i.e. the canceling of one's favorite tv show.

9 - Knowingly using Tokens or other magical Items, Going a day without human contact,

8 - Breaking mundane promises or commitments, Having someone else break a commitment to attend to faerie matters. Changing courts, Major life changes, being Threatened with eviction, being fired, breaking up, injuring a mortal.

7 - Taking psychotropic drugs. Serious unexpected life changes e.g. sudden illness, house is broken into

6 - Revealing one's true form to a mortal, going a week without human contact, obvious displays of magic in front of witnesses, being injured.

5 - Killing another changeling, killing a fetch

4 - breaking formal oaths or pledges, Extreme unexpected life changes such as pregnancy or losing one's home.

3 - Ravaging, Being Ravaged (see dream crafting), Going a month without human contact. Kidnapping, Being Kidnapped Having No mortal or mundane world intimacies.

2 - Killing a mortal, having no intimacies

1 - Going to the ever after, one month of contact with a true fae or intimate contact with a true fae Abandoning one's current mortal identity. torturing or being tortured.


Clarity consequences

10 - +3 traits to perception Kenning Power, 3 retests per kenning use

9 - +2 traits to perception Kenning Power, 2 retests per kenning use

8 - +1 traits to perception Kenning Power. 2 retests per kenning use

7 - Kenning Power

6 - Kenning Power

5 - -1 to all perception

4 - -1 to all perception -1 to all empathy challenges

3 - -2 to all perception -1 to empathy, -1 to all socials interacting with mortals

2 - -2 to all perception -2 to all empathy -2 to all socials interacting with mortals

1 - -3 to all perception -2 to all empathy -3 to all socials interacting with mortals

0 - Catatonia, Wyld Madness, Generate New Character, your former fae master is alerted to this and may react.


The Kenning power is an automatic discipline retest on any awareness challenge. It also can be called for actively to tell what creatures/items/circumstances in the area are supernatural in nature. Kenning will also tell the user the nature of the spell/item/creature as per auspex 2.


Regaining lost clarity - spend exp, teaching helps as normal.

Celerity is a word that means very fast. It is the name of a power that in old world of darkness vampire tabletop makes you win combat. In Traditional larp combat it is a power that people who do not have access to thaumaturgy or obtenebration use to win combats with other lesser characters. In Requiem larp and tabletop it is a power that gives you cool bullet time special effects and make you look like you're going fast but ultimately does nothing of significance. In our larp system it is a power that means very fast.

Changeling Contracts part 3 of 4

Court Contracts come in two varieties, fleeting and eternal. Fleeting contracts can be purchased if you have the favor of a court. Anyone who is a member of a court automatically has favor. Every member of a court can grant a point of Favor equal to their level of rank in the court. More on that in the court section. Eternal contracts can only be purchased by court members no matter how much favor one may have. A changeling can only learn and use up to their rank rating in the eternal contracts. If they lose rank they do not unlearn the contract but it cannot be used until they get their title back.

Court contracts--------


for all court contracts one must have status 1 for that court to learn the fleeting contracts although they retain their function after one has quit. to learn the eternal contracts one must have a status equal to the level of contract and said status must be current for the contract to work. The powers do not disappear once one loses rank but they cannot be used unless one has rank equal to level of power.


Contracts of Fleeting Spring: Fleeting spring uses Awareness as a retest. Catch: caster must burn a heartfelt (writer had intimacy towards intended) love letter that has been seen and read by its intended for each casting of the power.

lvl 1 Cupid's Eye - social challenge against 10 traits, success reveals one of the victim's intimacies, victim's choice, successive uses of the power on the same target reveal additional intimacies at 15, 20 etc trait difficulties.

lvl 2 Pulling Heartstrings - costs one awareness, Social challenge success suppresses the bonus trait gained from an intimacy for an hour.

lvl 3 Binding or Red Thread - costs one awareness one glamour, social challenge with target, cannot be used on self target gains for one hour an intimacy of the caster's choice.

lvl 4 Golden Apple spend a willpower while crafting an item. anyone who holds or uses that item has an intimacy towards it/when using it. item lasts 28 days no more than the user's Wyrd in items may be active at once. when an item becomes inactive it falls to sparkling dust, even if it were made with the sturdiest of materials.

lvl 5 Young Man's Fancy spend one willpower 2 glamour. engage a social challenge with target, Target suffers a -2 penalty on temperance checks.





Contracts of Eternal Spring: Uses survival Catch: caster must sacrifice animal with a number of blood traits equal to the level of power used.


lvl 1 Bright new day - spend a survival touch a subject, can be used on self. all penalties and damage associated with fatigue, poison, or starvation vanish, it is as if the recipient has received a full meal and a good night's sleep without the concurrent regain of will.


lvl 2 Planting stick - Spend a survival, walk around a farm, field or patch of growing plants. must be able to be paced around in an hour. running is fine as are travel powers but no steeds, bikes, or conveyances of any kind. crops and animals treated this way are cleansed of blight, disease, parasites, infestations, the land is made healthy and nutritious and plants grow as if it were spring for a day. crops yield their maximum possible bounty, livestock is healthy and clean. Three days of this treatment is enough to reverse the effects of Witch Blight.


lvl 3 Graceful Hand of Renewal- touch target wound, spend one glamour wound is downgraded one stage from ag to lethal or from lethal to bashing or bashing to healed.



lvl 4 March of Passing Days- spend a willpower, touch a subject, subject grows as if they had a season of perfect health, nutrition and exercise in a day. this provides 3 months of 'convalescence' for healing times. works on plants, the season for plants is as per their growing season. counters Ache



lvl 5 Grass Underfoot - spend one willpower and 5 glamour. Grass and flowering plants spring up under the feet of the caster. All plants in the room bloom and grow as if they have had a season of growth. Everything in the room with the caster except the caster himself, friend or foe, for good or ill, is cleansed of toxins and diseases and regains one bashing health level, if they have no bashing a lethal is downgraded to bashing, if they have no lethal an ag is downgraded to lethal. this effect costs 2 glamour per round to maintain.



Contracts of Fleeting Summer: uses intimidate as retest Catch: character must sacrifice the liver of a rabid animal per level of power used. must have made sacrifice within 3 days of use. each sacrifice only works once and is expended.

lvl 1: Find Flaw: engage in mental challenge with subject, if successful, know their lowest virtue.



lvl 2: Object of Scorn: point at a subject and loudly and in a clear voice deride them. engage a mental challenge subject is down 1 social trait for an hour.



lvl 3: Mockery and Pointless Obfuscation: caster must engage subject in conversation for a full minute, incites a difficulty 3 anger frenzy in the target resisted with self control, even if subject is in no way subject to frenzy a killing rage overtakes them, aimed at the caster in which the frenzy rules apply. get a staffer.



lvl 4: Tripping Your Fellow Man: Mental challenge expend a glamour and change the target of any existent occurring frenzy. You decide who someone is frenzying on.



lvl 5. Outrunning The Bear: spend a willpower caster cannot be frenzied upon for one hour, frenzies still occur as normal but choose another target. caster cannot be target of effects produced by a frenzying creature, this includes creatures in permanent frenzy.


Contracts of Eternal Summer: uses occult as retest. Catch:character must give away an ounce of pure 24 karat gold per level of power to be used. Per use. said gold cannot come into contact with the character again. lest his powers cease functioning for one day per ounce.


lvl 1: Home and Hearth: expend one occult retest. the room is toasty and warm or cool and pleasant for one full hour, brought to the comfort level of the caster, if caster is outdoors field goes for 50 feet.



lvl 2: Brilliance of Hyperion: spend an occult character glows with the light of the sun for 200 feet in every directions, cannot engage in stealth challenges, gains 2 trait equipment bonus to leadership. light is not true sunlight but reflected doing merely 1 lethal per round to those affected by sunlight. and triggering a difficulty 3 fear frenzy.



lvl 3: Prometheus Fist: spend an occult and a glamour. character's hands glow with unearthly light. does an additional unarmed damage of solar fire. (1 ag) lasts one hour



lvl 4: Sunray: spend 1 willpower 3 glamour. for one hour caster manifests a beam of sunlight. the bolt is a weapon that does 2 ag, can be fired once per action and grants 1 physical trait. uses firearms.



lvl 5: Unblinking Eye of Appolyon: spend 1 willpower and 5 glamour, all illusions, all obfuscate, concealment or stealth magics, ends unless the caster of the illusion spends a willpower for the round. as the caster radiates sunlight for 100 yards in every direction. elder level powers (6 and up) are maintained at no cost, all things or people hidden through mundane means are revealed. costs 2 glamour to maintain,


Contracts of Fleeting Autumn: uses empathy retest. subject must not have ever seen the character's face.



lvl 1: as per cupid's eye (fleeting spring) except reveals a number of mental flaws or derangements(if any)



lvl 2: Phobos Kiss: spend a glamour social challenge with subject applies a -1 valor penalty to the subject.



lvl 3: Whispered Mantra: expend a glamour touch subject, subject has a +2 bonus on valor checks.



lvl 4: Fear of The Reaping: character gazes upon a target, target is subject to a 3 trait valor check or fear frenzy with the caster as stimulus. this happens even if the subject is of a creature type not given to frenzies. stimulus lasts for one round



lvl 5: Barghest Mien: spend one willpower, character is a 2 trait fear frenzy stimulus to all who behold her. must spend 1 glamour per round to maintain. this stimulus affects even those creatures of a type not given to frenzy.


Contracts of Eternal Autumn: uses survival Catch: caster must sacrifice animal with a number of blood traits equal to or greater than the level of power used.

lvl 1: Feast of famine:caster must touch subject, expend a survival. subject loses one glamour/blood/etc and if human takes one level of bashing from fatigue/starvation



lvl 2: Witch Blight: spend a survival, walk around a farm, field or patch of growing plants. must be able to be paced around in an hour. running is fine as are travel powers but no steeds, bikes, or conveyances of any kind. crops and animals treated this way are stricken with blight, disease, pests and the soil is turned to salt. nothing can grow upon this land for a full season. attempts to cause any kind of growth are 2 difficulty categories higher.



lvl 3:Fester: Spend a single glamour when you touch a wounded person, a single existing bashing becomes a lethal a lethal becomes an ag. touching unmarred flesh produces a bashing but frankly you could just have spent your effort punching someone for that effect. Does not work multiple times per strike. This effectively makes a character's strikes one wound category more deadly on any victim that is already wounded. e.g. they gain a bashing from the punch you are now throwing and turn a previous punch into a stab.



lvl 4:Ache: spend a glamour touch a creature already wounded. the creature cannot be healed by time, non supernatural medical help or convalescence for a full season.



lvl 5: Killing Frost - spend a willpower and 5 glamour all plants in the room wither and die, frost lines the room. Everyone except the caster, friend or foe must spend an extra willpower to heal or activate or maintain healing magics until the effect ends. costs 2 glamour to maintain.


Contracts of Fleeting Winter: no skill retest, Catch: Each use consumes one pounds of ice per level of power used. per use. caster must be in contact with said ice.

lvl 1: Evito - as per celerity 1

lvl 2: Guidiamo - expend a glamour, your steed or vehicle gains an additional step per round or 10% of its speed whichever is higher.

lvl 3: Colpisco - as per celerity 2

lvl 4: Progredico - as per celerity 3 except each level of fleeting winter must be paid for separately still, this just removes step penalty.

lvl 5: Morite - as per celerity 4


Contracts of Eternal Winter: uses Science as a retest Catch: character must giveaway Permanently a level of resources. and cannot have their resources rise above this new level for one month lest they lose their powers for one month. burning this resource allows use of the power for free for 72 hours


lvl 1: bank the blaze: a chill breeze whips through the room, extinguishing or dampening all fires or sources of heat. every fire (not sunlight, fire) is suppressed, doing one less damage, fires reduced to 0 levels go out. at the end of the round, those not extinguished return to their former size.



lvl 2: heart of ice: spend an science, touch a subject, their temperance gains a 2 trait bonus.

lvl 3: numbing touch: spend a glamour touch a subject, subject is not affected by wound penalties for one hour



lvl 4: Winter's Sabre: spend one glamour, for one round the character's weapon gains 2 lethal of cold damage and one trait offensively



lvl 5: Armor of Frost: spend a willpower and a glamour, the character's skin is covered in armor of ice, granting 2 defensive traits and an additional health level. fire and all heat (including sunlight) does lethal instead of ag

Oh my, More Changeling Contracts Part 2 of 4

Below are seeming contracts each set of contracts are easier for a particular seeming to learn and harder for all others. As before anytime they document references another power or vampire go to vampire.echoesofempires.com for the appropriate rule text

Seeming Contracts-----

Contracts of Artifice: uses crafts to retest. Catch - crafter must create and give away for free an item of difficulty equal to the level of power used to someone he does not know

lvl 1 MacGyver - may repair an object without a scrounge roll for materials, repair lats a number of days per level of power.

lvl 2 Gremlinize - mental challenge vs 10 mentals look a complex mechanical device (must have multiple moving parts) and suppress its function for as long as gaze is maintained

lvl 3 Shoemaker's Bright Hammer - gain a an additional discipline retest on extended crafting challenge

lvl 4 Eye of Balor - spend a willpower as per Kuldonic's way of fire Shatter

lvl 5 Wings of Wax - Spend a willpower and create in one hour, without a scrounge roll needed for materials any object the crafter can normally craft, item lasts a number of days per level of power.

Contracts of Darkness: Uses intimidate as a retest Catch caster must have in their possession a vial of tears of someone they have frightened, the tears are consumed in the casting
lvl 1 Whistling to the Dark - as per obtenebration 1
lvl 2 Numbing Teror - as per nightmare lvl 1
lvl 3 The Following Dark - as per obtenebration 2
lvl 4 Fell Countenance - as per nightmare lvl 2
lvl 5 Form of Nightmares - as per obtenebration 3 except player may decide the look of the creature, i.e. the tentacles could be tendrils of vine or lobster claws or whatever, no game effect difference though.

Contracts of Elements: uses survival as retest, this is actually seven paths that must be purchased separately the path options are: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Lightning, for damage, lightning and metal do lethal, fire does ag all else does bashing. Catch: character must sit in meditation of their element with that element present for half an hour for each level of the power to be used. This catch lasts one day.

lvl 1: Cloak of Elements: spend a survival and take one less damage per attack for the round from that element

lvl 2: Armor of the Elements: spend a survival, the caster is surrounded by a swirling shroud of their element that does a level of damage to anyone using a non-reach or ranged attack against them, and includes the effect of the lvl 1 lasts one round

lvl 3: Gladius of Elemental Wrath: costs 1 glamour, the character's weapon is sheathed in substance of their element and adds one level of damage to the damage done by a weapon the character is using. after this level of damage is done the effect dissipates. effect does not stack with other elements or itself. if the damage is not done within an hour or the weapon is sheathed/put down by the caster the effect ends. lasts an hour

lvl 4: Elemental Passage: Costs 1 willpower
Caster must step into an amount of their element larger than their surface area and can step 10 feet per level of Contract to another amount of their element of a size larger than their total surface area. note unless other powers are used the caster still takes damage from passing through a fire for example.
If the destination for some reason is not present (i.e. someone knows what you're moving to and extinguishes the fire, turns off the electricity) all people going through transit take 4 levels of appropriate damage type and are spat out at their point of departure.

lvl 5:Form of the Elements: costs 1 glamour 1 willpower. Character becomes a living embodiment of their element, gaining an additional healthy health level and a discipline retest (like might) on all situations where might would apply. they also gain the benefits of the armor of the elements. character does not actually entirely become the element but their hair may turn to fire, skin to steel etc. lasts one hour

Contracts of Fang and Talon: this is actually 8 different disciplines that must be purchased separately but the beast seeming discount applies to all of them even those not of their specific kith. these eight disciplines govern the eight kiths of the beast seeming: broadback, hunterheart, runnerswift, skitterskulk, steepscrambler, swimmerskin, venombite, and windwing. all use animal ken as a retest. Catch: character must care for and feed an animal of the appropriate type for a day per free use of the power. these free uses all disappear when the character stops taking care of the animal.
lvl 1 beast speech - as per animalism but only communicates with the specific group of animals related to the seeming.

lvl 2 beast's keen senses - costs one animal ken as per auspex 1 heightened senses

lvl 3 pipes of the beast caller - as per animalism beckoning

lvl 4 borrowing - as per subsume the spirit

lvl 5 cloak of borrowed form - character can turn into any animal in the appropriate group. All attributes remain the same.

Contracts of Stone: has no appropriate retests Catch: Character must be outnumbered by 3 to 1 or better. these powers do not take an action to activate. when active they activate for one hour. a glamour must be spend for each.
lvl 1 Strength of the Wold - as per potence 1
lvl 2 Enduring Stone - Caster does not suffer wound penalties beyond bruised.
lvl 3 Strong as the Hill - as per potence 2
lvl 4 Hale as the Stone - Caster has an additional healthy health level.
lvl 5 Redcap's Hungry Maw: Must spend one hour devouring all food in sight, and must devour at least one's head's weight in food. heal 3 health levels.

Contracts of Vainglory: retested with leadership Catch: Character must have exchanged bodily fluids of some sort with subject(s)within the past month. a kiss will do.

lvl 1 Mask of Superiority - lasts 1 hour character gains +1 social trait as per potence's physical trait
lvl 2 Splendor of Arcadia - as per awe lasts one hour
lvl 3 Fanfare - character gains an additional social trait, stacks with lvl 1
lvl 4 Mantle of Terrible Beauty - everyone in sight of character must make a Courage test difficulty of the character's level in the power or flee. spending a willpower will automatically cause the challenge to succeed.
lvl 5 Echoes of the LLano - as per Melpominee Siren's beckoning using leadership

Spring break and Storytelling Advice

odd sleep schedules make for erratic updates. i will try to keep on time for the rest of the break though.
Inspiration for storytelling is everywhere.
Sometimes if you really need npcs or plot in a pinch you can't do better than apocryphal lunatic ramblings on the internet

http://tinwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page

Closure

Sometimes it helps after a game to give you players an epilogue as to what happened and clear up any little mysteries they have left over.
Steve Moffat agrees with me

Awesome art site, and also more changeling rules

This website Has some incredible art.
On a totally unrelated note. Changelings get their powers through contracts, pacts with various beings and taking advantage of existing pacts that those beings and forces have made with the world.
Here is part 1 of 4 of changeling contracts.



Powers and Contracts:
Note Re: contracts activation ALL contracts costs a glamour. this glamour in addition to the other cost is what is avoided by the various catches. all contracts unless otherwise noted take an action to activate.


Universal contracts-----


Contracts of Dream: Uses Craft Dream as a retest. Caster must have a level of fatigue damage on their person, (bashing) per use of the power.

lvl 1 Pearl Portal - character automatically succeeds at the challenge to enter a person's dream.


lvl 2 Piggyback - costs 1 glamour per additional person. character may take a number of people into a dream with them on a successful Craft Dream Challenge


lvl 3 Heal the Dream - costs a number of glamour, character spends one glamour per point of willpower provided to dreamer, must make a successful dream tasking challenge. This cannot take the dreamer above their maximum temporary willpower.


lvl 4 Purify Dream - Costs a glamour, caster removes all poison from a dream.


lvl 5 Gently falling leaves - cost 1 willpower 4 glamour. caster takes lethal instead of ag if damaged by ejection from a dream.


Contracts of Wandering: Uses Streetwise as retest Catch, consumes 1 ounce of mercury per level per use.

lvl 1 Sounding - spend a streetwise touch a songline you know its key and a 20 word description of the nearest waypoint or freehold on either direction along the line



lvl 2 Quicksilver - spend a glamour per person in your group. link hands everyone in the group is whisked along to the next point along a songline provided there is no intervening person or obstacle. The party stops when they reach a person or obstacle.


lvl 3 Whoever Knocks - spend a glamour, touch a waypoint or place of power. know the person who rules there and what if any the laws and bans of the place are.


lvl 4 Adaptation - spend a willpower, The caster transforms into a form that can withstand the natural effects of an area for an hour. they sprout gills to swim underwater, they turn into living flame in lava this power mitigates the spiritual effects of the Never Never so that they apply hourly instead of per round. This power does not work in the Primal Chaos. This adaptation does not help with things that are not the natural environment. for example a person could use this power to stand in a volcano but still be burned by a cigarette while standing there.


lvl 5 Lockdown - Spend a permanent willpower touch a leyline or waypoint. A being cannot use the leyline or enter or leave the waypoint/node/place of power/freehold without meeting a catch placed by the owner or paying a glamour and a willpower.


Contracts of Fate: No Catch ever - can not be used on the same skill more than once per night or lose ties for one full night, note the lvl 5 power can only be used once per interval for the extended challenge or lose ties for a full interval

lvl 1 Miss step - spend empathy; social challenge opponent is at -1 to next action


lvl 2 Fortune's Bold Favor - spend empathy target is +2 to next action


lvl 3 Delphic Inspiration - spend empathy and glamour get a discipline retest on next challenge


lvl 4 The Lady's Grace - spend empathy and glamour gain a discipline retest for the next round


lvl 5 Strands Rewoven - spend 1 willpower extended static action difficulty reduced by one category


Contracts of Mirror: Catch, must craft from glass a model of the finished form of a difficulty equal to level of power used, if the model is broken the power ends. glass item must be touched to activate the power. As per vicissitude retests medicine use craft glass instead of crafts body for trait alterations.

note: a person's reflection always remains the same



lvl 1 Gurning - see malleable visage replace glamour for blood

lvl 2 Ihre Nase - as per malleable visage, works on other

lvl 3 Resplendant Vanity - see fleshcraft - self only
lvl 4 Pygmalion's Gift - see fleshcraft unchanged

lvl 5 Garden of the Body - see bonecraft unchanged


Contracts of Smoke: power cancels auspex at a 1 for 1 stealth retests, Catch must swallow the eye of a mammal or bird as you activate the power one eye per level of power used

lvl 1 Hiding in a Teacup - as per obfuscate 1

lvl 2 Cameo Dissappearance - as per obfuscate 1 works on cameras

lvl 3 Hidden Between Raindrops - as per obfuscate 2

lvl 4 Uncredited Extra - as per obfuscate 2 works on cameras

lvl 5 Alan Smithee As -as per obfuscate 3 works on cameras

Mists of Memory

Masks/Mists
every changeling has a mortal mask and a changeling Seeming. Their seeming gets its own chapter later but the mortal mask is what people without supernatural powers see. A changeling looks like a normal human in all ways. when a changeling attempts to spend a point of glamour for any reason their seeming 'slips' causing them to briefly appear blatantly supernatural. spending an additional glamour when using a power or performing other glamour intensive task can strengthen the mask causing the changeling itself not to appear bizarre and outlandish. however spending an extra glamour when throwing a fireball will keep people from seeing your elven ears but it will in no way disguise the fact that you have thrown a fireball.
The mists are an effect that erode the name of the changeling in the world. Since they have been kidnapped and a fetch placed in their place their names have been overwritten in the tapestry of fate. Any changeling can only be remembered by those they have ensorceled or Dreamwoven into remembering them. sea oaths and dreamweaving respectively. Records of the changelings name including titles and property deeds become blurry and fade, police records, personal memories, all fade. This does not keep a changeling out of trouble. if they are arrested and put in jail the jail will lose the records of who they are and why they're there leaving no way out. their lawyer will lose their case, it's a bad scene. Any changeling that wishes to maintain an influence above 1 must do so through a retainer or enchanted mortal. This has its own problems. A changeling cannot have a number of retainers higher than their leadership nor a number of ensorceled higher than their Wyrd. This forgetting extends to other supernaturals although they may spend a willpower per 3 days to remember the changeling the documents will disappear by the end of the lunar month.
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Yet More Changeling Rules

Fetch
    A fetch is a creature left in the place of a changeling by their fae kidnappers it doesn't show up all of the time but most of it. it lives their life without them. It takes their place and their name. The fetch is tied to the changeling, twinned to their soul. The changeling always knows the direction and distance of their fetch and vice versa. the Fetch is primarily interested in maintaining the deception that they are the changeling's previous self. Its secondary drive is the elimination of the changeling. this it usually accomplishes through a proxy or proxies due to conflicts with its primary drive. A changeling can upon creation take the background Fetch at any rating form 1 to 5. A changeling loses a number of glamour per night equal to their rating in fetch. All changelings start with 1 level of fetch on creation and may buy off this dot for 3 freebie points. When a changeling kills their fetch through game play. they gain a dot of Wyrd.
Taking the Fetch flaw at levels past 1 grants the  user 2 freebies per level. A note to staff, a level 1 fetch has an exact duplicate of the changeling's character sheet. a lvl 2 fetch has all traits 1 higher, all skills 1 higher. a level 3 has all traits 1 higher, all skills one higher and all compacts the player has at 1 higher. A level 4 has  2 higher on traits  2 more dots of skills  one more do of compacts and an additional compact up to level 4. At level 5 a fetch  has any compacts the character has at 5. and 2 additional compacts at 5. All traits maxed and their trait max is two higher than the character. All skills at 2 and any of the player's skills at 5.
ALL Fetches of any level have a Wyrd of 5 and clarity of 5.

A Sense of Scale.

It is vitally important that your pcs posses a sense of scale. Sometimes they will have phenomenal cosmic powers and great wherewithal but feel like an underdog or downtrodden or put upon because they are up against far greater threats. From time to time put in a few under challenging encounters. Have them beat up a few random thugs. My personal favorite is a homecoming scene in which they have to go back to their starting area and deal with the problems that seemed so insermountable a mere few hundred experients points ago. It helps keep everything in context. When you're building a mood or trying to maintain suspension of disbelief, context is king.