Some changes to Anibus

Hi everybody

Since i posted my basic setting info for my Anibus setting there have been a few things that have not been sitting well.  In fact it has been enough that i cant figure out an adventure to make a one sheet.  There have been some crucial issues that have made the setting feel very flat and boring to me.

The role the players will take in Anibus were very and mundane to me.  Player characters are supposed to be dynamic.  They do things that the average person would only dream of doing.  As i had written everything the players were really nothing special.  Traveling between realities was just an everyday thing with no inherent danger or excitement. It needed to be something memorable and not just like walking to the corner store for a pack of smokes.  It wasn't until yesterday when i was listening to Veiled Fury Entertainment's actual play video of Shadowrun.  I love the idea of the PCs in anibus being hired go to folk.  They are the ones brave enough to risk going into new realities and brave the risks of crossing through the walls of reality.  Some one needs a rare item found and retrieved; you need some one found or eliminated and they are hiding in an unknown reality; need some spying done; Look no further hire this rag tag group of awakened reality hoppers.

Once I had this awareness it helped me realize how unhappy I was with describing realities and how travelling between them worked. I have decided to scrap the number rating. It felt very unique savage worlds to me.  I have kept the low , medium, and high magic idea.

Now traveling between realities requires find any weak spot in the fabric of reality. Then make a Spirit check. A high magic reality has a target number of 4. A medium magic has a target number 6. A low magic reality has a target number 8.  One member of the group initiates the opening of the portal. The person initiating  must have an item attuned to the destination reality. Ill get to this step in a moment. All the other party members may assist. Then the chosen player makes the roll.  If they reach the target number is reached it takes three rounds before the group can travel to the destination. Each raise reduces the amount of rounds by one. If 4 raise are attained travelling can happen on the same turn the spirit check is made. 

If the target number is not reached the group still travels in three rounds. Unfortunately the party is all shaken upon arrival at the new reality. Their souls were not properly shielded against the Ether sea.

  On a critical failure once again they still travel but something has gone very wrong.  Either they end up in a completely different reality. Soul shielding does not occur and the characters are completely aware of their beings moving along the cord and being exposed to the ether sea. Which means they arrive incapacitated due to exhaustion. They could attract the attention of Ether wraiths, these are the agents of oblivion bent on destroying all realities. Pretty much GMS feel free to throw some sort of nastiness at the players to ensure they know it's not safe travelling between realities.

What is happening in the game is the character is reaching out his consciousness, across the Ether Sea and forging a connection between realities.  If some one were in the Ether sea watching this happen they would see a shimmering strand shooting out of the orbs surface and shoot out until it connects with another orb.

It takes a few moments for the initiator to establish the connection and ensure the souls of his fellow travelers are properly shielded. The human mind has a severe reaction to witnessing the ether sea. It is a place where time and space have no meaning. Even the mind of a person awakened to the greater truth still tries to comprehend the impossibility of the ether sea. It is an impossible act, and if tried to hard insanity or worse happens.

When everything goes right the players are encapsulated in a protective sheild that speeds along the cord, looking like a drop of water clinging to a spider web, until it reaches a weak spot in the new reality.

Earlier I mentioned an item attuned to the destination reality being required to establish a connection.   This item is an inorganic object from a reality that has been properly infussed with the essence of it home reality.  This is done by anyone with an arcane background.  The process requires being in a reality and having an item in hand. Then make a dramatic task. The roll required is the associated spellcasting check. The character must get five success in five rolls. Success means the item is properly keyed to its reality. A failure simply means the process doesn't work. If no success are attained then the item shatters and the Process must be tried again on a new item.

This opens up many story avenues. The characters need to get to a reality but don't have a key. Well visit a black market, or a someone who deals in the selling g of keys. Maybe they have to do a job to pay for it. They can barter with another key they own, or trade a "magic" item they have found on their journeys. Maybe they receive a mysterious package that includes and item with a note that says meet me here.

I picture an experienced traveller having a backpack filled with, to the unawakened eye, a bunch of random junk.  When I  reality this back pack is filled with items allowing access to various realities and many adventures.

Now a matter of names. I had said previously I hated the name Touched to describe characters with the super powers AB. They are now called Savants.  This means the AB: Super powers is renamed AB: Savant. Also I had called all characters with an arcane back ground shapers and characters with the AB: Magic mages. The more I thought about it I didn't like the impression it gave.  All characters with an arcane background are called Awakened, or enlightened.  And the AB: Magic back ground is now. AB: Shaping. And the associated skill is called Shaping as well.  This way it frees up the trappings of AB: Shaping to be a weilder of holy power, psionocs, shamanism, or straight up magic. All of these characters are able to Shape reality with their consciousness and tap into the power of their souls.

Well that was quite a bit of information.  I am going to work on getting a Google Doc made up. This will Include all the information I have posted so far. Properly edited to Include this post.

Well I hope you enjoyed today's installment.
Today's blog was brought to you by heavy doses of Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth.

I hope you have a great day and you let you imagination get away from you a bit.