Conjurer- simple template

[LostLight]

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:

On the outside, conjurers seem like regular people. Also, unlike most other templates, the conjurers don't have a lot of power by themselves- most of their abilities come from their Toys, their Scraps, their Pawns and Fluctuations. Still, they are no regular men, and they do have some... gifts from their experience which make sure that no conjurer would ever think about himself as human

Key: First and foremost, this is the conjurer's very core of existence. Each conjurer has one- an object which is related to the event in which time was broken. This item is the device the conjurer use in order to manipulate the Marionette Syndrome and force his Toy to do as he will, to Fluctuate reality and open Doors to the Playground and different Divergences. Each conjurer known instinctively where is Key is, and there is no force upon the face of heaven or earth who can hide it from him. If someone who isn't the conjurer tries to harm the Key, the Key uses half of its owner's Nostalgia's trait in order to protect himself. If the Key is destroyed, the conjurer suffer 1 level of bashing damage, and can't summon his Toy, use Fluctuations or manipulate the Marionette Syndrome until he'll find a new one, something which takes 6-[Nostalgia/2] days. Of course, the conjurer has no power to decide which item would become his Key, something which may not present a problem if your Key is a coin or an hat, but may be risky or uncomfortable in the case of a gun or or horlogin. Thankfully, conjurers have the next ability-

Out of Time: thanks to the temporal nature of the conjurers, each has the ability to contain a number of objects "outside" of time and space. Putting things in and outside of that "sub space" is a free action and costs nothing- not Willpower or Shards. The conjurer can contain a number of items equal to his [Nostalgia] plus his Key. The conjurer can also put living things in that space, but they'll suffer one level of Lethal damage per hour they are inside it. If the conjurer forget them in there, he may find them dead when he pulls them out. Sometimes, he doesn't find them at all- at least, until they'll come out of the Abyss, becoming one of the Toymaker's personal puppets.

Free Puppet: the conjurer is free from the Marionette Syndrome. As such, he can not be directly targeted by Fluctuations made by other conjurers, nor can he be effect by their string manipulations. It is not to say that the Toymaker can't see him- it known exactly where he is, thanks to its Toy. Still, it protects the conjurer from sympathetic abilities and supernatural powers which are meant to divine his location or time. The only exception is when the conjurer decided to bind himself to another conjurer or being by using his own Marionette Syndrome. Items and people who are bound by the conjurer's string manipulation could be used in order to use sympathetic magic upon him.

String Manipulation: using his Key, the conjurer can pull the strings of others. By expanding Shards, the conjurer gains an extra die for any manipulation rolls against the target he wish to "pull its strings". The conjurer can make that connection even more powerful, by using his own strings to bind the target. The conjurer could terminate the connection at any time. Once established, the conjurer gains +1 modifier to all Manipulation and Fluctuation rolls which involve the target.Touchstones are bound in a similar way. The conjurer can bind up to 2*[Nostalgia] objects in that way in the same time, not including Scraps and Touchstones. Scraps (the broken pieces of Toys) could be bound in the same way, and the conjurer can bind [Nostalgia/2] + [Manipulation] such beings in the same time. The conjurer can also use the Marionette Syndrome which was established in order to share Shards with anyone who is bound in the web, and can also instal Functions into mortals and items, making them into Pawns and Accessories.

Echo Walking: conjurers know that time is broken, and that each person has endless doubles- or Echos- who live in those alternative timelines. While the conscious of the conjurer can occupy only one Echo at a time (usually), the conjurers have the ability to simple "jump" from one Echo to another, leaving their old life behind and starting new ones. It is as easy as jumping off a bridge- one you get over the initial fear, it becomes a lot more easier. In order to Each Walk, the conjurer needs to expand a Shard a imagine the Divergence he wants to jump into. That requires him, of curse, to visit the Divergence beforehand through River Crossing. The conjurer can also Echo Walk into a random reality- but this is seen as a desperate options, kept to times when the conjurers have to escape or get eaten by an hungry Toy. That method is called "Free Fall".

Once you spent the Shard, roll Nostalgia + Wits, and add each dice +2 modifier if you visited it before, and +1 if you go with a Conjurer who were there as a "guide". If you get Failure, you fall into a different Divergence. A Dramatic Failure mean that not only you lost your direction, but also suffer from an Identity Breaking Point. A Success mean you achieved your wanted destination, but you don't know anything about how your Echo has lived until now, while an Exceptional Success gives you the memories of significant events for (Nostalgia) days before the Echo Walking. Once you've done it- walla! You can start your new life! Because the Abyss regulates all Divergences, and makes sure that all would stay, more or less, on the same track (that is, if someone needs to die, someone will die- either differently or that someone else would take his place), all Echos shared the same game statics and use the same character sheets.

River Crossing: by finding a Focal Point- that is, a place in which many different Divergence cross because of a significant event which happened there, the conjurer can use his Key to open a Door and physically enter into a different timeline. That method is usually used in order to investigate a new timeline so next time the conjurer could Echo Walk into it. Most Focal Points connect only between two Divergences, although there are a few who connect into more. Another reason for using that technique is because that the conjurer has some "unfinished business" in that Divergence, and his Echo got killed there. However, if your Echo is still alive, there is a problem- the Abyss will recognize that disturbance in the timeline, and the strings will resonate, alerting the Toymaker. After 10 - Nostalgia days since the Divergence crossing, the Toymaker would start and try to kill your Echo- which is, interestedly, operates as a completely regular human while the "true self" doesn't concentrate on it. There are no side effects for seeing your Echo- accept of the trauma he may suffer from seeing himself holding strange and weird powers.

Erase Echo: that interesting ability is what makes the conjurer so dangerous- by feeding someone into their Toy, they can refill their Shards Pool immediately. The problem is that once they do, the Toy sends a message across time and space to the Toymaker that the did was done- and the Abyss start to regulate the events. Through all the timelines, the whole world starts to attack the remaining Echos, making sure that there will be no Divergence in which the sin the conjurer has committed would be undone. Conjurers, and similar beings who are Free Puppets, are immune to this effect unless their core "self" is the one being eaten. Supernatural creatures who are not of the Abyss are not protected, but they may use their supernatural abilities to deny their fate, one way or another. Considering that feeding a conjurer to a Toy is one of the only ways to permanently kill a conjurer, some conjurers have no choice but to use that ability against one of their own- although there is always a price to pay.

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

All of the Rivers of time flow from a single source- one stream from which all different possibilities come from. That spring is the Time Not- the way the world was before the Toymaker came and shattered time to grant itself its wish. Everything that was, is and will be is simply an endless cycle who repeats what happened in a time which never was- and the conjurers, been beings who escaped its harsh fate are resonating with the long lost memories of their former selves- and so, they can change it.

Nostalgia represent how well the conjurer "remembers" who she was in the Time Not, which is a representation of how much she is connected to the Abyss. Each conjurer starts with a single dot of Nostalgia, which can be increased up to 3 using Merit dots at character creation. This trait can be later increased using Experience points. This trait is rated 1-10, and has the following effects:

-Nostalgia is used as a resistance trait, as represented in the Clash of Wills section, and also decides the strength of your Key and your ability to find a new one.
-Nostalgia governs the ability of the conjurer to contain and expand Shards and limiting the traits of the character, as represented in the table below.
- Nostalgia represents how strong is the character's Marionette Syndrome is and how many items can be stored using the Out of Time ability, as detailed in the appropriate sections.
-Nostalgia also effects your ability to Echo Walk to other Divergences, as represented in the appropriate section.
-Nostalgia decides the range of your Sphere Functions and how many Functions of the same Keyword can be installed in your Toy, not including Wyld Functions, as detailed in the Functions section.
-Nostalgia also influence your ability to use Fluctuations and their duration, as detailed in the Fluctuation section.
-Nostalgia also means how much of the Toymaker's attention you draw to yourself, influencing how much time it takes until the Toymaker starts killing your Echos in case of River Crossing (see the appropriate section) and how many Auditions do you have with it (see below)
-Nostalgia also determines how mentally unstable is the character and how much she is drawn to follow her Time Not self, as detailed below.

Nostalgia	Att/Skill max	max Shards/max Shards per turn	Auditions per Story	Deja Vu Revelations
0	5	Manipulation/1	-	-
1	5	10/1	1	1
2	5	10/2	1	2
3	5	11/2	2	2
4	5	11/3	3	3
5	5	12/3	4	3
6	6	25/4	5	5
7	7	39/5	6	7
8	8	54/6	7	9
9	9	86/14	8	11
10	10	130/16	9	13

Auditions- for the Toymaker, there is only one way to put an end to the conjurer's disturbance in the timeline- making her sorry that she was ever born. In order to do so, it works on many levels- it creates powerful regulations which destroy her Echos when River Crossing, for example. It makes sure that any one she kills with her Toy would be forever erased. It screws Fluctuations up to destroy the conjurer's life. Still, sometimes, the Toymaker feels a need for a more.. personal touch. It confronts the conjurer directly, asking harsh questions, giving them weird comments about the future of the future of her timeline, mocking them, tormenting them, offering them deals which sounds tempting, but they shouldn't accept. Sometimes it takes the body of a loved one. On others, a manifestation of light and sound. It can use any form it can think about, for it exist in all layers of reality- all dimensions belong to it, and while it usually prefer to visit when the conjurer is in its lowest, it sometimes shows up just to say hello- and remind her that she has nowhere to hide from it.

Those meetings are called Auditions- an opportunity for the Toymaker to sit down with the conjurer (alone or with a group of friends), chit chat a little bit and drink a little cup of tea. It never actually harms the conjurer in that form (after all, killing the conjurer won't fix the damage it made- only becoming Wyld would do, and this is a choice created by free will). The Audition can take any possible form- from a literal meeting to some haunting dream. While the Toymaker is an endless being, it has an hard time focusing on all the little conjurers- and so it torments more those who are closer then the Abyss then those who are lost in the background.

There are no mechanics for Auditions. During those times, the Toymaker can do anything it wishes. Sometimes, it looks like it wishes to help, and would promise anything the conjurer wishes, no price attached (and while it may lie, it also sometimes says the truth. The Toymaker can do almost anything, after all- especially if it can make sure it would bit the conjurer in the ass). Managing an Audition should be done carefully- it is meant to be creepy, tempting and surreal experience. It should make the players wonder about the future of the game, what plans does the Toymaker has in minds and why does it tells it to them. You should keep the use of Auditions for special events- moments when you, as a ST, wants to make a direct contact with the characters, just to mess them up and reminds them that in the end, they are meaningless and powerless in front of the great Regulator of the Abyss.

Deja Vu-this was the first time you ever met her. You never walked down that street. You never been here before. Yet, you remember her face covered with blood, as you hold the knife. You remember the fire which burned the street as you laughed with madness. You remember the darkness which engulfed the place while you died. Those things never happened- but why do they feel so.. nostalgic?

Given the name for "already see" in french, conjurers believe that this phenomena comes from a form of Resonance with the Abyss- those events are too similar to what happened in the Time Not. While most people would shrugg and forget about their Deja Vu, conjurers can't just do it- their connection with the Abyss doesn't let the memories fade. You are trapped in a nightmarish reality, knowing that everything that happened once would happen again, and again, and again.

Each time the conjurer's Nostalgia rises to the appropriate level, the conjurer suffers from a new Revelation. That Revelation must be tied to the conjurer's personal life- she understand that the story she lives in has been already written, and she has just had a glimpse of how it is going to end- and usually, it is never an happy ending. Those prophetic abilities are limited to how well she remembers the time before time, and can only have a limited number of such "prophesies" in a certain time. Still, unlike conventional divination, the conjurer doesn't really sees what is going to happen. Instead, she sees how things happened in the Time Not, and now she must understand how it is going to manifest in real life.

For example, Julia suffers from a Deja Vu in which she sees a woman in black dress playing cards with her, and when she draws the ace of Hearts a serpent bits her. thanks to former Revelations, she knows that the woman is her sister, and that she is going to die if she won't do something. The trigger for that vision was when her sister talked with her on the phone about her new boyfriend. Was he the serpent? Should she work to separate them? Or was that the reason it happened in the Time Not?

The most important thing is being consistent. The Deja Vu isn't just a symbolic vision- it is a real story, which once happened. Symbols carry from story to story, allowing the character to better understand their visions with every day which pass. Another important thing is remembering that Deja Vus don't try to warn the characters. They try to force the events to happen. Trying to directly fight the story should have bad consequences, with the horros of the case happening. Most importantly, the conjurer shouldn't be able to avoid those destinies alone- for she is bound to her story. Everything she would do would end up with her fulfilling the prophesy- but this is why friends are for, right?

The number of active Revelations in the same time is detailed in the table above. Every time a Deja Vu is fulfilled, a new one reveals itself (not necessary immediately, only once there is an appropriate trigger)

New Advantage: Shards

The most basic unit of Time, Shards are what happens when the timelines "crack". Every time a Divergence is created, every time that different Rivers Converge, every time a new Conjurer is born and every time one of the dreams from the Time Not finds itself in the world, the structure of Time is disturbed- and as a result , Shards are formed. While Shards may look simple as a form of energy, the classical view of the conjurers claim them to be Toys by their own right- only Toys that exist in 0 Dimensions. They are a dot of golden light, a dimensionless structure which contains the potential for all new creation and beginnings. The Abyss is filled with them, as being the potential of both the beginning and the end. A more modern view claims a bit different theory about the nature of the Shards- they claim that both the 0 dimension and the 10th dimension are the same- with the former being how someone who exist 10 dimensions higher would see a "smaller" universe. That would mean that in each such Shard exist a crazy mad Toymaker, manipulating all different possibilities just to control a single unit of energy. That would also mean that our universe is just a piece of broken time. It is a lesson in humility, don't you think?

A Conjurer could spend a Shard in order to-
1) use certain Functions
2) activating Fluctuations
3) Echo Walking to another Divergence
4) summoning your Alter Ego
5) feeding your Scraps
6) paying the debt to your House
7) sharing it to anyone bound to you with a Marionette Syndrome

A Conjurer may regain a Shard by-
1) harvesting a Convergence
2) destroying a Token, which would refill your Shard poll
3) sacrificing a Function which you installed in your Toy,/Pawn/Scrap/Accessory. You gain one Shard per dot of the Function
4) binding a Memoryscape to your Toy and playing your role in it.
5) spending one hour in the Abyss would give you a single Shard. This must be an "Abyssal Hour", not a real one.
6) gaining a Shard from someone bound to you by a Marionette Syndrome (he must send it to you)
7) gaining a Shard from your House's Network
8) feeding a human to your Toy. Only regular humans are counted- apparently, other supernatural being lack the same potential regular humans have. Doing so would create a Regulation in which the Toymaker kills any Echo of the eaten human through all possible Divergences. After doing so, your Shard poll is replenished fully.

Powers: Functions

Because I don't have time to write down powers to Conjurer, Functions are going to be imported from Hunter's Dread Powers. Each Function needs to be installed into the Toy, making it that, mechanically speaking, the Toy is the sum of your powers. When you install a new Function, you must decide how you instal it- which means choosing a Keyword which represent how it would effect reality. There are 6 Keywords- Aggressive, Subtle, Host, Sphere, Abyssal and Wyld. The first 5 Keywords are tied both to the way the power is manifested and to the state in which the Toy needs to be in order to use that power, while the last lets you break some sort of limitation which is imposed upon Functions.

Each Toy can be manifested in 3 states- Singularity, in which it sleeps inside the conjurer's soul, Linear, in which is exist in the Twilight and Spatial, in which is exists physically. While in Singularity state, the conjurer can use only Host Functions. While in Linear form, the conjurer could also use Subtle and Sphere Functions. While in Spatial form, the conjurer can use its Toy's full power.

The differences in Keywords doesn't stop in here- as it was said before, each Keyword means how the conjurer's power express itself. Aggressive Functions means that the power is used by the physical form of the Toy or on the Toy itself. Subtle Functions means that the power can effect things in the Twilight (all frequencies could be targeted by Subtle Functions, although the Toy itself exists in a separate frequency). Host functions are used by the conjurer himself or effect his body/ mind. Sphere Functions change the power in and area of effect power, existing in a range of 1 meter per Nostalgia dot. Finally, there are Abyssal Functions, which are used to specifically effect Abyssal phenomena, and considering that most of the time Abyssal beings are immune to most mundane and supernatural effects it makes those powers quite efficient.

The last meaning of the Keywords is the the conjurer can't have more dot-value of Functions which are installed as a specific Keyword then 2*Nostalgia. It means that the conjurer must spread his powers among his different Keywords. It doesn't mean that the conjurer can't buy new Functions- only that he have to either discard an old Function (creating a Scrap), bind it as a Scrap, instal it into a Pawn or make it into an Accessory or instal it as a Wyld Function. While Scrap maintenance is a pain and Pawns and Accessories may get killed or stolen, the Wyld Functions could be seen as the most efficient way to pass that limitation. The only problem is that for every Wyld Function you instal, you suffer from the Whispers Condition earlier (usually, it comes to effect at Identity 5. With 1 Wyld Function, it would come to effect at 6, and so on). Functions taught by Wyld/ Free Toys are always Wyld.

Sorcery: Fluctuations

Each conjurer who have a Key (and some who don't) have the terrifying ability to conjurer not only objects and beings- but whole events. They base around the ability to Fluctuate reality is that time is broken, and as such by creating the right conditions and the right atmosphere, the same events would happen again and again. History must repeat itself, after all. Usually, in order to do so you either need to take control over whole reality (like the Toymaker) or do all the hard work in recreating the same circumstances. However, conjurers have a trick in their sleeve- since they can see the strings and pull them freely, they can make the regulations of the Toymaker think that the event should happen again with a lot less effort- and it is by using Art.

The main problem with Fluctuations is that they always work. Once you spend the Shards and pull the strings, something would happen- the question is if you are going to like it. After all, pulling the strings is a dangerous act, for the Toymaker would notice you messing with its plannings, and if you don't do it quietly enough it would make your own magic to bit you in the ass. There are, of course, some ways to make the Toymaker less angry- but it usually include doing some things which are not really... nice. Plus, it's a game- and the Toymaker loves to play games. You may win- but almost always, the Toymaker would be able to make its move against you.

Each Fluctuation is expressed by either granting the conjurer the temporary benefit of some Merit or by taking it away from someone. It must not be a Supernatural Merit. Because the Fluctuations target whole events instead of individuals, there is no Clash of Wills when the effect is used against a supernatural creature. The target must, however, be connected to the Marionette Syndrome- so unless the one to target the conjurer has first bound him with his own String Manipulation, the conjurers are immune to the phenomena. If the goal it to grant the benefit of a merit, it lasts a number of [Nostalgia] days. If it is to destroy, it is permanent. The Toymaker doesn't regulate things which the conjurer may regret later.

Once the effect is chosen, the conjurer needs to do some research, seeking after the right Event which represent the desired goal. While the conjurer may just pull the strings and finish with it, doing so would give him -2 modifier for rolls, making it more likely to being more harm then use. Afterward, the conjurer starts making the Art- which could be any art, actually. This is represented by an either an Expression or a Craft roll, plus your Nostalgia score (so the dicepoll is [Nostalgia+Crafts/Expression). The chosen skill is decided by the type of art you are using- dancing and singing would be Expression, while painting and sculpting are the territory of Crafts.The Art must represent the desired Event (or effect, in case there isn't one) which the conjurer desires. The process also includes expanding a number of Shards equal to the number of dots you want to give/ take away with the ritual. Also, each rite must be designed with the thought that it would grant or take a total of 5 dots of Merits. Succeeding with that mission is an whole other thing.

the results are as the following:

Exceptional Success: You grant or destroy up to 5 dots of the desired Merit.
Success: You grant or destroy up to 3 dots of the desired Merit, while the Toymaker gains 2 dots to be used in the same way as you did (grant or destroy the same Merit)
Failure: You grant or destroy 2 dot of the desired Merit, while the Toymaker gains 3 dots to be used in the same way as you did.
Dramatic Failure: The Toymaker Toymaker won the game, getting 5 points of the desired Merit to be used against you. Prepare to have your life become a living hell.

There are 2 ways to make sure things would work more smoothly- first, by using the Theme of your Toy for your benefit. By spending a Token, you get an extra dot worth of Merit to be used. By sacrificing something important (or "giving the Toymaker a Gift") would take away 1 dot of Merit from the Toymaker for an object, 2 dots for a living thing and 3 dots for a Touchstone. The Gift must be given during the ritual and be included in the Art- things like painting with the blood of the victim or creating a scene which includes beheading someone.

Modified Advantage: Abyssal Virtue

The Abyss is an antimonian space. It defines what is by being what it is not. That is the essence of the Toymaker's ability to manipulate time- it hides all other possibilities in the Abyss, making it so that time would flow in the desired direction. The conjurers, being touched by the Abyss, are also tainted by that paradoxical madness, and it effects the way they see reality.

As multi- temporal beings, the conjurers learn to define their world by what is not. Their Divergence is not the one in which the mad prophet Rajash rules. Their loved one is not the ones who sits in prison for murdering 25 people. Their home is not the one who was burned by an angry mobster. They also define who they are in that way- they are not their Toy, not their Alter Ego, not their Echos. Eventually, they learn to define their very core of personality by who they are not- they no longer get satisfied by committing themselves to their higher self. Instead, they feel calm and peaceful by denying themselves from the temptations of the Toymaker, becoming more distant from reality.

Like regular mortals, conjurers have a Vice- and many conjurers see that "lower part" of themselves as their last connection to mankind. While they also have a Virtue, that part of their personality is twisted. An Abyssal Virtue is mechanically identical to a regular Virtue- in that it refresh your Willpower pool and is defined by a certain trait of personality- but instead of gaining that benefit by doing something according to your Virtue, you gain it by avoid doing something against it. For example, a person whose Abyssal Virtue is Justice, would not gain Willpower by judging the guilty, but by stop someone from escaping judgement. Someone whose Abyssal Virtue is Love would not gain Willpower from finding a boyfriend, but by not cheating on him. It is just a matter of perspective..

Mostly.

For example, take that conjurer who has the Abyssal Virtue of Justice. She won't gain any Willpower from personally kill a murderer. Instead, she feels the urge to make sure that the one to commit the act would be the parent who lost his child. While it would mean manipulating both the parent and the killer to that position, destroying both of their life and make sure that the parent would never forget the memory of his lost child by creating mad illusions and driving him to the edge of sanity- this is how the conjurer defines justice. On the other hand, the conjurer who see Love as the core of his personality would do anything to stay with his loved one- even if it means to bind him with the Marionette Syndrome so he would never think about breaking up with him and personally killing anyone who may make them break up. While a regular person may think it is crazy, the conjurers would disagree- this is a Mad World, and the conjurers can simply see it more clearly then the rest.

Touchstones:

Through the limitless possible timelines, some things always stay the same. The Toymaker's regulations are the ones responsible for that. It is a sign for the Toymaker's superiority and control. However, for a conjurer, it is also a sign of comfort. It shows that some things are always the same, that not everything is an illusion. There is something real in the madness, and isle of stability in the middle of the chaos. Instinctively, they tie themselves to those parts of reality, defining who they are and what they would become through those anchors- through those Touchstones.

Any conjurer starts the game with a single Touchstone. Unlike in Requiem, the Touchstone isn't attached to a certain dot in Identity. Instead, it is bound by a Marionette Syndrome, woven with unbreakable strings. The conjurer always knows where his Touchstone is found in the same Divergence. As long as he has that Touchstone, he gains +2 dies when rolling against Deja Vu. Having more then one would give the conjurer +3 dies for the roll. If, for some reason, the conjurer lose his Touchstone, he suffer immediately from an Identity lose. If he loose all of his Touchstones, he is under the Whisperers Condition until he'll find a new one (which usually takes around a month). Because of the meta-temporal nature of the Touchstones, when one is destroyed, all other Echos would also be destroyed near the same event- the Toymaker never stop regulating.

While being a Touchstone has some benefits (like having a secret guardian angel), it also has some drawbacks. If a conjurer goes Wyld and destroy his own Key, he starts destroying anything to which he is bound by the Marionette Syndrome- and his Touchstones first. If the Touchstones are also human, the conjurer may turn them into Pawns, and if they are simple items he can turn them into Accessories. If one of the Touchstones is harmed, the conjurer immediately feels it. Being a Touchstone also makes the target more easily manipulated by the conjurer, as presented in the Marionette Syndrome section.

Alter Ego:

Many people are not satisfied with their life. One of the reasons for that is that difference between who they are to who they want to be. Someone who lacks coordination wishes that he was able to dance. A woman who lived all her life in the street prays that one day she won't have to beg for money anymore. Even people who are supposed to be happy still want more- a rich person seeks to get more money, seeing himself as someone with the potential to become the most powerful person in the world. A model looks with jealousy on a fat woman who has a loving husband who cares for her. Everyone wants more, things they don't have, things they should have, finally becoming that elusive person they see themselves as.

Conjurers don't need to invest so much energy. They can simply do it.

The Abyss is the realm of endless possibilities, a singularity which contains the core of everything. It has the perfect model of each plant, each beast, each star and each man. From that core, the endless timelines flow, creating distorted reflections and broken echos of what should have been- and one of those cores, those Models, is the "true self" of a person. Conjurers, who are able to touch that core, discover something... terrifying. Something wonderful. Something which is simply strange.

They discover another self.

The Alter Ego is the reflection of the conjurer's mind and soul in the dark waters if the Abyss. Ir is everything the conjurer wished to be- but isn't. As such, unlike Echos, the Alter Ego has its own character sheets, which contains an equal EXP worth of skills, merits and attributes to the one of the original conjurer. Unlike the conjurer, the Ego lacks a Nostalgia trait, having only Identity (starts with 1)- which it uses as its Power stat. It doesn't have a morality advantage. It doesn't need one. It doesn't really exist, after all. At least, for now.

By expanding either a Willpower point of a Shard, the conjurer can "Wear the Mask", becoming the Alter Ego. During that time, he use the Alter Ego's sheets as his own. While he can still access most of his supernatural abilities, he can't summon his Toy as long as the Alter Ego is in control. No one really knows why, but the most common theory is that the Ego, being an Abyssal Entity, is not effected by the Marionette Syndrome, and as such it can not pull the strings which bind the Toy. Fortunately, the Alter Ego is not powerless- each has a number of supernatural Merits equal to their Identity score for free, and the conjurer may buy more with EXP. The only problem is that for each such Merit, the Alter Ego becomes more powerful. For each Merit you have, choose a single Bane or Ban you must follow or avoid. The Rank of the such ban/e is equal to the Merit dot worth. Breaking or Ban or being exposed to the Bane would not harm the conjurer, but would end immediately the Wearing of the Mask. At the St's permission, the character can buy the supernatural powers of other beings as such Merits (Numina, Gifts, Disciplines, etc). You do not buy the whole power, but a single, dot rated power.

The conjurer may stop Wearing the Mask at any given moment, returning to his regular self. In an addition, the conjurer may use the Alter Ego in order to avoid dying- for if the Alter Ego dies, the Conjurer shows up unharmed, but cant accesses the Alter Ego for 10-[Alter Egos' Identity] hours (the advantage of having 2 health tracks). While sometimes the Alter Ego looks almost like the conjurer, on other times it may look radically different- even having a different gender. Unless the Alter Ego is killed or breaks a ban/e, there is not time limit- but for each hour beyond 10-[conjurer's Identity] that the Mask is on, the conjurer rolls for a Identity Breaking Point. Losing it means that your Identity drops by one- and the Alter Ego's rise by one.

The problem comes when the conjurer and the Alter Ego's Identities are equal. That means that both of those personalities are equally "real". When such thing happens, both the Alter Ego and the conjurer roll for Clash of Wills, using their Identities as Dicepolls. If the conjurer wins, the Alter Ego's Identity drops by one. If he loses, his own Identity drops by one- and he becomes the Alter Ego. The former Alter Ego loses access to the Supernatural Merits and is no longer targeted by the ban/es, he can use the Marionette Syndrome and call the Toy and becomes truly real- while the former self becomes trapped in the Playground, forced by ban/es and weird magical powers (merits). The former Ego no gains the conjurer's Nostalgia score. In short, now the player plays the Alter Ego as the main character, While it was said that the "former self" becomes into an Alter Ego, it is not always like that. Sometimes, the Alter Ego have a very different vision of what it wants to becomes, creating an whole new "higher self" from the Model (that is, if the player really wants to change the character).

That is the reason why the conjurers keep saying that the Alter Egos are not real- they are masks, costumes, false identities created by the void. One is true, the other false. Any other way to think about it results with accepting that the Alter Ego is more real then you- and from that crack, your whole self may shatter.

Inherited Splat: Genre and Theme

When a conjurer first breaks free from the Marionette Syndrome, the Shards of broken time are united into the form of their Toy- it becomes a symbolic representation of the new Divergence and of the reasons for the anomaly in the Toymaker's regulations. The reason for why the conjurer changed time is imprinted into the Toy, for by destroying that reason the new timeline would cease to exist. While there are many reasons for fighting against the fate of the Nameless Regulator, there are five big groups of Genres to which the Toys belong. The Genres are-

Instrumental- created from influencing the life of another being to the wrong way
Stuffed- created from avoiding a choice which was needed to be done
Puzzle- created from the discovering something which was not meant to be discovered
Figure- created from actively doing an act which goes against the regulations
Trick- created from doing everything as it was meant to be done- and still messing up.

Each Genre as an affinity to a certain type of Function, giving you a discount for buying those (which give them the name Key Functions). The Key Functions are-

Instrumental- Aggressive
Stuffed- Sphere
Puzzle- Subtle
Figure- Host
Trick- Abyssal

While each Toy can be sorted to those Genres, each Toy is personalized for the specific conjurer and the exact circumstances which broke Time and created the Divergence. That specialization is called as the Theme of the Toy. There are countless possible Themes, which are non defendant on the Toy's Genre. The Theme is an expression of the conjurer, the Toy and the Divergence- and by connecting them all it makes all the same. Possible Themes are Fire, Forest, Justice, Love, Luck, Fear, Song, Eyes, Darkness and more.

The Theme of the Toy has two meanings. First, it represent which Functions can be installed into the Toy and which don't. There are no mechanics for that- it is simply requires the player and the ST to sit and discuss if a certain power is appropriate. Some choices are pretty clear- a Fire Themed Toy can't have an Ice based Function. Other requires some more thought- should a Justice based Toy be able to control others mentally? From one side, it forces everyone to follow justice. From the other, it doesn't seem to be the most just action one can make. By deciding if this is appropriate or not, you actually decide how the Theme of Justice is represented in your Toy.

While there is no mechanic to force you to follow the Theme of your Toy or use your powers in a certain way, you do gain a benefit from doing so. Every time you use your Functions in Theme (that is, using them to judge a crime for Justice or burn down a building for Fire), your Toy forms a special resource- a form of crystallized Shards known as Token. You can get Tokens only once per Chapter- you get one from using a Function in Theme, and two is the Function was your Key Function. Token could be used for a number of things- refilling your Shard pool by destroying them, using them to make Fluctuations easier or using them to power up your Toy's Upgrade which is given to you by your House.

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):

0- Shard, Singularity. "Toys" of that level are called as Shards, which are the the manifestation of the temporal energy used to fuel the Abyss.
1- String, Line. Toys of that level are Scraps from the 1st Dimension, or Vectors.
2- The Mists, or Twilight. Toys of that level are called as Scraps of the 2nd Dimension or Shades.
3- The World, or Space. Toys of that level are simply called as Scraps
4- Fate, or Regulation. Toys of that level are called as Mass Product Toys (or MPT), who are created by Game Factories or Developers.
5- River, or Divergence. Toys of that level are called as Limited Edition Toys (or LETs), who are the surviving few among a full race of MPTs.
6- the Netherland, or the Subspace. Toys of that level are called Mannikins, or Wyld Toys.
7- the Marionette Syndrome, or Mind. Toys of that level are called Prototypes or Free Toys.
8- the Great Race, or Entropy. Toys of that level work to bring each Divergence to a certain ending, and are called Developers. Conjurers name things as the Principle, the God Machine and the Wyrd as such things.
9- Game Factories, or Alternatives. Toys of that level are living worlds who represent possibilities of radically different universes, and are simply called as Game Factories. Conjurers name realms as the Shadow, Inferno and the Underworld as such things.
10- The Playground, the Abyss or Singularity. There is only one "Toy" of that level- the Toymaker, the first Conjurer, Breaker of Time, the Nameless Regulator.

"Unbound Toys", as Abyssal Entities are officially called (although most conjurers would call them just "Toys" for convenience), are divided by the number of Dimensions in which they can manifest themselves. Any Toy outside of the Playground can manifest itself in any Dimension which is equal or lower then its Rank. That means that a String can only move in the small spaces between worlds and can barely effect the third Dimensional world. Wyld Toys, however, being 6th Dimensional beings, can visit the World freely (excluding the effect of the Silver Poison), and can also jump between Divergences and walk the Netherland. Game Factories can even manipulate the Marionette Syndrome and change the course of fate. The Toymaker, being a 10th dimensional being, can rule the whole world and manifest at any level of existence.

Unlike many other "ephemeral beings" (Toys are not made out of Ephemera, after all), Unbound Toys do not have Numina or Influences. Instead, they have a number of Functions equal to their Rank, except of the Toymaker (who can use any Function exist, and even make new ones). In an addition, each Toy also has a Mission, which gets more complicated as the Rank of the Toy rises. 1st Rank Toys would have a simple Mission, like "Eat" or "Listen". 3rd Dimensional Scraps would have a Mission like Follow Red Haired Humans" or "Scare White Cats". Wyld and Free Toys have a real, almost human like personality, and are clearly aware of their Mission and can either accept of reject it. Each also have a special, unique Function which they can instal in the Toy of a conjurer- although such a Function is always Wyld and can not be installed in Pawns/Scraps/Accessories- and each also follow a specific Condition. Game Factories and Developers can also create Toys out of nothing, as long as those Toys are a combination of their own Functions, giving each MPT a Mission using the Heart Mandate.

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

metaphysically, the Kindred and the Shattered have almost nothing in common. Conjurers exist in all levels of reality, recognizing temporal wealth for what it is- a string used by the Toymaker to manipulate you. Vampires, however, reveal in temporal power and the search for political influence. Yet, although those differences - or even because of those differences- vampires are among the Supernatural races with which conjurers feels the most comfortable. Sure, vampires are mind breaking manipulative bastards who live on the expanse of others, but so are the conjurers- so who are they to judge them?

From the vampires' point of view, conjurers are simply a strange breed of witches. Many don't recognize the difference between them and other types of mortal sorcerers. The more mystical Covenants, however, do notice that the two are not the same- there is something weird about the Shattered, as if the world is distorted near them. They understand that the powers they manipulate are different from the ones the mages use. Also, the Beast instinctively shy from the conjurers- they smell weird, like cold water, and their blood is tasteless and gives no nourishment to the vampire. They also seem to be immune to the binding abilities of the Vinculum, and the Kiss doesn't trigger the same ecstasy as it is meant to do. Still, more then one vampire has managed to work behind her instincts and worked together with one of the conjurers, enjoying the benefits which they can grant using their time changing abilities.

For the conjurers, vampires are weird creatures. From one side, they are, like most of the other denizens of the World of Darkness, bound by the Marionette Syndrome. They can clearly see the strings who bind their bodies and souls. Yet, there is something wrong in how the strings are attached- they are tangled together, clinging to the wrong parts, as if someone blind as tried to stick them to the target. The conjurers assume that this is because of the nature of the vampires as undead beings- the Toymaker can't see them as clearly as it sees living beings. They also note that the older the vampire is, the less strings are attached to it- and that eventually, they may be able to escape the Regulator's web once and for all. Many suspect that the vampires are also touched by the Abyss, and that the so called Vitae they drink is actually a liquefied form of Shards, and that may also be the reason that some vampires loss their memories after sleeping too much- their minds wander to the Abyss and get purified in its dark waters.

Those who discover about the Owls, however, think differently.

The strixs are different more then anything else the Shattered ever saw in the Abyss. Like many Abyssal beings, they are free from the Marionette Syndrome- but they are too free. They fly through the strings without disturbing them, not drawing any notice. The can't be bound by the strings, and even when they take and host as their own they seem to be able to stretch the Syndrome up to its limit. It seems that they simply go under the Toymaker's radar, and the conjurers who discover about them wonder how did they managed to do it. There is no record of one of the Owls ever taking a conjurer as an host, and some think that if they'll try, the strixs would simply go through the conjurer as if she was one of the Toymaker's strings. Of course, there are rumors, but no one has ever managed to prove them. Because of the weird nature of the strixs, and how vampires manage to slowly escape the Syndrome, few conjurers think that maybe vampires are simply cocoons from which the Owls eventually hatch, leaving their flesh behind and escaping the Abyss for ever and ever. It is needless to say that vampires don't like hearing those theories, and work tirelessly to silence them.

Werewolf the Forsaken

Mage the Awakening

when mages hear about a mind bending dimension which distorts both space and time and spawn terrible monsters, it is hard for them to not think about the Abyss. When that dimension is also named as "Abyss", the mission turns form hard to practically impossible. The similarity between the two worlds is too much, even more then their usual arguments with the so called "changelings", so among those mages who know about the conjurers, there is almost no one who doesn't believe that their Abyss as the same as the other Abyss.

And unsurprisingly, they are right.

That fact could be easily identified through certain spells- any magic or ability (like Unseen Senses) which is designed to feel Abyssal Phenomena discovers the connection of the Shattered to the Void. For that reason, the conjurers try to avoid drawing Awakened attention. After all, more then one has targeted them as some sort of abyssal cultists- or worse, as abyssal entities by themselves- and tried to either bind or destroy them.

Thankfully, the Shattered are not easily enslaved- any spell below Archmastery who is meant to bind them directly in a manner of an oath or a vow (like many Fate spells or spells that work through sympathetic connections, but not Mind spells) are automatically failed, and their Toys are not subjects to the regular Spirit controlling spells. While spells who work on Time, Fate or Death may be able to disrupt the connection between a Toy and its Puppeteer, none of them may directly bind the Toy or take it away from the conjurer. At best, they can stop the Shattered from Manifesting it or using Functions- even though their Alter Egos and Fluctuations, as well as any other ability which is not connected to their Toy, are still usable.

The Awakened and the Shattered also agree about many things as far as the Abyss is concerned. Both agree that it is a realm of paradox, where the world itself is twisted, which also contains whole living worlds inside of it. The conjurer, however, add another detail which the most mages never really knew about before- the Toymaker.

For those who investigate the conjurers, most say that the Toymaker is simply one of the many sleeping gods of the Abyss (or "Annunaki" as they sometimes called). That entity may be connected to the Prince of 1000 Leaves (if not the Prince itself), and that its specialization is creating whole alternative dimensions of worlds who never was or will be. Others, however, believe that the Toymaker must be higher in Rank even then those darkest beings- that maybe, in the very core of the Abyss, there is a will which guides it, shapes it, whisper to it in silence words which tame its wild nature.

The Seers who support that theory usually call that "will" the Gate.

That leads to the Scelesti- for the conjurers, there are 3 main types of Accursed mages: those who worship them, those who kill them, and those who belong to the Ministry of the Gate. The first may be the least problematic- after all, having an whole cult gathered around you and seeing you as a living incarnation of the Abyss sounds nice, right? The problem is that managing such a cult, especially when many of the members have abilities far more powerful then yours, could become more hassle then a benefit- after all, those cults don't the the conjurer nothing powerful allies in one Divergence, some help with Fluctuations and a lot of sacrifices for the Toymaker- but they demand so much more. Those who try to kill them also stand a problem- while most could be avoided by jumping to another River, if someone knows how to surprise you its mages.

The Ministry is the biggest problem.

Unlike the many cults of the Scelesti, those people are organized. They have a great collection of information about the Shattered, knowing many details about both their strengths and weakness. They have a detailed map of every Focal Point, every free Memoryscape, and book which details every Wyld Toy and every Game Factory. There is no one Divergence which doesn't include them, and it is not uncommon for an Head Hunter or a Wyld Conjurer to ask for their help. They, who claim to serve the Gate, always claim the conjurers to be "abominations" and seek to send them to the Abyss, in hopes the Void would crush their souls and banish them for ever and ever. While it is easy to say that they are pawns of the Toymaker, they also seem to work with the Guardians, their Trumps and the Void Watchers- who usually slaughter those who listen to the Nameless Regulator's whispers. That makes most conjurers wonder if the Gate is truly the face of the Toymaker, or that the Gate works both with the later and with the Guardians's shadowed patron in some sort of great game meant to decide who would rule the Abyss.

Whatever the truth may be, the conjurers know one thing- mages are bad news. They always stick their noses to where it doesn't belong, and try to force everything to their neat, square boxes of how the world works. Still, when one of those sorcerers is coming after you, the best way to solve the problem is by fighting fire with fire- or, at least, that they help you get rid from that crazy Outlaw who chases after you. No one likes those guys, as it seems

Promethean the Created

Changeling the Lost

Hunter the Vigil

Geist the Sin Eaters

Mummy the Curse

Demon the Descent

Beast the Primordial

Inferno

[LostLight]

Shattering

"Dan screamed as the strings broke. The pain was quick and horrible- like someone has tried to torn his bones out of his body. His eyes felt like they were exploding, his skin burned like fire. He felt like the whole world was crushing him, trying to rupture his, heart, his mind, his soul. It was simple to just give up and let the pain crush him into nothing- but for some reason, he couldn't. Beyond the pain, beyond the darkness, beyond the screams who blamed him for his terrible sin- there was something. A light, a memory. The pendant which his grandmother gave him. She told him it would keep him safe from harm. He didn't believed in bad luck, but it was her finale act before she passed away. He kept it with him ever since, to remember her her bright smile before the disease broke her body.

Suddenly, the pain has started to wash away. The screams has turned into a whisper- and even it faded away. It was like nothing has happened- almost. Somethings has changed- he felt lighter, like an heavy weight which once pulled him down has been lifted. Something was different- but he wasn't sure if it was him who changed, or was it the world.

"He didn't broke down" he voice whispered "Too bad, too bad"

Dan opened his eyes and looked around himself. Before everything went to hell, he was at his friend's home, stopping him at the last minute from committing suicide. Now, he was.. he didn't knew where the fuck he was. It was a large room, the walls are made out of mirrors while the floor looked like a chess board. In front of him there was a child- a little girl, with a short black hair, golden eyes and a skin which was almost too pale. She was dressed kinda funny- a short, colourful dress together with a white shirt which was a bit too big for her and a pair of shiny red shoes. He felt a strange urge to laugh from seeing her- but he didn't. There was something dark in her smile, and her eyes were could- like two heavy coins.

"Why didn't you broke down?" she asked

"What.." Dan mumbled "Where.. who are you?"

The girl looked at him in perfect silence for a few moments, and then burst with an ugly laughter. The world around them has started to look distorted, as if her voice was a ripple in the space. "I love that expression!" she laughed "It is always the same one! Trying too look like your in in control- but I know better" she started walking toward him "You have control over nothing, little puppet- you never had any. You mean nothing, you worth nothing- and yet, you are here.." she stood right before him, standing on her toes the highest she could "do you know why you are here?"

Dan looked puzzled, and the girl entered her hand into his pocket, pulling out a small, golden watch. He never saw that watch before, and it looked old, precious.. and broken. It was undoubtedly broken. The glass was cracked, the hands has fallen from their place.

"It is not ticking anymore" she said "It stopped ticking- and you did it"

"I.. I have never.." he started saying, but she stopped him.

"Yes, yes you did." she said with a serious voice "I put all that trouble at fixing that clock, adjusting it, protecting it from harm- and yet, you ruined everything.... it's your fault!"

She didn't looked strong- not with that slime and delicate body of hers. Dan was as twice as taller from her, if not more. And yet, she single handily grabbed him at his throat and push him to the floor. The blow was too fast and too strong for him to react, and the only thing he could do was lying on the floor while she screamed at him. "You know how hard I work?!" she called "You know how much effort I put just to make that damn clock tick?! No! You do not! And you don't even care! I look at every possible option, investigate every clue. And just as I'm sure that everything is fixed- one of you shows up and ruins everything! Millennia of hard work has gone to waste- and you don't even care..." her eyes has been filled with tears "Nobody cares..why nobody cares about me... I just wanted it to tick again.."

She started crying, burying her face in Dan's chest. He felt two conflicting emotions in his heart- from one side, he wanted to try and comfort her. From the other, he felt that something was wrong. There was something dark in the girl. He looked closer, and suddenly, the weeping girl vanished. Instead of her, there was only a smiling shadow, it bright with teeth were sharp as shark's. Strings, thousands of half transparent string were bound to the shadow- and among them, there were few broken ones. He didn't knew why, bu he knew that once, those strings were his.

"Oh, so you saw through that" the shadow asked calmly "too bad. Sometimes it works. Usually not, but it was worth a shot" the shadow walked up from Dan and reached its hand toward him "need an hand?". Confused, Dan took the shadow's hand and got up on his feet

"thanks.. I guess".

"Oh, don't thank me" the shadow replied "It is just too late for me to do anything. You people always always astonish me- every time I think of a fail proof plan, you always find a way to wreck it. Again, and again, and again. I wonder why the hell do I even bother.. but the clock must keep ticking, you know" it giggled "tick tock, tick, tock. tick tock, tick tock."

Dan shook his head. It felt like a dream- and yet, he knew it wasn't. He looked at the shadow, and felt again the same feeling from earlier- that there was something beneath it, that it was just another mask.

"Oh, I don't think you want to do it" the shadow said "You are not ready to look deeper, little grasshopper. Maybe next time we meet, if you won't die beforehand. Of course, always free to call me if you wish to help me fix the clock again. It was your fault, you know. You may blame me for your grandmother- but not for everything that comes next. When you'll decide to let everything go and change back the pass, just ask your Toy. It would tell you what to do"

"Toy?" Dan asked, when suddenly he felt.. a presence, something lingering from his pendant. He didn't looked behind- every nerve in his body told him not to- and yet he did. In front of him, there was a huge, black monolith, covered with blood and carving of dancing skeletons. There was something inside it, and he knew that if he would just wish it, it would get out- and add new skeletons to its surface.

"Well, have fun" the shadow said "I'm sure they would explain you the rest- I have things to do, strings to attach, clocks to adjust. You two have fun!"

It turned around and started walking away, and Dan screamed "Wait! What has been all of this?! Who are you?!"

The shadow turned around, but it was too late for questions. The whole world has started to crumble- the mirrors has shattered, the floor has melted. Instead of them the old room of his friend has started to show up, flickering from the edges of the dark vision as it crumbled all around him. In less then a second, he was again just before the vision- holding his friend on the floor a moment before he managed to shoot himself with a gun. It was almost too easy to think everything was a delusion- but he knew it wasn't. He could still see the strings, now binding his friend, and he could felt the warmth which radiated from the pendant. And more then anything else, he could still hear a single word- and the answer the shadow has given him before it vanished.

"The Toymaker"

[LostLight]

added Functions

[hellovg]

Have you also looked at the video game Prince of Persia: Warrior Within? I think that game would be an excellent source of inspiration for this splat...

[LostLight]

thanks! I'll check it out!

EDIT: checked it out. The Dahaka as a Toy, the Dark Prince as an Alter Ego, the Empress as a Void Watcher, all the time changing artifacts as Accessories and all the talking about time manipulation and fate breaking are really a good inspiration for the game. Good catch!

[LostLight]

Added Fluctuations. Plus, a few questions:

1) How do you think I should name the conjurer's Safe House like merit?

2) What nickname should I give to the conjurers? (like kindred for vampires or created to promethean)

3) how should I call a group of conjurers? (like a Pack or a Krew)

[hellovg]

Added Fluctuations. Plus, a few questions:

1) How do you think I should name the conjurer's Safe House like merit?

2) What nickname should I give to the conjurers? (like kindred for vampires or created to promethean)

3) how should I call a group of conjurers? (like a Pack or a Krew)

1) Police Box?

2) Madcaps?

3) A Convergence?

[LostLight]

Convergence is really good- but I don't think that a police motif the right one. The conjurers don't really supervise anything- it is the job of the Toymaker (or the Guardians). The Toymaker is the one to regulate time and make sure no one breaks the law. The conjurers are the ones who make all the mess.

[Satchel]

Convergence is really good- but I don't think that a police motif the right one.

this is what the refrance

Contrariwise, I should like to note that the toys-and-games motif doesn't mesh well with the regulatory role here being assigned to the Toymaker.

[LostLight]

this is what the refrance

Contrariwise, I should like to note that the toys-and-games motif doesn't mesh well with the regulatory role here being assigned to the Toymaker.

oh- that explains it. I'm not a Doctor Who fan. Although, from what I've seen, he is more of a Guardian then a regular conjurer.

Also- I think that toy motif does work. Or more exactly, the fact that it doesn't mesh together is why it works. It is a part of the surrealism mood- the idea of something ancient, cold and manipulative being connected to toys and dolls enhance the feeling that something is plain wrong about it. Plus, it reinforce the servitude vs freedom theme- someone is pulling the strings, something is playing a game. Everyone are puppets, and you also play that game with Toys, Scraps and Pawns. You don't know who is the puppet master, or what plot it has in mind- but you do know you do not want to be its puppet. Plus- you are called a conjurer for a reason, and if you don't have few dolls to play with then something is wrong with you.

[LostLight]

Added Abyssal Virtue and the concept of Tokens (wait for the X splat for more info :P)

[LostLight]

expanded the Abyssal Entities section

[LostLight]

added Alter Ego

[LostLight]

added Touchstones

[LostLight]

added X splat- Genres and Themes