Month: April 2017

Setting

They came to Beacon because they followed the Signal. Across the galaxy, races sent ships to explore the stars, travelling for many years through the cold void of space before they first detected it. The powerful transmission can easily be traced by to it’s world of origin, and bears a simply encoded message- “Come”.

As the curious travellers approach the world of its origin signal grows in intensity until suddenly, on entering orbit, everything fails. Systems shut down, mechanisms fail, and their ships crash to the surface. Anyone who survives the crash finds that, strangely, they are unable to fix or use their machinery. They are stuck here.

They soon discover that, for better or worse, they are not the only ones here. The same fate has been suffered by many before them. This is their new world – an eclectic mix of races with different origins and a variety of weird and wonderful skills.

The time has come to take a stand. A camp named Dissonance has been established by the Philosophers on the edge of Veni territory. Here, the Philosophers have convened a great multitude of races to attempt to find a way to unite and eliminate the Karl threat once and for all. They must act quickly, lest the Karls discover their plans. And even if they succeed, what other dangers could this strange world be concealing?…

Races

Foremost of the races are the Karls – a mighty militaristic race, with a strong code of honour. The Karls are either natives to this world, like the Veni, or the first race to arrive, depending on who you ask. The Karl’s mighty stone fortress of Ketal seems to many to be the source of the Signal, and so it is widely believed that the Karls are responsible for bringing races to Beacon.

The Karls have a very rigid hierarchy. Those who have managed to reach the top have fought their way there through strength and guile. They are loyal to those around them and dedicated to the survival and growth of their race. They often do this by enslaving “useful” members of other races, and brutally quash potential threats – destroying towns, blocking resources, or simply killing people on sight. The Karls are physically stronger than other races, and love to fight hand to hand and with melee weaponry. They distrust any form of “peaceful negotiation” and the use of technology to resolve conflict, though they have no problem with using technology for other means.

There is a small pocket of rebel Karls known as the Karl Resistance Force. They are actively hunted by their own race and evoke suspicion from other races. However, they are committed to the freedom of races within Beacon and they will do whatever they can to support this. (Karl players must have a reason for favouring the resistance.)

Aside from the Karls, there are three major races: the Veni, the Philosophers and the Lost. The Veni are the natives of Beacon, an insect-like race who currently control the thick jungles and swamps in the south of Beacon’s single continent. They are masters of their unusual environment, adept at creating potions and poisons to best suit their needs. Their bodies well-suited for survival, and they are able to produce a thick, gluey substance from glands on their hands which they can fashion into simple tools.

The Veni pay homage to many gods, but overall they worship ‘Transcience‘ the God of Change. They see chaos as a part of all things, and so believe that only by living chaotically can they hope to survive. This has made them anarchistic, and their tribes are in a constant state of flux. This has hindered any attempts to formulate a comprehensive resistance to the Karls, who have enslaved Veni, burned down areas of their jungle, and killed any who would attempt to encroach on Karl-occupied areas.

The Philosophers are masters of manipulating minds and emotions. They were forced to leave their home world after completely depleting its natural resources, and it was insatiable curiosity that led them this far into space. They have used their intellect to form strong, organised societies, often centred around what they would describe as ‘democratic governments’. The other races view this claim with suspicion- how democratic can a society formed around backstabbing and emotional manipulation be? Indeed, those who can manipulate emotions more skillfully tend to rise to the top of the pile. Those who can’t are still able to use their skills to become artisans and tinkerers.

Unfortunately, when it comes to conflict, the Philosophers are weak and unused to military affairs. Occasionally, the Karls will allow them to build their cities undisturbed… for as long as the Philosophers pay proper tribute. However, they can easily raze cities to the ground – and have done so several times in the past. The last city, Hexo, stood for several generations. Every Philosopher knows someone who died in the Great Hexo War, and it was after this that the Philosophers began to send representatives to other races in earnest, begging them to form a resistance against the Karls. Construction is currently underway on the next Philosopher city, Hepto. As a race, the Philosophers are unremarkable, tall and slim with pale, almost white skin and black hair.

The Lost are a race that were made, not born. Built as workers for another race, far from Beacon, they saw their creators as Gods. Eventually, as their Gods advanced further and further and grew more and more powerful, they were no longer needed, and were sent away in a great exodus. One of their ships was eventually drawn to Beacon. Unable to reproduce, but blessed (or cursed) with an extremely long lifespan, this dying race now desperately seeks new Gods to save them from their slow decline and grant them purpose once more. The Lost live in underground cities, the largest of which is Underwell, all maintained by the advanced technology they build. They are cybernetic creatures who view themselves as a perfect unity of flesh and metal. Thanks to this, they have retained more advanced technology than the other races, and are better at using it. Unfortunately, in a world so desperate for resources, scavenging parts from a dead Lost can be extremely lucrative (if rather grisly). As such, they find themselves ruthlessly hunted by the Karls, and even by the other races on occasion. A Lost can easily by identified by their technological augmentations.

The remainder of the races are known collectively as the Remnants – a large number of races with a variety of skills and backgrounds who, for whatever reason, have a far lower population on Beacon than the four main races. Many such races control only a single settlement, and there are too many races to list. The most recent to arrive are the Humans, who have created a settlement around their crashed ship and named it Carcass. All Remnants have one thing in common – their livelihoods have been ruined by the Karls. Members of their races have been killed or kidnapped, towns have been destroyed and, if they manage to avoid this, they are often desperately short of food and other resources. More than one race has been completely wiped out for daring to rebel against the Karls.

Rules

The Bunker

The front of the session room represents “The Bunker”. During larger encounters, “non-combat” characters and those not directly involved as a character will be asked to enter the bunker. This allows those players (as distinct from the characters) to crew for the duration of that encounter.

Tech Level (TL) / Tech Familiarity (TF)

Each item in Beacon has a Tech Level, and each player has a Tech Familiarity. If your Tech Familiarity is equal to or greater than the Tech Level of an item, you can use it – otherwise, you cannot.

Each item also has an associated race. If you are of that race, you may add one to your effective Tech Level with regards to that item.

Example: Alice is a human with TF 2. She has a plasma pistol (TL2) and a multi-tool (TL3 Human). She can use both of these items. She comes across a strange device in the woods (TL3 Lost). She cannot use this, and should roleplay not understanding what this item does.

Summary

No-one remembers before the war. There are stories of two great powers; a society of Mages wielding incredible magical power and a culture of Technologists built around fantastic devices. These two civilisations are no more, their remnants scattered across the population. It has been hundreds of years since the war and no-one even remembers what caused it. Some say they destroyed each other and created Tilt in the process, it now clings to the world and acts as a constant reminder of the dangers of magic and technology. Others say Tilt always existed and that Mages and Technologists fought about whether to control it or destroy it, the reported sides tend to vary depending on the storyteller.

Regardless of how it happened, Tilt is a part of this world. Tilt is a form of energy that, if not dealt with, will accumulate in an area; mutating the local wildlife and twisting the very fabric of reality. People can intuitively sense Tilt and can tell that Tilt comes in two opposing flavours: magical and technological.  When neither type is particularly strong the area is said to be balanced, moving away from this in either direction can have unusual effects. Low levels of Technological or Magical Tilt are not dangerous although they may be unpleasant. Spending a significant amount of time exposed to moderate levels will often result in harmful side effects. High levels can warp reality itself; distorting the landscape and mutating those exposed. The Tilt of an area can change quickly from a balanced area moving to extreme Technological Tilt and then to extreme Magical Tilt within the space of a week with no obvious causes.

While most people try to avoid any level of Tilt, for Mages and Technologists moderate levels can be advantageous. The spells cast by Mages produce more potent effects in Magically Tilted areas and the devices constructed by Technologists become more powerful when ambient Tilt is Technological. While Mages and Technologists gain benefits from Tilt the relationship is not purely one-way; casting spells and using technology alters the Tilt of an area, moving it towards the Magical or Technological end of the spectrum respectively. Large numbers of Mages and Technologists in and area leads to intense and erratic Tilt. This, along with residual blame for causing The Tilt, means that most people will shun Mages and Technologists (with some even reacting violently to their presence).

Most of the known world is heavily tilted to the point that everything between the small pockets of civilisation is simply known as “The Tilt”. Walking through The Tilt is a dangerous activity at the best of times with pockets of intense Tilt having strange effects on those who traverse them. Outside of a few domesticated animals the Flora and Fauna of the land has been twisted in ways that can only be described as monstrous. The protruding tentacles of the creatures that have you surrounded can quickly make you forget about the dangers of exposure to high Tilt

The entire world would have devolved into this chaos if not for the miraculous properties of Stallic- a metallic substance found in a few areas of the world which neutralises Tilt in an area. Stallic ore exists naturally but can be refined into a purer form. Stallic is poisonous if consumed and because of this Stallic miners are very well compensated. All permanent settlements are either built on areas with natural deposits of Stallic ore or built around large chunks of refined Stallic. Only in these permanently balanced areas can any form of civilisation exist. Because of its necessity to any who wish to fend off the effects of Tilt, Stallic is incredibly valuable. A good haggler could find comfortable shelter and food for a month in exchange for a pebble sized piece of refined Stallic.

Most people choose to travel through the Tilt with convoys of caravans, these groups of traders know the safest routes and carry large quantities of Stallic to keep passengers safe from sudden changes in Tilt. Caravans can take some time to reach their destinations and will charge a significant fee for travel. They will generally offer a discount to those with combat experience in exchange for help fending off bandits after their merchandise, or the local wildlife. A few brave (or foolish) people dare ride through The Tilt alone, though those who do so can make good money as couriers if they survive.

The largest cities in the world, by far, are Vardell and Reasons Folly. These two cities are built on what are thought to be the two largest veins of Stallic ore in the world resulting in constant balanced Tilt. The people of Vardell are hard working and honest, the items made by Vardellan craftsmen are second to none in the world and traders come in the hundreds every day to trade in the Grand Market. Until recently Vardell was content to trade with those who visited and otherwise remain isolated from the world, but with the rise to power of Commander Verper this has changed. Nearby towns are increasingly being pressured into pledging allegiance to “The Grand Republic of Vardell” in exchange for protection from bandits and supplies from the city. A few dozen villages now fly the Vardellan flag and while the residents seem happy overall the presence of Vardellan “peace” officers acts as a constant reminder of who is in charge.

Reasons Folly is built on the southern coast of the continent, a chaotic collection of buildings which against all indications refers to itself as a city. While there is in theory a government which enforces the city’s few laws, no-one doubts that the true political force within the city is the Church of Folly. The church believes that attempting to decide one’s own fate in such a chaotic world is arrogant, and they place great importance on allowing chance to dictate aspects of their lives. The evangelism of the church has allowed Folly to grow steadily over the last few years and, between its exports of fish and the ever growing casino industry, it has become an economic force to be reckoned with; even if merchants would rather have more consistent trade relations.

The one area in which these two city-states agree is their stance on Mages and Technologists. In Vardell, a Mage who is found to have committed a crime using magic will be immediately executed, while those who are merely discovered to be Mages will be exiled from Vardell, have their left hand branded with the letter M and warned that they will be executed if they return. In Reasons Folly, Mages are sentenced to walk through an extremely tilted area. While, in theory, they would allow a survivor to become a citizen of Reasons Folly, Mages do not tend to return from this ordeal.

Technologists fare little better, with exiles and executions of those deemed dangerous being commonplace, however,  both cities see the use of Technologists. In Vardell there are rumoured to be a number of Technologists essentially enslaved to produce weapons for the Vardellan army. In Folly, casino security has occasionally been seen to use technological devices to flush out cheaters.

The path between the two cities is winding and spans most of the continent, Caravans travelling between the two generally complete a round trip in 4 weeks. Charlie Thompson, owner of Thompson’s Caravans, used some of his vast wealth to purchase the largest piece of refined Stallic ever created. This Stallic now rests in the centre of Relief; a growing town founded by Charlie to act as a rest stop and trading centre half way between Reasons Folly and Vardell. The town is growing rapidly, with people looking to start a new life arriving every day. While settlers need to put in some work before they can live comfortably, the Caravans and nearby farmsteads supply the essentials of life to the town. Law enforcement in the town is lax, with the Sheriff predominantly acting as an arbiter for mob justice. While the Sheriff is likely to intervene in cases of assault or murder, other crimes are largely up to the populace to resolve amongst themselves. Although Vardell and Folly have no official influence over the town, both have established a presence for the stated purpose of ensuring the reliability of the trade which passes through Relief.

People of all professions are flocking to Relief: craftsmen, merchants, doctors, politicians, entertainers, journalists, farmers and many more have all found a niche to fill in Relief. With a rapidly growing population many more opportunities will open up as time goes on. Charlie himself penned a leaflet, distributed by his caravans, encouraging people to set up lives in Relief, and the population now sits at 2000. The only requirement for living there is the ability to look after yourself, for those that can’t, a frontier town can be an unforgiving place.

Rules

How Mages and Technologists work

IC knowledge of exactly how mages and technologists work is largely restricted to mages and ftechnologists, this guidance is OC information so players know what to expect before submitting a character.

Mages are spellcasters like wizards in dungeons and dragons, they know a certain number of spells and can cast a certain number of spells each day which they must prepare ahead of time. The number of spells you know and can cast will depend on your character but will (initially) be at most 3. Over time mages can learn spells either through learning from other mages or meditating on their concept. Both of these approaches will require at least one downtime and unlike original Tilt this will not increase the number of spells you cast in a session. A mages concept is a common theme in all of their spells which they focus on while preparing spells. This can be something tangible like ‘fire’ or ‘steel’ or something abstract like ‘friendship’ or ‘duty’. All spells a mage has will in some way associate with this concept. In order to become a Mage another spell has to perform a ritual of awakening on you. This process is consensual and it is almost unheard of for anyone under the age of 18 being awoken. Most Mages get to know people before awakening them in order to explain the philosophy behind being a mage and to judge whether they can be trusted with the power of magic.

Technologists make devices which can do whatever the maker wants. While some technologists specialise in certain areas there is nothing to stop a gunsmith attempting to make a lie detector. These devices are built by following blueprints and using technological components. Blueprints are developed by technologists over weeks of research and experimentation, a technologist thinks of what they want a device to do and through trial and error make something that works. Over time blueprints can be refined so the devices they create are more reliable and more effective. Technological components are materials which are needed to make devices, they are sold by some of the traders in the caravans and can be scavenged from the technologist fortresses which are scattered throughout The Tilt. As a simplification there are only three components with increasing value; simple, intermediate and complex. More advanced technological devices will require more components and more complex components, a metal detector  may only need a few simple parts whereas a long distance teleporter may require a dozen complex parts or more. The process of building, designing and improving technological devices will usually take place in downtime. Becoming a Technologist simply requires that you experiment with Technological components, after this blueprints begin to make sense and ideas for new devices begin spontaneously occurring to you.

TILT

Within the game players will keep track of their personal tilt throughout the session. There will be numerous situations where this will have effects the most apparent of which is using technological devices and casting spells where the higher your tech tilt is the more effective the device or spell is.

Your starting tilt will be written on your character sheet and you will be made aware of any changes that occur before the session starts. Most characters will start at zero (balanced tilt) this can be changed by a the TILT call. If at any time your tilt reaches 5 steps in any direction see a ref. The TILT call has the following grammar:

TILT “Type”

There is no modifying magnitude-you will only ever need to move one step at a time.

Where the type is either “balanced”, “spell” or “tech”.

if you take a TILT call your personal tilt moves in the direction of the type modifier.

Examples

Your personal tilt is Balanced

You take a “TILT spell” call

Your personal tilt becomes one step spell tilted

 

You are spell tilted by two steps

You take a “TILT tech” call

Your personal tilt becomes spell tilted by one steps

 

A mage and a technologist hug a large piece of Stallic

They are initially one step spell and tech tilted respectively.

They both take “TILT Balanced” and afterwards they are both balanced

 

There is no modifying magnitude-you will only ever need to move one step at a time. If at any time your tilt reaches 5 steps in any direction see a ref.

 

Call modifiers

Some calls can be modified by by the words SPELL and TECH. Calls modified this way may affect different characters in different ways.  If you are affected differently then this will be stated on your character sheet.

Examples

You are a person who has been horribly mutated by magic tilt, you are take all calls modified by SPELL as HEAL 1 but you take all calls modified by TECH as if they also called TWO.

 

A mage attacks you by calling SPELL THREE on you, you are not fussed and call NOTED and take HEAL 1

 

A technologist calls TECH HEAL 1 on you after seeing a brutal attack, you call NOTED and take TWO HEAL 1.

 

You decide to leave this place.

Magic and Technology

The Mages and Technologists; the last remnants of the two great civilisations which existed before The Tilt.

People become Mages when they undertake a ritual known as The Awakening. A mage performs the ritual and the subject becomes able to channel ambient Magical Tilt into spells. A Mage’s spells align with a concept which is personal to them. This can be something tangible like fire or steel, or more abstract such as duty or friendship. A mage can only cast a few spells a day but these spells can be incredibly potent or destructive.

It is far easier to become a technologist- a person must simply experiment with technology. Technological components are available to those who actively seek them and through experimentation a person can learns how to build devices. Some may invent dozens of devices while other prefer to refine one design to the point of perfection. Technologists can trade blueprints and learn how to create new devices but some technologists are weary of openly sharing their inventions.

All people know about Mages and technologists. Some people will have met some personally while others will know them only from stories about the war. There is a great deal of resentment towards Mages and Technologists due to their connection to The Tilt but there are different stereotypes about each group. Mages are thought to to curse towns, killing livestock and controlling minds. They work only to further their own objectives and making deals with them may get you what you want in the short term but in the long term the Mage will always gain the advantage over you. Technologists are thought of as more reckless, meddling with their infernal devices and endangering those around them out of misguided curiosity. While people are more open to getting help from technologists – some own small useful technological items, such as guns – they understand that there is a very real risk of something exploding in the near future if they do.

Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B25Uvgk4R3usbkdGUXhYY3BPVGM – the game’s public documents

DEVA!

DEVA! is a bombastic game with HIGH ENERGY, RIDICULOUS CHARACTERISTICS and EPIC ADVENTURES. Players are students in a Magical Academy for Gifted Youngsters and have a wide variety of improbable gifts – from super strength to mech suits to amazing boosts caused by the Power Of Friendship! Each session, the students will be faced by problems that have beset the school and trying to deal with the Villain Of The Week.

What is a trope? A trope is a recurrent theme or motif that comes up a lot during different media. You may have heard of things like the Mad Scientist (The exceptional yet bonkers scientist)  or the Brotherhood of Funny Hats (A secret society that is inexplicably eccentric). In DEVA!, you are encouraged to embrace these tropes in a way that will create a fantastic game.

Setting

The Defensive Education’s Victorious Ascent program founded a High School for Gifted Students – Victorious Ascent – based at the edge of the small, leafy suburban town of Summer Oaks. The nearest city is the capital of Castleburg where most of the students (and indeed most of the antagonists) hail from.

How the pupils are gifted has never been properly defined and yet it is understood that there is a rigorous recruitment process. What no one will tell you is that much of this process involves Recruiters being called to police stations to deal with angsty teenagers who’ve accidentally let all hell loose, the Headmaster witnessing a display of great skill on the street or at a convention of some kind, or other seemingly random invocations of the hand of fate.

The variety of these gifts is somewhat endless. Some students have fairly simple, straightforward gifts like being SUPER STRONK or REALLY FAST. Some of them have managed to make machines that they use as their pseudo-bodies. Some have MAGIC SWORDS or POWERFUL ARTEFACTS. And, of course, someone can create fire in their hands….0

Time period is now, but cooler. Most present day things will exist in setting but feel free to ask a ref if you are unsure. Some established technologies include mech suits and Cool Guns that Fire Lasers and Stuff.   Future tech can exist in setting but please check with a ref first.

As places filled with so many eccentric, belligerent and skilled people go, the Victorious Ascent program is often afflicted by troublesome outside invaders. These problems are usually solved by the feisty and skilled youngsters that occupy the school. Some might see this as an unreasonably high demand for the students, however the school understands this to be a “learning exercise”.

Characters

Characters will all be students at Victorious Ascent as part of the DEVA program aged between 16 and 21.

They will have some sort of defining characteristics that would make some suitable for an academy for gifted students. For example, a mech suit, magical powers, crazy technological skills, some sort of prophecy on their head, a deal with a demon, bad things just keep happening around them etc. This can be aligned to a specific trope but it’s not necessary.

Any significant digressions from these characteristics (with the exception of Villains) should be discussed with the refs before submission.

A link to the questionnaire can be found here → https://goo.gl/forms/JrfGr2hOMlcjG89x2

Villains!

After the Pilot, players will have the opportunity to submit ‘villain’ characters with a defined goal, which will take one or two weeks to complete/be defeated/leave. These may interact directly within DEVA, or may have narrative effects until the final confrontation; villains are DPC (a directed player character – a character with direction but not full control by the refs)  roles with guidance from the refs. Villains will be submitted through a separate villain submission form – however, this is not available for the pilot.

Players are encouraged however to introduce backstory nemesis/rival elements which the refs may or may not introduce into the system. Talking about your villain ideas with the refs or submitting (in future) ‘spare’ villains is encouraged.

Other things we need to say

Please send in spare ideas!!! There’s so much space here but our imaginations will wear out.

We are trialling a new style of combat for BIG, DRAMATIC, BOSS fights (FULL POWER). More information about this will be released along with the release of character sheets.  This will be in addition to smaller, pettier, mook fights (short skirmish) using standard ANTICS combat.

Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwTUENq6EvJzUU43eUJhZmh1Q2c – the game’s public documents