Materials and Additives

I'm nose deep in GM stuff so I thought I'd post something fun here.

One of my goals with BREAK!! was to make it so that actual pre-made magical and technological items (Relics) would actually be rare and powerful. Something that a Game Master could introduce into the game because they wanted that extra panache, but also something they could omit and not have the game suffer too much for it.

This is why Crafting was made to be as simple as possible. It should be easy for players to interact with so; 

1. All the odd stuff they find can be put to good use and have some sort of tangible value.
2. Make it so that lesser, "+1 Sword" style magic items were still kind of fun because players would be the ones putting them together.

Crafting entails taking a Magical Material, crafting into an item of your choice, and using Additives to give it special Abilities. Also some rolls and such are involved but you can wait until you have your hands on the rules for that.

Materials are just that. As is true of most of BREAK!!, common sense rules apply when it comes to the [type] - You can certainly make a weapon out of metal, and maybe even timber, but not usually out of a consumable. 

A solid consumable can be used to make an enchanted pastry, but not a fizzy potion.

Oh yeah, all materials have a small special effect attached to them because I think it's fun.

Shade Iron [metal]

An inky-black metal created when crude iron is left to rust in an Asura’s blood. Its malevolent origin grants it an oppressive aura.

• Items made from Shade Iron will howl and groan in an unearthly manner while in motion. These sounds are as quiet as a whisper or loud as a shout depending on the desires of the bearer

Shadough [solid consumable]

A hearty and buttery dough crafted from cereals that grow in the Deep Shadowlands. The fact that it does not spoil makes it invaluable among Shadowland nomads.

• Items made from Shadough do not need to be carefully packed. They remain at room temperature and will not accumulate filth regardless of how they are stored.

Additives don't follow the same rules.

Each one can grant certain types of Abilities if used during crafting - not every kind of item can have every type of Ability attached. For example, using a Gale Element Gem to make a Sword will give you a sword that can do Gale damage, whereas a suit of armor would instead gain protection from the same sort of damage.

Trapped Song

These small glass baubles are actually the crystallized voices of the merpeople lost in the Shadowed Sea. While usually in the possession of the fearsome Sea Witches, sometimes these treasures bob to the surface for lucky sailors and fishermen to discover.

• Glamour: The bearer of the Item gains an appropriately lovely and melodious voice that compliments their attempts at discourse and performance, and has an edge on all Checks during the Negotiation procedure that allow for speaking.

Element Gem

Small, precious stones that form in areas of high elemental activity or affinity. These jewels course with a powerful energy, and can transfer this power to items they are incorporated into during Crafting.

• Attack Ability: The item may do damage of the associated element (Flame, Shock, Frost or Gale) instead of normal damage.
• Defense Ability: The bearer of the item takes one Heart less damage from any attack or offensive ability of the associated element (Flame, Shock, Frost or Gale).

Setting Material

I've been plugging away at setting info for the Outer World for a few days now. Fluffy flavor stuff is a good way for me to sort of stretch mentally, so I thought it would be a good thing to do right before diving headlong in the the GM section of the game.

So I recently posted on G+ concerning ideas for a setting timeline - and response was less positive than I'd hoped for. Most people simply do not want to take a lot of time to pour through extensive info of any kind. Not that I'm bitter: I am really glad that I can use the input now instead of pouring anymore time into it.

So I've gone a different route with it. Instead of longer timeline with specific dates, each of the four Aeons is covered thusly;

3rd Aeon: The Age of Three Empires

With the monarchs of antiquity vanquished and driven away, mortals rise to unopposed prominence. Many nations are born, but a clear triumvirate emerges; a bright and shining kingdom, a realm bathed in shadow, and a country of iron and gears. These empires become both the hope and terror of the age, inventing, warring and ever-growing.

The Hero of the 1st Aeon captures the sun and declares war on the triumvirate. The empires join forces and the resulting conflict wounds the Hero, breaks the sun and slays the world's oldest dragon. The empires save their people, but are ruined in the process.

Hopefully enough to stimulate the imagination and grant tangibility to the Outer World's history, but not enough to strangle interest and creativity. I am taking the same route with write-ups on locations in the current, 4th Aeon.

The Shadowed Lands

There is no law or order in this haunting landscape of tundra and fungal forests. The nomads of the Shadowed Lands must unceasingly contend with the restless dead, raiders and overzealous crusaders from Shard that work to shatter what little piece they can build.

Adventures in the Shadowed Lands might include protecting nomad caravans, battling powerful undead creatures, and scouring forgotten places for anything of value.

Notable Sites

• Lekia, The City of Old Sins
• Phantom Frost Fortress
• The White Moth Opera House

The idea is to give a brief summary of an area, as well as a few tidbits to give some ideas to an eager GM.

Of course, these will likely be more fleshed out in modules down the road, but I like for the main book to give possibilities as opposed to definitive - these sorts of things should be adaptable to a multitude of tones and styles, after all.

Actually, about Gencon....

Thanks to some recent car troubles (and the expenses that have come from them) my wife and I won't be able to make it to Gencon this year, meaning the BREAK!! game there is cancelled.

While disappointing, I'll try to use this to redouble my efforts in completing BREAK!!, rather than moping. Also it should get me to post here too - I don't want this downer entry to be the top one for too long, after all.