As some of you may notice, I'm working on a fun splat named Conjurer. In short, this is a game about abyssal summoners, broken time and endless possibilities- taking the concept of time travel and wrapping in around a fantasy setting (more or less the opposite of what D:tD did by taking a mythical concept of using semi scifi aesthetics). In Conjurer, every person, every moment, every fate and every dot is bound by strings- some ancient power regulates time, moving it toward an unknown destination...
That terrible entity is called the Toymaker.
While there are endless possibilities for every action, the Toymaker, which lives in the depth of a realm called the Abyss (yes, that Abyss) use its strings to make sure that all different possibilities would have a single end. Yet, there is always the chance it would fail- it is less then 1%, but the chance exist. And sometimes, the Toymaker's regulations fail- someone manage to escape its web and do something that was not meant to happen.
Those unfortunate people are called Conjurers.
Once the 99% Barrier is broken, a new timeline jumps into existence- a Divergence. In order to stop it before it gets out of control, the Toymaker creates an abyssal being out of the Shards of broken time and sends it to devour the confused Conjurer. That horrifying being use that broken strings which once bound the Conjurer- the Marionette Syndrome- and tries to crush the poor person and erase it from history. That regulation system also has high success rating, deleting most new Divergences as fast as they show up, but some Conjurers are too powerful- their will to live and hope for freedom are strong enough to take control over their former strings and bind the monster as their servant by using a specific item, one which represent the event in which time broke- a Key- and by using that item, they can control the thing that was meant to destroy them, making them into their own Toy.
since then, life is a terrible mess. Time is no longer a constant, linear thing- it flows like a river and shifts like the winds. Endless different possibilities show themselves to the conjurers, and their existence, which was once confined to barely 5 Dimensions, is now free to roam through all. Yet, the Toymaker is still around, and it isn't happy. It want's its toys back in the box- and so it would do everything it can to make the conjurer's life as miserable as possible. That is, of course, without mentioning the Whispers of your Toy who still tries to fulfill its mission, the mad Outlaws who want to lure you to embrace the surreal world in which you live in, the mysterious Guardians who claim to protect time and want to recruit you, the murderous Head Hunters who serve the Toymaker and the fact that when you look into the endless possibilities, into the image of your Alter Ego which is reflected in the Abyss, the thousands of different Echos of yourself and the broken memories who come from a time which never was, there is only one question you can ask yourself- Who are you?
Still, it is better then just being a doll, right?
.....................
So, every once and a while I feel a need to open a new thread- leaving behind some old ideas which i didn't liked and developing the once I did. I think this is the time to start getting a bit more mechanical with the splat, so I've decided to present it in this thread in the "making a character" format which shows up in the books. Still, I don't have the inspiration or energy to start making all of the different powers right now, so I'm going to use Hunter's Dread Powers as Functions (conjurer's parallel to Disciplines, Gifts, etc).
Let's get it stated, shall we?
Theme: Identity. as it was said, the main question in Conjurer is Who Are You? Sure, you are playing the "conjurer", but he is not the only "self" out there- through the endless possibilities and Divergences, many Echos of yourself walk, living different lives without knowing that there could be other options for their existence. Are they part of you? Or are they simply empty vessels, puppets bound by the Toymaker? On the other hand, there is your "higher self"- your Alter Ego. It always follow you, always makes you adore it- it claims to be the original, and wants you to let go, becoming one with it. It would serve you obediently- but show a single sign of weakness, and it would devour you and through you into the Abyss, becoming the new "you"- which would have a new Alter Ego. Is that the real you? Or just a mask, a broken dream of yourself from a time which never was? There is also your Toy- a creature spawned by your actions and choices. Everything which led you toward that moment is in that Toy. Everything you could be is in that Toy. Every life and death which will be cause because of your actions in the whole new Divergence you created is part of that Toy. This is why when your Toy would devour you, you'll not exist any longer. Is that your true you, or just a creation made by the Toymaker? Perhaps there is no such thing as "self"- in that case, why to bind yourself to a single form? If reality is a lie? Why should you be alive?..
minor themes are also Freedom vs Slavery and Deja Vu. First, you are a free puppet in a world of marionettes. The Toymaker manipulates everyone- except of you. While you are free to forge your own destiny, free has its price. The Toymaker wants to make you kill yourself, and so it would torment you. Everyone is part of its web, and no one could be trusted. Also, in order to make use of most of your potential, you must bind yourself down- the other option would be losing your mind in the infinity of timelines. But giving up your freedom is a risky road, and some would try to manipulate you to their own ends.
Second, Deja vu- time regulates itself. While in theory you can have any life you would like to live, the Abyss makes sure that everything would happen in a single way. Your loved one was killed. You jumped into a different timeline and found her safe and sound. 2 years later, she was murdered. You jumped again, and this time is was some sort of sickness. Travel as you like, some things are bound to happen. You may be free- but the rest of the world.. not so much.
Mood: Surrealism. This is a weird world. Things which are illogical seems to have some sort of twisted logic. The Abyss and the Netherland are worlds of pure madness, where skyscraper sized teddy bears go and drink tea made out of human blood, and roses must be dyed in red for no real reason. The Abyss follows a strange path, and each of its denizens does things in a certain way because it has to. Everything has a mission, or fate, or destiny- it is simply that you can't comprehend what that destiny may be. And that without mentioning the Memoryscapes, which hold shards of broken time inside them from a time which never was- yet expects you to become part of it. If you think that the 3rd dimensional world is normal, think again- you can see how other people exist in higher and lower dimensions, how everyone look like puppet who are tangled in strings, how glowing shards of broken time flow through the world, how Fluctuations makes events happen again and again. Time and space melt up into singularities, and the Toymaker shows up in the least expected places to laugh in your face. People were not meant to be free, it says. Humans were never meant to look into the Abyss. After all, you broke time itself, and there is nothing more surreal than this!
This is Conjurer, Storytelling a game of Broken Time..
Call Fourth the Darkness!
Inspiration: Pandora Hearts (anime/manga), Nocturnals (Exalted fan splat), Alice in Wonderland (book), Shakugen no Shana (anime), Donnie Darko (movie), Stein's Gate (anime), Dragonlance Legends and War of the Souls Trilogy (book series), Bount Saga in Bleach (anime), Prince of Persia (video game series), Sorcerer (rpg)
Special Thanks: Stachel, reaperfrost8, amechra
Step V: Apply the Conjurer Template
Innate Template Abilities:
Modified Advantage: Identity
how much is clear the conjurer's sense of self. Includes Jamais Vu (when the conjurer's mind jumps into another timeline while the hosting Echo is in another) and the Whispers Condition (which reflects the fact that the conjurer is influenced by his Toy. Effects conjurers with Identity below 5, unless Wyld Functions are installed)
New Advantage: Nostalgia
New Advantage: Shards
Powers: Functions
Sorcery: Fluctuations
Modified Advantage: Abyssal Virtue
Touchstones:
Alter Ego:
Inherited Splat: Genre and Theme
Social Splat: Houses
with 4 Great Houses and 8 Lesser ones, each gives a free specialty in a Fluctuation based skill and an Upgrade, which is a special Function powered by Tokens.
Great Houses:
Tearlight- House of Deviants, Blessed by the Blue Horse
Mirrorsun- House of Martyrs, Blessed by the Yellow Hawk
Lastflower- House of Corrupters, Blessed by the Green Serpent
Silentknife- House of Killers, Blessed by the Red Lion
Lesser Houses-
Nightsilk- House of Escorts, Blessed by the Purple Chameleon
Lostgem- House of Slaves, Blessed by the Orange Leopard
Lonewood- House of Renegades, Blessed by the Brown Boar
Moonharp- House of Spies, Blessed by the Grey Shark
Stormfire- House of Ghosts, Blessed by the White Owl
Shadeword- House of Beloved, Blessed by the Black Cat
Seacloud- House of Exiles, Blessed by the Azure Whale
Thunderstar- House of Charlatans, Blessed by the Pink Wolf
Lesser Templates:
Void Watchers:
the sorcerer splat for conjurer. People who were never meant to be born and are free from the Marionette Syndrome, and by the Toymaker's attempts to destroy them bring misfortune for those around them. Can use Fluctuations even better then conjurers.
Pawns:
regular people who got Functions installed into them. They are bound by the conjurer's Marionette Syndrome, and may develop Functions by their own- although the conjurer can take and instal any Functions he want into and from them. Installing too many Functions into them may turn them into Wyld Toys.
Actors:
the third lesser template, those people have access to their Alter Ego thanks for an Abyssal exposure. They usually hate their former self and try to become their Alter Ego- which resists the attempts. They are bound by the Marionette Syndrome like any other human.
Empty Vessels:
false lives formed from a Marionette Syndrome which was twisted together, either intentionally (which could be done by conjurers or powerful Toys) or by chance. Usually living on borrowed time, they try to exist as much as they can before the Toymaker would destroy them. Some of them are made in order to contain powerful Functions, Accessories, powerful Toys or many other weird things.
Weavers:
people who have the inborn ability to twist the webs of the Toymaker. They are seen as the agents of the Regulator, and may hinder the abilities of conjurers and to manipulate the minds of others. Some aren't even aware to their abilities.
Antagonists:
Abyssal Ranks (Dimensions):
Wyld Conjurers:
0 identity conjurers, they have destroyed their own Key and surrounded themselves to their Toy. They work to destroy every trace of their life and erase their very existence by returning back in time and undo their "mistake" which broke time.
Outlaws:
an antagonistic faction of conjurers which breaks their "core self" and Key using a special technique, and by doing so live in more then a single Echo in the same time. They are usually mad, jumping easily from Divergences and seek to become something "more" then themselves by giving in to the Abyss
Guardians:
a mysterious group of conjurers who claim to protect time. They seek to free the world from the Marionette Syndrome and establish the old Fate which ruled before the Toymaker. They use their own form of binding, called Chains, and can shape their Toy freely.
Head Hunters:
conjurers who aligned themselves to the Toymaker, and instead of erasing their own existence or fighting against it they work as its regulators. They hunt conjurers and spend most of their time in the Abyss. While they loose much of their free will, the Toymaker doesn't haunt them- and they have their own benefits.
The Toymaker:
so, you think that the mysterious Nameless Regulator is a distant being, unknown by all and which works through hidden schemes and manipulative messengers? You are almost right- only that it is not "distant". It known who you are personally, and it wants to play with you- and you are not going to like it.
Setting:
Accessories:
the magic items of conjurer. Each is an object containing a number of Functions inside of it.
Memoryscape:
a shard of memory from the Time Not. Conjurers can regain Shards from there- and witness their "lost self" while playing their role in the old time.
Convergences:
places which connect between Divergences. Allow the conjurer to regain Shards and physically cross to other Rivers.
Silver Poison:
the effect which destroys unbound Toys in the three dimensional world. That material can be used to permanently destroy a Toy or kill a conjurer.
Mirror Snake:
a being which dwells near the edge of the Abyss. It shows up when a conjurer just opens a Door in to the Playground. While no one actually see the being- only the visions of alternative timelines it presents. Some show what would have been if the conjurer would have eaten something else in the mourning, while others show visions of the conjurer if time wouldn't broke.
Netherland:
a secret network which connects between Divergences. The gates to the Netherland open randomly and fade just as fast, and the place itself looks like a surreal hell- but it allows a quick travel between worlds while hiding from the notice of the Toymaker. Also, many relics from the past and Wyld Toys exist in that dimension.
The Playground:
The Abyss, includes opening Doors, common dangers, Game Factories and much more madness!
Presque Vu:
rules about achieving the "higher state of self" and becoming one, freeing yourself forever from the Toymaker and the horrors of the Abyss.
The Broken Clock:
information about the mythic past of the conjurers including alternatives, and some information about the nature of time itself.
Dark Era- French Revolution and Reign of Terror:
promises for freedom replaced by tyranny and fear, one of the core events which happened through all Divergences and destroyed the Toymaker's strings- a proof for what human will can do, and what happens when it get out of control.
Crossovers:
Vampire the Requiem
Werewolf the Forsaken
Mage the Awakening
Promethean the Created
Changeling the Lost
Hunter the Vigil
Geist the Sin Eaters
Mummy the Curse
Demon the Descent
Beast the Primordial
Inferno
That terrible entity is called the Toymaker.
While there are endless possibilities for every action, the Toymaker, which lives in the depth of a realm called the Abyss (yes, that Abyss) use its strings to make sure that all different possibilities would have a single end. Yet, there is always the chance it would fail- it is less then 1%, but the chance exist. And sometimes, the Toymaker's regulations fail- someone manage to escape its web and do something that was not meant to happen.
Those unfortunate people are called Conjurers.
Once the 99% Barrier is broken, a new timeline jumps into existence- a Divergence. In order to stop it before it gets out of control, the Toymaker creates an abyssal being out of the Shards of broken time and sends it to devour the confused Conjurer. That horrifying being use that broken strings which once bound the Conjurer- the Marionette Syndrome- and tries to crush the poor person and erase it from history. That regulation system also has high success rating, deleting most new Divergences as fast as they show up, but some Conjurers are too powerful- their will to live and hope for freedom are strong enough to take control over their former strings and bind the monster as their servant by using a specific item, one which represent the event in which time broke- a Key- and by using that item, they can control the thing that was meant to destroy them, making them into their own Toy.
since then, life is a terrible mess. Time is no longer a constant, linear thing- it flows like a river and shifts like the winds. Endless different possibilities show themselves to the conjurers, and their existence, which was once confined to barely 5 Dimensions, is now free to roam through all. Yet, the Toymaker is still around, and it isn't happy. It want's its toys back in the box- and so it would do everything it can to make the conjurer's life as miserable as possible. That is, of course, without mentioning the Whispers of your Toy who still tries to fulfill its mission, the mad Outlaws who want to lure you to embrace the surreal world in which you live in, the mysterious Guardians who claim to protect time and want to recruit you, the murderous Head Hunters who serve the Toymaker and the fact that when you look into the endless possibilities, into the image of your Alter Ego which is reflected in the Abyss, the thousands of different Echos of yourself and the broken memories who come from a time which never was, there is only one question you can ask yourself- Who are you?
Still, it is better then just being a doll, right?
.....................
So, every once and a while I feel a need to open a new thread- leaving behind some old ideas which i didn't liked and developing the once I did. I think this is the time to start getting a bit more mechanical with the splat, so I've decided to present it in this thread in the "making a character" format which shows up in the books. Still, I don't have the inspiration or energy to start making all of the different powers right now, so I'm going to use Hunter's Dread Powers as Functions (conjurer's parallel to Disciplines, Gifts, etc).
Let's get it stated, shall we?
Theme: Identity. as it was said, the main question in Conjurer is Who Are You? Sure, you are playing the "conjurer", but he is not the only "self" out there- through the endless possibilities and Divergences, many Echos of yourself walk, living different lives without knowing that there could be other options for their existence. Are they part of you? Or are they simply empty vessels, puppets bound by the Toymaker? On the other hand, there is your "higher self"- your Alter Ego. It always follow you, always makes you adore it- it claims to be the original, and wants you to let go, becoming one with it. It would serve you obediently- but show a single sign of weakness, and it would devour you and through you into the Abyss, becoming the new "you"- which would have a new Alter Ego. Is that the real you? Or just a mask, a broken dream of yourself from a time which never was? There is also your Toy- a creature spawned by your actions and choices. Everything which led you toward that moment is in that Toy. Everything you could be is in that Toy. Every life and death which will be cause because of your actions in the whole new Divergence you created is part of that Toy. This is why when your Toy would devour you, you'll not exist any longer. Is that your true you, or just a creation made by the Toymaker? Perhaps there is no such thing as "self"- in that case, why to bind yourself to a single form? If reality is a lie? Why should you be alive?..
minor themes are also Freedom vs Slavery and Deja Vu. First, you are a free puppet in a world of marionettes. The Toymaker manipulates everyone- except of you. While you are free to forge your own destiny, free has its price. The Toymaker wants to make you kill yourself, and so it would torment you. Everyone is part of its web, and no one could be trusted. Also, in order to make use of most of your potential, you must bind yourself down- the other option would be losing your mind in the infinity of timelines. But giving up your freedom is a risky road, and some would try to manipulate you to their own ends.
Second, Deja vu- time regulates itself. While in theory you can have any life you would like to live, the Abyss makes sure that everything would happen in a single way. Your loved one was killed. You jumped into a different timeline and found her safe and sound. 2 years later, she was murdered. You jumped again, and this time is was some sort of sickness. Travel as you like, some things are bound to happen. You may be free- but the rest of the world.. not so much.
Mood: Surrealism. This is a weird world. Things which are illogical seems to have some sort of twisted logic. The Abyss and the Netherland are worlds of pure madness, where skyscraper sized teddy bears go and drink tea made out of human blood, and roses must be dyed in red for no real reason. The Abyss follows a strange path, and each of its denizens does things in a certain way because it has to. Everything has a mission, or fate, or destiny- it is simply that you can't comprehend what that destiny may be. And that without mentioning the Memoryscapes, which hold shards of broken time inside them from a time which never was- yet expects you to become part of it. If you think that the 3rd dimensional world is normal, think again- you can see how other people exist in higher and lower dimensions, how everyone look like puppet who are tangled in strings, how glowing shards of broken time flow through the world, how Fluctuations makes events happen again and again. Time and space melt up into singularities, and the Toymaker shows up in the least expected places to laugh in your face. People were not meant to be free, it says. Humans were never meant to look into the Abyss. After all, you broke time itself, and there is nothing more surreal than this!
This is Conjurer, Storytelling a game of Broken Time..
Call Fourth the Darkness!
Inspiration: Pandora Hearts (anime/manga), Nocturnals (Exalted fan splat), Alice in Wonderland (book), Shakugen no Shana (anime), Donnie Darko (movie), Stein's Gate (anime), Dragonlance Legends and War of the Souls Trilogy (book series), Bount Saga in Bleach (anime), Prince of Persia (video game series), Sorcerer (rpg)
Special Thanks: Stachel, reaperfrost8, amechra
Step V: Apply the Conjurer Template
Innate Template Abilities:
Modified Advantage: Identity
how much is clear the conjurer's sense of self. Includes Jamais Vu (when the conjurer's mind jumps into another timeline while the hosting Echo is in another) and the Whispers Condition (which reflects the fact that the conjurer is influenced by his Toy. Effects conjurers with Identity below 5, unless Wyld Functions are installed)
New Advantage: Nostalgia
New Advantage: Shards
Powers: Functions
Sorcery: Fluctuations
Modified Advantage: Abyssal Virtue
Touchstones:
Alter Ego:
Inherited Splat: Genre and Theme
Social Splat: Houses
with 4 Great Houses and 8 Lesser ones, each gives a free specialty in a Fluctuation based skill and an Upgrade, which is a special Function powered by Tokens.
Great Houses:
Tearlight- House of Deviants, Blessed by the Blue Horse
Mirrorsun- House of Martyrs, Blessed by the Yellow Hawk
Lastflower- House of Corrupters, Blessed by the Green Serpent
Silentknife- House of Killers, Blessed by the Red Lion
Lesser Houses-
Nightsilk- House of Escorts, Blessed by the Purple Chameleon
Lostgem- House of Slaves, Blessed by the Orange Leopard
Lonewood- House of Renegades, Blessed by the Brown Boar
Moonharp- House of Spies, Blessed by the Grey Shark
Stormfire- House of Ghosts, Blessed by the White Owl
Shadeword- House of Beloved, Blessed by the Black Cat
Seacloud- House of Exiles, Blessed by the Azure Whale
Thunderstar- House of Charlatans, Blessed by the Pink Wolf
Lesser Templates:
Void Watchers:
the sorcerer splat for conjurer. People who were never meant to be born and are free from the Marionette Syndrome, and by the Toymaker's attempts to destroy them bring misfortune for those around them. Can use Fluctuations even better then conjurers.
Pawns:
regular people who got Functions installed into them. They are bound by the conjurer's Marionette Syndrome, and may develop Functions by their own- although the conjurer can take and instal any Functions he want into and from them. Installing too many Functions into them may turn them into Wyld Toys.
Actors:
the third lesser template, those people have access to their Alter Ego thanks for an Abyssal exposure. They usually hate their former self and try to become their Alter Ego- which resists the attempts. They are bound by the Marionette Syndrome like any other human.
Empty Vessels:
false lives formed from a Marionette Syndrome which was twisted together, either intentionally (which could be done by conjurers or powerful Toys) or by chance. Usually living on borrowed time, they try to exist as much as they can before the Toymaker would destroy them. Some of them are made in order to contain powerful Functions, Accessories, powerful Toys or many other weird things.
Weavers:
people who have the inborn ability to twist the webs of the Toymaker. They are seen as the agents of the Regulator, and may hinder the abilities of conjurers and to manipulate the minds of others. Some aren't even aware to their abilities.
Antagonists:
Abyssal Ranks (Dimensions):
Wyld Conjurers:
0 identity conjurers, they have destroyed their own Key and surrounded themselves to their Toy. They work to destroy every trace of their life and erase their very existence by returning back in time and undo their "mistake" which broke time.
Outlaws:
an antagonistic faction of conjurers which breaks their "core self" and Key using a special technique, and by doing so live in more then a single Echo in the same time. They are usually mad, jumping easily from Divergences and seek to become something "more" then themselves by giving in to the Abyss
Guardians:
a mysterious group of conjurers who claim to protect time. They seek to free the world from the Marionette Syndrome and establish the old Fate which ruled before the Toymaker. They use their own form of binding, called Chains, and can shape their Toy freely.
Head Hunters:
conjurers who aligned themselves to the Toymaker, and instead of erasing their own existence or fighting against it they work as its regulators. They hunt conjurers and spend most of their time in the Abyss. While they loose much of their free will, the Toymaker doesn't haunt them- and they have their own benefits.
The Toymaker:
so, you think that the mysterious Nameless Regulator is a distant being, unknown by all and which works through hidden schemes and manipulative messengers? You are almost right- only that it is not "distant". It known who you are personally, and it wants to play with you- and you are not going to like it.
Setting:
Accessories:
the magic items of conjurer. Each is an object containing a number of Functions inside of it.
Memoryscape:
a shard of memory from the Time Not. Conjurers can regain Shards from there- and witness their "lost self" while playing their role in the old time.
Convergences:
places which connect between Divergences. Allow the conjurer to regain Shards and physically cross to other Rivers.
Silver Poison:
the effect which destroys unbound Toys in the three dimensional world. That material can be used to permanently destroy a Toy or kill a conjurer.
Mirror Snake:
a being which dwells near the edge of the Abyss. It shows up when a conjurer just opens a Door in to the Playground. While no one actually see the being- only the visions of alternative timelines it presents. Some show what would have been if the conjurer would have eaten something else in the mourning, while others show visions of the conjurer if time wouldn't broke.
Netherland:
a secret network which connects between Divergences. The gates to the Netherland open randomly and fade just as fast, and the place itself looks like a surreal hell- but it allows a quick travel between worlds while hiding from the notice of the Toymaker. Also, many relics from the past and Wyld Toys exist in that dimension.
The Playground:
The Abyss, includes opening Doors, common dangers, Game Factories and much more madness!
Presque Vu:
rules about achieving the "higher state of self" and becoming one, freeing yourself forever from the Toymaker and the horrors of the Abyss.
The Broken Clock:
information about the mythic past of the conjurers including alternatives, and some information about the nature of time itself.
Dark Era- French Revolution and Reign of Terror:
promises for freedom replaced by tyranny and fear, one of the core events which happened through all Divergences and destroyed the Toymaker's strings- a proof for what human will can do, and what happens when it get out of control.
Crossovers:
Vampire the Requiem
Werewolf the Forsaken
Mage the Awakening
Promethean the Created
Changeling the Lost
Hunter the Vigil
Geist the Sin Eaters
Mummy the Curse
Demon the Descent
Beast the Primordial
Inferno
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