Example Setting: Miracles
about 1 month ago
– Thu, Sep 12, 2024 at 06:29:21 AM
Hello SPU Squad,
I've got another sampler from our example game Pinfall from Grace Bodyslams from Hell for you today. In our most recent manuscript section, the Expansion chapter talked about creating Powers and today we've got an example of Angelic Miracles from our example setting.
Before we get to that, though a quick two/two reminder.
We've got TWO more days to vote on the direction/inspiration for our second example setting. For the first poll, you'll be voting on a Sci-fi setting example. Your options:
- Cyber-enhanced humans fly corporate-owned starships in search of new life and new financial opportunities.
- Futuristic superheroes fight interdimensional monsters in order to keep them from destabilizing reality.
- An experimental space flight flings the player characters into a distant galaxy full of strange and alien sights.
Voting will run until September 14th at 2:00 PM EST. You must be a backer of this project to vote for this setting.
And, we've got
TWO more weeks in this campaign, so please continue to spread the word and invite others to our SPU club. Any backers who join in before Saturday will be able to vote in the Sci-Fi Setting poll, and any backers who join in before the end will get a chance to vote in our upcoming Fantasy setting poll, determining the theme of the third example game setting that will go in the final book.
And everyone who joins in to back will be able to read the draft manuscript as it stands now before any pledges are processed or payments collected.
Miracles
Characters with Grace can create miracles. These unusual powers come from the angelic part of the host, although the human part controls when and how they are used. Due to the nature of the agreement regarding wrestling matches, miracles cannot be used during a match. It is possible to use miracles before a match (such as Summon Ring) or after (such as Healing Touch), but not during — to perform miraculous actions inside the ring, see “Graceful Moves.” (Relics are an exception to this rule — we'll see some of those on Saturday).
Generally, using a Miracle requires the expenditure of Grace points. In most cases, the player of the wrestling simply marks off the requisite number of points, and follow the rules listed for the miracle in question. If the wrestler ever ends up with zero Grace points, however, they gain the Exhausted status effect.
All hosts start with the Summon Ring miracle, one other Universal miracle, and one miracle distinctive to the choir of the angel in question.
Additional miracles cost 5 experience each, up to the maximum dictated by the wrestler’s Grace.
Universal Miracles
Universal miracles can be learned and used by wrestlers of any angelic choir, although demonic wrestlers may have equivalents (such as Summon Ring — see the antagonist power).
Demon Sense
Cost: None; this is a permanent ability
Some demons — like the ones that are eight feet tall and have horns — are easy to spot. Others are more subtle, but you can feel their presence like an itch under your skin.
This miracle gives the wrestler access to the following investigation trick:
Sense Demonic Influence (2 hits): Choose a person within perception range. You immediately know if the person has a demonic spirit within them, has knowingly worked for a demon, or has been the target of a demonic status effect. This does not reveal which demon is involved, or the exact nature of the relationship — merely that the target is possessed or influenced by a demon.
Healing Touch
Cost: 1 Grace point per Combat status effect or Injury
With the help of your angel partner, you can get rid of your cuts and injuries as easily as you can wipe away the blood.
This miracle allows the wrestler to remove a Combat status effect or heal 1 Injury on herself. Additional Grace points can be spent per status effect or Injury.
Summon Ring
Cost: None
With but a thought and a wisp of power, you summon forth a wrestling ring in the space near you. Within moments the faint chants of an invisible crowd meet your ears.
This miracle allows the wrestler to summon a ring, referee, announcers, and Audience, usable for a match — collectively called “the ring” for the purposes of this miracle. The ring cannot be destroyed or moved by mundane means, although it can be damaged by angelic and demonic wrestlers during the match.
If the wrestler who summoned the ring participates in the match, they gain an additional +1 Enhancement to their bond pool with the Audience over their current Enhancement pool.
The ring persists until one of three conditions are met:
- The referee has made a decision on the match, such as announcing a pinfall or calling for a disqualification. Once the decision has been made, the ring disappears in sixty seconds.
- The wrestler who originally summoned it, along with one other angelic or demonic host, both agree to send it back. This happens immediately.
- If neither of the previous two conditions are met, the ring disappears after 24 hours have passed. The wrestler who summoned the ring takes one Injury immediately after the ring disappears, even if they are no longer near the ring itself.
Blessing Miracles
The Fides choir push their hosts to spread hope and encouragement to all those around them, and their miracles help in that goal.
Balm of Relief
Cost: 1 Grace point
You look at your exhausted and beleaguered stable. With a soft breath of power, they all perk up, shrugging off their lethargy and ready to do battle once again.
Upon activating this miracle, select a number of targets in perception range up to your dots in Esoterica. If the target has the Exhausted status effect, they lose it. If they didn’t have it, they gain the Refreshed status effect.
Encouraging Strike
Cost: 1 Grace point
“Aim for the visor!” you yell to your partner. As she takes aim with her rifle, you know in your heart the shot will hit its mark.
Once this miracle is activated, one ally that can perceive you makes their next attack against an enemy with +1 Power Advantage.
Inspiration
Cost: 1 Grace point
You walk up to your stablemate as he sets the empty bottle down next to him. After a few quiet words, he looks more hopeful.
Once this miracle is activated, grant the Inspired status effect to one target within perception range.
Reality Miracles
Angels of the Veritas choir grant these miracles to their hosts, with the ability to pierce illusions or uncover truths.
Clarity
Cost: 1 Grace point
You suddenly feel your angelic partner’s senses overwhelm your own, and everything around you snaps into crystal-clear focus.
By activating this miracle, the area seems to be well-lit and sound moderated to a moderate level. This allows you to ignore any darkness-based or senses-based penalties or Complications in the Area, such as the effects of the Darkness and Overstimulating area effects.
Memory Cinema
Cost: 1 Grace point on an unwilling target; no cost for a willing target
Brushing your fingertips across your friend’s brow, you whisper a moment to yourself before the events of their career-ending match play out around you.
When you activate this miracle, touch a target (which can be yourself). You project a recreation of one of the target’s memories (your choice) into the space around you for all to see. The recreation will be accurate to the target’s memory, which is just as truthful or flawed as the target’s own recollections. You have no indication of which parts of the memory are true, and which are false.
Sense the Hidden
Cost: None; this is a permanent ability
Glancing around, you quickly point at the scorched painting on the wall. “The safe is behind there,” you say confidently.
This miracle gives the wrestler access to the following investigation trick:
Sense the Hidden (2 hits): You know the location of all hidden or concealed things within Short range. This does not negate any supernatural ability that would keep something invisible or hide things from others in the scene. You simply know where mundanely hidden things are in your proximity.
Resilience Miracles
The resilience miracles of the Patientia choir are all useful powers that allow the host to resist uncomfortable or dangerous situations.
Armor of Faith
Cost: 1 Grace point
The boom of the gunshot fills the space. The shooter stares in horror as the bullet stops barely an inch from your face before falling to the ground.
Upon activating this miracle, gain two points of armor for the remainder of the scene. This does not stack with any other sources of armor.
Glorious Defense
Cost: 1 Grace point
As the demon host swings at your head, you feel your angelic partner momentarily move your limbs, pulling your body out of the way almost faster than you can think.
When you are attacked, you may activate this miracle reflexively to this miracle to add a number of dice equal to your dots in Grace to your next Defense dice pool roll.
Iron Mind
Cost: 1 Grace point
The demon laughs, and you feel waves of terror emanating from it. But its face falls as you simply smile in its face and crack your knuckles.
When this miracle is activated, immediately resolve all Social status effects you have. You are immune to any Social status effect targeting you for the rest of the scene.
Strength Miracles
These miracles, the unique purview of the Diligentia choir, focus on the wrestler’s physical and inner strength.
Intimidating Aura
Cost: 1 Grace point
The mob of raiders start to step toward you, but they pause, noticing the gleam in your eyes. Hands holding sharp blades tremble as they watch you.
Activate this miracle to create an area of intimidation around you, out to Short range. Anyone who attempts to act against you or disobey a direct command suffers a Moderate Complication on their action. If they fail to buy it off, they gain the Terrified status effect.
Mighty Thews
Cost: 1 Grace point
You take a deep breath and shove the burned-out car. The automotive carcass slides several yards away before skidding to a halt on its rusty rims.
Once this miracle is activated, gain +1 Power Advantage to any actions involving the Might Attribute for the rest of the scene.
Power from Pain
Cost: 1 Grace point
Your legs buckle as your opponent kicks your knee. Pain floods through your mind, and from the pain’s clarity, you know just how to defeat him.
If you take an Injury or gain the Agony status effect, you may reflexively activate this miracle to grant yourself the Inspired status effect.
Structure Miracles
Structure miracles, as wielded by angels of the Concordia choir, focus on imposing order and creating things for the host to use.
Heavenly Mandate
Cost: 1 Grace point
“Take me to your leader,” you say, staring daggers at the bandit. She suddenly jerks around and marches away, as if she had lost control over her limbs.
Once this miracle is activated, make an influence action against a target in perception range to force them follow a command you give them. The target is compelled to follow your command to complete or the scene ends, whichever comes first. The command must be succinct and cover a single completable goal, such as “steal that gun” or “lead me to a safe place.” Overly complex or convoluted commands simply fail (although the Grace point remains unspent in such situations). You cannot compel your target to do things that would endanger them or go against their nature, such as forcing a demon to intentionally lose a match.
Mass Communication
Cost: 1 Grace point
“We have to warn the stable,” he says. You nod and close your eyes, sending the warning through your angelic partner to all your friends.
Once this miracle is activated, you can convey a message to anyone you have a bond with, positive or negative, no matter where they are. You decide who receives the message, choosing to include some people you have bonds with, and excluding others. The targeted recipients must be conscious, but they instantly understand your message and current location. In addition, you may make an influence action with +2 Enhancement on them.
Moment of Calm
Cost: 1 Grace point
The crowd was growing restless. “I urge you all to remain quiet,” you say in an even tone, your angelic partner adding their strength to your voice. Within moments, the crowd becomes silent.
When you activate this miracle, impose the
Social Code area effect on the area. You create the code based on the ideals of your angel, and anyone who fails to buy off the Complication gains the
Ennui status effect.
Again, this is just a small sample of the Miracles from our example setting chapter, which you'll have in full on September 23rd. The example setting game serves two purposes - first is to provide a fun game you could play right out of the book! The second is to provide examples that can inspire you to create the kinds of Paths and Powers to run a game out of your own imagination.
Tomorrow, we'll get the next section from the manuscript, covering some Building Block systems to add options to your game, and then we'll see some examples from Pinfall from Grace, sampling some Relics on Saturday and then exploring the rules of Wrestling Matches next Tuesday.
#SPU
An Update Disguised as a Pretend Q&A
about 2 months ago
– Tue, Sep 10, 2024 at 09:08:19 AM
Welcome to Law & Order: SPU.
Or more like Question & Answer: SPU.
Today, I've got an assortment of brief topics to cover in an update, so I'm going to pretend that I'm providing Answers to some Questions in an attempt to provide some cohesion between subjects. Ready to play along?
Let's go!
Some Answers to Pretend Questions
Q: Thanks for providing backers with the first two chapters of the draft manuscript! There's a lot of awesome stuff there! I was confused at one part, though, but I think it may just be the result of a typo or dropped reference... or maybe a clarifying word should be added. Is there a way to let Onyx Path know so they can fix this before the final release?
A: Yes! Now that you've had a chance to read some of the manuscript and see what it's about, I can unveil the
Storypath Ultra Draft Manusript Feedback Form! This manuscript hasn't yet gone through the final editing and development stages, and while I don't expect any significant changes, you can help the developers and writers make it the best version possible by sharing your feedback directly with the team!
Here's the link to the SPU Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/1fGuU881zBHPsktz7
Share your feedback on the draft manuscript directly with the development team!
Again, this draft manuscript will go through the regular editing and development process so the team will catch stuff where they may have written Stroypath instead of Storypath, but if you've found a bit that says "seven" instead of "several" you can help the team out by letting them know using this form.
Again, here's the link to the SPU Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/1fGuU881zBHPsktz7Submit your feedback and provide some direction and guidance for the team as they shepherd the manuscript through those final stages of development.
Q: I really liked reading the Expansion section of the manuscript and sort of see how you can develop Paths for your game idea, but I'm not 100% certain how they should be expressed. The samples you've shared from the example setting Pinfall from Grace helps, but I wish the final book had another example setting or two to really underline how it could all come together. Would it be possible to include another example setting in the final book?
A: I'm glad you asked! Yes, the final book will actually include THREE example games to show you how SPU can be used to bring systems and structure to your setting concept. In addition to Pinfall from Grace, we'll have a Sci-Fi flavored setting and a Fantasy flavored setting, and the best part is backers of this campaign will help provide the direction for the writers to take while creating these!
Backers who join in during this Crowdfunding campaign can participate in these example setting polls as part of the "rewards" for your support.
For the first poll, you'll be voting on a Sci-fi setting example. Your options:
- Cyber-enhanced humans fly corporate-owned starships in search of new life and new financial opportunities.
- Futuristic superheroes fight interdimensional monsters in order to keep them from destabilizing reality.
- An experimental space flight flings the player characters into a distant galaxy full of strange and alien sights.
Voting will run until September 14th at 2:00 PM EST. You must be a backer of this project to vote for this setting.
Right now, we have 800 backers for this project and we've seen just over 400 votes, so that means almost HALF of our backers haven't voted! If you've got a preference for any of these ideas, make sure you have your say before this first poll ends on Saturday!
While I'm typing this,
LOST IN A DISTANT GALAXY is ahead with 43% of the vote, but just barely with
CYBER-ENHANCED HUMANS FLY STARSHIPS cose behind at 38%.
These additional game examples will be about the same size as Pinfall from Grace, so about 30,000 words or double the traditional length of an Onyx Path jumpstart supplement. So not comprehensive, but a fantastic place to introduce concepts and explore some expression of key components of the setting.
Personally, I want option 1 because I imagine it containing elements of Red Rising. Or really, I want option 2 because I imagine elements from Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets. Or, to be totally honest, I'm hopeful for option 3 and I want it to have pieces I can borrow to explore a Farscape-like idea I have.
MAKE SURE YOU VOTEWe'll have a second poll running during the final half of the campaign, where backers will be voting on one of the Fantasy Setting options.
Q: I like reading about new Paths and Tricks and other options presented in the example setting. I have some ideas about additional options that could make some games more fun or help others fully flesh out the game idea they have. Is there a way for me to share these creations?
Have you heard about Storypath Nexus? That's Onyx Path's Community Content program where they let you publish material for some of their games within certain parameters. You can find out more here:
STORYPATH NEXUS
Q: Yes, I have heard about Storypath Nexus. I've actually got some ideas for They Came from {CLASSIFIED] that I can't wait to publish, but I know that it takes a long time to get the guidelines all sorted out for the various game lines and it could be a while before Storypath Ultra is set up on Storypath Nexus, since there are still many releases to get up there first!
A: Well, first off, I'm not sure that's a question. Secondly, yes, it takes the team a while to get all of their guidelines worked out for each game line and release. But you're in luck because we had a stretch goal to move Storypath Ultra to the top of the list.
ACHIEVED - At $30,000 in Funding - COMMUNITY CONTENT PROGRAM - Onyx Path will expedite adding Storypath Ultra material to the Storypath Nexus Community Content Program.
Now, that doesn't mean it'll happen immediately - things still take time, and even though Onyx Path creates a remarkable amount of material, they're still a small team. But getting SPU up on Storypath Nexus sooner rather than later will likely help wtih a lot of things in the channel, so it's going to be worked on as quickly as possible.
Q: That sounds good. But what if I have an idea that's a bit ... beyond the scope of the Storypath Nexus. It's not new content or options for one of their existing lines, or soemthing that could be bolted onto SPU. I have some experience in publishing already and I'd like to maybe release my own rpg but update it to utilize the Storypath Ultra ruleset?
A: An interesting idea! And that brings me to our next Stretch Goal!
At $40,000 in Funding – APPROVED LICENSING PROGRAM - Onyx Path will develop guidelines and a review process for approved publishers to create material using the Storypath Ultra system outside of the Storypath Nexus community content program.
If we hit that funding target, Onyx Path will figure out a licensing program for publishers who want to work beyond the bounds of what Storypath Nexus offers, and set up a application process to approve projects to use the Storypath Ultra system.
Again, this is earliest stages, and nothing is figured out beyond that Stretch Goal graphic, but the intent is now known, and details will be sorted at some point in the future.
Q: Speaking of Stretch Goals, can you do a quick review to show us what we've hit and what lies ahead?
A: Sure! Here you go...
ACHIEVED - At $30,000 in Funding - COMMUNITY CONTENT PROGRAM - Onyx Path will expedite adding Storypath Ultra material to the Storypath Nexus Community Content Program.
ACHIEVED - At $35,000 in Funding - DIGITAL WALLPAPER - Sensational SPU artwork will be used to create a wallpaper for your computer desktop. This digital wallpaper will be added to the rewards list of all backers supporting this project.
ACHIEVED - At $38,000 in Funding – STORYPATH ULTRA SHIRT ON REDBUBBLE – A Storypath Ultra-themed Backer shirt will be hosted on Onyx Path’s Redbubble store for a limited time. Only backers will be notified when the shirt becomes available for purchase.
At $40,000 in Funding – APPROVED LICENSING PROGRAM - Onyx Path will develop guidelines and a review process for approved publishers to create material using the Storypath Ultra system outside of the Storypath Nexus community content program.
At $45,000 in Funding – VTT TOKEN PACK - Digital assets will be created to support online play for Storypath Ultra games, including key character and creature tokens from the book. This online asset pack will be added to the rewards list of all backers.
And there you have it! A lot of quick topics today, and then a break tomorrow. But I'll be back on Thursday to share some Miracles, and then our next manuscript section comes on Friday when we get the Building Blocks.
Please VOTE and continue to spread the word around the net, and have fun conversations in the Discord!
#SPU
Example Setting: Paths
about 2 months ago
– Mon, Sep 09, 2024 at 10:09:06 AM
Hello Ultranauts,
In our last manuscript preview, we got to see the Expansion chapter, which contains guidelines for creating your own Paths. Today, we'll delve into our example setting, Pinfall from Grace, and look at how those could be written up for your game.
Let's take a peek at some of the Angelic Choir Paths, the Before Time Paths, and the Wrestling Style Paths.
Angelic Choir Paths
The most significant Path in character creation is the wrestler’s Angelic Choir Path. This determines the type of angel that melded with the wrestler to help them in their quest to overcome the demons. Each angel is unique to each wrestler, but they can be roughly categorized into five groups, depending on their personalities, skills, and the benefits they provide to their hosts.
Concordia
Order. Building. Structure. These are the virtues of the angels of Concordia. They often speak to their hosts in intricate, carefully constructed sentences, and grant them powers that help to rebuild or reinforce the world around them.
Skills: Enigmas, Leadership, Science
Major Path Attributes: 5 Mental, 2 Physical, 3 Social
Major Path Special: Angels on the Path of Concordia gain the Summon Ring miracle, along with one other Universal miracle and one Structure miracle at character creation.
Contacts: Settlement marshal, community leader, scientist working to recover lost technology
Diligentia
The angels of Diligentia are rugged, hard-working spirits that push their hosts to the limits of their stamina. They communicate with their hosts in deep, relentless tones, while their powers enhance the raw strength of their hosts.
Skills: Leadership, Medicine, Survival
Major Path Attributes: 3 Mental, 5 Physical, 2 Social
Major Path Special: Angels on the Path of Diligentia gain the Summon Ring miracle, along with one other Universal miracle and one Strength miracle at character creation.
Contacts: Physical trainer, construction worker, desperate scavenger
Fides
Those of the Fides choir cherish the bright feelings of hope and faith that humans are capable of, even in their darkest hour. Their musical, soothing tones reassure the wrestler, while their blessings inspire all those around the host.
Skills: Artistry, Culture, Empathy
Major Path Attributes: 3 Mental, 2 Physical, 5 Social
Major Path Special: Angels on the Path of Fides gain the Summon Ring miracle, along with one other Universal miracle and one Blessing miracle at character creation.
Contacts: Wasteland artist, wandering entertainer, local preacher
Before Times Paths
In The Y2K World, time is divided into two large but extremely clear chunks: before and after the Apocalypse. Many people call anything that happened before the Apocalypse the Before Times. As such, the Before Times Paths refer to what the character did before they became an angelic wrestler. These Paths inform who the character is now based on prior experiences. She can change and grow based on those experiences or hold on to her history as a form of identity.
The following are some example Before Times Paths common in angelic wrestlers, although players are encouraged to make their own Paths to reflect a particular concept.
(Note if you are making your own Paths: In Pinfall from Grace, Body Slams from Hell, only the Wrestling Style Paths award Close Combat Paths, so do not include that Skill any of your Before Times Paths.)
Doctor
The character can set broken limbs and patch gunshot wounds in the field or perform complicated lifesaving surgeries with the right equipment. Maybe she was an emergency responder, or maybe she worked in a hospital. She is the one who gets her hands dirty when everything goes sideways and people get hurt.
Skills: Empathy, Medicine, Science
Minor Path Attributes: 2 Mental, 1 Physical, 1 Social
Contacts: Former surgeon, pharmacist scrounger, thankful patient
Mechanic
The character hasn’t met a piece of machinery he can’t understand. He feels more comfortable working on a car than dealing with other people. In the past he maybe worked in a garage or a fix-it shop, but these days he’s discovered his skills are incredible valuable now that everything’s gone to shit. Just don’t ask him to be polite about it.
Skills: Enigmas, Science, Technology
Minor Path Attributes: 2 Mental, 2 Physical
Contacts: Chop shop owner, junkyard scavenger, rebel scientist
Warrior
The character can perform amazing feats of athleticism, hand-to-hand combat, or marksmanship. She may have had military training in warfare, or simply combat training in various martial arts. These days she’s a physical force in and out of the ring, trained to deal with threats quickly, if not quietly.
Skills: Athletics, Ranged Combat, Survival
Minor Path Attributes: 1 Mental, 3 Physical
Contacts: Physical trainer, professional wrestler, embittered soldier
Wrestling Style Paths
Angels have convinced a variety of humans to wrestle demons in order to save the world, but there are a wide range of ways in which these hosts can conduct their gladiatorial combats. The specifics and nuances of these wrestling styles are endless, but they can be loosely organized into five rough collections called wrestling styles.
Each wrestler is drawn to a particular style that speaks to them — as such, in addition to teaching them skill in Close Combat, each Wrestling Style Path grants an Enhancement bonus. This Enhancement is added to any actions taken during a wrestling match (see more on p. XX), but the hit it awards can only be used to purchase a Move from a specific category. Other hits generated by the roll can be used to purchase any Moves the wrestler otherwise qualifies for — their Wrestling Style simply allows them to get easier access to a specific set of Moves that speak to their training.
Brawling
Everything from professional boxing to underground MMA fights fall under the purview of the Brawling Path. Whether it’s from mixed martial arts, training on a heavy bag, or simply by surviving gangland ass-beatings, brawlers know how to do serious damage with their fists and feet.
Skills: Close Combat, Larceny, Pilot
Minor Path Attributes: 3 Physical, 1 Social
Contacts: Boxing ring owner, martial arts trainer, illegal fight club promoter
Wrestling Bonus: +1 Enhancement to purchase Brawling Moves.
High-Flying
If they can’t catch you, they can’t hurt you. That’s what those of the High-Flying Path feel, eschewing hard-hitting tactics for speed and flashy, acrobatic assaults. They’re comfortable dodging blows or running on the ropes to get into just the right position to unleash their assault.
Skills: Athletics, Close Combat, Esoterica
Minor Path Attributes: 2 Physical, 2 Social
Contacts: Parkour enthusiast, yoga instructor, graffiti artist
Wrestling Bonus: +1 Enhancement to purchase High-Flying Moves.
Technical
Those on the Technical Path know how to wrestle very, very well. They have a deep and dazzling array of moves, and all the counters for any move used against them. For Technical wrestlers, the goal isn’t to hurt your opponent, but to pin them, and only the best of the best will win.
Skills: Athletics, Close Combat, Persuasion
Minor Path Attributes: 1 Mental, 2 Physical, 1 Social
Contacts: Chess enthusiast, wrestling historian, career manager
Wrestling Bonus: +1 Enhancement to purchase Technical Moves.
Under the Mask: Path Skills
Paths are easy to make but tricky to balance, particularly regarding Skill distribution. Aside from Close Combat (which is a key skill in Pinfall from Grace, Body Slams from Hell, as previously mentioned), every other skill only appears two or three times through all the presented Paths. This ensures that only Close Combat is disproportionately represented, while all the others are more evenly spread through all fifteen Paths. And with the caveat that Close Combat can’t be a part of the Before Times Paths — and isn’t part of any of the Angelic Choir Paths — even Close Combat only appears five times, so it’s not that disproportionate.
Speaking of "Behind the Mask" and secrets of SPU, you can learn more by watching this interview with Eddy Webb talking to Secret GM Corbin about our current crowdfunding project!
We'll have another example from our sample setting on Thursday, when we look at Miracles! Maybe we'll understand how magnets work!
#StorypathUltra
Expansion - Manuscript Preview #2
about 2 months ago
– Sun, Sep 08, 2024 at 06:41:48 AM
Hello Ultrasmart backers,
I've got the second section from our draft manuscript for you today! This section is all about Expansion!
In the previous chapter, we covered the core rules of Storypath. While there might be a few tweaks here or name changes there, those rules will generally be the same in any game using Storypath Ultra. They are, if you will, the skeleton for all Storypath games, the foundation they’re all built upon.
Now you might want to expand on them. Maybe you want to make your own Paths, or need to create Edges and powers that give your characters that special spark unique to your vision of the game. Or maybe you want to introduce some more detail to systems like combat or bonds. In this chapter, we’ll talk all about how to expand on the core rules.
If the core rules are the “science” of Storypath, here we move into the “art,” as you fine-tune the rules to work in whatever way you need them to. These suggestions aren’t as hard-and-fast as the core rules, and sometimes consist more about what feels right than what makes the most mathematical sense.
International Shipping – Collected in the Pledge Manager
One quick note about Shipping before we get into the manuscript previews.
First up, it's amazingly expensive to ship, especially from Onyx Path's home base in the US. We get that, but there's not much we can do at this time. Onyx Path is in a difficult space where the company is big enough that they're not saving money by fulfilling out of Rich's garage, but small enough that they can't really set up international partners to handle portions of the fulfillment. So we are where we are - for now.
The best we can do at this point is to plan carefully, advise everyone up front that international shipping will likely be expensive (see our projections on the main page) and only charge what it costs us when the time comes. We’ll be charging for shipping in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed and we can deal with the actual shipping charges rather than using our best-guesses this far out. If you live outside the US and aren't sure you want the hardcover or other physical items, you can pledge to the PDF tier now and upgrade your pledge in the Pledge Manager once we know the final shipping costs.
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS - BACKERS ONLY
Remember, thanks to BackerKit magic, these download links are visible to Backers only - you must be logged in and reading this on the website to have access to the manuscript preview links. So, if you're reading this via e-mail, click that "Read The Update" link on the bottom and I'll see you below the title treatment.
BACKERS VOTE ON CONTENT
The first of the included example settings, Pinfall from Grace, Body Slams from Hell, not only offers a complete game set in the parallel version of the year 2000, but also illustrates exactly how Story Path was implemented and adjusted.
The Onyx Path team has plans to write two more, and as a backer you'll be able to vote on which ones you prefer.
For the first poll, you'll be voting on a Sci-fi setting example. Your options:
- Cyber-enhanced humans fly corporate-owned starships in search of new life and new financial opportunities.
- Futuristic superheroes fight interdimensional monsters in order to keep them from destabilizing reality.
- An experimental space flight flings the player characters into a distant galaxy full of strange and alien sights.
Voting will run until September 14th at 2:00 PM EST. You must be a backer of this project to vote for this setting.We'll have a second poll running during the final two weeks of the campaign, where backers will be voting on one of the Fantasy Setting options.
Example Setting: Character Creation
about 2 months ago
– Sat, Sep 07, 2024 at 08:30:24 AM
Hello SP-Ultras,
In our last update, I shared some of the background and details for our example setting,
Pinfall from Grace, Body Slams from Hell. Now we're going to see how you'd present some of the Core Rules material for that game, focusing today on Character Creation. Since this is pre-layout, you get some
See Page XX's built right into the manuscript!
Character Creation
Here’s an amended explanation of character creation, revised to work specifically with Pinfall from Grace, Body Slams from Hell.
Step One: Concept
The first thing you should do is consider who your character is and what they do. A more specific concept helps when choosing or creating Paths and assigning points. Note that, although all the player characters in Pinfall from Grace, Body Slams from Hell are wrestlers, that doesn’t mean they were originally involved in professional wrestling. Here are some example concepts:
- Former police detective who left the force to enact real justice
- Community leader who wrestles demons (literal and personal) to protect the less fortunate
- Rich college kid who lost everything in the Apocalypse and wants to prove their value
- Ex-cultist who realized they were rooting for the wrong side
Example: Michelle is building Natasha Gray. She’s decided Natasha is a former professional wrestler who has been caught up in the war between angels and demons. She chooses “bitter professional wrestler” as Natasha’s concept.
Step Two: Angelic Choir (Major Path)
This step and the next involve choosing Paths for your character. In Pinfall from Grace, Body Slams from Hell, the most significant Path is the type of angel who bonded with your character, so your Major Path is always your Angelic Choir Path.
Choose from Concordia (an angel of order), Diligentia (angel of strength), Fides (angel of hope), Patientia (angel of fortitude), and Veritas (angel of truth), then apply the following components to your character sheet:
Assign six dots in Skills (as described on p. XX) among any or all of the 3 Skills listed for the Path. No Skill can have more than five dots.
Example: Michelle picks Diligentia as her Angelic Choir Path, which grants dots in the Athletics, Medicine, and Survival Skills. Michelle decides that Natasha has mostly focused on her athletic prowess, although she’s picked up some first aid from her time treating her own injuries, so assigns three dots to Athletics, two to Medicine, and one to Survival.
Assign one dot to every Attribute as a starting base. Then, assign 10 more dots in Attributes. These dots will be specific for the Attribute Arena listed. You cannot have more than five dots in any one Attribute.
Example: After putting one dot in all Attributes, Michelle reads that the Diligentia Path grants 3 Mental dots, 5 Physical dots, and 2 Social dots. For Mental, she assigns one dot to Cunning and two to Resolve. She puts one dot each into Presence and Composure to cover her Social dots, and finally two dots each to Might and Stamina, and one dot in Dexterity.
Assign three dots to Path contacts. These dots can all be spent on one contact or spread across multiple contacts.
Example: Looking over the example contacts, Michelle decides to put one dot in a physical trainer that she works with (she got a major injury that nearly ended her career before the Apocalypse), and two dots in a construction worker that now repairs houses for survivors.
Pick one other player’s character and define a bond rated at 2 (see p. XX) between the two characters. This should be representative of the Path and an opportunity to interact that came from being part of that Path.
Example: Michelle talks to David, who is making another wrestler — Kit Baxter — who used to be an engineer before the end times came. Now they realize they have more in common than they thought, so Michelle takes a positive 2 bond with Kit.
Finally, give the angel a name and personality, inspired by the choir they are a part of.
Example: Michelle decides that Natasha’s angel is called “Isabell,” after an ex-girlfriend of hers that Natasha still has fond memories of. Like the ex-girlfriend, the angel Isabell speaks in a no-nonsense tone that is sometimes so blunt as to be a little hurtful.
Step Three: Minor Paths
A Minor Path defines background elements that make the character who she is. Choose your Before Times and Wrestling Style Paths and apply the following elements for each Path:
Assign three dots in Skills (as described on p. XX) among any or all of the 3 Skills provided. Again, no Skill can have more than five dots.
Example: Michelle picks Warrior and Hardcore as her Minor Paths for Natasha.The Warrior Path grants dots in the Athletics, Ranged Combat, and Survival Skills. Michelle decides that Natasha has learned to survive in The Y2K World and puts all three dots into Survival. Hardcore grants Larceny and Survival in addition to Close Combat. She decides to put two dots in Close Combat and one dot in Larceny.
Assign four dots in Attributes. As with the Major Path, these dots will be specific for the Attribute Arena listed, and you cannot have more than five dots in one Attribute.
Example: The Warrior Path grants Mental 1 and Physical 3, so Amanda assigns one dot to Resolve, two dots to Might, and one dot to Stamina. Hardcore grants Mental 2 and Physical 2, so she assigns one dot to Cunning, one to Resolve, and two dots to Dexterity.
Assign one dot to a Path contact.
Example: Michelle decides to put a dot into a sparring partner contact for Warrior, and a back-alley medic contact for Hardcore.
Pick one other player’s character and define a bond rated at 1 (see p. XX) for each Minor Path.
Example: Michelle needs to create two more bonds. She decides that Natasha and Mercedes used to tag team together before Mercedes turned on her and assigns a level 1 negative bond to Mercedes. Natasha and Tony met at the boxing gym and have been training together casually for a few months, so she assigns a level 1 positive bond to Tony.
Step Four: Angelic Template
Angelic wrestlers have some advantages over other survivors of the Apocalypse, which means these characters have a few additional modifiers.
First, every angelic wrestler starts with one dot of Grace. Grace dots determine both their prerequisite for how many miracles the host knows, and how many points of Grace they can spend on miracles and Graceful Moves. Grace is explained in more detail on p. XX.
Secondly, choose if you want to take a second dot of Grace, or add a dot to your attributes. Some hosts prefer to focus on their inherent talents, while others want to increase the potential their angelic partners offer them.
Example: Michelle feels like Natasha would focus her time after the Apocalypse on getting to know Isabell and assigns a second dot to Grace.
Next, note your Wrestling Style Path Enhancement bonus (p. XX) and take three miracles according to your Angelic Choir Path (p. XX).
Example: Natasha automatically gets the Summon Ring miracle. For her second universal miracle, Michelle chooses Demon Sense, to make sure she isn’t ambushed by sneaky demons or their cultists. Her Angelic Choir Path also gives her access to one Strength miracle. She looks them over and decides on Power from Pain.
Finally, assign a positive 1 bond to your angel, and either a positive 1 bond or a negative 1 bond to the Audience (p. XX).
Example: Natasha was always the most comfortable playing a villain in her former life and decides to continue the trend. She takes a negative 1 bond to the Audience.
Step Five: Finalize Statistics
At this point, the bulk of your character’s life and story has been determined. Now, you can choose to give the character a bit of flavor, determine who she knows, and describe her to the other players at the table.
Add an additional three Skill dots to any Skills on your character, even those that aren’t Path Skills. As before, no Skill can have more than five dots. If the character doesn’t have any dots in Close Combat, one of these dots must be in that Skill.
Example: Michelle looks over all the skills available. Ultimately, however, she decides that Close Combat is going to be the most useful for her, and assigns her three dots in Close Combat.
Record your defenses and Injuries: Your character’s Defense and Integrity are both 1. Your character has 3 Injury Levels made up of 7 Injury boxes.
Record the character’s Initiative. Players roll the higher of either Athletics + Cunning or Empathy + Dexterity. Record this number in the appropriate slot on the character sheet.
Assign tags to your contact dots. Contacts are rated from 1 to 3 and can carry tags that define what they are good at. Each dot a contact has conveys one tag.
Example: Michelle looks back at her contacts. For the one dot in her physical trainer contact, she assigns the tag Mentor. Her construction worker has two dots, so she gives him two tags: Informant and Sneaky. Her sparring partner contact gets the Dangerous tag, and the back-alley medic contact gets Security.
Step Six: Aspirations
Characters start with a single long-term Aspiration and two short-term Aspirations. It’s perfectly fine to start the game without any Aspirations on the character sheet and then fill them in as the players learn more about the plot of the game, and how their characters wish to interact with it.
Example: Michelle thinks for a while about her Aspirations, but aside from wanting to win a match (a great short-term Aspiration for early in the game), she decides she needs to play a bit before she can settle on them. So she starts with two of her Aspirations blank.
Under the Mask: Character Creation
While you don’t need to reprint the character creation rules, the individual steps are relatively short, so there’s not much harm in putting all the character creation rules, both core and unique to your game, in one place for ease of reference. Besides, it allows you to integrate the changes specific to your game, to avoid flipping back and forth between two sets of rules.
You may notice that step four allows the player to choose between an additional dot of Grace or an additional attribute dot. Not all dots on the character sheet are the same, but if you check the advancement chart on p. XX, you’ll notice that an attribute dot and a power dot cost the same amount. So, in this case, it’s possible to offer a choice because either option is equivalent on the final character. You can offer similar equivalent choices, such as awarding characters bonus contact dots in lieu of bonus Skill dots.
Similarly, notice how in step five there’s a requirement to have at least one of the Skill dots go into Close Combat. Since that’s a vital skill for Pinfall in Grace, Body Slams from Hell, you want to make sure no player ends up with no dots in it. If you’ve looked ahead, you’ll see that every Wrestling Style Path has Close Combat as a Path skill, but it’s still possible that players might decide to put zero dots into it. Adding a quick rule here ensures that no player is completely bereft of a vital Skill.
Example Character
Here’s the completed version of “The Empress” Natasha Gray.
“The Empress” Natasha Gray
Concept: Bitter professional wrestler
Angelic Choir: Diligentia
Before Times: Warrior
Wrestling Style: Hardcore
Wrestling Style Bonus: +1 Enhancement to purchase Hardcore Moves
Skills: Athletics (Angelic, Before Times) •••, Close Combat (Wrestling Style) •••••, Larceny (Wrestling Style) •, Medicine (Angelic) ••, Ranged Combat (Before Times), Survival (Angelic, Before Times, Wrestling Style) ••••
Attributes: Intellect •, Cunning •••, Resolve •••••; Might •••••, Dexterity ••••, Stamina ••••; Presence ••, Manipulation •, Composure ••
Contacts: Angelic Choir: Henry, physical trainer • (mentor), Frankie Walker, construction worker •• (informant, sneaky); Before Times: Genevieve Dupont, sparring partner • (dangerous); Wrestling Style: Spider, back-alley medic • (security)
Short-Term Aspiration: To win a match
Short-Term Aspiration: To be determined
Long-Term Aspiration: To be determined
Grace: 2
Miracles: Demon Sense, Power from Pain, Summon Ring
Bonds: Kit Baxter (positive) ••, Mercedes (negative) •, Tony (positive) •, Isabell (positive; Angelic bond) •, Audience (negative) •
Under the Mask: Example Player Characters
Providing some example player characters does a few things for your game. First, if a player wants to just jump into the game, it’s great to be able to hand them a character so they can start playing. Secondly, it illustrates to the player what a correctly constructed character looks like, so they can double-check to make sure they didn’t miss anything. Finally, as the person making the setting, they help you to make sure you didn’t miss anything while compiling all the rules you want to use in your game.
Again, this is just a portion of the rules and systems in our example chapter. Backers will have access to the full draft version before the campaign is over, but we'll be seeing a lot from
Pinfall from Grace as we delve into each bit of the Storypath Ultra system. Tomorrow, backers will get access to the next section of the manuscript, which is all about Expansion of the rules and new options, and then on Monday we'll see those options in action as we explore some Angelic Choir Paths for our example setting.
This is the kind of stuff that will be created in our two additional example settings, a Sci-Fi game and a Fantasy game. As a reminder, voting is going on right now to determine the theme and direction for the Science Fiction example setting.
For the first poll, you're be voting on a Sci-fi setting example. Your options:
- Cyber-enhanced humans fly corporate-owned starships in search of new life and new financial opportunities.
- Futuristic superheroes fight interdimensional monsters in order to keep them from destabilizing reality.
- An experimental space flight flings the player characters into a distant galaxy full of strange and alien sights.
