Rules changes

The following changes have been made to the rules between the first and second years.

General

Calls

• There is a new call, COMPEL. It is always called as MINOR/MAJOR/EPIC COMPEL and followed by a short command. When you are targetted by a COMPEL call, you must either lose all your hits or follow the command for five minutes. You are under an EFFECT of appropriate strength for the duration of the command. A COMPEL call cannot be dodged.
  • Previously this required the rather wordy call of “MINOR/MAJOR/EPIC EFFECT: Either lose all of your Hits, or...”
  • Players have access to this call through the Compulsion of Metal spell.
  • If you have an ability introduced in Year 1 that allows you to RESIST EFFECTs that would affect your behaviour, subject to ref confirmation it will also allow you to resist COMPELs of the same strength.

• We have written rules for combat that involves non-contact players.
  • Previously the rules did not explicitly state how to resolve combat with non-contact players.

Spellcasting

• An improvised Minor or Major ritual always requires one more power source than a standard ritual of the same level, and always requires material sacrifice.
  • Previously there was no difference in cost between standard and improvised rituals. This led to improvised rituals being strictly better than standard rituals, which were not very well used.
  • Improvised rituals may be mastered by spending XP to remove this requirement. Speak to a Guide if you wish to do this.

Downtime

• If you have only played NPCs in a given week, you may still at ref discretion submit a downtime.
  • Previously it was implied that you could only submit a downtime if you played a PC during that week.

Items and equipment

• Spirit anchors now explicitly count towards your limit of two magic items whether or not they contain bound spirits.
  • Previously it was not clear whether an empty enchor counted as a magic item.

Skills

• Newly created characters start with 30 XP.
  • Previously characters started with 20 XP. This is now underpowered compared to older characters.

Starting abilities

• A character can search another willing or unresisting character with 30 seconds of appropriate roleplay. They must be close enough to touch the person they are searching, but should not actually touch them without the physrep’s explicit consent.
  • Previously the rules did not explicitly cover searching.

Warrior skills

• Two-Handed Weapon Mastery now allows you to spend 1 ST to call CLEAVE by two-handed weapon.
  • Previously this skill cost 2 ST to use. This discouraged use of the skill.

• Dodge and Lightning Dodge now require you to touch the ground with both hands or take a STRIKEDOWN to RESIST a call, as well as spending 1 ST.
  • Previously these skill only required you to touch the ground with one hand. This made them slightly too effective as counters to powerful calls.

Channeller skills

• Extra Mana and Abundant Mana now cost 1 XP and 2 XP respectively. There is also a new skill, Bountiful Mana, which costs 3 XP and grants you a further +1 Mana (total 8).
  • Previously Extra Mana and Abundant Mana cost 2 XP and 3 XP respectively. This put channellers at a disadvantage compared to warriors, who could gain proportionally much more Stamina for the stame cost.

• The second circle spell Chains of Metal now specifically requires the first circle spell Bolt of Metal as a prerequisite.
  • Previously the spell Push of Metal could instead be used as an alternative prerequisite. This discouraged anyone from learning Bolt of Metal.
  • If your character has Chains of Metal but not Bolt of Metal as of the end of Year 1, you can spend 1 XP ‘in advance’ to buy the latter.

• The second circle spell Compulsion of Metal now costs 2 Mana and uses the MAJOR COMPEL call.
  • Previously this spell cost 3 Mana to use and was slowed by the long call. This discouraged its use.

• 16 SD is the minimum sacrifice of silver required to count toward a Channelling ritual.
  • Previously the minimum sacrifice was not explicitly defined.

Evoker skills

• Mastery of Evocation now does not allow improvised rituals affecting ancestor spirits unless the character also has Rite of Séance.
  • Previously this skill allowed interaction with the ancestors even if the character would not otherwise be able to do so. This discouraged anyone from learning Rite of Séance.

• Necromantic Binding can explicitly be used to bind elementals to dead bodies, thereby creating golems. If a PC has a consenting spirit bound to themself or to an item on their person, they may use Necromantic Binding to bind that spirit to a dead body, which will act as a golem under their control until the end of the present encounter or for five minutes. Golems raised in downtime may last significantly longer.
  • Previously the capabilities of this skill were not explicitly defined, and it was underused.

• 16 SD is the minimum sacrifice of silver required to count toward an Evocation ritual. 32 SD is the minimum sacrifice of silver required to make a Common spirit or ancestor tractable.
  • Previously the minimum sacrifice was not explicitly defined.

General skills

• Excellent Connections now grants characters an additional rumour, typically from an obscure, distant, or powerful source, on any submitted downtime where they do not use it to call in a favour.
  • Previously this skill could only be used for downtime favours.