Player Handbook

[modaccount]

Overview

Annexed is a mission-based sci-fantasy panfandom game that accepts fandom characters and original characters. Applications will be open on a permanent basis, and the game is capped at 60 players total, with a character limit of 2 per person.

⇅ Applications & Activity ⇅

TEST DRIVE MEMES: TDMs go up at 12:01 AM EST on the first day of every second month. Test Drive Memes will be set in a virtual reality simulation occurring in characters' minds that tests them for 'fitness' before they enter the setting officially. Characters currently in-game may also show up in these simulations, either through a connection to the microchips implanted in them or based on information gathered before they woke and during the time they had a chip if it's removed. Threads on Test Drive Memes can be held as game canon if all players involved consent.

APPLICATION, PLAYER, CHARACTER & CAST/FRANCHISE CAPS: There will be a gamewide cap of 60 players, and each player is allowed a maximum of 2 characters. There will be a cast cap of 5 characters, and a franchise cap of 10 characters. There will be no cap on the number of original characters, as they are generally from different worlds and not at risk of insular behavior.

APPABLE CHARACTERS - Annexed is currently accepting canon characters and original characters. This includes characters created as a native to the setting, providing the player has been in game three months.

Silent/Malleable Protagonists: Accepted on a case-by-case basis, but the mod metric is that the protagonist should come from a game with set personality types based on chosen responses to allow for some measure of character consistency.
Tabletop RPG Characters: Characters from various tabletop games that were developed and played in a campaign by the applicant are treated as original characters.
MMORPG Player Characters: These will be handled the same as tabletop RPG characters.
Minor Characters: Minor characters with limited screentime should have enough history and personality that an application could be written without excessive headcanon, and all headcanon must be clearly marked in the application.
Newly Released Canons: Characters from newly released canons can be applied for one month after their release date. In the case of ongoing canons, the character's canon point should be one month before the most recently released content. For content in ongoing canons that is retroactively revealed (ie. new facts about a character's past are released) there is no waiting period, but please use spoiler warnings for a month after the information is revealed.
Non-English Canons: Characters from non-English canons are appable, but should have enough official or fan translated material to write an application without excessive headcanon, and all headcanon or non-translated material should be clearly marked in the application.

NON-APPABLE CHARACTERS: Annexed is not accepting AU characters, CRAU characters or fandom OCs. We are also not accepting doubles of any kind, even if the characters are from different versions of the same franchise - for example, if someone is already playing the Marvel Comics version of Tony Stark, then the Tony Stark from the Marvel Cinematic Universe could not be applied for.

CANON ABILITIES & INVENTORY: New arrivals will have no inventory besides a simple set of plain scrub-type short-sleeved shirt and pants, a jacket, socks, and shoes that are given to them upon their waking. They are allowed to keep whatever devices they have that might access the network such as cell phones, computers, etc. so long as they are not weaponized or capable of more than a regular cell phone or computer. However, any items or non-appable companions that were on their person when they left their canon do still exist in the game world, and there will be opportunities to regain these items through missions. Characters are given a stipend by the Witches once they arrive at the Witches Camp to buy new clothing or other necessities.

All new arrivals will also have been implanted with a chip before waking up that suppresses all naturally-occurring abilities that deviate from a standard human baseline, even if they don't have any abilities, and which "keeps track" of them, allowing the Sylphid to know where they are at any given point. Once characters are brought to the Witches Camp, they enter the range of a magic spell that disrupts the chip and feeds back false information about the character's whereabouts. Characters may have this chip completely removed (Stripped) to regain autonomy and abilities, but once it is gone an alarm will be raised as soon as they step foot in Sylphid territory and they will not be able to participate in stealth missions unless those missions are in neutral territory.

ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS: Activity will be two threads of any length and a check-in description of what your character has been up to throughout the month. Backtags are acceptable for these two threads, just link the thread starting at the first timestamp within the current month, regardless of when the thread was started. The description can be brief as long as it covers the character's activity, without including any handwaved actions. Please do not include anything in your description that was handwaved.

⇅ ACQUIRED ABILITIES & TETHERS ⇅

PLANETARY ALIGNMENT: Every character, upon application, will be tied directly to the energy of one of the two planets that make up the Broken World - Heba or Tian. This energy is what allows them to live on the Broken World, and grants them either one special ability that is all their own (Heba), or the ability to slowly learn magic (Tian). These energies, however, can become easily unbalanced, being tied to only one of the two planets, and all residents of the Broken World (yes, including all NPCs and the Sylphid) need to have a Tether, or a special connection to another person who is tied to the energy of the opposing planet. People without a Tether will face the consequences of this imbalance - a slow decline in health leading to eventual death.

PLANETARY ALIGNMENT AND PERSONALITY: Residents of the Broken World have noticed that there are certain personality traits that tend to align with the one planet or another. This can be an interesting way to choose which planetary alignment your character should have, though it is not mandatory that they align with a particular planet based solely on personality - some people simply align with a planet that doesn't suit their personality. Additionally, if players choose, the character's alignment may bring out more of the associated traits in their character the longer they're in game.

Heba: People aligned with Heba, the planet of technology, tend to be more of a yang-type personality. Passionate, ambitious, and driven by their own goals, they like to take action rather than sit back and think things through. Action rather than reaction is a major driver of Heba personalities, and they tend to seek excitement, whether it's through their own personal studies or through thrill-seeking. Another thing that drives Heba personalities is joy, they like to do things they truly enjoy doing and often seek out jobs that are associated with their passions and interests. Heba personalities also tend to be more direct and rather than avoiding difficult conversations they will express themselves freely and openly. Heba personalities tend to want to make the society a better place.

Tian: People aligned with Tian, the planet of magic, tend to be more of a yin-type personality. Intuitive and imaginative, they like to think things through before taking action and are often more quiet than outgoing and loud. They tend to be nurturing, enjoying taking care of other people, with a focus on improving the lives of those around them through their caring and kindness. Tian personalities tend to be more emotional and driven by their passion and feelings rather than concrete goals or ambition. Their minds are often turned inward, and they enjoy contemplation and self-exploration, learning all they can about their own mental landscape. Rather than insisting on having their own way, they tend to be diplomatic and like to include everyone in decisions, reaching a mutually beneficial result. Tian personalities tend to want to make things better for others on an individual level.

TETHERS: Tethers are a tie between two people, and come with some side effects - people who are Tethered to each other can have a connection unlike any other, which always includes an innate knowledge of where the other person is in the world and can also include shared emotions, memories, and dreams. The level of shared experiences can be played with flexibly, with each player choosing how much or how little their character shares through the Tether, from simply their location to the full experience of every emotion, dream, and memory their character has. Characters may have up to six Tethers with characters - they can Tether with characters aligned with the same planet as them, but must have an equal number of Tethers to both planets or the energy will destabilize again. One Tether to someone on the opposing side is enough to stabilize the energy inside the character, but more Tethers is always better just in case, no?

A lot of people in the city treat searching for Tethers almost like dating - many people simply get out there and meet people to try to find that chemistry, but there is an app on the phone that characters can use to find a Tether (which will be made into a meme for game purposes), and scores of Tether Matchmakers can be found in the market districts who offer to pair you up with someone compatible. While there's no functional compatibility issue and anyone can Tether with anyone, a lot of people factor in compatibility of personality, values, etc. because it can be an incredibly intimate relationship. Many matchmakers will do a series of tests (mostly trust type tests) with the two potential Tether partners to ensure they are compatible.

Characters will know they've found a compatible Tether partner when they feel it. Much like falling in love, intense anger, or anxiety/excitement, they'll get a heart pounding feeling when around that person, a flutter in the stomach, and maybe a bit of a head rush. Once they've found a good Tether partner and both characters have agreed to Tether, there is a magic ceremony that should be done to bind the two together. Some people have this done at market stalls in the Mage's District that offer the service, while others treat it like a wedding. That is all up to player choice. The Tether should also be registered at Central Command.

On an OOC level, the mod isn't going to be keeping track of people's Tethers or anything, there are no forms to fill out, it's simply part of playing in the game.

THE UNTETHERED: Characters may hold out on finding Tethers, but this will come with nasty side effects. Namely, within three months of being Untethered, they will start to experience nausea and vomiting, lack of appetite, and fatigue. At four months they will also start to experience hair loss, constant dizziness, fever, and a fatigue so intense they can barely get out of bed. At five months, they will also start to experience physical waste, with loss of muscle tone eventually resulting in an inability to move. By the end of the sixth month Untethered, the character will die and incur the penalty for in-game deaths - a complete wipe of all in-game memories. If, at any point before death, the character becomes Tethered, all effects of the imbalance will vanish within a week.

ACQUIRED ABILITIES (HEBA): Characters who arrive aligned with the planet Heba will experience the gain of one beyond-human ability that can be used regardless of Chipped or Stripped status. This power can be any non-magical ability, generally assumed to be a mutation in the character's DNA that allows for the ability. This ability should be outlined in the application. For ideas, please see the Superpower Wiki, and any category that isn't Magic.

MAGIC (TIAN): Characters who arrive aligned with the planet Tian will gain the ability to learn the system of magic on the Broken World, which can be used regardless of Chipped or Stripped status. This system of magic roughly follows the D&D schools of magic and characters can learn spells from the D&D system. For ideas and spell guides, please see the DNDBeyond Spells List. Characters will start with the ability to do Cantrips and Level 1 spells and may advance a level every 2 months, and have a limit of number of spells they can cast per day - they may cast a number of spells equal to double their level per day. For example, two spells per day at level 1, four spells per day at level 2, etc.

WHAT THIS MEANS: Any character with canon beyond-human powers will have them automatically blocked by the chip. So long as they have the chip, these canon abilities will be locked away. HOWEVER, while Chipped, they may use their acquired abilities or magic.

DORMANT & UNUSED POWERS: Using the ability gained or learning magic are not requirements, just perks! If you're not interested in playing with these abilities or with learning magic, the character can either just not bother to learn magic, or the ability can lie dormant. If you have no desire to play with an acquired ability, you can just write "Dormant" under the Acquired Ability/Magic section of the application. If you've chosen to leave your ability dormant and later wish to add an ability, you can PM the mod account at any time with an ability description to have it added.

⇅ Other Mechanics ⇅

CHARACTER DEATH: Character death is not permanent but does have permanent consequences. Whenever a character dies, their body will dissolve into planetary energy and within 24 hours, the character will awaken in the Troop, a forest of giant mushrooms that lies between the Sylphid city Zephyr and the Witches camp. Characters will lose all inventory that was on their person, except for their network device, which can be found in their quarters. Characters emerging from the Troop will be disoriented as they were upon arrival, and will have a complete memory wipe of all in-game memories. Essentially, a character death is a canon reset to their most recent canon point.

CANON UPDATES: Canon updates are possible and can happen at any time. There is no need to check with the mod regarding canon updates, though they must comply with the new release canon requirements (wait one month from the release date). Canon updates happen via a very intense magical dream that lasts an entire night and leaves the character exhausted. They will awaken with any physical changes. For canon information that is new but retroactive, such as revelations from flashbacks, canon retcons, or similar, no canon update is required, but please use spoiler warnings for new content for at least a month.

FOURTH-WALLING: Fourth-walling is not permitted in Annexed, even if characters are canonically familiar with another canon. This can be explained away in any way that players wish, from the version in their canon being a knock-off to just handwaving it. The closest players should get to fourth-walling is for a character's canon to remind someone of a movie or show they saw, or a book they read, etc. Characters should never know the details of another character's canon.

INTERNET & NETWORK: There is a version of the internet available on the Broken World, and it is accessible via magic or technology. However, this internet is based in Zephyr and character posts and searches on the general internet are subject to tracking by the Sylphid. That internet can be assumed to have an equivalent of most websites available on the real internet, so long as they're not used to fourth-wall, and is available to characters. There is also an untrackable intranet used by the Witches, which is where the majority of gameplay will happen. The in-game network is a special network created for the new extra-universal arrivals to communicate with each other either as a group or privately.

NETWORK ACCESS: There are a variety of network devices that are available to new arrivals, all of which are offered free of charge. These can range from ultra-modern tablets that can fold into phone shapes to an equivalent of regular modern-day cell phones to magical tablets or books that can be interacted with by characters unfamiliar with technology. All devices are equipped with accessibility options for characters with sensory impairments or who are illiterate. Players are perfectly welcome to assume that a device that makes sense to each character is available. Characters with their own familiar and preferred devices can also have them modified to access the network with the same functionality as a device from the game setting - all devices should be able to access the network in the form of text, voice, and video. All devices are also able to take photos or videos and send them in messages.

LANGUAGES: There is an ambient magical spell across all of the Broken World that automatically translates languages into the character's native tongue. However, if they concentrate a little, characters are still able to speak in their own language without translation. This goes for both reading and writing.

⇅ QUESTIONS ⇅

Have a question about the game mechanics? Check out the answered questions database below. If it's still not answered, post a comment and once your question is answered it will be linked here for posterity! If your question is related to the game setting, locations, game mechanics, or other gameplay, please go to the Player Handbook or World Guide pages as appropriate and ask your question there if it isn't answered yet.

⇝ What are the size limits for the game? How would extra-large characters be handled?
⇝ Are adaptive devices taken away when characters arrive?
⇝ If a character were to shapeshift into a mythical creature, would they be able to use traditionally associated powers?
⇝ Is all technology magitech? How do the Sylphid tell if a character is chipped? Would unchipped characters be better at stealth? What kind of morality do the Sylphid have? Do characters or players choose planetary alignment and how do they know which planet they're aligned to?
⇝ Do the chips suppress biological abilities like heightened senses or agility? What about non-human features like horns or a tail?
⇝ Would the Sylphid heal existing injuries or illnesses?
⇝ Are characters allowed to keep their existing network devices (ie. cellphones, computers, etc.)?
⇝ Are characters given different clothing when they arrive at the Witches Camp?
⇝ How are characters who have an entity other than themselves in their body handled and how would the NPCs view these characters?
⇝ How are characters identified on the network and is there an anonymous option?
⇝ How would a sturdy robot be taken to a human baseline with regards to abilities, durability, electronic interaction, etc?
⇝ How many spells can a magic user learn per level and do they need to stick to a class?
⇝ Do characters have any of their inventory on them during TDMs?
⇝ How would bags of holding be handled for inventory? Do the chips suppress the ability to use powered items?
⇝ What is the stance on playing multiple characters from the same canon? What counts as a cast versus a franchise?
⇝ How do people find a Tether and how does it happen?
⇝ How do characters discover or manifest their acquired abilities?
⇝ How would above-average alien physiology be handled?
⇝ Is the network public by default and can you lock threads?
⇝ Can characters make their own weapons/are they provided?
⇝ Do characters have to get jobs and what is the stipend like?
⇝ Are dead or undead characters appable and how is that handled?
⇝ Could characters with malleable physiology remove and replace their chip at will?
⇝ How would stripped characters with stealth abilities be handled on missions?
⇝ Can you get a tether divorce?
⇝ How does balancing Tethers work?
⇝ What would a formal, traditional tethering ceremony look like?
⇝ How powerful are healing spells? How would resurrection and necromancy magics interact with the death mechanics?
⇝ When is AC actually due?
⇝ Can Tian-aligned characters learn to conduct Tethering ceremonies?
⇝ For characters creating magitech, when should the player contact the mod regarding their creations?
⇝ Can characters with the appropriate skills create tech from home?
⇝ How are very powerful abilities handled?
⇝ How would full moon sensitive abilities work?
⇝ I need tags for my characters.
⇝ Are there energy weapons available? Are personal vehicles common in camp and could characters acquire/build one?
⇝ Would different versions of the Doctor from Doctor Who count as doubles?

NAVIGATION

Comments

[solartrauma]

What are the size requirements/limits for characters in the game?

Are characters above of the standard size allowed with shrinkage or are they not appable? This character is canonically over 30-feet tall and I'm cool with shrinking down for game setting reasons, so I just wanted to know how this would work.

[modaccount]

There's no specific size requirement or limit for characters in the game.

There are a couple of options for what you could do.

If you'd prefer to keep your character at 30 feet tall, that would be acceptable, as the Sylphid would have the technology/magic to keep the character restrained and chipped on arrival. Someone of this size would be very helpful for the rebellion when it comes to open battles, but the size would be prohibitive for some of the missions that will come up. The size of the character may also be prohibitive for some of the aspects of everyday living, as the world is built for standard human-sized people.

If you'd prefer to shrink your character to a human-size or even larger than human, for example up to 12 feet tall, things would be a lot easier for them when it comes to participating in stealth missions or living in a human-size world.

What it boils down to is that either option is acceptable, and it all depends on what you'd like to play.

[one_note]

If someone took shapeshifting into a single alternate creature form as their acquired ability, or partly taking on the physiology of that creature, would they be able to use the creature's traditionally associated powers (e.g. if they turned into a phoenix could they fly/set things on fire, or heal with their horn as a unicorn?)

I'm fully happy to work with 'they just have the form which is bigger/stronger/has more pointy bits,' but wanted to doublecheck where the line was there!

[modaccount]

If a character were to shapeshift into an alternate creature, they could have the traditionally associated powers for sure!

[illusionbreaker]

Is all tech magitech or are there purely 100% authentic science created devices along side the magitech? I need to know if that ultra-modern tablet really is following all the laws of physics and isn't secretly being powered by enslaved fairies.

How are the Sylphid able to tell whether or not a character is chipped?

Wouldn't unchipped characters be more suitable to sneak into super restricted no-no areas since they're not being tracked?

Would the Sylphid be aware of the powers/abilities of any of the unfortunate losers they're kidnaping or is their compatibility to being body jacked the only thing they care about?

How alien are the Sylphid are when it comes to their morals? Are we talking black and white or orange and blue?

Sorry about all the questions.

[modaccount]

There are purely 100% authentic science created devices alongside magitech, though they are less common than magitech devices. There are no enslaved fairies even in magitech devices, though!

Outside of Zephyr (for now), the Sylphid are unable to tell who is and isn't chipped, which is why unchipped characters can still participate in stealth missions on neutral territory. On non-neutral territory, however, there is an ambient computer sensor system that reads the chips constantly, providing feedback on citizens' locations etc. which bleeds into the next question.

Stripped characters are not able to go on stealth missions in Sylphid territory specifically because they don't have a chip. If a person is present but no chip is present, it's immediately picked up on the ambient sensors and an alert is sounded.

They would be aware of all powers and abilities via magic and body scans.

The Sylphid would be considered orange and blue.

[cheezburger]

Just to be 100% sure, how much does the chip implant suppress abilities that are part of a non-human character's natural biology, i.e. enhanced hearing/smell/mobility/etc.?

[modaccount]

Anything above the regular human baseline would be suppressed, including enhanced senses/agility/etc.

[grindset]

My question re: prosthetics/mobility aids/adaptive devices has been answered on TDM #1, so thumbs up for that. Thought I'd bring it over here so other folks can find it later.

Question the second: the intro says folks awaken unscathed in the grey pyjama room—would existing illness and/or injury be addressed on initial arrival, or left to be dealt with later?

[modaccount]

Thank you for linking it here too!

The Sylphid would take care of existing injuries. Existing illnesses is something I'd prefer to leave up to player choice, since I know some players would rather keep the character as intact as possible. I'll say that the Sylphid might miss some illnesses, if you'd prefer to keep it.

ETA: Once characters have reached the Witches Camp they can pursue cures for their existing illnesses, it's also up to player choice whether the illness is curable with their technology/magic.

[learnedfool]

So, Penric here is already carrying around a disembodied entity bound to his body, Desdemona. Canonically, there is no way to separate them without killing one. (If Pen's body dies, his soul goes to the afterlife and Des jumps to someone in the surroundings[1]; if Des is exorcised, she basically gets returned to the gods and dissolves back into chaos.)

Even though they are two distinct characters because they share a body, Des cannot exist without a host, and we don't canonically see any other human with Des other than a few minutes in the first scene of the book series where Des's prior rider was dying of a heart attack, and Pen happened on her party on the road and offered to help. This is also the only scene with Penric without Desdemona in his mind. (So no chance of ending up with two characters claiming her, even if it wasn't a rare canon.)

Also, assuming this is allowed, how would the locals respond to a non-corporeal being that is occupying a human body, but sharing it, and the subordinate partner in the relationship? Especially since anyone without a perception of magic or souls or something can't clearly tell (anyone who can see magic etc. could tell that there were two beings, and the human who owned the body was in control; otherwise, Penric looks like a normal human).

[1] Which I will assume is blocked, even if the chip is removed, especially since perma-death isn't a thing.

[modaccount]

With the way you've described it, I think this character would be appable with Desdemona in his head.

There would be a variety of ways that locals might respond to this kind of situation. Considering everybody on the planet is familiar and comfortable with magic, and at least half have magic and the ability to see it, it would be pretty common that he gets clocked as two beings in one body. Some people would probably be reminded of the Sylphid when it comes to an entity in a body that isn't hers, and possibly see Desdemona as another type of Sylphid, which would result in some ire, defensiveness, or suspicion. Other people might not bat an eyelash about it, because there are some very weird people on the Broken World.

It's up to you how much you'd like to play with people being suspicious of Desdemona or Penric.

[restlessdreamer]

It seems like Tian is the more powerful alignment; unless I'm misunderstanding something, Heba gives 'a superpower' while Tian gives all magic, broadly. Is this intentional, or is there a balance issue I'm missing?

[modaccount]

The balance between the two is essentially that magic must be learned, while the superpower is functional at full power right away. Magic users can level up once every two months and like in D&D are limited to a certain number of spells a day.

I'll update the information to clarify this!

[solartrauma]

Just gonna ask to make sure I'm not breaking game boundaries/mechanics. "Baseline human" is kind of a thing that doesn't translate 100% to a character that isn't organic whatsoever and body is designed completely differently. Most of his abilities are baseline Cybertronian, but that's not the same thing, so I just wanted to make sure exactly how similar we are going to be here.

1. I have assumed that things like his solid holographic human disguise, alt-mode ability to switch to a car, installed weapons systems, missiles, etc, all of that is blocked by the chip. That true?

2. Would his ability to access some electronics/communications/downloading information through his own cables/ports also be blocked? As this is something humans cannot do, or would it be allowed with in-game adjustments/upgrades based on in-game technology? Primarily I was considering his communications systems being adapted to work as his in-game communicator because carrying a tiny phone or tablet around would be a Struggle.

3. He's made of metal, wires, cables, and circuits. Does making everyone baseline human mean that his body will react like human flesh, as if he were organic? Would getting shot by a stray blaster bolt have the exact same effect as a human being shot or is it more akin to someone wearing armor being shot? I don't want to assume he's more durable because of this, so I figured I better double check.

I apologize for the minutiae, just wanting to make sure I'm staying in bounds here.

[modaccount]

Thanks for the questions! It would be more of a relative thing than an exact switch to human baseline for a character like this. For example, he would be as fast as a human, as strong as a human, able to be injured like a human, etc.

1. Any weapons, ability to switch into a car, missiles, etc. would be blocked by the chip, but he could retain his solid holographic human disguise.

2. Yes, he could retain his ability to access some electronics/communications/downloading information to a reasonable degree - I could see this being compared to a human's ability to interact with electronic devices and learn. His communications systems could absolutely be adapted to work as an in-game communicator.

3. As long as he is able to be injured similarly by weapons to a person wearing armor that should be fine. There are a lot of cases in movies, anime, and other media where baseline humans can take more damage than is realistic, so I can see this being on the same level as that.

No apologies! I enjoy answering questions. :)

[ezra_of_lothal]

Hey, I'm a little confused about inventory. On the TDM they don't have these items, correct? Should it be a list of items that they *can* recover?

Along those lines - Ezra did not his lightsaber on him at the moment I'm taking him from, in canon (which is right at the end of his canon.) It very clear he left it behind, before when I want to take him from. So that means it's not something that he can find to his place, at all, right? Which is fine, I just want to make sure I understand.

[modaccount]

The inventory is a list of items they can recover via missions, and should be what they had on them at the time of arrival. The only item they should have on the TDM or upon entry to the game is any personal network type device, like a cell phone or laptop.

If Ezra's lightsaber wasn't on him at the time he was pulled from, it wouldn't exist on this world, correct!

[newmemorywhodis]

1. Since silent protagonists are decided case-by-case, would you consider Link from Breath of the Wild to be appable? He is definitely a silent protagonist, but he also does have demonstrated dialogue options and responses.

2. In regards to inventory, how should bag-of-holding style items be handled? Breath of the Wild has the Sheikah Slate, which can hold ridiculous levels of various weapons, clothing, forage items, etc. Would the items within the Slate be found with it, or separately? And should it contain everything it originally had, or would you prefer that it be cut down to a smaller list?

3. Do the chips also suppress the ability to use powered items? (i.e. several of Link's supernatural abilities come from the Slate rather than himself, so how does the chip affect that?)

[modaccount]

1. Link from Breath of the Wild would be appable, as he has a demonstrated personality and backstory in the game.

2. While he would be allowed to keep the Slate as his in-game device, it would be emptied of anything it's carrying and that inventory would be available to regain at a later time through missions etc.

3. The chips would suppress the ability to use the Slate as a powered item, yes. We can say it interferes with his ability to interact with it in that way.

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

What's the stance on playing multiple characters from the same cast or franchise if they never canonically interact, and would have no reason to in-game?

Also, what exactly determined a franchise vs a cast? This guy, for instance, is from a part of the MCU that has no connection to any other part of the MCU. Would he be "MCU cast", or "Moon Knight cast" and "MCU franchise"?

[modaccount]

If the two characters never canonically interact and would have no reason to, I don't see why they couldn't both be applied for!

In this specific case, Moon Knight would fall under the MCU franchise, while Moon Knight itself would be a cast. Marvel Comics would be a separate franchise.

[noisecomplaint]

How exactly would one go about becoming tethered to someone else? Does it happen naturally, or is it something that must be done very purposefully/officially?

[modaccount]

Thanks for your question! It is actually a combination of those two things.

A lot of people in the city treat searching for Tethers almost like dating - many people simply get out there and meet people to try to find that chemistry, but there is an app on the phone that characters can use to find a Tether (which will be made into a meme for game purposes), and scores of Tether Matchmakers can be found in the market districts who offer to pair you up with someone compatible. While there's no functional compatibility issue and anyone can Tether with anyone, a lot of people factor in compatibility of personality, values, etc. because it can be an incredibly intimate relationship. Many matchmakers will do a series of tests (mostly trust type tests) with the two potential Tether partners to ensure they are compatible.

Characters will know they've found a compatible Tether partner when they feel it. Much like falling in love, intense anger, or anxiety/excitement, they'll get a heart pounding feeling when around that person, a flutter in the stomach, and maybe a bit of a head rush. Once they've found a good Tether partner and both characters have agreed to Tether, there is a magic ceremony that should be done to bind the two together. Some people have this done at market stalls in the Mage's District that offer the service, while others treat it like a wedding. That is all up to player choice. The Tether should also be registered at Central Command.

On an OOC level, the mod isn't going to be keeping track of people's Tethers or anything, there are no forms to fill out, it's simply part of playing in the game. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I'm also going to update the Player Handbook with this information.

[tech_nically]

Regarding acquired abilities, how do these come into play? Are they theoretically accessible as soon as the character has been brought into the game? Or is it something that takes some time to develop (and in regards to those who choose dormancy, takes longer for some than others). Or does something trigger it to awaken?

[modaccount]

Thanks for your question! Honestly, any of those options is possible, so I'll leave this completely up to player choice. We can say that it happens differently for everyone who has an ability.

[batleths]

hi there, for the ability suppression, i'm assuming that aliens that are physiologically stronger (or have more acute senses etc) would find their strength and senses akin to peak human levels? and if aligned with heba would this count as a beyond-human ability gain?

[modaccount]

Yes, that's exactly right! And if they are aligned with Heba, you could clone their canon abilities/senses/etc. as an acquired ability.

[ezra_of_lothal]

Conversations on the network are general public unless they go directly to inboxes, yes? Is there a way to privately lock conversations off of public posts?

[modaccount]

Yes, that is correct, network entries are public by default. You can send private messages or screen to groups of friends though, and threads may be locked partway through.

[anewhero]

mods, when starting the mission, is supplies available for making own weapons ?

[modaccount]

The rebels would be more likely to provide the weapons themselves but if characters asked for supplies they would provide them.

[noisecomplaint]

Are characters expected to get a job to make money and support themselves at some point?

I saw it mentioned that they will receive an initial stipend, and that there is a food bank available for those in need, does that mean most rebels provide for themselves?

Also, is it frowned upon culturally to stay at the Command Centre and effectively 'leech' off them for some time?

[modaccount]

Characters may get a job to make money and support themselves, though if they are regularly participating in rebel missions they will continue to receive a stipend. The stipend, however, would be enough for essentials and not enough for much luxury, so any extra spending money would need to be made through a job.

Most rebels do hold some sort of job, except at the higher levels.

It is not frowned upon whatsoever to stay at the Command Center for some time. It's what it's there for!

[modaccount]

Yes, dead characters are appable. As long as they have a form that is able to be interacted with and is capable of interacting with the setting, they should be fine. For spirits that don't have a corporeal form or can't interact with the setting, we could say that they were pulled into a physical version of themselves by the Sylphid upon arrival.

[consider8]

Going to toss this here, since this seems to be the most appropriate.

So Eight's physiology is... weird. She can shift between a super malleable octopus form that is more or less made out of ink to a more rigid humanoid form.

So, first question: when shifting, would it be permissible to use the octopus form to freely remove and acquire the chip? Canonically, they seem to shunt everything they're carrying into themselves so that they can move and and reacquire it when they reform to a humanoid form. Since her body is so malleable anyway, it would seem super easy for her to pop a chip in and out once she's able to do so.

Second may have more to do with a story plot. Octarians are actually a minority in her world, but they supplement their numbers with the ability to self-replicate by using their tentacles. In addition, the biomatter that they use is literally the stuff they use for artillery. When they are "splatted" (literally, killed), their spirits fly to a respawn point and use residual ink to reconstruct their bodies. This seems like something the Sylphid would find Eight's physiology very interesting, since a single Octoling could be the framework for creating an entire army of Sylphid-octoling hybrids.

Just putting that out there, dunno if you'd want to do something with it. :)

[modaccount]

Thanks for your questions!

In the interest of fairness, I think it would be best for her to not be able to insert and remove the chip at will. I will say that once the chip is removed, it self-destructs in order to prevent that sort of thing.

Thank you for the idea! I'll definitely think about incorporating that into a future mission, as they would have a genetic profile for her on hand after the initial kidnapping.

[restlessdreamer]

So, one of Astrid's home-brought powers is her ability to slip into the Void temporarily; this hides her from sensors, cameras, and most means of detection(she can't Sling through physical barriers, and if she tries to Sling through laser-style detection she can do it but her presence is picked up). How should this interact with her chip? I'm putting her as Stripped, which means she can't really do stealth missions, but would her Void mode drop her from sensors? It's not something she can do for the extent of a full mission; it would mostly help her through individual challenges, and greatly increasing her speed at the cost of reduced stamina.

Void Mode | Void Sling

These are in her app but they're a couple links into the source material; this is just for easy access.

[modaccount]

I'll say in this case (and the case of other abilities by Stripped players that would help them avoid detection) that the Sylphid would still know that someone was there that wasn't meant to be there, but might have a hard time finding said person. In Astrid's case, when she slips into the void, she wouldn't show up on sensors etc. but they would still be aware that someone was there that shouldn't be, just not where she is.

Hopefully that makes sense!

[saklas]

Hello!

I was mostly just curious about this one - can one get a tether divorce?

EDIT: Oops, seems like you answered this a few questions in on another thread. Sorry about that!

[modaccount]

I answered it a little, but I can elaborate some! People can sever tethers, but after a certain point in adolescence it becomes more difficult and has some negative side effects, mostly emotional ones - loneliness, sadness, etc.

Children and teenagers have an easier time shifting tethers, think of it like how kids can have a different best friend every week, but in adulthood those friendships solidify and are maintained.

[tech_nically]

Gonna be obnoxious here but given Tech's experiences and how he is in general, he would look into everything known about everything the chips to weigh in on his decision to leave it in or remove it. Apologies in advance!!

-Do they know how it works? How it's able to suppress people's abilities etc.

-What is it made of and where is it located?

-Are all its properties documented that it can be safely said that it only tracks and inhibits abilities? What are the chances of 'reprogramming' or being controlled through said chip? (This is a main concern of his.)

-Is it possible to replicate the signals sent off from them to fool Sylphid systems? (Actually now that I think about it the answer's probably no since that's kind of a main mechanic for the game BUT could it be attempted...?)

[modaccount]

Thank you for your questions, it's not obnoxious at all!

- The rebels do know how the chips work, which is part of why they're able to remove them. Because it's advanced technology the likes of which doesn't exist yet in real life, I couldn't explain exactly how.

- It's made out of pretty standard chip materials, though it may contain some elements that don't really exist outside of this planet.

- Its properties are all documented, and it is not able to mind control or reprogram characters.

- They are capable of sending false signals - Once characters are brought to the Witches Camp, they enter the range of a magic spell that disrupts the chip and feeds back false information about the character's whereabouts. - but that couldn't currently be replicated to allow them to seem to have a chip when they don't. It only works one way.

If Tech would like to work on research regarding faking chip signals, that would be totally fine.

[noisecomplaint]

Hello mod!

Here to bother you about the tethering ceremonies! We know that the extremely informal ceremony is basically a 'city hall' experience, but what is a full-fledged traditional ceremony like? Are there any specific rites/rituals/outfits/etc?

Rokuro is about to go full bridezilla, so any details for him to obsess over would be amazing.

[modaccount]

Thanks for your question!

Traditional tethering ceremonies were primarily created to officiate Heba-Tian Tethers, though they have been adapted in many ways for same-planet Tethers. Here are a few of the traditions that I've thought of that are considered traditional, feel free to mix and match them:

- Handfasting: The characters' hands are tied together loosely by the officiant or a close friend of both parties with a piece of fabric decorated in runes/symbols representing the two planets. These fabrics are available for Tian-Tian and Heba-Heba tethering ceremonies as well.

- Foliage/Flower Headwear: The two parties involved will create a flower crown or other headware/fascinators adorned with flowers, foliage, or fungi from their own planet, which they will exchange and wear at the ceremony.

- Hand Decoration: Each party will receive a temporary tattoo of sorts on the back of their dominant hand with a symbol or rune representing the planet of the person they're tethering with and something symbolic of the person they are tethering with.

- Tether Jewelry: Most people wear a bracelet or necklace with charms attached that represent their tethers. The charms can be purchased at many stalls and shops in markets across the Witches' Camp, in a wild variety of shapes. For example, a tether with someone who fights a lot may be represented by a sword, a tether with someone who enjoys gardening may be represented by a flower, etc.

- Outfits: The clothing the two parties wear can range from casual streetwear to formalwear that originates from the person's culture to a traditional Broken World costume that resembles an oversized shapeless long-sleeved dress with a high collar with a sleeveless overlay, specifically worn without shoes. This outfit is unisex. Whatever the participants choose to wear, they usually dress in the color associated with their own planet - vibrant orange for Heba, dark blue for Tian.

- Sharing Food: It is common for each party to buy or prepare a traditional snack from the culture of Heba or Tian to be hand-fed to their new tether at the ceremony.

Some additional information about Tether culture, just for flavor:

- It's only been within the past 50 years or so, as the rebellion increases in strength, that it's become common to have more than one tether. This is mostly because, as the rebellion ramps up, it's more likely to lose loved ones.

- It's also only recently become more common to have same-planet tethers, and it only started coming into fashion about 10 years after multiple tethers became common.

- It's uncommon in Sylphid territory to have more than one tether, which means same-planet tethers are also uncommon.

- Tethers did not originate in romance and while they have a joining ceremony they are not intended to be romantic - while many who are married or in a relationship are also tethered, the two are viewed as completely separate parts of the relationship. The first tethers were completely platonic and the ceremony is completely platonic. In fact, it's generally frowned upon to bring romance into a tethering ceremony - there are other ceremonies for romantic partners.

- There are Tether Counsellors available for people having trouble meshing with a tether.

[maskedtyrant]

Some stuff I was thinking about becoming relevant as Tian characters gain access to higher-tier magics:

1. How strong are healing magics (Cure Wounds, Healing Word, etc.) compared to modern medicine/the Broken World hospitals? Are there some serious or long-term conditions that these spells can't cure, or can those conditions be healed with higher level spells?

2. How do revival spells like Revivify fit into the character death/revival mechanics? Flawless execution every time that's only limited by spell slots per day of the characters, or is there a significant chance of failure, or is that a player-by-player preference?

2a. How do more traditional necromancy spells, especially the really high-level stuff like Create Undead/Soul Cage/Resurrection, fit into the character death/revival mechanics?

3. What's the standard "level" of your average Tian NPC? Do mages typically hit some kind of level cap at a certain point, and will PCs surpass it?

[modaccount]

Thanks for your questions!

1. Healing magics can be pretty strong, and are actually frequently used in hospitals on the Broken World. Characters could conceivably be able to heal people from pretty substantial wounds on the field at higher levels of healing spells. As for long-term conditions, anything that would be considered a status effect (poisoned, for example) couldn't be healed by healing magic alone. Also, I have left it up to player choice whether characters who enter the game with chronic illnesses can be healed or cured by magic or the science of the Broken World.

2. In order to maintain the grave nature of death consequences, I'm going to say that any type of resurrection spell wouldn't work on player characters. On NPCs, however, these type of spells would work, and have about a 75% success rate.

2a. Again, this type of spell wouldn't work on player characters. Necromancy is usable on NPCs though.

3. The level of Tian NPCs varies widely depending on how much they've trained, so there is no real 'standard.' There is no specific level cap, other than the set one of a level every two months, so for example, you would need to train for a year to hit level 6.

[ezra_of_lothal]

A game logistics question - I just posted AC, so sorry if that is late. But I'm also not sure where AC is 'due'. By the 1st? On the 1st?

[modaccount]

AC is due on the 1st of the month, with a grace period of two days, the final deadline being the 3rd of the month.