by ConnorJames | Feb 4, 2015 | Recursions
Created by a combination of fictional leakages, most notably: videogame series Alan Wake and The Twilight Zone. Night Falls is, by day, known as Bright Springs, an idyllic small town nestled into the foothills of the Puget Sound in Washington State. But when Night Falls, the town changes as a Creeping Darkness steals over the area, changing anyone it comes into contact with. Those who’ve been claimed by the Darkness are called the Stolen, they are normal people by day, but at night become puppets to the Dark Entity which resides at the bottom of Caldera Lake. Some, known as the Champions of Light, stand up to the Dark Entity, but are vastly outnumbered and grossly underpowered. Depending on the time of year Night Falls takes many shapes, from season to season depending on the duration of the nighttime hours. In Late Spring, Summer and Early fall it is simply a toned down version of the town, while in Late Fall, Winter and Early spring it is warped by the overpowering darkness. The layout of the town itself never changes, nor do the features of the surrounding island. The layout is akin to any small town, and the island is dominated by forest land, there is a small lumber mill about a mile from town and somewhere on the other side of the island is an old coal mine. Any roads which lead out of town seem to run into strangely dead ends. Outsiders are welcomed warmly if looked upon with slight suspicion. Other locations: Jagger Peak: Housed in a small park just to the north of town, Jagger...
by ConnorJames | Feb 4, 2015 | Foci
You are a Champion of Light, fighting to keep the forces of Darkness at bay. Tier 1: Inner Light 1. You can conjure light equal to a lantern from your inner reserves, gain a Light Stat, starting value 4. Boost: Your Light attacks deal 2 extra damage. Actions & Costs: Light Strike: 1 Light per attack. Augment your attacks with light. Light Ward: 2 Light per round. Create a barrier that protects from Dark Enemies, and acts as Armour 2 for all others. Tier 2: Safe Haven (2 light per 6 rounds). Create an impenetrable barrier of light that protects you and up to four other medium sized creatures, healing any wounds you may have received, 2 wound recovery per round. Tier 3: Lightning Strike (2 Light per Additional action). Take additional actions, 2 Light per action. Tier 4: Light Within 2. Light stat rises to 8. Boost: Deal double damage. Light Strike: Tier 5: Light Aura. Gain 2 additional armour. Tier 6: Light Fury. Inner light stat rises to...
by ConnorJames | Feb 4, 2015 | Recursions
Harper City, while in many respects just a regular city, is run by a crooked government under a bizarre set of laws, rather than taxes businesses pay something more akin to extortion money. Instead of a mayor the city is run by a Crime Boss, elected by the five families to maintain some semblance of order and arbitrate minor turf struggles, ensuring that the balance of power is maintained, if any family oversteps the boundaries set forth by the Boss the penalties are stiff indeed. There is no police force in Harper City, to the residents it’s an alien concept. The Layout of Harper City is remarkably close to that of San Francisco, although there are fewer hills. Districts & Families: The Pearl: Governed by the Belliacci family, The Pearl District is basically an area extending from the wharf to an extensive area of warehouses and construction yards where nothing ever seems to actually get built. The Belliaccis are known for being the least ambitious of all the families, content to maintain neutrality in order to protect what’s their’s. The Rose: The Rose District is run by the Torlionis, the smallest and most pugnacious family. Denizens of the Rose District are “Taxed” heavily and are expected to submit to any whims of the family. The Rose District is located in a more rundown part of town on the upper east side, covering roughly thirty five blocks, drugs are the main source of profit for the District. The Square: Controlled by the O’Shea family, the central square of town is perhaps the largest chunk of territory owned by any family. Covering...
by ConnorJames | Jan 30, 2015 | Foci
You have always been able to step into the shadows and melt out of sight, it was a knack that helped you survive a troubled childhood and now you use it to make a living. Tier 1: Shadow Stalk (2 Speed points). Step unseen into the shadows, moving swiftly but silently and stalk your prey. Tier 2: Shadow Speed (3 Speed Points). Use the shadows to augment your speed and take two actions in a round. Tier 3: Shadow Blade (2 Speed Points). Conjure a blade of pure Shadow which extends from your arm, the blade counts as a Medium Weapon from which you take no penalty. Tier 4: Enshroud (3 Might Points if Attacking, 2 Speed if Defending). Either Enshroud an enemy to prevent their taking any action or Enshroud a friend to prevent their taking damage or to allow them to follow you into the Shadows. Tier 5: Shadow Sling (2 Speed Points). Create and sling a projectile of pure shadow, dealing 2 damage to target and dazing them for 1 round. Tier 6: Shadow Mastery (4 Speed Points). Your shadow detaches itself and takes a more corporeal form to aid you. Shadow is a level 3 creature which lasts for 5 rounds. Health: 9. Attack with Shadow Blade or Shadow Sling, each attack reduces lifespan by one...
by ConnorJames | Jan 30, 2015 | Foci
Lucid Dreamers are also known as Astral Wanderers, people who can abandon their body and wander a forgotten realm. Intellect forges an object whereas it takes expenditure of physical energy to manifest it, therefore certain abilities cost both Might and Intellect, and since effects differ depending upon outcome desired costs are mostly at GM discretion. Recommended class: Paradox. Tier 1: Minor Control (Intellect cost based upon effect desired, GM Discretion). (Within Astral Plane). Players may attempt to create a small object or effect to sway events in their favour (Difficulty determined by GM). Tier 2: Astral Phenomenon (3+ Intellect Points, 1+ Might Points). Player may attempt to manifest small objects from the Astral Plane to Earth (the more simple the composition of the object the easier it is to manifest). Tier 3: Astral Project (3 Intellect, 1 Might). Player may exit their body and manifest in semi-corporeal form, they may take up to one action for free (additional actions cost 1 Might, 1 Intellect.) Tier 4: Moderate Control (Intellect cost based upon task). Player may attempt to create medium sized objects or moderate effects. Tier 5: Improved Astral Phenomenon (Intellect/Might cost based upon the effect or object desired). Tier 6: Astral Control (Might/Intellect cost determined by effect desired). Player may make use of the Astral Plane in ways few others can imagine, be this summoning a creature they imagine to aid in their struggles or imposing a layer of Astral Reality over normal reality to alter events as they are presented, however these things are extremely taxing and dangerous, improper use resulting in immediate...
by ConnorJames | Jan 30, 2015 | Recursions
The Astral Plane has existed before humanity, and humanity has just begun to evolve methods of interacting with it. The most common interaction with this realm being in dreams. The Astral Realm is a wild land of untamed potential, populated by strange flora and fauna. Influenced solely by imagination the Astral Plane has no specific layout or even fixed points save three: The Wilds: An ancient wilderness created by years of paranoia over things that go bump in the dark. The Wilds take the form of a Forest most commonly or a Misty Marsh, they have also been known to manifest as a Desert or alien landscape. Populated by Nightmare Creatures. The landscape of The Wilds always appears as a twisted and warped caricature of whatever it takes the form of, so that the Forest isn’t just a forest but a very dark and spooky one where the trees seem to grow into skeletal and menacing shapes. The Nightmare Creatures keep mostly to themselves and few are openly hostile, some simply seek an end to their own existence. Most Nightmare Creatures are between level 3 and 7, depending upon what and where it is found, a Nightmare wolf is level 7 in the Forest but level 4 in the Misty Marsh or level 6 in the desert. Flora: Most Nightmare Flora are basically just plants, non harmful if a bit of a bother. Tentacle Vine: Level 5 Corporeal. Tentacle Vines are the manipulatory tendrils of a carnivorous flower, most commonly a Snatcher Flower (See next entry) and have been known to have needles which secrete a paralyzing agent. By...
by ConnorJames | Jan 29, 2015 | Foci
You can commune with the spirits around you, seeking their help and guidance, perhaps even entering the spirit realm to achieve your own ends. Players with this focus can see and communicate with any spirits in the immediate vicinity. (Though spirits may choose to ignore them). Tier 1: Commune (2 Intellect points). Summon any spirit and seek their guidance. Tier 2: Spirit Lance (1 Might point, 1 Intellect point per round used). Create a light weapon composed of spirit energy. Tier 3: Summon Spirit Guide (3 Intellect points). Summon a Spirit Guide, who may: Fight for you. (Level 2 Spectral creature). Guide you. or otherwise help in some capacity. Tier 4: Astral Project (4 Intellect points). Project your Spirit to another place, each action you attempt to take costs 2 Might points and 2 Intellect Points. Tier 5: Astral Project 2. Reduces cost of actions taken to 1 Might point and 1 Intellect point. Tier 6: Spirit Corridor (3 Might, 5 Intellect points). Open a gateway to the Spirit World that allows you to pass from one location to another undetected by those in the mortal realms. (Cost covers entry and exit for up to five...
by ConnorJames | Jan 27, 2015 | Recursions
A world where the end is always coming and never ending. The recursion is just like modern day earth with the exception that multiple apocalypses are going on at once, from alien invasion to natural disasters to anything else that could or would bring about the end. (Any given apocalypse is treated as a level 8 survival scenario, players are unable to stop it and as such must simply do their best to survive, or die horribly). Notable differences: Atlantis is rising (And has been for a while) and upon this continent within a desert region there can be found a phenomenon known as the Colar Vortex, in reality a gateway to The Strange, which has been known to spew Violet Spiral, Cyphers, random creatures from The Strange, and on one memorable occasion a Planetovore, but since this world is constantly ending not much actually happened and the Planetovore (Called Destronaught) has become a regular occurance. There is a large hole where Nevada should be. Russia doesn’t exist, instead it’s the USSR. Alaska is part of the USSR. Iceland is in fact populated solely by vikings. Dogs are an endangered species, so are cows. Fun Facts: Japan has never been beset by Kaiju, but Argentina has. Sandwiches don’t exist. Guns, Electricity, the laws of physics themselves, are spotty at best and sometimes utterly fail to work. (See entry* in Entropic Physics section.) Yellowstone (When not constantly erupting) is a rich source of a unique element (GM discretion). The Angels are your enemy, the Daemons are your friends. As such anyone affiliated with a church is looked down upon as a...
by ConnorJames | Jan 27, 2015 | Foci
You die horribly, it’s what you do, but hey, for you death isn’t the end, it’s just a waypoint on the way to your next death, which is probably about five minutes away…. Player will automatically regenerate a moment later with full equipment, recovering anything they may have lost. Tier one: Regeneration. Player will regenerate upon death. Tier two: Regeneration+: Player will regenerate, with the weapon they were last using having regained a full clip (If projectile based) and any used Cyphers have a fifty percent chance of recharging, if a player discards one of these items in favour of another item the new item will be the one they Regenerate with. (Does not work with explosives.) Tier three: Take ‘Em Withya! (2 less Speed Points upon Regeneration): You die horribly? So does the other guy. Tier four: The Final Countdown: Instead of instantly regenerating you may choose to become a Phantom (Someone who is locked just out of full corporeality) for 3 rounds, you will not be able to interact, nor will you be able to take damage, passing through doors and walls is a possibility, but only at GM discretion. Tier five: Reaper’s Apprentice “My best friend’s name is Grim” (3 less Might Points upon Regenerate): Upon expiry, your body explodes into a cloud of noxious gas dealing 2 damage per round for six rounds or until dissipation. Tier six: Perhaps some other time?: You don’t die…yet, rather the wound which would have just killed you doesn’t, instead your horrible death is halted for two...
by ConnorJames | Jan 26, 2015 | Recursions
Just like in Earth’s modern day theatres everything is larger than life, just ever so slightly more than reality, everything is the essence of what it is, not the actual thing, a lamp is not just a lamp, but rather what a lamp is. Nothing exists without purpose, and within a scene, as long as you aren’t looking to the audience, you find yourself within a small self contained world known as The Scene. You may find something needed suddenly in your hand or suddenly missing therefrom. Due to it’s unique physics of Theatrics, things aren’t always quite continuous, there are bound to be continuity errors and (In)convenient plot devices cropping up from time to time. The GM, upon whim, can have players act out any existing plays, or even stage adaptations of existing films or perhaps the players can choose to take a trip to The Stage to act out their favourite play, and if they succeed, The Stage may reward them with a unique Cypher or object having to do with the play they have just finished. Players will find such objects upon their person upon exiting the recursion. GM assigns player race, based upon setting of “Play” being acted out by PCs. The Stage is exactly that, players, upon entering will immediately notice the Audience, whether events turn out in their favour is entirely based upon how much the Audience likes them, if the audience loves them the players may find that quite suddenly everything is going in their favour, but beware Plot Twists (GM intrusions), which may pit friend against friend. Whenever players need to...
