Whether it is by reflexive superstition, long ingrained into the collective muscle fibers of Chaesharin’s kinds, or by the result of real truths proffered by the royal cults, most mortals in the Shadow Crescent believe that elemental beings called jinn influence the weather and the fertility it allows. The jinn are only thought to act in the favor of the mortal kinds when they obey the dalaihal’s kaidir, which is their will and commandments. Some kaidir are held in common by all the mortals of Chaesharin, and still others are particular to one or a few kingdoms, or even to clans within a single kingdom. Kaidir structures both law and social interaction, to say nothing of the effect it has on the imagination or personal identity. The complex dictates of kaidir, which set rules for conversation, dress, behavior, transactions, romance, labor, worship, and war, require a sensitive mind attuned to subtle nuances in social experience. Violation of kaidir is seen as offensive, unnatural, and culturally taboo at best, and as treasonous, blasphemous, or both at worst.
Introduction
As characters in the Way of the Earth are exposed to danger, manipulation, fear, fatigue, or harm, they can take on risk and conditions. Risk represents the growing chance of something terrible happening to a character. Physical risk represents pain, a lessening of a character's awareness, a decreasing ability for a character to protect themselves, and an increasing vulnerability to damage. Mental risk represents stress, a diminishing of a character's convictions, a growing susceptibility to suggestion, and spreading cracks in a character's control over themselves and their emotions. Risk, however, is temporary, fading away as soon as the danger or stress has passed. Conditions on the other hand are more permanent wounds and afflictions that rob a character of the ability to act and move them closer to death or defeat.
Below are full descriptions of the mechanics involving risk and conditions.
Tracking Risk
Characters can take points of risk. When a character takes risk, they put a die on the risk box beside their resolve and willpower. The die is set to show how much risk the character has. As the character takes more risk, the die continues to increase. If the die reaches six and the character takes yet more risk, the die is reset to one, and moves over to the critical box and continues to increase from there. When the die moves over, the character is said to have six risk plus whatever is shown on the die. If the die reaches six again, the character can no longer take risk. Additionally, when a die moves over, the character is said to be in a critical state, which is described in more detail below.
Risk Effects
Whenever a player character fails a defense (a save against a non-player character's or environmental challenge's action), their degree of failure is increased by an amount equal to their risk. As a result, the higher a player character's risk, the more dangerous their failed defenses are. Whenever a player character succeeds on an attack (a test against a non-player character), their degree of success is increased by an amount equal to the non-player character's risk. Again, as a result, the higher a non-player character's risk, the more effective successful attacks against them are.
To give an example: If a player character successfully attacks a non-player character and gets two degrees of success, this would normally be enough to impose a minor negative effect on the non-player character called a take. But if the non-player character had three risk, then the player character's same attack would be treated as though it earned five degrees of success, allowing the player character to impose a major negative effect on the non-player character called a check.
Once a character reaches a critical state however, risk is added in more circumstances. When a player character in a critical state fails an attack, their degree of failure is increased by an amount equal to their risk. When a player character succeeds on a defense against a non-player character in a critical state, their degree of success is increased by an amount equal to the non-player character's risk. Both of these circumstances result in significantly more powerful counter attacks, described in more detail on the Resolving Actions page.
Resolve and Willpower
Resolve and willpower represent a character's ability to endure stresses and strains of various kinds and both have ranks between 0 and 3. Resolve and willpower allow a character to ignore an amount of risk equal to their respective ranks in different situations. Resolve allows a character to ignore a certain amount of risk in situations involving physical or martial actions. Willpower allows a character to ignore a certain amount of risk in situations involving mental or social actions. A character still has the ignored risk on their die, but it is not added to degrees of failure on a player character's failed defense, or added to degrees of success on a player character's successful attack.
Another example: If the non-player character in the above example had three resolve or willpower, then in both the first scenario with no risk and in the second scenario with three risk, the player character's attack would be treated as though it earned two degrees of success, because the three resolve or willpower would allow them to ignore the three risk they have in the second scenario.
Several items, effects, and abilities in The Way of the Earth can add to a character's resolve and willpower in certain circumstances, allowing them to ignore more and more risk. The most common example of this is with armor and shields, which add to a character's resolve and allow them to ignore more risk in martial conflicts. This addition is called resistance, and is treated just like additional resolve. Armor and shields in The Way of the Earth are described as either light or heavy. Light armor and light shields each provide one resistance in martial conflicts, and heavy armor and heavy shields each provide two resistance in martial conflicts, at the cost of a -1AP penalty to attacks, however.
Another example: If the non-player character in the above example had three resolve or willpower, then in both the first scenario with no risk and in the second scenario with three risk, the player character's attack would be treated as though it earned two degrees of success, because the three resolve or willpower would allow them to ignore the three risk they have in the second scenario.
Armor and Risk
Several items, effects, and abilities in The Way of the Earth can add to a character's resolve and willpower in certain circumstances, allowing them to ignore more and more risk. The most common example of this is with armor and shields, which add to a character's resolve and allow them to ignore more risk in martial conflicts. This addition is called resistance, and is treated just like additional resolve. Armor and shields in The Way of the Earth are described as either light or heavy. Light armor and light shields each provide one resistance in martial conflicts, and heavy armor and heavy shields each provide two resistance in martial conflicts, at the cost of a -1AP penalty to attacks, however.
Marks and Conditions
By itself, risk does nothing but increase the possibility that something serious happens to a character. Risk imposes no penalties of its own nor does it prevent a character from taking certain actions. But the more risk that a character has, the more likely they are to suffer from serious negative effects called marks or major negative effects called checks.
Marks tend to be caused in conflicts when characters gain three or more degrees of success over one another in attacks of various kinds. Marks can apply conditions, which are grave and lasting wounds and maladies that can significantly compromise a character's ability to successfully act. Some conditions represent physical injuries, cuts, bruises, bleeding, and broken bones, and some conditions represent fear, anxiety, and other psychological pains. Anything that might inflict a mark on a character has a damage type, representing the form of harm it causes, and each damage type has six conditions it can apply.
When a character suffers a mark that cases a condition, it is the Truth die on the roll that caused the mark that determines which condition is inflicted. The numbers beside the conditions below correspond to the numbers on the Truth die. If a Truth die would cause a character to suffer a condition they already have, they instead suffer two conditions, the next lowest condition and the next highest condition according to the Truth die. This is called an exploding condition.
For example if a character already had the Broken condition, which is tied to the number 4, and a mark would impose the Broken condition on them again, then instead of suffering the Broken condition a second time, which is impossible, the condition would then explode and they would suffer the Bloodied (tied to 3) AND the Knocked Back (tied to 5) condition instead.
If a Truth die would cause a character to suffer a condition they already have, and they have already suffered all of the conditions of that damage type of higher numbers and so cannot upgrade, then they instead suffer a check of the same damage type described further below.
Marks tend to be caused in conflicts when characters gain three or more degrees of success over one another in attacks of various kinds. Marks can apply conditions, which are grave and lasting wounds and maladies that can significantly compromise a character's ability to successfully act. Some conditions represent physical injuries, cuts, bruises, bleeding, and broken bones, and some conditions represent fear, anxiety, and other psychological pains. Anything that might inflict a mark on a character has a damage type, representing the form of harm it causes, and each damage type has six conditions it can apply.
Exploding Conditions
When a character suffers a mark that cases a condition, it is the Truth die on the roll that caused the mark that determines which condition is inflicted. The numbers beside the conditions below correspond to the numbers on the Truth die. If a Truth die would cause a character to suffer a condition they already have, they instead suffer two conditions, the next lowest condition and the next highest condition according to the Truth die. This is called an exploding condition.
For example if a character already had the Broken condition, which is tied to the number 4, and a mark would impose the Broken condition on them again, then instead of suffering the Broken condition a second time, which is impossible, the condition would then explode and they would suffer the Bloodied (tied to 3) AND the Knocked Back (tied to 5) condition instead.
If a Truth die would cause a character to suffer a condition they already have, and they have already suffered all of the conditions of that damage type of higher numbers and so cannot upgrade, then they instead suffer a check of the same damage type described further below.
Flush Damage
Flush damage is experienced as a weakening of the will and a loss of control over one's emotions and thoughts. Flush damage might not feel like damage at all, only a drying up of a character's confidence or psychological constitution. Flush damage is most commonly caused by social manipulation, in which case it represents the slow erosion of a character's resistance to another's ideas. Flush damage can also be caused by fear, stress, and sorrow. Flush damage causes conditions which reflect deleterious moods and mental states, and which increase a character's risk until they are able to take certain actions at which point the conditions fall off. Taking too much flush damage can cause a character to come to believe things that they would rather not.
1) Stunned: The character is surprised, shock, silenced, or awed, and finds themselves emotionally off balance. The character's risk is increased by two until their next action, at which point the stunned condition falls off.
2) Aggravated: With a rush of anger and a chilling of the heart, the character's social mask begins to fracture and something dangerous within begins to peek out. The character's risk is increased by two until they spend an action to attack (social/martial/any kind/etc.), at which point the aggravated condition falls off.
3) Dispirited: The character's energy and passions are temporarily extinguished and they find themselves floating through action and conversation in a listless and passive state. The character's risk is increased by two until they make a successful defense, at which point the dispirited condition falls off.
4) Confused: Something about the present situation is completely unintelligible to the character and their mind turns over and over again trying to come to terms with it. The character's risk is increased by two until a nearby ally spends an action leading them, at which point the confused condition falls off.
5) Terrified: Fear trickles into the corner of the character's mind and adrenaline begins to slide through their veins one inch at a time. As trembling grips them from within, the character finds themselves feeling incredibly vulnerable. The character's risk is increased by two until a nearby ally spends an action guarding them, at which point the terrified condition falls off.
6) Overwhelmed: The character is flooded with emotions and anxiety. Their face betrays their complete lack of control over their feelings and they struggle to keep themselves under control with held breath and clenched teeth. The character's risk is increased by two until they spend an action doing absolutely nothing but calming down, at which point the overwhelmed condition falls off.
Characters can have multiple flush damage conditions at the same time and the additional risk from each adds on top of each other. So a character with two unresolved flush damage conditions would have four additional risk until they managed to perform the actions necessary to get rid of one or both of them.
2) Aggravated: With a rush of anger and a chilling of the heart, the character's social mask begins to fracture and something dangerous within begins to peek out. The character's risk is increased by two until they spend an action to attack (social/martial/any kind/etc.), at which point the aggravated condition falls off.
3) Dispirited: The character's energy and passions are temporarily extinguished and they find themselves floating through action and conversation in a listless and passive state. The character's risk is increased by two until they make a successful defense, at which point the dispirited condition falls off.
4) Confused: Something about the present situation is completely unintelligible to the character and their mind turns over and over again trying to come to terms with it. The character's risk is increased by two until a nearby ally spends an action leading them, at which point the confused condition falls off.
5) Terrified: Fear trickles into the corner of the character's mind and adrenaline begins to slide through their veins one inch at a time. As trembling grips them from within, the character finds themselves feeling incredibly vulnerable. The character's risk is increased by two until a nearby ally spends an action guarding them, at which point the terrified condition falls off.
6) Overwhelmed: The character is flooded with emotions and anxiety. Their face betrays their complete lack of control over their feelings and they struggle to keep themselves under control with held breath and clenched teeth. The character's risk is increased by two until they spend an action doing absolutely nothing but calming down, at which point the overwhelmed condition falls off.
Characters can have multiple flush damage conditions at the same time and the additional risk from each adds on top of each other. So a character with two unresolved flush damage conditions would have four additional risk until they managed to perform the actions necessary to get rid of one or both of them.
Bashing Damage
Bashing damage is experienced as blunt force trauma, scrapes, bruises, and pain from impacts and collisions. Bashing damage is commonly caused by hand to hand combat, some weapons, falling, or extreme fatigue. Bashing damage causes conditions which inflict lasting penalties on a character's actions, and taking too much bashing damage can cause a character to slip into unconsciousness.
1) Winded: The character is wracked with pain and finds it difficult to breath. The character only needs a moment to catch their breath and shake off the shock, but they might not have a moment. The character has a -2AP penalty applied to their next action, whatever it is, after which, the winded condition falls off.
2) Bruised: The character's chest or limbs are struck hard enough that much of the strength has gone out from them. The character can still move, but fine motor control is difficult. The character has a -2AP penalty applied to all of their simple actions.
3) Bloodied: The character's face is impacted hard enough to draw blood and fracture small bones. The pain and the diminished perception makes it all the harder for them to protect themselves. The character as a -2AP penalty applied to all of their defense actions.
4) Broken: Something deep inside the character's body shatters and they find themselves favoring one way of standing or one way of moving in an effort to relieve pressure from the wound. The character has a -2AP penalty applied to all of their contested actions.
5) Knocked Back: The character is thrown backward and down by the force of impact and must struggle back to their feet or find themselves in a weak and vulnerable position. The character has a -2AP penalty applied to all of their actions until they are able to get back to their feet. Getting back to a character's feet requires a major action.
6) Dazed: The character's head is rocked with the force of a blow and the world spins around them. With swimming vision and a terrible ringing in their ears, the character finds themselves unable to focus on anything around them. The character has a -2AP penalty on any action relying on the perception of anything more than a few feet away from them.
The -2AP penalties inflicted by bashing conditions are not added together when a character has multiple conditions. Instead, if a character has two or more bashing conditions that would impose a -2AP penalty on a given action, the penalty becomes -3AP and cannot go any higher.
The -2AP penalties inflicted by bashing conditions are not added together when a character has multiple conditions. Instead, if a character has two or more bashing conditions that would impose a -2AP penalty on a given action, the penalty becomes -3AP and cannot go any higher.
Lethal Damage
Lethal damage is experienced as intense pain and severe physical injury. Lethal damage is commonly caused by anything that stands a reasonable chance of killing a character outright, including most weapons, some poisons or alchemical mixtures, and the teeth and claws of animals and supernal creatures. Lethal damage causes conditions which prevent a character from acting in certain ways and limiting their strategic options, and taking too much lethal damage can kill a character.
1) Raked: The character suffers a long but not especially deep cut that burns with white hot pain. Most of the shock of the wound wears off after a moment, but in the moment, acting is nearly unbearable. The character's next attack cannot inflict a mark, regardless of degree of success, but after their next action the raked condition falls off.
2) Slashed: The character suffers a deep laceration along their shoulder or chest that robs their movements of some of their force. With stiffness setting in, the character finds it difficult bring their full strength to bear. The character can no longer use the disarm or force takes.
3) Mangled: The character's off hand is sliced too viciously to work properly, and the character feels the muscles in the affected arm go slack and useless. The character can no longer use the hold ground simple action or the block mark.
4) Crippled: The character's main hand, and connecting forearm, bicep, and shoulder are ruined by deep and penetrating gashes. The character drops whatever is in their main hand and can no longer use the lift and carry simple action or the entangle take.
5) Cut Down: A terrible wound to the hips, thighs, or lower legs causes the character to collapse to the ground. Without any strength in their lower body, the character is unable to move without an immense and painful effort. The character's movement is reduced to a slow speed, they can no longer maneuver as a minor action, or use the move to position simple action, or use the chase or hide marks.
6) Run Through: A clean hole is cut right through the character, puncturing bone, muscle, and organ as it does. Fighting massive blood loss and debilitating shock, the character finds themselves constantly giving ground in an effort to stay conscious. A run-through player character only earns innocence on a Truth roll of 6. Player characters earn innocence with Truth rolls of 2+ against a run-through non-player character.
Characters can have multiple lethal damage conditions at the same time and the action limitations imposed by each continue to apply. So a character with multiple lethal damage conditions will be unable to undertake multiple kinds of actions or to apply multiple kinds of takes or marks.
Chaos Damage
Chaos damage is experienced as a poisonous, physically felt horror, and a maddening inability to distinguish between the real and the unreal. Chaos damage is most commonly caused by exposure to demons and other supernal beings, to the underworld, or to strange, evil, or uncontrolled forms of magick. Chaos damage causes conditions that reduce a player character's attributes for long periods of time and inflict them with small bits of insanity. Taking too much chaos damage can outright kill a character, as their minds crack beneath the pressure and their bodies give out. If a non-player character ever suffers from a chaos damage condition other than malady or shattered, their power number is decreased by three, since they have no attributes to decrease. Unlike other conditions, chaos damage conditions take a very long time to heal even for the vaishineph player characters. For more detail on healing conditions, see the Time and Place page.
1) Malady: The character's personality is randomly but not profoundly twisted for a moment, suddenly turning them angry or sad with no explanation at all. One die is rolled and the appropriate flush damage condition is applied to the character.
2) Haunted: The character is bombarded by whispering sounds that only they can hear. The sounds come from out of doors and windows, from corners and from shadows, and from tree tops and bushes. Every once in awhile, when the character listens to the whispers too long, they become a sudden and savage scream or curse and startle the character out of their wits. The character struggles not to respond to strange auditory hallucinations and their beauty is treated as if it were 0.
3) Trembling: The character's body has absorbed too much fear and alien energy, and it begins to shudder and tremble beyond the character's control. The character's physical dexterity is shot, and their muscles are constantly giving out. The character manifests a fidgeting or shaking habit and their strength is treated as if it were 0.
4) Visions: The character is plagued by flickering sights of pale and shadowed figures moving about on the edges of their vision. As soon as the character sees them, they vanish, but they always feel as if they are nearby, just out of sight, waiting for the character to close their eyes or look away so they can draw close once again. The character has mild but terrifying hallucinations and their wisdom is treated as if it were 0.
5) Stilled: The character's agency and will has been obliterated. They feel nothing, think hardly anything, and cannot summon the energy to act even to defend themselves. The character can only move slowly and their lesser attributes, poise, valor, and initiative, are all treated as if they were 0.
6) Shattered: With a great wailing cry, the character's mind finally snaps. The character's soul is snuffed out and there is nothing left within them but the void. The character is killed outright.
1) Malady: The character's personality is randomly but not profoundly twisted for a moment, suddenly turning them angry or sad with no explanation at all. One die is rolled and the appropriate flush damage condition is applied to the character.
2) Haunted: The character is bombarded by whispering sounds that only they can hear. The sounds come from out of doors and windows, from corners and from shadows, and from tree tops and bushes. Every once in awhile, when the character listens to the whispers too long, they become a sudden and savage scream or curse and startle the character out of their wits. The character struggles not to respond to strange auditory hallucinations and their beauty is treated as if it were 0.
3) Trembling: The character's body has absorbed too much fear and alien energy, and it begins to shudder and tremble beyond the character's control. The character's physical dexterity is shot, and their muscles are constantly giving out. The character manifests a fidgeting or shaking habit and their strength is treated as if it were 0.
4) Visions: The character is plagued by flickering sights of pale and shadowed figures moving about on the edges of their vision. As soon as the character sees them, they vanish, but they always feel as if they are nearby, just out of sight, waiting for the character to close their eyes or look away so they can draw close once again. The character has mild but terrifying hallucinations and their wisdom is treated as if it were 0.
5) Stilled: The character's agency and will has been obliterated. They feel nothing, think hardly anything, and cannot summon the energy to act even to defend themselves. The character can only move slowly and their lesser attributes, poise, valor, and initiative, are all treated as if they were 0.
6) Shattered: With a great wailing cry, the character's mind finally snaps. The character's soul is snuffed out and there is nothing left within them but the void. The character is killed outright.
Elemental Damage
Elemental damage is experienced much like lethal damage, but more explosive and energetic in nature. Elemental damage is caused by things like explosions, intense flames, lightning, and offensive magick. Elemental damage causes a combination of bashing and lethal conditions, representing total body harm. When a character suffers a mark that would cause an elemental condition, the Truth die selects one bashing condition and one lethal condition of the equivalent number to apply to the character, and so the character receives two conditions. 1 = Winded and Raked, 2= Bruised and Slashed, 3 = Bloodied and Mangled, 4 = Broken and Crippled, 5 = Knocked Back and Cut Down, 6 = Dazed and Run Through. The normal rules for upgrading conditions in the event that a character already has a condition still applies. Elemental damage also ignores armor and protection for the purposes of upgrading or downgrading conditions.
Epic Damage
Epic Damage is a type of damage on an entirely different scale than the other damage types, which tend to reflect the types of pains and injuries that individual characters inflict and receive. Epic damage is for describing the damage dealt by siege weapons and naval warships, by entire army units and gargantuan demons, and by charging chariots and catastrophic magick attacks. Epic damage destroys buildings and cities or their walls and foundations. Epic damage is described in more detail on the Epic Conflicts page. Epic units that impose and receive epic damage conditions on one another have their own unique conditions by unit type. If an individual character were to ever suffer a mark that causes an epic damage condition, then four dice are rolled, and four equivalent lethal damage conditions are applied to the character, keeping in mind the rules for upgrading conditions. Epic damage also ignores personal armor and protection for the purposes of upgrading or downgrading conditions.
Checks and Conditions
Marks can cause serious conditions that can debilitate a character. But for vaishineph characters especially, mark conditions can be healed with a little rest and downtime. Checks, on the other hand, are major negative effects with lasting, if not permanent, consequences. Checks tend to be caused in conflicts when characters get five or more degrees of success over one another with attacks of various kinds. This tends to happen only after risk has been built up substantially by prior attacks and maneuvers. Like with marks, anything that would cause a check has a damage type associated with it, and described below in detail are the different options for check conditions for flush, bashing, and lethal damage types. Chaos, elemental, and epic damage types simply use the execute check condition listed below for lethal damage.
Flush Checks: The Four F's
When a character imposes a flush damage check on a target, the character may choose which of the four Fs below to impose.
Forced to (F)ight: The target is forced to fight, so long as they earnestly believe they have a chance of victory. So angered by shame and so apathetic to the possible consequences, the target draws whatever weapon is available to them and attacks. It may be possible that the target is able to restrain themselves enough to simply slap the cause of their ire, or to order a servant to do it for them, but it is more likely that the target takes in hand their strongest weapon and immediately tries to end the life of the one who has offended them. In these circumstances the attack will appear unprovoked, at least enough that the target’s actions will appear inappropriate, gratuitous, and likely illegal. Fighting back against such a target will be considered proper self-defense, and though vengeance may be plotted in secret by the target’s allies should they fall, anyone witnessing the event will likely believe the target to be in the wrong for their actions.
Forced to (F)lee: The target is forced to flee, if flight is possible, or cower if it is not. So terrified, embarrassed, or frustrated by the verbal altercation, the target attempts to leave the immediate area by the quickest means possible. Supernal creatures will flee by whatever means is easiest for them, including moving my magickal means. Targets who flee are unlikely to return, either on their own or with allies, if they even work up to telling allies about what happened which is not itself likely to happen. Most who witness the target fleeing will believe them to be rightly shamed, and their flight to be confirmation of their moral faults or loss of reputation, depending on what was at stake in the conversation.
Forced to Become (F)riendly: The target is persuaded to see their influencer in a new, more friendly light. So convinced by their conversation and so positively inclined toward the one who influenced them, the target’s disposition toward their influencer is permanently increased. The gain in disposition is fragile, but it holds over any amount of time, so long as it continues to make narrative sense. Anyone who witnesses the change in disposition will believe it to be genuine, rather than the product of trickery or mere bribery, and their dispositions may change as well as a result.
Forced to Believe a (F)iction: The target is persuaded to believe in a concise but sophisticated lie of the influencer's design. The target's overall disposition toward their influencer is unchanged, but they do come to believe, as earnestly as they are able, something the influencer desires them to believe. The belief must be plausible, even if it is unexpected or flies in the face of some facts, and the belief cannot be about anything that the target has first hand experience to the contrary. The belief must be able to be stated in a short sentence but it can be complex in its content. The target will continue to believe the fiction until they are presented with proof to the contrary, though they will be skeptical of such evidence initially. Anyone witnessing the persuasion will believe that the target's acceptance of the belief is genuine and may be inclined to believe it was well.
Shifting the Consequences: If a player character suffers one of the four F's on account of flush damage from a non-player character, the player character may change the F applied to any other F result at the cost of voluntarily suffering a chaos damage condition, which they roll one die to randomly determine. If the shattered result is rolled, the die is rerolled until a different result is achieved. The player then describes how their character manages to change their mind at the last moment to another F result.
Forced to (F)lee: The target is forced to flee, if flight is possible, or cower if it is not. So terrified, embarrassed, or frustrated by the verbal altercation, the target attempts to leave the immediate area by the quickest means possible. Supernal creatures will flee by whatever means is easiest for them, including moving my magickal means. Targets who flee are unlikely to return, either on their own or with allies, if they even work up to telling allies about what happened which is not itself likely to happen. Most who witness the target fleeing will believe them to be rightly shamed, and their flight to be confirmation of their moral faults or loss of reputation, depending on what was at stake in the conversation.
Forced to Become (F)riendly: The target is persuaded to see their influencer in a new, more friendly light. So convinced by their conversation and so positively inclined toward the one who influenced them, the target’s disposition toward their influencer is permanently increased. The gain in disposition is fragile, but it holds over any amount of time, so long as it continues to make narrative sense. Anyone who witnesses the change in disposition will believe it to be genuine, rather than the product of trickery or mere bribery, and their dispositions may change as well as a result.
Forced to Believe a (F)iction: The target is persuaded to believe in a concise but sophisticated lie of the influencer's design. The target's overall disposition toward their influencer is unchanged, but they do come to believe, as earnestly as they are able, something the influencer desires them to believe. The belief must be plausible, even if it is unexpected or flies in the face of some facts, and the belief cannot be about anything that the target has first hand experience to the contrary. The belief must be able to be stated in a short sentence but it can be complex in its content. The target will continue to believe the fiction until they are presented with proof to the contrary, though they will be skeptical of such evidence initially. Anyone witnessing the persuasion will believe that the target's acceptance of the belief is genuine and may be inclined to believe it was well.
Shifting the Consequences: If a player character suffers one of the four F's on account of flush damage from a non-player character, the player character may change the F applied to any other F result at the cost of voluntarily suffering a chaos damage condition, which they roll one die to randomly determine. If the shattered result is rolled, the die is rerolled until a different result is achieved. The player then describes how their character manages to change their mind at the last moment to another F result.
The Limits of Persuasion: Player characters can never be persuaded of anything that violates their nature. "Nature" is a catch all term for several core convictions and personality characteristics that a player character has. A character's nature is built out of three elements.
1) Their sign, which represents the basic features of the player character's personality and morals.
2) Their axis of atonement, which is composed of four themes that the character draws strength from and uses a guide on their path towards personal atonement.
3) Their threads, which represents the character's relationships with the various resource factions in the world of Chaesharin.
Player characters can be persuaded of things that do not directly contradict their beliefs, and players can claim any element of their nature as a defense against persuasion. If a persuasion attempt compels a player character to believe in or do something something directly contrary to their nature, the player may describe how the compelled belief or action changes slightly to fit in with the player character's nature. If a persuasion attempt compels a player character to believe in or so something that is not directly contrary to their nature, but nevertheless creates tension or difficulty with their nature, then the player must do their best to reflect this new belief or action.
Player characters and their natures are described in more detail on the Character Creation page.
Bashing Checks: Ending the Fight
When a character imposes a bashing damage check on a target, the character may choose which of two conditions below to impose.
Beat Down: The target is beaten into both physical and mental submission, and, through a combination of their lack of resistance to suggestion, and the effect of brutal intimidation, are susceptible to the statements and commands of their attacker. The target comes under the effect of the forced to believe a (f)iction effect from above.
Knockout: The target is knocked out cold and remains unconscious and unable to act for the rest of the scene. Only one attempt can be made by the target's allies to wake the character, which requires several uninterrupted minutes of safety, and a wisdom test against a target number equal to six plus one for each condition the knocked out target has. Success causes the target to stir and slowly regain consciousness, which takes still yet a few more minutes. Characters return to consciousness with three less risk than they have when they were knocked out. Failure leaves the character unconscious and prevents any further attempts from being made to wake them. Knocked out characters who suffer a mark that causes a condition are killed outright.
Lethal Checks: Taking Lives
When a character imposes a lethal damage check on a target, the character may choose which of the two conditions below to impose.
Execute: To put it simply, the target dies. Vaishineph player characters have a few options available to them when suffering the execute check that are discussed in more detail on the Death, Dying, and Resurrection page.
Scar: The target is inflicted with a terrible and grievous injury of some kind, effectively making one of the lethal damage conditions of the attacking character's or gamemaster's choice permanent. The target loses an arm or leg, is heavily scarred or disfigured, has permanent brain or nerve damage, something of the sort. In addition to bearing the lethal damage condition, the scar condition also causes the opposite of the forced to become (f)riendly effect from above. If the target lives, they are thereafter hostile towards the character or circumstance that inflicted the scar on them. Vaishineph characters, can, with time, heal even these sorts of injuries, but much like with chaos damage conditions, it is a lengthy process described in more detail on the Time and Space page.
Scar: The target is inflicted with a terrible and grievous injury of some kind, effectively making one of the lethal damage conditions of the attacking character's or gamemaster's choice permanent. The target loses an arm or leg, is heavily scarred or disfigured, has permanent brain or nerve damage, something of the sort. In addition to bearing the lethal damage condition, the scar condition also causes the opposite of the forced to become (f)riendly effect from above. If the target lives, they are thereafter hostile towards the character or circumstance that inflicted the scar on them. Vaishineph characters, can, with time, heal even these sorts of injuries, but much like with chaos damage conditions, it is a lengthy process described in more detail on the Time and Space page.
Non-player Character Risk and Conditions
Non-player characters in The Way of the Earth are categorized into two broad classes: Major non-player characters, simply called non-player characters or NPCs, and minor non-player characters, called non-player mobs or NPMs. NPCs are the prominent allies, contacts, and enemies in the players' game world, whereas NPMs are background characters, crowds, and groups of canon fodder. NPCs deal with risk and conditions in exactly the same way as the player characters do. NPMs deal with risk and conditions together as a group. NPMs are are made up of between two to six individual members. The entire group collectively takes actions together, takes risk together, has takes, marks, and checks imposed upon them together, etc. When an NPM has a take imposed on them, it is handled normally. When an NPM has a mark imposed upon them though, one of their members is defeated in a way appropriate to the scene (being knocked out or killed in a fight, being silenced or made to flee in a social encounter, etc.). The mark effects is then applied as normal. When an NPM has a check imposed on them, the entire group is effected, likely being overwhelmed, killed, or forced to comply.
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