Lux Fugit - The Game

[5elementsage]

This will be a little roleplaying experiment founded on system rules I threw together. The idea is something I've had for a lot longer. If you're familiar with the 80's Satanic Panic, and the animosity against things like Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, Power Rangers, and "the rock music," you'll know well where I hope to see this go.

The setting is Somewhere, a "quiet" and ostensibly safe town in the indulgent, patriotic country of Eagleland. It is a funny little place built around First Immersion (a Meshite house of worship and social nexus of the town), Somewhere High School, The Rink (a combination roller rink, bowling alley, and arcade), and the fortress-like magnitude of the Mall-Wart superstore. Not everyone in town is Meshite, of course, or even religious, but it is conventional for the population to think of everyone as such. The notion that a person could be anything else is material for social ostracism. As a result, many of those who hold other beliefs are still regular attendees of First Immersion, for social reasons.

The idyllic peace of this town will see its first disruption when a boy at school distributes books and dice to classmates, resulting in the formation of a Dungeons and Dragons group. Initially, this won't make much of a splash, but the group will garner the wrong kind of attention after some fairly-innocent youths trespass on Old Man Ferguson's land to throw an epic rager in his barn. Local parents will begin forming opinions on where to place their blame, but will still be largely undecided when the third (and most intense) strange event occurs. Ferguson's "neighbor," the Eldridge family, will find one of their cows slaughtered and ritually mutilated, signaling to the populace that "The Enemy" is at work in their town.

I am now taking questions, and applications based on the rules given below.

 

[5elementsage]

This game is not merely set in the 80's and meant to evoke the Panic. It will take place in a world where the rumors and paranoia are true. These role-playing games, card games, and music genres will have an actual tether to supernatural powers, and those who practice them will be able to tap into those energies to make themselves stronger. You, as players, will have the option to either engage or not, and how far to take that. Be warned: just because you decide to keep your hands clean doesn't mean you will be free of blame; the rising paranoia amongst your parents may lead to false blame being placed. "Witch hunt" is the word. Talk back to your parents? Devils. Fail to keep your room clean? Sinful. Talk idly to friends about words like 'fate,' 'the stars,' or 'good luck'? Wicked magic!

As you will have noticed from the above, this is not set in the United States of America, and will not feature real-world religions. The resemblances will naturally be obvious, but we're changing all the important words. "Eagleland" is the stand-in for the USA (Somewhere is in an unnamed state). Meshism/the Meshites are the stand-in for Christianity/Christians, and though they will be similar in ways, there will be some differences. Naturally, this means "God" and names like "Satan," "The Devil," or "Lucifer" will not be used. The prince of demons will be called "The Enemy" instead, and the central figures of Meshism are "Master/The Master" alternately, and his only child "Meshi" (shi like 'Shy'). They also don't use the word "Church" or any name of a real denomination. For example, the proper name of the social core of Somewhere is "First Immersion House of Worship," often contracted to "First Immersion" in conversation.

I may alter a few names like Mall-Wart for fun/my own discretion, but generally anything not listed above, you are free to reference by real names. Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, and various rock bands, for example, will be referenced during game.

I want to make this clear. This light-hearted (eventually dark) satire is meant to make fun reference to a very bad time in -fairly- recent history. This includes portraying the religious as fear-mongering, hyperbolic, and at times comedic, but remember, they are technically right about the threat of these matters...to some degree. This game is not the place for OOC open mockery of real-world religions or those who believe them, and in-character behavior will be monitored to my discretion. Let's have fun making light of dark times, and not use this game as a means to tear other people down.

To any Christians reading this and taking offense, either "walk away" or take it in stride. This game may likely be one you want to skip, and I will not tolerate anyone trying to troll, attack me or my players, or in any way attempt to shut this down. My own views aside, part of my job as GM will be to keep things civil and focused on the fictional antagonists; I am serious about everything said in the above paragraph.

 

[5elementsage]

If you wish to sign up for this game, please post below with all the following details. Providing a bio and/or physical description is optional, but recommended and appreciated!

First and Last Name:

Age: Can be anything from 14-18.
(See the purpose of age in the Mechanics below.)

Card: Can be Bruiser, Delinquent, Rager, or Weirdo.
(See the Card explanations below.)

Character Sheet: Either choose 'None,' or pick a Race and Class.
(Pick None, if you do not play Dungeons and Dragons at the time of game start. This can change later as desired. Race and Class only apply to your D&D character...for now.)

Article of Safety: Designate an accessory or an article of clothing.
(It can be a pair of matching objects if desired, like your favorite gloves or lucky socks, but cannot be more than two things. If it is a pair, both must be removed/donned to take effect. See Mechanics below.)

 

[5elementsage]

Mechanics

Age: An 18-year old character starts out with 3 in each of their stats, except Luck, and can put a +1 in any one stat they choose (again, except Luck). A 17-year old starts out with 2 in each stat, but a 1 in Luck, and gets two +1 bonuses to put into any stat or stats they choose (max. 2; cannot be Luck). A 16-year old starts out with 1 in each stat, but a 2 in Luck, and gets three +1 bonuses to put into any stat or stats they choose (max. 3; cannot be Luck). A 15-year old starts out with 0 in each stat, but a 3 in Luck, and gets four +1 bonuses to put into any stat or stats they choose (max. 4; cannot be Luck).

The Young: 14-year old characters are special. They start out with 0 in each stat, except that they have a 4 in Luck. They get a +2 bonus and three +1 bonuses to put into any stat or stats they choose. The +2 must be alone; it cannot go into the same stat as the +1 bonuses. No stat can be raised higher than 5, and no bonuses can be put into Luck.

Non-Luck Stats: Your stats are Fury, Clever, Beauty, and Trauma. Fury is rolled when your physical or emotional strength is tested. Clever is rolled when your book smarts or street smarts are tested. Beauty is rolled when trying to charm someone or use your looks to produce a desired reaction. Trauma is rolled when undergoing physical or mental harm, to withstand the effects.

Luck: Luck rolls do not exist. If you have a Luck stat higher than 0, it manifests as "Luck Points." You may spend them on any roll to raise the final total (+1 per Luck Point spent). You may also spend a Luck point to reroll entirely, but you can only spend one Luck Point this way per attempt. Handy if you rolled all Failures! 14-year old characters have more Luck than anyone, and 18-year olds have a Luck stat of 0 (they have to rely on competence).

Rolling with Stats: When called upon to roll with a stat, you roll 3d6 on any digital die roller of your choice, add the value of the appropriate stat to your lowest roll, and then weigh results. Each die that passes the Threshold is a Success, and each die that falls low is a Failure. Any dice that meet the Threshold directly are null (worth '0'; does not count toward Successes or Failures). If all three dice are null, they add up to a total of 1 Success, as that is the lowest value you can get without rolling any Failures.
Difficulty and Thresholds: A trivial roll has a Threshold of 3. 1's and 2's count as Failures, 3 is null, anything else is a Success.
- Tricky: Threshold is 4. A roll of 4 is null, anything lower is a Failure, anything higher is a Success.
- Bracing: Threshold is 5. 6's count as Successes, 5 is null, anything else is a Failure.
- Hard: Threshold is 6, so rolling Successes is not possible. 6 is null, everything else is Failures. When making a Hard roll, the outcome is more a matter of how bad it is. The exception is a roll of three nulls. As usual, the outcome is brought up to "1 Success," because no dice you rolled came up Failures. This is an incredible result, as you have not only tried something very difficult, but you actually pulled it off!

Article of Safety: This is an article of clothing, or an accessory, that represents comfort and safety for your character. While you wear it, you feel safe and in control, whether or not that is actually the case. It takes a dire situation to overpower this passive effect. The Article of Safety grants two powers: one for taking it off, one for putting it back on.
- Removal: When your character makes a point of removing their Article of Safety, their true power comes out, but they are at their most exposed. You can use this to auto-win a roll, or activate your Card's special Removal ability (see below). WARNING: if no one present is 18 or younger, Removal will not grant its usual benefits, and WILL expose you as described below.
- Donning: While your Article of Safety is cast aside, you cannot use Luck Points, a total of three nulls adds up to 0 Successes (instead of 1), and hostile people or creatures will seek you out to exploit or harm you. Donning your Article of Safety again will negate these penalties, and allow you to immediately leave a scene. Once you have Donned, you cannot re-enter the scene; you are "out of game" until the scene ends. WARNING: some rare scenes are bad enough that Donning alone will not allow you to leave.

 

[5elementsage]

Bruiser: You are one tough cookie! Add +1 to your Fury or Trauma stat, and raise its maximum possible value by +1. Select one of the following Margins: Brawler, Biter, Catty, Driver, or Skater.
- Margin: Brawler (Once per scene, you can replace your final total on an attempt with "1 Success," no matter how bad it was. This ability can only be used when in a fist-fight with humans under the age of 21.)
- Margin: Biter (When challenged in Trauma, if there's someone within reach, you can roll with Fury instead. Also, you can gain 1 Luck Point per scene if you stuff your face, spending the whole scene eating/drinking and doing nothing else.)
- Margin: Catty (When challenged in Fury, if there's someone within reach, you can roll with Beauty instead. Also, getting your nails done will grant you the following ability: replace the final total of an attempt with "2 Successes," no matter how bad it was. Using the ability removes it, until you spend another scene getting your nails done.)
- Margin: Driver (When rolling Fury, Clever, or Trauma while in the front seat of a car, add +1 to all rolls to which the appropriate stat was not added. When rolling Beauty in the driver's seat of a car, add your stat value to all three dice, not just the lowest.)
- Margin: Skater (Once per scene, you can replace one of your Failures on an attempt with a Success. You must be on your board/in your skates, or have a skateboard in hand and a couple seconds of air time, to use this ability.)

Delinquent: You are one clever freak! Add +1 to your Clever stat, and raise its maximum possible value by +1. Select one of the following Margins: Buyer, Dealer, Tinker, or Bully.
- Margin: Buyer (At the start of a scene, you may declare use of this ability. Doing so will put cigarettes, booze, or collectible cards in your possession, bought by an adult or fake ID if necessary. You can leverage these in social situations to improve relations or gain access to certain places or privileges.)
- Margin: Dealer (At the start of a scene, you may declare use of this ability. Doing so will put a narcotic, stimulant, or hallucinogen in your possession. You can sell or gift these to impress people and affect a target, but be mindful of your audience. A Buyer getting caught is bad, a Dealer getting caught is WORSE.)
- Margin: Tinker (You can pick locks on doors or containers, unless they are deadbolts, combo locks, or electronic locks. You can also spend a scene at home, or in your workshop, preparing a gadget to grant you advantages in a later scene. To ensure the gadget works, you must make a Clever attempt, of difficulty the GM decides is relevant to your intended work.)
- Margin: Bully (When rolling Fury or Beauty against a target, you may automatically win the attempt once per scene. The target must be human, under age 18, and either shorter than you, come from a less wealthy family, or both.)

Rager: You are one badass m'fer! Add +1 to your Fury or Beauty stat, and raise its maximum possible value by +1. Select one of the following Margins: Rocker, Dancer, or Boozer.
- Margin: Rocker (When rock music is playing, you roll Fury and Beauty at +1. If you are part of the band playing it, the Beauty bonus is +2 instead, though Fury does not get this bump.)
- Margin: Dancer (If you spend a scene engaged in a slow, sensual, or combative dance, you can attempt Beauty at the end of the scene to influence the audience and anyone who danced with you, at the same time.)
- Margin: Boozer (While you have alcohol in your system, you roll Fury and Beauty at +2, but roll Clever and Trauma as if your relevant stat is 0. You do not suffer hangovers, if you only drank lightly in the prior scene.)

Weirdo: You are one strange little creep! Add +1 to your Beauty or Trauma stat, and raise its maximum possible value by +1. Select one of the following Margins: Psychic, Goth, Deck Master, or LARPer.
- Margin: Psychic (Once per scene, you can attempt Clever to read a human's mind, but they will know you did it if your result has any Failures. As an added penalty, you make all Trauma rolls as if your stat is 0, unless you have cool sunglasses on.)
- Margin: Goth (Once per scene, you can call a nearby animal to your aid, if it can reach you unimpeded. If you have targeted the same animal three separate times with this ability, you can call it to your aid without spending your once-per-scene usage. As an added penalty, you make all Beauty rolls as if your stat is 0, unless your outfit is entirely, or almost entirely, comprised of black and grey.)
- Margin: Deck Master (Once per scene, you can switch character Cards with a person you can see. Any once-per-scene abilities they have already spent, you regain a single use of. If their ability would need anything specific, you meet the requirements for the rest of the scene. As an added penalty, you make all Clever rolls as if your stat is 0, unless your deck is in view and you have trading cards in one or both hands.)
- Margin: LARPer (Mysteriously, you are affected more strongly by the true nature of your Character Sheet, subject to GM discretion. As an added penalty, you make all Fury rolls as if your stat is 0, unless you are in costume and wielding a boffer weapon. The weapon need not be directly related to the purpose of the Fury attempt.)

 

[5elementsage]

None fixed. I will describe how your Race and Class affect gameplay, if at all.

Race Options: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit, Beastman, Dryad.

Class Options: Priest, Rogue, Warrior, Wizard.

 

[The Well Wisher]

First and Last Name: Genevieve(Gen) Rodgers

Age: 17

Card: Rager(Rocker)

Stats: Fury 3, Clever 2, Beauty 2, and Trauma 4, Luck 1

Character Sheet: Beastman Warrior

Article of Safety: Spiked Black Collar

Bio: 5'9, wiry, with short spiked dark brown hair highlighted red, Genevieve is a force to be reckoned with. Her father, Bernard, works construction, and her mother, Deborah, as a waitress at a local diner. Her mother disapproves of her appearance and general conduct partially for religious reasons but she ultimately loves her daughter. Her father meanwhile is more supportive (in his own way), he's the only one she has come out too. On weekends and after school, Gen plays electric guitar for her heavy metal band, 'Aurelium'.

 

[5elementsage]

First and Last Name: Genevieve(Gen) Rodgers

Age: 17

Card: Rager(Rocker)

Stats: Fury 3, Clever 2, Beauty 2, and Trauma 4

Character Sheet: Beastman Warrior

Article of Safety: Spiked Black Collar

Bio: 5'9, wiry, with short spiked dark brown hair highlighted red, Genevieve is a force to be reckoned with. Her father, Bernard, works construction, and her mother as a waitress at a local diner. Her mother disapproves of her appearance and general conduct partially for religious reasons but she ultimately loves her daughter. Her father meanwhile is more supportive (in his own way), he's the only one she has come out too. On weekends and after school, Gen plays electric guitar for her heavy metal band, 'Aurelium'.

Click to shrink...

Really dig Gen, can't wait to see her in action! I don't see Luck though, so make sure to append "Luck 1" to the end of those stats. Is the Warrior Gen's first character, and how new is she to Dungeons and Dragons?

 

[The Well Wisher]

Is the Warrior Gen's first character, and how new is she to Dungeons and Dragons?

Click to shrink...

I'm thinking this is her first original character. She briefly played a pre-made character (either in a one shot or the character died early on) to get her feet wet, and then made this one. So she has some familiarity with the rules and her current class (since the pre-made was also a warrior, human warrior specifically). She probably doesn't know all the minutia of the game but won't be constantly asking what armor class is, for example.

 

[The Well Wisher]

I'm super excited to play. One question: What's the minimum-maximum number of players for this game? I hope more people join soon. Speaking of which I have another character concept that I can type up if anyone wants to play, but can't think of, or don't want to make an original character.

 

[PetroleumMedium!]

Hmm, I'm interested. I'm gonna read this more later...