Setting: Mariah Doeheart

One figure is on the cover of BREAK!!'s rulebook, featured on a completed character sheet in the back, and scattered in a few small illustrations throughout. This is Mariah Doeheart, a Battle Princess and a character conceived as the closest to an ideal BREAK!! adventurer as one could manage. She went through many iterations during the game's development, initially beginning as melancholy and serious sort but eventually transforming into the eager heroine she is at present.

This blog entry gives her a more detailed introduction in hopes of giving Players and Game Masters ideas for their own characters, as well as giving us a chance to flesh out our mascot a bit. So without further ado:

Mariah being a bit more excited for her next adventure than the rest of her party is

 

 

Her story so far...

Mariah Doeheart is quite fond of her given name. Her parents got it from a great heroine of the early 4th Aeon, a storied warrior who is said to have protected folk in the difficult times following the shattering of the Sun Machine. Her feats included driving off a shadow beast with a small retinue, helping found the first of the Shard cities, and negotiating peace with the Queen of Weeping Shadows. 

 

In contrast, Mariah herself earned the nickname "Poke" as a child due to her habit of getting into places she wasn't supposed to (including some dangerous Akenian ruins where a mysterious little creature she later named Churly Paws protected her) and it stuck with her until adulthood. As a result she has a habit of announcing herself before it's even requested, as if she's trying to make certain that people won't give her another unwanted sobriquet.

 

The child of Starlight Farmers, Mariah's days were split between learning the family trade and her aforementioned expeditions to the interesting places around her home. Her heart was never quite in agriculture, and she found herself yearning for new places to explore as she outgrew her previously favorite adventuring sites. By the time of her 20th birthday, it was clear that her younger sister was far more interested in inheriting the farm than she was and it freed her to move on. When a neighbor asked if the daring tenebrate would escort them to the city of Magia, Mariah took on the job and decided it was going to be a one way trip. She grabbed her things, exchanged a farewell note for a bag of her mom's cookies, and began her journey.

The trip turned out to be even more eventful than expected. She discovered her ability to call forth a Heart's Blade when she had to chase off a patrician who thought it would be fun to test his new sword out on the pair, found out her neighbor was an aspiring sage while assisting them with their first assignment, and even helped retrieve an important tome for a little wizard in grey (even if Mariah was partially responsible for it being lost in the first place). While these first few adventures were filled with close calls and stumbles, they also burned away any doubts or trepidation that Mariah had from leaving home. She'd found her calling.

Noting her enthusiasm, the little wizard even offered her a reward for another task - he needed someone to find a wayward fool of an Otherworlder and bring him back to Magia. With a new quest and a smile on her face, Mariah set out on another adventure.

Demeanor

Mariah is cheerful and enthusiastic, eager to make new friends and seek out new adventures. She'll introduce herself without hesitation, be the first to charge into a dangerous situation, and has a bad tendency to jump to conclusions here and again. While it can be a bit much at times, it's all part of her earnest nature. This, combined with her genuine (if sometimes clumsy) kindness, has earned her more than a few friends and allies.

 

She's also naturally gullible, but fortunately her Cry of the Heart ability has helped mitigate that quite a bit. 

Churly Paws, Mariah's feline-like Soul Companion, is her opposite in many ways. He's reluctant, sarcastic, and often suspicious of people he doesn't know. Sometimes a voice of reason for Mariah and other times just a grouch, he can still be counted on to always come through in the end.

 

Using Mariah in your games

While mostly intended as an example of a completed character sheet and a potential pre-generated character in the BREAK!! rulebook, Mariah can also be used as a Game Master Character. She might be the face of a party of rival adventurers, a friendly random encounter in an adventure site, or someone the players can meet and hire in a settlement.

 

If you like, an older, wiser, and higher Ranked version of Mariah might even be a mentor and quest giver for the party as well. Whether her adventures helped bolster her courage and eager nature or tempered them a bit is dependent on your version of Outer World.

 

Freebie: Followers

Need some followers for your next settlement? While look no further, here's 20 of them. You can even roll for them randomly that way, if you want.

Each of these is meant to be added on top of their existing companion type, essentially replacing the starting process where you select their trait and species and what not. I know this isn't quite as helpful as just writing out their whole entry, but it's a heck of a lot easier to format for a blog entry.

1. Custrel - Gilia Mossbraid, Dwarf
• Traits: You can count on her (+1 Grit)
  
• Proficiencies: Mighty Weapons, Medium Armor
• Additional Combat Gear: Barricade Smasher (Mighty Weapon), Cobble Mail (Medium Armor)
• Gilias is a grubby and grouchy mercenary whose pretty dependable. She'll grumble and grouse about any job she's on, but if she's paid well (or her loyalty has been earned) she'll follow along nonetheless.
  
  
2. Custrel - Acorn Aggro, Chib,
• Traits: Light on his feet (+1 Deftness)
  
• Proficiencies: Drawn Missile Weapons, Concealed Weapons
  
• Additional Combat Gear: Cupid Bow (Drawn Missile Weapon), 10 Heart Arrows (Ammo)
• With his hooded cloak and repeated attempts at a gravely voice, Acorn is doing his best to come off as a real tough cookie - but keeps finding himself "mistaken" for cute instead. He's been trying to teach himself to swear recently with mixed results.
  
  
3. Custrel - Blake Hissken, Promethean
• Traits: Very cool (+1 Aura)
  
• Proficiencies: Arc Weapons, Standard Shields
  
• Additional Combat Gear: Legion Spear (Arc Weapon), Burnished Aspis (Standard Shield)
• Blake is an effortlessly cool sellsword who waxes poetically about carving his own path in this fractured aeon. He does occasionally overlook things (easy to do, considering how towering he is) but manages to be a stalwart warrior in spite of it.
  
  
4. Custrel - Sashi Sharpsaber, Native Human
• Traits: Great Condition (+1 Might)
  
• Proficiencies: Master Weapons, Thrown Missile Weapons
  
• Additional Combat Gear: Tempered Tachi (Master Weapon), Star Shuriken (Thrown Weapon)
• Bonus Ability: Vagrant Blade (Champion)
  
• A woman of mysterious origin, not because she's quiet about her history but because she tells a different story every time. Depending on when you ask, she's a disgraced ronin, an honorable shinobi, or even a pirate on the run. At least she's honest in most other regards.
  
  
5. Custrel - Karey Gemgrace, Tenebrate
• Traits: All too aware (+1 Insight)
  
• Proficiencies: Standard Shields, Medium Armor
  
• Additional Combat Gear: Heater (Standard Shield), Medium Armor (Errant Plate)
• Karey is a novice knight whose mentor's chivalrous career was ended by a disastrous chompa related incident. Feeling it was a bit too late to head back home and learn to be a clerk, she's resigned herself to playing things safe and is all too happy to point out any unnecessary risks her employer happens to be taking.
  
  
6. Scholar - Otto Cottontail, Hoppalong
• Traits: Surprisingly strong (+1 Might)
  
• Specialist Subject:3rd Aeon Technolgy
• Note: Otto can repair and craft basic gadgettering crafts and has a specialist kit to do so. He also has access to a Helical Archive sponsored workshop.
  
• While not particularly courageous, Otto's thirst for knowledge and area of expertise means he spends a lot of time in dangerous ruins. He won't shut up about something once you get him going, but is an otherwise pleasant sort.
  
  
7. Scholar - Promising Enterprise, Rai-Neko
• Traits: Thankfully quick (+1 Deftness)
  
• Specialist Subject: Monsters and other strange creatures
• Promising Enterprise is a member of a scholar collective attempting to write something they're calling the "Monstery Manual". While open-minded and curious normally, they are just not budging on that name.
  
  
8. Scholar - Penclick, Goblin
• Traits: Used to roughing it (+1 Grit)
  
• Specialist Subject: Subterranean structures and locales
• Clever and resilient, Penclick's claim to fame is that through sheer luck and gumption he's managed to survive six different cave-in and cave-in adjacent incidents! He's hoping for a seventh one, as it's a lucky number.
  
  
9. Scholar - Greg Hollands, Dimensional Stray
• Traits: Unnervingly Astute (+1 Insight), Had a Gym Membership (+1 Grit)
  
• Specialist Subject: Dramatis Personae of Outer World
• All Other Worlders are a little strange, but Greg seems especially mystifying. Rather than a tome, he's tapping through a portable Other World device, and even though he sometimes refers to them in odd ways like "three stars" or "super super rares" he knows quite a bit about the important individuals and their goings-on.
  
  
10. Scholar - Valdi Farview, Native Human
• Traits: Aggressively Charming (+1 Aura)
  
• Specialist Subject: All things magic
• Bonus Ability: Everyday Divination
  
• Valdi is both performer and fortune teller, always happy to put on a bit of a show when she discusses anything arcane or the future fate of her audience. She lays it on so thick that people are actually caught off guard by her actual divining abilities.
  
  
11. Guide - Gallance Clearview, Tenebrate
• Traits: Observant (+1 Insight)
• Gallance is especially fond of fishing, and will regale anyone who hires him with increasingly outlandish stories of his exploits throughout their trip. Some of them might even be true.
  
  
12. Guide - Tug, Gruun
• Traits: Robust (+1 Might)
• Named for the fact she's often hauling things back and forth for people, Tug has gotten to know the lay of the land thanks to moving across it so often. She enjoys the quiet and will not hesitate to shush someone whose being excessively chatty.
  
  
13. Guide - Poppy Lightfoot, Chib
• Traits: Light-footed, naturally (+1 Deftness)
• Poppy is a bubbly little scout whose all too happy to guide adventurers on all sorts of dangerous expeditions. Truth is, she's seen so many odd and terrifying things that it's rare for anything to shake her cherry disposition at this point.
  
  
14. Guide - Neon, Bio-Mechanoid
• Traits: Meticulous (+1 Insight)
• Stoic and studious, Neon doesn't say much - even though they are clearly very often in thought. Their experience with the area around them is the result of their hobby of wandering about whenever they are pondering something.
  
  
15. Guide - Zol'sa Vilgrand, Elf
• Traits: Enchanting (+1 Aura)
• With his airy voice and wistful expression, Zol'sa can sometimes come off as more of a phantom than a living being. When pressed, he'll explain he's lived many lifetimes and forgotten everything he's learned, but he at least remembers where things are.
  
  
16. Scamp - Prissi Fullvault, Native Human
• Traits: Imperious (+1 Aura)
  
• Bonus Ability: Trusted Comrade (Raider)
• Note: Prissi has two animal friends connected to her Trusted Comrade Ability, a Skree named Flappy and a Growl named Charles.
• Prissi is the daughter of a pair of busy local merchants. She has no patience for the dull world of plenty they occupy, and often escapes with her pets to pester- no, assist any adventurers she comes across!
  
  
17. Scamp - Bronz, Promethean
• Traits: Wiry (+1 Might)
• A hard faced lad whose doing his best to earn money for his ailing younger sibling. He's a bit too proud and cautious to accept generosity from strangers, but may accept some from a friend.
  
  
18. Scamp - Delilah, Tenebrate
• Traits: Clever (+1 Insight)
• Thanks to her tendency to sneak off to dark places and remain unseen, Delilah is able to reveal the locations of hidden adventure sites and secret rendezvous to curious adventurers. Her sharp wit is revealed via a curt manner and shrewd demands for the information.
  
  
19. Scamp - Scrimp, Goblin
• Traits: Tricky (+1 Deftness)
• Scrimp's arms and legs are pretty new to him, having only recently spored and all, so he's having a great time running and jumping about in an effort to test them out. It does get him in a bit of trouble now and again, though.
  
  
20. Scamp - Milquetoast Essay, Rai-Neko
• Traits: Nine(?) lives (+1 Grit)
• Every coin Milquetoast Essay earns is another step towards his goal of owning a proper skyship and seeing all of Outer World. At least that's how he see's it. It's a great plan as far as he's concerned, and one he'll share with anyone who will listen.
  

Thinking with Nodes - making simple maps for BREAK!!

While it's possible to play BREAK!! combats entirely within the theater of the mind, I highly recommend you use some sort of physical (or digital, if your games are played online) map while doing so. Having a map to reference helps everyone at the table re-focus if something else catches their attention and can help prompt them to come up with things like stunts, tricks, or other stratagems.

This is especially true for important Guardian Encounters! While you can use the standard battlefield map for most smaller scale encounters, having a special map for big fights can really add a lot.

Don't fret though! Drawing one is actually much easier to do than it might seem. While the rulebook has some really gorgeous looking examples thanks to Grey's spectacular art, you can honestly get away with much simpler ones that just about anyone can make.

A good way to think of it is that BREAK!! maps, whether it be Region Maps, Adventure Sites, or Battlefields, are all about nodes.

Here's a quick mock-up to show what I mean. I made this in a few minutes in MS Paint, but in my home game I'd likely have doodled it on some index cards or on a dry-wash mat:

This battlefield is intended for a sort of ambush in a cave. There is likely a large, intimidating guardian on the path or near the exit, while some spell casters or foes with missile attacks are perched on the ledges, ready to rain whatever dangerous annoyances they have down on the party.

The important spots on the battlefield are clearly labeled and any conditions that apply to them listed as well. The lines connecting the points make it clear how players are able to move, and some notes at the top add any considerations that apply to the entire thing. All you need are some minis or tokens or other things to mark where everyone is and you're ready to go. The party has a lot of choices here to - do they try to climb to the ledges? Barrel through the main threat? Turn around and get the heck out of dodge? 

And that's really all there is to it. Like all things with GM Prep, try not to stress too much and have fun!

 Some Farewell Tips:

• Don't worry about detailing everything. Keeping things simple and a little open works well with how BREAK!!'s rules flow. As an example, you can just say "debris is scattered across the floor" without being too specific. It it may prompt a player to ask if there is anything sharp or big enough to throw as a weapon, or things like that, getting them to further consider the battlefield in their actions.
• Keeping the opponents the battlefield is intended for in mind is obvious, but don't forget to consider the fun things about your adventure site as well. A fire temple might have over-heated areas with the dangerous condition, magic forests might have precarious areas swarming with writhing vines, magic polluted facilities might have status ailment causing gunk in certain spots, and so forth. 
  
• You can make a few quick template maps and reskin them for different adventure sites, I won't tell anyone.

Freebie: Mook Abilities

Mook adversaries are understandably easy to overlook. In many cases they are relegated to just being opponents for low ranking characters or accessories for a more powerful adversary. In addition, the fact that the only variation in their numerical statistics will come from traits means it's easy to write off these sorts of entities and use them exclusively as distractions or background elements. In fact, you could run a perfectly fine BREAK!! Saga that way.

However, I don't think this has to be the case. Mooks can be relevant for a long time with a few tricks. This boils down to the two aspects you have total control over in their design: their gear and abilities.

Gear Considerations

You have to be careful with how you outfit Mooks - depending on the situation, anything they carry might quickly become property of the player characters (which can be a positive or negative, depending on your plans) and if you outfit them too well, they may overwhelm lower ranked individuals. That said, it is a straightforward and easy way to make sure people can't ignore the small fries.

• Mooks with ranged weaponry can harass player characters from the sidelines and may even have a good chance at hitting well armored characters by assisting each other or simply peppering them with lots of attacks. Grenades also work quite well, as it forces players to mind their position and doesn't depend on rolls from the mook themselves to work. Both these options can be a bit of a hassle though, given you need to keep track of ammunition and rate of fire, so its best left to smaller groups of enemies if you can.
• Outfitting mooks with heavier armor obviously makes them harder to hit, and forces players to think of some other way to take them out of a fight or risk whiffing depending on how well armored they are. Shields can also increase their chance of survival, though their parrying potential might be a bit annoying to keep track in large groups. In the case of either, you still need to make sure the mooks have a more active reason to draw the attention of the party in the first place.
• Mooks with other special gear, like explosives to blow open a hole in the wall of a structure the party is defending, ancient devices that might interfere with magic use, or taming gear they are using to direct some great beast around can also create fun encounters and reasons to take note of the minions and not just the main threats.
  

Ability Considerations

When it comes to unique Abilities for Mooks, its a good idea to keep a few things in mind:

• Mooks are never going to have very high Aptitudes, so when giving them offensive or status afflicting abilities, it's better to have these force a Check from the target rather than a contest.
• Support Abilities, like having the power to restore lost hearts or increase the defense of a specific individual are a pretty straightforward way to make dealing with mooks a priority.
  
• Abilities that require several of the same sort of mooks to work in tandem are fun and emphasize that they more of a collective threat than an individual one. It's also a good excuse if you want to justify an Ability that's more powerful than normal for them.
  
• While this is good advice for any Adversary's ability, it's especially important to remember not to make these too complex. Remember, given the nature of these sorts of entities you'll have to keep track of multiple instances of anything you give them!

With the brief advice out of the way, here's some sample Mook Abilities. These are stripped down to their basic mechanics so you can apply them to your own creations and re-work them to fit any themes or fiction you like.

Mana Fence

This mook can create a troublesome barrier when paired with their fellows.

• If 2 or more mooks of this type are in the same Area, they are able to erect some sort of barrier between them - usually a screen made of crackling mana - that grants the Area the Isolated Battlefield Condition. Naturally the condition is removed if said mooks are defeated.
  
• More dangerous variants of this Ability might have a barrier that also adds the Harmful Battlefield Condition to the Area.
• Examples: Floating Shield Link Drones, arcane homunculi that can work together to cast a shield spell, elemental creatures who generate fields of fire or electricity.
  

 

Power Assist 

When assisting an ally, this mook can add to their damage potential rather than their ability to hit.

• When this Mook Assists an ally, they may decide to add the normal +2 bonus to hit or replace that with an additional heart of damage instead. The additional heart of damage can only be applied once - if additional individuals with this Ability want to assist the target, they must provide the to hit bonus instead.
• Examples: Well drilled Old Iron infantry, magical puppets made to look like ancient soldiers, animated melee weapons.
  

 

Boom Buddy

This mook has the unnerving tendency to explode when troubled.

• This Mook combusts when reduced to 0 Hearts, going off with the same effect as a grenade. They may also activate this effect at will, though that reduces them to 0 Hearts immediately.
  
• Variants of this might leave behind a sort of toxic cloud, granting the Hazardous battlefield condition to the area they were in. 
• Very dangerous ones might go off like a bomb instead of a grenade, though if this version is used it's suggested they take a turn to do so and provide some sort of warning, like heating up or making an ominous sizzling noise.
• Examples: Living flames, giant spore clouds, walking wind-up bombs
  

 Hothian Topple

These little mooks often pair up to trip larger foes.

• 2 of these mooks can initiate a maneuver that forces a single target that is large sized or medium sized to make a successful Deftness Check or become Toppled. If 3 of them work together, this Check incurs a Minor (-2) Penalty, and if 4 do so than they incur a Major (-4) Penalty.
• This Ability is used exclusively by Small or Tiny mooks.
• Examples: chib and goblin commandos from New Ore with a rope, wire drones, microverse dimensional strays with appropriately sized hover vehicles
  

Assists as Combo Moves and other thoughts

Chatting in our discord the other week got me thinking of things like Chrono Trigger's Dual and Triple Techniques and the Fastball Special in the X-men comic books. For those unfamiliar, these are essentially attacks and maneuvers where multiple characters will team up and combine their abilities to make a single strike. This sort of thing is all over the media that inspired BREAK!! and after talking a bit with people about how I would implement them in our game, I thought it would be fun to write about here.

I will admit up front that I am cheating a little bit with this entry. Rather than post about a new system or procedure, I instead want to talk about how existing rules can be used to justify these things in-fiction, and tie it to a broader point as well.

In this case, I think BREAK!!'s mechanics for Assists in combat already represent these sort of combo attacks pretty well. To show what I mean, below are a few examples of combining these rules with your character's existing Abilities in a way that personalizes them and makes it seem like they were something the party came up with while they were socializing during downtime.

Attack Assists

It can be easy to underestimate Attack Assists, but sometimes if you want to make sure that a particularly important attack hits an enemy with a high defense, it can be a great way for you to contribute to that. Sometimes it can really be the thing that turns the tide.

While these just provide a pretty straightforward bonus to an allies attack, there is no reason you can't have a bit of fun describing them using skills you already have. Doing so may even open up other opportunities later on in the same conflict. 

Some Example Combo Techniques using Attack Assists

• Startling Reveal: A Factotum or Sneak taking their affinity for staying unseen and using it to get a chance to startle a target and getting them to drop their defenses.
• Dweomer Diversion: A Sage using a non-combat magic ability (such as Glowing Ink) to create a flashy distraction to catch the target's attention.
• Harrowing Gesture: Heretics utilizing their Dreadful Ability to do something uniquely tailored to upset or unnerve a target and leave them open to an attack.

Tactical Assists

Unlike their more concrete cousins, Tactical Assists have this sort of fun fiction built in as you have to describe what you are doing to use them at all. It's even easier to think of them as well practiced maneuvers between allies.

Some Example Combo Techniques using Tactical Assists

• Icarus Shot: One strong character with Supernatural Leaping grabbing another with a missile weapon of some kind and bounding into the air with them in tow so they can take a shot they wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
• Cannon Brawl: Having one character use an Ability to Balloon or Petrify someone, then having another perform an Attack Stunt or Trick to bounce or hurl them into an enemy and topple them.
• Stone Path Strike: A Dwarf using Stone Song to create a ramp or wall for a Raider with Free Runner to dash along it and attack a difficult to reach target, like a colossal creature's strike point.

Ultimately these are just a few simple examples, but my hope is that they might inspire you to come up with your own, or at least give you a chance to show how cool and fun your character is during actions you might normally let fade into the background.

The larger point I want to leave off on is this: 

BREAK!! has a few layers to it, but its a pretty simple game at its core with rules that I think can be stretched and squeezed quite a bit without messing things up. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need very specefic rules to emulate certain things. This works very well for many games but generally I don't think it's the best fit for BREAK!! a lot of the time. 

It's certainly good (and fun) to homebrew and customize, but sometimes what you need is built into the game already if you're willing to change up your angle here and again. When you think of something you want to add in, consider the existing options before jumping headlong into it. If you re-skin or re-flavor something to work for you, you'll save yourself a lot of time that you can use to come up with your next adventure, adversary, or even other house-rule instead.

 

Setting: Traveling Merchants

"The first act of true power displayed by a mortal was not one of sword or sorcery. No in fact, amidst the Unshaped's unquestioned reign over reality, the first thing the folk could do to warrant attention was to offer a bargain."

                                                                       - An excerpt from the exalted journal of Artesi Galvani 

In a previous entry, we discussed members of chivalrous orders in Outer World. In this one we will discuss a group that is just as adventurous, if a bit less romanticized: The Traveling Merchant. 

Of the vocations in Outer World, traveling merchants might be one of the most widely recognized. Every settlement, from the grand city of Aeon to the smallest lantern towns, has seen at least one peddler grace their streets. They come in all shapes, sizes, and walks of life. Any of them worth their salt has an eye for opportunity with the wits to grab it when the time arrives.

In an effort to be as brief and spritely as a potion seller making a deal, today's entry will be expressed in three brief anecdotes:

SELLING THROUGH YOUR HAT

Most wandering peddlers wear headgear of some kind. Hats of course, but headwraps and bandanas are also popular among them, depending on the region. For example, broad brimmed hats are useful in the Blazing Garden and parts of the Twilight Meridian where the sun is a persistent issue. Fluffy hoods, caps, and face coverings are more desired in the colder regions like the Shadowed Lands. Something akin to a helmet is great for the less stable parts of the Buried Kingdom for debris related reasons.

An unspoken tradition among wealthier merchants (or ones attempting to appear as such) is to accessorize with small or otherwise impractical headdress as proof of their financial success. The reasoning is that things like broad brimmed hats denote a merchant who needs that extra bit of protection thanks to needing to walk about on their own two feet and such, whereas one wearing a functionless little cap is wealthy enough to afford some sort of covered transport or, even better, doesn't need to travel all that much at all. 

Some merchants will employ an opposite strategy, donning a very rugged looking bit of headwear to make sure to not look pretentious when dealing with more practical, rural folk. When an Outer Worlder mentions that someone "wears many hats" they are insinuating they are a duplicitous or disingenuous individual - something that has apparently confused Dimensional Strays from time to time.

THE GUILD AND THE SCIONS

It's hard to discuss matters mercantile in Outer World without bringing up the two most potent merchant factions on its surface, namely Shard's Guild and the Merchant Scions of Galvanus. These two organizations deal and broader trade than their names might suggest, and are often quietly at odds with one another as a result.

Shard's guild is a bureaucratic entity that sprang from the merchants of that country seeking a way get the footing deal more evenly with the established powers of the Church of the Sacred Chain and the Patricians. Their efforts more than paid off, and the organization became as powerful those two factions (and just as suffocating, depending on who you ask) becoming the third part in Shard's elite political triumvirate. The secret to this growth was to reach beyond the borders of their homeland, securing resources that couldn't be controlled or cut off by their rivals, and using their accumulated wealth to bolster their power back at home. This ruthless strategy did little to endear them to powers abroad, however.

In contrast, the Merchant Scions of Galvanus organized to keep from economically (and physically) strangling one another. The archipelago lacks the looming centralized powers that Shard has and while this granted the merchants living there a great deal of freedom it also allowed the larger syndicates to take advantage of their power to undercut rivals with underhanded tactics, even leading to outright violence in some cases. Rather than allow an increasingly volatile situation to worsen, a loose alliance between these merchant families was formed. This turned out to be serendipitous for a number of reasons, including the fact that when Shard's guild attempted to dominate trade in the Twilight Meridian, the Scions where far better equipped to deal with them.

While these two factions generally attempt to subtly undermine and outmaneuver the other via economic and political means, it's also not entirely uncommon to see guild agents clashing with the colorful killservants employed by the merchant scions out in the open. This has led to disaster more than once, a recent example being a particularly bad exchange between a guild sage and a scion employed murder maid leading to the destruction of an ancient river god's shrine and subsequently, a great deal of retributive flooding in the area.

At least the deals have been good as of late.

THE MERCHANT

Among travelers a certain peddler is spoken of exclusively in rumors and half-whispered tales. You only ever find him on crossroads. He's a little too long, dressed in fashions you've never seen, and has a face that's impossible to remember. His wagon is pulled by a creature that's an undecipherable mass of limbs and fur, and its interior is far larger than should be possible.

It's dark within, and you can only ever see exactly what you need to. No more, no less. His partner sits in one corner, happily humming as her many arms customize and craft things both banal and arcane. He stands behind the counter and makes you an offer or listens to your order. 

His prices are steep, fair, and sometimes seem impossible, but never are. One warrior claims to have traded something precious they don't recall for a ancient magical sword. The blade has served them well, but the regret never leaves them.

If a deal has been made, he'll go in back to retrieve what you paid for from the shelves and send you on your way. If the deal was pleasant, he'll give you his card: you can call him again by tearing it up at a different crossroads on a future date.

You are not allowed to see or touch the shelves. Ever.

Legends speak of a the folk's first true act of power, a bargain made with an unshaped. No one knows exactly what this first deal was, but everyone knows who made it.

Freebie: The Troublesome Trio (Adversaries)

There are antagonists that truly test the mettle of any adventuring party, whose raw might can match them, whose cunning keeps them one step ahead, whose stalwart convictions ensure that no matter what happens, they won't stray from the dark path they have chosen. Adversaries like these can rattle the nerves of even the most stalwart of heroes.

This blog entry is not about them.

Instead, it focuses on the also-rans, the would-be's, the mid-bosses - the quirky sort of rivals who never quite manage to be more dangerous than annoying, but demand the heroes attention anyway. Since these sorts tend to come in sets of three, we'll officially dub them...

The Troublesome Trio 

Rather than one set of values or stats, the Troublesome Trio is an archetype that you may add to a team of three adversaries of your choice. These can be brand new GMC's created with either the character creation rules or adversary generation rules, or a team selected from existing adversaries - in the case of the latter, I suggest making sure they are of similar rank, perhaps modifying the selected adversaries to make sure this is the case.

As a brief aside, these rules are just the tiniest bit more meta than I usual (for adversaries at least) - while this means they won't fit in every BREAK!! game, I did think it was pretty fun for an experiment. 

With that said, Troublesome Trio's have certain sorts of members and a dynamic to keep in mind:

The Leader: While this may or may not be the trio's official leader, they are the ones that generally order the other two around. They have a tendency to be showy and boisterous, often taunting their self proclaimed rivals and giving away their schemes before they happen. They also have a tendency towards loud fashion, favoring Appealing or Authoritative Outfits. 

• Battle/Murder Princesses or Blaster Mages are good candidates to use for different sorts of leaders, though anyone who can be flashy and try and steal the show could work.

The Brawn: Usually the largest member of the group (though some are comedically smaller than their partners in crime) the brawn is usually the one running around doing the legwork. While this means many are fighting sorts, some are simply strong or sturdy enough to carry around whatever the leader demands they do. They have a tendency to be clueless or a bit dense.

• Champions or Proudhound Sellswords are both good examples of Brawns. That said, anyone who can lift heavy things or hold their own in a fight do too.

The Brain: While "smart" is a relative term when it comes to Troublesome Trios (in fact, many of them are honestly rather foolish) this member of the team is the one who provides and attends to the magic or tools that allow for all the leader's ill-considered plans. They near universally love sarcastic quips.

• Factotums and Sages work well as the Brain, but anyone who can create or call upon means for mayhem could perform the role just as well.

Members of a Troublesome Trio have the following special Abilities:

Persistent Pests

For some reason, the party just can't seem to shake these morons.

• Whenever the GM rolls on a random encounter table in a Saga where a Troublesome Trio is present, any roll of 3 results in an encounter with them, regardless of where the party happens to be.
• The GM may decide how and why the trio happens to be there or roll on the mood table below for inspiration:
• 1-7: The Trio has simply been following the party and waiting for the exact moment to strike and get in the way of some important objective. The GM should have the party member with the highest Insight roll to see if they notice them. If the party member fails, the Trio will pop up at the worst or funniest possible moment for an ambush.
• 8-14: Believe it or not, they were already here. They are likely stranded or lost when the party stumbles on them. They'll probably play this off as intentional but they are obviously lying.
• 15-20: Unsurprisingly, the trio has already gotten into trouble - another random encounter on the chart is currently scolding or chasing them when they bump into the party. They are not above begging for help.
• This Ability can be ignored when it is absolutely impossible for the Trio to be where the party is or whenever the Game Master forgets about it.

Refuge in Slapstick

While the trio no doubt wants to defeat and humble the party, they would never go so far as to try and really hurt them. Their inherently comedic nature partially shields them from serious harm thanks to a quirk of Fate.

• If a party member is ever forced to make a roll on the Injury Table due to the attack or actions of a member of a Troublesome Trio, the roll always counts as a Light Injury. Individuals who do not use the Injury/Damage table (such as friendly GMC's) are simply knocked out cold.
• Members of a Troublesome Trio don't ever die when reduced to 0 Hearts, instead being incapacitated in a funny way and usually sent flying elsewhere if the means to launch them is present.
• This aspect of this Ability can ignored if someone really evil is attacking the trio, or if the Players (not the characters) are more annoyed than amused by their antics.

Using A Troublesome Trio

The Troublesome Trio are best used multiple times throughout a Saga, which is reinforced by Refuge in Slapstick which assures they'll stick around for the length of any given campaign.

Probably the most straightforward way to utilize these rules is to have the trio show up for early adventures as a serious challenge, and then have them slowly become more of a joke as the party outpaces them in rank and ability.

Planning scenarios around the trio could be a great way to provide a breather between more serious sessions if you're running a more plot or danger heavy saga. For some ideas: 

• Big machines! (you could represent these by re-skinning some larger adversaries to have some drone or bio-mechanoid abilities), 
• Heists! (maybe they are stealing from a patron or ally of the party) 
• Terrible disguises that somehow work really well! (for some on brand fun, you could let the players in on these even if they fool their characters).

They can add a fun bit of chaos too, as the Persistent Pests ability can be used to make it so that even you can't be sure when they might show up. This of course can be ignored if you don't want to do as much improvising, but I think a big part of the fun would is having these dweebs show up unprompted.

Finally, if the party is ever totally stuck or in grave danger and you want a way to help them, the trio can actually be helpful here and again. This might be because they aren't so bad after all, they want to put the party in their debt, or just because they think the real villain of the saga is a huge jerk.

Example Troublesome Trio: The Shadowed Hearts

Drak Dastard (The Leader)

• Rank 2 Tenebrate Murder Princess
• +1 Grit, Aura, -1 Insight (Determined, Dramatic, Dense)
• Wrath's Blade: Arc Weapon (Sorrow Scythe)
• Elective Ability: Bulwark of Disdain

Drak is an intense sort who dresses in elaborate attire with an excessive amount of belts (Authoritative Outfit) that claims he will one day ascend to the rank of Overlord. While he does have a lot of ambition and dramatic flair, he's also the sort of person who can't read a room and misses a lot of minor and important details. While he will often talk of his dark past, his patrician parents are actually pretty supportive and send him encouraging missives with money tucked inside them here and again.

Mett Allic (The Brawn)

• Rank 2 Promethean Champion
• +2 Might, -1 Deftness (Too strong for her own good)
• Favored Weapon: Mighty (She likes hammers)
• Elective Ability:  Brute

In spite of her bubbly nature, Mett loves a good scrap. She's fond of Drak and goes along with his plans as it give her an opportunity to start fights and occasionally even smash things which is her favorite pastime. She did not get the memo about the team name and generally dresses in bright armor and pastels.

Tomato Disaster (The Brain)

• Rank 2 Rai-Neko Sage
• +1 Insight (Sharp Wit)
• Elective Ability: Arcane Artificing 

With their dark cloak and wide brimmed hat, Tomato seems like the mysterious sort until you get them talking about their newest creation, prompting them to go on at length about it in an excitable manner. It's clear they joined the Shadowed Hearts so they could have an outlet for all the strange artifacts they make, though they are also fairly good friends with Drak and Mett as well.

Setting: Chivalric Orders of Outer World

The Chivalric Order is a concept that has been present throughout much of Outer World's history. The very first of these was technically the Cataphracts of the Gossamer Cloak, a group of elven warriors that was formed shortly after the 1st Cataclysm with the aim of slaying First Hero for his supposed treachery. The result of their disastrous crusade is evident in the fact that the order was very much defunct within a year of its founding, but their tale (which has been retold numerous times in works both dramatic and comedic) placed the idea of high minded bands bringing sword and staff to bear in the name of some cause within the hearts and minds of the folk - for better or worse.

Many such orders have come and gone since then. They have only become more prominent in the 4th Aeon, thanks to its fractured state both allowing for greater ambitions and necessitating heroics. In this entry, we'll explore a handful of these and their current standing in Outer World.

The Knights of the Sacred Chain is the militant branch of the religion of the same name. Centered in Shard, they represent an almost ubiquitous military force in the country. These warrior monks are accepted by the populace but greatly feared - depending on who you ask, they are respectable keepers of order or the right hand of pious tyranny. Many among them obscure their face with closed helmets or scarves when on duty to help keep up their order's image of a unified, almost mystical army rather than one of individuals who happen to share a similar creed. 

Bearers of light in a place enshrouded by darkness, the Knights of the Lantern have dedicated themselves to protecting those living in the Shadowed Lands. While this does involve traditionally heroic acts like driving away monsters or fighting raiders and the like, the knights are also well known for their efforts in infrastructure; such as assisting in the establishment and maintenance of "Lantern Towns" in the heart of the region. While many of its members might be considered a bit rough and shabby by more noble warriors, their hearts are in the right place.

The Black Glove Cavaliers answer directly to Night Haven's Duke of Red Roses, acting as his eyes and ears. While rumors and speculation of what their true purpose is run rampant, it's actually more straightforward than what many assume: the cavaliers investigate conspiracies and schemes and are expected to do their utmost to make sure no harm befalls the citizens of their home isle. The broad nature of this task leads to a great deal of variance in temperament and restraint among their members.

Of those on this list, the Forgotten Swords can be the most loosely defined as an order. Founded by a mixed group of samurai and shinobi whose livelihoods were cut away by the military and social upheaval of the Seven Holy Isles, they function as a highly organized network of myrmidons and sell-swords. Since their inception their area of influence and diversity of membership has broadened considerably. Sometimes referred to as an army without a nation, the transparency of their dealings has made them highly trusted mercenaries, if not well liked ones.

Born of a concentrated effort to make safe pathways in the famously inhospitable region of No-Folk's Land, the Knights of the Open Road have filled their ranks with hard workers and stalwart warriors prepared to ensure safe passage for travelers however they can. They can often get a bit carried away, with some of the paths they end up creating stretching far further than planned. While this has gotten them in trouble with some local powers, they tend to be appreciated by common folk for obvious reasons. Of all the orders listed here, these Knights are the most likely to take up errantry and end up in other lands - who doesn't need better roads, truly?

Further Notes

• While many of these orders have purposes specific to these regions, it doesn't mean members of their ranks can't become adventurers without leaving their order. They may have simply taken up errantry or questing and plan on returning to them someday.
• This is probably obvious, but these are far from the only orders of this sort in Outer World, just a handful to show the sorts of spaces they might take up in a game. You can and should make up your own if you feel so inclined!
• If you wish to use these orders in the game you are running you can save yourself a bit of time designing members by re-skinning available adversaries in the book: Custrels can be used for squires or low ranking knights, Blaster Mages for spell casters among their number, Proudhound Sellswords and Killservants as exceptional knights, and even an Oppressor as the antagonistic leader of an order if you need. 

 

Freebie: PURRfectly Playable (Character Option)

Outer World adventurers come in many shapes and sizes. All manner of folk wander about in search of meaning, riches, or purpose. Beasts of all stripes accompany these travelers as well, from the loyal growl to the lumbering and lovable bumpo.

Of course, sometimes these lines cross. Occasionally a pet won't be just a companion to an adventurer - they happen to be one themselves as well. This blog entry provides an option for one such circumstance, presenting rules on how to play a Purr in BREAK!!

With the intro out of the way, I did want to set some expectations: I tried to make the playable Purr is as close to a normal cat as possible with just a bit of potential magic thrown in. This is why it's relatively streamlined and mostly draws from the Sneak Calling. As a result this option is not quite as robust as a normal BREAK!! character, but I figured people would forgive me since this is a blog entry AND they get to play a cat!

These rules will suit players who don't mind more passive or subtle roles in a tabletop rpg, or ones who like to scheme and tinker in the background. If they are delighted by cats, that will also help. It's also a good option for players who can't make every session, or for ones whose normal character is out of commission for a bit.

GM Tip!: This also gives a pretty loose but workable system of coming up with other playable pets too. Take a pet, an appropriate Calling, cut out the stuff that doesn't work for any particular reason and you've got your base. The Growl and Raider are a good match, for example.

Purr Player Characters

Purr Characters use the Sneak's progression table for Attack, Hearts, Aptitudes, XP required to level up, and so forth. 

They are able to do all the things an ordinary purr can do: bat at things with their paws, move around with ease, big stretches, etc. Per the pet rules, they cannot attack directly without taking a certain elective Ability, but they can perform Combat Tricks. While they can't carry or manipulate things, they can carry small things (usually sized at 1 slot or less) in their mouths.

They are also able to Negotiate, though it's limited to things like winning over someone's affection or trying to get an extra snack. They do this via meowing, rubbing against the targets leg, etc. The GM may decide the Purr gets a bonus if the target of the negotiation is fond of animals.

They are able to "talk" with other bestial mammals (like growls, snarls, other purrs, etc) and Negotiate with them normally.

Purr Player characters begin a Defense of 12, rather than a Purr's normal Defense of 11 (due to their small size) - they are just a bit faster and more nimble than other, non adventurous purrs.

Purr Characters begin Play with the following Abilities:

• Light Footed (Starting Sneak Ability)
• Furtive (Starting Sneak Ability)
• Don't Mind Me (Starting Factotum Ability)
• In the middle of a dangerous situation, most people are going to ignore a kitty moving around.
• Slinky (Purr Ability)
• While light footed covers a lot of things this grants Edges to, it's still good to take note of this for falling and other situations you might still need to roll for.

Purr Characters can also take the following Sneak Elective Abilities as they progress in Rank. These are all Sneak Abilities:

Standard

• Meticulous Dungeoneer
• Twitchy
• Sudden Strike 
• This allows the Purr character to attack normally.
• Legerdemain
• While you really can't do things like card tricks and so forth, this still provides you an Edge on Deftness rolls involving taking things or cat related mischief.

Advanced

• Inner Dramatics
• Hide in Plain Sight
• Cat's Eyes 
• Seems like a no brainer admittedly. 
• Desperate Scurry

Normal character histories don't quite work for Purrs either, so here are a handful of custom ones along with purviews for each.

(1-7) Stray

You were all alone in the world, but you made do. 

• Quickly getting out of sight
• Seizing an opportunity
• Keeping track of the good ones 

(8-14) Farm Purr

You lived mostly outdoors, but had someone to take care of you and a place to go when it was cold.

• Feline Acrobatics
• Keeping an eye out for pests
• Acting like you are much bigger than you are

(15-20) Beloved Companion

You had a good, comfortable life with a dear friend.

• Getting attention
• Finding all the nooks and crannies
• Spirited Play

Player Tip!: If the idea of your purr being separated from their owner is a bit too sad for you, that owner could be another player in the game or reoccurring Game Master Character.

While Traits are generated normally, Purrs don't have access to every Quirk, instead rolling or choosing from this list during character creation rather than the standard one:

• 1-2: Curious (Spirit Quirk)
• 3-4: Soul Link (Spirit Quirk)
• 5-6: Adorable (Physiology Quirk)
• 7-8: Big Eater (Physiology Quirk)
• 9-10: Mage Breaker (Fate Quirk)
• 11-12: Past Injury (Fate Quirk)
• 13-14: Beast Tongue (Fate Quirk)
• You can already speak to other animalistic mammals, but you can use this to acquire another bestial language.
• 15-16: Guardian (Fate Quirk)
• 17-18: Dreamer (Eldritch Quirk)
• 19-20: Sneezles (Eldritch Quirk)

Finishing touches on your Purr character are also a little different form ordinary ones. You don't have any starting money, nor do you begin play with a functional outfit or standard weapon - though you may have a collar, if you like. Instead, concern yourself with the quality and color of your fur, whether you are chonky or not, and so forth.

Setting: Seeing the Forest for the Trees (Murk)

Murk is an unearthly land dominated mostly by forests located on the greater Akenian continent of the Wistful Dark. It is oft-discussed by both curious academics and cautious lay folk of the rest of Outer World. It is understood as the last vestige of The Dreaming, a place where the laws of material reality wane and old, indistinct things dwell. 

Folk live there, and some even wander away from it, but their stories of the place are disparate. Many believe a mortal can only ever know a small part of those great woods, given its strange condition of being of Outer World but being also distinct from it. People rarely die in Murk - it is more likely they will vanish among the trees or become something else entirely.

The Formless Council holds court there, but the ranks of the Unshaped have dwindled to a truly pitiable number. The Glassen Tsar of Crystalia and The Queen of Weeping Shadows rarely attend. Lesser unshaped (such as Belzuub) grow brazen, mocking their ostensible superiors for languishing in idle fantasy. Schemes are often proposed, but are generally never agreed upon.

Murk does often change to reflect the council's moods and whims, but these ripples are petulant rather than methodical. Breezes from all corners of Outer World blow through its foliage, bring chill or warmth in equal measure. Places wither and regrow without warning. Roads, when present, rarely ever lead to the same place for longer than a few days.

Every woodland path eventually leads back to Murk. If one has the permission from a particular Forest's ruler, they may pass from it into that strange land. Some speak of great adventurers who have made numerous alliances so they may quickly traverse from one end of Outer World to another.

Great power gathers here, but it is brittle and fleeting: the oldest being in Outer World rests in a meadow. One great tree rises above all others, a spire filled with treasure from places that do not exist. In a shining lake somewhere, a duchess in white is trying to grow a moon. If one does manage to find the heart of Murk, they may also discover the last remaining fragment of the world that once was.

Freebie: Wonder and Whimsy (Gear + Adventure Site Features)

I'm unreasonably excited for Super Mario Wonder, so I thought it might be fun to theme this freebie around it. 

I've loved the Mario games since I was a kid, and while it might not be quite as influential on my stuff as a certain other Nintendo franchise I do think some of its DNA did make its way into BREAK!!

Besides, BREAK!! really wears its influences on its sleeve, so it just feels right to occasionally write things like this and show off how people might translate their own favorite things into it for their own sagas.

Anyway, enough blathering, onto the freebies!

(On the off chance you don't know what game I'm talking about, here's the trailer)

Wonder Fruits

These unique consumables grant an array of effects upon use, usually a bonus ability coupled with an appropriate physical or cosmetic alteration. They are quite rare, often manifesting a few at a time every century or so in very specific places. They have proven to be impossible to cultivate or reproduce and are unsuitable for use in even magical crafting - given this, and the fact they seem to have been around in some capacity for as long as history has been recorded, scholars have defaulted to blaming the Unshaped for this one.

Wonder Fruits:

• Take up a single inventory slot if stored
• Can be consumed with an action.
• Unless otherwise noted, their effects last until the user would lose a heart or incur an injury somehow. The user is spared the damage, but the power up's effects end immediately.

Due to their nature as rare, single use items found in specific places, it's hard to put a value on Wonder Fruits as normal merchants simply don't have much reason to try and sell them. Undead Merchants however occasionally hunker down and peddle them for a (negotiable) 50 Coins a pop.

Bumpo Berry (Consumable, Wonder Fruit)

This odd, fist size berry looks a bit like a Wooly Bumpo's head, growing in magic saturated places that are in some way affiliated with those majestic beasts.

• Consuming one of these fruits will not only nourish you for a day, but also transform you into a mighty hybrid of yourself and the berry's namesake! In this form:
• You grow to Large size, if you aren't that big (or bigger) already.
• Grants you Supernatural Might and the Champion's Brute Elective Ability.

Other Wonder Fruits can be created by pairing different abilities with physical changes or colorful effects. Given their temporary nature, you might even allow players to gain access to powerful abilities that are usually only available to adversaries, or create a sort of  power-up that is essential to getting around a particular Adventure site.

Whimsy Stones

Whimsy Stones are an extremely concentrated version of the magical energy that Sages draw on for a number of their spells. There are a few reasons why enough mana collects to form one of these: magical duels involving repeated spells, rituals that go a little too well, or the death of a particularly powerful sage are perhaps the most well known.

Whimsy Stones are rooted in the ground of certain Adventure Sites and are activated by touch. This creates a Whimsy Effect (see below) that affects the site for 24 Hours. This drains the stone of its magic, though it will resume soaking in mana and become charged again in a span of time dependent on the nature of the site itself. These effects extend to the player's party unless otherwise noted.

It is said that the these stones, ripped from their place of origin and with their mischief shucked away, are an integral component of a Pedagogue's apparatus.

Whimsy Effect (Roll or Choose)

• 1-2: Everything and everyone currently in the Adventure Site is granted a very unbecoming hat they are compelled to wear for the duration of the effect.
• 3-4: Every location in the Adventure Site now has 3 Chompas (from the adversary section of the BREAK!! rulebook) wandering around them in addition to whatever was in there before. Roll on the Chompa's Mood Table to see how each trio is handling the situation.
• 5-6: Every applicable target within the Adventure Site becomes afflicted with a thematically appropriate Status Ailment as chosen by the GM.
• 7-8: The scenery within the site has come to life and is now moving or wobbling about! Roll a die for each Battlefield Area that comes up to see what condition they gain from all this wiggling:
• 1-4: Nothing new, thankfully
• 5-8: Isolated
• 9-12: Sheltered
• 13-16: Cramped 
• 17-20: Precarious
• 9-10: The entire Adventure site is now flooded with water. It's thankfully breathable even for folks bereft of gills, but it does mean everyone inside is going to be stuck wading or swimming everywhere.
• 11-12: The doors and portals of this adventure site are tired of being slammed, having their locks picked, or being bashed open at a whim and are on strike. Anyone wanting to move through one normally will have to negotiate with them (their Aptitudes for any negotiation rolls are equal to their Object Defense Rating, -2)
• 13-14: Physical violence is impossible within the Adventure Site for the duration of the effect. Conflicts are instead resolved via things like card games, rock paper scissors, tongue twisters - whatever the GM has on hand, really. Anyone who loses one of these contests or attempts to attack someone else (including the use of hostile abilities) vanishes until the effect is over, re-appearing at the spot they last got a decent rest at.
• 15-16: The lighting of the adventure site inverts. Well lit places are now pitch dark, shadowy spots are now bright and so forth. It's very disorienting and has likely got the site's normal inhabitants in a tizzy.
• 17-18: The smallest inhabitant of the Adventure Site (not including members of the player's party) is now Massive size (per the Adversary section of the BREAK!! Rulebook). This often comes with an proportionate increase in aggression.
• 19-20: The Adventure site is immediately flipped upside down. This one is probably a (comedic) disaster.

Setting: Prominent Belief Systems of Outer World

Many belief systems have come and gone throughout Outer World's history. Each aeon brought in new ways of thinking, and with it, a cataclysm that overthrew some existing power or eroded away a status quo once taken for granted. The current world is characterized by the swirling mixture of remains of divine law, scattered eldritch powers, tattered fate, and the ubiquity of the arcane. It is an overwhelming, but nonetheless wonderous place that calls to be understood. Scholars, leaders, and overthinkers have tried their hands at making sense of it all, and some of those thoughts have actually stuck.

It should be noted that while all of the following belief systems have dedicated adherents, the average individual mixes and matches aspects of these teachings in the way that suit them best. Many find Outer World to be too strange and chaotic a place for a single cosmic truth.

The Mana Inequity Principle and Arcane Altruism

A stark reality of Outer World is that certain individuals can do things that others cannot. Seasoned casters will spend their whole life studying to master a few spells, while some cocky hedge wizard will have just as many under their belt with a fraction of the practice. Veterans of multiple wars will watch in awe as a youthful waif leaps along rooftops and displays master level swordplay to topple a flying beast they couldn't touch, and so forth.

Both light and dark mana flow through all things, but it lingers longer and empowers certain individuals more than others. This leads to heightened physical ability, rapid personal growth and supernatural talent with magic and other skills. This obvious difference was noted by a group of 2nd Aeon researchers, who also named it the Mana Inequity Principle.

While these facts are easy to see, a question remains: why does this imbalance exist?

Early assumptions attributed it to spiritual enlightenment or being chosen by fate, but ancient studies and modern observation have proven that mana attunement is not connected to these factors at all. In fact, there seems to be little or no consistency between those gifted few. Magic is as alive as any of us, after all, and is just as subject to whim and capriciousness as the folk are.

There remains a debate as to exactly what a mana attuned individual should be doing with their gifts. The most popular contemporary answer is “Whatever they like”. In a close second is the primary edict of Arcane Altruism, a philosophy created by prominent Akenian sage Dizah Gren.

It proclaims that all magic, including that which is under the power of an individual, should be used for the betterment of all folk. Dizah's initial intent was clear: she was a firm believer in using her power and knowledge to improve the lives of those without and felt others should aspire to do so as well. A rival wizard named Gar Baxin liked the sound of her teachings, but argued that to truly do the most good casters must first accumulate a great deal of arcane might, leading to the well intentioned doctrine becoming an excuse for some to attempt dangerous rituals and hoard powerful relics.

While it fell out of vogue after the 3rd Cataclysm and the fall of Akenia, Arcane Altruism has seen a recent resurgence, predominantly in Shard's college of Magia. The Gren and Baxin schools of thought came along with it, and that debate has also resumed.

Dawn Orthodoxy

The primary tenet of this philosophy is that the light of the Sun Machine is a shepherding force, essential for living a full and proper life. The Invincible Bright is anthropomorphized as a benevolent force, blessing the Sun Machine and all those who wield Bright Magic with the strength and wisdom to keep the folk on the path of truth.

Obfuscation and ambiguity are regarded poorly, as a lack of clarity is seen as the primary obstacle on the path of enlightenment. Some of its observers are loyal to Emperor Regulus, seeing him as an embodiment of the Orthodoxy's principles in Outer World. While he had little to do with the founding or spreading of their beliefs, he's yet to deny this beneficial assumption.

The Speakers of Sol represent the main driving force of the Dawn Orthodoxy. Centered in the Sol Alliance, their spirited words ring especially true in light of the Sun Machine they so proudly revere. They lack a particularly strict hierarchy, giving each speaker equal authority on the subject of their religion and leading to a great deal of factions under the Orthodoxy's umbrella.

Followers living in regions not graced with the light of the Sun Machine are known as the “Splintered”. Many will never see the brilliance they so admire, contenting themselves with Star Shards and other sources of illumination while hoping their essence can join the Invincible Bright upon death. Their practices tend to be a bit less bombastic and softer than the Speakers of Sol, but they are no less dedicated.

Dark Adventism

Often dismissed by detractors as the whisperings of those lost to ambition and egoism, Dark Adventism is actually a rather complex and flexible set of beliefs. The Profound Darkness and the embrace of one's innermost self is at the center of its ideology. Expression is a most holy act, with both great works of art and blasphemous displays owing their existence to this philosophy.

Denial of one's emotions and desires or those of others is against the ethos of Dark Adventism, but like the Profound Darkness itself this edict is mutable and interpretable. Those truly devoted to the philosophy fully embrace the contradictions that come when one's wishes intertwine and conflict with another, seeing them as quandary worth pondering and a test of conviction.

Most dedicated practitioners concentrate on personal agency rather than grand sermons. Known as the Tenebrous Pact, its adherents seek their greatest selves by whatever means they can manage. This private path is popular with all walks of life, attracting everything from ambitious merchants and artists to skilled warriors and phantom thieves.

A more controversial form of Dark Adventism is Nephelism, named after the celebrated Shadow Queen of old Calian, Nephel. Based predominantly on her actions and teachings, it eschews the abstract aspects of the philosophy and puts a greater emphasis on dark magic as an effective means of attaining one’s desires. Nephel herself had a well documented fondness for summoning entities from beyond the sky to do her bidding.

The Twilight Manifest

Moderation and balance are the core virtues of the Twilight Manifest. Both the Invincible Bright and the Profound Darkness represent various forms of excess; problematic but necessary. It is good and proper for one to maintain parity in their various whims, usually with the help of self-discipline or a spiritual leader.

Excess is seen as the primary sin of the folk, one that even the most pious will occasionally falter in. Many teachings of the Manifest suggest seeking balance via calm contemplation on how best to harmonize their immodest tendencies. Some will even suggest to attempt equal but opposite actions to achieve true equilibrium.

The Twilight Manifest is gently practiced in many places of the Outer World, seen as a guideline rather than a strict code of ethics. It is often adopted by those reaching the later years of their life, as the moderation it espouses is seen as a good way to keep healthy and safe.

More structured versions exist, however. The Church of the Sacred Chain is the most prominent faith in Shard and encourages strict enforcement of its doctrine, going so far as to accept donations to their institution as a means of "balancing" one’s immoderations. This has worked out well for the church, allowing them to grow into a powerful organization and even fund their own knightly order.

A final note...

This is not an exhaustive list of the philosophies and religions present in Outer World. For example, the religions for the various small gods, immortals, and un-shaped that have bothered to gather a following are missing, as are the teachings of those loyal to the deposed Divine Rulers and the remnants of their Celestial Order. There are also further sects and branches in the philosophies listed here. Attempting to list all of them would be an arduous task indeed.