2013-12-30 : Some Basic Rules (v)
A Play Module: Celestial & Infernal Magic
Stats
Determination, Patience & Endurance
Fearlessness
Flexibility of Mind
Celestial & Infernal Magic
Working Celestial Magic means singing the Song of Creation. The world exists because the Heavens sing the Song of Creation, each star, moon and planet its own part, in perfect cosmic harmony. When a Celestial Mage or Angel joins her voice to theirs, she is able to work changes in the world around her.
Working Infernal Magic means singing the Countersong of Fire. The world exists because the molten core of the earth roars, fire crackles, and the biological processes of life grunt, groan, call, cry, and moan. When an Infernal Mage or Demon joins her voice to theirs, she is able to work changes in the world around her.
A kid with a guitar can bring them together.
Singing the Song of Creation
When your character joins in the Song of Creation, she just sings, and things happen and change around her. The rules that follow are between you, the GM, and the other players. Your character's aware of what's happening and what comes out of the conversation you have, but she's just singing, she isn't declaring things or asking questions or anything.
First of all, you say who or what she's singing to change. Possibilities: another character, a living thing like an animal or a tree, an unliving thing like a house or a stone, or the world around her in general. She can only change them for the better, and it's your job to take this requirement seriously.
Next, ask the GM or the other player how much they trust your character:
1 = Utterly.
2 = With reservations.
3 = Little or not at all.
Make a test against this number with your Determination, Patience & Endurance. You get to ask them some questions.
If you win by 3 or more, choose 3 of the following.
If you tie or win by 1 or 2, choose 2 of the following.
If you lose, choose 1 of the following.
Choose:
- Ask: "When you think of your ideal self, how ___ are you?" That's how ___ they become.
- Ask: "When you imagine someone brave enough to do ___, who is it?" That's how brave they become.
- Ask: "What was it like before you suffered this injury?" They lose their injury.
- Ask: "What was it like before you realized this fear?" They lose their fear.
- Ask: "Setting aside your self-interests and all maliciousness, what's the most good thing you could do right now?" They do it.
- Ask: "What would you like to know the truth about?" They realize the truth about it. Ask the GM or have a conversation about it as players to arrive at the truth.
- Ask: "What do you find beautiful about yourself?" They become beautiful to everyone around them.
- Ask: "When was a time you felt whole and at peace?" They feel it again, fully and overwhelmingly.
- Ask: "What's the most beautiful ___ you've ever seen?" It appears here.
- Ask a question of your own, and tell the GM what change it makes. If the GM and the other players are into it, it stands. Otherwise, go back and ask choose another instead.
The changes begin when your character begins singing, and take only a short time to come fully to be. With the exception of healing and knowledge, which are permanent, the changes fade when your character stops singing.
Singing the Countersong of Fire
When your character joins in the Countersong of Fire, she just sings and dances, and things happen and change around her. The rules that follow are between you, the GM, and the other players. Your character's aware of what's happening and what comes out of the conversation you have, but she's just singing, she isn't declaring things or asking questions or anything.
First of all, you say who or what she's singing to change. Possibilities: another character, a living thing like an animal or a tree, an unliving thing like a house or a stone, or the world around her in general. She can only change them for the more badass, and it's your job to take this requirement seriously.
Next, ask the GM or the other player how much they trust your character:
1 = Utterly.
2 = With reservations.
3 = Little or not at all.
Make a test against this number with your Flexibility of Mind. Pass this over to the GM or the other player. They get to ask you some questions.
If you win by 3 or more, they choose 3 of the following.
If you tie or win by 1 or 2, they choose 2 of the following.
If you lose, they choose 1 of the following.
Choose:
- Ask: "What's a way I could be more badass than I am?" It becomes true.
- Ask: "What's the coolest thing about me?" They feel cool about themselves.
- Ask: "What's the hottest thing about me?" They become hot to everyone around them.
- Ask: "What's something you want me to know the truth about?" They realize the truth about it. Ask the GM or have a conversation about it as players to arrive at the truth.
- Ask: "What's something terrifying or dangerous that you can think of?" It appears here.
- Ask: "What's something awesome and terrible that might happen?" It happens.
- Ask: "What's the worst thing I could possibly do?" They do it.
- Ask: "Don't you think there should be more fire? What should be on fire?" It catches fire!
- Ask a question of your own, and tell the GM what change it makes. If the GM and the other players are into it, it stands. Otherwise, go back and ask choose another instead.
The changes begin when your character begins singing, and take only a short time to come fully to be. With the exception of knowledge, which is permanent, and fire, which behaves naturally once it's lit, the changes fade when your character stops singing.
More to come. All subject to change.
Some Basic Rules (i)
Some Basic Rules (ii)
Some Basic Rules (iii)
Some Basic Rules (iv)
Some Basic Rules (vi)
Some Basic Rules (vii)
1. On 2013-12-30, Ben Lehman said:
Kid with a guitar, huh?
2. On 2013-12-30, Vincent said:
Yep!
3. On 2013-12-31, plausiblefabulist said:
Apologies if I'm being dense, but I'm a little unclear on who is "you" and who is "they". Is "they" the person who you are targeting with a change, so that if a PC sings celestially, their player asks the target's player what the target wants to know the truth about, and if the PC sings infernally, the PC's player asks the target's player what the target wants the PC to know the truth about? And if the target is a rock, at issue is how much the rock(?) trusts the PC, and what the rock wants to know the truth about?
I love that this is generative, open-ended magic. I love that its effects are woven into the two characterizations, celestial and infernal, and the way those two are opposed-but-not-exactly, how they are complementary and each is its own thing on its own terms. And I love hooking in very situationally what the character has done so far, to make someone trust them or not.
But I'm not so sure who asks what of whom, and in what stance, as it were (how I determine as GM whether a rock trusts the character, or if what's at issue is whether the GM trusts the character, in which case I wonder what that means—trust them to do what?)
4. On 2013-12-31, Ben Lehman said:
I can't imagine that a rock would trust you. Rocks don't really have cognition or socialization, two of the key elements needed for trust.
(I have no idea what Vincent is going for, I'm just riffing.)
5. On 2013-12-31, Vincent said:
Plausiblefabulist: Here goes!
Alice is playing Angela, a Celestial Mage. Denise is playing Demona, an Infernal Mage. I'm the GM.
Angela and Demona are on a high ruined castle, standing upon its crumbled walls. They look out over the field below, and through a hole rent in reality a world- and life-hating chaos monster appears. It will destroy both of them with equal eagerness!
Celestial Magic
Angela joins her voice to the Song of Creation. Alice says that she's singing to change the ruined castle.
Does the ruined castle trust her? This is my call as GM, and I consider that, yes, it trusts her. Why wouldn't it? She's very beautiful, after all. I give it a 1 for its roll.
We roll and Alice wins by 1. She gets to choose two questions.
"When you think of your ideal self, oh ruined castle, how tall are you?"
As GM, I imagine the answer from the ruined castle's point of view. "Very tall! Hundreds of feet. I soar into the sky." That's how tall the ruined castle becomes, for as long as Angela sings.
"What was it like before you suffered this injury?"
As GM, I imagine back in time to when the castle was whole. "You wouldn't guess it now but I was brightly painted, with banners and brass fittings and so on." The ruined castle loses its ruination. Permanently!
Infernal Magic
Instead of Angela singing, this time, Demona joins her voice to the Countersong of Fire. Denise says that she's singing to change the ruined castle.
Does the ruined castle trust her? Hmm. She's beautiful too, but I dunno. She smirks sometimes. I decide that the ruined castle has reservations, for a 2.
We roll and it's a tie. Now I, as the castle's player, get to choose two questions.
"Well, Demona," I say, "what's a way I could be more badass than I am?"
"Oh, man. You could have iron spikes sticking out to repel attackers." Now I have them, for as long as Demona keeps singing.
"Cool. What's something you want me to know the truth about?"
Denise has to think about this and decide. What IS something that Demona wants the castle to know the truth about?
"I think you should know the truth about who I really am," she says. For purposes of this example, we can suppose that Demona has something really cool in her backstory that she got from character creation. The ruined castle learns it and won't forget it even when she stops singing.
"Whoa!" I say. The ruined castle is totally impressed by this.
End.
Does this explain it?
6. On 2014-01-01, Josh W said:
Lovely, I really hope your secret collaborator is one of your kids!
7. On 2014-01-03, plausiblefabulist said:
I get it now. Very cool!
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