PSA: QM error not in your favor! Collect 4 free rules changes!
Based on feedback yesterday we realized that we had not thought the recent 'Clones reset your Consequences' ruling through all the way, and that there were some other edge cases and issues that needed to be addressed regarding Sealing and Shadow Clones. As such, we're making the following updates:
1. An earlier post is being changed to the following. (The second paragraph concerning clone consequences has been deleted, the rest is the same.)
PSA: About SC Resolve unlocks
Good news: Making a Resolve check when Shadow Clones pop which risks a Consequence on -3 or lower is sufficiently challenging to count as a Resolve unlock.
2. The Sealing Scroll Acolyte stunt is being rewritten as follows.
Summoning Scroll Acolyte
Hazou has gained a deeper understanding of seals by learning from the subtle persuasions of the summoning scroll. Thinking about it hurts, but there's a spark of genius hidden in the pain.
XP cost: 100
Prereq: Be a Kurosawa who tried to read a Summoning Scroll.
Effects:
• 2x TYS applies to Sealing
• Every time Hazō makes a roll to infuse a prototype seal (i.e., one that he is in the process of researching) he takes a Mild Mental Consequence. The penalties do not apply to that Sealing roll but they apply to subsequent rolls until the Consequences heals. The Consequence takes 48 hours to heal (instead of the usual 24 hours) and does not heal unless he rests from any Sealing-related activity. As always, if he takes a Mild Consequence when his Mild slot is filled, the damage rolls up to the next available slot.
Narratively, the additional levels granted by this stunt represent Hazō thinking back to his experiences with the Out and thereby gaining insight into the seal he's working on...but also causing himself mental confusion, pain, fear, etc. Hazō may choose to suppress those memories while doing seal research, in which case he will not gain the bonus levels and he will not suffer the Mild Consequence. Since he is still doing Sealing-related activities, any Consequences that he may be suffering from earlier use of SSA will not advance their healing during this time.
Shadow Clones have all the memories of their progenitor, meaning that Hazō's clones also have this stunt.
See the Sealing Research section in the rules doc for answers to various edge cases about how this stunt interacts with Shadow Clone.
3. Addition to the Shadow Clone rules.
Shadow Clones and Consequences
When a clone pops, its Physical Consequences are not transferred back to its creator. Mental Consequences do transfer back to the original, with the caveat that Mental Consequences that were created by a given event do not stack with themselves and therefore are not transferred.
In this context, an 'event' is something that happens at a single point in time and is caused by a single source.
When a Prime receives Consequences from their clone then, as always, if the given Consequence slot is full then a Consequence will roll up to the next available slot.
Examples where the Consequences DO transfer from a Shadow Clone back to its creator:
- Hazō Prime has no Consequences. He creates a Shadow Clone, who also has no Consequences. The clone gets hit with a genjutsu and acquires the Mild Mental Consequence "Jumpy". When the clone pops, this Consequence will be transferred back to Hazō Prime and he will have the Mild Mental Consequence "Jumpy".
- Hazō Prime has no Consequences. He creates a Shadow Clone, who also has no Consequences. Hazō gets hit with Orochimaru's jōnin aura, giving Hazō the Mild Mental Consequence "Cowed". Itachi hits the clone with a genjutsu and the clone acquires the Mild Mental Consequence "Jumpy". When the clone pops, the clone's Mild Consequence will be transferred back to Hazō Prime, whose Mild slot is already full. The Consequence will then roll up into his Medium slot, leaving him with Mild ("Cowed") and Medium ("Jumpy"). (Note that it doesn't matter if the genjutsu and the aura happen at the same time or at different times, the key point is that they are separate events because they come from separate sources.)
- Hazō has no Consequences. He creates three Shadow Clones, all of whom have no Consequences. The four of them go off and do seal research on the Activation Relay Seal, the Air Tunneler Seal, the Light Relay seal, and the BecomusGodus seal respectively. Each of them makes an infusion roll for their assigned seal. Each of them has the Sealing Scroll Acolyte stunt, so each of them suffers a Mild Mental Consequence. These Consequences were caused by separate events (that individual making a roll), so when the clones pop, their Consequences will transfer back to Hazō. He starts with his own Mild Consequence and then receives three more. The first rolls up into his Medium slot, the second rolls up into his Severe slot, and the third one renders him Taken Out, which in this context probably means dead.
Examples where the Consequences do NOT transfer:
- Hazō Prime has no Consequences. He makes a sealing research roll. Because of his Sealing Scroll Acolyte stunt (SSA), he receives a Mild Mental Consequence, perhaps "Psychic Headache". He creates a Shadow Clone. The clone has the same "Psychic Headache" Consequence. When it pops, this Consequence is not transferred back to Hazō because it was caused by the same event -- Hazō's use of SSA.
- Hazō Prime has been drugged and has a Mild 'Hallucinating' Mental Consequence. He creates a Shadow Clone. The clone also has that Mild Consequence and is hallucinating. When it pops, this Consequence is not transferred back to Hazō because it was caused by the same event -- Hazō's being drugged.
- Hazō Prime has no Consequences. He creates a Shadow Clone, who also has no Consequences. Hazō and his clone simultaneously get hit with Orochimaru's jōnin aura, giving both of them the Mild Mental Consequence "Cowed". When the clone pops, this Consequence is not transferred back to Hazō because it was caused by the same event -- Orochimaru attacking with his aura. (Note that this is an example and should not be used as evidence for or against the idea that it's possible to aura blast multiple people at once.)
4. Addition to the Seal Research rules
Seal Research and Hazō
Hazō is probably the only sealmaster in the world who has both the Shadow Clone technique and the Sealing Scroll Acolyte (SSA) stunt. The combination creates some edge cases that we deal with here:
Q: Do Hazō's Shadow Clones also have SSA?
A: Yes.
Q: If Hazō's Shadow Clones make a research infusion roll, do they take the Mild Mental Consequence from SSA?
A: Yes.
Q: When they pop, does this Consequence transfer back to Hazō?
A: Yes. See the SSA rules for more details and examples.
Q: Can Hazō's clones do the prep work (which does not cause Consequences) and then Hazō makes the infusion roll?
A: Yes.
Q: The SSA Consequence takes two days to heal. Can we have separate clones do prep on different seals at the same time and then Hazō makes the first roll, waits two days for the Consequence to heal, makes the second roll, waits two days, etc?
A: No. Prep days must be contiguous with the infusion roll. If you wait between prep and infusion then you might forget a detail, the astrological influences might shift, etc.
Q: Can we have separate clones do prep on different seals, staggered such that each clone finishes their prep 2 days apart in time for Hazō to have recovered from the previous roll? (e.g. one clone preps M-F, another preps W-Su, another preps F-W and Hazō makes the rolls on Saturday, Monday, and Thursday respectively)
A: Yes. Note that the seal infusion roll actually represents a full day of effort in which the chakra manipulations are being practiced, meditation is happening, etc etc. If Hazō needs to do anything of significance on that day then he will not be able to make the roll and all the prep work will be wasted.
Q: The infusion roll takes a full day because you're practicing chakra manipulations and meditating? Can we optimize that to be faster by having the Shadow Clones parallelize the chakra manipulation practice while Hazō meditates?
A: No. Those were examples and not a complete list. It takes a full day and that cannot be reduced.
