The Witch's curse is less obvious than that of the other gods, and far more targeted, leading many to believe that mages of all stripes may have been the true cause of the terrors heaped upon us. The Witch's curse is the corruption of flesh, of blood, of heart, and mind. That which twists men into monsters. Her curse afflicts all arcanists, all who use her power that once was free and is now jealously guarded. Tempt not the Witch, my friends.
For temptation is hers, alone.
-The Chronicler-
Corruption. A complicated thing to consider when applying a penalty to players for choosing to play the game in a way they wish. But it is a part of the style, the identity, of the setting. But how do we manage such a thing? Well. By making it an -attractive- penalty. With ways to mitigate it. Grim Hollow, for example, provides a front-loading of benefits with it's transformations, causing slowly increasing penalties each joined with another benefit, weighting the change toward power.
I sincerely think this is the right idea. By making corruption attractive, and dangerous, players are more likely to interact with it in a variety of ways. Particularly when you expand this particular form of curse across the player spectrum. Grim Hallow also allows people to -choose- their Transformation, rather than having one assigned to them. This, too, is the right idea. And should be the default presumption.
Perhaps this choice could be made at Character Creation... To choose between the Lich, the Fiend, the Aberration, the Werebeast, the Vampire, the Dragon, the Primordial, and the Specter.
At each tier of transformation (4 tiers) you gain a specified Flaw. At Tier 1, you get both Boons and the Flaw for that level. At tiers 2, 3, and 4 you choose 1 Boon and gain the Flaw of that level.
But how to -become- corrupt? Grim Hallow handles the matter through level ranges (1-4, 5-10, 11-16, 17-20) with players accomplishing certain goals within a given level range, such as completing a Ritual, undertaking an exceptionally evil (Or good for their Seraph) act, and similar milestones. And then each individual transformation has it's -own- specific milestones. Such as the Werebeast killing an Alpha Lycanthrope, or establishing a pack of Werebeasts.
But for the purpose of reinforcing the idea of Corruption... of Magical and Moral affliction... How do we handle such a thing?
For Moral transformation it seems fairly simple. Cruel, wicked, and violent actions accumulate levels in a fairly straightforward manner. Killing of innocents, for example, or otherwise large and bombastic displays of wrongdoing should do the trick quite nicely. It makes it both easy and difficult to transform based on your intention. Someone who -wishes- to become a monster can intentionally do terrible things, while someone who doesn't wish to become a monster just... doesn't do those things.
But for spellcasters it's a bit more complex... Should we manage a point-based system where every spellcast grants a specific amount of "Corruption Points" and rituals cleanse a specific amount until you reach, say, 20 points and gain your first Tier of Corruption? That seems like it might be difficult or time-consuming to keep track of, overall.
I could really use some suggestions, if possible! Because right now the 20 point threshhold seems appropriate with cleansing rituals taking of specific quantities of corruption...
Compilation of Project Chronicle Links: Project Chronicle: Master List - The Homebrewery
For temptation is hers, alone.
-The Chronicler-
Corruption. A complicated thing to consider when applying a penalty to players for choosing to play the game in a way they wish. But it is a part of the style, the identity, of the setting. But how do we manage such a thing? Well. By making it an -attractive- penalty. With ways to mitigate it. Grim Hollow, for example, provides a front-loading of benefits with it's transformations, causing slowly increasing penalties each joined with another benefit, weighting the change toward power.
I sincerely think this is the right idea. By making corruption attractive, and dangerous, players are more likely to interact with it in a variety of ways. Particularly when you expand this particular form of curse across the player spectrum. Grim Hallow also allows people to -choose- their Transformation, rather than having one assigned to them. This, too, is the right idea. And should be the default presumption.
Perhaps this choice could be made at Character Creation... To choose between the Lich, the Fiend, the Aberration, the Werebeast, the Vampire, the Dragon, the Primordial, and the Specter.
At each tier of transformation (4 tiers) you gain a specified Flaw. At Tier 1, you get both Boons and the Flaw for that level. At tiers 2, 3, and 4 you choose 1 Boon and gain the Flaw of that level.
But how to -become- corrupt? Grim Hallow handles the matter through level ranges (1-4, 5-10, 11-16, 17-20) with players accomplishing certain goals within a given level range, such as completing a Ritual, undertaking an exceptionally evil (Or good for their Seraph) act, and similar milestones. And then each individual transformation has it's -own- specific milestones. Such as the Werebeast killing an Alpha Lycanthrope, or establishing a pack of Werebeasts.
But for the purpose of reinforcing the idea of Corruption... of Magical and Moral affliction... How do we handle such a thing?
For Moral transformation it seems fairly simple. Cruel, wicked, and violent actions accumulate levels in a fairly straightforward manner. Killing of innocents, for example, or otherwise large and bombastic displays of wrongdoing should do the trick quite nicely. It makes it both easy and difficult to transform based on your intention. Someone who -wishes- to become a monster can intentionally do terrible things, while someone who doesn't wish to become a monster just... doesn't do those things.
But for spellcasters it's a bit more complex... Should we manage a point-based system where every spellcast grants a specific amount of "Corruption Points" and rituals cleanse a specific amount until you reach, say, 20 points and gain your first Tier of Corruption? That seems like it might be difficult or time-consuming to keep track of, overall.
I could really use some suggestions, if possible! Because right now the 20 point threshhold seems appropriate with cleansing rituals taking of specific quantities of corruption...
Compilation of Project Chronicle Links: Project Chronicle: Master List - The Homebrewery
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